The purpose of this blog is the creation of an open, international, independent and free forum, where every UFO-researcher can publish the results of his/her research. The languagues, used for this blog, are Dutch, English and French.You can find the articles of a collegue by selecting his category. Each author stays resposable for the continue of his articles. As blogmaster I have the right to refuse an addition or an article, when it attacks other collegues or UFO-groupes.
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Deze blog is opgedragen aan mijn overleden echtgenote Lucienne.
In 2012 verloor ze haar moedige strijd tegen kanker!
In 2011 startte ik deze blog, omdat ik niet mocht stoppen met mijn UFO-onderzoek.
BEDANKT!!!
Een interessant adres?
UFO'S of UAP'S, ASTRONOMIE, RUIMTEVAART, ARCHEOLOGIE, OUDHEIDKUNDE, SF-SNUFJES EN ANDERE ESOTERISCHE WETENSCHAPPEN - DE ALLERLAATSTE NIEUWTJES
UFO's of UAP'S in België en de rest van de wereld Ontdek de Fascinerende Wereld van UFO's en UAP's: Jouw Bron voor Onthullende Informatie!
Ben jij ook gefascineerd door het onbekende? Wil je meer weten over UFO's en UAP's, niet alleen in België, maar over de hele wereld? Dan ben je op de juiste plek!
België: Het Kloppend Hart van UFO-onderzoek
In België is BUFON (Belgisch UFO-Netwerk) dé autoriteit op het gebied van UFO-onderzoek. Voor betrouwbare en objectieve informatie over deze intrigerende fenomenen, bezoek je zeker onze Facebook-pagina en deze blog. Maar dat is nog niet alles! Ontdek ook het Belgisch UFO-meldpunt en Caelestia, twee organisaties die diepgaand onderzoek verrichten, al zijn ze soms kritisch of sceptisch.
Nederland: Een Schat aan Informatie
Voor onze Nederlandse buren is er de schitterende website www.ufowijzer.nl, beheerd door Paul Harmans. Deze site biedt een schat aan informatie en artikelen die je niet wilt missen!
Internationaal: MUFON - De Wereldwijde Autoriteit
Neem ook een kijkje bij MUFON (Mutual UFO Network Inc.), een gerenommeerde Amerikaanse UFO-vereniging met afdelingen in de VS en wereldwijd. MUFON is toegewijd aan de wetenschappelijke en analytische studie van het UFO-fenomeen, en hun maandelijkse tijdschrift, The MUFON UFO-Journal, is een must-read voor elke UFO-enthousiasteling. Bezoek hun website op www.mufon.com voor meer informatie.
Samenwerking en Toekomstvisie
Sinds 1 februari 2020 is Pieter niet alleen ex-president van BUFON, maar ook de voormalige nationale directeur van MUFON in Vlaanderen en Nederland. Dit creëert een sterke samenwerking met de Franse MUFON Reseau MUFON/EUROP, wat ons in staat stelt om nog meer waardevolle inzichten te delen.
Let op: Nepprofielen en Nieuwe Groeperingen
Pas op voor een nieuwe groepering die zich ook BUFON noemt, maar geen enkele connectie heeft met onze gevestigde organisatie. Hoewel zij de naam geregistreerd hebben, kunnen ze het rijke verleden en de expertise van onze groep niet evenaren. We wensen hen veel succes, maar we blijven de autoriteit in UFO-onderzoek!
Blijf Op De Hoogte!
Wil jij de laatste nieuwtjes over UFO's, ruimtevaart, archeologie, en meer? Volg ons dan en duik samen met ons in de fascinerende wereld van het onbekende! Sluit je aan bij de gemeenschap van nieuwsgierige geesten die net als jij verlangen naar antwoorden en avonturen in de sterren!
Heb je vragen of wil je meer weten? Aarzel dan niet om contact met ons op te nemen! Samen ontrafelen we het mysterie van de lucht en daarbuiten.
16-12-2025
The 'three norths' have left England! Once-in-a-lifetime alignment of true, magnetic, and grid north moves into the North Sea - three years after they combined in the country for the first time since records began
The 'three norths' have left England! Once-in-a-lifetime alignment of true, magnetic, and grid north moves into the North Sea - three years after they combined in the country for the first time since records began
After a three-year journey together through the heart of the country, the 'three norths' have left England.
The historic triple alignment of 'true', 'magnetic' and 'grid' north – the three definitions of what north is – met on the south coast of Dorset back in November 2022 before travelling northwards.
On December 13, 2025, the alignment left England at Berwick-upon-Tweed and moved into the North Sea, say experts at the British Geological Survey (BGS).
It will reach Scotland in a few months before eventually leaving the British National Grid – but for how long exactly is unknown.
This alignment – the first here since records began – has been called a 'once-in-a-lifetime occurrence' as it may be several hundred years before it comes to Britain again.
'It's been a privilege to be able to observe this phenomenon over the past few years,' said Dr Ciarán Beggan, geophysicist at BGS.
'Although part of geospatial history, there is no impact for navigators, pilots and captains once the alignment leaves.'
Although the concept of 'north' may seem straightforward, there are actually three definitions – true north, magnetic north and grid north.
This map displays a series of locations along the alignment line, from Langton Matravers in November 2022 to Berwick-upon-Tweed this month
True north is the direction to the geographic north pole, while grid north is where the vertical blue lines shown on Ordnance Survey (OS) maps converge.
Meanwhile, 'magnetic north' is the direction that a compass needle points as it aligns with the Earth's magnetic field – controlled by molten iron deep down in Earth's core.
For just over three years, there has been a point in England where the three versions of north have aligned (as of Saturday this point has entered the North Sea).
At this location, a compass, an Ordnance Survey map and the Earth's axis would all have been aligned with each other – and in agreement on which way was north.
The historic alignment started at Langton Matravers, west of Swanage in Dorset in November 2022 before heading up into Devizes in Wiltshire in May 2023.
It then passed through Lower Dowdeswell in Gloucestershire in September 2023, Woodgate Valley Country Park in Birmingham (January 2024), Leek in Staffordshire (May 2024) and Hebden Bridge in West Yorkshire (October 2024).
By April 2025 it reached Eggleston in the North Pennines, followed by Flotterton in Northumberland in August and Berwick-upon-Tweed, England's northernmost town, in December.
This 'special line' where true north and grid north align is the 2°W longitude meridian (pictured), and it is along this line that magnetic north has coincided
The three norths
True north is the direction of the lines of longitude along the surface of the Earth that end at the location of the North Pole. It is defined by the planet's rotation.
Magnetic north is the direction compasses point and where the Earth's magnetic field points vertically downward. The direction of magnetic north changes continually due to natural changes in the magnetic field.
Grid northis the direction the grid lines on a map point ie. the top of the map.
However, its journey through Britain is not quite done – once it has travelled through the North Sea it will hit land again at the end of October 2026 in Drums, just south of Newburgh in Scotland.
After passing through the large village Mintlaw in Aberdeenshire, its last stop in Scotland will be Fraserburgh around mid-December 2026, before it returns to the North Sea.
Once over the North Sea, the three norths are expected to continue northwards before leaving the Ordnance Survey National Grid, also known as the British National Grid.
They will also stay in alignment for another couple of years before magnetic north separates from true north and grid north.
According to the experts, the alignment's progress has slowed slightly since the initial predictions back in 2022.
When it crossed the coast at Berwick-upon-Tweed, it had racked up about 358 miles (576km) of travel in 1127 days.
That's about 1,676 feet (511 metres) per day, or about 0.23-inch (5.9 mm) per second, or about 0.013 miles per hour.
Dr Beggan said the three norths combining in Britain has been 'a once-in-a-lifetime occurrence' largely due to the wandering magnetic north.
November 2022: The red line shows magnetic north, while the blue 'special line' is true north and the grid north line which are perfectly aligned as they made landfall at the village of Langton Matravers just west of Swanage, Dorset, (pictured)
Magnetic north is the direction compasses point and the location where the Earth's magnetic field points vertically downward. The direction of magnetic north changes continually due to natural changes in the magnetic field
Magnetic north moves slowly – about 30 miles per year – so it may be several hundred years before this alignment comes around again.
'The magnetic field is not predictable in the long term, so we don't know how many hundreds of years it will take for this historic alignment to occur again,' said Dr Beggan.
Earth's magnetic field is created by the movement of liquid iron in the Earth's outer core, some 1,800 miles below our feet.
The iron is super hot (more than 5,432 degrees Fahrenheit) and as runny as water meaning it flows very easily.
As the liquid flows, it drags the magnetic field with it – meaning the magnetic north and south poles are constantly drifting around.
The alignment began back in 2014, when magnetic north became east of grid north for some locations in Britain for the first time in more than 350 years.
This affected navigators using a compass, who needed to adjust their bearing by subtracting instead of adding the difference between magnetic and grid north.
Our planet's magnetic field is believed to be generated deep down in the Earth's core.
Nobody has ever journeyed to the centre of the Earth, but by studying shockwaves from earthquakes, physicists have been able to work out its likely structure.
At the heart of the Earth is a solid inner core, two thirds of the size of the moon, made mainly of iron.
At 5,700°C, this iron is as hot as the Sun's surface, but the crushing pressure caused by gravity prevents it from becoming liquid.
Surrounding this is the outer core there is a 1,242 mile (2,000 km) thick layer of iron, nickel, and small quantities of other metals.
The metal here is fluid, because of the lower pressure than the inner core.
Differences in temperature, pressure and composition in the outer core cause convection currents in the molten metal as cool, dense matter sinks and warm matter rises.
The 'Coriolis' force, caused by the Earth's spin, also causes swirling whirlpools.
This flow of liquid iron generates electric currents, which in turn create magnetic fields.
Charged metals passing through these fields go on to create electric currents of their own, and so the cycle continues.
This self-sustaining loop is known as the geodynamo.
The spiralling caused by the Coriolis force means the separate magnetic fields are roughly aligned in the same direction, their combined effect adding up to produce one vast magnetic field engulfing the planet.
More than 3,000 years after they were damaged by an earthquake, two of Egypt's most breathtaking monuments have been handsomely restored.
The Colossi of Memnon are two giant alabaster statues on the other side of the Nile from Luxor, the historic city in Upper Egypt.
Each measuring nearly 50 feet in height, they represent Amenhotep III, the powerful pharaoh who ruled ancient Egypt from 1391 to 1353 BC.
On Sunday, authorities pulled back the curtain on the repaired statues, described as 'one of the most important landmarks of the Egyptian civilization'.
They have been restored, reassembled and raised to their original place as part of a renovation project that's lasted around two decades.
Amenhotep III ruled ancient Egypt at the height of its powers, was worshipped as a living god, and was the grandfather of Tutankhamun.
Michael Habicht, an archaeologist at Flinders University in Australia, said he 'promoted peace and lived in a time of the greatest economic prosperity'.
'He might well have been one of the richest men that ever lived, at least in his epoch,' he said.
The giant alabaster statues, known as the Colossi of Memnon, were reassembled in a renovation project that lasted about two decades
Each measuring nearly 50 feet in height, they represent Amenhotep III, the powerful pharaoh who ruled ancient Egypt about 3,400 years ago
The Colossi of Memnon were originally built in 1350 BC, made from blocks of quartzite sandstone quarried near modern-day Cairo and transported 420 miles.
Both statues depict Amenhotep III seated with hands resting on his thighs, with their faces looking eastward toward the Nile and the rising sun.
They wear the striped 'nemes' headdress surmounted by the double crowns and the pleated royal kilt, which symbolizes the pharaoh's divine rule.
Two other small statues on the pharaoh's feet depict his wife, Tiye, while more than 100 inscriptions cover the Colossi in Greek and Latin.
In about 1200 BC, the colossi were damaged by a strong earthquake that also destroyed Amenhotep III's nearby funerary temple.
The statues were fragmented and partly quarried away, with their pedestals dispersed.
Some of their blocks were reused in Luxor's Karnak temple, but archaeologists brought them back to rebuild the colossi, according to the Antiquities Ministry.
The colossi are of great significance to Luxor, a city known for its ancient temples and other antiquities and one of the oldest continuously inhabited cities in the world.
The Colossi of Memnon were originally built in 1350 BC, made from blocks of quartzite sandstone quarried near modern-day Cairo and transported 420 miles
In late 1990s, an Egyptian German mission, chaired by German Egyptologist Hourig Sourouzian, began working in the temple area, including the assembly and renovation of the colossi
Pictured, visitors take photos with the two giant reassembled alabaster statues of Pharoah Amenhotep III, in the southern city of Luxor, Egypt, Sunday, December 14, 2025
Who was Amenhotep III?
Amenhotep III is one of the most important kings of the Eighteenth Dynasty who built or rebuilt many temples in the country (Luxor, Memphis, Elkab, Armant).
At Thebes he had a vast temple constructed to his own cult on the West Bank; the colossal statues (known as the Colossi of Memmon, before the entrance) are the most monumental elements still standing.
The king issued a number of scarabs with longer inscriptions describing events of his reign.
His main wife was Tiy, who seems to have played an important part in the reign. She appears on monuments more often and more prominently than virtually any queen before her.
Source: UCL
They´re also an attempt to 'revive how this funerary temple of king Amenhotep III looked like a long time ago', said Mohamed Ismail, secretary-general of the Supreme Council of Antiquities.
Amenhotep III, one of the most prominent pharaohs, ruled during the 500 years of the New Kingdom, which was the most prosperous time for ancient Egypt.
The pharaoh, whose mummy is showcased at a Cairo museum, ruled between 1390-1353 BC, a peaceful period known for its prosperity, prosperity and grandeur.
'Diplomatic letters by foreign potentates begged him to send them some gold as a present, "as gold shall be abundant in Egypt as sand",' Dr Habicht said.
'It's the usual over-exaggeration for such a letter, but nevertheless hints towards extreme wealth.'
According to the academic, the pharaoh may also have been something of a womanizer, importing hundreds of foreign women to be part of his harem.
'He was apparently very interested in women; he imported hundreds of foreign harem ladies and collected them as other people collect postal stamps,' he said.
Amenhotep III's reign was also known for great construction, including his mortuary temple, where the Colossi of Memnon are located, and another temple, Soleb, in Nubia.
Amenhotep III, one of the most prominent pharaohs, ruled during the 500 years of the New Kingdom, which was the most prosperous time for ancient Egypt
Unlike other monumental sculptures of ancient Egypt, the colossi were partly compiled with pieces sculpted separately, which were fixed into each statue´s main monolithic alabaster core, the ministry said
He is thought to have died between the ages of 40 and 50, leaving his successor (son Akhenaten IV) a kingdom at the height of its power and wealth.
Amenhotep IV would rebel against the powerful Amun priesthood, installing the sun god Aten as the top Egyptian deity.
He changed his name to Akhenaten – meaning 'beneficial to Aten' – and even moved his capital away from Thebes – the 'city of Amun' – to a new city honouring the sun god, Akhetaten.
But his son, Tutankhaten, would restore the cult of Amun to prominence, changing his name to Tutankhamun – meaning 'the living image of Amun'.
