Shulou(Shulou.com)11/24 Report--

This article comes from the official account of Wechat: SF Chinese (ID:kexuejiaodian), author: SF

The original title: "the mysterious interstellar visitor" is suspected of an alien spaceship? Scientists confirm the true identity of O'Momo

Since ancient times, we have been yearning for space, and always believe that we are not alone in space. From "Avatar", the protagonist fights side by side with aliens, to "three-body", earthlings unite against alien civilizations with "ulterior motives". In all kinds of works of art, artists have been sketching the "interactive scene" between human beings and alien civilizations.

(by Mei Lin / tr. by Robert Taylor)

Visual Design | Xia Meng

Back to reality, since the 1960s, American astronomer Frank Drake (Frank Drake) tried to capture signals from other planets, and humans have been trying to get in touch with alien civilizations. However, I was disappointed every time. Things seemed to take a turn for the better in 2017. In 2017, a mysterious object that looked like a cigar intruded into the solar system. Never before has such a celestial body patronized our galaxy: it is so fast that it can get rid of the shackles of the sun.

In 2017, astronomers captured the figure of a mysterious celestial body (the spot of light at the center of the image) through a telescope. Astronomers call this mysterious object "Oumuamua". Such a unique celestial body naturally gives rise to all kinds of speculation: some scientists think that Omo is an asteroid; others think it is more like a comet; and some even think it is an alien spaceship.

The concept map of O'Momo. Scientists speculate that Omomo is in the shape of a slender strip, like a cigar. It does look a bit like an alien ship in a science fiction movie. (photo: NASA) from November 23 to December 5, 2022, SETI (the search for Extraterrestrial Civilization Project) conducted radio monitoring of Omaomo through the Allen Telescope Array in the United States, hoping to find out. The result was still disappointing, and Omaomo adopted a "radio silence" to us-- no response at all.

Recently, scientists have confirmed that O'Momo is actually a comet, although it is an "atypical" comet.

Omaomo: an atypical comet speaking of Omaomo is an atypical comet, we first need to know what a typical comet looks like.

A picture of Comet ISON. In the picture, the nucleus and tail of the comet can be seen clearly. (photo Source: NASA) We already know that comets are also called "broomstars" because common comets drag a long tail and look like a broom. In fact, this long tail is called Huiwei. A typical comet is a small solar system celestial body composed of ice, which forms the comet nucleus of a comet. When comets approach the sun, the ice is heated and turned into gas under the action of heat from the sun, while comets and tails are formed under the "blowing" of solar radiation and solar wind.

But "O'Momo" is completely different from comets. Comets have none of the characteristics that comets should have.

First of all, the speed of "Omo" is too fast, with a maximum of more than 310,000 km / h. This shows that O'Momo can not come from the solar system, it is a comet from outside the solar system. As mentioned earlier, comets are small celestial bodies in the solar system, and comets from outside the solar system have never been found, and Omo is the first one.

Secondly, the comet's nucleus is spherical or similar to the spherical character, but "Omaomo" is indeed a strange cigar shape, up to 400 meters long. No wonder some scientists think it's an alien ship.

Finally, the most iconic feature of a comet is its long tail. "O Momo" has no tail or hair.

Scientists have observed that O'Momo has increased its speed as it leaves the solar system. Since "O'Momo" does not have comet hair and tail, what on earth makes it speed up? (photo Source: NASA) Why is Omaomo a comet? Since Omaomo does not have the characteristics of a comet at all, why are scientists so sure that it is a comet? Jennifer Bergner, a chemist at the University of California, Berkeley, and Darryl Seligman, an astronomer at Cornell University, pointed out that Omaomo was originally an ordinary comet rich in water. Under the action of high-energy cosmic rays, 1/3 of Omaomo's water and ice turned into hydrogen, which may have been trapped in the ice during Omaomo's space trip.

When Omaomo approaches the sun, this hydrogen is released from inside Omaomo, forming a jet, boosting the speed of Omaomo. Like jets, this also explains why Omaomo increased its speed when it left the solar system. And because the relative molecular weight of hydrogen is less than carbon dioxide or carbon monoxide, it can not attract dust and ice crystals, so it will not form comets and tails.

Omaomo has left the solar system. With any existing telescope, scientists can no longer observe it. (photo source: NASA) however, the idea that Omaomo is a comet cannot be accepted by all scientists. Some scientists think Omaomo is an asteroid, and some even think it is a piece of hydrogen ice. Now that Omaomo has left the solar system, we can no longer see it. What exactly is "Omaomo" can only be left to the future, and the answer will be obtained after further technological progress.

Welcome to subscribe "Shulou Technology Information " to get latest news, interesting things and hot topics in the IT industry, and controls the hottest and latest Internet news, technology news and IT industry trends.