{ https://mindmatters.ai/ }

08-11-2021 om 01:21 geschreven door peter  

In a new incredible discovery, water has been detected in a massive galaxy located 12.88 billion light-years away from us. This is the most distant finding of a very important element for supporting life in a regular star-forming galaxy.

The large galaxy, which is called SPT0311-58, is actually two galaxies that are merging into one. They were being witnessed when the Universe was just 780 million years old – approximately 5% of its current age when the very first galaxies and stars were forming. The larger of the two galaxies contains H2O and carbon monoxide molecules which were detected by scientists who were using the Atacama Large Millimeter/submillimeter Array (ALMA).

(Not the SPT0311-58 galaxy)

Sreevani Jarugula, who is an astronomer at the University of Illinois and the primary investigator of the new research, explained what they found, “Oxygen and carbon, in particular, are first-generation elements, and in the molecular forms of carbon monoxide and water, they are critical to life as we know it,” adding, “This galaxy is the most massive galaxy currently known at high redshift, or the time when the Universe was still very young. It has more gas and dust compared to other galaxies in the early Universe, which gives us plenty of potential opportunities to observe abundant molecules and to better understand how these life-creating elements impacted the development of the early Universe.”

Molecular hydrogen and carbon monoxide are the two most plentiful molecules in the universe, and water comes in third on the list. Water and far-infrared emissions from dust have previously been detected in other galaxies from the early and local universe as explained by Jarugula, “The dust absorbs the ultraviolet radiation from the stars in the galaxy and re-emits it as far-infrared photons.” “This further excites the water molecules, giving rise to the water emission that scientists are able to observe. In this case, it helped us to detect water emissions in this massive galaxy. This correlation could be used to develop water as a tracer of star formation, which could then be applied to galaxies on a cosmological scale.”

(Not the SPT0311-58 galaxy)

Jarugula went on to say, “Early galaxies are forming stars at a rate thousands of times that of the Milky Way,” adding, “Studying the gas and dust content of these early galaxies informs us of their properties, such as how many stars are being formed, the rate at which gas is converted into stars, how galaxies interact with each other and with the interstellar medium, and more.” The study was published in The Astrophysical Journal.

Images of the SPT0311-58 galaxy can be seen here.

This artist’s conception shows the dust continuum and molecular lines of carbon monoxide and water seen in the pair of galaxies known as SPT0311-58.

Image credit: ALMA / ESO / NAOJ / NRAO / S. Dagnello, NRAO.

These images show the molecular lines and dust continuum seen in ALMA observations of SPT0311-58. On left: a composite image combining the dust continuum with molecular lines for water and carbon monoxide. On right: the dust continuum seen in red (top), molecular line for water shown in blue (second from top), molecular line transitions for carbon monoxide, CO(6-5) shown in purple (middle), CO(7-6) shown in magenta (second from bottom), and CO(10-9) shown in pinks and deep blue (bottom).

Image credit: ALMA / ESO / NAOJ / NRAO / S. Dagnello, NRAO.

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{ https://mysteriousuniverse.org/ }

08-11-2021 om 00:37 geschreven door peter  

Are you afraid of spiders? It’s a common fear and one that keeps the roll-able magazine and foldable newspaper businesses profitable. If you’re arachnophobic, Georgia is not the state to live in – entomologists announced recently that giant Joro spiders (Trichonephila clavate), an invasive species from East Asia that only showed up in 2014, has taken over the state … covering it with its massive, intricate webs. Don’t rest too easily Tennessee, South Carolina, Florida and Alabama – the entomologists say the Joro Spiders have crossed your borders with Georgia and are spreading. And, while they’re not the largest spider in North America, they may even be scaring other spiders. Is it time to subscribe to a few more magazines?

“Last year, there were dozens of spiders, and they began to be something of a nuisance when I was doing yard work. This year, I have several hundred, and they actually make the place look spooky with all the messy webs — like a scene out of ‘Arachnophobia.'”

Joro spider

University of Georgia entomologist Will Hudson explains in a statement that the Joro spiders are venomous but pose a danger only to insects caught in their webs, not humans of pets. However, their rapid spread throughout Georgia and has him concerned and he recommends killing any females one comes across – females are larger (3 inches across) and more colorful than the small brown males. Hudson himself has killed more than 300 females on his property just this year. He instructs to avoid persiticides and instead use old-fashioned methods like shovels, brinks, boots and magazines (big thick ones). And he warns it’s already too late to eradicate them from Georgia and the U.S

“Jumping spiders (Salticidae) have superb vision and are excellent predators but they can equally fall prey to other jumping spiders. In a hierarchical decision-making setup, we tested whether the common zebra jumping spider Salticus scenicus can visually recognize stationary predators.”

While Will Hudson is chasing Joro spiders, researchers led by Dr. Daniela Rößler at Germany’s University of Konstanz found something unusual about jumping spiders of the Salticidae family – they’re afraid of other jumping spiders. In a study published by the British Ecological Society and appropriately nicknamed “Arachno-Arachnophobia,” the entomologists wondered how jumping spiders, which use their springy talent to avoid predators, recognized the predators, particularly other jumping spiders. While many creatures detect, the researchers were surprised when jumping spiders recognized and backed away from a dead jumping spider. Even more interesting, Rößler says in a tweet that this behavior was present in newly hatched spiderlings too.

Jumping spider

“So, while we usually think of anti-predator adaptations in terms of morphology and behavior, we might want to include cognitive and perceptual abilities more into this discussion. Isn’t it absolutely amazing that a brain the size of a poppy seed is able to do this???”

Amazing? Yes. Frightening? Well, think about it. Something with a brain the size of a poppy seed can spot spiders before you can. And Rößler’s study only looks at jumping spiders. Do other spiders have this innate ability? Are Joro spiders already evolving to fear other spiders … boots?

Even if you’re not getting married, “Modern Bride” is a pretty thick magazine.

{ https://mysteriousuniverse.org/ }

08-11-2021 om 00:22 geschreven door peter  

It’s no secret that the U.S. Space Force is worried about China’s space program, which seems to be progressing at a much faster pace than NASA or private space programs, and has a not-too-subtle tendency towards militarizing space, the Moon, other planets and beyond. A good example of this appeared recently on the screens tracking China’s satellite launches. A few days after the October 23rd launch of what was reputed to be a debris-collecting satellite, a second mysterious object pulled up alongside of it.

“US military tracking data indicated the launcher placed the Shijian 21 spacecraft into an elliptical geostationary transfer orbit ranging as high as 22,253 miles (35,813 kilometers) above Earth, with an inclination of about 28.5 degrees to the equator.”

Chinese state media reported that Shijian 21 would “test and verify space debris mitigation technologies.” That’s pretty nebulous – not that the U.S. is any more detailed on its own secret launches – but there wasn’t much concern until a few days later, as Space News reports.

“On Nov. 3 U.S. Space Force’s 18th Space Control Squadron (SPCS) catalogued a new object alongside Shijian-21 with the international designator 2021-094C. The object is noted as a rocket body and more precisely an apogee kick motor (AKM), used in some launches for a satellite to circularize and lower the inclination of its transfer orbit and enter geostationary orbit.”

The object is “noted as a rocket body” but it’s not acting like one. AKMs are usually maneuvered away from satellites after doing their job so they don’t collide — Shijian-21 and the SJ-21 AKM are flying side by side as if that was the intent. Space News speculates the mysterious object could be participating in counterspace operations tests such as rendezvous and proximity operations, refueling or manipulation using a robotic arm.

“We see their capabilities from direct-ascent ASAT, antisatellite capabilities, to on-orbit activity that they’ve done with that capability. All the while, China continues to maintain their public stance against the weaponization of space.”

