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...
23-10-2017
LOOKING FOR SIGNS OF LIFE ON DISTANT PLANETS JUST GOT EASIER
This illustration shows a star's light illuminating the atmosphere of a planet.
When it comes to searching for worlds that could support extra-terrestrial life, scientists currently rely on the “low-hanging fruit” approach. Since we only know of one set of conditions under which life can thrive – i.e. what we have here on Earth – it makes sense to look for worlds that have these same conditions. These include being located within a star’s habitable zone, having a stable atmosphere, and being able to maintain liquid water on the surface.
Until now, scientists have relied on methods that make it very difficult to detect water vapor in the atmosphere’s of terrestrial planets. But thanks to a new study led by Yuka Fujii of NASA’s Goddard Institute for Space Studies (GISS), that may be about to change. Using a new three-dimensional model that takes into account global circulation patterns, this study also indicates that habitable exoplanets may be more common than we thought.
Artist’s concept of the hot Jupiter WASP-121b, which presents the best evidence yet of a stratosphere on an exoplanet – generated using Engine House VFX.
Credit: Bristol Science Centre/University of Exeter
To put it simply, liquid water is essential to life as we know it. If a planet does not have a warm enough atmosphere to maintain liquid water on its surface for a sufficient amount of time (on the order of billions of years), then it is unlikely that life will be able to emerge and evolve. If a planet is too distant from its star, its surface water will freeze; if it is too close, its surface water will evaporate and be lost to space.
While water has been detected in the atmospheres of exoplanets before, in all cases, the planets were massive gas giants that orbited very closely to their stars. (aka. “Hot Jupiters”). As Fujii and her colleagues state in their study:
“Although H2O signatures have been detected in the atmospheres of hot Jupiters, detecting molecular signatures, including H2O, on temperate terrestrial planets is exceedingly challenging, because of the small planetary radius and the small scale height (due to the lower temperature and presumably larger mean molecular weight).”
When it comes to terrestrial (i.e. rocky) exoplanets, previous studies were forced to rely on one-dimensional models to calculate the presence of water. This consisted of measuring hydrogen loss, where water vapor in the stratosphere is broken down into hydrogen and oxygen from exposure to ultraviolet radiation. By measuring the rate at which hydrogen is lost to space, scientists would estimate the amount of liquid water still present on the surface.
Artist’s impression of the “Venus-like” exoplanet GJ 1132b.
Credit: cfa.harvard.edu
However, as Dr. Fujii and her colleagues explain, such models rely on several assumptions that cannot be addressed, which include the global transport of heat and water vapor vapor, as well as the effects of clouds. Basically, previous models predicted that for water vapor to reach the stratosphere, long-term surface temperatures on these exoplanets would have to be more than 66 °C (150 °F) higher than what we experience here on Earth.
These temperatures could create powerful convective storms on the surface. However, these storms could not be the reason water reaches the stratosphere when it comes to slowly rotating planets entering a moist greenhouse state – where water vapor intensifies heat. Planets that orbit closely to their parent stars are known to either have a slow rotation or to be tidally-locked with their planets, thus making convective storms unlikely.
This occurs quite often for terrestrial planets that are located around low-mass, ultra cool, M-type (red dwarf) stars. For these planets, their proximity to their host star means that it’s gravitational influence will be strong enough to slow down or completely arrest their rotation. When this occurs, thick clouds form on the dayside of the planet, protecting it from much of the star’s light.
The team found that, while this could keep the dayside cool and prevent water vapor from rising, the amount of near-Infrared radiation (NIR) could provide enough heat to cause a planet to enter a moist greenhouse state. This is especially true of M-type and other cool dwarf stars, which are known to produce more in the way of NIR. As this radiation warms the clouds, water vapor will rise into the stratosphere.
Artist’s impression of Proxima b, the closest exoplanet to the Solar System. In the background, the binary system of Alpha Centauri can be seen.
Credit: ESO/M. Kornmesser
To address this, Fujii and her team relied on three-dimensional general circulation models (GCMs) which incorporate atmospheric circulation and climate heterogeneity. For the sake of their model, the team started with a planet that had an Earth-like atmosphere and was entirely covered by oceans. This allowed the team to clearly see how variations in distance from different types of stars would effect conditions on the planets surfaces.
These assumptions allowed the team to clearly see how changing the orbital distance and type of stellar radiation affected the amount of water vapor in the stratosphere. As Dr. Fujii explained in a NASA press release:
“Using a model that more realistically simulates atmospheric conditions, we discovered a new process that controls the habitability of exoplanets and will guide us in identifying candidates for further study… We found an important role for the type of radiation a star emits and the effect it has on the atmospheric circulation of an exoplanet in making the moist greenhouse state.”
In the end, the team’s new model demonstrated that since low-mass star emit the bulk of their light at NIR wavelengths, a moist greenhouse state will result for planets orbiting closely to them. This would result in conditions on their surfaces that comparable to what Earth experiences in the tropics, where conditions are hot and moist, instead of hot and dry.
Artist’s impression of the surface of the planet Proxima b orbiting the red dwarf star Proxima Centauri. The double star Alpha Centauri AB is visible to the upper right of Proxima itself.
Credit: ESO
What’s more, their model indicated that NIR-driven processes increased moisture in the stratosphere gradually, to the point that exoplanets orbiting closer to their stars could remain habitable. This new approach to assessing potential habitability will allow astronomers to simulate circulation of planetary atmospheres and the special features of that circulation, which is something one-dimensional models cannot do.
In the future, the team plans to assess how variations in planetary characteristics -such as gravity, size, atmospheric composition, and surface pressure – could affect water vapor circulation and habitability. This will, along with their 3-dimensional model that takes planetary circulation patterns into account, allow astronomers to determine the potential habitability of distant planets with greater accuracy. As Anthony Del Genio indicated:
“As long as we know the temperature of the star, we can estimate whether planets close to their stars have the potential to be in the moist greenhouse state. Current technology will be pushed to the limit to detect small amounts of water vapor in an exoplanet’s atmosphere. If there is enough water to be detected, it probably means that planet is in the moist greenhouse state.”
Beyond offering astronomers a more comprehensive method for determining exoplanet habitability, this study is also good news for exoplanet-hunters hoping to find habitable planets around M-type stars. Low-mass, ultra-cool, M-type stars are the most common star in the Universe, accounting for roughly 75% of all stars in the Milky Way. Knowing that they could support habitable exoplanets greatly increases the odds of find one.
Illustration showing the possible surface of TRAPPIST-1f, one of the newly discovered planets in the TRAPPIST-1 system.
Credits: NASA/JPL-Caltech
In addition, this study is VERY good news given the recent spate of research that has cast serious doubt on the ability of M-type stars to host habitable planets. This research was conducted in response to the many terrestrial planets that have been discovered around nearby red dwarfs in recent years. What they revealed was that, in general, red dwarf stars experience too much flare and could strip their respective planets of their atmospheres.
These include the 7-planet TRAPPIST-1 system (three of which are located in the star’s habitable zone) and the closest exoplanet to the Solar System, Proxima b. The sheer number of Earth-like planets discovered around M-type stars, coupled with this class of star’s natural longevity, has led many in the astrophysical community to venture that red dwarf stars might be the most likely place to find habitable exoplanets.
With this latest study, which indicates that these planets could be habitable after all, it would seem that the ball is effectively back in their court!
Soon, We May Have a Host of Habitable Alien Worlds
Soon, We May Have a Host of Habitable Alien Worlds
This illustration shows a star's light illuminating the atmosphere of a planet.
Credits: NASA Goddard Space Flight Center
IN BRIEF
Researchers from NASA's Goddard Institute have proposed a new way of looking at the habitability of exoplanets. Instead of relying on the usual one-dimensional approach, they considered observing a candidate planet using three dimensions.
A THREE-DIMENSIONAL APPROACH
Living conditions in space can be treacherous. Consequently it’s equally difficult to spot potentially-habitable exoplanets. That’s not to say that the search has been futile, however, as NASA and other astronomers have found a good number of possible earth-like exoplanets in the past decade or so — thanks, in large part, to the two Kepler missions. To make things easier, a team of astronomers have devised a new method of gauging alien worlds for their potential habitability — or at the very least, refine the way we understand these candidate planets beyond our solar system.
In a paper recently published in The Astrophysical Journal, lead author Yuka Fujii of NASA’s Goddard Institute for Space Studies (GISS) and colleagues in New York proposed a model that calculates atmospheric conditions in exoplanets on three dimensions. Previously, astronomers would only simulate such conditions vertically, or along one dimension.
“Using a model that more realistically simulates atmospheric conditions, we discovered a new process that controls the habitability of exoplanets and will guide us in identifying candidates for further study,” Fujii said in a NASA press release. Concretely, the model will allow researchers to reevaluate the habitable zone in a planetary system — the so-called Goldilock’s zone, where an exoplanet’s distance from its parent star is roughly similar to the Earth’s from the Sun.
REDEFINING GOLDILOCKS FOR ALIEN WORLDS
Under previous assumptions, a planet too close to its star was deemed to hot to allow water to stay as oceans or to be kept within its atmosphere. Conversely, a planet too distant from its star would be too cold for water to exist in a liquid state, causing it to freeze. This may be true for some exoplanets, but not for slow rotating planets found around low-mass stars. With the new model, the astronomers propose a Goldilocks zone a little bit closer to a parent star.
