Today's biggest science news: Doomed comet explodes | Comet 3I/ATLAS course alteration | Dark matter detected?

Wednesday, Nov. 26, 2025: Your daily feed of the biggest discoveries and breakthroughs making headlines.

Here's the biggest science news you need to know. 

• The 'other' comet ATLAS C/2025 K1 has exploded and is disintegrating in real time.
• Interstellar comet 3I/ATLAS may have a course-altering encounter with Jupiter before it leaves our solar system.
• A new study claims to provide the first direct evidence of dark matter.

RIP 'other ATLAS': Watch the doomed comet explode into pieces in incredible new images

By Harry Baker  

Stunning new photos show the pieces of the "other ATLAS," C/2025 K1, breaking apart in space after the golden comet suddenly exploded earlier this month.

A new animation shows the gradual disintegration of comet C/2025 K1 (ATLAS), which began to break apart on Nov. 13. 

(Image credit: Michael Jäger)

In space, death can be a beautiful thing. That's certainly the case for the recently deceased "other" comet ATLAS, which is slowly breaking apart after meeting its explosive end earlier this month, stunning new images reveal.

C/2025 K1 (ATLAS) is a comet originating from the Oort Cloud beyond Neptune that was discovered in May by astronomers at the Asteroid Terrestrial-impact Last Alert System (ATLAS). It reached its closest point to the sun, or perihelion, on Oct. 8, coming within 31 million miles (50 million kilometers) of our home star. But the comet largely went under the radar until earlier this month, when it developed a rare golden glow in its coma and tail.

It has become known as the "other ATLAS," thanks to its shared surname with the interstellar comet 3I/ATLAS, which has been dominating headlines since it was first spotted shooting through the solar system in July. The two comets have no relation, other than being detected by the same telescope network around the same time.

On Nov. 13, astronomers noticed that C/2025 K1 had broken apart into several pieces. Austrian astrophotographer Michael Jäger has been keeping a close eye on C/2025 K1 since it began to fall apart, and he has now shared a stunning timelapse animation that shows the fragments of the comet slowly separating from one another.

"Following brightness surges in early November, we have been able to observe this comet splitting into three brighter fragments for the past two weeks," Jäger told Spaceweather.com. "The animation shows it on November 12, 14, 18, 19, and 20th."

The comet was not expected to survive its perihelion — astronomers predicted that the close proximity of its journey around the sun would place a huge amount of gravitational strain on the object. After its solar flyby, initial observations suggested that it had emerged unscathed. However, following a sudden brightening event, the comet then broke apart into three distinct pieces.

More recent photos have shown that a smaller fourth fragment also splintered from the comet, according to Spaceweather.com. However, this part of the comet is not visible in the new animation.

C/2025 K1 was one of just a handful of comets that have ever been seen with a golden hue (see below), which is likely the result of a surprising lack of carbon-bearing molecules, such as dicarbon, carbon monoxide and cyanide in its nucleus. In fact, only two other known comets have ever had fewer of these molecules, astronomer David Schleicher of Arizona's Lowell Observatory recently reported.

Researchers had hoped to learn more about the comet and its surprising composition during its closest approach to Earth on Tuesday (Nov. 25). However, this now seems unlikely.

But the comet's fragments will still be visible in the constellation Leo to anyone with a decent telescope or a pair of stargazing binoculars.

Other ATLAS(s)

C/2025 K1 is not the first comet to bear the name ATLAS. In fact, dozens of other comets have been found by the Asteroid Terrestrial-impact Last Alert System — a NASA-funded robotic survey, which has been scanning the night sky using telescopes in Hawaii, South Africa and Chile since 2015.

Over the last few years, several ATLAS comets have made the news, including C/2024 G3, which appeared in spectacular snaps by astronauts onboard the International Space Station (ISS) earlier this year, as well as a doomed sungrazer comet, the Halloween ATLAS comet and Comet Tsuchinshan-ATLAS, which all shone brightly in 2024.

But the most famous of the ATLASs is 3I/ATLAS, an alien comet that is traveling past us after being ejected from its own star system, potentially long before the solar system was born.

3I/ATLAS is currently on its way back out of the solar system, having reached its own perihelion on Oct. 29, and will reach its closest point to Earth on Dec. 19, when it will reach a minimum distance of 168 million miles (270 million km) from our planet. And despite what some people claim, the astronomical community is very much in agreement that it is not an alien spacecraft.

Only time will tell what wonders the future ATLAS comets will have in store for us.

3I/ATlAS shrugged

We’re still tracking comet 3I/ATLAS after last week’s headline-grabbing NASA stream revealing the agency’s images of the potentially 7-billion-year-old interstellar visitor.

Astronomers are racing to learn everything they can about the comet as it approaches its closest point to Earth on Dec 19., with some even having devised a new way to measure the size of the comet’s nuclei.

And another preprint paper suggests that the comet’s trajectory could be altered by gravitational interactions with the gas giant Jupiter as it zips out of our solar system, with an ideal potential observation window for the Juno spacecraft sometime in March 2026.

Dark matter revealed?

Good morning science fans, did you miss us? We’re back with big news, or for now just a very big claim, that an astrophysicist working with NASA’s Fermi Gamma-ray Space Telescope may have found the very first direct evidence for the existence of dark matter.

Dark matter is one of the universe's most mysterious components. It makes up 27% of our universe, with ordinary matter only accounting for 5%, but because it does not interact with light, it can't be detected directly.

But characteristic flashes spotted in this new study could be a smoking gun pointing to dark matter being made up of weakly interacting massive particles, or wimps, which are 500 times heavier than protons.

Much more work is needed to rule out other explanations, so astronomers are responding to the claims with characteristic caution. But if they can finally unveil the mass-ter of disguise, it will offer a major boost for our best theory of the universe.

{ https://www.livescience.com/space }

26-11-2025 om 22:25 geschreven door peter  

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26-11-2025 om 18:23 geschreven door peter  

Dark matter is seen for the first time: Eerie image shows first direct evidence of the elusive substance that makes up 25% of the universe

• READ MORE: Scientist explains what happens if you walked into a black hole 

By WILIAM HUNTER, SENIOR SCIENCE & TECHNOLOGY REPORTER

Scientists have captured the first–ever direct evidence for dark matter, the elusive substance that makes up more than a quarter of the universe.

Using NASA's Fermi telescope, researchers have detected powerful gamma–ray radiation emerging from a 'halo–like' structure surrounding the Milky Way.

Its frequency and intensity suggest that this could be dark matter.  

According to the study's author, Professor Tomonori Totani of the University of Tokyo, this eerie image is the first time that humanity has been able to 'see' the mysterious substance. 

For almost two decades, scientists have known that there is a glow of gamma–ray radiation coming from the heart of the Milky Way called the galactic centre (GC) excess.

However, the so–called 'halo signature' surrounding our galaxy is something that no scientist has ever seen before.

Speaking to Daily Mail, Professor Totani explained: 'While the GC excess is concentrated at the very centre of the Galaxy, my halo signal is thinly spread across the halo region.

'I believe it strongly suggests radiation from dark matter.'

Scientists have captured the first–ever direct evidence for dark matter, the elusive substance that makes up more than a quarter of the universe 

The invisible influence of dark matter helps explain everything from the rotation of galaxies to the expansion of the universe.

But, despite its enormous importance to modern physics, scientists have only been able to observe dark matter indirectly by measuring its gravitational effects.

Now, Professor Totani believes he has finally found a way to change this.

Many scientists believe that dark matter is made up of something called weakly interacting massive particles, or WIMPs.

WIMPS are much larger than normal particles like protons, but don't interact with conventional matter – making them almost impossible to detect.

However, when two WIMPs collide, they are annihilated and release a burst of photons in the form of gamma–ray radiation.

Using 15 years of data from NASA's Fermi Gamma–ray Space Telescope, Professor Totani looked at a region of the galaxy where dark matter was thought to collect.

There, he found that gamma rays with an 'extremely large amount of energy' extend in a large halo–like structure, emerging from the galactic centre.

Scientists have known for almost two decades that there is a glow of gamma radiation emerging from the centre of the galaxy. Now, a scientist has found an even more powerful signal that could be caused by dark matter 

Even after blocking out the glow of the galactic centre, data from NASA's Fermi telescope shows a 'halo–like' region of powerful gamma ray radiation that could be caused by colliding particles of dark matter 

What is dark matter?

Dark matter outweighs visible matter roughly six to one, making up about 27 per cent of the universe. 

Unlike normal matter, dark matter does not interact with the electromagnetic force. 

This means it does not absorb, reflect or emit light, making it extremely hard to spot.

In fact, researchers have been able to infer the existence of dark matter only from the gravitational effect it seems to have on visible matter. 

