Scientists have determined that Oumuamua, the 1st interstellar object to enter the solar system, is not a spaceship despite not knowing much about it.
The object, which appears to be a large, oblong rock, was 1st seen in the solar system in October 2017, though it only remained in the solar system for about 3 weeks.
Some of the data scientists captured from Oumuamua suggested that it had an unusual composition and seemed to accelerate as it traveled. Although some speculated that the object could be a kind of alien spaceship, researchers, led in part by the University of Maryland’s Matthew Knight, have found that a natural origin is more likely.
“We have never seen anything like ‘Oumuamua in our solar system. It’s really a mystery still,” Mr. Knight said. “But our preference is to stick with analogs we know, unless or until we find something unique. The alien spacecraft hypothesis is a fun idea, but our analysis suggests there is a whole host of natural phenomena that could explain it.”
He added that although it does not behave like a typical asteroid, it also does not display the usual traits of a comet.
Mr. Knight said, “We tend to assume that the physical processes we observe here, close to home, are Universal. And we have not yet seen anything like ‘Oumuamua in our solar system. This thing is weird and admittedly hard to explain, but that does not exclude other natural phenomena that could explain it.”
Have a terrific Holiday week.
