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!!!
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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.
Jupiter, along with the other outer planets may have had its orbit influenced by an interloper early in the Solar System's history (Credit : NASA/STSCI)
According to the textbook version of Solar System formation, planets should orbit the Sun in elliptical orbits, all lined up in the same plane. Jupiter, Saturn, Uranus, and Neptune don't follow this script. Their orbits are a little more elliptical and tilted relative to each other, not dramatically, but enough to puzzle astronomers for decades. Standard formation models predict the giant planets emerged from the protoplanetary disk on the same plane as the rest of the planets. Instead, something seems to have pushed them off course.
Atacama Large Millimeter Array image of HL Tauri showing its protoplanetary disk
(Credit : ALMA)
A new study by researchers Garett Brown, Hanno Rein, and Renu Malhotra proposes a provocative answer. Billions of years ago, an interstellar intruder passed through our Solar System and gravitationally shoved the giant planets into their current configuration. Not a star, but something called a substellar object, a rogue planet or brown dwarf between two and fifty times Jupiter's mass, wandering the Galaxy without a stellar anchor.
The researchers ran 50,000 computer simulations spanning 20 million years each, varying the intruder's mass, speed, and trajectory. Most produced solar systems nothing like ours. But in roughly one percent of simulations, a single close encounter reproduced the orbital characteristics astronomers observe today. The winning scenario involved an object about eight times Jupiter's mass swooping within 1.7 astronomical units of the Sun, barely beyond Mars's current orbit, at a velocity between one and three kilometres per second.
That's remarkably close for such a massive visitor. The gravitational disturbance during this flyby would have excited the giant planets' eccentricities and tilted their orbital planes, nudging them from idealised circles into the slightly wonky paths they follow now. The researchers estimate roughly a one in 9,000 chance that such an encounter occurred during the Solar System's residence in its birth cluster, when stars were packed more densely and close passes were more common.
Artist impression of a brown dwarf. Such an object may have been responsible for the adjustment of the orbits of the outer planets
(Credit : NASA/JPL-Caltech)
Previous theories attributed the planets' orbital quirks to internal dynamics; resonances between planets, migration through the protoplanetary disk, or gravitational interactions that played out over millions of years. These mechanisms can certainly alter orbits, but they struggle to explain the specific pattern of eccentricities and inclinations observed. The flyby hypothesis offers a cleaner explanation, one dramatic event rather than a complicated sequence of internal adjustments.
Importantly, the simulations also included Earth and the other terrestrial planets. The flybys that successfully reproduced the giant planets' orbits left the inner solar system largely intact. Rocky planets survived the encounter and acquired orbital characteristics similar to what we observe, suggesting Earth's habitability wasn't compromised by this ancient near miss.
The findings carry implications beyond our solar system. Substellar objects appear relatively common in the Galaxy, rogue planets and brown dwarfs untethered to stars, drifting through interstellar space. If such encounters can reshape planetary architectures, then the diversity of exoplanet systems discovered in recent years might partly reflect similar close calls with passing wanderers.
The research doesn't dismiss internal perturbations entirely. Brown, Rein, and Malhotra acknowledge that a combination of internal and external influences likely shaped the Solar System's final form. But their simulations demonstrate that a single substellar flyby provides a likely, efficient mechanism for generating what we see today, perhaps just a coincidence that left permanent fingerprints on our planetary neighbourhood.
Iron-oxidising bacteria in surface water (Credit : NH Estuaries Project)
Iron rusts. On Earth, this common chemical reaction often signals the presence of something far more interesting than just corroding metal for example, living microorganisms that make their living by manipulating iron atoms. Now researchers argue these microbial rust makers could provide some of the most promising biosignatures for detecting life on Mars and the icy moons of the outer Solar System.
The familiar sign of flakey rust, or iron oxide as it's more properly known may well be something we can use to identify biological processes on other worlds
(Credit : Laitr Keiows)
Laura Tenelanda-Osorio and colleagues from the University of Tübingen in Germany have compiled a comprehensive review of how iron metabolising bacteria leave distinctive fingerprints in rocks and minerals, and why these signatures matter for astrobiology. The research, published in Earth-Science Reviews, bridges decades of terrestrial microbiology with the practical challenges of searching for life beyond Earth.
Iron ranks among the most abundant elements in the Solar System, and Earth's microorganisms have evolved remarkably diverse ways to exploit it. Some bacteria oxidise ferrous iron to generate energy, essentially breathing iron the way humans breathe oxygen. Others reduce ferric iron, using it as the final electron acceptor in their metabolism. These processes don't happen in isolation. Iron metabolising microbes link their element of choice to the carbon and nitrogen cycles, coupling iron transformations to carbon dioxide fixation, organic matter degradation, and even photosynthesis.
The byproducts of these microbial reactions create what researchers call biogenic iron oxyhydroxide minerals. These aren't subtle traces. Organisms that thrive in neutral pH environments and oxidise iron produce distinctive structures such as twisted stalks, tubular sheaths, and filamentous networks of iron minerals mixed with organic compounds. The minerals precipitate as the bacteria work, forming rusty deposits that can persist in the geological record for billions of years. This durability makes iron biosignatures particularly attractive for planetary exploration. Unlike fragile organic molecules that degrade under radiation and harsh chemistry, mineralised iron structures can survive. Researchers have identified these biosignatures in environments ranging from hydrothermal vents on the ocean floor to terrestrial soils, from acidic mine drainage to neutral freshwater springs. Wherever liquid water contacts iron bearing rocks, iron metabolising bacteria typically establish themselves.
The red colour of Mars comes from the dusty iron oxide all over its surface
(Credit : Kevin Gill)
Mars presents an obvious target. The planet's distinctive red colour comes from oxidised iron in surface dust and rocks. Ancient Mars hosted liquid water, and spacecraft have documented iron rich minerals throughout the geological record. If microbial life ever evolved on Mars, iron metabolism would have provided an accessible energy source. The minerals these hypothetical organisms produced could still exist, locked in ancient sediments awaiting discovery by rovers equipped with the right instruments.
The icy moons Europa and Enceladus offer different but equally compelling possibilities. Both harbor subsurface oceans beneath frozen shells. Europa's ocean likely contacts a rocky seafloor, where water and rock interactions would release dissolved iron. Enceladus actively vents ocean material through ice geysers at its south pole. Mission concepts propose sampling these plumes or landing near the vents, analyzing ejected particles for iron minerals that might betray biological origins.
The review emphasises that recognising biogenic iron minerals requires understanding how they form, what textures they create, and how they differ from abiotic iron precipitates. Mission planners must equip spacecraft with instruments capable of detecting not just iron minerals generally, but the specific morphological and chemical signatures that distinguish biology from geology.
The stakes are high. Finding iron biosignatures on another world wouldn't just confirm life exists elsewhere, it would reveal that the same fundamental chemistry supporting Earth's deep biosphere operates throughout the Solar System.
Researchers have uncovered evidence that the ocean on Saturn's moon Enceladus is in balance. The ocean loses as much heat as it gains, boosting its prospects for habitability. Image Credit: Oxford University
The case for habitability in Enceladus' warm, ice-capped ocean is growing. Ever since Cassini found evidence of hydrothermal activity in the moon's ocean, and detected life's building blocks in the plumes of material ejected from the ocean, scientists have worked to put this data into context.
One of the most important factors in habitability is time. The conditions that support habitability need to persist, like they have on Earth for billions of years. One of those factors is a world's heat budget. A planet, or moon in this case, needs to moderate its temperature and maintain a balance in its heat flow. Too much cooling or too much heating can both damage the prospects for long-term habitability.
The Cassini mission was in the Saturnian system for about 13 years. During that time, it performed many flybys of Enceladus. The mission found plumes of water ice and vapour erupting from deep cracks in the ice covering the moon's south pole. Scientists used the data from these flybys to measure the amount of heat coming from the south pole.
*This artist's illustration highlights the plumes coming from Enceladus' south pole region. The features unofficially called 'tiger stripes', parallel linear depressions in the moon's icy surface, are also visible.
Image Credit: NASA/JPL-Caltech*
However, there was no evidence of heat escaping from the moon's north pole, and without that evidence, scientists naturally assumed that the region was geologically inactive.