Air Force Gen. James Dickinson told Congress earlier this year that Shijian-21 could use its robotic arm as a satellite crusher … and that was before its mysterious partner was discovered. This isn’t the first time a tight-formation pair of objects launched by China has been observed. In 2018, the TJS-3 (Tongxin Jishu Shiyan-3) satellite was launched unexpectedly and released a mysterious payload that performed coordinated maneuvers in what could be construed to be an attempt to confuse space tracking networks.

This could be the next step towards a space conflict – or it could be an indication that China is concerned about space junk like dead or malfunctioning satellites and is trying to get a jump on the geostationary satellite servicing marketplace which a number of public companies, including Space Logistics owned by Northrop Grumman, are developing spacecraft for. It all adds up to a need for the buzzword of the moment … transparency. We should have learned from previous wars and science fiction that cooperation works better than conflict.

We SHOULD have learned this. Have we?

{ https://mysteriousuniverse.org/ }

08-11-2021 om 00:12 geschreven door peter  

LATEST UFO SIGHTINGS AND VIDEOS

Several UFO "Orbs" Filmed Flying In The Sky Over Illinois & Could This Be The Roar Of The Bigfoot?

First clip: This was sighted over Mokena and the bordering town of Tinley Park Illinois on October 20, 2021 and the witness stated the following: " My name is Jon Valente. I saw them on two different nights and the dates of the sightings are on the title of my videos. I saw both sightings in Mokena Illinois on 10/20/21 and on 11/4/21. The objects appeared to be over Mokena and the bordering town of Tinley Park Illinois. On both occasions the objects were well below cloud level. I would estimate between 1,000 to 2,500 feet above the ground."

Thanks to Jon Valente for allowing me the use of this footage and to view the original videos.....

• https://youtu.be/4zpPYCHvqoQ

• https://youtu.be/NkYERYmTSKk

• https://youtu.be/kx7BYlcgxO8

Second clip: This was captured at Five Forks State Park in Virginia on October 10, 2021 and the witness stated the following: "My horse is very desensitized to loud sounds so he never bolts. You can shoot a gun off his back and he just stands there. I’m not sure what this was." Others after viewing the footage claimed that this is the roar of the "Hide & Seek" champion, Bigfoot but the woods are a very strange place with many peculiarities.

Many thanks to Wendigo_enthusiast for allowing me the use of her footage and to view the original:

• https://www.reddit.com/r/SlappedHam/c...

{  https://www.youtube.com/ }

07-11-2021 om 23:58 geschreven door peter  

Mysterious shards of GLASS strewn across the Atacama Desert were likely created by an ancient exploding comet, study claims

• Mysterious shards of glass strewn across Atacama Desert have puzzled experts

• But a new study claims the pieces were created by an ancient exploding comet

• Shards are clustered in a vast corridor stretching almost 50 miles (75 km) across

• They take a number of shapes, with some shards up to 20 inches (50 cm) in size

By SAM TONKIN FOR MAILONLINE

Mysterious shards of glass strewn across Chile's Atacama Desert were likely created by an ancient exploding comet, a study has claimed.

The pieces of dark green or black glass, which came to scientists' attention a decade ago, are clustered in a vast corridor that stretches almost 50 miles (75km) across.

Some are up to 20 inches (50cm big) and look as if they've been folded and twisted into their current forms.

It had been thought they could have been created by volcanic activity or ancient grass fires — because the region wasn't always a desert — but new research led by Brown University has come to a different conclusion.

The study discovered that the glass contained tiny fragments with minerals often found in rocks of extraterrestrial origin.

Discovery: Mysterious shards of dark green or black glass strewn across Chile's Atacama Desert (pictured) were likely created by an ancient exploding comet, a new study has claimed

The pieces of dark green or black glass, which came to scientists' attention a decade ago, are clustered in a vast corridor that stretches almost 50 miles (75km) across

Out of this world: The fragments of glass contain exotic minerals such as cubanite and troilite (pictured) only found in meteorites and other extraterrestrial rocks, the researchers said

WHAT WERE THE EXTRATERRESTRIAL MINERALS FOUND IN THE DESERT GLASS?

Researchers led by Brown University collected more than 300 samples of the glass found in Chile's Atacama Desert before examining them under an electron microscope.

They then analysed the objects' chemical composition through spectroscopy. 

Minerals in the glass called zircons decomposed to form baddeleyite, the study found, which would have required extremely hot temperatures of above 3,038°F (1,670°C). 

The fragments also contained exotic minerals such as cubanite and troilite only found in meteorites and other extraterrestrial rocks.

They closely match the composition of material returned to Earth by NASA's Stardust mission, which sampled the particles from a comet called Wild 2, the authors said.

Those minerals closely match the composition of material returned to Earth by NASA's Stardust mission, which sampled the particles from a comet called Wild 2, the authors said. 

They concluded that the minerals are likely the remains of an extraterrestrial object — most likely a comet — streamed down after an explosion that melted the sandy surface below.

'This is the first time we have clear evidence of glasses on Earth that were created by the thermal radiation and winds from a fireball exploding just above the surface,' said the study's lead author Pete Schultz, of Brown University. 

'To have such a dramatic effect on such a large area, this was a truly massive explosion. 

'Lots of us have seen bolide fireballs streaking across the sky, but those are tiny blips compared to this.' 

Researchers collected more than 300 samples of the desert glass before examining them under an electron microscope and analysing their chemical composition through spectroscopy. 

The samples showed evidence of having been twisted, folded, rolled and even thrown while still in molten form.

According to the researchers, that is consistent with a large incoming meteor and airburst explosion, which would have been accompanied by tornado-force winds.

They added that the glass fragments 'indicate nearly simultaneous (seconds to minutes) intense airbursts close to Earth's surface near the end of the Pleistocene' 12,000 years ago.

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The glass is in patches across the Atacama Desert east of Pampa del Tamarugal, a plateau in northern Chile nestled between the Andes to the east and Chilean Coastal Range to the west

The minerals closely match the composition of material returned to Earth by NASA's Stardust mission, which sampled the particles from a comet called Wild 2, the authors said

Researchers collected more than 300 samples of the glass before examining them under an electron microscope and analysing their chemical composition through spectroscopy

Minerals in the glass called zircons thermally decomposed to form baddeleyite, the authors said, which would have required extremely hot temperatures of above 3,038°F (1,670°C)

WHAT WAS NASA's STARDUST MISSION?

The Stardust probe was launched back in 1999 with the primary goal of visiting the comet Wild 2.

It completed this mission in 2004, capturing dust particles from around the comet nucleus that it later returned to Earth in a capsule for study. 

In 2009, this analysis revealed that a fundamental building block of life had been found in a comet for the first time, bolstering the theory that the raw ingredients of life arrived on Earth from outer space.

Traces of the amino acid glycine were found, having been captured 242million miles from Earth by the Stardust spacecraft. 

However, with sufficient fuel supplies still in its tanks, NASA then decided to send the probe to the comet Tempel 1, which it swept past in 2011.

During the Pleistocene epoch, there were fertile patches in the desert with trees and grassy wetlands created by rivers extending from mountains to the east. 

It had been suggested that widespread fires may have burned hot enough to melt the sandy soil into large glassy slabs.

But the amount of glass present, along with several key physical characteristics, make this theory extremely unlikely, the new research found. 

Minerals in the glass called zircons thermally decomposed to form baddeleyite, the authors said, which would have required extremely hot temperatures of above 3,038°F (1,670°C), which is far hotter than a wildfire. 

The glass is concentrated in patches across the Atacama Desert east of Pampa del Tamarugal, a plateau in northern Chile nestled between the Andes mountains to the east and the Chilean Coastal Range to the west.

It contains exotic minerals such as cubanite and troilite only found in meteorites and other extraterrestrial rocks, the researchers said.

'Those minerals are what tell us that this object has all the markings of a comet,' said co-author Scott Harris, a planetary geologist at the Fernbank Science Center.

'To have the same mineralogy we saw in the Stardust samples entrained in these glasses is really powerful evidence that what we're seeing is the result of a cometary airburst.' 

