Probes could catch tail of Manhattan-sized space object 3I/ATLAS, but time is running out: report

A pair of space probes cruising the solar system may be able to pass through the tail of the mysterious Manhattan-sized comet hurtling towards Earth — but only if the scientists operating them act fast to divert-course.

The probes — Hera and Europa Clipper — are both speeding on separate missions, but a new paper being published in the Research Notes of the American Astronomical Society found they are perfectly poised to pay a visit to the remains of 3I/ATLAS being dispersed across the solar system.

Both probes will be flying “downwind” of 3I/ATLAS as it cruises through the cosmic neighborhood in the next few weeks and leaves a trail of particles in its wake, Live Science reported, giving researchers the opportunity to fly directly through a comet’s tail for first time in history.

The probe Europa Clipper is on the way to Jupiter’s moon, but could pass through the comet’s tail if scientists act fast.

Nasa

NASA’s James Webb Space Telescope observed interstellar comet 3I/ATLAS on Aug. 6, with its near-Infrared spectrograph instrument.

NASA/James Webb Space Telescope

The probes wouldn’t be flying straight through the tail, however, but across a field where its particles are expected to be blown into space by the Sun’s solar wind.

That dispersal field would be about 5 million miles from the comet itself, but would still be plenty close for the probes to collect invaluable information from the particles it leaves behind.

3I/ATLAS has left scientists puzzled since it was first spotted in June. Though few have disputed that it is anything but a comet, its irregular behavior and make-up have some like Harvard astrophysicist Avi Loeb speculating it could be an intelligently-operated alien probe.

It is expected to fly closest to the Earth by the end of October, but will be hidden behind the sun and impossible for Earthen telescopes and cameras to get a good look at it.

The object is also ejecting a nickel alloy only ever found in human manufacturing, and previously emitted an “anti-tail” from its front that Loeb speculated could be some kind of “braking thrust” system.

Hera and Europa Clipper could be science’s best bet to gather information from the object.

But they will only be in that position over the next two weeks, and scientists would need to act immediately to send them on course to meet the comet’s tail, according to Live Science.

Hera may not even be able to be of much help. The probe is currently headed to study an asteroid and isn’t equipped with instruments that could do much reading of 3I/ATLAS’ particles.

But Europa Clipper — which is on the way to analyze ice on Jupiter’s moon Europa — has exactly the kind of instruments the job would call for.

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After nearly a decade in development, NASA's supersonic jet dubbed 'Son of Concorde' has successfully completed its first test flight.

The 100-foot, $247million plane, built by Lockheed Martin for NASA, took off from Palmdale Regional Airport in California at about 10:15 EDT on Tuesday. 

After about an hour performing oval-shaped loops, the plane landed safely at NASA's Armstrong Flight Research Center 25 miles further northeast. 

Its peak altitude during the flight was 12,000 feet (3,660 meters) – which is under half that of a commercial plane at cruising altitude – but experts hope it will be able to reach 55,000 feet (16,800 metres). 

Officially known as X-59, the manned aircraft is designed to pave the way for faster air travel at 'supersonic' speeds of up to 925mph. 

At such as speed, it could transport paying passengers from London to New York in under four hours – revolutionizing the industry and freeing up time for busy businesspeople and holidaymakers.

'We are thrilled to achieve the first flight of the X-59,' said OJ Sanchez, vice president and general manager of Lockheed Martin's Skunk Works division. 

'This aircraft is a testament to the innovation and expertise of our joint team, and we are proud to be at the forefront of quiet supersonic technology development.' 

Lockheed Martin, in partnership with NASA, successfully completed the first flight of the X-59, a quiet supersonic aircraft designed to pave the way for faster commercial air travel

The 100-foot, $247million plane, manufactured by Lockheed Martin, took off from Palmdale Regional Airport in California at about 10:15 EDT on Tuesday

According to Lockheed Martin, X-59 performed 'exactly as planned' prior to its safe landing at NASA's Armstrong Flight Research Center. 

However, the single-engine jet only reached speeds of 230mph, which is nowhere near its top speed of 925mph – much faster than the speed of sound (767mph). 

Further test flights in the coming months will 'expand the X-59's flight envelope' and get closer to the plane's top flying speed, the aerospace company said. 

