The True Origin of the Spheres That an Astronomer Considers to Be the Remains of an Extraterrestrial Spacecraft

 

There are publications that are worth reading, and many times we can overlook them. For this reason, we are pleased to share this article about Astronomy, published by Teller Report, on November 25, 2023. 

The heterodox astronomer Abraham Loeb has been claiming that some small spheres he collected in the Pacific Ocean could be the remains of an extraterrestrial spacecraft. A new study now concludes that those spherules may be coal ash produced in terrestrial factories.

 

Galileo Project

Harvard University professor Abraham Loeb made headlines around the world in 2017 when he hypothesized that the asteroid 'Oumuamua could be an alien spacecraft.

Recreation of the interstellar object 'Oumuamua" ESO/M. Kornnmesse

Previously, on January 8, 2014, the U.S. Department of Defense observed a bright fireball flying over the South Pacific Ocean in the vicinity of New Guinea. Studying its trajectory and speed, Professor Loeb and his collaborators concluded in 2019 (after the 'Oumuamua episode), that this fireball had also arrived from beyond the solar system, that is, it also had an interstellar origin and that it was possible that it was also an extraterrestrial spacecraft. The meteorite was named IM1 (Interstellar Meteorite -1).

In 2021, Loeb prepared a project, called Galileo, aimed at locating objects that could come from extraterrestrial technological equipment. In June 2023, as part of this project, he organized an expedition to track possible debris from the IM1 fireball that might have been deposited at the bottom of the Pacific. The Galileo project is funded with more than €1.5 million thanks to private donations from various foundations and individuals, including crypto tycoon Charles Hoskinson.

Spherules

As a result of the expedition, Loeb quickly announced that he had located fifty metal spherules that could only have originated from an exoplanet (outside the solar system) or be the remains of an extraterrestrial spacecraft. Loeb thus presented ideas similar to those he had already advanced for the debated object 'Oumuamua. The results were made public in a pre-publication (before being submitted to peer review) which can be consulted here.

                        One of the spherules collected by the Galileo A Project. Loeb

The spherules found by Loeb are less than a millimeter in size. Prior to the expedition of the Galileo project, by dredging other areas of the ocean floor, many particles of this style had already been collected. Many of them had been recognized as being of meteoritic origin and had been described as "cosmic spherules": they are small fragments of meteors that penetrate the atmosphere and acquire their peculiar spherical shape when burned by friction with atmospheric gases.

But Loeb claimed that the chemical composition of its spherules (in particular, the small presence of nickel and the high abundance of beryllium, lanthanum and uranium) was not consistent with that of other meteorites and therefore concluded that it must have come from beyond the solar system.

The scientific community was always skeptical of Loeb's claims: the fact that the chemical composition of its spherules was not typical of interplanetary meteorites did not guarantee that its origin was interstellar, much less that its origin was an extraterrestrial spacecraft.

Pollutants

A new study by physicist Patricio A. Gallardo of the University of Chicago now adds fuel to the fire. In his work, Gallardo has compared in detail the composition of the spherules (whose technical code is CNEOS 2014-01-08) with samples of various pollutants of terrestrial origin and has concluded that "their meteoritic origin is in question".

 

Abundance Histograms | RNAAS/P.A. Gallardo

The attached figure shows (green lines) the concentrations of beryllium, lanthanum, uranium and nickel in some of the spherules along with the frequency histograms of such abundances in coal ash (obtained from a very large database called COALQUAL). We see how the abundances of such elements in the spherules fit within the expectations for coal ash.

In short, Gallardo acknowledges that, as anticipated by Loeb, the spherules have high concentrations of beryllium, lanthanum and uranium. But these abundances, along with the low presence of nickel, are typical of the ash produced by burning coal. The simplest hypothesis to explain the origin of spherules would be that they were produced in terrestrial industrial facilities, such as power plants or steam engines.

A Heterodox Scientist

Professor Loeb gained notoriety with his daring hypotheses about the asteroid 'Oumuamua that was discovered in 2017 and which, due to its peculiar trajectory and very elongated shape, was believed to be of interstellar origin. In August 2019, Comet Borisov, with similar characteristics, was discovered and the study of IM1 that had been observed in 2014 was added to all this.

His interpretations in terms of extraterrestrial spacecraft have made Loeb a peculiar character, his media profile is gradually devouring his prestigious research profile as a Harvard professor. Their publications are aired too quickly, before being subjected to the standard system of peer review that guarantees the quality of the papers in the international scientific arena.

