Huge asteroid with the potential to obliterate an entire city will skim past Earth TONIGHT – here's how you can watch the narrow miss live

• READ MORE: NASA successfully changed asteroid's orbit around the sun 

By XANTHA LEATHAM, EXECUTIVE SCIENCE EDITOR

An enormous asteroid with the potential to destroy an entire city will skim past Earth this evening.

Astronomers say the space rock, called 2026 JH2, is up to four times the size of a London bus and will get 'as close as you can without hitting'.

It is expected to zoom by our planet at an estimated distance of around 56,000 miles (90,000km) at 10:23pm BST.

This is exceptionally close – the equivalent of just a quarter of the distance between us and the moon.

Estimates place the size of the space rock between 52 and 115ft (16 and 35 metres) in diameter, and it is racing towards Earth at around 20,000mph (32,000 kmph).

Despite having enough mass to wipe out a city, simulations suggest there is no chance of impact for at least the next 100 years.

While it will be too faint to see with the naked eye, it may be visible through amateur telescopes under dark sky conditions. But for those without access to stargazing equipment, you can still watch the unusually close encounter.

Astronomers in Italy will be sharing a livestream of the flyby, recorded through a telescope, on The Virtual Telescope Project's YouTube channel. The broadcast will start at 8:45pm BST.

This illustration shows the orbit of asteroid 2026 JH2 (grey) relative to Earth's orbit (light blue). Its oval–shaped orbit takes it nearly as far out as Jupiter

Thankfully, simulations suggest there is no chance of an impact for at least the next 100 years (stock image) 

People in the UK will have the best chance of spotting asteroid 2026 JH2 from dark–sky locations with a clear northern horizon.

Around closest approach, it should be moving through the region of Ursa Major, fairly high in the sky.

Binoculars probably won't be good enough unless they are very large. However, it should be visible with small telescopes.

It will look like a faint moving dot, rather than a dramatic streak.

The asteroid was first discovered on May 10 by astronomers at the Mount Lemmon Observatory near Tucson in Arizona.

Data suggests it likely circles the sun every 3.7 years on an oval–shaped orbit that takes it nearly as far out as Jupiter.

The size of the asteroid is an estimate based on the amount of light reflecting off its surface, which means that measurements cannot be entirely certain.

If the asteroid is made of a particularly dark or unreflective material, then it could be nearer to the higher end of the estimate range or potentially even larger.

2026 JH2 is expected to zoom by our planet at an estimated distance of around 56,000 miles (90,000km) tonight

Estimated to be between 16 and 35 metres (52 to 115ft) across, 2026 JH2 is a similar size to the 20–metre Chelyabinsk meteor (pictured), which exploded with 30 times the energy of the atomic bomb dropped on Hiroshima 

Asteroid 2026 JH2

Estimated size: 16 to 35 metres (52 to 115ft) in diameter

Closest pass to Earth: 56,000 miles (90,000km)

Time of closest pass: May 18th 10:23pm (BST)

Risk of hitting Earth: None

How to watch live: Astronomers will be sharing a livestream of the flyby, recorded through a telescope, on The Virtual Telescope Project's YouTube channel. The broadcast will start at 8:45pm BST.

However, even at the lower end of its estimated range, the asteroid still carries a huge destructive potential.

'It's the kind of thing that would ruin a city quite efficiently, if it hit,' Mark Norris, from the University of Lancashire, told New Scientist.

Experts say if 2026 JH2 did strike Earth, it would cause an event comparable to the Chelyabinsk meteor.

In 2013, an 18–metre (59ft) meteor exploded over the city of Chelyabinsk in Russia, near the border with Kazakhstan.

The resulting explosion was 30 times more powerful than the atomic bomb dropped on Hiroshima, producing a shockwave that travelled twice around the world.

Directly beneath the explosion, 28 miles (45km) above the ground, the heat was so intense that people were left with burns and retinal damage.

Around 1,500 people were injured and over 3,600 homes were damaged, even though only 0.05 per cent of the original rock made it to the ground.

With a potential size up to 35 metres (115ft) in diameter, 2026 JH2 has the potential to be even more destructive – possibly even ranking it as a 'city killer' size asteroid.

However, although the asteroid will pass extremely close to the planet, it poses no threat whatsoever to Earth.

READ  MORE

• What would it have been like to experience the dinosaur–killing asteroid? Scientists reveal a blow–by–blow account of one of the most catastrophic events in history

Thanks to careful study by the network of planetary defence telescopes, astronomers are able to make very precise calculations of asteroids' orbits

The next sizable space rock that will get this close to Earth will likely be the 'God of Chaos' asteroid, 99942 Apophis, which will fly within 20,000 miles (32,000 km) of Earth on April 13, 2029.

After Apophis, the next major flyby will be from 2024 YR4, also known as the 'city killer' asteroid, which will zoom past the moon at a minimum distance of around 13,200 miles (21,200 km) in 2032.

POTENTIAL METHODS FOR ELIMINATING THE THREAT OF AN ASTEROID  

DART is one of many concepts of how to negate the threat of an asteroid that have been suggested over the years. 

Multiple bumps 

Scientists in California have been firing projectiles at meteorites to simulate the best methods of altering the course of an asteroid so that it wouldn't hit Earth. 

According to the results so far, an asteroid like Bennu that is rich in carbon could need several small bumps to charge its course.

'These results indicate multiple successive impacts may be required to deflect rather than disrupt asteroids, particularly carbonaceous asteroids,' researchers said.  

Nuke 

Another idea, known simply as 'nuke', involves blowing up a nuclear explosive close to the asteroid.

However, this could create smaller but still potentially dangerous fragments of rock that could spin off in all directions, potentially towards Earth. 

Ion Beam Deflection

With Ion Beam Deflection, plumes from a space probe's thrusters would be directed towards the asteroid to gently push on its surface over a wide area. 

A thruster firing in the opposite direction would be needed to keep the spacecraft at a constant distance from the asteroid. 

Gravity tractor 

And yet another concept, gravity tractor, would deflect the asteroid without physically contacting it, but instead by using only its gravitational field to transmit a required impulse. 

Professor Colin Snodgrass, an astronomer at the University of Edinburgh said: 'There have been a few concepts suggested, such as a 'gravity tractor' to slowly tow an asteroid away instead of pushing it with a kinetic impactor.

'But the kinetic impactor is definitely the simplest technology to use on the sort of timescale that is most likely to be of concern for this size of asteroid, i.e. years to decades warning time.'

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City-Killer Asteroid Passes Earth Monday — Could Consequences Be More Terrifying Than We Think?

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This unusual cloud phenomenon involves a 6,000-kilometer-wide wave front that travels around Venus over just a few Earth days, and scientists believe it could potentially affect future space missions.

A Weather Aberration on Venus

Japan’s Akatsuki Venus orbiter first observed Venus’s enormous, 6,000-kilometer-wide atmospheric wave move across the planet’s equator at tremendous speed in 2016. Now, a decade later, the University of Tokyo team has some answers about this peculiar feature.

Compared to Earth, Venus is a slow mover, with its rotation even slower than its 243-day orbit. Despite this, Venusian clouds move at an incredible pace, 60 times the planet’s rotational speed in what is known as “superrotation,” a phenomenon also observed on Mars, the Sun, and Earth’s supersonic atmosphere.

“We identified the phenomena, but for years we couldn’t understand it,” said lead author Professor Takeshi Imamura from the Graduate School of Frontier Sciences at the University of Tokyo. “However, thanks to this research, we’re now able to show that this cloud disruption is caused by the largest known hydraulic jump in the solar system.”

A Natural Weather Lab

The Venusian atmosphere is hot, dense, and toxic, being composed of almost 97% carbon dioxide. This results in constant cloud cover, which rains sulfuric acid. While this creates a deadly environment for humans, at a distance, it’s a perfect natural weather laboratory. This extreme cloud density makes hard-to-spot weather patterns and processes more readily apparent than they would be on a planet such as ours.

The strange formation in the Venusian atmosphere resulted from a sudden slowdown of the fluid, known as a hydraulic jump, produced when a large atmospheric Kelvin wave moving east across Venus becomes unstable in the lower to middle cloud region. The Kelvin wave’s sudden slowing produces an updraft, pushing sulfuric acid vapor into the upper atmosphere, where it can condense into clouds. As though clouds trail, they form the enormous wavefront spotted by Akatsuki Venus.