The pieces of dark green or black glass are clustered in a vast corridor that stretches almost 50 miles (75km) across Chile's Atacama Desert

(stock image)

Researchers said more work is needed to establish the exact age of the glass, which would then help determine when the ancient comet exploded in the Atacama Desert (pictured)

Pictured is an artist's impression of the Stardust spacecraft approaching comet Wild 2 in 2004

More work needs to be done to establish the exact age of the glass, which would determine exactly when the event took place, Schultz said. 

But experts believe the impact happened around the time large mammals disappeared from the region. 

'It's too soon to say if there was a causal connection or not, but what we can say is that this event did happen around the same time as when we think the megafauna disappeared, which is intriguing,' Schultz said. 

'There's also a chance that this was actually witnessed by early inhabitants, who had just arrived in the region. It would have been quite a show.'

The research has been published in the journal Geology.

Read more:

• Widespread glasses generated by cometary fireballs during the late Pleistocene in the Atacama Desert, Chile | Geology | GeoScienceWorld

{ https://www.dailymail.co.uk/ }

07-11-2021 om 23:51 geschreven door peter  

The mystery of the massive amounts of shards of glass spread across Chile’s Atacama Desert has finally been solved and it involves an exploding comet from thousands of years ago.

In a new study that was led by researchers from Brown University, they claimed that the extensive heat from a comet exploding above the ground fused the sandy soil in the desert into countless patches of dark green or black silicate glass. These shards of glass stretched across an area of about 75 kilometers (46.6 miles). This event occurred approximately 12,000 years ago. Interestingly, it was believed to have happened around the same time that large mammals disappeared from the area, although more studies need to be conducted in order to know for sure.

During their research, they studied glass samples from the desert and they found that they contained small portions of minerals that came from space. The minerals included troilite, cubanite, and calcium-aluminum-rich inclusions that were very similar to those found in samples that were collected from a comet named Wild 2 and were brought back to Earth by NASA’s Stardust mission. They were able to confidently say that the minerals found in the shards of glass in the Atacama Desert came from a space object that was probably a comet similar to Wild 2.

Scott Harris, who is a planetary geologist at the Fernbank Science Center, stated, “Those minerals are what tell us that this object has all the markings of a comet,” adding, “To have the same mineralogy we saw in the Stardust samples entrained in these glasses is really powerful evidence that what we’re seeing is the result of a cometary airburst.”

This is very significant news as it remained a mystery for such a long time, especially since experts couldn’t find any proof that they were caused by volcanic activity. Another theory was that they were caused by ancient grass fires that melted the sandy soil into glass; however, since there is so much glass as well as its space minerals, a fire seemed very unlikely. Additionally, since the glass was folded, twisted, thrown, and rolled, evidence points to an exploding comet that would have caused winds as strong as a tornado.

Furthermore, chemical analysis on the glass revealed that they contained zircon minerals that were thermally decomposed in order to create baddeleyite. This means that the temperature would have been as hot as 3,000 degrees Fahrenheit (1,649 degrees Celsius) in order to form them – much hotter than a grass fire.

Pete Schultz, who is a professor emeritus in Brown University’s Department of Earth, Environmental and Planetary Sciences, weighed in by noting, “This is the first time we have clear evidence of glasses on Earth that were created by the thermal radiation and winds from a fireball exploding just above the surface.” “To have such a dramatic effect on such a large area, this was a truly massive explosion.” (Pictures of the shards of glass stretched across the Atacama Desert can be seen here.)

© P.H. Schultz/Brown University

Deposits of dark silicate glass are strewn across a 75km corridor in the Atacama Desert in northern Chile

- P.H. Schultz/Brown University

Their study was published in Geology.

Image: Schultz et al., Geology, 2021

{ https://mysteriousuniverse.org/ }

07-11-2021 om 23:32 geschreven door peter  

This Team Of Scientists Were Exploring This Ancient Jungle When They Made An Unexpected Discovery via Unexplained Mysteries

This team of scientists were exploring this ancient jungle when they made an unexpected discovery. Today, we take a look at what this team of scientists discovered inside this jungle.

The densely growing vines and choking trees that make up the jungles of the equator are likely one of the least-understood regions of the earth, second only to the ocean. Although the uncertainty of the contents of the jungle leads some to believe that it conceals ominous and otherworldly secrets, most of the mysteries within are simply fantastical occurrences that have yet to be discovered.

Today, we take a look at this compilation of incredible jungle discoveries. Thank you for watching! Thank you to CO.AG for the background music!

RELATED VIDEOS, selected and posqted vy peter2011

{ https://beforeitsnews.com/ }

07-11-2021 om 17:20 geschreven door peter  

Someone Just Discovered A Massive Underground Tunnel In Mexico But Didn't Expect To Find This Inside via Unexplained Mysteries

Someone Just Discovered A Massive Underground Tunnel In Mexico But Didn’t Expect To Find This Inside via Unexplained Mysteries

Someone just discovered a massive underground tunnel in Mexico but didn’t expect to find this inside. Today, we take a look at this massive underground tunnel that was just found in Mexico. Mexico is a country that has a rich history. Every year archaeologists working here discover incredible artifacts, helping to give us a glimpse into what life would have been like here thousands of years ago.

Each year researchers discover underground chambers and caves, sometimes these are emptied, but some of these are filled with artifacts and treasures. One example of this is archaeologists recently uncovered a secret ‘passage to the underworld’ at Pyramid of the Moon in Teotihuacan. Thank you for watching!

Thank you to CO.AG for the background music!

{ https://beforeitsnews.com/ }

07-11-2021 om 17:08 geschreven door peter  

Three 'space adventurers' close in on Jupiter: Lego figures flying on Nasa's Juno probe hurtle towards planet at 165,000 mph

• Juno is due to reach the gas giant at 3.18am GMT on Tuesday after a five-year, 1.8 billion-mile journey from Earth 

• Unlocking its history may hold clues to understanding how Earth and the rest of the solar system developed 

• Onboard are Lego figures depicting the astronomer Galileo Galilei, the Roman god Jupiter, and the deity's wife Juno

• Nasa is using the aluminium Lego figures to inspire children to explore science, technology and engineering

By ELLIE ZOLFAGHARIFARD FOR DAILYMAIL.COM 

A solar-powered spacecraft, with three special passengers onboard, is currently spinning toward Jupiter for the closest encounter with the biggest planet in our solar system.

Nasa's Juno spacecraft is set to fire its main rocket engine early tomorrow morning to slow itself down from a speed of 165,000 mph (265,000 kph) and slip into orbit around Jupiter.

Hitching a ride are three 1.5-inch Lego figures depicting the 17th century Italian astronomer Galileo Galilei, the Roman god Jupiter, and the deity's wife Juno - all made from aluminium to withstand the Jupiter's harsh environment.

Scroll down for video 

Unusually for a robotic space mission, Juno is carrying passengers - three Lego figures depicting the 17th century Italian astronomer Galileo Galilei (left), the Roman god Jupiter (right), and the deity's wife Juno (centre). Lego made the figures out of aluminium rather than the usual plastic so they could withstand the extreme conditions of space fligh

In Greek and Roman mythology, Jupiter drew a veil of clouds around himself to hide his mischief. From Mount Olympus, Juno was able to peer through the clouds and reveal Jupiter's true nature. 

Juno holds a magnifying glass to signify her search for the truth, while her husband holds a lightning bolt.

The third Lego crew member is Galileo Galilei, who made several important discoveries about Jupiter. He used a telescope to confirm the phases of Venus and discovered the four largest satellites of Jupiter - named the Galilean moons in his honour. 

'Of course, the minifigure Galileo has his telescope with him on the journey,' Lego said in a statement.

By drawing attention to these Lego characters, Nasa aims to inspire the next generation of spacecraft engineers by encouraging children to explore subjects such as science and technology.

