Naar de inhoud

UFO'S of UAP'S, ASTRONOMIE, RUIMTEVAART, ARCHEOLOGIE, OUDHEIDKUNDE, SF-SNUFJES EN ANDERE ESOTERISCHE WETENSCHAPPEN - DE ALLERLAATSTE NIEUWTJES

UFO's of UAP'S in België en de rest van de wereld
akke.beakke.be
Ontdek de Fascinerende Wereld van UFO's en UAP's: Jouw Bron voor Onthullende Informatie! Ben jij ook gefascineerd door het onbekende? Wil je meer weten over UFO's en UAP's, niet alleen in België, maar over de hele wereld? Dan ben je op de juiste plek! België: Het Kloppend Hart van UFO-onderzoek In België is BUFON (Belgisch UFO-Netwerk) dé autoriteit op het gebied van UFO-onderzoek. Voor betrouwbare en objectieve informatie over deze intrigerende fenomenen, bezoek je zeker onze Facebook-pagina en deze blog. Maar dat is nog niet alles! Ontdek ook het Belgisch UFO-meldpunt en Caelestia, twee organisaties die diepgaand onderzoek verrichten, al zijn ze soms kritisch of sceptisch. Nederland: Een Schat aan Informatie Voor onze Nederlandse buren is er de schitterende website www.ufowijzer.nl, beheerd door Paul Harmans. Deze site biedt een schat aan informatie en artikelen die je niet wilt missen! Internationaal: MUFON - De Wereldwijde Autoriteit Neem ook een kijkje bij MUFON (Mutual UFO Network Inc.), een gerenommeerde Amerikaanse UFO-vereniging met afdelingen in de VS en wereldwijd. MUFON is toegewijd aan de wetenschappelijke en analytische studie van het UFO-fenomeen, en hun maandelijkse tijdschrift, The MUFON UFO-Journal, is een must-read voor elke UFO-enthousiasteling. Bezoek hun website op www.mufon.com voor meer informatie. Samenwerking en Toekomstvisie Sinds 1 februari 2020 is Pieter niet alleen ex-president van BUFON, maar ook de voormalige nationale directeur van MUFON in Vlaanderen en Nederland. Dit creëert een sterke samenwerking met de Franse MUFON Reseau MUFON/EUROP, wat ons in staat stelt om nog meer waardevolle inzichten te delen. Let op: Nepprofielen en Nieuwe Groeperingen Pas op voor een nieuwe groepering die zich ook BUFON noemt, maar geen enkele connectie heeft met onze gevestigde organisatie. Hoewel zij de naam geregistreerd hebben, kunnen ze het rijke verleden en de expertise van onze groep niet evenaren. We wensen hen veel succes, maar we blijven de autoriteit in UFO-onderzoek! Blijf Op De Hoogte! Wil jij de laatste nieuwtjes over UFO's, ruimtevaart, archeologie, en meer? Volg ons dan en duik samen met ons in de fascinerende wereld van het onbekende! Sluit je aan bij de gemeenschap van nieuwsgierige geesten die net als jij verlangen naar antwoorden en avonturen in de sterren! Heb je vragen of wil je meer weten? Aarzel dan niet om contact met ons op te nemen! Samen ontrafelen we het mysterie van de lucht en daarbuiten.

Roman Space Telescopes: Which Observatories Will Uncover the Universe’s Next Mysteries?

Roman Space Telescopes: Which Observatories Will Uncover the Universe’s Next Mysteries?

Humanity has never had more powerful tools for space exploration. The Hubble Space Telescope has revealed remarkable details of distant galaxies, the James Webb Space Telescope has enabled us to observe the early universe, and the upcoming Nancy Grace Roman Space Telescope mission is set to produce one of the most comprehensive maps of the cosmos. Given these advances, what more could astronomers possibly need?

Indeed, the most significant discoveries may still lie ahead. NASA, ESA, and other space agencies are developing a new generation of observatories designed to search for life on other planets, investigate previously unexplored regions of space, and look back toward the earliest moments of the universe.

eng-1-1024x576.jpg

A timeline of planned space telescope launches by NASA, ESA, and JAXA from 2027 through the 2040s. The infographic outlines the primary scientific objectives of these future observatories, including the search for Earth-like planets and the study of black holes, gravitational waves, and the early universe.

Source: UST

Why are even the most powerful telescopes insufficient?

On August 30, 2026, NASA launched the Nancy Grace Roman Space Telescope. Its primary mission extends beyond capturing striking images of distant galaxies; it is designed to survey the universe on an unprecedented scale. With its wide field of view, the telescope will be able to observe hundreds of millions of galaxies, search for exoplanets, and study the distribution of dark matter.

However, even Roman, James Webb, and Hubble, collectively, cannot answer all of astronomy’s fundamental questions.

stsci-01febr8scwtrv07xv8we8a9aqb.jpg

The infographic presents the ranges of the electromagnetic spectrum in which various astronomical observatories operate, from gamma-ray and X-ray radiation to infrared light and radio waves. It also illustrates which types of radiation are absorbed by Earth’s atmosphere and explains why some telescopes must be launched into space to study them.

Source: NASA

The issue is not solely the size of the mirrors or the sensitivity of the cameras. The universe emits information across various bands of the electromagnetic spectrum, while the human eye can perceive only a limited portion of it: visible light. Infrared telescopes can detect cooler objects and observe through some cosmic dust; ultraviolet telescopes can study hot stars; and X-ray telescopes can observe extremely high-energy processes near black holes.

Each of these instruments has inherent physical limitations. Accordingly, the next stage in the development of astronomy will depend less on creating a single, universal, ultra-powerful telescope and more on establishing an integrated network of specialized observatories.

  • The first major challenge facing this system is connected to a question that has captivated humanity for millennia: Are we alone in the universe?

PLATO: The Search for Earth-Like Planets [2027]

Astronomers have now identified thousands of planets beyond the Solar System. However, most differ substantially from Earth. Many are gas giants, extremely hot worlds, or planets that orbit very close to their stars. Identifying a genuinely Earth-like planet is considerably more challenging.

One of the most effective methods for detecting exoplanets is the transit method. When a planet passes in front of its star, it blocks a small fraction of the star’s light. A telescope can detect a brief decrease in brightness, which may indicate the presence of a planet. However, Earth blocks only about 0.0084% of the Sun’s light. This illustrates the precision required to measure the brightness of a distant star and detect such a subtle change.

A further challenge is that Earth completes one orbit around the Sun each year. To reliably detect a comparable planet, it is best to observe several of its transits, which requires monitoring the same star for years. The European Space Agency developed the PLATO telescope specifically for this purpose, and it is scheduled to launch in March 2027.

1920px-artists_impression_of_plato.jpg

The European Space Agency’s (ESA) PLATO space telescope is equipped with 26 cameras, enabling it to observe thousands of stars simultaneously. Its primary mission is to search for Earth-like exoplanets, particularly in regions where liquid water may be present.

Source: ESA

Unlike traditional telescopes equipped with a single primary camera, PLATO will utilize 26 separate cameras. Together, these cameras will observe a vast number of stars, monitoring them for characteristic changes in brightness. However, the mission’s objectives extend beyond the discovery of planets. PLATO will also study the subtle fluctuations within the stars themselves. By analyzing these oscillations, astronomers will be able to determine the stars’ sizes, masses, and ages with greater accuracy. In combination with ground-based observations, this information will help assess the properties of the discovered planets.

As a result, we will gain not only a list of new worlds but also a substantially clearer understanding of how frequently rocky planets form around Sun-like stars.

  • This raises the following question: Even if we identify a planet the size of Earth, how can we determine whether it is habitable?

Ariel: What Are the Atmospheres of Other Worlds Composed Of? [2031]

Two planets may be nearly identical in size yet exhibit markedly different surface conditions. The Solar System provides a clear example: Earth and Venus are similar in size, but Venus’s dense atmosphere generates an exceptionally strong greenhouse effect. Consequently, its surface temperature is significantly higher than Earth’s.

