In 2014, was there ever alien technology that crashed in the Pacific Ocean?

Avi Loeb, a science professor and best-selling author at Harvard University, hypothesized that alien technology might have crashed in the Pacific Ocean in 2014. Image credit: Harvard University/Avi Loeb/Herlinde Koelbl.

2 examples of alien technology?

Harvard astronomer Avi Loeb is known for breaking down stereotypes. For example, in 2018, he proposed that "Oumuamua — an object from a distant solar system that passed near our sun the year before — could be extraterrestrial technology." On April 20, 2022, Loeb suggested in an article in the Report that meteors that crashed in the Pacific Ocean in 2014 may also be technology from extraterrestrial civilizations.

The meteor became news in mid-April 2022, when a memo from the U.S. Space Command confirmed that the object came from beyond the solar system. Loeb and Harvard University researcher Am ir Siraj thought in 2019 that the meteor might have come from an interstellar one.

Now Loeb has further suggested that meteors may not be natural objects, but man-made objects. He hoped to search the ocean floor for it Loeb told

Our likelihood of discovering extraterrestrial technological objects depends not only on whether there are aliens sent in, but also on our willingness to find them.

Confirm the Interstellar Voyager

Loeb and Hijay wrote a paper in 2019 detailing what they believe the meteors of 2014 originated interstellar. Because their findings relied on government confidential data, they couldn't make them public at the time. But the U.S. Space Command released a memo on April 6 confirming the object's interstellar origins. If accurate, the meteorite hit the ocean near Papua New Guinea on January 8, 2014, making it the first known interstellar visitor.

As Loeb wrote in the Debriefing:

The release of the confirmation letter was a watershed moment when the government confirmed the interstellar origin of the so-called CNE OS-2014-01-08 meteor with 99.999% confidence, thus aiding scientific progress.

Scientists estimate that the official name of the interstellar meteor that crashed into the ocean in 2014, CNE OS-2014-01-08, is about a meter in size. Loeb said Earth could act as some sort of "fishing net" for these interstellar objects.

Extraction of interstellar samples

While scientists are keen to further explore objects like Oumuamua, Loeb noted that sending a mission to an interstellar visitor would cost billions of dollars. He compares it to the current mission to return to the solar system's asteroid Bennu. He believes that extracting a sample of a possible interstellar tourist from the seabed would be much more cost-effective.

Loeb wrote in the Report:

We can dig up fragments of interstellar meteors at a cost ten thousand times smaller than that and study them in our lab.

Loeb imagined using a magnet to retrieve a sample from the ocean floor. A massive meteorite fall occurred off the coast of Washington State in 2018, and researchers successfully used the method that year.

Loeb said they are currently devising a mission to explore the impact zone outside Papua New Guinea, which is about 4 square miles (10 square kilometers) and has a water depth of about 1 mile (several kilometers).

Could it be an alien meter?

Then, Loeb let his imagination run wild on what they might discover.

As he wrote in the Debriefing:

The fundamental question is, is it possible that any one interstellar meteor could indicate an ingredient that is undoubtedly artificial in origin? Even better, maybe some of the technical components will survive the impact. My dream is to press a few buttons on a functional device made beyond Earth.

That meteor in 2014, in addition to the fact that it may have come from an interstellar one, would make Loeb believe that it could be extraterrestrial technology?

The interstellar meteor CNE OS-2014-01-08 looks rare, both in composition (harder than all known meteorites, including those made of iron) and faster (faster than nearby 95% of stars relative to the Sun). However, it was the first interstellar meteor to be detected by the light emitted by a fireball. Similarly, the first interstellar object, Oumuamua, detected by reflecting sunlight, appeared anomalous relative to known comets and asteroids.

To study these anomalies, Loeb said, we had to recycle meteorite fragments. Loeb continues:

Studying these debris in the lab will allow us to determine isotopic abundances in CNE OS-2014-01-08 and check whether they differ from those found by meteors in the solar system. All in all, the anomalous properties of interstellar objects like CNE OS-2014-01-08 and Oumuamua have the potential to correct the conventional wisdom of our cosmic neighbors.

The origins of some interstellar objects may be man-made, representing technological equipment from extraterrestrial civilizations, like the spaceships we launch from the solar system. They look like plastic bottles washed ashore against the background of natural rocks. We don't know the composition or nature of the 2014 interstellar meteors. But we do know that NASA has never launched "Oumomo's spacecraft, the size of a football field." "However, it did launch a number of spacecraft the size of a 2014 interstellar meteor.

Astronomer Frank Drake wrote a famous equation that attempted to estimate how many alien civilizations existed in the universe. It's called the Drake equation. Avileb created his own equation for space archaeology.

Loeb told Earth Sky:

Extraterrestrial space archaeology is engaged in the search for the remains of other technological civilizations... By the time we find these relics, the sender may no longer be alive. These cases differ from those encountered by the famous Drake equation, which quantifies the likelihood of detecting alien radio signals. This situation is similar to a phone conversation where the other person has to be positive and we are listening. This is not the case with extraterrestrial archaeology.

What replaces Drake's spatial archaeology equations? If our instrument were measuring volume five, the number of objects we find in each snapshot would be:

N=n*V

... where n is the number of artifacts per unit volume. On the other hand, suppose we have a zone A fishing net, like Earth's atmosphere when fishing for meteors. In this case, the ratio of new objects traversing the survey area per unit of time is:

R=n*V*A

... where v is the one-dimensional characteristic velocity of artifacts perpendicular to the area. Both N and v can be functions of object size. NASA has launched more small spacecraft than large spacecraft. It requires more energy to launch faster objects.

It's all about assuming we're searching. But there is a possibility that some scientists or politicians might behave like ostriches and avoid searching altogether. Therefore, the final equation is:

N=n*V*(1-O),

R=n*v*A*(1-O)。

Loeb concludes:

The likelihood that we will find alien technological objects depends on whether we are willing to look for them, not just whether they were sent by aliens.

Bottom line: Harvard astronomer Avi Loeb speculates that the interstellar meteors that crashed into the Pacific Ocean in 2014 may have been man-made rather than natural.

BY：The Debrief

FY：Astronomical volunteer team

If there is any infringement of the relevant content, please contact the author to delete it after the work is published

Please also obtain authorization to reprint, and pay attention to maintaining completeness and indicating source