The tests were multipurpose, making sure that communications protocols with mission control were effective, putting technological devices that will used by moonwalkers through their paces, and doing dry runs of science-related activities, such as gathering geology samples.

The technology tested included an augmented reality visor that could provide navigational information to astronauts, helping them stay oriented and relocate the lunar lander in an emergency.
The test also simulated the communications procedures, allowing both astronauts and ground-based- teams to work together remotely to retrieve the most valuable geological samples and problem-solve in real-time.

“During Artemis III, the astronauts will be our science operators on the lunar surface with an entire science team supporting them from here on Earth,” said Cherie Achilles, science officer for the test at NASA’s Goddard Space Flight Center in Greenbelt, Maryland. “This simulation gives us an opportunity to practice conducting geology from afar in real-time.”

All told the astronauts performed four ‘moonwalks’ and six technology demonstrations over the course of the week. These activities represent the fifth in a series of field tests, and are the “highest fidelity Artemis moonwalk mission simulation to date,” according to a NASA press release.

Artemis III is targeting the lunar south pole, which is a new environment for humans, far removed from the landing sites of the Apollo mission of 1969-72. The permanently shadowed craters of the south pole are expected to hold water ice, a valuable resource in space not just as a refreshing drink, but also as a source of the primary ingredients (hydrogen and oxygen) needed to make rocket fuel.

Rubins and Douglas’s space suits were open-sleeved for the Arizona desert, but prototypes of the actual spacesuits, currently under development by Axiom Space, are also undergoing testing. Future tests will have them put through their paces underwater at NASA’s Neutral Buoyancy Laboratory in Houston, Texas.

Learn More:

• “NASA Tests Technology, Practices Artemis Moonwalks in Arizona Desert.” NASA.

{ https://www.universetoday.com/ }

25-05-2024 om 16:50 geschreven door peter  

Toxic Perchlorate on Mars Could Make Life More Interesting

The search for life in the Universe has fascinated humans for centuries. Mars has of course been high on the list of potential habitats for alien existence but since the numerous spacecraft images that have come back showing a barren landscape, it seems Mars may not be so habitable after all. That is, until recently. The Martian regolith, the top layer of dust upon the surface has been found to be full of perchlorate salts.  These chemicals are poisonous to most life on Earth but a new study suggests that some extremophile protein enzymes and RNA may just be able to survive!

Mars is the fourth planet from the Sun and the last of the major planets to have a solid surface. To the casual observer, Mars has a red hue to it which is the result of an iron-oxide rich surface. You might known iron-oxide by its more familiar name of rust. It is about half the size of Earth but does have some familiar surface features. Volcanoes pepper the surface but these are, as far as we know, extinct and caps of ice adorn the polar regions. 

Early observers, with poor quality telescopes believed Mars was criss-crossed with a great global irrigation system that carried melt water from the polar caps to the drier equatorial regions. We have since learned that these were just optical illusions and that the polar caps were largely made of carbon dioxide ice. As time progressed, the expectations of finding alien life on Mars slowly dwindled away. It has been kept alive though with hints of surface liquid water making the odd appearance and chemicals found in Martian meteorites that suggest biological processes. There is no doubt that the debate of life on Mars has still not reached a conclusion.

As we continue to search for evidence of life we are in parallel expanding our knowledge of life on Earth. In our search, whichever way we turn, under whichever rock we look or even indeed whichever corner of the world we search we can find signs of life. No matter how extreme the environment, life seems to find a way and as we learn more about the conditions where life can exist here, it helps in our search for alien life too. 

Among the many missions to Mars, there is mounting evidence for perchlorate salts in the Martian surface. These salts are composed of oxygen and chlorine atoms and are usually considered to be harmful to life on Earth. They can combine with water in the atmosphere to produce solutions of brine (salty water). The presence of water in many different states on Mars has informed NASA’s strategy for the search for life there to ‘follow the water’. The concept is simple, look for water and you may find life! 

A team of researchers at the College of Biological Sciences have recently published their research in the Nature Communication journal. They studied how the geochemical environment on Mars could shape and support past, or even present life on the red planet! Led by Assistant Professor Aaron Engelhart, the team studied two types of RNA (ribonucleic acid) and enzymes that are key components to life on Earth. To their surprise they found that, while the RNA functioned well in the perchlorate brine, the enzymes were less suited. They did find though that proteins that have evolved to survive extreme environments on Earth were well suited to the brine solution. 

It is a tantalising twist to the hunt for life. Where we started to lose hope for finding signs of past or present life on Mars due to the hospitable environment, the results showed that RNA is actually well suited to salty properties of the brine. With tolerance to such environmental factors the research breathes tantalising new angles into the search for life. 

Source : 

• Exploring extremes in the search for life on Mars

{ https://www.universetoday.com/ }

25-05-2024 om 16:40 geschreven door peter  

Unveiling Pre-Roswell Mysteries: 5 UFO Crashes That Fascinate and Intrigue

The fascination with unidentified flying objects has captivated the public imagination for decades, often centered around the infamous Roswell incident of 1947. However, there were several intriguing UFO crash stories that predate Roswell, shrouded in mystery and controversy. Here are five notable UFO crashes that occurred before the Roswell event.

1. Trinity Nuclear Site UFO Crash (1945)

In December 2022, President Joe Biden approved a significant addition to the US military budget, which included a mandate to systematically investigate UFO incidents. This new initiative expanded its scope to include encounters dating back to 1945, prompted by an often-overlooked incident near the Trinity site in New Mexico, where the first atomic bomb was tested in July 1945.

On August 16, 1945, two young boys, Jose Padilla and Reme Bacca, discovered a mysterious crash site while searching for a lost cow near San Antonio, New Mexico. They encountered a large, round metal object with a jagged gash, through which they saw small, rapidly moving figures. The metal fragments from the craft reportedly had an unusual ability to return to their original shape when bent.

• https://youtu.be/l0CoM2p--Dw

Years later, in 2003, after successful careers in law enforcement and politics, Jose and Reme shared their story with Jacques Vallee, a former federal government UFO investigator. They described the beings inside the craft as about four feet tall, with spindly limbs and heads resembling praying mantises. Despite the military’s official claim that the object was a weather balloon, interest in this incident was rekindled by its inclusion in the recent military spending bill.

2. Mussolini’s UFO Crash (Italy, 1933)

In 1933, a UFO reportedly crashed in Italy, and the incident was allegedly covered up by the Vatican and later transferred to the US at the end of World War II. Italian ufologist Roberto Pinotti and US Air Force veteran David Grusch claimed that Italian dictator Mussolini had seized the spacecraft and kept it hidden until the Allies captured Rome.

The evidence includes purportedly classified documents and telegrams from Mussolini’s era, demanding absolute silence about the crash and threatening severe penalties for any leaks. The UFO, described as a bell-shaped object, was allegedly stored until 1944, with all documentation hidden in the Vatican archives. While no physical evidence has been found, and the authenticity of the documents remains in question, the story continues to intrigue researchers.

3. Aurora, Texas (1897)

In April 1897, residents of Aurora, Texas, reported seeing an airship crash into a windmill on the property of Judge J.S. Proctor. The pilot, described as “not of this world,” died in the crash and was buried in the local cemetery. The story, first reported by the Dallas Morning News, claimed the pilot had documents written in undecipherable symbols, and debris from the crash, including metal fragments, was dumped into a nearby well.

Skeptics argue that the incident may have been a hoax aimed at boosting the town’s declining economy. However, the legend endures, with some modern researchers pointing to unusual findings and high illness rates linked to the well as potential evidence of the crash.

• https://youtu.be/AfiX9I5EMJk

4. Cape Girardeau UFO (1941)

In 1941, Reverend William Huffman was called to deliver last rites at a crash site near Cape Girardeau, Missouri. According to his granddaughter, Charlotte Mann, Huffman discovered a disc-shaped craft with three non-human bodies. The beings, described as short with large bulging eyes, were all deceased by the time Huffman arrived.

The military allegedly cordoned off the area, confiscated the debris, and imposed silence on witnesses. Although no contemporary records exist, and no photograph purportedly taken at the scene has been found, the story has been passed down through generations, adding to the lore of pre-Roswell UFO encounters.

• https://youtu.be/AqiVt1QNn1U

5. Dundy County UFO (1884)

In June 1884, cowboys in Dundy County, Nebraska, reported seeing a fiery object crash near the settlement of Max. The Nebraska State Journal detailed the incident, describing fragments of machinery and a cylindrical object about 50 to 60 feet long. A follow-up party, including a local government inspector, reported that the wreckage dissolved in a rainstorm, leaving behind jelly-like pools.

While the Journal’s managing editor later claimed the story was a fabrication, some researchers believe there might be a kernel of truth. The discovery of strange green rocks near the alleged crash site in 2013 has further fueled speculation, though no concrete evidence has been found.

By Charles O'Rear, 1941-, Photographer (NARA record: 3403717) (U.S. National Archives and Records Administration) [Public domain], via Wikimedia Commons

VIDEO:

• 5 Mysterious UFO Crashes Before Roswell

• https://youtu.be/CLE3xxjUsfI

These five mysterious UFO crash stories, each with its own unique details and controversies, offer a fascinating glimpse into the early reports of unidentified aerial phenomena. Whether true, embellished, or fabricated, these accounts continue to spark curiosity and debate among UFO enthusiasts and skeptics alike, adding rich chapters to the history of UFO lore.

{ https://www.latest-ufo-sightings.net/ }

25-05-2024 om 13:22 geschreven door peter  

• Luminous 'rods' have been caught on camera over South American countries
• Videos filmed by residents in Argentina, Chile and Brazil show the UFOs 
• READ MORE: The UFO Files: Nine never-before-seen videos of craft flying 

By JOSH BOSWELL FOR DAILYMAIL.COM

Strange luminous 'rods' have been caught on camera in the skies over several South American countries in the past month, DailyMail.com can reveal.

The long white and blue objects appeared to slowly float across the sky in videos filmed by residents of Argentina, Chile and Brazil.

One stunning example was filmed on April 29 by UFO researcher and Petrobras engineer Rony Vernet on cameras he set up to monitor the southeastern night sky near Rio de Janeiro, Brazil.

An apparent cylindrical object glides into the frame at 5.01am, heading northeast and gradually moving out of sight over about 80 seconds.

Videos filmed by residents in Argentina, Chile and Brazil show UFOs. This particular video was taken in Chile on May 6

On May 6 a witness in Argentina filming with their phone captured a similar-looking white object moving slowly through the sky above their house.

The same day, at 7.14pm in Vina del Mar, Chile, a third witness videoed another incident, though this time the cylinder appeared blue.

Another video obtained by Vernet came from a Chilean witness in Luján de Cuyo the same evening.

On May 8, residents of a Brazilian town near the border with Uruguay filmed one that appeared to change color from white to blue and yellow.

The same day as the Chile sighting, a witness in Argentina filming with their phone captured a similar-looking white object moving slowly through the sky above their house

One stunning video was filmed in Brazil. Often a string of lights about as bright as stars, moving slowly across the sky, will be mistaken for a true UFO when it is in fact Starlink

A stunning photograph taken by a Fedex pilot of a meteor burning up in the atmosphere, with a white blob below it resembling the objects captured by Vernet and the other witnesses he gathered

A close up of the white blob resembling the objects captured by Vernet and other witnesses

Vernet shared videos he collected from four witnesses in Brazil on May 9, showing similar objects.

But experts are baffled as to whether the objects are indeed UFOs or the satellite constellation Starlink. 

Often a string of lights about as bright as stars, moving slowly across the sky, will be mistaken for a true UFO when it is in fact Starlink, the network of satellites launched by Elon Musk's company SpaceX.

But usually those lights will appear as distinct dots in a line, rather than a solid cylinder, and will not appear to change color.

Chris Spitzer, an expert in UFO analysis, told DailyMail.com that although Starlink generally appears as a trail of distinct dots in the sky once it is fully deployed, during its ascent it can appear as a solid line due to the satellites being grouped close together.

'Starlink sats may look like oblong objects right after deployment when they reach Earth orbit because they are stacked together,' he said.

Spitzer shared a likely example: a stunning photograph taken by a Fedex pilot of a meteor burning up in the atmosphere, with a white blob below it resembling the objects captured by Vernet and the other witnesses he gathered.