Therefore, understanding the planet’s dimensions alone is insufficient; its atmosphere must also be studied. To this end, ESA is developing the Ariel space telescope, which is currently scheduled to launch in 2031.

aryel-2.jpg

An artist’s rendering of the European Space Agency’s (ESA) Ariel space telescope. By analyzing starlight as it passes through an exoplanet’s atmosphere during transit, the telescope will detect the presence of water vapor, methane, and other gases.
Source: ESA

Its primary instrument will be spectroscopy. When a planet transits its host star, a small fraction of the star’s light passes through the planet’s atmosphere. Molecules of various substances absorb light at characteristic wavelengths, producing distinctive chemical signatures in the spectrum. These signatures enable astronomers to detect water vapor, carbon dioxide, methane, and other atmospheric components.

The James Webb Space Telescope is already employing similar methods; however, Ariel is being developed to systematically study approximately one thousand exoplanets. This will enable comparisons of the atmospheres of planets with different sizes, temperatures, and ages.

The primary objective is to understand the patterns underlying their formation and evolution.

  • However, Ariel will primarily study relatively warm planets with atmospheres suitable for spectroscopic measurements. Searching for potential signs of life on truly Earth-like planets will require an even more sophisticated instrument.

Habitable Worlds Observatory: A Telescope That Will Search for Life (~2040)

Imagine attempting to observe a firefly beside a powerful spotlight located many kilometers away. This is approximately what it is like to photograph an Earth-like planet directly near another star.

In visible light, Earth is approximately ten billion times fainter than the Sun. Consequently, even when a telescope can detect the planet’s light, the star’s radiation overwhelms it. One potential solution is a coronagraph, an optical instrument that suppresses the star’s bright light, enabling the detection of much fainter light from a nearby planet. An experimental coronagraph has already been installed on Roman; however, its capabilities are insufficient for studying Earth-like worlds.

For this reason, NASA is developing the Habitable Worlds Observatory (HWO) concept — a future space observatory specifically designed to search for and study planets that may be capable of supporting life. Its optical system must maintain exceptional image stability. Even microscopic mirror deformations or structural vibrations can generate stray light that obscures the planet’s signal.

habitable_worlds_observatory_ultra-stable_telescope_svs20400_-_ultrastabletelescope_prores_00877_print.jpg

An artist’s rendering of NASA’s future Habitable Worlds Observatory (HWO). With its high-precision optics and ability to block the bright light emitted by stars, the telescope will be capable of directly observing Earth-like exoplanets and studying their atmospheres for potential signs of life.

Source: habitableworldsobservatory

Therefore, engineers must integrate high-precision optics, active wavefront control, and highly sensitive detectors. If the technology performs as intended, the HWO will be capable of directly observing rocky planets and analyzing the composition of their atmospheres. Oxygen, ozone, methane, and other substances that may, under certain conditions, be associated with biological processes will be of particular interest. However, detecting oxygen alone will not provide definitive evidence of life, as some chemical substances can form in the absence of living organisms. Accordingly, astronomers will need to assess the full range of atmospheric conditions.

HWO remains in the conceptual design and key technology development phase. It may be launched in the 2040s; however, no date has been set.

At the same time, the ground-based Extremely Large Telescope is expected to help address several of these complex challenges in the coming years. Its primary mirror, measuring 39 meters (128 feet) in diameter, will comprise 798 segments designed to function as a single optical surface. An adaptive optics system will compensate for atmospheric distortion by adjusting the shape of a specialized mirror approximately one thousand times per second.

The ELT’s initial scientific observations are expected to commence in late 2030. It will be capable of studying individual planets and their atmospheres in detail, thereby complementing the capabilities of space-based observatories.

  • However, to determine how common habitable worlds are, we must answer one additional question: where does the material from which they are formed originate?

PRIMA: An Overview of the Birthplaces of Stars and Planets [~2033]

Stars and planets form within vast clouds of gas and dust. However, the dust itself often hinders astronomers’ ability to observe these processes. Dust particles absorb visible light and re-emit the absorbed energy in the infrared spectrum. Consequently, a region that appears nearly black in a conventional photograph may appear bright when viewed through an infrared telescope.

The James Webb Space Telescope has already provided a glimpse into many such regions. But even it does not cover the entire infrared spectrum. The coldest dust clouds emit a significant portion of their energy in the far-infrared range, which is beyond the reach of Webb’s instruments. This is where a significant gap exists between the capabilities of modern infrared and radio observatories.

To address this, NASA is developing PRIMA, the PRobe far-Infrared Mission for Astrophysics.

prima.jpg

An artist’s rendering of NASA’s planned PRIMA (Probe Far-Infrared Mission for Astrophysics) space observatory. The telescope will explore the universe in the far-infrared spectrum, enabling the study of cold gas and dust clouds where stars and planets form, as well as regions of galaxies obscured by dust.

Source: PRIMA

In September 2026, the agency selected this mission to proceed to the next phase of design. Subject to further approval, the project is tentatively scheduled for launch in 2033. The telescope, equipped with a mirror approximately 1.8 meters (5.9 feet) in diameter, will study cold dust, gas, and obscured regions of galaxies. This research will help advance our understanding of how new stars form from interstellar matter, how protoplanetary disks evolve, and the role that water and complex chemical compounds play in the early stages of planet formation.

However, temperature is not the sole reason celestial objects remain invisible. Conversely, certain processes are so energetic that they emit light beyond the detection capabilities of optical and infrared telescopes.

COSI and UVEX: Observing Invisible Cosmic Explosions [2027 and 2030]

Not all cosmic processes are observable in visible or infrared light. For instance, hot stars and the early stages of supernova explosions are especially luminous in the ultraviolet spectrum. To study these phenomena, NASA plans to launch the UVEX (UltraViolet EXplorer) telescope in 2030. The telescope will survey the ultraviolet sky and rapidly reorient itself in response to transient cosmic events, including the aftermath of neutron star mergers.

Even higher-energy radiation will be studied by COSI (the Compton Spectrometer and Imager), which is scheduled for launch in 2027. This gamma-ray telescope will help determine where certain chemical elements form in the Galaxy and the origins of positrons — the antiparticles of electrons. When a positron encounters an electron, they annihilate, producing gamma rays that COSI can detect.

cosi_higher_quality.jpg

An artist’s rendering of NASA’s COSI (Compton Spectrometer and Imager) space-based gamma-ray telescope. The observatory will study gamma-ray radiation to determine where certain chemical elements form in the Milky Way and the origins of cosmic antimatter.

Source: COSI

Together, these observatories will enable the study of high-energy processes that are beyond the capabilities of conventional telescopes. However, another challenge remains equally important: detecting the extremely faint matter surrounding galaxies.

Arrakihs and NewAthena: Hidden Features Beyond the Galaxies [2030 and 2039]

Even the most detailed images of galaxies reveal only a portion of their structure. Nearly invisible halos — comprising diffuse gas, dark matter, and faint stellar streams — extend beyond the luminous stellar disks. These halos preserve evidence of ancient collisions and the accretion of smaller galaxies.

To investigate these structures, ESA plans to launch the Arrakihs telescope in 2030. The mission will examine the stellar halos of neighboring galaxies, helping researchers reconstruct their formation histories and test models of dark matter distribution. These observations will complement the large-scale surveys conducted by Roman and Euclid.

However, some ordinary matter exists in a form so hot that it is best observed in the X-ray range. This is precisely what NewAthena — ESA’s future X-ray observatory, scheduled for launch in 2039 — will study. It will investigate gas in galaxy clusters, the growth of black holes, and their effects on the surrounding environment.

newathena.jpg

An artist’s rendering of the European Space Agency’s (ESA) future NewAthena X-ray observatory. The telescope will study hot gas in galaxy clusters and powerful radiation near black holes, contributing to a better understanding of how they grow and influence the evolution of galaxies.

 Source: ESA

However, the most powerful events involving black holes leave traces not only in radiation but also in the very fabric of spacetime.

LISA: Observing the Collision of Black Holes [2035]

In 2015, the LIGO detectors observed gravitational waves from a black hole merger for the first time. These waves are disturbances in spacetime that propagate at the speed of light. However, ground-based facilities cannot effectively detect the lowest frequencies of these oscillations because of terrestrial noise and the interferometers’ size limitations.

