This Scientist Claims Apollo Mission Brought Back “Metals” from Moon Made by Advanced Machines and Structures on Mars and Moon Possibly 50,000 Years Old from Our Past

For people in ancient Mesopotamia, heaven was described as having three layers. The lowest layer was the home of the stars, the middle layer was where the younger gods, the Igigi, lived, and the highest layer belonged to An, the sky god.

Other researchers have also made surprising claims connected to these ideas. Dr. Ken Johnston, a former aerospace engineer, said that NASA already knows astronauts discovered ancient alien structures and remains of advanced machinery on the Moon. He claimed some of these technologies had the power to control gravity.

Dr. Ralph Kennedy Johnston Sr., often known as Ken Johnston, was born in 1942 at Fort Sam Houston, Texas. He worked as one of four Civilian Astronaut Consultant Pilots at NASA and helped train Neil Armstrong, Buzz Aldrin, and Michael Collins for the Apollo 11 mission to the Moon.

Johnston is also a retired U.S. Marine and has become known as a “NASA whistleblower,” though he rejects the name. He said he only wanted to share information that the public deserved to know.

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In addition, some people connect his claims with stories told by Ingo Swann, a well-known remote viewer, who said he psychically saw strange structures on the Moon. Swann described domes, tall towers, cross-shaped buildings, long tunnels, and signs of mining activity. He thought that either someone or something had secretly built these bases on the Moon.

Swann also said he saw human-like figures on the Moon digging into a cliff. The strange part, he added, was that they all appeared completely naked.

During this remote-viewing experiment, a man named Axelrod supervised Swann. Suddenly, Axelrod stopped the session and seemed alarmed, explaining that the beings on the Moon might have become aware they were being watched, which could be dangerous.

After that, Axelrod asked Swann if he knew a man named George Leonard. Swann said no. Around that same time, Leonard was writing a book titled Somebody Else Is on the Moon.

That book, published in 1977, described reports of mysterious, unnatural structures on the Moon — the very kind of things Axelrod seemed to worry about. Leonard’s work suggested that these lunar structures could not have been formed naturally and looked as though someone had built them.

Over time, Swann and Axelrod met secretly to discuss more of these strange observations. These secret meetings, which Swann later compared to scenes from a spy movie, suddenly ended in 1977 without explanation. Swann was left confused about the truth.

He wondered if his psychic vision had detected an extraterrestrial base built long ago. Yet because the people he saw looked completely human, he also considered the idea that it could have been a hidden Earth-based project. He thought maybe Axelrod wanted him to discover something without revealing the government’s involvement.

Despite decades passing, the mystery is still unresolved. The strange lunar structures described by Leonard, Swann, and Johnston continue to raise questions about whether the Moon hides evidence of advanced civilizations.

The idea that aliens might be secretly using the Moon reminds many of similar theories claiming aliens could be operating on Earth itself. Some people think those “ancient visitors” who might have built advanced cities or shared secret technology could have played a role in shaping human evolution and culture.

Al Worden’s comments about humans being the real aliens connect strangely well with these later stories. If humans came from somewhere else long ago, as he suggested, it might explain why ancient cultures around the world have myths about gods descending from the sky, teaching knowledge, and building great cities before disappearing.

Worden, unlike most astronauts, remained open to such possibilities until his last years. He said exploring space was not just about science but also about finding the truth of where we came from. Many found his words mysterious, but others thought he raised an interesting point — that our search for life beyond Earth might end with us discovering our own distant origin among the stars.

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05-10-2025 om 18:48 geschreven door peter  

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04-10-2025 om 20:57 geschreven door peter  

A scientist has claimed that astronauts may soon uncover the remains of a long-lost human civilization that once lived on the Moon 50,000 years ago. 

Author and geologist Gregg Braden told podcast host Joe Rogan that evidence of this ancient city was kept from the public by the US and Russia during the Cold War.

However, during the interview on Wednesday, Braden noted that emerging superpowers China and India plan to televise their findings once upcoming expeditions reach the lunar surface.

The two nations are planning to broadcast their lunar missions using live feeds from mission control and cameras on their robotic landers and rovers, streaming on national TV, social media, and official space agency apps.

China's robotic Chang'e 7 mission is set for 2026, while India's Chandrayaan-4 drone is now likely to launch in 2028, with manned missions for both set between 2030 and 2040. 

According to the scientist, who has written about the possibility of life on the moon and Mars, astronauts will discover archeological structures covered in languages that people will be able to recognize as being written by human cultures.

'The evidence suggests they're from us, from a time in our past, a cycle of civilization where we did great and beautiful things by working together until we destroyed one another through war, and that we're repeating that cycle,' Braden claimed.

Braden has previously stated in books like Deep Truth and Gaia TV’s Missing Links that humans on the moon came from a long-lost Earth civilization 50,000 years ago, which developed space-faring technology before destroying itself in war.

Author and geologist Gregg Braden has claimed that there are ancient structures on both the moon and Mars which prove lost human civilizations traveled through space

NASA has not conducted a manned moon mission since 1972. Braden said the next ones conducted by other nations could televise their findings in real time

Current scientific data, including NASA's Lunar Sample Compendium and high-resolution images taken of the moon, show no evidence of artificial structures or inscriptions on the moon.

Braden claimed that photographs from NASA's Clementine mission revealed structures on the moon with 90-degree angles, which he argued don't exist in nature and suggest they were built by an ancient civilization millennia ago.

He linked these lunar structures to similar geometric shapes in Mars' Cydonia region, like the famous 'Face on Mars' and several pyramid-shaped forms, which he believes date back 50,000 years ago based on the relative dating of rock layers by scientists.

NASA has dismissed claims that there are structures on Mars, calling strange building-like images 'natural formations.' 

As for what proof he had of this world-changing theory, Braden cited unconfirmed stories from Apollo astronauts who allegedly saw structures and writings while visiting the moon, suggesting a cover-up by NASA and Russia 50 years ago.

Apollo 11 astronauts Neil Armstrong and Buzz Aldrin allegedly witnessed a large UFO or metallic structure on the Moon's far side during their 1969 mission, with radio transmissions describing it as a "base" before NASA abruptly cut the signal.

The unverified encounter was recounted in conspiracy literature like the 2001 book Dark Moon: Apollo and the Whistle-Blowers by Mary Bennett and David Percy. 

Anita Mitchell, who was married to the late NASA pilot Edgar Mitchell, the sixth man to walk on the moon in 1971, told the Daily Mail: 'He always felt that there were UFOs out there, because so many of the pilots and astronauts had seen something.'

Gregg Braden claimed that astronauts have made deathbed confessions of what they really saw on the moon, including ancient buildings and inscriptions (Stock Image)

'I think when our space program was active, there were broadcasts from the lunar surface that were cut off, and astronauts had seen things that they were not allowed to see and not allowed to share,' Braden claimed during the podcast. 

'Some of them are leaving this world now, and on their deathbed, they can't believe that this hasn't been made, made public already. So there have been recordings and videos and things, and I think they're authentic,' the author continued.

'They're going to see inscriptions in languages that we already recognize. And that will be the smoking gun,' Braden declared.

Braden and Rogan argued that there was even more evidence suggesting human history may extend beyond the conventional 200,000 to 300,000-year timeline, citing discoveries like a debated million-year-old skull from China.

The fossil has been linked to the extinct species known as Denisovans, suggesting modern humans or our close relatives existed far earlier than records have shown.

A recent discovery of ancient skull suggested that Homo sapiens began to emerge over one million years ago, pushing back our species' origins by 400,000 years

Study author Chris Stringer, an anthropologist at the Natural History Museum, said the 'landmark' findings offered an important window into our evolutionary past. 

'Fossils like this one just show how much we still have to learn about our origins,' he said.

Other DNA studies of ancient humans have also revealed that modern humans interbred with Neanderthals and Denisovans, pointing to a more complex and potentially older human race than previously thought.

Braden claimed that, during this ancient time in history, human genes were intentionally modified by an unknown event that propelled humanity to become advanced beings.

He highlighted the 2005 study of human chromosome 2, which carries genes that help control many body functions, like brain development, vision, hearing, and immunity.

While scientists have attributed its creation to a natural mutation, chromosome 2 has displayed a strange fusion of two ancestral chromosomes that have the signs of modern gene editing.

'The kicker is that we can now look at the DNA and reverse engineer it and say, what did it take to get where we are?' Braden said, calling the evidence of advanced ancient humans 'the smoking gun.'

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04-10-2025 om 20:29 geschreven door peter  

NASA's Mars Perseverance rover acquired this image of the area in front of it using its onboard Front Right Hazard Avoidance Camera A. The image was acquired on July 12, 2022 (Sol 495), at the local mean solar time of 16:56:25.

 (Image Credit: NASA/JPL-Caltech)

A piece of string-like material photographed on Mars by the Perseverance Rover just last week has suddenly disappeared, according to recent NASA photos obtained by its rover on the Red Planet.

The wiry-looking substance many likened to a piece of string or thin pasta first appeared in photographs taken by the rover on July 12^th, photos that were shared by NASA earlier this week. However, a photo taken four days later shows the string has somehow disappeared.

Photo taken by Perseverance on July 12 shows Martian “string”

Image Credit NASA/JPL-CalTech

Photo taken by Perseverance on July 16 reveals the “string” has disappeared.

Image Credit NASA/JPL-CalTech

Since landing on the red planet, humanity’s various rovers have made a habit of taking odd, unusual, often perplexing photos. In some cases, like the “flower” or recently discussed “door” on Mars, the photos ultimately proved to be natural formations instead of foreign objects.

Of course, Martian rovers bring their own junk with them. And many of the more infamous photos sent back from those rovers are of their own pieces of human-made debris.

NASA’s experts told the media the recent photograph is likely something artificial and not a natural formation masquerading as a manufactured object. However, rather than a remnant of a kite flown by E.T. on his Martian holiday, the same experts say this string was also probably a piece of material from the rover’s landing rocket.

