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.
Druk op onderstaande knop om te reageren in mijn forum
Zoeken in blog
Deze blog is opgedragen aan mijn overleden echtgenote Lucienne.
In 2012 verloor ze haar moedige strijd tegen kanker!
In 2011 startte ik deze blog, omdat ik niet mocht stoppen met mijn UFO-onderzoek.
BEDANKT!!!
Een interessant adres?
UFO'S of UAP'S, ASTRONOMIE, RUIMTEVAART, ARCHEOLOGIE, OUDHEIDKUNDE, SF-SNUFJES EN ANDERE ESOTERISCHE WETENSCHAPPEN - DE ALLERLAATSTE NIEUWTJES
UFO's of UAP'S in België en de rest van de wereld Ontdek de Fascinerende Wereld van UFO's en UAP's: Jouw Bron voor Onthullende Informatie!
Ben jij ook gefascineerd door het onbekende? Wil je meer weten over UFO's en UAP's, niet alleen in België, maar over de hele wereld? Dan ben je op de juiste plek!
België: Het Kloppend Hart van UFO-onderzoek
In België is BUFON (Belgisch UFO-Netwerk) dé autoriteit op het gebied van UFO-onderzoek. Voor betrouwbare en objectieve informatie over deze intrigerende fenomenen, bezoek je zeker onze Facebook-pagina en deze blog. Maar dat is nog niet alles! Ontdek ook het Belgisch UFO-meldpunt en Caelestia, twee organisaties die diepgaand onderzoek verrichten, al zijn ze soms kritisch of sceptisch.
Nederland: Een Schat aan Informatie
Voor onze Nederlandse buren is er de schitterende website www.ufowijzer.nl, beheerd door Paul Harmans. Deze site biedt een schat aan informatie en artikelen die je niet wilt missen!
Internationaal: MUFON - De Wereldwijde Autoriteit
Neem ook een kijkje bij MUFON (Mutual UFO Network Inc.), een gerenommeerde Amerikaanse UFO-vereniging met afdelingen in de VS en wereldwijd. MUFON is toegewijd aan de wetenschappelijke en analytische studie van het UFO-fenomeen, en hun maandelijkse tijdschrift, The MUFON UFO-Journal, is een must-read voor elke UFO-enthousiasteling. Bezoek hun website op www.mufon.com voor meer informatie.
Samenwerking en Toekomstvisie
Sinds 1 februari 2020 is Pieter niet alleen ex-president van BUFON, maar ook de voormalige nationale directeur van MUFON in Vlaanderen en Nederland. Dit creëert een sterke samenwerking met de Franse MUFON Reseau MUFON/EUROP, wat ons in staat stelt om nog meer waardevolle inzichten te delen.
Let op: Nepprofielen en Nieuwe Groeperingen
Pas op voor een nieuwe groepering die zich ook BUFON noemt, maar geen enkele connectie heeft met onze gevestigde organisatie. Hoewel zij de naam geregistreerd hebben, kunnen ze het rijke verleden en de expertise van onze groep niet evenaren. We wensen hen veel succes, maar we blijven de autoriteit in UFO-onderzoek!
Blijf Op De Hoogte!
Wil jij de laatste nieuwtjes over UFO's, ruimtevaart, archeologie, en meer? Volg ons dan en duik samen met ons in de fascinerende wereld van het onbekende! Sluit je aan bij de gemeenschap van nieuwsgierige geesten die net als jij verlangen naar antwoorden en avonturen in de sterren!
Heb je vragen of wil je meer weten? Aarzel dan niet om contact met ons op te nemen! Samen ontrafelen we het mysterie van de lucht en daarbuiten.
