This sensational claim stems from a draft paper (not yet peer-reviewed) co-authored by Avi Loeb, a renowned Harvard astrophysicist, and Dr. Sean Kirkpatrick, the head of the US GOVs newly-formed All-domain Anomaly Resolution Office (AARO).
The paper suggests that based on similar orbital mechanic parameters, the mysterious interstellar object known as 'Oumuamua and the unidentified Interstellar Meteor 2 (IM2, also known as CNEOS 2014-01-08), hopefully at the bottom of the ocean could be related, possibly as a spin-off "dandelion seed" probe similar to von Neumann probes.
Probes
Von Neumann probes, named after the mathematician John von Neumann, are hypothetical self-replicating spacecraft designed to explore the Universe. These probes would use resources found on celestial bodies to create copies of themselves, enabling exponential exploration and potentially explaining the presence of multiple mysterious objects like 'Oumuamua and IM2.
Loeb has been a vocal proponent of considering the possibility that 'Oumuamua, the first observed interstellar object passing through our solar system, could be of artificial origin. In his book
"Extraterrestrial: The First Sign of Intelligent Life Beyond Earth," Loeb lays out his arguments and evidence for this hypothesis.
The recent draft paper by Loeb and Kirkpatrick titled Physical Constraints on Unidentified Aerial Phenomena argues against last year's "Phantom and Cosmic" ufo captures by Ukrainian Astronomers in the main observatory in Kiyv.
The Ukrainian astronomers argued that their cameras detected objects moving extremely fast at high altitudes using super-fast capture rates. Extremely fast, as in faster than Mach 36, more quickly than satellites in low earth orbit. And the astronomers say the objects changed directions and were essentially invisible, and they could detect the objects through Raleigh scattering.
Loeb's recent paper argues that objects moving this fast would cause a large explosion and fireball, like a meteor or "shooting star," when it impacts the atmosphere at high speed. Since there was no fireball, the distance measurement must be incorrect. The objects are likely much closer and smaller, probably artillery in an active war zone.
In response, after researching UAPs or UFOs for the past two years, none of the cases involved a fireball or a sonic boom. Aviators who saw the Tic-Tac depart said it departed "like a bullet," except with no sonic boom. Firearms are extremely loud because of the powder explosion and the bullet's sonic boom.
No sound
That is one common feature of UFO encounters. There is often no sound, and the object moves at a fantastic speed. Loeb's argument discounts all of this anecdotal data from thousands of witnesses. Yes, Omuamua and IM2 could be alien probes. But we should still consider anecdotal evidence and remember that past scientific breakthroughs came from outliers. We shouldn't limit our solutions because our current physics doesn't understand the mechanism. We should instead consider the evidence from a first principles standpoint and go from there.
Scientific breakthroughs are always a surprise and always disprove our current limits.
Despite my minor criticism, Loeb is a maverick, dedicated, talented astrophysicist. Loeb established the Galileo Project, which recently received $1.6 million in funding to send a remotely operated vehicle (ROV) to the bottom of the ocean to investigate the mysterious IM2 object. The project hopes to shed light on the origins of these mysterious phenomena and uncover evidence of extraterrestrial technology.
UAP Society
As the Galileo Project embarks on its ambitious mission, I created UAP Society, a company dedicated to exploring cosmic mysteries. UAP Society partners with and supports the grassroots organization Sky360.org, which builds homemade camera systems to track and detect meteors and unidentified aerial phenomena (UAPs). By capturing large bolides that land on Earth, we aim to achieve similar objectives as the Galileo Project, albeit through a decentralized approach.
UAP Society has a dedicated Discord server that works closely with the
Sky360 Discord community. You can find both links on their respective websites. The goal is for both the Galileo Project and the combined efforts of UAP Society and Sky360 to succeed in unraveling the enigma of 'Oumuamua, IM2, and other unidentified objects that may be lurking in the vast expanse of the cosmos.
Debate
As the debate around 'Oumuamua, IM2, and the potential existence of von Neumann probes continues, initiatives like the Galileo Project, UAP Society, and Sky360 stand at the forefront of this exciting scientific frontier. Whether or not we find definitive proof of extraterrestrial intelligence, pursuing knowledge and understanding will undoubtedly lead to new insights and technological advancements that will benefit humanity.
There are trillions of galaxies. Believing "we are the only intelligent life in the Universe" would be profound arrogance and folly! Can you imagine? Ridiculous. Honestly, think about that statement, and I would not consider that a serious thought by "intelligent life."
It is also folly to assume to know the "physical limits" of the Universe or even UAPs. Believing that "nothing can travel faster than light," so all those uncountable worlds out there "couldn't possibly reach us" is the same as when an ostrich puts its head in a hole in the sand to keep safe. The ostrich isn't any safer, but it does feel safer, so it can worry about fighting the nearby ostrich nation for resources. Those warrings ostriches!
What do you think about the new Projects? Will we find proof of ET life? Let us know at the Portugal News! Watch the full analysis video and others on my YouTube channel, "Lehto Files."
Chris Lehto, ex-F-16 pilot, and YouTuber, combines aviation expertise and passion for the unexplained to investigate UAPs. He founded the UAP Society, funding decentralised research into alien existence using NFTs.
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