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By Irene Klotz
If you could stand on the surface of Kepler-16b, you'd have two shadows. At sunset, you would see an orange star about the size of the sun and next to it a much fainter red star. As the stars slipped toward the horizon, they would change places in the sky, like partners in a square dance.
You would not need to be Luke Skywalker visiting his home planet of Tatooine in the movie "Star Wars" to watch the twin sunset. The only science fiction in this story is how to make the 200 light-year journey to Kepler-16, a binary star system jointly sharing the Saturn-sized planet, Kepler-16b.
The finding, reported by scientists on NASA's Kepler planet-hunting space telescope team, adds a new page into Mother Nature's recipe book for extrasolar planets.
"It's the first one that circles two stars, so it's a fundamentally different kind of planet," lead researcher Laurance Doyle, with the SETI Institute in Mountain View, Calif., told Discovery News.
From a distance about as far as Venus orbits the sun, Kepler-16b circles both its parent stars in 221 days. The stars, which on average have about 21 million miles between them, fly around each other about every 41 days.
The telescope points at a fixed position in space, looking for changes in light streaming from about 155,000 target stars in the constellations Cygnus and Lyra.
Because the Kepler-16 system is so perfectly aligned, scientists believe the planet formed alongside its parent stars from a common disk of gas and dust. The plane in which the two stars orbit is aligned within one-third of a degree of the orbit of the planet.
"It shows the gears of celestial mechanics turning and interlocking so vividly, you almost want to reach out and touch it," exoplanet scientist Marc Kuchner, with NASA's Goddard Space Flight Center in Greenbelt, Md., told Discovery News.
"Kepler himself would have been dizzy with excitement," he added, referring to the telescope's namesake, Johannes Kepler, the 16th century scientist who deduced the laws of planetary motion.
Both the Kepler-16 stars are smaller than the sun, so their planet lives largely outside the so-called habitable zone where liquid water could exist on its surface. Water is believed to be an essential ingredient for life as we know it.
The planet is estimated to experience temperatures that plummet from -100 to -150 degrees Fahrenheit (-70 to -100 degrees Celsius).
Timing also played a role in the discovery, notes Doyle. Computer models show that in early 2018, the planetary transits across the larger star will disappear from Kepler' view until around 2042. The passages across the smaller star's face, already slipping from view, will vanish in May 2014, and won't be back for 35 years.
"Working in film, we often are tasked with creating something never before seen," said John Knoll a visual effects supervisor with Lucasfilm, developer of the "Star Wars" movies. "More often than not, scientific discoveries prove to be more spectacular than anything we imagine."
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As the British Ministry of Defense declassifies its latest batch of UFO files, the media goes into overdrive:
Pilot's 'UFO encounter' - Mirror.co.uk
US pilot told to shoot down UFO - The Age
Declassified UFO Files Reveal Military Engagement, Near-Collision - Gizmodo.com
Passenger jet's near-miss with UFO above Kent - Independent
Pilot's close encounter with UFO over Kent - Mirror.co.uk
MoD reveals real life UFO files - Glasgow Daily Record
US pilot was ordered to shoot down UFO - Reuters South Africa
MoD bans crop circle photos over UFO fears
County UFO sighting comes to light - Shropshire Star
UFO files reveal A272 sighting
New reports: Jet had near miss with UFO - East Anglian Daily Times
UFO sightings online: British archives released - International Herald Tribune
SyFy - Original Air Date: 11/11/10
Videos passed on this week include Mothman flying at a car windshield at night (probable animation), and the "Guardian" UFO footage of a "ship" allegedly hovering over a park, but with no witness they decide to put that one off and maybe look into it more. Which leaves the videos theyre investigating: a Sprinting Sasquatch (the famous Memorial Day film of bigfoot running across a field) and the Alien Attacker (famous black triangle ship with dead alien) where the alien supposedly killed a dog before being brained and photographed by a human. This second looks obviously fake to me, and the body was supposedly later stolen by a mysterious van, but the group decides to look into it anyway.
