from the I'm-not-saying-it-was-aliens dept.
Two Harvard astronomers have suggested that the interstellar object that passed through our solar system in late 2017 and early 2018 could have been part of an alien spacecraft.
Shmuel Bialy and Abraham Loeb, two astronomers from the Harvard Smithsonian Centre for Astrophysics, suggested the cigar-shaped object — given the Hawaiian name 'Oumuamua, which NASA notes "means a messenger from afar arriving first" — could have been a discarded light sail of extra-terrestrial origin, perhaps sent here on purpose.
From the paper:
We explain the excess acceleration of `Oumuamua away from the sun as the result of the force that the sunlight exerts on its surface. For this force to explain measured excess acceleration, the object needs to be extremely thin, of order a fraction of a millimeter in thickness but tens of meters in size. This makes the object lightweight for its surface area and allows it to act as a light-sail. Its origin could be either natural (in the interstellar medium or proto-planetary disks) or artificial (as a probe sent for a reconnaissance mission into the inner region of the solar system)."
It's not hard to find plenty of the usual skepticism, much of which seems to center on whether or not the object outgassed on the way into our solar system, and it's shape. The gist of the Harvard paper seems to be that the object would need to be extremely thin and not at all like the rocky artists rendering that has commonly been used in stories to date.
What do Soylentils think of this latest twist?
Related Stories
Latest on ʻOumuamua at CNN:
(CNN)The first observed interstellar object zipped through our solar system in October 2017 -- and astronomers have been trying to understand it ever since.
Scientists scrambled to observe the object before it disappeared, moving along at 196,000 miles per hour, and their observations caused more questions than answers about the "oddball," as scientists dubbed it.
Now, the latest research suggests it is a fragment of a Pluto-like planet from another solar system.Steven Desch and Alan Jackson, two astrophysicists at Arizona State University's School of Earth and Space Exploration, have studied observations made of the unusual features of 'Oumuamua. Their findings published Tuesday in two studies in the American Geophysical Union Journal of Geophysical Research: Planets.
Nitrogen Ice, seems to be the answer. But, not conclusive.
Theories that 'Oumuamua is an alien object or piece of technology have circulated since the object appeared, and it's the basis for the new book "Extraterrestrial: The First Sign of Intelligent Life Beyond Earth" by Avi Loeb, a professor of science at Harvard University.
There is no evidence to prove that 'Oumuamua is alien technology, the researchers for this study said, although it's natural that the first observed object from outside of our solar system would bring aliens to mind.
"But it's important in science not to jump to conclusions," Desch said. "It took two or three years to figure out a natural explanation — a chunk of nitrogen ice — that matches everything we know about 'Oumuamua. That's not that long in science, and far too soon to say we had exhausted all natural explanations."
Not saying it was Aliens, but, not saying it was aliens.
(Score: 3, Insightful) by Fnord666 on Wednesday November 07 2018, @11:25AM (8 children)
(Score: 0) by Anonymous Coward on Wednesday November 07 2018, @01:54PM (2 children)
See headline.
(Score: 2, Funny) by Anonymous Coward on Wednesday November 07 2018, @04:54PM (1 child)
Click here to discover the three shocking things they don't want you to know about Betteridge's law of headlines.
(Score: 2) by Pslytely Psycho on Thursday November 08 2018, @01:13AM
And then click here to reveal the one secret trick they won't let us talk about that invalidates Betteridge.
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(Score: 4, Interesting) by bzipitidoo on Wednesday November 07 2018, @03:26PM (4 children)
If there are intelligent aliens who know about our existence and are interested in us, you can be sure they are likely to be far more technologically and scientifically advanced than we are. The big question is, would they want us to know about them, or not, and I would guess not, for several reasons. It would be a trivial matter for them to keep us unaware of their existence while observing us in as much detail as they wish.
If they wanted us to know they exist, they could surely do that too, in much more plain ways than an interstellar probe that was only here for a short time. It beggars belief that they could want to remain hidden and yet be so clumsy as to send a probe that is so huge and slow, gets unnecessarily close to the sun thus increasing the chances it will be detected, and then can't do more than take a quick look. They would see very little, and we might see the probe.
