The purpose of this blog is the creation of an open, international, independent and free forum, where every UFO-researcher can publish the results of his/her research. The languagues, used for this blog, are Dutch, English and French.You can find the articles of a collegue by selecting his category. Each author stays resposable for the continue of his articles. As blogmaster I have the right to refuse an addition or an article, when it attacks other collegues or UFO-groupes.
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Deze blog is opgedragen aan mijn overleden echtgenote Lucienne.
In 2012 verloor ze haar moedige strijd tegen kanker!
In 2011 startte ik deze blog, omdat ik niet mocht stoppen met mijn UFO-onderzoek.
BEDANKT!!!
Een interessant adres?
UFO'S of UAP'S, ASTRONOMIE, RUIMTEVAART, ARCHEOLOGIE, OUDHEIDKUNDE, SF-SNUFJES EN ANDERE ESOTERISCHE WETENSCHAPPEN - DE ALLERLAATSTE NIEUWTJES
UFO's of UAP'S in België en de rest van de wereld Ontdek de Fascinerende Wereld van UFO's en UAP's: Jouw Bron voor Onthullende Informatie!
Ben jij ook gefascineerd door het onbekende? Wil je meer weten over UFO's en UAP's, niet alleen in België, maar over de hele wereld? Dan ben je op de juiste plek!
België: Het Kloppend Hart van UFO-onderzoek
In België is BUFON (Belgisch UFO-Netwerk) dé autoriteit op het gebied van UFO-onderzoek. Voor betrouwbare en objectieve informatie over deze intrigerende fenomenen, bezoek je zeker onze Facebook-pagina en deze blog. Maar dat is nog niet alles! Ontdek ook het Belgisch UFO-meldpunt en Caelestia, twee organisaties die diepgaand onderzoek verrichten, al zijn ze soms kritisch of sceptisch.
Nederland: Een Schat aan Informatie
Voor onze Nederlandse buren is er de schitterende website www.ufowijzer.nl, beheerd door Paul Harmans. Deze site biedt een schat aan informatie en artikelen die je niet wilt missen!
Internationaal: MUFON - De Wereldwijde Autoriteit
Neem ook een kijkje bij MUFON (Mutual UFO Network Inc.), een gerenommeerde Amerikaanse UFO-vereniging met afdelingen in de VS en wereldwijd. MUFON is toegewijd aan de wetenschappelijke en analytische studie van het UFO-fenomeen, en hun maandelijkse tijdschrift, The MUFON UFO-Journal, is een must-read voor elke UFO-enthousiasteling. Bezoek hun website op www.mufon.com voor meer informatie.
Samenwerking en Toekomstvisie
Sinds 1 februari 2020 is Pieter niet alleen ex-president van BUFON, maar ook de voormalige nationale directeur van MUFON in Vlaanderen en Nederland. Dit creëert een sterke samenwerking met de Franse MUFON Reseau MUFON/EUROP, wat ons in staat stelt om nog meer waardevolle inzichten te delen.
Let op: Nepprofielen en Nieuwe Groeperingen
Pas op voor een nieuwe groepering die zich ook BUFON noemt, maar geen enkele connectie heeft met onze gevestigde organisatie. Hoewel zij de naam geregistreerd hebben, kunnen ze het rijke verleden en de expertise van onze groep niet evenaren. We wensen hen veel succes, maar we blijven de autoriteit in UFO-onderzoek!
Blijf Op De Hoogte!
Wil jij de laatste nieuwtjes over UFO's, ruimtevaart, archeologie, en meer? Volg ons dan en duik samen met ons in de fascinerende wereld van het onbekende! Sluit je aan bij de gemeenschap van nieuwsgierige geesten die net als jij verlangen naar antwoorden en avonturen in de sterren!
Heb je vragen of wil je meer weten? Aarzel dan niet om contact met ons op te nemen! Samen ontrafelen we het mysterie van de lucht en daarbuiten.
26-03-2023
Tic-Tac Seen From Jet Over Stratford, California, 3-11-2023, UFO Sighting News.
Tic-Tac Seen From Jet Over Stratford, California, 3-11-2023, UFO Sighting News.
Date of sighting: March 11, 2023
Location of sighting: Stratford, California, USA
Source: MUFON
According to the plane photo data she included, but I didn't post here, the plane was directly over Stratford, CA at that time. California is known for lots of UFO being reported so this is no real surprise to me. The UFO is a tactic because of its odd whiteish color and tactic shape. At first I thought it was a plane so I enlarged it and as you can see in the video, the object has no wings, no contrail, no lights, no windows or tail. This is not a manmade craft. Its is absolutely a real alien UFO. Did you notice how it almost matches speed with the plane, so it will appear as a normal aircraft on radar? Aliens are smart. They know how to mess with us without getting caught.
Scott C. Waring - Taiwan
Eyewitness states:
Seen from passenger jet, Eyewitness states: On Saturday March 11, 2023, I was flying south over central California on Southwest Airlines 2463 from Sacramento Airport (SMF) to San Diego (SAN). I was seated in the window seating, on the left side in the middle of the plane, right behind the left wing. About halfway through our flight, I was looking out the window and saw a tic tac ufo in the distance traveling perpendicular to us. It was a white cylinder craft, with no wings, windows, markings, or discernible features. It was a smooth white cylinder with no visible means of propulsion or exhaust, plumes. The tic tac ufo was in the distance a few miles from us. It was moving in a constant path. There was nothing remarkable about it - it didn't move fast, or hover, it was just moving at a constant speed and disappeared soon into the clouds. It was a few degrees above our plane, so at a similar altitude.
And was northwest of our plane's orientation (note the plane is heading south). I saw the tic tac's side and it was traveling perpendicular to us towards the plane (so it was traveling west). I recorded it on my phone with a video for about 18 seconds before the tic tac disappeared into a cloudbank. I have included that video and stills. According to the video, the video was taken on March 11, at 5:57:53 pm (Time zone GMT-08:00). I used Flight Aware and converted this time to Sun March 12, 1:58 AM UTC and that put the plane just near Selma in Fresno county.
There were no planes in the immediate vicinity, nor that match the orientation the tic tac was viewed from my window (NW orientation relative to the plane's nose, which was traveling southwards).
Glowing Balls Near Palm Springs, California 3-23, 2023, UFO Sighting News.
Glowing Balls Near Palm Springs, California 3-23, 2023, UFO Sighting News.
Date of sighting:March 23, 2023 Location of sighting: Near Palm Springs, California, USA
Source: MUFON
Now they objects look like two spheres but I have to say that they are only spheres for a few seconds, most the time they look like one triangle and one rectangle shaped object. Some people are telling me on comments on Youtube that it looks like flares, however flares don't usually last this long and are not usually shot over the homes of people, but instead are over the desert area. I can clearly see home under these lights. Military would not do that! I do feel that these lights are not man made, but are two alien spacecraft that have appeared from an underground base in the area and are waiting to hyper jump out of the area.
Scott C. Waring - Taiwan
Eyewitness states:
2 Yellow/Orange lights glowing then combine as one and disappear in the Southeastern Coachella Valley near Palm Springs CA.
Could UFOs over the US be the same as the infamous 'Tic Tac' caught on video? Expert says mysterious objects resemble white oblong spotted by the US Navy in 2004 – as the Pentagon refuses to rule out ALIENS
Could UFOs over the US be the same as the infamous 'Tic Tac' caught on video? Expert says mysterious objects resemble white oblong spotted by the US Navy in 2004 – as the Pentagon refuses to rule out ALIENS
UFOfever is gripping the US after a third mysterious object was shot down using a missile from a F-16 fighter jet yesterday.
