Dit is ons nieuw hondje Kira, een kruising van een waterhond en een Podenko. Ze is sinds 7 februari 2024 bij ons en druk bezig ons hart te veroveren. Het is een lief, aanhankelijk hondje, dat zich op een week snel aan ons heeft aangepast. Ze is heel vinnig en nieuwsgierig, een heel ander hondje dan Noleke.
This is our new dog Kira, a cross between a water dog and a Podenko. She has been with us since February 7, 2024 and is busy winning our hearts. She is a sweet, affectionate dog who quickly adapted to us within a week. She is very quick and curious, a very different dog than Noleke.
DEAR VISITOR,
MY BLOG EXISTS ALREADY 12 YEARS AND 10 MONTHS.
ON 06/04/2024 MORE THAN 1.951.050
VISITORS FROM 134 DIFFERENT NATIONS ALREADY FOUND THEIR WAY TO MY BLOG.
THAT IS AN AVERAGE OF 400GUESTS PER DAY.
THANK YOU FOR VISITING MY BLOG AND HOPE YOU ENJOY EACH TIME.
The purpose of this blog is the creation of an open, international, independent and free forum, where every UFO-researcher can publish the results of his/her research. The languagues, used for this blog, are Dutch, English and French.You can find the articles of a collegue by selecting his category. Each author stays resposable for the continue of his articles. As blogmaster I have the right to refuse an addition or an article, when it attacks other collegues or UFO-groupes.
Druk op onderstaande knop om te reageren in mijn forum
Zoeken in blog
Deze blog is opgedragen aan mijn overleden echtgenote Lucienne.
In 2012 verloor ze haar moedige strijd tegen kanker!
In 2011 startte ik deze blog, omdat ik niet mocht stoppen met mijn UFO-onderzoek.
BEDANKT!!!
Een interessant adres?
UFO'S of UAP'S, ASTRONOMIE, RUIMTEVAART, ARCHEOLOGIE, OUDHEIDKUNDE, SF-SNUFJES EN ANDERE ESOTERISCHE WETENSCHAPPEN - DE ALLERLAATSTE NIEUWTJES
UFO's of UAP'S in België en de rest van de wereld In België had je vooral BUFON of het Belgisch UFO-Netwerk, dat zich met UFO's bezighoudt. BEZOEK DUS ZEKER VOOR ALLE OBJECTIEVE INFORMATIE , enkel nog beschikbaar via Facebook en deze blog.
Verder heb je ook het Belgisch-Ufo-meldpunt en Caelestia, die prachtig, doch ZEER kritisch werk leveren, ja soms zelfs héél sceptisch...
Voor Nederland kan je de mooie site www.ufowijzer.nl bezoeken van Paul Harmans. Een mooie site met veel informatie en artikels.
MUFON of het Mutual UFO Network Inc is een Amerikaanse UFO-vereniging met afdelingen in alle USA-staten en diverse landen.
MUFON's mission is the analytical and scientific investigation of the UFO- Phenomenon for the benefit of humanity...
Je kan ook hun site bekijken onder www.mufon.com.
Ze geven een maandelijks tijdschrift uit, namelijk The MUFON UFO-Journal.
Since 02/01/2020 is Pieter ex-president (=voorzitter) of BUFON, but also ex-National Director MUFON / Flanders and the Netherlands. We work together with the French MUFON Reseau MUFON/EUROP.
ER IS EEN NIEUWE GROEPERING DIE ZICH BUFON NOEMT, MAAR DIE HEBBEN NIETS MET ONZE GROEP TE MAKEN. DEZE COLLEGA'S GEBRUIKEN DE NAAM BUFON VOOR HUN SITE... Ik wens hen veel succes met de verdere uitbouw van hun groep. Zij kunnen de naam BUFON wel geregistreerd hebben, maar het rijke verleden van BUFON kunnen ze niet wegnemen...
15-07-2016
NFL Aaron Rodgers Confesses That He Heard A UFO And Fighter Jets Following It, July 2016, Video, UFO Sighting News.
NFL Aaron Rodgers Confesses That He Heard A UFO And Fighter Jets Following It, July 2016, Video, UFO Sighting News
Here Football great Aaron Rodgers talks about his believe in UFOs and aliens and how about his experiences that make him believe this way. Is a fantastic step forward when a celebrity comes forward to talk about their UFO story and share it with the world. It tells the public, hey, be like me...tell the truth, theres nothing to be afraid of anymore. Just awesome. Jump to the 9 min mark in the video. Scott C. Waring www.ufosightingsdaily.com News states: There’s a lot of great stuff from Packers quarterback Aaron Rodgers during his appearance on HBO’s “Any Given Wednesday” with Bill Simmons, but the part where he says he saw a UFO and “heard” fighter jets following it is easily the most fascinating part of this 10-minute video. Rodgers first talked about UFO sightings in March, but it’s pretty safe to say a lot of people didn’t hear about it. Fast forward to the 9:00 mark to hear Rodgers tell his story. The first time Rodgers brought up UFO’s was on the “You Made it Weird” podcast with Pete Holmes. Here’s the link, the UFO talk starts at the 14:45 mark. “There was a weird siren in the distance,” Rodgers said. “So we go outside – it was a snowy night – and we went outside and it was one of those kind of bright nights, where it’s overcast, but there’s enough light from the moon to see things and the next thing you know, we saw something in the sky.” He compared what he saw to one of the huge ships from the movie “Independence Day.” “And it goes out of sight and we look at each other and go, ‘What in the (expletive) was that?'” Rodgers said. And thirty seconds after it had gone out of sight he and two others heard the “definitive sound” of a fighter jet, just like in “Top Gun,” Rodgers explained.
ALIEN DEMONIC UFO SYMBOL RUSSIA FOUND!!? EXTREME UFO WEATHER PHENOMENON 7/14/2016 UFO Sighting News.
ALIEN DEMONIC UFO SYMBOL RUSSIA FOUND!!? EXTREME UFO WEATHER PHENOMENON 7/14/2016 UFO Sighting News.
Date of video: July 2016 Makers of video:ThirdphaseofMoon of Youtube. Here is a cool video that discusses a few anomalies, including a star inside of a circle found on Google Earth and some glowing orange UFOs clouds. Very interesting. Two of those circle clouds do not look natural to me. Scott C. Waring www.ufosightingsdaily.com
ThirdphaseofMoon states: ALIEN DEMONIC UFO SYMBOL RUSSIA FOUND!!? EXTREME UFO WEATHER PHENOMENON 7/14/2016 Keep Your Eyes on the Skies! We are not Alone! 52°28'47.4"N 62°11'08.7"E Satanic Star specifically for aliens?
A man snapped of what many UFO enthusiasts considered as a spectacular photo above the World Trade Center Ground Zero buildings in New ork.
The witness chose not to be named in his report filed with the Mutual UFO Network (MUFON), one of the biggest organization that investigates UFO reports around the world.
In a MUFON report, the witness said he was with his wife in WTC Ground Zero. He captured several random photos of the building – three pictures in a minute.
The couple did not notice any anomaly in the photos throughout their holiday trip. When they viewed the photos after the holiday, they found a strange object flying above.
The reporting witness said that they didn’t see the UFO with their naked eyes when they were visiting the WTC. He believes that is not an ordinary aerial object in the sky. He thinks the United States government won’t permit any conventional vehicles to fly above there.
He suggests that it can be an undetected vehicle or a UFO. One photo of the witness shows colourful circles and the next one shows a UFO that appears to replace the rings. In photo number 3, no light and no UFO can be seen.
The witness wants professionals to analyse the images, the main reason he sent them along with his reportto MUFON.
UFO caught on tape over ECEti Ranch, Washington – July 2016
UFO caught on tape over ECEti Ranch, Washington – July 2016
Nestled within the Mount Adams Wilderness north of the Columbia River Gorge in south-central Washington State, ECETI Ranch is a legendary Cascadian UFO and ET contact hotspot. Here’s the latest UFO video from this location.
Film Features Real Photographs and Plasma Frequencies Received by the Voyager Spacecrafts
Film Features Real Photographs and Plasma Frequencies Received by the Voyager Spacecrafts
Santiago Menghini
Voyager 1 and 2 are still exploring the solar system, since almost 40 years ago, when the Voyager spacecrafts were first launched back in 1977.
The Voyager spacecrafts have traveled further in space than anything ever, with the Voyager 2 successfully making its way to Uranus and Neptune, and both spacecrafts having flown by Saturn and Jupiter.
In an effort to honor the Voyager space program, Santiago Menghini created the film Voyagers utilizing real photographs and plasma frequencies received by the Voyager spacecrafts.
The result is rather incredible.
Travel along with the Voyager spacecrafts as they traverse the solar system on their planetary expedition spanning over three decades.
This film showcases the images and sounds of the solar system through the real photographs and plasma frequencies received by the Voyager spacecrafts.
Saturn Moon Enceladus' Plumes May Resemble Earth's 'Lost City'
Saturn Moon Enceladus' Plumes May Resemble Earth's 'Lost City'
By Nola Taylor Redd, Space.com Contributor
Active vents from Earth's Lost City hydrothermal vents could be similar to features found in the ocean of Enceladus.
Credit: IFE, URI-IAO, UW, Lost City science party, and NOAA
Saturn's intriguing moon Enceladus could resemble Earth's "Lost City," a network of hydrothermal vents in the Atlantic Ocean where life survives despite cold and darkness.