New research is reconsidering that. It's titled "Endogenic heat at Enceladus’ north pole," and it's published in Science Advances. The lead author is Dr. Georgina Miles from the Southwest Research Institute.
"The long-term survival of Enceladus’ ocean depends on the balance between heat production and heat loss," the researchers write. "To date, the only place where a direct measurement of Enceladus’s heat loss has been made is at the south pole. Here, we show that the north pole also emits heat at a greater rate than can be explained by purely passive models."
Cassini was able to observe Enceladus' north pole in the winter in 2005 and in the summer in 2015 with its Cassini Composite InfraRed Spectrometer (CIRS) instrument. By working with that data, the researchers determined that the north pole's surface was about 7 degrees Kelvin warmer than thought. That's more than passive models of Enceladus' heat flux predict, and is a strong indication that the north pole is also leaking heat.
With heat measurements from both of the moon's poles, Miles and her co-researchers could then constrain Enceladus' overall heat budget.
After measuring heat flow at Enceladus' north pole, the researchers were able to combine those measurements with the same measurements from the south pole. This let them constrain Enceladus’ global conductive heat flow. This is the first observational constraint of Enceladus’ energy loss budget (<54 GW). This measurement is consistent with measurements of the moon's energy input (50 to 55 GW) from tidal heating. That means that Enceladus' heat flow is sustainable in the long term, which is a key factor for the evolution of life.
Image credit: University of Oxford/NASA/JPL-CalTech/Space Science Institute (PIA19656 and PIA11141)
"The energy budget of Enceladus is an important quantity to evaluate because its tidal heat, generated from its interaction with Saturn via the orbital resonance with Dione, is linked to Enceladus’ age, ice shell thickness, and thus, the lifetime of its ocean," the researchers explain. "The similarity of the estimated heating and heat loss rates suggests the ocean in its current epoch is long-lived, making it far more likely to be an environment hospitable to the development of life."
The research also showed that thermal data like this is useful in measuring the thickness of the ice on frozen moons. This is important for any future missions to Enceladus, or to any other frozen ocean moons in the Solar System. "Assuming a conductive ice shell, our estimated heat flux in the north polar region implies an ice shell thickness of 20 to 23 km (global mean of 25 to 28 km), which falls within the range of values estimated by several previous ice shell structure models," the researchers write.
Enceladus is a prime target in the search for life in our Solar System. The bulk of evidence shows that microbial life is possible there, and this research bolsters that conclusion. Still, the only real way to know for sure is to send a spacecraft there.
"Eking out the subtle surface temperature variations caused by Enceladus’ conductive heat flow from its daily and seasonal temperature changes was a challenge, and was only made possible by Cassini’s extended missions," lead author Miles said in a press release. "Our study highlights the need for long-term missions to ocean worlds that may harbour life, and the fact the data might not reveal all its secrets until decades after it has been obtained."
Unfortunately, Saturn is a long way away. While the ESA's JUICE and NASA's Europa Clipper are on their way to investigate Europa, another frozen moon with a warm subsurface ocean, missions to Enceladus remain in the conceptual stage at this point. The future is always uncertain, but hopefully, one day, a mission will make it to this fascinating frozen moon and determine if its actually habitable.
Scientists have cracked the code behind a mysterious language discovered among a non-human species living in Earth's oceans that mirrors human speech.
Using AI to study whale communication, Project CETI researchers discovered that sperm whales 'talk' to each other with strange, Morse code-like clicking patterns.
The mammals used patterned click sequences known as codas, which include two distinct vowel-like sounds — an 'ah'-like a-coda and an 'ee'-like i-coda.
The vowel-like noises were not random, as whales were seen actively controlling the pitch, length, and type of sounds they were making as they 'pronounced' different words.
The CETI team said whales make these sounds during social interactions in family groups, using codas to stay connected, coordinate activities, and identify each other, like an underwater social language.
The team also found that whale speech was similar to human speech because whales used their lips and air sacs as a sound source and filter, just like humans use their vocal cords and vocal tract to achieve the same results.
It marked the first time researchers have found a non-human species using vowel-like sounds and grammar-like rules in the same way humans do to communicate with each other.
Gašper Beguš, Project CETI's linguistics lead, told Popular Science: 'What used to be conceived of as this alien-looking Morse-code-like system just became much more human-like. We have a case of underwater vowels–in a very different world from ours, the communication system appears very similar to our speech.'
A closeup of the eye of a sperm whale. Scientists have just decoded the strange clicking noises these mammals make as they interact with each other
Scientists attached small suction-cup microphones called DTAGs to 15 sperm whales swimming in the Caribbean to record their clicks up close without distortion.
They recorded nearly 4,000 clear codas from a group of females and their offspring between 2014 and 2018, focusing only on the whale wearing the tag.
At first, the clicks sounded too slow to compare with human speech, so the team sped up the recordings until the patterns became clear and familiar.
They learned that the clicks come in these two main types of A and I vowels, just like humans use A, E, I, O, and U.
The sperm whales often used their secret language during social moments, such as greeting family members, staying in touch while diving for food, or coordinating group movements through the ocean.
The study, published on the preprint server bioRxiv and awaiting peer review, also revealed that timing was everything when it comes to whale communication.
The number of clicks, the pauses between them, and the overall speed created different rhythm types that acted almost like musical beats.
The CETI team found 'ah' codas are naturally longer than 'ee' codas in the same rhythm, and 'ee' codas split into short and long versions, like using length to mean something different.
AI has helped researchers discovered that sperm whales have a complex language of vowels and grammatical rules just like humans
By measuring every pause and pitch change, the scientists proved whales control timing and sound quality on purpose, not by accident, showing real communication rules.
This isn't the first sign of complex intelligence scientists have discovered among various species of whales.
In June, researchers from the SETI Institute (Search for Extraterrestrial Intelligence) revealed that large 'smoke ring-like' bubbles coming from underwater were created by humpback whales, which they believed were their way of greeting nearby humans.
It was the first time scientists had seen whales sending out these unique rings while interacting with people in the wild.
Meanwhile, the songs sung by whales have been studied for decades, and in 2024, scientists finally learned that the mammals have a unique voice box that vibrates fat and muscle to produce these mysterious tones.
Normally, singing underwater would present an almost impossible problem because whales should be using up all their air.
However, a study in the journal Nature concluded that whales evolved to have a voice box that was different from most other mammals and doesn't rely on vocal cords.
The X5.1-class eruption from sunspot AR4274 is the most powerful flare of the year, accompanied by a coronal mass ejection. Our planet is in its path.
X5.1-class solar flare. Source: NOAA Space Weather Prediction Center
X5.1-class solar flare
On the morning of November 11, the Sun exploded in spectacular fashion, releasing a powerful X5.1-class solar flare, the strongest since 2025 and the most intense sinceOctober 2024.
The explosion peaked at 5 a.m. Eastern Standard Time (10:00 GMT) from sunspot AR4274, which has been very active in recent days. The flare caused severe (R3-level) radio interference in Africa and Europe, disrupting high-frequency radio communications on the sunlit side of the Earth.
Danger of geomagnetic storms
This flare is the latest in a series of intense flares from AR4274, which also caused an X1.7 flare on November 9 and an X1.2 flare on November 10. These flares were accompanied by coronal mass ejections (CMEs) that could combine and affect Earth tonight, possibly causing strong (G3) geomagnetic storms and widespread auroras, according to the NOAA Space Weather Prediction Center. Today’s coronal mass ejection may also join them, as it is moving toward Earth at a speed of 4.4 million miles per hour. NOAA predicts that the CME could affect Earth around noon on November 12. With this third CME, we may experience strong (G4) geomagnetic storms.
Solar flares are classified by strength into five classes: A, B, C, M, and X, with each step corresponding to a tenfold increase in energy output. X-class solar flares are powerful, and the number after X describes the intensity of the flare. With an intensity of X5.1, this latest flare is at the top of the scale.
Peak solar activity
The eruption resulted in a stream of X-rays and extreme ultraviolet radiation toward Earth, ionizing the upper layers of the atmosphere and causing a significant deterioration in radio signal quality. Severe (R3) radio interference was recorded over Africa and Europe.
This active region has become one of the most prolific sources of solar flares in the 25th solar cycle, marking the peak of activity in what has already been an extraordinary week for solar activity.
