No, but why was there a general willingness to believe that it was an alien spacecraft anyway?
COLLEGE PARK, Md. – On October 19, 2017, astronomers discovered the first known interstellar object to visit our solar system. Early reports of the odd characteristics of “‘Oumuamua” led to speculation that the object might be an alien spacecraft. Now a new analysis by an international team of astronomers co-led by, University of Maryland Associate Research Scientist Matthew Knight, strongly indicates that its origin is purely natural.
When first spotted by the Panoramic Survey Telescope and Rapid Response System 1 telescope located at the University of Hawaii’s Haleakala Observatory, the object defied easy description, simultaneously displaying characteristics of both a comet and an asteroid. Astronomers formally named the object 1I/2017 U1 and with a common name of ‘Oumuamua, which roughly translates to “scout” in Hawaiian.
Researchers from UMD and around the world immediately raced to collect as much data as possible in the few weeks they had to observe the strange visitor before ‘Oumuamua traveled beyond the reach of Earth’s telescopes. The new findings by Knight and colleagues from some 13 institutions and five countries are reported in the July 1, 2019, issue of the journal Nature Astronomy.
“We have never seen anything like ‘Oumuamua in our solar system. It’s really a mystery still,” Knight said. “But our preference is to stick with analogs we know, unless or until we find something unique. The alien spacecraft hypothesis is a fun idea, but our analysis suggests there is a whole host of natural phenomena that could explain it.”
Matthew Wright, “‘Oumuamua Interstellar Object Was Not an Alien Spacecraft” at UMD Right Now
“Stick with analogs we know, you advise”? Yes, good idea. It used to be the usual approach among scientists. So why was it suddenly suspended? We are still wondering. Or maybe we know but no one wants to discuss it. See Tales of an invented god
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See also: Tales of Oumuamua: Why are we still talking about the Oumuamua alien sighting panic? Oumuamua alien sighting panic?
What? Oumuamua Was Just A Comet? After All The ET Hype?
Astronomer: We’re too dumb to think space object Oumuamua was an extraterrestrial lightsail.Hmmm. In the real world, when you are an only child so far as you know, it is hard to compare yourself to your siblings. Few readily accept criticism for failure to measure up to the standards of imaginary beings.
Conventional Non-ET Explanations For Oumuamua
Astronomers: Solar System Object In Transit, Oumuamua, Might Be A “Light Sail Of Extra-Terrestrial Origin”
Why Some Scientists Saw Asteroid Oumuamua As ET
Why can top scientists get away with extraordinary claims?
Did Interstellar Object Oumuamua Normalize Space Aliens As Science In 2018?
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Astronomers: Solar system object in transit, Oumuamua, might be a “light sail of extra-terrestrial origin”