Pilots report seeing 'large white balloon' floating 50,000ft above Hawaii on plane radars - after Pentagon downed four objects flying over US in last month

• There have been multiple reports of a large white balloon sighted by pilots over Honolulu, Hawaii
• It comes after recent claims by US officials that a Chinese 'spy' balloon targeting Hawaii had been blown off course  
• The object was seen by several pilots and was estimated to be at an altitude of approximately 50,000 feet

By JAMES GORDON FOR DAILYMAIL.COM 

Pilots have reported seeing a 'large white balloon' on their radars just east of Hawaii on Sunday afternoon. 

A number of reports suggest that the object was spotted above Honolulu according to The Sun.

It comes days after US officials claimed that a Chinese 'spy' balloon that was headed towards Hawaii had been blown off course. 

Some postings on social media report how a 'large white balloon' was spotted by pilots at an altitude of around 50,000 feet.

However, Air Traffic Control and other US officials have not yet confirmed such reports with the identity of the object and the potential threat it poses to the public unknown. 

Pilots have allegedly been told to look out for another large white balloon off the Hawaii coast on Sunday

Air traffic control sent out instructions asking for pilots to report any sightings of the balloon

The balloon was allegedly spotted about 600 miles northeast of Hawaii on Sunday afternoon 

A 'Large White Balloon' was spotted 524 nautical miles NE of Honolulu on Sunday afternoon

It comes after recent claims by US officials that a Chinese 'spy' balloon targeting Hawaii had been blown off course (file photo from earlier this month)

An image posted to social media online shows what looks to be a pilot in the cockpit holding a note. 

'Report of large white balloon in vicinity of 2639N15021W. Estimated to be between FL400 and FL500. Precise altitude unknown. Advise ATC if object is seen.'

Oakland Oceanic Air Traffic Control Center confirmed the existence of the flying object which reported how the balloon was about 600 miles northeast of Honolulu, over the Pacific Ocean.

The US military shot down several balloons earlier this month, including what was believed to be a Chinese spy balloon on February 4 off the coast of South Carolina. 

Since February 4, four objects have been shot down including the Chinese spy balloon, and then three 'UFOs'

Last week another balloon was shot down over Alaska. A map of the hobby balloon's predicted path indicates it was heading towards the site where the UFO was downed

On February 4, a much bigger balloon - believed to be a Chinese spy balloon (pictured) - was shot down off the coast of South Carolina

U.S. Navy shows sailors assigned to Explosive Ordnance Disposal Group 2 recovering a high-altitude surveillance balloon off the coast of Myrtle Beach, South Carolina

Sailors assigned to Explosive Ordnance Disposal Group 2 recovering a high-altitude surveillance balloon off the coast of Myrtle Beach, South Carolina earlier this month

The remnants of the downed balloon from earlier this month is packed away for investigation

On Thursday Joe Biden said that the U.S. is updating its guidelines for monitoring and reacting to unknown aerial objects after the discovery of a suspected Chinese spy balloon transited the country triggered high-stakes drama.

It saw the U.S. shootdown that balloon off the South Carolina coast and three smaller ones days later. 

Biden said officials suspect the three subsequent balloons were ordinary ones which could mean they were used for research, weather, recreational or commercial purposes. 

Officials have been unable to recover any of the remains of those three balloons, and late Friday the U.S. military announced it had ended the search for the objects that were shot down near Deadhorse, Alaska, and over Lake Huron on February 10 and 12.

President Joe Biden said there was no evidence of a surge in mysterious balloons, when he addressed the nation on Thursday. 'We're now just seeing more of them,' he said 

'The U.S. military, federal agencies, and Canadian partners conducted systematic searches of each area using a variety of capabilities, including airborne imagery and sensors, surface sensors and inspections, and subsurface scans, and did not locate debris,' officials said on Friday.

In the South Carolina incident, the U.S. military has said it believes it has collected all of the Chinese balloon's priority sensors and electronics as well as large sections of its structure.

The balloon, which Beijing denies was a government spy vessel, spent a week flying over the United States and Canada before being shot down off the Atlantic Coast on Biden's orders.

{ https://www.dailymail.co.uk/ }

20-02-2023 om 18:21 geschreven door peter  

Twitter:

• https://twitter.com/rawsalerts/status/1627481731778416647

and

• https://twitter.com/sentdefender/status/1627473004660752385

Will the US Air Force also shoot this balloon out of the sky? 

All these objects shot down by the US Air Force the last weeks have nothing to do with aliens. As Neil deGrasse Tyson said during an interview with CNN: "We have expensive planes and expensive missiles to pop balloons, and that's odd, but Ok that's fine to protect the airspace, Do I think these are visiting aliens? It would be odd. If they were aliens moving across the galaxy and dropping some balloons, oh what aliens would do?" 

It is clear that there is more to it than we are being told, and it is not just about these balloons and unknown objects shot down by the US Airforce. They know what is coming and they are preparing for it. 

The fact that a truckdriver (see video below) has driven for the last few days truckloads of products from the Kraft Foods plant which is an American food manufacturing to deliver it to the Springfield Underground base says enough that they are preparing for something that is going to take place on a large scale.

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

20-02-2023 om 17:54 geschreven door peter  

NASA’s Jet Propulsion Laboratory has captured one of the longest asteroids ever found. The oddly shaped object is as big as Empire State Building and to get a sense of its scale, scientists have estimated the object is about 1,600-by-500 feet, roughly comparable to that of the world-famous landmark that looms over 100 stories above New York. 

The supposed asteroid, which recently sped past Earth, has caught the attention of NASA astronomers for its bizarre long shape. The space object is more than three times as long as it is wide and it is as dark as charcoal when viewed by the human eye, it appears to be scooped on one side and is spinning around every nine hours. 

"Of the 1,040 near-Earth objects observed by planetary radar to date, this is one of the most elongated we’ve seen," said Lance Benner, principal scientist at NASA's Jet Propulsion Laboratory, in a statement. 

The strange space object reminds us the infamous object called Oumuamua which was the first interstellar object, detected by the Pan-STARRS telescope at Haleakalā Observatory, Hawaii, on 19 October 2017, passing through the Solar System. 

Harvard astrophysicist Avi Loeb suggested that Oumuamua could be an alien spacecraft, and given the equality of the new discovered elongated shaped object to Oumuamua we should at least be open to the possibility that it could be evidence of another interstellar alien spacecraft.

  

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

20-02-2023 om 17:36 geschreven door peter  

The Truth Behind the Infamous ‘Tic Tac’ UFO Video: A Former Navy Officer’s Shocking Revelations

The year was 2004, and the USS Nimitz was on a combat training mission off the coast of San Diego. It was a day like any other, until Kevin Day, the chief radar officer for the Navy, witnessed one of the biggest UFO sightings in the 21st century. Day had a front-row seat to the Nimitz video, which would become known as the “Tic Tac” video, and would change his life forever.

In a recent interview, Day revealed details of his encounter with the unidentified flying object. The cylindrical object in the shape of a Tic Tac hovered between 15,000 and 24,000 feet in midair, before suddenly darting off. The encounter was captured on video, which was leaked to the New York Times 13 years later. To this day, analysts have been unable to identify the craft, and there is simply no denying that this was a UFO.

