The purpose of this blog is the creation of an open, international, independent and free forum, where every UFO-researcher can publish the results of his/her research. The languagues, used for this blog, are Dutch, English and French.You can find the articles of a collegue by selecting his category. Each author stays resposable for the continue of his articles. As blogmaster I have the right to refuse an addition or an article, when it attacks other collegues or UFO-groupes.
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Deze blog is opgedragen aan mijn overleden echtgenote Lucienne.
In 2012 verloor ze haar moedige strijd tegen kanker!
In 2011 startte ik deze blog, omdat ik niet mocht stoppen met mijn UFO-onderzoek.
BEDANKT!!!
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UFO'S of UAP'S, ASTRONOMIE, RUIMTEVAART, ARCHEOLOGIE, OUDHEIDKUNDE, SF-SNUFJES EN ANDERE ESOTERISCHE WETENSCHAPPEN - DE ALLERLAATSTE NIEUWTJES
UFO's of UAP'S in België en de rest van de wereld Ontdek de Fascinerende Wereld van UFO's en UAP's: Jouw Bron voor Onthullende Informatie!
Ben jij ook gefascineerd door het onbekende? Wil je meer weten over UFO's en UAP's, niet alleen in België, maar over de hele wereld? Dan ben je op de juiste plek!
België: Het Kloppend Hart van UFO-onderzoek
In België is BUFON (Belgisch UFO-Netwerk) dé autoriteit op het gebied van UFO-onderzoek. Voor betrouwbare en objectieve informatie over deze intrigerende fenomenen, bezoek je zeker onze Facebook-pagina en deze blog. Maar dat is nog niet alles! Ontdek ook het Belgisch UFO-meldpunt en Caelestia, twee organisaties die diepgaand onderzoek verrichten, al zijn ze soms kritisch of sceptisch.
Nederland: Een Schat aan Informatie
Voor onze Nederlandse buren is er de schitterende website www.ufowijzer.nl, beheerd door Paul Harmans. Deze site biedt een schat aan informatie en artikelen die je niet wilt missen!
Internationaal: MUFON - De Wereldwijde Autoriteit
Neem ook een kijkje bij MUFON (Mutual UFO Network Inc.), een gerenommeerde Amerikaanse UFO-vereniging met afdelingen in de VS en wereldwijd. MUFON is toegewijd aan de wetenschappelijke en analytische studie van het UFO-fenomeen, en hun maandelijkse tijdschrift, The MUFON UFO-Journal, is een must-read voor elke UFO-enthousiasteling. Bezoek hun website op www.mufon.com voor meer informatie.
Samenwerking en Toekomstvisie
Sinds 1 februari 2020 is Pieter niet alleen ex-president van BUFON, maar ook de voormalige nationale directeur van MUFON in Vlaanderen en Nederland. Dit creëert een sterke samenwerking met de Franse MUFON Reseau MUFON/EUROP, wat ons in staat stelt om nog meer waardevolle inzichten te delen.
Let op: Nepprofielen en Nieuwe Groeperingen
Pas op voor een nieuwe groepering die zich ook BUFON noemt, maar geen enkele connectie heeft met onze gevestigde organisatie. Hoewel zij de naam geregistreerd hebben, kunnen ze het rijke verleden en de expertise van onze groep niet evenaren. We wensen hen veel succes, maar we blijven de autoriteit in UFO-onderzoek!
Blijf Op De Hoogte!
Wil jij de laatste nieuwtjes over UFO's, ruimtevaart, archeologie, en meer? Volg ons dan en duik samen met ons in de fascinerende wereld van het onbekende! Sluit je aan bij de gemeenschap van nieuwsgierige geesten die net als jij verlangen naar antwoorden en avonturen in de sterren!
Heb je vragen of wil je meer weten? Aarzel dan niet om contact met ons op te nemen! Samen ontrafelen we het mysterie van de lucht en daarbuiten.
A wild theory claims President Donald Trump may be a time traveler, with clues scattered through art and literature for more than a century.
Sketches of futuristic aircraft drawn by artist Charles Dellschau, a Prussian immigrant who came to the US in 1850 and died in 1923, mysteriously contain the word 'TRUMP' and even featured the number 47 - the number of presidents the US has had.
Before his death, Dellschau created depictions of fantastical flying machines that he called 'aeros,' which often resembled a mix of early airships, balloons and primitive airplanes.
However, conspiracy theorists have seized on the repeated appearance of Trump's name and the numbers associated with both of his terms in the White House as the 45th and 47th commander-in-chief.
The extraordinary theory has also been connected to old novels by Ingersoll Lockwood from the late 1800s, which featured a young character named 'Baron Trump' who embarked on incredible adventures with a wise mentor, Don.
In Lockwood's books, Baron lives in a grand place called Castle Trump and is guided by Don, adding even more intrigue to the theory that America's first family was foretold decades before the president's birth.
While some have claimed the artist and author had some mysterious method of knowing the future, others have claimed, without evidence, that the similarities prove the Trump family has time-travel technology and used it to influence world events.
One person on social media claimed: 'Either Trump is a time traveler or someone put in 200 years of work to make a guy who wasn't even born yet look like he is one.'
Images created by Charles Dellschau in the early 1900s depicted futuristic vehicles with the word 'TRUMP' on them
The images have led to wild theories that claim the reference to Trump is a clue that the current US president is a time traveler
According to the American Visionary Art Museum in Maryland, Dellschau's fictitious aeros were powered by an anti-gravity substance he envisioned called 'NB Gas' or 'supe,' that enabled them to fly without normal fuels.
The technology is eerily similar to descriptions of UFOs, which the government calls Unidentified Anomalous Phenomena, and President Trump has vowed to disclose to the American people during his term.
Dellschau's sketches also included one showing a golden-haired figure steering a machine labeled with the number 45, another link to Trump serving as the 45th president.
The mystery surrounding the Dellschau sketches has sent conspiracy theorists searching for every possible clue that Trump and his youngest son, Barron, could have traveled through time.
One quote that has gained attention is Trump saying, 'I know things that other people don’t know,' both during his 2016 presidential campaign and after he won the White House.
Trump's past comments on nuclear power have also raised eyebrows. The president has claimed that his uncle Dr John Trump, would explain the power of what's going to happen, and he was right.'
Celebrity and podcast host Logan Paul has even asked Trump's granddaughter, Kai, about the Lockwood book and whether it was proof that the human race was living in a virtual simulation.
The teen said she was certain that Barron was not a time traveler, adding: 'I don't go down those rabbit holes. I don't want to go down those rabbit holes.'
Donald Trump (Center) and Barron Trump (Right) seen during the president's second election to the White House
Trump's name and the numbers 45 and 47 are seen on multiple images, which allegedly reference his terms as the 45th and 47th president
The mystery grows even stranger when conspiracy fans begin to examine Lockwood's connection to the time travel theory.
Hewas an American political writer and novelist who wrote two children's books titled 'Baron Trump's Marvelous Underground Journey,' and 'Little Baron Trump and His Wonderful Dog Bulgar.'
However, Lockwood also created the ominous political tome, 'The Last President,' a story which opens in New York City right after the election of an enormously unpopular candidate.