“Venus has three distinct cloud layers, and the dynamics of the lower and middle layers are not so well understood,” said Imamura. “Our discovery of a hydraulic jump on Venus connecting a very large-scale horizontal process with a strong localized vertical wave is unexpected, as in fluid dynamics these are usually disconnected.”

Analyzing Venusian Weather

The Japanese researchers used a fluid-dynamic model to simulate the hydraulic jump observed on Venus, combined with a microphysical box model to track air flow through the atmosphere. In their analysis, the University of Tokyo researchers identified how the cloud disturbance maintains the Venusian atmosphere’s superrotation.

“Up until now, we used a global circulation model (GCM) for Venus that is similar to Earth’s, but this model doesn’t include the hydraulic jump which we have now identified,” explained Imamura. “Our next step will be to test this discovery within a more inclusive climate model that includes other atmospheric processes. We will face challenges due to the significant processing power required to run such simulations. Even with modern supercomputers, it isn’t easy.”

• Ryan Whalen covers science and technology for The Debrief. He holds an MA in History and a Master of Library and Information Science with a certificate in Data Science. He can be contacted at ryan@thedebrief.org, and follow him on Twitter @mdntwvlf.
  

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Mount Roraima: Evidence of Ancient Cutting Technology?

mariusalbertsen

Rising abruptly from the lush, untamed jungles of southeastern Venezuela, Mount Roraima is a geological behemoth that defies logic. With its perfectly flat plateau and sheer, vertical cliffs plunging thousands of feet into the mists below, it looks less like a natural mountain and more like a colossal, ancient fortress. For decades, alternative researchers and mystery enthusiasts have looked at these impossibly straight geological lines and asked a controversial question: could Mount Roraima be the result of artificial cuts? This massive tepui, surrounded by a harsh and isolated landscape, continues to capture the imagination of explorers and scientists alike.

The sheer scale of Mount Roraima is breathtaking, with its summit covering roughly 31 square kilometers (12 square miles) and its highest point reaching 2,810 meters (9,219 ft). The walls of the tepui are so remarkably vertical and smooth that they appear to have been sheared off by advanced machinery. This visual anomaly has fueled endless speculation about ancient, highly advanced civilizations or even extraterrestrial architects who may have terraformed the region in the distant past. However, distinguishing between the myths of ancient builders and the harsh realities of geological time requires a deeper look into both the stone and the people who live in its shadow.

A traveler sitting on the rocky, alien terrain of Mount Roraima's plateau, looking out over the clouds and sheer cliffs. 

Pixabay Free/Emilio17

The Monolithic Mystery of the Tepuis

To understand the intense speculation surrounding Mount Roraima, one must first look at its baffling geography. The mountain is part of the Pacaraima chain, a series of tepuis, table-top mountains that dominate the Gran Sabana region. When clouds roll in, obscuring the base of the mountain, Mount Roraima appears to float in the sky like a solid island of rock. It is this otherworldly appearance that inspired Sir Arthur Conan Doyle's famous 1912 novel, "The Lost World." The stark 90-degree angles of the cliff faces look distinctly non-natural, leading many to draw comparisons to ancient megalithic structures like Stonehenge or the perfectly cut stones of Puma Punku.

A dramatic view of a tepui's vertical stone walls rising out of the mist. Visually represents the "artificial cuts" debate.

 Pixabay Free/JohannaWallace

Proponents of the artificial cuts theory point to the immense, block-like formations that litter the plateau and the base of the cliffs. Some of these gigantic stone blocks appear uniformly rectangular, resembling quarried masonry on a scale far beyond human capability. Could a lost civilization have used advanced technology to mine this mountain for precious minerals? While this theory is incredibly compelling and makes for fantastic lore, modern science offers a different, yet equally fascinating, explanation for these supposedly artificial features.

Geological studies have consistently shown that the secret to Mount Roraima lies in the immense power of deep time. According to a comprehensive 2019 study by Sauro et al., the tepuis are composed of ancient Precambrian quartz arenite sandstones. Over millions of years, a unique weathering process known as "arenization" slowly dissolved the quartz. This relentless chemical and physical weathering, combined with massive structural collapses, naturally creates the sheer vertical walls and the giant, block-like sinkholes that mimic artificial cuts. Nature, given enough time, is the ultimate master mason.

Myth of the Tree of Life

While modern science attributes the shape of Mount Roraima to the slow dissolution of quartz sandstone, the indigenous peoples of the region have their own profound explanations. For the Pemon and Kapon tribes, who have inhabited the Circum-Mount Roraima landscape for centuries, the tepui is deeply woven into their cultural DNA. They do not see the mountain as an artificially cut quarry, but rather as the sacred remnants of a cosmic event. Anthropological research, including recent ethnographies by Riris et al. (2025), details the rich oral traditions that view Mount Roraima as the stump of the mighty "Tree of Life."

Blue-tinted ancient rock art showing human and animal figures. Represents the region's indigenous presence and ancient myths. 

Pixabay Free/MikeGoad

According to local folklore, this colossal tree once bore all the fruits and vegetables of the world, providing endless sustenance for humanity. However, a legendary trickster figure named Makunaima chopped down the tree in a moment of greed or folly. The massive trunk crashed to the earth, unleashing a terrible flood, and the sheer, flat-topped stump that remained became Mount Roraima. This powerful myth beautifully explains the "cut" appearance of the tepui without the need for alien lasers or lost technological empires. It highlights a profound spiritual connection to the geological landscape.

The folklore surrounding Mount Roraima is not merely a collection of ancient bedtime stories; it is a vital part of indigenous identity. The mountain is considered sacred ground, heavily protected by spirits, and historically, scaling its walls was strictly forbidden. The mists that perpetually shroud the summit are said to be the smoke from the fires of the spirits. This deep-rooted reverence demonstrates how ancient humans naturally created complex, mythical frameworks to make sense of the awe-inspiring and intimidating geological anomalies of their environment.

A lush, dense tropical waterfall in the Venezuelan jungle, representing the impenetrable Gran Sabana surrounding the tepuis.

Pixabay Free/Atlantios

Prehistoric Footprints in the Gran Sabana

While the theory of artificial cuts remains firmly in the realm of alternative history, there is undeniable evidence of ancient human presence in the shadow of Mount Roraima. Recent archaeological expeditions have begun to reveal that the seemingly impenetrable Canaima National Park complex was not entirely devoid of early human activity. Although the brutal environment makes the preservation of organic material difficult, researchers have found enduring marks left in stone. A 2026 study by García et al. documented the exciting discovery of new rock art sites and lithic tools in the region.

A wide landscape shot showing the massive scale of the tepui plateau rising above the savanna.

(Pixabay Free/jplenio)

These recent findings provide a tangible link between the modern indigenous populations and their prehistoric ancestors. The newly discovered petroglyphs feature intricate geometric patterns, human figures, and representations of the diverse local fauna. The presence of these ancient artists suggests that the area around Mount Roraima has been a site of cultural significance for thousands of years. The lithic tools found nearby indicate that these ancient people were not just passing through, but were actively hunting, gathering, and surviving in this challenging environment.

A moody, dramatic shot of ancient stone monoliths under a stormy sky (Stonehenge style). A thematic image to accompany the "ancient builders" or megalithic theories. 

Pixabay Free/ELG21

The discovery of prehistoric rock art adds a crucial layer of authenticity to the region's historical narrative. It shifts the focus from unsubstantiated claims of advanced ancient engineering to the very real, hard-fought survival of indigenous groups in South America. These ancient people did not need advanced machinery to leave their mark on the world. Their legacy is etched into the stone faces of the Gran Sabana, proving that the true magic of Mount Roraima lies not in hypothetical artificial cuts, but in the enduring relationship between the mountain and the humans who have revered it since antiquity.

Ultimately, Mount Roraima stands as a testament to the staggering power of geological forces and the boundless capacity of human imagination. Whether viewed as the petrified stump of the Tree of Life, a naturally sculpted masterpiece of quartz sandstone, or a canvas for prehistoric artists, it remains one of the Earth's most mesmerizing mysteries. While the vertical cliffs were carved by water and time rather than ancient saws, the true wonder of Mount Roraima is that it continues to inspire a profound sense of awe in everyone who gazes upon its towering walls.

