The search continues methodically outwards from the Sun, with no detection so far, and yet SETI enthusiasts remain optimistic, pointing out that we have only searched a tiny fraction of the stars in our galaxy.
The first search for signals from 'Oumuamua was by the SETI Institute, using the Allen Telescope Array. They hoped they might detect some evidence of an artificial transmission - perhaps a series of pulses, or a narrow-bandwidth signal. But nothing was found.
A much larger search was made by the Breakthrough Foundation, which uses the Australian radio telescope (“The Dish”) operated by CSIRO at Parkes, New South Wales, and the Green Bank telescope in West Virginia, in the United States.
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Because 'Oumuamua is in the Northern sky, Green Bank can see it more easily than Parkes. Green Bank is still searching for signals from 'Oumuamua, but “so far” has drawn a blank.
All attempts so far to detect a signal have been unsuccessful. The observations are so sensitive that even a mobile phone on board 'Oumuamua would have been easily detected.
But so far, nothing. As 'Oumuamua heads back out into interstellar space, the attempts will wind down and the telescopes will return to their normal duties.
So what is 'Oumuamua?
One thing we know is that 'Oumuamua isn’t just a rock. It is the first interstellar object we’ve ever found in the Solar system, and its elongated shape means it is totally unlike a normal asteroid.
So it probably isn’t part of the natural process of planetary formation. The most likely explanation is that it is a giant shard of rock of unknown origin — perhaps debris from an interplanetary collision.
Bagikan Berita Ini
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