"Alien probe" according to researchers at HarvardSmithsonian

[Guest]

Oumuamua could be a Von Neumann probe.
https://arxiv.org/pdf/1810.11490.pdf
https://www.cnn.com/2018/11/06/health/o ... index.html

[_DoubtingThomas]

[_Maksutov]

Oh please.

[_Doctor Steuss]

Scanning the paper. Early on, they state that the changes in the trajectory of the object as it approached the sun matches what happens with comets.

The paper mostly seems to be an exercise of "what if." One of the things they find early on is that in order for their hypothesis to be true (i.e. that it isn't a comet, despite doing what comets do), it would need to be no more than 0.9mm thick to account for solar radiation changing its acceleration.

So, basically, the paper is: This object matches what a comet would do, but here's some out there speculation, and the math that would be needed for the speculation to be true.

[_MeDotOrg]

We need to build a wall around the solar system. Keep those effing alien probes isolated in the slums of the central galaxy. We let one anchor probe in and then it's 'Goodnight Irene'.

[_DoubtingThomas]

So, basically, the paper is: This object matches what a comet would do, but here's some out there speculation, and the math that would be needed for the speculation to be true.

It would have to be a very strange comet

Yet, despite its close Solar approach of r = 0.25 AU, ‘Oumuamua shows no signs of a any cometary activity, no cometary tail, nor gas emission/absorption lines were observed (Meech et al. 2017; Knight et al. 2017; Jewitt et al. 2017; Ye et al. 2017; Fitzsimmons et al. 2017). From a theoretical point of view, Rafikov (2018) has shown that if outgassing was responsible for the acceleration (as originally proposed by Micheli et al. 2018), then the associated outgassing torques would have driven a rapid evolution in ‘Oumuamua’s spin, incompatible with observations

[Guest]

Oh please.

We humans created an interstellar probe called Voyager 1.

[_DoubtingThomas]

Here are some very good videos in English

The Mystery of Our First Interstellar Visitor Just Got More Complicated
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Wflp1fQKY5w

What Exactly is Oumuamua?
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=S-be3xv_tVE

[_Doctor Steuss]

So, let’s see. We have something that’s the same color as Kuiper belt objects, with no radio signals detected, but has a few deviations from what would be expected from a Comet or Asteroid.

Therefore, it's an alien probe with 300-900 micron solar sail (that hasn’t been observed) that has managed to remain intact through lord knows how many light years, and we know it’s intact because the theory says it is.

We assume solar sail technology because reasons. And therefore aliens.

Meh.

[_DoubtingThomas]

that has managed to remain intact through lord knows how many light years, and we know it’s intact because the theory says it is..

Voyager 1 is set to travel for 225 million years.

So, let’s see. We have something that’s the same color as Kuiper belt objects, with no radio signals detected, but has a few deviations from what would be expected from a Comet or Asteroid.

Why should we expect alien civilizations to use radio technology?

We assume solar sail technology because reasons. And therefore aliens.

Meh.

Nobody knows what it is, but it doesn't mean we should dismiss the alien possibility.