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class="jsx-5de5b851a90f387"><img src="https://www.pbs.org/wgbh/nova/media/images/planets-jupiter-img.width-2000.jpg" alt="" srcSet="https://www.pbs.org/wgbh/nova/media/images/planets-jupiter-img.width-2000.jpg 1920w,https://www.pbs.org/wgbh/nova/media/images/planets-jupiter-img.width-1500.jpg 1500w,https://www.pbs.org/wgbh/nova/media/images/planets-jupiter-img.width-800.jpg 800w,https://www.pbs.org/wgbh/nova/media/images/planets-jupiter-img.width-600.jpg 600w,https://www.pbs.org/wgbh/nova/media/images/planets-jupiter-img.width-400.jpg 400w,https://www.pbs.org/wgbh/nova/media/images/planets-jupiter-img.width-300.jpg 300w" sizes="100vw" loading="lazy" class="jsx-2524453792 "/><div class="jsx-5de5b851a90f387 title hero-title"><span class="jsx-5de5b851a90f387 overline">Watch | Episode</span><h3 class="jsx-5de5b851a90f387 alpha cf"><span class="jsx-5de5b851a90f387">The Planets: Jupiter</span></h3><div class="jsx-5de5b851a90f387 description"><p>Jupiter's massive gravitational force has made it both a wrecking ball and a protector of Earth.</p></div><a aria-label="null, The Planets: Jupiter" class="jsx-5de5b851a90f387 button" href="/wgbh/nova/video/the-planets-jupiter/">Watch</a></div></div></section><section class="jsx-795ad97d004eefca feature-content"><header class="jsx-795ad97d004eefca assistive-text"><h2 class="jsx-795ad97d004eefca">Featured Content: Space & Flight</h2></header><div class="jsx-795ad97d004eefca content cf grid"><article class="jsx-795ad97d004eefca"><a class="jsx-447409963 link-reset card cf" href="/wgbh/nova/video/rise-of-the-rockets/"><figure class="jsx-3360741639"><span class="jsx-f3c2a27e2e815a81 play-icon corner"><svg xmlns="http://www.w3.org/2000/svg" viewBox="0 0 100 100" class="jsx-f3c2a27e2e815a81"><path d="M81.4 50.4q.15683594-.4 0-.85-.10527344-.40976562-.45-.7l-51.3-42.6q-.45859375-.38320312-1.05-.35-.59160156.03867187-1 .45-.40410156.45820313-.4 1.05v85.25q-.00410156.59179688.4 1 .40839844.46132812 1 .5.59140625.03320313 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class="jsx-2104659082">What You’re Probably Seeing If You Spot a UFO</b></h3><div class="jsx-2104659082 description"><p data-block-key="9nnzt">Our skies are full of objects, natural and manmade, that are not as strange as you might think.</p></div></a></article><article class="jsx-795ad97d004eefca"><a class="jsx-447409963 link-reset card cf" href="/wgbh/nova/video/what-are-ufos/"><figure class="jsx-2104659082"><span class="jsx-f3c2a27e2e815a81 play-icon center"><svg xmlns="http://www.w3.org/2000/svg" viewBox="0 0 100 100" class="jsx-f3c2a27e2e815a81"><path d="M81.4 50.4q.15683594-.4 0-.85-.10527344-.40976562-.45-.7l-51.3-42.6q-.45859375-.38320312-1.05-.35-.59160156.03867187-1 .45-.40410156.45820313-.4 1.05v85.25q-.00410156.59179688.4 1 .40839844.46132812 1 .5.59140625.03320313 1.05-.35l51.3-42.65q.34472656-.29023437.45-.75z" class="jsx-f3c2a27e2e815a81"></path></svg></span><img src="https://www.pbs.org/wgbh/nova/media/images/UFOs_Blank_Image.width-2000.jpg" alt="Small black unidentified flying object zooming across night vision background" srcSet="https://www.pbs.org/wgbh/nova/media/images/UFOs_Blank_Image.width-2000.jpg 1920w,https://www.pbs.org/wgbh/nova/media/images/UFOs_Blank_Image.width-1500.jpg 1500w,https://www.pbs.org/wgbh/nova/media/images/UFOs_Blank_Image.width-800.jpg 800w,https://www.pbs.org/wgbh/nova/media/images/UFOs_Blank_Image.width-600.jpg 600w,https://www.pbs.org/wgbh/nova/media/images/UFOs_Blank_Image.width-400.jpg 400w,https://www.pbs.org/wgbh/nova/media/images/UFOs_Blank_Image.width-300.jpg 300w" sizes="100vw" loading="lazy" class="jsx-2524453792 "/></figure><span class="jsx-2104659082">Watch | Episode</span><h3 class="jsx-2104659082 cf"><b class="jsx-2104659082">What Are UFOs?</b></h3><div class="jsx-2104659082 description"><p data-block-key="pnrnn">Can science reveal the secrets of mysterious objects seen in our skies?</p><p data-block-key="frp4s"></p><p data-block-key="eqfac"></p></div></a></article></div><div class="jsx-795ad97d004eefca results"><article class="jsx-795ad97d004eefca cf"><a class="jsx-447409963 link-reset card cf" href="/wgbh/nova/video/could-mars-have-a-ring-around-it-one-day/"><figure class="jsx-684090880"><span class="jsx-f3c2a27e2e815a81 play-icon corner"><svg xmlns="http://www.w3.org/2000/svg" viewBox="0 0 100 100" class="jsx-f3c2a27e2e815a81"><path d="M81.4 50.4q.15683594-.4 0-.85-.10527344-.40976562-.45-.7l-51.3-42.6q-.45859375-.38320312-1.05-.35-.59160156.03867187-1 .45-.40410156.45820313-.4 1.05v85.25q-.00410156.59179688.4 1 .40839844.46132812 1 .5.59140625.03320313 1.05-.35l51.3-42.65q.34472656-.29023437.45-.75z" class="jsx-f3c2a27e2e815a81"></path></svg></span><img src="https://www.pbs.org/wgbh/nova/media/images/could-mars-have-a-ring-around-it-one-day-hero.width-1500.jpg" alt="" srcSet="https://www.pbs.org/wgbh/nova/media/images/could-mars-have-a-ring-around-it-one-day-hero.width-1500.jpg 1280w,https://www.pbs.org/wgbh/nova/media/images/could-mars-have-a-ring-around-it-one-day-hero.width-800.jpg 800w,https://www.pbs.org/wgbh/nova/media/images/could-mars-have-a-ring-around-it-one-day-hero.width-600.jpg 600w,https://www.pbs.org/wgbh/nova/media/images/could-mars-have-a-ring-around-it-one-day-hero.width-400.jpg 400w,https://www.pbs.org/wgbh/nova/media/images/could-mars-have-a-ring-around-it-one-day-hero.width-300.jpg 300w" sizes="100vw" loading="lazy" class="jsx-2524453792 "/></figure><span class="jsx-684090880">Watch | Short</span><h3 class="jsx-684090880 cf"><b class="jsx-684090880">Could Mars Have a Ring Around It One Day?</b></h3><div class="jsx-684090880 description"><p data-block-key="xhh2n">The moon Phobos has a mysterious origin but a certain expiration date.</p></div></a></article><article class="jsx-795ad97d004eefca cf"><a class="jsx-447409963 link-reset card cf" href="/wgbh/nova/video/could-life-exist-on-jupiters-icy-moon-europa/"><figure class="jsx-684090880"><span class="jsx-f3c2a27e2e815a81 play-icon corner"><svg xmlns="http://www.w3.org/2000/svg" viewBox="0 0 100 100" class="jsx-f3c2a27e2e815a81"><path d="M81.4 50.4q.15683594-.4 0-.85-.10527344-.40976562-.45-.7l-51.3-42.6q-.45859375-.38320312-1.05-.35-.59160156.03867187-1 .45-.40410156.45820313-.4 1.05v85.25q-.00410156.59179688.4 1 .40839844.46132812 1 .5.59140625.03320313 1.05-.35l51.3-42.65q.34472656-.29023437.45-.75z" class="jsx-f3c2a27e2e815a81"></path></svg></span><img src="https://www.pbs.org/wgbh/nova/media/images/could-life-exist-on-jupiters-icy-moon-europa-.width-1500.jpg" alt="" srcSet="https://www.pbs.org/wgbh/nova/media/images/could-life-exist-on-jupiters-icy-moon-europa-.width-1500.jpg 1280w,https://www.pbs.org/wgbh/nova/media/images/could-life-exist-on-jupiters-icy-moon-europa-h.width-800.jpg 800w,https://www.pbs.org/wgbh/nova/media/images/could-life-exist-on-jupiters-icy-moon-europa-h.width-600.jpg 600w,https://www.pbs.org/wgbh/nova/media/images/could-life-exist-on-jupiters-icy-moon-europa-h.width-400.jpg 400w,https://www.pbs.org/wgbh/nova/media/images/could-life-exist-on-jupiters-icy-moon-europa-h.width-300.jpg 300w" sizes="100vw" loading="lazy" class="jsx-2524453792 "/></figure><span class="jsx-684090880">Watch | Short</span><h3 class="jsx-684090880 cf"><b class="jsx-684090880">This Moon May Have the Ingredients for Life</b></h3><div class="jsx-684090880 description"><p data-block-key="lynqw">The ocean beneath Europa’s icy shell might be an ideal environment for life.</p></div></a></article><article class="jsx-795ad97d004eefca cf"><a class="jsx-447409963 link-reset card cf" href="/wgbh/nova/video/could-this-icy-moons-ocean-support-life/"><figure class="jsx-684090880"><span class="jsx-f3c2a27e2e815a81 play-icon corner"><svg xmlns="http://www.w3.org/2000/svg" viewBox="0 0 100 100" class="jsx-f3c2a27e2e815a81"><path d="M81.4 50.4q.15683594-.4 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400w,https://www.pbs.org/wgbh/nova/media/images/could-this-icy-moons-ocean-support-life-hero.width-300.jpg 300w" sizes="100vw" loading="lazy" class="jsx-2524453792 "/></figure><span class="jsx-684090880">Watch | Short</span><h3 class="jsx-684090880 cf"><b class="jsx-684090880">Could This Icy Moon’s Ocean Support Life?</b></h3><div class="jsx-684090880 description"><p data-block-key="zg6v1">Hydrothermal vents in Enceladus’ ocean may hold the promise of life.</p></div></a></article><article class="jsx-795ad97d004eefca cf"><a class="jsx-447409963 link-reset card cf" href="/wgbh/nova/video/enceladus-a-frozen-moon-with-explosive-eruptions/"><figure class="jsx-684090880"><span class="jsx-f3c2a27e2e815a81 play-icon corner"><svg xmlns="http://www.w3.org/2000/svg" viewBox="0 0 100 100" class="jsx-f3c2a27e2e815a81"><path d="M81.4 50.4q.15683594-.4 0-.85-.10527344-.40976562-.45-.7l-51.3-42.6q-.45859375-.38320312-1.05-.35-.59160156.03867187-1 .45-.40410156.45820313-.4 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class="jsx-2524453792 "/></figure><span class="jsx-684090880">Watch | Short</span><h3 class="jsx-684090880 cf"><b class="jsx-684090880">Enceladus: A Frozen Moon With Explosive Eruptions</b></h3><div class="jsx-684090880 description"><p data-block-key="zd1t2">Enceladus’ small size and icy surface is no limitation to its extreme volcanism.</p></div></a></article><article class="jsx-795ad97d004eefca cf"><a class="jsx-447409963 link-reset card cf" href="/wgbh/nova/video/how-the-martian-atmosphere-helped-nasas-rovers-restore-energy/"><figure class="jsx-684090880"><span class="jsx-f3c2a27e2e815a81 play-icon corner"><svg xmlns="http://www.w3.org/2000/svg" viewBox="0 0 100 100" class="jsx-f3c2a27e2e815a81"><path d="M81.4 50.4q.15683594-.4 0-.85-.10527344-.40976562-.45-.7l-51.3-42.6q-.45859375-.38320312-1.05-.35-.59160156.03867187-1 .45-.40410156.45820313-.4 1.05v85.25q-.00410156.59179688.4 1 .40839844.46132812 1 .5.59140625.03320313 1.05-.35l51.3-42.65q.34472656-.29023437.45-.75z" 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data-block-key=\"9nnzt\"\u003eOur skies are full of objects, natural and manmade, that are not as strange as you might think.\u003c/p\u003e\n\u003cp data-block-key=\"repie\"\u003eWhen you spot a UFO, are you really seeing something unknown? Our skies are full of objects, natural and manmade, that are not as strange as you might think when you spot them from the ground. You can actually see things in Earth\u0026#x27;s orbit like weather balloons, the International Space Station, and a 60-satellite system called Starlink. Technology has created more clutter in the sky — and a much greater chance for us to misinterpret what we\u0026#x27;re seeing.\u003c/p\u003e\n\u003cp data-block-key=\"vsuc3\"\u003e\u003cb\u003eWhat You’re Probably Seeing If You Spot a UFO\u003c/b\u003e\u003c/p\u003e\u003cp data-block-key=\"3avpq\"\u003ePublished: January 30, 2025\u003c/p\u003e\u003cp data-block-key=\"dnu4p\"\u003e\u003cb\u003eShelley Wright:\u003c/b\u003e The word UFO, unfortunately, has become a taboo word within the scientific community. It\u0026#x27;s actually been a disservice to our community and our society for not trying to teach and communicate about what actually is in the night sky.\u003c/p\u003e\u003cp data-block-key=\"2s073\"\u003e\u003cb\u003eNarrator:\u003c/b\u003e There\u0026#x27;s no shortage of things in the night sky that can seem strange. Some are natural, like the colors of the northern lights, the beauty of a meteor shower, planet Venus in the night sky, even clouds that form strange, saucer-like shapes. And plenty that are not-so-natural wonders.\u003c/p\u003e\u003cp data-block-key=\"ejbs0\"\u003e\u003cb\u003eKenneth Harris II:\u003c/b\u003e Right now, above my head, are planes, you can hear helicopters flying over, there\u0026#x27;s probably some drones up there too. And if you\u0026#x27;re in the right place at the right time, you can probably even see some satellites up there, \u0026#x27;cause there\u0026#x27;s a lot of stuff out there that might not be as strange as you think it is.\u003c/p\u003e\u003cp data-block-key=\"fseu4\"\u003e\u003cb\u003eSpeaker 1:\u003c/b\u003e So weird.\u003c/p\u003e\u003cp data-block-key=\"7dmtj\"\u003e\u003cb\u003eSpeaker 2:\u003c/b\u003e That\u0026#x27;s not a plane.\u003c/p\u003e\u003cp data-block-key=\"3n5pg\"\u003e\u003cb\u003eNarrator:\u003c/b\u003e The number of things that are in our sky today are thousands.\u003c/p\u003e\u003cp data-block-key=\"3lhdt\"\u003e\u003cb\u003eSpeaker 3:\u003c/b\u003e Oh my God.\u003c/p\u003e\u003cp data-block-key=\"1bsqb\"\u003e\u003cb\u003eSpeaker 4:\u003c/b\u003e Now it\u0026#x27;s not moving at all. It\u0026#x27;s hovering right there.\u003c/p\u003e\u003cp data-block-key=\"7aenc\"\u003e\u003cb\u003eShelley Wright:\u003c/b\u003e We have weather balloons. 1800 of them are launched daily around the world.\u003c/p\u003e\u003cp data-block-key=\"7b4tk\"\u003e\u003cb\u003eMichael L. Wong:\u003c/b\u003e You can actually see things in Earth\u0026#x27;s orbit from the ground. You can see, for instance, the International Space Station at night, flying overhead.\u003c/p\u003e\u003cp data-block-key=\"cq1lq\"\u003e\u003cb\u003eNarrator:\u003c/b\u003e And if you see a cluster of lights traveling across the night sky, they\u0026#x27;re probably part of a satellite system called Starlink.\u003c/p\u003e\u003cp data-block-key=\"ddo80\"\u003e\u003cb\u003eSean Kirkpatrick:\u003c/b\u003e When Starlink launches a 60-satellite string, people look at that and go, I don\u0026#x27;t know what that is, and it looks really weird and concerning.\u003c/p\u003e\u003cp data-block-key=\"enhpn\"\u003e\u003cb\u003eMatt Mountain:\u003c/b\u003e Technology, I think, has created much more clutter in the sky and an ability for us to misinterpret things.\u003c/p\u003e\u003cp data-block-key=\"2omf\"\u003e\u003cb\u003eJacob Haqq-Misra:\u003c/b\u003e There\u0026#x27;s a lot in our sky, and if we\u0026#x27;re studying UFOs, of course, you have to know what\u0026#x27;s in the sky that is known before you can identify what\u0026#x27;s unknown.\u003c/p\u003e\n\n\n","passport_start":"2025-01-30T16:28:45+00:00","short_description":"\u003cp data-block-key=\"9nnzt\"\u003eOur skies are full of objects, natural and manmade, that are not as strange as you might think.\u003c/p\u003e","hits_weekly":0,"hits_daily":0,"card":{"title":"What You’re Probably Seeing If You Spot a 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Are UFOs?","topic":"space","brand":"nova","content_type":"episodepage","length":3223,"publish_date":"2025-01-03","tags":["dimension","outer space","extraterrestrial life","planets","UFO","extraterrestrial","mars","space","early UFO sightings","UAPs","unidentified anomalous phenomena","Gimbal sighting","UFO research","Famous UFO sightings","alien","aliens"],"hero_image":{"mime_type":"image/jpeg","alt_text":"Small black unidentified flying object zooming across night vision background","src":"https://www.pbs.org/wgbh/nova/media/original_images/UFOs_Blank_Image.jpg","renditions":[{"width":1920,"height":1080,"src":"https://www.pbs.org/wgbh/nova/media/images/UFOs_Blank_Image.width-2000.jpg","contentType":"application/vnd.theseus+scaled_image"},{"width":1920,"height":1080,"src":"https://www.pbs.org/wgbh/nova/media/images/UFOs_Blank_Image.width-2500.jpg","contentType":"application/vnd.theseus+scaled_image"},{"width":1500,"height":843,"src":"https://www.pbs.org/wgbh/nova/media/images/UFOs_Blank_Image.width-1500.jpg","contentType":"application/vnd.theseus+scaled_image"},{"width":800,"height":450,"src":"https://www.pbs.org/wgbh/nova/media/images/UFOs_Blank_Image.width-800.jpg","contentType":"application/vnd.theseus+scaled_image"},{"width":600,"height":337,"src":"https://www.pbs.org/wgbh/nova/media/images/UFOs_Blank_Image.width-600.jpg","contentType":"application/vnd.theseus+scaled_image"},{"width":400,"height":225,"src":"https://www.pbs.org/wgbh/nova/media/images/UFOs_Blank_Image.width-400.jpg","contentType":"application/vnd.theseus+scaled_image"},{"width":300,"height":168,"src":"https://www.pbs.org/wgbh/nova/media/images/UFOs_Blank_Image.width-300.jpg","contentType":"application/vnd.theseus+scaled_image"}],"contentType":"application/vnd.theseus+image"},"external":false,"published":true,"content":"\u003cp data-block-key=\"pnrnn\"\u003eCan science reveal the secrets of mysterious objects seen in our skies?\u003c/p\u003e\u003cp data-block-key=\"frp4s\"\u003e\u003c/p\u003e\u003cp data-block-key=\"eqfac\"\u003e\u003c/p\u003e\n\u003cp data-block-key=\"y0nl5\"\u003eFor decades UFOs have captivated the public, even as many scientists saw them as too taboo to investigate. Now, after highly publicized sightings of unidentified objects by Navy pilots, UFOs are moving out of the shadows and into the light, as NASA pledges to study them scientifically. So what does science have to say? Though some are identified as balloons or drones, weather phenomena, or optical illusions, others remain mysterious. Could they be the result of secret new technology developed by other governments – or our own? And what would it take for alien engineers to traverse vast distances to send probes or visit Earth from other solar systems? Explore the evidence, as astrophysicists and engineers use new technologies to investigate the strangest objects in our skies. \u003cb\u003e(Premiering January 22, 2025 at 9 pm on PBS)\u003c/b\u003e\u003c/p\u003e\n\u003cp data-block-key=\"2ipvq\"\u003e\u003cb\u003eWhat Are U.F.O.s?\u003c/b\u003e\u003c/p\u003e\u003cp data-block-key=\"d3boj\"\u003ePublished: January 22, 2025\u003c/p\u003e\u003cp data-block-key=\"850q5\"\u003e\u003cb\u003eNAVY PILOT #1:\u003c/b\u003e Looking at that thing. It’s rotating.\u003c/p\u003e\u003cp data-block-key=\"2j7cf\"\u003e\u003cb\u003eNAVY PILOT #2:\u003c/b\u003e Whoa, got it. Whoohoo. What the [explicative deleted]… is that thing?\u003c/p\u003e\u003cp data-block-key=\"1p9gl\"\u003e\u003cb\u003e\u003ci\u003eNARRATOR:\u003c/i\u003e\u003c/b\u003e \u003ci\u003eDisturbing videos of U.F.O.s have been taken by some of the best trained pilots on the planet.\u003c/i\u003e\u003c/p\u003e\u003cp data-block-key=\"cgkp3\"\u003e\u003cb\u003eHAKEEM OLUSEYI\u003c/b\u003e (Astrophysicist, George Mason University)\u003cb\u003e:\u003c/b\u003e We actually have military pilots who are saying, “I saw something that I don’t understand.”\u003c/p\u003e\u003cp data-block-key=\"e8od6\"\u003e\u003cb\u003ePILOT:\u003c/b\u003e Course unknown and speed unknown.\u003c/p\u003e\u003cp data-block-key=\"u7mg\"\u003e\u003cb\u003eMICK WEST\u003c/b\u003e (Unidentified Anomalous Phenomena Analyst, Metabunk)\u003cb\u003e:\u003c/b\u003e We don’t know what they actually saw. We only have their interpretation of it.\u003c/p\u003e\u003cp data-block-key=\"e9086\"\u003e\u003cb\u003eALEX DIETRICH\u003c/b\u003e (Former F/A-18 Navy Pilot, Scholar-in-Residence, University of Colorado Boulder)\u003cb\u003e:\u003c/b\u003e So this was the helmet that I was wearing.\u003c/p\u003e\u003cp data-block-key=\"8nt7e\"\u003eIt would be really irresponsible to suggest that all of these things are of the same origin, that they’re of the same technology, that they’re of the same phenomenon.\u003c/p\u003e\u003cp data-block-key=\"bt63m\"\u003e\u003cb\u003eJACOB HAQQ-MISRA\u003c/b\u003e (Affiliate Scientist, Galileo Project)\u003cb\u003e:\u003c/b\u003e We can’t say it’s aliens, but we can’t say it’s not aliens.\u003c/p\u003e\u003cp data-block-key=\"dn71h\"\u003e\u003cb\u003eCBS NEWS HOST:\u003c/b\u003e People in New Jersey are concerned.\u003c/p\u003e\u003cp data-block-key=\"8brq3\"\u003e\u003cb\u003eNBC NEWS HOST:\u003c/b\u003e And what about the explosion of news reports of strange objects flying over New Jersey?\u003c/p\u003e\u003cp data-block-key=\"771mb\"\u003e\u003cb\u003eNAT COHEN:\u003c/b\u003e Upwards of 49 plus drone sightings…\u003c/p\u003e\u003cp data-block-key=\"323ju\"\u003e\u003cb\u003e\u003ci\u003eNARRATOR:\u003c/i\u003e\u003c/b\u003e \u003ci\u003eWhat do we really know? And what don’t we know?\u003c/i\u003e\u003c/p\u003e\u003cp data-block-key=\"bcaml\"\u003e\u003cb\u003eSHELLEY WRIGHT\u003c/b\u003e (Astrophysicist, University of California San Diego)\u003cb\u003e:\u003c/b\u003e As scientists, we also want to get to the bottom of this.\u003c/p\u003e\u003cp data-block-key=\"dk1cq\"\u003e\u003cb\u003eSEAN KIRKPATRICK\u003c/b\u003e (Former Director, All-Domain Anomaly Resolution Office): There’s an aircraft. There we go.\u003c/p\u003e\u003cp data-block-key=\"74j8b\"\u003e\u003cb\u003e\u003ci\u003eNARRATOR:\u003c/i\u003e\u003c/b\u003e What are U.F.O.s?\u003ci\u003e, right now, on NOVA.\u003c/i\u003e\u003c/p\u003e\u003cp data-block-key=\"altv0\"\u003e\u003ci\u003eIn the halls of Congress, Navy pilots are speaking out.\u003c/i\u003e\u003c/p\u003e\u003cp data-block-key=\"g113\"\u003e\u003cb\u003eRYAN GRAVES\u003c/b\u003e (Former F/A-18 Navy Pilot, Executive Director, Americans for Safe Aerospace)\u003cb\u003e:\u003c/b\u003e This object remained for about 45 seconds or so, before darting off.\u003c/p\u003e\u003cp data-block-key=\"b2rp0\"\u003eWe were seeing objects with our radars, with our cameras, and even with our eyes, while we were flying, on an almost daily basis.\u003c/p\u003e\u003cp data-block-key=\"dm5na\"\u003e\u003cb\u003eALEX DIETRICH:\u003c/b\u003e We’re very sensitive to how things turn and how things accelerate and how things move, and this didn’t follow any of those laws of physics.\u003c/p\u003e\u003cp data-block-key=\"9o7mv\"\u003e\u003cb\u003e\u003ci\u003eNARRATOR:\u003c/i\u003e\u003c/b\u003e \u003ci\u003eAs of 2023, military and commercial pilots have reported seeing 801 objects they couldn’t identify.\u003c/i\u003e\u003c/p\u003e\u003cp data-block-key=\"78ndq\"\u003e\u003cb\u003eMATT MOUNTAIN\u003c/b\u003e (Astrophysicist, Association of Universities for Research and Astronomy)\u003cb\u003e:\u003c/b\u003e Credible people have seen incredible things.\u003c/p\u003e\u003cp data-block-key=\"3sko7\"\u003e\u003cb\u003eALEX DIETRICH:\u003c/b\u003e When we’re talking about having an unidentified thing in our airspace, whether it’s directly overhead or in our coastal waters, we need to figure out, is this an issue of flight safety, is this an issue of national security, is this an adversary spying on us?\u003c/p\u003e\u003cp data-block-key=\"60evi\"\u003e\u003cb\u003e\u003ci\u003eNARRATOR:\u003c/i\u003e\u003c/b\u003e \u003ci\u003eOr could it be top secret tech, developed right here, at home?\u003c/i\u003e\u003c/p\u003e\u003cp data-block-key=\"d4pnd\"\u003e\u003cb\u003eALEX HOLLINGS:\u003c/b\u003e I can tell you, unequivocally, that the government does keep secrets when it comes to aerospace technology. The Pentagon has what we often call a “black budget,” which can sometimes exceed $65-billion in a year.\u003c/p\u003e\u003cp data-block-key=\"2ouej\"\u003e\u003cb\u003eALEJANDRO ROJAS\u003c/b\u003e (U.F.O. Journalist, Consultant, Enigma Labs)\u003cb\u003e:\u003c/b\u003e Even within the military, there’s never been a consensus really, that it’s this or that or that it’s not extraterrestrial.\u003c/p\u003e\u003cp data-block-key=\"17ggh\"\u003e\u003cb\u003eSEAN KIRKPATRICK:\u003c/b\u003e We cannot rule out extraterrestrials, but you have no evidence for it. It comes back to the evidence.\u003c/p\u003e\u003cp data-block-key=\"agrkl\"\u003e\u003cb\u003eHAKEEM OLUSEYI:\u003c/b\u003e Regular citizens have been reporting things for decades, and yet we hear nothing from the government about what this may be.\u003c/p\u003e\u003cp data-block-key=\"1936h\"\u003e\u003cb\u003eSHELLEY WRIGHT:\u003c/b\u003e And now that we have more observations, more cameras, more cell phones that are taking pictures of phenomenon in our atmosphere, scientists need to come forward and talk about how we can identify these objects.\u003c/p\u003e\u003cp data-block-key=\"31gk1\"\u003e\u003cb\u003eMICHAEL L. WONG\u003c/b\u003e (Planetary Scientist and Astrobiologist, Carnegie Science)\u003cb\u003e:\u003c/b\u003e In science, we encounter anomalies all the time. And it’s our job to try to figure out what those anomalies are telling us about the universe.\u003c/p\u003e\u003cp data-block-key=\"91aq\"\u003e\u003cb\u003e\u003ci\u003eNARRATOR:\u003c/i\u003e\u003c/b\u003e \u003ci\u003eWhat are U.F.O.s?\u003c/i\u003e\u003c/p\u003e\u003cp data-block-key=\"df2fn\"\u003e\u003ci\u003eThis isn’t the first time unidentified flying objects have captured our imagination and startled the world. It was back in the 1940s that sightings started piling up.\u003c/i\u003e\u003c/p\u003e\u003cp data-block-key=\"4psap\"\u003e\u003ci\u003eJune 24th, 1947: as he flew near Mt. Rainier, in Washington state, pilot Kenneth Arnold spotted something strange.\u003c/i\u003e\u003c/p\u003e\u003cp data-block-key=\"9qelm\"\u003e\u003cb\u003eALEJANDRO ROJAS:\u003c/b\u003e As he was flying around, he said he saw these objects glinting off of the sun. Because they moved like they were skipping off of water, the term “flying saucer” came about. At the time, there were other people having sightings, but this is the one that just really kind of ignited this interest in the public about U.F.O.s.\u003c/p\u003e\u003cp data-block-key=\"5ujd5\"\u003e\u003cb\u003e\u003ci\u003eNARRATOR:\u003c/i\u003e\u003c/b\u003e \u003ci\u003eFrom New York to California, people started to report seeing flying saucers just about everywhere. Sightings were spreading like wildfire.\u003c/i\u003e\u003c/p\u003e\u003cp data-block-key=\"elbdu\"\u003e\u003cb\u003eALEX HOLLINGS:\u003c/b\u003e Culture informs our understanding of the world around us. If you expect to see a U.F.O. that looks like a pie tin, well, when you see something unusual in the sky that you have trouble discerning what it was, your brain may be more apt to say that \u003cb\u003eit\u003c/b\u003e looked like a pie tin.\u003c/p\u003e\u003cp data-block-key=\"1bu7p\"\u003e\u003cb\u003e\u003ci\u003eNARRATOR:\u003c/i\u003e\u003c/b\u003e \u003ci\u003eIt may seem strange that in the 1940s and ‘50s so many Americans were suddenly spotting objects in the sky. But with the Cold War in full swing, it was a time of heightened anxiety and worry about new threats overhead.\u003c/i\u003e\u003c/p\u003e\u003cp data-block-key=\"ar7js\"\u003e\u003cb\u003eJACOB HAQQ-MISRA:\u003c/b\u003e This was also a time period in which there was a lot of military technology development, coming out of World War II. We have developed radar.\u003c/p\u003e\u003cp data-block-key=\"5f0ql\"\u003e\u003cb\u003eSEAN KIRKPATRICK:\u003c/b\u003e I mean this was the first major war where airpower was a huge player, and there was a lot of unknown tech emerging. All of these things kind of came together. And then, of course, you had the Roswell incident.\u003c/p\u003e\u003cp data-block-key=\"aijpe\"\u003e\u003cb\u003e\u003ci\u003eNARRATOR:\u003c/i\u003e\u003c/b\u003e \u003ci\u003eRoswell, New Mexico: a rancher came across another piece of the flying saucer puzzle.\u003c/i\u003e\u003c/p\u003e\u003cp data-block-key=\"dm56q\"\u003e\u003cb\u003eALEJANDRO ROJAS:\u003c/b\u003e Essentially, this ranch hand comes in, says, “I found this material.” They send a couple of Air Force people from Roswell Army Airfield out to take a look. One of them says, “Hey, I think this stuff was weird.” They take the material to Fort Worth. Fort Worth says it was obviously a weather balloon, story’s over.\u003c/p\u003e\u003cp data-block-key=\"bfd8f\"\u003e\u003cb\u003e\u003ci\u003eNARRATOR:\u003c/i\u003e\u003c/b\u003e \u003ci\u003eBut the public wasn’t buying it. And Hollywood saw an opportunity to run with a captivating story: aliens, sometimes friendly and sometimes not, were visiting planet Earth.\u003c/i\u003e\u003c/p\u003e\u003cp data-block-key=\"ea0lh\"\u003e\u003cb\u003eJACOB HAQQ-MISRA:\u003c/b\u003e The lack of answers by the government did leave a void. And Hollywood and entertainment certainly filled that void.\u003c/p\u003e\u003cp data-block-key=\"9aqrf\"\u003e\u003cb\u003eFILM NARRATOR:\u003c/b\u003e Earth vs. the flying saucers.\u003c/p\u003e\u003cp data-block-key=\"ibu2\"\u003e\u003cb\u003eJACOB HAQQ-MISRA:\u003c/b\u003e And we were left with a wide assortment of scenarios imagining contact with aliens with saucers, or aliens on the moon or Mars, or alien invasions that are quite dramatic.\u003c/p\u003e\u003cp data-block-key=\"bibkg\"\u003e\u003cb\u003eFILM NARRATOR:\u003c/b\u003e What are they? Where do they come from?\u003c/p\u003e\u003cp data-block-key=\"9ibta\"\u003e\u003cb\u003eJACOB HAQQ-MISRA:\u003c/b\u003e Certainly this can instill a lot of fear in people.\u003c/p\u003e\u003cp data-block-key=\"bir83\"\u003e\u003cb\u003eHAKEEM OLUSEYI:\u003c/b\u003e In the absence of scientists or other authoritative voices filling the gap and explaining what’s going on, all we heard from the authorities was, “There’s nothing to see here.”\u003c/p\u003e\u003cp data-block-key=\"b1k6b\"\u003e\u003cb\u003e\u003ci\u003eNARRATOR:\u003c/i\u003e\u003c/b\u003e \u003ci\u003eBut behind the scenes, the military was investigating.\u003c/i\u003e\u003c/p\u003e\u003cp data-block-key=\"4vsnm\"\u003e\u003cb\u003eJACOB HAQQ-MISRA:\u003c/b\u003e Probably the most significant historical investigation of U.F.O.s by the government was Project Blue Book. It investigated thousands and thousands of U.F.O. sightings.\u003c/p\u003e\u003cp data-block-key=\"7qd0v\"\u003e\u003cb\u003e\u003ci\u003eNARRATOR:\u003c/i\u003e\u003c/b\u003e \u003ci\u003eFor more than 20 years, military investigators and scientists scrutinized the data, looking for answers. What are all these objects? Do any of them present a clear and present danger?\u003c/i\u003e\u003c/p\u003e\u003cp data-block-key=\"8mj19\"\u003e\u003ci\u003eScientists, like astronomer J. Allen Hynek, were brought in to help the Air Force connect the dots.\u003c/i\u003e\u003c/p\u003e\u003cp data-block-key=\"bklam\"\u003e\u003cb\u003eALEJANDRO ROJAS:\u003c/b\u003e Dr. J. Allen Hynek was the consultant for the Air Force, from 1947 all the way to 1969, the entire time they were investigating this topic. He was a skeptic himself, because of that early association with aliens and little green men. So, when they approached him, he’s like, I’ll do this, but I’m going to easily be able to debunk this in no time, because this is just silliness.\u003c/p\u003e\u003cp data-block-key=\"ek14t\"\u003e\u003cb\u003e\u003ci\u003eNARRATOR:\u003c/i\u003e\u003c/b\u003e \u003ci\u003eProject Blue Book ended in 1969, when the Air Force released the Condon Report. After investigating more than 12,000 U.F.O., sightings 701 remained unidentified.