The 19th-century author wrote that police officers shouted through the streets as 'mobs of vast size are organizing under the lead of anarchists and socialists, and threaten to plunder and despoil the houses of the rich who have wronged and oppressed them for so many years.'
'Baron Trump's Marvellous Underground Journey' printed in the late 1800s
Conspiracy theorists have claimed Baron Trump in the 19th century tome looks eerily similar to Barron Trump during his father's first presidential term
In the books featuring Baron Trump, the boy visits Russia on an extraordinary adventure. Baron is guided through his adventure by Don, who is described as 'the master of all masters.'
The Trump family motto in the book is: 'The pathway to glory is strewn with pitfalls and dangers.'
In the storybook's illustrations of Baron Trump, he is lavishly dressed and decked in jewels, as he leaves Castle Trump and begins his journey to Russia to find an entrance to alternate dimensions.
As for whether time travel is actually possible or just a work of science fiction, no major scientific institution, such as NASA, has ever dismissed the theory as impossible.
In fact, many prominent scientists have claimed that time travel is possible to some degree, including a 2020 study in the journal Classical and Quantum Gravity that mathematically showed backward time travel could happen without creating confusing paradoxes or breaking the rules of cause and effect.
However, famed physicist Stephen Hawking argued in his 1994 book that 'The best evidence we have that time travel is not possible, and never will be, is that we have not been invaded by hordes of tourists from the future.'
Official records show the army has been developing and testing 'counterterrorism' drones in New Jersey for years, amid claims of a government cover-up.
A 2018 defense contract awarded $50 million to a private roboticscompany to develop craft capable of creating 3D maps of urban areas for a 'counter weapons of mass destruction' program.
The contract was given out by the Army's Armament Research, Development, and Engineering Center (ARDEC), which is located at the Picatinny Arsenal in Rockaway, New Jersey, where mystery drones were first reported last month.
Retired CIA Intelligence Officer Rudy Ridolfi told DailyMail.com: 'This FAA notice shows US drone testing is happening in the area. It's a warning for others to stay out of the area during those dates.
'While the nature of the testing isn't specified, it's most likely the testing of payloads related to reconnaissance.'
But Matt Sloane, founder of drone consulting firm AI Skyfire, told DailyMail.com that the sightings could be 'a contractor developing these drones for DoD [the Department of Defense].'
The DoD can deny claims of third-party technologies if the drones were placed on a secure tech list for contract disclosures, which means the government is applying special restrictions to the information.
The restrictions are added when technologies protect national security or to keep advanced systems hidden from hostile nations, and the developer holds primary liability if the government is not operating the drones, Ridolfi explained.
Experts have suggested that the government is secretly behind the drones in New Jersey, saying government contractors could be testing testing unmanned aerial systems for the Department of Defense at Picatinny Arsenal
A Picatinny Arsenal spokesperson told DailyMail.com: 'We can confirm that they are not the result of any Picatinny Arsenal or DEVCOM Armaments Center (formerly ARDEC) directed actions.'
The government contract was awarded to Maryland-based company Robotics Research.
The FAA alert could signal signal that the contract had approval to test drones in a public area.
'They could have been testing them in a different place on a military installation and now it was time to move the testing out to a public area,' Sloane said.
'The military has in various places around the country that are out of the way of prying eyes. Maybe it was just time to graduate that testing to the public.'
While large swaths of New Jersey are seeing drones, the White House has noted that there are more than one million drones lawfully registered in the US and many of the sightings could be hobby crafts, airplanes and even stars.
Air Force Global Strike Command, based in Louisiana, confirmed that it conducts counter-drone exercises out of F.E. Warren Air Force Base in Cheyenne, where it is based.
The drones appeared in mid-November over the Picatinny Arsenal military base in Rockaway, also the location for the Army's Armament Research, Development and Engineering Center (ARDEC) that develops new drone technologies for the military
The drones were described to have 'flashing or steady white, red or green lights.'
The story echoes the current situation in New Jersey - residents and local officials were demanding answers.
The drones in Colorado were also rumored to be sniffing for missing radioactive material, which has been a theory in the Garden State.
'I think (at the extreme) this could be a search operation [in New Jersey], said Ridolfi.
'One argument against that (to some degree) is the vast bulk of the sightings are at night. If it really was a national security issue, they'd be running around the clock.'
Sloane said the drones being tested by a government contractor could feature any type of attachment.
'There's cameras, gas detectors, radiation detectors,' he said.
The FAA flight restriction alert last month states the temporary ban is due to national defense and security reasons, prohibiting other aerial vehicles flying within a two-mile radius and below 2,000 feet.
However, exceptions include operations supporting national defense, law enforcement, firefighting, search and rescue, disaster response, event support, and commercial operations with a valid statement of work.
When asked about the FAA's restriction over the base, a spokesperson for the agency said they were unaware of the alert.
Picatinny Arsenal, located in Morris County, develops advanced conventional weapon systems and ammunition and has supplied Ukraine with weapons for its fight against Russia.
The White House has claimed the drone sightings - which coincidentally began on November 18 -are not a foreign adversary, pose no threat and are not part of a US military operation (stock)
The Federal Aviation Administration also issued a Notice to Air Missions (NOTAM) around Picatinny from November 21 through December 26, restricting flights over the base for 'special security reasons'
Morris County was also the first area to report sightings, sparking a joint letter from 21 mayors that called for statewide action from New Jersey Gov Phil Murphy.
The initial sightings sparked fears of foreign adversaries spying on Picatinny Arsenal, but the White House has assured the public that this is not the work of Russia, China or Iran.
'I do think it's interesting that [the drones are] using position lights,' said Sloane.
'If I were a foreign adversary wanting to spy on things, I probably wouldn't have red and green lights on my drone.'
On December 10, Picatinny Arsenal recorded 17 confirmed and unconfirmed sightings of drones over its territory since November 13.
Under the terms of the contract, Robotic Research was tasked with conducting technical demonstrations of autonomous unmanned systems sensing technologies and designing them with sensing technologies.
The program is focused on improving autonomy, 3D/4D mapping, localization, target ID, tracking, collective 3D visualization, weapons system integration of Unmanned Autonomous Systems and subterranean communications.
Mysterious drones overNew Jersey in 2024 kept Americans scanning the skies for answers.
Now, newly released documents obtained by The War Zone through the Freedom of Information Act reveal what police on the ground actually saw.
The records describe officers across the state spotting large unidentified drones flying in coordinated formations, sometimes in groups of more than a dozen.
Several reports said the aircraft hovered over critical infrastructure, including reservoirs, power substations, research laboratories and military facilities.
In one incident, multiple drones forced a New Jersey State Police medevac helicopter to abort a landing before several appeared to follow it to another location.
Air traffic controllers also reported unidentified drones flying through restricted airspace near Trenton-Mercer Airport at speeds approaching 170 miles per hour, prompting warnings to pilots.
Other officers described triangular or fixed-wing drones significantly larger than consumer models, some reportedly the size of a small car and possibly capable of jamming radar signals.
The thousands of pages of emails, police reports and internal memos show law enforcement officials repeatedly warning that the aircraft could be military-grade and potentially carrying explosive payloads.