Earth is the only planet in the solar system with liquid water on its surface, but many of the solar system's moons and dwarf planets seem to hide their oceans beneath their crust. Saturn's moon Enceladus, on the other hand, isn't content to keep things underground; large gashes at the moon' south pole spurt liquid from the interior into space. The access provided by these vents makes it a tempting spot for scientists hoping to search for signs of life outside of Earth.
"We want to use chemistry as our guide to looking for signs of life," said Christopher Glein, a research scientist at the Southwest Research Institute in Texas. Glein discussed the history of human understanding of Enceladus last month at the 228th American Astronomical Society meeting in San Diego, California. There, he compared that moon's undersea environment to the Lost City hydrothermal field in the Atlantic Ocean, where hot water bursts from the ocean floor and life thrives in the otherwise desolate depths. [Saturn's Geyser Moon Enceladus Amazes in Final Flyby Photos]
"Is there life beyond Earth?" Glein asked. "Our generation is now poised to begin to tackle and search for some answers."
A species of deep-sea coral thrives in the depths near Earth's Lost City vents. Similar vents on Saturn's moon Enceladus could also create homes for life to evolve and survive.
Credit: Institute for Exploration, University of Rhode Island Institute for Archaeological Oceanography, University of Washington, Lost City science party and NOAA
"Candy to life"
When NASA's Voyager 2 mission flew by Enceladus in 1981, it revealed terrains far smoother than the rocky satellites seen before. The polished landscape suggested that something unusual was happening on Enceladus. But it wasn't until NASA's Cassini mission caught a glimpse of plumes spurting from the southern pole that scientists realized just how unusual the moon is. Today, scientists have identified 101 individual jets shooting out from the large "tiger stripe" fissures at the southern pole, which average 80 miles (130 kilometers) long (a significant stretch of the moon's surface).
At first, scientists thought the water feeding the tiger stripes came from a small sea beneath them. In 2015, Cassini's gravitational data revealed that the tiny moon instead housed a global ocean under its entire surface. The bright plumes carried tiny particles of water-ice mixed with water vapor from beneath the surface, Glein said. But the real mystery was what else the stripes might carry.
No one expected Enceladus to spurt samples into space, so Cassini didn't carry any instruments designed to sample the plumes. But the team found a way to use the instruments they did have to study some of the material, and so they guided the spacecraft to dive through the plumes and taste their chemistry.
"What we found was truly remarkable," Glein said.
Cassini discovered salts, which couldn't have come from a slowly melting ice source.
"A liquid ocean that rapidly flash freezes — that does the job," Glein said.
Cassini also revealed that the plumes had a pH of 11.12, making them more basic than acidic. In comparison, Earth's rainwater ranks at 5.6 and seawater around 8. Glein put the plumes' pH in the domain of cleaning agents like Windex.
"It's not quite to drain cleaner, but it's getting there," he said.
One way to raise the pH, and heat the plumes in the process, is the process of serpentinization, which occurs when liquid water reacts with magnesium- and iron-rich minerals. The changed rocks, often green, are loaded with bases, and can lead to a rise in pH, Glein said. Although such rocks are rare on the surface, they can be found tucked away in the mantle or in collections of rocks and minerals on the seafloor.
One of the most famous sites of serpentinization is Earth's Lost City, a collection of hydrothermal vents near the Mid-Atlantic Ridge. First identified in 2000, the vents are heated primarily by the changing rocks rather than by mantle beneath the surface. According to the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration, serpentinization can raise temperatures as high as 260 degrees Celsius (550 degrees Fahrenheit), and drives the hydrothermal system of the Lost City.
In addition to providing heat, the Lost City's vents spout methane- and hydrogen-rich fluids to the surface, and are thriving environments for life.
"Hydrogen is like candy to microorganisms," Glein said. And the vents are "just packed with minerals," he added —the combination of chemical, biological and geological processes makes spots like the Lost City vents prime sites for life to have evolved. If Enceladus boasts similar vents powered by a process like serpentinization, life could originate there, as well, Glein said.
The best evidence for vents on the tiny moon comes from farther away, in Saturn's E ring, which is where material ejected from Enceladus can end up. Material from the plumes easily escapes the moon's gravity, which is only 1 percent of Earth's, and falls around the ringed planet. Samples of the ring material revealed silicate particles that scientists traced back to the moon. According to Glein, vents in a subsurface ocean could produce similar silicates.
That doesn't quite cinch the case, though. "We have evidence of hydrothermal vents, but we haven't found the hydrogen yet," Glein said.
The dramatic fractures on the surface of Enceladus known as tiger stripes provide direct access to the ocean beneath.
Credit: NASA/JPL/Space Science Institute
"One of the great mysteries"
Before Cassini arrived at Saturn, scientists thought Enceladus was too small to maintain water in a liquid state, so the plumes came as a surprise. Exactly how the moon keeps its water liquid remains uncertain.
"There's a serious energy crisis on Enceladus," Glein said, referring to the energy required to keep that water liquid. "It's one of the great mysteries of planetary science moving forward."
Since Cassini first identified the geysers on the small moon, scientists have tried to identify how water remains liquid instead of freezing to ice. One possibility is that the interior of the moon is heated as Saturn tugs and releases it. Another option is that the ocean contains some form of antifreeze, rather than pure water. Chemical reactions between the ocean and the rock, like the serpentinization described above, could also produce the necessary heat.
Enceladus is a tiny moon. With an average radius of 156 miles (252 km), it's only about one-seventh the size of Earth's largest satellite. According to Glein, that makes the moon the smallest geologically active body in the solar system, and the only one to boast water-based cryovolcanism, where icy liquid instead of hot lava oozes from the crust. Coming from such a small world, the eruptions are enormous.
"We don't have volcanic eruptions on Earth that span over an entire Earth diameter," Glein said.
Saturn's satellite is far less dense than the moon or Earth, with roughly half its material consisting of water. Enceledus' icy exterior makes it incredibly reflective.
"If it was our moon, it would be blindingly bright in the sky," Glein said.
The southern hemisphere may not be the only place to ever house plumes, Glein said Geological mapping of the moon's northern latitudes suggests relics of gashes similar to the tiger stripes in the south, he said. As the liquid water freezes, it could close off one set of stripes and open others.
Referring to a famous geyser at Yellowstone National Park in Wyoming, he said, "I think Old Faithful has finally met its match in Cold Faithful."
A team of physicists from the UK and Canada have created a computer simulation that points to the Big Bounce theory rather than the Big Bang. They state that the universe we know today is the sequel to a previous one that collapsed. They state that despite this periodical collapse, the universe does not completely get destroyed because the effects of quantum mechanics preserves it, allowing it to spring back to what it is today.
ETERNAL BOUNCE
A team of physicists from the UK and Canada have provided a simulation that supports the theory that our universe did not start out the way the Big Bang model proposes, but rather expanded to its current state after a period of contraction—a cycle dictated by the Big Bounce Theory.
The Big Bounce theory states that the universe follows a cycle of contraction and expansion, repeated infinitely. According to this theory, the universe did not begin with a violent explosion, but rather formed as a previous universe expanded or “bounced” back collapsing during the contraction phase of this endless cycle.
One of the main issues that had prevented the Big Bounce theory from securing its validity is that there was no proposed explanation as to how the universe could expand back after its full collapse. The team’s simulation suggests that once the universe reaches its smallest point, the common laws of physics governing our daily environment are abandoned and the rules of quantum mechanics come into play. The effects of quantum mechanics would preserve of the universe, keeping it from destruction and allowing the emergence of another universe like the one we’re in today.
“Quantum mechanics saves us when things break down,” explains team member Steffen Gielen, from Imperial College London. “It saves electrons from falling in and destroying atoms, so maybe it could also save the early Universe from such violent beginnings and endings as the Big Bang.”
NEXT UP: GALAXIES
Using quantum mechanics in a computer simulation, the team was able to formulate how the universe could spring back from deflation, even with only radiation and a little matter remaining in it.
“The big surprise in our work is that we could describe the earliest moments of the hot Big Bang quantum mechanically, under very reasonable and minimal assumptions about the matter present in the Universe,” said team member Neil Turk, from the Perimeter Institute for Theoretical Physics in Canada. “Under these assumptions, the Big Bang was a ‘bounce’, in which contraction reversed to expansion.”
What’s next for this simulation is to find out if the entities within the universe, such as galaxies, can come into existence under these circumstances. As technology evolves, the chances thatquantum computers could finally catch up with the enigmas of the universe are looking better and better.
Food Ink, the world's first 3D printing restaurant will open in London at the end of July to serve futuristic meals, 3D style.
3D PRINTED FOOD
The world’s first 3D printing restaurant opens in London at the end of July – but only for three days.
Food Ink promises a food revolution on the 25th, 26th, and 27th of July with a pop-up restaurant serving 3D printed culinary creations. The restaurant promises the evening to be a “one-of-a-kind gourmet experience…where fine cuisine meets art, philosophy and tomorrow’s technologies.”
The 3D dining experience will set you back £250 or about $330 for nine courses. The whole experience will be live streamed online so people at home can watch diners chow down on 3D printed dishes.
Not only will the food all be 3D printed but the cutlery, tables, and chairs will be similarly created.
