Really fast UFO filmed over Southern California – March 2023

A mysterious and fast-moving object was spotted in the skies above Southern California earlier this month. The footage of the sighting was shared in our Latest UFO Sightings Facebook group, leaving many people puzzled and intrigued. The witness who captured the footage expressed disbelief at the object’s speed and wondered if it could have been a drone. However, the distance it covered in just a few seconds seemed too great for drone technology. The incident adds to the growing number of unexplained aerial phenomena observed around the world, leaving many to wonder what secrets the skies hold.

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

07-03-2023 om 22:02 geschreven door peter  

Latest UFO Sighting in Ohio: Oval-Shaped Object Merges with Massive Ball of Light

In a stunning development, a group of witnesses in Ohio have reported seeing a UFO that changed shapes and flew at lightning speeds before ultimately merging with a massive ball of light. The sighting occurred on March 3, 2023, and has left many people in the area stunned and fascinated.

According to witness reports, the object was initially oval-shaped and was spinning and changing shape rapidly. It then proceeded to fly towards a large ball of light that was so bright it appeared to be daytime outside. The ball of light was also round and appeared to be emitting a tremendous amount of energy.

As the oval-shaped object approached the ball of light, witnesses reported seeing a massive metallic object hovering above the houses. It was so large that it was difficult to define its exact shape, but witnesses described it as oval-shaped as well. There was a beam of light that shot through the huge ball of white light on the bottom of the large craft just hovering above the houses.

• Further Appearances of the Mysterious Bright UFO Continue to Puzzle Witnesses

• Check out more UFO sightings from Ohio at this tag!

In an incredible turn of events, witnesses reported seeing two more objects like the first one fly onto the large UFO and disappear. The witnesses were able to capture video and pictures of the sighting, which are sure to be of great interest to UFO enthusiasts and researchers.

The witnesses described the entire experience as surreal and said they had never seen anything like it before. They also noted that there was no sound associated with the UFO, which seemed to defy the laws of physics as it changed shape and direction at lightning speeds.

While skeptics may try to explain away the sighting as a natural phenomenon or a man-made object, the witnesses are adamant that what they saw was not of this world. Their account of the latest UFO sighting in Ohio is sure to generate significant interest and may even lead to more sightings in the future.

In conclusion, the latest UFO sighting in Ohio is a fascinating and mysterious event that has left witnesses and researchers alike eager to learn more. The eyewitness reports, video, and pictures of the incident are sure to generate significant interest among those interested in UFO sightings and paranormal phenomena. Stay tuned for updates on this incredible event.

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

07-03-2023 om 21:31 geschreven door peter  

GLOBAL WARMING IS WORSE THAN WE THOUGHT, AI TELLS SCIENTISTS

WELL, THAT'S NOT GOOD.

GETTY IMAGES/FUTURISM

{ https://futurism.com/the-byte }

07-03-2023 om 18:27 geschreven door peter  

How big can animals get?

Animals, especially those on land, can't grow indefinitely. The reason has to do with the square-cube law.

The largest animal ever to walk on Earth was likely the dinosaur Argentinosaurus, a hulking 77-ton (70 metric tons) titanosaur that lived about 90 million years ago during the Late Cretaceous. For comparison, the heaviest animal on land today is the African elephant (Loxodonta), which weighs less than 7 tons (6 metric tons). And both look positively dainty next to the blue whale (Balaenoptera musculus), which, at an average of 165 tons (150 metric tons), may be the heaviest animal ever to have lived.

But could any animal ever top that? Is there a limit to how large an animal can get? 

"We look at blue whales, and the question is whether we could get anything bigger," Geerat Vermeij(opens in new tab), a professor of geobiology and paleobiology at the University of California, Davis, told Live Science. "I'm not sure I'd be willing to say no to that question. Size depends on many factors, and I take a relativistic point of view."

At least in theory, though, there may be a hard limit — enforced by the laws of physics — of about 120 tons (109 metric tons) for land animals, according to Felisa Smith(opens in new tab), a professor of paleoecology at the University of New Mexico. "To be bigger than that, on land, your legs would have to be so wide to support your body that you couldn't efficiently walk," she told Live Science in an email. 

Smith is referring to the square-cube law(opens in new tab), a mathematical principle first described by Galileo Galilei as "the ratio of two volumes is greater than the ratio of their surfaces." In other words, as an animal increases in size, its volume will grow faster than its surface area, so larger animals need much larger limbs to support their weight. If we were to merely scale up an elephant by several orders of magnitude, the square-cube law holds that it would collapse — its mass would increase by a power of three, while its limbs would increase in size by a power of two. 

Related:

• What is the largest squid in the world?

The only way our imaginary mega-elephant could overcome this limitation would be to have disproportionately large and thick legs. But even then, at around the 120-ton mark, the limbs necessary to keep the mega-elephant on its feet would become improbably bulky. "The largest animals in the fossil record are just under 100 tons [90 metric tons], which supports this theoretical maximum," Smith said, adding that "it's not clear that bigger ones couldn't have evolved."

But physics is not the only constraint on animal size. If it were, we would live in a world packed with 100-ton land animals, carefully toeing Galileo's square-cube line. Resource availability is also a significant factor — megafauna have to eat. "Animals that live in more productive environments with high quality foods are generally able to harbor larger maximum body sizes," said Jordan Okie(opens in new tab), a quantitative biologist at Arizona State University. "Whales, elephants, and other megabiota tend to live in productive, nutrient rich environments."

Related: 

• 10 of the best giant monster movies

Nutrient requirements also explain why reptiles, like titanosaurs, grew much larger than even the largest land mammals, according to Smith. Because warm-blooded mammals have faster metabolisms, they require about 10 times the amount of food to support a given body size than reptiles do, Smith explained. Reptiles, on the other hand, have lower body temperatures and slower metabolisms, so they can afford to eat less and can grow on a calorie budget that would starve a mammal.

"Not surprisingly, the largest dinosaurs in terrestrial areas were about 10x bigger than the largest mammals," Smith said.

Blue whales, which can weigh about 165 tons and are warm-blooded mammals, are glaring exceptions to several of these rules. But their unique environment explains their success(opens in new tab). Marine megafauna can take advantage of their buoyancy to scale up in size without straining their muscles and bones, growing in ways that would make the limbs of land animals crumble. And whales have miles of open ocean at their disposal, which they travel to pursue meals.

"Animals in water are expected to be less limited by biomechanical constraints," Okie told Live Science in an email. "The oceans also provide abundant, nutrient-dense resources for those animals that are mobile and resourceful." In particular, the evolution of baleen plates allowed whales to consume zooplankton efficiently enough to support their enormous sizes, Okie added.

