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.
31-08-2022
Newly Discovered Super-Earth ‘Ross 508b’, Located Just 37 Light-Years Away, May Possess Potential to Support Life
Newly Discovered Super-Earth ‘Ross 508b’, Located Just 37 Light-Years Away, May Possess Potential to Support Life
Many of us have asked themselves, "Are we alone in this universe?" While humanity does not yet have definitive answers to this question, scientists are continuously on the search for indicators that could hint to the existence of extraterrestrial life.
And what better way to begin than by looking for other Earth-like planets that may be capable of supporting life?
There has recently been a considerable influx of study into exoplanets, albeit the reason for these investigations varies across organisations. Some are simply looking for an answer to the alien life mystery, while others are looking for a second home for us Earthlings.
We may have some good news for all you exoplanet fans now. The Subaru Strategic Program, launched in 2007 to deliver remarkable scientific results utilising Japan's Subaru Telescope, has assisted in the discovery of a super-Earth skimming the outskirts of a red dwarf star's habitable zone, just 37 light-years from our home planet!
Home away from home?
The recently discovered Ross 508 planetary system is depicted schematically. The green region indicates the habitable zone (HZ), which is a region on the planet's surface where liquid water can exist. A blue line represents the planetary orbit. The planet is expected to be closer than the HZ (solid line) during more than half of its orbit and within the HZ (dashed line) for the remainder.
(Astrobiology Institute)
Named Ross 508b, this 'super-Earth' is a rocky world with a mass around four times that of our Earth.
And a year on Ross 508b lasts for just 11 Earth-days! This, of course, means that its orbit is not very large — which is understandable because red dwarfs are a lot smaller than the Sun that centres our solar system.
But their smaller sizes mean that their gravitational fields are also not as expansive as the Sun's. Therefore, Ross 508b revolves around it at a distance of just 5 million kilometres. Considering Mercury, for comparison, the planet is about 60 million kilometres from the Sun. The short distance between this super-Earth and its red dwarf begs the question: how could it possibly be deemed habitable? Well, the Ross 508b's orbit is elliptical, meaning it isn't always as close to the star, and pretty much dips in and out of the habitable zone.
A planet like this may be able to retain water on its surface. Whether or not water or life actually thrives there is still up for debate and some serious research.
The relationship between red dwarfs and habitable planets
Three-quarters of the stars in the Milky Way galaxy are red dwarfs smaller than the Sun and such stars are abundant in the solar neighbourhood. Because of this, they are crucial targets in humanity’s hunt for neighbouring extrasolar planets and extraterrestrial life.
However, red dwarfs are cooler than other types of stars and emit less visible light, which makes studying them challenging.
What makes this find even more special is that it is the first exoplanet to be found by the Subaru Strategic Program using the infrared spectrograph IRD on the Subaru Telescope (IRD-SSP).The team at Astrobiology Center in Japan developed IRD specifically to search for red dwarf-orbiting exoplanets like Ross 508b. It relies on a planet-hunting technique that looks for minute deviations in the velocity of a star to infer a planet orbiting it.
It wouldn't be a stretch to assume that the Subaru Telescope could bestow us even better candidates for habitable planets around red dwarfs.
"It has been 14 years since the start of IRD's development. We have continued our development and research with the hope of finding a planet exactly like Ross 508b,"said Tokyo Institute of Technology's Professor Bun'ei Sato, the principal investigator of IRD-SSP.
This study has opened doors for future observations to confirm the possibility of life around low-mass stars.
Problem Solved! Voyager 1 is no Longer Sending Home Garbled Data!
Problem Solved! Voyager 1 is no Longer Sending Home Garbled Data!
Earlier this year, the teams attached to the Voyager 1 mission noticed that the venerable spacecraft was sending weird readouts about its attitude articulation and control system (called AACS, for short). The data it’s providing didn’t really reflect what was actually happening onboard. That was the bad news. The good news was that it didn’t affect science data-gathering and transmission. And, the best news came this week: team engineers have fixed the issue with the AACS and the data are flowing normally again.
The AACS is an important part of Voyager 1. It’s the machinery that keeps the spacecraft’s antenna pointed at Earth. Without it, all that valuable science data would get lost in space. The issue was really with the AACS’s data—it was garbled, and that left the team in the dark (so to speak) about the exact nature of the spacecraft’s health and activities.
Sussing out the Voyager 1 Problem
It turns out that it was a “networking problem” similar in spirit to something IT professionals might face here on Earth. Essentially, the AACS was sending telemetry data all right, but it was routing it to the wrong computer. Worse, it was a computer that had failed years ago. That actually corrupted the data, which led to the strangely garbled messages the ground-based crew received. It took a while for the team to figure out the problem, and it wasn’t clear why AACS suddenly began routing data to the wrong computer. Chances are, it received a faulty command from another computer. That implies there’s a problem somewhere else that they’ll have to solve. But, so far, the issues are not a threat to the spacecraft.
According to Suzanne Dodd, Voyager’s current project manager, once the engineers figured out that the old, dead computer might have been part of the problem, they had a way forward. They simply told the AACS to switch over sending to the correct computer system. “We’re happy to have the telemetry back,” said Dodd. “We’ll do a full memory readout of the AACS and look at everything it’s been doing. That will help us try to diagnose the problem that caused the telemetry issue in the first place. So we’re cautiously optimistic, but we still have more investigating to do.”
The ongoing issue with AACS didn’t set off any fault protection systems onboard the spacecraft. If it had, Voyager 1 would have gone into “safe mode” while engineers tried to figure out what happened. During the period of garbled signals, AACS continued working, which indicated that the problem was either upstream or downstream of the unit. The fact that data were garbled provided a good clue to related computer issues.
Solar System Explorations
This aging and still-valuable spacecraft has been exploring the outer parts of the solar system since its launch in 1977, along with its twin sibling, Voyager 2. They each traveled slightly different trajectories. Both went past Jupiter and Saturn, but Voyager 2 continued on to Uranus and Neptune. They’re both now outside the solar system, sending back data about the regions of space they’re exploring.
Where is Voyager 1? As of August 30, 2022, it is well outside of and above the plane of the Solar System. It will cross the Oort Cloud and head out to the stars. Courtesy NASA/JPL.
Voyager 1 flew past Jupiter in March 1979, and Saturn in November 1980. After its close approaches to those two gas giants, it started a trajectory out of the solar system and entered interstellar space in 2013. That’s when it ceased to detect the solar wind and scientists began to see an increase in particles consistent with those in interstellar space.
These days, Voyager 1 is more than 157.3 astronomical units from Earth and moving out at well over 61,000 km/hour. It’s busy collecting data about the interstellar medium and radiation from distant objects. If all goes well and it doesn’t whack into anything that could destroy it, the spacecraft should continue sending back data for nearly a decade. After that, it should fall silent as it travels beyond the Oort Cloud and out to the stars.
Ancient Aliens: Irish Myth Exposes Extraterrestrial Technology
Ancient Aliens: Irish Myth Exposes Extraterrestrial Technology
Ancient Astronaut Theorists believe “The Shining Ones” used magical powers stemming from extraterrestrials, in this clip from Season 18, “The Shining Ones.”
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Nuns Reveal Hidden Truth About Roswell ‘UFO Crash’
Nuns Reveal Hidden Truth About Roswell ‘UFO Crash’
A contemplative religious community in New Mexico compares the 1947 incident to ‘something far more compelling and amazing’ that occurred 2,000 years ago.
The Roswell Poor Clares live a Eucharistic life in New Mexico. (photo: Courtesy of the Roswell Poor Clares)
ROSWELL, N.M. — It was 75 years ago, in July 1947, when press reports surfaced that a crashed “flying saucer” had been recovered near Roswell, New Mexico.
The ‘Roswell Daily Record’ reports on the unusual incident. | Public domain(Photo: Public domain)
Days later, an official denial came from the same source that had initially confirmed the capture, namely, the U.S. military.
In those few days the template was set for the modern unidentified flying object (UFO) phenomenon — reports followed by counter-reports, sightings by official explanations, cries of disinformation, talk of alleged cover-ups accompanied by the insistence on various “proofs” that “we are not alone.”
What are Catholics to make of all this?
Jimmy Akin is a convert to the Catholic faith and a Register contributor. He is also a popular apologist for the Catholic faith and host of the podcast Jimmy Akin’s Mysterious World. Speaking to the Register, he was clear that, based on his research, “the most likely explanation of the Roswell incident is that a Project Mogul balloon chain crashed.”
Akin explains that Project Mogul was a top-secret U.S. Army Air Forces effort to monitor Soviet nuclear testing. He says that since the project was classified, “there was a cover-up that initially included a story about the U.S. military recovering one of the ‘flying discs’ that had just been in the news a couple of weeks earlier due to the Kenneth Arnold sighting (one of the first post-war alleged encounters with ‘flying saucers’) which launched the UFO craze. When this story backfired, they — the U.S. military — quickly walked it back, but they couldn’t tell anyone what had really happened due to the classified nature of the project.”
“The seed was planted,” he said, “and after the case was rediscovered in the 1980s, people have been fascinated with it ever since.”
And people continue to be.
“With UAP (unidentified aerial phenomena,aka UFOs), we may actually be dealing with extraordinary phenomena of various origins despite similar characteristics,” said Paul Thigpen, author of Extraterrestrial Intelligence and the Catholic Faith: Are We Alone in the Universe With God and the Angels? (TAN Books). Speaking to the Register, he said that “the extra-terrestrial hypothesis — the notion that we are encountering non-human intelligences from locations in this universe beyond Earth — best accounts for many UAP. The diabolical hypothesis (that they are demons) best accounts for some UAP reports, especially some of the so-called ‘alien abductions’ that demonstrate clear parallels with what the Church knows as demonic encounters.”
Thigpen posits other possibilities for the origins of UFOs: ultra-terrestrials. These, he says, are “non-human intelligences that share our planet as their home, largely hidden from us. This would include entities that have presented themselves in various forms throughout history, such as ancient mythological creatures, faerie folk …” He also alluded to two other possible explanations for certain kinds of UFOs/UAPs: ultra-dimensional beings. He says that these “originate from other dimensions of existence altogether that at times intersect with our own; or time-traveling humans from our future. Such realities would not lie beyond the creative wisdom and power of our omniscient, omnipotent Creator. If they do exist, he has made them and he sustains them in existence.”
In 1947, Roswell started a modern mania with its reports of crashed “aliens” and has been the global center of attention for such matters ever since. What is less well known is that, one year after the incident, and with much less publicity but much greater significance, that same city welcomed its first contemplative community, namely, the Poor Clare Monastery of Our Lady of Guadalupe.
They are the true center of an ongoing Roswell “incident.
It was in November 1948 that a small group of Chicago-based Poor Clares set out for New Mexico. They were responding to the urgent invitation of Archbishop Edwin Byrne of Santa Fe, who desired to found a new monastery in his archdiocese. He wanted “praying nuns” to encircle his vast archdiocese with their lives of prayer and penitence. No doubt, since its founding, the Roswell community has blessed the local community. The monastery has also founded or restored six “daughter” monasteries: five in the United States (two in Virginia; one in Los Altos Hills, California; one in Belleville, Illinois; and the latest in Chicago) and one in the Netherlands.
The 1947 Roswell incident, and the endless books, movies and fevered speculation it spawned, have brought few closer to Christ. By contrast, the 1948 founding of the Poor Clare Monastery of Our Lady of Guadalupe, without fanfare, without media, has done more to bring souls to Our Lord than we or the sisters shall know this side of eternity. One wonders what, if anything, do these contemplative nuns make of Roswell’s ongoing notoriety?
Speaking to the Register, the monastery superior, Mother Mary Angela, has a certain reluctance in sharing thoughts on the events of July 1947. She feels, perhaps wisely, “not fully informed about the events, nor on the results of the investigations that have taken place.” She added that the community have never really sought “to be informed, although we are naturally interested in what is said to have taken place in our locality.”
However, Mother Mary Angela goes on to add that “something happened” — but like the rest of the world, the community has no idea what exactly that was.
“We don’t know if there was a cover-up or a withholding of information, or for what reason information might have been withheld. We do understand that there has been serious scientific investigation as well as a great deal of lightweight commercialization of whatever event occurred.”
She pointed out that the truth of what happened may never be known now that the primary participants in the events are likely dead. “Much will remain uncertain and murky,” she said, “but it makes no difference in the way we are called to live our lives today. We don’t need to know. Through natural law and divine Revelation, we already have all we need to know in order to make good decisions today, to live a good life — a great life — right now.”
“We strive to live in the present moment,” she continued, “rooted in reality and the possibilities of response that can only be achieved in the present moment, not an unknown past (the Roswell ‘incident’) or an unknown future. For us as contemplatives, there is no compelling reason to fix our attention on the matter for very long. Something far more compelling and amazing occurred in a desert land very like Roswell some two millennia ago. Simple shepherds in the fields outside Bethlehem were easily able to identify the flying objects in the sky as heralds of the most significant ‘incident’in the history of mankind: The Hope of the World lay in a manger — and now at this moment is really present on our altar in the Blessed Sacrament. We want with all our hearts to keep our gaze fixed on him, on Jesus, the Firstborn of All Creation!”
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Greek Goddess Rhea: Mother of the Gods & Queen of the Titans
Woman and lion drawing, representative of Rhea.
Source: jozefklopacka/ Adobe Stock
Greek Goddess Rhea: Mother of the Gods & Queen of the Titans
Rhea is one of the most important ancient Greek gods. Although a Titan, she was responsible for both the birth and survival of the most famous Greek Gods such as Zeus and Hera. However, today while people with even a passing knowledge of Greek mythology know many Greek gods’ names, Rhea rarely gets the respect she deserves. Learn more about Rhea, Mother of the Gods, and Queen of the Titans.
Rhea in Mythology
Most major Greek gods have long and complicated histories. Most of the Titans on the other hand do not; they’re usually little more than narrative devices used to introduce more important gods. Rhea is interesting because she sits somewhere in between. She plays an important enough role to receive more characterization than the other Titans, but she doesn’t appear in many myths.
The family tree of the gods is a complicated and incredibly incestuous one. Greek mythology begins with the two primordial parents, Uranus and Gaia. Uranus represented the sky while Gaia represented the Earth. Greek mythology gets incredibly complicated, with different ancient historians and poets giving different takes on the same old tales. For the sake of simplicity, we will focus on Hesiod’s telling, naming other versions where and when applicable.
Uranus and Gaia (depending on the version) had quite a few children together. The most important were the 12 (or 13) Titans: Oceanus, Coeus, Crius, Hyperion, Iapetus, Cronus and the Titanides- Theia, Rhea, Thermos, Mnemosyne, Phoebe, and Tethys.
In addition to the Titans, they had various monsters together, such as the Cyclopes, the Hecatoncheires (three massive 50-headed, hundred-handed giants), giants, Meliae (nymphs), and the Erinyes (also known as the Furies, female gods of vengeance).
In the most common versions of the myth, such as Hesiod’s, Uranus feared his children would rise up against him, and so he imprisoned them. Uranus was right to be worried. As soon as he came of age, his youngest son, Cronus, rebelled, and overthrew Uranus with the help of his mother.
In doing so, he became king of Titans and freed his siblings. To celebrate, Cronus married his sister, Rhea. Rhea and Cronus would go on to have an infamously antagonistic marriage.
Thus followed the age of the Titans. The Titans were the gods prior to the Olympians, and ruled over land, sea, and sky together. Of all the Titans, Cronus and Rhea were the most important. Despite being brother and sister, they had children, and Rhea gave birth to the first Olympians: Zeus, Hades, Poseidon, Hestia, Demeter, and Hera.
This was not a happy coupling though. Both Gaia and Uranus warned Cronus that history would repeat itself. He would be overthrown by his children, like his father before him. Knowing from his own history that simply imprisoning his children was no guarantee of safety, Cronus opted for eating his offspring instead.
Perhaps unsurprisingly Rhea did not take well to Cronus devouring her babies. Rhea teamed up with both Gaia and Uranus to hatch a plan to save the youngest child, Zeus. Rhea fled and gave birth to Zeus in a cave on the island of Crete. She then tricked Cronus with a rock wrapped in swaddling, which he quickly gobbled up.
Rhea hid her favorite son in a cave on Mount Ida, one of the two Greek sacred mountains. There, he was protected by the Kouretes and the Dactyls, two warrior races who worshipped the Titans. Zeus would later grow up and start the Titanomachy, the ten-year war between the Olympian gods and the Titans.
Aside from her role in raising Zeus, there are two other pre-Titanomachy myths that involve Cronus and Rhea. The first takes part while Zeus was still hidden away in Crete.
In this story, Rhea caught Cronus enjoying some time with his mistress Philyra (an Oceanid). Upon being discovered, Cronus panicked, transformed into a horse, and fled. His transformation into a horse in mid-coitus caused Philya to give birth to Chiron, usually mentioned as the first and greatest centaur.
The second myth focused on Rhea and Cronus is a story of married Greek gods actually working together for a change. In this story, the children of Oceanus take control of Mount Olympus at an early age and start to rule as the first gods. Cronus and Rhea can’t abide by this and decide to fight them. Ultimately, they throw them back into the ocean they came from. In this myth, Rhea is portrayed as a skilled wrestler.
Rhea after the Titanomachy
The Titanomachy ends with Zeus hurling his mighty lightning bolt at the Titans, defeating them and sending them plummeting into Tartarus (the part of the underworld saved for the wicked). However, it has never been clear exactly which Titans ended up in Tartarus besides Cronus.
Of the male Titans, it seems Oceanus remained free because he had helped the Olympians in their fight. It also seems apparent that the female Titans were allowed to remain free.
Rhea certainly remained free following the Titanomachy, since she crops up in several different myths. She is usually portrayed as having a somewhat antagonistic relationship with Zeus’ wife, her daughter Hera. Rhea had a habit of turning up to save her grandchildren.
Apollo was the bastard son of Zeus and Leto (Zeus’s previous wife and/or mistress). Hera, the goddess of childbirth, refused to attend Apollo’s birth out of jealousy/ spite, leaving Leto in agony. Rhea chose to attend the birth in Hera’s stead. As the original goddess of motherhood, Rhea’s presence eased Leto’s suffering.
Later, Dionysus (another bastard son of Zeus) was inflicted with madness by the spiteful Hera. When Dionysus’s mother died, Rhea took him under her wing and raised him. She later cured his madness and gifted him an amethyst that prevented drunkenness.
Rhea also made an important appearance in the story of Hades and Persephone. In most versions of the story, such as the Homeric Hymns, it is Rhea who visited Demeter after Persephone's kidnapping and persuaded her to meet with the Olympians to find a solution.
However, in one Orphic version of the myth, Rhea’s role was much more unpleasant. In this version, Zeus wished to marry his mother. Rhea refused his incestuous advances and transformed into a snake to escape him. This did little to deter Zeus, who responded by also taking the form of a serpent and raping his mother. Persephone is the result of this rape.
According to the Orphic myth, after Persephone’s birth, Rhea transformed and became Demeter. It could be that this version of the myth is an attempt to explain Rhea’s decreased prominence in Greek mythology after a certain point.
Etymology of the name Rhea
No one is entirely sure where the name Rhea comes from, but there are several popular theories. Some ancient etymologists believed Rhea came from the old Greek words for ground or earth. Some modern scholars have also supported this theory, pointing to the traditional connection between the portrayal of mother gods and the earth.
Other Greeks, such as Plato, pointed towards a different origin word for Rhea. Plato claimed Rhea was the feminine version of the Greek word rheō, for flow, discharge, or stream. The thought process here was that women sustain their babies through the flow of breast milk and experience the flow of blood during the menstrual cycle.
We will likely never know for certain the true etymology. Most modern etymologists support the flow theory, which is the one put forward in A Greek-English Lexicon .
Rhea and her Historical Twin Cybele
Ancient civilizations had a habit of adopting and/or bastardizing each other’s’ gods and mythology. As these civilizations interacted, they would take aspects of the religions they liked and incorporate them into their own.
Cybele is a prime example of this. Once her own entity, originating from Anatolia, by the 4th century BC, Rhea and Cybele's names were being used interchangeably in Greek literature and worship. As such, the attributes and depictions of the two goddesses became almost completely indistinguishable.
Both are usually depicted as wearing a tall crown or veil and sitting on a throne, surrounded by lions. When not sitting on a throne they are usually either riding a lion or on a chariot drawn by lions. Although both are depicted as mother gods, there are two important differences.
First, in her own mythology, Cybele was the Phrygian Great Mother, a universal mother. Rhea, on the other hand, was only ever portrayed as the mother of gods, not a universal mother. The Greeks had other mother deities on top of Rhea, like Gaia, Hera, and Demeter.
Second, their origins are very different. Cybele started her life as a hermaphrodite god called Agdistis. The other Phrygian gods feared Agdistis and cut off their male genitalia, creating the female mother god Cybele. The severed genitalia then grows into a beautiful young man from Phrygia named Agdistis. Cybele fell in love with Agdistis, but he was unfaithful so she drove him mad, causing him to castrate himself.
Although Cybele and Rhea are often closely linked, no part of Cybele’s hermaphrodite origin or love story with Agdistis ever made it into Rhea’s mythology. As time went on people simply tended to forget Cybele’s unique history, and she became synonymous with Rhea.
The Cult of Rhea
In general, the Titans didn’t get their own cults in ancient Greece and were not worshipped. They simply functioned as a genealogical origin story for the Olympian gods, whom the Greeks did worship. Rhea, however, is slightly different. Although she does not appear to have had a strong cult of her own, she does appear to have been worshipped, especially early on.
Rhea was first worshipped in Crete, the site of Zeus’ birth. Her worship here was loud, raucous, and rhythmic. Worshippers would dance to the sound of the tympanon (a large drum) to provoke religious ecstasy. The loud and energetic worship of Rhea is often connected to her role in raising Dionysus, whose worshippers were similarly enthusiastic.
The Greeks often called Rhea the “Mother of Gods” or Meter Theon . Several temples in ancient Greece appear to have been dedicated to Meter Theon . A Greek traveler and geographer from the second century AD named Pausanias mentioned temples located in Attika, Arkadia, Corinth, Olympia, and Athens dedicated to her. Besides her own temples, her role in birthing and then protecting the Olympians meant that statues of her often stood in the sanctuaries of other gods.
Conclusion
Rhea’s importance to Greek mythology cannot be underestimated. She played a major role not just in the birthing of the Olympian gods but also in the Titanomachy and the overthrow of the old gods. Next to Cronus, she is also one of the very few Titans who actually received any characterization and appears to have been the only Titan with her own loyal worshippers.
Rhea is also a rare example of positive female representation in Greek mythology. She is portrayed as the ultimate mother, betraying her cruel spouse to ensure the survival of her children. Hera the Olympian mother god is often portrayed as being cruel and jealous; however, Rhea is never portrayed in that way. Rhea repeatedly comes to the aid of the grandchildren that Hera seeks to punish.
Rhea truly deserved her name Meter Theo , Mother of the Gods.
Top image: Woman and lion drawing, representative of Rhea.
Study Shows Humans and Neanderthals Interbred Primarily in the Near East
Study Shows Humans and Neanderthals Interbred Primarily in the Near East
Study Shows Humans and Neanderthals Interbred Primarily in the Near East
Multiple research projects have proven that Neanderthal DNA can be found in the genome of modern humans. This likely happened as a result of many interbreeding events that took place in the various locations where Neanderthals and early modern humans shared resources and living space. But researchers tracing the twisting pathways of human evolution don’t have to rely exclusively on genetic studies to learn about interbreeding between Homo sapiens and Neanderthals. Anatomical studies of prehistoric skeletal remains can also disclose valuable information about this fascinating aspect of human genetic history, as has now been demonstrated by a new study just published in the journal Biology.
In this innovative research project, a team of geneticists and anthropologists from North Carolina State and Duke Universities in the United States and the University of Witwatersrand in South Africa analyzed the facial structure of more than 300 modern human and Neanderthal skulls, which had been recovered from different locations in Asia, Europe, and Africa. The purpose of the analysis was to search for signs of Neanderthal influence on human facial anatomy, which would result from interbreeding events.
Some of the ancient skulls did in fact show evidence of human and Neanderthal interbreeding. The cumulative results of this anatomical comparative analysis suggest that much of the interbreeding took place in the Near East, a region ranging from North Africa eastward to Iraq. This sharing of genetic material would have occurred between approximately 50,000 and 40,000 years ago, when Paleolithic-era (Old Stone Age) modern humans lived at the same time as and in some of the same regions as the Neanderthals.
How Interbreeding Evolution is Reflected in the Face
"Ancient DNA caused a revolution in how we think about human evolution," Steven Churchill, co-author of the new study and a professor of evolutionary anthropology at Duke University, explained in a North Carolina State University press release announcing the results of the comparative facial structure study. "We often think of evolution as branches on a tree, and researchers have spent a lot of time trying to trace back the path that led to us, Homo sapiens . But we're now beginning to understand that it isn't a tree—it's more like a series of streams that converge and diverge at multiple points."
In this instance, the “multiple points” referenced would be marked by both place and time. The migratory movements of both early modern humans and Neanderthals would have determined when and where the convergences took place, and consequently when and where the possibilities for interbreeding were most abundant.
"The picture is really complicated,"Churchill explained."Modern Asian populations seem to have more Neanderthal DNA than modern European populations, which is weird because Neanderthals lived in what is now Europe. That has suggested that Neanderthals interbred with what are now modern humans as our prehistoric ancestors left Africa, but before spreading to Asia. Our goal with this study was to see what additional light we could shed on this by assessing the facial structure of prehistoric humans and Neanderthals."
At the species level, changes in facial morphology (facial shape and development) can be a reflection of changes in genetic makeup. Both types of changes occurred as a result of early modern humans and Neanderthals interbreeding .
Map of western Eurasia showing areas and estimated dates of possible Neandertal–modern human hybridization (in red) based on fossil samples from indicated sites.
"By evaluating facial morphology, we can trace how populations moved and interacted over time,"noted Ann Ross, a professor of biology from North Carolina State University and another co-author of the new study."And the evidence shows us that the Near East was an important crossroads, both geographically and in the context of human evolution ."
The scientists used data on cranial and facial morphology obtained from the recovered remains of 233 prehistoric (early modern) humans, 83 modern humans, and 13 Neanderthals. They compared measurements taken from similar facial structural features, to see if signs of interbreeding were evident. Other factors that might have caused changes in facial features were accounted for, to make sure that any revealing features identified could be definitively linked to Paleolithic-era interbreeding.
"We found that the facial characteristics we focused on were not strongly influenced by climate, which made it easier to identify likely genetic influences,"Ross said. "We also found that facial shape was a more useful variable for tracking the influence of Neanderthal interbreeding in human populations over time. Neanderthals were just bigger than humans. Over time, the size of human faces became smaller, generations after they had bred with Neanderthals. But the actual shape of some facial features retained evidence of interbreeding with Neanderthals."
The researchers weren’t sure if their anatomical comparisons would produce significant results. But their study revealed many clear links, which were especially notable in skeletons that had been collected in the Near East region where Asia, Africa, and Europe converge. This would have been a crossroads for early modern humans leaving Africa, regardless of what direction they were heading. If they bred with Neanderthals in the region, they could have later carried Neanderthal DNA to other parts of the world, such as Asia, where humans carrying Neanderthal genetic materials have been found.
Reconstruction of a Neanderthal woman’s face but reconstructions are not enough; we need more skulls from prehistory to determine more about primary Neanderthal-Sapiens’ interbreeding sites.
The researchers do acknowledge some limitations in the scope of their study. Their comparison included just six variables, reflecting the overall size and shape of the face and the shape of the eye socket and nasal openings. Also, only a relatively small number of the skulls studied showed obvious indications of a Neanderthal genetic influence, and many that did were from individuals who’d lived long after the proposed Neanderthal-modern human breeding events.
Nevertheless, the researchers believe their study “shows the utility of analyzing facial morphology for the information it may contain about population relationships and potential Neanderthal–modern human interbreeding.”
In two cases it was clear the samples they examined were either intermediate between Neanderthals and modern humans or emerged from an evolutionary branch that included both early modern humans and Neanderthals. One of these represented Middle Paleolithic early modern humans from the Near East, while the other represented early modern humans who lived in the Upper Paleolithic period in the Near East and Northeast Africa.
“While caution should be used in interpreting the results of analyses based on small sample sizes, these results could be considered consistent with the Near East being a substantial locus of Neanderthal–modern human hybridization,” the authors stated in their Biology journal study.
The scientists hope to address the small sample size issue in subsequent research. "To build on this, we'd like to incorporate measurements from more human populations, such as the Natufians, who lived more than 11,000 years ago on the Mediterranean in what is now Israel, Jordan and Syria," Churchill said.
Additional research certainly won’t disprove the new findings that identify the Paleolithic Near East as a key early modern human-Neanderthal interaction point. But they could provide additional evidence that will reveal more detailed information about the specifics of various interbreeding events.
Top image: Neanderthals or Homo Sapiens or both cooking animal meat over a bonfire, and the latest study shows the greatest Neanderthal and Homo sapiens interbreeding occurred in the Paleolithic Near East.
On Scene, UFO Crash Site, Verified by Military Documents & Secondary Reports, We Get Footage!
On Scene, UFO Crash Site, Verified by Military Documents & Secondary Reports, We Get Footage!
Small town in New Mexico outside Roswell about 100 miles that most people haven’t heard of. Its called Corona New Mexico and in 1946 a Flying Saucer crashed with Occupants in the middle of the desert. Roswell gets all the publicity but this location has a Verified UFO crash site with Miltary documents an secondary reporting to back it up. Seven witnesses saw a fireball fall from the sky also and this isn’t too far from White Sands either. Billy the Kid got into a gun fight here also and there is a lot of rich history in this town. We fly over the site with an Aerial Camera in 4K HDTV and on scene with a gopro, EMF detector and geiger counter.
NASA has scrubbed the first attempted launch of its Space Launch System (SLS) Moon rocket after running into multiple issues, one of which could not be solved in time.
The delay is bad news for the tens to hundreds of thousands of tourists who traveled to Cape Canaveral, Florida to witness the launch in person. Worse, by NASA’s own implicit admission, there’s a good chance the main problem SLS encountered could have already been dealt with and rectified in advance of the launch attempt if the space agency had finished testing the rocket earlier this summer.
Ultimately, that omission turned the first SLS launch attempt into more of a continuation of the rocket’s first four wet dress rehearsal (WDR) attempts, none of which ended as expected. NASA engineers will now have to decide how to proceed and whether the SLS rocket can be made ready in time for another launch attempt on September 2nd or 5th. If not, the next opportunity could be weeks away.
As far as SLS test operations go, the August 28/29th launch attempt was fairly ordinary, with the rocket running into multiple issues – a few minor, a few significant, and one identical to a previous problem. The first problem – a hydrogen leak near the SLS rocket’s base – came after a risk of lightning delayed the start of propellant loading by more than an hour. A very similar, if not identical, hydrogen fuel leak had already occurred during official wet dress rehearsal testing in April and July.
That leak was fixed on the fly by properly chilling all related systems, and propellant loading was eventually completed – albeit a few hours late thanks to inclement weather. Shortly after, there were reports of a crack that needed careful analysis. Only later did NASA specify that the suspected crack was in the rocket’s foam insulation rather than its structures, the latter of which could have been a catastrophic problem.
Around the same time, the true showstopper of the day occurred when NASA attempted to chill the SLS Core Stage’s four RS-25 engines, all of which flew several times aboard reusable Space Shuttle orbiters. Three engines performed (mostly) as expected, flowing a bit of liquid hydrogen fuel to cool themselves down, but one – engine #3 – was never able to make progress toward the optimal temperature needed for ignition (~5°C/~41°F). After hours of remote troubleshooting attempts, no progress had been made, and NASA ultimately decided to scrub the launch attempt at T-40 minutes to liftoff.
Over the course of four separate wet dress rehearsal attempts in April and June 2022, NASA was never able to test the core stage’s engine chill capabilities. In a post-scrub press conference, Jim Free – NASA’s Associate Administrator of the Exploration Systems Development Division – revealed that all four engines were warmer than intended, further confirming that skipping a fully nominal wet dress rehearsal was likely a mistake. Clear and present evidence aside, Free stated that he and other executives still believed skipping that test was the right decision, claiming that ending explicit WDR testing reduced the number of times the rocket needed to be moved on its transporter.
Making the situation even harder to explain, Artemis I Mission Manager Mike Sarafin revealed in the conference Q&A that Boeing had changed the design of parts of the SLS engine chill (bleed) system after the Core Stage finally conducted a nominal static fire test at Mississippi’s Stennis Space Center. Completed in March 2021, the SLS rocket then sat inside NASA’s Kennedy Space Center, Florida Vehicle Assembly Building (VAB) for a full year before attempting its first wet dress rehearsal tests at the launch pad.
The first round of three WDRs were not as smooth as NASA expected and instead uncovered three relatively small issues: a hydrogen leak, a single faulty upper stage valve, and problems with a ground supply of nitrogen gas. Those small issues led NASA to roll SLS back to the VAB for repairs, incurring a minimum multi-week delay that stretched into two months. SLS also failed to complete a fourth WDR attempt in July 2022, but NASA decided to overlook the rocket parts and phases of preflight operations that were never actually tested as planned, one of which was the engine chill system.
If NASA cannot fix the RS-25 chill system within the next few days, it will be forced to roll the entire rocket and mobile launch platform back to the VAB to – at a minimum – replace its flight termination system (FTS). The US Eastern Range requires that all rocket FTS systems be tested no more than 15 days before launch, and NASA was able to secure special permission for a gap of up to 25 days. However, because Boeing’s Core Stage design places the FTS system in a location that is reportedly inaccessible at the pad, the entire SLS rocket will need to roll back to the VAB to have its FTS systems “retested” after that period.
As a result, NASA’s SLS launch debut will be delayed by several weeks (at best) if it can’t recycle for another attempt on September 2nd or 5th. The next window runs from September 20th to October 4th, but the SLS rocket took 10 days to go from its latest rollout to first launch attempt – a figure that doesn’t include the time required to remove the rocket from the pad, roll it back to the VAB, and conduct any necessary repairs or tests while back in the bay. If NASA can’t fix the engine problem at the pad by September 3rd or 4th, the true delay could be more like 4-6 weeks.
With any luck, that won’t happen, but it’s clear that a lot of stress and discomfort could have been avoided if NASA had gone into its first launch attempt knowing that its SLS rocket was truly ready.
New MASSIVE triangle UFO sighting over Santa Monica Pier – MUST SEE
New MASSIVE triangle UFO sighting over Santa Monica Pier – MUST SEE
These amazing 4 UFO videos were filmed from Santa Monica pier in California on 27th August 2022. It shows a group of people that are witnessing and recording a triangular shaped craft (a possible TR-3B) over the coast.
What do you think about these UAP sighting? I’ve notices some inconsistencies in the the recordings on the phones of the witnesses and the actual movements of the phones. Let me know your thoughts below!
You can watch all four videos in the Youtube video below!
New MASSIVE triangle UFO sighting over Santa Monica Pier – MUST SEE
New MASSIVE triangle UFO sighting over Santa Monica Pier – MUST SEE
These amazing 4 UFO videos were filmed from Santa Monica pier in California on 27th August 2022. It shows a group of people that are witnessing and recording a triangular shaped craft (a possible TR-3B) over the coast.
What do you think about these UAP sighting? I’ve notices some inconsistencies in the the recordings on the phones of the witnesses and the actual movements of the phones. Let me know your thoughts below!
You can watch all four videos in the Youtube video below!
INDRUKWEKKENDE WEBB-FOTO'S VAN JUPITER: DE GROTE RODE VLEK HEEFT EEN ANDERE KLEUR
INDRUKWEKKENDE WEBB-FOTO'S VAN JUPITER: DE GROTE RODE VLEK HEEFT EEN ANDERE KLEUR
Jeannette Kras
De James Webb-telescoop van NASA en ESA blijft de wereld verbazen. Gisteren zijn er prachtige foto’s verschenen van Jupiter, waarop de gasreus scherper dan ooit te zien is.
Maar de plaatjes zijn niet alleen een lust voor het oog, wetenschappers krijgen door observaties van Webb ook meer inzicht in hoe de planeet er van binnen uitziet. “We hadden niet verwacht dat het zo goed zou zijn”, zegt planetair astronoom Imke de Pater, professor emerita aan de University of California. “Het is echt bijzonder dat we zoveel details kunnen zien op Jupiter, samen met zijn ringen, kleine satellieten en zelfs sterrenstelsels in één afbeelding.”
Infrarood De twee foto’s zijn gemaakt door de NIRCam (Near-Infrared Camera) die met behulp van drie gespecialiseerde infraroodfilters de details van de planeet aan ons onthult. Aangezien infrarood onzichtbaar is voor het menselijk oog, is het licht zo aangepast dat we het wel kunnen zien. In het algemeen geldt dat de langste golflengtes roder zijn en de kortste meer blauw.
De polen kleuren oranje, de grote rode vlek is wit.
Foto: NASA, ESA, CSA, Jupiter ERS Team; beeld verwerkt door Judy Schmidt
De afbeelding van Jupiter zoals hierboven, is gemaakt van een compositie van verschillende beelden van Webb. Daarop is te zien hoe de Aurora zich uitstrekt tot voorbij de noord- en zuidpool van Jupiter. Het licht wordt zichtbaar met een filter dat rodere kleuren weergeeft, dat ook licht benadrukt van hoger gelegen wolken en nevels. Een ander filter, voor gele en groene kleuren, toont hoe de nevel rond de polen wervelt. Een derde filter voor de blauwe kleuren brengt licht naar voren dat reflecteert van een dieper gelegen grote wolk.
De grote rode vlek De grote rode vlek, de beroemde reuzestorm die zo groot is dat hij de aarde kan opslokken, is wit op deze foto’s, net als andere wolken. Dat komt doordat ze veel zonlicht reflecteren. “De helderheid duidt op een grote hoogte dus de grote rode vlek heeft hoge nevels, net als het gebied rond de evenaar”, zegt Heidi Hammel, een wetenschapper die Webbs observaties bestudeert. “De vele heldere witte vlekken en vegen zijn waarschijnlijk zeer hoge wolkentoppen van gecondenseerde convectieve stormen.” Daartegenover staan donkere banen ten noorden van de evenaar met weinig wolken.
De grote storm die nu wit kleurt, licht heel helder op, net als een maantje links.
Foto: NASA, ESA, CSA, Jupiter ERS Team; beeld verwerkt door Ricardo Hueso (UPV/EHU) en Judy Schmidt.
Zoomen we uit, dan toont Webb ook de grotere, dunne ringen van Jupiter en nog twee kleine manen, Amalthea en Adrastea. De vage vlekken op de achtergrond zijn waarschijnlijk sterrenstelsels die het plaatje van Jupiter ‘fotobommen’.
“Deze ene afbeelding vat de wetenschap samen van ons Jupiter-programma, dat de dynamiek en chemie van Jupiter zelf, zijn ringen en zijn satellietsysteem bestudeerd”, aldus Thierry Fouchet, professor bij het Paris Observatory. Onderzoekers zijn nu al begonnen met het analyseren van de meest recente Webb-data om nieuwe ontdekkingen te doen over de grootste planeet van ons zonnestelsel.
Je ziet het heldere licht rond de polen, de twee kleine maantjes en de vage grote ringen.
Foto: NASA, ESA, CSA, Jupiter ERS Team; beeld verwerkt door Ricardo Hueso (UPV/EHU) en Judy Schmidt.
Geen keurig pakketje Data van telescopen zoals de James Webb komen niet in een keurig pakketje op aarde aan. In plaats daarvan zijn er data over de helderheid van het licht op Webbs detectors. Deze informatie komt aan als ruwe data bij het Space Telescope Science Institute (STScI), het wetenschapscentrum van Webb. STScI verwerkt de data in bestanden voor wetenschappelijke analyse. Pas daarna kunnen wetenschappers de data vertalen in afbeeldingen. De officiële foto’s worden door hen gemaakt, maar ze krijgen hulp van hobbywetenschappers die in de openbare data duiken om de afbeeldingen te verwerken.
En zo ontstaan er een heleboel indrukwekkende foto’s van bijzondere plaatsen in het heelal. Deze keer van Jupiter, maar wie weet waar Webb volgende keer mee komt.
There are three possible explanations for the new find, and one involves ancient Mars microbes.
NASA's Curiosity Mars rover used two different cameras to create this selfie in front of a rock outcrop named Mont Mercou, which stands 20 feet (6 meters) tall.
(Image credit: NASA/JPL-Caltech/MSSS)
NASA's Curiosity rover has found some interesting organic compounds on the Red Planet that could be signs of ancient Mars life, but it will take a lot more work to test that hypothesis.
Some of the powdered rock samples that Curiosity has collected over the years contain organics rich in a type of carbon that here on Earth is associated with life, researchers report in a new study.
But Mars is very different from our world, and many Martian processes remain mysterious. So it's too early to know what generated the intriguing chemicals, study team members stressed.
"We're finding things on Mars that are tantalizingly interesting, but we would really need more evidence to say we've identified life," Paul Mahaffy, who served as the principal investigator of Curiosity's Sample Analysis at Mars (SAM) chemistry lab until retiring from NASA's Goddard Space Flight Center in Greenbelt, Maryland, in December 2021, said in a statement(opens in new tab). "So we're looking at what else could have caused the carbon signature we're seeing, if not life."
This mosaic was made from images taken by the Mast Camera aboard NASA’s Curiosity rover on the 2,729th Martian day, or sol, of the mission. It shows the landscape of the Stimson sandstone formation in Gale crater. In this general location, Curiosity drilled the Edinburgh drill hole, a sample from which was enriched in carbon 12. (Image credit: NASA/Caltech-JPL/MSSS)
Nearly a decade of sample analysis
Curiosity landed inside Mars' 96-mile-wide (154 kilometers) Gale Crater in August 2012 on a mission to determine if the area could ever have supported microbial life. The rover team soon determined that Gale's floor was a potentially habitable environment billions of years ago, harboring a lake-and-stream system that likely persisted for millions of years at a time.
In the new study, which will be published Tuesday (Jan. 18) in the Proceedings of the National Academy of Sciences, the research team looked at two dozen powdered rock samples that Curiosity collected with its percussive drill from a variety of locations between August 2012 and July 2021. The rover fed this material into SAM, which can identify and characterize organics — carbon-containing molecules that are the building blocks of life on Earth.
The scientists found that nearly half of these samples were enriched in carbon-12, the lighter of the two stable carbon isotopes, compared to previous measurements of Mars meteorites and the Martian atmosphere. (Isotopes are versions of an element that contain different numbers of neutrons in their atomic nuclei. Carbon-12 has six neutrons, and the far less abundant carbon-13 has seven.)
These high-carbon-12 samples came from five different locations within Gale Crater, all of which featured ancient surfaces that had been preserved well over the eons.
On Earth, organisms preferentially use carbon-12 for their metabolic processes, so enrichment in this isotope in ancient rock samples here is generally interpreted as a signal of biotic chemistry. But carbon cycles on Mars aren't understood nearly well enough to make similar assumptions for Red Planet finds, study team members said.
The researchers came up with three possible explanations for the intriguing carbon signal. The first involves Mars microbes producing methane, which was then converted into more complex organic molecules after interacting with ultraviolet (UV) light in the Red Planet air. These larger organics then fell back to the ground and were incorporated into the rocks that Curiosity sampled.
But similar reactions involving UV light and non-biological carbon dioxide, by far the most abundant gas in Mars' atmosphere, could have generated the result as well. It's also possible that the solar system drifted through a giant molecular cloud rich in carbon-12 long ago, the researchers said.
The new find is especially intriguing because of the carbon-12 enrichment, but Curiosity has detected organic compounds on Mars before. For example, the mission team previously reported the detection of organics in powdered rock samples. The six-wheeled robot has also driven through plumes of methane, the simplest organic molecule, on multiple occasions.
It's unclear what's producing Mars' gaseous methane or how old it is. For example, the compound may be generated by microbes busily metabolizing beneath the frigid Martian surface today. It could alternatively be produced by underground interactions of rock and hot water, with no life involved. It could also be ancient material, produced either by organisms or abiotically, that was trapped underground long ago and occasionally "burps" up onto the surface today.
The Curiosity team would love to drive through another methane plume and determine its carbon-12 content, exploring the origins of these organics further. But that would take a lot of luck, given that researchers cannot predict when and where such plumes will appear.
Further helpful data could also come from another Mars rover — Perseverance, a NASA robot that landed inside a different Red Planet crater in February 2021. Perseverance is hunting for signs of ancient Mars life and collecting dozens of samples that will be returned to Earth for analysis, possibly as early as 2031.
Mike Wall is the author of "Out There(opens in new tab)" (Grand Central Publishing, 2018; illustrated by Karl Tate), a book about the search for alien life. Follow him on Twitter @michaeldwall(opens in new tab). Follow us on Twitter @Spacedotcom(opens in new tab) or on Facebook(opens in new tab).
Study Predicts More Long-Term Sea Level Rise from Greenland Ice
Study Predicts More Long-Term Sea Level Rise from Greenland Ice
The Greenland Ice Sheet is the second-largest body of ice in the world, covering roughly 650,000 square miles of Greenland's surface. If it melts completely, it could contribute up to 23 feet (7 meters) of sea level rise, according to a new study using data from NASA's Operation IceBridge.
Credit: NASA / Jefferson Beck
By Jessica Merzdorf, NASA’s Goddard Space Flight Center
Greenland’s melting ice sheet could generate more sea level rise than previously thought if greenhouse gas emissions continue to increase and warm the atmosphere at their current rate, according to a new modeling study. The study, which used data from NASA’s Operation IceBridge airborne campaign, was published in Science Advances today.
In the next 200 years, the ice sheet model shows that melting at the present rate could contribute 19 to 63 inches to global sea level rise, said the team led by scientists at the Geophysical Institute at the University of Alaska Fairbanks. These numbers are at least 80 percent higher than previous estimates, which forecasted up to 35 inches of sea level rise from Greenland’s ice.
The team ran the model 500 times out to the year 3000 for each of three possible future climate scenarios, adjusting key land, ice, ocean and atmospheric variables to test their effects on ice melt rate. The three climate scenarios depend on the amount of greenhouse gas emissions in the atmosphere in coming years. In the scenario with no reduction of emissions, the study found that the entire Greenland Ice Sheet will likely melt in a millennium, causing 17 to 23 feet (5 to 7 meters) of sea level rise.
In the scenario where emissions are stabilized by the end of the century rather than continue to increase, the model shows ice loss falling to 26 to 57 percent of total mass by 3000. Drastically limiting emissions so they begin to decline by the end of the century could limit ice loss to 8 to 25 percent. This scenario would produce up to 6 feet (about 2 meters) of sea level rise in the next millennium, according to the study.
The updated model more accurately represents the flow of outlet glaciers, the river-like bodies of ice that connect to the ocean. Outlet glaciers play a key role in how ice sheets melt, but previous models lacked the data to adequately represent their complex flow patterns. The study found that melting outlet glaciers could account for up to 40 percent of the ice mass lost from Greenland in the next 200 years.
By incorporating ice thickness data from IceBridge and identifying sources of statistical uncertainty within the model, the study creates a more accurate picture of how human-generated greenhouse gas emissions and a warming climate may affect Greenland in the future.
A Clearer Picture
Scientists at the University of Alaska Fairbanks’ Geophysical Institute used data from NASA’s Operation IceBridge to develop a more accurate model of how the Greenland Ice Sheet might respond to climate change in the future, finding that it could generate more sea level rise than previously thought. Credit: NASA / Katie Jepson. This video can be downloaded for free at NASA's Scientific Visualization Studio.
Capturing the changing flow and speed of outlet glacier melt makes the updated ice sheet model more accurate than previous models, according to the authors. As ocean waters have warmed over the past 20 years, they have melted the floating ice that shielded the outlet glaciers from their rising temperatures. As a result, the outlet glaciers flow faster, melt and get thinner, with the lowering surface of the ice sheet exposing new ice to warm air and melting as well.
“Once we had access to satellite observations, we were able to capture the surface velocity of the whole Greenland Ice Sheet and see how that ice flows. We recognized that some outlet glaciers flow very fast — orders of magnitude faster than the interior of the ice sheet,” said lead author Andy Aschwanden, a research associate professor at the University of Alaska Fairbanks’ Geophysical Institute.
IceBridge’s detailed ice thickness measurements helped the team to be the first to model these areas where outlet glaciers are affected by warmer ocean waters, as well as to model more of the complex feedbacks and processes influencing ice loss than previously possible. They examined the importance of factors like underwater melting, large ice chunks breaking off of glaciers, changing snowfall rates and rising air temperatures. They also examined factors that could slow down ice loss, like the movement of Earth’s surface “bouncing back” from the weight of ice that is no longer there.
“At the end of the day, glaciers flow downhill,” Aschwanden said. “That’s very simplified, but if you don’t know where downhill is, the model can never do a good job. So the most important contributor to understanding ice flow is knowing how thick the ice is.”
Each of the three emissions scenarios used in the study produced different patterns of ice retreat across Greenland. The least severe scenario showed the ice retreating in the west and north, while the moderate scenario showed ice retreat around the island, except for in the highest elevation areas. The most severe scenario, in which emissions continue to increase at their present rate, showed more than half of the model runs losing more than 99 percent of the ice sheet by 3000.
At its thickest point, the Greenland Ice Sheet currently stands more than 10,000 feet (3,048 meters) above sea level. It rises high enough into the atmosphere to alter the weather around it, as mountains do. Today, this weather pattern generates almost enough snowfall to compensate for the amount of naturally melting ice each year. In the future, however, melting and flow will thin the interior, lowering it into a layer of the atmosphere that lacks the conditions necessary for sufficient replenishing snowfall.
“In the warmer climate, glaciers have lost the regions where more snow falls than melts in the summer, which is where new ice is formed,” said Mark Fahnestock, research professor at the Geophysical Institute and the study’s second author. “They’re like lumps of ice in an open cooler that are melting away, and no one is putting any more ice into the cooler.”
The team stressed that despite the need for ongoing research on exactly how glaciers will move and melt in response to warming temperatures, all of the model runs show that the next few decades will be pivotal in the ice sheet’s future outcome.
“If we continue as usual, Greenland will melt,” Aschwanden said. “What we are doing right now in terms of emissions, in the very near future, will have a big long-term impact on the Greenland Ice Sheet, and by extension, if it melts, to sea level and human society.”
Bridging the Data Gap
The model runs were performed on high-performance supercomputers atNASA’s Ames Research Center and the University of Alaska Fairbanks (UAF) using the Parallel Ice Sheet Model (PISM), an open-source model developed at UAF and the Potsdam Institute for Climate Impact Research. NASA also provided funding support for the study. While other ice sheet models could perform the simulations they did, the team said, PISM is unique for its high resolution and low computational cost.
NASA’s Operation IceBridge is the world’s largest airborne survey of polar land and sea ice. Using an array of aircraft and scientific instruments, IceBridge has collected data between the end of the first Ice, Cloud and Land Elevation Satellite (ICESat) mission in 2010 and the second, ICESat-2, which launched in 2018. It has measured the height of the ice below its flight path as well as the bedrock under the ice sheets.
“NASA’s space and airborne campaigns, like IceBridge, have fundamentally transformed our ability to try and make a model mimic the changes to the ice sheet,” Fahnestock said. “The technology that allows improved imaging of the glacier bed is like a better pair of glasses allowing us to see more clearly. Only NASA had an aircraft with the instruments and technology we needed and could go where we needed to go.”
The melting of the Greenland Ice Sheet will cause global sea levels to rise by more than 10 inches (27cm) – even if the whole world stops burning fossil fuels today, a new study has warned.
Researchers from the National Geological Survey of Denmark and Greenland (GEUS) studied two decades worth of measurements to predict the minimum ice loss from the Greenland Ice Sheet from climate warming so far.
Their findings suggest that, under the best possible situation, the Greenland Ice Sheet will lose about 110 trillion tonnes of ice.
'In the foreseeable scenario that global warming will only continue, the contribution of the Greenland Ice Sheet to sea level rise will only continue increasing,' said Professor Jason Box, lead author of the study.
'When we take the extreme melt year 2012 and take it as a hypothetical average constant climate later this century, the committed mass loss from the Greenland Ice Sheet more than doubles to 78 cm [30 inches].'
The melting of the Greenland Ice Sheet will cause global sea levels to rise by more than 10 inches (27cm) – even if the whole world stops burning fossil fuels, a new study has warned
Their findings suggest that in the best case scenario, a minimum of 3.3 per cent of the Ice Sheet will be lost, equal to 110 million tonnes of ice, or a sea level rise of 10 inches (27cm)
What time frame are we looking at?
While previous studies estimated sea level rise with climate models, this is the first time that researchers have made estimations based on measurements.
Unfortunately, the downside to this method is that it does not give a timeframe.
'In order to get the figure that we have, we had to let go of the time factor in the calculation,' Professor Box added.
'But our observations suggest that most of the committed sea level rise will occur this century.'
In the study, the researchers looked at changes in the snow line - the boundary between areas exposed to net melting during summer and areas that are not - of the Greenland Ice Sheet from 2000 to 2019.
Ice across the sheet does not melt equally, with ice along the edges at lower elevations melting the most quickly.
Further up the ice sheet, it's too cold for melting to occur, even in summer.
The snow line is set by the line where the upper layer of winter snow does not melt away in summer, but remains on top, nourishing the ice sheet.
This line varies from year to year, depending on the weather.
For example, a hot summer may move the boundary further up the ice sheet, while a colder year may push the line down towards the ice edges.
Snow falling on the ice during winter turns into new ice over time - that is, if it doesn't melt away during summer.
For the ice sheet to be in equilibrium, the added mass must equal the lost mass.
While that is the case in a stable climate, a hot summer causes the layers of snow to be lost by melt.
Professor Jason Box taking ice samples standing on exposed ice below the snow line of the Greenland Ice Sheet in West Greenland during the melt season
'When we take the extreme melt year 2012 and take it as a hypothetical average constant climate later this century, the committed mass loss from the Greenland Ice Sheet more than doubles to 78 cm [30 inches],' Professor Box said
That snow will then be missing in the mass budget for years to come, creating a disequilibrium.
Using a rigorous glaciological theory, the researchers calculated the average snow line needed to bring the ice sheet back into balance.
Their findings suggest that in the best case scenario, a minimum of 3.3 per cent of the Ice Sheet will be lost, equal to 110 million tonnes of ice, or a sea level rise of 10 inches (27cm).
'It is a very conservative rock-bottom minimum,' Professor Box said.
'Realistically, we will see this figure more than double within this century.'
The researchers only looked at the Greenland Ice Sheet, and did not consider sea level rise as a result of melting in Antarctica.
The glaciologist team setting up an automatic weather station on the snowy surface above the snow line during the melt season
While previous studies have estimated sea level rise with climate models, this is the first time that researchers have made estimations based on measurements.
This radically different method has raised some eyebrows in the science community according to Professor Box.
'The ice flow models are not ready in this area,' he explained. 'This is a complimentary way of calculating mass loss that has been lacking.'
Unfortunately, the downside to this method is that it does not give a time frame.
'In order to get the figure that we have, we had to let go of the time factor in the calculation,' Professor Box added.
'But our observations suggest that most of the committed sea level rise will occur this century.'
SEA LEVELS COULD RISE BY UP TO 4 FEET BY THE YEAR 2300
Global sea levels could rise as much as 1.2 metres (4 feet) by 2300 even if we meet the 2015 Paris climate goals, scientists have warned.
The long-term change will be driven by a thaw of ice from Greenland to Antarctica that is set to re-draw global coastlines.
Sea level rise threatens cities from Shanghai to London, to low-lying swathes of Florida or Bangladesh, and to entire nations such as the Maldives.
It is vital that we curb emissions as soon as possible to avoid an even greater rise, a German-led team of researchers said in a new report.
By 2300, the report projected that sea levels would gain by 0.7-1.2 metres, even if almost 200 nations fully meet goals under the 2015 Paris Agreement.
Targets set by the accords include cutting greenhouse gas emissions to net zero in the second half of this century.
Ocean levels will rise inexorably because heat-trapping industrial gases already emitted will linger in the atmosphere, melting more ice, it said.
In addition, water naturally expands as it warms above four degrees Celsius (39.2°F).
Every five years of delay beyond 2020 in peaking global emissions would mean an extra 20 centimetres (8 inches) of sea level rise by 2300.
'Sea level is often communicated as a really slow process that you can't do much about ... but the next 30 years really matter,' said lead author Dr Matthias Mengel, of the Potsdam Institute for Climate Impact Research, in Potsdam, Germany.
None of the nearly 200 governments to sign the Paris Accords are on track to meet its pledges.
Grote stijging zeespiegel nu onvermijdelijk door smeltende Groenlandse ijskap: “We staan met één voet in het graf”
De smelting van de Groenlandse ijskap zal wereldwijd leiden tot een onvermijdelijke stijging van het zeeniveau met minstens 27 centimeter. Ongeacht welke maatregelen we nu nog treffen om de klimaatverandering het hoofd te bieden, we staan “met één voet in het graf”, zegt Jason Box, glacioloog en hoofdauteur van de studie die werd gepubliceerd in het wetenschappelijk tijdschrift Nature Climate Change.
De onderzoekers maakten gebruik van beelden van de vorm van de ijskap en van satellietmetingen van het ijs dat tussen 2000 en 2019 verloren ging op Groenland. Op die manier konden ze berekenen in hoeverre de sneeuwval als gevolg van de opwarming van de aarde onvoldoende is om de hoeveelheid gesmolten ijs te compenseren. Dat leidt tot ‘zombie-ijs’: ijs dat nog steeds vastzit aan de grotere gletsjers, maar er niet meer door gevoed wordt, omdat die minder sneeuw krijgen om aan te vullen.
Dat zombie-ijs smelt af: “Het is dood ijs. Het gaat gewoon smelten en van de ijskap verdwijnen. Dit ijs is bestemd voor de oceaan, ongeacht welk (klimaat)scenario we nu volgen”, zegt William Colgan, glacioloog bij de Nationale Geologische Dienst van Denemarken en Groenland (GEUS) en coauteur van de studie. Een stijging van de zeespiegel met minstens 27 centimeter is daardoor onvermijdelijk.
“Het is een erg conservatief minimum”, zegt hoofdauteur Jason Box van GEUS over de schatting van 27 centimeter. “Realistisch gezien zullen we dit cijfer nog deze eeuw meer dan verdubbeld zien.” De schatting ligt bovendien twee keer hoger dan wetenschappers aanvankelijk hadden toegeschreven aan de smelting van de Groenlandse ijskap. Volgens de nieuwe studie zou de stijging nog kunnen oplopen tot 78 centimeter.
Komen daarbij nog de aanhoudende CO2-emissies, het afsmelten van andere ijskappen en de thermische expansie van de oceaan, en een stijging van de zeespiegel met meerdere meters wordt waarschijnlijk. “Of het nu over 100 jaar komt of over 150 jaar, het komt eraan. En de zeespiegelstijging waar we mee te maken hebben, groeit op dit moment, gezien het klimaattraject waar we op zitten”, aldus Colgan.
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A UFO, the Pentagon and a 3-year Mission to Save the World. The True Story of Valiant Thor
A UFO, the Pentagon and a 3-year Mission to Save the World. The True Story of Valiant Thor
A UFO, the Pentagon and a 3-year Mission to Save the World. The True Story of Valiant Thor On March 16, 1957, at 8 o’clock in the morning, a 300 ft long spacecraft landed in a field in Alexandria Virginia. Two local police officers arrived on the scene. The door of the craft slowly opened. The officers drew their guns, not sure what to expect. To their surprise, out walked a normal-looking guy. He smiled at the stunned officers and actually waved hello. Before the policemen could say a word, the stranger said, in clear English: “I need to see the president.” Nine months after this event, NASA was founded. This is the story of what happened in-between. This is the story of Valiant Thor. If you don’t know this one, hold on tight. We’re going on a hell of a ride.
Siberia is huge, making up 77% of Russia, but it’s only 23% populated.
In these places completely uninhabited, strange things have been discovered, and many mysterious and unexplained things have happened, like the Tunguska Event.
But scientists discovered something astonishing not long ago; a prehistoric virus that’s been sleeping beneath the ice for millions of years, and even stranger; massive craters are now mysteriously appearing across the frozen Siberian tundra.
What have scientists’ found, and should we be worried about these new discoveries?
Astronomers Find a “Massive, Dense Structure” Beneath the Largest Crater on the Moon
Astronomers Find a “Massive, Dense Structure” Beneath the Largest Crater on the Moon
"The dense mass—"whatever it is, wherever it came from"—is weighing the basin floor downward by more than half a mile..."
Astronomers have found a strange, humongous, deep-mass structure beneath the largest crater in our solar system; theMoon’s South Pole Aitken basin.
There, researchers discover an anomaly with a massive unexpected mass. Although it’s not aliens, astronomers say that the mysterious mass may very well contain the metallic remnants from the asteroid that slammed into the Moon, forming the crater.
“Imagine taking a pile of metal five times larger than the Big Island of Hawaii and burying it underground. That’s roughly how much-unexpected mass we detected,” said lead author Peter B. James, Ph.D., assistant professor of planetary geophysics in Baylor’s College of Arts & Sciences.
This photo was taken by Apollo 8 during the 1968 mission on their first approach to the Moon.
Credits: NASA.
An oval crater
The crater located on the far side of the Moon is an oval-shaped region around 2,000 kilometers wide.
Measurements throughout the years have revealed it is several miles deep.
The new, anomalous mass beneath the crater is detailed in the study “Deep Structure of the Lunar South Pole-Aitken Basin,” published in the journal Geophysical Research Letters.
To spot the anomaly, astronomers analyzed data from NASA’s Grail Mission, which allowed them to accurately measure gravity strength changes around the Moon.
“When we combined that with lunar topography data from the Lunar Reconnaissance Orbiter, we discovered the unexpectedly large amount of mass hundreds of miles underneath the South Pole-Aitken basin,” James said.
“One of the explanations of this extra mass is that the metal from the asteroid that formed this crater is still embedded in the Moon’s mantle.”
The location of the underground structure circled in the South Pole-Aitken Basin.
Image Credit: NASA/Goddard Space Flight Center/the University of Arizona.
Mysterious structure
The researchers revealed that the dense mass of the structure –“whatever it is, wherever it came from” is causing the entire basin floor to weigh in by more than half a mile.
The researchers’ team revealed through computer simulations of asteroid collisions into the Moon that, under the right conditions, iron-nickel cores from asteroids could have been dispersed into the Moon’s upper mantle during collisions.
“We did the math and showed that a sufficiently dispersed core of the asteroid that made the impact could remain suspended in the Moon’s mantle until the present day, rather than sinking to the Moon’s core,” James explained.
In addition to coming from asteroid impacts, astronomers say that the mysterious structure’s origin could be related to the concentration of highly dense oxides left there by the last phases of lunar magma ocean solidification.
The human brain is one of nature's most complex structures, and scientists are still a long way from understanding its mechanics.
But a new study has come one step closer to unlocking its secrets by unravelling its immense complexity.
The research has revealed that the mind is home to shapes and structures that have as many as 11 dimensions.
And understanding these structures could help us to reveal exactly how memories are formed.
Scroll down for video
New research has revealed that the mind is home to shapes and structures that have as many as 11 dimensions
(stock image)
HOW DO THE STRUCTURES FORM?
The human brain is a 'multi-dimensional' universe full of complicated geometric shapes, scientists have discovered.
The complex geometric shapes form when a group of brain cells - known as neurons - merge to make what scientists call a 'clique'.
Every neuron connects to its neighbour in a specific way to form an object with complex interconnections.
The more neurons that join in with the 'clique', the more 'dimensions' the object has.
Shapes that are three-dimensional have height, width and depth, like any object in the real world.
The objects don't exist in more than three dimensions in the real world, but the mathematics used to describe them can have five, six, seven or even 11 dimensions.
The research used in-depth computer modelling to understand how brain cells organise themselves to carry out complex tasks.
'We found a world that we had never imagined,' said neuroscientist Henry Markram, director of Blue Brain Project in Lausanne, Switzerland.
'There are tens of millions of these objects even in a small speck of the brain, up through seven dimensions.
'In some networks, we even found structures with up to eleven dimensions.'
The complex geometric shapes form when a group of brain cells - known as neurons - merge to make what scientists call a 'clique'.
Every neuron connects to its neighbour in a specific way to form an object with complex interconnections.
The more neurons that join in with the 'clique', the more 'dimensions' are added to the object.
Shapes that are three-dimensional have height, width and depth, like any object in the real world.
The objects discovered in this study don't exist in more than three dimensions in the real world, but the mathematics used to describe them can have five, six, seven or even 11 dimensions.
'Outside of physics, high-dimensional spaces are frequently used to describe complex data structures or conditions of systems, for instance, the state of a dynamical system in state space,' Professor Cees van Leeuwen, from KU Leuven, Belgium, told Wired.
'The space is simply the union of all the degrees of freedom the system has, and its state describes the values these degrees of freedom are actually assuming.'
The researchers used a type of maths called algebraic topology to model the whereabouts of these structures inside a virtual brain created using software. To test their model, the researchers then carried out experiments on real brain tissue
ARE MEMORIES FORMED IN THESE STRUCTURES?
The big question the researchers are asking now is whether the intricacy of tasks we can perform depends on the complexity of the multi-dimensional 'sandcastles' the brain can build.
Neuroscience has also been struggling to find where the brain stores its memories.
'They may be 'hiding' in high-dimensional cavities,' Professor Markram said.
The researchers used a type of maths called algebraic topology to model the whereabouts of these structures inside a virtual brain created using software.
To test their model, the researchers then carried out experiments on real brain tissue.
They found that the virtual brain could be stimulated to form structures with progressively higher dimensions.
In between these structures were multi-faceted cavities.
'The appearance of high-dimensional cavities when the brain is processing information means that the neurons in the network react to stimuli in an extremely organised manner,' said Ran Levi from Aberdeen University.
'It is as if the brain reacts to a stimulus by building then razing a tower of multi-dimensional blocks, starting with rods (1D), then planks (2D), then cubes (3D), and then more complex geometries with 4D, 5D, etc.
'The progression of activity through the brain resembles a multi-dimensional sandcastle that materializes out of the sand and then disintegrates.'
The big question the researchers are asking now is whether the intricacy of tasks we can perform depends on the complexity of the multi-dimensional 'sandcastles' the brain can build.
Neuroscience has also been struggling to find where the brain stores its memories.
'They may be 'hiding' in high-dimensional cavities,' Professor Markram said.
Scientists: The Human Brain Has Odd Similarities to the Entire Universe
Scientists: The Human Brain Has Odd Similarities to the Entire Univers
An astrophysicist and a neurosurgeon walked into a room.
It may sound like the start of a horrible joke, but what a group of Italian academics came up with is a truly galaxy brain take: the structures of the observable universe, they claim, are startlingly similar to the neural networks of the human brain.
In a recent research published in the journal Frontiers in Physics, University of Bologna astronomer Franco Vazza and University of Verona neurosurgeon Alberto Feletti reveal the unexpected similarities between the cosmic network of galaxies and the complex web of neurons in the human brain. According to the researchers, despite being nearly 27 orders of magnitude distant in scale, the human brain and the makeup of the cosmic web exhibit similar levels of complexity and self-organization.
The brain contains an estimated 69 billion neurons, while the observable universe is composed of at least 100 billion galaxies, strung together loosely like a web. Both actual galaxies and neurons only account for about 30 percent of the total masses of the universe and brain, respectively. And both galaxies and neurons arrange themselves like beads on long strings or filaments.
In the case of galaxies, the remaining 70 percent of mass is dark energy. The equivalent in the human brain, the duo said: water.
“We calculated the spectral density of both systems,” Vazza said in a statement about the work. “This is a technique often employed in cosmology for studying the spatial distribution of galaxies.”
“Our analysis showed that the distribution of the fluctuation within the cerebellum neuronal network on a scale from 1 micrometer to 0.1 millimeters follows the same progression of the distribution of matter in the cosmic web,” he added,“but, of course, on a larger scale that goes from 5 million to 500 million light-years.”
The clustering and number of connections emanating from each node also were oddly similar.
“Once again, structural parameters have identified unexpected agreement levels,” Feletti said in the statement. “Probably, the connectivity within the two networks evolves following similar physical principles, despite the striking and obvious difference between the physical powers regulating galaxies and neurons.”
The team is hoping that their preliminary study could lead to new analysis techniques in both cosmology and neurosurgery, allowing scientists to better understand how these structures have evolved over time.
READ MORE:
Does the human brain resemble the Universe?[University of Bologna]
We Just Found a 'Super-Earth' That Could Be an Ocean-Covered Water World
We Just Found a 'Super-Earth' That Could Be an Ocean-Covered Water World
An exoplanet just 100 light-years from Earth appears to be the best candidate yet for a sloshy, water-covered ocean world.
It's calledTOI-1452b, and measurements of its size and mass suggest a density profile consistent with a global liquid ocean. Scientists believe that worlds like this are possible, but they haven't yet conclusively found one.
We'll need to follow up with observations from the James Webb Space Telescope to study the exoplanet's atmosphere and make a more confident ruling on the nature of TOI-1452b, but the initial results are very intriguing.
"This paper reports the discovery and characterization of the transiting temperate exoplanet TOI-1452b,"writes a team of researchersled by astronomer Charles Cadieux of the University of Montreal in Canada in a paper published inThe Astronomical Journal.
"The results of our interior modeling and the fact that the planet receives modest irradiation make TOI-1452b a good candidate water world."
It's easy to see why TOI-1452b evaded detection until now, in spite of its relative closeness to the Solar System.
The exoplanet was found orbiting one of a close binary pair of small, dim red dwarfs, separated by a distance of just 97astronomical units. That's so close together that the two stars appear to be one.
However, the TESS exoplanet-hunting telescope is sensitive enough to have detected regular, faint dips in starlight that indicate an object regularly passing between us and its host star; those passages across the star are known as transits. The researchers followed up with their own highly sensitive instrument also designed to detect exoplanet transits at Mont Mégantic Observatory in Canada.
The observations from both telescopes revealed that there is indeed an exoplanet orbiting one of the stars in the TOI-1452 binary.
By looking at how much light the star emits and how much it dims when the exoplanet passes in front, the researchers were able to ascertain that the exoplanet is relatively small, coming in at 1.672 times the size of Earth – what we call a super-Earth.
It's on an 11-day orbit with its star, which seems insanely close to us, with our comparatively leisurely 365-day orbit. However, because the star is so cool and dim compared to the Sun, this places the exoplanet bang in the middle of the star's temperate zone. This is not so far from the star, out in the cold, that any liquid water on its surface would freeze, nor so close that the water would evaporate under the star's heat.
Next, the researchers took a closer look at the star. Specifically, they studied its radial velocity – the way it moves about due to the gravitational influence of the exoplanet. That's because any two bodies in a system orbit a mutual center of gravity – meaning that the star moves about, just a little, in its orbital arrangement with TOI-1452b.
Changes in the star's light reveal this motion and, even better, allow astronomers to calculate the orbiting body's mass by determining the strength of that movement. So, they were able to derive a mass of 4.82 times that of Earth for TOI-1452b.
And this is where it starts to get really interesting.
Once you have the size and mass of an object, you can infer its average density. For TOI-1452b, that density is 5.6 grams per cubic centimeter, and that's very close to Earth's density of 5.5 grams per cubic centimeter. But a density similar to that of Earth, for an object that has more mass, indicates that the object is composed of a lighter material, the researchers said.
"TOI-1452b is one of the best candidates for an ocean planet that we have found to date,"Cadieux says. "Its radius and mass suggest a much lower density than what one would expect for a planet that is basically made up of metal and rock, like Earth."
They modeled the exoplanet's interior composition and determined that as much as 30 percent of its mass could be water.
That's a huge amount of the wet stuff. For comparison, water makes up less than 1 percent of Earth's mass; TOI-1452b's composition seems closer to that of water moons Europa in orbit withJupiterand Enceladus in orbit with Saturn.
However, with just the measurements we have, it is impossible to say exactly what TOI-1452b is made of. This is where Webb comes in.
You remember how the exoplanet passes between us and its star? Some of the star's light will pass through the exoplanet's atmosphere, if it has one. Webb is sensitive enough to detect the difference in that light in enough detail that scientists can work out what's in the exoplanet's atmosphere.
If TOI-1452b is a water world, Webb is our best shot at discovering it.
"Our observations with the Webb Telescope will be essential to better understanding TOI-1452b,"says astronomer René Doyonof the University of Montreal. "As soon as we can, we will book time on Webb to observe this strange and wonderful world."
Has NASA’s Perseverance Mars rover uncovered a “biosignature” of life on Mars?
The wheeled robot investigator of Jezero Crater is gathering detailed data on desert varnish – a potential biosignature.
But is this coating enriched in manganese? If so, then that elevates the case that it is desert varnish…and may well be a potential biosignature, or does it?
“Yes, there are definitely features that look ‘desert varnish-y’ in Jezero right now,” said Amy Williams, a Mars specialist on the Curiosity and Perseverance rover missions at the University of Florida in Gainesville, Florida.
Signs of ancient life on Mars could be preserved in layered rocks like those shown in this illustration of NASA’s Perseverance rover in Jezero crater. Credit: NASA/JPL-Caltech
“On Earth, desert varnish is certainly intimately tied with microbial interactions. But we do know of some unique instances wherein these types of rock coatings can be generated abiotically [absence of life or living organisms]. The question then remains whether microbes ever played a role in the formation of similar rock coatings on Mars,” Williams said.
Sample return
“My take on the biogenicity part [produced by living organisms] is that on Earth we see microbiology associated with desert varnish because Earth is widely inhabited,” Williams told Inside Outer Space. “Based on our findings in terrestrial analog environments, we’re therefore interested in the biogenicity of desert varnish on Mars.”
Williams said, however, that Mars researchers don’t have the ability to determine biogenic character in these Mars varnishes. To do so will take back-on-Earth, lab-based techniques, she said. “But that’s the beauty of Mars Sample Return…we could send these samples back to Earth to address that profound question!”
Depiction shows Jezero Crater — the landing locale of the Mars 2020 Perseverance rover — as it might have appeared billions of years ago when it was perhaps a life-sustaining lake. An inlet and outlet are also visible on either side of the lake. Image Credit: NASA/JPL-Caltech
Controversial, complicated question
So what Perseverance is snooping out at present is looking for an answer to a complicated question.
On Earth, microbes appear to be involved in at least some, if not all, desert varnishes that we find. But that appraisal is still controversial in some people’s minds, notes astrobiologist Penelope Boston, Associate Director for Science Business Development at NASA Ames Research Center in the heart of Silicon Valley in California.
“There is a huge range of compositions in desert varnish, and indeed varnishes even in wetter environments, e.g. protruding boulders in some streams or rivers,” Boston told Inside Outer Space. “The diversity in the varnish makes it hard to make generalities about the phenomenon.”
Newly revised Mars Sample Return campaign makes use of a set of machines, including use of helicopters, to collect Martian soil, rock and atmospheric specimens for return to Earth. Image Credit: NASA/JPL-Caltech
Manganese components
Boston said that under Earth’s surface and near-surface conditions, the iron components of varnish don’t need the presence of microbes to drive the oxidation processes because it so easily oxidizes by itself, albeit microbes are usually present in samples that researchers have examined.
“The situation with the manganese components is much more indicative of microbial interaction because chemically reduced forms of manganese do not oxidize anywhere near as easily as the iron,” Boston said. “However, a number of organisms have been shown to greatly facilitate the oxidation of manganese compounds, thus, Mn [manganese] could be a more indicative potential biosignature.”
Varnish compositions range from all iron to all manganese or somewhere in between, Boston advised. In addition, usually some sort of clays are present which could be either blown in materials deposited on the rock, or clay weathering products of the rock itself. Then varnishes vary a great deal in terms of whether an amorphous glassy layer of silica is or is not present, she said.
Credit: NASA
“Lastly, many varnishes have lots of trace metals or other elements also present. The presence of microorganisms on and partially within varnishes is tantalizing, and I believe them to be intimately involved with the geological processes that produce varnish, but of course, it is hard to definitively demonstrate that…and there are other nuances too,” Boston noted.
Look and see
Definitely, the varnish is an important feature on Mars, Boston added, one that Mars researchers have known to be present for a long time.
“Perseverance is giving us a close-up look at such materials. Studying it in detail could yield a lot of information about surface climate to which these rocks have been exposed, either with or without biological influences,” Boston said.
Can we tell whether the varnish is bio or abio?
“I don’t know. Would the biosignatures that we see in Earthly varnish be preserved after the much greater periods of time that the Martian varnish has endured? I don’t know. We can only look and see,” Boston concluded.
Credit: NASA/JPL-Caltech
Adds planetary scientist at Ames, Carol Stoker, desert varnish on Earth is high in manganese. It is Mn that makes the coating dark.
In another Mars location, NASA’s Curiosity rover has seen a lot of rocks with high Mn which were thought to be coatings, Stoker explains.
“Since Mn coatings are potentially biologically mediated, this should be a high priority rock for sample return,” Stoker said.
Bottom line: Thin dark coatings known as desert varnish are common on rocks in arid regions on Earth and they’re thought to form in part from microbial activity. Now, on Mars, the Perseverance rover has found similar coatings.
For a short course on this issue, go to this episode of Mars Guy [aka Steve Ruff at ASU] at:
ARTIST'S DEPICTION OF WASP 39-B. IMAGE: MARK GARLICK/SCIENCE PHOTO LIBRARY VIA GETTY IMAGEs
NASA has achieved the first clear detection of carbon dioxide in the atmosphere of a planet outside of our solar system using the ultra-powerful James Webb Space Telescope, the agency announced on Thursday.
The gas—important for life on our planet—was discovered in the atmosphere of exoplanet WASP 39-b, which is a hot gas giant about the size of Saturn that orbits a Sun-like star 700 light-years away from Earth. WASP 39-b is a transiting world, which means we can observe it when it passes in front of starlight that filters through its atmosphere. Gases absorb light differently, and so the super-sensitive JWST was able to pick out the telltale signs of carbon dioxide.
Hot gas giants like WASP 39-b don’t have well-defined surfaces, and so they aren't ideal for hosting life compared to rocky worlds similar to Earth. Its detection on that world tells us more about how it formed than what might live there. But the landmark CO2 detection does pave the way for analyzing alien worlds that might be habitable. After all, one of the main goals of the JWST program is to answer the question of if we're alone in the universe.
“Detecting such a clear signal of carbon dioxide on WASP 39-b bodes well for the detection of atmospheres on smaller, terrestrial-sized planets,” team lead Natalie Batalha of the University of California at Santa Cruz said in a statement.
Carbon dioxide on Earth is a heat-trapping gas that can be thrown into our atmosphere via abiotic processes like a volcanic eruption, or by living things that produce it naturally. It can also be produced through human activity like burning fossil fuels; it's a driver of climate change, and humans have increased the amount of the gas in our own atmosphere by a staggering figure. As pointed out by science publication New Scientist, researchers have theorized that carbon dioxide—in combination with other gases like methane—could be a valuable "biosignature" that points toward the existence of life on another world.
“Down the road, it may be an interesting biosignature when found in combination with other molecules like methane,” Jessie Christiansen from the NASA Exoplanet Science Institute told the outlet.
JWST was launched into space in December of last year, and the telescope's dazzling first images were revealed just last month. The telescope is really just warming up, and we have years of mind-blowing discoveries to look forward to.
Congressional Bill Says Threats to National Security From UFOs ‘Expanding Exponentially’
A UFO captured in declassified military footage.
(Department of Defense/Screenshot via The Epoch Times)
Congressional Bill Says Threats to National Security From UFOs ‘Expanding Exponentially’
By Caden Pearson
U.S. lawmakers have made references in an appropriations bill and accompanying Senate Intelligence Committee report that Congress believes some unidentified aerial phenomena (UAP), commonly referred to as UFOs, might not be “man-made.”
Further, Congress notes that threats against the national security of the United States from these “cross-domain transmedium” objects have been exponentially increasing.
The noteworthy admissions are found in a bill (pdf), and a report included as an addendum, to authorize the 2023 fiscal year budget related to America’s Intelligence Community.
The bill seeks to modify Section 1683 of the National Defense Authorization Act for fiscal year 2022 to establish an organization nestled inside the Department of Defense (DoD) tasked with an expanded scope of UFO investigation.
The legislation states that the DoD would have to establish the new office within 120 days after the bill is enacted into law.
The new office would replace the Pentagon’s Airborne Object Identification and Management Synchronization Group, which was established in November 2021 and replaced the U.S. Navy’s UAP Task Force formed in June 2020.
To prompt the DoD into action, Congress has renamed the UAP Task Force to be the Unidentified Aerospace-Undersea Phenomena Joint Program Office.
“At a time when cross-domain transmedium threats to United States national security are expanding exponentially, the Committee is disappointed with the slow pace of DoD-led efforts to establish the office to address those threats and to replace the former Unidentified Aerial Phenomena Task Force,” lawmakers said in the report (pdf).
DoD UFO Office Expands to Water Domains
The new UFO joint program office will continue the work of the existing UAP Task Force and have an expanded cross-domain scope that now includes “space, atmospheric, and water domains.”
According to the bill, the Unidentified Aerospace-Undersea Phenomena Joint Program Office will also be tasked with duties pertaining to “transmedium objects or devices and unidentified aerospace-undersea phenomena” and “currently unknown technology and other domains.”
“That change reflects the broader scope of the effort directed by the Congress,” lawmakers said in the report. “Identification, classification, and scientific study of unidentified aerospace-undersea phenomena is an inherently challenging cross-agency, cross-domain problem requiring an integrated or joint Intelligence Community and DoD approach.
Lawmakers defined “transmedium” objects in the legislation as objects or devices that are “observed to transition between space and the atmosphere, or between the atmosphere and bodies of water” and which are “not immediately identifiable.”
In April last year, the Pentagon confirmed that a leaked video depicting a U.S. naval stealth ship tracking a UFO was taken by U.S. Navy personnel. The short night-vision video shows a “pyramid-shaped” flying object moving at a constant speed above and beneath the water.
Scope Doesn’t Include ‘Man-Made’ UFOs
Lawmakers noted that the scope of the new DoD office specifically relates to UFOs that are not later found to be man-made.
“The formal DoD and Intelligence Community definition of the terms used by the Office shall be updated to include space and undersea, and the scope of the Office shall be inclusive of those additional domains with focus on addressing technology surprise and ‘unknown unknowns,'” lawmakers said in the report.
“Temporary nonattributed objects,” the report continues, “or those that are positively identified as man-made after analysis, will be passed to appropriate offices and should not be considered under the definition as unidentified aerospace-undersea phenomena.”
These notable admissions in official government documents comes “at a time when cross-domain transmedium threats to United States national security are expanding exponentially,” according to the report.
UFOs and National Security
Pentagon officials are treating UAP sightings with increased seriousness for their potential risks to U.S. national security.
The Office of the Director of National Intelligence released a report (pdf) last year on the subject—commonly known as the Pentagon UAP report—in which the Pentagon identified 144 UAP sightings from 2004 to 2021, but was only able to explain one.
Since that report was published in June 2021, Scott W. Bray, deputy director of naval intelligence involved in the UAP Task Force, has said that the “UAP Task Force database has now grown to contain approximately 400 reports.”
Deputy Director of Naval Intelligence Scott Bray explains a video of an Unidentified Aerial Phenomena, as he testifies before a House Intelligence Committee subcommittee hearing at the U.S. Capitol in Washington on May 17, 2022. (Kevin Dietsch/Getty Images)
In May, Pentagon officials showed lawmakers two videos of UAPs in the first open congressional hearing on the subject since 1966.
Among the incidents shared with lawmakers were stories of nuclear ICBMs rendered inoperable during a UFO sighting and footage of flying objects violating the laws of physics.
Pentagon officials told lawmakers that sighting incidents are “frequent” and “increasing,” yet they cannot offer “firm conclusions” on their nature or intent.
The sighting incidents that interest the Pentagon the most are those that exhibit “flight characteristics or signature management that we can’t explain with the data we have available,” Bray told lawmakers when asked about his knowledge of flying objects that seem to move without visible means of propulsion and violate existing principles of physics.
“I would say that we’re not aware of any adversary that can move an object without discernible means of propulsion,” he added.
The most distant emissary of humanity delivers a message that will survive billions of years in the vastness of interstellar space.
In August 1977, 45 years ago, an incredible spacecraft set out on a trip unlike any other. Voyager 2 was intended to show us, for the first time, what the planets in the outer solar system looked like up close. And It was like sending a fly to New York City and requesting a report.
On September 5, Voyager 1 followed Voyager 2. A Golden Record bearing greetings, sounds, sights, and music from Earth was attached to the flank of each Voyager.
The spacecrafts were nearly identical, but their paths and scientific instrumentation differed. After passing through Jupiter and Saturn, Voyager 1 accelerated into interstellar space.
Voyager 2 stayed behind to undertake the first-ever visit to the ice giants Uranus and Neptune.
When Voyager 2 arrived at Uranus in 1986, it saw delicate blue-green clouds and a potential “black spot,” which was subsequently verified by the Hubble Space Telescope. A strange magnetic field pulled a corkscrew trail of particles behind the planet as it rolled in its orbit. Ten new moons, including the grey, cratered Puck and two new coal-black rings, were identified.
Three years later, Voyager 2 arrived at Neptune and returned photographs of turquoise and cobalt clouds whirled by winds of up to 18,000 km/h. A storm the size of Earth was represented by a slate-colored “huge black patch.” Triton, the biggest moon, was pink from methane ice and emitted geysers of frozen nitrogen.
Since then, no spacecraft has returned.
Even more than these images of distant ice worlds, what fascinates people about the Voyager mission is the famous Golden Records. For nearly a year, a group led by visionary astronomer Carl Sagan assembled objects to portray planet Earth. The music gets the most attention as the “universe’s mix tape,” but it’s not the only standout.
Messages were recorded in 55 different languages. Some are ancient languages that have not been heard on Earth for thousands of years, such as Akkadian and Hittite. “Greetings,” “peace,” and “friend” are the most frequently used words. Janet Sternberg’s Portuguese greeting is simple: “Peace and happiness to everybody.”
Finally, in 2018, Voyager 2 joined Voyager 1 beyond the heliopause, where solar wind is repelled by interstellar winds. Our galaxy spans 100,000 light-years, and Voyager 2 is presently just around 18 light-hours from Earth.
Both spacecraft broadcast reedy signals between the planets to the three antennae that are still listening: Tidbinbilla, Goldstone, and Madrid.
Before they can fully go, the Voyagers will have to journey for another 20,000 years through the Oort Cloud, a massive, black disc of frozen particles that surrounds the solar system.
Slowly, Voyager 2’s systems are being turned off in order to preserve as much power as possible. However, by the 2030s, there will be none remaining.
Even when Voyager 2 ceases transmission, it will not be entirely decommissioned. The half-life of the plutonium-238 in its nuclear power source is 87.7 years, whereas the Golden Record’s little patch of uranium-238 coating is 4.5 billion years. Both components are gradually transforming into lead.
On a cosmic scale, the radioactive transformation of elements is a type of reverse alchemy. This transformation will continue until there is nothing left aboard Voyager 2 to be changed.
Because it is travelling through diverse areas of interstellar space, constant bombardment by dust particles will progressively degrade the surfaces of Voyager 2. However, after 5 billion years, its Golden Record should be largely readable.
Even 100 years from now, the Earth shown on the Golden Records will most likely be unrecognisable. The spacecraft and its archives will be preserved as an incomplete archaeological record in the unforeseeable future.
While the Golden Records are endlessly intriguing, the Voyagers’ actual cultural value rests in their position. The spacecraft serve as physical marks of humanity’s interaction with the universe.
It will be like losing a sensation if the Voyagers stop transmitting. There is no replacement for being there: telescopes can only show us so much.
Nick Pope is a widely known personality in the field of UFO study, who has contributed valuable information to evaluate the UAP phenomenon. In his recent interview, Mr. Pope expressed concern that the first contact with analien civilization could cause fear and global chaos. He speculated that the world governments that once considered alien life as a fringe belief now may be on the verge of finding out the truth about whether we are alone in the universe.
Nick Pope worked for the British Ministry of Defence (MoD) for 21 years. From 1991 to 1994, he was the head of the MoD’s UFO project. He said that during his time in the MoD, he came across several credible UFO cases. One such case involves the photograph from Calvine Incident.
In an interview with British independent newspaper The Sun, published on March 31, 2022, Mr. Pope explained that mankind making contact with extraterrestrial civilization would be the most “amazing, paradigm busting moment in human history.” At the same time, he said that the first interaction would bring fear and panic that would make world nations giant each other. (Source)
He warned: “Just as we have seen with the way the world reacted to the pandemic, with no unified response and instead of a disparate mix of strategies, a first contact could be global chaos. If that is the response to something relatively known, we’ve had pandemics before, what would be the response to something truly new and different?”
Former MoD employee, Nick Pope who headed the UFO desk from 1991 to 1994
According to him, for some people, alien contact would be disastrous as they would not handle the new reality of humans in the universe. He further added: “Many people would be saying ‘fear the evil aliens’, while others would be encouraging us to reach out to new space brothers and sisters. And perhaps one of the biggest hammer blows to mankind should we make contact with aliens would be to all the world’s religions.” He thinks that either way, this would be the biggest shock for religions of all time.
He explained other consequences of alien contact. He said that “first contact would see a ‘dogfight’ and ‘desperate scramble’ between nation-states over how to exploit alien technology in a “new space race.” He believes that the first contact for Earth would be a supreme danger but also a great opportunity for humans.
Additionally, fighting off alien invasion would not be a good idea as Mr. Pope thinks that humans are still primitive in terms of technology. “I just hope if we encounter aliens we can get beyond that, it would be the greatest opportunity in human history,” he said.
The US Senate Select Committee on Intelligence has taken a UFO matter extremely seriously. They rebrand UFOs as “unidentified aerospace-undersea phenomena.” As military aircrews increasingly encounter unidentified flying objects (UFOs), lawmakers recently made several striking revisions to the definition of a “UFO.” The key among them: The explosive implication that some UFOs have non-human origins.
Mr. Pope told The Sun: “It’s completely gone from fringe to mainstream. Like an iceberg, a lot of it is visible – but a lot of what is going on is done behind closed doors, highly classified, and deeply compartmentalized.”
He suggested this flurry of activity in the US is “almost as if its building up to something”. “The point in which government can’t keep a secret anymore is when they say they can’t keep the lid on it, they better get this out there before the lid blows off. It’s best to get ahead of the narrative.”
According to a 2009 UFO report, around 1000s of strange aerial phenomena had been recorded in the UK. Apart from it, Mr. Pope, who ran a secret program to track UFOs and study them under MoD in the 1990s, shared top-secret places of the UK where the government might have been monitoring UFOs and alien abductions. (Click here to read the full article)
Has the first contact been made?
In the conspiracies, the aliens have already contacted Earth as there are bizarre stories to back it up. However, proving it scientifically is still challenging for the finest-minded people. But the controversy occurred when a couple of years ago, a retired chief scientist for NASA James L. Green spoke about Mars and the alleged extraterrestrial life on it. (Click here to read the detailed article)
Dr. Green believed that it is most likely that the European Space Agency had already discovered evidence of extraterrestrial life on Mars. Dr. Green is convinced that humanity, as we know it today, is not ready for such information.
Jim Green, NASA’s Chief Science Officer—shown here speaking at a public event on Aug. 6, 2013, at NASA Headquarters observing the first anniversary of the Curiosity rover’s landing on Mars—will retire in 2022. He has worked at NASA since 1980. Image Credits: NASA
In the summer of 2020, two rovers from Nasa and the European Space Agency (ESA) traveled to Mars to drill horizontally into rocks and deep into the surface, in the hope of finding evidence of living organisms. He assured that the evidence of the extraterrestrial existence on Mars was obtained, at the latest, in the middle of 2021. However, it will take much longer for humanity to come to terms with the fact that life does exist outside of Earth after all.
Before the launch of Mars 2020 Perseverance Rover, Dr. Green said: “The missions are the best chance humanity has ever had of answering the question: ‘Are we alone in the universe?’” Dr. Green had been instrumental in both missions. He added: “There is a real possibility that one or both will be successful.” Yet it would have far-reaching implications, and he believes Earth is not ready.
“It will be revolutionary. It’s like when Copernicus stated ‘no we go around the Sun’. Completely revolutionary. It will start a whole new line of thinking. I don’t think we’re prepared for the results. We’re not.”
Mr. Pope said: “If we do find extraterrestrial life, and it’s more than picking up a signal or finding alien microbes, will they be friendly like the lovable alien in ET, or will they be something like the aliens in Independence Day – coming here to exterminate us? Views at the Royal Society were split.”
Quoting another professor, Mr. Pope continued to warn “if the cosmic phone rings… don’t answer,” adding he fears it is already “too late” as humans have been a “detectable civilization for decades as our television and radio signals have leaked out into space – any civilization capable of threatening us is already aware of us.” (Source)
Why would clouds form a hexagon on Saturn? Nobody is sure. Originally discovered during the Voyager flybys of Saturn in the 1980s, nobody has ever seen anything like it anywhere else in the Solar System. Acquiring its first sunlit views of far northern Saturn in late 2012, the Cassini spacecraft's wide-angle camera recorded this stunning, false-color image of the ringed planet's north pole.
The composite of near-infrared image data results in red hues for low clouds and green for high ones, giving the Saturnian cloudscape a vivid appearance. This and similar images show the stability of the hexagon even 20+ years after Voyager.
Movies of Saturn's North Pole show the cloud structure maintaining its hexagonal structure while rotating. Unlike individual clouds appearing like a hexagon on Earth, the Saturn cloud pattern appears to have six well defined sides of nearly equal length. Four Earths could fit inside the hexagon. Beyond the cloud tops at the upper right, arcs of the planet's eye-catching rings appear bright blue.
Image Credit: NASA, ESA, JPL, SSI, Cassini Imaging Team
It's a question that's been thrown up by a mysterious gigantic rock there - that looks like it's been cut in half by a laser beam.
One geologist says that the split could have been caused by ‘freeze thaw’ weathering, but others say the split is too precise and smooth to have natural causes.
The Al Naslaa rock formation, pictured, has become a popular tourist attraction thanks to its unusual split
The baffling sandstone boulder - the Al Naslaa rock formation - sits in Saudi Arabia's arid Tayma oasis and has, not surprisingly, become a popular photo opportunity, along with being a hot topic of debate on the internet.
It is approximately 30ft (9m) tall and 25ft (7.6m) wide, and it has been embellished with a petroglyph - a rock carving made using a chisel and a hammerstone - of what appears to be a man and a horse.
However, it was the rock formation's defining feature - its split - that has sparked fierce debate.
On Reddit, one user, 'El_Hombre_Siniestro', said: 'I'm not saying it was aliens, but it was aliens.'
'Definitely aliens', agreed another, named Mrkim420.
One user speculated that the divide was created when an alien messed 'with a super laser pointer on some random planet their species found and accidentally cut a rock in half'.
A second theory suggests ancient civilisations were more advanced than previously thought. One YouTube video speculates that the formation is evidence of early 'high technology'.
In the same vein, user Ricopantalones wrote in the online forum: 'Why do we attribute aliens? There are mountains of evidence that state ancient technology was at a level significantly advanced from where we think it was. We are not on the first upward curve of technology in society. We are more likely on the second.'
Another compared the formation to the pyramids of ancient Egypt, which were constructed some 4,500 years ago. User NicholasPileggi claimed the split was carved in 'the same way they cut the blocks for the pyramids - a rope and sand'.
User Borg2 theorised that the slit was crafted by someone with 'a saw and lots of patience'. A few Star Wars references were also thrown into the mix, with one Reddit user wondering whether the rock was chopped in two by 'someone testing a lightsaber'.
Bringing these theories back down to earth, geologist Cherry Lewis tells MailOnline Travel the split may simply be the work of Mother Nature.
Geologist Cherry Lewis says the smooth front surface of the rock formation may have been created by a 'sandblasting effect'
Lewis, who is an honorary research fellow at the University of Bristol, describes the unusual formation as a 'remarkable sight'. She says: 'It [the split] could have formed due to a process called "freeze-thaw" weathering, which occurs when water gets into a small crack in the rock. As temperatures drop, the water freezes and expands which causes the crack to widen and lengthen.
'As the ice melts, water makes its way deeper and deeper into the crack. The process repeats itself over thousands, or even millions, of years until the rock eventually splits. This process, coupled with wind erosion - which, in a desert environment, is like sandblasting - could also explain why the boulder is standing on its own like that.'
Lewis says the 'sandblasting effect could also have created the smooth front surface if that faces the prevailing wind'.
Given that past civilisations created Stone Henge and the sculptures on Easter Island with the most basic of tools, it doesn't seem out of the question that it could be man-made
Geologist Cherry Lewis
While weathering and erosion could be to blame, Lewis agrees there may be truth to the theory the rock was painstakingly sliced by humans. She says: 'Given that past civilisations created Stone Henge and the sculptures on Easter Island with the most basic of tools, it doesn't seem out of the question that it could be man-made.'
Her verdict? 'On first appearance, the crack looks man-made, as does the very smooth front surface, but I see a photo that shows a parallel crack on the back, so it is possibly natural.'
Geologist and geophysicist Professor Tim Reston of the University of Birmingham also shared his thoughts on the strange formation.
He tells MailOnline Travel the split is 'probably a joint, which is a natural fracture in the rock typically caused by pressure release and expansion, formed when the rock layer was more continuous, and now left exposed by erosion of the surroundings'.
Reston adds: 'If [it is] a joint it might have beautiful "plumose" structures on both sides of the crack - they look like feathers - unless these have been widened by wind erosion.'
The rock formation is an eight-hour drive from Riyadh, and it can be accessed by car. Archaeological digs in the area have uncovered flint that dates back to the 4th millennium BCE. Rich in history, Tayma was the residence of the Babylonian king Nabonidus in the mid-6th century BCE. The oasis, which featured on the trade route from modern-day Medina to al-Jawf, subsequently became a popular spot for traders.
The stretch of desert was mapped by Charles M Doughty in 1877 - he described his visit to the Tayma oasis in his 1888 book Travels In Arabia Deserta. The area later attracted French explorer Charles Huber, who visited the site in 1883.
The “Al-Naslaa” rock in Tayma oasis of Saudi Arabia looks like it’s been cut in half perfectly with a laser technology. The rock is over 4,000 years old, and no one knows how it happened.
This Video About The Scale of Black Holes Will Crush Your Poor, Tiny Brain
This Video About The Scale of Black Holes Will Crush Your Poor, Tiny Brain
Black holes are vast, matter-annihilating objects that seem to defy physics by their very existence. They're so weird, that when Albert Einstein's equations first predicted the existence of these beasts, he didn't believe they could actually be real.
And you can't really blame him, because the idea that we have these singularities of space-time intent on sucking up all the matter around them scattered all around our cosmic backyard is pretty hard to wrap your head around.
But as people who write about black holes a lot, we figured we were past being shocked by how strange and massive they are.
That is, until we saw this video from YouTuber morn1415, famous for their size comparisons of the Universe.
The starts out a little overly dramatic, but when you get down to the visual comparisons, holy crap, our poor, tiny brains. We were so unprepared.-
The first thing you need to know is that any matter can become a black hole if it's crushed past its Schwarzchild radius.
For our Sun, that means it would need to be crushed down to the size of a small town in order to become a black hole.
And Earth would have to be squashed to roughly the size of a peanut.
That's pretty incredible to think about. But then consider how massive that makes the other black holes that we know about, like XTE J1650-500, which is around the size of Manhattan, but contains the mass of three or four of our Suns.
Impressive, but that's one of the smallest 'destroyer of worlds' that we know of.
There are even more mid-sized black holes out there, like M82 X-1, which is crushed down to the size of Mars, and contains the mass of 1,000 Suns.
And we haven't even got started on supermassive black holes yet, which are found in the center of pretty much every massive galaxy that we know of.
One of these black holes have a mass of 20 billion Suns. We won't even try to put that into perspective for you, because it really hurts to think about it too much.
Check out the video below to see just how big and massive black holes can really get.
Here's Why People Are (Wrongly) Claiming JWST Images Disprove The Big Bang Theory
Here's Why People Are (Wrongly) Claiming JWST Images Disprove The Big Bang Theory
According to an article that's been going around, JWST has found stars older than the universe itself.
JAMES FELTON / Senior Staff Writer
The Big Bang theory is still safe.
Image credit: Jurik Peter/Shutterstock.com
An article that claims images from the JWST have "disproven" the Big Bang theory has been circulating the Internet over the last few days, with just one small problem: that is pure nonsense.
JWST can see further back into the early days of the universe than any telescope before it. However, the article – titled simply "The Big Bang didn't happen" – claims that JWST's images have somehow "inspired panic among cosmologists" as they contradict the Big Bang theory.
"One paper’s title begins with the candid exclamation: 'Panic!'," the article reads. Clicking on the link to the paper, as astrophysicist Dr Becky Smethurst points out in a video shared on Twitter, reveals that the authors were making a Panic! At The Disco pun, in their paper titled Panic! At the Disks: First Rest-frame Optical Observations of Galaxy Structure.
Eric Lerner, the author of the article, goes on to quote another astronomer, Allison Kirkpatrick from the University of Kansas, as saying: "Right now I find myself lying awake at three in the morning wondering if everything I've done is wrong." She did indeed say it. In a Nature article, in awe of what astronomers have learned from the first JWST images, not as proof of astronomers panicking, as Lerner deliberately misconstrued it.
Kirkpatrick, who has since updated her Twitter handle to read "Allison the Big Bang happened Kirkpatrick", seems to be seeing the funny side. "A friend alerted me to this article, and now I can't stop getting emails applauding me for my bravery in acknowledging the Big Bang is wrong," she tweeted.
Kirkpatrick had been talking about various new bits of data that have already come in from the JWST, one being that galaxies have disks a lot earlier than we expected. While this may require theories on galaxy formation to be tweaked, it by no means overhauls the Big Bang theory, which Kirkpatrick was not referencing.
In fact, Kirkpatrick suggests that images from JWST "support the Big Bang model because they show us that early galaxies were different than the galaxies we see today – they were much smaller!"
In one part of the article, Lerner appears to suggest that stars have been found that are older than the Big Bang theory would allow, and that as the JWST can see the color of distant galaxies, the red color of distant galaxies means that they contain very old stars.
"According to Big Bang theory, the most distant galaxies in the JWST images are seen as they were only 400-500 million years after the origin of the universe," Lerner wrote. "Yet already some of the galaxies have shown stellar populations that are over a billion years old. Since nothing could have originated before the Big Bang, the existence of these galaxies demonstrates that the Big Bang did not occur."
Firstly, as Dr Brian Keating points out, "we have to first make sure that the calibration between redshift and distance is calibrated", as the expansion of the universe causes redshift.
Secondly, trust us as science communicaters whose job is to amplify cool science, if stars had been found that are even possibly older than the universe you would not be hearing about it through one man's blog alone (remember when scientists erroneously found that neutrinos were moving faster than light even though that clearly wasn't going to be the case?). For context, the JWST might have spotted a galaxy from between 420 million and 180 million years after the Big Bang and that was widely reported as a big deal – because it is!
At most, the papers that Lerner cites suggest that we may have to rejig our theories on galaxy formation to account for how disks appeared so quickly. We do not have to throw out our best explanation of the creation of the universe just yet.
‘Panic!’ Around JWST, Exoplanet With CO2, Weak Mars Astronauts
‘Panic!’ Around JWST, Exoplanet With CO2, Weak Mars Astronauts
No, James Webb didn’t disprove the Big Bang. Carbon dioxide found in an exoplanet atmosphere. An amazing picture of Jupiter from Webb, pieces of other stars found in asteroid Ryugu, weak astronauts arriving on Mars, and a new way to measure distances in the Universe.
It was a week full of space events, so the video version of the Space Bites is a bit longer than usual. Though, it’s still perfect for those of you who prefer the news being videoed at you by Fraser!
Don’t PANIC! JWST Did Not Disprove The Big Bang
I’m sure you’ve heard several stories about how JWST disproves the Big Bang Theory of the Universe. As you can probably guess, this isn’t true. This powerful infrared observatory has revealed fascinating views about some of the most distant and youngest galaxies ever seen. Still, none of the observations come close to overturning the Big Bang. They are fascinating and will provide astronomers with plenty of answers and even more questions.
Carbon Dioxide Discovered in an Exoplanet Atmosphere
This week we got an exciting new scientific result from the James Webb Space Telescope: a clear, unambiguous signal of carbon dioxide in an exoplanet’s atmosphere. The planet is a “hot Saturn” called WASP-39B, orbiting a Sun-like star 700 light-years away. Observations from Spitzer and Hubble revealed that the world has water vapor in its atmosphere, as well as sodium and potassium. But astronomers never had the sensitivity to detect carbon dioxide until now.
This bizarre and beautiful image of Jupiter was taken by JWST in the first few weeks of operation, primarily to test how well it can track fast-moving targets like planets. The image has been cleaned up by citizen scientist Judy Schmidt and reveals features of Jupiter, such as its faint rings and polar auroras. Lighter colors correspond to higher altitudes so that you can see high-altitude hazes in some cloud layers and the Great Red Spot.
Astronomers are always looking for new ways to measure distance in the Universe. A new technique could use the gravitational waves from colliding black holes as a “standard candle” to add to the cosmic distance ladder. Light is red-shifted by the Universe’s expansion, and the same thing happens to gravitational waves, too, making the collisions appear more massive, happening in slow motion. If we know what kinds of black holes collided, we can use this to determine how far away the collision occurred and measure the distance to its galaxy.
Our Solar System has been around for about 4.5 billion years, but the Universe was going for almost 10 billion years before that. Stars have lived and died, seeding our region with heavier elements. Scientists studying the samples of Asteroid Ryugu returned by the Hayabusa2 mission have found grains of material formed by previous generations of stars. These give us a better glimpse into the giant nebula that formed the Sun and thousands of other stars.
When astronauts spend several months in space, they come back to Earth significantly weakened. Exercise can slow the degradation of their bodies, but only to a certain point. When astronauts make the 6-month flight to Mars, how will they feel when they set foot on the Red Planet? Will they be strong enough to fulfill essential duties right away, or will they need some time to rest? Scientists have simulated astronaut capabilities based on a previous long-duration space mission and have made predictions.
There’s Less Water Ice Under InSight That Scientists Expected
We know there’s a lot of water on Mars, especially at the poles. As you move closer to the equator, there’s less and less water, or maybe it’s frozen deep underground. NASA’s Mars InSight lander used its instruments to track how seismic waves move through the regolith under its feet. Unfortunately, it didn’t detect any evidence of water ice for hundreds of meters under the surface. This is too bad since the equator has the most reasonable temperature on Mars, and future explorers might rely on local deposits of water ice.
My guest this week is Tory Bruno, the President, and CEO of United Launch Alliance. ULA has provided launch services for many NASA missions, including Juno, Curiosity, MAVEN, and the Parker Solar Probe.
Asking AI to Imagine Space Things
What if Mars was a cake? Or DaVinci designed spaceships? What if space monsters were real? Or what if the Universe was made of cake? We asked all these questions to an AI. Here’s what happened.
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Cluster of circular shaped glowing UFOs over Santa Fe, New Mexico 27-Aug-2022
Cluster of circular shaped glowing UFOs over Santa Fe, New Mexico 27-Aug-2022
These UFOs were seen and recorded in the sky above Santa Fe in New Mexico on 27th August 2022.
Witness report:
Witnessed a cluster of circular shaped glowing objects drifting from SW to S direction. Assending higher until out of sight. Captured on video and observed for over 7 minutes.
How could we really know if industrial civilizations existed on Earth long before human beings appeared? That is the question posed in a scientific thought experiment by climate scientist Gavin Schmidt and astrophysicist Adam Frank. Credit: Michael Osadciw University of Rochester
One of the creepier conclusions drawn by scientists studying the Anthropocene—the proposed epoch of Earth’s geologic history in which humankind’s activities dominate the globe—is how closely today’s industrially induced climate change resembles conditions seen in past periods of rapid temperature rise.
“These ‘hyperthermals,’ the thermal-maximum events of prehistory, are the genesis of this research,” says Gavin Schmidt, climate modeler and director of the NASA Goddard Institute for Space Studies. “Whether the warming was caused by humans or by natural forces, the fingerprints—the chemical signals and tracers that give evidence of what happened then—look very similar.”
The canonical example of a hyperthermal is the Paleocene-Eocene Thermal Maximum (PETM), a 200,000-year period that occurred some 55.5 million years ago when global average temperatures rose by five to eight degrees Celsius (nine to 14 degrees Fahrenheit). Schmidt has pondered the PETM for his entire career, and it was on his mind one day in 2017 when University of Rochester astrophysicist Adam Frank paid him a visit.
Frank came to his office to discuss the idea of studying global warming from an “astrobiological perspective”—that is, investigating whether the rise of an alien industrial civilization on an exoplanet might necessarily trigger climate changes similar to those we see during Earth’s own Anthropocene. But almost before Frank could describe how one might search for the climatic effects of industrial “exocivilizations” on newly discovered planets, Schmidt caught him up short with a surprising question: “How do you know we’re the only time there’s been a civilization on our own planet?“
Frank considered a moment before responding with a question of his own: “Could we even tell if there had been an industrial civilization [long before this one]?“
Their subsequent attempt to address both questions yielded a provocative paper on the possibility that Earth might have spawned more than one technological society during its 4.5-billion-year history. And if indeed some such culture arose on Earth in the murky depths of geologic time, how might scientists today discern signs of that incredible development? Or, as they put it in the paper: “If an industrial civilization had existed on Earth many millions of years prior to our own era, what traces would it have left and would they be detectable today?“
Schmidt and Frank began by forecasting the geologic fingerprints the Anthropocene is likely to leave behind—such as hints of soaring temperatures and rising seas laid down in beds of sedimentary rock. These features, they noted, are very similar to the geologic leftovers of the PETM and other hyperthermal events. They then considered what tests could plausibly distinguish an industrial cause from otherwise naturally occurring climate changes. “These issues have never really been addressed to any great extent,” Schmidt notes. And that goes not only for scientists but evidently for science-fiction writers as well, he adds: “I looked back into the science-fiction literature to try to find the earliest example of a story featuring a nonhuman industrial civilization on Earth. The earliest I could find was in a Doctor Who episode.“
That 1970 episode of the classic TV series involves the present-day discovery of “Silurians”—an ancient race of technologically advanced, reptilian humanoids who predated the arrival of humans by hundreds of millions of years. According to the plot, these highly civilized saurians flourished for centuries until Earth’s atmosphere entered a period of cataclysmic upheaval that forced Homo reptilia to go into hibernation underground to wait out the danger. Schmidt and Frank paid tribute to the episode in the title of their paper: “The Silurian Hypothesis.”
LOST IN STRATA
Any plausibility of the Silurian hypothesis stems chiefly from the vast incompleteness of the geologic record, which only gets sparser the further back in time you go.
Today less than 3 percent of Earth’s surface is urbanized, and the chance that any of our great cities would remain over tens of millions of years is vanishingly low, says geologist Jan Zalasiewicz of the University of Leicester in England. A metropolis’s ultimate fate, he notes, mostly depends on whether the surrounding surface is subsiding (to be locked in rock) or rising (to be eroded away by rain and wind). “New Orleans is sinking; San Francisco is rising,” he says. The French Quarter, it seems, has much better chances of entering the geologic record than Haight-Ashbury.
“To estimate the odds of finding artifacts,” Schmidt says, “the back-of-the-envelope calculation for dinosaur fossils says that one fossil emerges every 10,000 years.” Dinosaur footprints are rarer still.
“After a couple of million years,” Frank says, “the chances are that any physical reminder of your civilization has vanished, so you have to search for things like sedimentary anomalies or isotopic ratios that look off.” The shadows of many prehuman civilizations could, in principle, lurk hidden in such subtleties.
But exactly what we would look for depends to some degree on how an Earthly but alien technological culture would choose to behave. Schmidt and Frank decided the safest assumption to make would be that any industrial civilization now or hundreds of millions of years ago should be hungry for energy. That means any ancient industrial society would have developed the capacity to widely exploit fossil fuels and other power sources, just as we did. “We’d be looking for globalized effects that would leave a worldwide trace”—planetary-scale physical-chemical tracers of energy-intensive industrial processes and their wastes, Schmidt says.