• Top Image: A beautiful, wide-angle shot of the neighboring Kukenan tepui at sunset, showing the massive, seemingly "cut" flat top and vertical walls glowing in golden light. Excellent representation of the tepui structure.
• Source: Paolo Costa Baldi/CC BY-SA 3.0

By Marius Albertsen

FAQs

• Is Mount Roraima artificially cut? No, the sheer vertical cliffs and flat top of Mount Roraima are the result of a natural geological process called arenization. Over millions of years, chemical and physical weathering dissolved the ancient quartz sandstone, causing massive structural collapses that created straight lines resembling artificial cuts.
• What is the indigenous myth of Mount Roraima? The local Pemon and Kapon indigenous peoples believe Mount Roraima is the petrified stump of the legendary "Tree of Life." According to folklore, this massive tree once held all the fruits of the world before it was chopped down by a trickster spirit, leaving behind the flat-topped mountain.
• Are there ancient archaeological sites near Mount Roraima? Yes, recent archaeological studies have uncovered prehistoric rock art, petroglyphs, and lithic (stone) tools in the Canaima National Park region surrounding the tepuis. These discoveries confirm that ancient humans lived and hunted in the shadow of Mount Roraima thousands of years ago.

References

• García, L. et al. 2026. Prehistoric Landscapes of The Canaima Complex: New Rock Art Sites and Lithic Tools in Southeastern Venezuela. Available at: https://www.sciencedirect.com/science/article/abs/pii/S0169555X19302648
• Riris, P. et al. 2025. Indigenous Folklore in the Circum-Mount Roraima Landscape. Available at: Taylor & Francis Online https://www.tandfonline.com/doi/abs/10.1080/0015587X.2025.2539607
• Sauro, F. et al. 2019. Genesis of giant sinkholes and caves in the quartz sandstones of tepuis (Venezuela). Available at: https://www.researchgate.net/publication/400086051_Prehistoric_Landscapes_of_The_Canaima_Complex_New_Rock_Art_Sites_and_Lithic_tools_in_Southeastern_Venezuela

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EXCLUSIVE - I'm an exorcist... Here's the chilling encounter that made me believe UFOs are the work of Satan

By ROB WAUGH

A Catholic priest and exorcist who has encountered demons first-hand has revealed a chilling experience that led him to believe UFOs are actually the work of the devil. 

Father Carlos Martins, an Ontario-born priest who has performed exorcisms around the world, believes the UFO phenomenon is part of a larger spiritual deception designed to undermine Christianity and cast doubt on the Bible.

The priest said a longtime friend who later converted to Christianity once witnessed a gigantic spacecraft hovering silently over a suburban park before it shot away 'instantly to the speed of a bullet.'

The object was allegedly so enormous that the two witnesses could see details on its surface and estimated it stretched across 'many football fields in size.' Yet despite the extraordinary sighting, no one else in the town appeared to notice the object, and there were no local news reports about the alleged encounter.

Years later, after converting to Christianity, Martins' friend came to believe the vision had not been an alien craft at all, but a supernatural illusion sent by the devil.

Speaking to the Daily Mail, Martins said Satan could use belief in extraterrestrial civilizations to create 'a competing account' to Christian scripture and weaken belief in divine revelation.

He also claimed modern UFO encounters, particularly alien abduction stories, often mirror the psychological and physical torment seen during cases of alleged demonic possession.

'If the devil brings it about, he can put it into the human imagination that there is extraterrestrial life, that there are civilizations out there, then he can cause doubt in the Scriptures,' Martin said.

Father Carlos Martins has encountered the Devil and his minions in many forms

'What he's done then is set up a competing account to the Christian scriptures, something the Judeo-Christian scriptures cannot account for, and so there's an indirect repudiation of the truth of revelation. He's accomplished that.'

The idea that UFOs may have demonic origins has gained traction in some conservative religious circles in recent years.

Vice President J D Vance said on a podcast in March: 'I don't think they're aliens, I think they're demons.'

Martins converted from atheism to Christianity while studying as an undergraduate and says one of his closest friends experienced an encounter that radically shaped his understanding of UFOs.

The priest recalled: 'I have a good friend who is a convert. He converted to the Christian faith in his late teens or early 20s. We grew up in the same hometown.

'[My friend] was walking with another friend on a weeknight along a trail in a suburb that ran between two homes and opened into a large park. 

'They looked up into the sky and saw this enormously large spaceship. It was immensely large, many football fields in size.'

The two men allegedly watched the giant craft hovering silently overhead and were close enough to make out details on its surface.

Father Carlos Martins, an Ontario-born priest who has performed exorcisms around the world, believes the UFO phenomenon is part of a larger spiritual deception designed to undermine Christianity and cast doubt on the Bible  (stock)

Martins said: 'They look at one another, and then they look back at the ship, and it would have been less than a minute.

'All of a sudden, it takes off with a speed that's just unfathomable, instantly to the speed of a bullet. So it just shot out of the sky. There wasn't an acceleration, it was just instant darting away.'

According to Martins, the most disturbing aspect of the encounter was that nobody else seemed to have witnessed the gigantic craft.

There were no reports in local newspapers, no emergency calls and no indication anyone else in town had seen the alleged spacecraft.

For years, his friend struggled to understand the experience until later converting to Christianity.

'My friend, when he converted, or after he converted, we talked about this again, Martins said.

'I remember a couple of times, and I said to him, "Look, what do you think that was?" He said, "No question. It was the devil."'

'He said, "If I were to buy into this concept, then of their being ET life, then it would cast a doubt on the Christian account of what exists in the universe of God's plan for it."'

He said reports involving UFOs and alien encounters have increasingly appeared alongside exorcism cases during the last decade.

'There's definitely been a rise, I would say, in the last 10 years of integration of UFO and extraterrestrial, alien life stuff and exorcism,' Martins explained.

'I wouldn't say that it's common, but I would say it's definitely on the rise.'

Above, a still from a video released in the Trump administration's disclosure appears to show a glowing object resembling an 'eight-pointed star' with uneven arms moving across the sky, which almost seemed to shape-shift in mid-air

Martins believes many UFO sightings are elaborate illusions created to deceive human senses.

'The senses can be deceived. Fake sense experience can be produced. That's the point,' he said. 'So an illusion, a mirage, which I've seen many times.'

The priest said he witnessed this phenomenon firsthand while performing an exorcism on a firefighter he believed was possessed.

Martins said he secretly flicked a tiny amount of holy water onto the man's clothing while walking behind him.

According to Martins, the man suddenly reacted violently.

'He shot up out of his chair and started hissing, and his teeth seemed to grow some two inches, like there were fangs at that moment,' Martins said. 'For a split second, the fangs were protruding from his mouth.'

Martins believes the apparent transformation was not physically real, but rather a visual illusion generated by demonic forces.

'The devil is perfectly capable of bending light. He's perfectly capable of causing a mirage and illusion,' the priest said. 'I mean, he is by far the greatest magician, the greatest sleight of hand performer that has ever existed.'

The priest also argued that alleged alien abductions closely resemble accounts of demonic oppression and possession.

'When you read accounts of abductions of people that have been allegedly abducted, very similar to ones that are demonically tortured,' Martins said. 'There are large gaps in memory.'

He added: 'The phenomenon, the experience of the victim, is kind of always the same. Across the board, there's an abuse of the body, an abuse of the person.'

Martins believes modern fascination with extraterrestrials emerged during the Space Age and gradually replaced older supernatural folklore.

'This is the modern-day folk account of leprechauns, tooth fairies and pixies,' he said. 'It was only when we entered the Space Age. 

'Then the view of man changed, and that became kind of the new realm, the blank slate by which the devil could approve and kind of begin to dictate a new story.'

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Aliens on Anlaby school roof and ETs sending invisible cars to Goole - the weird tales unearthed by UFO investigator

Researcher Nigel Watson has documented a trove of astonishing cases

It was not long after the Christmas holidays on a Wednesday in 1978 at Anlaby Primary School when "Peter" - a pseudonymous pupil - is reported to have had a close encounter of the third. Later that day, the seven year old told his puzzled mum that, while in the playground, he had heard a sharp whistling noise and looked up to see a flying saucer that was changing colour as it came in to land on the school's flat roof.

Three humanoid beings are said to have got out of the craft - they appeared to be armless and wearing gold suits with wires or tubes hanging from their backs which connected them to the craft. Peter ran off to tell a friend but looked back to see the beings had got back into the craft - which took off slowly before flying away "like a boomerang" once it had cleared nearby buildings

Peter's sighting - only a couple of months before Steven Spielberg's blockbuster Close Encounters Of The Third Kind hit British cinemas - is just one of several bizarre accounts from the Humber region researched by Scunthorpe UFO investigator Nigel Watson, who has spent much of his life peering into people's experience of the phenomenon.