\u003c/i\u003e\u003c/p\u003e\u003cp data-block-key=\"10tsu\"\u003e\u003cb\u003eJACOB HAQQ-MISRA:\u003c/b\u003e When you’ve not explained that much of your data, as a scientist, that’s not acceptable.\u003c/p\u003e\u003cp data-block-key=\"cp9q8\"\u003e\u003cb\u003e\u003ci\u003eNARRATOR:\u003c/i\u003e\u003c/b\u003e \u003ci\u003eAnd it wasn’t acceptable for Hynek. He’d had a change of heart that would last a lifetime.\u003c/i\u003e\u003c/p\u003e\u003cp data-block-key=\"3ssbn\"\u003e\u003cb\u003eALEJANDRO ROJAS:\u003c/b\u003e He started to see that there was data there that indicates that, you know, not all of these are easily solvable and that they do deserve investigation.\u003c/p\u003e\u003cp data-block-key=\"ehpl2\"\u003eBut he would stay away from the alien side of things. He would try to focus on this as a mystery we don’t understand. But it’s just too difficult to do, because the media and the public just can’t disassociate those things, the aliens and the U.F.O.s.\u003c/p\u003e\u003cp data-block-key=\"6hlv1\"\u003e\u003cb\u003eHAKEEM OLUSEYI:\u003c/b\u003e This created an environment that scientists and any serious person did not want to go near it. So, aliens were right in there with ghosts, the Loch Ness monster, Bigfoot. It was all part of this…the unknown, spooky stuff that probably ain’t true.\u003c/p\u003e\u003cp data-block-key=\"fkjim\"\u003e\u003cb\u003e\u003ci\u003eNARRATOR:\u003c/i\u003e\u003c/b\u003e \u003ci\u003eBecause of this stigma, today the Department of Defense refers to these unidentified flying objects, U.F.O.s, as U.A.P.s, “unidentified anomalous phenomena.”\u003c/i\u003e\u003c/p\u003e\u003cp data-block-key=\"e7to0\"\u003e\u003cb\u003eALEX DIETRICH:\u003c/b\u003e They changed it from U.F.O. to U.A.P. to try to reduce that stigma, to try to get away from that history, that historical trigger that happens in our brains.\u003c/p\u003e\u003cp data-block-key=\"f7ond\"\u003e\u003cb\u003eSHELLEY WRIGHT:\u003c/b\u003e The word U.F.O., unfortunately, has become a taboo word within the scientific community. It’s actually been a disservice to our community and our society for not trying to teach and communicate about what actually is in the night sky.\u003c/p\u003e\u003cp data-block-key=\"dsvhh\"\u003e\u003cb\u003e\u003ci\u003eNARRATOR:\u003c/i\u003e\u003c/b\u003e \u003ci\u003eThere’s no shortage of things in the night sky that can seem strange. Some are natural, like the colors of the Northern Lights, the beauty of a meteor shower, planet Venus in the night sky, even clouds that form strange saucer-like shapes and plenty that are not-so-natural wonders.\u003c/i\u003e\u003c/p\u003e\u003cp data-block-key=\"85po3\"\u003e\u003cb\u003eKENNETH HARRIS, II\u003c/b\u003e (Senior Engineer, The Aerospace Corporation)\u003cb\u003e:\u003c/b\u003e Right now, above my head, there are planes, you can hear a helicopter flying over. There’s probably some drones up there, too. And if you’re in the right place at the right time, you can probably even see some satellites up there, because there’s a lot of stuff out there that might not be as strange as you think it is.\u003c/p\u003e\u003cp data-block-key=\"4apaa\"\u003e\u003cb\u003eVIDEOGRAPHER:\u003c/b\u003e That is so weird. That’s not a plane.\u003c/p\u003e\u003cp data-block-key=\"2mepj\"\u003e\u003cb\u003eSEAN KIRKPATRICK:\u003c/b\u003e The number of things that are in our sky today are thousands.\u003c/p\u003e\u003cp data-block-key=\"29sak\"\u003e\u003cb\u003eVIDEOGRAPHER:\u003c/b\u003e Oh, my god.\u003c/p\u003e\u003cp data-block-key=\"8r2f1\"\u003eNo, it’s not moving at all. It’s hovering, right there.\u003c/p\u003e\u003cp data-block-key=\"1goa5\"\u003e\u003cb\u003eSHELLEY WRIGHT:\u003c/b\u003e We have weather balloons. Eighteen-hundred of them are launched daily around the world.\u003c/p\u003e\u003cp data-block-key=\"fdos6\"\u003e\u003cb\u003eMICHAEL WONG:\u003c/b\u003e You can actually see things in Earth’s orbit from the ground. You can see, for instance, the International Space Station, at night, flying overhead.\u003c/p\u003e\u003cp data-block-key=\"fp1q0\"\u003e\u003cb\u003e\u003ci\u003eNARRATOR:\u003c/i\u003e\u003c/b\u003e \u003ci\u003eAnd if you see a cluster of lights traveling across the night sky, they’re probably part of a satellite system called Starlink.\u003c/i\u003e\u003c/p\u003e\u003cp data-block-key=\"168rf\"\u003e\u003cb\u003eSEAN KIRKPATRICK:\u003c/b\u003e When Starlink launches a 60-satellite string, people look at that and go, “I don’t know what that is, and it looks really weird and concerning.”\u003c/p\u003e\u003cp data-block-key=\"8n750\"\u003e\u003cb\u003eMATT MOUNTAIN:\u003c/b\u003e Technology, I think, has created much more clutter in the sky and an ability for us to misinterpret things.\u003c/p\u003e\u003cp data-block-key=\"eqa8m\"\u003e\u003cb\u003eJACOB HAQQ-MISRA:\u003c/b\u003e There’s a lot in our sky, and if we’re studying U.F.O.s, of course, you have to know what’s in the sky that is known, before you can identify what’s unknown.\u003c/p\u003e\u003cp data-block-key=\"6pdqq\"\u003e\u003cb\u003e\u003ci\u003eNARRATOR:\u003c/i\u003e\u003c/b\u003e \u003ci\u003eThat’s especially difficult when it comes to some of the strangest sightings ever made, those videos taken by navy pilots. One of the most famous is nicknamed the “Gimbal.”\u003c/i\u003e\u003c/p\u003e\u003cp data-block-key=\"6vbj7\"\u003e\u003cb\u003eRYAN GRAVES:\u003c/b\u003e We recorded the Gimbal object, when we were down off the coast of Jacksonville, Florida, aboard the U.S.S. Theodore Roosevelt, in 2015.\u003c/p\u003e\u003cp data-block-key=\"e75cj\"\u003e\u003cb\u003e\u003ci\u003eNARRATOR:\u003c/i\u003e\u003c/b\u003e \u003ci\u003eFormer F/A-18 pilot, Ryan Graves will never forget what some pilots in his squadron told him about their bizarre U.A.P. experience. The event unfolded during a night training mission.\u003c/i\u003e\u003c/p\u003e\u003cp data-block-key=\"900ua\"\u003e\u003cb\u003ePILOT:\u003c/b\u003e Is it a [explicative deleted]-ing drone, bro?\u003c/p\u003e\u003cp data-block-key=\"du2ab\"\u003e\u003cb\u003eRYAN GRAVES:\u003c/b\u003e They see something strange. They’ve been closing on it for a couple of minutes, as they fly towards it to better understand it. It has to be a drone. That’s the logical thing. No one’s out there saying it’s U.F.O.s or aliens or whatever. It’s just an unknown thing. And what is it?\u003c/p\u003e\u003cp data-block-key=\"4ub18\"\u003e\u003cb\u003e\u003ci\u003eNARRATOR:\u003c/i\u003e\u003c/b\u003e \u003ci\u003eWhile their camera only captures the image of one object, their radar tells a more complex story.\u003c/i\u003e\u003c/p\u003e\u003cp data-block-key=\"7fs2t\"\u003e\u003cb\u003ePILOT:\u003c/b\u003e It’s a whole fleet of them. Look on the S.A.\u003c/p\u003e\u003cp data-block-key=\"9rn5l\"\u003e\u003cb\u003ePILOT:\u003c/b\u003e My gosh.\u003c/p\u003e\u003cp data-block-key=\"cchac\"\u003e\u003cb\u003eRYAN GRAVES:\u003c/b\u003e As they gather more information, and they see a whole fleet of them on their radar, it’s harder to understand what they’re seeing. And you can hear that in their voices.\u003c/p\u003e\u003cp data-block-key=\"93k2b\"\u003e\u003cb\u003ePILOT:\u003c/b\u003e They’re all going against the wind. The wind’s 120 knots from the west. Look at that thing, dude.\u003c/p\u003e\u003cp data-block-key=\"e0op3\"\u003e\u003cb\u003e\u003ci\u003eNARRATOR:\u003c/i\u003e\u003c/b\u003e \u003ci\u003eThen, the object does something downright bizarre.\u003c/i\u003e\u003c/p\u003e\u003cp data-block-key=\"hr52\"\u003e\u003cb\u003ePILOT:\u003c/b\u003e Look at that thing. It’s rotating.\u003c/p\u003e\u003cp data-block-key=\"emdda\"\u003e\u003cb\u003eRYAN GRAVES:\u003c/b\u003e You see the object appears to rotate, and the video cuts out at that point. So, I don’t know what the Gimbal is. We still don’t know what it is.\u003c/p\u003e\u003cp data-block-key=\"3tr19\"\u003e\u003cb\u003e\u003ci\u003eNARRATOR:\u003c/i\u003e\u003c/b\u003e \u003ci\u003eThere’s no doubt many of the recordings of U.F.O.s made by navy pilots look very strange. To try to decode them, it’s crucial to understand the kinds of sensors and cameras being used.\u003c/i\u003e\u003c/p\u003e\u003cp data-block-key=\"8gutk\"\u003e\u003cb\u003eJOSHUA SEMETER\u003c/b\u003e (Electrical and Optical Engineer, Boston University)\u003cb\u003e:\u003c/b\u003e So, the vast majority of the evidence that’s excited the public imagination about these videos comes in the form of infrared imagery.\u003c/p\u003e\u003cp data-block-key=\"6qk57\"\u003e\u003cb\u003e\u003ci\u003eNARRATOR:\u003c/i\u003e\u003c/b\u003e \u003ci\u003eImagery taken with an onboard infrared camera system, called ATFLIR.\u003c/i\u003e\u003c/p\u003e\u003cp data-block-key=\"fcn9\"\u003e\u003ci\u003eSean Kirkpatrick, former director of the government’s department in charge of investigating U.A.P.s, and engineer Josh Semeter, explore how the world looks in infrared light, with the help of Teledyne engineer Donnell Lago.\u003c/i\u003e\u003c/p\u003e\u003cp data-block-key=\"fceif\"\u003e\u003cb\u003eDONNELL LAGO\u003c/b\u003e (Engineer, Teledyne)\u003cb\u003e:\u003c/b\u003e So, what you have here is you got the visible, on this side here—it’s a 4K visible image—and the thermal, on this side.\u003c/p\u003e\u003cp data-block-key=\"957pa\"\u003e\u003cb\u003e\u003ci\u003eNARRATOR:\u003c/i\u003e\u003c/b\u003e \u003ci\u003eOn the right side of the screen, the camera is capturing visible light, light the human eye can see. But on the left side, the Boston skyline looks radically different, because this is a thermal image, taken with an infrared camera that detects variations in temperature.\u003c/i\u003e\u003c/p\u003e\u003cp data-block-key=\"44dqg\"\u003e\u003ci\u003eThe cars on the bridge are emitting more heat than the background: the more heat an object emits, the whiter it appears; the less, the darker it gets.\u003c/i\u003e\u003c/p\u003e\u003cp data-block-key=\"c3aho\"\u003e\u003cb\u003eSEAN KIRKPATRICK:\u003c/b\u003e Can you switch that?\u003c/p\u003e\u003cp data-block-key=\"6c3t7\"\u003e\u003cb\u003eDONNELL LAGO:\u003c/b\u003e Yes, we can invert it. We can make everything that’s black hot and everything that’s white cool.\u003c/p\u003e\u003cp data-block-key=\"di6uk\"\u003e\u003cb\u003eSEAN KIRKPATRICK:\u003c/b\u003e And that’s exactly what we see our pilots doing. Pilots, when they see things, they will toggle back and forth, so that they can try to get the best contrast, to try to figure out what they’re looking at.\u003c/p\u003e\u003cp data-block-key=\"bc5b2\"\u003eSo, why don’t we try and see if we can see any aircraft?\u003c/p\u003e\u003cp data-block-key=\"7g01a\"\u003e\u003cb\u003e\u003ci\u003eNARRATOR:\u003c/i\u003e\u003c/b\u003e \u003ci\u003eEven on a hazy day like this…\u003c/i\u003e\u003c/p\u003e\u003cp data-block-key=\"10r65\"\u003e\u003cb\u003eSEAN KIRKPATRICK:\u003c/b\u003e There’s an aircraft. There we go, there we go. Yeah, right.\u003c/p\u003e\u003cp data-block-key=\"u3ba\"\u003e\u003cb\u003e\u003ci\u003eNARRATOR:\u003c/i\u003e\u003c/b\u003e \u003ci\u003e…it doesn’t take long to spot one.\u003c/i\u003e\u003c/p\u003e\u003cp data-block-key=\"kvd6\"\u003e\u003cb\u003eSEAN KIRKPATRICK:\u003c/b\u003e There is an aircraft that you can’t tell in the infrared is an aircraft, but in the visible I sure can. Yeah. Exactly. Right.\u003c/p\u003e\u003cp data-block-key=\"4k5sq\"\u003eWhy don’t we switch it to black is hot.\u003c/p\u003e\u003cp data-block-key=\"dksgp\"\u003e\u003cb\u003eJOSH SEMETER:\u003c/b\u003e Play the same game.\u003c/p\u003e\u003cp data-block-key=\"bempi\"\u003e\u003cb\u003eSEAN KIRKPATRICK:\u003c/b\u003e Yeah, play the same game and see what it looks like.\u003c/p\u003e\u003cp data-block-key=\"ei99n\"\u003eThere’s a plane, there’s a plane. There we go.\u003c/p\u003e\u003cp data-block-key=\"fr8ef\"\u003e\u003cb\u003eJOSH SEMETER:\u003c/b\u003e I saw this little dot, tripping through the field. And I was only looking at the infrared camera. And Sean, who was watching the visual camera next door, said, “there’s an airplane.” And I looked over and this enormous aircraft was moving through the scene.\u003c/p\u003e\u003cp data-block-key=\"4hfo8\"\u003e\u003cb\u003eSEAN KIRKPATRICK:\u003c/b\u003e It’s just a blob.\u003c/p\u003e\u003cp data-block-key=\"1rhrr\"\u003e\u003cb\u003eJOSH SEMETER:\u003c/b\u003e So, that was an image of the engine.\u003c/p\u003e\u003cp data-block-key=\"4dqvu\"\u003e\u003cb\u003eSEAN KIRKPATRICK:\u003c/b\u003e That’s basically all you saw. You didn’t see the rest of the fuselage.\u003c/p\u003e\u003cp data-block-key=\"4rs9a\"\u003e\u003cb\u003eJOSH SEMETER:\u003c/b\u003e The world looks very different in the infrared versus the visible.\u003c/p\u003e\u003cp data-block-key=\"2c8vk\"\u003e\u003cb\u003e\u003ci\u003eNARRATOR:\u003c/i\u003e\u003c/b\u003e \u003ci\u003eExploring the deceptive nature of infrared light provides scientists with valuable clues to why a plane could take on an otherworldly shape, but it doesn’t explain why the Gimbal seems to move in ways that defy physics.\u003c/i\u003e\u003c/p\u003e\u003cp data-block-key=\"8kv8n\"\u003e\u003cb\u003eMICK WEST:\u003c/b\u003e The Gimbal video is one of the most famous U.F.O. videos, and with good reason, I think, because it looks like a flying saucer.\u003c/p\u003e\u003cp data-block-key=\"4kk3b\"\u003e\u003cb\u003e\u003ci\u003eNARRATOR:\u003c/i\u003e\u003c/b\u003e \u003ci\u003eU.F.O. investigator and conspiracy debunker Mick West spent years analyzing the Gimbal video, frame by frame, clue by clue.\u003c/i\u003e\u003c/p\u003e\u003cp data-block-key=\"1815h\"\u003e\u003cb\u003eMICK WEST:\u003c/b\u003e But the interesting thing about the Gimbal video, besides it being a flying saucer, is this rotation it does. And this was very puzzling. And it took a long time to figure out what might be going on there.\u003c/p\u003e\u003cp data-block-key=\"7k6e2\"\u003e\u003cb\u003e\u003ci\u003eNARRATOR:\u003c/i\u003e\u003c/b\u003e \u003ci\u003eMick brings a unique set of skills to this challenge.\u003c/i\u003e\u003c/p\u003e\u003cp data-block-key=\"7u5uq\"\u003e\u003cb\u003eMICK WEST:\u003c/b\u003e I used to program video games many years ago. I really enjoyed the process of solving puzzles, and I use my 3D geometry and trigonometry and algebra and all the skills that I use in games programming to analyze U.F.O.s.\u003c/p\u003e\u003cp data-block-key=\"7sn5k\"\u003e\u003cb\u003e\u003ci\u003eNARRATOR:\u003c/i\u003e\u003c/b\u003e \u003ci\u003eMick starts his investigation of the Gimbal by combing through publicly available information: the plane that captured the Gimbal video is an F/A-18, equipped with an infrared camera mounted beneath the wing, in a targeting pod. Next, he builds a simulation of the plane and the camera, which is on a device called a gimbal. The gimbal enables the camera to rotate as it tracks a target.\u003c/i\u003e\u003c/p\u003e\u003cp data-block-key=\"c0qoj\"\u003e\u003ci\u003eBut the camera isn’t the only thing in motion. The pilot’s display reveals that the object is also moving, from the left side of the plane to the right.\u003c/i\u003e\u003c/p\u003e\u003cp data-block-key=\"bromu\"\u003e\u003cb\u003eMICK WEST:\u003c/b\u003e To track something going from left to right, which is what we’re seeing here, the camera actually has to rotate, and it has to rotate a specific amount, as it traverses over from one side to the other.\u003c/p\u003e\u003cp data-block-key=\"3r358\"\u003e\u003cb\u003e\u003ci\u003eNARRATOR:\u003c/i\u003e\u003c/b\u003e \u003ci\u003eUsing the simulation he’s created, Mick makes a surprising discovery.\u003c/i\u003e\u003c/p\u003e\u003cp data-block-key=\"7ftph\"\u003e\u003cb\u003eMICK WEST:\u003c/b\u003e The amount the Gimbal rotates and the time it rotates is exactly what would be needed for the camera to track this object.\u003c/p\u003e\u003cp data-block-key=\"cuakl\"\u003e\u003cb\u003e\u003ci\u003eNARRATOR:\u003c/i\u003e\u003c/b\u003e \u003ci\u003eHe’s come up with a theory about why the object appears to rotate and sets up an experiment to demonstrate how it works, using his cell phone and his desk lamp.\u003c/i\u003e\u003c/p\u003e\u003cp data-block-key=\"akmfa\"\u003e\u003cb\u003eMICK WEST:\u003c/b\u003e Take your cell phone and point the camera at bright light, a single light, and then rotate your cell phone.\u003c/p\u003e\u003cp data-block-key=\"6cfp4\"\u003eSo, you’ve got a rotating camera, but nothing is rotating, except the artifacts of the camera. So, if you have a glare, like an artifact of the camera when the camera is rotating, the scene itself doesn’t rotate, but the glare rotates. And I think that’s what we’re seeing in the Gimbal video.\u003c/p\u003e\u003cp data-block-key=\"346tl\"\u003eIt’s possibly something like a distant plane, something that’s hot, off in the distance, the heat of the engine was kind of pointing towards the camera, and that kind of bloomed in the camera and created this glare that was so big it obscured the entire plane.\u003c/p\u003e\u003cp data-block-key=\"4ik40\"\u003e\u003cb\u003e\u003ci\u003eNARRATOR:\u003c/i\u003e\u003c/b\u003e \u003ci\u003eBut not everyone agrees with this theory.\u003c/i\u003e\u003c/p\u003e\u003cp data-block-key=\"6rfj2\"\u003e\u003cb\u003eALEX HOLLINGS:\u003c/b\u003e I want to be clear that that’s entirely possible, but I personally don’t find that particularly likely. The reason for that is strictly that this FLIR system is something that military personnel are trained to use to identify adversary and friendly aircraft.\u003c/p\u003e\u003cp data-block-key=\"9g9lj\"\u003e\u003cb\u003e\u003ci\u003eNARRATOR:\u003c/i\u003e\u003c/b\u003e \u003ci\u003ePilots are well aware of how the gimbal system works, as well as the nature of common camera artifacts, like glare.\u003c/i\u003e\u003c/p\u003e\u003cp data-block-key=\"7d01r\"\u003e\u003cb\u003eRYAN GRAVES:\u003c/b\u003e I don’t think this was a distant plane. I do believe it was an object that was about four to six miles away from the fighter aircraft, not a distant jet at 30 nautical miles away. If it was a distant jet, where would it come from? Why were we not receiving any indications that it was or was not part of our strike group?\u003c/p\u003e\u003cp data-block-key=\"39td7\"\u003e\u003cb\u003e\u003ci\u003eNARRATOR:\u003c/i\u003e\u003c/b\u003e \u003ci\u003eIn 2021, the Department of Defense formed AARO, the All-domain Anomaly Resolution Office, to investigate U.A.P.s like the Gimbal. To date, AARO considers this case “unresolved.”\u003c/i\u003e\u003c/p\u003e\u003cp data-block-key=\"4npb0\"\u003e\u003cb\u003eRYAN GRAVES:\u003c/b\u003e For us, anything that remains unidentified is a severe threat that we should be paying attention to, as tactical aviators, because that’s exactly what we’re training to identify.\u003c/p\u003e\u003cp data-block-key=\"4ib6u\"\u003e\u003cb\u003e\u003ci\u003eNARRATOR:\u003c/i\u003e\u003c/b\u003e \u003ci\u003eThe Gimbal isn’t the only U.A.P. that appears to defy the laws of physics. 2013, just after dark, at the airport in Aguadilla, Puerto Rico, U.S. Customs and Border Control captured this video of an oddly behaving object.\u003c/i\u003e\u003c/p\u003e\u003cp data-block-key=\"bllut\"\u003e\u003cb\u003eSEAN KIRKPATRICK:\u003c/b\u003e It looks like that the object is traveling quickly, it looks like it, it’s disappearing into the water and coming out of the water, disappearing again, coming out, and splitting into two and, kind of, disappearing completely. Enthusiasts will point to that and say that is evidence of warp drives or interdimensional drives, and that it’s transmedium, because it’s going in and out of the water.\u003c/p\u003e\u003cp data-block-key=\"f54kh\"\u003e\u003cb\u003e\u003ci\u003eNARRATOR:\u003c/i\u003e\u003c/b\u003e \u003ci\u003eBut could there be another reason that’s more down to earth?\u003c/i\u003e\u003c/p\u003e\u003cp data-block-key=\"2gost\"\u003e\u003cb\u003eSEAN KIRKPATRICK:\u003c/b\u003e So, let’s do this as a controlled experiment.\u003c/p\u003e\u003cp data-block-key=\"f3n1a\"\u003e\u003cb\u003e\u003ci\u003eNARRATOR:\u003c/i\u003e\u003c/b\u003e \u003ci\u003eEngineer Josh Semeter enlists the help of Sean Kirkpatrick, former director of AARO, to cook up an idea: can they recreate this disappearing act in the lab with a knife, spoon and fork and a two surrogate U.F.O.s?\u003c/i\u003e\u003c/p\u003e\u003cp data-block-key=\"18q6p\"\u003e\u003cb\u003eJOSH SEMETER:\u003c/b\u003e What I thought we’d try and use to do this is a infrared sensor. It just clips on, like so.\u003c/p\u003e\u003cp data-block-key=\"59sin\"\u003e\u003cb\u003e\u003ci\u003eNARRATOR:\u003c/i\u003e\u003c/b\u003e \u003ci\u003eThey set it up on a tripod, take a look, and see absolutely nothing.\u003c/i\u003e\u003c/p\u003e\u003cp data-block-key=\"5lm2o\"\u003e\u003cb\u003eJOSH SEMETER:\u003c/b\u003e We’re not seeing anything at all in these objects.\u003c/p\u003e\u003cp data-block-key=\"641vm\"\u003e\u003cb\u003e\u003ci\u003eNARRATOR:\u003c/i\u003e\u003c/b\u003e \u003ci\u003eSean takes the spoon and fork, along with one of the U.A.P. surrogates and puts them in a cooler.\u003c/i\u003e\u003c/p\u003e\u003cp data-block-key=\"68mr2\"\u003e\u003cb\u003eSEAN KIRKPATRICK:\u003c/b\u003e For just about, what do you think, Josh, 10 seconds?\u003c/p\u003e\u003cp data-block-key=\"96je3\"\u003e\u003cb\u003eJOSH SEMETER:\u003c/b\u003e Yeah. It doesn’t take long. I’d say 10 seconds. It’s more than enough.\u003c/p\u003e\u003cp data-block-key=\"mo3t\"\u003e\u003cb\u003e\u003ci\u003eNARRATOR:\u003c/i\u003e\u003c/b\u003e \u003ci\u003eAbout 10 seconds later, give or take...\u003c/i\u003e\u003c/p\u003e\u003cp data-block-key=\"6e6nb\"\u003e\u003cb\u003eSEAN KIRKPATRICK:\u003c/b\u003e All right, let’s take them out and see what they look like. Put them right back where they were, and what do we got?\u003c/p\u003e\u003cp data-block-key=\"c1nd9\"\u003e\u003cb\u003eJOSH SEMETER:\u003c/b\u003e Well, there’s three objects there. Wow.\u003c/p\u003e\u003cp data-block-key=\"4h4b9\"\u003e\u003cb\u003eSEAN KIRKPATRICK:\u003c/b\u003e Wow, that’s pretty stark.\u003c/p\u003e\u003cp data-block-key=\"a13hk\"\u003e\u003cb\u003e\u003ci\u003eNARRATOR:\u003c/i\u003e\u003c/b\u003e \u003ci\u003eVoila. We can see the fork and spoon, along with one of the U.F.O. surrogates.\u003c/i\u003e\u003c/p\u003e\u003cp data-block-key=\"4t22d\"\u003e\u003cb\u003eJOSH SEMETER:\u003c/b\u003e And...\u003c/p\u003e\u003cp data-block-key=\"btn6g\"\u003e\u003cb\u003eSEAN KIRKPATRICK:\u003c/b\u003e I don’t see the other two.\u003c/p\u003e\u003cp data-block-key=\"2cvv\"\u003e\u003cb\u003eJOSH SEMETER:\u003c/b\u003e …cannot find the other two.\u003c/p\u003e\u003cp data-block-key=\"dit36\"\u003e\u003cb\u003eSEAN KIRKPATRICK:\u003c/b\u003e All right, but they are clearly there.\u003c/p\u003e\u003cp data-block-key=\"5mn1r\"\u003e\u003cb\u003e\u003ci\u003eNARRATOR:\u003c/i\u003e\u003c/b\u003e \u003ci\u003eBut over the next few minutes, they gradually disappear again. The question is why?\u003c/i\u003e\u003c/p\u003e\u003cp data-block-key=\"4ul7h\"\u003e\u003cb\u003eJOSH SEMETER:\u003c/b\u003e There is a tendency for objects that are at different temperatures, when they’re in contact, to eventually reach the same temperature as one another.\u003c/p\u003e\u003cp data-block-key=\"91mcv\"\u003e\u003cb\u003e\u003ci\u003eNARRATOR:\u003c/i\u003e\u003c/b\u003e \u003ci\u003eIt’s not a magic trick. For an object to show up in infrared light, it must be a different temperature than objects it is in contact with. So, when the fork and spoon exchanged thermal energy with the table, “thermal equilibrium” is reached, making them invisible in infrared light.\u003c/i\u003e\u003c/p\u003e\u003cp data-block-key=\"c5ams\"\u003e\u003ci\u003eAnd that brings us back to the disappearing objects in the Puerto Rico video, which were also captured with an infrared sensor.\u003c/i\u003e\u003c/p\u003e\u003cp data-block-key=\"bchnt\"\u003e\u003cb\u003eSEAN KIRKPATRICK:\u003c/b\u003e As the object becomes the same either temperature or irradiance, as the background, you won’t be able to see it. It will become nearly invisible. And it looks like it disappears.\u003c/p\u003e\u003cp data-block-key=\"1ed74\"\u003e\u003cb\u003e\u003ci\u003eNARRATOR:\u003c/i\u003e\u003c/b\u003e \u003ci\u003eAfter months of carefully analyzing the video, scientists think they have an answer.\u003c/i\u003e\u003c/p\u003e\u003cp data-block-key=\"1pfkh\"\u003e\u003cb\u003eSEAN KIRKPATRICK:\u003c/b\u003e We think they’re two birds, and when they get close to the water, the effect on the sensor kicks in, where it’s having a hard time distinguishing the contrast between the background and the birds. And they look like they disappear and then they reappear, because the reflectance changes and then they separate. And then it looks like they land in the water.\u003c/p\u003e\u003cp data-block-key=\"3f1qq\"\u003e\u003cb\u003e\u003ci\u003eNARRATOR:\u003c/i\u003e\u003c/b\u003e \u003ci\u003eThis demo doesn’t capture all the conditions of this sighting. But Sean and Josh believe that shifts in temperature and reflection might explain the apparent disappearing act.\u003c/i\u003e\u003c/p\u003e\u003cp data-block-key=\"f65h3\"\u003e\u003cb\u003eJOSH SEMETER:\u003c/b\u003e I’m satisfied with that explanation, because that’s how a scientist speaks with respect to some phenomenon that’s not known. We don’t speak in certainty. So, for instance, if one were to say that is either two birds flying over the ocean, or it is an alien anti-gravity technology exhibiting transmedium characteristics, I choose the bird explanation.\u003c/p\u003e\u003cp data-block-key=\"34ll7\"\u003e\u003cb\u003e\u003ci\u003eNARRATOR:\u003c/i\u003e\u003c/b\u003e \u003ci\u003eThe sighting in Puerto Rico might simply be two birds, and the Gimbal video might be a distant plane, but one of the most famous U.F.O. sightings has been even more challenging for investigators.\u003c/i\u003e\u003c/p\u003e\u003cp data-block-key=\"5gged\"\u003e\u003cb\u003eALEX DIETRICH:\u003c/b\u003e I was an eyewitness to what is considered one of the most important U.F.O. or U.A.P. encounters, and that’s the U.S.S. Nimitz Tic Tac encounter.\u003c/p\u003e\u003cp data-block-key=\"de8m3\"\u003e\u003cb\u003e\u003ci\u003eNARRATOR:\u003c/i\u003e\u003c/b\u003e \u003ci\u003eNovember 14, 2004, about 100 miles southwest of San Diego: Alex Dietrich, then a young aviator in training, along with her commanding officer David Fravor, a seasoned pilot with more than a decade of flying under his belt, set out on a routine training exercise.\u003c/i\u003e\u003c/p\u003e\u003cp data-block-key=\"67lkn\"\u003e\u003cb\u003eALEX DIETRICH:\u003c/b\u003e It was clear blue skies, calm waters, when we get a call, by this controller, kind of like an air traffic controller for our military exercise, and they say, “Hey, we need you to go check out this contact over here.”\u003c/p\u003e\u003cp data-block-key=\"c2i1e\"\u003e\u003cb\u003e\u003ci\u003eNARRATOR:\u003c/i\u003e\u003c/b\u003e \u003ci\u003eThe radar on one of the ships in the strike group had detected an unknown object.\u003c/i\u003e\u003c/p\u003e\u003cp data-block-key=\"d7uu0\"\u003e\u003cb\u003eALEX DIETRICH:\u003c/b\u003e And this is 2004, just a few years after 9/11, the hair on the back of our neck stands up, and we go, “Hmm, okay.” And we divert, and we head towards it.\u003c/p\u003e\u003cp data-block-key=\"7n42e\"\u003eAnd we don’t see anything, initially, but somebody sees a disturbance in the water, and this strange thing is flying very fast but erratically over the, this area of water.\u003c/p\u003e\u003cp data-block-key=\"b93ek\"\u003eIt was off-white, you know, sort of a white, creamish color. We didn’t see a cockpit, we didn’t see windows. And it moved in ways that we didn’t understand.\u003c/p\u003e\u003cp data-block-key=\"eg8di\"\u003e\u003cb\u003e\u003ci\u003eNARRATOR:\u003c/i\u003e\u003c/b\u003e \u003ci\u003eDietrich and Fravor returned to the Nimitz without taking video of the object, so another aircraft went in pursuit and captured this.\u003c/i\u003e\u003c/p\u003e\u003cp data-block-key=\"99a7p\"\u003e\u003cb\u003eALEX DIETRICH:\u003c/b\u003e We call it, affectionately, a “Tic Tac,” because it looks like the little breath mint.\u003c/p\u003e\u003cp data-block-key=\"8119r\"\u003e\u003cb\u003e\u003ci\u003eNARRATOR:\u003c/i\u003e\u003c/b\u003e \u003ci\u003eMick West decides to take on the challenge, to see if he can make sense of the movement of the Tic Tac.\u003c/i\u003e\u003c/p\u003e\u003cp data-block-key=\"bgoe7\"\u003e\u003cb\u003eMICK WEST:\u003c/b\u003e It’s a very blurry video, I think it’s actually out of focus, and it’s not actually doing anything. It’s just basically flying away and a bit to the left and more or less a straightish line. But the thing is, David Fravor’s description is very dramatic.\u003c/p\u003e\u003cp data-block-key=\"tkh6\"\u003e\u003cb\u003e\u003ci\u003eNARRATOR:\u003c/i\u003e\u003c/b\u003e \u003ci\u003eIn fact, when Commander David Fravor, testified before Congress in 2023, he described an object that in his 18 years of flying, traveled at speeds he’d never seen before.\u003c/i\u003e\u003c/p\u003e\u003cp data-block-key=\"fvmhc\"\u003e\u003cb\u003eDAVID FRAVOR:\u003c/b\u003e As we looked around, we saw a white Tic Tac object, with a longitudinal axis pointing north-south, and moving very abruptly over the water, like a ping pong ball.\u003c/p\u003e\u003cp data-block-key=\"85mfm\"\u003e\u003cb\u003eMICK WEST:\u003c/b\u003e He talks about the object kind of ping-ponging around, close to the ocean, and then doing this very difficult synchronized movement up towards the top.\u003c/p\u003e\u003cp data-block-key=\"d1apt\"\u003eAnd I’m going to tie it off, over here.\u003c/p\u003e\u003cp data-block-key=\"7pr9k\"\u003e\u003cb\u003e\u003ci\u003eNARRATOR:\u003c/i\u003e\u003c/b\u003e \u003ci\u003eMick conducts an experiment based solely on the pilots’ eyewitness reports, using his backyard swimming pool and his version of the Tic Tac.\u003c/i\u003e\u003c/p\u003e\u003cp data-block-key=\"8k25o\"\u003e\u003cb\u003eMICK WEST:\u003c/b\u003e Yeah, I made the Tic Tac out of a piece of wood and some bits of white wire and painted it white.\u003c/p\u003e\u003cp data-block-key=\"cfce6\"\u003e\u003cb\u003e\u003ci\u003eNARRATOR:\u003c/i\u003e\u003c/b\u003e \u003ci\u003eHe suspends his Tic Tac over the swimming pool,…\u003c/i\u003e\u003c/p\u003e\u003cp data-block-key=\"12d17\"\u003e\u003cb\u003eMICK WEST:\u003c/b\u003e Well, there.\u003c/p\u003e\u003cp data-block-key=\"2hqhb\"\u003e\u003cb\u003e\u003ci\u003eNARRATOR:\u003c/i\u003e\u003c/b\u003e \u003ci\u003e…climbs up a ladder with his phone and starts recording.