05-04-2025
NASA's Rover to Explore the Lunar South Pole Is Taking Shape
NASA's Rover to Explore the Lunar South Pole Is Taking Shape
By Andy Tomaswick
Artist's conception of the Endurance Rover. Credit - Baker & Keane
Sometimes, a brief update is all that is needed to keep the public interested in major projects. That's precisely what John Baker and James Keane of NASA's Jet Propulsion Laboratory provided to the 56th annual Lunar and Planetary Science Conference held in Texas last month. Their brief paper showcased the ongoing development of the Endurance autonomous rover, which was more thoroughly fleshed out in a massive 296-page mission concept study back in 2023. But what has the team been up to since then?
Before getting to the details of current work, it's best to understand the original purpose of the mission. Endurance is a response to the Planetary Science Decadal Survey, which listed developing an autonomous rover to explore the area around the lunar south pole as the highest priority for NASA's Lunar Exploration and Discovery Program. In its current iteration, Endurance will traverse over 2,000 km of the South Pole-Aitken basin, one of the most scientifically interesting parts of the Moon.
It's also the part most likely to attract human visitors as part of NASA's plan to return to the Moon. Endurance will be ready, having collected up to 100 kg of samples along the way for hand-off to the humans who will be joining it. AI will also play a central role in the rover, helping it navigate and even helping to decide what rocks to sample.
Fraser discusses why the lunar south pole - the target of Endurance - is so important.
So, what has the development team, led by Dr. Keane and Mr. Baker, been up to since the original project announcement? Quite a lot, apparently. One of the major milestones was developing a basic system design and then having an artist render what it would look like operating with an astronaut. While looks are nice, it's the underlying engineering that will really enable Endurance.
There were three major steps in those directions. First, the team has been working to utilize different data sources about the Moon to map out a planned path for the rover. 2,000 km is quite the distance, and the lunar south pole isn't particularly hospitable. Navigating around boulders and crevasses is the standard operating procedure for any planetary exploration rover, but Endurance will have to do it 10 times faster than any of its predecessors to complete its mission.
To do so, AI will be needed. Perseverance, the most capable rover launched to date, used a relatively limited AI platform to navigate around Jezero Crater on Mars. However, advances in the field have skyrocketed the technology's capabilities since then, and JPL scientists have taken advantage of it. They implemented a code update to a test rover called Athena that would allow it to navigate semi-autonomously at the speed required by Endurance. It even did so at night, which is particularly important on the Moon.
Water is one thing that is expected to be found at the pole - as Fraser explains.
Athena itself wasn't the only demonstration platform for the technology, though—the researchers also built the Exploration Rover for Navigating Extreme and Sloped Terrains, or ERNEST, rover test bed, which looks much more similar to the system design of Endurance. It's about half the size of the full rover but will enable testing of the various subsystems of its larger-scale successor.
Even with all the technical advances, there is still some basic science to get right. The next major step for Endurance is implementing a Science Definition Team for the project. This team will fully define the science objectives of the mission, allowing the team to fully scope out the engineering challenges for the rover's further development.
Given budget cuts across the US federal government, the Artemis program's future is still uncertain. However, as long as there are still people employed at JPL, scientists and engineers will still be hoping to create Endurance or something like it. With luck and continued funding, one day, it will roam the surface of our nearest neighbor and travel where no rover has gone before.
Artemis ESM's Could be Repurposed for Future Missions
Artemis ESM's Could be Repurposed for Future Missions
By Matthew Williams
Artist's impression of the Orion Spacecraft. Credit: ESA
In the coming years, NASA will send astronauts to the Moon for the first time since the end of the Apollo Era. These missions will lead to the creation of permanent infrastructure that will allow for regular trips to the lunar surface. An important aspect of this long-term plan is to develop components that can be reused as much as possible. This includes the Orion spacecraft that will transport the astronauts to lunar orbit (and back), the Lunar Gateway that will accommodate crews and a reusable lander to travel to and from the surface.