Tutankhamun would become one of history's most famous pharaohs thanks to the discovery of his tomb in 1922, which was largely intact and contained many of its original artifacts.
The complex family arrangements of Tutankhamun has been one of the great mysteries surrounding the young king.
While his father was known to have been Pharaoh Akhenaten, the identity of his mother has been far more elusive.
DNA testing has shown that Queen Tiye, whose mummy is pictured above, was the grandmother of the Egyptian Boy King Tutankhamun
In 2010 DNA testing confirmed a mummy found in the tomb of Amenhotep II was Queen Tiye, the chief wife of Amenhotep III, mother of Pharaoh Akhenanten, and Tutankhamun's grandmother.
A third mummy, thought to be one of Pharaoh Akhenaten wives, was found to be a likely candidate as Tutankhamun's mother, but DNA evidence showed it was Akhenaten's sister.
Later analysis in 2013 suggested Nefertiti, Akhenaten's chief wife, was Tutankhamun's mother.
However, the work by Marc Gabolde, a French archaeologist, has suggested Nefertiti was also Akhenaten's cousin.
This incestuous parentage may also help to explain some of the malformations that scientists have discovered afflicted Tutankhamun.
He suffered a deformed foot, a slightly cleft palate and mild curvature of the spine.
However, his claims have been disputed by other Egyptologists, including Zahi Hawass, head of Egypt's Supreme Council of Antiquities.
His team's research suggests that Tut's mother was, like Akhenaten, the daughter of Amenhotep III and Queen Tiye.
Hawass added that there is 'no evidence' in archaeology or philology to indicate that Nefertiti was the daughter of Amenhotep III.
From historic homes in Edinburgh to towering skyscrapers in Shanghai, you can now explore every building in the world from the comfort of your home.
An incredible new map charts the location and size of 2.75 billion buildings in incredible 3D detail.
Dubbed the GlobalBuildingAtlas, it contains over a billion more houses than the previous biggest dataset.
And you can use it for yourself by using the interactive map below.
The GlobalBuildingAtlas was created by researchers from the Technical University of Munich (TUM) in Germany using a vast trove of satellite data.
The scientists combined nearly 800,000 satellite images captured in 2019 with an AI algorithm to predict the size of missing buildings based on the heights of the neighbours.
Lead author Professor Xiaoxiang Zhu says: '3D building information provides a much more accurate picture of urbanization and poverty than traditional 2D maps.
'With 3D models, we see not only the footprint but also the volume of each building, enabling far more precise insights into living conditions.'
An incredible new map charts the location and size of 2.75 billion buildings in incredible 3D detail. Pictured: the Forbidden City in Beijing
In London, the satellite data that was used to create the map even picks up details like the shape of bridges and boats on the Thames
To find your home on the map, or explore anywhere else in the world, all you need to do is search in the 'input address' bar at the top of the map.
The database will then reveal a 3D model of any area in the world, using data recorded by orbiting satellites.
These 3D models are exceptionally accurate in urban areas, where the researchers say the resolution is 30 times finer than comparable databases.
The researchers say that their site has received over 280,000 visits since it launched a few days ago.
This unexpected popularity far exceeds what the site was built for, so the map may be slow to load at times.
Besides being fascinating to explore, this detailed map has an important scientific function.
Creating detailed maps of the world's buildings has been extremely difficult in the past because it requires specialised satellites to scan the ground with lasers.
This makes it challenging to cover the entire globe with scans that have a high enough fidelity.
Creating detailed maps of the world's buildings has been extremely difficult in the past because it requires specialised satellites to scan the ground with lasers. Pictured: New York's towering skyscrapers
Besides being fascinating to explore, this detailed map has an important scientific function. Pictured: the exact layout of the animal enclosures inside Edinburgh Zoo
Here you can see the tall buildings of London's Canary Wharf financial district and the iconic shape of the O2 stadium
The map doesn't just record modern structures. Here you can see the layout of the different walls of the Tower of London
The European countries with the most buildings
Finland:3,967 cubic metres
Estonia:2,689 cubic metres
Sweden,2,159 cubic metres
Denmark: 1,996 cubic metres
Latvia: 1,666 cubic metres
Lithuania: 1,602 cubic metres
Belgium:1,263 cubic metres
Netherlands: 1,250 cubic metres
Ireland: 1,228 cubic metres
Austria:1,215 cubic metres
Building volume per capita
The researchers' solution was to combine laser-scanning data with artificial intelligence to fill out the gaps in the map.
The result is a detailed map of the world that can be used to study development, prepare for disasters, and plan new city developments.
According to their analysis of the dataset, Asia is home to 1.22 billion buildings, almost half of the world's total supply of buildings.
Africa follows with around 540 million buildings, coming in ahead of Europe with 403 million buildings.
North and South America have significantly fewer buildings, with 295 million and 264 million buildings respectively, while Oceania has only 14 million.
Using that data, the researchers have even created a new way of measuring social and economic development: building volume per capita.
The general idea is that the more space there is per person, the more well off that country is likely to be.
By zooming out, you can see the distribution of building volume over the whole world. Red areas show towns and cities where the concentration of buildings is highest
Asia is home to 1.22 billion buildings, almost half the world's total. This image shows the towering skyline of Shanghai's Bund district
The map doesn't only show cities, and the satellite data is sensitive enough to pick up tiny settlements like the town of Lajamanu, deep in Australia's Northern Territories
The researchers found that Finland, which is often rated as the happiest country in the world, has over six times more building volume per person than Greece and hundreds of times more than many African nations
Greece, on the other hand, which has faced decades of economic stagnation, has six times less building volume per person.
In the future, the researchers hope that this data could be used to help plan additional housing or public facilities in areas that need it most.
At the same time, the model could also be extremely useful for disaster prevention by showing which areas are the most at risk.
The German Aerospace Center, for example, is already examining how it can use the GlobalBuildingAtlas as part of its disaster support work around the world.
De mysterieuze 18 jaren van Jezus: wat deed hij in deze tijd? Het levensverhaal van Jezus Christus is overduidelijk terug te vinden in de Bijbel. En hoewel we veel van zijn leven weten, bestaat er een enorm gat in het leven van Jezus dat tot op de dag van vandaag een mysterie blijft. Als gevolg hiervan zijn er in de loop der jaren een aantal theorieën ontstaan om de 'verloren jaren' van Jezus Christus te verklaren.
Wat deed Jezus en waar ging hij naartoe? Vestigde hij zich als familieman of ging hij reizen? Deze en vele andere mogelijkheden komen aan bod in deze galerij. Klik verder om erachter te komen waar Christus 18 jaar van zijn leven heeft doorgebracht (althans, volgens deze theorieën).
De verloren jaren van Jezus Een groot deel van het leven van Jezus wordt in de Bijbel beschreven, behalve een periode van 18 jaar tussen de leeftijd van 12 en 30 jaar. Deze periode staat bekend als de verloren/onbekende/mislukte jaren van Jezus.
De verloren jaren van Jezus Het leven van Jezus als pasgeborene is goed gedocumenteerd in de Bijbel, net als de jaren van zijn bediening. Maar er is een groot gat dat niet gedocumenteerd is en dat tot een aantal theorieën heeft geleid.
Jezus bleef in Nazareth en werkte als timmerman Eén theorie houdt het simpel: Jezus woonde in Nazareth, waar hij timmerwerk leerde van zijn vader, Jozef. Toen Jezus volwassen was, werd hij zelf timmerman. Zonen volgden meestal het beroep van hun vader, dus het is een plausibele theorie.
Jezus bleef in Nazareth en werkte als timmerman De Evangeliën lijken dit idee ook te ondersteunen. Marcus 6:3 luidt: "Is dit niet de timmerman, de zoon van Maria, de broer van Jakobus en Joses en van Juda en Simon?" Toch zijn sommige theologen het hier niet mee eens, waaronder de vroegchristelijke schrijver Origenes, die zei dat "Jezus zelf nergens in de evangeliën die door de kerken worden geaccepteerd als timmerman wordt beschreven".
Jezus trouwde en kreeg kinderen In het boek 'The Lost Gospel' beweren auteurs Barrie Wilson en Simcha Jacobovici dat Jezus tijdens de verloren jaren met Maria Magdalena trouwde en kinderen kreeg.
Jezus trouwde en kreeg kinderen Er zijn andere bronnen die erop wijzen dat Jezus getrouwd zou kunnen zijn geweest, met name een Egyptische papyrus uit de 4e eeuw (afbeelding) met een citaat van Jezus waarin hij naar zijn vrouw verwijst. De papyrus, geschreven in de archaïsche Koptische taal, bevat de zin "Jezus zei tegen hen: 'Mijn vrouw...'".
Jezus werd een volgeling van Johannes de Doper De theorie dat Jezus bijna 20 jaar als timmerman werkte en daarna een religieus figuur werd overtuigt veel schriftgeleerden niet. Sommigen suggereren zelfs dat Jezus in plaats daarvan een tijd als leerling van Johannes de Doper doorbracht voordat hij zijn eigen volgelingen verzamelde.
Jezus werd een volgeling van Johannes de Doper Bruce Chilton's boek 'Rabbi Jezus' beargumenteert dat Jezus na zijn bezoek aan de Tempel niet terugkeerde naar Nazareth, maar zich als discipel aansloot bij Johannes de Doper. Chilton stelt dat "Jezus een rebelse, ondernemende geest had. Hij werd geen gepassioneerd religieus genie door weg te kwijnen in de conventionele vroomheid van een dorp dat hem nauwelijks accepteerde."
Jezus werd een volgeling van Johannes de Doper De Bijbel biedt misschien wat ondersteuning voor deze theorie in Matteüs 3:13-17, waarin de doop van Jezus door Johannes de Doper wordt beschreven.
Jezus bracht jaren door met studeren en discussiëren met geleerden De Bijbel noemt Jezus maar één keer tussen zijn geboorte en zijn dertigste, en dat is in het verhaal van Jezus in de Tempel. In Lucas 2:41-52 staat dat Maria en Jozef Jezus onbedoeld in Jeruzalem achterlieten toen hij 12 jaar oud was. Toen ze naar de stad terugkeerden, vonden ze Jezus in de tempel, in gesprek met de schriftgeleerden.
Jezus bracht jaren door met studeren en discussiëren met geleerden We kunnen gerust zeggen dat Jezus veel tijd besteedde aan leren. Zelfs op 12-jarige leeftijd vertelde hij zijn ouders dat ze niet verbaasd hoefden te zijn dat hij dagenlang met geleerden had gediscussieerd. Dit suggereert dat Jezus waarschijnlijk vele jaren heeft gestudeerd voordat hij volgelingen begon te verzamelen.
Jezus werd monnik en leefde bij de Dode Zee De Dode Zee-rollen werden in 1947 gevonden in de droge woestijn ten zuidoosten van Jeruzalem. Het is mogelijk dat de rollen iets zeggen over de verblijfplaats van Jezus tijdens zijn verloren jaren.
Jezus werd monnik en leefde bij de Dode Zee De theorie gaat dat toen Jezus jong was, hij Qumrān (foto) bezocht, waar de Essenen (een mystieke Joodse sekte) woonden. De Dode Zee rollen bevatten hun oude religieuze geschriften en er zijn aanwijzingen dat Johannes de Doper door deze groep beïnvloed zou kunnen zijn.
Jezus werd monnik en leefde bij de Dode Zee Als Johannes de Doper werd onderwezen door de Essene sekte, dan is het mogelijk dat Jezus ook met hen verbonden was. Bovendien wordt in één van de rollen een persoon beschreven die heel goed Jezus zou kunnen zijn. Deze persoon wordt de 'Zoon van God' en de 'Zoon van de Allerhoogste' genoemd.
Jezus reisde naar India In 18 jaar kan er veel gebeuren en één theorie zegt dat Jezus misschien wel meerdere keren naar India is gereisd. Volgens deze theorie leerde Jezus het boeddhisme kennen in Kasjmir. Er bestaat zelfs een verhaal dat Jezus in 80 na Christus een boeddhistisch klooster ten noorden van Srinagar bezocht en deelnam aan een religieuze bijeenkomst, hoewel men dacht dat hij al jaren eerder was overleden.
Jezus reisde naar India Er is een theorie dat Jezus naar India zou kunnen zijn gereisd om terug te keren naar het bezoek van de Drie Wijzen uit het Oosten. Dit zou ook kunnen verklaren waarom Jezus de heilige Thomas opdroeg om naar India te gaan en daar het Evangelie te verspreiden.
Jezus was een herder Misschien bracht Jezus zijn verloren jaren door als een echte herder voordat hij een metaforische herder werd. In Johannes 10:11 zegt Jezus: "Ik ben de goede herder. De goede herder geeft zijn leven voor de schapen." Zou hij hier in de echte wereld ervaring mee hebben gehad?
Jezus was een herder Hypothetisch gezien had Jezus het timmermansvak van zijn vader kunnen opgeven en in plaats daarvan jaren als herder kunnen werken. Die baan zou Jezus genoeg tijd hebben gegeven om diep na te denken, dat is zeker!
Jezus bracht jaren in eenzaamheid door Jezus was geweldig met mensen van in de dertig, maar misschien was hij niet altijd zo. Zijn tienerjaren waren misschien zijn eenzame jaren, waarin hij tijd besteedde aan introspectie en reflectie, zoals een monnik dat zou doen.
Jezus reisde naar Tibet, Nepal en India en woonde in een klooster In een mysterieus manuscript uit de 3e eeuw, genaamd 'Leven van de Heilige Issa, Beste van de Zonen der Mensen', staat dat Jezus leerde van yogi's in India, Nepal en Tibet.
Jezus reisde naar Tibet, Nepal en India en woonde in een klooster Veel wetenschappers verwerpen deze mogelijkheid volledig. De theorie werd voorgesteld door de Russische aristocraat en spion Nicolas Notovitch. Hij beweerde het manuscript te hebben gezien in het Hemis klooster (foto) in Ladakh, India, tijdens een reis in 1894. Het klooster betwistte zijn beweringen echter.
Jezus reisde naar Tibet, Nepal en India en woonde in een klooster Hoewel het door velen als bedrog wordt afgedaan, zijn er een paar bezoekers van het Hemis-klooster geweest die beweren hetzelfde manuscript te zijn tegengekomen.
Jezus reisde naar Groot-Brittannië Eén theorie zegt dat Jezus naar Groot-Brittannië reisde met zijn oom, Jozef van Arimathaea, die een tinhandelaar was. Niet alleen dat, maar ook dat hij met de druïden in Glastonbury heeft gestudeerd. "Hij moest rondtrekken om stukjes en beetjes te leren over oude wijsheid, en de druïden in Groot-Brittannië gingen honderden, zo niet duizenden jaren terug. Hij kwam hier waarschijnlijk om de druïden te ontmoeten, om zijn wijsheid te delen en die van hen te vergaren," zei Dr. Gordon Strachan, predikant van de Kerk van Schotland.
Jezus reisde naar Groot-Brittannië De theorie won aan populariteit in de 19e eeuw met een gedicht van William Blake, dat ging als volgt: "En liepen die voeten in de oudheid / over Engelands groene bergen / En werd het Heilige Lam Gods / Op Engelands aangename weiden gezien?"
