Up At The Ranch And Beyond

[Bluegreen]

An Expanding Blue Disc by Akiyoshi Kitaoka

[Bluegreen]

Bill Nye and the Planetary Society hold 'Save NASA Science' day of action on Capitol Hill





The government may be shut down, but space exploration advocates are still pleading NASA's case on Capitol Hill.

On Monday (Oct. 6), the nonprofit Planetary Society held a "day of action" to urge Congress to restore NASA's science funding, which was slashed nearly in half in the White House's proposed 2026 federal budget.

Planetary Society CEO Bill Nye, known for his 'Science Guy' broadcasts, spoke at a "Save NASA Science" press conference on the steps of the U.S. Capitol building in Washington, D.C. on Wednesday. He laid out the impact to the space agency and the broader U.S. science community should President Donald Trump's fiscal year 2026 (FY26) presidential budget proposal (PBR) turn into law.

"These proposed cuts would force the premature termination of dozens of missions — fully functioning spacecraft summarily turned off, development work on virtually every future science mission summarily halted," Nye said at the event, which featured over 300 supporters and 20 national organizations.

"When it comes to exploration, there is no private option. NASA Science is a bargain. For every dollar spent, at least three come back into the economy. Last year, NASA's investment in science generated more than $20 billion of economic growth and supported over 80,000 jobs in all 50 states."

Nye argued that science and exploration aren't just suggestions — they're part of the foundation of the country.

"Article One, clause eight of the US Constitution recommends to Congress that they promote the progress of science and useful arts," he said. "It's in the Constitution."

Published 6th October 2025 by Josh Dinner – Space.com
https://www.space.com/space-explorat...n-capitol-hill

[Bluegreen]

117-Year-Old Woman's Diet Could Help Us All Live Longer

What the gut microbiome of the world’s oldest person can tell us about ageing





When María Branyas Morera died in 2024 at the age of 117, she left more than memories. She left science a gift: samples of her microbiome.

Researchers discovered her gut was as diverse as someone decades younger: rich in beneficial bacteria linked to resilience and longevity. Her daily yoghurt habit and Mediterranean diet may have helped. While we can’t all inherit “lucky genes”, nurturing our microbiome may be one way to support lifelong health.



Published 24th October 2023 (0:47)

Source: https://youtube.com/watch?v=yZV-HKv0W80

In a recent paper in Cell Reports Medicine, researchers presented what may be the most detailed scientific investigation of a supercentenarian (a person aged 110 or older). Before her death, Branyas agreed to participate in research aimed at uncovering how she lived such a long and healthy life. When scientists compared her samples with those of people who had not reached such exceptional ages, the genetic results were unsurprising: Branyas carried protective variants that guard against common diseases.

But they also looked at something over which we have more control – the gut microbiome.

This microbiome is the vast community of bacteria, fungi and other microorganisms that live in the intestines. They help digest food, produce vitamins, influence our immune system and even communicate with the brain. While our genes play only a small role in shaping our microbiome, diet and lifestyle are far more important.

Normally, as people age, gut microbiomes lose diversity – the variety of microbial species – and beneficial microbes such as Bifidobacterium decline. This reduction in diversity has been linked to frailty.

Branyas’s gut told a different story. Her microbiome was as diverse as that of a much younger adult and was especially rich in the bacterial family Bifidobacteriaceae, including the genus Bifidobacterium.




Bifidobacterium

Bifidobacteria are among the first microbes to colonise an infant’s gut and are generally considered beneficial throughout life. Studies link them to supporting immune function, protecting against gastrointestinal disorders and helping regulate cholesterol.

Her diet offered a clue to why she maintained such high levels of Bifidobacterium. Branyas reported eating three yoghurts every day, each containing live bacteria that are known to support the growth of Bifidobacterium. She also followed a largely Mediterranean diet, a pattern of eating consistently linked to gut microbiome diversity and good health.

Other foods that encourage Bifidobacterium include kefir, kombucha and fermented vegetables such as kimchi and sauerkraut. These contain probiotics – live bacteria that can settle in the gut and confer health benefits. But probiotics need fuel. Prebiotics – dietary fibres we can’t digest but that our microbes thrive on – are found in foods like onions, garlic, leeks, asparagus, bananas, oats and legumes. Together, probiotics and prebiotics help maintain a balanced microbiome.




