The purpose of this blog is the creation of an open, international, independent and free forum, where every UFO-researcher can publish the results of his/her research. The languagues, used for this blog, are Dutch, English and French.You can find the articles of a collegue by selecting his category. Each author stays resposable for the continue of his articles. As blogmaster I have the right to refuse an addition or an article, when it attacks other collegues or UFO-groupes.
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Deze blog is opgedragen aan mijn overleden echtgenote Lucienne.
In 2012 verloor ze haar moedige strijd tegen kanker!
In 2011 startte ik deze blog, omdat ik niet mocht stoppen met mijn UFO-onderzoek.
BEDANKT!!!
Een interessant adres?
UFO'S of UAP'S, ASTRONOMIE, RUIMTEVAART, ARCHEOLOGIE, OUDHEIDKUNDE, SF-SNUFJES EN ANDERE ESOTERISCHE WETENSCHAPPEN - DE ALLERLAATSTE NIEUWTJES
UFO's of UAP'S in België en de rest van de wereld Ontdek de Fascinerende Wereld van UFO's en UAP's: Jouw Bron voor Onthullende Informatie!
Ben jij ook gefascineerd door het onbekende? Wil je meer weten over UFO's en UAP's, niet alleen in België, maar over de hele wereld? Dan ben je op de juiste plek!
België: Het Kloppend Hart van UFO-onderzoek
In België is BUFON (Belgisch UFO-Netwerk) dé autoriteit op het gebied van UFO-onderzoek. Voor betrouwbare en objectieve informatie over deze intrigerende fenomenen, bezoek je zeker onze Facebook-pagina en deze blog. Maar dat is nog niet alles! Ontdek ook het Belgisch UFO-meldpunt en Caelestia, twee organisaties die diepgaand onderzoek verrichten, al zijn ze soms kritisch of sceptisch.
Nederland: Een Schat aan Informatie
Voor onze Nederlandse buren is er de schitterende website www.ufowijzer.nl, beheerd door Paul Harmans. Deze site biedt een schat aan informatie en artikelen die je niet wilt missen!
Internationaal: MUFON - De Wereldwijde Autoriteit
Neem ook een kijkje bij MUFON (Mutual UFO Network Inc.), een gerenommeerde Amerikaanse UFO-vereniging met afdelingen in de VS en wereldwijd. MUFON is toegewijd aan de wetenschappelijke en analytische studie van het UFO-fenomeen, en hun maandelijkse tijdschrift, The MUFON UFO-Journal, is een must-read voor elke UFO-enthousiasteling. Bezoek hun website op www.mufon.com voor meer informatie.
Samenwerking en Toekomstvisie
Sinds 1 februari 2020 is Pieter niet alleen ex-president van BUFON, maar ook de voormalige nationale directeur van MUFON in Vlaanderen en Nederland. Dit creëert een sterke samenwerking met de Franse MUFON Reseau MUFON/EUROP, wat ons in staat stelt om nog meer waardevolle inzichten te delen.
Let op: Nepprofielen en Nieuwe Groeperingen
Pas op voor een nieuwe groepering die zich ook BUFON noemt, maar geen enkele connectie heeft met onze gevestigde organisatie. Hoewel zij de naam geregistreerd hebben, kunnen ze het rijke verleden en de expertise van onze groep niet evenaren. We wensen hen veel succes, maar we blijven de autoriteit in UFO-onderzoek!
Blijf Op De Hoogte!
Wil jij de laatste nieuwtjes over UFO's, ruimtevaart, archeologie, en meer? Volg ons dan en duik samen met ons in de fascinerende wereld van het onbekende! Sluit je aan bij de gemeenschap van nieuwsgierige geesten die net als jij verlangen naar antwoorden en avonturen in de sterren!
Heb je vragen of wil je meer weten? Aarzel dan niet om contact met ons op te nemen! Samen ontrafelen we het mysterie van de lucht en daarbuiten.
16-10-2025
Mysterious dark matter is seen for the first time: Eerie image shows elusive substance that makes up 25% of the universe - and baffles scientists
Mysterious dark matter is seen for the first time: Eerie image shows elusive substance that makes up 25% of the universe - and baffles scientists
Despite making up more than a quarter of the universe, dark matter has remained stubbornly hidden from scientists' telescopes for decades.
But researchers from Johns Hopkins University now believe they have found the evidence they have been searching for.
While the elusive substance doesn't give off any energy of its own, when dark matter particles collide, they produce a burst of gamma–ray radiation.
For this reason, researchers believe the mysterious gamma–ray glow coming from inside our very own galaxy could reveal exactly where dark matter is hiding.
'Dark matter dominates the universe and holds galaxies together,' said Professor Joseph Silk, co–author of the study.
'It's extremely consequential and we're desperately thinking all the time of ideas as to how we could detect it.
'Gamma rays, and specifically the excess light we're observing at the centre of our galaxy, could be our first clue.'
Scientists say that a glow of gamma ray radiation from the Milky Way could be evidence that dark matter exists. In a new paper, researchers argue that this glow is produced by colliding particles of dark matter
Dark matter is an elusive type of particle that makes up a large part of the extra mass that is 'missing' from most galaxies.
In their study, published in the journal Physical Review Letters, the researchers used supercomputers to create a map of where dark matter should be in the galaxy.
What made their approach different was that they took into account how the Milky Way came into existence.
'Our galaxy formed out of a vast cloud of dark matter,' explains Professor Silk.
'The ordinary matter cooled down and fell into the central regions, dragging along some dark matter for the ride.'
Over billions of years, the dark matter from these other systems gravitated to the dense galactic core, and the number of collisions increased.
When Professor Silk took these simulations and compared them to real pictures of the galaxy taken by Fermi, he found that their predictions were a match.
Although this isn't yet a 'smoking gun' for the existence of dark matter, it raises the tantalising possibility that the gamma ray glow really is coming from dark matter.
Speaking to the Daily Mail, Professor Silk said: 'Our key new result is that dark matter fits the gamma ray data at least as well as the rival neutron star hypothesis.
In a new paper, scientists simulated where they thought dark matter should be in the galaxy (illustrated), and worked out what the pattern of gamma rays should look like. When they compared this to the actually distribution of gamma rays they found that the predictions matched
We have increased the odds that dark matter has been indirectly detected.'
It is still possible that the gamma ray glow is being produced by spinning neutron stars.
Professor Silk says his 'great hope' is that the soon–to–be–constructed Cerenkov Telescope Array in Chile will be able to settle the debate once and for all.
This will be the world's most powerful gamma ray telescope, and should have the sensitivity to detect the tiny differences between gamma rays produced by dark matter and radiation from spinning neutron stars.
Alternatively, the telescope could scan nearby dwarf galaxies, which should be made mostly of dark matter.
'Detecting the same signal Fermi found for the galactic centre would confirm the dark matter hypothesis,' says Professor Silk.
Earth will travel right in front of the same Taurid meteor stream in 2032 that caused a mass extinction and worldwide flood ~12,800 years ago, plunging Earth into a mini-Ice Age for 1,300 years. Graham Hancock was right all this time but we did not listen to him.
Our solar system is a dangerous place, and every month Earth inches closer to one of its riskier places, the “Taurid swarm” of meteors. Our planet is predicted to pass directly through the “Taurid swarm” in November 2032.
An ancient monument found in Turkey might be more than just a monument—it could be the world’s oldest solar calendar. Researchers from the University of Edinburgh studied symbols carved on the pillars of Göbekli Tepe, a large, ancient site in southern Turkey. They think these carvings were used to track days, seasons, and years, like a calendar. (Source)
The team noticed that each “V” shape carved on the pillars might represent one day. One pillar even had 365 “V”s, the same number as days in a year. They also found that a special “V” around the neck of a bird-like figure could represent the summer solstice—the longest day of the year. This might explain why the “V” symbol shows up on many other statues in the area, often around the necks of figures connected to time and creation.
Göbekli Tepe aerial view
Mini Ice Age
The ancient calendar focused on tracking day, night, and seasonal changes, which might have become more important after a major comet hit Earth around 10,850 B.C. This event likely caused a mini-ice age that wiped out many species. According to Martin Sweatman, a researcher from the University of Edinburgh, the people at Gobekli Tepe were careful observers of the sky, possibly because the comet strike had changed their world.
This disaster may have sparked the beginning of civilization by starting new religious beliefs and pushing people to develop agriculture to survive the colder climate. Their carvings might be some of the earliest attempts at writing. These carvings also tracked the cycles of the Moon and Sun, long before similar calendars were made. They may have even shown for the first time that comet strikes are more likely to happen when Earth crosses the path of comet fragments, something that modern scientists have confirmed.
