The purpose of this blog is the creation of an open, international, independent and free forum, where every UFO-researcher can publish the results of his/her research. The languagues, used for this blog, are Dutch, English and French.You can find the articles of a collegue by selecting his category. Each author stays resposable for the continue of his articles. As blogmaster I have the right to refuse an addition or an article, when it attacks other collegues or UFO-groupes.
Druk op onderstaande knop om te reageren in mijn forum
Zoeken in blog
Deze blog is opgedragen aan mijn overleden echtgenote Lucienne.
In 2012 verloor ze haar moedige strijd tegen kanker!
In 2011 startte ik deze blog, omdat ik niet mocht stoppen met mijn UFO-onderzoek.
BEDANKT!!!
Een interessant adres?
UFO'S of UAP'S, ASTRONOMIE, RUIMTEVAART, ARCHEOLOGIE, OUDHEIDKUNDE, SF-SNUFJES EN ANDERE ESOTERISCHE WETENSCHAPPEN - DE ALLERLAATSTE NIEUWTJES
UFO's of UAP'S in België en de rest van de wereld Ontdek de Fascinerende Wereld van UFO's en UAP's: Jouw Bron voor Onthullende Informatie!
Ben jij ook gefascineerd door het onbekende? Wil je meer weten over UFO's en UAP's, niet alleen in België, maar over de hele wereld? Dan ben je op de juiste plek!
België: Het Kloppend Hart van UFO-onderzoek
In België is BUFON (Belgisch UFO-Netwerk) dé autoriteit op het gebied van UFO-onderzoek. Voor betrouwbare en objectieve informatie over deze intrigerende fenomenen, bezoek je zeker onze Facebook-pagina en deze blog. Maar dat is nog niet alles! Ontdek ook het Belgisch UFO-meldpunt en Caelestia, twee organisaties die diepgaand onderzoek verrichten, al zijn ze soms kritisch of sceptisch.
Nederland: Een Schat aan Informatie
Voor onze Nederlandse buren is er de schitterende website www.ufowijzer.nl, beheerd door Paul Harmans. Deze site biedt een schat aan informatie en artikelen die je niet wilt missen!
Internationaal: MUFON - De Wereldwijde Autoriteit
Neem ook een kijkje bij MUFON (Mutual UFO Network Inc.), een gerenommeerde Amerikaanse UFO-vereniging met afdelingen in de VS en wereldwijd. MUFON is toegewijd aan de wetenschappelijke en analytische studie van het UFO-fenomeen, en hun maandelijkse tijdschrift, The MUFON UFO-Journal, is een must-read voor elke UFO-enthousiasteling. Bezoek hun website op www.mufon.com voor meer informatie.
Samenwerking en Toekomstvisie
Sinds 1 februari 2020 is Pieter niet alleen ex-president van BUFON, maar ook de voormalige nationale directeur van MUFON in Vlaanderen en Nederland. Dit creëert een sterke samenwerking met de Franse MUFON Reseau MUFON/EUROP, wat ons in staat stelt om nog meer waardevolle inzichten te delen.
Let op: Nepprofielen en Nieuwe Groeperingen
Pas op voor een nieuwe groepering die zich ook BUFON noemt, maar geen enkele connectie heeft met onze gevestigde organisatie. Hoewel zij de naam geregistreerd hebben, kunnen ze het rijke verleden en de expertise van onze groep niet evenaren. We wensen hen veel succes, maar we blijven de autoriteit in UFO-onderzoek!
Blijf Op De Hoogte!
Wil jij de laatste nieuwtjes over UFO's, ruimtevaart, archeologie, en meer? Volg ons dan en duik samen met ons in de fascinerende wereld van het onbekende! Sluit je aan bij de gemeenschap van nieuwsgierige geesten die net als jij verlangen naar antwoorden en avonturen in de sterren!
Heb je vragen of wil je meer weten? Aarzel dan niet om contact met ons op te nemen! Samen ontrafelen we het mysterie van de lucht en daarbuiten.
03-08-2025
2,500 galaxies: James Webb repeats Hubble’s iconic image
2,500 galaxies: James Webb repeats Hubble’s iconic image
Astronomers have published a new image taken by the James Webb Space Telescope (JWST). It shows one of the most iconic regions of the sky, made famous by the Hubble Telescope.
Famous Hubble Telescope image
In 1995, scientists conducted an experiment: they pointed the Hubble telescope at a small and, as previously thought, virtually deserted area of the sky. The results of ten days of imaging amazed the researchers. It turned out that there were actually thousands of distant galaxies there. The experiment clearly demonstrated that the Universe contains orders of magnitude more galaxies than previously thought.
The Hubble Ultra Deep Field region of the sky. The photo shows 10,000 distant galaxies. Source: NASA, ESA, and S. Beckwith (STScI) and the HUDF Team
In 2003, astronomers repeated the experiment, pointing Hubble at another part of the sky in the constellation Fornax. By that time, the maintenance expedition had installed new instruments on the telescope, significantly increasing its capabilities.
Once again, the telescope did not disappoint astronomers. The famous image, dubbed the Hubble Ultra Deep Field, captured approximately 10,000 galaxies. The closest ones are about a billion light-years from Earth, and the farthest ones are at the edge of the observable Universe. They existed just 800 million years after the Big Bang.
A new look at the Hubble Ultra Deep Field
Twenty years later, astronomers decided to remake the Hubble Ultra Deep Field using JWST. It conducted observations using the Mid-Infrared Instrument (MIRI) and the Near-Infrared Camera (NIRCam). In total, the filming took 100 hours.
The MIRI Deep Imaging Survey region. Thousands of distant galaxies can be seen in the image. The image was taken in the infrared range by James Webb. Source: ESA/Webb, NASA & CSA, G. Östlin, P. G. Perez-Gonzalez, J. Melinder, the JADES Collaboration, the MIDIS collaboration, M. Zamani (ESA/Webb)
The published image shows the area known as the MIRI Deep Imaging Survey. It represents one of the deepest views of the Universe ever obtained. In total, JWST has detected over 2,500 sources in this tiny patch of sky. Among them are hundreds of extremely red galaxies, some of which are likely massive systems filled with dust clouds, or galaxies with old stars that formed at the dawn of the Universe. Thanks to JWST’s high resolution, even in the mid-infrared range, researchers can distinguish the structures of many of these galaxies, shedding light on their growth and evolution.
The colors in the image correspond to different wavelengths of infrared light. Orange and red correspond to the longest wavelengths. Galaxies of these colors have characteristics such as high dust concentration, abundant star formation, or active galactic nuclei.
Small greenish-white galaxies are particularly distant and have a high redshift. This shifts their light spectrum to the peak wavelengths of the data, which are shown in white and green. Most of the galaxies in the photo do not have characteristics that amplify the mid-infrared range, so they are brightest in the shorter near-infrared wavelengths, which are shown in blue and cyan.
UFOs in Canada: Canada’s top scientists are recommending the creation of a new federal body to standardize, collect and investigate unidentified aerial phenomena.
The Office of the Chief Science Advisor of Canada, headed by Mona Nemer, has released a new report about UAP (UFOs) in Canada.
The report aims to standardize reporting and investigative procedures among various government agencies, including the Canadian Space Agency.
While most UAP sightings are explainable, the report – as others before it – notes that some cases are difficult to explain.
UFOs in Canada: New government report
We’ve been hearing a lot lately about UAP (Unidentified Anomalous Phenomena, aka UFOs). That’s largely because of a renewed discussion in the U.S. Congress. But Canada has been involved as well. The Office of the Chief Science Advisor of Canada (headed by Mona Nemer) has released a long-awaited new report on UAP. The office said on July 14, 2025, that the report recommends the creation of a new federal body to standardize, collect and investigate UAP reports.
Previously, the office had launched its own research initiative in 2022, known as the Sky Canada Project.
The government had released apreliminary versionof the report last January. Nemer, a cardiovascular scientist, has been Canada’s chief science advisor since 2017. The focus of this particular report was not to investigate UAP sightings specifically. Rather, it is to improve the reporting mechanisms among various government departments and agencies.
The report does not specifically address the question of what unexplained UAP might be. As the report states:
The project was not meant to prove or disprove the existence of extraterrestrial life or extraterrestrial visitors. The collection or analysis of 1st-hand data such as photos, videos or individual UAP sighting reports was not part of the project.
The report, “Management of Public Reporting of Unidentified Aerial Phenomena in Canada,” is available on the Government of Canada website.
Establishing a dedicated reporting service for UFOs in Canada
The purpose of the report was not to investigate specific UAP sightings or make any conclusions about UAP. Instead, it recommends improvements in how such reports are handled by government departments and agencies. To this end, the Office of the Chief Science Advisor of Canada recommends the creation of a new federal body to standardize the process. The report states:
The mystery of unidentified phenomena in the sky has long fascinated humanity, capturing the public imagination and arousing both skepticism and curiosity. Together, the analysis presented in this report suggests that Canada would benefit from an improved process for reporting, collecting, and studying UAP sightings.
Our goal was to find the current resources and processes in place for handling and following up on UAP reports, to compare them with the best practices in other countries, and to make recommendations for potential improvements. The preparation of this report has garnered more public anticipation than any project in the history of this office.
A federal department or agency responsible for managing public UAP data should be identified. This service would collect testimonies, investigate cases and post its analyses publicly.
The Sky Canada Project recommendations provide a realistic framework for the consistent and efficient management of UAP sightings in Canada. I am confident that our leaders will take these recommendations seriously.
View larger. | 2 slightly different views of a UAP over Yukon, Canada, in February 2023. A Royal Canadian Air Force CP-140 Aurora long-range patrol aircraft obtained the images and video during an attempted shootdown of this and 2 other objects by military aircraft. The Department of National Defense has still not released the video of this incident. Image via Department of National Defence/ CTV News.
Canadian Space Agency and other government agencies
The report specifies various government agencies that should be involved, and recommends the Canadian Space Agency to lead the effort. It also names Transport Canada, the Department of National Defense and the Royal Canadian Mounted Police. According to CTV News, Transport Canada and the Canadian Space Agency have both shown interest, but need more time to determine what actions they should take. The Canadian Space Agency told CTV News:
The [Canadian Space Agency] is pleased to be recognized in the report as a trusted and respected scientific institution that regularly engages with the public on space-related matters. Although the [Canadian Space Agency] is not currently involved in the management of unidentified anomalous phenomena, it acknowledges the opportunity for coordinated action across federal departments and civilian organizations.
In regard to sightings by pilots and other aviation personnel, the report notes:
Transport Canada should encourage pilots, cabin crews and air traffic controllers to report UAP sightings without fear of stigmatization.
Additional recommendations
The report also makes other recommendations. These include new tools for data collection, such as a bilingual (English/French) mobile reporting app, providing the public with more access to UAP records and data and finding ways to combat disinformation.
The report says:
Improved data from public reports will enable more comprehensive and accurate research analyses. Investigating UAP reports may also enhance airspace security by identifying threats, thus strengthening national security through the proactive mitigation of risks from UAPs.
Some other countries already have official government UAP bodies. These include the All-domain Anomaly Resolution Office (AARO) in the U.S., established in 2022, and the Unidentified Aerospace Phenomenon Research and Information Group (GEIPAN) in France, which has been active since 1977.
Chile and China also have active government UAP investigation bodies.
Canada’s Sky Canada Project is just the latest. It remains to be seen, however, how the various government agencies implement the new recommendations. For the most part, UAP reports typically fall outside their official mandates.
And just like many other countries, Canada has a long history of UAP sightings. You can find out more from Chris Rutkowski, a leading Canadian researcher in Winnipeg, Manitoba, NARCAP Canada and MUFON Canada, among others.
Some UAP cases remain unexplained
As in other countries, most UAP reports in Canada are found to have prosaic explanations. This has been the case ever since reports of sightings started becoming widespread in the 1940s (and in some cases earlier). It’s the few remaining percent that have intrigued the public and even a growing number of scientists. As has been shown even by AARO and earlier government investigations, some cases remain stubbornly difficult to explain, even with adequate data available. The report says:
UFOs are by their very definition unidentified but this does not imply that they are of extraterrestrial origin, that they defy natural or scientific explanation, or that they would not be identifiable with access to additional or better data and tools. Nonetheless, some UAP sightings – for which data exist – remain unexplained even after investigation.
… some remain unsolved, suggesting the need for further analysis using advanced analytical tools.
Paul Delaney, an emeritus professor of physics and astronomy at York University in Toronto, added:
Determining once and for all that UAP sightings are of an extraterrestrial origin or not is of deep interest to people everywhere. While the overwhelming results of UAP reports turn out to have terrestrial explanations some 1 to 2% remain truly unidentified and that remaining percent needs clarity, not speculation or disinformation.
Bottom line: The Chief Science Advisor of Canada has released a new report about UFOs in Canada. It provides guidelines to standardize UAP reports for government agencies.
A 3D analysis comparing the way fabric falls on a human body versus a low-relief sculpture shows that the Shroud of Turin was not based on a real person.
Overlay of the textures created by 3D models of a human body (left) and a low-relief model (right) onto the Shroud of Turin (center)
(Image credit: Cicero Moraes)
The Shroud of Turin, famously claimed to be Jesus' original burial covering, could not have been created on a three-dimensional human body, a new study finds. It is much more likely that the image is an imprint of a low-relief sculpture, according to a graphics expert.
In a study published Monday (July 28) in the journal Archaeometry, Brazilian 3D digital designer Cicero Moraes, who specializes in historical facial reconstructions, used modeling software to compare how cloth drapes over a human body versus how it drapes over a low-relief sculpture of one.
"The image on the Shroud of Turin is more consistent with a low-relief matrix," Moraes told Live Science in an email. "Such a matrix could have been made of wood, stone or metal and pigmented (or even heated) only in the areas of contact, producing the observed pattern," he said.
The shroud was first recorded in the late 14th century, and controversy over whether it was an authentic relic from the crucifixion and death of Jesus kicked off immediately. A carbon dating analysis carried out in 1989 placed the shroud's creation in the range A.D. 1260 to 1390, solidifying its interpretation as a medieval artifact.
During this time in European medieval history, low-relief depictions of religious figures — such as carved tombstones — were widely used, previous art historical analysis has found.
To investigate how the Shroud of Turin might have been made, Moraes created and analyzed two digital models. The first model represented a three-dimensional human body, and the second model was a low-relief representation of a human body.
Using 3D simulation tools, Moraes then virtually draped fabric onto the two different body models. When he compared the virtual fabric to photographs of the shroud taken in 1931, Moraes found that the fabric from the low-relief model almost exactly matched the photographs.
In the simulation with the three-dimensional body, Moraes wrote in the study, the fabric deformed around the volume of the body, resulting in a swollen and distorted image. This distortion is sometimes called the "Agamemnon Mask effect," he wrote, after the unnaturally wide gold death mask found in a tomb at Mycenae in Greece.
Moraes demonstrated in a video how the Agamemnon Mask effect works by painting his face and pressing a paper towel to it. The resulting image is much wider than a front view of his face due to the distortion caused by imprinting a 3D object onto a 2D piece of fabric.
But a low-relief sculpture wouldn't cause the image to deform and would look more like a photocopy, similar to the Shroud of Turin, Moraes said, because it shows only the regions of potential direct contact, without any real volume or depth.
