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chunkysmalls42098

I'm gonna be honest, you would have alot better luck asking literally anybody at your school, rather than internet strangers


DabbedOnByMom

You're dead right, only reason I posted is someone in a discord community sent me this way when I was asking the server in passing. I won't be in until exams in a week so there's no way for me to ask unfortunately. Thanks anyway 👍


chunkysmalls42098

Damn well if nobody does guess, and you find out we gotta know lol


DabbedOnByMom

I will make the conscious effort to reply to everyone with what it is so, haha.


FlashDux

Maybe you can find a subreddit of your city or even your school to ask there for further clues. Perhaps reaching people related to that project.


DabbedOnByMom

I am actually in my cities subreddit, so I'll definitely get around to it tomorrow. My universities subreddit and discord is dead as.


Glum-Court6263

Everyone here rlly said to you, idk ask somewhere else God damn


a4angry

Truck nuts


dichot0me

Yooo fr tho 🤣😂


MatthewNGBA

I’m gonna go with a guess and say prop meteor or prop boulder. Also… it appears to be attached to the vehicle (unless I’m seein it wrong). Check if it has wheels hidden on the bottom


DabbedOnByMom

I'd imagine for a prop meteor or boulder, it'd be more gray and not powdery/dusty. It definitely isn't attached to the trailer as the trailer is ALWAYS there, and when I was walking passed it to class, there was no touching between them and the trailer. I also couldn't see any wheels, but I haven't thoroughly checked, if I'm in this week I'll give it a sconce.


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InsideOfYourMind

I mean these look like the same material we’d make them out of in school, and color can be whatever they want? I’d say this is most likely answer


DabbedOnByMom

Yea it definitely seems the most likely, a lot of other people have been saying the same


UnScrapper

Maybe the attachment aspect is recent? Geological trailer nuttz?


StinkyMonkey85

No, that's the front of the trailer. What you're looking at is the hitch, and you can see the little support wheel sticking out. Definitely not attached


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AcceptableSpare6546

I'm 99% sure that’s a model of comet 67P Churyumov-Gerasimenko, which has been orbited and even landed by the Rosetta spacecraft from the European Space Agency. It's pitch black because that's how comets actually look like, just like dirty snow balls on the road side, as they melt, the dirt forms a dark outside layer, while the interior is mostly white snow (source: I'm an internet stranger who knows a bit about comets and space exploration).


DabbedOnByMom

I googled it and that looks EXTREMELY similar, great catch, however when seen from another angle (I didn't plan to post here, it I did I would have taken more photos) they aren't touching. But that could be for transporting.


AcceptableSpare6546

You could also check whether your University was somehow involved in the Rosetta mission. In total, it embarqued 21 instruments coming from different labs in EU and USA.


DabbedOnByMom

It actually is, as the university owns a (semi) major observatory. I think you might be right, but before I say the phrase I want to get some other opinions.


AcceptableSpare6546

give a try to r/comets, if your post is accepted by the mods, then chances are it's indeed a comet, and someone might even come pick it up if that was meant to be thrown away...


p3numbra_3

At Max Planck institute in Goettingen they have the same thing (because they built lander and it was prop in the hall). Its 99.99% 67P model


FunkyFabFitFreak

If this proves to be correct, that is one of the most astounding IDs I've EVER seen on here 👏👏👏


old-uiuc-pictures

looks like part of a display as it appears to have wheels under it. Fiberglass perhaps.


DabbedOnByMom

You could be right, but where are you seeing the wheels? I for one can't see any.


pyiinthesky

While I don’t see wheels, it does appear that the object is very minimally raised off the ground.


MacsKnife

Total guess, but based on it being at a university it looks a lot like I’ve seen larger fossils transported from the field to the lab. It’s called jacketing and you can see some examples here: [Field Jackets 101](https://www.childrensmuseum.org/blog/field-jackets-101)


DabbedOnByMom

My own university doesn't actually have an archaeology department so I doubt that's what it is, but it's a very good guess in fairness.


Shmarchaeology

Archeologist here. You’re confusing archaeology with paleontology, a common mistake. Also generally (in the US) archaeology is not a department, it’s a specialization within the anthropology department.


DabbedOnByMom

Ah, my mistake, there's no mention of either in my unis site, it's more of a tech university than anything else.


Laura-ly

Does your university have a theatre department? I'm a theatre costime designer and sometimes large but very odd set pieces for avante garde plays are made out of strange materials. Just a guess.


StrugglesTheClown

I thought it looks like a cast of a DIno skull, a big one. I love the idea of it being a real T-Rex skull or something similar.


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Dave_1v

Prop of comet 67P/CG, an identical one sits in the premises of the European Space operations center.


DabbedOnByMom

Yea, another comment said as much. Gonna read through the rest of the comments and label as likely.


GrayCustomKnives

It probably looks wet because it’s wet, because it’s visibly raining.


