'Interstellar' signal scientists thought was aliens was actually nearby traffic

689     0
Reports of “interstellar” sound waves first emerged after a meteor entered Earth’s atmosphere over the Western Pacific in January 2014 (Image: Getty Images)
Reports of “interstellar” sound waves first emerged after a meteor entered Earth’s atmosphere over the Western Pacific in January 2014 (Image: Getty Images)

An “interstellar” signal experts believed could have been aliens was actually just a nearby lorry, new research has revealed.

“Alien” sound waves recorded north of Papua New Guinea were likely just vibrations from a truck on a local road, scientists have said. This undermines the theory debris found near the location contained “alien materials”, as had been widely reported at the time.

“The signal changed directions over time, exactly matching a road that runs past the seismometer,” Research leader Dr Benjamin Fernando said. “It’s really difficult to take a signal and confirm it is not from something.

READ MORE: Aliens seeking to probe humans on Earth 'would face two major obstacles'

'Interstellar' signal scientists thought was aliens was actually nearby traffic qhidddiqxqiqhkinvExperts now believe so-called "alien" soundwaves actually came from a lorry

"But what we can do is show that there are lots of signals like this, and show they have all the characteristics we’d expect from a truck and none of the characteristics we'd expect from a meteor.”

Huge meteorite caught on camera leaves locals shaken by 'loud explosion'Huge meteorite caught on camera leaves locals shaken by 'loud explosion'

Reports of “interstellar” sound waves first emerged after a meteor entered Earth’s atmosphere over the Western Pacific in January 2014. Almost a decade later, scientists theorized debris pulled from the ocean could have had an “extraterrestrial technological” origin.

However, these theories were based on misinterpreted data, Dr Fernando claims. The planetary seismologist at Johns Hopkins University in the US, said: "The fireball location was actually very far away from where the oceanographic expedition went to retrieve these meteor fragments.

'Interstellar' signal scientists thought was aliens was actually nearby trafficSound waves believed to be from a 2014 meteor fireball north of Papua New Guinea were almost certainly vibrations from a truck rumbling along a nearby road

“Not only did they use the wrong signal, they were looking in the wrong place.” And sadly, this means the audio signals most likely have a distinctly non-alien origin as well. Dr Fernando added: “Whatever was found on the sea floor is totally unrelated to this meteor, regardless of whether it was a natural space rock or a piece of alien spacecraft - even though we strongly suspect that it wasn’t aliens."

Henry Moore

Meteors, Interstellar, The Johns Hopkins University

Read more similar news:

17.02.2023, 18:17 • News
NASA confirms massive boom was 1,000lbs meteor measuring 2ft crashing to Earth
22.02.2023, 13:08 • News
Huge fireball after 1,000lb meteorite smashes into Earth as 'loud boom' heard
04.01.2023, 00:50 • News
Over 100 meteors will be visible in the sky above the UK for incredible display
09.01.2023, 22:54 • News
'Astonishing' meteor spotted flying over UK as Brits are left 'stunned'
17.01.2023, 16:52 • News
Man captures meteor soaring through the sky on his doorbell camera
28.01.2023, 00:00 • News
Gigantic meteorite with oldest material in solar system unearthed in Antarctica
02.03.2023, 11:39 • News
Moment NASA spacecraft is hit by asteroid at 13,000mph sending rocks into space
03.03.2023, 07:00 • News
Three huge asteroids to fly by Earth TODAY - one 'as big as a football stadium'
13.03.2023, 13:43 • Tech
Remember your Nokia 3310? New Android phone brings back its greatest feature
20.04.2023, 11:25 • World
Mystery surrounds bright flash in Kyiv sky after NASA denies it is satellite