Various constraints aside, the planet can clearly support megafauna. For hundreds of millions of years, megafauna were pervasive. Yet, throughout the past 20,000 years or so(opens in new tab), a mere blink in evolutionary time, megafauna have all but vanished. Large land mammals such as elephants and rhinos are in decline, existing in only specific parts of the world; several groups of marine megafauna, such as whales, are perpetually tottering on the brink of extinction. So where did all of the giants go?

"Humans eliminated most of them," Vermeij said. "Mammoths, elephants, bison, large carnivores — we've eliminated 90% of large animals, maybe more, and certainly all of the largest ones." 

Humans are also the chief obstacle to the revival of these large species. 

"You'd have to have no humans before megafauna could make a comeback," Vermeij said. "We're the dominant species, by far, and no animal is going to get large under our hegemony. The chances of getting anything as big as a Cretaceous dinosaur again are unlikely."

{ https://www.livescience.com/ }

07-03-2023 om 18:02 geschreven door peter  

A Strange Object Orbits The Milky Way’s Black Hole Every 70 Minutes

Astronomers have discovered a mysterious object, which they believe is a giant hot bubble of gas around the Milky Way's black hole every seventy minutes. This means that the object is moving at a mind-boggling 30% of the speed of light.

Observations by the Atacama Large Millimeter/submillimeter Array (ALMA) have revealed something unusual near the Milky Way's supermassive black hole. Astronomers believe there is a mystery object, a hot spot, that circles around Sagittarius A*. According to the researchers, the discovery will aid in our comprehension of the bizarre yet dynamic ecosystem.

The object that circles the black hole is most likely a hot bubble of gas that swirled around Sagittarius A* in an orbit comparable to that of the planet Mercury, according to the experts. The only difference is that it completes one orbit in around seventy minutes.

Orbits of the G objects at the center of our galaxy, with the supermassive black hole indicated with a white cross. Stars, gas and dust are in the background.

(Credit: Anna Ciurlo, Tuan Do/UCLA Galactic Center Group)

In other words, according to Maciek Wielgus of the Max Planck Institute for Radio Astronomy in Bonn, Germany, this puzzling object requires a mind-boggling velocity of nearly 30% of the speed of light to complete its orbit in seventy minutes. Wielgus conducted the study that described the hot gas bubble orbiting the black hole, which was published in the journal Astronomy & Astrophysics.

ALMA, a radio telescope co-owned by the European Southern Observatory (ESO), was utilised to perform observations during the Event Horizon Telescope (EHT) Collaboration's attempt to picture black holes. In April 2017, the EHT joined eight existing radio telescopes across the world, including ALMA, and photographed Sagittarius A*, the black hole at the heart of the Milky Way galaxy, for the first time. To calibrate the EHT data, a team of EHT Collaboration members, including Wielgus, used ALMA data taken concurrently with the EHT observations of Sagittarius A. The scientists discovered further information about the black hole's nature using solely ALMA observations.

The observations were made just after NASA's Chandra Space Telescope detected an X-ray flare produced from our galaxy's centre. There is a suggestion that these flares are caused by hot spots, which are hot gas bubbles that orbit exceedingly quickly and near to black holes. Previously, they were observed using X-ray and infrared telescopes.

"This is particularly intriguing because flares of this type were previously recorded solely in X-rays and infrared. "For the first time, we detect a very strong hint that orbiting hot spots are also present in radio data," Wielgus explains.

According to Jesse Vos, a Radboud University Ph.D. student who was also involved in this study, these hot spots detected at infrared wavelengths are most likely manifestations of the same physical phenomenon: as hot spots emitting infrared cool, they become visible at longer wavelengths, similar to those observed by ALMA and the EHT.

Recent discoveries lend credence to the notion that flares are created by magnetic interactions in the highly hot plasma circling the black hole. These flares appear to have a magnetic origin, and scientific findings shed light on their geometry. We now have the possibility to build a theoretical interpretation of these events as a result of the additional data," explains Radboud University co-author Monika Mocibrodzka.

Scientists can use ALMA to analyse polarized radio emissions from Sagittarius A* and thereby establish the magnetic field of the black hole. In addition to these findings, the scientists investigated the hot spot's genesis and environment, particularly the magnetic field encircling Sagittarius A*, using theoretical models. Their finding places more limitations on the form of this magnetic field than prior observations in the process of discovering the nature of our black hole and its environs.

The GRAVITY instrument on ESO's Very Large Telescope (VLT), which looks into the cosmos in infrared, has validated some of the prior discoveries. Both GRAVITY and ALMA data indicate that the flare originates in a cluster of gas revolving clockwise around the black hole at around 30% the speed of light. The hot spot's orbit is also practically face-on, according to scientists.

"To be able to track hot spots at multiple wavelengths using GRAVITY and ALMA coordinated multiwavelength observations in the future would be a true milestone for our understanding of the physics of flares in the Galactic centre," says Ivan Marti-Vidal of the University of Valencia, a study co-author.

Furthermore, the EHT team wants to directly examine the gas clumps around the black hole, allowing them to delve closer and obtain a better knowledge of the object.

What happens near Sagittarius Acosmic *'s environment is a mystery to researchers. Wielgus, on the other hand, thinks that one day we may ultimately learn more about it and be able to construct a clearer picture of what happens at the centre of our galaxy.

{ http://amazingastronomy.thespaceacademy.org/ }

07-03-2023 om 17:33 geschreven door peter  

Astronomers spotted shock waves shaking the web of the universe for the first time

The observation could offer an indirect look at large-scale magnetic fields in the universe

In this simulation of the cosmic web, shock waves along filaments and around clusters emit radio light (pink) as they ripple through magnetic fields (cyan).

F. VAZZA, D. WITTOR AND J. WEST

By Elise Cutts

For the first time, astronomers have caught a glimpse of shock waves rippling along strands of the cosmic web — the enormous tangle of galaxies, gas and dark matter that fills the observable universe.

Combining hundreds of thousands of radio telescope images revealed the faint glow cast as shock waves send charged particles flying through the magnetic fields that run along the cosmic web. Spotting these shock waves could give astronomers a better look at these large-scale magnetic fields, whose properties and origins are largely mysterious, researchers report in the Feb. 17 Science Advances.

Finally, astronomers “can confirm what so far has only been predicted by simulations — that these shock waves exist,” says astrophysicist Marcus Brüggen of the University of Hamburg in Germany, who was not involved in the new study.

At its grandest scale, our universe looks something like Swiss cheese. Galaxies aren’t distributed evenly through space but rather are clumped together in enormous clusters connected by ropy filaments of dilute gas, galaxies and dark matter and separated by not-quite-empty voids (SN: 10/3/19).

Tugged by gravity, galaxy clusters merge, filaments collide, and gas from the voids falls onto filaments and clusters. In simulations of the cosmic web, all that action consistently sets off enormous shock waves in and along filaments.