Now, with the US Government's release of so-called UFO files and supposed whistleblowers coming forward in recent years, Nigel has highlighted several astonishing tales from his book - Portraits Of Alien Encounters Revisited: High Strangeness British UFO Cases - which was published last year and includes cases predominantly from the 1970s and 80s.

Nigel, who was a founder of the Scunthorpe UFO Research Society in the early 1970s, was drawn to the subject amid the space race in the '60s and began interviewing people from across the North of England, who claimed to have seen mainly anomalous lights in the sky. Many, he supposes, were actually satellites, flares or other more pedestrian explanations.

Nigel Watson is a UFO researcher who has penned Portraits of Alien Encounters Revisited: High Strangeness British UFO Cases.

(Image: Nigel Watson)

But, for Nigel, a handful of really incredible stories stuck out - with some reported on his doorstep. The Anlaby encounter came only months after the eerily similar Wawne Primary case.

Nigel explained: "Children saw a craft fly over their school. The headmaster got them to do drawings and plasticine models afterwards, and they all seemed to be very similar."

On the same day, 12 miles to the North West of Wawne, a mother and her seven year-old son were going to the youth club at Middleton when they saw a brilliant cone of blue light. They reported it travelling silently at high speed, and that as it moved it got larger. Nigel says the boy's description of it as "like a rocket" suggests they saw a meteor or fireball.

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Have you ever contemplated the differences between a laser and a conventional flashlight? Addressing this inquiry necessitates a succinct historical overview and a detailed examination of the nature of light. This will be the focus of our discussion now.

Laser show. Source: phys.org

What is light?

May 16 is observed as the International Day of Light, initiated by the United Nations. This date is not arbitrary; on this day in 1960, Theodore Maiman first demonstrated the operation of a solid-state laser. One might inquire why the date was not chosen to coincide with the invention of the electric light bulb or a flashlight based upon it. The response to this inquiry prompts a counter-question: how does a flashlight fundamentally differ from a laser? Can a laser be considered a type of flashlight? And what precisely is light? Let us commence with this final question.

Since antiquity, humans have been captivated by the nature of light. As early as the 5th century BC, the ancient Greek philosopher Empedocles examined concepts related to rays and their origins. Two centuries thereafter, Euclid provided a mathematical description of the laws governing light reflection. Subsequently, Ptolemy investigated the phenomena of light refraction.

Theodore Maiman and the laser he invented. Source: Wikipedia

However, no one was able to elucidate the composition of the sunlight or the stars observed. It was not until 77 B.C. that the ancient Roman scholar Lucretius proposed that light consists of a stream of particles interacting with the human eye. Nevertheless, other ancient writers were gradual in accepting this theory.

This concept did not become widely popular until the subsequent millennium, and it was Indian and Arab scholars — not European researchers — who were the initial adopters.

Nevertheless, by the 17th century, the theory that light consisted of a stream of very small particles (corpuscles) had already become predominant in European science. The initial experiments validating this theory had already been performed. However, Francesco Grimaldi subsequently discovered the phenomena of light interference and diffraction, leading to the conclusion that light is a wave — a vibration that propagates through a medium filling all of space, which was then referred to as the ether. Over the following three centuries, numerous experiments were undertaken: some unequivocally confirmed that light is particulate, while others convincingly demonstrated that it is a wave.

Refraction of light. Source: Wikipedia

Wave-particle duality

The debate regarding the nature of light was among the most comprehensive in global history. It was not resolved until the early twentieth century. Initially, investigations into the internal structure of the atom suggested that electrons sometimes exhibit behavior characteristic of both particles and waves.

Albert Einstein then utilized these theories to elucidate the photoelectric effect — a phenomenon wherein light incident on specific materials induces an electric current to flow within a closed circuit connected to them. It is this very phenomenon that forms the fundamental basis for the operation of contemporary solar panels and photovoltaic cell-based motion sensors.

Einstein elucidated the photoelectric effect by stating that an electron cannot orbit the nucleus of an atom in arbitrary paths, but only along specific trajectories, with the differences between these paths corresponding to precisely defined quantum of energy. It is these quanta of energy that the electron absorbs upon collision with a photon. If, subsequently, the electron transitions to a sufficiently excited state, it commences movement from one atom to another. This process is the mechanism by which an electric current is generated.

Light diffraction. Source: Wikipedia

Interestingly, Einstein’s original papers from 1905 to 1917 do not use the modern name for the particle — the photon. That term was proposed by Gilbert Lewis in 1926. Einstein himself referred to it specifically as a “light quantum.”

The recognition of a particle of light as a quantum has definitively resolved the longstanding debate regarding its fundamental nature. Indeed, photons, along with all other elementary particles, demonstrate wave-particle duality. In essence, they can exhibit momentum and a trajectory of motion akin to a ballistic object, while simultaneously possessing frequency and amplitude characteristic of a wave in the ocean.

Concurrently, a photon’s energy is contingent upon its frequency, and not on its amplitude. Moreover, it certainly does not depend on mass, as photons inherently lack mass. It is due to this fact that photons in a vacuum consistently travel at the maximum attainable velocity within our universe: 299,792,458 meters per second. This velocity is commonly referred to as the speed of light.

The photoelectric effect. Source: Wikipedia

Visible light

Another notable feature of the photon is that it possesses no intrinsic electric charge. Nevertheless, it functions as a mediator of electromagnetic interaction. In fact, visible light constitutes only a minor segment of the electromagnetic spectrum, which extends from radio waves to gamma rays.

It is unsurprising that photons are represented by the Greek letter γ, which is also used for the most intense form of radiation. This correspondence arises because they are essentially identical particles, distinguished only by their varying energies. Similarly, the same principle applies to infrared and ultraviolet light.

In conclusion, our Sun emits photons across a broad spectrum. The most hazardous portion of this radiation is effectively obstructed by our planet’s magnetic field and ozone layer. Of the remaining radiation, we perceive only photons with wavelengths between 400 and 780 nanometers. Consequently, what we observe as visible light is, in fact, a composite of particles with varying frequencies, given that this attribute is inversely proportional to wavelength.

You may observe this phenomenon firsthand by witnessing light disperse into a spectrum. In the natural environment, this process is quite commonplace, with its most prevalent form being the one produced by numerous water droplets suspended aloft in the sky. This optical phenomenon is commonly known as a rainbow.

Electromagnetic spectrum. Source: Wikipedia

Light is also dispersed into a spectrum within various containers filled with water. However, this process is typically executed intentionally through the use of prisms. The fundamental principle involves employing reflection and refraction to cause particles, which were previously traveling in unison, to diverge at different angles. These variations are perceived as distinct colors.

Our chromatic perception functions in a comparable manner with regard to the surrounding objects. When an object absorbs all photons within the visible spectrum except for a narrow band that is reflected, we perceive it as possessing a particular color.

With colored light produced by a transparent medium — such as in stained glass — the principle is similar, but with a slight difference. In that case, the material also absorbs most of the visible spectrum, but the remainder is not only reflected but also transmitted through it.

Lighting sources

Once the nature of light was comprehended, individuals initiated the pursuit of more advanced techniques for its generation. Historically, the prevalent approach entailed the utilization of heated objects or gaseous byproducts resulting from exothermic reactions. Furthermore, heat represents a manifestation of electromagnetic interaction, transmitted via photons.

A thermal imager operates by detecting infrared radiation. Source: Wikipedia

In the case of an open flame, this is not immediately apparent, as it is necessary to first understand that the combustion reaction initially generates a dense cloud of hot gases (the flame), which emits photons. Concurrently, because the transfer of energy between electrons and atomic nuclei occurs in a chaotic manner, the photons produced possess a range of frequencies and energies.

Consequently, any object subjected to sufficient heating emits photons. However, not all photons possess a frequency within the visible light spectrum. An example of this can be observed in infrared thermal imaging cameras. Their remarkable capability to operate effectively in darkness is merely a result of detecting low-frequency photons and transforming the resulting image into a visible format.

Another example is heating metal until it glows. Typically, this produces a red color. The reason is that the hotter a body gets, the higher the frequency of the emitted photons becomes. And the first color in the visible spectrum that they encounter is red. To produce other colors, the material must be heated to a temperature at which most metals melt or react with atmospheric gases.

