The purpose of this blog is the creation of an open, international, independent and free forum, where every UFO-researcher can publish the results of his/her research. The languagues, used for this blog, are Dutch, English and French.You can find the articles of a collegue by selecting his category. Each author stays resposable for the continue of his articles. As blogmaster I have the right to refuse an addition or an article, when it attacks other collegues or UFO-groupes.
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Deze blog is opgedragen aan mijn overleden echtgenote Lucienne.
In 2012 verloor ze haar moedige strijd tegen kanker!
In 2011 startte ik deze blog, omdat ik niet mocht stoppen met mijn UFO-onderzoek.
BEDANKT!!!
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UFO'S of UAP'S, ASTRONOMIE, RUIMTEVAART, ARCHEOLOGIE, OUDHEIDKUNDE, SF-SNUFJES EN ANDERE ESOTERISCHE WETENSCHAPPEN - DE ALLERLAATSTE NIEUWTJES
UFO's of UAP'S in België en de rest van de wereld Ontdek de Fascinerende Wereld van UFO's en UAP's: Jouw Bron voor Onthullende Informatie!
Ben jij ook gefascineerd door het onbekende? Wil je meer weten over UFO's en UAP's, niet alleen in België, maar over de hele wereld? Dan ben je op de juiste plek!
België: Het Kloppend Hart van UFO-onderzoek
In België is BUFON (Belgisch UFO-Netwerk) dé autoriteit op het gebied van UFO-onderzoek. Voor betrouwbare en objectieve informatie over deze intrigerende fenomenen, bezoek je zeker onze Facebook-pagina en deze blog. Maar dat is nog niet alles! Ontdek ook het Belgisch UFO-meldpunt en Caelestia, twee organisaties die diepgaand onderzoek verrichten, al zijn ze soms kritisch of sceptisch.
Nederland: Een Schat aan Informatie
Voor onze Nederlandse buren is er de schitterende website www.ufowijzer.nl, beheerd door Paul Harmans. Deze site biedt een schat aan informatie en artikelen die je niet wilt missen!
Internationaal: MUFON - De Wereldwijde Autoriteit
Neem ook een kijkje bij MUFON (Mutual UFO Network Inc.), een gerenommeerde Amerikaanse UFO-vereniging met afdelingen in de VS en wereldwijd. MUFON is toegewijd aan de wetenschappelijke en analytische studie van het UFO-fenomeen, en hun maandelijkse tijdschrift, The MUFON UFO-Journal, is een must-read voor elke UFO-enthousiasteling. Bezoek hun website op www.mufon.com voor meer informatie.
Samenwerking en Toekomstvisie
Sinds 1 februari 2020 is Pieter niet alleen ex-president van BUFON, maar ook de voormalige nationale directeur van MUFON in Vlaanderen en Nederland. Dit creëert een sterke samenwerking met de Franse MUFON Reseau MUFON/EUROP, wat ons in staat stelt om nog meer waardevolle inzichten te delen.
Let op: Nepprofielen en Nieuwe Groeperingen
Pas op voor een nieuwe groepering die zich ook BUFON noemt, maar geen enkele connectie heeft met onze gevestigde organisatie. Hoewel zij de naam geregistreerd hebben, kunnen ze het rijke verleden en de expertise van onze groep niet evenaren. We wensen hen veel succes, maar we blijven de autoriteit in UFO-onderzoek!
Blijf Op De Hoogte!
Wil jij de laatste nieuwtjes over UFO's, ruimtevaart, archeologie, en meer? Volg ons dan en duik samen met ons in de fascinerende wereld van het onbekende! Sluit je aan bij de gemeenschap van nieuwsgierige geesten die net als jij verlangen naar antwoorden en avonturen in de sterren!
Heb je vragen of wil je meer weten? Aarzel dan niet om contact met ons op te nemen! Samen ontrafelen we het mysterie van de lucht en daarbuiten.
05-04-2025
UFOs in Triangle Formation Over Bristol Connecticut, April 3, 2025, UAP Drone Sighting News.
UFOs in Triangle Formation Over Bristol Connecticut, April 3, 2025, UAP Drone Sighting News.
Date of sighting: April 3, 2025
Location of sighting: Bristol, Connecticut, USA
Source:Email report
Watch as several glowing orange red lights are moving in a triangle formation, military formation. Alien craft often take a strange stance when flying around US military bases. The UFOs are on the move and clearly want to be seen. As I said before, a big reveal is come from aliens very soon in the coming 6 months. They are no longer waiting for permission from the world learnings but instead, taking things into their own hands.
Scott C. Waring
Eyewitness states:
in the video I was only able to capture 3 but there were about 5 or 6 of these. Not moving crazy fast but definitely moving good enough to where all that could be seen was a glowing orange light and they were low.
Orb Watches Plane Over Helsinki, Finland April 3, 2025 UFO UAP Sighting News.
Orb Watches Plane Over Helsinki, Finland April 3, 2025 UFO UAP Sighting News.
Date of sighting: April 3, 2025
Location of sighting: Helsinki, Finland
Source: Email report
Watch this cloud orb come out and start following the plane in broad daylight. This thing wants to be seen. The orb is moving at the same speed as the plane which is close to 350-450 mph, so that rules out balloon or weather balloon. I think the drones people see around the world with three or four lights...are actually three or four orbs flying in unison together appearing like one craft but really each light is a separate alien craft.
Scott C. Waring
Eyewitness states:
As the plane was descending into Helsinki Airport right before sunset, I noticed a bright, stationary white orb in the sky. It wasn’t moving at all even though our plane and the buildings below were clearly in motion. It was just hovering, maybe 1–2 miles away from us at most, and definitely not far in the distance like a star or planet. I started filming it, and it eventually disappeared after briefly moving behind the wing. It reappeared again and then vanished entirely without a trace.
The car-sized robot's molecule-sleuthing instrument, called Sample Analysis at Mars, or SAM, identified the longest-ever-found organic compounds on Mars. They could be fragments of "fatty acids," a building block of earthly life that can compose cell membranes. While the discovery in Martian mudstone isn't nearly definitive proof of past life on Mars — these fatty acids can also be formed via non-biological processes — it does show that such potential evidence can be preserved in Mars' extremely harsh surface environs.
It also underscores that NASA's nuclear-powered rovers have done their job — identifying potential evidence of life — and that the samples must now be deeply scrutinized by scientists on Earth.
“We are ready to take the next big step and bring Mars samples home to our labs to settle the debate about life on Mars,” Daniel Glavin, the senior scientist for sample return at NASA’s Goddard Space Flight Center, said in a statement.
The debate about Martian life, however, won't be settled anytime soon. NASA's Mars Sample Return mission is in limbo as the space agency seeks out cheaper and simpler ways to transport samples (collected by Curiosity's sibling robot, Perseverance) in sealed, cigar-sized titanium tubes. Plans won't be finalized until 2026, and it's unlikely the samples will be returned to Earth before the mid-2030s.
These newly identified chains of organic molecules, which are based on carbon similar to much of life on Earth, certainly add more weight to the scientific merit behind the ambitious sample return endeavor. Such a journey to Mars and back may still cost some $6 to $8 billion. Specifically, the rock samples assessed by the Curiosity rover contain decane, undecane, and dodecane, which are composed of long chains of carbon atoms.
Adding to the samples' intrigue is where they were found. Curiosity drilled the rock from a region in the expansive Gale Crater called "Yellowknife Bay," which is an ancient, dried-up lakebed. On Earth, we know that life thrives in such watery, often nutrient-rich environs. Could it have done so on Mars, too?
"There is evidence that liquid water existed in Gale Crater for millions of years and probably much longer, which means there was enough time for life-forming chemistry to happen in these crater-lake environments on Mars,” Glavin, who coauthored the new Mars research, said.
What's more, each of the fatty acids detected in the rover's microwave-sized Sample Analysis at Mars instrument is a chain of carbons between 11 to 13 long. "Notably, non-biological processes typically make shorter fatty acids, with less than 12 carbons," NASA noted.
This all adds up to a significant amount of scientific intrigue — but no clear answers. Today, Mars is 1,000 times drier than the driest desert on Earth. But amid a warmer, hospitable climate — which hosted expansive lakes, long shorelines, and great Martian oceans — life might have found a way billions of years ago.
Hardy Martian life could have also once thrived well beyond the reach of NASA's rovers, deep in the Red Planet's subsurface, protected from radiation and climate extremes. But that's another story waiting to be written by another, future robot.
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What is the most dangerous asteroid, how probable is an impact, and how much destructive power would a collision with Earth have? Here are 5 big space rocks that NASA is watching closely.
An illustration of a near-Earth asteroid making a close pass of Earth
(Image credit: Getty Images)
Roughly 66 million years ago, Earth was struck by a city-size asteroid. The impact released the energy equivalent to the detonation of 72 trillion tons (65 metric tons) of TNT, carving a 100-mile-wide (180 kilometers) scar in what is now Mexico's Yucatán Peninsula.
The most infamous effect of this asteroid, named the Chicxulub impactor, was the death of the nonavian dinosaurs along with around three-quarters of Earth's species in an event called the Cretaceous-Paleogene extinction.
In an effort to prevent similarly catastrophic collisions, NASA's Center for Near Earth Object Studies (CNEOS) operates the Sentry impact-monitoring system, which continuously performs long-term analyses of possible future orbits of potentially hazardous asteroids. Here are the five asteroids that pose the greatest risk to Earth.
Asteroid Bennu, as seen on Jan. 6, 2019, by NASA's OSIRIS-REx spacecraft. (Image credit: NASA/Goddard/University of Arizona)
Size: 0.30 mile (0.49 kilometer) Mass: 74 million tons (67 million metric tons)
Discovered in September 1999 and officially designated "101955 Bennu (1999 RQ36)," the near-Earth asteroid Bennu currently poses the greatest risk of impacting our planet — but fortunately, not for some time. NASA scientists calculate that when Bennu makes a close approach to Earth on Sept. 24, 2182, there is a 0.037% — or 1 in 2,700 — chance that the asteroid will strike our planet.
In preparation for this, scientists are learning as much as they can about this carbon-rich asteroid, which is believed to have broken away from a larger asteroid between 2 billion and 700 million years ago. On Sept. 24, 2023, NASA's OSIRIS-REx spacecraft returned a sample of Bennu to Earth, and the space rock has been analyzed by teams of researchers across the globe. Early results suggest that Bennu contains the building blocks of life, including the simple amino acid glycine, as well as many water-bearing minerals. This suggests Bennu's parent body witnessed many water-related episodes before eventually fracturing, Live Science previously reported.
