Mysterious interstellar visitor spotted above Mars appears as 'massive cylindrical craft'

• MORE:  NASA goes dark hours before first look at interstellar object moving closer to Earth

By CHRIS MELORE, US ASSISTANT SCIENCE EDITOR

New extraordinary images of the interstellar object flying through our solar system have been released, sparking fresh theories about its origins. 

Although most scientists have concluded that the mysterious object is a comet, NASA's Perseverance rover on the Martian surface sent back photos showing what appears to be a massive cylindrical shape.

Stargazers on social media shared color-enhanced images of the object, dubbed 3I/ATLAS, which showed the interstellar visitor having a green glow as it passed Mars and heads closer to the sun. 

Harvard astrophysicist Avi Loeb, who has been convinced that the object could be an alien craft or probe, analyzed the Perseverance rover's photos by calculating its distance, speed, and camera settings.

According to his initial study, Loeb was not convinced 3I/ATLAS is actually a massive cylindrical object, noting that the strange shape might have been a trick of the rover's camera stretching out its shape.

He explained that the apparent cylinder from the rover's 'Navcam' was likely caused by the camera stacking hundreds of images of 3I/ATLAS over a period of about 10 minutes, making it look more like a log than a ball.

The professor added that 3I/ATLAS is likely smaller and rounder, but still massive, with a potential diameter of more than 28 miles across.

Dr Horace Drew, a retired senior researcher at Australia's Commonwealth Scientific and Industrial Research Organization (CSIRO), noted that the mysterious green glow seen in some images could be a result of the object being an interstellar spacecraft coated in nickel.

The Perseverance rover on Mars captured new images of the interstellar object 3I/ATLAS as it passed by the planet this weekend

Color-enhanced images shared by multiple social media users revealed a strange green glow around 3I/ATLAS

Drew explained that humans use the same practice on Earth-made space technology on a much smaller scale.

'It is not a 'comet,''  Drew declared on a post on X Monday morning. 

Drew disagreed with Loeb's conclusion that the cylindrical shape was a result of the Mars rover sending back a stretched image over several minutes, claiming that an amateur astronomer on Earth captured a similar shape with their telescope.

'We can see an extended white shape, with a green coma outside. Not a small white ball,' Drew explained in a post about the astronomer's photograph.

Drew, who earned his PhD in chemistry from the California Institute of Technology, added that previous images of the interstellar object were allegedly from a 'head-on view' and didn't capture its shape from the side, like the new photos from Mars. 

Loeb said he's excited about another image taken by a different Mars camera, called HiRISE, which has better resolution and could show 3I/ATLAS more clearly.

That image is being sent back to Earth by the Mars Reconnaissance Orbiter (MRO) and has yet to be released by NASA.

Loeb has previously theorized that 3I/ATLAS could be a second craft sent by an extraterrestrial intelligence, following the strange cylindrical object known as Oumuamua, which passed Earth in 2017.

3I/ATLAS came within 18 million miles of Mars on October 3. Two space probes from Earth have been observing it for a week

Dr Horace Drew said an amateur astronomer's photo of the 3I/ATLAS (bottom 3 images) prove the object has a cylindrical shape and is not a comet

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• Scientists issue the clearest image yet of mysterious object racing through our solar system 

Loeb told the Daily Mail on Thursday that clear images and a scan of the supposed comet's composition were the key findings that could definitively tell scientists what 3I/ATLAS is.

Despite images emerging from NASA, space agencies around the world have still not commented by their initial findings from the Mars flyby.

Daily Mail reached out to NASA for comment and received a message noting that the space agency 'is currently closed due to a lapse in government funding.'

The European Space Agency (ESA) used the Mars Express and ExoMars Trace Gas Orbiter to successfully observe 3I/ATLAS, but it's expected to take days or even weeks to process all the data.

Meanwhile, some on social media have claimed that the global silence surrounding 3I/ATLAS adds proof that governments are covering up what they know about the alleged craft.

'NASA's shutdown is suspicious. The ESA's delay is strange. But China's silence, when they have every geopolitical reason to publish and show off, is the sign that something is happening behind closed doors,' one X user said on Monday.

'All eyes are on 3I/ATLAS — but suddenly, the silence is deafening,' another person posted.

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06-10-2025 om 20:41 geschreven door peter  

However, when we delve a bit deeper into the observational data, we find that there is little evidence that the high-energy physics that is associated with the cores of galaxies has any relation to the “black holes” that came out of Einstein’s equations. 

When I was writing Yuga Shift, I had used the term “black hole” to refer to the cosmic entity that generates the powerful energetic emissions from the Galactic Center. However, that does not mean that I was convinced that the galactic core is, indeed, a black hole. In fact, when we look back at how the idea of black holes originated from Einstein’s equations, and how they were expected to behave, it becomes obvious that galactic cores simply do not behave in the manner that is expected of a black hole. Something else is going on, and scientists seem to have no clue as to what it is. 

What are Black Holes?

American physicist Michio Kaku, in his lucidly written book, Parallel Worlds,[1] has provided an illuminating look into the origins of the world of black holes. 

It all began in the year 1916, when Karl Schwarzschild, a German physicist serving in the German army on the Russian front, found a weird solution to Einstein’s equations for a large star. He calculated that, if an object the size of our Sun were to be compressed down to 2 miles, it would turn into a “dark star” and its gravity would be so powerful that not even light could escape from it. If any object crossed the “Schwarzschild radius” or “event horizon” of this dark star (which is the radius of the dark star i.e., 2 miles in this example) it would get sucked into the star, never to be seen again.

Interestingly, Einstein never liked the idea of a dark star or a “singularity” where gravity becomes infinite and the laws of physics cease to operate. In a paper authored in 1939, he posited that dark stars cannot be formed by natural processes. “The essential result of this investigation is a clear understanding of why the “Schwarzschild singularities” do not exist in physical reality,” he wrote. 

Unfortunately, Einstein’s opinion did not prevail in this matter. Robert Oppenheimer – the father of the atomic bomb - and his student proposed an idea that caught the fancy of other physicists. They said that an old massive star that has used up its nuclear fuel could implode under the force of its gravity and get compressed within its Schwarzschild radius. “Black holes, they suggested, were not only possible, they might be the natural endpoint for billions of dying giant stars in the galaxy.”

All of a sudden, black holes became ubiquitous celestial objects, with countless numbers of them lurking unseen in every cosmic neighborhood like giant, open manholes, waiting patiently to suck in an unsuspecting cosmic voyager into their dark underbelly, never to return again to the world of light.

In 1963, New Zealand mathematician Roy Kerr added another weird attribute to this enigmatic object. He proposed that, as a star collapses under gravity, it will spin faster to conserve its angular momentum. A spinning star will collapse into a “ring of neutrons,” which would remain stable due to the centrifugal force pushing outward. Thus, if you fell into the Kerr black hole, you would not be crushed. Instead, you will be transported through a “wormhole” to a parallel universe. 

“Pass through this magic ring and – presto! – you’re in a completely different universe where radius and mass are negative!” Kerr exclaimed to a colleague.

Thus, black holes came to be visualized as a dark star with enormous gravitational pull, which was formed when a dying star imploded under its own gravity and got compressed within its Schwarzschild radius. Its gravitational force is so powerful that it sucks in any matter passing near its event horizon, either crushing and transforming it or transporting it via a wormhole to a radically different universe.

In spite of all the mathematical wizardry that went into its formulation, till around the 1990s, most astronomers regarded black holes as science fiction. But things began to change with the discovery of Sgr A*, the powerful radio source at the heart of the Milky Way.

A Supermassive Black Hole at the Galactic Center?

For a long time, astronomers had been observing a powerful radio source at the center of the Milky Way, which they termed Sgr A*, since the radio source was located in the direction of the Sagittarius constellation. They began to think that the only cosmic object that could generate such powerful radiation in the radio frequency (RF) is a black hole. It was proposed that Sgr A* could be a supermassive black hole, nearly 4.3 million times the mass of the sun, squeezed into a tiny space only ten times bigger than the sun. 

Astronomers further speculated that when the nuclear bulge was forming, a small fraction of the mass lacking orbital momentum collapsed in the middle to form the supermassive black hole. The radio waves from Sgr A* are not coming from the black hole itself, they said, but from the “accretion disk” that surrounds the black hole. The accretion disk was believed to consist of rings of superheated hot gas, dust and stars that surround a black hole and spiral towards the event horizon, being pulled by the powerful gravity of the black hole. 

Subsequent observations of many other galaxies, including our own, revealed that galactic cores are not only emitting intense electromagnetic radiation at all frequencies – from radio waves to gamma rays – but they are also ejecting relativistic plasma jets from their north and south poles.

As time went on, and more observational data came in, however, it was noticed that Sgr A* was not behaving as expected of a black hole. But, since no one seemed to know that Sgr A* could otherwise represent, astronomers stuck to the same story. And as it happens so often in science, a faulty hypothesis turns into a theory simply by virtue of repetition, and all the anomalies are quietly filed away.

So what are the anomalous behaviors of Sgr A* that undermine the supposition that it is a black hole? Firstly, astronomers always said that the region near the center of the galaxy, close to Sgr A*, would be too volatile for active star formation, due to the tremendous gravitational pull of Sgr A*. But when they got a good, hard look into the region of the Galactic Center with Hubble's NICMOS infrared camera, they found that, 

“The Galactic Center is a hotbed of star formation activity, containing the most massive star formation site and three of the most massive young star clusters in the galaxy.”[2]

This is the exact opposite of what had been posited by scientists! The region of the Galactic Center is a prolific site of star formation, not at all what you would expect if a monstrous black hole were lurking nearby and trying to rip apart the clouds of gas and dust. But this anomaly did not deter our perseverant astronomers. It was just an oddity that needed to be handled later, perhaps when the stars were perfectly aligned. 

It’s quite stunning how big and dense the star clusters in the Galactic Center are. A Hubble Telescope image of a pair of star clusters called Arches and Quintuplet, located less than 100 light-years from the center of our galaxy, shows that the clusters are 10 times larger than typical young star clusters scattered throughout the Milky Way galaxy. The Arches cluster is so dense that over 100,000 stars will fit into the space between our sun and its nearest neighbor, the star Alpha Centauri, 4.3 light-years away. Only 1 out of every 10 million stars in the galaxy is as luminous as the Arches cluster stars. At least a dozen of the stars weigh about 100 times the mass of our sun.[3]

In other words, the stars near the Galactic Center are much bigger, far more luminous, and a lot more densely packed than those found in the spiral arms. 

The other claim that astronomers had made about Sgr A* is that it must be gobbling up passing stars and molecular clouds on a routine basis, and whenever it does so, it emits powerful X-ray flares. But, despite careful observations over long periods of time, Sgr A* has never been seen to suck in nearby matter. One example stands out from the rest, thanks to all the hullabaloo that was generated in the years leading up to the grand non-event.

In 2011, astronomers discovered a cloud of gas termed G2, heading towards Sgr A*. It was predicted to pass within about 36 light-hours of the black hole in 2014 and be tidally disrupted, causing much of its material to accrete onto Sgr A*, thereby causing a bright X-ray outburst. Guess what happened? Nothing! To the utter shock of astronomers - who were eagerly observing Sgr A* like a bunch of kids gathered around an aquarium during shark feeding time - G2 wafted past Sgr A*, and continued merrily along its orbit, without even pausing to exchange courtesies. Needless to say, the much-anticipated fireworks of X-ray emissions from Sgr A* did not happen either.[4]

But did this little setback inspire our astronomers to revisit the hypothesis that Sgr A* is a black hole? Of course not! Why would you topple a perfectly good story for want of corroborating data and get into everyone’s bad books? That’s a sure shot way to get your telescope time taken away from you.

Astronomers had also contended that the powerful electromagnetic emissions from Sgr A* are being emitted by the “accretion disk” around the black hole. But new observations reveal that Sgr A* does not even have an accretion disk! Instead, it is encircled by strong and organized magnetic fields, which sustain filaments of gas. This is consistent with observations from other galaxies as well.

In 2008, astronomer Andrew Fabian of Cambridge University in the UK, looked at the Hubble Telescope images, and found that, “Long-lived magnetic fields are sustaining a mammoth network of spaghetti-like gas filaments around a black hole…at the heart of a large galaxy known as NGC 1275.”[5]

In 2015, the Event Horizon Telescope detected magnetic fields just outside the event horizon of Sgr A* at the center of the Milky Way galaxy. A report by the Harvard-Smithsonian Center for Astrophysics published in ScienceDaily states, 

“Most people think of black holes as giant vacuum cleaners sucking in everything that gets too close. But the supermassive black holes at the centers of galaxies are more like cosmic engines, converting energy from infalling matter into intense radiation that can outshine the combined light from all surrounding stars…For the first time, astronomers have detected magnetic fields just outside the event horizon of the black hole at the center of our Milky Way galaxy...In the case of Sgr A*, polarized light is emitted by electrons spiraling around magnetic field lines. As a result, this light directly traces the structure of the magnetic field…The team found that magnetic fields in some regions near the black hole are disorderly, with jumbled loops and whorls resembling intertwined spaghetti. In contrast, other regions showed a much more organized pattern.”[6]

In March 2024, the Event Horizon Telescope (EHT) collaboration unveiled a new image of Sgr A* in polarized light, which revealed strong, twisted, and organized magnetic fields near the edge of Sgr A* in the center of the Milky Way galaxy, very similar to that seen around the M87* black hole.[7]

So, instead of an accretion disk, Sgr A* is encircled by strong, twisted, organized magnetic fields, which, quite possibly, support filaments of gas. Therefore, the EM radiation and plasma jets cannot be coming from an accretion disk surrounding a black hole. They must be emitted by Sgr A* itself! 

It should be evident from these observations that Sgr A* bears no similarity to the black hole that came out of Einstein’s equations. Not only does it not gobble up nearby matter by means of its gravitational force or disrupt star formation in regions close to it, it does not even have an accretion disk. Moreover, Sgr A* emits enormous amounts of EM radiation and plasma jets, while a black hole was visualized as a dark star from which nothing ever came out, not even light.

Which brings us to an important question: If Sgr A*, the galactic core, is not a black hole, then what could it be?