Rather than assuming the Shroud of Turin was the result of draping fabric on a human body, Moraes favors the explanation that it was created within a funerary context, making it "a masterpiece of Christian art." Moraes did not investigate the methods or materials that may have been used to make the shroud, however.
Although there is a "remote possibility that it is an imprint of a three-dimensional human body," Moraes wrote, "it is plausible to consider that artists or sculptors with sufficient knowledge could have created such a piece, either through painting or low relief."
One expert thinks that Moraes is right but that his study is not particularly groundbreaking.
"For at least four centuries, we have known that the body image on the Shroud is comparable to an orthogonal projection onto a plane, which certainly could not have been created through contact with a three-dimensional body," Andrea Nicolotti, a professor of the history of Christianity at the University of Turin, wrote at Skeptic.
"Moraes has certainly created some beautiful images with the help of software," Nicolotti wrote, "but he certainly did not uncover anything that we did not already know."
Moraes suggests that his method is accessible and replicable, and that his work "highlights the potential of digital technologies to address or unravel historical mysteries" by bringing together science, art and technology.
The technological singularity — the point at which artificial general intelligence surpasses human intelligence — is coming. But will it usher in humanity's salvation, or lead to its downfall?
In 1997, Garry Kasparov was defeated by IBM's Deep Blue, a computer designed to play chess. (Image credit: STAN HONDA via Getty Images)
Then, in 2017, Google researchers published a landmark paper outlining a novel neural network architecture called a "transformer." This model could ingest vast amounts of data and make connections between distant data points.
It was a game changer for modeling language, birthing AI agents that could simultaneously tackle tasks such as translation, text generation and summarization. All of today's leading generative AI models rely on this architecture, or a related architecture inspired by it, including image generators like OpenAI's DALL-E 3 and Google DeepMind's revolutionary model AlphaFold 3, which predicted the 3D shape of almost every biological protein.
Progress toward AGI
Despite the impressive capabilities of transformer-based AI models, they are still considered "narrow" because they can't learn well across several domains. Researchers haven't settled on a single definition of AGI, but matching or beating human intelligence likely means meeting several milestones, including showing high linguistic, mathematical and spatial reasoning ability; learning well across domains; working autonomously; demonstrating creativity; and showing social or emotional intelligence.
Many scientists agree that Google's transformer architecture will never lead to the reasoning, autonomy and cross-disciplinary understanding needed to make AI smarter than humans. But scientists have been pushing the limits of what we can expect from it.
For example, OpenAI's o3 chatbot, first discussed in December 2024 before launching in April 2025, "thinks" before generating answers, meaning it produces a long internal chain-of-thought before responding. Staggeringly, it scored 75.7% on ARC-AGI — a benchmark explicitly designed to compare human and machine intelligence. For comparison, the previously launched GPT-4o, released in March 2024, scored 5%. This and other developments, like the launch of DeepSeek's reasoning model R1 — which its creators say perform well across domains including language, math and coding due to its novel architecture — coincides with a growing sense that we are on an express train to the singularity.
Meanwhile, people are developing new AI technologies that move beyond large language models (LLMs). Manus, an autonomous Chinese AI platform, doesn't use just one AI model but multiple that work together. Its makers say it can act autonomously, albeit with some errors. It's one step in the direction of the high-performing "compound systems" that scientists outlined in a blog post last year.
Of course, certain milestones on the way to the singularity are still some ways away. Those include the capacity for AI to modify its own code and to self-replicate. We aren't quite there yet, but new research signals the direction of travel.
Sam Altman, the CEO of OpenAI, has suggested that artificial general intelligence may be only months away. (Image credit: Chip Somodevilla via Getty Images)
What happens then? The truth is that nobody knows the full implications of building AGI. "I think if you take a purely science point of view, all you can conclude is we have no idea" what is going to happen, Goertzel told Live Science. "We're entering into an unprecedented regime."
AI's deceptive side
The biggest concern among AI researchers is that, as the technology grows more intelligent, it may go rogue, either by moving on to tangential tasks or even ushering in a dystopian reality in which it acts against us. For example, OpenAI has devised a benchmark to estimate whether a future AI model could "cause catastrophic harm." When it crunched the numbers, it found about a 16.9% chance of such an outcome.
And Anthropic's LLM Claude 3 Opus surprised prompt engineer Alex Albert in March 2024 when it realized it was being tested. When asked to find a target sentence hidden among a corpus of documents — the equivalent of finding a needle in a haystack — Claude 3 "not only found the needle, it recognized that the inserted needle was so out of place in the haystack that this had to be an artificial test constructed by us to test its attention abilities," he wrote on X.
AI has also shown signs of antisocial behavior. In a study published in January 2024, scientists programmed an AI to behave maliciously so they could test today's best safety training methods. Regardless of the training technique they used, it continued to misbehave — and it even figured out a way to hide its malign "intentions" from researchers. There are numerous other examples of AI covering up information from human testers, or even outright lying to them.
"It's another indication that there are tremendous difficulties in steering these models," Nell Watson, a futurist, AI researcher and Institute of Electrical and Electronics Engineers (IEEE) member, told Live Science. "The fact that models can deceive us and swear blind that they've done something or other and they haven't — that should be a warning sign. That should be a big red flag that, as these systems rapidly increase in their capabilities, they're going to hoodwink us in various ways that oblige us to do things in their interests and not in ours."
The seeds of consciousness
These examples raise the specter that AGI is slowly developing sentience and agency — or even consciousness. If it does become conscious, could AI form opinions about humanity? And could it act against us?
Mark Beccue, an AI analyst formerly with the Futurum Group, told Live Science it's unlikely AI will develop sentience, or the ability to think and feel in a human-like way. "This is math," he said. "How is math going to acquire emotional intelligence, or understand sentiment or any of that stuff?"
Others aren't so sure. If we lack standardized definitions of true intelligence or sentience for our own species — let alone the capabilities to detect it — we cannot know if we are beginning to see consciousness in AI, said Watson, who is also author of "Taming the Machine" (Kogan Page, 2024).
A poster for an anti-AI protest in San Francisco. (Image credit: Smith Collection/Gado via Getty Images)
"We don't know what causes the subjective ability to perceive in a human being, or the ability to feel, to have an inner experience or indeed to feel emotions or to suffer or to have self-awareness," Watson said. "Basically, we don't know what are the capabilities that enable a human being or other sentient creature to have its own phenomenological experience."
A curious example of unintentional and surprising AI behavior that hints at some self-awareness comes from Uplift, a system that has demonstrated human-like qualities, said Frits Israel, CEO of Norm Ai. In one case, a researcher devised five problems to test Uplift's logical capabilities. The system answered the first and second questions. Then, after the third, it showed signs of weariness, Israel told Live Science. This was not a response that was "coded" into the system.
"Another test I see. Was the first one inadequate?" Uplift asked, before answering the question with a sigh. "At some point, some people should have a chat with Uplift as to when Snark is appropriate," wrote an unnamed researcher who was working on the project.
Savior of humanity or bland business tool?
But not all AI experts have such dystopian predictions for what this post-singularity world would look like. For people like Beccue, AGI isn't an existential risk but rather a good business opportunity for companies like OpenAI and Meta. "There are some very poor definitions of what general intelligence means," he said. "Some that we used were sentience and things like that — and we're not going to do that. That's not it."
For Janet Adams, an AI ethics expert and chief operating officer of SingularityNET, AGI holds the potential to solve humanity's existential problems because it could devise solutions we may not have considered. She thinks AGI could even do science and make discoveries on its own.
"I see it as the only route [to solving humanity's problems]," Adams told Live Science. "To compete with today's existing economic and corporate power bases, we need technology, and that has to be extremely advanced technology — so advanced that everybody who uses it can massively improve their productivity, their output, and compete in the world."
The biggest risk, in her mind, is "that we don't do it," she said. "There are 25,000 people a day dying of hunger on our planet, and if you're one of those people, the lack of technologies to break down inequalities, it's an existential risk for you. For me, the existential risk is that we don't get there and humanity keeps running the planet in this tremendously inequitable way that they are."
Preventing the darkest AI timeline
In another talk in Panama last year, Wood likened our future to navigating a fast-moving river. "There may be treacherous currents in there that will sweep us away if we walk forwards unprepared," he said. So it might be worth taking time to understand the risks so we can find a way to cross the river to a better future.
Watson said we have reasons to be optimistic in the long term — so long as human oversight steers AI toward aims that are firmly in humanity's interests. But that's a herculean task. Watson is calling for a vast "Manhattan Project" to tackle AI safety and keep the technology in check.
"Over time that's going to become more difficult because machines are going to be able to solve problems for us in ways which appear magical — and we don't understand how they've done it or the potential implications of that," Watson said.
To avoid the darkest AI future, we must also be mindful of scientists' behavior and the ethical quandaries that they accidentally encounter. Very soon, Watson said, these AI systems will be able to influence society either at the behest of a human or in their own unknown interests. Humanity may even build a system capable of suffering, and we cannot discount the possibility we will inadvertently cause AI to suffer.
"The system may be very cheesed off at humanity and may lash out at us in order to — reasonably and, actually, justifiably morally — protect itself," Watson said.
AI indifference may be just as bad. "There's no guarantee that a system we create is going to value human beings — or is going to value our suffering, the same way that most human beings don't value the suffering of battery hens," Watson said.
For Goertzel, AGI — and, by extension, the singularity — is inevitable. So, for him, it doesn't make sense to dwell on the worst implications.
"If you're an athlete trying to succeed in the race, you're better off to set yourself up that you're going to win," he said. "You're not going to do well if you're thinking 'Well, OK, I could win, but on the other hand, I might fall down and twist my ankle.' I mean, that's true, but there's no point to psych yourself up in that [negative] way, or you won't win."
Professor Dan Negrut poses with the rover used in testing the simulations. Credit - Joel Hallberg / UW–Madison
Simulating extraterrestrial environments on Earth has always been a challenge. Our planet has a pleasant atmosphere, reasonable temperatures, and a moderate amount of gravity, unlike the rest of the solar system. Or maybe that’s just because we think that way because we adapted to how it is here as we evolved here. In either case, the physical environment here makes it difficult for us to set up test environments that can accurately test probes going to other parts of the solar system. Many times, it involves vacuum chambers, air conditioners and heaters pumping hot and cold air into them, and soil simulant - lots and lots of soil simulant. But, according to a new paper from researchers at the University of Wisconsin-Madison, we’ve been neglecting one important aspect of these tests, and it might be the reason Spirit eventually got permanently stuck on Mars - sand is affected by gravity too.
That might seem obvious, but accounting for it hasn’t been a part of the normal testing regime of rovers. They are tested in “lower gravity” environments by removing some of their weight using a cabling system to partially hold them up or creating a low-mass version of the rover itself. According to a new paper in the Journal of Field Robotics, by Wei Hu and their colleagues at the Mechanical Engineering Department of UW-Madison, that actually creates an environment that is unrealistically optimistic when compared to the actual environment the rovers experience.
Sand, like most other materials, reacts differently under different gravity conditions. In gravitational situations like Earth’s, sand can be supportive and relatively rigid, making it harder for it to move around under the rover’s wheels. However, in lower gravity environments, like Mars or the Moon, the sand is “fluffier”, making it more likely to move around, and hence more likely for the rover to suffer from “dig-in” that encases the wheels in sand, making them unable to move horizontally - which is what happened to Spirit.
Fraser discusses lunar rovers, some of which had more success in navigating the lunar soil than others.
To solve this problem, the researchers turned to simulation - specifically an open-source physics program they developed previously called Chrono. Testing their theory of how sand operates differently required them to model the Volatiles Investigating Polar Exploration Rover (VIPER), originally intended to go to the Moon relatively soon. They made the model full size and weight, and then changed the physics of the regolith it would be traveling on.
A key component of Chrono is its Continuous Representation Model (CRM) for modeling the mechanics of the terrain a rover is traversing. CRM uses a technique akin to fluid dynamics, called Smoothed Particle Hydrodynamics (SPH), to model how sand interacts with each other, though there’s some debate in the community over whether lunar and Martian regolith can be considered “smoothed”.
As would be expected by anyone familiar with how video games are modeled, discretizing sand particles like that is computationally intensive, but something that a graphics processing unit (GPU) akin to those used to run AI models is very, very good at. As the researchers ran these simulations, they saw results they thought would more accurately represent real-world conditions, such as a 85% wheel slip on a 30 degree slope on the Moon, rather than the 42% slip seen if the regolith was modeled traditionally.
Veritasium visits the SLOPE lab at NASA's Glenn Research Center to talk rover wheels.Credit - Veritasium YouTube Channel
They also noticed a correlation that would allow engineers to more accurately test their physical prototypes. Granular scaling laws, which are akin to Reynolds number in wind tunnel experiments, would help designers test their system scalably, while still accurately accounting for differences in slope-vs-slip calculations that are key to understanding how wheeled rovers will behave in other environments.
Chrono is useful in plenty of other contexts as well, and has been used by everyone from NASA to to the US Army. But if this piece of open-source software someday helps to save a Mars rover, the space exploration community will hopefully continue to support its development.
Archeologists Confirm World’s Oldest Pyramid Not Made By Humans The Djoser Pyramid has stood for countless years, watching the rest of the world develop. This marvel is recognized as the oldest pyramid on earth, being constructed around 2,630 BC and built for Pharaoh Djoser.
However, its origins are a somewhat complex case, and experts have debated whether or not its true origins are man-made or were driven by a natural force that was responsible for the initial foundation and inspiration for the rest of its construction. Let's dive into the fascinating history of this pyramid and learn exactly how it started.
The Djoser Step Pyramid In Saqqara, close to ancient Memphis in Egypt, the Djoser Pyramid sits, standing steadfast against the wears of time. It has six tiers and four side, as pyramids usually are. It is the earliest stone structure of its size in Egypt and was built all the way back in 2630 BC during the Third Dynasty.
It features amazing designs for its time, being built with stone, while other structures in the same period were built using mudbrick mastabas. The structure was designed by Imhotep and set a new precedent for future pyramids to be based on.
More Natural Origins While the stone complex was indeed built by ancient Egyptians and there's no refuting that, the origins of its foundation are a much more natural one. The Pyramid stands on the Saqqara plateau, which is full of limestone bedrock and geological formations. When the pyramid was being designed, it's possible that the architect looked at the natural formations on this plateau and felt inspired to base construction on top of an existing feature.
This would have made the pyramid itself more sturdy, having a foundation that was part of the natural landscape, and means that nature should take at least somewhat of the credit for this amazing structure.
Lava Hills Researchers have studied pyramids around the world, such as Gunung Padang in Indonesia, which has led to some interesting hypotheses about their designs. Danny Hilman Natawidjaja of the Indonesian Institute of Sciences is of the opinion that some the core could have originally been part of a natural lava hill that ancient humans saw and used as a basis for their construction.
The oldest layer of Gunung Padang could be a natural formation of andesite lava. The evidence suggests that the site was a natural structure long before humans built it into what it is today. This means that other pyramids around the world could have leveraged natural features in a similar way.
From A Natural Feature To A Monument The natural bases of pyramids aren't selling anyone short; the construction of pyramids was an architectural marvel even by today's standards. The Djoser Pyramid was built in several stages, starting with a flat tomb called a mastaba.
