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.
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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...
10-11-2016
Scientists Disproving Alien Megastructure Hypothesis Made a Discovery
Scientists Disproving Alien Megastructure Hypothesis Made a Discovery
SETI research could be more sustainable in the long run.
Ajoint investigation between scientists from the Center for SETI Research at the SETI Institute and METI International resulted in the discovery of exactly zero radio transmissions emanating from KIC 8462852, aka Tabby’s Star, aka that “alien megastructures” star everyone freaked out about late last year. According tonew findings published in The Astrophysical Journal Letters, we still haven’t found signs of extraterrestrial intelligence. Our cold streak continues.
In case you don’t remember, there was a big hooplah last fall when Jason Wright, an astronomer at Penn State University, dropped a small suggestion that strange stellar light patterns glowing from Tabby’s Star, nearly 1,500 light-years away from Earth, were caused by “alien megastructures,” a catchall phrase for materials artificially placed in orbit. Since then, study after study has basically put that hypothesis to rest, with more reasonable ideas like a family of weird cometsgarnering more and more support based on new data.
But science is about making confirmations, so the dutiful scientists at the SETI Institute and METI international came together and used the Boquete Optical SETI Observatory in Panama to determine whether or not the strange dimming patterns were caused by intelligent extraterrestrials, as well as use the Allen Telescope Array in California to measure whether the star system was spewing out any radio signals indicative of advanced technology.
“We were looking to see if there are intentional laser signals being beamed at us,” says METI International research and study coauthor Douglas Vakoch. He tells Inverse he and his colleagues were looking for the kinds of signs of technology that us humans on Earth might be capable of building and using to broadcast our presence to the rest of the universe.
Unfortunately, they did not find any radio signals, and the optical signals found were less than encouraging. No optical signal of a particular period pattern was measured, and the power of the light pulsing from Tabby’s Star didn’t seem characteristic of a laser signal. “If there is a large laser facility kicking out signals of 5 mega-joules or stronger, we would have been able to detect those,” says Vakoch. “We didn’t.”
Vakoch emphasizes that the results don’t totally discount alien life living in the star system. He and his team were using Boquete during Panama’s rainy season — “the worst possible time,” he says. He acknowledges that the results “don’t say for sure there aren’t extraterrestrials out there.” It’s always possible E.T. is sending weaker signals out or exhibiting patterns stretching across a larger timeframe.
“But we can say that within the scenario where we could have possibly gotten a signal, we didn’t get one,” says Vakoch.
Disheartening, sure, but there’s a strong silver lining to the new findings. While SETI research around the world centers in large part around the measure of radio signals, the new investigation allowed the scientists to flex their optics muscles and get practice at looking for signs of E.T. across other frequencies as well. “If we get a signal, there may be different sources of information at different frequencies, so we need to be ready to jump on that,” said Vakoch.
Moreover, the study demonstrated the feasibility of using even a modest-sized optical telescope to conduct SETI observations. This runs counter to the whole “bigger is better” mentality that permeates space science, and Vakoch thinks the new methodological approaches he and his colleagues outline in their paper illustrate a new model for doing SETI research that is more efficient and sustainable. He says a major goal of METI International, after all, is to answer “how do we sustain the search going forward” as funding for these types of projects drop or become thinned out over more and more initiatives.
“We still don’t have a natural explanation for what is going on” with Tabby’s Star, says Vakoch. And he doesn’t find that particularly discouraging. “This is the type of ambiguity we can expect if we really got a signal from E.T. It will be a slow unfolding and grappling of the data. So we continue to search for answers.”
Protoplanetary disks are celestial bodies found around young stars, which will eventually be sculpted into round spherical as we know them. They’re the subjects of the European Southern Observatory’s Spectro-Polarimetric High-contrast Exoplanet REsearch instrument, which has been somewhat forcibly maneuvered into the acronym SPHERE. On Wednesday, the ESO released new images and data, captured by three teams of astronomers using SPHERE, of what those young solar systems look like in action.
SPHERE’s cutting-edge precision is able to deliver the kind of detail we need in order to better understand the evolutionary processes of these nascent stars and planets. It has adaptive optics that compensate for visual distortion and a coronagraph that keeps the light from the central star from blowing out the rest of the image. It can also isolate light coming from the star and separate it from the features forming in the disk to make for a more accurate reading.
SPHERE’s first observation, or “first light,” was in June 2014. It uses direct imaging— basically, taking highly detailed pictures of the exoplanets scientists have their eye on. Getting usable direct imaging data from protoplanetary disks is no small feat (though it’s not easy to capture regular planets either).
Concentric rings on the disk around the star RX J1615.
Protoplanetary disks aren’t actually solid — the term refers to expansive clouds of stellar gas and dust that compact into planets over time. But the specifics of that process, including how some planets end up with rings or arms, still aren’t known to us. A SPHERE team hailing from the Netherlands obtained images of rings already forming in an especially young disk — a rare and valuable set of data. Observation of a second symmetrical system soon followed, which is important because prior to this we were mostly finding disks with asymmetrical features — this might mean there are more of the former out there than we thought.
Arm-like spiral structures on the disk around star HD 135344B.
The teams also observed cool phenomena like a “large central cavity and two prominent spiral arm-like structures,” which should eventually develop into something resembling Jupiter. They were also lucky enough to capture images of four separate dark streaks — shadows of young planetary material — one of which changed in shape between observations, meaning SPHERE is getting the data of it dynamically evolving in real time. The takeaway from all of this is basically that protoplanetary spheres are full of surprises — tantalizing, immensely rich fields of study that we now have the technology to better explore.
Photos via European Southern Observatory, J. de Boer et al., European Southern Observatory, T. Stolker et al., European Space Organization
What's in a name? When it comes to catchy monikers, most galaxies come up short.
But perhaps that isn't so surprising. With an estimated 100 billion to 200 billion galaxies in the known universe, it's no wonder that the majority of galaxies that have been identified thus far go by a catalog number: M51, GN-z11, and IOK-1, for example. Those arrangements of numbers and letters are loaded with meaning for astronomers, but they don't exactly inspire the imagination.
However, a handful of galaxies have fared a little better in the naming department — usually the ones that are distinctively shaped, extremely close by and easy to observe, or just exceptionally photogenic. Here's a look at some of these galaxies with standout names.
Credit: NASA, ESA, and Hubble Heritage Team (STScI/AURA, Acknowledgment --T. Do, A.Ghez (UCLA), V. Bajaj (STScI)
1. Milky Way Galaxy
Our home galaxy, the Milky Way, measures 100,000 light-years in diameter, and is thought to contain at least 100 billion stars and possibly as many as 400 billion or more. It is a barred spiral galaxy, with a central bar structure running across its core.