To investigate these phenomena, ESA is developing LISA — the Laser Interferometer  Space Antenna — which is scheduled for launch in 2035. The mission will comprise three spacecraft arranged in a triangle, with sides approximately 2.5 million km (1.55 million miles) in length. By exchanging laser beams, the spacecraft will measure minute changes in distance caused by the passage of gravitational waves.

sk22qxfulovbxxonhfbwfxeo2cz08_hhjtw2jgse66xanzn4w9yvxl_0g9srypiisxeaafjolqfepk0jqgtksm8qjberqzvrvzgqwn7d8_kpxixyswrc2v8nuwushvu_rg68-dvq_xofxasbsx-m99tpy_npp-recrgsbiowxz9trb3r-sfkrrdw7ogfnjp.jpg

An artist’s rendering of the European Space Agency’s (ESA) Laser Interferometer Space Antenna (LISA), a space-based gravitational-wave observatory. Three spacecraft, linked by laser beams and positioned 2.5 million kilometers apart, will detect extremely faint ripples in spacetime caused, in particular, by the mergers of massive black holes.

Source: ESA

LISA’s primary targets will be mergers of supermassive black holes at the centers of galaxies. Combined with X-ray observations from NewAthena, these observations will help us understand how black holes have grown throughout the history of the universe.

However, to study an era in which neither galaxies nor black holes yet existed, we will need entirely different kinds of instruments.

LiteBIRD: Evidence of the Universe’s Origins [2036]

According to one of the leading hypotheses in cosmology, during the earliest moments of its existence, the universe underwent inflation — an exceptionally rapid expansion of space. Although no direct evidence of this process has yet been identified, potential traces may have been preserved in the cosmic microwave background, the oldest light observable to us.

These are precisely the phenomena that the Japanese LiteBIRD observatory, scheduled to launch around 2036, will seek to detect. The observatory will measure the polarization of the cosmic microwave background radiation in an effort to identify a specific pattern: primordial B-modes, which may have been generated by gravitational waves during the inflationary era.

litebird.jpg

An artist’s rendering of the LiteBIRD space observatory, which JAXA is developing to study the polarization of the cosmic microwave background. The telescope will search for extremely faint signals from the early universe that may preserve traces of cosmic inflation — the rapid expansion of space during the first moments after the Big Bang.

Source: JAXA

The expected signal is extremely weak, and radiation from galactic dust may obscure it. Accordingly, LiteBIRD will use measurements across multiple frequencies to distinguish the cosmological signal from nearby sources.

The detection of primordial B-modes could provide significant evidence for inflation. However, observations of the cosmic microwave background allow us to directly study the universe only as it existed approximately 380,000 years after the Big Bang. The subsequent stage in its history — the formation of the first stars and galaxies — will be investigated using radio telescopes.

SKA: The Universe Before the Formation of the First Galaxies [2027]

After the universe became transparent to light, the cosmic dark ages commenced. Although atoms had already formed, the first stars had yet to emerge. The Square Kilometre Array (SKA) — a large network of radio telescopes currently under construction in Australia and South Africa — will help researchers investigate this relatively understudied period.

Thousands of antennas will operate together as a single instrument, detecting exceptionally faint radio emissions. Of particular interest is the signal from neutral hydrogen, which can be used to trace how the first stars gradually transformed the surrounding gas.

at_jodrell_bank_observatory_2018_040.jpg

The headquarters of the Square Kilometre Array Observatory (SKAO), an international radio astronomy observatory, is located in the United Kingdom. The renowned Lovell Radio Telescope is visible in the background. The SKA radio telescopes are being constructed in Australia and South Africa and will contribute to the study of the early universe, particularly the period before the first stars and galaxies formed.

Photo: Mike Peel

The SKA will be commissioned in phases as its systems become operational. Together with LiteBIRD, it will help investigate the early history of the universe from two perspectives: possible traces of primordial physical processes and the emergence of the first luminous objects.

Thus, future observatories will progressively address gaps in our observations, and their combined findings will enable us to develop a more comprehensive understanding of the universe’s evolution.

The future of astronomy depends not on a single telescope, but on an integrated system

The future of astronomy depends not on the development of a single, exceptionally powerful telescope, but on a comprehensive network of specialized observatories. Some will search for Earth-like planets, while others will investigate their atmospheres, observe black holes, or seek evidence of the universe’s earliest processes.

The primary advantage of this approach is the ability to study the same objects using different methods. For example, one telescope may detect an exoplanet, another may help determine its mass, and a third may analyze its atmosphere. By combining these data, we can assess how closely this world resembles Earth and whether conditions suitable for life may exist there.

Certainly, no single mission can provide definitive answers to questions concerning the nature of dark matter, the origins of the universe, or the existence of extraterrestrial life. However, each mission will gradually help address gaps in our knowledge.

Hubble has enabled us to observe the universe in remarkable detail; the James Webb  Space Telescope has allowed us to explore much deeper; and the Nancy Grace Roman Space Telescope is poised to create a large-scale map of the cosmos. The next generation of observatories will seek to answer the questions raised by these discoveries.

Perhaps the most significant outcome will not be another photograph of a distant galaxy, but rather the first compelling evidence of life beyond Earth or the discovery of traces of physical processes that occurred long before the first stars formed.

  • It will then become evident that all previous space telescopes represented only the beginning of our exploration of the universe.

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

Hoe vind je dit bericht?
Geschreven door peter om 21:45 Stuur door

The creepy science behind sleep paralysis ‘demons’

The creepy science behind sleep paralysis ‘demons’

Painting of a woman in white with a demon sitting on her chest and a ghostly horse to the left.

In 1781, Swiss artist Henry Fuseli painted this piece entitled "The Nightmare." Sigmund Freud had a copy of the painting hung up in his Vienna apartment in the 1920s.

Image: Tulip Hysteria / CC BY 2.5  

Have you ever woken up in the dead of night to find your limbs locked tight? Perhaps as you moved your eyes to the corner of your room, you spotted a demon lurking in the shadows, watching as you struggled against an invisible force. Sleep paralysis is creepy!

If you can take any comfort from your experience, it’s to know that sleep paralysis has a long and storied history of tormenting humanity. Why is sleep paralysis such a shared, spooky experience? And who exactly is that shadowy figure standing at the bottom of your bed? 

What is sleep paralysis?

Sleep paralysis affects slumberers around the world. Brian A. Sharpless, a clinical psychologist based in the Washington, D.C., area who has written multiple books on the phenomenon, says he has recorded more than 100 different terms for sleep paralysis across time, place, and culture.

While the fine details vary, the core experience is universal.  “Waking up, finding yourself unable to move, oftentimes a sense of pressure in the chest, a feeling of dread, fear, oppression. Those seem to be really consistent, but how you put a meaning on that is where it gets really interesting,” says Sharpless. 

What’s the history of sleep paralysis?

Historically, people often gave these experiences a supernatural origin. Sharpless says, in the West, sleep paralysis overlapped with stories about vampires, witches, and ghosts. In Germanic and Slavic folklore, a demon called a mare (which is the origin of our word “nightmare”) visited sleepers, sat on their chests, and paralyzed them.  

Painting of an old woman sitting on a man's chest. The style features heavy brushstrokes.

In the early 1890s, Danish painter Joakim Skovgaard painted this image showing a mare (or “maren” in Danish). The mare was a shape-shifting supernatural being that would ride people’s chest leaving them unable to move.

Image: Joakim Skovgaard / CC BY 4.0

As time passed, these associations changed to alien visitations or hazy “shadow people” lurking in the corners of their rooms. Sin 1960s, people in Tanzania have reported being attacked by a large winged creature called the Popobawa, which sexuce theally assaults paralyzed victims. 

But scientists also have explanations for sleep paralysis. 

The science behind sleep paralysis

Sharpless says that a brain stuck between dreams and wakefulness produces this phenomenon. During REM sleep, one of the periods of rest when dreams are most likely, the brainstem paralyzes the body’s muscles, except, of course, those that move our eyes and keep us breathing. This is vital, as sleepers might otherwise act out their dreams and harm themselves or others.  

