Dit is ons nieuw hondje Kira, een kruising van een waterhond en een Podenko. Ze is sinds 7 februari 2024 bij ons en druk bezig ons hart te veroveren. Het is een lief, aanhankelijk hondje, dat zich op een week snel aan ons heeft aangepast. Ze is heel vinnig en nieuwsgierig, een heel ander hondje dan Noleke.
This is our new dog Kira, a cross between a water dog and a Podenko. She has been with us since February 7, 2024 and is busy winning our hearts. She is a sweet, affectionate dog who quickly adapted to us within a week. She is very quick and curious, a very different dog than Noleke.
DEAR VISITOR,
MY BLOG EXISTS ALREADY 12 YEARS AND 11 MONTHS.
ON 06/05/2024 MORE THAN 1.972.210
VISITORS FROM 134 DIFFERENT NATIONS ALREADY FOUND THEIR WAY TO MY BLOG.
THAT IS AN AVERAGE OF 400GUESTS PER DAY.
THANK YOU FOR VISITING MY BLOG AND HOPE YOU ENJOY EACH TIME.
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.
Druk op onderstaande knop om te reageren in mijn forum
Zoeken in blog
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!!!
Een interessant adres?
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 In België had je vooral BUFON of het Belgisch UFO-Netwerk, dat zich met UFO's bezighoudt. BEZOEK DUS ZEKER VOOR ALLE OBJECTIEVE INFORMATIE , enkel nog beschikbaar via Facebook en deze blog.
Verder heb je ook het Belgisch-Ufo-meldpunt en Caelestia, die prachtig, doch ZEER kritisch werk leveren, ja soms zelfs héél sceptisch...
Voor Nederland kan je de mooie site www.ufowijzer.nl bezoeken van Paul Harmans. Een mooie site met veel informatie en artikels.
MUFON of het Mutual UFO Network Inc is een Amerikaanse UFO-vereniging met afdelingen in alle USA-staten en diverse landen.
MUFON's mission is the analytical and scientific investigation of the UFO- Phenomenon for the benefit of humanity...
Je kan ook hun site bekijken onder www.mufon.com.
Ze geven een maandelijks tijdschrift uit, namelijk The MUFON UFO-Journal.
Since 02/01/2020 is Pieter ex-president (=voorzitter) of BUFON, but also ex-National Director MUFON / Flanders and the Netherlands. We work together with the French MUFON Reseau MUFON/EUROP.
ER IS EEN NIEUWE GROEPERING DIE ZICH BUFON NOEMT, MAAR DIE HEBBEN NIETS MET ONZE GROEP TE MAKEN. DEZE COLLEGA'S GEBRUIKEN DE NAAM BUFON VOOR HUN SITE... Ik wens hen veel succes met de verdere uitbouw van hun groep. Zij kunnen de naam BUFON wel geregistreerd hebben, maar het rijke verleden van BUFON kunnen ze niet wegnemen...
13-12-2023
Mysterious UFO Sighting in Ames, Iowa Captivates Locals
Mysterious UFO Sighting in Ames, Iowa Captivates Locals
Ames, Iowa, a city known for its tranquil landscapes and vibrant community, witnessed an extraordinary event that has left residents and UFO enthusiasts alike buzzing with excitement. On the evening of December 11, 2023, at around 6 PM, a local resident experienced a chilling and unusual sighting in the northern skies, sparking widespread curiosity and debate.
The witness, who had just stepped out of their car, was immediately captivated by an unusual formation in the sky. Describing the experience, the observer noted, “I got out of my car and saw this in the sky on my way inside. It gave me chills, honestly.” Accustomed to seeing military helicopters in the area, the witness quickly checked flight radar for any conventional explanation. Surprisingly, no aircraft were detected, deepening the mystery. “I typically see them on radar, but there was nothing this time. It was strange,” the witness added.
This sighting stands out due to its uniqueness. The observer, familiar with astronomical phenomena like Starlink satellites, confidently stated, “I’ve seen Starlink before, and this definitely was not that.” The description suggests a formation or object unlike typical aircraft or known celestial objects, adding to the intrigue of this event.
UFO sightings have long captured the imagination of people worldwide, and Ames’s latest encounter is no exception. With its clear visibility and the detailed account from a credible witness, this sighting adds to the growing list of unexplained aerial phenomena.
UFO enthusiasts and skeptics alike are drawn to these mysterious occurrences, seeking to understand the unexplained. Whether these sightings are a glimpse into extraterrestrial visitations or simply misunderstood natural phenomena, they continue to fascinate and mystify.
This recent sighting in Ames, Iowa, has undoubtedly added another intriguing chapter to the ever-evolving story of UFO encounters. As we continue to look up at the skies, questions remain, and the search for answers continues. What did the witness see on that chilly December evening? The skies above Ames might just hold the answer.
EXCLUSIVE Secrets of Area 51: Metallic egg-shaped UFO the size of an SUV was kept at the highly-classified Air Force base in the 1980s, whistleblower claims
EXCLUSIVE Secrets of Area 51: Metallic egg-shaped UFO the size of an SUV was kept at the highly-classified Air Force base in the 1980s, whistleblower claims
Eric Taber - a defense aerospace contractor for 13 years - told DailyMail.com of an egg-shaped metallic UFO kept at Area 51 in the 1980s
He revealed the story his late great uncle Sam Urquhart, an Area 51 contractor, told him about a UFO at the mysterious desert base
Taber testified in May to the Pentagon's UFO investigation unit who are collecting accounts of alleged government possession of non-human craft
An egg-shaped metallic UFO was kept at Area 51 in the 1980s, a whistleblower claims in an exclusive interview with DailyMail.com.
Engineers at the Nevada airbase claimed the CIA found the strange craft in the desert and brought it to them for investigation – but later shipped it to another base after they were unable to get inside the object.
Eric Taber has been a defense aerospace contractor for 13 years and has held a security clearance to work on military aircraft.
In an interview with DailyMail.com, he revealed the story his late great uncle Sam Urquhart, an Area 51 contractor, told him about a UFO at the mysterious desert base.
Eric Taber - a defense aerospace contractor for 13 years - told DailyMail.com of an egg-shaped metallic UFO kept at Area 51 in the 1980s
Taber revealed the story his late great uncle Sam Urquhart, an Area 51 contractor, told him about a UFO at the mysterious desert base. Taber and Urquhart are pictured together
A rendering of the metallic egg-shaped UFO is seen. 'X-rays couldn't penetrate it; it showed up on X-ray as a solid object. They tried to open it and penetrate its hull; they couldn't,' Taber said
Taber testified in May to the Pentagon's UFO investigation unit, the All-domain Anomaly Resolution Office (AARO), who are collecting accounts of alleged government possession of non-human craft.
The claim – though an unverified story from a now-deceased witness – is part of a long history of rumors about potential extraterrestrial craft or futuristic spaceships stored at the Nevada desert airbase near Groom Lake, north of Las Vegas.
The news comes after whistleblowers told Congress the government has a secret program to capture crashed or landed 'non-human' vehicles and has for decades been attempting to glean technological insights from these alleged out-of-this-world objects.
The claims have prompted lawmakers to draft legislation to disclose any such programs, currently working its way through Congress.
Taber spoke to DailyMail.com only about his great uncle's story, declining to comment on any of his own work as a defense contractor.
He said he struck up a friendship with his grandmother's brother after moving to the West Coast from Mississippi in 2012.
Urquhart gave Taber a badge with his department's insignia, with symbols alluding to their role working on radar signals at Area 51
The younger engineer said he repeatedly quizzed Urquhart on the truth about rumors of aliens at Area 51, and was always brushed off. But one day Urquhart relented.
'My great uncle served in the Air Force for 28 years, E8 rank [equivalent to a First Sergeant],' Taber told DailyMail.com. 'He told me he worked at Area 51 from 1997 until 2014.'
Urquhart began his job at Area 51 working for defense contractor EG&G, which later partnered with Raytheon to become JT3 LLC and subsequently JT4 LLC.
'He was head of security for his engineering group, and a data configuration specialist. His group did radar cross-section testing.
'I kept asking him about UFOs. He said 'I know nothing'. Then one day we were on his back porch and he said 'Ok, I'll tell you about one craft that I knew of.'
'He said, 'When I first got there in 1997, I had a personal conversation with a senior EG&G engineer whose group was tasked with trying to reverse-engineer an object that was brought there by some CIA people in the 1980s.'
'It was supposedly just found in a remote desert location fully intact.
'The senior EG&G engineer described to my great uncle that it was egg-shaped, about the size of an SUV, smooth and seamless, metallic-looking, silverish gray in color, with no control surfaces, no flaps, no inlet, and no exhaust, and no writing or symbols on the outside.
'These are the best and brightest engineers you can think of. They tried to no avail to figure out what the power source was, how to activate it, and how it works. They tried to induce electricity to it.
'X-rays couldn't penetrate it; it showed up on X-ray as a solid object. They tried to open it and penetrate its hull; they couldn't.
'They said that they were able to take some very small samples of the material. And I'm not an expert in chemistry, but I guess from the isotope ratio or the mixture of elements, they concluded it was not made on Earth.'
Engineers at Area 51 claimed the CIA found the strange craft in the desert and brought it to them for investigation – but later shipped it to another base after they were unable to get inside the object
Eric Taber testified to the Pentagon's UFO office in May about his great uncle's story of an egg-shaped non-human craft at Area 51
Taber said he decided to come forward to push for limited disclosure of what he believes is the truth about non-human craft in the government's possession
Taber said Urquhart told him eventually the craft was shipped to another base, possibly White Sands Missile Range in New Mexico, and that was the last the engineers heard about it.
But Urquhart had one more shocking twist in his story.