To help support this theory, the team points to another pillar at the site appearing to picture the Taurid meteor stream lasting 27 days, which was quite possibly the source of the ancient comet strike. The researchers believe that the temple carvings show the ancient civilization was recording dates precisely, noting how the movement of constellations across the sky differed based on the time of the year. This would be 10,000 years before Hipparchus of ancient Greece documented the wobble in the Earth’s axis in 150 BC, making this newfound calendar well ahead of its time.
The Younger Dryas boundary (YDB) cosmic-impact hypothesis suggests that around 12,800 years ago, Earth was hit by pieces of a large comet, which broke apart as it entered the inner solar system. This event likely caused a chain reaction, leading to an “impact winter” (a period of intense cold) and a climate change episode called the Younger Dryas (YD). (Source)
The collision is also believed to have caused massive wildfires, the extinction of large animals like mammoths, and changes in human cultures and population decline. Evidence of this impact includes unusually high levels of platinum found at 26 sites across the Northern Hemisphere, including in ice cores from Greenland, which show platinum deposits over a 21-year period.
The start of the Younger Dryas also shows an increase in dust and chemicals linked to wildfires, like ammonium and other burning aerosols, found in ice cores from Greenland, Antarctica, and Russia. These signs point to one of the biggest wildfire events in over 120,000 years, with about 9% of Earth’s forests burned, covering 10 million square kilometers.
This large-scale burning and the cooling effect of the impact may have triggered the Younger Dryas climate change, according to the theory.
A 2021 study (Taurid complex smoking gun) found that 88 near-Earth asteroids, hidden in the debris that creates the Taurid Meteor Shower, likely came from the breakup of a single comet about 20,000 years ago. Astronomers at the University of Antioquia in Colombia studied the ‘Taurid complex’ to learn more about where these objects came from.
In the 1980s, scientists William Napier and Victor Clube noticed large asteroids in the Taurid stream. They suggested these asteroids had the same origin as Comet Encke, which orbits the Sun every three years. However, some asteroids are over a mile wide, meaning they couldn’t have come from Comet Encke itself. Scientists Ignacio Ferrín and Vincenzo Orofino reviewed old research and measured light reflected from the larger asteroids.
They found more evidence that both Comet Encke and the big asteroids came from the breakup of a huge ice comet, 62 miles wide, about 20,000 years ago. The team warned that these asteroids could be dangerous to Earth, and others from the ancient comet might have already hit our planet in the past. Every year, Earth passes through a stream of debris, causing shooting stars to appear in October in the southern hemisphere and November in the north.
Comet Encke, first seen in 1786, left a trail of debris as it got closer to the sun, like other comets. This trail, made up of rocks, dust, and debris, sometimes comes close to Earth, leading to lots of scientific study. Some studies focus on larger asteroids.
Experts think impacts from the Taurid stream may have contributed to the extinction of ancient cultures and global cooling during the Younger Dryas period. The 1908 Tunguska event, where a small asteroid exploded above Russia, destroying millions of trees, is believed to be connected to this debris stream.
In 2013, the Chelyabinsk meteor, which injured over 1,500 people in Russia, may have also come from the Taurid stream. In 2005, NASA astronomer Rob Suggs observed a flash from a meteor hitting the moon, which was part of the Taurid meteor shower.
A team of Colombian researchers, along with astronomers from Italy’s University of Salento, reviewed many studies on space impacts. They confirmed that a group of space objects contains up to 88 large pieces. Using a method called secular light curves, they noticed changes in the brightness of these objects and found that 67% showed signs of “comet-like” activity. This supported the idea that these objects came from a common origin.
Napier, another scientist, supported their findings. He said that these asteroids, which have orbits like Comet Encke, could either be affected by unknown forces or are pieces of a larger, older comet that lost its gases. This original comet may have been a “rubble pile” – a mix of rocks and other materials held together by ice. Over time, this pile could have broken apart, possibly due to forces from the Sun or another object, creating smaller fragments.
One asteroid, Oljato, is an example of a rubble pile. It’s still held together by ice, which gives it comet-like activity, but it’s much smaller than its parent. Bigger inactive objects like Morpheus are similar, but their ice is trapped inside. Smaller objects, like 2006 SO198, might be the original rocky pieces. The team explained that even if an object looks like a regular asteroid, it could still have a comet-like origin.
Taurid meteors, part of this group, are usually larger than normal meteors. They shine brightly and go deeper into the Earth’s atmosphere, sometimes creating fireballs. While this is mostly harmless, the discovery of larger asteroids in one “dangerous” part of the meteor stream could be a real threat.
Earth passes through this risky area every few years, leading to more shooting stars and possibly large objects hitting Earth instead of burning up in the atmosphere. Future encounters are expected in 2022, 2025, 2032, and 2039.
In 2021, David Asher, Armagh Observatory astronomer predicted that in 2032 and 2036 we are likely to pass through the centre of the Taurid complex, where there will be a ‘noticeable enhancement of fireballs.’ According to study [Taurid complex smoking gun] authors Ignacio Ferrín and Vincenzo Orofino, outgassing from comet-like objects within the complex could be hiding smaller, but still potentially dangerous, asteroids that might hit the Earth.
‘The Tunguska cosmic body was 60 to 90 meters in diameter,’ he told Discover Magazine, adding that we ‘now believe the complex may contain many more objects of that size. It is not the tame, simple and innocent complex we thought it was.’
The volcano Syrtis Major region of Mars. The central part is dominated by dark dust and lava flows of Syrtis Major Planitia. This is just one of the volcanoes that may be responsible for ice on Mars (Credit : NASA)
Between 4.1 and 3 billion years ago, Mars was volcanically active. Massive eruptions existed across the planet's surface, throwing material and gases high into the thin Martian atmosphere. A new study uses climate modelling to explore whether these events could have transported water ice to unexpected regions of the red planet. The team, led by Saira Hamid from Arizona State University simulated the ancient volcanic eruptions to see what happened to water vapour during each event. The results from their study were quite surprising.
When water vapour shot into Mars’s cold atmosphere from volcanic eruptions, it froze rapidly, creating ice crystals that fell back to the surface. The simulations showed that a single three day eruption could deposit ice layers up to five metres thick on the Martian surface, building up substantial accumulations over time. But this leaves the crucial question of just how this ice could possibly survive billions of years in equatorial regions where temperatures should cause it to sublimate into a gas and straight into the atmosphere? The answer lies in what happened after the eruptions ended.
Volcano Tavurvur in Papua New Guinea erupting
(Credit : Taro Taylor)
If volcanic debris, dust, or lava flows buried these ice deposits quickly enough, its likely they would have been insulated from direct exposure to sunlight and the thin atmosphere. Protected beneath these layers, the ice could remain stable for geological timescales, even in regions where surface ice would normally be impossible. These eruptions could also have released sulphuric acid into the Martian atmosphere, which could have plunged the entire planet into a prolonged global winter. This extended cold period would have allowed ice to accumulate not just during individual eruptions but over sustained periods, creating even more substantial deposits.
The research team identified a two volcanoes that could explain the ice deposits observed in equatorial regions today; Syrtis Major and Apollinaris Mons. Apollinaris Mons is an ancient volcano situated centrally within the Medusae Fossae Formation, erupted between 3.9 and 3.5 billion years ago. The proximity of these volcanoes to regions showing the highest hydrogen signatures suggests these ancient eruptions may have been directly responsible for creating equatorial ice reservoirs.
False colour Mars Global Surveyor image of Apollinaris Mons. White clouds can be seen hovering above the volcano (Credit : NASA/JPL/MSSS)
Measurements taken from orbit reveal elevated hydro
gen levels around the equatorial regions which aligns well with these new volcanic models. While these hydrogen signatures aren't definitive proof of buried ice, they strengthen the case that ancient volcanic activity may have delivered frozen water to some of the warmest regions of Mars, where it patiently waits beneath the surface for future explorers to discover.
If these ice deposits truly exist beneath the equatorial surface, they could prove invaluable for future human exploration. The equatorial regions on Mars offer more favourable landing sites than the rather more harsh polar environments, and access to water ice would be transformative for any crewed mission. Ice could provide drinking water, be split into oxygen for breathing, or even be converted into rocket fuel for the return journey to Earth. Although any astronaut heading to Mars without enough fuel to get home is made of stronger stuff than I!
The Sun photographed at 304 angstroms by the Atmospheric Imaging Assembly (AIA 304) of NASA's Solar Dynamics Observatory (Credit : NASA/SDO (AIA))
The corona of the Sun is an extraordinary place, with temperatures exceeding one million degrees Celsius, far hotter than the Sun's visible surface below. During solar flares, violent releases of magnetic energy, plasma can cool dramatically and condense into dense blobs that plummet back toward the Sun's photosphere, its visible surface. These falling streams of cooler material create the phenomenon of coronal rain. However, existing solar models couldn't explain the speed at which this cooling happens.