\u003c/i\u003e\u003c/p\u003e\u003cp data-block-key=\"1vpuq\"\u003e\u003cb\u003eMICK WEST:\u003c/b\u003e So, what I set up with the pool demo is just a good illustration of what might have happened to try to figure out what’s actually moving here. Is this object moving or is the camera moving? Because we don’t have any frame of reference, we’ve just got the pool behind. And, kind of, zoom in a little bit, so all you see is the pool. It really looks like the object is moving.\u003c/p\u003e\u003cp data-block-key=\"23h7m\"\u003e\u003cb\u003e\u003ci\u003eNARRATOR:\u003c/i\u003e\u003c/b\u003e \u003ci\u003eEven though it’s not, it’s only the camera that’s moving.\u003c/i\u003e\u003c/p\u003e\u003cp data-block-key=\"be315\"\u003e\u003cb\u003eMICK WEST:\u003c/b\u003e It’s a good kind of illustration of “parallax,” which, as we know, is one of the big causes of optical illusions.\u003c/p\u003e\u003cp data-block-key=\"v6kb\"\u003e\u003cb\u003e\u003ci\u003eNARRATOR:\u003c/i\u003e\u003c/b\u003e \u003ci\u003eYou may have experienced this illusion, looking out the window of a train. The trees just outside the window appear to be moving in relation to the landscape in the background, but the only thing that’s actually moving is you.\u003c/i\u003e\u003c/p\u003e\u003cp data-block-key=\"a8pfs\"\u003e\u003cb\u003eHAKEEM OLUSEYI:\u003c/b\u003e We’re not reliable. Our eyes are not reliable. If you’re going to court, and you’re the accused, and it’s an eyewitness testimony that’s going to, you know, be the big evidence against you, good luck.\u003c/p\u003e\u003cp data-block-key=\"3asrn\"\u003e\u003cb\u003eALEX HOLLINGS:\u003c/b\u003e When a military aviator, especially someone like Commander Fravor, with combat experience, says that they saw something in the sky that they can’t quite explain, that operated in a way that seemed to contradict what they understand the laws of physics would dictate, I tend to give those witness testimonies a great deal of credence, because these aviators are not just highly trained pilots, they’re highly trained combatants.\u003c/p\u003e\u003cp data-block-key=\"a6uqm\"\u003e\u003cb\u003eMATT MOUNTAIN:\u003c/b\u003e The pilot observation is, “I see something.” The data we need is what the sensor is gathering. And that’s the numbers we actually need.\u003c/p\u003e\u003cp data-block-key=\"6pe8t\"\u003e\u003cb\u003eSEAN KIRKPATRICK:\u003c/b\u003e In the case of the Tic Tac, the pilot did see something, but some of the key technical questions hadn’t been investigated at the time. And trying to investigate those now is not going to give us a whole lot, because there’s nothing to really examine. The farther back in time you go, the less data there is for every one of these cases. And back in 2004, there was no data retention policy for these kinds of events.\u003c/p\u003e\u003cp data-block-key=\"6cipn\"\u003e\u003cb\u003e\u003ci\u003eNARRATOR:\u003c/i\u003e\u003c/b\u003e \u003ci\u003eAccording to Sean Kirkpatrick, the radar data from the incident no longer exists, so we’ll never know if it would support or rule out Mick’s parallax theory.\u003c/i\u003e\u003c/p\u003e\u003cp data-block-key=\"1sqsk\"\u003e\u003cb\u003eALEX DIETRICH:\u003c/b\u003e I don’t know what we saw. And I refuse to speculate, because I think it would be irresponsible of me to say, you know, “Well, it was definitely an adversary spying on us,” or “It was definitely an alien, visiting from outer space,” because I don’t know.\u003c/p\u003e\u003cp data-block-key=\"5ioam\"\u003e\u003cb\u003e\u003ci\u003eNARRATOR:\u003c/i\u003e\u003c/b\u003e \u003ci\u003eFor Alex, that was the end of the Tic Tac story.\u003c/i\u003e\u003c/p\u003e\u003cp data-block-key=\"aofu7\"\u003e\u003cb\u003eALEX DIETRICH:\u003c/b\u003e And then I went on with my life, my career, and I didn’t really think about it.\u003c/p\u003e\u003cp data-block-key=\"95hto\"\u003e\u003cb\u003e\u003ci\u003eNARRATOR:\u003c/i\u003e\u003c/b\u003e \u003ci\u003eThat is until 13 years later, when the\u003c/i\u003e New York Times\u003ci\u003e published this article, with links to the Tic Tac and Gimbal videos.\u003c/i\u003e\u003c/p\u003e\u003cp data-block-key=\"52qni\"\u003e\u003cb\u003eALEX HOLLINGS:\u003c/b\u003e When the \u003ci\u003eNew York Times\u003c/i\u003e released this story, it really gave the whole topic a bit of credibility, where a lot of people saw it as taboo and sort of silly, but if the U.S. government has been investing tens of millions of dollars into investigating these reports, there seems like there could be something to it.\u003c/p\u003e\u003cp data-block-key=\"bn15o\"\u003e\u003cb\u003eJACOB HAQQ-MISRA:\u003c/b\u003e A lot of people are interested in the topic of U.F.O.s, and Congress has begun to get involved. There’s been a couple of congressional hearings calling expert witnesses to try and figure out what’s going on here.\u003c/p\u003e\u003cp data-block-key=\"4tte9\"\u003e\u003cb\u003eLANGWORTHY:\u003c/b\u003e In your belief, is this, this flying Tic Tac, I mean, is this, is it capable of being the product of any other nation on the earth?\u003c/p\u003e\u003cp data-block-key=\"5pg7v\"\u003e\u003cb\u003eDAVID FRAVOR:\u003c/b\u003e No. Actually, I think it defies current material science and the ability to develop that much propulsion—and I know there’s been some physicists have done calculations—which is beyond anything that we have.\u003c/p\u003e\u003cp data-block-key=\"447m\"\u003e\u003cb\u003e\u003ci\u003eNARRATOR:\u003c/i\u003e\u003c/b\u003e \u003ci\u003eShould we be concerned that some U.F.O.s are advanced technologies from out of this world, or secret technologies developed by our adversaries, or could there be another reason U.F.O.s have remained so elusive for decades?\u003c/i\u003e\u003c/p\u003e\u003cp data-block-key=\"e7qc3\"\u003e\u003ci\u003eRemember, back in 1947, in Roswell, New Mexico, when a rancher found strange debris in his pasture? The Air Force said it was from a weather balloon, but, as it turns out, it was part of a classified U.S. military program, called Project Mogul.\u003c/i\u003e\u003c/p\u003e\u003cp data-block-key=\"fofvu\"\u003e\u003cb\u003eALEJANDRO ROJAS:\u003c/b\u003e The Air Force launched these balloons, and they had these sensors on them, where they can measure vibrations in the air, to be able to monitor Russian nuclear testing. The general in Fort Worth, Texas, decided, “I’m going to cover up this classified project, and I’m going to show the public that what we recovered was a weather balloon.”\u003c/p\u003e\u003cp data-block-key=\"6r2rm\"\u003e\u003cb\u003e\u003ci\u003eNARRATOR:\u003c/i\u003e\u003c/b\u003e \u003ci\u003eIt would take half a century for the Air Force to admit exactly what had crashed in Roswell.\u003c/i\u003e\u003c/p\u003e\u003cp data-block-key=\"do7sm\"\u003e\u003cb\u003eALEJANDRO ROJAS:\u003c/b\u003e So, there was a cover up, but it was a cover up of a classified project, not, you know, an alien spacecraft. The secrecy led to the conspiracy, and certainly the Air Force did not help themselves by being secret and dismissive of the topic.\u003c/p\u003e\u003cp data-block-key=\"bb4lo\"\u003e\u003cb\u003e\u003ci\u003eNARRATOR:\u003c/i\u003e\u003c/b\u003e \u003ci\u003eWhen it comes to government cover ups, perhaps the most infamous is Area 51. Tales of alien spacecraft, hidden inside this remote Air Force base, about 83 miles northwest of Las Vegas, have persisted for decades.\u003c/i\u003e\u003c/p\u003e\u003cp data-block-key=\"c9nu5\"\u003e\u003ci\u003eIt turns out, the military has been secretly developing cutting edge technology here since the 1950s, but did not even acknowledge the existence of the base until 2013.\u003c/i\u003e\u003c/p\u003e\u003cp data-block-key=\"bbegj\"\u003e\u003cb\u003eALEX HOLLINGS:\u003c/b\u003e There are lots of aircraft that we know have been testing in Area 51, entirely in secret, at the time, including the F-117, the SR-71, the B-2 Spirit and many more. Right around the same time that the B-2 Spirit was in development, common sightings of U.F.O.s, around the United States, tended to transition away from the pie saucer shape we were familiar with in earlier decades, and toward a more triangular shape. This is a model of what people claim was the TR-3B, which is a legendary aircraft that people allege was built using reverse engineered alien technology.\u003c/p\u003e\u003cp data-block-key=\"459hm\"\u003e\u003cb\u003e\u003ci\u003eNARRATOR:\u003c/i\u003e\u003c/b\u003e \u003ci\u003eBy the 1990s, rumors of triangular-shaped spacecraft became so widespread, they became part of popular culture.\u003c/i\u003e\u003c/p\u003e\u003cp data-block-key=\"8e9aa\"\u003e\u003ci\u003eBlockbusters, like the X Files featured a triangular shaped alien spacecraft, hovering over agent Fox Mulder’s head.\u003c/i\u003e\u003c/p\u003e\u003cp data-block-key=\"f7hl2\"\u003e\u003cb\u003eALEX HOLLINGS:\u003c/b\u003e I think the government should, and does, expect that the public is going to fill in the blanks, as they see fit. As long as people are talking about aliens operating out of Area 51, well, then they’re not revealing anything about the legitimate military platforms that are being tested there. It creates a bit of a smokescreen.\u003c/p\u003e\u003cp data-block-key=\"46egu\"\u003e\u003cb\u003eHAKEEM OLUSEYI:\u003c/b\u003e There’s always advanced technological programs going on that are on a need-to-know basis. If you don’t need to know, even if you are a member of the government or the military, you’re not going to know. And that’s the way it should be.\u003c/p\u003e\u003cp data-block-key=\"85ukc\"\u003e\u003cb\u003eSEAN KIRKPATRICK:\u003c/b\u003e This is all about spy versus spy or military versus military, to maintain technical superiority. We don’t want other people to learn what we’re building or where we might employ it, because then they can defeat it. There are reasons to do that. None of it is alien, none of it.\u003c/p\u003e\u003cp data-block-key=\"5tg7l\"\u003e\u003cb\u003eMATT MOUNTAIN:\u003c/b\u003e I think, you know, we are in an era where conspiracy theories are popular. Is this another one?\u003c/p\u003e\u003cp data-block-key=\"cu47i\"\u003e\u003cb\u003e\u003ci\u003eNARRATOR:\u003c/i\u003e\u003c/b\u003e \u003ci\u003eWhen it comes to sightings by military pilots and the public, how can science help separate unfounded conspiracy theories from reality, fact from fiction?\u003c/i\u003e\u003c/p\u003e\u003cp data-block-key=\"6ao03\"\u003e\u003cb\u003eMATT MOUNTAIN:\u003c/b\u003e From the very days that Galileo first lifted his telescope to the sky and made measurements of the moons going around Jupiter, everybody else could then reproduce those measurements and go, “Oh yeah, he’s right.” And that confirmation is what has made the scientific method so powerful over the last 400 years.\u003c/p\u003e\u003cp data-block-key=\"8k1tm\"\u003e\u003cb\u003eSHELLEY WRIGHT:\u003c/b\u003e The thing we need is data. And we need real data, and we don’t have it.\u003c/p\u003e\u003cp data-block-key=\"chl34\"\u003e\u003cb\u003e\u003ci\u003eNARRATOR:\u003c/i\u003e\u003c/b\u003e \u003ci\u003eIn 2022, NASA brought together a group of experts to explore ways to collect that data.\u003c/i\u003e\u003c/p\u003e\u003cp data-block-key=\"4g40u\"\u003e\u003cb\u003eSEAN KIRKPATRICK:\u003c/b\u003e NASA should lead the scientific discourse. We need to elevate the conversation.\u003c/p\u003e\u003cp data-block-key=\"b1tdo\"\u003e\u003cb\u003eJOSH SEMETER:\u003c/b\u003e The NASA U.A.P. panel was formed to bring that science perspective into this.\u003c/p\u003e\u003cp data-block-key=\"8gga8\"\u003e\u003cb\u003eSHELLEY WRIGHT:\u003c/b\u003e That analysis has not been done.\u003c/p\u003e\u003cp data-block-key=\"a7t1b\"\u003e\u003cb\u003eALEJANDRO ROJAS:\u003c/b\u003e A lot of people argue that we have data. But the vast majority of that data is anecdotal, and that’s just not going to cut it.\u003c/p\u003e\u003cp data-block-key=\"bi53f\"\u003e\u003cb\u003e\u003ci\u003eNARRATOR:\u003c/i\u003e\u003c/b\u003e \u003ci\u003eThe panel recommended several ways to collect more data, including repurposing existing technology, like the National Weather Service’s radar system, called NEXRAD, radar stations that are found throughout the U.S.\u003c/i\u003e\u003c/p\u003e\u003cp data-block-key=\"9r9e9\"\u003e\u003cb\u003eJOSH SEMETER:\u003c/b\u003e So, those same sensors should be able to see if an object comes whizzing through at an extraordinary velocity. It should be able to pick up that type of thing. That’s just one example of the type of networks that we could repurpose for U.A.P. research.\u003c/p\u003e\u003cp data-block-key=\"b1ms1\"\u003e\u003cb\u003e\u003ci\u003eNARRATOR:\u003c/i\u003e\u003c/b\u003e \u003ci\u003eAstronomer Avi Loeb, is taking a different approach, collecting more data in a novel way.\u003c/i\u003e\u003c/p\u003e\u003cp data-block-key=\"54ifm\"\u003e\u003cb\u003eAVI LOEB\u003c/b\u003e (Theoretical Physicist, Director, Galileo Project, Harvard University)\u003cb\u003e:\u003c/b\u003e We just constructed an observatory at Harvard University. We are monitoring objects that fly overhead and trying to make sense of them.\u003c/p\u003e\u003cp data-block-key=\"3coi7\"\u003e\u003cb\u003e\u003ci\u003eNARRATOR:\u003c/i\u003e\u003c/b\u003e \u003ci\u003eThis collection of instruments is part of Harvard’s Galileo Project.\u003c/i\u003e\u003c/p\u003e\u003cp data-block-key=\"fesvh\"\u003e\u003cb\u003eJACOB HAQQ-MISRA:\u003c/b\u003e The Galileo Project is developing several sites that are spread across a geographical region, where each site has an array of sensors, optical cameras, infrared images; there’s audio from infrasound to ultrasound; there’s radar. It’s a wide array of instruments to, basically, look at the sky all the time, to see if you find any anomalies.\u003c/p\u003e\u003cp data-block-key=\"2ersl\"\u003e\u003cb\u003e\u003ci\u003eNARRATOR:\u003c/i\u003e\u003c/b\u003e \u003ci\u003eSome instruments have otherworldly names, like this one, called Dalek, after the cyborg aliens featured in the\u003c/i\u003e Doctor Who\u003ci\u003e series.\u003c/i\u003e\u003c/p\u003e\u003cp data-block-key=\"8fmtk\"\u003e\u003cb\u003eDALEK:\u003c/b\u003e Exterminate.\u003c/p\u003e\u003cp data-block-key=\"anojq\"\u003e\u003cb\u003e\u003ci\u003eNARRATOR:\u003c/i\u003e\u003c/b\u003e \u003ci\u003eInside Dalek there are eight infrared cameras.\u003c/i\u003e\u003c/p\u003e\u003cp data-block-key=\"8ke47\"\u003e\u003cb\u003eAVI LOEB:\u003c/b\u003e Behind the window there is a camera. They overlap, and so they get the full picture of the entire sky at all times, in the infrared.\u003c/p\u003e\u003cp data-block-key=\"57quc\"\u003eWhen something of interest is identified by the main set of cameras, we zoom on it in the sky. And this is the camera that can move around and look at the object of interest automatically, based on the computer system that we develop.\u003c/p\u003e\u003cp data-block-key=\"4a9fl\"\u003e\u003cb\u003eJACOB HAQQ-MISRA:\u003c/b\u003e You can imagine, if you have a camera pointing overhead, you’re going to see a lot of things that are identifiable. So, they use machine learning, what people call artificial intelligence, that can recognize the knowns, recognize the birds, the airplanes, the balloons, leaves, all the known things and, sort of, reject those, filter them out. And then, what you’re left with is the anomalies. You’re left with the things you cannot understand, the things you can’t identify.\u003c/p\u003e\u003cp data-block-key=\"ebbml\"\u003e\u003cb\u003eAVI LOEB:\u003c/b\u003e And as we speak, right now, we are being recorded.\u003c/p\u003e\u003cp data-block-key=\"4053n\"\u003eSo far, we have been operating this observatory, in full, for several months. And we saw hundreds of thousands of objects in the sky. None of them appears to be anomalous.\u003c/p\u003e\u003cp data-block-key=\"emkl4\"\u003eBut even if one in 1,000,000 came from outside of this earth, that would be big news to humanity and will change our future. And that’s what drives my science.\u003c/p\u003e\u003cp data-block-key=\"abgrg\"\u003e\u003cb\u003eRYAN GRAVES:\u003c/b\u003e One way or another, the more data we’re able to bring into this conversation, the more we’re going to be able to get to the truth.\u003c/p\u003e\u003cp data-block-key=\"c4d87\"\u003e\u003cb\u003e\u003ci\u003eNARRATOR:\u003c/i\u003e\u003c/b\u003e \u003ci\u003eRyan Graves is trying to collect data from a different source, his fellow pilots, military and commercial. But there’s a problem. They are hesitant to share their experiences, because of the taboo surrounding U.F.O.s.\u003c/i\u003e\u003c/p\u003e\u003cp data-block-key=\"9o14l\"\u003e\u003cb\u003eRYAN GRAVES:\u003c/b\u003e They don’t feel comfortable reporting that because of that fear that there could be professional repercussions at their employer, social repercussions with their peers at the airline, because the conversation immediately jumps to, well, there’s no proof there’s extraterrestrials. You couldn’t travel across the universe to get here. And it’s like, whoa, whoa, whoa. Pilots are seeing things that are in the sky that they don’t understand. What they are and are they posing safety risks. That’s where the conversation needs to stop. And hey, is this not only an aviation safety risk, but is this a potential national security risk?\u003c/p\u003e\u003cp data-block-key=\"2f3ru\"\u003e\u003cb\u003eIYA WHITELEY\u003c/b\u003e (Aviation and Space Psychologist, Former Director, Center for Space Medicine, University College London)\u003cb\u003e:\u003c/b\u003e So, I was asking pilots whether they have encountered the U.A.P., and they were very cagey about it.\u003c/p\u003e\u003cp data-block-key=\"2jv5p\"\u003e\u003cb\u003e\u003ci\u003eNARRATOR:\u003c/i\u003e\u003c/b\u003e \u003ci\u003eAviation and space psychologist, Iya Whiteley, is working with Ryan, conducting research to find out if this reluctance to talk about U.A.P. sightings also impacts a pilot’s ability to focus on the job, creating a safety issue.\u003c/i\u003e\u003c/p\u003e\u003cp data-block-key=\"h0t2\"\u003e\u003cb\u003eIYA WHITELEY:\u003c/b\u003e When the pilot is seeing something, I want to make sure that they’re comfortable speaking about it, because it then occupies their capacity and focus and attention and takes them away from actually flying. If you’re trying to ignore something unidentified, your mind is still thinking, “I’m not thinking about it. I’m not thinking about it. I’m not thinking about it. I’m not thinking about it.” And now they don’t see what they need to be seeing.\u003c/p\u003e\u003cp data-block-key=\"domln\"\u003e\u003cb\u003ePILOT:\u003c/b\u003e You were asking about visual cues and what attracts your attention. Movement is what attracts your attention.\u003c/p\u003e\u003cp data-block-key=\"bt8gs\"\u003e\u003cb\u003eRYAN GRAVES:\u003c/b\u003e Commercial pilots have been seeing objects that have been causing them some serious consternation. I don’t think anyone would like their pilot flying their aircraft to have an existential crisis as they’re flying their aircraft and coming in for a landing.\u003c/p\u003e\u003cp data-block-key=\"b24ap\"\u003e\u003cb\u003eMICK WEST:\u003c/b\u003e The more cases we can explain, the less distraction there’s going to be. And if there is actually any real threat or any real issue out there, then we can focus in on that, without all this extra noise.\u003c/p\u003e\u003cp data-block-key=\"5v6p8\"\u003e\u003cb\u003e\u003ci\u003eNARRATOR:\u003c/i\u003e\u003c/b\u003e \u003ci\u003eAnd there’s another way we can collect more data, with a little help from the public.\u003c/i\u003e\u003c/p\u003e\u003cp data-block-key=\"1ppsv\"\u003e\u003cb\u003eENIGMA DESIGNER:\u003c/b\u003e So, it would seem like they’re going sideways.\u003c/p\u003e\u003cp data-block-key=\"bet79\"\u003e\u003cb\u003e\u003ci\u003eNARRATOR:\u003c/i\u003e\u003c/b\u003e \u003ci\u003eOn the Lower East Side of Manhattan, at Enigma Labs, a staff of software designers and U.F.O. enthusiasts are developing a first of its kind crowdsourcing app.\u003c/i\u003e\u003c/p\u003e\u003cp data-block-key=\"876v2\"\u003e\u003cb\u003eLAUREN BUTLER\u003c/b\u003e (Head of Operations, Enigma Labs)\u003cb\u003e:\u003c/b\u003e The goal is really to bring people together to share their U.A.P. experiences and their sightings. If people don’t have a place to talk about this or report what they’re seeing, I think they can feel really lonely and feel very isolated. When, in reality, this is a huge community of people who should be able to come somewhere and talk about what they’re seeing.\u003c/p\u003e\u003cp data-block-key=\"5q238\"\u003e\u003cb\u003eALEJANDRO ROJAS:\u003c/b\u003e So, we’re collecting sighting reports. We get a lot of Starlink and Space X rocket videos. But at the same time people are submitting things that cannot be explained.\u003c/p\u003e\u003cp data-block-key=\"55sv7\"\u003eThis time I’ve got one that I can’t figure out, maybe you can help me out. This is really cool. Just this light comes floating in, and then it hovers. But wait.\u003c/p\u003e\u003cp data-block-key=\"dq227\"\u003e\u003cb\u003eSOFTWARE ENGINEER:\u003c/b\u003e But what is this? It came down.\u003c/p\u003e\u003cp data-block-key=\"1rdtv\"\u003e\u003cb\u003eSOFTWARE ENGINEER:\u003c/b\u003e Slowly, right?\u003c/p\u003e\u003cp data-block-key=\"8v0qe\"\u003e\u003cb\u003eALEJANDRO ROJAS:\u003c/b\u003e Yeah.\u003c/p\u003e\u003cp data-block-key=\"5n67v\"\u003e\u003cb\u003eLAUREN BUTLER:\u003c/b\u003e Those are fireworks, right?\u003c/p\u003e\u003cp data-block-key=\"che6g\"\u003e\u003cb\u003eALEJANDRO ROJAS:\u003c/b\u003e Those are probably fireworks.\u003c/p\u003e\u003cp data-block-key=\"8mt1i\"\u003e\u003cb\u003eADAM:\u003c/b\u003e Probably smoke rising up from...\u003c/p\u003e\u003cp data-block-key=\"afhh9\"\u003e\u003cb\u003eALEJANDRO ROJAS:\u003c/b\u003e And smoke rising up.\u003c/p\u003e\u003cp data-block-key=\"679ik\"\u003eBut in just a second, it will get weirder.\u003c/p\u003e\u003cp data-block-key=\"6051p\"\u003eWhat? Isn’t that weird?\u003c/p\u003e\u003cp data-block-key=\"4dsnm\"\u003e\u003cb\u003eADAM:\u003c/b\u003e Oh, it’s getting brighter.\u003c/p\u003e\u003cp data-block-key=\"fre54\"\u003e\u003cb\u003eALEJANDRO ROJAS:\u003c/b\u003e Yeah, it keeps getting brighter. And it’s a broad beam of light.\u003c/p\u003e\u003cp data-block-key=\"foje2\"\u003e\u003cb\u003eADAM:\u003c/b\u003e So, it’s not a star.\u003c/p\u003e\u003cp data-block-key=\"2lq7e\"\u003e\u003cb\u003eALEJANDRO ROJAS:\u003c/b\u003e So, what do you think about drones? But, I mean, look how still it is. It doesn’t have blinking lights. I mean, it doesn’t look like a drone.\u003c/p\u003e\u003cp data-block-key=\"5t8nv\"\u003eSo, let’s fast forward a little.\u003c/p\u003e\u003cp data-block-key=\"9romp\"\u003e\u003cb\u003eADAM:\u003c/b\u003e It’s rising up.\u003c/p\u003e\u003cp data-block-key=\"6eem7\"\u003e\u003cb\u003eALEJANDRO ROJAS:\u003c/b\u003e Yeah, so it kind of gets dimmer.\u003c/p\u003e\u003cp data-block-key=\"ef6li\"\u003e\u003cb\u003eADAM:\u003c/b\u003e The camera’s not moving.\u003c/p\u003e\u003cp data-block-key=\"b6i9k\"\u003e\u003cb\u003eALEJANDRO ROJAS:\u003c/b\u003e It rises up.\u003c/p\u003e\u003cp data-block-key=\"41eos\"\u003e\u003cb\u003eADAM:\u003c/b\u003e And it’s rising back up.\u003c/p\u003e\u003cp data-block-key=\"89f9a\"\u003e\u003cb\u003eALEJANDRO ROJAS:\u003c/b\u003e This is a good one, I think. I don’t know. I don’t know what that is.\u003c/p\u003e\u003cp data-block-key=\"2r4s3\"\u003e\u003cb\u003e\u003ci\u003eNARRATOR:\u003c/i\u003e\u003c/b\u003e \u003ci\u003eApps like this provide the public with a place to share their sightings, but could one day be a source of data for scientists to study.\u003c/i\u003e\u003c/p\u003e\u003cp data-block-key=\"4tms9\"\u003e\u003cb\u003eMATT MOUNTAIN:\u003c/b\u003e We’re not relying just on, “Did you see something?” We’re asking your cell phone to make a measurement. It’s going to record the position of the phone on the planet, because we all have G.P.S. in it. And because it has a little compass in it, it will also tell us what direction we’re looking at. So, we can actually do scientific experiments with actual data, because our modern cell phones are so good, now, at recording numbers.\u003c/p\u003e\u003cp data-block-key=\"ennu3\"\u003e\u003cb\u003eADAM:\u003c/b\u003e The more data the better. The more sightings, the more eyes we get on something that’s truly anomalous, the closer we get to maybe answering that question, what is it?\u003c/p\u003e\u003cp data-block-key=\"lknl\"\u003e\u003cb\u003e\u003ci\u003eNARRATOR:\u003c/i\u003e\u003c/b\u003e \u003ci\u003eAlex Dietrich has learned, from first-hand experience, that for many people, data alone is not enough.\u003c/i\u003e\u003c/p\u003e\u003cp data-block-key=\"45q3v\"\u003e\u003cb\u003eALEX DIETRICH:\u003c/b\u003e The topic is so charged, because there are so many conspiracies. And it’s such a, you know, it does something to people’s brains when you say U.F.O.\u003c/p\u003e\u003cp data-block-key=\"5rclg\"\u003e\u003cb\u003e\u003ci\u003eNARRATOR:\u003c/i\u003e\u003c/b\u003e \u003ci\u003eAt the University of Colorado, Boulder, Alex is trying to change that,…\u003c/i\u003e\u003c/p\u003e\u003cp data-block-key=\"7bco4\"\u003e\u003cb\u003eALEX DIETRICH:\u003c/b\u003e So, this is the helmet that I was wearing. You’re welcome to try to put it on.\u003c/p\u003e\u003cp data-block-key=\"6bj32\"\u003e\u003cb\u003e\u003ci\u003eNARRATOR:\u003c/i\u003e\u003c/b\u003e \u003ci\u003e…using her experience as a way to teach students how to separate fact from fiction.\u003c/i\u003e\u003c/p\u003e\u003cp data-block-key=\"23t1u\"\u003e\u003cb\u003eALEX DIETRICH:\u003c/b\u003e What is it about U.F.O.s? What do we know? And how do we know it?\u003c/p\u003e\u003cp data-block-key=\"78egg\"\u003eWhat I find is, is that some of my students have been going down those Reddit thread rabbit holes, working themselves up into a lather, with salacious headlines for content and clickbait.\u003c/p\u003e\u003cp data-block-key=\"4ue86\"\u003eIf you’re reading an article about U.F.O.s, what do we look for when we are looking at our sources? I hope they will be more discerning when they consume media going forward, that they will question where the information that they’re getting comes from, because I want to advocate for us to all take a deep breath, and to come to this subject with a lens of critical thinking.\u003c/p\u003e\u003cp data-block-key=\"6vftm\"\u003eCritical thinking, people. Let’s all apply critical thinking.\u003c/p\u003e\u003cp data-block-key=\"7o3oo\"\u003e\u003cb\u003e\u003ci\u003eNARRATOR:\u003c/i\u003e\u003c/b\u003e \u003ci\u003eAnd that brings us back to the million dollar questions; could this be extraterrestrial technology? What would it take for a spacecraft to come from a distant world?\u003c/i\u003e\u003c/p\u003e\u003cp data-block-key=\"1q2dk\"\u003e\u003cb\u003eALEX HOLLINGS:\u003c/b\u003e A very important question that we need to be asking today, when investigating U.A.P., is whether or not, even if there are advanced alien civilizations out there, if they have the means to actually reach us.\u003c/p\u003e\u003cp data-block-key=\"edus9\"\u003e\u003cb\u003e\u003ci\u003eNARRATOR:\u003c/i\u003e\u003c/b\u003e \u003ci\u003eConsider this: one of the fastest spacecraft ever launched, NASA’S New Horizons, took nine years and five months to reach Pluto, three-billion miles away. Getting to the closest star system with a planet that might harbor life would take that tiny spacecraft a whopping 80,000 years.\u003c/i\u003e\u003c/p\u003e\u003cp data-block-key=\"34ee3\"\u003e\u003cb\u003eSHELLEY WRIGHT:\u003c/b\u003e The universe is so unfathomably large. There’s 100-billion stars in our Milky Way, and there’s 100-billion galaxies in the observable universe. That’s ten to the 22, one with 22 zeros on it, with a number of stars. And the distances between stars is incredibly vast.\u003c/p\u003e\u003cp data-block-key=\"9or9i\"\u003e\u003cb\u003eJACOB HAQQ-MISRA:\u003c/b\u003e I have not seen any evidence that we have been visited. I think it’s still worth looking for evidence, because we can’t conclusively demonstrate that we have not been visited. So, half of the timescale that the galaxy has existed, there was no planet Earth. So, that’s plenty of time for life to have evolved and technological life to develop on another planet.\u003c/p\u003e\u003cp data-block-key=\"e0eki\"\u003e\u003cb\u003eHAKEEM OLUSEYI:\u003c/b\u003e The answer is get more data. We need much, much more data. And the way you’re going to get more data is that you’re going to have more eyes on the sky.\u003c/p\u003e\u003cp data-block-key=\"emfrd\"\u003e\u003cb\u003e\u003ci\u003eNARRATOR:\u003c/i\u003e\u003c/b\u003e \u003ci\u003eU.F.O.s have been a part of our culture for decades. They’ve been the subject of curiosity, but rarely the subject of serious scientific investigation. But that is changing.\u003c/i\u003e\u003c/p\u003e\u003cp data-block-key=\"4lumi\"\u003e\u003cb\u003eRYAN GRAVES:\u003c/b\u003e I think it’s critical to be open minded. Don’t be dismissive. And search for the data, like any good scientist.\u003c/p\u003e\u003cp data-block-key=\"5edbp\"\u003e\u003cb\u003eALEX DIETRICH:\u003c/b\u003e What I think is important is that we are collecting more than just the eyewitness accounts, but that we also have the right hardware in place for things that will be seen today, tomorrow, so that we don’t sit here and bicker about what happened 20 years ago.\u003c/p\u003e\n\n\n","public_until":"2025-02-20T04:59:59+00:00","passport_start":"2025-01-22T13:01:00+00:00","passport_end":"2028-01-22T04:59:59+00:00","short_description":"\u003cp data-block-key=\"pnrnn\"\u003eCan science reveal the secrets of mysterious objects seen in our skies?