Energy distribution in an incandescent lamp. Source: Wikipedia

However, individuals discovered alternative methods to circumvent this limitation even prior to Einstein’s establishment of the quantum nature of light. The solution involves a tungsten filament, which is integrated into an electrical circuit and mounted within a glass vacuum bulb. This device is referred to as an incandescent lamp, and until recently, it represented the most prevalent method for illuminating residential spaces.

The most intriguing aspect of this method is that, owing to its imperfections, the spectrum of photons generated when an electric current traverses a filament exhibits a slight shift toward the red end of the spectrum in comparison to sunlight. However, this characteristic has become so familiar to us that it is commonly referred to as “warm incandescent light.”

Nevertheless, in contemporary practice, we predominantly employ lighting fixtures that utilize more energy-efficient LED technology. Indeed, an incandescent bulb is so designated because it primarily emits energy in the infrared spectrum, which does not contribute to enhancing indoor illumination.

In fact, Light Emitting Diodes (LEDs) emit blue light, which is subsequently transformed into white light.
Source: activeshop.com.ua

The underlying principle of the energy efficiency of Light Emitting Diodes (LEDs) resides in the fact that photons are emitted not during the excited state of atoms, but as a consequence of electron transitions between different types of semiconductors. The nature of these transitions is dictated by the composition of the materials involved. The energy of the emitted photons remains constant, resulting in the emission of light of a singular color.

The paradox lies in the fact that it cannot be considered the “white sunlight” it appears to be, such as when a flashlight is turned on. This is because, as previously noted, sunlight itself is a combination of various wavelengths.

In reality, no LED is truly white. It is either a blue LED coated with a yellow phosphor that emits yellow light, together producing the desired color, or it consists of three separate LEDs — red, green, and blue — that collectively generate the same effect.

What is the relevance of the laser in this context?

This raises the question: Is it even feasible to produce a light source capable of generating the purest possible electromagnetic waves across any frequency spectrum? The answer is the laser. More precisely, the answer resides in the principle of stimulated emission of photons, which underpins its operation.

All the light sources described heretofore emit photons passively, as a consequence of other processes. However, Einstein himself proposed as early as 1916 that electrons could be induced to emit photons collectively simply by prompting their transition from one orbital level to another.

For this phenomenon to occur consistently, it is essential that the majority of atoms within a given volume be in an excited state. Additionally, the environment in which the process occurs must be enclosed by a mirrored surface capable of reflecting photons. As a result, the number of photons within the generator will continuously increase, and it is then sufficient to leave a single narrow aperture through which they can pass, thereby producing a beam of intense radiation.

A distinguishing characteristic of such a system is that, akin to LEDs, all emitted photons possess identical frequencies. Nevertheless, a notable distinction exists between them. Spontaneous emission in semiconductors transpires with phase and directional mismatches. Conversely, in a laser beam, all electromagnetic oscillations are flawlessly superimposed. This phenomenon is termed coherence, and it fundamentally differentiates a laser from all other sources of light.

Lasers emitting at various wavelengths. Source: Wikipedia.

Recall the initial stages of our study on light? It began with rays. However, rays emanating from all light sources gradually diverge in every direction as they propagate, and at a certain distance, they form a large spot. In contrast, with lasers, due to their coherence, this process occurs at a significantly slower rate.

This is precisely why they are utilized as indicators. The concept underlying beam weapons similarly relies on this principle, as well as on the fact that pumping a medium can produce a significantly large number of photons. Furthermore, a high photon density per unit cross-sectional area of the beam corresponds to a substantial amount of energy being transferred to the material.

In essence, the laser is regarded as the most exemplary source of illumination ever developed by mankind. It is therefore not surprising that the United Nations designated the date of its initial demonstration as World Light Day. After all, it was at that juncture that humanity achieved comprehensive mastery over this enigmatic phenomenon, the nature of which had been subject to debate for centuries.

• Posted in Articles, Questions

{ https://universemagazine.com/en/articles-en/ }

Have you ever contemplated the differences between a laser and a conventional flashlight? Addressing this inquiry necessitates a succinct historical overview and a detailed examination of the nature of light. This will be the focus of our discussion now.

What is the relevance of the laser in this context?

This raises the question: Is it even feasible to produce a light source capable of generating the purest possible electromagnetic waves across any frequency spectrum? The answer is the laser. More precisely, the answer resides in the principle of stimulated emission of photons, which underpins its operation.

All the light sources described heretofore emit photons passively, as a consequence of other processes. However, Einstein himself proposed as early as 1916 that electrons could be induced to emit photons collectively simply by prompting their transition from one orbital level to another.

For this phenomenon to occur consistently, it is essential that the majority of atoms within a given volume be in an excited state. Additionally, the environment in which the process occurs must be enclosed by a mirrored surface capable of reflecting photons. As a result, the number of photons within the generator will continuously increase, and it is then sufficient to leave a single narrow aperture through which they can pass, thereby producing a beam of intense radiation.

A distinguishing characteristic of such a system is that, akin to LEDs, all emitted photons possess identical frequencies. Nevertheless, a notable distinction exists between them. Spontaneous emission in semiconductors transpires with phase and directional mismatches. Conversely, in a laser beam, all electromagnetic oscillations are flawlessly superimposed. This phenomenon is termed coherence, and it fundamentally differentiates a laser from all other sources of light.

Lasers emitting at various wavelengths. Source: Wikipedia.

Recall the initial stages of our study on light? It began with rays. However, rays emanating from all light sources gradually diverge in every direction as they propagate, and at a certain distance, they form a large spot. In contrast, with lasers, due to their coherence, this process occurs at a significantly slower rate.

This is precisely why they are utilized as indicators. The concept underlying beam weapons similarly relies on this principle, as well as on the fact that pumping a medium can produce a significantly large number of photons. Furthermore, a high photon density per unit cross-sectional area of the beam corresponds to a substantial amount of energy being transferred to the material.

In essence, the laser is regarded as the most exemplary source of illumination ever developed by mankind. It is therefore not surprising that the United Nations designated the date of its initial demonstration as World Light Day. After all, it was at that juncture that humanity achieved comprehensive mastery over this enigmatic phenomenon, the nature of which had been subject to debate for centuries.

{ https://universemagazine.com/en/articles-en/ }

This year, humanoid robots have moved from lab demonstrations to the real market. Several companies are already taking orders or beginning their first shipments.

A modern humanoid robot in 2026. Source: humanoidroboticstechnology.com

At home

The robot currently closest to consumers is NEO from 1X. It is a lightweight robot weighing 30 kg with quiet electric motors, designed specifically for the home environment. Unlike industrial platforms, it does not require a specially prepared space and is designed specifically for ordinary homes.

NEO is a lightweight humanoid robot from 1X, designed for home use. Source: humanoidroboticstechnology.com

NEO cleans, organizes items, and gradually learns new tasks through interaction with humans. The first shipments to customers are scheduled for 2026, and this makes NEO a humanoid that is truly moving toward the mass consumer market.

Human-faced robot

Among them all, Ameca from Engineered Arts stands out. It’s not just a work tool, but a platform for social interaction featuring over 50 facial expressions and natural body movements. It’s used in the service industry, education, and media—fields that focus more on how a robot communicates than on what it does.

Ameca is a humanoid robot developed by Engineered Arts that can produce over 50 facial expressions. Source: humanoidroboticstechnology.com

In terms of facial expressiveness, Ameca has no equal among modern humanoids. Conversational artificial intelligence allows it to maintain natural dialogue, respond to questions, and adapt to its conversation partner. This robot comes closest to the image of a robot that, for decades, existed only in science fiction.

For manufacturing

Several platforms stand out in the industrial market. Tesla’s Optimus Gen 2, which stands 1.73 meters tall and weighs 57 kilograms, is designed for factory production lines and home automation. Its estimated price is around $30,000—relatively affordable for the corporate sector.

Optimus Gen 2 is a humanoid robot developed by Tesla for factory production lines and home automation. Source: humanoidroboticstechnology.com

Boston Dynamics’ Electric Atlas sets the standard for mobility among industrial humanoids. Standing 1.9 meters tall with a reach of 2.3 meters, it is capable of working in environments where it would be inconvenient or dangerous for humans. The first batches have already been distributed to Hyundai and Google DeepMind, with subsequent deliveries scheduled for early 2027.

Electric Atlas is a humanoid robot developed by Boston Dynamics for industrial tasks and harsh manufacturing environments. Source: humanoidroboticstechnology.com

What’s happening in the market

Most humanoids in 2026 weigh between 30 and 90 kg, operate for 2 to 5 hours on a single charge, and can carry loads of 15 to 20 kg. The specifications are similar, but their purposes differ: some platforms are designed for factory lines, while others are intended for home use or public interaction.