“We found an important role for the type of radiation a star emits and the effect it has on the atmospheric circulation of an exoplanet in making the moist greenhouse state,” Fujii explained, referring to what’s considered to be a habitable environment. Certain conditions that allow for water to be kept within an exoplanet’s atmosphere for longer periods of time could make it habitable, despite a relative closeness to its star.
This can actually save astronomers time when observing promising candidate exoplanets, like Gliese 667Cc, the TRAPPIST-1 exoplanets, and — perhaps the most intriguing of all — Proxima b, which is the closest potentially habitable exoplanet from Earth. “Current technology will be pushed to the limit to detect small amounts of water vapor in an exoplanet’s atmosphere,” GISS astronomer and co-author of the study Anthony Del Genio said in the press release. “If there is enough water to be detected, it probably means that planet is in the moist greenhouse state.”
However, none of this advances our ability to actually further our presence in the universe. The nearest potential exoplanet, Proxima b, is 4.22 light-years away. If the fastest spacecraft to date, New Horizons, were to go to Alpha Centauri, it would take 78,000 years to get there. To really confirm what life is like on alien worlds, we’re going to have to invent revolutionary modes of propulsion. There are realistic efforts to send technology across the vast abyss, such as the laser-propelled sails on Project Starshot, a mini-spacecraft that is could travel all the way to Alpha Centauri. However, alternative forms of interstellar like warp drive or ion engines or nuclear fission engines are still only in their theoretical stages.
However, none of this advances our ability to actually further our presence in the universe. The nearest potential exoplanet, Proxima b, is 4.22 light-years away. If the fastest spacecraft to date, New Horizonshttps://futurism.com/nasa-is-finally-going-to-wake-up-the-new-horizons-spacecraft/, were to go to Alpha Centauri, it would take 78,000 years to get there. To really confirm what life is like on alien worlds, we’re going to have to invent revolutionary modes of propulsion. There are realistic efforts to send technology across the vast abyss, such as the laser-propelled sails on Project Starshot, a mini-spacecraft that is could travel all the way to Alpha Centauri. However, alternative forms of interstellar like warp drive or ion thrustersor nuclear fusion rockets are still only in their theoretical stages.
Scientists have established a promising new theory that aims to make sense of molecular evolution. The study could have a major impact on how we look into the way proteins change over time.
PROTEIN PROGRESS
A study conducted by scientists from the University of Colorado’s Anschutz Medical Campus in conjunction with the University College of London has established a new theory of molecular evolution. It allows for the process to be analyzed using ideas from the field of statistical mechanics, giving new insight into protein evolution.
“The approach rests on understanding proteins as integrated systems,” said Richard Goldstein, co-author of the paper. “Too often we ignore interactions between different parts of a protein, but we know that changes in one part of the protein affect subsequent changes in other parts. It turns out this is really important for understanding why these molecules evolve the way they do.”
Ribbon schematic of the 3D structure of the protein triose phosphate isomerase, a ubiquitous protein necessary for energy production. (Image credit: Jane Richardson)
Factors like the structure, function, and stability of proteins determine whether mutations in the molecules become fixed, or are eliminated. Amino acid interactions throughout the protein cause evolution at one site, which affects the likelihood of evolution elsewhere. This study determined that it’s possible to predict how often evolution will occur based on certain biochemical properties.
“This was a real surprise,” explained co-author David Pollock. “Our theory accounts for well-known population genetics effects such as strength of selection and effective population size, but they drop out of the final equations that predict the rate of molecular evolution.”
NEW THEORY OF MOLECULAR EVOLUTION
The results of this research project could solve years-old problems faced by scientists looking into molecular evolution. The standard models used to explore relationships between different species have long since caused problems when it comes to reconstructing major evolutionary events.
Patterns of molecular convergence were seen to vary over time, which suggested that constraints in various areas of the proteins were fluctuating.
“This flips around the usual idea that the amino acids will adjust to the requirements of the rest of the protein,” said Goldstein. “But we couldn’t explain exactly why this happened, or whether there was any regularity to the process.”
However, using concepts from statistical mechanics, it was established that amino acid entrenchment played a key role in evolutionary divergence. As a result, the sequence entropy of folding—or, the randomness of this process—was found to balance the strength of selection in protein evolution.
This study should empower scientists to perform new research into the way that molecules change over long periods of time. There are hopes that it could serve to shed new light on how genes operate within the human body, how to predict the rate at which evolutionary divergence takes place, and the fundamentals of how harmful mutations come about.
Solar Wind Creates Electric Charge on Martian Moon Phobos
Solar Wind Creates Electric Charge on Martian Moon Phobos
By Samantha Mathewson, Space.com Contributor
NASA has set its sights on the Martian moon Phobos as a potential initial base for human exploration of the Red Planet — but powerful solar eruptions could throw a wrench in this plan.
A new NASA study shows that solar wind — the stream of electrically charged particles that the sun blows out into space — creates a complex electrical environment on Phobos, which could possibly affect astronauts and any scientific equipment brought to the irregularly shaped moon in future missions.
"We found that astronauts or rovers could accumulate significant electric charges when traversing the night side of Phobos — the side facing Mars during the Martian day," William Farrell, lead author of the study from NASA's Goddard Space Flight Center, said in a statement. "While we don't expect these charges to be large enough to injure an astronaut, they are potentially large enough to affect sensitive equipment, so we would need to design spacesuits and equipment that minimizes any charging hazard." [Moons of Mars: Amazing Photos of Phobos and Deimos]
In theory, astronauts would travel to Phobos and remotely operate robots on the Martian surface, reducing the considerable time delay faced by Earth-based operators. NASA has considered Phobos as a possible initial basebecause its weak gravity makes it easier to land spacecraft, astronauts and supplies, according to the statement.
A photo of Mars' moon Phobos, taken by the High Resolution Imaging Science Experiment (HiRISE) camera on NASA's Mars Reconnaissance Orbiter.
Credit: NASA/JPL-Caltech/University of Arizona
Phobos orbits incredibly close to Mars, and since it has no atmosphere and no magnetosphere it plows directly through streams of solar wind and absorbs the electrically charged particles on its dayside. This, in turn, leaves a void over its nightside. As a result, negatively charged electrons from the solar wind fill this void and statically charge the moon's nightside. This same effect also occurs in other large shadowed areas on Phobos, such as Stickney crater, according to the study, which was published Oct. 3 in the journal Advances in Space Research.
"We found that excess charge builds up in these regions during all solar wind conditions, but the charging effect was especially severe in the wake of solar eruptions like coronal mass ejections, which are dense, fast gusts of solar wind," Farrell said in the statement.
For the study, the researchers modeled the flow of the solar wind around Phobos, revealing that the buildup of static charge on the nightside and in shadowed regions can reach 10,000 volts in some materials, such as the Teflon suits worn by astronauts during the Apollo lunar missions, according to the statement.
Therefore, astronauts and rovers traversing these areas on Phobos could build up significant electric charges. For example, friction created by astronauts walking across the nightside surface could transfer charge from the dust and rock to their spacesuits. Then, when the astronaut touches something conductive, like a piece of equipment, it could release the charge — similar to static shock experienced after walking across a rug and then touching a metal doorknob.
Previous studies have shown that the same charging effect occurs in large shadowed craters in the north and south poles of Earth's moon. However, Earth itself has an atmosphere and a magnetosphere that defends against the effects of solar wind.
Columnist Cheryl Costa shares the top 25 cities for UFO sightings in the U.S.
People are fascinated with rankings, and UFOs are no different. People want to know where the top UFO hot spots are. So here it is: the top 25 cities in the U.S. for UFO sightings!
When we published our book, UFO Sightings Desk Reference: United States of America 2001-2015, back in March, we only took the data resolution down to the county level. When we were formatting the book, we realized that adding a listing of UFO sightings down to the city level would double the size of the book. The incredible amount misspellings in the cities field also posed a problem.
There wasn’t an easy solution to the problem, and trust me when I say spell check was only going to add to the problem. The answer was old-school manual editing of over 120,000 records. The data base is looking good now but still needs a bit of tweaking.
I do feel comfortable sharing the top 25 U.S. cites with the most UFO sighting reports. Before we start I must point out that some of you will simply comment that each of these cities are major population centers. To that I say this: To have reports you need observers, and larger metropolitan areas have lots of potential observers. But keep in mind that big cities have serious light pollution issues, being able to report sightings at all under these conditions is very telling.
Phoenix, Ariz., tops the list at No. 1, while Arizona ranks No. 7 in the country UFO sightings. Why Phoenix you might ask? Well, ever since the Phoenix Lights event in 1997, residents of Phoenix and Maricopa County has been very diligent in reporting what they see.
Second on the list was Las Vegas, Nev., which, frankly, surprised me for two reasons. Nevada only ranks 26th in the country for sightings. That said, I did get a lot of social media traffic from there about any sightings. Of course, they admit to not reporting it. Also, Las Vegas is constantly lit up, day and night, so the light pollution is terrible. Perhaps it’s because Las Vegas is a stone’s throw from Area 51; enough said.
Third on the list is Seattle, Wash. Washington ranks No. 3 in the country. I had thought that it was a toss up between Seattle, Wash, and Portland, Ore., as both regions of the Northwest host heavy UFO traffic. Portland, Ore., ranks fifth and Oregon ranks 13th nationally.
Not to be forgotten, Chicago, Ill., comes in at No. 4. Illinois ranks No. 8 in the U.S.
