One of the top Harvard astronomers and eminent alien hunters nowadays is searching the pacific ocean bed for extraterrestrial spacecraft wreckage. In his recent voyage, he announced that he probably found some part of the debris of an alien spacecraft.
Avi Loeb, a resident UFO investigator at Harvard, and his colleagues think they may have found minute remains of an alien visitation in the Pacific Ocean's depths. There are reasons to be sceptical about their conclusions, though.
According to the BBC, Loeb, a controversial astronomer from Harvard, has scraped the ocean floor to gather prospective samples of interstellar rock using a device he devised termed the "interstellar hook." With the use of this device that resembles a tentacle, he claims to have located potential extraterrestrial meteorite pieces.
For his ongoing quest to find artefacts that could be connected to a highly developed society outside of Earth, Loeb has received prominence. The interstellar object 'Oumuamua, which passed by our planet in October 2017, is where he is most recognised for his beliefs. However, the latest anomaly, known as IM1, dropped into the Pacific Ocean in 2014.
Based on IM1's extraordinary speed during impact and the Department of Defense's confirmation of its crash site, the astronomer fervently maintains that the object arrived from beyond the Solar System.
Though the narrative is not over yet. According to Loeb, this asteroid may be an example of superior technology developed by an alien civilisation. His claim is likely to elicit suspicion and amazement from his coworkers.
It's still unclear, though, if Loeb and his colleagues actually found evidence supporting the idea that the item had an extraterrestrial origin or whether they were only looking at commonplace ocean-bottom trash.
In order to test the capabilities of their interplanetary hook, Loeb and his team set off on a mission earlier this month aboard the Silver Star, a ship with a suitable name. On June 21, when they discovered tiny spherical particles called as "spherules," they appeared to have struck gold. These spherules contain an unusual blend of titanium, magnesium, and iron.
Such spherules are frequently used as telltale markers of meteorites or asteroids, which are generated by intense explosions, claims the BBC.
Other scientists are doubtful, despite Loeb's conviction that these minute shards, each measuring barely a third of a millimetre in size, come from the IM1 item. They emphasise that spherules can be produced by terrestrial mechanisms as well.
According to NASA curator of cosmic dust Marc Fries, "Tiny metallic spherules are quite prevalent on Earth. They come from welding, volcanoes, welding fumes, car brakes, and maybe some other unidentified causes as well.
Additionally, it's possible that some of the spherules are pieces of the countless meteorites that sometimes penetrate Earth's atmosphere.
Loeb isn't discouraged, though, and he claims on his blog that the spherules' "anomalous" makeup makes them a strong contender for having come from space. He admits, though, that further study is required to completely comprehend what distinguishes these bits from others.
Using a spectrometer at Harvard, the team will now examine the samples to see if any isotopes are present.
It is still feasible that these pieces came from a whole other star system, however it is a very remote probability.