During a total solar eclipse, the Sun's corona and prominences are visible to the naked eye
(Credit : Luc Viatour)
Traditional solar models assumed that the distribution of specific elements throughout the corona remains constant across both space and time. This simplification made calculations manageable but created a significant problem when scientists tried to match their models with actual observations. Earlier theories required heating over hours or even days to produce the conditions necessary for coronal rain, yet solar flares unfold in mere minutes. Something fundamental was clearly missing from the picture.
Luke Benavitz, a graduate student, and astronomer Jeffrey Reep discovered the missing piece. Their research, demonstrates that allowing elemental abundances to vary with time produces models that finally match real solar observations. Elements like iron don't remain uniformly distributed in the corona but shift dynamically as conditions change. When this variation is plugged into the models, coronal rain can form on the timescales actually observed during solar flares.
Material rises from the edge of the Sun during a solar flare, as seen in extreme ultraviolet light by NASA's Solar Dynamics Observatory
(Credit : NASA/SDO)
Scientists use cooling processes to help understand heating mechanisms in the corona, since they cannot directly observe how energy is deposited into this region. If models have been treating the abundance of elements incorrectly as they have been, then estimates of cooling times have likely been wrong as well. This realisation suggests that fundamental assumptions about coronal heating may need revisiting.
Understanding that the distribution of elements change dynamically opens entirely new avenues for research into how the Sun's outer layers behave and how energy travels through its atmosphere. These insights could eventually improve predictions of solar storms, the space weather that can disrupt satellites, power grids, and communications systems on Earth.
What began as an investigation into a curious solar phenomenon has revealed that our models of the Sun's behaviour need considerable refinement. Sometimes the most important scientific breakthroughs come not from discovering entirely new phenomena, but from recognising that familiar assumptions were previously wrong.
A Christian pastor who accurately foresaw the assassination attempt on Donald Trump three months prior has shared a new vision about a threat in the sky.
'A major distraction is about to take place,' Biggs said in a YouTube video. 'I said, 'Lord, are there two of these?' And he said, 'No, it's just one.'
'That's what's going to make everybody freak out because they're going to see it moving across the ocean. It's going to be something that's going to be on TV.'
Biggs shared the vision in July, just weeks after 3I/ATLAS was identified, claiming that it is not aliens, but 'demonic spirits.'
'There is no such thing as aliens. You need to hear me. But there are going to be things in the sky that are going to scare everybody in the days ahead because people are going to go, 'Oh, no. ET really exists.' No, it's fallen angels,' he said.
Biggs admitted he did not know when his vision was set to take place, but warned that it would appear as a 'demonic-looking light' in the night sky.
His prediction has been met with criticisms online, with many users calling Biggs a 'false prophet.'
While there is no scientific or credible evidence to back up the claims, Biggs had accurately predicted the attack on Trump last year.
In April, Biggs posted a video detailing what he saw.
'This bullet flew by his ear, and it came so close to his head that it busted his eardrum,' he said
While there are wild theories about the object, dubbed 3I/ATLAS, NASA has long determined it is nothing more than a comet from another part of the universe
Also during the segment, Biggs said he saw red waves in Michigan and Oklahoma during the 2024 Election, which ultimately occurred in both states.
Now that those predictions have come and passed, social media users fear the last vision could also come true.
Loeb has also floated the idea that it is a mothership set to release tiny probes to intercept Earth.
Read More
Interstellar object spotted carrying mysterious companion that points to 'technological design'
Dr Matthew Genge, a planetary scientist from Imperial College London, dismissed Loeb's claims, telling the Daily Mail that 3I/ATLAS is a natural object.
'Little green men certainly aren't responsible!' he added.
Loeb said this week that the world will soon know the true origins of 3I/ATLAS, as the object will make its closest approach to the sun on October 29.
If it is a comet, it should 'disintegrate into fragments.'
'When a comet gets close to the sun, solar radiation heats its icy nucleus,' Loeb explained.
'Volatile ices like carbon dioxide, carbon monoxide, or water sublimate directly into gas, carrying away dust and small rocks.
'This process can cause the comet to break apart if the mix of ice and dust cannot withstand the thermal stress.'
The European Space Agency's Jupiter probe will have a front-row seat, capturing the moment it either breaks apart or, as Loeb speculated, 'releases mini-probes as a technological mothership.'
Loeb noted there is a 30 to 40 percent chance the object 'does not have a fully natural origin,' noting the possibility it is a 'Trojan Horse,' where a technological object masquerades as a comet.
The ESA's Jupiter Icy Moons Explorer (Juice) craft will have a view of the object when it comes 125 million miles from the planet and monitor it through November.
'During November and December, terrestrial observatories will also be able to monitor 3I/ATLAS and check whether it disintegrated like a natural comet or released mini-probes as a technological mothership,' Loeb explained.
On October 15–16, the recently discovered asteroid 2025 TP5 made a close flyby of Earth and then the Moon. It flew past our planet at a distance of less than 100,000 km. This is about four times less than the average distance between the Earth and the Sun.
Four times closer than the Moon: A small asteroid flew near Earth
A near-Earth asteroid in an artist’s impression. Source: space.com
Over the past few decades, astronomers have made significant efforts to catalog and search for potentially dangerous asteroids that could pose a threat to Earth. Their detection is handled, in particular, by the ATLAS system, which is funded by NASA. It consists of four automated telescopes, two of which are located in Hawaii, one in Chile, and another in South Africa. It was the ATLAS system that discovered thefamous interstellar comet 3I/ATLAS, which is currently approaching the Sun.
On October 13, ATLAS telescopes discovered a previously unknown asteroid, designated 2025 TP5. Its diameter is 16 meters.
On October 15, 2025, TP5 flew close to Earth. According to NASA’s Jet Propulsion Laboratory, the minimum distance between the two bodies was 97,089 km. This is significantly less than the distance of most similar visits. However, in any case, the approach posed no threat to Earth. And the very next day, 2025 TP5 flew past the Moon at a distance of 120,084 km, which is also quite close by cosmic standards.
Interestingly, in 1979, 2025 TP5 already made a close flyby of Earth. But no one noticed the asteroid at that time. The discovery of 2025 TP5 clearly demonstrates the significantly increased capabilities of astronomers in searching for near-Earth asteroids. Technology has advanced to such an extent that several small asteroids approaching Earth are now detected every month. Recall that one of them flew over Earth at the altitude of the International Space Station in early October.
Scientists are interested in the origin of a number of gullies on Mars. They believe that carbon dioxide may be responsible for their formation. More precisely, we are talking about its solid form, which is essentially ice.
Was there really life on Mars? Unfortunately, there is no convincing evidence of this yet. However, some form of life seems to have been the driving force behind the mysterious Martian gullies. Geologist Dr. Lonneke Roelofs from Utrecht University investigated how these gullies were formed. During her experiment, she observed that blocks of CO2 ice “dug” these gullies in a unique way.
Other researchers had previously suggested that these blocks might play a role in the formation of gullies. Roelofs proved this by conducting an experiment in which blocks of CO2 ice actually carved out these gullies — a phenomenon that is unknown on Earth and has never been observed before.
Sublimation process
Ice appears on the dunes during the Martian winter, when temperatures drop to minus 120 degrees Celsius. By the end of winter, the slopes of the dunes heat up and blocks of ice break off, some of which are up to a meter long. Due to the thin atmosphere and the large temperature difference between the warm sand of the dunes and the ice, the lower part of the ice immediately turns into gas — a process called sublimation. Since a kilogram of gas takes up much more space than the same weight of ice, the ice, so to speak, explodes.
As a result of this process, the block gradually moves downward, leaving behind a long, deep gully with small sandy ridges on both sides. Such gullies can also be found on the Red Planet.
Lonneke Roelofs investigates the processes that shape the landscape on Mars. For example, last year she published the results of her research on CO2 ice sublimation as a factor contributing to the formation of Martian debris flows. These flows cut deep gullies into the crater walls. But the gullies discovered during this study looked different. Consequently, there was another phenomenon behind this, but what exactly was it? The researcher decided to find out.
Tests in the Mars chamber
Together with master student Simone Visschers, she traveled to the English city of Milton Keynes to unravel the mystery of these unusual sandy gullies. The Open University has a Mars chamber: a facility for simulating Martian conditions.
