Mysterious white UFO is filmed hovering over Area 51 by hikers who also capture a giant new aircraft hangar, as military helicopters patrol and jets land

• YouTuber Adventures with Christian filmed secret base Area 51 in Nevada, US
• He scaled to the top of Tikaboo Peak to see the mysterious US Air Base 
• At one point a mysterious floating white object can be seen above a hangar 

By EMER SCULLY FOR MAILONLINE

An unidentified flying object has been filmed from a mountain overlooking top secret US air base Area 51.

Hikers scaled Tikaboo Peak in Navada to overlook the secretive base which is thought to be where the latest aircraft technology is tested. 

Speculators claim the mysterious US Air Base has been closed down - but YouTuber Adventures with Christian captured helicopters, trucks and planes there.

And 11 minutes in to his 22-minute video a strange floating white UFO can be seen close to a plane entering a hangar - though it is unlikely to be alien activity.

A huge new hangar can also been seen. The largest change to the base in almost ten years, the hangar is 210 feet wide by 250 feet long and very high.

YouTuber Adventures with Christian captured the video of Area 51 from the summit of Pikaboo Peak in Nevada

One of the HH-60 Pave Hawk helicopters, that provides security for Area 51, is also captured flying along the edge of another mountain between Tikaboo Peak and the base itself. 

As Christian, who climbed the mountain with his son Sean, edits the video he points out a plane going in to an aircraft hangar.

Just seconds later he says 'just saying but that flipping thing is weird. Go back and check it out better' as he places a circle around an object to the left of the hangar. 

A white disc appears to hover above the space to the left of to the aircraft hangar as the plane makes its way through the structure before emerging out the other side. 

The image is blurry and it is difficult to tell what the white object is and whether it is actually hovering.

Another jet is then filmed travelling the opposite way along a runway as Christian says: 'This is very exciting for me.'

Christian even captures a Janet plane -- used to ferry workers between a special section of McCarran International Airport in Las Vegas and the base at Groom Lake

Located on the end of the main runway the new hangar, built in 2014, allows quick access to the skies

And, despite a few issues with a shaky camera, Christian captures trucks moving around and even pans the camera to show other buildings and runways

In another hour long video Christian documents his climb up the mountain and explains his use of rocks and tape to remember his route back.

Christian and his son Sean are forced to scale the peak as snow falls down on top of them. And by the time they reach the summit thick clouds block any view.

But fast moving winds drag the clouds away and the sky clears up enough for the father son duo to see the air base clearly.

Some 126 miles away from Las Vegas, Area 51 is just 26 miles away from where the footage was filmed at the Tikaboo Peak

A huge new hangar can also been seen to the far left of the image. The largest change to the base in almost ten years, the hangar is 210 feet wide by 250 feet long and very high

The base was created in April 1955 by the Central Intelligence Agency (CIA) to develop reconnaissance aircraft

One of the HH-60 Pave Hawk helicopters, that provides security for Area 51, is captured flying along the edge of the mountain between Tikaboo Peak and the base itself

And, despite a few issues with a shaky camera, Christian captures trucks moving around and even pans the camera to show other buildings and runways. 

During his time at the mountain peak Christian also captures a Janet plane -- used to ferry workers between a special section of McCarran International Airport in Las Vegas and the base at Groom Lake. 

The base was created in April 1955 by the Central Intelligence Agency (CIA) to develop reconnaissance aircraft. 

But the US government did not admit to its existence until June 2013 - in a response to a 2005 Freedom of Information request. 

The airfield on Groom Lake was first in operation during the Second World War when, in 1942, it was used as Indian Springs Air Force's Auxiliary Field.

It began as two unpaved 5000-foot runways.  

The development of aircraft within Area 51 led to an increased number of reports of UFO sightings as jets began to fly higher than they had in the 1950s

The airfield on Groom Lake was first in operation during the Second World War when, in 1942, it was used as Indian Springs Air Force's Auxiliary Field

Though clouded in secrecy the base is thought to still develop CIA high-altitude spy plane technology. 

Although conspiracy theorists have claimed it is where alien spaceships are taken if they crash land on earth. 

The development of aircraft within Area 51 led to an increased number of reports of UFO sightings as jets began to fly higher than they had in the 1950s. 

While commerical jets flew at 20,000 feet, and military jets at 40,000 feet, Lockheed U-2 aircraft flew at 60,000 feet.

And when their wings caught the reflection of the sun more people reported UFO sightings to the government. The sightings could be explained but the secrecy of the U-2 project meant those who reported seeing UFOs were never told. 

Speculation claims the mysterious US Air Base has been closed down - but YouTuber Adventures with Christian captures helicopters, trucks and planes there

Christian often explores the Nevada Test and Training Range (NTTR) and also climbed Mount Tikaboo last year to see the site. 

His video shows a weather station installed near Tikaboo's summit that may also serve as remote surveillance.

It is thought cameras capture any observers on the peak who might see clandestine flight test operations.

And when they are seen it has been claimed operations may be postponed to avoid prying eyes getting a glimpse in to CIA projects.

Despite seeing runways and hangars many of Area 51's operations are thought to occur underground - although a hidden railway system has been denied

Christian said: 'Area 51 from Tikaboo Peak the base is very active. A great look into Area 51 just as the snow stopped. 

'I never wanted to go on Tikaboo Peak or the mountain I found myself on last year. To get the best video, and pictures of Area 51 out there it's about me laying my eyes on the base, and getting my own video, and pictures. 

'I do feel the weather had a lot to do with the great shots I was able to get. Between the snowstorms, and clouds the base would just illuminate long enough for me to film, and take pictures.'   

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17-06-2019 om 19:55 geschreven door peter  

“I never wanted to go on Tikaboo Peak or the mountain I found myself on last year. To get the best video, and pictures of Area 51 out there. It’s about me laying my eyes on the base, and getting my own video, and pictures. I do feel the weather had a lot to do with the great shots I was able to get. Between the snowstorms, and clouds the base would just illuminate long enough for me to film, and take pictures.”

The story actually begins two years ago in May 2017 when Christian – no last name given, claims to work in Nevada gold mines, has lived in the Las Vegas area since 1992 – posted his first Area 51 video of his first adventures attempting to explore the surrounding area and photograph what he could. He gives detailed summaries of dozens of videos he’s posted since then. To his credit, he’s had encounters with military “Camo Dudes” patrolling the grounds and is still here and still has his videos up.

“In the subsequent videos, Christian gets some great shots of the newer and quite massive hangar facility located on the south end of the base, as well as some sporadic activity happening around the installation. This includes the sudden appearance of one of the HH-60 Pave Hawk helicopters that provides security and other functions for Area 51 and one of the Janet 737s taking off towards the south.”

The latest video (watch it here) got some publicity from The Daily Mail (“Mysterious white UFO is filmed hovering over Area 51 by hikers who also capture a giant new aircraft hangar, as military helicopters patrol and jets land”) and an excellent and detailed review in The Drive. From their (Christian and his son, Sean) difficult-to-hike-to vantage point on Tikaboo Peak, they saw Janet jets (the official but mysterious Area 51 airline) taking off and landing, a security helicopter and strange-looking vehicles. The Drive’s Tyler Rogoway adds the insight that a shot of a hangar that had its roof torn off two years ago shows it not only hasn’t been repaired, it’s in worse shape. The video also shows the weather station on Tikaboo Peak that is suspected to use this excellent vantage point for surveillance as well.

Finally, there’s that UFO which appears at about the 11-minute mark in the 22-minute video. It’s obviously an anomaly but Christian has no comment about it. Is he purposely ignoring it as payback for being allowed to take and distribute the rest of his videos and photographs of one of the most secure places in the U.S. … if not the world?

Only Adventures with Christian knows the answer to that. Don’t wait for the answer – check out his latest video and some of the others … while you still can.

{ https://mysteriousuniverse.org/ }

17-06-2019 om 19:35 geschreven door peter  

People around the world have been reporting eerie, haunting and almost apocalyptic like sounds. According to witnesses of this unexplained phenomenon, they hear humming and loud booms, grinding metal, trumpet-like noises coming from the sky.

Now this unusual phenomena has returned again. Mrmb333 reports on the weird sounds coming from the sky over in South East England and Denmark. You can definitely hear the strange trumpet sounds from the sky.

Whether it comes to aliens, changes in the earth’s core, chemtrails, HAARP or other weather modification technology, with the latest strange sounds recorded in South East England and Denmark again people wonder what could be the meaning of these noises, but till now nobody has an explanation for the eerie sounds.

  

17-06-2019 om 19:22 geschreven door peter  

Alien Orb Caught On Infrared Camera Leaving Abductees Bed, Jun 2019, UFO Sighting News.

A person on Twitter who says he has been abducted throughout his life made a video using an infrared camera while sleeping.  He states "Here is the second video I said if you don't quit f****** with me I am going to bring in a damn Bible." 

Infrared cams are famous in the UFO research community for catching alien orbs and UFOs, cutting through any cloak of invisibility the advanced tech object will have. 

This orb clearly knew that the man was aware of its presence in the room and in the bed, so it made a quick exit, but not before getting caught on camera. Awesome video...and this is 100% proof that this guy is being observed by aliens and his claims of being abducted are true. I admire his courage to come out and tell the world like he did. 
Scott C. Waring 

https://twitter.com/i/status/1140300198100570121

Lifetime Alien Abductee@lifetimealiena1

Here is the second video I said if you don't quit f****** with me I am going to bring in a damn Bible

6:48 PM - Jun 16, 2019 · Katy, TX

See Lifetime Alien Abductee's other Tweets

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17-06-2019 om 19:07 geschreven door peter  

(Jasper Hamill) The Ministry of Defence has quietly released two final ‘X Files’ which detail the secrets of Britain’s quest to understand the phenomenon of UFOs.

• Related 15 Most Chilling UFO Sightings Ever Recorded

Source – Metro

by Jasper Hamill, June 4th, 2019

Over the past 11 years, the MoD has declassified 60,000 pages exposing the secrets of a government investigation into unexplained sightings over the UK. In April, the last pair of files were published and made available to the public at the National Archives in Kew, where they must be viewed in person because they have not yet been digitised.

The latest files to be released do not contain a smoking gun which proves the existence of aliens, but they reveal fascinating aspects of investigators’ attempt to understand the phenomenon. They expose bitter arguments between a division that set the policy on UFOs and the Defence Intelligence Staff (DIS) resulting in a total breakdown of communications. The team which set policy on UFOs was shown to be cautious and worried about what the public might think of a probe into unexplained aircraft spotted in the skies, whilst the DIS was more open-minded and called for further investigation into the mystery.

