Daily 2 Cents: Green UFO Over Caribbean -- Rare Butterfly Is Half Male, Half Female -- Want A Used Popemobile?

Green UFO Over Caribbean

1/2/2015 - On a cruise ship traveling from Florida to Caribbean island (near Puerto Rico). Took back to back photos almost 30 seconds from each other and saw on the second photo this green object. Then I looked at photo and then look up and it was gone. - MUFON CMS

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Vatican Raffling Off Used Popemobile

Pope Francis is holding a raffle to raise money for the poor, and the grand prize will put your own paltry Church Bingo Night winnings to shame: it’s a used Popemobile!

Yes, rather than just selling his old 4×4 Fiat Panda on craigslist like the average, fallible motorist might, Pope Francis has decided to raffle off his supermini to raise money for some of the charities that he supports. Unfortunately, to buy one of the 10 euro tickets, participants will have to make a pilgrimage all the way to the Vatican, since they’re not being sold online.

According to CNN, the Pope is also donating to the raffle several of his bicycles, a camera, an espresso machine, a leather suitcase, and a panama hat (which is disappointing, because usually when you hear that the pope is raffling off one of his old hats, you imagine something a bit more unique). Apparently, all of those items were actually presents that Pope Francis has decided to re-gift, which is something a lot of us do in the month following Christmas (although, again, not always for such a worthy cause).

There will be 13 main prizes given out in Thursday’s drawing, along with 30 unspecified consolation prizes.

And if you’re wondering why the pope drives a Fiat, it’s because the famously frugal pontiff prefers compact cars (it’s the same reason he drove a Kia Soul when visiting Korea last August). And if you’re wondering why James Bond drives a Fiat, we’re afraid we still don’t know the answer to that question. - The News Wheel

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Spiny monster from the depths of world's oldest lake

Lake Baikal is a paradise of biodiversity, "the Galapagos of Russia". Thousands of species of plants and animals live there, and some 60 per cent of them, including the photogenic Baikal seal, are found nowhere else. This little beauty is also unique to the lake.

I say little, it's actually a giant. It looks to be the giant spiny amphipod, Acanthogammarus victorii, which is about 70 millimetres long. The typical freshwater shrimps found in Europe (Gammarus pulex) grow only to about 20 mm. Gigantism in the lake is thought to be fuelled by high levels of dissolved oxygen.

Baikal has more than 350 species of amphipod, occupying the full range of lake habitats. This one feeds on the organic matter, like dead insects and fish, that drifts down through the water. Amphipods are the trash collectors of Baikal, and help maintain its exceptional purity.

Kamenskaya has been photographing the lake's wonders for years but can't see her love waning. "One can never end the dialogue with Lake Baikal. The feeling of satisfaction will never come." Despite having walked hundreds of kilometres on the lake's frozen surface and taken thousands of shots, she says she has only touched upon its mystery. - More photos and credits - New Scientist

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Rare Butterfly Is Half Male, Half Female

An unusual butterfly that is half male and half female recently caught the eyes of a volunteer at a butterfly exhibit at Drexel University in Philadelphia.

Chris Johnson, a retired chemical engineer from Swarthmore, Pennsylvania, was volunteering at the exhibit when he stumbled across the unusual sight.

Johnson noticed that the insect's two right wings were typical of the females of its species — they were larger, and brown with yellow and white spots. But its two left wings were smaller and darker, with splashes of green, blue and purple, a pattern characteristic of males.

Johnson spotted the creature while emptying out the butterfly exhibit's pupa chamber, where the insects hatch from their chrysalises and cocoons. "It slowly opened up, and the wings were so dramatically different, it was immediately apparent what it was," he said.

Johnson and his supervisor, exhibit coordinator David Schloss, isolated the butterfly and contacted Entomology Collection Manager Jason Weintraub.

A butterfly expert later confirmed that the remarkable insect was a Common Archduke butterfly (Lexias pardalis) with a rare condition called gynandromorphy, which means outwardly having both male and female characteristics. (This is distinct from hermaphroditism, in which an organism has both male and female reproductive organs, but has external characteristics of one gender.)

The condition is most commonly noticed in birds and butterflies, whose two sexes can have very different coloration, Weintraub said. It can occur when the sex chromosomes fail to separate during cell division in early development, a process known as nondisjunction. As a result of this failure, some of the animal's cells have a female genotype, and others have a male genotype, giving rise to an animal with both male and female characteristics.

Because gynandromorphy can be easily overlooked in species in which the two sexes look similar to each other, scientists don't know how rare the condition is.

The butterfly that Johnson found is a member of a species belonging the family Nymphalidae, commonly known as "brush-footed" butterflies, and it lives in tropical rainforests of Southeast Asia. It was shipped in October 2014, in a group of pupas from a sustainable butterfly farm on Penang Island in Malaysia, according to the academy staff.

Differences between the males and females of any species result from a process called sexual selection, in which one gender (usually females) select mates of the other gender based on the presence of certain traits, which become passed from generation to generation over thousands of years.