A common trend is that manufacturers are moving away from flashy demonstrations and toward actual deployment. Some models are already available for order, while others are in the final stages before commercial launch—and it appears that 2026 will be the first year that humanoid robots leave the laboratory on a large scale.

• According to humanoidroboticstechnology.com 

• Posted in News, Tech 

{ https://universemagazine.com/en/articles-en/ }

Scientists have proposed a new method for searching for signs of life on other worlds in the Solar System. Instead of focusing on individual chemical compounds, they suggest analyzing statistical patterns in organic molecules.

This illustration symbolizes the search for specific chemical compounds as biomarkers. A new study suggests that analyzing statistical patterns in amino acids and lipids may be a more promising approach. Source: nasa.gov

Problem with a single marker

The traditional approach to searching for biomarkers involves identifying specific substances: oxygen, methane, and nitrous oxide. The problem is that these same compounds can form without the involvement of living organisms. Meteorites, asteroids, and laboratory simulations of prebiotic conditions—all of them can contain amino acids and lipids, so their presence alone proves nothing.

Researchers from the Weizmann Institute of Science in Israel and the University of California, Riverside, have developed a statistical system based on the concept of ecological diversity. 

This concept originated in ecological theory, where it is used to describe the structure of biological populations: how many species are present and how evenly they are distributed. Scientists have applied the same logic to molecular sets—amino acids and fatty acids.

Infographic showing possible sources of methane on Mars. Microbes are just one of them, so the detection of this gas is not definitive evidence of life. Credit: NASA/JPL-Caltech. Source: nasa.gov

What the results showed

It turns out that amino acids of biotic origin are more diverse and more evenly distributed than those formed abiotically. The situation is the opposite for fatty acids: abiotic samples show a higher degree of uniformity in distribution.

It is important to note that these patterns remain stable even after the molecules have been significantly degraded. Among the samples studied were fossilized dinosaur eggs—and the statistical signal of biotic origin was preserved in them.

Where and how to use it

The authors specifically highlight Europa—a moon of Jupiter—where radiolysis is considered the primary factor in the breakdown of organic matter in the near-surface ice. Using this specific example, they simulated the degradation of molecules and confirmed that the method remains reliable even under such conditions. It does not replace other approaches, but it adds another independent line of evidence to future research.

“When different methods point in the same direction, it becomes very convincing,” said Fabian Klenner, a co-author of the study. The study was published in Nature Astronomy.

• According to universetoday.com 

• Posted in News, Science

{ https://universemagazine.com/en/articles-en/ }

UFO files: What woman told FBI about ‘alien in earthly form’ in 1967

FBI declassified records reveal a woman's 1967 UFO encounter, detailing her claims of interaction with an extraterrestrial being.

The woman allegedly claimed the extraterrestrial being shared confidential information before eventually leaving Earth.

(Unsplash/ Representational)

Declassified records tied to the Federal Bureau of Investigation detailed extraordinary claims made by a woman who allegedly reported a UFO encounter to authorities in 1967.

According to a report published by The Mirror US, the unidentified woman told FBI personnel she had interacted with a being from another world that had “assumed earthly form.”

The files reportedly describe the woman as a “young white female” who contacted the bureau and later expressed fear for her safety.

According to the report, she would only agree to meet through the FBI’s Dallas field office and supplied a phone number for communication if Air Force officials wished to interview her further.

Also Read: 

• UFO Files: Pentagon archive reveals bizarre ‘eight-pointed star’ caught on infrared camera

The woman allegedly claimed the extraterrestrial being shared confidential information before eventually leaving Earth.

Among the more sensational allegations was a supposed incident over Africa on May 22, 1962, where an antimissile weapon was reportedly fired at a UFO. The object, she claimed, survived because it was protected by a “force field.”

According to the woman’s account, the craft was later brought down, and extraterrestrials were attempting to recover debris connected to the incident.

The claims have not been independently verified, and no public evidence has emerged confirming the alleged encounters or events described in the files.

Also Read: 

• Apollo photos in Trump's UFO files may have answered most pressing question - Are aliens real?

Posting on Truth Social, Trump said his administration had released a “first tranche” of UFO and UAP records in the interest of “Complete and Maximum Transparency.”

“Whereas previous Administrations have failed to be transparent on this subject, with these new Documents and Videos, the people can decide for themselves,” Trump wrote before adding: “WHAT THE HELL IS GOING ON? Have Fun and Enjoy!”

Meanwhile, Jared Isaacman publicly backed the transparency effort, saying NASA would continue to “follow the data” while remaining candid about what remains unknown regarding unidentified aerial phenomena.

{ https://www.hindustantimes.com/ }

Featured Image Credit: Getty stock

Declassified FBI files expose terrifying messages from outer space

Britt Jones

FBI documents have been released, which reveals what aliens allegedly really think about humans, and it’s not ideal.

Remember when UFOs and little green men were nothing but fiction? Yeah, me too.

But apparently, the tin-foil-hat society was a little closer to the mark than any of us would like to admit.

Decades of conspiracies have floated around the internet, putting the US government at the centre of a huge cover up regarding extra-terrestrials.

However, even after documentaries, alleged probing victim statements, and numerous sightings, nothing was ever officially confirmed.

Until recently.

The last couple of years has been major for alien news, with little snippets of information being revealed: namely, that aliens are real and spaceships have been actually seen up close.

The FBI declassified alien files

(FBI)

Oddly, nobody was all that surprised to learn that it was true, but what they might end up getting their backs up about is the new information which shows how these space-beings feel about us.

After the Trump administration ordered a huge info dump to be dropped, with FBI classified files being revealed, it turns out we’re not the greatest species after all.

More like the ants of the universe.

The information is contained in an FBI memo of the 1955 interrogation of the Detroit Flying Saucer Club – a prominent UFO group.

According to the files, Randall Cox, a member of the club, told the FBI that aliens had been sending communication to them, revealing that all other planets had ‘conquered outer space,’ with Earth just left in the dust.

Oh, and they also consider us the ‘lowest form of universal existence.’

I didn’t think I’d have beef with space, but here we are.

"You can't sit with us" - the aliens, probably

(Getty Stock Images)

Anyway, the documents went on to suggest that aliens had been prepping us for their arrival, stating: "He feels the purpose of contacts with Earth is limited at this time to preparing people to receive landings from outer space."

However, not to fear – apparently the UFOs were ‘friendly to the US.’

The files were dropped on the orders of Secretary of War Pete Hegseth under Donald Trump’s orders, leading to some political figures to take a swipe at the administration after it had denied the files existence.

One of the critics, Tennessee Representative Tim Burchett, wrote on X that things are going to get messy, writing: "The 1st drop will be big, but in comparison to what is coming they will be a drop in the bucket. I would say 'Holy Crap' is coming."

{ https://www.ladbible.com/news }

EXCLUSIVE - Top scientist admits universe is 'teeming with life'... and reveals what first contact will look like amid Trump's UFO disclosure

By CHRIS MELORE, DEPUTY SCIENCE EDITOR FOR DAILYMAIL.COM

One of America's most popular scientists says there is no doubt the universe is teeming with extraterrestrial life as UFO disclosure gets underway. 

Neil deGrasse Tyson, the famed astrophysicist, author and podcast host, spoke to the Daily Mail about the first wave of files released by the Pentagon on May 8 and what secrets could still be coming.

When asked if aliens really exist, Tyson said: 'Anyone who's studied the problem would answer without hesitation that we are not alone.'

'We're made of the most common ingredients in the universe. So life, if anything, was opportunistic, working with the materials that it was given in the early Earth. So, anyone who's studied the problem is ready for the universe to be teeming with life.'

While Tyson, 67, was skeptical that US intelligence officials were preparing to reveal a living alien or the corpse of one, he was certain the world was prepared for the watershed moment when the existence of life on other planets was confirmed.

'Of course, we're ready, because movies have been prepping us ever since War of the Worlds. We've already been told the government has them in the back shed; they just haven't brought them out yet. So, society didn't collapse in the face of that knowledge,' the scientist declared.

With first contact in mind, Tyson noted that humanity would need to take key steps to prove its intelligence to visitors who have the power to travel millions of miles through interstellar space.

That includes remembering a set of key facts he said every child learned in middle school - the Pythagorean theorem and the periodic table of elements.

