The purpose of this blog is the creation of an open, international, independent and free forum, where every UFO-researcher can publish the results of his/her research. The languagues, used for this blog, are Dutch, English and French.You can find the articles of a collegue by selecting his category. Each author stays resposable for the continue of his articles. As blogmaster I have the right to refuse an addition or an article, when it attacks other collegues or UFO-groupes.
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Deze blog is opgedragen aan mijn overleden echtgenote Lucienne.
In 2012 verloor ze haar moedige strijd tegen kanker!
In 2011 startte ik deze blog, omdat ik niet mocht stoppen met mijn UFO-onderzoek.
BEDANKT!!!
Een interessant adres?
UFO'S of UAP'S, ASTRONOMIE, RUIMTEVAART, ARCHEOLOGIE, OUDHEIDKUNDE, SF-SNUFJES EN ANDERE ESOTERISCHE WETENSCHAPPEN - DE ALLERLAATSTE NIEUWTJES
UFO's of UAP'S in België en de rest van de wereld Ontdek de Fascinerende Wereld van UFO's en UAP's: Jouw Bron voor Onthullende Informatie!
Ben jij ook gefascineerd door het onbekende? Wil je meer weten over UFO's en UAP's, niet alleen in België, maar over de hele wereld? Dan ben je op de juiste plek!
België: Het Kloppend Hart van UFO-onderzoek
In België is BUFON (Belgisch UFO-Netwerk) dé autoriteit op het gebied van UFO-onderzoek. Voor betrouwbare en objectieve informatie over deze intrigerende fenomenen, bezoek je zeker onze Facebook-pagina en deze blog. Maar dat is nog niet alles! Ontdek ook het Belgisch UFO-meldpunt en Caelestia, twee organisaties die diepgaand onderzoek verrichten, al zijn ze soms kritisch of sceptisch.
Nederland: Een Schat aan Informatie
Voor onze Nederlandse buren is er de schitterende website www.ufowijzer.nl, beheerd door Paul Harmans. Deze site biedt een schat aan informatie en artikelen die je niet wilt missen!
Internationaal: MUFON - De Wereldwijde Autoriteit
Neem ook een kijkje bij MUFON (Mutual UFO Network Inc.), een gerenommeerde Amerikaanse UFO-vereniging met afdelingen in de VS en wereldwijd. MUFON is toegewijd aan de wetenschappelijke en analytische studie van het UFO-fenomeen, en hun maandelijkse tijdschrift, The MUFON UFO-Journal, is een must-read voor elke UFO-enthousiasteling. Bezoek hun website op www.mufon.com voor meer informatie.
Samenwerking en Toekomstvisie
Sinds 1 februari 2020 is Pieter niet alleen ex-president van BUFON, maar ook de voormalige nationale directeur van MUFON in Vlaanderen en Nederland. Dit creëert een sterke samenwerking met de Franse MUFON Reseau MUFON/EUROP, wat ons in staat stelt om nog meer waardevolle inzichten te delen.
Let op: Nepprofielen en Nieuwe Groeperingen
Pas op voor een nieuwe groepering die zich ook BUFON noemt, maar geen enkele connectie heeft met onze gevestigde organisatie. Hoewel zij de naam geregistreerd hebben, kunnen ze het rijke verleden en de expertise van onze groep niet evenaren. We wensen hen veel succes, maar we blijven de autoriteit in UFO-onderzoek!
Blijf Op De Hoogte!
Wil jij de laatste nieuwtjes over UFO's, ruimtevaart, archeologie, en meer? Volg ons dan en duik samen met ons in de fascinerende wereld van het onbekende! Sluit je aan bij de gemeenschap van nieuwsgierige geesten die net als jij verlangen naar antwoorden en avonturen in de sterren!
Heb je vragen of wil je meer weten? Aarzel dan niet om contact met ons op te nemen! Samen ontrafelen we het mysterie van de lucht en daarbuiten.
07-04-2025
UFO Over Birmingham, UK April 6, 2025, UAP Drone Sighting News.
UFO Over Birmingham, UK April 6, 2025, UAP Drone Sighting News.
Date of sighting: April 6, 2025
Location of sighting: Birmingham, UK
Source: Email report
A strange and mysterious UFO was recorded over the UK at night, and it’s got all the classic signs of something not of this world. The eyewitness was casually looking out their apartment window when they noticed a glowing green light in the distance. The object began flashing as it moved closer, slowly revealing two bright white lights. Then, shockingly, it started to descend, almost as if it were falling or preparing to land nearby. For a brief moment, it looked like it touched down—but in the blink of an eye, it shot straight up into the sky at incredible speed. The video ends there, leaving us with more questions than answers. This is no drone, no plane…it’s something far more advanced.
What began as Nikola Tesla’s vision of free energy may have evolved into one of the most powerful tools ever created. After Tesla’s death in 1943, his research was seized by the U.S. government. Decades later, a mysterious facility appeared in Gakona, Alaska: the High-Frequency Active Auroral Research Program (HAARP), a massive array of 180 antennas strikingly similar to Tesla’s designs.
Officially, HAARP is a scientific research project studying the ionosphere by transmitting high-frequency (HF) radio waves into the upper atmosphere. Unofficially, it has sparked global speculation about its true capabilities.
What HAARP can do:
Ionospheric Heating & Plasma Creation HAARP can heat and manipulate the ionosphere, creating artificial plasma clouds that reflect radio signals and useful for military communication or jamming enemy transmissions.
Advanced Communication Systems
It can enhance long-range radio signals, aiding submarine and remote military communications, and potentially disrupt enemy systems.
Over-the-Horizon Radar and Surveillance
HAARP's disturbances can help detect and track missiles or aircraft beyond the horizon, offering advantages in early warning systems and satellite interference.
Weather Modification
Though denied by mainstream science, HAARP may influence weather by heating specific atmospheric regions, potentially amplifying storms or triggering droughts.
Seismic Manipulation
Some believe HAARP’s frequencies could trigger earthquakes by resonating with Earth's crust, claims bolstered by related patents but not supported by conclusive evidence.
Asteroid and Space Research
HAARP has bounced signals off asteroids, hinting at its use in planetary defense and deep-space communication.
Mind and Mood Influence
There’s ongoing speculation about electromagnetic frequencies affecting human brainwaves, though no hard proof exists.
HAARP in the Space Arms Race
While not officially classified as a weapon, HAARP fits into the growing militarization of space:
Weaponizing the Ionosphere
For advanced communications, radar, or electronic warfare. Space-Based Surveillance
Assisting missile tracking and satellite disruption
Asteroid Tracking – With potential for planetary defense
Electromagnetic Warfare – Could interfere with satellites, GPS, and communications
Global HAARP-Like Facilities
HAARP isn’t alone. Several countries operate similar research stations, including:
Russia – Sura Ionospheric Heating Facility China – Ionospheric stations in Wuhan and Hainan
EU – EISCAT (European Incoherent Scatter Scientific Association)
India, Brazil, Japan – Developing or operating related research programs
A New Kind of Arms Race
Tesla’s legacy may have triggered a high-tech race for control of the skies. With global powers developing HAARP-like capabilities, the battle for the ionosphere is underway. Whether for science or warfare, one thing is clear:
Whoever controls the ionosphere may control the future battlefield.
“Comets are like cats: they have tails, and they do precisely what they want,” wrote David H. Levy, an amateur astronomer who discovered 22 comets, nine of them using his own backyard telescopes.
David Levy’s bio on the Vatican Observatory website states that he is “one of the most successful comet discoverers in history.” With Eugene and Carolyn Shoemaker at the Palomar Observatory in California, he discovered Shoemaker-Levy 9, the comet that broke up and spectacularly collided with Jupiter in 1994.
Evidently, David Levy knew a thing or two about identifying and tracking these enigmatic celestial visitors who come into the inner solar system from time to time. The reason why he thought comets are like cats is not because he heard them purr or saw them perform crazy antics in the sky, but because of their unpredictable nature.
Comets are difficult to track, for they are often not found at their expected position in their orbit. Sometimes they change their orbital path. Some of them arrive at their perihelion positions (closest to the Sun) either too soon or too late.[1] The 1st century CE historian, Josephus, was certainly referring to a comet when he described a star, resembling a sword, which stood over the city of Jerusalem for an entire year, in 66 CE.[2]
Astronomers don't know when exactly a comet will start to brighten up and emit a lot of gases, how bright it will become, or when it will stop doing so and become almost invisible. For instance, in 2012, comet ISON became very active far, far, away from the Sun, but when it came into the inner solar system, it started losing brightness.
Comets are quite moody and capricious that way. It’s almost as if they might be conscious space entities who have their own mysterious agendas and ways of working, about which we are quite clueless.
While researching for my book Yuga Shift, I noticed something about comets that captivated me. The structure and variety of their tails are very similar to the flagella, which are used by a number of microorganisms for locomotion! And the way comets move through space while rotating on their axis and waving their tails is exactly the manner in which microbes move as well.
Comet Tails and Flagella
How do comets move through space? The current thinking is that a comet is nothing but a ball of ice and frozen gases with a covering of dirt. The term “dirty snowballs” is often used to describe them. When a comet approaches the Sun, the nucleus gets heated by solar radiation. As a result, the sub-surface ices begin to sublimate (i.e. they turn directly from solid to gas) and comes out through the cracks on the crust. As the gases come out, they blow off bits of dust particles. The rocket-like outgassing of materials gives a comet the ability to move and accelerate on its own.
The gas and dust released by the nucleus of a comet forms the brilliant coma around the nucleus and, typically, two long tails - a yellowish-white, curvy, dust tail and a straight, bluish, ion tail - both of which point away from the Sun due to the effects of solar radiation and solar wind.
The dust tail and ion tail of Comet Hale-Bopp, 1997. Credit: ESO / E. Slawik, Public Domain
I never really had any reason to doubt these oft-repeated explanations, or to even think of comets as conscious entities, until I saw a couple of images of comet tails, which sparked off a different line of thinking.
In some comets, the dust tail has distinct striations. These were first observed in Comet McNaught in 2007, which was one of the brightest comets visible from the Earth in the past 50 years. NASA reported that, “Setting McNaught apart further still from its peers, however, was its highly structured tail, composed of many distinct dust bands called striae, or striations, that stretched more than 100 million miles behind the comet, longer than the distance between Earth and the Sun.”[3]
Comet McNaught over the Pacific Ocean, 2007. The dust tail has many striations. Credit: ESO / Sebastian Deiries, CC BY 4.0.
Similar striations were observed in the dust tail of Comet NEOWISE in 2020. NASA Science reported that, “Comet NEOWISE's impressive dust-tail striations are not fully understood, as yet, but likely related to rotating streams of sun-reflecting grit liberated by ice melting on its 5-kilometer wide nucleus.”[4]
The Structured Tails of Comet NEOWISE. This is a 40-image conglomerate, captured through the dark skies of the Gobi Desert in Inner Mongolia, China. Credit: Zixuan Lin / NASA APOD 2020 July 22
What is really intriguing about these dust-tail striations is that, even though we have been able to detect these striations only in recent decades, using highly sophisticated telescopes, they were clearly depicted in an ancient Chinese comet atlas, which was found in a Han-era tomb that was sealed in 168 BCE.
The 2000-year-old Chinese text known as the Mawangdui Silk Text records hundreds of comet sightings over three centuries, with two dozen renderings of specific cometary forms. Each sighting noted the time of appearance, flight path, and disappearance, accompanied by a caption describing an event that corresponded to the comet's appearance, such as “the death of the prince,” “the coming of the plague,” “the 3 year drought” etc.
The Comet Atlas of the Mawangdui Silk Text clearly depicts striations in the comet tails. Source: NASA (solarsystem.nasa.gov), Public Domain Image
The images in the Mawangdui comet atlas make it quite obvious that the ancient Chinese astronomers, who lived more than two thousand years ago, were able to clearly see the dust tail striations of comets! What kind of advanced optical instruments could they have been using? Surely, they were not peering through a bamboo shoot, as many mainstream scientists would want us to believe!
While looking at the comet atlas of the Mawangdui Silk Texts, another thought began to play on my mind. The comets with their striated tails seemed vaguely familiar, as if I had seen them before. “Is this how unicellular organisms with flagella look like? “ I thought to myself. I decided to refresh my memory of high school biology by doing some online research.
This is what I found. Many unicellular organisms, such as bacteria, algae, and protozoa, use cilia and flagella for locomotion. The flagella are long, whip-like projections from the cell body, while the cilia are small, hair-like projections on the cell surface. While a cell may have hundreds of cilia, the number of flagella is generally less than ten.
A unicellular organism uses both the cilia and flagella for locomotion. While the cilia execute a back-and-front beating, the flagella moves in a propeller-like manner to drive the organism forward, such that it forms waves on the flagella.
Here’s the part that made my eyes light up. There are essentially four types of flagella in algal cells, and a single cell may have one or more of these types.
1. Acronematic flagella or whiplash flagella is smooth and elongated without any hairs. 2. Pantonematicflagella has a central filament with two rows of lateral hairs (called mastigonemes) attached to it like feathers. 3. Pantocronematic flagella also has a central filament with two rows of hairs, but with a single terminal hair. 4. Stichonematic flagella has a central filament with a single row of hair.
Now, if we look back at the depictions of the comets in the Mawangdui comet atlas, we will find something astonishing: each and every comet tail depicted in the comet atlas corresponds to one of the flagella types of algal cells! In the diagram below, I have mapped the comet tails to the flagella types of algae.
The comets' tails in the Mawangdui Silk Texts can be mapped to algal flagella types
I was amazed by this exact correlation, to say the least! It’s almost as if the ancient Chinese astronomers, instead of designing a powerful telescope to scan the sky for comets, had mistakenly invented a powerful microscope and were peering at the ground and describing unicellular organisms with flagella.
But obviously that wasn’t the case. What this strange association implies is that comets might actually have faint tail-like structures for locomotion, which become visible when a comet emits gases, but otherwise remain invisible to us at such long distances. The gas and dust released by a comet may be coalescing around the cilia to form the brilliant coma, and around the flagella to form the comet tails.
