# The Natural History of 'Oumuamua

## TL;DR

This paper reviews the discovery and properties of 'Oumuamua, the first interstellar object observed passing through our Solar System, and argues that its characteristics are consistent with a natural origin based on current scientific understanding.

## Contribution

It provides a comprehensive review of 'Oumuamua's observed features and supports a natural origin hypothesis, highlighting areas for future research.

## Key findings

- Observations are consistent with a natural origin.
- 'Oumuamua's characteristics align with known minor bodies.
- Further investigation is needed in specific areas.

## Abstract

The discovery of the first interstellar object passing through the Solar System, 1I/2017 U1 ('Oumuamua), provoked intense and continuing interest from the scientific community and the general public. The faintness of 'Oumuamua, together with the limited time window within which observations were possible, constrained the information available on its dynamics and physical state. Here we review our knowledge and find that in all cases the observations are consistent with a purely natural origin for 'Oumuamua. We discuss how the observed characteristics of 'Oumuamua are explained by our extensive knowledge of natural minor bodies in our Solar System and our current knowledge of the evolution of planetary systems. We highlight several areas requiring further investigation.