UFOs Photographed by the International Space Station

• When: April 3rd, 2018 and December 28th, 2017
• Where: Space
• What: Strange round objects photographed outside International Space Station

A frequent viewer of the ISS live cam witnessed a UFO on two separate occasions, and fortunately took some screenshots and shared them with MUFON (case 92258).

December 28th, 2017

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ok so, i have taken screenshots on my ISS app on my phone on 2 different occasions. the first was on the 28/12/17 and the 2nd occasion was on the 4/3/18. On the 28/12 i have taken 1 photo and my memory f that is a little vague. on the 4/3 i have taken 5 screenshots, all approximately 5 seconds after one another. I want to add I am using the same cell phone right now to submit this report so to submit the original photos i took with all the added info and details attached to the pictures, such as the date and time etc. and also i hope that helps to authenticate my photos are not modified at all in one way or another. I will concentrate on the 4/3 because that is more familiar in my memory. All i was doing was checking the app like i sometimes do and sometimes i see the ISS fly over my town when i am up early enough. and basically i saw the round object, and i have researched about the ISS before and know that stars and most planets are not visible through the cameras on the ISS, only the sun and moon and a not many planets. and definitely not other satellites because of the speed the ISS is traveling as well as the other satellites. i immediately begun taking screenshots and as you can see the time between the photos, i hope that will help if someone can calculate the speed of the ISS and whatever else may be to pinpoint a distance of the object and size, maybe. I have thought afterwards maybe this is just a planet or a secret human powered craft, and other ideas. but after finding this site i simply wanted to submit my info and get the experts to look at it. before the 28/12/17 i have never seen a ufo before and these are the only 2 times i have seen anything on the ISS app. i have been incredibly astonished and blown away this year to, to see a UFO with my own eyes very close to my town and i have a detailed description to tell in another report so i will just keep that brief for now. Basically i first saw the object up high then it hovered for a little while then slowly dropped downwards until it was out of sight behind earth. thank you anyone who puts time into this and can back to me if these sightings i am sharing are authentic or not. any info which i hope can be identified would be greatly appreciated. thank you

April 8th, 2018

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videos peter2011

{ https://www.texasufosightings.com/ }

27-05-2018 om 19:46 geschreven door peter  

Alien languages might not be that different from ours

ETs may share a kind of 'universal grammar' with us, say leading linguists like Noam Chomsky.

It could be a Star Trek or Star Wars universe after all. One where a diverse set of intelligent extraterrestrial species from across the galaxies all easily communicate despite some pretty dramatic biological differences. 

Some of the world's leading linguists argue that human languages are connected by a shared "universal grammar." And now some, including perhaps the most well-known linguist, say they're optimistic that connection could extend to extraterrestrial languages too.

"To put it whimsically, the Martian language might not be so different from human language after all," explained Noam Chomsky and Jeffrey Watumull in a presentation at the International Space Development Conference (ISDC) in Los Angeles on Saturday.

Chomsky is a noted author on both linguistics and global politics and is often referred to as the "father of modern linguistics" who pioneered the notion of a universal grammar. 

"Chomsky has often said that if a Martian visited Earth, it would think we all speak dialects of the same language, because all terrestrial languages share a common underlying structure," said Douglas Vakoch, president of METI (short for Messaging Extra-Terrestrial Intelligence), which organized a daylong Language in the Cosmos workshop at ISDC. "But if aliens have language, would it be similar to ours? That's the big question."   Linguists Bridget Samuels from the University of Southern California and Jeffrey Punske from Southern Illinois University also argued in a separate presentation at the workshop that some universal factors underlying language might be able to bridge big gaps in alien biology and environment.

"The whole universe is subject to the same laws of physics. For example, there are not that many ways a signal can be transmitted, particularly over large distances," they explained to me in an email. "Also, we can expect that extraterrestrial languages ... have a vocabulary consisting of building blocks of meaning that can be combined to create more complex meanings."

The notion here is that there are aspects of the universe that are, well, universal. While hypothetical aliens may have evolved very differently from us on very different worlds, all species -- and by extension all languages -- must spring forth from essentially the same elemental soup. 

"While the possibility of human contact with extraterrestrials seems remote, and the possibility of communicating successfully with them seems even more remote, the laws of physics, information theory, logic, and mathematics could provide some common ground to start from," said Samuels and Punske.

METI is trying to work out which type of message could be most understandable to extraterrestrials. The notion that a universal grammar connecting human languages could also underlie alien dialects changes things.

"That's a radical shift for SETI scientists, who have scoffed at the idea of creating interstellar messages inspired by natural languages," said Vakoch. 

In the past, messages sent into space have typically been encoded in principles of math and science rather than language. More recently, we've sent music:

Still, the notion of universal grammar applying to the whole universe is not accepted by everyone interested in the search for extraterrestrial intelligence.

Also at the workshop, Professor Emeritus Gonzalo Munevar from Lawrence Technological University presented his argument that there's more reason for pessimism when it comes to communicating with ET. He argues there are plenty of examples on Earth of different species evolving different brains that work in very different ways.

Luna moths can see ultraviolet light, some snakes can see heat and certain fish perceive electric fields, just for starters. 

"An intelligent creature whose main sensory modality is electric rather than visual would have patterns of thought completely foreign to us," he explained, adding there's "no reason to expect similar scientific languages or math" to emerge on distant exoplanets.