Finally, I must take a moment and discuss the city in 6th place. Last spring when the book came out, it was noted in the west coast media that California was No. 1 for UFO sightings. They were also quick to point out Los Angeles County was the No. 1 county for UFO sightings in the country. Many people mistakenly equated that with the city of Los Angeles. I’m here to set the record straight. Los Angeles ranks No. 6 in the country for cities.
We must remember that Los Angeles County covers an area of 4,751 square miles, while the city of Los Angeles is a mere 503 square miles. Sorry, L.A.
The list below has the results for the rest of the top 25 top UFO sighting cities.
Cheryl Costa will be speaking at the following events in October:
Oct. 23, 7 p.m.:Connetquot Public Library, 760 Ocean Avenue, Bohemia, N.Y. Presenting via Skype, library will be giving data handouts.
Oct. 26, 7 p.m.: Center for the Arts, 72 S. Main St., Homer, N.Y. Speaking in person.
If you have a UFO sighting to report, you can use either one of the two national database services:nuforc.org or mufon.com. Both services respect confidentiality. Follow me on Twitter @American_Skies.
Attention, Central New York residents: Join a monthly MUFON-sponsored speakers presentation and discussion group in Syracuse. Regularly held the last Saturday of the month, it runs from April 29 through October 28, 11 a.m. – 1 p.m, May Memorial, 3800 E. Genesee St. Plenty of off-street parking is available
Growing plants in space might soothe astronauts' minds, a meteor shower could mean shooting stars before dawn this weekend, companies plan to collaborate on an inflatable, orbiting moon base, and two ultra-dense neutron stars merge in a historic scientific discovery in just some of the top stories this week from Space.com.
Photo Credit: Robin Dienel; Carnegie Institution for Science
1. Discovery of neutron-star merger heralds new discoveries
2. NASA satellites assist Californian wildfire relief
NASA released a "damage proxy map" on Oct. 19 that provides aerial views of Sacramento and Santa Rosa before and after wildfires consumed Northern California, beginning Oct. 8. Earth-observing satellites captured the images for the map, which was given to various relief agencies to support their efforts. [Full Story: NASA Map of Wildfire Damage Helps California Recovery Effort]
Photo Credit: SpaceX
3. Elon Musk goes on Reddit, reveals BFR test details
Further details about SpaceX’s BFR launch system came to light during an Oct. 14 "Ask Me Anything discussion on Reddit. SpaceX Executive Elon Musk revealed that the spaceships will first be tested in short hops that will bring the BFRs hundreds of kilometers off Earth's surface. [Full Story: Elon Musk Offers More Technical Details on SpaceX's BFR Mars Rocket System]
4. Revolutionary astrophysicist honored in Google Doodle
Subramanyan Chandrasekhar, an Indian-born astrophysicist and Nobel Prize winner who did theoretical work on the life and death of stars, was honored in a Google Doodle Oct. 19. The Chandra X-Ray Observatory gets its name from his nickname, Chandra, which also means "moon" in the Sanskrit language. [Google Doodle Honors the Nobel-Winning Astrophysicist 'Chandra']
Photo Credit: NASA
5. Growing plants in space soothes astronauts' minds
Astronauts may receive benefits from gardening in space, a new study published in Open Agriculture suggests. According to NASA astronaut Peggy Whitson, who recently returned from a long-duration spaceflight, watching six soybeans grow in orbit was dramatically beneficial to her psychological state in a stressful space environment. [Full Story: Space Gardening May Treat Astronauts' Blues]
Photo Credit: Blue Origin
6. Companies want in on NASA’s return to the moon
Four companies revealed plans to develop robotic lunar landers at the annual Lunar Exploration Analysis Group (LEAG) meeting this week. While some attendees were excited, others expressed concern about putting too much reliance on private ventures for NASA's lunar return plans. [Full Story: Companies Seek Roles in NASA's Return to the Moon]
Photo Credit: Lego
7. Just in time for the holidays: ‘Women of NASA’ Lego set!
On Nov 1, minifigure depictions of four iconic women from NASA go on sale at Lego. The women honored by the toy building blocks are astronauts Sally Ride and Mae Jemison, astronomer Nancy Grace Roman and programmer Margaret Hamilton. [Full Story: 'Women of NASA' Lego Set to Launch for Sale Nov. 1]
Photo Credit: United Launch Alliance
8.Two companies collaborating on inflatable lunar space station project
In an Oct. 17 joint statement, United Launch Alliance and Bigelow Aerospace revealed the companies will be working together to place a space station in orbit around the moon by 2023. This announcement comes amidst increasing interest from the American government to return to the moon, and by 2022, the companies hope to have expandible modules in low lunar orbit. [Full Story: H
Photo Credit: Aerojet Rocketdyne
9. Administration asks NASA for lunar mission report by December
NASA is now charged with a 45-day deadline to develop plans for a manned mission to return to the moon. Vice President Mike Pence made the announcement at the Oct 5 inaugural meeting of the reconstituted National Space Council, but the request will not have an immediate effect on NASA’s plans for an uncrewed test flight near the moon in 2019. [Full Story: NASA to Leverage
Photo Credit: NASA
10. Catch a falling star this weekend!
People may see some "“shooting stars"” this weekend, when the Orionid meteor shower will be at its peak. The streaks of light th y be visible in the predawn hours are not actually stars, but fragments of dust and debris left by Halley'’s Comet that are burning up in Earth'’s atmosphere. [Full Story: 2017 Orionid Meteor Shower Peaks This Weekend: What to Expect] Follow us @Spacedotcom, Facebook or Google+.
Reliving Cassini's Final Moments: Engineers Recreate Spacecraft's Fatal Plunge Into Saturn's Atmosphere
Reliving Cassini's Final Moments: Engineers Recreate Spacecraft's Fatal Plunge Into Saturn's Atmosphere
By Paul Scott Anderson
The final full view of Saturn from Cassini, on Sept. 13, 2017.
Image Credit: NASA/JPL-Caltech/SSI/Jason Major
It has been just over a month now since the Cassini spacecraft took its final plunge into Saturn’s atmosphere, ending an incredible mission of 13 years at the ringed giant planet. The probe continued collecting scientific data until the very last moments, and now engineers have been able to reconstruct what happened to it as it met its fate.
The descent into the thick atmosphere was a fiery one with Cassini being increasingly buffeted and battered by atmospheric winds. At first however, the spacecraft was gently rocking back and forth by only fractions of a degree as it made its final approach to Saturn, with only Saturn’s gravity trying to tug at and rotate Cassini.
Illustration of Cassini during its plunge into Saturn’s atmosphere.
Image Credit: NASA/JPL-Caltech
Graph showing Cassini’s X- and S-band radio signals as they disappeared from mission control on Sept. 15, 2017.
Image Credit: NASA/JPL-Caltech
“To keep the antenna pointed at Earth, we used what’s called ‘bang-bang control,'” said Julie Webster, Cassini’s spacecraft operations chief at NASA’s Jet Propulsion Laboratory in Pasadena, California. “We give the spacecraft a narrow range over which it can rotate, and when it bangs up against that limit in one direction, it fires a thruster to tip back the other way.”
That range was only two milliradians, equal to 0.1 degree. According to the reconstructed data, Cassini was subtly correcting its orientation until about three minutes before final loss of signal.
As Cassini plunged deeper into the atmosphere, the turbulence increased; even though the atmosphere was still tenuous, at about 1,200 miles (1,900 kilometers) above the cloud tops, it began to push against the spacecraft’s 36-foot (11-meter) long magnetometer boom. As a result, Cassini rotated slightly in the backward (aft) direction. Cassini’s thrusters fired in response, to keep the boom from rotating even more, and then began firing longer and more often.
Cassini’s last look at the ocean moon Enceladus as it sets behind the limb of Saturn on Sept. 13, 2017.
Photo Credit: NASA/JPL-Caltech/Space Science Institute
Radar image of bright, wispy methane clouds seen in Titan’s northern hemisphere by Cassini on May 7, 2017.
Image Credit: NASA/JPL-Caltech/SSI
One of the most incredible discoveries by Cassini – the water vapor plumes of the moon Enceladus, originating from a subsurface ocean.
Photo Credit: NASA/JPL-Caltech
Cassini managed to survive for 91 seconds in this epic battle, before tipping over backward during the last eight seconds and then finally losing radio contact with Earth. The mission was over, as the probe succumbed to the increasing heat and pressure.
At one point, it kind of looked like Cassini was attempting a comeback of sorts, with the radio signal spiking briefly, before disappearing for good. But of course it wasn’t a comeback, which would be impossible.
“No, it wasn’t a comeback. Just a side lobe of the radio antenna beam pattern,” Webster said.
The highest-resolution color image ever taken of Saturn’s rings by Cassini.
Photo Credit: NASA/JPL-Caltech/Space Science Institute
A historic view from Saturn, showing the distant Earth as a bright blue speck just below the rings.
Photo Credit: NASA/JPL-Caltech/Space Science Institute
There was no way Cassini could have survived this death plunge, and it wasn’t meant to, but the data it collected will be invaluable to scientists and engineers, including for future missions.
“Given that Cassini wasn’t designed to fly into a planetary atmosphere, it’s remarkable that the spacecraft held on as long as it did, allowing its science instruments to send back data to the last second,” said Earl Maize, Cassini project manager at JPL. “It was a solidly built craft, and it did everything we asked of it.”