Though the Milky Way was long thought to have only two spiral arms, a 12-year study published in the journal Monthly Notices of the Royal Astronomical Society in 2013 confirmed that the galaxy has four major arms. Our sun and solar system are located on a minor structure known as the Orion Arm, about 26,000 light-years from the Milky Way's center.
Thousands of years ago, the Milky Way's bright sprawl of stars, dust and gas stretching across the night sky inspired the ancient Greeks to lend it a milky name, though historians are uncertain as to when it was first referred to as the Milky Way, according to Matthew Stanley, a professor of the history of science at the Gallatin School of Individualized Study at New York University.
Credit: NASA, H. Ford (JHU), G. Illingworth (USCS/LO), M. Clampin (STScI), G. Hartig (STScI), and the ACS Science Team
2. Tadpole Galaxy
A close encounter with another galaxy disrupted the spiral galaxy Arp 188, commonly known as the Tadpole Galaxy. Like its aquatic eponym, the Tadpole has an oval "head" — the main part of the spiral — and a long, trailing "tail."
The sweeping appendage measures about 280,000 light-years in length and is studded with enormous and brilliant star clusters. It likely formed when another galaxy approached too close to the Tadpole and was swung around behind it by gravitational forces. That same attraction probably teased out the ribbon of stars and gas that now trails behind the Tadpole, according to a NASA description.
Credit: NASA/ESA and The Hubble Heritage Team (AURA/STScI)
3. Eye Galaxy
Messier 64 (M64) has a somewhat sinister common name: the Black Eye or Evil Eye Galaxy, inspired by the dark band of dust surrounding its bright core. This shadowy band likely formed after a collision with another galaxy.
In the 1990s, scientists discovered that gas in the Black Eye's outer regions was rotating counterclockwise — the opposite direction from the gas and stars closer to the center. Astronomers suspected that this unusual region is the last remnant of a smaller galaxy that collided with the Black Eye over a billion years ago, and was gradually absorbed.
The Black Eye is located in the constellation Coma Berenices, approximately 17 million light-years from Earth, and was catalogued by French astronomer Charles Messier in the 18th century.
Credit: NASA and The Hubble Heritage Team (STScI/AURA)
4. Sombrero Galaxy
The Sombrero is a spiral galaxy, and its unusual hat-like shape is suggested by our perspective on its position in space, viewed edge-on from Earth. This creates the illusion of a hat's "brim" — the outermost ring of stars — and a "crown" where the luminous core bulges at the center, circled by darker lanes of dust.
Also known as Messier 104 (M104), the Sombrero is located about 28 million light-years from Earth and measures 50,000 light-years across. It is one of the most massive objects in the Virgo cluster — as big as 800 billion suns, according to the Hubble Space Telescope website.
Credit: NASA, ESA, S. Beckwith (STScI), and The Hubble Heritage Team STScI/AURA)
5. Whirlpool Galaxy
Like our own Milky Way, the Whirlpool (Messier 51, or M51) is a spiral galaxy — the most common galaxy type, representing about 77 percent of all galaxies in the universe — with multiple arms curving outward and wrapping around a bright center. Its yellowish core is home to older stars, while younger and brighter stars are visible along its arms.
The arms of the Whirlpool — as in all spiral galaxies — are stellar nurseries, where infant stars are born. At only 25 million light-years from Earth and measuring 60,000 light-years across, the Whirlpool is highly visible to astronomers and has been called one of "astronomy's galactic darlings" by the Space Telescope Science Institute (STScI).
Stellar deaths have been detected in the Whirlpool, as well. Observers reported three supernovas — a star's explosive demise — occurring in the Whirlpool during the past 17 years: in 1994, 2005 and 2011.
Credit: NASA, ESA and the Hubble Heritage Team (STScI/AURA)
6. Cigar Galaxy
Located in the Ursa Major constellation about 13 million light-years from Earth, the Cigar Galaxy was named for the long, elliptical shape of its disk, which is how it appears relative to our sight line.
Also called Messier 82 (M82), the Cigar is known as a starburst galaxy — one with an exceptionally high star birth rate. In its central regions, stars are produced 10 times faster than in the Milky Way Galaxy, according to the European Space Agency (ESA).
This six-image composite mosaic — the sharpest wide-angle view ever obtained of the Cigar Galaxy — was assembled from images taken by the NASA/ESA Hubble Space Telescope, in March 2006.
Credit: ESA/Hubble & NASA
7. Cartwheel Galaxy
Resembling an oversize wagon wheel, the Cartwheel Galaxy is estimated to measure 150,000 light-years across. It has a bright center with wispy "spokes" of dust and gas radiating outward to a surrounding ring of stars, which is about 1.5 times the size of the Milky Way, according to the Hubble Space Telescope website.
The Cartwheel's unusual shape was caused by a dramatic, head-on cosmic collision millions of years ago, according to a description on the Chandra X-Ray Observatory website. It was originally a large spiral galaxy, but a smaller galaxy perforated its center, disrupting stars much like a stone dropped in water causes outward-spreading ripples.
It is located 500 million light years from Earth, in the Sculptor constellation.
Credit: ESA/Hubble & NASA
8. Sunflower Galaxy
Galaxy Messier 63 (M63), also known as the Sunflower Galaxy, was the 63rd entry in French astronomer Charles Messier's catalog of celestial objects, published in 1781, and was given its flowery name for the tight spiraling of its many arms, which was thought to be reminiscent of the pattern at a sunflower's center.
The Sunflower is about 27 million light-years from Earth in the constellation Canes Venatici — "The Hunting Dogs" — and is part of the M51 Group, a collection of galaxies that also appears in Messier's catalog and is named for Galaxy M51, the Whirlpool Galaxy.
The brilliant glow that illuminates the Sunflower's spirals is generated by newly formed blue-white giant stars, according to the Hubble Space Telescope website.
Neanderthals and modern humans interbred long ago, but evolution has purged many of our caveman relative's genes from modern human genomes, a new study finds.
Neanderthals were the closest extinct relatives of modern humans. Previous research suggested that modern humans migrating out of Africa encountered and interbred with Neanderthals tens of thousands of years ago.
"We know that the ancestors of modern Europeans and Asians mated with Neanderthals, and as a result, the modern-day descendants of those people have some small amount of Neanderthal DNA in their genomes," said study lead author Ivan Juric, an evolutionary biologist at the University of California, Davis. [In Photos: Neanderthal Burials Uncovered]
However, nowadays, Neanderthal genetic material makes up only about 1.5 to 2.1 percent of the genomes of people outside Africa, according to the draft sequence of the Neanderthal genome published in 2010. That means some of this genetic material was lost over time. To better understand why this evolutionary purge occurred, Juric and his colleagues examined where Neanderthal DNA was found in the modern human genome.