Source: CERN 

This energy was emerging from the exact place where previous studies had predicted dark matter would be most concentrated.

Even more excitingly, this energy level is exactly what some scientists had predicted colliding particles of dark matter should produce.

This could very well be the first time that scientists have found a way of looking at dark matter itself.

Professor Totani told Daily Mail: 'Since we are directly observing the gamma rays emitted by dark matter, I personally believe it can be considered "direct observation".'

Importantly, the halo signature is completely distinct from previous observations of the GC excess.

Not only is the halo signature more spread out, but it is also 10 times more powerful than the gamma radiation found in the GC excess.

This is critical because there are no known types of stars or black holes which produce this type of energy.

Dr Moorts Muru, a dark matter expert from the Leibniz Institute for Astrophysics who was not involved in the study, told Daily Mail: 'None of the known stellar objects radiates energy at such high levels, and thus, Totani leans strongly towards the dark matter hypothesis.'

The energy produced by this halo signal is 10 times more powerful than the gamma–ray radiation coming from the galactic centre, and matches the signal researchers expected to find from dark matter (illustrated). The red and blue lines show the predicted signal from dark matter, while the circles show the data points collected by Fermi

While Dr Muru says this is not 'definitive proof', he adds that it is a 'significant boost to understanding dark matter'.

However, not everyone is convinced.

Professor Joe Silk, a dark matter researcher from Johns Hopkins University who was not involved in the study, told Daily Mail he thinks the claim of dark matter detection is 'premature'.

Firstly, Professor Totani's predictions for how much energy a WIMP should produce are much higher than some scientists' calculations.

'Of course, our predictions could be wrong, but if he is correct, we should have seen a gamma ray signal from nearby dwarf galaxies that are dark matter–dominated,' says Professor Silk.

Additionally, Professor Silk argues that these strong gamma rays could be the product of a huge explosion that emanated from the galaxy's central black hole about 10 billion years ago.

This explosion created the massive structures known as the 'Fermi bubbles' that extend on either side of the galaxy, but could have also started a powerful chain reaction.

Professor Silk says: 'What he did not consider is the fact that such an explosion that caused the Fermi bubbles is associated with violent shock fronts with turbulent magnetic fields that are known to be giant particle accelerators.

Not everyone is convinced by these findings, as some scientists suggest the gamma ray radiation could be emerging from 'energetic particles' trapped in the 'Fermi bubble' (highlighted) that emerges above and below the galactic plane 

Read More

• The Milky Way as you've NEVER seen it: Scientists reveal largest low-frequency radio colour image 

'So they could have injected many energetic particles whose subsequent diffusion and interaction with the ambient gas would have generated an additional gamma ray glow. In which case, we have no evidence for dark matter.'

In his paper, published in the Journal of Cosmology and Astroparticle Physics, Professor Totani acknowledges that more observations will be needed to prove this really is dark matter.

If other regions that should have lots of dark matter, like nearby dwarf galaxies, have similar gamma–ray signatures, it would be strong evidence for his claim.

However, the researcher remains confident that more data in the future will only provide more evidence that gamma–rays originate from dark matter.

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26-11-2025 om 17:39 geschreven door peter  

NASA’s Voyager 1 spacecraft, launched in 1977, continues to operate and set records. It is already the first man-made object to reach interstellar space and is currently the furthest spacecraft from Earth. But at the end of 2026, it will reach a new milestone: traveling one light-day away from our planet.

One light day is the distance that light or a radio signal travels in 24 hours. Voyager 1 is currently more than 25 billion km away, and a signal from Earth takes almost 23.5 hours to reach it. According to NASA calculations, in a year, on November 15, 2026, the spacecraft will reach a distance of 25.9 billion km. At that point, each transmission from our antennas will take exactly 24 hours to reach it.

Unique mission and challenges

Voyager 1 and Voyager 2 are the longest-running missions in NASA history. It is remarkable that their equipment has millions of times less memory and computing power than modern smartphones. However, outdated electronics do not prevent them from continuing to help science. It was Voyager 1 that took the iconic photo of Earth – “Pale Blue Dot” – showing our planet as a tiny speck in the vastness of space.

But at such great distances, communication with the spacecraft becomes increasingly difficult. It takes a whole day for a command from Earth to reach it, and another day for the response to return. Its nuclear power source will only last for a few more years. But even when the Voyagers fall silent, they will forever remain humanity’s first messengers in interstellar space.

Earlier, we reported on how NASA named this year the “death” of the Voyager probes.

• According to Interesting Engineering

• Posted in News, Tech

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26-11-2025 om 16:54 geschreven door peter  

Researchers at the University of Tokyo have announced the discovery of gamma rays produced by the annihilation of dark matter particles. If confirmed, this will be the first time that humanity has “seen” this mysterious substance.

The hidden mass of the Universe

Back in the early 1930s, astronomer Fritz Zwicky discovered an anomaly in the motion of galaxies, which could be explained by the fact that their actual mass was much greater than the mass of the observable matter. This led him to conclude that there must be some invisible structure—dark matter—holding the galaxies together.

Almost a century after Zwicky’s discovery, dark matter remains largely a mystery. Until now, scientists have only been able to observe it indirectly, by studying its effects on observable matter. For example, through its ability to generate enough gravity to hold galaxies together. The reason why dark matter cannot be observed directly is that the particles it consists of do not interact with electromagnetic radiation and do not emit it. In other words, dark matter does not absorb, reflect, or emit light.

Annihilation of dark matter

There are many hypotheses explaining the nature of dark matter. According to one of the most popular theories, it consists of so-called WIMPs (weakly interacting massive particles), which are heavier than protons but interact very little with other matter. Despite the lack of interaction, when two such particles collide, they annihilate each other and release other particles, including gamma-ray photons.

For many years, scientists have been trying to find these specific gamma rays, focusing on areas where dark matter is believed to be most concentrated. According to Professor Tomonori Totani of the Department of Astronomy at the University of Tokyo, he has finally succeeded in solving this problem. After analyzing the latest data from the Fermi space telescope, he has found gamma rays whose characteristics match those predicted.

“We detected gamma rays with a photon energy of 20 gigaelectronvolts (or 20 billion electronvolts, which is an extremely high energy) propagating in a halo-like structure toward the center of the Milky Way galaxy. The gamma-ray component corresponds exactly to the shape expected from a dark matter halo,” said Totani.

The observed energy spectrum, or gamma-ray intensity range, corresponds to the radiation predicted as a result of the annihilation of hypothetical WIMPs, whose mass is approximately 500 times greater than that of a proton. The annihilation rate, estimated from the measured gamma-ray intensity, is also within the range of theoretical predictions.

“If this is true, then, as far as I know, this will be the first time that humanity has ‘seen’ dark matter. And it turns out that dark matter is a new particle not included in the current standard model of particle physics. This represents a significant breakthrough in astronomy and physics.”

Although Totani is confident that his gamma-ray measurements detect dark matter particles, his results must be verified by independent analysis by other researchers. Even with this confirmation, scientists will need additional evidence that this radiation is indeed the result of dark matter annihilation and not coming from some other astronomical phenomenon.

Additional evidence of collisions in other locations with high concentrations of dark matter would support these initial findings. For example, the detection of gamma rays of the same energy from dwarf galaxies in the Milky Way halo would confirm the results of the study.

• According to UTokyo

• Posted in News, Science

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26-11-2025 om 16:43 geschreven door peter  

Professor Says Mysterious Interstellar Object May Be Releasing Sentinels Around Jupiter

By Victor Tangermann

NASA / Futurism

Interstellar object 3I/ATLAS is expected to make its closest pass of the Earth just under a month from now, coming within around 170 million miles of us.

Three months later, it’s expected to get even closer to Jupiter as it continues on its highly eccentric path through the solar system.

And as Harvard astronomer Avi Loeb — who has long championed the theory that 3I/ATLAS could be an alien spacecraft, to the increasing dismay of the mainstream research community — points out on his blog, recent “non-gravitational acceleration” seems to have nudged it toward a fascinating region of Jupiter’s orbit.

Specifically, it’s going to zip right past Jupiter’s Hill radius, the boundary inside which the gas giant can keep an object in its own orbit without it being stolen by the Sun.

In the Earth’s vicinity, Lagrange points L1 and L2 are close to the boundary of our planet’s Hill radius, a perfect place of equilibrium for satellites and other human-made objects, such as the James Webb Space Telescope, to orbit the Sun while using minimal amounts of fuel.

Loeb suggests that if it is indeed an alien spacecraft, 3I/ATLAS could be passing through Jupiter’s Hill radius to “seed” the planet with “technological devices” — a hypothesis, you have to admit, that sounds strikingly similar to the plot of Stanley Kubrick’s 1968 film “2001: A Space Odyssey.”

