1991 VG is coming to earth in 2017. (Space probe)

[Jubel]

i don't think that is how orbital mechanics work

No, not at all.

If anything it's a rock similar to the trojans of Jupiter

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[Lord Tony®]

if it weren't going fast it wouldn't be orbiting, it'd be crashing

Exactly why people think it's a powered drone. Which is what I said. Did I not?

[otto-san]

well you said it's not going that fast

if it's not crashing then it's obv going fast enough to not be pulled in

[Lord Tony®]

well you said it's not going that fast

if it's not crashing then it's obv going fast enough to not be pulled in

It's not moving fast enough to not get pulled in though.

This is why it's so loving strange.

[Jubel]

It's not moving fast enough to not get pulled in though.

But, it is. (Due to how orbital mechanics work).

It's on a heliocentric orbit very similar to the one Earth has. Plenty of these objects exist for every planet (jupiter especially).
The chances of this happening obvious are low, but it can happen, and has probably happened millions of times in the earths history.
This object is also passing 280,000 miles away from the earth, which is about 15% over the distance from here to the moon. At that distance (and the relative speed it would be traveling), it might be thrown off by a couple of degrees in orbit, but since it follows a similar heliocentric path it'll be back eventually (in 2017).

Whether or not it's an old spacecraft from the races or just a big rock, that's to be found out. The chances of it being alien in origin however are slim to none. The discoverer only brought that up as a possibility to disprove it.

[Drydess]

from what I understand the fascinating part about the object was its rotation speed, and how with a normal object its size centrifugal force would tear it apart - not its orbit

[Jubel]

from what I understand the fascinating part about the object was its rotation speed, and how with a normal object its size centrifugal force would tear it apart - not its orbit

I haven't found any sources that make such a bold claim.

While it obviously is spinning rapidly enough for the light variations to be noticable, that doesn't mean it's spinning so fast that it'd be ripped to shreds.
I'm on the side of that it's probably an old rocket ejecta. If its spinning fast enough (and since it's made of relatively reflective steel), the variablity would make sense in that case.

[Drydess]

ah wait my bad, I just missed that it said that it was thought to have been rotating at such a speed back in 1991, not after further studying

[Jubel]

This thing shows up every 25 years so before 1991 it would have shown up in 1966.

American craft that had reached heliocentric orbit within a similar timeframe.


Soviet Union craft that had reached heliocentric orbit within a similar timeframe.

The possibility is definitely there, especially with lots of the lost soviet craft.
Spent stages could've easily followed a similar heliocentric orbit and eventually come back.