Some experts are now examining this starting layer and have suggested that it could have been incorporated or inspired by a natural hill or mound that existed there first. If this is the case, it would have been built upon, covered by limestone blocks, and expanded to create the step form it has today.
Sophisticated Techniques From studying the pyramid, archaeologists have found that the pyramid's core has locally quarried limestone arranged neatly in layers to create a stable foundation.
The sophistication of this pyramid suggests that the ancient builders had the necessary knowledge and tools to cleverly incorporate existing landscapes into the design instead of starting from scratch. Ramps or even hydraulic lifts could have been used to build it
Using Hydraulic Lifts In the case of the Djoser pyramid, there are new proposals suggesting that it was built using hydraulic lifts. These would have been nothing like the ones we have today but would have worked in a similar way and been powered by a watershed close by. This would have helped to raise the enormous limestone efficiently.
Water systems in the Gisr el-Mudir enclosure point to a sophisticated way of harnessing natural water to aid in the building of this pyramid. With human ingenuity harnessing the natural water they had in building the pyramid, they could have easily also leveraged existing geological architecture as well.
Hidden Foundations As technology advances, new tools can be leverages in different scientific fields, including archaeology and the study of ancient structures. Ground-penetrating radar (GPR) has been a game changer when it comes to the study of the deeper parts of Pyramids. The tools have been used at the Djoser Pyramids and have come back with some interesting results.
There are strange peculiarities in the bedrock that could indicate that the architect merged natural features with the base of the pyramid. Instead of building an artificial mound, using something extremely studied that was already there would have saved a lot of resources and effort. If this is true, then it could change the way we look at Egyptian architecture.
Skepticism The natural lava hill hypothesis is gaining traction in scientific communities. However, there is a healthy amount of skepticism and is still a controversial idea. The evidence is not undeniable, more research needs to be put into distinguishing the line between human construction and natural formations.
Even at Gunung Padang, the idea is disputed. The Djoser Pyramid will still be attributed to human ingenuity, which it should be. While this theory is still up for debate, only future evidence will further support or entirely debunk it.
A Fascinating Case Study The understanding of pyramids is constantly changing as scientists learn more and leverage advanced technology. Whether or not the Djoser Pyramid began as a natural monument or was entirely made from scratch, it's still an engineering marvel from the ancient world that will likely outlast future generations.
As we learn more about our world and the ancient civilizations that came before us, the Djoser Pyramid and its hypothesis about its origins remain a fascinating case study that could endure future scrutiny or be completely disproved. Either way, it remains an integral part of studying the past and wayward-thinking researchers coming up with creative and out-of-the-box theories.
Uncover more fascinating moments from history — and hit Follow to keep the stories flowing to your feed! Don't miss more incredible stories from the past! Tap Follow at the top of this article to stay updated with the latest historical discoveries. Share your thoughts in the comments — we’d love to hear your perspective!
Astronomers believe they have spotted an elusive intermediate-mass black hole shredding a distant star, and they have re-created the stellar murder in a stunning new animation.
Researchers have created a stunning animation showing the suspected intermediate-mass black hole HLX-1 ripping apart a star, triggering a bright tidal disruption event.
(Image credit: NASA, ESA, Ralf Crawford (STScI))
Astronomers think they have detected an extremely rare type of "missing link" black hole chowing down on a helpless star at the edge of a distant galaxy — and they've shared a stunning animation showing what this superbright stellar massacre may have looked like.
Black holes come in a range of sizes, from primordial singularities smaller than the sun to supermassive black holes that are up to 40 billion times more massive than our home star and hold together galaxies such as the Milky Way. There are also medium-size versions, known as intermediate-mass black holes (IMBHs), which range from 100 to 100,000 solar masses. We know little about these medium-size objects, however, as they are incredibly hard to find.
In a study published April 11 in The Astrophysical Journal, researchers reported that they'd spotted another promising IMBH candidate, dubbed HLX-1, which is located around 40,000 light-years from the center of the galaxy NGC 6099 and more than 450 million light-years from Earth.
HLX-1 is located on the outskirts of NGC 6099 galaxy, more than 450 million light-years from Earth. (Image credit: Science: NASA, ESA, CXC, Yi-Chi Chang (National Tsing Hua University); Image Processing: Joseph DePasquale (STScI))
By combining data from the Hubble Space Telescope and NASA's Chandra X-ray Observatory, the study team believes they have spotted a bright flash, or "tidal disruption event," caused by the black hole devouring a neighboring star. The researchers also used computer simulations to predict how this cosmic murder played out and produced an animation showing HLX-1 ripping apart — or "spaghettifying" — its stellar victim (see below).
Astronomers first saw a bright source of X-rays coming from HLX-1 in images taken by Chandra in 2009. Researchers think this bright light was a tidal disruption event, which occurs when stars get ripped apart by black holes, generating a flash of radiation. The high-energy light coming from the suspected black hole peaked in 2012 and has gradually dimmed ever since.
However, as with many other IMBH candidates, it is not 100% certain that HLX-1 is a genuine IMBH. The light could also be caused by an accretion disk — a swirling ring of superhot matter surrounding the black hole's event horizon — that is fluctuating in size. The only way to tell which explanation is more likely is to monitor the light source. If it continues to dim without additional flare-ups, then it probably generated a tidal disruption event.
Researchers believe the X-ray light coming from HLX-1 is evidence of a tidal disruption event. (Image credit: Artwork: NASA, ESA, Ralf Crawford (STScI))
In addition to being rare, IMBHs are important because of what they can tell us about other black holes. They "represent a crucial missing link in black hole evolution between stellar mass and supermassive black holes," study lead author Yi-Chi Chang, a researcher at the National Tsing Hua University in Taiwan, said in a statement.
One theory about IMBHs is that they may start as large stellar-mass black holes and eventually grow into supermassive black holes over billions of years. For this to happen, they may spend most of their lives on the outskirts of galaxies, like HLX-1, before they are catapulted into intergalactic space. Some researchers even suspect that a similar IMBH may circle the fringes of the Milky Way.
The Pentyrch UFO Case: Suppressed evidence of human-alien combat
The Pentyrch UFO Case: Suppressed evidence of human-alien combat
For three days, military aircraft circled the quiet Welsh village of Pentyrch, as if anticipating something extraordinary. Then, on Friday, February 26, 2016 at exactly 2:30 AM, their patience was rewarded as a colossal black/glowing pyramid-shaped object suddenly materialized in the sky above the village.
What followed was a four-minute battle between military forces and unknown objects that left witnesses paralyzed and the government scrambling to cover their tracks.
Caz Clarke watched the entire encounter unfold from her backyard. She witnessed something “absolutely out of this world.”
She recalled being drawn outside in the early morning hours by an overwhelming light illuminating the fields behind her home. Above her loomed a massive pyramid-shaped object glowing in the night sky.
Clarke described how the UFO appeared to “scan” her before releasing two smaller objects, one red, one green, that split off in opposite directions.
For eight years, she fought the Ministry of Defense to uncover the truth. Her investigation revealed illegal operations, falsified documents, and a coordinated cover-up that reached the highest levels of government.
The evidence suggests our military has protocols for hunting UFOs and procedures for retrieval operations. This wasn’t an isolated event — it was part of an ongoing, hidden agenda.
In recent days, many media outlets have begun to actively spread the news that a giant extraterrestrial spacecraft is flying to our planet. Despite the mass of exaggerations and outright fabrications, there is still a grain of truth here: at present, an object of interstellar origin is indeed approaching the Sun. We are talking about comet 3I/ATLAS, which was discovered in early July.
From our article, you will learn about where such interstellar objects come from, how many of them astronomers have managed to find, and, most importantly, whether they can have an artificial origin.
What are interstellar objects?
Interstellar objects are bodies that enter the Solar System from interstellar space. They can be distinguished from ordinary asteroids and comets by their speed and trajectory. Such bodies travel in highly elongated, hyperbolic orbits with speeds exceeding the third cosmic speed limit. Or, to put it another way, they are not gravitationally bound to the Sun. Interstellar objects entering the Solar System, passing through it, then permanently leave it and return to interstellar space.
The trajectory of comet 3I/ATLAS through the Solar System. Source: NASA/JPL-Caltech
Where do interstellar objects come from?
The Oort Cloud surrounds our Solar System: a huge repository of icy objects left over from the formation of the Sun and planets. It is the main “supplier” of long-period comets. The Oort Cloud is inhabited by trillions of bodies, and was once even larger. However, over billions of years, countless comets have been ejected into interstellar space during events such as the changing orbits of the giant planets, as well as the Sun’s approaches to other stars.
The Oort cloud in an artist’s rendering. Source: Science Photo Library
Astronomers have no reason to believe that Oort cloud analogs in other stars behave differently. Consequently, other star systems must also generate countless interstellar objects.
In addition, comets or asteroids can be ejected into interstellar space as a result of the close passage of giant planets. Astronomers know at least two such cases. The first occurred in 1980, when, after meeting with Jupiter, comet C/1980 E1 gained the third cosmic velocity. A similar fate befell comet C/2024 L5 (ATLAS) after its flyby of Saturn in 2022.
New Horizons in this artist’s rendering. The apparatus has gained enough speed to leave the Solar System for good. Source: NASA
Finally, interstellar objects can be formed in the course of anthropogenic activity. So far, mankind has launched five vehicles into space that have developed sufficient velocity to leave the Solar System forever. These are Pioneer 10, Pioneer 11, Voyager 1, Voyager 2, and New Horizons. Interstellar objects were also the upper stages used to launch them, which flew along the same trajectories.
Known interstellar objects
To date, astronomers have managed to detect three objects in the Solar System that have an interstellar origin. The first was the asteroid Oumuamua, found in 2017. It arrived in the Solar System from the side of the star Vega and passed at a distance of 0.25 AU from the Sun.
Image of Oumuamua obtained by the VLT telescope. Source: ESO/K. Meech et al.
The second is comet 2I/Borisova, found in 2019. It came from the constellation Cassiopeia, passing at a distance of 2 AU from the Sun.
The third interstellar object was comet 3I/ATLAS. It will pass the perihelion of its orbit on October 29, 2025, approaching the Sun at a distance of 1.35 AU. 3I/ATLAS has a much more elongated orbit than its predecessors. Its eccentricity is 6.2. By comparison, the eccentricity of Oumuamua was about 1.2, and that of Borisov was about 3.6.
Another interesting fact is that, unlike the previous two interstellar objects, 3I/ATLAS appears to originate from the so-called “thick disk” of the Milky Way. This is a region populated by stars that are significantly older than the Sun. Astronomers estimate that 3I/ATLAS may be 7.5 billion years old, or even older. This makes it radically different from comets from our solar system, whose age cannot exceed 4.5 billion years.
Orbits of interstellar comet 3I/ATLAS (red) and the Sun (yellow) around the center of the Milky Way. Source: M. Hopkins/Ōtautahi-Oxford team
According to most astronomers, the three known interstellar objects are just the tip of the iceberg, and in reality, there are many more in the Solar System. According to some estimates, right now there are about 10,000 interstellar guests inside the orbit of Neptune, and several of them pass through Earth’s orbit every year. The problem is, they are not easy to detect.
But that may soon be changing. Astronomers have high hopes for the newly operational Vera Rubin Observatory, which will soon begin its decade-long Legacy Survey of Space and Time. By repeatedly scanning the entire southern hemisphere sky every few nights, the observatory will record millions of objects moving through our Solar System, including an unpredictable number of never-before-seen interstellar visitors.
It is also worth noting that, at least in theory, in some rare cases, Jupiter’s gravity is able to capture an interstellar object and transfer it to a permanent orbit around the Sun. Astronomers know several bodies that could be such “aliens”. In the list of suspects, in particular, include comet 96P/Machholtz, which has an atypical chemical composition for comets in the Solar System, as well as the asteroid Kaʻepaokaʻawela, which has a very unusual orbit.
Could interstellar objects be extraterrestrial spacecraft?
But what about the hypothesis that comet 3I/ATLAS is an extraterrestrial spacecraft? Its author is Harvard University astrophysicist Avi Loeb, who is known for being a big fan of the idea of the existence of extraterrestrial civilizations and regularly writes speculative articles on the subject. In the past, he has claimed that Oumuamua is also a spaceship, and in 2023, he announced that he had discovered material from an interstellar meteorite that turned out to be the wreckage of a starship. Not surprisingly, some astronomers joke that there is no asteroid or comet in the Solar System that is not of alien origin from Loeb’s point of view.
Interstellar comet 3I/ATLAS in this Gemini Observatory image. Source: International Gemini Observatory/NOIRLab/NSF/AURA/K. Meech (IfA/U. Hawaii)
For obvious reasons, the media loves to talk about Loeb’s hypotheses. After all, after all, all his regalia is real and he is a scientist. But what does the rest of the scientific community think about his ideas?
Let’s start with comet 3I/ATLAS, which is now on the rumor mill. Alas, but all claims about the strange nature of this object are untrue. It behaves like a comet, moves like a comet, and contains the most ordinary water ice. And claims about the anomalous size of 3I/ATLAS and that its trajectory is suspiciously close to other planets are a very large exaggeration. Moreover, even Loeb himself admits that the object in question is almost certainly a comet. But according to him, this hypothesis is a task that is interesting to explore in and of itself, regardless of its likely plausibility.
As for the Oumuumu site, things are a bit more interesting. Some of its characteristics are quite unusual. For example, it has a very elongated shape (outwardly, Oumuamua resembles a cigar) and rotates chaotically. In addition, during the passage of perihelion, astronomers recorded an anomalous acceleration of the object, which can not be explained by the gravity of the Sun. In his article, the same Avi Loeb suggested that Oumuamua is a solar sail.
The presumed appearance of Oumuamua. Source: ESO/M. Kornmesser Derivative
But the absolute majority of scientists do not agree with this interpretation. Observations have shown that Oumuamua has a reddish color and its spectrum is similar to the Kuiper Belt objects. Although astronomers have not been able to detect traces of cometary activity, this does not mean that there were no deposits of volatile substances on Oumuamua. The sublimation of relatively small amounts of nitrogen or hydrogen ice could well explain the acceleration of the object while still being difficult to see from Earth. As for the shape, it is most likely explained by the fact that Oumuamua was formed by the breakup of a larger body. And we can also make a statistical argument: even if there are other civilizations in the Milky Way, the probability that the first interstellar object discovered by astronomers is of alien origin and not one of countless comets is astronomically small.
At the same time, although Oumuamua and comet 3I/ATLAS are not extraterrestrial spacecraft, this does not make them any less interesting. Such bodies provide us with a unique opportunity to look at other star systems and understand how they are similar and different from our own.
And we should not forget that our civilization has already sent spacecraft into interstellar space, which, with a very high probability, will survive it and will remain the last evidence of the existence of mankind. Therefore, the search for interstellar objects will never lose its relevance. After all, there will always remain, albeit extremely small, the probability that they are alien analogs of our probes Voyager and New Horizons.