Unfortunately, the main launch vehicle for the Artemis Program, the Space Launch System (SLS), is an expendable system. While the Orion crew capsule is reusable, the European Service Modules (ESM) - an integral part of the Orion spacecraft that returns the crew to Earth - is not. In a recent paper, an international team of scientists identified how the ESM could be reused. Rather than letting them burn up in Earth's atmosphere, as planned, they recommend that the ESMs use their power and propulsion capability to conduct valuable scientific research.
The study was led by Carol Raymond, a researcher at NASA's Jet Propulsion Laboratory, the principal investigator of the Europa Clipper ICEMAG instrument team, and the deputy principal investigator of the Dawn mission. She was joined by multiple colleagues from JPL, the Washington University in St. Louis, the German Aerospace Center (DLR), the Max Planck Institute for Solar System Research, Airbus Defence and Space, the Leibniz-Institute of Evolution and Biodiversity Science (MfN), and the Southwest Research Institute (SwRI).
The ESM is a key element of the Orion spacecraft, providing power, propulsion, attitude control, thermal control, and payload support. The module is vital to NASA's Artemis Program, ensuring astronauts reach the Moon and return to Earth. After the separation of the Crew Module, the current plan is to allow the ESMs to burn up in Earth's atmosphere. As the authors indicate, this would be a waste since the ESM still has capabilities long after it has fulfilled its primary mission.
By leveraging these capabilities, the authors argue that the ESMs could provide low-cost opportunities for lucrative scientific research and multiple mission profiles. While the current designs for the ESM do not include scientific instruments, the mass capabilities allow for scientific payloads. Their work builds on a previous scientific workshop hosted by JPL in the summer of 2024, where US and European participants met to discuss the benefits of extended missions using repurposed ESMs after they complete their primary mission.
The concepts they considered were based on three categories: 1) no augmentation of the ESM, 2) minimal augmentation, and 3) low-to-moderate augmentation. Possible mission architectures were also considered, leading to a list of over thirty concepts.
Local Missions
The authors indicate that a minimally augmented ESM could accommodate up to 300 kg (660 lbs) of scientific instruments and be used to study near-Earth asteroids (NEAs) and the Moon. Regarding NEAs, these spacecraft could serve as observer missions, conduct flybys, and rendezvous with asteroids. This could potentially enable the study of unexplored classes of NEAs that could contain water and metals.
Another concept they suggest is using the ESM as a large kinetic impactor to the Moon and NEAs. Regarding the former, an ESM could be directed toward one of the Moon's Permanent Shadowed Regions (PSRs). Similar to the Chandrayaan -1 Moon Impact Probe (MIP) and the Lunar Crater Observation and Sensing Satellite (LCROSS), which revealed the presence of water ice on the Moon, this mission would excavate subsurface material and create a plume of material that could be observed by other spacecraft (possibly another ESM).
It could also be used to evaluate NEAs that could impact Earth someday, known as potentiallyhazardous objects (PHOs). It could also deflect PHOs, similar to the Double Asteroid Redirection Test (DART) mission. With a dry mass seven times larger than the DART mission, a repurposed ESM could deflect much larger bodies that periodically cross Earth's orbit.
Long-Range Missions
Other mission profiles include the exploration of Mars' moons, Phobos and Deimos. In this case, repurposed ESMs could conduct flybys or even land on these moons, providing the first sample analyses to learn more about their composition and place of origin. This has the potential to confirm theories that Phobos and Deimos are bodies that were kicked out of the Main Belt and were eventually captured by Mars' gravity.
Another possibility is to send a repurposed mission to Venus, consistent with recent recommendations from the Venus Exploration Analysis Group (VExAG). They propose sending a long-term communications asset to Venus to replicate the success of the Mars Relay Network. According to the authors, an ESM could be equipped with radio software and placed into a high-altitude orbit around Venus, supporting future orbiters and surface missions.
The authors stress that the main priority for each ESM mission is to accomplish its primary mission objectives for the Artemis program. However, the scientific benefits of repurposed ESMs are worthy of consideration, and the team hopes that their paper will stimulate discussion and inform future planning.