If we go by the observational data, then Sgr A* appears to be functioning as the “central engine” of our galaxy. It could be drawing in matter from the rest of the galaxy (or even from outside it) through filaments of gas, which are supported by powerful magnetic fields, and transforming this matter into EM radiation and plasma jets to support galactic functions. Which means, Sgr A* must be imbued with a “cosmic intelligence” that allows it to know what needs to be done to support, organize, and regulate our galaxy.

It would not be amiss to argue that Sgr A*, the galactic core, is the central, creative, and organizing consciousness of our galaxy. It is this galactic soul or galactic consciousness that orchestrated the evolution of our galaxy over eons and continues to regulate its vital functions. All the high-energy physics that we see around it is the manifestation of this consciousness. We are observing consciousness in action, but we are unable to recognize it as such, since we don’t have the mathematical tools to describe consciousness, nor do we have a well-established reference point to compare it against. 

Interestingly, many ancient cultures knew about the central organizing consciousness of our galaxy, and referred to it in their texts and traditions as the Supreme Creator or Great Spirit. Their descriptions of this ultimate creative entity resonate with what has been discovered about Sgr A* till now. Let me begin with the Vedic descriptions of the unformed, creative spirit known as Brahma, and then I will move on to other religious and spiritual traditions, which have a similar philosophical outlook.

Sgr A* - The Galactic Consciousness

The Vedic sages believed that our world was brought forth by the supreme creative principle Brahma, who exists in an unformed, unmanifested state at the “navel of Vishnu,” i.e., Vishnunabhi; whereas, Vishnu, the god of preservation, was said to recline in the “middle of the cosmic milky ocean” on his serpent couch. 

In Yuga Shift and prior articles, I had contended that the enormous central bar of our galaxy, which stretches across the middle of our galaxy for nearly 27,000 light-years, is what the Vedic sages knew as Vishnu, while the “navel of Vishnu” or Vishnunabhi – around which our sun revolves, as Sri Yukteswar had claimed - is the Galactic Center, since the navel is the center point of the human anatomy, and we also know that our sun revolves around the Galactic Center.

The only cosmic entity in the vicinity of the Galactic Center deserving of the epithet Brahma, the unmanifested creative spirit, is Sgr A*, which astronomers believe is a supermassive black hole.

As per the Vedic texts, Brahma is the unformed spirit who brings forth the world of forms. He is the eternal, omniscient consciousness, who multiplies himself and lives in the heart of all living beings as their immortal soul. What this implies is that Sgr A*, the galactic soul or galactic consciousness, produces small “packets of consciousness” that we call the soul or self, which animates all life. 

In other words, all souls emanate from Sgr A* and return there after the completion of their reincarnation cycles. The Vedic texts also tell us of a very long cycle of time called the “Day of Brahma” (spanning 12.9 million years), following which there is a cosmic reset. This is when Brahma withdraws all souls back inside himself, and the entire galaxy becomes lifeless for another 12.9 million years, which comprises the “Night of Brahma”. Consider the following hymns from the collection of Vedic texts called the Upanishads, which elucidate these ideas.

“In the beginning was only Being (Brahma), 
One without a second.
Out of himself he brought forth the cosmos 
and entered into everything in it.
There is nothing that does not come from Him.
Of everything, He is the inmost Self.”8 (CU 6.2.2)
    
“The ruler Supreme (Brahma), inner Self of all,
 Multiplies his oneness into many.”9 (KU 2.2.12)

“He (Brahma) is the inner ruler in all beings. 
He projects the cosmos from himself, maintains and withdraws it back into himself at the end of time.”10 (SU 3.2)

This is the basic understanding of the Vedic philosophical tradition: “The Atman (i.e., individual soul) is Brahma (i.e., Universal Soul)”. Our soul is of the same essence as the Creator, and therefore, our bodies are the sacred Temple of God. In order to find joy and fulfilment, we need not search around aimlessly in the world, but tap into our inner divine essence, i.e., our self or soul, which is the repository of love, bliss, joy, contentment, truth and wisdom. Those who can do this break free from the reincarnation cycle. 

“Wherever the mind wanders, restless and diffuse in its search for satisfaction without, lead it within; train it to rest in the Self. Abiding joy comes to those who still the mind.” (BG 6.26-27)
“He (Self) is formless, and can never be seen with these two eyes. But he reveals himself in the heart made pure through meditation and sense-restraint. Realizing him one is released from the cycle of birth and death.” (KU 2.3.9)

The Vedic texts also tell us that, when a person exits the reincarnation cycle on attaining self-realization, he returns to the Brahmaloka or Brahma-world, where he dwells for immortal years in bliss and love, free of grief or suffering. If Sgr A* is Brahma, the galactic soul, then the Brahma-world or Brahmaloka is likely to be the effulgent central bulge of our galaxy, i.e., the galactic nucleus, which contains Sgr A* in its center. 

In other words, the Milky Way’s nucleus is the heavenly domain of the primordial Creator, the “paradise in the center of the world” that so many ancient traditions speak of, where the sages and virtuous souls dwell in eternal bliss. This was the exalted afterlife destination sought by the saints of the past. Thanks to our ever-evolving awareness of the universe, it is now becoming possible to bring these esoteric concepts out of the metaphysical realm and relate them to a tangible, physical reality.

As to what Sgr A*, the galactic consciousness, may be composed of is, of course, hard to guess. The Bhagavad Gita, the spiritual poem of India, provides some clues to the nature of the soul or self, which is of the same essence as Brahma, the galactic consciousness. The poem states,

"The Self cannot be pierced by weapons or burned by fire; water cannot wet it, nor can the wind dry it. The Self cannot be pierced or burned, made wet or dry. It is everlasting and infinite, standing on the motionless foundations of eternity. The Self is unmanifested, beyond all thought, beyond all change.” (BG 2.23-25)[11]

What we can gather from these descriptions is that the soul or self is likely to be made up of an invisible, exotic form of energy, which does not react with other types of energies or matter, and therefore, it cannot be dissipated or transformed, although it is capable of making copies of itself. This energy is aware, intelligent, and capable of storing massive amounts of information, and is completely unlike any other form of energy.

The Judaic philosophy has similar thoughts about the cosmos and the nature of souls. In the book, Tree of Souls: The Mythology of Judaism, Howard Schwartz writes that all souls in Paradise are stored in a “Treasury of Souls” or Guf, until it is time for them to be born into this world. Regarding the “Treasury of Souls”, which is also called the “Chamber of Creation”, Howard says that it is located,

“In the highest heaven, known as Aravot...The Guf is found near the Throne of Glory, and a dazzling brilliant light emanates from the many souls in repose there. Those souls are in their pristine state, untainted by existence in this world. Some of them flicker like a small candle and some shine like a torch, and there are some whose radiance rivals the sun…
When the time comes for it to descend into this world, an angel is issued along with it, who accompanies it...As soon as the soul leaves the Guf, it divests itself of its heavenly garment, and is clothed in a garment of flesh and blood.”[12]

Judaic philosophy further states that once a soul has been born in this world and is tainted by its sins, it is extremely difficult for it to go back to Paradise, the original place where it was born. “Those who stray from there, exiled into the fallen world, eventually find themselves naked and in need of repair by the field master...For even the greatest soul has difficulty reentering the field once it has departed.”[13]

I would argue that the “Treasury of Souls” or “Chamber of Creation” in Judaism refers to the central bulge or galactic nucleus, also called Paradise or the highest heaven, Avarot. Since the “Treasury of Souls” is said to be located near the “Throne of Glory”, i.e., the seat of God in Paradise, my interpretation is that Sgr A*, the galactic soul or galactic consciousness, is the “Throne of Glory” in Judaism. 

The “Treasury of Souls” or the galactic nucleus is also the original Garden of Eden, where the soul of man was fashioned, and where he lived in eternal bliss until he was exiled from Paradise and sent to the fallen world outside; and it is only after he has regained his original purity and attained self-realization, can he return to the galactic nucleus.

The Judaic doctrine makes an interesting statement about the newly born souls that are kept in the “Treasury of Souls”. It states that a brilliant light emanates from the many souls in repose there. Some of them flicker like a small candle, and some shine like a torch, and there are some whose radiance rivals the sun. 

Let’s recall here that most ancient societies believed that the souls of their ancestors appeared as “stars” in the sky. Therefore, going by this Judaic doctrine, the central bulge should contain faint, young stars in addition to massive, brilliant ones. Isn’t that exactly what scientists have found in recent years – that, in proximity to Sgr A*, intense star formation activity is going on, and massive young star clusters are present there, containing stars that are bigger and brighter than our sun?

It’s amazing how things begin to fall in place and make sense, and esoteric doctrines reveal their secrets, once you find a clue to the whole mystery. A lot of observational data about our galaxy and the universe has been amassed over the past few decades by astronomers, and when we try to correlate them to the information in the ancient esoteric and cosmological doctrines, we can arrive at surprising realizations.

Christian mysticism - such as Franciscan mysticism – speaks of the “Eternal, Cosmic Christ” or the “Christ Consciousness”, which activates the heart center and inspires men and women towards oneness with all of creation. But who or what is the “Eternal, Cosmic Christ”, many have wondered? Before attempting to answer that question, let’s remember that “Christ” was not Jesus’s last name. It was a title given to Jesus. The term Christ derives from the Greek word Christos, which means “Anointed One” or “Messiah”. The term Christos precedes Jesus and the Christian religion by millennia, and was typically given to someone who was perceived to be a human incarnation of the “Eternal, Cosmic Christ,” i.e., someone who has willingly descended on the mortal plane to guide the suffering humanity to salvation. 

I believe that it is Sgr A*, the galactic soul or the galactic consciousness, whom the Vedic sages revered as Brahma and the Hebrews called the “Throne of Glory”, that is the “Eternal, Cosmic Christ” or the “Christ Consciousness”. It is from this Source that all souls are born into this world; they return to the Source after attaining liberation. The liberated beings who dwell in the galactic bulge – such as Jesus or Buddha - can willingly reincarnate on earth from time to time as the teachers and guides of humanity.

Jesus often referred to this galactic soul as his “Father” in heaven, since all souls emanate from it. When he told his disciples that, “If you loved me, you would be glad that I am going to the Father, for the Father is greater than I,”[14] he was, in all likelihood, talking about returning to the galactic nucleus, which was the Paradise in the center of the world and the original Garden of Eden.

It is well-known that the Greeks had an enviably large pantheon of gods. But there was also a prevailing belief that all life derives from a single, omniscient Source, which is fixed in space and regulates all affairs by the power of its mind. The earliest account of such a Supreme Being comes to us from a travelling poet and sage of ancient Greece called Xenophanes of Colophon, who lived in the 6th century BCE. There are 45 surviving fragments of his poetry, which offer glimpses into the fundamental tenets of his philosophy. Some of the extant fragments describe the Supreme God:  

“One god is greatest among gods and men,
Not at all like mortals in body or in thought. (frag. 23)
…whole he sees, whole he thinks, and whole he hears. (frag. 24)
…but completely without toil he shakes all things by the thought of his mind. (frag. 25)
…always he abides in the same place, not moving at all,
nor is it seemly for him to travel to different places at different times. (frag. 26)”[15]

The Supreme Being described by Xenophanes is “not at all like mortals in body,” i.e. not made up of matter, “always abides in the same place”, and “shakes all things by the thought of his mind.” These attributes have obvious correlations with Sgr A*, the galactic consciousness, for Sgr A* is not made up of matter, remains fixed in the center of the galaxy, and it regulates all galactic functions by means of its powerful energetic emissions. 

In Cicero’s Prior Academics, there is a passage claiming that the eternal, unchanging One God is spherical in shape. This strengthens the association of the One God with Sgr A*, which is a spherical cosmic entity: 

“(Xenophanes said that) all things are one, that this is unchanging, and is god, that this never came into being and is eternal, and has a spherical shape.” (2.18)[16] 

In many Native American tribes, the supreme creative spirit was known as the Great Spirit or Great Mystery, which, I believe, also refers to Sgr A*, the galactic consciousness. The Great Spirit was known by different names by different tribes – such as Wakan Tanka in the Lakota tradition or Gitche Manitou in the Algonquian tradition - but in all cases, the overarching beliefs were the same: that the Great Spirit was the Supreme Being, who infused everything with a life force or soul. He is the Creator who lives in all of us. Chief Luther Standing Bear (1868–1939) of the Lakota Nation explained it eloquently:

“From Wakan Tanka, the Great Spirit, there came a great unifying life force that flowed in and through all things – the flowers of the plains, blowing winds, rocks, trees, birds, animals – and was the same force that had been breathed into the first man. Thus all things were kindred, and were brought together by the same Great Mystery.”[17]

In some cultures, the name of the Creator revealed his location in space. For instance, in the Popul Vuh, which recounts the mythology and history of the K’iche Maya people of Guatemala, the Creative Spirit is called Huracan, the Heart of Heaven. It is Huracan who dreams the world into existence in the darkness of the night and breathes life into all creatures. The term “Heart of Heaven” is not incompatible with Sgr A*, the galactic consciousness, which lies in the heart of the Milky Way. 

Another example is the foundational figure of Shinto creation myths, called Ame-no-Minaka-Nushi-no-Mikoto, whose name translates as “Deity of the August Center of Heaven”. The Kojiki portrays him as the first deity to appear during the creation of the world. He was the divine source from which the later kami (gods) originated. Incidentally, Ame-no-Minaka-Nushi-no-Mikoto hid his form upon coming into existence. This is consistent with our understanding of Sgr A*, which is not only hidden from our view (only its outline is visible using sophisticated telescopes) but is also located at the cosmic center.

Evidently, many ancient conceptions regarding the Supreme Being have a strong correlation to what we know about Sgr A*, the galactic core. The connections are striking and persuasive. It isn’t far-reaching to propose that we live in a conscious, living galaxy that is constantly creating, growing and transforming. This is not a new idea by any means. The sages and philosophers of antiquity believed that the heavenly bodies, such as the sun, moon, and the planets, were imbued with souls and intelligences. The currently used scientific term for this belief system is panpsychism, which posits that consciousness is a fundamental and ubiquitous feature of our reality. 

The Conscious Sun

A well-known proponent of panpsychism is British author and biologist Rupert Sheldrake, who believes that the Sun’s complex electromagnetic rhythms might be indicative of a form of awareness. 