According to forecasts, the coronal mass ejection that occurred this morning during the X5.1 solar flare will reach Earth on November 12. According to NOAA, the coronal mass ejection could cause a strong (G4) geomagnetic storm on November 12.
Chinese scientists have announced the discovery of a previously unknown crater named Jinlin. It was formed after the end of the last ice age.
Panoramic image of the Jinlin crater taken by drone, showing the approximate location of the crater rim and an inset image of the crater floor, which shows a mixture of weathered granite soil and granite fragments. The yellow line is 20 centimeters long. Source: Ming Chen
The Jinlin crater is located in Zhaoqing, Guangdong Province. The impact structure is located on a hillside, preserved under a thick granite weathering crust. Its diameter is 900 meters.
According to scientists’ estimates, the crater is very young. It was formed in the early to mid-Holocene epoch, our current geological era, which began after the end of the last ice age about 11,700 years ago. This makes Jinlin the largest impact crater in modern human history. In terms of size, it significantly exceeds the Macha crater, which was formed in the Holocene and has a diameter of only 300 meters.
One of the most remarkable features of the Jinlin crater is its good preservation, considering the climatic conditions. The region where it is located is characterized by monsoons, heavy rains, and high humidity. In the granite layers that helped protect and preserve its structure, researchers found many pieces of quartz with unique features that prove its impact origin.
According to scientists, the crater was formed by the impact of a small asteroid. However, the research team has not yet determined whether it was made of iron or stone.
At present, there are about 200 confirmed impact craters on Earth. In reality, there were many more, but due to erosion and plate tectonics, many of them have completely disappeared without leaving any traces. This makes the discovery of the Jinlin crater particularly significant. It shows that the scale of impacts of small extraterrestrial objects on Earth during the Holocene was much greater than previously thought.
A team of Chinese scientists has announced the discovery of a new type of cave on Mars, created by water flows. They could have been home to life.
Illustration showing the mechanism of karstic cave formation on Mars. Source: The Astrophysical Journal Letters (2025). DOI: 10.3847/2041-8213/ae0f1c
If there is or ever was life on Mars, it most likely existed in caves, protected from severe dust storms, extreme temperature fluctuations, and high levels of radiation on the planet’s surface. However, until recently, most of the Martian caves found were lava tubes(cavities in solidified lava flows), which could hardly claim to be an oasis of life.
However, it appears that there are other types of caves on Mars. In an article published in The Astrophysical Journal Letters, a team of Chinese scientists presented the first evidence of karstic caves on the Red Planet.
On Earth, karstic caves usually form when water dissolves rocks such as limestone or gypsum, creating and enlarging underground cracks and fissures that become large enough to become caves. Scientists believe that similar processes occurred on ancient Mars, where water dissolved carbonate- and sulfate-rich rocks.
Location of karstic caves on Mars. Source: The Astrophysical Journal Letters (2025). DOI: 10.3847/2041-8213/ae0f1c
The caves we are talking about are located in a region called Hebrus Valles. It is a system of ancient valleys and drainage channels in the Northern Hemisphere of Mars. After studying images from spacecraft, scientists discovered eight pits. These are deep and mostly circular depressions, rather than impact craters, which usually have raised edges and debris scattered around them.
Data collected by the Mars Global Surveyor’s thermal emission spectrometer indicate that the rocks around the pits are rich in carbonates and sulfates. These are types of rocks that water can easily dissolve. The team also used high-resolution images to create three-dimensional structural models, which showed that the shapes of the pits correspond to collapse caused by water, rather than volcanic or tectonic activity.
According to the authors of the discovery, eight potential karstic caves should be priority targets for future Mars missions. Even if there is no life there, they could serve as natural shelters for astronauts and a place to set up their base.
Aurora Borealis in Utah, Nov 11, 2025 Guys I just recorded this a few minutes ago.
Aurora Borealis in Utah, Nov 11, 2025 Guys I just recorded this a few minutes ago.
Date of sighting:Nov 11, 2025
Location of sighting: Bountiful, Utah, USA
Even now as I write this, the pinkish northern lights are shining across the northern side of my home. The lights are changing shape and location for the last half hour, but always shocking me. This is the first time I have ever seen the Aurora Borealis before, and for it to reach the desert of Utah USA is just wow! It doesnt show up as well on video, sorry for that, but photos do it justice.
Scientists issue chilling update on the ‘city-killer’ asteroid heading towards the moon – as they warn the odds of a collision could rise to as much as 30%
Scientists issue chilling update on the ‘city-killer’ asteroid heading towards the moon – as they warn the odds of a collision could rise to as much as 30%
However, fresh observations could mean the odds of a collision rise to as high as 30 per cent.
If the massive asteroid does hit the moon, it could carve out a 0.6-mile-wide crater and shower Earth with lunar shrapnel.
Researchers predict there will be a slim window for the James Webb Space Telescope (JWST) to observe the asteroid in February.
This will be one of the last good chances to predict 2024 YR4's trajectory before it returns into view of Earth's telescopes in 2028.
And, according to Dr Andrew Rivkin, of Johns Hopkins University, these observations could significantly change the odds of a lunar impact.
That means the world's space agencies are rapidly running out of time to decide what they should do.
2024 YR4 (pictured) was spotted in December 2024 and set alarm bells ringing as it reached the highest chances of hitting Earth of any known asteroid. Now, experts are concerned that it will hit the moon
2024 YR4 was spotted in December 2024 and set alarm bells ringing as it reached the highest chances of hitting Earth of any known asteroid.
At its peak, there was a terrifying one in 32 chance of the deadly space rock colliding with our planet.
Although this probability rapidly dropped to almost zero as astronomers made more observations, another troubling scenario soon presented itself.
Based on the asteroid's predicted orbit, there was still a non-negligible chance that it would hit the moon instead.
The asteroid has been hidden from Earth's telescopes since the middle of last year, making it difficult to predict its exact orbit.
However, the JWST's unique position in orbit means that it will be able to see the 2024 YR4 for two brief windows on February 18 and 26.
Since the asteroid is so far away, it will still be difficult to get lots of data, but these observations could change our understanding of its position and speed.
Dr Rivkin and his colleagues have calculated how checking on the asteroid in February might change the predicted probability of a lunar impact.
The James Webb Space Telescope (JWST) will have another chance to observe 2024 YR4 in February, but these measurements could significantly change what we know about its position and velocity. Pictured: 2024 YR4 as seen by the JWST on 8 March, 2025
What do we know about 2024 YR4?
First detected: December 27, 2024
Estimated size:174-220 feet (53-67 metres)
Speed relative to Earth: More than 30,000 miles per hour
Date of possible moon impact:December 22, 2032
Probability of impacting the moon: 1-in-23 (4.3 per cent)
They predict there is an 80 per cent chance that new observations will reduce the odds of 2024 YR4 hitting the moon to below one per cent.
However, there is a five per cent chance that these observations actually increase the chances of the asteroid hitting the moon to 30 per cent.
There is also a 15 per cent chance that the odds of an impact will stay the same or only change slightly
This is extremely important because agencies like NASA and the European Space Agency are running out of time to decide whether they should deflect 2024 YR4.
NASA's DART mission has shown that slamming a satellite into the side of an asteroid can knock it off its path by a wide enough margin to protect Earth and the moon.
But these 'kinetic impact' deflection methods only cause small changes in the space rock's trajectory and need to be started years before a collision is likely.
NASA researchers have considered deflection methods for 2024 YR4, including hitting it with a nuclear bomb, but these all need to be launched by 2030 at the very latest.
The JWST will get another chance to observe 2024 YR4 in 2027, but the sooner space agencies make up their mind, the better.
If the asteroid does hit the moon, it could release 10,000 tonnes of debris into space, up to 30 per cent of which could be funnelled towards Earth (illustrated)
Dr Rivkin told New Scientist: 'By 2028, it would be cutting things very, very close, and so getting it in early 2026 instead gives some extra time.'
Although it won't be as destructive as an impact with the Earth, a lunar collision is dangerous enough for deflecting 2024 YR4 to be an option worth considering.
This could have a devastating effect on satellites in low-Earth orbit that are responsible for maintaining communications and navigation services on Earth.
Richard Moissl, head of planetary defence at ESA, told Daily Mail that a lunar collision poses no risk for people on Earth, but 'could pose a potential threat for space-based infrastructure'.
