General, Research, Technology

The mysterious alien Oumuamua may turn out to be a space iceberg

Since the asteroid was discovered in 2017Oumuamua - the first interstellar object discovered in the solar system, it is the cause of endless debate among astronomers. The fact is that a huge cosmic stone of an unusual cigar-shaped shape is not so easily classified as a comet or an asteroid. Uncertainty about Oumuamua has led to the spread of a variety of theories about its origin and composition. There are suggestions that this is an alien spaceship, the remains of a small planet torn to pieces by a host star, and even that Oumuamua is a huge space iceberg.

This is what Oumuamua looks like - a mysterious guest from other star systems

Interstellar guest

Two astrophysicists from Yaleput forward a new theory according to which the asteroid Oumuamua has the qualities inherent in an interstellar iceberg. The work traces the origin of Oumuamua down to a giant molecular cloud - a ghostly object, which is a massive “star nursery” that stretches over light years and contains enough gas to form tens of thousands of stars. As the results of a new study showed, nurseries can push hydrogen icebergs into outer space that look and behave very much like Oumuamua. The preprint of the study was accepted for publication in the journal Astrophysical Journal Letters.

According to Wired, co-author of the article Darryl Seligmanfrom the University of Chicago believes that “although the hydrogen iceberg is a bit exotic, it explains every mysterious thing in Oumuamua.” If Seligman and his colleagues are right, Oumuamua will be not only the first discovered interstellar object, but also the first hydrogen iceberg.

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Hydrogen usually exists in the form of gas and isa substance that feeds the synthesis process in stars like our sun. But if it cools sufficiently, it can harden. The only known areas of the universe cold enough for a phase transition are the dense, icy hearts of giant molecular clouds. It is noteworthy that the core of a giant molecular cloud has a relatively short lifespan - only a few hundred thousand years. Over time, it is washed away by a stream of galaxies until it disappears. But according to the hydrogen iceberg theory, during the brief existence of a nucleus, frozen hydrogen molecules cling to dust in the cloud, thereby forming a block of ice. The authors of the work note that this is a "painfully slow process."

If Oumuamua is actually an iceberg, that explains a lot.

Hydrogen iceberg theory can also explainthe strange shape of Oumuamua. After the core of the giant molecular cloud is scattered and the iceberg drifts in the void, it is constantly bombarded by cosmic radiation, thereby breaking off pieces from the iceberg, which will lead to a more elongated shape. Seligman compares Oumuamua with a bar of soap that becomes flatter and oval as it is used.

New theory explains the reasonOumuamua began to accelerate when it entered the solar system. According to the theory put forward by several astronomers at once, Oumuamua moves due to gas generation. It is for this reason that comets have a shiny tail, which consists of carbon dioxide and water. But when astronomers watched Oumuamua, they did not find a gas emission that could explain the acceleration of the object - unless, of course, Oumuamua did not emit pure hydrogen, which the telescopes that could not detect the object.

Oumuamua is full of surprises from day one

What is a hydrogen iceberg?

The theory of Seligman and Laughlin makes us imagine a completely new type of astrophysical object - hydrogen iceberg - which has never been observed before and hardlyeven someone assumed it existed. Seligman believes that one of the only references to something like this is contained in an astronomical article of the 1990s, which suggested that solid hydrogen could explain dark matter.

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As for physics, there is no reason forwhich hydrogen icebergs cannot exist - and they seem to explain a lot about Oumuamua. However, extraordinary claims require extraordinary evidence and we will never know for sure whether Oumuamua is actually a block of hydrogen ice. An interstellar object rushes from the solar system at a speed of 12,654 kilometers per hour, and it is impossible to observe, except for the launch of an interstellar mission to intercept the object. And what do you think this interstellar guest really is? We will wait for the answer here!