• READ MORE: Earth is 'overdue' a devastating solar SUPERFLARE, scientists warn 

By WILIAM HUNTER

A NASA probe is set to make history this Christmas Eve as it becomes the closest human-made object to the sun.

Tomorrow at 11:53 GMT, the Parker Solar Probe will pass within just 3.8 million miles (6.1 million km) of the sun's surface.

That is more than eight times closer than the distance between our home star and the nearest planet, Mercury.

As it reaches its closest point, the probe will also become the fastest human-made object ever made as it reaches a staggering 430,000 mph (692,000 kph).

In a moment that has been compared to the moon landing of 1969, Parker will 'touch' the sun's surface to gather vital data.

During that brief flyby, the probe will pass through the sun's super-hot outer atmosphere called the corona - the origin of solar storms which have the potential to cause chaos on Earth.

Although the Parker probe will endure temperatures exceeding 1,400 °C (2,550 °F) its near-indestructible heat shield should allow it to survive the extreme conditions. 

Nick Pinkine, Parker Solar Probe mission operations manager at the Johns Hopkins Applied Physics Laboratory (APL), says: 'No human-made object has ever passed this close to a star, so Parker will truly be returning data from uncharted territory.'

NASA's Parker Solar Probe (pictured) will make history on Christmas Eve as it becomes the closest human-made object to the sun 

The Parker Solar Probe was launched from Cape Canaveral in August 2018 before embarking on the 93 million-mile (149 million km) journey to the sun.

The goal was to gather more data about the sun's corona by flying as close as possible through the stellar atmosphere.

Because the gravitation pull is so strong at this distance, the probe needs to be moving incredibly fast to avoid slipping into the heart of the sun.

To do this, the probe has been repeatedly 'slingshot' around the sun and Venus, getting progressively faster with each pass.

In 2021, Parker made its first successful pass of the solar corona, dipping into a region where temperatures can reach over one million degrees Centigrade for up to five hours.

Since then, Parker has completed 21 solar slingshots, but tomorrow the probe will smash its own record for both speed and distance.

After completing its seventh loop around Venus in November, Parker is now using that 'gravity assist' to fly seven times closer to the star than any other spacecraft.

Passing at a distance of just 3.8 million miles (6.1 million km), Parker will gather particles from the corona inside a special instrument called the Solar Probe Cup.

The Parker probe will pass within 3.8 million miles (6.1 million km) of the sun's surface, moving at speeds of 30,000 mph (692,000 kph)

At the same time, Parker will surpass its previous speed record of 395,000 mph (635,000 kmph), according to NASA.

At its top speed, the probe will be moving 300 times faster than a Lockheed Martin F-16 fighter jet or 200 times faster than a rifle bullet.

Arik Posner, Parker Solar Probe program scientist for NASA, says: 'This is one example of NASA’s bold missions, doing something that no one else has ever done before to answer longstanding questions about our universe.'

In order to avoid melting during that time, the Parker Solar Probe has been designed to withstand unbelievably high temperatures.

The body of the probe itself is protected by a 2.4-metre (8ft) wide heat shield made of a type of carbon foam.

Although this shield is just 11cm (4.5 inches) thick, its material composition makes it almost indestructible.

Johns Hopkins APL explained in a mission briefing: 'One yard behind that, where the body of the spacecraft resides, it is almost room temperature.

'And all its systems will need to work perfectly for Parker to gather data from this dynamic environment near a star where no spacecraft has dared travel.'

As it passes, the probe will collect particles from the Sun in the 'Solar Probe Cup' (pictured) which is made of Titanium-Zirconium-Molybdenum, a metal alloy with a melting point of 2,349 °C (4,260 °F)

How frequent are superflares?

Meanwhile, the Solar Probe Cup is made of Titanium-Zirconium-Molybdenum, a metal alloy with a melting point of 2,349 °C (4,260 °F).

However, the probe's mission is about more than moving fast and withstanding high temperatures.

The data it brings back could make a huge difference in humanity's defences against devastating solar flares.

Thanks to the intense temperatures and powerful magnetic fields, scientists haven't been able to look inside the sun's corona.

However, this region is the origin of the plasma and magnetic fields which trigger solar flares and coronal mass ejections.

As the sun enters its solar maximum this year, scientists have warned that Earth is long overdue for an impact from a superflare which could cause widespread blackouts and damage to satellite networks.

By gathering data from this region, NASA says the Parker Solar Probe will help scientists make better predictions about space weather.

That could buy Earth valuable time to protect our most vulnerable systems in the event of a dangerous solar flare.

This data will help scientists understand what goes on within the sun's super-hot atmosphere. This could help us predict dangerous solar flares which have the potential to cause massive disruption on Earth (stock image)

Read More

• NASA sun probe becomes the fastest man-made object in history after traveling nearly 400,000mph over the solar surface 

Mr Posner says: 'We can’t wait to receive that first status update from the spacecraft and start receiving the science data in the coming weeks.'

Parker will transmit a beacon on Friday, December 27 to confirm it has survived the flyby with more data soon to follow.

The probe is then expected to make four more close flybys in 2025, but none so close as tomorrow.

And while the craft will eventually be torn apart by the sun's gravity, the heat shield could continue to orbit for thousands of years to come.

{ https://www.dailymail.co.uk/  }        

23-12-2024 om 21:16 geschreven door peter  

Huge 'Christmas Eve asteroid' the size of a 10-story building will skim past Earth at 14,743mph tonight, NASA warns

• READ MORE: Incredible moment asteroid crashes into Earth's atmosphere

By WILIAM HUNTER

With Christmas Eve just around the corner, many children might be hoping to spot Santa flying overhead.

But NASA has now warned that reindeer won't be the only things soaring above Earth in the coming days.

Tonight, a massive 'Chrismas Eve asteroid' the size of a ten-story building will skim past Earth at 14,743mph

According to NASA's Asteroid Watch dashboard, the space rock 2024 NX1 will reach its closest point to Earth at 02:56 am GMT in the early hours of Christmas Eve.

At an estimated size of 29 to 70 metres (95-230 ft) in diameter, scientists believe 2024 NX1 could hold the destructive potential of 12 million tonnes of TNT.

However, although this will be a 'near miss' by astronomical standards, experts say there is no chance of Christmas being ruined by a collision with this vast space rock.

The space agency estimates that the asteroid should pass by the planet harmlessly at a distance of about 4.48 million miles (7.21 million km).

Jess Lee, astronomer at the Royal Greenwich Observatory, told MailOnline: 'It will be very far away, around 18 times further away from the Earth than the Moon is, and so with this predicted path won’t come close enough to hit the Earth.'

NASA has warned that the huge 'Christmas Eve asteroid' will skim past Earth tonight at 14,743mph

(stock image) 

The Christmas Eve asteroid was only spotted on December 12 as NASA and the European Space Agency's (ESA) planetary defence systems noticed its approach.

After calculating its orbit, the agencies listed it as a 'close approach' - meaning that it is expected to pass within 4.65 million miles (7.5 million km) of Earth.

However, based on the size of the asteroid and its distance to Earth, the ESA only rates this as a 'very frequent' approach.

Nor has the ESA included 2024 XN1 on the 'Risk List' of objects with a non-zero probability of colliding with the planet.

This means that, despite passing within touching distance on the solar system scale, there is absolutely no chance of the Christmas Eve asteroid hitting Earth.

And while that is good news for Earth, at this distance the asteroid won't be visible even to an amateur astronomer using their own telescope. 

Yet, even for a relatively small asteroid the consequences of a potential impact would be devastating.

NASA's research suggests that an asteroid of 70m in diameter is capable of flattening an area of 700 square miles (2,000 square km) if it collided with the planet. 

The asteroid 2024 XN1 (pictured) is as big as a ten-story building and could be up to 70 metres (230 ft) according to the European Space Agency's estimates. The space agencies predict that the asteroid will reach its closest point in at 02:56 am GMT in the early hours of Christmas Eve

Ms Lee says: 'If you’d like to compare it to a previous asteroid impact, the Tunguska Event in Russia in 1908 involved an asteroid which was a roughly similar size to this one. 

'It exploded above the ground and knocked down 80 million trees. The energy comparison estimates have ranged from 3-30 megatons of TNT'

Thankfully, the Tunguska Event occurred over an unihabited region of Siberia but dangerous asteroid impacts have occurred in recent history. 

In 2013 a meteor just 20m in diameter exploded 28 miles (45km) above the Russian region of Chelyabinsk.

The resulting blast released the energy equivalent of around 440,000 tonnes of TNT, damaging thousands of buildings and injuring an estimated 1,600 people.

So, although the Christmas Eve asteroid has no risk of colliding with Earth, it is a stark reminder of just how close the planet comes to disaster on a fairly regular basis.  

After making its festive appearance next week, 2024 XN1 won't come near Earth again until January 2032.

During this pass the rock will come even closer, reaching a minimum distance of 3.1 million miles (4.7 million km).

At its closest point, the Christmas Eve asteroid will pass within 4.48 million miles (7.21 million km) of Earth. This is a near miss in astronomical terms but there is no risk of a collision 

However, the Christmas Eve asteroid will make its closest pass in December of 2106 when it will skim past Earth at a distance of just 2.11 million miles (3.4 million km).

2024 XN1 won't be the only space rock paying Earth a visit over the Christmas period.

Today, a small space rock named 2013 YB actually has a slim chance of slamming into Earth at 12:27 GMT. 

However, at less than 3m (10ft) in diameter, this rock is very likely to burn up in the atmosphere, producing nothing more dangerous than a particularly bright fireball.

At this size, NASA estimates that the asteroid would break up in the atmosphere more than 26 miles (43 km) above the ground, making it unlikely that any small fragments will make it to the ground.

Even the odds of that occurring are quite low, as ESA only predicts a one-in-52,356 chance of an impact.

On Christmas Day itself, an even larger asteroid named 2021 BA2 will make a remarkably close pass of Earth.

Based on its brightness, ESA estimates that this space rock could be between 30 to 70 (100-230 ft) metres in diameter - making it a potential 'city killer'.

Earth is constantly being passed by large space rocks, some of which (pictured) have a chance of colliding with the planet. If an asteroid the size of 2024 XN1 hit Earth it would explode with the energy of 12 million tonnes of TNT

At 21:19 pm GMT on Christmas Day, 2021 BA2 will hit its closest point to Earth, passing by at just 1.71 million miles (2.76 million km).

But at more than seven times the distance to the moon, space agencies predict no risk of a collision between the asteroid and the planet.

The next truly large asteroid to pass by Earth won't be until January 5, 2025, when a 400m (1,310 ft) asteroid will make a close pass of the planet.

This Eiffel Tower-sized space rock will blast past Earth at 49,660 miles per hour (79,920 kmph), reaching its closest point just 2.29 million miles (3.68 million km) from Earth.

VIDEOS

{ https://www.dailymail.co.uk/ }

23-12-2024 om 20:34 geschreven door peter  

The position of the magnetic north pole is officially changing. Why?