1925

María Branyas Morera’s life is a reminder that longevity depends on a delicate balance of genetics, lifestyle and biology. We cannot control every factor, but tending to our gut microbiome is one meaningful step toward lasting health.

Published 1st October 2025 by Rachel Woods – The Conversation
https://theconversation.com/what-the...-ageing-266161




Mmmm ... probiotics

[Bluegreen]

Worlds Most Powerful Centrifuge Begins Operations in China





China has launched CHIEF1300, the worlds largest and most capable centrifuge, able to generate up to 300 times Earth gravity on a 20 tonne payload. The facility is a core element of the Centrifugal Hypergravity and Interdisciplinary Experiment Facility (CHIEF), now under development in Hangzhou.

Designed and built by Zhejiang University, CHIEF includes three centrifuges and 18 in-flight devices distributed across six experimental cabins. Two larger centrifuges are still under construction. The system is engineered to sustain accelerations up to 1,500G, far exceeding the 2G felt on a roller coaster or the 5G experienced by astronauts at launch.

(1:37)

Source: https://youtube.com/watch?v=wACyc5N45rw

"In a hypergravity field, researchers can simulate real-world hydrogeological catastrophes, geological evolution and extreme environments in bench-top scale models within reasonable timeframe," said Chen Yunmin, chief scientist of the project. At 100G, a 1-meter model can stand in for a 100-meter structure, compressing a century-long contamination process into less than four days.

The CHIEF1300 centrifuge is housed in a 230-square-meter underground chamber. Its 6.4-meter-radius arm spins at high speed, with vacuum and wall-cooling systems reducing drag and heat. "CHIEF1300 was placed below ground level, and was equipped with vacuum and wall-cooling setups to mitigate the adverse influences of air resistance and machine heating," noted Ling Daosheng, chief engineer of the facility.

Early experiments have reproduced strong earthquakes to validate the seismic resilience of hydropower dam foundations, modeled tsunami effects on seabeds to guide offshore wind farm site selection, and simulated deep-sea pressures relevant to methane hydrate extraction. The centrifuge has also enabled synthesis of advanced metal alloys with high strength and ductility.

Chen emphasized that CHIEF will operate as an international research platform. "He looks forward to teaming up with the world's top research groups to accelerate discovery and spark innovation."

Published 30th September 2025 by Riko Seibo – Space Daily
https://www.spacedaily.com/reports/W...China_999.html

[Bluegreen]

Space Rock | WingMakers Music & Art

"Ancient Arrow Project - Chambers 01-09"






(1:01:20)

Source: https://youtube.com/watch?v=Iphx2PU_sqs

https://wingmakers.com/

[Bluegreen]

Fly Over Xanthe Terra With ESA's Mars Express



Let's go to outer space.

Published 2nd October 2025 (3:23)

Source: https://youtube.com/watch?v=6E6Cn5RSe_I

Rotating Moon from the Lunar Reconnaissance Orbiter

Published 5th December 2013 (0:24)

Source: https://youtube.com/watch?v=sNUNB6CMnE8

[Bluegreen]

Astronomers Observe Rogue Planet Growing Like Wildfire

It’s the fastest growth rate ever observed in a planet

https://www.tiktok.com/@trendsynth_a...05553503522079

A rogue planet some 600 light-years away has been going through a growth spurt, gobbling up gas and dust at a rate of 6 billion metric tons per second, researchers report in the Oct. 10 Astrophysical Journal Letters. The planet, which doesn’t orbit a star, holds the record for the fastest growth observed in any planet — with or without a host star — and provides clues about how free-floating planets are born.

Astronomers first spotted the young rogue planet, called Cha 1170-7626, in the southern hemisphere constellation Chamaeleon almost 20 years ago. The object, estimated to be five to 10 times as massive as Jupiter, was packing on the pounds by sucking up material from a surrounding disk of gas and dust, says astronomer Victor Almendros-Abad of the Palermo Astronomical Observatory in Italy.