“We tried out various things by simulating a dune slope at different angles of steepness. We let a block of CO2 ice fall from the top of the slope and observed what happened,” says the researcher. “After finding the right slope, we finally saw results. The CO2 ice block began to dig into the slope and move downwards just like a burrowing mole or the sandworms from Dune. It looked very strange.”
But how exactly are these ice blocks formed? CO2 ice blocks form on desert dunes halfway to the Southern Hemisphere of Mars. In winter, a layer of CO2 ice forms across the entire surface of the dune field, sometimes reaching a thickness of 70 cm. In spring, this ice begins to heat up and sublimate.
The last remnants of this ice are on the shaded side of the dune tops, and there, blocks break off when the temperature gets high enough. When the blocks reach the bottom of the slope and stop moving, the ice continues to sublimate until all the CO2 has evaporated. A cavity remains in the sand at the bottom of the dune.
Why Mars?
Mars is our closest neighbor. It is the only rocky planet located near the “green zone” of our Solar System. This zone is far enough from the Sun to make liquid water possible, which is a necessary condition for life to exist. Therefore, the question of the origin of life and possible extraterrestrial life can be resolved right here.
Roelofs says: “Also, conducting research into the formation of landscape structures of other planets is a way of stepping outside the frameworks used to think about Earth. This allows you to pose slightly different questions, which in turn can deliver new insights for processes here on our planet.”
A US Air Force nuclear-capable B-52H Stratofortress has been spotted flying over Texas, raising questions about the purpose of the high-profile flight.
Flight tracking data showed the long-range, subsonic strategic bomber departed from Shreveport,Louisiana at 1:18pm ET on Tuesday, soaring up through Arkansas, into Oklahoma and is now flying over Texas.
The US Air Force describes the aircraft as a long-range, heavy bomber that can perform a variety of missions.
The bomber is capable of flying at high subsonic speeds at altitudes of up to 50,000 feet.
It was built during the Cold War to serve as a long-range strategic bomber capable of delivering massive payloads, including nuclear weapons, anywhere in the world.
The B-52 made a loop outside of Oklahoma City and several circles above northern Texas.
While the exact purpose of the flight has not been disclosed, such missions are often part of training exercises, strategic rotations or readiness operations.
The flight, which traveled over Texas at 26,000 feet at speeds exceeding 554 mph, highlights the bomber’s continued role in America’s nuclear and conventional arsenal.
Flight tracking data showed the long-range, subsonic strategic bomber departed from Shreveport, Louisiana at 1:18pm ET on Tuesday
The bomber is capable of flying at high subsonic speeds at altitudes of up to 50,000 feet, while carrying nuclear or precision-guided conventional ordnance with worldwide precision navigation capability
In conventional conflicts, the B-52 can conduct strategic attacks, close-air support, air interdiction, offensive counter-air and maritime operations.
During Desert Storm, B-52s were responsible for 40 percent of all coalition munitions dropped, demonstrating their critical role in large-scale operations.
The bomber is also highly effective in ocean surveillance, assisting the US Navy with anti-ship missions and mine-laying operations.
In just two hours, two B-52s can monitor roughly 140,000 square miles of ocean surface, providing unmatched coverage.
Modern B-52s are equipped with electro-optical viewing sensors, forward-looking infrared, and advanced targeting pods to improve targeting, battle assessment, and flight safety.
Pilots also use night vision goggles (NVGs) to enhance visibility during night operations, improving situational awareness, safety, and the ability to visually track other aircraft.
The current flight has the callsign 'TUFFF72,' which suggests the B-52 would likely be conducting training exercises and complex tactical maneuvers with other aircraft and ground forces.
This includes rehearsing strategic attack, air interdiction and maritime operations.
Flight tracking data spotted another bomber mission on October 8, taking a different route than today's flight
Another bomber took off from Shreveport this month, but its flight details are unknown.
Flight data tracked the aircraft heading east into Mississippi, back around over Baton Rouge, where it made several circles just outside the city before returning to home base.
While the bomber emerged during the Cold War, officials said that America's 76-strong fleet will fly until at least 2050, with a few upgrades along the way.
Rolls-Royce is among the companies competing to provide new fuel-saving engines that will spare the Air Force from having to keep ferreting out parts for existing ones that are no longer manufactured.
The B-52 is versatile, able to fire long-range missiles and launch satellite-guided mines and bombs, and is the only current U.S. bomber that can be equipped with nuclear-tipped cruise missiles.
An image of interstellar Comet 3I/ATLAS captured by the Gemini Multi-Object Spectrograph (GMOS) on Gemini South at Cerro Pachón in Chile (Credit : International Gemini Observatory/NOIRLab/NSF/AURA)
An interstellar comet is as its name suggests, a comet that originated outside our Solar System and travels through interstellar space before entering our neighbourhood. Unlike comets that orbit the Sun and formed within our Solar System, these rare visitors come from other star systems, traveling for millions or even billions of years across interstellar space. When they pass through our Solar System, their trajectories are hyperbolic rather than elliptical, meaning they're just passing through rather than remaining bound by the Sun's gravity. The most famous example is 2I/Borisov, discovered in 2019, which became the first confirmed interstellar comet observed.
Interstellar comet 2I/Borisov captured by the Hubble Space Telescope
(Credit : NASA, ESA, and D. Jewitt (UCLA))
Until now, water has never been detected from an interstellar comet but a team from Auburn University did just that. In comets native to our Solar System, water serves as the primary way to measure the comet’s activity. Water loss is tracked to understand how sunlight drives the release of other volatile gases locked within a comet's icy nucleus. Finding the same chemical signature in an interstellar visitor means astronomers can finally begin comparing 3I/ATLAS directly with Solar System comets, offering the first opportunity to compare the chemistry of planetary systems across the Galaxy.
What makes this detection particularly intriguing is the distance at which it occurred. Swift's observations captured hydroxyl emissions when 3I/ATLAS was nearly three times farther from the Sun than Earth, well beyond the region where surface ice typically turns straight to a gas easily. At that distance, the comet was losing water at roughly 40 kilograms per second, that’s the kind of output from a fire hose! Most Solar System comets remain dormant at such distances, suggesting something unusual is happening with ATLAS.
The location of the ATLAS system of telescopes that scours the skies for potential impactors
(Credit : Strebe)
The strong ultraviolet signal that the team detected hints at a complex process where sunlight heats small icy grains released from the nucleus, allowing them to vaporise and contribute to the surrounding gas cloud. These extended water sources have been observed in only a handful of distant comets and point toward layered ices that preserve clues about how these objects originally formed in their parent star system.
Each interstellar comet discovered so far has revealed dramatically different chemistry. 'Oumuamua, the first interstellar visitor identified in 2017, appeared remarkably dry, lacking any appreciable water content. The second, 2I/Borisov, proved rich in carbon monoxide. Now 3I/ATLAS is releasing water at unexpected distances. These differences demonstrate how varied the building blocks of planetary systems can be, driven by factors like temperature, radiation exposure, and local composition during formation.
To make their discovery, the team used NASA's Swift Observatory which carries a modest 30 centimetre telescope, but its location above Earth's atmosphere allows it to detect ultraviolet wavelengths that are almost completely absorbed before reaching ground based observatories. Free from atmospheric interference, Swift achieves sensitivity comparable to a four metre ground telescope at these wavelengths. Thankfully the team captured the data before 3I/ATLAS disappeared from view but it will become observable again after mid November, offering another opportunity to track how its activity evolves as it moves closer to the Sun.
NASA’s Swift Ultraviolet/Optical Telescope (UVOT) observed interstellar comet 3I/ATLAS during two visits in July and August 2025. The panels show visible-light (left) and ultraviolet (right) images, where the faint glow of hydroxyl (OH) traces water vapor escaping from the comet. Each image combines dozens of short, three-minute exposures, painstakingly stacked to reach total integration times of about 42 minutes in visible light and 2.3 hours in ultraviolet. Swift’s vantage point above Earth’s atmosphere allowed astronomers to detect these ultraviolet emissions that are normally invisible from the ground.
SpaceX's Starship rises up from its launch pad in South Texas. (SpaceX via YouTube)
SpaceX closed out a dramatic chapter in the development of its super-heavy-lift Starship launch system with a successful flight test that mostly followed the script for the previous flight test.
The 11th test flight began with the ascent of Starship’s Super Heavy booster from SpaceX’s Starbase launch pad in South Texas at 6:23 p.m. CT Oct. 13 (11:23 p.m. UTC). It was that particular pad’s last liftoff. An upgraded Pad 2 is being prepared to accommodate a more powerful Starship Version 3, with the first launch expected next year.
Starship V3 will feature an upgraded version of SpaceX’s methane-fueled Raptor engines and larger propellant tanks that are capable of in-orbit refueling.
