{"id":145010,"date":"2021-07-13T15:26:57","date_gmt":"2021-07-14T01:26:57","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/www.hawaii.edu\/news\/?p=145010"},"modified":"2021-07-13T15:26:57","modified_gmt":"2021-07-14T01:26:57","slug":"oumuamua-an-alien-listening-device","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.hawaii.edu\/news\/2021\/07\/13\/oumuamua-an-alien-listening-device\/","title":{"rendered":"Is <abbr title=\"东精影业\">东精影业<\/abbr>-discovered \u02bbOumuamua an alien listening device?"},"content":{"rendered":"<span class=\"span-reading-time rt-reading-time\" style=\"display: block;\"><span class=\"rt-label rt-prefix\">Reading time: <\/span> <span class=\"rt-time\"> 3<\/span> <span class=\"rt-label rt-postfix\">minutes<\/span><\/span><p><img loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" src=\"https:\/\/www.hawaii.edu\/news\/wp-content\/uploads\/2021\/07\/ufo-no-gnrc.jpg\" alt=\"U F O with an X through it\" width=\"676\" height=\"381\" class=\"alignleft size-full wp-image-145020\" srcset=\"https:\/\/www.hawaii.edu\/news\/wp-content\/uploads\/2021\/07\/ufo-no-gnrc.jpg 676w, https:\/\/www.hawaii.edu\/news\/wp-content\/uploads\/2021\/07\/ufo-no-gnrc-300x169.jpg 300w, https:\/\/www.hawaii.edu\/news\/wp-content\/uploads\/2021\/07\/ufo-no-gnrc-130x73.jpg 130w\" sizes=\"auto, (max-width: 676px) 100vw, 676px\" \/><\/p>\n<p>Mysteries have swirled around the origin of interstellar object &#699;Oumuamua since <a href=\"https:\/\/www.hawaii.edu\/news\/2017\/11\/20\/an-interstellar-visitor-unmasked\/\">astronomers on Haleakal\u0101 first discovered it in 2017<\/a> with the University of <span aria-label=\"Hawaii\">Hawai&#699;i<\/span> <a href=\"https:\/\/panstarrs.ifa.hawaii.edu\/pswww\/\">Pan-STARRS1<\/a> (Panoramic Survey Telescope and Rapid Response System) telescope. The latest theory hails from a Harvard professor who speculates the object could be a listening device designed by an extraterrestrial intelligent civilization.<\/p>\n<p>Harvard astrophysicist Avi Loeb claims &#699;Oumuamua could be dropping alien sensors on planets, including Earth. The timing of Loeb\u2019s speculation arrived just days before the U.S. government released a highly anticipated unclassified intelligence report on June 25. In it, officials state 144 unidentified-flying-object sightings, more commonly known as <abbr>UFO<\/abbr>s, have been investigated since 2004.<\/p>\n<figure id=\"attachment_81433\" aria-describedby=\"caption-attachment-81433\" style=\"width: 300px\" class=\"wp-caption alignright\"><img loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" src=\"https:\/\/www.hawaii.edu\/news\/wp-content\/uploads\/2018\/06\/manoa-ifa-oumuamua-comet-300x169.jpg\" alt=\"Artist\u2019s impression of Oumuamua\" width=\"300\" height=\"169\" class=\"size-medium wp-image-81433\" srcset=\"https:\/\/www.hawaii.edu\/news\/wp-content\/uploads\/2018\/06\/manoa-ifa-oumuamua-comet-300x169.jpg 300w, https:\/\/www.hawaii.edu\/news\/wp-content\/uploads\/2018\/06\/manoa-ifa-oumuamua-comet-630x353.jpg 630w, https:\/\/www.hawaii.edu\/news\/wp-content\/uploads\/2018\/06\/manoa-ifa-oumuamua-comet.jpg 676w\" sizes=\"auto, (max-width: 300px) 100vw, 300px\" \/><figcaption id=\"caption-attachment-81433\" class=\"wp-caption-text\">This artist\u2019s impression shows the first interstellar object discovered in the Solar System, &#699;Oumuamua (Credit: <abbr>ESA<\/abbr>\/Hubble, <abbr>NASA, ESO<\/abbr>, M. Kornmesser)<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n<ul>\n<li><strong>Related <em><abbr title=\"东精影业\">东精影业<\/abbr> News<\/em> story:<\/strong> <a href=\"https:\/\/www.hawaii.edu\/news\/2019\/07\/02\/natural-origin-for-oumuamua\/\">Two <abbr>东精影业<\/abbr> astronomers part of international team that agrees on a natural origin for &#699;Oumuamua<\/a>, July 2, 2019<\/li>\n<\/ul>\n<p>Classifying &#699;Oumuamua as a potential <abbr>UFO<\/abbr> isn\u2019t a theory supported by <abbr>东精影业<\/abbr> <a href=\"http:\/\/www.ifa.hawaii.edu\/\">Institute for Astronomy<\/a> (<abbr>IfA<\/abbr>) Astronomer <strong>Karen Meech<\/strong>, who led an international research team\u2019s analysis of &#699;Oumuamua immediately after its discovery in 2017. Meech and fellow researchers initially investigated the object\u2019s origin and found no evidence it is linked to alien life.