'My great uncle would collect radar data, and bring it into secure vaults to catalog and store it,' Taber said. 'He was in one of these secure data vault storage rooms in the main control building, nicknamed the Taj Mahal, when on the wall he saw an up-close crystal-clear color photograph of the exact same object that the senior engineer had discussed.'
Taber shared pictures with DailyMail.com that Urquhart showed him, including a group photo with his Area 51 engineer colleagues in a break trailer at the base, and an insignia patch designed for their radar analysis group.
But the alleged smoking gun photo of the egg-shaped craft never left the Area 51 vault.
'Sam said the American people would probably never get to see it,' Taber told DailyMail.com.
Taber admitted he sold his great uncle's patch for $600 on eBay in March when he was strapped for cash – a move he now regrets.
Urquhart, a 28-year Air Force veteran who served in the Vietnam and Gulf wars, died in August last year aged 75.
His story has now been documented by the Pentagon's UFO investigation office AARO, after Taber was interviewed by staff in May.
A memo of his account, along with other reports and witness statements, is due to be compiled and sent to Congress next year.
Taber said the AARO staffers were 'professional' and 'non-threatening', adding: 'I was surprised at how interested they were.'
Taber said he decided to come forward to push for limited disclosure of what he believes is the truth about non-human craft in the government's possession.
Taber shared with DailyMail.com a photo of his great uncle Sam Urquhart with his colleagues in an Area 51 break trailer, taken around 2000
Urquhart, a 28-year Air Force veteran who served in the Vietnam and Gulf wars, died in August last year aged 75
'I did this interview in a way that I feel doesn't disclose technical information our adversaries could exploit,' he said.
'Despite what people may think, secrets can be kept. If you're getting paid well, if you have a security clearance, if you've signed a nondisclosure agreement, you're going to be happy, and you're going to work hard, and you're going to keep your mouth shut.
Physicist and intelligence official Dr. Eric Davis is pictured
'Disclosure has to be done very carefully. We don't want our enemies to know everything about what we've got. But I do believe wholeheartedly that humanity deserves to know the truth, if we have recovered these non-human objects or craft, which 100% I believe we have.'
Urquhart's former employer EG&G was linked to other claims of a secret government program holding crashed alien craft.
Physicist and intelligence official Dr. Eric Davis allegedly met with then-deputy director of the Defense Intelligence Agency, Vice Admiral Thomas Wilson, in the parking lot of an EG&G site in Las Vegas in October 2002, and wrote notes of what Wilson told him.
According to the notes, the Vice Admiral told Davis that in the early 2000s he uncovered – but was denied access to – a secret program run by a defense contractor that retrieved and attempted to reverse engineer UFOs.
The bombshell, controversial documents claim Wilson found discrepancies in budgets that led him to the program run by 'an aerospace technology contractor – one of the top ones in [the] US'.
Notes allegedly written by Davis documenting the conversation were leaked from the estate of late astronaut Edgar Mitchell in 2018.
Davis has declined to publicly confirm their authenticity, though his friend and ex-senior Pentagon official Christopher Mellon wrote on his blog last year that Davis is in fact the author.
Physicist and intelligence official Dr. Eric Davis met with Vice Admiral Thomas Wilson (pictured) who told Davis that in the early 2000s he uncovered – but was denied access to – a secret program run by a defense contractor that retrieved and attempted to reverse engineer UFOs
Wilson has vociferously denied ever meeting Davis, telling journalist Ross Coulthart that he was in an isolated camp in Maine during October 2002, and had only been to Las Vegas once: a deployment to Nellis Air Force base in 1979 or 1980.
The notes were entered into the congressional record by Wisconsin congressman Mike Gallagher at the historic UFO hearing last year.
Notorious former Area 51 worker Bob Lazar has claimed since his first interview in 1989 that he worked on an alien flying saucer reverse engineering program at Groom Lake – though many elements of his story have now been debunked.
Taber said his great uncle told him he knew Lazar worked at the base, but that much of his story was fabricated.
'He was only there for a few months,' Taber said. 'He states there was a site called S-4 at the base of the Papoose Mountains with nine hangar sections built into the side of the mountain housing nine flying saucers. My great uncle said it's bogus. The only thing Papoose had was some radio tower equipment. That was his take on it.'
Objects in space reveal different aspects of their composition and behavior at different wavelengths of light. A supernova remnant called Cassiopeia A is one of the most studied objects in the Milky Way across the wavelength spectrum. However, there are still secrets hidden within the star’s tattered remains. The latest are being unlocked by the Near-Infrared Camera (NIRCam) instrument aboard the NASA/ESA/CSA James Webb Space Telescope.
This high-definition image from Webb’s NIRCam instrument unveils intricate details of the supernova remnant Cassiopeia A; it shows the expanding shell of material slamming into the gas shed by the star before it exploded.
Image credit: NASA / ESA / CSA / STScI / D. Milisavljevic, Purdue University / T. Temim, Princeton University / I. De Looze, University of Gent.
Cassiopeia A is located about 11,000 light-years away from Earth in the constellation of Cassiopeia.
Also known as Cas A, SNR G111.7-02.1 or NRAO 711, the object spans approximately 10 light-years.
When the original star ran out of fuel, it collapsed onto itself and blew up as a supernova, possibly briefly becoming one of the brightest objects in the sky.
Although astronomers think that this happened around the year 1680, there are no verifiable historical records to confirm this.
Over the years, ground-based and space-based observatories, including the NASA/ESA Hubble Space Telescope, have collectively assembled a multiwavelength picture of the object’s tattered remains.
However, astronomers have now entered a new era in the study of Cassiopeia A.
In April 2023, Webb’s Mid-Infrared Instrument (MIRI) started this story, revealing new and unexpected features within the inner shell of the supernova remnant.
But many of those features are invisible in the new NIRCam image, and astronomers are investigating why that is.
“Infrared light is invisible to our eyes, so image processors and scientists represent these wavelengths of light with visible colors,” Webb astronomers said.
“In this newest image of Cassiopeia A, colors were assigned to NIRCam’s different filters, and each of those colors hints at different activity occurring within the object.”
“At first glance, the NIRCam image may appear less colorful than the MIRI image. However, this does not mean there is less information: it simply comes down to the wavelengths in which the material in the object is emitting its light.”
“The most noticeable colors in the newest image are clumps of bright orange and light pink that make up the inner shell of the supernova remnant.”
“Webb’s razor-sharp view can detect the tiniest knots of gas, composed of sulfur, oxygen, argon, and neon from the star itself.”
“Embedded in this gas is a mixture of dust and molecules, which will eventually be incorporated into new stars and planetary systems.”
“Some filaments of debris are too tiny to be resolved, even by Webb, meaning that they are comparable to or less than 16 billion km across (around 100 astronomical units).”
“In comparison, the entirety of Cassiopeia A spans 10 light-years, or roughly 96 trillion km.”
“When comparing Webb’s new near-infrared view of Cassiopeia A with the mid-infrared view, its inner cavity and outermost shell are curiously devoid of color.”
“The outskirts of the main inner shell, which appeared as a deep orange and red in the MIRI image, now look like smoke from a campfire.”
“This marks where the supernova blast wave is ramming into the surrounding circumstellar material.”
“The dust in the circumstellar material is too cool to be detected directly at near-infrared wavelengths, but lights up in the mid-infrared.”
This image highlights several interesting features of Cassiopeia A, as seen with Webb’s NIRCam instrument.
Image credit: NASA / ESA / CSA / STScI / D. Milisavljevic, Purdue University / T. Temim, Princeton University / I. De Looze, University of Gent.
According to the astronomers, the white color is light from synchrotron radiation, which is emitted across the electromagnetic spectrum, including the near-infrared.
It’s generated by charged particles traveling at extremely high speeds and spiraling around magnetic field lines.
Synchrotron radiation is also visible in the bubble-like shells in the lower half of the inner cavity.
Also not seen in the near-infrared view is the loop of green light in the central cavity of Cassiopeia A that glowed in mid-infrared light, appropriately nicknamed the Green Monster by the researchers.
“While the ‘green’ of the Green Monster is not visible in NIRCam, what’s left over in the near-infrared in that region can provide insight into the mysterious feature,” they said.
“The circular holes visible in the MIRI image are faintly outlined in white and purple emission in the NIRCam image — this represents ionized gas.”
The authors believe this is due to the supernova debris pushing through and sculpting gas left behind by the star before it exploded.
The scientists were also absolutely stunned by one fascinating feature at the bottom right corner of NIRCam’s field of view.
They’re calling that large, striated blob Baby Cas A — because it appears like an offspring of the main supernova.
“This is a light echo. Light from the star’s long-ago explosion has reached, and is warming, distant dust, which glows as it cools down,” they said.
“The intricacy of the dust pattern, and Baby Cas A’s apparent proximity to Cassiopeia A itself, are particularly intriguing.”
“In actuality, Baby Cas A is located about 170 light-years behind the supernova remnant.”
“There are also several other, smaller light echoes scattered throughout Webb’s new portrait.”
UFO Sighting Video: A Spinning, Spiral Phenomenon in the Night Sky over California
UFO Sighting Video: A Spinning, Spiral Phenomenon in the Night Sky over California
Los Angeles, Early December 2023 – The night skies of California, particularly around Los Angeles, have recently become the stage for an extraordinary and enigmatic phenomenon. This video just came out on Reddit – a breathtaking UFO sighting, describing it as a “spinning, spiral, embryo-like, portal-looking thing.” This event, occurring in early December 2023, has sparked widespread fascination and a flurry of discussions among UFO enthusiasts and skeptics alike.
A Mesmerizing Display in the Night Sky
Eyewitness accounts describe the UFO as a mesmerizing, spiral-shaped entity, spinning gracefully in the night sky. The shape, likened to an embryo or a portal to another dimension, has led to a myriad of interpretations and theories.