Jezus reisde naar Amerika Eén theorie suggereert dat Jezus naar de Nieuwe Wereld reisde. Archeoloog L. Taylor Hansen stelde voor dat een figuur die bekend staat als de 'Witte Profeet' verschillende inheemse Amerikaanse stammen bezocht in de periode van de verloren jaren van Jezus. Er bestaan verhalen over deze 'Witte Profeet' in plaatsen zoals Mexico, Peru en Noord-Amerika.
Jezus leefde (en overleed) in Japan Volgens deze theorie reisde Jezus naar Japan toen hij 21 was om theologie te studeren. Jezus vestigde zich in de stad Shingo en bleef 12 jaar in het land.
Jezus leefde (en overleed) in Japan De theorie zegt ook dat Jezus eigenlijk niet werd gekruisigd. Voordat dit kon gebeuren, vluchtte hij uit Judea en ging terug naar Shingo, waar hij stierf toen hij 106 jaar oud was. Vandaag de dag beweert Shingo de geboortestad van Christus te zijn geweest en elk jaar bezoeken duizenden mensen het vermeende graf van Jezus Christus.
This Man claimed that in 1994, during a US military exercise, he saw an unusual alien being in a military-style uniform whose skin had a light blue tint, no ears & eyes like a Crocodile that freaked him out. The being told him that his craft was damaged and that he needed some material to repair it.
Jason Sands is a retired US Air Force veteran, a Defense Contractor, UAP whistleblower claiming he had an otherworldly encounter in 1994 near Nellis Air Force Base/Test Range.
He was born in England to an English mother and a U.S. Army Green Beret father, and later lived in Japan, Massachusetts, Germany, and California because of his father’s military assignments.
At about age 10 in San Jose, Jason says he saw a red light come down from the sky, turn into a silver, mercury-drop-shaped object about the size of a camper, hovering just above his friend’s house, silently and very close. He watched it move under a streetlight, then shoot up, orbit briefly with another light, and then one of them streaked across the sky faster than a shooting star; his mother saw part of this with him, and his friend later reported his TV flickering and a humming sound. This sighting led Jason to read “Chariots of the Gods” and become interested in ancient aliens for a while, but as a child, he mostly returned to normal life, sports, and friends, without making UFOs a central focus.
Jason joined the U.S. Air Force in the mid‑1980s, partly influenced by his father but following his father’s advice not to join the Army or Marines; his father wanted him to learn a trade, so Jason chose the Air Force for its technical skills and later used it to earn a bachelor’s degree. He first worked as an airframe repair specialist on large aircraft like C‑130s and KC‑135s, fixing structural cracks, landing gear tracks, and rivets, before being retrained in signals intelligence due to overmanning in his original field.
As a signals intelligence (SIGINT) specialist, Jason monitored telecommunication signals on U.S. military installations, which required strong privacy training because he was listening to Americans, and he had to report threats like planned violent crimes to investigative agencies. He says his work expanded from radios to satellite communications, cell phones, and computer traffic over time, and during Desert Storm, he and his team intercepted information about Iraqi civil engineers being moved, which led to changing U.S. plans to protect those engineers from ambush while they dealt with oil-filled burn pits.
After Germany and Desert Storm, Jason requested western locations like Nevada, Hawaii, or Colorado, and was assigned to Nellis Air Force Base near Las Vegas, living in North Las Vegas. At Nellis, he trained other SIGINT analysts and also received special prototype training to cross over into electronic intelligence (ELINT), working with radar data—this is how he met his future wife, who was an ELINT “scope dope” assigned to the same unit and trained him.
Jason took part in “Red Flag” exercises at Black Mountain and the wider Nevada Test and Training Range, staying for two‑week rotations in small towns like Beatty and Tonopah rather than commuting daily from Las Vegas. He describes how, while training at Black Mountain, people casually pointed across the desert toward the Groom Lake range and talked about “Dreamland” and UFO rumors, which was his first time really hearing those stories in that context.
A few months after arriving in Nevada, Jason and several other analysts were quietly approached by colleagues and told they were being considered for a special access program (SAP) located at Groom Lake. They were asked if they would submit to a full‑scope (lifestyle) polygraph, which probes their entire life history for trustworthiness; Jason agreed, saying he had nothing to hide, and took the polygraph alongside a scientist who was also being onboarded.
After passing, Jason got a call on a Friday telling him to pack his bags without being told the destination, and the next day, he was picked up at his dorm, driven to a special secure part of McCarran Airport, and put on an unmarked “Janet” type flight with other personnel. He noticed that boarding and deplaning were unusually orderly, with no crowding or rushing, and upon arrival, he watched a mandatory security video that introduced the program name, rules, and general mission without openly mentioning aliens.
Jason also notes that he had heard of Bob Lazar in the media but did not know or care about Lazar’s claims while he was actually working at Groom Lake; Lazar had nothing to do with his assignment or chain of command.
1994 Red Flag exercise near Black Mountain
Jason explains that he and his team were driving in a convoy toward Quartz Mountain, with his truck in the lead. He sat in the back seat behind the driver, with another man in the front passenger seat and a young woman sitting to Jason’s right in the back. They always traveled with at least two vehicles behind them so that if one broke down, the others could help.
As they drove, Jason saw a man in a standard battle dress uniform (BDU), just like his own, standing on the left side of the road about a football field away. When the man noticed their vehicle, he started running toward them in a strange way, leaning forward as if he were falling or pushing against a strong wind. At first, Jason thought he was just another soldier in trouble, not a criminal or escaped fugitive.
As they got closer, Jason noticed that the man’s skin had a light blue tint, like someone who is very cold and hypothermic, not a dark or bright blue, but a pale bluish tone under normal skin color. Jason’s first thought was that the man was freezing and needed help, not that he was anything non‑human. When the stranger was only a few feet from the vehicle, and they were slowing down, the man in the front passenger seat suddenly shouted, “He’s got no ears,” meaning there were no ears at all on the sides of his head.
Jason at first thought this comment was rude because he assumed the man was suffering and needed medical help. He quickly opened his door and started taking off his jacket, intending to wrap it around the stranger to warm him up. As Jason stepped onto the road, shut the door, and looked at the figure from very close range—about three feet—he saw clearly that the being had no ears, eyes roughly twice the normal human size, and that same blue tint to the skin. At that instant, he felt a strong surge of fear, like a jolt of adrenaline, and thought, “Oh crap, this does not look human.”
Jason says that when he and the being locked eyes, it felt like looking into the eyes of a crocodile or suddenly seeing a rattlesnake; his primal fear spiked even though the being was not attacking him. He describes it as meeting a sentient creature he could not explain, similar to the shock of seeing a huge whale underwater the first time you scuba dive, but without knowing what this “whale” actually was. Despite his fear, the situation changed when the being began to communicate with him, which calmed him somewhat because Jason had to focus on the conversation.
The being spoke out loud in a language that sounded to Jason like Norwegian or some northern European language, not English. Jason did not understand the spoken words themselves, but at the same time, he clearly received the meaning in his mind, as if the being was speaking telepathically in parallel. Jason says he could understand everything: the being telling him that his craft was damaged and that he needed material to repair it. (it is unclear what the material name was, but many interpreted Jason as pronouncing something like “tintillium/trintillium”)
Jason then pointed in the direction of “Dreamland,” meaning the Groom Lake/Area 51 complex, and said those people might have advanced metals and high‑tech material that could help. As soon as he mentioned them, Jason felt a strong telepathic wave of disgust from the being, as if the being considered those people primitive or barbaric and wanted nothing to do with them.
Jason confirms he was speaking normally in English, not just thinking, and the being seemed to understand him perfectly. He compares the language effect to speaking Spanish out loud to someone while the listener simultaneously hears perfect English in their mind via Duolingo—one channel is foreign sounds, the other is clear meaning. The being continued talking in its unknown spoken language, while Jason kept understanding the content telepathically.
During the exchange, Jason occasionally glanced back at h is teammates in the vehicle. He says they looked “zonked,” like zombies, sitting motionless and staring blankly, similar to people who have been stunned in the Men in Black movies. Their expression was so odd that Jason almost found it comical, but he also recognized something was very wrong because they were not reacting to what was happening just outside the vehicle.
Jason notes that the driver might have started to roll the window down at first, but likely rolled it back up when he saw Jason opening his door, wanting to keep the cold air out. Jason is not certain about the exact position of the window, because his attention was on the being and the conversation rather than the small details in the car. He says the entire interaction with the being could not have lasted more than about five minutes, though it felt intense and full of sensory input.
At some point, Jason clearly realized, “Holy ****, I’m talking to an alien,” especially after he understood that the being was using an unknown language with a telepathic overlay and after noting that the being’s appearance was completely non‑human. He stresses that he has never before or since had someone speak to him in a foreign language while he simultaneously understood them telepathically in his own language. That combination of physical strangeness and telepathic communication convinced him he was dealing with a non‑human intelligence.
The craft itself was parked off the road in the desert, about 50 yards from where Jason and the being stood. Jason says he looked to his left as he exited the vehicle and saw it clearly in profile. The craft had a bulbous, egg‑shaped cockpit, white in color, roughly comparable in size to the cockpit of a modern fighter jet, and seemingly able to hold about two occupants. Attached to the back of this cockpit was a flat, black, pancake‑like “egg” about a foot to a foot and a half thick, sticking out where the tail of a helicopter would normally be.
Jason compares the overall shape to certain helicopters that have a large, rounded canopy where the pilots sit, except this craft had that big,ig rounded section plus the black disk at the rear and no wings or propellers visible. He emphasizes that, as part of Red Flag exercises, he and his colleagues were familiar with every type of aircraft in the U.S. inventory and many foreign allied aircraft, including bombers and fighters. He is confident this craft matched none of them and was unlike anything they were trained on or saw during the exercises.
Jason says he could take people back to the exact location on that road and point out the spot where the craft sat, probably within about ten feet. He remembers the spot very clearly on the route toward Quartz Mountain. As the conversation continued, Jason ran out of helpful ideas; after being reacted with disgust to the Groom Lake suggestion, Jason told him the only other possibility he could think of was a geophysics professor he knew at the community college in downtown Las Vegas, who might have access to metals or specialists.
When Jason mentioned the professor, the being accepted this as a possible option and said something like “OK” in response. Shortly after that, the conversation ended; Jason did not want to stay any longer and also felt they had reached the limits of what he could do to help. The being then walked back to his craft, entered it, and the craft lifted off.
Jason describes the takeoff sound as a strange noise, somewhat like a squeaking fan belt in a car, but not very loud. The craft rose straight up from its position, then began moving horizontally while rising in a kind of stair‑step pattern rather than a smooth line, which Jason thinks could be due to the damage the being had mentioned, especially affecting the vertical flight system. The craft flew south‑southeast across the range, in a direction roughly toward Las Vegas, and eventually passed out of sight.
After the craft left, Jason got back into the vehicle. At that moment, his teammates seemed to “come to”: their faces no longer looked zoned out, and they suddenly acted normal again. No one said, “What the hell was that?” or reacted the way Jason expected after such an extraordinary event. When he asked them directly if they had seen what just happened, they all said no.
Jason felt this was strange, and he sensed that at least the ranking driver did remember something, because that man firmly said no and added that they should not talk about it. Jason took this as a sign that the senior man had seen enough to be frightened or concerned and wanted the subject shut down. He thinks it is likely that some of the people in the car, maybe all of them except him, experienced “lost time” or had their awareness switched off during the main part of the encounter.
Jason explains “lost time” as a gap in memory where a section of time disappears, either because of a physical blow to the head or, in many abduction stories, because the beings have a way to turn off a person’s consciousness. He mentions reports where car radios and electronics shut down around craft, and afterwards, witnesses realize more time has passed than they remember, even though it felt like nothing happened. Jason believes something like this may have affected his teammates and may also connect to his own later missing time that day.
He then continues the story to describe what happened after they reached Black Mountain. The convoy proceeded as scheduled; they had to arrive at a set time to power up their equipment and start their operational work, so outwardly, everyone focused on the mission. Jason, however, drove in shock, silently replaying the encounter in his head and thinking, “Holy crap, what just happened?”
At Black Mountain, they set up their gear, worked through the mission, and then later returned to their hotel. Jason says that only the ranking man seemed to recall any part of it, because he was the only one willing to acknowledge anything when Jason tried to talk to him later. Around lunchtime that same day at Black Mountain, Jason felt a very strong, strange urge to eat his lunch outside even though it was extremely cold.
He followed this feeling, took his lunch, and walked down the road from the Black Mountain site about 100 to 150 feet. He remembers walking down the road—and then his memory simply stops. That is where his own missing time begins: he has no recollection of what happened after walking that short distance away from the main site.
Post-Alien Encounter
Years later, in 2022, Jason says he was asked by people associated with the UAP Task Force to contact the other men from the car to corroborate the event. He reached out to one former colleague, who initially replied warmly, but when Jason mentioned “remember that day back in ’94, that UFO,” the man never responded again and effectively ghosted him.
Jason interprets this as either fear, unwillingness to revisit traumatic or sensitive material, or pressure to remain silent, although he cannot know the exact reason. He states he is willing to take a polygraph specifically about this UFO encounter and his Groom Lake experiences because he considers himself an honest person and believes he is telling the truth as he remembers it.
He mentions that he has spoken privately, in more detail, to a very small number of trusted people and that some of what he told them included references to operations that could be interpreted as involving non‑human intelligences (NHI), but he stresses he is still trying to sort out what is memory, what is nightmare, and how his mind might have protected him by altering or hiding details.
Jason repeatedly acknowledges that claims about missing time, UFO craft at Black Mountain, and any implication of being ordered to harm an NHI sound unbelievable and can severely damage his credibility. He says his hesitation and emotional reaction are partly because he knows how bad this sounds, even “if it’s true,” and he does not want these aspects to be used to dismiss his documented military career and more conventional intelligence work.
At the same time, he emphasizes that his life story, service record, positions of trust, and multiple polygraphs show that he has generally been considered reliable and responsible within the system. Jason’s current stance is that he stands by what he has described about his UFO encounter and his involvement in a Groom Lake SAP, but he draws a line on discussing the most extreme alleged incidents until he and his psychiatrist can fully unpack them, out of concern for both truth and his own mental health.
Jupiter, one of the gas giants, was not always at its current position in the Solar System (Credit : NASA/STSCI (S.T.A.R.S))
The giant planets weren't always where we find them today. Jupiter, Saturn, Uranus and Neptune formed in a more compact configuration and later underwent a violent reshuffling that scattered them to their current positions. Exactly what triggered this chaos remains uncertain, but researchers at the Laboratoire d'Astrophysique de Bordeaux and the Planetary Science Institute now propose a close encounter with a wandering substellar object during the Sun's youth.
The giant planet instability, as astronomers call it, explains numerous features of the Solar System. It accounts for Jupiter's co-orbital asteroids, the irregular satellites circling the giant planets, and the orbital structure of both the Kuiper belt and asteroid belt. The timing appears early, probably within 5-20 million years after the Solar System formed, based on meteorite evidence. The trigger, however, has remained elusive.