It seems to me that the acronematic or whiplash flagella is what we know as the “ion tail” of a comet, which is straight and bluish in color, and does not have striations, while the stichonematic, pantonematic and pantocronematic flagella - which are collectively known as tinsel flagella – are the curvy “dust tail” of a comet, where the striations appear.
Comet C/2014 Q2 (Lovejoy), a long-period comet which came from the Oort cloud and spun around the Sun in 2015, displayed multiple ion tails, indicative of multiple acronematic or whiplash flagella. As we have noted, there are a number of comets in the Chinese comet atlas with multiple whiplash flagella.
The ion tail of Comet C/2014 Q2 (Lovejoy) has distinct threads of ionized gas which change their wavy appearance over time. Credit: Velimir Popov & Emil Ivanov (IRIDA Observatory) / NASA, APOD, Jan 21, 2015.A cholera bacteria with its many whiplash flagella. Source: Adobe Stock
Regarding Comet C/2014 Q2 (termed Comet Lovejoy, since it was discovered by amateur Australian astronomer, Terry Lovejoy), NASA reported that,
“Comet C/2014 Q2 (Lovejoy), which is currently at naked-eye brightness and near its brightest, has been showing an exquisitely detailed ion tail...The effect of the variable solar wind combined with different gas jets venting from the comet's nucleus accounts for the tail's complex structure. Following the wind, structure in Comet Lovejoy's tail can be seen to move outward from the Sun even alter its wavy appearance over time.”[5]
I found it interesting that the ion tails of Comet C/2014 Q2 (Lovejoy) changed their wavy appearance over time. This is exactly what you would expect if the tails were being used for locomotion. In unicellular organisms, the flagella rotate like a propeller, which gives it a wavy appearance.
The wavy appearance of the flagella of the Pseudomonas bacteria. Source: Adobe Stock
Comet C/2011 W3 (also called Comet Lovejoy, since it was also discovered by amateur Australian astronomer Terry Lovejoy) passed deep within the solar corona in December 2011. A team of researchers published a paper in Science journal, where they said that the tail of Comet Lovejoy “wiggled”! This article from Phys.org states,
“What the researchers found most interesting about Lovejoy's close call (with the Sun) was the movement of its tail as it passed through parts of the corona—it wiggled, displaying major changes in intensity, direction, persistence and magnitude.”[6]
Now, isn’t that startling? Not only do the tails of comets exactly resemble the flagella of algae, comets also wiggle their tails as they move, which gives their tails a wavy appearance.
And there’s more. It has been known for a long time that the nucleus of a comet rotates as it moves. Small comets rotate rapidly, while larger ones rotate slowly.[7] Scientists studying the motion of the single-celled green alga called Chlamydomonas found that the body of the alga rotates in a corkscrew motion as it moves. This is what the press release by the University of Exeter (2021) tells us:
“A team of researchers from the University of Exeter’s flagship Living Systems Institute has discovered how the model alga Chlamydomonas is seemingly able to scan the environment by constantly spinning around its own body axis in a corkscrewing movement. This helps it respond to light, which it needs for photosynthesis...In the new study, the researchers first performed experiments which revealed that the two flagella in fact beat in planes that are slightly skewed away from each other.”[8]
Chlamydomonas, the green alga, is a favorite subject of scientific research. Source: Adobe Stock
Needless to say, I became more and more intrigued as the similarities between comets and terrestrial microbes kept on piling up. Almost every aspect of the movement of unicellular organisms can be seen in comets. The study from the University of Exeter that I cited above also found that Chlamydomonas cells swim towards the light using their flagella. But how do they sense the light? As per the scientists,
“Chlamydomonas cells are able to sense light through a red eye spot and can react to it, known as phototaxis. The cell rotates steadily as it propels itself forwards using a sort of breaststroke, at a rate of about once or twice a second, so that its single eye can scan the local environment.”
So, let’s get this straight. A comet moves towards the Sun by wiggling its tail, and the comet's nucleus rotates as it moves. Chlamydomonas cells move towards the light by beating their flagella, and the cell rotates to allow the “red eye spot” to scan the environment. The correspondences are absolutely spot on! Incidentally, phototaxis is exhibited by many unicellular phototrophs (i.e. organisms which can make their own food using sunlight) such as green algae, dinoflagellates, cyanobacteria etc.
Could it be, I wondered, that comets are also capable of sensing light using an eye spot and move towards the Sun by means of phototaxis? Perhaps, comets are giant, conscious, space organisms who move around in outer space pretty much on their own, and are not gravitationally bound to the Sun?
But there is an issue with that line of reasoning. If comets move using phototaxis, then how do short-period comets, which have an orbital period of less than 200 years and have their aphelion near Jupiter or Neptune, have such stable orbits over time? Surely, phototaxis by itself cannot guarantee such stable orbits?
Phototaxis in the green alga Volvox rousseletii. Source: Wikimedia Commons CC BY 2.0
My surmise is that, in addition to having a “red eye spot” for sensing the light, comets may also possess “magnetoreceptors” inside their nucleus, using which they orient their orbits along the (solar) interplanetary magnetic field (IMF). We know that there are many types of terrestrial animals, such as migratory birds and sea turtles, which use magnetoreceptors for sensing the Earth’s magnetic field to orient themselves and navigate over long distances.
Since the (solar) interplanetary magnetic field lines may have occasional bends and twists (just like the Earth’s magnetic field), a comet may not be found at the expected point in its orbit. Moreover, comets, being conscious organisms, might jump from one magnetic field line to another, thereby changing their orbit. They might increase or decrease their speed consciously, in response to internal or external stimuli, and arrive at their perihelion (closest to the Sun) positions either too soon or too late. Sometimes they might stop altogether, and appear at the same place for a long time, as observed by the 1st century CE historian, Josephus.
In other words, comets may not be like “cats”, as David H. Levy had suggested, but could very well be like unicellular organisms such as algae and bacteria. It is quite possible that they are not gravitationally bound to the Sun, but are moving around the Sun consciously, using a combination of phototaxis and magnetoreception, using their flagella-like tails as locomotory organs. Comets may also have an ability called gravitaxis, which makes marine algae and other types of organisms move towards or away from gravity. This could be why most short-period comets have their aphelion (farthest from the Sun) near the gas giants Jupiter and Neptune.
Short-period comets have orbital periods of less than 200 years and are believed to originate from the Kuiper Belt, a ring of icy objects beyond the orbit of Neptune. Credit: Bibhu Dev MisraLong-period comets have orbital periods of more than 200 years, and they originate from the spherical Oort cloud. These comets can enter the solar system from any random direction. Credit: Bibhu Dev Misra
This brings up another intriguing question. The reason why the alga chlamydomonas - and phototrophic organisms in general - move towards the light is because they need the light for photosynthesis.Could it be that comets also make their own food utilizing photosynthesis?
We know that unicellular organisms move their flagella using energy derived from ATP (adenosine triphosphate) molecules that are produced by the breakdown of glucose during cellular respiration. Could this be the case for comets as well?Are there metabolic reactions going on in the interior of comets that produce the energy needed for their movement and the gases they emit?
Metabolic Activity inside Comets
Astronomers currently believe that the nucleus of a comet contains the frozen ices of many gases. When a comet approaches the Sun, the sub-surface ices sublimate due to solar radiation and come out of the cracks on the outer crust in the form of gases.
Our information about the gases released by comets comes from studying the spectra of different comets. The dominant gases in the coma are water vapor and carbon dioxide, followed by carbon monoxide, which is ionized by UV radiation and swept into the ion tail.
In 2014, the Comet C/2014 Q2 (Lovejoy) released 21 different organic molecules, including ethyl alcohol and glycolaldehyde, a simple sugar. “We found that comet Lovejoy was releasing as much alcohol as in at least 500 bottles of wine every second during its peak activity,” said Nicolas Biver of the Paris Observatory, France. Lovejoy passed closest to the sun on January 30, 2015, when it was releasing water at the rate of 20 tons per second. The atmosphere of the comet around this time was brightest and most active.[9]
Comets also release small amounts of other gases such as methane, ammonia, hydrogen sulphide, cyanogen, formaldehyde, etc. ESA’s Rosetta mission discovered the amino acid glycine, which is commonly found in proteins, and phosphorus, a key component of DNA and cell membranes, in the coma of Comet 67P - Churyumov-Gerasimenko.[10] The current thought process is that comets may be reservoirs of primitive material in the Solar System, which are released when they get warmed up.
The nucleus of comet 67P/Churyumov-Gerasimenko imaged by Rosetta’s camera on 3 August 2014. Credit: ESA, Public Domain Image.
But there is a problem with this hypothesis. Firstly, scientists find it very difficult to explain how these substances and organic molecules were created and ended up inside a comet in the first place. Secondly, many of these gases are released by a comet before the temperature reaches the sublimation point (i.e., the temperature at when a solid directly turns into a gas).
Most comets develop a coma and tails when they are somewhere between the orbits of Jupiter and Mars. Scientists believe that this happens because frozen water begins to sublimate at ~3 AU from the Sun (Mars is at 1.5 AU, Jupiter at 5.2 AU; 1 AU = distance between the Sun and Earth).
However, nearly one-third of comets become active beyond the water ice sublimation boundary at 3 AU.[11] The Long-period Comet Hale-Bopp had a giant coma upon discovery at a distance of 7 AU (near Saturn's orbit) and continued to be active at much farther distances post-perihelion.
The first volatile gases observed in distantly active comets (beyond 3 AU) were carbon monoxide, carbon dioxide, cyanogen, and hydroxide (which comes from water molecules).[12] The question is, how are distantly active comets releasing carbon dioxide and other gases into their coma, over such large distances from the Sun?
Is it possible that the gases released by a comet are a byproduct of metabolic activities taking place within the core of a comet’s nucleus, and not due to the sublimation of frozen ices?
Imagine an old man with a flatulence problem goes to see a doctor, and the doctor tells him that a surgical operation is required to take out the “solidified gas deposits” present inside the man’s stomach, which were presumably formed when he was born. Would that person ever see that doctor again after enduring such a harrowing experience?
I don’t think so, since everyone knows that the gases released by humans and all living organisms are a product of respiration and metabolic activity. Carbon dioxide is released by us during breathing, while many types of gases are generated during digestion – carbon dioxide, oxygen, nitrogen, hydrogen, methane, etc., some of which can cause flatulence.
It is possible, therefore, that the gases released by a comet are a product of metabolic activity taking place within the comet’s nucleus. Since comets resemble algae and other unicellular organisms, let us try to figure out what might be going on inside a cometary nucleus from that perspective.
Since unicellular phototrophs such as algae, euglena and cyanobacteria contain chloroplasts, they are able to produce their own food through photosynthesis. It is for this reason that they move towards the light by means of phototaxis. Perhaps, comets also contain chloroplasts, which allow them to produce glucose using carbon dioxide, water, and sunlight?
In addition to chloroplasts, a comet nucleus is likely to contain reservoirs of water with dissolved carbon dioxide, since a recent study found pockets of carbon dioxide-rich liquid water inside salt crystals in a carbonaceous chondrite (which come from spent comets).[13]
When a comet approaches the Sun, at a certain point in its orbit when the light intensity is strong enough, the photosynthetic process may get triggered.
6CO2 + 6H2O + Sunlight = C6H12O6 (glucose) + 6O2
The oxygen produced during photosynthesis may not be released outside, but is used for aerobic cellular respiration, in which the glucose is broken down into water, carbon dioxide, and ATP molecules.
C6H12O6 (glucose) + 6O2 = 6CO2 + 6H2O + ATP
This would explain why comets emit such large quantities of water vapor and carbon dioxide, even when they are beyond the water ice sublimation boundary (3 AU). They are released as byproducts of aerobic cellular respiration.
The ATP molecules provide the necessary energy to comets to power their journey through space by moving their cilia and flagella. This could be why comets not only emit more gas but also move faster as they draw closer to the Sun. The photosynthesis process will be at its peak when a comet reaches perihelion, i.e., the closest point to the Sun in its orbit.
When comets move far away from the Sun and are not able to photosynthesize, they can use the stored ATP molecules to continue their journey. This could be why many comets can accelerate even when they are at vast distances from the Sun, and the coma and tails are not visible.
In other words, outgassing is not necessary for cometary acceleration, as was particularly evident in case of the Interstellar Comet Oumuamua, which accelerated away from the Sun at a tremendous pace, and yet showed no signs of a coma or tails.
Comets may also have the ability to switch to anaerobic cellular respiration, which can be carried out in the absence of oxygen, in order to generate ATP molecules from the glucose stored within the nucleus. In anaerobic respiration, the stored glucose is broken down into ethanol, carbon dioxide and ATP.
Anaerobic respiration releases much less energy than aerobic respiration, since glucose is partially broken down. This method may be used by a comet when it has run out of its internal storage of oxygen. This can explain why Comet C/2014 Q2 (Lovejoy) was releasing large amounts of ethanol: it had switched to anaerobic cellular respiration.
Some of the other gases seen in the spectra of comets are carbon monoxide, cyanogen, formaldehyde, ammonia, methane, hydrogen sulphide, etc. Each of these gases is produced by different species of algae and bacteria as byproducts of metabolic activities.
Carbon Monoxide: Studies show that “the chemical processes associated with the biosynthesis and degradation of the photosynthetic pigments in algae produce large amounts of carbon monoxide (CO)”.[14]
Formaldehyde: It has been isolated from nearly every marine algal species, which indicates that formaldehyde formation takes place within algae.[15]
Cyanogen: Cyanogen gas (commonly called cyanide) has been observed in the coma of many comets, including Comet Hartley 2 and the Interstellar Comet Borisov. It is thought to be produced when a gas called hydrogen cyanide (HCN) is broken apart by sunlight.[16] As per a recent study (2020), HCN is produced by cyanobacteria.