However, there are no missions to surveil or deflect 2024 YR4 in the agency's budget for this year.
Mr Moissl says that the decision will 'depend on the exact situation following the observations and assessment of the situation...more detailed studies would be needed to reach a comprehensive assessment.'
POTENTIAL METHODS FOR ELIMINATING THE THREAT OF AN ASTEROID
DART is one of many concepts of how to negate the threat of an asteroid that have been suggested over the years.
Multiple bumps
Scientists in California have been firing projectiles at meteorites to simulate the best methods of altering the course of an asteroid so that it wouldn't hit Earth.
According to the results so far, an asteroid like Bennu that is rich in carbon could need several small bumps to charge its course.
'These results indicate multiple successive impacts may be required to deflect rather than disrupt asteroids, particularly carbonaceous asteroids,' researchers said.
Nuke
Another idea, known simply as 'nuke', involves blowing up a nuclear explosive close to the asteroid.
However, this could create smaller but still potentially dangerous fragments of rock that could spin off in all directions, potentially towards Earth.
Ion Beam Deflection
With Ion Beam Deflection, plumes from a space probe's thrusters would be directed towards the asteroid to gently push on its surface over a wide area.
A thruster firing in the opposite direction would be needed to keep the spacecraft at a constant distance from the asteroid.
Gravity tractor
And yet another concept, gravity tractor, would deflect the asteroid without physically contacting it, but instead by using only its gravitational field to transmit a required impulse.
Professor Colin Snodgrass, an astronomer at the University of Edinburgh said: 'There have been a few concepts suggested, such as a ‘gravity tractor’ to slowly tow an asteroid away instead of pushing it with a kinetic impactor.
'But the kinetic impactor is definitely the simplest technology to use on the sort of timescale that is most likely to be of concern for this size of asteroid, i.e. years to decades warning time.'
The scientific community finds itself divided over an interstellar visitor that has captured global attention. Since its discovery by the ATLAS survey telescope in Chile on July 1, 2025, the object designated 3I/ATLAS has sparked an unprecedented debate between those who see a natural comet and others who suggest something more extraordinary might be traveling through our solar system. So here we go forth, perhaps more tentatively than boldly, into the scientific debate that has the astronomical community divided and the public fascinated.
Harvard astrophysicist Avi Loeb has documented what he calls ten anomalies that distinguish 3I/ATLAS from typical comets, rating it at four on his eponymous scale for potential technological origins. The interstellar object's ‘unusual’ characteristics include a retrograde trajectory aligned within five degrees of the ecliptic plane, extreme negative polarization unprecedented among known comets, and a gas composition containing far more nickel than iron. Most intriguingly, the comet displayed only 4% water content by mass, significantly lower than familiar comets, and exhibited a sunward jet that Loeb argues is not merely an optical illusion.
The Case for Extraordinary Claims
Avi Loeb has maintained that the anomalies warrant serious consideration of a technological origin, though he carefully hedges his position at approximately 30-40% probability. His analysis points to several features that he argues deserve investigation beyond standard astronomical assumptions. The object's arrival was "fine-tuned" to bring it within tens of millions of kilometers of Mars, Venus, and Jupiter while remaining unobservable from Earth at perihelion (the point where it is closest to the Sun). Additionally, near perihelion, 3I/ATLAS brightened faster than any known comet and appeared bluer than the Sun, behaviors Loeb suggests may indicate something beyond natural processes.
Post-perihelion image of the interstellar object 3I/ATLAS, taken on November 5, 2025 by the R. Naves Observatory, shows a fuzzy ball of light. The Sunward direction is towards the bottom left corner (with the arrow on the left pointing in the anti-Sun direction). No obvious cometary tail is seen.
The Harvard physicist has emphasized that his approach follows the scientific method of proposing theoretical interpretations when faced with anomalies inconsistent with past paradigms. In statements to Reuters, Loeb explained that such proposals motivate the collection of new data, which eventually helps rule out all but one interpretation. He also notes that;
“But more than any other benefit, 3I/ATLAS offers a new opportunity to attract public appreciation to science and to inspire kids to become scientists.”
His open minded enquiry here then would seem to have fairly honorable intentions, but he has attracted both criticism and support for his willingness to publicly explore unconventional hypotheses, with some viewing his approach as refreshing scientific curiosity, while others see it as premature speculation.
Popular celebrity British physicist Brian Cox has emerged as a vocal critic of the alien spacecraft theories, stating unequivocally that 3I/ATLAS is "a completely natural object: made of carbon dioxide, water ice, and cosmic dust." In an October 2025 post, Cox described the comet as potentially seven and a half billion years old, formed before Earth and the Sun from clouds of dust, offering what he called "a message from a dead world" rather than evidence of extraterrestrial technology.
Penn State astrophysicist Jason Wright has provided detailed rebuttals to Loeb's claims in a comprehensive blog post, arguing that the anomalies are exactly what scientists should expect from an interstellar comet from another solar system. Wright notes that planetary scientists have long observed that "comets are like cats: they have tails, and they do precisely what they want," meaning no two comets behave identically. He points out that 3I/ATLAS displays all the characteristics of a comet - including a coma, tail, and appropriate outgassing of water, carbon dioxide, and carbon monoxide - just in different proportions than Solar System comets.
Regarding Loeb's statistical arguments about the comet's trajectory, Wright cites mathematician Hector Socas-Navarro's critique, explaining that computing probabilities for specific orbital features after observing them represents a classic statistical fallacy. The approach would only be valid if someone had predicted those precise characteristics before the comet's discovery. Well, of course, that’s one way of looking at it.
Early detection of 3I/ATLAS showing unusual activity patterns.
NASA's official statements have been measured and focused on the scientific opportunity the object represents. The space agency confirmed that 3I/ATLAS poses no threat to Earth, maintaining a minimum distance of 1.6 astronomical units (approximately 150 million miles). NASA emphasized that its missions are working together to track and study this rare visitor, noting that it reached its closest approach to the Sun on October 30, 2025, at a distance of 1.4 astronomical units.
The agency has faced criticism from Loeb regarding delayed release of high-resolution images from the HiRISE camera, though NASA attributes such delays to standard review processes and, more recently, government operational challenges. NASA's position remains that 3I/ATLAS should remain visible to ground-based observatories through its December 19, 2025 closest approach to Earth, providing ample opportunity for continued observation and analysis.
Detection of significant water outgassing from the interstellar visitor.
Wright's analysis addresses each of Loeb's claimed anomalies systematically. Regarding the high nickel abundance, he explains that the Fe/Ni ratio varies significantly among comets, and scientists are observing nickel at a much larger distance from the Sun than typical, where standard chemistry can explain the unusual ratios. The extreme negative polarization, while stronger than previously observed, remains consistent with what comets do - just at the extreme end of the spectrum. The rapid brightening near perihelion, while notable, likely results from 3I/ATLAS approaching the Sun much faster than Oort cloud comets, giving it less time to heat up at equivalent distances.
The anti-tail or sunward jet that Loeb highlights as anomalous has actually been observed in other comets and was explained in scientific literature fifty years ago. Wright provides examples of comets 17P/Holmes, C/2016 R2 (PanSTARRS), and C/1961 R1 (Humason) displaying similar jet structures. The supposed coincidence of arriving near several planets simply reflects the fact that any object in the ecliptic plane will pass relatively close to some Solar System bodies.
Wright emphasizes his view:
"If Avi had not claimed it could be an alien spacecraft, no one would be talking about it as anything but a comet."
The object exhibits the fundamental behaviors expected of comets - outgassing, developing a coma and tail, and brightening as it approaches the Sun. No planetary scientists outside Loeb's circle give credence to the technological hypothesis, not because they fear unconventional ideas, but because the evidence simply doesn't support that interpretation.
Post-perihelion imagery reveals complex jet structures emanating from the comet. Left; A deep image of interstellar Comet 3I/ATLAS captured by the Gemini Multi-Object Spectrograph (GMOS) on Gemini South at Cerro Pachón in Chile. Right; An image of the interstellar object 3I/ATLAS from the Two-meter Twin Telescope in the Canary Islands, Spain. It shows a faint jet pointed towards the Sun, marked by a purple line. (Left; International Gemini Observatory/NOIRLab/NSF/AURA/Shadow the Scientist/CC BY 4.0, Right; M. Serra-Ricart et al.)