Whether or not there's any hope that aliens could ever understand the messages we send into space, Vakoch and METI aren't about to stop trying. Beyond the obvious language barrier, Vakoch says another challenge is the time required to send and receive messages across interstellar space. A two-way conversation between Earth and the nearest planet beyond our solar system, Proxima Centauri, would require eight years just for us to send out a "hello" and receive a response.

Unfortunately, the latest research suggests Proxima Centauri sends sterilizing flares in the direction of its lone Earth-like planet. METI has already targeted a message to another nearby world, but a response wouldn't arrive until 2042 at the earliest.

"The greatest shift of mindset that we need to succeed in a two-way conversation with ET is to think in multigenerational terms," Vakoch said. "The scientists who start an experiment in active SETI today will probably not be around when any responses get back to Earth."

Crowd Control: A crowdsourced science fiction novel written by CNET readers.

Solving for XX: The tech industry seeks to overcome outdated ideas about "women in tech."

{ https://www.cnet.com/ }

27-05-2018 om 19:23 geschreven door peter  

Decoding Alien Messages Could Be the Biggest Citizen-Science Project Ever

27-05-2018 om 19:04 geschreven door peter  

Are aliens real? From Roswell to fossils - dramatic evidence from some of the biggest UFO mysteries point to only one conclusion

From the Roswell conspiracy to mysterious signals from outer space - are we alone in the universe? We take a look at the theories on Alien Day

By Jeff Parsons Tech/Science Reporter

Humans have been trying to find out whether or not we're alone in the universe for centuries.

Aboard the Voyager 1 space probe - which has travelled further than any other man-made object - is a golden disc containing information about humans and the cultures of our planet.

As well as sending out potential communications to other worlds, many people have reported evidence of aliens here on Earth.

Recently, the mummified remains of what was believed to be an alien proved to be a small child.

The skeleton measured just six inches in height, and was found 15 years ago in Chile. UFO experts were convinced the mummified skeleton was extraterrestrial in origin, and a documentary suggested it was an alien.

Following five years of research, scientists concluded that the figure, nicknamed Ata, was actually a baby girl.

Even though Ata turned out to be a story of human tragedy rather than of alien visitors, there are plenty of other mysterious sightings that have yet to be explained.

Evidence of aliens on Earth - Roswell, New Mexico

In July 1947 Sheriff Jess Slaughter and Deputy Sheriff Charles Fogus were travelling together to pick up a prisoner when they heard on their police radio reports of a crashed aircraft.

The two men, who were travelling to Roswell, New Mexico, decided to investigate and stumbled across the scene of one of the most famous UFO incidents in history.

While the US military have long claimed the crashed object was merely a weather balloon, conspiracy theorists believe the site was the scene of at least one alien aircraft crash and the recovery of extraterrestrials.

In a new book, UFOs TODAY – 70 Years of Lies, Misinformation and Government Cover-Up, law enforcement officer Fogus reveals he saw a downed flying saucer and military personnel removing a number of alien bodies from the scene.

It is the first time his statement has been published.

In the interview he says he say a flying saucer crashed into the side of a river bed which was "100ft across".

Describing the scene he said: "When we got there, the land was covered with soldiers. They were hauling a big, a creature.

"The bodies must have been 5 feet tall.

"I saw the legs and feet on some of them. They looked like our feet.

"The skin was a brownish color…. Like they were in the sun too long.

"There were soldiers there….about 3 or 4 hundred of them.

"We seen them haul them (the bodies) out there, out of the canyon up to the trucks….puttin them on the tow trucks so they could haul them."

The story of the discovery at Roswell has become legend - and remained one of the most compelling conspiracy theories about the existence of alien visitors to Earth.

Evidence of aliens on Mars - trace fossils

Thanks to satellite imagery and on-site photography captured by the NASA rovers on the planet's surface, there have been many claims that aliens once inhabited Mars.

One of the most striking is the idea that fossilised remains of aliens have been preserved on the dusty surface of the red planet.

A series of pictures taken by the space agency's Curiosity rover have given rise to the idea, after researchers found what looks like fossils among the rocks.

Barry DiGregorio, a research fellow at the University of Buckingham, believes these photos (taken on January 2, 2018) reveal "trace fossils" on the surface of Mars.

"They look remarkably similar to Ordovician trace fossils I have studied and photographed here on Earth," he said.

"If not trace fossils, what other geological explanations will NASA come up with?"

NASA described the formations as "stick-like figures" with each one "about a quarter-inch long".

The space agency used the Mars Hand Lens Imager (MAHLI) camera on board the Curiosity rover to take the close-up pictures of the patterns.

Trace fossils are the name given to remains of things left behind by creatures such as dead remains, footprints or burrows.

Evidence of aliens in space - the 'Wow' signal and FSBs

Some of the biggest evidence of alien life comes through signals we intercept originating from distant corners of the galaxy.

Often, these are known as "fast radio bursts" or FSBs for short.

Back in 1977, astronomer Jerry Ehman received such a strong radio signal coming in from the heavens, he wrote the word "wow!" next to his results.

The burst of activity lasted 72 seconds and - although it came from the Sagittarius constellation - it matched no known celestial object.

It's gone on to become a conspiracy theory favourite as proof of advanced alien life trying to communicate with us.

But now Professor Antonio Paris from the St Petersburg College in Florida believes he's solved the mystery.

"I have always been fascinated with astronomy, space and - more importantly - whether there is life in the universe," he told the Sunday Times .

"After 40 years, the Wow signal was a cold case I wanted to reopen.