“The string could be from the rover or its descent stage, a component similar to a rocket-powered jet pack used to lower the rover to the planet’s surface safely,” a Perseverance mission spokesperson at NASA’s Jet Propulsion Laboratory told CNN.

The same spokesperson concedes that the string was photographed in an area not previously visited by Perseverance but guessed that the string likely blew there on its own.

Either that. Or it has a completely different origin.

Adding more mystery to the mystery, when the rover passed over the same spot on July 16^th, the string had magically disappeared. Once again, most suggest that the string left the same way it arrived, on a gust of wind.

Still, given the incredibly thin Martian atmosphere and the great lengths designers had to go through just to get the Ingenuity helicopter to grasp that atmosphere and take flight, it would take some mighty gusts of wind to send that string into and out of the same spot within a four day period. So, for now, at least, the mystery of the Martian string remains.

• Follow and Connect with Author Christopher Plain on Twitter @plain_fiction

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03-10-2025 om 21:54 geschreven door peter  

On October 3, interstellar comet 3I/ATLAS flew past Mars. This encounter was monitored by a fleet of spacecraft studying the Red Planet.

Comet 3I/ATLAS was discovered in early July. It became the third confirmed object of interstellar origin found in our Solar System. At the same time, it differs significantly from its predecessors in many of its characteristics. 3I/ATLAS is larger than Borisov’s interstellar comet and the asteroid Oumuamua, moves at a higher speed, and is most likely several billion years older than the Solar System.

On its journey through the Solar System, 3I/ATLAS will make several relatively close flybys of planets. One of them took place on October 3. On that day, 3I/ATLAS passed 30 million km from Mars.

Space agencies decided to take advantage of this unique opportunity to learn more about the visitor from another star system. In its statement, ESA reported that between October 1 and 7, the Mars Express and TGO spacecraft orbiting Mars would monitor the comet using their cameras and spectrometers. On NASA’s side, the LRO spacecraft will participate in tracking the interstellar visitor, as well as the Psyche mission, which is heading towards the asteroid Psyche.

Current observations are very important, as 3I/ATLAS is rapidly approaching the Sun. In the coming days, this will make it impossible to track it using ground-based observatories, and astronomers will have no choice but to rely on spacecraft.

On October 29, 3I/ATLAS will reach the perihelion of its orbit, approaching the Sun at a distance of 203 million km. At this point, the comet will reach its peak activity. By studying the composition of the gases evaporating from its nucleus, scientists will be able to learn about the structure of other star systems. At this point, the comet will still be inaccessible to ground-based telescopes, but fortunately, one spacecraft will be in a suitable position to make observations. It is about the European JUICE mission. It will monitor the comet between November 2 and 25.

By December, 3I/ATLAS will once again be visible to Earth-based telescopes. The comet will not approach our planet. The minimum approach distance will be 269 million km, which is almost twice the distance between the Earth and the Sun. 

In March 2026, 3I/ATLAS will fly by Jupiter at a distance of 53 million km. In theory, the Juno spacecraft, which is exploring the gas giant, could participate in its observations. After that, 3I/ATLAS will head off into deep space and never come back to the Solar System.

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03-10-2025 om 12:43 geschreven door peter  

Scientists analyzing archived data from the Cassini mission have discovered new complex organic molecules being ejected from Saturn’s moon Enceladus. This is a clear sign that complex chemical reactions are taking place in its underground ocean. Some of them may be part of chains leading to the formation of even more complex molecules that are potentially biologically significant.

In 2005, Cassini discovered the first evidence that an ocean lies beneath Enceladus’ icy surface. Water sprays out of cracks near the moon’s south pole, ejecting ice particles into space. Some of these tiny pieces of ice, smaller than grains of sand, fall back onto the surface of the moon, while others fly away and form the E ring around Saturn.

During its mission, Cassini flew through this ring several times and analyzed it using its instruments. In particular, the vehicle detected many organic molecules in its ice grains, including amino acid precursors.

The problem was that the ice grains in the ring could be hundreds of years old. As they aged, they could have been subject to “weathering” and changed under the influence of intense cosmic radiation. Scientists wanted to study fresh grains ejected much later to better understand what exactly was going on in Enceladus’ ocean.

Fortunately, researchers already had this data. Back in 2008, Cassini flew right through a fresh plume from Enceladus. Uncontaminated ice grains struck the CDA dust analyzer at a speed of approximately 18 km/s. These were not only the freshest ice grains Cassini had ever detected, but also the fastest.

Speed was of the essence. At lower impact speeds, the ice breaks up, and the signal from clusters of water molecules can mask the signal from certain organic molecules. But when ice grains hit the CDA quickly, water molecules don’t stick together, which has made it possible to see signals previously hidden.

After analyzing all the available data, scientists were able to determine which molecules were present inside the fresh ice grains. Some of them had previously been detected in the E ring, confirming that they originate from Enceladus’ ocean.

Completely new molecules were also found that had never before been encountered in Enceladus’ ice grains. These included aliphatic, (hetero) cyclic esters/alkynes, esters/ethyls, and presumably compounds containing nitrogen and oxygen. On Earth, these molecules participate in chains of chemical reactions that ultimately lead to the formation of more complex molecules necessary for life.

This discovery is important for future missions that will study Enceladus and search for life in its ocean. ESA recently began preliminary design work on such a mission, which could be launched in the early 2040s.

• According to ESA

• Posted in News, Science

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03-10-2025 om 12:33 geschreven door peter  

Saturn's moon could harbour ALIEN life: Scientists discover new complex organic molecules spewing from Enceladus – suggesting it could be habitable

• READ MORE: NASA scientists discover the clearest signs of life on Mars 

By WILIAM HUNTER, SCIENCE & TECHNOLOGY REPORTER

Saturn's moon, Enceladus, could harbour alien life deep within its underground oceans of water, according to the European Space Agency (ESA). 

Although the moon may appear barren, near the South Pole, tiny grains of ice are constantly being spewed into space through cracks in the icy surface.

Using data collected by the Cassini spacecraft, scientists have found that these ice crystals are packed with complex organic molecules.  

According to a new study, some of these molecules could be part of the chain of chemical reactions that ultimately lead to life. 

The researchers say this discovery means Enceladus now 'ticks all the boxes' to be a world capable of supporting life. 

The moon has a constant supply of liquid water, a source of energy from hydrothermal vents, and the right set of chemical elements and complex organic molecules. 

This isn't necessarily proof that life already exists on Enceladus, but it makes it much more likely that Saturn's moon is habitable.  

Lead researcher Dr Nozair Khawaja, of Freie Universität Berlin, says: 'Even not finding life on Enceladus would be a huge discovery, because it raises serious questions about why life is not present in such an environment when the right conditions are there.'

Scientists have found that grains of ice spewed from Enceladus, Saturn's sixth–largest moon, contain organic compounds that could lead to life. Pictured: Enceladus' south pole as seen by the Cassini spacecraft 

The European Space Agency found that water forced up from the underground ocean carried a set of complex organic molecules that are likely produced by chemical reactions around deep hydrothermal vents

With a diameter of 310 miles (500 km) – about as wide as Arizona – Enceladus is Saturn's sixth–largest moon.

On the surface, conditions are exceptionally cold with temperatures as low as –201°C (–330°F).

However, in 2005, scientists discovered that a huge liquid ocean was actually trapped beneath the icy shell.

Jets of water erupt like geysers through cracks near the South Pole and, while some fall back down to the surface, some escape and form a ring around Saturn that traces the moon's orbit.

When the Cassini spacecraft flew through Saturn's rings, it took samples of these ice grains and found that they showed signs of complex chemical reactions that could be associated with life. 

Dr Khawaja says: 'Cassini was detecting samples from Enceladus all the time as it flew through Saturn's E ring. 

'We had already found many organic molecules in these ice grains, including precursors for amino acids.'

But some of these grains were hundreds of years old, so the scientists couldn't be sure whether the chemicals within had been altered by radiation from the sun.

In 2005, the Cassini spacecraft discovered striking tectonic faults at the south pole known as 'tiger stripes' (bottom right). These allow ice to escape from the oceans into space

Some of the ice falls back to the lunar surface, but much of it escapes into space, where it forms a ring around Saturn. In 2005, the Cassini spacecraft gathered samples from this ring and found that the ice contained organic molecules. Pictured: Artist's impression of Enceladus' surface

That changed when Cassini flew straight through Enceladus' spray in 2008, gathering ice crystals on its Cosmic Dust Analyser (CDA) as they emerged from the moon's interior. 

As Cassini whipped through the cloud at 11 miles per second (18 km/s), it gathered the freshest and fastest ever collected.

That speed actually makes a big difference to the quality of the data, since it helps scientists separate water from other interesting molecules.

'At lower impact speeds, the ice shatters, and the signal from clusters of water molecules can hide the signal from certain organic molecules,' explains Dr Khawaja.

'But when the ice grains hit CDA fast, water molecules don't cluster, and we have a chance to see these previously hidden signals.'

After spending years working through the vast amounts of data collected by Cassini, Dr Khawaja and his co–authors have finally confirmed that these fresh ice crystals also contain organic molecules.

Those molecules included some that had been found around Saturn and some new chemicals that hadn't been detected before.  

That means the molecules found in Saturn's ring and in Enceladus' ice geyser must be formed within the moon's ocean, not created later by reactions with solar radiation. 

Cassini (artist's impression) was able to fly directly through the plumes of ice emerging from the south pole and gather tiny particles of ice at extremely high speeds. This proved that the organic molecules found in Saturn's ring were formed in Enceladus' ocean

On Earth, these molecules are part of the chemical reactions that lead to life. This means that the moon now 'ticks all the boxes' to be a habitable world capable of sustaining living organisms 

On Earth, these organic molecules are involved in the chains of chemical reactions which lead to life, raising the tantalising possibility that Enceladus could be home to life.

Dr Khawaja says: 'There are many possible pathways from the organic molecules we found in the Cassini data to potentially biologically relevant compounds, which enhances the likelihood that the moon is habitable.'