Next comes the issue of longevity—the longer a civilization’s energy-intensive period persists and the more its demands increase, the more obvious its presence should become in the geologic record. Consider our own industrial age, which has existed for only about 300 years out of a multimillion-year history of humanity. Now compare that minuscule slice of time with the half a billion years or so that creatures have lived on land. Humanity’s present rapacious phase of fossil-fuel use and environmental degradation, Frank says, is unsustainable for long periods. In time, it will diminish either by human choice or by the force of nature, making the Anthropocene less of an enduring era and more of a blip in the geologic record. “Maybe [civilizations like ours] have happened multiple times, but if they each only last 300 years, no one would ever see them,” Frank says.
Taking all this into consideration, what remains is a menu of diffuse long-lived tracers including fossil-fuel combustion residues (carbon, primarily), evidence of mass extinctions, plastic pollutants, synthetic chemical compounds not found in nature and even transuranic isotopes from nuclear fission. In other words, what we would need to look for in the geologic record are the same distinctive signals that humans are laying down right now.
SIGNS OF CIVILIZATION
Finding signs of an altered carbon cycle would be one big clue to previous industrial periods, Schmidt says. “Since the mid-18th century, humans have released half a trillion tons of fossil carbon at high rates. Such changes are detectable in changes in the carbon isotope ratio between biological and inorganic carbon—that is, between the carbon incorporated into things like seashells and that which goes instead into lifeless volcanic rock.”
Another tracer would be distinctive patterns of sediment deposition. Large coastal deltas would hint at boosted levels of erosion and rivers (or engineered canals) swollen from increased rainfall. Telltale traces of nitrogen in the sediments could suggest the widespread use of fertilizer, fingering industrial-scale agriculture as a possible culprit; spikes in metal levels in the sediments might instead point to runoff from manufacturing and other heavy industry.
More unique, specific tracers would be nonnaturally occurring, stable synthetic molecules such as steroids and many plastics, along with well-known pollutants, including polychlorinated biphenyls (toxic chemical compounds from electrical devices) and chlorofluorocarbons (ozone-eating molecules from refrigerators and aerosol sprays).
The key strategy in distinguishing the presence of industry from nature, Schmidt notes, is developing a multifactor signature. Absent artifacts or convincingly clear markers, the uniqueness of an event may well be seen in many relatively independent fingerprints as opposed to the coherent set of changes that are seen to be associated with a single geophysical cause.
“I find it amazing that no one had worked all this out before, and I’m really glad that somebody has taken a closer look at it,” says Pennsylvania State University astronomer Jason Wright, who in 2017 published “a fluffy little paper” exploring the counterintuitive notion that the best place to find evidence of any of Earth’s putative prehuman civilizations may well be off-world. If, for instance, dinosaurs built interplanetary rockets, presumably some remnants of that activity might remain preserved in stable orbits or on the surfaces of more geologically inert celestial bodies such as the moon.
“Look, 200 years ago the question of whether there might be a civilization on Mars was a legitimate one,” Wright says. “But once the pictures came out from interplanetary probes, that was settled for good. And that view became ingrained, so now it’s not a valid topic for scientific inquiry; it’s considered ridiculous. But no one’s ever put the actual scientific limits on it—on what may have happened a long time ago.”
Wright also acknowledges the potential for this work to be misinterpreted. “Of course, no matter what, this is going to be interpreted as ‘Astronomers Say Silurians Might Have Existed,’ even though the premise of this work is that there is no such evidence,” he says. “Then again, absence of evidence is not evidence of absence.”
Could There Be a Civilization Prior to Ours in the Solar System?
Could There Be a Civilization Prior to Ours in the Solar System?
Scientists raise the possibility that a technological species may have existed somewhere in our Solar System before we occupy Terra.
One of the most difficult questions for Astrobiology is whether there are, somewhere in our Solar System, remnants of some extinct form of life. Some scientists like astrophysicist Jason Wright of the University of Pennsylvania and a member of the Center for Exoplanets and Habitable Worlds even consider that a technological species may have existed in our planetary system at a time before the appearance of humans on Earth.
In 2016, Wright published an article discussing where the best place would be to look for the technological signs left behind by this civilization. Other astronomers, however, have suggested searching for “beacons” in Kuiper belt objects, that could serve as evidence of the existence of technologies and, therefore, of civilizations, extraterrestrials. For Wright, the most obvious for the demise of a technological species before our own would be “a cataclysm, either a natural event, such as an extinction-capable asteroid impact, or self-inflicted, such as a global climate catastrophe.” For the researcher, if we were talking about a species with space capabilities that would have settled in the Solar System, a single event would not have been enough to make it disappear.
Another possibility is that the settlements of this civilization were not completely self-sufficient and depended on supplies from abroad that, after the catastrophe, stopped arriving. “Alternatively, if a nearby gamma-ray burst were to occur unexpectedly, or a supernova it could also produce a cataclysm that would affect the entire system,” says Wright. From a strictly scientific point of view, says the researcher, it is perfectly reasonable wonder if life existed in our planetary system, or if it still exists today.
The problem is increasingly becoming the main reason for space agencies like NASA.
Much of the research work, however, focuses on the location of microbial life, or, at best, the lack of intelligence.
For Wright, technological artifacts, if they exist, would be much easier to find.
In fact, if ever a technological species before our own, perhaps from space, appeared in the Solar System, this species could have produced artifacts or other technological signals that would have survived to this day.
The search for these artifacts instead of microbes would be, for Wright, a potential way to solve once and for all the great problem of astrobiology.
In the case of Venus, for example, the arrival of a global greenhouse effect and the possible restructuring of its surface could have erased all traces of previous life.
“Even on Earth, erosion and ultimately tectonic plate movements could have erased all evidence of a civilization that emerged and developed a few million years ago.
years,” says Wright. Therefore, the possible signs of technologies from civilizations before our own, which would be extremely old, could only be found in a limited number of places in the Solar System, such as below the surface of Mars, or the Moon, or any of the numerous bodies of the System Solar Outside.
Titans Under the Earth: Evidence for The Tall Ones, and the Mounds of Pennsylvania
Titans Under the Earth: Evidence for The Tall Ones, and the Mounds of Pennsylvania
This article is dedicated to the memory of John William Dillon, who kept truth and dreams alive.
During the Early Woodland Period (1000—200 BC), the Adena people constructed extensive burial mounds and earthworks throughout the Ohio Valley in Ohio, Indiana, Pennsylvania, Kentucky, and West Virginia. Many of the skeletal remains found in these mounds by early antiquarians and 20th-Century archaeologists were of powerfully-built individuals reaching between 6.5 and eight feet in height (198 cm – 244 cm). It is the record of these remains which has given rise to the subject of the ancient “giants” of the Ohio Valley.
While doing research for a book on this subject over the last several years, the authors were struck by how little of the archaeology of some regions is freely accessible and available to the public. One of those areas is the state of Pennsylvania, where the Carnegie Museum destroyed countless burial mounds without filing comprehensive reports in the late 1800s and early 1900s. Many of the mounds wrecked by the Carnegie are only known to the public from old press reports, such as the following published in The Sun on December 8, 1893:
“This mound, which was originally about 100 feet long and more than 12 feet high, has been somewhat worn down by time. It is on the J.R. Secrist farm in South Huntington township…The most interesting feature in the recent excavation was the mummified torso of the human body…Portions of the bones dug up and the bones in the legs, Prof. Peterson declares, are those of a person between eight and nine feet in height.”
In order to add some clarity to the subjects of the mound builders and large skeletal remains from Pennsylvania, the authors reviewed a considerable amount of archaeological literature from the state and incorporated the information into several chapters of Ages of the Giants: A Cultural History of the Tall Ones in Prehistoric America (Serpent Mound Books and Press, 2017). Perhaps the most famous instance of press reports describing a large skeleton from a Pennsylvania mound is a case from Union Township in Washington County, Pennsylvania.
In 1932, archaeologist George Fisher excavated the mound after he was informed that amateurs were engaged in heavy looting at the site. This situation attracted hundreds of spectators, and Fisher’s work became a subject of daily discussion by the local media. One discovery in particular was regularly reported at this time:
“One of the most interesting reports that will go into the archives is that on the body of a giant, seven feet five inches tall. This titan was found on the fifth level of the clay mound where the bodies were sandwiched between 11 layers of sandstone. The majority of the adults measured between five feet 10 inches and six feet three inches in stature…” --The Daily Republican, 9/15/1932
“One of the skeletons of these mighty men is seven feet, five inches in length, and even the remains of the women and children show them to have been of tremendous stature. Heavy, primitive faces must have topped their mammoth bodies, Fisher says, for all of the skulls are heavy boned, with massive jaws and strong teeth that could have ripped meat into shreds…” --ThePittsburgh Post-Gazette, 9/14/1932
A human effigy pipe created by the prehistoric Adena culture, which lived in the Ohio Valley between 800 BC and 100 AD.
Over the last decade, these types of press reports have caused several researchers to seek out more information on the mound excavated by Fisher, but until now it has remained largely a mystery. The authors found that the site is known in the archaeological literature as the Pollock’s Hill stone mound. There is some debate over the age and cultural affiliations of the mound. Archaeologist and Adena expert Don W. Dragoo considered the Pollock’s Hill Cairn to belong to an Adena stone mound sub-tradition. In more modern times, archaeologists have re-evaluated some of the mounds that Dragoo included in this cultural taxon and have suggested that they could actually date to Late Woodland times —several hundred years after the age of Adena.
One reason for the difficulty in finding professionally documented information on the Pollock’s Hill Cairn is the fact that Fisher himself did not publish the official report. Instead, Donald Cadzow published the report in 1933, utilizing information taken directly from Fisher’s field notes. According to Cadzow’s document, Fisher unearthed an extended adult skeleton covered with packed mud and rocks in the northwestern portion of the mound, which is numbered burial 39 in the field notes. Regarding this burial, Cadzow’s report states, “As the bones were in poor condition, it was impossible to obtain exact measurements. Their size, however, indicated a very large heavy person, much larger than the other burials in the mound.”
Bone size indicated a very large, heavy person.
(Public Domain)
Following the excavations, the bones of over 40 skeletons from Pollock’s Hill were transported to the Museum in Harisburg and then to the Smithsonian Institution in Washington. On October 12, 1932, The Pittsburg Press reported that Donald Cadzow himself was the person in charge of transporting the skeletons from Finleyville to the museum, noting, “One skeleton making the trip with Cadzow to the capital is a giant 7 feet 5 inches in height.” The information in the article came from an interview with Cadzow, who took the opportunity to condemn the Carnegie Museum’s handling of Pennsylvania’s prehistory.
Artifacts on record from the Pollock’s Hill Cairn include two rolled copper tubular beads, bone hairpins, stemmed and tanged points, celts, one stone mortar, and perforated bear canine teeth.
Adena culture gorget ornaments always two holes at Grave Creek Mound Museum. Moundsville, WV.
Large skeletal remains were also recovered from the McKees Rocks Mound, which once overlooked the confluence of the Ohio River and Cartier’s Creek at Stowe Township in Allegheny County, Pennsylvania. Frank Gerodette excavated the McKees Rocks Mound on behalf of the Carnegie Museum in 1896. Unfortunately, several controversies lead to Gerodette’s resignation from the Carnegie and permanent retreat from archaeology before a complete report was filed for the excavations. In Ages of the Giants, we utilized Gerodette’s field notes, as well as the research of five different archaeologists who reviewed the field notes, artifacts, and bones from the mound to recreate the discoveries at this important site. Relevant sources for the information provided here—as well as much more info on the site—can be found in the book.
The McKees Rocks Mound was 16 or 17 feet (4.8 – 5.1 meters) in height at the time of excavation and 85 feet (26 meters) in diameter. There were over 30 burials in the mound of extended, cremated, and bone-bundled human remains, many of which were found in stone cist tombs. The mound was built up in three construction phases, each of which took an unknown length of time to complete. These phases span the time of Adena to the end of the Middle Woodland Period. The oldest or primary phase of the mound was a 3.5-feet-high (one-meter-high) tumulus made of river sand and clay, which covered the skeleton of an Adena female 6-foot-2-inches (188 cm) in length.
Artifacts with this burial include an adze, four deer or elk scapula awls, a copper sheath for an imitation bear canine, 357 columnella shell beads, 153 marginella shell beads, antler and bone flaking tools, and one slate reel-shaped gorget.
Burial 20 was a female in a sandstone cist tomb. Referring to this burial, Frank Gerodette’s field notes mention, “the person could not have been less than 6-foot-six-inches high” (198 cm). The skull of this burial had been crushed down into the breastbones, and the bones of the feet were missing. According to the historian George Thornton Fleming (who carefully documented the excavations), the remains would have “measured seven feet in height” with the feet and neck intact. There were several other skeletons from McKees Rocks, which measured between 6-feet-2-inches and 6-feet-f4- inches in length.
Squawkie Hill, Curious Burial Mound
In northwestern Pennsylvania, many burial mounds have been attributed to a Hopewell-influenced tradition, which some archaeologists have referred to as the Squawkie Hill Culture . Squawkie Hill mounds are also found in northeastern Ohio, the Upper Ohio Valley in West Virginia, and New York State. These mounds date to the Middle Woodland period, usually between 100 and 500 AD. Squawkie Hill sites in Pennsylvania include the Sugar Run, Corydon, Irvin, and Cornplanter mound groups.
At the Cornplanter Run site in Warren County, Edmund Carpenter investigated two surviving mounds in 1941. He found the mounds to contain circular stone vaults composed of stone slabs, also featuring stone roofing. The tombs were all empty, but one still contained a blade, red ocher, and calcined bone. According to Carpenter’s report, a local artifact collector named Dudley A. Martin had looted the tombs prior to his investigations. Fortunately, Martin himself had gone public with his findings in the January 27, 1937 issue of The Altoona Tribune :
“Dudley A. Martin, octogenarian and collector of Indian relics, states that he was present at the opening of some curious burial mounds on the Cornplanter Indian reservation in Warren County nearly fifty years ago. These barrows were walled up inside and had outlets to the air, so much so that on opening one mound it was found to be full of rattlesnakes…In one mound was found the skeleton of a chief seven feet tall, wearing much barbaric adornment and jewelry.”
There are many similar accounts from burial mounds featuring traits similar to the Cornplanter Mounds along the Pennsylvania—New York State border region:
“…just over the line in Genesee Township, a mound about fourteen feet in diameter, walled up by a stone cairn, about three or four feet high…Some curious persons dug into the side of this mound and brought to light the skeleton of a man of gigantic size, also the bones of a dog, nearly all of the bones crumbing upon exposure to the air…With the bones were found numerous flint arrow-heads, and some stone ornaments, and about a pint of small shells, which also soon disintegrated upon exposure.”
“In December, 1886, W. H. Scoville, of Andrews Settlement, discovered a mound at Ellisburg. On exploring it were found parts of the skeleton of a man measuring between seven and eight feet.”
--Michael A Leeson, History of the Counties of McKean, Elk, Cameron and Potter, Pennsylvania , J.H. Beers & Co., 1860.
“This mound was opened by vandals about 25 years ago, and entire skeletons in a good state of preservation were tossed aside or carried off by schoolboys. Many of the remains were found near the surface, covered by broad flagstones, while others were found at a considerable depth. Great quantities of arrow heads, discoidals, stone axes and beads of various kinds were discovered with the bones. Some of the skeletons were of such large proportions as to indicate that the people who lived in the days when the mound was built were a race of giants.” --Pittsburgh Daily Post , October 7, 1895.
Archaeological research conducted in recent years indicates that the cultural history of Western Pennsylvania—including the Adena, Hopewell, and Late Woodland mounds—is in need of revision. Perhaps as these new investigations progress, more information on obscure and little-known sites will become available.
Top Image: Hopewell mounds from the Mound City Group in Ohio. Representative image (Heironymous Rowe/ CC BY-SA 3.0) Bones, and archaeological sketches of Adena sites. (Public Domain);Deriv.
In 2016, Iraqi Transport Minister Kazim Finjan made a sensational statement during his business trip to Dhi Qar. According to him, the Sumerians had their own spaceport and actively traveled, including outside the solar system.
The Sumerians were one of the ancient advanced civilizations that lived around 7000 years ago in Mesopotamia between the Tigris and Euphrates rivers which later became Babylonia and is now in Iraq and Syria.
The ancient buildings of the Sumerians amaze with their grandeur and are not inferior to the Egyptian pyramids. Naturally, numerous theories are proposed about the purpose of the ziggurats (massive structures built in ancient Mesopotamia), including ufologists’ interest. However, nobody expected the official to make such a statement.
Ziggurat: a massive structure built in ancient Mesopotamia to get the temple closer to the heavens. Mesopotamians believed these pyramid temples connected heaven and earth.
The Sumerians believed in many gods. They prayed to Anu (supreme god or sky god), Enki (god of water, knowledge, mischief, crafts, and creation), Enlil (Lord Wind), Inanna (Queen of Heaven), Utu (sun-god), and Sin (moon-god).
They invented numerous technologies including the wheel, cuneiform script, arithmetic, geometry, irrigation, saws and other tools, sandals, chariots, harpoons, and beer.
Finjan is sure that the first airports and spacecraft platforms were built about 7000 уears ago in the ancient cities of Eridu and Ur. Unfortunately, the minister did not mention where the Sumerians had such technologies from, and why there was no evidence of them.
Sumerians Built Spacecraft Launch Pad 7,000 Years Ago
Professor Kamal Aziz Ketulywrotethat during his visit to the Iraqi Museum in Baghdad, at the Sumerian wing, he observed three Sumerian clay tablets with cuneiform writing and drawings, dating back to around 3000 BC. According to him, in one of the tablets, he found heliocentric drawings of the solar system.
Additionally, from 3000 BC, “Mesopotamians used a calendar with months and years, which indicates that the Moon was studied at that early age.” Interestingly, in ancient Mesopotamia, “all five planets visible to the naked eye were known and studied, along with the Moon, the Sun, the stars, and other celestial phenomena.” These planets are Mercury, Venus, Mars, Jupiter, and Saturn.
Sumerian cuneiform tablets dated 3000 BC. Image credit: Ancient Pages
Scientists have several versions of the emergence of multi-tier temples. One of them is the need to keep the building in a good condition, as was intended for the gods for as long as possible. That is why each next tier was built on the previous one.
The Sumerians showed their desire for the upper world. The number of platforms could coincide with the number of known luminaries. It is worth noting that there were no forests and minerals in Lower Mesopotamia. The Sumerians actively traded, so it is hard to imagine where the resources for building full-fledged spaceships came from.
The truth will remain under the cover of time. If the Sumerians could conquer space, then they would have long flown away from Earth.
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Jen Sullivan is the author of Child of the Universe, a book where she describes her memories of several past lives that were connected to the origins of Atlantis and Lemuria (Lymuria), and their respective destruction. Jen was suffering from a brain tumor when she was asked by her long time friend, Sarah Breskman Cosme, to participate in Quantum Hypnosis Healing Technique (QHHT) sessions to complete Sarah’s level 3 certification with Delores Cannon’s QHHT program.
After Jen recalled details of her most recent past life where she jumped off a bridge to her death in 1978 after going through a lobotomy as a result of nobody believing her past life recollections at the time, she experienced a remarkable healing. As the QHHT sessions continued, Jen remembered her first past life on Earth as a male when she was part of an extraterrestrial mission that crash landed in a large south Pacific island. She remembers being ultimately successful in creating a hybrid being using the genetics of a primitive local female and her DNA. The hybrid that was born became revered for her wisdom and ability to use red crystals that were retrieved from the spacecraft , and became the first Queen of Lemuria. Her name was Oona.
One of Jen’s companions on the crashed extraterrestrial spacecraft traveled through a space time portal to the other side of the planet taking with him some of the red crystals. He was involved in creating a hybrid being that was among the first Atlanteans who gained control over the local population. Ultimately, the Atlanteans followed a path of rapid technological development where the red crystals were used for weapons development and imperial conquest. In contrast the Lemurians lived a more peaceful life in harmony with nature where the red crystals were used to sustain a natural immunity to all disease, and considerably extended their life spans.
In her book, Jen describes the circumstances surrounding the Atlanteans visiting and ultimately destroying Lemuria. In that incarnation, Jen was a princess (Kala) who briefly reigned after her mother, the Queen was killed by the Atlanteans. Shortly after her coronation, Lemuria was destroyed by tidal waves created by undersea detonations caused by the Altanteans, and she was captured. Jen remembered being taken to Atlantis where she was tortured and interrogated for many decades over her knowledge and abilities concerning the red crystals.
In her first interview on Exopolitics Today, Jen describes why she chose to undergo the QHHT sessions with Sarah Cosme, the healing she experienced, and the details of her remarkable past lives as an extraterrestrial and the last Queen of Lemuria/Lymuria. Her memories of captivity in Atlantis over many decades gives a unique perspective on Atlantean culture, politics and science.
A New Study Confirms That Gravity has Remained Constant for the Entire age of the Universe
A New Study Confirms That Gravity has Remained Constant for the Entire age of the Universe
For over a century, astronomers have known that the Universe has been expanding since the Big Bang. For the first eight billion years, the expansion rate was relatively consistent since it was held back by the force of gravitation. However, thanks to missions like the Hubble Space Telescope, astronomers have since learned that roughly five billion years ago, the rate of expansion has been accelerating. This led to the widely-accepted theory that a mysterious force is behind the expansion (known as Dark Energy), while some insist that the force of gravity may have changed over time.
This is a contentious hypothesis since it means that Einstein’s General Theory of Relativity (which has been validated nine ways from Sunday) is wrong. But according to a new study by the international Dark Energy Survey (DES) Collaboration, the nature of gravity has remained the same throughout the entire history of the Universe. These findings come shortly before two next-generation space telescopes (Nancy Grace Romanand Euclid) are sent to space to conduct even more precise measurements of gravity and its role in cosmic evolution.
Einstein’s General Theory of Relativity, which he finalized in 1915, describes how the curvature of spacetime is altered in the presence of gravity. For over a century, this theory has accurately predicted almost everything in our Universe, from Mercury’s orbit and gravitational lensing to the existence of black holes. But between the 1960s and 1990s, two discrepancies were discovered that led astronomers to wonder if Einstein’s theory was correct. First, astronomers noted that the gravitational effects of massive structures (like galaxies and galaxy clusters) did not accord with their observed mass.
This gave rise to the theory that space is filled with an invisible mass that interacts with “normal” (aka. “luminous” or visible) matter via gravity. Meanwhile, the observed expansion of the cosmos (and how it is subject to acceleration) gave rise to the theory of Dark Energy and the Lambda Cold Dark Matter (Lambda CDM) cosmological model. Cold Dark Matter is an interpretation where this mass is composed of large, slow-moving particles while Lambda represents Dark Energy. In theory, these two forces constitute 95% of the total mass-energy content of the Universe, yet all attempts to find direct evidence of them have failed.
The only possible alternative is that Relativity needs to be modified to account for these discrepancies. To find out if that’s the case, members of the DES used the Victor M. Blanco 4-meter Telescope at the Cerro Telolo Inter-American Observatory in Chile to observe galaxies up to 5 billion light-years away. They hoped to determine if gravity has varied over the past 5 billion years (since the acceleration began) or over cosmic distances. They also consulted data from other telescopes, including the ESA’s Planck satellite, which has been mapping the Cosmic Microwave Background (CMB) since 2009.
They paid close attention to how the images they saw contained subtle distortions due to dark matter (gravitational lenses). As the first image released from the James Webb Space Telescope (JWST) illustrated, scientists can infer the strength of gravity by analyzing the extent to which a gravitational lens distorts spacetime. So far, the DES Collaboration has measured the shapes of over 100 million galaxies, and the observations all match what General Relativity predicts. The good news is that Einstein’s theory still holds, but this also means that the mystery of Dark Energy persists for the time being.
Artist’s impression of the Nancy Grace Roman Space Telescope, named after NASA’s first Chief of Astronomy. Credits: NASA
Luckily, astronomers will not have to wait long before new and more detailed data is available. First, there’s the ESA’s Euclid mission, slated for launch by 2023 at the latest. This mission will map the geometry of the Universe, looking 8 billion years into the past to measure the effects of Dark Matter and Dark Energy. By May 2027, it will be joined by NASA’s Nancy Grace Roman Space Telescope, which will look back over 11 billion years. These will be the most detailed cosmological surveys ever conducted and are expected to provide the most compelling evidence for (or against) the Lambda-CDM model.
As study co-author Agnès Ferté, who conducted the research as a postdoctoral researcher at JPL, said in a recent NASA press release:
“There is still room to challenge Einstein’s theory of gravity, as measurements get more and more precise. But we still have so much to do before we’re ready for Euclid and Roman. So it’s essential we continue to collaborate with scientists around the world on this problem as we’ve done with the Dark Energy Survey.”
In addition, observations provided by Webb of the earliest stars and galaxies in the Universe will allow astronomers to chart the evolution of the cosmos from its earliest periods. These efforts have the potential to answer some of the most pressing mysteries in the Universe. These include how Relativity and the observed mass and expansion of the Universe coincide but could also provide insight into how gravity and the other fundamental forces of the Universe (as described by quantum mechanics) interact – a Theory of Everything (ToE).
If there’s one thing that characterizes the current era of astronomy, it is the way that long-term surveys and next-generation instruments are coming together to test what has been the stuff of theory until now. The potential breakthroughs that these could lead to are sure to both delight and confound us. But ultimately, they will revolutionize the way we look at the Universe.
Is Earth A Prison Planet And The Moon A Station For Guardians?
Is Earth A Prison Planet And The Moon A Station For Guardians?
Isaac Asimov suggested a long time ago that the Moon is not a natural astral body.
All independent studies ever since backed Asimov’s calculations and it was proven beyond any reasonable doubt that the gravitational features of the Moon are not just abnormal.
They are the exact numbers required so that the Moon does not escape from the Earth’s gravity and be pulled towards the Sun, as it should be, according to the law of universal gravitation.
Taking under consideration the hundreds of unnatural phenomena that happen on the surface of the moon that NASA never bothered to reveal to the general public but have nevertheless been observed for centuries by independent observers, it may be assumed that the Moon is a constructed spacecraft and not a normal astral body.
To mention but a few of these observations:
The moon is older than the Earth. Carbon dating shows the Earth at 4.6 billion years old and the Moon at 5.3.
The dust around the Moon that is supposed to have come from weathering and the breakup of the rocks on the Moon’s surface, has a chemical composition that does not match the composition of the rocks on the Moon itself. This dust itself is another billion years older than the moon.
While the Moon has no magnetic field, Moon rocks are magnetized.
There is evidence that the Moon craters were created through internal procedures, but the Moon has never been hot enough to create volcanos.
The surface metals are heavier than the metals in the core. (Usually the light metals are found on the surface and the heavier ones closer to the core).
So, that theory accepts that someone placed the Moon where it is, making the debate focus on the purpose. Based on certain facts, there have been theories stipulated, in various timelines, which support the concept that our entire planet was created as a sort of prison. According to one theory, it is a prison for the observation of our species.
For another theory, Earth is a spiritual prison. Putting aside the question mark on the sanity of the people who quoted these theories, and the disqualifications, for obvious reasons, from the authorities responsible of doing so, let’s focus on the facts that these theories are based on.
Let’s keep an open mind about this, as it is only natural that when a theory is brought forth, supporting something different than what was taught in school, most people dismiss it without even considering the evidence.
1. Earth is an inherently unstable planet
It cannot support habitation and sustain long lasting civilizations. What facts support that statement?
Continuous earthquakes, volcano eruptions and other “natural phenomena” that supposedly demolish any civilization that advances too far ahead of its time (Minoan civilization, Atlantis, Pompeii, Damghan (Iran), Antioch, plagues in eastern and western Roman empires, etc).
Is it logical to anyone that mankind tries to build on a foundation that is capable of destroying everything built in a matter of seconds? Can there be any other reason, than the possibility they may have no other option like leaving here and go somewhere else with more favorable conditions?
2. Mankind is self-destructive
It’s a bare fact that people cannot stand other people. Wars, attacks, raids, murders, rapes, crime, and anything imaginable from people to hurt other people. Isn’t this exactly what happens in a prison full of criminals?
People are put behind bars when the crime is small scale (individuals and small groups), but large scale “incidents” are recorded in history as significant events like the Crusades, World Wars, Revolutionary Wars, Civil Wars, Genghis Khan, Attila the Hun. And they are taught in the history books and schools. Does this make sense to anyone?
3. Mankind is always driven by a “higher force”
Let’s take a look at some of the great figures of history. Alexander the Great, Charlemagne, Barbarossa, Peter the Great, Ivan the Terrible, Mao Zedong, Josef Stalin, Winston Churchill, Adolf Hitler, Benito Mussolini, Khmer Rouge, Genghis Khan, Attila the Hun, Julius Caesar, Francisco Pissarro, Franco, and the list goes on and on. Between them: about 1.000,000,000 dead.
Yes, the figure is correct. One billion dead people in wars driven by a “higher force”. One billion souls sacrificed “in the name of the Higher Force (replace Higher Force with whatever name you prefer)”.
What is the best way to control prisoners? Allow them to retain their gang structure inside? Arian Nation against Black Panthers? Triads against Mafia? Latinos against everyone else?
Divide and conquer. The oldest trick in the book. 756,000 inmates in all the prisons of the world have lost their lives in gang feuds within the prison walls. And for what? An ideology, a race, a way of doing things, a religion, an individual.
Any similarities, anyone?
So! On the one hand you have an extraterrestrial astral body placed in position by unknown forces, with the exact properties required to stay there forever, and with mysterious happenings observed on its surface. On the other hand you have a population that acts exactly like prison inmates.
Is it wrong to assume that the astral body was placed there to guard the inmates?
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- Gemiddelde waardering: 0/5 - (0 Stemmen) Categorie:ALIEN LIFE, UFO- CRASHES, ABDUCTIONS, MEN IN BLACK, ed ( FR. , NL; E )
Thousands of Nasa Apollo mission photos uploaded online
Thousands of Nasa Apollo mission photos uploaded online
By Jimmy Blake Newsbeat reporter
This is the start of a spacewalk taken during the Apollo 9 mission
Thousands of photos taken by Apollo astronauts on moon missions are now online.
Ongeveer 13.000 scans van afbeeldingen uit NASA's archieven, genomen over ALLE bemande Apollo-missies tussen 1961 en 1972, zijn gegeven aan de oprichter van het Project Apollo Archive Kipp Teague.
Hij vertelde Newsbeat dat "ernstige bezuinigingen" betekenen dat de organisatie niet de middelen heeft om ze te publiceren.
Dus hij heeft het voor hen gedaan, selfies van astronauten en zo. Genieten van.
BEELDBRON, NASA
Afbeelding bijschrift,
De bemanning van Apollo 9 begint aan een ruimtewandeling
BEELDBRON, NASA
Afbeelding bijschrift,
Dit werd genomen tijdens de Apollo 12-missie - de tweede die op het oppervlak van de maan landde
BEELDBRON, NASA
Afbeelding bijschrift,
De Apollo 17 commandomodule boven het maanoppervlak
BEELDBRON, NASA
Afbeelding bijschrift,
...en dit is de maanmodule een paar uur na het opstijgen tijdens de Apollo 15-missie van 1971
Kipp lanceerde de galerij in 1999, maar na vragen over beslissingen om sommige afbeeldingen in het verleden te bewerken, werd hij gevraagd om deze keer onbewerkte afbeeldingen met een hoge resolutie te plaatsen.
Hij zei: "In de loop der jaren is mij vaak gevraagd of ik ze op een gebruiksvriendelijkere manier beschikbaar kan maken.
BEELDBRON, NASA
Afbeelding bijschrift, Ooit was dit hi-tech
BEELDBRON, NASA
Afbeelding bijschrift, Letterlijk een venster op de wereld - hier een kijkje in Apollo 9
"Ik vond dat het tijd was om de volledige resolutie, onverwerkte versies naar buiten te brengen", vertelde hij aan Newsbeat.
De laatste beelden werden verzameld over de laatste "vier of vijf jaar" en variëren van banen om de aarde en de maan tot iconische opnamen van maanwandelingen.
Er zijn momenteel ongeveer 8.500 afbeeldingen in de galerij, maar Kipp hoopt tegen het einde van deze week alle 13.000 foto's te hebben.
BEELDBRON, NASA
Afbeelding bijschrift, Dicht bij het oppervlak van de maan
BEELDBRON, NASA Afbeelding bijschrift,
Number 17 was the last manned Apollo mission to the moon
IMAGE SOURCE,NASA / Image caption,
From the window of Apollo 11 the first human footprints on the moon can be seen clearly
Kipp said he didn't expect the gallery to be as popular.
"I guess it means that appetite [for space history] is still there, and it's worldwide."
He added that although it's hard to pick one as a favourite, he was "struck by one image I had never seen before which was of the dark surface of the moon with the earth setting in the distance behind it".
IMAGE SOURCE,NASA / Image caption,
A weather system on Earth watched by the crew onboard Apollo 11
IMAGE SOURCE,NASA / Image caption,
Earth peeps across the moon's horizon. It's known as an 'earthset' or 'earthrise'
IMAGE SOURCE,NASA / Image caption,
This is an "Earthset", as photographed by the crew of Apollo 17 during lunar orbit. It's one of Kipp's favourites
This Ice Cliff is One of the Few Places With Exposed Water ice in the Mid-Latitudes on Mars. It’s Probably Tens of Millions of Years old
This Ice Cliff is One of the Few Places With Exposed Water ice in the Mid-Latitudes on Mars. It’s Probably Tens of Millions of Years old
Because of the orbiters and landers that have studied Mars over the years, scientists have learned that water ice is very likely locked away just under the surface throughout the planet’s mid-latitudes. These regions – especially in the northern hemisphere — are mostly covered with smooth material and scientists suspect ice is just underneath.
But sometimes, images like this give one from the HiRISE (High Resolution Imaging Science Experiment) camera on the Mars Reconnaissance Orbiter, provides a glimpse of the ice that might be buried below the surface. This image shows a cliff jutting out of the normally smooth terrain, and the cliff is covered with bright ice.
“The bright material on the cliff face is icy and is preserved only because the cliff points away from the equator, so it is shaded most of the time,” wrote HiRISE team member Shane Byrne. “Faint bands on the cliff might indicate layers in the ice that record different climate conditions. We do not know how much time this ice took to accumulate here, but studies elsewhere on Mars indicate that material like this is sometimes at least tens of millions of years old.”
“You wouldn’t need a backhoe to dig up this ice. You could use a shovel,” said the lead author of the study, Sylvain Piqueux of NASA’s Jet Propulsion Laboratory. “We’re continuing to collect data on buried ice on Mars, zeroing in on the best places for astronauts to land.”
This rainbow-colored map shows underground water ice on Mars. Cool colors are closer to the surface than warm colors; black zones indicate areas where a spacecraft would sink into fine dust; the outlined box represents the ideal region to send astronauts for them to dig up water ice. Credits: NASA/JPL-Caltech/ASU
The water ice just below the surface would provide easily accessible in-situ resources for future explorers on Mars. While there are several enticing places they could land, a large portion of a region called Arcadia Planitia is the most tempting target in the northern hemisphere. The map above shows lots of blue and purple in this region, representing water ice less than one foot (30 centimeters) below the surface; warm colors are over two feet (60 centimeters) deep.
Landing humans on Mars is likely a decade or two away, but in the meantime, MRO and HiRISE will keep circling the planet, on the lookout for landing sites that might include water ice nearby.
Scientists have come to realize that, just below the surface, about one third of Mars is covered in ice. We study this ice to learn about Mars' ancient climate and astronauts' future water supplies.
Sometimes we see the buried ice because cliffs form like the one in this image. On the brownish, dusty cliff wall, the faint light-blue-colored ice shows through. Some of these cliffs change before our eyes and boulders of ice can tumble downhill. We take repeat images of these scenes to check for changes like this.
Image Credit: NASA/JPL-Caltech/University of Arizona
THE PENTAGON allegedly has in its possession an incredible clear photo of a "Black Triangle" UFO spectacularly rising out of the ocean.
Ever since the photo's alleged existence was first reported in late 2020, UFO enthusiasts have been begging for its release.
The Sun Online produced a mock up of what the incident may have looked like as the F/A-18F came across the "Black Triangle" off the East Coast of the US
It is thought to be one of the most compelling UFO sightings ever captured on camera because it was reportedly snapped by a US Navy pilot flying an F/A-18F Super Hornet.
The photo's existence has never been officially confirmed by the Pentagon - but many state it exists, and say they have been told as much by government insiders.
The Sun Online understands the photo is highly classified because it was captured using military equipment on board the fighter plane.
For many UFO sleuths it has become one of the Holy Grails - a picture that would leave no doubt in the minds of sceptics about the reality of the mysterious phenomena.
Pentagon officials reportedly have the "extremely clear" photo in their possession as it was reportedly circulated last year in an intelligence report by the Unidentified Aerial Phenomena (UAP) Task Force.
It was allegedly taken by a pilot in 2019 who spotted the craft as it emerged from the ocean and began to rise straight upwards, first reported The Debrief.
The object was described as a large triangle with "blunted" edges and spherical white "lights" on each corner - and the encounter is said to have occurred off the East Coast of the US.
Pilots who encountered the object are believed to have been operating from either the USS Dwight D. Eisenhower or the USS John C. Stennis.
Both of which are Nimitz-class nuclear-powered supercarriers - further deepening the apparent links between UFOs and man's nuclear capabilities.
It could be a key piece of evidence, demonstrating that we are truly in the presence of some other intelligence
Andy McGrillenUAP Media UK
Tom Rogan, the national security writer for the Washington Examiner, backed the existence of the stunning photo after verifying it with his sources.
He told The Sun Online: "It’s the tip of the iceberg. But we will see more leaks of UAP imagery and data in the coming years.
"The Pentagon should get ahead of the curve and officially release more material."
The file containing the photo was reportedly circulated on NSANet - the US National Security Agency's official intranet - to which Britain and other Five Eyes intelligence alliance nations are believed to have access.
What are the 'Black Triangles'?
"BLACK Triangles" have been a common part of the UFO phenomena since the first wave of sightings back in the 1940s.
As their name suggests, the objects appear floating in the sky as dark triangular shapes often peppered with lights.
Some of the triangles have been described as up to 120 metres long and they appear to move noiselessly without any contrails.
The triangles are part of a host of weird and wonderful UFO shapes - going from saucers, to spheres, to the infamous "Tic Tacs".
David Marler, UFO researcher and author of Triangular UFOs: An Estimate of the Situation, told the HISTORY he has up to 17,000 cases files on the phenomena.
He suggested the slow movement of the shapes could suggest "surveillance" or perhaps even scanning the landscape.
And in one of the most stunning encounters, it is reported in March 1990 two F-16 fighter jets in Belgium encountered a "Black Triangle".
It was said the shape accelerated away at 1,120mph within seconds - a manoeuvre that "exceeded the limits of conventional aviation", according to the air force.
British military UFO investigation Project Condign - which ran from 1997 to 2000 - makes mention of the shapes, but dismisses them as similar phenomena to ball lightning.
But if the existence of the Pentagon photo and the accounts of the 2019 East Coast encounter are true - it seems there is more to the triangles than a bizarre atmospheric disturbance.
Some have also speculated sightings of "Black Triangles" could be mis-identification for military aircraft using the flying wing design - such as Lockheed F-117 Nighthawk or B-2 Spirit.
Or the sightings could perhaps be more speculative and experimental craft, such as the rumoured TR-3A Black Manta or the Aurora.
Once again however - this does not explain the potential sighting in the Atlantic allegedly photographed by the US Navy pilot in 2019.
So-called "Black Triangle" sightings have been recorded for decades - including by the military - but often have been dismissed as secret aircraft or atmospheric anomalies.
And this alleged sighting and photo further raises questions over the links between UFOs and the ocean, with the Pentagon said to be probing the "transmedium" element of the phenomena.
"Transmedium" is the apparent ability of some UAPs to transit seamlessly between the air and the ocean.
Some have speculated UFOs may actually come from beneath the ocean - and numerous videos show the unusual ways they interact with the water.
Reports of incredible images being circulated in classified government documents just add the intrigue surrounding the upcoming UAP Task Force report which was ordered by US lawmakers.
The unprecedented dossier's deadline is now just days away, and it is reportedly set to not rule out an alien origin for UFOs.
Dismissed as a conspiracy theory for decades, former US defence officials, sitting politicians, and former presidents Barack Obama and Bill Clinton have all acknowledged there is something unusual going on in our skies.
Luis Elizondo headed up AATIP for the Pentagon before he went public
Luis Elizondo, who headed up the secretive Advanced Aerospace Threat Identification Program (AATIP) for the Pentagon, was recently also recently quizzed on the photo.
The intelligence officer resigned his post as he sought to bring the discussion about the UFOs into the mainstream, describing them as a "national security issue".
Quizzed on the Disclosure Team channel on YouTube bout whether he had seen the infamous image, Mr Elizondo replied: "I can't discuss that."
He added with a smile: "Great question".
The insider's decision to neither confirm or deny the existence of the photo has only fuelled the enthusiasm and speculation surrounding the alleged picture.
HIGHLY CLASSIFIED
Andy McGrillen, from UAP Media UK, a team set up to campaign for a more open and serious discussion on UFOs in Britain, told The Sun Online: "The much talked about Black Triangle picture is one that has had much of the community excited for some time.
"Recently I have been informed that the photo is of a craft that was initially tracked underwater then emerged, climbing to an altitude of 35-40,000 feet when an aircraft’s onboard systems took a high fidelity image.
"The triangular object was reported as having rounded edges, with lights on each of its corners. There were no obvious signs of propulsion.
"Something like this will surely be highly classified given the nature of the equipment taking the picture.
"However, if it did make its way into the public domain it could be a key piece of evidence, demonstrating that we are truly in the presence of some other intelligence."
Screenshot from the eerie and unexplained 'Tic Tac' video filmed by the US Navy and released by the Pentagon
Credit: US DEPARTMENT OF DEFENCE
Screenshot from the 'Gimbal' UFO video which includes US Navy pilots exclaiming 'look at that thing!'
Credit: US Department of Defense
Another US Navy video called 'Go Fast' which shows a UFO being tracked
Credit: US Department of Defense
What is going on with UFOs in the US?
UFOS have stepped from fringe conspiracy theories to a genuine national security debate in the US.
Pentagon officials last year took the unprecedented step to confirm a trio of remarkable videos which showed US encounters with UFOs.
The debate is still open as to what the phenomena caught on film were – but it made clear to everyone, something is in the skies.
Perhaps the most striking was a video known as the “Tic Tac” – which showed an unidentified object being pursued by fighter planes.
The US also confirmed the existence of the Advanced Aerospace Threat Identification Program (AATIP) – a Pentagon programme set up to study UFOs before being disbanded in 2017.
However, it was replaced by the UAP Task Force in June 2020 after a vote by the US Senate Intelligence Committee.
Defence chiefs have since confirmed a number of leaked UFO videos and photos which were submitted to the Task Force for investigation.
Why this sudden rush for transparency?
No outside the secretive wings of the US government currently knows for sure.
And as a tacked on addendum to a 5,500 page Covid relief bill passed in December, the the Director of National Intelligence’s office was ordered to compile a report on UFOs within 180 days.
Former intelligence director John Ratcliffe has hinted the report will be a big deal – and we now just over a month away from its release.
The five month deadline elapses on in June, with some UFO lobbyists claiming it could be the “most profound moment in human history".
US intelligence services officially closed the book on the UFO phenomena in 1969 at the conclusion Project Blue Book - which stated there was nothing to see.
However, in the last three years there has been an abrupt turnaround as the Pentagon took the unprecedented step of confirming three stunning leaked UFO videos filmed by the US Navy.
And the UFO report - which was commissioned by Congress - is being compiled by the UAP Task Force, who were given a 180 day deadline in December which is due to expire tomorrow.
Competing theories on the strange videos continue to rage – with some grounded on Earth claiming the videos capture never-before-seen military aircraft or drones, while others claim it shows otherworldly craft possibly piloted by aliens.
Others however are more sceptical and sometimes even dismissive, claiming the bizarre videos may just be camera tricks, natural phenomena or even outright hoaxes.
Leaked videos continue to emerge its been reported the UAP Task Force are investigating over 100 encounters between the military and the unidentified objects.
Emerging details on the report state that it does not confirm or rule out an alien origin for the phenomena - but US lawmakers have been talking up the issue following a classified briefing last week.
The Sun Online also spoke to Tobias Ellwood MP, who suggested UFOs could be advanced drones and called on the UK to stage a similar probe to the US.
What are Transmedium Objects? Avi Loeb, Ph.D. on the possibility of life beyond Earth
What are Transmedium Objects?Avi Loeb, Ph.D. on the possibility of life beyond Earth
Are we alone in this universe? Congress seems to think not. One branch of the American government implying that UFOs have non-human origins is an explosive development.
According to Vice, members of the Senate Intelligence Committee believe (on a unanimous, bipartisan basis) that some UFOs have non-human origins. After all, why would Congress establish and task a powerful new office with investigating non-'man-made' UFOs if such objects did not exist?
Despite Congress now asking the Pentagon to focus only on those objects that haven’t been designed by human hands we must ask ourselves whether it could be another distraction in an attempt to hide the truth about the existence of extraterrestrial UFOs and intelligent life beyond Earth.
Avi Loeb, Ph. D., an astrophysicist and professor of science at Harvard University, joined Morning in America to discuss the possibility of life beyond Earth.
The true story behind Carl Sagan’s cult classic, Contact
The true story behind Carl Sagan’s cult classic, Contact
Jill Tarter is Director of the Center for SETI Research at the SETI Institute in Mountain View, California. She served as Project Scientist for NASA’s SETI program, the High Resolution Microwave Survey, and has conducted numerous observational programs at radio observatories worldwide. Since the termination of funding for NASA’s SETI program in 1993, she has served in a leadership role to secure private funding to continue the exploratory science. Her astronomical work was illustrated in Carl Sagan’s 1985 novel “Contact.” The character largely based on Tarter, “Ellie Arroway,” was portrayed by Jodie Foster in the 1997 film version of “Contact.”
TWO SETS OF sacred documents — the Gutenburg Bible and the Spring and Autumn Annals of Confucius — chronicle two religious traditions separated by cultures and entire continents.
We might not know of these documents’ existence today without one invention: The printing press. This singular machine has enabled the mass distribution of knowledge — understanding the first iterations of this technology are key to understanding the modern world, and the future.
Scientists at SLAC are applying powerful X-ray technology to Confucian texts and the Gutenburg Bible to reveal their chemical history.
Travel back in time with us to Korea in 1442, during the Choson Dynasty. That’s when the Royal Government Publications Office used an early version of the printing press to mass-produce the writings of the ancient Chinese philosopher Confucius for the first time. Their press featured moveable type — the letters could be shifted and reconfigured as individual stamps.
Then in Germany around 1448, goldsmith Johannes Gutenberg built his legendary printing press. Historians credit it as the trigger for all the innovations that propelled Europe out of the Medieval era and into the Renaissance and beyond.
Gutenberg’s invention, which also featured moveable type, allowed for the first mass production of the Bible. Suddenly, monks didn’t have to painstakingly copy scripture by hand. In its first decade of use, the Gutenberg press printer 180 Gutenberg Bibles — about 49 of these survive today.
PRESSED FOR ANSWERS
But there’s a twist: The Confucian texts and the Gutenberg Bibles may have been printed a mere decade apart, but the Korean government used methods that had existed for at least 70 years that had originated in modern-day China. So while Gutenberg is the name the West remembers, Asian peoples were likely the first to ever use a printing press with moveable type to produce books and texts.
It’s also unclear whether the two printing press technologies emerged independently — or if Gutenberg took inspiration from Asia. To find out if Gutenberg was a true pioneer, a team of scientists from the SLAC National Accelerator Lab in Menlo Park, California, trained powerful X-ray beams on the sacred texts to reveal the secrets within.
By beaming sacred documents with X-rays, researchers hope to learn whether Gutenberg took inspiration from East Asian inventors.
To solve the nearly 600-year-old mystery, researchers might compare the construction of Gutenberg’s press with the one used by the Korean government. Both used metal letters, and it’s possible that Gutenberg knew of the Korean machine and built one using similar metal alloys, like nickel and copper.
He also may have concocted ink using a similar technique to the ink used in Korea, which was typically composed of burnt vegetable oil and glue. But since none of these ancient presses remain, the researchers can’t perform that kind of in-depth examination.
“WE CAN’T REALLY SAY ONE AFFECTED THE OTHER.”
“All we have to go on are some paintings, but we don't know if those paintings were portraits of the printing press or interpretations,” Minhal Gardezi, a University of Wisconsin-Madison graduate student who works on the project at SLAC, tells Inverse.
To extract the crucial clues hidden in the ink and metal residues, a powerful X-ray at SLAC called the Stanford Synchrotron Radiation Light Source can carefully scan original copies of the Korean documents and a surviving copy of the Gutenberg Bible. They haven’t yet published results of their research, but have already encountered some clues.
The SLAC has already processed text from the Gutenberg Bible, shown here, along with the Spring and Autumn Annals of Confucius.SLAC National Accelerator Laboratory
“On comparing some of the Western versus some of the Korean documents,” Gardezi says, “we've seen different types of metal appear, like totally different types of metal, which is very interesting.”
The scientists have also noticed differences in the sorts of ink and stamps used. But at this point in the analysis, we can’t conclude whether the presses are a case of convergent technological evolution — two strikingly similar technologies with similar-ish materials sprouting up within a century of each other yet with no clear relationship. Yet.
Jiyoung Noh is a program specialist at the Research and Development Division of the United Nations Educational, Scientific, and Cultural Organization (UNESCO), and has collaborated with SLAC on the project since its inception.
“We can't really say one affected the other,” Noh notes. But the SLAC may soon change that.
Gutenberg envisioned a giant contraption like this to print and widely distribute copies of important documents, leading to the rapid dissemination of knowledge.Shutterstock
The Gutenberg Press is considered a revolutionary technology because it enabled mass literacy, according to the Western-centric narrative that also claims the printing press first popped up in the 1450s in Germany.
But the oldest known moveable type printing press was developed by Chinese artisan Bi Sheng as early as 1040. This contraption used ceramic characters on an iron plate to press down ink on paper — printing the same document repeatedly. Bi Sheng’s documents and press were lost to time, so what we know of his accomplishments comes from secondhand sources.
By the 12th century, the first printing press with metal type had emerged in what’s now China. The early presses were used to produce currency and official documents, but later, they were also used to print other texts.
“THROUGHOUT THE WORLD, THAT IS WHAT WE KNOW IS THE EARLIEST HUMAN PRINTED DOCUMENT.”
By the 13th century, movable type presses had reached Korea, where they were employed by the Goryeo dynasty. While none of the early documents survived, we do have the Jikji text, a collection of Buddhist teachings printed on a bronze-based moveable type press in 1377. Unfortunately, the only remaining volume of Jikji is cached deep within the National Library of France, and is largely inaccessible.
So the SLAC decided to scan a contemporary copy of the 1442 Spring and Autumn Annals of Confucius,which were created using similar methods as the Jikji.
“This big overall project is called Jikji to Gutenberg, because the Jikji is the Buddhist book that was believed to be printed in Cheonju, Korea, 70-plus years before the Gutenberg Bible, so throughout the world, that is what we know is the earliest human printed document,” Gardezi says.
THE BEAMS HAVE IT
The Stanford Synchrotron Radiation Light Source creates an X-ray fluorescence spectrum of many frequencies. These frequencies correspond to the chemicals once punched onto the paper by a metal printing press.John Wenz
So, how does a linear accelerator enable researchers to decipher thousands-year-old documents? It turns out that the light generated at the SLAC can be harnessed to produce X-rays powerful enough to reveal ancient secrets.
IF THE METAL ALLOYS IN THE DOCUMENTS ARE STRIKINGLY SIMILAR, IT MAY MEAN THAT GUTENBERG ADAPTED THE EAST ASIAN CONCEPT.
The Stanford Synchrotron Radiation Light Source works a little something like this: It accelerates a stream of powerful electrons around a donut-like structure. When passing through the magnets surrounding the structure, the electrons generate synchrotron radiation, or fine beams of intense X-rays.
When one of these beams strikes the centuries-old paper, it creates an X-ray fluorescence spectrum of many frequencies. These frequencies correspond to the chemicals once punched onto the paper by a metal printing press.
The composition matters because the metal residues can offer clues as to whether Gutenberg was working with a blueprint or not. If the metal alloys in each set of documents are strikingly similar, it may mean that Gutenberg essentially re-envisioned the East Asian concept and adapted the technology to the West. But as mentioned by Gardezi, the evidence so far doesn’t seem to incriminate the German inventor.
ON THE HORIZON…
Another view of the Confucian text. Finding different metal traces on the two historical texts could disprove a direct link between Eastern and Western moveable type innovations.SLAC National Accelerator Laboratory
Firing intense X-ray beams at priceless and ancient documents may sound like an odd pursuit, but each page is exposed to the fine beam only for a few milliseconds and so the X-Ray doesn’t get a chance to damage the paper.
The scanning also takes place inside a radiation-proof room. Inside, a rig scans pages held upright, and a bright light travels across each page like a narrow-beam flashlight as a camera watches. Meanwhile, the SLAC scientists sit just outside the room, intently watching the scans arrive on a computer.
As the equipment processes the data, it color-codes certain chemicals on a screen. The text is indecipherable at this point. But the letters don’t matter so much as their chemical residue.
“I think some more chemical analysis is needed to understand if there really are any strong ties.”
“IT'LL BE MESMERIZING TO FIND SUCH A DISCOVERY. EVERYBODY'S GOING TO BE VERY SURPRISED.”
Concentrations of nickel show up as red splotches against the other chemical residue, which all appear blue — a generic assemblage of the other chemicals in the paper. It shows that nickel was part of the fabrication process of the individual letters in the moveable type developed by Gutenberg.
Finding different metal traces on the two historical texts could disprove a direct link between Eastern and Western moveable type innovations. But it could also result from differences in the machines’ fabrication or the availability of certain ingredients on the two continents.
“I think some more chemical analysis is needed to understand if there really are any strong ties,” Gardezi says.
Yet if they can prove a link, then the project could reveal a printing trade network using the Silk Road, in which artisans exchanged metal characters and inks in lieu of spices and fabric. That’s what UNESCO researcher Noh hopes for, although time will have to tell.
“It'll be mesmerizing to find such a discovery,” she says. “Everybody's going to be very surprised.”
The Universe is made up of billions of Galaxies including our Milky Way Galaxy. Scientists have discovered that the Milky Way Galaxies also house hundreds of billions of stars and planets. But out of these numerous stars, only about 4.1 billion of them are Stars like the Sun.
However, almost the stars like the Sun have something in common. They all have billions of billions of hydrogen atoms that fuse to produce Helium. This process is generally referred to as nuclear fusion. But as the Sun continues to undergo the nuclear fusion process, a time will reach when its brightness and size will expand.
As Stars like the Sun begin to run out of hydrogen atoms in their core, they slowly grow into red giants and take a shape that is ten times greater than their original size. A star undergoing such a process is generally referred to as a dying star.
Scientists clearly understand that the Stars like the Sun will surely turn into red dwarfs and even expand someday into the future to eat up planets around their orbit. However, scientists conducted a new study to improve their knowledge of how the Sun will expand and engulf neighboring planets. Scientists conducted this study deploying a method known as hydrodynamical simulations.
While conducting the research, the hydrodynamical simulations give an insight into the future scenarios of the Solar system. The scientists modeled the research to display scenarios where stars engulf planets to gain more knowledge on how the sun will expand in the future.
While making a statement about the discovery, Ricardo Yarza, the lead author of the study, stated, “Evolved stars can be hundreds or even thousands of times larger than their planets, and this disparity of scales makes it difficult to perform simulations that accurately model the physical processes occurring at each scale. Instead, we simulate a small section of the star centered on the planet to understand the flow around the planet and measure the drag forces acting on it.”
From these findings, scientists learned how the Sun will engulf its planets about 5 billion years from now and also gained more insightful knowledge about recently discovered planets orbiting white dwarfs. They also learned that some planets within the solar system may likely survive during the end stages of the Sun.
The study suggests that the closest planets to the sun which are Mercury and Jupiter will be eaten by the red giant. However, the Sun may survive the Massive sun. But even if Earth survives being consumed by the sun, it will become inhabitable for living species.
Planets with extremely cold temperatures like Jupiter, Saturn, Neptune, and Uranus with their moons will lose their ices and develop a more life-friendly environment. Scientists that conducted these studies later published them in the Astrophysical Journal. You can access it from HERE.
What do you think about this fascinating discovery about the future of Stars like the Sun?
The Sombrero Galaxy by Hubble aka Messier 104 NGC4594
The Sombrero Galaxy by Hubble aka Messier 104 NGC4594
There are approx. 200 to 400 billion stars in the Milky Way. Now look at this galaxy. It has 200 to 300 billion stars. Now….there are billions of galaxies! With billions of stars and that is just what we can observe with the current technology.
A billion billion is a Quintillion and there is about 400 billion x a quintillion stars in the known universe. Something to the power of 10 to the 24th. It blows my mind .....What gets me isn't just the number of stars, and the enormous scale and size and distance. It's the amount of time. That each galaxy is 31 million light years away.
The amount of time it took for the light from that picture to reach us, entire species could evolve on planets and develop into a space faring galactic civilization; empires could rise and fall, then fade into dust, and be lost in the sands of time, without us ever knowing. And that's just the 31 million years it took for that light, which is a drop in the bucket of time that this galaxy has had to create life over many many billions of years.
NASA's James Webb telescope has detected carbon dioxide in the atmosphere of a planet outside our solar system for the first time.
The discovery is important because it suggests the $10 billion (£7.4 billion) observatory may be able to detect and measure the gas in the thinner atmospheres of smaller, rocky planets that could host life.
WASP-39 b is a hot gas giant orbiting a sun-like star 700 light-years away from Earth.
It has a mass roughly one-quarter that of Jupiter – about the same as Saturn – and a diameter 1.3 times greater than Jupiter's.
The exoplanet's extreme puffiness is related in part to its high temperature, which is about 1,600 degrees Fahrenheit, or 900 degrees Celsius.
Discovery: NASA's James Webb telescope has detected carbon dioxide in the atmosphere of a planet outside our solar system for the first time. This illustration shows what exoplanet WASP-39 b could look like
A transmission spectrum of the hot gas giant exoplanet WASP-39 b captured by Webb's Near-Infrared Spectrograph (NIRSpec) revealed the first clear evidence for carbon dioxide in a planet outside the solar system
HOW SCIENTISTS STUDY THE ATMOSPHERE'S OF DISTANT EXOPLANETS
Distant stars and their orbiting planets often have conditions unlike anything we see in our atmosphere.
To understand these new worlds and what they are made of, scientists need to be able to detect what their atmospheres consist of.
They often do this by using a technique called absorption spectroscopy.
This form of analysis measures the light that is coming out of a planet's atmosphere.
Every gas absorbs a slightly different wavelength of light, and when this happens a black line appears on a complete spectrum.
These lines correspond to a very specific molecule, which indicates its presence on the planet.
They are often called Fraunhofer lines after the German astronomer and physicist that first discovered them in 1814.
By combining all the different wavelengths of lights, scientists can determine all the chemicals that make up the atmosphere of a planet.
This analysis has to be done by space telescopes such as James Webb because the atmosphere of Earth would otherwise interfere.
Absorption from chemicals in our atmosphere would skew the sample, which is why it is important to study the light before it has had chance to reach Earth.
Unlike the cooler, more compact gas giants in our solar system, WASP-39 b orbits very close to its star – only about one-eighth the distance between the sun and Mercury – completing one circuit in just over four Earth days.
The planet's discovery, reported in 2011, was made based on ground-based detections of the subtle, periodic dimming of light from its host star as the planet transits, or passes in front of the star.
Previous observations from other telescopes, including NASA's Hubble and Spitzer space telescopes, revealed the presence of water vapour, sodium, and potassium in the planet's atmosphere.
Webb's unmatched infrared sensitivity has now confirmed the presence of carbon dioxide on this planet as well.
Transiting planets like WASP-39 b, whose orbits we observe edge-on rather than from above, can provide researchers with ideal opportunities to probe planetary atmospheres.
During a transit, some of the starlight is eclipsed by the planet completely – causing the overall dimming – and some is transmitted through the planet's atmosphere.
Because different gases absorb different combinations of colours, researchers can analyse small differences in brightness of the transmitted light across a spectrum of wavelengths to determine exactly what an atmosphere is made of.
With its combination of inflated atmosphere and frequent transits, WASP-39 b is an ideal target for transmission spectroscopy.
The research team used Webb's Near-Infrared Spectrograph (NIRSpec) for its observations of WASP-39 b.
In the resulting spectrum of the exoplanet's atmosphere, a small hill between 4.1 and 4.6 microns presents the first clear, detailed evidence for carbon dioxide ever detected in a planet outside the solar system.
'As soon as the data appeared on my screen, the whopping carbon dioxide feature grabbed me,' said Zafar Rustamkulov, a graduate student at Johns Hopkins University and member of the JWST Transiting Exoplanet Community Early Release Science team, which undertook this investigation.
'It was a special moment, crossing an important threshold in exoplanet sciences.'
No observatory has ever measured such subtle differences in brightness of so many individual colours across the 3- to 5.5-micron range in an exoplanet transmission spectrum before.
Access to this part of the spectrum is crucial for measuring abundances of gases like water and methane, as well as carbon dioxide, which are thought to exist in many different types of exoplanets.
The discovery is important because it suggests the $10 billion (£7.4 billion) observatory (pictured) may be able to detect and measure the gas in the thinner atmospheres of smaller, rocky planets that could host life
A series of light curves from Webb's NIRSpec shows the change in brightness of three different wavelengths, or colours of light from the WASP-39 star system over time as the planet transited the star in July
Webb's infrared capabilities allow it to 'see back in time' to the Big Bang, which happened 13.8 billion years ago. Light waves move extremely fast, about 186,000 miles (300,000 km) per second, every second. The further away an object is, the further back in time we are looking. This is because of the time it takes light to travel from the object to us
'Detecting such a clear signal of carbon dioxide on WASP-39 b bodes well for the detection of atmospheres on smaller, terrestrial-sized planets,' said Natalie Batalha of the University of California at Santa Cruz, who leads the team.
Understanding the composition of a planet's atmosphere is important because it tells us something about the origin of the planet and how it evolved.
'Carbon dioxide molecules are sensitive tracers of the story of planet formation,' said Mike Line of Arizona State University, another member of this research team.
'By measuring this carbon dioxide feature, we can determine how much solid versus how much gaseous material was used to form this gas giant planet.
'In the coming decade, JWST will make this measurement for a variety of planets, providing insight into the details of how planets form and the uniqueness of our own solar system.'
The discovery has been accepted for publication in the journal Nature.
The James Webb Telescope: NASA's $10 billion telescope is designed to detect light from the earliest stars and galaxies
The James Webb telescope has been described as a 'time machine' that could help unravel the secrets of our universe.
The telescope will be used to look back to the first galaxies born in the early universe more than 13.5 billion years ago, and observe the sources of stars, exoplanets, and even the moons and planets of our solar system.
The vast telescope, which has already cost more than $7 billion (£5 billion), is considered a successor to the orbiting Hubble Space Telescope
The James Webb Telescope and most of its instruments have an operating temperature of roughly 40 Kelvin – about minus 387 Fahrenheit (minus 233 Celsius).
It is the world's biggest and most powerful orbital space telescope, capable of peering back 100-200 million years after the Big Bang.
The orbiting infrared observatory is designed to be about 100 times more powerful than its predecessor, the Hubble Space Telescope.
NASA likes to think of James Webb as a successor to Hubble rather than a replacement, as the two will work in tandem for a while.
The Hubble telescope was launched on April 24, 1990, via the space shuttle Discovery from Kennedy Space Centre in Florida.
It circles the Earth at a speed of about 17,000mph (27,300kph) in low Earth orbit at about 340 miles in altitude.
James Webb Space Telescope neemt voor het eerst koolstofdioxide waar in de atmosfeer van een exoplaneet
Een primeur voor de James Webb ruimtetelescoop. Voor het eerst heeft het observatorium onomstotelijk bewijs geleverd dat er koolstofdioxide (CO2) voorkomt in de atmosfeer van een planeet buiten ons zonnestelsel. Het gaat om de gasreus WASP-39b die op 700 lichtjaar afstand van de aarde rond zijn ster draait. Dankzij wetenschappelijke ontdekkingen zoals deze krijgen we een beter zicht op hoe planeten en zonnestelsels zich vormen en hoe uniek wij zijn.
Martijn Peters
WASP-39b ... het is in de atmosfeer van deze exoplaneet - dat is een planeet die rond een andere ster dan onze zon draait - dat de James Webb ruimtetelescoop koolstofdioxide heeft waargenomen. WASP-39b is een gasreuzenplaneet met ongeveer dezelfde massa als Saturnus en een diameter net iets groter dan die van Jupiter. De gasreus is dus niet enkel minder compact, hij is ook een stuk heter. In tegenstelling tot onze koelere gasreuzen draait WASP-39b heel dicht rond zijn ster. De afstand tussen de twee bedraag maar een achtste van de afstand tussen onze zon en Mercurius. Hierdoor loopt de temperatuur er op tot 900 °C.
Wetenschappers ontdekten de exoplaneet al in 2011 maar lieten nu ook de gloednieuwe James Webb ruimtetelescoop er zijn infrarood oog op werpen. Want wanneer een exoplaneet voor zijn ster passeert dimt dit tijdelijk het sterrenlicht. Dat dimmen kan ons iets vertellen over de atmosfeer van zo'n planeet. Afhankelijk van de samenstelling daarvan zal een bepaald deel van het licht van de ster doorgelaten worden en een bepaald deel niet. De atmosfeer laat dus als het ware een soort handtekening achter in het sterrenlicht. Op basis hiervan kunnen wetenschappers bepalen welke chemische moleculen er aanwezig zijn, hoe dik de atmosfeer is, of er eventueel wolken zijn, ... . Dat wetenschappers WASP-39b als eerste doelwit hebben uitgekozen was niet onverwacht. De exoplaneet heeft een uitgezette atmosfeer en een korte omlooptijd van maar 4 aardse dagen waardoor je dit ‘dimmen’ gemakkelijk en vaak kan waarnemen.
Om deze detectie uit te voeren maakte het team van wetenschappers gebruik van de Near-Infrared Spectrograph (NIRSpec) van de grootste ruimtetelescoop ooit. In het resulterende spectrum van de exoplaneet WASP-39b zagen onderzoekers een duidelijk signaal van CO2. Het is het eerste gedetailleerde en onbetwistbare bewijs voor de aanwezigheid van koolstofdioxide op een planeet buiten ons zonnestelsel. “Het detecteren van zo’n duidelijk signaal is een goed voorteken voor wanneer we de atmosferen op kleinere, aardachtige planeten gaan bestuderen, die gelijken op onze aarde”, zegt Natalie Batalha van de Universiteit van Californië in Santa Cruz.
Het begrijpen van de samenstelling van de atmosfeer van een planeet is belangrijk omdat het ons iets vertelt over de oorsprong van de planeet en hoe deze is geëvolueerd. “CO2-moleculen zijn een belangrijk element in het verhaal van planeetvorming”, zegt Mike Line van de Arizona State University, een lid van het onderzoeksteam. “Door deze CO2 te meten, kunnen we achterhalen hoeveel vast en hoeveel gasvormig materiaal er nodig was om de gasreuzenplaneet te vormen. In het komende decennium gaat de James Webb Space Telescope deze meting doen voor nog heel wat andere planeten. Hierdoor zullen we meer inzicht krijgen in hoe planeten ontstaan en hoe uniek ons eigen zonnestelsel al dan niet is.”
Dat beaamt ook professor Leen Decin van het Instituut voor Sterrenkunde (KU Leuven), die meewerkte aan het onderzoek. Wetenschappers van de KU Leuven hadden een sleutelrol in de ontwikkeling en kalibratie van enkele instrumenten aan boord. “Dankzij de hoge gevoeligheid en resolutie van de James Webb ruimtetelescoop kunnen we nu eindelijk met grote accuraatheid de chemische samenstelling van de atmosfeer van exoplaneten bepalen. Dit is één van de prachtige bewijzen die tonen tot wat samenwerking van duizenden wetenschappers kan leiden“, reageert professor Decin.
En daar stop het internationale verhaal niet. Want al dit wetenschappelijk onderzoek valt onder het ‘James Webb Early Release Science-programma’ waarbij alle metingen meteen beschikbaar zijn voor andere onderzoekers. “Het doel is om de Early Release Science-waarnemingen snel te analyseren en toegankelijke hulpmiddelen te ontwikkelen die de wetenschappelijke gemeenschap kan gebruiken”, legt Vivien Parmentier van de Universiteit van Oxford uit. “Dit maakt bijdragen van over de hele wereld mogelijk en zorgt ervoor dat de best mogelijke wetenschap uit de komende decennia van waarnemingen zal komen.”
Wie weet wat we nog allemaal zullen ontdekken in de komende jaren ...
Deze illustratie laat zien hoe exoplaneet WASP-39 b eruit zou kunnen zien, gebaseerd op de huidige kennis van de planeet. Deze illustratie is gebaseerd op indirecte doorvoerwaarnemingen van Webb en andere telescopen in de ruimte en op de grond. Webb heeft geen direct beeld van deze planeet gemaakt.
NASA, ESA, CSA, JOSEPH OLMSTED
Een reeks lichtkrommen van Webb's Near-Infrared Spectrograph (NIRSpec) toont de verandering in helderheid van drie verschillende golflengten (kleuren) van het licht van het WASP-39-sterrenstelsel in de loop van de tijd toen de planeet op 10 juli 2022 door de ster ging. transit vindt plaats wanneer een in een baan om de aarde draaiende planeet tussen de ster en de telescoop beweegt en een deel van het licht van de ster blokkeert.
ILLUSTRATIE: NASA, ESA, CSA, LEAH HUSTAK (STSCI), JOSEPH OLMSTED (STSCI)
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The eerie sound waves sent out by a Black Hole
The eerie sound waves sent out by a Black Hole
Since 2003, the black hole at the center of the Perseus galaxy cluster has been associated with sound. This is because astronomers discovered that pressure waves sent out by the black hole caused ripples in the cluster's hot gas that could be translated into a note — one that humans cannot hear some 57 octaves below middle C. Now a new sonification brings more notes to this black hole sound machine. This new sonification — that is, the translation of astronomical data into sound — is being released for NASA's Black Hole Week this year.
In some ways, this sonification is unlike any other done before because it revisits the actual sound waves discovered in data from NASA's Chandra X-ray Observatory.
The popular misconception that there is no sound in space originates with the fact that most of space is essentially a vacuum, providing no medium for sound waves to propagate through.
A galaxy cluster, on the other hand, has copious amounts of gas that envelop the hundreds or even thousands of galaxies within it, providing a medium for the sound waves to travel.
In this new sonification of Perseus, the sound waves astronomers previously identified were extracted and made audible for the first time. The sound waves were extracted in radial directions, that is, outwards from the center. The signals were then resynthesized into the range of human hearing by scaling them upward by 57 and 58 octaves above their true pitch.
Another way to put this is that they are being heard 144 quadrillion and 288 quadrillion times higher than their original frequency. (A quadrillion is 1,000,000,000,000,000.) The radar-like scan around the image allows you to hear waves emitted in different directions.
In the visual image of these data, blue and purple both show X-ray data captured by Chandra. Credit: NASA/CXC/SAO/K.Arcand, SYSTEM Sounds (M. Russo, A. Santaguida)
NASA shared the sound of a black hole on social media and it went super viral
“The popular misconception that there is no sound in space originates with the fact that most of space is essentially a vacuum, providing no medium for sound waves to propagate through,” NASA continued. “A galaxy cluster, on the other hand, has copious amounts of gas that envelop the hundreds or even thousands of galaxies within it, providing a medium for the sound waves to travel.”
NASA also explained, “The sound waves astronomers previously identified were extracted and made audible for the first time. The sound waves were extracted in radial directions, that is, outwards from the center. The signals were then resynthesized into the range of human hearing by scaling them upward by 57 and 58 octaves above their true pitch. Another way to put this is that they are being heard 144 quadrillion and 288 quadrillion times higher than their original frequency. (A quadrillion is 1,000,000,000,000,000.)”
The black hole sound clip shared by NASA on Sunday has now been listened to almost 14 million times with numerous people being completely creeped out by the horror movie vibe the sound gives off.
“Good news. Black holes sound exactly as terrifying as you might have guessed,” one person replied to NASA.
DISAPPEARING ALIEN PORTALS Found In Night Vision Images? | The Mystery at Magic Mesa
DISAPPEARING ALIEN PORTALS Found In Night Vision Images? | The Mystery at Magic Mesa
The Mystery at Magic Mesa research continues. Now utilizing military grade night vision optics to debunk the disappearing lights phenomenon in the valley. Is it headlights or something natural, or portals into another dimension?
Scientists blast atoms with Fibonacci laser to make an 'extra' dimension of time
Scientists blast atoms with Fibonacci laser to make an 'extra' dimension of time
Scientists have produced a brand-new, bizarre phase of matter that acts as like it has two dimensions of time by directing a Fibonacci laser beam at atoms within a quantum computer.
The new phase of matter, which was produced by rhythmically jiggling a strand of 10 ytterbium ions with lasers, allows researchers to store information in a way that is significantly more error-protected, paving the way for quantum computers that can retain data for a very long time without becoming jumbled. In a report published on July 20 in the journal Nature, the researchers presented their findings in detail.
The inclusion of a theoretical "extra" time dimension "is a completely different way of thinking about phases of matter," lead author Philipp Dumitrescu, a researcher at the Flatiron Institute's Center for Computational Quantum Physics in New York City, said in a statement. "I've been working on these theory ideas for over five years, and seeing them come actually to be realized in experiments is exciting."
The physicists weren't trying to invent a phase with a hypothetical extra time dimension, and they weren't seeking for a way to improve quantum data storage either. Instead, they sought to develop a new phase of matter, one that went beyond the conventional solid, liquid, gas, and plasma states.
They set about building the new phase in the quantum computer company Quantinuum's H1 quantum processor, which consists of 10 ytterbium ions in a vacuum chamber that are precisely controlled by lasers in a device known as an ion trap.
Ordinary computers use bits, or 0s and 1s, to form the basis of all calculations. Quantum computers are designed to use qubits, which can also exist in a state of 0 or 1. But that's just about where the similarities end. Thanks to the bizarre laws of the quantum world, qubits can exist in a combination, or superposition, of both the 0 and 1 states until the moment they are measured, upon which they randomly collapse into either a 0 or a 1.
This strange behavior is the key to the power of quantum computing, as it allows qubits to link together through quantum entanglement, a process that Albert Einstein dubbed "spooky action at a distance." Entanglement couples two or more qubits to each other, connecting their properties so that any change in one particle will cause a change in the other, even if they are separated by vast distances. This gives quantum computers the ability to perform multiple calculations simultaneously, exponentially boosting their processing power over that of classical devices.
But the development of quantum computers is held back by a big flaw: Qubits don't just interact and get entangled with each other; because they cannot be perfectly isolated from the environment outside the quantum computer, they also interact with the outside environment, thus causing them to lose their quantum properties, and the information they carry, in a process called decoherence.
"Even if you keep all the atoms under tight control, they can lose their 'quantumness' by talking to their environment, heating up or interacting with things in ways you didn't plan,"Dumitrescu said.
To get around these pesky decoherence effects and create a new, stable phase, the physicists looked to a special set of phases called topological phases. Quantum entanglement doesn't just enable quantum devices to encode information across the singular, static positions of qubits, but also to weave them into the dynamic motions and interactions of the entire material — in the very shape, or topology, of the material's entangled states. This creates a "topological" qubit that encodes information in the shape formed by multiple parts rather than one part alone, making the phase much less likely to lose its information.
A key hallmark of moving from one phase to another is the breaking of physical symmetries — the idea that the laws of physics are the same for an object at any point in time or space. As a liquid, the molecules in water follow the same physical laws at every point in space and in every direction. But if you cool water enough so that it transforms into ice, its molecules will pick regular points along a crystal structure, or lattice, to arrange themselves across. Suddenly, the water molecules have preferred points in space to occupy, and they leave the other points empty; the spatial symmetry of the water has been spontaneously broken.
Creating a new topological phase inside a quantum computer also relies on symmetry breaking, but with this new phase, the symmetry is not being broken across space, but time.
By giving each ion in the chain a periodic jolt with the lasers, the physicists wanted to break the continuous time symmetry of the ions at rest and impose their own time symmetry — where the qubits remain the same across certain intervals in time — that would create a rhythmic topological phase across the material.
But the experiment failed. Instead of inducing a topological phase that was immune to decoherence effects, the regular laser pulses amplified the noise from outside the system, destroying it less than 1.5 seconds after it was switched on.
After reconsidering the experiment, the researchers realized that to create a more robust topological phase, they would need to knot more than one time symmetry into the ion strand to decrease the odds of the system getting scrambled. To do this, they settled on finding a pulse pattern that did not repeat simply and regularly but nonetheless showed some kind of higher symmetry across time.
This led them to the Fibonacci sequence, in which the next number of the sequence is created by adding the previous two. Whereas a simple periodic laser pulse might just alternate between two laser sources (A, B, A, B, A, B, and so on), their new pulse train instead ran by combining the two pulses that came before (A, AB, ABA, ABAAB, ABAABABA, etc.).
This Fibonacci pulsing created a time symmetry that, just like a quasicrystal in space, was ordered without ever repeating. And just like a quasicrystal, the Fibonacci pulses also squish a higher dimensional pattern onto a lower dimensional surface. In the case of a spatial quasicrystal such as Penrose tiling, a slice of a five-dimensional lattice is projected onto a two-dimensional surface. When looking at the Fibonacci pulse pattern, we see two theoretical time symmetries get flattened into a single physical one.
An example of penrose tiling
(Image credit: Shutterstock)
"The system essentially gets a bonus symmetry from a nonexistent extra time dimension," the researchers wrote in the statement.The system appears as a material that exists in some higher dimension with two dimensions of time — even if this may be physically impossible in reality.
When the team tested it, the new quasiperiodic Fibonacci pulse created a topographic phase that protected the system from data loss across the entire 5.5 seconds of the test. Indeed, they had created a phase that was immune to decoherence for much longer than others.
"With this quasi-periodic sequence, there's a complicated evolution that cancels out all the errors that live on the edge,"Dumitrescu said. "Because of that, the edge stays quantum-mechanically coherent much, much longer than you'd expect."
Although the physicists achieved their aim, one hurdle remains to making their phase a useful tool for quantum programmers: integrating it with the computational side of quantum computing so that it can be input with calculations.
"We have this direct, tantalizing application, but we need to find a way to hook it into the calculations,"Dumitrescu said."That's an open problem we're working on."
An Unknown Force Is Pulling The Milky Way And Other Galaxies Towards It At 12 Million Mph
An Unknown Force Is Pulling The Milky Way And Other Galaxies Towards It At 12 Million Mph
We don't know why a hundred thousand galaxies, including our own, are being dragged into a region of space we can't see. Astronomers refer to this as a "Gravity Anomaly."
It's a vast region of space known as "The Great Attractor." Astronomers estimate its mass to be 100 billion Suns. More information can be found in the video below.
The Record for the Farthest Galaxy just got Broken Again, now just 250 million years after the Big Bang
The Record for the Farthest Galaxy just got Broken Again, now just 250 million years after the Big Bang
In a recent study that was submitted to MNRAS, a collaborative research team made use of the first batch of data from the James Webb Space Telescope (JWST) to identify a galaxy candidate, CEERS-93316, that formed roughly 250 million years after the Big Bang and that also set a new redshift record of z = 16.7. This discovery is really exciting since it shows the strength of JWST, which has only recently started returning its first round of data. Cosmic Evolution Early Release Science Survey, or CEERS, was developed especially for imaging with JWST.
Postage stamp images of CEERS-93316 from their respective JWST NIRCam (Near Infrared Camera) filters (F115W, F150W, F200W, F277W, F356W, and F444W).
(Credit: Donnan et al. (2022))
“The past few weeks have been surreal, watching all the records that stood for a long time with Hubble be broken by JWST,” says Dr. Rebecca Bowler, who is an Ernest Rutherford Fellow at the University of Manchester, and a co-author on the study. “Finding a z = 16.7 galaxy candidate is an amazing feeling – it wasn’t something we were expecting from the early data.”
This new study references a dozen previous studies that have measured objects up to redshifts z ? 10 using a mixture of ground-based observations and with the Hubble Space Telescope and Spitzer Space Telescope.
“It’s amazing to have found such a distant galaxy candidate already with Webb given that this is just the first set of data,” says Mr. Callum Donnan, a PhD student at the University of Edinburgh, and lead author of the study. “It is important to note that to be certain of the redshift, the galaxy will need follow up observations using spectroscopy. This is why we refer to it as a galaxy candidate.”
The study determined that CEERS-93316 can’t be a low-mass star or unobstructed active galactic nucleus based on imaging data from NIRCam (Near Infrared Camera), which is JWST’s primary imager. Since CEERS-93316 is could be only 250 million years old, one goal for cosmologists is to know what’s happening in galaxies that young, and so soon after the Big Bang.
“After the Big Bang the Universe entered a period known as the dark ages, a time before any stars had been born,” explains Dr. Bowler. “The observations of this galaxy push observations back to the time when we think the first galaxies ever to exist were being formed. Already we’ve found more galaxies in the very early Universe than computer simulations predicted, so there is clearly a lot of open questions about how and when the first stars and galaxies formed.”
Given this incredible finding in just the first set of data from JWST, it’s intriguing to think how much father back in the universe this record-shattering space telescope can see, and whether it can see the Big Bang itself.
“In principle JWST can detect galaxies at redshifts greater than 20, less than 200 million years after the Big Bang,” explains Bowler. “These galaxies will likely be extremely hard to find, but the detection of CERRS 93316 gives us hope that they may exist. Watch this space!”
“The most distant phenomenon observed is the cosmic microwave background (CMB) which is the ‘afterglow’ of the Big Bang,” explains Donnan. “The light from the CMB comes from approximately 400,000 years after the Big Bang and has been observed by various instruments over the years – most notably the Planck satellite which launched in 2009. Webb won’t be able to see as far back as that, but it is able to probe the earliest stages of galaxy formation.”
While Donnan and Bowler both stated there are no further observations planned for CEERS-93316, they are hopeful that there will be in the future.
Redshift is part of what’s known as the Doppler effect, which astronomers use to measure distances in the universe. A frequent example to demonstrate the Doppler effect is the change in sound wave pitch as a loud object travels towards you then travels away from you, often by an ambulance or other first responder vehicle. The sound waves as the object travels towards you is known as blueshift, while the opposite is called redshift. This new study setting a new redshift record means scientists have measured the farthest object in the universe to date.
Retired Major General Wilfried De Brouwer reported in Leslie Kean's 2010 book UFOs: Generals, Pilots, and Government Officials Go on the Record that he had examined further to see whether these objects may have been espionage flights performed by F-117 stealth aircraft or anything similar. He felt sure that this was not the case due to the described performances, which did not correspond to any known technological capability. He found it hard to imagine that any other country would fly experimental craft equipped with unknown technologies over a populated region without receiving formal permission.
However, he asked the American Embassy, which promptly responded that no Stealth flights or other experimental flights had flown over Belgium.
In his letter to me dated May 29, 1998, the late nuclear scientist Stanton Friedman stated the following about this case: "I have always maintained that the Belgian flap MIGHT have been new Earthling vehicles. It's in my gray basket."
As the UFO encounters and sightings by military aircrews have increased tremendously, US Senate Select Committee on Intelligence rebrands UFOs as “unidentified aerospace-undersea phenomena.” Expanding the definition to include objects in space and under the oceans significantly broadens the scope of investigating UFOs. Interestingly, few remember the UFO/Alien controversy surrounding Holloman Air Force Base in New Mexico, when one of three UFOs allegedly landed on the base early in May 1971.
However, as it is so often in such cases, instead of the government releasing a film of the entire incident to author/filmmaker Robert Emenegger as promised, it only released 8 seconds of this special footage that ultimately made it into the film. Holloman Air Force Base is the United States Air Force base established in 1942 and located six miles southwest of the central business district of Alamogordo, New Mexico.
It all began in 1971 when Emenegger and producer/director Allan Sandler were invited by the US intelligence (either the United States Air Force or Department of Defence) to Norton Air Force Base in California to discuss the major UFO phenomenon that had happened before and create a documentary film on it.
Robert Emenegger
There is no official record of the reason why the US government allowed to give secret UFO footage for a documentary film. It is believed that the administration of President Nixon did it to look strong in the science field for the upcoming 1972 re-election campaign.
Emenegger said that he was promised by the USAF officials to get the authentic UFO landing footage that happened at Holloman Air Force Base in New Mexico in 1971. It showed the alien visitors emerging out of the craft that met with the US military. Even though Emenegger was skeptical about it, the Air Force assured him that the footage was authentic.
One of the military’s officials named Paul Shartle, who was in charge of the audio-video department, said in a 1988 national television broadcast with Mike Farrell that he had watched the 16mm film of three disc-shaped craft. One of them landed and the others flew away.
“I saw footage of three disc-shaped crafts one of the crafts landed and two of them went away. It appeared to be in trouble because it oscillated all the way down to the ground. However, it did land on three pods, a sliding door open a ramp was extended, and out came three aliens. They were human-sized. They had an odd gray complexion and a pronounced nose. They wore tight-fitting jumpsuits, thin headdresses that appeared to be communication devices, and their hands in their hands they held a translator I was told.”
High Speed Test Track at Holloman Air Force Base
According to Emenegger, he even visited the landing site and checked the place where the alien vehicle was kept. The alien visitors and the US army personnel had meetings for several days.
Emenegger and his production team were provided access to top-secret files into DoD facilities and were even allowed to take help from the military officials who had been into the UFO matters, including Col. William Coleman from Project Blue Book and Col. George Weinbrenner, who was the head of Foreign Technology at Wright Patterson Air Force Base.
Emenegger said that the landing took place at 6 a.m. The alien visitors had eyes with a vertical slit, and their mouths were thin and slitlike, with no chins. He was promised by the USAF to get 3200 feet film of UFO landing but at the last moment, they refused to use it due to the “Watergate Scandal.” Despite it, Emenegger and Sandler were asked to describe the Holloman episode as something hypothetical, which might happen in the future.
After months of research and film production, Emenegger felt cheated as the permission of using real footage was withdrawn. Anyway, he released his Golden Globe-nominated documentary, “UFOs: Past, Present, and Future” in 1974. It turned out to be groundbreaking due to the information provided by the DoD. The USAF forced Emenegger to add the animated footage of the alleged Holloman UFO landing.
As per Emenegger, the alleged real landing footage was not fully missing from the frames. He said some frames from the original footage were used in the reconstruction during the editing stage, which was authorized by the USAF. The viewers spotted a genuine bright disc coming down slowly in the distance against the backdrop of Holloman’s surrounding landscape.
At the Alien Cosmic Expo in Toronto in 2017, UFO researcher and author Grant Cameron held an interview in his hotel room to discuss (among many subjects) a film from 1974 at Holloman Air Force Base, which contained footage of a UFO landing.
Here is the transcript of key points Mr. Cameron said in an interview:
“I was involved in one of the key stories that confirms that they’re not covering up and that was the story of the holloman air force base film this is one of the stories I put on the book.
In 1973, they [Pentagon] go to Emenegger and Alan Sandler, two producers in Los Angeles. They ask them to do a UFO documentary. Emenegger who was a total ufo skeptic said what do you mean this is for real and at that point, the security manager Paul Shartle at Norton Air Force base said what would you say if I told you that we had an alien ship landed at air force base six o’clock in the morning in May of 1971 and we filmed it from three different vantage points two on the ground one in a helicopter and we will allow you to use the film for your documentary.”
“Then they put the documentary out and then I find out that there was eight seconds of the Holloman air force base UFO film in the documentary.” Mr. Cameron then called Emenegger, telling him about the 8-second of the film.
He [Emenegger] said: “But it didn’t show anything. You don’t see when the alien gets out that’s the classified part.” Mr. Cameron further said that the government allowed Emenegger to use the small clip to hint that the Holloman UFO incident happened, but the classified part was removed.
The film was re-released in 1979 after adding more UFO sightings and new information that included cattle mutilations. Jacques Vallée added 30 minutes of new narration into the film, talking about ancient astronaut theory.
NASA Just Saw Something Come Out Of A Black Hole For The First Time Ever
NASA Just Saw Something Come Out Of A Black Hole For The First Time Ever
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You don’t need to be an expert in science to understand that black holes often pull things in rather than spit them out. However, NASA has just discovered something quite weird around the supermassive black hole Markarian 335.
Two NASA satellite telescopes, including the Nuclear Spectroscopic Telescope Array (NuSTAR), witnessed a black hole’s corona being “launched” away from a supermassive black hole. Then a huge burst of X-ray energy emitted. So, what precisely happened? That is what scientists are currently trying to understand.
“This is the first time we have been able to link the launching of the corona to a flare,” Dan Wilkins, of Saint Mary’s University, said. “This will help us understand how supermassive black holes power some of the brightest objects in the universe.”
Fiona Harrison, NuSTAR’s primary investigator, stated that the nature of the energy source is a “mystery,” but that the ability to actually capture the event should offer some indications about the black hole’s size and structure, as well as (hopefully) some new insight into how black holes work. This black hole, fortunately for us, is still 324 million light-years distant.
So, whatever bizarre things it does, it shouldn’t have any influence on our little part of the cosmos.
Timing is everything in comedy, but it may come as a surprise to find it makes a big impact in the world of UFOs as well. Take, for example, the Intelligence Authorization Act for Fiscal Year 2023, passed recently to authorize funding, provide legal authorities, and enhance congressional oversight for the U.S. Intelligence Community, which includes the All-domain Anomaly Resolution Office (AARO) which was recently established in the Department of Defense to investigate the numerous encounters with unidentified aerial phenomena – and more, as we shall see – that military personnel have been reporting lately. Some people who have dug deeply into this budget report found that the wording implies the U.S. government believes some of these UAPs may not be human-made. Now for the “timing is everything” part. A commercial airline pilot on a flight ironically to Washington DC recently reported an encounter with foo fighter UFOs – those strange glowing orbs first reported following pilots during World War II. Are some extraterrestrials trying to tell the U.S. government that “we know you’re watching us so we’re watching you”? Is timing everything in other star systems too?
A Tic Tac UFO of the non-transmedium kind
“Cross-domain transmedium threats to the United States national security are expanding exponentially.”
In an article on the hidden agenda inside the Intelligence Authorization Act for Fiscal Year 2023, Vice.com points out that it appears the U.S. government is very concerned about one particular type of unidentified object that has been showing up in the videos taken by Navy pilots during encounters and finally being released and grudgingly verified by the Pentagon as being authentic military videos of … something. Accordiing the IAA budget, those are the Tic Tac ufos that were first spotted flying fast and low over the ocean, then suddenly and seamlessly disappearing into the water without making a ripple or breaking apart – two things that all known human technology attempting that kind of maneuver would do at that high speed. This implies that the government probably knows that most of the other UAPs seen by pilots and picked up by radar are super-advanced drones or aircraft of the human-made kind. In another part of the IAA budget, Vice.com found this:
“Temporary nonattributed objects, or those that are positively identified as man-made after analysis, will be passed to appropriate offices and should not be considered under the definition as unidentified aerospace-undersea phenomena.”
It doesn’t take a rocket scientist to follow the logic in that statement – objects seen by military personnel that are positively identified as being human-made go in the “Human-Made” file cabinet, while the transmedium “unidentified aerospace-undersea phenomena” go in a non-human-made file cabinet. Could this have been a mistake or clerical error that slipped by the government fact-checkers putting together the Intelligence Authorization Act for Fiscal Year 2023? An article on the subject in The Hill doesn’t think so.
“It strains credulity to believe that lawmakers would include such extraordinary language in public legislation without compelling evidence. Perhaps members have seen the classified sensor data that prompted former President Trump’s director of national intelligence to state that UFOs exhibit “technologies that we don’t have [and] that we are not capable of defending against.”
“Not capable of defending against.” That’s something you don’t hear very often from a “defense” department. As The Hill points out, this means that all UAP reports must first undergo an “Is it man-made or not?” sniff test. All transmedium objects and any that can’t be classified as drones must e sent to another special investigation department set up of non-human-made objects. Is this a big deal? The Hill thinks so.
"Make no mistake: One branch of the American government implying that UFOs have non-human origins is an explosive development."
Just as government watchdog media sites like The Hill and Vice are looking into this new revelation that the government seems to be admitting there could be non-human-made UAPs, a commercial airline pilot reported seeing this while on a 4-hour flight to Washington Dulles airport.
“At roughly 0055 ET I began seeing slow pulses of light in the sky directly in front of us (to our north). The pulses would last usually 8-10 seconds each and had gaps of darkness lasting anywhere from 10 seconds to over a minute. They were slowly moving from left to right. The pulses would be gradual (start very dim and grow into a bright light about the brightness of Venus, and then fade away).”
UFO Sightings Daily reports that an unnamed experienced commercial pilot “who works for a major airline” and whose “credentials are impeccable” saw what appear to be classic bright org UFOs or foo fighters on August 12, 2022, while enroute from the Virgin Islands to Washington DC. The orbs were seen for 25 minutes, from the time the flight was over Wilmington, North Carolina, until it was over Richmond, Virginia – very close to Washington DC. In a report obtained by UFO Sightings Daily, the pilot said the orbs pulsed on and off for 8-10 seconds at a time and could not be other airliners because they were well above the 41,000 feet limit of those planes. The pilot notes that “the Captain” also witnessed the UFOs, which maintained a constant distance from their plane for 35 minutes while they traveled “about 250 nautical miles.” The pilot used a cell phone to film two orbs, sometimes three (you can watch the video here), seemingly flying in formation.
Knowing how close they were to Washington DC, one might wonder if these were fighter jets.
“As a former fighter/attack pilot I am extremely familiar with capabilities of modern aircraft, have trained in CAP (protecting locations from aerial threats) and I am 100% we were not seeing military aircraft or flares.”
What did the pilot and captain see?
The pilot also ruled out Starlink satellites because the objects occasionally changed altitude and flew in circles. The report does not say if this sighting was filed with the FAA or the Pentagon, and UFO Sightings Daily does not have any other information. A quick search brought up no other sources for this sighting, so that must be taken into account.
What would the All-domain Anomaly Resolution Office (AARO) say about this ‘foo fighters’ sighting? While UFO Sightings Daily claims “This is 100% undeniable proof that UFOs are following jets and curious about those aboard them,” it seem highly unlikely the government would reach the same conclusion with such limited data. FAA tracking, instrument recordings and reports from other pilots in the very crowded airspace would help. Also, the UFOs did not appear to be transmedium – they stayed in the air until the plane lost them. However, based on this limited information, it is difficult to rule positively that what this pilot saw and recorded was human-made. Should there be a third filing cabinet marked “To Be Determined”?
The U.S. government is definitely implying an interest in hon-human-made transmedium objects – an interest that has translated into assigning budgetary money to look for them. At the same time, a former military pilot in a commercial aircraft sees UAPs near Washington DC. Coincidence?
Timing is everything. Keep watching the skies and C-SPAN!
Op zo’n 170.000 lichtjaar bevindt zich de Tarantulanevel: een van de grootste stervormingsgebieden in het lokale heelal.
Govert Schilling
Meer artikels van deze auteur
Dit is een artikel van: Eos Wetenschap
Ze lijken te gloeien, maar de oranjegele strepen op deze spectaculaire foto markeren langgerekte slierten van koud gas. De temperatuur in die gaswolken is laag genoeg voor het ontstaan van eenvoudige moleculen, zoals waterstof (H2) en koolmonoxide (CO). Wanneer zulke moleculaire wolken onder invloed van hun eigen zwaartekracht samentrekken en inkrimpen, ontstaan er nieuwe sterren.
Koude wolken van moleculair gas zijn niet zichtbaar met een gewone telescoop. De draderige structuur is vastgelegd op korte radiogolflengtes, met de schotelantennes van het ALMA-observatorium, op 5.000 meter hoogte in Noord-Chili. ALMA meet de millimeterstraling van koolmonoxide, en kan op die manier de verdeling van het koude gas in kaart brengen.
Credit: ESO/ALMA
De ALMA-metingen zijn hier gecombineerd met een infraroodopname, waarop juist warm en heet gas goed zichtbaar is (de roze wolken), evenals duizenden pasgeboren sterren. De hete gasnevel werd ruim tweehonderd jaar geleden al beschreven. In de loop van de vorige eeuw kreeg hij de bijnaam de Tarantulanevel, vanwege zijn spinachtige uiterlijk.
De Tarantulanevel (officieel 30 Doradus geheten) bevindt zich op zo’n 170.000 lichtjaar afstand van de aarde, in de Grote Magelhaense Wolk, een begeleider van ons eigen Melkwegstelsel. Het is een van de grootste en actiefste stervormingsgebieden in het lokale heelal. In het centrum van de nevel bevindt zich de jonge sterrenhoop NGC 2070, waarin zich enkele extreem hete, zware sterren bevinden.
Astronomen hadden verwacht dat koudere gaswolken uit elkaar geblazen zouden worden door de energie van die sterren, waarvan sommige 150 keer zo zwaar zijn als de zon. De ALMA-metingen laten echter zien dat het moleculaire gas zelfs in deze extreme omgeving nog kan samentrekken onder invloed van de zwaartekracht. Het geboorteproces van nieuwe sterren in de Tarantulanevel is voorlopig dus nog niet beëindigd.
Voor het eerst gaat native American vrouw de ruimte in
Op 29 september is het eindelijk zover. Dan vertrekt NASA-astronaute Nicole Aunapu Mann naar het internationale ruimtestation ISS. Mann zal dan de eerste inheems-Amerikaanse vrouw ooit zijn die de ruimte ingaat.
Nog maar 75 vrouwen gingen Nicole Mann voor, volgens NASA, terwijl ruimtevluchten nu al zo’n zestig jaar worden uitgevoerd. Maar het duurde even voor ook vrouwen aan de beurt kwamen als astronauten. Pas in 2013 studeerden er evenveel vrouwen als mannen af als astronaut. Onder de vier vrouwen toen, ook Nicole Aunapu Mann. Zij zal eind september de eerste native American vrouw worden in de ruimte.
Nicole Aunapu Mann behoort tot de Wailaki, een indianenstam uit het reservaat Round Valley in Californië. Ze volgde de opleiding van mechanisch ingenieur aan de gerenommeerde universiteit van Stanford. Ze vloog met gevechtsvliegtuigen voor het Marinekorps. Ze diende in Irak en in Afghanistan en verzamelde zes medailles. En eind volgende maand zal ze samen met drie collega’s in het ruimtevaartuig Crew Dragon van SpaceX kruipen om naar het ISS te vliegen. Mann voert het commando van de missie. Het wordt haar eerste ruimtereis.
De allereerste Amerikaanse vrouw in de ruimte was LGBTQ-astronaute Sally Ride op 18 juni 1983. Ze was toen 32 en is daarmee vandaag nog altijd de jongste Amerikaan ooit in de ruimte. De eerste native American NASA-astronaut in de ruimte was John Herrington, lid van de Chickasaw Nation, in 2002.
Mann mag maar 1,5 kilogram aan persoonlijke spullen met zich meenemen in de ruimte. Daar zou alvast een dromenvanger bij zijn, een heilig voorwerp in de spirituele cultuur van de inheemse bevolking.
Nicole Mann werd in 2020 gekozen als onderdeel van het Artemis-team van elite NASA-astronauten die in aanmerking komen voor selectie voor vroege maanmissies. Van de duizenden kandidaten krijgt Mann misschien de kans om op de maan te stappen. Maar eerste halte is het ISS.
IMAGE SOURCE,NASA - Image caption,
The Crew-5 Mission will be manned by four astronauts from three nations
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What Are The Odds? The U.S., Europe, Africa And China Are All Simultaneously Experiencing Droughts Of Epic Proportions
What Are The Odds? The U.S., Europe, Africa And China Are All Simultaneously Experiencing Droughts Of Epic Proportions
Do you believe in “coincidences”? There have always been droughts all throughout human history. So if there were a couple of isolated droughts in 2022, it wouldn’t be a big deal. But that isn’t what we are facing. Instead, right now the United States, Europe, Africa and China are all experiencing droughts of epic proportions. As a result, crops are failing in key agricultural areas all over the globe. Of course if just one country or one region was experiencing a “historic drought”, agricultural production from the rest of the world could make up for that. Unfortunately, what we are currently witnessing is truly unprecedented. For the very first time in
modern history, virtually all of the largest economies on the entire planet have been hit by extreme drought conditions simultaneously, and that means that global agricultural production is going to be way below expectations in 2022.
In this article, I would like to start my discussion by taking a look at what is going on in China right now.
Wan Jinjun, a 62-year-old retiree who has swum the Yangtze River almost every day for the past decade in Wuhan, said he’s never seen a drought like this before.
An extreme summer has taken a toll on Asia’s longest river, which flows about 3,900 miles (6,300 kilometers) through China and feeds farms that provide much of the country’s food and massive hydroelectric stations, including the Three Gorges Dam — the world’s biggest power plant. A year ago, water lapped almost as high as the riverbank where Wan swims. Now, the level is at the lowest for this time of year since records began in 1865, exposing swathes of sand, rock and oozing brown mud that reeks of rotting fish.
It is being reported that rainfall along the Yangtze River is 45 percent below normal levels, and that is extremely alarming.
Meanwhile, an absolutely monstrous heatwave has been scorching China for the past two months…
That is hot!
In fact, scientists are telling us that what China is currently experiencing is “the most severe heatwave” in recorded history…
It is the longest and hottest heatwave in China since national records began in 1961. According to weather historian Maximiliano Herrera, who monitors extreme temperatures around the world, it is the most severe heatwave recorded anywhere.
“This combines the most extreme intensity with the most extreme length with an incredibly huge area all at the same time,” he says. “There is nothing in world climatic history which is even minimally comparable to what is happening in China.”
In recent days, factories have been shut down in some areas of China as mandatory power restrictions have been implemented.
Hopefully relief will come soon, because the Chinese desperately need it.
Meanwhile, Europe is enduring the worst drought that it has experienced “in at least 500 years”…
Europe is facing its worst drought in at least 500 years, with two-thirds of the continent in a state of alert or warning, reducing inland shipping, electricity production and the yields of certain crops, a European Union agency said on Tuesday.
Earlier this month, I wrote an article about the crippling crop losses that Europe is now facing as a result of this drought.
And today we got even more bad news. According to Zero Hedge, corn production for the entire EU could be reduced by about one-fifth this year due to a lack of moisture…
Besides the news of record high electricity prices, a troubling new crop failure report about Europe’s upcoming harvest was published Monday. The bloc’s Monitoring Agricultural Resources forecasted corn yields could drop by nearly a fifth due to a devastating drought, according to Bloomberg.
Before we dive into the crop report, Europe’s centuries-old ‘hunger stones’ were recetly revealed in the Elbe River, which runs from the mountains of Czechia through Germany to the North Sea. The stones date back to a drought in 1616 and read:“Wenn du mich siehst, dann weine.” That translates to “if you see me, then weep.”
Sadly, conditions are even worse in eastern Africa.
Seven million livestock in Ethiopia, Kenya and Somalia have died since last September due to severe drought conditions, according to a recent report by the US Agency for International Development’s (USAID) Famine Early Warning Systems Network.
“The Washington Post” reported last year that the carcasses of giraffes, goats, camels and droves of cattle were found in villages after starving to death in northern Kenya. Such losses can be ruinous for families, who face food insecurity as a result.
But have you seen any images of these dead animals on the nightly news?
Of course not.
They aren’t telling you what is really going on out there.
Before I end this article, I want to give you an update on what is going on in the United States.
The worst megadrought in 1,200 years has an iron grip on the western half of the country, and it is having an enormous impact on agricultural production.
In fact, it is being reported that in some areas the corn is under such stress that the plants are not even producing ears of grain…
It’s been so dry in parts of Nebraska and South Dakota that corn plants are doing something truly strange: they’re not producing ears of grain.
The stalks, which should be about 8 feet (2.4 meters) tall by this time of year, are withered, browning and short — some are only standing at about 5 feet. Crop scouts set out this week to analyze yields, and in some isolated patches, they actually had trouble finding enough corn ears to measure.While it’s not a widespread problem, the shocking development is an indicator of just how harsh the hot and dry weather has been.
Everything that I have shared in this article is not normal.
That is because we are entering times that are going to be exceedingly abnormal.
Every year, there are always a few parts of the globe that struggle with food production.
But we have never seen it happen simultaneously to so many key areas all over the planet.
Do you really think that what we are witnessing is just a “coincidence”?
If you are willing to believe that, there is a giant bridge on the west coast that I would like to sell you.
***It is finally here! Michael’s new book entitled “7 Year Apocalypse” is now available in paperback and for the Kindle on Amazon.***
About the Author:
My name is Michael and my brand new book entitled “7 Year Apocalypse” is now available on Amazon.com. In addition to my new book I have written five other books that are available on Amazon.com including “Lost Prophecies Of The Future Of America”, “The Beginning Of The End”, “Get Prepared Now”, and “Living A Life That Really Matters”. (#CommissionsEarned) When you purchase any of these books you help to support the work that I am doing, and one way that you can really help is by sending digital copies as gifts through Amazon to family and friends. Time is short, and I need help getting these warnings into the hands of as many people as possible. I have published thousands of articles on The Economic Collapse Blog, End Of The American Dream and The Most Important News, and the articles that I publish on those sites are republished on dozens of other prominent websites all over the globe. I always freely and happily allow others to republish my articles on their own websites, but I also ask that they include this “About the Author” section with each article. The material contained in this article is for general information purposes only, and readers should consult licensed professionals before making any legal, business, financial or health decisions. I encourage you to follow me on social media on Facebook and Twitter, and any way that you can share these articles with others is a great help. These are such troubled times, and people need hope. John 3:16 tells us about the hope that God has given us through Jesus Christ: “For God so loved the world, that he gave his only begotten Son, that whosoever believeth in him should not perish, but have everlasting life.” If you have not already done so, I strongly urge you to ask Jesus to be your Lord and Savior today.
Sky-watcher discovers constructed objects near Apollo 17 landing site
Sky-watcher discovers constructed objects near Apollo 17 landing site
This video is real 14 inch footage of real lunar constructed objects including newly found construction just on the outskirts of Mare Serenitatis.
Sky-watcher Bruce Sees All shows a clear addition to each of the areas...filmed in 2016...compared with footage from August 2022...we not only see an addition (constructed) anomaly but the Apollo 17 supposed landing site also is filled with power lines or tunnels leading to energy sources.
This interesting footage of a possible triangle UFO was filmed in the sky above the ocean near Rosarito Beach, a resort town on the coast of Mexico’s Baja California peninsula. This was filmed on 22nd August 2022.
Witness report:
I initially took out my binoculars to see if the lights were coming from a tanker. I saw nothing below the lights, no form of a sea vessel. I know tankers have one red, green and red light always on, but none were observed. The lights stayed in formation and one by one disappeared. I took out my iPhone 11 to video the sighting, twice. One by one the lights would go out and then reappear at the same location.
‘Nog nooit Jupiter zo gezien’: James Webb-telescoop toont ongelooflijk uitzicht op planeet
De James Webb-telescoop, de nieuwste en grootste ruimtetelescoop, laat Jupiter zien als nooit tevoren. De telescoop legde de voorbije weken ongekende beelden vast van de gasreus met zowel manen als ringen, tot zelfs prachtige polaire nevel. “Het is allemaal heel ongelooflijk”.
Verschillende beelden van de telescoop zijn samengevoegd tot een compositiefoto die de aarde een nieuwe blik gunt op de gasreus. “Zo kan je Jupiters Grote Rode Vlek zien rechts onderaan”, zegt wetenschapsexpert Martijn Peters, “Dat is een storm groot genoeg om de aarde te verzwelgen”. Martijn wijst ook op de vage ringen en verre sterrenstelsels die je kan zien op de achtergrond.
“De talrijke heldere witte ‘vlekken’ en ‘strepen’ zijn waarschijnlijk wolkentoppen op zeer grote hoogte van gecondenseerde convectieve stormen”, zei Heidi Hammel, interdisciplinair Webb-wetenschapper voor zonnestelselwaarnemingen. Ook de manen van Jupiter zijn te zien op deze foto.
Zwarte gaten “schreeuwen niet, maar zingen”: onderzoekers maken geluid van mysterieus hemellichaam hoorbaar voor de mens
In de donkere Perseus cluster, een cluster van sterrenstelsels in het sterrenbeeld Perseus, zingt een superzwaar zwart gat al 2,5 miljard jaar hetzelfde deuntje. Het is de eerste keer dat wetenschappers erin slaagden om het geluid van een zwart gat hoorbaar te maken voor mensen.
Een zwart gat is nog steeds een van de meest mysterieuze fenomenen in de kosmos. De zwaartekracht is er zo sterk dat het alles in de omgeving genadeloos opslokt. Daarom is het onderzoek ook zo uitdagend, maar dat houdt onderzoekers niet tegen. Na de eerste foto van een zwart gat in 2019 duikt er nu ook een geluidsopname op.
In 2003 ontdekten astronomen een patroon van rimpelingen in de Perseus cluster. Het bleek om drukgolven of geluidsgolven te gaan met een diameter van maar liefst 30.000 lichtjaar - de afstand die licht aflegt op een jaar tijd.
Van röntgenstralen naar geluid
De geluidsgolven werden veroorzaakt door talrijke explosies of drukgolven te midden van een zwart gat en werden vastgelegd door de Chandra X-ray Observatory telescoop. Dat is een röntgentelescoop die waarnemingen doet in het röntgengebied. Het geluid was op dat moment - met behulp van de röntgenstralen - enkel zichtbaar. Maar door de signalen met enkele octaven te versnellen, maakten onderzoekers het geluid eveneens ook hoorbaar.
Critici denken misschien dat zwarte gaten helemaal geen geluid kunnen maken. Daarvoor is er immers een medium nodig, zoals water of lucht. Geluidsgolven planten zich hier op aarde voort door omringende luchtmoleculen te laten trillen, totdat ze worden opgepikt door onze oren. De ruimte wordt daarentegen als een vacuüm beschreven en geluidsgolven kunnen zich in zo’n vacuüm in principe niet verplaatsen. Volgens de onderzoekers is dat een misvatting. “Een cluster van sterrenstelsels bevat veel gas. Dit omvat honderden of zelfs duizenden sterrenstelsels en is tegelijkertijd een medium voor de voortplanting van geluidsgolven”, zo leggen ze uit. Op die manier kan je zwarte gaten horen “zingen” in plaats van “schreeuwen”.
Sterrenverslinders
Een zwart gat is eigenlijk wat overblijft na de explosie van een ster, een ster die zwaarder is dan de zon. Tijdens zo’n explosie produceert de ster eventjes zoveel licht als het hele sterrenstelsel waartoe het behoort. Om daarna voor eeuwig zwart te worden. Daarom werden zwarte gaten voor 1964 “bevroren sterren” genoemd. Verder nog wordt de kern van de explosie zo compact dat een zwart gat ontstaat. Omdat er niets aan de zwarte gaten kan ontsnappen - er kan alleen maar wat invallen – groeien ze doorheen de tijd in massa.
NASA deelt griezelig geluid van zwart gat op Twitter
We kregen de laatste maanden niet alleen nieuwe foto’s van een zwart gat voorgeschoteld, maar zelfs een geluidsfragment. Hoe zo’n zwart gat in de ruimte mag klinken? Griezelig, zo te horen.
“De misvatting dat er geen geluid in de ruimte is, vindt zijn oorsprong in het feit dat de ruimte meestal een vacuüm is, waarin geluidsgolven zich niet kunnen verplaatsen”, tweette NASA zondag. “Maar een cluster van melkwegstelsels heeft zoveel gas dat we echt geluid hebben opgepikt. In dit geval wordt het versterkt en vermengd met andere gegevens om een zwart gat te kunnen horen.”
