NASA Astronomy Picture of the Day

August 18, 2025

NGC 1309: A Useful Spiral Galaxy

This galaxy is not only pretty – it's useful. A gorgeous spiral some 100 million light-years distant, NGC 1309 lies on the banks of the constellation of the River (Eridanus). NGC 1309 spans about 30,000 light-years, making it about one third the size of our larger Milky Way galaxy. Bluish clusters of young stars and dust lanes are seen to trace out NGC 1309's spiral arms as they wind around an older yellowish star population at its core. Not just another pretty face-on spiral galaxy, observations of NGC 1309's two recent supernovas and multiple Cepheid variable stars contribute to the calibration of the expansion of the Universe. Still, after you get over this beautiful galaxy's grand design, check out the array of more distant background galaxies also recorded in this sharp image from the Hubble Space Telescope.

https://apod.nasa.gov/apod/astropix.html

>>23476993

Don't touch the watch

Curiosity Blog, Sols 4629-4630: Feeling Hollow

Aug 18, 2025

Earth planning date: Wednesday, Aug. 13, 2025

Today’s team investigated the texture and chemistry of the bedrock within a topographic low, or hollow, found within the greater boxwork area.

We will place our APXS instrument on the “Asiruqucha” target, some light-toned, small-scale nodular bedrock in the middle of our workspace.

These data will help illuminate any systematic chemical trends between the hollows and ridges in this area. We always take an associated MAHLI image with every APXS measurement to help contextualize the chemistry.

We will also observe a small crescent-shaped rock named “Wedge Tailed Hillstar” with MAHLI, visible in the above Navcam image just above the letters “SI” written on Curiosity’s arm.

We will use our remote sensing instruments to continue documenting the region taking stereo Mastcam images of “Cerro Paranal," “Rio Frio,” and “Anchoveta.”

The ChemCam instrument will take an image of, and collect chemical information for, the target “Camanchaca,” as well as use its Remote Micro Imager (RMI) to take high-resolution imaging of more distant boxwork features.

Once these observations are completed Curiosity will set off on a 30-meter drive (about 98 feet), taking us to an interesting ridge feature to investigate in Friday’s plan.

As usual we will continue to take our regular atmospheric monitoring observations using REMS, RAD, and DAN.

https://science.nasa.gov/blog/curiosity-blog-sols-4629-4630-feeling-hollow/

https://science.nasa.gov/mission/msl-curiosity/science-updates/

https://earthobservatory.nasa.gov/images/154673/seeing-the-monroe-canyon-fire-in-a-new-light

Seeing the Monroe Canyon Fire in a New Light

August 18, 2025

In summer 2025, NASA’s ER-2 high-altitude aircraft flew over broad swaths of the western United States, collecting data for the multi-year Geological Earth Mapping Experiment (GEMx).

In this experiment, a joint effort between NASA and the U.S. Geological Survey, sophisticated instruments mounted on the aircraft were mapping land across the West in fine spectral detail to identify deposits of critical minerals.

Then, in late July, scientific opportunity arose as two major wildland fires raged in southwestern states.

At the time, the Monroe Canyon and Dragon Bravo fires were growing rapidly to consume tens of thousands of acres in Utah and Arizona, respectively. Both fires were burning in areas slated for mapping during the summer’s GEMx airborne campaign.

Given this overlap, scientists saw a unique opportunity for collaboration between GEMx and FireSense, a NASA project that leverages the agency’s technical capabilities to support wildland fire management.

“GEMx and FireSense have been working together closely for the past year to understand the capabilities of each mission and to determine how we can aid each other,” said Kevin Reath, NASA deputy program manager for GEMx.

Taking advantage of cloud-free conditions over the fires, GEMx capitalized on ER-2 flights in nearby smoke-free areas upwind to gain novel views of two active wildfires, as well as to collect mineralogy data per GEMx campaign plans.

Data captured during one of the flights over the Monroe Canyon fire are shown above. The MASTER (MODIS/ASTER Airborne Simulator) instrument acquired these images on July 30 at about 11:30 a.m. local time.

The false-color image (right) combines three midwave and shortwave infrared (MWIR and SWIR) wavelengths—4.05, 2.16, and 1.60 micrometers—to see through smoke plumes and identify the relative intensity of burning.

Active fire appears bright orange, recently burned areas are yellow-green, and live vegetation displays in shades of purple and dark blue. The left image is natural color, which resembles what the human eye would see.