The rare butterfly was preserved and pinned, and will be on display at the Academy of Natural Sciences of Drexel University for visitors to see from Jan. 17 through Feb. 16, the academy staff said. - Live Science

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Teenage boy nearly dies after live EEL gets trapped in his throat for 5 hours

A teenage boy nearly died after swallowing a live eel that lodged in his
 windpipe for five hours, doctors have revealed.


The unnamed 16-year-old boy had been fishing in Bangladesh when he caught
 a 6.5 inch long Guchi Bail - Indian spiny eel - and placed it between his
 teeth.


Unfortunately the eel slipped out of his mouth and down his throat,
 according to the UK-based science journal BioMed Central.


The youngster ran back to his house where his family saw the fish inside
 his throat and frantically tried to pull it out only for it to slip further
 down.


He began having breathing problems and was taken to Dhaka Medical College
 Hospital where doctors examined his throat but could not see the fish.


They decided to carry out an emergency operation in which they cut a hole
 in the front of his neck and inserted a tube into his windpipe to help him
 breathe.


Five hours after the accident had occurred, doctors spotted the tail fin of
 a fish through the hole they had created in his windpipe.


They were able to grab it with a pair of forceps and pull the fish out
 which by now was dead.


The boy's surgeon Kanu Sana later said: "This is the second case I have
 come across to date.
"

The other was a 45-year-old man who came from a rural village about 300
 kilometres away.


'It was 12 hours after he swallowed the fish. Unfortunately he didn't
 survive."
 - Irish Mirror

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{ http://www.phantomsandmonsters.com/ }

Black and Purple UFO Flies Across Simi Valley, California

A mysterious round object in black and purple colors moved across the sky from east to west in Simi Valley, California in broad daylight. While flying at constant speed in nearly clear sky, the unidentified flying object made no sound at all.

The strange activity in the air was witnessed by three people – 39-year-old father working in IT industry, 8-year-old daughter in third grade, and a former science teacher grandmother.

At first sight, the father thought he saw a helium balloon, but this impression suddenly changed when he observed that the round object flew at constant speed and height. The UFO moved across the sky instead of going up as the helium balloon normally does. The family can’t remember seeing such object with similar behavior before, so they think it was an alien object. They failed to take any picture because it flew from their sight in a minute.

The witnesses all agree that the sky was clear with only little clouds during the time of sighting. The family was playing in the backyard, watching hummingbirds when the object came to their view. They described the size of the object similar to a helium balloon, but the other characteristics – speed, height, and direction – did not look like any free-flying balloon.

According to the father witness, the object was flying towards west of Simi Valley in Thousand Oaks and others might have observed it, especially those who were outside looking at the sky or were driving in the car. His daughter first noticed the UFO, then his mother, and followed by him. His mother said to him that she observed something like fans on both sides of the round object, but he did not see it because when he looked up, the aerial thing already a bit far.

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

Thoughts On ETs By Albert Einstein In A Newly Released Digital Papers

Early in December 2014, Albert Einstein’s digital papers were released and many were excited to know about any mention of space travel from the great man’s work. While Einstein died two years earlier than the launch of Sputnik 1 in 1957, the theory about rocket flight had existed for many decades by that time. Many people were theorizing about it, including Hermann Oberth, a physicist from Germany.

The first digital release, however, only covers the life of Einstein up to 1923, when Oberth only started to write about spaceflight. So, while searching for the terms space travel or rocket, nothing can be found in the digital papers. Perhaps, in the later volumes these terms would come out.

However, there is still an interesting item from January 1920 wherein the professor said that earth is not the only planet that supports life because it is not singular in any other respect. He added that if intelligent life exists somewhere in the universe, it’s not right to assume that these ETs would contact mankind by wireless radio. He said that light rays, would be the first method attempted because they can be controlled much more easily.

Einstein thought of what we have known today as radio Search for Extraterrestrial Intelligence (SETI) may sound surprising because most searches until today primarily rely on radio signal. But it is also important to note that in 1920, Einstein lacked information. Radio searchers are preferred for SETI because radio waves penetrate more easily in pervasive dust in space, which can block shorter-wavelength light from reaching Earth. Astronomers did not have full understanding yet about the nature of interstellar dust in 1920.

Still, Optical SETI searchers by teams from many places, including teams at Harvard, favored light beams even though it is harder to search for light beams that would have to be aimed exactly in planet Earth’s direction, as compared to radio signals that scattered in space.

Einstein’s digital papers also mention about Mars saying that it’s a pity humans don’t live on Mars and just observed nastic antics of man by telescope.