Het geluid van het zwarte gat klinkt nogal spookachtig. Het is afkomstig van echte geluidsgolven uit het enorme zwarte gat in het centrum van de cluster van het Perseus-sterrenstelsel, dat meer dan 200 miljoen lichtjaar van ons verwijderd is. NASA bewerkte het geluid zodat menselijke oren het kunnen horen. Het geluid werd vermengd met “andere gegevens” en versterkt.
Het Chandra X-ray Observatory van NASA publiceerde het geluidsfragment in mei al tijdens de week van het zwarte gat. Nu stuurde de ruimtevaartorganisatie het via Twitter de wereld in en kreeg ze meteen heel wat reacties. Vele internetgebruikers lieten weten dat het zwarte gat exact klonk zoals ze hadden verwacht: griezelig. “Ergens wist je gewoon dat een zwart gat zou klinken als angstaanjagende geesten in plaats van zachte oceaangolven”, aldus Twitteraar Asher Honickman. “Als je het geluid van het zwarte gat luider zet, klinkt het als honderden gemartelde zielen die onder een poel van vuur worden gesleurd”, tweette een andere. Iemand leek ook Pink Floyds ‘Echoes’ te herkennen, en nog een andere muziekliefhebber grapte dat het nieuw werk van de IJslandse Björk betrof.
Wat is een zwart gat?
Een zwart gat is eigenlijk wat overblijft na de explosie van een ster, een ster die zwaarder is dan de zon. Tijdens zo’n explosie produceert de ster eventjes zoveel licht als het hele sterrenstelsel waartoe het behoort. Om daarna voor eeuwig zwart te worden. Daarom werden zwarte gaten voor 1964 ‘bevroren sterren’ genoemd. Verder nog wordt de kern van de explosie zo compact dat een zwart gat ontstaat. Omdat er niets aan de zwarte gaten kan ontsnappen - er kan alleen maar wat invallen – groeien ze doorheen de tijd in massa.
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The Latest Webb Observations Don’t Disprove The Big Bang, But They Are Interesting
The Latest Webb Observations Don’t Disprove The Big Bang, But They Are Interesting
Okay, so let’s start with the obvious. The big bang is not dead. Recent observations by the James Webb Space Telescope have not disproven the big bang, despite certain popular articles claiming otherwise. If that’s all you needed to hear, then have a great day. That said, the latest Webb observations do reveal some strange and unexpected things about the universe, and if you’d like to know more, keep reading.
Let’s start with the rumors. What about the new Webb data would suggest the big bang is wrong? The same type of data Hubble gave us years ago. We generally think of evidence for the big bang being centered around two facts: first, that more distant galaxies have a higher redshift than closer ones, and second, that the universe is filled with a cosmic background of microwave radiation. The first suggests that the universe is expanding in all directions, while the second suggests that it was once in a very hot and dense state. These are two of the Three Pillars of data supporting the big bang, the third being the relative abundance of elements in the early universe.
But these observations are just the foundation of the big bang model. We have long since expanded on these to create the standard model of cosmology, also known as the LCDM model. That is a universe that began with the big bang and is filled with matter, dark matter, and dark energy. Everything from the acceleration of cosmic expansion to the clustering of galaxies supports this standard model. And the standard model makes predictions about other observational tests, so we can further prove its validity. That’s where the latest claims of the “big bust” come into play.
JWST can see much deeper than Hubble. Credit: NASA, ESA, Leah Hustak (STScI)
One of these secondary tests is known as the Tolman surface brightness test. It was first proposed in the 1930s by Richard C. Tolman and compares the apparent brightness of a galaxy with its apparent size. The ratio of brightness to size is known as surface brightness. Generally, the bigger a galaxy, the brighter it should be, so the surface brightness of every galaxy should be roughly the same. More distant galaxies would appear dimmer, but they’d also have a smaller apparent size, so the surface brightness would still be the same. The Tolman test predicts that in a static, non-expanding universe the surface brightness of all galaxies should be about the same, regardless of distance.
This isn’t what we see. What we observe is that more distant galaxies have a dimmer surface brightness than closer ones. The amount of dimming is proportional to the amount of redshift the galaxy has. You might think this proves that all those distant galaxies are speeding away from us, but it actually doesn’t. If those distant galaxies were speeding away, you’d have two dimming effects. The red shift and the ever-increasing distance. The Tolman test predicts that in a simple expanding universe the surface brightness of galaxies should diminish proportional to both redshift and distance. We only see the effects of redshift.
This fact has led some to propose a static universe where light spontaneously loses energy over time. It’s the so-called tired light hypothesis, and it’s very popular among big bang opponents. If the universe is static and light is tired, then the Tolman test predicts exactly what we observe. Hence no big bang.
The CMB disproves tired light. Credit: Ned Wright
Back in 2014, Eric Lerner et al published a paper making exactly this point. It caused a flurry of “Big Bang Dead!” articles in the popular media. The latest claims about Webb killing the big bang began with a popular article by the same Eric Lerner. So here we are. In fairness, back in 2014, the Hubble observations supported Lerner’s claim, and so do the latest Webb observations. But what Lerner conveniently omitted from his paper is that the Hubble and Webb observations also support the LCDM model.
It’s a common misconception that redshift proves that galaxies are speeding away from us. They aren’t. Distant galaxies aren’t speeding through space. Space itself is expanding, putting greater distance between us. It’s a subtle difference, but it means that galactic redshift is caused by cosmic expansion, not relative motion. It also means that distant galaxies appear a bit larger than they would in a static universe. They are distant and tiny, but the expansion of space gives the illusion of them being larger. As a result, the surface brightness of distant galaxies dims only proportional to redshift.
Cosmic redshift is not caused by the Doppler effect. Credit: NASA, ESA, Leah Hustak (STScI)
Of course, we know tired light is wrong because of the cosmic microwave background. A static, tired-light universe wouldn’t have any remnant heat from a primordial fireball. Not to mention the fact that distant galaxies would appear blurred (they don’t), and distant supernovae wouldn’t be time-dilated by cosmic expansion (they are). The only model that supports all the evidence is the big bang. Lerner’s argument is an old one that has long been disproven.
All that said, the James Webb Space Telescope has found some unusual things. Most significantly, it has found more galaxies and more distant galaxies than there should be, and that could lead to some revolutionary changes in our standard model. Our current understanding is that after the big bang the universe went through a period known as the dark ages. During this period the first light of the cosmos had faded, and the first stars and galaxies hadn’t yet formed. Webb is so sensitive it can see some of the youngest galaxies that formed just after the dark ages. We would expect those young galaxies to be less numerous and less developed than later galaxies. But the Webb observations have found very redshifted, very young galaxies that are both common and surprisingly mature.
It’s the kind of puzzling and unexpected data astronomers were hoping for. It’s why we wanted to build the Webb telescope in the first place. And it tells us that while the big bang model isn’t wrong, some of our assumptions about it might be.
Reference:
Lerner, Eric J., Renato Falomo, and Riccardo Scarpa. “UV Surface Brightness of Galaxies from the Local Universe to z~ 5.” International Journal of Modern Physics D 23.06 (2014): 1450058.
Reference:
Ferreira, Leonardo, et al. “Panic! At the Disks: First Rest-frame Optical Observations of Galaxy Structure at z > 3 with JWST in the SMACS 0723 Field.” arXiv preprint arXiv:2207.09428 (2022).
Rare “Red Sprites” Seen From ESO’s La Silla Observatory in Chile
Rare “Red Sprites” Seen From ESO’s La Silla Observatory in Chile
This new image taken of the skies above Chile’s Atacama Desert near the European Southern Observatory’s (ESO) La Silla Observatory, shows bright red streaks in the sky known as red sprites. Red sprites are large-scale electrical discharges that occur high above thunderstorm clouds, usually triggered by the discharges of positive lightning between an underlying thundercloud and the ground. However, the red sprites appear high in Earth’s atmosphere, sometimes 50-90 km in altitude.
Air glow (along with a lightning sprite) is visible in this image from the International Space Station. Credit: NASA
People have been telling folktales for centuries about mysterious red lights in the sky, which were usually dismissed by experts. According to the Farmer’s Almanac, even when respectable pilots or scientists (including CTR Wilson, a Nobel Prize winning physicist) described them, the scientific community ignored the events. However, in 1989, scientists from the University of Minnesota actually captured pictures of red sprites, and the attitude about them has since changed. While they now have been photographed and filmed thousands of time, — including by astronauts on the International Space Station — red sprites are still a fairly rare occurrence.
Red sprite lightning appears in the sky with an aurora, as well as a distant thunderstorm, near Denison, Iowa on May 31, 2013. Credit and copyright: Mike Hollingshead, extremeinstability.com
This new photo (lead image and below) from ESO almost looks like a painting. The red sprites appear low on the horizon, only due to the perspective of the camera, located on the platform of ESO’s 3.6m telescope at La Silla. The background of the photograph shows a green hue, known as airglow. ESO explained that during the day, sunlight knocks electrons away from nitrogen and oxygen in Earth’s atmosphere and, at night, these electrons recombine with the atoms and molecules, causing them to shine. Usually, airglow can only be seen in very dark skies where there is no light pollution.
Because of the remote location, with high altitude and lack of light pollution, La Silla is perfect for capturing these unusual phenomena.
This picture, taken from ESO’s La Silla Observatory in Chile, shows bright red streaks known as red sprites. A meteor even shows up to make this image even more stunning. Credit: Zdenek Bardon/ESO.
The true story of Nikola Tesla told by Lt. Col. Thomas Bearden
The true story of Nikola Tesla told by Lt. Col. Thomas Bearden
This one is next level, and I know you haven't seen it before, since someone went to great lengths to have this video removed everywhere!
This was sent to Dutchsinse in a package from Lt. Col Thomas Beardens company (which has now disappeared from the internet) after he passed away with the message "Dutch- don't know if you've seen THIS one"
Needless to say, we've got a series of stories and explanations on Nikola Tesla from Lt. Col. Thomas Bearden that will absolutely floor you.
He explains a new device that he made (Lt. Col. Bearden) on how to harness and use free energy using current electrical lines going into our houses and on power poles around the world. Amazing.
Also amazing, the part about the French scientists and their work on curing certain diseases. As well as the part about transmitting "sicknesses", as well as transmitting cures.
These UFOs were seen and recorded in the night sky above Westminster, a home rule municipality located in Adams and Jefferson counties, Colorado on 20th August 2022.
Witness report:
My husband Josh was at the shopping center behind our house and called me to run outside and look up. I walked out and observed thousands of lights. They were silent and twinkling and multi colored. Please see attached videos, that I recorded. I have researched the SpaceX images, and those lights are a straight line and white. These were all over the place. Some much farther away than the others. The lights were about 10,000 feet above. There were no lantern festivals.
Mysterious Alien Signals Found to Repeat on a Regular 16-Day Cycle
Mysterious Alien Signals Found to Repeat on a Regular 16-Day Cycle
There's something in deep space that is sending out a signal to Earth in a continuous sixteen-day cycle.
We’ve just found out that a series of complex alien signals coming from space are not as random as we initially thought. A new study revealed an FRB source located around half a billion light-years from Earth pulses, ominously, on a regular and consistent 16-day cycle.
Is this the ultimate alien message we’ve been waiting for? According to experts, a mysterious alien signal has been found to repeat on a sixteen-day cycle cautiously.
Fast Radio Bursts are among the most mysterious cosmic phenomenon discovered in the twenty-first century. We’ve only started to study and understand the signals and are still trying to figure out what causes them and their exact source.
Some have suggested FRBs are a natural, cosmic phenomenon, while others have dared to say that FRBs could be the ultimate alien evidence we have all been looking for.
VICE recently reported a new study led by Cornell University scientists had identified a strange Fast Radio Bursts located approximately half-a-billion light-years from Earth. This strange alien signal has been found to pulse regularly in a 16-day cycle.
This means that Cornell University scientists have revealed that it is the first FRB discovered on a repeating schedule.
“The discovery of a 16.35-day periodicity in a repeating FRB source is an important clue to the nature of this object.”
This is the first FRB identified by astronomers, dubbed the Lorimer Burst. Lorimer described it in 2007.
Image Credit: Wikimedia Commons.
Between September of 2018 and October of 1029. the researchers have studied as many as 28 FRBs that have been identified by the Canadian Hydrogen Intensity Mapping Experiment Fast Radio Burst Project (CHIME/FRB), a state-of-the-art radio telescope located in British Columbia, Canada.
Although the repeating signal is as strange as it gets, it doesn’t necessarily mean its aliens. However, there are a few theories that could explain what causes the repeating cycle.
One explanation is that the signal could originate from an orbiting object, which only sends out a signal at a certain point in the orbit. Another theory is that the repeating cycle originates from a binary star comprised of a massive star and a highly magnetized star.
Another option, as revealed by VICE, is that if the FRB source is orbiting a compact object, like a Black Hole, then it might flash signals towards Earth only at a certain point in the orbital period.
Interestingly, a group of astronomers recently tracked down this particular FRB to a galaxy dubbed SDSS J015800.28+654253.0. Although it is located half a billion light-years from Earth and may seem behemoth distance, the signal dubbed FRB 180916.J0158+65 is the closest Fast Radio Burst ever detected by astronomers.
Despite knowing where it is, we have absolutely no idea what it is.
ALL RELATED VIDEOS, selected and posted by peter2011
In Congress, where legislation is drafted, debated and enacted, clear and concise definitions are of paramount importance. As military aircrews increasingly encounter unidentified flying objects (UFOs), lawmakers recently made several striking revisions to the definition of “UFO.” Key among them: The explosive implication that some UFOs have non-human origins.
As first reported by researcher Douglas Johnson, a draft bill approved unanimously by the Senate Select Committee on Intelligence rebrands UFOs as “unidentified aerospace-undersea phenomena.” Expanding the definition to include objects in space and under the oceans significantly broadens the scope of a muscular new office tasked by Congress with investigating UFOs.
The revised definition of “UFO” also includes “transmedium” objects which, according to lawmakers, “transition between space and the atmosphere, or between the atmosphere and bodies of water.”
In short, members of a key national security-focused committee believe that objects of unknown origin are demonstrating remarkably advanced technology by moving seamlessly between space, air and water. A report accompanying the legislation notes that “transmedium threats to United States national security are expanding exponentially.”
It strains credulity to believe that lawmakers would include such extraordinary language in public legislation without compelling evidence. Perhaps members have seen the classified sensor data that prompted former President Trump’s director of national intelligence to state that UFOs exhibit “technologies that we don’t have [and] that we are not capable of defending against” (among several other eyebrow-raising comments).
Most strikingly, Congress’s new definition of “UFO” excludes “man-made” objects.
Over the last seven decades, most UFO sightings involved “man-made” objects, such as misidentified aircraft, balloons, satellites or drones. Yet now, according to Congress, “man-made” objects “should not be considered under the definition as unidentified aerospace-undersea phenomena.”
Moreover, in a congressional directive, objects identified by the new UFO office “as man-made…will be passed to appropriate [Department of Defense and Intelligence Community] offices” for further analysis.
Congress, in short, is forcing the government to focus on objects that are not “man-made.”
Imagine that the new UFO office identifies a highly advanced drone flying in sensitive airspace. Under the draft legislation, regardless of the drone’s origin – be it Chinese, Russian or otherwise – the UFO office must immediately stop investigating and hand the case over to another government entity.
This implies that members of the Senate Intelligence Committee believe (on a unanimous, bipartisan basis) that some UFOs have non-human origins. After all, why would Congress establish and task a powerful new office with investigating non-“man-made” UFOs if such objects did not exist?
Make no mistake: One branch of the American government implying that UFOs have non-human origins is an explosive development.
It is also part of a remarkable shift in official attitudes towards UFOs.
In the late 1940s and early 1950s, many senior government officials believed that UFOs had “interplanetary” origins. But a series of still-unexplained encounters in the summer of 1952 sparked Cold War national security fears among defense and intelligence agencies. As a result, the U.S. government initiated a campaign to “debunk” and discredit all UFO sightings, no matter how credible. For decades, officials mocked any suggestion that UFOs had extraterrestrial origins.
Not anymore.
In discussions and interviews, NASA administrator Bill Nelson suggested that UFOs encountered by military aircrews in recent years have otherworldly origins. (NASA, it should be noted, is proceeding “full force” on an unprecedented scientific study of UFOs.)
Former CIA Director John Brennan stated that UFOs might “constitute a different form of life.” According to James Woolsey, a fellow ex-CIA director, “something is going on that is surprising to…experienced pilots.”
As Top Gun-trained aviators remain convinced that they observed objects “not of this world,” director of national intelligence Avril Haines – America’s top spy – has not ruled out extraterrestrial origins for UFOs.
After the customary giggles and smirks that still accompany any mention of “UFO” died down, both Clinton and Obama adopted a serious, matter-of-fact demeanor when discussing the topic. Clinton, in particular, scolded a television audience for laughing when a host asked him about UFOs. Of note, former presidents continue receiving the government’s most sensitive intelligence briefings.
Comedian and political commentator Bill Maher, for example, recently theorized that UFOs are intentionally revealing themselves to fighter pilots.
He may be on to something. The geometrically reconstructed flight path of a well-known 2015 UFO encounter off the U.S. East Coast indicates that the object reacted as a Navy fighter jet attempted to sneak up behind it. Importantly, the object’s movement did not suggest hostility as much as a desire to be observed by the aircrew, which ultimately “flew right up to the thing.”
A UFO involved in the now famous 2004 “Tic Tac” incidents appeared on radar at the precise location of a rendezvous point known only to a small group of aviators and radar operators. Ten years later, two fighter jets nearly collided with a UFO hovering at the exact location and altitude of an entrance point to a military training range.
To Maher’s point, some UFOs appear to move and position themselves in ways that make their presence obvious to nearby military aircrews.
With Congress openly suggesting that UFOs have non-human origins, this behavior is particularly intriguing.
Marik von Rennenkampff served as an analyst with the U.S. Department of State’s Bureau of International Security and Nonproliferation, as well as an Obama administration appointee at the U.S. Department of Defense. Follow him on Twitter @MvonRen.
The idea that agencies of government, the military and the intelligence communities of our world are actively, and secretly, monitoring alien abductees is startling. However, it's not at all outlandish. And nor is it paranoia-driven. In fact, quite the opposite is the case. There is something else, too. It's a highly controversial question: Is it possible that some UFO / alien abduction cases are really the secret creations of government / MK-Ultra type agencies? It may very well be the case. Consider the following from July 1997: an example of a case of alleged alien abduction that appears to have been part of a sophisticated military-controlled mind-control operation is described by Alison, a woman from Arizona, who lives on a ranch not too far from the town of Sedona. From the age of twenty-seven to thirty-one, Alison was subjected to at least five kidnappings that bore all the hallmarks of the classic alien abduction scenario. On each occasion, she was in her living-room, either reading or watching TV, when her two pet dogs – Lucy and Summer – began to act in a distressed fashion, pacing around the room and whimpering.
(Nick Redfern) ETs or secret scientists?
At that point, things always became a blur, and Alison would later find herself in a different part of the house with several hours of time having passed. She would always awake feel groggy, and with a pounding headache and dry mouth. For days after the weird experiences, she would dream of the moment when things would begin to go awry – which always resulted in a complete loss of electricity inside the house, a deep humming noise emanating from outside the large living-room window, and powerful and intensely bright lights enveloping the room. In her semi-conscious state, Alison would see small shadowy figures scuttling around the room. They would then carry her outside onto a small craft where she was subjected to a gynecological examination and some form of nasal probing. She would then be returned to another part of the house and the aliens would leave. It was only after the aliens had departed that the intense humming noise would cease.
On what Alison believes to have been the fifth abduction, however – July 27, 1997 - the mysterious humming sound abruptly came to a sudden halt, only a few seconds after her cosmic visitors had entered the room. At that point, Alison recalled – significantly, not in a later dream on this occasion but in real time – she began to slowly regain her senses. And, very surprisingly, so did the aliens. In their place was not a group of frail-looking bald-headed, black-eyed “Grays,” but a number of large and burly men wearing what looked like suspiciously like black military fatigues – and who quickly exited Alison’s home. This begs an important question: how many more UFO / abduction events may have been secretly staged by the military? Now, onto another outrageous, but plausible, situation of the mind-control type.
It all went down on the night of October 10, 1973. On the night in question, two men – Charles Hickson and Calvin Parker – were fishing on the banks of Mississippi’s Pascagoula River. That is, until approximately 9:00 p.m. rolled around. Parker and Hickson suddenly noticed a light in the distance. It was following the river and appeared to be coming in their direction. As the light got closer, they could see it was actually a brightly lit, somewhat egg-shaped craft, from which came a deep, throbbing hum. Such was the intensity of the hum, it provoked intense nausea in both men. Confusion quickly followed. The pair watched in horror and amazement as what was described as a “hatch” opened and a trio of very strange-looking creatures exited the hovering object. Even stranger, the three things floated from the craft, across the waters of the river, and towards Hickson and Parker.
(Nick Redfern) Nick hanging out with Calvin Parker
This particular breed of E.T. was described as humanoid, with mask-like faces, and heads from which three carrot-style points protruded. On top of that, they had large crab-like or lobster-like claws. When the things from another world were practically on top of terrified Parker and Hickson, both men were rendered into a state of paralysis. Suddenly, the entities seized the pair, who were manhandled onto the UFO. Like most abductees, Hickson and Parker were quickly reduced to the equivalents of lab rats. When the trauma-filled encounter was over, the pair was dumped back on the edge of the river. There is, however, something else.
In the latter stages of the Second World War, the U.S. military used Horn Island, Mississippi, as a place where top secret, biological-warfare research could be undertaken. Matters were brought to an end when the Second World War was over. The official line is that research in the area was cancelled. There are, however, local tales of covert operations and experiments into mind-manipulation in the region as late as the early 1970s. Could Charles Hickson and Calvin Parker have been mind-meddled by something akin to the 1950s MK-Ultra programs - but much more sophisticated? I say: "Yes."
Ready to see one of the most famous alleged alien abduction incidents questioned? It’s coming, anyway. It’s that of Betty and Barney Hill. They were a husband and wife who, on the night of September 19, 1961, and while driving home from Canada to New Hampshire after completing a fun vacation, had a significant number of hours erased from their minds. It all happened near Indian Head, New Hampshire. It was there they saw a strange light in the sky that appeared to be carefully shadowing them from above. Concern and anxiety set in, which is no surprise. Finally, they made it home. Something very strange and disturbing happened to the Hills, but such was the state of their minds, they weren’t sure what it was. But, they certainly wanted to know.
One of those who came to believe that the Hills had been subjected to an MK-Ultra-type encounter was the late Philip Coppens. He said: “It is clear that the Hills were being monitored by USAF [U.S. Air Force] Intelligence before the encounter took place, through Major James MacDonald, who had befriended them some time earlier. Betty Hill wrote to [UFO researcher / author] Donald Keyhoe who, despite the fact that he received over a hundred letters a day, homed in on this initially unremarkable case. Within twenty-four hours, Keyhoe had arranged for the Hills to be visited by top-level scientists, including C.D. Jackson, who had previously (definitely not coincidentally) worked on psychological warfare techniques for President Eisenhower [italics mine]. Stretching coincidence far beyond breaking point, Jackson already knew Major MacDonald, with whom he next interviewed the Hills.” Philip continued on: “It seems that Betty and Barney Hill were at the center of a web that involved USAF Intelligence and top military experts in psychological warfare. The evidence suggests that the Hills were the subjects – victims – of a psychological experiment [italics mine]. ”Now, let us have a look at a bizarre affair from the 1950s and that went down in Brazil.
it all concerned the almost-over-the-top tale of a young Brazilian man. His name was Antonio Villas Boas. He worked on his family’s farm at the time, but, went on to become a well-respected attorney. It was on February 22, 1958 that Villas Boas prepared for Dr. Olavo Fontes a remarkable document. Fontes, at the time, was a respected gastroenterologist at the National School of Medicine in Rio de Janeiro and a highly dedicated Flying Saucer investigator. That document told of his, Villas Boas’, close encounter with an alien on October 15, 1957. But, this was no sterile “take me to your leader”-style experience involving bug-eyed, spindly creatures. Nope. According to the then-twenty-three-year-old farmer, he went where, quite possibly, no man had ever gone before. That is, after being forcibly taken on-board a UFO by very human-like beings. Villas Boas proudly told Fontes that he did nothing less than get it on with a hot E.T. babe from the great and mysterious beyond. Or, that’s what certain people engaged in sophisticated mind-manipulation operations wanted Villas Boas and Fontes to think occurred.
(Nick Redfern) Antonio Villas Boas: Drugged and hauled into a helicopter
For many Flying Saucer seekers now in their sixties, seventies and eighties – and who grew up with the case - the Villas Boas incident still remains a classic of its time. It’s a story that is not to be, ahem, fucked with. The fact is, though, that when we address the case carefully, we do see a body of solid data that suggests the alien encounter was actually nothing of the sort. Let’s take a look at the “UFO” that Villas Boas was taken aboard in his drugged-out state. Nedelcovic claimed it was really a military helicopter. There are very good reasons as to why we should go with Nedelcovic’s claims. If you take a careful look at what Villas Boas had to say about the craft he found himself on-board, you’ll see what I mean. Villas Boas said the craft was shaped “like a large elongated egg.” He described it further, stating that “on the upper part of the machine there was something which was revolving at great speed and also giving off a powerful reddish light.”
When the vehicle left the scene, said Villas Boas, it moved “slowly into the air until it had reached a height of some 30 to 50 meters…The whirring noise of the air being displaced became much more intense and the revolving dish began to turn at a fearful speed…At that moment, the machine suddenly changed direction, with an abrupt movement, making a louder noise, a sort of beat.” Contrary to what has been said, Villas Boas was never taken on-board a Flying Saucer-shaped craft. Villas Boas’ own words demonstrate that. On top of that same machine was something that was “revolving at great speed.” Rotor-blades? What else? Nothing, that’s what. Then, there was the noise coming from the craft: “a sort of beat.” You certainly don’t have to be an aviation expert to realize that Villas Boas, even in his druggy state, had seen – and had been taken on – a helicopter. And, not on a UFO. Or, a Flying Saucer, as they were termed way back then.
(Nick Redfern) The Rendlesham Forest "UFO Affair" - Not an alien in sight
Much the same could be said about the near-legendary Rendlesham Forest "UFO landing" of December 1980. In my book on the case, The Rendlesham Forest UFO Conspiracy: A Close Encounter Exposed as a Top Secret Government Experiment, I wrote the following promo ad: "In the final days of December 1980, strange encounters and bizarre incidents occurred in the heart of Rendlesham Forest, Suffolk, England. Based upon their personal encounters, many of the military personnel who were present at the time believed that something extraterrestrial came down in those dark woods. What if, however, there was another explanation for what happened four decades ago? What if that explanation, if revealed, proved to be even more controversial than the theory that aliens arrived from a faraway world? The ramifications for the field of Ufology would be immense. In his new, sensational book, Nick Redfern reveals that one of the most famous UFO cases of all time was really a series of top secret experiments using holograms, mind-control programs, deception, disinformation, conspiracies and cover-ups. The shocking truth of a 40-year-old mystery is now revealed."
The reason for all of this weirdness? It's simple: to test new mind-altering technology. And to hide that same technology behind a huge UFO banner. If you think that such a thing could never happen, just read this article again and let the story sink into you. The whole scenario that I have laid out is far more likely than a situation involving black-eyed, little aliens from faraway worlds. Yes, I know that might destroy the cherished belief-systems of many people in Ufology. However, when it comes to the heart of the alien abduction issue, we must go where the facts take us, rather than where the the cool stories go.
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Spain's Stonehenge revealed: Prehistoric circle of 150 stones 2,000 years older than Britain's famed monument emerges from the depths of a reservoir after drought causes water to drop to a quarter of its usual level
Spain's Stonehenge revealed: Prehistoric circle of 150 stones 2,000 years older than Britain's famed monument emerges from the depths of a reservoir after drought causes water to drop to a quarter of its usual level
Spanish Stonehenge, first discovered in 1924, sits below the surface of the Valdecañas Reservoir
An intense drought plaguing Spain drained the reservoir to just 28 percent capacity, revealing the stone circle for just the fifth time
The monument consists of 150 standing granite stones, some more than six feet tall, which was constructed more than 7,000 years ago - at least 2,000 years before Stonehenge
Experts fear it will be destroyed if submerged again for a prolonged time and are petitioning the government to have it moved to a new location
A prehistoric circle of 150 standing stones dubbed the Spanish Stonehenge has re-emerged from a reservoir for the only the fifth time since its discovery after the worst drought in 60 years left the waterbody at a quarter of its usual level.
The Dolmen of Guadalperal, a circle of granite stones dating from 5,000 BC, in the Valdecañas Reservoir in central Spain has only been seen four times since it was discovered in 1924. Nearly 20 years later, in 1963, the valley was deliberately flooded on the order of the Spanish dictator Franco, only emerging at periods of intense drought in the following years.
The stones, which are at least 2,000 years older than Stonehenge in England, have wavy details that are believed to represent the nearby Tagus River. Some theories suggest the prehistoric structure was either used as a solar temple or laid over tombs when it was built by Celtic people 7,000 years ago.
It is not as famous as Stonehenge in England, but the theories to their purposes are similar - the monument in Wiltshire is also thought to serve as an ancient solar calendar.
The Spanish Stonehenge stones could disappear completely if they endure another prolonged submersion because the granite rocks are prone to erosion.
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The Dolmen of Guadalperal, a circle of granite stones dating from 5,000 BC, in Spain's Valdecañas Reservoir has re-emerged for the only the fifth time since its discovery after the worst drought in 60 years left the waterbody at a quarter of its usual level
The standing granite stones - some as tall as 6ft - were discovered in 1924. Nearly 20 years later, in 1963, the valley was deliberately flooded on the order of the Spanish dictator Franco, only emerging at periods of intense drought in the following years
Similar to Stonehenge in England, theories suggest the so-called Spanish Stonehenge was used as a solar temple or laid over tombs when it was built by Celtic people more than 7,000 years ago
Archaeologists fear the stones could disappear completely if they endure another prolonged submersion, because the granite rocks are prone to erosion
Ancient 'Spanish Stonehenge' emerges from drought-hit dam
The site was thought to be condemned to the history books in the 1960s when a Spanish general ordered the construction of a hydroelectric dam in Peraleda de la Mata, near Cáceres in Extremadura
Ángel Castaño, president of the Peraleda Cultural Association, recently started a petition to move the prehistoric monument out of its watery location and to somewhere it will survive.
The monoliths are already showing significant signs of wear, Castaño said in 2019 when the stones were last above water, and if they are not saved now, it may be too late.
Not much is known about Spanish Stonehenge because it typically sits at the bottom of the 14,108 square-mile deep reservoir, however the recent rise of the stones could let archeologists finally unravel its ancient secrets.
'It's a surprise, it's a rare opportunity to be able to access it,' said archaeologist Enrique Cedillo from Madrid's Complutense University, one of the experts racing to study the circle before it gets submerged again.
The site was discovered by Hugo Obermaier, a German priest and amateur archaeologist, in 1925.
In 1963, Francisco Franco Bahamonde, who ruled over Spain from 1939 to 1975, ordered the valley boarding the Tagus river to be flooded and this area included the stone circle.
But before its rediscovery and subsequent demise, it is thought the stones would have centered around a central chamber for sun worship.
Dolmens are vertically arranged stones usually supporting a flat boulder.
When the reservoir is filled (pictured), the Stonehenge is submerged and impossible to see or visit
Although there are many scattered across Western Europe, little is known about who erected them. Human remains found in or near many have led to an often-cited theory that they are tombs.
Local historical and tourism associations have advocated moving the Guadalperal stones to a museum or elsewhere on dry land.
Their presence is also good news for Ruben Argentas, who owns a small boat tours business. 'The dolmen emerges and the dolmen tourism begins,' he told Reuters after a busy day spent shuttling tourists to the site and back.
However, more than 80,000 tourists flock to England's Stonehenge each year to see a circle of enormous rocks that are up to 30 feet high, dwarfing the six-foot tall single monoliths uncovered in Spain.
The stones have wavy details that are believed to represent the nearby Tagus River, which is the longest river in the Iberian Peninsula
Spain's circle is made up of 150 granite stones, with some standing six feet tall. Experts fear another prolonged submersion could destroy the prehistoric monument
Radiocarbon dating of the rocks found they range in age from around 7,000 years old, which is about 2,000 years older than Stonehenge
There are more stones at the Spanish site. Stonehenge has only has 93.
However, Stonehenge's monument covers 10,800 square feet, making it a far bigger area than the Spanish site that is only 16 feet in diameter.
Radiocarbon dating of the rocks found they range in age from around 7,000 years old, which is about 2,000 years older than Stonehenge.
Neolithic people, often prone to building monolithic structures, emerged throughout time across Europe.
It is widely accepted Stonehenge's bluestones were quarried from Preseli Hills in Wales and moved to the current location, but how the idea for Stonehenge arrived on British shores remains a mystery.
Archaeologists have uncovered Roman remains at Dolmen of Guadalperal, along with other artifacts like coins, ceramic fragments and a grinding stone, along with an entire settlement nearby.
Although the structure was used for religious purposes, experts say it also had an economic purpose by acting as a trading hub.
There are hundreds of stone circles similar to Stonehenge in other European countries.
To erect a just one of the massive stones, people had to dig a large hole with a sloping side. The back of the hole was lined with a row of wooden stakes. The stone was then moved into position and pulled to the upright position using plant fiber ropes and likely a wooden frame for support.
Spain's Stonehenge is not as famous as the monument in England (pictured), but the theories to their purposes are similar -the are both believed to have served as ancient solar calendars
The recent appearance allows visitors and researchers to get up close to the stones. Archaeologists hope to learn more about who built the structure and why
The Stonehenge monument standing today was the final stage of a four part building project that ended 3,500 years ago
Stonehenge is one of the most prominent prehistoric monuments in Britain. The Stonehenge that can be seen today is the final stage that was completed about 3,500 years ago.
According to the monument's website, Stonehenge was built in four stages:
First stage: The first version of Stonehenge was a large earthwork or Henge, comprising a ditch, bank and the Aubrey holes, all probably built around 3100 BC.
The Aubrey holes are round pits in the chalk, about one metre (3.3 feet) wide and deep, with steep sides and flat bottoms.
Stonehenge (pictured) is one of the most prominent prehistoric monuments in Britain
They form a circle about 86.6 metres (284 feet) in diameter.
Excavations revealed cremated human bones in some of the chalk filling, but the holes themselves were likely not made to be used as graves, but as part of a religious ceremony.
After this first stage, Stonehenge was abandoned and left untouched for more than 1,000 years.
Second stage: The second and most dramatic stage of Stonehenge started around 2150 years BC, when about 82 bluestones from the Preseli mountains in south-west Wales were transported to the site. It's thought that the stones, some of which weigh four tonnes each, were dragged on rollers and sledges to the waters at Milford Haven, where they were loaded onto rafts.
They were carried on water along the south coast of Wales and up the rivers Avon and Frome, before being dragged overland again near Warminster and Wiltshire.
The final stage of the journey was mainly by water, down the river Wylye to Salisbury, then the Salisbury Avon to west Amesbury.
The journey spanned nearly 240 miles, and once at the site, the stones were set up in the centre to form an incomplete double circle.
During the same period, the original entrance was widened and a pair of Heel Stones were erected. The nearer part of the Avenue, connecting Stonehenge with the River Avon, was built aligned with the midsummer sunrise.
Third stage: The third stage of Stonehenge, which took place about 2000 years BC, saw the arrival of the sarsen stones (a type of sandstone), which were larger than the bluestones.
They were likely brought from the Marlborough Downs (40 kilometres, or 25 miles, north of Stonehenge).
The largest of the sarsen stones transported to Stonehenge weighs 50 tonnes, and transportation by water would not have been possible, so it's suspected that they were transported using sledges and ropes.
Calculations have shown that it would have taken 500 men using leather ropes to pull one stone, with an extra 100 men needed to lay the rollers in front of the sledge.
These stones were arranged in an outer circle with a continuous run of lintels - horizontal supports.
Inside the circle, five trilithons - structures consisting of two upright stones and a third across the top as a lintel - were placed in a horseshoe arrangement, which can still be seen today.
Final stage: The fourth and final stage took place just after 1500 years BC, when the smaller bluestones were rearranged in the horseshoe and circle that can be seen today.
The original number of stones in the bluestone circle was probably around 60, but these have since been removed or broken up. Some remain as stumps below ground level.
Mysterious Spanish Stonehenge Emerges as Lake Disappears -- and Neither is Good News
Mysterious Spanish Stonehenge Emerges as Lake Disappears -- and Neither is Good News
Paul Seaburn
A recent report looked at the impact of climate change on Bigfoot, the Loch Ness monster and other cryptids whose potentially hidden existence could finally be revealed as global warming drives them north to colder climates (Bigfoot), droughts shrink their lakes and rivers (Loch Ness monster), and cutbacks in farming shrink their food sources (Chupacabra). That same climate change is affecting paleontology, as the melting permafrost reveals more frozen carcasses in Siberia, and archeology, as lakes and rivers recede to free bodies (Lake Mead) and lost towns. It is that last consequence that has allowed an ancient megalith known as the Spanish Stonehenge to emerge from a reservoir and remind the world that England is not the only country with stone circles and mysterious monuments. And, while the appearance of the ancient monolith is good for archeology and local tourism, it could be bad for the granite stones themselves.
"It's a surprise, it's a rare opportunity to be able to access it."
That sentiment expressed by archaeologist Enrique Cedillo from Madrid's Complutense University to Reuters is shared by many, but they shouldn’t be surprised because humans are the reason why the Dolmen of Guadalperal, also known as the treasure of Guadalperal, disappeared in the first place. Located in Peraleda de la Mata, a town in the region of Campo Arañuelo in eastern Extremadura on the west coast of Spain bordering Portugal. The standing stones were first discovered in 1926 by German archaeologist Hugo Obermaier on the Guadalperal estate where he was a frequent summer guest.
Hugo Obermaier
After the end of World War I, Obermaier moved to Spain to focus on the many Neolithic sites in that country. Shortly before finding the stones, he had worked in the Cave of Altamira (a cave filled with prehistoric rock art) and studied Neolithic rock engravings of south Oran in Algeria. On the Guadalperal estate, Obermaier uncovered 140 standing stones in an oval shape with a diameter of 5 meters (16.4 feet). He determined that the stones were dolmen – funerary megaliths or single-chamber megalithic tombs that generally consisted of two or more vertical stones supporting one flat capstone. (Current photos here.)
The dolmen of Guadalperal, also known as the Spanish Stonehenge, is seen due to the receding waters of the Valdecanas reservoir in the outskirts of El Gordo, Spain, August 3, 2022.
REUTERS/Susana Vera
Ruben Argenta drives his boat towards the dolmen of Guadalperal, which can only be seen when the Valdecanas reservoir waters become low in the outskirts of El Gordo, Spain, August 3, 2022.
REUTERS/Susana Vera
Most dolmen date from the early Neolithic (4000–3000 BCE) and are often covered with earth to form a burial mound. Because of their age and unsteadiness, the capstones are usually found on the ground. That appears to be how Obermaier found the Dolmen of Guadalperal, which he dated to between 2000 and 3000 BCE. Many of the stones were engraved and Obermaier and his team made reproductions of them, which were published in 1960. This was fortunate, as we will soon see.
In addition to the standing stones, Obermaier found Roman artifacts -- a coin, ceramic fragments and a grinding stone – inside the oval, and 11 axes, ceramics, flint knives and other relics nearby. Also uncovered in the area was the remains of settlement, dating to the same time as the stones, which included houses, charcoal, pottery, mills, and sharpening stones, lending credence to the theory that the occupants were the builders of the dolmens. The total collection makes this Spanish Stonehenge an important historical site that should be worthy of protection. Unfortunately, progress overcame archeology in this case.
In 1963, Spain’s dictatorial leader Francisco Franco approved the building of the Valdecañas reservoir – the floor of the massive project included the site of the Dolmen of Guadalperal. At the time, archeologists decided that moving the stones would ruin their historical significance and opted to let the location be flooded as a way to preserve it. Thus, the Dolmen of Guadalperal were not seen again … until 2019 when a severe drought reduced the level of the Valdecañas reservoir to a point where the Spanish Stonehenge could be seen in a NASA satellite image. Eventually, most of the stones emerged, but the rains soon returned and the stones sunk back to their hiding place.
An example of a dolmen
"It is a megalithic dolmen of great value that is now, for the first time, and who knows if it will be the last, fully accessible."
The Raíces de Peraleda Association launched a Change.org petition at the time to raise money to do something to save the Dolmen. They pointed out that the stones showed clear signs of deterioration as the porous granite cracks and crumbles. In addition, the waters have eroded the engravings and many are no longer visible – showing how fortunate it was that Obermaier's team made reproductions of them.
“It currently sits fully exposed in one corner of the Valdecanas reservoir, in the central province of Caceres, where authorities say the water level has dropped to 28% of capacity.”
It is now 2022 and Europe is in the midst of a record-breaking drought. Spain and Portugal have implemented restrictions on water usage because reservoirs like the Valdecañas are drying up. While that is bad news for farmers, businesses and anyone who drinks water, it is good news for the Dolmen of Guadalperal, the archeologists waiting to study them and unlock their mysterious origin, and the preservations who hope this will give them enough time to get the approvals and support to finally move the stones or figure out a way to protect them. If they need some incentive to convince local officials of the benefit to saving the Dolman, it comes from Ruben Argentas, who owns a small boat tours business.
"The dolmen emerges and the dolmen tourism begins."
Sadly, this is turning out to be a zero-sum problem. While local businesses are taking advantage of increased profits due to archeological tourism, the local farmers have no water for crops or livestock. With the reservoir down by nearly a third of its normal level, it will take a lot of rain over a long season to recover – and the dry conditions now make the ground hard for absorption and set the stage for damaging floods. For those who believe in karma, it appears payback is finally happening for the dictatorship of Francisco Franco.
As of this writing, no decisions have been made concerning the future of the Dolmen of Guadalperal. Let’s hope the important historical structures can be saved. It’s too bad Franco isn’t around to get his karma payback.
'Something in our skies' | Ex-Pentagon official discusses UFO sightings in Canada, U.S.
Joy Malbon speaks with Luis Elizondo, a ex-Pentagon official, who resigned in 2017 and went public about the agency's UAP program.
Are UFOs real? South Korean, U.S. scientists analyse
UFO sightings have frequent and continuous in recent years, according to a naval intelligence officer in the United States. Unidentified Flying Objects have long been a topic that has never failed to fascinate people and provoke debate on whether these mysterious apparitions are real or not. There have certainly been testimonies but has the evidence over the years proven concrete? We delve into the issue of Unidentified Flying Objects with Avi LOEB, Frank B. Baird Jr. Professor of Science of Harvard University, Sunglyul Maeng , Professor of Electrical & Electronic Engineering at Woosuk University.
Q1. Professor Loeb: It's been 50 years since congress last held a hearing on mysterious objects in the skies, are we now confident enough to say UFOs and aliens exist? Has it finally been confirmed by the hearing?
Q2. Professor Meng: Have you found any interesting remarks made at the Congressional UFO hearings?
Q3. Professor Loeb: These are the first hearings since the Air Force terminated Project Blue Book in 1969. What could be the reason to hold an open forum now, after decades of internal investigations and research?
Q4. Professor Loeb: Nowadays there's been a switch from using the term UFO to “UAP", or unidentified aerial phenonemon. How are UFOs and UAPs different in the sense of their implication?
Q5 Maeng: Now there are so many questions surrounding USOs which have largely gone unanswered. What has been made known so far?
Q6. Loeb: The Pentagon has so far confirmed that there were 11 near misses with UFOs by the U.S. military. Has there been any contact towards or from them so far?
Q7. Maeng:Many UFO witnesses speak of the unusual movement of UFOs, such as a rapid direction change or unbelievably high speed, as if they defy the limits of physics. As a scientist, what makes you think this is not human technology?
Q8. Professor Maeng:I know that you have researched UFOs for 30 years in Korea. Were there any UFOs observed by south Korean Air Force pilots?
Q9. Professor Loeb: It seems we have a long way to go until we get the answer to the ultimate question: do aliens exist? What actions are further needed from government?
Avi LOEB, Frank B. Baird Jr. Professor of Science of Harvard University, Sunglyul Maeng , Professor of Electrical & Electronic Engineering at Woosuk University. Thank you for your time.
Pentagon Reports 400 mysterious encounters including one in San Diego
Pentagon Reports 400 mysterious encounters including one in San Diego
NASA joins hunt for UFOs, Unidentified Aerial Phenomena ( ufo sightings compilation)
NASA joins hunt for UFOs, Unidentified Aerial Phenomena ( ufo sightings compilation) NASA has announced that they will join the search for UFOs. This, after a new office was set up at the Pentagon to investigate top secret encounters between pilots and unidentified aerial phenomena flying in restricted airspace. NASA says their findings will not be classified and might even include reviews of videos captured by civilians.
US Pilot Records Mysterious UFO Lights in the Skies Above South China Sea
A video reportedly recorded by an American military pilot over the South China Sea shows a dozen unidentified flying objects (UFOs) near Hong Kong, before suddenly disappearing into the clouds. The video shows three sets of four mysterious light formations flying in the distance above the clouds. It was filmed on November 24 and has been widely shared on social media, inviting baffling reactions from users. Some of them thought the lights were “alien” aircraft and others thought the lights were “floating angels.” However, some users wondered whether it could have been a military exercise.
UFO fleet filmed at 39,000ft over the South China Sea ! - UFO News - Dec.6 👽
Coming up today : the Canadian government may be covering up sightings of UFOs, a huge crashed disc-shaped UFO was spotted on Mars, and a UFO fleet was filmed at 39,000ft over the South China Sea…
Sign the Petition to the Department of Defense to Release ALL Unclassified Data/Photos/Videos to the American Public ASAP, to achieve the Congressionally Mandated UFO Report we all deserve at: http://chng.it/f8SqQGqXDv
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Fleet of UFOs flying silently over the Gulf Of Mexico
I can not tell if this is a fleet of UFOs or just a single UFO but this is a pretty amazing capture.
“Observed several UFOs in the sky” – Bremerton, Washington 21-Aug-2022
“Observed several UFOs in the sky” – Bremerton, Washington 21-Aug-2022
These unidentified flying bright objects were caught in the sky above Bremerton, a city in Kitsap County, Washington. This happened on 21st August 2022.
Witness report:
While walking my dog this evening, I noticed a number of lights in the sky. I started recording about a minute after i saw them. Not sure what these are. Are you able to identify them? Captured Sunday evening August 21, 2022. At approximately 8:20 pm. Video recorded from an iPhone 8 at full digital zoom. Recorded from a neighborhood near southwestern Bremerton. Looking south, southeast across Sinclair inlet. The hill side, in the foreground, is located in Port Orchard. I have a total of 6:50 (m:s) of video, but Twitter requires me to only send a trimmed portion.
Were Phobos and Deimos Once a Single Martian Moon That Split up? Not Likely, says New Study
Were Phobos and Deimos Once a Single Martian Moon That Split up? Not Likely, says New Study
The origin of Phobos and Deimos, the two Martian moons, has been a mystery to astronomers. These two bodies are a fraction of the size and mass of the Moon, measuring just 22.7 km (14 mi) and 12.6 km (7.83 mi) in diameter. Both have a rapid orbital period, taking just 7 hours, 39 minutes, and 12 seconds (Phobos) and 30 hours, 18 minutes, and 43 seconds (Deimos) to complete an orbit around Mars. Both are also irregular in shape, leading many to speculate that they were once asteroids that got kicked out of the Main Belt and were captured by Mars’ gravity.
There’s also the theory that Phobos and Deimos were once a single moon hit by a massive object, causing it to split up (aka. the “splitting hypothesis”). In a recent paper, an international team of scientists led by the Institute of Space and Astronautical Science (ISAS) revisited this hypothesis. They determined that a single moon in a synchronous orbit would not have produced two satellites as we see there today. Instead, they argue, the two moons would have collided before long, producing a debris ring that would have created an entirely new moon system.
The paper that describes their findings recently appeared online and will be published in The Planetary Science Journal. The research was led by Dr. Ryuki Hyodo, a researcher with the Department of Solar System Sciences at ISAS, a part of the Japan Aerospace Exploration Agency (JAXA). He was joined by researchers from the Earth-Life Science Institute at the Tokyo Institute of Technology, the Paris Globe Institute of Physics at the Universite de Paris, and the Orbital Dynamics and Planetary Group at Sao Paulo State University.
As noted, the subject of where Mars’ moons came from has become a hot topic of date for astronomers in recent years. Historically, astronomers have leaned towards the Capture Hypothesis, which states that Phobos and Deimos were once D-type asteroids. These are asteroids composed of organic-rich silicates, carbon, and silicates that contain no water (anhydrous) that may have water ice in their interiors. This hypothesis is largely motivated by observations that revealed similarities in spectra between D-type asteroids and these moons.
Alternately, the Giant Impact Hypothesis states that an impactor struck Mars, creating a debris ring around the planet that accreted to form two rubble-pile objects. This is similar to the most widely-accepted theory of how the Earth-Moon system formed billions of years ago due to an impact with a Mars-sized object named Theia (also called the Giant Impact Hypothesis). More recently, it has been proposed that Phobos and Deimos may not be primordial objects that resulted from capture or an impact but are the remains of a primordial moon that broke apart.
This theory has been dubbed the “Ring-Moon Recycling Hypothesis,” which was put forth in a 2021 paper by Amirhossein Bagheri et al. According to this hypothesis, this progenitor moon was ripped apart 1 to 2.8 billion years ago, either by tidal forces or an impact. The resulting debris would have formed a ring around Mars that was eventually recycled to form Phobos and Deimos. As astronomers have noted, this model presents some issues, which include the fact that Mars would still have a ring system. As Dr. Hyodo explained to Universe Today via email, he and his team noted that there are other issues:
“Studying the tidal evolution of the moons back in time, Bagheri et al. (2021) found a solution that Phobos and Deimos could once have orbits that would cross each other. This is their evidence: saying that Phobos and Deimos were once a single moon that was split to form Phobos and Deimos. Note that if you change parameters that control the tidal evolution, the orbits of Phobos and Deimos in the past do not cross each other. The idea of Bagheri et al. is based on their parameters that have resulted in orbital crossing in the past.“
To test this hypothesis, Dr. Hyodo and his colleagues began with the assumption that Phobos and Deimos were once a single body. They then conducted numerical simulations that combined geophysical and tidal-evolution models of a Mars–satellite system. From this, said Dr. Hyodo, they determined that it was highly unlikely that Phobos and Deimos originated from a single object:
“We then calculated successive orbital evolutions of the moons in the direct 3-body approach (Mars-Phobos-Deimos), which can precisely calculate close encounters, gravitational interactions, and collisions between moons. We found that the two moons would most likely (more than >90% by chance) collide with each other within a very short timescale after the splitting (<10^4 years). This impact is very destructive (i.e., high-velocity impact), and thus the two moons (Phobos and Deimos) are catastrophically destroyed.”
In short, if Phobos and Deimos were split from a single progenitor Moon (1 to 2.7 billion years ago), they would have collided within 100,000 years. This would have left Mars with another debris ring that would still be there today, rather than its two irregularly-shaped satellites that happen to be asteroid-like in composition. These findings have renewed the debate about where Mars’ moons came from and also suggest that it may not be resolved until sample-return missions are sent to explore the Martian satellites.
Several mission concepts are currently on the table. In 2008, NASA’s Glenn Research Center began studying a possible sample-return mission known as the “Hall” concept. This New Frontiers-class concept would perform a sample-return from Phobos and Deimos. In January 2013, scientists from Standford University, the Massachusetts Institute of Technology (MIT), and NASA’s Jet Propulsion Laboratory began collaborating on a new Phobos Surveyor mission. The mission is currently in the testing phases with a potential launch window of 2023 and 2033.
Artist’s concept of Japan’s Mars Moons eXploration (MMX) spacecraft, carrying a NASA instrument to study the Martian moons Phobos and Deimos. Credits: JAXA/NASA
In March 2014, NASA proposed a Discovery-class mission called Phobos And Deimos & Mars Environment (PADME), which would place an orbiter in Mars orbit by 2021 to study Phobos and Deimos. A heritage concept called OSIRIS-REx 2 is being considered that would use parts from the first OSIRIS-REx mission (a sample-return mission to the asteroid Bennu) and conduct a sample-return mission from Phobos and Deimos. Beyond NASA, other space agencies also hope to send robotic spacecraft to explore the Martain satellites.
In 2015, the Japanese Aerospace Exploration (JAXA) unveiled their concept for a sample-return mission to Phobos known as the Martian Moons Exploration (MMX). This mission would conduct a Deimos flyby before landing on Phobos multiple times to obtain samples – similar to what the Hayabusa2 mission did on asteroid Ryugu. This mission is international in scope, with NASA and the ESA contributing, and is currently scheduled to launch in 2024 and return samples to Earth five years later.
Russia plans to repeat its previous attempt to send a sample-return mission to Phobos named Fobos-Grunt (Russian for “Phobos Ground”) in the late 2020s. In 2015, the ESA began assessing a sample-return mission to Phobos called Phootprint, which was planned for launch by 2024. This mission was originally conceived as a collaborative effort between the ESA and Roscosmos, which have since terminated their cooperation agreements due to Russia’s invasion of Ukraine.
From all these proposals, it is clear that multiple space agencies intend to explore the Moons of Mars in the near future. The origin and subsequent evolution of these moons are considered part of a wider effort to explore and characterize Mars. In the meantime, the debate continues!
How Weak Will Astronauts Feel When They First set Foot on Mars After Months in Space?
How Weak Will Astronauts Feel When They First set Foot on Mars After Months in Space?
In the coming decade, in 2033, NASA and China intend to send astronauts to Mars for the first time in history. This presents numerous challenges, ranging from logistical and technical issues to ensuring that astronauts can deal with waste and have enoughfood and waterfor the months-long transit to and from Mars. But of course, there’s also the health and safety of the astronauts, who will be spending months traveling through space where they’ll be exposed to cosmic radiation and microgravity. There are even concerns that after months of exposure to microgravity, astronauts will have trouble adapting to Martian gravity.
To determine if these fears have merit, a team of space medicine experts from the Australian National University (ANU) developed a mathematical model to predict whether astronauts can safely travel to Mars and perform their duties once they arrive on the Red Planet. This model could be immensely valuable alongside all the other preparations that need to happen before astronauts set foot on Mars. It could also be used to assess the impact of short- and long-duration missions that take astronauts far beyond Low Earth Orbit (LEO) and the Earth-Moon system in the future.
The paper that describes their mathematical model and conclusions recently appeared in npj Microgravity, a scientific journal published by Nature. The research team was led by Dr. Lex van Loon, a Research Fellow from the ANU College of Health and Medicine (CHM). As he and his colleagues note in their study, the potential hazards for missions bound for Mars are numerous, but the greatest threat is arguably the time the astronauts will spend in microgravity. Combined with damaging radiation from the Sun and cosmic sources, the experience will cause fundamental changes to their bodies.
Artist concept of the Mars Ice Home. Credit: NASA.
Based on extensive research conducted aboard the International Space Station (ISS), microgravity is known to cause muscle and bone density loss and affect organ function, eyesight, and the cardiopulmonary system – the heart and its ability to pump blood through the body’s system of arteries and veins. As Van Loon described in an ANU news release, their research is not only essential because of proposed missions to Mars, but for the burgeoning commercial space sector as well:
“We know it takes about six to seven months to travel to Mars and this could cause the structure of your blood vessels or the strength of your heart to change due to the weightlessness experienced as a result of zero gravity space travel. With the rise of commercial space flight agencies like Space X and Blue Origin, there’s more room for rich but not necessarily healthy people to go into space, so we want to use mathematical models to predict whether someone is fit to fly to Mars.”
Co-author Dr. Emma Tucker, an astrophysicist and emergency medicine registrar, added that prolonged exposure to zero gravity could cause the heart to become lazy because it doesn’t have to work as hard to overcome gravity and pump blood throughout the body.
“When you’re on Earth, gravity is pulling fluid to the bottom half of our body, which is why some people find their legs begin to swell up toward the end of the day. But when you go into space that gravitational pull disappears, which means the fluid shifts to the top half of your body and that triggers a response that fools the body into thinking there’s too much fluid. As a result, you start going to the toilet a lot, you start getting rid of extra fluid, you don’t feel thirsty and you don’t drink as much, which means you become dehydrated in space.
The Crew Transfer Vehicle (CTV) using its nuclear-thermal rocket engines to slow down and establish orbit around Mars.
Credit: NASA
This, says Tucker, is why astronauts returning from the ISS are seen fainting when they set foot on Earth again or need to be transported using wheelchairs. The longer they stay in space, the more likely they will collapse when they return to Earth, and the more difficult the process of readjusting to Earth’s gravity. In the case of the NASA Twins Study, Mark Kelly spent over a year in orbit and experienced terrible pain, swelling, and other symptoms upon his return (as he described in his book Endurance: A Year in Space, a Lifetime of Discovery).
When it comes to missions bound for Mars, there’s the added complication imposed by the communications delay between Earth and Mars. Depending on the alignment of the Sun, Earth, and Mars, these delays can last as long as 20 minutes, which means astronauts must be able to perform their duties without immediate assistance from mission controllers or support crews (which includes medical emergencies). As Van Loon explained:
“If an astronaut faints when they first step out of the spacecraft or if there’s a medical emergency, they’ll be nobody on Mars to help them. This is why we must be absolutely certain the astronaut is fit to fly and can adapt to Mars’ gravitational field. They must be able to operate effectively and efficiently with minimal support during those crucial first few minutes.”
Their model relies on a machine learning algorithm based on astronaut data collected from past Expeditions aboard the ISS and the Apollo missions to simulate the risks associated with traveling to Mars. Testing showed that it could simulate key cardiovascular hemodynamic changes after prolonged spaceflight and under different gravitational and fluid loading conditions. And the results are encouraging, as they indicate that astronauts can function after months spent in microgravity.
Artist’s impression of a Mars habitat in conjunction with other surface elements on Mars. Credit: NASA
While the current model is informed by data derived from middle-aged and well-trained astronauts, the researchers hope to expand its capabilities to include commercial spaceflight data. Ultimately, their goal is to create a model that can simulate the impact of prolonged space travel on relatively unhealthy individuals with pre-existing heart conditions (in other words, untrained civilians). They hope this model will provide a more holistic picture of what would happen if an “everyday” person were to travel to space.
Further refinements could be made to incorporate age-related health issues, which would make sense given the number of celebrities that have flown to space recently (Wally Funk, William Shatner, Laura Shepard, Richard Branson, etc.). Who knows? Perhaps it will be possible to simulate the effects of long-term exposure to microgravity on children and fetal development. This research is crucial if we ever want to send humans to the Moon, Mars, and other destinations to live someday.
Mars and Moon Dust can be Turned Into Geopolymer Cement. Good Enough for Landing Pads and Other Structures
Mars and Moon Dust can be Turned Into Geopolymer Cement. Good Enough for Landing Pads and Other Structures
Materials science has long taken the lead in space exploration research, and it seems to have been getting even more attention than usual lately. That is especially true for building materials. NASA has funded several new research programs to develop new building materials that can do everything from providing structure to future human habs to landing pads for future reusable rocket missions. Now that second goal is one step closer, thanks to researchers at the University of Delaware.
Their recent paper in Advances in Space Research describes a method for making a type of geopolymer out of Martian and lunar regolith simulants. Geopolymers are an advanced form of concrete that has enhanced physical properties such as compressive strength and thermal tolerance – precisely the type of properties you want to be stronger if you’re trying to build a retro rocket landing pad.
Landing a rocket on another planet (or moon, for that matter) is risky. Dust and rocks blown skyward by the downdraft of the column of flame the rocket emits could damage the rocket itself or anything that it might be carrying, such as humans. The best way to stop that potential hazard would be to build a landing pad. However, one made with regular concrete can’t withstand a rocket blast without breaking itself into the kind of chunks most dangerous to rockets. That is where geopolymers come in.
SEM image of the simulated lunar regolith geopolymer. Credit – University of Delaware
With their extreme physical and thermal properties, they are ideally suited to serve as the landing pad material for rockets. The only problem is – how do you make them off of Earth? That was the focus of the team in Delaware.
They used Martian and lunar regolith simulates as a basis for making the geopolymer, which was created using a combination of clay and a solvent with a high pH – in this case, sodium silicate. After mixing the two materials, the researchers let the resulting mixture cure for seven days before testing the new material’s properties.
Under Earth-like conditions, the materials they created had the kind of properties they were looking for. However, Maritan conditions were not as congenial. At -80 C, the reaction to form the geopolymer hardly happened at all. Additionally, in a vacuum, which is also the natural state of the moon or Mars, the formation didn’t happen as well as it did under ambient Earth conditions.
UT Report on mixing concrete in space.
Two solutions present themselves – either future space explorers could use a system that heats up and pressurizes the extraterrestrial clay so that the reaction would happen as expected. Or further material advances could point to potential solutions that could be done at ambient temperatures on the Moon and Mars. Either way would require more research.
But there’s not only work on the material science side – sodium silicate isn’t particularly common on Mars. It would require hundreds to thousands of kilograms of the stuff to make enough geopolymer for even a single landing pad, which is expensive if launching it from Earth, though it could be done with a single rocket payload. In addition, more recent research just reported that clays might not be as common as initially thought on Mars, making the other material component of the geopolymer harder to find as well.
Either way, explorers will eventually need a landing pad to ensure their descending (or ascending) rocket isn’t blasted into shrapnel by fast-moving rocks. And geopolymers seem as good a solution as any offered so far. Material science keeps marching forward, and someone someday will find a long-term solution.
Something huge appears in front of a solar satellite
Something huge appears in front of a solar satellite
On August 20, 2022 the solar satellite SDO AIA 304 captured something huge that arrives between the solar satellite and the sun, partially obscures the sun, it slowly going down and back up.
It doesn't look like a partial solar eclipse, it's something moving between the camera and the sun.
Directly after the massive black object disappears, an anomaly passing the sun.
Elizabeth April | Astral Projection, Alien Abduction, Hybrid Species, Reincarnation
Elizabeth April | Astral Projection, Alien Abduction, Hybrid Species, Reincarnation
Elizabeth is a past life regression. She is an author, a truth seeker, and a clairvoyant. Elizabeth explains how she channels and communicates with the Galactic Federation in another dimension. She speaks to the federation about our planet, interaction with entities. It all goes back to her dad giving her a past life regression, which lead to her heightened awareness, clairvoyance, and even being abducted by aliens. Elizabeth tells us of her astro projecting journeys. Her communication with many different types of aliens. She explain how the aliens have taught her about human origins, and how Earth is headed for a new vibration.
BIZARRE ONDERWATERSNEEUW OP EUROPA VALT MOGELIJK OMHOOG: MINDER ZOUT WATER, MEER KANS OP LEVEN?
BIZARRE ONDERWATERSNEEUW OP EUROPA VALT MOGELIJK OMHOOG: MINDER ZOUT WATER, MEER KANS OP LEVEN?
Jeannette Kras
Jupiters kleinste Galileïsche maan Europa herbergt nog vele geheimen, mogelijk in de vorm van leven. Een nieuwe studie licht weer een tipje van de sluier op: er schuilt niet alleen een oceaan met vloeibaar water onder de dikke ijskorst, maar er is ook sneeuw, die omhoog valt.
De sneeuw drijft naar boven vanaf omgekeerde ijspieken en ondergedompelde ravijnen. De bizarre onderwatersneeuw kennen we ook onder ijsplaten op Aarde. Volgens het nieuwe onderzoek gebeurt dus hetzelfde op de maan van Jupiter. Daar zou de sneeuw een rol spelen bij de vorming van de ijskorst.
Onderwaterleven De onderwatersneeuw is veel puurder dan andere vormen van ijs, wat betekent dat Europa’s ijslaag mogelijk veel minder zout is dan tot nu toe werd gedacht. Dat is belangrijk voor de wetenschappers die de NASA-missie Clipper naar Europa voorbereiden. Het ruimtevaartuig gebruikt radar om onder de ijskap te gluren of er in Europa’s oceaan mogelijk leven huist. Zout dat vastzit in het ijs kan effect hebben op hoeveel en hoe diep de radar onder het ijs kan kijken. Dus als de onderzoekers beter weten waar het ijs van is gemaakt, kunnen ze de data van de missie beter begrijpen. Ze kunnen dan ook beter het zoutgehalte bepalen en de levensvatbaarheid van de oceaan.
“Als we Europa verkennen zijn we geïnteresseerd in het zoutgehalte en de samenstelling van de oceaan, omdat dit mede bepaalt in hoeverre de oceaan leven kan bevatten en zelfs waar dit leven uit bestaat”, legt onderzoeker Natalie Wolfenbarger uit van de University of Texas, wier studie in vakblad Astrobiology verscheen. De Texaanse universiteit leidt ook de ontwikkeling van het radarinstrument waarmee ruimtevaartuig Clipper onder het ijs op Europa gaat kijken.
Vergelijkbaar met Antarctica Europa is ongeveer net zo groot als onze eigen maan en is omhuld met een kilometers dikke ijslaag. Daaronder zit vermoedelijk een vloeibare oceaan. Eerdere studies wijzen uit dat de temperatuur, druk en het zoutgehalte van het gedeelte dat zich dicht tegen het ijs bevindt, vergelijkbaar is met wat je onder een ijskap op Antarctica aantreft.
Gewapend met deze kennis, is in deze nieuwe studie gekeken naar twee verschillende manieren waarop water onder ijsplaten bevriest: het ijs groeit direct onder het ijs vast of er vormen zich ijsschotsen in het ijskoude zeewater die naar boven komen drijven en zich dan vastzetten aan de onderkant van de ijsplaat. In beide gevallen ontstaat er ijs dat minder zout is dan zeewater. Als je dit uitvergroot naar Europa’s ijskorst zou het zelfs nóg minder zout ijs zijn, volgens Wolfenbarger. Haar berekeningen stellen ook vast dat de gebroken stukken ijs, die maar een fractie van het zout van zeewater bevatten, veel voorkomen op Europa. Dat betekent dat de ijskap mogelijk vele malen puurder is dan eerdere schattingen uitwezen. Dat heeft effect op alles: van de sterkte van het ijs tot hoe warmte erdoorheen beweegt en krachten werken, die de ijsplaten stuwen.
Ophopingen van ijsfragmenten onder de Antarctische ijsplaat. Volgens het Texaanse onderzoek is het ijs op Europa mogelijk van hetzelfde spul gemaakt.
De Aarde als voorbeeld “Deze studie opent een vat vol mogelijkheden voor hoe we over de oceaanwerelden denken en hoe ze werken”, zegt NASA-onderzoeker Steve Vance, die niet betrokken is bij de studie. “Het zet de toon voor hoe we ons voorbereiden op de Clipper-analyse van het ijs van Europa.”
Volgens hoofdonderzoeker van het radarinstrument van de Clipper, Donald Blankenship bevestigt het onderzoek dat de Aarde een geschikt model is om te achterhalen of Europa geschikt is voor leven. “We kunnen de Aarde gebruiken om Europa’s levensvatbaarheid te evalueren door de uitwisseling van onzuiverheden te meten tussen het ijs en de oceaan en erachter te komen waar water zich bevindt in het ijs”, zegt hij.
Europa Europa is de kleinste maan van Jupiter, maar nog altijd ongeveer even groot als de maan van de Aarde. Het is qua grootte de vijfde maan van ons zonnestelsel. Omdat de ijskorst van Europa in beweging is (tektoniek) bevindt zich onder het ijs wellicht vloeibaar water en dus mogelijk leven. Hoe dik de ijslaag is, blijft gissen. Ramingen lopen uiteen van 1 tot 30 kilometer. Hoe dunner de ijslaag, hoe groter de kans op leven.
In 2023 vertrekt de JUICE-missie van ESA naar Jupiter om daar onderzoek naar te doen en in 2024 volgt de Clipper-missie van NASA. Ze blijven in een baan rond Jupiter en bestuderen Europa van een afstand. Europa draait in 3,5 dag rond de planeet op een afstand van 665.533 kilometer. De maan heeft een ijle atmosfeer met zuurstof. De luchtdruk is er 100 miljard keer minder dan op Aarde.
By Bob Spearing, Director of International Investigations
32 Years ago, in a remote hilly area of Scotland in 1990 called Calvine, two witnesses saw and photographed a large diamond shaped object with a military plane in the lower right corner. They took 6,photos. The photos were sent to a British newspaper but they were never published as the British Ministry of Defense confiscated the photos. Photostatted facsimiles of one photo have made the rounds for decades while the MOD denied all of the photos’ existence. Why? Here is the facsimile going around UFO circles for 3 decades followed by the actual photo released this past week.
This week one actual photo has been released due to a concerted effort by Dr. David Clarke, a scientist and UFO researcher in Britain. The photo released says it is the property of Sheffield Hallam University.
The photo has gone viral and is currently making its rounds about the internet. The other 5 photos have yet to surface and it is doubtful the MOD will ever release them.
The one released is an extraordinary photo but exactly what it shows is inconclusive. It is an impressive diamond and seems to dwarf the plane in the photograph. It is believed to be a military plane that is either escorting the object or chasing it.
Additionally, a concerted effort has now been mounted by the British media to identify the two
anonymous hikers that took the half dozen series of analog photos.
The object has been estimated to be as long as 100 feet in diameter. The object has also been theorized to be the American military stealth aircraft built by Boeing and known as the Bird of Prey. Only one was built in 1996 and it is on display today in a museum. Could it have been a top-secret project 6 years prior in 1990 undergoing testing? Possible yes but likely? Here are two photos of Boeing’s Bird of Prey. What do you think?
The most important questions to ask are why find and release the photo now after 32 years of silence?
Is it military? Is it Extraterrestrial? Is it real? Was it planned? Is it legitimate?
It is, nonetheless, the most famous and intriguing photo ever to come out of the United Kingdom.
Sci-fi films and TV shows have routinely depicted a brutal race of aliens visiting Earth in their spaceships and enslaving unfortunate Earthlings.
But according to one expert, extraterrestrial life may actually be too scared of 'dangerous' and 'violent' humans to want to come here.
Dr Gordon Gallup, a biopsychologist at the University of Albany, argues that humans are 'dangerous, violent and ceaselessly engage in endless bloody conflicts and war'.
For this reason, aliens with the technological capability of making a visit to Earth – if they exist – are likely inclined to stay away for fear of death and genocide, according to Dr Gallup.
No life beyond Earth has ever been found and there is no evidence that alien life has ever visited our planet. But this may be due to extraterrestrial life being too scared of 'dangerous' and 'violent' humans
(artist's impression)
Dr Gordon Gallup (pictured) is a biopsychologist at the University at Albany
Dr Gallup has presented his argument in an open access paper published in the Journal of Astrobiology this month.
'If [alien life] exists it may have found us by now and discovered that humans are dangerous, violent and ceaselessly engage in endless bloody conflicts and war, and continually develop even more powerful weapons of mass destruction,' Dr Gallup says.
'It would also be obvious, that as a byproduct of increasing pollution, habitat destruction, coupled with endless wars, pillage, death, destruction and the desire for conquest, that humans pose an unparalleled and unprecedented risk not only to other life forms on Earth but to life on other planets.'
As an example, Dr Gallup cites 'the total destruction of the highly advanced Aztec and Inca civilizations' and the subsequent genocide of the native people, their temples and buildings destroyed and their wealth and natural resources stolen.
'If the humans of Earth became aware of advanced civilizations and desirable resources on other worlds, might these native extraterrestrial populations eventually suffer the same fate as befell the natives of Mexico and Peru?,' he writes.
'If there is intelligent life elsewhere, they may view humans as extremely dangerous. Maybe this is why there is no proof or compelling evidence of extraterrestrial intelligence: we pose too great a risk, and they do not want to be discovered.'
During his lifetime, the famous British astrophysicist Professor Stephen Hawking (pictured) raised concerns about the dangers posed by intelligent and hostile extraterrestrials
DOES ALIEN LIFE EXIST?
No life beyond Earth has ever been found; there is no evidence that alien life has ever visited our planet.
However, this does not mean that the universe is lifeless other than on Earth, according to NASA.
The space agency says: 'While no clear signs of life have ever been detected, the possibility of extraterrestrial biology - the scientific logic that supports it - has grown increasingly plausible.'
One popular school of thought is that our own existence is evidence that there is certainly life on other planets, as the likelihood of Earth being a 'one-off' is almost zero.
However, one argument against this is - if there is extraterrestrial life, why have we not found any evidence for it?
During his lifetime, the famous British astrophysicist Professor Stephen Hawking raised concerns about the dangers posed by intelligent and hostile extraterrestrials, Dr Gallup points out.
These aliens might arrive to conquer, enslave, destroy, and colonise humans to exploit the resources of our planet having exhausted those of their own.
This has long been perpetuated by TV and film – for example, 'Battlefield Earth', a 2000 film based on a novel written by Scientology founder L. Ron Hubbard, depicts a brutal race of giant aliens called 'The Psychlos' subjecting humans to slave labour.
According to Professor Hawking, the outcome might be analogous to when Columbus came to America, which did not turn out well for Native Americans, Dr Gallup says.
But the truth could be completely the opposite – it might also be possible that aliens live in fear of being found.
Overall, humans are unique because 'they have developed the technological capability to cause their own extinction'.
'Humans appear to be poised at the brink of reaching the tipping point when it comes to our dependence on fossil fuels and the resulting effects on climate change,' Dr Gallup says.
'The trajectory suggests that for the first time in the history of Earth, we are headed for a mass extinction that is occurring as a result of the actions of a single species; i.e., human.'
In 'Battlefield Earth (2000) a brutal race of giant aliens called 'The Psychlos' that have subjected humans to slave labour for 1,000 years
So far, astronomers have discovered more than 4,000 of exoplanets confirmed to be orbiting other stars in our galaxy. Pictured is an artist's rendering of an exoplanet and its moon
The paper draws on the Fermi paradox, which is the apparent contradiction between the lack of evidence for extraterrestrial civilizations and various high estimates for their probability.
In other words, if there is extraterrestrial life, why have we not found any evidence for it?
According to estimates from Erik Zackrisson, an astrophysicist at Uppsala University in Sweden, there are 70 quintillion planets in the universe – that's 7 followed by 20 zeroes.
In the Milky Way galaxy alone, there many as many as six billion Earth-like planets, according to a 2020 study by University of British Columbia astronomers.
According to NASA, some 4.933 exoplanets – planets outside our own solar system – have been confirmed in 3,704 systems.
The majority of these exoplanets are gaseous, like Jupiter or Neptune, rather than terrestrial, according to NASA's online database.
As for whether intelligent life exists other than on Earth, Dr Gallup says: 'The history of biology on Earth makes it clear that intelligent, technologically sophisticated life is the exception rather than the rule.
'Despite billions of different lifeforms, the track record of intelligent life with complex tool-making capabilities and the cognitive ability to achieve self-consciousness, indicate that it has only appeared once, which makes the prospect of finding technologically sophisticated intelligent life elsewhere exponentially remote.'
WHAT IS THE FERMI PARADOX?
The Fermi Paradox questions why, given the estimated 200bn-400bn stars and at least 100bn planets in our galaxy, there have been no signs of alien life.
The contradiction is named after its creator, Italian physicist Enrico Fermi.
He first posed the question back in 1950.
Fermi believed it was too extraordinary that a single extraterrestrial signal or engineering project has yet to be detected in the universe — despite its immense vastness.
Fermi concluded there must a barrier that limits the rise of intelligent, self-aware, technologically advanced space-colonising civilisations.
This barrier is sometimes referred to as the 'Great Filter'.
Italian physicist Enrico Fermi devised the so-called Fermi Paradox in the 1950s. It explores why there is no sign of alien life, despite the 100 billions planets in our galaxy
If the main obstacle preventing the colonisation of other planets is not in our past, then the barrier that will stop humanity's prospects of reaching other worlds must lie in our future, scientists have theorised.
Professor Brian Cox believes the advances in science and engineering required by a civilisation to start conquering the stars ultimately lead to its destruction.
He said: 'One solution to the Fermi paradox is that it is not possible to run a world that has the power to destroy itself and that needs global collaborative solutions to prevent that.
‘It may be that the growth of science and engineering inevitably outstrips the development of political expertise, leading to disaster.'
Other possible explanations for the Fermi Paradox include that no other intelligent species have arisen in the universe, intelligent alien species are out there — but lack the necessary technology to communicate with Earth.
Some believe that the distances between intelligent civilsations are too great to allow any kind of two-way communication.
If two worlds are separated by several thousand light-years, it's possible that one or both civilisation will be extinct before a dialogue can be established.
The so-called Zoo hypothesis claims intelligent alien life is out there, but deliberately avoids any contact with life on Earth to allow its natural evolution.
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NASA’s First Flight With Crew Important Step on Long-term Return to the Moon, Missions to Mars
NASA’s First Flight With Crew Important Step on Long-term Return to the Moon, Missions to Mars
NASA’s First Flight With Crew Important Step on Long-term Return to the Moon, Missions to Mars
Astronauts on their first flight aboard NASA’s Orion spacecraft will travel farther into the solar system than humanity has ever traveled before. Their mission will be to confirm all of the spacecraft’s systems operate as designed with crew aboard in the actual environment of deep space. The Artemis II flight test will be NASA’s first mission with crew and will pave the way to land the first woman and next man on the Moon on Artemis III. Building on those early missions, NASA’s Artemis program will return humans to the Moon for long-term exploration and future missions to worlds beyond, including Mars.
“The unique Artemis II mission profile will build upon the uncrewed Artemis I flight test by demonstrating a broad range of SLS and Orion capabilities needed on deep space missions,” said Mike Sarafin, Artemis mission manager. “This mission will prove Orion’s critical life support systems are ready to sustain our astronauts on longer duration missions ahead and allow the crew to practice operations essential to the success of Artemis III.”
Leaving Earth
The mission will launch a crew of four astronauts from NASA’s Kennedy Space Center in Florida in 2023 on a Block 1 configuration of the Space Launch System (SLS) rocket. The flight profile is called a hybrid free return trajectory. Orion will perform multiple maneuvers to raise its orbit around Earth and eventually place the crew on a lunar free return trajectory in which Earth’s gravity will naturally pull Orion back home after flying by the Moon.
The initial launch will be similar to Artemis I as SLS lofts Orion into space, and then jettisons the boosters, service module panels, and launch abort system, before the core stage engines shut down and the core stage separates from the upper stage and the spacecraft. With crew aboard this mission, Orion and the upper stage, called the interim cryogenic propulsion stage (ICPS), will then orbit Earth twice to ensure Orion’s systems are working as expected while still close to home. The spacecraft will first reach an initial orbit, flying in the shape of an ellipse, at an altitude of about 115 by 1,800 miles. The orbit will last a little over 90 minutes and will include the first firing of the ICPS to maintain Orion’s path. After the first orbit, the ICPS will raise Orion to a high-Earth orbit. This maneuver will enable the spacecraft to build up enough speed for the eventual push toward the Moon. The second, larger orbit will take approximately 42 hours with Orion flying in an ellipse between about 235 and 68,000 miles above Earth. For perspective, the International Space Station flies a nearly circular Earth orbit about 250 miles above our planet.
After the burn to enter high-Earth orbit, Orion will separate from the ICPS. The expended stage will have one final use before it is disposed through Earth’s atmosphere—the crew will use it as a target for a proximity operations demonstration. During the demonstration, mission controllers at NASA’s Johnson Space Center in Houston will monitor Orion as the astronauts transition the spacecraft to manual mode and pilot Orion’s flight path and orientation. The crew will use Orion’s onboard cameras and the view from the spacecraft’s windows to line up with the ICPS as they approach and back away from the stage to assess Orion’s handling qualities and related hardware and software. This demonstration will provide performance data and operational experience that cannot be readily gained on the ground in preparation for critical rendezvous, proximity operations and docking, as well as undocking operations in lunar orbit beginning on Artemis III.
Checking Critical Systems
Following the proximity operations demonstration, the crew will turn control of Orion back to mission controllers at Johnson and spend the remainder of the orbit verifying spacecraft system performance in the space environment. They will remove the Orion Crew Survival System suit they wear for launch and spend the remainder of the in-space mission in plain clothes, until they don their suits again to prepare for reentry into Earth’s atmosphere and recovery from the ocean.
While still close to Earth, the crew will assess the performance of the life support systems necessary to generate breathable air and remove the carbon dioxide and water vapor produced when the astronauts breathe, talk, or exercise. The long orbital period around Earth provides an opportunity to test the systems during exercise periods, where the crew’s metabolic rate is the highest, and a sleep period, where the crew’s metabolic rate is the lowest. A change between the suit mode and cabin mode in the life support system, as well as performance of the system during exercise and sleep periods, will confirm the full range of life support system capabilities and ensure readiness for the lunar flyby portion of the mission.
Orion will also checkout the communication and navigation systems to confirm they are ready for the trip to the Moon. While still in the elliptical orbit around Earth, Orion will briefly fly beyond the range of GPS satellites and the Tracking and Data Relay Satellites of NASA’s Space Network to allow an early checkout of agency’s Deep Space Network communication and navigation capabilities. When Orion travels out to and around the Moon, mission control will depend on the Deep Space Network to communicate with the astronauts, send imagery to Earth, and command the spacecraft.
After completing checkout procedures, Orion will perform the next propulsion move, called the translunar injection (TLI) burn. With the ICPS having done most of the work to put Orion into a high-Earth orbit, the service module will provide the last push needed to put Orion on a path toward the Moon. The TLI burn will send crew on an outbound trip of about four days and around the backside of the moon where they will ultimately create a figure eight extending over 230,000 miles from Earth before Orion returns home.
To the Moon and “Free” ride home
On the remainder of the trip, astronauts will continue to evaluate the spacecraft’s systems, including including demonstrating Earth departure and return operations, practicing emergency procedures, and testing the radiation shelter, among other activities.
The Artemis II crew will travel 4,600 miles beyond the far side of the Moon. From this vantage point, they will be able to see the Earth and the Moon from Orion’s windows, with the Moon close in the foreground and the Earth nearly a quarter-million miles in the background.
With a return trip of about four days, the mission is expected to last just over 10 days. Instead of requiring propulsion on the return, this fuel-efficient trajectory harnesses the Earth-Moon gravity field, ensuring that—after its trip around the far side of the Moon—Orion will be pulled back naturally by Earth’s gravity for the free return portion of the mission.
Two missions, two different trajectories
Following these first two test flights, Orion and a crew of four will once again travel to the Moon, this time to make history with the first woman and next man to walk on its surface. Beginning with Artemis III, NASA intends to launch crewed missions about once per year, with initial missions focused on establishing surface capabilities and building the Gateway in orbit around the Moon.
“Together, these test flights will demonstrate the capabilities we need to land the first woman and next man on the Moon by 2024 and enable sustainable missions for decades to come,” said Sarafin. “We will take the experience gained exploring the Moon to prepare for the next giant leap to Mars.”
NASA is leading a return to the Moon through an innovative and sustainable program of exploration with commercial and international partners to enable human expansion across the solar system and to bring back to Earth new knowledge and opportunities. SLS and Orion are critical backbone capabilities, along with the Gateway in lunar orbit and a modern human landing system, that will enable human missions of increasing complexity in deep space.
Pilot caught cube-shaped UFO flying over Columbia at 30,000 ft.
Pilot caught cube-shaped UFO flying over Columbia at 30,000 ft.
Pilots of a passenger plane flying over Columbia at 30,000 feet noticed a strange object with no wings and no visible propulsion that was moving in the opposite direction of the aircraft.
With all those strange objects in the sky over the last few years, we may wonder whether this possible secret man-made object is one of the latest developments referring to the infamous tic-tac UFOs.
One of the pilots managed to capture the cube-shaped UFO on February 2020.
Hubble Space Telescope Provides A Closer Look At the Rarest Metallic Asteroid Worth $10,000,000,000,000,000,000
Hubble Space Telescope Provides A Closer Look At the Rarest Metallic Asteroid Worth $10,000,000,000,000,000,000
Between Mars and Jupiter lies an incredibly rare metallic asteroid that is worth more than the entire world economy. The Hubble Space Telescope has now provided us with a closer look at the object, which is estimated to be worth $10 quadrillion dollars.
New research published this week in The Planetary Science Journal looks deeper than ever before into the secrets of the asteroid 16 Psyche, one of the solar system's most enormous objects in the main asteroid belt around Mars and Jupiter, roughly 230 million miles from Earth. It has a diameter of around 140 miles or nearly the size of Massachusetts.
The majority of asteroids consist of rock or ice. But 16 Psyche is dense and composed mostly of metal, likely the remnant core of a planet that never fully formed — a so-called "protoplanet" whose mantle was stripped away by collisions that revealed its core.
This research represents the first ultraviolet (UV) observations of the celestial body. The asteroid may be composed completely of iron and nickel, which are present in the dense cores of planets, according to new findings.
"We've seen meteorites that are mostly metal, but Psyche could be unique in that it might be an asteroid that is totally made of iron and nickel," lead author Dr. Tracy Becker said in a statement. "Earth has a metal core, a mantle and crust. It's possible that as a Psyche protoplanet was forming, it was struck by another object in our solar system and lost its mantle and crust."
Scientists examined the asteroid at two points throughout its rotation in order to examine the UV wavelength information of both sides. They discovered that the surface may be composed mostly of iron, but cautioned that even a modest quantity of iron would dominate UV data.
"We were able to identify for the first time on any asteroid what we think are iron oxide ultraviolet absorption bands," Becker said. "This is an indication that oxidation is happening on the asteroid, which could be a result of the solar wind hitting the surface."
The solar wind is the movement of charged particles across the solar system from the sun's upper atmosphere, known as the corona. It is responsible for comet tails, aurora formations, and the putative "space weathering" of Psyche.
Researchers also reported that the asteroid grew more reflective at deeper UV wavelengths, which may indicate its age.
"This is something that we need to study further," Becker said. "This could be indicative of it being exposed in space for so long. This type of UV brightening is often attributed to space weathering."
Metal asteroids are uncommon, therefore Psyche gives a fascinating chance for scientists to examine the inside of a planet. NASA intends to send the unmanned spacecraft Psyche on a SpaceX Falcon Heavy rocket in 2022 in order to investigate the asteroid in an effort to understand its history and that of related asteroids. This will be the first time a mission will visit a fully metallic body.
In January 2026, the orbiter will arrive at the asteroid to investigate it for about two years. The head of the project at Arizona State University thinks that the iron alone would be worth $10,000 quadrillion dollars on the current market.
"What makes Psyche and the other asteroids so interesting is that they're considered to be the building blocks of the solar system," Becker said. "To understand what really makes up a planet and to potentially see the inside of a planet is fascinating. Once we get to Psyche, we're really going to understand if that's the case, even if it doesn't turn out as we expect. Any time there's a surprise, it's always exciting.
Weird Energy Beam Just Left A Galaxy Travelling At Five Times the Speed of Light And Hubble Caught It
Weird Energy Beam Just Left A Galaxy Travelling At Five Times the Speed of Light And Hubble Caught It
Please welcome to the stage a master illusionist. An energy beam that stabs out of galaxy M87 like a toothpick in a cocktail olive is pulling off the ultimate magic trick: seeming to move faster than the speed of light.
Almost five times faster, in fact, as measured by the Hubble Space Telescope. This feat was first observed in 1995 in galaxy M87, and has been seen in many other galaxies since. It might have you questioning your entire reality. Nothing can break the cosmic speed limit, right? You can’t just flaunt the laws of physics… can you?
If you want to just enjoy the illusion from your seat in the audience, stop reading. Otherwise, I welcome you backstage for a look at how the trick works – and how it’s helping astronomers to understand the fate of entire galaxies.
Blobs faster than light?
We’ve known about the jet of plasma shooting from the core of M87 since 1918, when astronomer Heber Curtis saw a ray of light connected to the galaxy. To be visible from so far away, it had to be huge – about 6000 light years long.
As modern astronomers now know, pretty much all galaxies have a central black hole that periodically draws in stars and gas clouds. When gas begins to swirl down the drain, it heats up and magnetic fields focus some of it into jets of hot plasma. These jets shoot out at velocities near to – but not faster than – the speed of light.
Cosmic uncertainty: Is the speed of light really constant?
If you were to aim a telescope into the sky towards M87, you would see that this lance of plasma is askew. Instead of pointing exactly into our line of sight, it’s angled a bit to the right.
To understand the illusion, picture a single glowing blob of plasma starting at the base of this path and emitting a ray of light, both of which travel towards Earth. Now wait 10 years. In that time, the blob has moved closer at a sizeable fraction of the speed of light. That gives the rays emitted from that later position a few light years’ head start on the way to us.
If you compare the first and second images from Earth’s perspective, it looks like the blob has just moved across the sky to the right. But because the second position is also closer to us, its light has had less far to travel than it appears. That means it seems to have arrived there faster than it actually did – as if the blob spent those 10 years travelling at ludicrous speed.
One among many
The jet from M87 is more than just a curiosity, says Eileen Meyer at the University of Maryland, Baltimore County.
All over the universe, outflows of energy from massive black holes can stop or start the formation of stars throughout galaxies. But it’s unclear how these outflows work and how much energy they contain.
By appearing to move faster than light, jets such as the M87 one change visibly over just a few years, which is unusual for distant objects like galaxies. That allows astronomers to make precise estimates of how fast the plasma is moving and thus how powerful the process is.M87 is special because it is relatively close compared to other galaxies, making it easy to study. In 1999, astronomers used Hubble pictures of the jet taken over four years to see that plasma ripple outwards. In 2013, Meyer lengthened that to 13 years of images, which seemed to show that the plasma might also be moving in corkscrew-like spirals – as if it wasn’t complicated enough.
Fresh results from Meyer, now being prepared for publication, extend that baseline again to a total of more than two decades and may offer new surprises. “Over 20 years, you know, things go bump in the night,” she says.
And although the faster-than-light effect is old hat to her, she still stops to appreciate it sometimes. Most things we see travelling across the sky, such as planets and comets, are close to us. But M87 is tens of millions of light years away. “We can see, over a human lifetime, things moving,” she says. “Which is crazy.”
Astronomers Have Revealed a Black Hole's Photon Ring for the First Time
Astronomers Have Revealed a Black Hole's Photon Ring for the First Time
In 2019 the Event Horizon Telescope gave us our . It was a powerful image, but not one with much detail. It looks like a blurry orange donut. To be fair, the real meat of the discovery was in the data, not the image. And as a recent study shows, there’s a great deal more in the data than what we’ve seen.
One of the important things to understand about the EHT image is that it doesn’t show the glow of the black hole itself. Black holes don’t emit light directly. And unlike less detailed images of supermassive black holes we have, the glow isn’t due to jets of plasma or a torus of superheated gas around the black hole. Instead, the image shows radio light that was focused by the black hole.
Image of the supermassive black hole in the galaxy M87. Credit: EHT Collaboration
The black hole in M87 is bathed in light from nearby gas, including radio light. When a particular beam of light passes close to the black hole, the warping of spacetime causes it to change direction a bit. We’ve observed the slight deflection of light from things such as the stars and galaxies numerous times, but close to a black hole the light can change direction significantly. It could loop around to make a right-angle turn, or even end up heading back from the direction it came. The closer the path to the black hole, the more radical the change in direction.
Light is passing near the black hole in all sorts of directions, but from our perspective, we can only see the light that is focused toward us. Any beam of light that loops around the black hole and heads our way, we should be able to see. It turns out that the black hole can act as a really strong lens. Light can pass extremely close to the black hole, and get focused directly toward us. So what we should see is a thin circle of light known as the photon ring. Part of the right will be brighter since the rotation of the black hole also gives the light a bit of an energy boost. The size of the ring depends on the mass of the black hole, and the brightness of the brighter region depends on the black hole’s rotation.
When a black hole is surrounded by hot gas, light can be focused by gravity to create a shadow of the black hole. Credit: Nicolle R. Fuller/NSF
So why doesn’t the EHT image show the photon ring? Unfortunately, the space between us and the black hole isn’t completely empty. There is still a surrounding region of cold gas, which the light has to pass through to reach us. Some of the light scatters along the way, making the image more blurry than we’d like. This is where the new study comes in.
The diffuse glow of the EHT image tells us not only about the black hole but also about the diffuse gas surrounding the black hole. The team noted that there are essentially two images within the EHT data. One is that of the photon ring itself, and the other is the blurry glow of the surrounding region. Using new imaging algorithms, the team was able to separate the two, revealing the black hole’s photon ring.
It’s a great example of the power of analyzing data in new ways. Modern astronomical observations gather so much data that there is often much more information than we might suspect. As we learn how to process data more effectively, we can reveal layers hidden under the surface.
Reference:
Broderick, A. E., et al. “The Photon Ring in M87*.” The Astrophysical Journal 935.1 (2022): 61.
Special reports are: Office of the Director of National Intelligence, The Anunnaki’s Legacy, Human Origins Story Remains Incomplete with Missing Ancestors, Hacker Claims There Are Military Spaceships, There Is a Space Force,. And Strange Craft.
Unidentified Aerial Phenomena sightings were reported over California, Colorado, Florida, Indiana, Maryland, Michigan, New Jersey, New Mexico, New York, Ohio, Pennsylvania, South Carolina, Tennessee, Texas, Vermont, and Washington.
Unidentified Aerial Phenomena sightings were reported over, Canada, Eire, France, Germany, Norway, and England in the United Kingdom.
The Filer Research Institute feels the scientific study of UFOs is for the benefit of humankind and is an important endeavor. The US Air Force and DOD investigated UFOs for more than forty years; and I continue this advanced research. I believe the God of the universe has spread life throughout the cosmos and UFOs are visiting us in ever-increasing numbers.
Forward these files to your friends and neighbors.
Special Projects
Office of the Director of National Intelligence
Typical Disc Craft
U) This report was prepared for the Congressional Intelligence and Armed Services Committees under the auspices of the ODN! It was drafted by the UAPTF ODNI National Intelligence Manager for Aviation, with input from USD(I&S), LA, FBI, NRO, NGA, NSA, Air Force, Army, Navy, Marine Corps, DARPA, FAA, NOAA, ODNIINIME merging and Disruptive Technology, ODNI National Counterintelligence and Security Center, and of National Intelligence Council. (U) Assumptions (U) Various forms of sensors that register UAP generally operate correctly and capture enough real data to allow initial assessments, but some UAP may be attributable to sensor anomalies. 2 50 U.S.C. § 3024(1) 50 U.S.C. § 3024(I)
Navy F-18 Gun Cameral Photo of UFO/UAP
(U) EXECUTIVE SUMMARY (U)
The limited amount of high-quality reporting on UAP hampers our ability to draw firm conclusions about the nature or intent of UAP. The UAPTP considered a range of information on UAP described in U.S. military and IC (Intelligence Community) reporting, but because the reporting lacked sufficient specificity, ultimately recognized that a unique, tailored reporting process was required to provide sufficient data for analysis of UAP events. 50 U.S.C. § 3 024(I) As a result, the UAPTP concentrated its review on ~escribing Incidents that occurred between 2004 and 2021, the majority of which are a result of a new tailored process to better capture UAP events through formalized reporting. 50 U.S.C. § 3024(I) •
(U) Most of the UAP reported probably do represent physical objects given that a majority of UAP registered across multiple sensors, to include radar, infrared, electrooptical, weapon seekers, and visual observation. In a limited number of incidents, UAP reportedly appeared to exhibit unusual flight characteristics, including several in which the 1.4(a) (e )(g) ~1.4(a)(e)(g) ,==” involving • These observations could be the result of sensor errors, spoofing, or observer. misperception and require additional rigorous analysis.
(U) There are probably multiple types of UAP requiring different explanations based on the range of appearances and behaviors. UAP clearly pose a safety of flight issue and may pose a challenge to U.S. national security. Safety concerns primarily center on aviators contending with an increasingly cluttered air domain. UAP would also represent a national security challenge if they are foreign adversary collection platforms or provide evidence a potential adversary has developed either a breakthrough or disruptive technology. (U) Consistent consolidation of reports from across the federal government, standardized reporting, increased collection and analysis, and a streamlined process for screening all such reports against a broad range of relevant USG data will allow for a more sophisticated analysis of UAPs.
Senate Intelligence Committee
U) AVAILABLE REPORTING LARGELY INCONCLUSIVE
(U) Limited data leaves most UAP Unexplained (U) a dataset involved UAP largely witnessed firsthand aviators and that were collected from Limited data and inconsistency in replying are key challenges to evaluating UAP. No standardized replying mechanism existed until the Navy established one in March 2019. The Air Force subsequently adopted that mechanism in November 2020, but it remains limited to USG replying. The UAPTF regularly heard anecdotally doming its research about other observations that occulted but which were never captured in formal or informal reporting by those observers. focused on systems considered to be dependable. These reports describe incidents that occurred between 2004 and 2021, with the majority coming in the last two years as the new reporting mechanism became better known to the military aviation community. In only one instance, the UAPTF was able to identify the reported UAP with high confidence. In that case, we identified the object as a large, deflating balloon. The others remain explained. 144 reports originated from USG sources.
(U) UAP pose a hazard to safety of flight and could pose a broader danger if some instances represent sophisticated collection against U.S. military activities by a foreign government or demonstrate a breakthrough aerospace technology by a potential adversary
Almost a Collision With F-18
(U) Potential National Security Challenges
The UAPTF has 11 reports of documented instances in which pilots reported near misses with a UAP. ((U) We currently lack data to determine any UAP are part of a foreign collection program or indicative of a major technological advancement by a potential adversary. The initial focus will be to employ artificial intelligence/machine-learning algorithms to cluster and recognize similarities and patterns in features of the data points.
The national security implications associated with potential threats posed by UAP operating in close proximity to sensitive military activities, installations, critical infrastructure, or other national security sites, the FBI is positioned to use its investigative capabilities and authorities to support deliberate DoD and interagency efforts to determine attribution. Thanks to John Groenewald, Jr. 5700
The U.S Air Force is at its smallest size since the beginning in 1947.
Illustration of the Tablet of Shamash God is a stone tablet recovered from the ancient Babylonian city of Sippar in southern Iraq in 1881
‘According to Sumerian writing advanced humanoid aliens visited and colonized Earth in remote history. They claim to upgrade our human genome and eventually mentored early humanity, teaching us some advanced skills, and also intermarrying with us. Modern humans are their children.
Genesis 6:4 of the Bible reads as follows: “The Nephilim were in the earth in those days, and also after that, when the sons of God came in unto the daughters of men, and they bore children to them; the same were the mighty men that were of old, the men of renown.”
Researcher Zecharia Sitchin
Researcher Zecharia Sitchin claims research as presented in his books establishes that we are not evolutionary apes, but the theory of ancient aliens is the best, most scientific and logically reasonable theory, but also the correct one. My work has found much more compelling logic in support of the Anunnaki Legacy of astronauts visiting Earth.
Zecharia SitchiZecharia Sitchin is an Icon and was a pioneer of legendary proportion. History will one day regard him as such. Like Galileo, Sitchin opened a new window of understanding. He may not have gotten every detail like the notion of the Anunnaki’s home planet, Niburu, being a renegade member of the Sun’s Solar System, but the main concept is on. Cynics can whine and cringe all they like, as do witches at the coming of dawn … but no one to my knowledge has ever successfully discredited Sitchin’s basic theory.
One of the richest sources for understanding the story of the last five to six thousand years of human history comes from religious records. Fortunately, many of these records are still available to us and useful. Unfortunately, we have to read these ancient documents through 21st Century vision to get past all of the cumulative errors, editing, misunderstanding and misinterpretations, compounded through the ages by our misguided human ancestors. But, if you study the material available closely, and with an open mind … a bigger-unifying story clearly emerges from it all. In short, each of the major religions of today’s world are either a direct or indirect descendent of the oldest major civilization – Sumer and its recorded history and story of cosmology as found in the Enuma Elish, what I refer to as the Anunnaki Legacy. The Anunnaki Legacy and Ancient Alien Theory are one-in-the-same. Anunnaki is the name of the advanced alien civilization that colonized Earth thousands of years ago, created, mentored, and then interbred with our early ancestors resulting in modern people. To put all of this religious history in proper perspective took a lot of explanation, but it was critical to support my conclusions.
Reincarnation, or more precisely –that all biological things have a dual nature – the physical mortal body and a separate immortal spirit or “soul” … which survives physical death … is a very old and basic area of human understanding. Both Western religion and science have done their best to purge this natural process from modern understanding. The problem for them is … evidence of reincarnation and duality both establish a firm case for the natural existence of human consciousness apart from the physical body – a heresy for scientific materialism, Universal Intelligence is a reality. Human consciousness is the direct link and means of understanding this simple fact of life. Science fears this knowledge, has a need to control it for their own devices.
The oldest written record available to us today is the cuneiform clay-tablet Sumerian Library of Ashurbanipal, an ancient-historical Babylonian ruler. This library was unearthed by archeologists in modern Iraq at the turn of the last century. One of the books in the collection brought back to light was the Enuma Elish.
The Enuma Elish is a recorded history of the Sumerian civilization
This is the oldest advanced culture mainstream science has verified to date (4000-6000 BC). The belief that Sumer was the oldest civilization is currently being taught in our school systems. The problem is the mainstream do not presently accept or teach that the early history of man found in the Enuma Elish as factual and regard this early part as myth. The first part is the Anunnaki Legacy.
To the Establishment’s chagrin, when you study Sumerian history with 21st century eyes two things become strikingly evident. First, many of the stories that would later be written into the chronicles of the major religions that followed – Hindu, Egyptian, Babylonian, Greco/Roman and the biblical Genesis, were simply a retelling of the stories which originated in the Enuma Elish and other Sumerian records. These would include the Golden Age, Flood Story, and a War of the Gods. If you have an open mind and study all of the earliest religious material, unimpeachable evidence for it speaks loudly for itself, in spite of claims to the contrary from biblical and theological circles.
In my Father’s house are many rooms. If it were not so, would I have told you that I go to prepare a place for you?
Growing number of informed people are convinced mainstream science, education and the media establishments do suppress a good
amount of important new discovery and modern information on legitimate phenomena like UFO’s. How do you challenge this dogma and close-mindedness? By challenging them directly. Badger the mainstream into putting-up or shutting-up. I offered several very doable specific challenges for mainstream science, archeology, and historians. Here is just one example … Many of your readers will be familiar with the ancient, giant, intricately cut H-blocks at Puma Panko in Bolivia. The Establishment insists they were carved and constructed from quarries, over 22 miles of mountainous terrain away by the Indigenous primitive Amerindian tribes with stone chisels, ropes, timbers, and brute force.
Puma Punku in Bolivia.
I challenge them to either put up or reconsider. It would not be that difficult or unreasonable to send teams of archeological and engineering students from major colleges to Bolivia for a summer experiment. Have them go to the quarry, dislodge a rough stone from its source, transport it to Puma Punku and reproduce an exact replica of the original H-blocks, using only the methods claimed by mainstream science that were available 1500 years ago. I maintain it cannot be done. Until it is done as they claim, it’s simply a working hypothesis and a lame one at that. By the dictates of established science, if you have no direct evidence to support your hypothesis it cannot be elevated to “theory.” Slam Dunk.
Quimbayan, Columbia Jets
Puma Punku’s existence is not only the most important archeological site in the world, but also, along with Baalbek in modern Lebanon. And the Quimbayan, Bolivia Jets, represents the best physical evidence we have in support of The Anunnaki Legacy. Ancient Aliens TV segment set out to “prove” the artifacts were rooted in representations of ancient aircraft. before 2000 years ago. It is tragic and borderline dishonest that a major news source has never done a feature story or TV program on Puma Punku, Bolivia or Baalbek, Lebanon. To their credit, while derided by the science establishment, the History Channel has featured Puma Punku. What does CBS, NBC, ABC and FOX all fear? The answer is simple. Conventional explanations of history and evolution simply will not work at these locations and many others around the world. Fresh new thinking is demanded.
Roger Thomas states, “I have read all of the world’s great philosophers, both ancient and more contemporary. Of them all, Confucius is my favorite. His major points are all short, simple to relate to for everyone, and timeless. You don’t need to have a great intellect to learn from him. A good deal of Confucius’ philosophy has to do with personal responsibility and the ideal format for a true democratic government and egalitarian society – one which would best benefit all peoples and social classes.”
2500 years later, in 1776, Confucius’ vision finally took real form in the constitution of the United States. During its first 150 years American citizens used the gift of self-governance to create the most prosperous, successful, and generous civilization in human history. During the last 50 years or so, we have surrendered our authority and given it back to the bankers, wealthy families and multi-national corporations formerly known as the kings, royalty, clergy, and merchants. What happened? We controlled our own destiny, but over the last three generations too many of our citizens couldn’t handle it and traded it back in return for government largess. That is the Confucian Paradox.
Confucius
Somehow, we must find the collective will to regain control and hold on to it. Government must obey the people not the reverse. Understanding the real history of humanity is the first requirement. Too many people are apathetic and just plain lazy about coming to terms with the changes brought about by modern advances. So too are we equally challenged to consider Confucius the story of history. That is why the Anunnaki Legacy is not more widely known or accepted. We need to support and guide them with fresh thinking. Thanks to Roger Thomas.
Human origins remain unclear given studies of known fossils, concludes a new Science review. Today, our last common ancestor with the apes remains unknown as debate rages on. The study’s lead author, Sergio Almécija, a senior research scientist in the American Museum of Natural History’s Division of Anthropology, says there’s no agreement.
“When you look at the narrative for hominin origins, it’s just a big mess—there’s no consensus whatsoever,” said Almécija. “
The Core of the Human Origins Problem
‘Chimp has 70% of human like DNA
Between about 9.3 million and 6.5 million years ago, scientists believed humans diverged from the chimpanzee lineage. Today, chimpanzees and bonobos are our closest living relatives, sharing 99% of our DNA. That’s absolutely fact, although humans still seem intent to destroy our close relative’s natural environments. Some scientists think there is a missing chimp-like knuckle-walking ancestor that led to hominins. Others suspect it’s more likely an ancestor evolved from a species resembling Miocene apes.
Top-Down versus Bottom-Up
Taking a “top-down” approach, some scientists study chimpanzees to attempt to reconstruct hominin origins. Others use a “bottom-up” approach, focusing on the fossil record of mostly extinct apes. Now, reconciling these two approaches “remains at the core of the human origins problem,” the study states.
After the review, the scientists believe it’s “likely that the last shared ape ancestor had its own set of traits, different from those of modern humans and modern apes.”
Therefore, an essential part of the picture remains missing. Missing Part of the Picture
Ape Human
Study author Ashley Hmmond says “—it is clear that a human evolutionary story based on the few ape species currently alive is missing much of the bigger picture,” said Hammond.
“Early hominins likely originated in Africa from a Miocene LCA that does not match any living ape. Despite phylogenetic uncertainties, fossil apes remain essential to reconstruct the ‘starting point’ from which humans and chimpanzees evolved,” states the study. So how come our bodies are so flawed? Why does sharp vision so often elude us, for instance? Why do our backs hurt, hearing fails so frequently?
Darwin’s Theory 150 Years Later
Some 150 years ago, Darwin introduced “In the Descent of Man,” suggesting our origins came from an unknown ancestor in Africa. Today, Darwin’s speculation has been backed up with many discoveries of extinct fossils, but so far, none have proven to be the indisputable missing link. DNA confirms that our closest living biological relatives are chimpanzees and bonobos a type of ape, bit we are also have DNA similar to cows. S. Humans share genes with all living organisms, and some are closer than others. Paleontologists for some reason have ignored the possibility of intervention by extraterrestrials. They admit thousands even millions of mutations would be required to develop cells from the primordial soup to fish, primitive land creatures, then apes to hominids or primitive man. We know now that our DNA molecule is probably the most efficient information storage system in the entire universe.
The immensity of complex coded and precisely sequenced information written on the DNA is amazing. The evidence speaks of intelligent, information-bearing design. Complex DNA coding would have been necessary for even the hypothetical first ‘so-called’ simple cell(s).
Your single cell is as Complicated as NY City
A single cell is unbelievably complex being roughly equivalent to New York City in a bubble or the outer membrane of one cell. As we move in closer to examine the cell we see the huge buildings, roads, subways, bridges, auto traffic that represent the various parts of the human cell. As we move closer inside the various buildings we find a network of electrical wiring, heating and air conditioning systems, elevators carrying people. Inside the offices are millions of computers and electrical wiring systems. Now you have an idea of the complexity of one of the single cells in your body, that can duplicate itself in minutes.
Francis Crick the founder of DNA feels a spaceship or meteorites brought the DNA to Earth. Francis Crick proposed, in a book called “Life Itself,” that some form of primordial life was shipped to the earth billions of years ago in spaceships—by supposedly ‘more evolved’ (therefore advanced) alien beings. This concept basically infers that life, DNA, virus, bacteria, bombarded Earth from space aboard meteorites and comets.
The source said the alien species lives inside mountains, under the earth and sea in deep caverns.
Alleged Nordic Alien wirh Blue Eyes
The source expressed his belief that the ETs have a great deal of control over the planet and its inhabitants. He said the aliens have links to Mars, Sirius, and Zeta Reticule. The aliens living on Earth look remarkably similar to humans as shown above. They regularly study humans and take sperm, DNA, and other bodily samples.
Is it possible we are a product of an ancient alien species that continues to study, observe, and manipulate humans for reasons we don’t know? One probable reason is our immunity to several types of bacteria and viruses that could kill the visitors.
Paul Christian reports, “UFO hacker Gary McKinnon claims he has been seeing data on Non-Terrestrial Officers and spaceships conducting a military computer hack around Fort Meade and other facilities. At the Johnson Space Centre Gary spied on photographs of cigar-shaped objects that might have been UFOs but – he says – they were probably satellites. “You end up lusting after more and more complex security measures,” he says. “It was like a game a computer games. It was hugely addictive.” There were hackers from many nations snooping around every night for the entire five to seven years I was doing this.
He claims, “I found a list of officers’ names under the heading ‘Non-Terrestrial Officers’ and a list of ‘fleet-to-fleet transfers,’ and a list of ship names.
I looked them up. They weren’t US Navy ships. What I saw made me believe they have some kind of spaceships, off-planet. “Apparently there is a secret military astronaut corps, and the U.S. operates a fleet of antigravity space capable aerospace vehicles, although “I was smoking a lot of dope at the time. Not good for the intellect.” Allegedly the names of two of the ships are the General Curtis LeMay and Vice- Admiral Roscoe H. Hillenkoetter.
Ship Courtesy of Design Engineer William Tompkins
Editor’s Note:
Bob Lazar claims that during his employment at S-4 facility in Nevada, he briefly witnessed an Aurora flight while aboard a bus near Groom Lake. He claimed that there was a “tremendous roar” as he saw a very large aircraft having “two huge, square exhausts with vanes in them.,” Lazar claims he was informed that the aircraft was indeed an “Aurora, a high-altitude research plane powered by liquid methane.
TR-3B Aurora aircraft
Aberdeen Press and Journal writer Nic Outterside wrote a piece on US stealth technology in. He alleged RAF/USAF Machrihanish two-mile-long long runway near Campbeltown, Argyll, Scotland to be a base for Aurora aircraft. Rumors from the secret hypersonic spy plane “Aurora” being operated from the base, to the other extreme of crashed UFO’s being dismantled and reversed engineered at the base ‘Oceanic Air Traffic Control at Prestwick’ Outterside says, ‘Tracked fast-moving radar blips at Mach 3 to 6. In 2006, aviation writer Bill Sweetman put together 20 years of examining the black budget concluded: “I learned how to sort out where money was going. This year, when I looked at the Air Force operations budget in detail, I found a $9-billion black hole that seems a perfect fit for a project like Aurora.”[4]
Former President Ronald Reagan who alluded to a highly classified space fleet in a June 11, 1985, entry in his diaries where he revealed that “Our shuttle capacity is such that we could orbit 300 people.”
