In October 2017, a mysterious object flew into our solar system, flipped us the cosmic bird, and sped off into the stars without so much as a “Thanks for the gravity assist.” Scientists named it ʻOumuamua, which is Hawaiian for “scout,” though “WTF Is That” would’ve also worked. It tumbled strangely, didn’t outgas like a comet, and for a hot minute, Harvard’s top alien-hunter suggested it might be an interstellar lightsail. After that, as expected, the sci-fi nerds and conspiracy theorists collectively lost their minds.
Naturally, your boy Jimmy Googled the hell out of it. Is it a rock? A spaceship? A space turd with delusions of grandeur? In this episode, we untangle the physics, the wild theories, and the incredibly human urge to shout “ALIENS!” any time something confusing floats by.
Not to spoil the episode, but nobody really knows what it was or what it looked like, but we’re going to guess it's a cigar-shaped UFO. And we're gonna chase that baby through astrophysics, internet rabbit holes, and the desperate hope that we’re not alone... and if we are alone, we'll kindly ask the universe to at least send us weirder junk mail.
Pre-roll blip for FYST
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