But awakening while the body is still shut down is not pleasant. “It’s kind of an uncanny, strange experience not to have control over your body,” says Sharpless. As a result, surveys of people who have reckoned with sleep paralysis show it is almost always a fearful experience. 

Another shared factor in sleep paralysis is feeling a presence in the room. These sleep paralysis demons, aliens, vampires, or Popobawas are generated by what researchers call the threat-activated vigilance system. 

“What we think happens is that your brain is reading the sense that you’re prey, and it creates a predator,” says Sharpless. 

A colorful painting of a black cat in a blue sweater sticking its tongue down a sleeping person's throat.

Contemporary graphic designer and illustrator Kasia Walentynowicz drew this somewhat cute image of a shapeshifting mare based off of Polish folklore.

Image: Kasia Walentynowicz – Instytut Adama Mickiewicza – Projekt : Upiór / CC BY-SA 4.0

Who’s most likely to experience sleep paralysis?

Some people go through their whole lives without experiencing sleep paralysis, but some factors put you more at risk. 

Sharpless says that people with a history of trauma or anxiety are more vulnerable. Sleep paralysis is also linked to being a student, consuming alcohol, or having narcolepsy. All of these factors are in turn linked to more disrupted sleep. 

Sharpless says that, in general, poor sleep hygiene increases the risk of sleep paralysis. No randomized controlled trials, the gold standard for testing treatments, have been conducted for potential solutions to sleep paralysis, but Sharpless says interventions that improve sleep will likely also reduce the risk of sleep paralysis. 

How to avoid sleep paralysis

“One of the best, easiest things you can do is don’t drink before you go to bed and try to sleep on your side,” says Sharpless. 

Sleeping on your back, he says, might make it slightly harder to breathe during sleep, especially in people who are overweight or obese. Sleep paralysis is less likely to happen to side sleepers, he adds. If a sleeper’s partner sees them sleeping on their back, gently moving them onto their side can reduce the chances of sleep paralysis.

Generally improving sleep hygiene, and getting treated for any anxiety, depression, or trauma, are also important steps, Sharpless says. 

Sharpless has only experienced sleep paralysis once. In that episode, a terrifying face with sunken red eyes, balanced atop an improbably long neck, wound its way into his room. It was only when he remembered he had watched a documentary on sleep paralysis that very day that the fear, and then the face, dissipated. 

He warns that there’s anecdotal evidence that sleep paralysis may be contagious. So, after reading this piece, sleep on your side, and if a demon appears in the corner of your room, remember it’s simply a figment of a tired, wired brain. 

“Try to have a sense of humor about it,” advises Sharpless. 

Related 'Ask Us Anything' Stories

RELATED

The Terrifying History of Sleep Paralysis: Demons, Science, or Something Else?
Sleep Paralysis: The Terrifying Neuroscience Behind the Shadow Figure
Why You See a Demon When You're Sleep Paralyzed (The Real Science)

{ https://www.popsci.com/category/health/ }

Hoe vind je dit bericht?
Geschreven door peter om 21:07 Stuur door

Is UAP Storytelling Akin to Religious Myths?

Is UAP Storytelling Akin to Religious Myths?

 Avi Loeb

1*KDmTCVbSHj94zl39UrBQzQ.jpeg

(Image Credit: AI/Gemini)

A system of statements based on conviction rather than evidence is closer to religion than it is to science. Of course, I know of many scientists who are also religious but they fully recognize the difference between scientific knowledge and religious belief.

The space of possible realities is far greater than the specific physical reality that we live in. As a result, human history is full of imagined stories. In the same vein, the practice of science is full of conjectures or unproven theoretical ideas. But what makes science different from politics or religion is the surrender to empirical evidence as an arbitrator.

The quest for evidence is commonly adopted by detectives who aim to resolve mysteries, including fictional characters like Sherlock Holmes who was quoted by Arthur Conan Doyle as saying: “When you have eliminated all which is impossible, then whatever remains, however improbable, must be the truth.” This assertion is certainly true about quantum mechanics as the counterintuitive nature of physical reality. The 2022 Nobel Prize in Physics was awarded to Alain Aspect, John F. Clauser, and Anton Zeilinger for their groundbreaking experiments with entangled photons. Their work confirmed the reality of quantum entanglement and proved that Albert Einstein’s objections to this phenomenon, which he famously derided as “spooky action at a distance,” were incorrect.

Other scientific mysteries over the past century remain unresolved. Chief among them is the challenge of unifying quantum mechanics and gravity. The latest conjectures about doing so in the presence of extra dimensions or supersymmetry lack empirical support. This does not make these scientific ideas resemble religious myths because the physicists who explore them recognize that they can only gain traction by experimental support.

1*S6_p_hsrRs1mQ-tjQ_MKGw.jpeg

Avi Loeb

(Image Credit: Lotem Loeb, May 22, 2026)

What makes the situation confusing for the general public is that most often, the scientific data necessary for drawing definitive conclusions is absent or not good enough. In politics or religion, conviction is sufficient for attracting many likes on social media because confidence is regarded as an admirable trait in our otherwise fragile life. However, in science, the most accomplished mathematicians engaged in String Theory or even the most advanced version of superintelligence, will not be able to figure out the truth about the physical reality without high-quality data from instruments that probe it.

The approach of physics is an extension of the way our body works. We rely on data from our biological sensors, known as receptors, to monitor the internal state of the body and interpret the external world. These native sensors detect physical, chemical, or mechanical changes and translate them into electrical signals that our brain can process. But the data is often insufficient for drawing definitive conclusions.

When we see a cat walking towards a building and appearing on the other side, our mind comes up with the plausible conjecture that a single cat existed throughout the entire period even though our view of the cat was blocked by the building during some of the time. Alternatively, we can imagine that there are numerous identical cats hiding behind the building with only one coming out after some time. The only way to figure whether this hypothesis is true or false is to gain a direct view of the other side of the building. This does not require that we access the other side, which might be unfeasible if obstacles block our way. Instead, we can use a drone camera or a fortuitously-positioned window that reflects the image of the hidden region.

Social-media influencers might prefer not to collect any data, because the lack of conflicting evidence gives them the license to spread the “many cats interpretation” and attract followers. The temptation to spread myths is attractive because it offers a shortcut to societal notoriety. On the other hand, the use of scientific instruments to vet the “many cats interpretation” offers us a better path forward than the number of likes a story gets.

Consider Unidentified Anomalous Phenomena (UAP), formerly known as UFOs. The fact that UFO reports persisted for 80 years does not lend credence to their alien technology interpretation. The Vatican insisted on the popular story that the Earth is at the center of the Universe for many centuries, but eventually admitted on October 31, 1992 that this story was false. Unlike blockbuster script writers in Hollywood, nature is under no obligation to follow our wishes.

Most of the time, scientists must remain agnostic because the data is not good enough to deliver a verdict about the validity of a hypothesis or an interpretation. Patience is key. The rush to a premature conclusion can have disastrous public relations consequences, as in the case of the old cosmological model of the Catholic Church.

Jay Stratton’s new book about UAP, Out of the Shadows, employs a “self-sealing” logical framework that preemptively labels skepticism as part of a government conspiracy. This rhetorical strategy creates an unfalsifiable loop where any demand for hard evidence is automatically twisted into proof of a cover-up. This type of closed epistemic system operates through several distinct layers. Testimony alone is treated as absolute truth, while the standard scientific requirement for verifiable data is reclassified as a hostile act of disinformation. Skeptics are told that if they feel genuinely unconvinced, they are simply victims of brainwashing, stripping away their critical thinking agency. By framing the debate as an ongoing war against “gatekeepers,” this narrative guarantees an endless demand for future books, documentaries, and media appearances to counter the alleged cover-up. This framing does not mean that Stratton is wrong about everything he says. He has admirable credentials as the leader of the UAP Task Force within the U.S. government. Testimony from a credible insider is a legitimate reason to investigate. But it’s a reason to start, not a reason to stop, and a book that treats its own testimony as the terminus of inquiry is overreaching. The honest reading of “we now know with certainty” is “I am certain,” which is a statement about Stratton’s mind, not about what’s in a hangar of a supposedly alien spacecraft.