Despite being short of the all-important speed threshold, experts hailed this latest milestone as 'a new era in supersonic flight'. 

Sean Duffy, Secretary of the Department of Transportation and acting NASA administrator, called the experimental plane 'a symbol of American ingenuity'. 

He said: 'The American spirit knows no bounds. It's part of our DNA – the desire to go farther, faster, and even quieter than anyone has ever gone before. 

'This work sustains America's place as the leader in aviation and has the potential to change the way the public flies.' 

X-59 is dubbed 'Son of Concorde' because it would be the first passenger plane to fly at supersonic speeds (faster than the speed of sound) since the days of the retired Anglo-French liner over 20 years ago. 

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On its first flight, NASA's experimental quiet supersonic X-59 aircraft takes off from Runway 7 at Palmdale USAF Plant 42 in Palmdale, California, October 28

Once airborne, the single-engine jet reached speeds of 230mph, which is nowhere near its top speed of 925mph - faster than the speed of sound (767mph)

Further test flights in the coming months will 'expand the X-59's flight envelope' and get closer to the plane's top flying speed

One of the issues with Concorde that led to its retirement in 2003 was the 'sonic booms' it emitted as it flew. 

Described as sounding somewhere between a thunderclap and an explosion, sonic booms happen when shock waves from an object travelling through the air faster than the speed of sound merge together before they reach the ground. 

Concorde's sonic booms were often described as unsettling by members of the public on the ground below, which meant Concorde never replaced slower, more conventional aircraft. 

In contrast, X-59’s thin, tapered nose accounts for almost a third of its length and breaks up the shock waves that usually result in a sonic boom, instead producing a quieter 'thump'. 

Due to X-59's odd configuration, the cockpit is located almost halfway down the length of the aircraft – and the craft does not have a forward-facing window. 

Instead, it's fitted with the 'eXternal Vision System', a series of high-resolution cameras feeding a 4K monitor in the cockpit.

Eventually, NASA – which will be the primary user – will fly the aircraft over cities across the US, which are yet to be selected. 

It will collect feedback about the sound the X-59 generates and how people perceive it before providing the data to the Federal Aviation Administration. 

Dubbed 'son of Concorde', the agency's new 100-foot-long plane is capable of cruising at 1.4 times the speed of sound, or 925 miles per hour

X-59 has been developed by American aerospace firm Lockheed Martin after being awarded the $247.5 million design contract by NASA in 2016 

NASA stresses that X-59 is one of its experimental crafts and is not a commercial airliner designed to carry passengers 

However, if supersonic flight proves to be feasible, bulkier next-gen versions fitted out with passenger seats could transport paying passengers just like Concorde did. 

For 50 years, the US prohibited supersonic flights because of disturbance caused by sonic booms to communities below, which was why Concorde was largely restricted to flights over the Atlantic – namely Paris to New York and London to New York.

Read More

• China is testing supersonic jet that's even faster than 'Son of Concorde': NYC to London in 2 hours 

The legendary plane was the world’s first supersonic airliner and operated for 27 years, but it was grounded in October 2003 largely due to high fuel costs, concern over its noise and a preference for lower fares over speed.

Ever since, no government or manufacturer has since been able to build a commercial plane that can travel faster than the speed of sound – although Lockheed Martin is not the only one trying. 

Another American company called Boom Supersonic is working on its own supersonic craft, called Overture, which is eyeing commercial passenger flights in 2029. 

Meanwhile, China is working on its own experimental supersonic plane, called Yunxing, which could go at three times that of X-59.  

The history of Concorde  

Concorde was a turbojet-powered supersonic passenger jet that was operated from 1976 until 2003.

It had a maximum speed over twice the speed of sound at Mach 2.04 (1,354mph or 2,180k per hour at cruise altitude) and could seat 92 to 128 passengers.

It was first flown in 1969, but needed further tests to establish it as viable as a commercial aircraft. Concorde entered service in 1976.

It is one of only two supersonic transports to have been operated commercially. The other is the Soviet-built Tupolev Tu-144, which ran as a passenger aircraft only for a few years in the 1970s due to safety issues.