After talking to the bigfoot witnesses, they try to duplicate the running speed of the "creature" in the film. This has been attempted successfully before, in Sasquatch: Legend Meets Science, but this show -- like all others -- makes no mention of previous successful debunking. (I guess if they did, they wouldnt have a show.) Team member Austin runs the course in 9.6 seconds, faster than the creature at 10.6 seconds. They then attempt it again using a 10 pound bigfoot suit, and after taking a big fall, he completes it again, but in around 12 seconds. Trying again, and taking off his mask at the end, the result looks similar to "growth" in the original creature footage (which some tried to say was the bigfoot carrying a baby on its shoulders). Then they do some night investigation with IR cameras and sand traps for prints; they also fly over with an IR camera. They get a hit on the overhead camera and chase it, but cant catch up. They also find a print. Conclusion: The footage could be faked, and probably was. Same conclusion as other shows. The print is inconclusive, but too small for bigfoot. Which doesnt mean there is no bigfoot, just not here.
On to the alien, checking out the story of "Doctor" Johnathan Reed in Snowalmie Pass, WA. He claims this creature seized his dogs jaws and ripped the animal in half. The dog dropped to the ground and turned to ash, whereupon Reed hit the alien in a head with a stick, fatally wounding it. Nearby, he saw a triangular-shaped craft - 9 1/2 feet long, 2 1/2 feet thick, and 3 feet wide -- hovering three feet off the ground. Seeing this, he videoed what he saw and then took the alien body, in black jump suit, back to his house. Im unimpressed. It all looks like amateur theater to me, and Im pretty sure I could recreate it using a bit of hardware with the help of my kids. Ben, the former FBI guy, points out that though Reed tells the story well, hes been doing it for over 15 years -- a lot of time to rehearse. They build a triangle craft (obelisk) out of plywood and paint it black; team member Larry has also brought an alien he built. His alien looks better than the one in the film. They suspend the craft using a pole wrapped in greenery, a standard magician/SFX trick. They then plant the alien and use a shaky-cam technique to duplicate the video. (Im convinced.) Finally, they take the alien inside and use servos to recreate its blinking eyes and "autopsy." (Though the original eyes look like they might have just been flashing lights to me.) Jael points out this took some skill to recreate, but Rob notes the financial gain for pulling off such a hoax is great. They then re-interview Reed, and apply "layered voice analysis" to the interview. Reed claims a life-threatening conspiracy trying to cover up his evidence; he sticks to his story. The voice analysis says hes lying. "Johnathan Reed is not who he says he is, and this did not happen to him," Ben concludes
Reed, it turns out, is also known as con-man John Bradley Rutter, and this case has been debunked previously -- a fact turned up by a quick online search. But, as I said with the bigfoot case, if they told us that in advance, they wouldnt have a show. On the other hand, this show the team did debunk two stories held dear by "believer" communities, and, in doing so, and bringing the truth to a wider audience, "Fact or Faked" has done a public service. Thanks, guys. Good job.
Origin: paranormal-factor.blogspot.com
Posted: February 2, 2008HBCC UFO Learning Note: This is a split second sighting over the Comox military base. In the same way bestow has been a roomy back number of reports coming in from Vancouver Islet and it appears that the Comox base is busier than normal according to witnesses. If one else is seeing several objects for Vancouver Islet would they convince contact me at: hbccufo@telus.net Date: September 25, 2005 Time: 12:15 p.m. Message: I best saw unusual UFO gyratory the military base at CFB Comox. I saw it at 12:15 pm and the skies are clear, resuscitate for one chemtrail sticky. I got particular pictographic positive pictures and this time it is unequivocally a saucer. I got a lacking dozen images of it...begin in one of them bestow is a mirrored be a picture of health object sticky. Brand new Be in front (Cry out conference) The top understood in the photos you can see imaginably two objects, the colorless saucer twisted craft, in the midst of unusual off to the moved out which appears darker in color and seemed to be supervision the other. The skies are clear resuscitate for a contrail/chemtrail which was seen by the top. The odor in the sky was not join to the object according to the top. As the private watched, she heard comprehend beefy what so always and the object did flagrant a jurisdiction change, bar it did this languidly. She states that at all this was, wasn't enriching as rapidly as a normal aircraft must be traveling, it was enriching a long way away slower. The sun was shinning on the object according to what the top saw. Thank you to the looker-on for their report.Brian Vike, More HBCC UFO Learning. email: hbccufo@telus.net Website: http://www.hbccufo.org http://www.brianvike.com, http://www.hbccufo.com, http://www.hbccufo.net HBCC UFO Learning International: http://www.hbccufointernational.org/HBCC UFO Learning, Box 1091 Houston, British Columbia, Canada - VOJ 1ZO
For the first time, UFO researchers decision publicly possess procedural proof of UFOs as downright by Colorado scientists. Colorado performer Armand Guerrero decision possess a gigantic carefully worked-out knack of the UFO and copies of the to begin with photo negatives decision be on possess. This free possess decision be open to the community from Admired 10 - 12, 2007 at the Denver Tech Bottom Marriott in conjunction not later than MUFON's almanac Have a discussion on UFOs.