✈️ Mysterious Orb Spotted Near Helsinki Airport – UFO Sighting Leaves Passenger and Pilot Baffled
✈️ Mysterious Orb Spotted Near Helsinki Airport – UFO Sighting Leaves Passenger and Pilot Baffled
Date of Sighting:April 3, 2024 Time:8:42 PM (Just before sunset) Location: Helsinki Airport airspace, Finland Flight: ATR-72, FIN27H, en route from Tallinn, Estonia to Helsinki
A Close Encounter Above the Clouds?
If you’re into UFO sightings, here’s one you won’t want to miss.
On the evening of April 3rd, 2024, a passenger flying into Helsinki Airport witnessed something truly unexplainable: a bright, stationary orb hovering in the sky just a mile or two from their plane. What makes this case stand out is not just the visual clarity—it was also seen with the naked eye and caught on video, which you can watch below.
The witness, who was seated by the window during descent, spotted a glowing white orb hovering in the sky at a low altitude. The object did not blink or move like a drone or aircraft. Instead, it hovered perfectly still as the plane and landscape beneath shifted, making its stationary position even more mysterious.
“It wasn’t moving at all even though our plane and the buildings below were clearly in motion. It just hovered, glowing white to amber, and then vanished without a trace.”
👁️ What the Video Shows
In the video, the orb can be seen:
Hovering above the skyline, visibly in front of buildings (ruling out stars or planets).
Not emitting any blinking navigation lights like a commercial drone or aircraft.
Changing in shape and intensity, at one point appearing flame-like or double-lobed.
Disappearing briefly behind the wing, then reappearing in the exact same spot before vanishing entirely.
✈️ Even the Pilot Was Stumped
The witness asked a pilot about the encounter after landing—and even the pilot had no idea what it could have been. Considering the strict airspace regulations near airports, any unidentified object without FAA lights flying that close to a runway would be a serious safety breach… unless it wasn’t one of ours.
☑️ What It Definitely Wasn’t:
Not a star or planet (it was clearly in front of buildings and very close).
Not a plane or drone (no strobes, no sound, no movement).
Not a reflection (visible with the naked eye, confirmed on camera).
Not weather-related (clear skies, no lightning or cloud interference).
🔍 Why This UFO Sighting Matters
This is one of those rare UFO sightings where the conditions were nearly perfect:
Clear skies
Just before sunset, optimal for spotting unusual lights
Verified proximity to physical structures
Video evidence
Eyewitness confirmation from inside a descending aircraft
If you’re tracking credible UFO sightings near airports, this one deserves attention. Whether it was an advanced drone, a natural phenomenon, or something entirely unknown, it challenges our understanding of what’s flying in our skies—especially so close to commercial airspace.
📽️ Watch the UFO Sighting Footage
Be sure to check out the original video of the UFO near Helsinki Airport below and judge for yourself:
🛸 Have You Seen Something Similar?
The witness mentioned they’re especially interested in hearing from others who may have seen orbs near airports or during dusk hours. Have you encountered something like this during a flight?
Drop a comment or reach out—we’d love to collect more eyewitness accounts of UFO sightings like this one.
This Helsinki orb sighting joins a growing list of credible UFO sightings around the world—backed by video evidence, flight data, and eyewitness reports. It’s not conclusive proof of extraterrestrial activity, but it certainly adds another piece to the mystery puzzle.
If you’re fascinated by UFO phenomena, keep your eyes on the skies—and your phone camera ready.
Want to Know How to Survive in Space? Ask a Tardigrade
Want to Know How to Survive in Space? Ask a Tardigrade
By Matthew Williams
A coloured scanning electron micrograph of a tardigrade in moss. Credit: Eye of Science/Science Photo Library
The 2025 Lunar and Planetary Science Conference, which took place from March 10–14 in The Woodlands, Texas, witnessed some very interesting proposals for space exploration and science. In addition to bold mission concepts, scientists presented exciting opportunities for potential research that addresses major questions. Not the least of which was "How can humans survive in space and extraterrestrial environments"? One study in particular presented how the study of tardigrades could help address the challenges involved.
