It doesn’t often happen that a rogue object falls from space and crashes into structures on Earth.
After years of controversy and political saga, it was announced that a fireball fell
from outer space, and pieces of its debris sit at the bottom of the Pacific Ocean.
This alien object hasn’t been our only unexpected visitor from space,
and scientists expect more in the coming years. Welcome to Factnomenal, today we’ll be talking
about the interstellar object scientists discovered at the bottom of the ocean.
Interstellar Meteorite. The term “interstellar
object” describes a wide range of astronomical objects, including comets, rogue planets,
asteroids, and meteorites. As diverse as these objects are, they all have one thing in common:
they are not gravitationally bound to any star; therefore, they just float freely through space.
On January 8th, 2014, an unusual object which witnesses described as a blazing fireball,
slammed into the Earth’s atmosphere. At the end of its trajectory, the object crashed into the
Pacific Ocean off the coasts of Papua New Guinea. After observing the object, scientists confirmed
that it was a meteorite dubbed CNEOS 2014-01-08. Director of Interstellar Object Studies at
Harvard’s Galileo Project, Amir Siraj, and Avi Loeb, Professor of science at Harvard University,
were the first to acknowledge the meteorite’s potential astronomical origins;
however, the confirmation of their theory was classified for about three years. Therefore,
the scientists were restricted from divulging information about the meteorite.
The data used to confirm the interstellar origin of the object as well as to measure its impact
were provided by a spy satellite owned by the U.S. Department of Defense. The reason
this experiment was kept under wraps for a while was that the U.S. military was careful
not to put the precise capabilities of their satellite on public display.
Avi Loeb and Amir Siraj wrote a paper in 2019 about the meteorite’s properties. The paper
contained nearly accurate descriptions of the object’s velocity and predictions of its origin,
but since the data was considered classified, their unconfirmed research was neither published
nor peer-reviewed. Because it couldn’t be confirmed as an interstellar object, Oumuamua
was acknowledged as the first Interstellar object even though the discovery of the meteorite
predated that of Oumuamua by three years. It wasn’t until 2022 that the U.S. Space Command,
USSC confirmed that CNEOS 2014-01-08 actually crashed into Earth, making it
the first interstellar object ever to hit the planet. According to Avi Loeb and Amir Siraj,
the meteorite, which was 1.5 meters in width, traveled through space at a high speed of 130,000
mph before crashing into the Pacific. The velocity of this meteorite exceeded the average velocity
of objects under the influence of the sun’s gravitational force, and this suggests that the
meteorite did not orbit within the solar system and may have originated from another galaxy.
In the 2019 study, the authors wrote that the speed of the meteorite and the trajectory of its
orbit proved with 99% certainty that it originated “from the deep interior of a planetary system or
a star in the thick disk of the Milky Way galaxy." Despite the near 100% certainty,
it took the USSC three years to approve the work of these dedicated scientists.
In April 2022, the USSC released a memo that stated that scientists at the agency had
officially confirmed Avi Loeb’s and Amir Siraj’s findings. The deputy commander of the USSC,
Lt. Gen. John E. Shaw, wrote that the initial analysis of the meteorite reported to NASA was
"sufficiently accurate to confirm an interstellar trajectory." CNEOS 2014-01-08 officially became
the third interstellar object ever discovered and the first to hit the Earth.
The Search for the Lost Meteorite.