If offspring of modern humans and Neanderthals had Neanderthal DNA segments that possessed some so-called deleterious alleles — that is, harmful genetic variants — "then they'd be less likely to have kids, and so less likely to pass on those Neanderthal segments to future generations," Juric told Live Science.
In this way, the evolutionary mechanism of natural selection ensures that "over time, Neanderthal segments containing deleterious alleles get removed from populations faster than Neanderthal segments not containing deleterious variants," Juric said.
Previous research found that there is less Neanderthal DNA in regions close to genes than in the relatively inactive regions between genes. This suggests that natural selection weeded out Neanderthal variants of those genes, Juric said.
Juric and his colleagues developed a computer model that simulated the effects of natural selection on the distance between segments of Neanderthal DNA and modern human genes. Given the amount of time that has passed between interbreeding between Neanderthals and modern humans and the amounts and locations of Neanderthal DNA now found in the modern human genome, their findings suggest that many Neanderthal gene variants that entered the modern human genome after Neanderthals and modern humans interbred were "weakly deleterious" — that is, "they are being slowly removed by natural selection," Juric said.
The researchers suggested that many mildly negative gene variants, or alleles, were able to persist in Neanderthals because Neanderthals had much smaller populations than modern humans. However, when these gene variants made their way into modern humans, modern humans' larger populations — and thus bigger gene pools — were better at winnowing out these deleterious alleles.
"I find it fascinating to think that if the Neanderthals had reached larger population sizes in Europe, or if modern human populations had grown slower, some of us today would probably carry a lot more Neanderthal ancestry in our genome," Juric said in a statement.
Future research could investigate which genetic variants from extinct relatives of modern humans were weeded out of the modern human genomes. "I would love to know which exact Neanderthal alleles were selected against," Juric said. "Once we know more about the genes involved, we can ask what those genes do and what traits they are involved with in modern humans. Then, we might be able to make some guesses about the traits of those early human-Neanderthal hybrids."
What Triggered Tsunamis that Demolished Bronze-Age Civilization?
What Triggered Tsunamis that Demolished Bronze-Age Civilization?
By Kacey Deamer, Staff Writer
A combined topographic map of the Santorini volcanic field shows how the flow of volcanic material entered the sea via the northwest strait (orange box).
Credit: Nomikou P., M. Paulatto, L.M. Kalnins and D. Lampridou
The historic eruption of the Greek volcano Thera in about 1650 B.C. triggered massive tsunamis and led to the end of the dominant civilization in the Mediterranean. Now, researchers say these destructive tsunamis may have been generated by the flow of volcanic material into the sea, challenging previous explanations, according to a new study.
Studies of the Bronze Age disaster led scientists to think the collapse of the volcanic crater (called the caldera) into the sea caused tsunamis after the eruption of Thera, on the island now known as Santorini. However, in the new study, scientists used volcanic and seismic data, along with detailed mapping of the seafloor, to disprove this theory and offer a new explanation.
Their research revealed that the caldera was not connected to the sea when it collapsed and, therefore, could not have caused the tsunamis. Instead, the researchers propose that large volumes of volcanic material flowing rapidly into the sea could have displaced enough water to create tsunamis. [The 11 Biggest Volcanic Eruptions in History]
Pyroclastic flows are fast-moving currents of volcanic material (rock fragments; lava; and hot, expanding gases) that flow down a volcano after an eruption. These flows can reach scorching temperatures of more than 750 degrees Fahrenheit (400 degrees Celsius) and move at speeds of up to 45 mph (70 km/h), the researchers said. As this material flows into the ocean, it solidifies and displaces massive amounts of water, they added.
"This violent entry of the pyroclastic flows into the sea triggered more than one tsunami," said study lead author Paraskevi Nomikou, a geologist and oceanographer at the National and Kapodistrian University of Athens in Greece.
Deposits of volcanic material up to 200 feet (60 meters) thick were found offshore Santorini, supporting the new theory, the researchers said.
Another famous volcano similarly triggered tsunamis: the eruption of Krakatoa, in Indonesia, in 1883. Tsunamis following the explosive Krakatoa eruption occurred when pyroclastic flows entered the sea, not because the caldera collapsed, Nomikou said. This well-recorded eruption caused more than 35,000 deaths and has been studied extensively by volcanologists. But the eruption of Thera may have been many times larger, and more destructive, according to the new study.
In fact, the eruption of Thera did more than blow a hole into the island and trigger tsunamis and flooding. The eruption also set off the decline of the Minoan culture, the dominant civilization in the Mediterranean at the time, the researchers said.
"The eruption was the beginning of the end of the Minoan civilization," Nomikou told Live Science. "The eruption occurred in 1650 B.C., and the end of the Minoan civilization was at 1450 [B.C.], so the civilization was destroyed completely, disappeared completely after 200 years."
To further understand just how violent and destructive the eruption of Thera was, Nomikou and her colleagues plan to continue their research on the pyroclastic flows.
"We know now that these flows caused so much damage in the area around Santorini like in Crete," Nomikou said. "So we need to better understand these flows and have the total volume of the eruption, because we believe that this was the most catastrophic event during the last 10,000 years."
The new research was detailed in a study published online today (Nov. 8) in the journal Nature.
Into the Abyss: Astronomers Are Trying To “See” a Black Hole for the First Time Ever
Into the Abyss: Astronomers Are Trying To “See” a Black Hole for the First Time Ever
C. Malin ESO
IN BRIEF
The Event Horizon Telescope Project is scheduled to take the very first snapshot of a black hole's event horizon by April 2017.
Sagittarius A, the black hole in the middle of the Milky Way galaxy, sits more than 25,000 light years away from Earth.
PICTURE PERFECT
Next year, a network of radio telescopes will do something that’s never been done before: capture a picture of the mysterious inside of Sagittarius A, the black hole in the middle of the Milky Way galaxy. The Event Horizon Telescope Project is scheduled to take the very first snapshot of a black hole’s event horizon by April 2017.
Scientific American
The project consists of nine different observatories all over the world— located in the US, Chile, Spain, Greenland, France, and even the South Pole. And they’ll needall that power to get their shot.
“There are quite a few challenges that need to be overcome to take a picture of a black hole – it’s something that’s extremely small in the sky,” says EHT team member Feryal Ozel.
At 25,000 light years away, the black hole is just a pin prick. Ozel compares the size to us trying to see a CD sitting on our moon. To make it even more challenging, the black hole is surrounded by clouds of gas and dust.
Astronomers had to determine the right wavelength of light they would use for the process. They settled on 1.3mm, which can pierce the black hole’s dust clouds, allow hot gasses to shine brightly, and travel easily through the atmosphere.
