Harvard scientist pushes back on NASA chief over mystery space object: 'It's not an asteroid'

A Harvard astrophysicist behind the theory that a mysterious object speeding through the solar system could actually be a lost Soviet spacecraft is pushing back on NASA's top official, saying the object is "not an asteroid."Known as 1998 KY26, the roughly 36-foot-wide object is believed to be a near-Earth asteroid but is accelerating in a way gravity alone cannot explain.Harvard astrophysicist Avi Loeb and his colleagues have examined whether it could instead be Phobos 1, a Soviet spacecraft that stopped communicating while traveling to Mars in 1988.NASA Administrator Jared Isaacman weighed in on the mysterious object Thursday during an appearance on "Fox & Friends."EIFFEL TOWER-SIZED ASTEROID APOPHIS TO PASS CLOSER TO EARTH THAN MANY SATELLITES IN 2029, NASA SAYS"I've not seen any evidence to suggest this is...anything other than an asteroid," Isaacman said.Two shape models show scientists' estimates of the form of near-Earth object 1998 KY26.

(Credit: NASA)Loeb challenged that assessment during an interview with Fox News Digital on Friday.HARVARD ASTRONOMER TAPPED TO LEAD WHITE HOUSE UFO COUNCIL SAYS US GOVERNMENT 'BAFFLED BY WHAT THEY ARE SEEING'"Well, first of all, it's not an asteroid because 1998 KY26 appears to have non-gravitational acceleration, meaning it's being pushed by some force other than gravity, and asteroids are just rocks," Loeb said.Scientists have been trying to explain what is causing the additional acceleration.SCIENTISTS DISCOVER POTENTIALLY MASSIVE DWARF PLANET CANDIDATE HIDING BEYOND PLUTOOne theory has been that KY26 is a "dark comet," a rocky object behaving like a comet without producing a visible cloud or tail.An illustration shows the Soviet Phobos 1 spacecraft, which was launched toward Mars in July 1988 but lost after a faulty command caused it to shut down.(Credit: NASA)New research from Georgia Tech has cast doubt on whether KY26 could retain enough ice to produce that effect, while other research has suggested pressure from...