But they are on a suicide mission. Juno, along with its three passengers, meets its demise in 2018 when it deliberately dives into Jupiter's atmosphere and disintegrates — a necessary sacrifice to prevent any chance of accidentally crashing into the planet's potentially habitable moons.

NASA'S JUNO MISSION 

The Juno probe is due to reach the gas giant on at 3.18am GMT Tuesday morning after a five-year, 1.8 billion-mile journey from Earth.

It will enter a long polar orbit flying to within 3,100 miles (5,000 km) of the planet's swirling cloud tops. Once in orbit around Jupiter, Juno will skim to within just 4,200 km of the planet's clouds once a fortnight - too close to provide global coverage in a single image.

The Earth-based observations supplement the suite of advanced instrumentation on the Juno spacecraft, filling in the gaps in Juno's spectral coverage and providing the wider global and temporal context to Juno's close-in observations. 

No previous spacecraft has orbited so close to Jupiter, although two others have been sent plunging to their destruction through its atmosphere.

To complete its risky mission Juno will have to survive a circuit-frying radiation storm generated by Jupiter's powerful magnetic field. The maelstrom of high energy particles travelling at nearly the speed of light is the harshest radiation environment in the Solar System.

To cope with the conditions, the spacecraft is protected with special radiation-hardened wiring and sensor shielding.

Its all-important 'brain' - the spacecraft's flight computer - is housed in an armoured vault made of titanium and weighing almost 400 pounds (172kg).

Juno was launched on 5 August, 2011. During more than 30 orbital flybys of the Jovian world, it will probe beneath the obscuring ammonia and hydrogen sulfide cloud cover and study the auroras to learn more about the planet's origins, structure, atmosphere and magnetosphere.

Juno's name comes from Greek and Roman mythology. Jupiter, the father of the Roman gods, drew a veil of clouds around himself to hide his mischief. But his wife - the goddess Juno - was able to peer through the clouds and reveal Jupiter's true nature.

During its mission of exploration, Juno will circle the Jovian world 37 times, soaring low over the planet's cloud tops.

With Juno on autopilot, the delicately choreographed move comes without any help from ground controllers.

If successful, scientists will for the first time be able to see what lies beneath Jupiter's atmosphere, and help unlock secrets about how the solar system formed.   

Juno is travelling through a hostile radiation environment, 'but it should be able to withstand it,' said Kenny Starnes, programme manager for Lockheed Martin, which built the spacecraft.

Juno's camera and other instruments were switched off for the arrival so there won't be any pictures at the moment the spacecraft reaches its destination. Scientists have promised close-up views of Jupiter when Juno skims the cloud tops during the 20-month, $1.1 billion (£828m) mission.

The fifth planet from the sun and the heftiest in the solar system, Jupiter is known as a gas giant — a ball of mainly hydrogen and helium — unlike rocky Earth and Mars.

With its billowy clouds and colourful stripes, Jupiter is an extreme world that likely formed first, shortly after the sun. Unlocking its history may hold clues to understanding how Earth and the rest of the solar system developed.

Named after the Roman god Jupiter's cloud-piercing wife, Juno is only the second mission designed to spend time at Jupiter. 

Scientists are using the Hubble Space Telescope to watch Jupiter's aurora (pictured) for more than a month in the hope of trying to unravel what causes these enormous light shows. The ultraviolet and X-ray aurora on Jupiter occur continuously on the giant planet and are the size of the entire planet Earth

Juno is in a harsh radiation environment, so its delicate electronics are housed in a special titanium vault. Eventually, Juno will succumb to the intense radiation and will be commanded to plunge into Jupiter's atmosphere to avoid any collision with the planet's moons. Pictured is a 1/5 scale model size of the solar-powered Juno spacecraft

Galileo, which launched in 1989, circled Jupiter for 14 years, beaming back splendid views of the planet and its numerous moons. It uncovered signs of an ocean beneath the icy surface of Europa, considered a top target in the search for life outside Earth.

Juno's mission: To peer through Jupiter's cloud-socked atmosphere and map the interior from a unique vantage point above the poles. 

Among the lingering questions: How much water exists? Is there a solid core? Why are Jupiter's southern and northern lights the brightest in the solar system?

There's also the mystery of its Great Red Spot. Recent observations by the Hubble Space Telescope revealed the centuries-old monster storm in Jupiter's atmosphere is shrinking.

The trek to Jupiter, spanning nearly five years and 1.8 billion miles (2.8 bn kilometres), took Juno on a tour of the inner solar system followed by a swing past Earth that catapulted it beyond the asteroid belt between Mars and Jupiter.

Along the way, Juno became the first spacecraft to cruise this far out powered by the sun, beating Europe's comet-chasing Rosetta spacecraft. A trio of massive solar wings sticks out from Juno like blades from a windmill, generating 500 watts of power to run its nine instruments.

Plans called for Juno to swoop within 3,100 miles (5,000 kilometres) of Jupiter's clouds — closer than previous missions — to map the planet's gravity and magnetic fields.

Juno launched in 2011. This image shows an Atlas V rocket carrying the Juno spacecraft lifts off from Space Launch Complex-41 in Cape Canaveral, Florida. It was the first step in Juno's 1.8 billion-mile voyage to the gas giant planet, Jupiter

Juno is an armoured spacecraft — its computer and electronics are locked in a titanium vault to shield them from harmful radiation. Even so, Juno is expected to get blasted with radiation equal to more than 100 million dental X-rays during the mission. 

Last week, stunning new images and the highest-resolution maps of Jupiter at thermal infrared wavelengths showed a glowing view of Juno's target, a week ahead of the Nasa mission's arrival at the giant planet.

The maps reveal the present-day temperatures, composition and cloud coverage within Jupiter's dynamic atmosphere, and show how giant storms, vortices and wave patterns shape the appearance of the giant planet.  

The high-resolution maps and images were created from observations with the European Southern Observatory's Very Large Telescope (VLT) in Chile, using a newly-upgraded thermal imager called VISIR.  

This left composite image of photographs made by Cassini on December 29, 2000 shows the Jupiter. The Great Red Spot, a fierce storm larger than Earth, can be seen. In recent years, it has been mysteriously shrinking. The right image shows a close up view of the region

Jupiter on fire! In preparation for the imminent arrival of the Juno spacecraft, astronomers used ESO's Very Large Telescope to obtain spectacular new infrared images of Jupiter using the VISIR instrument. This false-colour image was created by selecting and combining the best images obtained from many short VISIR exposures at a wavelength of 5 micrometers

The observations were taken between February and June 2016 to characterise Jupiter's atmosphere ahead of Juno's arrival.

'We used a technique called 'lucky imaging', whereby individual sharp frames are extracted from short movies of Jupiter to 'freeze' the turbulent motions of our own atmosphere, to create a stunning new image of Jupiter's cloud layers,' said Dr Leigh Fletcher of the University of Leicester.

'At this wavelength, Jupiter's clouds appear in silhouette against the deep internal glows of the planet. 

'Images of this quality will provide the global context for Juno's close-up views of the planet at the same wavelength.'

Dr Fletcher and his team have also used the TEXES spectrograph on NASA's Infrared Telescope Facility (IRTF) in Hawaii regularly to map Jupiter's changing appearance. 

The team made observations at many different wavelengths, optimised for different features and cloud layers in Jupiter's atmosphere, to create the first global spectral maps of Jupiter taken from Earth.

'These maps will help set the scene for what Juno will witness in the coming months. 

'We have seen new weather phenomena that have been active on Jupiter throughout 2016.

Juno carries a suite of nine instruments to explore Jupiter from its interior to its atmosphere. It will map Jupiter's gravity and magnetic fields and track how much water is in the atmosphere

This view compares a lucky imaging view of Jupiter from VISIR (left) at infrared wavelengths with a very sharp amateur image in visible light from about the same time (right)

These include a widening of one of the brown belts just north of the equator, which has spawned wave patterns throughout the northern hemisphere, both in the cloud layers and high above in the planet's stratosphere,' said Dr Fletcher from the University of Leicester's Department of Physics and Astronomy. 