Theories and Speculations Abound
As is typical with UFO sightings, this event has generated a wave of speculation. Some suggest it could be an advanced aircraft or drone, while others lean towards more extraterrestrial explanations. Skeptics point towards atmospheric phenomena or optical illusions, but the unique characteristics of this sighting make such explanations less convincing.
The Search for Answers Continues
As the world eagerly awaits an explanation, authorities and astronomical experts are investigating the sighting. The mystery of the spinning, spiral UFO in California remains unsolved, but it undoubtedly adds a fascinating chapter to the ongoing narrative of UFO sightings.
Join the Discussion
Were you a witness to this spectacular event? Share your experiences and theories with us. Stay tuned for more updates on this captivating UFO sighting in California, and explore the skies with a curious mind!
James Webb legt vast wat overblijft van de stellaire explosie van Cassiopeia A
James Webb legt vast wat overblijft van de stellaire explosie van Cassiopeia A
James Webb legt vast wat overblijft van de stellaire explosie van Cassiopeia A (NASA, ESA, CSA, STScI, D. Milisavljevic (Purdue University), T. Temim (Princeton University), I. De Looze (Universiteit Gent))
De James Webb Space Telescope heeft een indrukwekkende afbeelding vastgelegd vanCassiopeia A (Cas A), een overblijfsel van een supernova, dat is ontstaan door de explosie van een massieve ster.
Bij het delen van de nieuwe afbeelding benadrukte de NASA de kleuren en vorm ervan, waarbij het overblijfsel van de supernova Cassiopeia A werd omschreven als een mooie kerstversiering. Het overblijfsel is zichtbaar door de uitdijende schil van materiaal die is uitgestoten door de explosie van de ster, en de helderheid is ook te danken aan het gas van de ster vóór zijn dood.
De hoge resolutie van de NIRCam, de krachtige nabij-infraroodcamera van de Webb, onthult details van de uitbreiding van de mantel van materiaal afkomstig van de ster vóór zijn explosie, en biedt een ongekend perspectief.
De afbeelding biedt een ongekend zicht op de supernova Cas A, eerder onbereikbaar qua resolutie in deze infraroodbereiken. Dit overblijfsel van een supernova, dat in de loop der jaren uitgebreid is bestudeerd door verschillende observatoria, gaat nu een nieuwe fase van verkenning in met de geavanceerde mogelijkheden van de James Webb Space Telescope.
Wetenschappers creëren synthetisch DNA met behulp van artificiële intelligentie
"Deze foto is gegenereerd met behulp van AI", laten VIB.AI en VIB-KU Leuven Research Center for Brain & Disease fijntjes weten.
Foto VIB.AI en VIB-KU Leuven Center for Brain & Disease Research
Wetenschappers creëren synthetisch DNA met behulp van artificiële intelligentie
Wetenschappers van het VIB-KU Leuven Center for Brain and Disease Research en VIB.AI zijn erin geslaagd synthetisch DNA te creëren met behulp van artificiële intelligentie. Het AI-model kon 'enhancers', of 'schakelaars', ontwerpen waarmee specifieke genen geactiveerd kunnen worden. "Baanbrekend", zegt het team er zelf over. Het onderzoek is gepubliceerd in het gerenommeerd wetenschappelijk tijdschrift Nature.
Michaël Torfs, Belga
Alle cellen in ons lichaam, van onze ogen tot onze maag, hebben allemaal hetzelfde DNA. Maar niet al dit DNA wordt in elk celtype benut.
Genactiviteit wordt bepaald door een reeks instructies binnen het DNA, de zogenaamde regulatorische code. Dat zit zo. Van DNA is al lang geweten dat de volgorde van de basenparen, voorgesteld door de letters A, C, G en T, zorgen voor de aanmaak van bepaalde eiwitten, die nodig zijn voor de werking van alle menselijke cellen.
Het team heeft een deep learningmodel getraind om een code voor de activering van genen te kraken
Een stuk DNA dat voor een bepaalde eigenschap codeert, vormt een gen. Welke genen op welk moment geactiveerd worden, hangt af van een proces dat de 'regulatorische code' genoemd wordt. De logica achter die code is al decennialang voer voor onderzoek.
"Een team onder leiding van professor Stein Aerts en dr. Ibrahim I. Taskiran heeft nu een deep learning model getraind om deze code te kraken. Dit model kon de enhancer-code ontcijferen en leverde daarmee ongekende nieuwe inzichten op," zo melden de onderzoekers vandaag.
Van de code naar de 'schakelaars'
Een cruciaal element in de regulatorische code, zijn de 'enhancers', ofwel 'schakelaars'. Enhancers zijn stukjes DNA die zich rond de genen bevinden, en waarop eiwitten binden. Als dat gebeurt, activeren ze een bepaald gen. Een cel kan tot expressie komen als de welbepaalde genen geactiveerd worden, die allemaal precies gereguleerd moeten worden door hun enhancers.
Het team van professor Stein Aerts (VIB-KU Leuven) werkt al meer dan twintig jaar op de regulatorische code. "Stapje voor stapje hebben we meer inzicht gekregen in de code", vertelt Aerts. "Sinds 2015 zijn we aan het werken met deep learning-modellen. Dit heeft een enorme stroomversnelling in het onderzoek gebracht."
Nog een stap verder
Omdat elke enhancer bestaat uit meerdere honderden basenparen, zijn de verschillende mogelijkheden van sequentie, of volgorde, zo goed als eindeloos. Door het AI-model meer data te geven en te verbeteren, kon het voorspellen welke enhancersequentie actief was in een celtype en welke niet.
"Daarna zijn we nog een stap verder gegaan en hebben we via experimenten aanpassingen gedaan aan de enhancers: we lieten bijvoorbeeld een base weg of voegden een toe", vertelt professor Aerts. "Zo konden we snel nagaan welke impact dat had. Het AI-model biedt zo inzichten in hoe de synthetische enhancers zijn opgebouwd en welke eiwitten er al dan niet op binden."
Dankzij ons AI-model kunnen we de veiligheid van gentherapie verhogen
Het model is uitgetest op hersencellen van fruitvliegjes en op een type huidcel van mensen. Omdat fruitvliegjes zo klein zijn en hun DNA eenvoudig te manipuleren is, doen genetici vaak hun eerste ontdekkingen in dit modelorganisme.
"Maar het team slaagde er vervolgens ook in om hun nieuwe aanpak met succes in te zetten voor het ontwerpen van enhancers voor menselijk DNA", klinkt het. Uiteindelijk is het de bedoeling om voor elke menselijke cel de enhancers uit te lezen: intussen zijn de onderzoekers aan de slag met onder meer verschillende types kankercellen en menselijke hersencellen.
De bevindingen zijn interessant voor algemeen DNA-onderzoek, maar zijn ook cruciaal voor toekomstige gentherapieën.
"Voor toekomstige therapieën zal het nodig zijn dat bepaalde genen geactiveerd worden in bepaalde cellen, maar net niet in andere cellen", geeft Aerts als voorbeeld. "Dankzij de informatie van ons AI-model kan de veiligheid van gentherapie verhoogd worden."
Amateur Astronomers Found Planets Crashing Into Each Other
Astronomy is one of the sciences where amateurs make regular contributions. Over the years, members of the public have made exciting discoveries and meaningful contributions to the scientific process, either through direct observing, citizen science projects, or through combing through open data from the various space missions.
Recently, amateur astronomer Arttu Sainio saw a conversation on X (Twitter) where researchers were discussing the strange behavior of a dimming sun-like star. Intrigued, Arttu decided to look at the data on this star, called Asassn-21qj, on his own. Looking at archival data from NASA’s NEOWISE mission, Sainio was surprised to find that the star had dimmed before, with an unexpected brightening in infrared light two years before the optical dimming event. So, he joined the discussion on social media and shared his finding – which led to more amateurs joining the research, which lead to an incredible discovery.
Saiio is now listed as one of the co-authors of a new paper published in Nature where professional and amateur astronomers were able to piece together that the brightening and dimming resulted from the collision and breakup of two ice-giant planets.
This all began back in 2021, when the All-Sky Automated Survey for Supernovae (ASAS-SN) network noticed that the star Asassn-21qj – located about 1,800 light years away — was rapidly fading. Professional astronomers Dr. Matthew Kenworthy and Dr. Eric Mamajek began speculating about this weird event in a conversation online.
“Out of the blue, amateur astronomer Arttu Sainio on social media pointed out that the star brightened up in the infrared over a thousand days before the optical fading,” said Kenworthy, in a NASA Science article. “I knew then that this was an unusual event.”
Amateur spectroscopist Hamish Barker attempted to capture a spectrum of Asassn-21qj in late July, 2022. A spectrum spreads out the colors of the starlight, revealing the star’s temperature. However, the star turned out to be too dim, so Hamish asked Olivier Garde from a French amateur astronomy team if they could add ASASSN-21q to their target list. The team, called the Southern Spectroscopic project Observatory Team (or “2SPOT”), succeeded in collecting the needed spectrum in early September, 2022 and forwarded it Kenworthy. The 2SPOT team members are Stéphane Charbonnel, Pascal Le Dû, Olivier Garde, Lionel Mulato and Thomas Petit.
Two more amateur astronomers also independently observed the star and contributed their data to the study.
Additionally, amateur spectroscopist Sean Curry provided a spectrum of Asassn-21qj in early April, 2023. Dr. Franz-Josef (Josch) Hambsch followed the star from his remote observatory ROAD (Remote Observatory Atacama Desert). He submitted his results via the American Association of Variable Star Observers (AAVSO) database.
NEOWISE on the hunt.