Lockheed’s Ben Rich
William Hamilton wrote, “Rich Andrews was a close personal friend of Lockheed’s Skunk Works CEO Ben Rich. Before Rich died of cancer, Andrews took my questions to him. Rich confirmed: There are two types of UFOs — the ones we build, and ones THEY build. We learned from both crash retrievals and actual “Hand-me-downs.” The Government knew, and until 1969 took an active hand in the administration of that information. After a 1969 Nixon “Purge”, administration was managed by an international board of directors in the private sector. “‘An’ item” — as opposed to “‘The’ item” — was recovered near the world’s only combat operational atom bomb base (Roswell AAF) in 1947. Hull design, aerodynamic measurements and propulsion info was passed directly to Jack Northrop and Kelly Johnson, beginning in 1950, with a major block of data being passed on from “The Working Group” at Wright Patterson AFB’s Foreign Technologies Division in 1952. Ben Rich claimed “We can take ET home.”
Testimony of Mr. John Maynard
While at the DIA, I saw some documents that pertained to extraterrestrials. They were code worded. A normal person reading it may not catch it — it would go right on beyond them. These were Top Secret documents. I imagine most of them are still classified. A lot of them pertained to Salt 1 and Salt 2 — the strategic arms limitation treaties with Russia.
I also saw pictures of UFOs from; I believe it was called the National Intelligence Photographic Center [NIPC], in Arlington. Once in a while an anomaly would show up on the pictures that didn’t belong there — a round object, a triangular object.
Space Is a Contested Environment so There Is a Space Force
Photo take from ISS of Spaceship
The former Chairman of the Joint Chiefs of Staff Admiral Mike Mullen established this specific area of emphasis to highlight “the space domain’s emergence as an environment where US superiority has been and will continue to be challenged.”
Along with its sister branch, the U.S. Air Force, the Space Force is part of the Department of the Air Force, one of the three civilian-led military departments within the Department of Defense. The Space Force, through the Department of the Air Force, is overseen by the secretary of the Air Force, a civilian political appointee who reports to the secretary of defense, and is appointed by the president with Senate confirmation.[10] The military head of the Space Force is the chief of space operations who is typically the most senior Space Force officer. The chief of space operations exercises supervision over the Space Force’s units and serves as one of the Joint Chiefs of Staff.
The Space Force is the smallest U.S. armed service, consisting of 8,400 military personnel and operating 77 spacecraft. Major spacecraft and systems include the Space Fence, Global Positioning System constellation, military satellite communications constellations, Boeing X-37B spaceplane, U.S. missile warning system, U.S. space surveillance network, and the Satellite Control Network. Under the Goldwater–Nichols Act, the Space Force is responsible for organizing, training, and equipping space forces. The U.S. Space Force traces its roots to the beginning of the Cold War, with the first Army Air Forces space programs starting in 1945. In 1954, the Western Development Division, under General Bernard Schriever, was established as the first dedicated space organization within the U.S. Armed Forces .
Alleged Space Force Spaceship
The triangles were kind of funny, with a rounded corner on the tail end of it. These were taken most generally with the Talent Keyhole Satellites, and they would show these UFOs in them. They would be objects from the TK11, TK12 shots that were taken, that showed the anomalies. Sometimes you could actually track it, photograph by photograph as it moved across the sky.
I received the code name to go in the Omni Project that dealt with radar satellites. I was talking with a director showing satellite’s positioning. I said, “Thissystem tracks radar anomalies on Earth, why are half of them pointed towards outer space? He said, “Well you got to have a need to know to know about that. We were tracking stuff from outer space.”
I also did collaborate with the Camp David accords and assigning the SR-71s, the Blackbird, to map that had been accompanied by UFOs. Thaks to the-“Disclosure Project”
July 2022 Sightings Statistical Report s TOTAL: 634
California 53, Florida 42, Texas 31, Pennsylvania 27, Colorado 25, Michigan 23, New York 23, Arizona 18, Washington 16, Illinois 15, Missouri 14, Ohio 14, Oregon 13, Nevada 12, Minnesota 12, Wisconsin 11, Wisconsin 11, New Jersey 10, Georgia 10, Oklahoma 10, North Carolina 9, and Maryland 9,
Country
UNITED STATES 507, –UNITED KINGDOM 36, FRANCE 33, CANADA 29, BRAZIL 4, BELGIUM 3, AUSTRALIA 2, INDIA 2, GERMANY 2, ITALY 2, and MEXICO 1.
Strange Craft
The True Story of an Air Force Intelligence Officer’s Life with UFOs
U.S. Air Force Major George Filer belongs to the generation of pilots and aviators who first became aware of the strange aircraft showing up in the Earth’s atmosphere after World War II. These men – military professionals who flew planes, served as radar operators and air traffic controllers at airfields around the world – began to whisper amongst themselves about encounters with suspected extraterrestrial aircraft.
During secret debriefings at U.S. bases, pilots and air crew told their commanders of seeing UFOs off their plane’s wings. Award-winning investigative author John Guerra spent four years interviewing Filer, a decorated intelligence officer.
From objects in the skies over Cold War Europe to a UFOs over during the Cuban Missile Crisis to lights over the DMZ in Vietnam Filer leaves nothing out about his Air Force UFO encounters,
Filer’s most memorable case – the shooting of an alien at Fort Dix Army Base in 1978 – is fully recounted for the first time in this book. As a member of the Disclosure Project, military experts, astronauts, and scientists urge the U.S. government to release all it knows about UFOs to the public.
Filer describes his UFO encounters in this incredible book, by John L. Guerra.
Special reports are: Office of the Director of National Intelligence, The Anunnaki’s Legacy, Human Origins Story Remains Incomplete with Missing Ancestors, Hacker Claims There Are Military Spaceships, There Is a Space Force,. And Strange Craft.
Unidentified Aerial Phenomena sightings were reported over California, Colorado, Florida, Indiana, Maryland, Michigan, New Jersey, New Mexico, New York, Ohio, Pennsylvania, South Carolina, Tennessee, Texas, Vermont, and Washington.
Unidentified Aerial Phenomena sightings were reported over, Canada, Eire, France, Germany, Norway, and England in the United Kingdom.
The Filer Research Institute feels the scientific study of UFOs is for the benefit of humankind and is an important endeavor. The US Air Force and DOD investigated UFOs for more than forty years; and I continue this advanced research. I believe the God of the universe has spread life throughout the cosmos and UFOs are visiting us in ever-increasing numbers.
Forward these files to your friends and neighbors.
UFO Sightings in the United States
Sightings are from MUFON CMS
California Object
Vallejoon August 8, 2021, camera picks up sun tracking/ blocking artifact not detected with naked eye.
Colorado Objects
Park on July 30, 2022, my 4-year-old son noticed the rainbow. Then I took this photo with numerous very strange clouds and objects…very strange lights, streaks, a cigar-shaped object, a round object, a huge manta-ray shaped cloud, vertical arcs, and streaks, etc.
Florida Lights
Napleson June 13, 2022, bright light about half the size of the moon was pulling in this fog from a cloud like object. There two light sources and objects were pulling light and fog from one another.
Indiana Colored Light
Dyeron August 1, 2021. Last night at 10:59 pm, I was looking SE at the biggest, brightest moving ball of light I’ve ever seen. I took 3 pictures with my cell phone. As it dimmed and disappeared.
Maryland Object
Adamstown on August 6, 2021, taking video and when I went back to review noticed two UFOs and shiny lights before each one appeared.
Michigan Object
Traverse City on July 4, 2021, on South Manitou Island in the middle of Lake Michigan, I came across this unidentified object taking off in a straight trajectory at a speed faster than a plane.
New Jersey Lights and Black Object
Matawan on July 16, 2022, I saw at first what seemed to be 3 dark objects spaced out moving at a steady pace NW. They were visible for about a minute. I got live pictures on my iPhone of small UFOs,
North Wildwood on July 24, 2022, I was sitting on my steps and saw a triangle shape craft. It had 3 lights on the bottom that took off fast.
New York Light
Wappingers Falls on July 7, 2022, I have no idea what it is in the photo. Was high over trees.
Ohio Objects
Dublin Event occurred June 4, 2022, at Muirfield Village Golf Course while watching on TV, he ball was at apex, when a dark blurry thin shadow-like image streak across the TV screen from left to right. Video triangular shaped UAP. The object below is the golf ball in flight.
Pennsylvania Triangles
Happy Valley on July 27, 2022, please confirm multiple triangle crafts. I count at least 9-10 I witnessed a UFO 100’ above my head in Allen, Texas in 2017. Thank you for your work in helping bring the awakening to all those who are still asleep.
South Carolina Light
Siler City,– July 25, 2022 – tis was caught on our Genni Camera. It detected a UFO at the China cabinet in our kitchen. Y.
Note: I suspect that object is an out-of-focus insect, but this is just a “hunch.” Thanks to Will Pucket/www.ufosnw.com/newsite/
Tennessee Object
Maryville on July 3, 2022, I took a picture of a cylinder UFO in Cades Cove but did not see it with my eyes.
Texas Object
El Pasoon July 31, 2022, Looked like black cylinder
Pasadena on March 21, 2021, I witnessed the UAP that was in the shape an equilateral cross with two little white nodes that were on each arm.
Vermont Object
Barre on July 31, 2022, saw this object three times over the course of a 20-minutes , I found my cell phone and let my husband know what I saw, and was able to take a live picture, which shows it descending. The object appeared to be a mile away and disappeared for a third time
Washington Lights
Edmondson August 2, 2018, could not tell what it was but every time I looked at it had moved. You can see two birds flying by in one of the photos. Looked like a black hole with a tail.
Worldwide UFO Sightings
Canada Object
Chatham on July 19, 2022, disc shaped craft, flew west less than a second, came back into my sight from the west then flew very quickly and y while glowing like a light bulb maybe reflecting the sun then zipped off to the east.
Eire Light
Tramore on August 3, 2021, saw hovering glowing light seemed to change shape and then disappeared. At first I thought it might be the sun going down but more I looked at it not the sun. I tried reporting my sighting to an Irish MUFON chapter but did not find one?
France Triangle
Berlin on March 23, 2022 , seven lights on triangular object of green color with bright. White lines across edges. Very fast speed, is mounted perpendicularly
Norway Light
Bergen on August 7 , 2021, early morning photo from hotel, room but did not see cigar with naked eye but only noticed after photo taken. White illuminated cigar shaped object with yellow strip down center and black strip around outer edge.
UK/England Lights
Sunderlandon July 19, 2022, the object I observed at last night hovered for around 10 minutes changing color and shape a couple of times before blinking out.
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I have put together a DVD of the last twenty years of Filer’s Files for you with hundreds of great photographs and UFO sightings that will explain the phenomena and the importance to your life and your family. Additionally, I have included my book within the DVD that includes George Ritter’s exciting abduction story told by Linda Moulton Howe. Broadcaster David E. Twichell joined me to write the book. We are asking for a donation of only $50 that includes next year’s subscription and our book. Please include your e-mail address and mailing address.
Our research is uncovering amazing truths by solving challenging projects deemed too difficult by other firms. We have had some success in finding missing persons. We could use your help in getting more results from our research. I have put together a DVD of the last seventeen years of Filer’s Files for you with hundreds of great photographs and UFO sightings. Additionally, I have decided to include my book within the DVD that includes George Ritter’s exciting abduction story told by Linda Moulton Howe. Broadcaster David E. Twichell joined me to write the book. We are asking for a donation of only $50 that includes next year’s subscription and our book. Please include your e-mail address and mailing address.
Have been digging through the giant DVD you sent recently. As a relatively recent joiner, I was unaware of the years’ worth of consistent reports of the same types of objects all over. This has been very educational. Just wanted to thank you for all you’ve done. Bruce W. Freeman Attorney at Law
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Filer’s Files is copyrighted 2015 by George A. Filer, all rights reserved. Readers may post the COMPLETE files on their Web Sites if they credit the newsletter and its editor by name, and list the date of issue. These reports and comments are not necessarily the OFFICIAL MUFON viewpoint. Send your letters to Majorstar Sending mail automatically grants permission for us to publish and use your name. Please state if you wish to keep your name or e-mail confidential. CAUTION MOST OF THESE ARE INITIAL REPORTS AND REQUIRE FURTHER INVESTIGATION. If you wish to stop receiving these files, please send a message to Majorstar
Filer’s Files salutes our fighting men and women; God Bless Our Troops, and Georgie, Elizabeth, and Victoria Filer, and Eddie Pedrick. May the Angels be your guide and take you to paradise.
Put another way, a young person in the U.S. is nearly 11 times as likely to die in a swimming pool than in a school shooting. Few public officials would say pools are doing a poor job protecting swimmers, but the statistics suggest that we need “more lifeguards at pools, as opposed to guards at schools,” Fox said
The Filer Research Institute feels the scientific study of UFOs is for the benefit of humankind and is an important endeavor. The US Air Force investigated UFOs publicly for more than twenty years under Project Blue Book; and I continue this advanced research. I believe the God of the universe has spread life throughout the cosmos and UFO’s are visiting us in ever-increasing numbers.
CAUTION MOST OF THESE ARE INITIAL REPORTS AND REQUIRE FURTHER INVESTIGATION. If you wish to stop receiving these files, please send a message to Majorstar@verizon.net.
Filer’s Files salutes our fighting men and women Georgie Filer and Eddie Pedrick my grandsons who both drowned. We pray that God will bless those who read these files spiritually.
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Five Lights Over Othello, Washington July 12, 2022, Video, UFO Sighting News.
Five Lights Over Othello, Washington July 12, 2022, Video, UFO Sighting News.
Date of sighting: July 12, 2022
Location of sighting: Othello, Washington, USA
I had to watch this video several times to verify that the orange lights were not a reflection off the drivers windshield. If you look carefully, you will see the lights go behind the trees at the 51 second mark. That is 100% proof it is outside the car and is behind the trees in the distance. Very interesting.
Scott C. Waring - Taiwan
Eyewitness states:
I was on my way home when I looked up ahead and say a group of lights hovering over a farm shop near my home. As I got closer to the shop the lights kept the same height but started moving. I have a video of me trying to record what I was seeing as I have never seen lights like these, I have seen planes pass by but none that look like these as these did not flash or blink I even rolled my window down and slowed my vehicle down, weirdly there was no noise. The more I continued driving the more they kept moving still at the same height. As I got home they stopped and kept hovering over the nearest home by mine I took one last picture and went inside, couple minutes later I went outside again and there was nothing.
Guys check this out, finally a great UFO report comes in...I've been waiting and waiting fore weeks. This is it. A pilot who works for a major airline has his first UFO sighting...and its of a white sphere...which is th #1 most common UFO in the world. This UFO is also known from WWI and WWII as a foo fighter, which was famous for following planes during the wars. This is some amazing and rare footage of a real UFO. The eyewitness credentials are impeccable and he is clearly an expert in his field of being a pilot with years of experience. This is 100% undeniable proof that UFOs are following jets and curious about those aboard them.
Scott C. Waring - Taiwan
Eyewitness states:
I am an airline pilot with a major airline in the United States. I am a former military pilot. When: August 12, 2022, over a 35 minute period from approximately 0055-0130 ET (0455-0530 UTC).
Where: At the first sighting we were approximately over the city of Wilmington, NC. At last sighting we were approximately over Richmond, VA. We were traveling almost due north and the objects were directly in front of us. It was impossible to tell exactly where the objects were; in the 35+ minutes we were watching them they never seemed to get closer. Narrative: We took off from St Thomas in the US Virgin Islands for a 4-hour flight to Washington Dulles airport. We departed at 2202 ET and landed at 0148 ET. At roughly 0055 ET I began seeing slow pulses of light in the sky directly in front of us (to our north). The pulses would last usually 8-10 seconds each and had gaps of darkness lasting anywhere from 10 seconds to over a minute. They were slowly moving from left to right. The pulses would be gradual (start very dim and grow into a bright light about the brightness of Venus, and then fade away).
As an airline pilot, I am positive I was not seeing other airliners. Very few civilian aircraft can fly above 41,000 feet, and the objects were about 10 degrees above the horizon from our perspective. I was not able to tell the distance of the object from our aircraft, but in the 35+ minutes we watched, they never seemed to get any closer even though we covered about 250 nautical miles in that time. For this reason I believe they were in either the upper atmosphere or in space. After a few minutes of watching, the Captain (who until this point had been very quiet) asked me if I was seeing the lights. I said yes and we started discussing what they could be. I started filming and taking photos at this point. We began seeing 2 lights at a time, often at different altitudes, but always moving generally from left to right when the pulse was at its peak. At one point we watched 2 lights flying in “formation”, almost side by side. When I looked very carefully, I could see the lights even after the pulse faded, but it was very dim and would sometimes fade away completely. When the pulse was dim they lights seemed to be traveling to the left. For a brief time we saw 3 objects at one time. At no point did we see a strobe light or navigation lights on the objects. The best way to describe what we saw is 2-3 aircraft circling in left hand turns with their landing lights on, which means that they were only clearly visible when the lights were facing towards us. Because we were flying towards Washington DC we discussed the possibility it was fighter aircraft flying circles over the city due to a security threat. This was clearly not the case however, because we were 300+ miles from DC when we spotted them, and they never seemed to get closer as we neared the city. They also were far higher in elevation than modern fighters can fly, and there would be no reason to have their landing lights on in that phase of flight. Additionally, fighter aircraft have their landing lights mounted within their landing gear which would have been retracted, and therefore could not have been visible.
As a former fighter/attack pilot I am extremely familiar with capabilities of modern aircraft, have trained in CAP (protecting locations from aerial threats) and I am 100% we were not seeing military aircraft or flares. I have spent a lot of time wondering if they could have been a train of Starlink satellites, and the light pulses were sunlight reflecting off the satellites. I don’t think this is the case, for the following reasons. We spotted them in the middle of the night; 5 hours after sunset, when it is less likely to spot satellites. We also saw the pulses an estimated 80+ times, and we only stopped seeing them due to us descending into the clouds. From looking online, starlink trains are typically 40-60 satellites. The sighting also lasted 35+ minutes, which is far longer than a satellite train. I believe it was the same 2-3 objects the entire time, and they were flying in circles. Lastly, the objects appeared to be flying in circles, which is not characteristic of satellites.
This is my first sighting. I have 4 videos and several photos. Unfortunately, they were taken from my iphone, at night. You can see the pulses, but the relative motion is difficult to make out. In one video I filmed my displays, which shows my altitude, and location.
Romanian General Strainu Tell The Story Of a Submarine Commander Who Discovered An Underwater City
Romanian General Strainu Tell The Story Of a Submarine Commander Who Discovered An Underwater City
Talking to a Soviet-era submarine commander, who patrolled the Pacific Ocean for about 10 years, General Emil Strainu managed to find out an extremely interesting story about a highly advanced underwater city.
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Mysterious 5.2 mile-wide crater found in Atlantic Ocean off the coast of west Africa may have been left by the baby cousin of the asteroid that killed the dinosaurs 66 million years ago
Mysterious 5.2 mile-wide crater found in Atlantic Ocean off the coast of west Africa may have been left by the baby cousin of the asteroid that killed the dinosaurs 66 million years ago
Impact crater around the same age as one left by dinosaur killer has been found
Dubbed Nadir Crater, new feature discovered off coast of Guinea in west Africa
The site sits almost 1,000ft below the seabed and has a diameter of 5.2 miles
Experts think asteroid that wiped out the dinosaurs may have had a companion
A mysterious crater found in the Atlantic Ocean off the coast of west Africa may have been left by the baby cousin of the asteroid that killed the dinosaurs 66 million years ago, scientists say.
Dubbed the Nadir Crater, the new feature was discovered 248 miles (400km) off the coast of Guinea in west Africa.
It sits around 1,000ft (300m) below the seabed and has a diameter of 5.2 miles (8.5km).
The impact site is not as big as the Chicxulub crater in Mexico, which was left by the asteroid that wiped out the dinosaurs, but it is of a very similar age.
It has raised questions about whether Earth was hit by more than one space rock during that cataclysmic period in natural history.
If confirmed, it would also be of great scientific interest, because it would be one of a small number of known marine asteroid impacts, so may offer new insights into what happens during such a collision.
The depression was identified by Dr Uisdean Nicholson, from Heriot-Watt University in Edinburgh, who has been analysing seismic survey data to better understand past climatic changes on Earth.
Researchers believe they identified a second asteroid that hit around the same time as the big one that killed the dinosaurs 66 million years ago. The second one, named Nadir crater, is much smaller that Chicxulub
The impact site is not as big as the Chicxulub crater in Mexico, which was left by the asteroid that wiped out the dinosaurs, but it is of a very similar age. It sits around 1,000ft (300m) below the seabed
KEY FEATURES OF THE NADIR CRATER
Located:248 miles (400km) off the coast of Guinea in west Africa
Depth: 1,000ft (300m) below the seabed
Diameter: 5.2 miles (8.5km
Size of asteroid: 1,300ft (400m)
Cousin? Chicxulub crater
'These surveys are kind of like an ultrasound of Earth. I've spent probably the last 20 years interpreting them, but I've never seen anything like this,' Dr Nicholson told BBC News.
'Nadir's shape is diagnostic of an asteroid impact.
'It's got a raised rim surrounding a central uplift area, and then layers of debris that extend outwards.'
The crater is just over 5 miles (8km) wide, and Dr Nicholson believes it was was likely caused by an asteroid more than 1,300ft (400m) wide smashing into the Earth's crust.
This, therefore, was much smaller than the city-sized space rock that caused the 100-mile-wide Chicxulub crater.
'Our simulations suggest this crater was caused by the collision of a 400m-wide asteroid in 500-800m of water,' said Dr Veronica Bray from the University of Arizona.
'This would have generated a tsunami over one kilometre high, as well as an earthquake of Magnitude 6.5 or so.
Mystery: A crater found in the Atlantic Ocean off the coast of west Africa may have been left by the baby cousin of the asteroid that killed the dinosaurs, scientists say (stock image)
The depression (pictured) was identified by Dr Uisdean Nicholson, from Heriot-Watt University in Edinburgh, who has been analysing seismic survey data to better understand past climatic changes on Earth
'The energy released would have been around 1,000 times greater than that from the January 2022 eruption and tsunami in Tonga.'
Nadir was identified using 'seismic reflection' as part of a wider project to reconstruct the tectonic separation of South America from Africa back in the Cretaceous period.
To be certain the crater was caused by an asteroid strike, Dr Nicholson said that scientists will need to drill into the the crater and test minerals from its floor.
However, it has all the hallmarks experts would expect, including the right ratio of crater width to depth, the height of the rims, and the height of the central uplift.
The latter is a mound in the centre created by rock and sediment forced up by the shock pressure.
The discovery of the Nadir Crater feature has been published in the journal Science Advances.
KILLING OFF THE DINOSAURS: HOW A CITY-SIZED ASTEROID WIPED OUT 75 PER CENT OF ALL ANIMAL AND PLANT SPECIES
Around 66 million years ago non-avian dinosaurs were wiped out and more than half the world's species were obliterated.
This mass extinction paved the way for the rise of mammals and the appearance of humans.
The Chicxulub asteroid is often cited as a potential cause of the Cretaceous-Paleogene extinction event.
The asteroid slammed into a shallow sea in what is now the Gulf of Mexico.
The collision released a huge dust and soot cloud that triggered global climate change, wiping out 75 per cent of all animal and plant species.
Researchers claim that the soot necessary for such a global catastrophe could only have come from a direct impact on rocks in shallow water around Mexico, which are especially rich in hydrocarbons.
Within 10 hours of the impact, a massive tsunami waved ripped through the Gulf coast, experts believe.
Around 66 million years ago non-avian dinosaurs were wiped out and more than half the world's species were obliterated. The Chicxulub asteroid is often cited as a potential cause of the Cretaceous-Paleogene extinction event
(stock image)
This caused earthquakes and landslides in areas as far as Argentina.
While investigating the event researchers found small particles of rock and other debris that was shot into the air when the asteroid crashed.
Called spherules, these small particles covered the planet with a thick layer of soot.
Experts explain that losing the light from the sun caused a complete collapse in the aquatic system.
This is because the phytoplankton base of almost all aquatic food chains would have been eliminated.
It's believed that the more than 180 million years of evolution that brought the world to the Cretaceous point was destroyed in less than the lifetime of a Tyrannosaurus rex, which is about 20 to 30 years.
Was er nog een tweede asteroïde die dinosauriërs op dezelfde dag uitroeide?
66 miljoen jaar geleden sloeg een asteroïde in op de aarde, op de plaats die we nu kennen als de Golf van Mexico. De impact was zo enorm dat de dinosaurussen werden uitgeroeid. Maar mogelijk was er die dag nog een tweede inslag, aan de overkant van de Atlantische Oceaan.
Voor de kust van Guinee is een soortgelijke krater ontdekt als die in het Mexicaanse Chicxulub. De nieuwe krater is ongeveer even oud en kreeg de naam Nadirkrater. Hij bevindt zich meer dan 300 meter onder de zeebodem en ongeveer 400 km voor de kust van Guinee in West-Afrika. De Nadirkrater is kleiner dan de Mexicaanse, maar lijkt toch ook op een catastrofale gebeurtenis te wijzen. Op basis van de diameter van de Nadirkrater van 8,5 km had de verantwoordelijke asteroïde vermoedelijk een doorsnede van ruim 400 meter.
Het was Uisdean Nicholson van de Heriot-Watt University in Edinburgh die de verborgen West-Afrikaanse krater ontdekte. De wetenschapper onderzocht seismische gegevens, op zoek naar een plek om te kunnen boren en zo meer inzicht te verwerven in de klimaatveranderingen op aarde uit het verleden. Bij zo’n analyses worden de verschillende lagen van de ondergrond tot een diepte van vaak enkele kilometers in kaart gebracht.
“Die onderzoeken zijn een soort echografie van de aarde”, aldus Nicholson aan BBC News. Hij besteedde zowat de laatste 20 jaar aan de interpretatie ervan. “Maar zoiets als dit heb ik nog nooit gezien”, beweert hij. “De vorm van Nadir is kenmerkend voor een asteroïde-inslag. Het heeft een opstaande rand rond een centraal opwaarts gebied, en dan lagen puin die zich naar buiten uitstrekken.”
Ter vergelijking: de asteroïde die de Chicxulubkrater in de Golf van Mexico heeft doen ontstaan, was naar schatting 12 km in doorsnee. De krater is maar liefst 200 km breed. De inslag veroorzaakte zware aardschokken, tsunami’s en een wereldwijde vuurstorm. Er werd zoveel stof de lucht in geslingerd dat de aarde in een diepe vrieskou terecht kwam. De dinosaurussen overleefden de klimaatschok niet.
In het geval van de Nadir-asteroïde zouden de gevolgen niet zó groot zijn geweest, maar toch nog “een tsunami van meer dan een kilometer hoog hebben gegenereerd, en een aardbeving met een magnitude van 6.5 of zo”, volgens Veronica Bray van de Universiteit van Arizona. “De vrijgekomen energie zou ongeveer 1.000 keer groter zijn geweest dan die van de uitbarsting en tsunami in Tonga in januari 2022", vermoedt ze.
Verder onderzoek van de Nadirkrater is nodig - op basis van gesteenten uit de krater zelf en niet die uit een nabijgelegen boorgat - om de ouderdom ervan preciezer te kunnen bepalen en om te bevestigen dat het inderdaad om de inslag van een asteroïde gaat.
Wetenschappers zijn voorzichtig om deze gebeurtenis te koppelen aan de inslag in Chicxulub, ook al is de speculatie rond een mogelijke cluster van inslagen door grote ruimtestenen in het verleden niet nieuw. Zo wordt niet uitgesloten dat de Boltisjkrater in Oekraïne eveneens op een of andere manier verband houdt met de Chicxulubgebeurtenis.
Volgens professor Sean Gulick van de universiteit van Texas in Austin kan de West-Afrikaanse krater op dezelfde dag zijn ontstaan als de Chicxulubkrater, maar zal die ons niet rechtstreeks iets bijleren over het lot van de dino’s. “Een veel kleiner neefje of zusje voegt niet noodzakelijk iets toe aan wat we weten over het uitsterven van de dinosauriërs, maar wel aan ons begrip van de astronomische gebeurtenis die Chicxulub was”. Zo stelt de expert zich onder meer de vraag, die nog moet worden onderzocht: “Was Chicxulub een dubbele asteroïde waarbij een kleiner object in een baan om een groter object draaide?”
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R136 is the Most Massive Star Astronomers Have Ever Found. We Just got Some new Images of it
R136 is the Most Massive Star Astronomers Have Ever Found. We Just got Some new Images of it
Meet R136a1, the most mass star known. Located in the Large Magellanic Cloud, it’s a hulking behemoth weighing somewhere between 150 and 200 times the mass of the Sun. Understanding the upper limit of stars helps astronomers peace together everything from the life cycles of stars to the histories of galaxies.
A team of astronomers havestudied in detailthe star cluster known as R136. This star cluster is located in the Large Magellanic Cloud about 150,000 light-years from Earth. The star cluster itself is huge, featuring many incredibly bright newborn stars.
Based on the image the astronomers were able to estimate the masses of some of the stars including R136a1, which they estimate has a mass somewhere between 150 and 200 times the mass of the Sun. This latest estimate is significantly lower than previous estimates of this same star. Despite that new estimate, however, R136a1 still has a surface temperature eight times hotter than the Sun and a radius forty times bigger.
It’s likely that R136a1 represents one of the most massive stars in the universe. Stars form in a variety of sizes, from red dwarfs a tenth the mass of the Sun to these giants that would put our home star to shame. Understanding how common supergiant stars are helps astronomers understand their formation mechanisms. After all, you need a lot of gas collapsing in a very brief amount of time in order to form a giant star like this. And since there are so massive they do not live long, so they are that much more difficult to detect.
Galaxies live their lives constantly turning out generation after generation of stars. The ability to make large stars depends on the existence of previous generations. This is because when stars die they release their fused heavy elements out into the interstellar medium. Those heavy elements help other clouds of gas cool quickly to collapse and form bigger stars without fragmenting into many smaller ones.
The more we learn about giant stars like R136a1, the more we learn about the history of galaxies
James Fox, producer of the groundbreaking UFO documentary 'The Phenomenon' (2020) says his team have uncovered images and video of an extraterrestrial being, filmed by the Brazilian military.
Promoting his new documentary 'Moment of Contact' he speaks on the investigative work being done in an attempt to uncover one of our greatest secrets.
Hopefully it's not a marketing stunt and what he says is true that he has photo and video evidence of alien bodies in his possession, the question is whether he is going to publish the evidence of the alien bodies or whether he will be forced to hand it over to the military.
Below the trailer for the documentary it is about "Moments of contact"
Moment of Contact is about an exploration of extraterrestrial encounters, this one centered on a series of events in 1996 when citizens of Varginha, Brazil, reported seeing one or more strange creatures and a UFO crash.
A number of locals, including a group of girls ranging in age from 14-21, had a close encounter with a being described as about 4 feet tall, with brown oily skin, a large head and huge red eyes.
The town of Varginha was cordoned off by military and emergency response teams and two creatures were captured.
Local military policeman Marco Cherese died under mysterious circumstances after allegedly handling one of the creatures.
Fox’s documentary features interviews with key eyewitnesses, experts and officials including nuclear physicist and professional ufologist Stanton Friedman, Brazilian Air Force General Jose Carlos Pereira, Brazilian ufologist Ademar Jose Gevaerd. Peter Coyote.
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The Military slowly removing the history of UFOs as it enables them to continue to pretend that there’s no cover-up
The Military slowly removing the history of UFOs as it enables them to continue to pretend that there’s no cover-up
The Tic Tac UFO encounter of 2004 is rightly considered to be a very important event. Unfortunately, too much of our public discourse relating to UFOs or UAP now only focuses on encounters from that point onward.
But very little of the incredible rich story of 20th century UFOs is ever discussed in mainstream/establishment venues.
Removing the history of UFOs is important for the military, as it enables them to continue to pretend that there’s no cover-up, no conspiracy.
In fact, there is overwhelming evidence that the US military has been deeply engaged in the matter of UFOs for 80 years.
The above image of a UFO was just released this month (August 2022). The so-called Calvin image showing a 100ft UFO was kept secret and being withheld from the public for 30 years by the Ministry of Defence (MOD) before a retired RAF officer who secretly kept a copy of the photograph decided to release the infamous image.
Cube like object with large energy field in sky above Toronto 17-Aug-2022
Cube like object with large energy field in sky above Toronto 17-Aug-2022
This daytime UFO footage was filmed in the sky above Toronto, Canada on 18th August 2022.
Witness report:
I got to Jimmy Simpson park in leslieville Toronto at 8:20. I always watch the sky for Planes and UAP sightings. The sun was setting and below the tree line which made for really nice colours of blue and light cloud contrast. I noticed very high up this circular glow that was about the size of a small plane. It was circular from what my eyes could see. It gave off a glow. Like an energy field. I pulled out my camera and started recording. I took two videos as I was trying to keep my eye on it as it travelled slowly across the sky from the north east to the east.
It was almost like it was hoovering at very high altitude but moving. Then it just disappeared. Totally gone. Not a trace anywhere in the sky. When I zoomed in on my video I could see it was cube shaped. The week before I saw the same UAP over the Toronto beaches. That was at high altitude as well.
Over the years there are a few questions that have been put to me more times than I can count.
One of the favourites is: "Have you ever seen a UFO?"
As I am sure you know, UFO – unidentified flying object – is the modern term for ‘flying saucer’.
The saucer craze began in the late 1950s, reached its peak in the 1960s and is still with us today.
But what really are the chances of our being visited by beings from another world?
Credit: KTSDesign / Science Photo Library
UFO sightings
There is no real point in talking to people who say that they have been taken for rides in flying saucers, or have been kidnapped by aliens and kept prisoner until released.
Trying to argue with these earnest folk is rather like trying to eat tomato soup with a fork, and one gets nowhere.
The same is true of Flat Earthers, hollow-globers and people who believe that Bacon wrote Shakespeare.
But there are undeniably some UFO sightings that cannot be dismissed so easily – so is there any possibility of an alien visitor?
I am going to cause some raised eyebrows by saying that it is not impossible. But first, let me turn to the real answers to most UFO sightings.
If you see a low-lying bright light in the early evening or morning, could it simply be Venus or Mercury? Credit: John Chumack
Venus is one. The planet can be striking, and atmospheric turbulence in front of it can give the impression that it is moving.
Jupiter and, very occasionally, Mars have also been mistaken for UFOs, and of course today we have artificial satellites.
An artist's impression of the four exoplanets in orbit around Tau Ceti.
Credit: NASA/JPL-Caltech
Messages from another world? We have never received any, though careful searches have been made, not least by the SETI Institute.
The first of these dates back to 1970, when Frank Drake - of the famous Drake Equation - and his team in the USA used a large radio telescope to listen out for any rhythmical signals from planets orbiting the nearest solar-type stars, Tau Ceti and Epsilon Eridani.
Messages from Mars have been reported often enough – on one occasion by the brilliant if eccentric Nikola Tesla – but there are no canal-building Martians, and it is safe to say that there is no advanced life anywhere in the Solar System except on Earth.
The icy, cracked surface of Europa. Image: NASA/JPL
It is possible that primitive organisms survive on Mars or in the sunless seas of Jupiter's moon Europa or Saturn's moon Enceladus, but that is all.
If we want to find advanced life, we must look much further afield.
Visits from alien beings?
Alpha Centauri and its surroundings captured by the Digitized Sky Survey 2 telescope in the Atacama Desert, Chile. Credit: ESO/Digitized Sky Survey 2 Acknowledgement: Davide De Martin
I have already said that I do not believe that an alien visitation is impossible. Now I will explain my reasons…
We have sent humans to the Moon and uncrewed probes to all the planets in the Sun’s family.
It takes a day or so to reach the Moon, a few months to reach Mars or Venus, and a few years to reach the giant planets: Voyager 2, launched in 1977, by-passed Neptune in 1989.
Timewise, all this is manageable, but reaching the stars is quite another matter.
You may have heard talk in UFO circles of the belief in an alien species inhabiting the Zeta Reticuli system, but even our nearest stars, those of the Alpha Centauri system, are over 4 lightyears away, ie, well over 20 million million miles (Epsilon Eridani is over 10 lightyears away, Tau Ceti over 11).
I suppose that we really could try to send a probe to Alpha Centauri, but there would be no hope of maintaining contact with it, and to suggest that it might carry a crew is the stuff of sheer fantasy.
I know that efforts will be made to build a spacecraft able to travel much faster than those of today, capable of reaching Jupiter or even Neptune in a week.
But to reach Alpha Centauri in a few years would mean moving at almost the speed of light, and this, I am sure, is something that we will never be able to do.
So why do I not rule out all alien visitors?
An artist's impression of Earth-like exoplanet Kepler-186f. Credit: NASA
Simply because there are 100 thousand million stars in the Milky Way system, many of them attended by planets, and our Galaxy is only one of many.
Millions of millions of Earth-like exoplanets must exist, and surely there must be vast numbers of civilisations.
Ours is young, and it has taken only a few tens of thousands of years for Homo sapiens to evolve from cave-dwellers whose conversation was limited to "ug" and "og", to technicians able to produce nuclear bombs.
It is patently obvious that we cannot send material rockets to worlds beyond the Solar System, and we have no inkling of any other method.
Using, for example, space-warps, time-warps or thought-travel is completely unrealistic.
But I repeat – and this is the crux of my argument – our civilisation is young, and we are still going through the stage when we have the scientific ability to destroy ourselves but are not intelligent enough to live together in peace.
Hubble Ultra-Deep Field 3, June 2014. Virtually every point of light in this image is a galaxy, each composed of billions of stars. Credit: NASA, ESA, H. Teplitz and M. Rafelski (IPAC/Caltech), A. Koekemoer (STScI), R. Windhorst (Arizona State University), Z. Levay (STScI)
Other civilisations, older and wiser than ours, must surely have passed through this stage, and may well have solved the problem of interstellar travel.
If so, the Earth could well be on their visiting list.
Inevitably there are claims that this has already happened - the Roswell UFO incident being the most famous instance, undoubtedly to the benefit of local hoteliers and restaurants - but we await the arrival of a true expedition from afar.
I realise that I may be completely wrong: there may be something that rules out interstellar travel permanently, there may not yet be any civilisation able to achieve it, or – as a few people believe – we may, after all, be alone in the vastness of the Universe.
My opinion may be worth nothing, but I will still voice it: aliens have not yet visited us, so far as we know, but possibly they could.
And if I meet one, the first thing I will do is to persuade him to write an article for BBC Sky at Night Magazine.
What do you think? Is intelligent life elsewhere in the Universe an inevitability? Let us know via contactus@skyatnightmagazine.com.
This article originally appeared in the November 2009 issue of BBC Sky at Night Magazine.
Sir Patrick Moore (1923–2012) presented The Sky at Night on BBC TV from 1957–2012. He was the Editor Emeritus of BBC Sky at Night Magazine, President of the British Astronomical Association and Society for Popular Astronomy, and a researcher and writer of over 70 books.
A battery powered by nuclear waste could keep a spaceship or hospital operating for 28,000 years without needing to be recharged or replaced, its developers claim.
The radioactive battery is 'completely safe' for humans, according to California-based Nano Diamond Battery (NDB), who say it will 'change the world'.
The firm hopes to start selling the battery to commercial partners, including space agencies for long duration missions, within the next two years.
NDB are also working on a consumer version that could run a smartphone or electric car for up to a decade without requiring a charge.
No details on pricing have been revealed by the technology startup, who say it is still in development phase.
A battery powered by nuclear waste could keep a spaceship or hospital operating for 28,000 years without needing to be recharged or replaced, its developers claim
DIAMOND NUCLEAR VOLTAIC (DNV) ENERGY GENERATION
Diamond Nuclear Voltaic (DNV) is a technology that converts nuclear waste into electricity.
The microscopic diamonds have 'extremely good head conductance'.
They act to move heat away from the radioactive isotopes so quickly the transaction generates electricity.
This generates a small output of power but consistently for a very long period of time - thousands of years.
Several of these units are stacked, increasing overall power output.
This kind of arrangement improves the overall efficiency of the system and provides a multi layer safety shield.
The technology involves combining radioactive isotopes taken from nuclear waste with layers of panelled nano diamonds stacked in a battery cell.
Extremely good heat conductance of the microscopic diamonds acts to move heat away from the radioactive isotopes so quickly the transaction generates electricity.
It is based on a technology called diamond nuclear voltaic (DNV) presented by scientists in 2016 from the University of Bristol using waste graphite blocks.
This technology is best suited for devices that need a slow trickle of electricity, consistently over a long period of time due to low energy production.
The NDB system is able to work in consumer products by adding layers and layers of diamonds and radioactive waste panels to increase the total energy output.
'This battery has two different merits,' NDB CEO Nima Golsharifi told Future Net Zero.
'One is that it uses nuclear waste and converts it into something good. And the second is that it runs for a much longer time than the current batteries.'
The firm has also worked to ensure the material is safe and people can't easily access the radioactive material inside the stacked power cells.
'The DNV stacks along with the source are coated with a layer of poly-crystalline diamond, which is known for being the most thermally conductive material,' a spokesperson said.
This material 'also has the ability to contain the radiation within the device and is the hardest material,' up 12 times tougher than stainless steel.
'This makes our product extremely tough and tamperproof.'
Use cases include having a watch with a tiny NDB battery that could be passed down from generation to generation without ever having to replace the power supply.
Diamond batteries may one day power satellites, providing them with enough spare energy to de-orbit at the end of their life, or probes heading into deep space for thousands of years.
'The human desire to explore space is fuelled by the excitement of exploring the unknown,' NDB said on their website.
Future devices can also be used to power a smartphone or a laptop, each containing a miniature power generator that will last as long as the device itself - with no need to ever charge, or an electric car that could run for thousands of miles without a charge
'Recent advances in space technology and the rise of the first manned electric aircrafts have led to increasing demand on their battery systems, hindered by concerns regarding longevity and safety.
'NDB can be utilized to power drones, electric aircrafts, space rovers and stations whilst allowing for longer activity.'
Future devices can also be used to power a smartphone or a laptop, each containing a miniature power generator that will last as long as the device itself - with no need to ever charge.
'In situ medical devices and implantable such as hearing aids and pacemakers respectively can benefit from long battery life in a smaller package with added benefit of safety and longevity,' the firm added.
WHAT ARE HYDROGEN FUEL CELLS?
Hydrogen fuel cells create electricity to power a battery and motor by mixing hydrogen and oxygen in specially treated plates, which are combined to form the fuel cell stack.
Fuel cell stacks and batteries have allowed engineers to significantly shrink these components to even fit neatly inside a family car, although they are also commonly used to fuel buses and other larger vehicles.
Trains and aeroplanes are also being adapted to run on hydrogen fuel, for example.
Oxygen is collected from the air through intakes, usually in the grille, and hydrogen is stored in aluminium-lined fuel tanks, which automatically seal in an accident to prevent leaks.
These ingredients are fused, releasing usable electricity and water as by-products and making the technology one of the quietest and most environmentally friendly available.
Reducing the amount of platinum used in the stack has made fuel cells less expensive, but the use of the rare metal has restricted the spread of their use.
Recent research has suggested hydrogen fuel cell cars could one day challenge electric cars in the race for pollution-free roads, but only if more stations are built to fuel them.
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Scientists Turn Nuclear Waste Into Diamond Batteries That Could Last For Thousands Of Years
Scientists Turn Nuclear Waste Into Diamond Batteries That Could Last For Thousands Of Years
We have an unquenchable energy need. When we need to run anything that cannot be plugged in, electricity will have to come from a battery, and the quest for a better battery is being launched in laboratories around the globe. Hold that thought for a moment.
Nuclear waste is radioactive waste generated by nuclear power plants that no one wants to be kept near their houses or even carried through their communities. The ugly substance is poisonous and deadly, takes thousands of years to disintegrate completely, and we continue to produce more of it.
Now, a California-based business, NDB, says it can resolve both of these issues. They claim to have built a self-powered battery made entirely of radioactive waste that has a life expectancy of 28,000 years, making it ideal for your future electric car or iPhone 1.6 x 104.
Rather than storing energy generated elsewhere, the battery generates its own charge. It is constructed of two kinds of nano-diamonds, which makes it almost crash-proof when used in vehicles or other moving things. Additionally, the business claims that its battery is safe since it emits less radiation than the human body.
NDB has already created a proof of concept and intends to construct its first commercial prototype once its laboratories restart operations after the COVID outbreak(which should be soon).
The nuclear waste from which NDB intends to manufacture its batteries consists of reactor components that have become radioactive as a result of exposure to nuclear power plant fuel rods.
While this is not considered high-grade nuclear waste—that would be spent fuel—it is nonetheless very poisonous, and a nuclear plant generates a lot of it. The International Atomic Energy Agency estimates that the "core of a typical graphite-moderated reactor" may contain up to 2000 tonnes of graphite. (A tonne is equal to one metric tonne, or about 2,205 pounds.)
Carbon-14 is a radioisotope found in graphite. It is the same radioisotope used by archaeologists for carbon dating. It has a half-life of 5,730 years and ultimately decays into nitrogen 14, an anti-neutrino, and a beta decay electron, the charge of which piqued NDB's curiosity as a possible source of electricity.
NDB cleanses graphite and then converts it to microscopic diamonds. The business claims that by using current technology, they've engineered their little carbon-14 diamonds to generate a large quantity of electricity. Diamonds also operate as a semiconductor, absorbing energy and dispersing it via a heat sink.
However, since they are still radioactive, NDB encases the miniature nuclear power plants in other low-cost, non-radioactive carbon-12 diamonds. These glistening lab-created shells provide diamond-hard protection while also containing the carbon-14 diamonds' radiation.
NDA intends to manufacture batteries in a variety of common and unique sizes, including AA, AAA, 18650, and 2170. Each battery will feature many stacked diamond layers, as well as a tiny circuit board and a supercapacitor for energy collection, storage, and discharge. The ultimate result, the business claims, is a battery that will last an extremely long period.
According to NDB, a battery may live up to 28,000 years when utilized in a low-power setting, such as a satellite sensor. They predict a usable life of 90 years as a car battery, much longer than anyone vehicle would last—the business believes that one battery could theoretically power one pair of wheels after another. For consumer gadgets like phones and tablets, the firm estimates that a battery will last around nine years.
“Think of it in an iPhone,” NDB’s Neel Naicker tells New Atlas. "With the same size battery, it would charge it five times an hour from zero to full. Imagine that. Imagine a world where you wouldn’t have to charge your battery at all for the day. Now imagine for the week, for the month… How about for decades? That’s what we’re able to do with this technology.”
NDB expects commercialising a low-power version in a few of years, followed by a high-power version in roughly five years. If all goes according to plan, NDB's technology will represent a significant step forward in terms of delivering low-cost, long-term energy to the world's electronics and cars.
The company says, “We can start at the nanoscale and go up to power satellites, locomotives.”
Additionally, the business anticipates that its batteries will be comparably priced to existing batteries, including lithium-ion, and maybe much cheaper after they are produced of nuclear waste may even pay the company to take care of their poisonous issue.
The garbage of one enterprise becomes the diamonds of another.
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Something Massive Has Just Been Observed Inside Our Solar System Behind Our Sun During The Daytime via Unexplained Mysteries
Something Massive Has Just Been Observed Inside Our Solar System Behind Our Sun During The Daytime via Unexplained Mysteries
Something massive has just been observed inside our Solar System behind our Sun during the daytime. Today we take a look at this massive object that’s been observed behind the Sun during the daytime. Space is truly the final frontier, nowhere else on Earth are there as many seemingly unsolvable mysteries that leave scientists scratching their heads in the search for answers.
From mysterious flashes emanating from the depths of space to new glimpses of long obstructed planets, there is always progress being made in the attempt to uncover the deepest darkest secrets of space. Just recently this photograph was posted to various online groups that research strange discoveries in space. Thank you for watching!
The world's fastest airliner: Boom Supersonic Overture jet dubbed 'Son of Concorde' hits 1,300mph and runs on sustainable fuel - and could fly passengers from New York to London in 3.5HRS by 2029
The world's fastest airliner: Boom Supersonic Overture jet dubbed 'Son of Concorde' hits 1,300mph and runs on sustainable fuel - and could fly passengers from New York to London in 3.5HRS by 2029
American Airlines announced this week that it is buying 20 Boom Supersonic Overture jets
Overture is still in development but is tipped to be the 'world's fastest airliner', reaching Mach 1.7 (1,300mph)
This could slash the journey time between Miami and London from nine hours to just five
Overture is slated to roll out in 2025, fly in 2026 and expected to carry passengers by 2029
Ahead of its launch debut, MailOnline looks at the key features behind the Boom Superonic Overture
The idea of travelling from Miami to London in just five hours might sound too good to be true for many weary travellers.
But it could become a reality in just seven years, following the news that American Airlines has agreed to buy 20 Overture jets from aircraft maker Boom Supersonic.
The Overture, dubbed the 'Son of Concorde' is still under development, but is tipped to be the 'world's fastest airliner', reaching speeds of Mach 1.7 (about 1,300mph).
This is double the speed of current commercial jets, and could slash the journey time between Miami and London from nine hours to just five.
'Overture is our flagship aircraft, a supersonic commercial airplane that will carry up to 88 passengers,' Boom Supersonic explains on its website. 'We are designing Overture to industry-leading standards of speed, safety, and sustainability.'
Here's a look at the key features we expect to see in Overture, ahead of its roll out in 2025, first flight in 2026, and first passenger flight in 2029.
The Overture is still under development, but is tipped to be the 'world's fatest airliner', reaching speeds of Mach 1.7 (about 1,300mph). Overture is slated to roll out in 2025, fly in 2026 and expected to carry passengers by 2029
Still under development, the Overture is expected to reach speeds of Mach 1.7, or about 1,300 mph, roughly double the top speed of the fastest current commercial jets on the market, including the Boeing 747
Four-engine design
Overture is driven by four powerful wing-mounted engines that power the plane to cruising speeds of Mach 1.7 (1,300mph) over water, and just under Mach 1 (767mph) over land without the use of afterburners.
'The use of four engines keeps weight and temperature balanced, and shrinks the size requirements of each engine, which allows the production of those engines to fall within current supply chain and manufacturing capabilities,' Boom Supersonic explained.
Each engine is fed by a highly-efficient, streamline-traced, axisymmetric inlet.
These inlets provide 'exceptional' pressure consistency that allows the engines to operate with subsonic airflow at supersonic speed, according to Boom Supersonic.
'Engine placement was selected to conform to the strictest passenger safety requirements,' it added.
Quieter operation
While you might expect Overture to be incredibly loud, thankfully this isn't the case.
Using four engines results in lower thrust requirements for each, which means reduced overall noise levels, according to Boom Supersonic.
The plane is also fitted with the world's first automated noise reduction system.
'With no afterburners and buzz-free engines, Overture’s takeoffs will blend in with existing long-haul fleets, resulting in a quieter experience for both passengers and airport communities, meeting or exceeding ICAO (International Civil Aviation Organization) requirements for all subsonic aircraft operating over land and at or near airports,' Boom Supersonic explained.
Still under development, the Overture is expected to reach speeds of Mach 1.7, or about 1,300 mph, roughly double the top speed of the fastest current commercial jets on the market, including the Boeing 747
Boom says that Overture, which will be able to fly at 60,000ft and carry between 65 and 80 passengers, will use 'the world's first automated noise reduction system'
What is sustainable aviation fuel (SAF)?
SAF is a biofuel used to power aircraft that has similar properties to conventional jet fuel but with a smaller carbon footprint.
Depending on the feedstock and technologies used to produce it, SAF can reduce greenhouse gas emissions dramatically compared to conventional jet fuel.
Feedstocks for producing SAFs include:
Oil seeds
Algae
Other fats, oils, and greases
Agricultural residues
Forestry residues
Corn grain
Wood mill waste
Municipal solid waste streams
Wet wastes (manures, wastewater treatment sludge)
Dedicated energy crops
Contoured fuselage
Overture is designed to minimise drag and maximise fuel efficiency at supersonic speeds.
Boom Supersonic opted for a fuselage with a larger diameter towards the front of the aircraft, and a smaller diameter towards the rear.
Gull wings
Overture features gull wings, which allow air to flow smoothly over and around the aircraft.
A contoured wing profile reduces sonic shock strength and creates a swirling vortex along the entire wing surface that generates lift and reduces engine stress.
'Particular to Overture, this wing is a derivative of the traditional delta wing found on most supersonic aircraft,' (including Concorde), Boom Supersonic explained.
'The delta platform is optimised for supersonic flight but does not operate optimally in lower-speed / subsonic conditions.
'The complex gull-wing design was selected to optimise cruise and low-speed conditions.'
Carbon composite structure
The plane is built from a lighter carbon composite material, which makes it more fuel efficient, and thus more sustainable.
While many existing planes use aluminium as a key building material, Boom Supersonic says that carbon composite structures are a better option.
'The carbon-fibre composites maintain strength at elevated temperatures better than aluminium,' it explained.
'The composites expand and contract much less than metal under supersonic conditions, allowing Overture to fly at higher speeds more safely.'
'Overture is our flagship aircraft, a supersonic commercial airplane that will carry up to 88 passengers,' Boom Supersonic explains on its website. 'We are designing Overture to industry-leading standards of speed, safety, and sustainability'
Overture will be powered by four powerful, wing-mounted engines that enable the airliner to cruise at Mach 1.7 (1,300mph) over water and just under Mach 1 (770mph) over land
American Airlines on Tuesday agreed to buy up to 20 Overture jets (above) from aircraft maker Boom Supersonic, vowing to cut the time of long-haul flights over water nearly in half
Net zero carbon
Overture is built to operate on 100 per cent sustainable aviation fuel - jet fuel made from sustainable and renewable sources, rather than fossil fuels.
'Environmental performance is being considered in all aspects of Overture, from design and production to flight and end-of-life recycling,' Boom Supersonic said.
'The engineering team prioritises circularity by repurposing used tooling, recycling components on the shop floor, and leveraging additive manufacturing techniques that result in less manufacturing waste and lighter, more fuel-efficient products.'
A BRIEF HISTORY OF CONCORDE: THE FIRST COMMERCIAL SUPERSONIC JET
Concorde was a turbojet-powered supersonic passenger jet that was operated until 2003.
It had a maximum speed over twice the speed of sound at Mach 2.04 (1,354 mph or 2,180 k per hour at cruise altitude) and could seat 92 to 128 passengers.
It was first flown in 1969, but needed further tests to establish it as viable as a commercial aircraft.
Concorde entered service in 1976 and continued flying for the next 27 years.
It is one of only two supersonic transports to have been operated commercially.
The other is the Soviet-built Tupolev Tu-144, which ran for a much shorter period of time before it was grounded and retired due to safety and budget issues.
Concorde was a turbojet-powered supersonic passenger jet that was operated until 2003. It had a maximum speed over twice the speed of sound at Mach 2.04 (1,354 mph or 2,180 k per hour at cruise altitude) and could seat 92 to 128 passengers
Concorde was jointly developed and manufactured by Aérospatiale and the British Aircraft Corporation (BAC) under an Anglo-French treaty.
Concorde's name, meaning harmony or union, reflects the cooperation on the project between the United Kingdom and France.
In the UK, any or all of the type are known simply as 'Concorde', without an article.
Twenty aircraft were built including six prototypes and development aircraft.
Air France (AF) and British Airways (BA) each received seven aircraft.
The research and development failed to make a profit and the two airlines bought the aircraft at a huge discount.
Among other destinations, Concorde flew regular transatlantic flights from London Heathrow and Paris Charles de Gaulle Airport to New York-JFK, Washington Dulles and Barbados.
It flew these routes in less than half the time of other airliners.
Over time, the aircraft became profitable when it found a customer base willing to pay for flights on what was for most of its career the fastest commercial airliner in the world.
The aircraft is regarded by many as an aviation icon and an engineering marvel, but it was also criticized for being uneconomical, lacking a credible market, and consuming more fuel to carry fewer passengers than a Boeing 747.
Concorde was retired in 2003 due to a general downturn in the commercial aviation industry after the type's only crash in 2000, the September 11 attacks in 2001, and a decision by Airbus, the successor to Aérospatiale and BAC, to discontinue maintenance support.
American Airlines Agrees to Buy 20 Boom Supersonic Jets
American Airlines Agrees to Buy 20 Boom Supersonic Jets
Carrier joins United Airlines in betting on return of faster-than-sound flying nearly two decades after Concorde’s last flight
Boom Supersonic has said it expects its newly redesigned four-engine Overture jets to roll off the production line in 2025 and to carry passengers by 2029.
American Airlines GroupInc.AAL -3.48%agreed to buy 20 planes from Boom Supersonic, betting on the future of an ultra-fast plane that is still years away.
American put down a nonrefundable deposit on its initial 20 aircraft, known as the Overture, and has the option to purchase 40 more, the companies said Tuesday. The companies didn’t disclose additional financial details of the transaction.
Aerospace startup Boom is developing new planes capable of traveling at supersonic speeds, faster than the speed of sound. Overture is being designed to carry 65 to 80 passengers at Mach 1.7 over water, or 1.7 times the speed of sound—about twice as fast as commercial planes can fly today.
“Supersonic travel will be an important part of our ability to deliver for our customers,” Derek Kerr, American’s chief financial officer, said in a statement Tuesday.
Boom has said Overture will be able to fly over 600 routes in half the time those flights currently take—such as Miami to London in under five hours, and Los Angeles to Honolulu in three hours—at fares comparable with current business-class prices.
Some companies have tried to develop supersonic business jets and small passenger planes since the Concorde was retired in 2003.
PHOTO: MARIO TAMA/GETTY IMAGES
Some industry observers are skeptical both about the level of demand for ultra-fast travel and of Boom’s plans. Boom has said it expects its newly redesigned four-engine Overture jets to roll off the production line in 2025 and to carry passengers by 2029.
The jet still doesn’t have an engine maker. Boom has had discussions with Rolls-Royce Holdings Plc, and a spokeswoman said Tuesday that Boom is now evaluating the results of Rolls-Royce’s work and assessing market requirements and design alternatives.
Other companies have tried to develop supersonic business jets and small passenger planes since the Concorde was retired in 2003. Aerion Supersonic, a startup backed by Boeing Co. , closed last year after running out of money.
Only British Airways and Air France bought the Concorde. High costs and concerns about the noise the Concorde produced wound up curtailing its use to pricey luxury trips between Europe and the East Coast. Declining demand after a fatal crash in 2000 and the travel slump after the 9/11 attacks led to the Concorde’s retirement.
Boom Chief Executive Blake Scholl has said previously that there have been significant technological advances since the Concorde was designed, such as lighter carbon-fiber components.
Boom currently has 130 orders for its Overture, the company said Tuesday, compared with 14 Concordes that ever entered service. In addition to United and American, Japan Airlines Co. Ltd. preordered 20 of the aircraft in 2017.
United last week agreed to put down a $10 million deposit for its order of air taxis being developed by Archer Aviation Inc, deepening its commitment to another nascent aviation technology.
Related Videos
Concorde used to be able to take you from New York to London in three hours, but it stopped flying in 2001. Now, a group of scientists and engineers are trying to bring supersonic flight back. Will it work? WSJ’s George Downs takes a closer look.
American Airlines put down a deposit on an initial 20 Boom Supersonic aircraft, and has the option to purchase 40 more, the companies said Tuesday. An earlier version of this article incorrectly said American has the option to purchase 20 more aircraft. (Corrected on Aug. 16)
Astronomers Discover 'First of Its Kind' 3-Star System in Deep Space
Astronomers Discover 'First of Its Kind' 3-Star System in Deep Space
Somewhere in the depths of our universe, a stellar ballet is underway. Against the dark curtain of space, three enormous, glittering stars are locked in dance by their own gravitational forces and aglow in their shared luminescence.
Two blazing balls of gas are tightly pirouetting around each other, completing their mutual orbit to the rhythm of an Earth day. Simultaneously, a third star steadily encircles the pair, casting a spotlight on the performance.
Details of the cosmic situation can be found in a paper published in June in Monthly Notices of the Royal Astronomical Society. "As far as we know, it is the first of its kind ever detected," Alejandro Vigna-Gomez, an astrophysicist at the University of Copenhagen and co-author of the paper, said in a statement Monday.
Though this animation is of a star and a black hole binary system, it helps illustrate what binary objects' motions would look like.
Even though we know of many tertiary star systems, per Vigna-Gomez, not only are they much farther apart than this sparkly trio, but they're also typically less massive.
By quite a bit. According to the new paper, the internal, close-quarter binary stars hold a combined mass approximately 12 times that of our sun, and the wide-field globe surrounding them boasts a whopping 16 times the mass of our sun.
For context, it would take more than 330,000 Earths to match one solar mass, a quantity that comprises 99.8% of the mass of our entire solar system. Simply put, these stellar ballerinas are absolutely colossal. But in the grand scheme of things, Vigna-Gomez was after much more than merely identifying this unusual starry arrangement.
The goal was to decode precisely how such a fierce triplet -- formally dubbed TIC 470710327 -- came together in the first place. A missing ballerina Along with fellow researcher Bin Liu, a theoretical astrophysicist also affiliated with the University of Copenhagen, Vigna-Gomez first came up with several options for the newly observed three-star system's backstory.
Foremost, there was the idea that the bigger, outer star formed first. However, this option eventually fell through because, after some investigation, the team realized such a starry leviathan would've likely ejected material inward that would disrupt the binary stars' formation.
There wouldn't have been a trio. There'd have been gaseous rubble spilling in all directions. Second, the team considered that the binary star dancers and third star spectator might've formed separately -- far away from each other -- then eventually have fallen together by some force of gravity.
Though this particular scenario hasn't been totally ruled out yet, the researchers think it still might not be the best one. They're much more focused on the final and preferred possibility. A slightly less collaborative one.
What if two individual binary star systems formed near each other, the researchers wondered, then maybe one of those pairs merged into a giant star? If true, that massive combo star would be the outer one we see today, orbiting the smaller -- but still huge -- stars within. In other words, it could be possible that a fourth dancer was part of this cosmic ballet, but was unfortunately eaten up by its own partner prior to the final scene.
Well, as of the team's new research -- based on tons of computer models and fascinatingly rooted in the discoveries of citizen scientists -- this case was the most probable. "But a model is not enough," Vigna-Gomez said, arguing that to prove his and Liu's suspicion with high certainty would require either using telescopes to study the tertiary system in better detail or statistically analyzing nearby star populations.
"We also encourage people in the scientific community to look at the data deeply," Liu said in a statement. "What we really want to know is whether this kind of system is common in our universe."
FURIOUS DOLPHIN BITES AT LEAST SIX BEACHGOERS IN JAPAN
FURIOUS DOLPHIN BITES AT LEAST SIX BEACHGOERS IN JAPAN
WHAT THE HECK!?
GETTY IMAGES/FUTURISM
Ragin' Cetacean
Right as "Jaws" hits theaters again this summer, one dolphin in the sea of Japan is looking to put that titular maneater to shame.
According to Japanese newspaper The Mainichi, officials say that a single dastardly dolphin has been responsible for at least six different attacks on humans this month, prowling the shores of several beaches of the Fukui Prefecture in Japan.
One swimmer required 14 stitches after a nasty bite to their hand. Another beachgoer found his arm clamped in the jaws of the furious creature, and when he attempted to pry it free, the dolphin almost forced him underwater by lunging on top of him. There have been at least 17 different dolphin attacks in total since that date, but it's unclear how many of those that the feared dolphin is responsible for.
Shore Thing
We’re not talking about attacks on people wading far out into the ocean. In fact, most of them occurred less than ten yards from shore.
After the initial wave of dolphin attacks, the city of Fukui installed underwater, ultrasonic wave emitting devices to stave off sea animals, The Mainichi reports. But the rogue dolphin has continued to strike even in the face of those deterrents, at least twice more as of Tuesday.
In the grand scheme of things, dolphin attacks on humans are quite rare — and so are shark attacks, it’s worth mentioning, contrary to what Spielberg’s blockbuster might have you believe — but that doesn’t mean beachgoers shouldn’t be careful.
"There are certain body parts where dolphins don’t like to be touched, like the tip of their nose and their dorsal fin," cautioned a tourism department official while speaking to Agence France-Presse, quoted by The Guardian.
Sea Psychos
Despite their cheery status in pop culture, dolphins can be shockingly cruel, likely in part due to their high levels of intelligence. They’re some of the biggest assholes in the ocean, mutilating the babies of other sea creatures for fun, and other grisly details we’d rather not mention here.
So if you see a dolphin swimming your way, treat it with the same respect and caution you would any other wild animal — and maybe just leave it alone entirely.
It doesn’t matter whether it’s planets, moons or stars: Although the countless celestial bodies in the universe sometimes differ greatly from one another, all these objects still have one thing in common – they are finite structures. Basically, it can be said that the processes in space are also subject to a constant rhythm of decline and new creation.
It doesn’t matter whether it’s planets, moons or stars: Although the countless celestial bodies in the universe sometimes differ greatly from one another, all these objects still have one thing in common – they are finite structures. Basically, it can be said that the processes in space are also subject to a constant rhythm of decline and new creation.
Those areas in which new stars and planets are born are therefore among the most important galactic regions among experts. The central question of how the formation processes of new celestial bodies in the universe are fueled has always been one of the most important aspects of modern space research.
However, some employees of the University of Copenhagen have now experienced first-hand that the investigation of the corresponding areas can also bring fabulous surprises to light. You can find out what unexpected circumstances the researchers were confronted with and what unique astronomical discoveries the experts were able to make in the recent past in today’s post
How Many of Today's "UFOs" Are From Other Worlds? How Many Are From Right Here?
Nick Redfern
There is no doubt that as our technology advances in quick fashion, it gets harder and harder to determine what might be a real UFO and something that just might be from...elsewhere. So, with that said, today I'll share with you the strange and fantastic crafts in our skies that I believe are terrestrial and not extraterrestrial. Perhaps, you'll agree with me. Maybe, you won't agree in the slightest. But, I think we are all looking for the answers. I'll begin with the near-legendary "Black Triangles." Beginning in 1989 and continuing through 1990, Belgium was the focus of intense UFO activity. There was not a single flying saucer in sight, however. Rather, people were reporting encounters with what became known as black-colored “Flying Triangles.” Superficially, they resembled the U.S. Stealth bomber and fighter. There were, however, significant differences: the FTs flew silently, could hover, and were able to fly at speeds as slow as 20 miles per hour and in excess of 1,000 miles per hour. While, in some quarters, there was a nagging suspicion that the Flying Triangles were aircraft still on the secret list, most observers dismissed such a theory. After all, why not test-fly them above the deserts of Area 51, where they would not be seen?
(Nick Redfern) Area 51: Where high-tech aircraft are hidden. Alien craft probably aren't.
It wasn’t just the general public, UFO investigators, and the Belgian military that were deeply concerned by all of this. The U.S. Defense Intelligence Agency was worried, too. As a perfect example, a 1990 DIA report, titled “Belgium and the UFO Issue,” reveals the facts concerning a wealth of Flying Triangle encounters, including the following, which occurred on March 18, 1990. According to the DIA: “Source A cited Mr. Leon Brenig, a 43-year-old professor at the Free University of Brussels in the field of statistics and physics…Mr. Brenig was driving on the Ardennes autoroute in the Beaufays region east of Liege, Sunday, 18 March 1990 at 2030 hours when he observed an airborne object approaching in his direction from the North. It was in the form of a triangle…and had a yellow light surrounding it with a reddish center varying in intensity. Altitude appeared to be 500-1000 meters, moving at a slow speed with no sound. It did not move or behave like an aircraft." My firm view is that we are looking at ongoing next-gerenation Stealth planes and not the work of ETs. Onto another aspect of this controversy.
In the early 1990s, rumors began to circulate among the aviation world that a highly secret, futuristic aircraft was being flown out of Area 51 – and under distinctly covert circumstances - to say the very least. The reportedly large, black-colored, triangular-shaped aircraft which could fly at incredible speeds, could outmaneuver just about anything else on the planet. It was rumored to be known as the Aurora. Officially, at least, and according to the U.S. Government, the Aurora does not exist and has never existed - at all. But, we should remember that was once said about Area 51, too. So, with that in our collective minds, we need to tread cautiously when it comes to official proclamations of the controversial type. And that includes the aviation industry.
The story began – publicly, at least , I should stress – in the early part of March 1990. That was when the well-respected magazine Aviation Week & Space Technology covered the story. They revealed that the term “Aurora” had appeared in the 1985 U.S. budget – and had possibly appeared by mistake, which makes sense if the program was so highly sensitive that its existence had to be denied at all costs. And talking of costs, it was rumored that around $455 million had been provided to those working out at Area 51 on secret, futuristic aircraft. AW&ST suspected that Aurora was a codename for multiple kinds of aircraft that were both radical in design and technology. Other investigators, though, concluded that Aurora referred to just one type of aircraft. AW&ST learned that by 1987 the budget had soared to in excess of two billion dollars. Impressive!
Now, to another aircraft of the secret type; one that went wrong. Some might say this is a case of a "UFO crash." I say "Wrong." In March 1997, the U.K.’s Independent newspaper ran an article titled “Secret US spyplane crash may be kept under wraps.” In part, it stated: “A top-secret United States spyplane which flies on the edge of space at five times the speed of sound crashed at the British experimental airbase at Boscombe Down, Hampshire, in September 1994, according to a report in a leading military aviation journal. The SAS [Special Air Service], the report said, was scrambled to throw a cordon round the wreckage, which was flown back to the US two days later. The hypersonic reconnaissance aircraft, called Astra or Aurora, is believed to have been developed in the 1980s as a secret US government ‘black program.’” The explanation, from British officials, that the mysterious craft was nothing stranger than a Tornado aircraft has been met with rolling eyes and shaking heads. Particularly since the Tornado in question actually came down in August 1994 and not late one night in September of that year. National Archives papers on the affair state the following:
“…the only flying that took place that night was the launch of two Royal Navy Sea King helicopters in support of an exercise. Claims that members of the public were turned away by police roadblocks may have arisen from some confusion over dates. On August 12, 1994 a Tornado participating in a trial made an emergency landing there after the decoy target under trial failed to jettison. The Tornado landed with a trailing 375ft steel cable and, for safety reasons, roads close to Boscombe Down were closed while the aircraft passed overhead. We are aware of press reports regarding an aircraft known as ‘Aurora’. The Ministry of Defense has no knowledge of any U.S. aircraft with this designation operating in UK airspace. The existence of such a program would, in any case, be a matter for the US Government to confirm.”
Now, we get to the matter of the incredible "UFOs" that Bob Lazar said he saw out at Area 51's S-4. For the record, I believe Lazar was at Area 51. But, there was a great deal of disinformation, too. So the story went, the staff at Area 51 had no less than nine alien craft in their possession. Most of them were allegedly in good condition – in fact, some were said to be in excellent condition. One was superficially damaged, but not overly so. It’s hardly surprising that Lazar was threatened – with his life, no less – to never talk about any of this with anyone outside of the program. That included Lazar’s wife, family and friends. On this issue, Lazar was told that to ensure he towed the line, his home phone would be tapped. He had to sign a document that starkly detailed the result of any violations of the agreement – which included lengthy jail sentences and even a visit from the Grim Reaper. Or, from a government agent with a flair for snuffing out lives. He was even told that if he did ever speak out of line, hypnosis and chemicals could be used to wipe out his memories of what he saw out at S-4. For Lazar this was all very ominous, but the stakes were so high – the ability to work on alien spaceships – that it was too great a lure to say "no" to. Lazar eagerly signed away his life in an instant. Maybe all of us would.
(Nick Redfern) Ours or Theirs?
There's something else, too: Lazar didn't just see a bunch of Flying Saucer-style craft at S-4; he was also drugged. We’re talking about ways and means to blur reality, to have the targeted individual – in this case Lazar – see and experience something that may not actually be part of what passes for reality. UFO writer Timothy Good made a notable statement on this issue. Good stated that Lazar told him, “Security was formidable, and various methods of intimidation (including the possible use of drugs and hypnosis [italics mine]) were used to ensure that those who worked at the base kept their mouths shut.” Renowned ufologist, Dr. Jacques Vallee, noted something that was almost certainly connected to the drugs / hypnosis issue. Vallee, speaking on KLAS-TV’s show, UFOs: The Best Evidence, said he asked Lazar “if he felt that his memory might have been tampered with.”
There was a good reason for that question to have been asked. Lazar has admitted that on a couple of occasions, all he could remember was being flown out to S-4…and flying back. And that’s all. His mind had been wiped clean of around two days’ worth of memories. And he never, ever got those missing days back. In light of that, we have to seriously wonder if Lazar genuinely recalled his experiences as he remembered them, but that what he remembered wasn’t real. It may well have been part of an ingenious plan to have Lazar become the ultimate patsy in a plot to convince someone – maybe the Russians – that the U.S. Government has UFOs and alien technology in its secret arsenals. In that sense, the entirety of Lazar’s story needs to be addressed very carefully. Not because he was a liar. But, because his memories cannot be trusted. A strong case can be made that the hypnosis - tied to mock-ups of high-tech-type craft - would easily empasize what Lazar was seeing. Or, what he wasn't seeing or remebering.
There can be no doubt that the alien angle of the history of Area 51 excites many. Maybe that’s what the U.S. Government is counting on. After all, not even the power of all the military, defense, and intelligence-based agencies in the United States can prevent a few leaks of classified information. So, perhaps to keep eager Ufologists away from stumbling on covert programs concerned with new aircraft designs, next-generation weapons-systems, mind-control techniques and more of a down to earth nature, they swamp those same Ufologists with enticing tales of extraterrestrial conspiracies, the Roswell affair, and interviews with a sickly creature from another world. For the people at Area 51, it may be a case of this: if you can’t plug the genuine leaks, then swamp them with far more tantalizing and enticing tales of E.T. And, tales of strange craft in the skies that are really ours. A good argument could be made that this is exactly what has happened. At times, the targeted people might have been patriotic American citizens who overstepped the mark in their quests to find out if alien life really does hang out at Area 51. On other occasions, and particularly during the Cold War, the targets may have been Soviet spies, seeking the very same answers. Dangling an alien carrot – so to speak – would be Aurorathe perfect way to reel in and arrest eager Russian agents. And if that carrot never really existed – except in the minds of those running the disinformation programs – then all the better.
It is, perhaps, highly appropriate to end this article with the words of David Duchovny’s character of FBI Special-Agent Fox Mulder in TheX-Files. Episode seventeen of the first season is titled “E.B.E.,” (which is said to be an abbreviated term used by staff at Area 51 to describe aliens: “Extraterrestrial Biological Entities”). As the episode comes to an end, Mulder says to one of his well-informed sources on the inside, dubbed Deep Throat, “I’m wondering which lie to believe.” We can all surely relate to that. Is it possible that many of our UFOs really are high-tech aircraft of the U.S. military and that the government is quite happy to go along with the UFO/extraterrestrial angle and camouflage things? I say that is precisely what's going on. You may not be happy with my words, but we need facts and hard data on the "secret aircraft," phenomenon and not on staged UFOs.
For decades our skies have been haunted by the various, unexplainable phenomena collectively known as UFOs, or also UAP (Unexplained Aerial Phenomena). Long considered by many to be of origins not of this earth, they display all manner of behaviors and maneuvers beyond any technology we now possess, moving in ways no known aircraft ever could possibly hope to acheive. Yet, what if they are not any sort of physical aircraft or alien spacecraft at all, but rather holograms and illusions designed to shock, awe, and confuse?
The idea that UFOs might be some form of holograms has its roots in many of the bizarre characteristics involved with many sightings. For instance, these objects are often seen doing incredible aerial acrobatics and maneuvers that would be impossible for any known aircraft to pull off and which often even seem to defy the laws of physics, as well as move, turn, or accelerate at phenomenal speeds. However, what if they were not an actual real physical objects at all, but rather some form of projection? If this were the case, then such maneuvers and speed would be fairly easy to pull off. Additionally, UFOs are often seen to change shape or vanish into thin air, and are usually described as moving about without any discernible method of propulsion, which are other strange features that could be because they are projected images rather than physically present craft.
The idea is not totally far-fetched. The military has long pursued the use of holographic images on the battlefield to fool, manipulate, confuse and trick enemy forces through projecting these virtual images, and there are also applications for what called PSYOPS, which seek to "exploit human vulnerabilities in enemy governments, militaries and populations." One example of this is the so-called “Face of Allah” weapon, which is a theoretical weapon that would use giant mirrors and projectors to generate a massive, lifelike image of some deity over the battlefield in order to incite fear in enemy soldiers. As far as we know, such a weapon has not been actually developed yet and is beyond our technological capabilities, but it has definitely been looked into by the military for some time and is even rumored to have been used during the Iraq War. Bill Arkin, military analyst and author of The U.S. Military Online, was talking about this all the way back in 1999, writing in The Washington Post:
What if the U.S. projected a holographic image of Allah floating over Baghdad urging the Iraqi people and Army to rise up against Saddam, a senior Air Force officer asked in 1990? According to a military physicist given the task of looking into the hologram idea, the feasibility had been established of projecting large, three-dimensional objects that appeared to float in the air. But doing so over the skies of Iraq? To project such a hologram over Baghdad on the order of several hundred feet, they calculated, would take a mirror more than a mile square in space, as well as huge projectors and power sources. And besides, investigators came back, what does Allah look like? The Gulf War hologram story might be dismissed were it not the case that washingtonpost.com has learned that a super-secret program was established in 1994 to pursue the very technology for PSYOPS application. The "Holographic Projector" is described in a classified Air Force document as a system to "project information power from space for special operations deception missions."
With regards to UFOs, it is speculated that the enemy could be developing this technology for the purpose of projecting these objects to disrupt military flight systems, confuse pilots or ground forces, or create awe and fear. It could also be a way to put an enemy government on a state of high alert or unease, which seems to be working if that is really what’s going on. In recent years there has been a swift uptick in the number of sightings of UFOs, or what the military prefers to call UAP (Unidentified Aerial Phenomena) by military forces, and the Pentagon has gone on record stating that several videos taken by military pilots are indeed authentic and unexplained. It has created concerns of threats to national security, to the point that there has been a Congressional hearing on UAP, an official government report written, and even a task force created to coordinate data collection efforts with regards to these phenomena, and the Department of Defense has reviewed more than 150 credible reports and videos that have no clear explanation. Scott Bray, the Deputy Director of Naval Intelligence, has said of it:
We've seen an increasing number of unauthorized and or unidentified aircraft or objects in military control training areas and training ranges and other designated airspace. Reports of sightings are frequent and continuous. Navy and Air Force crews now have step-by-step procedures for reporting UAPs on their kneeboard, in the cockpit. The inability to understand objects in our sensitive operating areas is tantamount to intelligence failure that we certainly want to avoid.
Keeping an enemy government on its toes like this and creating fear of the unknown and confusion would be a very real application for the use of holographic UFOs, and could be done without even putting aircraft in the sky at all. In combat situations, these projections could confuse or frighten pilots or ground forces by making them see “UFOs” that would not only shock and confuse, but also interfere with flight systems and distract in combat situations. Legal analyst, and investigative reporter Jeffrey Scott Shapiro believes that many reports of UAP are indeed holographic technology developed by China or Russia, and has explained of these applications:
UFOs may be earthly -- and dangerous. I think it is a serious threat because these technologies were designed to possibly confuse our fighter pilots during combat aviation situations. So that if a pilot is flying in the sky, and they see possible enemy aircraft. The enemy aircraft could possibly have other images beside them so that our pilots can't actually tell what the real target is. And because this technology appears to be able to show up on different sensors, not only infrared but radar, it's quite possible our pilots would not be able to tell which target is the real one. They may inadvertently fire a heat-seeking sidewinder missile at what is actually a hologram of an aircraft or a UFO, instead of an actual target firing on us.
Indeed, the U.S. military itself has researched, developed, and patented laser-plasma technology for the purpose of creating “laser-induced plasma that acts as a decoy for an incoming threat to the air vehicle.” The elaborate system creates a series of mid-air plasma columns, which form a 2D or 3D images, through a method called "raster scanning," which is basically very similar to how old-fashioned cathode ray TVs sets display a picture. The idea is to use these projected images as decoys and distractions as a way to provide protection from incoming missiles, but it could also be used to create ghost images or phantom targets to confuse enemy pilots as to how many aircraft are present and which is a real target, or even make them think they are seeing aliens from outer space. These decoys can be projected for a long period of time, can be created instantly at any desired distance from the aircraft, can be moved around at will, and are able to be tuned to emit light of any wavelength including visible, infrared, and ultraviolet. This technology was patented in 2018, and could easily be tweaked to the point that it is able to create realistic holographic images of UFOs or whatever the operator wanted the enemy to see, really, limited only by the imagination. Shapiro has said of this technology and how it might pertain to the UFO phenomenon:
There's a patent for the space-enabled Warfare System Center Pacific where they are using laser-plasma technology to project holographic images that would project sort of a type of Unidentified Flying Object in the sky. And as you know, a lot of people, especially military personnel, are seeing these tic-tac-shaped or UFOs in the sky. But a lot of times, their appearance seems to be grainy. We don't see where they land. We don't see where they take off. And so, if there was a laser image projecting a hologram, that could not only explain those factors, it could also explain a lot of these images seem to be able to move in a very erratic fashion that defies our laws of physics.
The U.S. Army has also experimented using quantum physics to create what is called “quantum ghost imaging” that will “allow commanders to put holographic soldiers on the field to confuse or intimidate enemies.” According to the site Fast Company:
Harnessing ghost imaging would allow the army to gin up images of people or vehicles on clouds of ambient smoke from a removed distance. The Army’s science and technology office is also working on developing interactive holograms of soldiers with low-level human intelligence, realistic dialogue and emotional expressiveness — essentially making possible entire working units of faux personnel and equipment that look, move and even sound like the real thing.
It would not be a huge jump to do the same thing with aircraft or UFOs, so is this perhaps already being done, and if so to what extent? It seems like the technology for acheiving such things is feasibly within our grasp and perhaps even being used already, but can it account for UFOs? The UFO phenomenon has been going on for decades and encompasses a wide ranging spectrum of various weirdness, so it seems unlikely that it could all be attributed to holograms and that it probably covers a range of different explanations including experimental aircraft, atmospheric phenomena, and yes, possibly even aliens. Yet, could some of these incidents and sightings be down to insidious and shadowy enemy governments orchestrating it all through advanced holographic technology? It remains to be seen.
This bright unidentified flying objects were filmed in flying across the sky above Phoenix, Arizona on 13th August 2022.
Witness report:
First saw 3 objects to our NE as we were driving. Seemed to be aligned in a triangle. Object to our right then moved to center object and was absorbed. Object to left then moved to the center Object and was absorbed, leaving one Object. I was driving and eventually lost sight of remaining object. Really reporting to find out if there is another explanation or if others may have seen what we saw.
This UFO footage was filmed back in 2017 (25th November) but it was just recently submitted to MUFON’s website. It happened over Elmwood Park, a village in Cook County, Illinois.
Witness report:
Well out on my deck I observed several lights in the sky that seem to be hovering and changing directions
This new telescope that will make the James Webb look like a toy
This new telescope that will make the James Webb look like a toy
The James Webb space telescope has only recently begun operations, astounding the globe and exceeding astronomers' expectations, but advancement continues: if all goes according to plan, humanity will have a new space telescope in a few decades that will make the Webb seem like a spyglass toy.
It will be the Stanford Gravity Telescope, an instrument so incredibly powerful that it will allow, for the first time in history, to see a planet in another solar system in detail. So much detail — on the scale of tens of kilometers per pixel — that astronomers say we can see continents, oceans, clouds, and even active volcanoes. In fact, they claim that we will be able to see how the atmosphere moves while the exoplanet rotates around its parent star.
How does it work
The project is one of three that has moved to phase 3 funding at NASA's Institute for Advanced Concepts, and its inventors recently published a new study in The Astrophysical Journal, offering new details on how they plan to make it happen. We already knew that this space telescope will not use conventional lenses but will exploit a phenomenon known as the Einstein Ring .
These rings can be seen around any massive object in space, from a star to a galaxy. The gravity created by the mass deforms the light that comes from very distant objects located behind it from the observer's point of view, amplifying it and creating a ring.
Using an algorithm, this ring can be put back together, transforming a distorted image into a normal image. James Webb, Hubble, and many ground-based observatories already use this effect with galaxies, revealing other galaxies so far away that we could not see with the direct use of today's mirrors and sensors.
Diagram of how the gravitational telescope would work.
The problem is that, in order to take advantage of the Einstein Ring that can 'generate' our sun, the telescope must be at a minimum distance of between 550 and 1,000 astronomical units (AU). Basically, the mission would seek to put the instrument 14 times the distance from the Sun to Pluto, enough to be able to investigate the thousands of planets that we know are in the range of 100 light years away.
Right now, Voyager 1 — the farthest man-made object from Earth — is at 156 AU after 44 years of travel. So the first problem will be to shorten the travel time. Right now the technology doesn't exist — such as direct fusion engines — to accelerate a telescope the size of Hubble to the rate of 20 AU per year, the minimum they consider acceptable.
So instead of sending a single telescope like Hubble or Webb, the team wants to send several small modular satellites toward the Sun, using their gravitational assist effect combined with solar sails to reach the point of observation in an acceptable time.
Concept of the telescope already assembled.
The constellation of modular mini-satellites — which to cut costs will be sent as cargo on other rocket flights — will be assembled in space autonomously, like Lego blocks. In this way, they say, we can have a mission ready to operate in just a decade from its launch. Once at its point of observation, the telescope would basically operate autonomously using artificial intelligence and following a preset list of targets. The reason for this autonomy is that, at the operating distance, communications between the telescope and Earth will take about 63 hours. To maneuver, the instrument could use ion engines during the ten years of the scientific mission.
Historical importance
It's an ingenious plan. Obviously, such a mission poses numerous challenges that have yet to be resolved. Like the James Webb, the plan to build this extraordinary machine has been a long time in the making and is still years away from being realized. In fact, some estimates give at least fifty years before we can execute it. Well over twenty that the Webb, which was unimaginable at the time, took time to go from fantasy to fantastic reality.
But these deadlines do not seem important on the historical scale. As Bruce Macintosh — one of the leaders of this project and professor of physics at the Stanford School of Humanities and Sciences and deputy director of the Kavli Institute for Particle Astrophysics and Cosmology (KIPAC) — says, this new telescope has the potential to affect the very human consciousness, as did 'Earthrise', the first image of Earth sunrise over the moon taken by Apollo 8.
"We want to take pictures of planets orbiting other stars that are as good as the pictures we can take of planets in our own solar system. With this technology, we hope to take a picture of a planet 100 light-years away that has the same impact than the Apollo 8 image of Earth," says Macintosh. The image taken by the Apollo had a profound effect worldwide that influenced the creation of institutions such as the American Environmental Protection Agency or Doctors Without Borders.
We really don't know what effect seeing another habitable planet a hundred light years away from Earth will have. In the short term, maybe not much. But if we want to survive as a species — aside from not destroying ourselves as we seem to be constantly trying — we're going to have to have a very long-term plan.
Mounds of snow-like frazil ice under the Antarctic ice shelf. According to research from UT Austin, Europa's ice shell could be made of the same stuff. Credit: Helen Glazer 2015, from the project "Walking in Antarctica" (helenglazer.com)
Below Europa's thick icy crust is a massive, global ocean where the snow floats upwards onto inverted ice peaks and submerged ravines. The bizarre underwater snow is known to occur below ice shelves on Earth, but a new study shows that the same is likely true for Jupiter's moon, where it may play a role in building its ice shell.
The underwater snow is much purer than other kinds of ice, which means Europa's ice shell could be much less salty than previously thought. That's important for mission scientists preparing NASA's Europa Clipper spacecraft, which will use radar to peek beneath the ice shell to see if Europa's ocean could be hospitable to life. The new information will be critical because salt trapped in the ice can affect what and how deep the radar will see into the ice shell, so being able to predict what the ice is made of will help scientists make sense of the data.
The study, published in the August edition of the journal Astrobiology, was led by The University of Texas at Austin, which is also leading the development of Europa Clipper's ice penetrating radar instrument. Knowing what kind of ice Europa's shell is made of will also help decipher the salinity and habitability of its ocean.
"When we're exploring Europa, we're interested in the salinity and composition of the ocean, because that's one of the things that will govern its potential habitability or even the type of life that might live there," said the study's lead author Natalie Wolfenbarger, a graduate student researcher at the University of Texas Institute for Geophysics (UTIG) in the UT Jackson School of Geosciences.
Europa is a rocky world about the size of the Earth's moon that is surrounded by a global ocean and a miles-thick ice shell. Previous studies suggest the temperature, pressure and salinity of Europa's ocean nearest to the ice is similar to what you would find beneath an ice shelf in Antarctica.
An illustration of NASA's Europa Clipper spacecraft flying by Jupiter's moon Europa. The spacecraft, which is planned to launch in 2024, will carry an ice-penetrating radar instrument developed by scientists at the University of Texas Institute for Geophysics. Credit: NASA/JPL-Caltech.
Armed with that knowledge, the new study examined the two different ways that water freezes under ice shelves, congelation ice and frazil ice. Congelation ice grows directly from under the ice shelf. Frazil ice forms as ice flakes in supercooled seawater which float upwards through the water, settling on the bottom of the ice shelf.
Both ways make ice that's less salty than seawater, which Wolfenbarger found would be even less salty when scaled up to the size and age of Europa's ice shell. What's more, according to her calculations, frazil ice—which keeps only a tiny fraction of the salt in seawater—could be very common on Europa. That means its ice shell could be orders of magnitude purer than previous estimates. This affects everything from its strength, to how heat moves through it, and forces that might drive a kind of ice tectonics.
"This paper is opening up a whole new batch of possibilities for thinking about ocean worlds and how they work," said Steve Vance, a research scientist at NASA's Jet Propulsion Laboratory (JPL) who was not involved in the study. "It sets the stage for how we might prepare for Europa Clipper's analysis of the ice."
According to co-author Donald Blankenship, a senior research scientist at UTIG and principal investigator for Europa Clipper's ice penetrating radar instrument, the research is validation for using the Earth as a model to understand the habitability of Europa.
"We can use Earth to evaluate Europa's habitability, measure the exchange of impurities between the ice and ocean, and figure out where water is in the ice," he said.
Scientists believe they may have caught a glimpse of a parallel universe bumping up against ours.
They’ve seen hints in signals from the most distant points of the universe that suggest the fabric of our universe has been disrupted by another incredibly different universe. Their analysis may be the proof for the multiverse theory.
According to researchers: “Dr Ranga-Ram Chary examined the noise and residual signals in the cosmic microwave background left over from the Big Bang (pictured) and found a number of scattered bright spots which he believes may be signals of another universe bumping into our own billions of years ago.”
At least that’s the tentative conclusion researchers have come to. According to some cosmological theories, collisions of alternative universes should be possible. Theories conclude that our universe is like a bubble among many.
Once a universe begins in a big bang type setting, it never stops expanding. That goes for all the universes. So it makes sense they’d periodically bump into one another.
They’re all likely in a row, say researchers, vibrating, bouncing around, and rubbing up on each other.
Dr. Chary believes that the signal he’s received indicate that this other universe is extremely different from our own.
He says it could have a ratio of subatomic particles called photos and baryons that are about 10 fold greater than in our universe.
Dr. Chary explains, “The fine tuning of parameters in the early universe required to reproduce our present day universe suggests that our universe may simply be a region within an eternally inflating super-region.
Many other regions beyond our observable universe would exist with each such region governed by a different set of physical parameters than the ones we have measured for our universe.”
More research will need to be done, but this could be the beginning of some very interesting discoveries.
As I took my early morning stroll, along the bohemian streets of Soho, London, I thought I could hear someone choking. Faint at first, by gradually getting louder. I looked all around, expecting to see some derelict party-person couhging up last nights good times. (It’s a common occurence in these parts). But no-one was around. Then I realised the sound must be coming from a far-off place. When I returned to my laptop and saw the Calvine UFO picture had been un-earthed and was now flooding the usual social media channels, I realised it must have been Nick Pope choking on his early morning cup of tea. Not only was the Calvine photo now in the public domain, but Pope’s arch-nemesis Dr. David Clarke had obtained the photo.
Dr. Clarke has been like a dog with a bone in regard to the Calvine UFO incident, and has done a huge amount of research, which has paid off with the discovery of the photo. Now, why this matters to Pope is that Calvine was one of the UK’s UFO stories that he loved to pontificate about. A mock-up of the Calvine photo was allegedly pinned on the wall in Pope’s office a la “I Want to Believe” in The X-Files. So instead of getting excited that the photo was now out of the shadows, and thinking about all the new avenues of research this opened up, Pope decided he needed to maintain his relevancy to the Calvine story.
First off, Pope went for the “I can not confirm or deny” approach
Then followd up with the “please look at my version that I had created, rather than the actual photo” approach.
Then Pope claimed there were “dark forces” at play which stopped the photo seeing the light of day. That was probably the Official Secrets Act, Nick. Strangely, these “dark forces” were vanquished by good old fashioned research. You could learn something there.
Then Pope started to sound desperate, making a pathetic comment about provenance, followed by the plea to look at Pope’s recreation. It’s just all starting to sound a bit sad and desperate!
The jig is up for Pope when it comes to Calvine. The photo is out there and people are now running with it in regards to researching just what is the object in question. This is no longer one of Pope’s pet projects because so many people are now divng in. For Pope, this jig is over. Now, let’s see how we can de-rail that UFO gravy train…
Astronomers Find A Potential ‘Major Planet’ Orbiting A Dead Star That Can Support Life For At Least 1 Billion Years Into The Future
Astronomers Find A Potential ‘Major Planet’ Orbiting A Dead Star That Can Support Life For At Least 1 Billion Years Into The Future
It turns out that the existence of life on planets orbiting stars like our sun does not require those stars to be vibrant and powerful. A potential "major planet" that orbits a dying sun and could support life in the future has been found by scientists.
The “surprising” discovery was made by researchers from University College London while watching a white dwarf, the burning remnants of a star that ran out of hydrogen fuel. It is about 117 light-years away from us. This star, known as WD1054-226, has a ring of planetary rubble in its orbital habitable zone, also known as the Goldilocks zone, where temperatures should enable the planet to have liquid water on its surface.
If the newfound planet is proved to be a life-sustaining world, it will be the first time a life-sustaining planet has been identified around a dying sun.
Image credit: NASA
Scientists made the discovery while monitoring the light from the white dwarf and reported their results in the Royal Astronomical Society’s Monthly Notices. They discovered strong dips in light that matched to 65 uniformly distributed clouds of debris that orbited WD1054-226 every 25 hours, according to their findings.
Jay Farihi, the lead author of the study and professor at UCL Physics and Astronomy, said: “The moon-sized structures we have observed are irregular and dusty (e.g. comet-like) rather than solid, spherical bodies”
He described the structures as a “mystery we cannot explain,” but suggested one possible and “unexpected” explanation: a nearby planet.
He said: “”An exciting possibility is that these bodies are kept in such an evenly-spaced orbital pattern because of the gravitational influence of a nearby planet. Without this influence, friction and collisions would cause the structures to disperse, losing the precise regularity that is observed. A precedent for this ‘shepherding’ is the way the gravitational pull of moons around Neptune and Saturn help to create stable ring structures orbiting these planets. We were not looking for this.”
The idea of a “major planet” in the star’s habitable zone is thrilling, but he emphasises that such a planet has yet to be proven. Farihi stated that his team still requires further proof, which may be tough to get due to the inability to directly view the planet. To gain a clearer explanation, they may have to depend on computer models along with additional observations of the star and its circling debris.
The team anticipates that, if a planet exists, it was just recently formed — and that it would be habitable for at least 2 billion years, including at least 1 billion years in the future.
Their finding may also aid scientists in developing a better knowledge of our solar system, as more than 95% of all stars, including our sun, will ultimately become white dwarfs.
Four aging Air Force veterans on Tuesday, Dec. 7, finally spoke about their strange and extraordinary encounters with unidentified flying objects (UFO) during a conference held in Washington, D.C.
Three of the Air Force veterans personally appeared in the hearing while a fourth one was brought into the National Press Club conference via video feed from the Ozark Mountains in Missouri.
The story of each veteran was different but they share one important claim: UFOs tampered with Air Force nuclear weapons in the 1960s, which both terrified and mystified the airmen and made them remain silent for decades. (Related: Former US military officer claims UFOs shut down nuclear missiles.)
Also capturing the attention of Washington were the reports of Navy encounters with unknown flying objects or unexplained aerial phenomena (UAP) that have made national headlines and put UFOs back into political attention for the first time in years.
“I waited 40 years before I opened my mouth, and that’s a long time,” said David Schindele, a retired captain who worked as a nuclear missile launch control officer at Minot Air Force Base in North Dakota. “I had this terrible secret on my mind for all that time, and I felt such great relief to finally admit to my friends and close relatives what I experienced in the Air Force.”
Veteran Robert Salas told his story about a glowing red-orange craft that hovered at a Minuteman intercontinental ballistic missile silo in Montana and his account has been told for decades and has become a part of the growing UFO lore.
Through the years, the government has remained aloof to reports of UFOs flirting with the most powerful arms during the Cold War. But a different Capitol heard the stories of Salas and his fellow veterans this year.
The group claimed that UFOs have appeared since the 1960s and they’re backed up by the current accounts of Navy witnesses and fighter jet footage of UAP.
Salas has also gathered other Air Force veterans who have written witness affidavits describing their own alleged encounters years ago. He claimed that UFOs appeared at different times and put 20 Minuteman ICBMs off-line at different sites.
Schindele, on the other hand, shared that he and his commander visited a missile launch site near Minot in September 1966, and he was told that 10 missiles at silos in the area suffered guidance and control malfunctions when an 80- to 100-foot wide UFO with bright flashing lights lingered over the site.
Salas, who was a first lieutenant stationed at Malmstrom Air Force Base, Montana, in 1967, said he was working as a deputy missile combat crew commander in the underground nuclear missile control room when a flight security controller called in a panicky manner after seeing a large glowing, pulsating red oval-shaped object linger at the front gate.
Robert Jacobs, who graced the conference via video link from Missouri, said he was an Air Force first lieutenant based at Vandenberg Air Force Base, California, in 1964 when he set up a telescope video camera to catch an Atlas rocket test.
Jacobs said the video showed a disc-shaped object flying over the dummy warhead as it soared over the Pacific Ocean, circled it and shot it down with beams of light.
He said the film footage was cut and taken by men in gray suits. His commander ordered him not to say anything about it but Jacobs offered the story to media and it was eventually sold to the National Enquirer tabloid.
Graves, in an interview with Bill Whitaker, said that his F/A-18F Super Hornet squadron spotted UFOs southeast of Virginia Beach in 2014. The squadron, which has upgraded radar, zeroed in with infrared cameras on the UFOs.
Another encounter that his squadron recorded on video was a UFO hovering over Jacksonville, Florida in 2015. Graves, who worked for the Navy for more than a decade, confirmed that his squadron regularly spotted UFOs every day for at least a couple of years.
UFOs are a threat to national security
The retired lieutenant believes that UFOs are a threat to national security but agrees that they might be something else. He cited that other pilots think UFOs were one of three things, namely a secret American technology, an enemy’s spy plane or something out of this world.
“I would say the highest probability is it’s a threat observation program,” Graves said, adding that UFOs could either be a Chinese or Russian technology.
“If these were tactical jets from another country that were hanging out up there, it would be a massive issue. But because it looks slightly different, we’re not willing to actually look at the problem in the face. We’re happy to just ignore the fact that these are out there, watching us every day,” he added when asked whether he is worried about the presence of UFOs in restricted U.S. airspace.
The Department of Defense already has a special unit known as the Unidentified Aerial Phenomenon Task Force that is dedicated to UFO research. It was established in August last year to gain understanding into the origins and nature of UAP, which is the preferred term for UFOs given by the Pentagon.
The task force replaced the Advanced Aerospace Threat Identification Program (AATIP), which secretly existed from 2007 to 2012. The AATIP’s existence was never known to the public until the New York Times wrote about it in 2017.
UFOs are real and they do exist
Luis Elizondo, who led the AATIP in its final two years, confirmed that UFOs are real and the government itself said that they do exist. He added that unanswered questions still remain like what are UFOs and what are their intentions and capabilities. The former AATIP head noted that some sightings remain unexplained.
According to Elizondo, some of the UFOs could perform extraordinary feats.
“Imagine a technology that can do 6-to-700 g-forces, that can fly at 13,000 miles an hour, that can evade radar and that can fly through air and water and possibly space,” noted Elizondo, who added that the UFOs had no propulsion engine yet were able to defy gravity.
The Pentagon did not take his findings seriously, Elizondo said. He decided to quit out of frustration in 2017 and one of his last achievements was declassifying three UAP videos that the Pentagon made public last year.
The videos were leaked to the New York Times by Christopher Mellon, a former Deputy Assistant Secretary of Defense for Intelligence under former Presidents Bill Clinton and George W. Bush.
Elizondo said he was troubled that the government was doing nothing about UAPs. “It’s bizarre and unfortunate that someone like myself has to do something like that to get a national security issue like this on the agenda,” Elizondo stressed.
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Air Force Veterans Speak Up About Their Alien Craft Encounters
Air Force Veterans Speak Up About Their Alien Craft Encounters
Four aging Air Force veterans on Tuesday, Dec. 7, finally spoke about their strange and extraordinary encounters with unidentified flying objects (UFO) during a conference held in Washington, D.C.
Three of the Air Force veterans personally appeared in the hearing while a fourth one was brought into the National Press Club conference via video feed from the Ozark Mountains in Missouri.
The story of each veteran was different but they share one important claim: UFOs tampered with Air Force nuclear weapons in the 1960s, which both terrified and mystified the airmen and made them remain silent for decades. (Related: Former US military officer claims UFOs shut down nuclear missiles.)
Also capturing the attention of Washington were the reports of Navy encounters with unknown flying objects or unexplained aerial phenomena (UAP) that have made national headlines and put UFOs back into political attention for the first time in years.
“I waited 40 years before I opened my mouth, and that’s a long time,” said David Schindele, a retired captain who worked as a nuclear missile launch control officer at Minot Air Force Base in North Dakota. “I had this terrible secret on my mind for all that time, and I felt such great relief to finally admit to my friends and close relatives what I experienced in the Air Force.”
Veteran Robert Salas told his story about a glowing red-orange craft that hovered at a Minuteman intercontinental ballistic missile silo in Montana and his account has been told for decades and has become a part of the growing UFO lore.
Through the years, the government has remained aloof to reports of UFOs flirting with the most powerful arms during the Cold War. But a different Capitol heard the stories of Salas and his fellow veterans this year.
The group claimed that UFOs have appeared since the 1960s and they’re backed up by the current accounts of Navy witnesses and fighter jet footage of UAP.
Salas has also gathered other Air Force veterans who have written witness affidavits describing their own alleged encounters years ago. He claimed that UFOs appeared at different times and put 20 Minuteman ICBMs off-line at different sites.
Schindele, on the other hand, shared that he and his commander visited a missile launch site near Minot in September 1966, and he was told that 10 missiles at silos in the area suffered guidance and control malfunctions when an 80- to 100-foot wide UFO with bright flashing lights lingered over the site.
Salas, who was a first lieutenant stationed at Malmstrom Air Force Base, Montana, in 1967, said he was working as a deputy missile combat crew commander in the underground nuclear missile control room when a flight security controller called in a panicky manner after seeing a large glowing, pulsating red oval-shaped object linger at the front gate.
Robert Jacobs, who graced the conference via video link from Missouri, said he was an Air Force first lieutenant based at Vandenberg Air Force Base, California, in 1964 when he set up a telescope video camera to catch an Atlas rocket test.
Jacobs said the video showed a disc-shaped object flying over the dummy warhead as it soared over the Pacific Ocean, circled it and shot it down with beams of light.
He said the film footage was cut and taken by men in gray suits. His commander ordered him not to say anything about it but Jacobs offered the story to media and it was eventually sold to the National Enquirer tabloid.
Graves, in an interview with Bill Whitaker, said that his F/A-18F Super Hornet squadron spotted UFOs southeast of Virginia Beach in 2014. The squadron, which has upgraded radar, zeroed in with infrared cameras on the UFOs.
Another encounter that his squadron recorded on video was a UFO hovering over Jacksonville, Florida in 2015. Graves, who worked for the Navy for more than a decade, confirmed that his squadron regularly spotted UFOs every day for at least a couple of years. note: The above image is CGI.
Hubble Sees Red Supergiant Star Betelgeuse Recovering After Never-Seen-Before Titanic Eruption
Hubble Sees Red Supergiant Star Betelgeuse Recovering After Never-Seen-Before Titanic Eruption
This graphic illustrates how the southern region of the rapidly evolving, bright, red supergiant star Betelgeuse may have suddenly become fainter for several months during late 2019 and early 2020.
Credit: NASA, ESA, and E. Wheatley (STScI)
Monster Star Had Never-Seen-Before Titanic Eruption
Betelgeuse, a red supergiant star, appears as a brilliant, ruby-red, twinkling spot of light in the upper right shoulder of the winter constellation Orion the Hunter. However, when viewed close up, astronomers know that it is a seething monster with a 400-day-long heartbeat of regular pulsations. This aging star is classified as a supergiant because it has swelled up to an astonishing diameter of approximately 1 billion miles. If placed at the center of our solar system it would reach out to the orbit of Jupiter.
The star’s ultimate fate is to explode as a supernova. When that eventually happens it will be briefly visible in the daytime sky from Earth. But there are a lot of fireworks going on now before the final detonation. Astronomers using Hubble and other telescopes have deduced that the star blew off a huge piece of its visible surface in 2019. This has never before been seen on a star. Our petulant Sun routinely goes through mass ejections of its outer atmosphere, the corona. But those events are orders of magnitude weaker than what was seen on Betelgeuse.
The first clue came when the star mysteriously darkened in late 2019. An immense cloud of obscuring dust formed from the ejected surface as it cooled. Astronomers have now pieced together a scenario for the upheaval. And the star is still slowly recovering; the photosphere is rebuilding itself. And the interior is reverberating like a bell that has been hit with a sledgehammer, disrupting the star’s normal cycle. This doesn’t mean the monster star is going to explode any time soon, but the late-life convulsions may continue to amaze astronomers.
This illustration plots changes in the brightness of the red supergiant star Betelgeuse, following the titanic mass ejection of a large piece of its visible surface. The escaping material cooled to form a cloud of dust that temporarily made the star look dimmer, as seen from Earth. This unprecedented stellar convulsion disrupted the monster star’s 400-day-long oscillation period that astronomers had measured for more than 200 years. The interior may now be jiggling like a plate of gelatin dessert.
Credit: NASA, ESA, Elizabeth Wheatley (STScI)
Hubble Sees Red Supergiant Star Betelgeuse Slowly Recovering After Blowing Its Top
After analyzing data from NASA’s Hubble Space Telescope and several other observatories, astronomers have concluded that the bright red supergiant star Betelgeuse quite literally blew its top in 2019, losing a substantial part of its visible surface and producing a gigantic Surface Mass Ejection (SME). This is something never before seen in a normal star’s behavior.
Our Sun routinely blows off parts of its tenuous outer atmosphere, the corona, in an event known as a Coronal Mass Ejection (CME). However, the Betelgeuse SME blasted off 400 billion times as much mass as a typical CME!
The monster star is still slowly recovering from this catastrophic upheaval. “Betelgeuse continues doing some very unusual things right now; the interior is sort of bouncing,” said Andrea Dupree of the Center for Astrophysics | Harvard & Smithsonian in Cambridge, Massachusetts.
These new observations yield clues as to how red stars lose mass late in their lives as their nuclear fusion furnaces burn out, before exploding as supernovae. The amount of mass loss significantly affects their fate. However, Betelgeuse’s surprisingly petulant behavior is not evidence the star is about to blow up anytime soon. So the mass-loss event is not necessarily the signal of an imminent explosion.
Dupree is now pulling together all the puzzle pieces of the star’s petulant behavior before, after, and during the eruption into a coherent story of a never-before-seen titanic convulsion in an aging star.
This includes new spectroscopic and imaging data from the STELLA robotic observatory, the Fred L. Whipple Observatory’s Tillinghast Reflector Echelle Spectrograph (TRES), NASA’s Solar Terrestrial Relations Observatory spacecraft (STEREO-A), NASA’s Hubble Space Telescope, and the American Association of Variable Star Observers (AAVSO). Dupree emphasizes that the Hubble data was pivotal to helping sort out the mystery.
“We’ve never before seen a huge mass ejection of the surface of a star. We are left with something going on that we don’t completely understand. It’s a totally new phenomenon that we can observe directly and resolve surface details with Hubble. We’re watching stellar evolution in real-time.”
The titanic outburst in 2019 was possibly caused by a convective plume, more than a million miles across, bubbling up from deep inside the star. It produced shocks and pulsations that blasted off the chunk of the photosphere leaving the star with a large cool surface area under the dust cloud that was produced by the cooling piece of photosphere. Betelgeuse is now struggling to recover from this injury.
Weighing roughly several times as much as our Moon, the fractured piece of photosphere sped off into space and cooled to form a dust cloud that blocked light from the star as seen by Earth observers. The dimming, which began in late 2019 and lasted for a few months, was easily noticeable even by backyard observers watching the star change brightness. One of the brightest stars in the sky, Betelgeuse is easily found in the right shoulder of the constellation Orion.
Even more incredible, the supergiant’s 400-day pulsation rate is now gone, perhaps at least temporarily. For almost 200 years astronomers have measured this rhythm as evident in changes in Betelgeuse’s brightness variations and surface motions. Its disruption attests to the ferocity of the blowout.
The star’s interior convection cells, which drive the regular pulsation may be sloshing around like an imbalanced washing machine tub, Dupree suggests. TRES and Hubble spectra imply that the outer layers may be back to normal, but the surface is still bouncing like a plate of gelatin dessert as the photosphere rebuilds itself.
Though our Sun has coronal mass ejections that blow off small pieces of the outer atmosphere, astronomers have never witnessed such a large amount of a star’s visible surface get blasted into space. Therefore, surface mass ejections and coronal mass ejections may be different events.
Betelgeuse is now so huge now that if it replaced the Sun at the center of our solar system, its outer surface would extend past the orbit of Jupiter. Dupree used Hubble to resolve hot spots on the star’s surface in 1996. This was the first direct image of a star other than the Sun.
NASA’s Webb Space Telescope may be able to detect the ejected material in infrared light as it continues moving away from the star.
The Hubble Space Telescope is a project of international cooperation between NASA and ESA (European Space Agency). NASA’s Goddard Space Flight Center in Greenbelt, Maryland, manages the telescope. The Space Telescope Science Institute (STScI) in Baltimore, Maryland, conducts Hubble science operations. STScI is operated for NASA by the Association of Universities for Research in Astronomy, in Washington, D.C.
Never seen before; gigantic surface mass ejection SME on red supergiant star Betelgeuse
Never seen before; gigantic surface mass ejection SME on red supergiant star Betelgeuse
Analyzing data from NASA's Hubble Space Telescope and several other observatories, astronomers have concluded that the bright red supergiant star Betelgeuse quite literally blew its top in 2019, losing a substantial part of its visible surface and producing a gigantic Surface Mass Ejection (SME). This is something never before seen in a normal star's behavior.
Our Sun routinely blows off parts of its tenuous outer atmosphere, the corona, in an event known as a Coronal Mass Ejection (CME). But the Betelgeuse SME blasted off 400 billion times as much mass as a typical CME!
The monster star is still slowly recovering from this catastrophic upheaval. "Betelgeuse continues doing some very unusual things right now; the interior is sort of bouncing," said Andrea Dupree of the Center for Astrophysics | Harvard & Smithsonian in Cambridge, Massachusetts.
These new observations yield clues as to how red stars lose mass late in their lives as their nuclear fusion furnaces burn out, before exploding as supernovae. The amount of mass loss significantly affects their fate. However, Betelgeuse's surprisingly petulant behavior is not evidence the star is about to blow up anytime soon. So the mass loss event is not necessarily the signal of an imminent explosion.
Dupree is now pulling together all the puzzle pieces of the star's petulant behavior before, after, and during the eruption into a coherent story of a never-before-seen titanic convulsion in an aging star.
UFO Investigators Ben Hansen and Melissa Tittl are investigating reports of black triangles terrorizing the residents of Las Vegas, Nevada. After being sent a video of a recent daytime sighting, they decide to investigate this new threat. 20 miles outside of Vegas, Ben and Melissa meet up with Shawn Kevin Jason, who describes voices calling him to Area 51. While in his car, a terrifying black triangular craft hovered just 20 feet above him on the highway.