In the future, ESA is planning to launch a mission to Enceladus that will collect more grains of ice from the South Pole plumes and even land on the moon's surface.

This would be the first time that any space agency has landed on Enceladus and could reveal more details about the possible conditions for life. 

WHAT DID CASSINI DISCOVER DURING ITS 20-YEAR MISSION TO SATURN?

Cassini launched from Cape Canaveral, Florida in 1997, then spent seven years in transit followed by 13 years orbiting Saturn.

An artist's impression of the Cassini spacecraft studying Saturn 

In 2000 it spent six months studying Jupiter before reaching Saturn in 2004.

In that time, it discovered six more moons around Saturn, three-dimensional structures towering above Saturn's rings, and a giant storm that raged across the planet for nearly a year.

On 13 December 2004 it made its first flyby of Saturn's moons Titan and Dione.

On 24 December it released the European Space Agency-built Huygens probe on Saturn's moon Titan to study its atmosphere and surface composition.

There it discovered eerie hydrocarbon lakes made from ethane and methane.

In 2008, Cassini completed its primary mission to explore the Saturn system and began its mission extension (the Cassini Equinox Mission).

In 2010 it began its second mission (Cassini Solstice Mission) which lasted until it exploded in Saturn's atmosphere.

In December 2011, Cassini obtained the highest resolution images of Saturn's moon Enceladus.

In December of the following year it tracked the transit of Venus to test the feasibility of observing planets outside our solar system.

In March 2013 Cassini made the last flyby of Saturn's moon Rhea and measured its internal structure and gravitational pull.

Cassini didn't just study Saturn - it also captured incredible views of its many moons. In the image above, Saturn's moon Enceladus can be seen drifting before the rings and the tiny moon Pandora. It was captured on Nov. 1, 2009, with the entire scene is backlit by the Sun

In July of that year Cassini captured a black-lit Saturn to examine the rings in fine detail and also captured an image of Earth.

In April of this year it completed its closest flyby of Titan and started its Grande Finale orbit which finished on September 15.

'The mission has changed the way we think of where life may have developed beyond our Earth,' said Andrew Coates, head of the Planetary Science Group at Mullard Space Science Laboratory at University College London.

'As well as Mars, outer planet moons like Enceladus, Europa and even Titan are now top contenders for life elsewhere,' he added. 'We've completely rewritten the textbooks about Saturn.'

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02-10-2025 om 22:24 geschreven door peter  

Dark matter does NOT exist – and is simply an illusion, scientist controversially claims

• READ MORE: Scientists claim that the Big Bang theory is wrong 

By WILIAM HUNTER, SCIENCE & TECHNOLOGY REPORTER

The quest to understand dark matter and dark energy is one of modern science's most perplexing questions.

Now, one physicist has proposed a controversial solution: dark matter is nothing more than an illusion.

According to Professor Rajendra Gupta of the University of Ottawa, astronomers haven't been able to find any dark matter particles because they simply do not exist.

Instead, Professor Gupta argues that the effects attributed to these 'exotic matters' can be explained by the fundamental forces of the universe changing over time.

The laws of physics, which scientists use to make predictions about the world, are underpinned by constants, such as the speed of light and the force of gravity.

However, according to some physicists, these 'constants' aren't actually all that constant.

Instead, these fundamental features evolve and change as the universe ages in a way that might explain why it looks like we have dark matter and dark energy.

In his paper, Dr Gupta claims: 'Dark matter and dark energy...may be considered emerging from the weakening of the forces of nature in an expanding Universe.'

The quest to understand dark matter is one of modern science's most pressing questions. But now, one physicist says that dark matter could be nothing more than an illusion.

(artist's impression)

Scientists first started taking dark matter seriously in the 1970s when the astronomer Vera Rubin noticed that galaxies' outermost stars were rotating much faster than expected.

These strange gravitational effects suggested that galaxies contained more mass than their visible matter could account for, which scientists called dark matter.

Dark energy, meanwhile, was proposed as an extra hidden force to explain why the universe's expansion has accelerated since the Big Bang.

Scientists currently estimate that dark matter makes up around 27 per cent of the universe, while dark energy makes up about 68 per cent – leaving normal matter to account for a meagre five per cent.

This theory, known as the Lambda Cold Dark Matter Model (ΛCDM), works really well to explain everything from supernovae to the Big Bang.

The problem is that, even after 50 years of research, scientists still have no idea what dark matter or dark energy really are.

Professor Gupta's idea is to try to explain everything that dark matter currently does, without the need for any strange forces or exotic particles.

The basic idea is that, if the fundamental constants vary, we can take those varying 'covarying coupling constants' and put them into Einstein's equations for cosmic expansion.

Scientists think that dark matter makes up about 80 per cent of all matter in the universe, but it isn't directly visible. Instead, scientists infer its existence from its gravitational interactions with other objects

When we do this, we get two purely mathematical terms called alpha–matter and alpha–energy that behave just like dark matter and dark energy.

What makes this theory really interesting is that the amount by which the constants vary changes depending on how much matter is concentrated in one place.

At the heart of a galaxy where there is lots of normal matter, physics behaves just like we would expect.

However, out in the far–flung edges of a galaxy where matter is very sparse, the constants become weaker and the effects of alpha–matter become more noticeable.

This means there is a point at which matter became sparse enough for alpha–matter and alpha–energy effects to take over from conventional physics, known as the 'turn–off density'.

According to Professor Gupta, this explains why galaxies' outermost stars are moving faster than they should be compared to stars in the inner core.

In his new paper, Professor Gupta compares his model's predictions to real observations of seven galaxies of varying sizes.

The model reproduced the curve of the rotating galaxy and predicted where the turn–off density would need to be.

Instead of proposing that the universe is filled with dark matter like other scientists have done, Professor Rajendra Gupta, of the University of Ottawa, thinks that the supposed effects of dark matter can be explained by changes in the universe's fundamental constants. Pictured: The largest map of dark matter ever produced

Across the seven galaxies, the required turn–off density varied by a factor of four, despite the size of the galaxies varying by a factor of eight.

Professor Gupta argues that this consistency suggests that alpha–energy and alpha–matter are real features of the universe and not just theoretical contrivances.

If that is right, then scientists could get rid of dark matter and dark energy from their theories and still explain everything about the universe.

Professor Gupta says: 'The emergent alpha–matter and alpha–energy can, in principle, replace dark matter in galaxy clusters and assist in galaxy formation.

This theory also makes predictions, which scientists should be able to test.

If alpha–matter has less of an effect when the universe is denser, then more distant galaxies seen further back in time should be more dominated by the effects of visible matter.

However, the big problem for Professor Gupta's theory is that there is no more evidence that universal constants are variable than there is for the existence of dark matter particles.

There is currently no evidence to suggest that something like the speed of light or the gravitational constant has ever been different, and assuming that they are would require major changes to our theories about the universe.

If this is right, then projects that are attempting to map dark matter, such as the Dark Energy Survey Collaboration (pictured), are simply wasting their time

Observations of extremely distant and bright objects known as quasars show that, even much closer to the Big Bang, these constants are just the same as they are now.

If Professor Gupta is right, and dark matter really is an illusion, it would mean that astronomers have wasted huge amounts of funding on sophisticated telescopes to search for something that doesn't exist.

Professor Gupta is planning to extend his approach to analyse gravitational lensing and galaxy cluster dynamics, which would be a good test for the theory. 

But, with dark matter currently being our best bet about the nature of the universe, a lot more evidence will be needed to overturn the scientific consensus.

Dark matter: The mysterious substance that makes up 85% of the universe that scientists cannot confirm

Dark matter is a hypothetical substance said to make up roughly 85 per cent of the universe.

The enigmatic material is invisible because it does not reflect light, and has never been directly observed by scientists.

Astronomers know it to be out there because of its gravitational effects on known matter.

The European Space Agency says: 'Shine a torch in a completely dark room, and you will see only what the torch illuminates.

Dark matter is a hypothetical substance said to make up roughly 27 per cent of the universe. It is thought to be the gravitational 'glue' that holds the galaxies together

(artist's impression)

'That does not mean that the room around you does not exist.

'Similarly we know dark matter exists but have never observed it directly.'

The material is thought to be the gravitational 'glue' that holds the galaxies together.

Calculations show that many galaxies would be torn apart instead of rotating if they weren't held together by a large amount of dark matter.

Just five per cent the observable universe consists of known matter such as atoms and subatomic particles.

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

02-10-2025 om 21:58 geschreven door peter  

A rogue planet 620 light-years from Earth has baffled scientists as it puts on a record-breaking 'growth spurt'.

In a months-long feeding frenzy, the planet hoovered up six billion tonnes of gas and dust every second.

The distant world, officially known as Cha 1107-7626, is located in the Chamaeleon constellation and is what scientists call a 'rogue planet'.

This means it is a free-floating mass which drifts through space by itself, rather than orbiting a star like Earth orbits the sun.

Embedded in a rotating spiral of gas and dust, the planet pulls in a constant stream of new matter to feed its growth, in a process called accretion.

However, while this was the fastest accretion burst ever recorded, the researchers believe that this is the planet's 'last trickle' of growth.

Study co-author Dr Alexander Scholz, an astronomer from the University of St Andrews, told Daily Mail: 'This rogue planet is pretty much finished with its growth.

'The really strong growth spurts would have happened earlier, while the object was still enshrouded in dust and gas, invisible to us.'

Scientists have been baffled by a young rogue planet which has put on a record-breaking growth spurt, hoovering up six billion tonnes of gas and dust every second

(artist's impression) 

Although Cha 1107-7626 is now between five and 10 times the size of Jupiter, the rogue planet is still in its infancy.

During this period of their existence, these lonely objects can sometimes begin extremely rapid periods of growth known as accretion bursts.

Most of these bursts occur at the earliest moments of a rogue planet's formation, when it is still shrouded in dust that telescopes can't penetrate.