“If we find technological satellites of Jupiter that we did not send, it would imply that Jupiter is of interest to an extraterrestrial civilization,” Loeb wrote.

But not everybody’s on board, including NASA. In light of considerable evidence that the mysterious visitor is a comet made of ice and dust, NASA associate administrator Amit Kshatriya preemptively shut down Loeb’s theorizing during a recent announcement, angering him in the process.

During its closest approach to the Sun last month, 3I/ATLAS got a push in the form of “non-gravitational acceleration.” While a more conventional explanation would suggest the Sun’s radiation heated the object up, causing it to lose more mass and thereby accelerate, Loeb suggested at the time that it could “be the technological signature of an internal engine.”

Intriguingly, that extra push will allow it to get within around 53 million miles of Jupiter on March 16, which also happens to be within just 160,000 miles of the planet’s Hill radius.

“In other words, the non-gravitational acceleration introduced a small course correction of exactly the magnitude needed to bring the minimum distance of 3I/ATLAS from Jupiter to the value of Jupiter’s Hill radius,” Loeb wrote. “3I/ATLAS would have missed the edge of the Hill sphere otherwise.”

Therefore, Loeb suggested that 3I/ATLAS’ “level of non-gravitational acceleration was finely tuned” with the help of thrusters to meet the “radius of Jupiter’s gravitational influence.”

The astronomer reiterated that NASA’s Juno spacecraft, which has been orbiting Jupiter since 2016, should have a closer look at 3I/ATLAS in the spring.

Loeb also argued that scientists should remain humble and not jump to conclusions by arguing that the only possibility is that 3I/ATLAS is a natural comet. For one, if we were to find “technological satellites” in the orbit of our solar system’s largest planet — and not around Earth — it could serve as a “blow to our ego, akin to attending a party where nobody is interested in dancing with us.”

“Perhaps this is because the human species arrived late to the party — only a few million years ago, whereas Jupiter — the biggest planet in the Solar system, was visible to the senders of 3I/ATLAS when the mission was launched billions of years ago,” he concluded.

More on 3I/ATLAS: 

• Scientist Identifies Something Strange About New Image of Mysterious Interstellar Visitor

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25-11-2025 om 18:58 geschreven door peter  

The clustering algorithm detected an area of increased density in the Kuiper belt. Scientists do not know why there are more objects concentrated in this area than elsewhere. In addition, the objects here have orbits closer to a circle.

New regions of the Kuiper belt

A large region of our solar system called the Kuiper belt extends from Neptune’s orbit to approximately 50 astronomical units. This region consists mainly of icy objects and small rocky bodies such as Pluto. Scientists believe that Kuiper belt objects (KBOs) are remnants left over from the formation of the solar system.

Now, a new paper describes a recently discovered region that appears to be completely different from other parts of the Kuiper belt, but some uncertainty remains.

Core of the Kuiper Belt

Back in 2011, a group of astronomers noticed a denser region of objects located in the Kuiper belt at a distance of about 44 AU. The group named this region the “core” and found that the objects in it have a low inclination to the ecliptic and eccentricity compared to other KPOs.

In other words, their orbits were more circular and lay closer to the plane of the Solar System rather than at an angle. The core itself lies within another distinct population of KPO, called the “dynamically cold” population, in which all objects tend to have lower eccentricities and inclinations.

Since the initial observation of the nucleus was visual in nature, it may not have captured some fine details. Some researchers have wondered whether a more in-depth study of the data on these objects might reveal new features in the nucleus or other parts of the Kuiper belt.

Clustering algorithm and new questions

To find individual structures in the Kuiper belt, the authors of a new preprint article decided to test a clustering algorithm called Density-Based Spatial Clustering of Applications with Noise (DBSCAN). This algorithm has already been used for other astronomical datasets, but not for the Kuiper belt. First, the team calculated the barycentric free orbital elements, such as the semi-major axis, eccentricity, and inclination, for 1,650 classical KPOs and applied DBSCAN to them to search for other clusters of similar objects.

Their algorithm detected not only the core, but also another separate structure next to it, approximately 43 AU away, which they simply call the inner core. The inner core stands out as potentially separate because its eccentricity distribution is narrower than that of the core, indicating a separate population. They claim that the inner core contains 7-10% of classical KPOs.

However, the team notes that the distinction between the core and the inner core depends on the clustering parameters. This leaves some doubt as to whether the inner core is truly separate.

Theories about the structure of the Kuiper belt

At present, the existence of the inner belt as a separate structure remains unclear. However, new data from the Vera Rubin Observatory will soon be published, which should shed more light on this issue. These and other studies may clarify the nature of these structures and provide more information about their origin.

However, for the authors of the study, the inner belt remains important. Scientists note that there are two alternative explanations, between which it is impossible to choose: either the core is much larger than previously thought, or there is an additional separate structure in the cold classical Kuiper belt. In any case, the inner core, as described here, is an additional component.

• Provided by phys.org

• Posted in News, Science

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24-11-2025 om 18:27 geschreven door peter  

Radar satellites operating in Mars’ orbit regularly detect strange bright reflections under the planet’s ice caps. These are usually interpreted as pools of meltwater, but scientists have recently begun to question this interpretation.

MARSIS radar discovery

Ancient Mars boasted abundant water, but the cold and dry conditions of today make liquid water on the Red Planet seem far less probable. However, the Mars Advanced Radar for Subsurface and Ionosphere Sounding (MARSIS) detected strong radar reflections from a 20-kilometer-wide area over the base of Mars’s southern polar ice cap, hinting at the possibility of liquid water below the icy surface. Such a finding would have major implications for the planet’s possible habitability.

But sustaining liquid water underneath the ice might not be feasible without very salty brines or localized volcanic heat. Scientists have deliberated about other possible “dry” explanations for the bright reflections detected by MARSIS, such as layers of carbon dioxide and water ices or salty ice and clay causing elevated radar reflectivity.

Penetrating signals of the SHARAD device

Aboard the Mars Reconnaissance Orbiter, the Shallow Radar (SHARAD) uses higher frequencies than MARSIS. Until recently, though, SHARAD’s signals could not reach deep enough into Mars to bounce off the base layer of the ice where the potential water lies – meaning its results couldn’t be compared with those from MARSIS.

However, the Mars Reconnaissance Orbiter team recently tested a new maneuver that rolls the spacecraft on its flight axis by 120° – whereas it previously could roll only up to 28°. The new maneuver, termed a “very large roll,” or VLR, can increase SHARAD’s signal strength and penetration depth, allowing researchers to examine the base of the ice in the enigmatic high-reflectivity zone.

Most likely not liquid water

Gareth Morgan and colleagues, for their article published in Geophysical Research Letters, examined 91 SHARAD observations that crossed the high-reflectivity zone. Only when using the VLR maneuver was a SHARAD basal echo detected at the site. In contrast to the MARSIS detection, the SHARAD detection was very weak, meaning it is unlikely that liquid water is present in the high-reflectivity zone.

The researchers suggest that the faint detection returned by SHARAD under this portion of the ice cap is likely due to a localized region of smooth ground beneath the ice. They add that further research is needed to reconcile the differences between the MARSIS and SHARAD findings.

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24-11-2025 om 18:12 geschreven door peter  

What would happen if you walked into a black hole? Scientist reveals the gruesome effects on the human body

• READ MORE: Scientists capture an image of two black holes circling each other

By WILIAM HUNTER, SENIOR SCIENCE & TECHNOLOGY REPORTER

Although falling into a massive black hole would certainly be deadly, it isn't really something most people need to worry about.

However, scientists say that there could be smaller hidden black holes lurking in our solar system that could pass right through you at any time.

These so-called 'primordial' black holes have masses ranging from 100,000 times smaller than a paper clip to 100,000 times greater than the sun.

But what would happen if you walked into one of these miniature monsters?

According to Professor Robert Scherrer, a physicist from Vanderbilt University, the results would be gruesome.

The gravitational forces of a primordial black hole would be so strong that they would tear the cells of your brain apart from the inside out.

Professor Scherrer says: 'A sufficiently large primordial black hole, about the size of an asteroid or larger, would cause serious injury or death if it passed through you.

'It would behave like a gunshot.'

A scientist has revealed what would happen if you walked into a black hole, and his calculations show the gruesome effects it would have on your body 

A primordial black hole is a type of black hole that formed in the very first moments of the Universe as vast clouds of matter collapsed directly into singularities.

Although they are currently only theoretical, these black holes might have been drifting around the universe and slowly shrinking for the last 13.8 billion years.

Today, scientists think that any remaining primordial black holes probably have roughly the same mass as an asteroid, crushed into a point the size of an atom.