The white, bright nature of the objects could be just reflected sunlight, Spitzer explained.

'Starlink satellites also generate UFO sightings right after they are deployed, when they reflect sunlight. They are released in one batch with two clamps parallel to each other where they are stacked together. This could explain some recent sightings,' he said.

On May 6, the same day as the Argentina and Chile sightings, a Starlink satellite was launched from Cape Canaveral Space Force Station in Florida at 6.14pm local time.

On May 6, the same day as the Argentina and Chile sightings, a Starlink satellite was launched from Cape Canaveral Space Force Station in Florida at 6.14pm local time

{ https://www.dailymail.co.uk/ }

24-05-2024 om 23:37 geschreven door peter  

Potentially Habitable Earth-Sized Exoplanet Discovered around Gliese 12

Using NASA’s Transiting Exoplanet Survey Satellite (TESS) and many other telescopes, two teams of astronomers have discovered a temperate, Earth-sized exoplanet orbiting a cool red dwarf called Gliese 12. Named Gliese 12b, the planet may have an Earth-like atmosphere, one more akin to Venus, no atmosphere, or perhaps a different kind of atmosphere not found in our Solar System.

An artist’s impression of Gliese 12b and its host star. µImage credit: NASA / JPL-Caltech / R. Hurt, Caltech-IPAC.

Gliese 12 is a M3-type dwarf star located 12.2 parsecs (40 light-years) away in the constellation of Pisces.

Otherwise known as TOI-6251 or GJ 12, this star is only about 27% of the Sun’s size, with about 60% of the Sun’s surface temperature.

The newly-discovered planet, Gliese 12b, is Earth’s size or slightly smaller — comparable to Venus.

“We’ve found the nearest, transiting, temperate, Earth-size world located to date,” said Dr. Masayuki Kuzuhara, an astronomer at the Astrobiology Center in Tokyo and lead author of a paper published in the Astrophysical Journal Letters.

“Although we don’t yet know whether it possesses an atmosphere, we’ve been thinking of it as an exo-Venus, with similar size and energy received from its star as our planetary neighbor in the Solar System.”

“Gliese 12b represents one of the best targets to study whether Earth-size planets orbiting cool stars can retain their atmospheres, a crucial step to advance our understanding of habitability on planets across our Galaxy,” added Shishir Dholakia, a doctoral student at the University of Southern Queensland and lead author of a paper published in the Monthly Notices of the Royal Astronomical Society.

Gliese 12b has an orbital period of 12.76 days and an equilibrium temperature of around 42 degrees Celsius (107 degrees Fahrenheit). For comparison, Earth has an average surface temperature of 15 degrees Celsius (59 degrees Fahrenheit).

The alien world receives 1.6 times more energy from its star as Earth does from the Sun and about 85% of what Venus experiences.

“Atmospheres trap heat and — depending on the type — can change the actual surface temperature substantially,” Dholakia said.

“We are quoting the planet’s equilibrium temperature, which is the temperature the planet would be if it had no atmosphere.”

“Much of the scientific value of this planet is to understand what kind of atmosphere it could have.”

“Since Gliese 12b gets in between the amount of light as Earth and Venus get from the Sun, it will be valuable for bridging the gap between these two planets in our Solar System.”

The astronomers suggest that studying Gliese 12b may help unlock some aspects of our own Solar System’s evolution.

“It is thought that Earth’s and Venus’ first atmospheres were stripped away and then replenished by volcanic outgassing and bombardments from residual material in the Solar System,” said Larissa Palethorpe, a doctoral student at the University of Edinburgh and University College London.

“The Earth is habitable, but Venus is not due to its complete loss of water.”

“Because Gliese 12b is between Earth and Venus in temperature, its atmosphere could teach us a lot about the habitability pathways planets take as they develop.”

One important factor in retaining an atmosphere is the storminess of its star. Red dwarfs tend to be magnetically active, resulting in frequent, powerful X-ray flares.

However, analyses by both teams conclude that Gliese 12 shows no signs of extreme behavior.

During a transit, the host star’s light passes through any atmosphere. Different gas molecules absorb different colors, so the transit provides a set of chemical fingerprints that can be detected by telescopes like Webb.

“We know of only a handful of temperate planets similar to Earth that are both close enough to us and meet other criteria needed for this kind of study, called transmission spectroscopy, using current facilities,” said Dr. Michael McElwain, an astrophysicist at NASA’s Goddard Space Flight Center.

“To better understand the diversity of atmospheres and evolutionary outcomes for these planets, we need more examples like Gliese 12b.”

• Masayuki Kuzuhara et al. 2024. Gliese 12b: A Temperate Earth-sized Planet at 12 pc Ideal for Atmospheric Transmission Spectroscopy. ApJL 967, L21; doi: 10.3847/2041-8213/ad3642
• Shishir Dholakia et al. 2024. Gliese 12b, a temperate Earth-sized planet at 12 parsecs discovered with TESS and CHEOPS. MNRAS 531 (1): 1276-1293; doi: 10.1093/mnras/stae1152

{ https://www.sci.news/ }

24-05-2024 om 18:37 geschreven door peter  

There have always been whistleblowers on the UFO/UAP/Alien phenomenon. These UFO whistleblowers assert that they can lift the veil of secrecy, revealing what is truly happening. The next whistleblower is Colonel Karl Nell, former leader of the UAP Task Force, who shares his insights on non-human intelligence (NHI) and UAPs. 

With a distinguished 30-year military career in aerospace and intelligence, Nell provides authoritative perspectives on these phenomena. 

He discusses his roles at Wright Patterson Air Force Base, Bell Labs, Lockheed Martin, and Northrop Grumman, and asserts with zero doubt that NHI exists and interacts with humanity. 

Nell also outlines six reasons for the government's reluctance to disclose UAP information and argues for the moral imperative of transparency. 

Below a compelling interview with Colonel Karl Nell, recorded on May 21, 2024.

 

{ https://ufosightingshotspot.blogspot.com/ }

24-05-2024 om 18:02 geschreven door peter  

Dit zijn de vijf nieuwste beelden van de Euclid-telescoop en onderzoekers staan versteld: ‘het overtreft al onze verwachtingen’

Hoewel men er al vanuit ging dat Euclid in staat zou zijn om de geheimen van het heelal te ontrafelen, laat de nieuwe data zien dat daar inderdaad geen twijfel meer over bestaat.

Vorig jaar juni werd ie gelanceerd: de spiksplinternieuwe telescoop Euclid. ESA’s Euclid-missie heeft als doel de mysteries van donkere materie en donkere energie te ontsluiten en te onthullen hoe en waarom het universum er vandaag uitziet zoals het doet. En de onlangs vrijgegeven, nooit eerder geziene afbeeldingen van het universum laten nu onderzoekers versteld staan. Ze overtreffen volgens de astronomen die met de data werken alle verwachtingen en laten zien dat Euclid in staat is om de geheimen van het heelal te ontrafelen.

Meer over de Euclid-missie
ESA’s Euclid-missie zal pogen de aard van donkere materie en donkere energie te ontraadselen. Om dat te doen, zal de sonde een 3D-kaart van het heelal maken (met tijd als derde dimensie) door miljarden sterrenstelsels tot 10 miljard lichtjaar afstand te observeren, verspreid over meer dan een derde van de hemel. Door de positie en beweging van sterrenstelsels in de loop van het grootste deel van de geschiedenis van het heelal in kaart brengen, kunnen wetenschappers namelijk zien hoe de vorm van het universum in de loop van de tijd is veranderd. Hierdoor zal Euclid hopelijk kunnen onthullen hoe het heelal is uitgedijd en hoe het zich heeft gevormd in de kosmische geschiedenis. Kortom, Euclid zal de verborgen web-achtige structuren van de kosmos traceren, miljarden sterrenstelsels in kaart brengen in een gebied van meer dan een derde van de hemel, onderzoeken hoe ons heelal is gevormd en geëvolueerd in de loop van de kosmische geschiedenis, en de meest mysterieuze van de fundamentele componenten bestuderen: donkere energie en donkere materie.

Hieronder zijn de nieuwe beelden te bewonderen. Ze maken deel uit van de Early Release Observations van Euclid, samen met de eerste wetenschappelijke gegevens van de missie, die vandaag zijn vrijgegeven. Bovendien zullen er binnenkort tien wetenschappelijke artikelen verschijnen. Deze eerste wetenschappelijke gegevens zijn minder dan een jaar na de lancering van de ruimtetelescoop gepubliceerd, en ongeveer zes maanden nadat Euclid zijn eerste fullcolour beelden van het heelal naar de aarde stuurde.

Abell 2390

Messier 78

NGC 6744

Abell 2764 (en heldere ster)

Dorado-groep

17 astronomische objecten
De volledige reeks vroege waarnemingen van Euclid was gericht op 17 verschillende astronomische objecten, variërend van nabije gas- en stofwolken tot verre clusters van sterrenstelsels. Deze waarnemingen vormen een voorbereiding op Euclids hoofddoel: het onthullen van de geheimen van de donkere kosmos en begrijpen waarom het heelal eruitziet zoals het er nu uitziet.

Afbeelding toont: Opgenomen door de Euclid-satelliet, toont de Perseus-cluster van sterrenstelsels badend in een zacht, zachtblauw licht afkomstig van weessterren. Deze weessterren zijn verspreid over de sterrenhoop en strekken zich uit tot wel 2 miljoen lichtjaar vanaf het centrum. De clusterstelsels vallen op als lichtgevende elliptische vormen tegen de donkere uitgestrektheid van de ruimte.

Credits: ESA/Euclid/Euclid Consortium/NASA, beeldverwerking door M. Montes (IAC) en J.-C. Cuillandre (CEA Parijs-Saclay)

Eerste datasets
De beelden zijn de eerste datasets die openbaar worden gemaakt. En dat is volgens Valeria Pettorino, ESA’s Euclid Project Scientist, een ‘belangrijke mijlpaal’. “De beelden en bijbehorende wetenschappelijke bevindingen zijn indrukwekkend divers wat betreft de waargenomen objecten en afstanden,” zegt ze. “Ze omvatten een verscheidenheid aan wetenschappelijke toepassingen, en toch vertegenwoordigen ze slechts 24 uur aan waarnemingen.”

Scherp
De beelden die met Euclid zijn gemaakt, zijn minstens vier keer zo scherp als die van aardse telescopen. Ze bestrijken grote delen van de hemel met ongeëvenaarde diepte en reiken ver in het verre heelal, zowel in zichtbaar als infrarood licht. En het zijn zeker niet zomaar kiekjes. Dankzij de nieuwe en unieke waarnemingsmogelijkheden van Euclid onthullen deze beelden nieuwe fysische eigenschappen van het heelal.

Weesplaneten
De eerste bevindingen tonen aan dat Euclid in staat is om vrij zwevende planeten (ook wel weesplaneten genoemd), met een massa van slechts vier keer die van Jupiter, in stervormingsgebieden te ontdekken. Daarnaast kan de telescoop de buitenste regio’s van sterclusters in ongekend detail bestuderen en verschillende sterrenpopulaties in kaart brengen om de evolutie van sterrenstelsels te onderzoeken. Euclid kan ook individuele sterrenhopen in verre groepen en clusters van sterrenstelsels detecteren, nieuwe dwergstelsels identificeren en het licht zien van sterren die van hun moederstelsels zijn weggerukt. In slechts één dag produceerde Euclid een catalogus met meer dan elf miljoen objecten in zichtbaar licht en nog eens vijf miljoen in infrarood licht.

Weessterren
Dankzij Euclid weten we nu dat er miljarden zogenoemde ‘weessterren’ bestaan. Zo blijkt uit de beelden dat er verspreid over de Perseus-cluster meer dan 1,5 biljoen weessterren te vinden zijn. De Perseus-cluster, die zich op een afstand van 240 miljoen lichtjaar van de aarde bevindt, is een van de grootste structuren in het universum, met duizenden sterrenstelsels. In deze kosmische samenstelling heeft de Euclid-telescoop zwak, spookachtig licht vastgelegd – de weessterren – die tussen de sterrenstelsels van de cluster drijven. Omdat sterren normaal gesproken binnen sterrenstelsels ontstaan, leidde de ontdekking van weessterren buiten deze structuren tot intrigerende vragen over hun oorsprong. “We waren verbaasd over ons vermogen om zo diep in de buitenste gebieden van de cluster te kijken en de delicate kleuren van dit licht te onderscheiden,” vertelt projectleider Nina Hatch. “Dit licht kan ons helpen om de donkere materie in kaart te brengen als we begrijpen waar de intracluster-sterren vandaan kwamen. Door hun kleuren, helderheid en opstelling te bestuderen, kwamen we erachter dat ze afkomstig waren van kleine sterrenstelsels.”