In a paper titled, “Is the Sun Conscious?”[18] Sheldrake argued that, “nervous systems in general, and brains in particular, function electromagnetically.” Within the brain, rhythmic patterns of electrical activity emerge from the activities of countless neurons - such as alpha waves, theta waves, and gamma waves - which can be measured through electrodes placed on the skull, as in electroencephalographs (EEG). These electrical waves set up oscillating magnetic fields.

Sheldrake referred to various studies in the “field theory of consciousness”, all of which agree that consciousness is related to the electromagnetic activity of the brain. Some researchers have gone further and proposed that the brain’s electromagnetic fields actually are conscious. According to John Joe McFadden, “the brain’s EM field is in fact the physical substrate of consciousness, and conscious volition results from the influence of the brain’s EM field on neurons that initiate motor actions.”

Now, the sun is an extraordinarily complex electromagnetic system, whose effects permeate the solar system. The movements of electrified plasma on the solar surface create a magnetic field, which extends throughout the body of the sun to the limits of the solar system. The changing magnetic fields within and beyond the sun give rise to electrical currents in the plasma. During times of solar maxima, there are many sunspots on the solar surface from where extraordinarily strong magnetic fields emerge from the sun’s interior, loop around above the photosphere, and re-enter the sun through spots of opposite magnetic polarity. Sometimes these extraordinarily powerful loops of magnetic energy break and rejoin, emitting enormous amounts of energy in the form of solar flares and coronal mass ejections.

Sheldrake argued that, if the electromagnetic activity of the brain is indicative of a conscious mind, “then the electromagnetic activity of the sun may well be the principal interface between the physical activity of the sun and the solar mind… The mind of the sun, though centered in the sun itself, may integrate information from the entire heliosphere, just as our minds, centered in brains, integrate information from our own bodies and the world around us.” Sheldrake, then, went on to speculate what would be the principal preoccupations of the solar mind:

“The sun would be able to sense what is going on throughout the solar system through the electromagnetic field that pervades the heliosphere, which could act as its primary sense organ. Thus, the sun’s mind could, in principle, know about all events within the solar system…
In the first place, the sun is presumably concerned with the regulation and preservation of its own body, the sun itself, and its extended body, the solar system, right out to the heliopause… influencing it through the intensity of the solar wind, through directional solar flares, and most dramatically through coronal mass ejections pouring billions of tons of charged particles towards anything in their path… 
Secondly, the sun may be aware of its position and interactions with other stars and solar systems in its immediate neighborhood, and ultimately throughout the entire galaxy. These systems may in turn be part of a galactic mind, like neurons within a galactic brain. They are literally interconnected through the plasma permeating the arms of the galaxy, through which vast electric currents flow, spiraling around enormous magnetic field lines radiating out through the galactic arms that are tens of thousands of light years long. The sun is part of a vastly greater electromagnetic system…
At the center of our galaxy is a supermassive black hole that emits huge amounts of energy, with a galactic wind passing along the spiral arms extending outwards from it...The sun is influenced by the electromagnetic patterns of activity within the galaxy as a whole, which could in turn be closely connected with a galactic mind, perhaps centered in or around the supermassive black hole at the galactic center. The galactic mind could influence what happens here on earth through its effects on the sun and the solar mind.”

Sheldrake’s proposition that the activities of the conscious sun may be regulated by a “galactic mind” centered in the supermassive black hole at the galactic center is very similar to what I have proposed - except that I now no longer believe that there are any black holes. Every so-called black hole is a galactic soul. Remember that Sgr A* is enclosed by “strong, twisted, and organized magnetic fields”, and as per the field theories of consciousness, Sheldrake presents in his paper, EM fields are associated with consciousness. 

Soul Consciousness

There is another thing that I need to discuss here. Sheldrake talks about the EM field of the brain and posits that this EM field is the means through which the brain senses the nerve stimuli and carries out its conscious actions. But the human heart also generates a very powerful EM field, which is 5000 times more powerful than the brain’s EM field. The heart's energy is said to reach about three feet outside of the physical body and can be detected in another person sitting nearby via an electrocardiogram (ECG).[19]

This means consciousness also resides inside our heart, and it is this consciousness that the ancients called the self, soul, or soul consciousness. It is the soul that is the source of the mind and our sense faculties. In various Vedic texts, it has been repeatedly stressed that the faculties of vision, audition, thought, etc. are not ours but “only the names given to forces that He (Self) projects and reabsorbs.”[20]

At the time of death, the soul draws the mind and sense faculties within itself before exiting the body. This is the reason why some people enter into a coma before death. That’s when the soul reabsorbs the mind and sense faculties within itself, and then waits for the conditions within the body to deteriorate to a sufficient extent to allow the soul to exit. This is also the reason that when a person has a Near-Death Experience (NDE) and hovers above his own body, he is able to see, hear, feel, and think with perfect clarity. The soul is the ultimate source; it contains everything it needs within itself. The physical body is simply a vehicle through which the mind is cleansed of the egoic dross that it tends to accumulate.

Therefore, Sgr A* is not just the galactic mind; it is the galactic soul, which is capable of seeing, hearing, feeling, and knowing everything within the galaxy, and orchestrating all actions within the galaxy by means of its EM field and the powerful plasma jets. It is the source from where all of us have sprung as packets of consciousness called souls, and to live in proximity to this Source within the galactic nucleus in the afterlife was the desire of the great saints and prophets of the earlier ages. 

References

[1] Michio Kaku, Parallel Worlds, Anchor Books, 2006, pp. 114 – 125. 
[2] D. F. Figer, “Massive Star Formation in the Galactic Center”, arxiv.org, 11 Mar 2008, https://arxiv.org/abs/0803.1619
[3] Hubble Spies Giant Star Clusters Near Galactic Center, HUBBLESITE, September 16, 1999, https://hubblesite.org/contents/news-releases/1999/news-1999-30.html
[4] Deborah Byrd, "How G2 survived the black hole at our Milky Way’s heart", EarthSky 4 Nov 2014, https://earthsky.org/space/how-g2-survived-the-black-hole-at-our-milky-ways-heart/
[5] Rachel Courtland, "Galactic 'spaghetti monster' powered by magnetic fields", NewScientist, 20 August 2008, https://www.newscientist.com/article/dn14573-galactic-spaghetti-monster-powered-by-magnetic-fields/
[6] "Event Horizon Telescope reveals magnetic fields at Milky Way's central black hole", ScienceDaily, December 3, 2015, https://www.sciencedaily.com/releases/2015/12/151203150233.htm
[7] “Astronomers Unveil Strong Magnetic Fields Spiraling at the Edge of Milky Way’s Central Black Hole" Event Horizon Telescope, 27 March 2024, https://eventhorizontelescope.org/blog/astronomers-unveil-strong-magnetic-fields-spiraling-edge-milky-way%E2%80%99s-central-black-hole
[8] Chandogya Upanishad 6.2.2, from “The Upanishads”, tr. by Eknath Easwaran.
[9] Katha Upanishad 2.2.12, “The Upanishads”, tr. by Eknath Easwaran. 
[10] Shvetashvatara Upanishad 3.2, “The Upanishads”, tr. by Eknath Easwaran.
[11] Bhagavad Gita 2.23-25, tr. Eknath Easwaran, Penguin Books, 1996.
[12] Howard Schwartz, Tree of Souls: The Mythology of Judaism, Oxford University Press, 2004, p. 166
[13] Howard Schwartz, Tree of Souls: The Mythology of Judaism, Oxford University Press, 2004, p 168
[14] John 14:28, New International Version
[15] Michael Patzia, Internet Encyclopedia of Philosophy, 2009, http://www.iep.utm.edu/xenoph/
[16] Ibid
[17] Kent Nerburn, The Wisdom of the Native Americans, MJF Books, 1999, pg 15.
[18] Rupert Sheldrake, "Is the Sun Conscious?" Journal of Consciousness Studies, Vol.28, No.3–4, 2021, pp. 8–28, https://www.sheldrake.org/files/pdfs/papers/Is_the_Sun_Conscious.pdf
[19] Jessica I. Morales CHt./EFT, "The Heart's Electromagnetic Field Is Your Superpower", Psychology Today, 29 November 2020, https://www.psychologytoday.com/us/blog/building-the-habit-of-hero/202011/the-hearts-electromagnetic-field-is-your-superpower
[20] BU I.4.7; I.5.2; I.6.3 etc. taken from Symbolism of the Stupa, p 63

{ https://mysteriousuniverse.org/ }

06-10-2025 om 20:24 geschreven door peter  

The first supermoon of the YEAR rises tonight – here's the best time to see the Harvest Moon

• READ MORE: NASA boss reveals plans for a VILLAGE on the moon by 2035

By WILIAM HUNTER, SCIENCE & TECHNOLOGY REPORTER

If you're a keen stargazer, you won't want to miss out on this rare spectacle. 

The stunning full Harvest Moon, also known as the Hunter's Moon, will rise tonight.

This year's event will be a special treat – as it will also be the first supermoon of the year.

That means the Harvest Moon will appear up to 14 per cent larger and 30 per cent brighter than normal.

This will be the first supermoon since November last year, and kicks off a run of three consecutive supermoons in the coming months.

The moon will technically be at its fullest on the night of September 7, but will appear full to the naked eye from this evening.  

It should be visible from anywhere in the UK with a good view of the night's sky, but weather conditions could make a big difference.

So, here's how you can get the best chance of seeing tonight's spectacular lunar display.

Tonight, the Harvest Moon will rise in the biggest and brightest full moon of the year. Here's how you can see it. Pictured: The Harvest Moon over New York yesterday evening

What is the Harvest Moon and why is it special?

The Harvest Moon is the full moon which rises closest to the Autumn Equinox, the point at which day and night are the same length.

It usually falls in September, but this year the equinox came on September 22 – making the October full moon this year's Harvest Moon.

All the full moons in the year have their own unique names and associated traditions, but the Harvest Moon is special for a scientific reason.

Due to the shape of the moon's orbit around Earth, the moon rises at almost exactly the same time during the nights surrounding the Harvest Moon. 

That means there are a few nights near the equinox when there is consistent, bright moonlight every evening.

That allowed farmers to harvest their crops at night before the start of the colder months. 

This was also a great help to hunters who would be looking to stock up on meat and supplies ahead of winter, giving it the alternative name of the Hunter's Moon. 

This year, the Harvest Moon is also the first supermoon of the year, meaning it could appear up to 30 per cent brighter and 14 per cent larger than normal. Pictured: The Harvest Moon rising in California yesterday

But for modern–day stargazers, this consistency also makes the Harvest Moon one of the easiest full moons to watch rise since the timing is so consistent. 

Excitingly, this year's Harvest Moon happens to fall at the same time as a supermoon.

Since the moon's orbit around Earth is oval rather than round, our lunar satellite is closer or further away during different parts of the month. 

A supermoon refers to a full moon which happens while the moon is within 90 per cent of its closest point to Earth, known as a perigee.

Typically, the moon orbits the Earth at an average distance of 252,000 miles (405,500 km) from Earth.

However, at its perigee, the moon can reach a distance of around 226,000 miles (363,300 km). 

That means the moon appears to be brighter and larger than normal, although it can be difficult to see the difference with the naked eye. 

How to see tonight's Harvest Supermoon

Supermoons occur when the moon is at its closest point to Earth, known as the perigee. At this point, the moon can be around 30,000 miles closer than average 

The good news for any keen space fans is that you don't need any special equipment or even to travel out of town to see the supermoon tonight.

The moon will rise in the East at 18:13 BST, which should be just around sunset, and will set in the West around dawn.

As long as you can see the sky, you'll be able to get a good look at the bright full moon at any point during the evening.

However, there are also a few simple steps you can take to get the best possible viewing experience.

If possible, find a place with a clear view of the Eastern horizon and try to see the moon while it is as low as possible.

Although it won't actually be larger, a phenomenon called the 'moon illusion' means the full moon will appear to be bigger when it's just above the horizon.

Scientists still aren't quite sure why this is the case, but it does lead to much more spectacular views. 

If you can wait a bit longer, until around 19:00 BST, you will also have the opportunity to see the moon alongside another celestial body.

Looking Southeast tonight after sunset, there will also be a great opportunity to view the moon next to the planet Saturn. Saturn will be visible to the naked eye all evening, but you won't be able to make out its rings 

As the moon climbs higher into the sky, you should see a bright 'star' just to the right.

This star is actually the planet Saturn, which is currently visible to the naked eye from sunset until sunrise.

Saturn has just passed a point called 'opposition', arriving on the opposite side of Earth from the sun and making the planet especially easy to see. 

Just like any stargazing, to get the best views, you'll want to get away from street lights and other sources of light pollution.

Make sure to give your eyes at least half an hour to adjust to the dark while making sure not to look at your phone, which would ruin your night vision.

Unfortunately, local weather will have a big impact on your viewing conditions, and there is a good chance of cloud over large parts of the UK.

If you miss the moon tonight, conditions may have improved by tomorrow, when the moon will be even fuller.  

A Met Office spokesperson told Daily Mail: 'Visibility for the supermoon on Tuesday night looks to be best in Scotland, with patchy cloud in the South and cloudier conditions in the North.'

Unfortunately, weather conditions may not be ideal for viewing the moon tonight, with cloud forecast over much of Northern England, Wales, and Scotland from sunset onwards 

However, if clouds do ruin your chances of seeing this month's supermoon, there is no need to worry.

The Harvest Moon is just the first in a run of three supermoons coming through October, November, and December.

The November supermoon, also known as the Beaver Moon, will rise on November 5.

The December supermoon, appropriately called the Cold Moon, will follow on December 4 and will come alongside a great opportunity to see the planet Jupiter. 

The phases of the moon

Like Earth, the Moon has a day side and a night side, which change as the Moon rotates. 

The Sun always illuminates half of the Moon while the other half remains dark, but how much we are able to see of that illuminated half changes as the Moon travels through its orbit.

In the Northern Hemisphere, the phases of the moon are:

1. New Moon

This is the invisible phase of the Moon, with the illuminated side of the Moon facing the Sun and the night side facing Earth.

2. Waxing crescent

This silver sliver of a Moon occurs when the illuminated half of the Moon faces mostly away from Earth, with only a tiny portion visible to us from our planet.

3. First Quarter 

The Moon is now a quarter of the way through its monthly journey and you see half of its illuminated side. 

4. Waxing Gibbous

Now most of the Moon's dayside has come into view, and the Moon appears brighter in the sky. 