Despite being incredibly small, Professor Scherrer's calculations suggest that being hit by one of these strange objects could very well be deadly.

When the black hole collides with a body, it will start to transfer huge amounts of energy in two forms: a supersonic shock and tidal forces.

A supersonic shock occurs when something moves faster than the speed of sound and produces a blast of energy radiating out in a cone.

In the case of a black hole, these shockwaves would spread out from its path as it passed through the body's tissue.

Professor Scherrer compares the force of this impact to being hit by a large-calibre bullet, which dumps energy into the body as it passes through.

Entering a massive black hole would be deadly, but a researcher has now calculated that a tiny 'primordial' black hole could also produce a strong enough force to tear the cells of your brain apart from the inside (stock image)

If the black hole has a big enough mass, that energy would be enough to cause death by rupturing the internal organs and triggering massive bleeding.

The other way in which a black hole might kill you is through the creation of tidal forces.

Tidal forces occur when gravity pulls more strongly on one part of an object than another, tearing it apart.

This is the same process that causes planets to crumble into pieces when they fall too close to their host stars.

Since a primordial black hole is so small, the area affected by its gravitational pull is quite limited.

However, if it passed through the brain, these tidal forces could be strong enough to kill.

Professor Scherrer predicts that a primordial black hole could produce a tidal force of 10 to 100 Newtons across the entire brain.

In his paper, published in the International Journal of Modern Physics D, he explains that this 'would be sufficient to pull apart human brain cells'.

Scientists believe that the universe might be filled with tiny primordial black holes (artist's impression) left over from the very earliest moments of the Big Bang. If one of these hit you, it would be like being struck by a high-calibre bullet 

Although this sounds gruesome, Professor Scherrer's calculations suggest that it is the shockwave which is most likely to kill you.

A black hole with a mass of roughly 140 billion tonnes would deliver a shock equivalent to the muzzle energy of a 0.22 calibre rifle, which could be fatal.

For the tidal forces to be deadly, the black hole would need to be several orders of magnitude larger, with a mass of roughly seven trillion tonnes.

That is comfortably within the mass that scientists expect from primordial black holes, but Professor Scherrer maintains there is no real reason to worry.

He says: 'A smaller primordial black hole could pass through you, and you wouldn't even notice it.

'However, the density of these black holes is so low that such an encounter is essentially never going to happen.'

In reality, the fact that no one has ever been killed by a black hole could be an important piece of scientific evidence.

Some scientists think that primordial black holes might make up a chunk of the Universe's dark matter.

However, since primordial black holes are so small and rare, the chances of actually being hit by one are almost negligible 

This is the unobservable extra mass that makes up most of the known universe and helps galaxies stay together. 

However, since we can't see these primordial black holes, it's almost impossible to know how much dark matter they make up.

Professor Scherrer's calculations show that even the smallest, asteroid-sized primordial black holes would cause serious injury or death if they hit someone.

So, the fact that this has never happened means primordial black holes can't be that common - putting a limit on how much dark matter they represent if they exist at all.

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24-11-2025 om 17:51 geschreven door peter  

AI Cracks Galaxy Simulation

By Mark Thompson  

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22-11-2025 om 20:54 geschreven door peter  

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22-11-2025 om 20:44 geschreven door peter  

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22-11-2025 om 20:36 geschreven door peter  

The 12th Anomaly of 3I/ATLAS: Orientation of the Jets is Not Smeared by Rotation

 Avi Loeb

Back in July and August of 2025, the interstellar object 3I/ATLAS was inferred to rotate with a period of 16.16 (+/-0.01) hours (as derived here).

Last week, preliminary images revealed a network of jets around 3I/ATLAS (as discussed here and here). These observed jets from 3I/ATLAS should have been smeared by the rotation. Instead, the image taken by F. Niebling and M. Buechner on November 9, 2025, shows tightly-collimated jets extending to distances larger than a million kilometers. At the expected thermal speed of sublimated volatiles from a natural comet,  400 meters per second, it takes about a month for the material to traverse a million kilometers.

How could these jets maintain their orientation if 3I/ATLAS is rotating every 16.16 hours?

The possibility that outflows slowed down the rotation since July is unlikely because asymmetries in outgassing typically enhance rotation (as discussed here). There is no recent measurement of the rotation period of 3I/ATLAS, but we expect related data in the coming weeks.

Another possibility is that illumination by the Sun induces outgassing only at specific angles relative to the Sun, which are dictated by the orientation of the pockets of ice and the surface topography of the nucleus. For example, ice pockets in deep valleys surrounded by mountains that shadow them will be exposed to direct sunlight and sublimate only when the Sun is at the right angle. This would lead to pulsating outflows from that spot with a period of 16.16 hours, resulting in a jet which looks like peas in a pod separated by a spatial scale of 400 meters per second times 16.16 hours which is 23,270 kilometers. There should be 43 peas on a pod of a million kilometers length and these puffs of gas should all be in the general direction of the Sun as the ice quickly cools when it is not illuminated by sunlight. This sunward orientation effect could not account for jets pointing away from the Sun, as evident in the image of 3I/ATLAS taken by M. Jäger, G. Rhemann and E. Prosperi on November 8, 2025.

Alternatively, the apparent features might represent the evaporated trail of fragments that were ejected from the main nucleus. This would imply that the nucleus exploded near the Sun, in contrast to the single object inference from the image obtained by D. Jewitt and J. Luu on November 11, 2025.

A more speculative possibility is that the jets maintain their directionality because they are produced by technological thrusters which preserve global orientation for navigation purposes.

At any event, the post-perihelion images add a new anomaly to the list, which by now includes 12 mysteries concerning 3I/ATLAS:

1. Its retrograde trajectory is aligned to within 5 degrees with the ecliptic plane of the planets around the Sun, with a likelihood of 0.2% (see here).

2. During July and August as well as in early November of 2025, it displayed a sunward jet (anti-tail) that is not an optical illusion from geometric perspective, unlike familiar comets (see here).

3. Its nucleus is about a million times more massive than 1I/`Oumuamua and a thousand times more massive than 2I/Borisov, while moving faster than both, altogether with a likelihood of less than 0.1% (see here and here).

4. Its arrival time was fine-tuned to bring it within tens of millions of kilometers from Mars, Venus and Jupiter and be unobservable from Earth at perihelion, with a likelihood of 0.005% (see here).

5. Its gas plume contains much more nickel than iron (as found in industrially-produced nickel alloys) and a nickel to cyanide ratio that is orders of magnitude larger than that of all known comets, including 2I/Borisov, with a likelihood below 1% (see here).

6. Its gas plume contains only 4% water by mass, a primary constituent of familiar comets (see here).

7. It shows extreme negative polarization, unprecedented for all known comets, including 2I/Borisov, with a likelihood below 1% (see here).

8. It arrived from a direction coincident with the radio “Wow! Signal” to within 9 degrees, with a likelihood of 0.6% (see here).

9. Near perihelion, it brightened fter than any known comet and was bluer than the Sun (see here).

10. It exhibits sunward and anti-solar jets which require an unreasonably large surface area in order to absorb enough sunlight needed to sublimate enough ice to feed the mass flux of these jets (as calculated here).

11. Near perihelion it exhibits non-gravitational acceleration which requires massive evaporation of at least 13% of its mass (as calculated here), whereas preliminary images indicate that the object maintained its integrity and did not break up (as discussed here).

12. Its tightly-collimated jets maintain orientation across a million kilometers in multiple directions relative to the Sun despite its measured rotation.

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22-11-2025 om 15:27 geschreven door peter  

Is NASA hiding the truth nature of 3I/ATLAS by showing blurry images?

Is NASA hiding the true nature of interstellar visitor 3I/ATLAS? Low-resolution images and vague explanations are raising serious questions. 

NASA has finally released its long-awaited images of 3I/ATLAS and for many, the results were a major disappointment. The space agency once again repeated its narrative that the object is a “normal” comet, all while presenting extremely low-grade, fuzzy images that raised more questions than answers. 

NASA's Mars Reconnaissance Orbiter (MRO) captured an image of the comet on October 2, 2025. Later, on November 19, 2025, amateur astronomers Michael Jäger and Gerald Rhemann obtained an even deeper color filtered image from Earth. 

The newest photos of the interstellar visitor, taken by a variety of spacecraft, satellites, and telescopes, were unveiled on November 19, 2025, during a NASA press conference,  the first since the U.S. government shutdown. NASA highlighted that eight different observatories contributed to the dataset. 

Among the most anticipated images were those from the HiRISE camera aboard the Mars Reconnaissance Orbiter, (see image above) which had a rare vantage point only 19 million miles from 3I/ATLAS. Yet the final product shown to the public was a blurry black-and-white smudge devoid of meaningful detail. NASA insisted the object is simply a large space rock and pushed back on claims that 3I/ATLAS is performing any maneuvers or showing any behavior inconsistent with a typical comet. 