Concorde was the world’s first supersonic airliner and operated for 27 years, but it was grounded in October 2003. Pictured is British Airways Concorde G-BOAB taking off with its landing gear still extended over the Cotswolds town of Fairford, Gloucestershire on July 20, 1996, during the annual RAF Fairford airshow

Concorde was jointly developed and manufactured by Aérospatiale and the British Aircraft Corporation (BAC) under an Anglo-French treaty. Concorde's name, meaning harmony or union, reflected the cooperation on the project between the UK and France.   

Concorde was retired in 2003 due to a general downturn in the commercial aviation industry after its only crash in 2000, the September 11 attacks in 2001, and a decision by Airbus, the successor to Aérospatiale and BAC, to discontinue maintenance support. 

It wasn't the first plane to break the sound barrier, however; that achievement was managed by the Bell X-1, piloted by Chuck Yeager, in October 1947.

The legendary rocket engine-powered aircraft, designed and built in 1945, achieved a speed of 700 miles (1,127 kilometers) per hour.

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Mysterious interstellar visitor set to reveal its true self in just HOURS

• MORE: Scientists reveal all the strange behaviors of interstellar visitor 3I/ATLAS that deepen the mystery of its origins

By CHRIS MELORE, US ASSISTANT SCIENCE EDITOR

The mysterious interstellar visitor traveling through our solar system may finally reveal its true nature in just hours, as scientists wait for it to emerge from behind the sun.  

While many astronomers are convinced the object known as 3I/ATLAS will be confirmed as a comet, some scientists have said the three-mile-long visitor could be an artificially constructed craft that's maneuvering around the solar system.

3I/ATLAS has been obscured by the sun since last week, but it will reach its closest point, called the perihelion, on October 29.

Scientists expect to determine which scenario is correct once they observe exactly where the object exits perihelion, saying that a noticeable shift in its trajectory tomorrow could indicate that 3I/ATLAS is artificially powered.

In space travel, the most effective moment to accelerate or decelerate a spacecraft is when it is closest to a massive body. Firing the engine at this point, an effect known as the Oberth effect, produces the greatest change in speed.

The majority of astronomers have maintained that 3I/ATLAS is simply a strange space rock from a distant solar system that formed under conditions completely foreign to comets in our solar system.

Studies of the interstellar visitor to this point have shown the classic signs of 3I/ATLAS being a comet, including a tail and a coma, a large cloud of gas and dust surrounding it.

However, some researchers have argued that there are still too many irregularities to overlook, including 3I/ATLAS appearing to reverse thrust like a spacecraft as it moved behind the sun from our perspective.

Astronomers observed 3I/ATLAS strangely shift the position of its tail as it approached our sun in October 2025

3I/ATLAS (Pictured) is expected to reach its closest point to the sun on October 29, and a change in its position as it leaves this blind spot could be a sign of intelligence

Harvard physicist Avi Loeb has argued since the object's discovery that 3I/ATLAS could be an 'alien mothership' which could be positioning itself in this blind spot to either change direction or release smaller probes before continuing on its journey.

Loeb said 3I/ATLAS could be completing a maneuver known as the Oberth effect to change its speed and path, which would be a sign that it has an engine and was being controlled by an unknown intelligence.

Astronomers tracking 3I/ATLAS revealed last week that the object performed a dramatic tail reversal, shifting from an unusual 'anti-tail' that was pointing towards the sun to one that was pointing away.

High-resolution observations from the Nordic Optical Telescope in the Canary Islands confirm that this anti-tail seen in July and August 2025 vanished and a new one formed in the opposite direction by September.

The shift is believed to have occurred because the comet's dust and ice particles reacted differently to sunlight.

Early on, large, slow-moving dust grains scattered light sunward, creating the anti-tail.

As 3I/ATLAS moved closer to the sun, rising temperatures ejected more ice fragments and longer-lived dust particles, producing the tail that now points away like a traditional comet moving through space.

However, Loeb has noted that 3I/ATLAS shed very little of its mass as it has moved closer to the sun, meaning the true nature of the object's chemical makeup is still a mystery.