The 'octagonal' object with 'potential surveillance capabilities' flew near a sensitive military site in Montana before being taken over the Great Lakes on Sunday.
It follows a further two objects that were shot down over Alaska and Canada in the preceding days and a Chinese 'spy balloon' being eliminated the weekend before.
While China claimed ownership of the spy balloon, the origin and purpose of the three subsequent unidentified flying objects are more mysterious, with the Pentagon refusing to rule out an extraterrestrial origin.
British UFO expert Nick Pope, formerly with the UK's Ministry of Defence, told MailOnline that he 'can't rule out a connection with the Tic Tac sighting' but cautioned that an overall explanation is 'still to be determined'.
Here's all you need to know about what the UFOs could be, and why they are increasingly becoming a major breach of Northern American airspace.
A mysterious object was taken down over the Great Lakes on Sunday after being detected in US airspace. The Pentagon issued a statement saying its path and altitude had 'raised concerns'. It followed two other crafts discovered and destroyed over Alaska and Canada on Friday and Saturday, respectively, and a Chinese balloon taken down on February 4
WHAT HAPPENED?
US authorities were alerted to a flying octagonal object discovered in US airspace on Sunday – the third in as many days.
Three UFOs shot down in three days
- Friday Feb. 10: First UFO shot down (over Alaska)
- Saturday Feb. 11: Second UFO shot down (Yukon, Canada)
- Sunday Feb. 12: Third UFO shot down (Great Lakes)
More unusual activity:
- Saturday Feb. 4: Chinese ‘spy’ balloon shot down (South Carolina coast.
An F-16 fighter jet shot it down from around 20,000 feet over the Great Lakes at 2:42pm local time, following orders from President Biden.
Two other crafts had been discovered and subsequently destroyed over Alaska and Canada on Friday and Saturday, respectively.
China has admitted ownership of the balloon, although it insisted it was an unmanned weather surveillance aircraft that had veered off-course.
In comparison, the three aircraft that followed at the weekend are unidentified and their nature and origin are far less clear.
WHAT DO WE KNOW ABOUT THE THREE UFOs?
The first two UFOs shot down over Alaska and Canada on Friday and Saturday have both been described as 'cylindrical'.
According to ABC News citing an unnamed US official, the first one was described as 'cylindrical and silver-ish gray' and seemed to be floating without any sort of propulsion.
Pictured, the 148th Fighter Wing F-16C that shot down the unidentified object over Lake Huron on Sunday. The missile is circled
Meanwhile, the second was also cylindrical and described as much smaller than the Chinese spy balloon of February 4.
China's surveillance balloon is still shrouded in mystery to some extent, but it's thought to have sensors, radar, and cameras
BOTH were believed to have a payload, either attached or suspended from them, according to the officials.
It's possible the Alaska and Canada UFOs were of the same design.
However, the third one was described as 'octagonal' with strings hanging off, but had no discernible payload.
Officials have said they would not definitively characterise these aircrafts as 'balloons' until the debris is recovered.
It's possible that all the objects are balloons that China has released to bombard North American airspace, either as a threat or a political statement.
WHAT HAS THE PENTAGON SAID?
Following the take-down operation of the third UFO on Sunday, the Pentagon issued a statement saying its path and altitude had 'raised concerns'.
The statement said: 'North American Aerospace Defense Command detected the object Sunday morning and has maintained visual and radar tracking of it.
'Based on its flight path and data we can reasonably connect this object to the radar signal picked up over Montana, which flew in proximity to sensitive DOD [Department of Defense] sites.
'We did not assess it to be a kinetic military threat to anything on the ground, but assess it was a safety flight hazard and a threat due to its potential surveillance capabilities.'
Pictured, the spherical Chinese balloon that was shot down on February 4 over South Carolina
Canada searching for object shot down over Yukon Saturday
Canadian Prime Minister Justin Trudeau on Sunday said teams are looking for the cylindrical object that a US fighter jet shot down over Yukon territory on his orders a day ago so that they can analyze it and learn more about its purpose.
'Recovery teams are on the ground, looking to find and analyze the object,' Trudeau told reporters.
'There's still much to know about it. That's why the analysis of this object is going to be very important.'
Source: Reuters
COULD THEY BE OF EXTRATERRESTRIAL ORIGIN?
The Pentagon has refused to rule out the possibility that the collection of unidentified objects could be linked to extraterrestrials.
US Air Force General Glen VanHerck said intelligence services were exploring all avenues and would not rule out aliens or any other explanation yet.
'I'll let the intel community and the counterintelligence community figure that out. I haven't ruled out anything,' VanHerck said.
'At this point we continue to assess every threat or potential threat, unknown, that approaches North America with an attempt to identify it.'
Mr Pope says everything that's been shot down so far is some kind of surveillance device rather than an extraterrestrial.
'I'm sure there's life out there in the cosmos, and I'm open minded about the idea of visitation – to borrow the general's phrase, I don't rule it out,' Pope told MailOnline.
'But this isn't The War of the Worlds, it's spying, and I'm sure the US is making every effort to assess what damage has been done, and to mitigate the threat.'
According to Pope, VanHerck's statement was a 'generic response' that's used when people don't really have an answer, but it has had the effect of inviting an extraterrestrial hypothesis.
Legendary English physicist Professor Brian Cox has also weighed in with a tweet laced with a good dose of irony.
'I've always suspected that an advanced alien civilisation with the technology to travel at close to light speed across interstellar distances would arrive in Earth orbit unobserved and proceed to dispatch a fleet of small, easily detectable balloons into our atmosphere,' he said.
US Air Force General Glen VanHerck said they are still unsure how the three objects were staying aloft
All the same, the cylindrical shape of the first and second object has suggested a potential link with the famous 'Tic Tac' UFO of 2004.
Department of Defense admitted it is examining 510 reports of UFO sightings and an office dedicated to reviewing UFOs received 247 new reports since June 2021 (artist's depiction)
WHAT WAS TIC TAC?
In November 2004, US Navy pilots were conducting a routine training mission with the aircraft carrier USS Nimitz off the Southern California coast.
There they noticed the so-called 'Tic Tac' UFO, which was leaked in an official US government video taken aboard the Navy fighter jet.
Aboard was US Navy Lieutenant Commander Alex Dietrich, who first noticed an unusual 'churning' of the ocean surface before seeing the UFO.
The smooth, white oblong object – resembling a large Tic Tac breath mint – flew at high speed over the water, maneuvering and accelerating in ways which seemed to defy the laws of physics.
'It appeared to respond in a way that we didn't recognise', Dietrich told Reuters in 2021, and seemed to lack 'any visible flight control surfaces or means of propulsion'.
'We don't know what it was, but it could have been a natural phenomenon in human activity,' she said. 'But the point was that it was weird, and we couldn't recognise it.'
So could its characteristic shape give it any relation to the recently-downed objects?
Pope said he 'can't rule out a connection with the Tic Tac sighting' but cautioned that an overall explanation is 'still to be determined'.
'I don't have an explanation for the Tic Tac incident, and to the best of my knowledge the DOD and the US Navy are still categorising it as unidentified,' he told MailOnline.
The Pentagon has refused to rule out an extraterrestrial origin, but the shape of two of the objects recalls the famous 'Tic Tac' UFO of 2004
WHAT HAPPENS NEXT?