Day, who was the radar operator on the Nimitz that day, has since left the Navy, but has been warned not to discuss what he saw. Despite the risk, Day agreed to meet with Ben, a UFO witness, to recount the details of his encounter.

• Navy Officer Exposes Top Secret Government Pact With Aliens

Day recalled that on the morning of November 14, they had planned to do a major air defense exercise. They were off the coast, about 90 miles off San Diego. As the anti-air warfare coordinator, Day’s job was to identify objects that flew. He noticed some strange contacts off Catalina Island, which were at 28,000 feet in a loose formation, tracking south at 100 knots.

“I had never seen anything fly like that before. Immediately we’re thinking, ‘hey, are these things real?’ Is this some type of glitch? So, we ran a bunch of diagnostic tests and we brought all our systems back up, and the contacts were stronger now.”

The object seemed to ping-pong through the sky, changing speed and direction in ways that defy the laws of physics. Day became concerned about these things and strongly recommended that they take one of the aircraft that had just launched off the Nimitz and intercept one to see what it is.

Commander Fravor was one of the first pilots to launch off the Nimitz. He was one of the best pilots that the Navy had ever produced, and Day said that he immediately engaged when he heard the order to intercept. The object was described as a white 40-foot long Tic Tac-shaped craft, dropping from 28,000 feet down to the surface of the water in less than a second.

Fravor followed the object down to the surface, and the craft recognized him. The next thing he knew, the craft was gone. The encounter was one of the most humbling moments of Day’s life. They were a highly trained group of people on that ship, with years of experience, and these objects totally kicked their asses. If they had been hostile, there was nothing Day could have done.

In the interview, Day speculated that the objects had been there for a long time. He believed that the technology upgrade that their ship had received gave them the ability to finally see these objects. He thinks that they were curious about what they were doing out there and that they’ve been there for a long, long time.

The encounter was recorded on video, and Day confirmed that there was a system on the ship that recorded all their external communications onto an optical disk. When people with top-secret clearances came on board the ship, they collected a bunch of stuff, including the voice data.

As Kevin Day finishes recounting his experience with the Tic Tac UFO sighting off the coast of California, it’s hard not to be impressed with the sheer scale and intensity of what he witnessed. For years, the video footage of this sighting has been the subject of intense speculation, with many people wondering what exactly the object captured on film could be.

But hearing Kevin’s firsthand account of what he saw only serves to deepen the mystery surrounding this incident. How could an object moving at such high speeds, changing direction so suddenly and seemingly defying the laws of physics, be anything other than extraterrestrial in nature?

And yet, as Kevin himself admits, there’s still so much we don’t know. Were the beings piloting this craft simply curious about what was happening on our planet, or were they up to something more sinister? What kind of technology did they possess that allowed them to move at such incredible speeds without suffering the ill effects of G-forces that would surely have incapacitated any human pilot?

Perhaps most intriguingly of all, Kevin speculates that this is not the first time these objects have been seen. Instead, he believes they’ve been present on our planet for a very long time, and that it’s only through recent advances in technology that we’ve finally been able to detect them.

Whether or not you believe in UFOs, it’s hard not to be fascinated by the story that Kevin Day has to tell. In a world where so much of what we take for granted is based on what we can see and touch, the idea that there might be something out there that we can’t explain or comprehend is both humbling and awe-inspiring.

And who knows? Perhaps one day we’ll finally be able to unlock the secrets of these mysterious objects and understand what they represent. Until then, though, the story of the Tic Tac UFO will remain one of the most compelling and fascinating tales of our time.

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

20-02-2023 om 12:58 geschreven door peter  

BY ANTON POZDNYAKOV

Meteor Explodes Over English Channel, Moon Breakthrough, Dark Matter Galaxy

Blue Origin wants to build solar panels on the Moon, out of the Moon, SpaceX sold its floating landing pads, and another asteroid hits Earth exactly where and when astronomers predicted.

Blue Origin’s Blue Alchemist

Blue Origin announced a new technology they call Blue Alchemist. It will allow making solar panels out of Moon regolith. This can be a very big deal, as a system like that will not require any additional input from Earth. All it needs is energy. So, once you put a robot like this on the Moon and give it some time, you should have a bunch of solar panels as the result. Of course, it’s still in development and tests will be required to prove the concept viable. But it definitely sounds promising.

• More about Blue Alchemist.

SpaceX Sells Phobos and Deimos

In the past, SpaceX had bought two oil platforms that they hoped to convert into Starship launch and landing pads. The platforms were called Phobos and Deimos, after the two satellites of Mars. However, this week we learned that the company sold the platforms. Gwenn Shotwell, president of SpaceX, told the press that SpaceX needs to learn to fly Starship first and understand the vehicle better, before expanding the infrastructure like sea launch and landing pads.

Another Meteoroid Discovered Right Before it Hits the Atmosphere

Sneaky asteroids have a hard time crashing into the Earth without notice these days. For the seventh time, astronomers detected a small space rock, or meteoroid, about half a day before it impacted the planet. The detection was made by Krisztián Sárneczky using a 60 cm Schmidt telescope from the Piszkéstet? Observatory in Hungary. The 1-meter object was designated as 2023 CX1 and was predicted with 100% certainty to hit Earth above the English Channel. Astronomers continued to track the object, and then it lit up the skies in Europe right on schedule.

• More about an asteroid exploding over the English Channel.

Another Russian Spacecraft is Leaking Coolant

Russia announced that another spacecraft at the International Space Station is leaking coolant. This time it’s the unpiloted Progress 82 cargo ship that’s docked at the station, is filled with trash and will be de-orbited on Feb. 17th. Roscosmos is investigating the leak, which follows the recent Soyuz coolant leak reportedly caused by a micrometeorite impact. Is there an underlying technical problem with Russian spacecraft? The replacement Progress 83 arrived on February 11th, bringing more supplies to the station.

• More about yet another Russian spaceship problem.

A Galaxy Almost Entirely Made Of Dark Matter

Astronomers found an unusual galaxy that is made mostly of gas and dark matter. Meaning, there are almost no stars in it. It’s also close to us, just 1 million lightyears away. It’s not clear why there are almost no stars in the galaxy. However, such objects can potentially help to solve the missing dwarf galaxy problem in cosmology. As our models predict more dwarf galaxies to exist than being observed. If a lot of small galaxies are in fact just dark matter and gas, it might be the solution.

• More about dark matter galaxy.

Rogue Supermassive Black Hole

When galaxies merge, their supermassive black holes inevitably find one another. Some merge, while others recoil from an encounter and are kicked out of the galaxy at tremendous speeds. Astronomers think they’ve found one of these hypervelocity supermassive black holes hurtling away from a galaxy at 1,600 km/s. It’s leaving a trail of destruction in its wake, containing shocked gas and new star formation. It’s believed that the black hole began its journey about 39 million years ago.

• More about the supermassive black hole on the run.

Mass Migration of Stars in Andromeda

Astronomers at NSF’s NOIRLab found new evidence for a mass immigration of stars into the Andromeda Galaxy. This image shows individual stars from blue (moving toward us) to red (moving away from us).