Mysterious drones over New Jersey in 2024 kept Americans scanning the skies for answers
The earliest warnings surfaced on November 18, 2024, when Watchung Police Captain Sherif Zaiton alerted officers to 'rogue drone flights' reported across the county
When President Donald Trump returned to office in January 2025, his administration said the drones were approved by the Federal Aviation Administration (FAA) for research and other purposes. But the administration provided no further details.
The thousands of pages of emails, police reports and internal memos obtained by The War Zone paint a far more complicated picture of the so-called 'Jersey drone scare' than the public was initially told.
While many sightings were later attributed to misidentified aircraft, stars or planets, law enforcement officers across the state documented dozens of incidents involving unusual drones operating near critical infrastructure and sensitive locations.
The objects were first reported in Morris County near the Picatinny Arsenal and over Trump's Bedminster golf course.
The earliest warnings surfaced on November 18, 2024, when Watchung Police Captain Sherif Zaiton alerted officers to 'rogue drone flights' reported across the county.
'There have been reports county-wide of rogue drone flights, multiple drones flying in pattern over sensitive sites,' Zaiton wrote in an email to officers.
Because Trump frequently visited the region at the time, Zaiton told officers to immediately report any sightings.
The following day, Peapack and Gladstone Police Chief Stephen Ferrante warned other departments that 'multiple reports of large drones' had already been received in the area.
The thousands of pages of emails, police reports and internal memos show law enforcement officials repeatedly warning that the aircraft could be military-grade and potentially carrying explosive payloads. Pictured are reported drone sightings on the East Coast
When President Donald Trump returned to office in January 2025, his administration said the drones were approved by the Federal Aviation Administration (FAA) for research and other purposes. But provided no further details
The objects were first reported in Morris County near the Picatinny Arsenal and over Trump's Bedminster golf course
Authorities quickly realized the situation was serious enough to involve multiple agencies.
Emails show local police were coordinating with county officials, the New Jersey State Police and the FBI as reports spread across the state.
In one message to officers, Watchung Police Chief Scott Anderle warned that the aircraft were 'far bigger than typical hobbyist models' and could require special Federal Aviation Administration licensing.
He also cautioned officers to treat the drones as potentially dangerous.
'The size of the recent drones encountered makes them potentially military grade,' Anderle wrote, advising officers to call bomb squads if one landed.
Shortly after, another update suggested the aircraft was deliberately flying around county communications towers.
'Please keep this in mind,' Zaiton wrote in a follow-up message. 'We are being told to very much consider that these drones could be carrying an explosive payload.'
The drones appeared in mid-November over the Picatinny Arsenal military base in Rockaway, also the location for the Army's Armament Research, Development and Engineering Center (ARDEC) that develops new drone technologies for the military
Newly released documents obtained by The War Zone through the Freedom of Information Act reveal what police on the ground actually saw
While many sightings were later attributed to misidentified aircraft, stars or planets, law enforcement officers across the state documented dozens of incidents involving unusual drones operating near critical infrastructure and sensitive locations.
On November 19, a Raritan Borough police officer reported observing two fixed-wing drones flying at about 400 feet above the ground along nearly identical routes.
Another smaller quadcopter-style drone was seen traveling in the opposite direction.
As sightings increased, federal authorities stepped in.
On November 22, a counterterrorism coordinator with the Middlesex County Prosecutor's Office sent an alert to local departments at the request of the FBI and Joint Terrorism Task Force.
The warning urged patrol officers to immediately report sightings of suspicious unmanned aircraft.
'Some of these unknown fixed-wing drones have been quite large,' the alert said.
Investigators also warned that the aircraft were being spotted near power lines, substations and military installations.
'There is a concern this could be 'out of country' nations,' the message noted.
Over the following days, police logged an escalating series of sightings.
Law enforcement also reported drones flying near hospitals, research laboratories and even federal restricted airspace
Authorities requested that the New Jersey State Police monitor nearby highways because the area contained critical infrastructure, including water treatment facilities.
Two days later, another officer in Branchburg reported spotting a drone hovering above a power switching station.
When the officer approached the site, the aircraft suddenly switched off its navigation lights and flew away.
Within minutes, two more drones appeared behind the property and headed north.
The drones also interfered with emergency operations.
That same evening, a New Jersey State Police medevac helicopter attempting to land at Raritan Valley Community College was forced to abort its landing after firefighters spotted multiple drones in the area.
As the helicopter diverted to another landing site, officers reported that several drones appeared to follow it.
Police also described unusual drone shapes and formations.
An officer in Fair Hills reported seeing about ten large drones moving along a highway corridor at altitudes between 200 and 400 feet.
The aircraft were triangular, significantly larger than typical consumer drones and equipped with strobing red and white lights.
Other sightings suggested even more unusual capabilities.
At Trenton-Mercer Airport in early December, air traffic controllers tracked several unidentified aerial vehicles flying through restricted airspace.
One officer reported radar speeds reaching about 150 knots, roughly 170 miles per hour.
The activity was serious enough that airport officials issued a Notice to Airmen warning pilots about drone activity near the airport.
In another incident, Essex County Airport officials told police they believed the drones were using 'sophisticated radar jamming technology' after the aircraft appeared invisible to radar systems.
Some of the most alarming sightings occurred near critical government facilities.
On December 8, officers at the Federal Reserve building in East Rutherford reported seeing three drones hovering about 100 feet above the parking lot.
One of the drones was described as roughly the size of a motor vehicle, and photographs taken by police were attached to the report.
Law enforcement also reported drones flying near hospitals, research laboratories and even federal restricted airspace.
At the Princeton Plasma Physics Laboratory, staff reported about 11 drones flying near the facility for more than 20 minutes. Five of the aircraft reportedly entered restricted federal airspace.
Sightings were also reported over major medical centers in the state, including Princeton Medical Center and Robert Wood Johnson University Hospital.
Despite the sheer number of reports, no arrests were made and authorities never publicly identified who was operating the drones.
Many sightings were ultimately attributed to misidentified aircraft or celestial objects.
But the police records reveal that officers across the state repeatedly encountered unusual aerial activity they could not immediately explain.
Those firsthand reports, from local patrol officers to federal investigators, highlight how much uncertainty surrounded the mysterious drone activity that gripped New Jersey during the winter of 2024.
And even now, the documents suggest one lingering question remains unanswered.
Belgian scientist Bernard Heuvelmans is considered to be the father of cryptozoology, the study of creatures rumored to exist. lain BENAINOUS/Gamma-Rapho via Getty Images
Cryptozoology is the study of creatures that are rumored to exist, but whose existence has not been substantiated using the scientific method. These include new species and legendary beasts such asBigfootand the Loch Ness monster, as well as other lesser-known animals and entities around the world. A few of these creatures may have a basis in reality, while others seemingly do not.
Either way, the aim of cryptozoologists is to prove that these entities really exist in the wild, and some people dedicate years of their lives to these quests. In doing so, they find biologists and other established scientific types scoffing at them. While some cryptozoologists may apply critical thinking principles to their investigations, the field itself often draws skepticism from a vast majority of those in mainstream science.
