>>22369729

Venus and Saturn take a sunset stroll tonight

January 17, 2025

Venus and Saturn will appear extraordinarily close together in the night sky tonight during a celestial event known as a conjunction.

To see Venus and Saturn, look to the southwest immediately as the sun sets. Venus will be bright an unmistakable, shining at its best as an "evening star" throughout the month.

Saturn, nearby, will become visible to the naked eye as dusk fades to darkness and remain observable for around three-and-a-half hours past sunset, at which point the pair will sink below the horizon and out of view.

The two planets will pass within about two degrees of each other tonight (your clenched fist held at arm's length covers about 10 degrees of sky).

Two days after their close approach tonight, also known as an appulse, the two planets will enter a celestial arrangement that astronomers call a conjunction.

This means that when viewed from Earth the two bodies share the same right ascension, which is the astronomical equivalent of longitude in the sky.

The conjunction of Venus and Saturn will occur on Monday, Jan. 20 at 12:16 a.m. (0516 GMT), according to In-the-Sky.org.

Venus will shine brightly with a magnitude of -4.5, while Saturn will have an apparent magnitude of 1.0 (lower and/or negative numbers indicate brighter objects in the sky).

While the planets will be bright enough to be seen by the naked eye under clear, dark skies, a pair of binoculars or telescope can help viewers see the pair more clearly.

Despite their close approach, the two planets will be too widely separated to fit within the field of view of a telescope, but viewing each planet individually through a telescope could help bring out details such as Saturn's rings.

Both Venus and Saturn will be in the Aquarius constellation, the water bearer, during their close approach.

To help spot it, viewers should look towards the south in the evening sky, using the bright star Fomalhaut in the nearby Piscis Austrinus constellation as a guide to locate Aquarius.

Above Fomalhaut — one of the brightest stars in the night sky — viewers can look for the fainter stars that form a Y-shaped configuration representing Aquarius' water jar.

Saturn and venus will still appear close for a few nights following their conjunction, though more widely separated.

The alignment between Venus and Saturn is just one act of January's "planet parade," in which viewers can also expect to see other showrunners like Mars and Jupiter.

The four bright planets will appear to line up in the night sky shortly after sunset. Venus and Saturn will be in the southwest while Jupiter lies high overhead and Mars in the east.

Uranus and Neptune can also be seen during the planetary lineup, but a telescope will be required to spot them since they are not as bright.

https://www.space.com/stargazing/venus-and-saturn-take-a-sunset-stroll-tonight-heres-how-to-see-it

General Atomics Pitches Drone Launch System for US and Allied Warships

17 Jan 2025

General Atomics unveiled concepts for the installation of a new drone launch system on a variety of vessels, including the Royal Navy’s Daring-class (Type 45) destroyer and U.S. Navy’s Expeditionary Sea Base.

The company claims the “Electric Launch System for Unmanned Aircraft” is part of a broader effort to support the launching of drones in constrained environments both on land and at sea.

“As you know, with the proliferation of RPAS [Remotely Piloted Aircraft System] worldwide, whether on land or sea, we’ve been asked to look at the launch of RPAS in very small footprint from Navy vessels.

It’s been looked at primarily Europe right now. Possibly over in the Indo-Pacific area too,” Gary Hopper, Vice President of Strategic Development at General Atomics Electromagnetic Systems told Naval News.

The company stressed that the concepts shown on the show floor of the annual Surface Navy Association symposium were “entirely different” from the company’s Electromagnetic Aircraft Launch System seen on the Ford-class aircraft carriers and the future French Navy PANG.

According to Hopper, the concept prioritizes the launching of unmanned systems compared to the fighter and support aircraft launched from carriers.

Compared to EMALS, the drone launcher requires a minimal footprint on a vessel. Company graphics claim that the launcher only needs a 4 foot by 2 foot installation area.

“It doesn’t have the same redundancy, same requirements you have for manned flight. So it’s a lot simpler system that (can be) put on, possibly some the British carriers or other vessels,” said Hopper.

Installation proposals on the Royal Navy’s Queen Elizabeth-class and Japan Maritime Self-Defense Force’s Izumo-class carriers were also displayed.

In addition, a rendering for a ground-based system in support of expeditionary missions was highlighted.

Electromagnetic Systems also confirmed that Aeronautical Systems, a sister company, is examining this concept for the deployment of its Collaborative Combat Aircraft from land-based airfields.