PROVING PHYSICS
The end goal of this is not just to take pretty pictures. Ultimately, the EHT will prove one of the most fundamental tenets of physics: general relativity.
Einstein’s tenet says that black holes bend spacetime, and that we can calculate that bend. So the pictures we get from the EHT have to show a crescent, and it has to be bent the right way, or else something is wrong with our physics models.
“We know exactly what GR predicts for that size,” Prof Ozel said – making this observation what scientists call a “null hypothesis test” of the theory.
Ultimately, projects like the EHT allow us to prove what were only theories decades ago, and teach us a lot about the workings of the universe in the process. Technology is helping us to better see (and understand) our universe.
Paralyzed Monkeys Able to Walk Again With Brain Implant. Human Trials Are Next
Paralyzed Monkeys Able to Walk Again With Brain Implant. Human Trials Are Next
A neural interface helped a monkey walk again after its spinal cord was cutSwiss Federal Institute of Technology in Lausanne
Jemere Ruby
IN BRIEF
Using a system of electrodes, transmitters, receivers, scientists were able to restore leg function in a primate, completely bypassing damaged nerves.
While this remarkable feat may be decades away from human use, it is a promising development for the hundreds of thousands of people in the U.S. with spinal cord injuries
Gregoire Courtine, a neurologist at the Swiss Federal Institute of Technology, holds a silicone model of a primate's brain with an electrode array. The goal is to pick up signals from the brain and transmit them to the legs.
Alain Herzog/EPFL
INSTANT FUNCTION
Electrodes implanted in the brain and spine have helped paralyzed monkeys walk. The neurologists behind the study reported that the implants restored function in the primates’ legs almost instantaneously. The findings are detailed in Nature.
The spinal cord of the subject monkey was partially cut, so the legs had no way of communicating with the brain. To mend the brain-spine interface, electrodes were placed on key parts of the monkey’s body. Implants were placed inside the monkey’s brain at the part that controls leg movement, together with a wireless transmitter sitting outside the skull. Electrodes were also placed along the spinal cord, below the injury.
A computer program decoded brain signals indicative of leg movement and transmitted the signals to the electrodes in the spine. Within just a few seconds, the monkey was moving its leg. In a few days, it was walking on a treadmill.
Alain Herzog/Swiss Federal Institute of Technology (EPFL)
“The primate was able to walk immediately once the brain-spine interface was activated. No physiotherapy or training was necessary,” said Erwan Bezard, one of the authors of the study.
PRIMATE-TO-PRIMATE
This study is a massive breakthrough—it’s the first time implants have helped a primate walk. There has been much research to develop tech for paralyzed patients, but most lab trials were done on rodents. “It seems the principles learned in rats are now translating into primates,” said Jen Collinger, a University of Pittsburgh bioengineer.
The results were astoundingly positive, but the researchers say that it will take at least a decade to fine-tune the technology for use in humans. Still, our bodies are greatly similar to that of monkeys, and the researchers believe transition could be quick.
Exciting news about the study is that the components that the researchers used are legal for human use in Switzerland. The Swiss group of the study have started clinical trial with eight people with partial leg paralysis.
We’re all eager for further development in the study—an innovation that could greatly change the lives of approximately 282,000 people in the U.S. with spinal cord injuries.
This amazing structure was found by Streetcap1. The building is on Earths moon and is one of the three types that I have often talked about. Type 1, the white ceramic structures (medium size and have 90 degree angles). Type 2 the large non reflective black structures (mountain size, but biomechanically grown and have curved edges most of the time). Type 3, the grey metallic structures (these are small, 100 meters or less and are most often near the edges of the large black structures and have 90 degree angles). Scott C. Waring-Taiwan
A pinging sound was in the Hecla Strait, so I got out Google Earth and started looking for the alien base causing it. It took a whole 5 minutes, but I found it. Check out the buildings I found both on the land and mostly in the shallow water. The right angle of the buildings is unmistakably intelligently made. This is or at least was, an alien base, but since its still making a pinging noise...its probably still populated. The pinging could also be an old distress signal, accidntly set off from an invasion of privacy. Maybe a local accidentally found one of the thousands of underwater structure and entered, and this could set of an alarm. Scott C. Waring-Taiwan News states: A strange "ping" is emanating from the Arctic Ocean, according to reports from hunters and boaters in Canada's Nunavut territory. The noise has been occurring for months, dating back to summer, and it correlates with fewer sightings of marine animals nearby. Some local hunters worry it's scaring away wildlife. Also described as a hum or beep, the mysterious sound seems to come from the seabed in the Fury and Hecla Strait, a narrow channel in the Qikiqtaaluk Region of Nunavut. It's a remote area, about 120 kilometers (75 miles) from the hamlet of Igloolik, located within a stretch of open water surrounded by sea ice. Known as a "polynya," this type of habitat is normally a popular hangout for wildlife. "That's one of the major hunting areas in the summer and winter because it's a polynya," Nunavut legislator Paul Quassa tells the CBC. "And this time around, this summer, there were hardly any [animals]. And this became a suspicious thing." (More at Source).
UFO Buzzes Over Washington DC On Day Trump Is Elected US President, Nov 9, 2016, UFO Sighting News.
UFO Buzzes Over Washington DC On Day Trump Is Elected US President, Nov 9, 2016, UFO Sighting News
Date of sighting: Nov 9, 2016 Location of sighting: Washington DC, USA This UFO was seen today over Washington and in one part of the video, the UFO comes into focus as it tilts slightly so we can see its top surface. Its a half disk shape and should not be over Washington without being intercepted by several F16s which watch this airspace. Apparently this UFO didn't show up on radar. US radar towers have not been updated much since its invention and need a serious upgrade to catch UFOs in US airspace. Its my belief that this UFO was over Washington to see how Obama was taking the news of the next US president being Trump. Will Trump reveal UFO info to the public, or will he skirt this issue? Scott C. Waring-Taiwan Eyewitness states:
Check this out Angel Spotted in the sky this afternoon over Washington D.C. whats the meaning of this awesome sighting.
China Sends a Team of Astronomers to New Antarctica Observatory to Probe Extraterrestrial Life
China Sends a Team of Astronomers to New Antarctica Observatory to Probe Extraterrestrial Life
China’s construction of an astronomical observatory is close to completion at the highest point on the Antarctic plateau as the 33rd Chinese expedition to the frozen continent starts. The missions to the South Pole hope to know the origin of dark matter and extraterrestrial life.
Aboard the research icebreaker Xuelong (Snow Dragon) are four astronomers who have planned about 100 projects for the next nearly six months of travel. They have 20 days to work at Kunlun base, according to one of the scientists.