The study was conducted by Isadora Arantes, a NASA ambassador and astronaut candidate; and Geancarlo Zanatta, an Associate Professor at the Federal University of Rio Grande do Sul. As they indicate, tardigrades (aka. "water bears") have become the focus of considerable research in recent years. These extremophiles are renowned for their exceptional resilience to hostile environments. This includes temperatures ranging from -271°C to over 150°C, pressures exceeding 1,200 times atmospheric levels, desiccation, and intense ionizing radiation.
This has made them a pivotal model for astrobiological research and the potential for life beyond Earth. According to Arantes and Prof. Zanatta, specific proteins like Dsup (Damage Suppressor) are key to their resilience. This protein mitigates DNA damage caused by radiation exposure by forming a protective shield around genetic material, reducing double-strand breaks and preserving genomic integrity. For the sake of their study, they conducted simulations of the molecular dynamics of Dsup proteins using Gromacs software.
Their results show how the protein prevents genetic mutations by dissipating radiation and minimizing DNA disruptions. Beyond Dsup, they also investigated heat shock proteins (HSPs) and antioxidant enzymes, which maintain protein stability during thermal stress and mitigate oxidative damage caused by high pressure and radiation (respectively). As they wrote, these findings are indicative of what types of lifeforms may exist in extreme environments beyond Earth:
"[F]indings demonstrate that tardigrades' resilience mirrors potential life forms in extreme extraterrestrial environments, such as Mars, Europa, and Titan. Mars, with its radiation-rich environment and episodic liquid water, and the icy moons Europa and Titan, with subsurface oceans and cryogenic conditions, serve as benchmarks for understanding extremophile survival. For example, the stability of proteins in Titan’s subsurface ocean, as explored in related studies, suggests the plausibility of life in aqueous-ammonia mixtures under cryogenic conditions."
Beyond astrobiology, research into tardigrade adaptation has applications in biotechnology that could make humans more resilient. This includes improving radiation resistance, protecting against extreme cold in human cells, and engineering crops to survive in extreme climates. Arantes and Prof. Zanatta add that these applications "highlight the broader relevance of extremophiles in addressing challenges on Earth while contributing to the scientific foundation for future space missions."
They also note that further research involving integrated computational and experimental approaches is crucial to uncovering extremophile survival mechanisms. This has the potential to advance our understanding of life's resilience in extraterrestrial environments.
Spaceflight Weakens Our Weight-Bearing Bones the Most
Spaceflight Weakens Our Weight-Bearing Bones the Most
By Mark Thompson
MicroCT images of the femoral head bone and cartilage in ground control (GC) versus spaceflight (FLT), showing premature secondary ossification in microgravity. Credit Eduardo Almeida, Rukmani Cahill and Elizabeth Blaber,
Human beings evolved on Earth under the 1G pull of gravity. Travelling out into space has profound effects on the body, challenging it in ways that Earth-bound life never does. Microgravity or weightlessness causes muscle atrophy and bone density loss, as the body no longer needs to support its own weight. There is further damage from the prolonged exposure to cosmic radiation which increases the risk of cancer and can damage the nervous system. In addition to this, astronauts experience fluid shifts that lead to vision problems and even cardiovascular changes. Of course this is just the physical aspect but there is a psychological impact too from the isolation and confinement which just adds another level of complexity. Understanding the impacts of space travel is what has driven a team of scientists to try and learn more.
Astronauts exercise for around 2 hours every day on board the ISS
(Credit : NASA)
The team led by Rukmani Cahill from the Blue Marble Space Institute of Science have published their findings in the Public Library of Science. They explored wanted to explore if bone loss during spaceflight in Low Earth Orbit is primarily due to the microgravity induced unloading on weight-bearing skeletal sites.