(Score: 4, Interesting) by legont on Wednesday November 07 2018, @06:36PM
They would definitely don't want to contact us simply because any contact would immediately trigger all out nuclear war. As per the rock, it could be a long lost part of early ship - junk nobody bothered to collect.
"Wealth is the relentless enemy of understanding" - John Kenneth Galbraith.
(Score: 3, Interesting) by JNCF on Wednesday November 07 2018, @08:44PM
Devil's advocate: maybe they sent these probes out a long time ago, before we began broadcasting radio static into the abyss. In that case they might not have known we existed, and a probe like this could be a cheap way of scouting planets for resources and signs of life. Staying hidden might just not be a high priority.
(Score: 1, Touché) by Anonymous Coward on Wednesday November 07 2018, @10:10PM (1 child)
>"It would be a trivial matter for them to keep us unaware of their existence while observing us in as much detail as they wish."
That is probably false.
(Score: 0) by Anonymous Coward on Wednesday November 07 2018, @11:17PM
Trivial for us? No.
Trivial for a species that has mastered interstellar flight? Probably.
(Score: 4, Informative) by takyon on Wednesday November 07 2018, @11:31AM (9 children)
Nah [arstechnica.com]
[SIG] 10/28/2017: Soylent Upgrade v14 [soylentnews.org]
(Score: 1, Insightful) by Anonymous Coward on Wednesday November 07 2018, @12:35PM (8 children)
So, fully functional, but paper thin? And if it was sent to Earth's vicinity on purpose, but just did a drive-by like a high school kid cruising past a girl's house, why did they waste their time and effort?
(Score: 5, Insightful) by takyon on Wednesday November 07 2018, @01:06PM (4 children)
The real story is that millions of these things are zipping in and out of the solar system annually. Our ability to detect nearby asteroids has advanced tremendously in recent years. So we managed to spot this object and notice its unusual trajectory.
In a decade or three we'll be detecting a lot more interstellar asteroids. But until then, offhand speculation about them being alien spacecrafts will inspire epic clickbait.
https://soylentnews.org/article.pl?sid=18/01/06/0747243 [soylentnews.org]
https://arxiv.org/abs/1711.08800 [arxiv.org]
[SIG] 10/28/2017: Soylent Upgrade v14 [soylentnews.org]
(Score: 0) by Anonymous Coward on Wednesday November 07 2018, @04:56PM
What can we do about this? I know ... Space Force!
(Score: 2) by legont on Wednesday November 07 2018, @06:39PM
It has a very unusual shape. Probability is low - extremely low - that's why all the hype.
"Wealth is the relentless enemy of understanding" - John Kenneth Galbraith.
(Score: 2) by PartTimeZombie on Wednesday November 07 2018, @09:28PM
Which is just the way I likes it.
(Score: 0) by Anonymous Coward on Wednesday November 07 2018, @11:25PM
Wouldn't be so sure if it's not a possibly discarded alien sail or even an operational one, see Oberth Manuver or Effect, and it's rather unlikely we will see zillions of interstellar objects zipping by.
https://www.centauri-dreams.org/2018/10/29/on-oumuamua-thin-films-and-lightsails/#comments [centauri-dreams.org]
(Score: 3, Touché) by hendrikboom on Wednesday November 07 2018, @01:09PM (1 child)
Why did our probe just fly by Pluto instead of staying around?
(Score: 2) by takyon on Wednesday November 07 2018, @01:14PM
It all makes sense! The aliens have no budget for planetary science! They would have slowed down only if they had a military spacecraft!
[SIG] 10/28/2017: Soylent Upgrade v14 [soylentnews.org]
(Score: 2) by Gaaark on Thursday November 08 2018, @12:17AM
I prefer to say "It is wafer thin!", then run to get my alien vomit catching bucket.
--- Please remind me if I haven't been civil to you: I'm channeling MDC. ---Gaaark 2.0 ---
(Score: 2) by PiMuNu on Wednesday November 07 2018, @11:41AM (4 children)
The only reason it is though to be "cigar shaped" is because of the change in light observed. It could alternately be black on one side.