'Observations at different wavelengths across the infrared spectrum allow us to piece together a three dimensional picture of how energy and material are transported upwards through the atmosphere.'

Both sets of observations were made as part of a campaign using several telescopes in Hawaii and Chile, as well as contributions from amateur astronomers around the world, to understand Jupiter's climate ahead of Juno's arrival. 

Jupiter's powerful magnetosphere extends up to two million miles into the space around the planet (illustrated) and is thought to be responsible for sending charged particles in the space around it hurtling at high speeds towards the poles

The huge aurora on Jupiter (pictured) are thought to be caused by solar particles and volcanic debris in the space around the giant planet being accelerated towards the poles by its powerful magnetic field

The ground-based campaign in support of Juno is led by Dr Glenn Orton of NASA's Jet Propulsion Laboratory. 

Once in orbit around Jupiter, Juno will skim to within just 3,100 miles (5,000 km) above Jupiter's clouds once a fortnight - too close to provide global coverage in a single image.

The Earth-based observations supplement the suite of advanced instrumentation on the Juno spacecraft, filling in the gaps in Juno's spectral coverage and providing the wider global and temporal context to Juno's close-in observations.

'The combined efforts of an international team of amateur and professional astronomers have provided us with an incredibly rich dataset over the past eight months,' said Dr Orton.

'Together with the new results from Juno, this dataset will allow researchers to characterise Jupiter's global thermal structure, cloud cover and distribution of gaseous species. 

False color images generated from VLT observations in February and March 2016, showing two different faces of Jupiter. The bluer areas are cold and cloud-free, the orange areas are warm and cloudy, more colorless bright regions are warm and cloud-free, and dark regions are cold and cloudy (such as the Great Red Spot and the prominent ovals). The wave pattern over the North Equatorial Band shows up in orange.

We can then hope to answer questions like what drives Jupiter's atmospheric changes, and how the weather we see is connected to processes hidden deep within the planet.'  

No previous spacecraft has orbited so close to Jupiter, although two others have been sent plunging to their destruction through its atmosphere. To complete its risky mission Juno will have to survive a circuit-frying radiation storm generated by Jupiter's powerful magnetic field.

The maelstrom of high energy particles travelling at nearly the speed of light is one of the harshest radiation environments in the Solar System.

To cope with the conditions, Juno is protected with special radiation-hardened wiring and sensor shielding and its all-important 'brain' - the spacecraft's flight computer - is housed in an armoured vault made of titanium and weighing almost 400 pounds (172kg).

Dr Scott Bolton, Juno's principal investigator from Southwest Research Institute in San Antonio, US, said: 'We are not looking for trouble, we are looking for data.

'Problem is, at Jupiter, looking for the kind of data Juno is looking for, you have to go in the kind of neighbourhoods where you could find trouble pretty quick.'

Juno will study Jupiter's composition, gravitational and magnetic field, and search for clues about the planet's formation and the source of its raging winds, which can reach speeds of 384 mph (618 kph).

It will also deliver stunning colour photos via its JunoCam camera, which has a wide field of view geared for panoramic images.

To provide electrical power, the spacecraft carries three huge solar panels, each 29ft long and almost 9ft wide.

The previous record for a close approach to Jupiter was set by the American space agency Nasa's Pioneer 11 spacecraft which passed by the planet at a distance of 27,000 miles (43,000 km) in 1974.

Only one previous spacecraft, Galileo, which visited Jupiter and its moons from 1995 to 2003, has orbited the planet.

Galileo made wide orbits at distances of hundreds of thousands of kilometres that kept it out of serious danger from the radiation, although it suffered a number of technical 'anomalies'.

The spacecraft sent a small probe on a one-way trip through the clouds of Jupiter, and was eventually itself crashed onto the planet at the end of its mission.

As a further safeguard, Juno is programmed to follow a long orbital path that avoids Jupiter's radiation belts as much as possible.

Despite these measures, the probe is not expected to last much longer than its planned lifespan of 20 months. At the end of he mission, Nasa plans to send the probe headlong into the Jovian atmosphere to collect as much data as possible.

Chief radiation monitoring investigator Heidi Becker, from Nasa's Jet Propulsion Laboratory, said: 'Over the course of the mission, the highest energy electrons will penetrate the vault, creating a spray of secondary photons and particles.

'The constant bombardment will break the atomic bonds in Juno's electronics.'

Juno was launched into space by an Atlas V rocket from Cape Canaveral, Florida, on August 5, 2011. The mission is part of Nasa's New Frontiers programme of robotic space missions which last year saw the New Horizons probe obtain close up views of dwarf planet Pluto

A plaque dedicated to Galileo and provided by the Italian Space Agency is also on board.

Measuring 2.8 ins (7.1 cm) across, it shows a portrait of Galileo and a text penned by the astronomer in January 1610 while observing Jupiter's four largest moons - later to be known as the Galilean moons.

Juno was launched into space by an Atlas V rocket from Cape Canaveral, Florida, on August 5, 2011.

The mission is part of Nasa's New Frontiers programme of robotic space missions which last year saw the New Horizons spacecraft obtain close up views of dwarf planet Pluto.

{https://www.dailymail.co.uk/ }

07-11-2021 om 17:03 geschreven door peter  

Juno Peers Beneath Jupiter’s Clouds to Reveal its Complex Atmosphere

Many papers are usually released at once for big space exploration missions. Usually, that happens when an entire batch of data has been analyzed.  The most recent set of papers is from Juno’s explorations of Jupiter’s atmosphere.  With this data dump, scientists now have the first 3D map of the atmosphere of the solar system’s largest planet.

Four main discoveries were highlighted as part of NASA’s press release of the set of papers.  The first is that there are systems in Jupiter’s atmosphere similar to “Farrell cells,” which we covered in a previous UT article.  Another has to do with one of the most famous of Jupiter’s features: the Great Red Spot.

Discovered over 200 years ago, the Great Red Spot is one of the most fascinating parts of Jupiter’s atmosphere.  Larger the Earth’s diameter, up until now, there had been no indication of how deep this enormous “anticyclone” protruded down into the atmosphere.  Juno shed some light on the situation, but only as it flashed past at 209,000 kph.  

Luckily it got to do so twice, and during those flybys, the probe turned its microwave radiometer (MWR) towards the towering atmospheric structure.  Designed to look beneath Jupiter’s clouds, MWR was able to tell that the Great Red Spot extended between approximately 300-500 kilometers down into the gas giant’s atmosphere. More minor storms only reach about 60 km into the clouds, making the mother of all anticyclones even more gigantic than initially thought.

That giant atmospheric feature is only one of Jupiter’s well-known patterns in its atmosphere, though. Another – its distinct “belts” of certain colored clouds – are formed by powerful winds blowing in opposite directions for each belt.  In addition to creating the Ferrel cells mentioned above, the belts are hiding another secret below the clouds – they have transition segments very similar to a phenomenon known as thermoclines here on Earth.

Thermoclines occur where dramatic temperature changes occur in bodies of water, usually Earth’s ocean.  They are visually noticeable from their distinct optical properties, where the two temperatures of water appear very visually distinct from one another. Jupiter’s analog, named a Jovicline by its discoverers, is similar in its changing optical properties.  The belt is exceptionally bright in MWR’s data at shallow depths into the atmosphere compared to surrounding systems.  However, at deeper levels, the surrounding systems show up as brighter rather than the belt itself.  Thermoclines have similar properties, with warmer water and colder water reflecting different wavelengths of light differently.

MWR wasn’t the only instrument trained on Jupiter during Juno’s 37 flybys so far.  The Jovian Infrared Auroral Mapper (JIRAM) was also collecting data, and in particular, spent time looking at cyclones located near the planet’s poles.  Eight distinct storms form an octagon near the north pole, while five distinct storms form a pentagon in the south.  Typical atmospheric modeling would have one of the cyclones pulled poleward.  However, there are cyclones at the center of each pole that negate that pull, leaving each storm stuck in the same pattern for years at a time.  