Because cryptozoology pursues creatures based mostly on rumor or folklore, it's considered a pseudoscience. That is, it's not regarded as "real" science because it doesn't use the scientific method as part of its investigations. Instead, cryptozoologists rely on historical documents, eyewitness accounts and their own observations in their attempts to prove what often seems unprovable. As you can probably guess, their efforts frequently come up empty-handed.
As a discipline, cryptozoology has its roots in the 1950s, thanks largely to Belgian scientist Bernard Heuvelmans and Scottish biologist and writer Ivan T. Sanderson. Both men had formal scientific degrees but also found themselves fascinated with rare creatures and paranormal subjects. Sanderson even claimed to have been personally attacked by an Olitiau, a legendary giant bat with a 12-foot (3.6-meter) wingspan that supposedly exists somewhere in Central Africa.
Likewise, Heuvelmans was always hot on the trail of mysterious animals. His 1958 book, "On the Track of Unknown Animals," is often regarded as a watershed moment for the cryptozoology subculture. Surely, Heuvelmans speculated in his tome, there could be pockets of dinosaurs still hidden in remote parts of the world. It was just a matter of finding them.
Both researchers drew minor fame from their various investigations, as well as scorn from mainstream scientists who were perturbed about its reliance on anecdotal evidence and eyewitness testimony (which can be unreliable). And although they never officially found any of their fantastical creatures, their pursuits live on in the adventure of many other wannabe cryptozoologists. Looking for Bigfoot? Don't kid yourself — you're not the only one.
2. 13 Famous Cryptids of Folklore
Mystery animals have captured the imagination and curiosity of people worldwide for centuries. The potential existence of such creatures in the modern world continues to inspire passionate debates as well as new tales and legends.
1. Marozi
With a maned lion's face fronting a jaguar-like body, the Marozi (also known as the spotted lion) was reported several times in the 1930s in Kenya's mountains but hasn't been mentioned much since.
The Natural History Museum in Great Britain is said to be in possession of the spotted skin of a marozi, but many experts think the specimen represents a jaguar that bred with common, spotless plains lions.
2. Kamchatka Giant Bear
Swedish zoologist Sten Bergman, working in Russia's Kamchatka Peninsula in the 1920s, discovered a paw print that measured a full square foot, suggesting a bear of remarkable size.
Similar sightings tell of an ursine almost twice the size of a typical North American grizzly bear, measuring 6 feet at the shoulder. Some Russian biologists believe there is a small group of Kamchatka Giant Bears that survived the most recent ice age.
3. Bigfoot
Bigfoot, also known as Sasquatch, is a big, hairy, two-legged beast that arose in North America, and first received the "Bigfoot" nickname in California in the late 1950s. What started with a flurry of local stories turned into a full-fledged media sensation and ultimately a legend that's now known around the world.
Many people claim to have caught glimpses of Bigfoot, and the Patterson-Gimlin film, which supposedly shows one creature fleeing through the forest, is probably the most iconic bit of evidence in the entire library of 20th-century cryptozoology.
4. Yeti, aka Abominable Snowman
The Himalayan Mountains are reportedly home to the Yeti (or in Western culture, the Abominable Snowman), a bear-like or ape-like creature that's been part of Eastern lore for centuries. Covered with long hair and built for rugged, cold environments, the Yeti is as evasive and mysterious as Bigfoot.
5. Skunk Ape
Bigfoot's smelly Southern cousin has been reported a number of times in Florida's swamps, most convincingly in 2000 by a couple who took an excellent snapshot of what looked to be a 6-foot-6-inch (2-meter) orangutan. The picture didn't capture its scent, of course, but the couple attested to its atrocity.
6. Lizard Man
This scaly green hominid, the resident mysterious beast of Escape Ore Swamp in South Carolina, has long been at the center of local lore. While many consider the creature a hoax, others swear they've encountered it face to face.
Lizard Man has had several brushes with fame: A local radio station once offered $1 million for a live capture, and in 1988, a South Carolina Republican leader labeled Lizard Man a staunch Democrat.
7. Jersey Devil
According to most reports, New Jersey's cryptozoological curiosity has wings, a horse's face, a pig's hooves, and a kangaroo's body. The legend of the Jersey Devil was born in the 1700s — based on a tale of a cursed baby-turned-demon that flew off into the night — and boomed in the early 1900s, with people seeing it all over the state.
To this day, people report Jersey Devil sightings, mostly in the spooky Pine Barrens of southern New Jersey. While some locals think the creature is truly a supernatural beast, others say it's probably a misidentified sandhill crane.
8. El Chupacabra
El Chupacabra differs in appearance according to sightings, but some characteristics — like the spiny back and prominent fangs — are consistent.
Latin America's legendary "goat sucker" is a fanged and clawed beast that performs vampirism on livestock.
The first accounts of its victims — often goats, chickens, horses, cows and even domestic pets — were reported in the 1950s by farmers who found animals drained of blood, with several large puncture marks.
Some who have allegedly sighted the chupacabra describe it as a short, kangaroo-like monster with oversize teeth and an oval head, but others liken it to a large reptile or bat.
9. Kraken
The Kraken is a legendary monstrous creature in the deep ocean waters near Scandinavian regions. It's described as an enormous, octopus-like animal that's big enough to attack ships and frighten sailors.
This one might have basis in reality, thanks to the existence of giant squids (a former cryptid) that can grow up to 50 feet (15 meters) long.
10. Loch Ness Monster
Also known as Nessie, the Loch Ness monster is another world-famous creature that's appeared in countless headlines and movies. It's an ancient legend, too, appearing in historical records dating to 1,500 years ago. It's supposedly a large marine animal with a slender neck that lives in Loch Ness, a 23-mile (37-kilometer)- long lake in Scotland.
Nearly 800 feet (244 meters) deep in some places, the lake (the largest body of fresh water in the United Kingdom) would make a sufficient hiding place for a shy creature, but aside from a few famous (and blurry) photographs and unreliable eyewitness accounts, there's no proof that Nessie exists. A 2019 Washington Post article says scientists now think Nessie might have been a giant eel.
11. Tahoe Tessie
Deep in Lake Tahoe on the California-Nevada border lurks a storied sea creature that's the Sierra Nevada cousin of the Loch Ness Monster. It's alleged that after a submarine expedition, undersea explorer Jacques Cousteau said, "The world isn't ready for what's down there." (He could, of course, have been referring to anything odd.)
Popular descriptions portray Tessie as either a freshwater relative of a whale or a 20-foot (6-meter) sea serpent with a humped back.
12. Mogollon Monster
In eastern Arizona there's a long, rocky ridge, called the Mogollon Rim, that runs deep through a thick forest. That's the reported home of the Mogollon Monster, which is described as a tall, two-legged monster with thick hair and a rancid stench.
Although amateur hunters have produced various bits of so-called evidence over the past century, there's no reason to think this famous cryptid really exists.
13. Champy
Like Tessie, Champy is named for the body of water in which it purportedly lurks — in this case, Lake Champlain, a body of water on the New York-Vermont border.
Several hundred recorded sightings typically describe the beast as a serpentlike black sea monster with scales, measuring about 50 feet (15 meters) in length. One investigative group believes the oft-sighted Champy is actually a surviving plesiosaur, a dinosaur that died off over 60 million years ago.
