One of the most mysterious celestial objects in the night sky, known as 1991 VG, set to pass Earth in summer 2017.

1991 VG has baffled astronomers ever since was observed in November 1991 due to its weird rotation and longevity in space. A lot of people wondered if it was man-made. Although some experts suggest it could be a rocket body from a satellite launched in the early 1970s or a section of the Apollo 12 rocket, but conspiracy theorists claim it is an “alien artifact” – the first ever seen by mankind.

When it first observed in 1991 by astronomer James Scotti, the object was about 10 meters in diameter (32 feet wide), passing 451.000 km from Earth and 80467 km away from the moon. 1991 VG exhibited an anomalous rate of rotation and its brightness fluctuated. Stranger still, 1991 VG was in a heliocentric orbit very similar to Earth’s orbit. At the time, this behavior had not been seen for any asteroid of its size.

Scotti monitored the object for the next two nights and once he had enough data, he calculated the trajectory of the objects and was surprised to find out that the object would make a close approach to Earth just the following month.

Asteroids passing through Earth’s vicinity are certainly no rarity, but if an asteroid of the same size as 1991 VG, with such an Earth-like orbit, will either impact Earth or be thrown into a different orbit when it pass by. But this didn’t happen with 1991 VG.

The uncertainty of the object’s origin and its longevity led Scotti to speculate that it might have been built by aliens.

We looked into all the possibilities for it being man-made,

said Scotti.

There were a few possible spacecraft and rocket bodies that might be 1991 VG, but when we looked into each, we were able to eliminate each of them.

In summer 2017, 1991 VG will pass by once more — but it will be farther from Earth than in 1991 and it will only be seen in the southern hemisphere.

Scotti added,

My question is where did 1991 VG come from and how did it get into its present orbit? One possibility would be that it is ejecta from a lunar impact.

Another possibility is that the Yarkovsky force, caused by the thermal emissions of a rotating object, systematically pushed the object around over long times. It’s still a puzzle.

Scotti told Motherboard in a recent interview.

So.. what do you say, is this an “alien probe”? Or it is just a space junk from the Apollo 12 mission?

We’d Like to Hear Your Comments.