3I/ATLAS is widely thought to be a comet, but scientists like Professor Avi Loeb maintain that unusual clues point to the object being a spacecraft

3I/ATLAS appears to be coated in nickel, which astronomers believe is responsible for giving the object a green glow

Through October 2025, the supposed comet has seen about two million tons melt away as it approached the sun, which is just a tiny fraction of the 33billion tons Loeb has calculated the giant object to weigh.

• Mysterious interstellar object is morphing in unexplained ways as it moves closer to Earth

Moreover, Loeb told the Daily Mail that scientists still can't explain how 3I/ATLAS is releasing nickel in a gaseous form as it moves around the sun.

'Nobody understands how nickel can be released into the gas form, because you need a special process for that, and the temperatures are not high enough to release the nickel, so that's a puzzle,' Loeb explained.

Nickel is a metal used by Earth-made space technology to shield against the extreme heat from booster engines, and 3I/ATLAS seems to be coated in it.

Until now, astronomers have only seen nickel alongside deposits of iron in nature, but Loeb noted that there have been no signs of iron in 3I/ATLAS at all. 

'That is unprecedented in comets. So, it's not so much the existence of nickel. It's the nickel without iron, which we only know about in the context of nickel alloys that we produce industrially for spacecraft,' the professor added.

While Loeb said any drastic change in 3I/ATLAS speed, course, or size when it emerges from the sun would be a clear sign of intelligence, other scientists still believe these changes still fall in line with normal comet behavior.

Austrian astronomer Michael Jäger told Daily Mail: 'Even though there were some unusual things about this comet, I still assume that we are observing a comet here.' 

'This is because 3I/ATLAS has not changed its course or its calculated speed so far,' Jäger continued.

The scientist added that even if the interstellar object splits apart as it emerges from the sun, that's not uncommon for comets, which have been observed breaking apart as they travel through space. 

'A split of a comet would not be so unusual. Just a few weeks ago, the split of comet 240P/NEAT was confirmed,' Jäger concluded.

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Scientists are baffled after discovering 'impossible' life hidden beneath the Arctic sea ice

• READ MORE:Microbes trapped in permafrost AWAKEN after 40,000 years

By JONATHAN CHADWICK, ASSISTANT SCIENCE & TECHNOLOGY EDITOR 

Scientists have been left baffled after finding 'impossible' life thriving at the north pole.

The tiny microorganisms, invisible to the naked eye, live just beneath the frozen surface of the central Arctic Ocean.

Discovered by experts at the University of Copenhagen in Denmark, these bacteria survive on dissolved organic matter in the cold water. 

They also need to convert nitrogen to survive, but bewilderingly, the gas is generally in short supply in the Arctic Ocean. 

So how exactly the creatures are thriving in the water has left the scientists scratching their heads. 

'[We] have discovered an important phenomenon beneath the Arctic sea ice that was previously thought impossible,' they say in a statement. 

'This phenomenon could have implications for the food chain and the carbon budget in the cold north.' 

The researchers also warn that there is less sea ice in the Arctic than there should be due to global warming, which may actually help the organisms to survive. 

According to the researchers, the tiny organisms are officially known as 'non-cyanobacterial diazotrophs'. These microorganisms, primarily bacteria and archaea, can convert atmospheric nitrogen into a usable form, but do not photosynthesize like cyanobacteria

Researchers om the University of Copenhagen have discovered an important phenomenon beneath the Arctic sea ice that was previously thought impossible

According to the researchers, the tiny organisms are officially known as 'non-cyanobacterial diazotrophs'.

These are 'nitrogen-fixing' bacteria, meaning they need to convert atmospheric nitrogen into a usable form of nitrogen, such as ammonium, to stay alive.

Unlike other many other underwater bacteria, non-cyanobacterial diazotrophs (NCDs) do not photosynthesize. 

The team's field work involved measurements of nitrogen fixation from water samples at 13 different Arctic locations from aboard the research ship RV Polarstern.

The experts found a surprising high nitrogen fixation rates, especially at the ice edge, where the ice melts most actively.

What's odd is that nitrogen is in relatively short supply in the Arctic Ocean, meaning nitrogen fixers shouldn't be able to thrive there. 

'Until now, it was believed that nitrogen fixation could not take place under the sea ice,' said study author Dr Lisa W. von Friesen.  

'It was assumed that the living conditions for the organisms that perform nitrogen fixation were too poor. We were wrong.'