\u003c/p\u003e\u003cp data-block-key=\"frp4s\"\u003e\u003c/p\u003e\u003cp data-block-key=\"eqfac\"\u003e\u003c/p\u003e","availability":{"public":{"end":"2025-02-20T04:59:59Z","start":"2025-01-22T13:01:00Z","countries":[{"id":"6a9df090-8ede-44c0-8781-5ddbb942966b","code":"US","name":"United 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UFOs?","slug":"what-are-ufos","page_type":"episodepage","canonical_image":{"mime_type":"image/jpeg","alt_text":"Small black unidentified flying object zooming across night vision background","src":"https://www.pbs.org/wgbh/nova/media/original_images/UFOs_Blank_Image.jpg","renditions":[{"width":300,"height":168,"src":"https://www.pbs.org/wgbh/nova/media/images/UFOs_Blank_Image.width-300.jpg","contentType":"application/vnd.theseus+scaled_image"},{"width":400,"height":225,"src":"https://www.pbs.org/wgbh/nova/media/images/UFOs_Blank_Image.width-400.jpg","contentType":"application/vnd.theseus+scaled_image"},{"width":600,"height":337,"src":"https://www.pbs.org/wgbh/nova/media/images/UFOs_Blank_Image.width-600.jpg","contentType":"application/vnd.theseus+scaled_image"},{"width":800,"height":450,"src":"https://www.pbs.org/wgbh/nova/media/images/UFOs_Blank_Image.width-800.jpg","contentType":"application/vnd.theseus+scaled_image"},{"width":1500,"height":843,"src":"https://www.pbs.org/wgbh/nova/media/images/UFOs_Blank_Image.width-1500.jpg","contentType":"application/vnd.theseus+scaled_image"},{"width":1920,"height":1080,"src":"https://www.pbs.org/wgbh/nova/media/images/UFOs_Blank_Image.width-2000.jpg","contentType":"application/vnd.theseus+scaled_image"},{"width":1920,"height":1080,"src":"https://www.pbs.org/wgbh/nova/media/images/UFOs_Blank_Image.width-2500.jpg","contentType":"application/vnd.theseus+scaled_image"}],"contentType":"application/vnd.theseus+image"},"contentType":"application/vnd.theseus+page","airdates":["2025-01-23T02:00:00+00:00"]}},"sort":[1735862400000]},{"_index":"content","_type":"doc","_id":"sfv-6865","_score":null,"_source":{"slug":"could-mars-have-a-ring-around-it-one-day","title":"Could Mars Have a Ring Around It One Day?","topic":"space","brand":"nova","content_type":"shortvideopage","length":136,"publish_date":"2024-11-11T04:43:47.448391+00:00","tags":["wandering worlds","mars","solar system","mars 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data-block-key=\"xhh2n\"\u003eThe moon Phobos has a mysterious origin but a certain expiration date.\u003c/p\u003e\n\u003cp data-block-key=\"mfffo\"\u003ePhobos, one of Mars\u0026#x27; moons, has an uncertain origin, but its surface grooves show that tidal forces are pulling it apart. In time, Mars\u0026#x27; gravity will shatter it entirely, creating a ring of debris around the planet.\u003c/p\u003e\n\u003cp data-block-key=\"mr8s4\"\u003e\u003cb\u003eCould Mars Have a Ring Around It One Day?\u003c/b\u003e\u003c/p\u003e\u003cp data-block-key=\"9g50o\"\u003ePublished: November 10, 2024\u003c/p\u003e\u003cp data-block-key=\"c3eb9\"\u003e\u003cb\u003eSpeaker 1:\u003c/b\u003e Phobos orbits Mars in an almost perfect circle right along Mars\u0026#x27;s equator, and this makes us question whether Phobos is really the asteroid it appears to be because captured asteroids usually orbit planets on very elliptical orbits that sometimes take them very far from their planet and sometimes being much closer.\u003c/p\u003e\u003cp data-block-key=\"92sdp\"\u003e\u003cb\u003eNarrator:\u003c/b\u003e So if it\u0026#x27;s not an asteroid, where did this funny little moon come from?\u003c/p\u003e\u003cp data-block-key=\"3gm2t\"\u003e\u003cb\u003eSpeaker 2:\u003c/b\u003e So in planetary science, the joke is that you just add an impact event, and an impact event can explain everything. That might actually be true in this case, though, it\u0026#x27;s this one-off event, and it might\u0026#x27;ve been that an object hit Mars, and Phobos is the result of that impact collision between those objects, and that\u0026#x27;s what we\u0026#x27;re seeing.\u003c/p\u003e\u003cp data-block-key=\"dkvdq\"\u003e\u003cb\u003eNarrator:\u003c/b\u003e Phobos may not be a captured asteroid at all, but formed from debris thrown into orbit after a massive asteroid impact. However, this still doesn\u0026#x27;t explain why it\u0026#x27;s covered in grooves. Phobos is about 3,700 miles from Mars\u0026#x27;s surface, and every a hundred years moves closer by about six feet, and as it does, the tidal forces caused by Mars gravity becomes stronger.\u003c/p\u003e\u003cp data-block-key=\"1i5th\"\u003e\u003cb\u003eSpeaker 1:\u003c/b\u003e So just like the moon pulls on the earth, dragging the oceans and causing the tide, Mars pulls on Phobos causing tides as well. So as you can see behind me right now, the tide is coming in as the moon is pulling on the water on the Earth. The same process happens on Phobos due to Mars, except on Phobos it\u0026#x27;s sand and rock that\u0026#x27;s moving instead of water.\u003c/p\u003e\u003cp data-block-key=\"6oip\"\u003e\u003cb\u003eNarrator:\u003c/b\u003e Those tidal forces are pulling Phobos apart, and with every orbit, the grooves widen and deepen. Eventually, Phobos will drift so close, Mars\u0026#x27;s gravity will destroy it. As Phobos breaks apart, most of the debris will fall to the surface of Mars, but the rest will remain in close orbit, spreading out to encircle the entire planet, giving Mars a wispy ring.\u003c/p\u003e\n\n\n","passport_start":"2024-11-08T23:02:20+00:00","short_description":"\u003cp data-block-key=\"xhh2n\"\u003eThe moon Phobos has a mysterious origin but a certain expiration date.\u003c/p\u003e","hits_weekly":0,"hits_daily":0,"card":{"title":"Could Mars Have a Ring Around It One Day?","slug":"could-mars-have-a-ring-around-it-one-day","page_type":"shortvideopage","canonical_image":{"mime_type":"image/jpeg","alt_text":"","src":"https://www.pbs.org/wgbh/nova/media/original_images/could-mars-have-a-ring-around-it-one-day-hero.jpg","renditions":[{"width":300,"height":168,"src":"https://www.pbs.org/wgbh/nova/media/images/could-mars-have-a-ring-around-it-one-day-hero.width-300.jpg","contentType":"application/vnd.theseus+scaled_image"},{"width":400,"height":225,"src":"https://www.pbs.org/wgbh/nova/media/images/could-mars-have-a-ring-around-it-one-day-hero.width-400.jpg","contentType":"application/vnd.theseus+scaled_image"},{"width":600,"height":337,"src":"https://www.pbs.org/wgbh/nova/media/images/could-mars-have-a-ring-around-it-one-day-hero.width-600.jpg","contentType":"application/vnd.theseus+scaled_image"},{"width":800,"height":450,"src":"https://www.pbs.org/wgbh/nova/media/images/could-mars-have-a-ring-around-it-one-day-hero.width-800.jpg","contentType":"application/vnd.theseus+scaled_image"},{"width":1280,"height":720,"src":"https://www.pbs.org/wgbh/nova/media/images/could-mars-have-a-ring-around-it-one-day-hero.width-1500.jpg","contentType":"application/vnd.theseus+scaled_image"},{"width":1280,"height":720,"src":"https://www.pbs.org/wgbh/nova/media/images/could-mars-have-a-ring-around-it-one-day-hero.width-2000.jpg","contentType":"application/vnd.theseus+scaled_image"},{"width":1280,"height":720,"src":"https://www.pbs.org/wgbh/nova/media/images/could-mars-have-a-ring-around-it-one-day-hero.width-2500.jpg","contentType":"application/vnd.theseus+scaled_image"}],"contentType":"application/vnd.theseus+image"},"contentType":"application/vnd.theseus+page"}},"sort":[1731300227448]},{"_index":"content","_type":"doc","_id":"sfv-6866","_score":null,"_source":{"slug":"could-life-exist-on-jupiters-icy-moon-europa","title":"This Moon May Have the Ingredients for Life","topic":"space","brand":"nova","content_type":"shortvideopage","length":134,"publish_date":"2024-11-11T04:36:51.159359+00:00","tags":["icy worlds","jupiter","Europa","europa moon","solar system","space"],"external":false,"published":true,"hero_image":{"mime_type":"image/jpeg","alt_text":"","src":"https://www.pbs.org/wgbh/nova/media/original_images/could-life-exist-on-jupiters-icy-moon-europa-hero.jpg","renditions":[{"width":1280,"height":720,"src":"https://www.pbs.org/wgbh/nova/media/images/could-life-exist-on-jupiters-icy-moon-europa-.width-1500.jpg","contentType":"application/vnd.theseus+scaled_image"},{"width":1280,"height":720,"src":"https://www.pbs.org/wgbh/nova/media/images/could-life-exist-on-jupiters-icy-moon-europa-.width-2000.jpg","contentType":"application/vnd.theseus+scaled_image"},{"width":1280,"height":720,"src":"https://www.pbs.org/wgbh/nova/media/images/could-life-exist-on-jupiters-icy-moon-europa-.width-2500.jpg","contentType":"application/vnd.theseus+scaled_image"},{"width":800,"height":450,"src":"https://www.pbs.org/wgbh/nova/media/images/could-life-exist-on-jupiters-icy-moon-europa-h.width-800.jpg","contentType":"application/vnd.theseus+scaled_image"},{"width":600,"height":337,"src":"https://www.pbs.org/wgbh/nova/media/images/could-life-exist-on-jupiters-icy-moon-europa-h.width-600.jpg","contentType":"application/vnd.theseus+scaled_image"},{"width":400,"height":225,"src":"https://www.pbs.org/wgbh/nova/media/images/could-life-exist-on-jupiters-icy-moon-europa-h.width-400.jpg","contentType":"application/vnd.theseus+scaled_image"},{"width":300,"height":168,"src":"https://www.pbs.org/wgbh/nova/media/images/could-life-exist-on-jupiters-icy-moon-europa-h.width-300.jpg","contentType":"application/vnd.theseus+scaled_image"}],"contentType":"application/vnd.theseus+image"},"content":"\u003cp data-block-key=\"lynqw\"\u003eThe ocean beneath Europa’s icy shell might be an ideal environment for life.\u003c/p\u003e\n\u003cp data-block-key=\"gvw0n\"\u003eEuropa is such a strong candidate for life that NASA launched a mission to explore the moon.\u003c/p\u003e\n\u003cp data-block-key=\"4o3nk\"\u003e\u003cb\u003eCould Life Exist on Jupiter’s Icy Moon Europa?\u003c/b\u003e\u003c/p\u003e\u003cp data-block-key=\"1qfmf\"\u003ePublished: November 10, 2024\u003c/p\u003e\u003cp data-block-key=\"2nlqf\"\u003e\u003cb\u003eSpeaker 1:\u003c/b\u003e The key ingredient from the ocean below surges up through the cracks and give Europa\u0026#x27;s markings their distinctive red.\u003c/p\u003e\u003cp data-block-key=\"airrc\"\u003e\u003cb\u003eSpeaker 2:\u003c/b\u003e So the red marks that we see on Europa\u0026#x27;s surface, these cracks and lines are salts that have come up from below the surface.\u003c/p\u003e\u003cp data-block-key=\"1lnk4\"\u003e\u003cb\u003eSpeaker 1:\u003c/b\u003e Suggesting a tantalizing possibility. This criss-crossing system of salty canyons means we might find life in the ocean underneath Europa\u0026#x27;s icy shell.\u003c/p\u003e\u003cp data-block-key=\"dfhem\"\u003e\u003cb\u003eSpeaker 3:\u003c/b\u003e Life as we know it needs three basic things, water, a source of energy, and also essential elements.\u003c/p\u003e\u003cp data-block-key=\"23hkp\"\u003e\u003cb\u003eSpeaker 1:\u003c/b\u003e Europa has an ocean and a source of energy from tidal movements, but it\u0026#x27;s missing the final key ingredient, some essential elements. However, with a little help from its neighboring moon, Io, these elements can be found on Europa.\u003c/p\u003e\u003cp data-block-key=\"5kulb\"\u003e\u003cb\u003eSpeaker 3:\u003c/b\u003e IO is an extremely volcanically active place, and these volcanoes emit sulfur and other sulfur products. And these make it all the way onto Europa. And sulfur is one of those essential elements that life on earth uses.\u003c/p\u003e\u003cp data-block-key=\"2tp3q\"\u003e\u003cb\u003eSpeaker 2:\u003c/b\u003e All of the sulfur that\u0026#x27;s coming from Io and landing on Europa\u0026#x27;s surface is interacting with the salts and water that\u0026#x27;s coming up from underneath Europa\u0026#x27;s icy crust.\u003c/p\u003e\u003cp data-block-key=\"8a193\"\u003e\u003cb\u003eSpeaker 1:\u003c/b\u003e Chemical reactions between the sulfur from Io and the salts on Europa create essential molecules needed for life.\u003c/p\u003e\u003cp data-block-key=\"l49j\"\u003e\u003cb\u003eSpeaker 2:\u003c/b\u003e And this allows for this perfect breeding ground for potential life to form and evolve.\u003c/p\u003e\u003cp data-block-key=\"e766s\"\u003e\u003cb\u003eSpeaker 1:\u003c/b\u003e Europa is such a strong candidate for life, that NASA is already preparing to explore the moon. The goal is to study Europa\u0026#x27;s surface in more detail so that a future mission can one day land and explore beneath its icy crust. And scientists like Sam are already testing ideas for studying Europa\u0026#x27;s watery world.\u003c/p\u003e\u003cp data-block-key=\"5gi3t\"\u003e\u003cb\u003eSam:\u003c/b\u003e What we\u0026#x27;re doing is we\u0026#x27;re deploying a robotic probe into the ice and under it to explore what this lake environment is like. We might have the opportunity in my own lifetime, to answer a question that\u0026#x27;s intrinsic to all of us. Are we alone in our universe? Are we alone in our solar system? And one of the most exciting aspects of exploring Europa is the potential of someday knowing whether or not there\u0026#x27;s life in our own solar system.\u003c/p\u003e\n\n\n","passport_start":"2024-11-08T22:59:56+00:00","short_description":"\u003cp data-block-key=\"lynqw\"\u003eThe ocean beneath Europa’s icy shell might be an ideal environment for life.\u003c/p\u003e","hits_weekly":0,"hits_daily":0,"card":{"title":"This Moon May Have the Ingredients for Life","slug":"could-life-exist-on-jupiters-icy-moon-europa","page_type":"shortvideopage","canonical_image":{"mime_type":"image/jpeg","alt_text":"","src":"https://www.pbs.org/wgbh/nova/media/original_images/could-life-exist-on-jupiters-icy-moon-europa-hero.jpg","renditions":[{"width":300,"height":168,"src":"https://www.pbs.org/wgbh/nova/media/images/could-life-exist-on-jupiters-icy-moon-europa-h.width-300.jpg","contentType":"application/vnd.theseus+scaled_image"},{"width":400,"height":225,"src":"https://www.pbs.org/wgbh/nova/media/images/could-life-exist-on-jupiters-icy-moon-europa-h.width-400.jpg","contentType":"application/vnd.theseus+scaled_image"},{"width":600,"height":337,"src":"https://www.pbs.org/wgbh/nova/media/images/could-life-exist-on-jupiters-icy-moon-europa-h.width-600.jpg","contentType":"application/vnd.theseus+scaled_image"},{"width":800,"height":450,"src":"https://www.pbs.org/wgbh/nova/media/images/could-life-exist-on-jupiters-icy-moon-europa-h.width-800.jpg","contentType":"application/vnd.theseus+scaled_image"},{"width":1280,"height":720,"src":"https://www.pbs.org/wgbh/nova/media/images/could-life-exist-on-jupiters-icy-moon-europa-.width-1500.jpg","contentType":"application/vnd.theseus+scaled_image"},{"width":1280,"height":720,"src":"https://www.pbs.org/wgbh/nova/media/images/could-life-exist-on-jupiters-icy-moon-europa-.width-2000.jpg","contentType":"application/vnd.theseus+scaled_image"},{"width":1280,"height":720,"src":"https://www.pbs.org/wgbh/nova/media/images/could-life-exist-on-jupiters-icy-moon-europa-.width-2500.jpg","contentType":"application/vnd.theseus+scaled_image"}],"contentType":"application/vnd.theseus+image"},"contentType":"application/vnd.theseus+page"}},"sort":[1731299811159]},{"_index":"content","_type":"doc","_id":"sfv-6868","_score":null,"_source":{"slug":"could-this-icy-moons-ocean-support-life","title":"Could This Icy Moon’s Ocean Support Life?","topic":"space","brand":"nova","content_type":"shortvideopage","length":81,"publish_date":"2024-11-11T04:32:56.569821+00:00","tags":["volcano worlds","frozen moon","volcano moon","astronomy","space science","solar system","space","Enceladus"],"external":false,"published":true,"hero_image":{"mime_type":"image/jpeg","alt_text":"","src":"https://www.pbs.org/wgbh/nova/media/original_images/could-this-icy-moons-ocean-support-life-hero.jpg","renditions":[{"width":1920,"height":1080,"src":"https://www.pbs.org/wgbh/nova/media/images/could-this-icy-moons-ocean-support-life-hero.width-2000.jpg","contentType":"application/vnd.theseus+scaled_image"},{"width":1920,"height":1080,"src":"https://www.pbs.org/wgbh/nova/media/images/could-this-icy-moons-ocean-support-life-hero.width-2500.jpg","contentType":"application/vnd.theseus+scaled_image"},{"width":1500,"height":843,"src":"https://www.pbs.org/wgbh/nova/media/images/could-this-icy-moons-ocean-support-life-hero.width-1500.jpg","contentType":"application/vnd.theseus+scaled_image"},{"width":800,"height":450,"src":"https://www.pbs.org/wgbh/nova/media/images/could-this-icy-moons-ocean-support-life-hero.width-800.jpg","contentType":"application/vnd.theseus+scaled_image"},{"width":600,"height":337,"src":"https://www.pbs.org/wgbh/nova/media/images/could-this-icy-moons-ocean-support-life-hero.width-600.jpg","contentType":"application/vnd.theseus+scaled_image"},{"width":400,"height":225,"src":"https://www.pbs.org/wgbh/nova/media/images/could-this-icy-moons-ocean-support-life-hero.width-400.jpg","contentType":"application/vnd.theseus+scaled_image"},{"width":300,"height":168,"src":"https://www.pbs.org/wgbh/nova/media/images/could-this-icy-moons-ocean-support-life-hero.width-300.jpg","contentType":"application/vnd.theseus+scaled_image"}],"contentType":"application/vnd.theseus+image"},"content":"\u003cp data-block-key=\"zg6v1\"\u003eHydrothermal vents in Enceladus’ ocean may hold the promise of life.\u003c/p\u003e\n\u003cp data-block-key=\"bl2wo\"\u003eEnceladus has jets rich in phosphates and likely hydrothermal vents in its ocean. With the key ingredients for life on its surface, the moon may serve as an incubator for life.\u003c/p\u003e\n\u003cp data-block-key=\"q1npv\"\u003e\u003cb\u003eCould This Icy Moon’s Ocean Support Life?\u003c/b\u003e\u003c/p\u003e\u003cp data-block-key=\"7kvve\"\u003ePublished: November 10, 2024\u003c/p\u003e\u003cp data-block-key=\"4qqvj\"\u003e\u003cb\u003eSpeaker 1:\u003c/b\u003e I think the chances are pretty high that there are hydrothermal vents at the bottom of Enceladus Ocean. Just like Earth\u0026#x27;s Ocean, Enceladus Ocean sits right on top of its rocky mantle.\u003c/p\u003e\u003cp data-block-key=\"1fmhq\"\u003e\u003cb\u003eSpeaker 2:\u003c/b\u003e And with probable hydrothermal vents, an exciting possibility for life.\u003c/p\u003e\u003cp data-block-key=\"5l4no\"\u003e\u003cb\u003eSpeaker 3:\u003c/b\u003e We think that life could have originated on earth in hydrothermal vents, and these hydrothermal vents have those ingredients that are essential for life.\u003c/p\u003e\u003cp data-block-key=\"4u3s0\"\u003e\u003cb\u003eSpeaker 2:\u003c/b\u003e And it isn\u0026#x27;t just the possibility of heat that makes Enceladus a compelling incubator for life.\u003c/p\u003e\u003cp data-block-key=\"flqk5\"\u003e\u003cb\u003eSpeaker 4:\u003c/b\u003e There are three key ingredients to a habitable environment: liquid water, chemical nutrients, and an energy source to use. And now we know that Enceladus has all three within its ocean.\u003c/p\u003e\u003cp data-block-key=\"5404p\"\u003e\u003cb\u003eSpeaker 1:\u003c/b\u003e A 2023 study showed that Enceladus jets have phosphates in them anywhere from a hundred to a thousand times the amount of phosphates that we find in Earth\u0026#x27;s. Phosphates, we know, are a key component of DNA, which is the building block of life.\u003c/p\u003e\u003cp data-block-key=\"8785m\"\u003e\u003cb\u003eSpeaker 3:\u003c/b\u003e Does that mean that we found life? Well, we don\u0026#x27;t know. Just because we found phosphate, it\u0026#x27;s a potential ingredient, but it\u0026#x27;s not a slam dunk. And so we need to go back and really explore in more detail to see what is the origin of this phosphate?\u003c/p\u003e\n\n\n","passport_start":"2024-11-05T21:45:47+00:00","short_description":"\u003cp data-block-key=\"zg6v1\"\u003eHydrothermal vents in Enceladus’ ocean may hold the promise of life.\u003c/p\u003e","hits_weekly":0,"hits_daily":0,"card":{"title":"Could This Icy Moon’s Ocean Support Life?","slug":"could-this-icy-moons-ocean-support-life","page_type":"shortvideopage","canonical_image":{"mime_type":"image/jpeg","alt_text":"","src":"https://www.pbs.org/wgbh/nova/media/original_images/could-this-icy-moons-ocean-support-life-hero.jpg","renditions":[{"width":300,"height":168,"src":"https://www.pbs.org/wgbh/nova/media/images/could-this-icy-moons-ocean-support-life-hero.width-300.jpg","contentType":"application/vnd.theseus+scaled_image"},{"width":400,"height":225,"src":"https://www.pbs.org/wgbh/nova/media/images/could-this-icy-moons-ocean-support-life-hero.width-400.jpg","contentType":"application/vnd.theseus+scaled_image"},{"width":600,"height":337,"src":"https://www.pbs.org/wgbh/nova/media/images/could-this-icy-moons-ocean-support-life-hero.width-600.jpg","contentType":"application/vnd.theseus+scaled_image"},{"width":800,"height":450,"src":"https://www.pbs.org/wgbh/nova/media/images/could-this-icy-moons-ocean-support-life-hero.width-800.jpg","contentType":"application/vnd.theseus+scaled_image"},{"width":1500,"height":843,"src":"https://www.pbs.org/wgbh/nova/media/images/could-this-icy-moons-ocean-support-life-hero.width-1500.jpg","contentType":"application/vnd.theseus+scaled_image"},{"width":1920,"height":1080,"src":"https://www.pbs.org/wgbh/nova/media/images/could-this-icy-moons-ocean-support-life-hero.width-2000.jpg","contentType":"application/vnd.theseus+scaled_image"},{"width":1920,"height":1080,"src":"https://www.pbs.org/wgbh/nova/media/images/could-this-icy-moons-ocean-support-life-hero.width-2500.jpg","contentType":"application/vnd.theseus+scaled_image"}],"contentType":"application/vnd.theseus+image"},"contentType":"application/vnd.theseus+page"}},"sort":[1731299576569]},{"_index":"content","_type":"doc","_id":"sfv-6867","_score":null,"_source":{"slug":"enceladus-a-frozen-moon-with-explosive-eruptions","title":"Enceladus: A Frozen Moon With Explosive Eruptions","topic":"space","brand":"nova","content_type":"shortvideopage","length":116,"publish_date":"2024-11-11T04:27:31.326756+00:00","tags":["volcano worlds","frozen moon","solar system","space","Enceladus"],"external":false,"published":true,"hero_image":{"mime_type":"image/jpeg","alt_text":"","src":"https://www.pbs.org/wgbh/nova/media/original_images/enceladus-a-frozen-moon-with-explosive-eruptions-hero.jpg","renditions":[{"width":1920,"height":1080,"src":"https://www.pbs.org/wgbh/nova/media/images/enceladus-a-frozen-moon-with-explosive-erupti.width-2000.jpg","contentType":"application/vnd.theseus+scaled_image"},{"width":1920,"height":1080,"src":"https://www.pbs.org/wgbh/nova/media/images/enceladus-a-frozen-moon-with-explosive-erupti.width-2500.jpg","contentType":"application/vnd.theseus+scaled_image"},{"width":1500,"height":843,"src":"https://www.pbs.org/wgbh/nova/media/images/enceladus-a-frozen-moon-with-explosive-erupti.width-1500.jpg","contentType":"application/vnd.theseus+scaled_image"},{"width":800,"height":450,"src":"https://www.pbs.org/wgbh/nova/media/images/enceladus-a-frozen-moon-with-explosive-eruptio.width-800.jpg","contentType":"application/vnd.theseus+scaled_image"},{"width":600,"height":337,"src":"https://www.pbs.org/wgbh/nova/media/images/enceladus-a-frozen-moon-with-explosive-eruptio.width-600.jpg","contentType":"application/vnd.theseus+scaled_image"},{"width":400,"height":225,"src":"https://www.pbs.org/wgbh/nova/media/images/enceladus-a-frozen-moon-with-explosive-eruptio.width-400.jpg","contentType":"application/vnd.theseus+scaled_image"},{"width":300,"height":168,"src":"https://www.pbs.org/wgbh/nova/media/images/enceladus-a-frozen-moon-with-explosive-eruptio.width-300.jpg","contentType":"application/vnd.theseus+scaled_image"}],"contentType":"application/vnd.theseus+image"},"content":"\u003cp data-block-key=\"zd1t2\"\u003eEnceladus’ small size and icy surface is no limitation to its extreme volcanism.\u003c/p\u003e\n\u003cp data-block-key=\"n6c5f\"\u003eEnceladus erupts over 660 pounds of water per second, with jets reaching up to 6,000 miles into space. These massive plumes far exceed the size of the moon itself.\u003c/p\u003e\n\u003cp data-block-key=\"ms63m\"\u003e\u003cb\u003eEnceladus: A Frozen Moon With Explosive Eruptions\u003c/b\u003e\u003c/p\u003e\u003cp data-block-key=\"1oqa4\"\u003ePublished: November 10, 2024\u003c/p\u003e\u003cp data-block-key=\"1tc8e\"\u003e\u003cb\u003eSpeaker 1:\u003c/b\u003e With a hard frozen exterior Enceladus\u0026#x27; surface averages a chilly -330 degrees Fahrenheit. It\u0026#x27;s one of the coldest places in the Saturn system, an ice world where we\u0026#x27;d expect everything to be completely still, frozen and unchanging. But in 2005, NASA\u0026#x27;s Cassini spacecraft traveled to the South Pole and discovered that stillness shattered. It captured explosive jets constantly erupting from the surface.\u003c/p\u003e\u003cp data-block-key=\"172q9\"\u003e\u003cb\u003eSpeaker 2:\u003c/b\u003e So when we first saw those plumes coming out of Enceladus, it was just mind-boggling that to see this tiny world spewing material out indicating that it was geologically active.\u003c/p\u003e\u003cp data-block-key=\"4800r\"\u003e\u003cb\u003eSpeaker 3:\u003c/b\u003e Discovering the jets at Enceladus\u0026#x27; South Pole completely changed the way that we see icy worlds. It changed the way that we see small, icy worlds in particular.\u003c/p\u003e\u003cp data-block-key=\"ekrhv\"\u003e\u003cb\u003eSpeaker 1:\u003c/b\u003e Giant plumes, far bigger than the moon they erupt from are an incredible site. But how is it possible to have such powerful eruptions on a frozen moon? Over 660 pounds of water erupt from the surface of Enceladus every second, creating visible eruptions that can thrust up to 6,000 miles into space. It\u0026#x27;s called cryovolcanism. Cryo from the Greek for cold.\u003c/p\u003e\u003cp data-block-key=\"fko58\"\u003e\u003cb\u003eSpeaker 4:\u003c/b\u003e Cryovolcanism is absolutely volcanism. When we study the planets, we learned that even though they have different chemistry or slight differences, that these processes are common throughout the planets, and volcanism is one of them.\u003c/p\u003e\u003cp data-block-key=\"ads9d\"\u003e\u003cb\u003eSpeaker 5:\u003c/b\u003e What is surprising is not only the presence of those jets, but their size, the fact that this is an extreme cryovolcanism coming from such a small body.\u003c/p\u003e\n\n\n","passport_start":"2024-11-05T21:45:08+00:00","short_description":"\u003cp data-block-key=\"zd1t2\"\u003eEnceladus’ small size and icy surface is no limitation to its extreme volcanism.\u003c/p\u003e","hits_weekly":0,"hits_daily":0,"card":{"title":"Enceladus: A Frozen Moon With Explosive Eruptions","slug":"enceladus-a-frozen-moon-with-explosive-eruptions","page_type":"shortvideopage","canonical_image":{"mime_type":"image/jpeg","alt_text":"","src":"https://www.pbs.org/wgbh/nova/media/original_images/enceladus-a-frozen-moon-with-explosive-eruptions-hero.jpg","renditions":[{"width":300,"height":168,"src":"https://www.pbs.org/wgbh/nova/media/images/enceladus-a-frozen-moon-with-explosive-eruptio.width-300.jpg","contentType":"application/vnd.theseus+scaled_image"},{"width":400,"height":225,"src":"https://www.pbs.org/wgbh/nova/media/images/enceladus-a-frozen-moon-with-explosive-eruptio.width-400.jpg","contentType":"application/vnd.theseus+scaled_image"},{"width":600,"height":337,"src":"https://www.pbs.org/wgbh/nova/media/images/enceladus-a-frozen-moon-with-explosive-eruptio.width-600.jpg","contentType":"application/vnd.theseus+scaled_image"},{"width":800,"height":450,"src":"https://www.pbs.org/wgbh/nova/media/images/enceladus-a-frozen-moon-with-explosive-eruptio.width-800.jpg","contentType":"application/vnd.theseus+scaled_image"},{"width":1500,"height":843,"src":"https://www.pbs.org/wgbh/nova/media/images/enceladus-a-frozen-moon-with-explosive-erupti.width-1500.jpg","contentType":"application/vnd.theseus+scaled_image"},{"width":1920,"height":1080,"src":"https://www.pbs.org/wgbh/nova/media/images/enceladus-a-frozen-moon-with-explosive-erupti.width-2000.jpg","contentType":"application/vnd.theseus+scaled_image"},{"width":1920,"height":1080,"src":"https://www.pbs.org/wgbh/nova/media/images/enceladus-a-frozen-moon-with-explosive-erupti.width-2500.jpg","contentType":"application/vnd.theseus+scaled_image"}],"contentType":"application/vnd.theseus+image"},"contentType":"application/vnd.theseus+page"}},"sort":[1731299251326]},{"_index":"content","_type":"doc","_id":"sfv-6869","_score":null,"_source":{"slug":"how-the-martian-atmosphere-helped-nasas-rovers-restore-energy","title":"How the Martian Atmosphere Helped Nasa’s Rovers Restore Energy","topic":"space","brand":"nova","content_type":"shortvideopage","length":179,"publish_date":"2024-11-11T04:18:06.825751+00:00","tags":["martian atmosphere","nasa rover","mars","space","rover","space rover"],"external":false,"published":true,"hero_image":{"mime_type":"image/jpeg","alt_text":"","src":"https://www.pbs.org/wgbh/nova/media/original_images/how-the-martian-atmosphere-helped-nasas-rovers-restore-energy-hero.jpg","renditions":[{"width":1920,"height":1080,"src":"https://www.pbs.org/wgbh/nova/media/images/how-the-martian-atmosphere-helped-nasas-rover.width-2000.jpg","contentType":"application/vnd.theseus+scaled_image"},{"width":1920,"height":1080,"src":"https://www.pbs.org/wgbh/nova/media/images/how-the-martian-atmosphere-helped-nasas-rover.width-2500.jpg","contentType":"application/vnd.theseus+scaled_image"},{"width":1500,"height":843,"src":"https://www.pbs.org/wgbh/nova/media/images/how-the-martian-atmosphere-helped-nasas-rover.width-1500.jpg","contentType":"application/vnd.theseus+scaled_image"},{"width":800,"height":450,"src":"https://www.pbs.org/wgbh/nova/media/images/how-the-martian-atmosphere-helped-nasas-rovers.width-800.jpg","contentType":"application/vnd.theseus+scaled_image"},{"width":600,"height":337,"src":"https://www.pbs.org/wgbh/nova/media/images/how-the-martian-atmosphere-helped-nasas-rovers.width-600.jpg","contentType":"application/vnd.theseus+scaled_image"},{"width":400,"height":225,"src":"https://www.pbs.org/wgbh/nova/media/images/how-the-martian-atmosphere-helped-nasas-rovers.width-400.jpg","contentType":"application/vnd.theseus+scaled_image"},{"width":300,"height":168,"src":"https://www.pbs.org/wgbh/nova/media/images/how-the-martian-atmosphere-helped-nasas-rovers.width-300.jpg","contentType":"application/vnd.theseus+scaled_image"}],"contentType":"application/vnd.theseus+image"},"content":"\u003cp data-block-key=\"9he8x\"\u003eMartian dust devils may have helped NASA’s rovers restore power during mission.\u003c/p\u003e\n\u003cp data-block-key=\"yj121\"\u003eNASA\u0026#x27;s Spirit and Opportunity rovers exceeded their expected lifespan on Mars. Unique Martian weather conditions may have played a role in restoring their energy levels.\u003c/p\u003e\n\u003cp data-block-key=\"mc5t1\"\u003e\u003cb\u003eHow the Martian Atmosphere Helped Nasa’s Rovers Restore Energy\u003c/b\u003e\u003c/p\u003e\u003cp data-block-key=\"11dks\"\u003ePublished: November 10, 2024\u003c/p\u003e\u003cp data-block-key=\"3fmfj\"\u003e\u003cb\u003eSpeaker 1:\u003c/b\u003e In January 2004, Spirit and Opportunity began to investigate Mars, but their mission wasn\u0026#x27;t expected to last very long.