Why does Earth have a magnetic field?

Earth's main magnetic field is generated in the planet's outer core, a layer of molten iron 2,2001,800-3,100 miles (2,890-5,000 kilometers) below the planet's surface. The electrically conductive liquid iron is in constant motion, and when it moves through an existing weak magnetic field, that motion produces an electric current. The electric current in turn generates its own magnetic field, leading to a self-sustaining process known as the geodynamo.

Related: 

• Earth's rotating inner core is starting to slow down — and it could alter the length of our days

The geodynamo has continually regenerated Earth's magnetic field for billions of years. Without something to sustain the field, Earth would have lost its magnetic field after about 40,000 years, said Bruce Buffett, a geophysicist at the University of California, Berkeley.

"If you had a hot cannonball and you put it on the table, it would gradually cool. [The heat] would diffuse away and essentially go back to ambient," Buffett told Live Science. "The same is true with the magnetic field. If you're not sustaining it by these fluid motions, it will gradually decay away and disappear."

Where is the magnetic north pole?

The magnetic north pole is different from the geographic North Pole, which is always stationary. The geographic North Pole is the point where Earth's axis of rotation meets the planet's surface and where all lines of longitude converge. The magnetic north pole, meanwhile, is the point in the Northern Hemisphere where Earth's magnetic field lines point directly into the planet.

The complex motion of the outer core causes the magnetic north pole to shift tens of miles per year. Because Earth's magnetic field is slightly asymmetrical and more complex than that of a regular bar magnet, the magnetic south pole — the point in the Southern Hemisphere where the magnetic field points straight into the planet — doesn't move in quite the same way. But changes in the strength of the magnetic field near the North Pole have caused it to shift from the Canadian Arctic toward Siberia in recent years.

What is the World Magnetic Model?

The World Magnetic Model is a mathematical model of Earth's magnetic field and a prediction for how the field will evolve over the next several years. The model combines data from satellites such as the European Space Agency's Swarm mission and from high-precision magnetometers at ground-based observatories to predict the magnetic field at each point on Earth.

Navigation apps use the World Magnetic Model along with GPS to orient users. "Your smartphone or GPS system has a magnetometer, effectively a digital compass built into it," said William Brown, a BGS geophysicist who helped create and update the World Magnetic Model. "It measures the direction of the magnetic field where you are, and it enters your position into the World Magnetic Model software to tell it what the magnetic field should look like. And then, by comparing what I measured and what I should have got, you can work out which direction you're facing."

Why is the World Magnetic Model being updated now?

A new version of the World Magnetic Model is released every five years to account for changes in the magnetic field from the motion of the outer core. This latest update is part of that five-year schedule.

"The real challenge is, and the reason why we release a model every five years, it doesn't change in a regular way. It's not completely predictable. It's a really complicated, chaotic system," Brown told Live Science. "Typically, about five years is when the accuracy of the model starts to get to the point where it's not as good as we would like it. So we make a better prediction with five years more information to work from, and just update the prediction going forward."

Small deviations from the predicted field can accumulate over time and occasionally compound to the point where the model must be updated more frequently. For example, the NCEI and BGS released an off-cycle update in 2019 to account for the outer core flowing faster than usual in the Northern Hemisphere — a phenomenon that caused the magnetic north pole to shift much more quickly than usual.

But for most people, the 2025 update won't result in any noticeable changes to navigation, and users won't have to change anything for phone map apps to work properly.

"You should be able to navigate as well as you could yesterday," Brown said. "We keep the updates coming so that it's only a bit of time, small enough that most people don't notice, because for most users, the accuracy is more than they need anyway."

{ https://www.livescience.com/ }

23-12-2024 om 00:32 geschreven door peter  

{ https://www.universetoday.com/ }

22-12-2024 om 21:51 geschreven door peter  

In addition, it can also cause equipment to overheat as it coats thermal radiators and accumulates on windows, camera lenses, and visors, making it harder to see, navigate, and acquire accurate images. Kristen John, the Lunar Surface Innovation Initiative technical integration lead at NASA’s Johnson Space Center, said in a NASA press release: “The fine grain nature of dust contains particles that are smaller than the human eye can see, which can make a contaminated surface appear to look clean.”

Addressing the Problem

These technologies were developed by NASA’s Game Changing Development program within the agency’s Space Technology Mission Directorate (STMD). The “Lunar Gravity Simulation via Suborbital Rocket” flight test will study regolith mechanics and lunar dust transport in a simulated lunar gravity environment. The payload includes projects for mitigating and cleaning dust using multiple strategies. They include:

ClothBot:
This compact robot is designed to simulate and measure how dust behaves in a pressurized environment, which astronauts could bring back after conducting Extravehicular Activities (EVAs). The robot relies on pre-programmed motions that simulate astronauts’ movements when removing their spacesuits (aka “doffing”), releasing a small dose of lunar regolith simulant. A laser-illuminated imaging system will then capture the dust flow in real-time while sensors record the size and number of particles.

Electrostatic Dust Lofting (EDL):
The EDL will examine how lunar dust is “lofted” (kicked up) when it becomes electrostatically charged to improve models on dust lofting. During the lunar gravity phase of the flight, a dust sample will be released that the EDL will illuminate using a UV light source, causing the particles to become charged. The dust will then pass through a sheet laser as it rises from the surface while the EDL observes and records the results. The EDL’s camera will continue to record the dust until the mission ends, even after the lunar gravity phase ends and the UV light is shut off.

Hermes Lunar-G:
The Hermes Lunar-G project, developed by NASA, Texas A&M, and Texas Space Technology Applications and Research (T-STAR), is based on a facility (Hermes) that previously operated on the International Space Station (ISS). Like its predecessor, the Lunar-G project will rely on repurposed Hermes hardware to study lunar regolith simulants. This will be done using four canisters containing compressed lunar dust simulants. When the flight enters its lunar gravity phase, these simulants will decompress and float around in the canisters while high-speed cameras and sensors capture data. The results will be compared to microgravity data from the ISS and similar flight experiments.

Dust Mitigation Strategies

The data obtained by these projects will provide information on regolith generation rates, transport, and mechanics that will help scientists refine computational models. This will allow mission planners and designers to develop better strategies for dust mitigation for future missions to the Moon and Mars. Already, this challenge informs several aspects of NASA’s technological developments, ranging from In-Situ Resource Utilization (ISRU) and construction to transportation and surface power. Said John:

“Learning some of the fundamental properties of how lunar dust behaves and how lunar dust impacts systems has implications far beyond dust mitigation and environments. Advancing our understanding of the behavior of lunar dust and advancing our dust mitigation technologies benefits most capabilities planned for use on the lunar surface.”

The test flight and vehicle enhancements that will enable the simulation of lunar gravity are being funded through NASA’s Flight Opportunities program.

Further Reading: 

• NASA

{ https://www.universetoday.com/ }

22-12-2024 om 21:25 geschreven door peter  

KENNEDY: I've had multiple alien encounters... starting when I was a six-year-old. This is the truth about America's 'drone invasion'

By KENNEDY FOR DAILYMAIL.COM 

I first saw a UFO when I was six years old. From the trunk of my parents' station wagon, I peeped a multi-colored disc floating through the night sky.

In fairness, I was bouncing around without a seatbelt (as one did in those days), so the sighting was most likely the symptom of a minor concussion sustained after an impact with a pothole.

My next close encounter came when I was in high school. The first time I smoked weed I had a vivid dream of bubble-fingered visitors standing over me, chanting: 'geeble! geeble!'

It put me off reefer for life but, perhaps oddly, made me a paranormal believer. 

So, when mysterious drones appeared in the skies over northern New Jersey earlier this month, I went full X-Files.

I assumed our saurian overlords had finally tired of our Earthly squabbling and sent an interdimensional flotilla to emulsify us all. Humanity was finally being invaded by fishbowl-headed, laser-toting 'ACK ACK!' extraterrestrials.

And if you think that sounds crazy, just listen to some of the other conspiracies wafting around.

Skinnygirl former Real Housewife Bethenny Frankel said the drones were really secret US vacuum-copters trying to sniff out missing nukes, radiation or errant dirty bombs. 

And Roseanne Barr, fresh off solving the RFK Jr's dead bear in Central Park ruse, has been banging on about Project Blue Beam (a wacko theory that authoritarians will leverage fake alien sightings to sow mass confusion and take over the world).

Then you have the elected lunatics. 

Sassy Congressional rodeo-clown Marjorie Taylor Greene reposted a good old-fashioned chemtrail theory. While New Jersey Congressmen Chris Smith and Jeff Van Drew falsely insisted that an 'Iranian mothership' off the US coast was launching 'elusive maneuvering' vehicles into our airspace.

Yes, it's all insane. But at least these cranks are doing something.

The bureaucrats in charge of America's national security have been about as useful as Kamala Harris when it comes to explaining the sightings. 

Entrenched Deep Staters from the White House to the Pentagon, FBI and DHS have met growing public hysteria with a collective shrug.

So, allow me - a true believer - to set the record straight.

The drone swarms are no doubt the work of nerd hobbyists and bored teenagers. Half the sightings are misidentified planes or stars. And if someone in the Biden administration took a minute away from updating their resume to announce that from a podium, they could have saved us all some time and aggravation.

The Garden State is not under attack by aliens or Iranians, chemtrailers or autocrats. But America is under attack from Establishment incompetence. 

God willing, we will soon discover evidence of intelligent life… in Washington DC.

Assad's favorite network

Rule #1 at CNN: Always involve yourself in a story. Forget about vetting or pre-investigation of any kind, if something looks salacious and you can insert yourself into it, then it's CNN solid-gold.

The rule applies even if we're talking about a trembling 'prisoner' discovered in a Syrian torture chamber by warzone blonde Clarissa Ward. No matter that this man actually turned out to be one of Assad's torturers, responsible for the death of countless innocents. Details!

I hear Hamas is now wondering if gullible Ward can tour some Israeli prisons. The terror group has a few 'dads' they'd like her to help free.

Egg on her face

In an interview plugging her cougariffic new movie 'Babygirl', Nicole Kidman humbly admitted that her problem is she emotes too much.

Nic described how she and her musician hubby Keith Urban like to visit cancer patients, so he can strum a few bars while she stands there and feels deeply.

'I go into hospitals. Keith and I will work where we go,' she said. 'He'll bring his guitar and we'll just, you know, in the oncology units. And I have to not absorb someone else's emotions.'

She also shared that Keith tells her: 'You're like a raw egg that I have to be the shell for.'

I'll bet she can whip up a mean meringue as creamy as this self-indulgent slop!

{ https://www.dailymail.co.uk/ }

22-12-2024 om 01:06 geschreven door peter  

Carbon Dioxide Ice Turns Martian Polar Region White

Planetary scientists using the High Resolution Stereo Camera on ESA’s Mars Express spacecraft have captured stunning images of an enigmatic landscape in the Australe Scopuli region of the Red Planet’s southern hemisphere.

