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`Oumuamua Animation (Artist’s View)
This animation shows an artist's view of the wayward interstellar visitor ‘Oumuamua (pronounced oh-MOO-ah-MOO-ah) racing toward the outskirts of our solar system. The object, heated by the Sun is venting gaseous material from its surface, as a comet would. Researchers suggest this “outgassing” is one possible cause for ‘Oumuamua’s slight acceleration, as detected by several telescopes. The irregularly shaped object is now traveling away at about 70,000 miles per hour. As the complex rotation of the object makes it difficult to determine the exact shape, there are many models of what it could look like.
- Release DateJune 27, 2018
- Science ReleaseOur Solar System’s First Known Interstellar Object Gets Unexpected Speed Boost
- Credit
Related Images & Videos
Artist’s Impression of `Oumuamua
This artist’s illustration shows the wayward interstellar visitor `Oumuamua (pronounced oh-MOO-ah-MOO-ah) racing toward the outskirts of our solar system. The object, heated by the Sun (lower right), is venting gaseous material from its surface, as a comet would. Researchers...
Artist’s Impression of `Oumuamua (Non-annotated)
This artist’s illustration shows the wayward interstellar visitor `Oumuamua (pronounced oh-MOO-ah-MOO-ah) racing toward the outskirts of our solar system. The object, heated by the Sun (lower right), is venting gaseous material from its surface, as a comet would. Researchers...
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Last Updated
Aug 17, 2025
Contact
Media
Claire Andreoli
NASA’s Goddard Space Flight Center
Greenbelt, Maryland
claire.andreoli@nasa.gov