The Super Heavy booster and its second stage, known as Ship, are being designed for missions in Earth orbit and beyond — and V3 is the version that’s meant to get SpaceX to that level.
Standing a little more than 400 feet tall, Starship is considered the world’s most powerful rocket, with liftoff thrust of 16.7 million pounds. That’s more than twice the oomph achieved by the Saturn V rocket during the Apollo era’s heyday.
The flight plan for Starship’s 11th not-quite-orbital flight test was designed to check on some of the performance issues that will be important for V3 — and repeat some of the procedures that were executed during the 10th flight test.
SpaceX reused the same Super Heavy booster that blasted off for the eighth flight test in March. All 33 Raptor engines fired up for the ascent, and after stage separation, the booster flew itself back down to a controlled splashdown in the Gulf of Mexico.
This time around, SpaceX tested a landing burn procedure that called for relighting 13 engines, powering down to five engines, and then to three. (The booster ended up going 12 for 13.) At the end of the descent, Super Heavy hovered over the water for a few seconds, then dropped into the gulf. “That was absolutely awesome,” said SpaceX launch commentator Jake Berkowitz.
Then the focus turned to Ship: In a replay of Flight 10’s in-space test, the upper stage automatically deployed eight flat spacecraft that served as stand-ins for SpaceX’s Starlink broadband satellites. Ship also performed a midflight relight of one of its six Raptor engines.
This time around, some of Ship’s heat-shield tiles were removed to see how well the hull and the flaps could hold up under stress. During atmospheric re-entry, cameras showed an orange glow of plasma surrounding the upper stage. But Ship weathered the inferno, went through a dynamic banking maneuver and an in-flight bellyflop, and then executed its landing burn with three Raptor engines.
In the end, Ship sank into the Indian Ocean and burst into flames, as expected. Splashdown came 66 minutes after launch. SpaceX said all of the flight test’s objectives were met.
“We promised maximum excitement, and Starship delivered,” Berkowitz said.
During the test program’s next chapter, SpaceX plans to demonstrate full and rapid reusability of both Super Heavy and Ship, with separate returns to the launch site. Another high-priority agenda item is in-space refueling, which will be needed for trips to the moon and Mars.
The Earth’s magnetic field is our invisible protective shield. It keeps the planet safe from dangerous cosmic radiation and solar particles. But this shield has begun to weaken. Thanks to data from the European Space Agency’s Swarm satellite constellation, scientists have obtained worrying evidence: one of the weakest areas of the field — the South Atlantic Anomaly— is rapidly expanding.
South Atlantic Anomaly (SAA). Illustration generated by Copilot AI.
What is the South Atlantic Anomaly?
This anomaly is a huge area over the South Atlantic where the magnetic field is significantly weaker than normal. It was first discovered in the 19th century. Today, it poses a real threat to spacecraft. Satellites flying through this zone receive increased doses of radiation, which can damage their equipment.
The Swarm mission, consisting of three identical satellites, has been continuously measuring the Earth’s magnetic field since 2013. Data published this month shows that since 2014, the anomaly has expanded to cover almost half of Europe. But what is most concerning is that since 2020, an area of even more rapid weakening has formed over the Atlantic southwest of Africa.
The South Atlantic Anomaly in 2025 has grown significantly over the past 11 years. Illustration: ESA
“The South Atlantic Anomaly is not just one block,” explains Professor Chris Finlay, lead author of the study. “It changes in different ways. Something special is happening in this region, causing a more intense weakening”.
Probable cause
Scientists attribute this strange behavior to processes in the Earth’s core, at a depth of about 3,000 km. There molten iron creates electric currents that generate a magnetic field. Unusual areas have been discovered beneath the South Atlantic Anomaly – so-called “reverse flow zones.” There, instead of escaping outward, the magnetic field unexpectedly returns back to the core. Swarm data shows that one such zone is moving westward over Africa, which is exacerbating the weakening.
Global changes in the magnetic field
Recent discoveries emphasize that the Earth’s magnetic field is a dynamic and complex structure. For example, there are two powerful magnetic regions in the Northern Hemisphere: one above Canada and the other above Siberia. Since Swarm was launched, the Siberian region has strengthened, while the Canadian region has weakened. This is due to the fact that the North Magnetic Pole is rapidly drifting towards Siberia, which is important for global navigation systems.
Changes in the strong magnetic field over Canada and Siberia. Animation: ESA
The Swarm mission continues to provide unique data that helps us not only better understand our planet, but also protect our technological infrastructure. As mission leader Anja Stromme notes, they hope to continue this research after 2030 in order to obtain even more key answers.
Known as the South Atlantic Anomaly (SAA), the region has expanded by an area nearly twice the size of Texassince 2014, and it is also slowly shifting westward toward Africa, according to a new study released on Monday.
The SAA has increased by up to 25 percent, as it moves about 14 miles west each year.
The expansion and movement are the result of turbulent flows of molten iron in Earth’s outer core, which generate unusual magnetic patterns that weaken the field in this part of the planet.
The Earth’s magnetic field, created by the swirling liquid iron thousands of miles beneath the surface, acts as a protective shield against dangerous charged particles from the sun and cosmic radiation.
Scientists warned that the weakening and shifting of this shield in the SAA is not just a scientific curiosity but has real-world consequences.
The SAA poses the greatest threat to satellites passing overhead, exposing spacecraft to higher levels of radiation that can temporarily disable electronics, corrupt data, or even cause permanent damage to critical hardware.
Satellites providing GPS, communications, and weather forecasting services for the US and around the world are particularly vulnerable when they pass through the anomaly.
The SAA has increased by up to 25 percent, as it moves about 14 miles west each year since 2014
Lead author Chris Finlay, Professor of Geomagnetism at the Technical University of Denmark, said in a statement: 'It's changing differently towards Africa than it is near South America.
'There's something special happening in this region that is causing the field to weaken in a more intense way.'
While regions outside of Earth contribute to the observed magnetic field, the primary source stems from inside the planet.
This, coupled with the tilt of the planet's magnetic axis, is what produces the SAA, according to Nasa.
In the southern hemisphere, weak magnetic areas under Africa are moving westward, while similar features in the mid-Atlantic are moving east.
Scientists warned the weak spot will let harmful radiation from the sun hit Earth, disrupting satellites in orbit
In the north, a strong magnetic zone under the Bering Strait is drifting west, and near Indonesia and the western Pacific, magnetic features are moving east.
These shifts are strongest near the equator, where the field is also experiencing rapid changes and oscillations.
The study, which analyzed 11 years of data from the European Space Agency’s (ESA) Swarm satellite constellation, also revealed other significant changes in Earth’s magnetic field.
This weakening can affect navigation systems, satellite operations, and even technologies that rely on geomagnetic calibration.
Additionally, the study found that strong magnetic flux features under the Bering Strait have shifted westward, while those beneath Indonesia and the western Pacific have moved eastward.
These movements, though invisible to most people, can influence global geomagnetic conditions and the behavior of space weather, further impacting satellites and technology infrastructure worldwide.
The SAA is not static and its continued growth underscores the importance of constant monitoring to anticipate and mitigate potential impacts.
The Swarm satellites, which have been collecting continuous magnetic field data since 2013, are providing unprecedented insight into the complex forces at work deep inside our planet.
While the average person on the ground is not directly at risk, the growing anomaly is a reminder of the delicate balance that protects life on Earth from the constant bombardment of cosmic radiation.
For satellites, astronauts, and high-altitude air travel, however, the implications are real and require careful attention.
'The South Atlantic Anomaly is a warning from Earth’s core,' Finlay said. 'It shows us that our planet’s protective shield is dynamic, and changes deep below the surface can ripple all the way to space and to our daily lives.'
The discovery was made using the European Space Agency's (ESA) Swarm satellite constellation that precisely measures the magnetic signals that stem from Earth's core, mantle, crust and oceans, as well as from the ionosphere and magnetosphere.
It is a question that feels like it should have a straightforward answer: how many planets are there in oursolar system?
Since Pluto was relegated back down to dwarf planet status, almost everyone has agreed that the answer is eight.
However, scientists say that it might be time to rewrite the textbooks.
A new study has proposed that there could be a secret world lurking on the edge of our solar system.
Dubbed 'Planet Y' by reseachers from Princeton University, this planet is said to be Earth–sized and rocky.
The researchers were alerted to the possible planet after noticing that 50 objects in the Kuiper Belt – a region of icy objects beyond Neptune – were tilted on an unusual angle.
'We started trying to come up with explanations other than a planet that could explain the tilt, but what we found is that you actually need a planet there,' lead author Dr Amir Siraj told CNN.
'This paper is not a discovery of a planet. But it's certainly the discovery of a puzzle for which a planet is a likely solution.'