3. 6 Cryptids That Mainstream Science Confirmed as Real
From the depths of the ocean to the heart of the rainforest, the realm of cryptids has witnessed remarkable transformations as real creatures have emerged from the shadows of legend to become validated and recognized as real species by mainstream scientists.
1. Giant Squids
Once the stuff of legends and maritime lore, giant squids were long considered mythical monsters. However, scientific exploration and advancements in deep-sea technology led to the first documented encounter with a live giant squid in 2004.
Subsequent expeditions have since captured more sightings and even footage of these elusive cephalopods, shedding light on their mysterious lives.
2. Coelacanth
The term "cryptid" doesn't only refer to mythical creatures with magical properties. It also describes creatures that were thought to have gone extinct but have reappeared, like the coelacanth, which was rediscovered in 1938 after disappearing in the Cretaceous period of the dinosaur age.
This primitive fish, with its lobed fins and unique physiology, challenged the scientific community's understanding of evolution and the fossil record.
3. Okapi
Native to the dense rainforests of the Democratic Republic of Congo, the Okapi remained unknown to the Western world until the early 20th century. It had been dismissed as a myth until a British explorer encountered the elusive creature in 1901, revealing a fascinating relative of the giraffe.
4. Komodo Dragons
Legends of monstrous dragons dwelling on remote Indonesian islands were validated with the discovery of the Komodo dragon. These formidable reptiles, known for their size and venomous bite, were officially recognized as a distinct species in the early 20th century.
5. Mountain Gorillas
Once considered a myth, the mountain gorilla was discovered by Western scientists in the early 20th century. Their remote habitats in the mountains of Central Africa and the elusive nature of these very real animals had kept them hidden from scientific exploration until their existence was confirmed.
6. Goblin Shark
Resembling a creature from nightmares, the goblin shark was known only through fragmented reports until its first live specimen was captured in 1898. This deep-sea shark with its protruding jaws and eerie appearance has since been studied and recognized as a real species.
Portions of this article were adapted from "The Book of Incredible Information," published by West Side Publishing, a division of Publications International, Ltd. HowStuffWorks earns a small affiliate commission when you purchase through links on our site.
This article was updated in conjunction with AI technology, then fact-checked and edited by a HowStuffWorks editor.
Congress formally mandated UAP investigations through the National Defense Authorization Act in December 2022. The Pentagon’s official UAP investigative body, the All-domain Anomaly Resolution Office, AARO, now carries a caseload exceeding 2,000 reports dating back to 1945. Defense Secretary Pete Hegseth confirmed this figure earlier this year.
The cases were submitted by military personnel, pilots and government employees describing aerial objects that could not be explained as known aircraft, drones or weather phenomena. Governments in Japan, France, Brazil and Canada also have their own formal UAP investigation programs.
Filmmaker James Fox organized a press conference on UAP and UFO encounters, held at the National Press Club on Jan. 20, 2026, in Washington, D.C. It focused on a 1996 suspected UFO crash in Brazil.Kevin Dietsch/Getty Images
Yet modern research universities remain almost entirely absent from this conversation. No major university has established a dedicated UAP research center. No federal science agency offers competitive grants for UAP inquiry. No doctoral programs train researchers in UAP methodology. The gap between what governments openly acknowledge and what universities are willing to study is, at this point, difficult to explain on purely intellectual grounds.
I have navigated this gap while conducting my own UAP research. My work developing the temporal aerospace correlation tool, a standardized framework for correlating civilian UAP sighting reports with documented rocket launch activity from Cape Canaveral, is currently under peer review at Limina: The Journal of UAP Studies.
Designing that framework meant making methodological decisions without community standards, without institutional funding and without the professional infrastructure many researchers in established fields take for granted. What is missing is not interest or data – it is the shared scaffolding that turns isolated curiosity into cumulative science.
Stigma is measurable
The most rigorous evidence for the gap between faculty interest in UAP and faculty willingness to study it UAP comes from peer-reviewed studies by Marissa Yingling, Charlton Yingling and Bethany Bell, published in the scholarly journal Humanities and Social Sciences Communications.
Across 14 disciplines at 144 major U.S. research universities, 1,460 faculty responded to their 2023 national survey. Most surveyed believed UAP research was important. Curiosity outweighed skepticism in every discipline that was part of the study. Nearly one-fifth had personally observed something aerial they could not identify. Yet fewer than 1% had ever conducted UAP-related research.
The gap was not explained by intellectual dismissal, but it was in part explained by fear. Researchers were not primarily deterred by intellectual skepticism because they doubted the topic’s merits. Instead, they feared they might lose funding, face ridicule from colleagues or find their careers quietly derailed. Faculty reported being told to “be careful.”
A 2024 follow-up study found that roughly 28% said they might vote against a colleague’s tenure case for conducting UAP research, even when they personally believed the topic warranted study.
Historian and philosopher of science Thomas Kuhn argued that scientific communities suppress anomalous questions not because those questions are unanswerable, but because they fall outside the boundaries the community has collectively decided are worth investigating.
For UAP researchers, the data and tools to study the phenomenon exist. What may not exist is social permission to use them without professional consequence.
Creating an academic discipline
Academic disciplines do not emerge spontaneously. They require dedicated journals, agreed-upon methods, graduate programs and professional societies.
The history of cognitive neuroscience demonstrates how disciplines emerge. Before the 1980s, researchers at the intersection of neuroscience and cognitive psychology faced resistance from both parent disciplines.
These fields achieved mainstream acceptance only after targeted funding from the Alfred P. Sloan Foundation, new brain-imaging tools and the gradual formation of academic programs that created career pathways for researchers. Researchers at the nexus of these fields did not wait for central questions to be resolved. They built infrastructure, and the infrastructure made progress possible.
UAP studies as a discipline is developing some of these elements, but largely outside universities. The Society for UAP Studies, a nonprofit of scholars and researchers, operates Limina as a double-blind, peer-reviewed journal and has convened international symposia drawing researchers from physics, philosophy of science and the social sciences. But a nonprofit scholarly society without tenured faculty does not constitute a discipline.
New academic disciplines are built on research collaborations. Stigma around a topic can stop researchers from sharing their ideas.fizkes/iStock via Getty Images
To turn UAP studies into a recognized academic field would require three things.
First, funding. The Yingling studies found that competitive research grants would do more to unlock faculty participation than any other single factor. Without grants, researchers cannot hire students to assist them, maintain instruments or sustain the multiyear projects that produce meaningful results.
Second, shared methodological standards – these would entail agreed-upon procedures for collecting, recording and evaluating UAP reports – would mean findings from one research group can be compared and built upon by others.
Third, institutions could publicly affirm that they will evaluate appropriately rigorous UAP scholarship on its scientific merits during tenure reviews. Several universities have already done this for gun violence research and psychedelic-assisted therapy studies.
These are not isolated examples. Research into near-death experiences and adverse childhood experiences followed similar trajectories, moving from being a professional liability to mainstream legitimacy after the removal of institutional barriers.
The international comparison
This gap in UAP scholarship is unique to the United States. France’s GEIPAN, a dedicated investigation unit within its national space agency, has operated since 1977. It has publicly archived approximately 5,300 French UAP cases, of which about 2% to 3% remain unexplained after rigorous analysis.