It has now been 20 years since Cassini was first launched, reaching Saturn in 2004. From that point onward, Cassini revolutionized our knowledge of Saturn and its many moons, right until the very end.
YOU’RE TERMINATED Vladimir Putin warns of future sci-fi super-human soldiers more ‘destructive than nuclear bombs’ who feel no fear or pain
YOU’RE TERMINATED - Vladimir Putin warns of future sci-fi super-human soldiers more ‘destructive than nuclear bombs’ who feel no fear or pain
The Russian President spoke to youngsters at a festival in Sochi about the prospect of mass-killing supermen who are incapable of feeling pain or compassion
By Mark Hodge
VLADIMIR Putin has claimed genetically-modified super soldiers “worse than a nuclear bomb” could soon become a reality.
The strongman Russian President spoke to a crowd of students about the prospect of an army of trained killers incapable of feeling "pain or fear" much like the characters in 1992 action movie Universal Soldier.
Putin's comments are reminiscent of the Terminator movie franchise where mass-killing cyborgs rebel against their human creators and take over the world
ALAMY LIVE NEWS
On the lookout...Putin appeared to be worried about the appetites of the quick-thinking tin men of the future
The infamously icy-veined Russian leader showed his more anxious side while discussing artificial intelligence (AI) at an event in Moscow.
Former KGB spy Putin asked Arkady Volozh, chief of internet firm Yandex, when the technology will “eat us”, reports RT.
Volozh, who was giving Putin a tour of the company’s headquarters, appeared to be taken aback by the question.
At first he replied: “I hope never.”
But after a pause, he used the analogy of excavators and explained that they are better at digging than people.
GETTY - CONTRIBUTOR
Despite the risks, Putin said AI has 'colossal opportunities'. File picture showing what robots could look like in the future
Donald Trump and Vladimir Putin met for nearly an hour in second meeting
The computer boffin then said: “But we don't get eaten by excavators.”
Yet Putin dismissed this comment by adding: “They don't think.”
Earlier this month, the election-hacking autocrat said that AI was “the future, not only for Russia, but for all humankind.”
While saying the burgeoning technology had “colossal opportunities”, Putin added “whoever becomes the leader in this sphere will become the ruler of the world.”
And keen to avoid a Cold War-style arms race, the Russian President claimed he would share his country’s “know-how” with other nations.
Rejoice, Alien hunters, the possibility that Earth is not the only planet inhabited by an intelligent civilization has gained more credibility thanks to a brand new study that coincides with NASA’s recent planetary discoveries. The new study, published in the Journal Astrobiology proposes that more planets in our galaxy harbor advanced civilizations than anyone previously imagined.
“We really do know that pretty much every star in the sky hosts at least one planet,” said astronomer Adam Frank co-author of the study.
Woodruff Sullivan and Adam Frank looked at NASA’s recent discoveries of potentially habitable worlds and considered the odds whether sophisticated civilizations could have inhabited them or still do.
“What we showed was the ‘floor’ on the probability for a civilization to form on any randomly chosen planet,” Frank, a University of Rochester physics and astronomy professor, told The Huffington Post in an email. “If we are the only civilization in cosmic history, then that what we calculated is the actual probability nature has set. But if the real probability is higher than that floor, then civilizations have happened before.”
According to Frank, the potential number of planets orbiting their host star within a habitable distance is staggering.
This raises hopes that one of those planets might host alien life, and with a bit of luck, we even might discover an advanced alien civilization inhabiting one of those planets.
“Even if you are pretty pessimistic and think that you’d have to search through 100 billion (habitable zone) planets before you found one where a civilization developed, then there have still been a trillion civilizations over cosmic history!” Frank wrote. “When I think about that, my mind reels — even if there is just a one in a 100 billion chance of evolution creating exo-civilizations, the universe still has made so many of them that we are swamped by histories other than our own.”
The Drake equation
One of the most famous equations dealing with the possibility of Alien life existing in the universe is the Drake Equation. It was created by astronomer Frank Drake in 1961, and it estimates the number of planets that may be home to advanced alien civilizations with the ability to communicate with other civilizations in the cosmos.
However, Frank and Sullivan modified the Drake equation implementing new data into it. Since the Drake equation analyzes the possibility od advanced civilizations existing in the Milky Way, the equation proposed by Frank and Sullivan calculate the possible number of advanced alien civilizations that have existed in our galaxy throughout the whole ‘known’ history of the universe.
The odds that no one is out there are very, very small.
With all the suitable real estate that’s out there, if we’re the only place with intelligent life, then we’ve really won the mother of all lotteries.” –Seth Shostak, SETI Institute senior astronomer.
Scienitsts consider the following when attempting to come up with numbers of Extraterrestrial worlds:
N
The number of civilizations in Galaxy whose electromagnetic emissions are detectable.
R*
The rate of formation of stars suitable for the development of intelligent life, in stars per year.
fp
The fraction of those stars with planetary systems.
ne
The number of planets, per solar system, with an environment suitable for life.
fl
The fraction of suitable planets on which life actually appears.
fi
The fraction of life bearing planets on which intelligent life emerges.
fc
The fraction of civilizations that develop a technology that releases detectable signs of their existence into space.
L
The length of time such civilizations release detectable signals into space, in years.
Writing in the Astrobiology study, Frank and Sullivan state:
“ Recent advances in exoplanet studies provide strong constraints on all astrophysical terms in the Drake equation. Using these and modifying the form and intent of the Drake equation, we set a firm lower bound on the probability that one or more technological species have evolved anywhere and at any time in the history of the observable Universe.” (source)
The two researchers write about what they call: “the cosmic frequency of technological species.”
“The universe is more than 13 billion years old,” Sullivan, of the astronomy department and astrobiology program at the University of Washington, said in a statement. “That means that even if there have been 1,000 civilizations in our own galaxy if they live only as long as we have been around — roughly 10,000 years — then all of them are likely already extinct. And others won’t evolve until we are long gone.
“For us to have much chance of finding another ‘contemporary’ active technological civilization, on average they must last much longer than our present lifetime,” Sullivan said. (source)
We have searched for traces of advanced alien civilizations, in hopes of finding out we are not alone for decades.
“With so many stars and planets filling the cosmos, it boggles the mind to think that we’re the only clever life to have made an appearance,” SETI Institute senior astronomer Seth Shostak told HuffPost in an email. “Frank and Sullivan use new research indicating that roughly one in five stars is orbited by a planet that could nurture biology. After that, it’s just a matter of counting up the tally of stars in the visible universe, and saying that — with all the suitable real estate that’s out there, if we’re the only place with intelligent life, then we’ve really won the mother of all lotteries.”
However, Shostak tells us not to be overly optimistic or pessimistic about the SETI Institutes search for intelligent signals from our cosmic neighbors.
“The odds that no one is out there are very, very small. It’s a bit like an ant coming out of its hive, seeing the enormous amount of real estate stretching in all directions and deciding that, if its home is the only ant hill, then its existence is a near-miracle,” said Shostak in an interview with HuffPost.
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ALIEN SENSATION: ‘UFOs are real… we may not be alone' says former senior US spook
ALIEN SENSATION: ‘UFOs are real… we may not be alone' says former senior US spook
A FORMER senior intelligence officer with the US Department of Defense has gone on record to claim UFOs are real and that he believes we may not be alone.
Luis Elizondo says he believes the UFO phenomenon is real.
Luis Elizondo says he has also worked with the US Army, the National Counter-intelligence Executive, and the Director of National Intelligence, and carried out highly sensitive espionage and terrorism investigations around the world.
He was unveiled as a key member of new organisation To The Stars Academy, put together by former Blink 182 frontman Tom DeLonge.
Mr Elizondo revealed for the last decade, before retiring, he ran a "sensitive aerospace threat identification" programme focusing on "unidentified aerial technologies" UATs, another name for unidentified flying objects (UFOs).
He said: "By far the most interesting effort I was involved with was the topic of advanced aerial threats.
"For nearly the last decade, I ran a sensitive aerospace threat identification program focusing on unidentified aerial technologies.
"It was in this position I learned that the phenomena is indeed real."
He said the organisation would soon be releasing never before seen footage of UFOs taken from government recording equipment.
He added: "We are also planning to provide never before released footage from real US government systems, not blurry amateur photos but real data and real videos."
The expert also hinted that the project he worked on had brought in a wealth of understanding about UFOs.
t was in this position I learned that the phenomena is indeed real.
Luis Elizondo
He said: "In the last 10 years, we’ve come a long way in our understanding of our place here in this universe.
"There are physics that we don’t quite yet understand, doesn’t mean that they’re not real, just simply means that we don’t have the capacity to understand those physics.
"I think it’s in our nature to go out and explore and report back what we see."
He then said something that could only leave people thinking he may believe in aliens.
He said: "The fact is we may not necessarily be alone."
WETENSCHAP & PLANEETPoint Nemo is het meest afgelegen deel op Aarde. De plek ligt midden in de oceaan op 2.685 kilometer van het dichtste stuk land en doet dienst als ruimteschipkerkhof. Honderden kapotte ruimtetuigen liggen er op de bodem.