Pluto is one of the many Kuiper Belt Objects in our Solar System
(Credit : NASA / Johns Hopkins University Applied Physics Laboratory / Southwest Research Institute)
Sean Raymond and Nathan Kaib ran 3000 computer simulations testing whether stellar flybys could destabilise the young planetary system. The Sun formed within a cluster of hundreds to thousands of stars, making close encounters inevitable. The team started each simulation with the giant planets in a resonant chain that would remain stable for over 100 million years if left undisturbed, then subjected the system to a single flyby.
The simulations explored flyby objects ranging from one Jupiter mass to ten solar masses, passing at distances between 1 and 1000 astronomical units with velocities up to 5 kilometres per second. Very strong flybys stripped planets away or over excited their orbits beyond recognition. Very weak flybys did nothing. But an intermediate range produced systems matching the present day Solar System.
The successful scenarios shared common characteristics. The flyby object had to be relatively low mass, between 3 and 30 Jupiter masses, placing it firmly in the brown dwarf or free-floating planet category. It needed to pass within roughly 20 astronomical units of the Sun, directly perturbing the planetary system rather than just the outer disk. Only 20 simulations, less than one percent of the sample, matched both the giant planets' orbits and preserved the cold classical Kuiper belt, a population of small bodies whose pristine orbits constrain how violent any ancient encounter could have been.
Artist impression of a brown dwarf
(Credit : NASA/JPL-Caltech)
The probability calculation depends critically on the abundance of free floating planets and low mass brown dwarfs. Recent observations of young star clusters suggest these objects are more common than standard models predict. If their numbers are even modestly underestimated by a factor of four, the probability of a flyby triggered instability rises from roughly one percent to five percent.
The work offers a fourth possible trigger for the giant planet instability, joining scenarios involving gas disk dispersal, spontaneous destabilisation, and gravitational interactions with the outer planetesimal disk. Distinguishing between these mechanisms remains challenging, particularly since flyby triggered instabilities could still be delayed by tens of millions of years after the encounter itself.
Paths of Starlink satellites as of Feb 2024. Credit - NASA Scientific Visualization Studio.
A “House of Cards” is a wonderful English phrase that it seems is now primarily associated with a Netflix political drama. However, its original meaning is of a system that is fundamentally unstable. It’s also the term Sarah Thiele, originally a PhD student at the University of British Columbia, and now at Princeton, and her co-authors used to describe our current satellite mega-constellation system in a new paper available in pre-print on arXiv.
They have plenty of justification for using that term. Calculations show that, across all Low-Earth Orbit mega-constellations, a “close approach”, defined as two satellites passing by each at less than 1km separation, occurs every 22 seconds. For Starlink alone, that number is once every 11 minutes. Another known metric of Starlink is that, on average, each of the thousands of satellites have to perform 41 maneuvers per year to avoid running into other objects in their orbit.
That might sound like an efficiently engineered system operating the way it should, but as any engineer will tell you, “edge cases” - the things that don’t happen in a typical environment, are the cause of most system failures. According to the paper, solar storms are one potential edge case for satellite mega-constellations. Typically, solar storms affect satellite operation in two ways.
Fraser discusses current methods to avoid satellites carshing into each othe
First, they heat up the atmosphere causing increased drag, as well as positional uncertainty for some of the satellites. Increasing their drag causes them to use more fuel to maintain their orbit, but also to initiate evasive maneuvers if their path might cross that of another satellite. During the “Gannon Storm” of May 2024 (which, unfortunately, appears not to be named after the Zelda villain) over half of all satellites in LEO has to use up at least some of their fuel on these repositioning maneuvers.
Second, and perhaps more devastatingly, solar storms can take out the navigational and communications systems of satellites themselves. This would make them unable to maneuver out of harm's way, and, combined with the increased drag and uncertainty caused by the heated atmosphere, could least to an immediate catastrophe.
Kessler syndrome is the most famous embodiment of this catastrophe, where a debris cloud around Earth makes it impossible for humans to launch anything into orbit (or beyond) without it being destroyed. But Kessler syndrome takes decades to fully develop. To showcase the immediacy of the problem these solar storms can cause, the authors came up with a new metric - the Collision Realization and Significant Harm (CRASH) Clock.
Papaer author Sarah Thiele discusses the legal frameworks around orbital debris.
According to their calculations, as of June 2025, if satellite operators were to lose their ability to send commands for avoidance maneuvers, there would be a catastrophic collision in around 2.8 days. Compare that to the 121 days that they calculated would have been the case in 2018, before the megaconstellation era, and you can see why they are concerned. Perhaps even more disturbingly, if operators lose control for even just 24 hours, there’s a 30% chance of a catastrophic collision that could act as the seed case for the decades-long process of Kessler syndrome.
Unfortunately, solar storms don’t come with much warning - maybe only a day or two at most. And even when they do, we can’t necessarily do anything about them other than trying to safeguard the satellites they could effect. But the dynamic environment they introduce into the atmosphere necessitates real-time feedback and control to effectively manage those satellites. If that real-time control goes down, according to the paper, we only have a few days to get it back up before the entire house of cards comes crumbling down.
This isn’t idle speculation either. The 2024 Gannon storm was the strongest in decades, but we already know of a stronger one - the Carrington Event of 1859. That was the strongest solar storm on record, and if a similar event happened today it would wipe out our ability to control our satellites for much longer than 3 days. Essentially, a single event, of which there has already been precedence in historical memory, could wipe out our satellite infrastructure and leave us Earth-bound for the foreseeable future of humanity.
That doesn’t sound like a future readers of this blog would like to live in. And while there are trade-offs between utilizing the technical capabilities LEO mega-constellations give us and the risk that they pose to future space endeavors, it's best to have a realistic assessment of those risks. When it comes to the potential of losing access to space for generations because of one particularly bad solar storm, it's best to at least make informed decisions, and this paper certainly helps to create those.
Paths of Starlink satellites as of Feb 2024. Credit - NASA Scientific Visualization Studio.
A “House of Cards” is a wonderful English phrase that it seems is now primarily associated with a Netflix political drama. However, its original meaning is of a system that is fundamentally unstable. It’s also the term Sarah Thiele, originally a PhD student at the University of British Columbia, and now at Princeton, and her co-authors used to describe our current satellite mega-constellation system in a new paper available in pre-print on arXiv.
They have plenty of justification for using that term. Calculations show that, across all Low-Earth Orbit mega-constellations, a “close approach”, defined as two satellites passing by each at less than 1km separation, occurs every 22 seconds. For Starlink alone, that number is once every 11 minutes. Another known metric of Starlink is that, on average, each of the thousands of satellites have to perform 41 maneuvers per year to avoid running into other objects in their orbit.
That might sound like an efficiently engineered system operating the way it should, but as any engineer will tell you, “edge cases” - the things that don’t happen in a typical environment, are the cause of most system failures. According to the paper, solar storms are one potential edge case for satellite mega-constellations. Typically, solar storms affect satellite operation in two ways.
Fraser discusses current methods to avoid satellites carshing into each othe
First, they heat up the atmosphere causing increased drag, as well as positional uncertainty for some of the satellites. Increasing their drag causes them to use more fuel to maintain their orbit, but also to initiate evasive maneuvers if their path might cross that of another satellite. During the “Gannon Storm” of May 2024 (which, unfortunately, appears not to be named after the Zelda villain) over half of all satellites in LEO has to use up at least some of their fuel on these repositioning maneuvers.
Second, and perhaps more devastatingly, solar storms can take out the navigational and communications systems of satellites themselves. This would make them unable to maneuver out of harm's way, and, combined with the increased drag and uncertainty caused by the heated atmosphere, could least to an immediate catastrophe.
Kessler syndrome is the most famous embodiment of this catastrophe, where a debris cloud around Earth makes it impossible for humans to launch anything into orbit (or beyond) without it being destroyed. But Kessler syndrome takes decades to fully develop. To showcase the immediacy of the problem these solar storms can cause, the authors came up with a new metric - the Collision Realization and Significant Harm (CRASH) Clock.
Papaer author Sarah Thiele discusses the legal frameworks around orbital debris.
According to their calculations, as of June 2025, if satellite operators were to lose their ability to send commands for avoidance maneuvers, there would be a catastrophic collision in around 2.8 days. Compare that to the 121 days that they calculated would have been the case in 2018, before the megaconstellation era, and you can see why they are concerned. Perhaps even more disturbingly, if operators lose control for even just 24 hours, there’s a 30% chance of a catastrophic collision that could act as the seed case for the decades-long process of Kessler syndrome.
Unfortunately, solar storms don’t come with much warning - maybe only a day or two at most. And even when they do, we can’t necessarily do anything about them other than trying to safeguard the satellites they could effect. But the dynamic environment they introduce into the atmosphere necessitates real-time feedback and control to effectively manage those satellites. If that real-time control goes down, according to the paper, we only have a few days to get it back up before the entire house of cards comes crumbling down.
This isn’t idle speculation either. The 2024 Gannon storm was the strongest in decades, but we already know of a stronger one - the Carrington Event of 1859. That was the strongest solar storm on record, and if a similar event happened today it would wipe out our ability to control our satellites for much longer than 3 days. Essentially, a single event, of which there has already been precedence in historical memory, could wipe out our satellite infrastructure and leave us Earth-bound for the foreseeable future of humanity.
That doesn’t sound like a future readers of this blog would like to live in. And while there are trade-offs between utilizing the technical capabilities LEO mega-constellations give us and the risk that they pose to future space endeavors, it's best to have a realistic assessment of those risks. When it comes to the potential of losing access to space for generations because of one particularly bad solar storm, it's best to at least make informed decisions, and this paper certainly helps to create those.
This celestial display is famous for its bright, multi–coloured meteors that light up the sky in yellow, red, green, and blue.
The shower is active until December 20, but will be at its most spectacular this evening.
The best times to watch this incredible show will be between midnight and 02:00 am local time, but they will start to appear any time after dark.
And with the crescent moon at just 26 per cent of its normal brightness, keen stargazers should be in for a great view of the approaching meteors.
All you need to see tonight's show will be your own eyes, a warm coat, and a bit of patience – with no need for specialist binoculars or telescopes.
So, here's everything you need to know to watch the Geminid Meteor Shower tonight.
The best meteor display of the year is not far away as the Geminids reach their dazzling peak tonight. Here's everything you need to know to see them. Pictured: The Geminids over Broadway Tower, Worcestershire
What are the Geminids?
Dr Greg Brown, astronomer at the Royal Observatory Greenwich, told Daily Mail: 'Space is not quite as empty as we might think. As objects like asteroids and comets roam through our solar system, they leave behind trails of dust and gas.
'The Earth regularly passes through these trails, sweeping up vast numbers of bits of debris like bugs on the windscreen of a car.'
As our planet crashes through this minefield, chunks of rock and dust crash down into our atmosphere, where they burn up with a bright flash.
During the Geminids, particles as small as a grain of sand race through the upper atmosphere at speeds up to 43 miles per second (70 km/s).
Since this cloud of debris is always in the same location, the meteor shower always occurs at the same time of year.
However, the Geminids are unique in that they come from the rocky asteroid 3200 Phaethon, rather than an icy comet like most other meteor showers.
Since this asteroid is rich in metals, the resulting meteors can flare in a stunning array of colours as they burn up in the atmosphere.
The Geminids are unique in that they are the debris from a rocky asteroid called 3200 Phaethon (artist's impression), rather than an icy comet
Due to the metals from 3200 Phaethon, the Geminids have a distinctive coloured glow and can flash yellow, green, or blue. Pictured: A Geminid meteor over Arizona, USA
What are meteors?
A meteor is not technically a type of space rock, but rather the bright flash of light produced by falling space debris.
When a small space rock, known as a meteoroid, hits our atmosphere, friction and air pressure create an enormous amount of heat.
Eventually, this heat becomes so powerful that the rock is vaporised in a flash of glowing light.
When the number of meteors dramatically increases for a short period, scientists call this a meteor shower.
'Like burning chemicals in your secondary school science lab, the colour of the flame is dependent on the chemicals that burn,' says Dr Brown.
'While many of the meteors will still be white, if elements like sodium and calcium are present, then coloured displays of yellow and violet can occur.'
Using anything like binoculars or a telescope will only restrict your field of view, so all you need is your own eyes and a bit of patience.
The Geminids appear to emerge from a single point, known as the radiant, located in the constellation Gemini from which they get their name.
You can find Gemini by looking up and left over the 'shoulder' of Orion and searching for the bright star Castor.
However, for the best view, you should focus your eyes a little to the side of the constellation so that the meteors appear in your more light–sensitive peripheral vision.
The Geminids will appear to emerge from the constellation Gemini, near the bright star Castor. To get the best view, wait until 2:00 am local time when this constellation is highest in the sky
Upcoming Meteor showers
Geminids: 14 December, 2026
Ursids: 22 December, 2025
Quadrantids: 4 January, 2026
Lyrids: 22 April, 2026
Eta Aquariids: 6 May, 2026
Alpha Capricornids: 30 July, 2026
Dr Shyam Balaji, of King's College London, told Daily Mail: The best time to view the Geminid meteor shower is around 2 am local time when the radiant point is highest in the sky.
'However, you can start watching from mid–evening onward.'
In good conditions, viewers can expect to see upwards of 100 shooting stars an hour, or one or two every minute.
When viewing conditions are poor, you will be able to see fewer stars in the sky, so it's important to make sure you find the right stargazing location.
Dr Robert Massey, Deputy Executive Director at the Royal Astronomical Society: 'With a meteor shower what you want is the widest possible view – you want to be lying down, looking up at the broad panoply of stars, and watching for meteors.
'The best view is if you're away from sources of light pollution, so try and get away from at least direct lights in towns and cities, ideally out in the countryside.
'Obviously you also need a clear sky – if it’s cloudy you're not going to see anything.'
You should soon start to see short streaks of light that last for a second or two.
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Under optimal conditions, you may see as many as 150 shooting stars per hour. To get the best view, make sure to find a place with a clear view of the sky and limited light pollution. Pictured: The Geminid Meteor shower seen from Virginia, USA
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After a week of stormy weather, the Met Office is forecasting light cloud cover and only sporadic rain for Sunday night
Meteors usually aren't visible for long enough for you to point them out to someone else, so you will need to keep your eyes peeled.
Luckily, after a week of storms, the weather conditions for Sunday night are looking better for sky watching.
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The Met Office forecasts largely clear skies over the East of England and Scotland, with some patches of cloud over the South West and Wales.
Thanks to the waning crescent moon, the sky should also be dark enough for some excellent views of the Geminid Meteor Shower.
However, if you do miss out on the shower's spectacular peak, there will be opportunities to see the Geminids until December 20, albeit at a reduced rate.
'Lost' books of the Bible expose secrets the Church is hiding about Jesus
'Lost' books of the Bible expose secrets the Church is hiding about Jesus
By ROB WAUGH
The Bible is often seen as a fixed text that has remained largely unchanged for generations, but it was not always so.