5. Full Moon

This is as close as we come to seeing the Sun's illumination of the entire day side of the Moon.

6. Waning Gibbous

As the Moon begins its journey back toward the Sun, the opposite side of the Moon now reflects the Moon’s light. 

7. Last Quarter

The Moon looks like it’s half illuminated from the perspective of Earth, but really you’re seeing half of the half of the Moon that’s illuminated by the Sun ― or a quarter. 

8. Waning Crescent

The Moon is nearly back to the point in its orbit where its dayside directly faces the Sun, and all that we see from our perspective is a thin curve. 

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

06-10-2025 om 15:28 geschreven door peter  

This Scientist Claims Apollo Mission Brought Back “Metals” from Moon Made by Advanced Machines and Structures on Mars and Moon Possibly 50,000 Years Old from Our Past

For people in ancient Mesopotamia, heaven was described as having three layers. The lowest layer was the home of the stars, the middle layer was where the younger gods, the Igigi, lived, and the highest layer belonged to An, the sky god.

Other researchers have also made surprising claims connected to these ideas. Dr. Ken Johnston, a former aerospace engineer, said that NASA already knows astronauts discovered ancient alien structures and remains of advanced machinery on the Moon. He claimed some of these technologies had the power to control gravity.

Dr. Ralph Kennedy Johnston Sr., often known as Ken Johnston, was born in 1942 at Fort Sam Houston, Texas. He worked as one of four Civilian Astronaut Consultant Pilots at NASA and helped train Neil Armstrong, Buzz Aldrin, and Michael Collins for the Apollo 11 mission to the Moon.

Johnston is also a retired U.S. Marine and has become known as a “NASA whistleblower,” though he rejects the name. He said he only wanted to share information that the public deserved to know.

Read also:

• This Man, Who Worked on the Voyager Missions, Said He Discovered Enormous, Living, Electromagnetic Vehicles Inhabiting Saturn’s Rings
• Jesse Michels Told Joe Rogan That He believes Anti-Gravity Tech Existed Before the ’80s and May Have Been Developed Under a Never-Disclosed Branch of Science
• This Man Says NASA Asked for Help After Astronauts Encountered Orbs Containing 125-Foot Winged Angelic Beings That Smiled at Them

In addition, some people connect his claims with stories told by Ingo Swann, a well-known remote viewer, who said he psychically saw strange structures on the Moon. Swann described domes, tall towers, cross-shaped buildings, long tunnels, and signs of mining activity. He thought that either someone or something had secretly built these bases on the Moon.

Swann also said he saw human-like figures on the Moon digging into a cliff. The strange part, he added, was that they all appeared completely naked.

During this remote-viewing experiment, a man named Axelrod supervised Swann. Suddenly, Axelrod stopped the session and seemed alarmed, explaining that the beings on the Moon might have become aware they were being watched, which could be dangerous.

After that, Axelrod asked Swann if he knew a man named George Leonard. Swann said no. Around that same time, Leonard was writing a book titled Somebody Else Is on the Moon.

That book, published in 1977, described reports of mysterious, unnatural structures on the Moon — the very kind of things Axelrod seemed to worry about. Leonard’s work suggested that these lunar structures could not have been formed naturally and looked as though someone had built them.

Over time, Swann and Axelrod met secretly to discuss more of these strange observations. These secret meetings, which Swann later compared to scenes from a spy movie, suddenly ended in 1977 without explanation. Swann was left confused about the truth.

He wondered if his psychic vision had detected an extraterrestrial base built long ago. Yet because the people he saw looked completely human, he also considered the idea that it could have been a hidden Earth-based project. He thought maybe Axelrod wanted him to discover something without revealing the government’s involvement.

Despite decades passing, the mystery is still unresolved. The strange lunar structures described by Leonard, Swann, and Johnston continue to raise questions about whether the Moon hides evidence of advanced civilizations.

The idea that aliens might be secretly using the Moon reminds many of similar theories claiming aliens could be operating on Earth itself. Some people think those “ancient visitors” who might have built advanced cities or shared secret technology could have played a role in shaping human evolution and culture.

Al Worden’s comments about humans being the real aliens connect strangely well with these later stories. If humans came from somewhere else long ago, as he suggested, it might explain why ancient cultures around the world have myths about gods descending from the sky, teaching knowledge, and building great cities before disappearing.

Worden, unlike most astronauts, remained open to such possibilities until his last years. He said exploring space was not just about science but also about finding the truth of where we came from. Many found his words mysterious, but others thought he raised an interesting point — that our search for life beyond Earth might end with us discovering our own distant origin among the stars.

{ https://howandwhys.com/ }

05-10-2025 om 18:48 geschreven door peter  

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04-10-2025 om 20:57 geschreven door peter  

A scientist has claimed that astronauts may soon uncover the remains of a long-lost human civilization that once lived on the Moon 50,000 years ago. 

Author and geologist Gregg Braden told podcast host Joe Rogan that evidence of this ancient city was kept from the public by the US and Russia during the Cold War.

However, during the interview on Wednesday, Braden noted that emerging superpowers China and India plan to televise their findings once upcoming expeditions reach the lunar surface.

The two nations are planning to broadcast their lunar missions using live feeds from mission control and cameras on their robotic landers and rovers, streaming on national TV, social media, and official space agency apps.

China's robotic Chang'e 7 mission is set for 2026, while India's Chandrayaan-4 drone is now likely to launch in 2028, with manned missions for both set between 2030 and 2040. 

According to the scientist, who has written about the possibility of life on the moon and Mars, astronauts will discover archeological structures covered in languages that people will be able to recognize as being written by human cultures.

'The evidence suggests they're from us, from a time in our past, a cycle of civilization where we did great and beautiful things by working together until we destroyed one another through war, and that we're repeating that cycle,' Braden claimed.

Braden has previously stated in books like Deep Truth and Gaia TV’s Missing Links that humans on the moon came from a long-lost Earth civilization 50,000 years ago, which developed space-faring technology before destroying itself in war.

Author and geologist Gregg Braden has claimed that there are ancient structures on both the moon and Mars which prove lost human civilizations traveled through space

NASA has not conducted a manned moon mission since 1972. Braden said the next ones conducted by other nations could televise their findings in real time

Current scientific data, including NASA's Lunar Sample Compendium and high-resolution images taken of the moon, show no evidence of artificial structures or inscriptions on the moon.

Braden claimed that photographs from NASA's Clementine mission revealed structures on the moon with 90-degree angles, which he argued don't exist in nature and suggest they were built by an ancient civilization millennia ago.

He linked these lunar structures to similar geometric shapes in Mars' Cydonia region, like the famous 'Face on Mars' and several pyramid-shaped forms, which he believes date back 50,000 years ago based on the relative dating of rock layers by scientists.

NASA has dismissed claims that there are structures on Mars, calling strange building-like images 'natural formations.' 

As for what proof he had of this world-changing theory, Braden cited unconfirmed stories from Apollo astronauts who allegedly saw structures and writings while visiting the moon, suggesting a cover-up by NASA and Russia 50 years ago.

Apollo 11 astronauts Neil Armstrong and Buzz Aldrin allegedly witnessed a large UFO or metallic structure on the Moon's far side during their 1969 mission, with radio transmissions describing it as a "base" before NASA abruptly cut the signal.

The unverified encounter was recounted in conspiracy literature like the 2001 book Dark Moon: Apollo and the Whistle-Blowers by Mary Bennett and David Percy. 

Anita Mitchell, who was married to the late NASA pilot Edgar Mitchell, the sixth man to walk on the moon in 1971, told the Daily Mail: 'He always felt that there were UFOs out there, because so many of the pilots and astronauts had seen something.'

Gregg Braden claimed that astronauts have made deathbed confessions of what they really saw on the moon, including ancient buildings and inscriptions (Stock Image)

'I think when our space program was active, there were broadcasts from the lunar surface that were cut off, and astronauts had seen things that they were not allowed to see and not allowed to share,' Braden claimed during the podcast. 

'Some of them are leaving this world now, and on their deathbed, they can't believe that this hasn't been made, made public already. So there have been recordings and videos and things, and I think they're authentic,' the author continued.

'They're going to see inscriptions in languages that we already recognize. And that will be the smoking gun,' Braden declared.

Braden and Rogan argued that there was even more evidence suggesting human history may extend beyond the conventional 200,000 to 300,000-year timeline, citing discoveries like a debated million-year-old skull from China.

The fossil has been linked to the extinct species known as Denisovans, suggesting modern humans or our close relatives existed far earlier than records have shown.

A recent discovery of ancient skull suggested that Homo sapiens began to emerge over one million years ago, pushing back our species' origins by 400,000 years

Study author Chris Stringer, an anthropologist at the Natural History Museum, said the 'landmark' findings offered an important window into our evolutionary past. 

'Fossils like this one just show how much we still have to learn about our origins,' he said.

Other DNA studies of ancient humans have also revealed that modern humans interbred with Neanderthals and Denisovans, pointing to a more complex and potentially older human race than previously thought.

Braden claimed that, during this ancient time in history, human genes were intentionally modified by an unknown event that propelled humanity to become advanced beings.

He highlighted the 2005 study of human chromosome 2, which carries genes that help control many body functions, like brain development, vision, hearing, and immunity.

While scientists have attributed its creation to a natural mutation, chromosome 2 has displayed a strange fusion of two ancestral chromosomes that have the signs of modern gene editing.

'The kicker is that we can now look at the DNA and reverse engineer it and say, what did it take to get where we are?' Braden said, calling the evidence of advanced ancient humans 'the smoking gun.'

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

04-10-2025 om 20:29 geschreven door peter  

NASA's Mars Perseverance rover acquired this image of the area in front of it using its onboard Front Right Hazard Avoidance Camera A. The image was acquired on July 12, 2022 (Sol 495), at the local mean solar time of 16:56:25.

 (Image Credit: NASA/JPL-Caltech)

A piece of string-like material photographed on Mars by the Perseverance Rover just last week has suddenly disappeared, according to recent NASA photos obtained by its rover on the Red Planet.

The wiry-looking substance many likened to a piece of string or thin pasta first appeared in photographs taken by the rover on July 12^th, photos that were shared by NASA earlier this week. However, a photo taken four days later shows the string has somehow disappeared.

Photo taken by Perseverance on July 12 shows Martian “string”

Image Credit NASA/JPL-CalTech

Photo taken by Perseverance on July 16 reveals the “string” has disappeared.

Image Credit NASA/JPL-CalTech

Since landing on the red planet, humanity’s various rovers have made a habit of taking odd, unusual, often perplexing photos. In some cases, like the “flower” or recently discussed “door” on Mars, the photos ultimately proved to be natural formations instead of foreign objects.

Of course, Martian rovers bring their own junk with them. And many of the more infamous photos sent back from those rovers are of their own pieces of human-made debris.

NASA’s experts told the media the recent photograph is likely something artificial and not a natural formation masquerading as a manufactured object. However, rather than a remnant of a kite flown by E.T. on his Martian holiday, the same experts say this string was also probably a piece of material from the rover’s landing rocket.

“The string could be from the rover or its descent stage, a component similar to a rocket-powered jet pack used to lower the rover to the planet’s surface safely,” a Perseverance mission spokesperson at NASA’s Jet Propulsion Laboratory told CNN.

The same spokesperson concedes that the string was photographed in an area not previously visited by Perseverance but guessed that the string likely blew there on its own.

Either that. Or it has a completely different origin.

Adding more mystery to the mystery, when the rover passed over the same spot on July 16^th, the string had magically disappeared. Once again, most suggest that the string left the same way it arrived, on a gust of wind.

Still, given the incredibly thin Martian atmosphere and the great lengths designers had to go through just to get the Ingenuity helicopter to grasp that atmosphere and take flight, it would take some mighty gusts of wind to send that string into and out of the same spot within a four day period. So, for now, at least, the mystery of the Martian string remains.

• Follow and Connect with Author Christopher Plain on Twitter @plain_fiction

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

03-10-2025 om 21:54 geschreven door peter  

On October 3, interstellar comet 3I/ATLAS flew past Mars. This encounter was monitored by a fleet of spacecraft studying the Red Planet.

Comet 3I/ATLAS was discovered in early July. It became the third confirmed object of interstellar origin found in our Solar System. At the same time, it differs significantly from its predecessors in many of its characteristics. 3I/ATLAS is larger than Borisov’s interstellar comet and the asteroid Oumuamua, moves at a higher speed, and is most likely several billion years older than the Solar System.

On its journey through the Solar System, 3I/ATLAS will make several relatively close flybys of planets. One of them took place on October 3. On that day, 3I/ATLAS passed 30 million km from Mars.

Space agencies decided to take advantage of this unique opportunity to learn more about the visitor from another star system. In its statement, ESA reported that between October 1 and 7, the Mars Express and TGO spacecraft orbiting Mars would monitor the comet using their cameras and spectrometers. On NASA’s side, the LRO spacecraft will participate in tracking the interstellar visitor, as well as the Psyche mission, which is heading towards the asteroid Psyche.

Current observations are very important, as 3I/ATLAS is rapidly approaching the Sun. In the coming days, this will make it impossible to track it using ground-based observatories, and astronomers will have no choice but to rely on spacecraft.

On October 29, 3I/ATLAS will reach the perihelion of its orbit, approaching the Sun at a distance of 203 million km. At this point, the comet will reach its peak activity. By studying the composition of the gases evaporating from its nucleus, scientists will be able to learn about the structure of other star systems. At this point, the comet will still be inaccessible to ground-based telescopes, but fortunately, one spacecraft will be in a suitable position to make observations. It is about the European JUICE mission. It will monitor the comet between November 2 and 25.

By December, 3I/ATLAS will once again be visible to Earth-based telescopes. The comet will not approach our planet. The minimum approach distance will be 269 million km, which is almost twice the distance between the Earth and the Sun. 

In March 2026, 3I/ATLAS will fly by Jupiter at a distance of 53 million km. In theory, the Juno spacecraft, which is exploring the gas giant, could participate in its observations. After that, 3I/ATLAS will head off into deep space and never come back to the Solar System.

• Posted in News, Science

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03-10-2025 om 12:43 geschreven door peter  

Scientists analyzing archived data from the Cassini mission have discovered new complex organic molecules being ejected from Saturn’s moon Enceladus. This is a clear sign that complex chemical reactions are taking place in its underground ocean. Some of them may be part of chains leading to the formation of even more complex molecules that are potentially biologically significant.