Former federal agent Ben Hansen is on a mission to uncover the truth behind UFO sightings across America. With unprecedented access to the archives of the late Dr. J. Allen Hynek, chief scientific adviser of Project Blue Book, Ben unlocks the secrets of the past to shed light on today’s UFO encounters.
A big revelation in the 1990 Calvine UFO incident has recently happened. The most awaited UFO photo that was set to be released on January 1, 2072, was somehow found and released by UAP Media UK. This new discovery is a shock to those who always bring skepticism to the field of UFOlogy. Vinnie Adams of the UAP Media UK disclosed that his team not only found the original print of the Calvine “UFO,” taken directly from the negatives, but also the original envelope which was sent from the Scottish Daily Record to Craig Lindsay who was the MOD Press Officer that dealt with the case at the time.
Brief Information About Calvine UFO Photo
There are many videos and photographs of UFOs on the Internet, and some of them have credibility. But there is one photograph sent to the UK defense ministry, the MoD, which is considered to be the most spectacular UFO photo although somehow, it has disappeared. The photograph contains a 100-feet diamond-shaped flying saucer, hovering over a village named Calvine in the Scottish Highlands. The photo was taken in 1990.
Nick Pope worked for the British Ministry of Defence (MoD) for 21 years. From 1991 to 1994, he was the head of the MoD’s UFO project. He said that during his time in the MoD, he came across several credible UFO cases. One such case involves the photograph from the Calvine Incident.
The story of how the photograph reached the MoD’s office is phenomenal. Mr. Pope said that when he began his investigation into UFOs in 1991, it led him to a poster, hanging on the wall near his desk. The poster was an enlarged-colored photograph of the UFO from the Calvine Incident.
“The X-Files first aired in the UK in 1994 and I acquired the same nickname (Spooky) as Fox Mulder, for obvious reasons,” Nick said. “Mulder famously had his ‘I want to believe’ UFO poster on his office wall and though uncaptioned, I suppose this was my equivalent.”
Most of the UFO photos are either fake, blurry, or just a small dot in the sky, but this particular photo was clear and taken in broad daylight. According to Mr. Pope, the photograph contained an 80-foot diamond-shaped craft with a military jet in the background.
Two unnamed hikers from the Perthshire region allegedly took the photo of a large UFO while walking near the village of Calvine on August 4, 1990. “The photos were then sent to the Defence Intelligence Staff (DIS) who then sent them on to imagery analysts at JARIC (Joint Air Reconnaissance Intelligence Centre). Yet at the time, the MoD hadn’t even publicly acknowledged that there was any intelligence interest in UFOs at all,” Mr. Pope explained.
Interestingly, the photo disappeared without any trace when the UFO investigators questioned the MoD whether Americans were testing secret prototype aircraft in the area. Mr. Pope asked the US if the craft belonged to them but they refused to admit it.
According to a 30-year rule in the UK, the MoD was supposed to release the secret UFO dossier on January 1, 2021, but the UK government banned the release for another 50 years. This secret file is said to contain the infamous UFO photo from the Calvine incident. Now, it is set to be released on January 1, 2072.
Photo found after 32 years
UAP Media UK is working hard to bring a serious resource to the British media outlets on the discussion of UFOs. One of the members of this project named Vinnie Adams has been working with Dr. David Clarke and a small team of researchers on the Calvine case from 1990 in Scotland for the last 11 months. (Source)
The original Calvine photograph, showing the diamond-shaped craft and a Harrier aircraft in what appears to be close proximity. credit: VINNIE ADAMS From UAP Media UK
This led him to discover an original print of the Calvine “UFO,” taken directly from the negatives that were sent by the witnesses to the Scottish Daily Record back in 1990, just after the event occurred.
He also found the original envelope which was sent from the Scottish Daily Record to Craig Lindsay who was the MOD Press Officer that dealt with the case at the time.
Original envelope which was sent from the Scottish Daily Record to Craig Lindsay who was the MOD Press Officer that dealt with the case at the time. Credit: VINNIE ADAMS
Mr. Adams wrote: “According to the copy of the hand-written sighting report that was released by The National Archives (TNA) in October 2008, the witnesses gave an account of their sighting plus the color photographs to what was the joint RAF/Royal Navy Headquarters at Pitreavie, near Dunfermline (which closed in 1996).”
Nick Pope mentioned the details of the Scottish sighting in his 1996 book “Open Skies, Closed Minds,” which prompted a British Parliamentary Question in July 1996 from Martin Redmond, Former Member of Parliament for Doncaster, about the incident:
“To ask the Secretary of State for Defence what assessment his Department made of the photograph of an unidentified craft at Calvine on 4 August 1990; who removed it from an office in Secretariat (Air Staff) 2a; for what reasons; and if he will make a statement.”
Nicholas Soames, Minister of State for the Armed Forces, gave a written reply to the MP’s question:
“A number of negatives associated with the sighting were examined by staff responsible for air defence matters. Since it was judged they contained nothing of defence significance the negatives were not retained and we have no record of any photographs being taken from them.” (Hansard HC Deb., 24 July 1996, vol.282, col 39248W)
Retired RAF Press Officer Craig Lindsay and Dr. David Clarke. Credit: VINNIE ADAMS
During his involvement in the case, Craig acquired an original print of the elusive photograph. Along with the photo, Craig also kept the original envelope containing the photograph sent by the Daily Record to the MOD.
In May 2022, David interviewed Craig in Scotland and was shown the original print. In June, Craig agreed to donate the photograph to the Sheffield Hallam University Archives, handing it to Dr. Dravid Clarke and Vinnie Adams. The image now resides in its new home at the Sheffield Hallam University folklore archives.
Authenticity of Calvine UFO Photo
Andrew Robinson, a senior lecturer in Photography at Sheffield Hallam University claims the authenticity of the 1990 Scottish highlands UFO photo. In his detailed analysis, he found the image showing no evidence of negative or print-based manipulation, and all visible signs suggest this is a genuine photograph of the scene before the camera. (Source)
Robinson concluded in his study:
1. The photograph is a color print from XP-1 or XP-2 chromogenic Black and White C41 film printed on a standard;
2. It is not possible to identify the object in the center of the frame. However, the evidence present suggests that this object was in front of the camera in the position shown when the photograph was captured;
3. Thus it follows that this is either a genuine unidentified flying object in the sky OR that any construction or manipulation used to create this effect occurred in front of the camera and not in the capturing of the scene on film nor in the subsequent processing and printing of the image;
4. The results of this analysis are consistent with, and support the claimed heritage of the print.
Check the video below by Nick Pope, speaking about how insiders view the Calvine UFO incident
To study the formation of our planet, as well as the overall solar system, and to study the possible source of all the organic matter on Earth, NASA designed a mission called Origins, Spectral Interpretation,
Resource Identification, Security, Regolith Explorer) (OSIRIS-REx). The goal of this mission is to collect material from asteroid 101955 Bennu, which is a carbonaceous near-Earth asteroid. This mission was launched in September 2016, and it met Bennu in December 2018. It took the mission almost two years to study this asteroid from a distance in order to finalize a suitable place to land and collect material.
On October 20, 2020, it finally landed on Bennu to collect material to study its chemical composition. What the probe or the astronomers didn’t know was that this asteroid was not a solid rocky body, but a rubble pile. When the OSIRIS-REx probe landed on its surface, it could have been engulfed by this half-kilometer asteroid, but, thanks to the programmed lift-up which made this probe lift itself up within a few seconds of touchdown with this giant it was saved.
The way this probe was supposed to work was to touch the surface of the asteroid and stay there for 5 seconds while blowing off some nitrogen gas which would lift the material in space to be collected in the collection hopper of the probe. However, in this case, the probe kept sinking into the asteroid (about a half-a meter down) before turning back away from the surface and back into its orbit. The almost choked probe was covered in asteroid material all around, but thankfully, even with this unexpected turn of events, the probe was successful in collecting enough material to bring to the Earth. The blown gas blasted out about 13000 pounds of dust and rock. Astronomers expected only 60 grams of material, but the collection hopper received more than 400 grams. This material will be delivered to Earth in 2023. The rendezvous event and a more detailed explanation of the ultimate scientific goal of this mission was published in the Journal of Science in July 2022.
A potentially better way to make oxygen for astronauts in space using magnetism has been proposed by an international team of scientists, including a University of Warwick chemist.
The conclusion is from new research on magnetic phase separation in microgravity published in npj Microgravity by researchers from the University of Warwick in the United Kingdom, University of Colorado Boulder and Freie Universität Berlin in Germany.
Keeping astronauts breathing aboard the International Space Station and other space vehicles is a complicated and costly process. As humans plan future missions to the Moon or Mars better technology will be needed.
Lead author Álvaro Romero-Calvo, a recent Ph.D. graduate from the University of Colorado Boulder, says that "on the International Space Station, oxygen is generated using an electrolytic cell that splits water into hydrogen and oxygen, but then you have to get those gasses out of the system. A relatively recent analysis from a researcher at NASA Ames concluded that adapting the same architecture on a trip to Mars would have such significant mass and reliability penalties that it wouldn't make any sense to use."
Dr. Katharina Brinkert of the University of Warwick Department of Chemistry and Center for Applied Space Technology and Microgravity (ZARM) in Germany says that "efficient phase separation in reduced gravitational environments is an obstacle for human space exploration and known since the first flights to space in the 1960s. This phenomenon is a particular challenge for the life support system onboard spacecraft and the International Space Station (ISS) as oxygen for the crew is produced in water electrolyzer systems and requires separation from the electrode and liquid electrolyte."
The underlying issue is buoyancy.
Imagine a glass of fizzy soda. On Earth, the bubbles of CO2 quickly float to the top, but in the absence of gravity, those bubbles have nowhere to go. They instead stay suspended in the liquid.
NASA currently uses centrifuges to force the gasses out, but those machines are large and require significant mass, power, and maintenance. Meanwhile, the team has conducted experiments demonstrating magnets could achieve the same results in some cases.
Although diamagnetic forces are well known and understood, their use by engineers in space applications have not been fully explored because gravity makes the technology difficult to demonstrate on Earth.
Enter the Center for Applied Space Technology and Microgravity (ZARM) in Germany. There, Brinkert, who has ongoing research funded by the German Aerospace Center (DLR), led the team in successful experimental tests at a special drop tower facility that simulates microgravity conditions.
Here, the groups have developed a procedure to detach gas bubbles from electrode surfaces in microgravity environments generated for 9.2s at the Bremen Drop Tower. This study demonstrates for the first time gas bubbles can be 'attracted to' and 'repelled from' a simple neodymium magnet in microgravity by immersing it in different types of aqueous solution.
The research could open up new avenues for scientists and engineers developing oxygen systems as well as other space research involving liquid-to-gas phase changes.
Dr. Brinkert says that "these effects have tremendous consequences for the further development of phase separation systems, such as for long-term space missions, suggesting that efficient oxygen and, for example, hydrogen production in water (photo-)electrolyzer systems can be achieved even in the near-absence of the buoyant-force."
Professor Hanspeter Schaub of University of Colorado Boulder says that "after years of analytical and computational research, being able to use this amazing drop tower in Germany provided concrete proof that this concept will function in the zero-g space environment."
A “UFO Emerges From The Indian Ocean” And Mystifies Researchers
A “UFO Emerges From The Indian Ocean” And Mystifies Researchers
The UFO topic is becoming more serious and scientific, which is why every piece of news that comes out related to Unidentified Flying Objects quickly goes viral. Now a mysterious object has emerged from the Indian Ocean, just 700 kilometers from Madagascar.
Gone are the years where the UFO topic belonged solely to conspiracy theorists and alternative researchers. Now science and governments openly study them.
That is why he has powerfully called a strange object that emerged at full speed from the depths of the Indian Ocean .
UFO emerges from the sea The island of Reunion , located in the Mascarene archipelago in the Indian Ocean, 700 kilometers east of Madagascar.
On the night of October 11, Sandrine Fontaine captured a video of a large unknown flying object hovering over the ocean .
This enigmatic dark mass rose very slowly above the water. Fontaine captured the entire event thanks to the red filter that his telescope had. This allowed him to see in detail the strange shape of what appeared to be a ship.
Despite this, he was only able to film the UFO for a few seconds, as it quickly disappeared .
According to experts who have examined the video, the object is very similar to the UFOs that were photographed from a US submarine in 1971 .
At the moment it leaves the water, the object’s profile is shown as a triangular shape . A very characteristic form that has been filmed on other occasions.
An example of strange craft with these shapes is the TR-3B anti-gravity aircraft . However, it is obvious that what is shown in the video emerges from the sea .
In fact, many experts consider that it is not a UFO, but a USO , so it could belong to an underwater base .
Human or alien? Many people on the internet have raised the possibility that this is reverse-engineered human technology . Using alien technology captured in the past.
They have even mentioned the possibility that it is part of a space fleet capable of traveling to other planets in the Solar System.
There is also the possibility that we are facing a real alien spacecraft. Theorists have even speculated for years that an underwater extraterrestrial base could exist near the island , where an alien race could live .
So far, no government has ruled on the matter, so no theory can be affirmed or rejected. If you want to know more about it, check out the Snakedos video below:
Coulthart Talks Calvine Photo - Need to Know - 081322
Coulthart Talks Calvine Photo - Need to Know - 081322
In a recent recording of what was going to be just a "fun" podcast and video for the "A Beer with Ross and Bryce" social media contest, the story of the Calvine UFO photo broke. Here is the expert of Ross Coulthart's hot take as the story was spreading.
Revealed after 32 years: The 'most spectacular UFO photo ever captured' - or the first glimpse of America's fabled top-secret Aurora spy plane program? On August 4, 1990, two young men were working as chefs in a hotel in Pitlochry, a beautiful Highland Perthshire town, just outside the Cairngorms National Park in Scotland. At 9pm, after a long day in a hot kitchen, they drove about 13 miles north along the A9 to Calvine, a spot on the edge of the Cairngorms, for a walk in the hills. They hadn't gone far when they saw a huge, solid, diamond-shaped object, about 100ft long, hovering silently in the sky above them. Terrified, they hid in some bushes and looked up. Minutes later, they heard the scream of a jet aircraft going north: In 1990, RAF Leuchars in Fife had two squadrons of Tornado fighters on 24-hour standby to intercept Russian intruder aircraft.
Revealed after 32 years: The 'most spectacular UFO photo ever captured' - or the first glimpse of America's fabled top-secret Aurora spy plane program
Revealed after 32 years: The 'most spectacular UFO photo ever captured' - or the first glimpse of America's fabled top-secret Aurora spy plane program?
In August 1990, two young chefs photographed what they thought was a UFO while walking near the Carigorms in Scotland and took the pictures to a newspaper
The paper passed them on to the Ministry of Defence (MOD). Then, the photographs vanished - along with the two young chefs
Now, after 32 years, the photograph is revealed - despite the MOD and The National Archives doing their utmost to keep it hidden until 2076 because of 'privacy concerns'
Retired RAF officer Craig Lindsay, now 83, broke protocol and kept a copy of one of the pictures inside his copy of Great Aircraft Of The World in his desk
But is this picture, in fact, the first glimpse of America's fabled, top-secret Aurora spy plane program?
Since the mid-1980s, there had been rumours of a silent, supersonic, geometrically shaped craft, used for spy missions
There have never been substantial evidence that it was ever built or flown, but there have been numerous unexplained sightings and incidents in both the US and the UK that fuelled the myth
On August 4, 1990, two young men were working as chefs in a hotel in Pitlochry, a beautiful Highland Perthshire town, just outside the Cairngorms National Park in Scotland.
At 9pm, after a long day in a hot kitchen, they drove about 13 miles north along the A9 to Calvine, a spot on the edge of the Cairngorms, for a walk in the hills.
They hadn't gone far when they saw a huge, solid, diamond-shaped object, about 100ft long, hovering silently in the sky above them. Terrified, they hid in some bushes and looked up.
Minutes later, they heard the scream of a jet aircraft going north: In 1990, RAF Leuchars in Fife had two squadrons of Tornado fighters on 24-hour standby to intercept Russian intruder aircraft.
The jet came back and circled the 'thing' before heading off on its original course, as if the pilot had seen the object too and had come back for a closer look.
Eventually the two men stuck their camera out from where they were hiding and fired off six frames. At that point, the object shot vertically upwards and disappeared way, way up in to the sky.
Convinced they'd just seen a UFO, they took their photos to the Daily Record, one of Scotland's leading newspapers. But no story was ever printed: The paper passed the pictures on to the Ministry of Defence.
And then, the photographs simply vanished — along with the two young chefs.
Until now.
Here, for the first time, we can reveal that missing picture — a photograph one MoD insider described as the most spectacular UFO picture ever captured, and the Holy Grail in terms of hard evidence that these things really exist.
It's a picture the MoD and The National Archives have tried their utmost to keep hidden. While the information would normally have been released after 30 years, the Ministry has not released the original photo and wants the names of the witnesses sealed for a further 54 years — until 2076 — because of 'privacy concerns'.
Revealed after 32 years: The 'most spectacular UFO photo ever captured'. The photograph, taken by two young chefs on August 4, 1990, has been hidden from view for more than 30 years
As a university lecturer and investigative reporter who's spent three decades immersed in the world of UFOlogy, I heard the story of the mysterious 'Calvine file' — as the missing photo and report of that incident at Calvine came to be known — many moons ago and have devoted the past 13 years doggedly searching for the images the men took.
What happened to the file, the men who pictured the UFO and how and why its very existence has been suppressed for 32 years, was a puzzle I was determined to crack. Wherever I searched for answers, however, I found insiders blocking my inquiries — until I struck lucky and found retired RAF officer Craig Lindsay, the first official to speak to one of the young chefs after that night.
He was willing to talk to me and, most exciting of all, I discovered that he'd broken protocol that day and stashed a copy of the image before, on Whitehall's orders, sending the entire dossier — negatives included — to the Ministry of Defence in London.
He'd kept the secret copy in his desk for 32 years — hidden inside his copy of Great Aircraft Of The World. When I eventually tracked him down, now 83 and still living in Scotland, he sounded almost relieved.
'I have been for waiting for someone to contact about this for more than 30 years,' he said.
RAF Officer Craig Lindsay shows a 30-year-old, black and white photo of a UFO sighting - described as 'one of the best in the world' which has been unearthed after being hidden by the British Ministry of Defence. 'I have been for waiting for someone to contact about this for more than 30 years,' he said.
So, what do I make of it? The moment Craig showed the photograph to me I knew I was looking at something exceptional. Yes, it is a black and white image, printed on colour paper, and the trees and fence look a little blurry, as if the photographer took it in a moment of panic — which is consistent with their story. But the camera is focused on the weird diamond shaped object in the centre of the frame. Unlike many other UFO images, this is clearly a structured craft of unknown origin. It looks other-worldly and unlike any conventional aircraft.
And it is by far the best UFO photograph I have ever seen.
Believe me, I'm no gullible, deluded conspiracy theorist. I'd grown cynical after viewing hundreds of unconvincing photographs and films: Blurry, grainy, out of focus shots of what easily could have been frisbees, streetlamps or even seagulls.
But this was clearly something different. I've since had it analysed by Andrew Robinson, a senior lecturer in photography at Sheffield Hallam University. He is convinced it is genuine, and if it is a hoax, then a highly elaborate one, involving expensive, sophisticated equipment and flying models, not at the disposal of two jobbing hotel chefs.
He told me: 'My conclusion is that the object is definitely in front of the camera, that is, it's not a fake produced in post-production, and its placement within the scene appears to be approximately halfway between the foreground fence and the plane in the background.'
Mr Lindsay, a pragmatic, logical former civil servant who spent ten years in the military, is convinced the image — and the frightened man he spoke to on that day — are genuine. Initially, he was worried about speaking to me in case he was in breach of the Official Secrets Act. But after 32 years of doing what he was told, and keeping quiet, he now wants the truth to emerge.
'As a press officer for Scotland, I dealt with many UFO reports but most were just of lights in the sky. It was obvious this one was different. When I asked what sort of noise it had made, the man said, 'It didn't make any noise at all.' Up to that point I wasn't treating it very seriously but when he said it was silent, I suddenly realised there is no aircraft that I know of that is silent.'
Lindsay arranged for the negatives the men had handed to the Daily Record to be collected and faxed a copy of the best print to the Ministry of Defence's now-defunct UFO desk in London.
'Before I could even get back to my desk the phone was ringing and my contact said, 'Tell me more about this. Can you get the negatives?'
This is the exact spot today where the hidden photograph was taken by two hotel chefs while hiking in the Scottish glen in 1990
When he visited the MoD later that year, however, he saw the Calvine photo blown up to poster size on the UFO office wall.
'I asked how they were getting on. They said it was being investigated. I was told to 'leave it to London'… they asked me not to get involved, so I have done exactly that,' he said.
'The years passed and gradually I just forgot about the print in my drawer. Now I hope the two witnesses will come forward and tell their own stories.'
I hope so too. My interest in UFO sightings started in the 1990s when, working as a journalist in Yorkshire, I began using the Freedom of Information Act to request access to MoD files on famous UFO sightings such as the Rendlesham Forest incident that is often called Britain's Roswell (an incident in 1947 in New Mexico long believed to have been a cover-up of UFO evidence).
In 2008, shortly before the MoD disbanded their UFO desk, I had become such an authority on the MoD files that I was offered the opportunity to curate the release of thousands of once secret UFO papers at The National Archives.
In here, among the hundreds of drawings from schoolchildren and letters from UFO conspiracy theorists demanding to know where the aliens were being kept, I found a poor-quality, photocopied drawing of a UFO with a Harrier beside it.
Yet, even more intriguingly, alongside the image there was a briefing prepared for Defence Ministers in Margaret Thatcher's government of the time if they were approached to comment on the sighting.
The wording was vague and non-committal, the typical 'swatting away' investigators are used to. Under the sub-heading 'Defensive Lines to Take' is the official response the MoD should give, if asked.
'Have looked at the photographs, no definite conclusions reached regarding large diamond-shaped object. Confident that jet aircraft is a Harrier. Have no record of Harriers operating in location at stated date/time. No other reports received by MoD of unusual air activity or sightings at location/date/time.'
I checked, but of course, no one did ask. The story was immediately shelved. I went looking for more.
Although the sparse MoD papers on the Calvine sighting were declassified, the names of the photographer (and Craig Lindsay) were removed from the file under Data Protection laws. Normally, these would have been released after 30 years — on January 1, 2020 — but the MoD and The National Archives continue to insist they must be kept secret for another 54 years — until 2076 — because of 'privacy concerns'.
Even the Daily Record's decision not to publish the story is intriguing. Had it been spiked by a D-Notice — a gagging order based on national security concerns, served by the MoD?
While this might sound like something from TV's The X-Files, some clever sleuthing by my fellow UFOlogist Matthew Illsley discovered that the Record's editor, the late Endell Laird, had been a member of the MoD's D-Notice committee at the time. A coincidence?
Matthew from Mansfield in Nottinghamshire is challenging the extended closure decision that he says is unjustified, asking: 'What have they got to hide after all these years?'
So what was it? Sadly, I do not think that mysterious aircraft arrived from another galaxy. I believe it was man-made somewhere in a secret hangar — and whatever it was remains on the secret list and highly sensitive. The witnesses had simply been in that 'million to one' chance of being in that particular place at that particular time, and needed to be shut up.
Remember, this was 1990, the Cold War was still a year away from thawing. The Gulf War started literally days earlier. The world was — as many would argue it still is today — divided along 'them and us' battle lines.
Since the mid-Eighties, there had been rumours of a top secret, exotic, American reconnaissance aircraft named 'Aurora' — a silent, supersonic, geometrically shaped craft, used for spy missions.
Although there has never been any substantial evidence that it was ever built or flown, there have been numerous unexplained sightings and incidents in both the US and the UK over the years that have fuelled the Aurora myth — Calvine included.
In 1991, Defence Ministers denied in Parliament that the US had been given permission to fly or land their secret spy plane in UK airspace after reports that Aurora had been spotted leaving RAF Machrihanish on the Mull of Kintyre.
But papers I obtained using the Freedom of Information Act suggest that some MoD intelligence officers did believe Aurora existed but were not allowed to say anything publicly.
A source in the MoD tells me that once Britain's intelligence chiefs realised the Calvine photographs showed a top secret US project they were immediately classified secret — UK Eyes Only.
Last June, the Pentagon released its long-awaited report on what it now calls UAPs or 'unidentified aerial phenomena' after a spate of similar sightings and the release of films showing fast-moving UFOs taken by US Navy pilots. The new American UAP Task Force listed five categories that most sightings, when resolved, would likely fall into — and one of these is 'classified programs' developed by the US government.
I am convinced the Calvine photograph shows one of these classified programs. Meanwhile, the American, and possibly our own, government have found it useful to 'keep the myth of UFOs flying' because it provides a useful cover for their own covert military activities.
But in this case their cover was blown by two young men who were in the wrong place at the wrong time. The MoD must explain to the public why, if there are no such things as UFOs, how they can justify keeping their identities secret for a further 54 years. And it also needs to explain what happened to the negatives and their file on the case — otherwise they are simply adding further grist to the mill of the conspiracy theorists who believe the authorities are hiding 'the truth' about visits to Earth by aliens. The pictures surely cannot be said to damage state interests.
I remain open-minded about the possibility that intelligent life exists elsewhere in the universe. But I remain unconvinced that it has ever visited Earth.
The Calvine photograph is, in my opinion, the best image showing an unidentified flying object ever taken. But as Dr J. Allen Hynek, consultant to the USAF's former UFO Project Blue Book, once said: 'Unidentified to whom?'
Historical photos taken by naval officers show what they encountered while exploring Antarctica
Historical photos taken by naval officers show what they encountered while exploring Antarctica
This Naval officers old historical photograph shows what they encountered while exploring Antarctica. Today, we take a look at this newly discovered historical photographs that shows what this Naval officer encountered while exploring Antarctica.
Some interesting photographs have appeared online, detailing that they were found inside an old lost book, and showed the adventures of Admiral Richard E. Byrd, an aviator who was described as displaying extraordinary gifts in organizing successful expeditions to Antarctica.
At the time he used his knowledge to navigate these hard to reach regions, on top of this he's known for discovering Mount Sidley.
What if black holes, the all-consuming gravitational behemoths of the universe, aren’t actually black—or even holes? Instead, a new idea proposes that black holes are dark stars with extraordinarily dense, exotic materials at their cores. This could help explain one of the universe’s biggest mysteries: the origin and nature of dark matter.
Black holes are extreme expressions of Albert Einstein’s general theory of relativity. They’re places in the universe where enormously dense amounts of matter stretch the fabric of space and time to its limit, forming an infinitely deep gravitational well that not even light can escape—hence the “black hole” name.
Scientists believe that at the core of each black hole is an indefinitely small and dense point known as a singularity. Gravity is so strong near the singularity that it creates an event horizon around it, where gravity’s pull surpasses even the speed of light.
The laws of physics collapse at infinitely small singularities. That’s when two seemingly opposing fields of physics—quantum mechanics (describing the super tiny) and general relativity (describing the very large)—come face to face with each other. Researchers want to merge the two sciences into a unified theory of quantum gravity by examining the nature of black holes.
The problem? Because matter cannot collapse into an endlessly small point, the singularity appears to be physically impossible.
Physicists have cleverly avoided this problem by building their own singularity-free black holes, called “dark stars.” On the outside, these imaginative creations resemble black holes, but on the inside, they contain an enormously (but not endlessly) dense core of matter compressed to the smallest possible scale, or a “Planck core.” It gets its name from the Planck length, an extraordinarily small fundamental unit of measurement that is on the order of 10-35 meters, or nearly 100 trillion times smaller than a proton.
A dark star, without a singularity at its center, may theoretically allow light to escape its enormous gravitational grasp. Any light that escaped the black hole would be stretched like a slinky by the dark star’s gravitational pull, a process known as redshift.
“In strong gravitational fields, [dark stars] behave interestingly,” physicist Igor Nikitin, of Germany’s Fraunhofer Institute for Scientific Algorithms and Computing, writes in his paper, which appears on the preprint server arXiv:
“First of all, the event horizon, typical for real black holes, is erased. Instead, a deep gravitational well is formed, where the values of the redshift become enormously large. As a result, for an external observer the star looks black, like a real black hole.”
Nikitin thinks that if this phenomenon exists, it could assist explain the true nature of dark matter.
Astronomers discovered dark matter when they discovered that the rotation of stars surrounding galaxies was far too fast for the amount of substance they could see. We now know that dark matter, which is absolutely invisible to humans, accounts for around 85 percent of the mass in the universe. Despite the fact that scientists know dark matter exists, they don’t know where it is.
According to Nikitin’s findings, if black holes had Planck cores, they may be a source of dark matter. His research shows that dark stars could continuously release a stream of particles in the form of dark matter, which could explain why stars spin so quickly around galaxies.
“One more fascinating possibility is that the dark matter is composed of known particles, placed in an unusual condition,” Nikitin says.
According to him, the particles could be as basic as light particles, or photons, that have been redshifted to wavelengths that are so vast that they are essentially invisible to modern radio telescopes. “It is an extremely large wavelength, about 4 light days, 16 times the Sun-Pluto distance.”
The energy of these photons would be extremely low, but they might be plentiful enough to explain the unusual motion of stars around their galaxies.
Nikitin also claims that his idea could explain another unsolved cosmic mystery: the origin of fast radio bursts (FRB).
Astronomers first discovered these powerful, short-lived bursts of radio waves in 2007, but their origin and nature remain hidden to scientists. If an object such as an asteroid fell into a Planck core, Nitkin says, a flash of high-energy light waves could be released. The powerful gravity of the dark star would redshift the light, producing an apparent FRB detectable on Earth.
Although dark stars could help solve two of the universe’s biggest mysteries, Nitkin’s theory would still need to explain a mountain of observational evidence to replace the commonly accepted theory of black holes. His theory, on the other hand, demonstrates that thinking outside the box can bring creative answers to seemingly impossible problems.
The Universe Can Bend the Laws of Physics All By Itself, Scientists Say
The Universe Can Bend the Laws of Physics All By Itself, Scientists Say
According to a new theory, the cosmos perpetuates itself by constantly modifying its own physical laws over time.
An autodidactis someone who learned a subject without the assistance of a teacher or formal schooling. Leonardo Da Vinci, a master of 16 languages, Kató Lomb, a renowned Hungarian interpreter who knew at least 17 languages, and Wikileaks founder Julian Assange are all examples of self-taught maestros. There may be a new addition to that list: the great cosmos. According to new research just released on the pre-print server arXiV, the cosmos may be constantly teaching itself how to grow into a more stable form (meaning the work has not yet been peer-reviewed).
The paper, co-authored by Microsoft researchers and scientists from Brown University, argues that all of the laws of physics that we can see or measure today are laws that have evolved over time. They argue that if we want to understand how these physical laws originated, we should apply Darwinian natural selection to cosmology.
Let us explain: As the universe sought stability over time, the simpler physical laws on which it was founded evolved to become far more sophisticated. Why do we still have cats and dogs but no trilobites or dinosaurs? Cats and dogs have proven to be the most adaptable to their surroundings, successfully passing on their genes to their progeny. By analogy, the universe is the same; the difference is that the universe does not need to compete with other universes in order to continue.
Consider an early version of the world in which gravitational attraction between objects, for example, was a more primitive concept. In that case, Newton’s law of gravitation, which states that all particles of matter in the universe attract all other particles of matter with a force directly proportional to the product of their masses and inversely proportional to the square of the distance between their centers, could not be true.
Today, that law explains why the moon’s surface gravity is about one-sixth that of Earth’s (the moon has far less mass). However, in this simplified universe, gravity may have been a more static idea, with gravity on the moon and Earth being the same. You can apply the same line of thinking to the other 14 laws of physics.
“Over time, that system will teach itself, and some fundamental laws will arise, and that’s really what they’re talking about [in the paper],” explains Janna Levin, a professor of physics and astronomy at Barnard College of Columbia University and director of sciences at Pioneer Works, a New York-based community encouraging radical thinking in the arts and sciences. “If the universe can compute with a given set of algorithms, then maybe it can do the same kind of thing we see in artificial intelligence, where you have self-learning systems that teach themselves new rules. And by rules, in cosmology we mean laws of physics.”
At this point, the paper combines cosmology and biology, or the study of the cosmos and its beginnings. “We ask whether there might be a mechanism woven into the fabric of the natural world, by means of which the universe could learn its laws,” the authors write. In other words, a universal law may apply to all scientific disciplines. That suggests that the laws of physics as we know them could be subject to higher-order universe laws that control them—laws we don’t even understand.
“Exploring links between fields is crucial because knowledge is not fundamentally compartmentalized,” says Bruce Bassett, professor at the University of Cape Town’s Department of Mathematics and head of the Cosmology Group at the African Institute of Mathematical Sciences in South Africa. We beings are merely limited in our thinking. “We segment and compress knowledge into biology, and physics, and sociology because of our limited brains, and the cost of that segmentation and compression is that we easily miss the commonalities and hidden universality between branches of human knowledge.”
That may be why humans struggle to accept the idea that the world is self-learning—we can’t explain it properly with our present scientific disciplines. “The universe is under no obligation to make sense to us,” renowned cosmologist Neil deGrasse Tyson has said.
And, unlike us, the universe does not need to compete with other universes; the cosmos is mind with its own existence. Of course, when we use verbs like “compete” and “mind” to describe the whole, we are succumbing to anthropocentrism, the philosophical belief that everything begins and ends with humans. But we can’t help ourselves. “A lot of the way we think about the world is rooted in the language that we become familiar with,” Levin says. “The universe doesn’t have a conscious mind, just like selection hasn’t; selection is 100 percent agnostic.”
The scientists admit near the end of their roughly 80-page-long study that all they are doing is taking the first baby steps toward the formation of a new theory. “It is indeed early to comment about whether these ideas have anything to do with our universe. The core idea is intriguing and blends cosmology with the core ideas behind artificial intelligence, but is speculative and radical at the same time,” Bassett says.
However, he quickly adds that theoretical physics requires radical ideas. “It is an invitation to explore a crazy idea because we find ourselves confronted by a crazy universe,” he says. “Chances are, it will not lead anywhere interesting, but perhaps it will inspire a real breakthrough, and perhaps it will lead us somewhere even the authors could not imagine.”
Astronomer Have Spotted A Mysterious Object, Which Is 570 Billion Times Brighter than the Sun
Astronomer Have Spotted A Mysterious Object, Which Is 570 Billion Times Brighter than the Sun
So bright that it pushes the energy limit of physics. Billions of light years away, there is a giant ball of hot gas that is brighter than hundreds of billions of suns. It is hard to imagine something so bright. So what is it? Astronomers are not really sure, but they have a couple theories.
They think it may be a very rare type of supernova — called a magnetar — but one so powerful that it pushes the energy limits of physics, or in other words, the most powerful supernova ever seen as of today. This object is so luminous that astronomers are having a really difficult time finding a way to describe it. “If it really is a magnetar, it's as if nature took everything we know about magnetars and turned it up to 11,” said Krzysztof Stanek, professor of astronomy at Ohio State University and the team's co-principal investigator, comedically implying it is off the charts on a scale of 1 to 10. The object was first spotted by the All Sky Automated Survey of Supernovae (ASAS-SN or “assassin”), which is a small network of telescopes used to detect bright objects in the universe.
There is a massive ball of hot gas billions of light-years distant that is brighter than hundreds of billions of suns.
Although this object is ridiculously bright, it still can’t be seen by the naked eye because it is 3.8 billion light years away. ASAS-SN, since it began in 2014, has discovered nearly 250 supernovae, however this discovery, ASASSN-15lh, stands out because of its sheer magnitude. It is 200 times more powerful than the average supernova, 570 billion times brighter than the sun, and 20 times brighter than all the stars in the Milky Way Galaxy combined. “We have to ask, how is that even possible?” said Stanek. “It takes a lot of energy to shine that bright, and that energy has to come from somewhere.”Todd Thompson, professor of astronomy at Ohio State, has one possible explanation. The supernova could have generated an extremely rare type of star called a millisecond magnetar — a rapidly spinning and very dense star with a crazy strong magnetic field. This is how crazy magnetars are: to shine as bright as it does, this magnetar would have to spin at least 1,000 times a second, and convert all of that rotational energy to light with pretty much 100 percent efficiency — making it the most extreme example of a magnetar that is physically possible. “Given those constraints,” Thompson said, “will we ever see anything more luminous than this? If it truly is a magnetar, then the answer is basically no.”Over the coming months, the Hubble Space Telescope will try to solve this mystery by giving astronomers time to see the host galaxy surrounding this object. The team may find that this bright object lies in the very center of a large galaxy — meaning the object is not a magnetar at all — and the gas around it is actually evidence of a supermassive black hole. If that is the case, then the bright light could be explained by a new kind of event, said study co-author Christopher Kochanek, professor of astronomy at Ohio State. It would be something that has never, ever been seen before at the center of a galaxy. Whether it is a magnetar, a supermassive black hole, or something else entirely, the results are probably going to lead to new thinking about how objects form in the universe.
Australian Physicists Have Proved That Time Travel is Possible
Australian Physicists Have Proved That Time Travel is Possible
Scientists from the University of Queensland have used photons (single particles of light) to simulate quantum particles traveling through time. The research is cutting edge and the results could be dramatic!
Their research, entitled “Experimental simulation of closed time-like curves “, is published in the latest issue of Nature Communications. The grandfather paradox states that if a time traveler were to go back in time, he could accidentally prevent his grandparents from meeting, and thus prevent his own birth. However, if he had never been born, he could never have traveled back in time, in the first place. The paradoxes are largely caused by Einstein’s theory of relativity, and the solution to it, the Gödel metric.
How relativity works
Einstein’s theory of relativity is made up of two parts – general relativity and special relativity. Special relativity posits that space and time are aspects of the same thing, known as the space-time continuum, and that time can slow down or speed up, depending on how fast you are moving, relative to something else.
Gravity can also bend time, and Einstein’s theory of general relativity suggests that it would be possible to travel backwards in time by following a space-time path, i.e. a closed time-line curve that returns to the starting point in space, but arrives at an earlier time. It was predicted in 1991 that quantum mechanics could avoid some of the paradoxes caused by Einstein’s theory of relativity, as quantum particles behave almost outside the realm of physics.
“The question of time travel features at the interface between two of our most successful yet incompatible physical theories – Einstein’s general relativity and quantum mechanics. Einstein’s theory describes the world at the very large scale of stars and galaxies, while quantum mechanics is an excellent description of the world at the very small scale of atoms and molecules.” said Martin Ringbauer, a PhD student at UQ’s School of Mathematics and Physics and a lead author of the paper.
Simulating time travel
The scientists simulated the behavior of two photons interacting with each other in two different cases. In the first case, one photon passed through a wormhole and then interacted with its older self. In the second case, when a photon travels through normal space-time and interacts with another photon trapped inside a closed time-line curve forever.
“The properties of quantum particles are ‘fuzzy’ or uncertain to start with, so this gives them enough wiggle room to avoid inconsistent time travel situations,” said co-author Professor Timothy Ralph. “Our study provides insights into where and how nature might behave differently from what our theories predict.”
Although it has been possible to simulate time travel with tiny quantum particles, the same might not be possible for larger particles or atoms, which are groups of particles.
10 Real Places On Earth That Seem Scientifically Impossible
10 Real Places On Earth That Seem Scientifically Impossible
The world is filled with beautiful places to visit from shore to shore. But what about the anomalies of the world? Nature doesn’t always do things by the book, and there are a few creepy, strange, and seemingly impossible places to prove it.
On the other side of the moon, there is an artificial building and an alien base
On the other side of the moon, there is an artificial building and an alien base
According to a report by the Society for Planetary SETI Research there are strange constructions on the moon’s far side that may have been constructed by extraterrestrials and are not of human origin.
With a Ph.D. in Plasma Physics, Dr. John Brandenburg worked on NASA’s Clementine Moon mission, which discovered bases on the moon in addition to the water in its poles in 1994. A “mile wide recto-linear building” that was “unmistakably constructed” and that “shouldn’t be there,” according to his description, was what he observed. Dr. Brandenburg expressed “huge anxiety” as a member of the space defense group since “it isn’t ours, there is no way we could have created such a device. It implies that someone else is present.
Dr. Brandenburg was instructed “not to meddle” with “an elite department team with the highest security clearance” that was analyzing the lunar imaging data once the Clementine mission was complete.
Carl Sagan Said That There Could Be Alien Bases on the Moon’s Dark Side and Extraterrestrial Visitation Was Possible.
Carl Sagan discussed the potential of alien contact in 1963, saying, “It is not beyond the realm of possibility that artifacts of these alien visits still exist, or even that some form of base is sustained inside the solar system to give continuity for subsequent expeditions. It would be preferred not to build such a base on the surface of the Earth due to weathering and the potential for discovery and intervention by Earthlings. The Moon appears to be a logical substitute. These possibilities could be considered in upcoming high-resolution photographic reconnaissance of the Moon from spacecraft, especially on the reverse side.
An observer with the US Air Force visited a National Security Agency (NSA) facility to learn more about bases on the moon’s dark side.
During his testimony before the National Press Club in Washington, DC, Karl Wolf, a member of the USAF with a top-secret cryptographic clearance, said that an NSA airman had told him in 1965 that they had identified a base on the moon’s dark side using the lunar orbiter photographs they had obtained. The mosaic depicted “the foundation, towers, geometric patterns, radar dishes, spherical buildings, and other large structures,” according to Wolf, who claimed to have personally seen it.
In actuality, the extraterrestrials have already told us what occurred on the other side of the moon. (Yes, There Have Been Ancient Alien Bases)
According to the author of the book “Thiaoouba Prophecy,” Michel Desmarquet, bases on the dark side of the Moon were established by residents of the planet Aremo X3 with the intention of migrating to Earth. They intended to repopulate Aremo X3, a planet that was growing uncomfortably overpopulated, with a number of million people. They possessed sophisticated technology at the time and could travel throughout the galaxy.
Thao, an ET, explains: “Around 250 000 Earth years ago, the Polynesian race that now lives on Aremo X3 took an interplanetary exploration voyage through your solar system. Before arriving in China, where their spaceship greatly startled the local populace, they skirted Saturn, Jupiter, Mars, and Mercury. Their tradition mentions “fire dragons” that descended from the skies.”
They went on and chose to live on the continent of Mu (Lemuria) after having conflicts with the Chinese. Lemuria was a region that had been produced by gaseous bands in the Pacific Ocean at the time. Due to its latitude, it was “a real paradise” and was mostly deserted.
Given that they killed Chinese citizens, “They decided it would be prudent to set up a base to which they might escape in case they came into other conflicts of a serious type from Earth people since they had grown extremely wary. Therefore, it was determined that their base of evacuation would be established on the moon, which was relatively nearby and thought to be highly secure, rather than on Earth.”
Emigration to Mu (Lemuria) didn’t start until the lunar bases had been constructed over the course of fifty years.
So indeed, there are extraterrestrial outposts on the opposite side of the Moon, which were developed by the inhabitants of the planet Aremo X3.
What happened to Lemuria? Lemuria’s continent sunk into the Pacific Ocean around 14,500 years ago, leaving only a few fragments as islands, including Easter Island and the Hawaiian Islands. It eliminated all the cutting-edge technology that the inhabitants of Aremo X3 possessed but kept to themselves. The Great Pyramid and the Moai Statues, achievements of their earlier technology, may still be appreciated, nonetheless.
What’s happening with Aremo X3 now? Sadly, the individuals who survived a nuclear war some 150 years ago have only a few survivors alive, according to the book Thiaoouba Prophecy.
Other mysteries about our existence on earth are revealed in the book “Thiaoouba Prophecy.”
Astronomers Discover 'One In A Million' Super-Earth With an Earth-Like Orbit
Astronomers Discover 'One In A Million' Super-Earth With an Earth-Like Orbit
Astronomers from the University of Canterbury (UC) has discovered a spectacular new exoplanet at the heart of the Milky Way Galaxy. The planet is important as it is one of just a handful of similar exoplanets identified so far.
According to the researchers, the super-Earth is comparable to Earth in both size and orbit. A paper published in the Astronomical Journal describes the exoplanet finding and the planet's features.
Astronomers Dr. Antonio Herrera Martin and Associate Professor Michael Albrow, both of UC's School of Physical and Chemical Sciences in the College of Science, worked with international researchers to detect the super-Earth. The planet is said to be a rare world in the cosmos. According to the researchers, the super-Earth is in orbit around a dim dwarf, maybe a brown dwarf, or a failed star. The extraterrestrial world takes around 617 Earth days to circle its star, yet its orbit would fall somewhere between Earth and the planet Venus in our own solar system. Astronomers utilized the solar system as a reference point, according to UC. The host star has a mass of around 10% that of our Sun. The planet's mass is estimated to be somewhere between that of Earth and that of Neptune, and its orbit is estimated to be somewhere between Earth and Venus. It's one of a handful exoplanets discovered by scientists that has a similar size and orbit to Earth. The scientists did not discover the super-Earth by directly watching it, nor did they discover it using the transit technique or by studying how it interacts with its star. Rather, scientists found the super-Earth by observing how its host star distorts and magnifies light like a lens, a process known as gravitational microlensing. Dr. Herrera Martin explained: “The combined gravity of the planet and its host star caused the light from a more distant background star to be magnified in a particular way. We used telescopes distributed around the world to measure the light-bending effect,” It is incredibly unusual to discover a planet by microlensing. According to astronomers, microlensing effects influence around one in a million stars in the Milky Way at any given time. What makes this revelation even more unusual is that such an observation does not occur frequently.
“The probabilities of catching a planet at the same time are extremely low,” UC astronomers have explained.
The microlensing event that led to the finding of the exoplanet is formally known as OGLE-2018-BLG-0677.
Scientists Found The Building Blocks Of DNA And RNA In Meteorites. Here's What That Means
Scientists Found The Building Blocks Of DNA And RNA In Meteorites. Here's What That Means
It's been a long-held theory that many of the essential ingredients needed for the creation of life on Earth came from outer space. The source behind these ingredients was concept to be meteorites that landed on the planet billions of years ago.
Studies carried out on fallen space rocks over the course of the last century have confirmed the existence of number of nucleobases — required for storing genetic information in DNA and RNA — on these meteorites. Among the bases that have been observed on meteorites include adenine, guanine, and uracil. However, two basic ingredients that are essential for confirming this theory — cytosine and thymine — have continued to elude scientists.
Without establishing the occurrence of these compounds on these space rocks, it was almost impossible for researchers to prove the long-held theory about life on Earth having a cosmic connection.
A latest development, however, is all set to change this. Advancements in detection and extraction techniques have finally led scientists to observe cytosine and thymine on four meteorites that fell to the Earth sometime in the late '60s.
New methods of detecting
The team of researchers that conducted the research included Daniel Glavin, an Astro chemist at NASA's Goddard Space Flight Center. He committed that the discovery marks the first time that all the bases found in DNA and RNA were isolated from a single meteorite. To ensure their detection was accurate, tests were carried out on four different meteorites collected from different parts of the Earth. To their surprise, all four of them showed traces of these important organic compounds.
For the mean of this study, researchers used a new extraction technique developed by geochemist Yasuhiro Oba of Hokkaido University in Sapporo, Japan. This technique involves extrication using cold water — a much milder process compared to older techniques that involved using acids. According to Oba, the latest method has "orders of magnitude higher sensitivity" than techniques applied in earlier studies. The new technique had proven itself in the past when three years ago, another team of researchers used it to discover another elusive organic compound — ribose — from three meteorites.
The effects of meteors are still unclear
While the detection of these important ingredients from multiple meteorites is an encouraging sign, questions are still being raised if these compounds got to the rocks after they fell to our planet's surface. Scientists do not totally dismiss the likelihood that these rocks could have been contaminated by elements already present on Earth. Incontrovertible results won'tlikely be available until studies can be done on samples acquired outside Earth's atmosphere.
And that is accurately what the scientists are up to next. In 2020, Japan's Hayabusa space mission extracted a piece of rock from the surface of an asteroid called Ryugu and guide it back to the Earth for study. NASA is also on alike mission, and in September 2023, the organization is anticipating to be in possession of a similar sample extracted from asteroid Bennu. Once conclusive studies on these chunks of uncontaminated rocks are out, we can conclusively prove that important ingredients that acted as catalysts for life on Earth did, in fact, come from space.
Revealed after 32 years: The 'most spectacular UFO photo ever captured' - or the first glimpse of America's fabled top-secret Aurora spy plane program?
Revealed after 32 years: The 'most spectacular UFO photo ever captured' - or the first glimpse of America's fabled top-secret Aurora spy plane program?
In August 1990, two young chefs photographed what they thought was a UFO while walking near the Carigorms in Scotland and took the pictures to a newspaper
The paper passed them on to the Ministry of Defence (MOD). Then, the photographs vanished - along with the two young chefs
Now, after 32 years, the photograph is revealed - despite the MOD and The National Archives doing their utmost to keep it hidden until 2076 because of 'privacy concerns'
Retired RAF officer Craig Lindsay, now 83, broke protocol and kept a copy of one of the pictures inside his copy of Great Aircraft Of The World in his desk
But is this picture, in fact, the first glimpse of America's fabled, top-secret Aurora spy plane program?
Since the mid-1980s, there had been rumours of a silent, supersonic, geometrically shaped craft, used for spy missions
There have never been substantial evidence that it was ever built or flown, but there have been numerous unexplained sightings and incidents in both the US and the UK that fuelled the myth
On August 4, 1990, two young men were working as chefs in a hotel in Pitlochry, a beautiful Highland Perthshire town, just outside the Cairngorms National Park in Scotland.
At 9pm, after a long day in a hot kitchen, they drove about 13 miles north along the A9 to Calvine, a spot on the edge of the Cairngorms, for a walk in the hills.
They hadn't gone far when they saw a huge, solid, diamond-shaped object, about 100ft long, hovering silently in the sky above them. Terrified, they hid in some bushes and looked up.
Minutes later, they heard the scream of a jet aircraft going north: In 1990, RAF Leuchars in Fife had two squadrons of Tornado fighters on 24-hour standby to intercept Russian intruder aircraft.
The jet came back and circled the 'thing' before heading off on its original course, as if the pilot had seen the object too and had come back for a closer look.
Eventually the two men stuck their camera out from where they were hiding and fired off six frames. At that point, the object shot vertically upwards and disappeared way, way up in to the sky.
Convinced they'd just seen a UFO, they took their photos to the Daily Record, one of Scotland's leading newspapers. But no story was ever printed: The paper passed the pictures on to the Ministry of Defence.
And then, the photographs simply vanished — along with the two young chefs.
Until now.
Here, for the first time, we can reveal that missing picture — a photograph one MoD insider described as the most spectacular UFO picture ever captured, and the Holy Grail in terms of hard evidence that these things really exist.
It's a picture the MoD and The National Archives have tried their utmost to keep hidden. While the information would normally have been released after 30 years, the Ministry has not released the original photo and wants the names of the witnesses sealed for a further 54 years — until 2076 — because of 'privacy concerns'.
Revealed after 32 years: The 'most spectacular UFO photo ever captured'. The photograph, taken by two young chefs on August 4, 1990, has been hidden from view for more than 30 years
As a university lecturer and investigative reporter who's spent three decades immersed in the world of UFOlogy, I heard the story of the mysterious 'Calvine file' — as the missing photo and report of that incident at Calvine came to be known — many moons ago and have devoted the past 13 years doggedly searching for the images the men took.
What happened to the file, the men who pictured the UFO and how and why its very existence has been suppressed for 32 years, was a puzzle I was determined to crack. Wherever I searched for answers, however, I found insiders blocking my inquiries — until I struck lucky and found retired RAF officer Craig Lindsay, the first official to speak to one of the young chefs after that night.
He was willing to talk to me and, most exciting of all, I discovered that he'd broken protocol that day and stashed a copy of the image before, on Whitehall's orders, sending the entire dossier — negatives included — to the Ministry of Defence in London.
He'd kept the secret copy in his desk for 32 years — hidden inside his copy of Great Aircraft Of The World. When I eventually tracked him down, now 83 and still living in Scotland, he sounded almost relieved.
'I have been for waiting for someone to contact about this for more than 30 years,' he said.
RAF Officer Craig Lindsay shows a 30-year-old, black and white photo of a UFO sighting - described as 'one of the best in the world' which has been unearthed after being hidden by the British Ministry of Defence. 'I have been for waiting for someone to contact about this for more than 30 years,' he said.
So, what do I make of it? The moment Craig showed the photograph to me I knew I was looking at something exceptional. Yes, it is a black and white image, printed on colour paper, and the trees and fence look a little blurry, as if the photographer took it in a moment of panic — which is consistent with their story. But the camera is focused on the weird diamond shaped object in the centre of the frame. Unlike many other UFO images, this is clearly a structured craft of unknown origin. It looks other-worldly and unlike any conventional aircraft.
And it is by far the best UFO photograph I have ever seen.
Believe me, I'm no gullible, deluded conspiracy theorist. I'd grown cynical after viewing hundreds of unconvincing photographs and films: Blurry, grainy, out of focus shots of what easily could have been frisbees, streetlamps or even seagulls.
But this was clearly something different. I've since had it analysed by Andrew Robinson, a senior lecturer in photography at Sheffield Hallam University. He is convinced it is genuine, and if it is a hoax, then a highly elaborate one, involving expensive, sophisticated equipment and flying models, not at the disposal of two jobbing hotel chefs.
He told me: 'My conclusion is that the object is definitely in front of the camera, that is, it's not a fake produced in post-production, and its placement within the scene appears to be approximately halfway between the foreground fence and the plane in the background.'
Mr Lindsay, a pragmatic, logical former civil servant who spent ten years in the military, is convinced the image — and the frightened man he spoke to on that day — are genuine. Initially, he was worried about speaking to me in case he was in breach of the Official Secrets Act. But after 32 years of doing what he was told, and keeping quiet, he now wants the truth to emerge.
'As a press officer for Scotland, I dealt with many UFO reports but most were just of lights in the sky. It was obvious this one was different. When I asked what sort of noise it had made, the man said, 'It didn't make any noise at all.' Up to that point I wasn't treating it very seriously but when he said it was silent, I suddenly realised there is no aircraft that I know of that is silent.'
Lindsay arranged for the negatives the men had handed to the Daily Record to be collected and faxed a copy of the best print to the Ministry of Defence's now-defunct UFO desk in London.
'Before I could even get back to my desk the phone was ringing and my contact said, 'Tell me more about this. Can you get the negatives?'
This is the exact spot today where the hidden photograph was taken by two hotel chefs while hiking in the Scottish glen in 1990
When he visited the MoD later that year, however, he saw the Calvine photo blown up to poster size on the UFO office wall.
'I asked how they were getting on. They said it was being investigated. I was told to 'leave it to London'… they asked me not to get involved, so I have done exactly that,' he said.
'The years passed and gradually I just forgot about the print in my drawer. Now I hope the two witnesses will come forward and tell their own stories.'
I hope so too. My interest in UFO sightings started in the 1990s when, working as a journalist in Yorkshire, I began using the Freedom of Information Act to request access to MoD files on famous UFO sightings such as the Rendlesham Forest incident that is often called Britain's Roswell (an incident in 1947 in New Mexico long believed to have been a cover-up of UFO evidence).
In 2008, shortly before the MoD disbanded their UFO desk, I had become such an authority on the MoD files that I was offered the opportunity to curate the release of thousands of once secret UFO papers at The National Archives.
In here, among the hundreds of drawings from schoolchildren and letters from UFO conspiracy theorists demanding to know where the aliens were being kept, I found a poor-quality, photocopied drawing of a UFO with a Harrier beside it.
Yet, even more intriguingly, alongside the image there was a briefing prepared for Defence Ministers in Margaret Thatcher's government of the time if they were approached to comment on the sighting.
The wording was vague and non-committal, the typical 'swatting away' investigators are used to. Under the sub-heading 'Defensive Lines to Take' is the official response the MoD should give, if asked.
'Have looked at the photographs, no definite conclusions reached regarding large diamond-shaped object. Confident that jet aircraft is a Harrier. Have no record of Harriers operating in location at stated date/time. No other reports received by MoD of unusual air activity or sightings at location/date/time.'
I checked, but of course, no one did ask. The story was immediately shelved. I went looking for more.
Although the sparse MoD papers on the Calvine sighting were declassified, the names of the photographer (and Craig Lindsay) were removed from the file under Data Protection laws. Normally, these would have been released after 30 years — on January 1, 2020 — but the MoD and The National Archives continue to insist they must be kept secret for another 54 years — until 2076 — because of 'privacy concerns'.
Even the Daily Record's decision not to publish the story is intriguing. Had it been spiked by a D-Notice — a gagging order based on national security concerns, served by the MoD?
While this might sound like something from TV's The X-Files, some clever sleuthing by my fellow UFOlogist Matthew Illsley discovered that the Record's editor, the late Endell Laird, had been a member of the MoD's D-Notice committee at the time. A coincidence?
Matthew from Mansfield in Nottinghamshire is challenging the extended closure decision that he says is unjustified, asking: 'What have they got to hide after all these years?'
So what was it? Sadly, I do not think that mysterious aircraft arrived from another galaxy. I believe it was man-made somewhere in a secret hangar — and whatever it was remains on the secret list and highly sensitive. The witnesses had simply been in that 'million to one' chance of being in that particular place at that particular time, and needed to be shut up.
Remember, this was 1990, the Cold War was still a year away from thawing. The Gulf War started literally days earlier. The world was — as many would argue it still is today — divided along 'them and us' battle lines.
Since the mid-Eighties, there had been rumours of a top secret, exotic, American reconnaissance aircraft named 'Aurora' — a silent, supersonic, geometrically shaped craft, used for spy missions.
Although there has never been any substantial evidence that it was ever built or flown, there have been numerous unexplained sightings and incidents in both the US and the UK over the years that have fuelled the Aurora myth — Calvine included.
In 1991, Defence Ministers denied in Parliament that the US had been given permission to fly or land their secret spy plane in UK airspace after reports that Aurora had been spotted leaving RAF Machrihanish on the Mull of Kintyre.
But papers I obtained using the Freedom of Information Act suggest that some MoD intelligence officers did believe Aurora existed but were not allowed to say anything publicly.
A source in the MoD tells me that once Britain's intelligence chiefs realised the Calvine photographs showed a top secret US project they were immediately classified secret — UK Eyes Only.
Last June, the Pentagon released its long-awaited report on what it now calls UAPs or 'unidentified aerial phenomena' after a spate of similar sightings and the release of films showing fast-moving UFOs taken by US Navy pilots. The new American UAP Task Force listed five categories that most sightings, when resolved, would likely fall into — and one of these is 'classified programs' developed by the US government.
I am convinced the Calvine photograph shows one of these classified programs. Meanwhile, the American, and possibly our own, government have found it useful to 'keep the myth of UFOs flying' because it provides a useful cover for their own covert military activities.
But in this case their cover was blown by two young men who were in the wrong place at the wrong time. The MoD must explain to the public why, if there are no such things as UFOs, how they can justify keeping their identities secret for a further 54 years. And it also needs to explain what happened to the negatives and their file on the case — otherwise they are simply adding further grist to the mill of the conspiracy theorists who believe the authorities are hiding 'the truth' about visits to Earth by aliens. The pictures surely cannot be said to damage state interests.
I remain open-minded about the possibility that intelligent life exists elsewhere in the universe. But I remain unconvinced that it has ever visited Earth.
The Calvine photograph is, in my opinion, the best image showing an unidentified flying object ever taken. But as Dr J. Allen Hynek, consultant to the USAF's former UFO Project Blue Book, once said: 'Unidentified to whom?'
Revealed after 32 years, the top secret picture one MOD insider calls ‘the most spectacular UFO photo ever captured’
Revealed after 32 years, the top secret picture one MOD insider calls ‘the most spectacular UFO photo ever captured’
So why do officials want to keep the identities of the men who took it secret for another 50 years?
By David Clarke
On August 4, 1990, two young men were working as chefs in a hotel in Pitlochry, a beautiful Highland Perthshire town, just outside the Cairngorms National Park in Scotland.
At 9pm, after a long day in a hot kitchen, they drove about 13 miles north along the A9 to Calvine, a spot on the edge of the Cairngorms, for a walk in the hills.
They hadn’t gone far when they saw a huge, solid, diamond-shaped object, about 100ft long, hovering silently in the sky above them. Terrified, they hid in some bushes and looked up.
Minutes later, they heard the scream of a jet aircraft going north: In 1990, RAF Leuchars in Fife had two squadrons of Tornado fighters on 24-hour standby to intercept Russian intruder aircraft.
The jet came back and circled the ‘thing’ before heading off on its original course, as if the pilot had seen the object too and had come back for a closer look.
Eventually the two men stuck their camera out from where they were hiding and fired off six frames. At that point, the object shot vertically upwards and disappeared way, way up in to the sky.
Convinced they’d just seen a UFO, they took their photos to the Daily Record, one of Scotland’s leading newspapers. But no story was ever printed: The paper passed the pictures on to the Ministry of Defence.
And then, the photographs simply vanished — along with the two young chefs.
Until now. Here, for the first time, we can reveal that missing picture — a photograph one MoD insider described as the most spectacular UFO picture ever captured, and the Holy Grail in terms of hard evidence that these things really exist.
It’s a picture the MoD and The National Archives have tried their utmost to keep hidden. While the information would normally have been released after 30 years, the Ministry has not released the original photo and wants the names of the witnesses sealed for a further 54 years — until 2076 — because of ‘privacy concerns’.
Unearthed: Former RAF officer Craig Lindsay with the photo he kept hidden for 32 years
As a university lecturer and investigative reporter who’s spent three decades immersed in the world of UFOlogy, I heard the story of the mysterious ‘Calvine file’ — as the missing photo and report of that incident at Calvine came to be known — many moons ago and have devoted the past 13 years doggedly searching for the images the men took.
What happened to the file, the men who pictured the UFO and how and why its very existence has been suppressed for 32 years, was a puzzle I was determined to crack. Wherever I searched for answers, however, I found insiders blocking my inquiries — until I struck lucky and found retired RAF officer Craig Lindsay, the first official to speak to one of the young chefs after that night.
He was willing to talk to me and, most exciting of all, I discovered that he’d broken protocol that day and stashed a copy of the image before, on Whitehall’s orders, sending the entire dossier — negatives included — to the Ministry of Defence in London.
He’d kept the secret copy in his desk for 32 years — hidden inside his copy of Great Aircraft Of The World. When I eventually tracked him down, now 83 and still living in Scotland, he sounded almost relieved.
‘I have been for waiting for someone to contact about this for more than 30 years,’ he said.
So, what do I make of it? The moment Craig showed the photograph to me I knew I was looking at something exceptional. Yes, it is a black and white image, printed on colour paper, and the trees and fence look a little blurry, as if the photographer took it in a moment of panic — which is consistent with their story. But the camera is focused on the weird diamond shaped object in the centre of the frame. Unlike many other UFO images, this is clearly a structured craft of unknown origin. It looks other-worldly and unlike any conventional aircraft.
And it is by far the best UFO photograph I have ever seen.
Believe me, I’m no gullible, deluded conspiracy theorist. I’d grown cynical after viewing hundreds of unconvincing photographs and films: Blurry, grainy, out of focus shots of what easily could have been frisbees, streetlamps or even seagulls.
But this was clearly something different. I’ve since had it analysed by Andrew Robinson, a senior lecturer in photography at Sheffield Hallam University. He is convinced it is genuine, and if it is a hoax, then a highly elaborate one, involving expensive, sophisticated equipment and flying models, not at the disposal of two jobbing hotel chefs.
He told me: ‘My conclusion is that the object is definitely in front of the camera, that is, it’s not a fake produced in post-production, and its placement within the scene appears to be approximately halfway between the foreground fence and the plane in the background.’
Mr Lindsay, a pragmatic, logical former civil servant who spent ten years in the military, is convinced the image — and the frightened man he spoke to on that day — are genuine. Initially, he was worried about speaking to me in case he was in breach of the Official Secrets Act. But after 32 years of doing what he was told, and keeping quiet, he now wants the truth to emerge.
‘As a press officer for Scotland, I dealt with many UFO reports but most were just of lights in the sky. It was obvious this one was different. When I asked what sort of noise it had made, the man said, “It didn’t make any noise at all.” Up to that point I wasn’t treating it very seriously but when he said it was silent, I suddenly realised there is no aircraft that I know of that is silent.’
Lindsay arranged for the negatives the men had handed to the Daily Record to be collected and faxed a copy of the best print to the Ministry of Defence’s now-defunct UFO desk in London.
‘Before I could even get back to my desk the phone was ringing and my contact said, “Tell me more about this. Can you get the negatives?”’
When he visited the MoD later that year, however, he saw the Calvine photo blown up to poster size on the UFO office wall.
‘I asked how they were getting on. They said it was being investigated. I was told to “leave it to London”… they asked me not to get involved, so I have done exactly that,’ he said.
‘The years passed and gradually I just forgot about the print in my drawer. Now I hope the two witnesses will come forward and tell their own stories.’
I hope so too. My interest in UFO sightings started in the 1990s when, working as a journalist in Yorkshire, I began using the Freedom of Information Act to request access to MoD files on famous UFO sightings such as the Rendlesham Forest incident that is often called Britain’s Roswell (an incident in 1947 in New Mexico long believed to have been a cover-up of UFO evidence).
In 2008, shortly before the MoD disbanded their UFO desk, I had become such an authority on the MoD files that I was offered the opportunity to curate the release of thousands of once secret UFO papers at The National Archives.
Fast forward: How the spot in Calvine where the mysterious photo was taken looks today
In here, among the hundreds of drawings from schoolchildren and letters from UFO conspiracy theorists demanding to know where the aliens were being kept, I found a poor-quality, photocopied drawing of a UFO with a Harrier beside it.
Yet, even more intriguingly, alongside the image there was a briefing prepared for Defence Ministers in Margaret Thatcher’s government of the time if they were approached to comment on the sighting.
The wording was vague and non-committal, the typical ‘swatting away’ investigators are used to. Under the sub-heading ‘Defensive Lines to Take’ is the official response the MoD should give, if asked.
‘Have looked at the photographs, no definite conclusions reached regarding large diamond-shaped object. Confident that jet aircraft is a Harrier. Have no record of Harriers operating in location at stated date/time. No other reports received by MoD of unusual air activity or sightings at location/date/time.’
I checked, but of course, no one did ask. The story was immediately shelved. I went looking for more.
Although the sparse MoD papers on the Calvine sighting were declassified, the names of the photographer (and Craig Lindsay) were removed from the file under Data Protection laws. Normally, these would have been released after 30 years — on January 1, 2020 — but the MoD and The National Archives continue to insist they must be kept secret for another 54 years — until 2076 — because of ‘privacy concerns’.
Even the Daily Record’s decision not to publish the story is intriguing. Had it been spiked by a D-Notice — a gagging order based on national security concerns, served by the MoD?
While this might sound like something from TV’s The X-Files, some clever sleuthing by my fellow UFOlogist Matthew Illsley discovered that the Record’s editor, the late Endell Laird, had been a member of the MoD’s D-Notice committee at the time. A coincidence?
Matthew from Mansfield in Nottinghamshire is challenging the extended closure decision that he says is unjustified, asking: ‘What have they got to hide after all these years?’
So what was it? Sadly, I do not think that mysterious aircraft arrived from another galaxy. I believe it was man-made somewhere in a secret hangar — and whatever it was remains on the secret list and highly sensitive. The witnesses had simply been in that ‘million to one’ chance of being in that particular place at that particular time, and needed to be shut up.
Remember, this was 1990, the Cold War was still a year away from thawing. The Gulf War started literally days earlier. The world was — as many would argue it still is today — divided along ‘them and us’ battle lines.
Since the mid-Eighties, there had been rumours of a top secret, exotic, American reconnaissance aircraft named ‘Aurora’ — a silent, supersonic, geometrically shaped craft, used for spy missions.
Although there has never been any substantial evidence that it was ever built or flown, there have been numerous unexplained sightings and incidents in both the US and the UK over the years that have fuelled the Aurora myth — Calvine included.
In 1991, Defence Ministers denied in Parliament that the US had been given permission to fly or land their secret spy plane in UK airspace after reports that Aurora had been spotted leaving RAF Machrihanish on the Mull of Kintyre.
But papers I obtained using the Freedom of Information Act suggest that some MoD intelligence officers did believe Aurora existed but were not allowed to say anything publicly.
A source in the MoD tells me that once Britain’s intelligence chiefs realised the Calvine photographs showed a top secret US project they were immediately classified secret — UK Eyes Only.
Last June, the Pentagon released its long-awaited report on what it now calls UAPs or ‘unidentified aerial phenomena’ after a spate of similar sightings and the release of films showing fast-moving UFOs taken by US Navy pilots. The new American UAP Task Force listed five categories that most sightings, when resolved, would likely fall into — and one of these is ‘classified programs’ developed by the US government.
I am convinced the Calvine photograph shows one of these classified programs. Meanwhile, the American, and possibly our own, government have found it useful to ‘keep the myth of UFOs flying’ because it provides a useful cover for their own covert military activities.
But in this case their cover was blown by two young men who were in the wrong place at the wrong time. The MoD must explain to the public why, if there are no such things as UFOs, how they can justify keeping their identities secret for a further 54 years. And it also needs to explain what happened to the negatives and their file on the case — otherwise they are simply adding further grist to the mill of the conspiracy theorists who believe the authorities are hiding ‘the truth’ about visits to Earth by aliens. The pictures surely cannot be said to damage state interests.
I remain open-minded about the possibility that intelligent life exists elsewhere in the universe. But I remain unconvinced that it has ever visited Earth.
The Calvine photograph is, in my opinion, the best image showing an unidentified flying object ever taken. But as Dr J. Allen Hynek, consultant to the USAF’s former UFO Project Blue Book, once said: ‘Unidentified to whom?’
This image from the Gemini North telescope in Hawai'i reveals a pair of interacting spiral galaxies — NGC 4568 (bottom) and NGC 4567 (top) — as they begin to clash and merge. The galaxies will eventually form a single elliptical galaxy in around 500 million years. Credit: International Gemini Observatory/NOIRLab/NSF/AURAImage processing: T.A. Rector (University of Alaska Anchorage/NSF's NOIRLab), J. Miller (Gemini Observatory/NSF's NOIRLab), M. Zamani (NSF's NOIRLab) & D. de Martin (NSF's NOIRLab)
An evocative new image captured by the Gemini North telescope in Hawai'i reveals a pair of interacting spiral galaxies—NGC 4568 and NGC 4567—as they begin to clash and merge. These galaxies are entangled by their mutual gravitational field and will eventually combine to form a single elliptical galaxy in around 500 million years. Also visible in the image is the glowing remains of a supernova that was detected in 2020.
Gemini North, one of the twin telescopes of the International Gemini Observatory, operated by NSF's NOIRLab, has observed the initial stages of a cosmic collision approximately 60 million light-years away in the direction of the constellation Virgo. The two stately spiral galaxies, NGC 4568 (bottom) and NGC 4567 (top), are poised to undergo one of the most spectacular events in the universe, a galactic merger. At present, the centers of these galaxies are still 20,000 light-years apart (about the distance from Earth to the center of the Milky Way) and each galaxy still retains its original, pinwheel shape. Those placid conditions, however, will change.
As NGC 4568 and NGC 4567 draw together and coalesce, their dueling gravitational forces will trigger bursts of intense stellar formation and wildly distort their once-majestic structures. Over millions of years, the galaxies will repeatedly swing past each other in ever-tightening loops, drawing out long streamers of stars and gas until their individual structures are so thoroughly mixed that a single, essentially spherical, galaxy emerges from the chaos. By that point, much of the gas and dust (the fuel for star formation) in this system will have been used up or blown away.
A new image captured by the Gemini North telescope in Hawai'i reveals a pair of interacting spiral galaxies — NGC 4568 and NGC 4567 — as they begin to clash and merge. These galaxies are entangled by their mutual gravitational field and will eventually combine to form a single elliptical galaxy in around 500 million years. Also visible in the image is the glowing remains of a supernova that was detected in 2020. Credit: Images and Videos: International Gemini Observatory/NOIRLab/NSF/AURA/F. Summers (STScI), G. Besla (Columbia University), and R. van der Marel (STScI)Image Processing: T.A. Rector (University of Alaska Anchorage/NSF's NOIRLab), J. Miller (Gemini Observatory/NSF's NOIRLab), M. Zamani (NSF's NOIRLab)Music: Stellardrone - A Moment of Stillness
This merger is also a preview of what will happen when the Milky Way and its closest large galactic neighbor the Andromeda Galaxy collide in about 5 billion years.
A bright region in the center of one of NGC 4568's sweeping spiral arms is the fading afterglow of a supernova—known as SN 2020fqv—that was detected in 2020. The new Gemini image was produced from data taken in 2020.
By combining decades of observations and computer modeling, astronomers now have compelling evidence that merging spiral galaxies like these go on to become elliptical galaxies. It is likely that NGC 4568 and NGC 4567 will eventually resemble their more-mature neighbor Messier 89, an elliptical galaxy that also resides in the Virgo Cluster. With its dearth of star-forming gas, Messier 89 now exhibits minimal star formation and is made up primarily of older, low-mass stars and ancient globular clusters.
This image from the Gemini North telescope in Hawai'i reveals a pair of interacting spiral galaxies — NGC 4568 (bottom) and NGC 4567 (top) — as they begin to clash and merge. The galaxies will eventually form a single elliptical galaxy in around 500 million years. Also shown in the image is the glowing remains of a supernova that was detected in 2020. Credit: International Gemini Observatory/NOIRLab/NSF/AURAImage processing: T.A. Rector (University of Alaska Anchorage/NSF's NOIRLab), J. Miller (Gemini Observatory/NSF's NOIRLab), M. Zamani (NSF's NOIRLab) & D. de Martin (NSF's NOIRLab)
Advanced technology on the Gemini North telescope, including the Gemini Multi-Object Spectrograph North(GMOS-N) and the dry air above the summit of Maunakea, allowed astronomers to capture this spectacular image.
The image was obtained by NOIRLab's Communication, Education & Engagement team, as part of the NOIRLab Legacy Imaging Program.
Nieuw beeld van botsende sterrenstelsels voorspelt het lot van onze Melkweg
Een nieuwe telescopische foto toont twee verstrengelde sterrenstelsels die uiteindelijk over miljoenen jaren zullen samensmelten tot één. De botsing geeft een voorproefje van het uiteindelijke, vergelijkbare lot van ons eigen Melkwegstelsel.
De Gemini North-telescoop, die zich op de top van de Maunakea in Hawaï bevindt, heeft de samenwerkende spiraalstelsels op een afstand van ongeveer zestig miljoen lichtjaar in het sterrenbeeld Maagd waargenomen. Het galactische paar NGC 4567 en NGC 4568, ook wel bekend als de Vlinderstelsels, zijn net begonnen met botsen doordat de zwaartekracht hen naar elkaar toe trekt.
Over 500 miljoen jaar zullen de twee kosmische stelsels volledig samensmelten en samen een elliptisch sterrenstelsel vormen. In dit vroege stadium zijn de twee melkwegcentra nog 20.000 lichtjaar van elkaar verwijderd en heeft elk melkwegstelsel zijn spiraalvorm behouden. Naarmate de sterrenstelsels meer verstrengeld raken, zullen de gravitatiekrachten leiden tot meervoudige gebeurtenissen van intense stervorming. De oorspronkelijke structuren van de sterrenstelsels zullen veranderen en vervormen.
Na verloop van tijd zullen ze om elkaar heen dansen in cirkels die steeds kleiner worden. Deze strakke lusvormige dans zal lange stromen gas en sterren aantrekken en uitrekken, waardoor de twee sterrenstelsels zich vermengen tot iets dat op een bol lijkt.
Het nagloeien van een supernova, voor het eerst waargenomen in 2020, is ook zichtbaar op de nieuwe afbeelding als een heldere vlek in een van de spiraalarmen van sterrenstelsel NGC 4568.
Fusie in de Melkweg
Een soortgelijke galactische fusie zal zich voltrekken wanneer ons Melkwegstelsel uiteindelijk in botsing komt met het Andromedastelsel, onze grootste en dichtstbijzijnde galactische buur. Astronomen van de NASA hebben in 2012 Hubble-gegevens gebruikt om te voorspellen wanneer een frontale botsing tussen de twee spiraalvormige sterrenstelsels zou kunnen plaatsvinden. Volgens schattingen zal dit gebeuren over ongeveer 4 tot 5 miljard jaar.
Op dit moment botst een enorme halo, een grote omhulling van gas, die het Andromedastelsel omringt al tegen de halo van het Melkwegstelsel, volgens onderzoek op basis van gegevens van de Hubble-ruimtetelescoop dat in 2020 is gepubliceerd.
Deze buur, die waarschijnlijk wel 1 triljoen sterren bevat, is qua grootte vergelijkbaar met ons grote melkwegstelsel, en hij staat slechts 2,5 miljoen lichtjaar van ons vandaan. Dat klinkt misschien ongelooflijk ver weg, maar op astronomische schaal is Andromeda daarmee zo dichtbij dat het stelsel zichtbaar is aan onze herfsthemel. Je kunt het zien als een vaag sigaarvormig lichtpuntje, hoog aan de hemel.
Wetenschappers van de NASA zeiden dat het onwaarschijnlijk is dat ons zonnestelsel vernietigd zal worden wanneer de Melkweg en Andromeda samensmelten, maar de zon zou wel eens naar een nieuw deel van het melkwegstelsel geschopt kunnen worden en de nachtelijke hemel van de aarde zou wel een aantal nieuwe spectaculaire uitzichten kunnen krijgen.
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US is allegedly collecting technology from aliens held in captivity, claims a former Area 51 engineer
US is allegedly collecting technology from aliens held in captivity, claims a former Area 51 engineer
The engineer said that a deal between the US and the UN had allowed the existence of aliens to remain a secret.
Aliens do indeed exist on earth, according to conspiracy theorists. These conspiracy theorists contend that the American administration is aware of the existence of alien life and is concealing this information out of concern for public outcry.
An ex-engineer who claims to have worked at Area 51 has added fuel to this seemingly absurd hypothesis by asserting that the US holds aliens imprisoned.
Engineer Bill Uhouse asserts that the US government is attempting to obtain alien technology from Area 51 using extraterrestrials.
According to Uhouse we’re dealing with an extraterrestrial race when it comes to technology.
Additionally, he stated that a US-UN agreement has allowed for the concealment of the existence of foreigners.
The engineer explained that EBEs were used to identify any aliens that were there (Extraterrestrial Biological Entities). He mentioned that three different classifications were made to keep an eye on the aliens, with The Greys being ranked as little, medium, and tall. the head of Israeli space security on aliens
A few months ago, Haim Eshed, a former head of space security for Israel, asserted that extraterrestrial life exists on earth. Eshed claims that major nations including the USA and Israel are collaborating with extraterrestrials.
He also said that humans and extraterrestrials collaborate in a covert subterranean outpost on Mars.
Astronomers Reveal The Biggest 3D Map of the Milky Way and it’s Ridiculously Stunning
Astronomers Reveal The Biggest 3D Map of the Milky Way and it’s Ridiculously Stunning
The greatest three-dimensional map of the Milky Way has been developed by an international team of scientists, and the results have been published in the journal Science.
Researchers created a 3D map that shows the S-shaped structure of the Milky Way galaxy’s combined star disc, our cosmic address, by calculating the distance from our Sun to hundreds of pulsating stars spread around our galaxy.
“Our map shows that the Milky Way disk is not flat. Instead, it is deformed and twisted in shape,” revealed study co-author Przemek Mróz of the University of Warsaw in Poland.“This is the first time we can use individual objects to display it in three dimensions,” he added.
Much of our present understanding of the spiral shape and structure of our galaxy is based on indirect observations of celestial objects and conclusions based on other distant galaxies in the Universe.
However, as scientists have discovered, the galactic map provided by these restricted observations is insufficient.
The classical Cepheids (giant stars that burn hundreds, if not thousands, of times brighter than our Sun) pulse frequently and are visible through the huge interstellar dust clouds that often cover less luminous interstellar objects, much like numerous distant lighthouses.
Distances to these stars may be estimated precisely owing to periodic fluctuations in brightness.
Dorota Skowron of Warsaw University, in collaboration with scientists from Ohio State University in the United States and the University of Warwick in the United Kingdom, traced the distance to over 2,400 cepheids along the Milky Way, the majority of which were discovered by the Optical Gravitational Lensing Experiment (OGLE), a project that helped double the number of known galactic classical cepheids.
he researchers were able to create an extremely precise three-dimensional model of the Milky Way by assigning coordinates to each distant pulsing star in reference to our Sun.
As a consequence, a beautiful, never-before-seen map of the Milky Way Galaxy has been created.
The findings of the study have helped astronomers better grasp our cosmic surroundings and precisely depict the form of the galaxy.
And it’s not flat, but it does have an unusual form.
As noted by Space.com, “this new map helped reveal more details on distortions that astronomers had “previously detected in the shape of the Milky Way.”
The map took scientists six years to create, but as participating astronomers disclosed, “it was worth it.”
At a distance of almost 25,000 light-years from the galactic core, we discovered that the galaxy’s disc is not flat. It’s twisted. This bending might have been generated by interactions between the galaxy and nearby galaxies, intergalactic gas, or even dark matter.
“Warping of the galactic disk has been detected before, but this is the first time we can use individual objects to trace its shape in three dimensions,” explained Mróz in a statement.
The quantity of ‘warping’ observed in our galaxy was shockingly pronounced, according to the researchers. “It is not some statistical fact available only to a scientist’s understanding,” Mróz said. “It is apparent by eye.”
Peter Khoury’s case is the first alien abduction where an alien specimen was found on a human body, revealed in a DNA test. He was born in Lebanon in 1964, and in 1973 migrated to Australia where he met his future wife Vivian in 1981, and the couple married later in 1990. They have 2 children.
Peter’s first encounter with a UFO happened when he was only 7 years old. It was the summer of 1971, and he was playing with seven other children when all of them decided to go to a rooftop. As he came there, an egg-shaped UFO was hovering above other children who were standing like a statue.
After some time gap, all the children found themselves on the ground floor with no memory of the incident. The next encounter happened in February 1988, when Peter and Vivian were in Sydney. That time, they saw a strange moving light. But the incident that happened later in July completely changed Peter’s life.
It was around 11 PM, and Peter was staying with his family. That night, his brother Sam invited him to watch a movie in his room. Peter lay in his bedroom, but what happened next was completely frightening.
As he was laying on the bed, he felt a paralysis in his whole body and could move only his eyes.
“While…lying on my bed, I felt something grab my ankles. As I felt this, a strange numbness, tingling and churning sensation crawled up through my body and right up to my head. I was paralyzed, I could not move any part of my body but for the exception of my eyes, which I could move, open or close. My brain was functioning but I could not do anything physically. I tried to call out to family members but I could not force the words out. At this stage I started to panic thinking I would not walk again. I thought I was truly paralyzed.”
Peter Khoury and his wife Vivian
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Peter Khoury and his wife Vivian
As the experience unfolded Peter’s first thought was that this was a form of payback, a punishment for the less than satisfactory life he had led for about six years before he returned to the family fold. He thought, if he survived this, that his community would think, God’s punishing him, God paid him back. What followed — the encounter with the hooded, three- to four-foot-tall creatures with black, wrinkled faces — changed everything.
“The fear was so extreme. I’m gone! I’m dead! It’s real! I was petrified and paralyzed. Irrational fears were crowding in. They were going to kill me. I could be killed. The fear level was extraordinary. I was stressing out, how could I get out of this?
I became aware of some sort of communication, seemingly telepathic, no sound made, and yet I could hear the message in my mind. I was told not to worry and I would not be harmed and to relax. As I moved my eyes and looked to the left side…I made eye contact with two beings who looked so different to the others. These were thin, tall with big black eyes and a narrow chin. They were goldish-yellow in color.
Astonishingly the stress was gone immediately. The whole fear thing washed away as quickly as a light switch on. How could I be so calm after such a level of fear? My heartbeat was no longer racing.[A whole different situation was unfolding.]
Peter said he saw three- to four-foot-tall creatures with black, wrinkled faces around him. He communicated with the aliens telepathically. He heard them saying that they would not harm him and even made eye contact with the two of them. Peter even noticed that one alien was male and another female, wearing masks.
One of them inserted a needle into his head, and he blackout. Peter described him as tall and thin with large black eyes in the golden yellow suit.
After he got consciousness, he found out the creatures had also drugged his family members. Further, he thought that only 10 minutes had passed but in reality, it was 1 to 2 hours.
After this, Peter was totally petrified and had no clue what to do next. He even had surgical marks on his head which could prove his encounter with aliens. He had not much knowledge about alien abductions and struggled to understand them.
Eventually, he understood about the abduction experiences, jumped into, the world of Ufology, and started a group named the UFO Experience Support Association (UFOESA).
He continued helping other victims who claimed to encounter aliens, but his personal experiences did not finish.
On July 23, 1992, he came home after dropping off his wife at the train station. It was around 7 AM, and he was not feeling very well as he had got head injuries during an assault at the job site. So, he decided to go to bed and get some sleep.
Peter felt something alighting on the bed. As he got up, he was shocked to see two strange naked women kneeling near his bed.
He described one had an appearance of Nordic with an elongated face, big blue eyes, and a sharply pointed chin. Another one looked like an Asian. “I got the shock of my life because right on top of me was this female, a blonde female. She was just milky white in color. Her eyes were probably two-three times bigger than human eyes. She had protruding cheekbones and a narrow face that narrowed down to a pointy chin and on the side of the bed on the corner of the bed there was another female an asian looking female and then she the blonde female touches her stomach and points to the sky,” Peter said.
Although no normal communication occurred, the Nordic woman seemed to be in charge, and Khoury got the impression she was giving the Asian-looking woman some sort of instruction.
Artistic view of two alien women: Nordic and Asian
She was 6 feet tall and very strong. She tried to copulate with Peter by pulling him towards her breasts, but he resisted and even bit her which made him cough. Moments later, he looked up again, but both women had vanished.
The coughing stimulated him to go to the bathroom to drink water. After that, he tried urinating and found blonde hair on the genital of that Nordic alien woman. He kept the hair in the plastic bag with a seal.
Prof. John Mack, Peter Khoury, Bill Chalker & Dominique Callimanopulos
Prof. John Mack, Peter Khoury, Bill Chalker & Dominique Callimanopulos
Peter refrained himself telling about it to Vivian for 2 weeks, although she had been very supportive of him for the 1988 abduction.
In 1996, Harvard psychiatrist John Mack did a hypnotic regression on Peter to understand what had happened to him in 1988. Under hypnosis, Peter said that he was taken to a room full of lights. He was on the table with one creature above him but could not find out more than that.
Because of the bizarre and controversial nature of the 1992 episode, Peter was more comfortable describing his 1988 experience.
Because of the 1988 and 1992 experiences, Peter’s case was widely discussed and came into the knowledge of UFO researcher Bill Chalker. He began an investigation into the case and did the world’s first PCR (polymerase Chain Reaction) DNA test on the hair sample.
The test result showed that the hair was biologically close to human genetics but came from an unusual human race, probably a rare Chinese Mongoloid type.
Could Peter Khoury’s July 1988 alien encounter be an example of the well-established phenomenon known as “sleep paralysis”?
John O’Neill, a member of Australian Skeptics, argued that sleep paralysis could explain the paralysis Peter Khoury experienced, hallucination could explain his experience with extraterrestrials, falling asleep could explain his missing time, and “the puncture wound and scab could be from anything — a pimple, an insect bite or anything else in approximately the right location.” O’Neill accepted that Peter’s experience was genuine, as he himself had had a sleep paralysis episode. But his experience was typically vague, like most sleep paralysis episodes — “the feeling of some other entity being in the room, but [I] did not know and could not see what.” That vague description falls far short of the detailed and ordered description Peter Khoury offers of his experience.
Several aspects of Peter’s encounter actually defy this simplistic categorization. First of all, he was not asleep, nor had he reached the state that precedes sleep, the hypnagogic state, that often yields fleeting imagery of a hallucinatory nature. Furthermore, his experience has an ordered sequence of events that were recollected consciously; they were not vague sensory experiences of fragmented sleep. Then there are the physical marks, namely the injury to his head, where he felt the strange needle being stuck in, along with the biopsy-like mark on his leg, which certainly can’t be accounted for as a classic sleep paralysis episode or as a product of the sleep/awake interface that spawns hypnagogic imagery.
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- Gemiddelde waardering: 0/5 - (0 Stemmen) Categorie:ALIEN LIFE, UFO- CRASHES, ABDUCTIONS, MEN IN BLACK, ed ( FR. , NL; E )
11-08-2022
NASA Releases A Video Of A Massive Comet That Just Crashed Into The Sun
NASA Releases A Video Of A Massive Comet That Just Crashed Into The Sun
The doomed comet was almost certainly a 'Kreutz sungrazer,' a fragment from a giant comet that broke apart many centuries ago," astronomer Tony Phillips wrote for Spaceweather.com.
"A swarm of these fragments orbits the sun, and at least one gets too close every day and disintegrates. Most, measuring less than a few meters across, are too small to see, but occasionally a big one like today's attracts attention."
The comet couldn't resist the intense gravitational pull of the sun, CNET reported.
Taking the above image as a reference, it's safe to say that the sungrazer has evaporated in the face of the sun's high and powerful heat.
More about the comet
Small solar system bodies that begin to heat up and release gas as they pass near the sun are called comets. Comets can range in size from a few hundred meters to tens of kilometers.
According to NASA, "Comets are cosmic snowballs of frozen gases, rock, and dust that orbit the Sun. When frozen, they are the size of a small town. When a comet's orbit brings it close to the Sun, it heats up and spews dust and gases into a giant glowing head larger than most planets.
The dust and gases form a tail that stretches away from the Sun for millions of miles. There are likely billions of comets orbiting our Sun in the Kuiper Belt and even more distant Oort Cloud."
Let's get to know "Kreutz sungrazers"
Characterized by their orbits extremely close to the sun, Kreutz sungrazers are thought to be fragments of a large comet that broke apart a few centuries ago.
Named after the German astronomer Heinrich Kreutz, these objects can sometimes be seen around the sun in the daylight. The most recent of these was Comet Ikeya–Seki in 1965, which may have been one of the brightest comets in the last millennium.
The Most Incredible Crop Circle Designs of Great Britain... 2022 Documentary
The Most Incredible Crop Circle Designs of Great Britain... 2022 Documentary
2022 Documentary Crop Circle Reality - This phenomenon stretches far beyond the boundaries of England with over a thousand crop circles spanning the globe.
Although there have been some claimants to come forward to take responsibility for the creation of some crop circles, this documentary seeks out the most incredible crop circle designs and a possible E.T connection to their making. Realities that some may never have been exposed to before in regard to the UFO and crop circle phenomena.
Orbiting high above our heads is a technology that has changed every aspect of our lives.
From the GPS on your phone to the sport you watch on TV, satellites have become a cornerstone of modern life.
But as well as civilian use, they're also the lynchpin to secure military and government communications. So it stands to reason then that any hostile state wishing to cause disruption would target these satellites. Known as anti-satellite (ASATs) weapons, they have been around almost as long as satellites themselves.
HISTORY OF ASATS
When the Soviet Union launched the world's first satellite Sputnik 1 in 1957, the US feared their cold war rivals would develop an orbital network of nuclear-armed satellites. It responded with its first ASAT, an air-launched ballistic missile called Bold Orion.
The Soviets responded with their own ASAT. These were known as co-orbitals which would essentially fly alongside satellites and blow themselves up, taking the satellite with it.
The tech has continued to evolve, with China entering the race in 2007 when it destroyed an old weather satellite with a ballistic missile. Continuing tests(opens in new tab) have led to a dangerous rise in space junk orbiting the Earth, and in April 2022 the US became the first county to announce it was banning the use of missiles against satellites, according to the White House website(opens in new tab).
TYPES OF ASATS
ASATs can be broadly divided into two types, those that use brute force and those that don't. Kinetic energy ASATs physically crash into satellites and can be virtually anything that can reach altitude, from ballistic missiles to drones and other satellites.
A different type of ASAT is the non-kinetic type. They use non-physical attacks such as cyber-attacks(opens in new tab), jamming and even blind satellites with lasers. These attacks can all be carried out from the air, low orbit, or even ground installations.
CREATING SPACE JUNK
Imagine what happens when satellites are destroyed and turn into junk orbiting the Earth. Then picture what happens when that junk crashes into other space vehicles and they too turn into junk.
This nightmare scenario was played out in the 2013 blockbuster movie "Gravity" and pretty much sums up the Kessler Syndrome.
The Kessler Syndrome is what happens when the amount of space debris in orbit reaches a point where it just creates more and more, which can cause havoc for any space program.
It is named after former NASA scientist Donald Kessler, who described the basic idea in his 1978 paper "Collision Frequency of Artificial Satellites: The Creation of a Debris Belt(opens in new tab)". He and co-author Burton Cour-Palais said the likelihood of satellite collisions would increase as more and more spacecraft were launched.
Projects such as the European Space Agency's Clean Space initiative(opens in new tab) are trying to tackle the problem through things such as the robotic salvage of derelict satellites.
In March 2019, India tested this anti-satellite weapon during an operation called Mission Shakti. (Image credit: Getty Images)
A NEW PEACE?
Four countries — the USA, China, Russia and India — have destroyed their own satellites in ASAT tests. But just as the Soviets and USA once sat down to talk about nuclear disarmament, there is a growing movement toward getting rid of ASATs too.
The United States' plan to ban tests on the use of ballistic missiles against satellites was set into motion after the Russian government shot down one of its own satellites and created thousands of pieces of debris orbiting Earth. It left astronauts on the International Space Station needing to take shelter as the shrapnel field passed by.
ADDITIONAL RESOURCES
You can read more about anti-satellite weapons and the emerging space arms race by reading this article from Harvard International Review(opens in new tab) magazine. Alternatively, you can find out about Russia's anti-satellite test at the Arms Control Association website(opens in new tab).
"Clean Space(opens in new tab)". European Space Agency: Space Safety (2012).
Join our Space Forums to keep talking space on the latest missions, night sky and more! And if you have a news tip, correction or comment, let us know at: community@space.com.
Rainwater No Longer Safe to Drink Anywhere on Earth Due to Cancer-Causing Chemicals, Scientists Warn
Rainwater No Longer Safe to Drink Anywhere on Earth Due to Cancer-Causing Chemicals, Scientists Warn
Scientists in Europe have concluded that levels of man-made “forever chemicals” in rainwater have made it “unsafe to drink” around the world—even in the most remote areas of the planet like Antarctica.
Rainwater almost everywhere on Earth has unsafe levels of ‘forever chemicals’, according to new research.
How has this happened and what’s the fallout? 🧵
There is now reportedly no safe spot in the world to escape these cancer-causing chemicals.
In a new study published on August 2 in the peer-reviewed journal Environmental Science and Technology, researchers from Stockholm University and ETH Zurich argue that the amounts of per- and poly-fluoroalkyl substances (PFAS) considered acceptable for drinking water, surface water and soil in official guidelines have decreased “dramatically” over the past 20 years “due to new insights into their toxicity.”
“There has been an astounding decline in guideline values for PFAS in drinking water in the last 20 years,” explained Ian Cousins, a professor at the Department of Environmental Science, Stockholm University and lead author of the study.
“Based on the latest US guidelines for PFOA in drinking water, rainwater everywhere would be judged unsafe to drink,” Cousins said.
“Although in the industrial world we don’t often drink rainwater, many people around the world expect it to be safe to drink and it supplies many of our drinking water sources.”
Cousins called the decline “astounding.”
In a press release, Cousins said the recommended safe drinking water guideline value for one chemical in particular—the cancer-causing perfluorooctanoic acid—has dropped by 37.5 million times in the United States.
“Forever chemicals” are a large group of human-made chemicals that are known to cause cancer and don’t occur naturally in nature. They can be found in household items including food packaging, electronics, cosmetics, and cookware because they have non-stick or stain-repellent characteristics.
PFAS are referred to as “forever chemicals” because they don’t ever break down in the environment.
Extensive research has been conducted on the effects being exposed to PFAS may have on one’s health
According to some of the findings, scientists say these chemicals could be linked to infertility issues, an increased risk of cancer, developmental delays in children, and more.
However, others claim that no cause and effect can be proven.
While one of the compounds’ manufacturers, 3M, has attempted to phase them out for 20 years, scientists warn that some dangerous PFAS are not significantly decreasing in the atmosphere.
“The extreme persistence and continual global cycling of certain PFAS will lead to the continued exceedance of the above-mentioned guidelines,” warned study co-author and professor Martin
Scheringer claims that because of this, “it makes sense to define a planetary boundary specifically for PFAS and, as we conclude in the paper, this boundary has now been exceeded.”
Companies shouldn’t be permitted to “benefit economically while polluting the drinking water for millions of others, and causing serious health problems,” added Jane Muncke, the managing director of the Food Packaging Forum in Switzerland who was not involved in the study.
“The vast amounts that it will cost to reduce PFAS in drinking water to levels that are safe based on current scientific understanding need to be paid by the industry producing and using these toxic chemicals,” Muncke said.
“The time to act is now.”
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Check out this interesting footage of a huge daytime UFO in the sky above Fort Lupton, Colorado. This was filmed on 6th August 2022!
Witness report:
Thought it was a ballon but it was not moving with the wind and we were experiencing high winds and rain at time of sighting. Was moving slow to the west and had to stop video taping. Then went straight up real high and parked or hovered there for a while and that’s when second time I started filming again. Zoomed in on my video and it looks like a ball of energy. A straight beam would come out of it really weird.
Bob Lazar: Ancient History is Hidden From The Public
Bob Lazar: Ancient History is Hidden From The Public
Bob Lazar was right, the U.S. Military has recovered wreckage from off-world vehicles not made of this earth and one of the recovered wreckage is the UFO that crashed in Roswell in 1947 as well as they found the alien crew from which three aliens didn't survive the crash. The surviving alien was taken to Wright Patterson Air Force Base where it stayed for about nine months before it passed away.
The Roswell UFO crash is perhaps the biggest UFO cover up in history but over the years eyewitnesses told what they had witnessed and all stated that they had seen the surviving alien too.
Read the report Eye-Witnesses’ accounts of the Surviving Alien in which the eyewitnesses tell in detail about the surviving alien that walked away from the crash. All the witnesses stated the same; The being was child-size, four feet, maybe a little more, no hair, and a large head and big eyes shaped like tear-drops, the arms were a bit longer, and the skin was ashy, gray and kind of scaly.
What's more, Bob Lazar said that wreckage were found in an archeological dig, meaning some of these things are ancient. I believe these flying saucers and other craft come from the antediluvian age, or as the world knows it, the age of the lost city of Atlantis.
My guest today, Timothy Alberino says the answer to all these things is found in the Bible and also the ancient book of Enoch, one of the oldest books in the world, which is said to be a historical account of the antediluvian era and a record of a lost civilization.
Paranormal Caught On Camera: The UFO Whisperer! (Jim Martin scene)
Paranormal Caught On Camera: The UFO Whisperer! (Jim Martin scene)
Travel Channel’s Paranormal Caught on Camera aired my UFO footage! The episode is called “Haunted Texas Hotel and More”. (S5/E4) Special thanks to Travel and Paranormal Caught on Camera!
Previously, it was widely considered that moons were lifeless celestial bodies. However, as we now know, these constant companions of the planets can contain more life than we’d ever dared to think. Titan is one of the most magnificent and spectacular natural satellites.
An artist impression of what the lakes might look like on Titan
As many of you are probably aware, the surface of Saturn’s biggest satellite is covered not only by a thick coating of methane hydrate and water ice, but also by numerous rivers and lakes of liquid ethane and methane. And it’s these intriguing natural structures that folks at Space Daily want to look at in further detail.
Images from the Cassini mission show river networks draining into lakes in Titan’s north polar region.
Image: NASA/JPL/USGS
We’ll look at how these incredible structures form, what part they play in Titan’s natural processes, and what diverse forms the unusual methane lakes on Saturn’s moon take. Watch the video below for more:
US Testing New $150 Million Drone in Middle of the Ocean.
US Testing New $150 Million Drone in Middle of the Ocean.
The US Navy is regularly at work modifying its carrier-based vehicles and replenishing its already fierce arsenal with new drones.
And it’s one of these that will be in the spotlight of today’s video. The MQ-25 Stingray is a tanker drone that could radically change the rules of the game as far as the intense air battles of the future go!
UAV’s will play an important role once they’ve matured. The applications could be limitless and they’ll free up aircrews. The “Loyal Wingman” project is very promising. The “stealth” versions could be invaluable in SEAD missions.
Discussion of unidentified flying objects — or, as they have recently been rebranded, unidentified aerial phenomena (UAP) — was long relegated to society's fringes. The topic was toxic, and many people avoided serious engagement with it out of fear of being branded a crackpot.
But that has begun to change in the past few years. Prominent scientists now openly push for serious study of UFOs, and the U.S. Navy recently drew up new guidelines that encourage pilots to report curious or confusing sky sights.
Read on for a brief history of UFO sightings, potential explanations for them and cultural attitudes toward the phenomenon.
People have seen intriguing or confounding objects in the sky for as long as we've been looking up.
Over the eons, for example, many different cultures have regarded meteors and comets as supernatural phenomena, or at least processed them through a supernatural lens(opens in new tab). These dramatic sky lights have been deemed manifestations of a deity's displeasure or interpreted as signs that something wonderful, terrible or simply consequential is soon to happen.
Evidence of this view can be found in the 11th-century Bayeux Tapestry, which chronicles the events leading up to the Norman conquest of England in 1066 CE. The famous Halley's Comet zoomed through the inner solar system that same year, and the 230-foot-long (70 meters) tapestry depicts it blazing ominously above the head of England's King Harold II.
"We see the new king sat on a throne, with nobles to the left and Archbishop Stigand to the right," the Reading Museum wrote in a description of the tapestry's comet scene(opens in new tab). (Harold was crowned on Jan. 6, 1066.)
"At the far side, he is cheered on by the masses," the description continued. "On the far right, Halley's Comet appears in the sky. People think it an evil omen and grow terrified. News of the comet is brought to Harold. Beneath him, a ghostly fleet of ships appears in the lower border, a hint of the Norman invasion to come."
Harold was killed by William the Conqueror's troops during the decisive Battle of Hastings, on Oct. 14, 1066.
UFOS: THE EARLY YEARS
The UFO phenomenon as we know it today is much more recent, dating to the era of powered flight. This makes a lot of sense; there weren't nearly as many flying objects to be puzzled by in William the Conqueror's day.
UFOs really took off during World War II, when Allied pilots in both the European and Pacific theaters reported seeing puzzling lights or objects in the sky. They called these curiosities "foo fighters," a term better known today as the band fronted by former Nirvana drummer Dave Grohl.
Then, in June 1947, American businessman and aviator Kenneth Arnold reported seeing nine shiny, mysterious craft zipping through the skies near Washington's Mount Rainier. Some newspaper stories described these UFOs as "flying disks" or "flying saucers," and the latter term soon wormed its way into the public consciousness.
UFO reports surged in the wake of Arnold's sighting, some of them even winding up in the pages of The New York Times(opens in new tab). One of the items the Times picked up was the discovery of some seemingly exotic wreckage on a ranch in Lincoln County, New Mexico in 1947.
In July of that year, a public information officer at the (relatively) nearby Roswell Army Air Field described the debris as a "flying disk," briefly igniting a firestorm of confused interest. Army officials quickly retracted that statement, explaining that the material in question was the remains of a crashed weather balloon, and the "Roswell incident" faded into obscurity.
(It came roaring back three decades later, however, revived by UFO enthusiasts who claimed that the U.S. government had found an alien spacecraft in New Mexico, perhaps even with extraterrestrials inside, and covered the whole thing up. Some conspiracists believe the wreckage was spirited to a hush-hush military site in southern Nevada called Area 51, where study of the aliens and their craft continues to this day.)
The U.S. military, concerned that some of these UFOs might pose a threat to national security, soon began to investigate sightings systematically. The Air Force established Project Sign to this end in 1947, then followed that with the similarly short-lived Project Grudge in 1948. The more well-known Project Blue Book(opens in new tab) got started in 1952 and ran all the way to 1969, examining more than 12,600 UFO reports along the way.
One of the sightings Project Blue Book investigated was that of Betty and Barney Hill, who claimed they were captured and examined by extraterrestrials in rural New Hampshire in September 1961. The couple's account started getting picked up by newspapers in 1965, becoming the first-ever widely publicized alien-abduction story, as History.com noted(opens in new tab).
UFO sightings didn't end when Project Blue Book wrapped up, of course; they've kept on rolling in over the decades.
Some of the most famous ones in the past half-century include that of Travis Walton, an Arizona man whose 1975 alien-abduction claim was dramatized in the 1993 film "Fire in the Sky;" the Rendlesham Forest incident, a string of mysterious observations near England's Royal Air Force Woodbridge station in December 1980; and the Phoenix Lights, which confused many Arizonans in March 1997.
And, in November 2004, several U.S. Navy pilots flying off the coast of San Diego reported seeing bizarre craft zooming through the sky, seemingly maneuvering in ways that exceeded the limits of known technology. Other Navy pilots had similar experiences off the U.S. East Coast a decade later, making a series of intriguing observations from June 2014 to March 2015.
The pilots captured infrared video of some of these encounters using their onboard camera systems. Three of these videos went viral in December 2017 when The New York Times published them as part of a blockbuster story(opens in new tab) about a previously secret military UFO-investigating effort called the Advanced Aerospace Threat Identification Program, or AATIP for short.
Politico(opens in new tab) and The Washington Post(opens in new tab) also published deep dives into AATIP, which was first funded at the request of then-Senator Harry Reid (D-Nev.) and appears to have been a driving force in the rebranding of UFOs to UAP, a term with less historical baggage. The program ran from 2007 until a funding phaseout in 2012, though AATIP personnel have said its work continued in an unofficial capacity for a few years after that.
AATIP has a successor, and it was born in the sunlight, comparatively speaking. In the summer of 2020, the Pentagon announced the establishment of the Unidentified Aerial Phenomena Task Force (UAPTF), whose mission is "to detect, analyze and catalog UAPs that could potentially pose a threat to U.S. national security."
We've seen some of the task force's work already. In June 2021, the Office of the Director of National Intelligence (DNI) released a congressionally mandated report outlining what the UAPTF, the FBI and the Office of Naval Intelligence make of 144 recent UFO encounters documented by U.S. government sensors, with a focus on sightings by Navy pilots between November 2004 and March 2021.
The report, a preliminary nine-page assessment that you can read here(opens in new tab), found that 18 of the 144 UFOs moved in odd or unexpected ways.
"Some UAP appeared to remain stationary in winds aloft, move against the wind, maneuver abruptly or move at considerable speed, without discernible means of propulsion. In a small number of cases, military aircraft systems processed radio frequency (RF) energy associated with UAP sightings," the report states.
UFOs are undeniably real; people often see things in the sky that they can't identify. But that doesn't necessarily mean there's anything exotic going on.
Alien-abduction stories are more complicated, as they tend to involve more psychological components. But some research suggests that at least some such reports may be explained by lucid dreaming, an odd sleep state in which people can control their dreams.
Project Blue Book got to the bottom of the vast majority of the 12,600 sightings it investigated, ascribing most of them to natural phenomena such as clouds, stars and bright planets. The Air Force researchers could not explain 701 of the encounters, but they concluded that none displayed evidence of otherworldly technology or posed a threat to national security.
The 2021 DNI report evinces less certainty, positively identifying just one of the 144 examined UAP. (That lone demystified object was a large, deflating balloon.) The investigators stressed that more data are needed to understand UAP, which likely have multiple explanations. For example, strange and seemingly inexplicable movement patterns "could be the result of sensor errors, spoofing or observer misperception and require additional rigorous analysis," the report states.
Advanced technology developed by foreign adversaries is another potential cause. If foreign tech is indeed behind some of these sightings, UAP would "represent a national security challenge," the report adds.
This possibility has spurred the U.S. military to take the UAP issue more seriously than ever before. In 2019, for example, the Navy formalized its UFO-reporting guidelines, a revision that could remove much of the stigma that has long been associated with sightings, as Politico noted(opens in new tab).
The 2021 DNI assessment does not explicitly mention the alien hypothesis; it's implicitly lumped into a catch-all "other" category of possible explanations. And there are good reasons not to leap to the E.T. conclusion, experts say.
For example, the Navy pilots' sightings in 2004, 2014 and 2015 occurred in coastal waters, which is where you might expect to find advanced reconnaissance craft operated by rival nations, pointed out Seth Shostak, a senior astronomer at the SETI (Search for Extraterrestrial Intelligence) Institute in Mountain View, California. (Flights over the U.S. mainland would be much easier to detect.) And some of the encounters apparently occurred shortly after the Navy jets' radar systems were upgraded, suggesting a glitch of some kind might be responsible.
Indeed, it may be telling that imagery of UFOs, no matter what era it was captured in, tends to depict the objects as fuzzy blobs.
"The sightings always recede to the edge of what technology allows you to do," Shostak told Space.com in 2019. "The aliens are kind of keeping pace with technology."
Common sense also argues for relatively mundane, terrestrial explanations, and not just because of Occam's Razor (the simplest explanation is usually the best one). For example, if some UFOs are indeed alien spacecraft, what exactly are they up to?
"If the aliens are here, you gotta say they're the best houseguests ever, because they never do anything," Shostak said. "They just buzz around. They don't address climate change; they don't steal our molybdenum."
Still, the E.T. idea should not be dismissed or ridiculed, Shostak and others argue. It's not very scientific to eliminate a hypothesis out of hand, after all, and some UAP encounters are very difficult to explain.
For example, the November 2004 Navy sightings off the California coast were made by four pilots in two different jets, and they saw the bizarre, fast-moving object with their own eyes, two of the aviators told the CBS news program "60 Minutes" in 2021(opens in new tab). That rules out the possibility that an instrument glitch was responsible in that case. And the same UAP was also documented by radar.
"It's not trivial to say what these things are," Shostak said.
There's a growing willingness to entertain all possible explanations, including the alien hypothesis, for such encounters. For example, in July 2021, Harvard astronomer Avi Loeb and colleagues announced a venture called the Galileo Project, which will look for evidence of extraterrestrial civilizations (ETCs) using a network of new telescope systems around the world.
Among other aims, the Galileo Project will attempt to determine the true nature of UAP and odd bodies such as 'Oumuamua, the first interstellar object ever observed in our own solar system.
'Oumuamua's strangeness led Loeb to suggest that the visitor may be a defunct alien spacecraft. This notion, while still well out of the scientific mainstream, is less outre today than it would have been just a decade or so ago, largely because of the exoplanet revolution.
In recent years, astronomers have learned that roughly 20% of the Milky Way's 200 billion or so stars probably harbor a rocky planet in their "habitable zone," the range of orbital distances in which liquid water could exist on a world's surface. And a world doesn't have to be in the habitable zone to harbor habitable environments. Multiple moons in our own solar system, such as Jupiter's Europa and Saturn's Enceladus, sport huge oceans beneath their icy shells, after all.
"Given the recently discovered abundance of habitable-zone exoplanets, with potential for extraterrestrial life, the Galileo Project is dedicated to the proposition that humans can no longer ignore the possible existence of ETCs," Loeb said in a July 2021 statement(opens in new tab).
"Science should not reject potential extraterrestrial explanations because of social stigma or cultural preferences that are not conducive to the scientific method of unbiased, empirical inquiry," he added. "We now must 'dare to look through new telescopes,' both literally and figuratively."
Mike Wall is the author of "Out There(opens in new tab)" (Grand Central Publishing, 2018; illustrated by Karl Tate), a book about the search for alien life. Follow him on Twitter @michaeldwall. Follow us on Twitter @Spacedotcom or Facebook.
Voyager 1 enters interstellar space in this artist's concept.
NASA/JPL-Caltech
The Voyager spacecraft have been flying through space for nearly 45 years, so seeing recent headlines that these interstellar pioneers are powering down understandably caused some waves.
But are the Voyager spacecraft really about to be shut down?