MASTER’s infrared observations are useful for determining the maximum temperature in a fire and understanding how it might behave, said Jacquelyn Shuman, a forest ecologist at NASA’s Ames Research Center and project scientist for FireSense.

“Knowing how hot a fire is can tell you how high the smoke can go, how fast the fire can move, and how big it can be,” she said.

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The MASTER instrument can also distinguish between flaming and smoldering areas, which can inform firefighters of hot spots to keep an eye on.

The Monroe Canyon data were not used to support firefighting operations, Shuman said, although responders have used similar airborne observations in near real time during other fires.

Also operating on these flights, the AVIRIS-5 (Airborne Visible/Infrared Imaging Spectrometer-5) instrument collected measurements in hundreds of spectral bands.

The two instruments are complementary, said Shuman, with AVIRIS excelling at determining the fire perimeter.

July 30 was an active day for the Monroe Canyon fire. The image above, acquired during a second overpass at about 3 p.m., shows how the fire intensified along parts of its perimeter.

Fire managers reported that inversions had been lifting around midday each day, allowing for increased airflow into the fire. Conditions on July 30 included high temperatures, humidity around 5 percent, and wind gusts up to 36 miles (58 kilometers) per hour.

Scattered pyrocumulus clouds, formed by updrafts from the fire’s heat, were observed later in the afternoon, said Dave Peterson, meteorologist with the U.S. Naval Research Laboratory.

Peterson is also the principal investigator of the INjected Smoke and PYRocumulonimbus Experiment (INSPYRE) mission, which will investigate the types of fire behavior that produce pyrocumulus and pyrocumulonimbus (pyroCb) clouds.

“It’s commonly assumed that fires triggering pyroCb development are large and intense,” he said. “But we still don’t know: How large? How intense?”

Seeking answers to these questions and others, INSPYRE will collect MASTER observations of fires like Monroe Canyon at intervals as short as 20 minutes.

As for the GEMx mission, data from the Monroe Canyon and Dragon Bravo fires will bring a novel perspective to another ongoing field of research: how fire affects the spectral signatures of surface minerals.

“By collecting these data, we will further this research and be able to better characterize minerals on the surface in recently burned areas,” Reath said.

Improving surface mineral maps with cutting-edge geoscience data is one of the goals of the USGS Earth Mapping Resources Initiative, which funds GEMx.

Scientists for both GEMx and FireSense believe that their newfound symbiosis could lead to new knowledge about mineral discovery and improve the use of MASTER and AVIRIS sensors for fire management.

“This will likely be the best imagery of naturally caused wildfires we have to date,” Reath said, “and represents a success for both missions.”

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Duffy Wants NASA To Leave the Earth Behind

August 18, 2025

NASA will begin “moving away” from Earth sciences, Acting Administrator Sean Duffy told Fox News last week—a sharp shift in the agency’s focus since it was established in 1958.

Duffy’s comments align with the Trump administration’s broader efforts to scale back science spending, and provide some explanation for why NASA has requested vastly reduced funding for Earth sciences from $2.14B in FY2024 to $1.04B for FY2026.

“All of the science that we do is going to be directed towards exploration, which is the mission of NASA,” Duffy said. “That’s why we have NASA—is to explore, not to do all of these Earth sciences.”

Science is business, too: If Duffy’s comments reflect future NASA spending decisions, that could reduce revenue for the EO companies and satellite manufacturers that help fuel NASA Earth-focused missions, not to mention industries that look to NASA data.

“Attacking these efforts is also an attack on American industries like agriculture and fishing, which depend on the environmental data NASA provides to make key decisions,” Sen. Chris Van Hollen (D-MD), whose state is home to Goddard Space Flight Center, told Payload in a statement.

“These earth science missions are vital to our American competitiveness and economy today, and to our future, which is why I’m fighting to protect them.”

Legislation Van Hollen backs would restore science funding, but unless Congress acts before the end of the fiscal year, the Trump administration has signaled it will ignore Congressional priorities.

Sizing the cuts: NASA’s Earth sciences division has awarded millions in contracts to the space industry.

In 2023, it kick-started a commercial smallsat data acquisition program; it aims to “identify, assess, and acquire data from commercial providers” to supplement NASA or US agency Earth observations in a “cost-effective” way, according to the agency.