The hunt is now on by US authorities to find the fragments of the downed objects and analyse them to reveal more about their identity.
The Pentagon has said Department of Defense staff will now work to recover Sunday's object 'in an effort to learn more' about its purpose and origin'.
Canadian Prime Minister Justin Trudeau also said analysis of the object that penetrated his country's airspace 'is going to be very important'.
However, intelligence gathered from the investigations could be kept as closely-guarded secrets.
'The fact that this involves the intelligence agencies is one reason for the secrecy, and while more information will emerge, some details will doubtless be kept from the media and the public, for reasons of national security,' Pope told MailOnline.
'That will probably ensure that the conspiracy theories about aliens aren't going to go away just yet.'
Pentagon issues statement following downing of mysterious 'airborne object' at 20,000 feet
Today at 2:42 p.m. ET, at the direction of President Biden, and based on the recommendations of Secretary Austin and military leadership, an F-16 fired an AIM9x to successfully shoot down an airborne object flying at approximately 20,000 feet altitude in US airspace over Lake Huron in the State of Michigan.
Its path and altitude raised concerns, including that it could be a hazard to civil aviation.
The location chosen for this shoot down afforded us the opportunity to avoid impact to people on the ground while improving chances for debris recovery. There are no indications of any civilians hurt or otherwise affected.
North American Aerospace Defense Command detected the object Sunday morning and has maintained visual and radar tracking of it.
Based on its flight path and data we can reasonably connect this object to the radar signal picked up over Montana, which flew in proximity to sensitive DOD sites.
We did not assess it to be a kinetic military threat to anything on the ground, but assess it was a safety flight hazard and a threat due to its potential surveillance capabilities.
Our team will now work to recover the object in an effort to learn more.
Tic Tac UFO Filmed from a Plane Over Central California – A Detailed Account
Tic Tac UFO Filmed from a Plane Over Central California – A Detailed Account
Tic Tac UFO over California
A Southwest Airlines passenger captures a Tic Tac UFO on video, traveling at a steady speed over the skies of California.
On the evening of March 11th, 2023, passengers aboard Southwest Airlines Flight 2463 from Sacramento Airport (SMF) to San Diego (SAN) witnessed an unusual sight. A white, cylinder-shaped object, later described as a Tic Tac UFO, was spotted soaring through the sky over central California, near Selma in Fresno County.
The witness, seated on the left side of the plane in the middle section just behind the left wing, recounted the experience in detail. At approximately 5:57 pm (GMT-08:00), halfway through the flight, the passenger noticed the unidentified flying object moving at a constant speed, traveling westward perpendicular to the plane’s southward trajectory.
The Tic Tac UFO was described as a smooth white cylinder, devoid of any discernible features such as wings, windows, or markings. It appeared to have no visible means of propulsion or exhaust plumes, further adding to the mystery surrounding the object.
Although the object didn’t display any extraordinary capabilities such as rapid acceleration or hovering, its appearance and steady movement were intriguing enough to capture the attention of the witness. They managed to record the UFO on their phone for 18 seconds before it disappeared into a cloud bank.
Witness report
The witness, determined to learn more about the sighting, consulted Flight Aware and converted the time of the recording to Sun March 12, 1:58 AM UTC. This placed the plane’s location just near Selma in Fresno County. Further investigation revealed that there were no other planes in the immediate vicinity, nor any aircraft matching the orientation and position of the Tic Tac UFO.
Mystifying UFO Sighting in Southeastern Coachella Valley Stirs Curiosity
Mystifying UFO Sighting in Southeastern Coachella Valley Stirs Curiosity
UFO sighting over California
A remarkable UFO sighting in the southeastern Coachella Valley, California, has captured the attention of both local residents and enthusiasts of extraterrestrial phenomena. On the evening of March 23, 2023, witnesses reported observing two bright, yellow-orange lights merging together before vanishing into the night sky.
According to the witness report, the mysterious lights first appeared as two distinct, glowing orbs hovering in the sky over the southeastern Coachella Valley. The brilliant yellow-orange hue of the lights was striking, catching the attention of those who happened to be nearby. As they watched, the orbs began to slowly move towards each other, eventually combining into a single, brighter light.
Once the two lights had fully merged, onlookers were stunned to see the now unified, luminous orb suddenly disappear without a trace. The entire event unfolded in a matter of minutes, leaving witnesses in awe and sparking a flurry of speculation as to the nature of the phenomenon.
A video captured by a witness, which will be posted alongside this article, provides visual documentation of the event. The footage clearly shows the two glowing lights as they converge and subsequently vanish, supporting the witness accounts and further deepening the mystery.
The southeastern Coachella Valley, located in the Colorado Desert of Southern California, has a history of UFO sightings, which only adds to the intrigue surrounding this recent event. Many hope that a thorough investigation will ultimately shed light on the mysterious occurrence.
NASA Instrument Bound for Titan Could Reveal Chemistry Leading to Life
NASA Instrument Bound for Titan Could Reveal Chemistry Leading to Life
A new NASA mission to Saturn’s giant moon, Titan, is due to launch in 2027. Whendiscovery that could bring about a new understanding of the development of life in the universe. This mission, called Dragonfly, will carry an instrument called the Dragonfly Mass Spectrometer (DraMS), designed to help scientists hone in on the chemistry at work on Titan. It may also shed light on the kinds of chemical steps that occurred on Earth that ultimately le it arrives in the mid-2030s, it will begin a journey of d to the formation of life, called prebiotic chemistry.
This illustration shows NASA’s Dragonfly rotorcraft-lander approaching a site on Saturn’s exotic moon, Titan. Taking advantage of Titan’s dense atmosphere and low gravity, Dragonfly will explore dozens of locations across the icy world, sampling and measuring the compositions of Titan's organic surface materials to characterize the habitability of Titan’s environment and investigate the progression of prebiotic chemistry.
Credits: NASA/JHU-APL
Titan's abundant complex carbon-rich chemistry, interior ocean, and past presence of liquid water on the surface make it an ideal destination to study prebiotic chemical processes and the potential habitability of an extraterrestrial environment.
DraMS will allow scientists back on Earth to remotely study the chemical makeup of the Titanian surface. “We want to know if the type of chemistry that could be important for early pre-biochemical systems on Earth is taking place on Titan,” explains Dr. Melissa Trainer of NASA’s Goddard Space Flight Center, Greenbelt, Maryland.
The colorful globe of Saturn's largest moon, Titan, passes in front of the planet and its rings in this true color snapshot from NASA's Cassini spacecraft.
Credits: NASA/JPL-Caltech/Space Science Institute
Trainer is a planetary scientist and astrobiologist who specializes in Titan and is one of the Dragonfly mission’s deputy principal investigators. She is also lead on the DraMS instrument, which will scan through measurements of samples from Titan’s surface material for evidence of prebiotic chemistry.
To accomplish this, the Dragonfly robotic rotorcraft will capitalize on Titan’s low gravity and dense atmosphere to fly between different points of interest on Titan’s surface, spread as far as several miles apart. This allows Dragonfly to relocate its entire suite of instruments to a new site when the previous one has been fully explored, and provides access to samples in environments with a variety of geologic histories.
At each site, samples less than a gram in size will be drilled out of the surface by the Drill for Acquisition of Complex Organics (DrACO) and brought inside the lander’s main body, to a place called the “attic” that houses the DraMS instrument. There, they will be irradiated by an onboard laser or vaporized in an oven to be measured by DraMS. A mass spectrometer is an instrument that analyzes the various chemical components of a sample by separating these components down into their base molecules and passing them through sensors for identification.