Bibliotheek
Astronomen, waaronder hoogleraar Observationele Kosmologie Henk Hoekstra van de Sterrewacht Leiden, verwachten dat de impact van Euclid groot zal zijn. “Een gemiddeld boek heeft 50.000 woorden, net als het aantal melkwegstelsels dat Euclid waarneemt in een opname,” vertelt hij. “Hubble heeft in de afgelopen 30 jaar een boekenkast gelezen, terwijl Euclid dat in een paar dagen doet, en in zes jaar tijd de hele bibliotheek uitleest. Je kunt veel leren van de boeken in een enkele boekenkast, maar in een hele bibliotheek kun je nog veel meer ontdekken.”

Begin
De beelden markeren nog maar het begin. “Euclid zal onze kijk op het universum volledig veranderen,” aldus Christopher Conselice, verbonden aan de Universiteit van Manchester. “De huidige resultaten onthullen al belangrijke nieuwe inzichten over lokale sterrenstelsels, onbekende dwergsterrenstelsels, exoplaneten en enkele van de oudste sterrenstelsels. Dit is slechts het begin van wat nog komen gaat. Binnenkort zal Euclid nieuwe details over donkere energie onthullen en een compleet beeld geven van de vorming van sterrenstelsels door de gehele kosmische geschiedenis.”

We kunnen ons dus opmaken voor meer. “We staan te popelen om met de eerste grote dataset van Euclid, die we in februari 2025 verwachten, aan de slag te gaan,” zegt Koen Kuijken, tevens een hoogleraar aan de Sterrewacht Leiden. “Deze beelden tonen nogmaals dat de data de verwachtingen overstijgen!”

Bronmateriaal

• "Eerste wetenschappelijke beelden Euclid-telescoop overtreffen alle verwachtingen" - Nederlandse Onderzoekschool voor Astronomie (NOVA)
  
• "First pictures from Euclid satellite reveal billions of orphan stars" - University of Nottingham
  "" -
  
• "Scientists reveal first data from Euclid telescope offering snapshot of cosmic history" - University of Manchester
  
• Afbeelding bovenaan dit artikel: ESA/Euclid/Euclid Consortium/NASA, image processing by J.-C. Cuillandre (CEA Paris-Saclay), G. Anselm

{ https://scientias.nl/ }

24-05-2024 om 17:57 geschreven door peter  

Grote opwinding onder astronomen: aardachtige planeet ontdekt met aardachtige temperaturen (en die planeet bevindt zich ook nog eens vrij dichtbij)

Vivian Lammerse

De planeet heeft een geschatte oppervlaktetemperatuur van slechts 42 graden Celsius en bevindt zich op ongeveer dezelfde afstand als het bekende TRAPPIST-1 systeem.

Al jaren speuren astronomen het universum af naar planeten die mogelijk leven kunnen ondersteunen of op zijn minst bewoonbaar zijn, in de hoop werelden te vinden die op de aarde lijken. En een nieuwe ontdekking heeft nu voor grote opwinding gezorgd. Op zo’n 40 lichtjaar afstand zijn onderzoekers namelijk op de veelbelovende planeet Gliese 12 b gestuit. Zou dit de planeet kunnen zijn waar we al zo lang naar op zoek zijn?

Gliese 12 b
De mogelijk bewoonbare planeet Gliese 12 b draait elke 12,8 dagen om zijn moederster. Qua grootte is de exoplaneet vergelijkbaar met Venus, wat betekent dat hij slechts iets kleiner is dan de aarde. Daarnaast heeft deze aardachtige planeet ook nog eens een aardachtige temperatuur. Zo wordt de oppervlaktetemperatuur geschat op 42 graden Celsius. Hiermee is hij iets warmer dan de aarde, maar opvallend koeler dan de meeste van de ongeveer 5.000 tot nu toe ontdekte exoplaneten. De ontdekking van deze ‘exo-Venus’, is vandaag gepubliceerd in de Monthly Notices of the Royal Astronomical Society.

Exo-Venus
Onderzoekers kwamen de veelbelovende planeet op het spoor met behulp van planetenjager TESS, die al heel wat exoplaneten aan het licht heeft gebracht. En onderzoekers zijn enthousiast. “We hebben de dichtstbijzijnde, gematigde wereld ter grootte van de aarde tot nu toe ontdekt,” benadrukt onderzoeker Masayuki Kuzuhara. “Hoewel we nog niet weten of Gliese 12 b een atmosfeer heeft, beschouwen we ‘m als een ‘exo-Venus’. Het heeft een vergelijkbare grootte en ontvangt een vergelijkbare hoeveelheid energie van zijn ster als onze buurplaneet in ons eigen zonnestelsel.”

Atmosfeer
Om er echter zeker van te zijn dat de planeet leefbaar is, is het van cruciaal belang om te bepalen of er wel of geen atmosfeer aanwezig is. Het is mogelijk dat de planeet een atmosfeer heeft die vergelijkbaar is met die van de aarde. Deze kan echter ook meer lijken op die van Venus, waar een omvangrijk broeikaseffect ervoor zorgde dat het oppervlak een verzengende 400 graden Celsius bereikte. Een andere mogelijkheid is dat de planeet geen atmosfeer heeft. Of misschien heeft ie wel een soort atmosfeer die we nog niet in ons eigen zonnestelsel hebben gezien. Het is erg belangrijk om hierop een antwoord te krijgen omdat het ons zal vertellen of Gliese 12 b temperaturen kan handhaven die geschikt zijn voor vloeibaar water – en mogelijk leven – op het oppervlak.

Moederster
Om dit te achterhalen, is ook de moederster relevant. De moederster van Gliese 12 b is een koele rode dwergster genaamd Gliese 12, die zich zoals gezegd op bijna 40 lichtjaar afstand van de aarde bevindt, in het sterrenbeeld Vissen. De ster is ongeveer 27 procent zo groot als onze zon en heeft een oppervlaktetemperatuur van ongeveer 60 procent van die van onze zon. Over rode dwergsterren is echter bekend dat het ‘opvliegende’ sterren zijn, die vaak magnetisch actief zijn. Dit resulteert in frequente, krachtige uitbarstingen, waardoor een mogelijk rondom cirkelende planeet van zijn atmosfeer wordt ontdaan. Toch lijkt Gliese 12 b er beter vanaf te komen. Analyses hebben namelijk aangetoond dat Gliese 12 geen tekenen vertoont van dergelijk extreem gedrag. Dit verhoogt de hoop dat de potentiële atmosfeer van Gliese 12 b nog steeds intact is.

Oppervlaktetemperatuur

Daarnaast is de afstand tussen Gliese 12 en de nieuw ontdekte planeet slechts 7 procent van de afstand tussen de aarde en de zon. Hierdoor ontvangt Gliese 12 b 1,6 keer meer energie van zijn ster dan de aarde van de zon, en ongeveer 85 procent van de hoeveelheid die Venus ontvangt. Dit verschil in de hoeveelheid zonnestraling die de planeet ontvangt, is van groot belang omdat het aangeeft dat de oppervlaktetemperatuur sterk wordt beïnvloed door de atmosferische omstandigheden. Voor je beeldvorming: de geschatte oppervlaktetemperatuur van Gliese 12 b is 42 graden Celsius, terwijl de gemiddelde oppervlaktetemperatuur van de aarde 15 graden Celsius bedraagt. “Atmosferen houden warmte vast en kunnen, afhankelijk van hun samenstelling, de werkelijke oppervlaktetemperatuur aanzienlijk beïnvloeden,” legt onderzoeker Shishir Dholakia uit.

Aarde en Venus
Het onderzoek naar Gliese 12 b heeft overigens niet alleen betrekking op de leefbaarheid van deze planeet. Het helpt ons ook om meer te weten te komen over waarom de aarde en Venus, die in veel opzichten erg op elkaar lijken, toch zo’n andere weg zijn ingeslagen. “Omdat Gliese 12 b een vergelijkbare hoeveelheid licht ontvangt als de aarde en Venus van de zon, kan het ons ook helpen om het verschil tussen deze twee planeten in ons eigen zonnestelsel te verklaren en te begrijpen,” aldus Dholakia. Dit kan waardevolle inzichten bieden in de atmosferische processen die de leefbaarheid van planeten beïnvloeden. Terwijl de aarde bewoonbaar is, is Venus dat niet, voornamelijk vanwege het volledige verlies van water. “Gliese 12 b, met een temperatuur tussen die van de aarde en Venus in, kan ons helpen begrijpen hoe planeten bewoonbaar worden, vooral door te kijken naar welke atmosfeer het heeft,” vertelt mede-auteur Larissa Palethorpe.

Onderzoek naar de veelbelovende exo-Venus gaat onverminderd door. Want het idee dat deze planeet mogelijk leefbaar is, prikkelt de verbeelding van menig astronoom. Gliese 12 b is zeker niet de eerste aardachtige exoplaneet die is ontdekt, maar volgens NASA zijn er maar een paar van zulke werelden die de moeite van nader onderzoek waard zijn. De volgende stap is om de krachtige ruimtetelescoop James Webb op Gliese 12 b te richten. Uiteindelijk hopen onderzoekers te achterhalen of deze planeet al dan geen atmosfeer herbergt. “Gliese 12 b vertegenwoordigt een van de beste doelen om te bestuderen of aardachtige planeten die om koele sterren draaien hun atmosferen kunnen behouden,” zegt Dholakia. “Dit is een cruciale stap om ons begrip van de bewoonbaarheid van planeten in ons sterrenstelsel te bevorderen.”

De dichtstbijzijnde aardachtige exoplaneet – en mogelijk de bekendste – is Proxima Centauri b (afgebeeld in een artist's impression), die slechts vier lichtjaar verwijderd is. Omdat het echter geen wereld is die zich verplaatst, moeten we er nog veel over leren, inclusief de vraag of er een atmosfeer is en het potentieel om leven te herbergen.
NASA Visualisatietechnologietoepassingen en -ontwikkeling (VTAD)
Licentietype
Toeschrijving (CC BY 4.0)

{ https://scientias.nl/ }

24-05-2024 om 17:33 geschreven door peter  

{ https://scientias.nl/ }

24-05-2024 om 17:17 geschreven door peter  

Infrared telescopes are also well-suited to observing planets as they form. Dense environments like protoplanetary disks are opaque to most light, but infrared light can reveal what’s going on in these planet-forming environments. The dust absorbs light, then emits it in the infrared, and also scatters it. That confounds optical telescopes, but infrared telescopes like SALTUS are designed to deal with it.

A team of astronomers from the USA and Europe has joined the chorus calling for a new infrared space telescope. It’s tentatively called SALTUS, the Single Aperture Large Telescope for Universe Studies. In a new paper, the astronomers outline the science case for SALTUS.

“The SALTUS Probe mission will provide a powerful far-infrared (far-IR) pointed space observatory to explore our cosmic origins and the possibility of life elsewhere,” write the authors of the new paper.

The paper is titled “Single Aperture Large Telescope for Universe Studies (SALTUS): Science Overview.” Gordon Chin from NASA’s Goddard Space Flight Center is the lead author. It’s in pre-print at arxiv.org.

If built, SALTUS will be different from the powerful JWST. The JWST has four instruments that cover an infrared frequency range from 600 to 28,500 nanometers, or 0.6 to 28.5 microns, which is from the near-infrared (NIR) to the mid-infrared (MIR). SALTUS would cover 34 to 660 ?m, which is in the far-infrared (FIR). SALTUS’ range is unavailable to any current observatory, space or ground-based.

Infrared telescopes need to be kept cool. They use sunshades and cryogenic coolers to keep temperatures down and IR light detectable. The longer the wave of infrared light, the cooler the sensor needs to be. Sunshades are passive and cool the primary mirror, but the instruments require active cryogenic cooling, and those systems have a limited lifetime that restricts mission length. In SALTUS’s case, the baseline mission length is five years.