If Bennu impacted Earth, it would release the energy equivalent to the detonation of1.4 billion tons of TNT, causing regional destruction but lacking the potential to cause global devastation. If it were to impact a densely populated area, Bennu could cause millions of deaths.
The second-riskiest object is the asteroid 29075 (1950 DA), which was lost after its initial discovery in February 1950 and rediscovered 50 years later. 1950 DA is believed to be a loose-rubble-pile asteroid with high iron-nickel content. Currently, 1950 DA has a 0.0029% — or 1 in 34,500 — chance of impacting Earth on March 16, 2880.
If 1950 DA were to hit Earth, it would release the energy equivalent to 75 billion tons of TNT — enough to trigger a global catastrophe that could potentially wipe out humanity.
3. 2023 TL4
The orbital path of asteroid 2023 TL4, showing where it intersects with Earth's orbit. (Image credit: NASA/ JPL)
Size:0.20 mile (0.33 kilometer) Mass: 47 million tons (43 million metric tons)
2023 TL4, discovered in 2023, shows that a newfound space object can immediately become one of the most potentially hazardous asteroids. From observations collected between Oct. 8 and Oct. 19, 2023, astronomers calculated that 2023 TL4 has a 0.00055% — or 1 in 181,000 — chance of striking Earth on Oct. 10, 2119. Should such an impact occur, 2023 TL4 would release the energy equivalent to the detonation of 7.5 billion tons of TNT.
4. 2007 FT3
The orbital path of asteroid 2007 FT3, showing where it intersects with Earth's orbit. (Image credit: NASA/ JPL)
Size: 0.21 mile (0.34 kilometer) Mass:54 million tons (49 million metric tons)
2007 FT3 is defined as a "lost asteroid" because astronomers haven't seen it since 2007. This object's orbit is currently not well constrained, but NASA predicts that the asteroid has a 0.0000096% — or 1 in 10 million — chance of striking our planet on March 3, 2030. The asteroid has a slightly lower probability of 0.0000087% — or 1 in 11.5 million — chance of striking Earth on Oct. 5, 2024.
Should such an impact happen in 2024 or 2030, FT3 would release the energy equivalent to the detonation of 2.6 billion tons of TNT — enough to cause massive regional damage, but not to trigger a global catastrophe.
5. 1979 XB
The orbital path of asteroid 1979 XB, showing where it intersects with Earth's orbit.(Image credit: NASA/ JPL)
Size:0.41 mile (0.66 kilometer) Mass:390 million tons (354 metric tons)
Another lost asteroid, 1979 XB, hasn't been seen for around 40 years and thus also has a poorly understood orbit. From what CNEOS scientists do understand, the asteroid, which was first observed on Dec. 11, 1979, has a 0.000055% — or 1 in 1.8 million — chance of striking Earth on Dec. 14, 2113. Such a collision would release the same energy as the detonation of 30 billion tons of TNT.
(Dis) Honorable mention: 99942 Apophis
ESA Herschel Space Observatory captured asteroid Apophis in its field of view during the approach to Earth on Jan. 5 and 6, 2013. (Image credit: NASA/ JPL)
It's hard to talk about risky asteroids without mentioning 99942 Apophis.This asteroid — with a suitably apocalyptic name referencing Apep the Uncreator, an enemy of the Ancient Egyptian sun god Ra — sat atop the risky-asteroid table for almost two decades.
Discovered in June 2004, Apophis was quickly identified as one of the most hazardous asteroids that could impact Earth. But that changed in 2021, when a radar observation campaign better constrained the asteroid's orbit. This led astronomers to conclude that the 1,100-foot-wide (340 m) Apophis poses no risk to Earth for at least 100 years. It now sits in the "removed objects" section of the Sentry Risk table.
That means skywatchers will be able to watch Apophis during its close approach in 2029 as it passes within 20,000 miles (32,000 km) — closer than some satellites — with binoculars and telescopes, without the fear that its returns in 2036 and 2068 will threaten the planet.
So what is the risk?
The idea of an asteroid strike is frightening, but all of the space rocks on this list are listed as "zero," or "white," on the Torino Impact Hazard scale. Adopted by the International Astronomical Union in 1999, the Torino scale gives asteroids a number ranging from 0 to 10, indicating both the risk of impact and the consequences of such a strike.
Level 0, the white zone, indicates zero risk of impact or at least a risk so low it might as well be zero. This level applies not only to asteroids that will miss Earth but also to small objects from space that will burn up in the atmosphere and thus pose no threat.
Levels 8 to 10, on the other hand, are in the red zone, representing asteroids that will certainly collide with Earth, with effects ranging from localized destruction (Level 8) and unprecedented regional devastation (Level 9) to global climatic catastrophe (Level 10) that may threaten the future of civilization as we know it.
At the moment, there are no objects on the Sentry Risk table above level 0. Bennu and 1950 DA don't have Torino ratings because their predicted impacts are more than 100 years into the future. As NASA states, "There is currently no known significant threat of impact for the next hundred years or more."
Of course, there still could be potentially hazardous objects out there waiting to be found — indeed, thousands of potential "city-killers" and even some "planet-killers" may be hiding in the sun's glare — which is why CNEOS is ever vigilant in its search for near-Earth asteroids.
Editor's note: This article was updated on June 18, 2024, to include new information about asteroid Bennu revealed during the OSIRIS-REx mission.
Elon Musk May Be Draining The Black Budget...And That’s a Big Problem For Alien Tech Programs, UFO Sighting News.
Elon Musk May Be Draining The Black Budget...And That’s a Big Problem For Alien Tech Programs, UFO Sighting News.
This is something I’ve been thinking about for a while now. Elon Musk...yes, that Elon Musk, the face of SpaceX and Tesla...may be doing something he doesn't even realize: taking money away from the U.S. black budget. And if you know anything about how the black budget works, you’ll understand how dangerous that could be.
Let’s be real. The black budget isn’t just for high tech fighter jets and spy satellites. It funds everything the U.S. doesn’t want the public to know about: back engineered alien tech, secret underground bases, reverse engineered craft from crash sites...like Roswell, like the one in South Africa, and others we’ve never even heard about. And yeah, off world operations.
Let’s talk about that.
Back in 2001, UK hacker Gary McKinnon broke into NASA and U.S. military systems and found files labeled "non-terrestrial officers" and references to “fleet-to-fleet transfers.” Think about that. A fleet. Not a ship. A fleet! He said he found the names of ships that aren’t in any public registry. That sounds like a U.S. military space program completely off the books...probably funded by, you guessed it, the black budget.
Now, when Elon Musk gets billions in contracts to launch satellites or resupply the ISS, where is that money coming from? A huge chunk of it may be siphoned directly from top-secret programs. Which ones? We don't know, because they don't officially exist.
But here’s where it gets wild...some of these programs are rumored to operate independently of the U.S. government. We're talking about rogue groups, possibly linked to the so called Men in Black. But these guys don’t go by names, ranks, or any public agency. They answer to no one. They protect alien tech and information, and some believe they’re even hybrid or entirely non human.
So what happens if Musk takes too much attention...and too much funding? Those rogue ops could go dark or lose control over the advanced tech they've been hiding for decades. Or worse, they retaliate and go after Musk. Musk could unknowingly be poking a hornet’s nest that stretches beyond Earth. Maybe that's why he keeps saying he's never seen aliens...because he's being watched and he knows it.
I’m not saying Musk is the bad guy here. But when you tamper with things buried this deep down the rabbit hole, someone notices. Someone always does.
Uncovering the Hidden Alien Face in the Mona Lisa: A Da Vinci Mystery. UFO UAP Sighting News.
Uncovering the Hidden Alien Face in the Mona Lisa: A Da Vinci Mystery. UFO UAP Sighting News.
Okay, so hear me out: there’s this wild theory that Leonardo Da Vinci secretly hid an alien face in the Mona Lisa. I know, it sounds crazy, but after watching this video, you can’t unsee it! I made the video and it makes a lot of sense.
The details behind her head seem to line up with something out of this world, almost like Da Vinci was trying to tell us something...maybe he had contact with aliens, or at least knew something we don’t. The way the features are shaped and positioned, it’s like there’s a hidden message in plain sight. It makes you wonder...was Da Vinci ahead of his time, or was he onto something way bigger than we realize? I believe he was an alien hybrid, left behind as an experiment in human evolution.
UAP DEFINITIE EN BETEKENIS: Understanding Unidentified Aerial Phenomena
UAP DEFINITIE EN BETEKENIS: Understanding Unidentified Aerial Phenomena
Ongeïdentificeerde Luchtverschijnselen (UAP's) Een still uit een video waarop een onbekend object te zien is, vastgelegd door een vliegtuig van de Amerikaanse marine.
Inleiding
In de afgelopen decennia hebben onopgeloste luchtverschijnselen zowel de nieuwsgierigheid als de scepticisme van wetenschappers, overheid en het grote publiek gewekt. Wat ooit bekend stond als UFO's (Unidentified Flying Objects) heeft zich ontwikkeld tot de bredere term UAP (Unidentified Aerial Phenomena). Dit document biedt een analytische verkenning van deze evolutie, de opkomst van de UAP-era en de voortdurende zoektocht naar antwoorden op deze intrigerende verschijnselen.
De Evolutie van UFO naar UAP
De term UFO werd voor het eerst populair in de jaren vijftig, toen een golf van waarnemingen van ongeïdentificeerde vliegende objecten de media en het publiek in een greep hield. In die tijd werden UFO's vaak geassocieerd met buitenaards leven en samenzweringstheorieën. De meeste waarnemingen konden echter niet worden verklaard en leidden tot een toenemend aantal speculaties.
In de loop der jaren is de terminologie veranderd en is de term UAP in zwang geraakt. De verschuiving van UFO naar UAP weerspiegelt een bredere en meer neutrale benadering van deze fenomenen. UAP omvat niet alleen vliegende objecten, maar ook andere ongeïdentificeerde luchtverschijnselen zoals lichtflitsen en ongebruikelijke bewegingen. Deze evolutie is mede gestimuleerd door een groeiende behoefte aan wetenschappelijke objectiviteit en een grotere bereidheid binnen overheidsinstanties om dergelijke fenomenen serieus te onderzoeken.
