NASA's Jet Propulsion Laboratory has captured images of one of the longest asteroids ever found , asteroid 2011 AG5. The oddly shaped object is as big as the Empire State Building.
To get a sense of its scale, scientists estimated the object to be about 1,600 by 500 feet, roughly comparable to the world-famous landmark that towers more than 100 stories above New York City.
The alleged asteroid, which recently passed by Earth, caught the attention of NASA astronomers for its long and bizarre shape.
The space object is more than three times as long as it is wide and is charcoal-black when viewed by the human eye, appears to be hollowed out on one side and rotates every nine hours.
Image credit: ufosightingshotspot.blogspot.com
“Of the 1,040 near-Earth objects observed by planetary radar to date, this is one of the most elongated we’ve ever seen,” said Lance Benner, principal scientist at NASA’s Jet Propulsion Laboratory in a statement.
The strange space object reminds us of the infamous object called Oumuamua which was the first interstellar object detected by the Pan-STARRS telescope at Haleakalā Observatory Hawaii on October 19, 2017 passing through the Solar System.
Avi Loeb, chair of Harvard's astronomy department, believes that 'Oumuamua, an interstellar object first discovered in 2017, could be an alien spacecraft due to its peculiar properties.
Oumuamua is the first known interstellar object to enter our Solar System and has unusual characteristics, such as an elongated shape and a surprisingly high speed.
According to Loeb, these characteristics suggest that the object is not a comet or an asteroid, but rather an artificial spacecraft sent from a distant alien civilization.
Furthermore, 'Oumuamua's trajectory was not affected by the sun's gravity, meaning the object is likely not made of the same materials as a regular comet or asteroid. Loeb argues that this could be an indication that the object is actually an alien probe, as it would require some form of propulsion to move so quickly.
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