Since 2007, China has sent astronomers every year to the region to build an observatory on Dome Argus, nearly 750 miles or 1,200 km from the nearest coast and around 4,093 meters or over 13,400 feet above sea level as the highest point.
The Kunlun station was built in 2007, located 7.3 km from Dome Argus, where it has been preparing since for its observation center.
With an automated astronomical observation platform at Dome Argus, the country is now planning to build a high-elevation Antarctic terahertz telescope.
UFO Hunters Discover “Alien Structures” on Mercury
UFO Hunters Discover “Alien Structures” on Mercury
Truth researchers found what they call alien buildings after looking through NASA photos from Jet Propulsion Laboratory team, who send robotic probes for the Solar System exploration.
Experts claim that the discovery of alien buildings on the first rock from the Sun isn’t the first time.
Pictures seem to show 17 structures in dome shape around the craters’ edges on Mercury.
Bumps across the surface of the planet are found in photos taken from one of NASA’s orbiters.
However, instead of considering them as natural formations, some UFO hunters believe these dome-shaped structures are of alien origin.
Just last week, some extraterrestrial enthusiasts identified an alien moon base in pictures taken from lunar orbiter of NASA.
Referring to the dome-shaped formations, truth seekers suggest these structures show something other than what scientists think.
Mercury has temperature highs of about 900C and lows of -173C. Life, as we know it, would be almost impossible to exist in the smallest planet of the Solar System. Furthermore, liquid water cannot exist on its surface.
The planet also experiences frequent solar storms and asteroid impacts.
Government Asked Pilots Not To Discuss Their UFO Sightings With Media
Government Asked Pilots Not To Discuss Their UFO Sightings With Media
In the 1950s, UFO sightings reported by pilots – military or civilian – could be the biggest headache for the American Air Force to cover-up. Civilian UFO sighting reports could be questioned or even discarded because of the fact they don’t possess knowledge and expertise to come to conclusions about the UFO. This wouldn’t be the case if civilian and military pilots identified UFOs. However, according to many UFO conspiracy theorists, the American government was prepared for the latter scenario.
The U.S. Air Force allegedly implemented the policy of silencing its Air traffic controllers and pilots. The Air traffic controllers and pilots who reported UFO sightings were reportedly provided with Communication Instructions for Reporting Vital Intelligence Sighting (CIRVIS), which detailed procedures to follow in case they encountered a UFO.
The top U.S. Air Force officials allegedly had a meeting on February 17, 1954, with the representatives of the U.S. top airlines. Before the meeting took place, commercial pilots reported UFO sightings on the average of five to ten per night. Instead of sending reports about their UFO sightings directly to their companies, commercial pilots are instructed to report them to the nearest Air Force base or the Military Air Transport Service (MATS) intelligence in Washington.
Pilots were also asked not to discuss their UFO sightings to the public or share them to the newspaper. Hundreds of pilots gathered together and protested against this government instruction. They even sent a petition to the government, but to no avail. Even at present, pilots are discouraged from discussing their encounters with UFOs to anyone from the media or press.
As an observational astronomer who teaches students about the behavior of the moon, I'm thankful for anything that inspires people to go out and look at the sky. For me it's second nature to pay attention to the moon; when my son was born, I would take him out at night to observe with me, and one of his very first words was "moon."
But I have mixed feelings about what's being billed as the upcoming "super-supermoon." Many astronomers do not like using the term because reports overhype the factors that make certain full moons unusual. Most of what you've likely read has probably misled you about what you can expect to see on Nov. 14 and just how rare this event is. Beautiful, yes. Worth looking up for, definitely. Once in a lifetime… that's a bit overblown.
The moon's cyclical phases
Just about everyone is familiar with the moon's changing appearance as it goes through its phases from crescent, to half-illuminated (first quarter), to gibbous, to full, and then back through gibbous, to half-illuminated (third quarter), to crescent, to new.
This pattern occurs because the moon orbits the Earth. When the moon is between the Earth and sun, it's a new moon, and you don't see it that day. When the moon is on the opposite side of the Earth from the sun we get a full moon as the sun's light illuminates almost its entire face. The complete sequence of phases takes about the same amount of time as it does for the moon to orbit the Earth once — just about a month.
As the moon makes its monthly trip around our planet, it travels on an elliptical, not circular, path. Every object in the solar system orbits like this, including the Earth around the sun; over the course of the year, the Earth is sometimes closer to the sun and sometimes more distant. Same for the moon — sometimes it's closer to us and sometimes farther away.
The changes are proportionally not large; at "perigee" (the closest it gets to the Earth) the moon's approximately 10 percent closer to the Earth than at "apogee" (most distant point on its orbit). Over the year, the moon's distance from Earth varies from around 222,000 to 253,000 miles.
The time it takes the moon to go from perigee to perigee (about 27.3 days) is shorter than the time it takes to go through a complete set of phases (about 29.5 days). Because these timescales are different, the phase at which perigee occurs varies. Sometimes perigee occurs when the moon is full, but it is just as likely for perigee to occur when the moon is in the first quarter phase, or any other. Whichever phase the moon is in when it's at perigee will be the one that looks largest to us here on Earth for that month.
At perigee, the moon can appear 14 percent larger and 30 percent brighter than an apogee full moon. But this is complicated by the fact that our eyes play tricks on us and convince us the moon looks larger when it is near the horizon than when it is higher in the sky. Every full moon will look big and bright whether it happens at perigee or apogee.
So what's a supermoon?
The first time I heard the phrase "supermoon" was in 2011, and someone had to explain the suddenly in vogue term to me. People were using it to describe the full moon that happened to occur within an hour of perigee in March of that year. The moon's perigee distance also varies a bit, and March 2011 was the moon's closest perigee of that year.
This was a somewhat rare event – a full moon occurring not just at perigee, but at the closest perigee of the year. But many people got the impression that this was an exceedingly unusual event, and rushed to see and capture images of this supposedly ultra-rare moon. Depending on how closely you require the full moon to occur to perigee in order to call it a supermoon, though, these events happen at least roughly once a year, and often more frequently.
Which brings us to this month's much ballyhooed "super-supermoon." News stories are hyping the upcoming full moon as a once-in-a-lifetime viewing opportunity. It's true that the Nov. 14 full moon is the closest since 1948, and the next time the full moon will be closer is in 2034.
But this month's full moon is only 0.02 percent closer – a mere 41 miles! – than the March 2011 supermoon. These tiny distances make no noticeable difference in the moon's appearance.
Please do go out and observe the November full moon. If you are good with photography, try to document that the moon does appear larger than the other months this year. Just be aware you'll have other virtually equivalent opportunities to do so pretty much every year for the rest of your life. So don't worry if you miss it. You can catch the supermoon next time around.