Online, NASA’s “big reveal” was mocked as a joke. Many argued the agency was withholding clearer images and downplaying the object’s anomalies. Photos now circulating from amateur astronomers, taken with $5,000 to $10,000 telescopes, appear far sharper and more informative than anything shown by NASA, despite the agency’s billions-of-dollars worth of equipment, spacecraft, staff, and infrastructure. 

As geophysicist Stefan Burns noted in a comparison review, the agency’s best image of 3I/ATLAS looks like a street lamp on a foggy day. 

Meanwhile, Harvard astrophysicist Avi Loeb has identified at least 12 unexplained anomalies linked to 3I/ATLAS, further fueling speculation. NASA’s quick dismissal of all alternative interpretations only intensified online theories that the agency is trying to bury any discussion of extraterrestrial possibilities. 

In the end, NASA’s long-delayed reveal of 3I/ATLAS left many observers unimpressed and, honestly, what else did we expect? The low-resolution images only fuel the growing sense that something about this interstellar visitor isn’t being fully explained or fully shown. In other words, it feels like NASA is once again keeping the object’s true nature out of view. 

Anyway, we don’t need NASA for answers. By the time 3I/ATLAS makes its closest approach to Earth on December 19, 2025, there will be far more reliable sources ready to confirm whether it’s just a bizarre interstellar comet or something of extraterrestrial origin on a true renaissance mission.

  

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22-11-2025 om 14:55 geschreven door peter  

Polenverschuiving: Wat zegt de wetenschap en wat is de invloed op de samenleving?

Inleiding

De afgelopen weken is er opnieuw een golf van online discussies ontstaan over een vermeende “pole shift”. Deze term wordt in diverse contexten gebruikt, variërend van een natuurverschijnsel dat in de geologische geschiedenis voorkomt tot spectulatieve theorieën over snelle en catastrofale verschuivingen van de aardrotatie. In sommige online kringen richt men zich op het idee dat de Noord- en Zuidpool op korte termijn zullen veranderen, wat zou kunnen leiden tot enorme natuurrampen en maatschappelijke chaos. Aan de andere kant worden berichten vaak versterkt door angstzaaiende verhalen die niet wetenschappelijk onderbouwd zijn. Het is daarom belangrijk om deze claims kritisch en wetenschappelijk te analyseren. In dit artikel bespreken we de wetenschappelijke feiten rond pole shifts, de historische context, de verbanden met bepaalde alternatieve theorieën en de maatschappelijke impact.

Wetenschappelijke context: Wat zegt de geofysica?

Magnetische poolomkeringen

Een veel besproken verschijnsel in de geofysica is de zogenaamde magnetische pole reversal, of te wel het omkeren van het aardmagnetisch veld. Dit natuurlijke proces vindt plaats over zeer lange tijdschalen, meestal elke enkele honderdduizenden tot miljoenen jaren. Tijdens een reversie ontrafeld het aardmagnetisch veld niet plotseling, maar verloopt het langzaam en geleidelijk. Wetenschappers hebben dat bijvoorbeeld kunnen vaststellen aan de hand van ijsboringen, gesteenten en fossielen die aanwijzingen bevatten over het magnetisch veld van de aarde in het verleden.

De meest recente reversie, de Brunhes-Matuyama overgang, vond ongeveer 780.000 jaar geleden plaats. Tijdens zo’n reversie kunnen de magnetische noord- en zuidpolen even wegvallen of verwisselen, maar het aardmagnetisch veld wordt nooit compleet uitgeschakeld of plotseling omgekeerd in een korte periode. Volgens Dr. Lena Ortiz, professoraal geofysica aan de Universiteit van Melbourne, “wordt het veld zwakker en kan het wanordelijk worden voor enkele duizenden jaren, maar het proces verloopt vooral geleidelijk. Er is geen bewijs dat er een snel, wereldwijde flip kan plaatsvinden die het dagelijks leven onmiddellijk beïnvloedt.”

Werkelijke polaire verschuiving

Naast de magnetische reversies bestaat er ook het fenomeen van “true polar wander” (TPW). Bij TPW verschuift de aardrotatieas relatief ten opzichte van de aardkorst en de mantel, wat zich over miljoenen jaren voltrekt. Dit verschijnsel is een natuurlijk onderdeel van de aardontwikkeling en heeft geen directe impact op kortetermijngebeurtenissen. Dit verschijnsel leidt niet tot snelle veranderingen in het klimaat of natuurrampen, maar moet begrepen worden als onderdeel van langetermijnprocessen.

Betrouwbaarheid en waarschuwingssystemen

Tot op heden zijn er geen aanwijzingen dat een plotselinge, snelle pole shift op korte termijn zal plaatsvinden. Geofysische instellingen zoals Geoscience Australia, het European Space Agency en de US Geological Survey houden de aardmagnetische velden nauwlettend in de gaten en zullen pas waarschuwen bij concrete anomalieën. Het ontbreken van betrouwbare bewijzen betekent dat de angst voor een onmiddellijke catastrofe niet op wetenschappelijke grounds staat.

Verbanden met UFO's en paranormale theorieën

Historische en culturele aansluiting

De pole-shiftmythe koppelt zich vaak aan verhalen over buitenaardse wezens en geheime regeringsprojecten. In dat kader wordt gesuggereerd dat bepaalde overheden of aliens kennis zouden hebben van een naderend wereldomvattend verschuivingsproces dat niet aan het zicht van het publiek wordt onttrokken. Proponenten beweren dat zo’n event grote evacuaties zou uitlokken of dat geheime technologieën zouden onthuld worden.

Waarom ontstaan deze theorieën?

Deze verhalen zijn vooral populair omdat ze inspelen op de menselijke behoefte aanbetrouwbare verklaringen voor grote onzekerheden en onbegrijpelijke natuurrampen. Daarnaast spelen geheime overheidsprojecten, complottheorieën en het fenomeen van de ‘angst voor de onbekende’ een grote rol. In de context van UFO's en paranormale theorieën wordt de pole shift vaak gekoppeld aan ideeën over ‘extraterrestriële interventie’ of het bestaan van geheime bases waar zich technologieën bevinden die ons kunnen beschermen of juist doen falen. Deze verhalen worden versterkt door populaire media, films en fictie, waardoor ze aantrekkelijk zijn voor een breed publiek dat op zoek is naar antwoorden op onbekende fenomenen.

Wetenschappelijk gezien ontbreken echter bewijs en solide gegevens om deze theorieën te ondersteunen. Er is geen concreet bewijs dat buitenaardse wezens betrokken zijn bij de aardmagnetische eigenschappen van onze planeet, noch dat geheime regeringsprojecten werkzaam zijn die een wereldwijde pole shift zouden kunnen triggeren. Het koppelen van dergelijke verhalen aan “pole shifts” dient vooral om angst en verwarring te zaaien, maar mist een wetenschappelijke onderbouwing.

© Shutterstock

Maatschappelijke impact en maatschappelijke reacties

De angst voor een pole shift of soortgelijke catastrofes kan grote maatschappelijke gevolgen hebben. In het verleden zagen we dat dergelijke angsten leidde tot de opkomst van ‘doomsday-bewegingen’ en groepen die geloven dat de wereld op korte termijn ondergaat. Dit kan leiden tot onrust, paniek en zelfs gedragsveranderingen, zoals het verzamelen van voedselvoorraden, het bouwen van bunkers of het verspreiden van desinformatie via sociale media.

Zaken als massahysterie en paniekreacties zijn niet nieuw. Anno 2024 is de digitale samenleving bijzonder gevoelig voor dergelijke berichten, waardoor desinformatie snel verspreid wordt en difficult te corrigeren is. Overheden en wetenschappers proberen vaak via officiële kanalen duidelijkheid te scheppen en feiten te communiceren, maar de virale aard van de media maakt het moeilijk om achterhaalde theorieën terug te dringen.

Daarnaast kunnen deze angsten ook leiden tot sociale vervreemding en wantrouwen jegens wetenschappelijke instellingen en overheden. Er ontstaat een ‘alternatieve waarheid’ waarin feit en fictie door elkaar lopen, wat de maatschappelijke cohesie onder druk zet. Het is daarom belangrijk dat er kritische mediawijsheid wordt bevorderd en dat er transparantie is over de wetenschappelijke stand van zaken.

Het aardmagneetveld in kaart gebracht met satelliet data, ESA SWAM missie. De kleuren geven de sterkte van het veld aan, waarbij rood het sterkst en blauw het zwakst.

Historische context: Hoe vaak en hoe lang duren pole shifts?