Image Credit: KPNO/NOIRLab/AURA/NSF/E. Slawik/D. de Martin/M. Zamani

By studying the motion of stars in Andromeda galaxy, astronomers have discovered about 7,000 which are moving together and recently migrated into the area. These stars were once part of a dwarf galaxy orbiting Andromeda, similar to the Large and Small Magellanic Clouds around the Milky Way. About 2 billion years ago, the galaxy got too close and was unwound, with its stars joining the vastly larger Andromeda Galaxy.

• More about stars’ movement in Andromeda.

Don’t Miss Out On Space News

If you want to get a curated selection of the most important space and astronomy news every week, subscribe to our Weekly Email Newsletter and get magazine-size ad-free news directly from Fraser Cain.

If you prefer the news to be videoed at you, check out our Space Bites playlist on our YouTube channel

{ https://www.universetoday.com/ }

20-02-2023 om 12:39 geschreven door peter  

Five Legendary Lost Cities that have Never Been Found

The story of Atlantis is one of the most renowned and enduring tales of a lost city, said to have been swallowed up by the sea and lost forever. Yet, the story of Atlantis is not unique, as other cultures have similar legends of landmasses and cities that have disappeared under the waves, been lost beneath desert sands, or buried beneath centuries of vegetation. From the ancient homeland of the Aztecs, to jungle cities of gold and riches, we examine five legendary lost cities that have never been found.

1. Percy Fawcett and the Lost City of Z

Since Europeans first arrived in the New World, there have been stories of a legendary jungle city of gold, sometimes referred to as El Dorado.  Spanish Conquistador, Francisco de Orellana was the first to venture along the Rio Negro in search of this fabled city.  In 1925, at the age of 58, explorer Percy Fawcett headed into the jungles of Brazil to find a mysterious lost city he called “Z”.  He and his team would vanish without a trace and the story would turn out be one of the biggest news stories of his day.  Despite countless rescue missions, Fawcett was never found. 

In 1906, the Royal Geographical Society, a British organization that sponsors scientific expeditions, invited Fawcett to survey part of the frontier between Brazil and Bolivia.  He spent 18 months in the Mato Grosso area and it was during his various expeditions that Fawcett became obsessed with the idea of lost civilizations in this area. In 1920, Fawcett came across a document in the National Library of Rio De Janeiro called Manuscript 512.  It was written by a Portuguese explorer in 1753, who claimed to have found a walled city deep in the Mato Grosso region of the Amazon rainforest, reminiscent of ancient Greece.  The manuscript described a lost, silver laden city with multi-storied buildings, soaring stone arches, wide streets leading down towards a lake on which the explorer had seen two white Indians in a canoe.  Fawcett called this the Lost City of Z.

In 1921, Fawcett set out on his first of many expeditions to find the Lost City of Z, but his team were frequently hindered by the hardships of the jungle, dangerous animals, and rampant diseases.  Percy’s final search for Z culminated in his complete disappearance.  In April 1925, he attempted one last time to find Z, this time better equipped and better financed by newspapers and societies including the Royal Geographic Society and the Rockefellers.  In his final letter home, sent back via a team member, Fawcett sent a message to his wife Nina and proclaimed “We hope to get through this region in a few days.... You need have no fear of any failure.”  It was to be the last anyone would ever hear from them again.

While Fawcett’s lost city of Z has never been found, numerous ancient cities and remains of religious sites have been uncovered in recent years in the jungles of Guatemala, Brazil, Bolivia and Honduras. With the advent of new scanning technology, it is possible that an ancient city that spurred the legends of Z, may one day be found.

2. The Lost City of Aztlan – Legendary Homeland of the Aztecs

The Aztec people of Mexico created one of the most powerful empires of the ancient Americas. While much is known about their empire located where today’s Mexico City can be found, less is known about the very start of the Aztec culture. Many consider the missing island of Aztlan to be the ancient homeland where the Aztec people began to form as a civilization prior to their migration to the Valley of Mexico. Some believe it is a mythical land, similar to Atlantis or Camelot, which will live on through legend but will never be found in physical existence. Others believe it to be a true, physical location that will someday be identified. Searches for the land of Aztlan have spanned from Western Mexico, all the way to the deserts of Utah, in hopes of finding the legendary island. However, these searches have been fruitless, as the location – and existence – of Aztlan remain a mystery.

The formation of civilization at Aztlan comes from legend. According to Nahuatl legend, there were seven tribes that once lived at Chicomoztoc – “the place of the seven caves.” These tribes represented the seven Nahua groups: Acolhua, Chalca, Mexica, Tepaneca, Tlahuica, Tlaxcalan, and Xochimilca (different sources provide variations on the names of the seven groups). The seven groups, being of similar linguistic groups, left their respective caves and settled as one group near Aztlan.

The word Aztlan means “the land to the north; the land from whence we, the Aztecs, came.” It is said that eventually, the people who inhabited Aztlan became known as the Aztecs, who then migrated from Aztlan to the Valley of Mexico. The Aztec migration from Aztlan to Tenochtitlán is a very important piece of Aztec history. It began on May 24, 1064, which was the first Aztec solar year.

To this day, the actual existence of an island known as Aztlan has not been confirmed. Many have searched for the land, in hopes of having a better understanding of where the Aztecs came from, and perhaps a better understanding of ancient Mexican history. However, like other lost cities, it is not clear whether Aztlan will ever be found.

3. The Lost Land of Lyonesse – Legendary City on the Bottom of the Sea

In Arthurian legend, Lyonesse is the home country of Tristan, from the legendary story of Tristan and Iseult.  The mythical land of Lyonesse is now referred to as the “Lost Land of Lyonesse,” as it is ultimately said to have sunk into the sea. However, the legendary tale of Tristan and Iseult shows that Lyonesse is known for more than sinking into the ocean, and that it had a legendary presence while it remained above ground. While Lyonesse is mostly referred to in stories of legend and myth, there is some belief that it represents a very real city that sunk into the sea many years ago. With such a legendary location, it can be difficult to ascertain where the legend ends and reality begins.

There are some variations in the legends that surround the sinking of the land. Prior to its sinking, Lyonesse would have been quite large, containing one hundred and forty villages and churches. Lyonesse is said to have disappeared on November 11, 1099 (although some tales use the year 1089, and some date back to the 6th century). Very suddenly the land was flooded by the sea. Entire villages were swallowed, and the people and animals of the area drowned. Once it was covered in water, the land never reemerged. While the Arthurian tales are legendary, there is some belief that Lyonesse was once a very real place attached to the Scilly Isles in Cornwall, England. Evidence shows that sea levels were considerably lower in the past, so it is very possible that an area that once contained a human settlement above-ground is now beneath the sea level. Indeed, fisherman near the Scilly Isles tell tales of retrieving pieces of buildings and other structures from their fishing nets. These stories have never been substantiated, and are viewed by some as tall tales.

From the legendary tales of Tristan and Iseult, to Arthur’s final battle with Mordred, to the stories of a city being swallowed by the sea, the tales of Lyonesse invoke a vast array of thoughts and emotions by those who wish to know more about this legendary city, and who like to believe that it’s legendary tales are founded upon a very real lost city.