• Buy Book UFOs: Generals, Pilots, and Government Officials Go on the Record

Nick Pope, a former MoD UFO investigator, has been studying the files and said they also demonstrate the UK’s influence on the US, where ‘bombshell revelations about the US Navy’s encounters with UFOs have moved this subject out of the fringe and into the mainstream’.

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He told Metro: ‘These last two files are particularly fascinating and I can understand why sensitivities over their contents may have delayed their release. ‘They show how a sceptic versus believer debate was raging at the MoD, with a total breakdown in relations between the division that set the policy on UFOs and the Defence Intelligence Staff (DIS), who provided the lead division with scientific and technical intelligence. ‘This all happened a few years after I left, but the documents show the policy division – where I worked – being sceptical and overly-concerned about what the media and the public might think, while the DIS were more open-minded and wanted to conduct more in-depth research and investigation into the phenomenon.’

Investigators even explored the health ‘consequences’ of close encounters. In the US, UFOs are now refered to as unexplained aerial phenomena (UAPs), a phrase the MoD coined in the 1990s. Pope added: ‘The recent release of the final British government UFO files couldn’t have come at a better time. Interest in UFOs is at an all-time high. ‘If people look at the MoD UFO files and the recent US revelations, one can easily see the UK influence.

• Buy Book Alien Abductions And Paranormal Sightings Real People Reveal Their Stories

‘The most obvious sign of this is the fact that the US military now use the term ‘UAP’ in place of ‘UFO’. We changed the terminology back in the Nineties, because ‘UFO’ was too loaded a term, with too much pop culture baggage. ‘Using ‘UAP’ enabled us to escape from the science fiction connotations of ‘UFO’ and reframe the internal MoD debate about the phenomenon in terms of the defence and national security issue most of us believed it to be. ‘This is exactly what the US military is doing now, and the US Navy in particular is trying to de-stigmatize the issue so that Navy pilots who encounter these mystery objects will make an official report, instead of staying silent, as most do at present.’

Stillness in the Storm Editor: Why did we post this?

Unidentified Flying Objects or UFOs have captivated people for decades. The policy of investigative bodies has been to cover up legitimate reports and encounters. Despite officialdom’s mandate to suppress the truth, reports, anecdotal accounts, and declassified documents continue to spark the curiosity of those who take these things seriously. The preceding information provides food for thought regarding the reality of UFOs and what they might mean. This information is beneficial to consider because it expands ones thinking via the exploration of mystery. A mind captivated by mystery has the power to make leaps and bounds in soul growth, due to the powerful urge to seek the truth resulting in changes to the substructures of being. Thus, a mystery is arguably the best activator for the individual, quickening the mind and stimulating the soul. This information also helps dispel the false reality pushed by the Deep State, which is critically important for the activation of the freedom and justice urges.

– Justin

Not sure how to make sense of this? Want to learn how to discern like a pro? Read this essential guide to discernment, analysis of claims, and understanding the truth in a world of deception: 4 Key Steps of Discernment – Advanced Truth-Seeking Tools.

Stillness in the Storm Editor’s note: Did you find a spelling error or grammar mistake? Send an email to corrections@stillnessinthestorm.com, with the error and suggested correction, along with the headline and url. Do you think this article needs an update? Or do you just have some feedback? Send us an email at sitsshow@gmail.com. Thank you for reading.

Source:

• https://metro.co.uk/2019/06/04/ministry-defence-releases-final-x-files-containing-truth-britains-secret-ufo-investigations-9797436/

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17-06-2019 om 01:53 geschreven door peter  

Grey Aliens Signed Treaty With Eisenhower In 1954, After U.S. Government Rejected Overtures From Nordic Or Pleiadian Aliens, Say Conspiracy Theorists

JohnThomas Didymus

President Dwight Eisenhower held a secret meeting with extraterrestrial visitors during the early hours of February 21, 1954, while on a “vacation” to Palm Springs in California, according to UFO and alien conspiracy theorists.

He went “missing” after he was whisked away secretly to Edwards Air Force Base and was not seen until he appeared at a church service in Los Angeles the next Sunday morning.

The official explanation of his mysterious “disappearance” was that he had to undergo an emergency dental surgery.

The abrupt disappearance of the president was so unusual that it fueled speculation about an illness or death in the media. The speculation became so intense that the rumors had to be dispelled by the president’s press secretary, James Haggerty, who told incredulous reporters at a press conference that Eisenhower had damaged a tooth cap while eating fried chicken and had to undergo emergency surgery.

An artist’s representation of Grey aliens who allegedly signed a treaty with the Eisenhower administration

[Image via Shutterstock]

A local dentist was later presented to reporters who claimed he had treated Eisenhower.

But strange rumors began spreading following information leaked by well-placed sources. The rumors alleged that the local dentist was used to provide Eisenhower with a cover story while he rendezvoused secretly with the extraterrestrial visitors at the Edwards Air Force Base.

Significantly, there are no records at the Eisenhower Library — which reportedly has extensive records related to Eisenhower’s health — that he ever underwent dental surgery in February 1954, according to UFO researcher William Moore.

Eisenhower thus became the first American president to have direct contact with extraterrestrials, according to conspiracy theorists. The meeting took place at Edwards Air Force Base in southern California during the early hours of February 21 in 1954. It was the first in a series of meetings that culminated in the signing of a treaty between the U.S. government and an extraterrestrial race called the Greys.

The First Contact meeting, as it is termed in UFO conspiracy theory circles, involved some intrigue. Eisenhower’s secret First Contact meeting on February 21, 1954, is believed to have been with the Nordic aliens, also known as Pleiadian aliens, an advanced extraterrestrial race from the Pleiades star cluster with distinctive Nordic appearance, such as fair hair, blue eyes, and white skin.

The two sides were unable to reach an agreement on the night of the First Contact, and the Greys took advantage of the failure by offering more favorable terms. The offer by the Greys allegedly led to the first treaty between humans and an extraterrestrial race.

According to UFO conspiracy theorists, several pieces of circumstantial evidence add up to support claims that the Eisenhower administration held “First Contact” meetings with extraterrestrial beings. The first circumstantial evidence was the awkward manner in which Eisenhower “disappeared” during the night of February 20-21 in the midst of an unscheduled winter vacation in Palm Springs, California, and the clumsy efforts by officials to explain his disappearance.

One of the first eyewitness testimonies came from Gerald Light, a writer and leading member of the community dedicated to metaphysical research. A letter circulated widely in the UFO and alien conspiracy community, dated April 16, 1954, is alleged to have been written by Gerald Light to Meade Layne, Director of Borderland Sciences Research Foundation. In the letter (see copy here), Light allegedly claimed to have been one of a group of community leaders who was present at the First Contact meeting with extraterrestrials at Edwards Air Force Base.

The group of “community leaders” included Edwin Nourse, President’s Truman’s chief economic adviser, Cardinal James Francis MacIntyre, head of the Catholic Church in Los Angeles at the time, and 80-year-old Franklin Winthrop Allen, a former reporter with Hearst Newspaper Group.

Light claimed in the letter he allegedly wrote to Layne that he recently returned from Muroc Airfield (now Edward Air Force Base). The letter contains a single reference to “Etherians” (presumed to be the aliens), and it includes a comment about “five separate and distinct types of aircraft being studied and handled by our Air Force officials — with the assistance and permission of the Etherians!”

The aircraft are believed to be alien UFOs stored at the facility for reverse-engineering studies.

The letter gives a vivid description of the bewilderment, confusion, and panic among the officials present at the meeting. UFO conspiracy theorists claim that Light’s account reveals uncertainty about how to respond to the aliens and fears due to the Cold War that the aliens could turn to the Soviets if the Americans spurned them.

But it is claimed that Eisenhower finally decided to reject the proposals of the Nordic aliens he met at the First Contact meeting at the Edwards Air Force Base in February 1954, and his administration eventually signed a treaty with the Greys, who offered to transfer their technology exclusively to the United States.

Several whistle-blowers claimed to have seen documents signed at the meetings while others claimed they obtained information from inside sources. The different versions of what allegedly transpired at the First Contact meetings leaked by the whistle-blowers agree on certain major points but differ in specific details.

Grey aliens land in a flying saucer

[Image via Shutterstock]

One of the best-known whistle-blowers, William Cooper, a former Naval intelligence officer who allegedly had access to classified documents, claimed that the First Contact meeting at the Edward Air Force Base in February 1954 was the culmination of a series of events after astronomers discovered a fleet of huge UFOs approaching Earth in 1953. First mistaken for asteroids, they were later determined to be spaceships.

Alien radio signals were allegedly intercepted under Project Sigma just before the UFOs went into high orbit. Project Plato was launched to receive the aliens and hold talks.

But before the aliens approaching in a huge UFO fleet landed, a different alien race contacted the U.S government and warned against the first group of aliens. But talks with the first group failed after they demanded nuclear disarmament and warned that humanity was on a path to self-destruction. They proposed instead to help humans to develop along a peaceful path to spiritual fulfillment.

Because the primary interest of the U.S. government at the time was signing a treaty that gives access to advanced alien technology, the Eisenhower administration rejected the overtures from the first alien group — the Nordic aliens — during the First Contact meeting at the Edwards Air Base and agreed to sign a treaty with the second group — the Greys — during a subsequent meeting at the Holloman Air Force Base in New Mexico in 1954.

Elements of the sketchy account given by Cooper were allegedly confirmed independently by other whistle-blowers, including Charles Suggs, a former retired U.S. Marine Corps Sergeant, who claimed that his father, a senior naval officer, had attended the First Contact meeting with the Nordic aliens in February 1954.

John Lear, another independent whistle-blower, was a former air force pilot and the son of William Lear, who built the Lear Jet. Lear also confirmed that two alien races had been involved in the First Contact meetings.

Robert Dean, a former intelligence officer, described Nordic aliens as humanoids with Nordic features, and the Greys as tall humanoids up to 9 feet tall with pale white skin, large eyes, large head, and spindly limbs.

Greys allegedly originated from a star in the constellation of Orion. Other reports claimed they came from a planet in the star system Zeta Reticuli.

Details of the agreement with the Greys leaked by whistle-blowers include non-interference in human affairs in exchange for accommodation on Earth under conditions of secrecy. In return, they would furnish the U.S. government with advanced technology to help the country to stay ahead of enemy nations. The Greys also agreed they would not approach any other nation to make a treaty.