Juno will have plenty more years to assess those storms and other features of Jupiter and some of its surrounding moons as it continues its second extended mission well into 2025.  With luck, the spacecraft can go for a third extended mission more than 16 years after it initially launched.

Learn More:

• NASA – NASA’s Juno: Science Results Offer First 3D View of Jupiter Atmosphere
• Space.com - NASA’s Juno probe reveals secrets of Jupiter’s atmosphere in 3D
• SciTechDaily NASA’s Juno Spacecraft Reveals What’s Happening Deep Beneath Jupiter’s Colorful Belts
• UT – Jupiter’s Atmosphere

Lead Image:

• Composite image of Jupiter in infrared and visible light.
  Credit – International Gemini Observatory/NOIRLab/NSF/AURA/NASA/ESA, M.H. Wong and I. de Pater (UC Berkeley) et al.

The post Juno Peers Beneath Jupiter’s Clouds to Reveal its Complex Atmosphere appeared first on Universe Today.

Source: 

• https://www.universetoday.com/153230/juno-peers-beneath-jupiters-clouds-to-reveal-its-complex-atmosphere/

RELATED VIDEOS AND PHOTOS, selected and posted by peter2011

Jupiter’s banded appearance is created by the cloud-forming weather layer. This composite image shows views of Jupiter in infrared and visible light taken by the Gemini North telescope and NASA’s Hubble Space Telescope.

{ https://beforeitsnews.com/ }

07-11-2021 om 16:36 geschreven door peter  

This Navajo park ranger reveals the truth about what's happening to people inside these parks. Today, we take a look at what this Navajo park ranger said about working inside this park. 

The police do incredible work, and they are usually the first ones on the scene when something goes wrong. Every so often though they will encounter something that even they can't explain. 

One of the places where officers are seeing strange things is that of the Navajo Reservation of the American southwest. This location is known for mysterious and legendary stories and the police here have encountered some strange things. 

One of the issues though is when police report these types of encounters, they can be mocked and locked down on. The police at Navajo Reservation however have a different view on things. They take these sightings and encounters seriously and will try to look into and understand each report. 

Today, we take a look at this compilation of interesting discoveries and announcements.

  

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

07-11-2021 om 15:45 geschreven door peter  

Triangular UFO over Cincinnati, Ohio 5-Nov-2021

This fast triangular-shaped object was flying across the sky above Cincinnati in Ohio on 5th November 2021.

Witness report: 

This object was triangular or delta wing shaped. Traveling from the south headed due north and recorded this from my night vision camera attached to my tripod

{ https://www.latest-ufo-sightings.net/ }

07-11-2021 om 15:24 geschreven door peter  

Sodium Vapor Outgassing Explains Asteroid Phaethon’s Cometlike Activity

The 5.8-km-wide (3.6-mile) near-Earth asteroid Phaethon, which is the source of the annual Geminid meteor shower, brightens as it gets close to the Sun. The asteroid’s elongated, 524-day orbit takes it well within the orbit of Mercury, during which time the Sun heats the asteroid’s surface up to 750 degrees Celsius (1,390 degrees Fahrenheit).

“Phaethon is a curious object that gets active as it approaches the Sun,” said Dr. Joseph Masiero, a researcher at IPAC/Caltech.

“We know it’s an asteroid and the source of the Geminids. But it contains little to no ice, so we were intrigued by the possibility that sodium, which is relatively plentiful in asteroids, could be the element driving this activity.”

Dr. Masiero and his colleagues were inspired by observations of the Geminids.

When meteoroids streak through Earth’s atmosphere as meteors, they disintegrate.

But before they do, friction with the atmosphere causes the air surrounding the meteoroids to reach thousands of degrees, generating light.

The color of this light represents the elements they contain. Sodium, for example, creates an orange tinge. The Geminids are known to be low in sodium.

Until now, it was assumed that these small pieces of rock somehow lost their sodium after leaving the asteroid Phaethon.

The new study suggests that the sodium may actually play a key role in ejecting the Geminid meteoroids from the asteroid’s surface.

The researchers think that as Phaethon approaches the Sun, its sodium heats up and vaporizes.

This process would have depleted the surface of sodium long ago, but sodium within the asteroid still heats up, vaporizes, and fizzes into space through cracks and fissures in Phaethon’s outermost crust.

These jets would provide enough oomph to eject the rocky debris off its surface.

So the fizzing sodium could explain not only the asteroid’s cometlike brightening, but also how the Geminid meteoroids would be ejected from the asteroid and why they contain little sodium.

“Asteroids like Phaethon have very weak gravity, so it doesn’t take a lot of force to kick debris from the surface or dislodge rock from a fracture,” said Dr. Björn Davidsson, a researcher at NASA’s Jet Propulsion Laboratory.

“Our models suggest that very small quantities of sodium are all that’s needed to do this — nothing explosive, like the erupting vapor from an icy comet’s surface; it’s more of a steady fizz.”

To find out if sodium turns to vapor and vents from an asteroid’s rock, the researchers tested samples of the Allende meteorite.

The meteorite may have come from an asteroid comparable to Phaethon and belongs to a class of meteorites, called carbonaceous chondrites, that formed during the earliest days of the Solar System.

The scientists then heated chips of the meteorite to the highest temperature Phaethon would experience as it approaches the Sun.

“This temperature happens to be around the point that sodium escapes from its rocky components,” said Dr. Yang Liu, also from NASA’s Jet Propulsion Laboratory.

“So we simulated this heating effect over the course of a ‘day’ on Phaethon — its three-hour rotation period — and, on comparing the samples’ minerals before and after our lab tests, the sodium was lost, while the other elements were left behind.”

“This suggests that the same may be happening on Phaethon and seems to agree with the results of our models.”

The study was published in the Planetary Science Journal.

Joseph R. Masiero et al. 2021. Volatility of Sodium in Carbonaceous Chondrites at Temperatures Consistent with Low-perihelion Asteroids. Planet. Sci. J 2, 165; doi: 10.3847/PSJ/ac0d02

{ http://www.sci-news.com/ }

07-11-2021 om 01:44 geschreven door peter  

Former UK Astronaut Suggests Alien Beings Are Here On Earth

(Arjun Walia) Dr. Helen Sharman was Britain’s first astronaut. She went to space 28 years ago and recently made headlines by stating that there is no doubt whatsoever that “All sorts of forms of life” exist in the universe, and it’s possible that “They’re here right now” and in some cases we “simply can’t see them” as they are so different to humanity.

Related 

• CIA Disclosure: Russian & Chinese “Specialists” Exchanged “Video & Photographic Materials” of UFOs – CIA Document

Source – Collective Evolution

by Arjun Walia,  

Could she have been referring to beings that exist within other dimensions? Based on my research, when it comes to the topic of UFOs and the extraterrestrial hypothesis as an explanation for some of these objects, many have hypothesized that some of these craft simply pop in and out of our existence, perhaps from another dimension.

Sharman told the Observer Magazine that “Aliens exist, there’s no two ways about it” and that “There are so many billions of stars out there in the universe that there must be all sorts of forms of life.”

The chemist spent eight days as a researcher on the space mission when she was 27, making her one of the youngest people to enter orbit.

This echoes the thoughts and feelings of the majority, if not all of the scientific community right now when it comes to contemplating life beyond our own world.

The list of astronauts around the world who have shared their belief that intelligent life exists, in abundance, elsewhere in our known universe is quite long. Some have even stated that they have been privy to evidence suggesting that we have been visited, and are being visited.