He and his colleagues wanted to investigate the evolution of rogue planets, which may have formed around host stars like standard planets and then been flung from their homes, or formed in isolation from collapsing gas clouds like stars do.

Almendros-Abad will try to spy on the lonely planet again later this year to check if it’s still engorging itself. “We'll see. One discovery itself doesn’t tell you much about the big picture,” he says. The team aims to catch more rogue planets during gluttonous periods to assess how often and for how long these events occur.

Published 10th October 2025 by McKenzie Prillaman – Science News
https://www.sciencenews.org/article/...d-growth-spurt

[Bluegreen]

Madeline Kahn – I Ain't Got No Home



Here is the lovely and talented Broadway veteran, Madeline Kahn, to perform The Ballad of Cha 1170-7626: “I Ain't Got No Home”.

Source: https://youtube.com/watch?v=Kd4LZ5d9j5U

[Bluegreen]

The Sky At Night



https://earthsky.org/astronomy-essen...aturn-mercury/

[Bluegreen]

1 to 2 Starlink Satellites Are Falling Back To Earth Each Day

Currently, there are 1 to 2 Starlink satellites falling back to Earth each day. Soon there will be more. Satellites give us enormous benefits that are also multiplying. But are we doing enough to protect our delicate future in near-Earth space?

There are more than 8,000 Starlink satellites overhead at this moment. They’re a product of the space transportation company SpaceX. And that number is growing. Plus there are other companies and countries also deploying more and more satellites, adding to the number of satellites in Earth orbit. Many of these are in low-Earth orbits, which extend up to an altitude of 1,200 miles (2,000 km) above our planet. And the lifespan of low-Earth orbit satellites, such as Starlink, is only about 5 to 7 years. Soon, there will be up to 5 satellite reentries per day.

With all constellations deployed, we expect about 30,000 low-Earth orbit satellites (Starlink, Amazon Kuiper, others) and perhaps another 20,000 satellites at 1,000 km [620 miles] from the Chinese systems. For the low-orbit satellites we expect a 5-year replacement cycle, and that translates to five reentries a day.

Published 8th October 2025 by Kelly Kizer Whitt - EarthSky.org
https://earthsky.org/human-world/1-t...arth-each-day/





SpaceX recently launched 28 Starlink satellites on October 7, 2025, and launched 24 Project Kuiper satellites on October 11, 2025. These missions are part of ongoing efforts to expand their satellite constellations for internet services.

Upcoming Launches

October 12, 2025 19:19 - 21:54 CT
Starship's Eleventh Flight Test
Starship
Starbase, Texas
Expended

October 13, 2025 18:15 - 19:30 CT
SDA's Tranche 1 Transport Mission
Falcon 9
SLC-4E, California
Droneship

October 14, 2025 18:02 - 18:22 CT
Starlink Mission
Falcon 9
SLC-40, Florida
Droneship

October 15, 2025 02:04 - 06:04 CT
Starlink Mission
Falcon 9
SLC-4E, California
Droneship

October 17, 2025 19:09 - 23:09 CT
Starlink Mission
Falcon 9
SLC-40, Florida
Droneship

October 18, 2025 10:15 - 14:15 CT
Starlink Mission
Falcon 9
SLC-4E, California
Droneship

October 20, 2025 09:00 - 13:00 CT
Starlink Mission
Falcon 9
SLC-40, Florida
Droneship

https://www.spacex.com/launches

[Bluegreen]

Treasure Finders

Up to 20,000 Coins From Early Middle Ages Discovered by Man Digging for Worms

A man digging for worms at his summer house in Sweden has unearthed a stupendous treasure: a silver hoard of up to 20,000 coins from the Early Middle Ages.





A man went digging for worms outside Stockholm, Sweden, and made the discovery of a lifetime: a hoard of up to 20,000 silver coins intermingled with pearls, pendants and silver rings.

The hoard dates to the Early Middle Ages and weighs about 13 pounds (6 kilograms), according to a translated statement from the Stockholm County Administrative Board.

The worm digger, who found the hoard by his summer house, reported the finding to local government officials. Archaeologists are now examining the treasures, which had been placed in a copper cauldron that has largely degraded over time.