Hopper noted that further designs were being examined by the company for other countries within the North Atlantic Treaty Organization and characterized the broader effort as an initiative by the alliance to get unmanned aerial systems onto vessels beyond aircraft carriers.

“There are other we’re looking at some other examples, other NATO countries. I’d say it’s more of a NATO initiative to look at putting it on aircraft.

So we use that particular vessel, but there are other vessels out there, again, similar, similar size. In fact, we’re talking about takeoff distance of 22 meters, not very long at all,” said Hopper.

General Atomics performed tests of its drones of HMS Prince of Wales (R09) and ROKS Dokdo (LPH-6111) in 2023 and 2024 respectively.

The company told Naval News that it is working on a “very unique recovery plan” given the lack of space on surface combatants and support vessels to receive the drones.

https://www.navalnews.com/event-news/sna-2025/2025/01/general-atomics-pitches-drone-launch-system-for-us-and-allied-warships/

DRONE BLAST Putin war drone blows up ‘INSIDE Nato territory’ after Western F-16 warplanes are scrambled and air raid sirens blare

Updated: 9:44, 17 Jan 2025

A RUSSIAN attack drone exploded inside Nato territory in a botched attack on Ukraine.

F-16 warplanes were scrambled as the assault is believed to have violated the airspace of Romania.

Footage showed a dramatic explosion believed to be on the Ukrainian side of the River Danube which forms the frontier with Romania.

But reports in Bucharest said the same wave of attacks that a Putin drone had crashed on the Romanian side.

The Russian incursion triggered the response by Nato fighters and an air raid warning to residents close to the Danube.

It comes just days after jets were scrambled on the border with Poland after a massive attack by Vlad.

Tensions remain high between Nato and Russia as the West continues to back Ukraine against Putin.

But the days are now counting down for new US President Donald Trump to take office on Monday.

He is believed to be preparing to prioritise a peace deal to try and end the bloody war which has been raging since February 2022.

Russia's latest attack came after Ukraine launched their largest strike of the wave with a clever "triple tap" wave of drones and missiles.

The Romanian defence ministry said: “At 1.35 am, two F-16 aircraft of the Romanian Air Force, part of the Air Police Combat Service, took off from the 86th Air Base in Borcea to monitor the air situation.

“The aircraft returned to base around 3.48am”. Nato officials were kept fully abreast of the suspected illegal incursion by Russia.

In a statement, the officials said: “The Ministry of National Defence sends a firm message of condemnation of these attacks carried out by the Russian Federation against Ukrainian civilian objects and infrastructure elements, which are unjustified and in serious contradiction with the norms of international law."

Putin will today be meeting with Iranian president Masoud Pezeshkian to sign a new 20 year pact between the two countries.

Iran has been key in supply drones to Russia - which have been used almost daily to pound Ukraine.

And it comes just one day after British Prime Minister Keir Starmer visited Kyiv and met with Ukraine's hero leader Volodymyr Zelensky.

Zelensky and Starmer signed a new 100-year alliance between Britain and Ukraine. The UK has been one of the biggest backers of Kyiv in the West.

The Sun exclusively revealed that British soldiers could form part of a peacekeeping force enforcing a buffer zone between Ukraine and Russia.

Starmer told us Trump is not about to pull the plug on Ukraine's war effort as key talks loom.

Speaking in Ukraine as Russian drones were shot down around him, the PM declared “nothing is off the table” in the UK’s hopes for “just and lasting” peace.

He told The Sun: “If there are to be security guarantees of some sort, the UK will play its part.”

In an interview in Kyiv, Sir Keir said he was confident Mr Trump will not walk away, saying the returning US leader — set to be sworn in next week — was “acutely aware” Russian President Vladimir Putin cannot be allowed to escape scot-free with his aggression.

But the incoming White House team has made it clear Ukraine must be “realistic” in talks over surrendering territory to Russia.

One plan could see hundreds of British and French boots on the ground patrolling a demilitarised zone between Russia and Ukraine after the past three years of bloody war following the invasion.

But both the PM and Ukraine’s Zelensky said the idea of European peacekeepers would only be acted on if it would be a credible barrier to further Russian invasions.

Sir Keir said: “It’s important that, if we get to that stage, the guarantees are capable of — and effective in — guaranteeing an enduring peace, not a pause.”

Zelensky insisted foreign troops could only be “one segment” of a peace plan — insisting Ukraine still needed full Nato membership to prevent another war.