(Score: 2) by suburbanitemediocrity on Wednesday November 07 2018, @11:57AM (3 children)
Iapetus
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Iapetus_(moon) [wikipedia.org]
The plot of 2001
(Score: 2) by zocalo on Wednesday November 07 2018, @01:13PM
UNIX? They're not even circumcised! Savages!
(Score: 2) by PiMuNu on Wednesday November 07 2018, @01:55PM (1 child)
> Iapetus
The difference is that for Iapetus is tidally locked, so that one can define a "front" and "back" and the front picks up dust/etc. It is hard to imagine a mechanism for a similar asymmetry to arise on a spinning object.
(Score: 2) by suburbanitemediocrity on Wednesday November 07 2018, @03:41PM
Collision or joining with a lighter darker object.
(Score: 2) by GreatAuntAnesthesia on Wednesday November 07 2018, @12:15PM
They are here to rid us of our meat infestation: https://www.schlockmercenary.com/2003-07-23 [schlockmercenary.com]
(Score: 1, Interesting) by Anonymous Coward on Wednesday November 07 2018, @02:54PM (1 child)
It doesn't really matter what we think, it matters what we know. And we don't know anything. Which is why somebody should go take a look. :-)
(Score: 3, Informative) by HiThere on Wednesday November 07 2018, @06:30PM
IIUC, it was on a hyperbolic orbit, so it hasn't been sticking around. Investigating it from close up would be extremely difficult, as you need solar escape velocity. And since it keeps getting further away, and less well lit, investigating it remotely isn't likely to provide new information.
The time to launch an investigation mission is before peri-sol.
Javascript is what you use to allow unknown third parties to run software you have no idea about on your computer.
(Score: 4, Funny) by Phoenix666 on Wednesday November 07 2018, @04:13PM (2 children)
Who named it, "Ooo, mama?" They need to go back to the drawing board. Given its shape, it should have been called, "Oh my goodness!" or something.
Washington DC delenda est.
(Score: 2) by digitalaudiorock on Wednesday November 07 2018, @07:27PM (1 child)
Seriously. I was waiting for some "Oumuamua's so fat..." jokes.
(Score: 0) by Anonymous Coward on Wednesday November 07 2018, @11:19PM
All those jokes got sucked into Oumuamua's gravity well.
(Score: 2) by tizan on Wednesday November 07 2018, @04:47PM (1 child)
Says no.
The only thing we can say...
high probabilty extra-solar system object..
Is it light and wide enough to get a boost from solar radiation ...may be.
I like to quote Calvin of Calvin and Hobbs...
The proof that there is intelligent life out there is that they have not tried to contact us !
(Score: 2) by PartTimeZombie on Wednesday November 07 2018, @09:39PM
So...definitely aliens then?
Thought so.
(Score: 2) by Bot on Wednesday November 07 2018, @09:57PM
...what can be sufficiently explained by stupidity. Case in point:
*Woooooooshes silently in space*
- hello there planet, what's your name?
- they call me earth
- nice name what does it mean?
- it's the brown shit the living thingies thrive on
- oh, cool... i guess
- they also gave you a name
- oh really? what it is? what it is? space princess? menace of the sky?
- 'oumuamua
- WHAT?
- 'oumuamua
- well, it sucks
- i agree
- those are rude, terrible persons
- indeed
- well I must be going now, I have a message for your people
- am all ears
- PPRRRRRRRRRRRRRRRRRRRRRTTT
*whooshes silently in space at a slightly increased velocity*
Account abandoned.
(Score: 0) by Anonymous Coward on Wednesday November 07 2018, @11:39PM (1 child)
Is it a water heater?
...a snow cone maker!
(Score: 2) by Pslytely Psycho on Thursday November 08 2018, @01:20AM
It's an IEM.
Defined as an Intergalactic Espresso Machine.
Yes, I am smokin' the good shit.
Alex Jones lawyer inspires new TV series: CSI Moron Division.