In October 2017 the Pan Starrs telescope in Haleakala, Hawaii caught a glimpse of something unusual. Initially classified as a comet and then as an asteroid, the small (800 feet) disc-shaped rock called 'Oumuamua tumbled into our orbit and became the first of a new class of interstellar objects.
Scientists are still uncertain about the quite-foreign object's origins. In this epsiode, Caitlin Ahrens breaks down what we do know about the mysterious new "mildly active comet."
Scratching the Surface airs Fridays at 2:04 pm. For more on the Center for Space and Planetary Science, visit spacecenter.uark.edu/