The Greys were housed in an underground facility in Dulce where Phil Schneider claimed he encountered them while working as a geological engineer employed by a private company contracted to build underground bases for the Greys.

Schneider revealed that part of the treaty agreement allowed the Greys to abduct a very limited number of humans for medical research and experiments. But the Greys proved untrustworthy and violated the agreement on abductions.

Most reports of UFO sightings and stories of abductions involved Greys freely violating the treaty with the government, according to UFO conspiracy theorists.

• [Image via Shutterstock]

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17-06-2019 om 01:45 geschreven door peter  

Stephen Hawking Was Right: Black Holes Can Evaporate, Weird New Study Shows

(Image: © Shutterstock)

Black holes exert such an incredibly powerful gravitational force that even a photon, which travels at the speed of light, could not escape. While the vacuum of space is generally thought of as empty, the uncertainty of quantum mechanics dictates that a vacuum is instead teeming with virtual particles that flit in and out of existence in matter-antimatter pairs. (Antimatter particles have the same mass as their matter counterparts, but opposite electrical charge.)

Normally, after a pair of virtual particles appears, they immediately annihilate each other. Next to a black hole, however, the extreme forces of gravity instead pull the particles apart, with one particle absorbed by the black hole as the other shoots off into space. The absorbed particle has negative energy, which reduces the black hole's energy and mass. Swallow enough of these virtual particles, and the black hole eventually evaporates. The escaping particle becomes known as Hawking radiation.

This radiation is weak enough that it's impossible right now for us to observe it in space, but physicists have thought up very creative ways to measure it in a lab.

A waterfall event horizon

Physicist Jeff Steinhauer and his colleagues at the Technion - Israel Institute of Technology in Haifa used an extremely cold gas called a Bose-Einstein condensate to model the event horizon of a black hole, the invisible boundary beyond which nothing can escape. In a flowing stream of this gas, they placed a cliff, creating a "waterfall" of gas; when the gas flowed over the waterfall, it turned enough potential energy into kinetic energy to flow faster than the speed of sound.

Instead of matter and antimatter particles, the researchers used pairs of phonons, or quantum sound waves, in the gas flow. The phonon on the slow side could travel against the flow of the gas, away from the waterfall, while the phonon on the fast side could not, trapped by the "black hole" of supersonic gas.

"It's like if you were trying to swim against a current that was going faster than you could swim," Steinhauer told Live Science. "You'd feel like you were going forward, but you were really going back. And that's analogous to a photon in a black hole trying to get out of the black hole but being pulled by gravity the wrong way."

Hawking predicted that the radiation of emitted particles would be in a continuous spectrum of wavelengths and energies. He also said that it could be described by a single temperature that was dependent only on the mass of the black hole. The recent experiment confirmed both of these predictions in the sonic black hole.

"These experiments are a tour de force," Renaud Parentani, a theoretical physicist at Laboratoire de Physique Théorique of Paris-Sud University, told Live Science. Parentani also studies analog black holes but from a theoretical angle; he was not involved in the new study. "It's a very precise experiment. From the experimental side, Jeff [Steinhauer] is really, at the moment, the world-leading expert of using cold atoms to probe black hole physics."

Parentani, however, emphasized that this study is "one step along a long process." In particular, this study did not show the phonon pairs being correlated on the quantum level, which is another important aspect of Hawking's predictions.

"The story will continue," said Parentani. "It is not at all the end."

• The 12 Strangest Objects in the Universe
• Stephen Hawking's Most Far-Out Ideas About Black Holes
• The Biggest Unsolved Mysteries in Physics

Originally published on Live Science.

{ https://www.space.com/ }

17-06-2019 om 01:27 geschreven door peter  

The Ocean on Jupiter's Moon Europa Has Table Salt, Just Like Earth's Seas

17-06-2019 om 01:17 geschreven door peter  

People have reported seeing Transient Lunar Phenomena – unusual flashes and other lights on the moon – for at least 1,000 years. Yet they’re still mysterious. Now a scientist in Germany is using a new telescope to try to solve the mystery.

A “lunar flare” example of TLP – seen near the lunar terminator, or line between light and dark on the moon, on November 15, 1953, by Leon H. Stuart in Tulsa, Oklahoma. He caught the flash with an 8-inch telescope.

Image via Leon H. Stuart.

Even though it’s so close and has been visited by both robotic spacecraft and human astronauts, the moon can still be a mysterious place. There is a lot we still don’t know about our nearby neighbor, including what causes unusual flashes of light and other light phenomena on its surface. These brief light displays – also known as Transient Lunar Phenomena (TLP) – have been seen for centuries, but they’re still not entirely explained. Recently, a professor in Germany announced his new study to try to figure out, at last, what is creating these intriguing lunar phenomena.

Hakan Kayal is Professor of Space Technology at Julius-Maximilians-Universität Würzburg (JMU) in Bavaria, Germany. He wants to try to find the explanation(s) for these odd light phenomena. He and his team have built a new telescope in a private observatory in Spain. The new telescope started lunar observations in April 2019. It is in a rural area far from light pollution about 60 miles (100 km) north of Seville. As to why it is located in Spain, Kayal said:

There are simply better weather conditions for observing the moon than in Germany.

The telescope has two cameras that observe the moon, remote-controlled from the JMU campus in Germany. If a flash or other light source is detected, the cameras will trigger other actions from the telescope, but only if both cameras make the detection. Photos and video are automatically taken and recorded, and an email is sent to Kayal and his team.

A closer view of the “lunar flare” TLP seen by Leon H. Stuart in 1953.

Image via Leon H. Stuart.

The moon telescope at the observatory in Spain.

Image via Hakan Kayal/Universität Würzburg.

The software being used at Kayal and his team’s telescope is still being refined. Eventually, it’ll incorporate artificial intelligence – estimated to take another year to complete – so that then system will gradually learn to distinguish a moon flash from technical faults in the telescope or from objects such as birds and airplanes passing in front of the cameras. And what about those SpaceX Starlink satellites? They may also have the potential to create headaches for Kayal’s team. Reducing false alarms is a key objective for Kayal. He would later like to use the same kind of cameras on a satellite orbiting Earth, where there is no interference from Earth’s atmosphere. Kayal said:

We will then be rid of the disturbances caused by the atmosphere.

When a flash or other luminous phenomenon is detected, those results can then be compared to those from other telescopes used by the European Space Agency. According to Kayal:

If the same thing was seen there, the event can be considered confirmed.

Map of some known TLP “hot spots” on the moon.

Image via Dan Heim/Sky Lights.

Unconfirmed sightings of Transient Lunar Phenomena have been reported for centuries. One of the earliest recorded sightings took place on June 18, 1178, when five or more monks from Canterbury reported an “upheaval” on the moon shortly after sunset.

There was a bright new moon, and as usual in that phase its horns were tilted toward the east; and suddenly the upper horn split in two. From the midpoint of this division a flaming torch sprang up, spewing out, over a considerable distance, fire, hot coals, and sparks. Meanwhile the body of the moon which was below writhed, as it were, in anxiety, and, to put it in the words of those who reported it to me and saw it with their own eyes, the moon throbbed like a wounded snake. Afterwards it resumed its proper state. This phenomenon was repeated a dozen times or more, the flame assuming various twisting shapes at random and then returning to normal. Then after these transformations the moon from horn to horn, that is along its whole length, took on a blackish appearance.

Along with flashes, TLP have been reported as gaseous mists, reddish, green, blue or violet colorations, other brightening and even darkenings. There are currently two comprehensive catalogs, one of which has 2,254 events going back to the sixth century. At least one-third of those were seen in the Aristarchus plateau region.

What are the possible explanations for TLP? One problem with finding explanations is that most reports are made by only one observer, or from a single location on Earth, making verification difficult.

That said, current theories include outgassing, impact events, electrostatic phenomena, and unfavorable observation conditions in Earth’s atmosphere. At least some of them are likely caused by gases escaping the surface during moonquakes, according to Kayal:

Seismic activities were also observed on the moon. When the surface moves, gases that reflect sunlight could escape from the interior of the moon. This would explain the luminous phenomena, some of which last for hours.

Plus, we know some flashes are likely caused by meteorite impacts, which still occur quite often on the moon. One such likely event was seen on the night of January 20-21, 2019, when a meteorite hit the moon’s surfaceduring a total lunar eclipse. It was caught in photos and on video as well as being seen by people just watching the eclipse. It was the first known instance of such a flash occurring during an eclipse.

View larger at EarthSky Community Photos. | This flash on the red, eclipsed moon came from a meteorite strike! Image via Greg Hogan in Kathleen, Georgia. Thanks, Greg!

Astronomer Patrick Moore coined the term Transient Lunar Phenomena in 1968, in his co-authorship of NASA Technical Report R-277 Chronological Catalog of Reported Lunar Events 1540 to 1966.

In the 1960s, NASA ran its own investigation of TLP, called Project Moon-Blink. The background was described as follows:

There have been some puzzling reports over the years. Before 1843 astronomers listed Linne as a normal but steep-walled crater about five miles in diameter. In 1866 Schmidt, a famed astronomer, reported that Linne was not a crater at all but looked more like a whitish cloud. Later observers disagreed with both descriptions, saying it was a low mound about four miles across, with a deep crater one mile in diameter in its top. Much later – in 1961 – Patrick Moore, one of the foremost … lunar astronomers, was astonished that Linne appeared to be a normal crater about three miles in diameter. Moore examined it with two telescopes then called another astronomer. He examined it with a third instrument and reported a similar inexplicable appearance. The following night was cloudy, but the next night Linne appeared as Moore had always seen it, a gently rounded dome with a small crater on top. Moore attributed the changes to unusual lighting effects. During the [1950s], several incontrovertible observations have been reported of unusual color activity on or just above the lunar surface. These may be divided into two categories: those events localized to a few square miles of lunar area and those covering a significant portion of the lunar surface. Insufficient evidence exists at present to determine whether these two types of events are similar or dissimilar in nature …

During NASA’s Clementine mission to the moon in 1994, several events were reported, four of which were photographed. But later analysis showed no discernible differences at the sites where the events were seen.

The Lunascan Project in the 1990s and 2000s also cataloged TLP sightings, which can be read about in the website archives.

Currently, observations of TLP are being coordinated by the Association of Lunar and Planetary Observers and the British Astronomical Association.