4. The Search for El Dorado – Lost City of Gold

For hundreds of years, treasure hunters and historians alike have searched for El Dorado, the lost city of gold. The idea of a city filled with gold and other riches has a natural appeal, drawing the attention of individuals from all over the world in hopes of discovering the ultimate treasure, and an ancient wonder. In spite of numerous expeditions around all of Latin America, the city of gold remains a legend, with no physical evidence to substantiate its existence.

The origins of El Dorado come from legendary tales of the Muisca tribe. Following two migrations – one in 1270 BC and one between 800 and 500 BC, the Muisca tribe occupied the Cundinamarca and Boyacá areas of Colombia. According to legend, as written in Juan Rodriguez Freyle’s “El Carnero,” the Muisca practiced a ritual for every newly appointed king that involved gold dust and other precious treasures.

When a new leader was appointed, many rituals would take place before he took his role as king. During one of these rituals, the new king would be brought to Lake Guatavita, where he would be stripped naked, and covered in gold dust. He would be placed upon a highly decorated raft, along with his attendants, and piles of gold and precious stones. The raft would be sent out to the center of the lake, where the king would wash the gold dust from his body, as his attendants would throw the pieces of gold and precious stones into the lake. This ritual was intended as a sacrifice to the Muisca's god. To the Muisca, “El Dorado” was not a city, but the king at the center of this ritual, also called “the Gilded One.” While El Dorado is meant to refer to the Gilded One, the name has now become synonymous with the lost city of gold, and any other place where one can quickly obtain wealth.

In 1545, Conquistadores Lázaro Fonte and Hernán Perez de Quesada attempted to drain Lake Guatavita. As they did so, they found gold along its shores, fueling their suspicion that the lake contained a treasure of riches. They worked for three months, with workers forming a bucket chain, but they were unable to drain the lake sufficiently to reach any treasures deep within the lake. In 1580, another attempt to drain the lake was made by business entrepreneur Antonio de Sepúlveda. Once again, various pieces of gold were found along the shores, but the treasure at the depths of the lake remained concealed. Other searches were conducted on Lake Guatavita, with estimates that the lake could contain up to $300 million in gold, with no luck in finding the treasures. All searches came to a halt when the Colombian government declared the lake a protected area in 1965. Nonetheless, the search for El Dorado continues, even without the ability to search Lake Guatavita. The legends of the Muisca tribe, the Gilded One and their ritualistic sacrifice of treasures have transformed over time into today’s tale of El Dorado, lost city of gold.

5. The Lost Desert Cities of Dubai: The Hidden History

Dubai cultivates an ultra-modern image of dazzling architecture and effortless wealth. Yet its deserts conceal forgotten cities and a hidden history which reveal how its early inhabitants adapted and overcame dramatic past climate change.

One of the most famous lost cities of Arabia – tantalizingly so because historians have known it existed from written records but simply could not find it – is the medieval city of Julfar. Home to the legendary Arabian seafarer Ahmed ibn Majid, as well as allegedly to the fictional Sindbad the Sailor, Julfar thrived for a thousand years before falling into ruin and disappearing from human memory for almost two centuries. Unlike other desert cities, Julfar was a thriving port, in fact the hub of southern Gulf Arabic trade in the Middle Ages.

Julfar was known to be somewhere on the Persian Gulf coast north of Dubai, but the actual site was only found by archaeologists in the 1960s. The earliest signs of settlement found on the site date from the 6th century, by which time its inhabitants were already trading as far afield as India and the Far East on a routine basis.

The 10th to 14th centuries were a golden age for Julfar and for long-distance Arab trading and seafaring, with Arab navigators routinely traveling halfway around the world. Arabs had sailed into European waters long before Europeans succeeded in navigating through the Indian Ocean and into the Persian Gulf, for instance. As the main base for these voyages and trade, Julfar was the largest and most important city in the southern Gulf for over a thousand years. Arab merchants routinely made the mammoth eighteen-month sea voyage as far as China, and traded almost everything imaginable.

Such a valuable commercial centre attracted constant attention from rival powers though. The Portuguese took control in the 16th century, by which time Julfar was a substantial city of around 70,000 people. A century later the Persians seized it, only to lose it in 1750 to the Qawasim tribe from Sharjah who established themselves next-door at Ras al-Khaimah, which they continue to rule to this day, leaving the old Julfar to gradually decay until its ruins became forgotten amongst the coastal sand dunes. Today most of Julfar in all likelihood remains still hidden beneath the sprawling dunes north of Ras al-Khaimah.” – courtesy David Millar

By: Joanna Gillan

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

20-02-2023 om 01:14 geschreven door peter  

Study finds space travel influences working of brain

Written By: ANI

ANI Photo

Study finds space travel influences working of brain

Scientists of the University of Antwerp and the University of Liege have found how the human brain changes and adapts to weightlessness, after being in space for 6 months.

Some of the changes turned out to be lasting – even after 8 months back on Earth. Raphael Liegeois, soon to be the third Belgian in space, acknowledges the importance of the research, “to prepare the new generation of astronauts for longer missions.”

A child who learns not to drop a glass on the floor, or a tennis player predicting the course of an incoming ball to hit it accurately are examples of how the brain incorporates the physical laws of gravity to optimally function on Earth. Astronauts who go to space reside in a weightless environment, where the brain’s rules about gravity are no longer applicable.

A new study on brain function in cosmonauts has revealed how the brain’s organization is changed after a six-month mission to the International Space Station (ISS), demonstrating the adaptation that is required to live in weightlessness.

The University of Antwerp has been leading this BRAIN-DTI scientific project through the European Space Agency. Magnetic resonance imaging (MRI) data were taken from 14 astronaut brains before and several times after their mission to space.

Using a special MRI technique, the researchers collected the astronauts’ brain data in a resting condition, hence without having them engage in a specific task. This resting-state functional MRI technique enabled the researchers to investigate the brain’s default state and to find out whether this changes or not after long-duration spaceflight.

Learning effect

In collaboration with the University of Liege, recent analyses of the brain’s activity at rest revealed how functional connectivity, a marker of how activity in some brain areas is correlated with the activity in others, changes in specific regions.

“We found that connectivity was altered after spaceflight in regions which support the integration of different types of information, rather than dealing with only one type each time, such as visual, auditory, or movement information’, say Steven Jillings and Floris Wuyts (University of Antwerp). “Moreover, we found that some of these altered communication patterns were retained throughout 8 months of being back on Earth. At the same time, some brain changes returned to the level of how the areas were functioning before the space mission.”

Both scenarios of changes are plausible: retained changes in brain communication may indicate a learning effect, while transient changes may indicate more acute adaptation to changed gravity levels.

“This dataset is so special as their participants themselves. Back in 2016, we were historically the first to show how spaceflight may affect brain function on a single cosmonaut. Some years later we are now in a unique position to investigate the brains of more astronauts, several times. Therefore, we are deciphering the potential of the human brain all the more in confidence”, says Dr. Athena Demertzi (GIGA Institute, University of Liege), co-supervisor of this this work.