“DraMS is designed to look at the organic molecules that may be present on Titan, at their composition and distribution in different surface environments,” says Trainer. Organic molecules contain carbon and are used by all known forms of life. They are of interest in understanding the formation of life because they can be created by living and non-living processes.
Mass spectrometers determine what’s in a sample by ionizing the material (that is, bombarding it with energy so that the atoms therein become positively or negatively charged) and examining the chemical composition of the various compounds. This involves determining the relationship between the weight of the molecule and its charge, which serves as a signature for the compound.
DraMS was developed in part by the same team at Goddard which developed the Sample Analysis at Mars (SAM) instrument suite aboard the Curiosity rover. DraMS is designed to survey samples of Titanian surface material in situ, using techniques tested on Mars with the SAM suite.
Trainer emphasized the benefits of this heritage. Dragonfly’s scientists did not want to “reinvent the wheel” when it came to searching for organic compounds on Titan, and instead built on established methods which have been applied on Mars and elsewhere. “This design has given us an instrument that’s very flexible, that can adapt to the different types of surface samples,” says Trainer.
DraMS and other science instruments on Dragonfly are being designed and built under the direction of the Johns Hopkins Applied Physics Laboratory in Laurel, Maryland, which manages the mission for NASA and is designing and building the rotorcraft-lander. The team includes key partners at Goddard, the French space agency (CNES, Paris, France), which is providing the Gas Chromatograph Module for DraMS that will provide an additional separation after leaving the oven, Lockheed Martin Space, Littleton, Colorado, NASA Ames Research Center at Moffett Federal Airfield in California's Silicon Valley, NASA Langley Research Center, Hampton, Virginia, NASA Jet Propulsion Laboratory, Pasadena, California, Penn State University, State College, Pennsylvania, Malin Space Science Systems, San Diego, California, Honeybee Robotics, Brooklyn, New York, the German Aerospace Center (DLR), Cologne, Germany, and the Japan Aerospace Exploration Agency (JAXA), Tokyo, Japan.
Dragonfly is the fourth mission in NASA’s New Frontiers program. New Frontiers is managed by NASA's Marshall Space Flight Center in Huntsville, Alabama, for the agency's Science Mission Directorate Washington.
By: Nick Oakes
NASA Goddard Space Flight Center, Greenbelt, Maryland
Asteroïde met bijnaam ‘City Killer’ passeert tussen aarde en maan, toch stellen wetenschappers ons gerust
Een asteroïde die groot genoeg is om een hele stad te vernietigen, zal dit weekend tussen de aarde en de maan passeren. Toch is er geen reden tot paniek, want de asteroïde zal geen botsing maken. Voor wetenschappers is het wel heel interessant om het object van dichtbij te bestuderen.
Er komen wel vaker ruimterotsen voorbij, maar volgens NASA is het toch zeldzaam dat een asteroïde van zo’n formaat zo dichtbij komt. Volgens het ruimteagentschap gebeurt dit slechts één keer per tien jaar. Wetenschappers schatten de grootte op een diameter tussen 40 en 90 meter.
De asteroïde die een maand geleden werd ontdekt en bekendstaat als ‘2023 DZ2', zal zaterdag met een snelheid van ongeveer 28.000 kilometer per uur langs de aarde vliegen. Die ontmoeting biedt astronomen de kans om een ruimterots vanop iets meer dan 68.000 km afstand te bestuderen. Op minder dan de helft van de afstand tot de maan zal de asteroïde zichtbaar zijn door verrekijkers en kleine telescopen.
“Er is geen kans dat deze ‘City Killer’ de aarde zal treffen, maar zijn dichte nadering biedt een geweldige kans voor waarnemingen”, zei Richard Moissl van het Europees Ruimteagentschap in een verklaring.
Veel bijleren
NASA ziet het als een goede oefening voor planeetverdediging. “Het kan ons veel leren over wat we moeten doen bij een gevaarlijke asteroïde in de toekomst”, aldus het ruimteagentschap.
De asteroïde komt pas in 2026 weer onze kant op. Aanvankelijk leek er een kleine kans te bestaan dat hij bij terugkeer de aarde zou raken, maar wetenschappers hebben dat inmiddels uitgesloten.
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- Gemiddelde waardering: 0/5 - (0 Stemmen) Categorie:HLN.be - Het Laatste Nieuws ( NL)
Ringcam Sees UFO Hovering Over Lawn! Pennsylvania, 3-19, 2023, UFO Sighting News.
Ringcam Sees UFO Hovering Over Lawn! Pennsylvania, 3-19, 2023, UFO Sighting News.
Date of sighting: March 19, 2023
Location of sighting: Pennsylvania, USA Source: MUFON
This was caught by a Ringcam. A glowing disk was seen hovering over a guys front lawn. The UFO was about a foot above the ground and there was a thick beam of light coming from the craft to the ground. Also a myst all around the ground below it. I often say that UFOs are most frequently seen during sunset and sunrise due to the angle of the sun, the person and the UFO, which allows the cloaked UFO to be seen from a few seconds to a few minutes. This UFO is small, so any occupants would be 6-8 inches tall. The same size as the small statues of human like beings I have found on Mars, in NASA photos. 100% proof that aliens exist and may be found in your own front yard.
Scott C. Waring - Taiwan
Eyewitness states:
Small glowing disc with a beam coming down from the center in yard. This was caught on ring camera in the middle of the night. A purple streak goes around it and it looks like there is a red bush behind it, but there is no bush there.
Mysterious Daytime UFO Sighting: Man and His Dog Encounter a Puzzling Orb in March 2023
Mysterious Daytime UFO Sighting: Man and His Dog Encounter a Puzzling Orb in March 2023
March 2023, somewhere in the United States – In a remarkable daytime UFO sighting, a man walking his dog named Hero stumbled upon a mysterious orb hovering low over a field. The exact location of this strange encounter remains unknown, but the video captured by the man has gone viral, generating considerable buzz and prompting discussions around the nature of the enigmatic object.
The video begins with the man noticing an odd, seemingly metallic orb in the sky. He can be heard exclaiming, “Um, what is that?” The bewildered man loses sight of the object briefly, only to spot it again and continue recording. He notes that he and Hero are alone in the field, emphasizing that there is no one around who could be operating a drone or similar device.
The orb appears to gyrate in a peculiar way, drawing the man’s attention and raising questions about its origin. He speculates that it could be a balloon, but dismisses the idea given its strange movements and the way it appeared out of nowhere. Instead, he wonders if it could be a government-controlled object. He points out a nearby tree, claiming the orb seemed to have “lodged” itself from that spot before taking to the air.
As the video continues, the man struggles to keep the orb in view, finally losing sight of it entirely. He ponders the possibilities, remarking, “I have no clue what this is right now.” The unsettling encounter leaves him, and the thousands who have viewed the video, questioning the nature of the bizarre object.
Theories surrounding the sighting range from the mundane to the fantastical. Some argue that it could be a weather balloon, while others suggest the possibility of advanced military technology. The more outlandish theories propose that the orb is a genuine extraterrestrial craft, citing its enigmatic movements as evidence.
The video’s authenticity and the true identity of the orb remain topics of heated debate. While the footage has captured the imagination of countless individuals, skeptics argue that the video could be an elaborate hoax or the result of digital manipulation. As of now, the orb’s true nature remains an unsolved mystery that continues to baffle and intrigue those who come across this curious daytime UFO sighting.