The team's field work involved measurements of nitrogen fixation at several Arctic locations over two trips in 2021 and 2022

Pictured, researcher taking measurements of nitrogen fixation in water samples from the Arctic Ocean aboard German research vessel RV Polarstern

In the Arctic Ocean, NCDs and other bacteria feed on dissolved organic matter released by algae, among other things.

In return, the bacteria release the 'fixed' nitrogen (ammonium), which helps algae in the surrounding water to grow.

Unfortunately, too much algae growth in the Arctic can be bad news as it can lead to out of control 'algal blooms' which are toxic and harmful to fish, shellfish, marine mammals and more.  

According to Dr von Friesen, the results suggest the potential for algae production in the Arctic has been underestimated.

What's more, climate change is likely the ultimate cause of the observed changes.  

In the Arctic, sea ice goes through a seasonal cycle each year, spreading in the autumn and winter and then receding in the spring and summer. 

But due to climate change, temperatures are getting higher overall and the Arctic sea ice extent is getting lower on average.

Researchers warn that the Arctic is warming at rates up to four times faster than the global average, which has caused major declines in sea ice coverage, age, and thickness. 

The researchers are the first to discover that the phenomenon of 'nitrogen fixation' occurs beneath sea ice even in the central Arctic Ocean

Measurements were taken at 13 different locations in the Arctic Ocean aboard the German research ship RV Polarstern

Read More

• Microbes trapped in permafrost AWAKEN after 40,000 years - they could spark next pandemic 

According to the researchers, areas of actively-melting sea ice generally have more nitrogen fixation compared with ice-covered parts of the Arctic. 

It seems likely therefore that climate change is to blame for this elevated pattern of nitrogen fixation that they have observed. 

Strangely, stretches of open water have similar levels of nitrogen as ice-covered areas, but the team aren't sure why this is. 

The study, published in Communications Earth & Environment, is the first to show the phenomenon of nitrogen fixation occurs beneath sea ice even in the central Arctic.

Therefore, nitrogen fixation should be considered 'in the equation' when people try to predict what will happen to the Arctic Ocean in the coming decades as sea ice declines, the authors add. 

WHAT IS THE NITROGEN CYCLE?

Nitrogen (N) makes up almost 80 per cent of our atmosphere and is essential for plants and animals.

The carbon-nitrogen bond is one of the most abundant in organic chemistry. 

Animals need it to to make proteins, which forms everything we need to live. 

In plants it forms the basis of enzymes, proteins and chlorophyll.

Ecosystems need nitrogen and other nutrients to absorb carbon dioxide pollution and there is a limited amount available in plants and soil. 

However, it is inert and most useful to life when turned into nitrates or nitrogen compounds.

The nitrogen cycle is the process by which the element is used and then fed back into the system.

Nitrogen (N) makes up almost 80 per cent of our atmosphere and is essential for plants and animals. The nitrogen cycle is the process by which the element is used and then fed back into the system

Nitrogen-fixing organisms convert nitrogen into the soil from the air. 

Lightening is another way in which nitrogen reaches the soil from the air.

Nitrification is the process by which ammonia (a compound of nitrogen and hydrogen) that is in the soil is converted into nitrates by bacteria. 

Plants then take up these nitrates through their roots.  

When the plant dies this nitrogen is goes back into the soil. 

Alternatively if the plant is eaten by an animal the nitrogen returns to the soil in their waste.

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Astronomer Scott Sheppard discovered 2025 SC79, marked here in two images showing its motion relative to background stars. 

Credit: Photographs courtesy of Scott S. Sheppar

Discovered by Carnegie Science astronomer Scott S. Sheppard, 2025 SC79 completes its journey around the Sun every 128 days, making it the second-fastest asteroid known in our Solar System.

A Stealthy, High-Speed Space Object

2025 SC79 is unique for reasons other than its difficult-to-spot location and high-speed trips around the Sun. It also happens to be the second object astronomers have discovered that has an orbit inside of Venus.

In the images above, 2025 SC79 can be seen moving relative to background stars on the night of its discovery

(images courtesy of Scott Sheppard/Carnegie Science).