The program will last until 2028 and has a $476M ceiling over its lifetime. It supports 14 EO companies, and has so far issued $51M—with the bulk of funds going to Planet Labs, which has earned $20M under the program since its inception.

Last month, that program issued a solicitation to on-ramp potential new providers.

Someone has to build the satellites: In 2024, Goddard had an Earth sciences budget of $966.1M, and said in its year-end report that 80% of this budget went directly to US companies, academia, and non-profit institutions.

Some of Goddard’s largest commercial beneficiaries include A&D primes like Peraton, Lockheed Martin, and RTX. Goddard also said that in 2024 it awarded $819M in contracts to small businesses, though not necessarily all for Earth science projects.

Not everything: NASA’s FY 2026 budget request does support a handful of Earth science missions that will in turn lead to contracts for the commercial industry.

These investments include the NISAR, SWOT, SMAP, PACE, and GRACE-Continuity satellites, $70M to the Landsat program, $111M for Responsive Science Initiatives Research, and $51M for the Earth Sciences Technology Program.

https://payloadspace.com/duffy-wants-nasa-to-leave-the-earth-behind/

>>23476725

https://www.livescience.com/space/astronomy/oops-earendel-most-distant-star-ever-discovered-may-not-actually-be-a-star-james-webb-telescope-reveals

https://iopscience.iop.org/article/10.3847/2041-8213/aded93/meta

Oops! Earendel, most distant star ever discovered, may not actually be a star, James Webb Telescope reveals

August 18, 2025

The most distant star ever discovered may have been misclassified: Instead of being a single star, the object — nicknamed Earendel from the Old English word for "morning star" — may be a star cluster, a group of stars that are bound together by gravity and formed from the same cloud of gas and dust, new research suggests.

Discovered by the Hubble Space Telescope in 2022, Earendel was thought to be a star that formed merely 900 million years after the Big Bang, when the universe was only 7% of its current age.

Now, in a study published July 31 in The Astrophysical Journal, astronomers used the James Webb Space Telescope (JWST) to take a fresh look at Earendel.

They wanted to explore the possibility that Earendel might not be a single star or a binary system as previously thought, but rather a compact star cluster.

They found that Earendel's spectral features match those of globular clusters — a type of star cluster — found in the local universe.

"What's reassuring about this work is that if Earendel really is a star cluster, it isn't unexpected!" Massimo Pascale, an astronomy doctoral student at the University of California, Berkeley, and lead author of the study, told Live Science in an email.

"[This] work finds that Earendel seems fairly consistent with how we expect globular clusters we see in the local universe would have looked in the first billion years of the universe."

Ancient object

Earendel, located in the Sunrise Arc galaxy 12.9 billion light-years from us, was discovered through a phenomenon known as gravitational lensing, a phenomenon predicted by Einstein's theory of general relativity in which massive objects bend the light that passes by them.

A massive galaxy cluster located between Earth and Earendel is so large that it distorts the fabric of space-time, creating a magnifying effect that allowed astronomers to observe Earendel's light, which would otherwise be too faint to detect.

Studies indicate that the star appears at least 4,000 times larger due to this gravitational lensing effect.

This magnifying power is strongest in some special regions. If a star or galaxy happens to be right next to one of these regions, its image can be magnified hundreds or thousands of times brighter than normal.

Earendel seems to sit extremely close to one of these "sweet spots," which is why we can see it even though it is almost 12.9 billion light-years away.

Such near-perfect alignments are incredibly rare, which made astronomers consider alternative explanations beyond a single star.

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After Earendel's discovery in 2022, researchers analyzed the object using data from JWST's Near Infrared Imager (NIRCam).

By examining its brightness and size, they concluded that Earendel could be a massive star more than twice as hot as the sun and roughly a million times more luminous than our star.

In the color of Earendel, astronomers also found a hint of the presence of a cooler companion star.

"After some recent work showed that indeed Earendel could (but is not necessarily) be much larger than previously thought, I was convinced it was worthwhile to explore the star cluster scenario," Pascale said..

Using spectroscopic data from JWST's NIRSpec instruments, Pascale and team studied the age and metal content of Earendel.

The team looked at Earendel's spectroscopic continuum, which basically shows how its brightness smoothly changes across different wavelengths of light.

This pattern matched what would be expected from a star cluster and, at the very least, matched the combined light of multiple stars.