Check out the video bellow! Also includes a stabilized footage!
Triangular UFOs: A Historical Journey Through Unexplained Phenomena
Triangular UFOs: A Historical Journey Through Unexplained Phenomena
Triangular UFO sightings have been a constant presence in the world of ufology, capturing the interest of researchers and enthusiasts alike. Despite being overshadowed by the more traditional disc-shaped UFOs, these mysterious triangular objects have left their mark throughout history, with reports often displaying remarkable consistency. In the video bellow the article, David Marler explores some of the most intriguing triangular UFO sightings from the past, highlighting the persistence of this enigmatic phenomenon. Here are just few of them:
The Early Days: 1950s and 1960s
Although the heyday of UFO sightings began in the late 1940s, it wasn’t until the 1950s that triangular UFOs started to garner attention. One of the earliest recorded sightings occurred in Amarillo, Texas, in 1965. A police officer and his wife reported observing a silent, triangular object with lights at each corner hovering in the sky. This sighting marked the beginning of many more similar reports, with witnesses describing slow-moving, soundless, and mysterious triangular aircraft.
The Lumberton Wave was a series of sightings that took place in Lumberton, North Carolina, in 1975. Residents reported observing a large, silent, triangular object with bright lights at each corner. This object was known to hover for extended periods before moving away at incredible speeds. Notably, a police officer clocked the object at 200 miles per hour with a speed gun. This wave of sightings attracted the attention of UFO investigator Dr. J. Allen Hynek, who found the testimonies to be credible and unexplainable.
Memphis, Tennessee: 1977
In 1977, multiple police officers from various precincts around Memphis, Tennessee, reported witnessing a large triangular object in the sky. One officer, Lamar Todd, shared his experience of observing the silent, hovering object for several minutes before it disappeared across the horizon in a matter of seconds. Interestingly, this sighting occurred just days before the release of the movie Star Wars, challenging the idea that cultural influences were responsible for these reports.
Consistent Characteristics and the Search for Answers
Throughout the years, triangular UFO sightings have displayed remarkable consistency in their descriptions. Witnesses often report slow, silent flight; hovering capabilities; and unconventional lighting configurations. While some modern sightings might be explained by advanced military aircraft, the historical presence of these objects suggests a more complex explanation.
As researchers continue to investigate and compile data on triangular UFOs, collaboration between official agencies, independent investigators, and organizations like MUFON will be crucial to further our understanding of this enigmatic phenomenon. By preserving historical data and exploring new cases, we may one day unveil the truth behind these mysterious triangular objects.
JAMES WEBB DISCOVERS COLDEST ICE IN KNOWN UNIVERSE, HARBORING MOLECULES ESSENTIAL FOR LIFE
JAMES WEBB DISCOVERS COLDEST ICE IN KNOWN UNIVERSE, HARBORING MOLECULES ESSENTIAL FOR LIFE
"THESE OBSERVATIONS OPEN A NEW WINDOW ON THE FORMATION PATHWAYS FOR THE SIMPLE AND COMPLEX MOLECULES THAT ARE NEEDED TO MAKE THE BUILDING BLOCKS OF LIFE."
NASA
Catch Em Cold
The James Webb Space Telescope, which at this point can safely be described as an inveterate record breaker, has spotted yet another superlative cosmic curiosity: the coldest ice in the known universe.
According to a new study published in the journal Nature Astronomy, that interstellar ice got as cold as minus 440 degrees Fahrenheit — just under 11 Kelvin, and spitting distance from absolute zero.
The frigid formations were found as part of a star-forming molecular cloud residing in a region of space called Chamaeleon I, in the southern reaches of the Chamaeleon constellation, approximately 500 light years from Earth. Thanks to the Webb's powerful Near Infrared Camera (NIRCam) and a healthy, illuminating backdrop of starlight, astronomers were able to spot the frozen molecules that would have hitherto gone unnoticed.
"The ices show up as dips against a continuum of background starlight," said study co-author Klaus Pontoppidan from the Space Telescope Science Institute in a statement. "In regions that are this cold and dense, much of the light from the background star is blocked, and Webb's exquisite sensitivity was necessary to detect the starlight and therefore identify the ices in the molecular cloud."
Ice Spice
Tantalizingly, the ice also includes vital elements to forming a habitable planet, collectively known as CHONS: carbon, hydrogen, oxygen, nitrogen, and sulfur. Some, the scientists found, came in the form of organic molecules like methanol and possibly ethanol, as well as other compounds essential to life including carbon dioxide, ammonia, methane, and of course, water.
And that could have massive implications on our understanding of the occurrence of life in the universe, the scientists say.
"Our identification of complex organic molecules, like methanol and potentially ethanol, also suggests that the many star and planetary systems developing in this particular cloud will inherit molecules in a fairly advanced chemical state," explained study co-author Will Rocha, an astronomer at Leiden Observatory, in the statement. "This could mean that the presence of precursors to prebiotic molecules in planetary systems is a common result of star formation, rather than a unique feature of our own solar system."
The scientists were also able to measure the amount of sulfur trapped in the icy dust for the first time, and while the amount was less than expected, they believe that indicates that other CHONS are still present but are trapped in more solid materials and thus avoid detection.
Some details to iron out notwithstanding, the findings may prove essential in understanding the formation of organic molecules.
"These observations open a new window on the formation pathways for the simple and complex molecules that are needed to make the building blocks of life," said study lead author and Leiden astronomer Melissa McClure.
The aurora borealis might appear in skies from Washington to New York, lighting up the night with beautiful colors, as a stream of electrically charged particles called "solar wind" hits the poles and reacts with molecules in the atmosphere.
The Northern Lights are typically only visible closer to the Arctic Circle, but a forecast from the Space Weather Prediction Center shows they could creep further south as strong solar winds arrive, lighting up the skies with beautiful colors.
As of Wednesday morning, the aurora forecast predicted a "Kp index" of 6 on Friday. That's a measure for the strength of the Northern Lights. It indicates that the aurora may occur halfway between the green and yellow lines in the below image:
These solar winds are coming from a giant coronal hole on the Sun.
The giant dark spot is not an actual hole in the way you might be thinking. Rather, it's an area of the ultra-hot outer layer of the Sun's atmosphere (the corona) that's cooler in temperature than its surroundings, and therefore not glowing as bright.
The 'hole' in the Sun's atmosphere. (NASA/Solar Dynamics Observatory)
This one is very large: the size of about 20-30 Earths lined up back-to-back, Alex Young, the associate director for science at NASA Goddard's Heliophysics Science Division, previously told Insider.
As that giant hole spread across the corona, it blasted strong, high-speed solar winds into space, in the direction of Earth. Those winds don't pose a threat, since the atmosphere shields us and they're not strong enough to cause widespread radio or power blackouts, as some powerful solar storms have in the past.
Because of the approaching eruption of solar particles, the Space Weather Prediction Center issued a watch for a moderate geomagnetic storm on Friday.
That's the magnetic-field chaos that ensues when those high-speed particles hit Earth. Our planet's magnetic field channels them toward the North and South Poles, where they set off a beautiful, ethereal glow. Stronger geomagnetic storms can interfere with GPS, radio, and power grids.
But moderate geomagnetic storms are more benign. They have previously driven the aurora lights as far south as New York and Idaho.
NASA MARS ROVER FINDS METALLIC OBJECT THAT SMASHED DOWN ON SURFACE
NASA MARS ROVER FINDS METALLIC OBJECT THAT SMASHED DOWN ON SURFACE
OKAY, THAT'S PRETTY AWESOME.