In 2005, Cassini discovered the first evidence that an ocean lies beneath Enceladus’ icy surface. Water sprays out of cracks near the moon’s south pole, ejecting ice particles into space. Some of these tiny pieces of ice, smaller than grains of sand, fall back onto the surface of the moon, while others fly away and form the E ring around Saturn.

During its mission, Cassini flew through this ring several times and analyzed it using its instruments. In particular, the vehicle detected many organic molecules in its ice grains, including amino acid precursors.

The problem was that the ice grains in the ring could be hundreds of years old. As they aged, they could have been subject to “weathering” and changed under the influence of intense cosmic radiation. Scientists wanted to study fresh grains ejected much later to better understand what exactly was going on in Enceladus’ ocean.

Fortunately, researchers already had this data. Back in 2008, Cassini flew right through a fresh plume from Enceladus. Uncontaminated ice grains struck the CDA dust analyzer at a speed of approximately 18 km/s. These were not only the freshest ice grains Cassini had ever detected, but also the fastest.

Speed was of the essence. At lower impact speeds, the ice breaks up, and the signal from clusters of water molecules can mask the signal from certain organic molecules. But when ice grains hit the CDA quickly, water molecules don’t stick together, which has made it possible to see signals previously hidden.

After analyzing all the available data, scientists were able to determine which molecules were present inside the fresh ice grains. Some of them had previously been detected in the E ring, confirming that they originate from Enceladus’ ocean.

Completely new molecules were also found that had never before been encountered in Enceladus’ ice grains. These included aliphatic, (hetero) cyclic esters/alkynes, esters/ethyls, and presumably compounds containing nitrogen and oxygen. On Earth, these molecules participate in chains of chemical reactions that ultimately lead to the formation of more complex molecules necessary for life.

This discovery is important for future missions that will study Enceladus and search for life in its ocean. ESA recently began preliminary design work on such a mission, which could be launched in the early 2040s.

• According to ESA

• Posted in News, Science

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03-10-2025 om 12:33 geschreven door peter  

Saturn's moon could harbour ALIEN life: Scientists discover new complex organic molecules spewing from Enceladus – suggesting it could be habitable

• READ MORE: NASA scientists discover the clearest signs of life on Mars 

By WILIAM HUNTER, SCIENCE & TECHNOLOGY REPORTER

Saturn's moon, Enceladus, could harbour alien life deep within its underground oceans of water, according to the European Space Agency (ESA). 

Although the moon may appear barren, near the South Pole, tiny grains of ice are constantly being spewed into space through cracks in the icy surface.

Using data collected by the Cassini spacecraft, scientists have found that these ice crystals are packed with complex organic molecules.  

According to a new study, some of these molecules could be part of the chain of chemical reactions that ultimately lead to life. 

The researchers say this discovery means Enceladus now 'ticks all the boxes' to be a world capable of supporting life. 

The moon has a constant supply of liquid water, a source of energy from hydrothermal vents, and the right set of chemical elements and complex organic molecules. 

This isn't necessarily proof that life already exists on Enceladus, but it makes it much more likely that Saturn's moon is habitable.  

Lead researcher Dr Nozair Khawaja, of Freie Universität Berlin, says: 'Even not finding life on Enceladus would be a huge discovery, because it raises serious questions about why life is not present in such an environment when the right conditions are there.'

Scientists have found that grains of ice spewed from Enceladus, Saturn's sixth–largest moon, contain organic compounds that could lead to life. Pictured: Enceladus' south pole as seen by the Cassini spacecraft 

The European Space Agency found that water forced up from the underground ocean carried a set of complex organic molecules that are likely produced by chemical reactions around deep hydrothermal vents

With a diameter of 310 miles (500 km) – about as wide as Arizona – Enceladus is Saturn's sixth–largest moon.

On the surface, conditions are exceptionally cold with temperatures as low as –201°C (–330°F).

However, in 2005, scientists discovered that a huge liquid ocean was actually trapped beneath the icy shell.

Jets of water erupt like geysers through cracks near the South Pole and, while some fall back down to the surface, some escape and form a ring around Saturn that traces the moon's orbit.

When the Cassini spacecraft flew through Saturn's rings, it took samples of these ice grains and found that they showed signs of complex chemical reactions that could be associated with life. 

Dr Khawaja says: 'Cassini was detecting samples from Enceladus all the time as it flew through Saturn's E ring. 

'We had already found many organic molecules in these ice grains, including precursors for amino acids.'

But some of these grains were hundreds of years old, so the scientists couldn't be sure whether the chemicals within had been altered by radiation from the sun.

In 2005, the Cassini spacecraft discovered striking tectonic faults at the south pole known as 'tiger stripes' (bottom right). These allow ice to escape from the oceans into space

Some of the ice falls back to the lunar surface, but much of it escapes into space, where it forms a ring around Saturn. In 2005, the Cassini spacecraft gathered samples from this ring and found that the ice contained organic molecules. Pictured: Artist's impression of Enceladus' surface

That changed when Cassini flew straight through Enceladus' spray in 2008, gathering ice crystals on its Cosmic Dust Analyser (CDA) as they emerged from the moon's interior. 

As Cassini whipped through the cloud at 11 miles per second (18 km/s), it gathered the freshest and fastest ever collected.

That speed actually makes a big difference to the quality of the data, since it helps scientists separate water from other interesting molecules.

'At lower impact speeds, the ice shatters, and the signal from clusters of water molecules can hide the signal from certain organic molecules,' explains Dr Khawaja.

'But when the ice grains hit CDA fast, water molecules don't cluster, and we have a chance to see these previously hidden signals.'

After spending years working through the vast amounts of data collected by Cassini, Dr Khawaja and his co–authors have finally confirmed that these fresh ice crystals also contain organic molecules.

Those molecules included some that had been found around Saturn and some new chemicals that hadn't been detected before.  

That means the molecules found in Saturn's ring and in Enceladus' ice geyser must be formed within the moon's ocean, not created later by reactions with solar radiation. 

Cassini (artist's impression) was able to fly directly through the plumes of ice emerging from the south pole and gather tiny particles of ice at extremely high speeds. This proved that the organic molecules found in Saturn's ring were formed in Enceladus' ocean

On Earth, these molecules are part of the chemical reactions that lead to life. This means that the moon now 'ticks all the boxes' to be a habitable world capable of sustaining living organisms 

On Earth, these organic molecules are involved in the chains of chemical reactions which lead to life, raising the tantalising possibility that Enceladus could be home to life.

Dr Khawaja says: 'There are many possible pathways from the organic molecules we found in the Cassini data to potentially biologically relevant compounds, which enhances the likelihood that the moon is habitable.'

In the future, ESA is planning to launch a mission to Enceladus that will collect more grains of ice from the South Pole plumes and even land on the moon's surface.

This would be the first time that any space agency has landed on Enceladus and could reveal more details about the possible conditions for life. 

WHAT DID CASSINI DISCOVER DURING ITS 20-YEAR MISSION TO SATURN?

Cassini launched from Cape Canaveral, Florida in 1997, then spent seven years in transit followed by 13 years orbiting Saturn.

An artist's impression of the Cassini spacecraft studying Saturn 

In 2000 it spent six months studying Jupiter before reaching Saturn in 2004.

In that time, it discovered six more moons around Saturn, three-dimensional structures towering above Saturn's rings, and a giant storm that raged across the planet for nearly a year.

On 13 December 2004 it made its first flyby of Saturn's moons Titan and Dione.

On 24 December it released the European Space Agency-built Huygens probe on Saturn's moon Titan to study its atmosphere and surface composition.

There it discovered eerie hydrocarbon lakes made from ethane and methane.

In 2008, Cassini completed its primary mission to explore the Saturn system and began its mission extension (the Cassini Equinox Mission).

In 2010 it began its second mission (Cassini Solstice Mission) which lasted until it exploded in Saturn's atmosphere.

In December 2011, Cassini obtained the highest resolution images of Saturn's moon Enceladus.

In December of the following year it tracked the transit of Venus to test the feasibility of observing planets outside our solar system.

In March 2013 Cassini made the last flyby of Saturn's moon Rhea and measured its internal structure and gravitational pull.

Cassini didn't just study Saturn - it also captured incredible views of its many moons. In the image above, Saturn's moon Enceladus can be seen drifting before the rings and the tiny moon Pandora. It was captured on Nov. 1, 2009, with the entire scene is backlit by the Sun

In July of that year Cassini captured a black-lit Saturn to examine the rings in fine detail and also captured an image of Earth.

In April of this year it completed its closest flyby of Titan and started its Grande Finale orbit which finished on September 15.

'The mission has changed the way we think of where life may have developed beyond our Earth,' said Andrew Coates, head of the Planetary Science Group at Mullard Space Science Laboratory at University College London.

'As well as Mars, outer planet moons like Enceladus, Europa and even Titan are now top contenders for life elsewhere,' he added. 'We've completely rewritten the textbooks about Saturn.'

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02-10-2025 om 22:24 geschreven door peter  

Dark matter does NOT exist – and is simply an illusion, scientist controversially claims

• READ MORE: Scientists claim that the Big Bang theory is wrong 

By WILIAM HUNTER, SCIENCE & TECHNOLOGY REPORTER

The quest to understand dark matter and dark energy is one of modern science's most perplexing questions.

Now, one physicist has proposed a controversial solution: dark matter is nothing more than an illusion.

According to Professor Rajendra Gupta of the University of Ottawa, astronomers haven't been able to find any dark matter particles because they simply do not exist.

Instead, Professor Gupta argues that the effects attributed to these 'exotic matters' can be explained by the fundamental forces of the universe changing over time.

The laws of physics, which scientists use to make predictions about the world, are underpinned by constants, such as the speed of light and the force of gravity.

However, according to some physicists, these 'constants' aren't actually all that constant.

Instead, these fundamental features evolve and change as the universe ages in a way that might explain why it looks like we have dark matter and dark energy.

In his paper, Dr Gupta claims: 'Dark matter and dark energy...may be considered emerging from the weakening of the forces of nature in an expanding Universe.'

The quest to understand dark matter is one of modern science's most pressing questions. But now, one physicist says that dark matter could be nothing more than an illusion.

(artist's impression)

Scientists first started taking dark matter seriously in the 1970s when the astronomer Vera Rubin noticed that galaxies' outermost stars were rotating much faster than expected.

These strange gravitational effects suggested that galaxies contained more mass than their visible matter could account for, which scientists called dark matter.

Dark energy, meanwhile, was proposed as an extra hidden force to explain why the universe's expansion has accelerated since the Big Bang.

Scientists currently estimate that dark matter makes up around 27 per cent of the universe, while dark energy makes up about 68 per cent – leaving normal matter to account for a meagre five per cent.

This theory, known as the Lambda Cold Dark Matter Model (ΛCDM), works really well to explain everything from supernovae to the Big Bang.

The problem is that, even after 50 years of research, scientists still have no idea what dark matter or dark energy really are.

Professor Gupta's idea is to try to explain everything that dark matter currently does, without the need for any strange forces or exotic particles.

The basic idea is that, if the fundamental constants vary, we can take those varying 'covarying coupling constants' and put them into Einstein's equations for cosmic expansion.

Scientists think that dark matter makes up about 80 per cent of all matter in the universe, but it isn't directly visible. Instead, scientists infer its existence from its gravitational interactions with other objects

When we do this, we get two purely mathematical terms called alpha–matter and alpha–energy that behave just like dark matter and dark energy.

What makes this theory really interesting is that the amount by which the constants vary changes depending on how much matter is concentrated in one place.

At the heart of a galaxy where there is lots of normal matter, physics behaves just like we would expect.

However, out in the far–flung edges of a galaxy where matter is very sparse, the constants become weaker and the effects of alpha–matter become more noticeable.

This means there is a point at which matter became sparse enough for alpha–matter and alpha–energy effects to take over from conventional physics, known as the 'turn–off density'.

According to Professor Gupta, this explains why galaxies' outermost stars are moving faster than they should be compared to stars in the inner core.

In his new paper, Professor Gupta compares his model's predictions to real observations of seven galaxies of varying sizes.

The model reproduced the curve of the rotating galaxy and predicted where the turn–off density would need to be.

Instead of proposing that the universe is filled with dark matter like other scientists have done, Professor Rajendra Gupta, of the University of Ottawa, thinks that the supposed effects of dark matter can be explained by changes in the universe's fundamental constants. Pictured: The largest map of dark matter ever produced

Across the seven galaxies, the required turn–off density varied by a factor of four, despite the size of the galaxies varying by a factor of eight.

Professor Gupta argues that this consistency suggests that alpha–energy and alpha–matter are real features of the universe and not just theoretical contrivances.

If that is right, then scientists could get rid of dark matter and dark energy from their theories and still explain everything about the universe.

Professor Gupta says: 'The emergent alpha–matter and alpha–energy can, in principle, replace dark matter in galaxy clusters and assist in galaxy formation.

This theory also makes predictions, which scientists should be able to test.

If alpha–matter has less of an effect when the universe is denser, then more distant galaxies seen further back in time should be more dominated by the effects of visible matter.

However, the big problem for Professor Gupta's theory is that there is no more evidence that universal constants are variable than there is for the existence of dark matter particles.

There is currently no evidence to suggest that something like the speed of light or the gravitational constant has ever been different, and assuming that they are would require major changes to our theories about the universe.

If this is right, then projects that are attempting to map dark matter, such as the Dark Energy Survey Collaboration (pictured), are simply wasting their time

Observations of extremely distant and bright objects known as quasars show that, even much closer to the Big Bang, these constants are just the same as they are now.

If Professor Gupta is right, and dark matter really is an illusion, it would mean that astronomers have wasted huge amounts of funding on sophisticated telescopes to search for something that doesn't exist.

Professor Gupta is planning to extend his approach to analyse gravitational lensing and galaxy cluster dynamics, which would be a good test for the theory. 

But, with dark matter currently being our best bet about the nature of the universe, a lot more evidence will be needed to overturn the scientific consensus.

Dark matter: The mysterious substance that makes up 85% of the universe that scientists cannot confirm

Dark matter is a hypothetical substance said to make up roughly 85 per cent of the universe.