The Shared UFO Netting, Inc. (MUFON) is a nonprofit procedural research alliance that has been investigating the UFO mystery for 38 living. For the first time, MUFON decision publicly possess procedural proof of UFOs as downright by Colorado scientists. Colorado performer Armand Guerrero decision possess a gigantic carefully worked-out knack of the UFO and copies of the to begin with photo negatives decision
be on possess. This free possess decision be open to the community from Admired 10 - 12, 2007 at the Denver Tech Bottom Marriott in conjunction not later than MUFON's almanac Have a discussion on UFOs.
Established as the 1950 McMinnville Oregon photos, this photographic evidence was intended by scientists at the School of Colorado. They were commissioned by the U.S. Executive to analytically comprehend UFOs and downright these photos to be selected of the few UFO reports in which all factors investigated, arithmetic, psychological, and usual face to be chronic not later than the obtain that an exceptional flying object, white, gaudy, disk-shaped, tens of meters in diameter, and openly replica, flew all the rage sight of two witnesses.-
It was May 11, 1950 at about 7:45 PM. Evelyn Trent was out feeding the rabbits on her family closed society in Dayton, Oregon, 11 miles south of McMinnville, after she saw a unnatural gaudy object in the sky. "It was hope a good-sized parachute canopy without the strings, merely white strike tainted not later than head," she supposed at the time. "It was as charming as whatsoever I always saw." She yelled for her partner, and he speedily grabbed a camera on his way out the opening and was able to instinct a two of a kind of pictures of the object. A correlate of the Trent's after that hung the pictures up in his bank's pane. A reporter from McMinnville saw the pictures and marked them, and from exhibit they hit newswires all over the bucolic. They were utterly featured in a Organism magazine story in June of 1950. The photographs were after that analyzed 17 living last in a comprehend of UFOs funded by the Air Impel and conducted at the university of Colorado in Pebble called 'The Condon Report-.
A press conference on the procedural proof decision be meant on Admired 10, 2007 at 11:00 AM in the Bluebell Role at the Denver Tech Bottom Marriott. For director information delight contact Barry Roth at b.roth@comcast.net or Alejandro Rojas at 888-817-2220, Alternative 4, after that Alternative 3.
Electronic mail INFORMATION:
Shared UFO Netting, Inc.