While this mystery is yet to be fully solved, it seems apparent that there is likely more than one cause of TLP. Meteorite impacts, as have been observed are one, but they don’t explain all the reported sightings. Other causes may point to residual geologic activity on the moon, even though it has long been thought of as a dead world. It will be very interesting to see what scientists like Kayal find in the near future.

Haykan Kayal standing next to the moon telescope.

Image via Tobias Greiner/Universität Würzburg.

• Bottom line: Transient Lunar Phenomena have intrigued astronomers for centuries. Thanks to scientists like Haykan Kayal, we might now be closer to finding out just what causes these odd light flashes on our nearest celestial neighbor.
• Via Universität Würzburg

{ https://earthsky.org/ }

17-06-2019 om 01:01 geschreven door peter  

Could the SUN wipe out humanity? Superflares erupting from the star could destroy our atmosphere, astronomers warn

• Researchers used observations of magnetic fields on the surface of stars
• Magnetic fields on superflare stars are typically stronger than on our sun
• This suggests that our sun is not capable of producing such superflares
• However, superflares were found on stars with fields weaker than ours - and there may have even been a superflare in 775 AD

By VICTORIA WOOLLASTON FOR MAILONLINE

Earth is often struck by solar eruptions, but they tend to have little impact other than beautiful auroras seen around the planet's poles.

But if these bursts of energetic particles were to become powerful enough, they could devastate our planet, wipe out electricity and even destroy the atmosphere. 

That's the warning from a group of astronomers that recently discovered our sun is capable of producing the kind of 'superflares' seen on other stars.

Earth is often struck by solar eruptions with minimal impact, but if these bursts of energetic particles were powerful enough, they could devastate our planet. That's the stark warning from a group of astronomers that recently discovered our sun is capable of producing the kind of 'superflares' seen on other stars

Although the researchers said the chances of it happening is low, they added it's 'not impossible', and one described the findings as 'frightening.'

Solar flares occur when large magnetic fields on the surface of the sun collapse. When that happens, huge amounts of magnetic energy are released.  

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When the sun pours out gigantic amounts of hot plasma during large solar eruptions, it can cause consequences on Earth. In particular, it can affect satellites and communication equipment. 

HAS OUR SUN EVER PRODUCED A SUPERFLARE?

Evidence from geological archives has shown the sun might have produced a small superflare in AD 775.

Here, tree rings show that anomalously large amounts of the radioactive isotope 14C were formed in the Earth's atmosphere. 

14C is formed when cosmic-ray particles from our galaxy, the Milky Way, or especially energetic protons from the sun, formed in connection with large solar eruptions, enter the Earth's atmosphere.

The studies from the Guo Shou Jing telescope support the notion that the event in AD 775 was indeed a small superflare.

But our sun's solar eruptions are nothing compared to the eruption we see on other stars - the so-called 'superflares'. 

Superflares have been a mystery since the Kepler mission discovered them in larger numbers four years ago, and astronomers have questioned whether they could be produced by our sun ever since.

They are typically considered solar eruptions between 10 and 100 times larger that the largest solar eruption observed during the space age. 

An international research team led by Christoffer Karoff from Aarhus University, Denmark used observations of magnetic fields on the surface of almost 100,000 stars to answer this questions. 

The team used a spectrum for every star of those available for this analysis. 

A spectrum shows the colours, or wavelengths, of the light from the stars. 

Here, certain short ultraviolet wavelengths can be used to measure the magnetic fields around the stars. 

These observations were made with the new Guo Shou Jing telescope in China.  

'The magnetic fields on the surface of stars with superflares are generally stronger than the magnetic fields on the surface of the sun,' explained Karoff.

An international research team led by Christoffer Karoff from Aarhus University, Denmark used observations of magnetic fields on the surface of almost 100,000 stars. These observations were made with the new Guo Shou Jing telescope in China (pictured)

The magnetic fields on the surface of stars with superflares were generally stronger than the magnetic fields on the surface of the sun. The range of stars with superflares is shown in red. Stars with the highest energies are in green, and the blue shaded region marks the sun's energy between solar cycle minima and maxima

SOLAR ERUPTIONS AND EARTH 

The sun is capable of producing monstrous eruptions that can break down radio communication and power supplies here on Earth. 

The largest observed eruption took place in September 1859, where gigantic amounts of hot plasma from our neighboring star struck the Earth.

On 1 September 1859, astronomers observed how one of the dark spots on the surface of the sun suddenly lit up and shone brilliantly over the solar surface. 

This phenomenon had never been observed before and nobody knew what was to come. On the morning of September 2, the first particles from, what we now know was an enormous eruption on the sun, reached the Earth.

The 1859 solar storm is also known as the 'Carrington Event'. 

Auroras associated with this event could be seen as far south as Cuba and Hawaii, telegraph system worldwide went haywire, and ice core records from Greenland indicate that the Earth's protective ozone layer was damaged by the energetic particles from the solar storm.

'This is exactly what we would expect, if superflares are formed in the same way as solar flares.'

This suggests that the magnetic field of our sun is too weak to produce such superflares, otherwise we would have witnessed them. 

However, out of all the stars with superflares analysed, around 10 per cent had a magnetic field with a strength similar to or weaker than the sun's magnetic field.

Therefore, even though it is unlikely, it is not impossible that the sun could produce a superflare, the researchers said.

'We certainly did not expect to find superflare stars with magnetic fields as week as the magnetic fields on the sun,' the continued.

'This opens the possibility that the sun could generate a superflare - a very frightening thought' added Karoff.

If an eruption of this size was to strike the Earth today, it would have devastating consequences. 

Not just for all electronic equipment on Earth, but also for our atmosphere and thus our planet's ability to support life. 

Plus, evidence from geological archives has shown the sun might have produced a small superflare in 775 AD. 

'One of the strengths of our study is that we can show how astronomical observations of superflares agree with Earth-based studies of radioactive isotopes in tree rings.' explained Karoff.

In this way, the observations from the Guo Shou Jing telescope can be used to evaluate how often a star with a magnetic field similar to the sun would experience a superflare. 

Around 10% of the stars analysed had a magnetic field with a strength similar to or weaker than our sun's. Therefore, even though it is unlikely,  it is not impossible the sun could produce a superflare. Statistically speaking, it should experience a small superflare every millennium. Graph shows flare frequency

The study shows, for example, that the sun, statistically speaking, should experience a small superflare every millennium.

This is in agreement with idea that the event in 775 AD and a similar event in 993 AD were indeed caused by small superflares on the sun. 

• The findings are published in Nature Communications.

Read more:

{ https://www.dailymail.co.uk/ }

16-06-2019 om 23:07 geschreven door peter  

The finding suggests the outburst of stellar energy are more common than scientists thought

BY RANDALL HYMAN 

 

HOT MESS  Scientists have found superflares erupting from older, sunlike stars, not just from young stars (one illustrated with an exoplanet).

NASA, ESA AND D. PLAYER/STSC

{ https://www.sciencenews.org/ }

16-06-2019 om 22:51 geschreven door peter  

President Donald Trump said he had been briefed on UFO sightings, but didn't particularly believe them. | Sarah Silbiger/Bloomberg via Getty Images

President Donald Trump said he'd been briefed on Navy pilots reporting increased sightings of unidentified flying objects, adding that he doesn't particularly believe in UFOs.

Speaking with ABC News' George Stephanopoulos in an interview segment released Saturday, Trump raised his eyebrows and grinned incredulously when asked what he made of the reports.

"I want them to think whatever they think," Trump said of the Navy pilots. "I did have one very brief meeting on it. But people are saying they’re seeing UFOs. Do I believe it? Not particularly."

The Navy recently drafted new guidelines for how to report encounters with "unidentified aircraft" in response to reports of sophisticated vessels intruding on Navy strike groups, POLITICO reported in April. Pilots reported seeing objects flying at 30,000 feet with no exhaust plumes and at supersonic speeds, according to The New York Times.

The Pentagon quietly set up a program to research UFOs more than 10 years ago at the direction of Congress. The Advanced Aviation Threat Identification Program was largely pushed by former Sen. Harry Reid (D-Nev.) and operated with extremely limited public exposure, though it was not a classified program.

Trump did not seem as eager to act on the reports, telling Stephanopoulos, "We’re going to see."

When asked if he would know of any extraterrestrial life, Trump demurred: "I think our great pilots would know. And some of them see things a little bit different from the past. ... We’re watching, and you’ll be the first to know."

{ https://www.politico.com/ }

16-06-2019 om 22:40 geschreven door peter  

The transcript of a conversation between a US Navy Vice Admiral and a leading scientist discussing a failed attempt to gain access to a highly classified program involving a crashed extraterrestrial craft has been recently released online. The conversation took place on October 16, 2002, and involved the retired Director of the Defense Intelligence Agency, Vice Admiral Thomas Wilson, speaking with Dr. Eric W. Davis, a scientist working on the feasibility of exotic propulsion systems with EarthTech International, an advanced technology think tank established in Austin, Texas.

In the 15 page document comprising the transcript, summary notes and an accompanying letter, Davis describes what Wilson told him about an April 10, 1997 “briefing” where he (Wilson) received information from former Apollo astronaut Dr. Edgar Mitchell and Dr. Steven Greer (founder of the Disclosure Project) about a classified UFO program that they had codeword information about. At the time, Wilson was a Rear Admiral (upper class); Deputy Director of the Defense Intelligence Agency; and Vice Director for Intelligence (VJ2), for the Joint Chiefs of Staff, a position he held from November 1994 to September 1997.

When Wilson inquired into the program’s existence from a regulatory body created for Special Access Programs, he learned it involved a corporate Research and Development effort involving a retrieved extraterrestrial craft but was denied access by three corporate officials working for a major US aerospace contractor.

The 1997 briefing was first publicly discussed by Greer and his associate Shari Adamiak only a month after it occurred and was corroborated by Mitchell over a decade later. In a May 1997 interview with Art Bell on Coast to Coast AM Greer said:

Joint Chiefs of staff level fellow that I briefed while I was in Washington about a month ago … After he looked at all this and heard the witness, he turned to us and said: ‘Well I have no doubt this is true but I am horrified that I hadn’t known about it’…Because of his position. And very, very senior … I can’t say who it was but a very, very senior position…And then they begin to come to grips with well: ‘Who the hell does know about it, what is going on here?’ And then they become frighten[ed].