"The new part of this study is the NIRSpec spectrum, which provides a bit more detail than was possible with the NIRCam data," said Brian Welch, a postdoctoral researcher at the University of Maryland and NASA Goddard Space Flight Center who led the team that discovered Earendel in 2022 but was not involved in the new study.

But Welch doesn't think the new data is enough to confirm that Earendel is a star cluster.

"At the spectral resolution of the NIRSpec [instrument], the spectrum of a lensed star and a star cluster can be very similar.

It is therefore important to consider all available data when attempting to classify these highly magnified objects," Welch told Live Science in an email.

The researchers have only explored the "star cluster" possibility. They did not investigate all possible scenarios, like Earendel being a single star or a multiple star system, and compare the results.

"The measurement is robust and well done, but in only considering the star cluster hypothesis, the study is limited in scope," Welch noted. Both Pascale and Welch agreed that the key to solving Earendel's mystery is to monitor microlensing effects.

Microlensing is a subtype of gravitational lensing in which a passing object temporarily distorts the image of a distant object when a nearer object lines up in front of it as it passes by.

Changes in brightness due to microlensing are more noticeable when the distant objects are small — such as stars, planets or star systems — rather than much larger star clusters.

"It will be exciting to see what future JWST programs could do to further demystify the nature of Earendel," Pascale said.

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NASA astronaut reveals surprising truth when asked how much they get paid

Updated 10:39 17 Aug 2025 GMT+1

Have you ever wondered how much an astronaut earns? The answer may very well surprise you.

Travelling into space isn't a journey for the faint-hearted. Wannabe spacefarers will spend years in education studying for a degree in science or engineering and gaining flying experience before they can even be considered by organisations such as NASA or the European Space Agency (ESA).

Get the job and you're then expected to complete an average of two years in specialist training before you make it to the launchpad.

That's pretty extensive when you compare that to the amount of training most of us got for our jobs.

Then there's also the fact that going into space involves numerous risks, health implications and spending an extended period of time away from loved ones.

And don't even get us started on the overtime requirements when you're up in space.

Given the number of hoops which you have to jump through to secure a spot on the International Space Station (ISS), you'd presume that astronauts are very well compensated for their work, right?

Well, not as much as you'd expect, according to retired astronaut Nicole Stott.

The 62-year-old recently sat down to discuss all things space and space travel in an interview with LADbible.

So, how much does NASA compensate its astronauts financially?

"Not a lot," Nicole said, explaining that at the end of the day, astronauts are still public sector workers.

"Government civil servant," she added. "You don’t become an astronaut to get paid a lot of money."

How much does an astronaut get paid on average?

According to numerous reports, a NASA astronaut can expect to receive an average salary of $152,258 (£112,347) per year, however, this can vary depending on experience.

Meanwhile, Space Crew reports that ESA astronauts can expect to receive a starting salary of £54,416 for their work, rising with experience.

Salaries weren't the only topic Stott touched on in the interview, with the former astronaut revealing how you go to the toilet in space - and the stomach-churning way in which your 'liquid waste' is recycled during your stay.

Due to the lack of gravity in space, astronauts have to use a funnel attached to a tube for urination or carefully attach themselves to a specially designed seat to do any other business (via ESA).

"It's a little messy at first," Stott explained.

She also revealed that 'liquid waste' is then filtered and recycled into clean drinking water for the astronauts.

Yes, you heard that right. "We actually recycle all of the liquid waste, a majority of that into clean drinking water," she added.

"As my friend [current astronaut] Don Pettit likes to say 'yesterday's coffee becomes today's coffee'."

Which just goes to show, astronauts aren't doing the job for anything other than the love of space.

https://www.ladbible.com/news/science/nasa-astronaut-salary-how-much-paid-nicole-stott-758455-20250817

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=9YGyVeqnZq8

How Much Has Mercury Shrunk?

August 17, 2025

What do many baked goods and the planet Mercury have in common? They shrink as they cool.

Evidence suggests that since it formed about 4.5 billion years ago, Mercury has continuously contracted as it has lost heat.

And somewhat like a fresh-baked cookie or cheesecake, Mercury also cracks as it cools: Thrust faults cut through the planet’s rocky surface to accommodate the ongoing shrinking.

By observing how faults have uplifted parts of Mercury’s surface, researchers can begin to estimate how much Mercury has contracted since it formed.

However, prior estimates have varied widely, suggesting that thanks to faulting resulting from cooling, Mercury’s radius has shrunk by anywhere from about 1 to 7 kilometers.