\u003c/p\u003e\u003cp data-block-key=\"ed7ad\"\u003e\u003cb\u003eSpeaker 2:\u003c/b\u003e Mars is covered in dust. It gets everywhere, including on the solar panels of Mars rovers.\u003c/p\u003e\u003cp data-block-key=\"34r5h\"\u003e\u003cb\u003eSpeaker 3:\u003c/b\u003e As the solar panels got dustier and dustier, the power levels that the rover would have would get lower and lower and lower, and eventually, they would just stop working.\u003c/p\u003e\u003cp data-block-key=\"45v7t\"\u003e\u003cb\u003eSpeaker 1:\u003c/b\u003e The team hoped the rovers would last at least three months, a feat they surpassed. But as the months wore on, the power levels continued to drop.\u003c/p\u003e\u003cp data-block-key=\"d2kb5\"\u003e\u003cb\u003eSpeaker 3:\u003c/b\u003e What was really exciting was at one point in the mission, as we were seeing the power levels getting lower and lower and lower, all of a sudden, the power levels were back up high again, almost as high as they were when the rovers had landed. And you can take a look at the before and after pictures, and you can see that it looks like the solar panels have just been wiped clean. You could call up AAA and send them to Mars with the rag to clean everything off. They couldn\u0026#x27;t have done a better job.\u003c/p\u003e\u003cp data-block-key=\"do374\"\u003e\u003cb\u003eSpeaker 1:\u003c/b\u003e Finally, a clue to what might be happening was spotted by Spirit\u0026#x27;s nav cam. In the mid-afternoon sun, heating of the Martian surface creates towering vortices, which can grow miles high. Dust devils.\u003c/p\u003e\u003cp data-block-key=\"5kqbe\"\u003e\u003cb\u003eSpeaker 2:\u003c/b\u003e I imagine it would be absolutely terrifying to be standing on the surface of Mars and see one of these dust devils coming straight at you.\u003c/p\u003e\u003cp data-block-key=\"300rt\"\u003e\u003cb\u003eSpeaker 3:\u003c/b\u003e You might think that there was this tornado-force wind coming towards the rover, and it might pick the rover up and spin them around and do all sorts of horrible things. But in reality, the Martian atmosphere is actually very, very thin. And so you can have a dust devil pass over you, and you would barely even notice it.\u003c/p\u003e\u003cp data-block-key=\"7tpna\"\u003e\u003cb\u003eSpeaker 4:\u003c/b\u003e But even though a Martian dust devil might not be able to pick you up, it can certainly pick dust up.\u003c/p\u003e\u003cp data-block-key=\"bm7gv\"\u003e\u003cb\u003eSpeaker 1:\u003c/b\u003e It\u0026#x27;s thought that as these whirlwinds traveled over the rovers, they sucked dust off the solar panels like a vacuum. So a mission expected to last just a few months was extended again and again and again. But the cleaning power of the dust devils doesn\u0026#x27;t just work on rovers. As they travel, these huge vortices suck up dust from Mars\u0026#x27;s surface, exposing the darker bedrock beneath, leaving trails so large, you can see them clearly from space. There are no Martians creating the lines. The culprit is the Martian atmosphere.\u003c/p\u003e\n\n\n","passport_start":"2024-11-05T21:39:47+00:00","short_description":"\u003cp data-block-key=\"9he8x\"\u003eMartian dust devils may have helped NASA’s rovers restore power during mission.\u003c/p\u003e","hits_weekly":0,"hits_daily":0,"card":{"title":"How the Martian Atmosphere Helped Nasa’s Rovers Restore Energy","slug":"how-the-martian-atmosphere-helped-nasas-rovers-restore-energy","page_type":"shortvideopage","canonical_image":{"mime_type":"image/jpeg","alt_text":"","src":"https://www.pbs.org/wgbh/nova/media/original_images/how-the-martian-atmosphere-helped-nasas-rovers-restore-energy-hero.jpg","renditions":[{"width":300,"height":168,"src":"https://www.pbs.org/wgbh/nova/media/images/how-the-martian-atmosphere-helped-nasas-rovers.width-300.jpg","contentType":"application/vnd.theseus+scaled_image"},{"width":400,"height":225,"src":"https://www.pbs.org/wgbh/nova/media/images/how-the-martian-atmosphere-helped-nasas-rovers.width-400.jpg","contentType":"application/vnd.theseus+scaled_image"},{"width":600,"height":337,"src":"https://www.pbs.org/wgbh/nova/media/images/how-the-martian-atmosphere-helped-nasas-rovers.width-600.jpg","contentType":"application/vnd.theseus+scaled_image"},{"width":800,"height":450,"src":"https://www.pbs.org/wgbh/nova/media/images/how-the-martian-atmosphere-helped-nasas-rovers.width-800.jpg","contentType":"application/vnd.theseus+scaled_image"},{"width":1500,"height":843,"src":"https://www.pbs.org/wgbh/nova/media/images/how-the-martian-atmosphere-helped-nasas-rover.width-1500.jpg","contentType":"application/vnd.theseus+scaled_image"},{"width":1920,"height":1080,"src":"https://www.pbs.org/wgbh/nova/media/images/how-the-martian-atmosphere-helped-nasas-rover.width-2000.jpg","contentType":"application/vnd.theseus+scaled_image"},{"width":1920,"height":1080,"src":"https://www.pbs.org/wgbh/nova/media/images/how-the-martian-atmosphere-helped-nasas-rover.width-2500.jpg","contentType":"application/vnd.theseus+scaled_image"}],"contentType":"application/vnd.theseus+image"},"contentType":"application/vnd.theseus+page"}},"sort":[1731298686825]}]}},"split_search_results":{"first":[{"_index":"content","_type":"doc","_id":"sfv-6894","_score":null,"_source":{"slug":"what-youre-probably-seeing-if-you-spot-a-ufo","title":"What You’re Probably Seeing If You Spot a UFO","topic":"space","brand":"nova","content_type":"shortvideopage","length":137,"publish_date":"2025-01-30T17:19:13.283778+00:00","tags":["aliens","alien worlds","space","alien","ufa","ufos","starlink"],"external":false,"published":true,"hero_image":{"mime_type":"image/jpeg","alt_text":"","src":"https://www.pbs.org/wgbh/nova/media/original_images/what-youre-probably-seeing-if-you-spot-a-ufo-hero.jpg","renditions":[{"width":1920,"height":1080,"src":"https://www.pbs.org/wgbh/nova/media/images/what-youre-probably-seeing-if-you-spot-a-ufo-.width-2000.jpg","contentType":"application/vnd.theseus+scaled_image"},{"width":1920,"height":1080,"src":"https://www.pbs.org/wgbh/nova/media/images/what-youre-probably-seeing-if-you-spot-a-ufo-.width-2500.jpg","contentType":"application/vnd.theseus+scaled_image"},{"width":1500,"height":843,"src":"https://www.pbs.org/wgbh/nova/media/images/what-youre-probably-seeing-if-you-spot-a-ufo-.width-1500.jpg","contentType":"application/vnd.theseus+scaled_image"},{"width":800,"height":450,"src":"https://www.pbs.org/wgbh/nova/media/images/what-youre-probably-seeing-if-you-spot-a-ufo-h.width-800.jpg","contentType":"application/vnd.theseus+scaled_image"},{"width":600,"height":337,"src":"https://www.pbs.org/wgbh/nova/media/images/what-youre-probably-seeing-if-you-spot-a-ufo-h.width-600.jpg","contentType":"application/vnd.theseus+scaled_image"},{"width":400,"height":225,"src":"https://www.pbs.org/wgbh/nova/media/images/what-youre-probably-seeing-if-you-spot-a-ufo-h.width-400.jpg","contentType":"application/vnd.theseus+scaled_image"},{"width":300,"height":168,"src":"https://www.pbs.org/wgbh/nova/media/images/what-youre-probably-seeing-if-you-spot-a-ufo-h.width-300.jpg","contentType":"application/vnd.theseus+scaled_image"}],"contentType":"application/vnd.theseus+image"},"content":"\u003cp data-block-key=\"9nnzt\"\u003eOur skies are full of objects, natural and manmade, that are not as strange as you might think.\u003c/p\u003e\n\u003cp data-block-key=\"repie\"\u003eWhen you spot a UFO, are you really seeing something unknown? Our skies are full of objects, natural and manmade, that are not as strange as you might think when you spot them from the ground. You can actually see things in Earth\u0026#x27;s orbit like weather balloons, the International Space Station, and a 60-satellite system called Starlink. Technology has created more clutter in the sky — and a much greater chance for us to misinterpret what we\u0026#x27;re seeing.\u003c/p\u003e\n\u003cp data-block-key=\"vsuc3\"\u003e\u003cb\u003eWhat You’re Probably Seeing If You Spot a UFO\u003c/b\u003e\u003c/p\u003e\u003cp data-block-key=\"3avpq\"\u003ePublished: January 30, 2025\u003c/p\u003e\u003cp data-block-key=\"dnu4p\"\u003e\u003cb\u003eShelley Wright:\u003c/b\u003e The word UFO, unfortunately, has become a taboo word within the scientific community. It\u0026#x27;s actually been a disservice to our community and our society for not trying to teach and communicate about what actually is in the night sky.\u003c/p\u003e\u003cp data-block-key=\"2s073\"\u003e\u003cb\u003eNarrator:\u003c/b\u003e There\u0026#x27;s no shortage of things in the night sky that can seem strange. Some are natural, like the colors of the northern lights, the beauty of a meteor shower, planet Venus in the night sky, even clouds that form strange, saucer-like shapes. And plenty that are not-so-natural wonders.\u003c/p\u003e\u003cp data-block-key=\"ejbs0\"\u003e\u003cb\u003eKenneth Harris II:\u003c/b\u003e Right now, above my head, are planes, you can hear helicopters flying over, there\u0026#x27;s probably some drones up there too. And if you\u0026#x27;re in the right place at the right time, you can probably even see some satellites up there, \u0026#x27;cause there\u0026#x27;s a lot of stuff out there that might not be as strange as you think it is.\u003c/p\u003e\u003cp data-block-key=\"fseu4\"\u003e\u003cb\u003eSpeaker 1:\u003c/b\u003e So weird.\u003c/p\u003e\u003cp data-block-key=\"7dmtj\"\u003e\u003cb\u003eSpeaker 2:\u003c/b\u003e That\u0026#x27;s not a plane.\u003c/p\u003e\u003cp data-block-key=\"3n5pg\"\u003e\u003cb\u003eNarrator:\u003c/b\u003e The number of things that are in our sky today are thousands.\u003c/p\u003e\u003cp data-block-key=\"3lhdt\"\u003e\u003cb\u003eSpeaker 3:\u003c/b\u003e Oh my God.\u003c/p\u003e\u003cp data-block-key=\"1bsqb\"\u003e\u003cb\u003eSpeaker 4:\u003c/b\u003e Now it\u0026#x27;s not moving at all. It\u0026#x27;s hovering right there.\u003c/p\u003e\u003cp data-block-key=\"7aenc\"\u003e\u003cb\u003eShelley Wright:\u003c/b\u003e We have weather balloons. 1800 of them are launched daily around the world.\u003c/p\u003e\u003cp data-block-key=\"7b4tk\"\u003e\u003cb\u003eMichael L. Wong:\u003c/b\u003e You can actually see things in Earth\u0026#x27;s orbit from the ground. You can see, for instance, the International Space Station at night, flying overhead.\u003c/p\u003e\u003cp data-block-key=\"cq1lq\"\u003e\u003cb\u003eNarrator:\u003c/b\u003e And if you see a cluster of lights traveling across the night sky, they\u0026#x27;re probably part of a satellite system called Starlink.\u003c/p\u003e\u003cp data-block-key=\"ddo80\"\u003e\u003cb\u003eSean Kirkpatrick:\u003c/b\u003e When Starlink launches a 60-satellite string, people look at that and go, I don\u0026#x27;t know what that is, and it looks really weird and concerning.\u003c/p\u003e\u003cp data-block-key=\"enhpn\"\u003e\u003cb\u003eMatt Mountain:\u003c/b\u003e Technology, I think, has created much more clutter in the sky and an ability for us to misinterpret things.\u003c/p\u003e\u003cp data-block-key=\"2omf\"\u003e\u003cb\u003eJacob Haqq-Misra:\u003c/b\u003e There\u0026#x27;s a lot in our sky, and if we\u0026#x27;re studying UFOs, of course, you have to know what\u0026#x27;s in the sky that is known before you can identify what\u0026#x27;s unknown.\u003c/p\u003e\n\n\n","passport_start":"2025-01-30T16:28:45+00:00","short_description":"\u003cp data-block-key=\"9nnzt\"\u003eOur skies are full of objects, natural and manmade, that are not as strange as you might think.\u003c/p\u003e","hits_weekly":0,"hits_daily":0,"card":{"title":"What You’re Probably Seeing If You Spot a 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Are UFOs?","topic":"space","brand":"nova","content_type":"episodepage","length":3223,"publish_date":"2025-01-03","tags":["dimension","outer space","extraterrestrial life","planets","UFO","extraterrestrial","mars","space","early UFO sightings","UAPs","unidentified anomalous phenomena","Gimbal sighting","UFO research","Famous UFO sightings","alien","aliens"],"hero_image":{"mime_type":"image/jpeg","alt_text":"Small black unidentified flying object zooming across night vision background","src":"https://www.pbs.org/wgbh/nova/media/original_images/UFOs_Blank_Image.jpg","renditions":[{"width":1920,"height":1080,"src":"https://www.pbs.org/wgbh/nova/media/images/UFOs_Blank_Image.width-2000.jpg","contentType":"application/vnd.theseus+scaled_image"},{"width":1920,"height":1080,"src":"https://www.pbs.org/wgbh/nova/media/images/UFOs_Blank_Image.width-2500.jpg","contentType":"application/vnd.theseus+scaled_image"},{"width":1500,"height":843,"src":"https://www.pbs.org/wgbh/nova/media/images/UFOs_Blank_Image.width-1500.jpg","contentType":"application/vnd.theseus+scaled_image"},{"width":800,"height":450,"src":"https://www.pbs.org/wgbh/nova/media/images/UFOs_Blank_Image.width-800.jpg","contentType":"application/vnd.theseus+scaled_image"},{"width":600,"height":337,"src":"https://www.pbs.org/wgbh/nova/media/images/UFOs_Blank_Image.width-600.jpg","contentType":"application/vnd.theseus+scaled_image"},{"width":400,"height":225,"src":"https://www.pbs.org/wgbh/nova/media/images/UFOs_Blank_Image.width-400.jpg","contentType":"application/vnd.theseus+scaled_image"},{"width":300,"height":168,"src":"https://www.pbs.org/wgbh/nova/media/images/UFOs_Blank_Image.width-300.jpg","contentType":"application/vnd.theseus+scaled_image"}],"contentType":"application/vnd.theseus+image"},"external":false,"published":true,"content":"\u003cp data-block-key=\"pnrnn\"\u003eCan science reveal the secrets of mysterious objects seen in our skies?\u003c/p\u003e\u003cp data-block-key=\"frp4s\"\u003e\u003c/p\u003e\u003cp data-block-key=\"eqfac\"\u003e\u003c/p\u003e\n\u003cp data-block-key=\"y0nl5\"\u003eFor decades UFOs have captivated the public, even as many scientists saw them as too taboo to investigate. Now, after highly publicized sightings of unidentified objects by Navy pilots, UFOs are moving out of the shadows and into the light, as NASA pledges to study them scientifically. So what does science have to say? Though some are identified as balloons or drones, weather phenomena, or optical illusions, others remain mysterious. Could they be the result of secret new technology developed by other governments – or our own? And what would it take for alien engineers to traverse vast distances to send probes or visit Earth from other solar systems? Explore the evidence, as astrophysicists and engineers use new technologies to investigate the strangest objects in our skies. \u003cb\u003e(Premiering January 22, 2025 at 9 pm on PBS)\u003c/b\u003e\u003c/p\u003e\n\u003cp data-block-key=\"2ipvq\"\u003e\u003cb\u003eWhat Are U.F.O.s?\u003c/b\u003e\u003c/p\u003e\u003cp data-block-key=\"d3boj\"\u003ePublished: January 22, 2025\u003c/p\u003e\u003cp data-block-key=\"850q5\"\u003e\u003cb\u003eNAVY PILOT #1:\u003c/b\u003e Looking at that thing. It’s rotating.\u003c/p\u003e\u003cp data-block-key=\"2j7cf\"\u003e\u003cb\u003eNAVY PILOT #2:\u003c/b\u003e Whoa, got it. Whoohoo. What the [explicative deleted]… is that thing?\u003c/p\u003e\u003cp data-block-key=\"1p9gl\"\u003e\u003cb\u003e\u003ci\u003eNARRATOR:\u003c/i\u003e\u003c/b\u003e \u003ci\u003eDisturbing videos of U.F.O.s have been taken by some of the best trained pilots on the planet.\u003c/i\u003e\u003c/p\u003e\u003cp data-block-key=\"cgkp3\"\u003e\u003cb\u003eHAKEEM OLUSEYI\u003c/b\u003e (Astrophysicist, George Mason University)\u003cb\u003e:\u003c/b\u003e We actually have military pilots who are saying, “I saw something that I don’t understand.”\u003c/p\u003e\u003cp data-block-key=\"e8od6\"\u003e\u003cb\u003ePILOT:\u003c/b\u003e Course unknown and speed unknown.\u003c/p\u003e\u003cp data-block-key=\"u7mg\"\u003e\u003cb\u003eMICK WEST\u003c/b\u003e (Unidentified Anomalous Phenomena Analyst, Metabunk)\u003cb\u003e:\u003c/b\u003e We don’t know what they actually saw. We only have their interpretation of it.\u003c/p\u003e\u003cp data-block-key=\"e9086\"\u003e\u003cb\u003eALEX DIETRICH\u003c/b\u003e (Former F/A-18 Navy Pilot, Scholar-in-Residence, University of Colorado Boulder)\u003cb\u003e:\u003c/b\u003e So this was the helmet that I was wearing.\u003c/p\u003e\u003cp data-block-key=\"8nt7e\"\u003eIt would be really irresponsible to suggest that all of these things are of the same origin, that they’re of the same technology, that they’re of the same phenomenon.\u003c/p\u003e\u003cp data-block-key=\"bt63m\"\u003e\u003cb\u003eJACOB HAQQ-MISRA\u003c/b\u003e (Affiliate Scientist, Galileo Project)\u003cb\u003e:\u003c/b\u003e We can’t say it’s aliens, but we can’t say it’s not aliens.\u003c/p\u003e\u003cp data-block-key=\"dn71h\"\u003e\u003cb\u003eCBS NEWS HOST:\u003c/b\u003e People in New Jersey are concerned.\u003c/p\u003e\u003cp data-block-key=\"8brq3\"\u003e\u003cb\u003eNBC NEWS HOST:\u003c/b\u003e And what about the explosion of news reports of strange objects flying over New Jersey?\u003c/p\u003e\u003cp data-block-key=\"771mb\"\u003e\u003cb\u003eNAT COHEN:\u003c/b\u003e Upwards of 49 plus drone sightings…\u003c/p\u003e\u003cp data-block-key=\"323ju\"\u003e\u003cb\u003e\u003ci\u003eNARRATOR:\u003c/i\u003e\u003c/b\u003e \u003ci\u003eWhat do we really know? And what don’t we know?\u003c/i\u003e\u003c/p\u003e\u003cp data-block-key=\"bcaml\"\u003e\u003cb\u003eSHELLEY WRIGHT\u003c/b\u003e (Astrophysicist, University of California San Diego)\u003cb\u003e:\u003c/b\u003e As scientists, we also want to get to the bottom of this.\u003c/p\u003e\u003cp data-block-key=\"dk1cq\"\u003e\u003cb\u003eSEAN KIRKPATRICK\u003c/b\u003e (Former Director, All-Domain Anomaly Resolution Office): There’s an aircraft. There we go.\u003c/p\u003e\u003cp data-block-key=\"74j8b\"\u003e\u003cb\u003e\u003ci\u003eNARRATOR:\u003c/i\u003e\u003c/b\u003e What are U.F.O.s?\u003ci\u003e, right now, on NOVA.\u003c/i\u003e\u003c/p\u003e\u003cp data-block-key=\"altv0\"\u003e\u003ci\u003eIn the halls of Congress, Navy pilots are speaking out.\u003c/i\u003e\u003c/p\u003e\u003cp data-block-key=\"g113\"\u003e\u003cb\u003eRYAN GRAVES\u003c/b\u003e (Former F/A-18 Navy Pilot, Executive Director, Americans for Safe Aerospace)\u003cb\u003e:\u003c/b\u003e This object remained for about 45 seconds or so, before darting off.\u003c/p\u003e\u003cp data-block-key=\"b2rp0\"\u003eWe were seeing objects with our radars, with our cameras, and even with our eyes, while we were flying, on an almost daily basis.\u003c/p\u003e\u003cp data-block-key=\"dm5na\"\u003e\u003cb\u003eALEX DIETRICH:\u003c/b\u003e We’re very sensitive to how things turn and how things accelerate and how things move, and this didn’t follow any of those laws of physics.\u003c/p\u003e\u003cp data-block-key=\"9o7mv\"\u003e\u003cb\u003e\u003ci\u003eNARRATOR:\u003c/i\u003e\u003c/b\u003e \u003ci\u003eAs of 2023, military and commercial pilots have reported seeing 801 objects they couldn’t identify.\u003c/i\u003e\u003c/p\u003e\u003cp data-block-key=\"78ndq\"\u003e\u003cb\u003eMATT MOUNTAIN\u003c/b\u003e (Astrophysicist, Association of Universities for Research and Astronomy)\u003cb\u003e:\u003c/b\u003e Credible people have seen incredible things.\u003c/p\u003e\u003cp data-block-key=\"3sko7\"\u003e\u003cb\u003eALEX DIETRICH:\u003c/b\u003e When we’re talking about having an unidentified thing in our airspace, whether it’s directly overhead or in our coastal waters, we need to figure out, is this an issue of flight safety, is this an issue of national security, is this an adversary spying on us?\u003c/p\u003e\u003cp data-block-key=\"60evi\"\u003e\u003cb\u003e\u003ci\u003eNARRATOR:\u003c/i\u003e\u003c/b\u003e \u003ci\u003eOr could it be top secret tech, developed right here, at home?\u003c/i\u003e\u003c/p\u003e\u003cp data-block-key=\"d4pnd\"\u003e\u003cb\u003eALEX HOLLINGS:\u003c/b\u003e I can tell you, unequivocally, that the government does keep secrets when it comes to aerospace technology. The Pentagon has what we often call a “black budget,” which can sometimes exceed $65-billion in a year.\u003c/p\u003e\u003cp data-block-key=\"2ouej\"\u003e\u003cb\u003eALEJANDRO ROJAS\u003c/b\u003e (U.F.O. Journalist, Consultant, Enigma Labs)\u003cb\u003e:\u003c/b\u003e Even within the military, there’s never been a consensus really, that it’s this or that or that it’s not extraterrestrial.\u003c/p\u003e\u003cp data-block-key=\"17ggh\"\u003e\u003cb\u003eSEAN KIRKPATRICK:\u003c/b\u003e We cannot rule out extraterrestrials, but you have no evidence for it. It comes back to the evidence.\u003c/p\u003e\u003cp data-block-key=\"agrkl\"\u003e\u003cb\u003eHAKEEM OLUSEYI:\u003c/b\u003e Regular citizens have been reporting things for decades, and yet we hear nothing from the government about what this may be.\u003c/p\u003e\u003cp data-block-key=\"1936h\"\u003e\u003cb\u003eSHELLEY WRIGHT:\u003c/b\u003e And now that we have more observations, more cameras, more cell phones that are taking pictures of phenomenon in our atmosphere, scientists need to come forward and talk about how we can identify these objects.\u003c/p\u003e\u003cp data-block-key=\"31gk1\"\u003e\u003cb\u003eMICHAEL L. WONG\u003c/b\u003e (Planetary Scientist and Astrobiologist, Carnegie Science)\u003cb\u003e:\u003c/b\u003e In science, we encounter anomalies all the time. And it’s our job to try to figure out what those anomalies are telling us about the universe.\u003c/p\u003e\u003cp data-block-key=\"91aq\"\u003e\u003cb\u003e\u003ci\u003eNARRATOR:\u003c/i\u003e\u003c/b\u003e \u003ci\u003eWhat are U.F.O.s?\u003c/i\u003e\u003c/p\u003e\u003cp data-block-key=\"df2fn\"\u003e\u003ci\u003eThis isn’t the first time unidentified flying objects have captured our imagination and startled the world. It was back in the 1940s that sightings started piling up.\u003c/i\u003e\u003c/p\u003e\u003cp data-block-key=\"4psap\"\u003e\u003ci\u003eJune 24th, 1947: as he flew near Mt. Rainier, in Washington state, pilot Kenneth Arnold spotted something strange.\u003c/i\u003e\u003c/p\u003e\u003cp data-block-key=\"9qelm\"\u003e\u003cb\u003eALEJANDRO ROJAS:\u003c/b\u003e As he was flying around, he said he saw these objects glinting off of the sun. Because they moved like they were skipping off of water, the term “flying saucer” came about. At the time, there were other people having sightings, but this is the one that just really kind of ignited this interest in the public about U.F.O.s.\u003c/p\u003e\u003cp data-block-key=\"5ujd5\"\u003e\u003cb\u003e\u003ci\u003eNARRATOR:\u003c/i\u003e\u003c/b\u003e \u003ci\u003eFrom New York to California, people started to report seeing flying saucers just about everywhere. Sightings were spreading like wildfire.\u003c/i\u003e\u003c/p\u003e\u003cp data-block-key=\"elbdu\"\u003e\u003cb\u003eALEX HOLLINGS:\u003c/b\u003e Culture informs our understanding of the world around us. If you expect to see a U.F.O. that looks like a pie tin, well, when you see something unusual in the sky that you have trouble discerning what it was, your brain may be more apt to say that \u003cb\u003eit\u003c/b\u003e looked like a pie tin.\u003c/p\u003e\u003cp data-block-key=\"1bu7p\"\u003e\u003cb\u003e\u003ci\u003eNARRATOR:\u003c/i\u003e\u003c/b\u003e \u003ci\u003eIt may seem strange that in the 1940s and ‘50s so many Americans were suddenly spotting objects in the sky. But with the Cold War in full swing, it was a time of heightened anxiety and worry about new threats overhead.\u003c/i\u003e\u003c/p\u003e\u003cp data-block-key=\"ar7js\"\u003e\u003cb\u003eJACOB HAQQ-MISRA:\u003c/b\u003e This was also a time period in which there was a lot of military technology development, coming out of World War II. We have developed radar.\u003c/p\u003e\u003cp data-block-key=\"5f0ql\"\u003e\u003cb\u003eSEAN KIRKPATRICK:\u003c/b\u003e I mean this was the first major war where airpower was a huge player, and there was a lot of unknown tech emerging. All of these things kind of came together. And then, of course, you had the Roswell incident.\u003c/p\u003e\u003cp data-block-key=\"aijpe\"\u003e\u003cb\u003e\u003ci\u003eNARRATOR:\u003c/i\u003e\u003c/b\u003e \u003ci\u003eRoswell, New Mexico: a rancher came across another piece of the flying saucer puzzle.\u003c/i\u003e\u003c/p\u003e\u003cp data-block-key=\"dm56q\"\u003e\u003cb\u003eALEJANDRO ROJAS:\u003c/b\u003e Essentially, this ranch hand comes in, says, “I found this material.” They send a couple of Air Force people from Roswell Army Airfield out to take a look. One of them says, “Hey, I think this stuff was weird.” They take the material to Fort Worth. Fort Worth says it was obviously a weather balloon, story’s over.\u003c/p\u003e\u003cp data-block-key=\"bfd8f\"\u003e\u003cb\u003e\u003ci\u003eNARRATOR:\u003c/i\u003e\u003c/b\u003e \u003ci\u003eBut the public wasn’t buying it. And Hollywood saw an opportunity to run with a captivating story: aliens, sometimes friendly and sometimes not, were visiting planet Earth.\u003c/i\u003e\u003c/p\u003e\u003cp data-block-key=\"ea0lh\"\u003e\u003cb\u003eJACOB HAQQ-MISRA:\u003c/b\u003e The lack of answers by the government did leave a void. And Hollywood and entertainment certainly filled that void.\u003c/p\u003e\u003cp data-block-key=\"9aqrf\"\u003e\u003cb\u003eFILM NARRATOR:\u003c/b\u003e Earth vs. the flying saucers.\u003c/p\u003e\u003cp data-block-key=\"ibu2\"\u003e\u003cb\u003eJACOB HAQQ-MISRA:\u003c/b\u003e And we were left with a wide assortment of scenarios imagining contact with aliens with saucers, or aliens on the moon or Mars, or alien invasions that are quite dramatic.\u003c/p\u003e\u003cp data-block-key=\"bibkg\"\u003e\u003cb\u003eFILM NARRATOR:\u003c/b\u003e What are they? Where do they come from?\u003c/p\u003e\u003cp data-block-key=\"9ibta\"\u003e\u003cb\u003eJACOB HAQQ-MISRA:\u003c/b\u003e Certainly this can instill a lot of fear in people.\u003c/p\u003e\u003cp data-block-key=\"bir83\"\u003e\u003cb\u003eHAKEEM OLUSEYI:\u003c/b\u003e In the absence of scientists or other authoritative voices filling the gap and explaining what’s going on, all we heard from the authorities was, “There’s nothing to see here.”\u003c/p\u003e\u003cp data-block-key=\"b1k6b\"\u003e\u003cb\u003e\u003ci\u003eNARRATOR:\u003c/i\u003e\u003c/b\u003e \u003ci\u003eBut behind the scenes, the military was investigating.\u003c/i\u003e\u003c/p\u003e\u003cp data-block-key=\"4vsnm\"\u003e\u003cb\u003eJACOB HAQQ-MISRA:\u003c/b\u003e Probably the most significant historical investigation of U.F.O.s by the government was Project Blue Book. It investigated thousands and thousands of U.F.O. sightings.\u003c/p\u003e\u003cp data-block-key=\"7qd0v\"\u003e\u003cb\u003e\u003ci\u003eNARRATOR:\u003c/i\u003e\u003c/b\u003e \u003ci\u003eFor more than 20 years, military investigators and scientists scrutinized the data, looking for answers. What are all these objects? Do any of them present a clear and present danger?\u003c/i\u003e\u003c/p\u003e\u003cp data-block-key=\"8mj19\"\u003e\u003ci\u003eScientists, like astronomer J. Allen Hynek, were brought in to help the Air Force connect the dots.\u003c/i\u003e\u003c/p\u003e\u003cp data-block-key=\"bklam\"\u003e\u003cb\u003eALEJANDRO ROJAS:\u003c/b\u003e Dr. J. Allen Hynek was the consultant for the Air Force, from 1947 all the way to 1969, the entire time they were investigating this topic. He was a skeptic himself, because of that early association with aliens and little green men. So, when they approached him, he’s like, I’ll do this, but I’m going to easily be able to debunk this in no time, because this is just silliness.\u003c/p\u003e\u003cp data-block-key=\"ek14t\"\u003e\u003cb\u003e\u003ci\u003eNARRATOR:\u003c/i\u003e\u003c/b\u003e \u003ci\u003eProject Blue Book ended in 1969, when the Air Force released the Condon Report. After investigating more than 12,000 U.F.O., sightings 701 remained unidentified.\u003c/i\u003e\u003c/p\u003e\u003cp data-block-key=\"10tsu\"\u003e\u003cb\u003eJACOB HAQQ-MISRA:\u003c/b\u003e When you’ve not explained that much of your data, as a scientist, that’s not acceptable.\u003c/p\u003e\u003cp data-block-key=\"cp9q8\"\u003e\u003cb\u003e\u003ci\u003eNARRATOR:\u003c/i\u003e\u003c/b\u003e \u003ci\u003eAnd it wasn’t acceptable for Hynek. He’d had a change of heart that would last a lifetime.\u003c/i\u003e\u003c/p\u003e\u003cp data-block-key=\"3ssbn\"\u003e\u003cb\u003eALEJANDRO ROJAS:\u003c/b\u003e He started to see that there was data there that indicates that, you know, not all of these are easily solvable and that they do deserve investigation.\u003c/p\u003e\u003cp data-block-key=\"ehpl2\"\u003eBut he would stay away from the alien side of things. He would try to focus on this as a mystery we don’t understand. But it’s just too difficult to do, because the media and the public just can’t disassociate those things, the aliens and the U.F.O.s.\u003c/p\u003e\u003cp data-block-key=\"6hlv1\"\u003e\u003cb\u003eHAKEEM OLUSEYI:\u003c/b\u003e This created an environment that scientists and any serious person did not want to go near it. So, aliens were right in there with ghosts, the Loch Ness monster, Bigfoot. It was all part of this…the unknown, spooky stuff that probably ain’t true.\u003c/p\u003e\u003cp data-block-key=\"fkjim\"\u003e\u003cb\u003e\u003ci\u003eNARRATOR:\u003c/i\u003e\u003c/b\u003e \u003ci\u003eBecause of this stigma, today the Department of Defense refers to these unidentified flying objects, U.F.O.s, as U.A.P.s, “unidentified anomalous phenomena.”\u003c/i\u003e\u003c/p\u003e\u003cp data-block-key=\"e7to0\"\u003e\u003cb\u003eALEX DIETRICH:\u003c/b\u003e They changed it from U.F.O. to U.A.P. to try to reduce that stigma, to try to get away from that history, that historical trigger that happens in our brains.\u003c/p\u003e\u003cp data-block-key=\"f7ond\"\u003e\u003cb\u003eSHELLEY WRIGHT:\u003c/b\u003e The word U.F.O., unfortunately, has become a taboo word within the scientific community. It’s actually been a disservice to our community and our society for not trying to teach and communicate about what actually is in the night sky.\u003c/p\u003e\u003cp data-block-key=\"dsvhh\"\u003e\u003cb\u003e\u003ci\u003eNARRATOR:\u003c/i\u003e\u003c/b\u003e \u003ci\u003eThere’s no shortage of things in the night sky that can seem strange. Some are natural, like the colors of the Northern Lights, the beauty of a meteor shower, planet Venus in the night sky, even clouds that form strange saucer-like shapes and plenty that are not-so-natural wonders.\u003c/i\u003e\u003c/p\u003e\u003cp data-block-key=\"85po3\"\u003e\u003cb\u003eKENNETH HARRIS, II\u003c/b\u003e (Senior Engineer, The Aerospace Corporation)\u003cb\u003e:\u003c/b\u003e Right now, above my head, there are planes, you can hear a helicopter flying over. There’s probably some drones up there, too. And if you’re in the right place at the right time, you can probably even see some satellites up there, because there’s a lot of stuff out there that might not be as strange as you think it is.