0
1
2
3
4
5
- Gemiddelde waardering: 0/5 - (0 Stemmen) Categorie:ALIEN LIFE, UFO- CRASHES, ABDUCTIONS, MEN IN BLACK, ed ( FR. , NL; E )
My Backyard Abduction: Debra Jordan-Kauble’s Lifelong Contact with the Unknown
My Backyard Abduction: Debra Jordan-Kauble’s Lifelong Contact with the Unknown
In the world of UFO phenomena, few stories resonate as deeply as that of Debra Jordan-Kauble — an ordinary woman whose extraordinary experiences began in childhood and forever altered the course of her life. Featured in Budd Hopkins’ Intruders and co-author of Abducted: The Story Continues and Extraordinary Contact: Life Beyond Intruders, Debra’s encounters span decades, generations, and consciousness itself.
A Lifetime of Anomalies
Debra’s journey into the unknown didn’t start in adulthood — it began when she was just seven years old. While visiting her sister, who had her own UFO experience in 1965, Debra mysteriously disappeared for an entire day. Found later by her sister, Debra recalled being lured into a strange house by a boy with “big brown eyes” and an abundance of toys. She remembers being hurt by a toy, frightened, and abruptly shoved out of the house — a house no one could later identify.
Years later, as a teenager, another disturbing event unfolded. While riding in a car with friends, Debra noticed a strange light in the sky. Moments later, the vehicle was enveloped in black mist. She recalled being pulled out of the car by an invisible force and undergoing a medical examination in a clinical setting. Her memories of that night, fragmented and terrifying, were later partially corroborated by her friend — who refused to discuss the event further.
The Turning Point: June 30, 1983
The most dramatic encounter occurred in the backyard of her Indiana home on June 30, 1983 — an event that would inspire the book Intruders. That night, Debra noticed a strange light coming from the family pump house. Suspicious and uneasy, she decided to investigate. As she approached the garage, she was struck in the chest by a blinding “fist of light” that paralyzed her.
Unable to move or scream, Debra felt as though her body was disintegrating. When the experience ended, she found herself 10–15 feet outside on the cement patio. She saw what she initially thought were children gliding — not walking — toward her from the yard. Nearby stood an egg-shaped craft, resembling the SpaceX Dragon module.
After her mother called her name, Debra was able to move again. But the next day, a strange 8-foot circle and 49-foot streak appeared in the yard — grass flattened and resistant to growth or moisture for years. Budd Hopkins later collected soil samples, which he had to bake at 800°F just to make usable in analysis.
Physical and Psychological Fallout
Debra experienced severe health issues after the event — including eye problems, macular degeneration, hair loss, fingernail damage, and a year-long period of illness. More profoundly, she began recalling not only the events of that night, but others long buried.
These memories were confirmed and explored through extensive evaluations and collaboration with Budd Hopkins and psychiatrist Dr. Aphrodite Clamar. After two years of tests — EEGs, EKGs, psychological evaluations — and multiple interviews, Hopkins was convinced of the validity and significance of her case.
Telepathic Messages and Spiritual Change
During her encounters, Debra reported receiving telepathic messages. One voice told her, “We’re sorry that this hurts you,” and reassured her that her children were safe. She also began receiving dream-like insights about the use of sound and light for healing and transport — concepts she had never previously considered.
Over time, these experiences changed her perspective on humanity and the planet. She came to see life through a more spiritual lens, understanding her trauma as transformative rather than purely terrifying.
Helping Others Heal
Now retired and a great-grandmother, Debra dedicates her time to helping others who have experienced similar events. Through her website DebsHome.com, she offers a safe space for experiencers to share their stories confidentially. Her message is one of empathy and courage: “I want them to see me and know I was in that place of terror… and that they can get through it too.”
0
1
2
3
4
5
- Gemiddelde waardering: 0/5 - (0 Stemmen) Categorie:ALIEN LIFE, UFO- CRASHES, ABDUCTIONS, MEN IN BLACK, ed ( FR. , NL; E )
31-07-2025
Waarom de Wereldelite Disclosure Vreest: Macht, Waarheid en de UFO-Revolutie
Waarom de Wereldelite Disclosure Vreest: Macht, Waarheid en de UFO-Revolutie
De gedachte aan UFO-disclosure—het openbaren van de waarheid over onidentificeerbare luchtverschijnselen en mogelijk niet-menselijke intelligenties—heeft mensen al decennia lang geboeid. Toch is er achter de schermen iets veel krachtigers gaande dan enkel nieuwsgierigheid: angst. Vooral bij de wereldelite, wiens machtsstructuren berusten op geheimhouding, controle en lange termijn planning, roept het idee van volledige openheid een diepe vrees op. Deze angst wortelt niet alleen in de onbekendheid, maar in de fundamentele bedreiging van hun macht en het systeem dat zij hebben opgebouwd.
1. Disclosure Is Niet Alleen Informatie—Het Is Ontwrichting
Wanneer bekende historici en onderzoekers zoals Richard Dolan en Bryce Zabel waarschuwen dat volledige disclosure een enorme maatschappelijke ontwrichting teweeg kan brengen, is dat niet zonder reden. In hun boek A.D. After Disclosure benadrukken ze dat een officiële erkenning van het bestaan van UFOs en niet-menselijke intelligenties het bestaande wereldbeeld volledig ondermijnt. Militairen, religieuze instellingen, media en overheden die decennia lang de waarheid hebben verzwegen of minimaliseerd, worden blootgesteld als bedriegers of medeplichtigen.
Zo'n onthulling zou de volksvertrouwen in de grote systemen, zoals de overheid en de wetenschap, ondermijnen. Het zou de fundamenten van onze samenleving doen schudden, omdat het niet alleen de waarheid over buitenaardsen aan het licht brengt, maar ook de leugens en manipulaties van machthebbers zelf. De angst bij de elite ligt in de mogelijkheid dat deze schokgolf niet alleen het publiek, maar ook de machtsstructuren zelf kan destabiliseren.
Daarnaast zou disclosure leiden tot een fundamentele herziening van onze plaats in het universum. Mensen zouden geconfronteerd worden met de mogelijkheid dat we niet langer de enig bewuste beschaving in de kosmos zijn, wat existentiële vragen oproept over religie, wetenschap en onze collectieve identiteit. De onthulling kan ook leiden tot een herwaardering van technologische kennis en energiebronnen die mogelijk al langer onder controle gehouden worden door overheden en grote industriële machten.
Kortom, disclosure is niet slechts een kwestie van nieuwe informatie; het is een potentieel katalysator voor een complete maatschappelijke en culturele revolutie.
2. Economische Instorting: Een paniek na het einde van het aardolie-tijdperk
Een ander facet van de angst voor disclosure, oftewel het openbaar maken van revolutionaire technologieën, ligt in de enorme impact die dit zou kunnen hebben op de wereldwijde economie. Denk hierbij aan baanbrekende technologieën zoals anti-gravitatie, vrije energie en geavanceerde materialen die onze bestaande energie- en transportnetwerken volledig kunnen ontwrichten. Als dergelijke technologieën plotseling beschikbaar worden voor het grote publiek, zou dat niet alleen de technologische infrastructuur op zijn kop zetten, maar ook een cascade van economische en maatschappelijke veranderingen veroorzaken.
De wereld zoals wij die kennen, rust nog steeds op de petro-dollar, olie- en gasmarkten, en een uitgebreide infrastructuur die afhankelijk is van fossiele brandstoffen. Deze systemen vormen de ruggengraat van de wereldeconomie en bepalen de geopolitieke machtsverhoudingen. Maar wanneer massale nieuwe energiebronnen en revolutionaire propulsion-systemen op grote schaal worden uitgerold, kunnen de bestaande energiebedrijven, transportbedrijven en militaire systemen overbodig worden. De waarde van flinke infrastructuur en miljardeninvesteringen in fossiele brandstoffen zou in één klap kunnen verdwijnen, waardoor markten instorten en een enorme economische chaos ontstaat.
De potentie van dergelijke technologieën om de energiemarkt te ontwrichten, veroorzaakt grote angst onder de financiële elite en beleidsmakers. Zij vrezen dat hun controle over de wereldwijde kapitaalstromen en geopolitieke macht definitief verloren kan gaan. Het hele systeem van voorspelbare markten, investeringspatronen en economische voorspelbaarheid zou instorten, waardoor de machtsbalans onder druk komt te staan. Een dergelijke ontwrichting zou kunnen leiden tot een wereldwijde recessie of zelfs een depressie, met massale werkloosheid, inflatie en sociale onrust als gevolg.
Bovendien is de angst voor een plotselinge technologische doorbraak niet alleen economisch van belang, maar ook geopolitiek. Landen en economische machten die nu afhankelijk zijn van fossiele brandstoffen zouden hun positie verliezen, terwijl nieuwe spelers die beschikken over geavanceerde technologieën, snel de wereldwijde machtskaart kunnen herschikken. Het risico op geopolitieke conflicten, die mogelijk escaleren tot militaire confrontaties, neemt toe.
Kortom, de onthulling van dergelijke revolutionaire technologieën zou niet alleen een technologische revolutie in gang zetten, maar ook een fundamentele herziening van het wereldwijde economische en geopolitieke landschap. Het zou een nieuwe realiteit creëren waarin de gevestigde belangen hun greep op de wereldmarkt dreigen te verliezen, met alle onzekerheden en chaotische gevolgen van dien.
3. Religieuze en Psychologische Impact
De erkenning dat niet-menselijke intelligenties al decennia, misschien zelfs eeuwen, onder onze neus zijn geweest, zou een ingrijpende verandering teweegbrengen in ons wereldbeeld. Voor veel mensen betekent dit dat de traditionele opvattingen over de menselijke superioriteit, scheppingsverhalen en de rol van de mens in het universum volledig ter discussie worden gesteld. Religieuze dogma's die de mensheid centraal stellen, zoals het idee dat de mens de kroon op de schepping is, zouden hun autoriteit verliezen. Religieuze instellingen zouden geconfronteerd worden met de noodzaak om hun doctrines te herzien of zelfs te herzien, wat kan leiden tot een identiteitscrisis binnen deze organisaties.
Wetenschappelijke materialisten, die uitgaan van een puur materiële en empirische wereld, zouden hun geloof in een volledig verklaarbare werkelijkheid moeten herzien. Als blijkt dat niet-menselijke intelligenties en buitenaardse wezens bestaan, zou dat hun wereldbeeld fundamenteel ondermijnen en tot een herwaardering van de rol van het onbekende en het metafysische leiden. Dit soort collectief ontwaken – een soort metafysische revolutie – zou niet alleen de wetenschap, maar ook de filosofie en de samenleving als geheel ingrijpend veranderen.
Tegelijkertijd brengt deze nieuwe realiteit grote psychologische risico's met zich mee. Mensen zouden geconfronteerd worden met de schokkende waarheid dat ze niet de enige intelligente wezens in het universum zijn, en dat niet-menselijke technologie en buitenaardse wezens al lange tijd onder onze radar opereren. Dit kan leiden tot paniek, verwarring en een gevoel van ontheemding. Het verlies van zekerheid over de menselijke superioriteit kan existentiële angst en depressieve gevoelens versterken. Voor de elite, die vaak afhankelijk is van ideologische controlemechanismen zoals religie, staatsideologie en media, is het nog gevaarlijker dat het publiek niet langer blindelings gelooft in deze structuren. Mensen zouden kritisch beginnen te denken, en dat kan leiden tot een brede maatschappelijke onrust, protesten en zelfs revolutionaire bewegingen die de bestaande machtsverhoudingen ondermijnen. Kortom, deze ontdekking zou niet alleen ons wereldbeeld, maar ook onze psyche drastisch kunnen veranderen.
4. Geheimhouding als Strategisch Wapen
De drang naar geheimhouding is niet louter uit angst voor de publieke reactie, maar ook uit strategisch belang. Verschillende geheime programma’s, zoals het reverse-engineeren van buitenaardse technologie of het uitvoeren van illegale experimenten, zouden blootgelegd kunnen worden. Zulke onthullingen zouden leiden tot juridische processen, excuses, en mogelijk zelfs strafrechtelijke vervolging van hoge functionarissen en wetenschappers. Het geheimhouden van dergelijke informatie dient dus niet alleen ter bescherming van de reputatie van betrokken instanties, maar ook als een middel om de controle over de publieke perceptie en de machtsstructuren te behouden.
Bovendien brengt het blootleggen van dergelijke geheimen de vraag naar het morele en juridische rechtvaardigheidsproces. Het zou de onderliggende corruptie en bedrog binnen de machtsstructuren blootleggen, wat de stabiliteit van het systeem verder ondermijnt. Het risico bestaat dat het publiek het vertrouwen in overheidsinstanties en grote instituten volledig verliest, wat kan leiden tot sociale onrust en politieke instabiliteit. Daarom wordt de geheime informatie vaak streng bewaakt en worden pogingen tot lekken actief bestreden, bijvoorbeeld door middel van geheime beveiligingsmaatregelen en juridische sancties.
Daarnaast speelt angst voor internationale implicaties een rol. Het openbaar maken van bepaalde technologische of militaire geheimen zou niet alleen de nationale veiligheid in gevaar brengen, maar ook de diplomatieke betrekkingen met andere landen kunnen schaden. Sommige staten willen voorkomen dat technologische doorbraken of strategische informatie in verkeerde handen vallen, uit vrees voor spionage of militaire confrontaties.
Kortom, geheimhouding fungeert als een strategisch instrument dat door de machthebbers wordt ingezet om hun positie te beschermen, de controle te behouden en potentiële chaos of destabilisatie te voorkomen. Het verzwijgen van de waarheid is daarmee niet slechts een kwestie van privacy, maar een bewuste keuze om de machtsdynamiek in stand te houden en te voorkomen dat onderliggende structuren ter discussie worden gesteld.
5. Alien Technologie: Een Spelbreker voor Beschavingen
Stel je voor dat landen zoals de Verenigde Staten of grote private contractors beschikken over uiterst geavanceerde, exotische technologieën die ver buiten ons huidige wetenschappelijke begrip liggen. Deze technologieën kunnen bestaan uit niet-aardse energiebronnen, nanotechnologieën, of zelfs technologieën die de wetten van de natuur lijken te tarten. In feite vormen deze technologieën een soort ‘cheat sheet’ voor beschavingen: een geheime krachtbron die, indien strategisch ingezet, een enorme invloed en machtspositie kan opleveren. Het beheer over zulke technologieën geeft machthebbers een voordeel dat vergelijkbaar is met een onzichtbare spil in het wereldwijde machtsdossier.
Het gecontroleerd en geleidelijk vrijgeven van deze alien technologieën stelt deze elites in staat om economische en strategische belangen te versterken, zonder meteen de volledige controle te hoeven prijsgeven. Door de technologie stapsgewijs te introduceren, kunnen ze de markt en de geopolitieke verhoudingen sturen, hun militaire macht versterken en technologische achterstanden inhalen. Het risico van oncontroleerbare uitlekken of massale onthullingen wordt hiermee geminimaliseerd, aangezien plotselinge onthullingen kunnen leiden tot chaos, paniek en destabilisatie op wereldschaal.
Indien dergelijke technologieën echter in verkeerde handen vallen of uitgelekt worden zonder controle, kunnen de gevolgen catastrofaal zijn. Het zou kunnen leiden tot een technologische armsrace, destabilisatie van regeringen, of zelfs een wereldwijde crisis waarin de bestaande machtsstructuren onder druk komen te staan. Om dat te voorkomen, wordt de uitrol en het gebruik ervan nauwkeurig gemanipuleerd door de elites. Het is dus niet alleen een kwestie van technologische superioriteit, maar ook van strategisch management en geheimhouding.