The enigmatic material is invisible because it does not reflect light, and has never been directly observed by scientists.

Astronomers know it to be out there because of its gravitational effects on known matter.

The European Space Agency says: 'Shine a torch in a completely dark room, and you will see only what the torch illuminates.

Dark matter is a hypothetical substance said to make up roughly 27 per cent of the universe. It is thought to be the gravitational 'glue' that holds the galaxies together

(artist's impression)

'That does not mean that the room around you does not exist.

'Similarly we know dark matter exists but have never observed it directly.'

The material is thought to be the gravitational 'glue' that holds the galaxies together.

Calculations show that many galaxies would be torn apart instead of rotating if they weren't held together by a large amount of dark matter.

Just five per cent the observable universe consists of known matter such as atoms and subatomic particles.

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02-10-2025 om 21:58 geschreven door peter  

A rogue planet 620 light-years from Earth has baffled scientists as it puts on a record-breaking 'growth spurt'.

In a months-long feeding frenzy, the planet hoovered up six billion tonnes of gas and dust every second.

The distant world, officially known as Cha 1107-7626, is located in the Chamaeleon constellation and is what scientists call a 'rogue planet'.

This means it is a free-floating mass which drifts through space by itself, rather than orbiting a star like Earth orbits the sun.

Embedded in a rotating spiral of gas and dust, the planet pulls in a constant stream of new matter to feed its growth, in a process called accretion.

However, while this was the fastest accretion burst ever recorded, the researchers believe that this is the planet's 'last trickle' of growth.

Study co-author Dr Alexander Scholz, an astronomer from the University of St Andrews, told Daily Mail: 'This rogue planet is pretty much finished with its growth.

'The really strong growth spurts would have happened earlier, while the object was still enshrouded in dust and gas, invisible to us.'

Scientists have been baffled by a young rogue planet which has put on a record-breaking growth spurt, hoovering up six billion tonnes of gas and dust every second

(artist's impression) 

Although Cha 1107-7626 is now between five and 10 times the size of Jupiter, the rogue planet is still in its infancy.

During this period of their existence, these lonely objects can sometimes begin extremely rapid periods of growth known as accretion bursts.

Most of these bursts occur at the earliest moments of a rogue planet's formation, when it is still shrouded in dust that telescopes can't penetrate.

Dr Scholz says: 'When we can observe them, they are already close to the finished products. The really exciting early evolution happens when they are embedded in a thick cloud. '

However, using the European Southern Observatory's Very Large Telescope, scientists were able to catch the rogue planet as it entered a particularly rapid growth spurt.

Over a period of a few weeks, the rogue planet's accretion rate increased by almost eight times, reaching a peak in August and staying at that level for several months.

Lead researcher Dr Víctor Almendros-Abad, an astronomer at the National Institute for Astrophysics in Italy, says: 'This is the strongest accretion episode ever recorded in a planetary-mass object.

'People may think of planets as quiet and stable worlds, but with this discovery we see that planetary-mass objects freely floating in space can be exciting places.'

Located in the Chamaeleon constellation around 620 light-years from Earth, the planet known as Cha 1107-7626 is a 'rogue planet'. This means it does not orbit any star. Pictured: an infrared image showing the planet's location in the centre of frame 

Scientists still aren't exactly sure what causes such sudden and powerful bursts of accretion.

Some theories suggest that nearby companion objects might trigger a sort of avalanche in the accretion disc, while others propose that the burst might be caused by instabilities in the surrounding nebula.

This new study doesn't settle that debate, but by looking at the light coming from the planet before and after the burst, the researchers were able to reveal new details about the accretion process.

Using the James Webb Space Telescope, Dr Almendros-Abad and his colleagues found that there was now water vapour in the disk around the planet that hadn't been there before.

Likewise, the scientists were able to show that the planet's magnetic field actually played a major role in funnelling material from the inner edge of the disc into the planet.

This is strikingly similar to how stars use their magnetic fields to feed on gases in the early stages of their lives.

Scientists had long thought that the rogue planets and stars might grow in similar ways.

For example, stars also grow through accretion bursts in which they gather most of their mass in short spurts, followed by long lulls.

Scientists believe that this kind of rogue planet might form in a very similar way to how stars are born, pulling in gas and dust to form a disc around itself. This discovery further 'blurs the line' between rogue planets and stars. Pictured: A visible light image of the planet's location 

But this new discovery further 'blurs the line' between rogue planets and stars.

This suggests that large gas giant planets might form in exactly the same way as stars, contracting clouds of dust and forming their own discs.

Some of the largest rogue planets might even form smaller planets of their own from the leftover material in the disc, creating miniature planetary systems without a sun.

Dr Amelia Bayo, an astronomer at the European Southern Observatory, says: 'The idea that a planetary object can behave like a star is awe-inspiring and invites us to wonder what worlds beyond our own could be like during their nascent stages.'

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02-10-2025 om 21:44 geschreven door peter  

Story by Mihai Andrei

 

Saturn’s Moon Enceladus Is Looking More Habitable Than Ever

© ZME Science

When it comes to habitable places in our solar system, the tiny moons of Saturn don’t seem likely candidates. Yet time and time again, they’ve proven themselves to be exciting places for life. Europa, Titan, and Enceladus all have a claim to potential habitability. A new study just made Enceladus even more interesting.

View of Enceladus. NASA/JPL/Space Science Institute.

© ZME Science

In 2005, Cassini found the first evidence that Enceladus has a hidden ocean beneath its icy surface. After that, Enceladus has teased scientists for years with its spectacular plumes. Chemical analyses showed that this alien ocean contained salts and simple organic molecules. Already, you’ve got water, salt, and organic molecules necessary for life.

But it gets better.

Scientists, re-examining data from NASA’s Cassini mission, have identified a fresh batch of organic molecules bursting from Enceladus’s depths, including types never before seen there. They found esters, which give fruits their smell on Earth. They also observed ethers and alkenes, crucial chemical connectors, and other complex molecules containing nitrogen and oxygen. In other words, the chemistry on Enceladus looks even more promising for life.

Old Ice, New Ice

The new study is an analysis of already existing data. The Cassini spacecraft orbited Saturn for 13 years, and its Cosmic Dust Analyzer (CDA) was designed to scoop up tiny dust and ice particles and analyze what they were made of.

On one of its 22 fly-bys of Enceladus, a maneuver codenamed “E5,” Cassini did something unique: it flew faster and closer than ever before, plunging through the densest part of the plues at a staggering speed of nearly 18 kilometers per second (over 40,000 miles per hour). This speed was key.

• Related video: How Humanity Could Colonize Titan! (Saturn’s Moon) (The Space Race)

Jets of water burst from cracks in Enceladus’ South Pole all the time. Some of them fall back onto the moon’s surface, while others escape and form a ring around Saturn that traces Enceladus’ orbit. Smaller than grains of sand, some of the tiny pieces of ice fall back onto the moon’s surface, whilst others escape and form a ring around Saturn that traces Enceladus’s orbit. Scientists call this the E ring.

“Cassini was detecting samples from Enceladus all the time as it flew through Saturn’s E ring. We had already found many organic molecules in these ice grains, including precursors for amino acids,” says lead author Nozair Khawaja.

Narrow jets of gas and icy particles erupt from the south polar region of Enceladus, contributing to the moon’s giant plume. A cycle of activity in these small-scale jets may be periodically lofting extra particles into space, causing the overall plume to brighten dramatically. Image credits: NASA/JPL/Space Science Institute.© ZME Science

The ice grains in the ring can be hundreds of years old. They have been weathered and may have undergone chemical changes. Scientists wanted fresh grains. This is where the E5 mission came into play. It gathered particles straight from Enceladus, not from the ring. This speed made another key difference. At lower velocities, when the CDA instrument captured ice grains, the impact was relatively gentle. The water molecules in the ice would often clump together, creating “water-cluster species” that could mask the signals of the more interesting organic compounds hidden within.

“The ice grains contain not just frozen water, but also other molecules, including organics. At lower impact speeds, the ice shatters, and the signal from clusters of water molecules can hide the signal from certain organic molecules. But when the ice grains hit CDA fast, water molecules don’t cluster, and we have a chance to see these previously hidden signals.”

Tantalizing Chemistry

So, what are these new molecules, and why do they matter so much?

Image credits: NASA.

© ZME Science

The study confirmed the presence of compounds seen before, like aryl groups (ringed structures like benzene) and other simple oxygen-bearing molecules. But the new detections have opened up entirely new possibilities for the chemistry of Enceladus.

One group includes esters and alkenes. On Earth, esters are known for creating the pleasant smells of fruits like pineapples and pears. In biology, they form the chemical bonds in lipids, the molecules that make up cell membranes. Alkenes are highly reactive molecules that are key intermediates in the synthesis of more complex organic structures.

They also found strong evidence for ethers and ethyl groups. Ethers are molecules in which an oxygen atomacts as a bridge between two carbon chains. This structure makes them excellent building blocks for larger, more complex macromolecules. The detection of these compounds hints that Enceladus’s ocean can create the organics and link them together.

Perhaps most tantalizingly, the analysis revealed complex spectra that suggest the presence of molecules containing both nitrogen and oxygen. This includes possible derivatives of compounds like pyrimidine, a core component of the nucleobases in DNA and RNA. While the data isn’t sharp enough to identify specific molecules like thymine, the fragments strongly suggest a rich chemistry involving nitrogen, an absolutely essential element for life as we know it.

What Does This All Mean?

Depiction of a fissure through which water can eject from the surface. Image credits: NASA.

© ZME Science

All this reads a bit like “tell me you found life on Enceladus without telling me.” Sure, there are other plausible mechanisms through which these molecules could be there. There isn’t any smoking gun for evidence of life. But all of this fits perfectly well with a habitable subsurface ocean.

“There are many possible pathways from the organic molecules we found in the Cassini data to potentially biologically relevant compounds, which enhances the likelihood that the moon is habitable,” says Nozair. “There is much more in the data that we are currently exploring, so we are looking forward to finding out more in the near future.”

Based on what we know now, it appears that Enceladus has all the necessary ingredients for life. We know it has a liquid water ocean. We know that ocean is salty and in contact with a rocky core. And we have strong evidence for hydrothermal vents — cracks in the moon’s seafloor where hot, mineral-rich water churns up from the interior, creating chemical energy.

Here on Earth, such vents are vibrant ecosystems, powered not by sunlight but by chemical reactions. They are considered one of the most likely places for life to have originated. The detection of these new, relatively complex organic molecules on Enceladus suggests that similar life-powering chemistry could be happening right now, 800 million miles away.

The Legacy of Cassini

The Cassini mission officially ended in 2017 when the craft plunged into Saturn’s atmosphere, but its legacy is a gift that keeps on giving. The data it collected continues to be a treasure trove. But if we want to truly confirm whether Enceladus has life, we will need to go back with a new generation of tools designed for that specific purpose.

Cassini was a scout, and an excellent one at that. It proved that Enceladus is a habitable world, but its instruments weren’t built to find inhabitants. A future mission would need to be a dedicated astrobiology probe, one that could analyze freshly-plucked ice grains with even greater sensitivity, or maybe even dive into the planet.

The study was published in Nature.

This story originally appeared on ZME Science. Want to get smarter every day? Subscribe to our newsletter and stay ahead with the latest science news.

{ ZME Science }

02-10-2025 om 21:29 geschreven door peter  

Wat gebeurt er als de magnetische polen van de aarde omdraaien?

©Getty Images

Wat gebeurt er als de magnetische polen van de aarde omdraaien?
Het magnetische veld van de aarde onderscheidt haar van de omringende planeten van ons zonnestelsel. Het is een ongelooflijk sterke kracht in het centrum van onze wereld en zijn primaire rol is om onze atmosfeer te beschermen. Zonnewinden, kosmische straling en enorme wolken plasma worden tegengehouden door het schild van de magnetosfeer van de aarde. In een constant bewegend energieveld gedragen de polen van de aarde zich als de verschillende uiteinden van een magneet. Deze polen verschuiven en veranderen ongeveer elke 300.000 jaar van plaats. Het lijkt erop dat we over tijd zijn voor een poolomwenteling; maar wat betekent dat precies?

LEES verder om te ontdekken of mensen een omkering van de magnetische polen van de aarde kunnen overleven.

©Shutterstock

Polen uit elkaar
De Noordpool en de Zuidpool zijn de afgelopen duizend jaar steeds zwakker geworden. Maar wat betekent dat precies?

©Shutterstock

Afnemende kracht
Sommige wetenschappers denken dat het aardmagnetisch veld in sterkte afneemt net voordat het volledig omkeert - iets wat het in het verleden al verschillende keren heeft gedaan.

©Shutterstock

Afnemende kracht
Met andere woorden, als hun magnetisme blijft afnemen, kan dit een poolomwenteling veroorzaken, waarbij noord zuid wordt en zuid noord.

©Shutterstock

Magneetveld draait om
Magnetic field flips aren't all that common. On average, they've happened around every 200,000 to 300,000 years. But the last one was 780,100 years ago, so some believe we're overdue a change.

©Public Domain

A temporary flip
However, this doesn't include a temporary flip that occurred 41,000 years ago. The reversal only stuck for 250 years before switching back to the positions the poles remain in today.

©Public Domain

Midden-oceaanruggen
Midden-oceaanruggen leveren bewijs van geomagnetische omkeringen. Dit komt doordat tektonische platen van de aardkorst (lithosfeer) uit elkaar bewegen en worden opgevuld met magma.

©Shutterstock

Midden-oceaanruggen
Als magma ontsnapt, afkoelt en stolt op de zeebodem, wordt de richting van het magnetische veld op dat moment vastgelegd.

©Shutterstock

Magnetische velden
Magnetische velden worden opgewekt door bewegende elektrische ladingen. In een staafmagneet zijn de bewegende ladingen elektronen die rondjes draaien in atomen. In de aarde zijn het elektronen die worden verplaatst door circulerende stromen gesmolten ijzer.

©Shutterstock

Gesmolten ijzeren buitenkern
De reden dat poolomwentelingen plaatsvinden is nog steeds een mysterie. Wetenschappers denken echter dat het iets te maken heeft met de gesmolten ijzeren buitenkern van de aarde.

