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Pan-STARRS discovers 1I/'Oumuamua, first known interstellar object

When
The Pan-STARRS observatory dome on Haleakala, Maui
The Pan-STARRS observatory on Haleakala, whose telescope discovered Oumuamua R. Ratkowski, Public domain, via Wikimedia Commons

The University of Hawaii's NASA-funded Pan-STARRS1 telescope spotted a small object whose path showed it came from outside the solar system, the first such visitor confirmed. Named 'Oumuamua, it became the center of later debate over whether interstellar objects could be artificial.

Sources

  1. OfficialSmall Asteroid or Comet 'Visits' from Beyond the Solar SystemNASA Jet Propulsion Laboratory / 2017-10-26
  2. OfficialSolar System's First Interstellar Visitor Dazzles ScientistsNASA / 2017-11-20
  3. OfficialMPEC 2017-U181: COMET C/2017 U1 (PANSTARRS)Minor Planet Center / 2017-10-25

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How the story came out

Happened 19 Oct 2017. First made public 1 year later (27 Jun 2018).

  1. 19 Oct 2017It happened (this event)
  2. 27 Jun 2018'Oumuamua shown to accelerate without visible outgassing - first made public

See it on the timeline: happened vs became public

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