“The production of HCN was examined in 78 cyanobacteria strains from all five principal sections of cyanobacteria…Twenty-eight (28) strains were found positive for HCN production...HCN production could be linked with nitrogen fixation, as all of HCN producing strains are considered capable of fixing nitrogen.”[17]
Ammonia: Cyanobacteria, also known as blue-green algae, can convert atmospheric nitrogen into ammonia through a process called nitrogen fixation. Since nitrogen is present in interstellar clouds[18], certain types of comets may be able to convert it into ammonia, in order to make amino acids. Amino acids such as glycine have been detected in the atmosphere of Comet 67P.[19]
Methane:A class of bacteria called methanogens produces methane and water as a byproduct of anaerobic respiration. They are found in regions low in oxygen (anoxic) such as wetlands, landfills, etc.
Hydrogen Sulphide: Sulfate-reducing bacteria, which live in the coastal waters, produce hydrogen sulphide as a byproduct of anaerobic respiration.
Thus, all of the gases commonly seen in the spectra of comets are generated as a result of aerobic or anaerobic cellular respiration or other metabolic activities by different types of unicellular organisms, such as algae, bacteria, protozoa, etc.
This provides a strong basis to argue that comets are conscious space organisms carrying out cellular respiration and a variety of internal metabolic activities. The gases generated as a byproduct of these metabolic activities are released by a comet, which coalesces around the cilia and flagella to create the brilliant coma and the tails of the comet. The ATP molecules provide the necessary energy for a comet to move through space by moving its cilia and flagella, which is why comets have been seen to accelerate even when they don’t display signs of outgassing.
This is a far better explanation of the observational data than the current hypothesis, which posits that comets are lifeless, “dirty snowballs”. This doesn’t tell us how all of these gases and organic molecules ended up within comets, why comets move around the Sun, why these gases and complex organic molecules are released, how is it that comets can brighten up even when they are very far from the Sun (beyond the water-ice sublimation boundary), or how they accelerate when they don’t release any gases.
If you still harbor doubts, there is yet another thing which a comet does that is a sure-shot indication that it is conscious: comets can reproduce! That’s right, comets produce more of their own via binary fission (or budding) and multiple fission.
Binary and Multiple Fission
Comets have an uncanny ability to fragment into multiple smaller comets. There have been at least 25 instances over the past couple of centuries when a comet has been seen to fragment into smaller comets. In some cases, two or more comets have been discovered in nearly the same orbit, and calculations have indicated that they were once a single comet.
If a comet nucleus were composed of the solidified ices of various gases and complex organic molecules, and if the nucleus were to break apart in space due to tidal forces when a comet gets close to the Sun, then its interiors would have been instantly vaporized and dissipated.
But that’s not what happens in reality. Comets routinely fragment into multiple smaller comets during their perihelion passage, or when they cross the orbit of Jupiter and start to brighten up. The smaller comets continue to move around the Sun in the same orbit as the parent comet.
What this means is that comets don’t “fragment” into smaller comets. They replicate! They have the ability to spawn more of their own, which is an intrinsic characteristic of living organisms.
Let us look at a couple of instances of fragmenting comets, which have been recorded in recent years.
In September 2016, the Comet 332P/Ikeya-Murakami, which orbits the Sun once every six years, fragmented into building-sized cometary nuclei when it was just outside the orbit of Mars. The Hubble Space Telescope captured sharp images showing a large, bright speck of light - the solid core of Comet 332P, estimated to be about 490 meters long - trailed by a parade of smaller bluish-white dots.
Interestingly, observations made earlier in 2015 by the Pan-STARRS telescope in Hawaii showed that there might be another chunk of rock (i.e. cometary nucleus), very close to the nucleus of Comet 332P and of almost the same size, suggesting that the parent of 332P may have split nearly in half at some point in the past. [20]
Comet 332P/Ikeya-Murakami fragmented into building-size cometary nuclei, which trail the main comet nucleus. Images taken by the Hubble Space Telescope. Credit: NASA/ESA and D. Jewit (UCLA
In April 2020, the Hubble Space Telescope captured the fragmentation of the solid nucleus of Comet Atlas into as many as 30 separate pieces. Each of these fragments was roughly the size of a house. Astronomers saw the individual comets flashing on and off like twinkling lights on a Christmas tree. “Most comets that fragment are too dim to see. Events at such a scale only happen once or twice a decade,” said the leader of a second Hubble observing team, Quanzhi Ye, of the University of Maryland, College Park.[21]
These two Hubble Space Telescope images of comet C/2019 Y4 (ATLAS), taken on April 20 (left) and April 23, 2020, show the breakup of the solid nucleus of the comet into as many as 30 separate fragments. Credits: NASA, ESA, STScI and D. Jewitt (UCLA), Public Domain image.
A well-known group of comets formed through fragmentation is the Kreutz family of sungrazing comets. Sungrazing comets come very close to the Sun at their perihelion. The Kreutz sungrazers are believed to be the fragments of the giant comet observed in 371 BCE, which may have fractured into two pieces on the 326 CE perihelion passage, and then underwent further fragmentation into hundreds of pieces on the 1106 CE perihelion passage. Other sungrazing comet groups are the Meyer group, Kracht group, and the Marsden group.
The manner in which a comet nucleus fragments into two or multiple nuclei corresponds exactly to the processes of binary fission/budding and multiple fission in unicellular organisms!
In binary fission, the chromosomes inside the nucleus replicate and segregate, followed by the development of a new cell wall in the middle of the cell, which splits the original cell into two equal-sized daughter cells. The process of budding in yeast is similar to binary fission, except that the daughter cell in the case of budding is much smaller than the parent cell.
Binary fission in Euglena, a type of algae. Source: Adobe StockBudding of yeast, in which a small daughter cells buds off from the parent cell. Source: Adobe Stock
In multiple fission, the cell encloses itself in a protective covering called a cyst. The nucleus then divides rapidly within the cyst to form a large number of daughter nuclei. Cytoplasm surrounds each daughter nucleus to form daughter cells. When the cyst ruptures, the daughter cells are released. While binary fission takes place in favorable conditions, multiple fission takes place when conditions are not favorable.
Multiple fission occurs in many eukaryotes such as algae and protozoa.
The observational data suggest that comets can undergo both binary fission/budding and multiple fission. In the case of Comet 332P/Ikeya-Murakami, which I discussed earlier, the parent comet underwent a binary fission sometime in 2015, which created two roughly equal-sized daughter comets. This was followed by the multiple fissions of one of the daughter comets in 2016, which created the trail of comet fragments behind the core of Comet 332P.
What this shows very clearly is that comets are conscious space organisms capable of reproducing just like terrestrial unicellular organisms!
The tendency of comets to reproduce by means of binary fission or budding solves yet another mystery about comets: Why are so many cometary nuclei bi-lobed?
The Rosetta mission had found that the nucleus of Comet 67P has a bi-lobed structure, i.e., it has two large lobes –a head and a body – connected by a narrow neck.[22] In fact, of the seven comets astronomers have seen at high resolution, five (including 67P) are bi-lobed. It has been a paradox to astronomers as to why the bi-lobed structure is so common, since such a shape would be inherently unstable against the tidal forces that act on the comet’s nucleus as it moves through space.
The answer is very simple. A bi-lobed nucleus implies that the comet is in the process of undergoing binary fission or budding! Sometime down the line, the bi-lobed nucleus will split up into two daughter cometary nuclei of equal size (binary fission) or unequal size (budding).
Cometary nuclei imaged from spacecraft encounters or groundbased radar. Source: Researchgate / S.EgglEuglena cell forms a bi-lobed structure when it undergoes binary fission. Source: Adobe Stock
I think anyone who looks at this data with an unbiased mind will realize that there is a huge amount of evidence in favor of the contention that comets are space organisms, moving in the vast “cosmic ocean” of outer space, within the meteor streams, Oort cloud and the Kuiper Belt of our Solar System, in somewhat the same manner that marine planktons – which include algae, bacteria and other microorganisms - drift with the ocean currents.
“Comets are like cats: they have tails, and they do precisely what they want,” wrote David H. Levy, an amateur astronomer who discovered 22 comets, nine of them using his own backyard telescopes.
David Levy’s bio on the Vatican Observatory website states that he is “one of the most successful comet discoverers in history.” With Eugene and Carolyn Shoemaker at the Palomar Observatory in California, he discovered Shoemaker-Levy 9, the comet that broke up and spectacularly collided with Jupiter in 1994.
Concluding Thoughts
Many of the unsolved mysteries about comets can be easily explained once we start thinking of them as conscious space organisms that resemble the different types of microbes on our planet. I have looked at several connections in this article, and let me summarize the key points here:
1. The tail structures of comets are remarkably similar to the flagella of terrestrial microorganisms. The "ion tail" of a comet corresponds to the acronematic or whiplash flagella, while the "dust tail" of a comet, where the striations appear, corresponds to the stichonematic, pantonematic and pantocronematic flagella, collectively known as tinsel flagella.
2. Comets may also possess cilia-like structures on the nucleus. The gas and dust released by a comet may be coalescing around the cilia to form the brilliant coma, and around the flagella to form the comet tails.
3. Comets appear to use their cilia and flagella to move through space. They have been seen wiggling their tails as they move, which gives their tails a wavy appearance that changes over time.
4. The nucleus of a comet rotates as it moves, in the same manner that the body of the alga, chlamydomonas, rotates as it moves.
5. Comets appear to be moving in their orbits around the Sun using a combination of phototaxis (light), magnetoreception (magnetic field) and gravitaxis (gravity), using their flagella-like tails as locomotory organs.
6. When a comet moves towards the Sun, it kicks off the processes of photosynthesis and cellular respiration, as in unicellular phototrophs. Comets are likely to contain chloroplasts within their nucleus, along with reservoirs of water with dissolved carbon dioxide.
7. The large quantities of water vapor and carbon dioxide released by comets could be the byproducts of aerobic cellular respiration. The ethanol released by some comets could be a byproduct of anaerobic cellular respiration.
8. The ATP generated from cellular respiration provides the energy to comets to power their journey through space by moving their cilia and flagella. This is why comets can accelerate even when they don’t display signs of outgassing.
9. Most of the gases emitted by comets in small amounts such as carbon monoxide, cyanogen, formaldehyde, ammonia, methane, hydrogen sulphide etc. could be byproducts of cellular respiration or other metabolic activities, since all these gases are produced by different types of unicellular organisms.
10. The fragmentation of a comet nucleus into two or more comets corresponds exactly to the processes of binary fission (or budding) and multiple fission in unicellular organisms.
11. The reason why many comets have a bi-lobed nucleus is probably because these comets are in the process of undergoing binary fission or budding.
This is a long list of correlations, which, taken together, strongly suggest that comets are not “dirty snowballs” as suggested by astronomers, but conscious space organisms, whose physical make-up and behavior is very similar to terrestrial microbes, particularly marine planktons.
Since marine planktons serve a very important role in maintaining the oxygen and carbon dioxide balance of the ecosphere, and support the entire food chain, it is likely that comets perform an important role in maintaining the chemical balance of our Solar System, and support the growth and evolution of life in planetary systems such as ours.
Of course, such an idea leads to a fundamental overhaul in the way we think about our universe, since the dominant paradigm today is to view the cosmos as an inert, lifeless zone characterized by random occurrences and energetic reactions, without any underlying rhyme or reason. Not everyone subscribes to these ideas, though.
Astrobiologists, Sir Fred Hoyle and Chandra Wickramasinghe, have been arguing for decades that comets brought the first life forms to the earth in the form of dormant bacteria and desiccated DNA and RNA molecules. In a paper titled, “The astrobiological case for our cosmic ancestry” (2010), Chandra Wickramasinghe wrote:
“Astronomy continues to reveal the presence of organic molecules and organic dust on a huge cosmic scale, amounting to a third of interstellar carbon tied up in this form. Just as the overwhelming bulk of organics on Earth stored over geological timescales are derived from the degradation of living cells, so it seems likely that interstellar organics in large measure also derive from biology. As we enter a new decade – the year 2010 – a clear pronouncement of our likely alien ancestry and of the existence of extraterrestrial life on a cosmic scale would seem to be overdue.”[23]
The radical idea that “interstellar organics derive from biology” should have evoked a lot of interest in scientific circles, but, unfortunately, such thoughts are anathema to many modern astronomers, who seem to abhor the words “consciousness” and “life” like nature abhors a vacuum.
On the other hand, since biologists should be more open to the idea of life in outer space and more equipped to detect its signatures, my belief is that, if the study of comets (and other cosmic phenomenon) is carried out by cross- functional teams of astronomers and biologists, we would learn more about comets in the next five years than we have in the past fifty.
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- Gemiddelde waardering: 0/5 - (0 Stemmen) Categorie:ALIEN LIFE, UFO- CRASHES, ABDUCTIONS, MEN IN BLACK, ed ( FR. , NL; E )
06-04-2025
Ancient garden uncovered at Jesus' crucifixion site in Jerusalem backs up Bible
Ancient garden uncovered at Jesus' crucifixion site in Jerusalem backs up Bible
Archaeologists have discovered an ancient garden beneath the Church of the Holy Sepulchre in Jerusalem, which confirms the Bible's account of Jesus' burial site
Archaeologists from Sapienza University of Rome have unearthed an ancient garden beneath Jerusalem's Church of the Holy Sepulchre, a site mentioned in the Gospel of John as surrounding the crucifixion location of Jesus.
The scripture, John 19:41, states: "Now in the place where he was crucified, there was a garden; and in the garden a new sepulchre, wherein was never man yet laid.There laid they Jesus." The excavation process began during church renovations in 2022, but it was only recently that "evidence of the presence of olive trees and grapevines from around 2,000 years ago' was found.
Lead archaeologist Francesca Romana Stasolla told the Times of Israel, "The Gospel mentions a green area between the Calvary and the tomb, and we identified these cultivated fields." This discovery contributes to the ongoing discussion about Jesus' burial site.
The Church of the Holy Sepulchre, widely accepted by scholars as Jesus' entombment site, attracts approximately four million visitors annually. The church, spanning nearly 5,400 feet in diameter, was constructed atop a Roman temple dedicated to the goddess Venus in 335AD.