The unique asteroid also traverses the orbit of Mercury during its speeding Solar journeys, making its speed second only to a 2021 discovery—also made by Sheppard and his colleagues—which revealed asteroid 2021 PH27.

2021 PH27 also has one of the shortest orbital periods of any known space object, second only to planet Mercury. Due to the extreme proximity to the Sun of objects like it and the newly discovered 2025 SC79, they undergo the most extreme relativistic effects of any objects known to exist in our Solar System.

According to a statement accompanying the discovery, Carnegie Science’s Magellan telescope, as well as the National Science Foundation’s Gemini telescope, were used to confirm the detection of 2025 SC79.

Hidden Threats Near the Sun

Sheppard is uniquely positioned to make such discoveries, since his work focuses on objects like planetary moons, so-called “dwarf planets,” and asteroids. However, with the discovery of these lurking space objects hidden in the Sun’s glare, which astronomers sometimes call “twilight” asteroids, his work also plays a fundamental role in the detection of objects that are potentially at risk of impacting the Earth.

One of the most notable examples of a space object taking Earth off guard with its approach from the direction of the Sun was the 2013 Chelyabinsk meteor event, which was famously documented by dash cameras in vehicles and other cameras while going unseen by astronomers. Of course, coming from the direction of the Sun makes it very difficult—if not impossible—for such objects to be detected beforehand while obscured by the powerful glare.

The event served as a wake-up call for astronomers and prompted planetary defense efforts like those now conducted by Sheppard to help reduce the likelihood that we will be taken off guard by the arrival of such objects in the future.

“The most dangerous asteroids are the most difficult to detect,” Sheppard recently said.

Twilight Asteroids

“Most asteroid research finds these objects in the dark of night, where they are easiest to spot,” he says, although “twilight” asteroids draw their nickname from being objects that can only be observed during twilight due to their proximity to the Sun.

“If these ‘twilight’ asteroids approach Earth, they could pose serious impact hazards,” he says.

In Sheppard’s work, which receives funding from NASA, the National Science Foundation’s Blanco 4-meter telescope and its specialized Dark Energy Camera is employed to search for any potentially deadly asteroids that may similarly be lurking in the Sun’s glare.

Beyond the detection of potential “planet killers” hiding near the Sun, the research also contributes significant information about the formation of our Solar System and its current makeup.

Future Observations and Possible Origins

Presently, 2025 SC79 is on its making its way behind the Sun, where, just like the interstellar comet 3I/ATLAS, it will remain invisible to astronomers for the next several weeks.

However, future observations will help astronomers like Sheppard reveal clues about 2025 SC79’s composition, as well as how the object can withstand the imposing heat produced by the Sun at such close distances.

Sheppard says that a large number of similar objects in our Solar System inhabit one of two primary asteroid belts, although changes that occasionally occur with them can sometimes send objects into much closer orbits, which makes them even more difficult to detect.

“Understanding how they arrived at these locations can help us protect our planet,” Sheppard says, “and also help us learn more about Solar System history.”

• Micah Hanks is the Editor-in-Chief and Co-Founder of The Debrief. A longtime reporter on science, defense, and technology with a focus on space and astronomy, he can be reached at micah@thedebrief.org. Follow him on X @MicahHanks, and at micahhanks.com.

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Most of us recognize only three types of precipitation: rain, snow, and sleet. However, scientists have long felt that this list needs to be expanded and refined. A group of researchers from the University of Michigan and NASA decided to apply the power of machine learning to reveal the true diversity of types of precipitation falling from the sky. The result of their years of work is a revolutionary classification system that not only improves the accuracy of forecasts but also has the potential to save lives.

Precipitation is much more varied. Illustrative photo: Unsplash

Why are forecasts wrong?

The classic idea that snow only falls when temperatures are below zero and rain only falls when temperatures are above zero is simplistic. In fact, in the range from -3°C to +5°C, both rain and snow are equally possible—it all depends on the conditions inside the clouds and the surrounding environment. This is why even the most advanced weather models often fail to accurately predict precipitation. Satellites can see clouds clearly from space, but they cannot determine exactly what will fall to the surface.