Neil deGrasse Tyson (Pictured) has revealed what he believes will be the key information alien life would need to hear from humanity during first contact

The Pentagon began releasing the first files related to UFO encounters and the search for alien life on May 8

'Science and math would be universal languages. They would need to know science and math to get here. They don't know English, they don't know Latin, they don't know any of our languages, they don't know our culture, but they'll know science,' Tyson explained.

'It'll be a first step towards endearing them to us, and that we're not just worms crawling beneath their feet.'

The astrophysicist did not believe that face-to-face contact with alien life has actually taken place yet, despite the growing interest in UFO disclosure.

He noted that if aliens had really landed, it would be unlikely that only the government would know, especially with so many cameras and people having access to technology worldwide.

Tyson was also skeptical that aliens would only appear in restricted military airspace, as some UFO whistleblowers have detailed.

'I think a first encounter would not necessarily be with a military pilot. It could just be anybody who's got one of these recording devices. In a first encounter, it could be anybody, anywhere on the Earth.'

However, there was one group of people Tyson said should not receive the honor of making first contact with alien life, flat earthers.

'I'd be scared if the first person the alien found was a flat earther. Then it's like, okay, there's no hope for civilization if they're trying to convince the alien that Earth is flat. The alien would just run home to their home planet and report that there's no sign of intelligent life on Earth. We don't want that to happen.'

Tyson (Left) has released a new book which focuses on the topic of alien abduction and the real-life physics that the scientist said would make these encounters possible

A government graphic, based on witness reports from 2023, depicts a massive ellipsoid-shaped object that witnesses claimed emerged from a bright light in the sky before vanishing 

Newly released FBI files have revealed shocking details of mysterious four-foot-tall crewmen exiting a UFO in the 1960s

Although Tyson has previously stated there has been insufficient evidence to prove that extraterrestrials have visited Earth, his new book, 'Take Me To Your Leader,' is bracing for the possibility of shocking revelations as UFO disclosure continues.

The author described the book, which delves heavily into the realm of alien abductions, as a celebration of how humans have imagined extraterrestrials, while comparing it with realistic possibilities based on physics and biology. It is available for purchase starting May 12.

Tyson added his stance on the question of alien encounters has changed because of high-ranking military, intelligence and government insiders who have come forward with serious claims, including that the military has been reverse-engineering alien craft for decades.

'That ship has sailed, because we had people from deep within the government testifying in front of Congress,' Tyson noted.

However, the astrophysicist noted that he was still taking a scientific approach to the decades-old reports and witness testimony presented in the first tranche of UFO documents released, saying it was not true evidence of alien life.

Referencing alien abduction claims, Tyson said: 'Testimony does not count as evidence. Evidence is evidence. So, if you had a high-res video walking onto an alien ship, and they did an anal probe, that's pretty good evidence.'

'What I want in the disclosure is to disclose the alien. Bring out the alien. If you got one in the back, bring it out,' he added.

Are Humans Alone In The Universe?

Scientists just realised the universe is bigger than we thought — and it changes everything

{ https://www.dailymail.com/sciencetech/index.html }

The UFO files are online and the space aliens are still missing

by Denyse O'Leary

Here they are — the US government documents on UFOs, now unclassified. At last, the conspiracy to hide them is unmasked!

Okay. We would not wish to be persecuted by the Conscience Fairy for deceiving anyone in this matter so let the articulate University of Rochester astrophysicist Adam Frank speak for us about what that really means:

I get up early and starting pouring through them. I click. I read. I watch videos. I click again. And then I realize…

There’s nothing here.

This highly touted disclosure amounts to just an endless parade of fuzzy images (or videos) and unverifiable personal testimony. Some of the documents go back 70 years but it’s all basically the same. Taken as a whole, it’s the kind of thing we’ve seen for decades: fuzzy images; unverifiable personal testimony; no hard evidence. There’s even a laughable image of flashing “orb‘ in a wheat field made by photoshopping a bad cartoon onto to a photo. It was an FBI technician’s attempt to illustrate someone’s account of a sighting.

“The End of UFOs?,” Everyman’s Universe, May 13, 2026

He goes on to complain, “Given the explosive congressional hearings we seen where witness claim the government has lots in crashed alien spaceships and dead alien bodies, I was kinda hoping for a whole lot more. It was all just so… boring.”

The US government probably made a wise call in this matter because almost all of the conspiracy nonsense revolved around the word “classified.” Not any more. Now, if you want to wade through pages of fuzzy nothing, nothing other than your sense of the value of your time is stopping you.

In the US edition of Spectator, David Whitehouse has it right about what secrecy does:

It launched the careers of a new wave of UFO celebrities who fed the growing number of UFO YouTube channels and conferences. There were speaking tours, TV spots and book deals. They fueled the decades old suspicion that there is a cover-up, a conspiracy hiding our contact with so-called non-human intelligence and retrieved crashed spaceships. The key word was disclosure. Stephen Spielberg caught the zeitgeist and his new film, “Disclosure Day,” is out soon.

“The only thing out there is the UFO industrial complex,” May 11, 2026

For all some of the rest of us know, it was pressure from various actors to keep their profitable gigs going that kept the UFO secrecy in place all these years.

Call that a conspiracy theory if you want. But remember, it does not involve any aliens. Just speculations about the hard business calculations from known earthly actors. I could be wrong but it is definitely not weird.

Look, maybe we are alone in the universe. Or maybe not. But real space exploration, the tough stuff, is the only way we can hope to find out.

{ https://mindmatters.ai/ }

260 Giant Monuments Found In Sahara Desert, Where A Dangerous New Gold Rush Is Heating Up

'The biggest El Niño event since the 1870s': 'Super' El Niño is now the most likely scenario by the end of this year ‪—‬ and the humanitarian cost could be huge

A "very strong" El Niño is now the most probable scenario for the October-to-February period.

{ https://www.livescience.com/planet-earth/climate-change }

Mars Express

Since its 2003 launch, Mars Express has been exploring the Red Planet with a suite of eight onboard instruments. Consisting of a lander, Beagle 2, and the Mars Express orbiter, the spacecraft has been especially prolific, mapping the Martian surface color and three dimensions at never-before-achieved resolution over the last two decades.

An earlier Mars Express video, captured in October 2025, observed the channel from beginning to end. Yet, this new image captured by the Mars Express’s High Resolution Stereo Camera (HRSC) focuses more tightly on a northern segment of the 1300-kilometer-long Shalbatana Vallis, providing exquisite, high-resolution detail on this intriguing surface feature.

Forging the Shalbatana Vallis

Scientists believe that, as large amounts of groundwater rose to the surface to flood this equatorial region roughly 3.5 billion years ago, that catastrophe produced the Shalbatana Vallis, cutting a winding path through the rock. The main valley cuts 500 meters deep, yet extends about 10 kilometers wide as it meanders across the Martian surface.

As weathering carved the valley, scientists believe this also filled it in over time. The precise materials that infilled the once-deep valley cannot be pinpointed, yet some clues exist. Researchers believe that a blue-black material in part of the modern channel is volcanic ash strewn about by Martian winds.

A chaotic area in the Shalbatana Vallis lies near a patch of likely volcanic ash.

Credit: ESA/DLR/FU Berlin

Unusual Terrain Features of Mars

Other valleys of Shalbatana Vallis’s type abound in the region, which is home to many marks of local volatility. On one side are the northern lowlands, relatively smooth, while the highlands to the south are heavily cratered from ancient space impacts. It also lies near Chris Planitia, likely an ancient ocean, based on its status as one of the lowest points on the Martian surface and the many outflow channels leading into it.

Often accompanying outflow channels, such as Shalbatana Vallis, are scattered rock mounds and raised blocks known as chaotic terrain. In this instance, a section of chaotic terrain appears in the images near the blue/black portion identified as likely volcanic ash. Such features are likely born in the collapse of the surface ground, as water ice below melts, creating instability. Mars Express has previously captured such features in the areas of Pyrrhae Regio, Iani Chaos, Ariadnes Colles, Aram Chaos, and Hydraotes Chaos.

Remnants of impact craters in the area now lie partially obscured by later burial, long-term wear, and even a covering of material ejected during the initial impact. Volcanic activity has, over time, flooded the regions with lava, smoothing many of these ancient features before cooling and shrinking into wrinkle ridges. Presently, a few isolated portions of the earlier surface still remain, now as hill tops scattered through the channel.