Of course, Loeb's ideas are very stimulating and are in no way subjected to any kind of censorship. But, like all scientific results, Avi Loeb's, before being accepted, must also pass through the verification filters of the scientific method.

Patricio Gallardo's article, which has been published in Research Notes of the American Astronomical Society, can be found here.

Rafael Bachiller is director of the National Astronomical Observatory (National Geographic Institute) and member of the Royal Academy of Doctors of Spain.

El verdadero origen de las esferas que un astrónomo considera restos de una nave extraterrestre

Hay publicaciones que valen la pena leer, y muchas veces se nos pueden pasar por alto. Por ese motivo, tenemos el gusto de compartir este artículo sobre Astronomía, publicado por EL MUNDO de España, el 26 de Noviembre de 2023.

El astrónomo Avi Loeb asegura que unas pequeñas esferas que recogió en el océano Pacífico podrían ser restos de una nave extraterrestre. Un nuevo estudio concluye ahora que pueden ser cenizas de carbón producidas en fábricas terrestres.

                                    Recreación de la caída de un meteorito sobre el marNASA

 El astrónomo Rafael Bachiller nos descubre en esta serie los fenómenos más espectaculares del Cosmos. Temas de palpitante investigación, aventuras astronómicas y novedades científicas sobre el Universo analizadas en profundidad.

El heterodoxo astrónomo Abraham Loeb ha venido afirmando que unas pequeñas esferas que recogió en el océano Pacífico podrían ser restos de una nave extraterrestre. Un nuevo estudio concluye ahora que esas esférulas pueden ser cenizas de carbón producidas en fábricas terrestres.

Proyecto Galileo

El profesor de la Universidad de Harvard Abraham Loeb saltó a todos los medios de comunicación de todo el mundo en 2017, cuando lanzó la hipótesis de que el asteroide Oumuamua podría ser una nave extraterrestre.

Recreación del objeto interestelar OumuamuarESO/M. Kornnmesse

Previamente, el 8 de enero de 2014, el Departamento de Defensa de EE.UU. observó una brillante bola de fuego que sobrevolóel Oceáno Pacífico Sur, en las proximidades de Nueva Guinea. Estudiando su trayectoria y velocidad, el profesor Loeb y sus colaboradores concluyeron en 2019 (tras el episodio de Oumuamua), que esa bola de fuego también había llegado desde más allá del sistema solar, es decir, también tenía un origen interestelar y que cabía la posibilidad de que también fuese una nave extraterrestre. El meteorito fue bautizado como IM1 (Interstellar Meteorite -1).

En 2021, Loeb preparó un proyecto, denominado Galileo, encaminado a localizar objetos que pudieran ser procedentes de equipos tecnológicos extraterrestres. En junio de 2023, en el marco de este proyecto, organizó una expedición para rastrear los posibles restos de la bola de fuego IM1 que podrían haber quedado depositados en el fondo del Pacífico. El proyecto Galileo está financiado con más de con 1,5 millones de euros gracias a donaciones privadas de varias fundaciones y personas, entre ellas el magnate de las criptomonedas Charles Hoskinson.

Esférulas

Como resultado de la expedición, Loeb anunció rápidamente que había localizado medio centenar de esférulas metálicas que solo podrían haber sido originadas en un exoplaneta (fuera del sistema solar) o ser los restos de una nave extraterrestre. Loeb presentaba así ideas similares a las que ya había avanzado para el debatido objeto Oumuamua. Los resultados fueron hechos públicos en una prepublicación (antes de ser sometida a revisión por pares) que puede consultarse aquí.

 

 Una de las esférulas colectadas por el Proyecto Galileo A. Loeb

 

Las esférulas encontradas por Loeb tiene menos de un milímetro de tamaño. Antes de la expedición del proyecto Galileo, dragando otras zonas de los fondos oceánicos, ya se habían recogido muchas partículas de este estilo. Muchas de ellas habían sido reconocidas como de origen meteorítico y se habían calificado como "esférulas cósmicas": son pequeños fragmentos de meteoros que penetran en la atmósfera y que adquieren su peculiar forma esférica al quemarse por la fricción con los gases atmosféricos.

Pero Loeb afirmaba que la composición química de sus esférulas (en particular, la pequeña presencia de níquel y la alta abundancia de berilio, lantano y uranio) no era consistente con la de otros meteoritos y, por tanto, concluía que debía proceder de más allá del sistema solar.

