Scientists say this remarkable object could be an alien spaceship; Netizens' imaginations run wild

A study by Harvard scientists suggests that ‘Oumuamua’, the speedy object discovered within the solar system last year, might have been a probe sent by an alien civilization to investigate planet Earth. 

Up until now, most astronomers are of the opinion that ‘Oumuamua’- that translates to ‘messenger’ in Hawaiian - is either a comet or asteroid that is half a mile long. When this fast-paced object was discovered in October 2017, it was rushing away from the sun at 196,000 mph. An analysis by the scientists using multiple telescopes revealed that the object paced away from the Sun quite a bit faster than gravity could explain. 

To some people this reddish-brown object resembles a cigar. As per the calculations of Harvard scientists, Oumuamua is less than a kilometre thin but wide and may be harnessing solar radiation to move.

Scientists are curious to know more about this newly discovered object before it departs forever. Oumuamua is expected to pass above Jupiter’s orbit in May 2018, followed by Saturn in January 2019 and then Neptune in 2022.  

Meanwhile, as scientists are busy studying the object, the prospects of this 'alien probe' have got Twitter's creative juices flowing-