“In light of the unidentified origin of the object, community members are strongly advised against handling or attempting to relocate the object,” stated a spokesperson for the agency. This mysterious canister was uncovered on Sunday night in Jurien Bay, Western Australia.
A few local residents stumbled upon the object floating in the shallows and “pulled it ashore with their four-wheel drive,” revealed Garth Griffiths, a resident of the area, in an interview with abc.net.au.
According to Griffiths, the “semi-cylindrical object” measured over 8 feet in width and nearly 10 feet in length, constructed from a “light carbon fibre material resembling lightweight resin.”
Accompanying photographs depict the colossal cylinder, boasting a bronze hue and adorned with barnacles, reminiscent of a weathered colonial beer can or an artifact from an ancient extraterrestrial civilization frozen in time.
Despite the ambiguity surrounding the object’s origin, the agency asserts that it “could potentially be from a foreign space launch vehicle.”
“We are in communication with international counterparts who might be able to furnish additional information,” the agency stated.
The object, adorned with barnacles, prompted the Australian Space Agency to suggest in a tweet that it “could be from a foreign space launch vehicle.” Meanwhile, space experts speculate that the canister might be the fuel tank of the Polar Satellite Launch Vehicle (PSLV) rocket, last launched on April 22, 2023, as reported by The Independent.
Throughout the investigation, Western Australian police diligently guarded the mysterious item to ensure both its safety and that of beachgoers. In an official statement, they emphasized, “WA Police will maintain security of the object until it is removed, and members of the public are requested to stay away from the location.”
Fortunately, by Monday night, authorities concluded that the cylinder posed no threat to the public.
Social media platforms buzzed with various theories about the object’s origins. One Twitter user speculated, “That tank cap looks like North Korea’s handy work,” while another suggested, “Aboriginal artifact from 20,000 years ago.” A third humorously commented, “Looks like a giant bamboo steamer.” Adding a touch of satire, a Twitter wit exclaimed, “Aliens have landed in Australia.”
Experts suggested that the object might be debris from an Indian satellite launch in April.
The Australian Space Agency posted about it on Twitter, sparking a conversation on the matter.
This incident is not the first time Twitter’s conspiracy theorists have been intrigued by flotsam. In February, a mysterious sphere that washed ashore in Japan was humorously dubbed a “Godzilla egg” by social media watchdogs. Some conspiracy theorists playfully claimed that the so-called offspring of the “King of the Monsters” was “multiplying.”
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