According to Professor Paris, the signal came from the hydrogen cloud created by two comets as they passed by Earth.

Using celestial records, he found that these two comets were passing by our planet on August 15, 1977 - the day the "Wow!" signal was recorded. Of course, at the time, there was no knowledge that these comets even existed.

Even without the "Wow" signal, scientists have been intercepting strange FSBs for years.

Some have been detected from an object called FRB 121102 and now a new study has found that the object is nearly 100 per cent polarised.

This polarisation suggests that the source of the bursts lies within a strong magnetic field, such as around a massive black hole - and could belong to aliens.

The findings were made by the Breakthrough Listen team at the University of California, Berkley, as well as another team of astronomers from the Netherlands.

What do most people think about aliens?

Nearly half of humans believe that intelligent extra-terrestrial life exists elsewhere in the universe, according to a study that asked 26,000 people across 24 countries.

When they were asked if they believed in the "existence of intelligent alien civilisations in the universe," 47% of the survey respondents said yes.

However, when those taking the survey were asked if they believed in "some form of life on other planets," 61% said yes.

Among those who reckon we aren't alone, 60% said we should try and communicate with aliens - something that is actually being attempted at the non profit Search for extra-terrestrial intelligence (SETI) Institute.

Martijn Lampert, research director at Glocalities , which carried out the survey, commented: "People who believe in the existence of intelligent alien civilizations are not a marginal minority, but constitute a large (47%) and distinct segment of unconventional and anti-authoritarian thinkers with a passion for science, technology, culture, politics and the arts."

Only a quarter of respondents said they didn't believe that alien life exists beyond Earth's borders.

Are aliens real?

We may not have come into contact with them yet, but it seems certain that some form of live exists beyond our planet.

Whether that live is micro bacterial or intelligent in its own right remains to be seen.

What's for sure is that human beings won't stop trying to reach out and communicate with any other species that might be listening. The truth is out there.

{ https://www.mirror.co.uk/ }

27-05-2018 om 18:53 geschreven door peter  

Three chances for humanity to find life outside the Earth

Since the first people sent their views to the sky, to planets, stars and galaxies outside our native world, our imagination filled the possibility of finding extraterrestrial life. However, when we approach this issue from a scientific point of view, we still do not have the first convincing confirmation of life outside the Earth. The complex, diverse forms of life that we see on Earth are the result of more than four billion years of evolution, but in space, the ingredients for life are very often. We began to find organic molecules throughout our solar system, interstellar space and even other stars. How long will it take before we receive confirmation of the existence of something living beyond the Earth? Today we search through four main methods. Which one will justify itself first – nobody knows this yet.

To have a life, you need the fundamental ingredients that are necessary for life processes: raw materials from the periodic table. To do this, it is necessary that lived and died several generations of stars that have overtaken their nuclear fuel. We found stars with solid planets at their side, which are seven billion years older than Earth and have all the elements necessary for life. We found planets of terrestrial type in potentially inhabited zones of other stars throughout the galaxy. We found organic molecules, from sugars and amino acids to ethyl formate, which gives raspberry its smell, everywhere, from asteroids and young stars to protoplanetary disks and molecular gas clouds.

In general, we believe that in our Milky Way galaxy there are more than a trillion (1012) planets, and hence chances for life. But between the planets with the ingredients and the real, good life of extraterrestrials there is a huge difference. We do not know yet whether there are any other examples of life in the universe other than those we saw on Earth. Although scientists strongly suspect that if all the same ingredients and identical laws of nature exist throughout the universe, the uniqueness of life on Earth is extremely unlikely, we have no right to draw such a conclusion without foundation. In fact, we do not even know the answer to the question: how did we come from living things to the living?

Our existence proves that this is possible. We can assume that if life appears anywhere in the universe, it can reach three different levels:

– Life begins on the planet, but can not exist, prosper or change
– Life is thriving, held and preserved for billions of years, making significant changes in the properties of the surface of the world on which it lives
– Life becomes intelligent, technologically advanced and either tries to communicate with the cosmos, or to subdue it, or both

Obviously, more advanced opportunities are more pleasing to us and excite the mind, but they are less likely. However, sometimes the rarest things are easiest to find, because they will stand out against the background of everything else. Here are a few different methods that we can use to search for a variety of life forms. Three chances for humanity to find life outside the Earth.

Search in the Solar System

Although life has flourished on Earth for billions of years, other worlds seem to lack such splendor. If there is life on them, it must have hung in a primitive state. Mars and Venus had a moist, warm past, like the Earth, but today Mars is cold and deserted, and Venus is poisonous and hot. The meteorites that fall to Earth contain not only the amino acids necessary for life processes, but also many other elements not related to biological processes on Earth. The moons like Europe and Enceladus have subsurface oceans with liquid water, in which there may be hydrothermal vents. At the bottom of the oceans of the Earth they are usually associated with life.

Although we have not found any evidence of the existence of living beings, past or present, on another world, the possibility of such an indescribable excitement. On Mars there are sedimentary rocks formed by the water past; will we find fossils when we dare to unearth them? On Europe and Enceladus there can be entire oceans open for research; will we find germs or something better in their waters? There is even the assumption that diatoms, examples of primitive forms of life that are found in fragments of meteorites, can have extraterrestrial origin. This is the least developed form of life from all that we can imagine, but at our disposal there are many worlds that we can physically get, visit, measure. If a primitive, simple life is everywhere, a thorough exploration of our solar system will reveal this to us.

