interstellar alien probe tries to communicate with humpback whales

[Joe P]

It would be spiffy, of course, if the object turned out to an interstellar probe, but if I were a betting man I'd put a fiver on it being a very oddly shaped asteroid.

https://www.msn.com/en-ca/news/worl...ther-part-of-galaxy-say-scientists/ar-BBGDJTe

A huge object passing by Earth could be an alien spacecraft, scientists have said.

The bizarre cigar-shaped entity was previously thought to be an interstellar asteroid which had come from another part of the galaxy. But evidence has been mounting which has led experts to suggest it could actually be a sign of intelligent life.

The object is hundreds of metres in length but only one tenth as wide which is highly unusual for a typical space rock, scientists have said. It is also speeding through space at 196,000 mph, suggesting it is not gravitationally bound to the sun.

The mysterious body, which has been dubbed “Oumuamua”, was spotted by astronomers from the University of Hawaii in October as it passed the Earth at around 85 times further than the moon.

It is the first object discovered in the solar system that appears to have originated from another part of the galaxy.

Researchers involved in Seti — the Search for Extra-Terrestrial Intelligence — are preparing to turn a powerful dish telescope towards the object.

Artist's conception of the interstellar object

Alien probe from the Star Trek film with the whales

Joe

 

[Pete MB&D]

I for one welcome our alien overlords.

Pete

 

[darrenyeats]

Bet you they land in Cuba.

 

[alanbeeb]

196,000 mph? 16,000 years from nearest star, or 340 million years to cross the galaxy. That's a lot of "Are we there yet?"

 

[Joe P]

Same story from a more sciency source.

https://www.scientificamerican.com/...galactic-driftwood-seti-tunes-in-to-oumuamua/

Avi Loeb, an astrophysicist and Breakthrough advisor at Harvard University who helped persuade Milner to pursue the observations, is similarly pessimistic about prospects for uncovering aliens. There are, he says, arguments against its artificial origins. For one thing, its estimated spin rate seems too low to create useful amounts of “artificial gravity” for anything onboard. Furthermore, ‘Oumuamua shows no sign of moving due to rocketry or other technology, instead following an orbit shaped by the gravitational force of the sun. Its speed relative to the solar system (about 20 kilometers per second) also seems rather slow for any interstellar probe, which presumably would cruise at higher speeds for faster trips between stars. But that pace aligns perfectly with those of typical nearby stars—suggesting ‘Oumuamua might be merely a piece of galactic “driftwood” washed up by celestial currents.

Then again, Loeb says, “perhaps the aliens have a mothership that travels fast and releases baby spacecraft that freely fall into planetary system on a reconnaissance mission. In such a case, we might be able to intercept a communication signal between the different spacecraft.”

Joe

 

[Nero]

Damn, I didn't realise that picture was an artist's conception! I thought it was a photo. So that means it could actually be a captain's log.

 

[Joe P]

Nero,

Yup, it's definitely an artist's conception.

A bit more, this time from NASA/JPL.

Joe

 

[Sue Pertwee-Tyr]

196,000 mph, or about five million miles a day, or one AU every three weeks, give or take. That means this object entered our solar system about 300 years ago, around the time of the Act of Union. It passed the orbit of Pluto around the time of the Scottish Referendum, and entered the region of the planetary solar system (ie, passing the orbit of Neptune) around 18 months ago, around the time of the UK Referendum vote.

Coincidence? I think not...

 

[Marchbanks]

It was spotted by the University of Hawaii as it passed the Earth at 200kMph in October.

Two months later, Seti are preparing to point a telescope at it as it disappears into the cosmic distance.

I think Seti must have similar urgency recognition issues to those of UKGov.

 

[Cav]

Scientists ffs?

 

[gassor]

196,000 mph, or about five million miles a day, or one AU every three weeks, give or take. That means this object entered our solar system about 300 years ago, around the time of the Act of Union. It passed the orbit of Pluto around the time of the Scottish Referendum, and entered the region of the planetary solar system (ie, passing the orbit of Neptune) around 18 months ago, around the time of the UK Referendum vote.

Coincidence? I think not...

You're damn right it is no coincidence. It has traversed the galaxy to offset the economic disaster of Brexit. The 'meteor' contains an invitation for the UK to join the Galactic Trade Federation - GTF for short.

 

[Sue Pertwee-Tyr]

Unfortunately, the message "People of Earth, the Universe wants you to GTF" was misinterpreted as it was received by somebody from the txt spk generation.

 

[russel]

Its an anal probe for Trump, the mother ship had never seen a bigger ar5ehole and had to get it specially made.

 

[Alan Brown]

It would be spiffy, of course, if the object turned out to an interstellar probe, but if I were a betting man I'd put a fiver on it being a very oddly shaped asteroid.

https://www.msn.com/en-ca/news/worl...ther-part-of-galaxy-say-scientists/ar-BBGDJTe



Artist's conception of the interstellar object

Alien probe from the Star Trek film with the whales


Joe

That's sure to play havoc with anybody's HiFi power supply.

Just so happens I can help you all prepare for the impending unintended apocalypse and sell you some alien probe electrical-interference suppressing mains cables with whale blubber dialectic, for just two, yes only TWO humpback whales. Or a formula for transparent aluminium (not aloominum though, that's crap).

 

[Joe P]

This is the fiver I put on it.

Guess I'm a bettin' man, man.

Joe

 

[martin clark]

'Whale blubber dialetic'

The sound of two fatheads talking?

 

[Marchbanks]

'Whale blubber dialetic'

The sound of two fatheads talking?

No, that is definitely a Fall album. It was actually meant to be ‘dietetic’ but Mark spilt whisky on the copy sent to the printers.

 

[Pete MB&D]

SID spotted it first.

Pete

 

[mykel]

RAMA

 

[Marchbanks]

It was spotted by the University of Hawaii as it passed the Earth at 200kMph in October.

Two months later, Seti are preparing to point a telescope at it as it disappears into the cosmic distance.

I think Seti must have similar urgency recognition issues to those of UKGov.

Aha, suddenly all is clear.

“Tell me SETI, what first attracted you to the initiative backed by billionaire Yuri Milner?”