Dr Scholz says: 'When we can observe them, they are already close to the finished products. The really exciting early evolution happens when they are embedded in a thick cloud. '

However, using the European Southern Observatory's Very Large Telescope, scientists were able to catch the rogue planet as it entered a particularly rapid growth spurt.

Over a period of a few weeks, the rogue planet's accretion rate increased by almost eight times, reaching a peak in August and staying at that level for several months.

Lead researcher Dr Víctor Almendros-Abad, an astronomer at the National Institute for Astrophysics in Italy, says: 'This is the strongest accretion episode ever recorded in a planetary-mass object.

'People may think of planets as quiet and stable worlds, but with this discovery we see that planetary-mass objects freely floating in space can be exciting places.'

Located in the Chamaeleon constellation around 620 light-years from Earth, the planet known as Cha 1107-7626 is a 'rogue planet'. This means it does not orbit any star. Pictured: an infrared image showing the planet's location in the centre of frame 

Scientists still aren't exactly sure what causes such sudden and powerful bursts of accretion.

Some theories suggest that nearby companion objects might trigger a sort of avalanche in the accretion disc, while others propose that the burst might be caused by instabilities in the surrounding nebula.

This new study doesn't settle that debate, but by looking at the light coming from the planet before and after the burst, the researchers were able to reveal new details about the accretion process.

Using the James Webb Space Telescope, Dr Almendros-Abad and his colleagues found that there was now water vapour in the disk around the planet that hadn't been there before.

Likewise, the scientists were able to show that the planet's magnetic field actually played a major role in funnelling material from the inner edge of the disc into the planet.

This is strikingly similar to how stars use their magnetic fields to feed on gases in the early stages of their lives.

Scientists had long thought that the rogue planets and stars might grow in similar ways.

For example, stars also grow through accretion bursts in which they gather most of their mass in short spurts, followed by long lulls.

Scientists believe that this kind of rogue planet might form in a very similar way to how stars are born, pulling in gas and dust to form a disc around itself. This discovery further 'blurs the line' between rogue planets and stars. Pictured: A visible light image of the planet's location 

But this new discovery further 'blurs the line' between rogue planets and stars.

This suggests that large gas giant planets might form in exactly the same way as stars, contracting clouds of dust and forming their own discs.

Some of the largest rogue planets might even form smaller planets of their own from the leftover material in the disc, creating miniature planetary systems without a sun.

Dr Amelia Bayo, an astronomer at the European Southern Observatory, says: 'The idea that a planetary object can behave like a star is awe-inspiring and invites us to wonder what worlds beyond our own could be like during their nascent stages.'

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

02-10-2025 om 21:44 geschreven door peter  

Story by Mihai Andrei

 

Saturn’s Moon Enceladus Is Looking More Habitable Than Ever

© ZME Science

When it comes to habitable places in our solar system, the tiny moons of Saturn don’t seem likely candidates. Yet time and time again, they’ve proven themselves to be exciting places for life. Europa, Titan, and Enceladus all have a claim to potential habitability. A new study just made Enceladus even more interesting.

View of Enceladus. NASA/JPL/Space Science Institute.

© ZME Science

In 2005, Cassini found the first evidence that Enceladus has a hidden ocean beneath its icy surface. After that, Enceladus has teased scientists for years with its spectacular plumes. Chemical analyses showed that this alien ocean contained salts and simple organic molecules. Already, you’ve got water, salt, and organic molecules necessary for life.

But it gets better.

Scientists, re-examining data from NASA’s Cassini mission, have identified a fresh batch of organic molecules bursting from Enceladus’s depths, including types never before seen there. They found esters, which give fruits their smell on Earth. They also observed ethers and alkenes, crucial chemical connectors, and other complex molecules containing nitrogen and oxygen. In other words, the chemistry on Enceladus looks even more promising for life.

Old Ice, New Ice

The new study is an analysis of already existing data. The Cassini spacecraft orbited Saturn for 13 years, and its Cosmic Dust Analyzer (CDA) was designed to scoop up tiny dust and ice particles and analyze what they were made of.

On one of its 22 fly-bys of Enceladus, a maneuver codenamed “E5,” Cassini did something unique: it flew faster and closer than ever before, plunging through the densest part of the plues at a staggering speed of nearly 18 kilometers per second (over 40,000 miles per hour). This speed was key.

• Related video: How Humanity Could Colonize Titan! (Saturn’s Moon) (The Space Race)

Jets of water burst from cracks in Enceladus’ South Pole all the time. Some of them fall back onto the moon’s surface, while others escape and form a ring around Saturn that traces Enceladus’ orbit. Smaller than grains of sand, some of the tiny pieces of ice fall back onto the moon’s surface, whilst others escape and form a ring around Saturn that traces Enceladus’s orbit. Scientists call this the E ring.

“Cassini was detecting samples from Enceladus all the time as it flew through Saturn’s E ring. We had already found many organic molecules in these ice grains, including precursors for amino acids,” says lead author Nozair Khawaja.

Narrow jets of gas and icy particles erupt from the south polar region of Enceladus, contributing to the moon’s giant plume. A cycle of activity in these small-scale jets may be periodically lofting extra particles into space, causing the overall plume to brighten dramatically. Image credits: NASA/JPL/Space Science Institute.© ZME Science

The ice grains in the ring can be hundreds of years old. They have been weathered and may have undergone chemical changes. Scientists wanted fresh grains. This is where the E5 mission came into play. It gathered particles straight from Enceladus, not from the ring. This speed made another key difference. At lower velocities, when the CDA instrument captured ice grains, the impact was relatively gentle. The water molecules in the ice would often clump together, creating “water-cluster species” that could mask the signals of the more interesting organic compounds hidden within.

“The ice grains contain not just frozen water, but also other molecules, including organics. At lower impact speeds, the ice shatters, and the signal from clusters of water molecules can hide the signal from certain organic molecules. But when the ice grains hit CDA fast, water molecules don’t cluster, and we have a chance to see these previously hidden signals.”

Tantalizing Chemistry

So, what are these new molecules, and why do they matter so much?

Image credits: NASA.

© ZME Science

The study confirmed the presence of compounds seen before, like aryl groups (ringed structures like benzene) and other simple oxygen-bearing molecules. But the new detections have opened up entirely new possibilities for the chemistry of Enceladus.

One group includes esters and alkenes. On Earth, esters are known for creating the pleasant smells of fruits like pineapples and pears. In biology, they form the chemical bonds in lipids, the molecules that make up cell membranes. Alkenes are highly reactive molecules that are key intermediates in the synthesis of more complex organic structures.

They also found strong evidence for ethers and ethyl groups. Ethers are molecules in which an oxygen atomacts as a bridge between two carbon chains. This structure makes them excellent building blocks for larger, more complex macromolecules. The detection of these compounds hints that Enceladus’s ocean can create the organics and link them together.

Perhaps most tantalizingly, the analysis revealed complex spectra that suggest the presence of molecules containing both nitrogen and oxygen. This includes possible derivatives of compounds like pyrimidine, a core component of the nucleobases in DNA and RNA. While the data isn’t sharp enough to identify specific molecules like thymine, the fragments strongly suggest a rich chemistry involving nitrogen, an absolutely essential element for life as we know it.

What Does This All Mean?

Depiction of a fissure through which water can eject from the surface. Image credits: NASA.

© ZME Science

All this reads a bit like “tell me you found life on Enceladus without telling me.” Sure, there are other plausible mechanisms through which these molecules could be there. There isn’t any smoking gun for evidence of life. But all of this fits perfectly well with a habitable subsurface ocean.

“There are many possible pathways from the organic molecules we found in the Cassini data to potentially biologically relevant compounds, which enhances the likelihood that the moon is habitable,” says Nozair. “There is much more in the data that we are currently exploring, so we are looking forward to finding out more in the near future.”

Based on what we know now, it appears that Enceladus has all the necessary ingredients for life. We know it has a liquid water ocean. We know that ocean is salty and in contact with a rocky core. And we have strong evidence for hydrothermal vents — cracks in the moon’s seafloor where hot, mineral-rich water churns up from the interior, creating chemical energy.

Here on Earth, such vents are vibrant ecosystems, powered not by sunlight but by chemical reactions. They are considered one of the most likely places for life to have originated. The detection of these new, relatively complex organic molecules on Enceladus suggests that similar life-powering chemistry could be happening right now, 800 million miles away.

The Legacy of Cassini

The Cassini mission officially ended in 2017 when the craft plunged into Saturn’s atmosphere, but its legacy is a gift that keeps on giving. The data it collected continues to be a treasure trove. But if we want to truly confirm whether Enceladus has life, we will need to go back with a new generation of tools designed for that specific purpose.

Cassini was a scout, and an excellent one at that. It proved that Enceladus is a habitable world, but its instruments weren’t built to find inhabitants. A future mission would need to be a dedicated astrobiology probe, one that could analyze freshly-plucked ice grains with even greater sensitivity, or maybe even dive into the planet.

The study was published in Nature.

This story originally appeared on ZME Science. Want to get smarter every day? Subscribe to our newsletter and stay ahead with the latest science news.

{ ZME Science }

02-10-2025 om 21:29 geschreven door peter  

Wat gebeurt er als de magnetische polen van de aarde omdraaien?

©Getty Images

Wat gebeurt er als de magnetische polen van de aarde omdraaien?
Het magnetische veld van de aarde onderscheidt haar van de omringende planeten van ons zonnestelsel. Het is een ongelooflijk sterke kracht in het centrum van onze wereld en zijn primaire rol is om onze atmosfeer te beschermen. Zonnewinden, kosmische straling en enorme wolken plasma worden tegengehouden door het schild van de magnetosfeer van de aarde. In een constant bewegend energieveld gedragen de polen van de aarde zich als de verschillende uiteinden van een magneet. Deze polen verschuiven en veranderen ongeveer elke 300.000 jaar van plaats. Het lijkt erop dat we over tijd zijn voor een poolomwenteling; maar wat betekent dat precies?

LEES verder om te ontdekken of mensen een omkering van de magnetische polen van de aarde kunnen overleven.