Scientists say there could be a ninth planet, dubbed Planet Y, hidden in the outer reaches of the Solar System beyond the orbit of Neptune
(stock image)
Since Pluto was axed from the list of planets, astronomers looking for a ninth planet have focused on the Kuiper Belt.
Any potential planets hiding in this distant region would receive very little light from the sun, making them extremely hard to see with a conventional telescope.
However, Dr Siraj thinks that there could be another ninth–planet contender, hiding much closer to home.
If it exists, Planet Y should be a rocky world with a mass between that of Earth and Mercury.
That makes it much smaller than Planet X – another theorised planet hiding in our solar system, believed to be a gas giant with a mass 10 times greater than Earth's.
What do we know about Planet Y?
Type of planet: Rocky
Size: Between that of Earth and Mercury
Location: Kuiper Belt
Distance from the Sun:100 to 200 times further than Earth
Evidence in favour: Disturbed orbits of Kuiper Belt objects
Evidence against: Lack of direct observations
Orbiting 100 to 200 times farther from the sun than the Earth, Planet Y is also much closer than Planet X – which is believed to orbit 400 times further from the sun than Earth.
However, at that distance, Planet Y would still be extremely dim and difficult to detect.
Likewise, the researchers predict that Planet Y's orbit is likely tilted by about 10 degrees from the orbital plane, which would make it much harder to find.
Importantly, the Planet Y theory does not mean that Planet X does not exist – meaning there could be as many as 10 planets in our solar system.
In fact, Dr Siraj's previous research suggests that there could be room for up to five more Earth–like planets to hide in the Solar System's very outermost regions.
That means our stellar neighbourhood might be much more crowded than we had previously thought.
However, not every astronomer is convinced by Dr Siraj's calculations.
Dr Samantha Lawler, associate professor of astronomy at the University of Regina in Canada, told CNN that these findings were 'not definitive'.
Planet X and Planet Y are likely located in the Kuiper Belt, a doughnut–shaped ring of icy objects beyond Neptune. However, Planet Y could be two to four times closer to Earth
Although Planet Y is a plausible explanation for the tilted orbits of Kuiper Belt objects, without observational evidence, there is no hard proof.
However, that could change very soon thanks to the Vera Rubin Observatory, which has just started taking photos of the sky with the world's largest digital camera.
Over the next decade, the Vera Rubin Observatory will take a photo every 40 seconds for eight to 12 hours a night, repeatedly scanning the entire sky.
Scientists anticipate that this observatory will discover thousands of new objects – including Planet X and Planet Y – if they really are there.
Dr Siraj predicts: 'I think within the first two to three years [of the observatory's mission], it'll become definitive. If Planet Y is in the field of view of the telescope, it will be able to find it directly.'
Astronomers believe that the orbits of a number of bodies in the distant reaches of the solar system have been disrupted by the pull of an as yet unidentified planet.
First proposed by a group at CalTech in the US, this alien world was theorised to explain the distorted paths seen in distant icy bodies.
In order to fit in with the data they have, this alien world - popularly called Planet Nine - would need to be roughly four times the size of Earth and 10 times the mass.
Researchers say a body of this size and mass would explain the clustered paths of a number of icy minor planets beyond Neptune.
First proposed by a group at CalTech in the US, this alien world was theorised to explain the distorted paths seen in distant icy bodies.
Its huge orbit would mean it takes between 10,000 and 20,000 years to make a single pass around the sun.
The theoretical Planet Nine is based on the gravitational pull it exerts on these bodies, with astronomers confident it will be found in the coming years.
Those hoping for theoretical Earth-sized planets proposed by astrologers or science fiction writers - which are 'hiding behind the sun' and linked with Doomsday scenarios - may have to keep searching.
More than 50 years ago, theApollo 17 astronautsmade the last lunar landing. They returned to Earth not only with unforgettable impressions, but also with a priceless cargo — more than 2,000 samples of lunar rocks. NASA carefully packed and preserved some of these treasures for the future, assuming that advanced technology would better reveal their secrets. And now, half a century later, that hope has been fulfilled.
Illustration of the collision between the hypothetical protoplanet Theia and the young Earth 4.5 billion years ago. Image: Wikipedia
The breakthrough was achieved thanks to the work of a team led by James Dottin from Brown University. Scientists gained access to one of the unique preserved samples — a soil column extracted from the Taurus Littrow lunar valley. Instead of the methods used in the 1970s, they used modern secondary ion mass spectrometry, a technology that allows the ratio of isotopes, a kind of “chemical fingerprint” of substances, to be measured with incredible accuracy.
The aim of the study was sulfur in volcanic rocks originating from the mantle of the Moon. For a long time, science believed that the composition of our moon’s mantle was practically identical to that of Earth, which was indicated, in particular, by analyses of oxygen isotopes. Dottin expected to see the same picture with sulfur.
James Dottin and Brian Monteleone analyze data from samples obtained using secondary ion mass spectrometry during the Apollo 17 mission. Photo: brown.edu
However, the results published in the journal JGR Planets proved to be sensational. Analysis showed that the sulfur-33 (33S) isotope content in lunar rocks differs sharply from any terrestrial samples. “My first thought was, ‘Oh my God, this can’t be true,’” Dottin admitted.
What does this mean for science?
This discrepancy is not just an interesting fact. It indicates different origins or different chemical processes that occurred in the early stages of the formation of the Earth and the Moon. The most common theory is that the Moon was formed from debris after a giant collision between Earth and an object the size of Mars, known as Theia.
The discovery of Dottin’s team may be the first direct “trace” of Theia. Scientists may have discovered the very sulfur that was once part of the mysterious protoplanet. This opens up new horizons for understanding the greatest space catastrophe in the history of our planet.
Further study of sulfur isotope “fingerprints” on Mars and other objects in the Solar System will help paint a complete picture of how the chaos formed into the eight planets known to us today.
Have you ever dreamed of flying away during the autumn cold to a place where it is always warm, but not too warm, with moderately humid air and, if possible, no strong winds? Could a planet with such conditions exist? Could such a space resort exist in reality?
Is a resort planet really possible?
Zone of life
Autumn has arrived in the Northern Hemisphere, including Ukraine. The days have grown colder, and the nights have grown longer. The leaves are falling from the trees, and it is generally a sad time of year. It makes you want to go somewhere where there is no winter. Or fly away. Have you ever dreamed of a resort planet? One where it is neither too cold nor too hot anywhere on the surface.
There are places on Earth where such conditions prevail all year round. We call them subtropical or Mediterranean climates. But is it possible for an entire planet to have such a climate? Or at least for it to have only tropics and temperate latitudes closer to the poles, without the rainforests of the equator, arid deserts and semi-deserts, and the icy expanses of the Arctic and Antarctic?
In general, it should be noted that a planet that is simply suitable for life on Earth would already be a real sensation. After all, many still believe that Earth occupies a unique place in the universe in terms of its characteristics and that there is no other planet like it, let alone one with better conditions than our planet.
Some of the most Earth-like exoplanets. Source: science.nasa.gov
Although in reality, there is nothing incredible about the existence of a planet similar to Earth. The main thing is that it should be comparable in size to Earth and located within the habitable zone, where it would receive neither too much nor too little heat for liquid water to exist on its surface.
However, this is actually an oversimplification, because climate is not just about the amount of sunlight. For example, a planet with synchronous rotation, i.e., one that always faces its star with the same side, will almost certainly not be a resort. Life on it will most likely exist, but it will exist in climatic conditions that are relatively extreme for Earth.
This means that at least some of the worlds orbiting red dwarfs are unlikely to be considered resorts. However, certain areas of their surface may still have fairly favorable conditions, even pleasant ones for relaxation.
The planet is almost captured by a tidal wave. Source: www.astronomy.com
Short year, length of day, and axial tilt
In general, with stars whose luminosity is significantly lower than that of the Sun, everything is quite ambiguous. Because in reality, a small distance from the star to the habitable zone means a very short orbital period, which means that annual temperature fluctuations cannot be significant, because the atmosphere and hydrosphere need time to heat up and cool down.
On the other hand, these planets will mostly have tidal locking or very long days (40, 60, or 80 hours). This means that the planet can experience significant annual temperature fluctuations, but it can cool down significantly overnight.
However, regardless of how close a planet is to its star, the most significant astronomical parameter affecting its climate is the axial tilt. If the Earth’s axis were perpendicular to the ecliptic, we would not know what seasonal changes were, and the difference between the polar and equatorial regions would not be so pronounced. So it is quite possible that this situation exists on some other planet.