Do UFOs exist? Are aliens real? Could there be aliens living among us? These questions have been plaguing us for many centuries, even thousands of years. UFO news 2016reportsclaimed of a “disk-like” UFO passing the moon, raising opinions that aliens were investigating the moon.
HOLLYWOOD STAR CAUGHT A UFO SIGHTING
UFO news 2016 reports on child actress Rowan Blanchard sighting of a UFO in New York City. She published a photo on her Instagram where she caught a UFO sighting on her phone.
am.com/p/BJeVT3VgwIQ/Screencap from Rowan Blanchard Instagram account/ https://www.instagr
Girl Meets World Rowan Blanchardsaid on her Instagram post, “Say what u will but that thing was just appearing in the photo and wasn’t physically there.” Her photo shows an alien-like spaceship glowing in the clouds.” Whether it’s an alien ship or not, it is up to the viewers to decide.
MULTIPLE UFO SIGHTINGS OVER THE YEARS?
Meanwhile, UFO Chronicles posted a tweet about a UFO sighting in 1984 of a “flying saucer.”
Reports claim that aliens have visited our planet and could be living among us, but that has not been confirmed nor debunked yet. UFO Sightings posted this picture of an alien in Twitter with a caption “Area 51 Scientist Smuggles Alien Photograph, Explains On His Deathbed Aliens Are Real.”
Although this has not been confirmed with evidence or declared edited, this is an interesting picture that could possibly reveal more about aliens.
Screencap from UFO Sightings /
https://twitter.com/UFOsightingss
The Courier reports UFO news 2016 of sightings and aliens living among us. It says that the UFO sightings on Falkland specifically “On September 23, 1996, two adults, a teenager and a 10-year-old driving near Newton of Falkland claimed they saw not only a large black triangular shaped ‘craft’ but numerous small grey ‘beings’ in front of some woods.”
There were also reports of aliens trying to contact us. Mirror reports about a Russian telescope receiving alien broadcast signals from outer space.
“A Russian radio telescope discovered the signal coming from a star in deep space, raising the possibility of intelligent life beyond Earth…Strange signals are thought to be coming from the star HD164595, which is located in the Hercules star constellation,” Mirror reports.
There is not much solid evidence about aliens and UFOs until now. The strange sightings still cannot be substantially explained by science as public records can show. Do you know any UFO news 2016 story that seems authentic? Let us know in the comments section.
For more updates on the latest news, stay tuned to FX NewsCall.
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What is a UFO? Basic Facts and History
What is a UFO? Basic Facts and History
Unidentified Flying Objects and Conspiracy Theories
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A UFO is technically an "unidentified flying object," nothing more nor less.
Any object that flies and cannot initially be identified as an airplane, helicopter, blimp, balloon, kite, or any other object that normally flies, is a UFO. Many flying objects that are listed as a UFO can later be identified as an object made on Earth, then they can be called an "IFO," or identified flying object.
What is a UFO? Let's Look at the Basics
For many years now, UFOs have been identified as "flying saucers," or disc-shaped objects. But in reality, any flying object — in any shape — that occurs on earth and not readily identifiable as being a natural phenomenon or man made is referred to as a UFO.
The term UFO was created in 1953 by the United States Air Force, according to worldUFOday.com, a website dedicated to sharing factual and helpful information about the subject of UFOs. The US Air Force is said to have created the term UFO to keep track of the the many unidentifiable aircrafts and missiles that were being tested by countries involved in the Cold War.
As a matter of national security, any UFOs seen in the skies were intensely logged and reviewed to keep track of all of these airborne objects being tested during that time.
Even though the term UFO may have been created as a matter of national security, the term has also come to refer to flying objects that may have been created by extraterrestrial life — many people immediately classify UFOs with alien spacecrafts or alien life.
Conspiracy Theories Surrounding UFOs
Many conspiracy theories exist around the topic of UFOs, with many people believing that the government has long tried to hide evidence of extraterrestrial life and their flying vessels. Much speculation has been made around the following reports involving UFOs.
The 1947 Roswell UFO Crash Reports of a crashed alien craft in Roswell, New Mexico left many of the general public feeling that the long awaited proof of extraterrestrial intelligence had come — but hopes were soon dashed, as an earlier statement about a crashed saucer was changed to nothing more than a crashed weather balloon. This proved unbelievable to the public, leaving many suspicious of a government coverup as there were too many witnesses who claimed to have seen the crashed UFOs and alien bodies.
Did President Eisenhower Meet with Alien Beings? Rumors and conspiracy theories point to President Dwight Eisenhower being whisked away in 1954 in a hastily arranged trip to see an alien craft and its wreckage. The location for this alleged clandestine meeting was Edwards Air Force Base.
1980-Cash/Landrum UFO Encounter Two women and one child encountered a craft of unknown origin, and all three suffered not only emotional trauma, but severe physical injury as well in the Piney Woods of Texas, near the town of Huffman on December 29, 1980.
1997-The Phoenix Lights Thousands of people witnessed V-shaped patterns in the sky for space of around 300 miles from the Nevada line in 1996. Numerous photographs, and an abundance of video film make this one of the best documented cases in UFO history.
Every year, new reports are made about UFO sightings all around the world. For more information on other cases involving extraterrestrial sightings read The Best Documented UFO Cases and be sure to read on you if are looking for answers to your questions about UFOs & Aliens.
Gevonden! De mensheid is dus bijna zover dat deze in staat is om leven op planeten buiten ons eigen zonnestelsel op te sporen. Maar stel nu dat er op zo’n verre exoplaneet daadwerkelijk intelligent buitenaards leven is. Het zou zomaar kunnen dat deze buitenaardse wezens technologisch gezien een flink stapje voorlopen op ons, omdat ze al veel langer meegaan (de mens is een relatief jonge soort) of omdat ze simpelweg een stukje slimmer zijn. Hoe dan ook: het kan ook zomaar zijn dat niet wij de buitenaardse wezens ontdekken, maar dat de buitenaardse wezens ons ontdekken. En wat dan? Wat doen we als ze op een zaterdagmorgen zoals deze opeens op aarde landen?
Rep en roer Over die vraag buigt de documentaire ‘The Visit’ zich. De documentaire is afgelopen week in première gegaan en brengt in beeld wat er allemaal komt kijken bij zo’n buitenaards bezoek. Burgers in paniek, overheden en hun persvoorlichters in rep en roer en instanties die allemaal naar elkaar kijken: Wie gaat eropaf? Wie voert het woord? En wat zeggen we dan?