NASA
Cacao Nibs
NASA's Curiosity Mars rover has stumbled across yet another fascinating discovery while exploring the planet's barren surface.
This time, it appears to be an iron-nickel meteorite dubbed Cacao, which measures roughly a foot across and can be seen in an ultra-high resolution image, stitched together from 19 individual photos taken by the rover on January 28.
The mysterious object's lovely silver metallic hue stands out like a sore thumb in the surrounding, rust-colored landscape, a sulfate-bearing region of the Red Planet's Mount Sharp.
"Rock. Rock. Rock. Rock. Rock. Rock. METEORITE!" the rover's official Twitter account wrote. "It's not uncommon to find meteorites on Mars — in fact, I've done it a few times! But a change in scenery's always nice."
Pet Rock
Unfortunately, Curiosity, which has been roaming the surface for well over a decade now, isn't equipped to take a sample from Cacao and bring it back home. That's one of the main objectives of the rover's cousin Perseverance, the only other active rover currently roaming the surface of Mars, which has been industriously picking up samples of Martian rock and soil.
The meteorite could still allow scientists to glean insights into the Red Planet's ancient past or whether it once hosted life. The scars and indentations on Cacao's surface were likely formed as it made its way through the planet's atmosphere, as Universe Today reports, despite the planet's thin atmosphere.
Iron nickel meteorites are also the rarest kinds of meteorites and stand a very good chance of surviving their journey through either Mars' or Earth's atmosphere.
The Beast
As the Curiosity team points out in its update, the rover has come across several meteorites not unlike Cacao, from the golf ball-sized "egg rock" it found in 2016, to the massive seven-foot iron meteorite "Lebanon" — or "the Beast" — meteorite in 2014.
But there's only so much the scientists will be able to learn about Curiosity's newest find.
"There’s no way to date these," the team admitted in a Twitter reply. "But it could have been here millions of years!"
The ancient Egyptians were masterful innovators when it came to warfare, with a diverse and deadly arsenal of weaponsat their disposal. From the iconic khopesh sword, with its curved blade designed for close-quarters combat, to the powerful composite bow capable of piercing armor at great distances, their weapons were designed to strike fear into the hearts of their enemies.
But it wasn't just the weapons themselves that made the ancient Egyptian military so formidable. They also employed clever tactics and strategies to gain the upper hand in battle, such as the use of chariots and skirmishers to harass enemy troops.
Through a closer examination of the weapons and tactics of ancient Egypt, we can gain a better understanding of their military might and the role they played in shaping the history of the ancient world.
Spherical Shaped UFO witnessed on 3/17/23 114 Ml in Riverview FL & traveling towards the Cape Canaveral FL. Video Source MUFON Case Numbers 129796,129790,129793
UFO Spotted In The Footage Of The Russian Jet Taking Down A American Drone. March 14, 2023
This footage was captured when the MQ-9 Reaper drone was seen pointing backwards as the Russian Sukhoi SU-27 fighter jet began its approach and shows the interaction between the surveillance drone and the Russian fighter jet over the Black Sea but also in the footage we can see this UFO "Orb" fly into view. I feel that on the time of the release of this footage the Pentagon officials might have missed this object but we didn't...
Revolutionary 100-Kilometer Space Telescope [NIAC 2023]
There are radio wavelengths that we can't see from Earth. And to observe them from space, we need a truly huge telescope. Mary Knapp and her team proposed a project that can allow us to build such a telescope and they just recently got a NIAC grant for it.
And exploration of three scientific papers on the UFO Phenomenon, two very recent, in relation to the US government and Harvard's Galileo Project probes into the UFO UAP phenomenon.
Papers:
"Preliminary Assessment: Unidentified Aerial Phenomena", United States Office of the Director of National Intelligence, 2021 https://www.dni.gov/files/ODNI/docume...
Relativity's 3D-printed rocket launches but fails to reach orbit after 2nd stage anomaly
Relativity's Terran 1 rocket launched from Launch Complex 16 in Cape Canaveral, Florida on March 22, 2023. The rocket successfully made it through Max-Q and completed first stage separation but an anomaly with the second stage resulted in failure to reach orbit.
First 3D Printed Rocket Reaches Space But Engine Fails Before Orbit
Relativity Space have been getting a lot of attention for 3D printing their rockets, some of the largest 3D printed structures ever seen are coming from their custom 3D printing systems. Last night was their Debut launch after 2 previous scrubs, and while the initial launch and ascent worked well the 2nd stage engine failed to generate enough thrust to make orbit, appearing to light and die. So what can we learn?
Rarest Atmospheric Phenomena Ever Caught on Camera
Supralateral arcs, ice pillars and sun pillars. For beautiful meteorite rings and more, check out https://www.thorum.com and use the code "ASTRUM" at checkout to get 20% off a truly unique ring!
Three Lights In Triangle Formation, Sunrise, Florida 3-17-2023, UFO Sighting News.
Three Lights In Triangle Formation, Sunrise, Florida 3-17-2023, UFO Sighting News.
Date of sighting: March 23, 2023
Location of sighting: Sunrise, Florida, USA
Source: MUFON
Hey all, I believe this is not three UFOs, but a single large triangle craft that has its propulsion systems visible. This cloaked craft, could it be a secret military TR3B descendant? I believe so. This is so close to town, so close to the Palm Beach area where I found a secret military testing area for the hypersonic missile at
26°55'42.64"N 80°20'23.97"W on Google Earth map. I believe this UFO may be alien technology in USAF hands, being tested by them. The coordinates I give is a testing are from which it may have come. There are also some rocket part all over the area. Also if you hit time machine (date in lower left corner) you can see the hypersonic missile in different places, parking lot, edge of runway, runway and more. This is US military.
Scott C. Waring - Taiwan
Eyewitness states:
Sunrise, FLA. 3.17.23. Three UFO’s forming triangle moving in straight line, caught on RING camera. Near the end of the video, two disappear.
Below is a US military TR3B recorded in France back in 2009 and sent to me 14 years ago. US military project Aurora.
Mysterious UFO Sighting in Sunrise, FL: The Triangular Formation – 2 VIDEOS!
Mysterious UFO Sighting in Sunrise, FL: The Triangular Formation – 2 VIDEOS!
Triangle UFO over Sunrise, Florida
On the night of March 17th, 2023, a peculiar UFO sighting took place in Sunrise, Florida, leaving residents and UFO enthusiasts intrigued and seeking answers. Eyewitnesses reported seeing three unidentified flying objects forming a distinct triangular formation in the night sky.
The extraordinary sighting, which occurred around 9:30 PM, was captured on two different recording devices – a home security RING camera and a smartphone. This lends further credibility to the event, as the multiple perspectives provide corroborating evidence of the unusual aerial phenomenon.
The videos show three bright, glowing orbs hovering steadily in the sky, forming what appears to be a perfect triangle. These mysterious objects flew slowly for several minutes, allowing ample time for witnesses to observe and record their presence.
As the event unfolded, two of the three UFOs suddenly vanished from sight, leaving only one remaining in the sky. This unusual occurrence was also captured on both videos, adding to the overall mystique of the sighting.
The triangular formation observed in the videos has become a point of fascination for UFO enthusiasts, as it is reminiscent of past sightings and encounters with alleged unidentified aircraft. Theories range from secret military operations to extraterrestrial visitors; however, no concrete evidence has been provided to support any specific explanation.