None of these actions has produced a corresponding response from American research universities. Universities provide independent, peer-reviewed analyses that government programs structurally cannot.
Congress has passed legislation, the Pentagon is reporting on its investigations, and the president has directed federal agencies to begin releasing records. So the question no longer is whether governments take UAP seriously – it is whether universities will follow, and which ones will get there first.
Since the early 1960s, the search for extraterrestrial intelligence (SETI) has sought evidence of advanced civilizations elsewhere in the cosmos. However, astronomers may have missed any signs of their attempts at communication by relying only on a specific type of radio signal: extremely narrowband transmissions.
Now, a new study released on March 5 by researchers at the SETI Institute suggests that this strategy might unintentionally cause scientists to overlook potential alien communications.
The new findings suggest that “space weather” surrounding distant stars could change or distort radio signals before they ever leave their home star systems. SETI researchers suggest that even if an advanced civilization were to send a perfectly narrow radio signal, turbulent conditions related to emissions from nearby stars could distort it in ways that make it difficult for Earth-based telescopes to detect.
The key factor is plasma, as stellar winds constantly carry plasma outward, and powerful stellar eruptions can inject more turbulence into the environment. When radio waves pass through these fluctuating plasma regions, their frequencies can spread slightly. Instead of being concentrated at a single narrow frequency, the signal becomes broadened, distributing its energy across a wider range of frequencies. As a result, the signal’s peak strength becomes weaker.
Traditional search algorithms used in many SETI experiments are designed to detect very sharp signals. If a signal is broadened even slightly, it may fall below the detection thresholds of these systems. Another way of looking at it is that a genuine ET transmission could still be detected, although it may appear too faint or too dispersed to be recognized by astronomers as an artificial signal.
“SETI searches are often optimized for extremely narrow signals. If a signal gets broadened by its own star’s environment, it can slip below our detection thresholds, even if it’s there, potentially helping explain some of the radio silence we’ve seen in technosignature searches,” said Dr. Vishal Gajjar, an astronomer at the SETI Institute and lead author of the recent paper.
To estimate the degree of signal distortion, the researchers analyzed radio transmissions from spacecraft within our solar system. Because these signals travel through the stormy plasma around our Sun, scientists can measure how the plasma affects radio waves. The team does this by calibrating their models using these measurements.
“By quantifying how stellar activity can reshape narrowband signals, we can design searches that are better matched to what actually arrives at Earth, not just what might be transmitted,” said Grayce C. Brown, co-author of the study and a research assistant at the SETI Institute.
Overall, the findings suggest that this effect is strongest around active stars, especially M dwarfs, which make up about 75% of the Milky Way and are common targets for searches for habitable planets. This type of stellar activity can distort signals before they leave the system.
The study also provides a framework for estimating signal broadening across star types and frequencies, helping refine target selection and detection methods. Overall, the so-called “radio silence” may not mean no one is transmitting; it just means our human instruments may simply have been listening for the wrong type of signal.
Chrissy Newton is a PR professional and the founder of VOCAB Communications. She currently appears on The Discovery Channel and Max and hosts the Rebelliously Curious podcast, which can be found on YouTube and on all audio podcast streaming platforms. Follow her on X: @ChrissyNewton, Instagram: @BeingChrissyNewton, and chrissynewton.com. To contact Chrissy with a story, please email chrissy @ thedebrief.org.
The Trump Administration has given the green light to reveal the secret UFO facilities to one of the leading voices in Congress calling for full disclosure of alien life.
US Congressman Eric Burlison of Missouri revealed that he has requested and been granted access to secure locations, such as Area 51, which have decades-old ties to UFOs and secret government projects.
Speaking on the ALN Podcast, Burlison added that the request to President Trump and his staff included visiting US military bases and facilities where evidence suggests unidentified craft, materials, bodies, or archives allegedly exist.
Burlison is a member of the congressional oversight committee involved in the ongoing investigation into Unidentified Anomalous Phenomena (UAPs), commonly known as UFOs.
Although the US government and the Pentagon have officially denied that there has been any physical evidence of UFOs or alien life ever recovered, Congress has heard from multiple whistleblowers claiming secret programs have covered up the truth.
In fact, Burlison has previously claimed President Trump has been 'fully briefed' on the existence of aliens, UFOs recovered by the military since the 1940s, and alien-human hybrids allegedly living on Earth today.
Now, as Trump insiders have allegedly leaked that the White House is planning to reveal what America knows about extraterrestrials by July, the UAP committee may soon have the physical proof of non-human intelligence in their hands.
The congressman revealed: 'The White House has told the DoD to make it happen. The extent to which they've been involved is literally just saying to the Department of Defense that "we're backing his request. Do what you can to make it happen."'
Area 51 (Pictured) has been tied to UFO encounters and advanced military aircraft since the 1950s
US Congressman Eric Burlison (Pictured) has claimed that he has received approval from the White House to visit classified US facilities allegedly tied to evidence of alien life
Over the years, multiple US military sites have been linked to non-human craft, including facilities, anonymous sources have said, that were housing crashed spaceships and experimental aircraft constructed using reverse-engineered alien technology.
These include Naval Air Station Patuxent River in Maryland, Wright-Patterson Air Force Base in Ohio, the Atlantic Undersea Testing and Evaluation Center (AUTEC) in the Bahamas, and the Nevada Test and Training Range (NTTR), home to Area 51.
'There is reportedly an object that is not in this country that is so large it cannot be moved, that they've built an entire building around it,' Burlison said during the January 30 podcast.
The congressman noted that this facility outside the US was classified so he was unable to reveal its exact location, but it was on his list of places he had requested to visit as part of the committee's investigation.
'It's going to involve a lot to make that happen, but that may be the final destination.'
Burlison said during the interview that he started as a UFO skeptic but was convinced these phenomena were real after listening to whistleblower David Grusch's public interview shortly after entering Congress in early 2023.
The Missouri Republican reached out to Grusch, connected him to the House Oversight Committee, and helped facilitate the string of public hearings that have revealed shocking evidence of alien encounters from respected military officials.
Most of the current evidence has taken the form of images and videos of alleged non-human craft captured by both civilians and military personnel. Many have been leaked to the public after being classified by the Pentagon for years.
President Trump (Pictured) expressed skepticism that reports of UFOs were real during a June 2024 interview but has allegedly granted access to secret bases tied to such claims
The November 2025 documentary 'The Age of Disclosure' alleged that there's been an 80-year cover-up on UFOs and alien technology
Burlison himself revealed never-before-seen video of a US military drone striking an orb-shaped UFO with a Hellfire missile during a September 2025 UAP hearing.
The shocking footage from October 30, 2024 revealed that the unidentified craft not only survived the missile strike, but continued to fly away at extreme speed as the 100-pound, air-to-ground precision weapon simply bounced off the UFO's hull.
The congressman added that access to government records on UAP has been intentionally made difficult to obtain and convoluted to research, with some agencies allegedly failing to report their data properly to Congress.
'We created government, and it's not the right of any government to withhold from you and I the truth about reality,' Burlison declared.