Filaments make up most of the cosmic web but are much harder to spot than galaxies (SN: 1/20/14). While scientists have observed shock waves around galaxy clusters before, shocks in filaments “have never been really seen,” says astronomer Reinout van Weeren of Leiden University in the Netherlands, who was not involved in the study. “But they should be basically all around the cosmic web.”

Shock waves around filaments would accelerate charged particles through the magnetic fields that suffuse the cosmic web (SN: 6/6/19). When that happens, the particles emit light at wavelengths that radio telescopes can detect — though the signals are very weak.

{ https://www.sciencenews.org/ }

07-03-2023 om 16:59 geschreven door peter  

Man Who Ran Area 51 Claimed They Had Alien Crafts & NoHuman Beings: So Bob Lazar Is telling Truth

By  Vicky Verma

The recent podcast “Weaponized,” starring filmmaker Jeremy Corebll and investigative journalist George Knapp, has ignited a long debate on Area 51 holding secrets of UFOs and non-human beings. Mr. Knapp explained a lot of the corroborating evidence regarding people that confirm Bob Lazar’s claims, as well as the S4 base he worked at Nevada desert and the company that vetted him, EG&G.

Lazar’s identity as an Area 51 scientist has always been discussed by other people in the UFOlogy. Lately, Dr. Travis Scott has also been seen discrediting Bob Lazar and said he did work at Area 51 but as a janitor. Many users find it a direct attack on Lazar’s credentials as he failed to show his qualifications. However, there are credible experts that have confirmed Lazar’s work at Area 51.

Mr. Knapp revealed to Corbell that while working on the follow-up series “UFOs: The Best Evidence” in 1990, he came to know about a man named Alfred O’Donnell, who was the general manager at EG&G in Nevada that managed Area 51. According to Knapp, O’Donnell claimed that “they did have a flying saucer that had been recovered from New Mexico,” and a “live being.”

EG&G was created by three scientists, Harold Edgerton, Kenneth Germeshausen, and Herbert Grier. The company specialized in the measurement of energy created by nuclear weapon explosions. EG&G was involved in the development of a complex little gadget that could arm an atomic bomb, start an automated countdown, set it off, and collect data on how it behaved. The company played a role in the migration of well-educated professionals to Las Vegas in the early 1950s, including Alfred O’Donnell, a technician who worked for the company.

Alfred O’Donnell

O’Donnell was the prominent figure in Area 51, who had all clearance to walk anywhere in the facility. Moreover, his background is good enough to add credibility to Bob Lazar’s claims. Mr. Knapp shared his story of meeting O’Donnell who told him about the recovered craft that was stored at the Indian Springs (Creech US Air Force Base), but later it was transferred to the newly built Area 51 in 1955.

“They moved it to an adjacent facility he didn’t say it was S4 he didn’t say it was Papoose but I think that’s what he’s talking about Papoose lake is where Bob Lazar said he worked and where they had built hangers underground disguised it to look like the desert and where they had other recovered craft,” Mr. Knapp said.

O’Donnell told Knapp all the secret information about UFOs at a coffee shop. He said that they were trying to reverse-engineer the recovered crafts and duplicate the technology to build more crafts like that. Further, O’Donnell revealed that they were worried that “IT” could get out. He said they were holding it in a cage as they did not understand it.

“We didn’t know what it was… To tell you the truth, we couldn’t communicate with it. In the beginning, we didn’t know what it was, we didn’t know where it was from. And we didn’t know what to do with it…”

“Eventually, they figured out a way to communicate with it and so I asked him well what did it look like… he said well kind of looks like a certain political candidate… at the time Ross Perot was running for president, he said it looks like Ross Perot, a little skinny guy with big ears and a tiny head, not a classic gray looking alien but a very odd looking creature.”

Mr. Knapp further shared a story about a former female employee of defense contractor Holmes & Narver, who allegedly had knowledge about “crashed saucers, recovered materials, and what sounded like a Roswell-type incident.” The woman had been intimidated by unknown agents before she was scheduled to speak with Knapp, causing her to cancel the meeting.

Knapp also mentioned that former Congressional staffer Richard D’Amato investigated claims about crashed saucers and visited Area 51, but was unable to verify the statements. Knapp later scheduled a meeting between D’Amato and EG&G employee O’Donnell, which was allowed by EG&G co-founder Herbert Grier. However, O’Donnell refused to tell D’Amato anything.

Read also:

• Ex-CIA Officer: Humans Are Hybrids & There Are Classified UFO Programs Bigger Than AATIP
• Ex-CIA Agent Deathbed Confession On UFOs: Visited Area-51 & Saw Living Aliens
• Italy Had UFO Crash & Recovered Alien Bodies Prior To Roswell: Is USA Holding Them?
• Ex-Apollo Astronaut Claimed Humans Are Ancient Aliens, Visited Earth From Space

Knapp stated that O’Donnell made a deathbed confession, confirming the existence of a crashed flying saucer and a living being. However, no recording of O’Donnell’s confession has surfaced. If the recording was made public, it would lend credibility to the assertions made by Bob Lazar, who claimed to have worked on recovered saucers in Area 51.

Years after his initial conversation with Knapp, O’Donnell changed his story and shared a different version of the flying saucer incident with journalist and author Annie Jacobsen, which regarded the Unidentified Anomalous Phenomena (UAP) incident at Roswell in 1947.

Journalist Christoper Sharp writes that Jacobsen mentioned different version of O’Donnell’s story in the book “Area 51: An Uncensored History of America’s Top Secret Military Base,” according to which “Roswell incident was not the result of non-human intelligence, but in fact a Russian craft with ‘grotesque, child-size aviators’ developed in human experiments by Nazi doctor and war criminal Josef Mengele.”

But Mr. Knapp debunked this story as he discovered the Russians were just as mystified about the Roswell incident as the Americans.

Bob Lazar claimed in 1989 that the US government was conducting a project to reverse engineer alien technology from nine different UFOs collected over decades and hidden in hangars at a location called S-4 near Papoose Lake.

Jeremy Corbell shared a video of Mr. Knapp discussing am LakeFreeman also reported seeing a door opening in space with a bluish light, and then disappearing. George Knapp confirmed that Freeman did not know who Bob Lazar and John Lear were, and that former employees who worked with Bob verified that he was a physicist, but those claims were made informally and off the record.

Medium user SignalsIntelUFO has done great work by transcribing over 50 interviews of Bob Lazar with in-depth information. Bob claimed to have been hired as a physicist at Los Alamos in May 1982. For evidence about his employment, there is an article written by Terry England on June 30, 1982. “To Lazar, a physicist at the Los Alamos Meson Physics Facility, the important thing is the jet engine. It’s something he’s been working on for years,” England wrote.