\u003c/p\u003e\u003cp data-block-key=\"4apaa\"\u003e\u003cb\u003eVIDEOGRAPHER:\u003c/b\u003e That is so weird. That’s not a plane.\u003c/p\u003e\u003cp data-block-key=\"2mepj\"\u003e\u003cb\u003eSEAN KIRKPATRICK:\u003c/b\u003e The number of things that are in our sky today are thousands.\u003c/p\u003e\u003cp data-block-key=\"29sak\"\u003e\u003cb\u003eVIDEOGRAPHER:\u003c/b\u003e Oh, my god.\u003c/p\u003e\u003cp data-block-key=\"8r2f1\"\u003eNo, it’s not moving at all. It’s hovering, right there.\u003c/p\u003e\u003cp data-block-key=\"1goa5\"\u003e\u003cb\u003eSHELLEY WRIGHT:\u003c/b\u003e We have weather balloons. Eighteen-hundred of them are launched daily around the world.\u003c/p\u003e\u003cp data-block-key=\"fdos6\"\u003e\u003cb\u003eMICHAEL WONG:\u003c/b\u003e You can actually see things in Earth’s orbit from the ground. You can see, for instance, the International Space Station, at night, flying overhead.\u003c/p\u003e\u003cp data-block-key=\"fp1q0\"\u003e\u003cb\u003e\u003ci\u003eNARRATOR:\u003c/i\u003e\u003c/b\u003e \u003ci\u003eAnd if you see a cluster of lights traveling across the night sky, they’re probably part of a satellite system called Starlink.\u003c/i\u003e\u003c/p\u003e\u003cp data-block-key=\"168rf\"\u003e\u003cb\u003eSEAN KIRKPATRICK:\u003c/b\u003e When Starlink launches a 60-satellite string, people look at that and go, “I don’t know what that is, and it looks really weird and concerning.”\u003c/p\u003e\u003cp data-block-key=\"8n750\"\u003e\u003cb\u003eMATT MOUNTAIN:\u003c/b\u003e Technology, I think, has created much more clutter in the sky and an ability for us to misinterpret things.\u003c/p\u003e\u003cp data-block-key=\"eqa8m\"\u003e\u003cb\u003eJACOB HAQQ-MISRA:\u003c/b\u003e There’s a lot in our sky, and if we’re studying U.F.O.s, of course, you have to know what’s in the sky that is known, before you can identify what’s unknown.\u003c/p\u003e\u003cp data-block-key=\"6pdqq\"\u003e\u003cb\u003e\u003ci\u003eNARRATOR:\u003c/i\u003e\u003c/b\u003e \u003ci\u003eThat’s especially difficult when it comes to some of the strangest sightings ever made, those videos taken by navy pilots. One of the most famous is nicknamed the “Gimbal.”\u003c/i\u003e\u003c/p\u003e\u003cp data-block-key=\"6vbj7\"\u003e\u003cb\u003eRYAN GRAVES:\u003c/b\u003e We recorded the Gimbal object, when we were down off the coast of Jacksonville, Florida, aboard the U.S.S. Theodore Roosevelt, in 2015.\u003c/p\u003e\u003cp data-block-key=\"e75cj\"\u003e\u003cb\u003e\u003ci\u003eNARRATOR:\u003c/i\u003e\u003c/b\u003e \u003ci\u003eFormer F/A-18 pilot, Ryan Graves will never forget what some pilots in his squadron told him about their bizarre U.A.P. experience. The event unfolded during a night training mission.\u003c/i\u003e\u003c/p\u003e\u003cp data-block-key=\"900ua\"\u003e\u003cb\u003ePILOT:\u003c/b\u003e Is it a [explicative deleted]-ing drone, bro?\u003c/p\u003e\u003cp data-block-key=\"du2ab\"\u003e\u003cb\u003eRYAN GRAVES:\u003c/b\u003e They see something strange. They’ve been closing on it for a couple of minutes, as they fly towards it to better understand it. It has to be a drone. That’s the logical thing. No one’s out there saying it’s U.F.O.s or aliens or whatever. It’s just an unknown thing. And what is it?\u003c/p\u003e\u003cp data-block-key=\"4ub18\"\u003e\u003cb\u003e\u003ci\u003eNARRATOR:\u003c/i\u003e\u003c/b\u003e \u003ci\u003eWhile their camera only captures the image of one object, their radar tells a more complex story.\u003c/i\u003e\u003c/p\u003e\u003cp data-block-key=\"7fs2t\"\u003e\u003cb\u003ePILOT:\u003c/b\u003e It’s a whole fleet of them. Look on the S.A.\u003c/p\u003e\u003cp data-block-key=\"9rn5l\"\u003e\u003cb\u003ePILOT:\u003c/b\u003e My gosh.\u003c/p\u003e\u003cp data-block-key=\"cchac\"\u003e\u003cb\u003eRYAN GRAVES:\u003c/b\u003e As they gather more information, and they see a whole fleet of them on their radar, it’s harder to understand what they’re seeing. And you can hear that in their voices.\u003c/p\u003e\u003cp data-block-key=\"93k2b\"\u003e\u003cb\u003ePILOT:\u003c/b\u003e They’re all going against the wind. The wind’s 120 knots from the west. Look at that thing, dude.\u003c/p\u003e\u003cp data-block-key=\"e0op3\"\u003e\u003cb\u003e\u003ci\u003eNARRATOR:\u003c/i\u003e\u003c/b\u003e \u003ci\u003eThen, the object does something downright bizarre.\u003c/i\u003e\u003c/p\u003e\u003cp data-block-key=\"hr52\"\u003e\u003cb\u003ePILOT:\u003c/b\u003e Look at that thing. It’s rotating.\u003c/p\u003e\u003cp data-block-key=\"emdda\"\u003e\u003cb\u003eRYAN GRAVES:\u003c/b\u003e You see the object appears to rotate, and the video cuts out at that point. So, I don’t know what the Gimbal is. We still don’t know what it is.\u003c/p\u003e\u003cp data-block-key=\"3tr19\"\u003e\u003cb\u003e\u003ci\u003eNARRATOR:\u003c/i\u003e\u003c/b\u003e \u003ci\u003eThere’s no doubt many of the recordings of U.F.O.s made by navy pilots look very strange. To try to decode them, it’s crucial to understand the kinds of sensors and cameras being used.\u003c/i\u003e\u003c/p\u003e\u003cp data-block-key=\"8gutk\"\u003e\u003cb\u003eJOSHUA SEMETER\u003c/b\u003e (Electrical and Optical Engineer, Boston University)\u003cb\u003e:\u003c/b\u003e So, the vast majority of the evidence that’s excited the public imagination about these videos comes in the form of infrared imagery.\u003c/p\u003e\u003cp data-block-key=\"6qk57\"\u003e\u003cb\u003e\u003ci\u003eNARRATOR:\u003c/i\u003e\u003c/b\u003e \u003ci\u003eImagery taken with an onboard infrared camera system, called ATFLIR.\u003c/i\u003e\u003c/p\u003e\u003cp data-block-key=\"fcn9\"\u003e\u003ci\u003eSean Kirkpatrick, former director of the government’s department in charge of investigating U.A.P.s, and engineer Josh Semeter, explore how the world looks in infrared light, with the help of Teledyne engineer Donnell Lago.\u003c/i\u003e\u003c/p\u003e\u003cp data-block-key=\"fceif\"\u003e\u003cb\u003eDONNELL LAGO\u003c/b\u003e (Engineer, Teledyne)\u003cb\u003e:\u003c/b\u003e So, what you have here is you got the visible, on this side here—it’s a 4K visible image—and the thermal, on this side.\u003c/p\u003e\u003cp data-block-key=\"957pa\"\u003e\u003cb\u003e\u003ci\u003eNARRATOR:\u003c/i\u003e\u003c/b\u003e \u003ci\u003eOn the right side of the screen, the camera is capturing visible light, light the human eye can see. But on the left side, the Boston skyline looks radically different, because this is a thermal image, taken with an infrared camera that detects variations in temperature.\u003c/i\u003e\u003c/p\u003e\u003cp data-block-key=\"44dqg\"\u003e\u003ci\u003eThe cars on the bridge are emitting more heat than the background: the more heat an object emits, the whiter it appears; the less, the darker it gets.\u003c/i\u003e\u003c/p\u003e\u003cp data-block-key=\"c3aho\"\u003e\u003cb\u003eSEAN KIRKPATRICK:\u003c/b\u003e Can you switch that?\u003c/p\u003e\u003cp data-block-key=\"6c3t7\"\u003e\u003cb\u003eDONNELL LAGO:\u003c/b\u003e Yes, we can invert it. We can make everything that’s black hot and everything that’s white cool.\u003c/p\u003e\u003cp data-block-key=\"di6uk\"\u003e\u003cb\u003eSEAN KIRKPATRICK:\u003c/b\u003e And that’s exactly what we see our pilots doing. Pilots, when they see things, they will toggle back and forth, so that they can try to get the best contrast, to try to figure out what they’re looking at.\u003c/p\u003e\u003cp data-block-key=\"bc5b2\"\u003eSo, why don’t we try and see if we can see any aircraft?\u003c/p\u003e\u003cp data-block-key=\"7g01a\"\u003e\u003cb\u003e\u003ci\u003eNARRATOR:\u003c/i\u003e\u003c/b\u003e \u003ci\u003eEven on a hazy day like this…\u003c/i\u003e\u003c/p\u003e\u003cp data-block-key=\"10r65\"\u003e\u003cb\u003eSEAN KIRKPATRICK:\u003c/b\u003e There’s an aircraft. There we go, there we go. Yeah, right.\u003c/p\u003e\u003cp data-block-key=\"u3ba\"\u003e\u003cb\u003e\u003ci\u003eNARRATOR:\u003c/i\u003e\u003c/b\u003e \u003ci\u003e…it doesn’t take long to spot one.\u003c/i\u003e\u003c/p\u003e\u003cp data-block-key=\"kvd6\"\u003e\u003cb\u003eSEAN KIRKPATRICK:\u003c/b\u003e There is an aircraft that you can’t tell in the infrared is an aircraft, but in the visible I sure can. Yeah. Exactly. Right.\u003c/p\u003e\u003cp data-block-key=\"4k5sq\"\u003eWhy don’t we switch it to black is hot.\u003c/p\u003e\u003cp data-block-key=\"dksgp\"\u003e\u003cb\u003eJOSH SEMETER:\u003c/b\u003e Play the same game.\u003c/p\u003e\u003cp data-block-key=\"bempi\"\u003e\u003cb\u003eSEAN KIRKPATRICK:\u003c/b\u003e Yeah, play the same game and see what it looks like.\u003c/p\u003e\u003cp data-block-key=\"ei99n\"\u003eThere’s a plane, there’s a plane. There we go.\u003c/p\u003e\u003cp data-block-key=\"fr8ef\"\u003e\u003cb\u003eJOSH SEMETER:\u003c/b\u003e I saw this little dot, tripping through the field. And I was only looking at the infrared camera. And Sean, who was watching the visual camera next door, said, “there’s an airplane.” And I looked over and this enormous aircraft was moving through the scene.\u003c/p\u003e\u003cp data-block-key=\"4hfo8\"\u003e\u003cb\u003eSEAN KIRKPATRICK:\u003c/b\u003e It’s just a blob.\u003c/p\u003e\u003cp data-block-key=\"1rhrr\"\u003e\u003cb\u003eJOSH SEMETER:\u003c/b\u003e So, that was an image of the engine.\u003c/p\u003e\u003cp data-block-key=\"4dqvu\"\u003e\u003cb\u003eSEAN KIRKPATRICK:\u003c/b\u003e That’s basically all you saw. You didn’t see the rest of the fuselage.\u003c/p\u003e\u003cp data-block-key=\"4rs9a\"\u003e\u003cb\u003eJOSH SEMETER:\u003c/b\u003e The world looks very different in the infrared versus the visible.\u003c/p\u003e\u003cp data-block-key=\"2c8vk\"\u003e\u003cb\u003e\u003ci\u003eNARRATOR:\u003c/i\u003e\u003c/b\u003e \u003ci\u003eExploring the deceptive nature of infrared light provides scientists with valuable clues to why a plane could take on an otherworldly shape, but it doesn’t explain why the Gimbal seems to move in ways that defy physics.\u003c/i\u003e\u003c/p\u003e\u003cp data-block-key=\"8kv8n\"\u003e\u003cb\u003eMICK WEST:\u003c/b\u003e The Gimbal video is one of the most famous U.F.O. videos, and with good reason, I think, because it looks like a flying saucer.\u003c/p\u003e\u003cp data-block-key=\"4kk3b\"\u003e\u003cb\u003e\u003ci\u003eNARRATOR:\u003c/i\u003e\u003c/b\u003e \u003ci\u003eU.F.O. investigator and conspiracy debunker Mick West spent years analyzing the Gimbal video, frame by frame, clue by clue.\u003c/i\u003e\u003c/p\u003e\u003cp data-block-key=\"1815h\"\u003e\u003cb\u003eMICK WEST:\u003c/b\u003e But the interesting thing about the Gimbal video, besides it being a flying saucer, is this rotation it does. And this was very puzzling. And it took a long time to figure out what might be going on there.\u003c/p\u003e\u003cp data-block-key=\"7k6e2\"\u003e\u003cb\u003e\u003ci\u003eNARRATOR:\u003c/i\u003e\u003c/b\u003e \u003ci\u003eMick brings a unique set of skills to this challenge.\u003c/i\u003e\u003c/p\u003e\u003cp data-block-key=\"7u5uq\"\u003e\u003cb\u003eMICK WEST:\u003c/b\u003e I used to program video games many years ago. I really enjoyed the process of solving puzzles, and I use my 3D geometry and trigonometry and algebra and all the skills that I use in games programming to analyze U.F.O.s.\u003c/p\u003e\u003cp data-block-key=\"7sn5k\"\u003e\u003cb\u003e\u003ci\u003eNARRATOR:\u003c/i\u003e\u003c/b\u003e \u003ci\u003eMick starts his investigation of the Gimbal by combing through publicly available information: the plane that captured the Gimbal video is an F/A-18, equipped with an infrared camera mounted beneath the wing, in a targeting pod. Next, he builds a simulation of the plane and the camera, which is on a device called a gimbal. The gimbal enables the camera to rotate as it tracks a target.\u003c/i\u003e\u003c/p\u003e\u003cp data-block-key=\"c0qoj\"\u003e\u003ci\u003eBut the camera isn’t the only thing in motion. The pilot’s display reveals that the object is also moving, from the left side of the plane to the right.\u003c/i\u003e\u003c/p\u003e\u003cp data-block-key=\"bromu\"\u003e\u003cb\u003eMICK WEST:\u003c/b\u003e To track something going from left to right, which is what we’re seeing here, the camera actually has to rotate, and it has to rotate a specific amount, as it traverses over from one side to the other.\u003c/p\u003e\u003cp data-block-key=\"3r358\"\u003e\u003cb\u003e\u003ci\u003eNARRATOR:\u003c/i\u003e\u003c/b\u003e \u003ci\u003eUsing the simulation he’s created, Mick makes a surprising discovery.\u003c/i\u003e\u003c/p\u003e\u003cp data-block-key=\"7ftph\"\u003e\u003cb\u003eMICK WEST:\u003c/b\u003e The amount the Gimbal rotates and the time it rotates is exactly what would be needed for the camera to track this object.\u003c/p\u003e\u003cp data-block-key=\"cuakl\"\u003e\u003cb\u003e\u003ci\u003eNARRATOR:\u003c/i\u003e\u003c/b\u003e \u003ci\u003eHe’s come up with a theory about why the object appears to rotate and sets up an experiment to demonstrate how it works, using his cell phone and his desk lamp.\u003c/i\u003e\u003c/p\u003e\u003cp data-block-key=\"akmfa\"\u003e\u003cb\u003eMICK WEST:\u003c/b\u003e Take your cell phone and point the camera at bright light, a single light, and then rotate your cell phone.\u003c/p\u003e\u003cp data-block-key=\"6cfp4\"\u003eSo, you’ve got a rotating camera, but nothing is rotating, except the artifacts of the camera. So, if you have a glare, like an artifact of the camera when the camera is rotating, the scene itself doesn’t rotate, but the glare rotates. And I think that’s what we’re seeing in the Gimbal video.\u003c/p\u003e\u003cp data-block-key=\"346tl\"\u003eIt’s possibly something like a distant plane, something that’s hot, off in the distance, the heat of the engine was kind of pointing towards the camera, and that kind of bloomed in the camera and created this glare that was so big it obscured the entire plane.\u003c/p\u003e\u003cp data-block-key=\"4ik40\"\u003e\u003cb\u003e\u003ci\u003eNARRATOR:\u003c/i\u003e\u003c/b\u003e \u003ci\u003eBut not everyone agrees with this theory.\u003c/i\u003e\u003c/p\u003e\u003cp data-block-key=\"6rfj2\"\u003e\u003cb\u003eALEX HOLLINGS:\u003c/b\u003e I want to be clear that that’s entirely possible, but I personally don’t find that particularly likely. The reason for that is strictly that this FLIR system is something that military personnel are trained to use to identify adversary and friendly aircraft.\u003c/p\u003e\u003cp data-block-key=\"9g9lj\"\u003e\u003cb\u003e\u003ci\u003eNARRATOR:\u003c/i\u003e\u003c/b\u003e \u003ci\u003ePilots are well aware of how the gimbal system works, as well as the nature of common camera artifacts, like glare.\u003c/i\u003e\u003c/p\u003e\u003cp data-block-key=\"7d01r\"\u003e\u003cb\u003eRYAN GRAVES:\u003c/b\u003e I don’t think this was a distant plane. I do believe it was an object that was about four to six miles away from the fighter aircraft, not a distant jet at 30 nautical miles away. If it was a distant jet, where would it come from? Why were we not receiving any indications that it was or was not part of our strike group?\u003c/p\u003e\u003cp data-block-key=\"39td7\"\u003e\u003cb\u003e\u003ci\u003eNARRATOR:\u003c/i\u003e\u003c/b\u003e \u003ci\u003eIn 2021, the Department of Defense formed AARO, the All-domain Anomaly Resolution Office, to investigate U.A.P.s like the Gimbal. To date, AARO considers this case “unresolved.”\u003c/i\u003e\u003c/p\u003e\u003cp data-block-key=\"4npb0\"\u003e\u003cb\u003eRYAN GRAVES:\u003c/b\u003e For us, anything that remains unidentified is a severe threat that we should be paying attention to, as tactical aviators, because that’s exactly what we’re training to identify.\u003c/p\u003e\u003cp data-block-key=\"4ib6u\"\u003e\u003cb\u003e\u003ci\u003eNARRATOR:\u003c/i\u003e\u003c/b\u003e \u003ci\u003eThe Gimbal isn’t the only U.A.P. that appears to defy the laws of physics. 2013, just after dark, at the airport in Aguadilla, Puerto Rico, U.S. Customs and Border Control captured this video of an oddly behaving object.\u003c/i\u003e\u003c/p\u003e\u003cp data-block-key=\"bllut\"\u003e\u003cb\u003eSEAN KIRKPATRICK:\u003c/b\u003e It looks like that the object is traveling quickly, it looks like it, it’s disappearing into the water and coming out of the water, disappearing again, coming out, and splitting into two and, kind of, disappearing completely. Enthusiasts will point to that and say that is evidence of warp drives or interdimensional drives, and that it’s transmedium, because it’s going in and out of the water.\u003c/p\u003e\u003cp data-block-key=\"f54kh\"\u003e\u003cb\u003e\u003ci\u003eNARRATOR:\u003c/i\u003e\u003c/b\u003e \u003ci\u003eBut could there be another reason that’s more down to earth?\u003c/i\u003e\u003c/p\u003e\u003cp data-block-key=\"2gost\"\u003e\u003cb\u003eSEAN KIRKPATRICK:\u003c/b\u003e So, let’s do this as a controlled experiment.\u003c/p\u003e\u003cp data-block-key=\"f3n1a\"\u003e\u003cb\u003e\u003ci\u003eNARRATOR:\u003c/i\u003e\u003c/b\u003e \u003ci\u003eEngineer Josh Semeter enlists the help of Sean Kirkpatrick, former director of AARO, to cook up an idea: can they recreate this disappearing act in the lab with a knife, spoon and fork and a two surrogate U.F.O.s?\u003c/i\u003e\u003c/p\u003e\u003cp data-block-key=\"18q6p\"\u003e\u003cb\u003eJOSH SEMETER:\u003c/b\u003e What I thought we’d try and use to do this is a infrared sensor. It just clips on, like so.\u003c/p\u003e\u003cp data-block-key=\"59sin\"\u003e\u003cb\u003e\u003ci\u003eNARRATOR:\u003c/i\u003e\u003c/b\u003e \u003ci\u003eThey set it up on a tripod, take a look, and see absolutely nothing.\u003c/i\u003e\u003c/p\u003e\u003cp data-block-key=\"5lm2o\"\u003e\u003cb\u003eJOSH SEMETER:\u003c/b\u003e We’re not seeing anything at all in these objects.\u003c/p\u003e\u003cp data-block-key=\"641vm\"\u003e\u003cb\u003e\u003ci\u003eNARRATOR:\u003c/i\u003e\u003c/b\u003e \u003ci\u003eSean takes the spoon and fork, along with one of the U.A.P. surrogates and puts them in a cooler.\u003c/i\u003e\u003c/p\u003e\u003cp data-block-key=\"68mr2\"\u003e\u003cb\u003eSEAN KIRKPATRICK:\u003c/b\u003e For just about, what do you think, Josh, 10 seconds?\u003c/p\u003e\u003cp data-block-key=\"96je3\"\u003e\u003cb\u003eJOSH SEMETER:\u003c/b\u003e Yeah. It doesn’t take long. I’d say 10 seconds. It’s more than enough.\u003c/p\u003e\u003cp data-block-key=\"mo3t\"\u003e\u003cb\u003e\u003ci\u003eNARRATOR:\u003c/i\u003e\u003c/b\u003e \u003ci\u003eAbout 10 seconds later, give or take...\u003c/i\u003e\u003c/p\u003e\u003cp data-block-key=\"6e6nb\"\u003e\u003cb\u003eSEAN KIRKPATRICK:\u003c/b\u003e All right, let’s take them out and see what they look like. Put them right back where they were, and what do we got?\u003c/p\u003e\u003cp data-block-key=\"c1nd9\"\u003e\u003cb\u003eJOSH SEMETER:\u003c/b\u003e Well, there’s three objects there. Wow.\u003c/p\u003e\u003cp data-block-key=\"4h4b9\"\u003e\u003cb\u003eSEAN KIRKPATRICK:\u003c/b\u003e Wow, that’s pretty stark.\u003c/p\u003e\u003cp data-block-key=\"a13hk\"\u003e\u003cb\u003e\u003ci\u003eNARRATOR:\u003c/i\u003e\u003c/b\u003e \u003ci\u003eVoila. We can see the fork and spoon, along with one of the U.F.O. surrogates.\u003c/i\u003e\u003c/p\u003e\u003cp data-block-key=\"4t22d\"\u003e\u003cb\u003eJOSH SEMETER:\u003c/b\u003e And...\u003c/p\u003e\u003cp data-block-key=\"btn6g\"\u003e\u003cb\u003eSEAN KIRKPATRICK:\u003c/b\u003e I don’t see the other two.\u003c/p\u003e\u003cp data-block-key=\"2cvv\"\u003e\u003cb\u003eJOSH SEMETER:\u003c/b\u003e …cannot find the other two.\u003c/p\u003e\u003cp data-block-key=\"dit36\"\u003e\u003cb\u003eSEAN KIRKPATRICK:\u003c/b\u003e All right, but they are clearly there.\u003c/p\u003e\u003cp data-block-key=\"5mn1r\"\u003e\u003cb\u003e\u003ci\u003eNARRATOR:\u003c/i\u003e\u003c/b\u003e \u003ci\u003eBut over the next few minutes, they gradually disappear again. The question is why?\u003c/i\u003e\u003c/p\u003e\u003cp data-block-key=\"4ul7h\"\u003e\u003cb\u003eJOSH SEMETER:\u003c/b\u003e There is a tendency for objects that are at different temperatures, when they’re in contact, to eventually reach the same temperature as one another.\u003c/p\u003e\u003cp data-block-key=\"91mcv\"\u003e\u003cb\u003e\u003ci\u003eNARRATOR:\u003c/i\u003e\u003c/b\u003e \u003ci\u003eIt’s not a magic trick. For an object to show up in infrared light, it must be a different temperature than objects it is in contact with. So, when the fork and spoon exchanged thermal energy with the table, “thermal equilibrium” is reached, making them invisible in infrared light.\u003c/i\u003e\u003c/p\u003e\u003cp data-block-key=\"c5ams\"\u003e\u003ci\u003eAnd that brings us back to the disappearing objects in the Puerto Rico video, which were also captured with an infrared sensor.\u003c/i\u003e\u003c/p\u003e\u003cp data-block-key=\"bchnt\"\u003e\u003cb\u003eSEAN KIRKPATRICK:\u003c/b\u003e As the object becomes the same either temperature or irradiance, as the background, you won’t be able to see it. It will become nearly invisible. And it looks like it disappears.\u003c/p\u003e\u003cp data-block-key=\"1ed74\"\u003e\u003cb\u003e\u003ci\u003eNARRATOR:\u003c/i\u003e\u003c/b\u003e \u003ci\u003eAfter months of carefully analyzing the video, scientists think they have an answer.\u003c/i\u003e\u003c/p\u003e\u003cp data-block-key=\"1pfkh\"\u003e\u003cb\u003eSEAN KIRKPATRICK:\u003c/b\u003e We think they’re two birds, and when they get close to the water, the effect on the sensor kicks in, where it’s having a hard time distinguishing the contrast between the background and the birds. And they look like they disappear and then they reappear, because the reflectance changes and then they separate. And then it looks like they land in the water.\u003c/p\u003e\u003cp data-block-key=\"3f1qq\"\u003e\u003cb\u003e\u003ci\u003eNARRATOR:\u003c/i\u003e\u003c/b\u003e \u003ci\u003eThis demo doesn’t capture all the conditions of this sighting. But Sean and Josh believe that shifts in temperature and reflection might explain the apparent disappearing act.\u003c/i\u003e\u003c/p\u003e\u003cp data-block-key=\"f65h3\"\u003e\u003cb\u003eJOSH SEMETER:\u003c/b\u003e I’m satisfied with that explanation, because that’s how a scientist speaks with respect to some phenomenon that’s not known. We don’t speak in certainty. So, for instance, if one were to say that is either two birds flying over the ocean, or it is an alien anti-gravity technology exhibiting transmedium characteristics, I choose the bird explanation.\u003c/p\u003e\u003cp data-block-key=\"34ll7\"\u003e\u003cb\u003e\u003ci\u003eNARRATOR:\u003c/i\u003e\u003c/b\u003e \u003ci\u003eThe sighting in Puerto Rico might simply be two birds, and the Gimbal video might be a distant plane, but one of the most famous U.F.O. sightings has been even more challenging for investigators.\u003c/i\u003e\u003c/p\u003e\u003cp data-block-key=\"5gged\"\u003e\u003cb\u003eALEX DIETRICH:\u003c/b\u003e I was an eyewitness to what is considered one of the most important U.F.O. or U.A.P. encounters, and that’s the U.S.S. Nimitz Tic Tac encounter.\u003c/p\u003e\u003cp data-block-key=\"de8m3\"\u003e\u003cb\u003e\u003ci\u003eNARRATOR:\u003c/i\u003e\u003c/b\u003e \u003ci\u003eNovember 14, 2004, about 100 miles southwest of San Diego: Alex Dietrich, then a young aviator in training, along with her commanding officer David Fravor, a seasoned pilot with more than a decade of flying under his belt, set out on a routine training exercise.\u003c/i\u003e\u003c/p\u003e\u003cp data-block-key=\"67lkn\"\u003e\u003cb\u003eALEX DIETRICH:\u003c/b\u003e It was clear blue skies, calm waters, when we get a call, by this controller, kind of like an air traffic controller for our military exercise, and they say, “Hey, we need you to go check out this contact over here.”\u003c/p\u003e\u003cp data-block-key=\"c2i1e\"\u003e\u003cb\u003e\u003ci\u003eNARRATOR:\u003c/i\u003e\u003c/b\u003e \u003ci\u003eThe radar on one of the ships in the strike group had detected an unknown object.\u003c/i\u003e\u003c/p\u003e\u003cp data-block-key=\"d7uu0\"\u003e\u003cb\u003eALEX DIETRICH:\u003c/b\u003e And this is 2004, just a few years after 9/11, the hair on the back of our neck stands up, and we go, “Hmm, okay.” And we divert, and we head towards it.\u003c/p\u003e\u003cp data-block-key=\"7n42e\"\u003eAnd we don’t see anything, initially, but somebody sees a disturbance in the water, and this strange thing is flying very fast but erratically over the, this area of water.\u003c/p\u003e\u003cp data-block-key=\"b93ek\"\u003eIt was off-white, you know, sort of a white, creamish color. We didn’t see a cockpit, we didn’t see windows. And it moved in ways that we didn’t understand.\u003c/p\u003e\u003cp data-block-key=\"eg8di\"\u003e\u003cb\u003e\u003ci\u003eNARRATOR:\u003c/i\u003e\u003c/b\u003e \u003ci\u003eDietrich and Fravor returned to the Nimitz without taking video of the object, so another aircraft went in pursuit and captured this.\u003c/i\u003e\u003c/p\u003e\u003cp data-block-key=\"99a7p\"\u003e\u003cb\u003eALEX DIETRICH:\u003c/b\u003e We call it, affectionately, a “Tic Tac,” because it looks like the little breath mint.\u003c/p\u003e\u003cp data-block-key=\"8119r\"\u003e\u003cb\u003e\u003ci\u003eNARRATOR:\u003c/i\u003e\u003c/b\u003e \u003ci\u003eMick West decides to take on the challenge, to see if he can make sense of the movement of the Tic Tac.\u003c/i\u003e\u003c/p\u003e\u003cp data-block-key=\"bgoe7\"\u003e\u003cb\u003eMICK WEST:\u003c/b\u003e It’s a very blurry video, I think it’s actually out of focus, and it’s not actually doing anything. It’s just basically flying away and a bit to the left and more or less a straightish line. But the thing is, David Fravor’s description is very dramatic.\u003c/p\u003e\u003cp data-block-key=\"tkh6\"\u003e\u003cb\u003e\u003ci\u003eNARRATOR:\u003c/i\u003e\u003c/b\u003e \u003ci\u003eIn fact, when Commander David Fravor, testified before Congress in 2023, he described an object that in his 18 years of flying, traveled at speeds he’d never seen before.\u003c/i\u003e\u003c/p\u003e\u003cp data-block-key=\"fvmhc\"\u003e\u003cb\u003eDAVID FRAVOR:\u003c/b\u003e As we looked around, we saw a white Tic Tac object, with a longitudinal axis pointing north-south, and moving very abruptly over the water, like a ping pong ball.\u003c/p\u003e\u003cp data-block-key=\"85mfm\"\u003e\u003cb\u003eMICK WEST:\u003c/b\u003e He talks about the object kind of ping-ponging around, close to the ocean, and then doing this very difficult synchronized movement up towards the top.\u003c/p\u003e\u003cp data-block-key=\"d1apt\"\u003eAnd I’m going to tie it off, over here.\u003c/p\u003e\u003cp data-block-key=\"7pr9k\"\u003e\u003cb\u003e\u003ci\u003eNARRATOR:\u003c/i\u003e\u003c/b\u003e \u003ci\u003eMick conducts an experiment based solely on the pilots’ eyewitness reports, using his backyard swimming pool and his version of the Tic Tac.\u003c/i\u003e\u003c/p\u003e\u003cp data-block-key=\"8k25o\"\u003e\u003cb\u003eMICK WEST:\u003c/b\u003e Yeah, I made the Tic Tac out of a piece of wood and some bits of white wire and painted it white.\u003c/p\u003e\u003cp data-block-key=\"cfce6\"\u003e\u003cb\u003e\u003ci\u003eNARRATOR:\u003c/i\u003e\u003c/b\u003e \u003ci\u003eHe suspends his Tic Tac over the swimming pool,…\u003c/i\u003e\u003c/p\u003e\u003cp data-block-key=\"12d17\"\u003e\u003cb\u003eMICK WEST:\u003c/b\u003e Well, there.\u003c/p\u003e\u003cp data-block-key=\"2hqhb\"\u003e\u003cb\u003e\u003ci\u003eNARRATOR:\u003c/i\u003e\u003c/b\u003e \u003ci\u003e…climbs up a ladder with his phone and starts recording.\u003c/i\u003e\u003c/p\u003e\u003cp data-block-key=\"1vpuq\"\u003e\u003cb\u003eMICK WEST:\u003c/b\u003e So, what I set up with the pool demo is just a good illustration of what might have happened to try to figure out what’s actually moving here. Is this object moving or is the camera moving? Because we don’t have any frame of reference, we’ve just got the pool behind. And, kind of, zoom in a little bit, so all you see is the pool. It really looks like the object is moving.\u003c/p\u003e\u003cp data-block-key=\"23h7m\"\u003e\u003cb\u003e\u003ci\u003eNARRATOR:\u003c/i\u003e\u003c/b\u003e \u003ci\u003eEven though it’s not, it’s only the camera that’s moving.\u003c/i\u003e\u003c/p\u003e\u003cp data-block-key=\"be315\"\u003e\u003cb\u003eMICK WEST:\u003c/b\u003e It’s a good kind of illustration of “parallax,” which, as we know, is one of the big causes of optical illusions.\u003c/p\u003e\u003cp data-block-key=\"v6kb\"\u003e\u003cb\u003e\u003ci\u003eNARRATOR:\u003c/i\u003e\u003c/b\u003e \u003ci\u003eYou may have experienced this illusion, looking out the window of a train. The trees just outside the window appear to be moving in relation to the landscape in the background, but the only thing that’s actually moving is you.\u003c/i\u003e\u003c/p\u003e\u003cp data-block-key=\"a8pfs\"\u003e\u003cb\u003eHAKEEM OLUSEYI:\u003c/b\u003e We’re not reliable. Our eyes are not reliable. If you’re going to court, and you’re the accused, and it’s an eyewitness testimony that’s going to, you know, be the big evidence against you, good luck.\u003c/p\u003e\u003cp data-block-key=\"3asrn\"\u003e\u003cb\u003eALEX HOLLINGS:\u003c/b\u003e When a military aviator, especially someone like Commander Fravor, with combat experience, says that they saw something in the sky that they can’t quite explain, that operated in a way that seemed to contradict what they understand the laws of physics would dictate, I tend to give those witness testimonies a great deal of credence, because these aviators are not just highly trained pilots, they’re highly trained combatants.\u003c/p\u003e\u003cp data-block-key=\"a6uqm\"\u003e\u003cb\u003eMATT MOUNTAIN:\u003c/b\u003e The pilot observation is, “I see something.” The data we need is what the sensor is gathering. And that’s the numbers we actually need.\u003c/p\u003e\u003cp data-block-key=\"6pe8t\"\u003e\u003cb\u003eSEAN KIRKPATRICK:\u003c/b\u003e In the case of the Tic Tac, the pilot did see something, but some of the key technical questions hadn’t been investigated at the time. And trying to investigate those now is not going to give us a whole lot, because there’s nothing to really examine. The farther back in time you go, the less data there is for every one of these cases. And back in 2004, there was no data retention policy for these kinds of events.