"This is probably one of the largest silver treasures from the early Middle Ages that has been found in Sweden," Sofia Andersson, an antiquarian at the County Administrative Board in Stockholm, said in the statement. "We don't yet know exactly how many coins there are, but I think it could be upwards of twenty thousand."

A preliminary analysis showed that most of the silver coins date to the 12th century. Some bear the text "KANUTUS," the Latin name for Knut, meaning they were minted during the reign of Swedish king Knut Eriksson, who ruled from 1173 to about 1195.




Three of the silver coins from the hoard, which depict (from left) the 12th-century Swedish king Knut Eriksson, a Gotland coin that may feature a church, and a rare bishop's coin. Notice the bishop's crosier.

A few of the coins are rare, including several "bishop coins" that were minted by powerful bishops, according to the statement. These coins depict a bishop holding a crosier, a shepherd's crook that was widely used by clergy as a symbol of their ecclesiastical work.

"It is completely unique; we have no other medieval treasures from Stockholm," Lin Annerbäck, director of the Medieval Museum in Stockholm, said in Swedish to the Swedish daily newspaper Dagens Nyheter. "And then it seems to be extremely large too. So it is very exciting."

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Ancient Roman tombstone found beneath undergrowth in New Orleans yard

A New Orleans couple doing yard work behind their house unexpectedly found a Roman headstone of a solider who died 1,900 years ago





When clearing undergrowth near their New Orleans "shotgun" house one day, a married couple discovered something completely unexpected: a Roman headstone that had once marked the grave of a soldier who lived half the world away in the second century.

Research into the unlikely object indicates that it is genuine, and its discovery hints at an international mystery that dates back to World War II.

"We get calls from the public about odd finds in yards in the area pretty often," said University of New Orleans archaeologist D. Ryan Gray, who analyzed the headstone. "Often it turns out to be something natural that just happens to look like an artifact."

In this case, the homeowners were Daniella Santoro, an anthropologist at Tulane University, and her husband Aaron Lorenz.

"When Daniella initially described this, I thought maybe it was a 19th-century gravestone that had been scavenged from a New Orleans cemetery and then discarded," Gray said. "However, as soon as I saw the photo of the inscription, I immediately suspected this was something very different."




The stone is about 12 inches (30 centimeters) wide and slightly longer, and one surface is densely chiseled with Roman text

Experts say the Latin inscription can be translated to English and reads: "To the Spirits of the Dead for Sextus Congenius Verus, soldier of the praetorian fleet Misenensis, from the tribe of the Bessi [of Thrace], (who) lived 42 years (and) served 22 in the military, on the trireme [warship] Asclepius. Atilius Carus and Vettius Longinus, his heirs, made (this) for him well deserving."

Published October 2025 by Laura Geggel and Tom Metcalfe – Live Science
https://www.livescience.com/archaeol...w-orleans-yard
https://www.livescience.com/archaeol...near-stockholm




Santoro had found the unusual marble tablet beneath the undergrowth in the backyard of her "shotgun" house in the city's historic Carrollton neighborhood.

[Bluegreen]

Bird Nerds



Goose Attacks Reporter as Students Deal With ‘Terror Bird’

Reporter finds out protective father means business.

(2:25)

Source: https://youtube.com/watch?v=UQVvf-bupEE

Rare Blue Jay/Green Jay Hybrid Found in Texas

A bird after my own heart.

(1:25)

Source: https://youtube.com/watch?v=pJEAtXyETfE

[Bluegreen]

Fleet of UFOs Over Gainesville, Georgia



Young couple tries to figure out what they are looking at. Clip plays twice.

(3:31)

Source: https://youtube.com/watch?v=x9NPBZw3DbM

[Bluegreen]

Natural Disasters

'Space Tornadoes' Could Cause Geomagnetic Storms, Havoc

Phenomena Still Under Study




The early structure of the CME in the SC domain. Credit: The Astrophysical Journal (2025)

Weather forecasting is a powerful tool. During hurricane season, for instance, meteorologists create computer simulations to forecast how these destructive storms form and where they might travel, which helps prevent damage to coastal communities. When you're trying to forecast space weather, rather than storms on Earth, creating these simulations gets a little more complex. To simulate space weather, you would need to fit the sun, the planets and the vast empty space between them in a virtual environment, also known as a simulation box, where all the calculations would take place.

