Renowned Harvard astronomer Avi Loeb and his team have stirred up excitement and skepticism alike with their recent claim of potentially recovering fragments from an interstellar visitor at the bottom of the Pacific Ocean.
Loeb, known for his pursuit of extraterrestrial artifacts, has utilized his innovative “interstellar hook” contraption to scrape the ocean floor and collect possible interstellar rock samples.
Harvard Astronomer’s Controversial Find
While Loeb gained recognition for his theories surrounding the interstellar object ‘Oumuamua in 2017, the focus has now shifted to the anomaly known as IM1, which plummeted into the Pacific Ocean in 2014.
The astronomer firmly believes in its extraterrestrial origin, supported by its incredible speed of impact and the confirmation from the Department of Defense regarding its location.
However, Loeb’s contention that the meteor represents alien technology has raised eyebrows among his scientific peers.
Skepticism remains as to whether the recovered fragments truly indicate interstellar origins or if they are simply unremarkable debris from the ocean floor.
Loeb and his team embarked on a voyage aboard the Silver Star earlier this month, equipped with the interstellar hook.
On June 21, they seemingly struck gold when they discovered tiny spherical fragments, referred to as “spherules,” composed of an unusual combination of iron, magnesium, and titanium.
Spherules, commonly associated with meteorites and asteroids resulting from violent explosions, may not necessarily validate Loeb’s claims.
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Harvard Astronomer’s Controversial Find
Other scientists have expressed skepticism, highlighting that terrestrial processes can also create such spherules.
Marc Fries, a cosmic dust curator at NASA, explained that tiny metallic spherules are abundant on Earth, originating from various sources like vehicle emissions, volcanic activity, and industrial processes.
Despite the skepticism, Loeb remains undeterred. On his blog, he emphasized the “anomalous” composition of the spherules, considering them as strong candidates for interstellar origins.
He acknowledged the need for further research to understand their distinctive qualities.
The team plans to analyze the samples using a spectrometer at Harvard to identify any isotopes present, hoping to shed more light on their nature.
While there is still a remote possibility that these fragments originated from a completely different star system, the scientific community awaits additional evidence and comprehensive analysis before drawing any definitive conclusions.
The ongoing pursuit of extraterrestrial artifacts continues, with Loeb and his team challenging the boundaries of scientific exploration.
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