The Sunrise, Florida UFO sighting has captured the imagination of many, and as with similar events in the past, it is likely to remain a subject of debate and fascination for years to come.
Theia, perhaps as big as the proto-Earth, would have delivered its densest rocks inside the planet.
HAGAI PERETS
Scientists have long agreed that the Moon formed when a protoplanet, called Theia, struck Earth in its infancy some 4.5 billion years ago. Now, a team of scientists has a provocative new proposal: Theia's remains can be found in two continent-size layers of rock buried deep in Earth's mantle.
For decades, seismologists have puzzled over these two blobs, which sit below West Africa and the Pacific Ocean and straddle the core like a pair of headphones. Up to 1000 kilometers tall and several times that wide, "they are the largest thing in the Earth's mantle," says Qian Yuan, a Ph.D. student in geodynamics at Arizona State University (ASU), Tempe. Seismic waves from earthquakes abruptly slow down when they pass through the layers, which suggests they are denser and chemically different from the surrounding mantle rock.
The large low-shear velocity provinces (LLSVPs), as seismologists call them, might simply have crystallized out of the depths of Earth's primordial magma ocean. Or they might be dense puddles of primitive mantle rock that survived the trauma of the Moon-forming impact. But based on new isotopic evidence and modeling, Yuan believes the LLSVPs are the guts of the alien impactor itself. "This crazy idea is at least possible," says Yuan, who presented the hypothesis last week at the Lunar and Planetary Science Conference.
The idea has rattled around lab corridors and conference halls for years. But Edward Garnero, a seismologist at ASU Tempe who was not involved in the work, says it's the first time anyone has marshaled multiple lines of evidence and mounted a serious case for it. "I think it's completely viable until someone tells me it's not."
Evidence from Iceland and Samoa suggests the LLSVPs have existed since the time of the Moon-forming impact, says Sujoy Mukhopadhyay, a geochemist at the University of California (UC), Davis, who considers Yuan's idea plausible but is open to other explanations. Seismic imaging has traced plumes of magma that feed volcanoes on both islands all the way down to the LLSVPs. Over the past decade, Mukhopadhyay and others have discovered that lavas on the islands contain an isotopic record of radioactive elements that formed only during the first 100 million years of Earth history.
Moreover, a new picture of the Moon-forming impactor suggests it could have delivered a cargo of dense rock deep inside Earth. The impact theory was developed in the 1970s to explain why the Moon is dry and doesn't have much of an iron core: In a cataclysmic impact, volatiles like water would have vaporized and escaped, while a ring of less dense rocks thrown up in the collision would have eventually coalesced into the Moon. The theory invoked an impactor the size of Mars or—in recent variants—much smaller. But recent work from Yuan's co-author, ASU Tempe astrophysicist Steven Desch, suggests Theia was nearly as big as Earth.
In studies of Apollo Moon rocks, Desch and his colleagues measured the ratios of hydrogen to deuterium, a heavier hydrogen isotope. Light hydrogen was far more abundant in some of the Moon samples than in Earth rocks, they found. To capture and hold onto so much light hydrogen, Theia must have been massive, they proposed in a 2019 study in Geochemistry. It must also have been quite dry, as any water, which is naturally enriched in heavy hydrogen during its formation in interstellar space, would have raised the overall deuterium levels. Such a dry, large protoplanet would have separated into layers with an iron-depleted core and an iron-rich mantle, Desch says, some 2% to 3.5% denser than present-day Earth.
Even before Yuan learned of Desch's density estimates, he was modeling Theia's fate. His model suggests that after the collision, Theia's core would have quickly merged with Earth's. He also probed the fate of Theia's mantle, varying Theia's size and density to see what conditions would have allowed the material to persist, rather than mixing in, and sink to the mantle's base. The simulations consistently showed that mantle rocks 1.5% to 3.5% denser than Earth's would survive and end up as piles near the core. The result lined up perfectly with Desch's deuterium evidence. "It's this sweet spot for the density," Desch says.
A massive Theia would also explain the scale of the LLSVPs, which together contain six times more mass than the Moon. If they are extraterrestrial, Yuan says, only an impactor as large as Theia could have delivered them.
There are many caveats, however, including the fuzzy evidence for the LLSVPs themselves. Their pilelike structure could simply be an illusion created by models of the interior that rely on low frequency seismic waves, which blur small differences, Barbara Romanowicz, a seismologist at UC Berkeley, and Anne Davaille, a geophysicist at Paris-Saclay University, suggested in a study in Tectonics last year. Rather than reaching up 1000 kilometers, the piles may rise only a few hundred kilometers before breaking off into branched plumes. "There may be holes in them," Romanowicz says. "They may be a bundle of tubes."
Smaller or less monolithic LLSVPs would also be consistent with a forthcoming analysis that finds the LLSVPs are densest at the bottom, says Harriet Lau, a geophysicist at UC Berkeley. The analysis relies on two ways of imaging the deep Earth: using GPS stations to measure the way the Moon's tidal pull stretches Earth, and seismometers to sense how Earth's natural vibrations pass through the deep mantle. "Perhaps the real story behind the density is the distribution depth," she says.
Less massive LLSVPs could complicate the idea that Theia was nearly the size of a proto-Earth, says Jennifer Jenkins, a seismologist at Durham University. Yuan's picture, she adds, "is not inconsistent with what we know, but I'm not entirely convinced."
Desch says the team could test its idea by looking for geochemical similarities between the island lavas and rocks from the Moon's mantle. None of the Apollo samples capture the unaltered mantle, which is one reason scientists want samples from the Moon's largest impact crater, on its south pole, where such rocks may be exhumed. NASA and China are both planning robotic missions to the south pole this decade, and it is a leading candidate site for NASA's return of astronauts to the Moon.
If Theia's remnants do lie deep in Earth's mantle, they may not be alone. Seismologists are increasingly seeing small, ultradense pockets of material in the deep mantle, only a few hundred kilometers across, often near the edges of the LLSVPs. Maybe they are the sunken remnants of iron-rich cores from other miniature planets that hit early Earth, Jenkins says. Theia, in fact, might be just one grave in a planetary cemetery.
*Correction, 24 March, 1:30 p.m.: An earlier version of this story misstated Qian Yuan's Ph.D. focus.
THE WEBB TELESCOPE IS SO POWERFUL, IT SPOTTED A DUST STORM ON A PLANET IN A DIFFERENT STAR SYSTEM
THE WEBB TELESCOPE IS SO POWERFUL, IT SPOTTED A DUST STORM ON A PLANET IN A DIFFERENT STAR SYSTEM
"EVER HAD HOT SAND WHIP ACROSS YOUR FACE?"
GETTY / FUTURISM
Dark and Stormy
For the first time ever, a dust storm has been observed outside of our Solar System — and naturally, it was the powerful James Webb Space Telescope that made the discovery.
A press release on the Space Telescope Science Institute's Webbite details the JWST-detected storm, which took place on exoplanet VHS 1256 b, a "massive brown dwarf" planet located about 40 lightyears from Earth.*
"Ever had hot sand whip across your face?" the press release quips. "That’s a soothing experience compared to the volatile conditions discovered high in the atmosphere of planet VHS 1256 b."
The JWST was able not only to observe the distant dust storm, but also to determine what its atmosphere is made of: "silicate particles, ranging from fine specks to small grains."
"The team projects that the silicates swirling in these clouds periodically get too heavy and rain into the depths of the planet’s atmosphere," reads the release. "Webb’s observations also show clear signatures of water, methane and carbon monoxide, and provide evidence for carbon dioxide."