Space weather is very different from the storms you see on Earth. These events come from the sun, which ejects eruptions of charged particles and magnetic fields from its surface. The most powerful of these events are called interplanetary coronal mass ejections, or CMEs, which travel at speeds approaching 1,800 miles per second (2,897 kilometers per second).

To put that in perspective, a single CME could move a mass of material equivalent to all the Great Lakes from New York City to Los Angeles in just under two seconds—almost faster than it takes to say "space weather."

When these CMEs hit Earth, they can cause geomagnetic storms, which manifest in the sky as beautiful auroras. These storms can also damage key technological infrastructure, such as by interfering with the flow of electricity in the power grid and causing transformers to overheat and fail.






Read more here and here

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Moonquakes

By studying Apollo-sampled boulders, accounting for seismic measurements, and analyzing imagery from NASA’s Lunar Reconnaissance Orbiter, US researchers have predicted the frequency and magnitudes of moonquakes at the Apollo 17 landing site. They now aim to do the same for active faults on the Moon’s south pole to protect future astronauts and hardware on long-term missions.




Predicted seismic shakemap intensities and ground-motion due to an active fault near the Apollo 17 landing site.

Unlike Earthquakes, moonquakes can last for hours, thereby posing a stability risk to vehicles operating nearby, structures, and individuals.

Read more here and here




This 1972 image shows Apollo 17 astronaut Harrison H. Schmitt sampling a boulder at the base of North Massif in the Taurus-Littrow valley on the Moon. This large boulder is believed to have been dislodged by a strong moonquake. The picture was taken by astronaut Eugene A. Cernan, Apollo 17 commander.

[Bluegreen]

What Do Astronauts Eat in Space?



The government shutdown has done the same to (as far as I can tell) all of the various NASA media outlets.

(1:32)

Source: https://youtube.com/watch?v=0nOlFG6XEpo

[Bluegreen]

Still from “Gold” starring Hans Albers and Brigitte Helm (1934 – Germany)

[Johnnycomelately]

I heard “4 trillion years ago” (about 4:20?). Sounded refreshingly anti mainstream science.

Lots going on out there. For anyone thinking about interstellar travellers, the huge plasma ‘wires’ described here, so-called filaments, yeah they may need to watch out for those.

No Bang - Just Currents, Episode 4: Evolutionary Hierarchies and Cosmic Filaments

LPPFusion

16.1K subscribers

Oct 14, 2025

Physicist and fusion researcher Eric Lerner presents a sweeping critique of the Big Bang theory and the standard model of cosmology at Demysticon 2025. He builds on the foundations of plasma physics and the work of Nobel laureate Hannes Alfvén to outline an alternative cosmological framework rooted in known physical laws—gravity, nuclear fusion, and electromagnetic plasma behavior—rather than hypothetical concepts like dark matter, dark energy, or cosmic inflation. He explores how filamentary plasma structures may account for galaxy formation, how fusion research using dense plasma focus devices parallels cosmic processes, and how the cosmic microwave background may not be relic radiation from a singular origin. Merging astrophysics, plasma cosmology, and fusion energy research, this talk reframes the origin and structure of the universe - and calls into question the prevailing narratives at the heart of modern theoretical physics.

In Episode 4, Lerner discusses ways to observe how filamentary structures pervade the universe, from super-clusters down to stars.

Source: https://youtube.com/watch?v=Yru0_EWadHw

[Bluegreen]

To develop the sixth sense, first you must develop the five.

– attributed to Harry Houdini et. al.

To finish first, first you must finish.

– Dick Trickle

https://www.tiktok.com/@demise90raci...43783137742086

[Bluegreen]

Halo of the Cat's Eye by Taavi Niittee (Tõrva Astronomy)





What created the unusual halo around the Cat's Eye Nebula? No one is sure. What is sure is that the Cat's Eye Nebula (NGC 6543) is one of the best known planetary nebulae on the sky. Although haunting symmetries are seen in the bright central region, this image was taken to feature its intricately structured outer halo, which spans over three light-years across.