Frosty scene in the Australe Scopuli region at the south pole of Mars.

Image credit: ESA / DLR / FU Berlin.

“Here, swirls of carbon dioxide ice and dust layers wrap around the scene, turning the Red Planet white,” the ESA researchers said in a statement.

“The contrasting light and dark layers are particularly striking in the exposed faces of hills and valleys.”

An artist's interpretation of an ice-covered river sourced from meltwater beneath Mars’ south polar cap.

Credit: Peter Buhler/PSI

“They trace out the distinctive seasonal polar layered deposits characteristic of this region, formed as layers of ice freeze with varying amounts of dust trapped within.”

“Perhaps you’d prefer a sleigh ride, but either way dress warm, because it’s cold outside: minus 125 degrees Celsius (minus 193 degrees Fahrenheit),” they added.

“Any Martian skier or sleigh rider would also need to slalom around hundreds of potential dust jets.”

“That’s because ski season is almost over and it’s beginning to look a lot like spring — or even summer, for this image was taken on June 16, 2022, close to summer solstice at the south pole.”

Zooming into the image above reveals numerous dark patches where the ice has already sublimated away, a sure sign that the Sun’s warming rays have been falling on this region for some time.

“When sunlight shines through the translucent top layers of the carbon dioxide ice it warms up the underlying surface,” the scientists explained.

“The ice at the bottom of the layer begins to sublimate, creating pockets of trapped gas.”

“The pressure builds up until the overlying ice suddenly cracks, resulting in a burst of gas jetting through the surface.”

“These gas fountains carry dark dust from below, which falls back to the surface in a fan-shaped pattern moulded by the direction of the prevailing wind.”

“The fans can range in length from tens to hundreds of meters.”

“An even closer look shows that the fans often appear to follow the boundaries between the polar layered deposits.”

“Presumably these boundaries represent zones of weakness, where the escaping dust-laden jets can break through the ice layers more easily.”

“We may well have missed our chance to make ‘Frosty the Snowman’, but it’s still a wonderful time of year on Mars.”

{ https://www.sci.news/ }

22-12-2024 om 00:52 geschreven door peter  

Earth's magnetic North Pole is shifting toward Russia. What does that mean?

Fernando Cervantes Jr.   USA TODAY

World Magnetic Model

The Earth's magnetic North Pole is currently moving toward Russia in a way that British scientists have not seen before.

Scientists have been tracking the magnetic North Pole for centuries, telling the British newspaper The Times that it had moved closer to the northern coast of Canada. In the 1990s, it drifted into the Atlantic before moving in a faster manner toward Siberia in Russia.

Compass needles in the Northern Hemisphere point toward the magnetic North Pole, although the exact location of it changes from time to time as the contours of Earth’s magnetic field also change. The magnetic North Pole is sometimes confused with the geographic North Pole, but this spot stays at the same place as it is where all lines of longitude converge.

In the 300 years between 1600 and 1900, scientists estimate that the magnetic North Pole moved about six miles per year. At the beginning of this century, it picked up to about 34 miles per year, before slowing in the last five years to about 22 miles per year.

Magnetic north has shifted a lot over the centuries.

(BGS)

Why does the North Pole's movement matter?

The moves are tracked as the data allows the compasses in our smartphones and other navigation devices to navigate.

Scientists told The Times these movements are tracked by the British Geological Survey and the U.S. National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration. In conjunction, they make the World Magnetic Model, that predicts where the pole should be at any time.

The model plays a role in the GPS systems we use on a day-to-day basis.

“Planes, boats, submarines, you name it, it’s in there,” William Brown, the global geomagnetic field modeler at the British Geological Survey, said in an interview with The Times.

It's time to recalibrate the navigation systems on ships, airplanes, and (given the time of year) Santa's sleigh: the position of the magnetic North Pole is officially being changed, continuing its shift away from Canada and towards Siberia.

Experts from the US National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration (NOAA) and the British Geological Survey (BGS) have joined forces – as they do every five years – to produce a new, more accurate World Magnetic Model (WMM).

While the geographical North Pole stays fixed in place (at the very summit of the Earth's rotational axis), the WMM pinpoints the magnetic North Pole – where Earth's magnetic field points straight down, a perfectly vertical magnetic field.

And as the iron and nickel inside our planet shift, so does Earth's magnetic field, meaning the North (and South) Poles are also constantly on the move. If you're using a compass or a GPS system, knowing exactly where these points are is crucial.

"The current behaviour of magnetic north is something that we have never observed before," says global geomagnetic field modeller William Brown, from BGS.

"Magnetic north has been moving slowly around Canada since the 1500s but, in the past 20 years, it accelerated towards Siberia, increasing in speed every year until about five years ago, when it suddenly decelerated from 50 to 35 kilometers [31 to 22 miles] per year, which is the biggest deceleration in speed we've ever seen."

Research suggests that two giant magnetic lobes – one under Canada and one under Siberia – are what's driving the shifting of magnetic north. Sometimes the shifts are dramatic enough that an emergency update is required, outside of the usual 5-year cycle.

Now we have a more accurate map of magnetic north, one that should be good for another half a decade. For the first time, a higher resolution map is also available, which offers more than 10 times more detail: it has a spatial resolution of about 300 km at the equator compared to the standard 3,300 km.

The 2025 World Magnetic Model. (NOAA/NCEI)

What causes the movements?

Earth’s outer core is made up of mostly molten iron, a liquid metal. Unpredictable changes in the way it flows cause the magnetic field around the Earth to shift, which then causes the magnetic core to also move.

“It’s like a giant cup of tea,” Brown said to The Times. “It’s a hot liquid with the viscosity of water.”

• Fernando Cervantes Jr. is a trending news reporter for USA TODAY. Reach him at fernando.cervantes@gannett.com and follow him on X @fern_cerv_.

The magnetic North Pole was first discovered by Sir James Clark Ross in northern Canada back in 1831.

Since then, researchers have gradually been able to track it with more precision, using ground measurements taken all across the globe as well as readings from satellites in space.

{ https://eu.usatoday.com/news/ }

22-12-2024 om 00:00 geschreven door peter  

Earth's magnetic North Pole is shifting toward Russia. What does that mean?

Fernando Cervantes Jr.   USA TODAY

World Magnetic Model

The Earth's magnetic North Pole is currently moving toward Russia in a way that British scientists have not seen before.

Scientists have been tracking the magnetic North Pole for centuries, telling the British newspaper The Times that it had moved closer to the northern coast of Canada. In the 1990s, it drifted into the Atlantic before moving in a faster manner toward Siberia in Russia.

Compass needles in the Northern Hemisphere point toward the magnetic North Pole, although the exact location of it changes from time to time as the contours of Earth’s magnetic field also change. The magnetic North Pole is sometimes confused with the geographic North Pole, but this spot stays at the same place as it is where all lines of longitude converge.

In the 300 years between 1600 and 1900, scientists estimate that the magnetic North Pole moved about six miles per year. At the beginning of this century, it picked up to about 34 miles per year, before slowing in the last five years to about 22 miles per year.

Magnetic north has shifted a lot over the centuries.

(BGS)

Why does the North Pole's movement matter?

The moves are tracked as the data allows the compasses in our smartphones and other navigation devices to navigate.

Scientists told The Times these movements are tracked by the British Geological Survey and the U.S. National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration. In conjunction, they make the World Magnetic Model, that predicts where the pole should be at any time.

The model plays a role in the GPS systems we use on a day-to-day basis.

“Planes, boats, submarines, you name it, it’s in there,” William Brown, the global geomagnetic field modeler at the British Geological Survey, said in an interview with The Times.

It's time to recalibrate the navigation systems on ships, airplanes, and (given the time of year) Santa's sleigh: the position of the magnetic North Pole is officially being changed, continuing its shift away from Canada and towards Siberia.

Experts from the US National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration (NOAA) and the British Geological Survey (BGS) have joined forces – as they do every five years – to produce a new, more accurate World Magnetic Model (WMM).

While the geographical North Pole stays fixed in place (at the very summit of the Earth's rotational axis), the WMM pinpoints the magnetic North Pole – where Earth's magnetic field points straight down, a perfectly vertical magnetic field.

And as the iron and nickel inside our planet shift, so does Earth's magnetic field, meaning the North (and South) Poles are also constantly on the move. If you're using a compass or a GPS system, knowing exactly where these points are is crucial.

"The current behaviour of magnetic north is something that we have never observed before," says global geomagnetic field modeller William Brown, from BGS.

"Magnetic north has been moving slowly around Canada since the 1500s but, in the past 20 years, it accelerated towards Siberia, increasing in speed every year until about five years ago, when it suddenly decelerated from 50 to 35 kilometers [31 to 22 miles] per year, which is the biggest deceleration in speed we've ever seen."

Research suggests that two giant magnetic lobes – one under Canada and one under Siberia – are what's driving the shifting of magnetic north. Sometimes the shifts are dramatic enough that an emergency update is required, outside of the usual 5-year cycle.

Now we have a more accurate map of magnetic north, one that should be good for another half a decade. For the first time, a higher resolution map is also available, which offers more than 10 times more detail: it has a spatial resolution of about 300 km at the equator compared to the standard 3,300 km.

The 2025 World Magnetic Model. (NOAA/NCEI)

What causes the movements?

Earth’s outer core is made up of mostly molten iron, a liquid metal. Unpredictable changes in the way it flows cause the magnetic field around the Earth to shift, which then causes the magnetic core to also move.

“It’s like a giant cup of tea,” Brown said to The Times. “It’s a hot liquid with the viscosity of water.”

• Fernando Cervantes Jr. is a trending news reporter for USA TODAY. Reach him at fernando.cervantes@gannett.com and follow him on X @fern_cerv_.

The magnetic North Pole was first discovered by Sir James Clark Ross in northern Canada back in 1831.

Since then, researchers have gradually been able to track it with more precision, using ground measurements taken all across the globe as well as readings from satellites in space.

{ https://eu.usatoday.com/news/ }

22-12-2024 om 00:00 geschreven door peter  

Huge 'Christmas Eve asteroid' the size of a 10-storey building will skim past Earth at 14,743mph on 24 December, NASA warns

• READ MORE: Scientists come up with a way to save Earth from asteroid collision

By WILIAM HUNTER

This Christmas Eve, children around the world may be hoping to catch a glimpse of Santa's sleigh flying through the skies.

But NASA has warned that jolly Old Saint Nick won't be the only thing whizzing over our heads this December 24.

A massive 'Christmas Eve asteroid' the size of a 10-story building will skim past Earth at 14,743mph.

According to NASA's Asteroid Watch dashboard, asteroid 2024 XN1 should pass by harmlessly at a distance of 4.48 million miles (7.21 million km) from Earth.#

Although this will be a near miss by astronomical standards, experts say there is no chance of Christmas being ruined by a collision with this vast space rock. 