Since the confirmation of its existence, scientists have taken up an interest in
searching for the remnants of the meteorite, which is a much more challenging task than one might
imagine. Considering that the meteorite blew up over the ocean, it is likely that fragments of it
have settled on the ocean floor all these years. Amir Siraj, who first analyzed the meteorite,
has also shown quite an interest in its rediscovery. In his interview with Vice News,
Amir Siraj mentioned that he and his partner, Avi Loeb, have plans to publish the original
2019 study. This way, other scientists can finish the work they started and one day
collect the pieces of the meteorite. In the interview, Siraj gave away his
consultation with experts on the possibility of launching an under-the-sea adventure. “The
possibility of getting the first piece of interstellar material is exciting enough
to check this very thoroughly and talk to all the world experts on ocean expeditions
to recover meteorites,” Siraj told Vice. Siraj acknowledged that the chances of the
mission being successful are extremely low because the explosion of the meteorite likely resulted in
small pieces of the fireball being scattered across the vast ocean, and tracking each tiny
piece down would be next to impossible. However, on the bright side, the tracking
data provided by the spy satellite, together with wind and ocean current data, has narrowed
down the search area to just 10km by 10km. Siraj went on to explain that the expedition
would occur at extreme depths, and since the meteorite is metallic, the team would most
likely make use of a large magnet to detect the fragments. These magnets, which will be
attached to a ship, would pull out the tiny meteorite fragments from under the ocean.
The success of this under-the-sea expedition would be a tremendous win for the scientific
community. If observed tangibly, the meteorite could provide the answer to questions about the
properties of interstellar objects. Avi Loeb told Universe Today he believed a certain fraction of
interstellar objects might be artificial. The discovery of these pieces would put to rest the
debate of whether the interstellar meteorite was a natural or artificial object.
How Many Could There Be? Apart from CNEOS 2014-01-08, other
interstellar objects have been discovered, but not all of them have invaded our solar system. The
first interstellar objects discovered were rogue planets that somehow derailed from the original
stellar systems and just floated through space. Before Siraj’s and Loeb’s work was finally
approved, the first interstellar object known to travel through our solar system was
1I/ʻOumuamua, which was discovered in October 2017. Telescopic images showed that Oumuamua
was traveling rapidly in a hurtling motion with a speed greater than the solar escape velocity.
This observation confirmed that the object was not originally from our solar system.
The discovery of Oumuamua inspired Siraj and Loeb to begin their study of interstellar objects. As a
scientist dedicated to the search for evidence of alien intelligence, Loeb put forth a theory
that the unfamiliar object was a piece of alien technology, and perhaps its weird shape
had something to do with the proposition. Oumuamua had a rocky and cigar-like appearance, unlike most
objects in space. It was about 400m long, and its length was about ten times its width.
Unlike the meteorite, Oumuamua has not crashed into Earth, and scientists have
been able to predict stellar systems from where it might have begun its journey. Loeb’s claims
that aliens had something to do with Oumuamua weren’t warmly received by fellow scientists;
however, he believes that even the meteorite may be somewhat artificial, and his view will remain
valid until proven otherwise. The other interstellar object
which has been discovered in our solar system is 2I/Borisov, named after the man who saw it first.
Borisov was the first rogue comet seen in our solar system and was discovered in August 2019.
Telescopic images showed it bore surface resemblance with Oort Cloud Comets. In 2020,
astronomers observed that Borisov was undergoing nucleus fragmentation. While its movement is being
monitored, it is unknown if Borisov is an imminent threat to the safety of our stellar systems.
The discovery of interstellar objects is not a frequent occurrence, so for years, scientists
weren’t exactly preparing for their invasion. In Amir Siraj’s words, these objects give
signals before their presence becomes obvious, and scientists aren’t paying enough attention
to the signals. In his statement, he advised, “we might as well use the whole
atmosphere and see what comes our way.” He suggests that the international scientific
community takes it upon itself to collectively “build a network as extensive as the U.S
government's sensor network,” which would be used for scientific purposes and to fully utilize the
atmosphere, which he believes is a sensor. The fascinating study of these interstellar
objects has proved that the universe is swarming with small and large objects
which can travel between galaxies. Scientists hope that one day, space travel will advance to the
point where astronauts can visit other galaxies and collect interstellar objects. Meanwhile,
with the available resources, scientists will continue to make efforts to explore the
possibilities that exist beyond our solar system. Where do you think these interstellar objects come
from and what can they be used for? Let us know in the comments below. As always,
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