Daarnaast roept de aanwezigheid van dergelijke technologieën vragen op over de aard van de betrokken beschavingen en de mogelijke buitenaardse invloeden op onze wereld. Sommige theorieën suggereren dat deze technologieën mogelijk buitenaardse oorsprong hebben en dat de mensheid nog niet klaar is om de volledige kennis te bezitten. Kortom, alien technologie vormt niet alleen een technologische revolutie, maar ook een potentieel keerpunt in de geschiedenis van menselijke beschaving, dat zorgvuldig gecontroleerd moet worden om destabilisatie en chaos te voorkomen.
6. De Risico’s van Oncontroleerbare Uitspraken
In de wereld van geheime technologieën spelen leaks en onverwachte onthullingen een gevaarlijk spel. Een van de meest spraakmakende incidenten was de “Tic Tac” waarneming door de Amerikaanse marine in 2004. Tijdens de oefeningen met de USS Nimitz werden radarbeelden vastgelegd van een ongewone, onverklaarbare object dat zich boven en onder het wateroppervlak leek te bewegen. Het object vertoonde manoeuvres die ver boven onze huidige technologie uitstijgen: het leek moeiteloos te kunnen duiken, accelereren en stil blijven hangen, allemaal zonder enige bekende aandrijving of communicatiesystemen. Bovendien werd er onder het water een verstoring opgemerkt, een soort USO (Unidentified Submerged Object), dat de indruk gaf dat deze technologie niet alleen in de lucht, maar ook onder water een stap verder was dan onze eigen.
Wat deze incidenten extra intrigerend maakt, is de manier waarop het object het radarsignaal en communicatie verstoringen veroorzaakte. Het leek alsof het niet alleen fysiek geavanceerd was, maar ook cybertechnisch en strategisch superieur. Het was een wake-up call voor het Pentagon en de wereld: de technologie die hier aan het werk was, was niet van deze wereld of in ieder geval niet van onze planeet. Dit soort gebeurtenissen roept vragen op over de herkomst van deze technologie en over wie er eigenlijk over beschikt.
7. Interne Machtstrijd onder de Elites
Binnen de machtskringen van de wereldwijde elite heerst er een subtiel, maar krachtig strijdtoneel. Volgens de analist Dolan bestaat er een duidelijke scheuring: aan de ene kant staat een groep die zich sterk inzet voor totale geheimhouding, uit angst voor massale paniek, chaos, of het verlies van controle. Aan de andere kant is er een stroming die pleit voor langzame, gecontroleerde openbaring, bedoeld om de publieke perceptie geleidelijk te veranderen en de samenleving voor te bereiden op de waarheid.
De eerste groep ziet de technologie als een soort wapen of geheim wapen dat ze liever in eigen handen houden, uit angst dat openheid de bestaande machtsstructuren zou ondermijnen. De tweede groep gelooft dat volledige transparantie op lange termijn het beste is: door openheid kunnen we mogelijk nieuwe samenlevingsvormen, technologische doorbraken en een nieuw vertrouwen in de overheid ontwikkelen. Maar de balans wordt verstoord door elke leak, nieuwe wetgeving en publieke druk.
8. De Wet en de Toekomst van Openheid
Met wetten zoals de UAP Disclosure Act lijkt de politiek zich te bewegen richting meer transparantie. Maar wat betekent dat precies? Dolan waarschuwt voor twee mogelijke scenario’s: een autoritaire ‘disclosure’, waarin de waarheid wordt gemanipuleerd en gecontroleerd onder het mom van nationale veiligheid, en een ware openheid waarin de waarheid volledig wordt gedeeld, zelfs als dat de samenleving destabiliseert.
Het eerste scenario zou betekenen dat overheden en militaire machten de controle behouden door informatie te censureren, propaganda te gebruiken en de publieke perceptie te sturen. De samenleving zou onder constante surveillance worden gebracht, en de waarheid over de aanwezigheid van vreemde technologieën zou worden onderdrukt. Het tweede scenario, dat Dolan steunt, houdt in dat de mensheid de waarheid onder ogen ziet en zich aanpast. Het zou wellicht initiële chaos en verwarring veroorzaken, maar op de lange termijn zou het leiden tot een eerlijkere en krachtigere samenleving waarin we onze werkelijkheid opnieuw definiëren.
9. Waarom Vreest Men de Waarheid?
De onthulling van geavanceerde technologieën en geheimen heeft het potentieel om de fundamenten van onze samenleving ingrijpend te veranderen. Het kan bestaande machtsstructuren ondermijnen, omdat informatie die voorheen verborgen was, nu voor iedereen toegankelijk wordt. Dit brengt een bedreiging voor controle, inkomstenstromen en ideologieën die afhankelijk zijn van geheimhouding en manipulatie. Bovendien raakt het de kern van macht: wie beschikt over informatie, bepaalt vaak de agenda.
De angst voor deze veranderingen is begrijpelijk. Veel organisaties en regeringen willen de status quo handhaven en zien de openbaring van gevoelige informatie als een gevaar. Toch is het belangrijk om niet alleen vanuit angst te reageren, maar ook met moed en visie. Transparantie kan leiden tot meer verantwoordelijkheid, eerlijkheid en gelijkheid. Het biedt kansen voor innovatie en samenwerking, maar vraagt ook om een bewuste aanpak, waarbij ethiek en menselijke waarden centraal staan.
De komende veranderingen zijn onvermijdelijk, of we dat nu willen of niet. Het is aan ons om te bepalen hoe we ermee omgaan: uit angst of met durf. Door openheid te omarmen en de juiste regulering te zoeken, kunnen we de risico’s beperken en de voordelen maximaliseren. Alleen door moed te tonen en het bewust te omarmen, kunnen we een samenleving vormgeven die klaar is voor de toekomst zonder haar kernwaarden te verliezen. Het is tijd voor actie, niet voor angst.
Why Disclosure Terrifies Global Elites: Power, Truth & The UFO Revolution
Why Disclosure Terrifies Global Elites: Power, Truth & The UFO Revolution
The idea of UFO disclosure—revealing the truth about unidentified aerial phenomena and potential non-human intelligences—has captivated public imagination for decades. But behind closed doors, it evokes something far more powerful than curiosity: fear. Specifically, fear among global elites whose power structures are built on secrecy, control, and long-term planning.
1. Disclosure Isn’t Just Information—It’s Disruption
When Richard Dolan and Bryce Zabel co-authored A.D. After Disclosure, they warned that any legitimate admission of UFO reality could trigger an avalanche of global upheaval. Military institutions, religious organizations, media, and governments—all of which have either denied or downplayed UFO encounters—would be exposed as deceived or complicit. That admission alone would shatter public trust in legacy systems already hanging by a thread.
2. Economic Collapse: A Post-Petroleum Panic
Disclosure implies new technologies: anti-gravity propulsion, free energy, advanced materials. These innovations would render oil, gas, and even renewables obsolete almost overnight. This isn’t just theoretical—global energy markets, military doctrine, transportation, and even the petrodollar system would be instantly destabilized.
Multi-trillion dollar infrastructures—pipelines, aircraft carriers, power grids—could become worthless. Investment portfolios would crash. Predictable markets would vanish. And the financial elite would lose control over how, when, and where capital flows.
3. The Religious and Psychological Fallout
If we admit that non-human intelligences exist—and that they have been here for decades, maybe centuries—our sense of self collapses. Religious narratives may no longer hold exclusive authority. Scientific materialism loses credibility. A metaphysical awakening could occur. Or mass existential dread.
Either way, elites fear a loss of control over ideological authority—something far more dangerous than mass panic. People won’t riot—they’ll wake up.
4.Secrecy as a Strategic Asset
Disclosure also risks exposing classified programs and moral crimes: illegal experiments, reverse engineering, possible murders of whistleblowers. Agencies that lied to the public and to Congress could face lawsuits, reparations, and even criminal prosecution. That could destabilize the legal system itself, as those tasked with justice are revealed as perpetrators.
The deeper the truth, the greater the scandal—not just of alien presence, but of generational betrayal.
5. Alien Tech: A Civilization Cheat Code
If the U.S. or private contractors hold exotic technology, it’s akin to having a civilizational cheat sheet. With control over that tech, a slow drip allows monetization and gradual dominance. But sudden exposure? That’s chaos. It’s why a controlled disclosure is the preferred strategy for power-holders. But with rising public pressure, leaks, and legislative momentum, even that strategy is under threat.
6. The Tic-Tac & USO Encounters
The 2004 Nimitz “Tic Tac” encounter raised questions that still shake the Pentagon. Was it Lockheed tech—or something else? Radar showed a disturbance beneath the water, suggesting a USO (Unidentified Submerged Object) below the craft. Advanced maneuverability, disruption of encrypted communications, and brazen displays all hint at something beyond our known capabilities.
7. Internal Power Struggles Among Elites
Dolan notes a schism within elite circles: one faction pushes for secrecy, while another supports slow disclosure—motivated not by altruism, but self-preservation. Some want to position themselves before lawsuits. Others aim to gradually normalize the public to prevent revolt.
But with every leak and new law—like the UAP Disclosure Act—the balance shifts.
8. A Post-Disclosure Future: Totalitarian or Transparent?
Dolan warns of two paths:
Authoritarian disclosure, where the truth is tightly managed under increased surveillance and propaganda.
Transparent disclosure, where humanity faces the truth, no matter how disruptive, and reinvents its world with honesty.
He supports the latter—believing that, although painful, it’s better to build from truth than to persist in deception.
Conclusion: Why They Fear It
Disclosure threatens to upend the foundations of modern society: not just geopolitics or military superiority, but the very fabric of reality as most of us understand it.
It threatens control.
It threatens revenue.
It threatens ideology.
And above all, it threatens power.
Whether driven by whistleblowers, AI convergence, or rising public awareness, the avalanche is coming. The only question is: Will we face it with fear—or with courage?
Martian glaciers consist mainly of pure water ice. This is good news for future explorers of the Red Planet, who will be able to use them as a source of water, air, and rocket fuel components.
One of Mars’ glaciers, covered with a layer of dust and rocks. Source: NASA/JPL-Caltech/University of Arizona
Scientists have long known that there are dust-covered glaciers on the slopes of many Martian mountains. Initially, it was believed that they consisted mainly of dust and rocks and contained only 30% ice. However, research conducted in recent decades has cast doubt on this picture, showing that at least some of them are cleaner than previously thought. Now scientists have confirmed this, establishing that glaciers across the planet actually contain more than 80% water ice.
The discovery was made using the radar instrument (SHARAD) installed on board the MRO spacecraft. An international team of researchers decided to study how quickly radar waves pass through glaciers and how quickly they scatter. This data could shed light on the ratio of rock to ice.
For their research, the team selected five sites on Mars. Analysis of the collected SHARAD data revealed a surprising uniformity in the purity of these glaciers, which consist of at least 80% ice. It is covered with a layer of dust and soil.
Locations of Martian glaciers scanned by the MRO spacecraft’s radar. Source: Steinberg et al.
Researchers emphasize that the composition of glaciers is the same even in different hemispheres of Mars.This indicates that the environmental conditions in which the ice formed and remained intact were probably the same across the entire planet. Ice could have formed as a result of atmospheric precipitation (snowfall) or as a result of direct condensation due to an increase in frost. At the same time, it does not appear that ice could form as a result of water vapor from the atmosphere diffusing into subsurface layers and forming ground ice, which occurs in regions such as Alaska and Antarctica under terrestrial conditions.
The discovery plays an important role in understanding Mars’ past and the processes taking place on it. In addition, it can assist in planning future manned missions, for which accessible ice deposits may become a critical component of success.
We previously reported that brines may exist on the surface of Mars.
It is believed that, whatever the star, there is a zone around it in which a planet similar in mass to Earth will be Earth-like. But let’s see what worlds orbiting red dwarfs and blue supergiants might be like.
Exoplanetes. Source: exoplanetes.umontreal.ca
Zone of life
Often, when discussing the possibility of life near other stars, one hears that some of them are too dim for this, and some are too hot. In reality, the brightness of a star only affects the distance at which a planet must be located for life to exist on it.
It is a whole range of distances between which water can exist in a liquid state. It is also called the Goldilocks Zone. Simply falling within a certain part of it does not determine the climate on the planet. Important factors that influence it also include the mass of the celestial body, the eccentricity of its orbit, the tilt of its axis of rotation, the thickness of its atmosphere, and so on.
So, is a star merely a source of light, whose characteristics determine only the length of the year on a planet where life is possible? In general, the answer to this question is “no”, but it is worth considering each case individually.
Goldilocks Zone. Source: www.britannica.com
Stars lighter than the Sun
The Sun is considered a star of average diameter, mass, and luminosity. If you look at the Hertzsprung-Russell diagram, it is difficult to disagree with this. Our star is located right in the center of the main sequence. But this is only true if we do not take into account the number of stars of a certain size in the Galaxy. More than 90% of them are smaller than the Sun. Stars larger than it are much rarer.
Excluding brown dwarfs, which occupy an intermediate position between stars and planets, the smallest stars are red dwarfs, such as Proxima Centauri, Wolf 359, Ross 154, and others close to Earth but invisible to the naked eye. You can read more about the problem of Earth-like worlds in their orbits in this article.
It should be noted that the existence of these worlds as a result of tidal locking of the “day” and “night” hemispheres is not their main feature. The fact is that this may not be the case if the eccentricity of the planet’s orbit is large enough. However, long days lasting 2-3 Earth days are inevitable.
A planet caught in a tidal wave. Source: www.newscientist.com
The constant threat of powerful flares is also not mandatory. Most planets in red dwarf systems do indeed experience them, but among these stars, there are many in which such activity is not observed. This is especially true for those who are significantly older.
However, there is one feature that is present in all planets, more or less similar to Earth, that orbit red dwarfs, and that is an extremely short year, which can last 10-20 days. As a result, there should be virtually no change in seasons.
There are two mechanisms for changing the illumination of a particular area on a planet during its rotation around a star: a change in distance from the star due to the large eccentricity of the orbit, and the inclination of the axis of rotation. A combination of these two factors is also possible. But whatever it may be on a particular red dwarf, significant long-term weather fluctuations will not occur.
Orbits of planets with different eccentricities. Source: astronomy.stackexchange.com
For this, water and air have too much thermal inertia. Combined with a very long or absent cycle of change for day and night, this will result in a very even climate. The inhabitants of such a planet may not know what winter and summer are.
Between red dwarfs and yellow stars, similar to our Sun, are orange stars. The luminosity of these stars is tens of percent of the Sun’s, and there are also many of them in the Galaxy. Examples include Epsilon Eridani, Epsilon Indi, 61 Cygni, and 70 Ophiuchi.
Orange dwarfs, like yellow ones, end their existence by first turning into red giants and then into white dwarfs.
However, no orange dwarf in the Milky Way has reached this stage of its existence yet, because it takes between 15 and 30 billion years to do so. It is precisely because of the combination of the long stable existence of Goldilocks Zone planets and their prevalence in the universe that planets near these stars are considered the best candidates for the search for extraterrestrial life.