©Shutterstock

Polen uit elkaar
De Noordpool en de Zuidpool zijn de afgelopen duizend jaar steeds zwakker geworden. Maar wat betekent dat precies?

©Shutterstock

Afnemende kracht
Sommige wetenschappers denken dat het aardmagnetisch veld in sterkte afneemt net voordat het volledig omkeert - iets wat het in het verleden al verschillende keren heeft gedaan.

©Shutterstock

Afnemende kracht
Met andere woorden, als hun magnetisme blijft afnemen, kan dit een poolomwenteling veroorzaken, waarbij noord zuid wordt en zuid noord.

©Shutterstock

Magneetveld draait om
Magnetic field flips aren't all that common. On average, they've happened around every 200,000 to 300,000 years. But the last one was 780,100 years ago, so some believe we're overdue a change.

©Public Domain

A temporary flip
However, this doesn't include a temporary flip that occurred 41,000 years ago. The reversal only stuck for 250 years before switching back to the positions the poles remain in today.

©Public Domain

Midden-oceaanruggen
Midden-oceaanruggen leveren bewijs van geomagnetische omkeringen. Dit komt doordat tektonische platen van de aardkorst (lithosfeer) uit elkaar bewegen en worden opgevuld met magma.

©Shutterstock

Midden-oceaanruggen
Als magma ontsnapt, afkoelt en stolt op de zeebodem, wordt de richting van het magnetische veld op dat moment vastgelegd.

©Shutterstock

Magnetische velden
Magnetische velden worden opgewekt door bewegende elektrische ladingen. In een staafmagneet zijn de bewegende ladingen elektronen die rondjes draaien in atomen. In de aarde zijn het elektronen die worden verplaatst door circulerende stromen gesmolten ijzer.

©Shutterstock

Gesmolten ijzeren buitenkern
De reden dat poolomwentelingen plaatsvinden is nog steeds een mysterie. Wetenschappers denken echter dat het iets te maken heeft met de gesmolten ijzeren buitenkern van de aarde.

©Shutterstock

Gesmolten ijzeren buitenkern
De rotatie van de gesmolten ijzeren buitenkern van de aarde genereert het magnetische veld. De kern koelt langzaam af en er ontstaat beweging door convectie. Stel het je voor als water dat kookt in een steelpan.

©Public Domain

Het magnetische veld
Maar er is een groot verschil tussen dit proces en een kokende steelpan: er zijn bewegende ladingen aanwezig die het magnetische veld genereren.

©Shutterstock

Dynamoproces
Dit wordt een zelfopwindend dynamoproces genoemd, waarbij de elektrische stromen die in het langzaam bewegende gesmolten ijzer vloeien een magnetisch veld creëren.

©Shutterstock

Positieve feedbacklus
Het magnetische veld induceert vervolgens elektrische stromen. Deze stromen genereren op hun beurt hun eigen magnetische veld dat meer elektrische stromen induceert, in een positieve terugkoppelingslus.

©Shutterstock

Chaos en mysterie
Er ontstaat veel chaos en turbulentie als de gesmolten ijzerkern ronddraait. Deze turbulentie is de meest geaccepteerde verklaring voor poolomkering, maar niemand kan het op dit moment met zekerheid zeggen. Het is nog steeds een mysterie.

©Shutterstock

Lijnen van aantrekking
Magnetische polen bevinden zich waar de magnetische aantrekkingslijnen de aarde binnenkomen. Voor een polariteitsomkering moet het magnetische veld met ongeveer 90% verzwakken tot een drempelniveau. Dit proces kan duizenden jaren duren.

©Public Domain

Het World Magnetic Model (WMM)
Het World Magnetic Model (WMM), dat gezamenlijk is ontwikkeld door het Amerikaanse National Geophysical Data Center en de British Geological Survey, is een grootschalige ruimtelijke weergave van het magnetische veld van de aarde.

©Shutterstock

Locatie
De noordelijke magnetische pool, ook wel de geomagnetische noordpool genoemd, bevindt zich momenteel bij 80,8 graden noord bij 72,7 graden west, in het Canadese Ellesmere Island.

©Shutterstock

De bewegende noordelijke magnetische pool
In 2022 werd gemeld dat de noordelijke magnetische pool zich zo grillig uit het Canadese noordpoolgebied in de richting van Siberië bewoog dat wetenschappers er verbaasd over waren.

©Shutterstock

De bewegende noordelijke magnetische pool
De snelheid waarmee de noordelijke magnetische pool beweegt is sinds het midden van de jaren 90 toegenomen van 15 kilometer per jaar tot 55 kilometer per jaar. De afgelopen jaren is hij zelfs over de internationale datumlijn richting het oostelijk halfrond geslingerd.

©Shutterstock

Voorbode?
Is deze beweging de voorbode van een poolomkering, naast het verval van het aardmagnetisch veld? Alleen de tijd zal het leren.

©Shutterstock

Stokken omgooien
Het omdraaien van de magnetische polen betekent niet dat de aarde geen magnetisch veld meer zou hebben. Stel je echter voor dat je kompas naar het noorden blijft wijzen, terwijl je eigenlijk naar het zuiden kijkt.

©Public Domain

Stokken omgooien
Het goede nieuws is dat het leven heeft overleefd en gedijt ondanks poolomwentelingen in het verleden. Het betekent geen wereldwijde catastrofe.

©Shutterstock

De effecten van een flip
Tijdens zonnestormen is er een groter dan normale instroom van energetische deeltjes, die voor ons meestal onschadelijk zijn. Maar voor onze moderne technologie is het een ander verhaal.

©Shutterstock

Het effect op technologie
Geladen deeltjes uit de zonnewind (waar ons magnetisch veld ons normaal gesproken tegen beschermt) zouden verwoestende effecten kunnen hebben op de aarde als de polen zouden omslaan.

©Shutterstock

De gebeurtenis in Carrington
In 1859 maakte een krachtige geomagnetische storm poollicht zichtbaar in het Caribisch gebied en de telegraafsystemen vielen uit. In die tijd waren operators echter in staat om het systeem zonder stroom te laten werken

©Shutterstock

Meer impact
Als zo'n gebeurtenis vandaag de dag zou gebeuren, zou het, gezien onze afhankelijkheid van technologie, veel vernietigender kunnen zijn. Maar het is een worst-case scenario.

©Shutterstock

Meerdere palen
Er kunnen zich ook meerdere polen vormen wanneer er een omkering plaatsvindt, waardoor navigatiesystemen in de war raken. Maar dit proces kan honderden of zelfs duizenden jaren duren.

©Shutterstock

Geomagnetische activiteit
Het is ook belangrijk om op te merken dat eerdere poolomkeringen niet per se betekenen dat de omkering leidde tot meer vulkanen, aardbevingen of klimaatveranderingen.

©Shutterstock

Niets te vrezen
Wees gerust: hoewel het misschien eng klinkt, is een poolflip niet iets waar je je al te veel zorgen over hoeft te maken.

Bronnen:

• (NASA)
• (IFL Science)
• (NBC News)
• (Space.com)
• (Astronomy)

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{ Stars Insider }

01-10-2025 om 21:11 geschreven door peter  

Venus' Clouds Are 60% Water, According To Reanalyzed Pioneer Data

By Andy Tomaswick 

{ https://www.universetoday.com/ }

01-10-2025 om 18:41 geschreven door peter  

Alien structures on Earths moon in Apollo 15 images, Sept 30, 2025, Photos, UFO UAP sighting news.

Date of discovery: Sept 30, 2025

Location of discovery: Earths moon, AS15-P-0010

Source photo: 

• https://data.lroc.im-ldi.com/apollo/view?camera=P&image_name=AS15-P-0010

Now I have found a lot of strange things over the years, so none of these will come as any big surprise. However I found a face that is 100% proof of this alien race existing...and they look just like us. Nasa puts these photos into black and white on purpose because the human eye is not use to being limited to only two colors. However if you look at it a few moments, take your time...and you will see what I see. 

Scott C. Waring 

 

RELATED VIDEO

{ https://www.ufosightingsdaily.com/ }

01-10-2025 om 18:34 geschreven door peter  

The celestial show of interstellar comet 3I/ATLAS is preparing to take a break. The space traveler, who came to us from the depths of the Milky Way, will soon temporarily disappear from the view of observers on Earth. The reason lies in orbital motion: our planet and the comet will soon be on opposite sides of the Sun. The bright light of the star will completely obscure the faint glow of the comet, making it impossible to observe.

The comet is now only a few degrees from the Sun in the sky, setting about an hour after dusk. This creates a narrow window of opportunity for its detection. However, only those with powerful telescopes will be able to see it.

3I/ATLAS now looks like a faint spot located approximately at the distance of Mars’ orbit. Soon, the angular distance between it and the Sun will begin to decrease rapidly, and by the end of October, they will converge at their minimum distance.

Non-standard trajectory

Despite this proximity, Comet 3I/ATLAS will not approach the Sun in the same way as ordinary comets do. The point of its perihelion, its closest approach to the star, will be reached on October 29. At that moment, it will be a full 202 million km away from the Sun. This distance means that Earth will miss the most interesting phase of the comet’s activation, when solar heat would intensively evaporate ice from its core, forming a bright tail.

Unique space visitor

This comet differs sharply from the two previous interstellar visitors – 1I/Oumuamua and 2I/Borisov. It moves almost twice as fast and is much larger. Its origin is also different: most likely, the interstellar visitor arrived from the “thick disk” of our galaxy, rather than from the region where the Solar System is located.

The 3I/ATLAS study is key to understanding the nature of interstellar objects and the structure of other planetary systems. Even its recent change to green has sparked keen interest among scientists.

Back to the skies

Fortunately, this is not the last appearance of the mysterious guest. Scientists predict that the comet will once again be visible from late November, just before its closest approach to Earth. The minimum distance to our planet will be 268 million km. Although it is not a close encounter, astronomers are already preparing their instruments to obtain valuable new data about this unique interstellar traveler.