WIST JE DAT…
…aan boord van de ruimtesonde Voyager een boodschap te vinden is voor eventueel buitenaards leven? Beelden, maar ook geluidsfragmenten. Wat opvallend is, is dat er bewust voor gekozen is om alleen maar positieve zaken over de mensheid te communiceren. Zo wordt er in deze boodschap voor buitenaards leven niet gerept over oorlogen, geweld en andere zwarte bladzijden uit de geschiedenis van de mens.
De VN Wanneer een buitenlandse vorst ons landje bezoekt, wordt deze welkom geheten door onze koning. Hij vertegenwoordigt het Nederlandse volk. Maar wie kan als buitenaardse wezens op aarde landen de mensheid vertegenwoordigen? Het is heel aannemelijk dat er dan als eerste gekeken wordt naar de Verenigde Naties, nauwkeuriger gezegd naar UNOOSA: United Nations Office of Outer Space Affairs. Aangezien er vele landen wereldwijd bij de VN zijn aangesloten lijkt deze organisatie de aangewezen vertegenwoordiger van de mensheid.
De wetenschap De VN mag dan misschien het best in staat zijn om – na ongetwijfeld langdurig overleg met de lidstaten – een welkomstboodschap te formuleren, het is misschien niet de beste kandidaat om ook daadwerkelijk die welkomstboodschap over te brengen. Wellicht is dat meer een klus voor een wetenschapper: iemand die geleerd heeft om objectief verslag te doen van wat hij ziet en iemand zonder politieke of militaire belangen. En bij voorkeur een onderzoeker die enige bekendheid heeft en het vertrouwen van het publiek geniet.
Voorzichtigheid Maar het is natuurlijk naïef om die onderzoeker zomaar richting dat buitenaardse ruimtevaartuig te sturen. We weten immers niet wat de intenties van de buitenaardse wezens zijn. Willen ze kennismaken? Onze planeet verkennen? Of komen ze met slechte bedoelingen? En zelfs wanneer ze met goede bedoelingen komen, is voorzichtigheid geboden. Onderzoekers wijzen erop dat deze buitenaardse wezens op een andere planeet geëvolueerd zijn en wellicht werkt hun lichaam heel anders dan het onze. Het zou bijvoorbeeld zomaar kunnen dat micro-organismen die in en op ons lichaam wonen een enorme bedreiging vormen voor de lichamen van de buitenaardse wezens. Andersom kunnen ook de aliens – zonder dat ze dat willen – een bedreiging vormen voor ons. Om te voorkomen dat we elkaar onbedoeld beschadigen, zal het ruimtevaartuig in quarantaine moeten en een individu dat contact legt, zal een speciaal pak moeten dragen om uit te sluiten dat er een besmetting plaats kan vinden.
Hoe verder? Laten we er voor het gemak even van uitgaan dat de aliens goede bedoelingen hebben en uit nieuwsgierigheid geland zijn. Wanneer het eerste contact dan eindelijk gelegd is, hoe moet het dan verder? Welke vragen willen we deze buitenaardse wezens voorleggen? En kunnen we al hun vragen beantwoorden? Wat zeggen we als ze ons vragen wat een mens is? Of als ze ons confronteren met zwarte bladzijden uit onze geschiedenis? En hoe voorkomen we een enorme paniek onder de wereldbevolking? Of een ingrijpen van één natie die het wachten op antwoorden beu is of denkt de geavanceerde technologie van de buitenaardse wezens in het eigen voordeel te kunnen gebruiken? Kortom: wat als de aliens niet op oorlog uitzijn, maar er onbedoeld wel eentje tussen verschillende landen op aarde op gang helpen? En wat als de aliens op een gegeven moment hun schip weer op gang brengen en vertrekken? Zijn we dan teleurgesteld? Voelen we ons dan eenzaam? En hoe verandert het leven op onze planeet wanneer we na zo’n ontmoeting met zekerheid weten dat we niet alleen zijn? Dat er buitenaards leven is?
Van een documentaire die handelt over een gebeurtenis die nog moet plaatsvinden, kun je weinig antwoorden verwachten. Maar minstens zo interessant als de antwoorden zijn de vele vragen die een eventuele ontmoeting met buitenaards leven zou oproepen.
Wetenschap opent jacht op aliens die ons al ontdekt hebben
Wetenschap opent jacht op aliens die ons al ontdekt hebben
Caroline Kraaijvanger
Waar moeten we aliens zoeken? Misschien wel in het stukje heelal van waaruit zij ons heel gemakkelijk kunnen ontdekken, zo stelt nieuw onderzoek.
Al heel lang zijn mensen op zoek naar antwoord op die ene vraag: zijn we alleen in het universum? In een poging die vraag te beantwoorden, wordt de laatste decennia onder meer actief gezocht naar radiosignalen afkomstig van aliens. Vooralsnog zonder resultaat. Dat is op zich ook niet zo gek. Stel dat er aliens bestaan en ze proberen contact te leggen met de aarde. Dan moeten wij precies op het juiste moment en in de juiste richting ons oor te luisteren leggen. En het heelal is zo uitgestrekt, dat het best mogelijk is dat we elke keer net de verkeerde kant opkijken.
Kleiner zoekgebied Onderzoekers stellen in een nieuwe studie daarom voor om het gebied waarin we luisteren naar signalen van aliens te verkleinen. “Het zoekgebied wordt flink verkleind, waardoor we in een periode korter dan een mensenleven uit kunnen zoeken of er in dit gebied buitenaardse astronomen zijn die de aarde ontdekt hebben,” vertelt onderzoeker René Heller.
Overgang Maar op welk gebied moeten we ons dan richten? Heller en collega’s hebben daar wel ideeën over. Ze stellen dat we ons moeten richten op het gebied van waaruit eventuele aliens onze planeet voor onze zon langs kunnen zien bewegen.
Net als Kepler Veel van de exoplaneten (waaronder potentieel leefbare exoplaneten) hebben wij ontdekt door een ruimtetelescoop – Kepler – langdurig naar sterren te laten kijken. Wanneer Kepler ziet dat het licht van een ster regelmatig minder helder wordt, wijst dat erop dat rond de ster een planeet cirkelt. Op vergelijkbare wijze kunnen aliens ook onze planeet ontdekken en deze gaan bestoken met signalen. Het mooie is dat het gebied van waaruit aliens de aarde voor de zon langs kunnen zien bewegen vrij klein is. En in dat gebied moeten we volgens de onderzoekers dus op zoek naar signalen van buitenaards leven.