Years later, Greer released a National Reconnaissance Office (NRO) document containing code words and locations that sparked Wilson’s failed attempt to gain access to the classified UFO program. In a workshop Greer explained the NRO document’s contents and what happened when Wilson investigated it:

“It’s the National Reconnaissance Office document.  …..The reason it’s important is not so much for its content… …..  Take note of the distribution list, please. ….. …….’Blue Fire’, which is a code name, 1991, Commander’s Net, Royal Op’s, Cosmic Op’s…so, cosmic clearance…you’ve heard of this? It’s not a myth.  It’s real.  Maj Op’s, MAJI…It’s MAJIC Op’s.  It goes through a whole bunch of them…Nellis Division, all these code numbers and you get down to some really interesting things. … this secret document went to the admiral [Admiral Tom Wilson] prior to our meeting, and he actually recognized one of these entities and made an inquiry, and it was being run by a contractor.  …..  And the contractor…one of these corporate contractors…when he called them up, he said, ‘I’m Admiral Tom Wilson…at that time he was Head of Intelligence for the Joint Chiefs of Staff… I want to be read into this project.’  Guess what happened?  They said, ‘Sir, you don’t have a need to know.’  This is the guy who’s supposed to give the intelligence briefings for the Joint Chiefs of Staff of the United States.  He was told, ‘You don’t have a need to know’… and Admiral Wilson said, ‘Goddamn it, if I don’t have a need to know, who does?’  They said, ‘Sir, we cannot discuss this with you further’ and they hung up and blocked his line.  This all happened before the stand-up meeting I did for [him with] Edgar Mitchell…6th man to walk on the moon…myself, my military adviser, and a few other people met with the Admiral in what’s called a ‘stand-up’ briefing.  I was doing the presenting.  It was supposed to be 45 minutes. 

In 2007 Mitchell began publicly confirming that the briefing had indeed taken place, corroborating what Greer had revealed a decade earlier.

A detailed chronology of articles and interviews referring to the 1997 Wilson briefing is provided by Croatian UFO researcher Giuliano Marinkovic.

The transcript of the 2002 conversation between Wilson and Davis was first discussed in radio interviews by UFO researchers Grant Cameron and Richard Dolan in December 2018. Cameron said he was given the 15 page document, which he shared with Michael W. Hall a former lawyer and Superior Court judge. Hall has given several interviews in March 2019 discussing the document’s origins and authenticity.

Cameron, Dolan, and Hall believe the document is authentic, and its consistency with what Greer and Mitchell had earlier revealed does point to this. I contacted Dr. Eric Davis to comment on the document’s authenticity, and he replied saying: “I have no comment on this.” If the document was a hoax, I see no reason why Dr. Davis would not have said so.

All this leads me to conclude that the document is an authentic transcript of what Dr. Davis and Admiral Wilson discussed back in 2002 about the April 1997 meeting and Wilson’s subsequent investigation. The transcript was very recently released online and are available for public viewing.

The transcript, summary notes, and accompanying letter provide compelling documentary support that the 1997 briefing had occurred, exactly as Greer and Mitchell had reported up to two decades earlier. Importantly, the notes substantiate one of Greer’s major claims that he was regularly briefing senior officials in the Clinton Administration about the UFO coverup – something many UFO researchers had previously dismissed or ridiculed. 

The transcript provides a fascinating insight into how a US Navy admiral who was Vice Director for Intelligence (VJ2), for the Joint Chiefs of Staff at the time, was denied access by corporate officials to a classified UFO program, which he firmly believed fell under his field of responsibility.

The briefing and unsuccessful investigation did not negatively impact Wilson’s career. Two years later, in May 1999, Wilson was promoted to Vice Admiral and became the 13^th Director of the Defense Intelligence Agency (DIA), a position he served in until July 2002.

Three months after his retirement, Wilson met with Davis to discuss the 1997 meeting and its aftermath. In the transcript, we learn about Wilson’s perspective on what had happened.

Presumably, the recording and transcription of Wilson and Davis’ conversation were intended for a small audience at EarthTech International, founded by Dr. Hal Puthoff, which was studying exotic propulsion systems, and releasing feasibility studies of them to interested scientists and journals.

In 2009, Davis and EarthTech included some of these exotic propulsion feasibility studies as Defense Intelligence Reference Documents, two of which were first leaked online in December 2017 by Corey Goode who says a confidential DIA source gave him them.

In the transcript, Davis (EWD) describes how Wilson (TW) began by confirming that the April 1997 meeting did take place and involved Greer, Mitchell, and US Naval Reserve Commander Willard H. Miller, who was Greer’s top military advisor.

Miller played a critical role in the various “UFO briefings” Greer gave senior officials and politicians during the Clinton administration:

TW: Confirmed Greer/Miller/Mitchell gave talk in Pentagon Conference room. Adm Mike Crawford, Gen. Pat Hughes (Hughes his boss) were present (others too.) Date April “97. (Ed Mitchell said 4/9/947.) After group broke up, Miller/Wilson talked (privately) 2 hours on UFOs, MJ-12, Roswell, crashed UFOs/alien bodies, etc. TW intrigued – knew about intelligence on US mil/intel UFO close encounters – and foreign gov’t encounters. Seen records. Told Miller. [Transcript/Summary p. 1]

Wilson was here acknowledging that the serving Director of the Defense Intelligence Agency, Lt. General Pat Hughes, also sat in on the meeting. After the meeting broke up, Miller and Wilson continued to discuss issues that had been raised:

TW: Yes, Miller asked the question on MJ-12/UFO cabal – crashed UFO. Confirmed he called Miller ca. late June ’97 and told that he/Miller was right – there is such an organization in existence. [Transcript/Summary p. 1]

Wilson was here acknowledging that after being informed about the existence of the classified UFO program by Greer and Mitchell in April 1997, he had inquired into the program’s existence, and discovered that MJ-12 was real and that there indeed was a UFO cabal running classified operations involving crashed UFOs. This accounted for why Admiral Wilson later failed to gain access to the crashed UFO program, as explained later in Davis’ summary notes.

Miller subsequently told Greer and Mitchell about what Wilson had revealed to him in June 1997, after he [Wilson] was denied access to the classified program that Greer and Mitchell had told him about earlier in April. Admiral Wilson [TW] was furious that Miller had told Greer and Mitchel about Wilson’s failure to access it, as Davis’ [EWD] transcript make clear:

TW: Very furious – very angry about Miller (facial expression tense, angry voice)

• • Violated personal and professional trust – especially among intelligence colleagues/Navy officers
  • There’s Navy camaraderie among officers – brotherhood
  • Violated that and confidentiality

EWD: How?

TW: Miller told Greer their conversation

• • Who knows whom else he and Greer told.  (EWD note – Miller told Ed Mitchell who only told me in 1999)

The significance of all this is that Admiral Wilson did not want the details of what he learned during his investigation of the classified program that Greer and Mitchell had first brought to his attention becoming public. By telling Greer, Commander Miller had in Wilson’s opinion broken trust shared between naval intelligence officers to keep the information confidential. That is why he was so angry.

However, if it were not for Miller taking the risk he had, Greer and the world would probably not have learned the truth of what happened, and how corporate contractors had sidelined Wilson and US naval intelligence over a classified reverse engineering program of a crashed extraterrestrial vehicle.

In part two, I will review what Admiral Wilson told Dr. Davis about the classified UFO crash retrieval program and its significance.

© Michael E. Salla, Ph.D. Copyright Notice

[Note: The 15 page leaked Document is available here]

Further Reading

• New Investigation Shows Disputed MJ-12 Document Exposing Extraterrestrial Contact is Authentic
• New Majestic Document Reveals US Diplomatic Relations with Extraterrestrials
• Advanced Technology Reports Leaked by Corey Goode Confirmed by Leading Scientist
• Above Majestic Producer Reveals Secret Space Program Disclosures & Document Dumps Imminent
• Full ET disclosure plan involves document dumps & whistleblowers coming forward
• Wikileaks Reveals USAF General involved in UFO & Secret Space Program Disclosures

{ https://www.exopolitics.org/ }

16-06-2019 om 22:32 geschreven door peter  

• SEE ALSO: Declassified Video Purportedly Shows Navy Pilots Encountering Mysterious UFO

{ https://taskandpurpose.com/ }

16-06-2019 om 22:01 geschreven door peter  

Russian scientist found to be UFO and ancient aliens researcher

Posted by: Paul Stonehill 

{ http://www.openminds.tv/ }

16-06-2019 om 21:47 geschreven door peter  

MESMERISING MULTI-COLOURED OCTOPUS CAUGHT SWIMMING IN THE DEPTHS OF THE OCEAN IN SPECTACULAR HD FOOTAGE

By Randal Coombs

A pair of rare multi-coloured blanket octopuses have been caught on camera during a night dive off the coast of Romblon, Philippines. 

In the incredible high-definition clip, captured on April 5, one of the octopuses puts on a vibrant light show for cameraman, Joseph Elayani, as it glides through the water shifting through the different colours of the rainbow.

PIC FROM Caters News

The rapid colour change is thought to be a reaction to the different light levels from the camera, or as a defence mechanism against would-be predators.

The blanket octopus can be seen in the video transforming from pastel blues and purples to glimmering reds and oranges. 

At the end of the footage, a second octopus also comes into view. 

It is thought to be extremely hard to capture these bizarre creatures on camera in crisp, high-definition as it is rare to come across them in the wild.

PIC FROM Caters News

“My adrenaline was so high, I could only think where the buttons were on the camera, and my fingers trembled,” said Joseph. 

“I remember when I first heard about this octopus, my great enthusiasm and encountering it in nature was a dream come true.”

“As far as I know it is extremely rare to see them in the wild,” he continued.

PIC FROM Caters News

“In fact, I think that video photography in a relatively wide lens in such good quality (4K) is unique and has not been done so far.

“I would say that maybe the behaviour when the blanket is open is to warn or to protect itself against predators and the colours accordingly. 

“I can only note when we first noticed them two octopuses swam close and their colour was more silvery”. 

{ http://www.storytrender.com/ }

16-06-2019 om 21:34 geschreven door peter  

"Ocean Worlds": The Hunt for Aliens Closer to Home

The key to finding life might be to look beneath all the surfaces of all the icy moons in our own backyard.

By  Matthew S. Williams

NASA

• RELATED: SHOULD WE LOOK FOR ALIENS USING BLACK HOLE POWERED STARSHIPS

But as scientists have begun to suspect since the 1970s, the best bet for finding life in our Solar System may actually be beneath the surface of some its many icy moons.

What are "Ocean Worlds"?