Habitat zones of different species. Source: www.universetoday.com
Oceans and atmosphere
Therefore, for a planet to resemble a resort, it must orbit close to a circular path at a distance from its star such that the surface temperature is 15-30 degrees above the freezing point of water. At the same time, its axis of rotation must be perpendicular to the plane of the ecliptic. It is also desirable that the planet’s period of rotation around the star be shorter than that of Earth, but not so short that it becomes tidally locked.
But this is not all. The atmosphere and hydrosphere have a much stronger impact on the climate. They act as heat accumulators and transferors. Therefore, worlds with little water and thin atmospheres cannot be resorts.
A good option would be a planet slightly larger and more massive than Earth. It is believed that they can hold more water and gases, but we should not get carried away here, because a world that is too large will most likely turn into an ocean world, or even a mini-Neptune. An atmosphere only slightly denser than Earth’s, combined with a global ocean, will provide a greenhouse effect and powerful currents that distribute heat throughout the planet.
Mediterranean climate. Source: www.britannica.com
Incidentally, taking this into account, it should actually be a little further away from the star so that, theoretically, the latter could heat it to somewhere between 10 and 15°C. Then the greenhouse effect would heat it to exactly the right temperature, rather than turning it into Venus.
But how can we ensure that areas of pleasant warmth occupy most of the planet’s surface, rather than just small areas, as is the case on Earth? The location of the continents has a major influence here. Of course, over millions of years, they do not remain stationary. The movement of lithospheric plates is a necessary condition for the normal functioning of the carbon cycle, which also has a strong influence on the greenhouse effect.
However, it is still possible to imagine a configuration of the continents in which the planet would heat up more or less evenly. First, there should not be such large land masses as Eurasia. Such continents act as a kind of heat and cold accumulators, causing significant seasonal temperature fluctuations.
Secondly, the polar regions of the planet must remain covered with water. The reason is the same as in the first point. Antarctica is the largest “refrigerator” on our planet. This is good for the Earth, but not in cases where cooling is unnecessary.
Continents determine the paths of ocean currents. Source: www.offshoreengineering.com
Thirdly, the planet’s equator must remain free of dry land. This will allow energy not to concentrate in deserts and tropical forests, but to be redistributed by warm ocean currents, such as those that exist in the Pacific Ocean.
The optimal scenario would be the existence of 6-10 relatively small continents in the tropical and temperate zones, with several archipelagos between them. The absence of large mountain ranges would also have a positive effect on the climate. Of course, they can act as a barrier to cold air, but they also lead to the formation of altitude zones.
If all these conditions are met, it is entirely possible to have a planet where only the equatorial region has a tropical climate, while the far north and far south have a temperate climate. Everything else is subtropical, like one large Italy, Greece, or the southern coast of Crimea.
In fact, not all of the conditions described above need to be met simultaneously to obtain a resort planet. Various combinations of these conditions can be imagined that could produce the desired result. In any case, it can be stated that worlds without cold winters and snow can indeed exist.
On October 10, Chinese startup Orienspace launched its second Gravity-1 rocket. It successfully placed three satellites into orbit.
Orienspace was founded in 2020. Like many other Chinese aerospace startups, it decided to start its activities with the creation of solid-fuel rockets, and then move on to more powerful liquid launch vehicles. The company’s first rocket was Gravity-1.
Gravity-1 is 30 meters high and consists of four side boosters and three stages. All of them are solid fuel. It can carry up to 6.5 tons of cargo into low orbit and up to 4.2 tons into sun-synchronous orbit. This makes it the most powerful solid-fuel rocket in history. When activated, Gravity-1 engines produce large amounts of smoke and debris. Therefore, a barge is used to launch it.
The first flight of Gravity-1 took place in January 2024 and was successful. After that, Orienspace specialists modernized the rocket, which, according to the company, improved its reliability.
Launch of the Gravity-1 rocket. Source: ASPT
The second launch of Gravity-1 took place on October 10. Orienspace provided an official live broadcast of the mission, which is rare for Chinese launches. Gravity-1 successfully launched three spacecraft into near-polar orbit: an Earth remote sensing satellite and two satellites for the Internet of Things system being developed by Geely.
The successful launch of Gravity-1 is an important step toward realizing Orienspace’s ambitious plans. The company is actively working on a more powerful liquid rocket, Gravity-2, whose first test flight may take place before the end of this year. It will have a reusable first stage and will be capable of delivering over 20 tons of cargo into low Earth orbit.
NASA has unveiled plans to send astronauts to live on the moon – inside glass bubbles made from lunar dust.
The US space agency is funding research into the large livable spheres which would be created in situ, theTelegraphreports.
Tiny pieces of so–called lunar glass – a component of the moon's soil, or regolith, along with rocks and mineral fragments – would be collected upon arrival from Earth.
The material would be melted down using the same technology as in a domestic microwave oven, along with a 'smart microwave furnace'.
A 'smart microwave furnace' will be developed to aid melting and blow the glass into a bubble, which would harden into a large, transparent structure.
The idea has been dreamt up by US space engineering company Skyeports, which has already proven that glass balls can be blown from lunar dust in this way.
The firm's test spheres are only a couple of inches wide – but the goal is to expand them by hundreds or thousands of feet, into workable astronaut homes.
The compound used to build a spherical habitat – which is hoped to be between around 1,000ft and 1,600ft wide – could be altered to make the eventual glass self–healing.
The compound used to build a spherical habitat – which is hoped to be between around 1,000ft and 1,600ft wide – could be altered to make the eventual glass self–healing.
It is a special type of glass made of polymers which can reorganise themselves after any breaks caused by micrometeorites or 'moonquakes'.
The moon homes could also be fitted with solar panels to generate their own energy.
Skyeports chief executive Dr Martin Bermudez hoped to one day see entire cities of the spheres, connected by glass bridges, on the moon – and elsewhere in space.
'You will never replicate Earth, but this is something that gets pretty close, and we could even put them into orbit one day,' he said.
He has always been interested in space and wanted to start using his architecture background to explore how to make structures on the moon or Mars.
Chemical compounds called silicates, often used to make glass, can account for up to 60 per cent of lunar dust – which first got him thinking about the bubbles.
And with further research, he discovered glass can be adapted to become less brittle – and even stronger than steel.
He contacted NASA around two years ago with the idea, which he said the agency liked from the start.
The American space agency is funding research into the large livable spheres (pictured, in plans), which would be created in situ
Lunar regolith would be melted down by a 'smart microwave furnace' and blown into concentric bubbles that would give the lunar base its structure
NASA's Artemis Mission Timeline
Artemis I
- Uncrewed lunar flight test
- Launched November, 2022
Artemis II
- Crewed Lunar Flyby
- Launch planned for April, 2026
Artemis III
- Crewed Surface Landing
- Launch planned for mid–2027
Artemis IV
- Building First Lunar Space Station
- Launch targeting September 2028
The concept is now being researched under the NASA Innovative Advanced Concepts (NIAC) programme, for projects which have the potential to transform aerospace.
And its in situ construction is attractive – it is hard to build things on the moon, with shipping materials to its surface hugely expensive.
Enormous gas pipes would be used to blow the melted glass – and repurposed to create the entrance once the bubble has been created.
Any interior fittings would be 3D printed using materials gathered from the surface of the moon.
Skyeports has said a sphere was chosen because it is a particularly structurally sound shape, with an even distribution of pressure.
Using transparent glass to build it, meanwhile, was said to be beneficial for astronauts' mental health.
Dr Bermudez added: 'The spherical shape happens automatically, because at that temperature it becomes an amorphous liquid, and when it is extruded out of a furnace in low gravity it will form the shape of a sphere.'
Along with the lunar glass, metals like titanium, magnesium and calcium will need to be mixed into the raw compound for strength.
Interior fittings could be made via 3D printing. This would create a habitat that could be suitable for a long–term presence on the lunar surface
It is also hoped that layers of bubbles could be created, with one warmer surface and another cooler to create condensation.
This would allow astronauts to plant vegetables and plants and create an ecosystem to produce oxygen.
And development teams also hope a glass bubble of that size could be used to produce enough electricity to power the whole system.
The blowing technique will be tested in a thermal vacuum chamber in January, before moving to a micro–gravity environment.
It will eventually be trialled on the International Space Station – and tests on the moon itself could happen in the next couple of years.
While NASA works out if humans could live on the moon, astronauts may well return to it for a visit.
The agency could put men on the moon within the next five years under its Artemis programme and is currently searching for appropriate habitats for that mission.
Dr Bermudez said: 'We're in a race against time because Artemis is moving so fast.'