  

In July 2020, during Joe Rogan’s podcast with Jeremy Corbell and George Knapp, Corbell said he asked Terry England about Bob Lazar’s occupation as a physicist at Los Alamos. Corbell said: “Look, here’s the point, you said Bob Lazar was a physicist at Los Alamos. So how did you base that? You’re writing a paper…” and he [England] goes “yeah,” — and it got picked up by AP news — he goes “if I [England] had misrepresented that he was a physicist at Los Alamos I would have been blackballed by everybody at Los Alamos. They take that very seriously. He was a physicist. I reported it. AP News picked it up, they repeated it. Not word one from anybody saying he wasn’t a physicist at Los Alamos.”

{ https://www.howandwhys.com/ }

07-03-2023 om 01:58 geschreven door peter  

Sacred Marvels: 17 Cathedrals That Will Take Your Breath Away, In Pictures

Cathedrals are some of the most awe-inspiring structures in the world, with their grandeur and intricate details captivating visitors for centuries. These religious buildings are often the most iconic landmarks of a city or region, featuring unique architectural styles and intricate works of art.  Cathedrals can be found all around the world, from the towering spires of the  Gothic cathedrals of Europe  to the colorful domes of the  Orthodox cathedrals in Eastern Europe  and beyond. Many of these cathedrals have played significant roles in the history of their respective regions and continue to be important cultural and religious centers today.

St. Basil's Cathedral  is an iconic symbol of Moscow and one of the most famous landmarks of Russia. It was built in the 16th century under the reign of Ivan the Terrible to commemorate the capture of the city of Kazan. The cathedral is known for its colorful onion-shaped domes and intricate patterns, and is considered a masterpiece of Russian architecture.

Source:  Reidl / Adobe Stock.

The Santiago de Compostela  Cathedral is located in the city of Santiago de Compostela in Galicia, Spain, and is considered to be one of the most important pilgrimage sites in the world. The cathedral is believed to be the burial place of Saint James, one of the apostles of Jesus, and has been a place of pilgrimage for over a thousand years. The cathedral's impressive Romanesque architecture and its baroque façade make it a popular tourist destination in Spain.

Source:  Pabkov / Adobe Stock.

Milan Cathedral, also known as the Duomo di Milano, is one of the most famous landmarks of Milan and one of the largest Gothic cathedrals in the world. The cathedral took nearly six centuries to complete and features over 3,400 statues, 135 gargoyles and stunning stained-glass windows. The cathedral's roof also offers breathtaking views of the city of Milan.

Source:  Boris Stroujko  / Adobe Stock

• The Iconic Saint Basil's Cathedral – So Magnificent the Architects Were Blinded
• Blood Stained Glass Panels At Canterbury Cathedral Saw Becket Die

The Zipaquira Salt Cathedral is an underground Roman Catholic church located in the town of Zipaquira, Colombia, about an hour's drive from Bogota. The cathedral is built inside an abandoned salt mine, which was transformed into a religious sanctuary in the 1950s. The cathedral is a popular tourist attraction, known for its impressive architecture, including its cross-shaped layout, and the numerous salt sculptures that decorate its interior.

Source:  dvrcan / Adobe Stock

Sainte Chapelle is a Gothic-style royal chapel located in the heart of Paris, France. It was built in the 13th century by King Louis IX and is known for its stunning stained-glass windows, which cover a total area of over 600 square meters. The chapel's lower-level features intricate murals and sculptures, while the upper level is reserved for the spectacular stained glass windows, which depict scenes from the Bible.

Source:  Circumnavigatio / Adobe Stock.

The Basilica of Saint Mary of the Flower is a cathedral located in the heart of Florence, Italy. The cathedral is famous for its iconic dome, which was designed by Filippo Brunelleschi and is considered a masterpiece of Renaissance architecture. The interior of the cathedral is also notable for its stunning frescoes, including the Last Judgment by Giorgio Vasari.

Source:  flowertiare / Adobe Stock.

The Alexander Nevsky Cathedral is one of the most impressive and iconic landmarks of the Bulgarian capital, Sofia. It was built in the early 20th century and named after the Russian prince and national hero Alexander Nevsky. The cathedral's neo-Byzantine architecture, intricate frescoes, and beautiful gold-plated domes make it a must-see attraction for visitors to Sofia.  

Source: Evgeni / Adobe Stock.

• Fairground Ride in 900-Year-Old Norwich Cathedral is Not Leaving Everyone Thrilled
• Notre Dame de Paris: Survivor of 850 Years of Upheaval, Revolution, World Wars and Fire

Notre Dame Cathedral  is a historic Catholic cathedral located on the Île de la Cité in Paris, France. It was built in the 12th century and is widely considered one of the finest examples of French Gothic architecture in the world. The cathedral is known for its impressive rose windows, soaring ceilings, and intricate sculptures, and attracts millions of visitors every year. In April 2019, a  devastating fire  broke out at Notre Dame Cathedral, causing significant damage to its roof and spire, and prompting a major restoration effort that is still ongoing.

Source:  XtravaganT / Adobe Stock.

Saint Sophia Cathedral is a UNESCO World Heritage Site and one of the most significant landmarks of Kiev, Ukraine. The cathedral was built in the 11th century and is renowned for its Byzantine architecture, including its stunning mosaics and frescoes. It was named in honor of the ancient Hagia Sophia in Constantinople and played a crucial role in the history of Kievan Rus.

Source:  Jo / Adobe Stock.

The Basilica of Notre-Dame de Fourvière is a prominent landmark in Lyon, France, situated atop Fourvière Hill overlooking the city. The basilica was constructed in the late 19th century in a neo-Byzantine style and is known for its ornate design, including intricate mosaics, stained glass windows, and a beautiful golden statue of the Virgin Mary.

Source:  Lukas / Adobe Stock.

St. Stephen's Cathedral is a stunning Gothic-style cathedral located on Stephansplatz square in the heart of Vienna, Austria. The cathedral's construction began in the 12th century and continued for over 400 years, resulting in a fascinating blend of architectural styles. The cathedral's towering spire, intricate carvings, and stunning stained-glass windows make it one of Vienna's most beloved and iconic landmarks.

Source:  Mistervlad / Adobe Stock.

Cologne Cathedral, also known as Kölner Dom, is a stunning Gothic-style cathedral located in the city of Cologne, Germany. The cathedral's construction began in the 13th century and took over 600 years to complete, resulting in a fascinating blend of architectural styles. The cathedral is known for its impressive size, with two spires standing over 150 meters tall, as well as its stunning stained glass windows and intricate carvings.

Source:  Lukas / Adobe Stock.