Jess Lee, astronomer at the Royal Greenwich Observatory, told MailOnline: 'It will be very far away, around 18 times further away from the Earth than the Moon is, and so with this predicted path won’t come close enough to hit the Earth.'

But at an estimated size of 29 to 70 metres (95-230 ft) in diameter, this is a stark reminder of just how close Earth can get to a deadly encounter.

If 2024 XN1 were to hit the planet, scientists estimate that it would impact with a force equivalent to 12 million tonnes of TNT and flatten an area of 700 square miles (2,000 square km).

NASA has warned that the huge 'Christmas Eve asteroid' will skim past Earth on December 24 at 14,743mph

(stock image) 

The Christmas Eve asteroid was only spotted on December 12 as NASA and the European Space Agency's (ESA) planetary defence systems noticed its approach.

After calculating its orbit, the agencies listed it as a 'close approach' - meaning that it is expected to pass within 4.65 million miles (7.5 million km) of Earth.

2024 XN1 will reach its closest point to Earth at 02:56 am GMT on the morning of Christmas Eve.

However, based on the size of the asteroid and its distance to Earth, the ESA only rates this as a 'very frequent' approach.

Nor has the ESA included 2024 XN1 on the 'Risk List' of objects with a non-zero probability of colliding with the planet.

This means that, despite passing within touching distance on the solar system scale, there is absolutely no chance of the Christmas Eve asteroid hitting Earth.

And while that is good news for Earth, at this distance the asteroid won't be visible even to an amateur astronomer using their own telescope. 

Yet, even for a relatively small asteroid the consequences of a potential impact would be devastating.

The asteroid 2024 XN1 (pictured) is as big as a ten-story building and could be up to 70 metres (230 ft) according to the European Space Agency's estimates 

At its closest point, the Christmas Eve asteroid will pass within 4.48 million miles (7.21 million km) of Earth. This is a near miss in astronomical terms but there is no risk of a collision 

Ms Lee says: 'If you’d like to compare it to a previous asteroid impact, the Tunguska Event in Russia in 1908 involved an asteroid which was a roughly similar size to this one. 

'It exploded above the ground and knocked down 80 million trees. The energy comparison estimates have ranged from 3-30 megatons of TNT'

After making its festive appearance next week, 2024 XN1 won't come near Earth again until January 2032.

During this pass the rock will come even closer, reaching a minimum distance of 3.1 million miles (4.7 million km).

However, the Christmas Eve asteroid will make its closest pass in December of 2106 when it will skim past Earth at a distance of just 2.11 million miles (3.4 million km).

2024 XN1 won't be the only space rock paying Earth a visit over the Christmas period.

On December 23, a small space rock named 2013 YB actually has a slim chance of slamming into Earth.

However, at less than 3m (10ft) in diameter, this rock is very likely to burn up in the atmosphere, producing nothing more dangerous than a particularly bright fireball.

Earth is constantly being passed by large space rocks, some of which (pictured) have a chance of colliding with the planet. If an asteroid the size of 2024 XN1 hit Earth it would explode with the energy of 12 million tonnes of TNT

Even the odds of that occurring are quite low as ESA only predicts a one in 52,356 chance of an impact.

On Christmas Day itself, an even larger asteroid named 2021 BA2 will make a remarkably close pass of Earth.

Based on its brightness, ESA estimates that this space rock could be between 30 to 70 (100-230 ft) metres in diameter - making it a potential 'city killer'.

At 21:19 pm GMT on Christmas Day, 2021 BA2 will hit its closest point to Earth, passing by at just 1.71 million miles (2.76 million km).

But at more than seven times the distance to the moon, space agencies predict no risk of a collision between the asteroid and the planet.

The next truly large asteroid to pass by Earth won't be until January 5, 2025, when a 400m (1,310 ft) asteroid will make a close pass of the planet.

This Eiffel Tower-sized space rock will blast past Earth at 49,660 miles per hour (79,920 kmph), reaching its closest point just 2.29 million miles (3.68 million km) from Earth.

{ https://www.dailymail.co.uk/ }

21-12-2024 om 23:55 geschreven door peter  

During a recent interview, Darkjournalist Daniel Liszt lays out beyond critical information regarding the recent sightings of mystery drones across the U.S. 

Here is a brief summary outlining the key points of what Darkjournalist believes is actually happen, according to his analysis.

The unfolding events surrounding the mystery drone swarms and UFO/Orb sightings appear to be part of a larger, coordinated operation led by covert organizations. At the heart of this situation, we see an apparent "dry run" for a massive UFO related event, something unprecedented in scale. 

Two significant secret structures are operating in overdrive: the Continuity of Government (COG) framework, the Secret Space Program (SSP), and their affiliated Deep State entities. 

Reports describe unidentified drones hovering over populated metropolitan areas, creating unease and confusion. These occurrences seem designed to provoke public panic and gauge reactions to aerial threats. This data mining effort aligns with a broader plan to cement the idea of a UFO threat in the collective consciousness.  

The objective appears to involve large-scale public tests through overflights of drones to observe how communities respond to the perception of an "alien" threat. This effort dovetails with the government’s ability to invoke emergency powers, potentially leading to the activation of the Continuity of Government (COG) program. 

In recent months, reports indicate that combatant commanders have been conducting drone tests under the guise of countering Unidentified Aerial Phenomena (UAP). 

Historical patterns show that drills often precede major events. For example, during the events of 9/11, a drill reportedly transitioned into an actual crisis. The concern now is whether the current exercises, involving drones and UAP narratives, could similarly go live. 

The recent increase in mystery drone sightings across the U.S. suggests a coordinated rollout of these narratives. There are rumors of additional drills, described as "full lockout" exercises, are scheduled to continue through the holiday season. These events involve the military taking over air traffic and communication systems for hours at a time. 

NORAD and NORTHCOM are central to these operations. In an emergency scenario, the NORAD Commander—who also serves as the COG combatant commander—would assume control of the United States under the COG framework. 

Insiders hint at a significant public spectacle on the horizon, with the possibility of transitioning from a test scenario to a live event. This could involve widespread sightings of drone swarms, coupled with UAP reports, creating a perceived crisis that demands emergency powers. 

The recent drone and UFO/Orb activities reflect a calculated test by elements within the Deep State to shape public perception and readiness for a potential UFO-related crisis. These operations aim to solidify control and prepare the groundwork for leveraging emergency powers under a fabricated or exaggerated threat scenario. 

In summary: The recent flurry of activities points to a deliberate effort to shape how we think and react to an extraterrestrial threat, real or not. At its core, this is a calculated test, designed to prepare the public for a potential UFO crisis where emergency powers could reshape the social and political landscape. 

It might be a coincidence, but this year Congress passed a law granting NORTHCOM authority in the event drones are deemed a national security threat, potentially triggering the implementation of Continuity of Government (COG). This scenario could unfold before Trump’s inauguration, bypassing both Biden’s presidency and Trump’s assumption of office, leading instead to an emergency powers president. 

This isn’t just about UFOs or drones, it's about power, perception, and control. The Deep State is losing its grip, pushing them to play their final card: a fake UFO invasion to maintain authority. This is why their once-hidden advanced technologies are now being revealed, indicating ongoing testing and strategic preparations. Evidence points to highly advanced drone technology, cutting edge tech designed to simulate a so-called "UFO threat." 

So, the next time you glance up at the sky and spot something strange, remember: what you’re seeing might not be an alien invasion. It could be the latest move in a high-stakes chess game, played by forces that thrive in the shadows.

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

21-12-2024 om 23:00 geschreven door peter  

NASA astronaut spots 'two metallic spherical orbs' flying by his airplane over Texas

• READ MORE: Nebraska police chief issues warning after UFOs terrorize his town

By MATTHEW PHELAN SENIOR SCIENCE REPORTER FOR DAILYMAIL.COM

A former NASA astronaut has come forward to reveal that he personally witnessed 'two metallic spherical orbs' whizz by his plane this August while flying above Texas.

Leroy Chiao, who served as the commander of Expedition 10 to the International Space Station (ISS) in 2004 and 2005, was 9,000 feet in the air when objects 'zipped' on the left side of his airplane.

He said one flew on top of the other and each was about three feet in diameter. 

'It's just kinda dumb luck that they didn't hit me,' said Chiao.

The former NASA astronaut estimates that the orbs were only 'about 20 feet away.' 

'It could've been a bad result, if they had actually hit me,' Chiao said. 'It happened so quick, there wasn't even a chance to get scared.'

The NASA veteran, now an engineering consultant and entrepreneur, told NewsNation that the strange metallic orbs appeared to evade detection. 

'It wasn't on radar,' he noted, 'Air traffic control certainly didn't alert me. 

'[And] it wasn't on my display that shows other airplanes that are participating with the [Federal Aviation Administration] FAA-required transponders.' 

'I don't know what it was,' the baffled former astronaut confessed.

A former NASA astronaut has come forward to reveal that he personally witnessed 'two metallic spherical orbs' whizz by his plane while flying above Texas. Above, an example of a 'metallic sphere' weather balloon included in a 2023 report by NASA's UFO advisory panel

'It's just kinda dumb luck that they didn't hit me,' said Leroy Chiao (pictured), whose NASA missions saw him serve as the commander for Expedition 10 to the International Space Station (ISS) in 2004 and 2005. Chaio believes these strange metallic orbs were a top secret drone test

Chiao unpacked the details of his odd late-summer UFO encounter to The Hill on NewsNation, stating that he 'got a good look at them' but 'only for a second.'

'I was flying back from Colorado and I had just refueled in the panhandle of Texas in my small airplane,' Chiao recalled. 

'I was flying back to Houston on an instrument flight plan,' he said, referencing a more formal set of flight rules that are coordinated with FAA air traffic control along known and pre-established flight corridors.

But with the benefit of hindsight, the former astronaut believes that these orb UFOs are still not only 'mysterious' — but that the government's lack of transparency on these and other mystery drones over sensitive US sites has 'scary' implications.

'They could tell us what they know,' Chiao opined, 'and if they really don't know, that's a little more disconcerting.'

Citizens, police and politicians have all put forward theories on who or what is behind this recent wave of drone reports — from mass hysteria to foreign spies to space aliens — Chiao said that he leans toward it being a test of top secret US tech.

'My first guess is that it's some kind of military program, a drone of some kind,' he told NewsNation, 'but you know it's hard to say, right?'

'Frankly, I think whoever was operating the drone wasn't aware that I was there.' 

Above: a leaked US military image of what appears to be a metallic-looking orb flying over Mosul, Iraq in April 2016, included in a classified briefing video on UFOs shown to multiple US government agencies - according to the UFO reporter who obtained the image, Jeremy Corbell 

While playing a 2022 military UFO video taken by an MQ-9 Reaper drone in the Mid East, Pentagon UFO-hunter Dr Sean Kirkpatrick told a NASA panel that: 'We see these ['metallic orbs'] all over the world, and we see these making very interesting apparent maneuvers'

Chao, who saw dealt with an interesting, but ultimately terrestrial 'UFO' case when he lived on board the ISS, said that he is personally concerned about some of the possible worst-case scenarios for America's late 2024 mystery drone wave.