NASA currently plans to return to the moon in 2027 with the Artemis III mission (illustrated. However, the space agency has also expressed plans for a 'village' on the moon by 2035
Clayton Turner, from NASA's Space Technology Mission Directorate, which is responsible for tech innovation, said: 'Our next steps and giant leaps rely on innovation, and the concepts born from NIAC can radically change how we explore deep space, work in low–Earth orbit, and protect our home planet.
'From developing small robots that could swim through the oceans of other worlds to growing space habitats from fungi, this programme continues to change the possible.'
The study comes after researchers at Aalen University in Germany suggested in 2023 that buildings and roads could be built on the moon using bricks made from lunar dust zapped with a laser.
The space agency's description of the research notes: 'This innovative approach involves in–situ melting of lunar glass compounds and the creation of a large spherical shell structure, representing a significant departure from current habitat construction methods.
'Traditional construction methods, such as using prefabricated parts, 3D printing, inflatable systems and complex assembly, are labour–intensive and time–consuming.
'In contrast, the concept of blown scalable glass structures utilizes lunar glass resources and introduces a novel in–situ manufacturing approach.'
It adds: 'The idea of constructing monolithic glass habitats on the moon holds immense promise for the future of space exploration and habitation.
'It inspires a pioneering spirit by envisioning a new era of self–sustaining off–world habitats, offering significant benefits to NASA, the aerospace community, and humanity as a whole.'
For the first time, physicists have simulated what objects moving near the speed of light would look like — an optical illusion called the Terrell-Penrose effect.
The Vienna team stitched together slices of light to create snapshots. At rest (left), the cube looks normal. But when simulated at 99.9% of light speed (right), a sphere still looks round but reveals parts of its far side.
Using ultra-fast laser pulses and special cameras, scientists have simulated an optical illusion that appears to defy Einstein's theory of special relativity.
One consequence of special relativity is that fast-moving objects should appear shortened in the direction of motion — a phenomenon known as Lorentz contraction. This effect has been confirmed indirectly in particle accelerator experiments.
But in 1959, mathematician Roger Penrose and physicist James Terrell pointed out that an observer with a camera wouldn't actually see a squashed object at all. Instead, because light from different parts of the object takes different times to reach the camera, it would appear rotated.
Although previous models have worked with this illusion, now called the Terrell-Penrose effect, this is the first time it has been done in a lab setting. The team described their results in the journal Communications Physics.
"What I like most is the simplicity," Dominik Hornof, a quantum physicist at the Vienna University of Technology and first author of the study, told Live Science. "With the right idea, you can recreate relativistic effects in a small lab. It shows that even century-old predictions can be brought to life in a really intuitive way."
Re-creating the illusion
In the new study, physicists used ultra-fast laser pulses and gated cameras to produce snapshots of a cube and a sphere "moving" at nearly the speed of light. The results showed snapshots of rotated objects. This proved the Terrell-Penrose effect to be true.
The researchers fired ultra-short laser pulses at their test object and then used a delay generator to tell the camera exactly when to open its shutter (for just billionths of a second). This camera captured single slices of light bouncing off the object. They repeated the process and shifted the object between shots. The team built up the illusion of an object racing at near light speed. (Image credit: Hornof et al., 2025; CC BY 4.0)
But like every study, this one also had its difficulties. Moving any object at or near the speed of light is currently impossible. "In Einstein's theory, the faster something moves, the more its effective mass increases. As you get closer to the speed of light, the energy you need grows by a lot," Hornof said. We cannot generate enough energy to accelerate something like a cube, and "that's why we need huge particle accelerators, even just to move electrons close to that speed. It would take a huge amount of energy."
So the team used a clever substitute. "What we can do is mimic the visual effect," Hornof said. They started with a cube of about 3 feet (1 meter) on each side. Then, they fired ultra-short laser pulses — each just 300 picoseconds long, or about a tenth of a billionth of a second — at the object. They captured the reflected light with a gated camera that opened only for that instant and produced a thin "slice" each time.
After each slice, they moved the cube forward about 1.9 inches (4.8 cm). That is the distance it would have traveled if it were moving at 80% the speed of light during the delay between pulses. Then, the scientists put all of these slices together into a snapshot of the cube in motion.
"When you combine all the slices, the object looks like it's racing incredibly fast, even though it never moved at all," Hornof said. "At the end of the day, it's just geometry."
They repeated the process with a sphere, shifting it by 2.4 inches (6 cm) per step to mimic 99.9% light speed. When the slices were combined, the cube appeared rotated and the sphere looked as if you could peek around its sides.
"The rotation is not physical," Hornof said. "It's an optical illusion. The geometry of how light arrives at the same time tricks our eyes."
That is why the Terrell-Penrose effect does not contradict Einstein's special relativity. A fast-moving object is physically shortened along its direction of travel, but a camera doesn't capture that directly. Because light from the back takes longer to arrive than light from the front, the snapshot shifts in a way that makes the object appear rotated.
"When we did the calculations, we were surprised how beautifully the geometry worked out," Hornof said. "Seeing it appear in the images was really exciting."
Dark matter is one of the biggest mysteries of modern science, because we can’t see it, touch it or feel it with our current instruments, and yet, we know it’s there because we can see how it affects galaxies, and its presence is felt through its gravity. Light bends around it as it travels across the universe, and the distribution of dark matter is known because of the way galaxies and galaxy clusters move, and the universe itself evolved differently than it would have if dark matter weren’t present.
The following 10 facts are a summary of what scientists have learned about this invisible stuff.
It outweighs the stuff we can see, because scientists have taken data from a number of missions, including the European Space Agency’s Planck mission, to show that regular atoms make up only about 5 percent of the universe, while dark matter makes up about 26 percent, and dark energy about 69 percent, which means that everything we can see and touch is only a small fraction of the universe’s mass-energy budget.
It’s invisible to light, because dark matter doesn’t emit, absorb or reflect any electromagnetic radiation, so our telescopes can’t spot it directly, but we know it’s there from the gravitational pull it exerts on stars, planets and galaxies, and stars in the outer regions of galaxies move faster than the stars closer to the center, which wouldn’t be possible if all we could see was the total amount of mass in the universe.
It’s not a new idea, since in the 1930s, Swiss astrophysicist Fritz Zwicky noticed that galaxies were moving so fast within galaxy clusters that the clusters should be flying apart, unless there was some invisible mass holding them together, which he called “dunkle Materie” — dark matter, and in the 1970s, Vera Rubin and Kent Ford made the same discovery in the rotation curves of spiral galaxies, thus turning it from a hunch to a fact of modern cosmology.
The Big Bang afterglow agrees, because dark matter affects the cosmic microwave background, the afterglow of the Big Bang, and satellites like WMAP and Planck have mapped the tiny ripples of heat in the CMB in exquisite detail, which agree with models that include dark matter, and without it, galaxies would not have formed so quickly.
It’s not made of normal atoms, because if dark matter were made of protons, neutrons or electrons, we would see clear signatures of that in the cosmic microwave background and in the abundance of light elements created in the first few minutes after the Big Bang, but we don’t, so that means dark matter is some other kind of particle.
Top candidates for dark matter are WIMPs and axions, because weakly interacting massive particles (WIMPs) and axions are two of the top contenders, where WIMPs would be heavy and interact via gravity and the weak force, while axions would be extremely light, and several experiments, such as XENONnT, LUX-ZEPLIN and ADMX, are currently hunting for signs of WIMPs and axions.
It molds galaxies and clusters, because dark matter provides the gravitational scaffolding that keeps galaxies and galaxy clusters together, while it also warps light across the universe, according to Einstein, where mass warps space and bends light, an effect called gravitational lensing, which has been observed by the Hubble Space Telescope, the Atacama Cosmology Telescope and other observatories, that have seen distant galaxies that are stretched and warped by massive, invisible structures, and those distortions create maps of where dark matter is.
It might only feel gravity, because no lab has yet detected dark matter interacting with anything except gravity, and the lack of signals at the Large Hadron Collider and other facilities has led some researchers to explore other ideas, such as self-interacting dark matter and sterile neutrinos.
It draws the cosmic web, because on the largest scales, galaxies are arranged into a web of filaments and galaxy clusters, which matches the distribution of dark matter in both simulations and maps of gravitational lensing, and dark matter’s gravity drew normal matter into those structures, giving the universe its large-scale architecture.
The existence of dark matter is supported by a wide range of observations, from the rotation curves of galaxies to the cosmic microwave background, therefore, whether it turns out to be a new particle, a tweak to gravity, or something we haven’t yet imagined, solving this mystery is key to understanding the universe and what it’s really made of.
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Over mijzelf
Ik ben Pieter, en gebruik soms ook wel de schuilnaam Peter2011.
Ik ben een man en woon in Linter (België) en mijn beroep is Ik ben op rust..
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