Wetenschappelijke en culturele impact
De evolutie van UFO naar UAP heeft niet alleen invloed gehad op de wetenschappelijke gemeenschap, maar ook op de popcultuur. Films, boeken en documentaires hebben bijgedragen aan de fascinatie voor deze fenomenen. De term UAP heeft in deze context geholpen om de discussie te verbreden en minder te focussen op het idee van buitenaardse wezens, wat het mogelijk maakt om de fenomenen vanuit een wetenschappelijker perspectief te benaderen.
De UAP Era Begint
De recente toename van rapporten en studies over onverklaarde luchfenomenen (UAP's) heeft geleid tot de zogenaamde UAP-era. Deze fase, die de wereldwijde belangstelling voor het onderwerp heeft aangewakkerd, werd in gang gezet door de vrijgave van videomateriaal door de Amerikaanse marine in 2017. Dit materiaal bevatte beelden waarop verschillende UAP's werden vastgelegd door gevechtsvliegtuigen. De beelden toonden objecten die zich met onverklaarbare snelheid en wendbaarheid bewogen, wat de aandacht trok van zowel wetenschappers als beleidsmakers. De impact van deze onthullingen heeft geleid tot een hernieuwde en serieuze discussie over de aard van deze fenomenen en hun mogelijke implicaties voor de mensheid.
Belangrijke publicaties en onderzoeken
In 2020 en 2021 publiceerde de Amerikaanse regering verschillende rapporten over UAP's, waaronder een rapport van de Office of the Director of National Intelligence (ODNI). Deze rapporten gaven een overzicht van de waarnemingen die door verschillende militaire en civiele instanties waren gedaan. Ze benadrukten de noodzaak voor verder onderzoek naar deze fenomenen. Het rapport concludeerde dat de meeste waarnemingen niet konden worden verklaard, maar dat ze ook niet noodzakelijkerwijs bewijs voor buitenaards leven waren. Dit leidde tot een groeiende bezorgdheid over nationale veiligheid en de noodzaak om te begrijpen wat deze objecten waren en waar ze vandaan kwamen.
De UAP-era heeft geleid tot de oprichting van speciale onderzoekscommissies binnen de overheid, zoals de UAP Task Force. Deze instanties hebben als doel de fenomenen verder te bestuderen en te begrijpen, evenals de mogelijke implicaties voor de nationale veiligheid. De oprichting van deze taskforces is een belangrijke stap, omdat het aangeeft dat de overheid serieus genomen wil worden in het onderzoeken van deze mysterieuze waarnemingen, en dat er een bereidheid is om informatie te delen met het publiek.
De rol van technologie
Technologische vooruitgang heeft ook een belangrijke rol gespeeld in de UAP-era. Verbeterde radarsystemen, infraroodcamera's en andere sensortechnologieën hebben het mogelijk gemaakt om UAP's nauwkeuriger te detecteren en te analyseren. Dit heeft geleid tot een groeiend aantal waarnemingen en een grotere hoeveelheid data die kan worden bestudeerd. De ontwikkeling van nieuwe technologieën heeft niet alleen de detectie verbeterd, maar ook de mogelijkheid om deze objecten te volgen en hun gedrag te analyseren.
Bovendien hebben sociale media en de opkomst van smartphones het voor getuigen gemakkelijker gemaakt om hun ervaringen vast te leggen en te delen. Dit heeft geleid tot een grotere verzameling van getuigenissen en video-opnamen, die onderzoekers kunnen gebruiken om patronen te identificeren en meer inzicht te krijgen in de aard van UAP's. Wetenschappers en onderzoekers zijn nu beter uitgerust dan ooit om deze fenomenen te bestuderen, wat de kans vergroot dat we in de toekomst meer te weten komen over wat deze objecten zijn en waar ze vandaan komen.
We Are Not Alone: Live roundtable on historic UFO hearing | NewsNation Prime
UFO's, UAP's en de Quest for Answers
De zoektocht naar antwoorden op de mysteries rondom UAP's is een multidisciplinaire inspanning die wetenschappers, ingenieurs, militaire analisten en zelfs filosofen omvat. Er zijn verschillende benaderingen en theorieën ontwikkeld om deze fenomenen te begrijpen. De diversiteit aan disciplines die betrokken zijn bij het onderzoek naar UAP's weerspiegelt de complexiteit van het onderwerp en de verschillende perspectieven die nodig zijn om het volledig te begrijpen.
Wetenschappelijke benaderingen
Wetenschappelijke benaderingen omvatten het gebruik van statistische analyses om patronen in waarnemingen te identificeren, evenals het ontwikkelen van hypotheses over de aard van UAP's. Sommige wetenschappers pleiten voor het toepassen van de methodologie van de natuurwetenschappen om UAP's te onderzoeken, terwijl anderen pleiten voor een meer interdisciplinaire aanpak die ook sociale en culturele aspecten in overweging neemt. Dit betekent dat onderzoekers niet alleen naar de technische aspecten van UAP's kijken, maar ook naar hoe deze fenomenen in de context van de menselijke ervaring passen.
Een belangrijk aspect van de wetenschappelijke benadering is de noodzaak om objectieve gegevens te verzamelen en te analyseren. Dit kan inhouden dat onderzoekers gebruikmaken van geavanceerde algoritmen en kunstmatige intelligentie om grote hoeveelheden data te verwerken en patronen te identificeren die anders misschien over het hoofd worden gezien. Daarnaast is er ook een groeiende belangstelling voor het begrip van de psychologische impact van UAP-waarnemingen op individuen en gemeenschappen, wat kan bijdragen aan een breder begrip van hoe deze fenomenen worden waargenomen en geïnterpreteerd.
Filosofische en ethische overwegingen
De zoektocht naar antwoorden op UAP's roept ook belangrijke filosofische en ethische vragen op. Wat betekent het voor de mensheid als we bewijs van buitenaards leven zouden vinden? Hoe zouden religies reageren op dergelijke ontdekkingen? De implicaties zijn enorm en vereisen een zorgvuldige overweging. Deze vragen zijn niet alleen academisch van aard; ze raken aan de kern van ons begrip van onszelf en onze plek in het universum.
Filosofen en ethici zijn begonnen na te denken over de gevolgen van het ontdekken van buitenaards leven of technologie. Zou dit onze morele en ethische kaders veranderen? Hoe zouden we moeten reageren op een mogelijk contact met een andere intelligentie? Dergelijke overpeinzingen zijn cruciaal, omdat de antwoorden die we vinden niet alleen ons begrip van UAP's kunnen beïnvloeden, maar ook de manier waarop we ons als soort ontwikkelen en ons verhouden tot andere levensvormen in het universum.
UAP's: aliens of iets anders? Enkele van de meest voorkomende oorzaken voor UAP-waarnemingen
De rol van de overheid en transparantie
De rol van de overheid in de UAP-onderzoeken is cruciaal. Transparantie over waarnemingen en studies kan helpen om het vertrouwen van het publiek te winnen. De recente beweging naar openheid, zoals het vrijgeven van vertrouwelijke documenten en rapporten, is een positieve stap in de richting van een beter begrip van UAP's. Deze transparantie kan ook bijdragen aan het verminderen van de stigmatisering die vaak gepaard gaat met het melden van UAP-waarnemingen.
De overheid heeft de verantwoordelijkheid om het publiek te informeren over de bevindingen van UAP-onderzoeken, niet alleen om de wetenschappelijke gemeenschap te betrekken, maar ook om een breed scala aan perspectieven en inzichten te verzamelen. Dit kan helpen om de vragen en zorgen van burgers aan te pakken en een inclusieve discussie over het onderwerp te bevorderen.
De impact van publieke perceptie
De manier waarop het publiek UAP's waarneemt is ook van groot belang. In de afgelopen jaren is er een verschuiving geweest in de publieke perceptie van UAP's, van een onderwerp dat vaak werd belachelijk gemaakt tot een serieus onderzoeksgebied. Dit is in grote mate te danken aan de toegenomen media-aandacht en de betrokkenheid van wetenschappers en overheidsinstanties. De rol van sociale media en online gemeenschappen heeft ook bijgedragen aan deze verschuiving, waardoor mensen hun ervaringen en gedachten over UAP's kunnen delen en bijdragen aan een bredere dialoog.
Met deze verschuiving in de publieke perceptie komt ook een grotere verantwoordelijkheid voor zowel de media als de overheid. Het is belangrijk dat ze nauwkeurige en eerlijke informatie verstrekken over UAP's, om speculatie en desinformatie te verminderen. Een goed geïnformeerd publiek is essentieel voor een constructieve discussie over de implicaties van UAP's en wat ze voor onze toekomst kunnen betekenen.
The UFO Phenomenon | Full Documentary 2021 | 7NEWS Spotlight
Conclusie
De UAP-era heeft ons geconfronteerd met een aantal van de meest intrigerende en uitdagende vragen die we ons als mensheid kunnen stellen. Terwijl we verder gaan in onze zoektocht naar antwoorden, is het essentieel dat we een multidisciplinaire benadering blijven hanteren, waarbij de inzichten van wetenschappers, filosofen, ethici en het grote publiek worden meegenomen. De mysteries rond UAP's zijn nog lang niet opgelost, maar de vooruitgang die we maken in ons begrip van deze fenomenen biedt ons de kans om niet alleen meer te leren over de wereld om ons heen, maar ook over onszelf.
De evolutie van UFO naar UAP markeert een belangrijke verschuiving in hoe we denken over ongeïdentificeerde luchtverschijnselen. De UAP-era, gekenmerkt door een toename van waarnemingen en een grotere bereidheid om deze fenomenen serieus te onderzoeken, biedt een unieke kans voor wetenschappelijk onderzoek en maatschappelijke reflectie. De zoektocht naar antwoorden op de mysteries van UAP's is nog maar net begonnen, maar de vooruitgang die tot nu toe is geboekt, wijst op een fascinerende toekomst waarin we mogelijk meer zullen leren over de onbekende aspecten van onze lucht en het universum.
De weg vooruit zal ongetwijfeld vol uitdagingen en nieuwe ontdekkingen zijn, maar met de juiste samenwerking, transparantie en een open geest kunnen we misschien eindelijk de antwoorden vinden waar we al zo lang naar op zoek zijn. De UAP-era is nog maar net begonnen, en de mogelijkheden zijn eindeloos.
Referenties
Office of the Director of National Intelligence. (2021). Preliminary Assessment: Unidentified Aerial Phenomena.
Hynek, J. A. (1972). The UFO Experience: A Scientific Inquiry.
