![]() ![]() These very careful observations showed that 'Oumuamua accelerated as it left the Solar System, revealing the existence of "non-gravitational forces." This means that the trajectory of the object could not be explained just by the gravity of the Sun and other major objects in our solar system.Ī range of possible explanations for the acceleration exist. Results of the study, by a team of astronomers led by the European Space Agency's Marco Micheli, were published in Nature in June. More hard data on 'OumuamuaĮxtensive and impressive observations with a range of telescopes, including the Hubble Space Telescope, were made to accurately determine 'Oumuamua's trajectory. No direct evidence of intelligent life was ever found in these searches. Observations were made with radio telescopes to search for any direct evidence of transmissions indicating intelligent life, including by a team led by me using an Australian telescope (the Murchison Widefield Array.) We listened around FM radio frequencies, on the basis that any intelligent life on 'Oumuamua may recognise FM frequencies popular on Earth. Given its unusual geometry and its origin outside the solar system, questions were soon asked as to whether 'Oumuamua could be a spacecraft. The discovery of 'Oumuamua generated a lot of attention in the scientific community, and in the media. It passed close to the Sun and to Earth, and was found to have an unusual geometry, about 200 meters long and some 35 meters wide, rotating every seven hours. It has an origin elsewhere in our galaxy, and a trajectory that saw it traverse the inner solar system over the course of a few months. 'Oumuamua was quickly found to have an orbit that does not belong to our solar system. On discovery last year, 'Oumuamua was classified as a comet, but this was later withdrawn when no evidence for cometary activity was detected. 'Oumuamua, meaning scout or messenger in Hawaiian, is the name given to the first detected interstellar object to visit our Solar System. For example, two publications in two respected peer-reviewed journals prompted very different reactions. Nowhere is this more important than in the coverage of scientific studies of a mystery object-'Oumuamua-that was recently discovered passing through our solar system. Hence, stories about the search for extraterrestrial intelligence get picked up and reported with gusto in the media.īut what really lies at the heart of this complicated and popular topic is evidence-the nature of any evidence of alien life, how we view and respect this evidence, and how this is communicated to the public. As an astrophysicist, probably the most common question I get asked is: "Are we alone in the universe and do aliens exist?" There is no doubt, people love to think and talk about aliens. ![]()
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