Een groot misverstand is dat mensen denken dat pole shifts frequent en abrupt plaatsvinden. In de geschiedenis van de aarde zijn er wel degelijk veranderingen geweest in de positie van magnetische polen, maar dit gebeuren gebeurt over gigantische tijdsintervallen. De geologische gegevens wijzen uit dat reversies in het magnetisch veld duizenden tot honderdduizenden jaren duren, en dat er geen bewijs is voor een snelle of onmiddellijke omkering.

De meest recente magnetische reversie, Brunhes-Matuyama genoemd, vond ongeveer 780.000 jaar geleden plaats. Tijdens dat proces viel het magnetische veld tijdelijk uit, voordat het weer terugkeerde in de tegengestelde richting. Voor de mensen van toen was het ongemakkelijk, maar er was geen sprake van natuurrampen of wereldwijde chaos.

Het idee van een snelle pole shift is vooral populair in populaire cultuur en complottheorieën, maar de wetenschap wijst duidelijk uit dat zulke gebeurtenissen niet op korte termijn plaatsvinden. Wat wel mogelijk is, en dat onderzoek bevestigt, is dat het aardmagnetisch veld in de loop van miljoenen jaren kan veranderen en dat dit inderdaad gevolgen kan hebben voor bijvoorbeeld communicatie- en navigatiesystemen.

Kansen en risico’s van natuurrijke fenomenen

Hoewel de meeste wetenschappers elimineren dat een snelle pole shift zich op korte termijn zal voordoen, is het belangrijk om te realiseren dat de aarde wel degelijk onderhevig is aan natuurlijke fenomenen die het functioneren van onze planeet beïnvloeden. Zo hebben we te maken met perioden van vulkanische activiteit, aardbevingen en klimaatveranderingen. Al deze factoren kunnen, indien ze zich op grote schaal voordoen, invloed hebben op de samenleving en het ecosysteem.

De klimaatverandering bijvoorbeeld, die intense weersomstandigheden en zeespiegelstijgingen veroorzaakt, heeft nu al ingrijpende effecten op menselijke samenlevingen wereldwijd. Het is essentieel dat we deze risico’s serieus nemen en ons aanpassen aan de veranderende omstandigheden. Dit betekent investeren in preventie, duurzaamheid en het versterken van onze infrastructuur.

Daarnaast is het van belang dat we leren omgaan met onzekerheden. Dat kan door het ontwikkelen van waarschuwings- en monitoringsystemen, zoals het Europees Samenwerkingsprogramma voor aardbevingswaarneming en de NASA Magnetische Velden Tracker. Deze systemen kunnen echter geen voorspellingen doen over langetermijngebeurtenissen zoals pole shifts, maar kunnen wel helpen bij het anticiperen op andere natuurfenomenen waaraan we wel risico’s lopen.

De rol van media en wetenschap in het bestrijden van paniek

De media spelen een cruciale rol in de manier waarop informatie wordt gedeeld en geconsumeerd door het grote publiek. Bij onderwerpen die gevoelig liggen, zoals de vermeende pole shift, is het belangrijk dat journalisten hun verantwoordelijkheid nemen door feitelijke, wetenschappelijk onderbouwde informatie te presenteren. Te snelle of sensationele berichtgeving kan leiden tot onnodige paniek en verwarring.

Wetenschappers en overheidsinstellingen moeten proactief communiceren over de feiten en duidelijk aangeven wat de beperkingen van onze kennis zijn. Duidelijkheid en transparantie helpen om vertrouwen te behouden en het juiste begrip te stimuleren. Het is tevens belangrijk dat er educatie wordt ingezet om mensen mediawijs te maken en te leren onderscheid te maken tussen wetenschappelijke feiten en fictie.

Educatieve campagn campagnes en informatievoorziening kunnen ook een rol spelen in het voorkomen van hysterische reacties. Door jongeren en volwassenen te informeren over de natuurlijke processen van de aarde, de tijdschalen waarin veranderingen plaatsvinden en de huidige monitoringtechnologieën, worden paniek en desinformatie moeilijker te laten wortelen.

Conclusie: Wat kunnen we leren uit de wetenschap en hoe vermijden we paniek?

De angst voor een plotselinge pole shift die de wereld in korte tijd verandert, wordt door de wetenschap volledig ontkracht. Het bestuderen van aardmagnetische reversies en andere geologische processen tonen aan dat dergelijke veranderingen zeer langzaam en over lange tijdschalen plaatsvinden. Geologen, geofysici en klimaatwetenschappers werken sinds decennia aan het monitoren van de planeet, en er is geen wetenschappelijk bewijs voor een snelle of catastrofale pole shift op korte termijn.

Het is belangrijk dat we kritisch blijven nadenken over de informatie die we ontvangen en dat we vertrouwen op wetenschappelijke bronnen. Complotdenken en sensationele verhalen zorgen voor angst en verwarring, terwijl de realiteit anders is: onze aarde is dynamisch, maar haar veranderingen verlopen geleidelijk en voorspelbaar. De beste manier om onze samenleving te beschermen, is investeren in kennis, infrastructuur en preventie, en de communicatie over natuurlijke risico’s te baseren op feiten.

Tot slot moeten we begrijpen dat angst vooral ontstaat bij onwetendheid en onzekerheid. Door education, transparantie en het delen van wetenschappelijke inzichten kunnen we die angsten verminderen en een samenleving creëren die beter voorbereid is op de uitdagingen die de toekomst biedt. Het zich bewust zijn van de natuurlijke processen waarvoor de aarde staat, geeft niet alleen rust, maar ook kracht om op een verantwoorde en geïnformeerde manier met de wereld om te gaan.

Aanbevelingen en toekomstige onderzoekslijnen

Hoewel de huidige wetenschappelijke kennis duidelijk aangeeft dat een snelle pole shift in de nabije toekomst onwaarschijnlijk is, blijft het noodzakelijk om de aarde en haar magnetische velden nauwlettend te monitoren. Nieuwe technologieën en methoden ontwikkelen zich voortdurend, waardoor we beter inzicht kunnen krijgen in de langetermijntrends en potentiële gevaren.

Het stimuleren van internationale samenwerking is essentieel. Door gegevensdeling en gezamenlijke onderzoeksinitiatieven kunnen we een beter beeld krijgen van de wereldwijde veranderingen binnen onze planeet en onze atmosfeer. Daarnaast moet er meer geïnvesteerd worden in het verbeteren van de voorlichtingscampagnes, om desinformatie en paniek te voorkomen.

Ook is het van belang om het bewustzijn over natuurlijke processen te vergroten. Educatieprogramma's op scholen en in de media kunnen helpen om families en gemeenschappen voor te bereiden op verschillende scenario’s, zonder daarbij angst aan te jagen. Het verkennen van andere planeten en het ontwikkelen van technologische innovatie kunnen op lange termijn ook bijdragen aan het vergroten van onze veerkracht.

Tot slot moeten beleidsmakers en w wetenschappers samenwerken om de belangrijkste risico’s te identificeren en proactief maatregelen te nemen. Het versterken van ons maatschappelijke verdedigingssysteem tegen natuurlijke rampen en het stimuleren van duurzame ontwikkeling zijn belangrijke stappen in het voorbereiden op een onvoorspelbare en complexe wereld.

Samenvatting

In dit artikel hebben we besproken dat de angst voor een plotselinge, wereldwijde pole shift niet gebaseerd is op wetenschappelijke feiten. Magnetische pole reversals en andere natuurlijke processen vinden plaats over enorme tijdschalen en verlopen meestal geleidelijk. Hoewel het menselijk verstand geneigd is om snel te reageren op onbegrepen fenomenen, is het cruciaal om kritisch te blijven en te vertrouwen op wetenschappelijke inzichten. De maatschappelijke reactie op deze angsten moet vooral gericht zijn op educatie, wetenschap en transparantie. Alleen door kennis te vergroten en desinformatie tegen te gaan, kunnen we voorkomen dat angst ons gaat beheersen en een ongefundeerd gevoel van onveiligheid ontstaat. De aarde is niet immuun voor veranderingen, maar haar natuurlijke dynamiek vereist vooral dat wij voorbereid en geïnformeerd zijn, zodat we adequaat kunnen reageren op de uitdagingen die de toekomst brengt.

{ PETER2011 }

21-11-2025 om 22:15 geschreven door peter  

Scientists put moss on the outside of the International Space Station for 9 months — then kept it growing back on Earth

Previous experiments have explored how plants might cope in space, but so far, they have focused on larger organisms such as bacteria or plant crops. Now, researchers have shown that samples of the moss Physcomitrium patens (P. Patens) can not only survive but thrive in space.

First, the researchers tested three cell types of P. patens from various stages in the moss's reproductive cycle. They found that sporophytes — cell structures that encase spores — showed the greatest stress tolerance when exposed to ultraviolet (UV) light, freezing and heat.