By definition, ocean worlds are bodies that have abundant sources of water. Given that 71% of our planet's surface is covered in water, Earth is a good example of an "ocean world". Interestingly enough, Mars and Venus also had oceans on their surface as well, but these were lost as the planets underwent significant changes in their climate.

Because water is essential to life as we know it, ocean worlds like Earth have long been thought to be very rare and precious. But from the 1970s onward, robotic missions have revealed that oceans may also exist beneath the surfaces of icy moons in the outer Solar System. The first to be discovered were Jupiter's largest moons, which are also known as its Galilean moons (after their founder, Galileo Galilee).

Combined with a rich chemical environment that contains elements essential to life (oxygen, carbon, phosphorous, methane, etc.) and internal heating mechanisms, scientists began to speculate that these bodies could support life. In the past few decades, proposals have been made to send robotic missions to these bodies to search for signs of life ("biosignatures").

In 2004, NASA founded the Outer Planets Assessment Group (OPAG), which was charged with identifying scientific priorities and pathways for exploration in the outer Solar System. By 2016, OPAG founded the Roadmaps to Ocean Worlds (ROW) group, which was tasked with laying the groundwork for a mission to explore “ocean worlds” in search for life.

The objectives and of the ROW were summarized in a presentation titled “Exploration Pathways for Europa after initial In-Situ Analyses for Biosignatures", which was delivered at the “Planetary Science Vision 2050 Workshop” at NASA HQ in Washington, DC.

These objectives were published online in a 2019 study titled "The NASA Roadmap to Ocean Worlds" which was led by Amanda Hendrix of the Planetary Science Institute and Terry Hurford of NASA Goddard Space Flight Center. As they stated:

“For the purposes of ROW (Roadmap to Ocean Worlds), and to bound the extent of a future Ocean Worlds program, we define an “ocean world” as a body with a current liquid ocean (not necessarily global). All bodies in our solar system that plausibly can have or are known to have an ocean will be considered as part of this document. The Earth is a well-studied ocean world that can be used as a reference (“ground truth”) and point of comparison.”

Ocean Worlds in our Solar System:

At present, NASA has determined that there could be as many as nine ocean worlds within the Solar System, thought it is possible that there could be even more. They include Ceres, Europa, Ganymede, Callisto, Enceladus, Dione, Titan, Triton, Pluto - a combination of icy moons and icy minor planets.

These worlds are all believed to possess interior oceans which exist between  the surface ice and the core-mantle boundary. An interesting feature about these worlds is just how much of them consist of water and ice. On Earth, water accounts for only 1% of the planet's total diameter. But on these moons and minor planets, it ranges from between 55% (Europa) to 90% (Ganymede and Enceladus)

In addition, on Earth, the deepest part of the ocean is located in the western Pacific; specifically, a region known as the Challenger Deep. This region is located at the southern end of the Mariana Trench, and is approximately 11,000 m (36,200 ft) deep. Compare that to oceans that can get up to around 100 km (62 mi) in depth, with more salt water than all of Earth's oceans combined.

How much more? Consider Europa, which is at the lower end of the scale. Its ice layers and ocean water have an estimated volume of about three quadrillion cubic kilometers (3 × 10^18 m³), which is slightly more than twice the combined volume of all of Earth’s oceans. At the other end of the scale is Ganymede, which has an estimated volume of ice and water that is 39 times as much as Earth.

Aside from water, these worlds have also been found to possess volatile compounds (i.e. carbon dioxide, methane, ammonia), biological molecules, and internal heating caused by geothermal activity or the decay of radioactive elements. This combination of water, biological molecules, and energy make these moons possible candidates in the search for extra-terrestrial life.

Ceres:

The dwarf planet Ceres is the largest object in the Main Asteroid Belt, as well as the largest object between Mars and Jupiter. In fact, when it was discovered by Giuseppe Piazzi in 1801, it was the first member of the Asteroid Belt to be observed. For the next two centuries, it would continue to be referred to as an "asteroid".

However, with the Great Planet Debate of the early 2000s, Ceres found itself being reclassified. Like Pluto and other spherical bodies that have not cleared their orbits, Ceres became designated as a "dwarf planet" (or minor planet), in accordance with the resolution passed during the 26th General Assembly of the International Astronomical Union (IAU).

Based on its size and density, Ceres believed to be differentiated between a core composed of silicate minerals and metals and a mantle composed of ice. In addition, there are multiple lines of evidence that support the existence of a liquid water ocean in Cere's interior, which would be located at the core-mantle boundary.

For instance, scientists have detected significant amounts of hydroxide ions near Cere's north pole, which could be the product of water vapor being chemically disassociated by ultraviolet solar radiation. Several sources of water vapor have also been detected around the mid-latitudes.

These may be the result of surface ice that has sublimated due to comet impacts, or of cryovolcanic eruptions resulting from internal heat and subsurface pressurization.

In addition, infrared data on the surface has indicated the presence of sodium carbonate and smaller amounts of ammonium chloride or ammonium bicarbonate. These materials may have originated from the crystallization of brines that reached the surface from below.

The presence of ammonia, a natural antifreeze that Ceres is known to have, could be how this interior ocean remains in a liquid state. It is estimated to be 100 km (62 mi) deep, and could contain as much as 200 million km³ (48 mi³) of water. This is almost three times as much fresh water that exists on Earth - 35 million km³ (8.4 million mi³). 

The odds that this body could support life in its interior? Unclear at this time, but worth a check!

Callisto:

The outermost of Jupiter's Galilean Moons, Callisto is also believed to harbor an ocean in its interior. Like Ceres, this ocean is believed to exist as a result of there being sufficient amounts of ammonia in the interior, as well as the possible presence of radioactive elements whose decay provides the necessary heat.

The existence of this ocean is hypothesized based on the fact that Jupiter's powerful magnetic field does not penetrate beyond the Callisto's surface. This suggests that there is a layer of highly conductive fluid beneath the icy sheet that is at least 10 km (6.2 mi) in depth. However, allowing for sufficient amounts of ammonia, it could be up to 250 - 300 km (155 - 185 mi) deep.

If true, this would mean that Callisto is approximately equal parts rocky material and water ice, which ice constituting about 49-55% of the moon and water ice with volatiles (like ammonia) constituting 25-50% of its overall surface mass. Beneath this hypothetical ocean, Callisto’s interior appears to be composed of compressed rocks and ices, with the amount of rock increasing with depth.

This means that Callisto is only partially differentiated, with a small silicate core no larger than 600 km (370 mi) surrounded by a mix of ice and rock. Not a great bet for finding life, but a mission to explore the interior ocean would be invaluable nonetheless!

Europa:

Europa is the moon that started it all! For decades, the scientific consensus has been that beneath the surface of this a Jovian (and Galilean) moon lies a liquid water ocean, most likely located at the core-mantle boundary. The mechanism for this is believed to be tidal flexing, where Jupiter's powerful gravitational field causes Europa's rocky, metallic core to experience geothermal activity.

This activity could lead to the formation of hydrothermal vents on the ocean floor, where heat and minerals from the interior are injected into the ocean. On Earth, such vents are believed to be where the earliest life existed (which is indicated by fossilized bacteria that are dated to ca. 4.28 billion years ago).

In a similar vein, hydrothermal vents on Europa could give rise to similar lifeforms such as extreme bacteria and possibly even more complex lifeforms.

The existence of this interior ocean is supported by multiple lines of evidence gathered by a variety of robotic missions. These include geological models that anticipate tidal flexing in the interior and images taken by probes that revealed "chaos terrain" on Europa, where the terrain is crisscrossed by bands and ridges and is remarkably smooth.

There is also the way that periodic plumes of water have been observing breaching the surface of Europa and reaching up to 200 km (120 mi) in height - over 20 times the height of Mt. Everest! These appear when Europa is at its farthest point from Jupiter (periapsis) and are caused by tidal forces.

Using this data, scientists have developed a series of models to describe Europa's interior environment. Each of these has implications for the possible existence of life and our ability to find evidence of it on the surface.

In the “thin-ice model", the ice shell is only a few km thick - 200 m (650 ft) in some places - and contact between the subsurface and surface is a regular feature. This contact would be responsible for producing Europa's famous "chaos terrain", which are thought to be thin sections of ice sitting atop vast lakes of water.

In the “thick-ice model”, which is more favored, contact between the ocean and surface are rare and only takes place beneath open ridges. Between these two models, scientists estimate that Europa's crust is anywhere between 10–30 km (6–19 mi) thick, while its liquid ocean extends to a depth of about 100 km (60 mi).

Because of this combination of liquid water, organic molecules and chemistry, and internal heating, Europa is considered to be one of the best candidates for finding life beyond Earth.

Ganymede:

Another Jovian moon, also one of the Galileans, is Ganymede, which sets the record for being watery! Another thing that sets this moon apart is the intrinsic magnetic field - which is something no other moon (or rocky planet) possesses - and an atmosphere that experiences aurorae.

Like Europa, this moon is thought to have a core composed of metal and silicate minerals, which flexes due to interaction with Jupiter's gravity to create internal heating. This heat is what allows for a liquid water ocean located at the core-mantle boundary.

All told, Ganymede is believed to consist of equal parts rocky material and water ice, with water accounting for 46–50% of the moon’s mass, and 50-90% of the surface's mass.

In addition to other lines of evidence, the presence of an ocean inside Ganymede has been confirmed by readings obtained by robotic missions on how Ganymede’s aurora behaves. These aurorae are affected by Ganymede's magnetic field (something no other moon possesses) which is in turn affected by the presence of a large, subsurface ocean composed of salt water.

According to readings taken by robotic probes, the moon's interior is believed to be differentiated between a solid inner core measuring up to 500 km (310 mi) in radius (and composed or iron and nickel) and a liquid iron and iron-sulfide outer core. Convection in this outer core is what is believed to power Ganymede's intrinsic magnetic field.

The outer ice shell is the largest layer of all, measuring an estimated 800 km (497 miles) in radius. If these estimates are accurate, then Ganymede possesses the deepest oceans in the Solar System. As for whether or not these oceans could harbor life, that remains highly speculative.

Enceladus:

Here we have a more recent entry to the "Ocean Worlds" club. In 2005, NASA's Cassini mission noted the existence of water jets emanating from this moon's southern hemisphere around a series of features known as the "Tiger Stripes". These stripes correspond to linear depressions in the surface ice, where cryovolcanism forces water through to the surface.