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

Starseeds and Our Human Origins

by Gregg Prescott, M.S.
Editor, In5D.com

What is a star seed?  Better yet, who is a starseed?  If you trace the origins of human lineage, you end up with a plethora of questions.  For example, if we were to believe the bible’s origins of mankind and assume that we came from Adam and Eve, then that assumption wouldn’t explain the genetic differences in our population.  Continuing with the bible story, we are led to believe that Noah and his family were the only survivors of the Great Flood, which means we are allegedly all descendents of Noah and his family.  Are we to assume that Noah brought aboard two of every ethnicity as well? That’s highly unlikely.

Let’s examine the other possibilities.

Zecharia Sitchin believes our DNA was genetically manipulated, which remains a possibility, but why would the Anunnaki create various ethnicities instead of one slave race?

That leads us to another, more feasible, possibility.  We were seeded here from various star nations.  In this premise, genetic and ethnic diversity is explained.  It also covers the differences in our blood types, such as Rh negative, Rh positive, A, B, AB and O blood types.  Perhaps some star nations have people with predominantly red hair and freckles while others have dark skinned inhabitants?  Maybe some, such as the Pleiadians, have blonde hair and blue eyes?

It’s also possible that Sitchin’s premise is correct, while other star nations ALSO seeded the planet with their genetic offspring.

Perhaps we would look at ourselves differently if we saw a planet inhabited by various star nations versus segregating ourselves from one another through patriotism, nationality and prejudice?

Is it possible that our planet is one gigantic galactic experiment to see how various star nations would get along with one another?

About the Author:

Gregg Prescott, M.S. is the founder and editor of In5D and BodyMindSoulSpirit.  He hosts a weekly spiritual show on In5D Radio and promotes spiritual, metaphysical and esoteric conferences in the United States through In5dEvents. Gregg is currently working in collaboration with Michelle Walling, CHLC, in opening a holistic walk-in clinic called Alternative Holistic Healthcare (AHH) in Sarasota, FL with subsequent subsidiaries around the world based upon this model.

{ http://in5d.com/ }

Does a Ufo shows up in old french documentary about nuclear bombs and testing??

(Before It's News)

Ufo in the documentary ??

This was pointet out by a member of the facebookgroup by name Wana. We are not alone…

something with high speed appears in the old video.

Check it out for your self.

Link to the facebookthread and the origina youtube video.

https://www.facebook.com/groups/616862595007486/permalink/992344274125981/

Multiple low flying triangle UFOs reported over North Carolina

(Before It's News)

openminds.tv

The witnesses watched one object disappear into the horizon, and then suddenly noticed another object nearby. Pictured: Northern Durham, NC, area. (Credit: Google)

Two North Carolina witnesses at Durham reported watching what appeared to be multiple triangle-shaped UFOs hovering and drifting in the area over a one hour and 25-minute period beginning about 9:20 p.m. on January 7, 2015, according to testimony in Case 62491 from the Mutual UFO Network (MUFON) witness reporting database.

The two were driving to a gas station in northern Durham when the first object was observed.

“My girlfriend and I witnessed an extremely bright hovering object, amber in color,” the reporting witness stated. “We decided to drive around to get a better view of it over the treetops and witnessed what looked like a triangular light pattern – one very large, very bright amber light in the nose and a smaller flashing light on each wingtip and center which stayed illuminated but strobed brighter in order from left to right.”

The object moved in the opposite direction of their car.

“Because it was so far away we could not make out any structure. The large light was unlike anything we had seen in the sky before in terms of its size and brightness.”

Witness illustration of the object they saw beginning at 9:20 p.m. on January 7, 2015. (Credit: MUFON)

But once the object was out of view they continued to the gas station. On the way back to the house they encountered the object again, hovering close to its original position.

“It was much closer and we turned into a neighborhood to get a good look. The object was very close. I would compare it to watching a plane in take-off pass overhead in terms of its distance. As we pulled into the neighborhood it stopped hovering and began moving – drifting might be a more fitting verb – across the sky towards us.”

They parked their car and got out as the object passed directly overhead.

“As it did we both witnessed the solid black outline of an equilateral diamond – a small white running light in the center and at each tip with an oversized, amber-colored, seemingly directional (forward to forward-down) light at its nose and a significantly dimmer light on its tail. The three lights from wingtip to wingtip constantly strobed in a right-to-left direction as it moved away from us.”

The object was silent as it passed over and disappeared behind the tree line.

“We jumped back into our car to try and get a better angle to continue watching it, but as we circled the woods which it had passed over it was nowhere in sight – until we happened to catch the faint strobe of the object now a great distance away.”

They moved to another location to continue to watch the object.

“We drove to my girlfriend’s parent’s house and watched this object glide back and forth across the sky at a great distance – like a commercial plane at altitude – for over an hour. At one point her mother came outside to watch it pass at about 45-degrees above the horizon, close enough to make out the triangular front of the object.”

The witness described the object’s movement.

“We kept noticing that it seemed to pass in a straight line until we could not see it anymore and then begin its trajectory again from where it started – but we never saw it fly back. We assumed that we simply missed its return path. Finally we watched one disappear, not behind trees, but simply into the distance and made sure to watch for its return. It never flew back.”