©Shutterstock

Gesmolten ijzeren buitenkern
De rotatie van de gesmolten ijzeren buitenkern van de aarde genereert het magnetische veld. De kern koelt langzaam af en er ontstaat beweging door convectie. Stel het je voor als water dat kookt in een steelpan.

©Public Domain

Het magnetische veld
Maar er is een groot verschil tussen dit proces en een kokende steelpan: er zijn bewegende ladingen aanwezig die het magnetische veld genereren.

©Shutterstock

Dynamoproces
Dit wordt een zelfopwindend dynamoproces genoemd, waarbij de elektrische stromen die in het langzaam bewegende gesmolten ijzer vloeien een magnetisch veld creëren.

©Shutterstock

Positieve feedbacklus
Het magnetische veld induceert vervolgens elektrische stromen. Deze stromen genereren op hun beurt hun eigen magnetische veld dat meer elektrische stromen induceert, in een positieve terugkoppelingslus.

©Shutterstock

Chaos en mysterie
Er ontstaat veel chaos en turbulentie als de gesmolten ijzerkern ronddraait. Deze turbulentie is de meest geaccepteerde verklaring voor poolomkering, maar niemand kan het op dit moment met zekerheid zeggen. Het is nog steeds een mysterie.

©Shutterstock

Lijnen van aantrekking
Magnetische polen bevinden zich waar de magnetische aantrekkingslijnen de aarde binnenkomen. Voor een polariteitsomkering moet het magnetische veld met ongeveer 90% verzwakken tot een drempelniveau. Dit proces kan duizenden jaren duren.

©Public Domain

Het World Magnetic Model (WMM)
Het World Magnetic Model (WMM), dat gezamenlijk is ontwikkeld door het Amerikaanse National Geophysical Data Center en de British Geological Survey, is een grootschalige ruimtelijke weergave van het magnetische veld van de aarde.

©Shutterstock

Locatie
De noordelijke magnetische pool, ook wel de geomagnetische noordpool genoemd, bevindt zich momenteel bij 80,8 graden noord bij 72,7 graden west, in het Canadese Ellesmere Island.

©Shutterstock

De bewegende noordelijke magnetische pool
In 2022 werd gemeld dat de noordelijke magnetische pool zich zo grillig uit het Canadese noordpoolgebied in de richting van Siberië bewoog dat wetenschappers er verbaasd over waren.

©Shutterstock

De bewegende noordelijke magnetische pool
De snelheid waarmee de noordelijke magnetische pool beweegt is sinds het midden van de jaren 90 toegenomen van 15 kilometer per jaar tot 55 kilometer per jaar. De afgelopen jaren is hij zelfs over de internationale datumlijn richting het oostelijk halfrond geslingerd.

©Shutterstock

Voorbode?
Is deze beweging de voorbode van een poolomkering, naast het verval van het aardmagnetisch veld? Alleen de tijd zal het leren.

©Shutterstock

Stokken omgooien
Het omdraaien van de magnetische polen betekent niet dat de aarde geen magnetisch veld meer zou hebben. Stel je echter voor dat je kompas naar het noorden blijft wijzen, terwijl je eigenlijk naar het zuiden kijkt.

©Public Domain

Stokken omgooien
Het goede nieuws is dat het leven heeft overleefd en gedijt ondanks poolomwentelingen in het verleden. Het betekent geen wereldwijde catastrofe.

©Shutterstock

De effecten van een flip
Tijdens zonnestormen is er een groter dan normale instroom van energetische deeltjes, die voor ons meestal onschadelijk zijn. Maar voor onze moderne technologie is het een ander verhaal.

©Shutterstock

Het effect op technologie
Geladen deeltjes uit de zonnewind (waar ons magnetisch veld ons normaal gesproken tegen beschermt) zouden verwoestende effecten kunnen hebben op de aarde als de polen zouden omslaan.

©Shutterstock

De gebeurtenis in Carrington
In 1859 maakte een krachtige geomagnetische storm poollicht zichtbaar in het Caribisch gebied en de telegraafsystemen vielen uit. In die tijd waren operators echter in staat om het systeem zonder stroom te laten werken

©Shutterstock

Meer impact
Als zo'n gebeurtenis vandaag de dag zou gebeuren, zou het, gezien onze afhankelijkheid van technologie, veel vernietigender kunnen zijn. Maar het is een worst-case scenario.

©Shutterstock

Meerdere palen
Er kunnen zich ook meerdere polen vormen wanneer er een omkering plaatsvindt, waardoor navigatiesystemen in de war raken. Maar dit proces kan honderden of zelfs duizenden jaren duren.

©Shutterstock

Geomagnetische activiteit
Het is ook belangrijk om op te merken dat eerdere poolomkeringen niet per se betekenen dat de omkering leidde tot meer vulkanen, aardbevingen of klimaatveranderingen.

©Shutterstock

Niets te vrezen
Wees gerust: hoewel het misschien eng klinkt, is een poolflip niet iets waar je je al te veel zorgen over hoeft te maken.

Bronnen:

• (NASA)
• (IFL Science)
• (NBC News)
• (Space.com)
• (Astronomy)

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{ Stars Insider }

01-10-2025 om 21:11 geschreven door peter  

Venus' Clouds Are 60% Water, According To Reanalyzed Pioneer Data

By Andy Tomaswick 

{ https://www.universetoday.com/ }

01-10-2025 om 18:41 geschreven door peter  

Alien structures on Earths moon in Apollo 15 images, Sept 30, 2025, Photos, UFO UAP sighting news.

Date of discovery: Sept 30, 2025

Location of discovery: Earths moon, AS15-P-0010

Source photo: 

• https://data.lroc.im-ldi.com/apollo/view?camera=P&image_name=AS15-P-0010

Now I have found a lot of strange things over the years, so none of these will come as any big surprise. However I found a face that is 100% proof of this alien race existing...and they look just like us. Nasa puts these photos into black and white on purpose because the human eye is not use to being limited to only two colors. However if you look at it a few moments, take your time...and you will see what I see. 

Scott C. Waring 

 

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

01-10-2025 om 18:34 geschreven door peter  

The celestial show of interstellar comet 3I/ATLAS is preparing to take a break. The space traveler, who came to us from the depths of the Milky Way, will soon temporarily disappear from the view of observers on Earth. The reason lies in orbital motion: our planet and the comet will soon be on opposite sides of the Sun. The bright light of the star will completely obscure the faint glow of the comet, making it impossible to observe.

The comet is now only a few degrees from the Sun in the sky, setting about an hour after dusk. This creates a narrow window of opportunity for its detection. However, only those with powerful telescopes will be able to see it.

3I/ATLAS now looks like a faint spot located approximately at the distance of Mars’ orbit. Soon, the angular distance between it and the Sun will begin to decrease rapidly, and by the end of October, they will converge at their minimum distance.

Non-standard trajectory

Despite this proximity, Comet 3I/ATLAS will not approach the Sun in the same way as ordinary comets do. The point of its perihelion, its closest approach to the star, will be reached on October 29. At that moment, it will be a full 202 million km away from the Sun. This distance means that Earth will miss the most interesting phase of the comet’s activation, when solar heat would intensively evaporate ice from its core, forming a bright tail.

Unique space visitor

This comet differs sharply from the two previous interstellar visitors – 1I/Oumuamua and 2I/Borisov. It moves almost twice as fast and is much larger. Its origin is also different: most likely, the interstellar visitor arrived from the “thick disk” of our galaxy, rather than from the region where the Solar System is located.

The 3I/ATLAS study is key to understanding the nature of interstellar objects and the structure of other planetary systems. Even its recent change to green has sparked keen interest among scientists.

Back to the skies

Fortunately, this is not the last appearance of the mysterious guest. Scientists predict that the comet will once again be visible from late November, just before its closest approach to Earth. The minimum distance to our planet will be 268 million km. Although it is not a close encounter, astronomers are already preparing their instruments to obtain valuable new data about this unique interstellar traveler.

• We previously reported that 3I/ATLAS could crash into Mars.
• According to iflscience.com

• Posted in News, Science

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

01-10-2025 om 18:22 geschreven door peter  

Mysterious interstellar object may be the source of unexplained signal beamed at Earth 48 years ago

• MORE: Stephen Hawking's chilling alien doomsday prediction spreads as scientist issues alarming warning

By CHRIS MELORE, US ASSISTANT SCIENCE EDITOR

A mysterious space signal that has never been explained may have come from an equally mysterious object racing through our solar system.

Harvard astrophysicist Avi Loeb, who has continued to theorize that the object known as 3I/ATLAS could be an alien craft, has said the famous 'WOW! signal' may have come from this fast-moving visitor.

3I/ATLAS was first detected by astronomers this summer and is now only days away from making a close pass by Mars.

Loeb has noted several irregularities in the supposed comet that suggest it could be something that's artificially constructed with a mysterious mission that takes it past three planets in the solar system.

Now, Loeb has drawn a connection between 3I/ATLAS and this unexplained space signal received in 1977.

The WOW! signal was captured by the Ohio State University's Big Ear radio telescope for 72 seconds, in a burst so unusual that it prompted astronomer Jerry Ehman to write 'WOW!' on the telescope's readout.

Loeb's new analysis has found that on August 12, 1977, just a few days before the WOW! signal was detected, 3I/ATLAS was in a part of the sky very close to where the signal came from.

The chances of two random points in the sky being this close are only about 0.6 percent, which makes this potential connection even more compelling.

3I/ATLAS (pictured) is the third interstellar object discovered by astronomers as it passes through our solar system

The 'WOW! signal' was received on Earth back in 1977 and scientists have not been able to explain what produced it

If the signal did come from 3I/ATLAS, Loeb explained that it would have needed a transmitter as powerful as a nuclear power plant on Earth to send it from that distance.

Although astronomers have not found any proof of artificial technology on the surface of the object nearing Earth, Loeb has previously theorized that 3I/ATLAS could be a nuclear-powered vessel.

His claims were based on 3I/ATLAS appearing to generate its own light in a photo by the Hubble Telescope in August.

'3I/ATLAS could be a spacecraft powered by nuclear energy, and the dust emitted from its frontal surface might be from dirt that accumulated on its surface during its interstellar travel,' Loeb wrote in a statement.

Since then, scientists have widely dismissed the alien spacecraft theory, concluding that the interstellar object is a strange comet that's composed of a completely different chemical makeup than most comets created in our solar system.

So far, no one has checked if 3I/ATLAS has been sending out radio signals, but Loeb hopes this coincidence will encourage scientists to take a closer look.

This year, Earth spacecraft near Mars and Jupiter will get a chance to observe 3I/ATLAS as it passes by, which could give us more clues.

NASA has just unveiled a new tracking system for 3I/ATLAS, which allows anyone to zoom in and look at the object up close. According to NASA's simulation, it's a giant space rock with a white tail that will make it's closest pass by Mars on October 3.

3I/ATLAS will make a close pass by Mars on October 3 and NASA has just unveiled a new tracking tool for the public

As for the WOW! signal, it exhibited several intriguing characteristics, including a narrow bandwidth, high signal strength, and a frequency close to the natural radio emissions produced by neutral hydrogen - an element abundant in the universe.

These properties have led many to speculate the signal could have come from an alien origin, possibly sent by an extraterrestrial intelligence.

Looking at its possible connection to 3I/ATLAS, the signal showed a slight shift in frequency, which could match the speed of the comet moving toward the sun, though it's not a perfect match.

'In case we detect an artificial signal from an interstellar object, how should we engage with it?' Loeb asked in his latest paper on the interstellar object.

However, the Harvard professor said the answer is more complicated than some might think, warning that an alien intelligence could pose a threat to the human race.

'We must consider the possibility of a black swan event from interstellar objects resembling a comet at large distances, but potentially carrying devastating consequences to our future like a Trojan Horse,' Loeb warned.

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

01-10-2025 om 16:50 geschreven door peter  

NASA whistleblowers claim astronauts could die in horrific space tragedy: 'No one is coming to save us'

• MORE: Meet NASA's newest recruits! Space agency introduces 10 new astronauts 

By CHRIS MELORE, US ASSISTANT SCIENCE EDITOR

NASA whistleblowers have come out with a dire warning, predicting that an astronaut will likely die in a tragic accident due to shocking changes at the space agency.

In a 21-page report released by the US Senate Committee on Commerce, Science, and Transportation, NASA employees claimed leadership has been keeping plans secret, with no written records, and shutting down open communication.

Whistleblowers believed future astronauts were at risk because of significant budget cuts proposed by the Trump Administration and an alleged culture of fear that's stopping workers from reporting safety problems.

One person who spoke to the committee warned that this could lead to an astronaut death soon due to ignored safety issues on upcoming space flights.

The committee specifically point the blame at the Trump White House and the Office of Management and Budget (OMB), led by Director Russell Vought, for these safety risks, accusing them of illegally forcing unapproved budget cuts on NASA this year.

The budget cuts included a proposed rollback from $24.8 billion to $18.8 billion for NASA's 2026 budget, a 24 percent overall slashing.

That May proposal focused on a 33 percent cut to science projects, a 47 percent reduction in NASA projects, and laying off 32 percent of the agency's workforce.

'No one is coming to save us,' a whistleblower said in the report.

NASA recently revealed 10 new astronauts who will make up its first new recruits since 2021, including some who may be the first people to set foot on Mars 

Under the Trump Administration's budget cuts, nearly every area of NASA would see reductions, including a nearly 50 percent cut to major science programs (Stock Image)

The NASA staffers told the committee leadership, including Chief of Staff Brian Hughes, ordered them to only follow the unapproved 2026 budget (PBR) and that 'if it's not in the PBR, it does not count.'

This prompted them to come forward because they saw the policy changes as breaking NASA's rules and endangering its mission.

The whistleblowers added they spoke out to protect NASA's future, expressing heartbreak over losing young talent and fearing that without action, the agency's safety and innovation could collapse.

'I see safety issues around us all the time,' one witness claimed in the report.

Another NASA employee said they were, 'very concerned that we're going to see an astronaut death within a few years.'

The committee added that the US Constitution is clear in this situation, declaring that the executive branch is not allowed to unilaterally impose a president's proposed budget without the approval of Congress.

'NASA's legal office should know better,' a whistleblower said.

Those that have come forward added that NASA employees are generally 'keeping their heads down' out of fear of retaliation for raising safety concerns.