There are 66 books in the modern Bible, across the Old and New Testaments, but over 70 writings were circulated in early Jewish and Christian communities that were never accepted into the canon.
These 'lost' books date from the late Second Temple period through the third century AD, spanning roughly the first century when Jesus lived up to about 300 AD.
Many of these works were controversial or heretical, offering radically different portrayals of angels, giants, Jesus and humanity's origins.
They reveal a world of competing ideas about faith, morality, and divine intervention that early church leaders ultimately rejected.
Some describe heavenly beings mating with humans, others present Jesus in ways that conflict with the New Testament, and still others depict familiar figures in startlingly different roles.
Though these texts were influential at the time, they were eventually excluded from Jewish and Christian scripture, leaving only fragments or references in historical records.
Today, they survive mostly in manuscripts like the Dead Sea Scrolls or isolated copies preserved by groups such as Ethiopian Christians.
Many of these works were controversial or heretical, offering radically different portrayals of angels, giants, Jesus and humanity's origins
One of the most famous of these texts is the Book of Enoch, which expands on the mysterious Nephilim, giants mentioned briefly in the Old Testament.
According to the book, 200 fallen angels took human wives and had children, who became violent giants that devoured humanity's resources.
God commands the angel Michael to bind the angels, and later, the Nephilim perish in the Flood.
While it is not included in most Jewish or Christian canons, the Book of Enoch was widely read in antiquity and still holds canonical status for the Ethiopian Orthodox Church.
The Book of Enoch was not accepted due to its controversial apocalyptic visions, detailed angelology, like the Watchers' descent, mystical themes, and perceived theological inconsistencies with evolving doctrines
Other texts offer unexpected portrayals of Jesus. The Apocalypse of Peter, written in the second or third century, describes Jesus laughing during the crucifixion, reflecting Gnostic beliefs that his physical body was an illusion.
In it, Peter asks, 'What am I seeing, O Lord? Is it you whom they take? … Who is this one above the cross, who is glad and laughing?'
The Apocalypse of Peter was excluded from the Bible because its theology, particularly its hints at universal salvation, that everyone eventually would be saved from hell and its depiction of Christ's crucifixion, suggesting only the human Jesus suffered, not the divine Christ, contradicted emerging orthodox Christian doctrines.
The earliest known manuscript fragment of the Infancy of the Gospel of Thomas was only discovered in 2024, discussing one of Jesus' early miracles
The Infancy Gospel of Thomas offers another radical departure, depicting a young Jesus wielding supernatural powers.
He brings clay birds to life, curses a child who dies, blinds nearby adults, and later reverses these acts, even resurrecting someone who falls from a roof.
But it also portrays a darker side, depicting Jesus as vengeful, even cursing a child to death for striking him on the shoulder.
After Jesus kills the child for accidentally bumping into him, the villagers become upset and complain to Joseph and Mary. In response to their accusations, Jesus strikes the accusers with blindness.
In another episode, Joseph takes Jesus to a teacher to learn the alphabet, and the teacher becomes irritated when Jesus laughs at his instructions.
The omitted book begins when Jesus is just five years old, while the traditional Bible's first mention is of him at 12 years old.
The Infancy Gospel of Thomas was rejected by the early Church because it portrayed Jesus as a violent, petulant child and conflicted with orthodox Christian teachings.
Its late composition date and association with Gnostic literature further led leaders to deem it inauthentic and heretical.
Perhaps the most controversial is the Gospel of Judas, rediscovered in the 1970s in a limestone box near the Nile.
However, it was not written by the Apostle Judas who betrayed Jesus by handing him over to the Romans.
Unlike the traditional New Testament account, this text portrays Judas Iscariot as Jesus' chosen disciple, entrusted with a divinely appointed betrayal.
Jesus tells him, 'You will become the thirteenth … and you will be cursed by the other generations, and you will come to rule over them.'
The Gospel of Judas presents Judas as someone who understands Jesus' mission better than the other disciples, challenging centuries of conventional interpretations.
These lost books, whether depicting angels and giants or offering alternative visions of Jesus' life and mission, provide a fascinating glimpse into the diversity of early Jewish and Christian thought.
An ancient cube-shaped skull unearthed in Mexico is rewriting our understanding of the ancient world, revealing a completely unique member of a society from 1,400 years ago.
This remarkable skull belonged to a man over 40 years old who lived during Mexico's Classic period, roughly between 400 and 900 AD, according to specialists from the National Institute of Anthropology and History (INAH).
Researchers determined through bone and teeth analysis that the man was born, lived his entire life, and died right there in the local mountains, with no evidence he ever moved or lived in another region.
The team added that the find was 'unprecedented' in this part of the world as a skull deformed to resemble a cube had never been found near Huasteca before.
The skull's unique appearance was the result of intentional cranial deformation, a practice where flat boards and bandages were pressed against a baby's soft head for years to mold it into a square shape.
This deformation was likely done without causing pain, as the skull bones of an infant are malleable, allowing families to gradually reshape the head as a cultural tradition.
Experts believe such rituals were performed to signify beauty, social status, or even spiritual connections in ancient Mesoamerican societies.
Researchers in Mexico have discovered a man's skull which was deformed to take the shape of a cube roughly 1,400 years ago (Pictured)
The skull was found at the Balcón de Montezuma archaeological site in the northern Huasteca region of Mexico's Tamaulipas state
Archaeologists have previously uncovered a variety of intentionally modified skulls across ancient Mexico, particularly elongated cone-like shapes among the Olmec and Maya.
Those cone-shaped skull changes are believed to have been achieved by gently binding infants' soft heads with cloth and bandages during the first months or years of their lives.
To the ancient Mesoamericans, these oddly-shaped skulls held a different significance depending on the ancient civilization making the changes to their babies. For example, the ancient Maya are believed to have done this for social status and beauty.
However, the newly discovered cube skull has left researchers with a mystery, as the team from INAH could not explain why this man was the only human to undergo this procedure in Tamaulipas.
Cube-shaped skulls, with their flattened tops that create a boxy profile, have typically been found at distant sites like El Zapotal in Veracruz and scattered Maya settlements in southeastern Mexico, far from the northern mountains where this fossil turned up.
With that in mind, the research team decided to test if the 40-year-old was truly a native of the northern Huasteca region.
Scientists looked at specific clues hidden in his bones and teeth. These clues are called 'stable oxygen isotopes,' or different versions of oxygen atoms that don't change over time.
The exact mix of these oxygen versions in bones and teeth come from the water a person drinks throughout their life.
The research team was able to confirm that this man spent his entire life in the region, making his cube-shaped skull more of a mystery since this ritual was unusual for the area
Water in different places, such as in rainy mountains or dry coasts, has its own unique oxygen 'fingerprint' because of the local climate and geography.
By testing those oxygen fingerprints in the man's tooth enamel, which formed in childhood, and bone collagen, which updates through adulthood, researchers saw the same mountain water pattern in both.
That made it a match for the local mountain water this person likely drank his whole life in Mexico's northern mountains.
Physical anthropologist Jesús Ernesto Velasco González said: 'Stable oxygen isotope studies in collagen and bioapatite samples from bone and teeth, a technique used to infer the geographic origin of the second individual's skeletal remains, indicate that he was born, lived, and died in this part of the mountains.'
'Therefore, the results rule out a direct mobility relationship with the groups of El Zapotal or those further south,' the researcher continued in a statement translated to English.
While the team is still trying to crack the mystery behind the cube-shaped skull, they said it likely wasn't just about looking different, but may have been a symbol of belonging to a larger cultural family that stretched across hundreds of miles of Mexican coastline.
If you've ever dreamed of soaring over traffic on your daily commute, your dreams could soon be a reality – as the 'world's first' flying car enters production.
The Alef Model A Ultralight uses eight propellers hidden in the boot and bonnet to take off at any time.
After more than a decade of development, the US–based Alef Aeronautics has finally announced that the first customers will soon get their flying cars.
The futuristic vehicles will be hand–assembled in the company's facility in Silicon Valley, California.
However, Alef Aeronautics says that each car will take 'several months' of craftsmanship before it is safe to send out to customers.
The first handmade cars will only be delivered to a few customers to test out the experimental vehicles in real–world conditions.
The company says this slow rollout will allow it to work out any potential issues before the flying car enters mass production.
The 'world's first' flying car (pictured) has finally entered production, as Alef Aeronautics announces that its first all–electric vehicle will be hand assembled in the US
Alef Aeronautics' futuristic vehicle can be driven around like a normal car on the streets or take off and fly using eight propellers hidden in its carbon–fibre mesh body
Jim Dukhovny, CEO of Alef Aeronautics, says: 'We are happy to report that production of the first flying car has started on schedule.
'The team worked hard to meet the timeline, because we know people are waiting. We're finally able to get production off the ground.'
The Model A is both a road–legal vehicle and an aircraft capable of taking off without wings via eVTOL (electric vertical take–off and landing).
On the ground, the Model A drives just like a normal electric car, thanks to four small engines in each of the wheels.
But the driver's seat is also surrounded by powerful propellers that provide enough thrust for flight at a cruising speed of 110 miles per hour (177 km/h).
The carbon–fibre mesh body – measuring around five metres by two metres – allows air to pass through the car while keeping the spinning blades safely covered.
The company says that the car will have enough room for the pilot and one passenger, and have a range of 200 miles (321 km) on the ground and 110 miles (177 km) in the air.
The company says that the flying car will have a range of 200 miles (321 km) on the ground and 110 miles (177 km) in the air
Mr Dukhovny claims the car, which is aimed at the general public, is relatively simple to use and would take just 15 minutes to learn.
The entire car weighs just 385 kg (850 lbs), so that it can be classified as an ultralight 'low speed vehicle' – a legal classification for small electric vehicles like golf carts.
That means the car will be capped at 25 miles per hour (40 km/h) on public roads despite being able to drive faster.
Having received airworthiness certification from the Federal Aviation Administration (FAA) in 2023, Alef Aeronautics is now edging closer to making the Model A a reality – over a decade after the company was founded.
The company reports that it has received 3,500 pre–orders, collectively worth more than £800 million.
However, don't expect to see The Jetsons–style flying cars filling the air near you just yet.
Alef Aeronautics says that the first customers will only be allowed to test their flying cars under 'very controlled conditions'.
Alef Aeronautics will send a limited number of its flying cars to customers for them to test in 'very controlled conditions'
The company adds that each customer will need to receive training in compliance and maintenance before flying.
Likewise, creating each car involves robotic, industrial, and hand manufacturing, with rigorous testing of individual parts and a large number of test flights.
Mr Dukhovny has previously said he wanted to bring sci–fi to life and build an 'affordable' flying car, with the cost likely to be closer to £25,000 when built at scale.
Eventually, Aleph Aeronautics says that the production process of the full–size Model A will be automated but, for now, only a limited number can be produced.
Advances in electric motors, battery technology and autonomous software has triggered an explosion in the field of electric air taxis.
Larry Page, CEO of Google parent company Alphabet, has poured millions into aviation start-ups Zee Aero and Kitty Hawk, which are both striving to create all-electric flying cabs.
Kitty Hawk is believed to be developing a flying car and has already filed more than a dozen different aircraft registrations with the Federal Aviation Administration, or FAA.
Page, who co-founded Google with Sergey Brin back in 1998, has personally invested $100 million (£70 million) into the two companies, which have yet to publicly acknowledge or demonstrate their technology.
AirSpaceX unveiled its latest prototype, Mobi-One, at the North American International Auto Show in early 2018. Like its closest rivals, the electric aircraft is designed to carry two to four passengers and is capable of vertical take-off and landing
Airbus is also hard at work on an all-electric, vertical-take-off-and-landing craft, with its latest Project Vahana prototype, branded Alpha One, successfully completing its maiden test flight in February 2018.
The self-piloted helicopter reached a height of 16 feet (five metres) before successfully returning to the ground. In total, the test flight lasted 53 seconds.
Airbus previously shared a well-produced concept video, showcasing its vision for Project Vahana.
The footage reveals a sleek self-flying aircraft that seats one passenger under a canopy that retracts in similar way to a motorcycle helmet visor.
Airbus Project Vahana prototype, branded Alpha One, successfully completed its maiden test flight in February 2018. The self-piloted helicopter reached a height of 16 feet (five metres) before successfully returning to the ground. In total, the test flight lasted 53 seconds
AirSpaceX is another company with ambitions to take commuters to the skies.
The Detroit-based start-up has promised to deploy 2,500 aircrafts in the 50 largest cities in the United States by 2026.
AirSpaceX unveiled its latest prototype, Mobi-One, at the North American International Auto Show in early 2018.
Like its closest rivals, the electric aircraft is designed to carry two to four passengers and is capable of vertical take-off and landing.
AirSpaceX has even included broadband connectivity for high speed internet access so you can check your Facebook News Feed as you fly to work.
Aside from passenger and cargo services, AirSpaceX says the craft can also be used for medical and casualty evacuation, as well as tactical Intelligence, Surveillance, and Reconnaissance (ISR).
Even Uber is working on making its ride-hailing service airborne.
Dubbed Uber Elevate, Uber CEO Dara Khosrowshahi tentatively discussed the company’s plans during a technology conference in January 2018.
‘I think it’s going to happen within the next 10 years,’ he said.
The Bermuda Triangle might be one of the world's greatest mysteries, but scientists have just discovered something even more baffling in the area.
Researchers have spotted an enormous stone structure hidden beneath Bermuda that is 'unlike anything else on Earth'.
The 12.4 mile (20km) layer of rock sits underneath the ocean crust below Bermuda.
No structure this thick has ever been found before, according to the team – who say it could help to answer one of the biggest questions about the famous island.
Bermuda sits on a raised area of ocean crust known as an 'oceanic swell', which lifts it above the surrounding area.
These formations are typically associated with volcanic activity, but there is no evidence to show that a volcano is to blame for Bermuda's strange geology.
There hasn't been an eruption on the island for more than 31 million years, and any volcanic swelling should have subsided over that time.
The new discovery suggests the last eruption injected molten rock into the crust where it froze into a raft, lifting the island 500 metres (1,640 ft) out of the sea.
Scientists have discovered a vast rock structure beneath Bermuda (pictured) that is 'unlike anything else on Earth'
Scientists found the raft of less–dense rock by tracking how seismic waves from distant earthquakes were deflected by the materials beneath the island
In a paper published in the journal Geophysical Research Letters, researchers looked at recordings from a seismic station on Bermuda.
They traced the passage of powerful but distant earthquakes as they made their way through the rock 31 miles (50km) beneath the island.
By looking at where these seismic waves unexpectedly changed course, the researchers found the strangely thick layer of rock.
Dr William Frazer, a seismologist at Carnegie Science, told Live Science: 'Typically, you have the bottom of the oceanic crust and then it would be expected to be the mantle.
'But in Bermuda, there is this other layer that is emplaced beneath the crust, within the tectonic plate that Bermuda sits on.'
For geologists, this could represent a major step towards cracking Bermuda's biggest mystery.
While Bermuda is famous for its record of unexplained ship and aircraft disappearances, the bigger mystery for scientists is why its oceanic swell exists.