48 graden, 52.6 minuten zuiderbreedte en 123 graden, 23.6 minuten westerlengte, dat zijn de exacte coördinaten van Point Nemo (Nemo betekent ‘niemand’ in het Latijn). NASA noemt de plek in de Stille Oceaan een ‘ruimteschipkerkhof’. “Het is de plek die het verst ligt van elke vorm van beschaving op aarde”, klinkt het bij NASA. De ideale plaats dus om tonnen ruimteafval te storten.
rvPoint Nemo ligt op 2.685 kilometer van het dichtste stuk land.
“Perfecte plek om te dumpen zonder iemand te raken”
Omdat een stuk satelliet of een deel van een ruimtestation nooit op land mag terechtkomen, is Point Nemo de beste plek om al het ruimteafval te dumpen “Het is de perfecte plaats om dingen te dumpen zonder iemand te raken”, vertelt ruimte-ingenieur Bill Ailor. Omdat kleine satellieten meestal volledig verbranden in de dampkring, komen alleen maar kolossale brokstukken in Point Nemo terecht. Maar wanneer ingenieurs de controle verliezen over een ruimtetuig, dan valt niet te voorspellen waar het zal crashen.
Volvo Ocean RacePoint Nemo
Tiangong-1
In 2011 stuurde China zijn eerste ruimtestation Tiangong-1 de ruimte in, een kolos van ongeveer 8,5 ton. Maar omdat China in maart 2016 de controle over het ruimtestation verloor, wordt verwacht dat het tuig begin volgend jaar zal crashen. Waar juist? Dat valt niet te voorspellen tot vijf dagen voor de crash, omdat China de controle over het station is verloren. Het lijkt dus weinig waarschijnlijk dat Tiangong-1 in Point Nemo zal terechtkomen. Over enkele maanden stort het ruimtetuig met bijna 300 kilometer per uur naar beneden.
CMSETiangong-1
Astronauten in het Internationale Ruimteschip ISS bevinden zich het dichtst bij Point Nemo. ISS zweeft ongeveer 400 kilometer boven de Aarde, een pak dichter dan het dichtstbijzijnde stuk land. Tussen 1971 en 2016 dumpten ruimtevaartorganisaties al minstens 260 ruimtetuigen in de regio. En dat aantal groeit in sneltempo.
Kans dat je geraakt wordt, is extreem klein
Wanneer een groot object zoals de Tiangong-1 door de dampkring vliegt, dan zal het in verschillende stukken breken. Het station zal dus over een oppervlakte van verschillende kilometers neerstorten, wat de kans op slachtoffers doet groeien. Gelukkig is de kans dat je wordt geraakt door een stuk ruimteafval extreem klein. Er is slechts één geval bekend van een vrouw die op de schouder werd geraakt.
4.000 satellieten
Laten we ruimteafval niet beter in de ruimte zweven, zou je je kunnen afvragen. Blijkbaar niet, want ondertussen zweven al ongeveer 4.000 satellieten in een baan rond de Aarde. Voeg daarbij de ongecontroleerde projectielen en je komt al snel aan enkele tienduizenden objecten. De kans op botsingen wordt dus groter.
Creative CommonsEen computeranimatie van al het ruimteafval in een baan rond de aarde.
Steeds meer ruimtevaartorganisaties brengen oude en kapotte tuigen uit hun baan om de aarde om ze te laten neerstorten. Point Nemo krijgt er binnenkort dus nog heel wat afval bij.
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Japanners ontdekken gigantische grot op de maan
Japanners ontdekken gigantische grot op de maan - HLN.be
Bron: Belga
AFPDe tunnel van 100 meter breed en 50 kilometer lang werd gevonden onder de Mariusheuvels. De Japanse wetenschappers hebben de binnenkant van de grot nog niet kunnen waarnemen.
WETENSCHAP & PLANEETWetenschappers van het Japanse ruimtevaartbureau Jaxa hebben op de maan een gigantische grot ontdekt die op een dag mogelijk kan dienen voor een maanbasis.
Data van de Japanse Maanverkenner SELENE bevestigden het bestaan van de grot, die een 3,5 miljard jaar oude tunnel voor vulkanische lava kan zijn geweest. Hij is 100 meter breed en 50 km lang. ”Wij dachten dat er dergelijke plaatsen bestonden (...), maar tot nu toe was dit nog niet bevestigd”, zei Jaxa-vorser Junichi Haruyama aan het Franse persbureau AFP.
De immense tunnel onder de zone van de Mariusheuvels kan astronauten beschermen tegen de enorme temperatuurschommelingen en gevaarlijke straling die zij op het oppervlak van onze natuurlijke satelliet kunnen ondervinden, legt Haruyama uit. “Wij hebben de binnenkant zelf van de grot nog niet gezien. Maar je kan er veel op verwedden dat de exploratie ervan meer details zal opleveren.”
In juni maakte Tokio bekend tegen 2030 een astronaut naar de maan te sturen. Dat wordt een première voor Japan want zijn astronauten vlogen tot nu toe enkel naar en met het Russische ruimtestation Mir en het Internationaal Ruimtestation.
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Von Däniken: „Die Aliens kommen wieder und helfen uns auf den Sprung“ – EXKLUSIV
Von Däniken: „Die Aliens kommen wieder und helfen uns auf den Sprung“ – EXKLUSIV
Der Schweizer Erich von Däniken befasst sich seit Jahrzehnten mit der Menschheitsgeschichte. Er hat Bücher mit Millionenauflagen geschrieben und ist überzeugt: „Außerirdische haben uns besucht.“ Der „Prä-Astronautik“-Experte berichtet von Geheimdiensten und Alien-Implantaten, sagt aber: Sie kommen in friedlicher Absicht. Das Gespräch in Auszügen:
Herr von Däniken, Sie haben fast alle Länder dieser Welt besucht, Grabstätten und anderes Mysteriöses entdeckt und erlebt. Was ist die Quintessenz ihrer jahrzehntelangen Forschung?
Die Quintessenz ist die alte: Vor vielen, vielen Jahrtausenden ist unsere Erde mal von Außerirdischen besucht worden. Unsere Vorfahren waren damals Steinzeitleute, die begriffen überhaupt nicht, was sich abspielte. Sie meinten irrtümlicherweise, diese Außerirdischen seien „Götter“. Aber es gibt keine Götter und das wussten unsere Vorfahren nicht. Die sogenannten „Götter“ verhielten sich ganz ähnlich, wie sich heute Ethnologen benehmen würden: Sie haben ein paar Stämme studiert, ein paar Sprachen gelernt, ein paar Ratschläge gegeben. Irgendwann haben sie sich verabschiedet, mit dem Versprechen, in einer fernen Zukunft wiederzukehren. Dieses Wiederkunftsversprechen ist eingewandert in alle Kulturen und alle Religionen bis auf den heutigen Tag.
Wann kommen die „Götter“ wieder? Und: Was macht Sie denn so sicher, dass es früher wirklich außerirdischen Alien-Einfluss auf unseren Planeten, auf unsere früheren Hochkulturen gab?
Wann sie wiederkommen, weiß letztendlich niemand. Es ist nicht mal auszuschließen, dass sie schon da sind, aber das ist ein anderes Thema.
Wie kann man den Unterschied finden zwischen Naturreligion und den angeblichen Fremden? Die Fremden haben Informationen gegeben: Und zwar wissenschaftliche Informationen, welche unsere steinzeitlichen Leute nicht wissen konnten. Ein Beispiel: Da gibt es dieses „Buch Henoch“. Henoch ist in der Bibel der siebte Patriarch nach der Flut. Er wird von den Fremden hochgenommen, in den angeblichen Himmel – das ist die religiöse Betrachtung. Meiner Meinung nach wird er hinaufgenommen in ein Raumschiff. Er lernt die Sprache der Fremden, dann wird er unterwiesen. Und dann sagt der (außerirdische) Astronom zu ihm: „Menschensohn, schau mal raus. Siehst du das kleine Licht dort draußen? Ihr Menschen sagt Mond dazu. Der Mond hat gar kein eigenes Licht.“ Und dann erklärt er ihm die Mondphasen, warum es Voll- und Halbmond gibt. Das ist eine wissenschaftliche Information. Die hat nichts mit Naturreligion zu tun. Das ist der Unterschied. Es ist Information geflossen.
Kritiker Ihrer Arbeit sagen immer wieder: Vieles sei an den Haaren herbeigezogen und hineininterpretiert. Manche behaupten, dass „Götter“, die vom Himmel hinabsteigen, nur dem kollektiven Unterbewussten entspringen würden. Welche Beweise und welche Indizien haben Sie für Ihre Thesen?
Ich liebe die Kritiker. Es ist wunderbar zu diskutieren. Denn in meinem Fachbereich weiß ich in Gottes Namen mehr als meine Kritiker. Was ich ihnen nicht vorwerfe. Ich weiß auch nicht viel von anderen Fachbereichen. Nun, es gibt einfach eindeutige Indizien, die man hat. Aber es bleibt die Frage der Interpretation.
Sie erzählen in Interviewsoft auch viel Hintergründige: Viele Ihrer Kollegen aus der klassischen Archäologie, also der Mainstream-Wissenschaft, würden Ihnen immer wieder hinter vorgehaltener Hand Dinge verraten, die sie öffentlich niemals sagen könnten. Können Sie da vielleicht mal aus dem Nähkästchen plaudern und ein Beispiel verraten?