The Notre-Dame Basilica is a stunning Gothic-style church located in the heart of Montreal, Quebec, Canada. It was constructed in the mid-19th century and is known for its impressive size, intricate carvings, and stunning stained-glass windows.

Source:  Kingsman / Adobe Stock.

The Cathedral-Basilica of Our Lady of the Pillar is a Catholic church located in the city of Zaragoza, in northeastern Spain. The cathedral is dedicated to the Virgin Mary, under the title of Our Lady of the Pillar, and is considered one of the most important pilgrimage sites in Spain. The cathedral's architecture is a mix of styles, including Baroque, Renaissance and Gothic, and is known for its impressive dome and stunning frescoes.

Source:  Juanmi / Adobe Stock.

St John's Co-Cathedral is a stunning Baroque-style cathedral located in the heart of Valletta, the capital city of Malta. The cathedral was built by the Knights of Malta in the 16th century and is known for its ornate interior, including intricate marble floors, gilded columns, and stunning frescoes. The cathedral is also home to several important works of art, including paintings by Caravaggio and other prominent Baroque artists.

Source:  Matyas Rehak  / Adobe Stock.

The Sagrada Familia is a world-famous cathedral located in the city of Barcelona, Spain, and is one of the most iconic landmarks of the city. Designed by the renowned architect Antoni Gaudí, the cathedral's construction began in the late 19th century and is still ongoing. The cathedral is known for its unique architectural style, including its towering spires, intricate sculptures, and stunning stained-glass windows.

Source:  Valerie2000 / Adobe Stock.

Cathedrals continue to inspire visitors with their beauty and spiritual significance, and many have become beloved landmarks of the cities and regions in which they are located. Despite the challenges of time and natural disasters, these architectural wonders have endured for centuries, serving as a testament to the  skill and creativity  of their builders. Whether you are admiring the soaring spires of a Gothic cathedral or the colorful mosaics of an Orthodox basilica, cathedrals offer a unique glimpse into the art, architecture, and religious traditions of cultures around the world.

• Top image: The Cathedral of Saints Peter and Paul, St. Petersburg, Russia. The 18th century cathedral is the final resting place of many members of the Russian royal family, including Peter the Great and Catherine the Great.
• Source:  yulenochekk / Adobe Stock

By Joanna Gillan

{ https://www.ancient-origins.net/ }

07-03-2023 om 01:24 geschreven door peter  

Tubular Patterns on UFO Underbellies

By Bob Spearing, Director of International Investigations

How many times over the decades did MUFON and other UFO Organizations receive a description concerning the underbelly of a Black triangle? The witnesses not only described the three round white, blue or orange lights on the triangular vertices and a central red twirling beacon dead on in the bottom’s ?center but also mentioned how the triangle underside was of a deep matte finish and often tubular orB intricate latices were visible on the craft’s bottom. Circuit boards or various other unusual descriptions suggesting a complex tapestry of possible mechanics were described on the craft bottoms.These examples are not one-offs but a serious pattern seen over and over again in dozens, if not more, triangle reports.

Surely, with such a consistent pattern concerning the architecture of unknown aerial vehicles in ourskies,  serious investigators should consider this essential circumstantial evidence that these are real and recurring vehicles in our skies of similar manufacture.

Now we have yet another report from a witness who most likely has no knowledge or connection to prior similar reports! It is a disc now and not a triangle.

MUFON Report #122240
originates out of Alameda County, California on or around July 20, 1985 at 8 P.M.
This is what the witness, a child at the time, saw:

The UFO Investigator has a lot to work with here. First, the intricacy of the witness’s drawing absolutely suggests he has seen something incredibly similar to other UFO witnesses. There is a definite pattern to tubular or pipe-like structures on the bottom of these UFOs.

Why tubular structures? Is their purpose connected to propulsion? Cooling Systems? Life support systems? Optical Illusion? Implanted thought? Or, does this lattice of tubes constitute a necessity in a?technology that we do not understand by a visiting agent, extraterrestrial or otherwise, that we have noframe of reference for.

 A second excellent drawing by the witness has overtones of the Ezekiel’s vision when he sees a wheel within a wheel. It is also suggestive of the common disc sightings where multi-colored lights ar observed rotating in certain ways, sometimes clockwise and counter-clockwise at the same time.

Having established that the witness creates coherent drawings similar to many other cases, let us delv further into the narrative of the child witness in this historical case. It is a “high strangeness” account and may, at first, seem bizarre.

It reads: “2 years prior woke up to a 4-foot waitress wearing an old-fashioned waitress uniform walking towards me as I watched from my bed. I could hear all the sounds of what a busy old-fashioned diner would sound like (customers eating and mumbling, silverware clanging on plates.) This was all static, “snow” in which it appeared to me almost like a holograph ..waitress was walking in middle section of seated guests towards me holding a platter of food with both of her hands, she did not look directly at me but kind of through my {me}. Very detailed even though it was all in a static type media in which I observed it. I yelled out to my Mom if I could sleep with her and I heard her say “sure c-mon honey”..then I replied “but I don’t want to step on this lady”….then I blacked out and did not discuss the event until years later with my   Mom….also had multiple visions soon after the UFO experience including a wheel within a wheel hovering and rotating in opposite directions over my childhood home, walking on a beach of dead whales and running from a crashing flood and climbing atop of Stonehenge for safety as the flood waters resided just before the tips of the larger stones”.

An analysis of this episode by a viable witness capable of drawing highly complex illustrations must make us consider the possibility that his story is true no matter how unbelievable. There is also much symbolism in the child’s vision. Was the waitress a “Screen Memory?” Additionally, sufficient reports of possible alien agents offering Contactees and experiencers food and drink is common and Jacque Valle often cites reports of Faire abductions back to the Middle Ages where food and drink are offered.

An especially intriguing part of the witness’s visions is that whales are seen dying along a beach.
Coincidentally (perhaps not!!!), whales are currently washing ashore in New Jersey in droves due to their sonar being disrupted by windmill farms in the ocean near the coast. Was the witness having some sort of prescient event? Could it be within the realm of possibility that this witness saw into the future?

MUFON would love reaction to this “high strangeness” account! Please send your hypotheses to DOII@MUFON.COM and we may follow up on this case in a future newsletter article.

Never discount the unbelievable because you do not believe it! Investigate it first!