To clarify the situation, Astronomy reached out to the mission press officer Calla Cofield who was quick to correct the impression, saying, “nothing new is starting now.” She went on to explain that NASA is following a strategic plan to keep their oldest explorers going for as long as possible.
The Voyager mission estimates the spacecrafts entered interstellar space in 2012 (Voyager 1) and 2018 (Voyager 2).
NASA/JPL-Caltech
Keeping the lights on
The twin Voyager spacecraft left Earth nearly five decades ago; Voyager 2 left our planet Aug. 20, 1977, with Voyager 1 following shortly after on Sept. 5. Both spacecraft are powered by three radioisotope thermoelectric generators (RTGs) and have a host of instruments collecting and sending scientific data back to Earth. (In Voyager 1’s case it takes about 20 hours and 33 minutes for that data to reach us!)
Now, the RTGs aboard the Voyager spacecraft turn heat into electricity in order to power the probes. That heat comes from the decay of plutonium-238 radioisotopes. However, at this point in their lifetimes, the generators are producing about 40 percent less electricity than when they were first launched.
To keep them running for as long as possible, NASA began aggressively planning which systems to shut off in 2019. But the agency has been tackling the problem of diminishing power for decades now. “After 45 years in flight,” says Cofield, “the power budget is getting to the point where the team has to turn off whatever they can to keep the spacecraft running and doing science.”
NASA lists the instruments that have been powered down on the mission website.
Over the last three years, this has involved turning off the heaters to five of the probes' scientific instruments."Amazingly, all five have continued to operate well below the temperatures they were tested at!” says Cofield.
The Voyager Science Steering Group will make further decisions on maintaining the power budget for the Voyager mission this August. According to Cofield, the creativity and innovation of the engineering team means that, in theory, the plans could stretch the Voyager missions into the 2030s — half a century longer than the probes were originally expected to last. However, that would require the team to turn off even more scientific instruments at some point.
So, at least as it stands now, the Voyager spacecraft aren’t going anywhere (other than interstellar space) any time soon!
Astronomers Capture the Sharpest Image yet of a Monster Galaxy 12.4 Billion Light Years Away
Astronomers Capture the Sharpest Image yet of a Monster Galaxy 12.4 Billion Light Years Away
A team of scientists obtained a magnificent photograph of a faraway galaxy, reminding us all how little we are in the grand scheme of things.
This monster galaxy’ is around 12 billion light-years away from Earth and produces new stars 1,000 times faster than our own Milky Way galaxy.
Scientists utilized the £1.1 billion ALMA Observatory in Chile to capture views of the galaxy with a resolution ten times better than any previous attempt, naming it ‘COSMOS-AzTEC-1.’
The measurements revealed previously unknown information on the structure of this starburst galaxy, which is thought to have originated in the first billion years following the big bang.
Monster galaxies, or starburst galaxies, form stars at a startling pace; 1000 times higher than the star formation in our Galaxy. But why are they so active? To tackle this problem, researchers need to know the environment around the stellar nurseries. Drawing detailed maps of molecular clouds is an important step to scout a cosmic monster.
Tadaki and the team targeted a chimerical galaxy COSMOS-AzTEC-1. This galaxy was first discovered with the James Clerk Maxwell Telescope in Hawai`i, and later the Large Millimeter Telescope (LMT) in Mexico found an enormous amount of carbon monoxide gas in the galaxy and revealed its hidden starburst. The LMT observations also measured the distance to the galaxy, and found that it is 12.4 billion light-years.
Monster galaxy COSMOS-AzTEC-1 observed with ALMA. ALMA revealed the distribution of molecular gas (left) and dust particles (right). In addition to the dense cloud in the center, the research team found two dense clouds several thousand light-years away from the center. These dense clouds are dynamically unstable and thought to be the sites of intense star formation.
(Credit: ALMA (ESO/NAOJ/NRAO), Tadaki et al.)
Artist’s impression of the monster galaxy COSMOS-AzTEC-1. This galaxy is located 12.4 billion light-years away and is forming stars 1000 times more rapidly than our Milky Way Galaxy. ALMA observations revealed dense gas concentrations in the disk, and intense star formation in those concentrations.
Credit: National Astronomical Observatory of Japan
Astronomers obtained the most detailed anatomy chart of a monster galaxy located 12.4 billion light-years away. Using the Atacama Large Millimeter/submillimeter Array (ALMA), the team revealed that the molecular clouds in the galaxy are highly unstable, which leads to runaway star formation. Monster galaxies are thought to be the ancestors of the huge elliptical galaxies in today’s Universe, therefore these findings pave the way to understand the formation and evolution of such galaxies.
“One of the best parts of ALMA observations is to see the far-away galaxies with unprecedented resolution,” says Ken-ichi Tadaki, a postdoctoral researcher at the Japan Society for the Promotion of Science and the National Astronomical Observatory of Japan, the lead author of the research paper published in the journal Nature.
Researchers have found that COSMOS-AzTEC-1 is rich with the ingredients of stars, but it was still difficult to figure out the nature of the cosmic gas in the galaxy. The team utilized the high resolution and high sensitivity of ALMA to observe this monster galaxy and obtain a detailed map of the distribution and the motion of the gas. Thanks to the most extended ALMA antenna configuration of 16 km, this is the highest resolution molecular gas map of a distant monster galaxy ever made.
“We found that there are two distinct large clouds several thousand light-years away from the center,” explains Tadaki. “In most distant starburst galaxies, stars are actively formed in the center. So it is surprising to find off-center clouds.”
The astronomers further investigated the nature of the gas in COSMOS-AzTEC-1 and found that the clouds throughout the galaxy are very unstable, which is unusual. In a normal situation, the inward gravity and outward pressure are balanced in the clouds. Once gravity overcomes pressure, the gas cloud collapses and forms stars at a rapid pace. Then, stars and supernova explosions at the end of the stellar life cycle blast out gases, which increase the outward pressure. As a result, the gravity and pressure reach a balanced state and star formation continues at a moderate pace. In this way star formation in galaxies is self-regulating. But, in COSMOS-AzTEC-1, the pressure is far weaker than the gravity and hard to balance. Therefore this galaxy shows runaway star formation and has morphed into an unstoppable monster galaxy.
The team estimated that the gas in COSMOS-AzTEC-1 will be completely consumed in 100 million years, which is 10 times faster than in other star forming galaxies.
But why is the gas in COSMOS-AzTEC-1 so unstable? Researchers do not have a definitive answer yet, but galaxy merger is a possible cause. Galaxy collision may have efficiently transported the gas into a small area and ignited intense star formation.
“At this moment, we have no evidence of merger in this galaxy. By observing other similar galaxies with ALMA, we want to unveil the relation between galaxy mergers and monster galaxies,” summarizes Tadaki.
China's ambitious plan to find the first Earth 2.0
China's ambitious plan to find the first Earth 2.0
Despite several high profile missions to find an Earth-like planet orbiting a Sun-like star, astronomers have failed to find one. Now the Chinese are launching their own space telescope to hunt for Earth 2.0.
Aleksandr Kukharskiy/Shutterstock
The Kepler Space Telescope made some of the most exciting discoveries in astronomy. Launched in 2009, the telescope observed 13 million stars until 2018, when it was de-activated.
During that time, Kepler discovered over 2600 planets orbiting other stars. Some were entirely unlike anything in our Solar System, forcing astronomers to invent two new classes of planet. One or two of Kepler’s discoveries even orbit in the habitable zone of their parent star, albeit around red dwarf stars that are rather different from our Sun. This was hugely exciting because this temperate region in which liquid water can exist has conditions thought crucial for the existence of life.
But for all that, Kepler ultimately failed. Its mission was to find another Earth, in other words an Earth-like planet orbiting a Sun-like star. But in nearly a decade of observations, Kepler found not a single Earth 2.0.
That was partly because Sun-like stars turned out to be noisier than expected and so required longer observation times. But also because in 2013, two of the observatory’s four reaction wheels broke down, making long-term observations impossible. As a result, astronomers have yet to find an alien Earth.
Scanning the Heavens
That could now change thanks to a Chinese mission called Earth 2.0 due to be launched in 2026. This mission will scan the heavens for Earth-like planets orbiting Sun-like stars with instruments designed to cope with the star-noise that Kepler unexpectedly discovered.
The team involves some 300 scientists and engineers from over 40 institutions, most in China. And this week, the collaboration published a detailed description of the mission on the arXiv.
One problem for any space observatory is to cover as a wide a field-of-view as possible while minimizing the cost and weight of the spacecraft. The Chinese team solved this problem by avoiding the cost and weight of a single giant telescope.
Instead, the spacecraft will carry six smaller 30cm telescopes that together will observe a similar area of sky as Kepler, which had a 1.4-meter mirror. These telescopes will look for the characteristic changes in star brightness as a planet passes in front of it.
The spacecraft will also carry a seventh telescope designed to look for microlensing events in which the gravitational field of a star focuses the light from a distant star behind it, temporarily brightening it. By studying the pattern of brightness, astronomers can tell if the star has an orbiting planet.
This seventh instrument will also be able to spot free floating planets, thereby helping to cast some light on these strange, lonely objects.
Data Firehose
The Chinese team’s plan is to launch Earth 2.0 to the L2 Lagrange point, one of several regions of space where the Earth and Moon’s gravitational fields are in balance, and away from Earth’s potential interference. L2 is a popular choice for observatories and home to several past and present, such as the Herschel Space Observatory and the James Webb Space Telescope. The Earth 2.0 spacecraft will orbit L2 over the course of 4 years, sending back some 169 Gb of data every day.
That raises the prospect of some mouth-watering discoveries. “Simulations show that the transit survey will be able to detect ∼ 29,000 new planets, including ∼ 4,900 Earth-sized planets,” the team say. That means the mission should detect between and 10 and 20 Earth 2.0s by 2030.
The discovery of the first Earth 2.0 is likely to be one of the defining moments in the history of astronomy. It is likely to create huge interest in the nature of these planets, the make-up of their atmospheres and the potential presence of water. Then there will be the search for biomarkers suggesting the presence of life, molecules like methane and oxygen, and the characteristic light absorption patterns of photosynthesis. Beyond that will be the search for technosignatures that might indicate the presence of a civilization, signals such as industrial pollutants like chlorofluorocarbons and even narrowband radio transmissions.
Of course, Earth 2.0 isn’t the only mission capable of spotting an alien Earth. Several others have the capability, such as ESA’s Plato mission which will also be launched in 2026. But these will have to be luckier than Earth 2.0 to be successful.
That sets the scene for an exciting international race to discover an “other Earth” and the beginning of a new era in the study of potentially habitable planets.
UFOs – Ultra-red Flattened Objects – revealed by Webb
UFOs – Ultra-red Flattened Objects – revealed by Webb
Posted by Kelly Kizer Whitt
See one of the red UFOs – Ultra-red Flattened Objects – that appears in the Webb image (right), but not the Hubble image (left)? Webb is finding galaxies that Hubble missed. Image via Erica Nelson, et al./ arXiv.
UFOs in Webb’s range
The James Webb Space Telescope (JWST) is the successor to the Hubble Space Telescope (HST). It can see farther away in space, and so farther back in time. In operation only since this summer, it’s already discovering things Hubble couldn’t see, including some massive, deep-red, disk-shaped galaxies. Astronomers call them HST-dark galaxies. In a paper published on arXiv on August 2, 2022 (but not yet peer-reviewed), a team of scientists are also calling these galaxies Ultra-red Flattened Objects, or UFOs.
And – to Webb’s “eye” at least – they do have the classic, sci-fi look of a flying saucer!
Deep-red galaxies not visible to Hubble
These deep-red, disk-shaped galaxies have a redshift (or z) between 2 and 6. That value means we’re seeing them as they were in the universe 10.3 to 12.7 billion years ago. So they’re definitely not our next-door neighbors. But they are within the range of what Hubble could image, if it could see their red light.
Webb can see these “HST-dark” galaxies because it observes in infrared light, which is the part of the spectrum where these galaxies shine. The team that published the new study, led by Erica Nelson of the University of Colorado, Boulder, found 29 of these HST-dark galaxies. The galaxies have a significant amount of dust, which makes their light redder and hides them from Hubble’s vision. But Webb’s infrared sensors can see through that dust, making the UFOs pop into view.
Webb’s galactic discoveries
Compare the UFOs to the record-breaking distant galaxies that Webb has spied, which have redshifts of 11-20. That would be when the universe was between 400 million and 150 million years old. The UFOs, with a redshift of 2-6, existed when the universe was between 3 1/2 and 1 billion years old (out of its current 13.7 billion years of age). So these galaxies aren’t real close to us in time, but they are still closer than the record-breaking discoveries.
UFOs at cosmic noon
The astronomers refer to the time period that UFOs thrived as cosmic noon. The early ages of the universe when galaxies began to grow was the cosmic dawn. Then cosmic noon arrived, about 3 billion years after the Big Bang. Astronomers think most of the universe’s stars and black holes formed around the time of cosmic noon. And now astronomers say that these UFOs, or dusty star-forming galaxies undergoing extreme starbursts, dominate the total star formation rate budget of the universe during cosmic noon. So, as the paper said, since we have not yet been able to study what we could not see:
… we do not yet fully understand the growth of the most massive galaxies at cosmic noon.
From flattened to bulging
The scientists also said that these massive, dusty UFOs may be the progenitors of today’s large elliptical galaxies. They’re surprised by this finding, because astronomers believed that the bulging elliptical galaxies we see now would have already had that bulging shape at an early age. But as the paper said:
Perhaps the most noteworthy result stems from the flattened shapes of these HST-dark galaxies. These massive, star-forming galaxies are the likely progenitors of today’s massive galaxies, which tend to be bulge/spheroid-dominated … The expectation may have been that the stellar bodies of these objects would already host significant bulges. This, however, is not what we observe in this sample.
M87 is a large elliptical galaxy famous for the black hole at its center. The Hubble Space Telescope took this image in 2009. M87 lies about 55 million light-years away. It may have begun life as a UFO, or Ultra-red Flattened Object.
The discovery of these UFOs is helping astronomers get a better picture of the universe at a more recent age. As the paper noted:
The stellar masses, sizes, and morphologies of the sample suggest that some could be progenitors of lenticular or fast-rotating galaxies in the local Universe. The existence of this population suggests that our previous censuses of the universe may have missed massive, dusty edge-on disks, in addition to dust-obscured starbursts.
The paper concluded:
This sample highlights the fact that the JWST discovery extends studies of galaxy stellar structures to later cosmic epochs during which we thought we had a reasonable census of the universe already.
Bottom line: Astronomers analyzing new Webb images have found UFOs, or Ultra-red Flattened Objects. These UFOs are disk galaxies that only become visible in infrared light.
New faint, distant and cold brown dwarf discovered
New faint, distant and cold brown dwarf discovered
by Tomasz Nowakowski , Phys.org
Image cutouts of GLASS-JWST-BD1. Credit: Nonino et al., 2022.
Using the James Webb Space Telescope (JWST), an international team of astronomers have detected a new faint, distant, and cold brown dwarf. The newly found object, designated GLASS-JWST-BD1, turns out to be about 31 times more massive than Jupiter. The discovery was detailed in a paper published July 29 on arXiv.org.
Brown dwarfs are intermediate objects between planets and stars. Astronomers generally agree that they are substellar objects occupying the mass range between 13 and 80 Jupiter masses. One subclass of brown dwarfs (with effective temperatures between 500 and 1,500 K) is known as T dwarfs, and represents the coolest and least luminous substellar objects so far detected.
Studies of T dwarfs could help astronomers better understand objects near the disputed planet/star boundary, for instance, giant exoplanets. However, although many brown dwarf have been detected to date, T dwarfs are not so common, as only about 400 such objects have been identified.
Now, a group of astronomers led by Mario Nonino of the Astronomical Observatory of Trieste in Italy, reports the finding of a new brown dwarf that is most likely of T dwarf subclass. The discovery was made as part of the Through the Looking GLASS (GLASS-JWST) project—a JWST Early Release Science (ERS) program targeting the massive galaxy cluster Abell 2744 with JWST's Near-Infrared Spectrograph (NIRSPEC) and Near-Infrared Imager and Slitless Spectrograph (NIRISS).
"We present the serendipitous discovery of a late T-type brown dwarf candidate in JWST NIRCam observations of the Early Release Science Abell 2744 parallel field. The discovery was enabled by the sensitivity of JWST at 4 µm wavelengths and the panchromatic 0.9–4.5 µm coverage of the spectral energy distribution," the researchers wrote in the paper.
According to the study, GLASS-JWST-BD1 has a mass of about 31.43 Jupiter masses and an effective temperature of some 600 K. The age of this brown dwarf was estimated to be 5 billion years.
Comparison with theoretical models suggest that GLASS-JWST-BD1 is a late-type T dwarf. Its distance was measured to be between 1,850 and 2,350 light years, in a direction perpendicular to the Galactic plane. The results indicate that this object is likely a member of the Galactic thick disk or halo population.
The astronomers noted that further observations of GLASS-JWST-BD1 are required in order to confirm its T-dwarf nature. In particular, kinematic or chemical abundance data are needed to get more insights into the properties of this object.
In concluding remarks, the authors of the paper underlined how their discovery demonstrates the capability of JWST to investigate distant low-mass Galactic stellar and substellar objects.
"The large estimated distance of GLASS-JWST-BD1 confirms the power of JWST to probe the very low-mass end of the stellar and substellar mass function in the Galactic thick disk and halo, enabling exploration of metallicity dependence on low-mass star formation and the evolution of brown dwarf atmospheres," the scientists wrote.
A chance alignment between Earth and a Mars-bound spacecraft has given us a rare glimpse into the movement of high-energy particles from the Sun.
A chance alignment between Earth and a Mars-bound spacecraft has given us a rare glimpse into the movement of high-energy particles from the Sun. The data from this event can help researchers understand the radiation environment near Mars — a key factor in planning crewed missions to our neighboring planet and beyond.
ENERGETIC PARTICLE PARADE
Illustration of energetic particles being ejected by the Sun. NASA’s Goddard Space Flight Center Conceptual Image Lab
The space between the planets in our solar system is filled with a wispy sea of charged particles that flow out from the Sun’s atmosphere. This particle population is augmented by cosmic rays — speedy protons and atomic nuclei accelerated in extreme environments across the universe — which ebb and flow against the 11-year solar activity cycle. This undulating particle background is punctuated by bursts of high-energy particles from the Sun, which can be unleashed suddenly in violent solar storms.
Spacecraft that venture out from the protection of Earth’s magnetic field must navigate this ocean of particles and weather solar storms. And if we someday wish to send astronauts to other planets, we’ll need to know how high-energy solar particles, which pose a risk to the health of astronauts and electronic systems alike, travel through the solar system.
WHEN SPACECRAFT ALIGN
Location of Tianwen-1 (TW-1) relative to Solar Orbiter (SolO), Parker Solar Probe (PSP), and STEREO-A (STA), Earth, and Mars. The black arrow marks the location of the active region that launched the solar storm. Adapted from Fu et al. 2022
In a new publication, a team led by Shuai Fu (Macau University of Science and Technology), Zheyi Ding (China University of Geosciences), and Yongjie Zhang (Chinese Academy of Sciences) studied the high-energy solar particles produced in an event in November 2020, when the Sun emitted a solar flare and a massive explosion of solar plasma called a coronal mass ejection.
This event coincided with a chance alignment of multiple spacecraft along the same solar magnetic field line. This alignment meant that several spacecraft near Earth and the Tianwen-1 spacecraft en route to Mars measured the same burst of energetic particles millions of miles apart, providing a rare opportunity to study how energetic particles from the Sun travel through space along magnetic field lines.
DIFFUSION AND EVOLUTION
Comparison of proton fluence (number of particles collected per unit area) measured by spacecraft at Earth (blue) and by Tianwen-1 at 1.39 au (red). The time increases from (a) to (h). The spectra at Earth and at Tianwen-1 “break” or bend at roughly the same energy, suggesting that there is little evolution as the particles travel outward. Click to enlarge. Fu et al. 2022
By comparing the timing of measurements from Tianwen-1 to those from three spacecraft near Earth, the team discerned that the magnetic field line that connected the spacecraft did not connect back to the origin of the particles. This means that the particles must have traveled, or diffused, across magnetic field lines to reach the spacecraft.
In addition, the team found that the shape of the particle energy distribution remained the same at moderate and high energies as the particles traveled between Earth and Tianwen-1’s location at 1.39 au. This suggests that the shape of the energy distribution is determined earlier, at the time the particles are accelerated to high energies, rather than as the particles travel through space.
The November 2020 event marked the first solar energetic particle event observed by Tianwen-1, but surely not the last. The spacecraft will continue to monitor high-energy particles from its station in Mars orbit as the solar cycle revs up, collecting valuable data for understanding the radiation environment around Mars and planning future missions.
CITATION
“First Report of a Solar Energetic Particle Event Observed by China’s Tianwen-1 Mission in Transit to Mars,” Shuai Fu et al 2022 ApJL934 L15. doi:10.3847/2041-8213/ac80f5
This post originally appeared on AAS Nova, which features research highlights from the journals of the American Astronomical Society.
Possible UFO appears during live broadcast in Germany
Possible UFO appears during live broadcast in Germany
Was a UFO accidentally filmed during an ARD live broadcast recording of a wildfire in eastern Germany?
The video footage appears to show a high speed cylindrical object flying by in the background.
The object has no obvious signs of propulsion and no wings, also it can't be a bird either since we don't see flapping wings. Maybe an insect flying close to the camera? But can an insect fly that speed? What could it be?
UFO fireball in the western skies looking from Anza, California 6-Aug-2022
UFO fireball in the western skies looking from Anza, California 6-Aug-2022
This bright UFO was seen and recorded in the sky above Anza, California on 6th August 2022.
Witness report:
I saw a fireball in the sky that changed colors from red to orange and changed in size. I was able to get a video of it on my iPhone 13. There was also a small white light that blinked intermittently on the left of it. The red object seemed to have control of the power like a jet engine going on and off. It hovered for a while and then it just disappeared.
Astronomers Discover A Disappearing Space Object That Turns On And Off Every 20 Minutes And Sends Highly-Polarized Radio Signals
Astronomers Discover A Disappearing Space Object That Turns On And Off Every 20 Minutes And Sends Highly-Polarized Radio Signals
According to a research paper published in Nature, astronomers detected a “really weird” object 4,000 lightyears distant from Earth. Every other minute, the object vanishes from view and produces a massive burst of radio waves three times an hour.
Tyrone O’Doherty, a Curtin University student, first noticed the enigmatic object while scanning the sky in rural Western Australia. “It’s exciting that the source I identified last year has turned out to be such a peculiar object,” stated O’Doherty in a press statement.
The object, which the scientists claim is unlike anything else they’ve observed, emits a tremendous beam of radiation that, every 20 minutes, shines brightly in the sky. It also spins and vanishes every minute.
Scientists refer to space objects that “turn” on and off in the night sky as “transients”.
“When studying transients, you’re watching the death of a massive star or the activity of the remnants it leaves behind,” said Dr. Gemma Anderson, an ICRAR-Curtin astrophysicist and co-author of the work.
Slower transients, such as supernovae, might arrive in a matter of days and last for several months. Fast transients, such as neutron stars, “flash” on and off many times per second. However, transients between those two speeds are uncommon, and the current discovery is “really weird” and “completely unexpected.” according to the researchers.
“It was kind of spooky for an astronomer because there’s nothing known in the sky that does that,” said astrophysicist Dr. Natasha Hurley-Walker, who headed the research team. “And it’s really close to us – about 4000 lightyears distant. It’s there in our galaxy’s backyard.”
Hurley-Walker characterized the enigmatic object as being smaller than the sun yet brilliant, radiating highly polarized radio waves three times an hour. These radio pulses imply that it has an “extremely strong” magnetic field, which may correspond to a previously anticipated astrophysical object that has never been verified to exist. Scientists refer to the hypothetical item as an “ultra-long period magnetar.”
“It’s a type of slowly spinning neutron star that has been predicted to exist theoretically,” Hurley-Walker explained. “However, no one anticipated to immediately discover one like this since they were not thought to be that brilliant. It converts magnetic energy to radio waves considerably more efficiently than anything else we’ve seen previously.”
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Astronomers believe it is a rare sort of neutron star or a collapsing white dwarf, but they need to examine it again to establish if it is a fluke or a new type of space object.
Ancient Source of Oxygen for Life Discovered Hidden Deep in the Earth’s Crust
Ancient Source of Oxygen for Life Discovered Hidden Deep in the Earth’s Crust
ByNEWCASTLE UNIVERSITY
Researchers have uncovered a source of oxygen that may have influenced the evolution of life before the advent of photosynthesis.
Scientists at Newcastle University have discovered a source of oxygen deep in the Earth’s crust that may have influenced the evolution of life before the advent of photosynthesis.
The pioneering research project uncovered a mechanism that can generate hydrogen peroxide from rocks during the movement of geological faults. The study was led by Newcastle University’s School of Natural and Environmental Sciences and published today (August 8) in the journal Nature Communications.
While hydrogen peroxide in high concentrations can be harmful to life, it can also provide a useful source of oxygen to microbes. This additional source of oxygen may have influenced the early evolution, and possibly even origin, of life in hot environments on the early Earth before the evolution of photosynthesis.
Researchers were able to simulate some of the key conditions of subsurface rock fracturing using vials in the lab. Rocks representative of oceanic and continental crust were crushed under nitrogen, added to oxygen-free water, then heated.
Credit: Jon Telling / Jordan Stone / Newcastle University
In tectonically active regions, the movement of the Earth’s crust not only generates earthquakes but also riddles the subsurface with cracks and fractures. These are lined with highly reactive rock surfaces containing many imperfections, or defects. Water can then filter down and react with these defects on the newly fractured rock.
Master’s student Jordan Stone simulated these conditions in the laboratory by crushing granite, basalt, and peridotite – rock types that would have been present in the early Earth’s crust. These were then added to water at varying temperatures under well-controlled oxygen-free conditions.
The research investigates a source of reactive oxygen associated with geological faulting; a potential oxygen source prior to cyanobacteria oxygenating the Earth’s atmosphere. This reactive oxygen may have had a role in the evolution of life from an oxygen-free to an oxygenated world and contributed to prebiotic chemistry in subsurface fractures prior to the origin of life.
Credit: Jon Telling / Jordan Stone / Newcastle University
The experiments revealed that substantial amounts of hydrogen peroxide – and as a result, potentially oxygen – were only generated at temperatures close to the boiling point of water. Importantly, the temperature of hydrogen peroxide formation overlaps the growth ranges of some of the most heat-loving microbes on Earth called hyperthermophiles, including evolutionary ancient oxygen-using microbes near the root of the Universal Tree of Life.
Lead author Jordan Stone, who conducted this research as part of his Master of Research in Environmental Geoscience, said: “While previous research has suggested that small amounts of hydrogen peroxide and other oxidants can be formed by stressing or crushing of rocks in the absence of oxygen, this is the first study to show the vital importance of hot temperatures in maximizing hydrogen peroxide generation.”
Lead author Jordan Stone, who conducted this research as part of his MRes in Environmental Geoscience at Newcastle University, UK, sets up one of the experiments.
Credit: Jon Telling / Jordan Stone / Newcastle University
Principal Investigator Dr. Jon Telling, Senior Lecturer, added: “This research shows that defects on crushed rock and minerals can behave very differently to how you would expect more ‘perfect’ mineral surfaces to react. All these mechanochemical reactions need to generate hydrogen peroxide, and therefore oxygen, is water, crushed rocks, and high temperatures, which were all present on the early Earth before the evolution of photosynthesis and which could have influenced the chemistry and microbiology in hot, seismically active regions where life may have first evolved.”
Reference:
“Tectonically-driven oxidant production in the hot biosphere” 8 August 2022, Nature Communications. DOI: 10.1038/s41467-022-32129-y
The work was supported through grants from the Natural Environmental Research Council (NERC) and the UK Space Agency. A major new follow-up project led by Dr. Jon Telling, funded by NERC, is underway to determine the significance of this mechanism for supporting life in the Earth’s subsurface.
NASA's 'Helical Engine' could reach 99% the speed of light
NASA's 'Helical Engine' could reach 99% the speed of light
When it comes to space, there's a problem with our human drive to go all the places and see all the things. A big problem. It's, well, space. It's way too big. Even travelling at the maximum speed the Universe allows, it would take us years to reach our nearest neighbouring star.
But another human drive is finding solutions to big problems. And that's what NASA engineer David Burns has been doing in his spare time. He's produced an engine concept that, he says, could theoretically accelerate to 99 percent of the speed of light - all without using propellant.
He's posted it to the NASA Technical Reports Server under the heading "Helical Engine", and, on paper, it works by exploiting the way mass can change at relativistic speeds - those close to the speed of light in a vacuum. It has not yet been reviewed by an expert.
Understandably this paper has caused buzz approaching levels seen in the early days of the EM Drive. And yes, even some headlines claiming the engine could 'violate the laws of physics'.
But while this concept is fascinating, it's definitely not going to break physics anytime soon. As a thought experiment to explain his concept, Burns describes a box with a weight inside, threaded on a line, with a spring at each end bouncing the weight back and forth. In a vacuum - such as space - the effect of this would be to wiggle the entire box, with the weight seeming to stand still, like a gif stabilized around the weight.Overall, the box would stay wiggling in the same spot - but if the mass of the weight were to increase in only one direction, it would generate a greater push in that direction, and therefore thrust.
According to the principle of the conservation of momentum - in which the momentum of a system remains constant in the absence of any external forces - this should be not completely possible.
But! There's a special relativity loophole. Hooray for special relativity! According to special relativity, objects gain mass as they approach light speed. So, if you replace the weight with ions and the box with a loop, you can theoretically have the ions moving faster at one end of the loop, and slower at the other.
But Burns' drive isn't a single closed loop. It's helical, like a stretched out spring - hence "helical engine".
"The engine accelerates ions confined in a loop to moderate relativistic speeds, and then varies their velocity to make slight changes to their mass. The engine then moves ions back and forth along the direction of travel to produce thrust," he wrote in his abstract.
"The engine has no moving parts other than ions traveling in a vacuum line, trapped inside electric and magnetic fields."
It sounds really nifty, right? And it is - in theory. But it's not without significant practical problems.
According to New Scientist, the helical chamber would have to be pretty large. Around 200 metres (656 feet) long and 12 metres (40 feet) in diameter, to be precise.
And it would need to generate 165 megawatts of energy to produce 1 newton of thrust. That's the equivalent of a power station to produce the force required to accelerate a kilogram of mass per second squared. So a lot of input for a teeny tiny output. It is horribly inefficient.
But in the vacuum of space? It just might work. "The engine itself would be able to get to 99 per cent the speed of light if you had enoughAnd here's the other thing. Humans - not all of us, but still more than a few - desperately want to go to interstellar space. We may never get there. But if we never even try to think about it, that "may" becomes a "definitely." What's that saying - you miss 100 percent of the shots you don't take?time and power," Burns told New Scientist.
Burns notes the efficiency problem in his presentation, and also adds that his work hasn't been reviewed by experts, and there may be errors in his maths. We don't exactly have the blueprints for a fully functional space travel engine here.
What we do have is a piece of groundwork that could be used to develop such an engine. What we have is a dream of the stars.
The hush-hush vehicle is thought to be a space plane.
A Long March 2F rocket launches China's Shenzhou 14 crewed mission on June 4, 2022. A Long March 2F launched a mysterious reusable "test spacecraft" on Aug. 4.
(Image credit: CCTV+)
For the second time in two years, China has launched a classified reusable vehicle on a mystery mission to Earth orbit.
A Long March 2F rocket carrying a "test spacecraft" lifted off from Jiuquan Satellite Launch Center in the Gobi Desert on Thursday (Aug. 4; Aug. 5 Beijing time), China's state-run Xinhua news agency reported.
"The test spacecraft will be in orbit for a period of time before returning to the scheduled landing site in China, during which reusable and in-orbit service technology verification will be carried out as planned to provide technical support for the peaceful use of space," Xinhua wrote(opens in new tab) (in Chinese; translation by Google).
That's about all we know; Xinhua's update is just two paragraphs long and provides no further detail. But the mystery vehicle is thought to be a robotic space plane, perhaps one roughly the same size as the U.S. Space Force's X-37B, based on the Long March 2F's considerable payload capacity, SpaceNews reported(opens in new tab).
China also launched a reusable test spacecraft in September 2020, under a similar cloud of secrecy. That vehicle — which may or may not be the same one that lifted off on Thursday — stayed aloft for two days and released a small payload in orbit before coming down for a landing in China, SpaceNews noted.
For comparison, the X-37B space plane has been orbiting Earth for more than 800 days on its latest mystery mission, the sixth for the X-37B program. The Space Force is thought to have two of the 29-foot-long (8.8 meters), Boeing-built space planes in its fleet.
The Jiuquan launch was part of an extremely busy day in spaceflight. Thursday featured six rocket launches, starting with Rocket Lab's lofting of a spy satellite for the U.S. National Reconnaissance Office at 1 a.m. EDT (0500 GMT).
Mike Wall is the author of "Out There(opens in new tab)" (Grand Central Publishing, 2018;trated by Karl Tate), a book about the search for alien life. Follow him on Twitter @michaeldwall(opens in new tab). Follow us on Twitter @Spacedotcom(opens in new tab)or onFacebook(opens in new tab).
The quadrupedal robots are well suited for repetitive tasks.
Two Ghost Robotics Vision 60 Quadruped Unmanned Ground Vehicles (Q-UGVs) pose for a picture at Cape Canaveral Space Force Station, Fla., July 28, 2022. (Image credit: U.S. Space Force photo by Senior Airman Samuel Becker)
Man's new best friend is coming to the U.S. Space Force.-
The Space Force has conducted a demonstration using dog-like quadruped unmanned ground vehicles (Q-UGVs) for security patrols and other repetitive tasks. The demonstration used at least two Vision 60 Q-UGVs, or "robot dogs", built by Ghost Robotics and took place at Cape Canaveral Space Force Station on July 27 and 28.
According to a statement(opens in new tab) from the Department of Defense, Space Launch Delta 45 will use the robot dogs for "damage assessments and patrol to save significant man hours." The unit is responsible for all space launch operations from Kennedy Space Center and Cape Canaveral.
Images from the demonstration show personnel operating the robots with a hand controller inside a hangar. The Ghost Robotics Vision 60 Q-UGVs can be equipped with a wide variety of optical and acoustic sensors, enabling them to serve as automated "eyes and ears" around sensitive installations such as a Space Force base. The robots can be operated either autonomously or by a human controller and can even respond to voice commands.
U.S. Air Force 1st Lt. Andrew Cuccia, chief innovation officer, operates a Ghost Robotics, Vision 60 Quadruped Unmanned Ground Vehicle (Q-UGV) with a handheld controller at Cape Canaveral Space Force Station (Image credit: U.S. Space Force photo by Senior Airman Samuel Becker)
The dog-like robots can also serve as miniaturized communications nodes, carrying antennas to quickly extend networks beyond existing infrastructure or in locations where no such infrastructure exists.
A Ghost Robotics, Vision 60 Quadruped Unmanned Ground Vehicle (Q-UGV) is operated during a demo for 45th Security Forces Squadron at Cape Canaveral Space Force Station, Fla., July 28, 2022. (Image credit: U.S. Space Force photo by Senior Airman Samuel Becker)
The robots have been previously tested by the U.S. Air Force for perimeter defense tasks and as part of a large test of the service's Advanced Battle Management System (ABMS) data-sharing network. In that 2020 test, robot dogs at Nellis Air Force Base in Nevada "provided real-time strike targeting data to USAF operators" in Florida using Starlink satellite links, then-CEO of Ghost Robotics Jiren Parikh told The War Zone(opens in new tab).
The Ghost Robotics Q-UGVs are designed to withstand water and weather, and were recently demonstrated with a tail-like payload enabling them to travel underwater(opens in new tab).
Aside from their military applications, the robot dogs are also being eyed for uses in emergency management, public safety and industrial inspection.
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If a distant solar system is millions of light years away and so we see it as it was millions of years ago, how can we see what it looks like now? Parul, aged 13, Sri Ganganagar, India
(Image credit: Tithi Luadthong/Shutterstock)
This article was originally published at The Conversation. The publication contributed the article to Space.com's Expert Voices: Op-Ed & Insights.
If a distant solar system is millions of light years away and so we see it as it was millions of years ago, how can we see what it looks like now? Parul, aged 13, Sri Ganganagar, India
What is the meaning of “now” and how does our “now” relate to the “now” somewhere else?
Nothing can travel faster than the speed of light: 300,000 kilometres per second. This means that it takes time for the light from a distant object in the universe to reach us.
Astronomers measure the vast distances across the universe in light years, the distance it takes light to travel in one year. If you use a telescope to look at a solar system at, say, ten light years distance – 95 trillion kilometres away – that means you see it as it was ten years ago on your watch.
Curious Kids is a series by The Conversation that gives children the chance to have their questions about the world answered by experts. If you have a question you’d like an expert to answer, send it to curiouskids@theconversation.comand make sure you include the asker’s first name, age and town or city. We won’t be able to answer every question, but we’ll do our very best.
If a friendly alien lived in that solar system ten light years away and we beamed a message to them, they would only receive the message in ten years’ time. Our “now”, when we send the message, will be in their future. But if we receive a message from them, our “now” will be in their past.
This seems to suggest that there is no way we could see what is happening right now in a distant solar system. But we can look to famous physicist Albert Einstein’stheories of relativity(opens in new tab) for an answer. These theories describe the relationship between objects and the space and time surrounding them.
Travelling in time
Einstein’s theories revealed something extraordinary. If you could leave the Earth and travel very fast through space, close to the speed of light itself, then time for you would pass at a slower rate than time for someone you had left behind on Earth.
An artist’s impression of a planet orbiting the star Epsilon Eridani, which is 10.5 light years away from us. (Image credit: NASA, ESA, and G. Bacon (STScI))
Imagine you went off travelling through space, going ten light years away and ten light years back, and left a twin sister behind on Earth. Time would pass differently for you both while you were away. For your sister, 20 years would pass. But for you, if you managed to reach within 1% of the speed of light, only three years would pass. When you got home, your sister would be 17 years older than you.
If you travelled within 0.1% of the speed of light, you’d come back just a month older than when you left. Your sister would be almost 20 years older than you.
This may seem like a trick, but we know it is true. When very fast moving particles called cosmic rays hit atoms in the Earth’s atmosphere, they create particles called muons(opens in new tab) that are unstable and fall apart. None of these muons should be able to reach the Earth’s surface. But we see them. Because their time runs slower than ours, they don’t fall apart before they reach us.
If you were able to travel at the speed of light, no time would pass for you. Your “now” would be the same as the “now” in the distant solar system or galaxy, because you would be there instantly. You would exist at your origin and at your destination at your same time, while others may have watched you travel over their time. Unfortunately, nothing with mass, such as a human being or a spaceship, can travel at exactly the speed of light.
Time is not a fixed thing. It only really has meaning for you and the way you see the world around you. When you come to think of it, time is perhaps the greatest mystery of life.
Follow all of the Expert Voices issues and debates — and become part of the discussion — on Facebook and Twitter. The views expressed are those of the author and do not necessarily reflect the views of the publisher.
Material from an accretion disk swirls around the young star FU Orionis in this artist’s concept.
NASA/JPL-Caltech
Accretion is one of the most fundamental processes in the cosmos. It is a universal phenomenon triggered by gravity, and the process by which bits of matter accumulate and coalesce with more bits of matter. It works inexorably on all scales to attract and affix smaller things to bigger things, from the tiniest dust grains to supermassive black holes.
Accretion creates everything there is: galaxies, stars, planets, and eventually, us. It is the reason the universe is filled with a whole bunch of somethings instead of a whole lot of nothing.
The fact that matter tends to glom together may seem intuitive. But to scientists, accretion remains a mysterious topic, filled with unanswered questions.
For instance: Why do some stellar nurseries form a few massive stars instead of lots of smaller ones? What causes so much accreting material to ultimately fall inward onto its central object, instead of just circling it forever? And how do space rocks ultimately stick together to form planets instead of just bouncing off each other? No one knows the definitive answers to any of these questions yet, but there are some theories gaining traction — and evidence.
The Taurus Molecular Cloud is a vast star-forming region threaded by a network of filaments. It was captured here by the European Space Agency’s Herschel Space Observatory, which operated from 2009 to 2013.
ESA/Herschel/NASA/JPL-Caltech, CC BY-SA 3.0 IGO; Acknowledgement: R. Hurt (JPL-Caltech)
All objects great and small
Accretion is the inevitable result of gravitational forces operating on all scales, and on all types of material — gas, dust, plasma, even dark matter. Gravity makes matter accrete. And when matter accretes, it forms objects. Thus, accretion and formation are very closely related in astronomy: The former can be considered an aspect of the latter.
The Soviet scientist Otto Schmidt devised the first accretion model of planetary formation in 1944, and his countryman Viktor Safronov fleshed out the mathematics of accretion in 1969. The underlying principles of gravitational attraction have since been applied to the formation of stars and even galaxies. The discovery of quasars and compact X-ray sources in the 1960s, using optical, radio, and X-ray observations, set the field in motion.
But the true renaissance began a decade ago, when the Atacama Large Millimeter/submillimeter Array (ALMA), an array of 66 radio telescopes in Chile, came online. With the ability to study distant, cool objects in detail came the data necessary to understand the process of accretion in a variety of circumstances. Seeing accretion in action promised to be a game-changer.
Today, ALMA and other advanced telescopes are observing numerous objects of different sizes and stages of evolution: galaxy groups, molecular clouds, stellar nurseries, protostars, planetary disks, black holes, and many more. We now know that whether on scales of kilometers or light-years, accretion operates on the same broad principles. The particular mechanisms remain mysterious, but the veil is beginning to lift.
The reason that the gas in a molecular cloud can accrete into a star may be due to magnetohydrodynamics (MHD), the physics of how magnetic fields interact with hot ionized gas.
Interstellar space and everything in it is permeated by a weak magnetic field. Normally, this background magnetic field has no effect on a cold, dense cloud of gas and dust.
But this changes when a collapsing cloud heats up and begins to generate plasma. Because plasma is electrically charged, it is linked to the magnetic field: As it moves, it drags the magnetic field lines with it. As the cloud collapses further and begins to form an accretion disk, the magnetic field becomes wound up by the disk’s rotation. The magnetic field also becomes stronger as the field lines bunch together.
All of these magnetic field lines then act as highways for plasma to escape the strong magnetic field: Following the field lines, the charged particles zip away from the accretion disk into space. This MHD wind carries angular momentum away from the disk — and this, astronomers suspect, helps the cloud collapse into a star.
The Giant GRB Ring is a suspected superstructure — a collection of nine gamma-ray bursts (immensely powerful stellar explosions) arranged in a loose ring that spans 5.6 billion light-years, as shown in this artist’s concept.
Pablo Carlos Budassi/Wikimedia Commons/CC BY-SA 4.0
Stellar nurseries at the crossroads
The largest structures in the universe are groups of galaxies that are gravitationally bound to each other. We are not yet able to see them, but peculiar arrangements of objects have been interpreted as evidence of such superstructures. They are given various names according to their observed shapes, such as arcs, rings, or walls.
The observable portions of superstructures consist mostly of molecular clouds of gas millions of light-years across. Over the eons, these diffuse regions are perturbed by a variety of effects: the chaotic motions of the galaxies within them, the winds thrown by quasar jets, the passing wakes of rotating black holes, and blasts from supernovae. Here and there, a confluence of gas and dust will become dense enough that gravity takes over and a domino effect begins, as more and more mass is drawn into a conglomeration, where a star-forming region is born.
The mechanics of these stellar nurseries, from which hundreds or thousands of stars are created, are not completely understood. Sometimes a region containing a few hundred solar masses of dense gas and dust will form 100 Sun-like stars. Other times a few massive stars will also appear. This difference is of particular interest to astronomers because massive stars can alter the evolution of a galaxy. What guides the seemingly random accretion process on these vast scales?
One theory posits that there are “filaments of flowing gas, which thread through these clusters,” says Todd Hunter, an astronomer at the National Radio Astronomy Observatory. Astronomers are starting to see evidence of these filaments. “They fragment and intersect at certain places, especially in the center of clusters,” says Hunter. “And where they meet is where protostars have access to a lot of gas on a short timescale” — which feeds the formation of massive stars.
The accretion disk that surrounds the elliptical galaxy M87 feeds its central supermassive black hole (SMBH) and relativistic jet in this artist’s concept.
ESO/M. Kornmesser
These objects are called infrared dark clouds, and they are very large, very cold objects that were difficult to detect and resolve until recently. The first observations were made with the Infrared Space Observatory in 1996. It was a serendipitous find, made during the first detailed survey of stellar populations in the galactic plane. Nowadays these regions are studied in detail with ALMA and the Submillimeter Array in Hawaii, which are more sensitive and have higher resolution at submillimeter wavelengths where cold molecular gas is easiest to detect.
These facilities have allowed astronomers to map the gas flows they believe provide the necessary supply for the growth of massive stars. One survey, published in The Astrophysical Journal in 2019, identified hundreds of protostellar and prestellar core candidates in a particular region and studied how they affect each other. The researchers suggest a kind of “competitive accretion” process takes place, alongside what they call “global hierarchical collapse” — where chaotic gravitational forces cause a series of collapses within collapses, with small-scale events happening later and faster than large-scale events. This process works over a couple of million years, eventually transforming a diffuse cloud of starless cores into a flattened disk of protostars.
A widening gyre
Where there is gravity and matter, there will also be accretion. Infalling matter forms a swirling accretion disk. This gravitational gyre forms because the infalling material — like everything else in the universe — had some motion and angular momentum before becoming caught up by an object’s gravity. The laws of physics state that angular momentum must be conserved — so, to fall into a star, black hole, or other object, material must lose its angular momentum first. It cannot be simply sucked toward the core along a straight line. Instead, it forms a flattened structure called an accretion disk.
At just 450 light-years away, the Taurus Molecular Cloud is an ideal place to search for accretion disks. Two examples are the young stars HL Tauri (bright blue, at upper center left) and V1213 Tauri (lower right). The latter is hidden by an accretion disk, though the star partly illuminates the disk above and below it. The visible disk and the jets comprise the object HH 30.
ESA/Hubble and NASA; Acknowledgement: Judy Schmidt
The closer the material is carried to the center, the faster it spins. (Physicists often use the metaphor of a figure skater to demonstrate this effect; when the skater pulls their arms in, they spin faster.) There’s just a small problem: For material to actually fall onto the core, it must slow down and eventually come to a stop. But how can this happen when the closer it gets, the faster it moves? Why doesn’t it just swirl around forever? What dissipates the angular momentum, allowing gravity to win the tug-of-war?
There are two prevailing theories. “The old idea is that disks are turbulent, and this turbulence generates a kind of viscosity,” or friction within a fluid, says Ilaria Pascucci, an astrophysicist and planetary scientist at the University of Arizona in Tucson. In this scenario, the disk is full of eddies, which means the gas particles don’t orbit smoothly. As inner material accelerates, it drags the material outside of it along for the ride, like a jar of molasses being stirred. “The viscosity redistributes angular momentum outward, enabling disk gas close in to accrete,” says Pascucci.
This turbulence-viscosity model of disk accretion was first suggested around 40 years ago. But astronomers have never really been able to make the numbers add up. The models required disks to be stickier and more viscous than turbulence could probably account for.
Then, in the last decade, an overlooked characteristic of accretion disks — magnetic fields — started to show promise. “What if the angular momentum is not redistributed in the disk, but extracted through winds?” Pascucci says.
The ghostly halo we see in the groundbreaking image of an SMBH from the Event Horizon Telescope is the hot, glowing plasma in the accretion disk surrounding it.
Event Horizon Telescope Collaboration
Star-forming regions have magnetic fields running through them. While they do not affect neutral gas, particles that have been heated and ionized have an electric charge and will tend to follow these magnetic field lines. As the large-scale clouds collapse under their own gravity, these magnetic field lines also become twisted and tangled. And if magnetic field lines are somehow bent outward, anchored to plasma that remains outside the collapsing cloud, plasma that is zipping along the magnetic field might be able to overcome gravity and accelerate away from the disk. Astronomers call these outflows magnetohydrodynamic (MHD) winds, and they could carry away angular momentum. This would enable the leftover disk material to fall onto the forming protostar.
Both observations and simulations seem to point toward the MHD wind hypothesis. The best evidence so far for an MHD wind is a 2021 study in The Astrophysical Journal of an active young star, where astronomers have measured how high the wind appears to sustain itself as it flows away from the disk. Measuring how powerful these winds are — and therefore how much angular momentum they carry away — will be the next major task in testing the theory.
Disk worlds
At the same time a star is forming, so are the planets that will orbit it. Both star formation and planet formation happen within disks via accretion. As gas and dust swirls around the star, delineations begin to appear in the disk. Astronomers saw this for the first time in 2014 in a young star called HL Tauri. This observation, made using ALMA, was a major advancement in our understanding of how planets form.
In a nascent planetary system, the congregation of matter depends on lots of different factors. Turbulence, magnetic fields, and the play of viscosity between gas and dust may cause a kind of traffic jam that eventually congeals to form protoplanets. Closer in, most of the gas gets consumed by the star, leaving rocky material and heavy metals, which form terrestrial planets.
In 2014, the ALMA radio telescope revealed distinctive gaps in HL Tauri’s accretion disk. They mark regions where planets are accreting and sweeping up material.
ALMA (ESO/NAOJ/NRAO)
But there is a long-standing question about how rocky bodies accrete, involving a concept called the bouncing barrier. Electrostatic forces cause small grains to stick together and larger planetesimals are attracted to each other by gravity. But how does a particle become a planet? Models show that objects in that middle range between tiny and massive just tend to bounce off each other. So how do amassing objects overcome this barrier to growth?
One theory is that the particles experience a drag force as they move through gas in the disk. “There’s a strong interaction between solid particles and the gas in the disk,” says James Stone, an astrophysicist at Princeton University. “This causes clumps to form, which over time can produce larger and larger objects.”
So far, this protoplanetary evolution mechanism, called streaming instability, seems to be a promising way to grow things from centimeter to kilometer sizes. The most intriguing part of the theory is that the gas is the crucial component: Without it, dust in the disk couldn’t coalesce to form planetesimals. But there is not yet direct evidence.
The hope is that within a decade or two, we will have seen lots of planets at different stages of formation. This will stand in as a kind of time-lapse and we can judge how well predictions of prevailing hypotheses, like streaming instability, match up to actual exoplanets. This ambitious venture received a kickstart in 2021 with the discovery of the youngest planet ever observed: 2M0437b. The discovery image, taken by the Subaru Telescope on Mauna Kea in Hawaii, shows a world still glowing hot from energy released during its formation, meaning it just recently (astronomically speaking) finished accreting. The study, led by Eric Gaidos of the University of Hawai’i, also fills in our picture of how quickly planetary systems form, because the star is only about 2.5 million years old.
Supercomputer simulations reveal the turbulent and hierarchical dynamics of collapsing infrared dark clouds (IRDCs), forming filaments within filaments. In the densest regions of this simulation, shown in red, molecular clouds are forming cores that will become massive stars.
Richard Klein, Lawrence Livermore National Laboratory; Pak Shing Li, University of California, Berkeley; Tim Sandstrom, NASA Ames Research Center
Gathering dust
Every star grows up on its own schedule. The protostar stage is like a star’s volatile teen years. When its accretion disk stabilizes and material stops falling into the core, it becomes a main sequence star. There may still be a debris disk and the planets around might still be figuring out where they orbit, but accretion has largely stopped. That doesn’t mean there won’t be any more accretion in the star’s future, though. Depending on its mass, when fusion ceases, it will then transition into either a white dwarf, a neutron star, or a black hole, all of which can form accretion disks of their own.
The supply for this new disk can come from a variety of sources. Compact objects, like white dwarfs and black holes, may siphon gas from a companion star. A white dwarf may also pull in material that it puffed off in the earlier red giant phase. And when black holes grow and merge to become the supermassive black holes (SMBHs) at the centers of galaxies, they draw material from the vast roaming stars, clouds, and nebulae within the galaxy itself.
As material from the disk falls into the central object — whether a star, planet, or singularity — it releases energy in the form of radiation. The disk itself also radiates as it swirls around the gravity well and heats up, with different factors like viscosity, friction, and speed making some parts hotter than others. The stronger the draw of the central object, the more powerful the radiation emitted, as gas can be transformed into plasma. The groundbreaking 2019 image of the supermassive black hole at the center of the galaxy M87 is not of the hole itself, but of the black hole’s shadow on the charged plasma swirling around it.
A black hole gains mass from everything it accretes over time. But while we understand how Sun-sized black holes form, we don’t know how SMBHs got as big as they are. For example, the SMBH at the center of the Whirlpool Galaxy (M51) in Canes Venatici has a mass equivalent to 1 million Suns. There is no way for a single small, stellar-mass black hole to accrete enough material to grow this large at the universe’s current age.
“It’s one of the biggest mysteries of black hole research,” says Joanna Piotrowska, a graduate student at Cambridge University. The laws of physics limit how quickly an object can accrete matter, called the Eddington limit. Above that limit, the radiation from the accretion disk is so intense, it blows material away — preventing more accretion from happening. “The mass of [SMBHs] exceeds what is expected from continuous accretion at the Eddington limit over the lifetime of our universe,” says Piotrowska.
One proposed solution is that SMBHs were big to start with. Perhaps in the early universe, even before the first stars, there were molecular clouds with just the right conditions to collapse straight away into singularities. The James Webb Space Telescope might be able to shed some light on this dark topic when it comes online this year. It was designed especially to see the first galaxies and stars, and those primordial formations could help us to understand the initial distribution of potential collapsible matter.
IRDCs appear as shadows splayed across the bright mid-infrared background of the Milky Way, as seen in this false-color image from NASA’s Spitzer Space Telescope. Though they are some of the darkest objects in the sky, these ultracold and dense clouds give birth to the brightest, most massive stars in the galaxy.
NASA/JPL-Caltech
And that’s not all ...
It’s tempting to picture accretion as a peaceful, gradual, and constructive process, like erosion in reverse. It can certainly take time to get going. But the methods by which an accretor gains mass can be quite quick and chaotic. Recently, observers have seen what they call accretion bursts around protostars — instances of extreme instability in a disk, where large amounts of material suddenly plunge into the star. Hunter recently observed this on NGC 6334 I, a protostar cluster in the Cat’s Paw Nebula (NGC 6334) in the constellation Scorpius, using the Stratospheric Observatory for Infrared Astronomy (or SOFIA). He theorizes that a high proportion of the total accretion of some stars — up to 50 percent — may actually happen in this way.
Furthermore, accretion is not always a constructive process — accretion in one place might actually preclude the process elsewhere. There is a rare kind of supernova, called Type 1ax, where the accretion disk around a white dwarf explodes. The accretion disks around quasars have powerful magnetic forces which shoot material out in supersonic jets. And there is evidence that winds from the jets of actively feeding SMBHs can actually quench, or turn off, star formation in their host galaxies.
These are exciting times for those who study accretion. Astronomers finally have the capability to compare their mathematical predictions to actual astrophysical objects at key stages of their lives. Whether their theories ultimately measure up to reality, or whether new ones will need to be invented to account for observations, only time — and a lot more data — will tell.
Aarde lijkt haast te hebben: kortste dag ooit sinds start van metingen geregistreerd
De aarde deed op 29 juni 1,59 milliseconde sneller over een volledige rotatie dan de gebruikelijke 24 uur. Dat is een recordtijd sinds de metingen in de jaren 60 van start gingen. Met andere woorden: 29 juni was de kortste dag ooit gemeten. Het vorige record dateerde nog maar van 19 juli 2020.
Het blijkt dus geen eenmalig feit te zijn, die snellere draaiing van de aarde rond haar eigen as. In 2020 werden zelfs de 28 kortste dagen geregistreerd sinds het bijhouden van de metingen. Ook in 2021 en 2022 ging het soms sneller dan normaal. Onlangs nog, op 26 juli 2022, lag de aarde 1,5 milliseconde voor op het dagschema.
Volgens Judah Levine, professor aan de universiteit van Colorado-Boulder en natuurkundige van het National Institute of Standards and Technology, zullen we waarschijnlijk nog meer van die kortere dagen krijgen omdat de aarde blijkbaar sneller om haar as blijft draaien. Paniek is zeker niet nodig, zegt de expert, want het gaat slechts om een fractie van een seconde op jaarbasis. Het bijzondere is wel dat wetenschappers geen echte verklaring hebben voor de huidige lichte versnelling van de aardrotatie.
De maan
In principe neemt de aardrotatie op lange termijn in snelheid af. Dat komt door de maan, die verantwoordelijk is voor de getijden op onze planeet en op die manier zorgt voor wrijving en ook vertraging. Zo duurde een paar honderd miljoen jaar geleden een dag slechts 22 uur en is de verwachting dat een dag de komende millennia langer zal duren dan de - ongeveer - 24 uur van vandaag. De versnelling van de laatste jaren gaat dus tegen die trend in.
Het is het International Earth Rotation and Reference Systems Service dat de snelheid van de aardrotatie meet. De snelheid komt niet helemaal overeen met de periode van precies 24 uur, die wij aan een zonnedag toekennen. Dat heeft in 1972 geleid tot de introductie van de schrikkelseconde. Het komt erop neer dat, wanneer de rotatie van de aarde niet synchroon loopt met de atoomklokken en de afwijking meer dan 1 seconde dreigt te worden, wetenschappers de klokken op 30 juni of 31 december om 23.59 uur een seconde stilzetten om ze bij te stellen. De laatste keer gebeurde dat op 31 december 2016.
Negatieve schrikkelseconde
Sindsdien was het niet meer nodig omdat men dus de laatste twee jaren een versnelling van de aardrotatie registreert in plaats van een vertraging. Er is nu zelfs sprake van een eventuele negatieve schrikkelseconde om de atoomklok bij te stellen. “Als die versnelling zich doorzet - en dat is een grote ‘als’ - dan hebben we over zo’n zeven à acht jaar misschien een negatieve schrikkelseconde nodig”, stelt Levine.
Mogelijk heeft een en ander te maken met de zogenaamde ‘Chandler-wiebel’, ontdekt in de 19de eeuw. Dat fenomeen verklaart waarom de niet perfect ronde aarde een beetje wiebelt en zo langzamer rond haar eigen as draait. Volgens Leonid Zotov zou die wiebel tussen 2017 en 2020 op mysterieuze wijze zijn verdwenen, waardoor de aardrotatie weer iets sneller zou verlopen.
Klimaatverandering
Nog een mogelijke verklaring is dat de klimaatverandering de rotatiesnelheid van de aarde zou beïnvloeden. Door het smelten van gletsjers verandert de vorm van de aarde lichtjes: wat platter aan de polen en boller aan de evenaar. Maar volgens professor Levine zouden die smeltende gletsjers net het tegenovergestelde effect moeten hebben. De rotatiesnelheid van de aarde zou dus moeten verlagen, niet verhogen.
Levine denkt dat de hogere snelheid waarmee de aarde rond haar as draait mede een gevolg is van de wisselwerking tussen de aarde en de atmosfeer. “Als de atmosfeer versnelt, vertraagt de aarde, en omgekeerd”, klinkt het. “Want de som van de twee is een constante.” Levine besluit dat “de rotatiesnelheid van de aarde een ingewikkelde zaak” is en dat ze onderhevig is aan een combinatie van de genoemde factoren. “Je kunt niet voorspellen wat er heel ver in de toekomst gaat gebeuren.”
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Dwarf Galaxies Found Without Influence From Dark Matter
Dwarf Galaxies Found Without Influence From Dark Matter
Ask astronomers about dark matter and one of the things they talk about is that this invisible, mysterious “stuff” permeates the universe. In particular, it exists in halos surrounding most galaxies. The mass of the halo exerts a strong gravitational influence on the galaxy itself, as well as on others in the neighborhood. That’s pretty much the standard view of dark matter and its influence on galaxies. However, there are problems with the idea of those halos. Apparently, some oddly shaped dwarf galaxies exist that look like they have no halos. How could this be? Do they represent an observationally induced challenge to the prevailing ideas about dark matter halos?
Finding Perturbed Dwarf Galaxies
In the so-called “Standard Model” of cosmology, shells or halos of dark matter protect galaxies from the gravitational influence of nearby galactic neighbors. However, when astronomers at the University of Bonn and Saint Andrews in Scotland looked in the nearby Fornax Cluster, which lies some 62 million light-years away from us, they saw something strange. It contains a number of dwarf galaxies with distorted, perturbed shapes. This is odd, especially if they should be surrounded by dark matter halos.
The Fornax Galaxy Cluster, which contains distorted dwarf galaxies in its collection. Image Credit: ESO
Let’s take a quick look at dwarf galaxies. They’re small and faint and usually found riding along in galaxy clusters or near much larger companions. The Milky Way Galaxy has a coterie of dwarf galaxies around it,. It is, in fact, cannibalizing ones such as the Sagittarius Dwarf Spheroidal. Interestingly, recent studies show that at least one of the dwarf galaxies near ours, an ancient one called Tucana II, has an astoundingly massive dark matter halo.
So, what’s happening in Fornax that’s different? There, dwarf galaxies could be “disturbed” by gravitational tides from nearby larger ones in the cluster. Tides happen when gravity from one body pulls differently on different parts of another body. These are similar to tides on Earth when the Moon pulls more strongly on the side of Earth that faces it.
The distorted shapes of the dwarf galaxies seen by the team indicate a problem with our understanding of dark matter. “Such perturbations in the Fornax dwarfs are not expected according to the Standard Model,” said Pavel Kroupa, Professor at the University of Bonn and Charles University in Prague. “This is because, according to that model, the dark matter halos of these dwarfs should partly shield them from tides raised by the cluster.”
Dwarf galaxy NGC1427A, part of the Fornax galaxy cluster.
(ESO)
Explaining Distorted Dwarf Galaxies
Kroupa and Ph.D. student Elena Ascencio analyzed observations of the perturbed dwarfs in Fornax. They wanted to understand the extent of gravitational distortions these galaxies show and what causes them. The expected levels of distortion depend on a couple of factors. One is the internal characteristics of the dwarf galaxy. In addition, their distance to the center of the cluster is important. That’s where gravitational influences are much stronger. As a rule, galaxies with large sizes but not many stars could be easily disturbed by strong gravitational tides. The same is true for galaxies closer to the core of the cluster.
The team members compared what they saw in the cluster with observations made by the VLT Survey Telescope at the European Southern Observatory. Asencio pointed out that what they found seems to point to problems with the Standard Model. “The comparison showed that, if one wants to explain the observations in the standard model,” she said, “the Fornax dwarfs should already be destroyed by gravity from the cluster center even when the tides it raises on a dwarf are sixty-four times weaker than the dwarf’s own self-gravity.”
Not only is this counter-intuitive, she said, it also contradicts previous studies. The team also found that the force needed to disturb a dwarf galaxy is about the same as its self-gravity.
What Does This Mean for the Standard Model?
The research team points out that it’s difficult to explain these perturbed, disturbed shapes of the dwarf galaxies in Fornax if they’re surrounded by dark matter. In other words, they shouldn’t be misshapen if they do have halos. Yet, there they are with disturbed-looking shapes. That means that there are no dark matter halos around those galaxies.
Obviously, if what the astronomers found is confirmed, then the Standard Model needs some tweaking. And, there is at least one alternative explanation for the strange galaxy shapes. It’s called the MOND model (short for Modified Newtonian Dynamics). It suggests that Newton’s law of universal gravitation should be modified to account for the observed properties of galaxies. It could be applied to explain why misshapen galaxies look the way they do.
According to Hongsheng Zhao, a member of the research team from the University of Saint Andrews, finding disturbed dwarfs without dark matter halos is a major challenge to the current view. It states that galaxies have halos. It appears not all of them do, he points out. “Our results have major implications for fundamental physics,” he said. “We expect to find more disturbed dwarfs in other clusters, a prediction which other teams should verify”.
Gods, Extraterrestrials and Religion: From Ancient Atlantis to Today
Gods, Extraterrestrials and Religion: From Ancient Atlantis to Today
Ancient records and religious texts describe multiple "Gods" (aka extraterrestrials) creating humanity in a series of genetic experiments and warring among themselves over who would be dominant in influencing Earth's future.
The world's oldest known creation story, Sumer's Enuma Elish, and other ancient texts introduce the different creator Gods and how they formed grand assemblies to resolve their differences over the destiny of humanity.
This new video is the official trailer/short film for the "World Religions and Extraterrestrial Contact" webinar to be held on August 13. In addition to the above issues, the trailer discusses the rise and fall of Atlantis in relation to creator Gods/extraterrestrials alarmed over humanity's rapid technological development.
Finally, this short film covers the return of the creator Gods (Elohim/Anunnaki) to our solar system and what this means for us today.
Stationary blinking UFO over Boynton, Florida 31-May-2022
Stationary blinking UFO over Boynton, Florida 31-May-2022
This blinking unidentified flying object was filmed above the sea near Boynton in Florida. This happened on 31st May 2022.
Witness report:
Here’s the 12 minutes video of various times during the 45 + minute sighting. However, please study this at 10 minutes and 35 seconds into the video above when a very large Ufo streaks across the screen from top right to bottom left quadrant!
So, let’s use logic. This craft flew at least 2 1/2 miles over the sea (which is a VERY conservative estimate because it really appears to have gone over the horizon which is 35 miles away). Theirs 3,600 seconds in one hour. IF this craft only went 2 1/2 miles in 1/10 th of a second – that would put the speed of the Ufo at 90,000 per hour!
However, if it’s gone out of sight over the horizon (35 miles) in 1/10 th of a second , using the same equation…(3,600 seconds in one hour) that would put the speed of the Ufo at an Astounding 1,260,000 mph!!
RECENT UFO-VIDEOS FLORIDA, selected and posted by peter2011
Kosmisch overgewicht: waarom sterren, planeten en manen rond zijn
Kosmisch overgewicht: waarom sterren, planeten en manen rond zijn
Planeten, sterren en sommige manen zijn rond. Dat komt niet alleen omdat ze zwaar zijn, leren we van de onregelmatig gevormde maan Proteus en superzware neutronensterren.
Beeld: NASA
Door de kosmos zweven planeten zoals Mars en onze aarde, ijzige manen zoals Proteus en hete sterren zoals de zon. Planeten en sterren verschillen erg van elkaar, maar toch zijn ze allemaal rond. Veel manen zijn dat trouwens ook. Hoe komt dat? Je hoort weleens dat dit komt door het gewicht of de grote afmetingen van die objecten. Maar de zware en onregelmatig gevormde maan Proteus en de kleine en gigantisch zware neutronensterren leren ons dat gewicht en afmetingen niet alles zeggen. Drie aspecten zijn belangrijk. Ten eerste heb je de zwaartekracht die de massa van objecten naar binnen trekt (dat kon je al leren uit een video die eerder op EOS verscheen). Ten tweede is er een interne druk nodig die weerstand biedt tegen de samentrekking. Ten slotte moet het object ook voldoende vervormbaar zijn om rond te kunnen worden. Deze kennis heeft trouwens een belangrijke rol in mijn (Hans) leven gespeeld, dus die wil ik daarom niemand onthouden!
Alleen zwaartekracht is niet genoeg
De zon, de maan en de planeten zijn gevormd uit het samenklonteren van gassen en ruimtestof. Deze klonters zijn nadien rond geworden. De interne zwaartekracht zorgt ervoor dat de objecten samentrekken, maar daarmee krijg je nog niet zomaar een bol. Stel je voor dat er enkel samentrekking zou zijn. De planeet- of sterklonter zou dan blijven ineenkrimpen. Dat is duidelijk niet wat er gebeurt. Daarnaast zien we in het zonnestelsel dat sommige ruimteklonters ondanks hun sterke zwaartekracht niet altijd rond worden. Er zijn dus ook andere aspecten nodig voor het volledige plaatje: interne druk en vervormbaarheid.
De eerste andere noodzakelijke factor om een ruimteklonter rond te laten worden, is de interne druk die de zwaartekracht tegenwerkt. Terwijl de zwaartekracht van het object voor een samentrekking zorgt, ‘duwen’ de gesteenten, vloeistoffen of gassen waaruit de nieuwe ster of planeet bestaat in tegengestelde richting.
De tweede factor is de vervormbaarheid. In een vervormbaar object zal de zwaartekracht de inhoud van de planeet zo dicht mogelijk bij het centrum van de zwaartekracht proberen te brengen, terwijl de interne druk probeert te verhinderen dat het volume van de planeet kleiner wordt. Daaruit zal uiteindelijk een evenwicht ontstaan dat overeenkomt met een bolvormige planeet, maan of ster. Dat is niet toevallig, want een bol is de vorm waarvoor de afstand van alle inhoud tot het centrum van de zwaartekracht zo klein mogelijk is voor een bepaald volume. Daarmee zijn zowel de zwaartekracht als de interne druk ‘tevreden’. Dit is niet het geval voor bijvoorbeeld een vierkant met hetzelfde volume, waarin sommige punten zich verder van het centrum bevinden dan andere. Stel dat je planeet start als een (vervormbaar) vierkant, dan zullen de uiterste punten langzaam naar binnen getrokken worden tot het uiteindelijk een bol wordt.
Je kan dit proces een beetje vergelijken met een ballon. Enerzijds heeft de ballon, door de lucht die erin zit, een inwendige druk die naar buiten duwt. Anderzijds zorgt de spanning van het vel voor een samentrekking. Het resultaat? Een bolvormige ballon. Stop je in plaats van lucht een baksteen in een ballon, dan zal de ballon dezelfde vorm als de harde baksteen aannemen. De samentrekkende kracht van de ballon krijgt namelijk niet de kans om de baksteen te vervormen. Verbrijzel je de steen tot zand, dan duwt het zand nog even hard tegen de ballon. Maar de zandkorrels kunnen wel makkelijk bewegen ten opzichte van elkaar. Op die manier krijgt de samentrekkende kracht toch de kans om de inhoud te vervormen. Het evenwicht dat dan bereikt wordt, lijkt al meer op een bol.
Wat maakt planeten dan vervormbaar? Dat kan te maken hebben met hun verschillende samenstellingen (gesteente, ijs of vloeibare lagen). Maar als de zwaartekracht voldoende sterk is, kan zelfs hard gesteente op geologische tijdschaal vervormen.
Zwaar genoeg, maar toch niet rond
Proteus (rechts) is niet rond, maar gek genoeg toch zwaarder dan Mimas (links).
Credit: NASA
Is de interne zwaartekracht voldoende sterk, maar het object niet vervormbaar, dan wordt een planeet ook niet bolvormig. Dit is niet zomaar een wetenschappelijk gedachtespelletje. Kijk bijvoorbeeld naar de manen Mimas en Proteus. De bolvormige Mimas is 20% procent lichter dan Proteus. Je zou dan verwachten dat Proteus ook zeker rond is. Desondanks is Proteus onregelmatig gevormd. Dit komt omdat de structuur van Proteus moeilijker vervormt onder invloed van de zwaartekracht dan die van Mimas. In het voorbeeld van hierboven kan je Proteus dus meer vergelijken met de rigide ‘baksteen’ en Mimas meer met de ‘verbrijzelde baksteen’. In werkelijkheid zijn beide eerder ijzige objecten en is Mimas mogelijk gedeeltelijk vloeibaar binnenin en daarom meer vervormbaar.
Heel klein maar toch (niet) rond
De maan Amalthea (250 km groot) is onregelmatig gevormd, maar een neutronen ster van 20 km (rechts) is helemaal rond.
Credit: NASA
De afmetingen van een object vertellen je niet altijd of het object rond is. Vergelijk bijvoorbeeld de 250 km lange onregelmatig gevormde Jupitermaan Amalthea met een 20 km grote bolvormige neutronenster. De massa van Amalthea wekt niet voldoende zwaartekracht op om haar rigide structuur te vervormen. Neutronensterren (exotische sterren die uit neutronen bestaan) zijn wel bolvormig en slechts 20 km groot. Dat is een heel stuk kleiner dan Amalthea. Het verschil is dat neutronensterren heel erg zwaar zijn. Miljoenen keren de massa van de aarde zelfs! De interne zwaartekracht is dus veel hoger dan bij Amalthea en zorgt voor voldoende samentrekking om de neutronen te laten bewegen. Dit gebeurt in korte stoten die ‘starquakes’ heten. De samentrekking kan niet blijven doorgaan omdat de opeengepropte neutronen tegen de zwaartekracht inwerken. Het samenspel tussen de zwaartekracht en de druk resulteert in een bol.
Sollicitatietip
Deze kennis heeft ooit een ‘cruciale’ rol in mijn (Hans) carrière als wetenschapper gespeeld. Op mijn allereerste jobinterview stelde een professor van een Zweedse onderzoeksgroep een vraag die hij tijdens elk interview stelt om de kandidaten het vuur aan de schenen te leggen. Die vraag is ‘waarom zijn planeten rond?’. Zwaartekracht op zich is niet het volledige antwoord, er is ook een tegenwerkende druk nodig. Dat wist ik gelukkig en de professor was danig onder de indruk. Hoe belangrijk het antwoord op die vraag echt was weet ik niet, maar die eerste job was wel de springplank voor de rest mijn carrière.
Objecten in de ruimte zijn dus rond door een evenwicht dat optreedt tussen de inwaartse zwaartekracht die de massa samentrekt en de uitwaartse interne druk. Een bijkomende voorwaarde is dat het object voldoende vervormbaar is.
Hoe het voelt om dood te gaan zullen we pas echt weten als het zover is. Al krijgt de wetenschap wel steeds meer inzicht in wat er in de hersenen gebeurt rond het moment van overlijden. ‘We hebben de activiteit van het brein in het proces van doodgaan lang onderschat.’
Voor ons levende mensen is het een groot mysterie: hoe is het om dood te gaan? Maken we dat laatste moment bewust mee? Aanwijzingen druppelen binnen dat het antwoord op die laatste vraag misschien positief kan zijn. Het licht gaat niet meteen uit op het moment dat we onze laatste adem uitblazen.
Over die stelling wordt al eeuwenlang gespeculeerd. Sommige aannames en hypotheses zijn louter gestoeld op anekdotisch materiaal. In de tijd dat terdoodveroordeelden werden onthoofd met de guillotine beweerden sommige toeschouwers bijvoorbeeld dat ze de ogen nog zagen knipperen als het hoofd de grond al had geraakt.Maar er zijn ook wetenschappelijke bevindingen. Onderzoekers hebben al meerdere keren geobserveerd dat onze hersenen er niet gelijk mee ophouden wanneer ons hart tot stilstand komt. Ze blijken postmortaal zelfs nog urenlang actief te kunnen zijn. Het roept de vraag op: wat voor rol spelen de hersenen in het overlijdensproces? En wat kan dat betekenen voor onze beleving van doodgaan?
Samenwerkende neuronen
Het was eigenlijk puur toeval. In een ziekenhuis in Canada onderging een epilepsiepatiënt een behandeling voor zijn aanvallen. Op bepaalde momenten werd hij continu gemonitord. Artsen bevestigden dan elektrodes op zijn hoofd voor een eeg-meting, die de elektrische activiteit in het brein registreert. Net tijdens zo’n sessie overleed de patiënt. De eeg-meting was doorgegaan. De artsen hadden het bewuste moment waarop de patiënt stierf vastgelegd in hersenscans.
De metingen boden een zeldzaam inzicht in het patroon van hersenactiviteit vlak voor, tijdens en na het moment van overlijden. Wat de onderzoekers zagen? In de 30 seconden voor- en nadat het hart tot stilstand kwam, was er een plotselinge piek in een bepaald soort hersenactiviteit. Het ging om zogeheten gammagolven, schreven de onderzoekers in een paper, die eind februari is gepubliceerd.
Als neuronen in de hersenen samenwerken, doen ze dat gesynchroniseerd. Ze produceren zo samen hersengolven in een bepaalde frequentie. Die hersengolven kunnen we meten met een eeg. Op basis van frequentie (of golflengte) zijn ze op te delen in categorieën, van laag naar hoog: delta-, thèta-, alfa-, bèta- en gammagolven.
Je brein produceert deltagolven vooral wanneer je diep aan het slapen bent. Thètagolven zien we wanneer je slaapt maar niet heel diep, of wanneer je wakker en ontspannen bent. Bij alfagolven ben je kalm maar wel alert. Bètagolven komen voor wanneer je gefocuste activiteiten uitvoert, zoals logisch redeneren, maar ook bij motorische taken. Simpel gesteld: bij dingen waar je je hoofd bij moet houden.
‘Bewustzijn is een van de grote mysteries van de wetenschap. Dat kan je niet reduceren tot een gammagolfje’
En de gammagolven? Die zouden te zien zijn bij een sterke vorm van focus en alertheid. Wanneer je op het puntje van je stoel zit en naar een verhaal zit te luisteren dat zo interessant is dat je er opgewonden van raakt. In verschillende studies zagen onderzoekers dat gamma-activiteit betrokken is bij aandacht, leren, werkgeheugen en langetermijngeheugen.
Het is verleidelijk om te denken dat de piek in gammagolven bij de epilepsiepatiënt betekent dat hij vlak voor en na zijn ‘officiële’ dood een opflakkering van bewustzijn beleefde. De hoofdauteur van de studie, Ajmal Zemmar, speculeerde zelfs dat de piek erop kon wijzen dat zijn leven als het ware aan hem voorbijflitste. Dat een hele reeks aan herinneringen nog een laatste keer voorbijzoefde.
‘Je zou kunnen aannemen dat het moment van verhoogde hersenactiviteit gepaard gaat met een subjectieve ervaring van gedachtepercepties en emoties’, zegt neuroloog Steven Laureys (ULiège). ‘Maar goed, de man is overleden. We kunnen het niet meer navragen. Het is en blijft een hypothese.’
Veel van Zemmars collega’s uit de neurologie vinden de theorie nogal voorbarig. Ze wijzen erop dat het gaat om een meting bij een enkel individu – een 87-jarige man met een beschadigd brein, met bloedingen en zwellingen, die leed aan epileptische aanvallen. Het is bekend dat epilepsie ook de gamma-activiteit in de hersenen kan beïnvloeden. Op basis van deze casus zijn dus geen algemene aannames te maken.
‘Over de snelle gammagolven bestaat hoe dan ook nogal wat discussie’, vult Laureys aan. ‘Volgens sommige wetenschappers zijn ze een soort handtekening van bewuste processen. Maar zo eenvoudig lijkt het niet te zijn. Bewustzijn is een van de grote mysteries van de wetenschap. Dat kan je niet reduceren tot een gammagolfje.’
Laureys erkent wel dat de gammagolven een interessant onderzoeksonderwerp zijn. ‘Ze lijken iets belangrijks te doen voor ons bewustzijn. Dat maakt het fascinerend dat we ze zo vlak voor en na het moment van overlijden zien opkomen.’
Van alle hersengolven hebben gammagolven de hoogste frequentie. Ze zijn betrokken bij onder meer aandacht, leren en werkgeheugen
Ook bij ratten
Toch staat de casus van de Canadese epilepsiepatiënt niet geheel op zichzelf. Wetenschappers hadden al vaker gerapporteerd over pieken in de hersenactiviteit rond het moment van overlijden – bij mensen, maar ook bij dieren. Al werden zulke zogeheten end-of-life electrical surges (ELES) lang niet bij elk subject gemonitord. En het ging ook niet altijd om gammagolven. Soms registreerden de onderzoekers andere golven van een hoge frequentie.
In een studie uit 2017 aan het George Washington University Medical Center observeerden onderzoekers 35 patiënten tot na het moment dat ze hun laatste adem uitbliezen. Ze wilden bestuderen hoe universeel het verschijnsel van zulke pieken was.
Dat deden ze voor een deel met het oog op orgaandonatie. Want wat als zo’n piek in breinactiviteit onderdeel is van het overlijdensproces? Sommige artsen en wetenschappers vinden dat een patiënt in dat geval niet van zijn organen mag worden ontdaan voordat de piek optreedt. Anderen werpen tegen dat wachten de kwaliteit van de organen negatief kan beïnvloeden.
Onder de 35 patiënten waren er zeven die klinisch gezien als hersendood werden gecategoriseerd. Bij geen van deze patiënten was een piek in hersenactiviteit te zien rond het moment van overlijden. Van de 28 resterende patiënten waren er dertien bij wie de onderzoekers wel een piek zagen. Het ging om gesynchroniseerde hersenactiviteit in een hoge frequentie. De wetenschappers konden niet uitmaken of het ging om gammagolven.
‘Een mens is niet per se bewust of onbewust, dood of levend. Er lijkt ook een soort een overgangsfase te bestaan’
Dat een piek niet voorkwam bij hersendode patiënten ondersteunt volgens de onderzoekers het idee dat voor een piek in activiteit een zekere mate van hersencapaciteit vereist is. Ook de synchronisatie van de hersengolven zou erop wijzen dat de piek niet zomaar een soort laatste stuiptrekking van het brein is, waarbij alle aanwezige energie nog een laatste keer losgelaten moet worden. Die theorie werd al meermaals door wetenschappers geopperd. Waarschijnlijk is het geavanceerder dan dat. De onderzoekers konden overigens niet verklaren waarom een piek bij een deel van de niet hersendode patiënten wel voorkwam en bij een ander deel niet.
In 2013 bekeek een team van Amerikaanse wetenschappers de hersenactiviteit van ratten rond het moment van overlijden. Bij negen proefdieren deden de onderzoekers een eeg-meting. Dertig seconden na het overlijden was een piek in hersenactiviteit te zien. De onderzoekers registreerden daarbij activiteit in de frequentie van gammagolven. Volgens de wetenschappers suggereren de data dat het ook hier niet gaat om een stuiptrekking. Daarvoor was de hersenactiviteit te zeer gesynchroniseerd.
In een andere Canadese studie werden vier patiënten bij hun levenseinde gemonitord. Onderzoekers maten de eeg-activiteit in de 30 minuten voor en 30 minuten na het moment dat ze van de apparatuur werden gehaald die hen kunstmatig in leven hield. Bij twee van de vier patiënten zagen de onderzoekers een piek in hersenactiviteit rond het moment van overlijden. Het waren hersengolven met een hoge frequentie, maar het waren niet gammagolven.
Flitsen van herinneringen en licht aan het einde van een tunnel
Een verschijnsel dat vaak is gerapporteerd maar vooralsnog een groot mysterie blijft: de bijna-doodervaring (zie ook Eos nr. 6, 2020). Er bestaat geen officiële definitie voor het fenomeen. Meestal wordt gerefereerd aan bepaalde visioenen die mensen ervaren wanneer ze op het randje van de dood balanceren. Flitsen van herinneringen uit het leven, of licht aan het einde van een tunnel. Vaak gaan die ervaringen gepaard met een soort euforisch gevoel.
De wetenschap is er nog niet over uit wat een bijna-doodervaring precies is – en of ze überhaupt bestaat. Een biologische verklaring is er in elk geval nog niet voor te vinden. ‘We kunnen niet stellen: een bijna-doodervaring komt door een tsunami aan endorfines, of heeft te maken met zuurstoftekort in de cellen. Het is niet te linken aan één hersengebied of één neurotransmitter’, zegt neuroloog Steven Laureys (ULiège). In een studie uit 2019 hebben Laureys en zijn collega’s wel aanwijzingen gevonden die kunnen wijzen op welke mechanismen en receptoren mogelijk betrokken zijn bij een bijna-doodervaring. In de studie tekenden ze de verhalen op van 625 bijna-doodervaringen. Met behulp van artificiële intelligentie vergeleken ze die met meer dan 1.500 verhalen van ervaringen met verschillende psychedelische drugs.
Hun conclusie was dat de ervaringen met de drug ketamine, een antagonist van de zogeheten NMDA-receptor in het brein, de meeste gelijkenis vertoonden met bijna-doodervaringen. Gevolgd door de plant Salvia divinorum, en een aantal psychedelische drugs die inwerken op een bepaalde serotonine-receptor, waaronder de drug DMT. De resultaten kunnen erop wijzen dat de receptoren en mechanismen betrokken bij bijna-doodervaringen dezelfde zijn als die bij de bovengenoemde middelen. Het zijn interessante hypotheses, zegt Laureys, maar voorlopig niks meer dan dat.
Voor een volgende studie is Laureys nog op zoek naar mensen die ooit een bijna-doodervaring hebben beleefd. Ervaringsdeskundigen kunnen zich aanmelden op nde@uliege.be.
Tussen dood en leven
In een studie uit 2021 hebben Laureys en zijn collega’s de hersenactiviteit gemeten in personen bij het overlijden. Ze wilden nagaan in hoeverre de inschatting van het bewustzijn van een patiënt overeenkomt met de data van monitors.
‘We vroegen zorgverleners en familieleden naar wat zij dachten dat het bewustzijnsniveau van een patiënt was, en wat de patiënt volgens hen zou ervaren’, zegt Laureys. ‘Hun antwoorden vergeleken we met wat we zagen op de hersenscans van de patiënt.’
‘In veel gevallen zagen we op de monitor meer reactiviteit dan de bevraagde individuen verwacht hadden. Als een verzorger of familielid aan het bed van een patiënt vaststelde dat die niet reageerde, dan viel op de monitor te zien dat het brein nog wel reageerde op signalen vanuit de omgeving. Er was nog elektrische activiteit – al was die wel afwijkend.’
Die bevindingen geven volgens Laureys aan dat we vaak onderschatten wat iemand in zo’n toestand bewust kan ervaren. ‘Bij patiënten die ontwaken uit de anesthesie of coma hoor je weleens dat ze nadien zeggen dat ze in die toestand van alles hebben opgepikt. Terwijl de zorgverleners overtuigd waren: die ervaart helemaal niks.’
In zijn studies zag Laureys geen pieken van gammagolven vlak voor en vlak na het overlijden van patiënten. Zijn metingen waren wel anders dan die in de bovenvermelde studies. Het waren langdurige eeg-metingen. Daarin zijn gammagolven moeilijk te onderscheiden van andere activiteiten, zoals van de spieren.
Is er dan werkelijk meer aan de hand met het brein van patiënten die buiten bewustzijn lijken? ‘Het is niet zo zwart-wit als we misschien denken. Een mens is niet per se bewust of onbewust, dood of levend. Er lijkt ook een soort overgangsfase te bestaan. Ik denk dat we de activiteit van het brein in het proces van doodgaan lang hebben onderschat.’
Op hersenscans van deze 87-jarige epilepsiepatiënt zijn bloeduitstortingen in de linkerhersenhelft te zien.
Activiteit op het kleinste niveau
Ook Jeffrey Loeb, neuroloog aan de University of Illinois (VS), is overtuigd dat we niet van het ene op het andere moment dood zijn. ‘Het lichaam heeft tijd nodig om te sterven.’ In zijn onderzoek van het afgelopen jaar zag hij hoe bepaalde hersencellen in de 24 uur na de dood actief blijven, en hoe ze zelfs toenemen in aantal.
Met de studie wilde hij nagaan wat voor verschillen je kan zien in genetische activiteit bij ‘vers’ hersenweefsel en hersenweefsel dat al een tijdje dood is. Loeb kreeg van een aantal epilepsiepatiënten toestemming om kleine stukjes hersenweefsel, die werden verwijderd als onderdeel van een operatie, te onderzoeken. Hij mat wat er gebeurde met de genetische activiteit, van de eerste seconde na de afname tot 24 uur daarna.
Loeb vond dat hersenweefsel niet zomaar stopt als het wordt afgesloten van de bloedtoevoer. In de samples zag hij in bepaalde genen nog activiteit – in ieder geval gedurende de eerste 24 uur na de afname. Bij sommige genen nam de activiteit zelfs toe, zag Loeb. Bepaalde hersencellen groeiden daardoor in aantal.
Wat voor genen waren dit? En wat betekent dat voor ons overlijdensproces? ‘Bij de genenset waarbij we activiteit maten, keken we naar verschillende types hersencellen. De activiteit voor de neuronen betrokken bij processen als leren en geheugen ging snel naar beneden. Maar de activiteit voor de zogeheten gliacellen ging juist omhoog’, zegt Loeb. Het ging om twee typen gliacellen: de astrocyten en de microglia.
De piek in activiteit zou niet zomaar een laatste stuiptrekking van het brein zijn, waarbij alle aanwezige energie nog een keer losgelaten wordt
Met de toegenomen genetische activiteit zagen Loeb en zijn collega’s ook het aantal van die gliacellen stijgen. ‘We checkten de genetische activiteit in de cellen, maar bekeken ook de celpopulaties in stukjes weefsel onder de microscoop. En we zagen dat de populaties van die twee types cellen heel snel begonnen te groeien.’ Een van de functies van astrocyten is om beschadigingen in het brein te repareren. De microglia hebben als taak om beschadigd weefsel op te ruimen.
Vandaar dat het eigenlijk helemaal niet zo verrassend is, volgens Loeb, dat die cellen na de dood vermeerderen. ‘De gliacellen hebben niet door dat het hele brein beschadigd is en dat het eigenlijk al een verloren zaak is. Ze blijven als een gek al het beschadigde weefsel opdweilen dat ze tegenkomen.’
Doodgaan is een complex biologisch proces, daarover zijn Laureys en Loeb het met elkaar eens. Het is niet iets dat van het ene op het andere moment gebeurd is. Ook in ons brein lijkt er rond het moment van overlijden nog heel wat te gebeuren. ‘De hersenen bestaan uit duizenden miljarden synapsen, in een soep van talloze neurotransmitters’, zegt Laureys. ‘Doodgaan in de hersenen staat gelijk aan een stortvloed van gebeurtenissen. Waarschijnlijk zullen we daar nooit helemaal vat op krijgen.’
Future Space Travelers May Follow Cosmic Lighthouses
Future Space Travelers May Follow Cosmic Lighthouses
An image of NICER on the exterior of the space station with one of the station’s solar panels in the background.
Credits: NASA
For centuries, lighthouses helped sailors navigate safely into harbor. Their lights swept across the water, cutting through fog and darkness, guiding mariners around dangerous obstacles and keeping them on the right path. In the future, space explorers may receive similar guidance from the steady signals created by pulsars.
Scientists and engineers are using the International Space Station to develop pulsar-based navigation using these cosmic lighthouses to assist with wayfinding on trips to the Moon under NASA’s Artemis program and on future human missions to Mars.
Pulsars, or rapidly spinning neutron stars, are the extremely dense remains of stars that exploded as supernovas. They emit X-ray photons in bright, narrow beams that sweep the sky like a lighthouse as the stars spin. From a great distance they appear to pulse, hence the name pulsars.
An X-ray telescope on the exterior of the space station, the Neutron star Interior Composition Explorer or NICER, collects and timestamps the arrival of X-ray light from neutron stars across the sky. Software embedded in NICER, called the Station Explorer for X-ray Timing and Navigation Technology or SEXTANT, is using the beacons from pulsars to create a GPS-like system. This concept, often referred to as XNAV, could provide autonomous navigation throughout the solar system and beyond.
Depiction of a pulsar or rapidly spinning neutron star. It emits X-ray photons or radiation particles in bright narrow beams that sweep the sky like a lighthouse as the star spins.
Credits: Bill Saxton, NRAO/AUI/NSF
“GPS uses precisely synchronized signals. Pulsations from some neutron stars are very stable, some even as stable as terrestrial atomic clocks in the long term, which makes them potentially useful in a similar way,” says Luke Winternitz, a researcher at NASA’s Goddard Space Flight Center in Greenbelt, Maryland.
The stability of the pulses allows highly accurate predictions of their time of arrival to any reference point in the solar system. Scientists have developed detailed models that predict precisely when a pulse would arrive at, for example, the center of Earth. Timing the arrival of the pulse to a detector on a spacecraft, and comparing that to when it is predicted to arrive at a reference point, provides information for navigating far beyond our planet.
“Navigation information provided by pulsars does not degrade by moving away from Earth since pulsars are distributed throughout our Milky Way galaxy,” says SEXTANT team member Munther Hassouneh, navigation technologist.
“It effectively turns the ‘G’ in GPS from Global to Galactic,” adds team member Jason Mitchell, director of the Advanced Communications and Navigation Technology Division in NASA’s Space Communication and Navigation Program. “It could work anywhere in the solar system and even carry robotic or crewed systems beyond the solar system.”
Pulsars also can be observed in the radio band but, unlike radio waves, X-rays are not delayed by matter in space. Additionally, detectors for X-rays can be more compact and smaller than radio dishes.
But because X-ray pulses are very weak, a system must be robust enough to collect a signal sufficient for navigating. NICER’s large collection area makes it nearly ideal for XNAV research. A future XNAV system could be made smaller, trading size for longer collection time.
“NICER is roughly the size of a washing machine, but you could dramatically reduce its size and volume,” Mitchell says. “For example, it would be interesting to fit an XNAV telescope into a small satellite that could independently navigate the asteroid belt and characterize primitive solar system bodies.”
As published in a 2018 paper, SEXTANT already has successfully demonstrated real-time pulsar-based navigation aboard the space station. It also studied the use of pulsars for time-keeping and clock synchronization and is helping expand the catalog of pulsars to use as reference points for XNAV.
The SEXTANT team also includes Samuel Price, Sean Semper and Wayne Yu at Goddard; Naval Research Lab partners Paul Ray and Kent Wood; and NICER principal investigator Keith Gendreau and science lead Zaven Arzoumanian.
The team now is studying the possibility of using XNAV autonomous navigation as a technique on NASA’s Gateway platform, to study support for crewed missions to Mars.
These kinds of experiments could bring cosmic lighthouses to guide spacecraft to their destinations another step closer to reality.
Imagine a technology that would allow space travelers to transmit gigabytes of data per second over interplanetary distances or to navigate to Mars and beyond using powerful beams of light emanating from rotating neutron stars. The concept isn't farfetched. In fact, Goddard astrophysicists Keith Gendreau and Zaven Arzoumanian plan to fly a multi-purpose instrument on the International Space Station to demonstrate the viability of two groundbreaking navigation and communication technologies and, from the same platform, gather scientific data revealing the physics of dense matter in neutron stars.
Credits: NASA's Goddard Space Flight Center/Rich Melnick
Hubble Space Telescope finds evidence for water around Jupiter’s largest moon.
Depiction of Ganymede centered over 45° W. longitude.
Credit: National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration
An international team of astronomers has used Hubble to peer into the atmosphere of Jupiter’s biggest moon, Ganymede – and find evidence for water vapour there.
Ganymede is the biggest of our Solar System’s moons, with a diameter of 5,200km – 1.5 times bigger than our own satellite. It’s a cold world, made up of equal amounts of rock and water, with an ocean below the surface that may contain more water than all of Earth’s oceans combined.
But it’s also the largest body in the Solar System without any kind of substantial atmosphere. When the Voyager 1 spacecraft soared by in 1979, it didn’t detect any atmosphere, although a couple of decades later the Hubble Space Telescope managed to spot a very thin and tenuous one comprised primarily of oxygen molecules (O2).
These molecules are thought to be created when charged particles and solar radiation hit the icy surface of Ganymede. This splits up the water molecules into various groups of molecules and atoms, including atomic hydrogen (H) and molecular oxygen. The lighter hydrogen is quickly lost, while the moon’s gravity holds onto the heavier oxygen molecules.
Astronomers have long suspected that there must be some water in Ganymede’s atmosphere, too, created from the same process on the surface. In particular, the icy surface “sublimates”, with ice turned directly into water vapour (H2O) and skipping the liquid stage.
This diagram shows where the subsolar point is on the Earth’s surface – the place where the sun’s rays directly hit the planet. Credit: Wikimedia Commons.
Modelling has suggested that H2O should dominate the atmosphere at Ganymede’s subsolar point – that is, the warmest part of the atmosphere where the Sun’s radiation directly hits – while molecular oxygen dominates the rest.
Now, this new research has turned Hubble’s eyes back to the Jovian moon to settle this. The team, led by Lorenz Roth from the KTH Royal Institute of Technology in Sweden, used Hubble’s Cosmic Origins Spectrograph to study the chemical composition of Ganymede’s atmosphere.
Their findings were consistent with the modelling: spectral signatures indicated that H2O was more abundant around the subsolar point, but O2 was more abundant elsewhere.
The team notes that finding water in Ganymede’s atmosphere will inform future space missions, including the European Space Agency’s Jupiter Icy Moons Explorer (JUICE). Expected to reach the gas giant in 2031, JUICE will make several fly-bys of the moons before settling into orbit around Ganymede in 2034 for at least 280 days.
“Several science instruments are equipped to measure Ganymede’s neutral gas environment and particularly the H2O abundance by remote sensing of UV, optical, infrared and submillimetre emissions, as well as in situ sensing with the neutral particle detector,” the authors explain in their paper.
“Our results place observational constraints on the contribution of sublimation to the atmosphere, and provide the JUICE instrument teams with valuable information that may be used to refine their observation plans.”
60 UNSOLVED MYSTERIES THAT CANNOT BE EXPLAINED – PREMIERED 2022
60 unsolved mysteries that cannot be explained | compilation.Today, we take a look at 60 unsolved mysteries that cannot be explained.
There is nothing more tantalising to the human species than a good mystery. Thrillers in the forms of novels, movies, and even campfire tales are often consumed by the thousands by those who love the adrenaline rush of solving a mystery. However, some of the most pervasive mysteries are those that occur in real life, and these are the ones that are often most difficult to solve. So today, here at unexplained mysteries, we take a look at these 60 unsolved mysteries that cannot be explained.
Elon Musk says Tesla would continue to do very well even if he was kidnapped by aliens or 'went back to my home planet' UFO Sighting News.
Elon Musk says Tesla would continue to do very well even if he was kidnapped by aliens or 'went back to my home planet' UFO Sighting News.
Date of announcement: Aug 6, 2022
During a live Tesla interview with Elon Musk, he stated that he is an alien from another planet. Now he says it with a smile and there is laughter, but I have long said he is an alien and not of this world. Here, he admits it 100%.
Scott C. Waring - Taiwan
"We have a very talented team here. So I think Tesla, you know, would continue to do very well even if I was kidnapped by aliens, or went back to my home planet," the Tesla CEO said at the firm's 2022 Cyber roundup meeting of stock owners. He was responding to a question from stockholder Gary Black, a managing partner of the Future Fund, concerning how Tesla's board would potentially handle his succession.
Plane Buzzes UFO Over Airport, El Paso, Texas, Aug 4, 2022, Video, UFO Sighting News.
Plane Buzzes UFO Over Airport, El Paso, Texas, Aug 4, 2022, Video, UFO Sighting News.
Date of sighting: Aug 4, 2022 Location of sighting: El Paso, Texas, USA
Here is an interesting video from Texas, one of the top 3 UFO hotspots of America. Someone caught a UFO over the airport during sunset, then the UFO flew closer and began to pass over the neighborhood. He even said when he went to start his truck...it just would not start and had to leave it till morning. This has all the signs of a real UFO.
Scott C. Waring - Taiwan
Eyewitness states:
Hovered over mountain not moving, plane went by, started moving south along the mountain, stopped again, descended until visual was lost. My truck didn’t turn on after. Left it over night, it started in the morning.
Here is a rare report of some unknown objects falling into the mountains of Australia. This same week, at the time of this falling, reports of Chinese space debris falling to earth were reported world wide. I believe this is not SpaceX but the Chinese space debris. No reports of SpaceX debris were reported...until they found the objects. This is 100% proof that China is trying to pass USA in the space program, and may one day succeed.
Scott C. Waring - Taiwan
News states:
About three weeks ago, residents in the Snowy Mountains reported hearing a mysterious loud boom. Others saw debris falling from the sky. Now, two farmers have found the likely cause — large and rare pieces of space junk that landed on their properties. It's thought to be debris from a SpaceX capsule, and has excited experts in the field who say it's an extremely unusual event.
Producer James Fox and his team travel the globe, interviewing eyewitnesses and high-ranking military & government personnel about their UFO knowledge and experiences. As narrator, actor Peter Coyote guides the viewer through these interviews and through new and historic film footage & information related to the UFO Phenomenon.
A condensed version of an ancient Egyptian legend goes as follows: the wise servant tells his master how he survived the shipwreck and came ashore on a mysterious island where he met a great talking serpent who called himself the Lord of Punt. All good things were on the island and the sailor and the snake converse until a ship is hailed and he can return to Egypt.
A number of the myth’s fragments lead to some interesting reflections. The size of the enigmatic reptile is the first thing that strikes you as astonishing. The surviving sailor recounts his misadventures in this manner:
“The trees were cracking, the ground was shaking. When I opened my face, I saw that the serpent was approaching me. Its length is thirty cubits. His beard is more than two cubits long. His scales are of gold, his eyebrows are of lapis lazuli, his body is curved upwards.”
This myth’s serpent is quite fascinating. Signs point to him having a beard and eyebrows thick enough to resemble the legendary golden Chinese dragons of Chinese mythology. However, a little beard was occasionally depicted on sacred snakes in Egypt. Ancient Egyptian and East Asian traditions about enormous reptiles appear to be derived from the same source.
The second unusual thing you notice is that, there is a reference made in the legend to a particular star that was responsible for the death of the entire serpent family. This is what the last serpent told the man:
“Now since you have survived this accident, let me tell you of a tale of calamity that befell me. I once lived on this island with my family – 75 serpents in all without counting an orphan girl who was brought to me by chance and who was dear to my heart. One night a star came crashing down from heaven and they all went up in flames. It happened when I wasn’t there – I wasn’t among them. Only I was spared, and behold, here I am, utterly alone.”
What kind of star was it that burnt down seventy-five enormous creatures all at once? – let’s remember the size of the serpent. What an accurate and effective hit and what a powerful striking factor!
Let us recall another myth from ancient Egypt, in which Sekhmet, the dreadful eye of the deity Ra, is said to have severed the head of a giant snake or serpent Apep (also known as Apophis). Apep was viewed as the greatest enemy of Ra, and thus was given the title Enemy of Ra, and also “the Lord of Chaos”.
In this particular instance — the tale of Serpent Island — this destruction of serpents by a star resembles a real celestial punishment, in the literal sense of the word!
Let’s take a step back from the myth for a moment and concentrate on the specifics. The last surviving sailor describes waves of eight cubits, and he estimates the length of the snake to be thirty cubits. These are key comparative measurements that can be used to estimate the scale:
“And now the wind is getting stronger, and the waves are eight cubits high. And then the mast fell into the wave, and the ship was lost, and no one survived except me.”
In other words, based on the narrative, there can be no doubt regarding the size; the waves are big, and the snakes are at least three times larger than the waves. And with one swift strike from a certain “star,” all of this enormous “snake pit” of the seventy-five giant serpents is eradicated. It is clear that the explosion had a significant amount of power.
What struck the intelligent serpents? Somehow, it is difficult to accept a “crazy” asteroid hitting at random.
There is no doubt that ancient sources that tell about the history of peoples often include fictional tales in their folklore. We believe that this story parallels the ancient mythology of peoples that lived a long way from Egypt, where gods or heroes fought with reptiles or dragons in ancient stories. Why were such myths popular among ancient cultures?
The discovery was made by scientists from the Siberian Section of the Russian Academy of Sciences (СО РАН) conducted radiocarbon analyses of reindeer antler fragments found at the Kushevat Paleolithic site in the Lower Ob region.
In addition to the antler bones, scientists also examined a woolly mammoth (Mammuthus primigenius), a steppe bison (Bison Priscus), Elk (Alces alces), deer (Cervus elephus sibiricus), and, potentially, a musk ox (Ovibos moschatus). Analyses of the bones dated them back to a series of 20 different radiocarbon dates, all ranging from the period between 20 and 40 thousand years ago.
Although this finding solely points to animals, and not humans, inhibiting the Arctic region 40,000 years back, the discovery has now become the basis of further analyses, which currently date human activity in the Ob region back to 40,000 years ago. This is because two reindeer antlers held traces of human activity amongst this group of bones, which have only recently been analyzed.
The question of the initial settlement of the Arctic and Subarctic by an ancient man of the modern type (Homo sapiens sapiens) has long been of interest to scientists. The valley of the Ob River is often considered a potential migration route for Paleolithic man. It is believed that modern man came to Europe and Asia 50,000-60,000 thousand years ago.
What is still unclear is where the modern man lived before and how he crossed the Urals? For a long time, the hypothesis prevailed that 12,000-30,000 years ago, the north of Western Siberia was covered by a large glacier (just like the north of America and Europe). To the south of this glacier was a dammed basin reaching 130 meters.
For this reason, it was believed that looking for archaeological sites dating back to the period of 30-40 thousand years ago in the north was pointless. It was confirmed by the almost complete absence of finds (tools, sites, organic matter).
Thanks to the international research program using AMS dating and optical-stimulating luminescence, researchers from Europe and Russia proved that there was no ice cover in the north of Western Siberia 12,000-30,000 years ago. It was much earlier: 90,000-60,000 years ago north of Salekhard. The level of the ice-dammed basin in the Ob valley did not exceed 60 meters.
This is an entirely different paleogeographic picture. For thirty years, I was convinced that in the north of Western Siberia, there were all the conditions for the existence of an ancient person. Now we had the opportunity to try to prove it: to find traces of Homo sapiens in the north of the Ob 30,000-50,000 years ago, – the project manager, head of the laboratory of the Institute of Geology and Mineralogy named after V.I. V.S commented in a press statement.
As reported by the Barents Observer“the analysis suggests that Homo sapiens and not only Neanderthals inhabited the Arctic Circle in the Upper Paleolithic age. About two decades ago, it was only certain that Neanderthals, and not Homo sapiens, were occupants in the region during the period.”
This was discovered by radiocarbon dating a set of bones unearthed in 2001 at the Yakutia site. The radiocarbon analysis suggested that the Neanderthals had found themselves in the region approximately 28,500-27,000 years ago.
The new AMS analysis has hence provided two major breakthroughs. The first one is that Homo sapiens, as well as Neanderthals, inhabited the Arctic circle during the Paleolithic Age, and the second finding is that Homo sapiens lived north of the Arctic circle already 40,000 years ago.
The discovery was made by scientists from the Siberian Section of the Russian Academy of Sciences (СО РАН) conducted radiocarbon analyses of reindeer antler fragments found at the Kushevat Paleolithic site in the Lower Ob region.
In addition to the antler bones, scientists also examined a woolly mammoth (Mammuthus primigenius), a steppe bison (Bison Priscus), Elk (Alces alces), deer (Cervus elephus sibiricus), and, potentially, a musk ox (Ovibos moschatus). Analyses of the bones dated them back to a series of 20 different radiocarbon dates, all ranging from the period between 20 and 40 thousand years ago.
Although this finding solely points to animals, and not humans, inhibiting the Arctic region 40,000 years back, the discovery has now become the basis of further analyses, which currently date human activity in the Ob region back to 40,000 years ago. This is because two reindeer antlers held traces of human activity amongst this group of bones, which have only recently been analyzed.
The question of the initial settlement of the Arctic and Subarctic by an ancient man of the modern type (Homo sapiens sapiens) has long been of interest to scientists. The valley of the Ob River is often considered a potential migration route for Paleolithic man. It is believed that modern man came to Europe and Asia 50,000-60,000 thousand years ago.
What is still unclear is where the modern man lived before and how he crossed the Urals? For a long time, the hypothesis prevailed that 12,000-30,000 years ago, the north of Western Siberia was covered by a large glacier (just like the north of America and Europe). To the south of this glacier was a dammed basin reaching 130 meters.
For this reason, it was believed that looking for archaeological sites dating back to the period of 30-40 thousand years ago in the north was pointless. It was confirmed by the almost complete absence of finds (tools, sites, organic matter).
Thanks to the international research program using AMS dating and optical-stimulating luminescence, researchers from Europe and Russia proved that there was no ice cover in the north of Western Siberia 12,000-30,000 years ago. It was much earlier: 90,000-60,000 years ago north of Salekhard. The level of the ice-dammed basin in the Ob valley did not exceed 60 meters.
This is an entirely different paleogeographic picture. For thirty years, I was convinced that in the north of Western Siberia, there were all the conditions for the existence of an ancient person. Now we had the opportunity to try to prove it: to find traces of Homo sapiens in the north of the Ob 30,000-50,000 years ago, – the project manager, head of the laboratory of the Institute of Geology and Mineralogy named after V.I. V.S commented in a press statement.
As reported by the Barents Observer“the analysis suggests that Homo sapiens and not only Neanderthals inhabited the Arctic Circle in the Upper Paleolithic age. About two decades ago, it was only certain that Neanderthals, and not Homo sapiens, were occupants in the region during the period.”
This was discovered by radiocarbon dating a set of bones unearthed in 2001 at the Yakutia site. The radiocarbon analysis suggested that the Neanderthals had found themselves in the region approximately 28,500-27,000 years ago.
The new AMS analysis has hence provided two major breakthroughs. The first one is that Homo sapiens, as well as Neanderthals, inhabited the Arctic circle during the Paleolithic Age, and the second finding is that Homo sapiens lived north of the Arctic circle already 40,000 years ago.
In 1942, physicist Enrico Fermi and a team of workers built what they thought was the first nuclear reactor in a Chicago racket ball court. Unfortunately, nature had beaten them to the punch — by eons.
Truth be told, self-sustaining nuclear power reactor was invented in Africa, 2 billion years ago! It’s a 100-kilowatt nuclear plant that produced pulses of power every three hours for a period of about 150,000 years.
On June 2, 1972, a French nuclear fuel reprocessing plant discovered that 200 kg of uranium from a uranium mine in the Oklo region of Gabon Republic had been refined. Fearing that someone (or a secret organization) would build a nuclear bomb, the French Atomic Energy Commission immediately opened an investigation.
Finally, researchers and scientists from all over the world, after conducting detailed investigation, came to the conclusion that, six large nuclear reactors as old as 2 billion years old are located near Gabon’s uranium mine, and has been active for at least 150,000 years!
The advanced process self-sustaining fission
The ancient nuclear reactors use surface water and groundwater to modulate and reflect sequenced fission neutrons, its operation is much more advanced than that of modern nuclear reactors. Moreover, scientists found geological evidence that uranium in lens-shaped veins of uranium ore had undergone self-sustaining fission chain reactions, generating intense heat.
In this process, subatomic neutrons released by radioactive decay of uranium atoms induce decay of other uranium atoms, leading to a cascade of nuclear fission and substantial release of energy as heat. This is what modern nuclear reactors use to produce power.
Former head of the United States Atomic Energy Commission and Nobel laureate Dr. Glenn T. Seaborg points out: For uranium to continue to “burn”, all conditions must be completely free of bias. The water involved in the nuclear reaction must be very pure, a few parts per million of pollutants will create a “toxic” reaction that causes the reactor to stop working. Nowhere in the world is there such pure natural water.
In April 2018, two rock samples recovered during drilling campaigns in Oklo were donated to the Vienna Natural History Museum. The donation (and ceremony) was made possible with funding from nuclear fuel company Orano and France’s Alternative Energies and Atomic Energy Commission (CEA). The French Permanent Mission to the UN in Vienna supported the effort.
According to the International Atomic Energy Agency (IAEA), which helped monitor radioactivity levels and handling of those samples, the two samples emit a radiation of about 40 microsieverts per hour “if you stand 5 centimetres away from them, which roughly compares to the amount of cosmic radiation a passenger would receive on an eight-hour flight from Vienna to New York.”
The incredible hypotheses
The Oklo nuclear reactor in Gabon has been operating for 1500,00 years. How to produce water of such high purity has become another unsolved mystery. The rationality of the structural design of prehistoric nuclear reactors is absolutely baffling to experts.
Some scientists and theorists believe that the reactor is extremely advanced, suggesting that highly intelligent beings existed 2 billion years ago. While another hypothesis is that it was constructed by prehistoric human civilization (like described in the Silurian Hypothesis by NASA scientists) using techniques that were lost to subsequent humans.
However, most of the mainstream researchers believe that Oklo is the world’s only identified naturally occurring reactor which was created by accident. As scientists Norman Schwers and John A. Miller from Sandia National Laboratories explain in a 2017 paper, the concept of a naturally occurring reactor was originally documented in 1956 using reactor theory or the infinite multiplication constants.
Scientists Successfully Sent A Particle Back in Time Using A Quantum Computer
Scientists Successfully Sent A Particle Back in Time Using A Quantum Computer
Time travel was fiction before Einstein, but his calculations took us into the quantum world and we were introduced to a more complex picture of time. Einstein’s equations permitted time travel into the past, as Kurt Gödel discovered. The issue? None of the hypothesized time travel systems were ever physically feasible.