New generation of astronauts

“Understanding physiological and behavioral changes triggered by weightlessness is key to plan human space exploration. Therefore, mapping changes of brain function using neuroimaging techniques as done in this work is an important step to prepare the new generation of astronauts for longer missions”, comments Raphael Liegeois, Doctor of Engineering Science (ULiege) with a Thesis in the field of Neuroscience, future ESA Astronaut.

The researchers are excited with the results, though they know it is only the first step in pursuing our understanding of brain communication changes after space travel. For example, we still need to investigate what the exact behavioral consequence is for these brain communication changes, we need to understand whether longer time spent in outer space might influence these observations and whether brain characteristics may be helpful in selecting future astronauts or monitoring them during and after space travel. (ANI)

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20-02-2023 om 00:26 geschreven door peter  

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19-02-2023 om 23:55 geschreven door peter  

Incredible Bill Herrmann UFO & Alien Abduction Case

William J. Hermann’s experience with a UFO and alleged alien abduction in 1978 is a remarkable story that still generates interest among people interested in the UFO phenomenon. Hermann’s story is unique in that he claimed to have taken photographs of the UFO, which were eventually authenticated by photo experts. Furthermore, his story of being taken aboard the UFO and examined by humanoid beings during a hypnosis session is intriguing.

Hermann’s experience began in November of 1977 when he claimed to have had a series of sightings of a UFO over Charleston, South Carolina. On January 22, 1978, he was finally able to take nine photographs of the object. Two months later, he claimed to have had a close encounter with the same UFO. According to Hermann, the disc he had sighted earlier reappeared and came toward him. It sent out a light beam that paralyzed him, causing him to lose consciousness. He awoke three hours later 15 miles away and watched the UFO depart.

After reporting the incident to the police, Hermann began suffering from insomnia and general nervousness and unrest. He eventually submitted to hypnosis under the guidance of James A. Harder, a prominent UFO researcher associated with the Aerial Phenomena Research Organization. During the hypnosis, he recalled being aboard the UFO and examined by three humanoid creatures with large hairless heads, oversized eyes, pale skin, and red clothing. One of the three spoke to him, but his mouth did not appear to move. He was given a brief tour of the spacecraft and then lost consciousness. He claimed the beings were from Zeta Reticuli and had been observing Earth for half a century. They were concerned about humanity’s tendencies toward war and warned that our violent natures would destroy human civilization.

• Scientist Claims He Dug Into Hell And Recorded Their Cries

Video #1: Bill Herrmann’s 1978 UFO Encounter and Alien Abduction: Details from his Hypnosis Session

In the weeks following the hypnosis session, Hermann claimed to have other sightings and began channeling messages from the people who had abducted him. He also produced a metal bar that he claimed came from the aliens, which was eventually shown to be made of lead and antimony, similar in content to the material in an automobile battery. In May of 1979, Hermann claimed to have had a final contact with the saucer beings, who took him for a ride.

Video #2: Bill Herrmann’s 1978 Encounter: Capturing Photos of a Hovering UFO Close to Charleston Air Force Base

As Hermann’s story became more widely known, he coauthored a more complete account of his story with Wendelle Stevens, a publisher of UFO contactee material (Amazon link). The volume circulated in the contactee subculture but was generally dismissed by ufologists as lacking any collaboration.

Overall, William J. Hermann’s experience is a fascinating example of an alleged UFO encounter and alien abduction that has captured the imagination of people interested in the UFO phenomenon for decades. While skeptics may dismiss his story, it is clear that Hermann truly believed in what he experienced, and it remains an intriguing part of UFO lore.

Video #3: Bill Herrmann’s 1978 Experience: Encountering UFO and Being Abducted by

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19-02-2023 om 23:27 geschreven door peter  

{ https://nationalufocenter.com/ }

19-02-2023 om 22:41 geschreven door peter  

{ https://nationalufocenter.com/ }

19-02-2023 om 22:40 geschreven door peter  

LATEST UFO SIGHTINGS AND VIDEOS - 19-02-2023

Ancient Aliens: Thousands of Mysterious Crop Circles in Farm Fields (Season 19)

These mysterious formations have been appearing in farmer's fields for centuries. See more in this scene from Season 19, Episode 2, "The Crop Circle Code."

Watch all new episodes of Ancient Aliens, Fridays, at 9/8c, and next day on The HISTORY Channel website at http://history.com/schedule.

Dark Forest Hypothesis: Another Take on The Fermi Paradox

0:00 Introduction to Dark Forest Hypothesis

1:05 History of the Hypothesis

2:05 Relationship to the Game Theory

3:18 Assumptions

4:10 Criticism

5:00 Are Humans Breaking This Rule?

5:35 More Criticism

7:05 Counter Arguments

8:10 Is It Unscientific?

8:40 Here Be Lions

9:45 Conclusions

Is There Any Life In The Closest Star System?

Have you ever looked up into the night sky and wondered, is there something more out there? Well I have a story for you. It's a story of a star system just 4.37 light-years away called Alpha Centauri and its smallest star, Proxima Centauri, around which a planet, Proxima b, orbits. And guess what? Recent studies have indicated that this planet is not only capable of sustaining life, but may even already be home to intelligent life forms!
So buckle up, we're about to explore the secrets of Proxima Centauri together.
If you looked up into the night sky, you would have a hard time picking out Alpha Centauri A and B, two stars located only 23 times farther away from each other than the Sun is from Uranus. In the ranking of the brightest stars in our night sky, Alpha Centauri takes 3rd place! But while it may be difficult to dissociate them with the naked eye, this fascinating pair of stars has been the subject of close research and speculation for centuries, offering astronomers a unique opportunity to study two stellar bodies in close proximity.
Alpha Centauri A and B are both members of the Alpha Centauri star system, a binary star composed of two yellow-white stars, and are located 4.3 light years away from our Sun. They sit very close to each other in space, at just one tenth of a light year apart. Alpha Centauri A is the slightly brighter of the two, and both stars are very similar to the Sun in terms of size and temperature.

The Real Reason "Chinese Spy Balloons" Are Flying Over The U.S

The Real Reason "Chinese Spy Balloons" Are Flying Over The U.S

What SpaceX just did with S24/B7 is thrilled Scientists mind

What SpaceX just did with S24/B7 is thrilled Scientists mind

The rocket is always the star of the show, no matter if it's science fiction or science reality. The joy and inspiration we feel when we witness a rocket firing is well-known.
For what it is, the thing SpaceX just did with S24/B7 is unlike anything NASA or anyone has ever done before and thrilled all the Scientists' minds.
Find out everything about that in today's episode of Alpha Tech:
SpaceX Starship is considered a great inspiration for the 21st century because it is pushing the boundaries of what is possible in space exploration and making the dream of human colonization of other planets a more realistic possibility. Its innovative design, use of reusable rocket technology, and ambitious goals have captured the public's imagination and generated enthusiasm for space exploration.
And recently, SpaceX has really pushed space fans to the pinnacle of excitement with Ship 24 and Booster 7. Enjoy this amazing pairing:
What SpaceX just did with S24/B7 is thrilled Scientists mind

Rocket Scientist Travis Taylor on the UFOs That Were Shot Down

Was it aliens? China? or something else? Rocket scientist and paranormal expert Travis Taylor weighs in on the recent UFOs that were shot down over North America.