Credit: NASA/JPL. The NEOWISE mission, with the repurposed WISE spacecraft, ended in 2011.
In their paper, the team explained the process, and how when planets are forming in the rotating disks of dust and gas around nascent stars, some of these planets can subsequently collide in giant impacts after the gas component is removed from the disk.
The paper details how the optical eclipse started about two and a half years after the infrared brightening, “implying an orbital period of at least that duration.” The astronomers said that their observations are consistent with a collision between two exoplanets of several to tens of Earth masses at 2–16?astronomical units from the central star.
“Such an impact produces a hot, highly extended post-impact remnant with sufficient luminosity to explain the infrared observations,” the team wrote. “Transit of the impact debris, sheared by orbital motion into a long cloud, causes the subsequent complex eclipse of the host star.”
Sainio said that he learned how to look at archival data from being a part of the citizen science project Backyard Worlds: Planet 9.
“Thanks to working previously with Backyard Worlds, retrieving WISE timeline photometry from NASA’s infrared archive (IRSA) was a logical step for me,” said Sainio.
If you’re interested in taking part of projects like this and would like to help find more objects like Asassn-21qj, the current Zooniverse citizen science project Disk Detective is searching for more exotic clouds of dust around nearby stars.
This structure is about 50 meters across and 150 meters high. Its shadow tells us its height. The photo itself is 1.1 miles across from the description NASA gives. NASA never mentions the towering structure in it, but I don't see how they missed it. This tower is a radar recording data and transmitting it to its home world. This asteroid only passes earth every few years, but all along its way its recording different species of alien ships that pass into its territory, which could be an early warning system to protect earth and alert the alien species watching over us. There is no way humans could have existed for so long without some species coming to mess with us, so it stands to reason, we have some alien protectors out there. And this tower on a passing asteroid is proof of that.
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- Gemiddelde waardering: 0/5 - (0 Stemmen) Categorie:Ruins, strange artifacts on other planets, moons, ed ( Fr, EN, NL )
David Grusch, UFO Whistleblower, Is the real deal, at (UAP) Hearing, UFO Sighting News.
David Grusch, UFO Whistleblower, Is the real deal, at (UAP) Hearing, UFO Sighting News.
Now this is interesting. This guy, David Grusch has come forward at the UAP hearings and is testifying that he has firsthand knowledge about and with alien technology. Now remember I do have a masters degree in counseling, and there are some interning things I noticed about Grusch. First, he 100% believes he is telling the truth. He is confident that the truth needs to be heard by the public and his eyes show that he has held this back for a long time, but it's now time for him to reveal this information. He is calm and confident. But most of all, I notice his speaking, his higher vocabulary than most people, his speed of speaking and his content (message) he is telling. It reveals to me he is highly intelligent, worthy of a high position in a secret government program, as well as to the point, which means he is use to being focused, gov worker type of focus.
Over all I find his honest and telling us his true experience. I find this highly surprising, I didn't realize he was this legit of an eyewitness. I am impressed and he will help break the secrets held by the US and world government that hold back a floodgate of UFO and alien knowledge. But, this is yet a single straw placed on a mountain of facts waiting to break the camels back.
A huge rectangular anomaly has been spotted in an image captured by NASA's SOHO Lasco C2 camera on December 9, 2023. The object passing the sun at tremendous speed and is only visible in one frame.
It’s known that high energy particles hitting the camera all the time and sometimes it turns out that an unidentified object is just a camera reflection but in recent years enough evidence has been gathered to know that many objects near or passing the sun are not always reflections or high energy particles but huge spacecraft under intelligent control.
The astounding velocity at which this particular object traverses the sun raises intriguing questions. Could it possibly be a extraterrestrial spacecraft equipped with a warp drive?
Such a propulsion system could theoretically enable travel at speeds exceeding that of light by several orders of magnitude. The consideration of these possibilities adds an extra layer of mystery to the ongoing exploration of anomalies near the sun.
Neil deGrasse Tyson’s Skeptical Take on Alleged “Mexican” Alien Bodies
Neil deGrasse Tyson’s Skeptical Take on Alleged “Mexican” Alien Bodies
In a world where the line between science and science fiction often blurs, the debate over extraterrestrial life remains a captivating subject. Renowned astrophysicist Neil deGrasse Tyson recently addressed a peculiar incident involving alleged alien bodies presented to the Mexican congress, bringing his unique blend of scientific rigor and charismatic skepticism to the forefront.
The Extraterrestrial Claim: A Peruvian Mystery
The story begins with a sensational claim: two alien bodies, purportedly discovered in the Nazca Plains of Peru, were presented in the Mexican Congress. These remains, presented as evidence of extraterrestrial life, sparked curiosity and controversy alike. The Nazca Plains, famous for their enigmatic geoglyphs, some theorize, could be ancient runways for alien spacecraft. This backdrop adds a layer of mystery to the already intriguing claim.
Neil deGrasse Tyson: A Voice of Scientific Reason
Enter Neil deGrasse Tyson, the famed astrophysicist known for his ability to demystify complex scientific concepts. Tyson was invited to Mexico to personally inspect these alleged alien remains but chose to decline. His reasoning? The investigation of such a claim should fall into the hands of biologists and biochemists, not an astrophysicist. Tyson’s stance is a testament to the multidisciplinary nature of scientific inquiry.
The Scientific Method: Rigor Over Revelation
Tyson emphasizes the importance of the scientific method in evaluating such extraordinary claims. He argues that true scientific discovery is not the product of a single experiment or assertion but the result of collaborative verification across various independent laboratories. Objective truth, according to Tyson, emerges from a consensus among diverse and often skeptical scientific voices.
Skepticism and the Call for Extraordinary Evidence
The heart of Tyson’s argument lies in a principle famously stated by Carl Sagan: “Extraordinary claims require extraordinary evidence.” The claim of alien life is extraordinary by all standards, necessitating not just evidence but evidence of a compelling and incontrovertible nature. Tyson suggests comprehensive tissue analysis of the bodies, conducted by various independent labs, to establish the veracity of the extraterrestrial claim.
The Humanoid Conundrum: Questioning the Alien Anatomy
Adding an intriguing twist to his skepticism, Tyson questions the anthropomorphic nature of these alien bodies. He points out that genuine extraterrestrial life should arguably exhibit a degree of difference from humans that is at least as significant as the difference between humans and any other Earth life form, like a banana. The humanoid appearance of these alleged aliens, with their head, arms, and legs, seems suspiciously familiar and less alien.
A Call for Rational Discourse in the Age of Misinformation
In a world awash with misinformation and sensational claims, Tyson’s call for rigorous scientific investigation serves as a beacon of rationality. He advocates for a measured approach that balances open-mindedness with skepticism, ensuring that the pursuit of truth remains anchored in empirical evidence and collaborative validation.
As we continue to explore the mysteries of the universe, figures like Neil deGrasse Tyson remind us of the importance of scientific literacy and critical thinking. Whether or not these alleged alien bodies are eventually proven to be extraterrestrial in origin, the episode underscores the ongoing human quest to understand our place in the cosmos. In this quest, science remains our most reliable guide, navigating us through the realms of the known and the yet-to-be-discovered.
Komen deze voorspellingen van Stephen Hawking daadwerkelijk uit? Stephen Hawking (1942-2018) stond bekend om zijn werk op het gebied van zwarte gaten en de algemene relativiteitstheorie. Maar de beroemde natuurkundige stapte vaak buiten zijn eigen onderzoeksveld en gebruikte zijn erkenning om te benadrukken wat hij zag als de grote uitdagingen en existentiële bedreigingen voor de mensheid in de komende decennia. Variërend van onderwerpen als buitenaardse wezens tot het einde van de wereld, haalden zijn uitspraken de krantenkoppen en bleken ze soms controversieel.
Nieuwsgierig? Klik door voor enkele van zijn beroemdste voorspellingen.
De aarde verlaten Al tientallen jaren vertelt de theoretische natuurkundige de mensen dat ze moeten beginnen met het proces om zich permanent op andere planeten te vestigen.
De aarde verlaten Hawking beweerde dat de mensheid uiteindelijk het slachtoffer zou worden van een ramp die zo groot was dat we zouden uitsterven, misschien wel eerder vroeger dan later.
De aarde verlaten In 2016 vertelde hij de BBC het volgende: "Hoewel de kans op een ramp voor de planeet Aarde in een bepaald jaar vrij klein kan zijn, wordt het in de loop van de tijd steeds groter en wordt het een bijna zekerheid in de komende duizend of 10.000 jaar.
Andere planeten en zonnestelsels koloniseren Om het voortbestaan van de mensheid te garanderen, geloofde Hawking dat we andere planeten en zonnestelsels zouden moeten koloniseren.
Andere planeten en zonnestelsels koloniseren "Verspreiding is misschien het enige dat ons van onszelf redt. Ik ben ervan overtuigd dat de mens de aarde moet verlaten", zei hij in 2017 op een Noors wetenschaps- en kunstenfestival.
De opkomst van kunstmatige intelligentie In 2014 vertelde hij de BBC dat "de ontwikkeling van volledige kunstmatige intelligentie het einde van het menselijk ras zou kunnen betekenen".
De opkomst van kunstmatige intelligentie Hawking geloofde dat de kunstmatige basisintelligentie die tot nu toe was ontwikkeld al heel nuttig was gebleken. De technologie die hij gebruikte om te communiceren bevatte bijvoorbeeld een basisvorm van AI.
De opkomst van kunstmatige intelligentie Maar Hawking vreesde de gevolgen van geavanceerde vormen van machine-intelligentie die mensen zouden kunnen evenaren of overtreffen.
Genbewerking In zijn postume verzameling artikelen en essays 'Brief Answers to the Big Questions' voorspelde Hawking dat genetische manipulatietechnieken zullen leiden tot een ras van "supermensen".
