Has the mystery surrounding Oumuamua finally been solved? Since its discovery seven years ago, the interstellar visitor has been overshadowed by one central question: what on earth is it? Because while the mysterious flying object is sometimes thought to be a comet and sometimes an asteroid, it also confuses experts with the fact that it miraculously accelerated after flying past the sun! In view of this inexplicable burst of speed, there is even speculation that Oumuamua is in fact an alien spacecraft – and that's not us saying it, but renowned Harvard professor Avi Loeb. But now astronomers believe they have identified the real reason for Oumuamua's unexpected acceleration – and it doesn't really have much to do with extraterrestrial civilizations and exotic research probes.
