Interstellar asteroid dubbed 'Oumuamua' could be 'artifact' from an alien civilisation, say scientists
Originally thought to be an asteroid, some intriguing new details have emerged surrounding our solar system's first interstellar visitor
An elongated object that passed into our solar system from another galaxy and flew past the Earth in October may have been an 'artifact' from an ancient alien civilisation.
The cigar-shaped object has been dubbed 'Oumuamua' and was originally thought to be an asteroid.
But after looking at it closely, researchers at the SETI (Search for Extra Terrestrial Intelligence) Institute are puzzled by its shape - it's very rare to see an asteroid that isn't rounded.
Oumuamua, the first ever documented interstellar object is hundreds of miles long but only one tenth as wide. Some have suggested the thin shape is the perfect design for a spacecraft - as it would help it travel through the universe and minimise the risk of collisions.
READ MORE: NASA exoplanet announcement: Has the space agency finally discovered ALIEN life?A statement from the £75 million SETI project Breakthrough Listen stated: "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 team is currently using the Green Bank radio telescope in West Virginia to study Oumuamua.
READ MORE: Half of all humans believe intelligent extra-terrestrial life exists in the universe, claims global surveyThe name of the object comes from the Hawaiian word for "messenger". Oumuamua was spotted by astronomers from the University of Hawaii as it passed the Earth in October.
It is travelling through the universe at speeds of up to 196,000mph - fast enough to suggest it is not bound by the gravitational power of the sun.
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.
READ MORE: Scientists capture mysterious hum from deep inside the Earth - but no one knows what it isEven if the team can't find any evidence of extra-terrestrial architecture on Oumuamua, they hope to be able to understand the gases surrounding it - or if it is carrying water.
Breakthrough Listen aims to survey a million nearby stars and 100 nearby galaxies looking for alien signals.
Since the 1960s there have been more than 98 Seti projects around the world, none of which have turned up any convincing evidence of extraterrestrial civilisations.