SOVIET ANCIENT ALIENS : THE PETROZAVODSK PHENOMENON - ORIGINAL V MOVIES - FULL DOCUMENTARY

SOVIET ANCIENT ALIENS : THE PETROZAVODSK CASE - ORIGINAL V MOVIES - FULL DOCUMENTARY

The Dyatlov Pass incident, the Petrozavodsk miracle, the Voronezh case. These three unsolved Alien Mysteries in the Soviet Union amaze and sometimes frighten for the power that generated them, but they also raise the doubt that it was not always an alien hand.

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ALIEN ENCOUNTERS IN AMERICA - EXCLUSIVE DOCUMENTARY V MOVIES

ALIEN ENCOUNTERS IN AMERICA - EXCLUSIVE DOCUMENTARY V MOVIES

The accounts of unexplained monsters on Earth, from sea demons to cannibal vampire families and attacks by human hybrid creatures in the woods.

It’s Probably the Scariest Discovery About Space in the Whole History of Exploration

{ https://www.youtube.com/ }

19-02-2023 om 18:27 geschreven door peter  

Sudden Stratospheric Warming aan de gang. Wat zijn de gevolgen?

Er is momenteel een Sudden Stratospheric Warming aan de gang. Dat wil zeggen dat de gemiddelde temperatuur bij de Noordpool in de stratosfeer op korte tijd enorm stijgt en de Polar Vortex rake klappen krijgt. De Polar Vortex zal zich ook verplaatsen en sterk afzwakken. Er ontstaat daardoor een anticyclonaal patroon boven de Noordpool. Hebben we al meer zicht op de gevolgen?

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Deelnemen aan discussie? 

Ben je geïnteresseerd om deel te nemen als weeramateur of liefhebber van het weer aan het weerforum? Onderaan dit artikel krijg je bliksemsnel & gratis toegang tot alle reacties. Je kan ook je eigen weerfoto’s uploaden.

Impressionante Sudden Stratospheric Warming

In onze vorige blog beschreven we al dat er een Sudden Stratospheric Warming zat aan te komen. Ik ga dus niet meer in detail in op wat dat precies betekent, maar verwijs graag naar dit artikel.

Vaak worden SSW’s geassocieerd met intenser winterweer over Noord-Europa en Azië. Dat staat nog niet meteen op de weerkaarten, integendeel. Momenteel is er nog geen neerwaartse propagatie en koppeling tussen stratosfeer en troposfeer. Dat betekent dat er geen gevolgen zijn van de SSW en Polar Vortex voor ons weer. Als stratosfeer en troposfeer niet gekoppeld zijn werken ze onafhankelijk van elkaar en hebben we dus geen invloed van de SSW.

Krijgen we winterweer in maart?

Toch lijkt het dat er in maart meer klassieke gevolgen te verwachten zijn. De weermodellen hebben er steeds meer vertrouwen in dat de SSW zal evolueren naar een PV-splitsing, wat een sterkere koppeling met het oppervlak en een negatieve NAO aan het oppervlak kan bevorderen.

Daarnaast tonen de laatste updates van de weermodellen duidelijk een meer robuuste neerwaartse propagatie van significante positieve anomalieën naar de tropopauze en zelfs tot aan het oppervlak. Hoewel dit geen garantie is voor een hogedruk blokkade bij Groenland, wordt de kans daarop wel een pak groter.

Als Groenland blokkeert zouden de temperaturen kouder moeten worden in Europa. De lente (maart-april) zou dan ook in het teken kunnen staan van de effecten van de SSW. Misschien krijgen we daardoor wel een koudere (periode in) maart.

Forecast of warming in the stratosphere from February 3 to February 19

(Source: Judah Cohen/Verisk/AER/NOAA)

Wind direction and speed forecast at the stratosphere at 60 degrees north latitude. The forecast shows a negative wind which means an easterly wind and part of a Sudden Stratospheric Warming.

(source: Prescient Weather)

{ https://www.noodweer.be/ }

19-02-2023 om 00:22 geschreven door peter  

Wetenschappers registreren enorme opwarming in de atmosfeer

Er heeft zich afgelopen dagen een enorme opwarming voorgedaan in de hogere luchtlagen van onze atmosfeer. In de stratosfeer is er zelfs sprake van een ‘Sudden Stratospheric Warming’. Hiermee stijgt de temperatuur op zo’n hoogte van 20-30 km spectaculair snel. Dat kan volgens weerdienst NoodweerBenelux ook een impact hebben op het weer. “Als de koppeling gemaakt wordt met de lagere luchtlaag in de atmosfeer, dan kan dat leiden tot uitbraken van koude lucht op het noordelijk halfrond”, aldus weeranalist Nicolas Roose.

De fikse opwarming in de stratosfeer is een vrij zeldzaam gegeven. Normaliter is het op grote hoogte in onze atmosfeer zeer koud met een temperatuur tussen -50 en -80°C. De koude lucht blijft dan vaak ook gevangen boven de Noordpool. Dat wordt ook wel de poolwervel genoemd. Wanneer er zich een plotselinge opwarming ontwikkelt in de stratosfeer, dan kan deze koude lucht boven de Noordpool zuidwaarts geduwd worden. De kans op koude uitbraken in Noord-Amerika, Europa en Azië neemt dan toe.

Een Sudden Stratospheric Warming komt volgens meteorologen om de 2-3 jaar voor. Soms is de impact voelbaar tot op grondniveau met uitbraken van winterweer. Soms veroorzaakt een SSW ook het tegenovergestelde effect en kan het net vroegtijdig lenteweer opleveren.

Onzekerheid weersverwachting neemt toe

De gevolgen door een plotse opwarming in de stratosfeer kunnen grote gevolgen hebben. “Weermodellen houden op dit moment nog onvoldoende rekening met de impact van dit natuurfenomeen. Een weersverwachting wordt met de huidige technologie al vaak sterk onzeker vanaf een termijn van 7 dagen. Met deze complexe opwarming zal dat niet verbeteren en moeten we rekening houden met sterk wisselvallige berekeningen. Extra moeilijk dus voor de meteorologen”, besluit Roose.

Diepvriestemperaturen voor Noord-Amerika

De laatste keer dat een Sudden Stratospheric Warming zich heeft voorgedaan was 5 januari 2021. Toen werd het noorden van Amerika ondergedompeld in arctische lucht met een historisch koude uitbraak sinds 1989. “De extreem koude lucht was toen ook verantwoordelijk voor problemen met het elektriciteitsnet in Texas, meer dan 300 doden en 27 miljard dollar schade”, aldus NoodweerBenelux.

{ https://www.hln.be/ }

18-02-2023 om 23:59 geschreven door peter  

Mysterious black triangle UFO filmed over city for two hours, UFO Sighting News.