Not long ago, Bigelow Aerospace CEO Robert Bigelow said that one doesn’t have to go anywhere to find this type of life, that it’s already here…

Apollo 14’s Dr. Edgar Mitchell is a great example. He spent many years creating awareness about the UFO phenomenon, and made many incredible statements throughout his life. He claimed to be “privileged  enough to be in on the fact that we have been visited on this planet” and that “the UFO phenomenon is real.”

Book Project Stargate and Remote Viewing Technology: The CIA’s Files on Psychic Spying

His words were verified after his passing by the leak of this document.  The focal point of the document is about a meeting (and what happened after that meeting) that took place in 1997 between UFO researcher Dr. Steven Greer, Admiral Wilson, Dr. Edgar Mitchell (Apollo 14 astronaut) and other high ranking individuals within the military. This meeting was spoken about by Dr. Greer and Dr. Mitchell nearly four years prior to the leak of these documents on multiple occasions. You can learn more about this document, here.

Dr. Brian O’leary, a former astronaut and Princeton physics professor has stated that “there is abundant evidence that we are being contacted,” astronaut Story Musgrave has done the same, stating that intelligent life most certainly exists and that “they’re doing star travel, that’s how good they are.” Gordon Cooper and again,  several others have done the same. Apollo 12 astronaut Al Worden has also made some interesting comments about aliens.

All of these statements are quite out-dated, and since they’ve been made it’s been proven without a doubt that the UFO phenomenon is real. The mainstream seems to be getting more acclimatized to this fact, as objets performing maneuvers that no known air-craft can have been documented via electrooptical data, like video recordings and radar trackings, as well as high ranking testimony from hundreds trained observers.

A former Pentagon official who led a secret government program to research potential UFOs, revealed in 2017, told CNN at the time that he believes there is evidence of alien life reaching Earth, and that the UFO phenomenon is part of that evidence.

We’ve see mainstream UFO disclosure ramp up quite a bit every single year, as it continues to be legitimized by articles taking the subject seriously in media outlets like the Washington Post, and the New York Times.  It’s quite clear that something is going on.

For a deeper discussion into mainstream UFO disclosure, the motives, and more, you can refer to this article I recently published on the subject.

This subject is huge, and like I’ve said many times before, leaves no aspect of humanity untouched.

{ https://stillnessinthestorm.com/ }

07-11-2021 om 01:29 geschreven door peter  

LATEST UFO SIGHTINGS AND VIDEOS

UFO's Just Over Head?(Two UFO Sightings)

Two strange UFO sightings starting out in Texas then our next sightings is in Washington State.

First Video Source: MUFON Case # 118980

Second Video Source: MUFON Case # 119021

Flying Humanoid Figure Filmed In The Sky Over Maryhill In Glasgow, Scotland.

Lynsey Currie and her boyfriend filmed this strange object above his flat and at first they though it could be a weather balloon but given the odd shape to this object it looks like no weather balloon we have seen. One thing is sure it that this is a UFO as it is flying over this area in Glasgow but to me the object seem to be "Humanoid" in appearance as we can see a head, arms and legs which are attached to a body.
Lynsey Currie also added " it was flying across the sky going from the northwest of Glasgow towards the southwest."
Thanks to Lynsey Currie and her boyfriend for filming this..
Source and Story: Glasgow Live

• https://www.glasgowlive.co.uk/news/ma...
  

{ https://www.youtube.com/ }

06-11-2021 om 21:14 geschreven door peter  

NASA, USGS Release First Landsat 9 Images

Landsat 9, a joint mission between NASA and the U.S. Geological Survey (USGS) that launched Sept. 27, 2021, has collected its first light images of Earth.

Mangroves are prominent along the northwest coast of Australia. The first image collected by Landsat 9, on Oct. 31, 2021, shows mangroves clustered in protected inlets and bays on the edge of the Indian Ocean. Fluffy cumulus clouds and high-altitude cirrus clouds hover nearby. The aqua colors of the shallow near-shore waters give way to the deep, dark blues of the ocean.

Credits: NASA

The images, all acquired Oct. 31, are available online. They provide a preview of how the mission will help people manage vital natural resources and understand the impacts of climate change, adding to Landsat's unparalleled data record that spans nearly 50 years of space-based Earth observation.

"Landsat 9's first images capture critical observations about our changing planet and will advance this joint mission of NASA and the U.S. Geological Survey that provides critical data about Earth's landscapes and coastlines seen from space," said NASA Administrator Bill Nelson. "This program has the proven power to not only improve lives but also save lives. NASA will continue to work with USGS to strengthen and improve accessibility to Landsat data so decision makers in America - and around the world - better understand the devastation of the climate crisis, manage agricultural practices, preserve precious resources and respond more effectively to natural disasters."

These first light images shows Detroit, Michigan, with neighboring Lake St. Clair, the intersection of cities and beaches along a changing Florida coastline and images from Navajo Country in Arizona that will add to the wealth of data helping us monitor crop health and manage irrigation water. The new images also provided data about the changing landscapes of the Himalayas in High Mountain Asia and the coastal islands and shorelines of Northern Australia.

NEWS

This image collected by Landsat and released by NASA, shows the white sands of Pensacola Beach stand out of the Florida Panhandle of the US.

(NASA/AFP)

Landsat 9 is similar in design to its predecessor, Landsat 8, which was launched in 2013 and remains in orbit, but features several improvements. The new satellite transmits data with higher radiometric resolution back down to Earth, allowing it to detect more subtle differences, especially over darker areas like water or dense forests. For example, Landsat 9 can differentiate more than 16,000 shades of a given wavelength color; Landsat 7, the satellite being replaced, detects only 256 shades. This increased sensitivity will allow Landsat users to see much more subtle changes than ever before.

"First light is a big milestone for Landsat users - it's the first chance to really see the kind of quality that Landsat 9 provides. And they look fantastic," said Jeff Masek NASA's Landsat 9 project scientist at Goddard Space Flight Center. "When we have Landsat 9 operating in coordination with Landsat 8, it's going to be this wealth of data, allowing us to monitor changes to our home planet every eight days."

Landsat 9 carries two instruments that capture imagery: the Operational Land Imager 2 (OLI-2), which detects visible, near-infrared and shortwave-infrared light in nine wavelengths, and the Thermal Infrared Sensor 2 (TIRS-2), which detects thermal radiation in two wavelengths to measure Earth's surface temperatures and its changes.

These instruments will provide Landsat 9 users with essential information about crop health, irrigation use, water quality, wildfire severity, deforestation, glacial retreat, urban expansion, and more.

"The data and images from Landsat 9 are expanding our capability to see how Earth has changed over decades", said Karen St. Germain, Earth Science Division director at NASA Headquarters in Washington. "In a changing climate, continuous and free access to Landsat data, and the other data in NASA's Earth observing fleet, helps data users, including city planners, farmers and scientists, plan for the future."

NASA's Landsat 9 team is conducting a 100-day check-out period that involves testing the satellite's systems and subsystems and calibrating its instruments in preparation for handing the mission over to USGS in January. USGS will operate Landsat 9 along with Landsat 8, and together the two satellites will collect approximately 1,500 images of Earth's surface every day, covering the globe every eight days.

"The incredible first pictures from the Landsat 9 satellite are a glimpse into the data that will help us make science-based decisions on key issues including water use, wildfire impacts, coral reef degradation, glacier and ice-shelf retreat and tropical deforestation," said USGS Acting Director Dr. David Applegate.

"This historic moment is the culmination of our long partnership with NASA on Landsat 9's development, launch and initial operations, which will better support environmental sustainability, climate change resiliency and economic growth - all while expanding an unparalleled record of Earth's changing landscapes."

{ https://www.spacedaily.com/ }

06-11-2021 om 20:27 geschreven door peter  

UFO expert set to make alien reports public

John Hanson, who has spent more than two decades studying UFOs, is to make his vast collection of extraterrestrial information available to the public.

A former policeman has released thousands of UFO reports to the public.

Spaceship

John Hanson has investigated extraterrestrial sightings in the UK for the past two decades and his books on UFOs were praised by the late Prince Philip.