Search on other exoplanets

Over the past 25 years, the field of exoplanetary science has given scientists a whole treasure trove of precious discoveries, thousands of planets in orbits of other stars. Many of these worlds are small, solid and are at the correct distance from their stars, which allows them to admit the presence of atmospheres and liquid water on the surface. We can not find individual microbes or fossils on them directly, because they are outside the solar system, but there are indirect methods that we could use to find life that survived and prospered: the search for changes that bring life into our atmosphere planet.

The Earth is the only known planet with such a ratio of molecular oxygen: 21% of our atmosphere is O2. Why did this happen? Life had billions of years to feed the atmosphere with its biological waste. We think that oxygen is necessary for life, but in fact, these animals evolved to use this ingredient, to find its use. As our technology improves, we will be able to measure the molecular signatures of exoplanetary atmospheres and perhaps even directly visualize exoplanets in search of clouds, oceans, seasons and continental greens. We have every reason to believe that a stable life on another planet, if we look for it correctly, should appear to us already in this century.

Search for signals of intelligent aliens

Here, on Earth, we had a unicellular life for billions of years, and then multicellular organisms developed. It took 500 million years since the Cambrian explosion, so that a complex, multicellular, well-differentiated life became a reasonable, technologically advanced civilization. People have already started sending signals to the stars and have already reached the point where these signals were to reach the nearest stars. The search for extraterrestrial life with an attempt to communicate with it is a high-risk, but at the same time, effective method of searching for aliens.

In the 1960s, we assumed that aliens would try to communicate using radio waves. It’s been 50 years, and we are not so sure about it. What alien types of signals can exist in nature? How do we decrypt them? How will they transmit or receive interstellar signals? Will they conquer outer space? Will they be able to overcome giant distances? Everything is possible. If the signal – or, better yet, the spacecraft – will fly to Earth, our view of the universe will completely change, just like our place in this universe.

Although at the moment this is just a hypothesis, scientists suggest that life in the universe is probably widespread, and the ingredients and opportunities for its emergence are found almost everywhere. Life that thrives and sustains itself on the planet, and also changes the atmospheric composition, will be less likely. Complex multicellular life will be even more rare. And the birth of a technologically advanced, intelligent civilization will be so incredible that it will not have a second chance. However, whatever the odds, we will continue to look. We do not have many options yet. And no matter which method shoots first, the day of the discovery of another life will be the greatest day in the history of life on Earth.

{ https://www.planet-today.com/ }

27-05-2018 om 17:50 geschreven door peter  

Who Or How Were Earth’s Ancient Structures Built? Ancient Aliens or Forgotten Technology? … Or Both?

{ http://coolsandfools.com/ }

27-05-2018 om 17:40 geschreven door peter  

Forgotten Element Could Redefine Time

27-05-2018 om 17:26 geschreven door peter  

VIDEO. Alan Bean, le quatrième homme à avoir marché sur la Lune, est mort

DECES Il a effectué deux missions dans l'espace, dont Apollo 12 en 1969...

Il avait été précédé par Neil Amstrong, Buzz Aldrin et Pete Conrad. L’astronaute Alan Bean, le quatrième homme à avoir marché sur la Lune, est mort samedi dans le sud des Etats-Unis après être brusquement tombé malade quelques semaines auparavant, a annoncé sa famille dans un communiqué diffusé par la Nasa.

NASA

✔@NASA

We remember Apollo 12 astronaut Alan Bean, who walked on the Moon in 1969, commanded the second Skylab crew in 1973 and went on in retirement to paint the remarkable worlds and sights he had seen like no other artist.

Learn more about his life at https://www.nasa.gov/feature/alan-beanhq ….

21:22 - 26 mai 2018

• 5 279
• 1 821 personnes parlent à ce sujet

Informations sur les Publicités Twitter et confidentialité

Cet ancien pilote d’essai dans la Marine américaine, devenu peintre après avoir quitté en 1981, pour prendre sa retraite, l’agence spatiale américaine, s’est éteint à Houston, au Texas, à l’âge de 86 ans (il est né le 15 mars 1932 à Wheeler, également au Texas).

Voir l'image sur Twitter

Les Amis de la Cité de l'espace@AmisCiteEspace

#Apollo12 Alan Bean, 4ème marcheur lunaire, nous a quitté aujourd'hui.

00:43 - 27 mai 2018

• 9
• Voir les autres Tweets de Les Amis de la Cité de l'espace

Informations sur les Publicités Twitter et confidentialité

« Tout artiste a la Terre, et je suis le premier à avoir aussi la Lune »

Alan Bean s’est aventuré pour la première fois dans l’espace en 1969 pour la mission Apollo 12, à l’occasion de laquelle il a marché sur la Lune. Quatre ans plus tard, il est retourné dans l’espace en tant que commandant du deuxième équipage à se rendre à bord de Skylab, la première station spatiale américaine. C’est alors qu’il établit un nouveau record pour l’époque de durée de vol hors de l’atmosphère, avec plus de 59 jours et 24.400.000 milles (39.268.000 km).

En tout, 24 hommes ont volé vers la Lune, et 12 ont marché sur l’astre. Des quatre premiers hommes qui ont foulé sa surface (missions Apollo 11 et 12), seul Buzz Aldrin est encore en vie.