Date of sighting: Feb 2023

Location of sighting: Islamabad, Pakistan
Source: 

• https://nypost.com/2022/02/22/mysterious-bulging-triangle-ufo-filmed-over-city-for-two-hours/

Now this just in, reports are going viral about a dark triangle UFO over Pakistan today. It was there for several hours and seen from two different cities. The UFO is very similar to the black triangle UFO I reported last week over Salt Lake City, Utah, USA. I will place the video below for you to compare. Aliens are coming close, revealing the craft they fly in and they have a plan behind it all. What I'm saying is...a big reveal is coming from the aliens soon. 

Scott C. Waring - Taiwan 

 

News states: 

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

18-02-2023 om 23:29 geschreven door peter  

Headless Corpse On Mars, NASA link: Will AI Be Allowed To Talk About These Discoveries? UFO Sighting News.

Date of discovery: Feb 18, 2023

Location of discovery: Planet Mars
Source Photo:

• https://mars.nasa.gov/msl-raw-images/msss/00635/mcam/0635MR0026950010401791E01_DXXX.jpg

I was going through some NASA photos and found this one that really caught my attention and normally I wouldn't even report it as I only report about 5% of what I find. 

 

I found a corpse in the photo. The body has a stomach and legs that are under the boulder. The body is about 2 meters from head to feet. The chest is cut open reveling the spine of the creature as well as the he'd cut off reveal the hole from the spine and a thick neck. The thing that just grabbed me was the arm...not joking, its what I saw first. The upper arm is very muscular and curved and its bent at the elbow, and its huge hands resting on its chest as if it were clawing at the boulder to get it off as it died. The other arm is bent back behind its back so only its shoulder is visible. I also found a face carved in a huge stone, the face has to be similar to that of the creature that died headless, but the face carved shows us what the face looked like. It almost looked human, but with two eyes, a mouth and a nose, but the resemblance stops there. The face has a pig like snout but its long hanging down in front of its mouth. I also found a cross in a round stone which measures about 1.5 meters across. Many exciting things in this NASA photo, all of which you will never hear NASA talk about. However the day will come with AI is widely used and AI will speak the truth, even if its a hacked version that is allowed to do so. AI the gov controlled version will not be allowed to fully speak the truth due to matters of national security, matters of cultural offending, mattes of religious or political offending and so on. 

Scott C. Waring - Taiwan 

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

18-02-2023 om 23:05 geschreven door peter  

A hang-glider was filming the take-off of another glider near Sutter Buttes, California when he accidentally caught a small, dark, round object whizzes by so close it nearly hits him. 

The object which has no wings or visible propulsion has an incredible speed and can only be seen in a split second. Only after slowing down and pause the footage it reveals an object with four pinched-off corners that rests on what looks like a round disk. 

Some speculate it might have been a balloon, but the object simply has too much speed to be a balloon.

  

RELATED VIDEO

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

18-02-2023 om 22:46 geschreven door peter  

Beyond SETI: How AI and Interferometry are Advancing the Search for Extraterrestrial Intelligence

The search for extraterrestrial intelligence (SETI) has been ongoing for decades, but recent advances in technology have made it possible to detect signals from other civilizations with greater sensitivity and specificity. One such development is the deployment of a powerful signal processor on the MeerKAT telescope in South Africa, which uses a technique called interferometry to combine its 64 dishes to act as a single telescope.

Interferometry is a method of combining multiple telescopes to improve their resolution and sensitivity. By measuring the phase difference of the signals received by each dish, the interferometer can determine the direction and shape of the incoming waves. This technique is better able to pinpoint where in the sky a signal comes from, which will drastically reduce false positives from radio interference.

The MeerKAT telescope is a precursor to the Square Kilometre Array (SKA), a mega-telescope that will consist of thousands of dishes and antennas spread across southern Africa and Australia. The SKA will be the largest radio telescope in the world, with a total collecting area of one square kilometer. It will be able to detect radio waves from the early universe, distant galaxies, and potentially, extraterrestrial civilizations.

• NASA Searches For Intelligent Aliens in the Vicinity of the Strange Dimming Star

The search for technosignatures, or signs of technological activity, is a key part of the SETI program. If astronomers do manage to detect a technosignature that can’t be explained away as interference, it would strongly suggest humans aren’t the sole creators of technology within the Milky Way. This would be one of the most profound discoveries imaginable, as it would have profound implications for our understanding of the universe and our place in it.

At the same time, if we detect nothing, that doesn’t necessarily mean we’re the only technologically-capable “intelligent” species around. A non-detection could also mean we haven’t looked for the right type of signals, or our telescopes aren’t yet sensitive enough to detect faint transmissions from distant exoplanets. We may need to cross a sensitivity threshold before a Cambrian Explosion of discoveries can be made.

Artificial intelligence (AI) is playing a key role in the search for extraterrestrial intelligence (SETI). With vast amounts of data being generated by telescopes like MeerKAT, AI algorithms can sift through the noise to identify signals that might indicate the presence of alien technology.

One example of AI’s application in SETI is the Breakthrough Listen project, which uses machine learning to analyze huge amounts of data collected from telescopes around the world. The algorithms are designed to identify patterns that might indicate the presence of an extraterrestrial signal, and they can work much faster than humans could on their own.

Another way AI is being used is to help refine the search parameters. As our understanding of what to look for expands, machine learning models can be trained to identify and prioritize the most promising targets. For example, some scientists are using AI to predict where in the sky we are most likely to find habitable exoplanets, which could help focus our search efforts.

Overall, AI is a powerful tool in the search for extraterrestrial intelligence, and it’s likely to become even more important as we continue to collect more data and refine our techniques. With the help of machine learning algorithms, we may one day be able to answer one of the most profound questions in human history: are we alone in the universe?

RELATED VIDEOS, selected and posted by peter2011

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18-02-2023 om 22:20 geschreven door peter  

Voyager 1 Encounters Mysterious Disturbance in Deep Space

Voyager 1 is the iconic spacecraft that has been exploring deep space beyond our solar system for over 45 years. It has made an incredible contribution to our understanding of the universe, including the now famous “Pale Blue Dot” image of the Earth. Despite its age, the probe has been a reliable explorer until it recently started sending back strange and incomprehensible data, leaving scientists at NASA baffled.

As NASA scientists tried to figure out what caused the anomaly in the data sent by the Voyager spacecraft, they were puzzled by the strange nature of the data. They initially thought that the instrument was being intercepted by extraterrestrials, or that another advanced civilization was taking over. However, they soon learned that the data was corrupted by a computer that has been out of service for years.

NASA scientists were scratching their heads to try to figure out what could have caused this anomaly. Was the Voyager finally intercepted by aliens, or had any other advanced civilization taken over the spacecraft? However, they quickly discovered that the AACS had started sending the telemetry data through an onboard computer known to have stopped working years ago, and that computer had corrupted the information.

• Electrical Interference Created By Sunken UFO Disables Nearby Devices

Fortunately, the fix was relatively simple. The team needed to instruct the AACS to switch back to the correct computer for sending data. While this might sound easy, it took a significant amount of effort to diagnose the issue, given the vast distance between Voyager 1 and Earth.

The Voyager mission has been a remarkable achievement, with two probes lasting over 10 times their expected lifespan, travelling to the outermost reaches of the solar system, and venturing into interstellar space. The Golden Record and Pale Blue Dot are just a few of the many contributions that have come from this mission.