'No government has the right to withhold from you and I that we might be alone or not alone in the universe. That is not their right. That is not classified. That's a truth that humanity deserves to know.'
Burlison has previously claimed to have 'a lead' on new UFO whistleblowers. However, he said during the new interview that it's been difficult to convince potential witnesses to risk losing their government clearances in retaliation, comparing these individuals to 'guinea pigs' in terms of how the Pentagon would respond.
A strange trio of objects flying over New York City appeared to have all the signs of a real UFO encounter.
Charlie Correa, from New York's borough of Queens, spotted a single bright light in the sky on March 8 around 8.30pm ET.
Thinking it was a shooting star, they went outside to film it when two more small objects appeared and began chasing the first UFO.
'I have a drone and it either emits a green or red blinking light or no lights when recording. Government drones? UFOs,' Correa posted online.
The 18-second video clearly captured three white lights moving erratically through the sky, with one of the objects seeming to pull ahead of the other two before diving out of sight.
The unidentified objects appeared to stop and hover in mid-air before swerving in various directions as the two trailing craft tried to keep up with the lead UFO.
Many commenting on social media claimed they saw the same phenomenon earlier that night or on previous nights in other parts of the US.
Some suggested the object or objects may have been drones and not extraterrestrial craft, as New York's LaGuardia Airport is less than two miles from the witness's neighborhood.
A resident of Queens, New York captured video of three strange lights in the sky on March 8 which moved like UFOs
'Could these be drones?' the Queens resident asked. 'I think they moved very weirdly and moved very fast when I first saw them. Also, do drones shine a light on themselves?'
The Daily Mail has reached out to the Federal Aviation Administration for comment regarding the video.
According to public databases that track these sightings, such as the National UFO Reporting Center (NUFORC) and Enigma Labs, the March 8 incident has not been officially reported by any witnesses yet.
Some viewers of the video theorized that the New Yorker had captured footage of one large, triangle-shaped craft rotating through the air.
'I saw this exact UFO over my apartments last Thursday!!!!' A person in Texas replied in the post on Reddit.
'Walking my dog, and I look up to this MASSIVE triangle with 3 lights like this just slowly moving across the sky. Four other tenants were outside talking, and they couldn’t believe it either! This is crazy,' they added.
'I'm in Ohio and noticed it was an oddly clear night, so I looked up and watched the sky for a while. I SWEAR I saw the same thing,' another person commented.
If the three lights were coming from separate UFOs or drones, some commented on how the objects followed a mysterious pattern that has been seen in multiple UFO incidents.
The objects were seen stopping and then accelerating again in mid-air, with some viewers claiming the objects were drone and other saying it was one large triangular craft
Both UFO researchers and witnesses have previously documented how swarms of three or four small objects were able to stay in formation and keep perfect distance from each other.
'If [you] watch carefully [you] can see how the distance between the objects is kind of consistent... very creepy,' one person wrote.
Jeremy Corbell, investigative journalist, documentary filmmaker, and co-host of the WEAPONIZED Podcast, recently revealed footage of a similar trio of bright orbs that flew in formation over the Persian Gulf in 2012.
Just like the lights seen over Queens on Sunday, those orbs in the Middle East were described as flying in an almost 'playful' manner.
The orbs appeared to be intelligently coordinated, maintaining equal distances without any visible wings, tails, fins, or engine exhaust of any kind.
Meanwhile, the new objects displayed another trait of past UFO sightings that scientists could not explain - unusual flight movements that defy basic physics.
In this case, the lights seen chasing the lead object repeatedly appeared to stop in mid-air before instantly accelerating without any visible thrust, something human aircraft haven't publicly shown an ability to do.
Verwoesting in Verenigde Staten door ‘gorilla-hagel’: “Nergens stijgt kans op grote hagel sneller dan in Europa”
Zware onweersbuien met tornado’s zorgen deze week in de Verenigde Staten voor heel wat schade en enkele dodelijke slachtoffers. Vooral de staten Texas, Illinois en Indiana kregen het hard te verduren. Niet alleen door krachtige windhozen, maar ook door verwoestende ‘gorilla-hagel’. HLN-wetenschapsexpert Martijn Peters legt uit hoe ‘gigantisch’ deze hagelbollen waren, waarom ze zo groot worden en wat de grootste hagelbol van België is. “Ook bij ons is er in de toekomst mogelijk meer kans op grote hagel.”
Martijn Peters - Wetenschaps- en gezondheidsexpert
Bij onweersbuien denk je meteen aan donder en bliksem, harde wind of in zeldzame gevallen zelfs tornado’s en zware regenval. Al kan die neerslag ook een ijzig karakter krijgen. Soms valt er ijs uit de lucht: deze bolvormige of onregelmatige ijsklompen noemen meteorologen hagel. Volgens het KMI mag je pas van hagel spreken als de hagelsteen groter is dan 5 millimeter. Anders gaat het om korrelhagel.
Hagel vormt zich als er veel instabiliteit en vocht is in de atmosfeer. Door krachtige op- en neerwaartse luchtstromen in onweersbuien blijven ijsdeeltjes lang in de wolk hangen. Het vocht zorgt ervoor dat de ijsdeeltjes tijdens hun verblijf in de wolk kunnen uitgroeien tot hagelstenen.
KIJK. Gorilla-hagel treft Verenigde Staten
Hoe gaat dat in zijn werk? In de top van de wolk, waar het ijskoud is, vriezen onderkoelde waterdruppels vast aan ijsklompjes, waardoor die in grootte toenemen. De zwaartekracht zorgt er dan voor dat ze naar beneden vallen. Maar de krachtige opwaartse luchtstroom in de onweerswolk duwt ze weer naar boven, waar ze opnieuw in grootte toenemen. Wanneer de hagelsteen te groot en zwaar geworden is voor de opwaartse wind valt hij uit de wolk.
Maar dat betekent ook dat, wanneer de lucht zeer krachtig omhoog stroomt in een onweerswolk, de hagelbollen zéér groot kunnen worden. In de Verenigde Staten, waar ze vaak met grote hagel te maken krijgen, spreken ze dan van gorilla-hagel. Dat zijn hagelbollen van minstens 5 centimeter, ongeveer zo groot als een tennisbal. Minstens, want ze kunnen nog een pak groter zijn.
Van muntstuk tot pompelmoes
Vanaf welke grootte is hagel gevaarlijk?
Erwt (< 2,5 cm): Veroorzaakt geen grote schade, maar kan wel kwestbare planten of bloemen verscheuren.
Muntstuk 2 euro (+/- 2,5 cm): Drempelwaarde voor 'zwaar weer'. Schade aan dak en ernstige schade aan landbouwgewassen.
Pingpongbal (+/- 4 cm): Deuken in auto's en barsten in houten of kunststof gevelbekleding.
Golfbal (+/- 4,5 cm): Aanzienlijke schade waarbij voorruiten versplinteren of barsten, grote deuken verschijnen in auto's en ernstige schade aan daken en gevels ontstaat.
Tennisbal/Honkbal (+/- 7 cm): Autoglas is volledig verwoest, zware schade aan daken, ernstig risico op fysiek trauma of dodelijk letsel in openlucht.