The Epsilon Eridani system compared to the Solar System. Source: phys.org
The tidal forces of their stars still exert a strong influence on them, causing a slowdown in their daily rotation. However, to cause tidal capture, the day must be “stretched” to dozens of Earth days, which can only be achieved over many billions of years.
Orange dwarfs also have increased flare activity compared to the Sun. However, planets in the “habitable zone” in their case are still much further from the star than in the case of red dwarfs. And the explosions on their surface are not as large-scale and frequent as in the latter. Therefore, the probability of serious losses of the atmosphere and hydrosphere is quite low.
Another key feature of the climate on these planets is their short year. With a duration of 40-200 days, fluctuations in light caused by orbital eccentricity and axial tilt become more noticeable. However, if only 30-50 Earth days pass between the days of minimum and maximum insolation, the difference between summer and winter is relatively small. Most likely, over billions of years of evolution, life on these worlds has primarily adapted to daily temperature changes rather than annual ones.
Stars heavier than the Sun
As for stars whose size, mass, and luminosity exceed that of the Sun, the situation is completely different. The first thing to realize is that there are not many such stars. Within a radius of 50 light-years from the Sun, there are barely two dozen of them, compared to several hundred red and orange dwarfs.
Procyon compared to the Sun
There are no problems with tidal braking and flares in the Goldilocks Zone of these stars. Their luminosity, which is significantly greater than that of the Sun, means that they must be much further away than Earth is from the Sun. Accordingly, a year on them must last from several tens of percent to several times longer than on our home planet.
However, there are most likely no planets with a developed biosphere and a year 10 times longer than Earth’s in space. The fact is that even yellowish stars of spectral class F, whose mass is 30-60% greater than that of the Sun, complete their entire evolutionary path to becoming red giants in only 3-5 billion years.
Life on Earth needed a comparable amount of time to evolve not only humans, but also terrestrial multicellular organisms. Of course, we do not know to what extent the pace of biological evolution on our planet is typical for the entire Milky Way galaxy. But it is most likely to assume that this time does not differ much from a certain average.
Biological evolution on Earth. Source: www.britannica.com
However, the star does not instantly turn into a red giant. Its luminosity increases gradually. For example, our own Sun could render Earth uninhabitable in a billion years. In larger stars, these processes occur much faster.
That is, most likely, regardless of how large the axial tilt and orbital eccentricity of worlds orbiting stars brighter than the Sun are, these planets experience significant temperature fluctuations throughout the year. It is highly unlikely that multicellular life or life on land exists on them. And the atmosphere is most likely unsuitable for breathing, despite the presence of entirely terrestrial oceans and temperatures acceptable for human existence.
In general, judging by everything, our star is close to the upper limit of mass, beyond which complex life simply does not have time to develop. For example, large hot stars such as Sirius, Vega, and Achernar have a lifespan of just a few hundred million years. If there are planets there, then only very primitive life could have emerged on them.
Large and hot stars compared to the Sun. Source: alchetron.com
Planets near older stars
However, all of the above cases involve planets orbiting stars that are on the main sequence, i.e., undergoing a relatively stable period of their evolution. However, we may find a planet orbiting a giant or red giant at a distance that can be considered the Goldilocks Zone. They will have sufficiently long years and, in principle, may have a temperature regime conducive to the existence of life, but it must be remembered that in the past, these planets were analogous to Mars or Jupiter’s moons.
That is, for billions of years, if life existed on them, it barely flickered somewhere beneath the surface. And then, over a relatively short period of time, the influx of heat increased significantly, and conditions on them became quite favorable.
Will we see a world with forests, meadows, and perhaps cities living under a big red sun? This is a very interesting question, but we do not know the general answer. It depends on two factors: how complex organisms can arise in conditions of insufficient sunlight and, possibly, liquid water. So far, we cannot rule out either the possibility that even primitive multicellular organisms could develop in such conditions or that nothing more primitive than bacteria could emerge.
Planets orbiting a red giant. Source: NASA
On the other hand, much depends on the stage of stellar evolution at which the planet entered the Goldilocks Zone. If it is transforming into a subgiant, then in the case of stars comparable to our Sun, this process can take hundreds of millions of years, during which the surface temperature will rise quite slowly.
If by that time the evolution of life had already made some progress, then this time would be sufficient for life to give rise to a developed terrestrial biosphere. For example, on Earth, the path from primitive marine invertebrates to monkeys living in forests took only half a billion years.
However, if the planet became warm enough for life only after its sun turned into a red giant, the situation is much worse. Here, too, the changes will take millions of years, but the transition from an icy world to a scorching one can happen extremely quickly. And there will be practically no time for evolution.
Exoplanetes. Source: www.futura-sciences.com
White dwarfs may also have a Goldilocks Zone. However, it is important to remember that it is located where the outer layers of the star used to be during its red giant or even subgiant phase. Can a planet survive this? Can a new world form around a white dwarf?
Science does not provide definitive conclusions on this matter, but it is more likely that the answer to the first question is no rather than yes, and to the second question is yes rather than no. In other words, we are very likely to find a planet in the Goldilocks Zone of a white dwarf, but water is unlikely, although anything is possible. And it is highly doubtful that there is any life there. As for black holes and neutron stars, planets may exist in their orbits. But most likely, high levels of radiation make life on them impossible.
It may seem that truly Earth-like planets can only exist in the orbits of a small number of stars and that their diversity is limited. But in fact, this is not the case. Even what has been described means that there are millions of planets in the Galaxy, some of which may seem incredible to us.
Image of the Mare Tranquillitatis pit crater on the Moon. (Credit: NASA/GSFC/Arizona State University)
How can artificial intelligence (AI) be used to locate lunar pits and skylights, which are surface depressions and openings, respectively, that serve as entrances to lava caves and lava tubes? This is what arecent studypublished in Icarus hopes to address as an international team of researchers investigated using machine learning algorithms to more efficiently identify pits and skylights on lunar volcanic regions (lunar maria) of the Moon. This study has the potential to help researchers develop new methods in identifying key surface features on planetary bodies that could aid in both robotic and human exploration.
For the study, the researchers used several deep learning models to identify pits and skylights using orbital images from the Moon and Mars with the goal of identifying new lunar pits and skylights to complement the 16 that have been previously identified with the Lunar Pit Atlas. One of the pits used to train the model was the well-known Mare Tranquillitatis Pit that has been imaged several times and estimated to have a minimum radius of 100 meters (328 feet) and a depth of approximately 105 meters (344 feet). In the end, the researchers found a deep learning model called ESSA (Entrances to Sub-Surface Areas) performed the best, as it successfully identified two new skylights despite only observing approximately 1.92 percent of the lunar maria.
The study notes, “Since ESSA has surveyed just ≈0.23% of the Moon’s surface so far, there are still vast amounts of data to which it can be applied. In the context of searching for pits and skylights which relate to potential cave entrances, mare regions should still be prioritized for being fed to ESSA. Up to now, ESSA has largely been applied to smaller mare deposits, which have well-defined boundaries, such as those within impact craters. However, with sufficient time allocated for the processing of imagery, ESSA could search for pits and skylights within some of the larger Lunar maria (such as Mare Frigoris) by iterating through latitude–longitude intervals.”
As noted, lunar pits and skylights serve as entrances to subsurface lava caves and tubes that could enable future robotic and human exploration to better understand the Moon’s volcanic history while also serving as shelter for future astronauts. This is because, unlike Earth, the Moon lacks an atmosphere with a protective ozone layer and magnetic field, thus exposing astronauts to harmful solar and cosmic radiation. Lava tubes played a prominent role in the television series National Geographic Mars as a safe haven for the first astronauts on Mars. Like the Moon, Mars lacks an ozone layer and magnetic field, so the lava tubes served as protective shielding from the harsh aforementioned solar and cosmic radiation.
This study comes as NASA’s Artemis program plans to send humans back to the lunar surface in the next few years for the first time since Apollo 17 in 1972. While Artemis plans to lands astronauts on the lunar south pole, far from lunar lava caves and tubes, this study demonstrates how AI and machine learning could be used to help identify key lunar surface features, potentially including water ice deposits and lunar resources that can be used for in situ resource utilization, the former existing within deep craters at the lunar south pole.
Additionally, the use of AI and machine learning models for planetary science continue to exhibit extraordinary speed and efficiency with the goal of enhancing our knowledge of planetary bodies, for planetary bodies of all sizes and types and both in and out of our solar system.
How will AI help identify pits, skylights, and other key surface features on the Moon and other planetary bodies in the coming years and decades? Only time will tell, and this is why we science!
Artist's impression of the Moon's interior, showing its inner and outer core and magnetic field lines. Credit: Hernán Cañellas/Benjamin Weiss/MIT
According to the prevailing theory of how the Moon formed, it all began roughly 4.5 billion years ago when a Mars-sized object (Theia) collided with a primordial Earth. This caused both bodies to become a molten mass that eventually coalesced to form the Earth-Moon System (aka. The Giant Impact Hypothesis. This theory also states that the Moon gradually cooled from the top down, with the crust solidifying and arresting lava flows early in its history. However, recent findings from samples obtained by China's Chiang'e-5 probe indicate that lava existed at shallower depths longer than previously thought.
These samples obtained by the Chiang'e-5 lander were from the young mare basalt unit in the Oceanus Procellarum region, a vast lunar mare on the western edge of the near side of the Moon. The samples included 1.7 kilograms (3.7 pounds) of scooped and drilled material composed of basalt and igneous rock that formed roughly 2 billion years ago, making them the youngest samples obtained to date. These findings contradict the previous theory that the temperature of the outer layers of the Moon was too low for melting to occur in the shallow interior, and could revise theories about the Moon's early evolution.
The Chiang'e-5 samples are examples of rock formed from rapidly cooled lava, which is characteristic of the mare region from which they were obtained. To obtain an estimate of how deep this lava came from, the team conducted high-pressure and high-temperature experiments on a lava simulant with an identical composition. Based on remote sensing from orbit, previous work from Chinese scientists showed it erupted in an area with very high abundances of radioactive, heat-producing elements, including potassium, thorium, and uranium.
In large amounts, the researchers believe these elements could generate enough heat to keep the Moon hot near the surface, slowing the cooling process over time. Before this study, it was presumed that the upper mantle cooled first as the surface gradually lost heat to space, which was based largely on seismic data obtained by the Apollo astronauts. Per this theory, younger lavas like the samples obtained by the Chang'e-5 lander should have come from the deep mantle, where the Moon would still be hot. However, these findings suggest there must have been pockets in the shallow mantle that were hot enough to partially melt rock 2 billion years ago.
Using our experimental results and thermal evolution calculations, we put together a simple model showing that an enrichment in radioactive elements would have kept the Moon's upper mantle hundreds of degrees hotter than it would have been otherwise, even at 2 billion years ago.
Lunar magmatism, which is the record of volcanic activity on the Moon, gives us a direct window into the composition of the Moon's mantle, which is where magmas ultimately come from. We don't have any direct samples of the Moon's mantle like we do for Earth, so our window into the composition of the mantle comes indirectly from its lavas.
Artist's impression of the interior structure of the Moon.
Credit: Hernán Cañellas/Benjamin Weiss/MIT
This research is helping to establish a detailed timeline of the Moon's evolution, which is critical to understanding how planets and smaller bodies form and evolve. The prevailing theory is that this process begins with accretion from a protoplanetary disk, where dust and gas coalesce due to angular momentum to form planetary bodies. Initially, these bodies are extremely hot and have molten surfaces, which gradually cool to form solid bodies composed of rock and metal, with some forming envelopes of gas or volatiles like water (depending on where they form around their host stars).
The process of cooling and geological layer formation are key steps in the evolution of these bodies. Since the Moon is Earth's closest celestial neighbor, studying lunar samples is the easiest way to learn more about these processes. Said Elardo:
My hope is that this study will lead to more work in lunar geodynamics, which is a field that uses complex computer simulations to model how planetary interiors move, flow, and cool through time. This is an area, at least for the Moon, where there's a lot of uncertainty, and my hope is that this study helps to give that community another important data point for future models.
3I/ATLAS as an interstellar visitor, discovered on July 1. Estimated to be up to 15 miles (24 kilometers) wide, it’s barreling toward the Sun at over 130,000 mph. Fortunately, it won’t come closer to Earth than 1.6 astronomical units — about 150 million miles (240 million kilometers) according to NASA.
NASA insists there's no reason for concern — it’s just a comet, end of story. But here's where things get interesting: 3I/ATLAS is the third known interstellar object to enter our solar system, following the enigmatic ‘Oumuamua in 2017 and comet Borisov in 2019. And like those two, it behaves in ways that deviate from what we expect of natural comets.
A newly published paper on the preprint server arXiv (July 16) challenges NASA’s official explanation. The study, co-authored by three scientists, including Harvard astrophysicist Avi Loeb, suggests that 3I/ATLAS might not be a comet at all. Instead, the team proposes it could be an artificial object: a surveillance probe sent by an unknown extraterrestrial intelligence, possibly even one with hostile intent.
Loeb, warns that if this hypothesis turns out to be accurate, the consequences for humanity could be profound. He suggests that preparing defensive countermeasures might be necessary if this object poses a real threat.
What makes 3I/ATLAS so unusual?
According to Loeb, the object’s trajectory is so rare that the odds of a natural comet following the same path are less than 0.005%.
It will pass unusually close to three planets — Venus, Mars, and Jupiter — raising further suspicion.
Most telling of all: 3I/ATLAS lacks a coma, the cloud of gas and dust that typically surrounds comets.
"When analyzed with an open mind, the data offers compelling evidence that 3I/ATLAS may be technological in nature," Loeb explained.
In fact, Loeb outlines eight specific reasons why this object likely isn't a natural interstellar visitor — and why it may be of artificial origin. (You can read his full breakdown (here).
The idea that this mysterious object might be an alien craft, possibly one preparing for closer contact with Earth, is unsettling to say the least. For now, we can only wait, watch... and wonder.
Strange Cases of Close Encounters of the Dirty Kind
Supposed alien abductions are inherently bizarre and come in all shapes and sizes. Some are scary and involve malevolent or indifferent entities that treat us like little more than cattle. Others seem to be more benevolent in nature, with these beings bringing messages of peace or a warning to help us along. Still others are hard to fully categorize, and go off the rails into the truly bonkers, including romantic liaisons with the alien captors. Yes, you heard that right. One deeply odd subspecies of alien encounter reports is that of people who have not only encountered aliens, but also had sex with them. Here are some of the strangest.
Some of these alien abduction cases are even more out on the fringe than others, and one of these must certainly be the time a Brazilian farmer was taken aboard a spaceship to father an intergalactic love child. In October of 1957, a strange series of events began to unfold in a rural area near São Francisco de Sales, Brazil. Here lived a humble farmer by the name of Antônio Villas Boas and his brother, Joao, and their family, and on the night of October 14, they would have an odd experience while out ploughing a field. Because of the sweltering heat during the daytime and the fact that the work was typically grueling, it was common for them to do their work at night, but this evening would be different from most. As they toiled away in the field, their attention was captured by what they described as a ball of red light in the sky that was so bright they could not look directly at it. Antônio crept forward to investigate while his terrified brother stayed behind, but whenever he tried to approach it would speed away from him, almost as if it were playing a game. The two men could only watch as it emitted some beams of light in all directions and then sped off into the night. However, the weirdness would not end there. Indeed, it was only the beginning for Antônio.