Image source: Food Ink
FOODIE FUTURISM
Top chefs Antony Dobrzensky and Marcio Barradas from the famous La Boscana restaurant will be in charge of the creating the menu, and they hinted that the first course is said to be paired with virtual reality headsets to provide “an immersive and thrilling glimpse of the future.”
Convinced you have to take part of this futuristic dining experience? Well, you have to hurry. There will only be 10 tickets each evening and they will become available on Friday 15 July.
The pop-up restaurant will at 8 Dray Walk, E1 6NJ. Dinner will be served from 7:30pm each evening.
0
1
2
3
4
5
- Gemiddelde waardering: 0/5 - (0 Stemmen) Categorie:SF-snufjes }, Robotics and A.I. Artificiel Intelligence ( E, F en NL )
In Cosmic First, Scientists Spy a Star's Snow Line
In Cosmic First, Scientists Spy a Star's Snow Line
By Sarah Lewin, Staff Writer
This artist’s impression shows the water snow-line around the young star V883 Orionis.
Image credit: A. Angelich / NRAO / AUI / NSF / ALMA / ESO / NAOJ.
For the first time, astronomers have caught a glimpse of the water snow line around a star — the point in the young star's orbiting disk of debris where snow and ice first appear.
Normally, that boundary huddles too close to the star for astronomers to see it, but this particular star had a sudden burst of brightness that superheated its disk, obliterating ice further out than usual.
An artist's illustration shows the water snow line spotted around the young star V883 Orionis — the delineation between where the hot star vaporizes all water, leaving rocky dust and debris, and where ice and snow exist in the disk.
Credit: A. Angelich (NRAO/AUI/NSF)/ALMA (ESO/NAOJ/NRAO)
Bright burst
A newborn star is surrounded by an orbiting pancake of gas, dust and debris— the raw materials from which its complement of alien planets will eventually form. Most stars are hot enough to evaporate the water in that disk up to about 280 million miles (450 million kilometers) from the center, which is three times the distance from Earth to the sun, allowing ice to coat the debris beyond. (The water skips its liquid phase because of the extremely low pressure in space.)
The star V883 Orionis, found 1,350 light-years from Earth in the constellation Orion, burns quite a bit hotter than usual — it is in the midst of a burst of brightness and heat from a sudden influx of new material. That let the star vaporize ice all the way out to 3.7 billion miles (6 billion km), or the average distance at which Pluto orbits the sun, catching researchers by surprise. The far-out boundary let them see the water snow line in radio wavelengths withthe Atacama Large Millimeter/submillimeter Array (ALMA), a collection of radio telescopes in Chile that makes up the world's biggest ground-based observatory.
"The ALMA observations came as a surprise to us," Lucas Cieza, an astronomer at Diego Portales University in Chile and the lead author of the new work, said in a statement. "Our observations were designed to image disk fragmentation, which is one of the proposed mechanisms for the formation of giant planets." The researchers didn't see any fragmentation; instead they saw an unexpected ring in the disk.
ALMA's radio image of the star V883 Orionis and its disk of gas, dust and debris — a precursor of planet formation. The water snow line is visible as a ring around the disk — the first dark ring after the central brightness of the star — at about the average distance Pluto lies from the sun.
Credit: ALMA (ESO/NAOJ/NRAO)/L. Cieza
Planet builders
In a News & Views column tied to the new work, which was published in the journal Nature today (July 13), Brenda Matthews, an astronomer at the National Research Council of Canada who was not involved in the study, wrote that the water snow line is important in determining which planets form — rocky planets form within it, and gaseous planets form out past it.
"The fact that the location of the snow line can evolve with time has strong implications for planet formation," Matthews wrote. The rapid loss and gain of ice tied to changes in the star "would confound models that predict the slow formation of rocky planets within the snow line, and rapid gas-giant formation outside it."
When the star V883 Orionis suddenly heated up due to an influx of new material, the water snow line moved much farther out, meaning researchers could detect it with ALMA.
Credit: ALMA (ESO/NAOJ/NRAO)/L. Cieza
And simply seeing a snow line at all, which had been postulated but not spotted before, helps confirm that other stars have a similar swath of ice and snow to the one in the sun's early environment that led to our solar system's current collection of planets.
"The distribution of water ice around a young star is fundamental to planet formation and even the development of life on Earth," Zhaohuan Zhu, an astronomer at Princeton University and a co-author on the new work, said in the statement. "ALMA's observation sheds important light on how and where this happens in protoplanetary disks when young planets are still forming."
"We now have direct evidence that a frosty region conducive to planet formation exists around other stars," Zhu added.
Editor's Note: This article was updated to reflect the distance of the water snow line for most newborn stars, about 280 million miles (450 million kilometers).
New Type of Black Hole Spotted in the Early Universe
New Type of Black Hole Spotted in the Early Universe
By Nola Taylor Redd, Space.com Contributor
Early clouds of gas and dust may have collapsed to form a huge single star that quickly became the seed for a supermassive black hole. In this image based on a supercomputer simulation, gas flows along filaments of dark matter. The first galaxies formed at the intersection of such filaments.
Credit: Aaron Smith/TACC/UT-Austin
A bright galaxy in the early universe likely contains a mysterious kind of black hole that had previously existed only in theory, a new study suggests.
This probable "direct-collapse" black hole may help explain howsupermassive black holes — the light-gobbling behemoths that lurk at the hearts of most, if not all, galaxies — got their start, researchers said.
"The special aspect of this [direct-collapse] process is that it leads to the formation of a very massive 'seed' black hole in one go," study co-author Avi Loeb, chair of the astronomy department at Harvard University, told Space.com via email. "It is difficult to make such a giant black hole over such a short time if they start from low-mass seeds." [Images: Black Holes of the Universe]
Death by gluttony
When a massive star reaches the end of its lifetime, it can collapse inward on itself to form a black hole. These dense objects then grow by feeding on surrounding gas and dust, but the process can take time.
Indeed, it probably takes quite a while for such a small seed to grow into a supermassive black hole, which can contain billions of times more mass than the sun, scientists say. This poses a puzzle: Where, then, did the supermassive black holes in the early universe come from?
Some of these monsters existed only 750 million years after the Big Bang that created the universe, Loeb said. (Scientists know this because they have spotted quasars — incredibly bright galactic cores powered by supermassive black holes — of this vintage.)
"It is difficult to make such a giant black hole over such a short time if they start from low-mass seeds," Loeb said.
In 2003, Loeb and Volker Bromm of the University of Texas at Austin (UT Austin) — also a co-author of the new study — theorized that clouds of dust and gas in the early universe were so hot that they failed to fragment into multiple clumps of thousands of stars. Instead, such clouds likely created just a single massive star at the center, roughly 1 million times larger than "normal" stars, Loeb said.
Such gigantic stars would quickly consume all of the nearby gas and dust. Overeating would lead to a rapid demise; these stars would last only a few million years before collapsing into midsized black holes that could continue to feed, ultimately growing into the giants that lie at the centers of galaxies.
To stay so superhot, the gas at the heart of this process would need to be almost purely hydrogen and helium, without "heavier" elements to help cool it down. Since heavy elements are produced in the hearts of stars and then released during a supernova, such "direct-collapse black holes" could only form in the early universe, the researchers said. [The Universe: Big Bang to Now in 10 Easy Steps]
But there hadn't been much evidence for this idea — until now.
From prediction to reality
Last year, astronomers spotted a strange signal from a galaxy known as CR7, one of the most luminous objects in the early universe. Although the galaxy showed signs of temperatures greater than 180,000 degrees Fahrenheit (100,000 degrees Celsius) and signatures of helium atoms gaining and losing electrons — a process known as ionization — there were no signs of other elements.
"That makes the galaxy that we have discovered really unique, and ticks all the boxes for predictions for both first-generation stars or a direct-collapse black hole," David Sobral, an astrophysicist at the University of Lisbon in Portugal, told Space.com.
Sobral led the team of astronomers that identified irregularities in CR7 last year and other similar galaxiesmore recently. In their paper, they argued that, while CR7 could contain a direct-collapse black hole, the unusual signal favored a cluster of the universe's first stars.
"Regardless, the actual material — pristine gas — to make either first-generation stars or a direct-collapse black hole is essentially the same, and it is extremely exciting to finally start asking actual physical questions about the nature of the very early galaxies," Sobral said. "This goes way beyond the traditional approach of simply counting distant galaxies."
Sobral and other scientists will continue to observe CR7, with instruments such as NASA's Hubble Space Telescope and the Atacama Large Millimeter/submillimeter Array in Chile. But other research teams are investigating the galaxy's origin and evolution via computer modeling and other work.
Black Hole
Black holes are so bizarre, they sound unreal. Yet astronomers have found good evidence they exist. Test your knowledge of these wacky wonders.
Fabio Pacucci, a Ph.D. student at Scuola Normale Superiore in Italy, was part of one such team, whose research argued for the black-hole theory in a paper last year. But those researchers' observations of CR7 weren't definitive.
"Unfortunately, we do not see any X-ray emission from this source, which would be a smoking gun to say that it is a black hole," Pacucci said.
That's where Loeb and Volker come in. They're members of another research team, led by Aaron Smith of UT Austin, that sought to solve the mystery.
Smith and his colleagues developed what Smith called "a novel code" to simulate both the black-hole and the first-star scenarios using a supercomputer at UT Austin. The star scenario "spectacularly failed," Smithsaid in a statement, while the direct-collapse model held up.
"The evidence [for a black hole] is conclusive," Loeb told Space.com.