The witnesses described the object as having a solid black outline of an equilateral diamond – a small white running light in the center and at each tip with an oversized, amber-colored, seemingly directional (forward to forward-down) light at its nose and a significantly dimmer light on its tail. (Credit: Google)

But suddenly the object was once again close and over their left shoulders.

“We were in disbelief that it could have 1) flown back to this position with such speed and; 2) have done so without us noticing. We tracked the object as it passed about 60-degrees above the horizon when suddenly we noticed a second, identical object flying towards us from a great distance. We continued watching these two objects pass back across the sky.”

The total sighting lasted from 9:20 to 10:45 p.m.

“At 10:45 p.m. I finally came inside and out of the frigid cold to write this report.”

Durham is the county seat of Durham County, NC, population 245,475.

Please remember that most UFO sighting can be explained as something natural or man-made. The above quotes were edited for clarity. Please report UFO activity to MUFON.com.

The post Multiple low flying triangle UFOs reported over North Carolina appeared first on Openminds.tv.

Source: http://www.openminds.tv/multiple-low-flying-triangle-ufos-reported-north-carolina/31614

Daily UFO Headlines 1/8/15

(Before It's News)

openminds.tv

• What 10 years of information ‘freedom’ has revealed to us – Western Morning News
• UFO Possibly Caught On Live TV – Huffington Post UK
• UFOs Declassified looks at hard evidence behind infamous sightings – Our Windsor
• UFO hacker Gary McKinnon launches SEO start-up – Techworld.com
• Visit Kepler’s Exoplanets—And Don’t Worry About the Natives (At Least for Now) – Smithsonian

The post Daily UFO Headlines 1/8/15 appeared first on Openminds.tv.

Source: http://www.openminds.tv/daily-ufo-headlines-1815/31612

I Didn’t Know This Many People Have Seen A UFO (Video)

(Before It's News)

Hiya folks, thanks for tuning in to ParaPulseTV. I’m Mike your host and the purpose of the channel is to promote open social discussion about the ufo phenomenon and other paranormal subjects. Even if you’re a devoted skeptic, there are a lot people reporting things that if proven true would reshape our very existence and so have no business being ignored by the rest of mankind. Besides that we’ve got somewhere between 10-14% of people in all walks of life, pilots and ex-military included, swearing to us that they’ve seen a ufo, often performing impossible or highly strange maneuvers in their reports. So either there’s a genuine medical issue here that’s affecting a sizable chunk of society, or there’s more to the story.

Diamond Shaped Ufo Spotted Over Ventura California

(Before It's News)

DIAMOND SHAPED UFO SPOTTED OVER VENTURA CALIFORNIA
 DECEMBER 20, 2014    ……..    VENTURA CALIFORNIA

NASA spots massive outburst from our very own black hole

Its root cause still undetermined, a huge X-ray flare from the Milky Way's center has made NASA scientists sit up and take notice.

The X-ray flare from Sagittarius A* is the largest ever observed coming from the supermassive black hole.                                           

NASA/CXC/Stanford/I. Zhuravleva et al.                                        

As you might know, the Milky Way Galaxy, in which we are all floating, has a black hole with a mass 4.5 million times bigger than that of our sun at its very center. So, when NASA says a documented occurrence in that vast pit of darkness "raises questions about the behavior of this giant black hole and its surrounding environment," I get a little nervous.

Fortunately, the observation they're talking about is little cause for alarm. What happened is that back in September of 2013, the Chandra X-Ray space observatory recorded an X-ray flare from the center of the Milky Way's black hole (a vortex known as Sagittarius A*, or Sgr A*) that was 400 times brighter than the energy usually emitted from the area. You can see the flare in the image above. NASA is presenting this documentation at the 225th meeting of the American Astronomical Society, slated in Seattle this week.

What caused the outburst from the usually quiet region of our galaxy? NASA has two theories.

First is that an asteroid wandered too close to the black hole and got ripped apart by the hole's extreme gravitational force. Before the asteroid crossed over the hole's event horizon (or point of no return), the debris it produced got superheated and released the X-rays.

"If an asteroid was torn apart, it would go around the black hole for a couple of hours -- like water circling an open drain -- before falling in," said researcher Fred Baganoff of the Massachusetts Institute of Technology in a statement. "That's just how long we saw the brightest X-ray flare last, so that is an intriguing clue for us to consider."

The second theory about the burst is that the lines of magnetic energy contained in the gas flowing into Sgr A* got tangled and released the X-rays. NASA says that the pattern observed is similar to those found in such types of flares observed from our sun.

But mostly, the space agency really isn't quite sure what caused the outburst.

"The bottom line is the jury is still out on what's causing these giant flares from Sgr A*," said researcher Gabriele Ponti of the Max Planck Institute for Astrophysics in Garching, Germany. "Such rare and extreme events give us a unique chance to use a mere trickle of infalling matter to understand the physics of one of the most bizarre objects in our galaxy."