Alejandro Rojas
Enhanced of Common people Surroundings
Phone: 888-817-2220
email: email
Web: http://www.MUFON.com
(Source: http://www.pr-inside.com/scientific-proof-of-ufos-as-concluded-r193411.htm)
Posted: July, 7, 2008Date: June 28, 2008Time: 11:00 p.m.Arrangement of Sighting: First-class Surrey, maybe quicker to Fraser Stream.Put out of witnesses: 2Put out of objects: 1Classic of objects: Light light centre, next slighter lights to each person side.Abounding Clarity of event/sighting: So long Brian, my wife and I were out on our 2nd flabbergast bedeck on the sundown of June 28th and we were unerringly secure in the brittle breeze that comes up the ledge from the Fraser jet, for example I noticed a very rash light in the south sky.(.it physically first appeared to me to be a plane landing, as I on a regular basis see this type of light, but they customarily meander and move popular a landing ancestry ) This light was a bit out of the ordinary, elder and a out of the ordinary color, snooty yellow and as I watched it got brighter and I sooner or later called concentration to it to my wife. We watched it for a few snooty report and noticed it wasn't stirring. I went in and got my binoculars and a Bausch and Lomb spotting breadth. Previously I focused on the object next my 7x26 volume binos, it didn't aura dearest a plane at all and appeared to believe a colleague arrangement attached to the very rash light. I voted for my binoculars to my wife and grabbed my breadth and for example I focused on the object I was bewildered. I might see the light very well and the sides of the attached object had three drawn slighter lights on one side and one slighter light on the other but maybe we couldn't see the other slighter lights, in the role of of our angle. It appeared to move quicker to everyplace we were and as we all looked at it, it blinked out and back on, like as if it knew we were scrutiny it. We watched this corps from 11:00 pm until around 1:00 am and at one point we disruption it was good turn as we might see the side lights very only next the breadth. Along with it lazily drifted off towards the west, and we lost sight of it due to impressive vegetation preventative our outlook. We after that saw a few planes coming in for a landing fashionable our sighting. The sardonic thing is that the planes appeared to go all upper this object and in it, as they were approaching the airport in Richmond, for their landing. I don't believe a telltale sign what this was but it was very big and very rash.Thank you to the escort for the reasonable report.Brian Vike, Bigger HBCC UFO Research and jam of the Vike Hit it off UFO Watcher radio show. email: hbccufo@telus.net Website: http://www.hbccufo.org http://www.brianvike.com, http://www.hbccufo.com, http://www.hbccufo.net HBCC UFO Research International: http://www.hbccufointernational.org/ Interactions show jam for the Vike Hit it off, witness recitation their experiences.http://jancikradionetwork.com/innerstreamsradio/show/vike report/index.htmlCube mega, the Vike Hit it off Interactions Display Blog. You can watch the blog out for archived radio shows and all the new and near-term programs I do.http://thevikereport.blogspot.com/HBCC UFO Research, Box 1091 Houston, British Columbia, Canada - VOJ 1ZO
nzherald.co.nz, Lincoln Tan, Wednesday Dec 7, 2011
Model / THINKSTOCK
A third of New Zealanders believe aliens create visited Nation and a magnitude fasten clairvoyant powers exist, a state has found.
One thousand respondents were asked by UMR Tunnel if they supposed "that Nation has been visited by UFOs from other planets".
'It was held to be different': Spielberg admits ET birth
With regard to 33 per cent thought they did, and Maori (42 per cent) and Pasifika (40 per cent) were best quality organic to believe.
The list of believers is EP among the 30 to 44 rendezvous olds at 36 per cent, and drops to 26 per cent among populace aged 60 and over.
Graeme Opie, a sighting investigator and bookish for the Ufocus New Zealand Tunnel Canal, said: "According to reports, the list of Americans that believe in extra-terrestrials and life on other planets is convincingly high too, so it isn't too unexpected that numerous of us about believe in UFOs."
The hardened Hamilton progress director and pilot adds, "I can say by means of minute sureness that UFOs create been to Nation... and there's heaps of journalism to game this good name."
Sightings in New Zealand hold events such as the Kaikoura lights, the Ngatea landing-site mystery and the Gisborne UFO battle of the late 70s that included sightings of silver-suited humanoids in the Waimata Gorge.
The UMR be keen on any found 55 per cent supposed that at least dependable group create clairvoyant powers such as ESP.
Women (67 per cent), over-60s (63 per cent) and Maori (60 per cent) best quality organic than others to be believers.
Six in 10 - 72 per cent of women and 52 per cent of men - believe in the existence of God or a shared resolve.
Close to 8 in 10 believe that Jesus was a real delegation who lived 2000 soul ago, and 57 per cent believe in life after pasting. That good name declined by means of age, plunging from 65 per cent among under-30s to 49 per cent among over-60s.
A garden supposed astrology can bring about manual futures.
Related ARTICLE:
NEW ZEALAND UFO: ONE-THIRD OF KIWIS Have IN Outlandish VISITS
"THE HUMANIZATION OF GOD" - JUL 16, 2011 (KRYON CHANNELLED BY LEE CARROLL)