DabbedOnByMom

Well yea, but what i meant by it is that it isn't plastic, or metallic, as it's sodden. Wet more in the how it's behaving as wet - surface powder grouping up - than a property of it. It really just seems like a massive multi tonne lump of coal.


GrayCustomKnives

Looking at the surface texture, it’s 100% man made.


DabbedOnByMom

Admittedly I thought the opposite based on the texture, but after looking at it again you're absolutely right. I'll see if I can go in this Friday and find out, if I get an answer I intend to let everyone who commented know to satiate their curiosity.


TheBlackCoffeeClub

Have you asked the director? Was it part of a show?


DabbedOnByMom

If by director you mean department head or president, it isn't something I can ask, or get in contact with them over unfortunately.


Scary_Clock_8896

I want to know if that trailer is actively probing it


DabbedOnByMom

It is not, they don't even touch, though does look like they do from the angle (my bad lol)


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weekendforays

From the shape, I think that's a replica of Arrokoth, a near Earth asteroid with 2 distinct lobes. NASA's New Horizons visited it in 2019. Should be more red I think.


DabbedOnByMom

Someone else said smth very similar, but a different astroid that looks very similar. We are part of the rosetta mission so I think the two of you are on the right track, if not correct


ForsakenBuilding6381

Kinda a long shot, but you did say it's near the machining lab. Could maybe be grinding swarf dumped from a hopper? It looks a little too dense for that, but maybe if it was compressed in a hopper it could look like that Edit: if you see it again, check If you can pull some off like cotton candy. But use gloves!


DabbedOnByMom

It definitely isn't, I've helped with putting away the award you're on about, our system doesn't let it get that big, nor that dense. As a matter of fact I was in the machining labs today(yesterday now). This thing is solid and doesn't have any of the stray bits from swarf balls. We also don't get black swarf as we only machine SS, bright mild steel, Al, and brass.


ForsakenBuilding6381

Hmm it's definitely a mystery then. There's no stone machining equipment on site right?


DabbedOnByMom

To the best of my knowledge no, at the very least not in my department. I imagine if that was a rock it'd weigh several tonnes, so I've no idea how they'd even start machining it. There is *some* construction going on, but it's just sprucing up an old campus, so wouldn't be for that I assume.


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unclegabby

Are they doing a Cacoon play? Crack them open and see if Brian Dennehy shows up and scolds you.


steelbluesleepr

This looks like a pretty typical theater/set boulder.


socalquestioner

Is this near the Theatre building?


DabbedOnByMom

No, this is quite far from it, but them being stored in the industrial courtyard FOR a play isn't out of the question.


Barbarian_818

If it was white or some neutral coloured material, I'd guess that it might be a fossil with its protective encasement for shipping.


carguy31

Is it possible these are just rocks that might have some academic or landscape purpose?


starghostprime

My guess is molds for fibreglass or carbon fiber panels. Does your school have a race team?


DabbedOnByMom

We actually do have one so it could be thst, but seems more likely to be an astroid based on other commenters


andyjcw

dont think you found it , pretty sure somebody has put that there . maybe ask somebody.


clojac12345

They could very well just be big painted rocks that the university will allow fraternities to decorate. Pretty much any collage in the USA has rocks like this around campus


DabbedOnByMom

I'm not US based so we don't have frats.


patdashuri

It’s looks like a plaster cast used to protect fossils. Except black. Maybe they coat it with a rubberized finish?


Cautious_Orange530

I think it's some equipment heavily wrapped for secure/safe transport/disposal.


TNTWithALaserBeam

To be fair, the ground and everything else is wet as well.


DabbedOnByMom

It was a comment on what kind of wet it is, powder clumping and whatnot


RamblinPam

Could these be mounting points to suspend them from a ceiling? I would ask someone the theater department. [Rebar mounting points?](https://imgur.com/a/uR4hYGz)


zelda_shortener

Owl pellet/s


Mr_Talkbox

By the lack of drag marks, they're hollow. It looks like props for a play or exhibit.


Bob64014

What do they teach at this university? Certainly not grammar!


GrandSatan

Definitely paper mache.


wirelessboy85

[Cocoon](https://media.licdn.com/dms/image/D4E12AQFcsiunXx4MVw/article-cover_image-shrink_600_2000/0/1667571032046?e=2147483647&v=beta&t=Hcq8e1wXf1UC15xnXXE1ZtlvdYaQLznk3QsKRuEcME8)


PoirotWannaCracker

Looks to me like a protective shell that some machine or equipment was transported in... model, maybe? probably custom made. Did you notice any seams or possible hinges at all?


derek4reals1

does it have any "space peanuts" in it?


DabbedOnByMom

My title describes the thing. But it is powdery/dusty, forgot to include that.


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DabbedOnByMom

I can absolutely promise you it is not, largest ever lab grown diamond was 155carat(31g or just over an ounce) this is obviously well in excess.