Going forward, with the help of software updates that occurred last year, ESA scientists are expected to keep Mars Express operational through 2034, providing ever more data ahead of any potential crewed landings on the Red Planet.

• Ryan Whalen covers science and technology for The Debrief. He holds an MA in History and a Master of Library and Information Science with a certificate in Data Science. He can be contacted at ryan@thedebrief.org, and follow him on Twitter @mdntwvlf.

{ https://thedebrief.org/category/space/ }

EXCLUSIVE - Eight chilling never-before-seen UFO videos at center of explosive disclosure battle detailed by insider

By STACY LIBERATORE, US SCIENCE & TECHNOLOGY EDITOR

A battle over UFO transparency has erupted in Washington as 'certain intelligence agencies' have been accused of withholding evidence from the American public. 

Investigative journalist Jeremy Corbell told the Daily Mail there is a 'bottleneck' inside US Central Command where footage of unidentified flying objects is being blocked from reaching officials seeking access to it.

Corbell said some members of Congress are now 'dead set' on forcing the release of the material 'come hell or high water,' with some lawmakers prepared to escalate the fight if agencies continue withholding records.

The growing disclosure battle has now centered on 46 classified military UFO videos that lawmakers recently demanded from the Department of War last month, which have yet to be released.

Eight of those highly anticipated clips appear in Corbell's documentary Sleeping Dog, where viewers are shown brief glimpses of what he described as unresolved UFO encounters collected by the US military.

Corbell stressed the footage shown in the film represents only 'tiny glimpses' of a much larger archive of sensitive material tied to sensitive defense operations and unexplained aerial incidents.

Among the footage referenced by Corbell is what he described as full-color 'satellite footage' and 'full motion video' of mysterious flying objects that he believes Americans 'need to be able to assess' for themselves.

Corbell said the documentary was created not only to reveal pieces of the evidence, but to expose what he called the broader resistance against journalists, whistleblowers and transparency efforts surrounding UFO disclosure.

Congress recently requested 46 UFO videos from the Department of War, and eight of them were leaked to an investigative journalist

The Trump Administration released hundreds of never-before-seen files, videos and images of mysterious craft and witness accounts on May 8.

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But whistleblower David Grusch claimed the disclosure effort is already facing resistance from within the intelligence community.

Speaking to FOX News on May 8, Grusch said: 'It has come to my attention, actually, recently as of today, there are some actors within certain intelligence agencies, to include DIA and CIA specifically, that are actually blocking some of the president's, a Presidentially appointed team in getting access and getting control of some of these historical records.'

The allegations fueled outrage among disclosure advocates, including Missouri Congressman Eric Burlison, who warned Wednesday on X: 'More is still classified, and I've seen some of it. If the administration doesn't release it, I will, under Speech or Debate.'

While the release marked the first large-scale UFO information dump under a sitting president, Burlison and other advocates argued the material made public was merely 'low-hanging fruit' compared to what they believe remains hidden.

Corbell told the Daily Mail the footage featured in Sleeping Dog, available on Apple TV and Amazon's Prime Video, was never intended to function as a public 'data dump,' but rather to document the process journalists go through while assessing highly sensitive material provided by confidential sources.

'All you're seeing in the movie is me reviewing some of George [Knapp's] and my confidential information that we're assessing,' he told the Daily Mail. 'Some of what's flashed on screen are glimpses from those 46.' Knapp works with Corbell to investigate UFO materials and speak with whistleblowers. 

He pushed back against online criticism, claiming it was hypocritical for some of the videos to appear in a paid documentary while lawmakers continue demanding their official release.

Shots of the videos are shown in Jeremy Crobell's Sleep Dog documentary

Corbell stressed the footage shown in the film represents only 'tiny glimpses' of a much larger archive of sensitive material tied to sensitive defense operations and unexplained aerial incidents

Corbell argued the responsibility for releasing the material lies with the government agencies that collected and classified the footage, not journalists attempting to protect whistleblowers and sources.

'The government filmed it. The government classified it. The government promised transparency,' he said. 'That debt is owed by them. Not me.'

He added that publicly releasing sensitive footage without proper protections could expose individuals who 'risked life and career' to provide information about the alleged encounters.

Michael Lazovsky, director of Sleeping Dog, told the Daily Mail: 'The whole point of the documentary was to include these moments to pressure and try to provoke the government to release the full raw data of these videos. 

'It takes a huge toll on [Corbell and Knapp], it puts a target on their backs.' 

One clip featured in the documentary titled 'ANAMORPHIS UAP' appears to show a shapeshifting, blob-like object billowing and undulating through the sky as it is tracked by military radar.

Corbell (left) with his partner George Knapp

Another video shows four log-shaped objects seemingly writhing and squirming across the night sky at high speed with no visible means of propulsion.

Additional footage labeled 'FORMATION UAP' captures three glowing lights flying in a triangular pattern while crossing over one another in coordinated movements, again without any apparent heat signature or detectable propulsion system.

That video was released by Corbell on January 30, 2026 and quickly became one of the most widely discussed UAP clips online.

When asked if he believes the 46 videos will be released, Corbell said, 'With all optimism, yes.'

'Congress is behind it. The President put out a powerful statement that doesn’t just mention UFO videos; he mentions aliens and extraterrestrial life,' Corbell added.

'If people are going to follow the President’s orders, then these 46 videos are low-hanging fruit. It’s just the beginning. It’s the floor, not the ceiling.'

Compilation of videos from the recent release of the UFO files

What They Don't Want You To See: Oregon UFO Photos

{ https://www.dailymail.com/sciencetech/index.html }

Aliens are claimed to have beamed messages to Earth with a grim assessment of our species

(Image: Getty Images)

BY Liam Randall - News Reporter

Bombshell FBI documents have laid bare a series of blood-curdling warnings from extraterrestrials who are claimed to view the human race as the "lowest form" of life in the universe. The revelations come as part of a massive UFO data dump ordered by the Trump administration, sparking excitement among truth-seekers and paranormal investigators.

The release features a mountain of previously classified memos, witness testimonies and eerie footage of reported UFO sightings. One particularly haunting FBI memo recounts a 1955 interrogation involving the Detroit Flying Saucer Club.

According to the files, club member Randall Cox told federal agents that aliens had been beaming messages to Earth with a grim assessment of our species.

One FBI memo, dated January 12, 1955, detailed claims from members of the Detroit Flying Saucer Club

The memo says the beings claimed every other planet in the galaxy had successfully "conquered outer space," leaving Earth trailing behind in the cosmic race. Even more insulting, Cox informed investigators that these entities viewed humans as the "lowest form of universal existence."

The documents also suggest the celestial visitors were reportedly prepping the public for a full-scale arrival. It states: "He feels the purpose of contacts with Earth is limited at this time to preparing people to receive landings from outer space."

The FBI was concerned enough to investigate whether the bizarre reports posed a threat to national security. However, the documents describe the saucers as being "friendly to the US."

Club member Randall Cox told agents the group had received multiple messages from extraterrestrials

The file also details a meeting between Cox and agents inside an FBI vehicle on January 11, 1955. Cox claimed a technician at Sandia Air Force Base, John Fry, had successfully piloted a saucer from New Mexico to New York City in a mind-blowing 30 minutes.

While Cox was a prominent figure in the UFO community, his associate John Hoffman, a WWII veteran, was viewed more sceptically by the Bureau. Agents noted Hoffman had been "carried beyond the realm of scientific fact into that of possible scientific fiction."

The FBI noted a striking similarity between Cox's claims and those of Dorothy Martin, a notorious 1950s cult leader. Martin claimed she was in telepathic contact with "the Guardians," who warned that a large flood would wipe out the Earth on December 21, 1954.

The UFO files contain a range of documents, pictures and videos (Image: DEPARTMENT OF WAR)

When the world didn't end, Martin claimed the planet had been spared due to her followers' "light and faith." The incident remains a textbook case for psychologists studying cognitive dissonance, the refusal to let go of a belief even when proven wrong.

The latest declassification was spearheaded by Secretary of War Pete Hegseth under the direction of Donald Trump. Tennessee Representative Tim Burchett took to X (formerly Twitter) to praise the move, taking a swipe at the "Deep State" for previously denying the files existed.

Burchett said: "The 1st drop will be big, but in comparison to what is coming they will be a drop in the bucket. I would say 'Holy Crap' is coming." Hegseth promised "unprecedented transparency" moving forward, hinting that this terrifying look into the FBI's X-Files is only the beginning.

{ https://www.dailystar.co.uk/news/weird-news/ }