Scientists Search For Alien Artifacts, Suggest Meteors Could Be Extraterrestrial Equipment

Supporters of the search for extraterrestrial intelligence (SETI) are ramping up their efforts to discover alien artifacts. According to a scientist who’s part of the search, one possible way to study alien technology is by analyzing meteorites.

SETI is a collective term that refers to the scientific searches for proof of alien life. Supporters of the concept, including astrophysicist Avi Loeb of Harvard University, believe that alien artifacts including remnants of previous civilizations and traces of technological advancements can be found within the Solar System.

Loeb made headlines last year after suggesting that the Oumuamua interstellar object had alien origins. According to the scientist, the object may have been some type of scout vehicle sent to observe Earth and its surroundings, Metro reported.

Loeb noted that the Oumuamua could only be one of the thousands or millions of alien artifacts floating around in space. Currently, he and his colleagues are on the lookout for these objects.

“Space archaeology with our best telescopes might reveal technological equipment floating in space, similar to the two Voyager probes that we launched and are now leaving the Solar System,” he told Metro.

However, due to the vastness of space, it would take a very long time for an object to travel to a different part of the universe. Because of this, any artifact that’s discovered within or near Earth’s vicinity could belong to an alien civilization that’s already extinct.

“We should keep in mind that the travel time is very long between stars; it would take the Voyagers about a hundred thousand years to reach the nearest stars to the Sun,” he explained. “The equipment could, therefore, be defunct if it belongs to a civilization that died by now.”

Aside from going out into space, Loeb said that another way humans can study and interact with alien artifacts is through the small meteorites that crash into Earth.

Similar to his theory about the Oumuamua object, Loeb believes that the meteorites could be fragments from the wreckage of alien spaceships. For the astrophysicist, studying a meteorite could be the best way for humans to put their hands on an alien artifact.