Not an alien, scientists reveal the mystery of Oumuamua’s space object

The tail of the gas creates a propulsive effect that pushes it slightly out of what scientists would expect if only influenced by gravity.

“We looked at several different ices and the boost they would give Oumuamua as it evaporated,” wrote the study authors, Alan Jackson and Steven Desch.

“We found that the best ice was nitrogen (N2), which would explain a lot of what we know about it. Oumuamua is small, about half the length of a city block and only three stories thick, but very shiny. It’s almost the same luster as Pluto’s surface. and Triton – [bulan terbesar Neptunus], which is also covered in nitrogen ice. “

This nitrogen composition could explain the strange shape of Oumuamua.

“When the outer layer of nitrogen ice evaporates, the body will become even more flat, like a bar of soap when the outer layer peels off when used,” Jackson said in a press release.

Some of the illustrations depict Oumuamua as not having a round, flat shape, like a cake and the previous illustrations looking more like a long, oval cigar.

Oumuamua had already passed through the other side of the sun from Earth’s point of view when scientists first observed it, making it dim and difficult to observe with definite accuracy. But if the new study is correct, it means that Oumuamua has melted into a flat shape that looks more like a pancake, Barclay said.

An astronomer at Harvard came up with the idea that Oumuamua was actually a piece of alien technology moving through our solar system.

Part of this theory comes from the Oumuamua trajectory, which can be explained through the use of propulsion.

“In the spacecraft that we launch, we use propulsion to move it and change its trajectory,” said Barclay, a NASA research scientist. “We call these thrusters, they shoot small bursts of material and propel the spacecraft in a certain direction.”

Comets experience a similar effect when they travel close to the star. Solar energy heats their frozen material and they sublimate into gas, giving the comet a slight push away from the star like Oumuamua’s trajectory. It’s not at all strange, says Barclay.

Although the search for extraterrestrial life within and outside our own solar system is a major goal of extraterrestrial research and an important field of study, it is not always wise to shout “alien” whenever something is not immediately explained by natural explanation.

“I think it’s important to check all the evidence before you turn to aliens,” said Barclay. “As of now, the answer has never been aliens… I think before getting excited about aliens, you really wanted to study and rule out other explanations for this.”

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