Techniques Spatiales@TechSpatiales

Alan Bean est mort.
Il a marché sur la Lune dès son 1er vol, puis a volé sur Skylab avant d'être connu pour ses peintures spatiales. C'était un des rares à avoir parlé de la peur qu'il a pu ressentir dans l'espace. Bon voyage.
Il ne reste que 4 "moonwalkers" encore vivant...

20:10 - 26 mai 2018

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• 155 personnes parlent à ce sujet

Informations sur les Publicités Twitter et confidentialité

« Tout artiste a la Terre ou son imagination pour inspirer ses peintures », avait expliqué en 1994 au New York Times celui qui s’était mis à reprendre dans ses œuvres des thèmes liés à la conquête spatiale. Avant d’ajouter : « J’ai la Terre et mon imagination, et je suis le premier à avoir aussi la Lune ».

{ https://www.20minutes.fr/ }

27-05-2018 om 17:14 geschreven door peter  

Found in Jupiter's orbit, the rock travels around the sun in reverse from the planets

BY EMILY CONOVER 

 

NOT LIKE THE OTHERS  Many asteroids share Jupiter’s orbit (illustrated, not to scale). Most asteroids travel in the same direction around the sun as the planet. But there’s one moving in reverse, which could indicate it came from outside the solar system.

JPL-CALTECH/NASA

An asteroid that flouts the norms of the solar system might not be from around here.

The renegade asteroid travels around the sun in reverse — in the opposite direction of the planets and most other asteroids (SN: 5/13/17, p. 5). Now two scientists suggest that’s because the space rock originated from outside the solar system, according to a paper published May 21 in Monthly Notices of the Royal Astronomical Society Letters.

Astronomers Fathi Namouni of the Côte d’Azur Observatory in Nice, France, and Helena Morais of Universidade Estadual Paulista in Rio Claro, Brazil, used computer simulations to show that the asteroid, which shares its orbit with Jupiter, could have been traveling in reverse ever since the solar system’s youth. Because asteroids in the infant solar system formed from one swirling cloud, they should have all been traveling in the same direction. So the best explanation, the duo suggests, is that the rock, known as 2015 BZ₅₀₉, migrated here from another star’s planetary system.

ON THE MOVE The asteroid 2015 BZ509 (circled), which orbits the sun in reverse, is shown surrounded by stars (larger black spots) in two sets of images taken by the Large Binocular Telescope near Safford, Ariz.

C. VEILLET/LARGE BINOCULAR TELESCOPE OBSERVATORY

In 2017 astronomers spotted the first interstellar asteroid, dubbed ‘Oumuamua, which cruised through the solar system and back out again (SN Online: 12/1/17). Asteroid 2015 BZ₅₀₉, however, appears to be a long-term inhabitant.

“It’s certainly an interesting possibility,” says astronomer Martin Connors of Athabasca University in Canada. But, he says, the study doesn’t nail down whether the asteroid actually came from outside the solar system.

Such asteroids are faint and hard to get information from, Connors says. “There isn’t really a blazing sign saying, ‘Hey, I’m not from here.’ ”

Citations

• F. Namouni and M.H.M. Morais. An interstellar origin for Jupiter's retrograde co-orbital asteroid. Monthly Notices of the Royal Astronomical Society Letters. Published online May 21, 2018. doi:10.1093/mnrasl/sly057.

Further Reading

• E. Conover. Asteroid in Jupiter's orbit goes its own way. Science News. Vol. 191, May 13, 2017, p. 5.
• E. Conover. Our first interstellar visitor may be a camouflaged comet. Science News Online, December 18, 2017.
• L. Grossman. We still don’t know where the first interstellar asteroid came from. Science News Online, December 1, 2017.
• L. Grossman. An interstellar asteroid might have just been spotted for the first time. Science News. Vol. 192, November 25, 2017, p. 14.

{ https://www.sciencenews.org/ }

27-05-2018 om 17:00 geschreven door peter  

A new study concludes that a large, as-yet-unknown Planet Nine – an estimated 4 times the size of Earth and 10 times its mass – is influencing the behavior of an oddball object in the outer solar system.

Diagram depicting the orbit of 2015 BP519 (Caju), which has the highest inclination of any extreme trans-Neptunian object discovered to date. Its unusual perpendicular orbit may be evidence for Planet Nine.

Image via Phys.Org.

Is there a ninth major planet lurking in the outer reaches of our solar system? This question has become one of the most hotly debated in planetary science. The idea of a large, unknown Planet Nine residing so far from the sun that it hasn’t yet been discovered is certainly tantalizing. So far, there’ve been hints as to its existence, but no confirmation yet. We might be getting closer to finding it, however. Last week, an international team of researchers presented additional evidence, detailed in a new study, suggesting that Planet Nine is influencing the behavior of an oddball object – 2015 BP519 (aka Caju) – in the outer solar system.

Astronomers at Caltech had previously calculated the likely existence of a large ninth planet (sorry, Pluto) in the outer fringes of the solar system, based on the orbits of smaller icy objects. Their orbits were being perturbed by the gravitational influence of … something.

According to the astronomers’ calculations, the as-yet-undiscovered planet should be about four times the size of Earth and 10 times its mass. That would make it similar to super-Earth exoplanets found orbiting other stars. And that would be interesting, since many super-Earths have now been discovered, although there were none to be seen in our own solar system. But maybe there is one after all, so far from the sun that it has remained hidden.

Such a discovery would be very exciting, since super-Earths are larger than Earth but smaller than Uranus or Neptune, different from anything else in our solar system. If a large Planet Nine is there, it is very far away, much farther than Pluto. If it exists, it likely takes about 10,000 to 20,000 years to complete one orbit around the sun.

