Animation of `Oumuamua outgassing

This animation, based on an artist’s impression, shows the first interstellar object `Oumuamua. Observations made with ESO’s Very Large Telescope, the NASA/ESA Hubble Space Telescope, and others show that the object is moving faster than expected while hurtling towards the outer regions of the Solar System. Researchers assume that venting material from its surface due to solar heating is responsible for the observed speed. This outgassing can be seen in this animation as a subtle stream of material leaving the side of the object that is facing the distant Sun.