Island chains like Hawaii typically form because of volcanic activity above mantle hotspots – places where hot molten rock from the mantle rises towards the surface.
Scientists found a 12.4–mile–thick (20 km) layer of rock that sits underneath the ocean crust below Bermuda and lifts the island 500 metres (1,640 ft) out of the sea
Bermuda's most famous mystery is its history of shipwrecks, such as that of the SS Sapona (pictured), but scientists say the bigger puzzle is why the crust beneath the island is pushed so high above the surrounding terrain
As this hot material pushes its way through the crust to create islands, it also lifts the tectonic plate upwards to create an oceanic swell.
When the tectonic plate moves away from the hotspot, these swells gradually subside over time.
Since Bermuda has no evidence of volcanic activity for the last 31 million years, scientists couldn't explain why its swell was still so high.
However, since this newly–discovered layer is less dense than the surrounding rock, it both deflects passing seismic waves and pushes the island upwards.
Previous research has found that old lava on Bermuda is low in the mineral silicon, which suggests that it came from a layer of the Earth that is very low in carbon.
This carbon likely emerged from deep in the Earth's mantle when the supercontinent Pangea opened up to form the Atlantic Ocean 900 to 300 million years ago.
This could be what makes Bermuda so different from hotspot islands in the Pacific or Indian oceans, which are comparably much older oceans.
The researchers are now examining other islands around the world to see if there are any similar layers, or if Bermuda is truly one of a kind.
Dr Frazer says: 'Understanding a place like Bermuda, which is an extreme location, is important to understand places that are less extreme and gives us a sense of what are the more normal processes that happen on Earth and what are the more extreme processes that happen.'
Bermuda's more famous mystery is why so many ships seemingly vanish without a trace within the region known as the Bermuda Triangle.
Located between Florida, Puerto Rico and Bermuda, the Bermuda Triangle's long history of deadly wrecks has prompted endless supernatural speculation.
Dr Simon Boxall, an oceanographer from the University of Southampton, says that the Bermuda Triangle's record of disappearances is due to 'rogue waves'.
Towering up to 100 feet (30 metres) in the air, rogue waves are abnormally steep and can hit unexpectedly from directions other than the prevailing wind.
According to Dr Boxall, a large ship trapped by one of these killer swells could 'sink in a matter of two or three minutes'.
THE BERMUDA TRIANGLE
The Bermuda Triangle is a section of the Atlantic Ocean roughly bounded by Miami, Bermuda and Puerto Rico where dozens of ships and airplanes have disappeared.
Unexplained circumstances surround some of these accidents.
Although a range of strange theories have been proposed regarding the Bermuda Triangle, none of them prove that mysterious disappearances occur more frequently there than in other well–travelled sections of the ocean.
Many people navigate the area every day without incident.
20 years ago they already knew that it was coming!
20 years ago they already knew that it was coming!
EarthExists, a private research collective working across astrophysics, chemistry, and planetary dynamics, claims to have uncovered evidence that governments anticipated the arrival of the interstellar object 31/ATLAS more than two decades ago, secretly building space programs designed to track and follow it long before the public was aware.
Credit image: ESA showing a X-ray image of 31/Atlas.
Below is a brief summary of EarthExists’ analysis. You can read the full interesting reports Here and Here.
A secret planetary defense system activated in 2025, and it wasn’t built for asteroids and it activated right on schedule.
In 2025, a classified surveillance architecture quietly came online. Not by accident. Not as a test. It activated exactly when it was supposed to. The target? 3I/ATLAS, an interstellar object behaving nothing like a comet.
This plan started 20 years ago. In 2005, an obscure aerospace paper outlined a system called CASSANDRA which you can read Here. Publicly, it was described as theoretical. Privately, it read like a construction manual.
Designed to: Detect objects at extreme distances. Track them continuously beyond Earth orbit. Maintain persistent custody for decades and coordinate multiple classified sensor platforms.
In 2006, it vanished from public discussion but in 2025, it went live. CASSANDRA is not a program, it’s a memory system. A centralized intelligence architecture designed to never lose track of anomalous objects, even if it takes decades.
At the moment they activated CASSANDRA, unfamiliar system names appeared:
ORACLE VI
Space situational awareness platform
Assets positioned at Lagrange Point 1
ARGUS-VIS
Persistent classified sensor system
Adapted from terrestrial surveillance
UMBRA-3/C
No public record exists
These systems don’t track debris. They track active targets. At all, a billion-dollar planetary surveillance network isn’t built for just a ordinary asteroid, comet or if you want to call it a rock. You build it if: You detected something decades ago or you received a signal predicting arrival. Either way; 3I/ATLAS was expected.
Then the silence and cover-up began: A U.S. government shutdown. NASA communications go dark. No explanations. No updates. SETI quietly updates post-detection protocols IAWN flags 3I/ATLAS as a planetary defense concern No press conference. No announcement. Blurry images.
C/2025 N1 UMBRA-3/1C CASSANDRA / ORACLE VI | ARGUS-VIS |
On October 3, 2025, the Mars Reconnaissance Orbiter reached the perfect viewing angle.
HiRISE engaged the target across four optical bands. Captured in 14-bit depth. But the public images were reduced to 8-bit. 98.5% of the data was stripped out by NASA. What you saw wasn’t the real and clear image of 31/Atlas. It was the filter. You can read it Here.
But four days after perihelion, two possible leaked images appear. Labeled: CASSANDRA / ORACLE VI / ARGUS-VIS which you can see Here.
11/11/2025 TELESCOPE STACKED IMAGE of 3I/ATLAS via — Ray’s Astrophotography
They show structured, geometric emissions coming from 3I/ATLAS. Not chaotic gas jets. Not random ice sublimation.
Independent analysis indicates: Controlled matter ejection. Active trajectory adjustment. Emission geometry incompatible with natural models. This object isn’t tumbling through space. It’s maneuvering.
Cassandra Document Report — The Cassandra Team Summer Session Program 2005.
Conclusion: CASSANDRA activated on time. The object displayed controlled behavior. The highest-quality data remains classified. This is not a comet. It is an artificial interstellar probe on a mission and Earth’s planetary defense system was built waiting for it. This comes as Earth prepares for its closest approach with 31/Atlas on December 19, 2025.
Before the movies, before the comic books, and before Tommy Lee Jones and Will Smith brought their suits to the big screen, the Men in Black were known only in whispers.
The legend of these shadowy figures - men in dark suits who threatened people who reported UFO sightings - was born in 1947, when a Washington state logger claimed he saw six flying orbs over Puget Sound.
On June 21, Tacoma resident Harold Dahl was out on the bay with his son, their dog and two crewmembers when he claimed to have spotted six massive, metallic, doughnut-shaped aircraft - each about 100ft across and gliding roughly 2,000ft overhead.
Dahl later described the sighting to an undercover intelligence agent, someone he believed was simply his supervisor.
The very next morning, a man in a black suit appeared at Dahl's home and invited him to breakfast, delivering a warning that would echo through UFO lore for generations.
Dahl's account was printed in the Tacoma Times, and months later, the 29-year-old journalist who covered it was dead under mysterious circumstances.
The story, now known as the Maury Island incident, is detailed in the newly released book Catastrophic Disclosure: The Deep State, Aliens, and the Truth, which argues Dahl's may be one of the first 'modern' UFO sightings.
'This might mark the first appearance of mysterious figures, either from the military or what has become known as the "men in black,"' authors Kent Heckenlively JD and Michael Mazzola wrote.
A new book has detailed the origins of the legendary Men in Black, which started in 1947 when a man reported seeing six objects flying over Washington state. Pictured is an artist impression of what the man said he saw
On June 21, Tacoma resident Harold Dahl (pictured) was out on the bay with his son, their dog and two crewmembers when he spotted six massive, metallic, doughnut-shaped aircraft - each about 100ft across and gliding roughly 2,000ft overhead
The summer of 1947 became a landmark period for UFO sightings, from Ken Arnold's mysterious 'flying discs' near Mt Rainier to the infamous Roswell incident in New Mexico.
Across the nation, Americans were captivated by reports of objects that defied explanation, and the federal government was paying close attention.
But it was Dahl's encounter with the man in the black suit that cemented one of the most enduring legends in UFO history.
According to Heckenlively and Mazzola, such figures - whether military, intelligence or something altogether stranger - appeared in response to sightings like Dahl's, warning witnesses to keep quiet.
Dahl claimed he first saw five of the objects circling while a sixth appeared to be in distress. The craft made no sound, Dahl said, and he saw no propellers, motors or visible means of propulsion.
'A dull explosion followed, and the troubled craft ejected a stream of light metal that looked like thousands of newspapers, then heavier, darker rock, almost like lava,' the authors wrote.
Dahl reported that the damaged craft drifted out over the Pacific Ocean and vanished. He said the falling debris wrecked his boat, killed his dog and injured his son.
He relayed everything to his supervisor, Fred Crisman, who, the authors note, was actually a former intelligence agent with the Office of Strategic Services (OSS), precursor to the CIA. It is not known how long Crisman and Dahl had been working at the same company.
Before the movies, before the comic books, and before Tommy Lee Jones and Will Smith brought them to the big screen, the Men in Black were known only in whispers
Dahl's story appeared in the Tacoma Times the next day. The reporter, Paul Luntz, was said to have also been visited by two men in black suits who threatened him to stop writing about the incident
The next morning, Dahl claimed, a man in a black suit knocked on his door and escorted him to a local diner.
'This was not as unusual as it might seem,' the authors explained. 'Many lumber buyers visited men in Dahl's trade to negotiate for salvaged logs.'
Over breakfast, the mysterious visitor calmly repeated Dahl's entire story back to him, then added: 'I know a great deal more about this experience of yours than you will want to believe.'
According to the book, he leaned in and warned Dahl never to speak of the sighting again, insisting the incident 'never happened' and hinting that if Dahl valued his family's safety, he would remain silent.
The story ran in the Tacoma Times the next day, reported by journalist Paul Lantz, who printed Dahl's description of the objects and confirmed the logger had alerted Crisman.
Reports have suggested that Crisman shared the story with the news outlet.
Reports later suggested Lantz and his wife were also visited by two men in black suits after he published the article.
In a 2014 book, The Maury Island UFO Incident, authors Charlette LeFevre and Philip Lipson quote Lantz's granddaughter: 'My grandmother went into the kitchen to cook while they talked to Paul in the living room.
'She tried to listen. She said they were basically threatening Paul to stop… but Paul was bold and not afraid of them.'
What is now known as the Maury Island incident happened over Puget Sound (pictured)
A few months later, in August, Lantz published another startling report suggesting an Army plane crash in Kelso may have been 'sabotage.'
'The mystery of the 'Flying Saucers' soared into prominence again,' he wrote, after an informant claimed the aircraft was destroyed to prevent flying-disc fragments from reaching Hamilton Field for analysis.
The informant alleged the debris came from 'one of the mysterious platters' that had fallen near Maury Island.
Lantz died on January 10, 1948. Some accounts stated his cause of death was 'a short, unspecific illness,' while his death certificate reportedly cited meningitis.
His death was described by family as sudden and unexpected.
Dahl was later interrogated by the Seattle FBI, which publicly declared the story a hoax, though internal accounts painted a different picture.
Reports claim FBI Director J Edgar Hoover wrote: 'Please be advised that Dahl did not admit… his story was a hoax, but only stated that if questioned by authorities, he was going to say it was a hoax because he did not want further trouble in the matter.'
To this day, no one has definitively explained what Dahl saw on Maury Island, why an intelligence agent posed as his supervisor or why a man in a black suit knew details of the incident before Dahl ever repeated them.
The FBI closed the case, the debris vanished, and the people closest to the story either recanted under pressure or never spoke about it again.
But in the years that followed, dozens of witnesses across the country reported their own encounters with men in black suits who arrived without warning, knew too much and left no trace.
What Harold Dahl might have seen over Maury Island, North of Mt. Rainier in Washington State on June 21, 1947. Illustration by Charlette L
Every year Brits report hundreds of sightings of UFOs.
(Image: Getty Images/iStockphoto)
Flying saucers, strange lights in the sky and objects that look like alien spaceships… every year Brits report hundreds of sightings of Unidentified Flying Objects (UFOs)and have been doing so for more than eight decades.
Great Britain is considered to be one of the most active UFO hotspots in the world, despite the fact that government officials have long insisted they are not concerned about reports of strange activity in the sky.
Ufologists would disagree. They suggest the British government’s own files tell a very different story - one that finally came to light in 2008 - when theMinistry of Defencefinally released its UFO files.
British author, researcher and TV presenter Lynn Picknett who writes about the paranormal says: “The MOD released 60,000 files on the subject. Which basically backs up the assertion over the years that they’ve been researching all sorts of anomalous phenomena.”
In fact the British Ministry of Defence has files on military personnel encountering UFOs going back over 80 years, according to a new programme on UFOs coming to Sky History.
One of the most famous sightings occurred at a Royal Air Force base where American soldiers were stationed, Rendlesham Forest, on December 26, 1980. Shortly after midnight, military personnel at RAF Woodbridge, 80 miles northeast of London, detected a strange object on their radar.
Andrew Collins, a science and history writer says: “Airmen were sent out in a vehicle to investigate, and came across this clearing in which was this otherworldly object surrounded with light. It rose up slightly, then moved backwards and disappeared. Over the next few nights, more and more sightings occurred. The whole episode was written up and recorded by the deputy base commander, Lieutenant Colonel Halt which was very unusual.”
It’s one of the most discussed UFO events on record, but just one of many that have been reported near British military bases. On August 13th, 1956, British Royal Air Force officers stationed at RAF Bentwaters claimed they saw fifteen unidentified flying objects on their radar screen racing along the coastline.
Nick Pope, a former British Ministry of Defence (MoD) employee who investigated UFOs for the government from 1991 to 1994 and is now a leading commentator on the subject says: “Military jets were scrambled to try and intercept these things. At one point, one of the objects was recorded at speeds of around 4,000 miles an hour.
“That was way faster than anything anyone had at the time. And reliable witnesses, the pilots saw them. They're simultaneously tracked on radar. At one point, these things are going in formation, and then they appear to converge and form a single object.”
Andrew Clifton, 40, was walking his Labrador, Dash, in Malvern Hills in August 2025 when he captured a small, unknown object flying through the air at high speed.
(Image: Andrew Clifton / SWNS)
If the British military has witnessed so many unexplainable events, why has the government always professed to have no interest in UFOs Ufologists say the answer can be found by examining the earliest British military encounters on record which were reported during World War II.
UFO investigator and podcaster Dan Zetterstrom says: “Files released show that Prime Minister Churchill was being briefed on these encounters during World War II. He was worried that any release of information would lead to mass hysteria, public panic.
“So, he covered up every UFO sighting that happened. He put a blanket secrecy ban on reporting on UFOs for 50 years. But while Winston Churchill wanted to hide UFO sightings from the public, he also felt it was important to study them, and initiated government funded projects to do just that.”
While many ufologists suspect the British government is still keeping their most explosive UFO files close to their chest, civilian research groups have investigated thousands of unexplained incidents. Some of the most intriguing occurred in a single town over the course of a decade: Warminster, England.