Planet Nine may be a super-Earth, a type of exoplanet found orbiting many stars. They are rocky and larger than Earth, but smaller than Uranus or Neptune.

Image via NASA/JPL.

Astronomers first discovered 2015 BP519 (Caju) three years ago. It is a trans-Neptunian object (TNO), which, generally speaking, are minor planets orbiting the sun beyond the orbit of Neptune. Caju is one of only a dozen or so known objects that are categorized as extreme trans-Neptunian objects (ETNOs). Such objects have a semi-major axis greater than 150 astronomical units (AU) and a perihelion – closest point to the sun – greater than 30 AU. Caju’s estimated diameter is 248-434 miles (400-700 km), making it a potential dwarf planet. So it is a very interesting object.

What’s more, since its discovery, further analysis has shown that Caju has an unusual orbit, which lies almost perpendicular to all the known planets. In fact, Caju has the highest inclination of any TNO discovered so far.

Amazingly, just such an object had been predicted by computer models performed by the team searching for Planet Nine. Caltech astronomer Mike Brown, who wasn’t part of the new study, but who is active in Planet Nine research, told PopSci.com on May 22, 2018:

I’m pretty excited about the new object. It is the predicted link between the very distant elongated orbits that we’ve known about and the much closer tilted orbits that we’ve seen.

Thus Caju adds to a growing body of evidence for the elusive Planet Nine, which – if really there – still remains out of sight for astronomers. Astronomer Konstantin Batygin – who, along with Brown, first gave Planet Nine a name, size and distance – told Space.com on May 21 that, as of October 2017, there were at least five lines of evidence pointing to Planet Nine’s existence. Earlier, in 2017, astronomers had found evidence that 22 other TNOs seemed to have their orbits perturbed by another large unseen planet. Batygin said:

If you were to remove this explanation and imagine Planet Nine does not exist, then you generate more problems than you solve. All of a sudden, you have five different puzzles, and you must come up with five different theories to explain them.

Illustration showing the hypothesized orbit of Planet Nine along with the known orbits of several TNOs.

Image via R. Hurt/JPL-Caltech.

Bottom line: While Planet Nine still hasn’t been confirmed, the evidence is growing that just maybe, an as-yet-unseen large planet does indeed prowl the desolate outer fringes of our solar system.

• Source: Discovery and Dynamical Analysis of an Extreme Trans-Neptunian Object with a High Orbital Inclination
• Via Phys.org

{ http://earthsky.org/ }

27-05-2018 om 16:46 geschreven door peter  

US Intelligence Indirectly Confirms Existence of Russia's Hypersonic Weapons

The sources, speaking to CNBC on condition of anonymity, reported that Russia tested a nuclear-capable hypersonic glide vehicle (presumably the Avangard) twice in 2016, and again in 2017. The 2017 test was a failure, according to the sources. A fourth test is expected sometime this summer.

Citing an intelligence report, a source said the hypersonic glider's testing involved mounting it to an RS-18A intercontinental ballistic missile (NATO reporting name SS-19).

US intelligence says the vehicle is highly maneuverable, and thus unpredictable and hard to track. It is also fitted with onboard countermeasures, which no existing US missile-defense system can defeat. Furthermore, although it can carry a warhead, it is believed that the force of the glider's impact, as well as its precision, may be enough to destroy targets.

© SPUTNIK / DENIS ABRAMOV

Russian Vessels Armed With Kalibr Missiles Will Be on Guard in Mediterranean 24/7 Due to Terrorists Threat in Syria - Putin

The intelligence reports, allegedly created this past spring, calculate that the Avangard will likely be operational by 2020, according to CNBC's sources.

The news site doesn't specify whether the reports were released before or after President Putin's unveiling of of cutting-edge new Russian missile systems in a speech to lawmakers on March 1. Putin confirmed the existence of a hypersonic glider, dubbed the Avangard, as well as the Kinzhal air-launched hypersonic missile, an unnamed nuclear-powered cruise missile, and an unnamed sub-launched nuclear-powered submersible drone.

Putin said these systems, which are nearly operational, were aimed at guaranteeing Russian security amid the US withdrawal from the ABM Treaty, and NATO's continual expansion along Russia's western borders. The Kinzhal hypersonic missile appeared at the 2018 Victory Day parade in Moscow.

In late March, Strategic Command commander Gen. John Hyten told Congress that there was nothing in the Pentagon's arsenal capable of stopping Russia's new hypersonic weapons. Hyten confirmed that the United States was watching both Russia and China's hypersonic capabilities closely.

© SPUTNIK / GRIGORY SYSOYEV

Highlights of the 2018 Victory Day Parade in Moscow (PHOTO, VIDEO)

{ https://sputniknews.com/ }

27-05-2018 om 16:25 geschreven door peter  

Zealous Ufologist Says Extraterrestrials are Sabotaging Nukes to Stop Apocalypse

A ufologist, who preferred to remain anonymous, took to the website Alien Revelations to claim that aliens are seeking to stop humans from using nuclear weapons, “because we simply cannot be trusted with such massive power.”

• READ MORE: Beware ‘Demonic' Aliens: UFO Probes in US, UK Hampered by Religious Fears

The author recalled former US Air Force Lieutenant Bob Jacobs’ interview on the Larry King show a few years ago when he claimed that his superiors had warned him to remain silent about having seen a UFO at the Vandenberg Air Force Base.