<\/p>\n<p>&ldquo;It\u2019s certainly intriguing to creatively speculate what the physical nature of something is when it is the first of its kind&#8212;this is part of exploration and discovery,&rdquo; said Meech. &ldquo;However, one has to follow scientific principles. Everything we have seen with &#699;Oumuamua is entirely consistent with it being a comet. We can&#8217;t prove it, because we had too little time and it was too faint to get all the data we would like, but that is a poor reason to declare it is alien technology.&rdquo;<\/p>\n<figure id=\"attachment_123398\" aria-describedby=\"caption-attachment-123398\" style=\"width: 300px\" class=\"wp-caption alignright\"><img loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" src=\"https:\/\/www.hawaii.edu\/news\/wp-content\/uploads\/2020\/07\/system-astronomy-pan-starrs-300x169.jpg\" alt=\"telescope\" width=\"300\" height=\"169\" class=\"size-medium wp-image-123398\" srcset=\"https:\/\/www.hawaii.edu\/news\/wp-content\/uploads\/2020\/07\/system-astronomy-pan-starrs-300x169.jpg 300w, https:\/\/www.hawaii.edu\/news\/wp-content\/uploads\/2020\/07\/system-astronomy-pan-starrs-130x73.jpg 130w, https:\/\/www.hawaii.edu\/news\/wp-content\/uploads\/2020\/07\/system-astronomy-pan-starrs.jpg 676w\" sizes=\"auto, (max-width: 300px) 100vw, 300px\" \/><figcaption id=\"caption-attachment-123398\" class=\"wp-caption-text\">Pan-<abbr>STARRS<\/abbr>1 is the world leader in finding Near-Earth Objects. (Photo credit: Rob Ratkowski\/<abbr>PS1SC<\/abbr><\/figcaption><\/figure>\n<p>Meech and the international team of 14 experts, including <abbr>IfA<\/abbr> astronomer <strong>Robert Jedicke<\/strong> only had a brief window to closely analyze &#699;Oumuamua before it headed away from the Earth and Sun and rapidly faded from view. Astronomers zeroed in on the object 24-hours a day for about a week, although a little additional data was obtained (mostly from space telescopes) for 2 more months. Based on the evidence gathered, the team strongly suggests that &#699;Oumuamua has a purely natural origin and must have an extremely elongated shape, like a cigar unlike any known object in our solar system.<\/p>\n<p>&ldquo;This is all the data we will ever have,&rdquo; Meech explained. &ldquo;The data was consistent with it being a comet from another star system. It was observed to be accelerating out of the solar system at a rate that we often see for comets. Comet acceleration is caused by uneven outgassing that acts like rocket thrusters. We didn&#8217;t detect either gas or dust near &#699;Oumuamua and on this basis, Loeb has declared it is alien technology.&rdquo;<\/p>\n<h2>Puzzling object inspires Hawaiian researchers<\/h2>\n<p>The <abbr>东精影业<\/abbr>-led discovery bears the Hawaiian name &#699;Oumuamua penned by <a href=\"https:\/\/hilo.hawaii.edu\/\"><abbr>东精影业<\/abbr> Hilo<\/a> Hawaiian language experts <strong><span aria-label=\"Kaiu\">Ka&#699;iu<\/span> Kimura<\/strong> and <strong>Larry Kimura<\/strong>. The name\u2019s meaning reflects the way the object is like a scout or messenger sent from the distant past to reach out to us (&#699;ou means &ldquo;reach out for&rdquo; and mua, with the second mua placing emphasis, means &ldquo;first, in advance of&rdquo;).