'It is pretty mysterious,' he weighed in. 'It's hard to believe that our government doesn't really know what's going on.'

'At first blush, to me, it seems like some kind of a military program, our military,' he continued, 'and if it's not that, then it gets a little more scary.'

Chiao said that the past month of drone sightings over New Jersey and nearby states, as well as those over US military bases at home and abroad, seem 'way too widespread and organized to be some kind of a prank.'

He added that he feels the Pentagon and the rest of the federal government 'could be a little more transparent.' 

The FBI and other agencies are investigating the alleged drones, but a representative from the Department of Homeland Security said Wednesday, Dec. 11: 'We have no more information as to where these drones are coming from, where they're launching from, where they're landing'

Read More

• Drone ban in New Jersey sees restrictions in 22 towns due to 'special security reasons' 

In New Jersey, Belleville Mayor Michael Melham has also become a vocal critic of the federal government's lack of candor on the drone mystery, calling their response 'disappointing, to say the least.'

'Over 500 mayors were invited to an unprecedented 'mayors-only' briefing on such an important topic,' Mayor Melham told local network WABC last week.

'Many northern NJ mayors traveled nearly three hours round trip, on short notice, to be there,' he explained, 'only to learn what could have easily been said over a Zoom call. Many walked out.'

Journalist and author Michael Shellenberger, who testified to Congress last month on his reports of a hidden UFO data collection program, obtained a recording of the meeting, in which one NJ mayor complained of SUV-sized drones.

'The mayors are livid,' Shellenberger told Fox News. 'One of them got up there and said, 'I had two automobile-sized drones hovering over my house.'' 

Metallic orb UFOs have been the most common type of case reported by US military witnesses according to the first director of the Pentagon's UFO-hunting All-domain Anomaly Resolution Office (AARO), ex-CIA physicist Dr Sean Kirkpatrick. 

'We see these ['metallic orbs'] all over the world,' Dr Kirkpatrick told NASA's UFO advisory group last year, 'and we see these making very interesting apparent maneuvers.'

After mysterious bright lights, according to AARO's most recent annual report, orb or spherical UFOs were still the most commonly reported this year at 22 percent of all US military sightings. 

{ https://www.dailymail.co.uk/ }

21-12-2024 om 22:29 geschreven door peter  

Area 51 secrets to be revealed 'in 2025' by classified projects specialist

• READ MORE: Secret US Army study hints we're living in a holographic universe

By MATTHEW PHELAN SENIOR SCIENCE REPORTER FOR DAILYMAIL.COM

Area 51's 'literally out of this world' UFO secrets might finally come to light sometime next year.

Jim Goodall, an aviation journalist with firsthand sources who have worked at the classified base, gave an interview in the mid-1990s where he discussed top-secret technologies at the site that 'would make George Lucas envious.'

'One gentleman spent 12 of his 30 years in black programs at Groom Lake [as Area 51 is also known],' Goodall explained in the unearthed documentary interview.

'I asked him, 'Can you really tell me what's happening out there?'' he continued.

'And he said, 'Well, there's a lot of things going on there that I won't be able to tell you until the year 2025.''

The mention of '2025' could refer to an executive order by then-President Bill Clinton, which established a 25-year timer for the 'automatic declassification' of government secrets. 

This means many top-secret projects from the 1990s could soon be declassified.

Area 51 is just one of many sensitive military facilities located within the US Air Force's Nevada Test and Training Range (NTTR), a sprawling military training area in Nevada's Mojave Desert.

The shroud of secrecy surrounding Area 51 has fueled widespread conspiracy theories about its true purpose, including claims that it houses captured or crashed UFOs.

Above, a satellite view of Area 51. The United States Air Force facility is a remote detachment of Edwards Air Force Base, within the Nevada Test and Training Range

UFO enthusiasts are pouring over comments Goodall (pictured) made in the mid-'90s, quoting his anonymous sources. One Area 51 source told him, 'I won't be able to tell you until the year 2025. But we have things in the Nevada desert that would make George Lucas envious'

In the resurfaced interview, Goodall recounted a conversation with a 'safety specialist' and US Air Force chief master sergeant who worked at the Nevada test site. 

The specialist reportedly told him: 'We have things out there that are literally out of this world… better than Star Trek.' or anything you can see in the movies.'

When Goodall asked his anonymous source, 'Do you believe in UFOs?' the answer was unequivocal.

'He looked at me with a straight face, one-on-one, and said, 'Absolutely. Positively. They do exist,'' Goodall recalled in the documentary. 

'I said, 'Can you expand upon that?' And he replied, 'No, I can't.''

From his vantage point spying on Area 51 in the Nevada desert, Goodall caught glimpses and heard firsthand accounts of exotic craft that defied conventional understanding.

'There is a stealth or low-observable electronic warfare aircraft. It's been referred to as 'Excalibur,'' he said in the interview.

'There's an aircraft designed to fly very, very high, but also very, very slow and incredibly quiet,' he add.

A rendering of the metallic egg-shaped UFO is seen. 'X-rays couldn't penetrate it; it showed up on X-ray as a solid object. They tried to open it and penetrate its hull; they couldn't,' Taber said

Goodall also discussed how witnesses near the Skunk Works facility reported seeing three triangle-shaped craft that made 'no noise,' even when flying at relatively low altitudes.

He then shared reports of an aircraft tracked by the Federal Aviation Administration (FAA) out of the San Francisco Bay Area TRACON (Traffic Control) in Oakland, California. 

This craft, spotted at least eight times since 1986, reportedly flew through controlled airspace at speeds exceeding 10,000 miles per hour. 

'And it's a very, very large aircraft at that,' he added.

Goodall's accounts align with claims made on the record by Ben Rich, the late director of Lockheed Martin's classified Skunk Works division.

'Ben Rich told me twice before he died,' Goodall recounted, ''We have things at Area 51 that you and the best minds in the world won't even be able to conceive of for another 30 or 40 years—and they won't be made public for another 50.''

Rich died on January 5, 1995. 

But Goodall today noted that Area 51 has become much more difficult to penetrate than during his 1990s heyday — which might indicate it will hold on to its secrets well beyond 2025, matching a timeline closer to Rich's 50-year window.

'That veil is pretty thick today,' Goodall told Las Vegas TV news reporter George Knapp in 2019. 'The security around Area 51 is thicker than we've ever seen.'

In 2021, private pilot and amateur photographer Gabe Zeifman nabbed this image of a triangle craft while flying his own plane past the Nevada Test and Training Range (NTTR), past Papoose Dry Lake, and past Groom Lake which is home to Area 51

Above: a collection of once 'top secret' aircraft made by Lockheed Martin's Skunk Works for the US military over the years 

Read More

EXCLUSIVE

•  UFO swarms filmed buzzing Area 51 and other US military sites for months after 'mothership' cases 

Last year, defense aerospace contractor Eric Taber told to DailyMail.com that a close relative who worked as an Area 51 contractor, Sam Urquhart, had revealed that he had worked on strange 'egg-shaped' spacecraft at the mysterious desert base.

This egg-shaped metallic UFO was kept at Area 51 in the 1980s, after the CIA found the strange craft in the desert, according to Taber. 

'It was egg-shaped, about the size of an SUV, smooth and seamless, metallic-looking, silverish gray in color, with no control surfaces, no flaps, no inlet, and no exhaust, and no writing or symbols on the outside,' Taber was told by his late great uncle Urquhart. 

Other claims of alien craft housed at Area 51 have included the so-called 'Fluxliner' or Alien Reproduction Vehicle (ARV), a man-made reverse-engineered alien spacecraft uncovered by an aerospace industry illustrator in 1988.

In 2021, Gabriel Zeifman captured an image of a triangular craft that might have been a UFO or might have been a man-made craft capable of hypersonic flight.

The craft was parked just a 120-feet wide by 320-feet long shelter at Area 51 that has been identified in the past as Hangar 19.

Defense industry watchers at The War Zone speculated that the triangle might have been an actual known hypersonic aircraft, called the Martin Marietta X-24B. 

'Although its odd shape is intriguing,' the site noted, 'most things that fly out of Groom under a secretive test regime look alien, at least historically speaking.'

{ https://www.dailymail.co.uk/ }

21-12-2024 om 22:08 geschreven door peter  

Interactive map reveals disturbing pattern in drone sightings across the US

• READ MORE:  Joe Rogan stunned by Navy pilot's explanation for NJ drones

By ELLYN LAPOINTE FOR DAILYMAIL.COM

An interactive map has revealed a disturbing pattern in drone sightings across the US.

An unexplained drone invasion has targeted America's military bases worldwide since October, beginning with a swarm over Langley Air Force Base in Virginia.

The pattern became evident when similar activity was reported over New Jersey's Picatinny Arsenal on November 18.

Less than one week later, US bases in England and Germany began grappling with incursions by 'small unmanned aerial systems.'

Back in America sightings were gaining traction. 'Multiple' instances of drones appeared over New Jersey's Navy weapons station, and Ohio's Wright-Patterson Air Force Base closed its airspace due to similar activity on December 13.

The list of affected bases continues to grow, with one in Texas joining the ranks after drones were spotted on December 18. 

In White Settlement —home to the Naval Air Station Joint Reserve Base Fort Worth and Lockheed Martin—residents and police officers observed drones flying in formation about 100 feet in the air, sometimes hovering in groups of six. 

Christopher Cook, police chief in White Settlement, said: 'We haven't seen the formation of drones like that before.'

Drones were spotted over White Settlement, a suburb of Fort Worth in North Texas that is home to the Naval Air Station Joint Reserve Base Fort Worth, this week

The White House said the sightings near or over the Department of Defense (DoD) 'are not new.' 

'DoD takes unauthorized access over its airspace seriously and coordinates closely with federal, state, and local law enforcement authorities, as appropriate,' the statement continued.

The Department of Homeland Security, Department of Defense, Federal Aviation Administration and the FBI released a joint statement on the matter this week.

'A combination of lawful commercial drones, hobbyist drones, and law enforcement drones, as well as manned fixed-wing aircraft, helicopters, and stars mistakenly reported as drones,' the agencies said.

While the White House said drones have long been infiltrating airspace over bases, none have appeared to gain the attention of those witnessed in the last few months.

The sightings started at Langley Air Force base when top Pentagon officials were baffled by a swarm of mystery drones that carried on for 17 days.

One or two fixed-wing drones flew more than 100 feet in the air as smaller quadcopters, the size of 20 commercial drones, flew slower and below them and occasionally hovered. 

They were preceded by a drone estimated to be 20 feet long and flying 100 miles per hour at altitudes up to 4,000 feet. 

The drones were nearly impossible to catch, despite the Air Force's vast resources, according to Gen. Mark Kelly, a decorated senior commander at the airbase. 