Genbewerking "Ik ben er zeker van dat mensen in de loop van deze eeuw zullen ontdekken hoe ze zowel intelligentie als instincten zoals agressie kunnen veranderen," schreef hij.
Genbewerking "Zodra zulke supermensen verschijnen, zullen er aanzienlijke politieke problemen zijn met niet-verbeterde mensen, die niet in staat zullen zijn om te concurreren," schreef hij. "Vermoedelijk zullen ze uitsterven of onbelangrijk worden. In plaats daarvan zal er een ras zijn van zelfontwerpende wezens die zich steeds sneller verbeteren."
De grootste bedreiging voor de aarde In hetzelfde boek voorspelde Hawking dat de grootste bedreiging voor de aarde een botsing met een asteroïde is, net zoals de asteroïde die de dinosauriërs doodde.
De grootste bedreiging voor de aarde Daar hebben we echter "geen verdediging" tegen, schreef Hawking. Aan de andere kant zag hij de opwarming van de aarde als een meer directe bedreiging.
Klimaatverandering "Trump's actie [het terugtrekken uit het Akkoord van Parijs] kan de aarde over de rand duwen, om te worden zoals Venus, met een temperatuur van 250 graden en zwavelzuurregens," vertelde Hawking aan de BBC.
Klimaatverandering De Intergouvernementele Werkgroep inzake klimaatverandering (IPCC) van de VN waarschuwt ook voor het potentiële risico op het bereiken van omslagpunten in het klimaat, naarmate de temperaturen stijgen.
De aarde zal in een vuurbal veranderen Hawking theoretiseerde dat de planeet tegen 2600 in een gigantische vuurbal zou veranderen door overbevolking en energieverbruik. Dit zou de aarde onbewoonbaar maken.
De aarde zal in een vuurbal veranderen "Met de klimaatverandering, de dreigende inslagen van asteroïden, epidemieën en de bevolkingsgroei wordt onze eigen planeet steeds precairder," vertelde hij de BBC in 2017.
De aarde zal in een vuurbal veranderen Dit was een van de redenen waarom Hawking het idee verdedigde dat mensen zich permanent op andere planeten zouden vestigen.
Buitenaards contact Aangezien Hawking het grootste deel van zijn leven naar de ruimte heeft gekeken, is het niet verwonderlijk dat hij nadacht over de vraag of er andere levensvormen bestaan.
Buitenaards contact Er is zelfs een hele tak van wetenschap, SETI (Search for Extra-Terrestrial Intelligence) genaamd, die zich bezighoudt met het luisteren naar signalen van intelligente wezens elders in het universum.
Buitenaards contact In 2010 vertelde hij Discovery Channel: "Als buitenaardse wezens ons bezoeken, zou de uitkomst hetzelfde zijn als toen Columbus in Amerika landde, wat niet goed afliep voor de inheemse Amerikanen."
Het beste idee dat de mensheid zou kunnen uitvoeren Toen het tijdschrift Time hem in 2010 vroeg welke wetenschappelijke ontdekking of vooruitgang hij tijdens zijn leven zou willen zien, antwoordde Hawking met "kernfusie". Dit zou een nieuwe bron van koolstofvrije energie zijn, waarbij twee waterstofatomen samensmelten om een heliumatoom en veel energie te produceren.
Het beste idee dat de mensheid zou kunnen uitvoeren "Ik zou graag zien dat kernfusie een praktische energiebron wordt. Het zou een onuitputtelijke energiebron zijn, zonder vervuiling of opwarming van de aarde," zei hij.
Deze enorme tunnels zijn gegraven door oude luiaards zo groot als olifanten.
De grootste tunnel is ruim 600 meter lang. Sommige zijn groot genoeg voor auto's om er doorheen te rijden, maar ze zijn niet door de mens gemaakt. Reusachtige grondluiaards hebben ze uitgegraven lang geleden. Dit opvallende tunnelcomplex in Zuid-Amerika spreekt tot de verbeelding.
Reusachtige luiaards hebben ze uitgegraven
De wanden van de tunnels zijn bedekt met gigantische klauwafdrukken van de vloer tot het plafond. Geologen noemen de tunnels 'paleo-holen', waarvan wordt aangenomen dat ze zijn gegraven door een inmiddels uitgestorven soort gigantische grondluiaard.
Heinrich Frank, een professor aan de Federale Universiteit van Rio Grande in Brazilië, ontdekte de tunnels bij toeval tijdens een rondleiding op een bouwplaats. In het kleine stadje Novo Hamburgo werden de tunnels begin jaren 2000 voor het eerst ontdekt, wat leidde tot jarenlang onderzoek en ontdekking van nog meer tunnels.
(Skwadra by Tagtik/Illustration picture: Unsplash)
Het mysterie van het Voynichmanuscript Wist je dat er nog steeds boeken op de wereld zijn die we nog niet ontcijferd hebben? Eén daarvan is het oude Voynichmanuscript met zijn handgeschreven, geïllustreerde code. Geleerden noemen het onbekende schrijfsysteem 'Voynichees'.
Waar komt het Voynichmanuscript vandaan? Analyse van het perkament en de stijl van de symbolen en tekeningen geeft aan dat het wellicht is geschreven in Italië tijdens de Renaissance. Het dateert van ergens in de 15e of 16e eeuw.
Delen met verschillende wetenschappen Onderzoekers hebben op basis van de illustraties de inhoud ingedeeld in zes delen: botanisch, astronomisch en astrologisch, biologisch, kosmologisch, farmaceutisch en recepten.
Niets bekend over de auteur of betekenis Afgezien van deze algemene structuur hebben onderzoekers niets over het document kunnen herleiden. De precieze oorsprong, de auteur en het doel ervan zijn nog steeds onbekend. Er zijn ontelbare uren besteed aan pogingen om het te doorgronden.
Verschillende eigenaren door de eeuwen heen Het manuscript is volgens de overlevering al in verschillende handen geweest. Daaronder waren die van de keizer Rudolf II van het Heilige Roomse Rijk, die regeerde in de 16e eeuw. Na verschillende keren van eigenaar te zijn veranderd, dook de mysterieuze tekst op bij een geheime boekverkoop in 1903.
Waarom heet het 'Voynich'? Het manuscript dankt zijn naam aan de antiquair die het in 1912 kocht van het Collegio Ghisleri van de jezuïeten bij Rome. Zijn naam was Wilfrid M. Voynich.
Zijn uiteindelijke bestemming De weduwe van de boekhandelaar verkocht het mysterieuze document aan antiquair Hans P. Kraus, die het in 1969 schonk aan de Rare Book and Manuscript Library van Yale-universiteit. En daar bevindt het zich vandaag de dag nog steeds, wachtend op de persoon die de juiste betekenis ervan ontdekt.
Hoe ziet het Voynichmanuscript eruit? Het boek heeft een grootte van 23,5 × 16,2 × 5 cm, waarbij de perkamentpagina's in 18 katernen zijn samengevouwen. Hoewel velen beweren dat het 240 pagina's telt, hangt dit aantal vooral af van hoe de uitvouwingen van het manuscript worden geteld.
Hoe weten we zijn leeftijd? Het perkament waarop het document is geschreven komt volgens koolstofdatering uit het begin van de 15e eeuw (1404-1438). Analyses van de schilderstijl suggereren ook dat het document uit die eeuw stamt.
De mysterieuze geschriften van het Voynichmanuscript Naar verluidt is het manuscript een soort middeleeuwse farmaceutische en medische gids. Niet alle planten die erin beschreven worden zijn echter geïdentificeerd. Er schijnt ook een verband te zijn met enkele astrologische aspecten, maar elke interpretatie daarvan berust slechts op speculatie.
Velen hebben geprobeerd het te ontcijferen Onder degenen die geprobeerd hebben de code te kraken, bevinden zich geleerden als Alan Turing, bekend van het breken van de Enigma-code tijdens de Tweede Wereldoorlog. Ook cryptanalist Elizabeth Smith Friedman, die eveneens vijandelijke codes ontcijferde in beide wereldoorlogen, deed een poging.
Een doorbraak in 2017? In september 2017 meldde Yale Medicine Magazine dat de amateurontcijferaar Nicholas Gibbs het Voynichmanuscript zou hebben ontcijferd.
Handboek voor dames Gibbs schreef in de Times Literary Supplement dat het manuscript "een handboek zou zijn met geselecteerde remedies uit de gangbare behandelingen van de middeleeuwen, [en] een handleiding voor de gezondheid en het welzijn van de welvarendere dames in de samenleving".
Maar... hij werd weersproken Dr. Lisa Fagin Davis van de Medieval Academy of America weerlegde volgens de Times Literary Supplement de beweringen van Gibbs: "Eerlijk gezegd ben ik een beetje verbaasd dat de TLS het heeft gepubliceerd... Als ze dit bericht alleen maar naar de Beinecke Library hadden gestuurd, zouden die het in een oogwenk hebben weerlegd".
Een computerprogramma om het te ontcijferen Volgens de website Snopes.com probeerden enkele Canadese onderzoekers in 2016 de code te kraken. Ze gebruikten daarbij een zelfgemaakt computerprogramma.
Een algoritme voor 380 talen Een algoritme werd geprogrammeerd om 380 verschillende taalversies van de 'Universele verklaring van de rechten van de mens van de Verenigde Naties' te ontcijferen. Op basis van die steekproef stelden ze vast dat 80% van de woorden in het Voynichmanuscript een Hebreeuwse oorsprong zou kunnen hebben.
Google Translate Maar geen enkele Hebreeuwse vertaler kon de tekst omzetten in coherent Engels. Ze namen zelfs hun toevlucht tot een hulpmiddel dat iedereen kent: Google Translate.
