Vape-shaped asteroid passing Earth could be a vast alien spaceship, say scientists

[J-23]

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A VAST cigar-shaped object assumed to be an interstellar asteroid could be an alien starship, scientists believe.

The bizarre claim was made as researchers involved in Seti – the Search for Extra-Terrestrial Intelligence – prepared to turn a powerful dish telescope towards the mysterious celestial body dubbed “Oumuamua”.

PA:PRESS ASSOCIATION

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Scientists believe that a V-shaped asteroid could actually be a spaceship of alien life

Astronomers from the University of Hawaii spotted Oumuamua in October passing the Earth.

The space rock is currently twice as far from us as the sun and will eventually shoot passed Jupiter next year.

It is the first object discovered in the solar system that appears to have originated from another part of the galaxy.

Although thought to be an asteroid, Oumuamua’s elongated cigar shape hundreds of metres in length but only one tenth as wide is highly unusual for a typical space rock.

Travelling at up to 196,000mph, the object’s high speed also suggests that it is not gravitationally bound to the sun but is destined to head back out of the solar system.

PA:PRESS ASSOCIATION

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Researchers used the Green Bank radio telescope in Virginia, US, to get a better look at the space rock

A statement from the £75million Seti project Breakthrough Listen, launched by Russian digital tech mogul Yuri Milner in 2015, said: “Researchers working on long-distance space transportation have previously suggested that a cigar or needle shape is the most likely architecture for an interstellar spacecraft, since this would minimise friction and damage from interstellar gas and dust.

“While a natural origin is more likely, there is currently no consensus on what that origin might have been, and Breakthrough Listen is well positioned to explore the possibility that Oumuamua could be an artifact.”

The Breakthrough Listen team is using the Green Bank radio telescope in West Virginia, US, to study Oumuamua, which is named after the Hawaian term for “scout” or “messenger”.

From 8pm UK time on Wednesday, December 13, the giant dish – the largest fully steerable radio telescope in the world – will “listen” to the object across four radio frequency bands spanning one to 12 gigahertz.

AP:ASSOCIATED PRESS

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In a statement the researchers said that the architecture looks similar to that of a spaceship after it was seen from the Pan-STARRS1 Observatory in Hawaii

NASA

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This diagram from NASA shows the flight path of the Oumuamua as it heads back out of the solar system

GETTY - CONTRIBUTOR

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The research is being funded by California based Russian billionaire Yuri Milner

Lead scientist Dr Andrew Siemion, director of the Berkeley Seti Research Centre in California, said: “Oumuamua’s presence within our solar system affords Breakthrough Listen an opportunity to reach unprecedented sensitivities to possible artificial transmitters and demonstrate our ability to track nearby, fast-moving objects.

“Whether this object turns out to be artificial or natural, it’s a great target for Listen.”

The object is currently about two astronomical units (AU) from Earth, or twice the distance between the Earth and sun.

At this distance it would take less than a minute for the Green Bank telescope to detect an omnidirectional transmitter with the power of a mobile phone.

 

We had a good run...

 

[Lancaster]

 

[Toni Zamboni]

invasion of the doobie brothers

[Kurt Nirvanagut]

[Nuxfanabroad]

Cue up the witty "Uranus" 1-liners!

[Pears]

I mean I’m just saying, what asteroid that we know of contains “high amounts of metal”?

[-AJ-]

So is any narrow cylinder now "vape-shaped"?

[JM_]

I wonder what Sigmund Freud would think of it? 

[Gnarcore]

34 minutes ago, Nuxfanabroad said:

Cue up the witty "Uranus" 1-liners!

I hear there is a queue for Uranus around the block.  

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Figured that was creative enough

[Tortorella's Rant]

.

[Kurt Nirvanagut]

8 minutes ago, Gnarcore said:

I hear there is a queue for Uranus around the block.  

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Figured that was creative enough

[Wilbur]

15 minutes ago, -AJ- said:

So is any narrow cylinder now "vape-shaped"?

Yeah, that made me feel old too.

[Nuxfanabroad]

9 minutes ago, Gnarcore said:

I hear there is a queue for Uranus around the block.  

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Figured that was creative enough

Y'know there are sensitive snowflakes who'll take umbrage from such silly banter?

 

As one who's likely loved a shapely woman to the point of insanity, I'll take it in jest...

[aliboy]

I remember reading a quote from one scientist saying something to the effect that it made the hairs stand up on the back of his neck, in the sense that it creep'd him out. The way it just did a fly-by past Earth and then headed back out is bizarre. If I were a scientist I'd also be checking it out, seeing as it checked us out. That was weird. Now if the thing starts accelerating on it's way back out look for the scientists to completely freak out.

 

[trek]

Don't tell the aliens that their ship looks like a flying turd

[luckylager]

50 minutes ago, Nuxfanabroad said:

Cue up the witty "Uranus" 1-liners!

 

23 minutes ago, -AJ- said:

So is any narrow cylinder now "vape-shaped"?

 

14 minutes ago, Gnarcore said:

I hear there is a queue for Uranus around the block.  

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Figured that was creative enough

"vape shaped"?

 

I dunno, kinda looks like it was launched from uranus

[Nuxfanabroad]

It likely saw the behaviour of the US gov't/media, & immediately p*ssed off, terrified!

[Pears]

2 minutes ago, luckylager said:

 

 

"vape shaped"?

 

I dunno, kinda looks like it was launched from uranus

Close it down, we have a winner. 

[combover]

Hopefully they have the cure.

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

for baldness.

[chon derry]

SHE CAME FROM PLANET CLAIRE................we,re  doomed I'm gunna have my last fav meal knowing I waited 47 god damb years for the canucks to win it all ,only to be takin down by some blue skinned maple leaf luvin alien  GREAT  just great..............