Astronomers Discover First Interstellar Object (+ First Interstellar Asteroid Wows Scientists)

Astronomers recently discovered a bizarre-looking object in our solar system that's unlike anything they've ever seen before. It's so peculiar that astronomers think it's not even from our solar system. They've dubbed this mysterious interstellar asteroid "Oumuamua." Following is a transcript of the video.

This asteroid is not from around here. Turns out, it came from another star system. This is the first time humanity has observed an interstellar object.

Tech Insider

First Interstellar Asteroid Wows Scientists

Scientists were surprised and delighted to detect --for the first time--  an interstellar asteroid passing through our solar system. Additional observations brought more surprises: the object is cigar-shaped with a somewhat reddish hue.

NASA Jet Propulsion Laboratory

Speeding Asteroid Will Not Hit Earth On Wednesday, But It Will Get Close

Phew! It's not our time yet...

Much to the relief of humankind, NASA recently announced that a fairly large asteroid headed this way and arriving on April 19 will not hit Earth. However, the speeding space object, officially known as 2014 JO25, will get relatively close. It is expected to pass at a distance of 1.1 million miles. That’s about 4.6 times the space existing between our planet and the moon.

GeoBeats News

NASA Radar Images of Asteroid 2014 JO25

Radar images of asteroid 2014 JO25 were generated and collected on April 18, 2017, by NASA's Goldstone Solar System Radar in California's Mojave Desert. At the time, asteroid 2014 JO25 was 1.9 million miles (3 million kilometers) from Earth. The asteroid will safely pass Earth at a distance of 1.1 million miles (1.8 million km) on April 19 at about 8:24 a.m EDT (12:24 UTC).

NASA Jet Propulsion Laboratory