Eén zin en enkele woorden Met de app slaagden ze erin een zin te krijgen: 'Ze deed aanbevelingen aan de priester, man des huizes en mij en mensen'. Bovendien, meldt Snopes dat ze een paar woorden vonden: 'kruiden', 'boer', 'licht', 'lucht' en 'vuur'.
Google Translate was niet de beste optie Het resultaat was al met al toch teleurstellend. Bovendien hechtte de wetenschappelijke gemeenschap weinig belang aan het project, want het algoritme ontcijferde moderne talen, geen middeleeuwse, en Google Translate is ook geen betrouwbaar middel gebleken om dit soort documenten te vertalen.
Misschien is het allemaal nep! Terwijl sommigen nog steeds proberen het manuscript te ontcijferen, stellen andere theorieën dat het gewoon wartaal is van occulte filosofen. Volgens weer anderen, zoals Snopes aangeeft, is de Voynichtekst een gebedenboek van een ketterse christelijke sekte.
De zoektocht gaat door... En zo herhaalt het onderzoek zich, steeds weer, waarbij slechts één zekerheid overblijft: dat het Voynichmanuscript uniek is in zijn mysterie. Zal iemand er ooit in slagen het te ontcijferen? We zullen zien of er ooit achter zullen komen...
De waterpluimen van Enceladus bevatten mogelijk bouwstenen voor leven. En nu hebben onderzoekers bewijs geleverd dat we deze kunnen detecteren wanneer ruimtevaartuigen monsters nemen.
In de speurtocht naar buitenaards leven richten veel optimistische blikken zich op Enceladus, de ijskoude maan van Saturnus. En met goede reden. Ondanks het ijzige oppervlak herbergt deze kleine maan een vloeibare, ondergrondse oceaan. Bovendien ontsnappen er uit scheuren in het ijzige oppervlak grote waterpluimen, die een verscheidenheid aan organische verbindingen bevatten. Tot nu toe was het echter onduidelijk of de organische verbindingen in die pluimen bestand zouden zijn tegen de snelheid waarmee deze omhoog schieten. Maar een nieuwe studie stemt nu hoopvol.
Meer over de pluimen In de voortdurende zoektocht naar leven elders in het universum, speuren onderzoekers vaak naar drie cruciale elementen: water, energie en organisch materiaal. En er zijn aanwijzingen dat Enceladus een ‘oceaanwereld’ is die alle drie bevat. Enceladus spuit namelijk regelmatig krachtige waterpluimen de ruimte in, waarbij vloeibaar water uit de oceaan onder de ijskorst van de maan omhoog wordt geschoten. Deze pluimen kunnen soms tot wel honderd kilometer boven het oppervlak reiken. Eerdere onderzoeken naar deze pluimen hebben aangetoond dat 98 procent voornamelijk uit water bestaat, ongeveer 1 procent waterstof is, en de rest een mengeling van andere moleculen bevat, zoals koolstofdioxide, methaan en ammoniak. Opmerkelijk is dat de pluimen ook organische verbindingen bevatten, die stikstof en zuurstof dragen. Deze verbindingen spelen een cruciale rol bij de productie van aminozuren, de complexe moleculen die fungeren als bouwstenen voor eiwitten en vaak als bouwstenen voor leven worden beschouwd.
Gedurende zijn missie van twee decennia ontdekte de Cassini-ruimtesonde van NASA dat Enceladus waterpluimen met een snelheid van ongeveer 400 m/s uit zijn oppervlak spuwt. Deze uitbarstende pluimen creëren een uitstekende kans om monsters te verzamelen en de samenstelling van de oceanen van Enceladus te onderzoeken, om zo te bepalen of deze maan mogelijk leven herbergt. Maar zoals gezegd was het tot nu toe onzeker of organische stoffen wel intact zouden blijven wanneer ze met zulke hoge snelheden worden weggeschoten.
Aerosol-impact-spectrometer Om dit te onderzoeken, maakten wetenschappers gebruik van een bijzondere aerosol-impact-spectrometer. Deze is ontworpen om de botsingsdynamica van afzonderlijke aerosolen en deeltjes bij hoge snelheden te bestuderen. “Dit specifieke apparaat is wereldwijd uniek omdat het in staat is individuele deeltjes te selecteren en ze te versnellen of vertragen naar vooraf bepaalde eindsnelheden,” legt onderzoeker Robert Continetti uit. “We kunnen het gedrag van de deeltjes onderzoeken over verschillende groottes, variërend van enkele micron in diameter tot honderden nanometers. Dit geldt voor diverse materialen. Bovendien kunnen we bestuderen hoe de deeltjes verstrooien en hoe hun structuren veranderen bij een botsing.”
Het experiment Voor het experiment maakten de onderzoekers eerst ijskorrels met elektrospray-ionisatie. Hierbij wordt water door een naald geperst die onder hoge spanning staat, waardoor het water in steeds kleinere druppels uiteenvalt. Deze druppels werden vervolgens in een vacuüm gebracht, waar ze bevroren. Het team mat de massa en lading van de ijskorrels, volgden ze terwijl ze door de spectrometer bewogen en timede vervolgens het exacte moment van impact tot op de nanoseconde.
Intact Uit de bevindingen blijkt dat aminozuren zelfs intact blijven bij botsingen met snelheden tot 4,2 km/s. Dit betekent dat deze belangrijke moleculen ongeschonden uit de waterpluimen op Enceladus kunnen komen. Ze blijken opgewassen tegen de enorme snelheid waarmee de waterpluimen uit het oppervlak schieten. En dat ondersteunt het idee dat ze gedetecteerd kunnen worden wanneer ruimtevaartuigen monsters nemen. “Om te begrijpen welk soort leven mogelijk is in ons zonnestelsel, is het belangrijk om te weten of de moleculen in de monsters wel of niet beschadigd zijn,” verklaart Continetti. “Op die manier kunnen we eigenschappen herkennen die wijzen op wat het tot een op zichzelf staande levensvorm maakt. Ons werk toont aan dat dit mogelijk is met de waterpluimen van Enceladus.”
De bevindingen hebben ook implicaties voor de aanstaande Europa Clipper missie, die in 2024 wordt gelanceerd en op Jupiter zal afstevenen. Europa, een van de grootste manen van Jupiter, is ook een oceaanwereld en heeft een vergelijkbare ijzige samenstelling als Enceladus. Wetenschappers hopen dat Europa Clipper of toekomstige missies naar Saturnus een specifieke set moleculen in de ijskorrels kunnen identificeren die kunnen wijzen op het bestaan van leven in de ondergrondse oceanen van deze manen. Daarom is het van groot belang dat deze moleculen intact blijven ondanks hun snelle uitstoting van de maan, en dat ze succesvol worden verzameld door een ruimtesonde. En zoals nu blijkt, kunnen tekenen van leven dus inderdaad succesvol op deze ijskoude manen worden gedetecteerd. Dat brengt ons weer stap dichter bij het ontrafelen van die ene fascinerende vraag: bestaat er buitenaards leven?
Meer over de Europa Clipper missie De Europa Clipper zal een cruciale rol spelen bij het vergroten van ons begrip van deze maan. Het ruimtevaartuig zal talloze scheervluchten langs Europa maken om de oceaan onder de dikke ijskorst grondig te onderzoeken. Uitgerust met diverse instrumenten zal de sonde niet alleen het oppervlak bestuderen, maar ook de stof en gassen die naar boven worden gestuwd. De hoop is om meer te ontdekken over deze intrigerende, verre wereld, die mogelijk levensvormen zou kunnen herbergen zoals wij die kennen. Een dieper inzicht in de bewoonbaarheid van Europa kan wetenschappers vervolgens helpen om beter te begrijpen hoe het leven zich op aarde heeft ontwikkeld en om meer te leren over mogelijke levensvormen elders in het heelal.
In February 2023, researchers from around the country gathered at a NASA-sponsored workshop to discuss the latest developments and a roadmap for a cryobot mission concept to drill through the icy crusts of Europa and Enceladus and search for life.
Figure 1 Conceptual image of a cryobot breaching into the ocean of Europa and searching for signs of life.
Credit: NASA/JPL-Caltech
“Follow the water” has been the mantra of the astrobiology community in search of alien life in the universe. Water is a fundamental building block of all terrestrial life as we know it and—as discovered by various space missions—water is abundant throughout the solar system, and perhaps, the universe. Ancient eroded features on Mars show clear evidence of a wet history, and the ongoing quest of the Perseverance rover aims to uncover clues as to whether or not Mars once hosted a population of microbes. However, there is only so much we can learn from the fossil record. To truly understand the nature of possible alien life, we must directly investigate the source—the liquid water.
Enter “Ocean Worlds.” Over the past two decades, scientists have discovered that a vast number of icy moons orbit the outer giant planets in our solar system. Many of these moons show strong evidence for harboring global oceans beneath their icy crusts. In fact, these moons likely have far more liquid water than all of Earth’s oceans combined, and some may even have the right conditions to foster life. Two moons, in particular, have captured the imaginations of astrobiologists due to their amenable conditions for life and their relative ease of interrogation: Jupiter’s moon, Europa and Saturn’s moon, Enceladus. Both show strong evidence of a global subsurface ocean beneath a kilometers-thick water-ice crust—but how can we access this liquid water?
Various concepts for ocean access have been investigated over the past decades, ranging from robots that descend through crevasses to drills of varying types. One concept that has emerged as a leading candidate is the cryobot. A cryobot is a self-contained cylindrical probe that uses heat to melt the ice beneath it. The melted water then flows around the probe before refreezing behind it. Thermal ice drilling is so simple and effective that it has become a common tool for studying terrestrial glaciers and ice sheets. But how can we translate this technology to a system that can penetrate planetary icy crusts, which are colder, thicker, and more uncertain?