El medio científico siempre se mostró escéptico frente a las afirmaciones de Loeb: que la composición química de sus esférulas no fuese típica de meteoritos interplanetarios no garantizaba que su origen fuese interestelar y, mucho menos, que su origen fuese una nave espacial extraterrestre.

Contaminantes

Un nuevo estudio llevado a cabo por el físico Patricio A. Gallardo de la Universidad de Chicago viene ahora a echar más leña al fuego del debate. En su trabajo, Gallardo ha comparado en detalle la composición de las esférulas (cuyo código técnico es CNEOS 2014-01-08) con muestras de diversos contaminantes de origen terrestre y ha concluido que "su origen meteorítico está en entredicho".

 

Histogramas de abundancias| RNAAS/P.A. Gallardo

En la figura adjunta se muestran (líneas verdes) las concentraciones de berilio, lantano, uranio y níquel de algunas de las esférulas junto con los histogramas de frecuencia de tales abundancias en cenizas de carbón (obtenidas a partir de una base de datos muy amplia denominada COALQUAL). Vemos cómo las abundancias de tales elementos en las esférulas encajan dentro de las expectativas para las cenizas de carbón.

En resumen, Gallardo reconoce que, como anticipado por Loeb, las esférulas tienen altas concentraciones de berilio, lantano y uranio. Pero estas abundancias, junto con la baja presencia de níquel, son típicas de las cenizas que se producen al quemar carbón. La hipótesis más sencilla para explicar el origen de las esférulas sería que fueron producidas en instalaciones industriales terrestres, como centrales eléctricas o máquinas de vapor.

Un científico heterodoxo

El Profesor Loeb ganó notoriedad con sus atrevidas hipótesis sobre el asteroide Oumuamua que se descubrió en 2017 y que, debido a su peculiar trayectoria y a su forma muy alargada, se creyó de origen interestelar. En agosto de 2019 se descubrió el cometa Borisov de características similares y a todo ello se sumó el estudio de IM1 que había sido observado en 2014.

Sus interpretaciones en términos de naves extraterrestres han hecho de Loeb un personaje peculiar, su perfil mediático va devorando poco a poco a su prestigioso perfil investigador de profesor de Harvard. Sus publicaciones son aireadas demasiado rápidamente, antes de ser sometidas al sistema estándar de revisión por pares que garantiza la calidad de los trabajos en el ámbito científico internacional.

Por supuesto las ideas de Loeb son muy estimulantes y en ningún caso son sometidas a ningún tipo de censura. Pero, como todos los resultados científicos, los de Avi Loeb, antes de ser aceptados, también deben pasar por los filtros de verificación del método científico.

El artículo de Patricio Gallardo, que ha sido publicado en Research Notes of the American Astronomical Society, puede consultarse aquí.

Rafael Bachiller es director del Observatorio Astronómico Nacional (Instituto Geográfico Nacional) y académico de la Real Academia de Doctores de España.

THOSE WHO KNOW, DON'T TALK

 

An article by Milton W. Hourcade

Iowa City, 11/15/2023 9:24PM

It seems almost incredible, but 76 years have passed since the Kenneth Arnold report (known as "the case that started all") and still there is a mystery, it is said that there are some phenomena that can't be explained and that nobody knows what they are.

I think that after such amount of years, this is unacceptable. There is practically no secret in any society that could last for such a long time.

Usually, after a war, some things won't be revealed until they reach 50 years old, but after that, they are made public.

This is not the case with what started as "flying saucers", later as "ufo" and now as "uap".

In the meantime, there can't be any doubt that the United States has been the main responsible and the place where it started, and continued with relevance, to the point that any new events related to the subject, all of them started in the USA: v.g.: landings, close encounters, abductions.

At the very beginning, the U.S. Air Force was involved with the investigation, classification, and possible conclusions. In 2022 was the time of the U.S. Navy until it was decided that the Department of Defense itself should deal with the subject.

It is a fact that the United States has pioneered the intention to investigate, analyze, and classify the reports done by the people.

In the relatively private area, the National Investigation Committee on Aerial Phenomena (NICAP) and the Aerial Phenomena Research Organization (APRO) were the leading examples that with adaptations and variations according to different cultures and geographic areas, were reproduced in around 300 private organizations spread around the world.

That was the reality during the decades of 1950 and 1960.

Among the organizations were deep variations. Some of them tried to apply the scientific method and used sane skepticism when dealing with reports until they could accept that very few of them revealed something strange. Those could be official or private organizations.

