; Phantoms and Monsters: Pulse of the Paranormal

Thursday, December 15, 2022

OUMUAMUA: What is it? Why is NASA Interested?

When the Oumuamua interstellar object was discovered in 2017, there soon were theories about its composition and origin. Now, it seems NASA is very interested in gathering concrete data.

On January 16, 2019, the head of Harvard University’s astronomy department, Prof. Abraham Loeb, gave an interview where he defended his controversial paper that the interstellar object detected by a Hawaii-based telescope could be a spacecraft.

Detected for the first time in October 2017, the asteroid Oumuamua was originally given the formal designation of 1I/2017 U1. Astronomers had long awaited the arrival of the first object from another solar system. So they initially gave it the informal name of Rama, after the derelict spacecraft depicted in Arthur C. Clark’s 1973 novel, “Rendezvous with Rama” that was spotted after passing close by the Earth. But given that the interstellar object was discovered by the Pan-STARRS telescope at Haleakala Observatory on the Hawaiian island of Maui, two Hawaii culture experts were consulted. They named it Oumuamua – Hawaiian for “scout or messenger from distant past reaching out to us.” The images taken by the Hubble and Pan-STARRS telescopes were quite faint, so not much could be learned about Oumuamua’s geometry and composition. Nevertheless, the initial artist's depiction was of it being a long cigar-shaped object that was turning and rolling along its interstellar orbital path as though violently ejected from some distant stellar event that occurred in the remote past. 

What really attracted scientific attention was when Oumuamua accelerated as it approached the sun according to data provided by the Hubble telescope in June 2018. While acceleration is normal for comets that have long icy tails that ignite thereby propelling the comet forward, Oumuamua was no comet. Somehow the sun’s solar energy appeared to be accelerating Oumuamua. This led to Prof. Loeb and his colleague from the Harvard Smithsonian Center for Astrophysics, Dr. Shmuel Bialy, speculating that Oumuamua may have contained a solar sail and was therefore being charged up and accelerating as it received the solar energy. They presented their conjecture in a paper titled, “Could Solar Radiation Pressure Explain Oumuamua’s Peculiar Acceleration?”

Considering an artificial origin, one possibility is that ‘Oumuamua is a light sail, floating in interstellar space as a piece of debris from advanced technological equipment. The light sail technology might be abundantly used for the transportation of cargo between planets or between stars. In the former case, dynamical ejection from a planetary system could result in space debris of equipment that is not operational anymore and is floating at the characteristic speed of stars relative to each other in the solar neighborhood. This would account for the various anomalies of Oumuamua, such as the unusual geometry inferred from its lightcurve, its low thermal emission, suggesting high reflectivity, and its deviation from a Keplerian orbit without any sign of a cometary tail or spin-up torques.

Alternatively, a more exotic scenario exposed by Bialy and Loeb is that ‘Oumuamua may be a fully operational probe sent intentionally to Earth's vicinity by an alien civilization.' Perhaps Prof.Loeb and Dr. Bialy may have been made aware of such extraordinary information and presented their Oumuamua spacecraft hypothesis to open the minds of incredulous colleagues.

As a result, in 2022 NASA proposed an exploration of Oumuamua in order to determine its composition and origin. This article by Forbes, titled NASA To ’Oumuamua? The New 22 Year Mission To The Extraordinary Object Said To Be An ‘Alien Solar Sail’ gives a brief synopsis of the ambitious project.

NOTE: What are your thoughts on Oumuamua? Is it a natural interstellar object or a possible probe by an alien civilization? Lon

Have you had a sighting or encounter?
Contact me by email or call the hotline at 410-241-5974
Thanks. Lon

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In this episode of Phantoms & Monsters Radio, we welcome paranormal researcher, investigator, and author Steve Stockton. Please like, subscribe, and comment.

Steve Stockton is a veteran outdoorsman and paranormal researcher, who puts together collections of terrifying, odd and strange encounters. He also references his own personal encounters with the unexplained. Steve studied English language at the University of Tennessee, Knoxville and lives in Portland, Oregon. His books include 'Strange Things In The Woods: A Collection of Terrifying Tales' & 'My Strange World'. His most recent series is titled 'National Park Mysteries & Disappearances.'

From his early years, Steve has had what can be called strange and, often times, frightening experiences with the paranormal and unexplained. These encounters led him to search for the answers, only to discover the truth isn’t easy to find. His book 'My Strange World' is a collection of Steve’s encounters from his personal life, as well as his life as a renowned paranormal researcher. If you like scary stories and to take a trip down the road of the unexplained and bizarre, then buckle up and get ready to dive into the strange world of Steve Stockton.

Please join us in the chat, so that you may ask questions. Don't miss this opportunity.


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A Paranormal Life welcomes Tobias Wayland, who is a paranormal investigator/author at The Singular Fortean Society & Phantoms & Monsters Fortean Research. Bernadette McDaniel (Host)

Tobias Wayland is a passionate fortean who has been actively investigating the unusual for over a decade; the first several years of his investigative career were spent as a MUFON field investigator, and following that he investigated independently prior to becoming the head writer and editor for the Singular Fortean Society. Tobias is a frequent guest on various podcasts and radio shows, has contributed to several books and periodicals on the paranormal, and is often invited to speak at paranormal conferences and events. 

He was featured in the series premiere of Expedition X, and the Small Town Monsters documentaries Terror in the Skies and On the Trail of the Lake Michigan Mothman for his work investigating Mothman sightings around Lake Michigan. He and his wife Emily have been involved with the Lake Michigan Mothman investigation since its advent in the spring of 2017, and published a book chronicling the experience, The Lake Michigan Mothman: High Strangeness in the Midwest. His second book about unusual phenomena, Strange Tales of the Impossible, continues their work in investigating a variety of seemingly impossible events.

His years as an investigator have served him best by illustrating that when it comes to the anomalous, the preternatural, and the paranormal, any answers he's found are still hopelessly outnumbered by questions.

Please join us in the chat, so that you may ask questions. Don't miss this opportunity.


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We are asking the worldwide public to come forward with your sightings & encounters. Contact us by email - Thanks. Lon

Have you had a sighting of a winged humanoid or huge bat-like creature in the Chicago, Illinois metro area / Lake Michigan region? The entity has also been referred to as the 'Chicago Mothman', 'Chicago Owlman' & 'O'Hare Mothman.' - Chicago / Lake Michigan Winged Humanoid Regional Interactive Map - Please feel free to contact me at lonstrickler@phantomsandmonsters.com - your anonymity is guaranteed. Our investigative group is conducting a serious examination of his phenomenon. We are merely seeking the truth and wish to determine what eyewitnesses have been encountering. Your cooperation is truly appreciated.

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