\u003c/p\u003e\u003cp data-block-key=\"6cipn\"\u003e\u003cb\u003e\u003ci\u003eNARRATOR:\u003c/i\u003e\u003c/b\u003e \u003ci\u003eAccording to Sean Kirkpatrick, the radar data from the incident no longer exists, so we’ll never know if it would support or rule out Mick’s parallax theory.\u003c/i\u003e\u003c/p\u003e\u003cp data-block-key=\"1sqsk\"\u003e\u003cb\u003eALEX DIETRICH:\u003c/b\u003e I don’t know what we saw. And I refuse to speculate, because I think it would be irresponsible of me to say, you know, “Well, it was definitely an adversary spying on us,” or “It was definitely an alien, visiting from outer space,” because I don’t know.\u003c/p\u003e\u003cp data-block-key=\"5ioam\"\u003e\u003cb\u003e\u003ci\u003eNARRATOR:\u003c/i\u003e\u003c/b\u003e \u003ci\u003eFor Alex, that was the end of the Tic Tac story.\u003c/i\u003e\u003c/p\u003e\u003cp data-block-key=\"aofu7\"\u003e\u003cb\u003eALEX DIETRICH:\u003c/b\u003e And then I went on with my life, my career, and I didn’t really think about it.\u003c/p\u003e\u003cp data-block-key=\"95hto\"\u003e\u003cb\u003e\u003ci\u003eNARRATOR:\u003c/i\u003e\u003c/b\u003e \u003ci\u003eThat is until 13 years later, when the\u003c/i\u003e New York Times\u003ci\u003e published this article, with links to the Tic Tac and Gimbal videos.\u003c/i\u003e\u003c/p\u003e\u003cp data-block-key=\"52qni\"\u003e\u003cb\u003eALEX HOLLINGS:\u003c/b\u003e When the \u003ci\u003eNew York Times\u003c/i\u003e released this story, it really gave the whole topic a bit of credibility, where a lot of people saw it as taboo and sort of silly, but if the U.S. government has been investing tens of millions of dollars into investigating these reports, there seems like there could be something to it.\u003c/p\u003e\u003cp data-block-key=\"bn15o\"\u003e\u003cb\u003eJACOB HAQQ-MISRA:\u003c/b\u003e A lot of people are interested in the topic of U.F.O.s, and Congress has begun to get involved. There’s been a couple of congressional hearings calling expert witnesses to try and figure out what’s going on here.\u003c/p\u003e\u003cp data-block-key=\"4tte9\"\u003e\u003cb\u003eLANGWORTHY:\u003c/b\u003e In your belief, is this, this flying Tic Tac, I mean, is this, is it capable of being the product of any other nation on the earth?\u003c/p\u003e\u003cp data-block-key=\"5pg7v\"\u003e\u003cb\u003eDAVID FRAVOR:\u003c/b\u003e No. Actually, I think it defies current material science and the ability to develop that much propulsion—and I know there’s been some physicists have done calculations—which is beyond anything that we have.\u003c/p\u003e\u003cp data-block-key=\"447m\"\u003e\u003cb\u003e\u003ci\u003eNARRATOR:\u003c/i\u003e\u003c/b\u003e \u003ci\u003eShould we be concerned that some U.F.O.s are advanced technologies from out of this world, or secret technologies developed by our adversaries, or could there be another reason U.F.O.s have remained so elusive for decades?\u003c/i\u003e\u003c/p\u003e\u003cp data-block-key=\"e7qc3\"\u003e\u003ci\u003eRemember, back in 1947, in Roswell, New Mexico, when a rancher found strange debris in his pasture? The Air Force said it was from a weather balloon, but, as it turns out, it was part of a classified U.S. military program, called Project Mogul.\u003c/i\u003e\u003c/p\u003e\u003cp data-block-key=\"fofvu\"\u003e\u003cb\u003eALEJANDRO ROJAS:\u003c/b\u003e The Air Force launched these balloons, and they had these sensors on them, where they can measure vibrations in the air, to be able to monitor Russian nuclear testing. The general in Fort Worth, Texas, decided, “I’m going to cover up this classified project, and I’m going to show the public that what we recovered was a weather balloon.”\u003c/p\u003e\u003cp data-block-key=\"6r2rm\"\u003e\u003cb\u003e\u003ci\u003eNARRATOR:\u003c/i\u003e\u003c/b\u003e \u003ci\u003eIt would take half a century for the Air Force to admit exactly what had crashed in Roswell.\u003c/i\u003e\u003c/p\u003e\u003cp data-block-key=\"do7sm\"\u003e\u003cb\u003eALEJANDRO ROJAS:\u003c/b\u003e So, there was a cover up, but it was a cover up of a classified project, not, you know, an alien spacecraft. The secrecy led to the conspiracy, and certainly the Air Force did not help themselves by being secret and dismissive of the topic.\u003c/p\u003e\u003cp data-block-key=\"bb4lo\"\u003e\u003cb\u003e\u003ci\u003eNARRATOR:\u003c/i\u003e\u003c/b\u003e \u003ci\u003eWhen it comes to government cover ups, perhaps the most infamous is Area 51. Tales of alien spacecraft, hidden inside this remote Air Force base, about 83 miles northwest of Las Vegas, have persisted for decades.\u003c/i\u003e\u003c/p\u003e\u003cp data-block-key=\"c9nu5\"\u003e\u003ci\u003eIt turns out, the military has been secretly developing cutting edge technology here since the 1950s, but did not even acknowledge the existence of the base until 2013.\u003c/i\u003e\u003c/p\u003e\u003cp data-block-key=\"bbegj\"\u003e\u003cb\u003eALEX HOLLINGS:\u003c/b\u003e There are lots of aircraft that we know have been testing in Area 51, entirely in secret, at the time, including the F-117, the SR-71, the B-2 Spirit and many more. Right around the same time that the B-2 Spirit was in development, common sightings of U.F.O.s, around the United States, tended to transition away from the pie saucer shape we were familiar with in earlier decades, and toward a more triangular shape. This is a model of what people claim was the TR-3B, which is a legendary aircraft that people allege was built using reverse engineered alien technology.\u003c/p\u003e\u003cp data-block-key=\"459hm\"\u003e\u003cb\u003e\u003ci\u003eNARRATOR:\u003c/i\u003e\u003c/b\u003e \u003ci\u003eBy the 1990s, rumors of triangular-shaped spacecraft became so widespread, they became part of popular culture.\u003c/i\u003e\u003c/p\u003e\u003cp data-block-key=\"8e9aa\"\u003e\u003ci\u003eBlockbusters, like the X Files featured a triangular shaped alien spacecraft, hovering over agent Fox Mulder’s head.\u003c/i\u003e\u003c/p\u003e\u003cp data-block-key=\"f7hl2\"\u003e\u003cb\u003eALEX HOLLINGS:\u003c/b\u003e I think the government should, and does, expect that the public is going to fill in the blanks, as they see fit. As long as people are talking about aliens operating out of Area 51, well, then they’re not revealing anything about the legitimate military platforms that are being tested there. It creates a bit of a smokescreen.\u003c/p\u003e\u003cp data-block-key=\"46egu\"\u003e\u003cb\u003eHAKEEM OLUSEYI:\u003c/b\u003e There’s always advanced technological programs going on that are on a need-to-know basis. If you don’t need to know, even if you are a member of the government or the military, you’re not going to know. And that’s the way it should be.\u003c/p\u003e\u003cp data-block-key=\"85ukc\"\u003e\u003cb\u003eSEAN KIRKPATRICK:\u003c/b\u003e This is all about spy versus spy or military versus military, to maintain technical superiority. We don’t want other people to learn what we’re building or where we might employ it, because then they can defeat it. There are reasons to do that. None of it is alien, none of it.\u003c/p\u003e\u003cp data-block-key=\"5tg7l\"\u003e\u003cb\u003eMATT MOUNTAIN:\u003c/b\u003e I think, you know, we are in an era where conspiracy theories are popular. Is this another one?\u003c/p\u003e\u003cp data-block-key=\"cu47i\"\u003e\u003cb\u003e\u003ci\u003eNARRATOR:\u003c/i\u003e\u003c/b\u003e \u003ci\u003eWhen it comes to sightings by military pilots and the public, how can science help separate unfounded conspiracy theories from reality, fact from fiction?\u003c/i\u003e\u003c/p\u003e\u003cp data-block-key=\"6ao03\"\u003e\u003cb\u003eMATT MOUNTAIN:\u003c/b\u003e From the very days that Galileo first lifted his telescope to the sky and made measurements of the moons going around Jupiter, everybody else could then reproduce those measurements and go, “Oh yeah, he’s right.” And that confirmation is what has made the scientific method so powerful over the last 400 years.\u003c/p\u003e\u003cp data-block-key=\"8k1tm\"\u003e\u003cb\u003eSHELLEY WRIGHT:\u003c/b\u003e The thing we need is data. And we need real data, and we don’t have it.\u003c/p\u003e\u003cp data-block-key=\"chl34\"\u003e\u003cb\u003e\u003ci\u003eNARRATOR:\u003c/i\u003e\u003c/b\u003e \u003ci\u003eIn 2022, NASA brought together a group of experts to explore ways to collect that data.\u003c/i\u003e\u003c/p\u003e\u003cp data-block-key=\"4g40u\"\u003e\u003cb\u003eSEAN KIRKPATRICK:\u003c/b\u003e NASA should lead the scientific discourse. We need to elevate the conversation.\u003c/p\u003e\u003cp data-block-key=\"b1tdo\"\u003e\u003cb\u003eJOSH SEMETER:\u003c/b\u003e The NASA U.A.P. panel was formed to bring that science perspective into this.\u003c/p\u003e\u003cp data-block-key=\"8gga8\"\u003e\u003cb\u003eSHELLEY WRIGHT:\u003c/b\u003e That analysis has not been done.\u003c/p\u003e\u003cp data-block-key=\"a7t1b\"\u003e\u003cb\u003eALEJANDRO ROJAS:\u003c/b\u003e A lot of people argue that we have data. But the vast majority of that data is anecdotal, and that’s just not going to cut it.\u003c/p\u003e\u003cp data-block-key=\"bi53f\"\u003e\u003cb\u003e\u003ci\u003eNARRATOR:\u003c/i\u003e\u003c/b\u003e \u003ci\u003eThe panel recommended several ways to collect more data, including repurposing existing technology, like the National Weather Service’s radar system, called NEXRAD, radar stations that are found throughout the U.S.\u003c/i\u003e\u003c/p\u003e\u003cp data-block-key=\"9r9e9\"\u003e\u003cb\u003eJOSH SEMETER:\u003c/b\u003e So, those same sensors should be able to see if an object comes whizzing through at an extraordinary velocity. It should be able to pick up that type of thing. That’s just one example of the type of networks that we could repurpose for U.A.P. research.\u003c/p\u003e\u003cp data-block-key=\"b1ms1\"\u003e\u003cb\u003e\u003ci\u003eNARRATOR:\u003c/i\u003e\u003c/b\u003e \u003ci\u003eAstronomer Avi Loeb, is taking a different approach, collecting more data in a novel way.\u003c/i\u003e\u003c/p\u003e\u003cp data-block-key=\"54ifm\"\u003e\u003cb\u003eAVI LOEB\u003c/b\u003e (Theoretical Physicist, Director, Galileo Project, Harvard University)\u003cb\u003e:\u003c/b\u003e We just constructed an observatory at Harvard University. We are monitoring objects that fly overhead and trying to make sense of them.\u003c/p\u003e\u003cp data-block-key=\"3coi7\"\u003e\u003cb\u003e\u003ci\u003eNARRATOR:\u003c/i\u003e\u003c/b\u003e \u003ci\u003eThis collection of instruments is part of Harvard’s Galileo Project.\u003c/i\u003e\u003c/p\u003e\u003cp data-block-key=\"fesvh\"\u003e\u003cb\u003eJACOB HAQQ-MISRA:\u003c/b\u003e The Galileo Project is developing several sites that are spread across a geographical region, where each site has an array of sensors, optical cameras, infrared images; there’s audio from infrasound to ultrasound; there’s radar. It’s a wide array of instruments to, basically, look at the sky all the time, to see if you find any anomalies.\u003c/p\u003e\u003cp data-block-key=\"2ersl\"\u003e\u003cb\u003e\u003ci\u003eNARRATOR:\u003c/i\u003e\u003c/b\u003e \u003ci\u003eSome instruments have otherworldly names, like this one, called Dalek, after the cyborg aliens featured in the\u003c/i\u003e Doctor Who\u003ci\u003e series.\u003c/i\u003e\u003c/p\u003e\u003cp data-block-key=\"8fmtk\"\u003e\u003cb\u003eDALEK:\u003c/b\u003e Exterminate.\u003c/p\u003e\u003cp data-block-key=\"anojq\"\u003e\u003cb\u003e\u003ci\u003eNARRATOR:\u003c/i\u003e\u003c/b\u003e \u003ci\u003eInside Dalek there are eight infrared cameras.\u003c/i\u003e\u003c/p\u003e\u003cp data-block-key=\"8ke47\"\u003e\u003cb\u003eAVI LOEB:\u003c/b\u003e Behind the window there is a camera. They overlap, and so they get the full picture of the entire sky at all times, in the infrared.\u003c/p\u003e\u003cp data-block-key=\"57quc\"\u003eWhen something of interest is identified by the main set of cameras, we zoom on it in the sky. And this is the camera that can move around and look at the object of interest automatically, based on the computer system that we develop.\u003c/p\u003e\u003cp data-block-key=\"4a9fl\"\u003e\u003cb\u003eJACOB HAQQ-MISRA:\u003c/b\u003e You can imagine, if you have a camera pointing overhead, you’re going to see a lot of things that are identifiable. So, they use machine learning, what people call artificial intelligence, that can recognize the knowns, recognize the birds, the airplanes, the balloons, leaves, all the known things and, sort of, reject those, filter them out. And then, what you’re left with is the anomalies. You’re left with the things you cannot understand, the things you can’t identify.\u003c/p\u003e\u003cp data-block-key=\"ebbml\"\u003e\u003cb\u003eAVI LOEB:\u003c/b\u003e And as we speak, right now, we are being recorded.\u003c/p\u003e\u003cp data-block-key=\"4053n\"\u003eSo far, we have been operating this observatory, in full, for several months. And we saw hundreds of thousands of objects in the sky. None of them appears to be anomalous.\u003c/p\u003e\u003cp data-block-key=\"emkl4\"\u003eBut even if one in 1,000,000 came from outside of this earth, that would be big news to humanity and will change our future. And that’s what drives my science.\u003c/p\u003e\u003cp data-block-key=\"abgrg\"\u003e\u003cb\u003eRYAN GRAVES:\u003c/b\u003e One way or another, the more data we’re able to bring into this conversation, the more we’re going to be able to get to the truth.\u003c/p\u003e\u003cp data-block-key=\"c4d87\"\u003e\u003cb\u003e\u003ci\u003eNARRATOR:\u003c/i\u003e\u003c/b\u003e \u003ci\u003eRyan Graves is trying to collect data from a different source, his fellow pilots, military and commercial. But there’s a problem. They are hesitant to share their experiences, because of the taboo surrounding U.F.O.s.\u003c/i\u003e\u003c/p\u003e\u003cp data-block-key=\"9o14l\"\u003e\u003cb\u003eRYAN GRAVES:\u003c/b\u003e They don’t feel comfortable reporting that because of that fear that there could be professional repercussions at their employer, social repercussions with their peers at the airline, because the conversation immediately jumps to, well, there’s no proof there’s extraterrestrials. You couldn’t travel across the universe to get here. And it’s like, whoa, whoa, whoa. Pilots are seeing things that are in the sky that they don’t understand. What they are and are they posing safety risks. That’s where the conversation needs to stop. And hey, is this not only an aviation safety risk, but is this a potential national security risk?\u003c/p\u003e\u003cp data-block-key=\"2f3ru\"\u003e\u003cb\u003eIYA WHITELEY\u003c/b\u003e (Aviation and Space Psychologist, Former Director, Center for Space Medicine, University College London)\u003cb\u003e:\u003c/b\u003e So, I was asking pilots whether they have encountered the U.A.P., and they were very cagey about it.\u003c/p\u003e\u003cp data-block-key=\"2jv5p\"\u003e\u003cb\u003e\u003ci\u003eNARRATOR:\u003c/i\u003e\u003c/b\u003e \u003ci\u003eAviation and space psychologist, Iya Whiteley, is working with Ryan, conducting research to find out if this reluctance to talk about U.A.P. sightings also impacts a pilot’s ability to focus on the job, creating a safety issue.\u003c/i\u003e\u003c/p\u003e\u003cp data-block-key=\"h0t2\"\u003e\u003cb\u003eIYA WHITELEY:\u003c/b\u003e When the pilot is seeing something, I want to make sure that they’re comfortable speaking about it, because it then occupies their capacity and focus and attention and takes them away from actually flying. If you’re trying to ignore something unidentified, your mind is still thinking, “I’m not thinking about it. I’m not thinking about it. I’m not thinking about it. I’m not thinking about it.” And now they don’t see what they need to be seeing.\u003c/p\u003e\u003cp data-block-key=\"domln\"\u003e\u003cb\u003ePILOT:\u003c/b\u003e You were asking about visual cues and what attracts your attention. Movement is what attracts your attention.\u003c/p\u003e\u003cp data-block-key=\"bt8gs\"\u003e\u003cb\u003eRYAN GRAVES:\u003c/b\u003e Commercial pilots have been seeing objects that have been causing them some serious consternation. I don’t think anyone would like their pilot flying their aircraft to have an existential crisis as they’re flying their aircraft and coming in for a landing.\u003c/p\u003e\u003cp data-block-key=\"b24ap\"\u003e\u003cb\u003eMICK WEST:\u003c/b\u003e The more cases we can explain, the less distraction there’s going to be. And if there is actually any real threat or any real issue out there, then we can focus in on that, without all this extra noise.\u003c/p\u003e\u003cp data-block-key=\"5v6p8\"\u003e\u003cb\u003e\u003ci\u003eNARRATOR:\u003c/i\u003e\u003c/b\u003e \u003ci\u003eAnd there’s another way we can collect more data, with a little help from the public.\u003c/i\u003e\u003c/p\u003e\u003cp data-block-key=\"1ppsv\"\u003e\u003cb\u003eENIGMA DESIGNER:\u003c/b\u003e So, it would seem like they’re going sideways.\u003c/p\u003e\u003cp data-block-key=\"bet79\"\u003e\u003cb\u003e\u003ci\u003eNARRATOR:\u003c/i\u003e\u003c/b\u003e \u003ci\u003eOn the Lower East Side of Manhattan, at Enigma Labs, a staff of software designers and U.F.O. enthusiasts are developing a first of its kind crowdsourcing app.\u003c/i\u003e\u003c/p\u003e\u003cp data-block-key=\"876v2\"\u003e\u003cb\u003eLAUREN BUTLER\u003c/b\u003e (Head of Operations, Enigma Labs)\u003cb\u003e:\u003c/b\u003e The goal is really to bring people together to share their U.A.P. experiences and their sightings. If people don’t have a place to talk about this or report what they’re seeing, I think they can feel really lonely and feel very isolated. When, in reality, this is a huge community of people who should be able to come somewhere and talk about what they’re seeing.\u003c/p\u003e\u003cp data-block-key=\"5q238\"\u003e\u003cb\u003eALEJANDRO ROJAS:\u003c/b\u003e So, we’re collecting sighting reports. We get a lot of Starlink and Space X rocket videos. But at the same time people are submitting things that cannot be explained.\u003c/p\u003e\u003cp data-block-key=\"55sv7\"\u003eThis time I’ve got one that I can’t figure out, maybe you can help me out. This is really cool. Just this light comes floating in, and then it hovers. But wait.\u003c/p\u003e\u003cp data-block-key=\"dq227\"\u003e\u003cb\u003eSOFTWARE ENGINEER:\u003c/b\u003e But what is this? It came down.\u003c/p\u003e\u003cp data-block-key=\"1rdtv\"\u003e\u003cb\u003eSOFTWARE ENGINEER:\u003c/b\u003e Slowly, right?\u003c/p\u003e\u003cp data-block-key=\"8v0qe\"\u003e\u003cb\u003eALEJANDRO ROJAS:\u003c/b\u003e Yeah.\u003c/p\u003e\u003cp data-block-key=\"5n67v\"\u003e\u003cb\u003eLAUREN BUTLER:\u003c/b\u003e Those are fireworks, right?\u003c/p\u003e\u003cp data-block-key=\"che6g\"\u003e\u003cb\u003eALEJANDRO ROJAS:\u003c/b\u003e Those are probably fireworks.\u003c/p\u003e\u003cp data-block-key=\"8mt1i\"\u003e\u003cb\u003eADAM:\u003c/b\u003e Probably smoke rising up from...\u003c/p\u003e\u003cp data-block-key=\"afhh9\"\u003e\u003cb\u003eALEJANDRO ROJAS:\u003c/b\u003e And smoke rising up.\u003c/p\u003e\u003cp data-block-key=\"679ik\"\u003eBut in just a second, it will get weirder.\u003c/p\u003e\u003cp data-block-key=\"6051p\"\u003eWhat? Isn’t that weird?\u003c/p\u003e\u003cp data-block-key=\"4dsnm\"\u003e\u003cb\u003eADAM:\u003c/b\u003e Oh, it’s getting brighter.\u003c/p\u003e\u003cp data-block-key=\"fre54\"\u003e\u003cb\u003eALEJANDRO ROJAS:\u003c/b\u003e Yeah, it keeps getting brighter. And it’s a broad beam of light.\u003c/p\u003e\u003cp data-block-key=\"foje2\"\u003e\u003cb\u003eADAM:\u003c/b\u003e So, it’s not a star.\u003c/p\u003e\u003cp data-block-key=\"2lq7e\"\u003e\u003cb\u003eALEJANDRO ROJAS:\u003c/b\u003e So, what do you think about drones? But, I mean, look how still it is. It doesn’t have blinking lights. I mean, it doesn’t look like a drone.\u003c/p\u003e\u003cp data-block-key=\"5t8nv\"\u003eSo, let’s fast forward a little.\u003c/p\u003e\u003cp data-block-key=\"9romp\"\u003e\u003cb\u003eADAM:\u003c/b\u003e It’s rising up.\u003c/p\u003e\u003cp data-block-key=\"6eem7\"\u003e\u003cb\u003eALEJANDRO ROJAS:\u003c/b\u003e Yeah, so it kind of gets dimmer.\u003c/p\u003e\u003cp data-block-key=\"ef6li\"\u003e\u003cb\u003eADAM:\u003c/b\u003e The camera’s not moving.\u003c/p\u003e\u003cp data-block-key=\"b6i9k\"\u003e\u003cb\u003eALEJANDRO ROJAS:\u003c/b\u003e It rises up.\u003c/p\u003e\u003cp data-block-key=\"41eos\"\u003e\u003cb\u003eADAM:\u003c/b\u003e And it’s rising back up.\u003c/p\u003e\u003cp data-block-key=\"89f9a\"\u003e\u003cb\u003eALEJANDRO ROJAS:\u003c/b\u003e This is a good one, I think. I don’t know. I don’t know what that is.\u003c/p\u003e\u003cp data-block-key=\"2r4s3\"\u003e\u003cb\u003e\u003ci\u003eNARRATOR:\u003c/i\u003e\u003c/b\u003e \u003ci\u003eApps like this provide the public with a place to share their sightings, but could one day be a source of data for scientists to study.\u003c/i\u003e\u003c/p\u003e\u003cp data-block-key=\"4tms9\"\u003e\u003cb\u003eMATT MOUNTAIN:\u003c/b\u003e We’re not relying just on, “Did you see something?” We’re asking your cell phone to make a measurement. It’s going to record the position of the phone on the planet, because we all have G.P.S. in it. And because it has a little compass in it, it will also tell us what direction we’re looking at. So, we can actually do scientific experiments with actual data, because our modern cell phones are so good, now, at recording numbers.\u003c/p\u003e\u003cp data-block-key=\"ennu3\"\u003e\u003cb\u003eADAM:\u003c/b\u003e The more data the better. The more sightings, the more eyes we get on something that’s truly anomalous, the closer we get to maybe answering that question, what is it?\u003c/p\u003e\u003cp data-block-key=\"lknl\"\u003e\u003cb\u003e\u003ci\u003eNARRATOR:\u003c/i\u003e\u003c/b\u003e \u003ci\u003eAlex Dietrich has learned, from first-hand experience, that for many people, data alone is not enough.\u003c/i\u003e\u003c/p\u003e\u003cp data-block-key=\"45q3v\"\u003e\u003cb\u003eALEX DIETRICH:\u003c/b\u003e The topic is so charged, because there are so many conspiracies. And it’s such a, you know, it does something to people’s brains when you say U.F.O.\u003c/p\u003e\u003cp data-block-key=\"5rclg\"\u003e\u003cb\u003e\u003ci\u003eNARRATOR:\u003c/i\u003e\u003c/b\u003e \u003ci\u003eAt the University of Colorado, Boulder, Alex is trying to change that,…\u003c/i\u003e\u003c/p\u003e\u003cp data-block-key=\"7bco4\"\u003e\u003cb\u003eALEX DIETRICH:\u003c/b\u003e So, this is the helmet that I was wearing. You’re welcome to try to put it on.\u003c/p\u003e\u003cp data-block-key=\"6bj32\"\u003e\u003cb\u003e\u003ci\u003eNARRATOR:\u003c/i\u003e\u003c/b\u003e \u003ci\u003e…using her experience as a way to teach students how to separate fact from fiction.\u003c/i\u003e\u003c/p\u003e\u003cp data-block-key=\"23t1u\"\u003e\u003cb\u003eALEX DIETRICH:\u003c/b\u003e What is it about U.F.O.s? What do we know? And how do we know it?\u003c/p\u003e\u003cp data-block-key=\"78egg\"\u003eWhat I find is, is that some of my students have been going down those Reddit thread rabbit holes, working themselves up into a lather, with salacious headlines for content and clickbait.\u003c/p\u003e\u003cp data-block-key=\"4ue86\"\u003eIf you’re reading an article about U.F.O.s, what do we look for when we are looking at our sources? I hope they will be more discerning when they consume media going forward, that they will question where the information that they’re getting comes from, because I want to advocate for us to all take a deep breath, and to come to this subject with a lens of critical thinking.\u003c/p\u003e\u003cp data-block-key=\"6vftm\"\u003eCritical thinking, people. Let’s all apply critical thinking.\u003c/p\u003e\u003cp data-block-key=\"7o3oo\"\u003e\u003cb\u003e\u003ci\u003eNARRATOR:\u003c/i\u003e\u003c/b\u003e \u003ci\u003eAnd that brings us back to the million dollar questions; could this be extraterrestrial technology? What would it take for a spacecraft to come from a distant world?\u003c/i\u003e\u003c/p\u003e\u003cp data-block-key=\"1q2dk\"\u003e\u003cb\u003eALEX HOLLINGS:\u003c/b\u003e A very important question that we need to be asking today, when investigating U.A.P., is whether or not, even if there are advanced alien civilizations out there, if they have the means to actually reach us.\u003c/p\u003e\u003cp data-block-key=\"edus9\"\u003e\u003cb\u003e\u003ci\u003eNARRATOR:\u003c/i\u003e\u003c/b\u003e \u003ci\u003eConsider this: one of the fastest spacecraft ever launched, NASA’S New Horizons, took nine years and five months to reach Pluto, three-billion miles away. Getting to the closest star system with a planet that might harbor life would take that tiny spacecraft a whopping 80,000 years.\u003c/i\u003e\u003c/p\u003e\u003cp data-block-key=\"34ee3\"\u003e\u003cb\u003eSHELLEY WRIGHT:\u003c/b\u003e The universe is so unfathomably large. There’s 100-billion stars in our Milky Way, and there’s 100-billion galaxies in the observable universe. That’s ten to the 22, one with 22 zeros on it, with a number of stars. And the distances between stars is incredibly vast.\u003c/p\u003e\u003cp data-block-key=\"9or9i\"\u003e\u003cb\u003eJACOB HAQQ-MISRA:\u003c/b\u003e I have not seen any evidence that we have been visited. I think it’s still worth looking for evidence, because we can’t conclusively demonstrate that we have not been visited. So, half of the timescale that the galaxy has existed, there was no planet Earth. So, that’s plenty of time for life to have evolved and technological life to develop on another planet.\u003c/p\u003e\u003cp data-block-key=\"e0eki\"\u003e\u003cb\u003eHAKEEM OLUSEYI:\u003c/b\u003e The answer is get more data. We need much, much more data. And the way you’re going to get more data is that you’re going to have more eyes on the sky.\u003c/p\u003e\u003cp data-block-key=\"emfrd\"\u003e\u003cb\u003e\u003ci\u003eNARRATOR:\u003c/i\u003e\u003c/b\u003e \u003ci\u003eU.F.O.s have been a part of our culture for decades. They’ve been the subject of curiosity, but rarely the subject of serious scientific investigation. But that is changing.\u003c/i\u003e\u003c/p\u003e\u003cp data-block-key=\"4lumi\"\u003e\u003cb\u003eRYAN GRAVES:\u003c/b\u003e I think it’s critical to be open minded. Don’t be dismissive. And search for the data, like any good scientist.\u003c/p\u003e\u003cp data-block-key=\"5edbp\"\u003e\u003cb\u003eALEX DIETRICH:\u003c/b\u003e What I think is important is that we are collecting more than just the eyewitness accounts, but that we also have the right hardware in place for things that will be seen today, tomorrow, so that we don’t sit here and bicker about what happened 20 years ago.\u003c/p\u003e\n\n\n","public_until":"2025-02-20T04:59:59+00:00","passport_start":"2025-01-22T13:01:00+00:00","passport_end":"2028-01-22T04:59:59+00:00","short_description":"\u003cp data-block-key=\"pnrnn\"\u003eCan science reveal the secrets of mysterious objects seen in our skies?\u003c/p\u003e\u003cp data-block-key=\"frp4s\"\u003e\u003c/p\u003e\u003cp data-block-key=\"eqfac\"\u003e\u003c/p\u003e","availability":{"public":{"end":"2025-02-20T04:59:59Z","start":"2025-01-22T13:01:00Z","countries":[{"id":"6a9df090-8ede-44c0-8781-5ddbb942966b","code":"US","name":"United 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Mars Have a Ring Around It One Day?","topic":"space","brand":"nova","content_type":"shortvideopage","length":136,"publish_date":"2024-11-11T04:43:47.448391+00:00","tags":["wandering worlds","mars","solar system","mars ring","space","phobos"],"external":false,"published":true,"hero_image":{"mime_type":"image/jpeg","alt_text":"","src":"https://www.pbs.org/wgbh/nova/media/original_images/could-mars-have-a-ring-around-it-one-day-hero.jpg","renditions":[{"width":1280,"height":720,"src":"https://www.pbs.org/wgbh/nova/media/images/could-mars-have-a-ring-around-it-one-day-hero.width-1500.jpg","contentType":"application/vnd.theseus+scaled_image"},{"width":1280,"height":720,"src":"https://www.pbs.org/wgbh/nova/media/images/could-mars-have-a-ring-around-it-one-day-hero.width-2000.jpg","contentType":"application/vnd.theseus+scaled_image"},{"width":1280,"height":720,"src":"https://www.pbs.org/wgbh/nova/media/images/could-mars-have-a-ring-around-it-one-day-hero.width-2500.jpg","contentType":"application/vnd.theseus+scaled_image"},{"width":800,"height":450,"src":"https://www.pbs.org/wgbh/nova/media/images/could-mars-have-a-ring-around-it-one-day-hero.width-800.jpg","contentType":"application/vnd.theseus+scaled_image"},{"width":600,"height":337,"src":"https://www.pbs.org/wgbh/nova/media/images/could-mars-have-a-ring-around-it-one-day-hero.width-600.jpg","contentType":"application/vnd.theseus+scaled_image"},{"width":400,"height":225,"src":"https://www.pbs.org/wgbh/nova/media/images/could-mars-have-a-ring-around-it-one-day-hero.width-400.jpg","contentType":"application/vnd.theseus+scaled_image"},{"width":300,"height":168,"src":"https://www.pbs.org/wgbh/nova/media/images/could-mars-have-a-ring-around-it-one-day-hero.width-300.jpg","contentType":"application/vnd.theseus+scaled_image"}],"contentType":"application/vnd.theseus+image"},"content":"\u003cp data-block-key=\"xhh2n\"\u003eThe moon Phobos has a mysterious origin but a certain expiration date.\u003c/p\u003e\n\u003cp data-block-key=\"mfffo\"\u003ePhobos, one of Mars\u0026#x27; moons, has an uncertain origin, but its surface grooves show that tidal forces are pulling it apart. In time, Mars\u0026#x27; gravity will shatter it entirely, creating a ring of debris around the planet.\u003c/p\u003e\n\u003cp data-block-key=\"mr8s4\"\u003e\u003cb\u003eCould Mars Have a Ring Around It One Day?\u003c/b\u003e\u003c/p\u003e\u003cp data-block-key=\"9g50o\"\u003ePublished: November 10, 2024\u003c/p\u003e\u003cp data-block-key=\"c3eb9\"\u003e\u003cb\u003eSpeaker 1:\u003c/b\u003e Phobos orbits Mars in an almost perfect circle right along Mars\u0026#x27;s equator, and this makes us question whether Phobos is really the asteroid it appears to be because captured asteroids usually orbit planets on very elliptical orbits that sometimes take them very far from their planet and sometimes being much closer.\u003c/p\u003e\u003cp data-block-key=\"92sdp\"\u003e\u003cb\u003eNarrator:\u003c/b\u003e So if it\u0026#x27;s not an asteroid, where did this funny little moon come from?