It was during this construction that what is believed to be Christ's tomb was discovered. The findings not only shed light on details of Jesus' burial but also provide new insights into the history of ancient Jerusalem.
"The church stands on a quarry," Stasolla explained, "We discovered pottery, lamps, and other everyday objects dating back to that period."
The quarry later transformed into farmland.
"The archaeobotanical findings have been particularly intriguing for us, considering what is mentioned in the Gospel of John, whose information is believed to have been written or collected by someone familiar with Jerusalem at the time."
The quarry later transformed into farmland.
Stasolla added: "The archaeobotanical findings have been particularly intriguing for us, considering what is mentioned in the Gospel of John, whose information is believed to have been written or collected by someone familiar with Jerusalem at the time."
Woman 'taken by aliens' in 'abduction of century' says how to tell if you have been too
Woman 'taken by aliens' in 'abduction of century' says how to tell if you have been too
Alien abduction stories have been circulating for decades, with some people claiming they were taken by extraterrestrials and subjected to strange experiments on board their spaceship
One of the most talked-about kidnap sagas involves Linda Napolitano from New York and Brit Philip Kinsella, who both believe they were nabbed by aliens in the same calendar year.
Linda made headlines with her "abduction of the century" claim, alleging she was beamed up from her Manhattan flat in November 1989. Apparently, no less than 23 onlookers witnessed her floating above the Brooklyn Bridge, reports the Mirror.
Linda isn't the only person claiming they were abducted by aliens. Pic from The Manhattan Alien Abduction on Netflix(Image: Netflix)
In 2013, she told Vanity Fair: "If I was hallucinating, then the witnesses saw my hallucination." In 2022, her startling story was adapted into the popular Netflix show The Manhattan Alien Abduction.
While extraterrestrial life has yet to be scientifically proven, Linda isn't the only alleged abductee to come forward with chilling details of encounters with beings from outer space.
British man Philip claimed he was abducted by "reptilian" aliens in 1989 after being suddenly awakened at his Bedfordshire home in the middle of the night. Clairvoyant Philip described being levitated and moved through his house before being strapped naked to a board, where he claims a probe was inserted into his body.
Philip spoke about that terrifying night and shared six eerie signs that could indicate you've had an alien encounter-without even realising it.
When recalling his first sighting of the alien figure, Philip told The Sun: "That image was the most raw and unforgettable-I will never forget their faces. They looked like dinosaurs, but they were reptilian, about seven to eight feet tall."
Linda's abduction is featured in a Netflix show(Image: Netflix)
Philip and his twin brother Ronald have had four unnerving UFO encounters, including capturing footage of "three white hovering objects" in 2016.
Although Philip vividly remembers his alleged abduction, he explained that most people's memories are supposedly wiped by extraterrestrial beings.
One of the key indicators of abduction Philip mentioned was the presence of implants. He claims that aliens often leave small implants in humans about the size of a grain of rice. Although he doesn't know the purpose of the implant, he described it as being covered in "organic tissue" so that the body doesn't reject it.
"Sometimes they're very tiny, and they have a strange, hard structure-not metallic, but unusual," he said. Philip revealed that his implant, which had been in his body for two years, was located behind his ear. He offered tips on how to spot these potential implants, such as noticing an itchy spot or a specific problem area. He also claimed they could show up on X-rays.
More than 20 people witnessed Linda floating in the air
(Image: Netflix)
American actress Fran Drescher has also publicly spoken about her alleged abduction. In 2012, she claimed that both she and her producer husband, Peter Marc Jacobson, had been implanted with chips, noting that they both had identical scars in the same spot on their hands. She shared this with the Huffington Post, saying, "We both have this scar. It's the exact same scar on the exact same spot."
Philip also shared some physical symptoms he experienced after his alleged abduction, including frequent and severe nosebleeds. "I suffered profuse nosebleeds to my right nostril for two years after the incident," he recalled. "It got to the point where it was so embarrassing. I could be sitting on the train, and it would just start pouring. Doctors were considering cauterizing it."
Interestingly, Linda also claimed to have woken up with a nosebleed after her first abduction experience, along with a strange bump on the side of her nose.
Philip revealed he was left with three triangular marks behind his right ear after the encounter, which he believes could be part of an alleged implantation ritual. He speculates that human tissue may be used to cover the implant.
Linda claims aliens beamed her up
(Image: Netflix)
Although potential abductees may not recall the full details of their encounters, especially if their memories have been erased, Philip believes that fragments of the experience may resurface later. He explained the phenomenon of "screen memory," where subconscious memories of the experience emerge into the conscious mind. "Some people have fragmented memories, but they don't feel like dreams. They feel real."
Where it is: 142 million miles (228 million kilometers) from the sun, on average
How big it is: 4,222 miles (6,795 km) wide, about half the diameter of Earth
How long a day lasts: 24.6 hours
How long a year lasts: 669.6 Martian days (sols), or 687 Earth days
Atmosphere: Extremely thin, about 95% carbon dioxide
Temperature: Minus 225 to 70 degrees Fahrenheit (minus 143 to 20 degrees Celsius)
Mars, the fourth planet from the sun, is a dry, rocky world. Its famous red color has earned it the nickname the Red Planet. Mars has fascinated people throughout history, and today, it is one of the most explored places in the solar system, with many rovers and orbiters searching the planet for evidence of past or present life.
Mars orbits at an average distance of 142 million miles (228 million km) from the sun. Its orbit is about 1.5 times the size of Earth's. Sunlight takes about 13 minutes to get to Mars, while it takes around 8 minutes to reach our planet.
Past missions from Earth to the Red Planet have taken anywhere from 128 to 333 days, depending on how far apart the planets were in their orbits at the time. While many robotic missions have visited Mars, no human has ever set foot there. Various missions by the world’s space agencies plan to change this in the coming decades.
5 fast facts about Mars
The name Mars comes from the ancient Roman god of war. Romans could see the planet in the night sky, and its red color reminded them of blood, according to NASA.
Mars is red because the dust that covers the planet's surface is full of iron oxides — in other words, rust.
It's not just rusty, it's also dusty. Mars experiences planet-wide dust storms every few years, and enormous cyclones of dust called "dust devils" on Mars can tower more than a mile above the planet's surface.
Mars is home to the tallest mountain in the solar system, Olympus Mons, which is like three Mount Everests stacked on top of each other.
"Martians" (aliens from Mars) aren't real, but scientists used to think they were. Researchers once thought the dark spots they saw on Mars were canals that hinted that there could be advanced cities and intelligent life on Mars.
Everything you need to know about Mars
Is Mars bigger than Earth?
Mars is smaller than Earth. It has a diameter of roughly 4,222 miles (6,794 km) — about half Earth's diameter, according to the European Space Agency (ESA).
The Red Planet is rocky, much like Earth. The inside structure of Mars is also similar to Earth's, NASA rovers have revealed. Mars' outer crust is 6 to 30 miles (10 to 50 km) thick and is composed mainly of iron, magnesium, aluminum, calcium and potassium, according to NASA. Below that is a rocky mantle that's 770 to 1,170 miles (1,240 to 1,880 km) thick, which surrounds a dense core that's made of iron, nickel and sulfur and has a radius of 930 to 1,300 miles (1,500 to 2,100 km).
A composite image showing the comparable sizes of Earth and Mars. Earth's diameter is roughly twice that of Mars. (Image credit: NASA/JPL)
Does Mars have a moon?
Mars has two small, potato-shaped moons, called Phobos and Deimos. These moons are named for two sons of the Greek god of war, Ares, which the Romans called Mars. The names Phobos and Deimos mean "fear" and "panic."
The innermost moon, Phobos, has lots of craters and is roughly 13.8 miles (22.2 km) in diameter. In about 50 million years, it is expected to break up or crash into Mars.
Deimos orbits 2.5 times farther from Mars than Phobos does and is half the size — about 7.8 miles (12.6 km) across. Both moons are made mostly from rock and iron and may have once been asteroids that got captured by Mars' gravitational pull.
A composite image showing Mars and its two moons, Phobos and Deimos. (Image credit: NASA/JPL-Caltech/GSFC/Univ. of Arizona)
Is there life on Mars?
NASA scientists think life may have once been plentiful on Mars, as there is a lot of evidence that the planet used to be much warmer and wetter billions of years ago. Whether there is anything alive today on Mars is not known.
However, scientists can make some educated guesses about the kind of life that might be there or might have lived there in the past. If there is life on Mars today, it is probably microscopic — teeny-tiny organisms living beneath the Martian soil.
NASA's Perseverance rover has spent years drilling into Martian rocks to collect samples, in hopes that scientists can one day test them for signs of life. Scientists are working on plans to bring those samples back to Earth.
Is there water on Mars?
Although Mars is a dry planet today, lots of evidence suggests there were once oceans and rivers all over Mars. Lines carved into rocks show where water once flowed, and there may have even been sandy beaches like we have on Earth today. However, sometime in the past 2 billion years or so, Mars' water dried up.
Some satellites have found signs of water in the form of frost at the top of Mars' tallest volcanoes and in buried frozen lakes deep below the planet's surface. But for now, no liquid water has been spotted on the Red Planet.
A composite image showing some of the NASA vehicles that have explored Mars. Clockwise from top left: Perseverance rover and Ingenuity Mars Helicopter, InSight lander, Odyssey orbiter, MAVEN orbiter, Curiosity rover and Mars Reconnaissance Orbiter. (Image credit: NASA/JPL-Caltech)
Have humans explored Mars?
Humans have never been to Mars, but we've been studying it for hundreds of years — starting with British astronomer William Herschel, who watched the Red Planet through an early telescope in the late 1700s.
The first spacecraft to successfully reach Mars was NASA's Mariner 4 probe, in July 1965. Flying without any humans aboard, the probe soared past Mars and sent back photos of the planet's surface, according to NASA.
In 1971, NASA's Mariner 9 became the first mission to successfully orbit Mars. The Viking 1 and 2 landers were the first human-made objects to make it to the Red Planet's surface and survive for more than a few minutes, when they touched down in 1976, according to The Planetary Society. From the surface, they took photos and conducted the first search for life on the planet.
The current group of robots on Mars includes NASA's Curiosity and Perseverance rovers, both of which have made incredible scientific discoveries. Perseverance carried Ingenuity, the first helicopter to fly on Mars, which took many incredible images before several of its rotor blades broke during a rough landing in 2024. China's Zhurong rover successfully landed on Mars in 2021, and it has sent back beautiful pictures, and even sounds from the surface.
Many other missions, both past and present, have revealed amazing insights about the planet's history, and future planned missions should help continue this progress. NASA aims to send humans to explore the Red Planet in the 2030s, though there is no specific plan to do so yet.
Mars pictures
(Image credit: NASA/JPL/USGS)Mars from spaceA global view of Mars from orbit, showing one of the planet's frosty polar ice caps on top.
(Image credit: NASA/JPL/Malin Space Science Systems)Snow on MarsA close-up of one of Mars' polar ice caps, covered in white frost.
(Image credit: NASA/JPL-Caltech/Univ. of Arizona)A Martian dust devilA satellite image of a dust devil raging across the surface of Mars. These cyclones of dust can tower a mile high and are visible from orbit.
(Image credit: NASA/JPL)The surface of MarsThe rocky, dusty surface of Mars photographed by NASA's Viking lander.
(Image credit: NASA/JPL/Cornell)Meteor on MarsA NASA rover snapped this photograph of an iron meteorite sitting on the Martian surface.
(Image credit: ESA/DLR/FU Berlin)Martian volcanoes, and the tallest mountain ever knownFour Martian volcanoes seen by the European Space Agency's Mars Express orbiter. The top volcano is Olympus Mons, the tallest mountain in the solar system.
Discover more about Mars
See how NASA is currently exploring Mars, as well as the agency's plans for Mars exploration, on this website dedicated to Martian probes.
Dive into this stunning map of different regions on the Red Planet, courtesy of the U.S. Geological Survey.
Browse even more amazing images from NASA's Mars missions on the agency's multimedia page.
The James Webb Space Telescope (JWST) has teamed up with the MeerKAT radio telescope array to explore how magnetic fields affect star formation at the chaotic center of the Milky Way.
The Milky Way captured by the MeerKAT radio telescope array, with the James Webb Space Telescope's image inset.
(Image credit: NASA, ESA, CSA, STScI, SARAO, Samuel Crowe (UVA), John Bally (CU), Ruben Fedriani (IAA-CSIC), Ian Heywood (Oxford))
What it is:Sagittarius C (Sgr C) region of the Milky Way.
Where it is: 25,000 light-years from the solar system in the constellation Sagittarius.
When it was shared: April 2, 2025
Why it's so special: The Milky Way often appears as a reddish, pinkish and bluish-white arc across the night sky, but this new super-long exposure image from South Africa's ground-based MeerKAT radio telescope shows our home galaxy in a completely new way.
Colored in blue, cyan, yellow and white, the main image — whose many bubbles of color are remnants of supernovas — span 1,000 light-years of the Milky Way.
The new radio image helps to put in context the inset infrared image by the James Webb Space Telescope from 2023 of Sagittarius C (Sgr C). This is a 44 light-year-wide region about 200 light-years from the Milky Way's central supermassive black hole, Sagittarius A*, where stars are being formed.
JWST's image revealed more than 500,000 stars, but in this Central Molecular Zone — an extreme environment — stars are not being formed as quickly as astronomers expect. One reason may be the strong magnetic fields around that supermassive black hole, which are shaping the filaments seen by MeerKAT and JWST. These magnetic fields may also be strong enough to resist the gravity that causes dense clouds of gas and dust to collapse to create stars, thus suppressing star formation in Sgr C.
"A big question in the Central Molecular Zone of our galaxy has been, if there is so much dense gas and cosmic dust here, and we know that stars form in such clouds, why are so few stars born here?" said John Bally, an astrophysicist at the University of Colorado Boulder and one of the principal investigators of a related paper published April 2 in The Astrophysical Journal. "Now, for the first time, we are seeing directly that strong magnetic fields may play an important role in suppressing star formation, even at small scales," Bally said in a NASAstatement.