After predicting the existence of direct-collapse black holes more than a decade ago, Loeb is excited to see them confirmed by observations.
"It feels good to come up with an idea about how nature might work, but it is exhilarating to find out that nature really behaves the way you thought it does," Loeb said. "The experience is as rewarding as getting love back from a person you love."
Smith and his colleagues published their results last week in the journal Monthly Notices of the Royal Astronomical Society.
The Universe's First Galaxies May Light Up Its Dark Ages
The Universe's First Galaxies May Light Up Its Dark Ages
By Nola Taylor Redd, Space.com Contributor
Shown in this artist's impression, CR7 is one of the bright galaxies of the early universe and may contain some of the first generations of stars.
Credit: ESO/M. Kornmesser
A collection of newfound galaxies is illuminating how the early universe broke free from its Dark Ages. The family of galaxies may have played a role in the shift from a time when some light could not penetrate to an era of a transparent universe.
"Stars and black holes in the earliest, brightest galaxies must have pumped out so much ultraviolet light that they quickly broke up hydrogen atoms in the surrounding universe," David Sobral, an astrophysicist at Lancaster University in the United Kingdom, said in a statement. Sobral led an international team of scientists aiming to find several of these early galaxies using the Subaru and Keck telescopes in Hawaii and the Very Large Telescope in Chile. The results were presented today (Monday, June 27) at the National Astronomy Meeting in Nottingham, England.
"The fainter galaxies seem to have stayed shrouded for a lot longer," he said. "Even when they eventually become visible, they show evidence of plenty of opaque material still in place around them." [The Universe: Big Bang to Now in 10 Easy Steps]
In 2015, Sobral led a team that found the first two members of the collection, galaxies CR7 and MASOSA, which might contain the first generation of stars. Together with a third galaxy known as Himiko, discovered by a Japanese team, the presence of the trio of galaxies hinted that a large population of similar objects might exist.
The problem, however, is in spotting them. About 150 million years after the Big Bang kicked off the universe's existence (an event that took place 13.8 billion years ago), the universe was dense with neutral hydrogen that blocked the passage of certain wavelengths of light. As radiation from the earliest stars split apart hydrogen in what scientists call the "epoch of reionization," light began to slowly pass through the surroundings, bringing the Dark Ages to an end.
Each of the five newfound galaxies discussed in the presentation contains a large bubble of ionized (charged) gas around them, suggesting that they haven't managed to completely break free from the Dark Ages.
This timeline summarizes the evolution of the universe, with the Big Bang at left and about 2 billion years into the universe's existence at right. As reionization occurred, radiation emitted by the first stars and black holes cleared out the haze of neutral hydrogen.
Credit: NASA/CXC/M. Weiss
"Our results highlight how hard it is to study the small, faint sources in the early universe," said co-author Sergio Santos, a graduate student at Lancaster University.
"The neutral hydrogen gas blocks out some of their light, and because they are not capable of building their own local bubbles as quickly as the bright galaxies, they are much harder to detect," he said.
The fifth of the faraway sources discovered, VR7, is named in tribute to astrophysicist Vera Rubin, who won the Gold Medal of the Royal Astronomical Society in 1996, becoming the first woman to win that award in over 150 years.
The young galaxies may be just a handful among the hundreds of thousands of ancient galaxies that might be spotted by future instruments.
"What is really surprising is that the galaxies we find are much more numerous than people assumed, and they have a puzzling diversity," Sobral said. "When telescopes like the James Webb Space Telescope are up and running, we will be able to take a closer look at these intriguing objects."
"We have only scratched the surface, and so the next few years will certainly bring fantastic new discoveries," he said.
Wereldbedreigende rampen: hoe eindigt het leven op aarde?
Wereldbedreigende rampen: hoe eindigt het leven op aarde?
Tim Kraaijvanger
Het is een feit dat het leven op aarde ooit eindigt. Alle soorten die vandaag de dag over onze planeet zwerven, bestaan vanaf dat moment niet meer. De grote vraag is: hoe eindigt leven? En vindt er op korte termijn een massa-extinctie plaats of hebben we nog even de tijd om een andere planeet te vinden?
In het boek ‘Wereldbedreigende rampen‘ somt auteur Bill McGuire verschillende scenario’s op. Hij is hoogleraar geofysische en klimaatdreigingen aan de University College in Londen en heeft dus veel ervaring op het gebied van wereldbedreigende rampen. Tijdens de rampen met de IJslandse vulkaan Eyjafjallajökull en de Indische tsunami adviseerde hij de Britse regering.
Jaarlijks sterven er gemiddeld 106.000 mensen door rampen. Het is niet makkelijk om in één klap ruim zeven miljard mensen uit te roeien. “Veel doemscenario’s van nog veel grotere onheilsprofeten dan ik gaan in werkelijkheid niet over totale ondergang”, schrijft McGuire. “In het ergste geval zou de mensheid flink worden gedecimeerd.” Maar ooit gaat het mis met onze planeet. “We moeten erop rekenen dat we ‘vroeg ten onder gaan’ (zoals John Leslie in zijn boek ‘The End of the World‘ formuleert) in plaats van ‘laat’. De klimaatverandering gaat steeds sneller, de bevolking groeit explosief en is alom verwikkeld in buitensporige conflicten. Al met al zou het grootse avontuur van het menselijk ras wel eens snel ten einde kunnen zijn, in plaats van voort te duren tot ver in de toekomst en de enorme ruimte van de Melkweg.”
KLIMAATVERANDERING IN NEDERLAND
Ook in Nederland merken we de gevolgen van klimaatverandering. De temperatuur neemt toe, waardoor we minder sneeuwwinters krijgen. De kans op een Elfstedentocht neemt af van twintig procent per jaar naar eens per achttien jaar. Een ander duidelijk kenmerk is de toename van neerslag.
Een oven… Klimaatverandering vormt absoluut een bedreiging. Verandert onze planeet in een diepvries of in een oven? “De wereld van 2100 zal warmer en extremer weer kennen”, voorspelt McGuire.”En dat betekent op z’n minst een veel onprettiger leven voor miljarden mensen. Bewoners van laaggelegen kuststreken krijgen vaker te maken met een stijgende zeespiegel, waardoor fatale overstromingen eerder regel dan uitzondering worden. Steeds meer mensen komen om van de honger, omdat de regens het ene jaar na het andere uitblijven. Enorme gebieden in Afrika en Azië raken in de greep van droogte en hongersnood die er het gevolg van is.”
Het helpt niet mee dat er steeds meer monden gevoed moet worden. “De aarde moet meer dan zeven miljard mensen voeden, kleden en in hun levensonderhoud voorzien. Naar verwachting zijn dit er in 2050 zo’n negen miljard.” Dit levert conflicten op. “Nu al leven 1,7 miljard mensen in landen waar de zoetwatervoorziening ontoereikend is. Over 25 jaar zullen dat er vijf miljard zijn. De strijd om voedsel en water vormt een aanzet tot economische migratie op een schaal waarbij alles wat we tot nu toe hebben gezien in het niet valt. Op veel plekken in de wereld zullen instabiliteit en conflicten het gevolg zijn.”
Zo ver reikte het ijs tijdens de laatste ijstijd.
…of een diepvries? De meter kan ook de andere kant opslaan. “Gelet op de Milankovic-cycli heeft het huidige interglaciaal zijn langste tijd gehad en stevenen we af op een heuse ijstijd”, zegt de hoogleraar. “Volgens sommigen is er slechts een trigger voor nodig: een plotselinge schok waardoor het klimaatevenwicht aan het wankelen wordt gebracht, waarna het kantelt naar een veel onvriendelijkere toestand.” Als de temperaturen gaan dalen, heeft dit grote gevolgen. “Hoe dan ook – onze nakomelingen krijgen het zwaar wanneer het ijs terugkomt. In Europa, Noord-Amerika, Rusland en Centraal- en Oost-Azië wordt het leven min of meer onmogelijk. De aarde is er tijdens een ijstijd niet op berekend om te voorzien in het levensonderhoud van 8-10 miljard mensen of meer. De mensheid zal sterk worden gedecimeerd door wijdverbreide hongersnood en oorlogen, maar zal ongetwijfeld overleven.”
Actie tegen klimaatverandering Het is gelukkig nog niet te laat om actie te ondernemen. “Maar dan moeten we wereldwijd onze levensstijl veranderen”, schrijft McGuire. “Geen wegwerpsamenleving meer, maar één die effectief en efficiënt gebruik van energie en grondstoffen bevordert en beloont. Het enige dat werkt is doortastend overgaan op duurzame ontwikkeling. Minder brandstof verbruiken, investeren in hernieuwbare energiebronnen, veel meer recyclen en plaatselijk produceren (bijv. stadslandbouw, red.).”
Supererupties Maar er is meer waar we voor op moeten passen. Denk bijvoorbeeld aan supererupties en reusachtige tsunami’s. Een gigantische uitbarsting in een uithoek van de wereld kan het klimaat veranderen, waardoor de samenleving ten onder gaat. “Maar liefst 450 miljoen jaar geleden – gedurende het Ordovicium – lijken as en gloedwolken in wat nu Noord-Amerika is alles te hebben weggevaagd over een oppervlak van een miljoen vierkante kilometer. Bovendien moeten er enorme hoeveelheden as en stof in de atmosfeer zijn beland.” Stel dat het een periode ‘donker’ blijft: hoe gaan we ons dan voeden? Ontwikkelde landen als Duitsland, de Verenigde Staten en Australië hebben slechts genoeg voorraad om de bevolking één, maar niet meer dan twee maanden te voeden. De kans dat iemand die nu leeft een supereruptie meemaakt, is 1 op 714. Het is onwaarschijnlijk dat een supereruptie alle mensen uitroeit, maar onze mondiale technologische samenleving blijft mogelijk niet intact.
