Harvard Expert: Asteroid 1998 KY26 Is No Rock

Object 1998 KY26, an approximately 36-foot-wide space body, is the subject of debate regarding its true nature. While commonly believed to be a near-Earth asteroid, its trajectory exhibits non-gravitational acceleration, a phenomenon that puzzles scientists. Harvard astrophysicist Avi Loeb proposes a radical alternative: that 1998 KY26 might be Phobos 1, a Soviet spacecraft that lost contact during its 1988 mission to Mars.

Loeb's team has analyzed the object's motion, suggesting that sunlight reflecting off Phobos 1 could account for the observed acceleration. This theory is supported by observations of the object's high reflectivity and rapid rotation. Loeb dismisses the 'dark comet' explanation due to the lack of visible cometary tails or outgassing.

The scientific community, including NASA Administrator Jared Isaacman, has largely favored the asteroid classification. However, Loeb emphasizes the need for open-mindedness in scientific inquiry when observations challenge existing categories. The mystery surrounding 1998 KY26 is expected to be resolved in 2031, when Japan's Hayabusa2 mission is scheduled to meet with the object, potentially revealing its origin.

Loeb humorously predicts that the Hayabusa2 encounter might uncover labels identifying it as a Soviet-era artifact rather than a natural celestial body. He acknowledges that if the mission finds only rock or ice, his theory would be definitively disproven, settling the ongoing debate about 1998 KY26.