[sparky@home]

If anyone is interested, a team of planetary astronomers is asking the public to help name a minor planet designated 2007 OR10, which is the largest unnamed world in the solar system.
The public has one month to choose between three semi-finalists:
Gonggong (a Chinese water god), Holle (a European winter goddess associated with fertility, rebirth and women) and Vili (a Nordic deity who helped defeat the frost giant Ymir).
You can cast your vote until 03:59 GMT May 11.
Cheers!!!

Link : https://2007or10.name/index.html#who

[V.Narayan]

Originally Posted by sparky@home

If anyone is interested, a team of planetary astronomers is asking the public to help name a minor planet designated 2007 OR10, which is the largest unnamed world in the solar system. The public has one month to choose between three semi-finalists:
Gonggong (a Chinese water god), Holle (a European winter goddess associated with fertility, rebirth and women) and Vili (a Nordic deity who helped defeat the frost giant Ymir). You can cast your vote until 03:59 GMT May 11.

Thanks for pointing me to this. I voted for the Chinese name. It is time heavenly bodies are given as Asian name. An Indian name would have been better

My thanks to all of you who painstakingly keep this most informative thread alive – sparky@home, KomS CarLog, Fraz33r, saket77, Abhay, Shashanka, tsk1979, alpha1 - thank you folks.

[sparky@home]

I too voted for that, unfortunately the choice is limited we could have plenty from our Indian Puranas. That is life, I guess.

[shashanka]

While going through Earthfiles.com (Linda Howe's popular website dealing with the strange & the unusual) I came across one of her reports which may be of interest in this thread:
file:///C:/Users/ADMIN/Desktop/download%20-%20Copy.htm

The idea of technology transfer from extra-terrestrial sources has been around for sometime. This write-up is another addition to the literature.

[am1m]

Originally Posted by shashanka

(Linda Howe's popular website dealing with the strange & the unusual)

Seems more like a website dealing with the 'hoaxy' and the fake to me.

Originally Posted by shashanka

The idea of technology transfer from extra-terrestrial sources has been around for sometime. This write-up is another addition to the literature.

Yes, certainly, if we're talking about science-fiction literature!

[am1m]

May be of some interest to the amateur astronomy photographers- took this shot of the full moon in March with a 400mm birding lens (Canon 400 5.6) and DSLR (550d), without a tripod or anything. Am not an astronomy photographer, just took this because I was curious how it would turn out. Didn't expect it to be this clear (image cropped and compressed to upload here).

Conditions were ideal, was at Kalo Dungar (the highest point in Kutch, though that's only 462m) and obviously no light pollution.

But interesting what can be done with amateur gear these days. And ideal conditions.

[shashanka]

Originally Posted by am1m

Seems more like a website dealing with the 'hoaxy' and the fake to me.
Yes, certainly, if we're talking about science-fiction literature!

Well now! – looks like I’ve ruffled a few feathers in the dovecote. No no, the idea was not to rock the boat. I am just happy to keep an open mind while letting the pundits (the Fred Hoyles’, Carl Sagans’, Stephen Hawkings’, Chandrashekhars and their ilk) do the semantics & hair-splitting!

I am happy to continue believing that (like Linda Howe & her “Glimpses of Other Realities”) there is a great deal more to our nuts & bolts world than meets the eye!

That's a nice capture of the moon by the way!

[am1m]

Originally Posted by shashanka

Well now! – looks like I’ve ruffled a few feathers in the dovecote. No no, the idea was not to rock the boat.

Hey, if I came across as rude, my apologies.

Every astronomical observation or theory of any merit has been subjected to rigorous testing and been proved by observation. A lot of pseudo-science unfortunately gets by with the claim of 'keeping an open mind'. Obviously each to their own. All I meant was there has to be some proof for what's being published on that site, that's all.

[shashanka]

Originally Posted by am1m

Hey, if I came across as rude, my apologies.

Every astronomical observation or theory of any merit has been subjected to rigorous testing and been proved by observation. A lot of pseudo-science unfortunately gets by with the claim of 'keeping an open mind'. Obviously each to their own. All I meant was there has to be some proof for what's being published on that site, that's all.

Not to worry & no need for apologies. As you said to each his own.

And astrophysics / astronomy today (in its more esoteric avatars) - is almost borderline science. With astrophysicists like Dr. J. Allen Hyneck and polymaths like Dr. Jacques Vallee (a central figure in the debate) among a growing body of mainstream academics giving weight to the extra-terrestrial hypothesis, the subject has acquired a tenuous mainstream acceptance of its own.

And speaking for myself, I’ve always enjoyed chasing chimeras as opposed to the prosaic & the humdrum

[caffeineAM]

Took this picture late last month. Been a bucket list picture, but sadly didn't have the right lens for the job.

This is the summer Milky Way. The brightest point of light is Jupiter.

[sparky@home]

With this image rotated to a landscape orientation, you can picture the orbital plane of the Solar System, called the ecliptic & Earth's place within it. Plus, you can see how our solar system is tipped about 60 degrees relative to the plane of our galaxy.

It is beautiful !!!

Link https://go.nasa.gov/2ALTsPO

[V.Narayan]

Originally Posted by sparky@home

With this image rotated to a landscape orientation, you can picture the orbital plane of the Solar System, called the ecliptic & Earth's place within it. Plus, you can see how our solar system is tipped about 60 degrees relative to the plane of our galaxy.

Thank you immensely for sharing. What a sight. Never ever thought of this perspective.

[sparky@home]

I hope someone finds this report interesting. The Nimitz Carrier Strike Group encountered unexplained events during a routine training and aerial defines exercise off San Diego in November of 2004. The matter has come to light as the cloak of secrecy has been lifted. All I can is that I wish there were answers to the question which arises, but is still pending.

https://youtu.be/PRgoisHRmUE

[shashanka]

This afternoon (23rd June '19 at 4 pm, a few minutes ago in fact) while watching CNN, I found the newscaster stating that a press briefing had been given to the White House (yes President Trump himself!), regarding US Navy pilots recently facing a non-hostile confrontation with possible UFOs.

Such incidents are old hat to UFO buffs - except that this time a major news channel covered it.

[AltoLXI]

Originally Posted by shashanka

This afternoon (23rd June '19 at 4 pm, a few minutes ago in fact) while watching CNN, I found the newscaster stating that a press briefing had been given to the White House (yes President Trump himself!), regarding US Navy pilots recently facing a non-hostile confrontation with possible UFOs.

Such incidents are old hat to UFO buffs - except that this time a major news channel covered it.

It was this

Gizmodo then reached out to the Department of Defense, which didn’t technically claim ownership of the UFOs, but did say that the Defense Advanced Research Projects Agency (DARPA) launched three balloons from Cumberland, Maryland on June 18 in a flight test for its Adaptable Lighter Than Air (ALTA) program. A tweet from DARPA on that day confirmed the flight test