MeerKAT is a radio telescope made up of 64 dishes in South Africa's Karoo region. It will eventually form part of a far larger radio telescope called the Square Kilometre Array, the world's largest and most sensitive radio telescope that will also use more than 130,000 Christmas tree-shaped antennas on the traditional lands of the Wajarri Yamaji, in Murchison, Western Australia.
Varda Space Industries' W-2 space capsule reentered Earth's atmosphere and touched down in the Australian outback last month, becoming the first commercial spacecraft to land Down Under.
Varda's W-2 capsule is the first commercial spacecraft to land in Australia.
(Image credit: Photo by William Godwin, Courtesy Varda Space Industries.)
A saucer-like space capsule touched down in the Australian outback last month, marking the first time a commercial spacecraft has landed Down Under.
Varda Space Industries' Winnebago-2 (W-2) space capsule reentered Earth's atmosphere and dropped down in South Australia on Feb. 28. In doing so, W-2 also set a world first by becoming the first commercial spacecraft to return to a commercial spaceport, according to a statement released by the Australian Space Agency.
The successful return of W-2 was a "landmark moment for the Australian space sector," Australian Space Agency representatives wrote in the statement.
The company behind W-2, Varda, is an American startup based in California. W-2 originally left Earth from California on a SpaceX Falcon 9 rocket on Jan. 14 as part of the Transporter-12 rideshare mission — the Transporter carries satellites from various customers into space. W-2 then spent 45 days in orbit, carrying payloads from the U.S. Air Force and NASA before dropping down to the Koonibba Test Range, run by Australian aerospace company Southern Launch.
W-2 weighed 265 pounds (120 kilograms) and had various technologies onboard to advance space research. For example, W-2 carried Varda’s expanded pharmaceutical reactor, which allows for the production of medicine in space, according to a statement released by Southern Launch.
The space capsule was also equipped with a heatshield developed with NASA and a spectrometer built by the U.S. Air Force Research Laboratory. The spectrometer, known as Optical Sensing of Plasmas in the ReEntry Environment (OSPREE), measured the environment around the capsule as it reentered at speeds exceeding Mach 25, which is 25 times the speed of sound, or around 19,000 miles per hour (31,000 kilometers per hour), according to a statement released by Varda.
The W-2 space capsule re-entering Earth’s atmosphere last month.(Image credit: Photo by William Godwin, Courtesy Varda Space Industries.)
"We are ecstatic to have W-2 back on our home planet safely and are proud to support significant reentry research for our government partners as we continue building a thriving foundation for economic expansion to low Earth orbit," Varda CEO Will Bruey said in the statement.
The Southern Launch team watched the W-2 reentry from the ground with advanced tracking telescopes and led the recovery operations, which included representatives from the Far West Coast Aboriginal Corporation, the traditional owners of the land where the capsule landed, according to the Southern Launch statement.
"For Australia, this mission ushers in a new era of space capabilities for the nation," Southern Launch representatives wrote in its statement. "The W-2 mission was the first time a commercial space craft re-entry was granted under Australian legislation and is just the first of many scheduled to return to the Koonibba Test Range."
A sudden stratospheric warming event reversed the winds that make up the northern polar vortex on March 9. A new animation shows the vortex also moved away from the Arctic towards Europe.
Between March 1 and March 20, the polar vortex traveled from above the Arctic to above Northern Europe.
(Image credit: NOAA Climate)
A major disruption to the Arctic polar vortex has bumped the ring of wind that circles the North Pole off its perch and towards Europe, a new animation shows.
The migration could trigger colder-than-average temperatures in parts of the continent and across the eastern U.S. over the coming week, climate scientists say.
The polar vortex started wandering off course March 9, when its high winds suddenly switched from blowing west to east to blowing in the opposite direction. This switch normally happens each year, but it tends to occur in mid-April — meaning this year's reversal struck unusually early, according to a blog post published April 3 by the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration (NOAA).
"For much of this winter season, the polar vortex has been strong," NOAA officials wrote in the blog post. "But like a true atmospheric diva, the polar vortex had one last trick up its sleeve, breaking down in a spectacular fashion and bringing some cold air with it."
The Arctic polar vortex is a circle of strong, cold winds that picks up every winter over the North Pole. The vortex is always present, but it strengthens in the winter due to a redistribution of heat from the tropics. During the winter, the winds that make up the polar vortex blow from west to east. In spring, as Earth's tilt changes and the North Pole receives more sunlight, the direction of the winds changes to blow from east to west. The winds also become weaker as a result of less heat wafting from the tropics to the pole.
These winds are located in the stratosphere — a layer of the atmosphere that extends between around 6 and 31 miles (10 to 50 kilometers) above Earth's surface.
Occasional "sudden stratospheric warming" events can disrupt the polar vortex. These events happen when large-scale atmospheric waves, called Rossby waves, get pushed into the stratosphere from below, triggering sudden spikes in temperature. Like ocean waves,Rossby waves can "break"on top of the polar vortex, weakening it and — in extreme cases — reversing the direction of its winds.
Last year, a sudden stratospheric warming event hit the polar vortex and reversed its winds in early March, but the vortex recovered. This time, "the vortex does not seem likely to gain a foothold again," NOAA officials wrote.
The switch in wind direction doesn't mean the polar vortex will immediately drop off for the summer, however. The reversed polar vortex has simply "moved off the pole, meandering around over Northern Europe," officials wrote.
NOAA's latest forecasts suggest the polar vortex is unlikely to wander back to its normal position over the North Pole. It probably won't regain its wintertime strength either, officials said, so the likelihood is that it will dissipate and eventually "enter hibernation" over Northern Europe.
As it dissipates, the polar vortex will bring below-average temperatures to Northern Europe, parts of Asia and the eastern U.S., NOAA officials wrote. "Temperatures for the last week of March were pretty normal across the eastern U.S., but the latest forecasts do predict increased chances of below-normal temperatures for the next week," they wrote.
A Glimpse of the Stunning Full Image Image Credit: NASA, ESA, Benjamin F. Williams (University of Washington), Zhuo Chen (University of Washington), L. Clifton Johnson (Northwestern University);
Image Processing: Joseph DePasquale (STScI).
The Andromeda Galaxy, our closest large galactic neighbor, has just revealed its breathtaking secrets in an image so detailed it feels like stepping into the cosmos itself. Captured through over a decade of meticulous observations by the Hubble Space Telescope, this 2.5-billion-pixel masterpiece isn’t just a pretty picture—it’s a cosmic treasure map exposing Andromeda’s dramatic past and chaotic evolution.
A Visual Marvel That Took Over 10 Years to Create
The monumental task of creating this image required stitching together data from 600 individual views, forming a mosaic of unparalleled clarity. Spanning an incredible 2.5 billion pixels, this image allows astronomers to analyze approximately 200 million stars, each shining brighter than our Sun.
While this is just a small fraction of Andromeda’s estimated trillion stars, the data has unlocked a deeper understanding of the galaxy’s structure and history. Ben Williams, the project’s lead scientist, explained, “With Hubble, we can examine the entire disk of the galaxy in extraordinary detail. No other galaxy this large offers such an opportunity.”
The image also uncovered a tumultuous story. Hubble detected streams of stars and a unique stellar population that indicate Andromeda has endured cosmic collisions, likely with neighboring galaxies.
Andromeda as We’ve Never Seen It Before Image Credit: NASA, ESA, Benjamin F. Williams (University of Washington), Zhuo Chen (University of Washington), L. Clifton Johnson (Northwestern University); Image Processing: Joseph DePasquale (STScI).
“Andromeda looks like it’s been through a massive event—like a train wreck,” said Daniel Weisz of the University of California, Berkeley. “This collision triggered intense star formation but then shut down quickly afterward.”
One prime suspect in this intergalactic drama is Messier 32, a small satellite galaxy. Researchers believe Andromeda siphoned Messier 32’s gas, fueling the formation of countless stars before transitioning into its current, less active state.
A Cosmic Puzzle Waiting to Be Solved
Andromeda now sits in a transitional phase, straddling the line between a vibrant, star-forming spiral galaxy and an elliptical galaxy dominated by aging stars. Its central bulge glows with the light of older stars, while its outer regions show surprisingly limited star formation.
Hubble’s decade-long mission not only provides insights into Andromeda’s chaotic history but also offers a roadmap for understanding how galaxies like our own might evolve. “Every resolved star tells us more about the galaxy’s history of mergers and interactions,” Williams added.
This astonishing image is available to view in full resolution, and experts recommend experiencing it on the largest screen possible.
Amazing Jellyfish UFO Over Spain On March 25, 2025, UAP Drone Sighting News.
Amazing Jellyfish UFO Over Spain On March 25, 2025, UAP Drone Sighting News.
Date of sighting: March 25, 2025
Location of sighting: Andalusia, Spain
Sources: Email report send to scwaring @yahoo.com
This UFO was seen over Spain last week and it's not a typical UFO, but a jellyfish type UFO. Its lower bottom like tentacles glow as it moves through the sky. Very strange, like a living creature less like an intelligently made UFO. Is it possible that some entities can travel through space and enter atmospheres of planets flying around...existing and then moving to the next planet? Yes, the answer is yes, there are thousands, maybe millions of living animals existing in the cold vacuum of space. Surprised? Well, ask ai about the possibilities of it.
TicTac UAP Over South Florida, April 4, 2025, UFO Drone Sighting News.
TicTac UAP Over South Florida, April 4, 2025, UFO Drone Sighting News.
Date of sighting: April 4, 2025
Location of sighting: South Florida, USA
Source: Email report at scwaring @yahoo.com
Hey all check this out. This is an actual tictac UFO seen over South Florida. The object is seen moving out of cloud over some people and they debate about what it could be. Now Florida actually has a base under it that extends from the Gulf to the Bermuda Triangle. I know, I know, how would you know Scott? Well, two decades of hard core research and a mass of UFO sightings in Florida that outnumber any other state in the US by far. I believe Dr Steven Greer would agree with me on this one.
I was searching a Mars photo on Gigapan when I encountered something really good. I found ancient alien writing on a Mars
mountain side. There are three distinct characters so it's three different words. Sadly not even the NSA could decipher an alien language with only three words, however we are left to imagine what it might have said. Perhaps to make a powerful tribe which once ruled this area, or a royal family who owned the land. We may never know, but that okay, because not knowing is what keeps us seeking the truth.
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- Gemiddelde waardering: 0/5 - (0 Stemmen) Categorie:Ruins, strange artifacts on other planets, moons, ed ( Fr, EN, NL )
Perseverance Watched a Dust Devil Eat Another
Perseverance Watched a Dust Devil Eat Another
By Matthew Williams
Martian dust devil captured by NASA's Mars Reconnaissance Orbiter. Credit: NASA/JPL-Caltech/Univ. of Arizona
Mars is well known for its seasonal dust storms, which occur when the southern hemisphere experiences summer. Periodically, these storms grow to engulf the entire planet and can last for months, wreaking havoc on robotic missions. Smaller regional storms are far more common on Mars, as are swirling columns of air and dust (aka. dust devils). NASA's Perseverance rover recently took pictures of several dust devils on the rim of the Jezero crater. Some of these images were stitched together to create a short video of a larger dust devil consuming a smaller one.
These images were taken by the rover's navigation camera on January 25th when the rover was exploring the location called "Witch Hazel Hill." The rover was about 1 km (0.6 mi) from the two dust devils, the larger of which was approximately 65 m (210 ft) wide, while the smaller, trailing dust devil was roughly 5 m (16 ft). The captures were part of an imaging experiment conducted by Perseverance's science team to learn more about the planet's atmospheric dynamics. Two other dust devils can also be seen in the background at the left and center of the video (shown below).
Like dust devils on Earth, these weather patterns are formed by rising and rotating air columns. They begin close to the ground, where the air is heated by contact with the warmer ground, then rises through the cooler air above. Meanwhile, cooler air moves in to occupy the space near the surface, which causes the rising air to rotate and pick up speed. This process also kicks up dust from the surface, creating the swirling columns of dust and air that meteorologists call "convective vortices" or dust devils.
Mark Lemmon, a Perseverance scientist at the Space Science Institute (SSI), explained in a NASA press release:
"Convective vortices — aka dust devils — can be rather fiendish. These mini-twisters wander the surface of Mars, picking up dust as they go and lowering the visibility in their immediate area. If two dust devils happen upon each other, they can either obliterate one another or merge, with the stronger one consuming the weaker. If you feel bad for the little devil in our latest video, it may give you some solace to know the larger perpetrator most likely met its own end a few minutes later. Dust devils on Mars only last about 10 minutes.”
Martian dust devils were first photographed from space by NASA's Viking orbiters, which studied Mars in the 1970s. The Pathfinder mission, consisting of a lander and the Sojourner rover,was the first to image a dust devil on the surface. Subsequent orbiters and rovers, like the Spiritand Opportunityrovers and theMars Reconnaissance Orbiter (MRO), have taken images of these weather patterns from the surface and space. The Curiosity rover also took multiple images of dust devils in the Gale Crater, some of which were used to create a video.
Since landing in the Jezero Crater in 2021, Perseverance has also observed dust devils and even recorded what they sound like using its SuperCam microphone. Said Katie Stack Morgan, a project scientist for the Perseverance rover at NASA's Jet Propulsion Laboratory:
"Dust devils play a significant role in Martian weather patterns. Dust devil study is important because these phenomena indicate atmospheric conditions, such as prevailing wind directions and speed, and are responsible for about half the dust in the Martian atmosphere."
Learning more about these swirling columns of air is vital to understanding the dynamics of Mars' atmosphere. It could also lead to predictive models, allowing scientists to know where they might occur in advance. Capturing these features is presently a matter of luck and timing, which is why Perseverance routinely monitors in all directions for them.
