Cigarette shaped interstellar object could have been an extraterrestrial probe, according to Harvard newspaper 'CBS Denver

(CBS Local / CNN) – A mysterious cigar-shaped object seen rocking through our solar system last year could be an extraterrestrial spacecraft sent to study Earth, suggested astronomers at Harvard University.

The object, dubbed "Oumuamua," meaning "a messenger from the distant past" in Hawaiian, was discovered for the first time in October 2017 by the Pan-STARRS 1 telescope in Hawaii.

Since its discovery, scientists have struggled to explain its unusual characteristics and precise origins. Researchers first described it as a comet, then an asteroid, before considering it as the first of its kind: a new class of "interstellar objects."

Now, a new article by Harvard Smithsonian Astrophysical Center researchers suggests that the dark red elongated object, 10 times as long as it is wide and moving at a speed of 196,000 km / h, could have artificial origin ". "

"" Oumuamua may be a fully operational probe, intentionally sent near Earth by an extraterrestrial civilization, "they wrote in the paper, which was submitted to the journal Astrophysical Journal Letters.

The theory is based on the "excessive acceleration" of the object, or its unexpected acceleration during its passage through and finally our solar system in January 2018.

"Considering an artificial origin, one of the possibilities is that" Oumuamua is a light sail, floating in interstellar space as a debris of advanced technological equipment, "wrote the newspaper's authors, suggesting that the object could be powered by solar radiation.

The paper, written by Abraham Loeb, Professor and Chair of Astronomy, and Shmuel Bialy, Postdoctoral Researcher at the Harvard Smithsonian Center for Astrophysics, indicates that comparable bright sails already exist on Earth.

"Veils of light of similar dimensions were designed and built by our own civilization, including the IKAROS project and the Starshot initiative. Lightweight sail technology could be used extensively for transporting cargo between planets or between stars. "

In the article, both theorists believe that the high speed of the object and its unusual trajectory could be the result of its non-operation.

"This would explain the various anomalies of Oumuamua, such as the unusual geometry deduced from its light curve, its low thermal emission, suggesting a high reflectivity, and its deviation from a keplerian orbit without any sign of tail or spin rising. couples. "

"Oumuamua is the first object ever seen in our solar system and we know it was born elsewhere.

At first, astronomers thought that the faint, rapidly moving light was a comet or asteroid from our solar system.

Comets, in particular, are known for their acceleration due to a process called "degassing", in which the sun heats the surface of the icy comet, releasing molten gas. But 'Oumuamua has no coma, the atmosphere and dust that surround comets when they melt.

Several telescopes focused on the object for three nights to determine what it was like before it disappeared from view.

"We are fortunate that our sky-observation telescope has looked at the right place and at the right time to capture this historic moment," said Lindley Johnson, NASA's global defense officer, in a statement.

"This fortuitous discovery is a scientific bonus made possible by NASA's efforts to find, track and characterize objects close to the Earth that could pose a threat to our planet."

The-CNN-Wire
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