Man kann die Namen nicht sagen, wenn man eine Abmachung mit Handschlag gemacht hat. Da halte ich mich dran. Aber so viel: Ich habe in einem meiner Bücher über die Maya geschrieben. Die Mayas hatten zwei Kalender gehabt: Den normalen, irdischen Kalender mit rund 365 Tagen, mit Schaltstunden und Schaltjahren. Sie hatten noch einen zweiten Kalender, den sogenannten Götter-Kalender, der hatte 260 Tage. Dieser Kalender passt hinten und vorne nirgendwo in unsere Welt. Mit 260 Tagen können wir nichts anfangen, angesichts unserer Jahreszeiten.
Jetzt kam ein Professor von der Universität Bonn, ein Kenner der Maya-Welt, zu mir und sagte: „Herr von Däniken, diesen Kalender können Sie ganz leicht erklären. Zwischen Mars und Jupiter liegt der Asteroidengürtel. Das sind heute tausende von Gesteinsbrocken, kleine und größere. Wenn dort mal ein Planet gewesen wäre, hätte er eine Umlaufbahn von 260 Tagen gehabt.“ Ich sagte: „Danke, Herr Professor, ich nehm’s gern auf.“ Aber er wollte unter keinen Umständen, dass ich ein Wort von ihm sage, dass die Idee dazu von ihm kam.
Warum ist Ihre Arbeit, laut Ihren eigenen Aussagen, immer wieder auch von Interesse für staatliche Geheimdienste? Wollen Sie dazu etwas sagen?
Es gibt tatsächlich heute Leute, die behaupten, sie seien von Außerirdischen entführt worden. Ich persönlich habe darüber immer nur gelacht. Ich dachte: Das ist alles psychoanalytisch erklärbar. Die haben alle einen Knall. Und dann kam ich mit Prof. Dr. Dr. John Mack zusammen. Der ist Pulitzer-Preisträger in den USA, ist Professor an der Elite-Hochschule Harvard. Wir haben uns zwei, drei Abende unter vier Augen unterhalten. Er sagte mir: „Herr von Däniken, ich hasse es, beobachtet zu werden, aber es geht nicht mehr anders.“ Ich sage: Wieso denn? Ist doch alles Quatsch mit diesen Entführungen. Er erwiderte: „In bestimmten Fällen nicht. Weil wir Implantate gefunden haben.“
Es gibt tatsächlich Menschen mit Implantaten. Natürlich dann die Frage: Was soll denn das sein? Hat man es analysiert? Natürlich hat man es analysiert. Chemisch, physikalisch – aber wir werden nicht schlau, was es sein soll. Das sind so Dinge. Und dann kommen tatsächlich Menschen, die behaupten, sie seien vom Staat und fragen: „Herr von Däniken, können Sie uns Namen liefern? Mit wem haben Sie gesprochen?“ Was ich dann immer nicht mache. Ich muss zuerst den Gegenpart fragen, ob sie einverstanden seien. Sonst wird halt geschwiegen.
Und die Geheimdienstmitarbeiter lassen Sie dann in Ruhe?
Ja. Es gibt offenbar Gespräche mit UFO-Entführten. Sie werden analysiert und in Tomographie geschoben. Der Staat will wissen: Ist da irgendeine potenzielle Bedrohung für die Menschheit? Oder ist das alles nur Spinnerei? Darum geht’s dann. Ich habe die Antwort nicht. Ich persönlich habe bis heute immer noch kein UFO gesehen, mich noch mit keinem Außerirdischen unterhalten. Nur: Es gibt tatsächlich Menschen mit außerirdischen Implantaten.
Es gibt die sagenumwobenen untergegangenen Kontinente Atlantis und Lemurien. Haben Sie im Laufe Ihrer jahrelangen Forschung Hinweise auf noch ältere Hochkulturen gefunden?
Nein. Die Geschichte von Lemurien ist eine uralte Story. Und davon ist eigentlich nichts bewiesen. Es gibt zwar in den USA einen Indio-Stamm, das sind die Hopi. Sie behaupten, ihre Ur-Ur-Ur-Vorfahren hätten irgendwann im pazifischen Raum gelebt und dann seien die Inseln überschwemmt worden und sie hätten fliehen müssen und seien dann nach Südamerika gegangen, ins heutige Chile. Von dort seien sie dann hochgewandert, in die heutigen USA.
Atlantis ist eine Geschichte, die taucht zum ersten Mal bei Platon auf, dem griechischen Philosoph. Platon hatte in seinen zwei Büchern „Kritias“ und „Timaios“ intensive Diskussionen über Atlantis beschrieben.
Und der Mann, der in der Männerrunde über Atlantis berichtete, der hatte sich berufen auf einen Augenzeugen, der damals in Ägypten war. Die ganze Geschichte von Atlantis sei auf einer Säule eingeschrieben gewesen und er hätte sie auswendig gelernt. Und die Platon-Geschichte zu Atlantis ist eigentlich sehr, sehr einleuchtend. Weil er gibt genaue Maßangaben an: Wie breit ist die Hafenmole? Wieviel Schiffe? Wie war die Bedeckung der Häuser? Ich halte Atlantis für durchaus möglich. Wenn es tatsächlich so war, war Atlantis von Poseidon gegründet. Poseidon war wieder einer der Götter-Söhne, damit wieder einer der Außerirdischen. Das halte ich für durchaus plausibel.
Wenn die „Götter“ wiederkommen, werden die Aliens uns mit feindseligen Absichten besuchen?
Nein, überhaupt nicht. Es wird so etwas wie einen Evolutionssprung geben, von außen. Wir haben eine Evolution, wir sind Produkte der Evolution – aber nicht nur. Die Erde war nie ein geschlossenes System. Es gab zu allen Zeiten Eingriffe von außen. Die Kritiker sagen: „Das ist doch ein Blödsinn. Wie soll man sich das vorstellen?“ Wir Menschen haben in der Vergangenheit zum Beispiel einen Kirschbaum veredelt. Wir haben ganz einfach gepfropft, dazu muss man nichts wissen von Genetik. Und dennoch entstand eine bessere Kirsche. Etwas Ähnliches ist in der Vergangenheit passiert, zumindest den alten Texten nach.
Alexander Boos
Das komplette Interview mit Erich von Däniken zum Nachhören:
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De aliens komen weer terug. Schrijver onthult in interview waartoe dit zal leiden
De aliens komen weer terug. Schrijver onthult in interview waartoe dit zal leiden
De aarde wordt al vele duizenden jaren door aliens bezocht. Omdat mensen vroeger geen idee hadden wat het waren, noemden ze deze wezens ook wel goden. Dat zegt de Zwitserse schrijver Erich von Däniken in gesprek met Sputnik Deutschland.
Het staat volgens hem vast dat deze aliens zullen terugkomen, alleen weet niemand precies wanneer. Wanneer dit gebeurt zullen we een evolutiesprong gaan maken, aldus de schrijver.
Hij merkt op dat in oude geschriften, zoals het boek van Henoch, al wordt gesproken over ruimteschepen en aliens.
Godenkalender
In één van zijn boeken heeft Von Däniken geschreven over de Maya’s. Die hadden twee kalenders: een normale aardse kalender met 365 dagen en een ‘godenkalender’ met 260 dagen.
“Die laatste kalender paste nergens in onze wereld,” vertelt Von Däniken. “Met 260 dagen konden we niets beginnen.”
Toen zei een professor van de Universiteit van Bonn, een Maya-kenner, tegen mij: “Meneer Von Däniken, deze kalender is gemakkelijk te verklaren.”
Asteroïdengordel
“Tussen Mars en Jupiter bevindt zich de asteroïdengordel, die bestaat uit duizenden kleine en grotere stukken steen,” vervolgde hij.
“Als daar een planeet had gestaan, zou die in 260 dagen om de zon draaien,” aldus de professor, die met klem zei dat hij anoniem wilde blijven.
Von Däniken moest altijd lachen om mensen die zeiden dat ze door aliens ontvoerd waren. Tot hij professor dr. John Mack van de Harvard-universiteit tegenkwam.
Implantaten
“Dat is toch allemaal onzin, die verhalen over die ontvoeringen?” vroeg Von Däniken aan hem.
“In bepaalde gevallen niet,” antwoordde de Pulitzerprijswinnaar. “We hebben namelijk implantaten gevonden.”
GETUIGEN MELDEN LANDING UFO BIJ SAN PAULO IN BRAZILIË ( VIDEO )
GETUIGEN MELDEN LANDING UFO BIJ SAN PAULO IN BRAZILIË ( VIDEO )
Er hebben zich onlangs spannende taferelen afgespeeld in de buurt van de Braziliaanse stad Sao Paulo.
In een deel van de stad Peruibe viel de stroom uit en zagen bewoners een UFO landen op een veld in hun wijk.
Wanneer er tastbare gevolgen zijn en meerdere mensen vertellen hetzelfde, dan kan dat als een aardig betrouwbaar verhaal worden beschouwd over een vreemde gebeurtenis.
Het voorval vond al op 7 oktober plaats, maar de autoriteiten kwamen pas op 19 oktober met een verklaring omtrent het gebeurde, omdat men eerst ter plekke onderzoek wilde doen, voordat alle sporen door nieuwsgierige kijkers zouden zijn uitgewist.
Het stadje Peruibe telt ongeveer 60.000 inwoners en ligt aan de kust, niet ver van Sao Paulo.
Het voorval vond plaats tegen zonsopkomst toen verschillende mensen in de buurt vreemde lichten zagen en ook tegelijkertijd de stroom uitviel.