<\/p>\n<p><span aria-label=\"Hawaii\">Hawai&#699;i<\/span> is the first place in the world to weave traditional Indigenous practices into the process of officially naming astronomical discoveries, through an educational program, <a href=\"https:\/\/imiloahawaii.org\/a-hua-he-inoa\">A Hua He Inoa<\/a>, a collaborative effort by the <a href=\"https:\/\/imiloahawaii.org\/\">&#699;Imiloa Astronomy Center<\/a> at <abbr>东精影业<\/abbr> Hilo and <a href=\"https:\/\/www.olelo.hawaii.edu\/en\/\">Ka Haka &#699;Ula O <span aria-label=\"Keelikolani\">Ke&#699;elik&#333;lani<\/span> College of Hawaiian Language<\/a> on the <span aria-label=\"Hawaii\">Hawai&#699;i<\/span> Island campus.<\/p>\n<ul>\n<li><strong>Related <em><abbr>东精影业<\/abbr> News<\/em> story:<\/strong> <a href=\"https:\/\/www.hawaii.edu\/news\/2020\/11\/16\/leleakuhonua-dwarf-planet\/\">Hawaiian name given to dwarf planet orbiting Sun<\/a>, November 16, 2020<\/li>\n<\/ul>\n<p>In summer 2020, Hawaiian immersion kumu recruited by A Hua He Inoa named two celestial discoveries; dwarf planet Leleak\u016bhonua and massive quasar <span aria-label=\"Poniuaena\">P&#333;niu&#257;&#699;ena<\/span>. The Hawaiian language program has named other <span aria-label=\"Hawaii\">Hawai&#699;i<\/span>-based discoveries <a href=\"https:\/\/www.hawaii.edu\/news\/2019\/06\/28\/iau-adopts-asteroids-hawaiian-names\/\">Kamo\u02bboalewa and Ka\u02bbepaoka\u02bb\u0101wela<\/a>, and the <a href=\"https:\/\/www.hawaii.edu\/news\/2019\/04\/10\/uh-hilo-professor-names-black-hole\/\">black hole, P\u014dwehi<\/a>.<\/p>\n<p>The <abbr>IfA<\/abbr> research is an example of <abbr>东精影业<\/abbr> M\u0101noa\u2019s goal of <a href=\"https:\/\/manoa.hawaii.edu\/wp\/wp-content\/uploads\/2020\/12\/manoa-2025-strategic-plan.pdf#page=25\">Excellence in Research: Advancing the Research and Creative Work Enterprise<\/a> (<span class=\"small-text\"><abbr title=\"Portable Document Format\">PDF<\/abbr><\/span>), one of four goals identified in the <a href=\"https:\/\/manoa.hawaii.edu\/wp\/wp-content\/uploads\/2020\/12\/manoa-2025-strategic-plan.pdf\">2015&#8211;25 Strategic Plan<\/a> (<span class=\"small-text\"><abbr title=\"Portable Document Format\">PDF<\/abbr><\/span>), updated in December 2020.<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"<p><abbr>IfA<\/abbr> astronomer Karen Meech led international research on &#699;Oumuamua and pokes holes in extraterrestrial theories.  <\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":16,"featured_media":0,"comment_status":"closed","ping_status":"closed","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"footnotes":""},"categories":[30],"tags":[34,1057,292,35,316,14,9],"class_list":["post-145010","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","hentry","category-research","tag-astronomy","tag-hawaiian-language","tag-imiloa-astronomy-center","tag-institute-for-astronomy","tag-ka-haka-ula-o-keelikolani","tag-uh-hilo","tag-uh-manoa","entry","has-media"],"aioseo_notices":[],"jetpack_featured_media_url":"","_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.hawaii.edu\/news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/145010","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.hawaii.edu\/news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.hawaii.edu\/news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.hawaii.edu\/news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/16"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.hawaii.edu\/news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=145010"}],"version-history":[{"count":3,"href":"https:\/\/www.hawaii.edu\/news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/145010\/revisions"}],"predecessor-version":[{"id":145025,"href":"https:\/\/www.hawaii.edu\/news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/145010\/revisions\/145025"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.hawaii.edu\/news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=145010"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.hawaii.edu\/news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=145010"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.hawaii.edu\/news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=145010"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}