CC0

Pentagon Reportedly Admits UFO Encounter With US Navy

{ https://sputniknews.com/ }

27-05-2018 om 16:19 geschreven door peter  

27-05-2018 om 16:10 geschreven door peter  

One of the biggest stories in UFO research over the last year has been the revelation that the Pentagon has recently been funding recent research in anomalous aerial phenomena to the tune of $22 million a year. Claims of government involvement in UFO research are nothing new in ufology circles, but the scope of the publicly-acknowledged program and the accompanying allegedly declassified videos of military vehicles tracking strange, incredibly agile objects in the sky were enough to make some skeptics wonder if indeed the government might know a lot more about unidentified aerial phenomena than they let on.

The U.S. government’s interest might not just stop at aerial phenomena, however. A new trove of documents obtained by KLAS-TV in Las Vegas seem to reveal that the Defense Intelligence Agency (DIA) has conducted extensive research in fringe science, touching upon phenomena usually only discussed in paranormal circles. The report, titled “Warp Drive, Dark Energy, and the Manipulation of Extra Dimensions,” seems to indicate that the defense industry might indeed have a keen interest in the higher mysterious of our physical reality itself. Does their interest stop at theoretical research, or could the U.S. military actually be manipulating the fabric of space time?

Probably not yet, especially given recent tests of the supposed EM Drive warp engine. The report does seem to suggest that the DIA’s interest in these topics all center around the explore reach far corners of interstellar space:

The idea that а sufficiently advanced technology may interact with, and acquire direct control over, the higher dimensions is а tantalizing possibility, and one that is most certainly worthy of deeper iпvestigation. Control of this higher dimeпsional space may bе а source of technological control оvег the dark energy density and could ultimately play а role in the development of exotic pгopulsion technologies; specifically, а warp drive.

Exactly why the DIA is interested in space travel is unknown. The report ultimately doesn’t reveal any black budget secret research projects into space-time-bending technologies, but does suggest that the military-industrial complex is tantalized by several current developments in quantum physics:

Of course, this may not bе actualized until many years in the future, but consider the many spectacular physical phenomena that are believed to bе true at this early point in the 21st century. One also believes that the universe may not consist of the three spatial dimension of length, breadth, width, and one of time, but that, in fact, there mау bе as many as seven additional compactified dimensions assuming the topology of а Calabi-Yau manifold, апd that the fundamental building blocks of the universe are, in fact, extended string-like entities.

In science fiction, it’s often the military who accidentally opens a dimensional rift in an attempt to travel to a far away star system, allowing untold horrors to pour through into our plane. Does this report such an incident might be in our near future? While it might sound fantastic, the report concludes with the sentiment that “it seems entirely possible that the creative minds of the future may indeed find ways to accomplish what, to us, may seem like magic.” Make your peace with the Great Old Ones now before it’s too late. Ph’nglui mglw’nafh Cthulhu R’lyeh wgah’nagl fhtagn.

{ http://mysteriousuniverse.org/ }

27-05-2018 om 15:58 geschreven door peter  

Just recently I wrote an article titled “A factual object of very unusual nature.” It served to demonstrate that, contrary to what some have said, the U.S. Freedom of Information Act has led to the release of genuinely intriguing UFO reports. It’s certainly not the case that all the “good” reports remain hidden behind closed doors. Yes, many probably do remain classified. But, that does not take away the fact that there are some fascinating, once-classified, files on UFOs in the public domain. Today, I’m focusing on some of the files that the British Government declassified back in the 1980s. They too demonstrate – to an amazing degree – that at times government agencies are prepared to reveal to us accounts of a very extraordinary type.

In September 1952, a notable UFO encounter occurred at Royal Air Force Topcliffe, a military base in Yorkshire, England. One of the witnesses, Flight Lieutenant John Kilburn, said of the incident: “Sir, I have the honor to report the following incident which I witnessed on Friday, 19th September, 1952. I was standing with four other aircrew personnel of No. 269 Squadron watching a Meteor fighter gradually descending. The Meteor was at approximately 5000 feet and approaching from the east. [Flight Officer R.N.] Paris suddenly noticed a white object in the sky at a height between ten and twenty thousand feet some five miles astern of the Meteor.”

Raptors

“The object was silver in color and circular in shape, it appeared to be traveling at a much slower speed than the Meteor but was on a similar course. It maintained the slow forward speed for a few seconds before commencing to descend, swinging in a pendular motion during descent similar to a falling sycamore leaf…After a few seconds, the object stopped its pendulous motion and its descent and began to rotate about its own axis.

“Suddenly it accelerated at an incredible speed towards the west turning onto a south-easterly heading before disappearing. All this occurred in a matter of fifteen to twenty seconds. The movements of the object were not identifiable with anything I have seen in the air and the rate of acceleration was unbelievable.”

Five years later, specifically on March 26, 1957, there was yet another amazing encounter. And again the U.K. Government handed over the files to ufologists – and with not a hassle in sight. The document states in part: “A report was received from Royal Air Force Church Lawford on 26th March, 1957 of a sighting of an unusual nature. The object moved at a speed timed at exceeding 1400mph. This in itself was unusual as the object had accelerated to this speed from a stationary position. No explanation has yet been found for this sighting but a supplementary report, including a copy of the radar plot, was requested and has been received from Church Lawford this afternoon.”