How a machine was taught to see rain

To fill this gap, scientists installed a special camera system called the Precipitation Imaging Package (PIP) at strategic locations in the United States, Canada, and Europe. This system, equipped with a high-speed camera, has collected data over the past nine years. The result is a collection of 1.5 million measurements, supplemented by information from ground-based weather stations.

Such a large amount of information can only be processed using artificial intelligence. Researchers created two machine learning models: a simple linear one and a more complex nonlinear one. The latter took into account the complex interactions between particles and ultimately prevailed, reducing the number of errors in determining the type of precipitation by 36% compared to the linear method.

Nine types of precipitation

There are many more types of precipitation than just snow, rain, and sleet. Photo: Unsplash

The final system developed by the scientists was named UMAP. It not only simplifies complex data, but also identifies three key factors that determine precipitation: particle characteristics, intensity, and phase. Thanks to this, UMAP identified nine types of precipitation:

1. 1. Drizzle — light, steady rainfall
   2. Heavy rainfall — intense rainfall with numerous small drops
   3. Light rain-to-mix transition — light sleet with dense ice pellets
   4. Heavy rain-to-mix transition — intense sleet with dense ice pellet
   5. Light mixed-phase — a low volume of slushy, partially frozen particles
   6. Heavy mixed-phase — a high volume of slushy, partially frozen particles
   7. Heavy snow-to-mix transition — large snowflakes and aggregate particleLight snowfall — light, fluffy snowfall
   8. Heavy snowfall — an intense, heavy snowstorm

As climatologist and co-author of the study Claire Pettersen explains, the benefits of the new system are both immediate and long-term.

“In the short term, better forecasting can help people adjust their daily commute or prepare for big events like floods or an ice storm,” she noted. “On longer time scales, it can help predict how snowpack or runoff timing will change fresh water availability for a region.”

To make their discoveries accessible not only to scientists, the researchers created an interactive graph and an easy-to-understand interface for all weather enthusiasts. All information is also published in the Deep Blue Data repository for those who want to delve deeper into the details.

We previously reported on how climate swings could become more severe by 2028.

• According to popsci.com

• Posted in Science

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Imagine this, a glowing orb anywhere from the size of a golf ball to a basketball floating silently through the air, or even through walls, and lasting for up to a minute or more. 

Daily Mail's Shivali Best explores the bizarre weather phenomenon that has baffled scientists for 750 years.

Click above to watch in full. 

Ball lightning is one of the strangest and least understood weather phenomena on Earth. It is a glowing orb anywhere from the size of a golf ball to a basketball floating silently through the air, or even through walls, and lasting for up to a minute or more.

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Revealed: What the world will look like in 2100 - so, can you guess where each location is?

• READ MORE: Map reveals English locations that could go underwater by 2050

By JONATHAN CHADWICK, ASSISTANT SCIENCE & TECHNOLOGY EDITOR 

Climate change has previously been described as 'the greatest threat to our existence'. 

Now, an online game lets you see the damage climate change will do to the world in just 75 years' time. 

The free game, called FutureGuessr, presents hundreds of AI-generated locations as they're expected to look in 2100. 

According to scientists who created the game, FutureGuessr shows what will happen if no action is taken' to stop carbon emissions.  

From flooding to wildfires and drought, heatwaves and storms, global warming will change the face of the planet as we know it. 

'Showing the future of recognisable places we care about might be powerful in building support for climate action,' they say in The Conversation. 

'Games can create space for serious conversations about how to tackle climate change.'

Six locations from the game are included below – so, can you guess where they are? Scroll down for the answers! 

An online game lets you see the damage climate change will do to the world in just 75 years' time. Pictured: what London could look like in 2100

The free game, called FutureGuessr, presents hundreds of AI-generated locations as they're expected to look in 2100. Pictured: New Orleans in 2100 as imagined by the game

Image 1

Firstly, this image If a location in North America (below) is currently considered the world's largest intact forest ecosystem.  

Measuring 270 million hectares, it stores carbon, purifies the air and water, and regulates the climate.

But 75 years from now, FutureGuessr shows it to be a fiery landscape burnt to the ground with hellish orange skies and toxic smoke. 

According to experts, the whole territory 'will be reshaped by frequent wildfires, invasive insects and a reduced ability to absorb carbon'. 

'Wildfires will release millions of tons of CO2, weaken natural carbon sinks, and further accelerate global warming.'

