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Neptune may have eaten a planet and stolen its moon

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Neptune may have polished off a super-Earth that once roamed the outer solar system and stolen its moon to boot. The brutal deed could explain mysterious heat radiating from the icy planet and the odd orbit of its moon Triton.

Neptune’s own existence was a puzzle until recently. The dusty cloud that gave birth to the planets probably thinned out further from the sun. With building material so scarce, it is hard to understand how Uranus and Neptune, the two outermost planets, managed to get so big.

Uranus and Neptune formed much closer to the sun and migrated outwards, possibly swapping places in the process.

That would have left behind enough material just beyond their birthplace to form a planet with twice the Earth’s mass, according to calculations published in 2008 by Steven Desch of Arizona State University in Tempe.

Neptune’s peculiar moon Triton may once have been paired with this hypothetical super-Earth, Desch and colleague Simon Porter now say. Triton is larger than Pluto, and it moves through its orbit in the opposite direction to Neptune’s rotation, suggesting that it did not form there but was captured instead.

For Neptune to capture Triton, the moon would have had to slow down drastically. One way to do this is for Triton to have had a partner that carried away most of the pair’s kinetic energy after an encounter with Neptune. In 2006 researchers argued that Triton was initially paired with another object of similar size that wound up being gravitationally slung into space after the pair ventured near Neptune

But Douglas Hamilton of the University of Maryland, College Park, one of the authors of the 2006 study proposing that Triton had a long-lost twin, points out that smaller bodies would have been common in the early solar system, before planet migration cleared many of them away.

Neptune would therefore have had many opportunities to snag Triton from one of these punier objects, rather than from a much rarer super-Earth, so that explanation may still be more likely, he says. Even so, he is not ready to rule out Desch’s idea: “It’s worth pursuing to see where it will lead.”

Source: newscientist.com

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What Really Happened in The Leonids Meteor Shower of 1833

The Leonids meteor shower of 1833 is one of the most spectacular meteor showers ever and is the source of many UFO sightings.

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What Really Happened in The Leonids Meteor Shower of 1833

The Leonids meteor shower of 1833 is a fascinating historical event.

It was one of the most spectacular meteor showers ever and has been the subject of many books, articles, and scientific studies.

It is also believed to have been the source of many UFO sightings.

This article will provide an overview of the Leonids meteor shower and explore the various natural events that were taken by UFOs during this time.

The Leonids Meteor Shower

The Leonids meteor shower is an annual meteor shower that occurs when the Earth passes through the tail of the comet Tempel-Tuttle.

Every 33 years, the shower is particularly active, resulting in a meteor storm lasting up to two days.

The most famous meteor storm of the Leonids was in 1833 when an estimated 100,000 meteors per hour were seen.

The Leonids meteor shower of 1833 was seen in North America, Europe, and Asia.

It was so bright that it was visible during the day, and some people reported seeing stars in the sky at night.

In addition to the meteors, the shower produced various other natural events, such as red and green auroras, flashes of light, and billowing clouds that lit up the sky.

UFO Sightings During the Leonids Meteor Shower

The Leonids meteor shower of 1833 was also the source of numerous UFO sightings.

At the time, it was believed that some meteors were alien spacecraft.

People reported seeing objects in the sky that changed shape, moved in strange patterns, and had bright lights.

Witnesses also reported seeing strange creatures, such as a giant bird-like creature with red eyes.

The sightings were so widespread that the US government even inquired into the matter.

The inquiry concluded that the Leonids meteor shower likely caused the sightings.

However, some people still believe that some of the sightings were of alien spacecraft.

Possible Explanations for the UFO Sightings

There are various theories on why people reported seeing UFOs during the Leonids meteor shower of 1833.

One theory is that the bright lights of the meteors caused people to misinterpret them as alien ships.

Another theory is that the meteors created optical illusions that caused people to see things that weren’t there.

A third theory is that the meteors were alien spacecraft, although this theory is improbable.

The Leonids meteor shower of 1833 was one of the most spectacular. The next peak event will be in 2031.

It was also the source of numerous UFO sightings, although the cause of these sightings is still unknown.

It is likely that the bright lights of the meteors caused people to misinterpret them as alien ships or that they created optical illusions that caused people to see things that weren’t really there.

