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In 2014, an interstellar object - thought to be from another star system - streaked across Earth's skies as a meteor, then crashed into the Pacific Ocean near Papua New Guinea.
Harvard astronomer Avi Loeb is now leading a sea-going search, combing the ocean floor with what's essentially a large magnet, hoping to pick up fragments of that object.
Spherules from the path of recognized interstellar meteor, IM1, under a microscope. Photo: Supplied / Avi Loeb
He's found bits of wire, tiny aluminum shards and volcanic ash. And this week (June 21, 2023), Loeb reported that his team has found tiny metallic spherules whose composition suggests an unearthly origin.