Wereldwijd zijn er zo’n veertig supervulkanen. De caldera van Yellowstone getuigt van een superuitbarsting 640.000 jaar geleden.
Daarnaast zijn er nog reuzentsunami’s, die kunnen ontstaan wanneer vulkanen instorten. Dit gebeurt naar schatting eens per tienduizend jaar. Of aardbevingen, waardoor dichtbevolkte steden in ruïnes veranderen. Beide rampen zullen niet het einde voor de mensheid betekenen, maar er gaan wel veel levens verloren.
Gevaar van boven Het echte gevaar komt van boven. “Om de vijf minuten verbrandt een fragment ter grootte van een erwt in onze atmosfeer”, zegt McGuire. “Elke maand doet een homp ter grootte van een voetbal de hemel oplichten. Om de paar eeuwen botst de aarde met een object van veertig tot vijftig meter. Dit is groot genoeg om een stad weg te vagen.” Wanneer een object 1,5 tot twee kilometer groot is, dan is er sprake van een mondiaal probleem. Tientallen miljoenen mensen sterven waarschijnlijk direct, terwijl de rest van de mensheid kampt met de gevolgen van de inslag: meer stof in de atmosfeer en dalende temperaturen. Gelukkig is er ook hier hoop. “Als we lang genoeg van te voren weten dat een asteroïde ons gaat raken, kunnen we in bepaalde situaties het object weg duwen.”
Er is hoop Over honderd jaar leven er tussen de 3,2 miljard en 24,8 miljard mensen op aarde. Dit is afhankelijk van allerlei factoren. Misschien moeten we maar hopen dat de toekomstige aarde minder mensen huisvest, want de toekomst voor onze nakomelingen wordt warmer, onherbergzamer en armer aan grondstoffen. “Op de korte termijn krijgen we misschien de ene klap na de andere”, concludeert McGuire. “Maar mogelijk leren we onze omgeving koesteren in plaats van er roofbouw op te plegen, hier op aarde voordat de zon ons uiteindelijk opslokt. En misschien later in het zonnestelsel, melkwegstelsel en daarbuiten. Dan hebben we de tijd om bijna alles te doen en te zijn.”
Winactie Wil jij het boek ‘Wereldbedreigende rampen’ winnen? Vul dit formulier in en maak kans op één van de drie exemplaren!
A NASA satellite in just the right position captured a spectacular celestial photobomb — a view of the moon moving in front of the sunlit side of Earth.
It is only the second time in a year that the NASA camera aboard the Deep Space Climate Observatory (DSCOVR) satellite, orbiting about 1 million miles (1,609,344 kilometers) away from Earth, captured the moon crossing Earth's face, resulting in a spectacular time-lapse video.
"For the second time in the life of DSCOVR, the moon moved between the spacecraft and Earth,” Adam Szabo, DSCOVR project scientist at NASA’s Goddard Space Flight Center, said in a statement. "The project recorded this event on July 5 with the same cadence and spatial resolution as the first ‘lunar photobomb’ of last year." [Earth from Above: 101 Stunning Images from Orbit
Although DSCOVR's primary mission is to monitor solar wind in real time for the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration (NOAA), the satellite is also known for its stunning images of Earth, which are captured by NASA’s Earth Polychromatic Imaging Camera (EPIC) — a 4-megapixel CCD camera and telescope on the DSCOVR satellite.
The moon crossed over the Indian and Pacific oceans in satellite images.
Credit: NASA/NOAA
Due to DSCOVR's position between the sun and Earth, EPIC maintains aconstant view of the fully illuminated Earth as it rotates on its axis.
"It's surprising how much brighter Earth is than the moon," Szabo said in a statement about last year's moon images. "Our planet is a truly brilliant object in dark space compared to the lunar surface."
The moon is tidally locked to Earth, so the same face is always pointing toward the planet. DSCOVR offers a unique view of the moon's far side, which can be seen when the satellite's orbit intersects the lunar orbit. The two orbits intersect only four times a year, and the moon only appears between the spacecraft and Earth once or twice a year, depending on the relative orbital phases of the moon and DSCOVR, according to NASA.
This latest crossing of paths was captured by combining three images taken about 30 seconds apart. EPIC uses three separate monochrome exposures — red, blue and green — to generate "natural color" images of Earth.
The images were taken between July 4 at 11:50 p.m. EDT and July 5 at 3:18 a.m. EDT. The moon can be seen moving over the Indian and Pacific oceans, with the North Pole at the top of the images.
A team of researchers have conducted a five-year-long study on a wide range of Facebook users in a quest to find out how misinformation blossoms online. In their paper, published in the Proceedings of the National Academy of Sciences, they note that it may be due to the nature of so-called “echo chambers,” spaces that allow people to amplify their own belief systems without obstruction.
In this sense, echo chambers describe certain areas of the media, particularly the Internet, wherein information or beliefs are reinforced by repetitive transmission inside an enclosed virtual space. These spaces, which also serve to keep contrasting views at bay, may explain why there are so many groups of people online – particularly on Facebook – that steadfastly believe information that is demonstrably nonsensical.
In order to investigate how effective these echo chambers were, 67 public Facebook pages – 32 regarding conspiracy theories and 35 related to science news – were comprehensively analyzed each and every time a post appeared, including how the followers interacted with it, from 2010 to 2014. Conspiracy theory sites include those that reject the overwhelming consensus on contemporary climate change, and those that believe that Jade Helm 15 – a series of military training exercises that occurred across the U.S. last year – were actually interpreted as signs of animpending civil war.
Reflection of computer screen in glasses
A third group consisting of two trolling pages, those that intentionally disseminate sarcastic, false information for potentially humorous effect, was also taken into account. These trolling websites acted as the experiment’s control group.
The researchers found that the way posts are initially distributed are the same for the science and conspiracy theory posts. Within the first two hours, and again after 20 hours of being posted, a post is shared most frequently, regardless of topic or validity – mostly with those that agree with their views.
However, a difference is noted in the long term. Science news is spread relatively quickly across the web, before sharing and discussion of the post drops off. Conversely, conspiracy theoriesbuild momentum more slowly before being shared and discussed increasingly for a longer period of time. This also means that conspiracy theories that gradually gain traction can eventually persist online, regardless of their limited factual basis.
Most significantly, however, is that the long-term online behavior of any type of group user both constructs and strengthens their own echo chambers. Individual people, publications or news organizations whose posts you click on or comment on more frequently will appear in your News Feed more often as a result; those you ignore will fade into near-complete obscurity.
This in itself is an echo chamber, one where the information fed back to you is reinforced by your online interactions. Eventually, therefore, a user’s Facebook space may exclusively include information that they believe in, and people that only agree with them.
A claim, whether it is substantiated or not, is given credence in the mind of an individual if the surrounding society deems it acceptable. This is known as confirmation bias, and this study shows that the phenomenon is just as prevalent in online communities as it is in physical ones. In the case of misinformation, this is incredibly dangerous – so much so that theWorld Economic Forum has declared its online spread, a form of “digital wildfire,” one of the main threats to global society.
0
1
2
3
4
5
- Gemiddelde waardering: 0/5 - (0 Stemmen) Categorie:News from the FRIENDS of facebook ( ENG )
15 Movies That Prepared Us For An Alien Invasion
15 Movies That Prepared Us For An Alien Invasion
15. WAR OF THE WORLDS
Lesson Learned: Befriend Tom Cruise.
In 1938, the world was emotionally unprepared for an alien invasion. Orson Welles’ Halloween radio broadcast of War of the Worlds, the H.G. Wells sci-fi novel, caused chaos in the streets. Welles’ theater company’s radio play induced widespread terror across America, inciting riots, panic and rumors of suicide. The broadcast sounded so authentic in describing the invading alien force that one woman ran into an Indianapolis church, screaming, “New York has been destroyed! It’s the end of the world! Go home and prepare to die!”
Though modern audiences knew what they were watching, Steven Spielberg’s 2005 re-imagining of War of the Worlds still packed in a lot of scares. While diverging from Wells’ classic invasion story by having the tripods be previously planted beneath earth’s surface, Spielberg unflinchingly depicts the aliens’ attempt at incinerating and harvesting mankind. These tripods are hunters and gatherers of the most devious kind, and unless your name is Tom Cruise or Dakota Fanning, they’ll have their way with you. How to survive? Get out of the streets, seek shelter and avoid shotgun-toting loonies like Harlan Ogilvy (Tim Robbins).
14. INDEPENDENCE DAY
Lesson Learned: Fly Air Force One.
Roland Emmerich has made a lot of disaster epics, though none are as beloved as Independence Day. Replete with vintage Will Smith, crazy-good Randy Quaid, nerd-master Jeff Goldblum and Greek-orator Bill Pullman, ID:4 teaches us how to retaliate against an alien species bent on total annihilation. Thanks to Pullman’s rousing speech, the movie also shows that a global invasion would quickly surrender mankind’s petty differences and demand intercontinental teamwork in the fight to survive.