Wat Oude UFO-waarnemingen Onthullen Over de Obsessie van de Mensheid met het Onbekende
Wat Oude UFO-waarnemingen Onthullen Over de Obsessie van de Mensheid met het Onbekende
Inleiding
De fascinatie van de mensheid voor het onbekende is een onderwerp dat door de eeuwen heen terugkomt in mythologieën, folklore, en moderne wetenschap. Een bijzonder intrigerend aspect van deze obsessie zijn de meldingen van onidentificeerbare vliegende objecten (UFO's) die in de geschiedenis zijn geregistreerd. Dit rapport onderzoekt oude UFO-waarnemingen en hoe deze ons inzicht kunnen geven in de menselijke psychologie, de sociale dynamiek en de culturele context van verschillende tijdperken. Door middel van historische analyses, sociologische theorieën en psychologische inzichten, trachten we de betekenis van deze fenomenen te ontrafelen.
Hoofdstuk 1: Geschiedenis van UFO-waarnemingen
1.1 Vroegste Meldingen
De geschiedenis van UFO-waarnemingen is als een spannend verhaal dat door de eeuwen heen is verteld. Een van de vroegste bekende beschrijvingen van een UFO komt uit de Bijbel, specifiek in het boek Ezechiël. Daar wordt gesproken over een ‘vuurwiel’ dat zich in de lucht beweegt, wat door sommige interpretators wordt gezien als een mogelijk bewijs van buitenaardse technologie. Deze oude teksten zijn vaak onderwerp van discussie geweest en hebben geleid tot verschillende interpretaties. Sommigen geloven dat dergelijke beschrijvingen niet anders kunnen dan wijzen op een vorm van geavanceerde technologie, terwijl anderen ze beschouwen als symbolische of religieuze ervaringen van de tijd.
In andere oude culturen, zoals die van de Egyptenaren en Maya’s, zijn ook soortgelijke verschijnselen gerapporteerd. Deze meldingen suggereren niet alleen dat mensen in het verleden opmerkelijke dingen aan de hemel hebben gezien, maar ze wekken ook de hypothese dat er herhaaldelijk interactie heeft plaatsgevonden met andere beschavingen. De verhalen die in deze oude teksten worden verteld, kunnen ons helpen begrijpen hoe de mensheid altijd al gefascineerd is geweest door het onbekende, en hoe deze fascinatie door de eeuwen heen is geëvolueerd.
1.2 De Middeleeuwen en de Renaissance
Tijdens de middeleeuwen veranderde de manier waarop mensen naar de lucht keken. UFO-waarnemingen werden vaak geïnterpreteerd als goddelijke boodschappen of als tekenen van het einde der tijden. In deze periode werden dergelijke verschijnselen vaak gezien als manifestaties van engelen of demonische wezens. De religieuze context van die tijd beïnvloedde sterk hoe mensen deze mysterieuze verschijnselen begrepen. Het was een tijd waarin de wetenschap nog in de kinderschoenen stond en de meeste mensen hun wereldbeeld baseerden op religieuze overtuigingen.
De Renaissance markeerde echter een keerpunt in de menselijke geschiedenis. Deze periode bracht een nieuw wereldbeeld met zich mee, waarbij de mensheid zich begon te richten op wetenschap en rede. Astronomen zoals Nicolaus Copernicus en Galileo Galilei begonnen de sterren en planeten te bestuderen met een wetenschappelijke benadering. Dit leidde tot een verandering in de interpretatie van UFO’s; wat vroeger als bovennatuurlijk werd gezien, kreeg nu vaak een astronomische uitleg. Mensen begonnen kritisch te kijken naar de hemel en de fenomenen die zich daar afspeelden, zoals kometen en meteoren. Deze verschuiving in denken heeft bijgedragen aan de ontwikkeling van de moderne astronomie en een beter begrip van ons zonnestelsel.
1.3 De 19e en 20e Eeuw
Met de opkomst van moderne technologie en de luchtvaart in de 20e eeuw nam het aantal UFO-meldingen exponentieel toe. De term ‘UFO’ (Unidentified Flying Object) werd in 1953 geïntroduceerd door de Amerikaanse luchtmacht. Dit markeerde een belangrijk moment in de geschiedenis van UFO-waarnemingen, omdat het de basis legde voor een meer gestructureerde en systematische benadering van het fenomeen. De beroemde Roswell-incident in 1947, waarbij naar verluidt een UFO zou zijn neergestort in New Mexico, fungeerde als een katalysator voor de publieke fascinatie met UFO’s. De verhalen rondom Roswell, waarin een “vliegend schotel” werd ontdekt, leidden tot een golf van meldingen en speculaties.
De daaropvolgende publieke fascinatie leidde tot een breed scala aan theorieën over buitenaardse aanwezigheid. Van samenzweringstheorieën tot wetenschappelijke onderzoeken, mensen deelden hun ervaringen en ideeën over het onbekende. Deze theorieën omvatten alles van de mogelijkheid van extraterrestriële levensvormen tot speculaties over geheime overheidsprojecten die zich bezighouden met het bestuderen van UFO’s. De mediaberichtgeving rond UFO-waarnemingen droeg ook bij aan de populariteit van het onderwerp, met talloze boeken, documentaires en films die het thema verder verkenden.
Tegelijkertijd ontstonden er verschillende organisaties en onderzoeksinstellingen die zich richtten op het bestuderen van UFO-waarnemingen. Een van de bekendste is het Project Blue Book, dat tussen 1952 en 1969 door de Amerikaanse luchtmacht werd uitgevoerd. Dit project had als doel om UFO-incidenten te onderzoeken en te analyseren, en leidde tot de publicatie van verschillende rapporten die de bevindingen documenteerden. Hoewel het project in 1969 werd stopgezet, heeft het bijgedragen aan de ontwikkeling van de UFO-onderzoeksgemeenschap en heeft het veel mensen aangespoord om hun eigen ervaringen te delen.
In deze periode zagen we ook een toename van de belangstelling voor buitenaardse levensvormen in de populaire cultuur. Films, boeken en televisieprogramma's over UFO’s en extraterrestriële wezens bloeiden op, wat de fascinatie van het publiek verder aanwakkerde. Iconische titels zoals “Close Encounters of the Third Kind” en “The X-Files” hebben bijgedragen aan de mythologie rondom UFO’s en de mogelijkheid van leven buiten de aarde. Deze mediarepresentaties hebben het discours over UFO-waarnemingen veranderd, waardoor het onderwerp niet alleen werd gezien als een wetenschappelijk fenomeen, maar ook als een intrigerend cultureel en sociaal fenomeen.
In de volgende hoofdstukken zullen we dieper ingaan op de verschillende theorieën rond UFO’s, de impact van deze waarnemingen op de samenleving, en de hedendaagse ontwikkelingen in het onderzoek naar ongeïdentificeerde vliegende objecten. De geschiedenis van UFO-waarnemingen is een verhaal vol mysterie, speculatie en culturele betekenis, en het blijft een onderwerp dat de verbeelding van mensen over de hele wereld blijft prikkelen.
Hoofdstuk 2: Psychologische Aspecten van UFO-waarnemingen
2.1 De Menselijke Psychologie en het Onbekende
De menselijke behoefte om het onbekende te begrijpen is diep geworteld in onze psychologie. Van oudsher zijn mensen gefascineerd door fenomenen die buiten de normale ervaring vallen. Deze fascinatie kan worden gezien als een natuurlijke reactie op het onbekende, dat ons uitdaagt om te onderzoeken, te begrijpen en te verklaren. Psychologen suggereren dat de aantrekkingskracht van UFO’s voortkomt uit een combinatie van nieuwsgierigheid, angst en de behoefte aan betekenis.
Wanneer mensen geconfronteerd worden met iets dat ze niet kunnen verklaren, zoals een UFO-waarneming, wordt er vaak een psychologisch proces op gang gebracht. De geest probeert de gebeurtenis te contextualiseren, en dit kan leiden tot verschillende interpretaties. Voor sommigen kan een UFO worden gezien als een teken van buitenaardse levensvormen, terwijl anderen het misschien interpreteren als een spirituele ervaring of een symbolische manifestatie van hun angsten en verlangens.
Bovendien speelt de cognitieve dissonantie een belangrijke rol in hoe mensen omgaan met UFO-waarnemingen. Wanneer iemand getuige is van een gebeurtenis die niet overeenkomt met zijn of haar wereldbeeld, ontstaat er een spanning tussen de waargenomen realiteit en de bestaande overtuigingen. Deze dissonantie kan leiden tot een zoektocht naar alternatieve verklaringen of zelfs tot de ontwikkeling van nieuwe overtuigingen die beter passen bij de ervaring. Dit proces kan op zijn beurt de sociale dynamiek rondom UFO-waarnemingen beïnvloeden, waarbij individuen zich aansluiten bij gemeenschappen die deze ervaringen delen.
2.2 Bijgeloof en Reflectie van de Maatschappij
UFO-waarnemingen kunnen ook worden gezien als een reflectie van de sociale en culturele context waarin ze plaatsvinden. In tijden van politieke onrust, technologische vooruitgang of sociale verandering wenden mensen zich vaak tot het onbekende als een manier om hun angsten te verkennen en te uiten. Dit verklaart waarom UFO-meldingen vaak pieken tijdens perioden van crisis of onzekerheid.
Historisch gezien zijn er verschillende momenten geweest waarop UFO-waarnemingen toenamen, zoals tijdens de Koude Oorlog. De angst voor nucleaire vernietiging en de constante dreiging van een oorlog zorgden ervoor dat mensen zich meer dan ooit zorgen maakten over het onbekende. In dergelijke contexten kunnen UFO’s dienen als een symbolisch voertuig voor de angst en onzekerheid die in de samenleving heersen. Mensen projecteren hun angsten op deze fenomenen, wat de aantrekkingskracht ervan vergroot.
Daarnaast speelt de media een cruciale rol in de verspreiding van verhalen over UFO-waarnemingen. De manier waarop deze verhalen worden gepresenteerd kan de publieke perceptie van UFO’s beïnvloeden. Sensatiebeluste berichten kunnen de nieuwsgierigheid aanwakkeren en een gevoel van urgentie creëren, wat leidt tot een toename van meldingen. Dit creëert een vicieuze cirkel: hoe meer aandacht er aan UFO’s wordt besteed, hoe meer mensen geneigd zijn om zelf meldingen te doen of te geloven in de mogelijkheid van buitenaards leven.
Het bijgeloof rondom UFO’s is ook een weerspiegeling van bredere maatschappelijke thema’s. In een wereld die steeds complexer en onvoorspelbaarder wordt, kunnen UFO-waarnemingen dienen als een manier voor mensen om betekenis te vinden in hun leven. Ze fungeren als een soort modern mythe, waarin mensen hun angsten, dromen en verlangens kunnen projecteren. Dit kan hen een gevoel van controle geven in een anders chaotische wereld, wat verklaart waarom de fascinatie voor UFO’s niet alleen aanhoudt, maar ook steeds weer opbloeit.
In conclusie zijn UFO-waarnemingen niet alleen de resultaten van onverklaarbare gebeurtenissen, maar ook complexe psychologische fenomenen die diep geworteld zijn in de menselijke psyche en de sociale context. Deze waarnemingen bieden ons inzicht in de manier waarop mensen omgaan met angst, onzekerheid en de zoektocht naar betekenis in een wereld vol mysteries.
Hoofdstuk 3: Culturele Impact van UFO-waarnemingen
3.1 UFO's in de Populaire Cultuur
De fascinatie voor UFO's heeft een diepgaande invloed gehad op de populaire cultuur. Deze fenomenen zijn niet alleen onderwerp van speculatie en onderzoek, maar hebben ook geleid tot een overvloed aan culturele producten. Films, boeken, kunst en muziek zijn allemaal beïnvloed door de mysterieuze allure van ongeïdentificeerde vliegende objecten. Iconische films zoals "Close Encounters of the Third Kind" en "E.T. the Extra-Terrestrial" hebben niet alleen bijgedragen aan de populariteit van UFO-mythologieën, maar hebben ook ons begrip van het onbekende vormgegeven.
In "Close Encounters of the Third Kind" worden thema's van verbinding en communicatie met buitenaardse wezens verkend, wat de nieuwsgierigheid van het publiek prikkelt. De film combineert elementen van wetenschappelijke nieuwsgierigheid met menselijke emotie, waardoor kijkers worden aangemoedigd om na te denken over hun plaats in het universum. "E.T. the Extra-Terrestrial" daarentegen benadrukt de vriendschap tussen een mens en een buitenaards wezen, wat bijdraagt aan een meer positieve en hoopvolle visie op UFO's en buitenaards leven. Deze films hebben niet alleen de manier waarop we naar UFO's kijken veranderd, maar ook de culturele perceptie van buitenaardse wezens in het algemeen.
Naast film zijn er talloze boeken geschreven over UFO’s, variërend van fictie tot non-fictie. Auteur Erich von Däniken, met zijn boek "Chariots of the Gods?", stelt dat oude beschavingen in contact stonden met buitenaardse wezens, wat de basis heeft gelegd voor een hele subcultuur van UFO-geloven. Kunstenaars, van schilders tot muzikanten, hebben ook inspiratie gehaald uit UFO-thema’s, wat leidt tot een rijke variëteit aan creaties die de verbeelding prikkelen en gesprekken stimuleren over het onbekende.
3.2 UFO-gelovigen en de Samenleving
De opkomst van UFO-gelovigen en organisaties zoals MUFON (Mutual UFO Network) weerspiegelt de sociale dynamiek rondom deze fenomenen. Deze groepen fungeren als gemeenschappen waar individuen hun ervaringen kunnen delen en waar een gevoel van saamhorigheid en begrip heerst. Het delen van getuigenissen en ervaringen leidt vaak tot een versterking van de overtuigingen binnen deze gemeenschappen, waarbij de grens tussen wetenschap en geloof vervaagt.
UFO-gelovigen voelen vaak een diepere verbinding met het onbekende en zijn vaak op zoek naar antwoorden op vragen die de reguliere wetenschap niet altijd kan beantwoorden. Dit kan variëren van de zoektocht naar buitenaards leven tot het begrijpen van de betekenis achter mysterieuze gebeurtenissen. De sociale media hebben een belangrijke rol gespeeld in het samenbrengen van deze gelovigen, waardoor ze hun ervaringen en theorieën kunnen delen met een wereldwijd publiek. Hierdoor is er een grotere zichtbaarheid en acceptatie van UFO-cultuur ontstaan, wat op zijn beurt weer invloed heeft op de mainstream media en de populaire cultuur.