\u003c/p\u003e\u003cp data-block-key=\"3gm2t\"\u003e\u003cb\u003eSpeaker 2:\u003c/b\u003e So in planetary science, the joke is that you just add an impact event, and an impact event can explain everything. That might actually be true in this case, though, it\u0026#x27;s this one-off event, and it might\u0026#x27;ve been that an object hit Mars, and Phobos is the result of that impact collision between those objects, and that\u0026#x27;s what we\u0026#x27;re seeing.\u003c/p\u003e\u003cp data-block-key=\"dkvdq\"\u003e\u003cb\u003eNarrator:\u003c/b\u003e Phobos may not be a captured asteroid at all, but formed from debris thrown into orbit after a massive asteroid impact. However, this still doesn\u0026#x27;t explain why it\u0026#x27;s covered in grooves. Phobos is about 3,700 miles from Mars\u0026#x27;s surface, and every a hundred years moves closer by about six feet, and as it does, the tidal forces caused by Mars gravity becomes stronger.\u003c/p\u003e\u003cp data-block-key=\"1i5th\"\u003e\u003cb\u003eSpeaker 1:\u003c/b\u003e So just like the moon pulls on the earth, dragging the oceans and causing the tide, Mars pulls on Phobos causing tides as well. So as you can see behind me right now, the tide is coming in as the moon is pulling on the water on the Earth. The same process happens on Phobos due to Mars, except on Phobos it\u0026#x27;s sand and rock that\u0026#x27;s moving instead of water.\u003c/p\u003e\u003cp data-block-key=\"6oip\"\u003e\u003cb\u003eNarrator:\u003c/b\u003e Those tidal forces are pulling Phobos apart, and with every orbit, the grooves widen and deepen. Eventually, Phobos will drift so close, Mars\u0026#x27;s gravity will destroy it. As Phobos breaks apart, most of the debris will fall to the surface of Mars, but the rest will remain in close orbit, spreading out to encircle the entire planet, giving Mars a wispy ring.\u003c/p\u003e\n\n\n","passport_start":"2024-11-08T23:02:20+00:00","short_description":"\u003cp data-block-key=\"xhh2n\"\u003eThe moon Phobos has a mysterious origin but a certain expiration date.\u003c/p\u003e","hits_weekly":0,"hits_daily":0,"card":{"title":"Could Mars Have a Ring Around It One Day?","slug":"could-mars-have-a-ring-around-it-one-day","page_type":"shortvideopage","canonical_image":{"mime_type":"image/jpeg","alt_text":"","src":"https://www.pbs.org/wgbh/nova/media/original_images/could-mars-have-a-ring-around-it-one-day-hero.jpg","renditions":[{"width":300,"height":168,"src":"https://www.pbs.org/wgbh/nova/media/images/could-mars-have-a-ring-around-it-one-day-hero.width-300.jpg","contentType":"application/vnd.theseus+scaled_image"},{"width":400,"height":225,"src":"https://www.pbs.org/wgbh/nova/media/images/could-mars-have-a-ring-around-it-one-day-hero.width-400.jpg","contentType":"application/vnd.theseus+scaled_image"},{"width":600,"height":337,"src":"https://www.pbs.org/wgbh/nova/media/images/could-mars-have-a-ring-around-it-one-day-hero.width-600.jpg","contentType":"application/vnd.theseus+scaled_image"},{"width":800,"height":450,"src":"https://www.pbs.org/wgbh/nova/media/images/could-mars-have-a-ring-around-it-one-day-hero.width-800.jpg","contentType":"application/vnd.theseus+scaled_image"},{"width":1280,"height":720,"src":"https://www.pbs.org/wgbh/nova/media/images/could-mars-have-a-ring-around-it-one-day-hero.width-1500.jpg","contentType":"application/vnd.theseus+scaled_image"},{"width":1280,"height":720,"src":"https://www.pbs.org/wgbh/nova/media/images/could-mars-have-a-ring-around-it-one-day-hero.width-2000.jpg","contentType":"application/vnd.theseus+scaled_image"},{"width":1280,"height":720,"src":"https://www.pbs.org/wgbh/nova/media/images/could-mars-have-a-ring-around-it-one-day-hero.width-2500.jpg","contentType":"application/vnd.theseus+scaled_image"}],"contentType":"application/vnd.theseus+image"},"contentType":"application/vnd.theseus+page"}},"sort":[1731300227448]},{"_index":"content","_type":"doc","_id":"sfv-6866","_score":null,"_source":{"slug":"could-life-exist-on-jupiters-icy-moon-europa","title":"This Moon May Have the Ingredients for Life","topic":"space","brand":"nova","content_type":"shortvideopage","length":134,"publish_date":"2024-11-11T04:36:51.159359+00:00","tags":["icy worlds","jupiter","Europa","europa moon","solar system","space"],"external":false,"published":true,"hero_image":{"mime_type":"image/jpeg","alt_text":"","src":"https://www.pbs.org/wgbh/nova/media/original_images/could-life-exist-on-jupiters-icy-moon-europa-hero.jpg","renditions":[{"width":1280,"height":720,"src":"https://www.pbs.org/wgbh/nova/media/images/could-life-exist-on-jupiters-icy-moon-europa-.width-1500.jpg","contentType":"application/vnd.theseus+scaled_image"},{"width":1280,"height":720,"src":"https://www.pbs.org/wgbh/nova/media/images/could-life-exist-on-jupiters-icy-moon-europa-.width-2000.jpg","contentType":"application/vnd.theseus+scaled_image"},{"width":1280,"height":720,"src":"https://www.pbs.org/wgbh/nova/media/images/could-life-exist-on-jupiters-icy-moon-europa-.width-2500.jpg","contentType":"application/vnd.theseus+scaled_image"},{"width":800,"height":450,"src":"https://www.pbs.org/wgbh/nova/media/images/could-life-exist-on-jupiters-icy-moon-europa-h.width-800.jpg","contentType":"application/vnd.theseus+scaled_image"},{"width":600,"height":337,"src":"https://www.pbs.org/wgbh/nova/media/images/could-life-exist-on-jupiters-icy-moon-europa-h.width-600.jpg","contentType":"application/vnd.theseus+scaled_image"},{"width":400,"height":225,"src":"https://www.pbs.org/wgbh/nova/media/images/could-life-exist-on-jupiters-icy-moon-europa-h.width-400.jpg","contentType":"application/vnd.theseus+scaled_image"},{"width":300,"height":168,"src":"https://www.pbs.org/wgbh/nova/media/images/could-life-exist-on-jupiters-icy-moon-europa-h.width-300.jpg","contentType":"application/vnd.theseus+scaled_image"}],"contentType":"application/vnd.theseus+image"},"content":"\u003cp data-block-key=\"lynqw\"\u003eThe ocean beneath Europa’s icy shell might be an ideal environment for life.\u003c/p\u003e\n\u003cp data-block-key=\"gvw0n\"\u003eEuropa is such a strong candidate for life that NASA launched a mission to explore the moon.\u003c/p\u003e\n\u003cp data-block-key=\"4o3nk\"\u003e\u003cb\u003eCould Life Exist on Jupiter’s Icy Moon Europa?\u003c/b\u003e\u003c/p\u003e\u003cp data-block-key=\"1qfmf\"\u003ePublished: November 10, 2024\u003c/p\u003e\u003cp data-block-key=\"2nlqf\"\u003e\u003cb\u003eSpeaker 1:\u003c/b\u003e The key ingredient from the ocean below surges up through the cracks and give Europa\u0026#x27;s markings their distinctive red.\u003c/p\u003e\u003cp data-block-key=\"airrc\"\u003e\u003cb\u003eSpeaker 2:\u003c/b\u003e So the red marks that we see on Europa\u0026#x27;s surface, these cracks and lines are salts that have come up from below the surface.\u003c/p\u003e\u003cp data-block-key=\"1lnk4\"\u003e\u003cb\u003eSpeaker 1:\u003c/b\u003e Suggesting a tantalizing possibility. This criss-crossing system of salty canyons means we might find life in the ocean underneath Europa\u0026#x27;s icy shell.\u003c/p\u003e\u003cp data-block-key=\"dfhem\"\u003e\u003cb\u003eSpeaker 3:\u003c/b\u003e Life as we know it needs three basic things, water, a source of energy, and also essential elements.\u003c/p\u003e\u003cp data-block-key=\"23hkp\"\u003e\u003cb\u003eSpeaker 1:\u003c/b\u003e Europa has an ocean and a source of energy from tidal movements, but it\u0026#x27;s missing the final key ingredient, some essential elements. However, with a little help from its neighboring moon, Io, these elements can be found on Europa.\u003c/p\u003e\u003cp data-block-key=\"5kulb\"\u003e\u003cb\u003eSpeaker 3:\u003c/b\u003e IO is an extremely volcanically active place, and these volcanoes emit sulfur and other sulfur products. And these make it all the way onto Europa. And sulfur is one of those essential elements that life on earth uses.\u003c/p\u003e\u003cp data-block-key=\"2tp3q\"\u003e\u003cb\u003eSpeaker 2:\u003c/b\u003e All of the sulfur that\u0026#x27;s coming from Io and landing on Europa\u0026#x27;s surface is interacting with the salts and water that\u0026#x27;s coming up from underneath Europa\u0026#x27;s icy crust.\u003c/p\u003e\u003cp data-block-key=\"8a193\"\u003e\u003cb\u003eSpeaker 1:\u003c/b\u003e Chemical reactions between the sulfur from Io and the salts on Europa create essential molecules needed for life.\u003c/p\u003e\u003cp data-block-key=\"l49j\"\u003e\u003cb\u003eSpeaker 2:\u003c/b\u003e And this allows for this perfect breeding ground for potential life to form and evolve.\u003c/p\u003e\u003cp data-block-key=\"e766s\"\u003e\u003cb\u003eSpeaker 1:\u003c/b\u003e Europa is such a strong candidate for life, that NASA is already preparing to explore the moon. The goal is to study Europa\u0026#x27;s surface in more detail so that a future mission can one day land and explore beneath its icy crust. And scientists like Sam are already testing ideas for studying Europa\u0026#x27;s watery world.\u003c/p\u003e\u003cp data-block-key=\"5gi3t\"\u003e\u003cb\u003eSam:\u003c/b\u003e What we\u0026#x27;re doing is we\u0026#x27;re deploying a robotic probe into the ice and under it to explore what this lake environment is like. We might have the opportunity in my own lifetime, to answer a question that\u0026#x27;s intrinsic to all of us. Are we alone in our universe? Are we alone in our solar system? And one of the most exciting aspects of exploring Europa is the potential of someday knowing whether or not there\u0026#x27;s life in our own solar system.\u003c/p\u003e\n\n\n","passport_start":"2024-11-08T22:59:56+00:00","short_description":"\u003cp data-block-key=\"lynqw\"\u003eThe ocean beneath Europa’s icy shell might be an ideal environment for life.\u003c/p\u003e","hits_weekly":0,"hits_daily":0,"card":{"title":"This Moon May Have the Ingredients for Life","slug":"could-life-exist-on-jupiters-icy-moon-europa","page_type":"shortvideopage","canonical_image":{"mime_type":"image/jpeg","alt_text":"","src":"https://www.pbs.org/wgbh/nova/media/original_images/could-life-exist-on-jupiters-icy-moon-europa-hero.jpg","renditions":[{"width":300,"height":168,"src":"https://www.pbs.org/wgbh/nova/media/images/could-life-exist-on-jupiters-icy-moon-europa-h.width-300.jpg","contentType":"application/vnd.theseus+scaled_image"},{"width":400,"height":225,"src":"https://www.pbs.org/wgbh/nova/media/images/could-life-exist-on-jupiters-icy-moon-europa-h.width-400.jpg","contentType":"application/vnd.theseus+scaled_image"},{"width":600,"height":337,"src":"https://www.pbs.org/wgbh/nova/media/images/could-life-exist-on-jupiters-icy-moon-europa-h.width-600.jpg","contentType":"application/vnd.theseus+scaled_image"},{"width":800,"height":450,"src":"https://www.pbs.org/wgbh/nova/media/images/could-life-exist-on-jupiters-icy-moon-europa-h.width-800.jpg","contentType":"application/vnd.theseus+scaled_image"},{"width":1280,"height":720,"src":"https://www.pbs.org/wgbh/nova/media/images/could-life-exist-on-jupiters-icy-moon-europa-.width-1500.jpg","contentType":"application/vnd.theseus+scaled_image"},{"width":1280,"height":720,"src":"https://www.pbs.org/wgbh/nova/media/images/could-life-exist-on-jupiters-icy-moon-europa-.width-2000.jpg","contentType":"application/vnd.theseus+scaled_image"},{"width":1280,"height":720,"src":"https://www.pbs.org/wgbh/nova/media/images/could-life-exist-on-jupiters-icy-moon-europa-.width-2500.jpg","contentType":"application/vnd.theseus+scaled_image"}],"contentType":"application/vnd.theseus+image"},"contentType":"application/vnd.theseus+page"}},"sort":[1731299811159]},{"_index":"content","_type":"doc","_id":"sfv-6868","_score":null,"_source":{"slug":"could-this-icy-moons-ocean-support-life","title":"Could This Icy Moon’s Ocean Support Life?","topic":"space","brand":"nova","content_type":"shortvideopage","length":81,"publish_date":"2024-11-11T04:32:56.569821+00:00","tags":["volcano worlds","frozen moon","volcano moon","astronomy","space science","solar system","space","Enceladus"],"external":false,"published":true,"hero_image":{"mime_type":"image/jpeg","alt_text":"","src":"https://www.pbs.org/wgbh/nova/media/original_images/could-this-icy-moons-ocean-support-life-hero.jpg","renditions":[{"width":1920,"height":1080,"src":"https://www.pbs.org/wgbh/nova/media/images/could-this-icy-moons-ocean-support-life-hero.width-2000.jpg","contentType":"application/vnd.theseus+scaled_image"},{"width":1920,"height":1080,"src":"https://www.pbs.org/wgbh/nova/media/images/could-this-icy-moons-ocean-support-life-hero.width-2500.jpg","contentType":"application/vnd.theseus+scaled_image"},{"width":1500,"height":843,"src":"https://www.pbs.org/wgbh/nova/media/images/could-this-icy-moons-ocean-support-life-hero.width-1500.jpg","contentType":"application/vnd.theseus+scaled_image"},{"width":800,"height":450,"src":"https://www.pbs.org/wgbh/nova/media/images/could-this-icy-moons-ocean-support-life-hero.width-800.jpg","contentType":"application/vnd.theseus+scaled_image"},{"width":600,"height":337,"src":"https://www.pbs.org/wgbh/nova/media/images/could-this-icy-moons-ocean-support-life-hero.width-600.jpg","contentType":"application/vnd.theseus+scaled_image"},{"width":400,"height":225,"src":"https://www.pbs.org/wgbh/nova/media/images/could-this-icy-moons-ocean-support-life-hero.width-400.jpg","contentType":"application/vnd.theseus+scaled_image"},{"width":300,"height":168,"src":"https://www.pbs.org/wgbh/nova/media/images/could-this-icy-moons-ocean-support-life-hero.width-300.jpg","contentType":"application/vnd.theseus+scaled_image"}],"contentType":"application/vnd.theseus+image"},"content":"\u003cp data-block-key=\"zg6v1\"\u003eHydrothermal vents in Enceladus’ ocean may hold the promise of life.\u003c/p\u003e\n\u003cp data-block-key=\"bl2wo\"\u003eEnceladus has jets rich in phosphates and likely hydrothermal vents in its ocean. With the key ingredients for life on its surface, the moon may serve as an incubator for life.\u003c/p\u003e\n\u003cp data-block-key=\"q1npv\"\u003e\u003cb\u003eCould This Icy Moon’s Ocean Support Life?\u003c/b\u003e\u003c/p\u003e\u003cp data-block-key=\"7kvve\"\u003ePublished: November 10, 2024\u003c/p\u003e\u003cp data-block-key=\"4qqvj\"\u003e\u003cb\u003eSpeaker 1:\u003c/b\u003e I think the chances are pretty high that there are hydrothermal vents at the bottom of Enceladus Ocean. Just like Earth\u0026#x27;s Ocean, Enceladus Ocean sits right on top of its rocky mantle.\u003c/p\u003e\u003cp data-block-key=\"1fmhq\"\u003e\u003cb\u003eSpeaker 2:\u003c/b\u003e And with probable hydrothermal vents, an exciting possibility for life.\u003c/p\u003e\u003cp data-block-key=\"5l4no\"\u003e\u003cb\u003eSpeaker 3:\u003c/b\u003e We think that life could have originated on earth in hydrothermal vents, and these hydrothermal vents have those ingredients that are essential for life.\u003c/p\u003e\u003cp data-block-key=\"4u3s0\"\u003e\u003cb\u003eSpeaker 2:\u003c/b\u003e And it isn\u0026#x27;t just the possibility of heat that makes Enceladus a compelling incubator for life.\u003c/p\u003e\u003cp data-block-key=\"flqk5\"\u003e\u003cb\u003eSpeaker 4:\u003c/b\u003e There are three key ingredients to a habitable environment: liquid water, chemical nutrients, and an energy source to use. And now we know that Enceladus has all three within its ocean.\u003c/p\u003e\u003cp data-block-key=\"5404p\"\u003e\u003cb\u003eSpeaker 1:\u003c/b\u003e A 2023 study showed that Enceladus jets have phosphates in them anywhere from a hundred to a thousand times the amount of phosphates that we find in Earth\u0026#x27;s. Phosphates, we know, are a key component of DNA, which is the building block of life.\u003c/p\u003e\u003cp data-block-key=\"8785m\"\u003e\u003cb\u003eSpeaker 3:\u003c/b\u003e Does that mean that we found life? Well, we don\u0026#x27;t know. Just because we found phosphate, it\u0026#x27;s a potential ingredient, but it\u0026#x27;s not a slam dunk. And so we need to go back and really explore in more detail to see what is the origin of this phosphate?\u003c/p\u003e\n\n\n","passport_start":"2024-11-05T21:45:47+00:00","short_description":"\u003cp data-block-key=\"zg6v1\"\u003eHydrothermal vents in Enceladus’ ocean may hold the promise of life.\u003c/p\u003e","hits_weekly":0,"hits_daily":0,"card":{"title":"Could This Icy Moon’s Ocean Support Life?","slug":"could-this-icy-moons-ocean-support-life","page_type":"shortvideopage","canonical_image":{"mime_type":"image/jpeg","alt_text":"","src":"https://www.pbs.org/wgbh/nova/media/original_images/could-this-icy-moons-ocean-support-life-hero.jpg","renditions":[{"width":300,"height":168,"src":"https://www.pbs.org/wgbh/nova/media/images/could-this-icy-moons-ocean-support-life-hero.width-300.jpg","contentType":"application/vnd.theseus+scaled_image"},{"width":400,"height":225,"src":"https://www.pbs.org/wgbh/nova/media/images/could-this-icy-moons-ocean-support-life-hero.width-400.jpg","contentType":"application/vnd.theseus+scaled_image"},{"width":600,"height":337,"src":"https://www.pbs.org/wgbh/nova/media/images/could-this-icy-moons-ocean-support-life-hero.width-600.jpg","contentType":"application/vnd.theseus+scaled_image"},{"width":800,"height":450,"src":"https://www.pbs.org/wgbh/nova/media/images/could-this-icy-moons-ocean-support-life-hero.width-800.jpg","contentType":"application/vnd.theseus+scaled_image"},{"width":1500,"height":843,"src":"https://www.pbs.org/wgbh/nova/media/images/could-this-icy-moons-ocean-support-life-hero.width-1500.jpg","contentType":"application/vnd.theseus+scaled_image"},{"width":1920,"height":1080,"src":"https://www.pbs.org/wgbh/nova/media/images/could-this-icy-moons-ocean-support-life-hero.width-2000.jpg","contentType":"application/vnd.theseus+scaled_image"},{"width":1920,"height":1080,"src":"https://www.pbs.org/wgbh/nova/media/images/could-this-icy-moons-ocean-support-life-hero.width-2500.jpg","contentType":"application/vnd.theseus+scaled_image"}],"contentType":"application/vnd.theseus+image"},"contentType":"application/vnd.theseus+page"}},"sort":[1731299576569]},{"_index":"content","_type":"doc","_id":"sfv-6867","_score":null,"_source":{"slug":"enceladus-a-frozen-moon-with-explosive-eruptions","title":"Enceladus: A Frozen Moon With Explosive Eruptions","topic":"space","brand":"nova","content_type":"shortvideopage","length":116,"publish_date":"2024-11-11T04:27:31.326756+00:00","tags":["volcano worlds","frozen moon","solar system","space","Enceladus"],"external":false,"published":true,"hero_image":{"mime_type":"image/jpeg","alt_text":"","src":"https://www.pbs.org/wgbh/nova/media/original_images/enceladus-a-frozen-moon-with-explosive-eruptions-hero.jpg","renditions":[{"width":1920,"height":1080,"src":"https://www.pbs.org/wgbh/nova/media/images/enceladus-a-frozen-moon-with-explosive-erupti.width-2000.jpg","contentType":"application/vnd.theseus+scaled_image"},{"width":1920,"height":1080,"src":"https://www.pbs.org/wgbh/nova/media/images/enceladus-a-frozen-moon-with-explosive-erupti.width-2500.jpg","contentType":"application/vnd.theseus+scaled_image"},{"width":1500,"height":843,"src":"https://www.pbs.org/wgbh/nova/media/images/enceladus-a-frozen-moon-with-explosive-erupti.width-1500.jpg","contentType":"application/vnd.theseus+scaled_image"},{"width":800,"height":450,"src":"https://www.pbs.org/wgbh/nova/media/images/enceladus-a-frozen-moon-with-explosive-eruptio.width-800.jpg","contentType":"application/vnd.theseus+scaled_image"},{"width":600,"height":337,"src":"https://www.pbs.org/wgbh/nova/media/images/enceladus-a-frozen-moon-with-explosive-eruptio.width-600.jpg","contentType":"application/vnd.theseus+scaled_image"},{"width":400,"height":225,"src":"https://www.pbs.org/wgbh/nova/media/images/enceladus-a-frozen-moon-with-explosive-eruptio.width-400.jpg","contentType":"application/vnd.theseus+scaled_image"},{"width":300,"height":168,"src":"https://www.pbs.org/wgbh/nova/media/images/enceladus-a-frozen-moon-with-explosive-eruptio.width-300.jpg","contentType":"application/vnd.theseus+scaled_image"}],"contentType":"application/vnd.theseus+image"},"content":"\u003cp data-block-key=\"zd1t2\"\u003eEnceladus’ small size and icy surface is no limitation to its extreme volcanism.\u003c/p\u003e\n\u003cp data-block-key=\"n6c5f\"\u003eEnceladus erupts over 660 pounds of water per second, with jets reaching up to 6,000 miles into space. These massive plumes far exceed the size of the moon itself.\u003c/p\u003e\n\u003cp data-block-key=\"ms63m\"\u003e\u003cb\u003eEnceladus: A Frozen Moon With Explosive Eruptions\u003c/b\u003e\u003c/p\u003e\u003cp data-block-key=\"1oqa4\"\u003ePublished: November 10, 2024\u003c/p\u003e\u003cp data-block-key=\"1tc8e\"\u003e\u003cb\u003eSpeaker 1:\u003c/b\u003e With a hard frozen exterior Enceladus\u0026#x27; surface averages a chilly -330 degrees Fahrenheit. It\u0026#x27;s one of the coldest places in the Saturn system, an ice world where we\u0026#x27;d expect everything to be completely still, frozen and unchanging. But in 2005, NASA\u0026#x27;s Cassini spacecraft traveled to the South Pole and discovered that stillness shattered. It captured explosive jets constantly erupting from the surface.\u003c/p\u003e\u003cp data-block-key=\"172q9\"\u003e\u003cb\u003eSpeaker 2:\u003c/b\u003e So when we first saw those plumes coming out of Enceladus, it was just mind-boggling that to see this tiny world spewing material out indicating that it was geologically active.\u003c/p\u003e\u003cp data-block-key=\"4800r\"\u003e\u003cb\u003eSpeaker 3:\u003c/b\u003e Discovering the jets at Enceladus\u0026#x27; South Pole completely changed the way that we see icy worlds. It changed the way that we see small, icy worlds in particular.\u003c/p\u003e\u003cp data-block-key=\"ekrhv\"\u003e\u003cb\u003eSpeaker 1:\u003c/b\u003e Giant plumes, far bigger than the moon they erupt from are an incredible site. But how is it possible to have such powerful eruptions on a frozen moon? Over 660 pounds of water erupt from the surface of Enceladus every second, creating visible eruptions that can thrust up to 6,000 miles into space. It\u0026#x27;s called cryovolcanism. Cryo from the Greek for cold.\u003c/p\u003e\u003cp data-block-key=\"fko58\"\u003e\u003cb\u003eSpeaker 4:\u003c/b\u003e Cryovolcanism is absolutely volcanism. When we study the planets, we learned that even though they have different chemistry or slight differences, that these processes are common throughout the planets, and volcanism is one of them.\u003c/p\u003e\u003cp data-block-key=\"ads9d\"\u003e\u003cb\u003eSpeaker 5:\u003c/b\u003e What is surprising is not only the presence of those jets, but their size, the fact that this is an extreme cryovolcanism coming from such a small body.\u003c/p\u003e\n\n\n","passport_start":"2024-11-05T21:45:08+00:00","short_description":"\u003cp data-block-key=\"zd1t2\"\u003eEnceladus’ small size and icy surface is no limitation to its extreme volcanism.\u003c/p\u003e","hits_weekly":0,"hits_daily":0,"card":{"title":"Enceladus: A Frozen Moon With Explosive Eruptions","slug":"enceladus-a-frozen-moon-with-explosive-eruptions","page_type":"shortvideopage","canonical_image":{"mime_type":"image/jpeg","alt_text":"","src":"https://www.pbs.org/wgbh/nova/media/original_images/enceladus-a-frozen-moon-with-explosive-eruptions-hero.jpg","renditions":[{"width":300,"height":168,"src":"https://www.pbs.org/wgbh/nova/media/images/enceladus-a-frozen-moon-with-explosive-eruptio.width-300.jpg","contentType":"application/vnd.theseus+scaled_image"},{"width":400,"height":225,"src":"https://www.pbs.org/wgbh/nova/media/images/enceladus-a-frozen-moon-with-explosive-eruptio.width-400.jpg","contentType":"application/vnd.theseus+scaled_image"},{"width":600,"height":337,"src":"https://www.pbs.org/wgbh/nova/media/images/enceladus-a-frozen-moon-with-explosive-eruptio.width-600.jpg","contentType":"application/vnd.theseus+scaled_image"},{"width":800,"height":450,"src":"https://www.pbs.org/wgbh/nova/media/images/enceladus-a-frozen-moon-with-explosive-eruptio.width-800.jpg","contentType":"application/vnd.theseus+scaled_image"},{"width":1500,"height":843,"src":"https://www.pbs.org/wgbh/nova/media/images/enceladus-a-frozen-moon-with-explosive-erupti.width-1500.jpg","contentType":"application/vnd.theseus+scaled_image"},{"width":1920,"height":1080,"src":"https://www.pbs.org/wgbh/nova/media/images/enceladus-a-frozen-moon-with-explosive-erupti.width-2000.jpg","contentType":"application/vnd.theseus+scaled_image"},{"width":1920,"height":1080,"src":"https://www.pbs.org/wgbh/nova/media/images/enceladus-a-frozen-moon-with-explosive-erupti.width-2500.jpg","contentType":"application/vnd.theseus+scaled_image"}],"contentType":"application/vnd.theseus+image"},"contentType":"application/vnd.theseus+page"}},"sort":[1731299251326]},{"_index":"content","_type":"doc","_id":"sfv-6869","_score":null,"_source":{"slug":"how-the-martian-atmosphere-helped-nasas-rovers-restore-energy","title":"How the Martian Atmosphere Helped Nasa’s Rovers Restore Energy","topic":"space","brand":"nova","content_type":"shortvideopage","length":179,"publish_date":"2024-11-11T04:18:06.825751+00:00","tags":["martian atmosphere","nasa rover","mars","space","rover","space rover"],"external":false,"published":true,"hero_image":{"mime_type":"image/jpeg","alt_text":"","src":"https://www.pbs.org/wgbh/nova/media/original_images/how-the-martian-atmosphere-helped-nasas-rovers-restore-energy-hero.jpg","renditions":[{"width":1920,"height":1080,"src":"https://www.pbs.org/wgbh/nova/media/images/how-the-martian-atmosphere-helped-nasas-rover.width-2000.jpg","contentType":"application/vnd.theseus+scaled_image"},{"width":1920,"height":1080,"src":"https://www.pbs.org/wgbh/nova/media/images/how-the-martian-atmosphere-helped-nasas-rover.width-2500.jpg","contentType":"application/vnd.theseus+scaled_image"},{"width":1500,"height":843,"src":"https://www.pbs.org/wgbh/nova/media/images/how-the-martian-atmosphere-helped-nasas-rover.width-1500.jpg","contentType":"application/vnd.theseus+scaled_image"},{"width":800,"height":450,"src":"https://www.pbs.org/wgbh/nova/media/images/how-the-martian-atmosphere-helped-nasas-rovers.width-800.jpg","contentType":"application/vnd.theseus+scaled_image"},{"width":600,"height":337,"src":"https://www.pbs.org/wgbh/nova/media/images/how-the-martian-atmosphere-helped-nasas-rovers.width-600.jpg","contentType":"application/vnd.theseus+scaled_image"},{"width":400,"height":225,"src":"https://www.pbs.org/wgbh/nova/media/images/how-the-martian-atmosphere-helped-nasas-rovers.width-400.jpg","contentType":"application/vnd.theseus+scaled_image"},{"width":300,"height":168,"src":"https://www.pbs.org/wgbh/nova/media/images/how-the-martian-atmosphere-helped-nasas-rovers.width-300.jpg","contentType":"application/vnd.theseus+scaled_image"}],"contentType":"application/vnd.theseus+image"},"content":"\u003cp data-block-key=\"9he8x\"\u003eMartian dust devils may have helped NASA’s rovers restore power during mission.\u003c/p\u003e\n\u003cp data-block-key=\"yj121\"\u003eNASA\u0026#x27;s Spirit and Opportunity rovers exceeded their expected lifespan on Mars. Unique Martian weather conditions may have played a role in restoring their energy levels.\u003c/p\u003e\n\u003cp data-block-key=\"mc5t1\"\u003e\u003cb\u003eHow the Martian Atmosphere Helped Nasa’s Rovers Restore Energy\u003c/b\u003e\u003c/p\u003e\u003cp data-block-key=\"11dks\"\u003ePublished: November 10, 2024\u003c/p\u003e\u003cp data-block-key=\"3fmfj\"\u003e\u003cb\u003eSpeaker 1:\u003c/b\u003e In January 2004, Spirit and Opportunity began to investigate Mars, but their mission wasn\u0026#x27;t expected to last very long.\u003c/p\u003e\u003cp data-block-key=\"ed7ad\"\u003e\u003cb\u003eSpeaker 2:\u003c/b\u003e Mars is covered in dust. It gets everywhere, including on the solar panels of Mars rovers.\u003c/p\u003e\u003cp data-block-key=\"34r5h\"\u003e\u003cb\u003eSpeaker 3:\u003c/b\u003e As the solar panels got dustier and dustier, the power levels that the rover would have would get lower and lower and lower, and eventually, they would just stop working.\u003c/p\u003e\u003cp data-block-key=\"45v7t\"\u003e\u003cb\u003eSpeaker 1:\u003c/b\u003e The team hoped the rovers would last at least three months, a feat they surpassed. But as the months wore on, the power levels continued to drop.\u003c/p\u003e\u003cp data-block-key=\"d2kb5\"\u003e\u003cb\u003eSpeaker 3:\u003c/b\u003e What was really exciting was at one point in the mission, as we were seeing the power levels getting lower and lower and lower, all of a sudden, the power levels were back up high again, almost as high as they were when the rovers had landed. And you can take a look at the before and after pictures, and you can see that it looks like the solar panels have just been wiped clean. You could call up AAA and send them to Mars with the rag to clean everything off. They couldn\u0026#x27;t have done a better job.\u003c/p\u003e\u003cp data-block-key=\"do374\"\u003e\u003cb\u003eSpeaker 1:\u003c/b\u003e Finally, a clue to what might be happening was spotted by Spirit\u0026#x27;s nav cam. In the mid-afternoon sun, heating of the Martian surface creates towering vortices, which can grow miles high. Dust devils.\u003c/p\u003e\u003cp data-block-key=\"5kqbe\"\u003e\u003cb\u003eSpeaker 2:\u003c/b\u003e I imagine it would be absolutely terrifying to be standing on the surface of Mars and see one of these dust devils coming straight at you.\u003c/p\u003e\u003cp data-block-key=\"300rt\"\u003e\u003cb\u003eSpeaker 3:\u003c/b\u003e You might think that there was this tornado-force wind coming towards the rover, and it might pick the rover up and spin them around and do all sorts of horrible things. But in reality, the Martian atmosphere is actually very, very thin. And so you can have a dust devil pass over you, and you would barely even notice it.\u003c/p\u003e\u003cp data-block-key=\"7tpna\"\u003e\u003cb\u003eSpeaker 4:\u003c/b\u003e But even though a Martian dust devil might not be able to pick you up, it can certainly pick dust up.\u003c/p\u003e\u003cp data-block-key=\"bm7gv\"\u003e\u003cb\u003eSpeaker 1:\u003c/b\u003e It\u0026#x27;s thought that as these whirlwinds traveled over the rovers, they sucked dust off the solar panels like a vacuum. So a mission expected to last just a few months was extended again and again and again. But the cleaning power of the dust devils doesn\u0026#x27;t just work on rovers. As they travel, these huge vortices suck up dust from Mars\u0026#x27;s surface, exposing the darker bedrock beneath, leaving trails so large, you can see them clearly from space. There are no Martians creating the lines. 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