Although it has long since disappeared, the origin of the mysterious “cigar” in the Oumuamua universe is still not unanimously agreed upon within the scientific community.
A study published in the journal Nature proposed an explanation for the origin of Oumuamua, claiming that It’s just a natural object, is not the product of extraterrestrials as many believe. However, this research did not convince an astronomer from Harvard University.
Oumuamua is considered an “ice cube” rich in hydrogen.
Oumuamua is considered an “ice cube” rich in hydrogen. (Photo: Vice).
Discovered in October 2017, Oumuamua quickly attracted the attention of astronomers due to its strange shape and “behavior”.
Oumuamua is long and flat like a cigar – a shape rarely seen in meteorites. Additionally, it tends to move in a straight line, instead of following an elliptical path due to the Sun’s gravity. Special, Oumuamua’s movement speed is much faster than that of a meteorite and also accelerates as it approaches the Sun, as if pushed by an additional force.
Normally, comets also have the ability to move in a similar manner by releasing gaseous material and forming a comet tail. But Oumuamua does not have a “tail”. Special telescopes detected no signs that this object released comet-like material, whether water vapor or dust.
Although he is long gone, Oumuamua’s origins remain a mystery. Many arguments have been made, among which many people believe that this object is the product of extraterrestrials.
However, in a study recently published in the journal Nature, scientists claim that Oumuamua is just a natural object. More precisely, they claim Oumuamua is essentially a “Ice block” rich in hydrogen. As it approaches the Sun, the high temperature causes the gasification of molecular hydrogen, releasing energy that causes the object to accelerate and at the same time erode into a particular shape.
The small amount of hydrogen caused Oumuamua to accelerate without forming a “tail.”
The new study argues that small amounts of hydrogen gas caused Oumuamua to accelerate without forming a “tail.” (Photo: Getty Images).
Calculations show that a small amount of molecular hydrogen can create a strong acceleration, accelerating Oumuamua’s speed without forming a comet “tail.”
This is considered a completely reasonable explanation for all the mysteries surrounding Oumuamua, supporting the hypothesis that Oumuamua is a planetary relic similar to the comets of the solar system.
“This explanation will end the fierce five-year debate over Oumuamua, but will also pave the way for discoveries about planet formation.”said Darryl Seligman – postdoctoral researcher at Cornell University and co-author of the study.
However, Dr. Avi Loeb of the Department of Astronomy at Harvard University disagrees with this argument.
According to Mr. Loeb, for Oumuamua to reach a speed of up to 322,000 km/h as seen, the hydrogen inside the ice block must completely evaporate, then a large amount of molecules of oxygen will also be released, which means that it must be seen “tail” by Oumuamua.
“Don’t forget that Oumuamua is the size of a football field (100-200 m). How did all the hydrogen escape from a depth of several tens of meters, leaving behind an object containing pure oxygen? It’s incredible.”Loeb commented.
Loeb said only artificial spacecraft have the “behavior” and shape of Oumuamua. For example, 2020 SO – a rocket launched by NASA in 1966, then forgotten and rediscovered in September 2020.
“These authors believe that it is a special type of comet even though it does not have a ‘tail.’ It’s like saying an elephant could be a zebra without stripes. »Loeb said.
Article source: Zing
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Although it has long since disappeared, the origin of the mysterious “cigar” in the universe of Oumuamua is still not unanimous within the scientific community.