McWest, J. (2020). The Science of UFOs: A Study of Unidentified Aerial Phenomena.
Vallee, J. (1990). Confrontations: A Scientist's Search for Alien Contact.
Dit document biedt een overzicht van de huidige staat van kennis over UAP's en de vele vragen die nog beantwoord moeten worden. Het is een uitnodiging aan wetenschappers en het publiek om samen te werken aan het ontrafelen van de mysteries die de lucht boven ons blijven omhullen.
U.S. Navy pilots tracked and photographed what appeared to be a fast-moving object off the Florida coast in 2015. Department of Defense
As you gaze up at the vast night sky, spotting flying objects and flashing lights, you might wonder if you're witnessing evidence of extraterrestrial visitors or simply natural phenomena. Historically, most people would label these mysterious objects as UFOs or Unidentified Flying Objects.
But did you know that there's a more modern terminology now in play? Enter "UAP" or Unidentified Aerial Phenomena. So, what exactly is the UAP meaning?
Throughout history, from ancient Greece to present times, people have reported sightings of unidentified objects in the sky. These events, often linked with extraterrestrial origin, have been the focus of many enthusiasts and government agencies alike.
But the term UFO isn't without its issues.
When we hear "UFO", our minds often jump straight to alien spacecraft. Blame it on pop culture or the association the term has built over the years.
A Brief History of UFOs
The term "UFO" came into our lexicon after a significant event on June 24, 1947. Pilot Kenneth Arnold reported nine bright, flying discs moving at high speeds near Mount Rainer.
This report birthed the terms "flying saucer" and "flying disc," laying the groundwork for what we commonly refer to as UFOs. Following Arnold's report, government officials and military units started establishing UFO investigation task forces.
Over the past decades, UFO sightings became synonymous with aliens. Reports from pilots, military personnel, and civilians alike about flying saucers, hovering lights and objects moving at high speeds always seemed to suggest visitors from outer space.
2. The UAP Era Begins
This screenshot of a leaked video of a flashing, triangle-shaped object that flew over a U.S. warship was confirmed by the Pentagon as real, though it declined to label it a UAP. SETI
The shift from "UFO" to "UAP" was subtle but significant. UAPs encompass a broader definition, including any unidentified anomalous phenomena in the sky. This change in terminology was partly due to recent years of data collected by national security departments and civilian star gazers.
This report mentioned the rigorous scientific methods applied to UAP research, using advanced technologies like radar. It was no longer just about eyewitness accounts. The focus had shifted to hard evidence and understanding the nature of these events.
In a leap towards understanding these phenomena better, NASA has now commissioned an independent team of 16 scientists and astrophysicists. They aim to analyze unclassified UAP data and work towards ensuring aircraft safety.
3. UFOs, UAPs and the Quest for Answers
Whether it's UFOs or UAPs, the essence remains the same: unidentified flying objects in the sky. Both terms, while carrying different connotations, point towards humanity's eternal exploration and desire to understand the unknown.
While UAPs might be the preferred term in government circles, it doesn't exclude the possibility of extraterrestrial origins. The UAP terminology might just be the scientific community's way of embracing these unidentified objects without fear of, well, sounding a bit out of this world.
The change in terminology represents a more data-driven, scientific approach to understanding mysterious flying objects in our sky. As the stars twinkle and mysterious objects continue to whizz by, our search for answers continues, regardless of what we call them.
This article was updated in conjunction with AI technology, then fact-checked and edited by a HowStuffWorks editor.
Now That's Interesting
One of the earliest known discussions of the possibility of alien life appears in a book written around 50 B.C.E. by a protégé of Epicurius, Lucretius. In his book "De rerum natura," or "On the Nature of Things," he writes, "... 'Tmust be confessed in other realms there are / Still other worlds, still other breeds of men / And other generations of the wild."
Video of unidentified aerial phenomena presented during House Intelligence hearing
UFO & UAP 'Need to Know' News Documentary with Coulthart & Zabel | 7NEWS Spotlight
For many, the term "UFO" conjures the image of a flying disc soaring through the night sky. But what is a UFO, really? Joe McBride / Getty Images
You glimpse a light in the night sky. It's not a star or an airplane — but something radically different. It moves with baffling speed, pulsates with radiance beyond anything you've witnessed. Three letters immediately enter your mind: U-F-O. And you likely have Hollywood to thank for this line of thinking.
These mysterious objects have played a prominent role in pop culture, captivating imaginations and fueling speculation. From classic films like "Close Encounters of the Third Kind" to TV shows like "The X-Files," UFOs have become symbols of mystery and the unknown and mainstays in literature, music and art.
We know what Hollywood has to say about these mystery objects, but what are UFOs actually doing up in the sky in real life? And is there a massive government cover-up surrounding their existence? In this article, we'll take a closer look at these airborne objects, their potential link to extraterrestrial life and popular conspiracies about them.
Technically, an unidentified flying object (UFO) can be anything when you get right down to it, but the term has become synonymous with spacecraft of extraterrestrial origin.
Alleged sightings became a popular topic of conversation in the mid-20th century and continue to this day. Exact descriptions of alien spacecraft vary with each telling, but witnesses and UFO enthusiasts often describe a lighted object capable of hovering silently and zigzagging in midair.
The technology for such a craft and the ability for a living passenger to survive its g-forces are well beyond humanity's modern technology. Additionally, given the massive distance between habitable star systems, such craft would have to travel at impossible speeds or with patience that staggers the imagination.
2. The Scientific Stance on Unidentified Flying Objects
For decades, scientists didn't have much to say about these unidentified objects. From a scientific standpoint, there was never enough sufficient evidence in UFO records to make a case for alien visitation. Most UFO sightings depend on fallible human accounts, imperfect footage and conspiracy theory.
All of this tends to crumble under the scrutiny of the scientific method, humanity's best sieve for separating reality from fantasy.
In recent years, the field has begun to approach UFOs with a stance of curiosity and skepticism. NASA, guided by administrator Bill Nelson, now aims to play a more prominent role in this research, emphasizing the importance of scientific methodology and instruments to gather data.
This shift signifies a desire to move beyond sensationalism and tabloid speculation, toward a more rigorous scientific approach.
3. Fire in the Sky
This painting by Christian Wilhelm Ernst Dietrich depicts biblical shepherds experiencing an angelic encounter.
Imagno/Hulton Archive/Getty Images
The sky has always teemed with sights to stir the imagination: atmospheric anomalies, wildlife, optical illusions, aurora borealis, shooting stars and distant supernovae, just to name a few. Even in our scientifically informed age, countless phenomena escape our understanding.
As Swiss psychiatrist Carl Jung pointed out, these sights have no intrinsic meaning, but even the earliest humans jumped at the chance to project their hopes, dreams and nightmares into the vastness of the sprawling void. They personified the sun and moon as deities and poured their belief systems into the wheeling movements of the stars. And when they glimpsed strange lights, they read them as omens.
Just as the emotional resonance of a UFO sighting falls to the observer, so too does the explanation. Humans have always experienced brushes with the unknown, and they've always fished for explanations in the waters of their cultural worldview. In the absence of science, they turned to their religious beliefs, folktales and myth.
Religious Interpretations
Consider the UFO encounter that took place in Fatima, Portugal, in 1917. In what has subsequently been explained as everything from stratospheric dust to mass hallucination, thousands of witnesses in the predominantly Catholic town claimed to see an aerial event brought on by the Virgin Mary.
During this event, known as "the Miracle of the Sun," witnesses say the sun appeared to dance, change colors and spin.
Before the advent of Christianity, the same event would have likely been viewed through the lens of a pagan belief system. How do you think such an event would be interpreted in the entirely different world we know today?
By framing a bizarre occurrence within the context of a belief system or worldview, an individual attributes both a "what" and a "why" to the phenomenon. Such a view also helps sanction the experience and allow the individual to feel like they are both special for having experienced it and normal for sharing such experiences with others. Perform an online search for "UFO support group," and see for yourself.
4. Evaluating UFO Reports and Alien Abductions
Alien abduction experiences are often traumatic.
Chip Simons/Taxi/Getty Images
Accounts of alien abduction often factor into UFO sightings, and this is also an area where one's worldview, belief system and culture play a vital role in framing an extraordinary experience.
Fortunately, alien abduction accounts generally provide more room for serious evaluation, typically by medical doctors or psychiatrists.
Doctors believe that sleep paralysis and waking, hypnopompic hallucinations factor into many abduction experiences. This is a kind of temporary paralysis accompanied by visual and auditory hallucinations, which are often charged by the person's sexual fantasies, belief system and pop culture.
Imagine waking in your bed, unable to move and experiencing sexual hallucinations colored by your subconscious. The exact nature of the hallucinations would likely depend, like dreams, on the nature of your belief system and cultural literacy. You might experience the visitation of an angel or ghost. Likewise, you just might experience a transcendent walk through an alien spacecraft or endure uncomfortable probing at the hands of extraterrestrials.
Consider the case of science writer and Skeptic magazine editor Michael Shermer, who himself experienced an alien abduction. Or rather, he collapsed from sleep deprivation and exhaustion following an 83-hour bike ride in a transcontinental race.
As Shermer's support team rushed over to him, the bicyclist saw them through the filter of a waking dream and perceived them as aliens from a 1960s TV series [source: Shermer].
Other Potential Causes
Researchers may attribute abduction experiences to a host of additional causes, including schizophrenia, organic brain syndrome, bipolar disorder, delayed post-traumatic stress disorder or even food allergies.
Neuroscientist Michael Persinger points the finger to the brain's temporal lobe. Persinger believes that temporal lobe anomalies, when combined with certain cultural expectations (such as beliefs in aliens or angels) can mislabel imagined experiences as actual experiences.
Even without the aid of neurological misfiring, human memory is a complex and fallible thing. Every day, we experience something new and turn that experience into an imperfect narrative. We can convince ourselves of nearly anything — especially when it fulfills a need.
So why do humans need visiting alien spacecraft and alien encounters? Perhaps Jung put it best in a 1958 interview: "In our world, miracles do not happen anymore, and we feel that something simply must happen which will provide an answer or show the way out. So now these UFOs are appearing in the sky."
In the late 1990s, psychologists Roy F. Baumesiter and Leonard S. Newman furthered this viewpoint by arguing that abduction encounters are essentially subconscious attempts to rid oneself of self-awareness through masochistic fantasy. In lieu of mystic conviction, our minds staff these fantasies with aliens.