Bovendien hebben UFO-waarnemingen en de bijbehorende theorieën invloed gehad op bredere sociale en politieke discussies. Thema's zoals de zoektocht naar extraterrestrial intelligence (SETI), militaire geheimen en de transparantie van overheden zijn nauw verweven met de UFO-discussie. De groeiende belangstelling voor deze onderwerpen kan leiden tot een grotere vraag naar openheid van informatie en een kritischere blik op wat als waarheid wordt gepresenteerd door autoriteiten.
In conclusie, de culturele impact van UFO-waarnemingen is zowel diepgaand als veelzijdig. Ze reiken verder dan enkel vermaak en vormen een brug tussen wetenschap, geloof en sociale dynamiek. De fascinatie voor het onbekende blijft een krachtig onderwerp in de hedendaagse samenleving, met implicaties die de grenzen van onze verbeelding verkennen.
Hoofdstuk 4: Wetenschappelijke Benaderingen van UFO's
4.1 Het Onderzoek naar UFO's
Wetenschappers benaderen UFO-waarnemingen vanuit verschillende disciplinaire perspectieven. Astronomen zijn vaak de eersten die kijken naar de lucht om te begrijpen wat er zich boven ons afspeelt. Zij analyseren de bewegingen van sterren en planeten en proberen vast te stellen of objecten in de lucht daadwerkelijk van buitenaardse oorsprong zijn of dat ze natuurlijke fenomenen, zoals meteorieten of satellieten, zijn. Fysici daarentegen onderzoeken de mogelijkheden van ruimtevaart en de theorieën die aan de basis liggen van intergalactische reizen. Ze stellen vragen over de fysische wetten die van toepassing zijn op de ruimte en de beperkingen die deze wetten opleggen aan de mogelijkheid van leven buiten de aarde.
Sociologen bieden een ander perspectief door te kijken naar de sociale implicaties van UFO-waarnemingen. Zij onderzoeken de impact van deze fenomenen op de maatschappij en hoe culturen reageren op het idee van buitenaards leven. Dit kan variëren van angst en wanhoop tot nieuwsgierigheid en fascinatie. De rol van de media is hierbij cruciaal, omdat zij vaak de publieke perceptie van UFO's vormgeven. Documentaires, films en nieuwsberichten kunnen de manier waarop mensen naar deze verschijnselen kijken sterk beïnvloeden.
Er zijn echter ook critici binnen de wetenschappelijke gemeenschap die beweren dat veel UFO-meldingen eenvoudigweg kunnen worden verklaard door natuurlijke of door de mens gemaakte fenomenen. Deze critici wijzen vaak op de psychologische factoren die een rol spelen bij waarnemingen, zoals de neiging van mensen om betekenis te geven aan onverklaarbare gebeurtenissen. Ze stellen dat de menselijke geest geneigd is om patronen te herkennen, zelfs waar die niet bestaan. Dit kan leiden tot valse rapportages van UFO's, vooral in tijden van sociale spanning of onzekerheid.
Een voorbeeld van een natuurlijk fenomeen dat vaak wordt verward met UFO's is de zogenaamde 'ballon’-effect, waarbij weerballonnen of andere luchtobjecten ten onrechte worden geïdentificeerd als buitenaardse ruimteschepen. Daarnaast zijn er talloze gevallen van militaire oefeningen of proeven met nieuwe technologieën die als UFO's worden gerapporteerd. Het belang van kritisch onderzoek en de toepassing van de wetenschappelijke methode zijn essentieel om de waarheidsgetrouwe aard van UFO-waarnemingen te achterhalen.
4.2 De Rol van de Wetenschap in de Publieke Perceptie
Het wetenschappelijk onderzoek naar UFO's heeft een aanzienlijke invloed op hoe de samenleving deze verschijnselen waarneemt. Wanneer er nieuwe wetenschappelijke bevindingen worden gepresenteerd, kan dit leiden tot een verschuiving in de publieke opinie. Het publiek neigt naar een grotere acceptatie van UFO-meldingen wanneer ze worden ondersteund door wetenschappelijk bewijs, zoals gegevens van telescopen of andere meetinstrumenten. Dit versterkt de relatie tussen wetenschap en geloof, waarbij mensen eerder bereid zijn om de mogelijkheid van buitenaards leven te overwegen als er een wetenschappelijke basis voor is.
Echter, deze dynamiek complicateert ook de relatie tussen wetenschap en geloof. Terwijl sommige mensen openstaan voor wetenschappelijke verklaringen, blijven anderen vasthouden aan hun overtuigingen, ongeacht het beschikbare bewijs. Dit kan leiden tot een kloof tussen wetenschappelijke inzichten en populaire overtuigingen, waarbij de wetenschap wordt gezien als dogmatisch of beperkend.
Bovendien kan de rol van de wetenschap in het UFO-debat ook leiden tot een grotere nieuwsgierigheid naar ruimteonderzoek en de zoektocht naar leven op andere planeten. Het publiek kan zich meer betrokken voelen bij ruimteprogramma's en wetenschappelijke initiatieven die gericht zijn op het ontdekken van leven buiten de aarde. Dit kan op zijn beurt een positieve invloed hebben op de financiering en ondersteuning van wetenschappelijk onderzoek.
In conclusie, het onderzoek naar UFO's vanuit verschillende wetenschappelijke disciplines biedt een waardevolle lens om deze intrigerende fenomenen te begrijpen. De interactie tussen wetenschap en publieke perceptie blijft complex en dynamisch, en de voortdurende zoektocht naar antwoorden op de vragen rond UFO's zal ongetwijfeld blijven voortduren.
Hoofdstuk 5: De Toekomst van UFO-onderzoek en Menselijke Obsessie
5.1 De Rol van Technologie
Met de snelle vooruitgang in technologie heeft de menselijke mogelijkheid om UFO's te bestuderen een ongekende sprong voorwaarts gemaakt. Drones, satellieten en geavanceerde beeldtechnologieën stellen onderzoekers in staat om de lucht op een manier te observeren die voorheen ondenkbaar was. Traditionele methoden van waarneming, zoals het observeren met het blote oog of het gebruik van eenvoudige camera's, zijn vervangen door geavanceerde technologieën die in staat zijn om gedetailleerde beelden te maken en data te verzamelen op grote hoogtes en in moeilijk bereikbare gebieden.
Bijvoorbeeld, drones uitgerust met camera's en andere sensoren kunnen nu gebieden verkennen die moeilijk toegankelijk zijn voor mensen. Hierdoor kunnen onderzoekers potentiële UFO-waarnemingen beter documenteren en analyseren. Satellieten bieden ook een nieuw perspectief; ze kunnen breed gebiedsmonitoring uitvoeren en ongebruikelijke luchtbewegingen vastleggen die anders misschien onopgemerkt zouden blijven.
Daarnaast hebben sociale media en internetplatforms de verspreiding van informatie over UFO's versneld. Mensen kunnen hun ervaringen delen en samenwerken met anderen wereldwijd, waardoor een bredere gemeenschap van UFO-enthousiastelingen en onderzoekers ontstaat. Dit heeft geleid tot een toename van het aantal waarnemingen en rapporten, wat op zijn beurt weer meer aandacht en onderzoek naar dit fenomeen stimuleert.
De combinatie van deze technologische vooruitgangen en de groeiende toegankelijkheid van informatie biedt een unieke kans voor wetenschappers en hobbyisten om het mysterie van UFO's te ontrafelen. Maar het roept ook vragen op over de betrouwbaarheid van de verzamelde gegevens. Met de opkomst van deepfake-technologieën en andere digitale manipulaties is het cruciaal om kritisch te blijven kijken naar wat we zien en horen.
Toch is de mogelijkheid om UFO's te bestuderen met behulp van moderne technologie niet alleen een wetenschappelijke onderneming; het weerspiegelt ook onze diepere menselijke behoefte om het onbekende te begrijpen. De fascinatie voor buitenaards leven en UFO's kan ons helpen om nieuwe vragen te stellen over onszelf, onze plaats in het universum en de grenzen van onze kennis.
5.2 De Menselijke Verlangen naar Verbinding
De zoektocht naar UFO's kan ook worden geïnterpreteerd als een diepgeworteld verlangen naar verbinding met iets groters dan onszelf. Deze zoektocht is niet alleen een wetenschappelijke of technologische aangelegenheid; het is een existentiële zoektocht die ons dwingt om na te denken over de betekenis van ons bestaan en ons plaats in het universum.
Het idee dat we niet alleen zijn in het universum, dat er mogelijk andere levensvormen bestaan, is een krachtige gedachte. Het stelt ons in staat om ons te verhouden tot de kosmos en onze eigen menselijke ervaringen te heroverwegen. Dit verlangen naar verbinding kan verschillende vormen aannemen, van de spirituele en filosofische tot de meer praktische en wetenschappelijke benaderingen.
Voor veel mensen symboliseren UFO's een hoop dat er meer is dan wat we zien; ze vertegenwoordigen de mogelijkheid van nieuwe ontdekkingen en inzichten. Deze fascinatie kan ons aanzetten tot het onderzoeken van de grenzen van onze kennis en ons begrip van de natuurwetten. Het kan ons ook inspireren om samen te werken, ongeacht culturele of geografische verschillen, in de zoektocht naar antwoorden op deze grote vragen.
Bovendien kan de obsessie met UFO's ook een reflectie zijn van onze eigen angsten en verlangens. In een wereld die vaak chaotisch en onvoorspelbaar lijkt, kan de zoektocht naar UFO's ons een gevoel van doel geven. Het idee dat we deel uitmaken van een groter geheel kan ons helpen om onze angsten te verminderen en ons leven betekenisvoller te maken.
In deze context is het belangrijk om de rol van de mens in het UFO-onderzoek te erkennen. Het is niet alleen een zoektocht naar buitenaards leven, maar ook een kans om onszelf en onze plaats in het universum beter te begrijpen. De toekomst van UFO-onderzoek zal ongetwijfeld verder evolueren, gedreven door technologische innovaties en de intrinsieke menselijke behoefte naar verbinding en begrip. Deze zoektocht zal ons blijven inspireren, uitdagen en ons aanzetten tot verdere verkenning van het onbekende.
EINDBESLUIT
De fascinatie van de mensheid voor UFO's en het onbekende is meer dan alleen een voorbijgaand fenomeen; het is een reflectie van onze diepere psychologische en culturele behoeften. Historische UFO-waarnemingen, die teruggaan tot de oudheid, onthullen niet alleen de angsten en verlangens van mensen, maar ook de manier waarop verschillende samenlevingen de wereld om hen heen interpreteren en betekenis geven aan het onverklaarbare. Deze waarnemingen zijn vaak een spiegel van de tijdsgeest en bieden inzicht in hoe mensen omgaan met de onzekerheden en mysteries van het leven.
In een tijdperk van snelle technologische vooruitgang en wetenschappelijke ontdekkingen blijven UFO's en buitenaards leven een bron van intrige. Ze dagen ons uit om na te denken over onze plaats in het universum en de mogelijkheden van andere levensvormen. De vragen die ontstaan uit deze fascinatie zijn niet alleen wetenschappelijk van aard, maar raken ook aan existentiële thema's zoals de zin van ons bestaan, de natuur van werkelijkheid en de grenzen van menselijke kennis.
Terwijl we de toekomst ingaan, is het duidelijk dat de discussie rondom UFO's niet zal verstommen. Integendeel, deze zal waarschijnlijk alleen maar toenemen, vooral nu wetenschappelijke en technologische ontwikkelingen ons in staat stellen om verder te kijken dan ooit tevoren. De zoektocht naar kennis en betekenis in ons leven wordt onlosmakelijk verbonden met ons verlangen om het onbekende te verkennen. De obsessie met UFO's biedt ons niet alleen een venster op de toekomst, maar ook op onze eigen menselijke ervaring en de drang om te begrijpen wat er buiten onze wereld ligt. Deze zoektocht zal ons blijven inspireren en uitdagen, en vormt een essentieel onderdeel van ons collectieve verhaal.
Referenties
Ezechiël. (n.d.). Bijbelvertaling.
C. S. Lewis. (1955). "The Discarded Image."
S. M. McCall. (2010). "The Sociocultural Dynamics of UFO Sightings."
J. A. Harder. (2017). "UFOs: A History of the Unknown."
M. Fridman. (2019). "The Psychology of Belief in UFOs."
L. A. Wilkins. (2021). "Science and the Search for Extraterrestrial Life."
The analysis examined 149,000 sighting entries from the Reporting Center's database, along with social media reports to determine how many encounters are experienced per capita in each state.
Coming in first, Californians have recorded a staggering 36,286 reported UFO sightings since 1974.
This makes it officially America's alien hotspot with one sighting for every 1,075 residents.
California's clear night skies and dense population have created perfect conditions for UFO sightings.
In fact, just last month, the harrowing call a US Air Force pilot made to air traffic control was released after they described 'three orange-like lights' hovering silently above Los Angeles.
The unknown craft came as close as 10 feet of the pilot's wing, reaching supersonic speeds, as the US Air Force craft was conducting a secret mission over California.
New data from the National UFO Reporting Center has revealed exactly where these eerie sightings are most common
The pilot, who identified as 'Troy 21,' told local air traffic control (ATC) in Los Angeles: 'This is going to sound weird, but I just had something pass underneath my wing, maybe a football-sized object right underneath my wing.'
During the September 17, 2024, incident, ATC can be heard asking Troy 21 if he thought it was a drone, but the stunned pilot couldn't give an answer.
Troy 21 replied that his sensor operator was looking for the UFO on the plane's cameras, adding that it was a 'dark gray cylindrical object' no bigger than a football.
The pilot quickly informed ATC that they had spotted the UFO again about 60 miles from where it first buzzed Troy 21's plane.