This dilemma has been a core focus of researchers—many of whom are supported by NASA’s Scientific Exploration Subsurface Access Mechanism for Europa (SESAME) and Concepts for Ocean worlds Life Detection Technology (COLDTech) programs—for the past several years. In February 2023, NASA’s Planetary Exploration Science Technology Office (PESTO) convened a workshop at the California Institute of Technology, which brought together nearly 40 top researchers from diverse fields and institutions around the country to discuss progress in maturing this technology and to assess the challenges that remain. Recent studies have made significant progress in refining our understanding of the ice shell environment, detailing a mission architecture, and maturing critical subsystems and technologies. In particular, workshop participants identified four key subsystems that drive the roadmap for developing a flight-ready architecture: the power, thermal, mobility, and communication subsystems.
Figure 2 Conceptual image of the Cryobot mission profile. A lander deploys a nuclear-powered probe, which melts through the ice shell to access the ocean below. A tether and wireless transceivers are deployed behind the probe during its descent for communication.
Credit: NASA/JPL-Caltech
First, the heart of a cryobot is a nuclear power system that generates the sustained heat required to melt through kilometers of ice. Various nuclear power systems that could suit a cryobot system have been identified, including the familiar Radioisotope Power Systems (RPS) that have powered many deep-space missions, and fission reactors that may be developed in the coming years. Two key constraints that drive the power system design are: (1) sufficient total power and density to facilitate efficient melting (about 10 kW), and (2) integration within a structural vessel to protect the power system from the high pressures of the deep ocean. These challenges are both solvable and have some historical precedent: NASA’s Cassini mission had a 14 kW thermal power system, and several Radioisotope Thermoelectric Generators (RTGs) were deployed to the bottom of the ocean in the 1960s and 1970s as power sources for navigation beacons, which operated in comparable pressures to the Europan ocean. However, a cryobot power system will require a concerted effort and close collaboration with the Department of Energy throughout the maturation of the mission concept.
Second, a thermal management system is required to manage the heat produced by the onboard nuclear power system, maintain safe internal temperatures, and distribute heat to the environment for efficient performance. This system requires two independent pumped fluid circuits: one that circulates an internal working fluid through channels embedded in the skin and another that circulates melted ice water with the surounding environment. Some of these technologies have been demonstrated at reduced and full scale, but more work is needed to validate performance at the range of ice conditions expected in the outer solar system.
In addition, the icy shells of Europa and Enceladus will contain impurities such as dust and salt, which, when sufficiently concentrated, may require auxilliary systems to penetrate. A combination of “water jetting” and mechanical cutting has been demonstrated to be effective at clearing debris ranging from fine particulate to solid blocks of salt from beneath the probe. Some impurities such as larger rocks, voids, or water bodies may remain impenetrable, requiring the cryobot to incorporate a downward-looking mapping sensor and steering mechanism—both of which have been demonstrated in terrestrial prototypes, though not yet in an integrated system. High-priority future work includes a more rigorous and probabilistic definition of the icy environments to quantify the likelihood of potential mobility hazards, and an integrated demonstration of hazard mitigation systems on a flight-like cryobot system. Europa Clipper will also provide key observations to constrain the prevalence and characteristics of hazards for a cryobot.
Finally, a cryobot mission requires a robust and redundant communication link through the ice shell to enable the lander to relay data to an orbiting relay asset or directly to Earth. Fiber optic cables are the industry standard for communicating with terrestrial melt probes and deep-sea vehicles, but require careful validation for deployment through ice shells, which are active. The movement of ice in these shells could break the cable. A team led by Dr. Kate Craft at the Johns Hopkins Applied Physics Laboratory has been investigating the propensity of tethers embedded in ice to break during ice-shear events, as well as methods to mitigate such breakage. While preliminary results from this study are highly encouraging, other teams are exploring wireless techniques for communicating through the ice, including radio frequency, acoustic, and magnetic transceivers. These communication systems must be integrated onto the aft end of the probe and depoyed during its descent. Current projects funded under the NASA COLDTech program are taking the first steps toward addressing key risks for the communications system. Future work must validate performance across a broader range of conditions and demonstrate integration on a cryobot.
While the power, thermal, mobility, and communication subsystems took center stage, workshop participants also discussed other key systems and technologies that will require maturation to enable a cryobot mission. These topics include an integrated instrument suite with accommodations for liquid sampling and outward-facing apertures, planetary protection and sterilization strategies, materials selection for corrosion mitigation, ice-anchoring mechanisms, and autonomy. However, none of these technologies were identified as major risks or challenges in the cryobot mission concept roadmap.
Overall, the consensus finding of workshop participants was that this mission concept remains feasible, scientifically compelling, and the most plausible near-term way to directly search for life in situ on an ocean world. Continued support would allow scientists and engineers to make even further progress toward readying cryobots for future mission opportunities. The potential for the direct detection of life on another world seems more possible than ever.
This research was carried out at the Jet Propulsion Laboratory, California Institute of Technology, under a contract with the National Aeronautics and Space Administration (80NM0018D0004).
PROJECT LEAD
Dr. Benjamin Hockman, Jet Propulsion Laboratory, California Institute of Technology
The Rendlesham Forest UAP incident is one of the legendary UFO encounter cases in the history of UFOlogy. In 1980, Lt. Col. Charles Halt, a deputy commander of the US Air Force Base, received the news of strange sightings near twin NATO airbases of RAF Woodbridge and RAF Bentwaters in Suffolk, England. In the early morning of December 26, Airman First Class John Burroughs reported the sighting that included vague descriptions, ranging from unusual supernatural light, glittering triangular spaceships, and scorched footprints on the ground.
It is always argued whether the Suffolk UFO landing actually happened or it was just a hoax. On the official note, there is no physical evidence to prove this claim, only testimonies provided by credible witnesses. As the years passed, a piece of new information indulged which opened many untold stories of this case.
Gary Heseltine, a former police detective and UFO investigator recounts the complex story of the Rendlesham Forest UFO incidents, which is considered the second most famous UFO case after Roswell in 1947. Heseltine researched the case for over five years, analyzing various published materials and uncovering lesser-known information.
In his book, “NON-HUMAN: The Rendlesham Forest UFO Incidents: 42 Years of Denial“, he presented amazing new military testimony from a previously unknown witness. The book discusses the political aspects of the incident, suggesting that the narrative may have been controlled by a few individuals for years. Heseltine argues that the UK and US governments have downplayed the true significance of the case.
This series of events occurred between December 26 and December 28, 1980. A mysterious flying object flew at such an incredible speed that violated the laws of physics. Moreover, despite the very high speed, the alien spacecraft did not make any noise.
The incident involves a young airman’s claim of witnessing a translucent UFO about 30 ft in diameter landing in a farmer’s field. This claim has been debated for many years. Later, round-shaped prints were found on the ground clearly from a heavy object, which were at a distance of about 3 meters from each other. Burns were also seen near these grooves on the ground.
On December 28, when soldiers were sent for a more thorough study of the area, they noted the excess of radiation. And at this time, a UFO reappeared, it flew by with incredible speed, illuminating everything around with bright red lights. The light emanating from the ship was so strong that the sensors of the night sights burned out, and the lights continued to hover and shine over the forest and field for some time.
Heseltine discovered a new witness account that sheds new light on the landing of a triangular-shaped UFO in the forest, an event previously recounted publicly only by Staff Sgt Jim Penniston and Airman John Burroughs. Heseltine reveals that after extensive research, he has obtained corroboration from a military witness, Sergeant Adrian Bustinza, confirming the occurrence of a UFO landing.
In a four and half hour transatlantic telephone interview (which was audio recorded) he admitted that he had been involved in a second UFO related event, a landing of a translucent craft approximately 30 feet in diameter which was surrounded by a ring of US Air Force Security police officers, writes Heseltine. (Source)
Retired Colonel Charles Halt and Retired police detective Gary Heseltine in Rendlesham Forest in 2010
The landing was filmed on video and cine cameras, marking it as the second UFO landing event. Heseltine emphasizes that Bustinza’s involvement was significant because he was part of the security perimeter around the craft, as was Larry Warren, an honorably discharged military eyewitness, and was the first to go public about the Bentwaters UFO cover-up.
Sergeant Bustinza’s account corroborates Warren’s version of events, confirming that the entire incident was being filmed. Additionally, Bustinza states that Colonel Gordon Williams, the Base Commander of the twin US bases of RAF Bentwaters and RAF Woodbridge, was present at the second landing. Despite Colonel Williams’ denial of involvement, both Bustinza and Warren assert that he was present during the event.
“When I arrived [at the scene], it was going in and out through the trees and at one stage it was hovering,” Sgt. Adrian Bustinza said. (Source)
Interestingly, Heseltine mentioned that both Bustinza and Warren state that entities or lifeforms were seen near the craft, engaging in what seemed like a silent confrontation with Colonel Williams. This detail adds a mysterious and intriguing element to the story.
Heseltine highlights the significance of Sergeant Adrian Bustinza’s corroboration, as it confirms the existence of the second UFO landing. He asserts that the US Air Force has attempted to cover up this event, but now, with the corroboration from a first-person witness, the truth is emerging.
Moreover, while examining old documentation of the case, Heseltine found a direct admission made by Lt. Col. Charles Halt, the deputy base commander at the time, to an American researcher named Ray Boeche in April 1985. Halt admitted that the second UFO landing did occur, and the craft was surrounded by USAF Security police officers, with Col. Williams present. This admission from Lt. Col. Halt adds further weight to the claims made by Bustinza and Warren.