Sightings over US military bases began as early as October, as several reports indicated drones near Langley Air Force Base in Hampton, Virginia

Those were followed by drone presence at New Jersey's Picatinny Arsenal in mid-November

Since the sightings over New Jersey's Picatinny Arsenal in Rockaway began last month, the army research and manufacturing facility has reported 11 drone incursions.

A Picatinny Arsenal spokesperson told DailyMail.com: 'We can confirm that they are not the result of any Picatinny Arsenal or DEVCOM Armaments Center (formerly ARDEC) directed actions.'

Shortly after, reports began to emerge at US bases in England and Germany. 

From November 20 to 26, 'small unmanned aerial systems' were spotted in the vicinity of and over three US bases Norfolk and Suffolk counties, England: RAF Lakenheath, RAF Mildenhall and RAF Feltwell.

Just two weeks later, unidentified drones were spotted over the US Ramstein Air Base in Germany on December 3 and 4.

About ten days later, the Joint Staff of the Naval Weapons Station Earle in Monmouth County stated they were aware of reports of drones entering the base's airspace, though the exact timing of the incursions is unknown.

Bill Addison, public affairs officer for the naval station, said in a statement to ABC News: 'While no direct threats to the installation have been identified, we can confirm multiple instances of unidentified drones entering the airspace above Naval Weapons Station Earle.

'The base remains prepared to respond to any potential risks, leveraging robust security measures and advanced detection capabilities.' 

That same day, Wright-Patterson Air Force Base just east of Dayton, Ohio temporarily closed its airspace due to drone sightings. 

New Jersey's Naval Weapons Station Earle in Monmouth County reported on December 13.

Wright-Patterson Air Force Base just east of Dayton, Ohio temporarily closed its airspace due to drone sightings on December 13

Bob Purtiman, chief of public affairs for the 88th Air Base Wing at Wright-Patterson, said the 'small unmanned aerial systems' were monitored by officials during the shutdown.

'To date, installation leadership has determined none of the incursions impacted base residents, facilities or assets,' Purtiman told DailyMail.com.

In a recording of the air traffic control tower at the base posted on YouTube by The War Zone, a controller tells pilots to 'use extreme caution' due to 'heavy UAS activity' above. UAS stands for 'unmanned aircraft system.'

Wright-Patterson is located around five miles outside the city of Dayton in west Ohio. It's home to critical US Air Force commands, including the Air Force Research Lab. 

And this week, FBI launched an investigation into drones that flew near Naval Air Station Joint Reserve Base Fort Worth in Texas. 

In an X post, White Settlement Police Department (WSPD) Chief Christopher Cook said his officers saw 'drones in the area flying near Bomber Road, Silver Creek, and N. Las Vegas Trail.'

The WSPD trying to locate the operator following multiple reports from the public. 

'Out of an abundance of caution, reports have been initiated and we are working with the FBI, NCIS, and Air Force OSI to determine the flight trajectories and who was piloting the unmanned aircraft,' Cook added.

'While we do not believe there were any immediate threats related to last night's activities, it is concerning due to operating in 'NO FLY ZONES' near federal and military properties.'

The drones aren't just targeting military bases. Sightings in civilian communities have been widespread throughout the Northeast, with more than 5,000 reports across the country over the last month. 

Citizens, law enforcement and government officials have all put forward theories as to who or what is behind the wave of drone reports — ranging from mass hysteria to foreign espionage, space aliens to the covert hunt for a loose nuclear bomb.

Despite mounting concern among residents and officials of communities affected by this bizarre drone 'invasion,' federal officials have repeatedly stated that there is no evidence to suggest the drones pose any threat to national security or public safety. 

But multiple state officials have suggested that these drones could be conducting surveillance for foreign adversaries such as Iran, China and Russia. 

Some politicians have even urged the military to shoot them down, including President-elect Donald Trump.

'Mystery Drone sightings all over the Country,' the Republican wrote on the social media site Truth Social on December 13.

'Can this really be happening without our government's knowledge. I don't think so! Let the public know, and now. Otherwise, shoot them down!!! DJT.'

Members of the public have also taken to social media to share countless photos and videos of what they believe to be drones or UAPs in their communities, and to express frustration over the federal government's response to these sightings. 

Some have begun taking matters into their own hands by pointing lasers or even shooting at the drones, especially in New Jersey, which has become a hotspot for drone activity. 

In a stern warning to the public, New Jersey's State Police and the FBI's Newark office have insisted the public stop trying to take down the state's mystery drones.

Whether the investigation into this most recent sighting over White Settlement reveals new information about the operator — or operators — behind these drones remains to be seen. 

If there are any further sightings near military installations or other sensitive areas in the US, that could also help investigators narrow down the purpose of and potential level of threat posed by these aircraft.

{ https://www.dailymail.co.uk/ }

21-12-2024 om 21:32 geschreven door peter  

• READ MORE: China's 'floating' hyperloop train begins construction of new line

By JONATHAN CHADWICK FOR MAILONLINE 

It's been more than 20 years since the legendary Concorde last flew, but China could be the one to provide its spiritual successor. 

A Beijing-based company called Space Transportation is working on a supersonic jet that's even faster than NASA's 'Son of Concorde'. 

In tests, the jet's engine reached Mach 4 or 3,045mph – four times the speed of sound – at altitudes of more than 65,600 feet, reports South China Morning Post. 

This is twice as fast as the defunct Concorde's max speeds (Mach 2 or 1,338mph) and three times that of NASA's 'Son of Concorde' (937 miles per hour). 

'This engine has significant commercial potential in the field of high-speed flight within near-space environments,' Space Transportation said in a statement. 

The successful test flight is a key milestone for developing the Yunxing supersonic civilian jet, which will fly passengers from London to New York in under 2 hours.

Space Transportation aims to have the aircraft ready for its first flight by 2027 and the first commercial high-speed point-to-point transport flight to take place by 2030.  

Yunxing passengers will be high enough to see the curvature of Earth – where the horizon is a slight curve rather than a straight line, normally seen from 50,000 feet. 

The jet reached Mach 4 or 3,045mph - four times the speed of sound - at altitudes of more than 65,600 feet

Called Jindouyun, the jet engine reached Mach 4 or 3,045mph - four times the speed of sound - at altitudes of more than 65,600 feet

Jindouyun, or JinDou400, was named after the 'somersault cloud' used by the Monkey King in the classic Chinese novel 'Journey to the West'. 

On Tuesday (December 17) it completed its test flight in northwestern China, reports Global Times, the daily tabloid owned by the Chinese Communist Party.

Jindouyun is a 'ramjet' – a type of 'airbreathing' jet engine that uses the engine's forward motion to compress the incoming air. 

Ramjet engines burn oxygen directly from the atmosphere, rather than needing to carry their own supply, making them a low-cost, high-power option. 

'This test flight provided key performance data on the engine, validating critical systems including the fuel supply, electrical and control systems,' the firm said.

'It also confirmed the engine's stability and reliability, marking a major milestone in its development from a prototype to a fully functional product.'

Powering the Yunxing aircraft, the Jindouyun engine could usher a new era of superfast passenger travel for commuters and holiday-makers alike. 

Promo images suggest Yunxing will be a sleek and futuristic vessel, more like something from Thunderbirds than what we're used to seeing at airports. 

The successful test flight is a key milestone for developing the Yunxing supersonic civilian jet, which will fly passengers from London to New York in under 2 hours

Powering the Yunxing aircraft, the Jindouyun engine could usher a new era of superfast passenger travel for commuters and holiday-makers alike

Space Transportation aims to have the aircraft ready for its first flight by 2027 and the first commercial high-speed point-to-point transport flight to take place by 2030. Pictured, the firm's promo 

Yunxing is now a serious rival for NASA in the race to fly paying passengers aboard a supersonic jet for the first time since Concorde

The plane will be made of lightweight, high-strength composite materials, designed to withstand extreme aerodynamic heating while travelling at Mach 4. 

Unlike traditional planes that build speed horizontally for takeoff, Yunxing will perform vertical takeoffs and landings, allowing it to ascend and descend in tighter spaces.

This means it won't have to use conventional runways at today's airports, potentially operating from smaller, urban airport facilities instead. 

Yunxing is now a serious rival for NASA in the race to fly paying passengers aboard a supersonic jet for the first time since Concorde.

After years of anticipation, NASA finally unveiled its supersonic X-59 plane aircraft, unofficially dubbed 'Son of Concorde', back in January. 

Developed for NASA by Lockheed Martin, the $247.5 million X-59 plane is capable of cruising at 937 miles per hour – faster than the speed of sound but not anywhere near Mach 4. 

However, because of its more modest supersonic speeds, X-59 may be a more realistic contender for passenger travel in the near-term compared with other experimental vehicles in development

If cleared for commercial travel, it could be used by flight operators and take passengers from London to New York in under four hours – still slashing today's travel time in half. 

The X-59's thin, tapered nose accounts for almost a third of its length and will break up the shock waves that would ordinarily result in a supersonic aircraft causing a sonic boom

Meanwhile, another American company called Boom Supersonic is working on its own supersonic craft, called Overture, which is eyeing commercial passenger flights in 2029. 

Last year, a scaled-down prototype of Overture, called XB-1 Baby Boom, has completed 'key milestones' during testing as it progresses towards its first flight. 

As for Concorde, the legendary Anglo-French creation had its first commercial flights in 1976, but it was grounded in October 2003 in the aftermath of the catastrophic Air France Flight 4590 crash. 

Other reasons for the demise of Concorde were high fuel costs, concern over its noise and a preference for lower fares over speed. 

No government or manufacturer has since been able to build a commercial plane that can travel faster than the speed of sound.

THE HISTORY OF CONCORDE 

Concorde was a turbojet-powered supersonic passenger jet that was operated from 1976 until 2003.

It had a maximum speed over twice the speed of sound at Mach 2.04 (1,354mph or 2,180k per hour at cruise altitude) and could seat 92 to 128 passengers.

It was first flown in 1969, but needed further tests to establish it as viable as a commercial aircraft. Concorde entered service in 1976.

Concorde was the world's first supersonic airliner and operated for 27 years, but it was grounded in October 2003. Pictured is British Airways Concorde G-BOAB taking off with its landing gear still extended over the Cotswolds town of Fairford, Gloucestershire on July 20, 1996, during the annual RAF Fairford airshow

It is one of only two supersonic transports to have been operated commercially. The other is the Soviet-built Tupolev Tu-144, which ran as a passenger aircraft only for a few years in the 1970s due to safety issues.

Concorde was jointly developed and manufactured by Aérospatiale and the British Aircraft Corporation (BAC) under an Anglo-French treaty. Concorde's name, meaning harmony or union, reflected the cooperation on the project between the UK and France.   

Concorde was retired in 2003 due to a general downturn in the commercial aviation industry after its only crash in 2000, the September 11 attacks in 2001, and a decision by Airbus, the successor to Aérospatiale and BAC, to discontinue maintenance support. 