A little more than a week later, there was yet another incredible encounter. April 4, 1957 was the date on which an extraordinary wave of UFO activity occurred in Scotland, much of it involving the staff of a military facility called Royal Air Force West Freugh. Nothing less than a squadron of huge, unknown aircraft were recorded flying in the U.K.’s airspace. The Air Ministry ruled out a convention explanation. Instead, as the now-declassified files show, the Air Ministry was of the opinion that…

Typhoon FGR4

“It is deduced from these reports that altogether five objects were detected by the three radars. Nothing can be said of physical construction except that they must have been either of considerable size or else constructed to be especially good reflectors. There were not known to be any aircraft in the vicinity nor were there any meteorological balloons. Even if balloons had been in the area these would not account for the sudden change of direction and the movement at high speed against the prevailing wind.The incident was due to the presence of five reflecting objects of unknown type and origin. It is considered unlikely that they were conventional aircraft, meteorological balloons or charged clouds.”

Of course, this is an extraordinary revelation. And when the files were declassified back in the late 1980s, more than a few U.K. ufologists were surprised by the government’s decision to release them, particularly given the fact that their content practically screamed out that UFOs were real.

If anyone ever tells you that governments always hold back all the “good stuff,” you can tell them they’re wrong.

{ http://mysteriousuniverse.org/ }

27-05-2018 om 15:57 geschreven door peter  

Skywatcher Films Rare Red Sprites In The Sky Above Oklahoma

Paul Smith captured images of a rare sky phenomenon called red sprites in Oklahoma, on May 24, 2018 and states: "Lots of TLEs from Oklahoma tonight and his one stands out as my best to date. 12.55am/6:55 UTC 5/24/2018 looking WNW from north Edmond, Oklahoma. It even has the blue/purple ends on the tendrils."

Credit image: Paul Smith.

Paul finds it very curious that TLEs were only first documented relatively recently - red sprites in particular, once considered rare, are now being recorded with increasing regularity.

And as storms passed by to the NW, Paul recorded another sprite lightning event up close in all it's glory. The clip really illustrates the electrical connection of the phenomena- how it flickers looks very electrical in nature to me. First is real time then slowed down 10 times.

Credit image: Paul Smith.

'TLE' stands for Transient Luminous Event, which includes upper-atmosphere electric phenomena known as sprites, jets and ELVES. These high-altitude discharges were once considered to 'possibly occur' because pilots reported seeing them, but meteorologists discounted the idea until 1989 when the first visual documentation was made in support of the claims.

Clearly, great changes are occurring on our planet. And not just on our planet.

  

{ http://ufosightingshotspot.blogspot.be/ }

27-05-2018 om 15:20 geschreven door peter  

Vesta: Facts About the Brightest Asteroid

27-05-2018 om 01:40 geschreven door peter  

The green flash image at the top of this post was taken by Jim Grant, an EarthSky friend on Facebook. He captured it off the coast of Ocean Beach, California, and identified it a mock mirage green flash.

It’s not hard to see a green flash with the eye alone, when sky conditions are right, and when you’re looking toward a very clear and very distant horizon. That’s why those who live near an ocean tend to report green flashes most often. A sea horizon is the best place to see them.

The video below, posted to EarthSky by Vladek in 2016, is an excellent example of the experience of seeing a green flash:

Most people see green flashes just at sunset, at the last moment before the sun disappears below the horizon. Be careful and don’t look too soon. If you do look too soon, the light of the sunset will dazzle (or damage) your eyes, and you’ll miss your green flash chance that day.

But if you wait – looking away until just the thinnest rim of the sun appears above the horizon – that day’s green flash could be yours.

Of course, the green flash can be seen before sunrise, too, although it’s harder at that time of day to know precisely when to look.

Mock mirage and green flash seen from San Francisco in 2006. Image via Brocken Inaglory/Wikimedia Commons.

There are many different types of green flash. Some describe a streak or ray of the color green … like a green flame shooting up from the sunrise or sunset horizon.

The most common green flash, though – the one most people describe – is a flash of the color green seen when the sun is nearly entirely below the horizon.

Again … you need a distant horizon to see any of these phenomena, and you need a distinct edge to the horizon. That’s why these green flashes, streaks, and rays are most often seen over the ocean. But you can see them over land, too, if your horizon is far enough away.

Pollution or haze on the horizon will hide this instantaneous flash of the color green.

Jim Grant photographed this green flash on April 27, 2012, off the coast of San Diego.

If you’re interested in green flashes, Andrew Young’s green flash page is great. He also has a page of links to pictures of green flashes taken by people from around the globe.

And, of course, Les Cowley at the great website Atmospheric Optics devotes many pages to the green flash phenomenon. Notice the menu bar at the left side of the page; it’ll let you explore many different types of green flashes.

Green flash atop sun pyramid via astrophotographer Colin Legg in Australia.

Bottom line: The green flash is legendary, and some people have told us they thought it was a myth, like a unicorn or a pot of gold at the end of a rainbow. But green flashes are very real. You need a distant and exceedingly clear horizon to see them at the last moment before the sun disappears below the horizon at sunset.

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Can you see a green flash? More tips, plus more pictures

{ http://earthsky.org/ }

27-05-2018 om 01:15 geschreven door peter  

Here's What We Know About Russia's Hypersonic Waverider Weapon

27-05-2018 om 01:02 geschreven door peter  

Le mystère de Gemini 4 et de son Ovni crash en photos

Rédigé par internaaze et publié depuis Overblog

27-05-2018 om 00:49 geschreven door peter