NASA is “on the verge” of announcing the discovery of alien life, according to the latest video from hacktivist group Anonymous.
The hackers published a YouTube clip overnight which claims a NASA scientist made the announcement at the last meeting of the US Science, Space and Technology committee.
It comes after NASA’s Kepler space observatory discovered 219 “potential new worlds” in other solar systems.
Ten of the planets are “rocky” like the Earth and fall in their systems’ “Goldilocks zone” — so-called because it is not too hot or too cold for life to exist.
In its video, Anonymous claimed head of NASA Science Mission Directorate Professor Thomas Zurbuchen told the meeting: “Our civilisation is on the verge of discovering evidence of alien life in the cosmos. Taking into account all of the different activities and missions that are searching for alien life, we are on the verge of making one of the most profound, unprecedented discoveries in history.”
Professor Zurbuchen said on Twitter last week: “Wow, 219 potential new planets! @NASAKepler data shows us that most stars are home to at least one planet … Are we alone?”
The Kepler space telescope has been hunting for planets since it was launched into orbit around the Sun in 2009.
It can spot tiny drops in a distant star’s brightness when a planet crosses in front of it, called a transit.
The latest groundbreaking discoveries were among 2335 planets beyond our solar system that have been verified after being found by Kepler.
Of these, only 30 planets have been found to be earth-like planets potentially able to host life.
“This carefully-measured catalogue is the foundation for directly answering one of astronomy’s most compelling questions — how many planets like our Earth are in the galaxy?” said Susan Thompson, Kepler research scientist.