Yesterday was Sir Keir’s seventh meeting with Mr Zelensky — and his first visit to Ukraine since gaining power last July.

Their meeting was interrupted by air raid sirens and anti-aircraft fire as an unmanned Kremlin reconnaissance craft flew above the presidential palace.

Inside the building, a frustrated Mr Zelensky vented his exasperation against continued delays over Ukraine joining Nato, launching an astonishing broadside at the US and Germany for frustrating the process.

Flanked by Sir Keir, he asked of his nation’s membership: “If not now, then when?” But the PM stopped short of naming a date for Ukrainian accession to the defence alliance.

https://www.thesun.co.uk/news/32851535/putin-war-drone-nato-warplanes/

Drones spotted over Long Island airport

Updated: Jan 16, 2025 / 02:05 PM CST

(NewsNation) — Repeated drone sightings over a Long Island airport have prompted local law enforcement officials to turn to technology to determine who may be behind the mysterious objects.

Officials have reported an unusually high number of drone sightings near Francis Gabreski Airport in Suffolk County in recent weeks.

The sightings have taken place in highly sensitive areas, including over runways and in restricted air space.

That has prompted investigators to turn to Dedrone, a highly sophisticated detection system that uses radar, cameras and artificial intelligence to pinpoint drones in real time.

Watch NewsNation’s TV special: “Hunting UFOs: The Crash Retrieval Whistleblower” on Saturday, Jan. 18 at 8 p.m. ET.

The airport is also home to the 106th Rescue Wing of the New York Air National Guard, which has increased concerns over the sightings.

President-elect Donald Trump has promised to make drones a priority, saying he would issue a report on the objects soon after taking office.

Christopher Brockmeyer, the Suffolk County Sheriff’s Office chief deputy chief, said officials will use the drone detection technology to get to the bottom of the sightings around the airport property.

“We’re going to use that information to potentially go and knock on doors and locate the actual operator and have a conversation as to what they’re doing,” Brockmeyer said.

Officials from the airport and the Air National Guard told NewsNation some of the drone sightings involved objects as large as cars. On Christmas Day, officials reported 17 different sightings at the airport.

https://www.newsnationnow.com/space/ufo/drones-long-island-airport/

>>22370014

Russian oil depot burns for fourth day after two Ukrainian drone strikes on Engels

17/01/2025

In the Russian city of Engels, Saratov Oblast, the oil depot at the Kristal plant has been burning for the fourth day after a second strike by Ukrainian drones, according to Current Time.

On 8 January, Ukraine’s General Staff confirmed that the Ukrainian Defense Forces had targeted the oil storage facility at the Kristal plant in Engels.

On 14 January, the 14th separate drone aviation regiment of Ukraine’s Armed Forces launched a second strike on the Engels-2 military airfield, hitting the oil depot once again.

Governor Roman Busargin states that the fire’s area has “significantly decreased” and that “specialized services and experts continue to work at the site to extinguish the fire.”

The fire response resulted in the deaths of two Ministry of Emergency Situations employees, with another hospitalized.

A state of emergency has been declared in the city, and local residents complain about the heavy smoke, although Busargin denied any air pollution.

According to reports, the attacks and the subsequent ongoing fire destroyed three fuel tanks and damaged six others, disabling a storage capacity of nearly 800,000 tons.

The Ukrainian General Staff noted that the strike created significant logistics problems for the Russian army and substantially reduced its capability to conduct strikes against Ukrainian cities and civilian objects.

https://euromaidanpress.com/2025/01/17/russian-oil-depot-burns-for-fourth-day-after-two-ukrainian-drone-strikes-on-engels/

Rare 'UFO clouds' spotted in UK skies

January 17, 2025

Skygazers in northern parts of the UK have been reporting otherworldly goings on taking place overhead.

What has been observed may look like flying saucers but they are actually lenticular clouds, also referred to by some as pancake or UFO clouds.

At their most spectacular around sunrise or sunset when illuminated by the low sun, they need the right weather patterns to make an appearance and are not especially common in the UK.

What are lenticular clouds?

The meteorological name for the clouds is altocumulus lenticularis. Lenticularis is Latin for lens-shaped, which aptly describes their appearance.

For them to occur in the UK we need to be on the edge of an area of high pressure, with a brisk wind blowing at a right angle to a hill or mountain range.

With high pressure systems, a layer of slightly warmer air can occur higher up in the atmosphere that acts like an invisible ceiling.