{https://mufon.com }

07-03-2023 om 00:55 geschreven door peter  

February 2023 MUFON UFO sightings statistics

NATIONS OF THE WORLD UNITED STATES 942 CANADA 35 UNITED KINGDOM 33 AUSTRALIA 20 FRANCE 15 MEXICO 4 INDIA 4 INDONESIA 3 GERMANY 2 SERBIA AND MONTENEGRO 2 PORTUGAL 2 NORWAY 2 ALBANIA 1 OMAN 1 TRINIDAD AND TOBAGO 1 BRAZIL 1 CZECH REPUBLIC 1 SPAIN 1 GREENLAND 1 UKRAINE 1 ITALY 1 SLOVAKIA 1 VIETNAM 1 TONGA 1 BELGIUM 1 PUERTO RICO 1 CHILE 1 MALAYSIA 1 SLOVENIA 1 UNITED STATES MINOR OUTLYING ISLANDS 1 TOTAL: 1082 BY SHAPE Circle 205 Sphere 125 Other 84 Triangle 79 Disc 71 Unknown 63 Oval 61 Star-like 55 Cigar 42 Cylinder 33 Square/Rectangular 31 Tic Tac 27 Fireball 23 Boomerang 13 Diamond 11 N/A 10 Cone 7 Egg 7 Bullet/Missile 6 Teardrop 6 Blimp 5 Flash 4 Chevron 3 Saturn-like 3 Cross 1 STATES OF THE USA Florida 93 California 87 Ohio 58 Texas 50 Pennsylvania 49 New York 41 Arizona 31 Michigan 31 North Carolina 29 Washington 29 New Jersey 27 Tennessee 26 Oregon 25 Illinois 24 Oklahoma 23 Wisconsin 23 Indiana 21 Missouri 20 Arkansas 20 Colorado 19 Nevada 15 Virginia 15 Georgia 14 Kentucky 13 New Mexico 12 South Carolina 12 Utah 11 Massachusetts 11 Connecticut 11 Minnesota 10 Maryland 9 Montana 7 New Hampshire 7 Alabama 6 Louisiana 6 Alaska 5 Hawaii 5 Nebraska 5 Idaho 5 Kansas 5 Wyoming 4 Maine 4 Vermont 4 Iowa 4 West Virginia 4 Delaware 4 Mississippi 3 Rhode Island 2 North Dakota 1 DISTANCE FROM THE WITNESS < 100 ft 138 101-500 ft 125 501 ft - 1 Mile 182 Over 1 Mile 212 Unknown 94 NO VALUE 34 Most impressively there were 43 Landings, Hovering, or Takeoffs reported and 50 Entities observed. Number of abduction (ERT) cases were 66.

{ https://mufon.com }

07-03-2023 om 00:39 geschreven door peter  

Ex-CIA Pilot Claimed To Receive 25 Secret CIA Memos About Aliens On Earth

By Vicky Verma

John Lear, a former CIA pilot, passed away on March 29, 2022, leaving behind a legacy in the world of aviation and conspiracy theories. He was widely known for his claims about the unidentified aerial phenomenon and Area 51, but also for a lifetime of daring exploits in everything that could fly. He was the son of American inventor Bill Lear, who created the Lear jet and invented the 8-Track tape system.

Determined to carve out his own path, Lear delved into aviation, becoming an accomplished pilot at a young age, setting multiple world records in various planes. Despite his accomplishments, his daredevil lifestyle resulted in serious injuries from plane crashes that he should not have survived.

During the Vietnam era, Lear flew cargo planes for the CIA and continued to seek out danger by flying in and out of other hotspots. He had numerous contacts in the aerospace industry and became interested in secret planes and projects.

In the 1980s, Lear and a few friends began investigating obscure bases in the Nevada desert, which later became famous. His claims about UFOs and Area 51 and his lifetime of daredevil exploits in the skies will forever be remembered.

Lear’s appearance in “On the Record,” which aired on January 28, 1988, on KLAS TV in Las Vegas, startled the UFO discussion and told investigative journalist George Knapp that the government even housed aliens at two U.S. sites. Lear said the government was engaged in a program to gradually inform the public of encounters that had already happened.

George Knapp interviews John Lear on a 1987 broadcast of “On the Record.”

Image credit: KLAS-TV

According to Lear, there are at least 70 different species of aliens. He specifically mentioned the existence of “little green men” as well as “little grey ones,” who are about 4 and a half feet tall. He also talked about the existence of “Nordics,” which are similar in appearance to humans, but are taller and have blond hair and blue eyes. He stated that one of those species was recovered from a crash and was stored on ice.

Lear claimed that there are good and bad aliens and they have all kinds of ways to interact with humans. “And what are some of the reasons? Why would they be here?” Knapp asked. Lear replied: “Genetic experiments.” He further said that “movies such as E.T., Close Encounters of the Third Kind were carefully guided by representatives from MJ-12, who is this organization that is in charge of the coverup, in order to get us ready for the release of the information that there are indeed, aliens.”

Lear believed that everything started with the Roswell crash in 1947. He claimed that in September 1945, President Truman established MJ-12, and the purpose of that was to study the saucers and cover up the existence of UFOs. He told Knapp that four alien bodies were recovered from a crash and were autopsied by Dr. Detlev Bronk.

They were named “EBEs” (Extraterrestrial Biological Entities) and three live EBEs were captured in different crashes. EBE1 lived with an Air Force Colonel between 1949 and 1952. The EBEs were kept in an electromagnetic facility called a YY-2, which was designed by Dr. Eric Wang who worked under Dr. Kissinger and was involved in the coverup of the incident since the beginning.

Lear said: “The reason they have to create an electromagnetic facility is the fact that the EBEs are so advanced, they’re there at least a half a billion years advanced from us, and probably more… And they can also disappear. But they can’t move by thought through an electromagnetic facility, so they built this facility. There was two, one in Los Alamos and one either Edwards (AFB) or at the Test Site.

Lear discussed the existence of extraterrestrial beings at Groom Lake, Nevada, also known as Area 51. He stated that there was still a living extraterrestrial biological entity (EBE) known as EBE3 and that there was a tape of an interview with this being. However, Lear did not see the tape and was unaware of what language was used in the interviewers. He also mentioned that he had been given 25 secret CIA memos on his trip to gather information, and one of the memos mentioned that EBE3 wanted to see the ocean and that arrangements needed to be made or the EBE would “disappear again.”

Knapp asked if these beings can exist among us and if they need a special environment. Lear stated that they have a special environment, special air, and can only last about 20 minutes in Earth’s air.

Lear also claimed that the grey EBEs are the ones that are most commonly seen and that there are different motives for their presence on Earth. He suggested that a deal was made with them, as they are trying to regenerate their own race. This is because their digestive system is atrophied and they could no longer eat through their mouths. Instead, they obtain hormones and enzymes from cattle and spread it on their skin for nutrients, excreting the waste back to their skin.

