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Today in History: Robert Weryk discovers first interstellar visitor ‘Oumuamua

By Drooid · Oct 19, 2026, 10:32 AM UTC · How we work

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Summary

Story summary

On 19 October 2017 Canadian astronomer Robert Weryk, analyzing Pan-STARRS images from Hawaii’s Haleakala Observatory, identified 1I/‘Oumuamua—the first confirmed interstellar object entering the Solar System. The cigar-shaped body, spotted 33 million km from Earth after its September perihelion, proved that material can travel between stars.

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Story summary

On 19 October 2017 Canadian astronomer Robert Weryk, analyzing Pan-STARRS images from Hawaii’s Haleakala Observatory, identified 1I/‘Oumuamua—the first confirmed interstellar object entering the Solar System. The cigar-shaped body, spotted 33 million km from Earth after its September perihelion, proved that material can travel between stars.