On September 10, 2026, I humbly invited Jay Stratton to meet with the UAP Science Advisory Council or disclose evidence that will guide us to support his public statements. My invitation was repeated by Council member, Dr. Tim Gallaudet, but I received no response from Stratton. Instead, I was attacked personally by believers who argued: “How dare you question what Jay Stratton said? He knows what he is talking about.” I respect their conviction but this is not how science works. We must have access to evidence or else such claims do not hold water.

Paraphrasing Sherlock Holmes: “When you have eliminated all which is impossible to explain UAP, such as birds, meteors, balloons, drones, missiles, aircraft or satellites, then whatever remains, however improbable, must be the truth.” For now, the UAP Science Advisory Council provided evidence in a paper posted here that more than 8% of the UAP videos declassified by the Presidential Unsealing and Reporting System for UAP Encounters involve birds. Regarding the identity of the remaining 92%, we have to remain agnostic and collect better data or check the hangars that whistleblowers guide us to.

RELATED

UFOs in Religion: Hidden Link Between Ancient “Miracles” and Modern Aliens | Dr. Diana Walsh Pasulka

{ https://medium.com/?source=---top_nav_layout_nav }

Hoe vind je dit bericht?
Geschreven door peter om 20:49 Stuur door

New UFO map shows 164 'black triangle' sightings above UK after Pentagon files released

'Black triangles' have been seen hovering over the UK

'Black triangles' have been seen hovering over the UK

(Getty Images)

New UFO map shows 164 'black triangle' sightings above UK after Pentagon files released

A new UFO interactive map shows an astonishing 164 reports of wedge shaped objects looking like black triangles which have been seen over the UK

By Tim Hanlon, Richard Ault

Dozens of "black triangles" have been spotted in the sky by Brits with an interactive map showing all the reports of UFOs in your area.

Nearly 2,000 Unidentified Flying Objects have been documented and logged in the UK over the last five years by research group UFO Identified

Strange black triangles speeding above military sites have triggered security concerns in the United States and the data shows that there are equally strange sightings in the UK.

Now, a searchable interactive map allows you to explore every unexplained encounter logged in your area between 2021 and 2026, and many of these British accounts closely mirror sightings reported across the Atlantic.

The Pentagon recently published its latest release of declassified files on Unidentified Anomalous Phenomena (UAP – the American term for UFO), following an executive order signed by Donald Trump.

Among the documents is an account from two federal agents stationed at a US “sensitive national security site” in June 2026.

According to the report, a matte-black triangular object with an estimated 15-foot wingspan hovered silently roughly 300 feet in the air for 20 seconds before descending into a canyon at high speed without leaving an exhaust trail.

While orbs, spheres and “star-like” sightings make up the bulk of British sightings, researchers have logged 164 reports of similar wedge-shaped objects – meaning roughly one in every 12 sightings involves a distinctive triangle.

Witnesses across the UK have reported seeing dark, matte triangles gliding soundlessly at low altitude over housing estates, farmland, and coastal areas before darting away at incredible speeds, just like the sighting made by federal agents in the USA.

The most recent was on July 22 of this year, when a “large black triangle” featuring a red light on each point was witnessed hovering over Stretford in Greater Manchester for over 30 minutes.

Earlier this year, a “perfect triangle” was seen speeding across the sky above Chesterfield in Derbyshire, a “black V-shaped boomerang” was spotted over the Fylde coast in Lancashire, and a soundless black wedge above Exmouth in Devon.

You can check what UFOs have been seen where you live using out interactive gadget.

Our map reveals hotspot areas across the UK where clusters of UFOs have been spotted above Greater Manchester, London, Essex, Lancashire, Cheshire, Merseyside, Kent and West Yorkshire.

The accounts have been gathered by UFO Identified to create a central, searchable public archive, called the UK UFO Database, to help researchers identify patterns.

Ash Ellis, founder of UFO Identified, said: “There are thousands of people across the UK who have seen something they could not readily explain, but the reports are often difficult to find once the initial interest has passed. We wanted to build a serious, easy-to-use public archive that keeps those accounts accessible and allows people to look for patterns for themselves.”

RELATED

Sightings of ‘black triangle’ UFOs part of long history: UAP experts | Elizabeth Vargas Reports
Pentagon UFO Files: The Silent Triangle Over a Secret Site
FBI Statement Details Strange Triangle UFO Near US Security Site | NewsX World

{ https://www.mirror.co.uk/news/ }

Hoe vind je dit bericht?
Geschreven door peter om 20:33 Stuur door

New Pentagon UFO files detail FBI agents' sighting of silent triangular object with no visible engines

Former intelligence official breaks silence on gov't UFO investigations

Government investigations into unexplained UAPs are detailed by retired Defense Intelligence senior executive Jay Stratton on 'Special Report' with Bret Baier. Stratton details shocking military encounters with black triangle aircraft and outlines potential national security risks. He also explains why the U.S. military used nuclear submarines as bait to track these mysterious anomalies.

FBI agents reported witnessing a mysterious black triangular object hovering silently above a mountain ridge before suddenly accelerating at speeds comparable to a fighter jet, newly released Department of War documents reveal.

The 2026 sighting is among several incidents detailed in the newly released records examining unidentified anomalous phenomena (UAP), alongside decades-old military encounters and reports of mysterious creatures, unexplained lights and supposed portals at a Utah ranch.

One report from the FBI describes an encounter with a dark, nonreflective triangular object resembling a drone, with an estimated wingspan of 9 to 15 feet and no visible exhaust or conventional propulsion system.

NEW TRUMP UFO FILE DUMP INCLUDES MILITARY FOOTAGE OF MYSTERIOUS STAR-SHAPED OBJECT

The agents reported seeing the object rise vertically above a ridgeline before accelerating into a canyon without making a sound.

Black triangular shape appears above a mountain ridge in an image included with a federal report documenting a 2026 unidentified aerial object sighting.

An image released with a 2026 FBI report depicts a black triangular object above mountainous terrain. Federal agents reported seeing a silent, triangular object hover above a ridgeline before accelerating into a canyon. Authorities have not confirmed whether the image is an actual photograph or a reconstruction.

(Department of War)

A separate report from the Pentagon's All-domain Anomaly Resolution Office (AARO), which investigates reports of unidentified anomalous phenomena, provides a more detailed account of the encounter.

The report describes a matte-black triangular object that climbed about 200 to 300 feet above a ridgeline, hovered for roughly 20 seconds and then appeared to accelerate almost instantly, disappearing into a canyon within two to three seconds.

The witnesses described an object with no visible engines, rotors, exhaust or other conventional aircraft features.

The agents also reported observing a uniform heat signature across the object's surface through handheld thermal equipment, without the concentrated hot spots typically associated with propulsion systems.

The Pentagon report notes that the object's speed was estimated by witnesses rather than measured by instruments.

The two reports differ on the length of the encounter. The FBI described a sighting lasting approximately three seconds, while AARO detailed about 10 seconds of vertical ascent, 20 seconds of hovering and another two to three seconds of rapid flight before the object disappeared.

Neither report identifies the object or establishes its origin.

Fox News Digital has contacted AARO for comment on the sighting, including whether the object has since been identified and whether images released with the FBI report show the actual encounter or are illustrations.

Declassified 1957 Air Force intelligence report describing a B-52 bomber's encounter with an unidentified radar target near Saudi Arabia.

A declassified U.S. Air Force intelligence report dated Jan. 19, 1957, details an unidentified radar contact involving a B-52 bomber flying near Saudi Arabia during a Strategic Air Command mission.

(Department of War)

The newly released records also include an Air Force intelligence report dated Jan. 19, 1957, detailing an unidentified radar contact involving a U.S. B-52 bomber during a Strategic Air Command mission near Saudi Arabia.

The bomber was flying at about 39,000 feet when its radar detected an unidentified target roughly 6,000 yards away on Jan. 18, 1957.

The contact remained on the aircraft's radar screen for five to seven minutes before disappearing as the bomber turned left.

Air Force investigators noted that no other aircraft were expected in the area but acknowledged that the radar contact may have disappeared because of the bomber's change in direction.

Other historical records describe reported sightings near California's Santa Catalina Island.