As with War of the Worlds, victory lies in disabling the alien’s force fields. While countless souls must perish to do so, simply hijack a downed alien aircraft and fly it into the mother ship. After watching Will Smith work his magic, you’ll know what to do from there. Hopefully, Independence Day: Resurgence will give us of more of the goods.
13. 10 CLOVERFIELD LANE
Lesson Learned: Always carry a whiskey bottle.
Thanks to its clever framing of the invasion genre, this Cloverfield interquel posits whether humans can be as ruthless as aliens during times of uncertainty. For Michelle (Mary Elizabeth Winstead) and Emmett (John Gallagher Jr.), there appear to be few differences between getting attacked by aliens and being held captive by the taciturn Howard (John Goodman). To the vigilant farmer’s credit, however, building an underground, air-locked bunker may be the best resistance to impending invasion.
In director Dan Trachtenberg’s covertly-released but successful film, the aliens wage chemical warfare, crop-dusting the helpless populace with an airborne weapon of unknown origin. Using both her brain and brawn, Michelle investigates the aliens outside with a DIY-hazmat suit of her own. As she quickly discovers, it may have been best to stay underground
12. PREDATOR
Lesson Learned: Run. Being pursued by an invisible creature is an almost spiritual dilemma.
In John McTiernan’s 1987 classic, Predator, that terrifying conundrum is brought to life. After a restless squadron of commandos is sent on a rescue mission to a distant jungle, the team is steadily dismantled by a cloaked alien killer.
As the death toll rises, Dutch (Arnold Schwarzenneger) is forced to meet the Predator on equal ground. Using H2O as a disabling agent for the alien’s invisibility, Dutch cakes himself in mud to further escape its infrared vision. When Dutch finally out-dukes the Predator, he realizes the alien is pre-programmed for self-destruction, rendering their entire cage match an utterly worthless affair.
Fun fact: Shane Black, who has penned a sequel to the film that he also intends to direct, starred in the original film as the highly disposable Hawkins.
11. THE WORLD’S END
Lesson Learned: Finish your beer.
If the alien apocalypse comes upon us, nothing will be more important than our friends. Edgar Wright’s bookend to the Cornetto trilogy, The World’s End, imagines an alien invasion that replaces humans with androids.
Both a commentary on suburbia and a fantasy adventure about protecting your turf, The World’s End follows Gary King (Simon Pegg) and his friends Peter (Eddie Marsan), Oliver (Martin Freeman), Steven (Paddy Considine) and Andy (Nick Frost) as they seek to complete “the Golden Mile” pub crawl. Years after their botched 1990 effort, the five gentleman prepare to reach the 12th pub intact, The World’s End. Unfortunately, their past comes back to haunt them as hordes of old acquaintances have since become devious androids led by The Network (voiced by Bill Nighy). This pub crawl gives a whole new meaning to “leave no man behind.”
10. CLOSE ENCOUNTERS OF THE THIRD KIND
Lesson Learned: Some aliens like music.
Steven Spielberg has built his career on curiosity. In his first extraterrestrial drama, Close Encounters of the Third Kind, he fashions a world of wonderment. While their force is magnetic and psychologically influential, the aliens in this 1977 adventure are more harmless than hell-bent.
Based off the classifications of astronomer and ufologist, J. Allen Hynek, “close encounters” refers to the proximity of a human interaction with aliens. While many individuals may be able to claim a close encounter of the first kind (witnessing an unidentified flying object in the distance), close encounters of the third kind refer to the undeniable presence of an alien beings. In Spielberg’s film, several individuals are drawn to Devil’s Tower anticipating an alien interaction, including Roy Neary (Richard Dreyfuss) and Barry Guiler (Cary Guffey). Their imagination and instincts take them to a place of discovery and awe.
9. CONTACT
Lesson Learned: Keep looking.
The one film featured here without an honest to goodness invasion, Contact sets up a universe where intergalactic relations could become possible. In Robert Zemeckis’ daring film that unites the religious, the scientific and the political, we meet Eleanor Arroway (Jodie Foster), a woman who has dedicated her life to making contact with extraterrestrial life.
Her drive to touch the unknown is fueled by the early death of both her parents. Rejected by Congressional funding and doubted by her colleagues, Eleanor spends years reaching out into the great beyond without any signals meeting her on the way. This, of course, changes in Zemeckis’ story, as Eleanor makes contact with alien life and gets the opportunity to travel 25 light years away so she can meet them. Call it Close Encounters of the Fifth Kind.
8. THE DAY THE EARTH STOOD STILL (1951)
Lesson Learned: Some come in peace.
In the midst of the Cold War, a large extraterrestrial spacecraft lands near the White House. Its presence throws the world for a whirl, and when Klaatu (Michael Rennie) exits his platinum ship, the civilians go mad. Tanks and military flank the flying saucer and one particularly jumpy soldier shoots the alien being as he approaches. Down for the count, Klaatu rises up and welcomes his massive bodyguard named Gort, a metallic android with incinerating heat-seeking vision. As he emerges from the ship and walks down its futuristic runway, the crowd gasps in horror.
Despite all of this, the aliens in Robert Wise’s film don’t want to fight. On a mission of peace, Klaatu declares that an intergalactic tribunal has monitored earth’s violent activity and demanded they call an end to their aggression. The Day the Earth Stood Still is more a cautionary tale than one of destruction. Perhaps this explains the lack of interest in the film’s 2008 remake, which depicted the end of the world, rather than continuing the original movie’s focus on preventing that scenario.
7. SIGNS
Lesson Learned: Cornfields are creepy.
Crop circles have bewildered mankind for years. How perfect, then, for M. Night Shyamalan to prey upon these insecurities and build an alien adventure around them. In Signs, his pseudo-religious and extraterrestrial sci-fi film, Shyamalan localizes the fear of invasion to a small-town, Catholic family led by Father Graham Hess (Mel Gibson). Since the death of his wife and the growing “signs” of supernatural disturbances around his house, Hess has distanced himself from his priestly duties. Hearing of global “light” sightings, Graham and his family barricade themselves from the threat.
Unfortunately, their house has already been targeted. Along with its thrills, the movie’s underrated sense of humor is greatly welcome amid the creepy cornfield. When Graham and Merrill dart out of the house to pursue the encroaching alien, Graham shouts, “Ah! I’m insane with anger!” Running around the house, he follows up that gem with, “I’m losing my mind!” Few actors could pull this off with confidence equal to Mel Gibson.
6. DISTRICT 9
Lesson Learned: Judge not, lest ye be judged.
Neill Blomkamp’s 2009 sci-fi film solidified the director as a big-budget storyteller with indie-film sentiments. District 9 depicts an alternate universe where South Africa has been visited by a massive alien mothership that hovers over the country and infests its population with malnourished creatures called Prawns. This is a different sort of invasion than we’re used to seeing, however. More of a political and social culture clash than all-out war, District 9 creates an immigration morality play, asking how we might coexist with an alien species. Drawing on timeless international themes of migration and the long history of internment, Blomkamp sympathizes with the Prawns’ plight by having his leading man, Wikus van de Merwe (Sharlto Copley), become the very thing he was hired to fight against.
5. ATTACK THE BLOCK
Lesson Learned: Stick together.
Another cult classic in the making, Joe Cornish’s Attack the Block turns south London gangbangers into the ultimate resistance against alien beasts. Starring John Boyega as the gang leader Moses, Attack the Block chooses unlikely heroes to defend their turf from gorilla-like extraterrestrials. Produced by Edgar Wright and Big Talk Pictures (home of Shaun of the Dead, Hot Fuzz, Scott Pilgrim vs. The World and more), the movie pulsates with energy and tension.
While it may be low budget in comparison to other films in the genre, Attack the Block packs a punch every minute its on screen. Not without its own share of social commentary, Cornish’s invasion epic briefly examines inner city violence. Amid the carnage and chaos, Moses posits that the government is to blame: “Government probably bred those things to kill black boys. First they sent in drugs, then they sent guns and now they’re sending monsters in to kill us. They don’t care, man. We ain’t killing each other fast enough. So they decided to speed up the process.”
4. EDGE OF TOMORROW
Lesson Learned: Live. Die. Do it better.
Doug Liman’s revitalizing sci-fi entry somehow found humor in the apocalypse. Through the eyes of combat newbie and PR officer Bill Cage (Tom Cruise), we are taken on an adventure against the invading alien race, the Mimics. Hyper fast, violent and seemingly omniscient, the Mimics have steadily beaten back mankind to its last stronghold in England. When Cage is forced to join a modern D-Day assault on France, he and his squadron are decimated within minutes of landing on the beach.
After killing a massive Mimic, Cage dies covered in its blood and wakes up back at the base. Time has reversed, thanks to a bilious baptism that has given him the gift of Groundhog Day. Like in a video game with endless respawns, Cage steadily charts a course to victory through a series of violent trial and error. With the help of Rita Vrataski (played by a lean and mean Emily Blunt), Cage finds a way to use his newfound powers to end the invasion.
3. MARS ATTACKS!
Lesson Learned: If it quacks like a duck…
Out of all the preeminent sci-fi sendup films, Tim Burton’s Mars Attacks! reigns supreme. Beyond the top-shelf cast and the dual performances of the zany Jack Nicholson, Burton’s ridiculous action-romp bends, breaks and borrows every cliche in the book. Lampooning the science fiction films of the ’50s, Burton imbues Mars Attacks! with enough one-dimensional characters and bland alien villains to completely destroy the genre.
