It doesn't look like a typical asteroid (
Cigar-shaped)
It's not like one (
It's not running around the sun. .
In fact, it is shaped like an old ship and researchers are preparing to explore its possibilities.
Starting tomorrow, astronomers will aim the largest possible telescope on Earth at a curious interstellar intruder --
The first confirmed object in our solar system came from another star different from the past.
This red rock, probably 10 times wide, was taken by Pan-of the University of Hawaii in October-
STARRS1 telescope, near by NASA
Earth observation program.
What astronomers call "oumuamua "(
Pronounced oh MOO-uh MOO-uh)
The "messenger from afar" of Hawaii ".
According to NASA, the star asteroid sling
Photos taken on Sunday.
Travel at "high speed" of 196,000 miles or 87 miles per hour.
3 kilometers per second.
Astronomers say the object is an abandoned spaceship or some alien star probe with a very small chance.
However, starting at three o'clock P. M. eastern Wednesday, the breakthrough hearing program at the University of California, Berkeley --
A global astronomical project looking for life beyond Earth
The Green Bank Telescope in West Virginia will be used to check alien technical signals from "oumuamua" in four radio bands.
The first phase of observation will last for 10 hours.
Russian billionaire Yuri Milner: "With our device at Green Bank, we can detect the intensity of the signal from the phone.
With Stephen Hawking.
Science American says listening behind breakthroughs.
"We don't want to cause a sensation in any way, we are very realistic about the possibility of this artificial, but because this is a unique situation, we think, humans can check low with the best equipment on Earth
"The Probability Hypothesis," Milner said.
Since its discovery, the strange shape of oumuamu has attracted astronomers.
According to Listen, "cigars or needles are the most likely structures for StarCraft, as this will minimize friction and damage to interstellar gas and dust.
"On Friday, it was 50 to 70 times closer to Earth than NASA's travelers --1 spacecraft.
Now there are only two more astronomical units from here.
The distance of the Earth from the sun is more than twice that of the Earth.
There is no evidence that it is driving under its own push.
It has no thrust.
"It seems to be moving on an orbit only affected by gravity," said Andrew simian, chief scientist at Listen, director of the Berkeley SETI Research Center.
The researchers will find
Radio signals or optical or infrared light are fundamentally different from any known astrophysical background.
"The object is spinning and we want to make sure that every face of it is captured," he said . ".
This object is natural and has various expectations.
"In the last few centuries, even though we have done all the astronomical investigations --
Observing the universe in many different ways, using many telescopes, firing probes into other objects in our solar system, digging under the earth on Mars --
"We don't find any examples of life anywhere in the entire universe, whether it's intelligent or otherwise," said eliion . ".
However, if something is detected that is clearly out of the normal range, it would indicate that "some very strange physical phenomena are happening inside and around the object", or "oumuamua is artificial"
Meaning "an advanced alien civilization created it, and perhaps sent it to our solar system for unknown purposes. ”The strange-
The shape of an asteroid is similar in size to a cylindrical alien spacecraft scientifically entering the Earth's solar system.
Novel writer Arthur C.
Clark's 1973 book, Rendezvous with Rama, famous astronomers Paul Delaney.
According to NASA, the asteroid is 400 long, "completely inert, with no faint dust around it. ”The rock (
It is considered to be made of rock, possibly metal, but not water or ice)
"Definitely from outside the solar system," said Delaney, professor of physics and astronomy at York University in Toronto . ".
"We don't imply anything about artificial intelligence or anything extra here --
"Life on land," he said.
However, "it's on a well-defined orbit, moving at the speed it has to enter from interstellar space.
So, it's from somewhere else if you want.
There's some speculation outside --
Is it for our solar system? That's not what Delaney thinks.
"There are a lot of things flying between the stars.
We have been spewing matter from the planetary system, especially in the process of formation . "
'The fact that we are seeing interstellar intruders for the first time now is very special, but not particularly unusual, 'Delaney said.
"These things are relatively small and relatively weak, and they are easy to miss unless they are close to us," he said . ".
That is to say, "maybe some interstellar civilization put a radio beacon on it to signal 'Hi, hello.
You can think of all kinds of speculation about how this object is used by some kind of space interstellar civilization.
"He thinks it's unlikely, but it's worth hearing some artificial signals from the rocks.
The asteroid's unusual 10-to-
Delaney says a size is based on a huge change in brightness when it rotates.
"If it was created during some kind of planetary formation and thrown out by its mother star, it may have been traveling for billions of years.
"It is not clear where the 'Oumuamua 'will go next.
But, Delaney says, at the rate it moves as it leaves the solar system, the travel time to another star will reach tens of thousands of years.
That's why, he argues, the Green Bank Telescope is unlikely to receive signals from any transmitter on the rock.
"Before receiving the signal, most civilizations may perish at that time.
State post administration @ postmedia.