Since that time, scientists have entertained the possibility that Enceladus has a liquid water ocean beneath its icy crust. Based on gravity measurements conducted by the Cassini mission, scientists estimate that it extends to a depth of about 10 km (6.2 mi) beneath the surface and that the surface plumes extend all the way to it.

Analysis of the plumes indicated that they are capable of dispensing 250 kg (lbs) of water vapor every second at speeds of up to 2,189 km/h, which allows them to reach up to 500 km (310 mi) into space. The intensity of these eruptions varies significantly based on changes in Enceladus’s orbit.

When Enceladus is at apoapsis (farthest from Saturn), the fissures through which the eruptions travel are under less pressure, which causes them to open wider. The plumes themselves are believed to originate from subsurface chambers at the core-mantle boundary, where geothermal activity maintains the ocean.

Even more impressive is the fact that spectroscopic analysis revealed the presence of methane and simple hydrocarbons in the plumes, as well as hydrated minerals. These elements are all essential to life as we know it and could indicate that colonies of simple lifeforms exist in Enceladus' interior.

Titan:

Saturn's largest moon is renowned for having a methane cycle that is very similar to Earth's water cycle - where methane exists on the surface as lakes, evaporates to form clouds, and returns to the surface in the form of hydrocarbon rains. All told, Titan contains more hydrocarbons in its atmosphere and on its surface than all of Earth’s oil deposits combined. 

At the same time, Titan also has also been found to have prebiotic conditions and organic chemistry on its surface, which could be indicative of life. On top of that, Titan could have an ocean of liquid water beneath its surface that could also support life. Much like Callisto, Titan's interior is believed to be differentiated and composed of equal parts water ice and rocky material/metals.

At the center is a 3,400 km (~2100 mi) core of hydrous rocky material surrounded by layers composed of different forms of crystalized ice and deeper levels of high-pressure ice. Above this resides a liquid ocean up to 200 km (125 mi) thick and made up of water and ammonia, which would allow the water to remain in a liquid state even where temperatures are below freezing.

As with other "Ocean Worlds", the existence of this subsurface ocean is supported by multiple lines of evidence. This includes the fact that the moon's surface is very smooth and young where most features dated to between 100 million to 1 billion years old, an indication of geological activity that renews the surface.

Another indicator is evidence of cryovolcanism, which could be responsible for some of the atmospheric methane. Since the amount of liquid methane on the surface is deemed insufficient for the gaseous concentrations in Titan's hazy atmosphere, an interior source is also thought to play a role.

The case for life on Titan remains highly speculative and would involve extreme lifeforms that are very exotic by Earth standards. Nevertheless, laboratory simulations have led to the idea that there is enough organic material on Titan to start a chemical evolution analogous to what is thought to have started life on Earth. 

Dione:

This moon of Saturn was first studied by the Voyager 1 and 2 space probes as they passed through the Saturn system in 1980 and 1981. It was further studied by the Cassini mission, which conducted five flybys of the moon between 2005 and 2015.

What these missions revealed was a satellite with smooth terrain, which is seen as an indication of endogenic resurfacing and renewal. Combined with models constructed by NASA scientists, it is believed that Dione’s core experiences tidal heating that increases as it gets closer in its orbit to Saturn. This may mean that Dione has a liquid water ocean at its core-mantle boundary.

Triton:

Neptune's largest moon has long remained a source mystery to scientists. Roughly 55% of Triton’s surface is covered with frozen nitrogen, whereas water ice comprises 15–35% while carbon dioxide ice (aka. "dry ice") forms the remaining 10–20%. Trace amounts of key volatiles have also been discovered in the crust, which includes methane and small amounts of ammonia.

Density measurements suggest that Triton's interior is differentiated between a solid core made of rocky material and metals and a mantle and crust composed of ice. It is theorized that if there are enough radioactive elements in the interior, it could provide enough energy to power convection in the mantle, which may be enough to maintain a subsurface ocean.

The presence of volatile elements further boosts this possibility, and if enough heat is provided from the core, it could be that life may exist in this interior ocean.

 Pluto:

Based on data obtained by NASA's New Horizon mission, scientists now believe that Pluto’s internal structure could be differentiated between a core of rocky material and metal that measures about 1700 km in diameter (70% of the planet), which is surrounded by a mantle of ice composed of water, nitrogen and other volatiles.

Once again, the presence of enough radioactive elements in the core could mean that Pluto's interior is warm enough to maintain an interior ocean. As with other Ocean Worlds, this would be located at the core-mantle boundary and is estimated to be 100 to 180 km (62 to 112 mi) thick.

Past Exploration:

All of the suspects Ocean Worlds of the Solar System have all been explored in the past. Some have been explored more extensively by multiple robotic missions over the course of the past decades. Others, meanwhile, have been explored very rarely or only recently.

Jupiter:

The exploration of Europa and other Jovian moons began with NASA's Pioneer 10and 11 spacecraft, which conducted flybys of the Jupiter system in 1973 and 1974, respectively. These provided the first closeup photos of Europa and other Jovian moons, but in low resolution.

The two Voyager probes followed, traveling through the Jovian system in 1979 and providing more detailed images of Europa’s icy surface. These images revealed Europa's "chaos terrain" features, which triggered speculation that the moon might harbor an interior ocean. Geophysical models that looked at Jupiter's gravitational force on the moon and the resulting tidal flexing supported this interpretation.

Between 1995 and 2003, NASA's Galileo probe orbited Jupiter and provided the most detailed examing of the Galilean moons, which included numerous flybys of Europa. It was this mission that was responsible for detecting Europa's weak magnetic moment, which indicated that a layer of highly-electrically conductive material exists in Europa's interior. The most plausible explanation for this was a large subsurface ocean of liquid saltwater.

Saturn:

In 1979, the Pioneer 11 pass through the Saturn system and measured Titan’s mass and atmosphere. In 1980 and 1981 (respectively), Voyager 1 and 2 conducted a more detailed study of Titan's atmosphere and revealed light and dark features on its surface (which would later come to be known as the Xanadu and Shangri-laregions).

Between 2004 and 2017, the Cassini-Huygens mission would provide the most detailed and comprehensive look at Saturn and its system of moons. It was the first robotic mission to observe plumes on Enceladus in 2005, which mission scientists concluded were an indication of an interior ocean and also what was responsible for replenishing Saturn’s E-Ring with icy particles.

The Cassini orbiter also conducted multiple flybys of Titan and took the highest-resolution images ever of Titan’s surface. This allowed scientists to discern patches of light and dark terrain that were Xanadu and Shangri-La features, detect abundant sources of liquid in the northern polar region, in the form of methane lakes and seas.

The European Space Agency's (ESA) Huygens lander touched down on the surface on January 14th, 2005, which made Titan the most distant body from Earth to ever have a robotic mission land on it. While the lander was only able to transmit for 90 minutes, the data is sent back revealed a great deal about Titan's surface.

This included evidence that many of Titan's surface features appear to have been formed by fluids at some point in the past. The lander also provided information about the region it landed in, just off the easternmost tip of the bright region called Adiri. This included the “highlands” that are believed to be composed mainly of water ice and dark organic compounds.

These compounds are created in the upper atmosphere and may come down from Titan’s atmosphere with methane rain and become deposited on the plains over time. The lander also obtained photographs of a dark plain covered in small rocks and pebbles (composed of water ice) that showed additional evidence of possible fluvial activity (liquid erosion).

Other Worlds:

Only a handful of missions have explored the other Ocean Worlds of the Solar System. These include the Voyager 2 probe, which conducted a flyby of Triton in 1989 as part of its tour of Uranus, Neptune and the outer Solar System. During this flyby, Voyager 2 gathered data that revealed a great deal about the moon's surface and composition, which is still being studied today.

Between 2015 and 2018, Ceres was investigated by NASA's Dawn mission. This orbiter became the first mission to visit a dwarf planet and go into orbit around two destinations beyond Earth - Ceres and Vesta, the second-largest object in the Main Asteroid Belt. In addition to finding evidence of a possible interior ocean, the Dawn mission confirmed that a liquid ocean may have once covered much of Ceres' surface.

Last, but not least, is Pluto, which was visited for the first time in history in 2015 by the New Horizons mission. This mission provided the first clear images of Pluto's surface, revealing things about its surface features, geological history, composition, atmosphere, and hinting at its internal processes.

Future Exploration Missions:

For obvious reasons, multiple missions have been proposed to explore the Solar System's Ocean Worlds over time. Looking to the future, a number of these concepts are either in development or are approaching realization. In addition, next-generation missions that will push the boundaries of space exploration are also expected to play a role in the study of Ocean Worlds.

Europa Clipper:

In 2011, a robotic mission to Europa was recommended as part of the U.S. Planetary Science Decadal Survey, a report that was requested by NASA and the National Science Foundation (NSF) to review the status of planetary science and propose missions that would advance their exploration goals between the years of 2013 and 2022.

In response, NASA commissioned a series of studies to research the possibility of Europa lander in 2012, along with concepts for a spacecraft that could conduct a flyby of Europa and one that would study the moon from orbit. Whereas the orbiter proposal would concentrate on the “ocean” science, the multiple-flyby proposal would concentrate on questions related to Europa's internal chemistry and energy.

In July 2013, NASA’s Jet Propulsion Laboratory and Applied Physics Laboratory presented an updated concept for a flyby Europa mission (called the Europa Clipper). In addition to exploring Europa to investigate its habitability, the Clipper mission would be charged with selecting sites for a future lander. It will not orbit Europa, but instead orbit Jupiter and conduct 45 low-altitude flybys of Europa.

On January 13th, 2014, the House Appropriations Committee announced a new bipartisan bill that included $80 million worth of funding to continue the Europa mission concept studies. In May 2015, NASA officially announced that it had accepted the Europa Clipper mission proposal, which would launch sometime in the 2020s.

They also revealed that this mission would rely on a suite of instruments that would include an ice-penetrating radar, a short-wave infrared spectrometer, a topographical imager, and an ion- and neutral-mass spectrometer.

JUICE:

In 2012, the European Space Agency (ESA) announced that they had selected the JUpiter ICy moon Explorer (JUICE) mission concept, as part of the agency's Cosmic Vision 2015-2025 program. This mission will launch in 2022 and arrive at Jupiter in 2029, where it will spend at least three years conducting detailed observations of Jupiter and the moons of Europa, Ganymede and Callisto.

The mission would conduct several flybys of Europa and Callisto, but would ultimately be more focused on Ganymede. This will be done using a suite that includes cameras, spectrometers, a laser altimeter, an ice-penetrating radar instrument, a magnetometer, plasma and particle monitors, and radio science hardware.