Some quickly saw that the subject could be used to make money, and they became famous for the meetings in Giant Rock, where people met to listen to the tales of many individuals who wrote books and relate their experiences of being taken by extraterrestrials, receiving messages, and made trips on flying saucers to known and unknown planets.

Along the time this "ufology for profit" assumed different forms. Publishing of monthly magazines, and selling CDs and DVDs plus the regular holding of congresses where a couple of "star" speakers and many others, met in a hotel that coincidentally has a casino, and where a bunch of people could sell a paraphernalia of different things all related to "extraterrestrials".

Some took the chance to exploit the idea of "extraterrestrials" creating new creeds, practicing certain rituals, and invoking the "brothers of the cosmos".

All these activities expanded around the planet have been an excellent smoke screen, creating confusion, delusion, faked videos, faked tales, faked investigators, and covering adequately on the one hand the top of the line new developments in military technology, and on the other hand, the real nature of the phenomenon and its evolution along the time.

And that is the big secret that only a tiny and very secretive group of individuals know and never-ever would reveal.

Because, putting aside the irrational skepticism of those suffering from "ufobia", as irrational as the belief in extraterrestrials almost living on Earth, yes, unconventional things are operating around the world, but preferentially in certain countries and areas.

All in all, the only man that publicly approached most to give a hint about those responsible for the UAP, was Lieutenant General John A. Samford, during his memorable press conference given at the Pentagon on July 31, 1952.

He spoke in the name of the U.S. Air Force and made the same arguments that led to the creation successively the UAPTF, the AOIMSG, and finally the AARO.

He said: "Air Force interest in this problem has been due to our feeling of an obligation to identify and analyze to the best of our ability anything in the air that may have the possibility of threat or menace to the United States…..we have been to explain them as hoaxes, as erroneously identified friendly aircraft, as meteorological or electronic phenomena, or as light aberration."

"However, there have been a certain percentage of this volume of reports that have been made by credible observers of relatively incredible things. It is this group of observations that we are now attempting to resolve."

"We have as to date come to only one firm conclusion with respect to this remaining percentage and that is that it does not contain any pattern or purpose or of consistency that we can relate with any to a conceivable threat to the United States. We can say that the recent sightings are in no way connected with any secret development by any department of the United States."

Regretfully, the tape played by the National Archives does not include the whole information and exchange with the press of Gen.Samford and other USAF personnel that were with him. That was cut from the tape, but fortunately, we have a transcript of that part of the press conference, and here it is:

"MAJOR GENERAL SAMFORD: I think that the highest probability is that these are phenomena associated with the intellectual and scientific interests that we are on the road to learn more about but that there is nothing in them that is associated with material or vehicles or missiles that are directed against the United States."

Two things emerge from this declaration: 1) if there are intellectual and scientific interests, obviously, it is something human, and 2) General Samford has to be very sure when he can proclaim from the Pentagon that "there is nothing in them that is associated with material or vehicles or missiles that are directed against the United States". We can suppose therefore that to make that clear declaration he already knew who was behind the so-called "flying saucers" at that time.

This leads me to an idea worked on and delivered by two relevant historians: Joseph P. Farrell and Richard Dolan who talk about a "breakaway civilization".

Dolan defines that civilization as one with "loose connections at various points to the open civilization of humanity, but, with great independence, secrecy, and a monopoly of certain key scientific secrets."

To protect this secret, and this connection, a lot of psychological operations have been developed over time by Intelligence sources, to sustain the ET myth.

And I stop here, which is too much. Sincerely, I do recognize that it is too much.

But, therefore, those who know exactly about that breakaway civilization, don't talk. 

=========

addenda

WHEN THE IDEA OF THE EXTRATERRESTRIAL CLUMSILY PREDOMINATES

In the night of November 20, 2023,  I saw a documentary in which two images were presented of what was described as "an extraterrestrial city on the dark side of the Moon", which is not dark at all but which we do not see.

Let's assume for a moment that such a city is real, why did the video announcer have to say and repeat that it is "extraterrestrial"?

Are ETs going to come from millions and millions of kilometers away to build a city on the Moon, when we are just one step away?

In what brain does such an assumption have any logic?

Isn't it easier to think that those who were advanced on Earth were those who were able to settle on the Moon back in the1950s?

I prefer to choose the possibility that the breakaway civilization is responsible for that, as well as the things that it is said Armstrong and Aldrin saw in the surface of the Moon, that really surprised them, and they secretly broadcasted to NASA. That broadcasting it is said that was captured by a group of radio hams from different countries, supposedly that is true.

m.w.h.