Read also:

• Bob Fish Told Coulthart: US Govt. Filmed High-Speed UFOs Going Underwater in Atlantic Ocean
• Famous 19-Sec UFO Footage Could Be Greatest Leak: CGI Experts Say It Is Real Deal
• Tom DeLonge Claims Secret DoD Document From UFO Program Proves Telekinesis Is Real
• Top Scientists Told US Congressman That Extraterrestrial Craft Are In Our Airspace

On March 29, 1989, Lear and his friends including Bob Lazar recorded a video of the object, a glowing disc that rose from a facility on the outskirts of Area 51 that officially did not exist. Ironically, March 29 was the same date Lear died at his Las Vegas home, though many years later. (Source)

During the interview, Lear discussed his knowledge of two incidents involving UFOs. The first incident occurred in July 1987, when an enormous UFO is said to have followed a cargo plane over Anchorage, Alaska. The second incident took place in 1975, where UFOs were reportedly seen hovering over Strategic Air Command bases.

Knapp: You’ve said before you thought that a lot of their intentions were hostile and you’ve mentioned before that a lot of the sightings around the military bases. Why don’t we see them here? Las Vegas, we’ve got a lot of military bases here.

Lear: Well, the in fact there have been a lot of a lot of reports of UFOs in around Las Vegas, not specifically over the Air Force bases. We have the Test Site and of course, we don’t know what’s going on there, and we have Nellis Air Force Base. But there have not really been a lot of sightings over there. The main Air Force sightings were in 1975. And the UFOs descended on every Strategic Air Command base guarding the perimeter of the northern United States. They hovered over the nuclear weapons storage area and they stayed there with impunity for up to two and three hours over a period of three days.

“The problem is not only just the fact that there are five and as many as 10 different civilizations visiting us. Apparently, and this is from the research that I’ve done, at least 90% of them are hostile. And when I say hostile, if not hostile, they have a completely different set of morals than we do,” he added.

The following statement by the ex-CIA pilot is also worth noting: “The moon is an artificial body that was dragged to our planet, as a result of which an ice age broke out on Earth that killed all living things.” In fact, the circumstances of the appearance of the moon in outer space are not exactly known, and no one has seen the back of the moon.

Lear also explained in his interview how Moon had been created in Jupiter and brought to Earth’s orbit about 15,000 years ago, which was nearly around the last Ice Age. Besides, he said that the Greys are on the moon as well, but mainly remain underground within huge laboratories.

John Lear claimed that NASA sent astronauts to Mars in 1966, and that the astronauts had undergone extensive preparation for the mission, including taking drugs to adapt to the Martian climate. He also alleged that those astronauts were able to breathe the thin atmosphere on Mars, allowing for longer missions on the planet.

Lear mentioned that there are several notable figures from various fields, such as military, espionage, and aeronautics who corroborated these claims, including Colonel Philip Corso, David Wilcock, Glen Steckling, Henry Deacon, Barr Digregorio and Gilbert Levin, and they are not considered as madmen but are the key figures in space research.

{ https://www.howandwhys.com/ } 

06-03-2023 om 23:58 geschreven door peter  

06-03-2023 om 23:34 geschreven door peter  

Most Famous Sinkholes Around the World

Sinkholes have received a lot of media attention. They serve as a powerful reminder of how quickly nature can take away what it has given. Sinkholes are natural wonders that may be found all over the world. You will encounter many sinkholes as an explorer, each with its peculiarities. Some have subterranean water features or entire forests, while others are dirt-filled basins. Although impressive, sinkholes can be dangerous and result in significant damage if they occur in populated regions.

{https://beforeitsnews.com/ }

06-03-2023 om 22:57 geschreven door peter  

Diamond Craft Over Arizona Feb 8, 2023, UFO Sighting News. Video!

Date of sighting: Feb 8, 2023

Location of sighting: Arizona, looks like outskirts of Phoenix

 

Guys this just in. An eyewitness was out in hills mountain biking when he noticed a dark diamond craft moving across the sky and planes all around. The object can be seen moving over the city and has no tail, wings or anything that would indicate it was a plane, helicopter. It's also very big, car size or van size. So it's unlikely it's a drone since most drones are very small. The area looks like the outskirts of Phoenix, however the eyewitness didn't' put the city in the report so it's still unknown at the moment. 

Scott C. Waring - Taiwan

 

Eyewitness states: 

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

06-03-2023 om 21:53 geschreven door peter  

Ancient alien mining facility on the Moon, Video, UFO Sighting News.

Date of discovery: March 4, 2023

Location of discovery: Moon

Map:

• https://quickmap.lroc.asu.edu/?id=lroc&showTerrain=true&queryOpts=N4XyA&layers=NrBsFYBoAZIRnpEBmZcAsjYIHYFcAbAyAbwF8BdC0yioA&proj=10

 

Hey, I found this last night and it really excited me. This object is smack dab in the middle of the crater as if it were there for the purpose of mining rare or useful elements from the impact area. Its just my opinion, but this seems like clear evidence that intelligent aliens existed on our moon. Even the area to the right of my discovery is blurred out for miles, which is indication that NASA found lots of structures and just covered them up. Tell me your thought, please share on social media to get the word out or use this video and link back to here please. Thanks, Scott C. Waring in Taiwan.

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

06-03-2023 om 21:42 geschreven door peter  

What did Alex Dietrich, the witness of the Tic Tac UFO sighting, discover

Alex Dietrich is a former United States Navy fighter pilot who was involved in the 2004 Nimitz UFO incident. She was one of the pilots who encountered a mysterious flying object during a training exercise off the coast of California. The incident gained worldwide attention when it was revealed by The New York Times in 2017. Dietrich, along with other pilots and crew members, reported seeing an object that appeared to defy the laws of physics, with no visible means of propulsion or flight control surfaces. The object also reportedly outmaneuvered the pilots’ fighter jets with ease. Dietrich has since spoken publicly about the incident and has advocated for more transparency and research into UFOs.

RELATED VIDEOS

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

06-03-2023 om 21:17 geschreven door peter  

Steven Spielberg speculates that UFOs could be time-traveling humans from 500,000 years in the future

In recent weeks, American skies have been filled with various balloons and other unidentified flying objects that the U.S. military has been forced to shoot down. The lack of information provided has led many curious Americans to draw their own conclusions about the mysterious objects — including Steven Spielberg.

The famous director, known for his movies such as “Close Encounters of the Third Kind” and “E.T.”, has been asked about the recent surge in UFO sightings during a career-spanning interview on “The Late Show with Steven Colbert”. While Spielberg is not ready to endorse the theory that we are being visited by aliens, he finds the saga fascinating.

Spielberg said, “I don’t believe we’re alone in the universe. I think it’s mathematically impossible that we are the only intelligent species in the cosmos. I think that’s totally impossible.” However, he is skeptical about the idea that someone would visit us from 400 million lightyears away, unless they figured out a way to jump through wormholes.