In addition, our cultural frame of reference continually changes. Some observers have even equated the recent decline in UFO sightings to the rise of the internet. Cultural critic Ziauddin Sardar suggests that instead of projecting our hopes and fears into space, we project them into cyberspace.
So what are UFOs really? You might not find the answer amid the stars after all, but rather in the labyrinthine chambers of the human mind.
5. Unidentified Aerial Phenomena: A New Term Emerges
Breaking news: The term "UFO" is on its way out. Well, for the U.S. government, that is.
The feds began making the shift from "unidentified flying object" to "unidentified anomalous phenomena" (UAP) in 2020 when the UAP Task Force was established to encourage pilots to report sightings without fear of stigma or career repercussions. The scientific community is actively seeking better data on UAPs to gain a deeper understanding.
NASA also gathered a panel of 16 experts to assess how data on UAPs is collected across government and private sectors. Their final report, released in September 2023, found no evidence of extraterrestrial origins for UAPs but acknowledged that a small subset of encounters defies explanation.
6. UAPs and the Government
During a 2023 congressional hearing on UAPs, three military veterans testified about their experiences and concerns. One former Air Force intelligence officer alleged the existence of a secret government program for decades, involving the reverse engineering of recovered UFOs and the retrieval of non-human biological materials from alleged crash sites.
However, much of the discussion during the hearing focused on improving the reporting process for UAPs. The veterans called for destigmatizing UAP reporting and ensuring government program oversight. The Defense Department stated that it had not found any verifiable information supporting claims of extraterrestrial material possession or reverse engineering.
Retired Maj. David Grusch, a whistleblower who had been part of the Pentagon's UAP Task Force, claimed to know the exact locations of UAPs in U.S. possession but couldn't provide further details publicly. He stated his information came from reliable sources and shared evidence kept secret from Congress.
The hearing also featured testimony from former Navy fighter pilot Ryan Graves, who described encountering unusual aircraft off the coast of Virginia Beach, and retired Cmdr. David Fravor, who witnessed a mysterious "Tic Tac"-shaped flying object in 2004. Both emphasized the need for transparency and acknowledged the superior technology of the encountered objects.
The hearing aimed to pressure intelligence agencies for greater transparency on UAPs, citing potential national security threats. Lawmakers, witnesses and advocates called for a centralized reporting system to encourage reporting and eliminate stigma, emphasizing the importance of understanding these phenomena for both safety and scientific reasons.
This article was updated in conjunction with AI technology, then fact-checked and edited by a HowStuffWorks editor.
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Will we ever find all of the answers to the myriad of questions regarding UFO sightings? Ann Cutting/Getty Images
For centuries, people have been reporting sightings of strange objects in the sky — unidentified flying objects (though UAP is the term du jour). These events continue to captivate the world. In April 2023, alien sightings began trending on social media aftera Las Vegas family called emergency services claiming that a UFO crashed near their house, and two aliens were spotted hiding in the shadows. Their report still hasn't been substantiated, which is pretty common.
In fact, no eyewitness account of a UFO has been satisfactorily proven to be alien. So if these objects aren't extraterrestrial, what are people seeing in the skies, and would determining where the most frequent sightings occur provide clues?
That's what Matt, Ben and Noel at "Stuff They Don't Want You To Know" wondered, so they decided to tackle it in this episode. Let's take a closer look.
UFOs often present as aerial phenomena that defy easy explanation. Descriptions vary, with common reports highlighting shapes ranging from a saucer-like object equipped with a very bright light to glowing orbs. Witnesses frequently note peculiar flight patterns and unusual speeds in their sightings.
Here are some of the reported descriptions of common types.
1. Flying Saucers
Classic and widely recognized, flying saucers are generally described as having a flat disc or oval shape, resembling two pie plates stuck together. The flying saucer is often associated with a metallic or luminescent surface, reflecting sunlight in a manner that can be quite conspicuous.
Sightings sometimes include details of rotating sections, a pulsating bright light or an enveloping aura that seems otherworldly and travels at a tremendous speed.
2. Cigar-Shaped UFOs
These UFOs are typically elongated and cylindrical, sometimes compared to airships without the traditional means of propulsion. Witnesses often report them moving with a steady, unwavering motion and occasionally hovering silently. Their lack of wings, propellers or visible means of propulsion often confuse observers.
3. Triangular UFOs
Known for their distinct three-cornered shape, these UFOs are often reported to be black or dark in color, making them particularly visible against the night sky.
Silent movement and slow, deliberate navigation characterize many reports. Lights, often white or red, may be reported at the vertices, occasionally pulsating or shifting in intensity.
4. Spherical/Orb UFOs
Spherical UFOs tend to be characterized by their simple, yet enigmatic, ball-like appearance, frequently depicted as radiating light. This egg-shaped object is often noted to move in erratic patterns, capable of sudden stops, starts and changes in direction.
Some reports detail them exhibiting a sort of playful behavior, darting away when approached.
5. Coordinated Light Formations
This involves multiple lights, often varying in color, moving in patterns or synchronized manners across the sky. Observers occasionally describe them forming shapes, splitting apart or merging, suggesting some level of controlled interaction.
They often defy traditional flight patterns, contributing to their mysterious nature.
One thing is certain: The UFO phenomenon is showing no sign of slowing down. There have been more than 120,000 reported sightings since the early 20th century, according to the National UFO Reporting Center (NUFORC), and a massive spike in reportings since the 1980s. That decade there were around 5,000 sightings; in 2010 it jumped to 45,000.
What could have caused such a sharp increase? And more importantly, where are they happening? Apparently, UFO sightings are much more common in the United States and Canada, with 2,500 sightings per 10,000 people. The most sightings have been in California, which reported 16,000 between 2001 and 2017.
It also boasts a huge coastline, well-situated to observe strange lights or objects hovering out over the ocean. (Maybe intelligent life forms from other planets are as mesmerized by the ocean as we are?)
Beyond geography, California has significant ties to the U.S. government (and we all know how shady Big Brother is about some things, especially alien research). The state is home to 41 known military bases, and perhaps several secret ones as well. But it also borders Nevada, where the government has millions of acres of testing facilities.
4. Mistaking UFOs for New Tech
Could some, or even all, of these sightings be from secret tests of military — or private sector — technologies?
And speaking of technology , we have a lot of gadgets these days. Is it possible that something as ordinary as a drone could be mistaken for a UFO? They have blinking lights, and some can fly as high as 70,000 feet (21,336 meters) into the air.
In 2020 alone, U.S. dealers bought over $1.25 billion worth of consumer drones, making them an important consideration when analyzing UFO sightings.
These ideas may provide some solutions to a puzzling problem, but UFO sightings date back to antiquity, and there's still so much we don't know. Could UFOs simply be government technologies like stealth planes, high-altitude surveillance crafts and zeppelins? Or are they flying "craft" like hot-air balloons or Chinese lanterns?
If not, are these sightings really our galactic neighbors trying to find a way to say hello? You'll have to listen to the podcast to see what the guys have to say.
5. Unidentified Flying Objects Get a Government Rebrand
Historically, the term "UFO" has been utilized since the 1950s to describe sightings of mysterious objects in the sky. The U.S. government and various agencies typically employed this term in numerous reports and investigations into such phenomena.
However, in more recent times, notably around 2017, when a secret Pentagon program tasked with investigating UFO sightings was revealed, a terminological shift toward "UAP" (Unidentified Aerial Phenomena) was observed.
This new acronym sought to provide a more scientifically neutral and broad descriptor, mitigating the extraterrestrial and speculative associations that "UFO" frequently conjured.
Subsequently, in December 2022, the terminology morphed once again, this time to "Unidentified Anomalous Phenomena," broadening the scope further to encapsulate unexplained occurrences not merely in Earth's atmosphere, but in outer space and marine environments as well, reflecting a more integrative approach to studying these mysterious occurrences.
This article was updated in conjunction with AI technology, then fact-checked and edited by a HowStuffWorks editor.
Now That's Interesting
In the U.S., reports of alien abductions first hit the mainstream in the mid-20th century. In fact, the first widely recognized and publicized alien abduction case is that of Betty and Barney Hill, an American couple who claimed they were abducted by extraterrestrials in a rural portion of New Hampshire in 1961. Their story, which was shared widely in the media and later became the subject of a bestselling book called "The Interrupted Journey" and a television movie, described how they were taken aboard a spacecraft, examined and then released by extraterrestrial beings.
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Conspiracy theorists love to speculate about mysterious lights. David Wall / Getty Images
You would have to drive 500 miles (805 km) east of the tiny desert town called Marfa to reach Dallas, and just 60 miles Southwest would take you to the Rio Grande and the Mexican border. This desolate landscape is dominated by Mitchell Flat, broken intermittently by low, rolling peaks of the Chinati Mountains.
It's the perfect place to escape the big city and bask in the majesty of the night sky — and wonder what the heck the Marfa lights are. If you're lucky, you may catch a glimpse of the mysterious glowing orbs dancing with a twinkle among lonely sage and cacti.
The Marfa lights, sometimes called the "Marfa ghost lights" due to theories that they are ghosts of Spanish Conquistadors or Native Americans, are unexplained phenomena that consistently appear near a small town in West Texas.
Alleged "Marfa ghost lights" as viewed in west Texas.
Beakal Alemayehu / Shutterstock
The Marfa Lights Viewing Center is a park that has become the main attraction point in the region, where you have the best chance to see these bouncing blue and yellow orbs a few times a month.
The famous actor James Dean became obsessed with the lights while filming "Giant." He would spend hours watching the desert through his telescope, which he set up at his hotel window.
Another James — former NASA engineer James Bunnell — spent the early 2000s setting up automatic infrared cameras to capture evidence of the mysterious lights on the horizon.
2. 6 Theories About the Strange lights in Marfa
Although skeptics require other evidence to confirm either of these theories, some of the following scenarios may explain the Marfa lights.
1. Car Lights
In the early 2000s, physics students from the University of Texas (Dallas) investigated the viewing platform's proximity to Highway 67, theorizing that headlights were behind the phenomenon. They conducted several experiments and found that with each car passing, something resembling Marfa lights appeared simultaneously.
Although this revelation seems to close the case quickly, it doesn't account for the first recorded sighting by a white settler in the area.
In 1883, young cowhand Robert Reed Ellison witnessed Marfa lights near Paisano Pass. This predates the first cars to arrive in Texas by 16 years, as well as the construction of Highway 67 by roughly four decades.