Later in the recording, another air traffic controller in Los Angeles could be heard on the radio dismissing the incident, saying that 'there was UFO reported here, but that's all taken care of now. So you don't have to worry about it... it's gone.'
Former FBI agent Ben Hansen told NewsNation the mysterious object must have be traveling at Mach 2, or twice the speed of sound, to get so far away so fast.
The state to come in second in terms of the appearance Unidentified Aerial Phenomena (UAPs) was Washington.
The Pacific Northwest has long attracted those seeking the unexplained, with Washington recording 7,125 UFO sightings.
The strange object then moved off at high speed and was seen minutes later 60 miles away from the aircraft
That's approximately one for every 1,093 residents.
From 1948 to 1952, as America's production of atomic weapons first ramped up, waves of UFO sightings began cropping up over Washington state's Hanford nuclear production complex, as well as Los Alamos, New Mexico, and other sites for the Manhattan Project.
Meanwhile, Florida was ranked third with more than 11,000 reported encounters.
That's roughly one sighting for every 1,144 Floridians.
As recently as this past December, a flight attendant flying off the coast of the Sunshine State managed to capture a mysterious spherical object flying above the plane she was working on, thousands of feet above the Bahamas.
Cassandra Martin, a flight attendant for private air service Surjet, was flying with two pilots in an empty jet on December 23 when Miami air traffic control alerted them to a 'foreign object' as they were flying back to Fort Lauderdale.
The eerie footage showed a rounded blur of white light that faded into a green color, with a circular halo surrounding the object.
Coming in fourth is Oregon, which had one UFO sighting per 1,156 residents.
Cassandra Martin, a flight attendant for private air service Surjet, was flying with two pilots in an empty jet on December 23 when air traffic control alerted them to a 'foreign object'
'It had capabilities just to zigzag and change color, so that was a little daunting, to the say the least, but you know, it's also something fascinating that I was able to see and capture with my phone,' Martin said
One of the reports came from an air ambulance pilot, who described seeing a bright light streaking toward his aircraft before abruptly reversing course and heading back toward the Pacific Ocean on the evening of December 7.
'Red in color - moving at extreme speeds. I don't even know how to describe how fast it was moving,' the pilot told air-traffic controllers.
On the next night, a United Airlines pilot also noted unusual lights in the Eugene area.
'We're seeing three or four targets. They're all altitudes. Up and down. It's pretty crazy,' the pilot reported to air-traffic controllers, who confirmed there was no military activity in the area.
The air ambulance pilot additionally noted one light moving in a 'corkscrew pattern,' which appeared on the aircraft's collision avoidance system.
'You are cleared to maneuver as necessary - left or right to avoid the UFO out there,' an air-traffic controller responded, according to an audio clip of the exchange
Short video clips taken by pilots and crew showed lights in the night sky, but the dark conditions made it difficult to discern specific details.
At least four commercial pilots reported spotting mysterious lights darting through the skies over Oregon
Meanwhile, New York rounds out the top five with one sighting per 1,301 people.
Harvard physicist, Avi Loeb, wrote that the mysterious orb was created by 'a bright spot from reflection of sunlight as the camera gradually changed its orientation relative to the sun and the ground.
Loeb continued to explain that if the orb was a real object, it would have been moving at the speed of sound, not anything extraordinary.
A segment during 'Good Day New York' featured a mysterious orb that appeared to zoom over the Hudson River
Those hoping to avoid extraterrestrial encounters should consider staying in Louisiana, where residents experience the fewest UFO encounters nationwide - just one sighting for every 3,815 people.
Even safer is North Dakota, which recorded only 282 total sightings - approximately 0.0004 per capita - making it statistically the state where you are least likely to have an encounter of the third kind.
Ancient manuscripts detailing the events during the Roman Empire are believed to contain 'first hand' evidence about the life and death of Jesus Christ.
The Annals, written by the Roman historian Tacitus only 91 years after Jesus's death, begins with the death of Emperor Augustus in 14AD and finishes with Nero's suicide 54 years later.
In Book 15, the historian discusses the Great Fire of Rome in 54AD, shortly before Nero's death, which the emperor blamed on a class 'called Christians.'
The second sentence reads: 'Christus, from whom the name had its origin, suffered the extreme penalty during the reign of Tiberius at the hands of one of our procurators, Pontius Pilatus.'
'Christus,' the Latin version of 'Christ,' means 'the Anointed One' or 'the Messiah,' and comes from the Hebrew word Mashiach (Messiah).
The Bible's New Testament states that Pontius Pilate, the Roman governor of Judea, sentenced Jesus to death by crucifixion.
Tacitus discusses the persecution of Christ's followers, who were spreading into Rome from Judaea, writing how 'an arrest was made of all who pleaded guilty to being Christian.'
'Covered with the skins of wild beasts, they were torn by dogs and perished, or were nailed to crosses, or were doomed to the flames and burnt, to serve as a nightly illumination, when daylight had expired,' the passage reads.
A book featuring ancient Rome's history includes a passage that discusses the death of Jesus
The Annals, written by the Roman historian Tacitus around 91AD, begins with the death of Emperor Augustus in 14AD and finishes with Nero's suicide 54 years later
As the Bible tells it, 2,021 years ago a child named Jesus was born in a little-known town on the edge of the Roman Empire and was killed 33 years later.
While most scholars agree he was a real person, there is significant debate about his divinity.
They suggest Jesus' teachings about love and forgiveness and his brutal death led his followers to form a new faith that became Christianity.
While the manuscripts have long been known, the details in them recently surfaced online and have been welcomed by those of Christian faith.
Tacitus, whose full name was Publius Cornelius Tacitus, lived from around 56AD to 120AD and was widely regarded to have been among the most important Roman historians.
While the manuscripts have long been known, the details in them recently surfaced online and have been welcomed by those of
He relied on official records, Senate proceedings and firsthand accounts to compile The Annals, which is known for its critical and sometimes cynical perspective on Roman politics as he did not shy away from deemed emperors as corrupt and tyrants.
The Bible states that Jesus was arrested by Roman soldiers following the Last Supper and taken before Annas, the former high priest.
He was then tried by the current high priest, Caiaphas, in front of the Jewish supreme governing council and court where he was condemned for blasphemy.
Because the court and high priest did not the power to order a death sentence, Jesus was taken to Pilate.
Tacitus, whose full name was Publius Cornelius Tacitus, lived from around 56AD to 120AD and was widely regarded to have been among the most important Roman historians
Luke 23:16-24 states that Pilate was hesitant to sentence Jesus to death, saying 'nothing this man has done to deserve death. So I will have him whipped and let him go.'
However, the crowd erupted in anger, screaming 'Kill him.'
After shouting Jesus had not committed a crime three times, Pilate gave into the crowd's request and 'passed the sentence on Jesus that they were asking for.'
And Tacitus shared some of these details in The Annals.
The passage, however, focused more on the events that had followed, specifically Christ's followers moving into Rome .
The first persecution of Christians organized by the Roman government was under Nero who ruled about 21 to 24 years after Jesus' crucifixion.
Nero used the Great Fire of Rome as part of his plan to stop the faith from spreading.
The Great Fire of Rome began on July 19, 64 AD, likely started in shops near the Circus Maximus, filled with flammable goods, and spread rapidly due to strong winds and the city's flammable, densely packed construction.
The fire raged for six days and seven nights, destroying or damaging 10 of Rome's 14 districts, according to researchers at Ohio State University.
And the blaze killed hundreds, left thousands homeless and devastated two-thirds of Rome.
At the time, the Roman Empire was worshiping gods and adding more foreign deities into its religious system and some historians have speculated that the influx of Christians appeared as a threat.
Tacitus wrote how Nero falsely blamed Christians, setting his plan in motion.
'Nero fastened the guilt and inflicted the most exquisite tortures on a class hated for their abominations, called Christians by the populace,' the passage reads.
Those arrested were crucified in Nero's lavish gardens as to 'exhibit as as show in the circus.'
'He mingled with the people in the dress of a charioteer, or stood in a chariot, or as if he were a performer, or as a spectator of the cruel games,' Tacitus described.
'Hence, even for the present time, though the superstition had been checked for a while, it had broken out once more and gained ground, not only in Judea, the first source of the evil, but even in Rome itself.'
Another historian, Flavius Josephus, wrote a book about Jewish history, featuring a passage that reads: 'Now there was about this time Jesus, a wise man, if it be lawful to call him a man. For he was a doer of wonderful works, a teacher of such men as receive the truth with pleasure.'
Flavius was a Jewish historian who later became a Roman citizen. He lived from 37 to around 100 AD.
Testimonium Flavianum is part of The Antiquities of the Jews, which features 20 books detailing the history of the region and Jews, starting with the Old Testament up to the Jewish War.
In Testimonium Flavianum, he writes: 'Pilate condemned him to be crucified and to die. But those who had become his disciples did not abandon his discipleship.
'They reported that he had appeared to them three days after his crucifixion and that he was alive.
'Accordingly, he was perhaps the Messiah, concerning whom the prophets have recounted wonders.'
However, some scholars have dismissed the writings, saying it is a late Christian forgery.
This image from NASA’s Mars Perseverance rover reveals hundreds of strange, spherical-shaped objects comprising the rock. Perseverance acquired this image on March 11, 2025, or sol 1442 (Martian day 1,442 of its mission)
A rock that has no earthly business in a Martian crater: Perseverance acquired this image on March 13, 2025 - sol 1444, or Martian day 1,444 of the Mars 2020 mission
NASA's new images were found by Perseverance along the rim of the Jezero Crater, a 28-mile-wide region on Mars that may have once been flooded with water.
Alex Jones, a PhD student from Imperial College London's department of earth science, described the rock as 'strange' and 'shocking'.
'The Perseverance Science Team were astonished by a strange rock comprised of hundreds of millimeter-sized spheres,' he said in a blog post on NASA's website.
'Placing these features in geologic context will be critical for understanding their origin, and determining their significance for the geological history of the Jezero Crater rim and beyond.'
Technically, the mass is made up of 'spherules' – roughly spherical pebbles, ranging 0.01mm to 4mm in diameter (up to 0.15 inches).
Some of these spherules are more elongate, elliptical shapes, while others have angular edges, perhaps representing broken spherule fragments.
Others even have miniscule holes as if they'd been pricked with a pin – but how or why they show such variety is a mystery.
On Earth, spherules are formed by rapid cooling of molten rock droplets during a volcanic eruption, or by the condensation of rock vaporized by a meteorite impact.
The Jezero Crater is a 28-mile-wide region on Mars that may have once been flooded with water
The Red Planet (pictured) is an average of 140 million miles (225 million km) away from Earth
Did Mars have volcanoes?
Mars was once dotted with thousands of huge volcanoes which saw 'super eruptions', according to NASA.
The eruptions shot water vapor, carbon dioxide and sulfur dioxide into the Martian atmosphere, resulting in a significant change to Mars' climate.
In 2021, scientists said some volcanoes on Mars may still be active, raising the possibility there were microbes on the planet as recently as 30,000 years ago.
'Each of these formation mechanisms would have vastly different implications for the evolution of these rocks, so the team is working hard to determine their context and origin,' Jones said.
Dr Matthew Chojnacki, a planetary geologist at the Planetary Science Institute, said they could be 'frothy lava' that rapidly cooled might lead to such a deposit.
'But it's hard to tell without chemistry or mineralogy, especially given it's a float rock (a piece of rock that is not part of the bedrock),' he told MailOnline.
Dr Joel Davis, planetary geologist at Imperial College London, said they may have been formed by water circulating through the Martian ground billions of years ago.
'[This was] potentially when conditions were too cold for liquid water to exist on the surface,' Dr Davis told MailOnline.
'Findings like this help geologists build a picture of how and when Mars might have changed, from a warm, wet planet 3-4 billion of years ago, to the cold, very dry environment we see today.'
This isn’t the first time strange spheres have been spotted on Mars, which is an average of 140 million miles (225 million km) away from Earth.
In 2004, the Opportunity rover – active on Mars from 2004-2018 – spotted 'Martian Blueberries' at Meridiani Planum, a large plain straddling the equator of Mars. These marble-sized objects, named for their similar appearance to the fruit, are remnants of small meteorites that broke up in the Martian atmosphere.
A full scale test model of the Perseverance rover currently on Mars is displayed during a press conference for the Mars Sample Return mission in the Mars Yard at NASA's Jet Propulsion Laboratory (JPL) in Pasadena, California on April 11, 2023
In June last year, Perseverance spied popcorn-like textures in sedimentary rocks exposed in the Jezero crater inlet channel, Neretva Vallis
Then in 2012, the Curiosity rover, which is still exploring Mars after more than a decade, observed spherules in the rocks of Yellowknife Bay at Gale crater.
Meanwhile, Perseverance spied 'popcorn-like textures' in sedimentary rocks exposed in the Jezero crater inlet channel, Neretva Vallis, last year.
Perseverance acquired the two new images on March 11 and March 13 – on sol (Martian day) 1442 and 1444 of its mission.
A Martian day (a 'sol') is 24 hours, 39 minutes and 35 seconds long – so about 40 minutes longer than a day on Earth.
Perseverance touched down on Mars' Jezero Crater – believed to be the home of a lush lakebed and river delta billions of years ago – in February 2021 after a nearly seven-month journey through space.
It is tasked with seeking traces of fossilised microbial life from Mars' ancient past and to collect rock specimens for return to Earth through future missions to the Red Planet.
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Over mijzelf
Ik ben Pieter, en gebruik soms ook wel de schuilnaam Peter2011.
Ik ben een man en woon in Linter (België) en mijn beroep is Ik ben op rust..
Ik ben geboren op 18/10/1950 en ben nu dus 74 jaar jong.
Mijn hobby's zijn: Ufologie en andere esoterische onderwerpen.
Op deze blog vind je onder artikels, werk van mezelf. Mijn dank gaat ook naar André, Ingrid, Oliver, Paul, Vincent, Georges Filer en MUFON voor de bijdragen voor de verschillende categorieën...
Veel leesplezier en geef je mening over deze blog.
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