To test this they sent a plucky bunch of mice off to the International Space Station for 37 days as part of the NASA Rodent Research-1 experiment. The team were then able to analyse the bones from the mice on their return to Earth using microcomputed tomography, a high resolution 3D imaging technique very similar to hospital CT scans but on a much finer scale. They were able to study the bone structure and composition and hoped to understand how spaceflight would effect the integrity of their skeleton.
NASA’s Rodent Habitat module with both access doors open
(Credit : NASA/Dominic Hart)
Their study showed that there was significant bone loss in the femur of the mice but not in vertebrae. This suggests that Low Earth Orbit radiation or systemic stresses aren't major contributors to bone degradation. Interestingly, the microgravity environment actually seemed to accelerate the transformation of cartilage in the rounded upper end of the thigh bone into bone tissue! This seems to indicate that space conditions may promote premature progression of secondary bone formation during late skeletal maturation stages at 21 weeks.
The research also showed a surprising benefit of the ISS Rodent Habitat design: control mice housed in these special wire-mesh enclosures down on Earth maintained or increased their bone mass, while those in standard laboratory cages showed significant bone deterioration. The team attribute this to the enclosures 3D structure, which encourages more elaborate movement patterns increasing mechanical loading on weight-bearing bones, a natural stimulus for maintaining healthy bone density. The outcome demonstrates how environmental design can surprisingly have a positive impact on bone health even under normal gravity conditions.
Concluding their paper, the study reveals that bone loss in space primarily affects weight-bearing sites in nearly mature female mice, while muscle-activated areas like the spine remain largely unaffected. This confirms mechanical unloading as the main culprit rather than radiation or other factors relating to space travel. The team also concluded that microgravity unexpectedly accelerates bone formation in femoral head growth plates, potentially leading to premature cessation of bone lengthening growth, a previously unknown effect of skeletal unloading in space environments.
A Martian dust storm captured by the ESA’s Mars Express. Credit: ESA
NASA and China plan to send astronauts and taikonauts to Mars in the coming decades. As the next step beyond lunar exploration, all major space agencies hope to send crewed missions there at some point. This should come as no surprise since Mars is the most potentially habitable planet in the Solar System beyond Earth. However, the challenges of sending humans to the Red Planet are legion, including the distances involved. Using conventional propulsion, it would take a mission six to nine months to reach Mars, during which time crews will be exposed to microgravity and elevated radiation levels.
In addition, human explorers will face multiple hazards upon arrival. These include the lower gravity (about 38% that of Earth), radiation, and Martian regolith. Much like lunar exploration, scientists are concerned about the long-term health effects of exposure to this fine, toxic dust. According to a recent study led by researchers from the University of Southern California (USC), long-term exposure to Martian dust could lead to various health problems, including chronic respiratory problems, thyroid disease, and more.
The research was led by Justin Wang, a medical student at the Keck School of Medicine of USC and an officer in the US Navy Medical Corps. He was joined by fellow researchers from Keck USC, the Laboratory for Atmospheric and Space Physics (LASP) at the University of Colorado Boulder, the University of California Los Angeles (UCLA), and the Astromaterials Acquisition and Curation Office at the NASA Johnson Space Center. That paper that describes their findings recently appeared in the journal Geohealth.
Thanks to the Apollo missions, scientists are familiar with the hazards of lunar regolith. Upon returning to Earth, astronauts reported eye irritation, respiratory irritation, and bronchitis, which was attributed to the dust they tracked back into their lunar landers. Today, scientists, medical professionals, and mission planners have similar concerns about Mars. Much like the Moon, Mars' surface is covered in a fine powder of silicate minerals, iron oxides, sulfates, and toxic elements like beryllium, arsenic, and perchlorates.