• 2022 | A Tear in the Sky Trailer (NOT RATED)

While Spielberg is not convinced about aliens traveling millions of lightyears to visit us, he’s more open to the idea that humans may have figured out time travel. He presented Colbert with his own theory that the UFOs we’re seeing are actually humans visiting us from the future.

“What if it’s us, 500,000 years in the future, that is coming back to document the second half of the 20th century and into the 21st century because they’re anthropologists? And they know something we don’t quite know yet that has occurred, and they’re trying to track the last hundred years of our history.”

Spielberg’s theory raises an interesting question about the future of humanity. If people are indeed visiting us from the future, what does that say about our survival as a species? It’s an optimistic view, suggesting that humans will not only survive but thrive for the next half-million years.

While there is no concrete evidence to support Spielberg’s theory, it’s a fascinating idea to ponder. It’s impossible to know for sure what these UFOs really are, but Spielberg’s perspective provides a new and unique way of looking at the phenomenon. Regardless of what the UFOs turn out to be, the discussion surrounding them is a testament to our innate curiosity about the world and the universe we live in.

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

06-03-2023 om 21:00 geschreven door peter  

Hubble's Inside the Image: V838 Mon

Echo, echo… Hubble captured a “light echo” from the star V838 Mon. A sequence of images shows how a pulse of light from this star illuminated its surrounding clouds of material!

Find out more about V838 Mon, including an image released #OTD in 2004: https://go.nasa.gov/3SNCyG4

The Hubble Space Telescope has taken over 1.5 million observations over the years. One of them is the breathtaking image sequence of V838 Monocerotis (V838 Mon).

Called a light echo, the expanding illumination of interstellar dust around the star has been revealing remarkable structures in the dusty cloud ever since the star suddenly brightened in January 2002. V838 Mon temporarily became 600,000 times brighter than our Sun, until it faded in April 2002. It was one of the brightest stars in the entire Milky Way. The reason for the eruption is still unclear.

In this video, Dr. Padi Boyd explains this fascinating piece of history, teaching us some of the interesting science behind this famous Hubble image.

For more information, visit https://nasa.gov/hubble.

{ https://www.youtube.com/ }

06-03-2023 om 01:42 geschreven door peter  

Space Rock Mystery

Where Did the Fukang Meteorite Come From?

The Fukang Meteorite is the name given to a meteorite that was discovered in China. The Fukang Meteorite belongs to a class of stony-iron meteorite known as Pallasite, which may be recognized by the fragments of olivine crystals embedded in an iron-nickel matrix. According to one source, the stunning slices of such a meteorite, when illuminated from the back, are “reminiscent of stained glass windows crafted in the ancient solar system.”

Was the Fukang Meteorite Up For Sale?

Part of the Fukang Meteorite was recently sold at auction. In February 2021 Christie’s reports that it sold an “end wedge of the most beautiful extraterrestrial substance known.” Just that portion of the meteorite alone fetched a whopping 30,000 USD for the seller – well over the 3,500-4,500 USD estimate. So what makes the Fukang Meteorite so special?

For one thing, it’s not a “common meteorite.” Pallasites are an extremely rare type of meteorite. This is due to the fact that most Pallasites do not survive their descent through the Earth’s atmosphere. It has been estimated that less than 1 % of all meteorites are Pallasites. Therefore, the Fukang Meteorite has often been hailed as one of the greatest meteorite discoveries of the 21st century.

Out of this world, quite literally: The beautiful and mysterious Fukang meteorite.

(Katexic Clippings Newsletter/ CC BY 2.0 )

Discovering the Meteorite

• Falling Stars and Black Stone: Humanity’s Worship of Meteorites
• People of the Arctic worked meteorite iron 1,200 years ago

This is the main mass of the Fukang meteorite, on display in the Michael J. Drake building at the University of Arizona in Tucson. Note the large olivine nodules.

(Nicholas Silvestri/ CC BY-SA 4.0 )

In February 2005, this specimen made an appearance at the Tucson Gem and Mineral Show, where it was seen by D. S. Lauretta, a Professor of Planetary Science and Cosmochemistry at the University of Arizona (and also the principal investigator of NASA’s OSIRIS-REx mission). Subsequently, the rest of the Fukang Meteorite (which has a mass of 983 kg (2167 lbs.), excluding the 20 kg (44 lbs.) removed by the anonymous hiker) was studied by the University of Arizona.

Fukang meteorite slice, pallasite. Exhibit at the Center for Meteorite Studies, Arizona State University, Tempe, Arizona, USA.

( Public Domain )

The Fukang Meteorite was found to be of a type of stony-iron meteorite known as Pallasite. Stony-iron meteorites are meteorites that are made up of meteoric iron and silicates in an almost equal proportion. Pallasites may be distinguished by a matrix of meteoric iron, in which silicates, mostly olivine (which is a type of yellow to yellowish-green crystal), are embedded. This type of meteorite, incidentally, is named after Simon Peter Pallas, a German doctor and naturalist who first described the Krasnojarsk Pallasite in Russia in 1772.

Unknown Origins

The exact origins of the Fukang Meteorite, as well as other Pallasites are not entirely clear. Nevertheless, it has been speculated that they originated from the boundary of a melted and differentiated asteroid and its surrounding olivine mantle. The Fukang Meteorite is thought to have been formed at the birth of the solar system approximately 4.5 billion years ago, when the olivine fragments from its mantle mixed with the molten metal from its core upon impact on earth.

Unrivaled Beauty

Apart from its rarity, the Fukang Meteorite, like other Pallasites, is a very beautiful object to behold. When light is shone on slices of the Fukang Meteorite, it passes through the olivine crystals, giving the meteorite a breath-taking glow.

Natural History Museum, Vienna. Part of a pallasite meteorite from Fukang

( CC BY-SA 3.0 )

Due to this spectacular beauty, there has been a demand amongst collectors for slices of the Fukang Meteorite. The largest chunk of this meteorite, which weighs 419.5 kg (924.8 lbs.), is currently held by an anonymous collector / group of collectors. In 2008, an attempt was made to sell this portion of the Fukang Meteorite at an auction in Bonham’s in New York for about 2 million USD.

• Why did Tutankhamun Have a Dagger Made From a Meteorite?
• Ancient Signs in the Sky: Did a Meteorite Change the Course of Christianity 2,000 Years Ago?

The object, however, did not receive any bidders. Other smaller slices of the meteorite, such as the aforementioned end wedge, have been sold at auctions and have been distributed around the world. The University of Arizona’s Southwest Meteorite Laboratory, for example, has a total of 31 kg (68 lbs.) of the Fukang Meteorite in its deposit.

• Top image: Pallasite (Fukang Meteorite)
• Source: CC BY 2.0

By Wu Mingren

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

06-03-2023 om 01:31 geschreven door peter  

06-03-2023 om 00:32 geschreven door peter