Ook werden er lichten waargenomen die als het ware in de richting van de huizen schenen en één echtpaar meldde dat het leek alsof het licht recht op hun huis af kwam.
Omdat het nog donker was, was er verder weinig meer te zien, maar bij daglicht was de plek waar de UFO zou zijn geland heel duidelijk waar te nemen op een begroeid veld.
Volgens onderzoeker Saga Susseliton Souza is het zeker dat de sporen op het veld niet gemaakt zijn door iets menselijks. Het was absoluut een UFO die dit heeft veroorzaakt, omdat de begroeiing nergens is gebroken, maar alleen gebogen.
De UFO kwam volgens hem naar beneden in cirkelvormige bewegingen en liet sporen na die enigszins te vergelijken zijn met die van een graancirkel.
Onderzoeker Souza claimt 35 jaar ervaring te hebben in onderzoek naar UFO's en zegt dat de autoriteiten terecht het gebied onmiddellijk hebben afgezet. Anderen spreken alweer van een UFO doofpot, omdat het zolang heeft geduurd voordat deze gebeurtenis bekend werd gemaakt.
De bewoners van het huis dat zich het dichtst bij de landingsplek bevond van ongeveer dertien meter lengte, meldden dat ze zich in de dagen daarna niet lekker en vooral misselijk voelden.
Wij hebben gezocht via Google in dat gebied met de beschikbare gegevens "Rua 19, in the Balneário São João Batista 3 neighborhood", waarbij dan het volgende plaatje naar voren komt.
Daarop is het originele veld te zien zoals het er uitzag voordat er een UFO landde en in dat opzicht klopt het verhaal wel, want het veld ziet er inderdaad anders uit.
Peruiba mag met recht een UFO hotspot worden genoemd, want alleen al op de website Ufo Hunters zijn sinds 1998 zo'n 79 waarnemingen in en rond deze stad.
Met zoveel waarnemingen is het niet zo vreemd dat er ondertussen jaarlijks een UFO conferentie plaatsvindt en maakt het plaatsje ook steeds meer gebruik van de reputatie die het begint te krijgen als UFO hotspot om toeristen te trekken.
Recently, thousands of people around the world are claiming to be having the exact same terrifying experience.
They all report the same symptoms: hearing operator voices in their heads, suffering from ‘electronic torture’ and being subject to organized stalking - they call themselves ‘Targeted Individuals’.
A number have attempted many things to relieve their pain - from living life on the run to surgically removing their own flesh because they believe it’s implanted with microchips.
VICE follows a growing community who say they are being targeted as part of a government program that is harassing and controlling them using hidden technology.
Bizarre Blue 'Flashes and Glows' May Reveal Thunderstorm Secrets
Bizarre Blue 'Flashes and Glows' May Reveal Thunderstorm Secrets
By Samantha Mathewson, Space.com Contributor
Bright, blue flashes stretch from the tops of powerful thunderstorms toward the edge of space, providing a fascinating celestial show for astronauts on the International Space Station, and now, scientists are learning more about these showstopping displays.
In 2015, European Space Agency astronaut Andreas Mogensen captured a video of the strange blue flashes dancing above the clouds as the space station passed over the Bay of Bengal.
These features are called blue jets — a type of transient luminous event (TLE) resulting from activity in and below powerful thunderstorms on Earth. One of the photographs captured by Mogensen showed a pulsating blue jet that stretched 25 miles (40 kilometers) above sea level, according to a statement from NASA. [Earth From Space: Amazing Astronaut Photos]
Using these observations, researchers from Denmark's National Space Institute studied the elusive features to learn more about how storms form and develop over time. Their findings showed that 245 pulsating blue discharges were observed during the 160 seconds of video footage, which is equal to roughly 90 blue-jet flashes per minute, the researchers said in a new study describing the findings.
The study also revealed evidence of red sprites, which glow in the upper atmosphere following large lightning flashes on Earth. Red sprites are difficult to detect because they last only a few milliseconds.
In fact, visual evidence of TLEs wasn't available until 1989. Some of the first observations of these events were of red sprites photographed by cameras on board the space shuttle, as well as from images taken during a NASA and University of Alaska airborne campaign.
Recently, however, astronauts aboard the space station have been able to capture various natural light shows on camera, including red sprites over two different storms within 3 minutes of each other — first over the American Midwest and then later near the coast of El Salvador. These red sprites, which were spotted in August 2015, stretched roughly 60 miles (100 km) above Earth, according to the statement.
Observations of strange atmospheric features like red sprites and blue jets help improve researchers' understanding of lightning and thunderstorms, which can lead to better storm models and weather forecasts. Furthermore, researchers also aim to learn more about why storms produce different TLEsin different circumstances.
"TLE studies have been, to an extent, fortunate observation," Tim Lang, an atmospheric scientist at NASA's Marshall Space Flight Center, said in the statement. "We've gotten better at finding them, but it's mostly case-based analysis."
Researchers will soon have the opportunity to capture even better storm observations from space using NASA's Lightning Imaging Sensor, which was installed on the orbiting lab in February 2017, and the Atmosphere-Space Interactions Monitor, which is slated to launch to the space station later this year. These instruments will allow researchers to analyze storms from both below and above, and closely examine thunderstorms' impact on Earth's atmosphere.
Researchers from the University of Newcastle in Australia have found a way to print solar tiles. This method is cheaper and faster than traditional methods and could potentially be a game changer in the renewable energy industry.
SOLAR’S THE WAY TO GO
Solar panels have become increasingly inexpensive in the past months. However, while a number of large-scale energy producers are shifting towards solar power, there is still a lack of homes that have adopted the technology. In Australia, a place bathed in seemingly constant direct sunlight, price is still a major stumbling block for homeowners considering switching to solar. Things may be about to change, however, thanks to a new variety of solar tile developed by researchers from the University of Newcastle (UON).
Image Credit: University of Newcastle
Instead of the photovoltaics (PVs) that traditional panels use, UON’s Paul Dastoor and his team are testing printable solar tiles. “It’s completely different from a traditional solar cell. They tend to be large, heavy, encased in glass — tens of millimeters thick,” Dastoor told Mashable. “We’re printing them on plastic film that’s less than 0.1 of a millimeter thick.”
Currently, UON is one of only three sites that are testing printed solar. “We’ve put in the first 100 square metres of printed solar cells up on roofs, and now we’re testing that durability in real weather conditions,” Dastoor said. As soon as the performance and durability of these tiles are confirmed, it could easily go into market production.
CHEAP AND FAST
Dastoor and his team are excited about the potential these printed tiles have in influencing the wide-scale adoption of PVs, especially for homes. “The low-cost and speed at which this technology can be deployed is exciting, particularly in the current Australian energy context where we need to find solutions, and quickly, to reduce demand on base-load power,” he explained in UON feature article.
Just for reference, Tesla’s solar tiles — which Elon Musk promised to be cheaper than regular roofs — are priced at around US $235 per tile. Meanwhile, Dastoor’s printed solars can be sold at less than US$ 7.42 per tile, which is comparatively very cheap, “[W]e expect in a short period of time the energy we generate will be cheaper than that generated via coal-based fire stations,” Dastoor explained.
Of course, whether tiles are printed or created with traditional PVs, solar energy is currently a major leading renewable energy source. And, solar power is not only incredibly environmentally friendly — producing energy without harmful byproducts that contribute to climate change — it can also generate more energythan fossil fuels.
BRIGHT BURST After two neutron stars slammed together, scientists detected gravitational waves, a burst of gamma rays and a glow from ejected material, shown in this artist’s conception.
NSF, LIGO, A. SIMONNET/SONOMA STATE UNIV.
WASHINGTON — Two ultradense cores of dead stars have produced a long-awaited cosmic collision, showering scientists with riches.
The event was the first direct sighting of a smashup of neutron stars, which are formed when aging stars explode and leave behind a neutron-rich remnant. In the wake of the collision, the churning residue forged gold, silver, platinum and a smattering of other heavy elements such as uranium, researchers reported October 16 at a news conference in Washington, D.C. Such elements’ birthplaces were previously unknown, but their origins were revealed by the cataclysm’s afterglow.
“It really is the last missing piece” of the periodic table, says Anna Frebel, an astronomer at MIT who was not involved in the research. “This is heaven for anyone working in the field.” After the collision, about 10 times the Earth’s mass in gold was spewed out into space, some scientists calculated.
Using data gathered by about 70 different observatories, astronomers characterized the event in exquisite detail, releasing a slew of papers describing the results. A tremor of gravitational waves, spotted by the Advanced Laser Interferometer Gravitational-Wave Observatory, LIGO, on August 17, provided the first sign of the cataclysm.
Light types
ROBERT HURT/IPAC/CALTECH, MANSI KASLIWAL AND GREGG HALLINAN/CALTECH, PHIL EVANS/NASA AND THE GROWTH COLLABORATION
Telescopes picked up the afterglow of two converging neutron stars in a variety of wavelengths of light, from ultraviolet (left, image from NASA’s Swift satellite) to infrared (middle, image from the Gemini South telescope) to radio waves (right, image from the Very Large Array).
“Already it is transforming our understanding of the universe, with a fresh narrative of the physics of stars in their death throes,” said France Córdova, director of the National Science Foundation, which funds LIGO.