Sporophyte samples were then placed outside of the ISS in a special exposure facility attached to Japan’s Kibo module, where the samples lived for around nine months in 2022. After this time, the samples were returned to Earth.

"Surprisingly, over 80% of the spores survived and many germinated normally," study lead author Tomomichi Fujita, a professor of plant biology at Hokkaido University in Japan, told Live Science in an email. From this study, Fujita and his team developed a model that suggests the moss spores could actually survive for up to 5,600 days in space, or around 15 years.

Back on Earth, the team found that most of the conditions — including the vacuum of space, microgravity and extreme temperature fluctuations — had a limited impact on the moss spores. However, samples that were exposed to light, particularly high-energy wavelengths of UV light, fared less well. Levels of pigments used by the moss for photosynthesis, such as chlorophyll a, were significantly reduced as a result of light damage, which affected later moss growth.

Even though some moss samples faced damage from the conditions of outer space, P. patens still fared much better than other plant species that have been previously tested under similar conditions. Fujita thinks the protective, spongy casing surrounding the spores may help defend against UV light and dehydration.

"This protective role may have evolved early in land plant history to help mosses colonize terrestrial habitats," he said.

While this may seem like an exercise in testing the limits of a single species, the "spores' success in space could offer a biological stepping stone for building ecosystems beyond our planet," Fujita said. In the future, he hopes to test other species and better understand how these resilient cells survive such stressful conditions.

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{ https://www.livescience.com/space }

21-11-2025 om 17:39 geschreven door peter  

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21-11-2025 om 17:12 geschreven door peter  

NASA's long–awaited images of the mysterious object zipping through our solar system confirm 3I/ATLAS is a comet – and NOT an alien spacecraft

• READ MORE: Is this how the world will end? Earth will be SWALLOWED by sun 

By SHIVALI BEST, SCIENCE & TECHNOLOGY EDITOR 

NASA has shared its long–awaited images of the mysterious object zipping through our solar system – finally confirming its true identity. 

Since it was first spotted in July, the object – dubbed 3I/ATLAS – has captivated scientists and internet users alike, even prompting Kim Kardashian to ask NASA for answers.

Many scientists maintained it was merely a comet visiting us from a different solar system. 

However, others – including a member of US Congress and a Harvard researcher – were convinced that the object was an alien spacecraft. 

Now, NASA has released photos snapped by three of its Mars spacecraft as they passed just 18 million miles away from the object. 

These pictures can finally put any speculation to rest, as they confirm the object's identity.

And unfortunately for alien hunters, the US space agency says that 3I/ATLAS is a comet.  

'We want very much to find signs of life in the universe... but 3I/ATLAS is a comet,' said Amit Kshatriya, a senior NASA official, at a press conference on Wednesday. 

NASA has shared its long–awaited images of the mysterious object zipping through our solar system – finally confirming its true identity. Pictured: a photo taken on October 2 by the HiRISE camera on NASA's Mars Reconnaissance Orbiter

These pictures can finally put any speculation to rest, as they confirm the object's true identity as a comet. Pictured: a photo taken on October 9 by NASA's MAVEN spacecraft

NASA's Mars spacecraft zoomed in on the comet as it passed just 18 million miles (29 million kilometers) away. 

In the first image, snapped by HiRISE, the comet looks like a fuzzy white ball. 

'Captured at a scale of roughly 19 miles (30 kilometers) per pixel, 3I/ATLAS looks like a pixelated white ball on the HiRISE imagery,' NASA explained. 

'That ball is a cloud of dust and ice called the coma, which the comet shed as it continued its trajectory past Mars.'

Further analysis of these pictures should allow NASA to estimate the size of the comet's nucleus – its central core of ice and dust. 

NASA's MAVEN spacecraft, meanwhile, snapped the comet in two unique ways using its UV camera. 

'First, IUVS took multiple images of the comet in several wavelengths, much like using various filters on a camera,' NASA explained. 

'Then it snapped high–resolution UV images to identify the hydrogen coming from 3I/ATLAS.'

Captured at a scale of roughly 19 miles (30 kilometers) per pixel, 3I/ATLAS looks like a pixelated white ball on the HiRISE imagery. That ball is a cloud of dust and ice called the coma, which the comet shed as it continued its trajectory past Mars

Down on the surface of Mars, NASA's Perseverance rover even caught a snap of the comet, using its Mastcam–Z camera

Scientists now hope to be able to study a combination of these images to identify a variety of molecules and better understand the comet's composition.

Down on the surface of Mars, NASA's Perseverance rover even caught a snap of the comet, using its Mastcam–Z camera. 

'The exposure had to be exceptionally long to detect such a faint object. Unlike telescopes that track objects as they move, Mastcam–Z is fixed in place during long exposures,' the space agency added. 

NASA has also recently shared photos of the comet taken by its STEREO observatory, and its SOHO spacecraft.  

Speaking to AFP, Thomas Puzia, an astrophysicist who led the team at the Chilean observatory that made the discovery, described the widespread discussion surrounding the comet as 'amazing'. 

However, he said: 'It's very dangerous and to a certain degree misleading to put speculations ahead of scientific process.

'The facts, all of them without exception, point to a normal object that is coming from the interstellar space to us.'

He added the comet was 'very exceptional in its nature, but it's nothing that we cannot explain with physics.'

NASA has also recently shared photos of the comet taken by its STEREO observatory, and its SOHO spacecraft

The idea that the comet could have been an alien spacecraft were driven by Harvard Professor Avi Loeb – who remains unconvinced by NASA's explanation. 

'Obviously, it could be natural,' he told AFP. 

'But I said: we have to consider the possibility that it's technological because if it is then the implications for humanity will be huge.'

{ https://www.dailymail.co.uk/sciencetech/index.html }

21-11-2025 om 16:48 geschreven door peter  

Scorpius is the most amazing of the zodiac constellations. Although astrology divides the year into 12 almost equal parts, astronomers know that in reality the Sun is only in it for 8 days. However, it also has numerous attractions.

Scorpius, who dislikes the Sun

On November 22, the Sun will enter the constellation Scorpius. As is almost always the case in such situations, astrologers strongly disagree with astronomers, claiming that our star entered the constellation on October 23 and left it on November 21.

The main reason for this is the shift in the vernal equinox due to the precession of the Earth’s axis of rotation. You can read more about this in this article. In fact, there is at least one more reason why astrologers disagree with astronomers about the time the sun is in different zodiac constellations, but for most of them, it is secondary.

But not for Scorpius. We are referring to the clarification of constellation boundaries, which occurred at the beginning of the 20th century. And in the case of this constellation, they were drawn in such a way that the Sun actually crosses it only along a narrow strip through its “head” and “claws.”

As a result, of all the constellations, it is in Scorpius that the Sun actually spends the least amount of time – only 8 days. On November 29, it will leave the poisonous multi-legged celestial being and move on to its neighbor, Ophiuchus, where it will stay longer than in Scorpius, but which is not considered a zodiacal constellation.

In general, November is the worst month for observing Scorpius. The reason for this is the same as for other zodiac constellations: it rises and sets with the Sun at this time of year and hides behind the horizon at night. The best time to observe it is in May and June, when it rises above the southern horizon.

The mythical monster

There are several myths about how Scorpius appeared in the sky. But in all of them, he appears as the embodiment of evil, whose actions lead to extremely bad consequences. The most common of these myths links Scorpius with Orion.

Orion was supposedly the most outstanding of human hunters, but his thirst for prey led him astray. According to one version of the myth, he began to pursue the Pleiades and chased them for seven years until the Scorpion, sent by Gaia or Poseidon, stung him, causing him to die in terrible agony.

According to another version, Orion demanded the goddess of the hunt, Artemis, herself. But she did not reciprocate his feelings, yet he continued to pursue her until she sent a poisonous messenger to kill him. Be that as it may, Orion and Scorpius are indeed located far apart in the sky, as if the former were hiding from the latter.

Another myth says that the celestial Scorpius is actually the one that frightened the horses pulling the golden chariot of Helios, the sun god. It was driven by his inexperienced son Phaethon, and the horses carried it too close to Earth, causing a worldwide fire. To stop this, Zeus had to kill the boy and the horses with a thunderbolt, and Phaethon fell into the river Eridanus.

Antares and other bright stars

Although the Sun is in Scorpius for only a short time, there are more interesting objects in it than scary myths about it. The most notable of these is Alpha Scorpii, known as Antares. Among all the stars that make up the zodiacal constellations, it is second only to Alpha Tauri, Aldebaran.

