If a scientist weren’t present to observe an event,?

Question

If a scientist weren’t present to observe an event, but they gathered all the data and information they can about the event, and then based on the data they have, they tell us “what they believed” happened. This is making a

Answer 1

...reasonable and evidence based extrapolation based on already known and well tested scientific knowledge.

Answer 2

I believe this would be a hypothesis or a theory.  Usually, you would be testing to see if your hypothesis is valid, so probably it would be a theory until enough other scientists studied it and concluded that it was true.

Answer 3

an observation? a hypothesis? a theory? you already know what answer you are fishing for so you can justify your own beliefs...

Answer 4

inference