So, before sending a particle back through time, Argonne National Laboratory, Moscow Institute of Physics and Technology, and ETH Zurich scientists wondered, “Why stick to physical grounds?
Many physics laws treat the future and the past as continuous. A closed system progresses from order to disorder according to the second rule of thermodynamics (or entropy). If you scramble an egg to produce an omelet, you’ve added a lot of chaos to the closed system that was the egg.
The arrow of time is an essential consequence of the second law. A process that develops entropy, like whisking an egg, is irreversible. An omelet won’t turn back into an egg, and billiard balls won’t spontaneously reassemble a triangle. Entropy, like an arrow, goes in one direction, and we see it as time.
The second rule of thermodynamics holds us captive, but an international team of scientists sought to test it in the quantum world. Since nature cannot do such a test, scientists utilized an IBM quantum computer.
Ordinary computers, such as the one you’re reading this on, work with bits of data. A bit is either a 1 or a 0. A qubit is a fundamental unit of information used by quantum computers. A qubit may be both a 1 and a 0, allowing the system to process data considerably quicker.
The researchers used qubits to simulate subatomic particles in a four-step experiment. They entangled the qubits first, such that whatever occurred to one affected the others. Then they utilized microwave radio pulses to evolve the quantum computer’s initial order into a more sophisticated state.
A specific algorithm changes the quantum computer to bring order out of chaos. They’re zapped by another microwave pulse, but this time they go back to their old selves. That is, they are de-aged by a millionth of a second.
Argonne National Laboratory researcher Valerii M. Vinokur compares it to pushing against a pond’s waves to restore them to their source.
Success was not guaranteed since quantum mechanics is about probability. In a two-qubit quantum computer, however, the algorithm accomplished a time leap 85 percent of the time. With three qubits, the success rate decreased to around 50%, which the scientists blamed on flaws in current quantum computers.
The results are exciting but don’t go buying flux capacitors just yet. This experiment also illustrates that manipulating even a simulated particle in time is difficult. Our ability to produce such an external force to influence even one quantum wave is limited.
To time-reverse even ONE quantum particle is impossible for nature alone, says research author Vinokur. “The system comprising two particles is even more irreversible, let alone the eggs — comprising billions of particles — we break to prepare an omelette.”
A press release from the Department of Energy notes that the “timeline required for [an external force] to spontaneously appear and properly manipulate the quantum waves” to appear in nature and unscramble an egg “would extend longer than that of the universe itself.” In other words, this tech specifically binds to quantum computation.
But the study isn’t just a high-tech exercise. While the approach won’t help us build real-world time machines, it will improve quantum computation.
Einstein’s equations don’t prohibit time travel, but they make it a difficult task, as Kurt Gödel demonstrated.
Alex Birch whose photographs of UFOs puzzled experts on both sides of the Atlantic has released a film about his experiences – that he claims included meetings with the British royal family and a phone conversation with JFK.
In Beyond Perception Sheffield-born Alex says he attended private meetings with Prince Philip, who died age 99 in 2021 and Lord Mountbatten of Burma who asked the then 14-year-old Alex to call him Dickie. Both men were known for their fascination with the UFO mystery at that time.
But in the new film Alex, now 74, also claims he took part in a transatlantic telephone conversation with President John F Kennedy in 1962 after his photo of a fleet of flying saucers made news headlines across the world.
In the 30-minute film Alex says a military car collected him and his father from their home near Sheffield from where they were taken to a US military base. On arrival they met USAF officials and the base commander. During the visit he was taken to an adjoining room where he was put through to a man he believes was JFK.
The man quizzed Alex ‘asking if there was any visible markings on the objects, also how high were the objects and how big they were and many other questions’. He says Kennedy was concerned the Russians had ‘secret weapons and were already exploring space’. Kennedy was assassinated in November 1963 after launching NASA’s Apollo space programme that put the first men on the moon.
Shortly before the call Alex, then 14 years old, had travelled to London with his father where his black and white photograph and Box Brownie camera were examined by officials at the Air Ministry. A MoD file documenting the meeting was released at The National Archives in the 1990s.
Alex Birch’s photo showing a fleet of UFOs over Mosborough, near Sheffield, in March 1962 (Copyright A. Birch)
After the media furore surrounding this photograph Alex faded from the public eye. But flying saucers, and UFOlogists, continued to haunt him. He was taunted at school and everywhere he went he was known as ‘the lad who had photographed flying saucers.’
So in 1972, when he was 24 years old, he contacted the Daily Express and confessed it was a hoax. He even appeared on TV with the pane of glass on which the ‘saucers’ had been painted. For ten years he had fooled his family, friends and even the Air Ministry who had them tagged as ‘ice crystals’.
The ruse, for according to Alex it was a ruse, worked. Alex says he knew the photo was genuine but his manipulation of the media removed the heat; interest in him diminished and he was able to concentrate on building a career and supporting a family. But his interest in photography remained and over the years he became an accomplished practitioner, entering and wining numerous competitions.
Daily Express, 6 October 1972
Meanwhile his iconic flying saucer photograph continued to be reproduced in books and magazines worldwide. In 1998 Alex, who no longer possessed a copy of the original negative, decided to step back into the public spotlight to reclaim his own copyright on the image. He also wanted the world to know the truth: he really did see, and photograph, flying saucers in 1962.
After a short flurry of media and UFOlogical interest, his U-turn was again quickly forgotten. Alex didn’t care who believed him and, now a grandfather, he believed his adventures in UFOlogy were now a thing of the past.
Until Tuesday, 27 January 2004. On that evening Alex, now 55, was sitting in his bungalow watching TV with his wife when it began snowing heavily. At the time Alex was trying to think of a suitable photograph to enter in his local photographic society’s competition and this unexpected snowfall made him think he might get an unusual night time shot.
Leaving the house at 9.15 pm, without even telling his wife, Alex drove through heavy snow to the market town of Retford, in rural Nottinghamshire, where he parked in the square. The thick snow and the relatively late hour meant the square was completely deserted and silent. Alex spent some time taking a variety of photographs of the square, road and buildings that were covered in snow and reflecting lights from lampposts and buildings. He was using 35mm Fujia Sensia 200ASA reversal film (a slide film).
After using the roll of thirty six frames Alex returned home and shortly afterwards sent the film for processing. When the slides were returned he spent some time looking at them on a small battery operated viewer, trying to identify a suitable slide for entry in his local photography club’s competition. He found three shots that were perfect and then noticed an odd image on one of the slides. To his amazement when he looked closer he saw a UFO, a saucer shaped UFO at that, just to the side of Retford Town Hall. The Town Hall clock fixes the image in time at 23.08.
UFO? Retford, Nottinghamshire, 27 January 2004 (Copyright A Birch)
Alex was naturally keen to tell us about his new photograph. We were, naturally, skeptical. After all, the chances of someone taking a photograph of a genuinely anomalous UFO once are massive. To do so twice in a lifetime would be, well, Fortean. We recalled the furore over Alex’s 1962 photograph, his 1972 confession and his subsequent revelation that it was genuine after all. What was going on?
Alex wasn’t going to let the problems which plagued his 1962 photograph affect this new one and he decided to eschew any publicity. He just wanted to know what he had caught on film. The first time we saw the new UFO image was on a copy of a slide he sent to us.
We thought it was obviously a lens flare; there are numerous lights on lamps and buildings and even though we couldn’t prove it, a lens flare of some kind seemed to be the only logical conclusion. Most tellingly Alex did not see the object whilst taking the photographs and it is axiomatic that an image which is noticed only after processing is almost always a bird, lens flare, camera or film fault. Alex disagreed and told us he firmly believed the image on the film was of an object in the sky: a real UFO.
Despite the prospect of fresh media attention and money from this photograph Alex wasn’t interested. He wanted to get to the bottom of it privately and, rather than trust the photograph to the care of the UFO community, of whom he has a profound mistrust, he set about investigating it himself.
Sheffield University’s Department of Physics and Astronomy ruled out any celestial or astronomical phenomena and local airfields confirmed there were no aircraft over Retford that night. He then took the slide to the Kodak Laboratories in Lincoln. Their technical analysis ruled out any possibility of lens flare, double exposure, drying stains, re-touching or a host of other possibilities. Indeed, the Kodak analysis found that the UFO image had the same density pattern, colour and grain as the surrounding picture. This suggested to the Kodak analysts that whatever ‘it’ was, it was in the sky when photographed. Robert Smith of Kodak’s labs went so far as to write on the back of the photograph, ‘This image has not been altered or manipulated in any way.’
The News of the World, 2 September 1962
Then he tried his old bete noir, the Ministry of Defence. After several phone calls to the MoD’sWhitehall building Alex made an appointment to see the UFO desk officer, Linda Unwin. She suggested a meeting and told Alex that ‘defence experts’ would be interested in viewing the slide.
A meeting was duly arranged for 9 March 2004 and Alex asked Andy Roberts to accompany him. It is highly unusual for a UFO witness to be interviewed by MoD personnel and even more unusual for them to be invited to visit the MoD Main Building. The last time this had happened was in 1962 when Alex, then a schoolboy, visited the Air Ministry with his father and allowed experts to examine his Box Brownie camera and his other picture of ‘flying saucers.’
The 2004 visit did not go to plan. Alex and Andy were met in the reception area by Linda Unwin and a colleague, who seemed to be unaware of the promised ‘meeting’ or the possibility of defence experts viewing the slide. She was happy to take a copy for analysis, but Alex and Andy got no further than the ornate reception area. Alex believes the meeting was cancelled because he had not told them he was bringing guests (his son in law was also present).
In a follow-up letter Unwin asked for a copy of the negative for scrutiny by a ‘defence imagery analyst.’ Using the Freedom of Information Act we discovered that a copy of the slide was sent by Unwin’s branch to the MoD’s Defence Geographic and Imagery Intelligence Agency (DGIA), based at RAF Brampton in Cambridgeshire. Experts there analyse aerial photographs and other military-sourced images for intelligence purposes. In this case, Alex was told that UFO photographs are ‘not within the normal course of work’ for the imagery experts ‘but [they] have agreed to fit this in around essential defence work.’
The Graphics and Digital Imaging Section completed their assessment on 2 August 2004. A scan at 2,400dpi allowed them to investigate ‘at greater magnification the structure of the anomaly’ but found no indication of reflections or lens flares. The brief report ends with these words: ‘No definitive conclusions can be gathered from evidence submitted, however, it may be coincidental that the illuminated plane of the object passes through the centre of the frame, indicating a possible lens anomaly e.g. a droplet of moisture.’
A page from the DGIA (JARIC) report on analysis of the Retford photograph (Crown Copyright)
Alex claims he has subsequently had other meetings and conversations with MoD personnel, but maintains that neither he nor they are any closer to resolving what he has captured on film. When we visited Alex in the spring of 2007 he was enthusiastic about his new photograph and remained convinced that, based on the evidence from Kodak and other experts, he had captured an unknown aerial object on film.
But now there was more. Alex had previously told us that he had, over the years, been subject to what can only be described as psychic phenomena. He had been plagued by poltergeists and bizarre audio and electromagnetic anomalies. Lights in the sky appeared to follow him around and on one occasion he had been struck by lightning. These phenomena had been witnessed by other members of his family who were happy to confirm it to us.
Alex was now telling us that there was something else unusual about his second saucer photograph. He had experienced flashbacks to that snowy night in Retford; flashbacks involving visions of a gigantic saucer hovering over the square. He also suspected there may have been a period of missing time.
Alex with his 1962 photo and Box Brownie camera (Copyright David Clarke)
What to make of all this? Is Alex a complete fantasist who has repeatedly tried to fool the media, UFO investigators and possibly his family for over 45 years? The simple fact is, we just don’t know. It would be easy to dismiss Alex as a hoaxer and a fantasist, partly because everyone ‘knows’ real UFOs don’t exist and partly because of his (later retracted) admission that he had hoaxed the 1962 photograph.
But no-one could prove exactly how – if – his original photo was hoaxed and no-one, not even the MoD’s imagery experts can say with certainty what is on the photograph he took on 27 January 2004.
Alex has thought long and hard before allowing his second photograph to be revealed to a wider audience. He is not interested in public exposure or in financial gain, although this does not rule him out as a hoaxer. He is only concerned that his stories are told factually and objectively. As skeptical forteans we have known Alex for more than 20 years and find him and his family to be completely normal, open and honest. We are perplexed. But there has to be an answer, now matter how prosaic or extraordinary. So what is it?
Speaking after the release of his film on YouTube and Vimeo, Alex told us:
‘Its basically a documentary which explains what happened within my life from early childhood regarding UFO’s and the paranormal. Although the doc only scratches the surface and there is much more to tell. I had to think long and hard about publishing certain things within the documentary film. I am now hardened towards the remarks of skeptics, trolls, and those who seek a living from defaming people, when in reality they know absolutely zero about me.’
Artemis I Becomes Cultural, Educational Time Capsule for Trip Around Moon
Artemis I Becomes Cultural, Educational Time Capsule for Trip Around Moon
When NASA’s Orion spacecraft travels beyond the Moon duringArtemis I, boosted by the Space Launch System rocket on its maiden voyage, the spacecraft will carry a host of mementos for educational engagement and posterity in the Official Flight Kit.
NASA spacecraft, both crewed and uncrewed, have carried mementos from Earth since the 1960s. NASA’s Voyager probe carried with it a gold record with Earth sounds, and the Perseverance rover that landed on Mars included a microchip with 10.9 million names that people submitted for inclusion in the journey. The agency flew metal on the last space shuttle mission that was later melted down and made into awards for employees.
A small Moon rock from Apollo 11 that also was aboard the final space shuttle flight will fly aboard Orion, marking the significance of the return of a spacecraft built for humans to the Moon. The National Air and Space Museum is lending an Apollo 8 commemorative medallion, a bolt from the Apollo 11 mission, and an Apollo 11 mission patch to the kit. The Apollo items contributed by the museum will be displayed in an exhibit after they are returned to Earth.
The bolt from one of Apollo 11’s F-1 engines that is included in the Artemis I Official Flight Kit.
Credits: Smithsonian’s National Air and Space Museum
Many of the items included in the flight kit are symbols of cultural significance or NASA’s collaborative efforts with STEM-focused organizations. The agency and the Girl Scouts of the USA collaborated to include space science badges to inspire scientific and career exploration in the STEM fields. Four LEGO minifigures also will catch a ride on the flight – NASA and the LEGO Group have partnered on collaborative efforts over the past two decades to engage children and adults alike in STEM and space exploration, including a free online Artemis I “Build to Launch” lesson series.
Digitized entries from NASA’s Artemis Moon Pod essay contest, in recognition of students’ efforts and contributions, as well as pledges from teachers to educate students about space exploration will also be included in the flight kit. Around 100 miniature Artemis I patches will be included and given after the flight for team recognitions to some participants in Artemis Student Challenges, an annual series of engineering challenges for middle school through undergraduate students. A variety of tree seeds will fly and will be distributed to educational organizations and teachers as a learning opportunity after the mission. Tree seeds were flown aboard the Apollo 14 mission and were germinated and grown into “Moon Trees” after being returned to Earth as an experiment to understand the effects of deep space on seeds.
Employees examine Artemis I mission patches to be included in the Official Flight Kit.
A pen nib from the Charles M. Schulz Museum and Research Center in Santa Rosa, California, will make the trek on Artemis I. NASA has shared an association with Schulz and his American icon Snoopy since Apollo missions began in the 1960s. Schulz created comic strips depicting Snoopy on the Moon, illustrating public excitement about America’s achievements in space. NASA renewed its relationship with Snoopy in 2019, the 50th anniversary of Apollo 10. The nib, used by Schulz himself, will be wrapped in a space themed comic strip.
NASA has a strong history of international collaboration and is extending many of its international partnerships to Artemis. Several items from other space agencies will be included in the flight kit. ESA (European Space Agency), which is providing the service module that powers and fuels Orion around the Moon and on its way home, will fly Shaun the Sheep, a small animal from the children’s television series spinoff from “Wallace and Gromit” that was broadcast in 180 countries. ESA has a long-standing partnership and Shaun the Sheep has flown on its parabolic flight campaign to generate awareness of space.
A 3D-printed replica of the Greek goddess Artemis will fly for later display in the Acropolis Museum in Greece. The Israel Space Agency is contributing a pebble from the shore of the Dead Sea, the lowest dry land surface area on Earth, to symbolize humanity’s continuing drive for exploration. The German Space Agency will fly digitized versions of student visions of lunar exploration as part of a nationwide educational activity.
The kit will also include a variety of flags, patches, and pins to be distributed after the mission to stakeholders and employees who contributed to the flight.
The colliding cluster Abell 3266 as seen across the electromagnetic spectrum, using data from ASKAP and the ATCA (red/orange/yellow colours), XMM-Newton (blue) and the Dark Energy Survey (background map). (Image credit: Christopher Riseley (Università di Bologna),)
Christopher Riseley(opens in new tab), Research Fellow, Università di Bologna Tessa Vernstrom(opens in new tab), Senior research fellow, The University of Western Australia
The universe is littered with galaxy clusters — huge structures piled up at the intersections of the cosmic web(opens in new tab). A single cluster can span millions of light-years across and be made up of hundreds, or even thousands, of galaxies.
However, these galaxies represent only a few percent of a cluster's total mass. About 80% of it is dark matter, and the rest is a hot plasma "soup": gas heated to above 10,000,000 degrees Celsius and interwoven with weak magnetic fields.
We and our international team of colleagues have identified a series of rarely observed radio objects — a radio relic, a radio halo and fossil radio emission — within a particularly dynamic galaxy cluster called Abell 3266. They defy existing theories about both the origins of such objects and their characteristics.
Relics, haloes and fossils
Galaxy clusters allow us to study a broad range of rich processes — including magnetism and plasma physics — in environments we can't recreate in our labs.
When clusters collide with each other, huge amounts of energy are put into the particles of the hot plasma, generating radio emission. And this emission comes in a variety of shapes and sizes.
"Radio relics" are one example. They are arc-shaped and sit towards a cluster's outskirts, powered by shockwaves travelling through the plasma, which cause a jump in density or pressure, and energize the particles. An example of a shockwave on Earth is the sonic boom that happens when an aircraft breaks the sound barrier.
"Radio haloes" are irregular sources that lie towards the cluster's center. They're powered by turbulence in the hot plasma, which gives energy to the particles. We know both haloes and relics are generated by collisions between galaxy clusters — yet many of their gritty details remain elusive.
Then there are "fossil" radio sources. These are the radio leftovers from the death of a supermassive black hole at the center of a radio galaxy.
When they're in action, black holes shoot huge jets of plasma(opens in new tab) far out beyond the galaxy itself. As they run out of fuel and shut off, the jets begin to dissipate. The remnants are what we detect as radio fossils.
Abell 3266
Our new paper(opens in new tab), published in the Monthly Notices of the Royal Astronomical Society, presents a highly detailed study of a galaxy cluster called Abell 3266.
This is a particularly dynamic and messy colliding system around 800 million light-years away. It has all the hallmarks of a system that should be host to relics and haloes — yet none had been detected until recently.
Our data paint a complex picture. You can see this in the lead image: yellow colors show features where energy input is active. The blue haze represents the hot plasma, captured at X-ray wavelengths.
Redder colors show features that are only visible at lower frequencies. This means these objects are older and have less energy. Either they have lost a lot of energy over time, or they never had much to begin with.
The radio relic is visible in red near the bottom of the image (see below for a zoom). And our data here reveal particular features that have never been seen before in a relic.
The 'wrong-way' relic in Abell 3266 is shown here with yellow/orange/red colours representing the radio brightness. (Image credit: Christopher Riseley, using data from ASKAP, ATCA, XMM-Newton and the Dark Energy Survey))
Its concave shape is also unusual, earning it the catchy moniker of a "wrong-way" relic. Overall, our data break our understanding of how relics are generated, and we’re still working to decipher the complex physics behind these radio objects.
Ancient remnants of a supermassive black hole
The radio fossil, seen towards the upper right of the lead image (and also below), is very faint and red, indicating it is ancient. We believe this radio emission originally came from the galaxy at the lower left, with a central black hole that has long been switched off.
The radio fossil in Abell 3266 is shown here with red colors and contours depicting the radio brightness measured by ASKAP, and blue colors showing the hot plasma. The cyan arrow points to the galaxy we think once powered the fossil (Image credit: Christopher Riseley, using data from ASKAP, XMM-Newton and the Dark Energy Survey)
Our best physical models simply can’t fit the data. This reveals gaps in our understanding of how these sources evolve — gaps that we're working to fill.
Finally, using a clever algorithm, we de-focused the lead image to look for very faint emission that's invisible at high resolution, unearthing the first detection of a radio halo in Abell 3266 (see below).
The radio halo in Abell 3266 is shown here with red colors and contours depicting the radio brightness measured by ASKAP, and blue colors showing the hot plasma. The dashed cyan curve marks the outer limits of the radio halo. (Image credit: Christopher Riseley, using data from ASKAP, XMM-Newton and the Dark Energy Survey)
Toward the future
This is the beginning of the road towards understanding Abell 3266. We have uncovered a wealth of new and detailed information, but our study has raised yet more questions.
The telescopes we used are laying the foundations for revolutionary science from the Square Kilometre Array(opens in new tab) project. Studies like ours allow astronomers to figure out what we don’t know — but you can be sure we’re going to find out.
We acknowledge the Gomeroi people as the traditional owners of the site where ATCA is located, and the Wajarri Yamatji people as the traditional owners of the Murchison Radioastronomy Observatory site, where ASKAP and the Murchison Widefield Array are located.
This article is republished from The Conversation(opens in new tab) under a Creative Commons license. Read the original article(opens in new tab).
The colliding cluster Abell 3266 as seen across the electromagnetic spectrum, using data from ASKAP and the ATCA (red/orange/yellow colours), XMM-Newton (blue) and the Dark Energy Survey (background map). (Image credit: Christopher Riseley (Università di Bologna),)
Christopher Riseley(opens in new tab), Research Fellow, Università di Bologna Tessa Vernstrom(opens in new tab), Senior research fellow, The University of Western Australia
The universe is littered with galaxy clusters — huge structures piled up at the intersections of the cosmic web(opens in new tab). A single cluster can span millions of light-years across and be made up of hundreds, or even thousands, of galaxies.
However, these galaxies represent only a few percent of a cluster's total mass. About 80% of it is dark matter, and the rest is a hot plasma "soup": gas heated to above 10,000,000 degrees Celsius and interwoven with weak magnetic fields.
We and our international team of colleagues have identified a series of rarely observed radio objects — a radio relic, a radio halo and fossil radio emission — within a particularly dynamic galaxy cluster called Abell 3266. They defy existing theories about both the origins of such objects and their characteristics.
Relics, haloes and fossils
Galaxy clusters allow us to study a broad range of rich processes — including magnetism and plasma physics — in environments we can't recreate in our labs.
When clusters collide with each other, huge amounts of energy are put into the particles of the hot plasma, generating radio emission. And this emission comes in a variety of shapes and sizes.
"Radio relics" are one example. They are arc-shaped and sit towards a cluster's outskirts, powered by shockwaves travelling through the plasma, which cause a jump in density or pressure, and energize the particles. An example of a shockwave on Earth is the sonic boom that happens when an aircraft breaks the sound barrier.
"Radio haloes" are irregular sources that lie towards the cluster's center. They're powered by turbulence in the hot plasma, which gives energy to the particles. We know both haloes and relics are generated by collisions between galaxy clusters — yet many of their gritty details remain elusive.
Then there are "fossil" radio sources. These are the radio leftovers from the death of a supermassive black hole at the center of a radio galaxy.
When they're in action, black holes shoot huge jets of plasma(opens in new tab) far out beyond the galaxy itself. As they run out of fuel and shut off, the jets begin to dissipate. The remnants are what we detect as radio fossils.
Abell 3266
Our new paper(opens in new tab), published in the Monthly Notices of the Royal Astronomical Society, presents a highly detailed study of a galaxy cluster called Abell 3266.
This is a particularly dynamic and messy colliding system around 800 million light-years away. It has all the hallmarks of a system that should be host to relics and haloes — yet none had been detected until recently.
Our data paint a complex picture. You can see this in the lead image: yellow colors show features where energy input is active. The blue haze represents the hot plasma, captured at X-ray wavelengths.
Redder colors show features that are only visible at lower frequencies. This means these objects are older and have less energy. Either they have lost a lot of energy over time, or they never had much to begin with.
The radio relic is visible in red near the bottom of the image (see below for a zoom). And our data here reveal particular features that have never been seen before in a relic.
The 'wrong-way' relic in Abell 3266 is shown here with yellow/orange/red colours representing the radio brightness. (Image credit: Christopher Riseley, using data from ASKAP, ATCA, XMM-Newton and the Dark Energy Survey))
Its concave shape is also unusual, earning it the catchy moniker of a "wrong-way" relic. Overall, our data break our understanding of how relics are generated, and we’re still working to decipher the complex physics behind these radio objects.
Ancient remnants of a supermassive black hole
The radio fossil, seen towards the upper right of the lead image (and also below), is very faint and red, indicating it is ancient. We believe this radio emission originally came from the galaxy at the lower left, with a central black hole that has long been switched off.
The radio fossil in Abell 3266 is shown here with red colors and contours depicting the radio brightness measured by ASKAP, and blue colors showing the hot plasma. The cyan arrow points to the galaxy we think once powered the fossil (Image credit: Christopher Riseley, using data from ASKAP, XMM-Newton and the Dark Energy Survey)
Our best physical models simply can’t fit the data. This reveals gaps in our understanding of how these sources evolve — gaps that we're working to fill.
Finally, using a clever algorithm, we de-focused the lead image to look for very faint emission that's invisible at high resolution, unearthing the first detection of a radio halo in Abell 3266 (see below).
The radio halo in Abell 3266 is shown here with red colors and contours depicting the radio brightness measured by ASKAP, and blue colors showing the hot plasma. The dashed cyan curve marks the outer limits of the radio halo. (Image credit: Christopher Riseley, using data from ASKAP, XMM-Newton and the Dark Energy Survey)
Toward the future
This is the beginning of the road towards understanding Abell 3266. We have uncovered a wealth of new and detailed information, but our study has raised yet more questions.
The telescopes we used are laying the foundations for revolutionary science from the Square Kilometre Array(opens in new tab) project. Studies like ours allow astronomers to figure out what we don’t know — but you can be sure we’re going to find out.
We acknowledge the Gomeroi people as the traditional owners of the site where ATCA is located, and the Wajarri Yamatji people as the traditional owners of the Murchison Radioastronomy Observatory site, where ASKAP and the Murchison Widefield Array are located.
This article is republished from The Conversation(opens in new tab) under a Creative Commons license. Read the original article(opens in new tab).
The Butterfly Nebula, located just under 4,000 light-years from Earth in the constellation Scorpius, is a striking example of a planetary nebula, the end stage in the evolution of a small to medium-sized star. The butterfly’s diaphanous “wings” consist of gas and dust that have been expelled from the dying star and illuminated from within by the star’s remaining core. The nebula’s symmetrical, double-lobed shape is a telltale sign that a companion star helped shape the outflowing gases. Both the primary star and its companion are hidden by the shroud of dust in the nebula’s center.
NASA/ESA/HUBBLE
Billions of years from now, as our Sun approaches the end of its life and helium nuclei begin to fuse in its core, it will bloat dramatically and turn into what’s known as a red giant star. After swallowing Mercury, Venus and Earth with hardly a burp, it will grow so large that it can no longer hold onto its outermost layers of gas and dust.
In a glorious denouement, it will eject these layers into space to form a beautiful veil of light, which will glow like a neon sign for thousands of years before fading.
The galaxy is studded with thousands of these jewel-like memorials, known as planetary nebulae. They are the normal end stage for stars that range from half the Sun’s mass up to eight times its mass. (More massive stars have a much more violent end, an explosion called a supernova.) Planetary nebulae come in a stunning variety of shapes, as suggested by names like the Southern Crab, the Cat’s Eye and the Butterfly. But as beautiful as they are, they have also been a riddle to astronomers. How does a cosmic butterfly emerge from the seemingly featureless, round cocoon of a red giant star?
Observations and computer models are now pointing to an explanation that would have seemed outlandish 30 years ago: Most red giants have a much smaller companion star hiding in their gravitational embrace. This second star shapes the transformation into a planetary nebula, much as a potter shapes a vessel on a potter’s wheel.
NASA’s new James Webb Space Telescope has revealed extraordinary details in the Southern Ring Nebula, a planetary nebula that lies around 2,500 light-years away in the constellation Vela. On the left, a near-infrared image shows spectacular concentric shells of gas, which chronicle the history of the dying star’s outbursts. On the right, a mid-infrared image easily distinguishes the dying star at the nebula’s center (red) from its companion star (blue). All of the gas and dust in the nebula was expelled by the red star.
NASA, ESA, CSA, AND STSCI
The dominant theory of planetary nebula formation previously involved only a single star — the red giant itself. With only a weak gravitational hold on its outer layers, it sheds mass very rapidly near the end of its life, losing as much as 1 percent per century. It also churns like a boiling pot of water underneath the surface, causing the outer layers to pulse in and out. Astronomers theorized that these pulsations produce shock waves that blast gas and dust into space, creating what’s called a stellar wind. Yet it takes a great deal of energy to expel this material completely without having it fall back into the star. It cannot be any gentle zephyr, this wind; it needs to have the strength of a rocket blast.
After the star’s outer layer has escaped, the much smaller inner layer collapses into a white dwarf. This star, which is hotter and brighter than the red giant it came from, illuminates and warms the escaped gas, until the gas starts glowing by itself — and we see a planetary nebula. The whole process is very fast by astronomical standards but slow by human standards, typically taking centuries to millennia.
Until the Hubble Space Telescope launched in 1990, “we were pretty sure we were on the right track” toward understanding the process, says Bruce Balick, an astronomer at the University of Washington. Then he and his colleague Adam Frank, of the University of Rochester in New York, were at a conference in Austria and saw Hubble’s first photos of planetary nebulae. “We went out to get coffee, saw the pictures and we knew that the game had changed,” Balick says.
Astronomers had assumed that red giants were spherically symmetrical, and a round star should produce a round planetary nebula. But that’s not what Hubble saw — not even close. “It became obvious that many planetary nebulae have exotic axisymmetric structures,” says Joel Kastner, an astronomer at the Rochester Institute of Technology. Hubble revealed fantastic lobes, wings and other structures that weren’t round but were symmetric around the nebula’s main axis, as if turned on that potter’s wheel.
In early photos from ground-based observatories, the Southern Crab Nebula appeared to have four curved “legs” like a crab. But detailed images from the Hubble Space Telescope show that these legs are the sides of two bubbles that roughly form an hourglass shape. In the center of the bubbles are two jets of gas, with “knots” that may light up when they encounter the gas between the stars. The Southern Crab, located several thousand light-years from Earth in the constellation Centaurus, appears to have had two gas-releasing events. One around 5,500 years ago created the outer “hourglass,” and a similar event 2,300 years ago created the inner, much smaller one.
ADAPTED FROM NASA, ESA, AND A. FEILD (STSCI)
A 2002 article by Balick and Frank in the Annual Review of Astronomy and Astrophysics captured the debate at the time over the origin of these structures. Some scientists proposed that the axial symmetry stemmed from how the red giant star rotated or how its magnetic fields behaved, but both ideas failed some fundamental tests. Both rotation and magnetic fields should get weaker as the star grows larger, yet the mass-loss rate of red giants accelerates at the end of their lifetimes.
The other option was that most planetary nebulae are formed not by one star, but by a pair of stars — what Orsola De Marco, an astronomer at Macquarie University in Sydney, named the “binary hypothesis.” In this scenario, the second star is much smaller and thousands of times fainter than the red giant, and it might be as far away as Jupiter is from the Sun. That would allow it to disrupt the red giant while being distant enough to not be swallowed up. (Other possibilities also exist, such as a dive-bombing orbit in which the second star would approach the red giant every few hundred years, peeling off layers from it.)
The binary hypothesis accounts very well for the first stage of metamorphosis of a dying star. As the companion pulls dust and gases away from the primary star, they do not immediately get sucked into the companion, but form a swirling disk of material known as an accretion disk in the orbital plane of the companion. That accretion disk is the potter’s wheel. If the disk has a magnetic field, it will propel any charged gases out of the plane of the disk and toward the axis of rotation. But even without a magnetic field, the material in the disk impedes the outward flow of gases in the orbital plane, so the gas will take on a bilobed structure, with faster flow toward the poles. And that’s just what Hubble saw in its images of planetary nebulae. “Why look for a really complicated explanation when a companion star explains it really well?” says De Marco.
Left: The Twin Jet Nebula, 2,400 light-years from Earth in the constellation Ophiuchus, shows off an hourglass shape, with two jets of rapidly moving gas streaming poleward. The gas was probably ejected by the central star about 1,200 years ago. Right: The Cat’s Eye Nebula, 3,300 light-years from Earth in the constellation Draco, exhibits 11 concentric rings of dust, which astronomers estimate were released at 1,500-year intervals. The process by which the complicated inner structure formed is still anybody’s guess. “The Cat’s Eye is weird. I don’t know if I can explain it,” says astronomer Adam Frank of the University of Rochester.
Nevertheless, the idea of undetectable companion stars didn’t sit well with some astronomers. As recently as 2020, writes Leen Decin, an astronomer at KU Leuven in Belgium, a famous astrophysicist told her “You know, Leen, it all looks so fantastic, the observations are so fascinating, the current state-of-the-art models seem to do a pretty good job for interpreting the data, but in the end, shouldn’t we only believe what we can actually see?”
But over the last 10 to 15 years, the tide has steadily turned. New and innovative telescopes have revealed that some red giants are surrounded by spiral structures and accretion disks before they turn into planetary nebulae — just as expected if there were a second star pulling material off the red giant. In a couple of cases, astronomers may have even spotted the companion star itself.
Decin and her colleagues have especially relied upon the Atacama Large Millimeter/submillimeter Array (ALMA) in Chile, which came online in 2011. ALMA consists of 66 radio telescopes that work together to produce images of astronomical objects. “It gives us high spatial and spectral resolution that are important if you want to understand dynamics and velocity,” Decin says. Velocity is an important part of the puzzle for scientists to map stellar winds and accretion disks.
ALMA has seen spiral-shaped or arc-shaped structures around more than a dozen red giant stars, almost certainly a sign that matter is being shed from the red giant and spiraling toward its companion. The spirals closely match computer simulations and are impossible to explain with the old stellar-wind model. Decin reported the initial findings in 2020 in Science and expanded on them the following year in Annual Review of Astronomy and Astrophysics.
In addition, Decin’s group may have spotted the previously undetectable companions of two red giants, p1 Gruis and L2 Puppis, in ALMA images. To make sure, she needs to monitor them over a period of time to see if the newly detected objects are moving around the primary star. “If they move, I’m sure that we have companions,” says Decin. Perhaps this discovery will win over the last skeptics.
Like crime scene investigators, astronomers now have “before” and “after” snapshots of the creation of a planetary nebula. The one thing they lack is the equivalent of CCTV footage of the event itself. Is there any hope that astronomers can catch a red giant in the act of turning into a planetary nebula?
So far, computer models are the only way to “watch” the centuries-long process unfold from beginning to end. They have helped astronomers home in on one dramatic scenario, in which the companion star plunges into the primary after a prolonged period of orbiting it and losing distance due to tidal forces. As it spirals toward the red giant’s core, the companion sheds “an insane amount of gravitational energy,” says Frank. The computer models show that this hugely accelerates the process through which the star lets go of its outer layers, to just one to 10 years. If this is correct, and if astronomers knew where to look, they could witness the death of a star and birth of a planetary nebula in real time.
A hydrodynamic simulation of a small companion star (white dot) orbiting a red giant star (white circle) shows that the outflowing stellar wind forms a spiral, consistent with what has been seen in the ALMA telescope images.
L. DECIN / *AR ASTRONOMY AND ASTROPHYSICS* 2021
One candidate to keep an eye on is called V Hydrae. This very active red giant star ejects bullet-like clumps of plasma toward its poles every 8.5 years, and it also has coughed out six large rings in its equatorial plane over the last 2,100 years. Raghvendra Sahai, an astronomer at NASA’s Jet Propulsion Laboratory who published the discovery of the rings in April, believes that the red giant has not one but two companion stars. A nearby companion may already be grazing the red giant’s envelope and producing the plasma ejections, while a distant companion in a dive-bombing orbit controls the ejection of the rings. If so, V Hydrae may be close to swallowing up its closer companion.
Finally, what about our Sun? Studies of binary stars might seem to have little relevance for our star’s fate, because it is a singleton. Stars with companions lose mass about six to 10 times faster than those without, Decin estimates, because it’s much more efficient for a companion star to pull off a red giant’s shell than for the red giant to push off its own shell.
This means that data on stars with companions cannot reliably predict the fate of stars without companions, like the Sun. Roughly half of the stars that are the Sun’s size have companions of some sort. According to Decin, the companion will always affect the shape of the stellar wind, and it will significantly affect the mass-loss rate if the companion is close enough. The Sun will most likely eject its outer layer more slowly than those stars and will stay in its red-giant phase several times longer.
But a great deal is still unknown about the Sun’s last act. For example, even though Jupiter is not a star, it could still be hefty enough to attract material from the Sun and power up an accretion disk. “I think we’ll have a very small spiral created by Jupiter,” Decin says. “Even in our simulations, you can see its impact on the solar wind.” If so, then our Sun too might be in line for a showy grand finale.
Gods, Extraterrestrials and Religion: From Ancient Atlantis to Today via Michael Salla
Gods, Extraterrestrials and Religion: From Ancient Atlantis to Today via Michael Salla
Dr.Michael E. Salla, is a pioneer in the development of ‘Exopolitics’, the political study of the key actors, institutions and processes associated with extraterrestrial life.
Ancient records and religious texts describe multiple “Gods” (aka extraterrestrials) creating humanity in a series of genetic experiments and warring among themselves over who would be dominant in influencing Earth’s future. The world’s oldest known creation story, Sumer’s Enuma Elish, and other ancient texts introduce the different creator Gods and how they formed grand assemblies to resolve their differences over the destiny of humanity.
This new video is the official trailer/short film for the “World Religions and Extraterrestrial Contact” webinar to be held on August 13. In addition to the above issues, the trailer discusses the rise and fall of Atlantis in relation to creator Gods/extraterrestrials alarmed over humanity’s rapid technological development. Finally, this short film covers the return of the creator Gods (Elohim/Anunnaki) to our solar system and what this means for us today.
Sparkling Orange UFO Ball over Albuquerque, NM 2022
Sparkling Orange UFO Ball over Albuquerque, NM 2022
Check out this interesting UFO sighting video filmed over Albuquerque, Mexico on 31st July 2022.
Let me know your opinion about this footage in the comments!
Witness report:
Driving north in our car, came to intersection & stopped at stop sign. Time was twilight. Noticed a low flying orange ball of light that appeared to be *sparkling”. Light was neither ascending or descending. Seemed to be above treeline, but not as high as a helicopter or small plane. Normal aviation lights were not present. Object was traveling at a constant, slow speed. Turned north about a minute after we viewed it, then disappeared ahead of us.
The stellar smash produced a short gamma-ray burst that could provide important context for understanding similar blasts.
An artist’s impression of a red supergiant star in the final year of its life emitting a tumultuous cloud of gas. This suggests at leastsome of these stars undergo significant internal changes before going supernova.Show less
W.M. KECK OBSERVATORY/ADAM MAKARENKO
A distant neutron-star merger unleashed one of the most powerful short gamma-ray bursts (GRB) ever seen, according to new observations by ALMA, the Atacama Large Millimeter/submillimeter Array in Chile.
Neutron stars are the super-dense stellar cores left after massive stars explode, and when, say, two neutron stars collide, the result is a dramatic explosion, the light of which is referred to as a kilonova. The mergers also release gravitational waves and a brief blast of gamma-ray radiation in two tight jets shooting opposite directions into space.
On Nov. 6 2021, a short gamma-ray burst was detected by the European Space Agency's INTEGRAL X-ray and gamma-ray observatory, which sent out an instant alert that triggered NASA's Swift satellite, among others, to follow up. The burst, cataloged as GRB 211106A, lasted less than two seconds, but the afterglow from the kilonova shone for far longer as the jet of particles released by the merger excited the surrounding gas.
"This short gamma-ray burst was the first time we tried to observe such an event with ALMA," Wen-Fai Fong, an astronomer at Northwestern University in Illinois, said in a statement. "Afterglows for short bursts are very difficult to come by, so it was spectacular to catch this shining so brightly."
An artist's impression of a neutron-star merger (on the left) that produces a relativistic jet of particles that interacts with gas in the surrounding environment, producing an afterglow. (Image credit: ALMA (ESO/NAOJ/NRAO), M. Weiss (NRAO/AUI/NSF))
Detecting the afterglow from the merger in the millimeter-wavelength light that ALMA is tuned to gives astronomers an advantage when it comes to understanding these titanic explosions.
"Millimeter wavelengths can tell us about the density of the environment around the GRB," Genevieve Schroeder, also of Northwestern University, said in the same statement. "And, when combined with the X-rays, [the millimeter-wave light] can tell us about the true energy of the explosion."
As the GRB's jets, which move at nearly the speed of light, smash through the surrounding gas, the shockwaves accelerate electrons. The energy of the radiation from those electrons peaks at millimeter wavelengths, and therefore can tell astronomers about the total energy of the explosion.
ALMA's measurements suggest that GRB 211106A released a total energy between 2 x 10^50 ergs and 6 x 10^51 ergs, which places it among the most powerful short GRBs ever detected. (One erg is equal to 10^–7 joules; for comparison, the sun releases just 3.8 x 10^33 ergs per second.)
An artist's depiction of two neutron stars before they collide. (Image credit: NASA/Goddard Space Flight Center)
It's particularly impressive that GRB 211106A was so bright, relatively speaking, since the merger happened sometime between 6.3 and 9.1 billion years ago, and the galaxy in which the merger took place is now approximately 20 billion light-years from Earth due to cosmic expansion. At this distance, the gravitational waves released by the merger were too feeble to detect.
Another advantage to come from observing with ALMA is that the afterglow at millimeter wavelengths lasts longer than in, say, X-rays. This gives astronomers more time to study the GRB jet, which begins as a narrow stream, then gradually opens out, like a laser pointer that makes a larger spot on a wall than the laser's base.
Fong and Schroeder's team calculated the opening angle of the jet to be 16 degrees, which is the widest ever measured for a short GRB. This is important because we only see a GRB when the jet is pointed toward us, so the wider the jet, the higher chance we have of seeing it.
And the odds matter: Astronomers calculate the rate of neutron-star mergers in the universe based on how many short GRBs we see and estimates of their jet's opening angles. If more short GRBs have jets with wider opening angles, scientists may have overestimated how many neutron-star mergers are taking place.
The rate at which neutron stars merge isn't just an astrophysical curiosity — it has repercussions for cosmic chemistry. The conditions during neutron-star mergers are so intense that some of the universe's heaviest and most precious elements, such as gold, platinum and silver, are forged by these collisions. Indeed, scientists have estimated that a single neutron-star merger can produce between 3 and 13 Earth masses worth of gold. Hence the cosmic abundance of such elements is heavily dependent upon the rate at which neutron-star mergers take place.
While the collision is an act of cosmic alchemy, enriching the surrounding region with atomic treasure, the discovery has offered astronomers a whole new arena for studying short GRBs and their afterglows. "After a decade of observing short GRBs, it is truly amazing to witness the power of using these new technologies to unwrap surprise gifts from the universe," Fong said.
A paper describing the findings is set to be published in a forthcoming issue of Astrophysical Journal Letters; a preprint version was posted on Monday (Aug. 1).
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The aging vehicle can still have a big role in answering whether there has ever been life on Mars.
The European ExoMars rover, conceived in 2004, might arrive on Mars in 2028.
(Image credit: ESA/ATG Media Lab)
The stars have not been aligned for Europe's first Martian rover ExoMars, but scientists still think the aging vehicle can play a big role in answering one of the biggest questions in Mars exploration: has there ever been life on the Red Planet?
The European Space Agency's (ESA) ExoMars Rosalind Franklin Rover is probably the most high-profile space industry casualty of Russia's war in Ukraine. Originally expected to launch in 2018, the rover was finally declared ready to go (after several delays) for a launch in September this year atop Russia's Proton rocket from the Baikonur Cosmodrome in Kazakhstan. But Russia's invasion of Ukraine put a stop to these plans.
ESA officially terminated cooperation on the ExoMars mission with Russia in July, leaving the rover, conceived in 2004, once again in limbo, and more importantly, without a landing platform to place it on the surface of Mars. (That landing platform was built by Russia, who joined the ExoMars program in 2012 following the withdrawal of the original partner, NASA, in 2012.)
ESA has yet to decide on the mission's fate. Having spent $1.3 billion on the program already, it will have to choose between scrapping the rover altogether or forking out another substantial sum to replace the Russian bits.
In the case of the latter option, the most optimistic estimates see the ExoMars rover leaving Earth in 2028. For many European scientists, scrapping the mission should not be an option at all, and not just because of the investment. Even though NASA's Perseverance has been smashing its sample collection targets, and plans for a mission that would bring those samples to Earth are already underway, there is a lot the aging ExoMars rover can contribute to our understanding of Mars, they say. And some of those questions, in fact, cannot be answered by the stellar Perseverance.
"[The rover's instruments] are going to get a bit old," John Bridges, a professor of planetary science at Leicester University in the U.K., told Space.com. "But as long as the maintenance can be done, it doesn't actually bother me too much that we're not using the most cutting-edge technology. Even if we're going by bicycle rather than by the newest car, it doesn't really matter, as long as we get there."
The promise of the drill
The biggest strength, and scientific promise, of the Rosalind Franklin ExoMars rover is its 6.6-foot (2 meters) drill, which, according to some astrobiologists, may have a higher chance of finding traces of past or present Martian life on Mars than the agile Perseverance.
"The rock pieces that Perseverance collects are from the immediate surface [of Mars]," Susanne Schwenzer, an astrobiologist at Open University in the U.K., who is also an interdisciplinary scientist on the ExoMars mission and a member of the science teams of NASA's Curiosity and the Mars Sample Return missions, told Space.com. "And this immediate surface is bombarded by galactic cosmic rays, and the UV rays [from the sun], which destroy organic materials."
The European ExoMars rover carries a suite of instruments designed to find traces of life in Martian soil.(Image credit: ESA)
Unlike Earth, Mars has no protective magnetic field and a very thin atmosphere, so there is nothing to filter this sterilizing radiation, some of which can penetrate several meters deep into the Martian rocks.
"[The effects of the radiation] diminish exponentially, so the first centimeters [inches] are the worst hit," Schwenzer said.
That doesn't mean that Perseverance cannot find traces of life, just that detecting the organic molecules in the burnt surface layers might require a more challenging scientific analysis, Schwenzer added.
"The advantage of the return samples is that we will have them in our labs over here," Schwenzer said. "If we find something that we can't answer with the instruments that we have, we can wait for the right technology to be developed. It took until the late 1990s to find water in the Apollo samples because they didn't have the right instrumentation at that time."
The deep excavations that the ExoMars rover was built for can, in fact, help scientists understand Perseverance's rocks and the alteration they underwent due to the bombardment by radiation.
"[The ExoMars rover] will help us understand how the organics degrade with depth or do not degrade and are preserved at deeper layers," Schwenzer said.
Europe's wrong turn
Bridges agrees with Schwenzer. But there are other reasons why continuing with ExoMars should be the only option on the table, he thinks. A generation of European scientists has tied their careers with the mission, which may have always been a bit of a moonshot for Europe, ever since its inception in 2004.
"When we started ExoMars in 2004, it was way off the capabilities [of ESA and the European space industry] to do it," Bridges said. "So we got the Americans in to land it and when the Americans pulled out, ESA just looked around, and the Russians put up their hand, and it was done."
Bridges describes the partnership with Russia, hastily put together by ESA leadership under General Director Jean-Jacques Dordain in 2012, as "a strategic mistake."
"I think we should have hit the pause button back then and have a harder discussion across the European communities about what we were going to do," he said.
At that time, the onset of the conflict in Ukraine was still two years away, but Russia was already guilty of stirring a bloody war in Georgia(opens in new tab); its actions in the Caucasian country were overwhelmingly overlooked by the international community at that time.
"There's frustration and disappointment, because so much work has gone into ExoMars," Bridges said. "The instruments, the science teams. But we should probably still stick with it and try and recoup all that scientific investment, not just throw up our hands in disappointment and walk away from it.
ExoMars' landing site in Oxia Planum is an ancient area that could harbor traces of past life. (Image credit: ESA)
The call to confirm life on Mars
Schwenzer adds that to provide the ultimate answer to the big question, whether there has ever been life on Mars, scientists would want to review as much data as possible.
"Extraordinary claims require extraordinary evidence," Schwenzer said, quoting famous astrobiologist Carl Sagan. "We can't just find one molecule that is usually produced by life on Earth and claim that we have found life on Mars. We can't make that claim unless we can absolutely exclude that anything else could have made that molecule. And in order to do that, we would need all the information that we can get, not just that from one mission."
ExoMars' projected landing site in Oxia Planum, an ancient clay-rich basin near Mars' northern tropic, was carefully selected by a pan-European scientific consortium as it offers the best conditions to harbor traces of life.
Formed about 4 billion years ago, the basin, covered with fine-grained sediments, has a catchment area of thousands of miles, Bridges said, where water in the past used to accumulate.
"It's a very different area to Jezero Crater [where Perseverance roams]," Bridges said. "But because we have seen one, that doesn't mean that it is not worth going to see the other. We have still only explored a tiny fraction of the Martian surface and we shouldn't fall into the trap of assuming that we've seen that, done that."
Falling behind
The ExoMars conundrum, Bridges suggests, highlights weaknesses in ESA's strategy, and undermines the agency's aspiration to be the world-class player it desires to be.
ESA, a partnership of 22 European member states, was beaten to the surface of Mars by China, which only revealed its plans for the Zhurong rover in 2014. Chinese landers, including the famous Yutu rover, have dominated moon exploration in the past decade. Japan's space agency JAXA, in the meantime, has built a legacy of returning samples from asteroids.
"ESA has this problem that they can be left flapping in the breeze a bit," Bridges said. "If external factors change, they don't seem to quite have the size or strength to withstand being buffeted about. Part of that is because they haven't really decided what their strategy is, what they really want to be doing, compared to JAXA or China's National Space Administration, who know exactly what they want to do and they just get on and do it."
ESA is currently evaluating options for the ExoMars rover, which it will present to its member states later this year. Among the possibilities is a return to the original partner NASA, who could land the rover using its proven technologies, Bridges said, but with a substantial financial contribution from ESA.
Rogue planets nearly double in number with new discovery
Rogue planets nearly double in number with new discovery
Astronomers announced on December 22, 2021, that they’ve found somewhere between 70 and 170 rogue, or free-floating, planets; that is, planets not currently in orbit around a star. This mass of unattached planets, each approximately the size of Jupiter, lies in a region of the Milky Way known as the Upper Scorpius OB stellar association. These newly found free-floating planets nearly double the total number of rogue planets already known.
The peer-reviewed journal Nature Astronomy published the rogue planet discovery on December 22, 2021.
Location of the rogue planets
The team of astronomers used observations and archival data from telescopes around the world and in space to make their discoveries. They sifted through 80,000 wide-field images taken over 20 years. Núria Miret-Roig and Hervé Bouy at the University of Bordeaux in France took a census of all the stars, brown dwarfs and rogue planets greater than four Jupiter masses in the Upper Scorpius region.
This region of sky, the Upper Scorpius OB association, lies 420 light-years away from Earth. Amateur astronomers might be familiar with this region of sky because it contains favorite targets for astrophotographers, including the colorful region around Rho Ophiuchi plus dark nebulae such as the Pipe Nebula, Barnard 68 and the Coalsack.
A new rogue planet detection method
Previously, astronomers discovered free-floating planets with microlensing surveys. With this method, astronomers witness a brief chance alignment between a rogue planet and a background star. The drawback is that the scientists can’t make follow-up observations with these one-time microlensing events.
In the new study, scientists looked for rogue planets that were still young, within a few million years of their formation. Normally, a planet that is not near its parent star wouldn’t be visible to astronomers without a source to illuminate it. But these young planets are still hot enough to glow. So Miret-Roig and her team looked for direct images of them with sensitive cameras on large telescopes. They measured the points of light in optical and near-infrared wavelengths in the Upper Scorpius region and combined the measurements with the movement they detected. Miret-Roig said:
We measured the tiny motions, the colors and luminosities of tens of millions of sources in a large area of the sky. These measurements allowed us to securely identify the faintest objects in this region.
The origin of the rogue planets
The scientists also wonder how these rogue planets came to be. Were they ejected from a solar system like our own? Or did they form from the collapse of a gas cloud that was too small to create a star? (Which also brings up the as-yet-unanswered question, if the rogue planet doesn’t orbit a star or didn’t originally form around a star, is it still, by definition, a planet?)
If the origin of rogue planets was due to ejection from a stellar system, it suggests there could be an abundance of Earth-sized free-floating planets out there. As Miret-Roig explained:
The free-floating Jupiter-mass planets are the most difficult to eject, meaning that there might even be more free-floating Earth-mass planets wandering the galaxy.
An inexact number of free-floating planets
Sean Raymond, also of the University of Bordeaux and one of the authors on the paper, explained on Twitter why the number of planets is in a range between 70 and 170:
This star-forming region of space – the Upper Scorpius region – is from 3 to 10 million years old. If the star-forming region is younger and closer to the 3 million year age, then the objects the scientists singled out are more likely young, hot planets. If the star-forming region is older, then the candidates are also older, and their brightness comes from a larger size, not youth. In this case, some of them may therefore be brown dwarfs (failed stars).
Could rogue planets have life?
What are these rogue planets like, and would they be suitable for life? Well, for one, they might have moons. As Raymond said on Twitter:
Some ejected gas giants hold onto their moons! We can speculate that tidal heating might maintain not-too-frigid temperatures in the interiors of such moons.
Which, of course, sounds rather conducive to the existence of life. What about Earth-like planets and water, aka, life as we know it? Raymond also tweeted:
The scientists hope to answer some of their many questions in the years to come. With the new Vera C. Rubin Observatory coming online, they’ll likely find many more free-floating planets.
Bottom line: Astronomers have nearly doubled the number of known rogue planets with a recent discovery using archive images from the Upper Scorpius region.
Scientists with the CEERS Collaboration have identified an object—dubbed Maisie’s galaxy in honor of project head Steven Finkelstein’s daughter—that may be one of the earliest galaxies ever observed. If its estimated redshift of 14 is confirmed with future observations, that would mean we’re seeing it as it was just 290 million years after the Big Bang. Credit: NASA/STScI/CEERS/TACC/S. Finkelstein/M. Bagley/Z. Levay.
Two new images from NASA's James Webb Space Telescope show what may be among the earliest galaxies ever observed. Both images include objects from more than 13 billion years ago, and one offers a much wider field of view than Webb's First Deep Field image, which was released amid great fanfare July 12. The images represent some of the first out of a major collaboration of astronomers and other academic researchers teaming with NASA and global partners to uncover new insights about the universe.
Members of the CEERS collaboration explore the first wide, deep field image from the James Webb Space Telescope at the Texas Advanced Computing Center’s Visualization Lab on the UT Austin campus on July 21, 2022.
Credit: Nolan Zunk/University of Texas at Austin.
The team has identified one particularly exciting object—dubbed Maisie's galaxy in honor of project head Steven Finkelstein's daughter—that they estimate is being observed as it was just 290 million years after the Big Bang (astronomers refer to this as a redshift of z=14).
The finding has been published on the preprint server arXiv and is awaiting publication in a peer-reviewed journal. If the finding is confirmed, it would be one of the earliest galaxies ever observed, and its presence would indicate that galaxies started forming much earlier than many astronomers previously thought.
The unprecedentedly sharp images reveal a flurry of complex galaxies evolving over time—some elegantly mature pinwheels, others blobby toddlers, still others gauzy swirls of do-si-doing neighbors. The images, which took about 24 hours to collect, are from a patch of sky near the handle of the Big Dipper, a constellation formally named Ursa Major. This same area of sky was observed previously by the Hubble Space Telescope, as seen in the Extended Groth Strip.
"It's amazing to see a point of light from Hubble turn into a whole, beautifully shaped galaxy in these new James Webb images, and other galaxies just pop up out of nowhere," said Finkelstein, associate professor of astronomy at The University of Texas at Austin and the principal investigator for the Cosmic Evolution Early Release Science Survey (CEERS), from which these images were taken.
An image taken with the Mid-Infrared Instrument (MIRI) on the James Webb Space Telescope from a patch of sky near the handle of the Big Dipper. This is one of the first images obtained by the Cosmic Evolution Early Release Science Survey (CEERS) collaboration.
The CEERS collaboration is composed of 18 co-investigators from 12 Institutions and more than 100 collaborators from the U.S. and nine other countries. CEERS researchers are studying how some of the earliest galaxies formed when the universe was less than 5% of its current age, during a period known as reionization.
Before the actual telescope data came in, Micaela Bagley, a postdoctoral researcher at UT Austin and one of the CEERS imaging leads, created simulated images to help the team develop methods for processing and analyzing the new imagery. Bagley led a group processing the real images so the data could be analyzed by the whole team.
The large image is a mosaic of 690 individual frames that took about 24 hours to collect using the telescope's main imager, called the Near Infrared Camera (NIRCam). This new image covers an area of the sky about eight times as large as Webb's First Deep Field image, although it is not quite as deep. Researchers used supercomputers at the Texas Advanced Computing Center for the initial image processing: Stampede2 was used to remove background noise and artifacts, and Frontera, the world's most powerful supercomputer at a U.S. university, was used to stitch together the images to form a single mosaic.
"High-performance computing power made it possible to combine myriad images and hold the frames in memory at once for processing, resulting in a single beautiful image," Finkelstein said.
The other image was taken with the Mid-Infrared Instrument (MIRI). Compared with NIRcam, MIRI has a smaller field of view but operates at much higher spatial resolution than previous mid-infrared telescopes. MIRI detects longer wavelengths than NIRCam, allowing astronomers to see cosmic dust glowing from star-forming galaxies and black holes at modestly large distances, and see light from older stars at very large distances.
US Navy submarines have detected mysterious objects moving hundreds of knots underwater as the Pentagon prepares to release its report on UFO sightings.
The Navy has collected sonar data showing mysterious fast-moving underwater objects that experts or current technology cannot explain.
Tom Rogan of the Washington Examiner said the US Navy “has the data” to prove the strange encounters.
Some of these encounters could be included in the US government working group that is preparing to report back to Congress on its UFO findings next month.
Speaking with Tucker Carlson of Fox News about the new footage, Rogan said: “One area that we will learn more about in relation to this video is the interaction between Navy submarines that pick up sonar contact from things moving hundreds knots under water ”.
“There is an underwater dimension to this, in addition to what the pilots are seeing above the water.”
Mr. Carlson replied, “Hundreds of knots under water? I don’t think people can even digest that. “
Mr. Rogan added: “That is what I have heard from very good sources and that the United States Navy has the data.”
Last month, Corbell shared a video of another mysterious triangular craft flying near another US Navy ship.
He said, “Whether this being is worldly or otherworldly, we don’t know. It is just part of a much larger series of events that we are going to learn from. “
Last week, video showed a dark spherical object moving across the sky near a Navy ship , before suddenly veering into the water and disappearing.
Elizondo, former director of the Pentagon’s Advanced Aerospace Threat Identification Program, said that some of the UAPs that have been seen defy physics as we know it.
“They have no signs of propulsion, no wings, and yet they can defy the natural effects of Earth’s gravity. That is precisely what we are seeing ”.
From HG Wells’ “The Time Machine” to the “Back to the Future” franchise, time travel has been a hallmark of science fiction for more than a century.
Part of its appeal has been that famous physicists like Albert Einstein have come up with theories that explain weather phenomena in ways that don’t rule out the possibility of time travel.
Einstein’s special theory of relativity proposes that time moves relative to an observer and is an illusion.
In his 1905 theory, space and time combined into a singular entity known as “space-time”, which physicists have been able to verify.
However, in an article published in The Conversation , Barak Shoshany, an assistant professor of physics at Brock University in Canada, wrote about the possibility of time travel, but with certain conditions.
One of the biggest obstacles to time travel is the practical requirement of “exotic matter,” which is matter with negative energy, as opposed to the matter around us, which consists of positive energy.
However, Professor Shoshany adds that there is no evidence that it is impossible to create exotic matter in sufficient quantities.
“In addition, other equations can be discovered that allow time travel without requiring exotic matter,” explains Professor Shoshany.
Another hurdle is the possibility of time paradoxes, where an action done in the past could have ripple effects in the present that undo the need for time travel.
A classic example of this is the famous “ grandfather paradox ”, where pundits ponder whether a time traveler would cease to exist if he went back in time to kill his grandfather when he was young.
“In physics, a paradox is not an event that can actually happen, it is a purely theoretical concept that points to an inconsistency in the theory itself,” adds the Canadian physicist.
“In other words, the paradoxes of consistency not only imply that time travel is a dangerous endeavor, but that it simply cannot be possible.”
Theoretical physicist Igor Dmitriyevich Novikov attempted to solve the problem of time travel paradoxes with a self-consistency conjecture, which essentially states that you can travel to the past, but you cannot change it.
But Professor Shoshany, along with his students Jacob Hauser and Jared Wogan studied time travel, and in a recent study they discovered that there are time travel paradoxes that the Novikov conjecture cannot resolve.
“We show that allowing for multiple histories (or in more familiar terms, parallel timelines) can resolve paradoxes that the Novikov conjecture cannot,” Shoshany writes.
“In fact, it can solve any paradox you throw at it.”
According to his theory, when a person steps out of a time machine, they arrive in a different timeline, where they can do whatever they want, including destroying their time machine five minutes before they were supposed to use it.
In this theory, changes to this new timeline would have no effect on the original timeline.
“After working on time travel paradoxes for the past three years, I have become increasingly convinced that time travel might be possible, but only if our universe can allow multiple histories to coexist,” he continues. explaining the physical
The team of researchers now seeks to formulate a concrete theory of time travel that complies with the law of general relativity.
Professor Shoshany adds that even if they do manage to find such a theory, this would not be enough to prove that time travel is possible, but it would at least mean that time travel is not ruled out by consistency paradoxes.
In short: multiple timelines would allow you to travel to a different timeline and kill your grandparents, let’s ignore the ‘why’ for the sake of debate, without causing a paradox.
Of course, once this happens, there is no reason to believe that that Universe will continue exactly as ours has.
It is likely that the “butterfly effect” of your arrival has changed it, it is also likely that you have selected a limited number of similarities, no matter how great they are.
Still, this would be a (still extremely far-fetched) way to experience the past, without affecting the present or creating paradoxes.
The Record for the Farthest Galaxy just got Broken Again, now just 250 million years after the Big Bang
Artist's illustration of a protogalaxy. This is not real, it's just a colorful image generated by Midjourney AI.
The Record for the Farthest Galaxy just got Broken Again, now just 250 million years after the Big Bang
In a recent study submitted to MNRAS, a collaborative research team has utilized the first set of data from the James Webb Space Telescope (JWST) discovering a galaxy candidate, CEERS-93316, that formed approximately 250 million years after the Bing Bang, which also set a new redshift record of z = 16.7. This finding is extremely intriguing as it demonstrates the power of JWST, which only started sending back its first set of data a few weeks ago. CEERS stands for Cosmic Evolution Early Release Science Survey, and was specifically created for imaging with JWST.
Postage stamp images of CEERS-93316 from their respective JWST NIRCam (Near Infrared Camera) filters (F115W, F150W, F200W, F277W, F356W, and F444W). (Credit: Donnan et al. (2022))
“The past few weeks have been surreal, watching all the records that stood for a long time with Hubble be broken by JWST,” says Dr. Rebecca Bowler, who is an Ernest Rutherford Fellow at the University of Manchester, and a co-author on the study. “Finding a z = 16.7 galaxy candidate is an amazing feeling – it wasn’t something we were expecting from the early data.”
This new study references a dozen previous studies that have measured objects up to redshifts z ? 10 using a mixture of ground-based observations and with the Hubble Space Telescope and Spitzer Space Telescope.
“It’s amazing to have found such a distant galaxy candidate already with Webb given that this is just the first set of data,” says Mr. Callum Donnan, a PhD student at the University of Edinburgh, and lead author of the study. “It is important to note that to be certain of the redshift, the galaxy will need follow up observations using spectroscopy. This is why we refer to it as a galaxy candidate.”
The study determined that CEERS-93316 can’t be a low-mass star or unobstructed active galactic nucleus based on imaging data from NIRCam (Near Infrared Camera), which is JWST’s primary imager. Since CEERS-93316 is could be only 250 million years old, one goal for cosmologists is to know what’s happening in galaxies that young, and so soon after the Big Bang.
“After the Big Bang the Universe entered a period known as the dark ages, a time before any stars had been born,” explains Dr. Bowler. “The observations of this galaxy push observations back to the time when we think the first galaxies ever to exist were being formed. Already we’ve found more galaxies in the very early Universe than computer simulations predicted, so there is clearly a lot of open questions about how and when the first stars and galaxies formed.”
Given this incredible finding in just the first set of data from JWST, it’s intriguing to think how much father back in the universe this record-shattering space telescope can see, and whether it can see the Big Bang itself.
“In principle JWST can detect galaxies at redshifts greater than 20, less than 200 million years after the Big Bang,” explains Bowler. “These galaxies will likely be extremely hard to find, but the detection of CERRS 93316 gives us hope that they may exist. Watch this space!”
“The most distant phenomenon observed is the cosmic microwave background (CMB) which is the ‘afterglow’ of the Big Bang,” explains Donnan. “The light from the CMB comes from approximately 400,000 years after the Big Bang and has been observed by various instruments over the years – most notably the Planck satellite which launched in 2009. Webb won’t be able to see as far back as that, but it is able to probe the earliest stages of galaxy formation.”
While Donnan and Bowler both stated there are no further observations planned for CEERS-93316, they are hopeful that there will be in the future.
Redshift is part of what’s known as the Doppler effect, which astronomers use to measure distances in the universe. A frequent example to demonstrate the Doppler effect is the change in sound wave pitch as a loud object travels towards you then travels away from you, often by an ambulance or other first responder vehicle. The sound waves as the object travels towards you is known as blueshift, while the opposite is called redshift. This new study setting a new redshift record means scientists have measured the farthest object in the universe to date.
Sun is Older Than The Earth But The Water You Drink is Older Than The Sun
Sun is Older Than The Earth But The Water You Drink is Older Than The Sun
Consider this the next time you pick up a “fresh” glass of water: some of the molecules in that water are billions of years old – much older than the solar system itself.
This seems impossible at first: how could water on Earth predate the solar system in which it exists? However, recent peer-reviewed research published in the journal Science confirms this.
Astronomers arrived at this conclusion by proving that water in our solar system had to have been produced inside the thick cloud of gas and dust that preceded and was required for the formation of the star we know as the Sun. This means that the water that finally made its way to Earth through “wet rocks” such as asteroids or comets existed before the Sun exploded into a star.
Ted Bergin, an astronomy professor at the University of Michigan in Ann Arbor and one of the study’s authors, describes the discovery as “extraordinary.” “If you look back 4.6 billion years ago, there’s an incredible story to be told,” he says.
Earth was formed from microscopic particles little larger than the width of a human hair. Astronomers — who, Bergin says, are “very imaginative souls,” — call this “dust.”
These dust particles would collect so much energy from the Sun at their distance from it that they would become too hot for water to condense on them as ice. “This means that when the Earth was born, it was dry,” Bergin says. “So that’s an interesting problem: Where did the water come from?”
If we consider the matter more generally, Bergin asserts, we must ask: Where did all the water in the cosmos originate from? “The universe isn’t made of water, it’s made of atoms,” he explains. “So, at someplace, at some time, those atoms came together in the universe, via chemistry, to form water.”
Fortunately, astronomers can investigate that chemistry in Earth-based laboratories. They are capable of reproducing the circumstances that result in the formation of water. They do this using a process known as isotopic fingerprinting.
They do this using a process known as isotopic fingerprinting. The second kind is deuterium. These elements coexist in a more-or-less stable ratio throughout the solar system: for every deuterium atom, there are around 100,000 hydrogen atoms. Water has around this amount of hydrogen and deuterium.
“But chemistry tells us that under very specific conditions there can be an excess of deuterium,” says Bergin. “That’s what we call a ‘isotopic fingerprint.’ Earth contains a surplus of deuterium, as do comets and asteroids.”
The isotopic fingerprint appears only at very low temperatures, between 10 and 20 degrees above absolute zero (-441 degrees Fahrenheit). “So, because the Earth has this excess of deuterium,” Bergin explains, “we know one thing already: that whatever the source of the water was, it was really, really cold. So now we have to look at star and planet formation and ask, ‘Where is it that cold?’”
When a star starts to develop, temperatures may get so low in just two locations inside the enormous, violent system: within the cloud of gas and dust that surrounds the protostar, or within the accretion disc that begins to form around it. However, there is one more twist: water is also created by a chemical process called ionization. The researchers established that the disc is incapable of powering this chemical reaction by examining a comprehensive model of it.
“This tells you that, of the two potential sources to make the water — the disc and the cloud of gas and dust — the disc can’t do it,” Bergin explains. Therefore, the water with the isotopic fingerprint could only have emerged from the gas and dust — about a million years before the formation of the sun.
Nonetheless, this begs the issue of how this water reached Earth. According to Bergin, planets are generated from the same cloud of gas and dust that collapses and ignites to form a star. Within the cloud, rocks were thrown into space and collided with the particles that eventually created Earth. Although some of them lacked water, they collided with the Earth and amalgamated with it. Additional boulders were flung our way from a greater distance, and these rocks were chilly enough to contain water.
“So as the Earth was being born, these rocks from greater distances supplied the water,” Bergin says. “The water became part of the rocks, and it just out-gassed via volcanoes, and that created the oceans and the atmosphere, and this wonderful planet that we have today.”
As NASA’s Curiosity Mars rover turns 10, scientists and workers celebrate fond memories and lessons of the Red Planet mission
As NASA’s Curiosity Mars rover turns 10, scientists and workers celebrate fond memories and lessons of the Red Planet mission
On August 5, 2012 the Mars Curiosity Rover slowly eased its way onto the surface of the Red Planet and began its journey
'It plays a special role in NASA's Mars exploration program,' said Mars Science Laboratory project scientist Ashwin Vasavada
JPL systems engineer Sophia Mitchell spoke about her job as a 'space Uber driver,' as she pilots the Curiosity rover from over 100 million miles away
'We're looking forward to seeing you on Mars one day. I can tell you that Curiosity is going to help protect you,' Vasavada told a child who asked a question
Happy landiversary to one of NASA’s proudest accomplishments.
On August 5, 2012 the Mars Curiosity Rover eased its way onto the surface of the Red Planet and began a journey that has gone on eight years longer than planned, collecting valuable data about whether life can be supported there - and if those conditions existed in the past.
As part of the celebration, scientists and mission members from NASA’s Jet Propulsion Lab and Goddard Space Flight Center, as well as the United States Geological Survey took part in a Twitter Space - basically a chat room of sorts - where they shared fond memories and lessons of the historic mission to the fourth rock from the sun.
Scroll down for video
On August 5, 2012 the Mars Curiosity Rover slowly eased its way onto the surface of the Red Planet. The rover used the camera at the end of its arm in April and May 2014 to take dozens of component images combined into this self-portrait where the rover drilled into a sandstone target called 'Windjana'
'It plays a special role in NASA's Mars exploration program,' said Mars Science Laboratory project scientist Ashwin Vasavada. 'The ultimate goal is to figure out if life ever evolved on Mars, if it existed in the past or even today.'
To do so, Curiosity was launched on November 26, 2011 from Cape Canaveral. After its months-long journey through space, the 2,000 pound, car-sized rover touched down inside the 3.7 billion-year-old, 100-mile long Gale crater and began its methodical exploration of Mars’ surface.
JPL systems engineer Sophia Mitchell spoke about her job as a 'space Uber driver,' as she pilots the Curiosity rover from over 100 million miles away.
'It’s definitely a dream job,' she said. 'I'm an aerospace engineer and but I really think of myself as an explorer and so the ultimate exploration job in my mind is getting to drive a massive science robot around on a different planet.'
'It plays a special role in NASA's Mars exploration program,' said Mars Science Laboratory project scientist Ashwin Vasavada. 'The ultimate goal is to figure out if life ever evolved on Mars, if it existed in the past or even today.' The Red Planet is pictured above in a handout from NASA
NASA scientists say that now-dusty Mars was once covered in bodies of water – an indication that this barren planet may have once been host to some form of life, or at least had the capacity to do so. The Mars Curiosity Rover snapped this panorama (above) of the Red Planet
What the rover learned has helped scientists paint a picture of what the planet likely looked like billions of years ago. The answer is that now-dusty Mars was once covered in bodies of water – an indication that this barren planet may have once been host to some form of life, or at least had the capacity to do so.
That possibility was reinforced by Curiosity’s discovery of organic molecules found while drilling into shallow parts of the planet’s surface. The team spoke excitedly of future missions, such as the European Space Agency’s ExoMars rover, which will be able to dig deeper than Curiosity’s tools allowed.
While the past decade has been filled with discovery, it’s also been fraught with challenges. What was supposed to be a two-year mission has been extended indefinitely and Curiosity has started to show its age, with wear-and-tear on the wheels and a drill that doesn’t operate the way it once did.
As Mitchell noted, when something breaks on Mars, 'We can’t send someone there to repair it. We just have to figure out how to use what we have to still be able to do what we want.'
Though robots have visited our closest celestial neighbor, that’s a trip that no human has yet been able to take.
The team enthusiastically endorsed the possibility of mankind one day making it to Mars, a trip that will be aided by vital data on radiation being collected by Curiosity - and probably with the help of Elon Musk's Starship, after it successfully conducts a orbital launch test and brings people to the moon first.
'I can just say I hope you go to Mars,' Vasavada told one curious child who was picked to ask a question. 'We're looking forward to seeing you on Mars one day and I can tell you that Curiosity is going to help protect you.'
As Mitchell noted, when something breaks on Mars, 'We can’t send someone there to repair it. We just have to figure out how to use what we have to still be able to do what we want.' This is an artist's concept of NASA's Mars Science Laboratory spacecraft approaching Mars
"We're still able to do the same quality and breadth of science that we were 10 years ago, and that's pretty extraordinary."
Curiosity takes a selfie at Mont Mercou on Mars on March 30, 2021.
(Image credit: NASA/JPL-Caltech/MSSS)
NASA's Curiosity rover has hit a major milestone: the robot is celebrating the 10th anniversary of its landing on Mars on Aug. 5, 2012.
Over the decade, the rover has greatly advanced our understanding of the Red Planet through its exploration and research. Curiosity's primary mission objective was to determine whether or not Mars was habitable in the past. Through previous missions, scientists had already determined that water was once present on Mars and, in fact, is currently present on Mars in the form of ice. But water alone isn't enough to support life.
"Determining habitability requires knowing if there were things like organic molecules — carbon-containing molecules that life needs — sources of energy, other molecules that life needs, like nitrogen, phosphorus, oxygen," Curiosity deputy project scientist Abigail Fraeman, who is also a planetary scientist at NASA's Jet Propulsion Laboratory in California, told Space.com. "And we have found that all of those were there."
In order to find these key signatures of habitability on Mars, Curiosity carries with it tools to drill into the surface of the planet and spectrometers like the Sample Analysis at Mars (SAM) and Chemistry and Mineralogy (CheMin) that can analyze the resulting samples. Within the rover's first few years on the planet, it had already discovered key requirements for life.
"So we found, one, Mars was habitable, and two, that those habitable environments persisted for tens of millions of years, most likely, maybe even hundreds of millions of years, which was surprising and exciting," Fraeman said.
The rover's research into the rock and soil of Mars also yielded new information about groundwater cycles on Mars. "All of the rocks that we've driven through show not only the signature of water when they were originally deposited, but this later overprinting of one or two or dozens of cycles of groundwater circulating through the rocks," Fraeman said. "And so it really emphasized the importance of subsurface water on Mars, which is something that would have been a really important process."
Curiosity's first drill sample. The image was taken on Feb. 20, 2013. (Image credit: NASA/JPL-Caltech/MSSS)
But in a decade of exploration, Curiosity has discovered much more than the building blocks of life. "One of the types of science that doesn't get mentioned a whole lot, but is really important and really interesting, is the environmental science we've been doing," Fraeman said.
Curiosity has radiation detectors and environmental and atmospheric sensors that have been put to good use on Mars. For instance, throughout its wanderings, when Curiosity approached geological formations like cliffs and buttes, the rover's instruments detected that the rocks blocked radiation from reaching it. "We can now use that for models for future astronauts. For example, can you use natural terrain as shielding?" Fraeman said.
She's also enthralled by Curiosity's study of Martian weather, noting that just last year, Curiosity photographed beautiful clouds known as noctilucent clouds, which appear at sunset during winter.
Curiosity photographed noctilucent clouds, also called twilight clouds, on March 28, 2021. (Image credit: NASA/JPL-Caltech)
Although Curiosity's original mission timeline lasted just under two Earth years, a decade out the rover continues to be in relatively good health — good enough to continue its work. "We do have a little bit of arthritis, a little bit of aches and pains in the joints," Fraeman said. Its wheels, for instance, have developed quite a few holes after some 17.5 miles (28 kilometers) of travel with a 2,000-foot (600 meters) elevation gain. But Fraeman noted that the wheels are accumulating damage at a relatively slow rate, allowing Curiosity to continue moving.
"I think what's most remarkable to me is all the science instruments are basically working as well as they did when we landed," she said. "We're still able to do the same quality and breadth of science that we were 10 years ago, and that's pretty extraordinary."
Next up for Curiosity is an investigation into what happened to the once-habitable climate of Mars and how long the region remained habitable as the water began to dry up. While the rover spent the past decade exploring lake environments — most recently, a region where sand dunes formed as lakes disappeared — the team is now sending the explorer even higher up Mount Sharp.
One of Curiosity's earliest selfies, taken on Sept. 7, 2012. (Image credit: NASA/JPL-Caltech/Malin Space Science Systems)
"We're so close to reaching what we call the Layered-Sulfate unit, which is a completely different portion of Mount Sharp," Fraeman said. "We see from orbit that it has a different texture, a different mineralogy, and we think this is going to represent a very different environmental time on Mars. We're excited to see just what this environmental change was, how it's reflected in the rock record, and what that means for habitability."
But before Curiosity gets to all that, the team is going to spend a little time celebrating the anniversary. "Those of us who are local in Pasadena, we're going to have a party. We're going to get some Thai food, we'll have a raffle," Fraeman said. "I think it'll just be a joyous occasion to celebrate the accomplishments and hopefully look forward to more fun science.
In recent decades, scientists have been studying near-death experiences (NDEs) in an attempt to gain insights into how death overcomes the brain.
Some people who have NDEs can later report, with accuracy, what was taking place around them, even though medical professionals considered them clinically dead or unconscious at the time.
While the exact mechanisms behind NDEs remain unclear, research suggests that we remain conscious for about two to 20 seconds after our breathing and heartbeat stop.
Time of death is considered when a person has gone into cardiac arrest, which is the cessation of the electrical impulse that drives the heartbeat. As a result, the heart locks up. This moment when the heart stops is considered by medical professionals to be the clearest indication that someone has died.
But what happens inside our mind during this process? Does death immediately overtake our subjective experience or does it slowly creep in?
Some scientists are beginning to think that NDEs are caused by reduced blood flow, coupled with abnormal electrical behavior inside the brain. So, the stereotypical tunnel of white light might derive from a surge in neural activity. Dr. Sam Parnia is the director of critical care and resuscitation research, at NYU Langone School of Medicine, in New York City. He and colleagues have investigated exactly how the brain dies.
In previous work, Dr. Parnia has conducted animal studies looking at the moments before and after death. He’s also investigated near-death experiences. “Many times, those who have had such experiences talk about floating around the room and being aware of the medical team working on their body,” Dr. Parnia toldLive Science. “They’ll describe watching doctors and nurses working and they’ll describe having awareness of full conversations, of visual things that were going on, that would otherwise not be known to them.”
Medical staff confirm this, he said. But how could people who were technically dead be cognizant of what’s happening around them? Even after our breathing and heartbeat stop, we remain conscious for about two to 20 seconds, Dr. Parnia says. That’s how long the cerebral cortex is thought to last without oxygen. This is the thinking and decision-making part of the brain. It’s also responsible for deciphering the information gathered from our senses.
According to Dr. Parnia, during this period, “You lose all your brain stem reflexes — your gag reflex, your pupil reflex, all that is gone.” Brain waves from the cerebral cortex soon become undetectable. Even so, it can take hours for our thinking organ to fully shut down.
Usually, when the heart stops beating, someone performs CPR (cardiopulmonary resuscitation). This will provide about 15% of the oxygen needed to perform normal brain function. “If you manage to restart the heart, which is what CPR attempts to do, you’ll gradually start to get the brain functioning again,” Dr. Parnia said. “The longer you’re doing CPR, those brain cell death pathways are still happening — they’re just happening at a slightly slower rate.”
Other research from Dr. Parnia and his colleagues examined the large numbers of Europeans and Americans who have experienced cardiac arrest and survived. “In the same way that a group of researchers might be studying the qualitative nature of the human experience of ‘love,'” he said, “we’re trying to understand the exact features that people experience when they go through death, because we understand that this is going to reflect the universal experience we’re all going to have when we die.”
One of the objectives is to observe how the brain acts and reacts during cardiac arrest, throughout both the processes of death and revival. How much oxygen exactly does it take to reboot the brain? How is the brain affected after revival? Learning where the lines are drawn might improve resuscitation techniques, which could save countless lives per year.
“At the same time, we also study the human mind and consciousness in the context of death,” Dr. Parnia said, “to understand whether consciousness becomes annihilated or whether it continues after you’ve died for some period of time — and how that relates to what’s happening inside the brain in real time.”
This article was originally published on Big Think in October 2017. It was updated in July 2022.
Research suggests that after death, we remain conscious for about two to 20 seconds
Research suggests that after death, we remain conscious for about two to 20 seconds
In recent decades, scientists have been studying near-death experiences (NDEs) in an attempt to gain insights into how death overcomes the brain.
Some people who have NDEs can later report, with accuracy, what was taking place around them, even though medical professionals considered them clinically dead or unconscious at the time.
While the exact mechanisms behind NDEs remain unclear, research suggests that we remain conscious for about two to 20 seconds after our breathing and heartbeat stop... Read more
A psychiatrist studied 1,000 near-death experiences. Here’s what he discovered.
3 UFOs or possibly a triangle UFO over Benidorm, Spain
3 UFOs or possibly a triangle UFO over Benidorm, Spain
This triangular formation was filmed over Benidorm, Spain on 10th July 2022.
Witness report:
In the early morning of July 10th 2022 at 1:31 A.M. I was sitting outside with my Night Vision monocular watching the stars when suddenly 3 lights came flying in my field of vision. I immediately started recording and followed the lights for about 20 seconds until they disappeared behind a branch of a tree in the forefront. At first I thought they were 3 separate UFOs but it could as well have been a single big triangular UFO turning on its axis. Attached you find the recording so you can judge for yourself.
On April 18, 1962, at around 8:15 p.m., local time, witnesses in Oneida and Cuba, New York, saw a strange object streaking westward across the sky, variously described as looking like a red or blue fireball, “a red flaming sword,” a very bright white light with a bright white trail, or a long cylindrical shape like a cigarette. The object was soon tracked by NORAD, who then alerted the Air Defense Command and at the time no one could figure out what it was, and as they debated over what to do the object began its strange and inscrutable journey west, which would only end after it had crossed ten states and with an apparent explosion of a possible alien craft.
As the object streaked from east to west, it would be witnessed by thousands of people whose testimony soon showed that this was no meteorite. The mysterious object was often seen to change speed and altitude, with some witnesses reporting that it would pass just a few hundred feet from the ground. It also would occasionally surge ahead at great speed only to slow back down again, and its trail would sometimes change colors from a bright yellow to blue. In some cases, it was reported as casting off sparks, emanating a “whooshing” or a “gasping sound,” and there were some reports of the object causing several loud booms and flashing lights as it passed over to disappear from view. As people got a closer look at it they could see that it was very strange, indeed, with one witness even claiming that he had been able to discern a series of square windows on the object almost hidden in the glow of it.
Other witnesses along its course described the object demonstrating some very odd behavior as well. In Eureka, Utah, it was seen to pass low and cause cars to stall and street lights and retail store lights to go out. One witness by the name of Bob Robinson claimed that as he drove along with friend along with Floyd Evans near Nephi, Utah, it had approached his truck to hover over them momentarily, causing it to malfunction and stall, with the vehicle suddenly springing back to life when it was gone. It was also seen to allegedly arc down and land in a remote area around 10 miles southwest of the town and stay there for 42 minutes, during which time it was reported as caused a service disruption at a nearby power plant before taking off again to continue its journey west, after which power to the plant was mysteriously restored. Some witnesses also claimed that there were “military men” snooping around the area right after the incident, looking around and questioning people.
A newspaper clipping of the incident
Several law enforcement personnel saw the object over Utah, including a Sergeant E. C. Sherwood of the Utah Highway Patrol, who saw a bright blue light that he claimed seemed to explode over him while shooting off “a cloud of white sparks.” Indeed, a number of people in the area reported a roaring sound and the loud bangs of what sounded like explosions as the object passed, in some cases a series of twenty of thirty explosions strung together. Joseph Benini, the police chief at the time, also saw a bright light and heard what sounded almost like an artillery shell passing overhead. At the time the thing was being seen by pilots in the air as well. A Bonanza Air Lines pilot said that the light passed beneath his aircraft, and Troop Carrier Squadron, reserve AF pilot and civilian Attorney at Law Captain Herman Gordon Shields saw it as he was flying a Fairchild C-119 Flying Boxcar two miles west of La Van, Utah. He would describe the incident it as follows:
We were approximately 25 degrees of bank on the aircraft and we had turned for about 30 degrees to a heading of about 098 or 100 degrees, somewhere in there, when it began to get very bright in the, cock- pit. The illumination was from above. It built up slowly. My first impression while the intensity was low was that it was the landing lights of another aircraft. Of course, when the intensity increased this was ruled out automatically. The cockpit was illuminated from above. In the C-119 aircraft there is an instrument panel in the middle of the cockpit up above on the ceiling of the cockpit. The light source was coming from this area that was blanked out, in other words, straight behind this instrument panel because neither Lieutenant Larson, who was in the fight seat nor I saw the source of the illumination.
We continued the turn. The light intensity increased until we could see objects [on the ground] as bright as day for a radius of five to ten miles from the aircraft. This would probably be a diameter of twenty miles or so. Objects on the ground, on the hills around us, were clearly distinguishable. Colors were distinguishable. It was as bright as daylight. The intensity of the light diminished faster than it had increased. After the light had decreased in intensity we were still looking for the light source, and I noticed an object to my left between the wing and the lower part of the fuselage of the aircraft against the hills. By this time the light had decreased so that the hills were dark. It was night again.
And this object which I saw was illuminated. It had a long slender appearance comparable to a cigarette in size, that is, the diameter with respect to the length of the object. The fore part, or the lower part of the object was very bright, intense white such as a magnesium fire. The second half, the aft section, was a clearly distinguishable yellowish color. I would say the object was just about divided in half, the fore part being intensely white, the aft section having a more yellow color to it.
In the meantime, the object was being tracked on radar and fighter jets were scrambled at Nellis Air Force base to investigate, and as the object approached Arizona there were jets put in the air from Luke Air Force Base as well. It would eventually pass over ten states and was seen as far west as Reno, Nevada and California, before it apparently was reported as changing course to head back east. Then, at a location somewhere over the Mesquite Range in Nevada around 70 miles northwest of Las Vegas, after being tracked and traced for a total of 32 minutes, there was reported a blinding flash bright enough to later light up the streets of Reno like noonday and visible from five states, followed by a thunderous boom that coincided with the object disappearing completely from radar at an altitude of 10,000 feet, suggesting that whatever it was had blown up in a massive explosion. Local law enforcement was swamped with calls and in the wake of the explosion, the area was reportedly crawling with military personnel, but the official story is that nothing was found.
In the aftermath of this strange series of events, the Air Force would do everything they could to wave it away. They claimed that it had been anything from a meteor to a U2 spy plane or a weather balloon. They would send in J. Allen Hynek, with Project Blue Book, along with Lieutenant Colonel Robert Friend, who quickly concluded after a cursory investigation that the object had been a bolide, or a very bright, exploding meteor. Dr. Robert Kadesch, an associate professor of physics at the University of Utah, would also vocally concur with the bolide theory. Although officially the object would be labelled as “Insufficient Data for a Scientific Analysis,” the military considered it case closed and brushed it away. Although the chief of criminal investigation at Hill Air Force Base, Douglas Crouch, would do his own investigation and find that the witnesses were “logical, mature persons” and come to the conclusion that they had seen a tangible object that was not an aircraft of balloon, saying that there had also been “no unusual meteorological or astronomical conditions present,” the Air Force closed the book on the whole thing and moved on.
This is the way things would stay for decades, and it was mostly forgotten about except for a mention by author Frank Edwards mentioned the crash near Las Vegas in his 1964 book Strange World. It was not until UFO researcher Kevin Randle took a closer look at it when the Air Force declassified their “Blue Book Files” in the 1990s that it would become clear how strange the whole incident was. Randle would thoroughly scour these files and track down witnesses, illuminating the once forgotten case and ultimately coming to the conclusion that what was seen cannot be explained by meteors, aircraft, or weather balloons.
This was a UFO event witnessed by thousands of people across ten states, many of who would be categorized as reliable witnesses such as law enforcement, radar operators, pilots, and military personnel, all of whom were sure that what they had seen was no meteor, balloon, or known aircraft, and it had been tracked by several radar installations. The object changed course and altitude, slowed down and sped up, even landed at one point, and also appeared on radar for 32 minutes, so it seems likely it was no meteor. There were never any reports of downed or missing, no U2 planes or weather balloons scheduled to be in the area at the time, and no military tests in the area at the time either. The descriptions of the object’s appearance also don’t fit any of those explanations, and no known aircraft would be flying so erratically, so what are we dealing with here? What was it and what became of it? How can the brilliant flash and explosion be explained? Did whatever it was blow up and why? Was there some sort of cover up involved? These are all questions we may never have answers to, and it remains a strange, but more little-known case of a mass UFO sighting and possible UFO crash.
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- Gemiddelde waardering: 0/5 - (0 Stemmen) Categorie:ALIEN LIFE, UFO- CRASHES, ABDUCTIONS, MEN IN BLACK, ed ( FR. , NL; E )
Filer’s Files Aug 1 2022 - UFOs Swarm Omaha - PART I
Santa Barbara Costa Rica Disk on June 6, 2022
Filer’s Files Aug 1 2022 - UFOs Swarm Omaha - PART I
Major George A. Filer III ret. USAF
New Jersey State Director
MUFON Eastern Region Director
Special reports are: Admiral Lord Hill Norton UFOs Exist, USS Omaha Swarmed by 14 UFOs/UAPs, UFOs Outstrip Our Arsenal by 1,000 Years, UFOs, Inside the Hollow Earth, Operation Highjump, NASA’s Bill Nelson Pushes for Scientific UFO Research, Nano-particles Are Inside UFOs, Farthest Galaxy , and Carbon 60.
Unidentified Aerial Phenomena sightings were reported over Arizona. California, Colorado, Connecticut, Florida, Illinois, Kansas, Massachusetts, Michigan, Missouri, New Jersey, New York, North Carolina, South Carolina, Texas, Virginia. and Washington D.C.
Unidentified Aerial Phenomena sightings were reported over Australia, Canada, Costa Rica, Ecuador, and England in the United Kingdom.
The Filer Research Institute feels the scientific study of UFOs is for the benefit of humankind and is an important endeavor. The US Air Force and DOD investigated UFOs for more than forty years; and I continue this advanced research. I believe the God of the universe has spread life throughout the cosmos and UFOs are visiting us in ever-increasing numbers.
Forward these files to your friends and neighbors.
Special Projects
Admiral Lord Hill Norton UFOs Exist
Admiral Lord Hill Norton
Lord Hill-Norton stated, “The evidence that there are objects which have been seen in our atmosphere, and even on terra firma, which cannot be accounted for either as man-made objects or as any physical force or effect known to our scientists, seems to me to be overwhelming… A very large number of sightings have been vouched for by persons whose credentials seem to me unimpeachable. It is striking that so many have been trained observers, such as police officers and airline or military pilots. Their observations have in many instances… been supported either by technical means such as radar or, even more convincingly, by… interference with electrical apparatus of one sort or another.…” Admiral Lord Hill-Norton, Chief of Defense Staff, Ministry of Defense, Great Britain, 1973; Chairman, Military Committee of NATO, 1974-77; quoted from his foreword to “Above Top Secret” by Timothy Good, Morrow & Co’s Quill Books.
USS Omaha Swarmed by 14 UFOs/UAPs
UFO filmmaker releases 46-second video allegedly showing swarm of objects hovering near Navy ship
USS Omaha Swarmed by 14 UFOs/UAPs off Virginia
Jeremy Corbell posted from the USS Omaha on July 15, 2019. Corbell, a UFO enthusiast and filmmaker behind the 2018 documentary “Bob Lazar: Area 51 & Flying Saucers,” said the footage showed a “significant UFO event series.”
In the clip, a radar screen is shown with as many as 14 objects moving around the ship. At one point, an unidentified man is heard saying, “Holy (expletive)! They’re moving fast. … They’re turning around.
Littoral Combat Ship USS Omaha
LCS is a modular, reconfigura ble ship, designed to meet validated fleet requirements for Surface Warfare, Anti-Submarine Warfare, and Mine Countermeasures missions in the littoral region. An interchangeable mission package is embarked on each LCS and provides the primary mission systems in one of these warfare areas. Using an open architecture design, modular weapons, sensor systems, and a variety of manned and unmanned vehicles to gain, sustain, and exploit littoral maritime supremacy This isn’t the first time Corbell has shared footage claiming to prove the existence of UFOs.
An 18-second clip he shared showing three UFOs hovering over the USS Russell in 2019 was confirmed by the Navy as authentic earlier this year, according to the New York Post. https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=dPrYVmYkL5wA
Photo of one of craft around the Omaha
After swarming, the Omaha the craft suddenly disappeared, suggesting they flew into the ocean. Navy divers out of Norfolk. reported fast moving underwater USOs. The FAA has tracked 10,000 sightings in the last two years.
Another UFO filmmaker shared a video clip depicting radar footage he claimed shows a swarm of unidentified flying objects near a Navy ship off the coast of San Diego almost two years ago. ‘Sightings are reported from all over the world’.
In 2004, Sean Cahil, retired US Navy Chief Master-at-Arms, was aboard the USS Princeton Navy Independence-class aircraft carrier when radar picked up extraordinary Tic Tac UFOs/UAPs.
“The technology that we witnessed with the Tic Tac was something that we would not have been able to defend our forces from at the time,” Cahil said.
Appearing with Christopher Mellon, former Deputy Assistant Secretary of Defense for Intelligence, Cahil described the Tic Tac UFO’s abilities.
“What we saw in the Tic Tac and what Mr. Luis Elizondo described as the five observables indicate a technology that outstrips our arsenal by at least 100 to 1,000 years at the moment,” said Cahil.]
Tic Tac Close up Photo
The Five Observables
In 2008, Luiz Elizondo was first detailed to the secret UFO program sponsored by Senator Harry Reid, then called the Advanced Aerospace Weapon Systems Applications Program. Later, it became the Advanced Aerial Threat Identification Program or AATIP.
During his time at AATIP, Elizondo compiled a list of extraordinary feats that unidentified aerial phenomena shared:
Anti-gravity lift
Sudden and instantaneous acceleration
Hypersonic velocities without signatures (vapor trails or sonic booms)
Low observability, or cloaking
Trans-medium travel (moving between air and water)
Tic Tac UFO Abilities ‘According to Sean Cahil, the Tic Tac UFO was capable of all of the five observables and more. “First of all, the aircraft had zero control surfaces; it had no means of propulsion that we could detect. It moved at hypersonic velocities, and it proceeded the pilots to their CAP [Combat air patrol] points. So, it seemed to have some knowledge of where the pilots were headed to ahead of time. And we don’t possess those abilities to do that in our arsenal at the moment,” said Cahil.
Increasingly Bold UAPs/UFOs
Host Chri Cuomo asked Mellon what he made of the matter. “We clearly are vulnerable,” said Mellon. “And this has been going on for too long. Finally, our Congress is learning of this situation. They’re beginning to react. We’ve got a lot of catch-up here, but it’s very concerning.”
Although the UFOs have not been hostile, the activities have become bolder, says Mellon.
“It’s not an imminent crisis or imminent threat. There’s been no hostility but there’ a lot of activity, and it’s increasingly bold. In some instances, we’ve had these things swarming around warships off the coast of California, swarming around strategic missile defense spaces in Guam,” he said. There is a new urgency in studying UFOs today.
Typical Navy UAPs photos
US Navy warships in restricted waters near San Diego were surrounded by swarms of trans-medium UFOs. There, some 100 miles at sea, the crew spotted an assortment of strange vehicles in July 2019.
Editor’s Note:
I briefed four-star generals and even congressmen on UFOs, but unless fired upon they were not hostile therefore the highest ranks were not too concerned about the UFOs. Soviet KGB Colonels informed me that they had become hostile in Soviet Union and forced them to give up some fifteen countries including Ukraine and Georgia. Now UFOs are here in larger numbers and at least much more aggressive swarming around our ships. Although abductions have been reduced, some are still reported. Italy reports aggressive UFO actions against some of their aircraft and ships. As pilots on the East coast saw UFOs frequently, Elizondo’s program was low on resources and unsupported by the intelligence community. Then, a report in the New York Times that year finally got attention from Congress. The report indicated $22 million was spent on the Advanced Aerospace Threat Identification Program, exposing the Pentagon program to the world. Apparently, President Trump authorized the bringing out slowly of more data on the UFOs. Several editors from the New York Times visited me several years ago indicating they wanted to bring out information on the UFOs, but their bosses had stopped them.
Apparently, the New York Times, Fox, Politico were given the OK to publish data to bring out the truth about the UFOs/UAPs. Now when I talk about UFOs people smile and often mention they have seen data that they are real.
According to Navy pilots, radar operators and underwater video cameras,side scan sonar, they have been picking the Unidentified Submersible Objects (USOs) from high-speed objects traveling over 100 knots faster than any submarine for years. The objective of passive acoustics is to detect the sounds produced by a submarine such as propeller, engine, and pump noise. Experienced sonar operators can identify these sounds. Each type of submarine and USO has a unique sound profile that makes up the acoustic “signature” of the vessel. Submarines themselves are equipped with passive solar systems, such as towed arrays of hydrophones that are used to detect and determine the relative position of underwater acoustic sources.
The black stars represent NAVFAC or NOPF sites; the two white stars represent the Ocean System Commands.
The Navy can also use active acoustics to find submarines or USOs much the same way people use active acoustics to find fish. By transmitting a sound pulse and receiving the echo on an array, the sonars can determine the direction of the echoes that return from objects hit by the sound. They can also measure the time it takes for echoes to return and calculate the distance to the object causing the echo. There are basically two types of active acoustic systems employed by navies around the world. Low frequency sonars are used for long-range hundreds of miles surveillance. The U.S. Navy has developed the Low Frequency Active system that uses a vertical array of 18 projectors to transmit signals in the 100-500 Hz frequency range.
Another acoustics system for assisting with antisubmarine warfare is the U.S. Navy’s sonobuoy system. Sonobuoys use a transducer and a radio transmitter to record and transmit underwater sounds. Aircraft can drop these instruments into the water. Multiple sonobuoys can be deployed in a pattern to determine the exact location of a target.
Underwater Base
UAPs are not necessarily extraterrestrial-, although many people who claim to have talked to aliens that claim they are from distance space. It is possible an underwater group developed or ETs from a water bore planet came here to settle. There’s no reason to rule out extraterrestrial origins as there are numerous planets and they likely have conquered space travel. The biggest problem is the vast distances involved although they speak of time travel shortening the append travel time. We are spending billions looking for extraterrestrial civilizations and thousands of planets and galaxies have been located. .ET found our planet and aided our becoming humans.
The U.S. Navy has several confirmed military underwater bases established, such as the Atlantic Undersea Test and Evaluation Center (AUTEC) in the Bahamas. Just as we often receive reports of UFOs over military bases on land, could it be that the Underwater E.T. vehicles are observing our Underwater bases as well.
Israeli space security chief General ‘Haim Eshed said, “The Galactic Federation of extraterrestrials aren’t sure humans are ready to learn about their presence. “The Unidentified Flying Objects have asked not to publish that they are here; humanity is not ready yet,” said. Haim Eshed
The Tic Tac UFOs/UAPS encounters suggest very large underwater bases or even an under-Earth civilization that was revealed by Admiral Byrd in the 1940s with a very large technical capability hundreds of years ahead of own.
“Inside the Hollow Earth”
For thousands of years, people all over the world have written legends about Agartha, the underground city. Did Byrd find it?
He met “The Master,” the city’s leader, who told him of his concerns about the surface world:
“Our interest rightly begins just after your Race exploded the first atomic bombs over Hiroshima and Nagasaki, Japan. It was that alarming time we sent our flying machines, the ‘Flugelrads’ to your surface world to investigate what your Race had done…You see, we have never interfered before in your Race’s wars and barbarity. But now we must, for you have learned to tamper with atomic energy. Apparently, the government knew about Agartha before Byrd.
Alleged Map of Inner Earth
Whether the whole Hollow Earth story is fact or fiction, it’s great to imagine there are still hidden civilizations in the world.
Editor’s Note: This author does not know if there are underground cities, but I did have orders to go to an underground base to reconstitute the government in case of nuclear war. Fourteen UAPs/UFOs swarming one of our advanced ships suggests a sophisticated civilization that excites.
There are numerous books and stories about the Hollow or Inner Earth that could be true. UAPs are not necessarily extraterrestrial according to a series of writers Planet Earth is not a solid globe, but a hollow world with two obvious entrances at the poles. In 2009, when Stephen Sindoni was visiting Mount Shasta, he said he saw a fleet of UFOs leaving the mountain. There are a number of races that live inside the Inner Earth, including the Telosians, who are similar to humans, he stated. There are people living within our Earth, on the inner crust of the globe, who have lived there longer than our current surface Earth civilization has existed. The first scientist known to write about life inside the Earth was William Reed who published a book entitled “The Phantom of the Poles” in 1906. Marshall B. Gardner. wrote another book in 1913, re-edited in 1920, “A Journey to the Earth’s Interior“. Both of these books based their conclusions on the reports of Arctic explorers. Two other interesting books are: “Worlds Beyond the Poles” (1959) written by F. Amado Giannini and “Subterranean Worlds: lost ” (1989) written by Walter Kafton-Minkel.
A book by “Dr. Raymond Bernard” appeared in 1964, The Hollow Earth. According to Mr. Bernard our world is hollow, with two openings at the North and South Pole, each hole where you can enter the inner Earth. At the center of the earth is not a molten core but an inner sun which is six hundred miles wide and is 2900 miles from the Inner Surfaces.
Bernard said, “While I was remote viewing the Hollow Earth, I saw a vast world with mountains and shorelines, and lush green vegetation with rivers and parks. A misty red sun on the horizon was emanating more warmth than seemed warranted. The climate was warm! The tall men and women I met seemed very caring. Their transportation is via hovercrafts and larger disk-shaped spacecrafts that apparently enter and exit the inner Earth. Their homes are mostly dome shaped and their personalities are compassionate, gentle and wise. Nazis were fascinated with anything regarding the Aryan race. They traveled all over the world including Antarctica to learn more of alleged origins
Admiral Byrd, stated, “There comes a time when the rationality of men must fade into insignificance, and one must accept the inevitability of the Truth! I am not at liberty to disclose the following documentation at this writing…perhaps it shall never see the light of public scrutiny, but I must do duty and record here for all to read one day. In a world of greed and exploitation of mankind can no longer suppress that which is truth.” Medal of Honor recipient Admiral Richard Byrd allegedly wrote his encounter with a lost civilization in Antarctica in his dairy. Commander Graham Bethune flew Byrd to Antarctica in the summer of 1945.
In 1938, Nazis claim New Sabia in red on map
Allegedly Admiral Byrd wrote a secret diary of his explorations of one of the greatest adventurers who has ever lived. – plus, proof that there is a vast, uncharted, civilization exists inside the planet. Commander Graham Bethune claimed he flew Admiral Richard E. Byrd near the South Polar region of the world. Before he started on the venture, Byrd made a mysterious statement: “I’d like to see that land beyond the Pole”. According to Hollow Earth theorists, Byrd met an ancient race underground in a mysterious opening near the South Pole. He also visited German scientists asking for the secrets of the disk craft. Bethune said, “The scientists refused to reveal the propulsion system for their UFOs, and they flew back to the Pentagon to report their findings.”
Operation Highjump
After the German Scientists refused cooperation, the Secretary of War, Secretary of the Navy and the Secretary of State on August 7, 1946, approved Operation Highjump. “The U.S. Navy proposes to send an expedition to the Antarctic early in 1947. The purpose of this expedition includes training personnel, consolidating and extending U.S. sovereignty over Antarctic areas, and possible base sites. Rear Admiral Richard E. Byrd was designated as Officer-in-Charge of the project. Task Force Commander was Captain R. H. Cruzenl”.
USS Philippine Sea Aircraft Carrier
On December 2, 1946, Task Force 68 set sail for the Antarctic continent with a force of 13 ships carrying some 4,700 men, and aircraft carrier the USS Philippine Sea. The Central Group of ships reached the Bay of Whales on January 15, 1947 and planned to stay for six months where they constructed temporary runways along the glaciers, in a base dubbed Little Americana II. One Navy reconnaissance aircraft was flown by Lt. Bunger who flew west with cameras humming. Suddenly the men in the cockpit saw a dark spot come up over the barren white horizon and as they drew closer, they couldn’t believe their eyes. Byrd later described it as a “land of blue and green lakes and brown hills in an otherwise limitless expanse of ice”. Bunger and his men carefully inspected the region and then raced back to the ship to tell the others of their discovery.
Antarctic Lake
The intelligence report revealed that the US Navy had sent the military expedition to find and destroy a hidden Nazi base. They encountered a mysterious UFO force that attacked the military expedition destroying several ships and a significant number of planes. Indeed, Operation Highjump had suffered “many casualties” as stated in initial press reports from Chile.
Many Navy aircraft were shot down in the one-sided battle that the Navy claims never happened.
Reports claim disc shape craft came out of the sea coming through the ice attacking some of the ships and aircraft. Commander Graham Bethune and other Navy personnel claim the task force encountered ‘heavy resistance’ and that there was a battle between American and UFO forces operating there, with losses on both sides. The piston engine Navy aircraft were no match for the modern German disc aircraft and allegedly at least one destroyer was sunk.
High Jump PBM Crash Navy Photo
The Navy admitted four personnel were killed along with numerous injuries The intelligence report, revealed that the US Navy had sent the military expedition to find and destroy a hidden Nazi base. They encountered a mysterious UFO force that attacked the military expedition destroying several ships and a significant number of planes. Indeed, Operation Highjump had suffered “many casualties” as stated in initial press reports from Chile. The Navy officially lists four men were killed and many injured during the two-month operation.
The Goverment According to Byrd’s “diary,” the government ordered Byrd to remain silent for what he witnessed during his Arctic assignment: March 11, 1947
“I have just attended a Staff Meeting at the Pentagon. I have stated fully my discovery and the message from the Master. All is duly recorded. The President has been advised. I am now detained for several hours (six hours, thirty- nine minutes, to be exact.) I am interviewed intently by Top Security Forces and a Medical Team. It was an ordeal!!!! I am placed under strict control via the National Security provisions of this United States of America. I am ORDERED TO REMAIN SILENT IN REGARD TO ALL THAT I HAVE LEARNED, ON THE BEHALF OF HUMANITY!!! Incredible! I am reminded that I am a Military Man, and I must obey orders.”
mans did make their mark in the South Pole. However, what they have discovered doesn’t compared to what Byrd recorded in his diary.
MCMURDO STATION, Antarctica — In recent years Bill Clinton, Britain’s Prince Harry, King Juan Carlos of Spain, U.S. Secretary of State John Kerry, Buzz Aldrin, Tom Hanks and ‘even the Pope have visited Antarctica. A former McMurdo Station Antarctica, technician told a magazine that the scientists — aren’t afraid of getting in trouble because they have “a license to kill.” The snow melting is exposing interesting structures.
NASA’s Bill Nelson Pushes for Scientific UFO Research
Former Astronaut Bill Nelson
Bill Nelson, 78, the former Florida senator and spaceflight veteran, became the NASA Administrator on May 3, 2021. One month later, Bill Nelson s directed NASA to study UFOS (or UAPs), because he probably saw them in space… Nelson was a Payload Specialist on Space Shuttle Columbia’s STS-61-C mission from January 12 to 18, 1986. This mission was the last successful Space Shuttle flight prior to the Challenger accident, which occurred ten days after the end of this mission.
He spent 6 days 2 in space. Thus mission saw a possible UFO. STS-61C Astronaut snaps pictures of huge black triangle UFO in space! The article provides crew comments without giving names, but it is very likely Nelson saw the UFO. The crew states: ‘“I’m just being skeptical about it. I do understand that most people would like to see UFOs, or for a better term, advanced vehicles.”
TR3B Aurora
Looks like the Aurora spy plane to me, what do you think? I’ve heard it can’t reach that type of altitude. I agree….it just looks so far away…. I wish we had something to reference it…you know like something measurable… To me it looks far away and huge…but I guess it really could be something smaller and close which would fit something along the lines of paneling. You are taking some steps into perceiving the greater universe. Attaboy!! Outer space presents such different illumination and attenuation and shadowing phenomena that our earthside instincts of perceptual interpretation can mislead us — and on YouTube, usually do.
If it was an insulating tile, wouldn’t it be more of a square shape in order to fit around and cover as much surface area as possible on the ship? A few tiles have triangle shape. Nineteen tiles were missing rom shuttle upon landing.
“It’s been proposed that nano-particles could really enhance the strength of metals without damaging their plasticity, especially light metals like magnesium, but no groups have been able to disperse ceramic nano particles in molten metals until now,” said Xiaochun Li, the principal investigator on the research and Raytheon Chair in Manufacturing Engineering at UCLA.
“With an infusion of physics and materials processing, our method paves a new way to enhance the performance of many different kinds of metals by evenly infusing dense nano-particles to enhance the performance of metals to meet energy and sustainability challenges in today’s society.”
This new procedure opens the door for improving existing materials used in the aviation, space and automotive industries, among others, by including nano particles that improve their performance in extreme conditions to meet energy and sustainability challenges in today’s society.
Farthest Galaxy
Fareast Galaxy Upper Left
James Webb Space Telescope has shown the world a new image of a distant galaxy whose light it took 13.5 billion years to reach us. The dawn of a new era in astronomy has begun as the world gets its first look at the full capabilities of NASA’s James Webb Space Telescope, a partnership with ESA (European Space Agency) and CSA (Canadian Space Agency). The telescope’s first full-color images and spectroscopic data were released during a televised broadcast at 10:30 a.m. EDT (14:30 UTC) on Tuesday, July 12, 2022, from NASA’s Goddard Space Flight Center in Greenbelt, Maryland. These listed targets below represent the first wave of full-color scientific images and spectra the observatory has gathered, and the official beginning of Webb’s general science operations. They were selected by an international committee of representatives from NASA, ESA, CSA, and the Space Telescope Science Institute.
These first images from the world’s largest and most powerful space telescope demonstrate Webb at its full power, ready to begin its mission to unfold the infrared universe.