So Much Data
Pretty much everything about VHS 1256 b — a name that, honestly, sounds more like something you'd put in a VCR than a planet — seems extreme, per its descriptions on the STScI site.
As the BBC notes in its reporting on the Webb discovery, the planet that was first detected in 2015 by the Vista telescope in Chile is what's known as a "super Jupiter," with an atmosphere similar to our Solar System's gas giant but way bigger, between 12 to 18 times the mass.
While other telescopes have been able to gather in a piecemeal fashion as much information as Webb has about VHS 1256 b, this is the first time one telescope has gotten so much data at once.
"No other telescope has identified so many features at once for a single target," the University of California Santa Cruz's Andrew Skemer, who co-wrote the team's forthcoming paper in The Astrophysical Journal Letters, said. "We’re seeing a lot of molecules in a single spectrum from Webb that detail the planet’s dynamic cloud and weather systems."
The JWST has done it again, folks — and, as always, we simply love to see it.
NASA’s Webb Spots Swirling, Gritty Clouds on Remote Planet
NASA’s Webb Spots Swirling, Gritty Clouds on Remote Planet
Researchers observing with NASA’s James Webb Space Telescope have pinpointed silicate cloud features in a distant planet’s atmosphere. The atmosphere is constantly rising, mixing, and moving during its 22-hour day, bringing hotter material up and pushing colder material down. The resulting brightness changes are so dramatic that it is the most variable planetary-mass object known to date. The team, led by Brittany Miles of the University of Arizona, also made extraordinarily clear detections of water, methane and carbon monoxide with Webb’s data, and found evidence of carbon dioxide. This is the largest number of molecules ever identified all at once on a planet outside our solar system.
Cataloged as VHS 1256 b, the planet is about 40 light-years away and orbits not one, but two stars over a 10,000-year period. “VHS 1256 b is about four times farther from its stars than Pluto is from our Sun, which makes it a great target for Webb,” Miles said. “That means the planet’s light is not mixed with light from its stars.” Higher up in its atmosphere, where the silicate clouds are churning, temperatures reach a scorching 1,500 degrees Fahrenheit (830 degrees Celsius).
This illustration conceptualizes the swirling clouds identified by the James Webb Space Telescope in the atmosphere of exoplanet VHS 1256 b. The planet is about 40 light-years away and orbits two stars that are locked in their own tight rotation. Its clouds, which are filled with silicate dust, are constantly rising, mixing, and moving during its 22-hour day.
Credits: Illustration: NASA, ESA, CSA, Joseph Olmsted (STScI)
Within those clouds, Webb detected both larger and smaller silicate dust grains, which are shown on a spectrum. “The finer silicate grains in its atmosphere may be more like tiny particles in smoke,” noted co-author Beth Biller of the University of Edinburgh in Scotland. “The larger grains might be more like very hot, very small sand particles.”
VHS 1256 b has low gravity compared to more massive brown dwarfs, which means that its silicate clouds can appear and remain higher in its atmosphere where Webb can detect them. Another reason its skies are so turbulent is the planet’s age. In astronomical terms, it’s quite young. Only 150 million years have passed since it formed – and it will continue to change and cool over billions of years.
In many ways, the team considers these findings to be the first “coins” pulled out of a spectrum that researchers view as a treasure chest of data. In many ways, they’ve only begun identifying its contents. “We’ve identified silicates, but better understanding which grain sizes and shapes match specific types of clouds is going to take a lot of additional work,” Miles said. “This is not the final word on this planet – it is the beginning of a large-scale modeling effort to fit Webb’s complex data.”
Although all of the features the team observed have been spotted on other planets elsewhere in the Milky Way by other telescopes, other research teams typically identified only one at a time. “No other telescope has identified so many features at once for a single target,” said co-author Andrew Skemer of the University of California, Santa Cruz. “We’re seeing a lot of molecules in a single spectrum from Webb that detail the planet’s dynamic cloud and weather systems.”
A research team led by Brittany Miles of the University of Arizona used two instruments known as spectrographs aboard the James Webb Space Telescope, one on its Near Infrared Spectrograph (NIRSpec) and another on its Mid-Infrared Instrument (MIRI) to observe a vast section of near- to mid-infrared light emitted by planet VHS 1256 b. They plotted the light on the spectrum, identifying signatures of silicate clouds, water, methane and carbon monoxide. They also found evidence of carbon dioxide.
Credits: Image: NASA, ESA, CSA, J. Olmsted (STScI); Science: Brittany Miles (University of Arizona), Sasha Hinkley (University of Exeter), Beth Biller (University of Edinburgh), Andrew Skemer (University of California, Santa Cruz)
The team came to these conclusions by analyzing data known as spectra gathered by two instruments aboard Webb, the Near-Infrared Spectrograph (NIRSpec) and the Mid-Infrared Instrument (MIRI). Since the planet orbits at such a great distance from its stars, the researchers were able to observe it directly, rather than using the transit technique or a coronagraph to take this data.
There will be plenty more to learn about VHS 1256 b in the months and years to come as this team – and others – continue to sift through Webb’s high-resolution infrared data. “There’s a huge return on a very modest amount of telescope time,” Biller added. “With only a few hours of observations, we have what feels like unending potential for additional discoveries.”
What might become of this planet billions of years from now? Since it’s so far from its stars, it will become colder over time, and its skies may transition from cloudy to clear.
The researchers observed VHS 1256 b as part of Webb’s Early Release Science program, which is designed to help transform the astronomical community’s ability to characterize planets and the disks where they form.
The team's paper, entitled “The JWST Early Release Science Program for Direct Observations of Exoplanetary Systems II: A 1 to 20 Micron Spectrum of the Planetary-Mass Companion VHS 1256-1257 b,” will be published in The Astrophysical Journal Letters on March 22.
The James Webb Space Telescope is the world’s premier space science observatory. Webb will solve mysteries in our solar system, look beyond to distant worlds around other stars, and probe the mysterious structures and origins of our universe and our place in it. Webb is an international program led by NASA with its partners, ESA (European Space Agency) and the Canadian Space Agency.
Media Contacts:
Laura Betz
NASA's Goddard Space Flight Center, Greenbelt, Md.
Beste bezoeker, Heb je zelf al ooit een vreemde waarneming gedaan, laat dit dan even weten via email aan Frederick Delaere opwww.ufomeldpunt.be. Deze onderzoekers behandelen jouw melding in volledige anonimiteit en met alle respect voor jouw privacy. Ze zijn kritisch, objectief maar open minded aangelegd en zullen jou steeds een verklaring geven voor jouw waarneming! DUS AARZEL NIET, ALS JE EEN ANTWOORD OP JOUW VRAGEN WENST, CONTACTEER FREDERICK. BIJ VOORBAAT DANK...
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Over mijzelf
Ik ben Pieter, en gebruik soms ook wel de schuilnaam Peter2011.
Ik ben een man en woon in Linter (België) en mijn beroep is Ik ben op rust..
Ik ben geboren op 18/10/1950 en ben nu dus 74 jaar jong.
Mijn hobby's zijn: Ufologie en andere esoterische onderwerpen.
Op deze blog vind je onder artikels, werk van mezelf. Mijn dank gaat ook naar André, Ingrid, Oliver, Paul, Vincent, Georges Filer en MUFON voor de bijdragen voor de verschillende categorieën...
Veel leesplezier en geef je mening over deze blog.