De onderzoekers wijzen in hun studie 82 nabije, zonachtige sterren aan. Vanaf planeten die rond deze sterren draaien is de aardovergang zichtbaar. Onze zoektocht naar signalen van aliens zou zich in eerste instantie op deze 82 sterren en hun omgeving moeten richten. Maar, zo benadrukken de onderzoekers, we kennen nog lang niet alle sterren in onze Melkweg. Ze schatten dat er zo’n 100.000 sterren zijn waar wellicht planeten omheen draaien met daarop aliens die ons ontdekt hebben en proberen te contacteren. Een deel van die planeten gaan we wellicht in de nabije toekomst ontdekken. En wel met behulp van de PLATO-missie. Tijdens deze missie hopen onderzoekers – wederom door naar overgangen te speuren – kleine planeten, waaronder aardachtige exemplaren te ontdekken. “PLATO kan zelfs de overgang van exoplaneten detecteren waarop mogelijk aliens leven die de aarde voor de zon langs kunnen zien bewegen,” vertelt Heller. “In zo’n gekke situatie zouden we elkaars planeten bestuderen door te kijken hoe ze voor hun ster langs bewegen.”
Astronomen kijken toe hoe zonnestelsels worden gemaakt
Astronomen kijken toe hoe zonnestelsels worden gemaakt
Kraaijvanger
De nieuwe waarnemingen scheppen meer duidelijkheid over hoe het er in de kraamkamer van planeten aan toe gaat.
We weten grofweg wel hoe planeten ontstaan. Ze komen voort uit een enorme gas- en stofschijf rond pasgeboren sterren. Deze protoplanetaire schijven kunnen wel honderden miljoenen kilometers groot zijn en bestaan uit fijne deeltjes die door de tijd heen samenklonteren en uit kunnen groeien tot planeten. Maar de details van dit hele proces zijn ons nog onbekend.
Structuren in de schijf Zo weten we bijvoorbeeld dat door de interactie tussen protoplanetaire schijven en hun planeten-in-wording allerlei structuren in de schijven kunnen ontstaan. Denk aan enorme ringen, donkere leegtes en spiraalarmen. Maar er is nog geen verband ontdekt tussen die structuren en de planeten die ze hebben veroorzaakt. Dankzij SPHERE – een nieuw instrument op de Very Large Telescope (VLT) – komt daar verandering in. Het instrument kan namelijk de structuren in de stof- en gasschijven rond jonge sterren rechtstreeks vastleggen.
Hier zie je de schijf rond de jonge ster RXJ1615.
Afbeelding: ESO, J. de Boer et al.
RXJ1616 En dat heeft het instrument nu bijvoorbeeld gedaan voor de jonge ster RXJ1615. Deze ster – die zich op zo’n 600 lichtjaar van de aarde bevindt – blijkt een complex stelsel van concentrische ringen rond zich heen te hebben. Deze ringen doen qua vorm (niet qua afmetingen) aan de ringen van Saturnus denken. Slechts zelden hebben onderzoekers zo’n complexe structuur in een protoplanetaire schijf gespot. Wat ook bijzonder is, is dat dit stelsel nog piepjong is. Het stelsel zou zo’n 1,8 miljoen jaar oud zijn en onderzoekers vermoeden dat het planeetvormingsproces nog in volle gang is.
De schijf rond de ster HD97048.
Afbeelding: ESO.
Nog meer symmetrie Onderzoekers bestudeerden daarnaast nog een andere jonge ster: HD97048. Ook deze ster blijkt concentrische ringen in zijn protoplanetaire schijf te hebben. En daarmee zijn er dus overeenkomsten tussen de schijf van RXJ1615 en HD97048. En dat is opmerkelijk, aangezien de meeste stof- en gasschijven rond jonge sterren gekenmerkt worden door asymmetrische spiraalarmen, leemten en wervelingen. Dankzij deze ontdekkingen is het aantal bekende protoplanetaire schijven met meerder symmetrische ringen dan ook in één klap aanzienlijk toegenomen.
Asymmetrie in real-time Verder bestudeerden onderzoekers ook de ster HD135344B. Deze ster is al vaker goed onderzocht, maar toch wisten onderzoekers met SPHERE nog iets nieuws te ontdekken. Zo troffen ze nieuwe structuren in de protoplanetaire schijf van de ster aan: een grote centrale leemte en twee spiraalarmen. De astronomen denken dat deze veroorzaakt worden door één of meer zware planeten in wording die uiteindelijk uit zullen groeien tot Jupiter-achtige hemellichamen. Ook zijn er vier donkere vegen gespot: waarschijnlijk zijn dit de schaduwen van bewegend materiaal in de schijf van de ster. Eén van die vegen is in de periode waarin de onderzoekers deze ster bestudeerden, duidelijk veranderd. Het betekent dat onderzoekers bij deze ster in real-time getuige zijn van planetaire evolutie. En dat is vrij uniek.
De schijf rond de ster HD135344B.
Afbeelding: ESO, T. Stolker et al.
De waarnemingen resulteren in drie papers (1, 2, 3) die weer iets meer inzicht geven in hoe het er in een protoplanetaire schijf aan toe gaat. Maar er valt natuurlijk nog veel meer te ontdekken in deze schijven die – zoals de waarnemingen bewijzen – ook nog eens veranderlijk zijn. Gaandeweg komen we echter steeds dichterbij een beter begrip van de wijze waarop planeten de vorm van de schijf waaruit ze voortkomen, beïnvloeden.
Cassini ziet wolken drijven op Saturnus' maan Titan
Cassini ziet wolken drijven op Saturnus' maan Titan
Caroline Kraaijvange
De wolken steken ietsje anders in elkaar dan de wolken op aarde: zo bestaan de wolken op Titan uit methaan.
Ruimtesonde Cassini bestudeerde de maan gedurende elf uur en maakte elke 20 minuten een foto. Die foto’s zijn vervolgens achter elkaar gezet, waardoor we de wolken op het noordelijk halfrond van Titan kunnen zien bewegen.
De langgerekte wolken tussen 49 en 55 graden noorderbreedte vallen het meest op. De snelheid van deze wolken ligt tussen de 7 en 10 meter per seconde.
Maar wie goed kijkt, ziet ook noordelijker – boven de kleine meren – wolken drijven. Deze kleine wolkjes hebben een snelhei van zo’n 1 tot 2 meter per seconde.
De beelden helpen onderzoekers om een beter beeld te krijgen van de wijze waarop wolken op Titan ontstaan, bewegen en weer verdwijnen. Modellen voorspellen dat er aan het begin van de zomer op het noordelijk halfrond van Titan meer wolken zouden moeten ontstaan dan nu het geval is. Het suggereert dat we de veranderende seizoenen op Saturnus’ grootste maan nog altijd niet helemaal doorgronden. Maar wellicht komt daar nog verandering in: Cassini blijft de maan nog even in de gaten houden.
Bronmateriaal:
"Watching Summer Clouds on Titan" - NASA De afbeelding bovenaan dit artikel is gemaakt door NASA / JPL-Caltech / Space Science Institute.
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...
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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 74 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.
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