If that 'ceiling' occurs just above the hill tops the fast-flowing air bounces downwind of the hills.

It’s in the top of those bounces where cloud can form like a cap, and you can sometimes get several of them stacked on top of one another - like pancakes.

On Thursday and Friday morning south-westerly winds meant the clouds appeared to the north-east of the Grampians, Highlands and Pennines.

Will there be more this weekend?

With high pressure still close by and a brisk wind likely in the north and west of the UK it may be possible to see more of these stunning clouds over the weekend.

Due to a slight shift in wind direction areas with the best chance will be around Moray, north Cumbria and maybe north Wales.

https://www.bbc.com/weather/articles/cdjdd28edg3o

>>22370104

o7

https://www.newsweek.com/donald-trump-allies-aliens-2016552

What Donald Trump's Allies are Saying About Aliens

Jan 17, 2025 at 8:32 AM EST

Some of Donald Trump's top allies are saying aliens might be on the next administration's agenda, days before the President-elect returns to the White House.

Donald Trump Jr., former Congressman Matt Gaetz, and Representative William Timmons have all raised the possibility of a federal investigation into extraterrestrial life in the past week.

Newsweek contacted the Trump transition team for comment on this story via email.

With Senate hearings for his appointments well underway, Donald Trump's new administration is taking shape, and this week will be critical in setting the agenda for his first days in office.

Amid claims of alien cover-ups, many people want answers to recent questions around UFOs, including the November mystery drone sightings and a senate hearing that admitted testimony from military figures who believe national security is at risk.

On Thursday, Donald Trump Jr. indicated that investigations into alien life would be a focus of the new administration.

Speaking on his Triggered podcast to UAP (unidentified anomalous phenomena) expert Ross Coulthart, Trump said that the White House was "working on" investigations into UAP instances and alien life.

He also called on Elon Musk, another top ally of the president-elect, to help with any research.

"Obviously I've spent a lot more time with Elon Musk in the last few months during the transition. I've been down to see SpaceX launch and the technology that he's been able to create," Trump told Coulthart.

"I'm sure him and his top scientists are probably far more competent than anyone we have in government as it relates to propulsion systems, et cetera, et cetera," he added.

"Like I said, you know that I'm interested. It was the one, if I had one question, that was the one I wanted to know. So maybe we'll finally get to the bottom of it. I'm working on it. We're working on it. Promise."

His comments mirrored those of former Congressman Matt Gaetz, who was poised to become Trump's Attorney General before stepping down from the nomination.

In a January 16 interview on Jeremy Corbell's UFO Revolution show, Gaetz said that extraterrestrial life could become a threat to national security, saying:

"We've seen some patterns emerge that are absolutely a threat to national security, whether this is of human origin or not.

"We have members of Congress who believe not only that there are extraterrestrials on Earth, but that they have built bases, and are operating out of bases.

I have personally met with people in uniform working for the U.S. military who believe there are hybrid breeding programs going on right now.

"I've not seen evidence to suggest all these things are accurate, but when those claims arise, I get hot under the collar and we just don't get straight answers."

The increased conversation around alien activity comes amid revelations from a U.S. Air Force veteran who turned whistleblower.

In a NewsNation interview airing on Saturday, Jake Barber claims that he was contracted as a helicopter pilot to rescue crashed vehicles, some of which he believes were alien ships.

This follows hearings last year by the House Oversight Subcommittee on National Security, the Border, and Foreign Affairs, which heard from military witnesses testifying about inexplicable encounters.

At least three shared the belief that UFOs a pose a risk to national security and that no system exists for properly reporting sightings and experiences to government agencies.

Concerns over unidentified flying objects have increased after several waves of mystery drones were spotted in New England, with New Jersey officials sighting dozens of unexplained and unmanned drones flying along the coast.

The issue was raised in Congress repeatedly by lawmakers, but FBI officials were unable to explain the origin or nature of the objects, leading to several conspiracies about where they came from.

The drones were first sighted in November, with other sightings recorded throughout December.

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>>22370150

Podcaster Joe Rogan has highlighted UFO theories recently and, in mid-December, he talked about the idea that the government has deployed the drones to get Americans used to UFOs.

In another recent Rogan show, guest James Fox, a UFO investigator, who recently released his movie The Program, said the term "drone" is probably applied to anything "unidentified" to prevent mass panic.