{ https://www.dailymail.co.uk/ }

21-12-2024 om 21:00 geschreven door peter  

EXCLUSIVE - Dozens of SUV-sized drones as fast as 120mph terrorized our town's livestock

• READ MORE: Interactive map reveals mystery drone hotspots amid FBI warnings

By MATTHEW PHELAN SENIOR SCIENCE REPORTER and CHRIS SHARP and MATT FORD FOR DAILYMAIL.COM

The police chief of a small Nebraska city has come forward with a warning for New Jersey after his community was terrorized by mystery drones.

Ord, Nebraska Police Chief Chris Grooms revealed to DailyMail.com how Valley County, NE, and its surrounding regions, were besieged for weeks from December 2019 into January 2020 by 'upwards of 40-50' drone UFOs at a time. 

Across nearly three weeks of nighttime encounters, typically between 7pm and 11pm, these inexplicable SUV-sized drones operated 'with impunity,' Chief Grooms said, and sometimes seemed to be 'toying with law enforcement.'

'A lot of reports by ranchers stated that these objects were harassing their horses or cattle on a nightly basis,' he added. Some of the drones reached speeds of 120mph.

The police chief said he 'finds it alarming' that the White House is insisting that the 'drone incursion over New Jersey is not a known threat' — particularly given that the size, shape and behavior of Nebraska's mystery drones matched those in Jersey.

While the Federal Aviation Administration (FAA) looked into some of Nebraska's drone cases, part of a wave that covered Colorado and Kansas, all the agency could do was confirm with 'high confidence' that the craft were 'not covert military activities.'

While the US Department of Homeland Security (DHS) has downplayed the risks posed by these drones, their calming words have been contradicted by US military base officials, New Jersey mayors and NJ's state Coast Guard, among others.

Although misidentifications of conventional planes have been rife amid the growing public panic, reports by from US military officials across America and Europe, alongside local police, have told matching accounts of these car-sized drones.

Nebraska's 2019 and 2020 'drone swarms' resembled cases seen penetrating the highly restricted airspace above Langley Air Force Base in Virginia in 2023. Above, a photo taken by an eyewitness of one of these Langley drones - provided to the Wall Street Journal and others

Ord, Nebraska Police Chief Chris Grooms (above) told DailyMail.com: 'I find it alarming [...] to think that the US government is telling us that the [...] drone incursion over New Jersey is not a known threat.' Cheap drones, he noted, have proven deadly on the battlefield in Ukraine

Chief Grooms told DailyMail.com his office ultimately reached out to US Strategic Command (STRATCOM), the Pentagon group responsible for missile defense and nuclear deterrence, as well as the FBI, Nebraska State Patrol and the National Guard.

'All those agencies told us they didn’t know what they were,' he recalled, 'or stated that it was not their equipment.'

'It was starting to really irritate people that there was nothing we could do about it.' 

Soon, he said, multiple cases emerged of the apparent drones 'shining beams of light on their homes and livestock.'

These bright lights — beaming onto cattle in the dead of night — would spur the animals to flee beyond their enclosures in certain cases, forcing ranchers to go on a hunt to retrieve them the next morning.

As cases mounted of the drone swarms 'harassing ranchers and their livestock,' Chief Grooms recalled, many local police across multiple counties feared that ranchers would soon start to take matters into their own hands.

'The ranchers [said] "If these things keep messing with my horses and I gotta go round up my cattle every morning [and] if the government's not going to look into it and doing anything, we're just going to try and shoot 'em down,"' Grooms recalled. 

In 2019 and 2020, the police chief was then a deputy to Valley County Sheriff's Office, which protects the towns surrounding the city of Ord where he now serves.

As he remembers, multiple police and sheriff's departments also became worried that locals might get into car accidents 'when people were trying to find these things themselves [...] running across the highways, running stop signs.' 

Above, a swarm of drones that was apparently captured on camera a few miles outside Omaha, Nebraska - three hours east of Ord and Valley County - but taken in the same December 2019 to January 2020 time frame as Police Chief Grooms' own baffling local cases

According to one NJ local, this image depicts roughly nine of the unidentified drones flying in to the Garden State from the Atlantic Ocean on Thursday night, December 5, 2024

A US Army vet with the 82nd Airborne, who served in both Iraq and Afghanistan, Chief Grooms noted that most Americans are well aware of how dangerous even a small cheap drone can be — given their routine, deadly use in the war in Ukraine. 

'A simple drone with just a few pounds of explosives connected to it,' he said, 'can bring down a small structure or take out a tank.'

And, in recent weeks, Chief Grooms noted that he would step down from his role as the police chief for Ord, NE, to pursue a US military support role with a private firm.

In one 911 call report, obtained by DailyMail.com, a rural resident of Lincoln County told police she witnessed 'seven drones flying directly over her house' and that these 'suspicious drones' were moving 'east and west' in a coordinated fashion.

The witness described the seven mystery drones 'as having red, green and white flashing lights' as they buzzed her property over two nights in early January 2020.

The drone swarm's lighting colors, as well as the its behavior, match those that later made repeated brazen incursions over the restricted airspace above Air Force joint-base Langley-Eustis in Virginia, then home to America's stealth F-22 fighter fleet.

For at least 17 nights in December 2023, swarms of these noisy, small UFOs were also seen at dusk 'moving at rapid speeds' and 'flashing red, green, and white lights.'

And these cases are almost identical to what has been reported above sensitive sites in New Jersey, like the US Army's Picatinny Arsenal. 

Base police have reported 11 confirmed and unauthorized drone sightings over the arsenal since November 13, meaning security officers 'visibly witnessed a drone.'

But the White House has continued to minimize these cases — with a joint statement released Tuesday from DHS, FBI, FAA and the Pentagon claiming that they 'do not assess the activity to date to present a national security or public safety risk.'

In one 911 call report, obtained by DailyMail.com, a resident of Lincoln County told police she witnessed 'seven drones flying directly over her house' and the 'suspicious drones' moved 'east and west' in coordinated fashion. Lincoln is southwest of Chief Groom's own county

Police Chief Grooms told DailyMail.com that he too had witnessed a similar mystery drone with red and green lights, just a few days prior on December 28th, 2019. 

At the time, Grooms then-boss Valley County Sheriff Hurlburt also dealt with the drone invasion, witnessing this incident alongside him. 

'Upon linking up with the Sheriff,' Chief Grooms recalled of the Dec 28th encounter, 'we decided to pursue the object the best we could by going westbound on 799th Rd, Gravel Rd, towards the object.' 

'While we traveled westbound in our patrol trucks the object clearly knew our intentions,' he said. 'It had picked up speed to avoid us.' 

'I will note that I found it to be odd or suspicious that the object was clearly avoiding us but at the same time it never veered away from the gravel roads. It always paralleled the gravel roads,' Chief Grooms continued, 'as if it was toying with us.'

Local and national news covered this wave of drones sightings in Colorado, Kansas and Nebraska in late 2019 and 2020. Sheriff's deputies in other parts of Nebraska told the Federal Aviation Administration (FAA) that they witnessed the drones coordinating with a 'mothership'

Sheriff Hurlburt and then-Deputy Grooms chased the 'large drone' in two vehicles from two different lines of sight, as it flew about 20 miles south of Ord near the Davis Creek Reservoir.

'While witnessing this object in the sky I noted that it had red and green blinking lights and was hovering and maneuvering slowly west of Ashton Ave,' Grooms recalled.

'If it really wanted to avoid us completely the object could have just veered away from the gravel roads,' he noted, 'to where we wouldn’t have been able to pursue the object any longer.' 

As former senior Pentagon security official Chris Mellon told DailyMail.com, speaking of the 2023 Langley base incursions, Chief Grooms' encounters also fit 'part of a much larger pattern.'

'These craft are making no effort to remain concealed,' Mellon noted. 'In fact, in some instances, it is clear they want to be seen as though taunting us.'

Valley County dealt with much stranger cases alongside their weeks-long invasion of these mysterious night flights, however, similar to those cases where the drones were 'messing around with ranchers, cattle and whatnot.'

A US Army vet with the 82nd Airborne - who served in both Iraq and Afghanistan - Chief Grooms noted that most Americans are well aware of how dangerous even a small cheap drone can be, given their routine use in the war in Ukraine. Above, Chief Grooms in his Army uniform

Chief Grooms - above right when he was a deputy with Valley County Sheriff in 2020 - gave the following assessment: 'With what I have seen and what other LEO's [law enforcement officers] have told me [...] these objects had a mission and purpose and a well-funded budget' 

Chief Grooms recalled being close enough to the craft to be unsettled by the fact that they produced 'no noise.'

And, he said, his law enforcement colleagues also were blasted with the same incredibly bright lights as Nebraska's livestock themselves.

'I was told by a sheriff who had two deputies with him that a large object that they pursued at upwards of 120mph had stopped and hovered not far from their patrol trucks,' Chief Grooms said. 

'As the sheriff and his deputies went to shine their search lights on the object,' he continued, 'the object shined a bright light on them as well [...] it seemed like daylight all around them for about 150 to 300 yards.'

'The light was so bright they had to look away,' Chief Grooms said.

This drone, the sheriff told him, the was about the size of a Chevrolet Suburban.

Journalist and author Michael Shellenberger, who testified to Congress last month on his reports of a hidden UFO data collection program, has obtained a recording where New Jersey mayors have complained of similarly SUV-sized drones. 

The recording documented a White House drone briefing for New Jersey mayors with presentations by the FBI, DHS and FAA.

'The mayors are livid,' Shellenberger told Fox News. 'One of them got up there and said, "I had two automobile-sized drones hovering over my house."'

The FBI and other agencies are investigating the strange activity. One representative from the Department of Homeland Security said on December 11: 'We have no more information as to where these drones are coming from, where they're launching from, where they're landing'

Above, a military witness testifies to the drones displaying 'flashing red, green, and white lights' above AFB joint-base Langley-Eustis in December 2023. This testimony was released via the US Freedom of Information Act (FOIA), along with 50 pages of other Air Force records

For his part, Chief Grooms is most open to the theory that the so-called 'mystery drones' are either a secretive government program or some form of nonhuman, 'unidentified aerial phenomena' (UAP). 

'I do not believe these UAP/drones could be a foreign adversary due to the fact of how far inland Nebraska is,' he told DailyMail.com. 'If it is a foreign adversary, the US government has failed the citizens of the United States.' 

'These UAP/drones are showing up in great numbers of 30 or more,' the career law enforcement officer and veteran said, 'imagine the damage that could be done if they all dispersed to their locations with intent to do harm.'

Chief Grooms noted that, given the volume of cases in 2019 and 2020, which stretched around a 100-mile radius of quiet, rural Valley County, he has a hard time imagining what the purpose of a secret US military operation would be.

'With what I have seen and what other LEO's [law enforcement officers] have told me [...] these objects had a mission and purpose and a well-funded budget,' he said.