During those five years, SALTUS will make use of its 14-meter primary mirror and its pair of instruments to open a “powerful window to the Universe through which we can explore our cosmic origins,” according to the paper’s authors.

The two instruments are the SAFARI-Lite spectrometer (SALTUS Far-Infrared Lite) and HiRX (High-Resolution receiver.) Using these instruments, SALTUS will complement the observing capabilities of the JWST and ALMA, the Atacama Large Millimetre/submillimetre Array.

Its aperture is so large that it’ll be the only Far-IR observatory with arcsec-scale spatial resolution. One arcsecond is defined as the ability to show two posts standing 4.8mm apart from 1km away as separate posts. “This will permit an unmasking of the true nature of the cold Universe, which holds the answers to many of the questions concerning our cosmic origins,” the authors write.

SALTUS has a unique design among space telescopes. It features an inflatable primary mirror, which is new to space telescopes but has been proven during decades of use in ground-based telecommunications. A two-layer sunshield will keep the inflatable mirror cool.

SALTUS large aperture will provide high sensitivity and is aimed at a couple of foundational questions.

How does habitability develop while planets are forming? To address this question, SALTUS will trace carbon, oxygen, and nitrogen in 1,000 different protoplanetary disks. It has the power to recognize numerous molecular and atomic species and different lattice modes of ice and some minerals. No existing telescope has this capability.

Habitability, as far as we understand it, revolves around water. Water begins its journey in the same molecular clouds where stars form. SALTUS will follow water’s journey from molecular cloud to protoplanetary disks to icy planetesimals and comets that deliver water to planets like Earth. A key part of SALTUS’s work will be deriving deuterium/hydrogen ratios.

How do galaxies form and evolve? SALTUS will measure how galaxies form and acquire more mass. It’ll measure heavy elements and interstellar dust from the Universe’s first galaxies to today. The telescope will also probe the co-evolution of galaxies and their supermassive black holes (SMBHs.)

Tracking the rapid evolution of dust grains in galaxies in the Universe’s first billion years is part of understanding galaxy formation and evolution. SALTUS can do that by observing PAHs, polycyclic aromatic hydrocarbons, and their spectral lines. Some PAH spectral lines are very faint but entirely visible to SALTUS.

There’s a causal link between star formation and active galactic nuclei (AGN) that influences galaxy growth and evolution. But the two phenomena take place on wildly different spatial scales, and the phase that links them together is obscured by dust. SALTUS’s high resolution and sensitive far-IR spectroscopy will give astronomers a clearer view of AGN and how they shape galaxies.

SALTUS would be placed into a Sun-Earth Halo L2 orbit. Its maximum distance from Earth would be 1.8 million km (1.12 million miles). That orbit would give the telescope two continuous 20º viewing zones around the ecliptic poles, resulting in full sky coverage every six months.

The SALTUS concept is designed in response to the 2020 Decadal Survey and NASA’s Astrophysical Roadmap. It’s a direct response to NASA’s 2023 Astrophysics Probe Explorer (APEX) solicitation. The questions it’ll help answer come directly from those works.

“SALTUS has both the sensitivity and spatial resolution to address not just the open science questions of the year 2023 but, more importantly, the unknown questions that will be raised in the 2030s,” the authors write in their summary. “SALTUS is forward-leaning and well-suited to serving the current and future needs of the astronomical community.”

{ https://www.universetoday.com/ }

24-05-2024 om 16:11 geschreven door peter  

Now that it has arrived, the camera undergoes several months of testing in the observatory’s white room. After that, it goes on the Simonyi Survey Telescope, with its newly-coated 8.4-meter mirror and 3.4-meter secondary mirror.

About the Vera Rubin Observatory

This unique observatory is named after astronomer Vera C. Rubin. Her work focused on the mysterious “dark matter” that seems to permeate the Universe. Along with her team, she studied dozens of galaxies to understand what was influencing their motions. It turned out to be dark matter. The search for dark matter and its existence throughout the Universe is one of the main goals of the observatory that now bears her name.

Understanding the distribution of dark matter is where the LSST Camera will come in handy. For one thing, it will spend a decade taking images of the sky each night, performing a massive survey that will provide a complete image of the visible sky every 3-4 mights. Each area it images will be about the size of 40 full moons and the survey will take advantage of the 8.4-meter telescope moving quickly between imaging positions. In full operation, the Observatory will deliver a 500-petabyte set of images and data products about the sky.

Not only will the Rubin Observatory perform this unprecedented survey in very high resolution, but will also track objects that change in brightness—called “transients.” That includes supernovae, variable stars, mergers of dense objects such as neutron stars or black holes, and other quickly changing events and objects. In addition, it will track asteroids and other objects that wander through the Solar System.

The formation and evolution of the Milky Way Galaxy is another research area for telescope users. Rubin should be able to track stellar streams throughout the Galaxy and chart their paths. That information could give precious insight into just how our Galaxy formed and how stars from cannibalized galaxies move through it.

What’s Next for Vera Rubin Observatory and the LSST Camera

Once the LSST Camera got delivered to the Cerro Pachón site, technicians moved it into an immense white room. That’s a controlled environment that protects the instrument while they work to get it ready for installation on the telescope. They inspected the camera and downloaded data about the “ride” from the U.S. to Chile from all the instruments attached to it. “Our goal was to make sure the camera not only survived, but arrived in perfect condition,” said Kevin Reil, Observatory Scientist at Rubin. “Initial indications—including the data collected by the data loggers, accelerometers, and shock sensors—suggest we were successful.”

The observatory is still in the final stages of construction. The telescope is in place, and other instruments and infrastructure are being finalized. It should all be ready for “first light” and the beginning of science operations sometime in 2025. Between now and then, more parts of the telescope and its mirrors should be installed, and there will be tests of various other instruments both on and off the sky as scientists get ready to start using Rubin next year. Once observations begin, astronomers using Rubin could discover around 17 billion stars and ~20 billion galaxies in the distant Universe.

For More Information

• LSST Camera Arrives at Rubin Observatory in Chile, Paving the Way for Cosmic Exploration
  Vera C. Rubin Observatory

{ https://www.universetoday.com/ }

24-05-2024 om 15:56 geschreven door peter  

Terrifying Encounters with the Men in Black: UFO Silencers Unveiled

For decades, stories have circulated about mysterious men in dark suits who intimidate witnesses and suppress reports of unexplained aerial phenomena. These tales have inspired numerous conspiracy theories and fictional works. But who are the real Men in Black (MIB)?

The Origins of the Men in Black

The earliest reports of the Men in Black trace back to Albert Bender in the 1950s. Bender, who ran a UFO mailing list called Outer Space Review, claimed that three men in dark suits with glowing eyes visited him, demanding telepathically that he stop publishing his UFO newsletter. Bender complied, abruptly ending his publications. This incident marked the beginning of the MIB mythos.

Other researchers, such as Gray Barker and John Keel, expanded on Bender’s account. Barker’s book “They Knew Too Much About Flying Saucers” introduced the idea of MIB as UFO silencers. Keel’s writings, particularly in “The Mothman Prophecies,” further solidified the MIB image, depicting them as paranormal entities with spectral qualities.

Modern Encounters with the Men in Black

The phenomenon isn’t just historical. Reports of MIB encounters continue into the present day. These modern accounts often feature two types of MIB: the extraterrestrial variety with telepathic abilities and glowing eyes, and the more mundane but equally intimidating government operatives.

Katie Page shared her personal experience from her childhood on a Rocky Mountain ranch in Colorado. Her family experienced a series of strange events, including cattle mutilations and mysterious orbs. During a power outage, an electronic voice warned them to remain silent about their experiences, a chilling encounter reminiscent of traditional MIB intimidation tactics.

Micah Hanks, an experienced UFO researcher, also highlighted the persistence of MIB encounters. He mentioned the famous 2004 USS Nimitz incident, where individuals in plain clothes or unmarked flight suits confiscated radar data after pilots reported a UFO sighting. This suggests that government agents might still be actively involved in suppressing UFO information.

The Men in Black in Popular Culture

The MIB have become iconic figures in popular culture, thanks in part to the “Men in Black” film series. These movies portray the MIB as protectors of Earth who erase witnesses’ memories to maintain secrecy. While entertaining, this depiction contrasts sharply with the more sinister and threatening MIB described in real-life accounts.

Other media, such as “The X-Files,” also explore the MIB theme. Characters like the cigarette-smoking man represent the darker side of government secrecy and intimidation, blending fiction with the unsettling reality reported by many witnesses.

Government Involvement and Suppression

There is substantial evidence suggesting that government agencies have played a role in the MIB phenomenon. Historical incidents, such as the alleged involvement of mysterious figures following the Roswell crash, support this notion. Additionally, cases like the strange disappearance of Dr. Herbert Hopkins, who was visited by a bizarre MIB after investigating a UFO case, further fuel these suspicions.

The Psychological and Sociological Impact

The MIB phenomenon raises intriguing questions about government secrecy, the nature of UFO encounters, and the power of myth. The persistence of MIB reports, despite the lack of concrete evidence, suggests a deep psychological and sociological impact. These stories tap into fears of surveillance and control, reflecting broader anxieties about government transparency and the unknown.

VIDEO:

• https://youtu.be/3uQ1hXdjqY0

Whether viewed as government agents, extraterrestrial beings, or mythic figures, the Men in Black continue to captivate and terrify. Their enigmatic presence in UFO lore underscores the ongoing mystery and fascination with unexplained phenomena. As researchers like Katie Page and Micah Hanks continue to explore these encounters, the true nature of the Men in Black remains an open question, challenging our understanding of reality and the limits of human knowledge.

In revisiting these terrifying encounters with UAP silencers, we are reminded that the line between fact and fiction is often blurred, and the search for truth in the realm of UFOs is as compelling as ever.

OTHER VIDEO LINKS

• https://youtu.be/dBK2l1EKCes

• https://youtu.be/hXO_RwR1UA8

• https://youtu.be/kdbVqqciVtQ

{ https://www.latest-ufo-sightings.net/ }

24-05-2024 om 14:58 geschreven door peter  

Fact Check: Were Mystery 'Pillars of Light' Observed in Sky Over Japan?

• https://youtu.be/1aponAMkCfg

By Tom Norton

Congress' recent support for investigating unidentified sightings in American skies has led to excitement as well as some disappointing results for UFO enthusiasts across the country.

Last January, the Office of the Director of National Intelligence said it was investigating a total of 510 unidentified anomalous phenomena, or UAP, sightings, more than triple the number recorded in its previous report, published in 2021. However, just over half of the new sightings were deemed "unremarkable," giving some pause to the notion that they were signs of alien or extraterrestrial life.

That hasn't altered how social media continues to respond to new pictures of what some believe are extraordinary or even alien phenomena. This week, a series of photos appeared to show mystery pillars or beams shining across a Japanese skyline.

The Claim

A Sunday post on X (formerly Twitter) by user @Banderafella included a photo of what appeared to be huge columns of light shooting out over the sky. The accompanying post read: "Japan sees pillars of light in the sky. Alien invasion?"

A Tuesday post on Instagram by user xtradusk included the same photo, along with a caption: "9 pillars of light appeared in the night sky above a coastal Japanese town. Thoughts on this? #lights #sky #japan #supernatural #scary #extraterrestrials"

The Facts

In the case of the "pillars of light" drawing speculation about an "alien invasion," the truth behind them has been far easier to establish. The photos were posted on May 11 by X user maashii_taiyo and have attracted 12.1 million views. Maashi told the Japanese website Hint-Pot that the phenomenon is caused by light emitted from fishing boats and refracting in the sky, and it is said to occur only under certain weather conditions every few years.

Examples of the pillars as seen from the sea can be seen in other photos posted on social media.

So while the effect may be ethereal or otherworldly, the explanation is not from beyond this world

Earlier this month, social media users reported mysterious spiral UFO sightings in Ukraine and Finland as well as in cities in Arizona and California.

Some speculated that this could be an indication of visitors from beyond Earth. But Alpha Centauri, a Ukrainian nonprofit educational project, said on X that a mysterious white flash spotted over some regions of the country on Thursday evening was the exhaust spiral from a SpaceX Falcon 9 rocket launch from California's Vandenberg Space Force Base.

"Mysterious objects in Ukrainian skies again! Over some regions of the country, the second stage of the Falcon 9 vehicle could be seen launching two WorldView Legion satellites," Alpha Centauri wrote.