Declassified 1952 Air Force report detailing a UFO sighting reported by three Boy Scouts attending summer camp on Catalina Island.

An Air Force intelligence report dated Aug. 28, 1952, documents claims by three Boy Scouts who reported seeing a silent, silver object moving faster than a conventional jet near California's Santa Catalina Island. (Department of War)

In one case, three Boy Scouts attending summer camp reported seeing a silent, silver object moving faster than a conventional jet while hiking on the island June 25, 1952.

The scouts claimed the object made a climbing turn before appearing to disintegrate, an Air Force intelligence report states.

Investigators noted that the scouts had no instruments to measure its speed or altitude and that their limited experience made it difficult to assess the reliability of their account.

A separate March 15, 1955, report describes a witness near Avalon on Catalina Island who spotted a bright, round object that changed from orange to red before falling straight down.

The Air Force ultimately classified the sighting as a "probable meteor."

The files also include a 60-page investigation conducted in 2010 by Bigelow Aerospace Advanced Space Studies (BAASS) at a Utah ranch associated with reports of unexplained phenomena.

Investigators interviewed residents who described towering dog-like creatures walking on two legs, mysterious balls of light and other unusual sightings.

Other witnesses reported smaller, hairy creatures, a prehistoric-looking bird and a worm allegedly measuring 8 feet long. One witness also described a transparent, rippling structure she believed was a portal to another world.

Two black-and-white eyewitness drawings depicting unusual creatures, including a long-tailed, four-limbed figure and a larger, pointed-eared creature.

Eyewitness sketches included in a 2010 investigation by Bigelow Aerospace Advanced Space Studies depict mysterious creatures reportedly spotted at a Utah ranch associated with alleged paranormal activity. The sightings were not independently verified. (Department of War)

The investigation included eyewitness sketches, surveillance cameras, environmental monitoring and hair samples collected from areas associated with reported creature sightings.

UAP File Drop: Pentagon Reveals 70 Years of UFO Secrets | Backscroll

{ https://www.foxnews.com/category/science/  }

Hoe vind je dit bericht?
Geschreven door peter om 19:20 Stuur door

Former NASA astronaut Winston Scott discusses alleged aliens and space conflict

Former NASA astronaut Winston Scott discusses alleged aliens and space conflict

Overview

Former NASA astronaut Winston Scott is being widely discussed in UFO communities after appearing in an interview about alleged extraterrestrial activity and the possibility of conflict beyond Earth. The interview was highlighted in a Daily Mail report published October 30, 2026, under the headline “NASA astronaut reveals reason he is convinced aliens exist as he warns of possible war in space.”

The report’s framing has prompted renewed online interest in claims that non-human intelligence may already be present in or near Earth’s space environment. However, the available source material does not provide independently verified evidence of alien craft, extraterrestrial communications or an active conflict in space. Scott’s reported views should therefore be treated as personal allegations and speculation, rather than an official finding by NASA or the U.S. government.

Scott’s Background

Scott is a former NASA astronaut and retired U.S. Navy captain who flew on two Space Shuttle missions. He served as a mission specialist aboard STS-72 in 1996, conducted aboard Endeavour, and STS-87 in 1997, aboard Columbia. Across his spaceflight career, he spent more than three weeks in orbit and completed spacewalks during the STS-87 mission.

After leaving active astronaut service, Scott held academic and administrative positions, including leadership roles connected with science, engineering and aviation education. His background gives him a high public profile when discussing space-related subjects, but his professional experience does not by itself establish the truth of claims about extraterrestrial life or alleged hostilities in space.

Claims of Alien Presence

According to the Daily Mail’s summary, Scott discussed why he is convinced that aliens exist and warned of a possible “war in space.” The source material supplied for this report does not include a full transcript or specific evidence supporting those statements. It is also unclear whether Scott was referring to direct personal observations, testimony from others, classified information, or broader arguments about the likelihood of life elsewhere in the universe.

That distinction is significant. A belief that extraterrestrial life exists is not the same as evidence that extraterrestrial beings have visited Earth or are engaged in military operations. Scientists generally regard the existence of life beyond Earth as an open question, but no publicly confirmed discovery has demonstrated that non-human craft have entered Earth’s atmosphere or interacted with human institutions.

Official Context

NASA has said that it has found no credible evidence that unidentified anomalous phenomena, or UAP, are extraterrestrial in origin. The U.S. Department of Defense’s All-domain Anomaly Resolution Office has likewise investigated reports of unusual objects while emphasizing that unresolved observations are not automatically evidence of alien technology. Many cases remain unexplained because of incomplete data, limited sensor information or the difficulty of reconstructing events observed under unusual conditions.

The phrase “war in space” also has several possible meanings. It could refer to conflict between human nations involving satellites and orbital infrastructure, a growing concern among military planners, or a hypothetical confrontation with non-human intelligence. The available report does not establish that any such conflict is occurring.

What Remains Unverified

Scott’s comments are likely to fuel debate over government transparency, military secrecy and the interpretation of UAP reports. Yet without corroborating documentation, technical data or testimony that can be independently assessed, the central claims remain unverified. The interview illustrates the continuing influence of former officials and astronauts in the UAP discussion, while also underscoring the need to separate expertise, personal conviction and demonstrable evidence.

COMBAT IN SPACE? Former NASA astronaut says he ‘would not rule it out’

{  https://usubjects.com/  }

Hoe vind je dit bericht?
Geschreven door peter om 18:46 Stuur door

Mysterious Humanoid Predator Lurking Near US Border Could Be From Another Dimension, UFO Investigator Claims

Mysterious Humanoid Predator Lurking Near US Border Could Be From Another Dimension, UFO Investigator Claims

Jaime Maussan linked images from the Valley of Juárez to unverified reports of farm animals disappearing

Mysterious Humanoid Predator

Jaime Maussan claims camera images near the US-Mexico border show a mysterious predator

PHOTO Beth Teutschmann/Unsplash

Controversial Mexican television presenter and self-styled UFO investigator Jaime Maussan has ignited renewed border hysteria after claiming that automated camera traps in the Valley of Juárez have captured photographs of an elusive six-foot predator originating from another dimension.

Speaking at a press conference on Saturday, 17 October 2026, the 73-year-old commentator alleged that the agile, white-coloured creature has humanoid traits, walks upright on two legs, and snatches chickens, roosters, and rabbits from rural farmsteads across Chihuahua.

Maussan claimed that forensic measurements against brick masonry indicate the entity measures about 1.8 metres [nearly six feet] long, with elongated limbs and a 90-centimetre tail.

However, civic authorities and law enforcement agencies on both sides of the frontier quickly dismissed the sensational narrative.

Juárez Civil Protection confirmed it received no reports of livestock abduction or unidentified beasts, while police departments across the border in Texas told the El Paso Times that no predatory incidents have occurred, and scientific sceptics point to Maussan's extensive record of promoting taxidermied animal hoaxes and fabricated bone figurines.

Humanoid Predator Images Under Scrutiny

Researchers working with Maussan described photographs of a large white animal with a long tail and large limbs. They argued it did not resemble a rodent, raccoon, rat, rabbit or another common animal known to live in Chihuahua.

At the press conference, four of Maussan's research assistants said they estimated its size after seeing it climb a brick wall. By comparing it to the bricks, they claimed the animal measured nearly six feet from head to tail, with a tail about three feet long.

 A demogorgon in real life? Eerie creature spotted near US-Mexico border

A demogorgon in real life? Eerie creature spotted near US-Mexico border

The footage did not show the creature walking upright on its back legs, despite Maussan's suggestion that it could do so. Animal specialists were reportedly consulted and allegedly concluded it was not a common mammal found on Earth, though they also reportedly raised the possibility that it was an animal that was 'mutating'.

Humanoid Predator Claim Extends to Another Dimension

Maussan described the alleged creature as agile, intelligent and somewhat human-like, saying it walked on two legs. He suggested that it might not have arrived from another world, but could be an intelligence from another dimension sharing space with Earth.

'Why did it appear there? It's a mystery. Are they interdimensional beings? Did they come with other beings? Did they come in ships?' Maussan said to news outlets in Mexico.