{ http://www.cnet.com/ }

UFOs: As The British UFO Research Association Celebrates Half A Century, Here Are 10 Reasons To Believe In Aliens (PICTURES)

This weekend Britain’s oldest UFO group turns 50.

With thousands of files that pre-date Ministry of Defence records, (indeed its oldest files go back to the Victorian era) The British UFO Research Association  (BUFORA) celebrates half a century with a two-day conference in London.

A regular contributor to magazines, TV and radio shows, the group is currently supporting an investigation into Sweden's Ghost Rockets phenomena.

Since 1946, around 2,000 UFOs have been seen in the skies above Sweden, with a number reportedly crashing into lakes.

The head of UK Air Traffic Control admits the skies above Britain are visited by one UFO a month

In August a team set out in an ambitious attempt to find one of the objects, the results of which will be revealed exclusively by speaker Clas Svahn at the conference.

Chairman Matt Lyons explains: “We are non-cultist and are not lead by belief systems, not advocating an extra-terrestrial polarised view, nor are we at the highly sceptical end of the spectrum.

“One of the few groups to run an accredited training course, our team of researchers and investigators are led by witness testimony and not the personal or group beliefs."

We want to believe. And here are ten reasons why.

1. July saw the 65th anniversary of the now infamous Roswell incident. The military initially revealed a flying disk had been captured, but changed their story overnight, claiming the craft was actually a weather balloon. Rumours abound to this day that the occupants of the craft were captured and the military engaged in a cover-up.

Former CIA agent Chase Brandon told The Huffington Post: “It was not a damn weather balloon – it was what it was billed when people first reported it.

“It was a craft that clearly did not come from this planet, it crashed and I don’t doubt for a second that the use of the word ‘remains’ and ‘cadavers’ was exactly what people were talking about.”

2. In August, the head of UK Air Traffic Control admitted the skies above Britain are visited by at least one UFO a month. Speaking on BBC Radio 4’s Today programme, Richard Deakin confirmed unidentified flying objects were being seen by his staff. Nick Pope, a former UFO investigator for the Ministry of Defence confirmed the figure, but added: “Our mindset is it’s probably more likely to be Russian than Martian.”

SEE ALSO: 10 Reasons NOT To Believe In Aliens (PICTURES)

3.  Researchers from the University of Aberdeen this month suggested many more planets than previously thought may contain life. Microorganisms could be thriving in a “Goldilocks zone” where it’s not too hot and not too cold, Professor John Parnell revealed.

4. Continuing in an academic vein, this year Edinburgh University became the first in the UK to offer a selection of free online courses, including one on UFOs and the search for extraterrestrial life.

5.  Whether or not you believe the stories of people who say they’ve been spirited out of their cars on lonely country roads or drawn into alien crafts while they’ve been sleeping, these tales are told by enough people to make us think carefully about the phenomenon.

Photographer Steven Hirsch’s project Little Sticky Legs sees images of alien abductees and their own drawings of their experiences.

“Are these people telling me the truth? I don’t know,” Hirsch told The Huffington Post.

6. Crop circles continue to dazzle and baffle us. The mystery appeared to be solved when several high-profile cases revealed that the designs were the work of artists and mischief-makers with barrels, planks of wood and a plenty of spare time. Yet not all could be explained.

In recent years crop circle artists have pushed the boundaries of ingenuity, boasting ever-more complex patterns and shapes. Some crop circle designs now feature up to 2,000 shapes, while analysis by mathematicians shown that they can be built on deep patterns and structures that are otherwise invisible to the eye.

While spoilsports, sorry scientists claim to have cracked the case once more, suggesting artists are now relying on the Global Positioning System, lasers and even microwaves to create their patterns, we’re holding onto the hope that aliens are just really, really creative.

7. Former American President Dwight D Eisenhower had three secret meetings with aliens from another planet, a former US government consultant has claimed.

Eisenhower and a number of FBI officials are said to have arranged the meetings by sending out “telepathic messages”. The meetings, at the Holloman Air Force base were witnessed by “many”, it is claimed.

8. Nasa’s Curiosity rover may have only landed in August, but its cameras are starting to transmit images back of what some are calling UFOs. What’s more, a film sequence transmitted by Curiosity shows white-coloured objects moving near the horizon the red planet.

9. In July the National Archives released X-files revealing the role of Britain’s Ministry of Defence UFO desk officers. The 25 files, comprising more than 6,700 pages, include UFO policy, parliamentary questions, media issues, public correspondence and, of course, UFO sighting reports. Overall, more than 10,000 UFO reports came through the special MoD unit from 1950 to 2009.

While the plug was pulled on the post in 2009, with the MoD citing no evidence of any credible threat, The Telegraph quotes a 2008 document from a desk officer who stated: “We cannot rule out the existence of intelligent life on other planets.”