At the same time, Antares is very noticeable due to its red color. Thanks to this, it got its name “anti-Ares,” meaning the enemy of Mars. In reality, it is much farther away from us than the Red Planet and incomparably larger than it.

It is a red supergiant located 550 light-years away from us. In fact, it is a binary system. Its main component, which we can actually see, has a mass of 12.4 solar masses, but has already used up almost all of its hydrogen and swelled to a size 400 times larger than our sun. It emits 75,900 times more energy than the Sun. However, all these measurements are actually quite approximate, because the giant star pulsates, changing its radius by 19%.

The main component of the system is orbited by its companion, which is also a fairly large star. Despite having a mass 7.2 times that of the Sun, it has not yet exhausted its thermonuclear fuel and therefore has a blue color. Its diameter is 5.2 times that of the Sun.

There is still no consensus among scientists regarding the distance between the two components and, accordingly, their orbital period. The most accurate measurements to date indicate a distance of about 220 AU and an orbital period of approximately 1,218 years.

In any case, the Antares system is very young. Its age ranges from 11.8 to 17.3 million years. After some time, the larger of the stars will finally exhaust its thermonuclear fuel and turn into a supernova, and then into a black hole. Then, after a few million years, the same fate will befall the second star.

The second brightest star in Scorpius is its Lambda, which is called Shaula, derived from the Arabic word for “raised tail.” It is indeed located on the tail of the celestial arthropod and has an apparent magnitude of 1.62.

In fact, it is a triple system located 570 light-years away from us. The main component is a variable star of the Beta Cephei type. Explosive processes occur inside these hot and heavy blue stars, inflating their outer shells. In the case of Shaula, the mass of the main component exceeds that of the Sun by 10.4 times, and its luminosity by 36,000 times.

Around it, at a distance of 7,500 AU, there’s a smaller blue star. It’s about twice as heavy as our Sun. And around this pair, at a distance of 17,000 AU, there’s a third star that’s eight times heavier than our Sun.

The third brightest star in Scorpius is its Theta, Sargas. It is a double system located 329 AU away from us. What the smaller component of the system is and whether it exists at all remains unclear. But here is the main object of interest.

It is a star of spectral class F, which means it is slightly hotter than the Sun. Its mass is about three times greater than that of our star, its polar radius is 26 times greater than that of the Sun, and its equatorial radius is 36 times greater. In other words, it is flattened, and there is only one explanation for this: it was once a pair of stars that merged.

Nearby stars

The closest star to us in the constellation of Scorpius is Gliese 682. It is a rather dull red dwarf located 16.3 light-years away from us. Its mass is 27% and its radius is 30% of the Sun’s. In 2016, it was reported that two planets had been discovered around it, but their existence has now been disproved.

Next is the Gliese 667 system, located 23 light-years away from us. It consists of two orange dwarfs and one red dwarf. The first two have masses of 69% and 73% of the Sun and revolve around a common center of mass in a highly elongated orbit with a semi-major axis of 12.6 AU, completing one revolution every 42 Earth years.

And around them orbits a third star – a red dwarf with a mass of 31% of the Sun’s. And it is this object that is the most interesting in the entire system. At one time, scientists reported that Gliese 667 C had as many as six planets, but now the existence of two of them is recognized.

The first is Gliese 667 Cb. With a mass of 5.6 Earths and an orbital period of 7.2 days, it is most likely a large hot super-Earth or an equally hot mini-Neptune. This world must have a powerful hydrosphere and a dense atmosphere, the boundary between which is quite arbitrary.

But the second planet, Gliese 667 Cc, is much more interesting. Its mass is 4.1 times that of Earth, and it orbits its star once every 28 Earth days. Calculations show that the star can heat it to 4.3 °C, which is slightly higher than on Earth. Most likely, Gliese 667 Cc is significantly warmer than our planet due to a powerful greenhouse effect. However, it may still be the case that the temperature on it is not high enough for life to exist. But there is another problem: like many red dwarfs, Gliese 667 C experiences powerful flares. Whether they rule out the possibility of life on the planet is still an open question.

Other interesting stars

There are plenty of other interesting objects in the constellation of Scorpius. For example, the star U Scorpii is located here. It is a repeating nova with one of the shortest periods. The flares repeat every 12 years.

Like all similar objects, U Scorpii is a binary system consisting of a normal star and a white dwarf, which orbit each other in a very close orbit around a common center of mass. Matter flows from the first component to the second, and when a large amount accumulates on the latter, a thermonuclear explosion occurs, after which the process repeats itself.

Another interesting object is the dawn of AH Scorpii. It is barely visible in our sky, but that is only because it is 7,400 light-years away from us. In fact, it is a red supergiant, compared to which even Antares looks small. This monster is 20 times more massive than the Sun, 1,411 times larger in diameter, and 329,000 times more luminous.

Also in the constellation of Scorpius is the object Scorpius X-1, which is the second brightest object in the sky when viewed in the X-ray range. The first is the black hole Sagittarius A* in the center of the Milky Way. As for this mysterious source of radiation, in the visible range, there is a hot blue star in its place. Scientists believe that it forms a pair with a neutron star, onto which matter falls from it, serving as a source of energy for such a powerful emitter.

There is also an object called a microquasar in the constellation Scorpius. Ordinary quasars are supermassive black holes at the centers of galaxies that intensively absorb matter, part of which is converted into relativistic jets emanating from their poles. This makes them visible across the entire universe.

So, something like this, only on a much smaller scale, exists right here in our galaxy. The object GRO J1655−40 is a binary system containing a stellar-mass black hole. The second component is a normal star, and it is its material that is used to form a microquasar with jets shooting out from the poles of the black hole.

Globular clusters and galaxies

In addition to all of the above, the constellation of Scorpius is rich in objects that are neither stars nor black holes. First and foremost are the Butterfly Cluster, or Messier 6, and Ptolemy’s Cluster, or Messier 7. Both belong to open clusters. The first contains about 120 stars and is located at a distance of 1,590 light-years, while the second contains about 80 stars. The distance to it is 735 light-years.

There are also two noticeable globular clusters in Scorpius: Messier 4 and Messier 80. The first is the closest object of its kind to us. It is located about 6,000 light-years away. It is a region of space with a diameter of 35 light-years, containing stars with a total mass 84,000 times greater than that of the Sun.

In addition to star clusters, Scorpius also contains several nebulae. For example, NGC 6302, or the Bug Nebula. It really does resemble an insect with its antennae spread out on either side. In reality, it is a bipolar planetary nebula formed as a result of a red giant star shedding its outer layers.

Or NGC 6334, known as the Cat’s Paw Nebula or Bear’s Paw Nebula. It is a huge cloud of interstellar hydrogen illuminated by nearby bright stars. Intense star formation processes are taking place within it.

And, of course, there are plenty of galaxies in the constellation Scorpius. One example is NGC 6000, a barred spiral galaxy. It is about 112 million light-years away, but it appears relatively bright due to its active core.

• Posted in Articles, Observations

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

21-11-2025 om 16:27 geschreven door peter  

Scientists have reproduced the chemical composition and size of Theia. It is believed that at the beginning of the Solar System’s existence, it collided with Earth. Research shows that, like our planet, it formed not too far from the Sun.

Theia

In a study published in the journal Science, researchers led by the Max Planck Institute for Solar System Research (MPS) and the University of Chicago have discovered where the planet Theia might have come from. It is believed that this small body collided with Earth only a few tens of millions of years after it was formed.

This theory was put forward to explain where the Moon came from. And in principle, it is consistent. However, to this day, no one has been able to definitively say where this mysterious body came from. Did it follow the same orbit as Earth? Or did it follow a different orbit within the inner Solar System? Could it have come from beyond Jupiter’s orbit?

The answers to these questions could be found in the isotopic composition of the Earth and the Moon. Atoms of the same element can have different weights. And they were already separated in the protoplanetary disk around the Sun. The inner parts had one set, while the outer parts had another.

Chemical analysis

Theoretically, the origin of Theia can be determined by the differences in the isotopic composition of its material from that of Earth. To this end, researchers analyzed 15 samples of Earth rocks and six more brought back from the Moon. It is believed that most of Theia’s material may remain on our moon.

Scientists were interested in the ratio of iron isotopes, as well as chromium, molybdenum, and zirconium. And they found no particular differences. It seems that Theia did not come to us from the vicinity of the Solar System, but formed somewhere nearby?

But how close? Simple isotopic analysis cannot answer this question. Scientists resorted to modeling how Earth and Theia could have formed. It turns out that the chemical composition of our planet can easily be reproduced as a combination of different types of meteorites.

However, Theia should have contained a small but noticeable impurity of unknown origin. Scientists believe that this can be explained by assuming that this body formed closer to the Sun than Earth.

According to phys.org

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

21-11-2025 om 16:03 geschreven door peter