According to Harvard researchers, a mysterious rock could have been an extraterrestrial spaceship

TAMPA, Fla. (WFLA / CNN) – A mysterious object seen rocking in the sun could have been part of an extraterrestrial spacecraft sent to spy on us, according to the researchers.

At the end of last year, a collection of telescopes in Hawaii spotted the "Oumauma asteroid" flying through the solar system at a speed of 196,000 miles an hour.

"" Oumuamua may be a fully operational probe, intentionally sent near Earth by an extraterrestrial civilization, "researchers at the Harvard Smithsonian Center for Astrophysics wrote.

Their theory is based on the unexpected speed gain of the object as it traversed the solar system.

"Considering an artificial origin, a possibility is that" Oumuamua is a light sail, floating in interstellar space as a debris of advanced technological equipment, "the newspaper's authors continued.

The asteroid is the first object ever seen in our solar system, whose origin is known.