• We previously reported that 3I/ATLAS could crash into Mars.
• According to iflscience.com

• Posted in News, Science

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

01-10-2025 om 18:22 geschreven door peter  

Mysterious interstellar object may be the source of unexplained signal beamed at Earth 48 years ago

• MORE: Stephen Hawking's chilling alien doomsday prediction spreads as scientist issues alarming warning

By CHRIS MELORE, US ASSISTANT SCIENCE EDITOR

A mysterious space signal that has never been explained may have come from an equally mysterious object racing through our solar system.

Harvard astrophysicist Avi Loeb, who has continued to theorize that the object known as 3I/ATLAS could be an alien craft, has said the famous 'WOW! signal' may have come from this fast-moving visitor.

3I/ATLAS was first detected by astronomers this summer and is now only days away from making a close pass by Mars.

Loeb has noted several irregularities in the supposed comet that suggest it could be something that's artificially constructed with a mysterious mission that takes it past three planets in the solar system.

Now, Loeb has drawn a connection between 3I/ATLAS and this unexplained space signal received in 1977.

The WOW! signal was captured by the Ohio State University's Big Ear radio telescope for 72 seconds, in a burst so unusual that it prompted astronomer Jerry Ehman to write 'WOW!' on the telescope's readout.

Loeb's new analysis has found that on August 12, 1977, just a few days before the WOW! signal was detected, 3I/ATLAS was in a part of the sky very close to where the signal came from.

The chances of two random points in the sky being this close are only about 0.6 percent, which makes this potential connection even more compelling.

3I/ATLAS (pictured) is the third interstellar object discovered by astronomers as it passes through our solar system

The 'WOW! signal' was received on Earth back in 1977 and scientists have not been able to explain what produced it

If the signal did come from 3I/ATLAS, Loeb explained that it would have needed a transmitter as powerful as a nuclear power plant on Earth to send it from that distance.

Although astronomers have not found any proof of artificial technology on the surface of the object nearing Earth, Loeb has previously theorized that 3I/ATLAS could be a nuclear-powered vessel.

His claims were based on 3I/ATLAS appearing to generate its own light in a photo by the Hubble Telescope in August.

'3I/ATLAS could be a spacecraft powered by nuclear energy, and the dust emitted from its frontal surface might be from dirt that accumulated on its surface during its interstellar travel,' Loeb wrote in a statement.

Since then, scientists have widely dismissed the alien spacecraft theory, concluding that the interstellar object is a strange comet that's composed of a completely different chemical makeup than most comets created in our solar system.

So far, no one has checked if 3I/ATLAS has been sending out radio signals, but Loeb hopes this coincidence will encourage scientists to take a closer look.

This year, Earth spacecraft near Mars and Jupiter will get a chance to observe 3I/ATLAS as it passes by, which could give us more clues.

NASA has just unveiled a new tracking system for 3I/ATLAS, which allows anyone to zoom in and look at the object up close. According to NASA's simulation, it's a giant space rock with a white tail that will make it's closest pass by Mars on October 3.

3I/ATLAS will make a close pass by Mars on October 3 and NASA has just unveiled a new tracking tool for the public

As for the WOW! signal, it exhibited several intriguing characteristics, including a narrow bandwidth, high signal strength, and a frequency close to the natural radio emissions produced by neutral hydrogen - an element abundant in the universe.

These properties have led many to speculate the signal could have come from an alien origin, possibly sent by an extraterrestrial intelligence.

Looking at its possible connection to 3I/ATLAS, the signal showed a slight shift in frequency, which could match the speed of the comet moving toward the sun, though it's not a perfect match.

'In case we detect an artificial signal from an interstellar object, how should we engage with it?' Loeb asked in his latest paper on the interstellar object.

However, the Harvard professor said the answer is more complicated than some might think, warning that an alien intelligence could pose a threat to the human race.

'We must consider the possibility of a black swan event from interstellar objects resembling a comet at large distances, but potentially carrying devastating consequences to our future like a Trojan Horse,' Loeb warned.

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

01-10-2025 om 16:50 geschreven door peter  

NASA whistleblowers claim astronauts could die in horrific space tragedy: 'No one is coming to save us'

• MORE: Meet NASA's newest recruits! Space agency introduces 10 new astronauts 

By CHRIS MELORE, US ASSISTANT SCIENCE EDITOR

NASA whistleblowers have come out with a dire warning, predicting that an astronaut will likely die in a tragic accident due to shocking changes at the space agency.

In a 21-page report released by the US Senate Committee on Commerce, Science, and Transportation, NASA employees claimed leadership has been keeping plans secret, with no written records, and shutting down open communication.

Whistleblowers believed future astronauts were at risk because of significant budget cuts proposed by the Trump Administration and an alleged culture of fear that's stopping workers from reporting safety problems.

One person who spoke to the committee warned that this could lead to an astronaut death soon due to ignored safety issues on upcoming space flights.

The committee specifically point the blame at the Trump White House and the Office of Management and Budget (OMB), led by Director Russell Vought, for these safety risks, accusing them of illegally forcing unapproved budget cuts on NASA this year.

The budget cuts included a proposed rollback from $24.8 billion to $18.8 billion for NASA's 2026 budget, a 24 percent overall slashing.

That May proposal focused on a 33 percent cut to science projects, a 47 percent reduction in NASA projects, and laying off 32 percent of the agency's workforce.

'No one is coming to save us,' a whistleblower said in the report.

NASA recently revealed 10 new astronauts who will make up its first new recruits since 2021, including some who may be the first people to set foot on Mars 

Under the Trump Administration's budget cuts, nearly every area of NASA would see reductions, including a nearly 50 percent cut to major science programs (Stock Image)

The NASA staffers told the committee leadership, including Chief of Staff Brian Hughes, ordered them to only follow the unapproved 2026 budget (PBR) and that 'if it's not in the PBR, it does not count.'

This prompted them to come forward because they saw the policy changes as breaking NASA's rules and endangering its mission.

The whistleblowers added they spoke out to protect NASA's future, expressing heartbreak over losing young talent and fearing that without action, the agency's safety and innovation could collapse.

'I see safety issues around us all the time,' one witness claimed in the report.

Another NASA employee said they were, 'very concerned that we're going to see an astronaut death within a few years.'

The committee added that the US Constitution is clear in this situation, declaring that the executive branch is not allowed to unilaterally impose a president's proposed budget without the approval of Congress.

'NASA's legal office should know better,' a whistleblower said.

Those that have come forward added that NASA employees are generally 'keeping their heads down' out of fear of retaliation for raising safety concerns.

Former NASA chief Bill Nelson told the Daily Mail that by cutting efforts to return to the moon and to pursue Mars missions undermines NASA's future (Stock Image)

During a recent NASA press conference, which announced the discovery of microbial life on Mars, new NASA Administrator Sean Duffy was pressed on the impact of the $6 billion budget cut to the agency.

Speaking specifically about how the proposed budget would cancel a sample retrieval mission to Mars, Duffy said NASA was looking at their budgets and finding faster and more cost-effective ways of completing space missions.

Despite the cuts, Duffy declared that the US would launch the Artemis II mission, which will orbit the moon, in less than two years.

He added that the Artemis III astronaut mission would then 'land and establish a long-term presence of life on the moon led by America.'

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• NASA astronaut reveals exactly how much they get PAID in blunt three–word statement

This month, former NASA chief Bill Nelson voiced his opposition to the cuts, fearing that future missions to Mars involving robots like the Perseverance rover were now in jeopardy.

'A lot of things I deeply care about and worked hard on are getting cut,' lamented Nelson, the former Democratic senator who flew aboard the space shuttle and served as NASA's 14th administrator.

However, the White House has dismissed the criticism and maintained that NASA has been 'grossly over budget,' arguing the same goals could be met through future manned Mars missions instead.

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

01-10-2025 om 16:35 geschreven door peter  

Als er een ruimtewedloop is, lijkt China deze al te winnen: NASA’s Mars-monsters en de race om Mars-monsters terug naar de Aarde

Een illustratie van NASA's Perseverance-rover naast een voorraad verzegelde Marsmonstervoorzieningen. De rover heeft 30 geologische monsters op Mars verzameld, maar NASA's geplande missie om ze op te halen is vertraagd.

(Beeldkrediet: NASA/JPL-Caltech)

Inleiding

Er wordt momenteel veel gesproken over een mogelijke ruimtewedloop tegen Mars. Een opvallende opmerking luidt: als er al een race is, dan lijkt China deze al te winnen, en NASA zal waarschijnlijk geen Mars-monsters (monsters) eerder terughalen naar de Aarde dan China. Experts wijzen erop dat traditionele tijdlijnen en technologische mijlpalen steeds vaker onder druk komen te staan door geopolitieke belangen, technologische doorbraken en de enorme complexiteit van een Mars Sample Return-missie. Dit artikel verkent de context, de stand van zaken en wat dit betekent voor de toekomst van de verkenning van de Rode Planeet.

1. Achtergrond 

Waarom Mars-samples terug naar de Aarde zo aantrekkelijk zijn Het verzamelen en terugbrengen van Mars-monsters naar de Aarde is een unieke kans om een schat aan wetenschappelijke informatie direct te analyseren met de precisie en instrumentatie die op Aarde ontbreekt op een ruimtevaartuig. Terwijl robots op Mars rovers en landers laten zien wat mogelijk is, biedt een wetenschappelijk laboratorium op Aarde de mogelijkheid tot diepgravende analyses op moleculair, isotopisch en biogeochemisch niveau. De belofte is simpel maar enorm: om graffiti-achtige tekens van vroeg leven, geologische processen en de geschiedenis van de planeet beter te begrijpen dan ooit tevoren.

Toch is een Mars Sample Return (MSR) missie een van de meest ambitieuze en risicovolle ondernemingen in de ruimtevaart. Het vereist coördinatie over meerdere ruimtemissies, strikte contaminatiecontrole, veiligheid op aarde en een dure investeringslijn die decennia kan overspannen. Die combinatie van technologische complexiteit en operationele verwikkelingen legt een hoge lat voor tijdlijnen en budgetten. Daarom zien experts MSR als een langetermijninspann­ing, waarbij elke stap een leerproces is.