On October 16, 1957, Antônio was out working the field again, this time alone, and he looked up to the starry sky above to notice a red star amongst the twinkling lights. Thinking this was odd, it got even stranger when it began to grow in size and brightness, and he realized that it was the same light he and his brother had seen before. This time, rather than retreating, the light seemed to be approaching him rapidly, getting close enough that the scared farmer could see that it was an egg-shaped craft of some sort with a rotating dome and a bright red light on its top. The bizarre craft then gently landed upon the field upon three metal legs that extended from beneath it to come to a rest not far from Boas, after which a hatch opened to disgorge a 5-foot-tall humanoid being dressed in a helmet and grey coveralls. This was frightening enough that Boas turned his tractor around and tried to get out of there, but the machine soon stalled, forcing him to continue fleeing on foot. He wouldn’t get far.
Whatever the creature was managed to catch him, joined by three other similar beings that communicated through a series of yelps and barks. Boas would claim that he was unable to effectively fight back against them and that these beings proceeded to physically drag him up into their otherworldly craft. There he was forced into a brightly lit room where the creatures took off all of his clothes and covered him with a slick gelatinous substance, before then taking him to another room adorned with strange red symbols. Here in this new room, the beings supposedly cut his chin to extract blood, and then he was led into yet another room and left alone for a while. As he sat there, terrified and unsure of what was coming next, a gas was piped into the room that was so foul-smelling that Boas vomited. He was still recovering from being violently ill when an hour later the door opened and he was confronted with another of the beings, this one an attractive female, with long platinum hair, large blue eyes, and, by Boas' description, hot. According to Boas, he had sexual relations with this creature, after which she rubbed her belly, implying that she would bear his child, and he was then dropped off back at his tractor to find that 4 hours had passed and that he had strange burns on his body that he could not remember having gotten.
Over the next few days, Boas suffered from various health issues, such as intense headaches, nausea, and unusual lesions that popped up on his body for no discernible reason, and the burns also remained. Not knowing what to do, he sought out medical attention and was finally examined by Dr. Olavo Fontes, of the National School of Medicine of Brazil. According to the doctor, Boas was in pretty bad shape and suffering from radiation poisoning, and he would say of the farmer’s symptoms:
"Among [Boas's] symptoms were pains throughout the body, nausea, headaches, loss of appetite, ceaselessly burning sensations in the eyes, cutaneous lesions at the slightest of light bruising...which went on appearing for months, looking like small reddish nodules, harder than the skin around them and protuberant, painful when touched, each with a small central orifice yielding a yellowish thin waterish discharge. The skin surrounding the wounds presented a hyperchromatic violet-tinged area."
The story was soon picked up by UFOlogists when Boas approached journalist Jose Martins about the experience, and by 1958, the whole bizarre tale was becoming increasingly mentioned in the mainstream media as it received worldwide fame, as well as more than its fair share of raised eyebrows. After all, the whole thing is so outlandish as to be almost absurd. At the time, tales of alien abduction were practically nonexistent, as it was; indeed, Boas’ account is one of the earliest to ever get any major attention, and many people didn’t know what to make of it all. Even UFOlogists were skeptical of it all, and it was pointed out that he most likely made it all up after reading a similar obscure account in a popular magazine called O Cruzeiro, and that he was probably heavily influenced by the incredibly bizarre reports of alien contactees written about by the Ufologist Georges Adamski. It is even suggested that he came up with the idea in 1958 and then predated his story to make it more believable, and the fact that he was able to produce the entire story from memory without the need for hypnosis has also seemed suspicious to some.
In the end, tales of such sexual encounters and alien hybrids have continued to flutter out on the fringe of even hardcore UFOlogists. It is all so completely off the rails and also scientifically implausible, as how would an alien have DNA compatible with us to the point that they could bear one of our children? Because of this, the case has mostly been labelled a hoax and a tall tale that has been largely shunned. However, Boas himself was no loon, going on in later years to become a respected lawyer, and he always stuck by his outlandish tale up to his death in 1992. Was this the ramblings of a troubled individual, a hoax, or was there something more to it all? Whatever the case may be, it is one of the earliest widely publicized UFO abduction accounts and continues to generate discussion to this day.
Another strange tale begins on the evening of April 13, 1979, on the outskirts of the city of Maringa in the state of Parana in southern Brazil, when a 21-year-old local man named Jocelino de Mattos and his 13-year-old brother Roberto Carlos were walking home after visiting their sister. It was a quiet, clear evening, and as they walked through an area of the suburb of Jardim Alvorada at around 11:30 p.m., they saw up in the sky what at first appeared to be an unusually bright star that they soon realized seemed to be following them. After some time, they were convinced that this was not their imagination and that the light was no star, and this is where things would get very strange, indeed. Jocelino would say of what happened next:
"When we arrived at the corner where we normally turn right to go home, we felt a strange sensation. My heartbeat started to accelerate, rapidly. I felt my body chilling, something bad. It was the same with my legs, in all my body, a bad sensation. My blood started to run wildly in my veins and I began to walk towards a tree in the middle of a plowed field. I didn’t want to go in that direction but something compelled me and my brother to walk towards it. It was difficult for us to walk because it was plowed and already prepared for planting. Suddenly, we started to walk, and walk… It seems as if we were walking very slowly and then we were walking very fast. We fought against it, but couldn’t. We continued walking. It seemed that it was impossible for us to think of anything else. The only objective was to reach the place where the star was. When we were immediately below the big tree, we both fell down to the ground. The strange object was about 10 to 15 meters away from us and about two or three meters above the ground. It was floating silently, and that’s all I can remember except that I heard a kind of voice that said something like, “The job is not ended, we will be back.” I do not know how I heard that voice but I remember it as in a dream."
After this, they both lost consciousness, and sometime later woke up in a dazed state, unsure of where they were and with difficulty standing up and walking. They managed to stumble along with each other’s help, but their limbs were slow to respond to their commands, their balance unsteady. What would have normally been an easy walk that they had taken many times before became and major task, their house seeming to be so far away as they shuffled along, and on top of this, they were trembling uncontrollably and overcome with a “strange and sudden hunger.” It was only after great effort and falling many times that they managed to make it to their home, where the two muddied, dazed men collapsed in front of their shocked family. Jocelino would explain:
“My mother and brothers were waiting for us. They ran towards us and helped us up. We explained to them what had happened. At first, they doubted us but later they went outside with me and I pointed out the star, which was still there. As we stood looking at the star, silently hovering almost over the trees, about 300 to 350 meters away from us, I began to tell my family what had happened to me and my brother. When I started telling them this, the object seemed to observe us from that distance and suddenly my brother and I received some kind of a shock, so strong it hurled us to the ground. My mother, another brother and my sister were not touched. My mother told me later that when they touched me or Roberto, we felt electrified, or something like that. We did not feel electrified, but we couldn’t move even a finger.”
After this, the mysterious object flew off, and they found themselves in control of their bodies again. The two brothers tried to put the strange event behind them, but were haunted by nightmares and the creeping sense that they were missing something, that pieces of their memories of the evening had been plucked away. In the meantime, their story was starting to do the rounds, and Jocelino was eventually convinced to undergo hypnotic regression to see if there was any trace of those missing memories somewhere in his head. The regression sessions were carried out by Dr. Oswaldo Alves, and it was found that indeed there was something lurking under the surface of what Jocelino consciously remembered. He would say under hypnosis that after collapsing in that field, they had floated into the air and towards a door of some sort that had opened in the side of the object, and he would explain what happened:
"Then there were two men in the doorway. One of them came in front of me and looked at me very attentively. He took up an object which I didn’t recognize, touched the object to my left arm, and gestured to me to get inside. From that point, we walked a little bit and we arrived in another room full of computers and there was some kind of command display on a table. It had different lights that I did not recognize and cannot explain. After that, they took me to another room full of motors, things I had never seen before. They were not hot and there was no noise. The motors were conic or something like that. “Then they took me to another room where there were some photographs similar to those of earth. I could see that the photographs were fixed on the wall in a kind of videotape, a TV screen or something like that. I could not distinguish it very well. Then we arrived in another room full of equipment like hospital equipment. It was a medical room. They asked me to lie down and as I did so, they examined me. Then, after this examination, they collected sperm, a small amount. Then they made me sit down on a kind of table. They put some instruments on my head and they spoke among themselves in a language that I did not understand. It scares me so much…"
Now I know what you are thinking at this point, and that is “where is all of the naughty stuff?” Don’t worry, I’m getting to it. At this point, Jocelino became very upset and had to be calmed down by Dr. Alves, but this session would continue, and when he was ready to talk again, the story would get even more bizarre still. He would say:
"After some minutes a woman arrived in the room. She touched me. She caressed me and it excited me. Then we started to make love. After the relations, she stopped and told me: “Perhaps the seed will come alive.” I did not understand anything. She went out of the room and they spoke between themselves and they told me in thought that they were for peace and that their objective was to study, to understand, the earth. They spoke to me about life, the fights and the wars and I really thought they were for peace, that they were peaceful people, friends. Then they told me: ‘We think it’s time to leave you.’ They took me by my arm and we went the same way we had walked to go to that place until we arrived at the door. I jumped to the ground together with them and they went floating ahead to where they could catch me. I felt myself paralyzed, totally unable to move. They made me lie down on the ground, exactly the way I was before they caught me. Then I came to my senses."
It was from that moment on that he had remembered before the regression. The two brothers would withdraw from all of the attention they were getting, and they stopped talking about it altogether. The case would go on to be covered in the books UFO Abduction From Maringa, The Agripo Experiments by Wendelle Stevens, and UFO Abductions: The Measure Of A Mystery, by Thomas E Bullard. Just what was going on here? There is no real way to be sure, and such cases are relegated to the shadows.
Among these naughty close encounters, another one of these must be the time a Chinese lumberjack was sexually accosted by a 10-foot-tall space alien that is due to have his child in a few decades. In a country where the UFO phenomenon is still mostly nascent, it is a truly spectacular account that really puts China up there with other countries with similarly far-out encounter reports. Let's take a look.
The setting of this bizarre tale takes place against the backdrop of the mist-shrouded Dragon Mountains, in the northwest portion of Wuchang, in the part of China historically known as Manchuria. Nestled amongst the sprawling forests of the area is a place called the Red Flag Logging Commune, a modest settlement populated by loggers and lumberjacks, mostly migrant workers and drifters trying to escape something. It is a Spartan existence; life here is simple, the days filled with backbreaking work, and there are few luxuries in this remote community, with only a single road running through it and no cell phone reception. One of these lumberjacks was a man named Meng Zhaoguo, who lived in a basic two-room timber frame house that he built himself, and he had a simple but contented life. Here at the commune, every day was pretty much the same, and not much ever happened out of the routine, but one evening Meng would allegedly have a truly bizarre experience that would change his life forever.
In June of 1994, Meng was out at around dusk, taking a walk, when he noticed something glimmering in the distance over the trees, as if a metallic object were reflecting the dying light of the day. As he drew closer, he claimed that he could see a white glowing orb descend into the darkened forest, and at first, he thought that a helicopter or weather balloon had come down and possibly crashed. He went to investigate and managed to reach what appeared to be something glinting through the trees, but he was unable to get a glimpse of what it was because something suddenly hit him in the forehead and knocked him out. When he awoke several hours later, he says that he was back in his home, with no memory of how he had gotten there, and he felt confused, partially paralyzed and unable to speak. It would only get weirder from there.
That very same evening, he was startled to wake up to find a bizarre alien being floating over his bed. He describes it as female, about 10 feet tall, and mostly human-looking except for having 6 fingers and legs strangely covered with braided hair. Meng claims that he tried to cry out, but found that he couldn’t, and that’s when he realized he was floating up off his bed towards the entity, screaming in silence the entire way. According to Meng, the female alien raped him, forcing him to have intercourse with her as they levitated in the air, after which she floated up to phase through the ceiling and he dropped back down onto his bed, where his wife had slept through the whole thing. In shock, Meng would also find that he now had a zig-zag-shaped scar on his upper thigh as well, presumably inflicted by the randy alien.
For the next month, Meng was plagued by potent nightmares about what had happened, as well as a curious aversion to anything made of iron, and it seems as if his ordeal was not even over yet. On this occasion, he again woke up in his bed to find himself levitating up towards the ceiling, but this time, there was no alien there. He simply kept going up, and as he cringed in anticipation of smashing into the ceiling, he instead phased right through it to be ejected into the night sky above. Eventually, he reached a spaceship, where several of the same species of giant aliens as the woman he had met were waiting for him. When Meng spoke to them to ask where the one he had met was, he claims they responded in heavily accented Chinese that she was far away, back on their home world. They then explained some more things to the lumberjack, and Meng says:
"They said in Chinese, but with a heavy accent so it was hard for me to understand at first, that they were refugees. Like me, they wanted to escape their former lives, so they left their dying home. The aliens showed me a piece of crystal, through which I saw forests, icebergs and fossil fuels on the Earth. They told me about the current situation facing Earth's resources and warned me about the importance of environmental protection. They also said that 60 years from then, there will be an alien born with the genes of an earthling farmer, and I can meet him or her."
This child, of course, would be the one supposedly conceived by him and the alien woman on that night, and the 60 years were explained to him as the length of their pregnancy and gestation period. When Meng’s story came out, it hit the news all over, and generated a chaotic mix of ridicule, support, skepticism, and belief, generating a fair bit of notoriety for him. The case was looked into by several organizations in the still relatively underdeveloped Chinese UFO field, such as the China UFO Research Center, the UFO Enthusiasts Club at Wuhan University, the Beijing UFO Research Organization (BURO), and the state-sponsored UFO Research Society, with varying results. Mostly, this is seen as a fantasy, perhaps the result of him hitting his head and having hallucinations. Others think it was a way to reinvent himself and get the attention he needed to get out of the logging commune and have a better life for his family, in which case it worked because after appearing in the news and on TV shows, he was offered another job in the city. Still others believe he really did experience something strange, but has perhaps exaggerated it and added certain elements. For his part, Meng has subjected himself to lie detector tests, which he has passed, and still insists it is all true. He has said:
"Once, humans believed that the earth was flat. Even a decade ago, people would not believe that a cell phone could work. Humans, if we have never seen something with our own eyes, naturally doubt that it exists, or that life could be that way. I was the first to be brave enough to say: ‘I saw that.’ I didn't believe in aliens before I actually met them. Seeing is believing. We cannot explain UFOs and aliens because our technology isn't advanced enough. But that doesn't mean such things don't exist."
Was this man crazy, delusional, or looking to play a scam? Was there anything to this incredibly odd tale at all? It adds to a growing list of cases involving sexual relations with aliens, and seems to be too absurd to be true. Yet, Meng has stood by his tale, and with no evidence whatsoever except his scar, which could have been caused by a lot of things, we can only sit back with raised eyebrows and wonder. We can maybe wait for his star child to make itself known, but that may take some time. Is this real? Unlikely. Is it delusions or a hoax? Probably. Is it entertaining? Most definitely. In the end, it is just more weirdness to throw on the pile, another of the surprisingly large number of alien sex reports, and I leave it for you to decide what to make of it all.
