‘Oumuamua, the cigar-shaped interstellar object passing through our solar system is not an alien spaceship, scientists insist
- Mysterious thing from outer space that sped into then left our planet’s neighbourhood, was not being piloted by extraterrestrials
After investigating a mysterious and apparently cigar-shaped object called ‘Oumuamua spotted in 2017 speeding through our solar system, astronomers remain uncertain over how to classify it, but are confident it is not an alien spaceship.
Its odd shape and motion had prompted some scientists to wonder whether ‘Oumuamua – the first object from another star system found passing through our solar system – was some sort of alien technology perhaps exploring the cosmos. But after poring over the data, an international team of researchers wrote that “we find no forcing evidence to favour an alien explanation.”
Scientists tracked the reddish-coloured ‘Oumuamua from October 14, 2017, until January 2, 2018, after which it became too faint to detect even using the most powerful telescopes. It is estimated to be 800 metres (half a mile) long.
“Our key finding is that ‘Oumuamua’s properties are consistent with a natural origin, and an alien explanation is unwarranted,” said University of Maryland astronomer Matthew Knight, co-leader of the research published on Nature Astronomy website.
“If it made a sudden, unexplainable turn that would certainly have warranted further exploration,” Knight added.
‘Oumuamua – pronounced oh-moo-uh-moo-uh – was first detected by the University of Hawaii’s Pan-STARRS1 telescope. Its name in the native Hawaiian language means a messenger arriving from a great distance.