Europa Lander:

NASA has also made plans in recent years for a Europa Lander, a robotic vehicle that would be similar to the Viking 1 and 2 missions that explored Mars in the 1970s using an orbit and lander combination. The mission would also rely on technologies tested by the Mars Pathfinder, Spirit, Opportunity and Curiosity rovers, particularly those designed to look for signs of past life (aka. "biosignatures").

Like its predecessors, the Europa Lander would investigate Europa’s habitability and assess its astrobiological potential by confirming once and for all the existence of a subsurface ocean. It would also rely on a suite of instruments to determine the characteristics of water within and below Europa’s icy shell.

But of course, the greatest objective of this mission would be to look for evidence of life that could have made its way to the surface. For this reason, the regions where Europa experiences plume activity would be an ideal spot to land in.

While no date has been specified yet for when such a mission would launch or arrive at Europa, the mission is considered of vital importance to future exploration. In all likelihood, it would follow in the wake of the Europa Clipper mission, landing at a site selected by the orbiter.

Titan Mare Explorer/Submarine:

NASA and the astronomical community have also considered a mission to explore the methane lakes of Titan (particularly the largest lakes of Kraken and Ligeia Mare) for signs of possible aquatic life. One concept is the proposal known as the Titan Mare Explorer (TiME), a concept under consideration by NASA in conjunction with Lockheed Martin.

This mission would involve a low-cost lander splashing down in a lake in Titan’s northern hemisphere and floating on the surface of the lake for 3 to 6 months. This proposal was overruled in 2012 in favor of the lower-cost Mars InSight lander instead, which reached Mars in 2018.

Another proposal for exploring the methane seas on Titan is the Titan Submarine, a concept being explored by NASA Glenn Research Center in conjunction with researchers from Washington State University. The plan is to send this vehicle to Titan within the next 20 years, which will then explore lakes like Kraken Mare autonomously for possible evidence of life.

Titan Aerial Drones:

Multiple proposals have also been made to explore Titan's atmosphere using aerial platforms or a combination balloon and a lander. These include the Aerial Vehicle for In-situ and Airborne Titan Reconnaissance (AVIATR), which was designed by Dr. Jason Barnes and a team of researchers from the University of Idaho.

This drone would take high-definition images of Titan's surface to shed additional light on the geology. At the end of the mission, the plane will would attempt a landing on Titan's dunes in order to gather more information on these curious features as well.

There's also the Titan Saturn System Mission (TSSM), a joint NASA/ESA proposal for the exploration of Saturn’s moons. This concept envisions a hot-air balloon floating in Titan’s atmosphere and conducting research for a period of about six months.

As an Outer Planets Flagship Mission concept, the design of the TSSM consists of three elements – a NASA orbiter, an ESA-designed lander to explore Titan’s lakes, and an ESA-designed balloon to explore its atmosphere. Unfortunately, this concept lost out to the Europa Jupiter System Mission (EJSM) in 2009.

Most recently, a radical proposal was made by the John Hopkins University Applied Physics Laboratory (JHUAPL), which is known as Dragonfly. This New Frontiers-class mission would involve a dual-quadcopter robotic explorer that is capable of vertical-takeoff and landing (VTOL) and powered by a nuclear reactor.

Such a mission would be capable of exploring Titan’s atmosphere as well as conducting science on the surface, which would include exploring Titan's mysterious dunes and methane lakes.

James Webb Space Telescope:

Now scheduled for launch by 2021, the JWST will be the successor to the Hubble, Spitzer, and Kepler Space Telescope. As the most advanced space telescope to date and using its cutting-edge infrared imaging capabilities, this telescope will have no shortage of scientific objectives.

These will include probing the early Universe, examine distant stars and exoplanets, and also study the planets of the Solar System. It is this latter respect where the study of Ocean Worlds comes into play. When deployed, the JWST will dedicate some of its mission time to studying Europa and Enceladus.

Using its advanced infrared imaging capabilities, it will look for IR signatures on the surface of both moons to discern the location of “hot spots”, which correspond to of plume activity. Spectra obtained on thee plumes will help determine their composition and look for organic molecules and signs of life.

There's something exciting about the prospect of studying the Ocean Worlds that reside within in our cosmic backyard. On the one hand, these worlds may be the most likely place where we will find evidence of life beyond Earth. On the other, the various missions that are intended to explore them directly are all expected to happen within the next few decades.

For example, the JWST is scheduled to study moons like Europa and Enceladus just six months after it is deployed and has commenced its scientific operations. The Europa Clipper mission is scheduled for the mid-2020s, while missions to Titan are expected to happen by the 2030s.

In other words, if there is life locked away beneath the icy crusts of these moons and minor planets, we will be hearing about it within our lifetime!

 Further Reading:

• NASA - Ocean Worlds
• NASA - Europa Clipper
• NASA - Europa Lander
• ESA - JUpiter ICy moons Explorer (JUICE)
• NASA - Outer Planets Assessment Group (OPAG)
• Astrobiology Magazine - the NASA Roadmap to Ocean Worlds
• Lunar and Planetary Institute - Roadmaps to Ocean Worlds (ROW)
• Woods Hole Oceanographic Institution - Exploring Ocean Worlds

{ https://interestingengineering.com/science }

16-06-2019 om 21:04 geschreven door peter  

BIJZONDERE GRAANCIRKEL IN BRABANT, NEDERLAND, ONTDEKT

De mooiste graancirkels zijn tot nu gevonden in Engeland, maar soms verschijnen ze ook in ons land.

En als dat gebeurt, dan is dit dikwijls in Noord Brabant zoals ook nu weer het geval.

Het blijft een fascinerend fenomeen, die graancirkels en nog steeds jaar na jaar verschijnen ze weer.

Over het algemeen zijn de graancirkels die in Nederland worden aangetroffen wat minder spectaculair dan die in Engeland en de boeren in ons land schijnen ook wat minder geduld te hebben dat die in het buitenland.

Zo werd er vorig jaar een graancirkel ontdekt in Zevenbergen en zoals we toen schreven, maakte de boer er korte metten mee 

En nu ontvangen we het volgende bericht van een lezer (dank!) uit Reusel in Noord Brabant over wederom een graancirkel in die provincie.

Het bericht luidt als volgt:

Toen ik met mijn hond ging wandelen zag ik op de hoek Laarakkerdijk, Schepersweijer in Reusel een grote tekening in de vorm van 3 cirkels. Deze stond in het gras. 

Ik durf het bijna niet te zeggen want ik ben een nuchtere Reuselse boer maar het leek nog het meest op een graancirkel. Ik durfde er eerst geen melding van te maken omdat ik bang ben voor gek verklaard te worden maar zag op FB dat een boer er een foto van gemaakt heeft met zijn drone.

Zie bijlage. Is dit een UFO waarneming of kan dit ook door bijvoorbeeld windmolens komen? Die staan er enkele in dat gebied.

Tot ver deze lezer.

Nee, het lijkt ons niet dat windmolens dit soort structuren in het graan kunnen veroorzaken. Er is natuurlijk altijd de mogelijkheid dat dit door mensenhanden is gemaakt en in dat geval zouden wij graag horen van diegenen die dit gemaakt hebben.

Wat wij ervan kunnen maken is dat het de stand van 3 hemellichamen representeert. Daarbij zouden we misschien de zon zien met de aarde en daartussen een andere planeet? Het lijkt in ieder geval dat er aandacht wordt gevraagd voor een stand van bepaalde planeten, uitgelijnd op een bepaalde manier.

En dan is er met zoals de meeste graancirkels geen enkele "logische verklaring" met betrekking tot de makers, behalve dat ze door ons onbekende entiteiten of vliegende objecten (ufo's) zijn gemaakt.

We horen graag van lezers wat hun gedachten zijn over deze graancirkel en wat deze zou kunnen uitbeelden. Je kunt ons emailen via redactie (apenstaart) niburu.co

{ http://niburu.co/ }

16-06-2019 om 18:38 geschreven door peter  

Stargates of the Ancients

{ https://beforeitsnews.com/v3/ }

16-06-2019 om 18:25 geschreven door peter  

Greatest American Military UFO Experiences via the Nimitz Encounters

November 2004, 90 miles of the coast of Mexico near San Diego, California, the Nimitz Carrier Strike Group was conducting routine training and aerial defense exercises when unexplained events occurred.
 

No one could have predicted what would soon confront the world’s most advanced naval war ships and fighter jets.

Aerial craft would appear that forever changed all those that encountered them. The answers to the question of “what are they?” remains unanswered by the sailors and the US Gov. After years of cloaked secrecy the true story can finally be told. With multiple witnesses from the ships, their first hand testimony is impossible to deny.

Our film features CGI re-creations as told by the sailors and naval aviators that witnessed them. Aside from the historical fictionalized dialog (no one recorded the radio conversations), the story itself is based on the facts of the case, including official US government docs, witness statements, news reports and official timelines.) See www.thenimitzencounters.com for links to the official documents.

Some military personnel have requested their names be removed or remain anonymous, out of respect for their privacy we have changed names and details to protect their identity. All similarities to persons living or dead is unintentional. The producers have made every attempt to verify details and deny any liability for errors or omissions.

 

2004 USS NIMITZ FLIR1 VIDEO

This report was taken to obtain additional information regarding the 2004 USS Nimitz incident and the possible encounter of an unidentified aerial system while US fighter pilots were on an official training mission off the coast of San Diego.  All personally identifiable information has been removed to protect sources and methods.

The "Source" of this report is a highly decorated and recognized expert in aviation and Navy combat flight operations with Top Secret clearance.  There are also six "others knowledgable (OK)" that are referenced as being aware of the incident.  OK-4 and OK-5, who were assigned to the follow-on cycle from the USS Nimitz on the same day, after the Source's encounter, reportedly saw the same object and were able to obtain brief FLIR footage.  TTS Academy has obtained this footage, entitled "FLIR1," which you can watch here after reading this report.

To watch an interview regarding this event with Commander David Fravor, U.S Navy (Ret), who was also piloting one of the F/A-18F Super Hornets that day, please click here.

Sources: 

• https://ufosightingshotspot.blogspot.com/2019/06/the-nimitz-encounters.html
• http://www.openminds.tv/
• https://coi.tothestarsacademy.com/

{ https://beforeitsnews.com/v3/ }

16-06-2019 om 18:17 geschreven door peter