Former NASA chief Bill Nelson told the Daily Mail that by cutting efforts to return to the moon and to pursue Mars missions undermines NASA's future (Stock Image)

During a recent NASA press conference, which announced the discovery of microbial life on Mars, new NASA Administrator Sean Duffy was pressed on the impact of the $6 billion budget cut to the agency.

Speaking specifically about how the proposed budget would cancel a sample retrieval mission to Mars, Duffy said NASA was looking at their budgets and finding faster and more cost-effective ways of completing space missions.

Despite the cuts, Duffy declared that the US would launch the Artemis II mission, which will orbit the moon, in less than two years.

He added that the Artemis III astronaut mission would then 'land and establish a long-term presence of life on the moon led by America.'

READ MORE

• NASA astronaut reveals exactly how much they get PAID in blunt three–word statement

This month, former NASA chief Bill Nelson voiced his opposition to the cuts, fearing that future missions to Mars involving robots like the Perseverance rover were now in jeopardy.

'A lot of things I deeply care about and worked hard on are getting cut,' lamented Nelson, the former Democratic senator who flew aboard the space shuttle and served as NASA's 14th administrator.

However, the White House has dismissed the criticism and maintained that NASA has been 'grossly over budget,' arguing the same goals could be met through future manned Mars missions instead.

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

01-10-2025 om 16:35 geschreven door peter  

Als er een ruimtewedloop is, lijkt China deze al te winnen: NASA’s Mars-monsters en de race om Mars-monsters terug naar de Aarde

Een illustratie van NASA's Perseverance-rover naast een voorraad verzegelde Marsmonstervoorzieningen. De rover heeft 30 geologische monsters op Mars verzameld, maar NASA's geplande missie om ze op te halen is vertraagd.

(Beeldkrediet: NASA/JPL-Caltech)

Inleiding

Er wordt momenteel veel gesproken over een mogelijke ruimtewedloop tegen Mars. Een opvallende opmerking luidt: als er al een race is, dan lijkt China deze al te winnen, en NASA zal waarschijnlijk geen Mars-monsters (monsters) eerder terughalen naar de Aarde dan China. Experts wijzen erop dat traditionele tijdlijnen en technologische mijlpalen steeds vaker onder druk komen te staan door geopolitieke belangen, technologische doorbraken en de enorme complexiteit van een Mars Sample Return-missie. Dit artikel verkent de context, de stand van zaken en wat dit betekent voor de toekomst van de verkenning van de Rode Planeet.

1. Achtergrond 

Waarom Mars-samples terug naar de Aarde zo aantrekkelijk zijn Het verzamelen en terugbrengen van Mars-monsters naar de Aarde is een unieke kans om een schat aan wetenschappelijke informatie direct te analyseren met de precisie en instrumentatie die op Aarde ontbreekt op een ruimtevaartuig. Terwijl robots op Mars rovers en landers laten zien wat mogelijk is, biedt een wetenschappelijk laboratorium op Aarde de mogelijkheid tot diepgravende analyses op moleculair, isotopisch en biogeochemisch niveau. De belofte is simpel maar enorm: om graffiti-achtige tekens van vroeg leven, geologische processen en de geschiedenis van de planeet beter te begrijpen dan ooit tevoren.

Toch is een Mars Sample Return (MSR) missie een van de meest ambitieuze en risicovolle ondernemingen in de ruimtevaart. Het vereist coördinatie over meerdere ruimtemissies, strikte contaminatiecontrole, veiligheid op aarde en een dure investeringslijn die decennia kan overspannen. Die combinatie van technologische complexiteit en operationele verwikkelingen legt een hoge lat voor tijdlijnen en budgetten. Daarom zien experts MSR als een langetermijninspann­ing, waarbij elke stap een leerproces is.

Een "selfie" van China's Zhurong-rover en het Tianwen-1 landingsplatform op Mars in 2021.

Bron: China National Space Administration

2. NASA, MSR en de haalbaarheid op kortere termijn

Sinds het begin van de jaren 2000 heeft NASA MSR-ambities gekoesterd, maar de uitvoering is niet lineair verlopen. De huidige visie draait om een combinatie van een Mars-orbitalsessie, een lander en een sample-return missie die terugkeer naar de Aarde mogelijk maakt. De planning is ver verwijderd van een eenvoudige “lima” met een enkele vlucht. Er zijn cruciale technologische knelpunten, zoals het veilig ophalen van Marsboden met mondiaal contaminants en het betrouwbaar afleveren van monsters in een speciaal container op aarde, waar streng toezicht en controle op aanwezigheids- en opslagsystemen nodig zijn.

Daarnaast spelen budgettaire realiteiten en prioriteitsafwegingen in NASA’s bredere programma een grote rol. MSR vereist partnership en cofinanciering met andere ruimtevaartorganisaties en industriepartners. In het recente verleden zijn er stappen gezet zoals pre-voorbereidende studies, concept-ontwikkeling en demonstratie-activiteiten die de haalbaarheid vergroten, maar een concrete startdatum blijft onzeker. Daardoor ontstaat bij critici het beeld dat NASA mogelijk de tijd vooruit maakt op sommige vlakken, maar de totale terugkeer van Mars-monsters naar de Aarde een lange, complexe en gedeeltelijk onvoorspelbare onderneming blijft.

China heeft actief hun plannen voor aankomende ruimtemissies gedeeld, waaronder de asteroïdemissie, de Mars-monsterrterugbrengmissie en de missie naar Jupiter. Samen met hun ambitieuze robotische missies kondigde de CNSA in 2021 aan dat ze van plan zijn hun eerste bemande missie naar Mars te sturen in 2033, met als doel regelmatige missies naar Mars te sturen en uiteindelijk daar een basis te bouwen. China heeft ook hun Tiangong-ruimtestation, dat momenteel drie astronauten huisvest voor verblijven van zes maanden.

3. China’s ruimteprogramma

Op weg naar Mars-monsters terug naar huis China heeft de afgelopen jaren aangekondigd en vervolgens laten zien dat het mee wil doen aan het meest ambitieuze deel van de planetoid-wereld: een Mars-sample return. Het land heeft al een succesvol ruimtemissiesucces gevierd met de Tianwen-1 missie: een orbiter, een lander en een rover die gezamenlijk de Rode Planeet heeft onderzocht. De volgende stap, zo suggereren officiële aankondigingen en openbare plannen, is het ophalen van Mars-monsters en het terugbrengen naar de Aarde.

China’s aanpak wordt vaak geprezen om zijn gelikte randvoorwaarden: duidelijke doelstellingen, agressieve tijdlijnen en een cultuur van strakke uitvoering. De betrokkenheid van een robuuste ruimtevaartindustrie, een intensief test- en validatieprogramma en een streven naar geopolitieke invloed op het gebied van ruimteonderzoek, dragen eraan bij dat China’s plannen serieus worden genomen. Experts wijzen erop dat China niet alleen investeert in individuele missies, maar ook in de infrastructuur die nodig is om zulke missies te ondersteunen: grondstations in verschillende delen van de wereld, geavanceerde grondcontrole, en een rijp beleid voor ruimtevaartveiligheid en -beveiliging.

NASA-programmawetenschapper Lindsay Hays legt uit wat mogelijke tekenen van oud leven op andere werelden definieert en waarom deze nader onderzoek vereisen. De Perseverance-rover van NASA op Mars zoekt naar deze tekenen, verzamelt monsters voor toekomstige terugkeer naar de aarde en helpt de weg te effenen voor menselijke verkenning.

Bron: NASA/JPL-Caltech What is a Potential Biosignature?

4. Waarom de tijdlijnen zo anders uitpakken dan men zou verwachten

• Technische complexiteit: Het terughalen van Mars-monsters vereist meerdere stappen: verregaande landers, sample caches op de maan of in een tweede voertuig, en een terugkeer-progamma dat monsters veilig naar de Aarde brengt en vervolgens in een controleert gecontroleerde bioveiligheidsomgeving onderzoekt. Elk van deze stappen heeft unieke ontwerpuitdagingen en testvereisten.
• Contaminatiedeals en ruimtebodemhygiëne: Een van de grootste zorgen is het voorkomen van biologische of chemische verontreiniging, zowel van Mars naar Aarde als omgekeerd, wanneer monsters worden aangeraakt en geanalyseerd. De regelgeving en procedures voor biosafety zijn streng en vereisen uitgebreide validatie.
• Politieke en financiële factoren: MSR-projecten financieren zich niet vanzelf.  Veranderingen in politieke prioriteiten, economische omstandigheden en internationale samenwerking kunnen tijdlijnen flink beïnvloeden. De huidige geopolitieke context, gekenmerkt door belangrijke concurrentie in de ruimte, heeft de kosten en de politieke bereidheid om samen te werken kunnen beïnvloeden
• Innovatie- en supply-keten uitdagingen: De benodigde systemen en onderdelen (zoals speciale weerbestendige containers en strikte contaminatiewaardesystemen) moeten wereldwijd worden ontwikkeld en geproduceerd, hetgeen logistieke vertragingen oplevert. Elk missertje in de supply chain kan de hele klok vertroebelen.

Na meerdere jaren en meerdere beoordelingen van het gezamenlijke NASA/Europese Ruimtevaartorganisatie MSR-project was er een schrikbarend prijskaartje. Vroege conceptuele kunstwerken tonen een door de VS geleid initiatief.

(Afbeelding tegoed: NASA/JPL/Caltech)

5. Geopolitieke realiteiten

De ruimte als theater van invloed De opkomst van een ruimtewedloop vol geopolitieke concurrentie heeft de dynamiek van missies veranderd. Voor sommige analisten is China al dichter bij de finishlijn dan NASA, omdat China sneller in staat blijkt te schakelen tussen planning, technologische ontwikkeling en uitvoering. Anderen merken op dat NASA, ondanks de doorbraaktempo en het succes van NASA’s Mars- en Artemis-programma’s, met zijn eigen stevige partnernetwerk en multinationale samenwerking, in staat zal zijn om MSR-ambities te realiseren, zij het mogelijk op een iets langere tijdschaal.

Toch blijft de onderstroom duidelijk: wie als eerste Mars-monsters op aarde kan ontvangen, zal niet alleen een wetenschappelijke prestatie leveren, maar ook een symbolische overwinning die de perceptie van leiderschap in de ruimtevaart bepaalt. In informele bewoordingen wordt er gezegd dat “als er een ruimtewedloop is, China deze al gewonnen heeft”—niet dat NASA geen significante wetenschappelijke vooruitgang boekt, maar dat de tijdlijn en de haalbaarheid van MSR er anders uitzien dan men in de vroege jaren 2000 had verwacht.

Waar te verzamelen, wat te verzamelen, hoe te verzamelen en hoe te analyseren wat wordt gevonden, wordt actief bestudeerd door functionarissen van het Chinese ruimtevaartprogramma.

(Beeldcredit: De Universiteit van Hong Kong)

China's routekaart voor een Marsmonstermissie die in 2028 gelanceerd zal worden.

(Beeldcredit: The University of Hong Kong/Zengqian Hou, et al.)

6. Wat betekent dit voor de wetenschap en de publieke perceptie?

• Wetenschappelijke implicaties

Een succesvolle terugkeer van Mars-monsters zal de wetenschappelijke gemeenschap in staat stellen om analyses uit te voeren met hulp van state-of-the-art laboratoria op aarde. Dit kan leiden tot nieuwe inzichten in de geologie, de ontwikkeling van Mars en mogelijk signalen van vroeg leven of prebiotische chemische processen. De vooruitgang in analyse-technieken en de interoperabiliteit van internationale partners kunnen de kwaliteit en snelheid van wetenschappelijk begrip aanzienlijk verhogen.

• Publieke perceptie en inspanning

Een duidelijke publieke boodschap over wie wanneer Mars-monsters terugbrengt, kan de publieke interesse in ruimtevaart versterken of juist tot discussies leiden over prioriteiten en uitgaven. Belangrijke ruimte-evenementen en persmomenten kunnen dienen als katalysator voor bredere belangstelling en educatieve projecten.

• Beleidskaders en internationale samenwerking

De gespannen maar noodzakelijke dialoog tussen ruimtevaart agentschappen wereldwijd, met inbegrip van regels rondom veilige terugkeer, data sharing en aansprakelijkheid, zal cruciaal blijven. Internationale samenwerking kan missies haalbaarder maken, maar vereist ook duidelijke afspraken over eigendomsrechten van monsters, data en de verdeling van wetenschappelijke voordelen.

7.Conclusie:

Wat de toekomst ons leert Of China nu daadwerkelijk als eerste Mars-monsters naar de Aarde zal brengen, of NASA uiteindelijk de eerste officiële terugkeer zal realiseren, is voor het moment minder belangrijk dan wat deze race leert over de toekomst van ruimteverkenning. Het gaat niet alleen om de eindbestemming, maar om de weg ernaartoe: de technologische innovatie, de samenwerking tussen landen en sectoren, en de maatschappelijke dialogen over de waarde van onderzoek en ontdekking.

De uitspraak dat China mogelijk vooroploopt in de ruimtewedloop straalt een pragmatisme uit: de realiteit is dat zowel de technologische doorbraken als de geopolitieke omstandigheden voortdurend veranderen. In die zin is er geen eenvoudige winnaar in een dergelijke complexe onderneming. Wat wel vaststaat, is dat Mars-exploratie niet langer een eenvoudig “sciencefiction”-verhaal is. Het is nu een internationaal en multidisciplinair project waar elke morgen een stap dichter bij de Aarde mogelijk wordt gemaakt—en waarin de wereld toekijkt hoe twee grootmachten, en mogelijk anderen, de grenzen van wat mogelijk is opnieuw verleggen.

Eind noot

Het debat over wie Mars-monsters als eerste terugbrengt naar de Aarde, blijft een boeiend onderwerp voor ruimtefanaten, wetenschappers en beleidsmakers. Terwijl mengformuleringen over de ruimtewedloop bestaan, blijft één ding duidelijk: de technologische ontwikkeling, de internationale samenwerking en de publieke belangstelling voor Mars zullen in de komende decennia centraal staan. Of China nu wint in de perceptie, de realiteit blijft dat Mars-verkenning een collectieve menselijke onderneming is—een onderneming waarin elke stap, elke innovatie en elke samenwerking bijdraagt aan ons begrip van de Rode Planeet en ons eigen plek in het universum.

{ PETER2011 }

30-09-2025 om 22:06 geschreven door peter