A Gift to Science and Public Engagement
Regardless of the debate's ultimate resolution, 3I/ATLAS has achieved something remarkable: reigniting public fascination with astronomy and space science. Loeb has received hundreds of messages from people around the world, including parents whose children have become passionate about astronomy after following the story. One Canadian engineer wrote that after watching Loeb's interviews, his children immediately wanted a telescope and began reading books about space, asking to listen to astronomy podcasts in the car instead of music.
This public engagement represents perhaps the most valuable outcome of the 3I/ATLAS discussion. Whether the object proves to be an entirely natural comet or reveals unexpected characteristics requiring new physics, it has succeeded in demonstrating that science remains a field of wonder and discovery. The debate itself showcases the scientific process in action - hypothesis, observation, critique, and refinement - even when that process occasionally becomes contentious.
As Earth-based observatories prepare to focus on 3I/ATLAS again following its perihelion passage, the coming weeks should provide crucial data. The object's closest approach to Earth on December 19, 2025, offers astronomers their best opportunity to gather high-resolution observations that may finally resolve the nature of this visitor from interstellar space.
Top image: Interstellar comet 3I/ATLAS streaks across a dense star field in this image captured by the Gemini North telescope's Gemini Multi-Object Spectrograph (GMOS-N). The image is composed of exposures taken through three filters, shown here as red, green and blue.
Source: International Gemini Observatory/NOIRLab/NSF/AURA/K. Meech (IfA/U. Hawaii) Image Processing: Jen Miller & Mahdi Zamani (NSF NOIRLab) (CC BY 4.0)
The sun made a time travel portal on nasa sun viewer, Nov 9, 2025 UFO UAP sighting news
The sun made a time travel portal on nasa sun viewer, Nov 9, 2025 UFO UAP sighting news
Date of sighting: Nov 9, 2025
Location of sighting: Earths sun
Source: NASA
I recorded this myself, a portal being created on our suns south pole region. The portal is so big, a hundred Earths side by side could enter it. A portal to time travel as well as being a worm hole to travel across the universe.
Collected by the MeerKAT radio telescope, the recent radio observations reveal distinctive hydroxyl absorption lines, which astronomers point to as only further solid evidence of cometary activity.
Lending additional clarification to the ongoing debate over the mysterious object and its unique natural properties, the new findings also help to dampen renewed interest in its possible technological origins generated in recent days, following the object’s apparent display of non-gravitational acceleration during its closest approach to the Sun last month.
Recent imagery of the interstellar comet 3I/ATLAS (Image Credit: Gianluca Masi / The Virtual Telescope Project)
Latest Data from MeerKAT
Comprised of an array of radio telescopes in the Northern Cape province of South Africa, MeerKAT made its recent detections on October 24, according to the South African Radio Astronomy Observatory.
The observations revealed OH absorption at 1665 and 1667 MHz, which refers to the process astronomers use involving the detection of the hydroxyl radical (OH) molecule, which absorbs very specific radio or infrared frequencies from background sources. This results in a “dip” that astronomers identify as an absorption line in the observed spectrum.
Hydroxyl radicals are a well-established tracer of cometary behavior, which are formed when ultraviolet radiation breaks down water vapor released during sublimation. Because of this, astronomers frequently rely on these spectral lines to study gassy areas in space like nebulae, star-forming regions across the galaxy, and, of course, the phenomenon of cometary outgassing.
The Hydroxyl Key
In the case of the recent MeerKAT observations, molecular signatures were detected in association with 3I/ATLAS that are just the sort astronomers would expect to be typically produced when a comet heats up near the Sun.
While the detection confirms ongoing sublimation and solar-driven outgassing—normal behavior for comets—researchers still say continued monitoring of 3I/ATLAS will help to further assess the object’s physical profile during the time we have for observation prior to its departure from our solar system.
In summary, while the idea of radio signals emanating from an unusual comet may sound a bit like the kind of “technosignature” astronomers would hope for in the search for evidence of alien technologies, it’s actually something that is commonly observed in comets (like this one) and other kinds of celestial objects.
The recent successful MeerKAT detections were the third attempt made using the observatory, following efforts on September 20 and 28 that produced no observable signals. Fortunately, scientists will have additional opportunities to make observations of 3I/ATLAS in the months ahead before it returns to interstellar space, and will likely never be observed again.
The sensitive MeerKAT radio telescope array, located in the Karoo semi-desert in South Africa
(Credit: SARAO)
Next March, the comet will pass within just 53 million kilometers of Jupiter, where NASA’s Juno spacecraft will engage in further attempts to detect any low-frequency radio emissions it might be producing, specifically those ranging from 50 hertz to 40 megahertz.
For now, though, the new MeerKAT data offers the latest reinforcement of the mainstream scientific consensus: 3I/ATLAS is acting like a comet, even if some of its behaviors are a little strange (at least when compared to comets that have existed in our solar system for very long periods).
With additional observations planned for the early months of next year—and with the object passing near one of the best-positioned spacecraft for close-range monitoring—the search for more definitive insights into 3I/ATLAS, its nature, and unique composition, is really just getting underway.
Micah Hanks is the Editor-in-Chief and Co-Founder of The Debrief. A longtime reporter on science, defense, and technology with a focus on space and astronomy, he can be reached atmicah@thedebrief.org. Follow him on X @MicahHanks, and at micahhanks.com.
On October 30, the InnoCube satellite performed a maneuver in Earth’s orbit. This event might have gone unnoticed, but it was controlled by artificial intelligence for the first time in history. The test was successful.
InnoCube satellite in the laboratory. Source: phys.org
As a real milestone on the path to autonomous space systems, a research team from Julius Maximilian University of Würzburg (JMU) has successfully tested an AI-based attitude control system for satellites directly in orbit — a world’s first experience. The test was conducted on board the 3U nanosatellite InnoCube.
During the satellite’s passage between 11:40 and 11:49 Central European Time on October 30, 2025, an AI agent developed at JMU performed a complete orbital orientation maneuver, fully controlled by artificial intelligence. Using reaction wheels, the AI brought the satellite from its current initial orientation to a predetermined target orientation. The AI then had several further opportunities to demonstrate its capabilities: in subsequent tests, it also successfully and safely maneuvered the satellite into the desired orientation. The LeLaR research team—Dr. Kirill Djebko, Tom Baumann, Erik Dilger, Professor Frank Puppe and Professor Sergio Montenegro—thus took a decisive step toward space autonomy.
LeLaR Project
The goal of the In-Orbit Demonstrator for Learning Attitude Control (LeLaR) is to develop the next generation of autonomous attitude control systems. The main focus is on the development, training, and in-orbit testing of an artificial intelligence-based attitude controller aboard the InnoCube nanosatellite.
Attitude controllers stabilize satellites in orbit and prevent them from spinning chaotically. They are also used to point the spacecraft in the desired direction. For example, to align cameras, sensors, or antennas toward a specific target.
What makes this work special is that the Würzburg controller was not created using traditional, fixed algorithms. Researchers applied deep reinforcement learning (DRL), a branch of machine learning in which a neural network autonomously learns the optimal control strategy in a simulated environment.
The key advantage of the DRL approach is its speed and flexibility compared to classical control system development. Traditional orientation controllers often require lengthy manual parameter tuning by engineers—sometimes taking months or even years. The DRL method automates this process. In addition, it opens up the possibility of creating controllers that automatically adapt to differences between expected and actual conditions, eliminating the need for lengthy manual readjustment.
Bridging the gap between simulation and reality
Before implementation, the AI controller was trained on Earth in a highly detailed simulation and then uploaded to the flight model of the satellite in orbit. One of the biggest challenges was overcoming the so-called simulation-to-reality gap (Sim2Real) — ensuring that the controller trained in simulation would also work effectively on a real satellite in space.
“This is a real breakthrough,” emphasizes Djebko from JMU. “We have achieved the world’s first practical confirmation that a satellite orientation controller trained using deep reinforcement learning can operate successfully in orbit.”
Trust in AI in space applications
By successfully demonstrating an AI-based controller in orbit, the Würzburg team has shown that artificial intelligence can be reliably used in space missions that are critical to safety. Puppe is convinced that “this will significantly increase the acceptance of AI methods in aeronautics and space research,” pointing to the important role of simulation models. Growing confidence in this technology is a crucial step toward future autonomous missions, such as interplanetary or deep space missions, where human intervention is impossible due to vast distances or communication delays. An AI-based approach could thus become vital for the survival of spacecraft.