Forgoing the vintage social commentary of films like The Day the Earth Stood Still, Burton gives his aliens ray guns that blow away all sense of subtlety. As Jack Nicholson’s President Dale so diplomatically inquires, “Why can’t we work out our differences? Why can’t we work things out? Little people, why can’t we all just get along?” Critics may have been split on the film, but loyal audiences have since turned Mars Attacks! into a cult classic.
2. MEN IN BLACK
Lesson Learned: The (alien) revolution will not be televised.
With a revolutionary approach to the sci-fi genre, director Barry Sonnenfeld’s Men in Black created a world where aliens and humans live side by side. The goal, according to Jay (Will Smith) and Kay (Tommy Lee Jones), is to keep that dangerous truth a secret for as long as possible. While interviewing to become Kay’s partner, Jay asserts that people can handle the reality that aliens are already present on earth. Kay shoots down his optimism, saying “People are dumb, panicky, dangerous animals and you know it.”
As a result, the MIB agency stands to protect people from what they can’t comprehend while uprooting the truly dangerous aliens at large. This includes Edgar the Bug, played by Vincent D’Onofrio in a role that combines Jim Carrey’s wild antics with the fierceness of Wilson Fisk. Hopefully, some of that old alien magic will be retained for the forthcoming Men in Black/21 Jump Street crossover movie.
1. THE INVASION OF THE BODY SNATCHERS (1978)
Lesson Learned: Never fall asleep.
In one of the greatest allegories in science fiction, The Invasion of the Body Snatchers tells of an extraterrestrial coup that replaces emotional and sentient humans with blank copies of themselves. As Matthew Bennell (Donald Sutherland) discovers in Philip Kauffman’s remake of the original 1956 film, these body-swaps happen while people sleep. When Bennell happens upon a mossy and glazed clone of himself growing in a garden, he bludgeons it to smithereens with a rusted shovel. Impostors be damned! There can only be one Donald Sutherland.
Unfortunately, the Pod People, the alien beings perpetuating this mass replacement, know that Matthew and everyone else will eventually succumb to sleep. Showing indifference and a lack of emotion may help you blend in, but only for some time. The Invasion of the Body Snatchers is perhaps the most insidious alien attack in any film, leaving audiences with a truly devastating finale.
*******************************************
What other movies prepared us for an alien invasion? Let us know in the comments below!
0
1
2
3
4
5
- Gemiddelde waardering: 0/5 - (0 Stemmen) Categorie:News from the FRIENDS of facebook ( ENG )
Russia declassified secret images from Venus that show extraterrestrial life
Russia declassified secret images from Venus that show extraterrestrial life
The Space Research Institute of the Russian Academy of Sciences, published a series of photographs, taken by the Venera probe which allegedly show evidence of living organisms on Venus, one of the most inhospitable places for humans in the solar system. Venus, the second planet from the sun is the most similar planet in our solar system in terms of size and structure to Earth. In terms of the surface it is anything but Earth-like.
It is the hottest planet in the solar system, mainly due to its atmosphere which is 97 percent carbon dioxide, a heat trapping greenhouse gas.
The constant temperature on Venus is 480 degrees Celsius, a temperature which is hot enough to melt lead and it even hotter than the nearest planet to the Sun, Mercury.
According to Russian scientist Leonid Ksanfomaliti, this image, taken from a Russian probe that landed on Venus in 1982, we can see a scorpion-shaped life form
According to an explanation by Leonid Ksanfomaliti, doctor of physical and mathematical science, at the Institute of Space Research, the images taken 30 years ago reveal the movement of extremely strange objects on the surface of Venus.
NASA quickly went on to debunk the discovery. As explained, the ‘disc’ that is seen moving on the surface is a lens cap, and the ‘scorpion-like-creature’ proposed by Ksanfomaliti is actually ‘noise’ in a second-hand picture which isn’t present in the original image.
Ksanfomaliti believes that in the images, a scorpion-shaped creature, a disk and a ‘black flap’ are visible moving in front of the onboard camera of the Venera 13.
According to reports from a Russian news agency Ksanfomaliti explained in an article of the Russian journal Solar System Research magazine: ‘They all ’emerge, fluctuate and disappear,
‘What if we forget about the current theories about the non-existence of life on Venus, let’s boldly suggest that the objects’ morphological features would allow us to say that they are living,’ he added.
But American counterparts seem to firmly disagree with Ksanfomaliti. Ted Stryk who is a photo analyst at NASA says it is more likely that the disc Ksanfomaliti is talking about could have come from the spacecraft.
‘Venera-13 had two cameras, one in front and one in back. The one image shows the front camera lens cap and the other shows the rear camera lens cap, not one lens cap that moved,’ he says, in comments on Life’s Little Mysteries.
NASA says there is no way that anything can survive on Venus today. However, scientists have not ruled out that once, in the distant past, Venus might have supported life, in a time when the planet might have had giant oceans and possibly life, before the ‘greenhouse effect’ created the temperatures that rule over the planet today.
‘Current theories suggest that Venus and the Earth may have started out alike. There might have been a lot of water on Venus and there might have been a lot of carbon dioxide on Earth,’ Professor Andrew Ingersoll of Caltech said in a paper published in Astrobiology in 2004.
Images of the surface of Venus taken by the Soviet Venera-13 descent module in 1982
The problem with science and scholars in search for extraterrestrial life is that mankind believes that for life to exist elsewhere in the solar system or universe, a planet should have a similar climate and conditions to those of Earth.
What if elsewhere, on Venus perhaps, there are living beings which need scorching temperatures in order to survive, beings that can breathe carbon dioxide and cannot survive with water or oxygen. In order to search more adequately for extraterrestrial life, we need to change the conditions and patterns for extraterrestrial life.
Rusland werkt aan een nieuw soort stealthbommenwerper die op slechts twee uur naar eender welke plaats ter wereld kan vliegen en een kernaanval kan lanceren vanuit de ruimte. De eerste testen met een prototype van de motor waren succesvol. De hypersonische PAK-DA-bommenwerper, die onzichtbaar is voor radartechnologie, zal naar verwachting vanaf 2020 de lucht ingaan.
De PAK-DA wordt uitgerust met een speciale hybride Turbofan-motor, die het toestel in staat stelt om een lage ruimtevlucht te maken. Zolang de bommenwerper zich bevindt binnen de atmosfeer van de aarde zal hij vliegen op kerosine. Eens in de ruimte, schakelt de motor over op methaan en zuurstof, waardoor de PAK-DA zonder lucht kan vliegen.
Het vliegtuig is ontworpen om op te stijgen op gewone luchthavens en naar de ruimte te vliegen met een lading langeafstandsraketten, waaronder hypersonische kernraketten. Van daaruit zal het aanvallen op doelwitten kunnen uitvoeren alvorens terug te keren naar de basis.
Rusland, China en de VS zijn momenteel verwikkeld in een nieuwe wapenwedloop voor de ontwikkeling van hypersonische vliegtuigen en raketten die tot vijf keer sneller zijn dan de geluidssnelheid.
De PAK-DA wordt ontwikkeld door het Tupolev Design Bureau, dat ook de beruchte Tu-95-bommenwerpers ontwerp. De voorbije maanden werden herhaaldelijk Tu-95's in de buurt van het Britse luchtruim gesignaleerd.
2020
Generaal Sergei Karakayev, commandant van de Russische Strategische Raketmacht, bevestigt dat een prototype van de motor al gebouwd en getest werd. "De inzetbaarheid van de eenheid is bewezen. We bekijken nu de aanpassingen, wat ongeveer een jaar zal duren. Zodra we het eens zijn over de plannen, zullen we de motor zelf beginnen bouwen. In het tweede jaar van de ontwikkeling (2018) zullen we de hardware bouwen. Misschien loop ik te hard van stapel en duiken er enkele problemen op, maar tegen 2020 zouden we een volledig functionerend product moeten hebben."
De motor van de PAK-DA wordt tentoongesteld tijdens het Internationale Militaire Technologieforum in Moskou in september.
0
1
2
3
4
5
- Gemiddelde waardering: 0/5 - (0 Stemmen) Categorie:HLN.be - Het Laatste Nieuws ( NL)
MYSTERY OF THE TAYOS CAVE - LEGENDARY METAL LIBRARY FOUND IN ECUADOR
MYSTERY OF THE TAYOS CAVE - LEGENDARY METAL LIBRARY FOUND IN ECUADOR
In what maybe one of the biggest discoveries ever, a team of explorers is claiming that they have found the legendary golden library and other mysterious treasures in the Tayos Cave system in Ecuador.
THE LEGENDARY GOLDEN LIBRARY
The team announced that they accidentally found some hidden tunnels that were obviously dug out artificially sometime in the ancient past while inside one of the main chambers. The team was able to follow one of these tunnels for approximately ½ mile and came upon a large room containing the golden library and various other treasures.
Below is a list of what the explorers claim to have found in this chamber:
1. A library with thousands of metal books. The team was unable to specify what metal the books were made of but the look was similar to silver. Each page had symbols and strange writing on them.
2. Individual plates with writing on them and strange symbols that looked to be made of gold.
3. At least several hundred statues of insects, animals and humans spread throughout the large chamber.
4. Lots of metal bars thought to be both gold and/or silver. Also found were various children’s toys and jewelry items made from gold or silver.