10. In 2011 two American scientists proposed enlisting online volunteers to identify signs of alien life in moon images collected by Nasa’s Lunar Reconnaissance Orbiter. In a paper published in the journal Acta Astronautica, Arizona State University Physicists Paul Davies and Robert Wagner wrote of their belief there there may be signs of extra terrestrial life in the form of messages, scientific instruments, waste or evidence of mining that could be spotted by human telescopes and orbiting spacecraft.

{ http://www.huffingtonpost.co.uk/uk  }

High-Tech Airships Could Be NASA's Next Challenge

This artist's conception of a high-altitude airship is one of many possible models that could come from an airship design challenge.
CREDIT: Mike Hughes (Eagre Interactive)/Keck Institute for Space Studies

One of NASA's new citizen science endeavors could involve high-tech, record-breaking airships designed to aid scientific research projects.

NASA has proposed a challenge that calls for airship designs that can fly higher and longer than existing airships. At the moment, no airship — blimp-like devices — can maintain an altitude of 65,000 feet (20 kilometers) for more than 8 hours. Weather balloons can soar to that height, but the balloons are difficult to control and vulnerable to winds.

Scientists at NASA's Jet Propulsion Lab in California think airships could aid them in research on astronomy and climate change and even be more capable than weather balloons. An airship could carry telescopes into the stratosphere to observe stars and other celestial bodies. Right now for example scientists are working on an airship that could survey the skies of Venus. Airships could also provide valuable insight into weather patterns.[10 Most Amazing Flying Machines Ever]

"You would be able to follow weather patterns, even get above a hurricane," Jason Rhodes, an astrophysicist at JPL who is leading the proposed challenge, said in a statement. "A satellite can't do that because its orbit can't be changed."

The proposed challenge would include two tiers. The first tier would call for designs for an airship that can lift 44 pounds (20 kilograms) and hover at 65,000 ft. for at least 20 hours. The second tier designs would need to be a little more complex. Those airships would have to support 440 lbs (200 kg) at the same height but for at least 200 hours.

Familiar blimps that hover around sports games are just one example of an airship. By definition an airship must be lighter than air and able to navigate through the air under its own power. NASA officials say there could be between $2 million and $3 million in prize money available for the competition.

While studies have shown that there is significant interest in using airships for scientific experiments, airships could also have important industry applications. Telecommunication companies could use them to deliver wireless access to remote areas. Military personnel could use them for surveillance operations and missile defense warning.

The proposed 20-20-20 Airship Challenge would become part of NASA's Centennial Challenges program that offers prizes to citizen-designed tech that solves research problems that are of interest to NASA. NASA will first gauge public interest in the airship competition before officially launching it.   

Follow Kelly Dickerson on Twitter.

Follow us @Spacedotcom, Facebook or Google+. 

Originally published on Space.com.

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{ http://m.space.com/ }

'Alien Earth' is among eight new far-off planets

By Jonathan Webb Science reporter, BBC News, Seattle

Artist's impression: Kepler has identified many exoplanets but few are within their star's "Goldilocks zone"

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• Most Earth-like planet yet' foun
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One of eight new planets spied in distant solar systems has usurped the title of "most Earth-like alien world", astronomers have said.

All eight were picked out by Nasa's Kepler space telescope, taking its tally of such "exoplanets" past 1,000.

But only three sit safely within the "habitable zone" of their host star - and one in particular is rocky, like Earth, as well as only slightly warmer.

The find was revealed at a meeting of the American Astronomical Society.

Red sky

The three potentially habitable planets join Kepler's"hall of fame", which now boasts eight fascinating planetary prospects.

And researchers say the most Earth-like of the new arrivals, known as Kepler 438b, is probably even more similar to our home than Kepler 186f - which previously looked to be our most likely twin.

At 12% larger than Earth, the new claimant is bigger than 186f but it is closer to our temperature, probably receiving just 40% more heat from its sun than we do from ours.

So if we could stand on the surface of 438b it may well be warmer than here, according to Dr Doug Caldwell from the Seti (Search for Extra-Terrestrial Intelligence) Institute in California.

"And it's around a cooler [red dwarf] star... so your sky would look redder than ours does to us," Dr Caldwell said.

With the three new arrivals, Kepler's 'hall of fame' expands to eight small, habitable-zone exoplanets

That first-person encounter, however, is unlikely - both because the planet is 475 light-years away and because we still have essentially no idea what it's made of.

Images from the Kepler telescope, which trails behind the Earth and peers far into the distance as we orbit our own sun, are used to identify far-off planets by observing "transits".

This refers to the dimming of a star's light when a planet passes in front of it.

Continue reading the main story

Kepler space telescope mission

1. 1. Launched in 2009, the

Kepler space telescope

1. 1. sought to find Earth-like worlds orbiting distant stars in

1. the Constellation Lyra

• • It used the so-called transit technique - looking for the periodic dips in light as

exoplanets

• pass in front of their host starsLast year, a single release of Kepler results added 715 exoplanets to the tally

How does the Kepler telescope work?How rare is our blue planet?

