Mysterious interstellar comet may be an alien probe: Harvard scientists

[robkelk]

Chair of astronomy Abraham Loeb and postdoctoral fellow Shmuel Bialy the Harvard-Smithsonian Center for Astrophysics suggest 'Oumuamua might be artificial.

Pop-culture report

The paper has been submitted to The Astrophysical Journal Letters, but I don't see it on the website yet.

[Niteflier]

Yeah... Saw that earlier last week and I have to say, I'm really going to want to see the peer-review on this one. RAMA this ain't.

[Bob Schroeck]

Is there confirmation on the claim that it accelerated away from the sun at a rate substantially more than was expected from the gravity slingslot?

[robkelk]

I've seen no confirmation on any of the claims.

That's why I want to see what's been submitted to The Astrophysical Journal Letters.

[nemonowan]

From what I read, there actually are anomalies in the acceleration of the object, but it isn't anything of such magnitude that couldn't be caused by outgassing due to the Sun's heat, for instance.

[Black Aeronaut]

Playing devil's advocate here, but it says right in the article:

A comet can do that when it releases gases, producing a rocket effect known as outgassing. But 'Oumuamua doesn't have the telltale comet tail associated with outgassing.

What's more, outgassing should have sent 'Oumuamua spinning, but no rotation has been detected.

So while outgassing can explain SOME of the behavior, the other behaviors (such as rotation and the comet tail) are absent.

[classicdrogn]

Hm, so how long until we need to prepare the red-carpet reception for our new alien overlords?

Realistically speaking, probably centuries or millennia, at best, of course, and that's if tool-making intelligence hasn't proven to be as contra-survival in the long run through environmental damage as it's looking here on Earth. Then again, if there's anything that'll get a space program going it's looking for a new patch of living space to occupy... And going back to the Hollywood logic, it would be prime political theater to avoid dealing with the real issues too, on the assumption that aliens would think roughly like humans do.