Prospects for the application of AI for satellite platforms
This successful test in orbit establishes the University of Würzburg as a pioneer in the field of space systems controlled by artificial intelligence. The demonstrated AI-based controller is an important building block for future space exploration. The results of the LeLaR project could enable faster and more cost-effective development of new, complex AI-based controllers for a wide range of satellite platforms.
“The next goal is to build on this initial success,” says Djebko. “This is a big step toward complete autonomy in space,” adds Montenegro. We are at the beginning of a new category of satellite control systems: intelligent, adaptive, and capable of self-learning.
Is there a mysterious ninth planet in our solar system? New evidence shows that, far beyond Pluto, there may exist a hypothetical planet referred to as Planet X or Planet Nine. Astronomers predict that there is possibly a large, undiscovered planet with gravitational interaction in the Kuiper Belt. The existence of this mystery planet may explain unusual orbits and gravitational interactions of some dwarf planets and other objects in the Kuiper Belt region.
Curious to find out more? Read through the gallery!
Neptune It has been almost 200 years since astronomers discovered a new planet in our solar system. Neptune was found in just one night of planetary observation, when Johann Gottfried Galle and his student pointed a telescope in its direction back in 1846.
California Institute of Technology In 2016, astronomers from the California Institute of Technology (Caltech), Konstantin Batygin and Mike Brown, stated that their research provides evidence for the great possibility of a large planet in the outer solar system.
Strong evidence While the astronomers have not observed the planet, they provide strong theoretical evidence for its existence and information relevant to its potential impact.
Kuiper Belt This evidence looks at the potential relationship and influence of the hypothetical planet on dwarf planets and smaller objects in the Kuiper Belt.
Planet Nine The mystery planet, dubbed "Planet X" (x as in the letter, not the Roman numeral) or "Planet Nine," is thought to be 1.5 times the size of the Earth, sitting far beyond Pluto.
Mass 5-10 times larger than Earth The planet’s mass could be 5-10 times larger than Earth and it could orbit the Sun 20-30 times farther than Neptune. NASA notes that if this theory is accurate, it would take Planet Nine between 10,000-20,000 Earth years just to make one orbit around the Sun.
Unique orbits Astronomers say that the potential existence of this planet could explain certain gravitational patterns in the outer solar system, specifically the unique orbits of dwarf planets and icy objects in the Kuiper Belt.
Gerard Kuiper The Trans-Neptunian Region, more often called the Kuiper Belt, was named after astronomer Gerard Kuiper. It is sometimes referred to as the "third zone" of the solar system; a cold region located in the solar system beyond Neptune’s orbit.
Icy objects In addition to Pluto, astronomers believe that millions of icy objects lie in the Kuiper Belt, including compounds like ammonia and methane.
Edge of Neptune’s orbit Beginning at the edge of Neptune’s orbit, the Kuiper Belt extends nearly 1,000 AU (1 AU is equivalent to the distance from the Sun to Earth).
Over 2,000 objects discovered While astronomers have only identified around 2,000 objects in the Trans-Neptunian Region, it is likely that there are hundreds of thousands more undiscovered objects; often thought of as "leftovers" from the solar system’s formation.
Formation of solar system The theory about how this happened is that when the solar system was forming, because of shifts in Jupiter and Saturn’s orbits, Uranus and Neptune were required to orbit farther from the Sun.
Jupiter The gravity of Neptune’s orbit tossed these objects toward the Sun and big planets like Jupiter, while Jupiter then flung them either out of the solar system or to distant orbits.
Fragmented bits Neptune’s gravitational power pushed the remainder of the objects into the Kuiper Belt, where they sometimes collide and break into fragmented pieces.
Dwarf planets and objects clumped Astronomers who have been studying the Kuiper Belt notice that several of the smaller planets and some objects tend to pursue orbits that clump together.
Theory on Planet Nine It’s through the analysis of these orbits, namely gravitational interactions with a huge planet, that astronomers base their theory on the existence of Planet Nine.
Some researchers deny its existence Some naysayers in the scientific community downplay Planet Nine's potential existence. They argue that the observed orbits are merely due to the random distribution of objects along the belt.
All tools being used Scientists are desperately trying to find the planet to confirm its existence. Using a dedicated observatory, powerful telescopes, and citizen projects, astronomers are attempting to gather as much data as possible to locate the planet.
Complex computational simulations The current theory is based on complex computational simulations that take into account a number of conditions. The model that most closely aligns with observed orbital patterns is that which includes Planet Nine.
Vera C. Rubin Observatory Scientists are hoping that the new Vera C. Rubin Observatory, located in Chile, will help unlock some of the inquiries relevant to Planet Nine and other astronomical questions.
Detailed, time-lapse record Using innovative technology, the observatory will be able to provide an extensive, detailed record of the Universe over the span of a decade using the largest camera ever built.
Collected imagery The imagery collected by the observatory will be able to provide a more detailed understanding of the distribution of objects along the Kuiper Belt.
Why is it so complex to find the planet? Locating planets is quite challenging. Astronomers use the transit method to find planets in other solar systems.
Transit method Astronomers may be more likely to locate planets by observing a star’s movement. The computational model used to detect Planet Nine’s existence estimates a 99% probability of its existence.
Malena Rice Assistant Professor of Astronomy Malena Rice from Yale University stated that finding another planet “could completely reshape our understanding of the solar system and of other planetary systems, and how we fit into that context.”
Mysteries of the outer solar system Small black holes, potential alien worlds, additional dwarf planets, volcanic comets, and asteroids, among other possibilities, are just some of the mysteries that astronomers also seek to understand about the outer solar system.
The quest continues While the quest to find Planet Nine continues, some scientists are betting everything on indirect evidence of the planet’s existence, while others hold very skeptical positions.
First-ever radio signal from 3I/ATLAS detected—confirming typical comet activity
First-ever radio signal from 3I/ATLAS detected—confirming typical comet activity
Story by Mahalekshmi P
First-ever radio signal from 3I/ATLAS detected—confirming typical comet activity
There has been much talk about the possibility of the interstellar comet 3I/ATLAS being an alien mothership or alien technology. However, the MeerKAT radio telescope, operated by the South African Radio Astronomy Observatory, came out with new evidence confirming that the object showed typical comet activity. Radio absorption lines by hydroxyl radicals, namely OH molecules, were detected from the interstellar object 3I/ATLAS. "OH absorption was detected on the 1665 MHz and 1667 MHz lines," explained a report by D.J. Pisano and collaborators posted onThe Astronomer’s Telegram, revealing the detection.
A view of comet 3I/ATLAS, as seen by NASA’s SPHEREx, which observed the interstellar object from 7–15 August 2025.
(Image Source: NASA | Photo by NASA / SPHEREx)
This signal was unlike spacecraft transmissions and was a radio-frequency pattern detected by 64 antennas, each with a 13.5-meter diameter. Lines of radio absorption by hydroxyl radicals, or OH molecules, are a pattern consistent with usual comet activity. Per WIRED, the lines appeared as absorption because 3I/ATLAS was very close to the sun, an observation vantage that favored absorption over emission. At the closest distance from the Sun, sublimation ejected more ice into space, receiving greater radiation, an aspect that also led to a change in its trajectory.
NASA’s Webb Space Telescope's image of Comet 3I/ATLAS.
(Image Source: NASA | James Webb Space Telescope.)
The hydroxyl radical (OH) is capable of absorbing or emitting radiation at particular frequencies from a transition in energy levels. In this case, the 1665 and 1667 MHz lines. OH spectral lines “glow” brightly under conditional radio frequencies and helped map star and water-born regions. These spectral lines have been previously detected in nebulae, comets, and star-forming regions.
Interstellar comet 3I/ATLAS going past a dense star field
(Image Source: International Gemini Observatory/NOIRLab/NSF/AURA/K. Meech (IfA/U. Hawaii). Image processing: Jen Miller & Mahdi Zamani (NSF NOIRLab))
The observation by MeerKAT was made on October 24, 2025, when the angular separation of 3I/ATLAS from the Sun was 3.76 degrees. Attempts to detect these lines with the telescope were previously unsuccessful on September 20 and 28, 2025. On October 21, 2025, a few days before the observation, the object was close to the orbital plane of the Earth around the Sun, putting it at a solar conjunction relative to Earth.