2. UFOsand extraterrestrial life
As with anything that we can’t explain in the sky, some believe the Marfa lights are UFOs coming and going in the desert, far away from the prying eyes and dangers of humankind.
Flying saucers or other unidentified anomalous phenomena (UAP) may explain the Marfa lights. However, many skeptics often point to the viewing area location being so close to a World War II airfield that supported thousands of servicemembers between 1942 and 1947.
This is not to say that the military hasn't traditionally remained tight-lipped about potential extraterrestrial activity. Although you would expect that some information would have been released by now.
3. Atmospheric Phenomena or mirages
Brian Dunning, a writer and producer who focuses on science and skepticism,believes that the lightsare a result of sharp temperature gradients of warm and cold meshing together and creating mirages.
Natural gas leaks mixing with the sun and air to cause a chemical reaction similar to St. Elmo's fire is a common scientific explanation that many skeptics hold. However, no one has ever been close enough to Marfa lights to test this theory.
4. Gasses
Others speculate that the Marfa lights may be caused by something similar to swamp gas, phosphine (PH3), and methane (CH4). These gasses are flammable when meeting oxygen. They light up and glow, making this a viable explanation.
Although there is no marsh near the Marfa lights, there are oil, natural gas, and other petroleum hydrocarbon reserves in the area that can produce the same effects as swamp gas.
5. Electricity
Another theory is that the Marfa lights are the result of electrical charges coming from underground lightning storms. Bunnell, mentioned above, believes that the tectonic activity around Marfa causes geological stress, resulting in "underground lightning."
6. Paranormal entities or ghosts
Due to their inexplicable appearance and disappearance, legend has it that the Marfa lights are ghosts traveling through the desert. In particular, they are attributed to deceased Spanish Conquistadors traveling through the area.
3. What Is the Chinati Foundation?
Although the Marfa Lights viewing area remains a popular tourist attraction, American artist and renowned minimalist Donald Judd purchased 340 acres (138 hectares) of desert land in 1979. He worked closely with the Marfa Chamber of Commerce to breathe new economic life into the remote region, opening the Chinati Foundation in 1986.
The site is now home to several outdoor art installations by Judd and other artists, including the world-famous Prada Marfa, a lonely, fake high-end boutique store built along an abandoned road.
Now That's Interesting
Many Czech immigrants settled in West Texas, fleeing the oppressive Austro-Hungarian Empire andpursuing the promise of land in the 1850s. Now, Czech-Americans celebrate their ancestors and shared heritage during the annual Westfest.
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The glowing balls have haunted residents for decades (Picture: Getty Images)
The mystery of ‘ghost lanterns’ haunting a town in South Carolina might have been solved.
The glowing balls of light have often been spotted by an old railway track and were said to belong to the ghost of a woman who lost her husband in a train accident.
Now a scientist believes earthquakes might be behind the spooky phenomenon.
'Ghost lights' have been spotted all over the world for generations, but few have been explained by actual science.
Kim Westerskov/Getty Images
The ghostly glowing lights in a remote area of Summerville, South Carolina, have been recorded since mid-20th century, alongside reports of slamming doors, footsteps, and disturbed animals and birds.
Legend has it the lights are lanterns, carried by a ghost whose husband lost his head in a train accident.
But a seismologist for the U.S. Geological Survey (USGS), Susan Hough, has crashed the party for ghost hunters, as she believes the lights are nothing to do with paranormal at all.
The abandoned railway tracks where the lights are spotted and where it is said a ghost’s husband had a horrific railway accident (Picture: Susan Hough/Seismological Society of America)
She argued in a research paper in January the ‘lanterns’ were actually a phenomenon called earthquake lights.
Earthquake lights have been reported across the world, and are described as ‘balls of light, streamers, and steady glows’ which are visible around the time of an earthquake.
Seismologists are yet to agree a theory for why these lights appear in the first place.
One expert has suggested they are a result of underground gases like methane or radon ignited by static electricity or rock movements.
Hough says this theory makes the most sense when it comes to the Summerville ghost lanterns.
She studied the first reports of the glowing lights in the 1950s and 1960s and found they coincided with three magnitude 3.5 to 4.4 earthquakes that took place only a few kilometres away.
Earthquakes could be allowing underground gases to escape and ignite (Picture: Getty Images)
The theory is that even smaller unrecognisable earthquakes have occurred since.
The steel rails of the defunct rail line as well as nearby scrap heaps could be igniting the underground gases.
As for why sightings of the ghost lights are only on dark and misty nights, Hough said these ignitable gases might be trapped in water droplets before lighting up.
Earthquakes would also explain other paranormal reports such as shaking cars and swinging doors and spooked animals.
The scientist acknowledges her theory is unproven, but it could be tested by measuring gas emissions from the ground in areas where the ‘ghosts’ are seen.
The area was the scene of the infamous 1886 Charleston earthquake, which caused 60 deaths and up to $6million (equivalent to $186.51million in 2023) in damage.
The robodog gets back in the van and has a lie down after delivering its packages
Evri is testing out a robotic dog that can jump in and out of vans, climb stairs, and drop packages on your doorstep.
The 70kg robodog is the size of a Great Dane and zips around on wheels, using cameras to sense where to go.
It can hand parcels to customers directly, or can squat down and drop packages from its backside.
It’s not a belated April Fool though: this dog really will be let off the lead for the first trial of its kind in the UK, working alongside human couriers to deliver people’s parcels this summer.
Metro travelled to Evri’s HQ near Barnsley yesterday to see the dog in action, and we were surprised by the size and speed of it. It is no dalek thwarted by steps, and leaped around in a startling demonstration of how the robot future is upon us.
It is able to climb flights of stairs and open gates, and makers say it could could one day deliver parcels or takeaway food for companies on its own.
So would you think this dog was a good boy if it appeared with your Vinted parcel?
Rivr, the company which invented it, said that robotics is having an ‘iPhone moment’, comparing the tech to the revolutionary launch of the smartphone which changed our lives.
Co-founder and CEO of the Swiss company, Marko Bjelonic, told Metro that we are living through a second industrial revolution, and compared robotic dog deliveries to the automation of parcel warehouses, which is now standard.
He predicted that within the next three years, we will see ‘more and more’ robots on the street, and within the next five to seven years he plans to have sold more than a million.
The robotic delivery dog
Weight: 70kg
Top speed: 6.5m/s
Endurance: 5 hours
Capacity: 50kg of weight in the drawer on its back
Hi ho, hi ho, it’s off to work the robot dog goes (Picture: Joel Goodman)
The AI-powered dog has sensors, cameras, 4G and 5G wi-fi routers, two-way audio, internal navigation, and a 45 Ah, 58V battery.
It can carry a box on its back for higher volume of parcels, or it can have an additional arm to ring doorbells and hand parcels directly to customers.
This is not just dreaming, as Rivr has been backed by Jeff Bezos, has secured $27 million in funding, and is already trialling the robots for parcel delivery in Switzerland.
Mr Bjelonic said it is possible that one day robotic delivery dogs could hang off the back of a self-driving van to leave more room for parcels inside, with fewer humans employed as couriers but new roles created to manage the robot fleet.
But for the ‘foreseeable future’, the focus is on human and robot working together for the physically intensive last stretch of a parcel reaching our homes.
Marcus Hunter, chief technology officer at Evri, said he hoped the robodog trial could help customers with disabilities who may take longer to answer the door.
The dog could wait up to ten minutes while a courier kept going with other parcels, rather than risk leaving the parcel unattended.
The robot might confuse real dogs, although local canine Yogi didn’t seem concerned (Picture: Joel Goodman)
Referring to high profile trials of drone deliveries, Mr Hunter said: ‘Everybody does drones, but there’s a limitation to drones and you need quite a lot of approvals. So the next best thing is man’s best friend… a delivery driver’s best friend now.’
He admitted he would be ‘surprised’ to see a robotic dog at his door delivering parcels, so the trial will be opt-in to avoid giving any customers nightmares about the Terminator.
‘The courier is the heart of our business,’ he added, saying the point of this for Evri was not to replace human drivers but help them deliver more easily: ‘The more parcels they get to facilitate on their rounds, everybody’s happy.’
Parcel volumes are increasing because people do so much online shopping, and the UK in particular relies on doorstep deliveries rather than collecting things from a locker.
The robodog opens its box to deliver a parcel (Picture: Joel Goodman)
Yorkshire-based Evri delivers over 800 million parcels a year, with around 2.5 million deliveries a day.
The Rivr dog is not the only robot they are trying out. They’re also trialling one by Delivers AI, which looks like a coolbox on wheels that rolls itself along pavements independently.
Mr Hunter said using electric robots could reduce the carbon footprint of parcel delivery. Some couriers in London are already using ‘e-cargo bikes’, which are both battery and pedal powered.
He said: ‘If you link that up with the dog, you’ve got a really green solution. You could send them off into a block of flats and it could easily deliver five to ten parcels to the same block while the courier is doing other things and supporting it.’
Meanwhile, Amazon is investing in parcel delivery by drone and has chosen Darlington as the first location to test it in the UK.
Last week, the government announced £20 million in funding to make everyday use of flying taxis and drone deliveries a reality.
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Cloud Orb Over Colombia Lands Near Person, March 2025, UFO UAP Sighting News
Cloud Orb Over Colombia Lands Near Person, March 2025, UFO UAP Sighting News
Date of sighting:March 2025
Location of sighting: Colombia
Now this is just nuts! I have never seen a video where an orb lands near a person as if it wants that person to come to it in a secluded location so that it could...study the person more closely. This person must have been someone important in this lifetime or the last. At the end of the video the person records the orb dropping into some dense shrubs as if waiting for him. The video ends there...and we are left wondering what he experienced, what he saw, heard felt. Many UFO researchers are trying at this minute to contact the witness, who...appears to want to remain anonymous. This orb which is often called a cloud orb, or an orb which came from a mother orb maker...this object may have given knowledge to the person recording. He may know of something big coming soon. This might just be the beginning.
The contentious debate surrounding conspiracy theories about the existence of UFOs (unidentified flying objects) seems to not just be what forms a three-hour-long Joe Rogan podcast. On the contrary, the fascination surrounding UFOs, and perhaps also the sighting of them, if they really do exist, is a phenomenon that has been around for ages.
Scientists and art critics have analysed artefacts, such as early cave paintings that seem to represent what are believed to be UFOs. Bobble-headed creatures with bug-like eyes and antennas, flying disks in the sky, and much more. But can we really be sure that these are what UFOs look like, or have we just grown accustomed to what the human mind has imagined them to look like?