However, the effects of long-term exposure to this dust are less well-understood. As Wang noted in a CU Boulder press release, the greatest concern is the size of dust particulates, which is estimated to measure 3 micrometers in diameter. "That's smaller than what the mucus in our lungs can expel," he said. "So after we inhale Martian dust, much of it could remain in our lungs and be absorbed into our bloodstream." Moreover, crewed missions to Mars will likely involve up to a year and a half of surface operations.
During this time, astronauts must deal with dust storms, which can periodically grow to encompass the entire planet. As a result, they are likely to track some of this dust back into their habitats, where it could be inhaled. As Brian Hynek, a LASP professor of geology and co-author on the paper, said in a UC Boulder press release:
"You're going to get dust on your spacesuits, and you're going to have to deal with regular dust storms. We really need to characterize this dust so that we know what the hazards are. We think there could be 10 meters of dust sitting on top of the bigger volcanoes. If you tried to land a spacecraft there, you're going to just sink into the dust."
To address this, Wang and his colleagues consulted data from Martian rovers and meteorites to gain a better understanding of what composes this regolith. Their study is the first comprehensive examination of the chemical composition of Mars regolith and its possible impacts on human health. Interestingly, their results bore some similarities to common health problems on Earth, which included a condition known as silicosis. This condition, caused by inhaling silicates, leads to the buildup of scar tissue in the lungs and respiratory difficulty.
However, the results were less clear when it came to perchlorates, though there is evidence that suggests that exposure to perchlorates can lead to severe anemia due to their effect on thyroid function. In terms of solutions, Wang and his team recommend that prevention is key, and strategies need to be developed long before astronauts are sent to Mars. These include dust filtration, cabin cleaning, and iodine supplements to increase thyroid function. Said Wang:
"This isn't the most dangerous part about going to Mars. But dust is a solvable problem, and it's worth putting in the effort to develop Mars-focused technologies for preventing these health problems in the first place. Prevention is key. We tell everyone to go see their primary care provider to check [their] cholesterol before it gives you a heart attack. The best thing we can do on Mars is make sure the astronauts aren't exposed to dust in the first place."
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.
If you enjoyed this story, be sure to follow Mashable on MSN.
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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- Gemiddelde waardering: 0/5 - (0 Stemmen) Categorie:SF-snufjes }, Robotics and A.I. Artificiel Intelligence ( E, F en NL )
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.
Beste bezoeker, Heb je zelf al ooit een vreemde waarneming gedaan, laat dit dan even weten via email aan Frederick Delaere opwww.ufomeldpunt.be. Deze onderzoekers behandelen jouw melding in volledige anonimiteit en met alle respect voor jouw privacy. Ze zijn kritisch, objectief maar open minded aangelegd en zullen jou steeds een verklaring geven voor jouw waarneming! DUS AARZEL NIET, ALS JE EEN ANTWOORD OP JOUW VRAGEN WENST, CONTACTEER FREDERICK. BIJ VOORBAAT DANK...
Druk op onderstaande knop om je bestand , jouw artikel naar mij te verzenden. INDIEN HET DE MOEITE WAARD IS, PLAATS IK HET OP DE BLOG ONDER DIVERSEN MET JOUW NAAM...
Druk op onderstaande knop om een berichtje achter te laten in mijn gastenboek
Alvast bedankt voor al jouw bezoekjes en jouw reacties. Nog een prettige dag verder!!!
Over mijzelf
Ik ben Pieter, en gebruik soms ook wel de schuilnaam Peter2011.
Ik ben een man en woon in Linter (België) en mijn beroep is Ik ben op rust..
Ik ben geboren op 18/10/1950 en ben nu dus 74 jaar jong.
Mijn hobby's zijn: Ufologie en andere esoterische onderwerpen.
Op deze blog vind je onder artikels, werk van mezelf. Mijn dank gaat ook naar André, Ingrid, Oliver, Paul, Vincent, Georges Filer en MUFON voor de bijdragen voor de verschillende categorieën...
Veel leesplezier en geef je mening over deze blog.