Image 2

Today this serene oasis, a UNESCO world heritage site, comprises an abundance of palm trees, stunning waters and imposing cliffs. 

IMAGE 1: This forest in North America is reduced to a hellish landscape ravaged by wildfires in the year 2100

IMAGE 2: This UNESCO world heritage site will be a desiccated dessert landscape where vegetation cannot grow

How to play 

1. Go to the FutureGuessr webpage and select your language (English or French)
2. Hit the green button marked 'play' and you'll be presented with an image of a location, as it will look in 2100
3. Holding and dragging the screen lets you get a 360-degree view of your surroundings 
4. You then have to then identify the location by tapping on a map and tapping 'guess'
5. The game will tell you how far off you were in kilometres.  

But according to experts, this green sanctuary will be slowly buried under sand due to droughts and rising temperatures. 

The image shows cracked ground due to lack of rainwater and freshwater, leading to the loss of vegetation.

'Agriculture will become impossible and inhabitants may be forced to leave,' the site says. 

Image 3

Today, this area of Europe is packed with rolling golden hills, historical architecture, luscious vineyards and century-old olive trees.

But by 2100 these treasured features, which draw tourists from around the world, will turn reddish and cracked under the sun.

Rainfall will decline, but arrive in more violent bursts here, which means vineyards will struggle with low yields of poorer quality – which is bad news for wine lovers.

Experts say this part of the nation's countryside may 'lose its fertility and its charm' if summer temperatures here rise by just 4°C/7.2°F. 

Image 3: Rolling golden hills, once lined with century-old olive trees and terraced vineyards, will turn reddish and cracked under the sun

IMAGE 4: This location will be a withered 'landscape of ashes and scorched trunks' because of frequent uncontrollable wildfires

Image 4

Today it's a national park covering over 1.1 million acres, with grand conifers reaching more than 200 feet tall. 

But by 2100, this next location will be a withered 'landscape of ashes and scorched trunks' because of frequent uncontrollable wildfires. 

These vulnerable trees described as 'ancient giants' will be trapped in a climate that is too dry and too hot – factors known to make wildfires more intense. 

Smoke from the fires will also worsen air pollution and negatively impact public health.

Researchers warn that by as soon as 2050, nearly half of the forest could be at risk.  

Image 5 

This Asian 'megacity' will be 'fighting to stay above water' by 2100 when global warming has melted Earth's glaciers and ice sheets. 

IMAGE 5: This Asian 'megacity' facing a northern coast will be 'fighting to stay above water' by 2100, experts predict 

IMAGE 6: Experts say this region will be 'only cracked soil swept by scorching winds and abandoned greenhouses glinting under a now-hostile sun' 

Currently home to around 10 million residents, the northern part of the city nearer to the coast will already have vanished beneath the waves. 

Experts say it will be largely 'uninhabitable' with saltwater from the seas eroding soil, forcing thousands of families to flee. 

Read More

• The cities that 'will be flooded by global warming by 2100' - so, can you tell where they are? 

Image 6

Lastly, this image looks more like from the surface of Mars than anywhere on Earth, with sandy particles filling the air. 

But according to experts, this agricultural region shows what is already one of the driest places in Europe. 

By 2100, it will be a otherworldly desert zone with no more orchards or fields, but only cracked soil 'swept by scorching winds' under a hostile sun.

It will be 'stripped of its resources and its people' as the land will be to try to farm.

Locations that will be drastically altered by 2100 due to climate change - so did you guess them correctly?

1. Boreal forest of Canada 
2. Iherir oasis, Algeria 
3. Tuscany, Italy
4. Sequoia National Forest, California
5. Jakarta, Indonesia 
6. Almería, Spain

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

Mind-blowing Proof we live in a simulation and interdenominational black hole travel is possible on our roads! 👽

Date of discovery: Oct 25, 2025

Location of discovery: UK 

Coordinates: 52°44'53"N 0°52'06"W

 

Guys check this video out I made this morning. This is 100% proof that we live in a simulation and that we and others can move through a inter-dimensional black hole any time we please. It looks like aliens are taking full advantage of this glitch in our matrix by using it like a universal freeway. 

Scott C. Waring 

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