The Ruling

Needs Context

While the "pillars of light" were photographed in the sky over Japan, there is nothing mysterious about their origin. The lights come from fishing boats, and they refract in a display said to happen only once every few years.

FACT CHECK BY Newsweek's Fact Check team

{ https://www.newsweek.com/ }

24-05-2024 om 00:00 geschreven door peter  

Bibhu Dev Misra

Edgar Cayce, the “Sleeping Prophet” of America, was probably the most well-known clairvoyant of the 20th century. Over a period of nearly 43 years, beginning in 1901 when he gave his first reading, Cayce used to enter into a trance-like state and diagnose the physical and mental ailments of people who came to him for help and specify astonishingly effective medical treatments.

Cayce’s modus operandi was simple. He would lie down on a couch, take a deep breath and almost instantly pass into the trance state. An attendant would then read out the name and location of the person who needed healing, and specify his or her symptoms. The trance personality, then, dictated the diagnosis and treatment, which was written down by the attendant. Cayce did not even have to be physically present in the same room as his patient. All he needed was the name and location of the person, and he could track him down in the trance state. When a mistake was made in the house number, Cayce reported that the patient was not there. 

Two things were important for obtaining an effective reading; the attendant must not move away from the sleeping body during the trance, and at the end of the reading he must give the suggestion to the body to awaken.

Cayce had no waking knowledge at all of the astonishing things he said during the trance. When he read the stenographic transcripts after a reading, “the stuff amazed him”. He had schooling till the eighth grade, and knew nothing of medicine, anatomy, chemistry, physics, occultism or metaphysics until his trance communications brought him into touch with these subjects. Most people came to him after all other methods of treatment had failed. He was their last resort. In spite of handling such critical cases, Cayce’s remedies were always effective when they were rigorously followed. His biographer Thomas Sugrue assures us that, “there are hundreds of people throughout the United States who will testify, at the drop of a hat, to the accuracy of his diagnoses and the efficacy of his suggestions for treatment.”[1]

Cayce also gave a number of prophetic readings about the coming earth changes and the return of the Messiah. Many people tend to think that the timelines for the predicted events have already passed, and, therefore, his readings were off the mark. But, when I looked into the relevant readings a bit more closely, it became apparent to me that, not only are the prophesied dates yet to pass, they give us dire warnings of a devastating cometary apocalypse set to occur in the near future, which will change our world beyond recognition.

In one of his readings, Cayce had said that the earth changes will begin to manifest from 1998 onwards, as we continue to move towards the Age of Aquarius as a result of the precession of the equinoxes. However, the changes during this period will not be cataclysmic, but will rather manifest in a gradual manner. In another reading, he said that the primary drivers of the changes manifesting in 1998 will be the “breaking up of some conditions in the South Pacific and Mediterranean region.” 

“In 1998 we may find a great deal of the activities as have been wrought by the gradual changes that are coming about. These are at the periods when the cycle of the solar activity, or the years as related to the sun’s passage through the various spheres of activity become paramount to the change between the Piscean and Aquarian age. This is a gradual, not a cataclysmic activity in the experience of the earth in this period.” (Reading 1602-3)

“(Q) How soon will the changes in the Earth's activity begin to be apparent?
(A) When there is the first breaking up of some conditions in the South Sea (that's South Pacific), and those as apparent in the sinking or rising of that that's almost opposite same, or in the Mediterranean, and the Aetna area, then we may know it has begun. (Reading 311-8, April 9, 1932)”

I was curious if any specific climatic event had occurred in 1998 as Cayce had prophesied. And indeed, something quite strange and out of the ordinary had indeed transpired that year, although this is not something that is widely known or talked about. 

There was a steep jump in the earth’s average surface temperature in 1998, as a result of which 1998 became the warmest year on record (till that year, of course). Now, this is not surprising in itself, considering that new temperature records are being created almost every year, and 1998 was the 20th year in a row that the globe's surface was warmer than its recent long-term average, which is the average for 1961 through 1990.

What took scientists by surprise was the margin by which the temperature had increased in 1998. It was the “largest one-year jump”[2] in global average surface temperature on record. An article published in NYT in December 1998, states that, 

“According to the new figures, the average global temperature this year will turn out to be about 58 degrees, a full degree warmer than the 1961-1990 average. “This number's amazing,” said Dr. Philip D. Jones, a climatologist at the University of East Anglia in England, speaking of a field in which records are normally set in fractions.”[3]

But, what was it that had caused the average global temperatures to suddenly shoot up in 1998? Scientists believe that the El Nino phenomenon was to blame. As per the NYT article,

“The reason, they said, is that a fair measure of the warming in 1998 can be attributed to the effects earlier in the year of El Nino, the extensive pool of warm water that develops from time to time in the tropical Pacific. It both warms the global atmosphere and disrupts worldwide weather patterns.” 

So, it was an El Nino effect that had caused the single largest one year jump in average surface temperatures in 1998. But, what exactly is the El Nino, some of us might wonder. This is what the NOAA tells us:

“During normal conditions in the Pacific Ocean, trade winds blow west along the equator, taking warm water from South America towards Asia. To replace that warm water, cold water rises from the depths — a process called upwelling. El Niño and La Niña are two opposing climate patterns that break these normal conditions. Scientists call these phenomena the El Niño-Southern Oscillation (ENSO) cycle… During El Niño, trade winds weaken. Warm water is pushed back east, toward the west coast of the Americas.”[4]

In other words, a “breaking up” of the normal conditions in the Southern Pacific Ocean causes the trade winds to weaken. Scientists don’t really know why the trade winds weaken and why El Niño and La Niña events appear to occur every two to seven years, on average. There is so little we actually know about the drivers of the short-term and long-term fluctuations of climate on our planet. We are literally scratching the tip of the climatic iceberg.

I think Cayce’s prediction about 1998 was right on the money, for not only did we have the “single largest one-year jump” in global average surface temperatures in 1998, it had occurred due to a “breaking up of some conditions in the Pacific Ocean,” exactly as he had prophesied. With that in mind, let’s move on to some of the more frightening prophecies for the future that he had uttered in his trance-like state. 

In the following readings, Cayce tells us of catastrophic earth changes that will occur in the year '36, which will be accompanied by the much-awaited return of the Messiah.

“(Q) How long before this (i.e. the earth changes) will begin?
(A) The indications are that some of these have already begun, yet others would say these are only temporary. We would say they have begun. '36 will see the greater changes apparent, to be sure.” (Reading 311-8, April 9, 1932)

“The catastrophes of outside forces to the earth in ’36 will come from the shifting of the equilibrium of the earth itself in space, with those consequential effects upon the various portions of the country-or world-affected by same.” (Reading 3976-10, August 2, 1932)

“As to the material changes that are to be as an omen, as a sign to those that this is shortly to come to pass-as has been given of old, the sun will be darkened and the earth shall be broken up in diverse places-and then shall be proclaimed-through the spiritual interception in the hearts and minds and souls of those that have sought His way - that His star has appeared, and will point the way for those that enter into the holy of holies in themselves. For, God the Father, God the Teacher, God the director, in the minds and hearts of men, must ever be in those that come to know Him as first and foremost in the seeking of those souls; for He is first the god to the individual and as He is exemplified, as He is manifested in the heart and in the acts of the body, of the individual, He becomes manifested before men. And those that seek in the latter portion of the year of our Lord (as ye have counted in and among men) ’36, He will appear.” (Reading 3976-15, January 19, 1934)

In all of these readings, Cayce refers to the year ’36 as the time of “apocalyptic earth changes” and the return of the Savior or Avatar. But, what did he really mean by the year ’36?  Most scholars of the 20th century assumed that the year ’36 refers to 1936, and, on the basis of that assumption, they had no difficulty in arriving at the conclusion that Cayce had either mentioned this date by mistake, or had got it flat-out wrong. 

But, if you come to think of it, why would Cayce – sitting in the year 1934 - make predictions about the arrival of the Messiah just two years later in 1936, when he had, in fact, gone on to make a set of stunningly accurate predictions about the Second World War? If the Messiah’s arrival was scheduled for 1936, there should have been no question of further global conflicts beyond that point. It helps to remember that, even though Cayce’s readings were spread apart by many years, there was a striking internal consistency across the readings. He – or rather, his trance personality - hardly ever contradicted himself on any matter.

What if, it wasn’t the year 1936 that Cayce was talking about, but the year 2036, exactly one century later? If the gradual earth changes were to begin in 1998, then it is most logical to believe that Cayce was referring to the year 2036 as the time of epochal changes. 

Let’s take stock of what Cayce had said might transpire in that year. He said that the Earth's changes in 2036 will be initiated by “outside forces”, which will disturb the “equilibrium of the earth itself in space”, and, as a result, “the sun will be darkened and the earth shall be broken up in diverse places”, which will be followed by the appearance of “His star”. I think it is quite evident that these events can only be caused by a set of devastating comet and meteor impacts. Cometary bombardments can disturb the equilibrium of the earth in space, meteor dust can block out the sun, and impact events can cause the continental shelves to shatter. The appearance “His star” in the heavens could mean that a particularly effulgent comet will become visible to us, which serves as the “messenger” or “symbol” of the Savior.

In other words, all the indications of a cataclysmic cometary apocalypse in the year 2036 are contained in these readings. What’s even more intriguing is that, exactly in the year 2036, the Earth is scheduled to pass through the dense core of the Taurid meteor stream which contains a large number of colossal, dormant comets and full-size asteroids that have struck us in the past with devastating consequences. 

While I have written about the Taurid comet swarm in the past, it is pertinent to touch upon some important points at this stage.

We know that the Earth experiences a number of meteor showers every year, in the course of its annual orbit around the sun. The meteor showers occur when the earth passes through a meteor stream that intersects its orbits. The meteor streams are “rivers of debris” left behind by a comet with an Earth-crossing orbit, and composed mainly of dust and pebbles.  

The Taurid meteor stream is the largest stream of cosmic debris in the inner solar system. The Earth crosses the Taurid stream twice in the course of its orbit around the sun, once in summer (June-July) and once in late autumn (September to December). While most meteor streams contain small particles, not larger than a grain of sand or a pebble, the Taurid meteor stream contains some large chunks of rocks, which have struck the earth in the past. Astronomers believe that the Beta Taurids – which is the segment of the Taurid stream we cross in summer, having peak activity on June 29 - probably caused the Tunguska event of June 30, 1908, when a large meteor exploded over Eastern Siberia with the force of a 1000 Hiroshima nuclear bombs and flattened over 2000 square kilometers of forest.[5] The meteor is believed to have been about 120 feet across and weighed 100 million kilograms. 

British astronomers Victor Clube and Bill Napier had postulated that the progenitor of the Taurid stream was a giant comet, around 50 - 100 km in diameter, which had entered the inner solar system at least 20,000 to 30,000 years ago. The comet was tossed into a short-term orbit around the Sun, and disintegrated in stages, leaving behind the trail of debris known as the Taurid meteor stream or Taurid Complex.[6]

The research carried out by Clube, Napier, Asher, Steel and their colleagues indicates that the giant progenitor comet of the Taurid meteor stream remains hidden in the center of the Taurids, moving within a tightly packed swarm consisting of several large comets formed by the fragmentation of the progenitor (all of which are in a dormant state), and dozens of full-size asteroids up to 1 km wide. This dense cluster of comets and asteroids within the Taurid meteor stream is called the “Taurid Resonant Swarm”. 

Clube and Napier have argued that large chunks of rock from the Taurid Resonant Swarm have struck us many times within the historical timeframe when the earth passed through this dense swarm, and would continue to do so with catastrophic consequences in the future.

The faint Comet Encke, which is the only visible comet within the Taurid meteor stream today, orbits the Sun once in 3.3 years and could be a recently reactivated fragment of the Taurid progenitor comet. The Taurid Resonant Swarm is in an orbit similar to that of Comet Encke’s, moving around the sun in an Earth-crossing orbit every 3.3 years. 