Rep. Marjorie Taylor Greene, has hinted the mystery drones might be linked to government cover-ups involving extraterrestrial technology.

Other theories raised by Trump allies include Project Blue Beam: a theory raised by both Infowars host Alex Jones and comedian Roseanne Barr, that the government is planning to stage a fake alien invasion to create panic and establish authoritarian control.

And the Pentagon was forced to deny a claim by pro-Trump Republican New Jersey Representative Jeff Van Drew who said mystery drones were coming from Iranian "mother ship."

South Carolina Representative William Timmons, when asked by reporters Thursday about a House Intelligence Committee investigation into UAPs, said: "It's becoming increasingly front and center, so I think Intel's gonna have to get involved.

I think most of the members on the Committee have been generally unimpressed with the responses that we've gotten.

I think the Intelligence Committee will start looking into it more, because how do you not? I mean, you know, the increased frequency and degree of sightings has created a lot of buzz."

In a November congressional hearing addressing extraterrestrials, former Department of Defense Official Luis Elizondo said: "Let me be clear: UAP are real.

Advanced technologies not made by our government—or any other government—are monitoring sensitive military installations around the globe.

Furthermore, the U.S. is in possession of UAP technologies, as are some of our adversaries.

I believe we are in the midst of a multi-decade; secretive arms race—one funded by misallocated taxpayer dollars and hidden from our elected representatives and oversight bodies."

White House National Security Communications Advisor John Kirby stated that many of the drones reported last year were operating legally and lawfully.

Kirby said: "We assess that the sightings to date include a combination of lawful commercial drones, hobbyist drones and law enforcement drones, as well as manned fixed-wing aircraft, helicopters and even stars that were mistakenly reported as drones."

Donald Trump will be sworn in as the next president on Monday, reentering the White House after four years out of power.

He is expected to make several drastic changes to President Joe Biden's policies on Day One of his administration.

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'UFO Revolution' Journalist Says UAP Investigation Eroding Trust in Congress

1/16/2025 1:34 PM PT

Unidentified Aerial Phenomena have some people diving deep into aliens and others learning about the capabilities of advanced tech … and, most importantly, deconstructing Congress' lies, according to journalist Jeremy Corbell.

Corbell stopped by "TMZ Live" Thursday to discuss the new season two of "TMZ Presents: UFO Revolution" … saying that, despite the risk he might be putting himself by asking the tough questions, he's not scared.

Jeremy says he's knocking on the doors of important people in D.C. … and, the series gives people a lens into his life as he tries to figure out the answers to the big questions.

Corbell says UAPs make people wonder if humanity is alone in the universe … and, it's making people question lawmakers they once trusted to take the lead on anything UFO-related.

Jeremy says he feels the powerbrokers of Washington are going to try to lie to the American public again … and, he feels it's his job to expose all the falsehoods.

Corbell ends the interview by explaining what's needed to get to the bottom of this UAP investigation … take a listen to his advice for the public.

If you haven't seen the first two episodes of "TMZ Presents: UFO Revolution" available now on Tubi you have to go watch them

… 'cause they're chock-full of incredible moments, including one where Jeremy sees a never-before-seen photo of a UAP that was chased away from Pantex Nuclear Weapons Facility, one of America's most protected nuclear arsenals.

The third and final installment of 'UFO Revolution' drops tonight, only on Tubi.

https://www.tmz.com/2025/01/16/jeremy-corbell-ufo-revolution-uap-investigation/

https://tubitv.com/series/300002259/tmz-presents-ufo-revolution

With Mike Turner out, Rep. Timmons says House Intel "will start looking into [UAP] more"

Jan 16, 2025

Ask a Pol asks:

Do you think changing the leadership will make the House Intel Committee look more into the UAP issue?

Key Timmons:

“It's becoming increasingly front and center, so I think Intel‘s gonna have to get involved.

I think most of the members on the Committee have been generally unimpressed with the responses that we've gotten,” Rep. William Timmons exclusively tells Ask a Pol.

“I think the Intelligence Committee will start looking into it more, because how do you not?

I mean, you know, the increased frequency and degree of sightings has created a lot of buzz.”

Caught our ear:

“[Trump] said that we know, that we're just not telling,” Timmons tells us.

Interesting. So you expect we might see a little…?

“We’ll see…”

https://www.askapoluaps.com/p/mike-turner-ouster-win-for-uap

>>22370207

https://x.com/AskaPol_UAPs/status/1879740162298802505