A sequence of various types of electromagnetic radiation followed that gravitational trill, like musical instruments taking turns in a symphony. A burst of gamma rays segued into a glow of visible and infrared light, first spotted about 12 hours after the smashup. More than a week later, as those wavelengths faded away, X-rays crescendoed, followed by radio waves.
Combining gravitational waves with light from a neutron star merger is a long-held dream of astrophysicists. “The picture that you can put together by having all of those sources is synergistic,” says LIGO spokesperson David Shoemaker of MIT. “You can make inferences that otherwise would be impossible."
That detailed picture revealed the inner workings of neutron star collisions and the source of brief blasts of high-energy light called short gamma-ray bursts. Researchers also calculated how fast the universe is expanding and tested the properties of the odd material within neutron stars.
For astrophysicists, “this event is the Rosetta stone,” says LIGO member Richard O’Shaughnessy of the Rochester Institute of Technology in New York.
LIGO’s two detectors, located in the United States, registered an unmistakable sign of the upheaval: A shimmying of space itself that continued for about 100 seconds before cutting off. It was the strongest and longest series of spacetime ripples LIGO had ever seen. At that point, scientists knew they had something big, says LIGO member Vicky Kalogera of Northwestern University in Evanston, Ill. “The e-mails that were circulated said, ‘Oh my God, this is it.’”
That vibration was an indication of a cosmic crash: Whirling round each other as if on an ill-fated merry-go-round, two orbiting neutron stars spiraled closer and closer, until they converged. The neutron stars, whose masses were between 1.17 and 1.60 times that of the sun, probably collapsed into a black hole, although LIGO scientists were unable to determine the stars' fate for certain. LIGO has previously spotted mergers of swirling black holes with masses tens of times that of the sun (SN Online: 9/27/17); the smaller masses of the orbiting duo pointed the finger at neutron stars. And because black holes aren’t expected to emit light, the fireworks show that followed solidified the case for neutron stars.
LIGO’s sister experiment in Italy, Advanced Virgo, saw only a faint signal. That relatively weak detection helped narrow down where the convulsion occurred to “a part of the sky that was a blind spot of Virgo,” Kalogera says. That constrained the site to within a region of about 30 square degrees in the southern sky.
Just 1.7 seconds after the gravitational wave signal, NASA’s Fermi space telescope spotted a glimmer of gamma rays in the same neighborhood of the sky. Meanwhile, other telescopes swung into action, picking up a glow where none had been before. “We saw what looked like a new star,” says astronomer Edo Berger of Harvard University, who led a team that spotted the light with the DECam on the Blanco telescope in Chile. Berger’s was one of several teams that observed the blast’s light. That detection pinpointed the galaxy NGC 4993, 130 million light-years from Earth in the constellation Hydra, as the collision site. “There was this moment of disbelief: Wow, we actually did it. We found it,” Berger says.
Brought to light
P.K. BLANCHARD, E. BERGER, PAN-STARRS, DECAM
After gravitational waves narrowed down the region of sky where two neutron stars collided, telescopes pinpointed a spot of light (right, indicated with red lines) where none had been before (left).
That afterglow also revealed an amazing story of stellar alchemy: With the stars’ death came the birth of elements. As the collision spurted neutron-rich material into space, a bevy of heavy elements formed, through a chain of reactions called the r-process (SN:5/14/16, p. 9). In this process, which requires an environment crammed with neutrons, atomic nuclei rapidly gobble up neutrons and decay radioactively, thereby transforming into new elements, before resuming their neutron gorgefest. The r-process is thought to produce about half of the elements heavier than iron.
Scientists detected the characteristic glow of this process, called a kilonova, in follow-up observations. “Until this event, we had never directly seen anywhere in nature these heavy elements being forged. Now we have,” says Brian Metzger, a theoretical astrophysicist at Columbia University. “It is a feeling like you’ve discovered some kind of secret of nature.”
Previously, astrophysicists disagreed about where the r-process occurs: Two top candidates were exploding stars called supernovas (SN: 2/18/17, p. 24) and neutron star mergers. Although scientists can’t yet say whether all r-process elements are produced in neutron star mergers, the amount such collisions should produce appears large enough to explain the abundances found in the universe.
Element factory
ROBERT HURT/IPAC/CALTECH
Light emitted after a neutron star collision showed signs of heavy elements present in the aftermath, confirming that certain elements (yellow) are produced in such mergers. Other elements are produced in different ways, including in exploding massive stars and dying low mass stars.
Additional riches were revealed by gamma rays. Scientists spotted a phenomenon called a short gamma-ray burst, a brief spurt of high-energy light, less than two seconds long. Such paroxysms are relatively common, appearing in the sky about 50 times a year. But finding their source is “a long-standing problem in astrophysics,” says theoretical astrophysicist Rosalba Perna of Stony Brook University in New York. The detection clinched it: Short gamma-ray bursts come from neutron star tête-à-têtes.
By studying how the neutron stars spiraled inward, astrophysicists also tested the “squishiness” of neutron star material for the first time. This extreme substance is so dense that a teaspoonful of it would have a mass of around a billion metric tons, and scientists don’t fully understand how it responds when squeezed, a property known as its “equation of state.” Measuring this property could give scientists a better understanding of the strange material. Although the results couldn’t pin down whether the neutron stars were squishy, some theories that predicted ultrasquishy neutron stars were ruled out.
Closing in
STEFANO VALENTI/UC DAVIS, DLT40 SURVEY
LIGO and Virgo used gravitational waves to narrow down the region (white outlines) where two neutron stars smacked into one another. NASA’s Fermi space telescope detected gamma rays from within the region outlined in yellow. Visible light from the crash allowed scientists to pinpoint the galaxy NGC 4993 (red dot).
The neutron stars’ union also gave researchers the opportunity to gauge the universe’s expansion rate, by measuring the distance of the collision using gravitational waves and comparing that to how much the wavelength of light from the galaxy was stretched by the expansion. Scientists have previously measured this property, known as the Hubble constant, through other means. But those measurements are in disagreement, leaving scientists scrambling to explain the discrepancy (SN: 8/6/16, p. 10).
Now, scientists have “a totally different, independent measurement,” says LIGO collaboration member Daniel Holz of the University of Chicago. The new measurement indicates that distantly separated galaxies are spreading apart at about 70 kilometers per second for each megaparsec between them. It falls squarely between the two previous estimates: 67 and 73 km/s per megaparsec. Though this collision can’t yet resolve the debate, future mergers could help improve the measurement.
“These are all just unbelievable, major advances,” Holz says. “It’s really been this insane thrill.”
The excitement has yet to die down. Take it from astronomer Ryan Foley of the University of California, Santa Cruz, whose team was the first to spot visible light from the merger: “This is certainly the biggest discovery of my career and probably will be the biggest discovery of my entire life.”
Researchers announced October 16 that Advanced LIGO (the Laser Interferometer Gravitational-Wave Observatory) and its sister experiment, Advanced Virgo, have detected gravitational waves from colliding neutron stars — a cosmic crash also observed by more than 70 observatories around the world.
Editor's note: This story will be updated throughout the day as more information becomes available.
The LIGO Scientific Collaboration and The Virgo Collaboration, The 1M2H Collaboration, The Dark Energy Camera GW-EM Collaboration and the DES Collaboration, The DLT40 Collaboration, The Las Cumbres Observatory Collaboration, The VINROUGE Collaboration & The MASTER Collaboration. A gravitational-wave standard siren measurement of the Hubble constant. Nature. Published online October 16, 2017. doi: 10.1038/nature24471.
Astronomers use astronomical units – or AU – to describe solar system distances. Definition of AU here. Also, mean distances in AU to prominent solar system objects.
Artist’s concept of Earth and sun. One astronomical unit = the average distance between them. Image via NASA.
Astronomers like to list the distances to objects within our solar system (planets, dwarf planets, asteroids, comets, spacecraft, etc.) in terms of an astronomical unit. How far is that? Follow the links below to learn more about this basic distance unit in our solar system.
For general reference, we can say that one astronomical unit (AU) represents the mean distance between the Earth and our sun. An AU is approximately 93 million miles (150 million km). It’s approximately 8 light-minutes.
More exactly, one astronomical unit (AU) = 92,955,807 miles (149,597,871 km).
Earth’s orbit around the sun isn’t a perfect circle. So Earth’s distance from the sun changes throughout the year. Astronomers give the Earth’s changing distance throughout the year relative to the astronomical unit, too. For instance, when the Earth is at perihelion – its nearest point to the sun for the year, in January – it’s about 0.983 AU from the sun. When our planet swings out to aphelion – its farthest point, in July – we’re about 1.017 AU away from the sun.
Distances from the sun of planets in our solar system, expressed in A.U. Graph via planetsforkids.org
Mean distance (semi-major axis) from sun to each planet, in AU.
Mercury: 0.387 AU Venus: 0.723 AU Earth: 1.000 AU Mars: 1.524 AU Jupiter: 5.203 AU Saturn: 9.582 AU Uranus: 19.201 AU Neptune: 30.047 AU
Largest circle with yellow arrow indicates one light year from our sun. Smallest yellow sphere is one light-week. Larger yellow sphere is one light-month. Read more about this image at Wikimedia Commons.
Bottom line: Astronomers like to list the distances to objects within our solar system (planets, dwarf planets, asteroids, comets, spacecraft, etc.) in terms of the astronomical unit, or AU. One astronomical unit is the approximate mean distance between the Earth and sun. It’s about 93 million miles (150 million km), or 8 light-minutes.
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 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.