Napier had noted that at least 19 of the largest NEO’s (Near-Earth Objects) have orbits significantly close to that of Comet Encke, and are likely to be the remnants of the giant Taurid progenitor.[7]

Recently, astronomers Ignacio Ferrin and Vincenzo Orofino examined dozens of previously published papers and identified 88 new asteroids in the Taurid stream. Using the secular light curve technique, which looks for changes in each member’s brightness along its orbit, they found evidence of cometary activity in 67 percent of the 51 new Taurid members they had good data on. The orbital alignment of these 88 bodies with Comet Encke, and the signs of outgassing, indicate that they have cometary origin, most likely from the fragmentation of the Taurid progenitor.[8]

In an article in National Geographic, Australian astronomer Duncan Steel provided a specific estimate of the periodicity of the impact events triggered by the Taurid swarm:

“Every 2,500 to 3,000 years or so, the core of the Taurid stream passes near Earth and produces much more intense meteor showers for a few centuries, said Steel. A gap of a few centuries separates the era of intensity between Northern Taurids and Southern Taurids.”[9]

This is a significant observation from the perspective of the Yuga Cycle doctrine. The periodicity of the impacts triggered by the Taurid Resonant Swarm appears to be synchronized with the cataclysmic periods of transition between the Yugas, which last for roughly 300 years and are spaced apart by 2700 years. 

Quite shockingly, the possibility of a direct encounter with the swarm is quite close at hand. Astronomers Victor Clube and David Asher had published a paper in the Quarterly Journal of the Royal Astronomical Society, in which they said that, as per their computations, the earth will pass directly through the center of the Taurid Resonant Swarm in the years 2032 and 2036.[10]

The 2036 encounter with the Taurid Resonant Swarm will be in June when the earth will pass through the Beta Taurids. This is the part of the stream which is believed to contain many large Tunguska-scale objects. These two head-on collisions with the Taurid Resonant Swarm could set off a chain of global catastrophes leading to the collapse of our civilization. 

Now we can understand why Edgar Cayce made a number of apocalyptic predictions for the year 2036, with clear insinuations of comet impacts. In all probability, he was referring to the head-on collision of the Earth with the Taurid Resonant Swarm in the year 2036. It appears that modern science is finally catching up with the wisdom of the ancients and the essential truth contained in the eschatological texts and the prophecies of Cayce.

Cayce also prophesied that the Earth changes will continue to occur even after the return of the Messiah, and the geology and climate of our planet will be fundamentally re-organized. In the reading given in January 1934, that I had referred to earlier, Cayce had prophesied that a massive restructuring of the continents would occur from the years ’58 to ’98, which, we can be quite certain, refers to the time period from 2058 to 2098.

“As to the changes physical again: The earth will be broken up in the western portion of America. The greater portion of Japan must go into the sea. The upper portion of Europe will be changed as in the twinkling of an eye. Land will appear off the east coast of America. There will be the upheavals in the Arctic and in the Antarctic that will make for the eruption of volcanoes in the Torrid areas, and there will be shifting then of the poles - so that where there has been those of a frigid or the semi-tropical will become the more tropical, and moss and fern will grow. And these will begin in those periods in '58 to '98, when these will be proclaimed as the periods when His light will be seen again in the clouds. As to times, as to seasons, as to places, ALONE is it given to those who have named the name - and who bear the mark of those of His calling and His election in their bodies. To them it shall be given.” (Reading 3976-15, January 19, 1934)

Cayce’s prophesies for the massive geological re-organization of the earth, beginning in the period from 2058 to 2098, is aligned with the Yuga Cycle formulation that I have presented in my book YUGA SHIFT. As per the timeline shown below, the end of the Kali Yuga in 2025 will be followed by a 1200-year-long period of transition called Ekpyrosis, a Greek term meaning “conflagration”, when the earth will be cleansed and purified by means of fire, before the ascending Yuga Cycle begins.

The ascending and descending cycles of consciousness are spaced apart by two 1200-year periods of purification which the Greek philosophers called Kataklysmos and Ekpyrosis. Kataklysmos, meaning, “Deluge”, is the “great winter” of the Great Year, when the earth is inundated by water, at the end of the Golden Age or Satya Yuga. Ekpyrosis, meaning “conflagration”, is the “great summer” of the Great Year, when the world is destroyed by fire after the completion of the Kali Yuga or Iron Age.

The period of Kataklysmos corresponds to the long period of freezing temperatures called the Younger Dryas, which extended for nearly 1200 years from 10,900 BCE - 9700 BCE. During this time, global temperatures had plummeted by nearly 10 - 15°C to near-glacial conditions and the glaciers had advanced to their Ice Age positions. 

In 2007, a team of international scientists led by Richard B. Firestone found compelling evidence that that the earth was bombarded by multiple fragments of a giant disintegrating comet nearly 12,900 years ago, (c.10,900 BCE) which destabilized the Laurentide Ice Sheet and triggered the Younger Dryas cooling. The shock waves and biomass burning generated by this catastrophic impact even led to the extinction of 35 genera of North American Pleistocene megafauna, and ended the prehistoric Clovis culture.[11] A dense, carbon-rich, black layer, called the “black mat” was deposited over the bones of the extinct megafauna and the Clovis artifacts at more than 50 sites across North America. The black mat contains evidence of biomass burning and impact proxies such as elevated levels of Iridium, and its thickness spans the entire Younger Dryas cooling period from c.10, 900 – 9,700 BCE. This suggests that impact events must have continued to occur throughout the entire Younger Dryas period! 

The end of Kali Yuga in 2025 will also be followed by an extended period of cataclysmic activity called Ekpyrosis, or the “great summer” of the Great Year, for nearly 1200 years. In other words, post 2025, it will be the Younger Dryas period all over again; except that, this time the cleansing will be by fire, and not by ice and water. We can reasonably expect that the chain of comets that caused the Younger Dryas cataclysms will return to cleanse and purify our world of all the toxic chemicals that humanity has dumped on it over the past few thousand years. They could be responsible for the dramatic earth changes that Cayce had prophesied would begin between 2058 and 2098. 

There are direct references to the upcoming period of Ekpyrosis in many end-time prophecies. For instance, the Kalachakra Tantra prophecy tells us that, after the divine Savior Rudra Chakrin destroys the evil forces in an apocalyptic battle, he will bestow “the “perfect age” for at least “a thousand years”, during which time, “the whole world will turn into Shambhala with no sickness or poverty, and no need to work to earn a living.”[12]

This dovetails with Revelation, according to which, after his Second Coming, Christ will reign for a “thousand years” along with the resurrected holy men.[13] Both these prophecies appear to be telling us about the 1200-year period of transition called Ekpyrosis which will follow the Kali Yuga, before the ascending Yuga Cycle begins. 

Even though the 1200-year period of Ekpyrosis will be a time of significant earth changes and periodic comet impacts, it will be an amazing time to live for the survivors of the impending apocalyptic events which, it appears, will culminate in the year 2036. Our planet will be cleansed, healed and renewed and a new, divine energy will course through our bodies, activating our dormant chakra centers and subtle mental abilities. As a result, the people of that period are likely to experience powerful feelings of bliss, connectedness and expanded awareness that are inconceivable today. The interdimensional doorways are likely to open up, and the survivors will learn of new ways of living that promote peace, truth, justice and harmony. These small bands of survivors, who may live in isolated settlements across the world, will establish the foundations of a new civilization that will eventually grow into the enlightened societies of the ascending Yuga Cycle.
 
References

• Thomas Sugrue, There is a River, ARE Press, 1942.
• Rebecca Lindsey , "Did global warming stop in 1998?" Climate.gov, September 4, 2018,
  https://www.climate.gov/news-features/climate-qa/did-global-warming-stop-1998
• William K. Stevens, "Earth Temperature in 1998 Is Reported at Record High", The New York Times, Dec. 18, 1998, https://www.nytimes.com/1998/12/18/us/earth-temperature-in-1998-is-reported-at-record-high.html
• What are El Niño and La Niña?, National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration (NOAA), https://oceanservice.noaa.gov/facts/ninonina.html
  
• John Roach, “Meteor Shower Promises Seven Shooting Stars an Hour”, National Geographic News, 7 November 2003, https://news.nationalgeographic.com/news/2003/11/1107_031107_taurids.html
  
• D.I. Steel, D.J. Asher, S.V.M Clube, “The Taurid Complex: Giant Comet Origin?” International Astronomical Union Colloquium, 1991, Vol. 126, pp. 327-330, https://doi.org/10.1017/S0252921100067063 
  
• W. M. Napier, “Palaeolithic extinctions and the Taurid Complex”, Monthly Notices of the Royal Astronomical Society, Vol.405, No.3, July 2010, pp. 1901–1906, https://doi.org/10.1111/j.1365-2966.2010.16579.x
  
• James Romero, "Swarm of Near-Earth Comets Linked to Recent Ice Giant Breakup", Discover Magazine, 30 Sep 2021, https://www.discovermagazine.com/the-sciences/swarm-of-near-earth-comets-linked-to-recent-ice-giant-breakup
• John Roach, “Meteor Shower Promises Seven Shooting Stars an Hour”, National Geographic News, 7 November 2003, https://news.nationalgeographic.com/news/2003/11/1107_031107_taurids.html
• D.J. Asher, S.V.M. Clube, “An Extraterrestrial Influence during the Current Glacial-Interglacial”,    Quarterly Journal of the Royal Astronomical Society, 1993, Vol.34, No.4, pp. 481-511.
• R. B. Firestone et al, “Evidence for an extraterrestrial impact 12,900 years ago that contributed to the megafaunal extinctions and the Younger Dryas cooling”, Proceedings of the National Academy of Sciences (PNAS), Oct 2007, Vol.104, No.41, pp. 16016-16021, https://www.pnas.org/doi/full/10.1073/pnas.0706977104
• Victoria Dmitrieva, The Legend of Shambhala in Eastern and Western Interpretations, Mc Gill University, November 1997, p. 11.
• Revelation 20.4-6

{ https://mysteriousuniverse.org/ }

23-05-2024 om 16:25 geschreven door peter  

{ https://mysteriousuniverse.org/ }

23-05-2024 om 16:10 geschreven door peter  

Meest gedetailleerde Maanatlas ooit gepubliceerd: het zal door China worden gebruikt voor toekomstige missies

Door Janine

Hoewel er al tientallen jaren geen menselijke missies meer zijn geweest, staat de maan altijd centraal in dromen over ruimteverkenning. Verschillende landen hebben sondes gestuurd om onze satelliet in een baan om de aarde of direct op het oppervlak te bestuderen. Onlangs ging de Chinese Academie van Wetenschappen echter een stap verder en publiceerde de meest gedetailleerde Maanatlas ooit. Laten we eens kijken hoe het mogelijk was om dit resultaat te bereiken, en waarom.

Een monumentale prestatie

CAS - CC-BY 4.0

Pogingen om een gedetailleerde atlas van het maanoppervlak te maken zijn zeker niet nieuw. Er bestaan wel kaarten van de maan, zelfs vrij recente, maar die zijn gebaseerd op gegevens van de Apollo-missies van de NASA in de jaren ’60 en ’70. Modern onderzoek heeft meer actuele en nauwkeurige gegevens nodig en daarom werkt de Chinese Academie van Wetenschappen al 10 jaar aan een nieuwe Maanatlas. Met als doel om er de meest gedetailleerde ooit van te maken.

Na tien jaar werk en de betrokkenheid van meer dan 100 onderzoekers heeft de CAS een ongekende geologische kaart van de maan met een hoge resolutie gepubliceerd. De atlas is gemaakt op een schaal van 1:2.500.000 en geeft experts de mogelijkheid om het maanoppervlak gedetailleerder dan ooit te bestuderen. Voor alle duidelijkheid: eerdere atlassen hadden een schaal van 1:500.000.000: het is niet te vergelijken

Onthullingen van de nieuwe Maanatlas

Unsplash / NASA

Het is duidelijk dat de samenstelling van de Maanatlas, de meest gedetailleerde ooit, perfect past bij de nieuwe interesse van China in onze satelliet. De geologische kaart geeft een gedetailleerd overzicht van meer dan 12 duizend kraters, 81 bekkens en 17 soorten maangesteenten, samen met andere geologische informatie. Dit zijn gegevens die zullen worden gebruikt voor toekomstige verkenningen, al dan niet door mensen, en ook om te beslissen waar het binnenkort te bouwen International Lunar Research Station zal worden gebouwd. Een van de verantwoordelijken voor het project is Ross Mitchell, een geofysicus bij de Chinese Academie van Wetenschappen, die commentaar geeft op de nieuwe Maanatlas:

Elke vraag in de geologie begint met het bekijken van een geologische kaart. Bijdragen aan de maanwetenschap is voor China ook een belangrijke manier om zijn mogelijke rol als wetenschappelijke macht in de komende decennia te bevestigen.