Alien Abduction
Interestingly, video footage was published in 2018 by the British tabloid newspaper, The Sun, where Retired Lt. Colonel Charles Halt can be heard saying that John Burroughs “may have been abducted” and that the men were “unaccounted” for hours. The video was reportedly captured in 2010 when Halt and retired British police detective Gary Heseltine revisited Rendlesham Forest for a documentary that was never made. The footage was recorded by Heseltine’s wife when the two were talking about the UFO incident during a break.
Halt said: “He [Burroughs] may have been abducted, who knows… You know, there is LOST TIME, we know that? They were not on the radio… You’ve got men out in the forest that you can’t… unaccounted for hours.”
Official memo of Lt. Colonel Charles Halt about 1980 UFO incident
Even though the USAF had always denied any UFO landing in the Rendelsem forest, Burroughs shared the shocking news about his health. He said that he had been subjected to a high amount of radiation during the investigations of the mysterious craft on three consecutive nights in December 1980.
The US military classified Burrough’s medical records, so neither he nor his lawyer were able to get it. Even the USAF denied that he had been working with them during the time of the incident as claimed by Burrough. Somehow, they got a document from the British Ministry of Defence in which it was written that the site had a high level of radiation during the UFO incident.
Finally, after decades, the US Veterans Association and the Department of Defence agreed to pay for his treatment. Besides, in the radiation document, the US military acknowledged the unexplained aerial phenomenon that occurred at the site and caused a physical injury to Burrough.
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- Gemiddelde waardering: 0/5 - (0 Stemmen) Categorie:ALIEN LIFE, UFO- CRASHES, ABDUCTIONS, MEN IN BLACK, ed ( FR. , NL; E )
10-12-2023
'Aliens' landed at Chernobyl after nuclear disaster to 'suck radiation from air'
'Aliens' landed at Chernobyl after nuclear disaster to 'suck radiation from air'
EXCLUSIVE: Netflix's Encounters has UFO and alien enthusiasts frothing over dramatic claims that aliens may actually be coming to Earth to help us humans out in times of nuclear disaster
Could aliens have landed at Chernobyl following the disaster?(Image: AFP/Getty Images)
Aliens touched down at the Chernobyl Nuclear Power Plant after the disaster to suck dangerously-high levels of toxic radiation from the air, according to a Netflixdoc.
Encounters was released on the streaming platform and has UFO and alien enthusiasts frothing over dramatic claims that aliens may actually be coming to Earth to help us humans out.
The four-part docuseries explores many mass UFO sighting across the world from the last 50 years or so and delves into an alleged sighting of an alien aircraft at the Chernobyl power plant after the nuclear disaster in April 1986.
In episode four, Dr Jensine Andresen – a researcher of extraterrestrial intelligence (ETI) and unidentified aerial phenomena (UAP) – said many saw a UFO land at the site at the height of the roaring blaze.
Many claimed to see a UFO land at the power plant for three minutes(Image: Getty Images/iStockphoto)
"Right at the height of the fire, many people observed a UFO come," she said, adding it "stayed for three minutes".
Though the show doesn’t include any testimony from witnesses at Chernobyl, she also claimed there was a light at Unit 4.
And, with an alleged sudden drop in toxic radiation as soon as the UFO was gone, Dr Andresen said conspiracies that aliens were helping humans in draining radiation from the area were fuelled.
She said: "At the height of the fire in Chernobyl, the reading was 3000 milli-roentgen, which is a unit of ionising radiation."
Control Room 4, where a number of incorrect decisions lead to the greatest nuclear catastrophe of mankind(Image: APA-PictureDesk GmbH/REX/Shutterstock)
She added another reading was taken a few minutes later and that the radiation had "apparently dropped to 800" – something Dr Andresen said was incomprehensible.
She added: “That seems like a very conscious attempt to remediate the danger caused by the malfunction there."
The episode also explores a UFO seen in the Japanese city of Fukushima in 2011, in which members of the public claimed to have seen bizarre lights on the same day as the nuclear accident at the Fukushima Daiichi power plant.
People who tuned in to the Netflix doc were quick to share their amazement on X, with many users astounded at the claims aliens may not be here to hurt us after all.
Are the little green men really here to help us?(Image: Getty Images/Science Photo Library RF)
"I have to say after watching Encounters on Netflix I never truly went back to look at the lights over Fukushima and honestly I was shocked how many showed up after the blast," said @OBreenie.
"And I was shocked to learn it happened at Chernobyl as well."
UFO enthusiast @UFOS_UAPS posted: "Nuclear. They [aliens] love to hang around." To which another replied: "Yes but also how the levels were lowered in Chernobyl after one came and hovered for I believe 3 minutes – and the levels were lower in Fukushima as well – I was like how did I not know that."
Another posted in amazement: “Holy moly this is finally something new. I was unaware of these sightings but I understand the nuclear connection."
So, could those little green men actually be here to help us silly humans out in times of nuclear catastrophe? We'll let you make your own mind up...
Special forces soldier going for late night ciggie stumbles on 'UFO test flight'
Special forces soldier going for late night ciggie stumbles on 'UFO test flight'
UFO investigator Ross Coulthart has revealed a special forces soldier who left his hospital ward for a smoke spotted a UFO hovering in a clearing in a 'brief flutter above the trees'
By Tom James
Ross Coulthart believes the US military is in possession of 'non-human' technology
(Image: rosscoulthart/X)
A special forces soldier sneaking a late-night ciggie may have stumbled across a UFO “test flight”. He was recovering in an air force base hospital when he saw the craft hovering before leaving at astonishing speed.
And he claims it was being worked on by military and civilian personnel. The encounter was revealed to UFO investigator Ross Coulthart who believes the US military is in possession of “non-human” technology.
He said the soldier was at Eglin Air Force Base in Florida when he left his hospital ward to smoke. He did so at two in the morning and spotted the UFO hovering in a clearing.
Coulthart said: “As he watched the object quite literally almost dematerialised it moved so fast. All he saw was brief flutter above the trees… 20mins later he watched it return.
“I don’t think this guy’s lying. When I looked at a Google Maps description of location it’s precise to a tee.”
A special forces soldier believes he spotted a UFO in the sky(Image: Getty Images)
“It was clearly high security… he was gobsmacked that he was allowed to see it. I don’t think they were aware that he was there.”
He told the Chris Cuomo Project podcast: “I have dozens of accounts like that from US military personnel who’ve seen things they probably shouldn’t.”
Ross Coulthart is investigating sightings of UFOs across the US(Image: @ThatUFOPodcast/Youtube)
In the summer, fighter pilots from Eglin AFB showed US politicians a photo of one of four UFOs they encountered over the Gulf of Mexico. Military top brass initially blocked them from sharing details of the incident.
Congressman Matt Gaetz, who saw a photo of one of the craft, said: “The image was of a UAP that I am not able to attach to any human capability.”
NASA’s Psyche Spacecraft Beams Back Its First Images
NASA’s Psyche Spacecraft Beams Back Its First Images
Already 26 million km (16 million miles) from Earth, NASA’s Psyche spacecraft will arrive at its target asteroid Psyche in 2029. The Psyche team wanted to test all of the science instruments early in the long journey to make sure they are working as intended, and to ensure there would be plenty of time to calibrate and adjust them as needed. The imager instrument, which consists of a pair of identical cameras, captured a total of 68 images, all within a star field in the constellation of Pisces.
Psyche’s first images make up this mosaic showing a starfield in the constellation of Pisces.
Image credit: NASA / JPL-Caltech / ASU.
Psyche is a NASA mission to study a metal-rich asteroid with the same name, located in the main asteroid belt between Mars and Jupiter.
This is NASA’s first mission to study an asteroid that has more metal than rock or ice.
The spacecraft launched October 13, 2023, at 10:19 a.m. EDT aboard a SpaceX Falcon Heavy rocket from Kennedy Space Center.
By August 2029, it will begin exploring the asteroid that scientists think — because of its high metal content — may be the partial core of a planetesimal, a building block of an early planet.
The Psyche imager takes pictures through multiple color filters, all of which were tested in these initial observations.
With the filters, the Psyche team will use photographs in wavelengths of light both visible and invisible to the human eye to help determine the composition of the asteroid.
The imager team will also use the data to create 3D maps of the asteroid to better understand its geology, which will give clues about Psyche’s history.
“These initial images are only a curtain-opener,” said Psyche imager instrument lead Jim Bell, a researcher at Arizona State University.
“For the team that designed and operates this sophisticated instrument, first light is a thrill.”
“We start checking out the cameras with star images like these, then in 2026 we’ll take test images of Mars during the spacecraft’s flyby.”
“And finally, in 2029 we’ll get our most exciting images yet — of our target asteroid Psyche.”
“We look forward to sharing all of these visuals with the public.”
Earlier in the mission, in October, the Psyche team powered on the magnetometer, which will provide crucial data to help determine how the asteroid formed.
Evidence that the asteroid once had a magnetic field would be a strong indication that the body is a partial core of a planetesimal, a building block of an early planet.
The information could help us better understand how our own planet formed.
On November 8, amid all the work with the science instruments, the team fired up two of the four electric propulsion thrusters, setting a record: the first-ever use of Hall-effect thrusters in deep space.
Until now, they’d been used only on spacecraft going as far as lunar orbit.
By expelling charged atoms, or ions, of xenon gas, the ultra-efficient thrusters will propel the spacecraft to the asteroid and help it maneuver in orbit.
Less than a week later, on November 14, the technology demonstration built into the spacecraft, an experiment called Deep Space Optical Communications (DSOC), set its own record.
The experiment achieved first light by sending and receiving optical data from far beyond the Moon.
The instrument beamed a near-infrared laser encoded with test data from nearly 16 million km (10 million miles) away — the farthest-ever demonstration of optical communications.
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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 73 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.