Een "selfie" van China's Zhurong-rover en het Tianwen-1 landingsplatform op Mars in 2021.

Bron: China National Space Administration

2. NASA, MSR en de haalbaarheid op kortere termijn

Sinds het begin van de jaren 2000 heeft NASA MSR-ambities gekoesterd, maar de uitvoering is niet lineair verlopen. De huidige visie draait om een combinatie van een Mars-orbitalsessie, een lander en een sample-return missie die terugkeer naar de Aarde mogelijk maakt. De planning is ver verwijderd van een eenvoudige “lima” met een enkele vlucht. Er zijn cruciale technologische knelpunten, zoals het veilig ophalen van Marsboden met mondiaal contaminants en het betrouwbaar afleveren van monsters in een speciaal container op aarde, waar streng toezicht en controle op aanwezigheids- en opslagsystemen nodig zijn.

Daarnaast spelen budgettaire realiteiten en prioriteitsafwegingen in NASA’s bredere programma een grote rol. MSR vereist partnership en cofinanciering met andere ruimtevaartorganisaties en industriepartners. In het recente verleden zijn er stappen gezet zoals pre-voorbereidende studies, concept-ontwikkeling en demonstratie-activiteiten die de haalbaarheid vergroten, maar een concrete startdatum blijft onzeker. Daardoor ontstaat bij critici het beeld dat NASA mogelijk de tijd vooruit maakt op sommige vlakken, maar de totale terugkeer van Mars-monsters naar de Aarde een lange, complexe en gedeeltelijk onvoorspelbare onderneming blijft.

China heeft actief hun plannen voor aankomende ruimtemissies gedeeld, waaronder de asteroïdemissie, de Mars-monsterrterugbrengmissie en de missie naar Jupiter. Samen met hun ambitieuze robotische missies kondigde de CNSA in 2021 aan dat ze van plan zijn hun eerste bemande missie naar Mars te sturen in 2033, met als doel regelmatige missies naar Mars te sturen en uiteindelijk daar een basis te bouwen. China heeft ook hun Tiangong-ruimtestation, dat momenteel drie astronauten huisvest voor verblijven van zes maanden.

3. China’s ruimteprogramma

Op weg naar Mars-monsters terug naar huis China heeft de afgelopen jaren aangekondigd en vervolgens laten zien dat het mee wil doen aan het meest ambitieuze deel van de planetoid-wereld: een Mars-sample return. Het land heeft al een succesvol ruimtemissiesucces gevierd met de Tianwen-1 missie: een orbiter, een lander en een rover die gezamenlijk de Rode Planeet heeft onderzocht. De volgende stap, zo suggereren officiële aankondigingen en openbare plannen, is het ophalen van Mars-monsters en het terugbrengen naar de Aarde.

China’s aanpak wordt vaak geprezen om zijn gelikte randvoorwaarden: duidelijke doelstellingen, agressieve tijdlijnen en een cultuur van strakke uitvoering. De betrokkenheid van een robuuste ruimtevaartindustrie, een intensief test- en validatieprogramma en een streven naar geopolitieke invloed op het gebied van ruimteonderzoek, dragen eraan bij dat China’s plannen serieus worden genomen. Experts wijzen erop dat China niet alleen investeert in individuele missies, maar ook in de infrastructuur die nodig is om zulke missies te ondersteunen: grondstations in verschillende delen van de wereld, geavanceerde grondcontrole, en een rijp beleid voor ruimtevaartveiligheid en -beveiliging.

NASA-programmawetenschapper Lindsay Hays legt uit wat mogelijke tekenen van oud leven op andere werelden definieert en waarom deze nader onderzoek vereisen. De Perseverance-rover van NASA op Mars zoekt naar deze tekenen, verzamelt monsters voor toekomstige terugkeer naar de aarde en helpt de weg te effenen voor menselijke verkenning.

Bron: NASA/JPL-Caltech What is a Potential Biosignature?

4. Waarom de tijdlijnen zo anders uitpakken dan men zou verwachten

• Technische complexiteit: Het terughalen van Mars-monsters vereist meerdere stappen: verregaande landers, sample caches op de maan of in een tweede voertuig, en een terugkeer-progamma dat monsters veilig naar de Aarde brengt en vervolgens in een controleert gecontroleerde bioveiligheidsomgeving onderzoekt. Elk van deze stappen heeft unieke ontwerpuitdagingen en testvereisten.
• Contaminatiedeals en ruimtebodemhygiëne: Een van de grootste zorgen is het voorkomen van biologische of chemische verontreiniging, zowel van Mars naar Aarde als omgekeerd, wanneer monsters worden aangeraakt en geanalyseerd. De regelgeving en procedures voor biosafety zijn streng en vereisen uitgebreide validatie.
• Politieke en financiële factoren: MSR-projecten financieren zich niet vanzelf.  Veranderingen in politieke prioriteiten, economische omstandigheden en internationale samenwerking kunnen tijdlijnen flink beïnvloeden. De huidige geopolitieke context, gekenmerkt door belangrijke concurrentie in de ruimte, heeft de kosten en de politieke bereidheid om samen te werken kunnen beïnvloeden
• Innovatie- en supply-keten uitdagingen: De benodigde systemen en onderdelen (zoals speciale weerbestendige containers en strikte contaminatiewaardesystemen) moeten wereldwijd worden ontwikkeld en geproduceerd, hetgeen logistieke vertragingen oplevert. Elk missertje in de supply chain kan de hele klok vertroebelen.

Na meerdere jaren en meerdere beoordelingen van het gezamenlijke NASA/Europese Ruimtevaartorganisatie MSR-project was er een schrikbarend prijskaartje. Vroege conceptuele kunstwerken tonen een door de VS geleid initiatief.

(Afbeelding tegoed: NASA/JPL/Caltech)

5. Geopolitieke realiteiten

De ruimte als theater van invloed De opkomst van een ruimtewedloop vol geopolitieke concurrentie heeft de dynamiek van missies veranderd. Voor sommige analisten is China al dichter bij de finishlijn dan NASA, omdat China sneller in staat blijkt te schakelen tussen planning, technologische ontwikkeling en uitvoering. Anderen merken op dat NASA, ondanks de doorbraaktempo en het succes van NASA’s Mars- en Artemis-programma’s, met zijn eigen stevige partnernetwerk en multinationale samenwerking, in staat zal zijn om MSR-ambities te realiseren, zij het mogelijk op een iets langere tijdschaal.

Toch blijft de onderstroom duidelijk: wie als eerste Mars-monsters op aarde kan ontvangen, zal niet alleen een wetenschappelijke prestatie leveren, maar ook een symbolische overwinning die de perceptie van leiderschap in de ruimtevaart bepaalt. In informele bewoordingen wordt er gezegd dat “als er een ruimtewedloop is, China deze al gewonnen heeft”—niet dat NASA geen significante wetenschappelijke vooruitgang boekt, maar dat de tijdlijn en de haalbaarheid van MSR er anders uitzien dan men in de vroege jaren 2000 had verwacht.

Waar te verzamelen, wat te verzamelen, hoe te verzamelen en hoe te analyseren wat wordt gevonden, wordt actief bestudeerd door functionarissen van het Chinese ruimtevaartprogramma.

(Beeldcredit: De Universiteit van Hong Kong)

China's routekaart voor een Marsmonstermissie die in 2028 gelanceerd zal worden.

(Beeldcredit: The University of Hong Kong/Zengqian Hou, et al.)

6. Wat betekent dit voor de wetenschap en de publieke perceptie?

• Wetenschappelijke implicaties

Een succesvolle terugkeer van Mars-monsters zal de wetenschappelijke gemeenschap in staat stellen om analyses uit te voeren met hulp van state-of-the-art laboratoria op aarde. Dit kan leiden tot nieuwe inzichten in de geologie, de ontwikkeling van Mars en mogelijk signalen van vroeg leven of prebiotische chemische processen. De vooruitgang in analyse-technieken en de interoperabiliteit van internationale partners kunnen de kwaliteit en snelheid van wetenschappelijk begrip aanzienlijk verhogen.

• Publieke perceptie en inspanning

Een duidelijke publieke boodschap over wie wanneer Mars-monsters terugbrengt, kan de publieke interesse in ruimtevaart versterken of juist tot discussies leiden over prioriteiten en uitgaven. Belangrijke ruimte-evenementen en persmomenten kunnen dienen als katalysator voor bredere belangstelling en educatieve projecten.

• Beleidskaders en internationale samenwerking

De gespannen maar noodzakelijke dialoog tussen ruimtevaart agentschappen wereldwijd, met inbegrip van regels rondom veilige terugkeer, data sharing en aansprakelijkheid, zal cruciaal blijven. Internationale samenwerking kan missies haalbaarder maken, maar vereist ook duidelijke afspraken over eigendomsrechten van monsters, data en de verdeling van wetenschappelijke voordelen.

7.Conclusie:

Wat de toekomst ons leert Of China nu daadwerkelijk als eerste Mars-monsters naar de Aarde zal brengen, of NASA uiteindelijk de eerste officiële terugkeer zal realiseren, is voor het moment minder belangrijk dan wat deze race leert over de toekomst van ruimteverkenning. Het gaat niet alleen om de eindbestemming, maar om de weg ernaartoe: de technologische innovatie, de samenwerking tussen landen en sectoren, en de maatschappelijke dialogen over de waarde van onderzoek en ontdekking.

De uitspraak dat China mogelijk vooroploopt in de ruimtewedloop straalt een pragmatisme uit: de realiteit is dat zowel de technologische doorbraken als de geopolitieke omstandigheden voortdurend veranderen. In die zin is er geen eenvoudige winnaar in een dergelijke complexe onderneming. Wat wel vaststaat, is dat Mars-exploratie niet langer een eenvoudig “sciencefiction”-verhaal is. Het is nu een internationaal en multidisciplinair project waar elke morgen een stap dichter bij de Aarde mogelijk wordt gemaakt—en waarin de wereld toekijkt hoe twee grootmachten, en mogelijk anderen, de grenzen van wat mogelijk is opnieuw verleggen.