Groeiende Chinese belangstelling voor de maan

NASA

Mitchells woorden, maar ook de Maanatlas zelf, passen in een veel breder plaatje waarin China een actieve speler is op het gebied van maanverkenning. De eerste menselijke missies, gepland voor de nabije toekomst, zijn bijvoorbeeld bedoeld om een geavanceerd surveillancesysteem te testen. Tegelijkertijd is de Chang'e 6-missie al van start gegaan, die tot doel heeft om:

• te landen op de verborgen kant van de maan;
• mineraalmonsters van het oppervlak te nemen
• de monsters terug te brengen naar de aarde voor onderzoek.

Hoe je het ook bekijkt, de verkenning van de Maan is zojuist een nieuwe fase ingegaan waarin de verschillende ruimtevaartorganisaties intenties, middelen en resultaten met elkaar vergelijken. Naast het Skynet-systeem en de Chang'e 6-missie heeft de Chinese Academie van Wetenschappen de wereld zojuist de meest gedetailleerde Maanatlas ooit gegeven. Een hoogtepunt van 10 jaar onderzoek, maar ook een startpunt voor toekomstige verkenningen die we ons nog niet kunnen voorstellen.

{ https://www.curioctopus.nl/ }

23-05-2024 om 15:47 geschreven door peter  

Demanding the Truth: Rep. Tim Burchett’s Fight for UFO Disclosure

In a recent interview on NewsNation’s “The Hill,” Rep. Tim Burchett, a Republican from Tennessee, passionately advocated for the declassification of all federal documents related to Unidentified Aerial Phenomena (UAP), commonly referred to as UFOs. As the chair of the UAP Caucus Committee, Burchett’s stance is rooted in a firm belief that the American public has a right to know the truth about these mysterious occurrences and how the government is handling them.

The Call for Transparency

Burchett’s push for transparency is not without reason. He points to compelling evidence from credible sources, including military pilots, who have reported close encounters with UAPs. One such incident involved an object that came within 14 feet of a pilot’s canopy. Despite these alarming reports, many government departments continue to deny the existence of UAPs while simultaneously funding related projects with millions of taxpayer dollars.

The congressman underscores the discrepancy between the government’s public stance and its financial allocations. “Our federal government, many departments tell us they don’t exist yet they’re still being funded tens of millions of dollars,” Burchett remarked, highlighting the need for accountability in how these funds are used.

Legislative Challenges

Introducing a bill to declassify UAP documents is just the beginning of a complex legislative journey. Burchett acknowledges that getting the bill to the floor for a vote, and ultimately passed, involves navigating a maze of political hurdles. However, he remains optimistic, citing commitments from key figures such as Speaker of the House Mike Johnson and Chairman Comer, who have assured a fair hearing and process for the bill.

Burchett is prepared to face opposition head-on. “Let them vote against it because if they vote against it, what have they got to hide?” he challenges, urging transparency and accountability from his fellow lawmakers.

Ongoing UAP Encounters

According to Burchett, encounters with UAPs are not a thing of the past. He receives frequent reports and briefings from pilots and former intelligence agents, reinforcing his suspicions about the continuous nature of these phenomena. “I’ve been briefed by pilots, and former intelligence agents have confirmed many of my suspicions about this,” he shared, emphasizing the need for public awareness and government disclosure.

One of Burchett’s primary concerns is the outsourcing of UAP-related projects to private corporations. These companies operate under government contracts that often lack transparency, making it difficult for the public to obtain information through Freedom of Information Act (FOIA) requests.

Government Secrecy and Accountability

Burchett criticizes the government’s history of secrecy, particularly its practice of issuing heavily redacted reports. He calls for a comprehensive audit to determine how taxpayer money is being spent on UAP research and recovery efforts. “Our own Pentagon has not passed an audit in the history of audit,” Burchett points out, questioning the accountability of a department that cannot account for a substantial portion of its budget.

The congressman’s plea is straightforward: provide the public with unfiltered information. He argues that knowing the truth about UAPs will not alter personal beliefs but will enhance understanding of the phenomena and the government’s role in investigating them. “It’s not about little green men or flying saucers. It’s about where we stand and what we are spending our money on.”

• https://youtu.be/cOsGpYhVir0

Rep. Tim Burchett’s call for the declassification of UAP documents is a plea for transparency and government accountability. By bringing these documents to light, he aims to dispel myths and provide the public with the truth they deserve. As the debate continues, Burchett’s efforts highlight a critical need for openness in government operations, especially concerning phenomena that captivate public interest and raise significant questions about our understanding of the universe.

{ https://www.latest-ufo-sightings.net/ }

23-05-2024 om 15:23 geschreven door peter  

The authors of a new paper examine that question. The paper is “Detectability of Solar Panels as a Technosignature,” and it’ll be published in The Astrophysical Journal. The lead author is Ravi Kopparapu from NASA’s Goddard Space Flight Center.

In their paper, the authors assess the detectability of silicon-based solar panels on an Earth-like habitable zone planet. “Silicon-based photovoltaic cells have high reflectance in the UV-VIS and in the near-IR, within the wavelength range of a space-based flagship mission concept like the Habitable Worlds Observatory (HWO),” the authors write. The HWO would search for and image Earth-like worlds in habitable zones. There’s no timeline for the mission, but the 2020 Decadal Survey recommended the telescope be built. This research looks ahead to the mission or one like it sometime in the future.

Naturally, the authors make a number of assumptions about a hypothetical ETI using solar power. They assume that an ETI is using large-scale photovoltaics (PVs) based on silicon and that their planet orbits a Sun-like star. Silicon PVs are cost-effective to produce, and they are well-suited to harness the energy from a Sun-like star.

Kopparapu and his co-authors aren’t the first to suggest that silicon PVs could constitute a technosignature. In a 2017 paper, Avi Loeb and Manasvi Lingam from the Harvard-Smithsonian Center for Astrophysics wrote that silicon-based PVs create an artificial edge in their spectra. This edge is similar to the ‘red edge‘ detectable in Earth’s vegetation when viewed from space but shifted to shorter wavelengths. “Future observations of reflected light from exoplanets would be able to detect both natural and artificial edges photometrically if a significant fraction of the planet’s surface is covered by vegetation or photovoltaic arrays, respectively,” Lingam and Loeb wrote.

“The “edge” refers to the noticeable increase in the reflectance of the material under consideration when a reflected light spectrum is taken of the planet,” the authors of the new research explain. Satellites monitor the red edge on Earth to observe agricultural crops, and the same could apply to sensing PVs on other worlds.

While Lingam and Loeb suggested the possibility, Kopparapu and his co-authors dug deeper. They point out that we could generate enough energy for our needs (as of 2022) if only 2.4% of the Earth’s surface was covered in silicon-based PVs. The 2.4% number is only accurate if the chosen location is optimized. For Earth, that means the Sahara Desert, and something similar may be true on an alien world.

The authors explain, “This region is both close to the equator, where a comparatively greater amount of solar energy would be available throughout the year, and has minimal cloud coverage.”

The authors also work with a 23% land coverage number. This number reflects previous research showing that for a projected maximum human population of 10 billion people, 23% land coverage would provide a high standard of living for everyone. They also use it as an upper limit because anything beyond that seems highly unlikely and would have negative consequences. On Earth, the entire continent of Africa is about 23% of the surface.

The authors’ calculations show that an 8-meter telescope similar to the HWO would not detect an Earth-like exoplanet with 2.4% of its surface covered with PVs.

f an ETI covered 23% of its surface with energy-harvesting PVs, would that be detectable? It would be difficult to untangle the planet’s light from the star’s light and would require hundreds of hours of observation time to reach an acceptable Signal-to-Noise (S/N) ratio.

“Because we have chosen the 0.34 ?m–0.52?m range to calculate the impact of silicon panels on the reflectance spectra, the difference between a planet with and without silicon is not markedly different, even with 23% land cover,” the authors explain.

Technological progress adds another wrinkle to these numbers. As PV technology advances, an ETI would cover less of its planet’s surface area to generate the same amount of energy, making detection even more difficult.

Solar energy is expanding rapidly on Earth. Each year, more individual homes, businesses, and institutions implement solar arrays. Those might not constitute technosignatures, but individual installations aren’t the only thing growing.

China built a vast solar power plant called the Gonghe Photovoltaic Project in its sparsely populated Qinghai Province. It generates 3182 MW. India has the Bhadla Solar Park (2,245 MW) in the Thar Desert. Saudi Arabia has built several new solar plants and intends to build more. Other innovative solar projects are announced regularly.

But will we realistically ever cover 2.4% of our planet in solar arrays? Will we need to? There are many questions.

Generating solar power in the heat of the Sahara Desert is challenging. The extreme heat reduces efficiency. Building the infrastructure required to deliver the energy to population centres is also another challenge. Then consider that silicon-based PVs may not be the end point in solar panel development. Perovskite-based PVs hold a lot of promise to outperform silicon. They’re more efficient than silicon, and researchers frequently break energy records with them (in laboratories.) Would perovskite PVs create the same “edge” in a planet’s spectra?

The authors didn’t consider specific technological advances like perovskite because it’s beyond the scope of their paper.

The bottom line is that silicon-based solar arrays on a planetary surface are unlikely to create an easily detectable technosignature. “Assuming an 8-meter HWO-like telescope, focusing on the reflection edge in the UV-VIS, and considering varying land coverage of solar panels on an Earth-like exoplanet that match the present and projected energy needs, we estimate that several hundreds of hours of observation time is needed to reach a SNR of ~5 for a high land coverage of ~23%,” the authors write.

The authors also wonder what this means for the Kardashev Scale and things like Dyson Spheres. In that paradigm, ETIs require more and more energy and eventually build a mega engineering project that harvests all of the energy available from their star. A Dyson Sphere would create a powerful technosignature, and astronomers are already looking for them.

But if the numbers in this research are correct, we may never see one because they’re not needed.

“We find that, even with significant population growth, the energy needs of human civilization would be several orders of magnitude below the energy threshold for a Kardashev Type I civilization or a Dyson sphere/swarm which harnesses the energy of a star,” they conclude. “This line of inquiry reexamines the utility of such concepts and potentially addresses one crucial aspect of the Fermi paradox: We have not discovered any large-scale engineering yet, conceivably because advanced technologies may not need them.”

{ https://www.universetoday.com/ }

23-05-2024 om 01:43 geschreven door peter  

Einstein, teleportatie en het raadselachtige 'Philadelphia Experiment'

©Shutterstock

Einstein, teleportatie en het raadselachtige 'Philadelphia Experiment'
Geloof je in buitenaards leven? Denk je dat tijdreizen een mogelijkheid is? Als jouw antwoorden op beide vragen 'nee' is, lees dan verder over deze vermeende gebeurtenis in de Verenigde Staten tijdens de Tweede Wereldoorlog. Het is huiveringwekkend!

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Vragen zonder antwoorden
Het universum verbergt veel mysteries. Een daarvan is of er intelligent leven aanwezig. Het volgende verhaal suggereert dat dit inderdaad het geval is en onthult daarnaast dingen die nog angstaanjagender zijn.

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Context
Het is 1943 en de Verenigde Staten zijn volop verwikkeld in de Tweede Wereldoorlog.

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Experiment
Volgens het boek 'The Expanding Case for the UFO' van Morris K. Jessup (een aan de University of Michigan opgeleide astronoom) heeft de Amerikaanse marine een experiment uitgevoerd dat bekend zou worden als het 'Philadelphia Experiment'.

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Teleportatie
Het verhaal gaat dat het de Amerikanen gelukt is om een marineschip, de USS Eldridge, te laten verdwijnen.

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Hoe gebeurde het?
Verondersteld wordt dat het schip, gemeerd in de stad Philadelphia, in een flits licht, met haar bemanning en al, aan boord spoorloos verdween.

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Waar ging het naartoe?
Er wordt gezegd dat de USS Eldridge werd geteleporteerd naar een marinebasis in Norfolk, in de staat Virginia.

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Getuigen
Vermeend getuige van het incident was marinier Carl Allen. Hij beweerde eveneens te hebben gezien dat enkele bemanningsleden dood waren, versmolten met de scheepsromp.

