The object of great local intrigue and discussion is most certainly debris from space, according to authorities, who claim that police in Australia are protecting a mysterious cylinder that washed up on the western coast of the country.
The Australian Space Agency issued a statement on Monday stating that it is investigating the cylinder that was found lately on a beach at Green Head, a coastal hamlet located around 250 kilometers (155 miles) north of Perth, the capital city of Western Australia.
According to a tweet sent by the agency, “This object (mysterious cylinder) might have come from an alien orbital rocket aircraft and we are in communication with international colleagues that could potentially capable to give additional details.”
The large cylinder, which is much taller than a person, looks to have broken off at one end, and it is coated with barnacles, both of which indicate that it was submerged in water for a considerable length of time before it washed ashore.
Because of the mystery surrounding the object’s birthplace, the space agency asked people to refrain from touching or moving it in any way, and also requested information about the finding of any further potential debris.
In a subsequent statement, the Western Australia Police Force claimed that they would be considering the device as “hazardous once the source of it can be established.”
“People in the area ought to preserve a safe distance,” officials said, adding that a collaborative inquiry with different government authorities is now underway to determine how it began and nature. “People in the area ought keep a safe distance,”
“The inquiry is in progress, and while more data becomes accessible, we encourage anyone to keep away from drawing conclusions,” the police stated. “We apologize for any inconvenience this may cause.”
Mysterious cylinder spurred frenzied conjecture
The arrival of the mysterious cylinder spurred frenzied conjecture among residents – and online – as to its origins, with ideas ranging from a component of a spaceship to a section of an airliner among the possibilities that were proposed.
The police, on the other hand, have said that the object does not seem to have originated from a commercial aircraft.
According to Alice Gorman, an aerospace archaeology at Flinders University, which is located in Adelaide, this cylindrical structure is likely to represent a third stage of a northern satellite launch vehicle that India has previously launched.
“It is identical in dimension and materials,” Gorman told CNN, making the comparison to launch vehicles that India has been using since 2010.
The rockets that are used to go into space are multi-stage, which means that they are composed of a number of different compartments that transport fuel. When the rocket’s supply of propellant is depleted, each of these compartments is discarded in turn, with the majority of the debris returning to Earth.
Gorman also claimed that the fact that the cylinder’s color and form were mostly unaltered implies that it did not reach outer space before it separated, which would have saved it from a severe burn when it reentered the atmosphere. She went on to say that it might have been in the water for anywhere between five and ten years until a recent storm in the deep sea brought it onto the coast.
According to Gorman, the mysterious cylinder is powered by solid fuel, which does not emit hazardous compounds until it is heated to a very high degree. However, she urged the people living in the area to err on the side of caution.
“As a general rule, you don’t touch space junk unless you need to,” she remarked. “Just in case you were wondering.”