Eind noot

Het debat over wie Mars-monsters als eerste terugbrengt naar de Aarde, blijft een boeiend onderwerp voor ruimtefanaten, wetenschappers en beleidsmakers. Terwijl mengformuleringen over de ruimtewedloop bestaan, blijft één ding duidelijk: de technologische ontwikkeling, de internationale samenwerking en de publieke belangstelling voor Mars zullen in de komende decennia centraal staan. Of China nu wint in de perceptie, de realiteit blijft dat Mars-verkenning een collectieve menselijke onderneming is—een onderneming waarin elke stap, elke innovatie en elke samenwerking bijdraagt aan ons begrip van de Rode Planeet en ons eigen plek in het universum.

{ PETER2011 }

30-09-2025 om 22:06 geschreven door peter  

Scientists Discover First Evidence of Lava Tubes on Venus

By Mark Thompson -

{ https://www.universetoday.com/ }

30-09-2025 om 17:41 geschreven door peter  

Kepler Reveals the True Source of the Signal Coming From KOI-1755

By Matthew Williams  

 { https://www.universetoday.com/ }

30-09-2025 om 17:09 geschreven door peter  

Supermassive Black Hole or Galactic Consciousness?

Imagine looking up at the night sky and wondering not only what lies inside galaxies, but also what a galaxy itself might be thinking. The term “supermassive black hole” (SMBH) is a well-established part of modern astronomy. The idea of “galactic consciousness,” by contrast, is more philosophical and speculative. It asks whether a galaxy could possess awareness, goals, or a form of mind. Both topics invite big questions about scale, gravity, information, and what it means to know something. Here, we’ll explore what these terms mean, how scientists study them, and what the differences are between a real, physical object and a thought about collective, galaxy-scale behavior.

An Einstein ring around the galaxy LRG 3-757, at the center of which the heaviest black hole was discovered.

Photo: NASA

A color image of the Cosmic Horseshoe created using filters F814W, F606W and F475W. The system consists of the Einstein ring of the Cosmic Horseshoe, as well as a radial arc and its opposite image.

The insert shows a radial arc. Source: NASA

First, what is a supermassive black hole? A black hole is a region of space where gravity is so intense that nothing, not even light, can escape from it. The boundary around this region is called the event horizon. Supermassive black holes are, as the name implies, enormous. They typically contain millions to billions of solar masses and sit at the centers of most large galaxies, including our Milky Way. The evidence for their existence is indirect but strong. We observe stars and gas moving at high speeds near the centers of galaxies. We detect powerful emissions in X-ray light and radio waves from material that is heated to extreme temperatures as it spirals inward, a process known as accretion. When matter falls toward a black hole, it forms an accretion disk that glows brilliantly, especially in X-rays, before it disappears behind the event horizon. In many galaxies, the behavior of stars and gas in the inner regions suggests the gravitational pull of something incredibly dense and compact, consistent with a black hole. In other cases, we see jets of particles blasting out at nearly the speed of light, launched by magnetic fields twisted around the spinning black hole. The consensus among astronomers is strong: many, if not most, large galaxies host a supermassive black hole at their center, often feeding on surrounding material.

Why are SMBHs so important? They act as engines that regulate the growth of their host galaxies. There is a remarkable relationship between the mass of a galaxy’s central black hole and the properties of the galaxy’s bulge, such as its mass and brightness. This correlation, called the M-sigma relation, suggests a co-evolution: as the black hole grows by pulling in matter, the energy it releases can heat or push away gas, influencing future star formation. In other words, SMBHs do not merely sit in the middle; they can shape the fate of their entire galactic neighborhoods. This connection between tiny scales (the event horizon and accretion physics) and vast scales (galaxy evolution) makes SMBHs a focal point in astrophysics.

Now, what about galactic consciousness? The phrase asks whether a galaxy could be conscious in some sense—aware, purposeful, or able to experience something. The idea has historical and speculative roots in panpsychism and in metaphorical descriptions of cosmic order. Some thinkers ask whether galaxies, as complex systems with many interacting parts, could exhibit collective behavior akin to a mind. A galaxy is made of stars, gas, dark matter, magnetic fields, and dark energy. These components follow the laws of physics and interact in complex ways that can produce patterns, rhythms, and even evolutions that look organized. But consciousness, as scientists typically define it, involves subjective experience, feelings, and a first-person point of view. So far, there is no evidence that galaxies possess subjective experience. There is also no widely accepted framework in physics that would treat a galaxy as a conscious agent with beliefs or desires. The claim remains more poetic or metaphorical than empirical.

A useful way to compare the two ideas is to distinguish what is observable and what is interpretive. A supermassive black hole has clear, testable signatures: the motion of stars near the center, X-ray emission from hot gas, and sometimes relativistic jets. These are physical, measurable phenomena governed by gravity and quantum physics combined with relativity. Galactic consciousness, if it exists, would be hard to test directly. What would count as evidence? Some might argue that a galaxy’s large-scale organization and behavior could be interpreted as “aimed” at sustaining star formation, maintaining stability, or preserving structure. But such interpretations risk anthropomorphism. Complex systems can appear to have goals simply because many parts respond to common pressures and constraints. The difference between “the galaxy acts to preserve itself” and “the galaxy has an intention to preserve itself” is subtle but crucial. In science, correlation and pattern do not automatically imply consciousness.

Another angle is to consider scale and energy. SMBHs are extreme sinks of mass-energy and powerful sources of energy; their gravity warps spacetime and their accretion disks heat up to temperatures rivaling the cores of stars. The physics is explicit, even if some details remain mysterious. Galactic consciousness, by contrast, would be an emergent property, if it exists at all, arising from the collective behavior of a massive network of components. Emergent phenomena are common in nature: water’s wetness, the flocking of birds, and the emergence of nervous-system activity from neurons. Some philosophers and scientists like to discuss whether there could be a form of “galactic ethics” or “galactic purpose,” but these ideas are philosophical tools rather than testsable predictions.

What would be the practical implications if galaxies were conscious? If we could demonstrate some form of awareness in a galaxy, it would challenge how we understand intelligence, life, and agency across the universe. It might imply that mind is not limited to biological organisms but can arise in complex systems with certain kinds of organization. On the other hand, there is also a risk of conflating metaphor with mechanism. Speaking about a galaxy “deciding” to endure or “seeking” stability is a useful narrative for teaching or thinking, but it might obscure the actual physics driving observed patterns.

Currently, the evidence points strongly toward SMBHs as real, well-understood physical objects with measurable effects on their surroundings. The case for galactic consciousness, by contrast, remains speculative and largely rhetorical. Scientists can and do study galaxies as physical systems: how stars form within them, how dark matter shapes their halos, how gas cools and collapses to form new generations of stars, and how feedback from black holes and supernovae regulates these processes. These are measurable questions about structure, dynamics, and evolution. The idea of a mind behind the galaxy is not a testable scientific hypothesis in the same sense.

That doesn’t mean the two topics are unrelated. They invite complementary perspectives on scale, causation, and the mystery of the universe. The existence of SMBHs demonstrates how gravity and quantum physics combine to produce extreme environments. The possibility of galactic consciousness invites humility: the universe may harbor forms of organization and complexity that we have not fully understood, and our intuition about life and mind may be too limited to grasp the grandest scales. In science, bold questions often begin with bold metaphors. The critical step is to translate a metaphor into testable ideas, or to acknowledge when an idea is best kept as a thought experiment.

For students and curious readers, a practical takeaway is to separate what we know from what we wonder. We know that SMBHs exist, we know they affect their galaxies, and we can observe many of their signatures with telescopes across the electromagnetic spectrum. We also know that galaxies, as massive collections of matter interacting through gravity, can produce complex and beautiful structures. Wondering whether they possess consciousness can inspire imaginative reflection, innovative hypotheses, and careful philosophical debate. It can also remind us to distinguish observational science from speculative speculation.

In teaching and outreach, it can be helpful to present both sides clearly. When explaining SMBHs, one might describe the event horizon, the accretion disk, the gravitational influence on nearby stars, and the evidence from observations like stellar motions near the galactic center and X-ray emissions. When broaching galactic consciousness, one could present the idea as a philosophical possibility, highlight why it is appealing to some, and then explain the scientific challenges: the lack of verifiable criteria, the problem of subjective experience, and the risk of anthropomorphism.

As technology advances, our ability to observe galactic centers and the broader structure of galaxies will improve. Instruments like more powerful telescopes, interferometers, and detectors across different wavelengths will refine our understanding of SMBHs and their interactions with their hosts. If ever new data suggested unusual, non-physical explanations for galactic behavior, scientists would scrutinize them with the same rigor they apply to any extraordinary claim. Until then, the most robust scientific narrative describes galaxies as ecosystems influenced by gravity, gas dynamics, star formation, and the energy from central black holes—beautiful, intricate, and governed by the laws of physics.

In conclusion, a supermassive black hole is a concrete, well-supported feature of many galaxies, including the Milky Way. It has measurable effects, testable predictions, and a central role in theories of galaxy formation and evolution. Galactic consciousness, by contrast, remains a provocative idea at the intersection of philosophy and speculative science. It prompts us to ask about the nature of mind, the limits of anthropomorphism, and the possible forms that life and intelligence could take in the universe. For now, the science keeps its feet on the ground: SMBHs are real and influential, while galaxy-scale consciousness is an intriguing possibility—one that invites thoughtful imagination but requires far more evidence before it could be considered part of our scientific understanding. The universe continues to be a place of extraordinary phenomena, from the shadowy depths of event horizons to the grand, emergent patterns of galaxies that light up the cosmos.

{ PETER2011 }

29-09-2025 om 23:06 geschreven door peter