Pompelmoes (> 10 cm): Gaat dwars door autodak heen en door houten daken. Verwoestende impact.
Dat was deze week bijvoorbeeld het geval. In de staat Illinois viel op 10 maart een exemplaar uit de lucht dat 15,2 centimeter groot was, mogelijk een nieuw record voor de staat (12,1 centimeter op 10 juni 2015). De onweersbui die deze hagelbol produceerde in Kankakee zorgde ook op andere plaatsen nog voor gigantische exemplaren van meer dan 10 centimeter, en ook in Chicago viel een ijsbom van 12,2 centimeter neer.
Volleybal
Hoewel dit allemaal stevige hagelbollen zijn, spreken we hier nog niet van een ultiem record. De grootste hagelsteen ter wereld had een diameter van 20,3 centimeter en een gewicht van 878 gram. Dat is een grootte die te vergelijken valt met een volleybal. Hij viel op 23 juli 2010 in Vivian in de Amerikaanse staat South Dakota.
Dat er vaak grote hagelstenen vallen in de Verenigde Staten komt doordat we die vooral zien bij het zwaarste type onweersbui: de supercel. Wereldwijd zijn er ook nog hotspots in Zuid-Amerika en Zuid-Afrika.
Maar dat betekent niet dat er geen grote exemplaren uit Europese onweersbuien naar beneden donderen. In 2023 viel er in Italië een hagelbol van zo’n 19 centimeter, een Europees record. Verwonderlijk is dat niet voor de wetenschap, want eerder dit jaar kwamen wetenschappers van het European Severe Storms Laboratory (ESSL) in een nieuw onderzoek in ‘Nature Geoscience’ tot de conclusie dat nergens anders ter wereld het aantal zware hagelbuien sneller stijgt dan in Europa.
In Europa zien meteorologen de zwaarste hagelbuien vooral in de buurt van gebergten. Denk hierbij aan het noordoosten van Spanje, het zuidwesten van Frankrijk en het noorden van Italië. Uit het onderzoek blijkt ook dat de toename van hagelbollen groter dan 5 centimeter in Europa gelinkt is aan de klimaatverandering en gepaard gaat met miljarden euro’s aan schade in de afgelopen jaren. Bij de hagelseizoenen van 2022 in Frankrijk en 2023 in Italië ging het telkens om meer dan 5 miljard euro.
Belgisch record
Uit een andere recente studie in ‘Climate Services’ schatten wetenschappers in dat de kans op hagelschade tot 42 procent kan stijgen bij een verdere verandering van het klimaat. Dat is ook voor ons land zo. Een stijging van de temperatuur en waterdamp in de lucht zal voor meer intense onweersbuien zorgen. Het hagelseizoen duurt ook langer omdat de lente vroeger start.
En hoe zit het in België? Wat voor joekels vallen er hier uit de lucht? In de meeste gevallen zien we hagelstenen met een diameter van 1 à 2 centimeter. Niet bepaald gorilla-hagel. Hagel met een grootte van 5 centimeter of meer is uitzonderlijk in ons land. Uitzonderlijk, maar zeker niet onmogelijk.
Nog niet zo heel lang geleden was er de befaamde Pinksterstorm. In 2014 raakten tienduizenden auto’s in ons land beschadigd door grote hagelbollen met een diameter van 3 tot 7 centimeter. Dat zijn pingpongballen of golfballen die naar beneden vallen. Vorig jaar vielen er in Belgisch Limburg knikkers uit de lucht. Wat verderop in de Nederlandse gelijknamige provincie waren ze al uitgegroeid tot tennisballen.
Het ultieme Belgische record staat op 9,2 centimeter. Die ijsbal viel tijdens de nacht van 25 op 26 mei 2009 in Verrebroek uit de lucht. Er kan dus ook in België gorilla-hagel uit de lucht vallen.
This impact created a two-mile-wide crater known as the Silverpit crater, named after a nearby seafloor channel.
The crater was discovered by British oil geologists in 2002, hidden beneath 700 metres of oceanic ooze and debris.
Its origin has long puzzled scientists, with experts suggesting it was caused by underground salt shifting, causing the seabed to collapse.
But scientists have found the ‘needle in the haystack’ proof that it was the result of an asteroid.
Dr Uisdean Nicholson, a sedimentologist at Heriot-Watt University in Edinburgh, used seismic images to dive deep into the crater.
He found that around the crater, which stretches over 12 miles in a series of concentric rings, were ‘shocked’ quartz and feldspar crystals.
These minerals are formed only under the immense pressure of asteroid strikes, the findings published in Nature Communications indicate.
‘These prove the impact crater hypothesis beyond doubt, because they have a fabric that can only be created by extreme shock pressures,’ Dr Nicholson said.
Asteroid strike off Yorkshire sent mega-tsunami racing toward Britain, study confirm
‘Within minutes, it created a 1.5km high curtain of rock and water that then collapsed into the sea, creating a tsunami over 100 metres high.’
‘It is very rewarding to have finally found the silver bullet’
Professor Gareth Collins, of Imperial College London, who provided numerical models for the study, said a gigantic rock from outer space smashing into the Earth was the ‘simplest explanation’ for Silverpit.
‘It is very rewarding to have finally found the silver bullet,’ he said.
‘We can now get on with the exciting job of using the amazing new data to learn more about how impacts shape planets below the surface, which is really hard to do on other planets.’
Silverpit crater is one of 200 confirmed impact sites, most of which haven’t been fully dated.
While this sounds like a lot, the Earth has been struck by a fair few intruders over the millions of years the planet has been around.
Almost all evidence of these impacts, however, has been swept under the rug by earthquakes and erosion that constantly renew the seabed.
‘We can use these findings to understand how asteroid impacts shaped our planet throughout history, as well as predict what could happen should we have an asteroid collision in future,’ added Dr Nicholson.
Others include Chicxulub, a 110-mile-wide crater buried under the tip of the Yucatán Peninsula, thought to have been caused by an asteroid that wiped out the dinosaurs some 66 million years ago.
Its explosive force, akin to a hundred million hydrogen bombs, would have ignited firestorms and choked the Earth with dust. Causing the global extinction of not only dinosaurs but plants, fish and plankton.
Other craters, such as Boltysh in Ukraine, have been dated to around the same time as Chicxulub, may also have caused fiery cataclysms and bad news for any living thing nearby.
Together, this may have been a one-two punch that made the dinosaurs’ luck finally run out.
Some scientists suspect that there was no single meteor that killed the dinosaurs (Picture: Getty Images)
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Over mijzelf
Ik ben Pieter, en gebruik soms ook wel de schuilnaam Peter2011.
Ik ben een man en woon in Linter (België) en mijn beroep is Ik ben op rust..
Ik ben geboren op 18/10/1950 en ben nu dus 75 jaar jong.
Mijn hobby's zijn: Ufologie en andere esoterische onderwerpen.
Op deze blog vind je onder artikels, werk van mezelf. Mijn dank gaat ook naar André, Ingrid, Oliver, Paul, Vincent, Georges Filer en MUFON voor de bijdragen voor de verschillende categorieën...
Veel leesplezier en geef je mening over deze blog.
