 A prominent astrophysicist is refusing to rule out the possibility of objects found at the bottom of the Pacific Ocean coming from another planet – or even being a piece of alien technology. Last week, Harvard professor Avi Loeb revealed his analysis of hundreds of spherules collected by his team in the region where meteorite IM1 was known to have crashed. An unusually rare abundance of beryllium (Be), lanthanum (La), and uranium (U), named BeLaU, suggests they are unlike any meteorites seen before, and do not hail from our own solar system. The findings have yet to be peer reviewed, but have generated much debate across the scientific community. 'This has come from another star and is, potentially, part of a planet from another star system,' said Dr Phil Sutton, an astrophysicist at the University of Lincoln. 'The most likely explanation is that an object similar to what wiped out the dinosaurs here on Earth hit a planet in another star system and sent some material out from the core and magma ocean which has then melted together in the impact. 'This shrapnel could have been ejected with such force that it was moving fast enough to escape the star system it was from, perhaps aided by a slingshot from other planets. I think that that is probably the most plausible explanation.' The researchers returned the tiny pieces to Harvard, along with tubes of volcanic ash from the site (Picture: Avi Loeb) IM1, also known as CNEOS 2014-01-08 by Nasa's Centre for Near Earth Object Studies, was recorded travelling at 28 miles per second, much faster than other meteors. Its unusual unbound orbit, meaning it was simply passing through the solar system rather than around it, prompted US Space Command, part of the Department of Defense, to issue its own statement confirming IM1 was of interstellar origin. However, it did not speculate further on whether it was more than a meteorite, or wher){kind=link}
NEWS… BUT NOT AS YOU KNOW IT
A prominent astrophysicist is refusing to rule out the possibility of objects found at the bottom of the Pacific Ocean coming from another planet – or even being a piece of alien technology.
Last week, Harvard professor Avi Loeb revealed his analysis of hundreds of spherules collected by his team in the region where meteorite IM1 was known to have crashed.
An unusually rare abundance of beryllium (Be), lanthanum (La), and uranium (U), named BeLaU, suggests they are unlike any meteorites seen before, and do not hail from our own solar system.
The findings have yet to be peer reviewed, but have generated much debate across the scientific community.