Excitement about Fossil, an interstellar messenger

Deep Space Mission Probe "Mirage 2" detects visitor from another solar system

London, June 2020: Astronomers at the European Southern Observatory (ESO) announced today that they have received the first images of an object that they believe is coming from beyond our solar system. It is only the second interstellar visitor that the team has ever discovered. The scientist have named it "Fossil".

The first such sighting took place in 2017. On 19 October the Panoramic Survey Telescope And Rapid Response System (Pan-STARRS) discovered a rapidly moving object near the Earth. It was the first detection of an interstellar object travelling through the Solar System.

The scientists called it “‘Oumouamoua” - which means scout in Hawaiian.

Oumouanoua - Source: ESO /M.Kornmesser

This cosmic messenger was travelling through interstellar space for millions of years before its chance encounter with our star system. ESO described ‘Oumuamua as “a dark red highly-elongated metallic or rocky object, about 400 metres long, and is unlike anything normally found in the Solar System.”

Some even speculated that the object with it’s unusual elongated shape was the fossilized wreck of a magnificent, light-powered starship. (https://www.space.com/42352-oumuamua-interstellar-object-alien-light-sail.html).

Oumouamoua left the solar system after a brief visit and we do not know where it is headed, nor where it came from.

This time, ESO is expecting to get much closer to the object as the Deep Space Mission Probe "Mirage 2" happens to intersect the trajectory of this new visitor.

"It is an unbelievable coincidence - we are just at the right place at the right time," said Michael R. Miller, an astronomer at ESO. "We believe this encounter will be very exciting. Mirage 2 is equipped with very powerful imaging systems and we expect to get a really close look at Fossil in the weeks to come".

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Mirage 2 - 'Fossil' by Sonarpilot, is out now. Watch the full video at www.themirageproject.com

Stream and download the 'Fossil' soundtrack, along with all Mirage Project soundtrack releases, at iTunes, Spotify and all digital music platforms.