The interstellar object Oumuamua, which was first detected in 2017, continues to generate controversy in the scientific community. Abraham “Avi” Loeb, an astronomer at Harvard, recently raised the possibility that this strange cosmic body may have come from an alien civilization .
Loeb, who heads the Galileo project , argues that the object’s behavior and characteristics do not match those of a typical comet. Despite theories suggesting that it could be a hydrogen iceberg , Loeb criticizes this explanation , pointing out that hydrogen evaporation cannot explain Oumuamua’s acceleration as it passes close to the Sun. For him, the idea of a technological origin remains the most plausible.
What is known about Oumuamua?
This mysterious body was tracked for just three days before its trajectory was lost, which has generated speculation about its nature. The La Tercera portal reveals that in his most recent investigations, Loeb has calculated that Oumuamua could have come from a region close to young stars, which also supports the possibility that it is less than 2,000 million years old, a “baby” in cosmic terms.
Loeb debunked a theory about Oumuamua’s full acceleration. Source: Cornell University
The Harvard scientist, known for his “unconventional” ideas, argues that Oumuamua could be a probe deliberately sent to Earth by an advanced civilization. However, this proposal has been criticized by several researchers, who insist that there is not enough evidence to support the hypothesis.
While the scientific community debates, Loeb continues to defend his position. He argues that science should be open to all possibilities, even the most controversial ones. With the upcoming Vera C. Rubin Observatory , Loeb hopes that more similar interstellar objects can be detected, which would provide more evidence about their origin.
Meanwhile, the search for answers about Oumuamua’s origin continues, with more scientists investigating its possible trajectories and the cosmic history it might reveal.
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Source: The Third
Photo: shutterstock
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