Hanson has 25,000 reports that will go on display at the British UFO Information Office to allow the public to look at his vast collection of documents and files.

{ https://www.femalefirst.co.uk/ }

06-11-2021 om 18:40 geschreven door peter  

Long time Live Webcam viewer Eoin O’Faodhagain recorded another strange occurrence in Scotland’s Loch Ness. On October 19^th, he noticed a black object that emerged high out of the water on the northern side of the loch and began moving through the water. Based on the video and the distance that the webcam is from the loch, the object would have been at least a couple of feet out of the water. While it was moving down the water, it got closer to the surface and eventually went under as soon as a cruiser began getting closer.

Once the cruiser came into view on the webcam, the unexplained dark object was completely under the water. However, there was still a straight line wake on the surface which indicated that it was still very close to the surface and possibly even touching it. But when the cruiser reached the exact spot where the object was last viewed, it was totally gone so it must have been submerged a good distance down from the surface.

O’Faodhagain posted his recordings on YouTube where the first part of the video can be viewed here and part two can be seen here.

This is O’Faodhagain’s fifth sighting of the year. His first occurred on January 19^th when he witnessed a mysterious shape in the water for about 20 minutes. Three days later, he saw two unexplained objects splashing around in the water. He noticed a black shape moving up and down in the water, followed by two mysterious objects on March 12^th. And on August 22^nd, he again saw two shapes moving across the surface. There were five other webcam sightings reported by other viewers this year for a total of ten so far.

As for visitors who actually witnessed the elusive creature in person at the loch, there have been six reports so far this year that included a sonar image on August 26^th. The image, which was captured on board the “Nessie Hunter” of Loch Ness Cruises, showed a mysterious shape that was estimated to have been 3 to 4 meters in length (9.8 to 13.1 feet). All of the sightings can be viewed on The Official Loch Ness Monster Sightings Register page.

There was another interesting and very questionable sighting that included a drone camera but it hasn’t been accepted or listed on the register’s page. A camper named Richard Mavor was part of the great glen canoe challenge for Alzheimer’s Society when he decided to send his drone in the air to capture some footage of the loch for his YouTube channel and that’s when he allegedly filmed the Loch Ness Monster.

You too could find Nessie if you stop looking at the surfers and swimmers

However, not everyone is convinced that the footage is real and some have even called it out, saying that it was a toy used in a hoax. Maybe that’s why it hasn’t been accepted to The Official Loch Ness Monster Sightings Register page.

{ https://mysteriousuniverse.org/ }

06-11-2021 om 18:05 geschreven door peter  

Rocky exoplanets are even STRANGER than we thought! Most nearby worlds are made of rock types that can't be found in our solar system - with some so exotic that scientists have had to create new names for them, study finds

• Scientists have identified 'exotic' rock types that do not exist in our solar system 

• These rock types are so 'strange' that they have had new names created for them

• The team based their results on telescope data from white dwarfs - former stars

By JONATHAN CHADWICK FOR MAILONLINE

Rocky planets outside our solar system, known as exoplanets, are composed of 'exotic' rock types that don't even exist in our planetary system, a study shows. 

Researchers have used telescope data to analyse white dwarfs – former stars that were once gave life just like our Sun – in an attempt to discover secrets of their former surrounding planets.  

The experts found that some exoplanets have rock types that don't exist, or just can't be found, on planets in our solar system.

These rock types are so 'strange' that the authors have had to create new names for them – including 'quartz pyroxenites' and 'periclase dunites'.

Some of these rocks would dissolve more water than rocks on Earth, which might have impacted how oceans formed on these planets prior to their demise. 

Rocky debris, the pieces of a former rocky planet that has broken up, spiral inward toward a white dwarf in this illustration. Studying the atmospheres of white dwarfs that have been 'polluted' by such debris, an NSF astronomer and a geologist have identified exotic rock types that do not exist in our solar system

The new study has been led by the NSF's NOIRLab, an astronomical research centre based in Tucson, Arizona. 

'While some exoplanets that once orbited polluted white dwarfs appear similar to Earth, most have rock types that are exotic to our solar system,' said study author astronomer Siyi Xu at NOIRLab.

'They have no direct counterparts in the solar system.' 

So far, astronomers have discovered thousands of exoplanets orbiting other stars in our galaxy.

Some 4,374 exoplanets have been confirmed in 3,234 systems since the first exoplanet discoveries in the early 1990s.

The majority of these exoplanets are gaseous, like Jupiter or Neptune, rather than terrestrial, according to NASA's online database. 

The closest exoplanet is called Proxima Centauri b, around 4.2 light years away from our Sun. 

However, it's difficult to know what exactly exoplanets are made of, or whether any resemble Earth.       

To try and find out more, astronomer Xu partnered with geologist Keith Putirka of California State University, Fresno, to study the atmospheres of what are known as polluted white dwarfs.

White dwarfs are the incredibly dense stellar remains of dead stars after they exhaust their nuclear fuel, shrunk down to roughly the size of Earth. 

They contain foreign material from planets, asteroids or other rocky bodies that once orbited the star but eventually fell into the white dwarf and 'contaminated' or 'polluted' its atmosphere. 

Roughly 98 per cent of all the stars in the universe will ultimately end up as white dwarfs, including our own Sun.   

Artistic rendering of what an exoplanet might look like, with its star in the background. So far, astronomers have discovered thousands of exoplanets orbiting other stars in our galaxy, the Milky Way

By looking for elements that wouldn't naturally exist in a white dwarf's atmosphere (anything other than hydrogen and helium), scientists can figure out what the rocky planetary objects that fell into the star were made of.

The team looked at 23 polluted white dwarfs, all within about 650 light-years of the Sun, where calcium, silicon, magnesium and iron had been detected,  using the W. M. Keck Observatory in Hawai'i, the Hubble Space Telescope and other observatories.

The list of polluted white dwarfs studied included WD 1145+017, approximately 570 light-years from Earth in the constellation of Virgo.

The scientists then used the measured abundances of those elements to reconstruct the minerals and rocks that would form from them. 

They found that these white dwarfs have a much wider range of compositions than any of the inner planets in our solar system, suggesting their planets have a wider variety of rock types.   

'Some rock types might melt at much lower temperatures and produce thicker crust than Earth rocks, and some rock types might be weaker, which might facilitate the development of plate tectonics,' said Putirka.

Earlier studies of polluted white dwarfs had found elements from rocky bodies, including calcium, aluminum and lithium. 

But these are 'minor elements' (which typically make up a small part of an Earth rock), so measurements of 'major elements' (which make up a large part of an Earth rock), especially silicon, are needed to truly know what kind of rock types would have existed on those planets.

The team studied polluted white dwarfs using the W. M. Keck Observatory in Hawai'i (pictured) and other observatories

High levels of magnesium and low levels of silicon measured in the white dwarfs' atmospheres suggest that the rocky debris detected likely came from the interiors of the planets, from the mantle, not their crust.

This is because high magnesium and low silicon are characteristic of Earth’s mantle composition. 

Some previous studies of polluted white dwarfs reported signs that continental crust existed on the rocky planets that once orbited those stars.

Interestingly, Putirka and Xu found no evidence of crustal rocks, although this does not completely rule out that the planets had continental crust or other crust types.

'We believe that if crustal rock exists, we are unable to see it, probably because it occurs in too small a fraction compared to the mass of other planetary components, like the core and mantle, to be measured,' said Putirka. 

The study has been published in the journal Nature Communications. 

SORRY EARTHLINGS: OUR SUN WILL BECOME A RED GIANT IN ABOUT 5 BILLION YEARS BEFORE SHRINKING DOWN TO A COMPACT WHITE DWARF

Read more:

• Polluted white dwarfs reveal exotic mantle rock types on exoplanets in our solar neighborhood | Nature Communications

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06-11-2021 om 17:48 geschreven door peter