Strange Craft
The True Story of an Air Force Intelligence Officer’s Life with UFOs
U.S. Air Force Major George Filer belongs to the generation of pilots and aviators who first became aware of the strange aircraft showing up in the Earth’s atmosphere after World War II. These men – military professionals who flew planes, served as radar operators and air traffic controllers at airfields around the world – began to whisper amongst themselves about encounters with suspected extraterrestrial aircraft.
During secret debriefings at U.S. bases, pilots and air crew told their commanders of seeing UFOs off their plane’s wings. Award-winning investigative author John Guerra spent four years interviewing Filer, a decorated intelligence officer.
From objects in the skies over Cold War Europe to a UFOs over during the Cuban Missile Crisis to lights over the DMZ in Vietnam Filer leaves nothing out about his Air Force UFO encounters,
Filer’s most memorable case – the shooting of an alien at Fort Dix Army Base in 1978 – is fully recounted for the first time in this book. As a member of the Disclosure Project, military experts, astronauts, and scientists urge the U.S. government to release all it knows about UFOs to the public.
Filer describes his UFO encounters in this incredible book, by John L. Guerra.
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Filer’s Files Aug 1 2022 - UFOs Swarm Omaha - PART II
Santa Barbara Costa Rica Disk on June 6, 2022
Filer’s Files Aug 1 2022 - UFOs Swarm Omaha - PART II
Major George A. Filer III ret. USAF
New Jersey State Director
MUFON Eastern Region Director
Special reports are: Admiral Lord Hill Norton UFOs Exist, USS Omaha Swarmed by 14 UFOs/UAPs, UFOs Outstrip Our Arsenal by 1,000 Years, UFOs, Inside the Hollow Earth, Operation Highjump, NASA’s Bill Nelson Pushes for Scientific UFO Research, Nano-particles Are Inside UFOs, Farthest Galaxy , and Carbon 60.
Unidentified Aerial Phenomena sightings were reported over Arizona. California, Colorado, Connecticut, Florida, Illinois, Kansas, Massachusetts, Michigan, Missouri, New Jersey, New York, North Carolina, South Carolina, Texas, Virginia. and Washington D.C.
Unidentified Aerial Phenomena sightings were reported over Australia, Canada, Costa Rica, Ecuador, and England in the United Kingdom.
The Filer Research Institute feels the scientific study of UFOs is for the benefit of humankind and is an important endeavor. The US Air Force and DOD investigated UFOs for more than forty years; and I continue this advanced research. I believe the God of the universe has spread life throughout the cosmos and UFOs are visiting us in ever-increasing numbers.
Forward these files to your friends and neighbors.
UFO Sightings in the United States
Sightings are from MUFON CMS
Arizona Lights
Tonalea on July 22, 2022, we looked up and thought it was a shooting star but it didn’t change at all. It was a long string of lights that were at an angle but didn’t fly in an angle. It went straight across the sky and never faded or changed. The lights reminded me of white Christmas lights, but they didn’t twinkle.
California Object
Fresno on July 22, 2022, Huge cigar shaped object moving at a slow constant pace for the south to the north with a slight decent’
Colorado Light
Fort Garland on July 22, 2022, craft itself was dark, and did not reflect. Looked super low and slow, with 12 port holes. Felt like I was on display. I had my laser pointer on and I got Lazard back. I was able to capture a light trail in one photo.
Connecticut Object
Stratfordon July 15, 2022, observed a black object high overhead in a cloudless sky. Object remained fixed in position at roughly 50,000 feet. Used my Galaxy 10 to get 16 pictures and each object is a totally different shape. It appears to be a portal as it disappeared instantly.
Florida Disc and Lights
Sanderson on July 16, 2022, we were driving through the forest near a lake ‘took a picture. ‘I noticed something in the image and zoomed in and it looked like a UFO, so I quickly took another but nothing there. My son caught the image too.
Illinois Lights
Granvilleon July 8, 2022, it was hovering above the store I noticed it when I approached my car
Kansas Orbs
Leavenworth on November 11, 2021, I saw 9 orbs flying in formation toward a flight of F-16’s during the Annual Veterans Day Parade. Prior to the flyby I witnessed the orbs forming into various groups. At least six orbs were in a three by two formation. After passing the flyby they formed a four-point formation then all of them disappeared to the west at a great speed.
Update– July 23, 2022: The video taken by the witness has been clipped to the time when the objects passed by the jets. Thanks to Will Pucket/www.ufosnw.com/newsite/
Massachusetts Light
Chelmsford on July 15 2022, Tic tac, oblong shaped object in the sky with a trail, disappeared after second photo. 8:01 PM, Friday, 15 July 2022. No other objects in the sky.
Michigan Light
Cheboygan on July 12 , 2022, saw a rectangle shape in the sky flying very slow straight line. It was very white in color after it flew pass the tree and was gone
Missouri Object
Mountain Grove on June 28, 2022, I was out in my back yard to take some photos of the sun. Looking thru the pictures I took I noticed a flying object in 2 of the photos taken. The second photo taken at 1:00 it has changed direction and is on the left side of the sun.
New Jersey Lights
Maple Shade on July 17, 2022, it was moving sideways at 1 am as a red light but flashed a bright white or blue. It would move up and down. I got a little scared because the UFO would come towards me. When it came close it shined real bright. I’m still in awe.
New York Object
Haverstraw on July 14 , 2022, anomalous silent object seemed to change shape. No blinking lights but seemed to have a fixed bright light or may have been reflection from the su.
North Carolina Orb
Nagsheadon July 20, 2022, see the video seen in multiple cameras.
South Carolina Lights
Spartanburg July 18, 2022, we saw these lights at about 10:30 PM off of Carolina Country Club Road. The objects were moving east out of the woods behind our home. These were not meteors. Thanks to Will Pucket/www.ufosnw.com/newsite/
Texas Object
While on June 12, 2022,. I like to take images of birds and saw the object for a few minutes that I thought was moving like a balloon. I noticed the Sun making it shine on the outside and it appeared to be spinning. The out- side was gray and each side had a different shape and a white circle in the middle..
Virginia Object
On July 6, 2022, I have an interesting way of taking videos of aliens. I start by calling them in saying ancient space words Marc Brinkerhoff has taught: “Adonai Vasu Barragas, Ahum Sah-bah Sinmah Nurem, Ne Selnik Mu Shulmac Tublia Nic Tu Nah and Sha-Neh-Ki Tah-Kah Takeh Thumie.” I then point my camera towards the sky and start taking my videos, indiscriminately. I am taking videos of only a small portion of the sky, but I feel the ETs will pose for me. I go and put the videos on my computer. I send love, gratitude and reverence and thank the ETs for showing up. Thanks to Dan Johnson to the honor and glory of God,
Washington D.C. Lights
District of Columbia May 7, 2021, I felt as if something was around, I could feel it in my gut, then captured this action and took a photo
Wisconsin Object
Milwaukee on July 23 , 2022, US Air Show with jets – video shows something exiting stage left quickly. I was using an iPhone 13 Pro.
Worldwide UFO Sightings
Australia Lights
Perthon July 12 , 2022, saw a row of 30-40 lights continued in a straight, synchronised line, from one side of the horizon to the other. My son and I felt we could make out a rectangular shape structure. Note: The witnesses saw Star-Link communication satellites.
Magillon July 17, 2022, about 10 lights flew in the northeast direction at regular intervals. One light in the middle moved backwards, and after awhile it disappeared. I took it with my cell phone camera.
Canada Rectangle
‘ Kitchener on July 15 , 2022, I was in my bedroom when I was surprised to see a pulsating glowing actual craft. I looked out my window it suddenly shot straight up and disappeared. The shape was rectangular and it was surrounded by red and orange glowing lights. In January, I saw a white glowing orb leave my property.
Costa Rica Disk
Santa Barbaraon June 6, 2022, I got pictured, then 6 seconds later it was gone
Ecuador Lights
Guayaquil on July 28 , 2022, took several pictures with family. After reviewing all pictures, I noticed up to 5 objects in the sky of different sizes, colors and have an orb halo surrounding it.
UK/England Object
Moreton on July 8, 2022, I was visiting from Qatar, where I work as an Editor for a think tank. I watched a commercial jet descend into London Airport, 20 miles from our house, and then saw a glowing object hurtling through the sky. The object above the garden, tossed and turned, darkened and then lit up and disappeared
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Filer’s Files salutes our fighting men and women; God Bless Our Troops, and Georgie, Elizabeth, and Victoria Filer, and Eddie Pedrick. May the Angels be your guide and take you to paradise.
Put another way, a young person in the U.S. is nearly 11 times as likely to die in a swimming pool than in a school shooting. Few public officials would say pools are doing a poor job protecting swimmers, but the statistics suggest that we need “more lifeguards at pools, as opposed to guards at schools,” Fox said
The Filer Research Institute feels the scientific study of UFOs is for the benefit of humankind and is an important endeavor. The US Air Force investigated UFOs publicly for more than twenty years under Project Blue Book; and I continue this advanced research. I believe the God of the universe has spread life throughout the cosmos and UFO’s are visiting us in ever-increasing numbers.
CAUTION MOST OF THESE ARE INITIAL REPORTS AND REQUIRE FURTHER INVESTIGATION. If you wish to stop receiving these files, please send a message to Majorstar@verizon.net.
Filer’s Files salutes our fighting men and women Georgie Filer and Eddie Pedrick my grandsons who both drowned. We pray that God will bless those who read these files spiritually.
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Galactic wagon wheel! James Webb Space Telescope captures stunning new infrared image of the Cartwheel Galaxy and its central black hole 500 million light-years from Earth
Galactic wagon wheel!James Webb Space Telescope captures stunning new infrared image of the Cartwheel Galaxy and its central black hole 500 million light-years from Earth
James Webb Space Telescope has peered into chaos of the Cartwheel Galaxy, revealing new details about star formation and the galaxy's central black hole
The stunning image provides new view of how Cartwheel Galaxy has changed over billions of years
The Cartwheel Galaxy, located about 500 million light-years away, is a rare sight
It has been carrying out scientific operations for less than a month but NASA's James Webb is once again wowing with its view of the universe.
The super space telescope has now peered into the chaos of the Cartwheel Galaxy, revealing new details about star formation and the galaxy's central black hole.
Its powerful infrared gaze produced a detailed image of the Cartwheel and two smaller companion galaxies against a backdrop of many other galaxies.
Located about 500 million light-years away in the Sculptor constellation, the Cartwheel Galaxy is a rare sight.
Its appearance, much like that of the wheel of a wagon, is the result of an intense event — a high-speed collision between a large spiral galaxy and a smaller galaxy not visible in this image.
Other telescopes, including the Hubble Space Telescope, have previously examined the Cartwheel.
But the dramatic galaxy has been shrouded in mystery — perhaps literally, given the amount of dust that obscures the view.
Fireworks: The James Webb Space Telescope is once again wowing with its view of the universe. It has peered into the chaos of the Cartwheel Galaxy (pictured), revealing new details about star formation and the galaxy's central black hole
This image from Webb's Mid-Infrared Instrument (MIRI) shows a group of galaxies, including a large distorted ring-shaped galaxy known as the Cartwheel
INSTRUMENTS ON THE JAMES WEBB TELESCOPE
NIRCam (Near InfraRed Camera) an infrared imager from the edge of the visible through the near infrared
NIRSpec (Near InfraRed Spectrograph) will also perform spectroscopy over the same wavelength range.
MIRI (Mid-InfraRed Instrument) will measure the mid-to-long-infrared wavelength range from 5 to 27 micrometers.
FGS/NIRISS (Fine Guidance Sensor and Near Infrared Imager and Slitless Spectrograph), is used to stabilise the line-of-sight of the observatory during science observations.
Webb, with its ability to detect infrared light, now uncovers new insights into the nature of the Cartwheel.
The Near-Infrared Camera (NIRCam), Webb's primary imager, looks in the near-infrared range from 0.6 to 5 microns, seeing crucial wavelengths of light that can reveal even more stars than observed in visible light.
This is because young stars, many of which are forming in the outer ring, are less obscured by the presence of dust when observed in infrared light. In this image, NIRCam data are colored blue, orange, and yellow.
The galaxy displays many individual blue dots, which are individual stars or pockets of star formation.
NIRCam also reveals the difference between the smooth distribution or shape of the older star populations and dense dust in the core compared to the clumpy shapes associated with the younger star populations outside of it.
The $10 billion (£7.4 billion) observatory's image also provides a new view of how the Cartwheel Galaxy has changed over billions of years.
Collisions of galactic proportions cause a cascade of different, smaller events between the galaxies involved; the Cartwheel is no exception.
The collision most notably affected the galaxy's shape and structure.
The Cartwheel Galaxy sports two rings — a bright inner ring and a surrounding, colorful ring. These rings expand outwards from the center of the collision, like ripples in a pond after a stone is tossed into it.
Because of these distinctive features, astronomers call this a 'ring galaxy', a structure less common than spiral galaxies like our Milky Way.
The bright core contains a tremendous amount of hot dust with the brightest areas being the home to gigantic young star clusters.
On the other hand, the outer ring, which has expanded for about 440 million years, is dominated by star formation and supernovas. As this ring expands, it plows into surrounding gas and triggers star formation.
Webb's infrared capabilities allow it to 'see back in time' to the Big Bang, which happened 13.8 billion years ago. Light waves move extremely fast, about 186,000 miles (300,000 km) per second, every second. The further away an object is, the further back in time we are looking. This is because of the time it takes light to travel from the object to us
The $10 billion (£7.4 billion) observatory (pictured) provided a new view of how the Cartwheel Galaxy has changed over billions of years
Learning finer details about the dust that inhabits the galaxy, however, requires Webb's Mid-Infrared Instrument (MIRI).
MIRI data are coloured red in this composite image, revealing regions within the Cartwheel Galaxy rich in hydrocarbons and other chemical compounds, as well as silicate dust, like much of the dust on Earth.
These regions form a series of spiraling spokes that essentially form the galaxy’s skeleton.
The spokes are evident in previous Hubble observations released in 2018, but they become much more prominent in this Webb image.
While Webb gives us a snapshot of the current state of the Cartwheel, it also provides insight into what happened to this galaxy in the past and how it will evolve in the future.
Last month the telescope's dazzling, unprecedented images of a 'stellar nursery', dying star cloaked by dust and a 'cosmic dance' between a group of galaxies were revealed to the world for the first time.
It put an end to months of waiting and feverish anticipation as people across the globe were treated to the first batch of a treasure trove of images that will culminate in the earliest ever look at the dawn of the universe.
Webb's infrared capabilities mean it can 'see back in time' to within a mere 100-200 million years of the Big Bang, allowing it to snap pictures of the very first stars to shine in the universe more than 13.5 billion years ago.
Its first images of nebulae, an exoplanet and galaxy clusters triggered huge celebration in the scientific world, on what was hailed a 'great day for humanity'.
Researchers will soon begin to learn more about the galaxies' masses, ages, histories and compositions, as Webb seeks to explore the earliest galaxies in the universe.
The James Webb Telescope: NASA's $10 billion telescope is designed to detect light from the earliest stars and galaxies
The James Webb telescope has been described as a 'time machine' that could help unravel the secrets of our universe.
The telescope will be used to look back to the first galaxies born in the early universe more than 13.5 billion years ago, and observe the sources of stars, exoplanets, and even the moons and planets of our solar system.
The vast telescope, which has already cost more than $7 billion (£5 billion), is considered a successor to the orbiting Hubble Space Telescope
The James Webb Telescope and most of its instruments have an operating temperature of roughly 40 Kelvin – about minus 387 Fahrenheit (minus 233 Celsius).
It is the world's biggest and most powerful orbital space telescope, capable of peering back 100-200 million years after the Big Bang.
The orbiting infrared observatory is designed to be about 100 times more powerful than its predecessor, the Hubble Space Telescope.
NASA likes to think of James Webb as a successor to Hubble rather than a replacement, as the two will work in tandem for a while.
The Hubble telescope was launched on April 24, 1990, via the space shuttle Discovery from Kennedy Space Centre in Florida.
It circles the Earth at a speed of about 17,000mph (27,300kph) in low Earth orbit at about 340 miles in altitude.
James Webb Space Telescope maakt foto van ringvormig Karrenwielstelsel
NASA, het Europees ruimtevaartagentschap ESA en de Canadese ruimtevaartorganisatie CSA hebben een nieuwe foto gepubliceerd die afkomstig is van de James Webb Space Telescope. Het betreft een composietfoto van het aparte Karrenwielstelsel, dat zich op zo’n 500 miljoen lichtjaar van de aarde bevindt.
Het Karrenwielstelsel was volgens de ruimtevaartorganisaties tot nu toe altijd een beetje in nevelen gehuld door de grote hoeveelheden stof. Hubble heeft voorheen ook naar dit sterrenstelsel gekeken, maar bijvoorbeeld de ‘spaken’ in het wiel zijn veel beter zichtbaar op de nieuwe afbeelding. Hubble is dan ook veel minder dan James Webb gespecialiseerd in het infrarode deel van het spectrum en die specifieke capaciteit is nodig om door stof heen te kijken.
De verschillende instrumenten van de James Webb-telescoop brengen een aantal zaken aan het licht. Zo zijn individuele sterren en sterrenvormingsregio’s in het sterrenstelsel te zien en is in het centrum het gedrag van een zwart gat zichtbaar. De afbeelding is een composiet, een samenstelling van data van de Near-Infrared Camera (NIRCam) en het Mid-Infrared Instrument (MIRI).
De data van James Webb maken eens te meer duidelijk dat het Karrenwielstelsel zich in een overgangsfase bevindt. Het was vermoedelijk ooit een normaal sterrenstelsel zoals de Melkweg, maar in het verleden was er een botsing op hoge snelheid tussen een groot spiraalstelsel en een klein sterrenstelsel dat niet zichtbaar is op de afbeelding. Door de botsing zijn de vorm en structuur veranderd; er is sprake van twee ringen en astronomen noemen het dan ook een ringsterrenstelsel. Vorige maand publiceerden de ruimtevaartorganisaties de eerste vijf afbeeldingen van James Webb.
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Most Bizarre Discoveries Found On The Beach!
Most Bizarre Discoveries Found On The Beach!
If you’re an ardent beach goer, then you must have seen different creatures on the beach sands or maybe even made some discoveries of your own. However, whatever you may have found is nothing compared to the creatures and things in our list of 10 of the most bizarre discoveries found on the beach. Are you keen to find out for yourself?
Geologists in Chile are investigating a strange sinkhole that emerged over the weekend that’s still growing, leaving local authorities baffled.
The massive hole — 656-feet deep and the width of the White House (82 feet)—appeared over the weekend outside of the town of Tierra Amarilla in the Atacama region on land owned and operated by Canada’s Lundin Mining company.
“There is a considerable distance, approximately 200 meters (656 feet), to the bottom,” David Montenegro, Sernageomin’s director, said in a statement. “We haven’t detected any material down there, but we have seen the presence of a lot of water.”
Chile’s National Service of Geology and Mining, Sernageomin, sent specialists to help all relevant authorities with the investigation into the area—roughly 413 miles north of the capital, Santiago—to see if the massive sinkhole has a connection to the Canadian company’s mining operations in the region.
The entire mining site has been shut down for the investigation as local authorities have so far been unable to offer an explanation for the 656-foot-deep hole.
Lundin Mining said in their statement that none of the workers present were hurt or in any way impacted by the massive sinkhole.
“Upon detection, the area was immediately isolated, and the relevant regulatory authorities notified. There has been no impact to personnel, equipment or infrastructure.”
“The closest home is more than 600m (1,969ft) away while any populated area or public service are almost a kilometre away from the affected zone,” the official statement from the company added.
However, Canadian mining companies have been operating throughout Latin America over the years, having been accusedof a wide variety of environmental and human rights violations.
Tierra Amarilla’s mayor, Cristóbal Zúñiga, told a local radio station that the community living near the mine “has always had a fear that something like this could happen.”
“Today it happened in a space that’s an agricultural property, but our greatest fear now is that this could happen in a populated place, on a street, in a school,” said Zuñiga.
“Protecting the integrity of our inhabitants is our greatest concern at the moment.”
Unfortunately for this community, the mysterious sinkhole nearby is still growing.
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Scientists used a fossil relic left over from the Big Bang to perform the earliest detection of dark matter ever.
An artist's depiction of a galaxy.
(Image credit: iStock/Getty Images Plus)
Scientists have discovered dark matter around galaxies that existed about 12 billion years ago, the earliest detection yet of this mysterious substance that dominates the universe.
The findings, achieved by a collaboration led by researchers from Japan's Nagoya University, suggest that dark matter in the early universe is less 'clumpy' than predicted by many current cosmological models. If further work confirms this theory, it could change scientists' understanding of how galaxies evolve and suggest that the fundamental rules governing the cosmos could have been different when the 13.7 billion-year-old universe was just 1.7 billion years old.
The key to mapping dark matter in the very early universe the cosmic microwave background (CMB), a sort of fossil radiation left over from the Big Bang that is distributed throughout the entire cosmos.
"Look at dark matter around distant galaxies? It was a crazy idea. No one realized we could do this," University of Tokyo professor Masami Ouchisaid in a statement. "But after I gave a talk about a large distant galaxy sample, Hironao came to me and said it may be possible to look at dark matter around these galaxies with the CMB."
Because light takes a finite time to travel from distant objects to Earth, astronomers see other galaxies as they existed when the observed light left them. The more distant a galaxy, the longer the light has been traveling to us and thus the further back in time we see them, so we see the most distant galaxies as they were billions of years ago, in the infant universe.
Observing dark matter is even trickier. Dark matter is the mysterious substance that makes up around 85% of the total mass of the universe. It doesn't interact with matter and light like the everyday matter made of protons and neutrons that fills stars, planets and us.
Detecting 'early' dark matter
To 'see' dark matter at all, astronomers must rely on its interaction with gravity.
According to Einstein's theory of relativity, objects of tremendous mass cause the curvature of space-time. A common analogy is a stretchy rubber sheet holding balls of increasing mass. The greater the mass, the larger the 'dent' it causes in the sheet. Likewise, the larger the cosmic object, the more extreme the warping of space-time it causes.
Massive objects like galaxies cause space-time to curve so strongly that light from sources behind a galaxy is curved, just like the path of a marble rolled across the stretched rubber sheet would deviate. This effect shifts the position of the light source in the sky, a phenomenon called gravitational lensing.
To study the distribution of dark matter in a galaxy, astronomers can observe how light from a source behind that galaxy is changed as it passes the 'lens galaxy.' The more dark matter a lens galaxy contains,s the greater the distortion of the light passing it.
But the technique has limitations.
Because the earliest and most distant galaxies are very faint, as astronomers look deeper into the universe and further back in time, the lensing effect becomes more subtle and difficult to see and scientists need both a lot of background sources and a lot of early galaxies to spot lensing by dark matter. This problem has limited the mapping of dark matter distribution to galaxies that are around 8 to 10 billion years old.
But the CMB provides a more ancient light source than any galaxy. The CMB is ubiquitous radiation that was created when the universe cooled enough to allow atoms to form, reducing the number of photon-scattering free electrons in a moment cosmologists call 'the last scattering.' The reduction in free electrons allowed photons to travel freely, meaning that the universe suddenly stopped being opaque and became transparent to light.
And just like light from other distant sources, the CMB can be distorted by galaxies with dark matter due to gravitational lensing.
"Most researchers use source galaxies to measure dark matter distribution from the present to 8 billion years ago," University of Tokyo assistant professor Yuichi Harikane said in the statement. "However, we could look further back into the past because we used the more distant CMB to measure dark matter."
The team combined lensing distortions of a large sample of ancient galaxies with those of the CMB to detect dark matter dating back to when the universe was just 1.7 billion years old. And this ancient dark matter paints a very different cosmic picture.
"For the first time, we were measuring dark matter from almost the earliest moments of the universe," Harikane said. "12 billion years ago, things were very different. You see more galaxies that are in the process of formation than at the present; the first galaxy clusters are starting to form as well."
These clusters can be comprised of between 100 and 1,000 galaxies bound to large amounts of dark matter by gravity.
Is dark matter clumpy?
One of the most significant aspects of the team's findings is the possibility that dark matter is less clumpy in the early universe than many current models suggest it should be.
For example, the widely accepted Lambda-CDM model suggests that tiny fluctuations in the CMB should have resulted in gravity creating densely packed pockets of matter. These fluctuations eventually lead matter to collapse to form galaxies, stars and planets, and should also result in dense pockets of dark matter.
"Our finding is still uncertain," Harikane said. "But if it is true, it would suggest that the entire model is flawed as you go further back in time. This is exciting because if the result holds after the uncertainties are reduced, it could suggest an improvement of the model that may provide insight into the nature of dark matter itself."
The team will continue to collect data to assess whether the Lambda-CDM model conforms to observations of dark matter in the early universe or if the assumptions behind the model need to be revised.
The data used by the team to reach their findings originated from the Subaru Hyper Suprime-Cam Survey, which analyzes data from a telescope in Hawai'i. But the researchers have used only a third of this data thus far, meaning that a better dark matter distribution map could be available as the rest of the observations are incorporated.
The team is also looking forward to data from the Vera C. Rubin Observatory's Legacy Survey of Space and Time (LSST) which could allow the researchers to look at dark matter even further back in time.
"LSST will allow us to observe half the sky," Harikane said. "I don't see any reason we couldn't see the dark matter distribution 13 billion years ago next."
Join our Space Forums to keep talking space on the latest missions, night sky and more! And if you have a news tip, correction or comment, let us know at: community@space.com.
Astronomers Measure the Signal of Dark Matter From 12 Billion Years ago
Astronomers Measure the Signal of Dark Matter From 12 Billion Years ago
Although the particles of dark matter continue to allude us, astronomers continue to find evidence of it. In a recent study, they have seen its effect from the edge of visible space, when the universe was just 1.5 billion years old.
An artist's depiction of a galaxy.
(Image credit: iStock/Getty Images Plus)
Dark matter doesn’t emit its own light, nor does it absorb light like a dark cloud. But it does affect light gravitationally. So clumps of dark matter create a gravitational lens that deflects and focuses light. Astronomers have long used this effect to map dark matter within galactic clusters. You can even see this lensing effect in the recent Webb deep field images. The light from more distant galaxies is warped by the mass of closer galaxies, which astronomers can map to calculate the distribution of dark matter in those closer galaxies.
But in this latest study, the galaxies are so distant that there aren’t really any more distant galaxies. Certainly none bright enough that we can see their lensed light. So instead, the team used the light from the cosmic microwave background (CMB). To map dark matter, the team used data from the Subaru Hyper Suprime-Cam Survey (HSC), and identified about 1.5 million faint and distant galaxies. They then used data from the Plank satellite to see how CMB light was deflected. From this, they created a map of dark matter in the early universe.
The cosmic microwave background as seen by different satellites. Credit: NASA/JPL-Caltech/ESA
It’s the most distant measure of dark matter ever made, and it opens a possible crack in our current model of the universe. In the standard cosmological model, known as the LCDM model, dark energy drives the expansion of the universe, striving to push galaxies apart, while the gravitational attraction of matter and dark matter cause galaxies to clump together. According to LCDM, the scale at which we observe fluctuations in the cosmic background drives the scale at which galaxies cluster together, which tells us how densely galaxies should be clustered in the early universe. In this latest work, the amount of galactic clustering in the early period is slightly less than predicted by the LCDM model.
The uncertainty of the team’s measurements means their result isn’t conclusive. It’s possible that they simply under measured the clumping scale. But if it’s right, it suggests that the laws of the universe were a bit different 12 billion years ago. Combined with observations that show a tension in the rate of cosmic expansion, they could be on to something.
There are a lot of possibilities. But the biggest success of this work is that we now have actual data. It’s a big first step, and as we get more data from telescopes such as the James Webb Space Telescope and Vera Rubin Observatory, we should be able to solve this mystery, and finally learn if the cosmic laws really were different in the dark and distant past.
White Craft Over Maceio, Brazil On July 10, 2022, Video, UFO Sighting News.
White Craft Over Maceio, Brazil On July 10, 2022, Video, UFO Sighting News.
Date of sighting: July 10, 2022 Location of sighting: Maceio, Brazil
Watch this video and you will see a white disk craft moving across the Brazilian sky. At one point you can see it tilting and see that it is a disk. Remarkable footage and very steady hand with the camera. Hats off to this eyewitness on his camera skills.
Scott C. Waring - Taiwan
Eyewitness states:
I live in an apartment that has a penthouse very close to the sea, where there have been several sightings, what you will hear is the noise of the sea along with my voice and that of a friend, I have seen many planes passing by and I can say that this object is not of a mere plane and yes of a triangular object, which followed a sloping line to the right of my balcony, I don't know much English and I may have put some wrong information, but the video summarizes everything that happened, in part of the video I added zoom but right at the end I took it out and distanced it to get a real idea of the distance.
Glowing Object Over Cortez, Colorado On Aug 1, 2022, -Video- UFO Sighting News.
Glowing Object Over Cortez, Colorado On Aug 1, 2022, - Video - UFO Sighting News.
Date of sighting: Aug 1, 2022
Location of sighting: Cortez, Colorado, USA
A glowing object was recorded over Colorado a few days ago. The object moved with purpose and seemed to be intelligently controlled. Colorado is the #1 state in the US for white sphere UFO. #2 is Texas. So many people in Colorado have seen these UFOs that police officers, mayors, governors and judges are among a few. Often thousands at a time witness them. This came from the alien base below the Rocky Mountains.
Scott C. Waring - Taiwan
Eyewitness states:
Camping with my son observing many stars in cloudless sky. Observed planes and satellites throughout night with identification of blinking lights and obvious satellite identification. Observed a very bright, silent, slow-moving light, starting from the northeast from a vantage point looking at ~45° angle from 5'5" individual from coordinates 37°21'39.9"N 108°57'13.1"W facing to the northeast and traveling over a 2 minute or more period a 45°span to the southeast, at which point it appeared to "turn" or change course to directly east direction and "faded" (appeared to move quickly with no trail) absolutely silently out of sight. In attached video you can see the relative brightness of the object as it passes by a bright star. Was standing ~5 back from a ~12 tall tree used as movement reference.
I got this email report today from a researcher who caught several glowing objects moving past the space station. Some of the objects even turn to join others. Very cool, very amazing and 100% proof that intelligent aliens exist. What more can you ask for? These are disks, the classic types with the humps in the middle. The hump is facing the spaces station because the pilots want to see the ISS up close and personal with their own eyes.
Drone caught ghostly high speed UFO over Milton Keynes, UK
Drone caught ghostly high speed UFO over Milton Keynes, UK
Since the widespread proliferation of camera drones in the mid-2010s many fast moving objects of bright white color have been recorded flying in earth's airspace at low altitude.
Their traveling speed seems to range from a few hundred km/h to several times the speed of sound.
The video analyzed by GoFastUFO reveals some further properties of WFMs (White Fast Movers - also called: UFO Fast Walkers): they often travel fast at a constant altitude, they are not or only weakly affected by gravitational forces, they often fly along a linear trajectory or a curve with a very large radius, they do not crash into obstacles.
In most cases of the here presented WFM footage the data reliably shows that they cannot be birds, insects or common technical devices such as model airplanes.
Huge flashing UFO over Peoria, Arizona 16-Jun-2022
Huge flashing UFO over Peoria, Arizona 16-Jun-2022
This huge UFO was seen and recorded in the sky above Peoria, Arizona on 16th June 2022.
Witness report:
I noticed it whenever I was getting into my car and I went back in and got my phone and I video taped it and it was approximately 3 mi away I’d say 3,000 ft high and it was just a right above a treetop from neighbor down the street I could see it very well and I videotaped it twice it’s been there twice and I’ve also seen one that was outside of spring valley California on it was November 2004 was 5 round orbs silver and I’ve seen a few others also and I am very critical of what I’m seeing so I make sure that I know what I’m saying and that’s why I videotape what I can but five orbs they weren’t there for long I was getting gas looked up saw them and I went to grab my camera which I keep in my car and by the time I turn back around I was trying to send her in and try to get a video or a photo and they just zip straight up and disappeared faster than anything I’ve ever seen
A Supermassive Black Hole Is Heading Earth’s Way At 110 Km Per Second
A Supermassive Black Hole Is Heading Earth’s Way At 110 Km Per Second
There is a massive black hole with millions of times more mass than our sun is plunging towards Earth and will one day annihilate life as we know it. This particular black hole is coming towards us at 110 kilometers per second and is at the center of the Great Andromeda Galaxy – the Milky Way’s closest and much larger neighbor.
At the center of the most known galaxies, there exist a supermassive black hole which stars spin around and helps keep everything in formation. But such is the powerful gravitational pull of the Milky Way and Andromeda that they are being drawn toward each other and will one day crash.
“There’s a black hole at the centre of the Milky Way. And not just any black hole, it’s a supermassive black hole with more than 4.1 million times the mass of the Sun. It’s right over there, in the direction of the Sagittarius constellation. Located just 26,000 light-years away. And as we speak, it’s in the process of tearing apart entire stars and star systems, occasionally consuming them, adding to its mass like a voracious shark.”
Due to the size of Andromeda however, there is only going to be one winner when it smashes into the Milky Way.
But, as Andromeda is 2.5 million light years away, it will take over four billion years to reach us, so we are safe for now.
Mr Cain said: “Panic will happen when the Milky Way collides with Andromeda in about 4 billion years. “Suddenly, you’ll have two whole clouds of stars interacting in all kinds of ways, like an unstable blended family. “Stars that would have been safe will careen past other stars and be deflected down into the maw of either of the two supermassive black holes on hand. Andromeda’s black hole could be 100 million times the mass of the Sun, so it’s a bigger target for stars with a death wish.”
A Supermassive Black Hole Is Heading Earth’s Way At 110 Km Per Second
A Supermassive Black Hole Is Heading Earth’s Way At 110 Km Per Second
There is a massive black hole with millions of times more mass than our sun is plunging towards Earth and will one day annihilate life as we know it. This particular black hole is coming towards us at 110 kilometers per second and is at the center of the Great Andromeda Galaxy – the Milky Way’s closest and much larger neighbor.
At the center of the most known galaxies, there exist a supermassive black hole which stars spin around and helps keep everything in formation. But such is the powerful gravitational pull of the Milky Way and Andromeda that they are being drawn toward each other and will one day crash.
“There’s a black hole at the centre of the Milky Way. And not just any black hole, it’s a supermassive black hole with more than 4.1 million times the mass of the Sun. It’s right over there, in the direction of the Sagittarius constellation. Located just 26,000 light-years away. And as we speak, it’s in the process of tearing apart entire stars and star systems, occasionally consuming them, adding to its mass like a voracious shark.”
Due to the size of Andromeda however, there is only going to be one winner when it smashes into the Milky Way.
But, as Andromeda is 2.5 million light years away, it will take over four billion years to reach us, so we are safe for now.
Mr Cain said: “Panic will happen when the Milky Way collides with Andromeda in about 4 billion years. “Suddenly, you’ll have two whole clouds of stars interacting in all kinds of ways, like an unstable blended family. “Stars that would have been safe will careen past other stars and be deflected down into the maw of either of the two supermassive black holes on hand. Andromeda’s black hole could be 100 million times the mass of the Sun, so it’s a bigger target for stars with a death wish.”
Over the past few decades, several insiders have boldly accepted the existence of UFOs and hinted at the phenomenon being around us all the time, and that our reductive senses are limiting our ability to perceive it. The discussion on Alien-UFO theory has already become a hot topic in the mainstream media. The governments of powerful nations have started considering investigating the issue with full throttle. In the midst of it, experts from various technical and entertainment fields began a worldwide surge with their controversial statements on extraterrestrials.
Robert Bigelow
According to American billionaire Robert Bigelow, famous in the aerospace industry for the manufacture of inflatable modules such as those tested out at the International Space Station, there are extraterrestrial beings living among humans. He has said that he is ‘absolutely convinced’ aliens are living among humans on Earth.
During a 2017 interview with CBS’ 60 Minutes, reporter Lara Logan asked Bigelow if he believes in aliens. He replied: “I’m absolutely convinced. That’s all there is to it.” He further said: “There has been and is an existing presence, an ET presence. And I spent millions and millions and millions — I probably spent more as an individual than anybody else in the United States has ever spent on this subject.
Lara Logan: Do you imagine that in our space travels we will encounter other forms of intelligent life?
Robert Bigelow: You don’t have to go anywhere.
Lara Logan: You can find it here? Where exactly?
Robert Bigelow: It’s just like right under people’s noses. Oh my gosh. Wow.
The FAA confirmed to us that for years, it referred reports of UFOs and other unexplained phenomena to a company Bigelow owns. He told us he’s had his own close encounters, but declined to go into detail.”
Dr. Gary Nolan, a Stanford microbiologist spent the last ten years working with a number of individuals analyzing materials from the alleged UFO Phenomenon. In his interview with Jesse Michels, Dr. Nolan explains how our brains were specifically constructed to entangle with the quantum fields of the universe. He said:
“I mean it’s so far different from us that it’s doing its best to talk to us in ways that it can do. They’re either from another planet in this galaxy or elsewhere. Underground or nearby, or whatever. They just show up to look at us because they’re basically, maybe looking at their past, or they’re interdimensional, or they’re from another level of reality that we don’t understand…
…When your mind expands to a certain point, in terms of what you might consider reality to be, other entities live there.”
Since 2016, Garry has been in possession of and analyzing materials given to him by some of the top “Ufologists” in the country like Jacque Vallee. He’s also consulted for the CIA in studying the brain structures of people who claim UFO encounters. (Click here to read the full article
Jacques Vallee
In the 60 years of UFO sightings, very little research has been conducted to discuss the nature of this phenomenon scientifically. When others called the UFO encounters a hoax, Dr. Jacques Vallée took a stand and provided a convincible explanation for them. In his research paper: “TOWARDS MULTI-DISCIPLINARY SETI RESEARCH,” co-authored with Garry Nolan, Vallée explains the phenomenon being in a comprehensive way.
“Because it is hard to imagine all possible life forms, and given the short time that life and consciousness have been scientifically studied (less than one century), it would be prudent not to rule out possibilities that may appear unfashionable. Life may thrive underground and in space, near and far from planets and stars, and under conditions we may now consider prohibitive (13). With the newly essential understandings of quantum physics and quantum information, are “biological brains” the only place consciousness could have evolved?
To this point, new models for the evolution of consciousness and matter are under study that suggest novel possibilities to interpret the nature of reality and which are at odds with a materialistic worldview. This includes the possibility of other forms of communication or contact with alien intelligences that are considered “science fiction” by mainstream science, yet have an extraordinary history of anecdotal evidence. We are speaking of everything from telepathy, empathy, remote viewing, and out of body experiences that may be pointing towards channels of communications beyond what electromagnetic waves can reveal.
Before dismissing such ideas, we need keep in mind that all sensory apparatus our consciousness employs to interpret our immediate universe relies upon electromagnetic waves which propagate as quantum fields. Our sensory apparatus operates in that quantum reality. We perceive quantum information and construct our internal “animal” view of reality—but are we perceiving all information fields enfolding us? Are we consciously aware of everything we are perceiving? Animals, and now humans, are recently understood to perceive magnetic fields. The proteins in our brain that form our neurons sit in a quantum mix where information is transferred in still unfathomable manners. Are those proteins and biologicals completely blind to all forms of information passing through them?”
Also, the list of insiders includes former veteran CIA officer Jim Semivan & ex-Pentagon UFO official, Luis Elizondo who shared similar views on the phenomenon. (Click here to read the full article.)
These examples add some relevance to the subject that there could be a whole new reality out there that the human brain is unable to see. The idea of intelligent life has never been dismissed by scientists and taking it one step further, physicist Stephen Hawking said that they could even destroy us. He spoke publicly about his fears that an advanced alien civilization would have no problem wiping out the human race the way a human might wipe out a colony of ants. Is it possible that there is another civilization living among us?
This is the first instance when stem cells have been used to make advanced-stage embryos
The researchers have developed a special type of incubator that made this possible
The technology could one day help provide cells, tissues, or even organs for transplantation.
In a major breakthrough, scientists in Israel have made mouse embryos without using sperm or egg cells but only stem cells taken from the skin, The Times of Israel has reported. These embryos have beating hearts as well as brain structures.
The discovery of stem cells and their ability to take the form of any cell type in the body has opened many doors in the field of medicine. From curing baldness to curing HIV, stem cells can be used everywhere.
However, sourcing stem cells has raised major ethical concerns. Found abundantly in the embryonic stages of cell growth, harvesting these cells requires the embryo to be destroyed before it is implanted in the female womb. So, researchers have been looking for an alternative way to source them and have even been successful in their search.
Making stem cells more "naive"
Studies have shown that stem cells are also present in small numbers in organs like the skin, which constantly undergoes renewal throughout our life. The process requires cells of different types, and that's where the multi-potency of stem cells comes in handy.
Jacob Hanna, a professor at the Molecular Genetics Department at the Weizmann Institute of Science in Israel, however, developed a method that would take back such stem cells to a previous step, where they are more "naive". In a previous study, Hanna and his team demonstrated that their technology could make human stem cells so "naive" that they could even be injected into mice, where they would function as if they were mice's own.
In separate work, Hanna's team also developed a special incubator that has all the necessary conditions for the growth of an embryo. In 2021, a group of researchers grew 250 mouse embryos into fetuses with fully formed organs inside this artificial womb. What Hanna and his team wanted to know was if the incubator could also grow embryos that were sourced from stem cells.
Embryos from stem cells
The researchers then used naive stem cells that had been cultured for years in a petri dish in the lab. Before placing them into the special incubator, these cells were divided into three groups. While one was left untreated to grow into embryonic stem cells, the other two were pretreated for a period of 48 hours to express genes that were master regulators of either the placenta or yolk sac.
The cells were once again mixed together in the incubator and allowed to grow. While most failed to develop properly, 0.5 percent, or 50 of 10,000 cells, went on to become spheres, which then took the elongated form of embryos.
The researchers had labeled each group of cells differently, so they could the growth of the placenta and yolk sac outside the embryo. At day 8.5, nearly half of the normal gestation of 20 days in mice, these embryos displayed early organs such as the beating heart, blood stem cell circulation, a brain with well-shaped folds, a neural tube,, and an intestinal tract, a university press release said.
This is the first instance of a research group using stem cells to make advanced embryos, Hanna told the Times of Israel. "Our next challenge is to understand how stem cells know what to do – how they self-assemble into organs and find their way to their assigned spots inside an embryo."
Apart from helping reduce the use of animals in stem cell research, the techniques developed in his lab could one day also help become a reliable source of cells, tissues, and organs for transplantation.
The findings of the study were published in the journal Cell.
Abstract
In vitro cultured stem cells with distinct developmental capacities can contribute to embryonic or extra-embryonic tissues after microinjection into pre-implantation mammalian embryos. However, whether cultured stem cells can independently give rise to entire gastrulating embryo-like structures with embryonic and extra-embryonic compartments, remains unknown. Here we adapt a recently established platform for prolonged ex utero growth of natural embryos, to generate mouse post-gastrulation synthetic whole embryo models (sEmbryos), with both embryonic and extra-embryonic compartments, starting solely from naïve ESCs. This was achieved by co-aggregating non-transduced ESCs, with naïve ESCs transiently expressing Cdx2- and Gata4- to promote their priming towards trophectoderm and primitive endoderm lineages, respectively. sEmbryos adequately accomplish gastrulation, advance through key developmental milestones, and develop organ progenitors within complex extra-embryonic compartments similar to E8.5 stage mouse embryos. Our findings highlight the plastic potential of naïve pluripotent cells to self-organize and functionally reconstitute and model the entire mammalian embryo beyond gastrulation.
Geen eicel of sperma meer nodig: wetenschappers maken voor het eerst “synthetische embryo's”
Onderzoekers hebben ‘s werelds eerste “synthetische embryo’s” gemaakt. Dit is een baanbrekende prestatie die de noodzaak van sperma, eicellen en bevruchting omzeilt. Wetenschappers van het Weizmann-instituut in Israël ontdekten dat stamcellen van muizen zichzelf konden samenstellen tot vroege embryo-achtige structuren met een darmkanaal, het begin van een brein en een kloppend hart.
De levende structuren, die synthetische embryo’s worden genoemd omdat ze zonder bevruchte eicellen tot stand komen, zullen naar verwachting op korte termijn leiden tot een beter begrip van de wijze waarop organen en weefsels zich tijdens de ontwikkeling van natuurlijke embryo’s vormen.
Maar de onderzoekers denken dat het werk ook het aantal dierproeven kan verminderen en uiteindelijk de weg kan banen voor nieuwe bronnen van cellen en weefsels voor transplantatie bij de mens. Zo zouden bijvoorbeeld huidcellen van een leukemiepatiënt kunnen worden omgevormd tot beenmergstamcellen om hun aandoening te behandelen.
Mechanische baarmoeder
“Opmerkelijk is dat we aantonen dat embryonale stamcellen hele synthetische embryo’s genereren, dat wil zeggen inclusief de placenta en de dooierzak die het embryo omringen,” zei prof. Jacob Hanna, die het werk leidde. “We zijn echt enthousiast over dit werk en de implicaties ervan.”
Vorig jaar beschreef hetzelfde team hoe ze een mechanische baarmoeder hadden gebouwd die natuurlijke muizenembryo’s in staat stelde om meerdere dagen buiten de baarmoeder te groeien. In het laatste werk werd hetzelfde apparaat gebruikt om stamcellen van muizen gedurende meer dan een week te koesteren, bijna de helft van de draagtijd van een muis.
Sommige cellen werden voorbehandeld met chemicaliën, waardoor genetische programma’s werden aangezet om zich te ontwikkelen tot placenta of dooierzak, terwijl andere zich zonder interventie ontwikkelden tot organen en andere weefsels.
Functionele organen
De meeste stamcellen slaagden er niet in embryonale structuren te vormen, maar ongeveer 0,5% groeide uit tot kleine bolletjes die afzonderlijke weefsels en organen aanmaakten. In vergelijking met natuurlijke muizenembryo’s waren de synthetische embryo’s voor 95% gelijk wat betreft hun inwendige structuur en de genetische profielen van de cellen. Voor zover de wetenschappers konden vaststellen, waren de gevormde organen functioneel.
Hanna zei dat synthetische embryo’s geen “echte” embryo’s waren en niet het potentieel hadden om zich tot levende dieren te ontwikkelen, of toch niet toen ze in de baarmoeder van vrouwelijke muizen werden getransplanteerd. Hij heeft een bedrijf opgericht, Renewal Bio genaamd, dat zich ten doel stelt menselijke synthetische embryo’s te kweken om weefsels en cellen te leveren voor medische aandoeningen.
Ethische goedkeuring
“In Israël en veel andere landen, zoals de VS en het VK, is het legaal en hebben we ethische goedkeuring om dit te doen met door mensen geïnduceerde pluripotente stamcellen. Dit biedt een ethisch en technisch alternatief voor het gebruik van embryo’s,” zei Hanna.
Doctor James Briscoe, hoofdgroepleider aan het Francis Crick Institute in Londen, die niet bij het onderzoek betrokken was, zei dat het belangrijk was te bespreken hoe het werk het best kon worden gereguleerd voordat menselijke synthetische embryo’s werden ontwikkeld. Synthetische menselijke embryo’s zijn geen onmiddellijk vooruitzicht. We weten minder over menselijke embryo’s dan over muizenembryo’s en de inefficiëntie van de synthetische muizenembryo’s suggereert dat het vertalen van de bevindingen naar de mens verdere ontwikkeling vereist,” zei Briscoe.
Grijs gebied
Maar, voegde hij eraan toe: “Nu is het een goed moment om na te denken over het beste wettelijke en ethische kader om het onderzoek en het gebruik van menselijke synthetische embryo’s te reguleren en om de huidige regelgeving bij te werken.”
Tegen StatNews zei professor Paul Tesar, een geneticus aan de Case Western Reserve University, dat hoe meer wetenschappers deze techniek verder ontwikkelen, hoe meer de synthetische en natuurlijke embryo’s beginnen samen te smelten. “Er zal altijd een grijs gebied zijn,” zei hij. “Maar als wetenschappers en als samenleving moeten we samen beslissen waar de grens ligt en definiëren wat ethisch aanvaardbaar is.”
The Chinese military conducted live-fire exercises Saturday off its coast opposite Taiwan amid reports that US Speaker Nancy Pelosi is in the air on her way to the region.
The powder keg situation comes as China indicated it may shoot Pelosi's plane down if she attempts to land on the disputed island democracy, which Beijing claims as part of its territory.
Pelosi is thought to have set off late on Friday for her upcoming Asian tour, which may or may not include a visit to Taiwan, something that Beijing warned the US would 'bear all consequences' for.
If it goes ahead, it could precipitate the largest crisis in the Straits of Taiwan for almost 40 years.
Beijing has reacted furiously to the prospective visit of the third ranking official in the US government to Taiwan. Chinese leader Xi Jinping warned President Joe Biden on Thursday that 'those who play with fire will perish by it.'
'It is hoped that the US will be clear-eyed about this.'
The People's Liberation Army was conducting 'live-fire exercises' near the Pingtan islands off Fujian province, the official Xinhua News Agency announced. The Maritime Safety Administration warned ships to avoid the area.
US Speaker Nancy Pelosi is reported to be in the air on her way to the Asia-Pacifc region for the start of Japan, Singapore, Indonesia and Malaysia in August amid threats by China to shoot her down if she visits the island of Taiwan
Two vessels identified as a Chinese Type 052D destroyer and a Type 054A frigate were seen 27km and 23km away from the Taiwan Strait. Both are armed with surface-to-air missiles (file photos)
Xi warned Biden on the call, according to Chinese state media: 'Those who play with fire will only get burnt. Hope the US side can see this clearly'
President Joe Biden posted an image to his Twitter from a two-hour call Thursday morning with Chinese President Xi Jinping – the fifth between the two since Biden took office
Such exercises usually involve artillery. The one-sentence announcement gave no indication whether Saturday's exercise also might include missiles, fighter planes or other weapons.
Two other vessels - identified by Vietnam-based maritime observer Duan Dang as a Chinese Type 052D destroyer and a Type 054A frigate - were seen 27km and 23km away from the Taiwan Strait. Both are armed with surface-to-air missiles.
Meanwhile the Chinese navy was conducting military exercises off its southern coast near Guangdong, following exercises in nearby Hainan province.
It is all seen as a show of force to dissuade Pelosi from visiting the island. As the leader of the co-equal legislative branch of the US government, Joe Biden has no authority to order her to abandon the visit.
Biden said last week the Pentagon thought a Taiwan trip was 'not a good idea.'
'Well, I think that the military thinks it's not a good idea right now,' Biden said in response to a question about Pelosi's reported trip. 'But I don't know what the status of it is.'
China has been ratcheting up the rhetoric as the crisis reaches boiling point, with the Chinese state-affiliated Global Times crowing, 'don't say we didn't warn you!'
It is a phrase that China apparently used before fighting both India in 1962 and Vietnam in 1979.
And a commentator with Beijing mouthpiece the Global Times, Hu Xijn, called US fighter jets escorting Pelosi's plane into Taiwan an 'invasion'.
'The PLA has the right to forcibly dispel Pelosi's plane and the US fighter jets, including firing warning shots and making tactical movement of obstruction. If ineffective, then shoot them down,' he wrote on Twitter.
The visit, which a member of the House foreign affairs committee seemed to have confirmed will go ahead, will be the first visit by such a high-ranking American elected official in 25 years.
Pictured: Taiwanese navy launches a US-made Standard missile from a frigate during the annual Han Kuang Drill, on the sea near the Suao navy harbor in Yilan county on July 2
China says Taiwan has no right to conduct foreign relations. It sees visits by American officials as encouragement for the island to make its decades-old de facto independence official.
The PLA has flown growing numbers of fighter planes and bombers near Taiwan and has in the past fired missiles into shipping lanes to the island.
In a Thursday phone call between the leaders of the two superpowers, the Chinese premier said he firmly opposes Taiwan independence and the interference of external forces.
Biden expressed the US stance on the issue has not changed, according to a read out of the meeting.
'On Taiwan, President Biden underscored that the United States policy has not changed and that the United States strongly opposes unilateral efforts to change the status quo or undermine peace and stability across the Taiwan Strait,' the readout states.
'If she goes, there will definitely be a Taiwan Strait crisis, and it will definitely exceed the last one in 1995-1996,' Wu Xinbo, director of the Center for American Studies at Fudan University in Shanghai, told the Financial Times.
'That is because China's military capabilities by far exceed those of 26 years ago.'
Even so, most analysts believe China would be keen to avoid open military conflict with the US, which has military bases dotted around the region and the USS Ronald Reagan carrier group in the South China Sea.
In spite of this reticence, the PLA has flown growing numbers of fighter planes and bombers near Taiwan and has in the past fired missiles into shipping lanes to the island.
Taiwan and China split in 1949 after a civil war that ended with a communist victory on the mainland.
The two governments say they are one country but disagree over which is entitled to national leadership. They have no official relations but are linked by billions of dollars in trade and investment.
The next 12-24 hours China will start military drills around Taiwan with live rounds, World News.
The next 12-24 hours China will start military drills around Taiwan with live rounds, World News.
Me being a USAF vet I can't help be a little irritated that China is going to do this. Because Nancy Pelosi visited for about 24 hours, China announced punishment military drills with live rounds will take place. Well, she left a few hours ago and I expect I may be woken by Chinese or Taiwan military jets overhead again. Over the years, Chinese bombers armed with nukes have flown over us, daily Chinese fighter jets have come into Taiwan airspace, sometimes over cities, but Taiwan gov denies that. Also every time a Chinese jet shoots down a Taiwan jet, Taiwan gov announces it was pilot error, even though a pilot came out and said he was shot down by a fighter jet on Taiwan TV news...the gov retracted his statement. Taiwan tries to keep low key, but the time has come. Tomorrow is going to be bad.
I will post updates to whats taking place. If I see dog fighting in the skies I will post video and keep you up to date.
Everyone is a bit stressed out. Worried, that this may be the big one...where China takes over Taiwan. I hope Pelosi meant what she said about the US supporting us, otherwise, we are lost tomorrow. Taiwan cannot stand alone, and everyone here knows that too.
Mysterious metallic orb containing a secret code inside falls on Veracruz, Mexico
Mysterious metallic orb containing a secret code inside falls on Veracruz, Mexico
Luna, a prominent meteorologist, says that an unknown metallic orb with a secret code and maybe containing “valuable information inside” fell from the sky onto a tree in Veracruz, Mexico just before midnight Sunday night (July 31, 2022.- 23:50 pm.).
People who saw it falling from the sky said that the orb emitted a sound but there was no fire. (A CCTV footage shows the orb moving through the sky before falling down - See video below.)
Luna, who posted several pages on this event on his Facebook account, suggests that it appears to be made of a very hard plastic or an alloy of various metals and apparently it has an antenna.
Small holes are observed which are a kind of undecipherable codes, but no hole or slit through which it could be opened. This orb has a timing mechanism that, at a certain time, it will open on its own, showing the valuable information inside, Luna said.
It is reported that early morning (03.15 am.) this Monday August 1, 2022 (which is just 3 and a half hours after the impact) a highly trained team of the secretary of the Navy of Mexico and/or the secretary of National Defense arrived on the spot with specialized equipment, encapsulating the orb with all precaution measures and protocols and transported the orb to an unknown destination beyond the borders of Mexico.
Some people suggest that the orb is part of the Chinese rocket that fell to earth on July 30, 2022 but that seems impossible as the re-entry of the rocket was one day before the Mexico event as well as most of the rocket debris has fallen into the ocean close to Malaysia, even rocket debris have been found in Kalimantan, Indonesia and in Sarawak, Malaysia.
It is clear that something has fallen from the sky in Mexico that the authorities want to keep secret.
The public will never hear about this mysterious orb again.
Large UFO Seen Leaving What Appears to be The Moon's Atmosphere?
Large UFO caught leaving the moon, It appears to be punching through what little atmosphere the moon has as it leaves check it out and give me your opinion.
(Did You Know) The Moon does have an atmosphere The three primary gases in the lunar atmosphere are neon, helium, and hydrogen, in roughly equal amounts. Small amounts of methane, carbon dioxide, ammonia, and water were also detected.
What were those mysterious lights seen across San Diego?
What were those mysterious lights seen across San Diego?
What were those mysterious lights seen across San Diego?
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San Diego flashing lights mystery finally has an explanation
The puzzling phenomenon was reportedly seen in San Diego and Tijuana
The mysterious lights floating over San Diego finally have an explanation.
On Monday evening, strange patterns of moving lights were seen floating above the city. Images and videos of the phenomenon quickly garnered attention on social media.
Strange lights in the San Diego sky prompted questions from social media users on Monday.
( Sam Zarate / Local News X / TMX)
The levitating lights, described as orange in hue and in a definitive pattern, baffled observers who were left unconvinced that they were of natural origins — some others even suspected unidentified flying objects (UFOs) or alien origins, but the U.S. Coast Guard said they were actually from flares fired from a ship off the coast, KABC reported.
The puzzling pixels were reportedly from naval crews conducting flare training with expired flares, the Coast Guard said, per KGTV.
The lights were also reportedly seen in nearby Tijuana.
A witness told KGTV that she saw planes in the sky and boats in the water. She said the strange lights were brighter than the lights on the planes and those on the boat.
The witness, Natasha Reichart, also said the lights were definitively moving.
"These were coming back and going, moving different directions, and all of a sudden coming as a cluster together," Reichart told the outlet. "It was definitely not of this world."
Many people similarly online claimed to see the lights move or change formation
"Multiple floating lights over the ocean. Very still, very bright. Orange, reddish light. Patterns of 2, 3, 4, 5, and 6," the user wrote.
Despite an official explanation, some people are still speculating the lights were not flares.
The universe keeps dying and being reborn, claims Nobel Prize winner
The universe keeps dying and being reborn, claims Nobel Prize winner
Sir Roger Penrose claims our universe has been through multiple Big Bangs, with more coming. Sir Roger Penrose, a mathematician and physicist from the University of Oxford who has just shared this year's Nobel Prize in physics, claims our universe has gone through multiple Big Bangs, with another one coming in our future.
Updated version of the previous article.
Penrose received the Nobel for his working out mathematical methods that proved and expanded Albert Einstein's general theory of relativity, and for his discoveries on black holes, which showed how objects that become too dense undergo gravitational collapse into singularities – points of infinite mass.
As he accepted the Prize, Penrose reiterated his belief in what he called "a crazy theory of mine" that the universe will expand until all matter will ultimately decay. And then a new Big Bang will bring a new universe into existence.
"The Big Bang was not the beginning," Penrose said in an interview with The Telegraph. "There was something before the Big Bang and that something is what we will have in our future. "What proof does the physicist have for this theory he dubbed "conformal cyclic cosmology" (CCC) that goes against the current Big Bang dogma?
He said he discovered six "warm" sky points (called "Hawking Points") which are all about eight times larger than the diameter of the Moon. The late Professor Stephen Hawking, whose name they bear, proposed that black holes "leak" radiation and would eventually evaporate. As this might take longer than the age of the universe we are currently inhabiting (13.77 billion years old), spotting such holes is very unlikely.
Penrose (89), who collaborated with Hawking, thinks that we are, in fact, able to observe "dead" black holes left by previous universes or "aeons". If proven correct, this would also validate Hawking's theories.
The physicist's 2020 paper, published in the Monthly Notices of the Royal Astronomical Society, offers evidence of "anomalous circular spots" in the cosmic microwave background (CMB) that have raised temperatures. The data revealing the spots came from Planck 70 GHz satellite and was confirmed by up to 10,000 simulations. Penrose's 2018 paper pinpointed radiation hot spots in the CMB as possibly being produced by evaporating black holes.
A 2010 paper by Penrose and Vahe Gurzadyan from the Yerevan Physics Institute in Armenia found support for cyclic cosmology in the uniform temperature rings within the CMB. The scientists proposed then that the rings were caused by signatures of gravitational waves from colliding black holes in a universe that preceded ours.
These ideas are controversial within the cosmologist community, with some pointing to the difficulty of conforming an infinitely big universe in one aeon to a super-small one in the next. This would necessitate making all particles lose mass as the universe gets old.
Check out Penrose's most recent paper, titled "Apparent evidence for Hawking points in the CMB Sky" here.
With global temperatures continuing to rise, a new study has warned that we are inching dangerously close to a 'climate endgame'.
Researchers from theUniversity of Cambridge claim that global heating could trigger nuclear war, financial crisis or an extinction-level pandemic as soon as 2070.
Based on their findings, the researchers are calling for authorities to start preparing for such events.
'There are plenty of reasons to believe climate change could become catastrophic, even at modest levels of warming,' said Dr Luke Kemp, lead author of the study.
Researchers from the University of Cambridge claim that global heating could trigger nuclear war, financial crisis or an extinction-level pandemic as soon as 2070
The 'four horsemen' of the climate endgame
The researchers propose that research is needed in four key areas, which they call the 'four horsemen' of the climate endgame.
These are famine and malnutrition, extreme weather, conflict, and vector-borne diseases.
Global food supply is at threat amid rising temperatures, with increasing risk of 'breadbasket failures' as the world's most agriculturally productive areas suffer 'collective meltdowns', according to the researchers.
More extreme weather could also create conditions for new disease outbreaks, as habitats for both people and wildlife shift and shrink.
Meanwhile, the risk of 'interacting' threats such as democratic breakdowns and new forms of destructive AI weaponry is also likely to increase alongside rising temperature.
For example, the researchers say that 'warm wars' could become common, in which technologically enhanced superpowers fight over both dwindling carbon space and giant experiments to deflect sunlight and reduce global temperatures.
'Climate change has played a role in every mass extinction event. It has helped fell empires and shaped history. Even the modern world seems adapted to a particular climate niche.
'Paths to disaster are not limited to the direct impacts of high temperatures, such as extreme weather events.
'Knock-on effects such as financial crises, conflict, and new disease outbreaks could trigger other calamities, and impede recovery from potential disasters such as nuclear war.'
In the study, the team used modelling to estimate the consequences of 3°C (5.4°F) warming and beyond.
Their estimations indicate that areas of extreme heat where annual average temperatures are over 29°C (84°F) will cover two billion people by 2070.
Worryingly, these areas are some of the most politically fragile, as well as the most densely populated, according to the team.
'Average annual temperatures of 29 degrees currently affect around 30 million people in the Sahara and Gulf Coast,' said co-author Chi Xu of Nanjing University.
'By 2070, these temperatures and the social and political consequences will directly affect two nuclear powers, and seven maximum containment laboratories housing the most dangerous pathogens.
'There is serious potential for disastrous knock-on effects.'
The researchers propose that research is needed in four key areas, which they call the 'four horsemen' of the climate endgame.
These are famine and malnutrition, extreme weather, conflict, and vector-borne diseases.
This map shows the overlap between state fragility, extreme heat, and nuclear and biological catastrophic hazards
Earth Overshoot Day is earlier than EVER
Humans have already used a year's worth of natural resources in 2022 – a calendar event known as Earth Overshoot Day.
The annual date marks the point at which humanity has used all the biological resources that the Earth can regenerate during that year.
But in 2022 it's earlier than ever before, largely due to a demand for food, land, timber and new urban infrastructure to cater to a growing population.
Demand for these resources outstrips the Earth's biocapacity – its ability to renew those resources – meaning we now effectively have gone into overdraft.
It also means we've outstripped the planet's annual capacity to absorb waste products such as carbon dioxide.
Co-author Professor Kristie Ebi from the University of Washington said: 'We need an interdisciplinary endeavour to understand how climate change could trigger human mass morbidity and mortality.'
Global food supply is at threat amid rising temperatures, with increasing risk of 'breadbasket failures' as the world's most agriculturally productive areas suffer 'collective meltdowns', according to the researchers.
More extreme weather could also create conditions for new disease outbreaks, as habitats for both people and wildlife shift and shrink.
Meanwhile, the risk of 'interacting' threats such as democratic breakdowns and new forms of destructive AI weaponry is also likely to increase alongside rising temperature.
For example, the researchers say that 'warm wars' could become common, in which technologically enhanced superpowers fight over both dwindling carbon space and giant experiments to deflect sunlight and reduce global temperatures.
'The more we learn about how our planet functions, the greater the reason for concern,' said co-author Prof Johan Rockström, Director of the Potsdam Institute for Climate Impact Research.
'We increasingly understand that our planet is a more sophisticated and fragile organism.
'We must do the math of disaster in order to avoid it.'
Professor Kemp concluded: 'We know that temperature rise has a "fat tail", which means a wide range of lower probability but potentially extreme outcomes.
'Facing a future of accelerating climate change while remaining blind to worst-case scenarios is naive risk-management at best and fatally foolish at worst.'
Climate endgame: risk of human extinction ‘dangerously underexplored’
Climate endgame: risk of human extinction ‘dangerously underexplored’
Scientists say there are ample reasons to suspect global heating could lead to catastrophe
Firefighters tackle a wildfire in Oroville, California. Paths to disaster are not limited to the direct impacts of high temperatures, research suggests.Photograph: Josh Edelson/AFP/Getty
Wetenschappers waarschuwen voor ‘climate endgame’: “Er zijn voldoende redenen om te geloven dat klimaatverandering kan leiden tot een catastrofe"
Het mogelijke verval van de maatschappij of de kans op uitsterven door de klimaatverandering wordt onvoldoende onderzocht. Dat schrijven klimaatwetenschappers in een analyse in een wetenschappelijk vaktijdschrift. Er zijn volgens hen voldoende redenen om te geloven dat de klimaatverandering tot een apocalyptische ramp of ‘climate endgame’ zou kunnen leiden, een scenario waar we momenteel niet op voorbereid zijn.
Bron:The guardian
“We zijn nog blind voor de worstcasescenario’s”, zo starten de experts hun pleidooi. “In het slechtste geval gedragen we ons dodelijk dwaas.” Volgens de wetenschappers bereiden we ons maar beter voor op een ‘climate endgame’ of het ‘eindspel van het klimaat’, zelfs al is de kans klein dat dit eindspel zich de komende decennia zal afspelen.
Volgens het internationale team wetenschappers moet er omtrent vier belangrijke pijlers het nodige onderzoek gebeuren: hongersnood, oorlog, extreem weer en ziektes door klimaatverandering. Ze roepen de Intergouvernementele Werkgroep inzake Klimaatverandering (IPCC) van de Verenigde Naties zelfs op om hier een uitgebreid rapport aan te wijden.
Klimaatopwarming met 3 graden
De analyse werd gepubliceerd door het vooraanstaande vaktijdschrift ‘Proceedings of the National Academy of Sciences’. In totaal werkten tien wetenschappers mee aan het strenge verslag. Het stelt onder meer dat er onvoldoende onderzoek is gebeurd naar de gevolgen van een klimaatopwarming met 3 graden (in plaats van de vooropgestelde anderhalve graad). Als we hetzelfde tempo aan opwarming aanhouden, zou het klimaat tegen 2100 immers met 2,1 tot zelfs 3,9 graden zijn opgewarmd, vergeleken met het pre-industriële tijdperk. “We weten het minst over de scenario’s die er het meest toe doen”, zo redeneren ze.
Zo zou er nagegaan moeten worden hoe verschillende risico’s zich verspreiden en elkaar versterken. Stel bijvoorbeeld dat elektrische infrastructuur wordt vernield in een stad door een storm. Dan is deze stad ook gevoeliger voor een daaropvolgende hittegolf. Hitte en aanhoudende droogte werken bosbranden dan weer in de hand.
Oorlogen, epidemieën en armoede
Daarnaast waarschuwen de wetenschappers voor de indirecte gevolgen van de klimaatverandering. Zo kan er door aanhoudende droogte een gigantisch watertekort ontstaan, dat op zijn beurt kan leiden tot grote conflicten. Ook ziektes, epidemieën en zelfs pandemieën kunnen het resultaat zijn van de klimaatverandering. Misoogsten en watertekorten kunnen armoede dan weer in de hand helpen.
Bekijk ook:
IN KAART. Waar zijn de bosbranden in Europa?
The EU's Copernicus emergency management service tweeted a map showing the biggest fire risks across Southern Europe and Morocco.
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Former Navy Fighter Pilot Ryan Graves Speaks on Fighter Jets, UFOs and Aliens - Lex Fridman Video Podcast 308
Former Navy Fighter Pilot Ryan Graves Speaks on Fighter Jets, UFOs and Aliens - Lex Fridman Video Podcast 308
Lt. Ryan Graves is a former Navy fighter pilot, who has worked on advanced research and development programs for DARPA, Office of Naval Research and Air Force Research Labs.
For this 1 August 2022 video, Lt. Graves talks on topics of multi-agent collaborative autonomy, AI-assisted air-to-air combat and manned-unmanned teaming technologies. He and other people in his squadron have detected and engaged with UFOs on multiple occasions, and Lt. Graves remains one of the few fighter pilots willing to speak publicly about these experiences.
Caught U.S. Speaker Nancy Pelosi Plane Landing, Taipei, Taiwan, Video, Aug 2, 2022 World News.
Caught U.S. Speaker Nancy Pelosi Plane Landing, Taipei, Taiwan, Video, Aug 2, 2022 World News.
Hey all, I was on the running track tonight at about 10:40 pm and recorded U.S. Air Force plane that may include House of Representatives Speaker Nancy Pelosi. After seeing it, I checked and saw live news of it landing at that moment! This is her plane. Awesome news she came in safe and sound. Good for Taiwan and America.
Also the fact that Nancy could use this in 2024 to help her get elected as president...seems possible. Or to help enforce a US president in 2024.
China wont take it sitting down. They will punish Taiwan in one form or another. Already the top 100 exporters in Taiwan were banned from sending to China. But I think Lanyu Island being closest to China will be taken over...even now as I type this, two huge China warships sit alongside it...threating its freedom.
Does new Webb photo of Jupiter show a Mothership over a thousand miles long?
Does new Webb photo of Jupiter show a Mothership over a thousand miles long?
On July 27, 2022, the James Webb Space Telescope released an image of Jupiter’s Great Red Spot using one of its infrared cameras.
The image above contains a cylindrical-shaped object floating high above Jupiter’s atmosphere that appears to be more than a thousand miles long. The image corroborates claims of giant spacecraft recently arriving in our solar system and parking in the vicinity of Jupiter.
These giant motherships are not only arriving and parking near Jupiter, they are also seen near other planets like Saturn and even the Sun as well as other places in space.
Below images show some of these huge motherships captured near the Sun and in Space which are comparable in size to the UFO floating high above Jupiter’s atmosphere.
There is clear evidence of the existence of interstellar alien spacecraft, but the US government and NASA are still silence about these giant motherships traveling through our solar system.
As the United States military releases new unseen footage of Unidentified Aerial Phenomena, or UAPs, otherwise known as UFOs, the general public has questions. USC lecturer Madhu Thangavelu breaks down the videos and helps us make sense of what we are seeing.
In June, China announced the detection of high-pressure minerals in regolith samples recovered by its Chang’e-5 lunar exploration mission, evidence that points to impact ejecta near craters where the probe collected its samples.
As China’s first sample-return mission and its fifth lunar exploration effort, the minerals detected by the Chang’e-5 mission are helping scientists determine the origins of impact features on the Moon. According to the state-run Global Times, researchers with the Institute of Geochemistry Chinese Academy of Sciences detected fragments of two minerals—stishovite and seifertite—in samples collected.
“This marks the first time for seifertite to be found in the samples from outside the Earth,” the Times reported, adding that silicon dioxide and silica glass were also found in the samples. Based on heat and pressure application that simulated conditions of an impact, the scientists were able to narrow down the likely source of the silicon dioxide debris to one of Chang’e-5’s most interesting sampling areas: the Aristarchus crater.
One of the brightest features visible on the lunar surface, the Aristarchus crater exists on the northwesternmost portion of the Moon’s Earth-facing side. Comprising an impact feature that is deeper than the Grand Canyon, this region has long been a target of astronomers for its high albedo—that is, the amount of light it reflects—which is close to double the brightness of other features visible on the Moon.
However, the Aristarchus crater is known for more than just its unusually high albedo. Since the early 19th century, astronomers have reported observations of peculiar flashes of light that periodically emanate from near the center of the large impact feature, the source of which has long remained a mystery.
Wide Angle Camera (WAC) images captured by the Lunar Reconnaissance Orbiter of the Aristarchus crater, showing distinct color differences in the ejecta from the impact event which created it. Note the particularly bright area along the central peak, indicated by the arrow in the image above
(Credit: NASA/GSFC/ Arizona State University).
THE ARISTARCHUS ANOMALY: A BRIEF HISTORY OF AN ASTRONOMICAL PUZZLE
In 1836, Captain W. Smyth published a letter in Monthly Notices of the Royal Astronomical Society where he told of seeing “a light, resembling that of a star of the 9th or 10th magnitude,” which he said, “appeared by glimpses, but at times was brilliant, and visible for several seconds together.” In his letter, Smyth remarked that “there can be no doubt of its being the identical spot mentioned by Cassini, Sir W. Herschel, and Captain Kater; and also that described by Dr. Maskelyne,” noting similar earlier observations dating back more than a century earlier.
Sightings of anomalous luminosity around or from within the Aristarchus crater have occurred in more recent times, also. In an account detailed by Ron Emanuel in the November 1965 edition of Understanding, the author noted observations of a single bright point of light, likened in appearance to a star, that seemed to originate from the center of the crater.
So what is the source of the unusual, “star-like” luminosity that so many astronomers have spotted while peering through telescopes at the Aristarchus crater?
When an impact occurs on the Moon, the peaks of craters are formed as the lunar crust rebounds following the immense pressures that such events produce. “The energies of impacts are so high that rocks no longer behave as brittle solids,” according to data included with a 2010 NASA Image Feature on the website of the Lunar Reconnaissance Orbiter, “but rather as deformable plastic.” This almost fluid-like behavior of the Moon’s crust causes the bottom of the crater to rebound, driving up material from deep below the surface and forming the central peak present within many lunar craters.
According to NASA, “In the case of Aristarchus crater, the central peak contains rocks with three very different albedos. As these materials erode out of the central peak they slide downslope, creating contrasting stripes.”
“The highest albedo material reflects about four times as much light as the lowest albedo rocks,” the NASA FAQ page says, describing conditions that very likely can account for the appearance of a much brighter region within the Aristarchus crater that, under the right conditions, might even appear to be star-like in its bright appearance.
And as it turns out, some of the mineralogical data collected by the Chinese Chang’e-5 mission may be able to offer additional insights into the phenomenon behind the centuries-old Aristarchus anomaly.
NEW PERSPECTIVES ON A CENTURIES-OLD MYSTERY
According to the NASA data, “The high albedo material is most likely a common lunar rock type, anorthosite,” a material that is already known to form most of the lighter areas of the lunar crust, while darker areas are formed from basaltic material.
“On the other hand,” the article suggests, “perhaps we are seeing a more silicic rock akin to granite? Such silica-rich rocks are known to form on the Moon, we just do not know much about their origin and locations.”
Intriguingly, in the recent samples collected by China’s Chang’e-5 probe, “it was determined that the silicon dioxide debris may have come from the Aristarchus impact crater in the Chang ‘e-5 sampling area,” the Global Timesreported. Based on the likelihood that the silicon dioxide debris recovered by the Chinese probe has its origins from within the Aristarchus crater, it would appear to lend weight to NASA’s previous speculations about the presence of silicic rock accounting for some of the high albedo observed in the center of the crater.
Another clue regarding the conditions that may give rise to the peculiar light effects of the Aristarchus crater involves the central uplift area within the crater, where much of the higher albedo material is exposed. When sunlight strikes these lighter areas—which, as has been suggested, may be rich in both bright silica-rich rocks and minerals, as well as darker (but potentially reflective) pyroclastic glasses—the effect under proper conditions might indeed produce what resembles a bright flash of light from the center of the crater.
The central peak located within the center of the Aristarchus crater
(Credit: NASA/GSFC/ Arizona State University).
Although humans have yet to visit Aristarchus during manned Moon missions, the prominent crater was considered as a possible landing site during the Apollo era, and the same would no doubt hold true for future missions to Earth’s natural satellite. Fortunately, learning about the unique geology of the crater may not require astronauts to have to actually climb the massive central peak of the crater to learn more about this unique region of the lunar surface.
“Future astronauts exploring Aristarchus crater could easily sample materials from the highest point of the central peak without actually having to climb to the summit,” reads a NASA FAQ page. Rather, astronauts on such missions “will simply browse the samples delivered to the base!”
RED MOON RISING: OTHER ARISTARCHUS ANOMALIES
Interestingly, the Aristarchus crater is host to more than one unusual luminous phenomenon that astronomers have observed over the years. There are also several recorded observations of an odd, reddish haze or glow that astronomers have witnessed around the crater. One such instance occurred on October 13th, 1959, as astronomer E.H. Rowe was observing the moon at approximately 7 PM from near Devon, UK.
“While observing the Moon with a 36-inch telescope my attention was directed to the crater Aristarchus,” Rowe said, describing a flash of light he said was “brilliantly white in color.” However, following his sighting of the bright flash, Rowe observed something even more spectacular.
“I was surprised to see a delicate yet bright reddish-amber glow in or near Aristarchus clearly outlined against the white background,” Rowe later wrote of his observation. “It was visible for only a few seconds. After it disappeared no trace remained to show it had been there.”
Rowe was not the last observer who would describe seeing red or amber-colored lights appear near the Aristarchus crater. Just four years later, clusters of red lights were observed by astronomers at the Lowell Observatory between October 29 and November 27 over the nearby Herodotus crater, followed by a series of reddish spots observed “clustered in an oval formation along the south rim of the crater Aristarchus” on the evening of November 27.
The following month, a similar observation was made by astronomer T. Sato at the Rakurakuen Planetarium in Hiroshima, Japan. Sato’s observation followed a similar observation by seven astronomers who similarly described seeing a pinkish haze over the southern edge of Aristarchus, which they said began to drift in the direction of the Herodotus crater. Then, less than a year later, Saul Genatt, at the time the station manager of the on-site optical research facility at Goddard Space Flight Center, along with an electronic technician named Edwin Reid, observed similar bands of colored light that appeared over Aristarchus.
Aristarchus crater (left) and the nearby Herodotus crater (right), located near the southernmost edge of the Cobra head, a feature produced by an ancient volcanic vent
(Credit: NASA/GSFC/ Arizona State University).
“Mr.Genatt said that through a 16-inch telescope they saw two distinct reddish bands over the southern part of the crater and a bluish band over the northern part,” read an account of their observations in the November 1965 edition ofUnderstanding. “The bands were roughly parallel and the reddish bands were of equal thickness – about four or five miles. The longest reddish band was about 35 miles in length.”
The colors were very prominent at first,” Genatt was quoted saying. “The reddish bands were really red and the other was quite blue. As time passed the intensity of the colors weakened.”
The cause behind these peculiar, colorful observations likely also has their source in the unique mineral content of the Aristarchus crater. “The area has long been known to be among the reddest spots on the Moon,” reads a FAQ page with data about the Lunar Reconnaissance Orbiter Camera (LROC), “meaning its reflectance strongly increases from short to long wavelengths.” Wide Angle Camera (WAC) images obtained by the LROC have offered excellent color images in recent years featuring this red-hued region of the crater, which, like the crater’s highly reflective central peak, “is largely blanketed by the glass-rich products of explosive volcanic eruptions.” (Editor’s Note:For another possible explanation of these and other transient lunar phenomena, or TLPs, see this FAQ page made available at the website of Columbia University which proposes lunar outgassing as another possible mechanism for such events).
While the Moon certainly keeps a few mysteries that will serve as fodder for future explorations—both of the manned variety, and those carried out remotely—it seems that our expanding knowledge of lunar geology is helping us close in on the peculiar Aristarchus anomalies, which have captured the imaginations of curious astronomers now for centuries.
Micah Hanks is Editor-in-Chief and Co-Founder of The Debrief. Follow his work at micahhanks.com and on Twitter: @MicahHanks.
Footprints of 88 adults and children dating back 12,000 years to the ICE AGE are discovered in salt flats of Utah desert
Footprints of 88 adults and children dating back 12,000 years to the ICE AGE are discovered in salt flats of Utah desert
Ghost tracks are given to ancient footprints that only appear when there is enough water in the ground, but then disappear when the area becomes dry again
These footprints were discovered in the Utah desert on an Air Force base and were made 12,000 years ago
Researchers found a total of 88 human footprints that belonged to both adults and children ages five to 12
The team found two open-air fire pits and evidence of the earliest human tobacco use just a half-mile away
Approximately 88 human 'ghost tracks' have been discovered in salt flats of Utah's Great Salt Lake desert that are believed to be more than 12,000 years ago and only appear when there is just the right amount of moisture – and then disappear when there it is not.
A team of researchers led by Cornell University determined the prints belonged to adults and children who were walking through shallow water during the Ice Age, when the now dry landscape was cloaked in wetlands. The sand in the water quickly filled in their footprints, but mud underneath kept the prints intact.
Because the sand holds more moisture than the surrounding sediment, the right amount of water will make the footprints stand out among the tan colored ground - but then disappear again when the ground dries up.
However, the group found much more than they bargained for – a half-mile away was the oldest evidence of human tobacco use.
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Pictured are a set of the ghost tracks. The prints can be seen moving away from the closest and are visible in a darker shade than the ground
Ghost tracks in the sand: The 12,000-year-old human footprints were discovered on a US Air Force base in Utah. Experts say they were made by both adults and children
About 33 percent of Utah is desert and is the second driest state in the US after Nevada, but thousands of years ago the area was damp and even after the end of the last Ice Age when glaciers retreated the area was still wetter than it is today.
A shift in climate turned the wetlands into a wasteland, along with Utah's landlocked location that cut off moisture-laden ocean winds.
The change in landscape, however, is what kept the 12,000-year-old ghost tracks preserved.
Cornell's Thomas Urban was called to the US Air Force's Utah Testing and Training Range when someone spotted bizarre formations appearing on the ground.
The ancient humans were walking through shallow waters at the time. Their prints were filled in by sand, but mud at the bottom kept the formation. Because the sand holds more moisture than the surrounding sediment, when there is enough water in the ground the prints become darker on the surface
Experts investigated the subsurface of the ground and when dug out the prints when they could confirm their location. Pictured on the right is Daron Duke with the Far Western Anthropological Research Group. He confirmed the prints were made by adults and children
Urban instantly knew he was looking at ancient prints because he had previously investigated the earliest known human footprints in the Americas that were unearthed at White Sands National Park in New Mexico.
The researchers deployed a ground-penetrating radar survey, which provides a non-invasive way of investigating the subsurface, on two visible sets of tracks.
Daron Duke, of Far Western Anthropological Research Group, who worked alongside Urban, carefully excavated a subset of the prints.
The team used a method to investigate the subsurface without disturbing this, allowing them to locate the prints. Pictured is a model the technology created
Afterwards, Duke confirmed the individuals were barefoot and included young children from the age of five through 12.
Urban was working at the request of Duke, who had previously found two open-air hearths, the floor of a fireplace, on the military base that also dated to the end of the Ice Age - and one is where he discovered evidence of human tobacco use.
'We have long wondered whether other sites like White Sands were out there, and whether ground-penetrating radar would be effective for imaging footprints at locations other than White Sands, since it was a very novel application of the technology,' Urban said in a statement. 'The answer to both questions is 'yes.''
While the Utah site is not as old and may not be as extensive as White Sands, Urban said there may be much more to be found, and the team said they will release a full study in the near future.
The New Mexico footprints were discovered in 2021 and dated to be 23,000 years old.
While the Utah site is not as old and may not be as extensive as White Sands (pictured), Urban said there may be much more to be found, and the team said they will release a full study in the near future. The New Mexico footprints were discovered in 2021 and dated to be 23,000 years old
British and American archaeologists uncovered the prints in soft mud adjoining Alkali Flat, a dry lakebed in the southern region of the state.
Using radiocarbon dating of seed layers above and below the tracks, experts from the U.S. Geological Survey dated the footprints as having been made over a period of at least 2,000 years.
For decades it's been generally held that homo sapiens first entered North America between 13,000 and 16,000 years ago — after the melting of the North American ice sheets opened up migration routes and much later than study co-author Sally Reynolds and her colleagues suggest.
Few archaeologists have claimed reliable evidence for human habitation older than about 16,000 years.
Mysterious Tracks Found on Atlantic Floor and Ancient Footprints Appear on Utah Salt Flats
Mysterious Tracks Found on Atlantic Floor and Ancient Footprints Appear on Utah Salt Flats
Where is the last place you would expect to find a line of human footprints or a line of precise holes that look like they were made by humans? If you said “On the floor of the ocean or a sea,” you’re in the same league as researchers for the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration (NOAA) who found a mysterious trail of holes more than a mile deep in the Atlantic Ocean. You’re also in the same company as researchers in Utah who found strange human footprints called “ghost tracks” believed to date back to the last ice age on some salt flats in Utah – flat expanses covered with the salt of ancient lakes. What are these mysterious prints? Were humans once transmedium like UFOs?
“On Saturday's #Okeanos dive, we saw several sublinear sets of holes in the seafloor. The origin of the holes has scientists stumped. The holes look human made, but the little piles of sediment around them suggest they were excavated by...something.”
Image courtesy of NOAA Ocean Exploration, Voyage to the Ridge 2022
Something? That doesn’t sound like something you expect to hear from the scientists at the National Ocean and Atmospheric Administration, yet that is exactly what was posted on the organization’s social media page this week along with a plea for help from the land-living public on identifying an underwater line of holes. the holes were observed as part of the NOAA's Voyage to the Ridge 2022, a series of three ocean explorations using a remotely-operated underwater vehicle to record and map deepwater areas around the Mid-Atlantic Ridge, Azores Plateau and Charlie-Gibbs Fracture Zone. The 10,000 miles long Mid-Atlantic Range spans the north-south length of the Atlantic Ocean, making it the longest mountain range in the world. The Azores Plateau encompasses the Azores archipelago in the North Atlantic Ocean, and the Charlie-Gibbs Fracture Zone is a system of two parallel fracture zones in the Mid-Atlantic Ridge between the Azores and Iceland. This is an active volcano area, so it is understandable the NOAA wants as much information about what’s going on the ocean floor there as it can get.
“During Dive 04 of the second Voyage to the Ridge 2022 expedition, we observed several of these sublinear sets of holes in the sediment. These holes have been previously reported from the region, but their origin remains a mystery.”
These holes are 1.7 miles below the surface of the Atlantic and they’ve been observed before. In fact, they’re not the only mysterious lines of holes in the area. Back in 2004, the journal Frontiers in Marine Science reported a similar find along the northern Mid-Atlantic Ridge north of the Azores at a depth of 1.3 miles. The researchers then speculated that raised sediment around the holes indicated they could have been dug out by deep sea crustaceans, such as the blind lobster (Acanthacaris caeca) or some other animals.
However, there were no signs of undersea animals anywhere and they couldn’t positively identify their cause, so they dubbed the holes “lebensspuren,” which is German for ‘life traces’ and used to describe holes and burrows made by living things, and hoped that “future studies of the lebensspuren we report here will resolve the mystery of what created them.” That means they don’t buy comments that the holes were made by aliens or a mechanical rover or some other human means. What about escaping gases or shifting sediments from seismic movements? They’re sticking with something “lebens” (living).
“Human footprints believed to date from the end of the last ice age have been discovered on the salt flats of the Air Force's Utah Testing and Training Range (UTTR) by Cornell researcher Thomas Urban in forthcoming research.”
There is no question the marks found in the salt flats of the Air Force’s testing and training area located in Utah's West Desert about 80 miles (130 km) west of Salt Lake City are or human origin – but there is still plenty of mystery surrounding whose they are, how they got there and why they haven’t been seen before. The Utah Test and Training Range is the largest contiguous block of over-land supersonic-authorized restricted airspace in the contiguous United States, so you can’t juts go wandering in to look for these are any other footprints. Thomas Urban and Daron Duke, of Far Western Anthropological Research Group, were driving to an archaeological hearth site at UTTR when Urban spotted odd prints in the ground. As he explains in a Cornell press release, Upon closer examination, he identified them as bare human footprints similar to those he had seen at White Sands National Park, another military base on a dry seabed and home to the earliest known human footprints in the Americas. (Photos here.)
R. Nial Bradshaw/Provided
Footprints discovered on an archaeological site are marked with a pin flag on the Utah Test and Training Range.
"Based on excavations of several prints, we've found evidence of adults with children from about five to 12 years of age that were leaving bare footprints. People appear to have been walking in shallow water, the sand rapidly infilling their print behind them—much as you might experience on a beach—but under the sand was a layer of mud that kept the print intact after infilling."
The famous Bonneville Salt Flats
In an Air Force press release, Duke explains that “there have been no wetland conditions to produce the trackways” in this part of the Great Salt Lake desert since at least approximately 10,000 years ago, so the estimated age of these footprints, based on other geological signs in the area, is more than 12,000 years old. Fortunately, these 88 footprints are protected by Anya Kitterman, Hill Air Force Base’s Cultural Resource Manager, who is overseeing the work being done by Far Western Anthropological Research Group under the direction of Daron Duke. Kitterman makes sure they use non-invasive archaeological techniques like magnetometers and ground penetrating radar, and involves leaders of Native American tribes in the area whose representatives have visited the site. It is hoped they might help shed light on who the people were that made these ancient footprints – called “ghost tracks” not because they are haunted but due to the fact that they disappear in dry conditions and reappear when moisture is present. Fortunately, ground penetrating radar isn’t fooled by “ghost tracks.”
Mysterious tracks and footprints. They’re the stuff of horror novels and movies but they don’t scare archeologists.
It is no secret that Elon Musk wants to travel to Mars, take hordes of humans with him, and set up a permanent colony where he can be the ultimate leader. While there are many who believe Musk can do this – despite his age, lack of a rocket to get him there, no Twitter there, etc. – there are others who claim it is impossible … and not for any technological reasons either. In fact, these ‘Mars truthers’ seem to pop up whenever the public gets excited over photos and videos posted by NASA that the organization says are from one of the Mars rovers. It happened again this week on Twitter (could this be a subtle dig at former buyer turned lawsuit filer Musk?) when users spread their word that the Mars photos are from Devon Island in Canada and part of a a) New World Order conspiracy; b) Hollywood plot; c) Reptilian takeover; d) all of the above. Is there, as is the case with most conspiracy theories, a tiny element of truth hidden in this? Why has it popped up now? And what about the fake Mars landscape in Bulgaria?
Can you tell the difference?
“Uhm people Mars is Canada Devon island @NASA is hollywood its a big scam they already kolonised planets @elonmusk is an ALIEN LIKE @Grimezsz the #ANNUNAKI #reptilians took over our planet and tryna role out a New world order they enslaved us to digg up the gold they cloned us”
This recent Twitter post was a response to one by wannabe Red Planet emperor Elon Musk saying, “Mars may be a fixer upper of a planet, but it has great potential!” Another recent post on Facebook claimed that “Mars looks exactly like Arizona, Nevada or parts of the Australian outback desert” and NASA is merely tinting Earth photos red to fool us, before joining the Devon Island conspiracy by pointing out a nugget of truth in the theory: “NASA has already admitted to carrying out simulations at Devon Island.”
“The Perseverance Rover captured a stunning Rainbow on Mars.... Devon Island rainbows are eerily similar to the rainbow captured on Mars. NASA is selling you science fiction AND "Mars" is located in Canada.”
The tweets just kept on coming about the alleged Devon Island hoax being perpetrated by NASA. Unlike Mr. Musk, NASA has been planning its trips to Mars for decades and has been conducting simulations for almost as long to help rovers (and someday humans) operate and navigate on the planet. To prove it is no secret, NASA has pages devoted to the Haughton Mars Project (HMP) being carried out near the Haughton impact crater on Canada's northern Devon Island in conjunction with SETI and the Mars Institute. The site gets its name from the Haughton impact crater which does give it an outer space connection from 32 million years ago – material from the 2 km (1.2 mi) in diameter space rock has been found 1,700 m (5,600 ft) deep. However, it is the surface that somewhat resembles Mars in both barren terrain and sub-zero temperatures.
“NASA Lies: The “Mars Rover” Is Not On Mars, Is The Island Of Devon, Canada.”
Despite the evidence, Devon Island conspiracy theorists are not convinced, and the recent plethora of photos and videos from the roving Perseverance and its little chopper partner Ingenuity have whipped them into the recent frenzy of denials and alternative explanations. Like the ‘fake moon landing’ conspiracy, this is not the first time the ‘Devon Island hoax’ has arisen. Just two months ago, a video made the rounds on social media purporting to be ‘proof’ of the hoax by ‘revealing’ comparisons of photos of alleged locations said to be on Mars by NASA and photos from Devon Island that match them. The website Lead Stories does a nice job of debunking these claims, pointing out that one comes from a satirical YouTube video. In 2018, the hoax came up again with some conspirators accusing NASA of photoshopping a red tint into the photos from Devon Island to fool the public which thinks the Red Planet is really red and not brown.
"This is kind of mind boggling considering I actually believed they sent a rover. If they are just on this island though, where is NASA's money actually going to? The rabbit trail begins."
Perhaps the biggest flurry of Devon Island conspiracy theories occurred in 2017 when posts on the Reddit thread r/conspiracy brought it up and debated it to life rather than death. At that time the ‘fake’ photos in question were coming from the Opportunity and Curiosity rovers as well as the Mars Reconnaissance Orbiter. At that time, Laurie Cantillo, a spokesperson for the space agency, spent considerable time on social media offering seemingly irrefutable proof that "NASA has rovers on Mars." As this writer has pointed out before, it would take an awful lot of people keeping an awful lot of secrets for an awfully long time to hide the awful truth that NASA has used Devon Island to fake all of the Mars rover missions and the U.S. government spent the budget money instead on secret organizations that run everything.
Can we believe anything about Mars?
OK, then what about Bulgaria?
In July of 2020, a Facebook post showed two images – one in red of a rock column labeled “Original NASA photo of MARS” and one looking like a color image of the same pillar labeled “Pobitite Kamani, Bulgaria.” The photo (view it here) went viral with the usual "NASA lies exposed!" captions, prompting NASA to issue a statement that neither image came from the space organization.
USA Today conducted an investigation in January 2022 and found the meme actually dating back as early as 2018 and had been debunked previously by Reuters, AFP and Check Your Fact to no avail. USA Today was able to locate the site of the "Pobitite Kamani, Bulgaria" image – it is a natural area in Bulgaria with unique rock columns and similar photos show up on Bulgarian travel websites and on Google Maps with no reference to Mars.
Why do so many people continue to believe the Mars rover missions are an elaborate hoax staged on Devon Island in Canada? Perhaps Jack Nicholson’s character in the movie “A Few Good Men” was right when he screamed:
“You can’t handle the truth!”
NOTE PETER2011
NASA's Mars Images Are Taken on Devon Island on Earth? Social Media Users Find Eerie Similarities Between Terrains
While the conspiracy theory suggesting that NASA has been using images from Devon Islands for The Haughton Mars Project, has been in existence for a while now, the latest claim resurfaced following a video which shows multiple comparative images from the Arctic Island and the images uploaded by NASA showing the Mars landscape.
Soon there were others who fueled the theory further. "Dont think mars is a planet, certainly doesn't look like one from other peoples pictures¬ nasa's fake ones Mars is on Devon island in Canada To think there's a helicopter flying in almost no atmosphere is insane Also made a few errors forgetting edit rats out & walrus bones," tweeted a user.
"The Mars Rovers, all of them are on Earth and they are a hoax. What people see them doing is moving around a NASA place proving ground that is an island in Canada named Devon Island North Canada," wrote another.
"Lol Mars = Devon Island, Canada. You can go there whenever you like.. just not the exact section where NASA has a base where they test out their rovers/film them crawling around and pretend it is Mars," read a tweet.
Here is the Truth
Debunking the viral claim, Lead Storiesclaimed that the speculations were baseless and there is no evidence that the space agency has "misrepresented images from the Haughton Mars Project (HMP) or any other analog mission conducted on Earth as if they were images of Mars."
The fact checking outlet further stated that the terrain of Devon Island, Canada, resembles that of Mars which is why the site was picked to undertake various analog missions by the space agency. NASA website's describes analog missions as "field tests in locations that have physical similarities to the extreme space environments."
The NASA website also features a page related to HMP wherein one can have a 360 degree virtual view of the Devon Island using Google Earth. It may be recalled that The Haughton-Mars Project, an international multidisciplinary field research project, is related to advancing planetary science and exploration. It is based on the scientific study of the Haughton meteorite impact crater. Further the terrain on Devon Island, High Arctic, viewed as a planetary analog, in particular for the Moon and Mars, the outlet reported.
We have a pretty good idea of what lurks within our solar system. We know there isn’t a Mars-sized planet orbiting between Jupiter and Saturn, nor a brown dwarf nemesis heading our way. Anything large and fairly close to the Sun would be easily spotted. But we can’t rule out a smaller, more distant world, such as the hypothetical Planet 9 (or Planet 10 if you want to throw down over Pluto). The odds against such a planet existing are fairly high, and a recent study finds it even less likely.
Many astronomers have wondered about the existence of planets that might hide at the edge of our solar system, particularly when the power of our telescopes were fairly limited. But as large sky surveys started to scan the heavens they found nothing beyond asteroid-sized worlds. But the orbits of the worlds we did find seemed to be clustered in a statistically odd way, as if they were being gravitationally perturbed by a larger object. If that were the case, this “Planet 9” would have a mass of about five Earths, and an orbital distance of a few hundred to a thousand astronomical units. In other words, just small enough and distant enough that it wouldn’t be easily seen in sky surveys.
Naturally, this motivated folks to search for the world, but it isn’t easy. Planet 9 would be too distant to be seen by reflected light, so you’d have to look for it by its faint infrared glow. And with a mass of only five Earths, it wouldn’t give off much heat. Adding to this is the fact that such a distant planet would orbit very slowly, such that within a single set of observations you wouldn’t notice it move at all. This is where this new study comes in.
To look for distant planets, the team used two infrared sky surveys, one from the InfraRed Astronomical Satellite (IRAS) and one from the AKARI Space Telescope. The two surveys were taken more than twenty years apart, giving any hypothetical planet plenty of time to move to a slightly different part of the sky. They assumed any distant planets would be fairly close to the equatorial plane, then combed through the data taking note of potential planets.
A faint integrated flux nebula near Polaris. Credit: Kush Chandaria, CC BY-SA 4.0
Surprisingly, they found more than 500 candidates. Based on the energy distribution of their spectra, most of these candidates had orbital distances less than 1,000 AU, and masses less than Neptune, which is exactly the range expected for Planet 9. But you shouldn’t get too excited. When the team looked at the infrared signatures by hand, they found none of them were that compelling. Most of them tended to be either within or near a faint integrated flux nebula, also known as galactic cirrus. They are diffuse clouds of interstellar gas that aren’t easily seen at visible wavelengths, but rather emit infrared light.
So it turns out these candidates aren’t planets, but rather the echoes of a faint nebula. Which pretty much rules out Planet 9. Hopes of another planet lost in the clouds.
Reference:
Sedgwick, Chris, and Stephen Serjeant. “Searching for giant planets in the outer Solar System with far-infrared all-sky surveys.” arXiv preprint arXiv:2207.09985 (2022).
Stellar Flybys Leave a Permanent Mark on Newly Forming Planetary Systems
Stellar Flybys Leave a Permanent Mark on Newly Forming Planetary Systems
What do UX Tauri, RW Aurigae, AS 205, Z CMajoris, and FU Orionis have in common? They’re young stellar systems with disks where planets could form. It appears those disks were disturbed by stellar flybys or other close encounters in the recent past. Astronomers want to know: did those events disrupt planet formation in the disks? What do they do? Does this happen in other systems? And, did our own solar system experience a strange encounter in its youth?
Some answers lie in a study made by astronomer Nicolás Cuello of the University of Grenoble Alpes who heads a team that studies the role of stellar flybys. In a recent paper, they discuss the processes these systems undergo. They examined the chances of any given disk experiencing a flyby/encounter and classified the types of encounters. The team also studied a set of disks to understand what happens during each type of encounter and looked at the implications of flybys for planet formation in other systems. Finally, they looked at possible clues to a flyby that our own Solar System might have experienced.
Intruder Alert! Disk Under Attack!
It all begins when star birth happens in clouds of gas and dust. The process creates batches of hot, young stars clustered together. Over time, some of those clusters dissipate. As stars leave the nest, they may pass close to other systems, causing disruptions to planet-forming disks. Cuello and his team came to the conclusion that near encounters will stir up or even disrupt these disks at some point in their evolution.
FU Orionis and its associated nebula. It’s likely the nebula was disrupted by a flyby, and the brightening is one effect of the event. Image cedit: ESO
“Stellar flybys and encounters happen more frequently than previously appreciated,” Cuello said in an email discussion. “These likely happen when stars are very young (less than a million years) and have planet-forming discs around. These discs are heavily affected by the gravitational perturbation of nearby stars, which modifies the initial conditions at the onset of planet formation. This is why it must be taken into account in our models.”
Flybys aren’t terribly rare, according to Cuello. “I would say that at least half of the stars and their discs are affected/shaped by flybys,” he said. “One important aspect to highlight is that the probability of such perturbations decreases over time but never goes to zero. So, even more-evolved stars (with planetary systems around) can experience a flyby during their lifetime. In that case, some planets might end up on misaligned orbits with respect to the rest of the planetary system or even be captured by the perturber star.”
How Much Damage Can a Stellar Flyby Do?
In typical star-forming regions, distances matter. A majority of the stars with protoplanetary disks experience close flybys—ones within a thousand astronomical units. That’s equivalent to about half the distance from the Sun to the Oort Cloud in our Solar System. Some of those encounters can really disturb a disk. For example, if an intruder star is traveling in a prograde direction, in a parabolic orbit that penetrates the disk, it can do enough damage to alter the shape of the disk. Sometimes the damage by an intruder causes the formation of a second disk of material.
This is, in fact, what’s happening with the star FU Orionis. Thanks to a close stellar flyby that crashed through its disk, FU Orionis appears to brighten by a factor of a thousand in about a year. And, such disruptions are evident in other young systems, too.
A gallery of flyby candidates disrupted by stellar flybys is shown in scattered light. Images courtesy Francois Menard (ISO-Oph 2, DO Tau, RW Aur, and FU Ori courtesy of Iain Hammond), Nicolas Cuello, Daniel J. Price.
During some encounters, the disk goes through what’s called “tidal truncation”. That can remove up to 80 percent of the disk’s mass. This has a catastrophic effect on planet formation because the encounter reduces the amount of material needed to form protoplanets. Such flybys might also create dust traps. Theoretically, those could be places where planetesimals could grow, given enough time.
In some cases, a close flyby can scatter planets within systems, or even eject a planet. Those left behind could get moved into orbits reminiscent of Pluto’s—eccentric and misaligned with the plane of the system. (To be clear, Pluto’s odd orbit is not due to a flyby. It’s more likely that gravitational influences from Neptune and other giant planets have shaped its odd orbit.)
Stellar Flybys and Our Solar System
Did our own solar system experience stellar flybys during its formation? It’s a possibility that Cuello and his colleagues explore in their paper. Such an encounter in or very near our birth cloud could have shaped the solar nebula. Ultimately that would have had an influence on the size of the disk and its mass. It’s hard to know how many times this may have happened, but remarkably, the protosolar nebula where the Sun was born was left in a fairly circular shape and most of the planets move in fairly circular, regular orbits.
Artist’s impression of the early Solar System in the making. Stellar flybys may have helped shape the birth cloud of the planets. Credit: NASA/JPL-Caltech
However, Cuello and his team concluded that the orbital arrangement of the solar system could have been affected the distribution of transNeptunian Objects (the region just beyond Neptune, where Pluto orbits). It’s also possible one or more stars passed through and disrupted the Oort Cloud. Astronomers have found a few candidates that they’re studying to see if this hypothesis plays out.
Certainly, our solar system has experienced other, more recent encounters during its lengthy history. Scholz’s Star, for example, is thought to have passed through the Oort Cloud some 70,000 years ago. Currently, this binary star lies about 22 light-years away from us. The passage didn’t seem to affect the orbits of any of the planets, but it probably had a very small effect on the numbers of Oort Cloud objects ejected into long-period orbits around the Sun. Still, it remains a useful example of the effect that a passing star can have on a planetary system or a protoplanetary disk.
Artist’s impression of one of the two stars in the FU Orionis binary system, surrounded by an accreting disk of material.
“It was freakin’ huge!” Tim Ley and family on witnessing the Phoenix Lights
“It was freakin’ huge!” Tim Ley and family on witnessing the Phoenix Lights
Tim Ley, his wife Bobbi and son Hal talk about witnessing the Phoenix Lights on March 13 1997. Interview courtesy of PhoenixLightsUFO.com / William W. Warwick IV.
The research was conducted by DeepMind and EMBL’s European Bioinformatics Institute (EMBL-EBI), which used the AlphaFold AI system to predict a protein’s 3D structure.
AlphaFold DB has identified over 200 million structures (Provider: AlphaFold)
The AlphaFold Protein Structure Database – which is freely available to the scientific community – has been expanded from nearly one million protein structures to more than 200 million structures, covering almost every organism on Earth that has had its genome sequenced.
The expansion includes predicted shapes for the widest possible range of species, including plants, bacteria, animals, and other organisms, opening up new avenues of research across the life sciences.
Demis Hassabis, founder and CEO of DeepMind, said: ‘We’ve been amazed by the rate at which AlphaFold has already become an essential tool for hundreds of thousands of scientists in labs and universities across the world.
‘From fighting disease to tackling plastic pollution, AlphaFold has already enabled incredible impact on some of our biggest global challenges.
‘Our hope is that this expanded database will aid countless more scientists in their important work and open up completely new avenues of scientific discovery.’
Being able to predict a protein’s structure gives scientists a better understanding of what it does and how it works (Provider: AlphaFold)
At the time, it demonstrated that it could accurately predict the shape of a protein, at scale and in minutes, to atomic accuracy.
The database works like an internet search for protein structures by providing instant access to predicted models.
This cuts down the time it takes for scientists to learn more about the likely shapes of the proteins they are researching, speeding up experimental work.
Earlier predictions have already helped scientists in their quest to create an effective malaria vaccine.
Scientists at the University of Oxford and the National Institute of Allergy and Infectious Diseases have been researching a protein called Pfs48/45, which is one of the most promising candidates for inclusion in a transmission-blocking malaria vaccine.
Existing technology alone did not allow them to fully understand the structure of the protein in order to see where the most effective transmission-blocking antibodies bind across its surface.
Matthew Higgins, professor of Molecular Parasitology and co-author of that study, said: ‘By combining AlphaFold models with our experimental information from crystallography, we could reveal the structure of Pfs48/45, understand its dynamics and show where transmission-blocking antibodies bind.
‘This insight will now be used to design improved vaccines which induce the most potent transmission-blocking antibodies.’
DeepMind and EMBL-EBI said they will continue to refresh the database periodically, with the aim of improving features and functionality.
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Discovery of eight planets makes alien system the first to tie with our solar system
Discovery of eight planets makes alien system the first to tie with our solar system
With the discovery of an eighth planet, the Kepler-90 system is the first to tie with our solar system in number of planets. Artist’s concept.
Credit: NASA/Ames Research Center/Wendy Stenzel
Our solar system is tied for most number of planets around a single star, with the 2017 discovery of an eighth planet circling Kepler-90, a Sun-like star 2,545 light-years from Earth. The planet was discovered in data from NASA’s Kepler Space Telescope.
Kepler-90i – a sizzling hot, rocky planet that orbits its star once every 14.4 days – was found using machine learning from Google. Machine learning is an approach to artificial intelligence in which computers “learn.” In this case, computers learned to identify planets by finding in Kepler data instances where the telescope recorded changes in starlight caused by planets beyond our solar system, known as exoplanets.
Kepler-90: Solar system twin
Explore the eight Kepler-90 planets with a click or a tap, or make it fullscreen. The discovery of an eighth planet makes the Kepler-90 system the first to tie our solar system for number of planets. Like our solar system, Kepler-90 has rocky planets close to its Sun-like star, with gas giants orbiting farther away. Kepler-90 is over 2,000 light-years away, and none of its planets are considered good candidates for life.
“Just as we expected, there are exciting discoveries lurking in our archived Kepler data, waiting for the right tool or technology to unearth them,” said Paul Hertz, director of NASA’s Astrophysics Division in Washington. “This finding shows that our data will be a treasure trove available to innovative researchers for years to come.”
The Kepler-90 star system is like a mini version of our solar system.
The discovery came about after researchers Christopher Shallue and Andrew Vanderburg trained a computer to learn how to identify exoplanets in the light readings recorded by Kepler – the miniscule change in brightness captured when a planet passed in front of, or transited, a star. Inspired by the way neurons connect in the human brain, this artificial “neural network” sifted through Kepler data and found weak transit signals from a previously-missed eighth planet orbiting Kepler-90, in the constellation Draco.
Machine learning has previously been used in searches of the Kepler database, and this continuing research demonstrates that neural networks are a promising tool in finding some of the weakest signals of distant worlds.
Other planetary systems probably hold more promise for life than Kepler-90. About 30 percent larger than Earth, Kepler-90i is so close to its star that its average surface temperature is believed to exceed 800 degrees Fahrenheit, on par with Mercury. Its outermost planet, Kepler-90h, orbits at a similar distance to its star as Earth does to the Sun.
Artist’s concept of the Kepler-90 system compared with our own solar system.
Credit: NASA/Ames Research Center/Wendy Stenzel
“The Kepler-90 star system is like a mini version of our solar system. You have small planets inside and big planets outside, but everything is scrunched in much closer,” said Vanderburg, a NASA Sagan Postdoctoral Fellow and astronomer at the University of Texas at Austin.
Shallue, a senior software engineer with Google’s research team Google AI, came up with the idea to apply a neural network to Kepler data. He became interested in exoplanet discovery after learning that astronomy, like other branches of science, is rapidly being inundated with data as the technology for data collection from space advances.
“In my spare time, I started Googling for ‘finding exoplanets with large data sets’ and found out about the Kepler mission and the huge data set available,” said Shallue. "Machine learning really shines in situations where there is so much data that humans can't search it for themselves.”
Kepler’s four-year dataset consists of 35,000 possible planetary signals. Automated tests, and sometimes human eyes, are used to verify the most promising signals in the data. However, the weakest signals often are missed using these methods. Shallue and Vanderburg thought there could be more interesting exoplanet discoveries faintly lurking in the data.
First, they trained the neural network to identify transiting exoplanets using a set of 15,000 previously vetted signals from the Kepler exoplanet catalog. In the test set, the neural network correctly identified true planets and false positives 96 percent of the time. Then, with the neural network having "learned" to detect the pattern of a transiting exoplanet, the researchers directed their model to search for weaker signals in 670 star systems that already had multiple known planets. Their assumption was that multiple-planet systems would be the best places to look for more exoplanets.
“We got lots of false positives of planets, but also potentially more real planets,” said Vanderburg. “It’s like sifting through rocks to find jewels. If you have a finer sieve then you will catch more rocks but you might catch more jewels, as well.”
Kepler-90i wasn’t the only jewel this neural network sifted out. In the Kepler-80 system, they found a sixth planet. This one, the Earth-sized Kepler-80g, and four of its neighboring planets form what is called a resonant chain – where planets are locked by their mutual gravity in a rhythmic orbital dance. The result is an extremely stable system, similar to the seven planets in the TRAPPIST-1 system.
Their research paper reporting these findings was published in The Astronomical Journal.
Kepler produced an unprecedented data set for exoplanet hunting. After gazing at one patch of space for four years, the spacecraft operated on an extended mission and was retired in 2018.
“These results demonstrate the enduring value of Kepler’s mission,” said Jessie Dotson, Kepler’s project scientist at NASA’s Ames Research Center in California’s Silicon Valley. “New ways of looking at the data – such as this early-stage research to apply machine learning algorithms – promise to continue to yield significant advances in our understanding of planetary systems around other stars. I’m sure there are more firsts in the data waiting for people to find them.”
Ames managed the Kepler and K2 missions for NASA’s Science Mission Directorate in Washington. NASA's Jet Propulsion Laboratory in Pasadena, California, managed Kepler mission development. Ball Aerospace & Technologies Corporation operates the flight system with support from the Laboratory for Atmospheric and Space Physics at the University of Colorado in Boulder. This work was performed through the Carl Sagan Postdoctoral Fellowship Program executed by the NASA Exoplanet Science Institute.
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