A large team of researchers then uses additional data from Earth-bound telescopes to further explore these unfamiliar solar systems.

They try to calculate how big the planets are, and how closely they orbit their host stars.

Not everything that causes such a dimming eventually turns out to be a planet, however.

At the same time as the eight confirmed new exoplanets were announced by a 26-strong team spanning Nasa and multiple US institutions, the Kepler mission's own scientists released another tranche of more than 500 "candidate" planets.

"With further observation, some of these candidates may turn out not to be planets," said Kepler science officer, Fergal Mullally.

"Or as we understand their properties better, they may move around in, or even outside, the habitable zone."

'Star Trek' scenario

Even once scientists have anointed a candidate as a confirmed exoplanet, the question of whether or not it is "Earth-like" is a fraught one, with fuzzy boundaries.

The size of the habitable, or "Goldilocks" zone, where a planet is far enough
from its sun to hold water but not so distant that it freezes, depends on how
confident scientists want to be with their guess-work.

According to Dr Cardwell, just three of the eight new exoplanets can be
confidently placed in that zone - and only two of those are probably rocky like
the Earth.

More detailed description is very difficult.

An artist's view of Kepler 186f, which experts say has now been pipped as "most Earth-like" known exoplanet

"From the Kepler measurements and the other measurements we made, we don't  know if these planets have oceans with fish and continents with trees," Dr Caldwell told BBC News.

"All we know is their size and the energy they're receiving from their star.

"So we can say: Well, they're of a size that they're likely to be rocky, and the energy they're getting is comparable to what the Earth is getting.

"As we fill in these gaps in our solar system that we don't have, we learn more about what it means to be Earth-like, in some sense."

Speaking at a related event at the conference, Prof Debra Fischer from Yale University said she remembered a time before the first exoplanet was discovered, more than two decades ago.

"I remember astronomers before that point being very worried," she said.

"We really had to step back and say: Maybe the Star Trek picture is wrong.
That filled me with despair."

Prof Fischer said that sensitive telescopes like Kepler had ushered in an era of "amazing and impressive work".

"We're talking about a planet - and we can only see its star with a powerful telescope.

"And we can draw graphs and sketch its composition and have serious scientific discussions. This is incredible."

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Daily 2 Cents: Glowing UFO 'Taking Off' -- Revere / Adams Time Capsule Opened -- Unusual Metal Recovered from Ancient Greek Shipwreck

Glowing UFO 'Taking Off'

This glowing light was seen 'taking off' from a mountain in Mexico.

First thoughts were that it might be a helicopter, or perhaps even a large drone but both of those seem a little odd considering it is quite literally, a ball of light.

Click for video - Glowing UFO -

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=fCy49W8TYag#t=20

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Time Capsule Placed By Paul Revere And Samuel Adams Opened

BOSTON (AP) — Early residents of Boston valued a robust press as much as their history and currency if the contents of a time capsule dating back to the years just after the Revolutionary War are any guide.

When conservators at the Museum of Fine Arts, Boston gingerly removed items from the box Tuesday, they found five tightly folded newspapers, a medal depicting George Washington, a silver plaque, two dozen coins, including one dating to 1655, and the seal of the Commonwealth of Massachusetts.

While some of the coins appeared corroded, other items were in good condition and fingerprints could be seen on the silver plaque.

The capsule was embedded in a cornerstone of the Massachusetts Statehouse when construction began in 1795. It was placed there by Revolutionary era luminaries including Paul Revere and Samuel Adams, governor of Massachusetts at the time.

The contents were shifted to what was believed to be a copper box in 1855 and placed back into the foundation of Statehouse. The box remained there until it was rediscovered last year during an ongoing water filtration project at the building. The box was actually brass, according to conservators.

The oldest coin in the box was a 1652 "Pine Tree Schilling," made at a time when the colony didn't have royal authority to create its own currency. Pine trees were a valuable commodity at the time. The trees were used as ship masts.

Michael Comeau, executive director of the Massachusetts Archives and Commonwealth Museum, said he has seen the coins offered for as much at $75,000, although given the context of this particular coin and the association with Paul Revere and Samuel Adams, the value would likely be much higher.

The newspapers were folded in such a way that the names of the publications weren't always visible, but one might have been a copy of the Boston Evening Traveller — a newspaper operation that was eventually absorbed into the current Boston Herald.

A portion of one of the papers that was visible showed a listing of the arrivals of whalers from various ports to Boston. Conservators didn't try to unfold the papers.

Pam Hatchfield, the head of objects conservation for the museum, removed each item using a slew of tools including her grandfather's dental tool. Hatchfield said the paper in the box was in "amazingly good condition."

Massachusetts state Secretary William Galvin said he expects the items will be on display at the museum for a period of time, but that eventually they will again be returned to the foundation to be discovered by a future generation of Bay State residents.

Galvin said he didn't know if modern items might be added to the foundation.

Comeau said the objects in the box are a bridge back in time.

