Professor Says ETs May Hitch Rides on Rogue Planets

The search for extraterrestrials in space continues as a new theory is proposed: Could rogue planets be used as spacecraft by alien hitchhikers?

Free-floating “rogue” planets are interstellar objects with planetary masses that are not gravitationally bound to a star. Scientists predict there could be billions of free-floating rogue plants in space.

With this in mind, Irina Romanovskaya, a professor of physics and astronomy at Houston Community College just published a new study proposing aliens could hitch a ride on these rogue planets.

She writes, “I propose that extraterrestrial civilizations may also use free-floating planets as interstellar transportation to reach, explore and colonize other planetary systems. I discuss how extraterrestrial civilizations may travel from their home worlds to free-floating planets, and how they may transfer from their free-floating planets to other planetary systems.”

And as Romanovskaya wrote in an email to VICE, “Some advanced extraterrestrial civilizations, if they exist, might hitch a ride on free-floating planets… which is why I call such hypothetical civilizations Cosmic Hitchhikers.”

Is this idea so far-fetched? Or could it be possible?

Nick Pope worked for the UK’s Ministry of Defense covering UFOs, he said, “Alien civilizations might use rogue planets as a means to travel, they might hitch a ride — why not?” Pope asked. “I think one can’t help but think back to the whole mystery of Oumuamua, which professor Avi Loeb at Harvard thinks is artificial.”

“Does that tie in with the sort of thing being postulated in this paper? Some sort of planet, but if it’s being used by extraterrestrials, would they add on something to it? Would they slap a propulsion system on it? Or just drift through the cosmos on an interstellar object? (It’s) fascinating speculation and food for thought,” he said.

Romanovskaya also gave advice on how to find them. She argues that a technologically advanced civilization would leave techno-signatures such as infrared and electromagnetic radiation or low-frequency radio emissions.

And an alien civilization that colonized one planetary system would use some of the same tactics to colonize more, and therefore, “wide-orbit exoplanets should be searched for extraterrestrial techno-signatures or artifacts.”

So far, this paper has been received as an interesting theory time will tell if the powers that be will take her advice and look at rogue planets for extraterrestrial hitchhikers.