Whatever the cause, the Leonids meteor shower of 1833 is an event that will remain a mystery for many years to come.

UFO Sightings during and after 1833

The first documented UFO sighting dates back to 1833 in the state of New York.

The Great New York Airship Sighting of 1833

On the night of April 14, 1833, several people across the state reported seeing a strange airship in the night sky.

The airship was described as a “large, dark, triangular object” with lights along its edges.

It was traveling at a slow speed, and it made no sound.

People saw the airship in several towns, including Rochester and Auburn.

Witnesses described it as having a “metallic look” and being “as large as a modern-day dirigible.”

Some even said it had a “long tail.”

When it was seen in Rochester, it was accompanied by four smaller red lights.

The airship was seen for several hours before it disappeared.

Many people who saw it were baffled by what they had seen and began speculating about its origin.

Some thought it may have been a new type of airship, while others thought it could have been an extraterrestrial craft.

To this day, the origin of the UFO remains a mystery.

The 1835 Great Lakes UFO Sighting

A second documented UFO sighting occurred in 1835 in the Great Lakes region.

On October 14, 1835, many people in the region reported seeing a strange, brightly lit object in the sky.

The object was described as “brightly illuminated” and “moving rapidly through the sky.”

It was seen in several regional towns, including Buffalo and Detroit.

Witnesses described it as being “as large as the full moon” and having a “distinct, round shape.”

The object was seen for several hours before it disappeared.

Like the first sighting, people were baffled by what they had seen and began speculating about its origin.

Some believed it may have been a meteor or a comet, while others thought it could have been an extraterrestrial craft.

To this day, the origin of the object remains a mystery.

Overview

  • Witness Credibility: Questionable;
  • Number of Witnesses: +100;
  • Evidence: none;
  • Physical Evidence: none;
  • Official Investigation: none;
  • Close Encounter: First Kind;
  • Documents: none

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Thirteen years after the Leonids Meteor Showere of 1833, we have the 1846 Leverger Incident, another UFO witness from the 19th Century.

Captain Augusto João Manuel Leverger and his crew witnessed, simultaneously by the Brazilian minister in Paraguay at the time, José Antônio Pimenta Bueno, a UFO. The military described his UFO encounter in a manuscript on his way to war, and the incident was published later.

More information about The Leonids Meteor Shower of 1833

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NASA sues former Apollo 14 astronaut over lunar camera

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The US government has sued a former NASA astronaut, Edgar Mitchell, to recover a camera used to explore the moon’s surface during the 1971 Apollo 14 mission after discovered that the British auction house Bonhams planned to sell the camera at an upcoming Space History Sale.

The lot description also identified the camera as the property of pilot Edgar Mitchell and sported a pre-sale estimate of $60,000 to $80,000.

The lawsuit, filed in Miami federal court, accuses Edgar Mitchell of illegally possessing the camera and attempting to sell it for profit.

However, Donald Jacobson, an attorney for former astronaut, NASA argues that Mitchell gave the camera as a gift, after 40 years of the mission. “Objects from the lunar trips to the moon were ultimately mounted and then presented to the astronauts as a gift after they had helped NASA on a mission,” Jacobson said.

NASA claims that on several occasions requests to Mitchell and his lawyer to return the camera but received no response.

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USA almost went to the Moon with the Soviets in the middle of Cold War

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When President John F. Kennedy announced a plan to put a man on the Moon in front of a special joint session of the US Congress, in May 25, 1961.There was no plan.

Even while the space agency’s administrator, James Webb had previously conceded to Kennedy that it could be done, the fact is that NASA had absolutely no idea how to put a man on the Moon.

The proof is that their first estimated budget of 7 billion dollars was changed to $20 billion.

NASA had to develop everything from scratch. None of the technology existed, nor the procedures were known at the time.

What is less known is that Kennedy actually proposed a joint lunar mission with the Soviet Union. It happened in a speech before the 18th General Assembly of the United Nations, in September 20, 1963

“Finally, in a field where the United States and the Soviet Union have a special capacity—in the field of space—there is room for new cooperation, for further joint efforts in the regulation and exploration of space. I include among these possibilities a joint expedition to the moon.”

For complete story check gizmodo.com

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