'If these UAP/drones are US military or private contracting technology, then what exactly was its purpose over Nebraska in 2019?' he asked. 

'Other than to burden its citizens and waste local taxpayer dollars on 911 calls and take law enforcement away from its normal duties.'

{ https://www.dailymail.co.uk/ }

21-12-2024 om 01:24 geschreven door peter  

Drone-a-palooza: George Knapp Investigates the Mystery Swarms Over America

In recent months, skies across the United States have become the stage for an unusual and perplexing phenomenon—swarms of unidentified drones. From Nevada to New Jersey, these mysterious objects have captured the attention of millions, sparking debates, fears, and extensive investigations. Veteran journalist George Knapp has delved into what he terms “drone-a-palooza,” providing an in-depth analysis of these events and their implications.

A Troubling Pattern of Intrusions

The current wave of drone sightings is not an isolated occurrence. One year ago, a similar incident unfolded at Langley Air Force Base in Virginia. Despite having some of the most advanced tracking technology in the world, the base’s personnel were unable to identify or deter dozens of drones infiltrating restricted airspace over a two-week period. This inability to manage the incursions raises serious questions about military readiness and the evolving capabilities of these objects.

A notable case occurred in July 2019, when more than 100 unidentified objects swarmed ten U.S. Navy warships off the Pacific coast. These objects, documented through multiple sensors, displayed characteristics that defied conventional drone technology, including wingless designs and a lack of visible propulsion systems. The Pentagon initially dismissed them as benign drones, but their unusual behavior has fueled ongoing speculation.

The Rising Tide of Reports

The frequency and scale of these drone sightings have expanded dramatically, with reports now pouring in from states including Florida, Texas, California, Oregon, and New Jersey. Social media platforms are inundated with videos of these aerial anomalies, ranging from what appear to be ordinary drones to SUV-sized objects exhibiting inexplicable flight patterns.

In New Jersey, for example, state officials received briefings confirming that these drones are not operated by the U.S. government or foreign adversaries. Yet, authorities admitted their inability to track the drones’ origins or destinations, leaving the public uneasy. Similarly, air traffic at Wright-Patterson Air Force Base—notable for its rumored connection to the Roswell crash of 1947—was disrupted due to drone intrusions, adding a historical irony to the situation.

Speculation and Uncertainty

The lack of credible explanations has opened the floodgates to speculation. Some suggest that these drones might be espionage tools from foreign powers like Russia, China, or Iran. Others posit more unconventional theories, such as covert government operations to detect nuclear materials or even extraterrestrial involvement. While officials have dismissed these claims as baseless, inconsistencies in their statements have undermined public trust.

For instance, the Pentagon initially denied any verified drone intrusions into restricted airspace but later admitted to multiple incidents, including over two military bases in New Jersey and a nuclear power plant. Prior to this, drones had been observed in the highly restricted airspace over three critical air bases in the United Kingdom. These revelations only add to the growing unease about the security and surveillance implications of such incidents.

Challenges for National Security

The inability to track and neutralize these drones underscores a significant vulnerability in national security. Modern military sensors, once capable of tracking objects as small as golf balls over vast distances, seem ill-equipped to handle these new threats. This inadequacy has prompted questions about whether these drones represent a deliberate test of U.S. defenses—a test the military appears to be failing.

Observers, including Knapp, have noted the unsettling signal this sends to potential adversaries. If foreign powers are indeed responsible, their apparent ability to infiltrate sensitive areas without consequence is a worrying development. On the other hand, if these drones are merely advanced hobbyist creations or corporate tools, their impact on military and civilian airspace highlights the urgent need for better regulatory measures and tracking technologies.

The Broader Implications

For many, these incidents evoke parallels with the UFO phenomena long studied by enthusiasts and researchers. The dismissive tone adopted by some officials mirrors the skepticism that has historically surrounded UFO investigations. However, the high-profile nature of these drone swarms has forced authorities to take the issue more seriously, even as answers remain elusive.

Knapp highlights the irony of local officials, military personnel, and lawmakers now grappling with the same kind of bureaucratic stonewalling that UFO researchers have faced for decades. The frustration is palpable, with one state legislator describing a recent briefing as “the biggest amateur hour presentation I’ve ever seen.”

VIDEO:

The “drone-a-palooza” phenomenon analyzed by George Knapp underscores a pressing need for transparency, accountability, and innovation in addressing unidentified aerial phenomena. Whether these objects are cutting-edge technology from foreign adversaries, advanced domestic creations, or something entirely unexplained, their presence over critical infrastructure and restricted airspace demands immediate action.

As the mystery deepens, the public’s patience wears thin. What remains clear is that these drones are not just a passing curiosity but a challenge that spans technology, national security, and public trust. Until concrete answers emerge, the skies over America will continue to inspire both wonder and concern.

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

21-12-2024 om 00:45 geschreven door peter  

This Is Clearest UFO Photo Ever Released That Shows Typical Alien Craft

They were flying at 10,000 feet, mapping the landscape beneath with the high-resolution camera that was programmed to take photos every 20 seconds. While reviewing the negatives, Loaiza could not believe his eyes. He even said that they were completely banned from talking about it. According to UFO researcher Oscar Sierra, the photographs were analyzed in the USA and France and found to be 100% real. (Source)

The object can only be seen in the photograph in frame number #300 in the sequence, and there is no indication of it in either the frame of film that came before it or the one that was taken immediately after it. Due to the film stock and the quality of the camera, the image was incredibly clear. This object was not in either the frame before it (#299) or the frame after it (#301).

During the actual flight, the captain and his three crew members did not witness anything, and neither did the other passengers. It is estimated that the UFO was anywhere between 120 and 220 feet across, but the actual width would have depended on the object’s exact altitude.

New York Times writer and author Leslie Kean revealed that she has a framed copy of the photo taken at Lake Cote in the May 10, 2021 issue of The New Yorker by Gideon Lewis-Kraus. The article states, “…On the wall behind her desk, there is a framed black-and-white image that looks like a sonogram of a Frisbee. The photograph was given to her, along with chain-of-custody documentation, by contacts in the Costa Rican government; in her estimation, it is the finest image of a U.F.O. ever made public.”

On the New Yorker Radio Hour, she said: “I love this photo. It’s probably the best photograph of a UFO ever taken. It was taken in the 70s from a government mapping plane in Costa Rica which had a camera strapped on the bottom of the plane and it was like going over the terrain. There was this disc object and you clearly see the sun reflecting off this round object that’s got a little dot on the top and what’s important about it is that it was a government photo. There’s a clear chain of custody. It’s always been in possession of the Costa Rican government so you know it’s authentic and it’s completely unexplained.” (Source)

Read also:

• Ex-NASA Astronaut: ‘We have Contact With Alien Cultures & Their Appearance Is Bizarre’
• Famous 19-Sec UFO Footage Could Be Greatest Leak: CGI Experts Say It Is Real Deal
• Einstein’s Student Claimed US Govt. Re-Engineered UFO & Studied Alien Bodies
• Ex-Apollo Astronaut Claimed Humans Are Ancient Aliens, Visited Earth From Space

In 1985, computer scientist and astronomer Dr. Jacques Vallee obtained a copy of the negative and circulated it to his contacts in the United States government and at a California tech company. However, none of them helped Dr. Vallee in analyzing the negative.

Eventually, in December 1987, Vallee took it to Dr. Richard Haines in San Francisco. Haines was a retired aerospace engineer who had worked for NASA, and Vallee knew him. The photo was scanned, blown up, and looked at. Haines’ first focus was on the lighting. In 1989, Vallee and Haines wrote a “Photo Analysis of an Aerial Disc Over Costa Rica” for the Journal of Scientific Exploration. The 19-page report concluded: (Source)

“In summary, our analyses have suggested that an unidentified, opaque, aerial object was captured on film at a maximum distance of 10,000 feet. There are no visible means of lift or propulsion and no surface markings other than dark regions that appear to be nonrandom… There is no indication that the image is the product of a double exposure or a deliberate fabrication.”

There has always been speculation as to whether the craft had just emerged from or was about to enter Lake Cote. There are numerous local stories concerning UFOs emerging from the water. But it is impossible to understand the path of the craft because it only appeared in one frame #300. The original negative has been kept by the Costa Rican government, and it may be found in the country’s National Archive. There are copies available, such as the one that Vallee and Haines analyzed.

Loaiza’s UFO photograph has never been explained, despite the fact that UFO skeptics have thoroughly examined it. UAP Media, a UK-based UFO research company has got a brand fresh ultra-high resolution drum scan of the original photograph.

• Graeme Rendall – Author of UFOs Before Roswell and Flying Saucer Fever: “It’s a really intriguing photograph, and one which totally captures the imagination. I’m always impressed as to how “right” it looks. As to its veracity, though, I can’t say, but I’d love it to be true. It definitely looks a lot more convincing than a lot of other images I’ve seen over the years. I’d have to leave it to the photo analysis experts to pronounce sentence on it though.”
• Vinnie Adams – member of UAP Media: “After looking into the case, reading about the circumstances surrounding what was seen from that aeroplane that day, and reading the analysis done previously by Dr. Jacques Vallée, it does come across as a very compelling case. The fact that after 50 years it still hasn’t been conclusively proven or debunked is very interesting. Now that we have this high-resolution drum scanned version of the image, hopefully it might reignite interest in the case and lead to further analysis and some sort of conclusion.”
• Luis Elizondo – Former director of AATIP: “Although I was not around during this incident, pilot reports of smooth, shiny, lenticular craft are not new. In fact, even to this day, pilots, both civilian and military, along with their aircrew, continue to witness these types of craft and oftentimes displaying performance capabilities well beyond state of the art. Thankfully, some of these newer incidents are finding their way to Congress due to the courage of our fine men and women in uniform. During my time in AATIP, these incidents were surprisingly common.”
• Jeremy Corbell – Filmmaker: “As we search for meaning behind the UFO presence, it’s important that we remember we are more effective collectively when perusing analysis. Historic images like this one from Costa Rica still have stories to tell, and new insights are sometimes just around the corner. If we can socially democratize and crowdsource our search for answers – we will arrive closer to the truth than if we simply wait for further confirmation from our governments. I’m elated higher fidelity imagery continues to emerge, especially when it allows us to get a glimpse into our UFO past. Makes one wonder what other UFO evidence is lurking in boxes or files that have remained elusive until now. I’m confident that more and more people will be coming forward with valuable insight and evidence in the near future.”

{ https://howandwhys.com/ }

20-12-2024 om 00:47 geschreven door peter  

Creation of Space Arks and their History on Earth: Interview with Elena Danaan

Written by admin  and Posted in extraterrestrial life, Featured, galactic diplomacy.

{ https://exopolitics.org/}

19-12-2024 om 23:42 geschreven door peter  

China puts models of its future crewed moon landing spacecraft on display (video)

19-12-2024 om 23:29 geschreven door peter