The UFO path within Rendlesham Forest, Suffolk, England, UK.
(Image: Alamy Stock Photo)
On Christmas Eve, 1964, local resident Mildred Head was startled awake by an unnerving noise coming from above her bedroom. Lynn Picknett explains: “It sounded like thousands upon thousands of tiles being ripped off and then thrown back on, which was utterly terrifying and also there was a vibration going through the house.”
The only explanation Mildred could come up with was that the noise may have been the result of military testing at a nearby Royal Air Force Base. That was until her neighbour, Marjorie Bay had a strange experience of her own.
Nick adds: “The very next day, Marjorie Bay was going to church when she was assaulted by a series of strange vibrations that she felt reverberating through her body, and shortly afterwards, dozens of other witnesses in and around Warminster reported the same thing. It was as if some unseen force was just taking a hold of people and shaking them.”
After residents reported hearing humming or droning noises and seeing strange lights in the sky, more than 300 assembled at their local town hall demanding answers. National papers took an interest and people started flocking to Warminster for nightly sky watches where others also witnessed these mysterious lights in the sky.
A video grab of a sighting of a strange cluster of lights floating above the moors between Skipton and Bolton Abbey in West Yorkshire.
(Image: Jam Press)
David Clarke recalls: “There was a classic photograph of a disc shaped object that was taken by Gordon Faulkner. And the Daily Mirror immediately put it on the front page, big splash. From that point onwards Warminster became the place to go and see flying saucers. It was the first sort of UFO hotspot in the British Isles.”
One area of Great Britain that has experienced UFO sightings on a near daily basis from ancient times right up until the present day, is Yorkshire. Private investigator Paul Sinclair and his team began researching and surveilling the area in 2009, setting up cameras around the clifftops along the North Sea. During one night in 2020, what they captured was particularly intriguing.
“We saw an object rise out of the water. I started filming. The entire sequence of events lasted about 90 seconds. We estimated the speed to cover six miles in 90 seconds was about 240 miles per hour before it seems to turn in and drop into the sea. So we’ve got an object that’s gone below the surface, risen from the sea, traveled six miles and then gone below the surface.
"We have footage of objects beneath the surface of the water. Or luminous light beneath the surface. And we’ve no explanation for that. We’ve filmed that on three occasions.”
Ancient Aliens Britain’s UFO Files is available to watch on Sky History platforms.
And now his $175 million Beverly Hills mega-mansion is brought vividly to life - complete with UFO-inspired structures, sea-themed pools and lush landscaping touching every part of the terrain - in these exclusive Daily Mail photos.
The completion of the mansion comes just six months after Bezos and his bride Lauren Sanchez tied the knot in Venice in what was hailed as the most jaw-dropping wedding of 2025.
The ten-acre California estate, once owned by media mogul David Geffen, has been transformed into a sprawling luxury compound, combining two neighboring properties, linked by a striking raised bridge.
Bezos bought the main mansion in 2020 in what became one of the priciest real estate transactions in Los Angeles history at a staggering $165 million price tag. He snagged the neighboring building for just $10 million.
And now, five years later, the full extent of his transformation can be revealed, marking yet another milestone in Bezos's ever-expanding real estate empire.
The historic Benedict Canyon property was originally designed in the 1930s by world-renowned architect Roland Coate for Jack L Warner, the co-founder of Warner Bros.
Regarded as one of the last true symbols of Hollywood's Golden Age, the Georgian-style three-story mansion has retained its old-world charm, including its signature Greek portico - a grand architectural nod to the temple entrances of ancient Greece.
But Bezos has stamped his own absurdist vision onto the estate, installing an aquatic-core pool adorned with painted stingrays, an octopus, a sea turtle and a whole cast of other marine creatures.
Jeff Bezos and Lauren Sanchez's $175 million historic Beverly Hills mansion is finally complete six months after their fairytale wedding and after five years of renovations - transforming into a Hollywood Golden Age oasis with an absurdist twist
Bezos's five-year transformation starkly contrasts the property's former state after he purchased it in 2020 for $165 million, one of Los Angeles' priciest real estate deals
The ten-acre estate was originally designed in the 1930s by world-renowned architect Roland Coate for Jack L Warner, the co-founder of Warner Bros, before it was bought by media mogul David Geffen and then sold to the Amazon billionaire
In a separate nod - presumably to both the 1947 Roswell incident in New Mexico and his own space venture, Blue Origin - he's added a humorous flourish: a classic UFO-style sauna with a clear plastic observation dome, planted in the middle of a cactus garden and encircled by a firepit and teak furniture.
Overlooking the aquatic-themed pool is a ginormous wraparound balcony with four separate seating areas offering sweeping views of the estate - including two spots positioned directly in front of sliding doors, presumably leading into bedrooms.
The front of the estate boasts a broad, brick-paved motor court centered around a perfectly manicured circular fountain, ringed with bright red blooms and dense greenery that creates a dramatic, garden-island effect.
It's one of the few areas that still shows signs of ongoing work, with a ring of green cones marking off a section of the herringbone brick pavement that appears to be undergoing a small patch repair.
To the left of the front of the house is the second property that appears to act as a guest house.
Connected by a paved bridge, the other side also has a large rectangular pool, a hot tub, a lush green lawn and a full-sized beach volleyball court with a firepit and seating tucked to the side.
Fitness fanatic Bezos also made sure to install three pickle ball courts on the main property with a large viewing deck so players can compete in a professional environment.
Other features include a covered banquet table that seats more than 20 people beneath a long pergola beside the pickleball courts, along with a small vegetable garden in raised beds.
While retaining its Georgian style, Bezos has added his own absurdist touch, including an aquatic pool decorated with stingrays, an octopus, a sea turtle and other marine creatures
Overlooking the aquatic pool, a massive wraparound balcony features four seating areas with sweeping estate views, including two positioned outside bedroom sliding doors
In a playful nod to the 1947 Roswell incident and his company Blue Origin, Bezos added a UFO-style sauna with a clear dome in the cactus garden, surrounded by a firepit and teak furniture
The estate's front boasts a brick motor court with a circular fountain and lush red blooms, while a small section of herringbone brickwork remains cordoned off for repairs
To the left of the front of the house is the second property that appears to act as a guest house, set with a full-sized beach volleyball court, a pool and a firepit with seating tucked to the side
On the main property, Bezos also added three pickleball courts with a large viewing deck, creating a professional style playing area on the main property
To the side of the pickleball courts is a long banquet table that appears to have a capacity of 20 seats under a long pergola
A fleet of golf carts, tucked along the long driveway behind the pickleball courts, allows the couple to easily traverse the sprawling property
To isolate the property from the outside world, Bezos made sure to keep the marital home surrounded by high-security tall hedgerows.
A fleet of golf carts will make it easy for the couple to traverse around the property and are tucked away in the long driveway the ends behind the pickle ball court.
The road to completion wasn't without setbacks. In April 2023, it emerged that work on the mega-mansion had been halted indefinitely after Bezos failed to complete a planning application for a new 'game court fence.'
He had also planned to extend the estate with a pool house, powder room and new retaining walls.
The initial permits were granted in 2021, but when Bezos submitted a revised request in January 2023 to add a 'game court fence with lighting', it was denied due to incomplete paperwork.
The original plans sought to add roughly 1,000 square feet to the 28,000-square-foot mansion. Still, within a month, construction was back underway.
The mega mansion is just one piece of Bezos's sprawling real estate empire, estimated at around $600 million, as he and Sanchez split their time between luxury properties across the country - and around the world if you consider that mega yacht.
He recently transformed his ultra-exclusive Indian Creek Island retreat in Florida's famed 'Billionaire Bunker' into a real-life Amazon, complete with a dazzling canopy of tropical trees and a multimillion-dollar landscaping overhaul.
The couple $600 million property portfolio also includes a reported $78 million mega mansion in Maui, Hawaii
Bezos's $60 million Lake Washington estate in Seattle, Washington, which was his main stronghold before he decided to relocate to the East Coast to be closer to family in 2023
Beyond his land holdings, he also boasts a $500 million superyacht, Koru, recently seen in Florida, the Caribbean and off the coast of Ibiza in August
Exclusive Daily Mail photos revealed how the tech mogul, 61, packed the grounds of his $90 million estate with towering oaks, royal palms and dense greenery, turning the property into an exotic botanical garden worthy of a rainforest.
He also owns four separate apartments inside an art-deco block on Manhattan's Upper West Side.
Three of the apartments inside the complex at 25 Central Park West were bought back in 2019 for a reported sum of $80 million.
He then shelled out $16 million this spring for a fourth unit at the height of the pandemic in 2020.
The Amazon boss also owns a Texas ranch and homes in Washington, DC and Maui.
Beyond his land holdings, he also boasts a $500 million superyacht, Koru, recently seen in Florida, the Caribbean and off Ibiza in August.
The one-of-a-kind vessel is a 417-foot, three-masted sailing yacht that was built in the Netherlands by Oceanco in 2021.
Modern science and technology have done little to tamp down the public’s long-held fascination with UFOs, unexplained phenomena, and the possibility of life beyond Earth. If anything, this millennia-old obsession has only accelerated in recent years, as the Pentagon has declassified files on strange objects seen from Navy cockpits and Silicon Valley giants have spent billions of dollars chasing their own interplanetary ambitions.
The mysteries of the galaxy still vastly outweigh the knowns, and two shows in New York this winter tap into this perennial puzzle. “Voice of Space: UFOs and Paranormal Phenomena” at the Drawing Center (on view through February 1, 2026) gathers some three dozen works by artists ranging from René Magritte to Isa Genzken. “Paintings Made for Aliens Above” at P.P.O.W (on view through December 20, 2025), a solo exhibition of new paintings by Romanian artist Hortensia Mi Kafchin, probes the promises and failures of technofuturism.
Together, these exhibitions show how the allure of unidentified phenomena and the technology that might propel them are bound up with our own shifting belief systems—as well as how the cosmic can open a space to explore queerness, speculative worlds, and flashes of utopia glimpsed through dystopia.
Channeling UFOs
Unidentified objects in the sky have riveted artists since antiquity, with irregular planetary movements, meteor showers, and comets often treated as divine omens. On April 14, 1561, for example, people in Nuremberg famously reported seeing an aerial clash of mysterious globes, rods, and crosses. A blood-red aurora over Britain on March 6, 1716, was read as a celestial war between supernatural soldiers. Newtonian physics has since explained some of these phenomena—for instance, Halley’s Comet is now a known quantity with a predictable return date rather than a bizarre nocturnal anomaly heralding the fall of empires—but the skies have remained charged with artistic inspiration nonetheless.
René Magritte, Voice of Space (1931). Peggy Guggenheim Collection, Venice (Solomon R. Guggenheim Foundation, New York)
One classic example is René Magritte’s Voice of Space (1931), on loan from the Peggy Guggenheim Collection in Venice. Last exhibited in New York in 1965, the painting is the conceptual lodestar of the Drawing Center’s show of the same name. Described by the curator Olivia Shao as “the Mona Lisa of UFO paintings,” the canvas features three oversized silver orbs floating over a bucolic landscape, their smooth metallic forms eerily foretelling the countless visualizations of alien spacecraft that followed.
Although Magritte never described the work as being about aliens—he said the forms were inspired by the crotal bells common on horse-drawn vehicles of the period—other artists in the show embrace far more direct encounters with cosmic visitors. One such example is the 20th-century artist Paulina Peavy, whose multimedia works combine enigmatic figures and abstraction in the style of Italian futurism. Peavy’s works are often dually credited to her and Lacamo, a personal UFO that Peavy claimed to have met after attending a séance in 1932. Peavy, who died in 1998, even made bejeweled “trance masks” to better channel her extraterrestrial collaborator, while her multidimensional cosmology became a way to imagine a post-gender utopia far from the conservative reality of mid-century America.
Char Jeré, Go Bag (2025).
Image courtesy of the artist and Andrew Kreps Gallery, New York.
More contemporary works eschew the channeling of possibilities for the visualization of present-day thinking. Also on view at the Drawing Center are two collages by Char Jeré, whose works interrogate the presumed worldview behind technology and consumerism. In an email, Jeré describes a potential unidentified encounter at a reservoir in upstate New York in 2001 as a partial inspiration.
The resulting collages feature everyday objects ranging from sandpaper and balloons to emergency medication and more. Jeré (who uses they/them pronouns) describes the works as “maps and incantations” ultimately intended to decolonize the present. “Like Gil Scott Heron points out in his anthem ‘Whitey on the Moon,’ we suffer in order for technological spectacle and scientific triumph to exist,” they say. “These collages resist the ‘wait your turn’ detritus that so often gets thrown at Black people, queer people, [and] people who have been marginalized.”
Cultivating the Unconsciousness
Elsewhere in the Drawing Center’s show, UFOs stand in for faith and expanded consciousness rather than literal flying saucers. “It’s also about transhistorical human experience, belief systems, cybernetics, and AI,” Shao says of the exhibition. “It’s an attempt to map where we are in the world.”
This convergence crystallizes in three pieces by Adam Putnam from his ongoing Visualization series (2021–), which now spans more than 650 small works on paper drawn from dreams and meditation. Describing the project as “an ever-expanding deck of tarot cards,” he considers its construction and expansion a way of “cultivating a connection to the unconscious or the super conscious mind.”
Adam Putnam, Visualization 136 (2021-22).
Courtesy of Adam Putnam and P·P·O·W, New York.
The backstory behind the addition of his works to the show reveals an almost supernatural intervention. “I let Olivia shuffle through a stack and pick whatever spoke to her,” he recalled. “One of the Visualizations [#59, 2021–22] she chose was quite remarkable because it came from a dream I had about UFOs… There is no indication of this outwardly, as it is a fairly abstract work, but something in it must have resonated with [her].”
This conception of the unconscious as an outer-dimensional force slots into a longer lineage. Putnam’s visualizations sit alongside drawings by Sigmar Polke, who in the late 1960s spoke of receiving “commands” from “higher beings.” Included in the show is his 1968 ballpoint drawing of a wavelength, Command of 28.8.68, with its title marking the date of “transmission.” For Polke, those higher beings could be seen as psychedelic, divine, or even extraterrestrial—an elastic category that let him tap into the era’s UFO fever to skewer West Germany’s consumer culture. His wavering signal supposedly arriving from the cosmos is, in the end, actually a conduit through which he could address terrestrial desires.
Paintings for Aliens
Four blocks south of the Drawing Center, a series of paintings by Kafchin at P.P.O.W. similarly examines how preoccupations with aliens sometimes represent distinctly earthly tensions. “The title ‘Paintings Made for Aliens Above’ itself is a political and social commentary about the hierarchy of our world and cultural context,” she says.
Hortensia Mi Kafchin, Feeling space with all five senses (2025). Courtesy of Hortensia Mi Kafchin and P·P·O·W, New York.