One of the first examples of a UFO-looking figure in an artwork was identified in an Italian cave painting from c.10,000 BC. It features a cult-looking group of figures casting a spell on an alien-looking specimen with abnormally long arms that wrap around a smaller alien person. What’s creepy is that the arms of the larger alien also seem to be the antennae that belong to the small alien, somehow fusing them.
It’s rather wild to think that a belief in aliens might have been established even before Christ walked on water. However, I wonder if our interpretation of this cave painting depicting aliens is because we haven’t grown accustomed to seeing humans being portrayed in this unrealistic and anthropomorphic way. Indeed, the further we go back into art history, the more humans were represented as simple stick figures with geometric bodies. It was only much later, when artistic principles prioritised hyper-realism, such as Renaissance and Baroque, that we changed the way humans were portrayed in paintings.
Carlo Crivelli’s The Annunciation with Saint Emidius of 1486 is another example of a UFO sighting. What seems to be a seemingly ordinary religious painting of the Annunciation is actually very futuristic and dystopian. First of all, why is there an abnormally large pickle and apple sitting on the tiled floor? This randomly comical detail is suddenly interrupted when one notices the Virgin Mary being targeted by a laser-like light shining down from the sky.
Traditionally, the Annunciation is painted with the Virgin being doused in a golden light, greeted by the graceful Angel Gabriel. Instead, here it looks like she is being targeted from the heavens by a light that is more akin to Tweety’s laser pointer from the Looney Tunes than the divine light of God.
Some artworks haven’t even been left up to interpretation and flatly announce the presence of a UFO. That’s the case with Hans Glaser’s Celestial Phenomenon Over Nuremburg of 1561. In this illustrated newspaper-looking artefact, Glaser explicitly portrays the sighting of a “dreadful apparition” above the city, in which flying objects battle each other in the sky. There’s a large black spear-headed object looming over the city and smaller coloured objects flying around the sun.
Glaser’s broadsheet is arguably the closest we’ve gotten in recent times to proving that UFOs have always existed and might have been spotted, but I might be closer to moving to Mars than waiting for a web-footed specimen to come knocking at my door.
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Rendlesham UFO incident 'could be secret weapons test between UK and US governments'
Rendlesham UFO incident 'could be secret weapons test between UK and US governments'
A sketch by Peter Parish, one of the first investigators of the Rendlesham UFO claims a main craft landed before a recovery team came in and cleared trees to access a helicopter with a winch that lifted it out of the forest and to the Woodbridge base.
The Rendlesham UFO incident was actually a secret weapons test conducted by the British and American governments, a new documentary alleges.
Flying saucer researcher and filmmaker Mark Christopher Lee claims six unidentified craft landed at Rendlesham Forest, near RAF Woodbridge and RAF Bentwaters in Suffolk, England, in December 1980.
His belief comes as he got his hands on a "detailed and annotated sketch" by Peter Parish, one of the first investigators of the case - of which military personnel reported spotting lights and a triangular-shaped craft in the forest.
Rendlesham Forest UFO sighting: Eyewitness Colonel Charles Halt
The annotations on the sketch show a main craft landed before a recovery team came in and cleared trees to access a helicopter with a winch that lifted it out of the forest and to the Woodbridge base.
Mark thinks that if this is accurate, the "US military in conjunction with the UK" tested "a new advanced craft on its own base and servicemen".
This, as well as other records from the Great British UFO Learning Centre, are being used as the basis for Mark's new film, 'The Rendlesham UFO - The British Roswell'.
He said: "I have found a detailed and annotated sketch made by one of the first investigators of this case - Peter Parish.
"He made this sketch for the Deputy base Commander Colonel Halt, and I'm not aware that this has been made public.
"It states that there were AT LEAST six craft that landed and as well as the military witnesses - one of these craft was seen landing by the Territorial Army who were camping nearby.
"They said that where it landed the sand turned to glass!
"A dog walker was said to have seen men in silver suits covering up a silver object at the impact site!
"What was seen here was super advanced physics in a top-secret craft, possibly developed locally at the Orford Ness secret research base just a few miles away."
The event - in which one witness alleged to have encountered a landed craft that emitted a mysterious light - was officially documented by the US Air Force, however, an explanation was not given.
Mark always used to think the Rendlesham case was "our best evidence of an extra-terrestrial craft landing", but his opinion has now shifted.
He thinks the "UK government was working alongside its NATO ally the US to develop new weapons using advanced theoretical physics".
The filmmaker continued: "As Professor Simon Holland (ex-BBC science editor and NASA filmmaker) has told me ever since the Manhattan Project, governments and their military have wanted to weaponise physics, and I really think this is what was seen at Rendlesham.
"It also accounts for all the health issues that the servicemen involved had since then and how eventually the US military has admitted liability and awarded them disability payments.
"This is why (Margaret) Thatcher said - You can't tell the people."
The James Webb Space Telescope has taken its first look at the near-Earth asteroid 2024 YR4 before a perilous close approach in 2032. The telescope confirmed Earth is safe, but the moon may still be in trouble.
The ‘city-killer’ asteroid 2024 YR4 will come perilously close to the Earth, and may even hit the moon in 2032, James Webb Telescope observations confirm.
(Image credit: JUAN GARTNER via Getty Images)
The powerful James Webb Space Telescope (JWST) has just completed the first of two planned observations of the infamous "city-killer" asteroid 2024 YR4, which will make a perilously close approach to Earth and the moon in December 2032.
Making use of emergency telescope time awarded to an international team of astronomers in February, JWST's first observation of the building-size asteroid reveals that 2024 YR4 may be slightly larger and rockier than previous ground-based telescope studies suggested.
Luckily, though, JWST also confirmed what NASA has known for weeks: 2024 YR4 is no longer a hazard, and there is zero chance that the asteroid will strike Earth in 2032. However, a direct collision with the moon is still possible.
JAMES WEBB SPOTS DEADLY "CITY-KILLER" ASTEROID COMING FOR US!
"While an Earth impact by 2024 YR4 on December 22, 2032 has now been ruled out, it continues to have a non-zero probability of impacting the Moon at this time," the researchers wrote in their preliminary report, which has not yet been peer-reviewed. A second round of JWST observations is planned for May 2025, before the asteroid disappears into the outer solar system for the next several years.
Astronomers first discovered asteroid 2024 YR4 in December 2024. Initial observations with ground-based telescopes indicated that the space rock had a diameter of about 180 feet (55 meters) — roughly as wide as the Leaning Tower of Pisa is tall.
Its orbital trajectory frequently crosses Earth's route around the sun, making a direct collision with our planet possible. If such a strike were to occur, it could wipe out an entire city with the equivalent force of 500 Hiroshima bombs.
While analyzing the asteroid's trajectory, researchers briefly estimated that 2024 YR4 had up to a 3.1% chance of crashing into Earth in 2032 — the highest probability ever recorded for an object of this asteroid's size. NASA eventually refined this prediction down to 0%. But, while uncertainty reigned, the European Space Agency (ESA) announced that several hours of JWST's emergency discretionary time would be used to study the potentially hazardous space rock's size and trajectory.
Key to these observations are JWST's infrared sensors, which can directly detect heat emitted by the asteroid and provide insight into both its size and composition. Ground-based telescopes that observe visible light can only see the sunlight reflected off of the asteroid's surface, leaving big questions about its true nature.
"In general, the brighter the asteroid, the larger it is, but this relationship strongly depends on how reflective the asteroid's surface is," ESA officials wrote in a Feb. 10 blog post. "2024 YR4 could be 40 m [130 feet] across and very reflective, or 90 m [295 feet] across and not very reflective … the hazard represented by a 40 m asteroid is very different from that of a 90 m asteroid."
JWST made its first observations of the asteroid on March 26, watching the asteroid rotate once every 20 minutes over a five-hour period. The researchers then converted the asteroid's brightness to mid-infrared wavelengths, taking into account the known distances and angles between the asteroid, the sun and JWST.
With these data, the team estimated that asteroid 2024 YR4 is slightly larger than was previously estimated, measuring about 200 feet (60 m) in diameter. The thermal analysis also suggests that the asteroid is cooler than is typical for objects of this size, hinting that it may be rockier than previously thought as well.
Front-row seats to a lunar impact?
But even if 2024 YR4 is a bit bigger and harder than we thought, it still poses no imminent threat to Earth, the JWST data confirm. But there does remain a roughly 2% chance that the asteroid will slam into the moon in 2032, report co-author Andrew Rivkin, an astronomer at Johns Hopkins University, told New Scientist.
While a lunar impact may sound scary, the moon endures thousands of tiny meteor strikes every year and has the cratered scars to prove it has survived much larger impacts. But seeing a known asteroid, with a known size and trajectory, gouge open a new crater in real time would be a world-first opportunity for lunar researchers.
"We've got our fingers crossed for a moon impact," Alan Fitzsimmons, a physics and math professor at Queen's University Belfast in the U.K. who was not involved in the JWST observations, told New Scientist. "It would have no effect on Earth, but would allow us to study the formation of a lunar crater by a known asteroid for the very first time."
The second round of JWST observations, scheduled for May, will further help to refine the asteroid's orbital trajectory and its chances of hitting the moon.
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Writing: Hieroglyphics, a writing system that uses pictures; hieratic, a quicker type of "cursive"; and demotic, a written short-form script
Ancient Egypt's gods:Osiris (the god of the underworld who was resurrected), Amun-Ra (the god of the sun), Isis (the goddess of healing and magic), Horus (a falcon-shaped god of war and the sky), Maat (the goddess of order) and many others
Ancient Egypt was an influential kingdom in North Africa and the Middle East for thousands of years. Ancient Egyptians were ruled by a leader called a pharaoh and worshipped many different gods.
Today, we can still see traces of this culture in archaeological sites and museums all over the world, as well as in modern pop culture, such as movies and books. Ancient Egypt is best known for the pyramids of Giza, the giant Sphinx, and mummies. However, the early Egyptians also left behind other ancient clues that we can use to learn about their daily lives, including their preserved temples, scrolls, statues, tools, pottery, jewelry, weapons and even their burials.
In fact, it was such a significant civilization that people who study ancient Egyptian history have a special name: Egyptologists. Keep reading to learn all about why ancient Egypt was so influential.
5 fast facts about Ancient Egypt
Ancient Egyptian pyramids were sometimes tombs for pharaohs and other important people.