ESA’s Mars and Jupiter missions observe comet 3I/ATLAS
(Image Source: ESA)
“Five weeks ago, I encouraged radio observatories like MeerKAT to search for radio emission from 3I/ATLAS, given that the arrival direction of 3I/ATLAS coincided to within 9 degrees with the arrival direction of the Wow! Signal detected in 1977 at a frequency of 1.4204556 gigahertz,” Harvard astronomer Loeb mentioned in his Medium blog. “In response, I was assured that 3I/ATLAS will be monitored by radio observatories like MeerKAT,” he added. Continued monitoring of the object will identify whether the OH production is constant or intermittent.
Image shows the trajectory of comet 3I/ATLAS as it passes through the solar system
(Image Source: NASA | JPL-Caltech)
There has been no other signal detected apart from the OH absorption signal, and the nature of this is also dependent on other factors. The extent and structure of the tail could be one such aspect, given its formation and reaction to radiation. The trajectory of the comet is being closely studied by experts, and on December 19, 2025, it will be at its closest point to Earth.
For the first time, astronomers have picked up a radio signal from the mysterious interstellar visitor as it speeds through our Solar System.
South Africa's MeerKAT radio telescope detected absorption lines from OH molecules, made of oxygen and hydrogen, around the object on October 24.
Harvard professor Avi Loeb, who has been studying 3I/ATLAS since the summer, said: 'These molecules leave a distinct radio signature that telescopes like MeerKAT can pick up.'
Previous attempts to detect these signals on September 20 and 28 had failed.
Analysis showed the OH molecules were moving at roughly 61 miles per second relative to Earth.
The widths of the absorption lines matched the expected thermal motion of molecules at the object's surface temperature of around -45°F. The detection came just days after 3I/ATLAS passed near the orbital plane of Earth, making it easier to observe.
Optical images captured on November 9 reveal that 3I/ATLAS is ejecting enormous jets of material both toward and away from the sun. The jets stretch nearly 600,000 miles sunward and almost 1.8 million miles in the opposite direction, roughly the diameter of the sun or the moon in the sky.
At its current distance of 203 million miles from Earth, these distances represent the first clear measurements of the vast size of 3I/ATLAS's activity.
Optical images captured on November 9 (pictured) reveal that 3I/ATLAS is ejecting enormous jets of material both toward and away from the sun
'Given that the anti-tail jets are only stopped at about 620,000 miles, their ram pressure exceeds that of the solar wind by a factor of a million,' Loeb noted.
The solar wind flows at roughly 250 miles per second, a thousand times faster than the outflow speed expected from a natural comet.
'This implies a mass flux of about 2.2 million pounds per second per million-square-mile section of the jet, adding up to a mass loss of 50 billion tons per month,' Loeb said.
Summing over the full area of the jets, the total ejected mass is comparable to the minimum mass of 3I/ATLAS itself.
'Assuming a solid density of 0.5 grams per cubic centimeter, the object must be at least three miles across, and if most of its nucleus survived perihelion, it could be six miles or larger,' Loeb added.
For comparison, the famous interstellar object 1I/'Oumuamua measured only a few hundred feet.
The extreme scale of 3I/ATLAS's jets raises fundamental questions. If the object were a natural comet, the jets should move much more slowly and require months to reach the observed distances.
Instead, the extraordinary mass, density, and collimation of the outflows suggest something unusual may be happening.
South Africa's MeerKAT radio telescope (pictured) detected absorption lines from OH molecules, made of oxygen and hydrogen, around the object on October 24
'The numbers are challenging for a natural comet explanation,' Loeb said. 'The required mass loss, the rapid perihelion brightening, and the size all point to anomalies.'
Spectroscopic observations from space telescopes like Hubble and Webb, planned as 3I/ATLAS approaches its closest point to Earth on December 19, will allow astronomers to measure the velocity, composition, and total mass of the jets.
These observations may help determine whether 3I/ATLAS is a conventional icy comet or perhaps powered by technological thrusters, which could produce similar jets with far less mass loss.
Meanwhile, the Juno spacecraft is scheduled to probe the object on March 16, 2026, when it passes 33 million miles from Jupiter, using its dipole antenna to search for low-frequency radio signals. Observatories around the world are also monitoring the object, partly because its trajectory aligns within 9 degrees of the direction of the famous 1977 'Wow!' Signal.
'3I/ATLAS is giving us a rare opportunity to study an interstellar object in real time,' Loeb said.
'The combination of radio and optical data shows it is shedding massive amounts of material, moving at incredible speeds, and behaving in ways that challenge our understanding of natural comets.'
A 'nearly interstellar' object has just been discovered. Harvard astronomer clarifies possible link to comet 3I/ATLAS
A 'nearly interstellar' object has just been discovered. Harvard astronomer clarifies possible link to comet 3I/ATLAS
Story by Raj Naik
A 'nearly interstellar' object has just been discovered. Harvard astronomer clarifies possible link to comet 3I/ATLAS
Recently discovered celestial object C/2025 V1 (Borisov), initially labeled as "nearly interstellar" due to its orbital characteristics, is more likely a visitor from our solar system's own Oort Cloud, according to Harvard astronomer Avi Loeb's Medium blog. The object, first identified by Gennady Borisov on November 2, 2025, sparked immediate attention because of its similarity to the enigmatic interstellar object 3I/ATLASdue to the absence of a clear cometary tail.
In dark evening skies over June Lake, northern hemisphere, planet Earth, Comet 12P/Pons-Brooks stood just above the western horizon on March 30
(Representative Image Source: NASA APOD | Dan Bartlett)
However, in an analysis of the new object's trajectory, Professor Loeb concluded that C/2025 V1 is unlikely to be truly interstellar. According to the data shared by Solar System Dynamics, the comet's orbital eccentricity is 1.0095, a value extremely close to the threshold of 1.0 that defines an unbound object. However, Loeb's research suggests that when traced back beyond the influence of the planets, C/2025 V1’s eccentricity would likely drop below 1.0, indicating an origin in the far-flung Oort Cloud. Unmodeled outgassing could also push the eccentricity to below 1.0.
Loeb also addressed the fundamental question of whether C/2025 V1 could be linked to 3I/ATLAS, which some speculate could be a technological 'mothership' that released smaller probes. "C/2025 V1 is not related to 3I/ATLAS if it did not employ non-gravitational propulsion," Loeb Stated. The two objects' orbits are separated by a minimum of 75 million kilometers or 46.6 million miles (0.5 AU), and they never came closer than 225 million kilometers or 139.8 million miles (1.5 AU) without additional thrust. The measured non-gravitational acceleration of 3I/ATLAS is insufficient to bridge this distance.
Hubble captured this image of the interstellar comet 3I/ATLAS on July 21, 2025, when the comet was 277 million miles from Earth.
[Image Source: NASA, ESA, David Jewitt (UCLA); Image Processing: Joseph DePasquale (STScI)]
Loeb emphasized that the composition, outflow velocity, and mass flux of 3I/ATLAS's jets can be easily measured as the object nears Earth on December 19, 2025. This close approach offers a critical opportunity to spectroscopically determine whether the interstellar visitor is a natural
Comet C/2025 V1's closest approach to Earth
While the comet's scientific significance is high, its current brightness puts it far out of reach for casual observation, per Sky Live. C/2025 V1 (Borisov) is currently located in the constellation Virgo, about 103.3 million kilometers from Earth (64.2 million miles). Its closest approach to our planet is projected to occur on Tuesday, November 11, 2025, at a distance of about 103.11 million kilometers or 64 million miles (0.68 AU).
This chart is a 3D animated visualization of the orbit of comet C/2025 V1 (Borisov) relative to the other major objects in the Solar System
(Image Source: Sky Live)
Is it visible in the night sky?
The comet's current faintness means it is not visible to the unaided eye. Objects must be magnitude 6.5 or brighter to be potentially seen without optical aid under ideal, dark-sky conditions. A magnitude of 14.2 requires observers to use a telescope and a good, dark observing site to successfully track the object.