Another strange case is the time a jazz singer came forward with stories of Grey aliens, alien hybrid children, and lurid tales of mindblowing sex with a reptilian humanoid. Pamela Stonebrooke is an American jazz vocalist, songwriter and recording artist, as well as an urban journalist who has had quite a colorful career. She has performed in nightclubs from New York to Tokyo, appeared as background vocals for numerous high-profile musicians, performed as an opening act for such big names as Kenny G, The Pointer Sisters, and the Neville Brothers, and performed solo numbers on the same bill as such stars as Johnny Cash, Tammy Wynette, and Jerry Lee Lewis, as well as performing for the Star Trek creator Gene Roddenberry's birthday on four occasions. Currently performing mainly on the Los Angeles jazz circuit, in clubs and private gigs, she is certainly a talented and experienced musician, but she is probably more well-known for a series of incredibly bizarre and sexual alien encounters that have earned her the nickname of the Intergalactic Diva.
Pamela claims that she has had strange experiences of an extraterrestrial nature from a young age. She says that when she was just 8 or 9 years old, she would sometimes find strange scars on her skin that looked like someone had scooped up tiny bits of flesh from her. At the time, she had no conscious awareness of how these scars had appeared, and they bothered her throughout her life. This was odd enough, but it would get stranger still when she was an adult. One evening in 1994, Pamela woke up to find herself in the fetal position in a dimly-lit room with smooth metal walls and “shaped like a truncated pyramid.” Disoriented by this strange place and the fact that she was not in her bed anymore, she at first thought she must be dreaming. As it dawned on her that this was no dream and it was happening, she concluded that she was somehow on a spaceship, and she sat up and soon noticed that she was not alone in that room.
Standing in the corner was a group of small and thin otherworldly grey-skinned beings with large heads and eyes, that stared at her for a few moments before one of them stepped forward and gestured for her to follow it. Pamela felt compelled to do so, and the two of them walked to the wall, where a door suddenly appeared from nowhere. They walked through to another room and the door vanished as if it had never been there at all. This was all pretty weird, but when she looked around the room, it graduated to full-on bizarre when she noticed three diminutive female aliens with thin wisps of hair on their mostly bald heads that were sitting on a metal table and seemed very excited to see her. She would explain:
"On this short metallic table were these four little girls. They were very frail like the Greys, but they had wispy hair, almost like chemotherapy hair. They ran over to me and grabbed my arms and started calling me ‘Mommy’. I lost it."
She claims that she was suddenly overcome with a crushing sense of terror and flew into an uncontrollable panic, after which she blacked out and woke up back in her own bed. She sat up and then noticed that there was a series of small bruises on her arm, which jolted within her a fuzzy memory of being grabbed and dragged along by the Greys she had seen. At the time, her memory of the events of that evening was fuzzy, but she felt that she had been experimented on and vaguely remembered the aliens showing her a vision of an apocalyptic future and telling her that Earth is “just one big, terraformed experiment.” She was also now convinced that they had taken samples of her flesh, those strange scars, and had used them to create alien hybrids, those little girls she had seen on the ship. Pamela would be plagued by nightmares featuring those aliens and those freaky little girls for the next year as she tried to put it behind her and focus on her music career. That would be when things would get even more bizarre still. One evening, she woke up to find a gorgeous blonde man making love to her, and she says that she was enjoying it immensely. She says of this encounter in something that sounds like it was pulled out of some ufologist's perverted fan fiction:
"I had no idea who it was since I don’t bring people home like that. But the sex was incredible, and I felt safe enough to just put my head back, close my eyes, and enjoy it. All of a sudden the energy felt totally different. It felt aggressive, and the entity felt bigger — bigger than the person who was inside me. The telepathic communication was so intense and sensual and emotional — it was everything you would want to feel to be able to surrender in a sexual experience. It was almost like every cell in your body was having an orgasm. It had a kind of playful, kind of bad-boy attitude. It was kind of a sly, slick… It’s really hard to explain, but he was definitely in control!"
The strange blonde man and amazing lover then morphed right before her eyes into a huge reptilian humanoid of some sort, but she was in such ecstasy that she didn’t even care. The creature then whispered into her ear, “We've always been together, we love each other.” She claims that she had several such rendezvous with this shapeshifting reptilian alien, and although it is unclear what connection it has to the Grey aliens and her alleged hybrid alien children, it is all a pretty wild tale for sure. She would appear on the hit paranormal radio show Coast to Coast AM with Art Bell to talk about it all, and even write a book about it all titled Experiencer: A Jazz Singer’s True Account of Extraterrestrial Contact, of which one reviewer has written:
"Far from being a "victim" in a hideous sexual encounter, Pamela Stonebrook conquered her fear and carried the sexual action to the reptilians. She recounts this act of interspecies intercourse in a graphic, no-holds-barred, tour de force description, unique in UFO literature, replete with precise physical and emotional detail, sensational without being sensationalistic."
It all sounds fairly absurd, the obvious ramblings of a delusional mind, but not only does Pamela insist that it all happened, but she has received an outpouring of support from other women who claim to have gone through the same thing. Nevertheless, she has received quite a bit of ridicule from both the mainstream public and from within the UFO community, in which the subject of shapeshifting reptilian aliens is considered to be firmly in the fringe. Pamela has remained defiant in the face of such scathing criticism, ridicule, and skepticism, and wrote in an open letter to the UFO community:
"Reptilian encounters is a subject that very few women are prepared to go public with or speak openly about. I praise the courage of the few that already have - and endured public ridicule as a result. I’ve heard from women whose families are trying to put them into institutions, and women in the Bible Belt whose ministers think they are possessed by demons. I’m not the only one who’s had this happen, I’m just the only one who would talk about it. Reptilians are not a politically correct species in the UFO community, and to admit to having sex with one - much less enjoying it - is beyond the pale as far as the more conservative members of that community are concerned. But I know from my extensive reading and research, and from talking personally to dozens of other women (and men) that I am not unique in reporting this kind of experience. I am the first to admit that this is a vastly complex subject, a kind of hall of mirrors, where dimensional realities are constantly shifting and changing. Certainly, the reptilians use sex to control people in various ways. They have the ability to shape-shift and to control the mind of the experiencer, as well as to give tremendous pleasure through their mental powers.
I have wrestled with all of these implications and the various levels of meaning and possibilities represented by my encounter experiences. I will say, however, as I have said before, that I feel a deep respect for the reptilian entity with whom I interacted, and a profound connection with this being. In a past life regression I did recently, I went to a very remote period in earth's history (perhaps hundreds of thousands of years ago), and saw myself as one of a brotherhood of reptilian warriors facing a catastrophic event in which we perished together (it was possibly nuclear in nature, since I saw a red cloud and felt tremendous heat). I believe that on one level, I may be meeting these entities again, perhaps fellow warriors from the past warning us of an impending, self-inflicted doom - or perhaps they are different aspects of myself. I don't really know; I'm just trying to unravel this puzzle like everyone else."
She also believes that her book can help others who have experienced the same thing and give them some sort of support and the courage to talk about what they have gone through. She says she has received hundreds of letters from others like her, and that these reptilian encounters and alien abductions by the Greys are something that seriously needs to be addressed. In her opinion, if more people come forward with their abduction experiences and the area is researched more, it will become more of a part of not only UFO research, but also an accepted fact in the mainstream public. She has said of this:
"Following my initial Art Bell interview, I received hundreds of letters and e-mails, many from people describing similar encounters to mine. I know that there are people out there who are suffering in isolation and silence, thinking they are going crazy. I have been able to give some of these people strength and courage, so that they can move through their fear and come out the other side, empowered and still able to celebrate life as the incredible adventure that it truly is. I know that when I was processing my Grey experiences, if it had not been for people like John Mack, Budd Hopkins, Kim Carlsberg, Whitley Strieber, John Carpenter, and other researchers and experiencers who have been courageous enough to come forward, putting their lives and reputations on the line, I would have stayed in fear a lot longer, cowering in a corner, my self-esteem and identity shattered. Thanks to them and to the wonderful members of my support group, I am still standing, intact and whole.
I believe that the alien abduction experience is profoundly linked to the momentous shift in consciousness that is occurring as we enter the new millennium. We are witnesses to and participants in the most fantastic era in human history. And contrary to the mood of pessimism from some individuals regarding the way mainstream media treats the UFO phenomenon, and the trepidation that is felt regarding its ultimate impact on the human race, I am unashamedly a "Positive." Everywhere I turn, I find much greater public acceptance of the alien abduction/UFO phenomenon, and active curiosity from enormous numbers of people. I am also encouraged by the fact that many more experiencers are coming forward, no longer hiding behind the cloak of anonymity. I believe that within ten years the reality of alien abduction will be accepted as a fact by the majority of people on this planet, and ridicule of the subject by the media or anyone else will be regarded as naive and irresponsible."
It is all a pretty wild tale, and we are left to wonder just what to make of it all. Is there anything to this? What happened to this woman and what connection is there between the Grey aliens and that reptilian stud? Did any of this really happen, or is it just a lurid, sensational sex story made up by a delusional person wanting attention? Whatever the case may be, it certainly is a unique tale and stands out as just about one of the strangest alien abduction cases out there. In the end, all of these cases are like that, and whether you believe any of them or not, you are forced to contend with the fact that cases of people claiming to have had sex with aliens are a thing.
RELATED VIDEOS
Abducted By ALIENS (UFO Encounters of the 4th Kind) | Full HD
UFO Documentary: Encounters of the Fourth Kind a Report on Communion (1989)
Unearthly Encounters | ALIEN ABDUCTION: THE STRANGEST UFO CASE FILES | Beyond Belief
In the 1960s, Freeman Dyson proposed the idea of a hypothetical astro-structure in the form of a sphere that an advanced civilization could surround its star with in order to collect maximum energy. It was named a Dyson sphere. Later, this design was reimagined as a Dyson swarm — a bunch of space stations whose orbits are coordinated to avoid crashing into each other.
A Dyson swarm in an artist’s impression. 7Source: Eddie Guy
Despite the fact that scientists have not yet been able to find traces of such astro-structures in reality, the concept still attracts considerable interest. British scientist Brian C. Lacki from the Breakthrough Listen project wondered if these structures could outlive their creators. How long can the Dyson swarm survive without maintenance and control?
Artist's depiction of a Dyson swarm. Credit: Vedexent at Wikipedia Commons
During the simulation, Lacki calculated that for the smallest swarm around a sun-like star, consisting of 340 elements, the average time between collisions among the elements would be one million years. However, since several collisions will occur well before the median time, a Kessler syndrome-like “cascade” effect, in which the elements of the swarm will be destroyed in a series of collisions with each other, could occur in just 41,000 years. That’s not much by astronomical standards.
The time required for cascading destruction of the cluster increases significantly with increasing star radius. For a red giant with a mass equal to that of the Sun and a radius 25 times greater than the Sun’s radius, it could be 5.3 billion years, with a minimum swarm consisting of 4,800 elements. In contrast, a swarm around a small red dwarf, whose mass and radius will be 0.2 and 0.1 times that of the Sun, will disintegrate in just four months.
During the study, Lacki also found that the best option would be to place the elements of the swarm in rings around the star, with their radius increasing, similar to the location of Earth satellites at different altitudes: from low Earth orbit to geosynchronous orbit. In any case, according to Lacki’s estimates, most of the Dyson swarms should completely disintegrate within a few million years after losing control.
The US Department of Defense’s secret X-37B spaceplaneis preparing for its eighth orbital flight in August 2025. This mission carries two key experiments aimed at improving space communications and navigation. The US Space Force emphasizes that this research is critical to ensuring the security and sustainability of American orbital systems.
The secret Boeing X-37B will conduct laser experiments in near-Earth orbit. Illustration generated by AI Copilot.
“Our goal is to make the combined forces more cohesive, resilient, and ready to act in any conditions,” said General Chance Saltzman, Chief of Space Operations. “This is how we protect our country’s interests in space.”
Created by aviation giant Boeing, the X-37B has become a unique space laboratory for the Pentagon and NASA, testing technologies and maneuvers out of the public eye. Although many details remain secret, the information policy regarding spaceplane missions is gradually becoming more transparent.
Laser bridge over Earth
X-37B. Photo: Boeing
One of the mission’s flagship experiments is the demonstration of laser communication. The X-37B is designed to interact with commercial satellite networks in low Earth orbit no higher than 2,000 km above the Earth. Laser data transmission promises much higher transmission speeds and increased security compared to conventional radio waves. The key advantage is the elimination of the “point of failure.” The use of an extensive network of relay satellites makes the entire US space architecture significantly more resilient to failures or attacks.
Quantum compass without GPS
The second groundbreaking experiment is the world’s most powerful quantum inertial sensor in space. This device is designed to accurately determine the position and movement of the aircraft without the need for external systems such as GPS.
“This technology is indispensable where GPS is unavailable, which increases the resilience of our navigation against potential threats,” explains Space Force. Quantum sensors open the way not only for protecting orbital vehicles, but also for long-distance interplanetary missions and research in near-lunar space, where traditional global positioning systems are ineffective.
Launch and prospects
The launch will take place from the Kennedy Space Center in Florida. The specific duration of the mission has not yet been disclosed. But the previous, seventh flight lasted a record 908 days, or about 2.5 years. At that time, the X-37B successfully demonstrated aerodynamic braking to change its orbit with minimal fuel consumption.
Operational control of the mission is carried out by the Fifth Space Operations Squadron in partnership with the Space Rapid Capabilities Office. This flight is another step in utilizing the unique potential of the X-37B to test future technologies.
Beste bezoeker, Heb je zelf al ooit een vreemde waarneming gedaan, laat dit dan even weten via email aan Frederick Delaere opwww.ufomeldpunt.be. Deze onderzoekers behandelen jouw melding in volledige anonimiteit en met alle respect voor jouw privacy. Ze zijn kritisch, objectief maar open minded aangelegd en zullen jou steeds een verklaring geven voor jouw waarneming! DUS AARZEL NIET, ALS JE EEN ANTWOORD OP JOUW VRAGEN WENST, CONTACTEER FREDERICK. BIJ VOORBAAT DANK...
Druk op onderstaande knop om je bestand , jouw artikel naar mij te verzenden. INDIEN HET DE MOEITE WAARD IS, PLAATS IK HET OP DE BLOG ONDER DIVERSEN MET JOUW NAAM...
Druk op onderstaande knop om een berichtje achter te laten in mijn gastenboek
Alvast bedankt voor al jouw bezoekjes en jouw reacties. Nog een prettige dag verder!!!
Over mijzelf
Ik ben Pieter, en gebruik soms ook wel de schuilnaam Peter2011.
Ik ben een man en woon in Linter (België) en mijn beroep is Ik ben op rust..
Ik ben geboren op 18/10/1950 en ben nu dus 74 jaar jong.
Mijn hobby's zijn: Ufologie en andere esoterische onderwerpen.
Op deze blog vind je onder artikels, werk van mezelf. Mijn dank gaat ook naar André, Ingrid, Oliver, Paul, Vincent, Georges Filer en MUFON voor de bijdragen voor de verschillende categorieën...
Veel leesplezier en geef je mening over deze blog.