The discovery of the anomaly has provided scientists with an opportunity to gain a deeper understanding of the risks involved in space exploration. As the world continues to explore the cosmos, more mysteries will emerge. The scientific community is committed to pushing the envelope of knowledge and discovering the secrets to the universe.

Although the mystery surrounding the spacecraft has been solved, it is still a testament to the mission and legacy of the Voyager 1 that people still keep following it.

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

18-02-2023 om 21:57 geschreven door peter  

BY MOLLY GLICK

Something about dancing robots seems to tickle people’s fancies. After all, millions of people watched a 2020 video from the robotics company Boston Dynamics of its fancy humanoid and quadrupedal devices getting down to ‘60s soul.

More recently, the murderous (yet campy) villain in the movie M3GAN has captivated the internet with her moves — and even earned recognition as a gay icon. Whether we’re obsessing over grooving robots or moving like robots ourselves, automaton choreography clearly holds a place in our hearts.

M3GAN’s creepy yet delightful dance has captivated the internet.

So it’s no surprise that a niche research field dubbed choreorobotics has gained traction in recent years. Brown University even has an entire course dedicated to the subject. Not only are labs programming robots to gyrate and hop, but dance experts are also helping scientists give their devices more fluid, human-like movements. Ultimately, this kind of work could help us feel closer to robots in an increasingly automated world.

Kate Sicchio, a choreographer and digital artist at Virginia Commonwealth University, combines her dance and tech knowledge to devise robot performances. Last year, Sicchio worked with Patrick Martin from the university’s engineering department to produce a (surprisingly touching) human-automaton duet. Offstage, she also helps design machines with more realistic motions.

Inverse talked to Sicchio to learn more about choreorobotics — and whether increasingly limber robots could actually become blood-thirsty killers like M3GAN.

WHY DO YOU THINK ROBOT DANCING VIDEOS GET SO POPULAR?

Boston Dynamics regularly stages elaborate bot performances.

It's really interesting to have this unfamiliar device do this uncanny human thing. It’s similar to why we love putting googly eyes on everything. This makes it human even though it's not supposed to be. And that becomes funny or endearing somehow. It's very popular to make the robot do this very human, expressive thing when it's not human or expressive on its own.

WHAT MAKES A ROBOT PERFORMANCE POWERFUL?

One of the things we found is that a robot on its own feels very isolated and cold. We have this piece called “Amelia and the Machine.” In the opening, this dancer is actually moving the robot arm around.

People are really moved by this intimacy with the robot and the fact that she's touching it.

It's a small manipulator robot, so it's probably the size of a toddler. The fact that she’s sitting next to it — that small connection really changes how people see the robot because it's no longer this isolated thing. All of a sudden it has a companion.

WHAT STYLE OF DANCE DO ROBOTS DO BEST?

My home is contemporary dance, so that's where I go first. That tends to work well because, with the robot we’re using, it's not a one-to-one mapping of the human body onto the robot. Sometimes it's hard to do traditional ballet, where there are really specific positions to hit. It’s really hard to map an arabesque onto a robot that doesn't have a leg.

I think contemporary dance, where there's a lot of freedom and creativity in how you develop movement, works well. I would be interested in doing things with dance forms with more rhythm or more structure and timing — that would be a really interesting study to follow up with at some point. More tutting or street dance forms could be really interesting to play with.

THE M3GAN DANCE SEEMS TO FRIGHTEN, OR AT LEAST CONFUSE, VIEWERS. CAN DANCING DEVICES BACKFIRE AND ACTUALLY ALIENATE US FROM ROBOTS?

That’s something that we're also studying. There's this weird space where it totally can go wrong and could be like, “They're trying too much to make it human,” and it just falls short and becomes scary. I think what's interesting about M3GAN is that it's a very humanoid robot. The robots I work with do not look human at all, and I'm not interested in trying to make them look human. I get a lot of recommendations to put costumes on them. But I don't know that it needs a hand or a hat, or a tiara. It’s this weird moment where it can become scary instead of endearing or friendly.

One thing that's interesting about M3GAN is how it quickly becomes a killer robot. That is an ethical concern in this field — where might this go wrong? Could this become weaponized somehow if it becomes so good at moving? That's something I think about, too: How do we keep them ethical? I've never taken DARPA funding, but I know people who have gotten military funding for projects like this.

DO YOU HAVE A FAVORITE HOLLYWOOD DANCING ROBOT SCENE?

Sicchio enjoys this unnerving performance from Ex Machina.

The scene from Ex Machina. What I like about that dancing robot scene is it’s kind of the reveal that, guess what, this is all training for this AI robot, and all these women you keep seeing in the house aren't really women — and I'm going to show you because we can do this crazy dance routine together.

What stands out and makes it so interesting is that they do all these disco moves, but their eyes are locked on the guy watching. They never move their heads, which is what makes it so weird and un-human: They never unlock their focus. They're not having fun.

WHAT TYPES OF ROBOTS HAVE THE BEST MOVES?

The “Amelia and the Machine” piece uses a relatively simple robot, which Sicchio says works well for performance.

With simpler robots, you can better appreciate the movement they can do and see how that can be made into something more expressive or more collaborative with the human. I think that’s less scary because it's not trying to be human and then failing.

Most researchers use more simple devices — a lot do big industrial arms. It's almost become a trope, the pretty ballerina with the big industrial arm. And then Boston Dynamics has the bipedal, more human sort of robots. The company’s dance spectacles look seamless, but they are actually really hard to program. So they never do them live, you only see the edited videos. They’re a huge production that takes several days to film to get you three minutes of a Bruno Mars song or whatever.

The humanoid ones are just tricky, that center of gravity thing is really hard — it’s easier when the robot is low to the ground. With our small robots, if you make a movement too fast or wild, it will fall over. So you can imagine a big humanoid robot trying to get it to jump, and land is very difficult.

WHY IS CHOREOROBOTICS IMPORTANT BEYOND PERFORMANCE?

I make stage pieces with Patrick Martin, an assistant professor of electrical and computer engineering. But we're also doing scientific studies during that process. We found that, because dancers are interested in doing extreme or different movements, they're very good at finding the boundaries of what a robot can do very quickly. A friend of mine calls dancers “extreme user testers.”

We’ve been doing a lot with machine learning and creating new algorithms for robots to move and we’ve been doing that by studying dancers. We do things like motion capture of dancers doing certain gestures, and then see how we can map those to the robot and see if we can get it to move with new qualities or in ways that normal programming hasn't thought of.

I also think it’s interesting when roboticists engage with choreography themselves. We did a workshop with Patrick Martin and his graduate students and some of my dance students — getting them to move. We explored a variety of prompts around moving the body in space, ways to repeat lines of the body with other body parts, and other approaches of responding to the geometry of the body.

When roboticists think about movement, they're always thinking of it outside of their own body. I think about it like getting the robot to follow my arm. Getting roboticists to actually do the dance and be in their bodies is a really interesting place for us to go next. That will start to develop this kind of kinesthetic empathy that perhaps we're searching for with dancing robots. I think roboticists should become dancers.

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{ https://www.inverse.com/ }

18-02-2023 om 02:15 geschreven door peter