A woman sitting in the desert alone, watching the starry sky and the Milky Way in the background
(Representative Image Source: Getty | Oscar Gutierrez Zozulia)
Impact safety confirmed
The latest orbit calculation, based on 99 observations collected over seven days, gives high confidence in the comet's path, according to Solar System Dynamics. The comet's Minimum Orbit Intersection Distance (MOID) with Earth is calculated at 0.396 AU. This is a considerable distance; for comparison, Mars at its closest approach is about 0.5 AU from Earth, and indicates no immediate risk of an impact.
NASA and Lockheed Martin’s X-59 "quiet" supersonic plane flew for the first time in October. It’s a major step towards reintroducing commercial supersonic flight in the United States.
The X-59 jet at Lockheed Martin's Skunk Works facility in Palmdale on Jan. 12, 2024.
(Image credit: Lockheed Martin / Michael Jackson)
NASA and Lockheed Martin’s experimental X-59 aircraft has taken to the skiesfor the first time, making history as the first supersonic aircraft designed to make a soft "thump" instead of thunderous sonic booms.
The X-59’s flight is a major step towards commercial supersonic travel, which has been banned in the United States since 1973.
The test flight was planned to last about one hour, taking off from Lockheed Martin’s Skunk Works facility in Palmdale, California, and landing at NASA Armstrong Flight Research Center in Edwards, California on Oct. 28. The plane reached a maximum speed of about 240 miles per hour (386 kilometers per hour) and flew at about 12,000 feet (3,658 meters) off the ground. It did not reach supersonic speeds for this test, which focused on checking critical systems.
The Science of Silencing Sonic Booms
US Testing its Newest $600 Million Silent Supersonic Jet Project
According to Lockheed Martin’s specifications, the X-59 has a top speed of Mach 1.4, or 925 mph (1,489 km/h), which is almost twice as fast as a Boeing 747. It’s designed to fly at an altitude of 55,000 feet (16,764 m). The aircraft has a wingspan of 30 feet (9.1 m), is 14 feet (4.3 m) high, and a whopping 100 feet (30.5 m) long, giving it a strong resemblance to a swordfish.
From the side, the airplane’s shockingly long nose appears to narrow to a point, but it’s actually shaped like a chisel. The nose’s shape is designed to change the shape of the shockwaves generated by supersonic flight, making the aircraft much quieter than the supersonic jets used today. These are banned from flying over populated areas in the United States because of their loud sonic booms.
Sonic booms are caused by shockwaves from rapidly compressed air, similar to thunder. As an aircraft flies, it pushes upon the air in front of it, creating pressure waves. When an aircraft goes supersonic, the pressure waves can’t move out of the way fast enough, so they combine into a single large shockwave, resulting in a sonic boom.
A controversial six-month test over Oklahoma City in 1964 showed that sonic booms from supersonic aircraft flying too close to the ground can break windows, cause minor damage to buildings, and startle people. At the end of the study, more than 1 in 4 people surveyed said that they could not learn to live with the sonic booms.
To lessen the impact of the booms, the X-59 design separates the usual shockwave into multiple smaller shockwaves, resulting in "thumps" that are about the same volume as a car door slamming.
The shockwaves that cause sonic booms can be seen with schlieren imaging, a type of specialized photography invented in 1864 by August Toepler, a German physicist. It relies on how changing air pressure warps light passing through it. Imaging the shockwaves helps us understand if the aircraft’s aerodynamics match what was modeled using computers and small model planes in wind tunnels.
The X-59 is planned to go supersonic in future test flights, and if all goes to plan, will be used to test public reaction to its supersonic "thumps” — paving the way for commercial supersonic flight to return to the US, albeit much quieter this time.
Streaks that form on the slopes of Mars, also known as recurring slope lineae (RSL), are a common feature on Mars. These dark, seasonal streaks are either the result of briny water patching thawing from seasonal ices or dry sand being displaced. While the exact cause remains unknown, new research continues to reveal clues about this picturesque phenomenon. Case in point, the ESA's ExoMars Trace Gas Orbiter (TGO) recently captured images of streaks formed from a dust avalanche on the slopes of Apollinaris Mons the night before Christmas in 2023.
As indicated by author Valentin Tertius Bickel, a postdoctoral researcher from the Center for Space and Habitability (CSH) at the University of Bern, recent geostatistical evidence has shown that RSL can be caused by "dry," non-seasonal factors. However, he argues, direct, quantitative measurements of the rate of dark streak formation and the frequency with which they occur due to specific factors are currently lacking. To this end, he considered the streak captured by the TGO, which scientists have determined was caused by meteorite impacts that happened between 2013 and 2017.
*Dark narrow streaks, called "recurring slope lineae," emanate from the walls of Garni Crater on Mars.
Credit: NASA*
Valentine relied on machine learning to analyze more than two million streaks captured by NASA's Mars Reconnaissance Orbiter (MRO) between 2006 and 2024, and which were likely associated with dry nonseasonal drivers, including meteoroid impacts, marsquakes, and winds. From this, he was able to develop a "streak census" that showed the majority of these features occurred in five distinct hotspots over the nineteen years in question. He further determined that about 0.1% of the annually formed population could be directly attributed to events such as meteoroid impacts and marsquakes.
"Dust, wind, and sand dynamics appear to be the main seasonal drivers of slope streak formation," Bickel said in an ESA press release. "Meteoroid impacts and quakes seem to be locally distinct, yet globally relatively insignificant drivers." These results provide vital evidence that could settle the debate on what causes dark streaks to form on Mars. They also offer insight into the kinds of dynamic forces that shape the Martian climate, both seasonally and non-seasonally.
"These observations could lead to a better understanding of what happens on Mars today," says Colin Wilson, ESA’s project scientist for the ExoMars Trace Gas Orbiter. "Obtaining long-term, continuous, and global-scale observations that reveal a dynamic Mars is a key objective of present and future orbiters."
In particular, understanding the dynamics of the planet's environment could answer the most fundamental questions scientists have about Mars. These include how and when its surface water disappeared, where it went, and whether or not life could have flourished there at one time. Addressing these questions is the primary objective of the nine missions operated by five space agencies that are currently exploring Mars. More robotic missions are planned, with crewed missions planned before mid-century.
Created using data from two extensive surveys, this spectacular radio image of the galactic plane of the Milky Way provides valuable insights into the birth and death of stars.
A radio view of the Milky Way shows both the carnage of dying stars (red) and the energy of newborn stars (blue).
(Image credit: International Centre for Radio Astronomy Research (ICRAR), S. Mantovanini/GLEAM-X team)
Quick facts
What it is:The Southern Hemisphere view of the Milky Way galaxy
Where it is: All around us
When it was shared: Oct. 29, 2025
We cannot see or image the entire Milky Way galaxy, because we are located inside it. From Earth, we can observe only a portion of the galaxy, and when we look up at the dark, clear night sky from a place free of light pollution, the Milky Way appears as a complex, busy band of stars and dust. This is our edge-on view of the dense galactic plane of our galaxy. And that's just the visible light view.
Imagine the sheer extravagance of this structure were it to be captured in radio colors, which can penetrate the thick clouds of dust and gas that block visible wavelengths. Fortunately, astronomers have now successfully captured a stunning view of the galactic plane as seen from the Southern Hemisphere using a wide range of radio wavelengths.
Silvia Mantovanini, a PhD student at Curtin University in Australia, took nearly 40,000 hours to compile the data from two surveys called the GaLactic and Extragalactic All-sky MWA (GLEAM) and GLEAM eXtended (GLEAM-X). The GLEAM and GLEAM-X surveys, conducted using the Murchison Widefield Array telescope, yielded abundant data over 28 nights in 2013 and 2014, and 113 nights from 2018 to 2020.
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Over mijzelf
Ik ben Pieter, en gebruik soms ook wel de schuilnaam Peter2011.
Ik ben een man en woon in Linter (België) en mijn beroep is Ik ben op rust..
Ik ben geboren op 18/10/1950 en ben nu dus 75 jaar jong.
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![Hubble captured this image of the interstellar comet 3I/ATLAS on July 21, 2025, when the comet was 277 million miles from Earth. [Image Source: NASA, ESA, David Jewitt (UCLA); Image Processing: Joseph DePasquale (STScI)]](https://img-s-msn-com.akamaized.net/tenant/amp/entityid/AA1PurOU.img?w=768&h=566&m=6)