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Alle informatie verwijderen
De overlevenden van het experiment zouden naar een psychische inrichting zijn gestuurd.

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Gehersenspoeld
Ze zeggen dat de bemanningsleden zijn gehersenspoeld zodat ze het incident zouden vergeten.

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EInstein's onderzoek
Volgens het History Channel, ontwikkelde Albert Einstein een project van voor het Amerikaanse leger dat het fenomeen zou kunnen verklaren.

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Einstein's onderzoek
Volgens zijn unificatietheorie ('theorie van alles'), zou een elektromagnetisch apparaat hiervoor verantwoordelijk kunnen zijn. De VS wilde oceaan kunnen oversteken zonder dat het door de vijandelijke schepen waargenomen zou worden.

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Onzichtbaar
Volgens het History Channel, zou Einstein een experiment hebben ontwikkeld waarbij een sterk elektromagnetisch veld werd geïnstalleerd op het schip dat het 'onzichtbaar' zou maken voor radars en mijnen. Maar beweerd wordt dat het experiment een heel ander effect had.

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Brieven
Carl Allen wilde zijn ervaringen niet voor zich houden en schreef naar de astronoom Morris K. Jessup.

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Nieuwe onderzoeken
Morris K. Jessup was gefascineerd door de verhalen en begon zijn eigen onderzoeken waarin hij wat verrassende dingen te weten kwam.

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Mysterieuze dood
Maar voordat hij deze vermeende vondsten kon doen, werd hij dood gevonden in zijn auto.

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Doodsoorzaak
De officiële doodsoorzaak was zelfmoord maar sommigen beweren dat hij is vermoord. Zou dit waar kunnen zijn?

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Revelation
Maar in 1969 probeerde Carl Allen een einde te maken aan de speculaties door publiekelijk te verkondigen dat het allemaal bedrog was.

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Onthulling
Deze onthulling werd gedaan in de burelen van de Aerial Phenomena Research Organization van Arizona.

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Film
De film 'The Philadelphia Experiment' is gebaseerd op het verhaal en werd uitgebracht in 1984. Jaren later zou de film opnieuw voor controverse zorgen.

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Getuigenis
Alfred Bielek kwam met nieuwe getuigenverklaringen en claimde dat de film hem zijn ervaringen tijdens het experiment opnieuw deed beleven. Volgens hem werden ze niet alleen naar een andere plek geteleporteerd, maar hebben ze ook door de tijd gereisd.

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Buitenaards leven
Door de ophoping van zoveel energie zou er volgens Bielek een doorgangsportaal in de ruimte zijn ontstaan door welke UFO's naar onze planeet zouden kunnen komen.

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Bewijs?
Alfred Bielek ging zelfs verder en zei dat de Amerikaanse marine hier niet alleen weet van had, maar dat het eveneens een buitenaards wezen gevangen had weten te nemen.

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Verre van voorbij
Zij die niet in deze samenzweringstheorie geloven wijzen op objectieve feiten die het weerspreken. Voor hen die er wel in geloven, zijn de antwoorden op het marineschip zelf te vinden.

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Verslagen
Volgens de verslagen is er geen buitengewone activiteit waargenomen en er is ook geen document dat kan bevestigen dat het schip in Norfolk is aangemeerd.

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Onzichtbaarheid
Er zijn gevorderde wetenschappelijke onderzoeken gedaan naar onzichtbaarheid die geen directe relatie hebben tot de theorie van Einstein.

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Vliegtuigen
Volgens wetenschappers kunnen vliegtuigen onzichtbaar gemaakt worden voor radars, maar niet voor licht

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Mening
Wat denk jij ervan? Geloof je erin of denk je dat het gewoon bedrog was?

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23-05-2024 om 00:00 geschreven door peter  

Wat je nog niet weet over het einde der tijden

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Wat je nog niet weet over het einde der tijden
Het boek Openbaring (Apokalypse in het Grieks) is een nogal dramatisch deel van de Bijbel en beschrijft de laatste strijd tussen het goede en het kwade. Maar wie schreef het boek eigenlijk en wat kunnen we er nu uit opmaken? Klik verder en ontdek!

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Het gaat niet alleen om het einde van de wereld
Veel mensen geloven dat het boek Openbaring slechts een apocalyptisch verslag is van wat er gaat komen. Maar de auteur van het boek, Johannes, was eigenlijk meer bezig met de wederkomst van Christus.

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Het gaat niet alleen om het einde van de wereld
In 70 n.Chr. maakte Johannes een tragische episode in de geschiedenis mee, toen de Romeinen Jeruzalem zo goed als verwoestten. Jezus moest terugkeren om de Romeinen te laten boeten voor zijn dood en de vervolging van christenen.

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Het gaat niet alleen om het einde van de wereld
Door dit soort anti-Romeinse propaganda bleven christenen geloven dat hun heer en verlosser nog tijdens hun leven zou terugkeren. Het was daarmee eigenlijk een perfecte manier om christenen te motiveren christen te blijven.

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De apocalypse zou het script van een horrorfilm kunnen zijn
Sommige delen van het boek Openbaring zijn extreem gewelddadig. Dit geldt in het bijzonder voor de apocalyps. Dat begint met de vier ruiters van de apocalyps. De paarden waarop ze reden om precies te zijn.

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De vier ruiters van de apocalyps
Openbaring 9:17-19 biedt enig inzicht in hoe deze 'paarden' eruit zagen: 'De koppen van de paarden leken op de koppen van leeuwen, en uit hun mond kwam vuur, rook en zwavel.'

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De vier ruiters van de apocalyps
'De kracht van de paarden zat in hun monden en in hun staarten; want hun staarten waren als slangen, met koppen waarmee ze verwondingen toebrachten.'

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De mensheid komt er slecht vanaf
Ze worden levend gekookt door de zon, worden getroffen door gigantische hagelstenen, en dan wordt de zon zwart en verandert de maan in bloed. Oh ja, de sterren vallen ook nog uit de lucht en als klap op de vuurpijl komt er nog een aardbeving.

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Het wordt nog gekker
Er komen ook nog sprinkhanen wier 'gezichten op menselijke gezichten lijken. Hun haar is als vrouwenhaar en hun tanden zijn als leeuwentanden.' Ze hebben ook een angel als schorpioenen, maar mogen niemand doden. In plaats daarvan zullen ze mensen vijf maanden lang martelen.

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Openbaring heeft de Bijbel gehaald dankzij één man
Het duurde een paar jaar voordat de Bijbel werd samengesteld. Onder de vele beschouwde boeken zat het boek Openbaring. Athanasius was een van de meest invloedrijke priesters in het proces.

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Openbaring heeft de Bijbel gehaald dankzij één man
Terwijl veel andere geleerden en priesters Openbaring verwierpen, zag Athanasius het als een krachtig wapen om te gebruiken tegen iedereen die zich tegen de kerk wilde afzetten. Ondanks dat hij tijdens zijn carrière als bisschop vijf keer werd afgezet en verbannen, was zijn visie geloofwaardig genoeg om het boek in het Nieuwe Testament op te nemen.

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Wie heeft het boek Openbaring geschreven?
Er is enige discussie over welke Johannes eigenlijk Openbaring heeft geschreven. Er zijn namelijk vijf mannen met de naam Johannes in de Bijbel, een van hen was de apostel van Jezus en de auteur van een van de evangeliën.

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Wie heeft het boek Openbaring geschreven?
Een andere theorie is dat de schrijver van het boek 'Johannes' en het boek Openbaring dezelfde zijn. Maar niet iedereen deelt die mening.

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Dus wie schreef Openbaring nu?
De apostel Johannes noemt meerdere keren zijn eigen naam in zijn boek, maar dat doet hij niet in Openbaring. Daarom wordt verondersteld dat Openbaring niet van zijn hand kan zijn.

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Dus wie schreef Openbaring nu?
Beide auteurs verwijzen naar Jezus als het lam, maar ze gebruiken verschillende Griekse woorden voor het dier. Bovendien is het Grieks zelf op een veel betere manier geschreven door de Johannes apostel, terwijl de auteur van Openbaring geen moedertaalspreker lijkt te zijn.

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De schrijver was geen doorsnee christen
Het christendom was destijds verdeeld in vele facties, en Johannes was waarschijnlijk een Jood die Jezus als de Joodse Messias zag.

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De harde mening van Johannes
De schrijver geeft in het boek talloze tips. Hij was er bijvoorbeeld geen voorstander van dat heidenen (niet-joden) volgelingen van Jezus zouden worden zonder de regels te volgen die in de Thora zijn uiteengezet.

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De harde mening van Johannes
Johannes was ook bepaald geen fan van kerken die heidenen accepteerden, en noemde een daarvan zelfs een 'synagoge van Satan'.

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666 heeft niets met Satan te maken
De meesten van ons associëren het getal 666 met de duivel. Maar Openbaring 13:18 luidt: 'Dit vraagt ​​om wijsheid. Laat de persoon die inzicht heeft het getal van het beest berekenen, want het is het getal van een mens. Dat aantal is 666.'

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666 heeft niets met Satan te maken
Maar dit is niet het getal van de duivel. Het is in feite het getal van een persoon, zoals beschreven in Openbaring. Geleerden geloven dat de persoon keizer Nero is.

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Hoe is de berekening gemaakt?
Dit werd verkregen met behulp van de Hebreeuwse numerologie van gematria (een Joodse vorm van numerologie die waarden toekent aan letters).

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Waarom Nero?
Nero was extreem gemeen tegen christenen. Hij zag ze het liefst levend verbranden. Dus hij was een uitstekende kandidaat voor de titel van het beest.

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En hoe zit het met het merkteken van het beest?
Het merkteken van het beest dat in Openbaring 13:16-17 wordt genoemd, wordt verondersteld een verwijzing te zijn naar Romeinse munten of keizerlijke postzegels.

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Toen de dag des oordeels uitbleef
Er zijn talloze mislukte voorspellingen van de apocalyps op basis van Openbaring geweest. Zo beweerde de Schotse wiskundige John Napier dat de wereld zou eindigen in 1688 of 1700.

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Toen de dag des oordeels uitbleef
Toen voorspelde de Duitse predikant Johann Bengel dat de wereld in 1836 bergafwaarts zou gaan.

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Mislukte voorspellingen
Maar er zijn ook modernere voorbeelden, zoals de Branch Davidiaanse sekte. De leden daarvan stierven in 1993 op tragische wijze in wat bekend werd als het bloedbad van Waco in Texas. Meer recentelijk zat complottheoreticus David Meade er ook naast. Hij dacht dat het einde der tijden in 2017 of 2018 zou komen

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Er zijn meer apocalyptische boeken
Er zijn andere Joodse apocalyptische geschriften. IV (4) Ezra, ook bekend als de Apocalyps van Esdras, geeft het boek Openbaring een run voor zijn geld.

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Je kunt de plek bezoeken waar Openbaring is geschreven
De locatie van Johannes is te vinden in Openbaring 1:9. Hij schreef het vermoedelijk op het Griekse eiland Patmos.

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Je kunt de plek bezoeken waar Openbaring is geschreven
Er is eigenlijk een grot, omringd door een klooster, waarvan wordt aangenomen dat dit de plaats is waar de auteur het boek heeft geschreven. Hoewel er eigenlijk geen bewijs is, werd het belangrijk genoeg geacht om een ​​UNESCO-werelderfgoed te worden.

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Openbaring beïnvloedde het Midden-Oostenbeleid van Amerika
Evangelicalen hebben een grote invloed in de Amerikaanse politiek en velen zien de staat Israël als onderdeel van de profetie die in Openbaring is uiteengezet. Voordat Jezus terugkeert, moeten Joodse mensen terugkeren naar Israël en bijgevolg Christus als hun verlosser aanvaarden.

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Verschillende interpretatie van gebeurtenissen
Het preterisme beschouwt de gebeurtenissen in Openbaring als iets dat al was gebeurd toen het werd geschreven. Dit zou ergens tussen het moment dat Johannes de Doper de boodschap bracht en de val van Jeruzalem in 70 n.Chr. zijn gebeurd.

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Verschillende interpretatie van gebeurtenissen
Degenen die een futuristische interpretatie hebben, geloven echter dat de apocalyps nog moet komen...

Bronnen:

• (Grunge)

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22-05-2024 om 23:22 geschreven door peter