Planetary nebulae have long been appreciated as a final phase in the life of a Sun-like star. Only recently however, have some planetaries been found to have expansive halos, likely formed from material shrugged off during earlier puzzling episodes in the star's evolution. While the planetary nebula phase is thought to last for around 10,000 years, astronomers estimate the age of the outer filamentary portions of the Cat's Eye Nebula's halo to be 50,000 to 90,000 years.




https://apod.nasa.gov/apod/

[Bluegreen]

Satellite Overload

Oct 7 2025 - SpaceX Launches 28 Starlink Satellites With a Falcon 9 Booster

SpaceX launched a Falcon 9 rocket Tuesday night, which added another 28 Starlink V2 Mini satellites to its megaconstellation in low Earth orbit. SpaceX launched this mission using the Falcon 9 booster with the tail number B1071. This is the second-most flown booster, with this being its 29th flight.

Published 7th October 2025 by Will Robinson-Smith - Spaceflight Now
https://spaceflightnow.com/2025/10/0...denberg-sfb-2/

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Oct 13 2025 - SpaceX Launches 24 Amazon Kuiper Satellites

After more than a week of launch delays, SpaceX launched its Falcon 9 rocket from Cape Canaveral Space Force Station with two dozen of Amazon’s Project Kuiper broadband internet satellites onboard Monday night.





The mission came about an hour and a half following the splashdown of SpaceX’s Starship rocket at the conclusion of Starship Flight 11.

Published 13th October 2025 by Will Robinson-Smith - Spaceflight Now
https://spaceflightnow.com/2025/10/1...eather-delays/

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Oct 14 2025 - SpaceX Launches 2nd Batch of Satellites for Space Development Agency

The Space Development Agency added another 21 satellites to its burgeoning low Earth orbit constellation thanks to a launch onboard a SpaceX Falcon 9 rocket. It is the second of ten launches that the SDA booked onboard Falcon 9 so far.

Published 14th October 2025 by Will Robinson-Smith - Spaceflight Now
https://spaceflightnow.com/2025/10/1...constellation/

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Oct 15 2025 - SpaceX Sends 28 Starlink Satellites to Low Earth Orbit

An overnight launch from Cape Canaveral Space Force Station allowed SpaceX to continue bolstering its Starlink satellite constellation in low Earth orbit.

The Thursday morning flight added another 28 V2 Mini satellites to the network of 8,600 currently on orbit, according to astronomer and expert orbital tracker, Jonathan McDowell. Of the more than 125 Falcon 9 launches in 2025, 91 have flown in support of SpaceX’s constellation prior to Thursday.

Published 15th October 2025 by Will Robinson-Smith - Spaceflight Now
https://spaceflightnow.com/2025/10/1...nk-satellites/

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THE THOLIAN WEB

Readers of a certain age will remember The Tholian Web. It appeared in a 1968 episode of Star Trek (The Original Series). Captain Kirk was caught between dimensions while Spock and crew rushed to rescue him. At the same time, the Tholians weaved a destructive energy web around the Enterprise.

Fast forward to 2025, and the Tholian Web is real.



https://spaceweather.com

The checkerboard streaks in this image were photographed by Lorenzo Comolli of Saint Barthelemy, Italy. He was trying to take a picture of Comet Lemmon in September, but as the exposure time increased, more and more Starlink satellites crossed the field of view.

"It seems that the promise of Musk of dark satellites is completely void. They are really bright (2nd and 3rd magnitude)," says Comolli. "This makes me worry for the future quality of the sky."

He's right to worry. Right now, Earth is surrounded by about 8000 Starlinks with future plans calling for 42,000. Amazon’s Project Kuiper has begun launching its own planned 3,200-satellite broadband fleet, while China is building two more megaconstellations: Guowang (13,000 satellites) and "Qianfan" ("Thousand Sails", 15,000-plus). Together, they could eventually rival or surpass Starlink.





Who are the Tholians? You decide.