He told NetNoticias.Mx: 'It's a predator. I'm not saying it's extraterrestrial, but it is something scary.' He added: 'Its intelligence and agility are truly frightening. I don't believe it attacks people, but it is affecting the interests of those who live in the so-called Juárez Valley.'

Maussan claimed his inquiry began after an unnamed boy saw the animal seize a chicken by the head and run up a tree. He also alleged that some residents had left their homes because they feared the entity, a claim authorities have not confirmed.

Humanoid Predator Reports and Maussan's Record

The investigator compared the case to El Ser de Metepec, a 2007 case in which a farmer found a hairless, alien-like creature near Mexico City. Maussan called the Juárez animal an adult version of that creature.

The report said that the Metepec animal was later identified as a modified squirrel monkey created by a local taxidermist. It also notes that Maussan presented two purported 'non-human' mummies to the Mexican Congress in 2023, which forensic experts concluded were dolls assembled from animal and human bones using glue and paper.

The report further states that the US government has never recovered physical evidence proving the existence of UFOs or alien life. It says some lawmakers, former military personnel, and religious leaders believe strange sightings could involve beings from other planes of reality, including entities compared with ghosts, demonic spirits, and biblical angels.

{ https://www.ibtimes.co.uk/world }

Hoe vind je dit bericht?
Geschreven door peter om 17:47 Stuur door

US Government Reportedly Plotted to Harness Dark Energy for Star Trek-Style Warp Drives to Hunt Aliens

US Government Reportedly Plotted to Harness Dark Energy for Star Trek-Style Warp Drives to Hunt Aliens

Theoretical research based on Alcubierre's model did not demonstrate that faster-than-light travel is technologically feasible or that a warp spacecraft was developed

Aliens

A 2010 US defence study explored dark energy and warp drives, while physicist Katy Clough highlighted practical obstacles to faster-than-light travel By MjolnirPants - Own work,

CC  PHOTO BY-SA 4.0/Wikimedia Commons

The US government reportedly examined dark energy as a possible means of enabling Star Trek-style warp drives in a 2010 defence study later released alongside records concerning UFOs and possible extraterrestrial life.

The study was produced under the Defense Intelligence Agency's Advanced Aerospace Weapon System Applications programme, commonly known as AAWSAP. It considered whether faster-than-light travel could be possible, drawing on a mathematical framework proposed by physicist Miguel Alcubierre in 1994.

The quoted passages concern theoretical propulsion. They do not establish that the government approved an alien-search mission or developed technology capable of carrying astronauts faster than light.

The Energy Barrier to Warp Drives

The proposed system would alter space around a spacecraft. The study states, 'The basic idea is to create an asymmetric bubble of space that is contracting in front of the spacecraft while expanding behind it.

'Using this form of locomotion, the spacecraft remains stationary inside this 'warp bubble' and the movement of space itself facilitates the relative motion of the spacecraft.'

Energy was a central obstacle to translating those calculations into useful travel. Creating the bubble appeared to require far more energy than humanity could supply, leaving a substantial gap between the mathematical proposal and a functioning spacecraft.

Under one set of assumptions, the study calculated a warp-bubble speed of just 5.16 micrometres per second. 'Garden snails can crawl faster than this,' the authors wrote.

The paper explored whether harnessing dark energy could overcome that constraint and make the proposed drive suitable for space travel. Dark energy is associated with the Universe's expansion, but its nature remains poorly understood.

Warp Drives Raise Questions About Cause and Effect

Katy Clough, of Queen Mary University of London, told The Times that the paper made theoretical sense but remained highly speculative. She described using dark energy to build warp drives as a 'common crackpot notion'.

Clough said discussions about warp drives quickly enter the 'realm of bonkers', with numerous practical obstacles standing between the calculations and actual space travel.

Although faster-than-light travel could shorten journeys, she warned that it might also 'break causality and change the past', raising questions beyond whether enough energy could ever be supplied.

Her concern extended beyond propulsion technology to the possibility that such travel could challenge the established relationship between cause and effect.

NASA-Backed Nuclear Rocket Would Not Deliver Warp Drives

A separate propulsion concept, the Pulsed Plasma Rocket, or PPR, was described as a way to shorten journeys to Mars without reaching warp speed. US company Howe Industries was developing the system.

The rocket would obtain energy through fission, the controlled splitting of atoms, to generate thrust. That is a different proposal from the expanding and contracting space described in the warp-drive study.

NASA stated in its May 2024 project description that 'The PPR enables a whole new era in space exploration.' It also projected that the proposed system's efficiency could allow crewed missions to reach Mars within two months.

The two-month journey remained a projection for the proposed technology. NASA said the system could alternatively transport heavier spacecraft equipped with additional shielding against galactic cosmic rays, potentially reducing crew exposure.

{ https://www.ibtimes.co.uk/science }

Hoe vind je dit bericht?
Geschreven door peter om 17:30 Stuur door

A Massive New Object Has Been Discovered Beyond Pluto—Could It Be a Dwarf Planet?

rubin-observatory-reve-360x240.jpg

A Massive New Object Has Been Discovered Beyond Pluto—Could It Be a Dwarf Planet?

A potential new dwarf planet has been discovered beyond Pluto, offering astronomers a glimpse of a distant world that may be among the largest objects identified in the outer solar system in decades.

Using observations from the NSF–DOE Vera C. Rubin Observatory, researchers identified the object, provisionally designated 2026 ED138, and estimated that it measures between 600 and 1,500 kilometers (370 and 930 miles) across.

On October 13, astrophysicist Matthew Holman of the Center for Astrophysics, Harvard & Smithsonian, identified the object while analyzing data collected by Rubin earlier this year. Its unusual brightness and distance suggested that it could be large enough to qualify as a dwarf planet.

If confirmed, ED138 could join Pluto, Ceres, Eris, Haumea, and Makemake as one of the five dwarf planets officially recognized by the International Astronomical Union (IAU).

“If confirmed as a dwarf planet, ED138 would join a very small family of worlds,” Holman said in a statement. “Rubin will image the whole southern sky again and again for 10 years, so any others hiding in the places earlier surveys skipped are now within reach.”

Holman and Mario Jurić, a University of Washington professor of astronomy and Rubin’s solar system lead scientist, presented the findings at a press conference during the 58th Annual Division for Planetary Sciences meeting in Spokane, Washington.

A hidden new world 

“Finding an object this big, roughly 1,000 kilometers (620 miles) across, is something that happens maybe once in a generation,” Jurić said. “It’s the largest trans-Neptunian object found in about 20 years, and Rubin turned it up while we were still commissioning the telescope.”

ED138 is 46 times farther away from the Sun than Earth, and currently sits  46 astronomical units (AU) from our star than Earth. By contrast, Pluto’s orbital distance is 40 AU.

The newfound object belongs to a population of distant bodies known as trans-Neptunian objects (TNOs), which orbit the Sun beyond Neptune. These objects offer important clues about the solar system’s early history, including how giant planets moved and how gravitational interactions scattered objects to the farthest reaches of our cosmic neighborhood. 

Qualifications for being a dwarf planet 

Under the International Astronomical Union’s definition, a dwarf planet must orbit the Sun, possess enough mass for its gravity to pull it into a nearly round shape, and not have cleared its orbital neighborhood of other objects. It also cannot be a satellite.

Reviewing the newly obtained data, astronomers found that, based on the object’s brightness, distance, and estimated surface reflectivity, the object could be between 600 and 1,500 kilometers across. However, more observations are needed to understand its dimensions. 

“My first reaction was one of excited disbelief,” Holman said. “Objects like this are very rare, so I immediately started checking whether I or the code had done something wrong.”

How the object was found 

Holman identified ED138 using a computer algorithm developed with fellow astrophysicist Kevin Napier. The software searches through billions of detections, comparing observations of moving objects to determine which measurements correspond to the same celestial body.

After the initial discovery on October 13, researchers began searching existing observations to confirm the object’s identity and better understand its orbit. Jurić searched Rubin’s archival data and image catalogs to help verify the discovery, uncovering 20 more images dating back to March 2026 that helped correlate their findings. 

In total, Rubin’s Simonyi Survey Telescope had observed ED138 30 times across 20 nights between March 4 and July 11.