Because hieroglyphics were complicated to write, ancient Egyptians invented cursive versions called hieratic and demotic.
The Book of the Dead was an ancient Egyptian manual for how to travel through the afterlife.
Pharaohs wore different kinds of headgear to symbolize their power. The most famous of these were striped headcloths called "nemes."
Ancient Egyptians sometimes mummified their pets, including pet cats, dogs and monkeys, and even other animals, like crocodiles, fish and beetles.
Everything you need to know about Ancient Egypt
When did ancient Egypt start and end?
Humans have lived in Egypt for at least 400,000 years, so it's tricky to establish exactly when the ancient Egyptian civilization began. However, because around 3100 B.C. — or 5,100 years ago— Egypt unified under a pharaoh and the writing system of hieroglyphics emerged, Egyptologists commonly use this date as the starting point. Ancient Egyptian history is usually divided into "dynasties" — time periods when a specific family of pharaohs ruled over the kingdom. Around 30 dynasties ruled over ancient Egypt, and the first pharaoh of the first dynasty might have been a ruler named Menes. Cleopatra is considered the last pharaoh. She died in 30 B.C. That means the ancient Egypt civilization lasted around 3,000 years.
Who built the ancient Egyptian pyramids?
People might claim that the Egyptian pyramids were built by aliens, or even the inhabitants of Atlantis. But that's not true — they were built by people thousands of years ago.
A pharaoh named Djoser ordered the construction of a "step pyramid" (a pyramid that looks like it has giant steps on its walls) around 4,600 years ago. The pharaoh Snefru ordered the construction of the first true pyramid around 100 years after that.
Though pharaohs ordered the pyramids to be constructed, the pharaohs didn't build the pyramids themselves. A team of workers moved the giant bricks that make up the pyramids. Egyptologists aren't sure exactly who the workers were, but they may have been farmers or a professional construction crew.
Why did the Egyptians build pyramids?
Most pyramids were royal tombs where the mummies of pharaohs and other important people, like nobles and government officials, were buried when they died.
Mummification was a complex ritual that took 70 days. Priests dried out the body of the person who died with salt and wrapped it in linen cloth before conducting the "Opening of the Mouth" ceremony, in which a priest touched different parts of the mummy with a special instrument. The ancient Egyptians believed this allowed the person to use their senses in the afterlife.
Then, the mummies were placed in a coffin and the coffin was put in a special room in the pyramid called the burial chamber. Ancient Egyptians also buried "grave goods" with the people who had died — valuable objects they could use in the afterlife.
Who are the most famous pharaohs?
The most famous pharaohs are perhaps Ramesses II and Tutankhamen. But others — including Cleopatra, Hatshepsut and Ptolemy I Soter — accomplished great things.
Hatshepsut was a woman who reigned from 1473 to 1458 B.C., or about 3,500 years ago. She ruled on behalf of her young stepson and nephew for several years before officially becoming a co-ruler in 1473, and one of the few known female pharaohs. She ordered important building projects, including a great temple at Deir el-Bahari, and established good relationships with a nation called the land of Punt, which probably existed somewhere in northeastern Africa.
Tutankhamun, also known as King Tut, reigned from 1336 to 1327 B.C., roughly 3300 years ago. He is known more for the famous discovery of his extravagant tomb than for anything he did. He inherited the throne when he was just 9 or 10 and died at just 18 or 19 years old.
Ramesses II, also known as Ramesses the Great, inherited the throne in 1279 B.C. after his father died. He was perhaps the most powerful ancient Egyptian ruler; he vastly expanded the Egyptian empire and built many large monuments. He also reigned for more than 60 years, dying in 1213 B.C.
Ptolemy I Soter was a general of Alexander the Great and started the last dynasty of Egypt — the Ptolemies, which included Cleopatra — before the Roman Empire took over. When Alexander the Great died in what is now Iraq, Ptolemy moved Alexander's body more than 1,000 miles (1,600 kilometers) — about the distance from Washington, D.C., to Miami — to start a new city in Egypt, called Alexandria. He reigned from 367 to 282 B.C., or about 2,300 years ago.
Cleopatra, who reigned from 51 to 30 B.C., was the last pharaoh and perhaps one of the most famous female rulers of all time. She convinced the Roman emperor Julius Caesar to help put her in power, during which she ruled over Egypt, parts of Libya and regions of the Middle East.
What was the religion of ancient Egyptians, and what did it say about the afterlife?
Ancient Egyptians worshipped many different gods and goddesses. The most important ones included Osiris (the god of the underworld who was later resurrected), Amun-Ra (the god of the sun), Isis (the goddess of healing and magic), Horus (a falcon-shaped god of war and the sky) and Maat (the goddess of order).
Ancient Egyptians believed that pharaohs were related to the gods, and religion played a role in all aspects of life. They also believed in the existence of life after death. When someone died, they were turned into mummies and buried with tools to help them navigate and live comfortably in the afterlife.
Part of the journey in the afterlife included weighing their soul on a scale — if the soul was lighter than a feather, it meant the person had committed more good deeds than bad deeds and was allowed to continue.
Ancient Egypt pictures
(Image credit: Ricardo Liberato)
The Pyramids of Giza
Ancient Egyptian pyramids were tombs for pharaohs and other important people.
(Image credit: Metropolitan Museum of Art, CC0)
A statue of Hatshepsut
Hatshepsut was one of ancient Egypt's few female pharaohs.
(Image credit: stellalevi via Getty Images)
The weighing-of-the-soul ceremony
Ancient Egyptians believed that after people died, their souls should be weighed on a scale. If they had committed more good deeds than bad ones, their soul would be lighter than a feather and they would be allowed to continue into the afterlife.
(Image credit: skaman306 via Getty Images)
Tutankhamun's tomb and burial chamber
Tutankhamun died when he was just 18 or 19, but he's famous because of his extravagant tomb, which was discovered in 1922.
(Image credit: dpa picture alliance via Alamy)
A mummy in an archaeology museum
Mummification was an important part of ancient Egyptian burial practices.
(Image credit: Hoberman Collection via Getty Images)
One of Ramesses II's temples at Abu Simbel
Ramesses II ordered many impressive constructions during his reign.
Unitree's G1 demonstrates a new level of robotic agility with a complex movement following an AI software update.
World's First Side-Flipping Humanoid Robot: Unitree G1
Scientists just showcased a humanoid robot performing a complicated side flip.
The company that makes the robot, Unitree, posted a video to Youtube showcasing its acrobatics. In the video, the silver-grey G1 crouches slightly, then launches up before rotating sideways through the air.
The robot catches itself primarily with its left leg and stabilizes almost immediately as the other foot makes contact with the floor. As impressive as it is at full speed, it's even more mesmerizing in slow motion, particularly the ease with which the robot seems to balance and right itself after landing.
Last year, the same model mastered a backflip. To teach G1 its new trick, the company mainly upgraded the artificial intelligence (AI) algorithm it used to make the software faster and more responsive, Unitree representatives told Live Science.
"The side flip was performed under reinforcement learning training," they added.
Reinforcement learning is a mainstay technique used to teach robots how to navigate and interact with the physical world. This is the same technology that robotics company Figure has used to train its Figure 02 robots to move in a more humanlike way.
The G1 can also walk and run at up to 2 meters per second (4.5 miles per hour or 7.2 kilometers per hour). (Image credit: Unitree Robotics)
A robotic acrobat
The G1 can do more than acrobatics; during a martial arts demonstration, it disarmed a baton-wielding opponent. After a series of feints with its hands, the bot executed a spinning kick that sent the baton flying from its opponent's hands.
Like its human counterparts, the robot's lightweight, compact form helps it perform acrobatic moves with ease.
The G1 stands at just over 4.3 feet (1.3 meters) in height and weighs only 77 pounds (35 pounds) G1 also sports a 3D light detecting and ranging (LIDAR) and depth camera, which gives it a 360-degree view of its environment. Perhaps most importantly, it incorporates 23 degrees of freedom, a measure of the number of joints or axes of movement available to the bot.
The G1 can also walk and run at up to 2 meters per second (4.5 miles per hour or 7.2 kilometers per hour).
The company envisions robots like G1 or its successors doing everything from helping out with chores at home to performing industrial operations to assisting with hazardous rescue missions, the Unitree representative said.
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Figure 02's human-like gait is the product of the company's simulated reinforcement learning system, and is just the beginning of its plans to make its robots perform physical tasks more naturally.
(Image credit: Figure)
A U.S. robotics company has used artificial intelligence (AI) to give its humanoid robots a more natural-looking stride, and they say it's just the beginning.
In the promotional video, the robot, called Figure 02 and manufactured by the company Figure, marches with a "human-like" gait. This is an ability it claims will help its robot to navigate the physical world more easily.
"These initial results are exciting, but we believe they only hint at the full potential of our technology," company representatives wrote in a blog post accompanying its announcement. "We're committed to extending our learned policy to handle every human-like scenario the robot might face in the real world."
AI-Powered Humanoid Robot Army Marches Like Humans!
The problem, known as Moravec's Paradox, emerges because computers excel at problems that require complex calculations and large datasets, but lack our real-world experience honed by millions of years of evolution. This makes robots' shuffling gaits, well, robotic at best. At worst, it gives them the appearance that they may have soiled themselves.
To tackle the robot's unnatural gait, Figure's engineers used a learning technique called reinforcement learning — placing thousands of virtual robots inside a physics simulator that recreates various terrains, thereby improving their walking through trial and error.
By rewarding the virtual robot army for natural motions, they refined their gaits to appear more human-like. With this task accomplished, they uploaded the refined "Learned Natural Walking" model to a real-world Figure 02 robot. The result is an android that can move somewhat naturally, with heel strikes, toe-offs and synchronized arm swings.
Figure's reinforcement learning technique is key to the California company's plans to roll out its robots on factory floors. It has already tested its humanoid robots in a BMW factory in 2024 and plans to introduce more this year. Meanwhile, Apptronik, a Texas-based competitor, is also commercializing its humanoid robot, Apollo, for use in Mercedes-Benz factories by the end of 2025. Agility Robotics' Digit will also be introduced into warehouses this year.
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Over mijzelf
Ik ben Pieter, en gebruik soms ook wel de schuilnaam Peter2011.
Ik ben een man en woon in Linter (België) en mijn beroep is Ik ben op rust..
Ik ben geboren op 18/10/1950 en ben nu dus 74 jaar jong.
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