Kafchin’s paintings raid multiple eras of art history, with her reference points ranging from Salvator Rosa and Francisco Goya to Leonora Carrington and Max Ernst. The works feature a rotating cast of characters that includes, in her words, “Aliens (representing the unknown, the Celestial Strangers), A.I. learning from our madness… and the long impossible distances between the stars that separate different civilizations.”
This eclectic ensemble is informed by her personal history. “Born in 1986, I opened my eyes at a time when technology was synonymous with the future,” she recalls, noting that her father told her stories from Jules Verne, Issac Asimov, Arthur C. Clarke, and other sci-fi giants.
Kafchin’s works register the gap between that techno-utopian promise and the entangled realities of the present, to which her trans identity remains central. “We are people who think outside the box; it’s in our nature to vibe with magic, fantasy, tech, divination, and so on,” she says. “I need to be validated by a bigger power than anything we have on Earth, like, for example, the Intergalactic Federation or some more advanced neighbors.”
Hortensia Mi Kafchin, Flowers from Earth / First Contact (2024-25). Courtesy of Hortensia Mi Kafchin and P·P·O·W, New York.
The paintings intentionally blur conspiracy and fact, aspiration, and invention. Kafchin cites “hyperstition,” the philosopher Nick Land’s theory that a fiction shared widely enough can bring a new reality into being. “There is a borderline between hyperstition and conspiracy, like an unknown force that is training or harvesting our perception of reality or collective consciousness,” she notes. “It’s funny how UFOs and the image of aliens are in concordance with our times.”
In this register, UFOs become less about contact and more about cosmology—a way to reframe what it means to be human at all. As Jeré puts it, “If war, AI, and money can change the world, then art should also take on that same responsibility, or at least the challenge of refusing the world as it is.”
The 3I Atlas Enigma: A Psychological, Sociological, and Scientific Exploration
The 3I Atlas Enigma: A Psychological, Sociological, and Scientific Exploration
By Seth H. Feinstein - MUFON State Director/ Photo analysis Team
Introduction
The discovery of 3I/Atlas on July 1, 2025, by the ATLAS telescope in Chile has opened one of the most intriguing chapters yet in the study of interstellar visitors. Only the third confirmed interstellar object ever observed—after ‘1I/ Oumuamua and 2/I Borisov—3I Atlas displays characteristics that are both comet-like and anomalous. Its hyperbolic trajectory confirms it came from outside the solar system, yet its composition and behavior challenge conventional expectations.
For the UFO/UAP research community, 3I Atlas has become a compelling case study. Not because it is alien, but because it highlights how scientific uncertainty intersects with public fascination, expert hypotheses, and the psychology of belief.
1. What We Know About 3I Atlas
3I Atlas exhibits a coma and a tail, suggesting active outgassing, though unusually high CO₂ levels dominate it. It's extremely fast, and an unbound orbit confirms its interstellar origin.
Most scientists interpret 3I Atlas as an icy body ejected from another star system, likely a fragment of a distant planetary system disrupted long ago.
Still, the combination of CO₂-dominance, high speed, and non-gravitational movement leaves room for debate—and curiosity.
This NASA image shows the trajectory as the 3I Atlas travels through the solar system
- Experts publicly entertain alternative possibilities
3I Atlas checks all four boxes.
Adding to the intrigue, Harvard astrophysicist Avi Loeb has proposed that 3I Atlas could be an extraterrestrial artifact, though he emphasizes this as a hypothesis, not a conclusion. The UFO
community naturally pays attention when credible scientists discuss technological possibilities.
3. What the Experts Are Saying
Avi Loeb
Loeb suggests that the object's unusual trajectory could be consistent with a reverse Solar Oberth maneuver, a technique advantageous for a probe using the Sun’s gravity for acceleration. He also notes that the jet-like features might be consistent with technological thrusters.
However, Loeb repeatedly clarifies:
“By far, the most likely explanation is that 3I Atlas is a natural interstellar comet.”
Steven Greer
Greer urges caution. He suggests that 3I Atlas is more likely a stray asteroid or rock, though he does not rule out the possibility of extraterrestrial debris. He warns that narratives around the object could be leveraged to generate unnecessary fear.
Richard Dolan
Dolan considers Loeb’s hypothesis plausible enough for serious inquiry, noting the object's alignment with the ecliptic plane and unusual trajectory. He stresses that while the object is not proven to be technological, the anomalies justify close study.
Marc Dantonio (MUFON Chief Photo Analyst)
Dantonio’s analysis emphasizes solid data: high CO₂ content, water ice, carbon monoxide, carbonyl sulfide, and possible cyanogen. He urges against sensationalism, focusing on what is known, rather than speculation.
Michio Kaku
Kaku shocked many when he stated the newest images show:
- No tail or outgassing, despite a close approach to the Sun
- Apparent acceleration
- No visible mass loss
-An unexplained orbital shift
These observations have prompted some astronomers to ask whether 3I Atlas might be something constructed, not natural.
4. Why People Want 3I Atlas to Be Manufactured
Curiosity about 3I Atlas reveals deep psychological dynamics:
-Humans seek patterns and threat detection—a survival instinct.
-Uncertainty creates discomfort, pushing people toward definitive explanations.
- Believing in non-human intelligence gives life meaning, wonder, and purpose.
-Conspiracy narratives offer order in a chaotic world.
-UAPs fill a cultural space once occupied by traditional belief systems.
= Witnessing or believing in anomalies gives individuals a sense of belonging to a select group.
3I Atlas becomes a symbol - of mystery, potential, and our collective desire to understand our place in the cosmos.
5. Group Dynamics and the Pull Toward Negativity
UAP communities often form around high-intensity, ambiguous subjects. This fosters:
- Group bonding through shared threat narratives
-Polarization, where groups amplify their dominant emotion
-Worst-case thinking fueled by uncertainty
-Rumor and mistrust in the absence of transparent data
These patterns are natural—but they must be recognized and managed to maintain scientific integrity.
6. Worst-Case Scenarios: Reality vs. Imagination
Hollywood has shaped public imagination for decades, presenting aliens as invaders. Films like Independence Day, Alien, The Thing, Signs, and War of the Worlds fuel fears that extraterrestrial technology equals danger.
In reality, the likelihood that 3I Atlas is:
- A piloted craft
-A deliberate probe
- Or a threat to Earth is extremely small.
A more grounded concern would be a close approach generating increased meteor activity.
The greater risks lie in public reaction—panic, misinformation, secrecy, or premature conclusions.
7. Final Thoughts: Why This Mystery Matters
My involvement began through the MUFON Photo Analysis Team. While others focus on the hard science, my contribution is more a psychological and sociological context surrounding our fascination with 3I Atlas.
This case reminds us that:
- Curiosity is healthy
- Speculation can inspire scientific breakthroughs
- Data, not fear, should guide us
- Wonder fuels discovery
Even if 3I Atlas turns out to be entirely natural, the process of studying it enriches astronomy, interdisciplinary sciences, and the UAP field.
The journey matters—and it moves humanity forward.
Gemini was an American program in the 1960s, during which 12 launches of spacecraft of the same name were carried out. Its main goal was to teach people and technology to rendezvous and dock in space. In the future, this allowed the next important step to be taken – sending Apollo spacecraft to the Moon.
Gemini-7 spacecraft
Why was the Gemini program created?
Exactly 60 years ago, on December 15, 1965, four astronauts were in Earth’s orbit at the same time for the first time. This happened during the flight of the Gemini-6 and Gemini-7 spacecraft. At one point, the ships were less than 2 meters apart, and the astronauts could clearly see each other through the portholes.
They did all this for a reason, but to understand the purpose and significance of that meeting in orbit, we need to go back to the first half of the 1960s. The space race is in full swing. The USSR won the first stage – the launch of the first satellite and the first man into orbit – but the US is hot on its heels. The Americans need to achieve something that their opponents can only dream of.
The next goal, the achievement of which will provide a reliable advantage, has already been defined – a flight to the Moon. A general flight plan for the Apollo program has already been approved, but it involves several things that NASA has not done before: maneuvers in orbit, rendezvous and docking of spacecraft in orbit, and extravehicular activities.
The layout of the Gemini spacecraft. Source: Wikipedia
And all this had to be worked out in safer conditions. So, in parallel with the construction of Apollo spacecraft, landing modules, and giant Saturn 5 rockets, it was decided to implement a much simpler and less ambitious program called Gemini.
It was based on the ship of the same name, which was an enlarged version of the previous Mercury manned orbital vehicle. It differed from it in that it was a two-seater, had a docking hatch, and improved capabilities for orbital maneuvers. A modified Titan II ballistic missile was used for launches, which made it possible to minimize preparation time for the program’s implementation.
First flights
A separate selection of astronauts was conducted for the Gemini program in 1962. Initially, there were 508 pilots, whose number was gradually reduced until there were only seven left, who began to be trained for flights with the future goal that these same people might then fly to the Moon.
Launch of Gemini-3. Source: Wikipedia
However, it all started with unmanned missions. The first one took place on April 8, 1964. The main goal was to check how the spacecraft would enter orbit and activate all its systems. This task was completed in 4 hours and 50 minutes, but the spacecraft remained in orbit for another four hours before burning up in the atmosphere. It simply did not have a heat shield.
It was tested along with the entire Earth return system during the subsequent Gemini-2 mission. It took place on January 19, 1965, and lasted only 18 minutes and 16 seconds. In fact, it was just a suborbital flight, during which the rocket left the atmosphere, the spacecraft separated, and landed.
Both flights were deemed successful, and two astronauts, Virgil Grissom and John Young, were sent into orbit on the next Gemini-3 mission. The latter died during ground tests for Apollo-1. The second flew to the Moon and on the shuttle, and left NASA in the 21st century. But back in March 1965, their mission was simple: to orbit our planet several times and land safely in a designated area. At that time, even that was not easy, but they did everything right.
Next was the Gemini-4 mission, which took place from June 3 to 7. The main event during this mission was the first American spacewalk. It was performed by Edward White while his colleague James McDivitt remained in the cabin. Soviet cosmonauts had made their first spacewalk just three months earlier, on March 18. The gap in the space race had narrowed to a minimum.
Edward White in outer space. Source: Wikipedia
Record-breaking flights
The Americans managed to pull ahead during the next flight, which was carried out by the Gemini-5 spacecraft. Gordon Cooper and Charles Conrad managed to break the flight duration record set in 1963 by Valery Bykovsky on Voskhod-5. The Americans spent 7 days, 22 hours, and 55 minutes in orbit. Also during this flight, fuel cells for providing electrical power were tested for the first time.
At the same time, astronauts attempted to perform a rendezvous maneuver with another spacecraft for the first time. For this purpose, an Agena rocket was launched from the ground – essentially just an empty upper stage of a launch vehicle. However, this task was not successful.
Then December 1965 arrived. Initially, two manned launches were planned, during the first of which (Gemini-6) Walter Schirra and Thomas Stafford would again attempt to rendezvous with another Agena, but the launch of the latter, which was supposed to take place before their launch, was unsuccessful.
Thomas Stafford and Walter Schirra. Source: Wikipedia
Therefore, plans had to be revised. Initially, on December 4, Gemini-7 was launched into space with Frank Borman and James Lovell on board. They had their own mission – to set a new record for flight duration and stay in space for 14 days. They accomplished it.
However, at the same time, it was decided that Gemini-6 would be launched into space on December 15, and shortly thereafter, the ships would attempt to rendezvous. They succeeded, demonstrating that NASA could handle one of the most difficult tasks during a flight to the Moon – the rendezvous of modules in space.
But getting close does not mean docking. That was the next big task, and it was accomplished by Neil Armstrong and David Scott aboard Gemini-8. The flight took place in March 1966, and this time, Agena successfully entered orbit, was successfully “caught”, and docked. The Apollo program was getting closer and closer.
Meeting of ships in orbit. Source: Wikipedia
Completion of the Gemini program
After that, there were four more flights under the Gemini-9 program. The flight was originally supposed to involve Elliot See and Charles Bassett, and was scheduled to take place in May 1966. However, on February 28, both pilots were killed in a T-38 training aircraft accident. Their places were taken by substitutes Thomas Stafford and Eugene Cernan.
But that was not the end of the trouble. Agena, whose docking was one of the main objectives of the mission, again failed to reach orbit, so they had to wait for a replacement. The launch was postponed, and this time the astronauts managed not only to approach it, but also to make two spacewalks.
Gemini-10, with John Young and Michael Collins on board, launched on July 18, 1966. This time, the astronauts managed to rendezvous with two target rockets. In addition, they performed two spacewalks.
Gemini-11, with Charles Conrad and Richard Gordon, launched in September of the same year, 1966. This time, the goal of the flight was to set a new record. The spacecraft traveled 1,374 km from Earth. In addition, the astronauts performed a spacewalk and conducted a series of experiments.
Gemini-11 mission emblem. Source: Wikipedia
It was clear that everything that could be worked out on Gemini had already been worked out, and it was time to move on to Apollo. However, NASA management decided to work out the rendezvous, docking, and spacewalk procedures one more time. This is what the Gemini-12 crew did in November 1966.
The Gemini program ended, but not because it failed. On the contrary, it proved to be very successful, as American astronauts and engineers gained the most important thing – practical experience not only of flying in space, but also of purposeful work in it. This experience later came in handy not only during trips to the Moon, but also for the entire exploration of outer space.
Interestingly, when the Soviet Union learned about the Gemini and Apollo programs, it immediately perceived them as a threat to its leadership in space.
Soviet engineers attempted to implement a program very similar to Gemini, called Voskhod. And it even had some success. It was by stepping out of one of these spacecraft into open space that Alexei Leonov became the first person to do so. However, even in the Soviet Union, they understood that removing the ejection seat from the small Vostok to convert it from a single-seat spacecraft into a two- or even three-seat spacecraft was a very bad decision.
The design of the Voskhod spacecraft. Source: Wikipedia
And most importantly, it is unclear why such risks were taken, since Gemini was valuable primarily as the first step toward Apollo, and by 1966-67, it was clear that the Soviet space program was not keeping up with it. In the end, Soviet cosmonauts did gain the same experience that allows them to feel at home in space. There, they reoriented their space program toward the exploration of Earth’s orbit.
But it is interesting in the Gemini program. These “basic orbital maneuvering exercises,” without which neither the station could be built, nor other planets could be reached, were completed by the USSR and the US back in the 1960s. But since then, despite the fact that many countries have declared themselves spacefaring nations, only one of them has been able to repeat this feat. We are talking about China, which in the 21st century was able to implement the Shenzhou and Tiangong programs. It seems that the Gemini “training” program is not so simple after all.
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Over mijzelf
Ik ben Pieter, en gebruik soms ook wel de schuilnaam Peter2011.
Ik ben een man en woon in Linter (België) en mijn beroep is Ik ben op rust..
Ik ben geboren op 18/10/1950 en ben nu dus 75 jaar jong.
Mijn hobby's zijn: Ufologie en andere esoterische onderwerpen.
Op deze blog vind je onder artikels, werk van mezelf. Mijn dank gaat ook naar André, Ingrid, Oliver, Paul, Vincent, Georges Filer en MUFON voor de bijdragen voor de verschillende categorieën...
Veel leesplezier en geef je mening over deze blog.