“Rubin is giving us an unprecedented capacity to explore the sky through a combination of speed, depth and precision,” Jurić said. “And the discovery is just the beginning: Once we identify a new object, we can search back months, and sometimes even decades, finding it in images where nobody knew to look.

“This ability to both discover and ‘precover’ objects is transforming how quickly and accurately we can determine their orbits and understand the distant solar system,” Jurić added.

RELATED

Astronomers Find Mysterious Object Beyond Pluto, Possible Dwarf Planet | Gravitas
A New Dwarf Planet Beyond Pluto?
Did We Just Discover a New Dwarf Planet? The Mystery Beyond Neptune | Planet Nine
Another Planet Found Beyond Pluto — And It Changes Everything | Space Documentary 2026

{ https://thedebrief.org/category/space/ }

Hoe vind je dit bericht?
Geschreven door peter om 16:29 Stuur door

EXCLUSIVE - The chilling threat to Americans floating over their heads... as insiders reveal how the next world war will actually take shape

EXCLUSIVE - The chilling threat to Americans floating over their heads... as insiders reveal how the next world war will actually take shape

By CHRIS MELORE, US DEPUTY SCIENCE EDITOR and JON MICHAEL RAASCH, WHITE HOUSE CORRESPONDENT

After a string of mysterious rocket launches by SpaceX this month, the US military has finally confirmed what many suspected: space-based weapons have been placed into Earth's orbit.

The unprecedented announcement came after SpaceX would only say that they were carrying top-secret payloads for the US Space Force, launching a pair of rockets from their California base in less than a week.

Now, the top uniformed officer in America's newest military branch, USSF Chief of Space Operations General Douglas Schiess, has told the Daily Mail that space has quietly become a secret battlefield - and the US is in a struggle with other superpowers to control it.

Schiess said: 'Space is both a battlefield and the backbone of our Joint Force. 

'We face determined and credible adversaries who are building and fielding counterspace systems at incredible speeds to directly target the United States' space advantage.'

'Let me be clear: Today, Guardians [Space Force personnel] operate on-orbit weapons that can defend the Joint Force against space-enabled attacks.'

On September 16, SpaceX launched a classified payload into orbit for the US Space Force, which is charged with defending the country's satellites and communications systems

On September 16, SpaceX launched a classified payload into orbit for the US Space Force, which is charged with defending the country's satellites and communications systems

A Space Force spokesperson specifically singled out Russia and China, claiming that both nations had been testing weapons for use in space for the last two decades.

While the Pentagon has not revealed what the September 2026 rocket launches were carrying for the Space Force, the White House has already made it clear that one of the military's goals is building President Donald Trump's 'Golden Dome' - a giant net of sensors and missile-interceptor satellites around the globe.

On September 14, Air Force Secretary Troy Meink made the shock announcement that those interceptors had already gone from the development phase to 'flight-ready hardware' in less than a year.

Speaking at the Air, Space and Cyber Conference, Meink said the US was prepared to deal with 'evolving threats' but did not elaborate on the weapon's offensive capabilities or when it was put into orbit.

Space Force was created in 2019 with the main mission of protecting satellites used for communications, navigation and surveillance.

However, a military spokesperson told the Daily Mail the US is facing increased threats that could originate from hostile satellites in Earth orbit - comparing the vast vacuum just miles above Earth's surface to an actual battle zone.

'The US has warned about Russian and Chinese weapons testing and operationalization since 2007. Due to their actions, it is no longer a question that space is a warfighting domain,' they said.

'Acknowledging our readiness to protect and defend against adversary use of space weapons deters aggression. The space domain is contested, and we must be able to secure our nation's interests in space - that is why the Space Force was established as the sixth military service.'

Air Force Secretary Troy Meink confirmed the US military placed weapons in orbit above Earth

Air Force Secretary Troy Meink confirmed the US military placed weapons in orbit above Earth

President Trump has wants a 'Golden Dome' missile defense system by the end of the decade

President Trump has wants a 'Golden Dome' missile defense system by the end of the decade

Pictured: A hypothetical scenario showing how the US 'Golden Dome' system would activate and prevent a nuclear attack on America

Pictured: A hypothetical scenario showing how the US 'Golden Dome' system would activate and prevent a nuclear attack on America

The source did not reveal what the new weapons placed in orbit were capable of, when they were launched into space or how these systems operate. 

Five years ago, the Russian military showed how lethal its space-based satellites could be, successfully testing a hit-to-kill anti-satellite missile in 2021.

The device obliterated a defunct, Soviet-era spy satellite launched in 1982, sparking condemnation from around the world.

It is believed that the Golden Dome, which the White House wants completed by the end of the decade, will consist of sensors and tracking satellites, ground and sea-based missile platforms and a planned 'constellation' of space-based interceptors.

Similar to the defense missile used by Israel, the 'dome' would act like a layered shield meant to detect and shoot down missiles and other airborne attacks on the American homeland.

The interceptors in space would sit in orbit and, if used, try to ram an enemy missile early in flight before it can drop warheads or decoys.

Besides the interceptors, Golden Dome is also expected to feature sensor and enemy tracking platforms sitting in orbit.

Those satellites would watch for missile launches from foreign nations or other adversaries, follow the threat across the sky and feed targeting data to the interceptors on land, at sea or in space.

Officials want them there because a missile can appear with only minutes of warning, and space is the only place that can see almost the entire surface of the Earth at one time.

While the Pentagon has not revealed the specifics of these new systems moving into the 'flight-ready' status, lawmakers in Washington have already done the math on how many interceptors will need to be launched to complete Trump's plan.

A so-called 'golden dome' would help protect the United States from outer space

A so-called 'golden dome' would help protect the United States from outer space

The US has deployed a space weapon in the Earth's orbit for the first time, its air force said

The US has deployed a space weapon in the Earth's orbit for the first time, its air force said

According to a May 2026 report from the Congressional Budget Office, the US would need approximately 7,800 interceptor satellites in low Earth orbit to effectively defend the country.

That estimate came from an assessment of what it would take to stop ten long-range missiles, possibly nuclear-capable ICBMs, which were fired at America at the same time.

The CBO report also laid out a jaw-dropping $1.2 trillion price tag for the Golden Dome. This would cover the development, deployment and operation of these satellites for the next 20 years.

There is one type of weapon that the US has agreed to not launch into space - nuclear missiles or other weapons of mass destruction. These typically include chemical and biological weapons.

The 1967 Outer Space Treaty, which the US signed and ratified, states that countries may not place nuclear devices or other similar weapons into Earth orbit, on the Moon or elsewhere in outer space.

However, that does not ban conventional weapons, signal jammers, missile interceptors or military satellites. 

There are more than 110 'states parties' - meaning countries which are legally bound to obey it - that have signed the agreement over the years.

US lawmakers have raised concerns Russia wants a nuclear anti-satellite weapon in space

US lawmakers have raised concerns Russia wants a nuclear anti-satellite weapon in space

All major countries which have ventured into space are parties, including Russia and China.

Despite that, US lawmakers, including Republican Mike Turner, the former head of the House intelligence committee, have claimed that Russia is prepared to violate that agreement and take the space arms race nuclear.

In 2024, Turner demanded that the Biden Administration declassify all intelligence on a 'serious national security threat' that was believed to involve Russian President Vladimir Putin seeking to deploy a nuclear anti-satellite weapon in space.

Moscow denied the claim. Putin said Russia opposed nuclear weapons in space, and then-Defense Minister Sergei Shoigu said there were 'no such projects.'

RELATED

US Prepares for Global War With ‘Doomsday’ Plan, Portable Nuclear Reactors | GRAVITAS HIGHLIGHTS

{ https://www.dailymail.com/sciencetech/index.html }

Hoe vind je dit bericht?
Geschreven door peter om 16:04 Stuur door

Meer van UFO'S of UAP'S, ASTRONOMIE, RUIMTEVAART, ARCHEOLOGIE, OUDHEIDKUNDE, SF-SNUFJES EN ANDERE ESOTERISCHE WETENSCHAPPEN - DE ALLERLAATSTE NIEUWTJES

↑ Terug naar de berichten