As of right now, the team has only announced their findings onto a radio show and no other announcements have been made so the jury is still out as too whether their claims are completely true.
The team did claim to have samples of at least one of the metal books, one golden plate and several small statues that they will be submitting to professional testing so hopefully this will give us answers shortly
The Nazi Antarctic fortress: Base 211 and Operation Highjump
The Nazi Antarctic fortress: Base 211 and Operation Highjump
During the Second World War, the Nazi’s carried out a number of strange experiments with alleged technologies unknown to the rest of the world in their attempt to rule the world. They searched the planet for mythical artifacts and otherworldly technology hoping to come across a supreme power that would allow them to conquer the unconquerable.
Numerous ‘alleged’ covert operations took place during the Nazi era, and one of the most memorable one’s is that of Neuschwabenland and their enigmatic Base 211 located within Antarctica.
Neuschwabenland or New Swabia is located on the Antarctic continent between 20°E and 10°W in Queen Maud Land. This faraway land was explored in great detail by the German Antarctic expedition which even came across parts with warm fresh-water, ice-free areas and vegetation, in an area where according to science, everything is frozen. According to geologists who participated in the German expedition, the areas where vegetation was present were due to hot springs or other geothermal sources.
One of the most interesting quotes about Neuschwabenland and Antarctica comes from German Navy Grand Admiral Karl Dönitz who said that: “The German submarine fleet is proud of having built for the Führer in another part of the world a Shangri-La on land, an impregnable fortress.”
For half a century, rumors about secret Nazi expedition and a secret base called ‘Station 211’ has existed among writers and researchers. But were the Nazis equipped to carry out such fascinating missions? And is the above-mentioned quote from Grand Admiral Karl Dönitz true?
According to a number of rumors, ‘Station 211’ did exist, and if it did, then it must have been (maybe till is) located inside the ice-free mountain range in the Muhlig-Hofmann Mountains of Neuschwabenland, aka Queen Maud Land.
However, today many people rush and dismiss the existence of secret bases on Antarctica suggesting there is no evidence to support such claims.
As always, extraordinary claims require extraordinary evidence.
Facts are though to track down since there is a mind-boggling amount of stories and ‘alleged’ witnesses who state the Nazis had created a Shangri-La on land, an impregnable fortress at Neuschwabenland.
Many authors propose that in 1946-47 Admiral Byrd, one fo the most famous American polar explorers searched for secret Nazi bases. Many authors propose that the so-called Operation Highjump when Admiral Byrd had at his disposal the largest armada ever to be sent to Antarctica.
Operation Highjump included a staggering 13 ships, an aircraft carrier, a submarine, two destroyers and a total of 4,700 men with full battle gear in what was officially called an ordinary ‘training exercise.’
However, many people believe that Operation Highjump was anything but a training mission.
The flotilla included:
Aan escort aircraft carrier (the Philippines Sea)
two seaplane carriers (the Pine Island and Curritich)
two destroyers (the Brownsen and Henderson)
two escort ships (Yankee and Merrick)
two fueling ships (Canister and Capacan)
A submarine (the Sennet)
Operation Highjump was curiously terminated six months earlier than expected. An excerpt from February 19, 1947, describes Admiral Byrd’s arrival over the pole at 1000 hours:
We are crossing over the small mountain range and still proceeding northward as best as can be ascertained. Beyond the mountain range is what appears to be a valley with a small river or stream running through the center portion. There should be no green valley below! Something is definitely wrong and abnormal here! We should be over Ice and Snow! To the portside are great forests growing on the mountain slopes. Our navigation Instruments are still spinning; the gyroscope is oscillating back and forth!
Conspiracy theories surrounding Byrd, Station 211 and other mysterious discoveries made by Admiral Byrd –like the existence of blue-skinned people—are endless.
Interestingly, many people believe Admiral Byrd made a number of cryptic comments while he was interviewed by the International News Service correspondent Lee Van Atta aboard the USS Mount Olympus. The article appeared on the March 5th, 1947 edition of Chilean newspaper ‘El Mercurio’:
“Adm. Byrd declared today that it was imperative for the United States to initiate immediate defense measures against hostile regions. The admiral further stated that he didn’t want to frighten anyone unduly but that it was a bitter reality that in case of a new war the continental United States would be attacked by flying objects which could fly from pole to pole at incredible speeds. Admiral Byrd repeated the above points of view, resulting from his personal knowledge gathered both at the north and south poles, before a news conference held for International News Service.”
While ‘El Mercurio’ is in fact a real newspaper, many people remain skeptical about the article and Admiral Byrd’s comments. Is it possible that a real danger did exist in the southernmost parts of Antarctica after World War II? If so, what were these threats? Were the Nazis involved?
No one can say for sure whether or not Admiral Byrd searched for the secret Nazi base, or if he ver stumbled across it.
However, researchers did find the so-called ice-free mountains. Between 1956 and 1960, a Norwegian exploration team mapped extensive parts of Queen Maud Land where they stumbled across areas with vegetation and to the surprise of many, they also discovered the mountains matching the description of the rumors behind Station 211.
What are your thoughts? Do you believe that the Nazis had the ability and means to construct secret bases around the globe? Among them Base 211 on Antarctica? Or are these stories just elaborate myths without conclusive evidence?
SETI: “To find ET’s we must open our minds and have a less anthropocentric stance”
SETI: “To find ET’s we must open our minds and have a less anthropocentric stance”
To find ET, we must open our minds beyond a deeply-rooted, Earth-centric perspective, expand our research methods and deploy new tools. Advanced intelligent life is probably abundant in the universe, but can be very different from us. We need to understand how to identify it. In order to do so, a radical change in current methodologies is needed.
Research director of SETI, Nathalie Cabrol, proposes a more multidisciplinary approach in the search for extraterrestrial intelligence, beyond radio and optics. According to Cabrol, we must remain open-minded about Alien lifeforms and have a lesser anthropocentric stance when looking for ET.
In an article published in the journal Astrobiology, Cabrol suggests the need for a radical change in the search for extraterrestrial intelligence, with a combination of physical, biological, computer and social sciences, joined on a mission to search for life in different forms we may not even know exists.
Cabrol asserts that “To find ET, we must open our minds beyond a deeply-rooted, Earth-centric perspective, expand our research methods and deploy new tools. Never before has so much data been available in so many scientific disciplines to help us grasp the role of probabilistic events in the development of extraterrestrial intelligence. These data tell us that each world is a unique planetary experiment. Advanced intelligent life is likely plentiful in the universe, but may be very different from us, based on what we now know of the co-evolution of life and environment.”
Led by pioneers such as Frank Drake and Jill Tarter, SETI-the Search for extraterrestrial intelligence began in the 1960s using radio astronomy to ‘listen’ to potential signals sent from our cosmic neighbours. Today, we search for radio and optical signals generated by a technology similar to ours. And even though there are compelling reasons to continue with these efforts, it is equally convincing expand the search criteria and accept existing and other methodologies that might prove useful in the near future.
Advanced intelligent life is probably abundant in the universe, but can be very different from us.
This is why Cabrol promotes the establishment of a Virtual Institute with the participation of the global scientific community. The new Virtual SETI Institute would integrate our new knowledge to understand who aliens might be and where they might be located. Cabrol proposes we should break the constraints imposed by only suggesting extraterrestrial necessarily needs to be similar to us.
“The timing is right for SETI research around the world to open a new chapter in its history. The SETI Institute is taking the lead on this new path,” says Bill Diamond, President, and CEO of the SETI Institute. “In the coming months, we will invite the US and international research communities to contribute to a new scientific roadmap for SETI. We will explore resources for the development of a Virtual Institute, and an intellectual framework for projects focused on the advancement of knowledge on extraterrestrial intelligence,” said Cabrol.
Beste bezoeker, Heb je zelf al ooit een vreemde waarneming gedaan, laat dit dan even weten via email aan Frederick Delaere opwww.ufomeldpunt.be. Deze onderzoekers behandelen jouw melding in volledige anonimiteit en met alle respect voor jouw privacy. Ze zijn kritisch, objectief maar open minded aangelegd en zullen jou steeds een verklaring geven voor jouw waarneming! DUS AARZEL NIET, ALS JE EEN ANTWOORD OP JOUW VRAGEN WENST, CONTACTEER FREDERICK. BIJ VOORBAAT DANK...
Druk op onderstaande knop om je bestand , jouw artikel naar mij te verzenden. INDIEN HET DE MOEITE WAARD IS, PLAATS IK HET OP DE BLOG ONDER DIVERSEN MET JOUW NAAM...
Druk op onderstaande knop om een berichtje achter te laten in mijn gastenboek
Alvast bedankt voor al jouw bezoekjes en jouw reacties. Nog een prettige dag verder!!!
Over mijzelf
Ik ben Pieter, en gebruik soms ook wel de schuilnaam Peter2011.
Ik ben een man en woon in Linter (België) en mijn beroep is Ik ben op rust..
Ik ben geboren op 18/10/1950 en ben nu dus 73 jaar jong.
Mijn hobby's zijn: Ufologie en andere esoterische onderwerpen.
Op deze blog vind je onder artikels, werk van mezelf. Mijn dank gaat ook naar André, Ingrid, Oliver, Paul, Vincent, Georges Filer en MUFON voor de bijdragen voor de verschillende categorieën...
Veel leesplezier en geef je mening over deze blog.