"This is the stuff of history," he said. - THP

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Unusual Metal Recovered from Ancient Greek Shipwreck

GELA, SICILY—Thirty-nine ingots of cast metal have been recovered from a ship that sank 2,600 years ago off the southern coast of Sicily. “The wreck dates to the first half of the sixth century. It was found about 1,000 feet from Gela’s coast at a depth of ten feet,” Sicily’s superintendent of the Sea Office told Discovery News. The metal is being called orichalcum, a legendary metal that the fourth-century B.C. Greek philosopher Plato attributed to the mythical island of Atlantis. “Nothing similar has ever been found. We knew orichalcum from ancient texts and a few ornamental objects,” Tusa added. Analysis of the metal shows that it is an alloy made of copper, zinc, and small percentages of nickel, lead, and iron. The ingots were most likely destined for workshops in Gela. “It will provide us with precious information on Sicily’s most ancient economic history,” Tusa said of the shipwreck’s precious cargo. - Archaeology

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Sisters Charged With Murder Of Brother

In an unthinkable homicide case, a Florida teen and her younger sister have been charged in the shooting death of their older brother.

"Anytime you come on scene with something this horrific, where you have juveniles or children involved, it's pretty unsettling, even to seasoned law enforcement and deputies," Columbia County Sheriff Mark Hunter said at a Tuesday press conference.

The siblings, identified as Misty "Ariel" Renee Kornegay, 15, and Nicole Kornegay, 11, both face charges of premeditated murder. The girl's parents, Keith Kornegay, 37 and Misty Kornegay, 33, are facing charges of child neglect, police said.

According to Columbia County Sheriff's spokesman Murray Smith, the investigation into the case began Monday night. Police in White Springs, a small town 70 miles northwest of Jacksonville, learned that the girls had run away from home and were spotted at a nearby Dollar General store.

When approached by police, the sisters "informed [an officer] of a shooting at their residence," Smith said.

Sheriff's office deputies were dispatched to the Kornegay's White Springs home, whereupon they found the body of the girl's 16-year-old brother, Damien Kornegay, sprawled out on the living room floor. He had been shot one time and was pronounced dead at the scene, police said.

"Based on the preliminary investigation, it is believed that earlier in the evening the 15-year-old sister of the deceased retrieved a handgun from their parents' bedroom and used it to shoot her brother," said Smith.

Nicole Kornegay's role in the shooting remains unclear. Smith would only say that she "assisted her 15-year-old sister" in the commission of the crime.

The Huffington Post normally does not identify minors charged in connection with a crime, but both girls have been widely identified in news coverage, and their names have been released by the sheriff's office.

Bayoubuzz.com reported Ariel Kornegay told police that her brother beat her up the day of the shooting. Authorities have yet to officially comment on a possible motive.

According to News4jax.com, police had been called to the Kornegay residence in 2010, in regard to a report of "inappropriate behavior" that had allegedly involved Damien and Ariel Kornegay. Details of that alleged incident remain unclear and no charges were filed, the news station reported.

Keith and Misty Kornegay's 3-year-old child, who was found alone in the home upon the discovery of Damien's body, has been placed in the custody of the Florida Department of Children and Families.

The children's parents were reportedly out of town at the time of the shooting. The neglect charges were filed against them for "failing to properly supervise the children," Smith said.

Ariel and Nicole Kornegay are being held without bond in the Columbia County Detention Facility. Both girls are expected to make their first court appearance sometime Wednesday.

"This is a very unusual event for us here in the community -- very tragic," Sheriff Hunter said. - THP

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Ghost Wars: The Secret History of the CIA, Afghanistan, and Bin Laden, from the Soviet Invasion to September 10, 2001 (Penguin Books)

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{ http://www.phantomsandmonsters.com/ }

Saucer – shaped UFO sighting above Paris, France in January 2015

New interesting video footage of a saucer – shaped UFO sighting recorded in the daytime sky above Paris, France in January 2015.

Witness said:
Incredible saucer-shape UFO recorded over my house last day. The grayish object seemed to be very large, with strange lights on it. I noticed a headlight on the front of the object. It was certainly spying the area. The UFO was also slowly descending, before disappearing behind a near cloud.

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Type ➫ Metallic object
Scale ➫ At least car-sized
Duration ➫ 1 minute
Color(s) ➫ Grey
Light(s) ➫ Yes
Speed ➫ Slow (approx. 5-10 km/h
Filmed with ➫ Canon 700D + 50mm F/1.8

Video footage of a cloaked plane recored above San Diego on 3rd January 2015

New amazing video footage of a strange cloaked plane recorded while recording chemtrails over San Diego on 3rd January 2015.

Witness said:
As I was making a how to clip for filming the sun I swung over to film chemplanes and caught a strange plane. It almost looks cloaked. I also show what you need to film the sun with your camera – just some cheap solar filter paper.

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Het  nieuwe jaar begint weer met oranje bollen ( Video )