To resolve this discrepancy, Loveless and Klimczakemployed an alternative method for estimating shrinkage caused by cooling-induced faulting on Mercury.

Prior estimates all relied on a method that incorporates the length and vertical relief of uplifted landforms, but that produces different shrinkage estimates depending on the number of faults included in the dataset.

In contrast, the new method’s calculations are not reliant upon the number of faults. Rather, it measures how much the largest fault in the dataset accommodates shrinkage, then scales that effect to estimate the total shrinkage.

The researchers used the new approach to analyze three different fault datasets: one including 5,934 faults, one including 653 faults, and one including just 100 faults.

They found that no matter which dataset was used, their method estimated about 2 to 3.5 kilometers of shrinkage.

Combining their results with prior estimates of additional shrinkage that may have been caused by cooling-induced processes other than faulting, the researchers concluded that since Mercury’s formation, the planet’s radius may have shrunk by a total of 2.7 to 5.6 kilometers.

The new estimates could help deepen the understanding of the long-term thermal history of Mercury.

Meanwhile, the authors suggest, the same methodology could be used to investigate the tectonics of other planetary bodies, like Mars, that feature faults.

https://www.space.com/astronomy/mercury/how-much-has-mercury-shrunk

Army Pursues Lighter, More Mobile Space Capabilities

Mon, 08/18/2025 - 08:31

As the U.S. competes against global adversaries in the space domain, the Army needs continued investment in technology to deliver capabilities to warfighters, the commander of Army Space and Missile Defense Command said.

“China and Russia are competing heavily in space and … that’s a competition that we can’t allow them to win,” Lt. Gen. Sean Gainey said Aug. 11 during a Defense News webinar.

“We need to continue our investments and continue to evolve the capability to be able to meet the needs of our warfighters on the ground.

So, we have to be able to deliver capability that allows our forces to be able to maneuver, shoot and communicate without impediment from space effects.”

Space and Missile Defense Command is prioritizing reorganizing the command, modernizing air and missile defense and delivering space capabilities to troops, Gainey said.

It also is augmenting close-fight activities to get “capabilities down to the tactical edge” and support troops in key areas throughout the world, he said.

The command also is embracing new technologies, such as high-altitude balloons, that could operate well in contested or denied environments.

Soldiers want capabilities that are “smaller, lighter, more mobile,” Gainey said, “so [we’re] taking the capabilities we have now, leveraging technology to make it smaller and mobile, and then the warfighter is able to push it down to the tactical edge.”

He added, “When you're in a contested and denied environment, you're looking at, ‘How can we leverage other platforms to provide some of the same or similar capabilities so we continue to have uninterrupted communication, continue to leverage … maneuver under obscureness?’ ”

The Army will continue to invest in its space capabilities and adapt to meet the needs of troops, Gainey said, citing as an example the creation of a new 40D space operations MOS.

“The Army realizes the environment, realizes the technology and the change in warfare, and we're seeing it in real time through some of the current conflicts in Ukraine and in the Middle East,” Gainey said.

Creating a cohort of Army space experts, via the new MOS, “is a natural progression to be able to keep up with the changing warfare environment and being able to leverage those next-gen … technologies to be able to put our soldiers in an advantage on the battlefield,” he said.

https://www.ausa.org/news/army-pursues-lighter-more-mobile-space-capabilities

Ukrainian terrorist attack on Crimean Bridge thwarted – FSB

18 Aug, 2025 05:20

A Ukrainian terrorist car bomb attack on the Crimean Bridge has been prevented, according to Russia’s Federal Security Service (FSB).

The explosive-laden electric car prepared by Kiev’s spy services has been intercepted and demined, the agency announced on Monday.

A Chevrolet Volt with a powerful improvised explosive device planted inside it had arrived in Russia from Ukraine via third countries, it said. According to the FSB, the rigged vehicle had crossed into Russia from Georgia.

The Ukrainian plan was to deliver the Chevrolet to Russia’s southern Krasnodar Region via a car transporter truck and then “pass it on to another driver, who was supposed to ride in it to Russia’s Crimea via the Crimean Bridge and become an unwitting suicide bomber,” the agency said.

“Despite all the trickery by the Ukrainian terrorists, the FSB officers managed to promptly uncover their plans, identify and defuse the explosive device… and also detain all those involved in its delivery to the territory of our country,” the FSB said.

The agency noted that this marked Kiev’s second attempt to target the 19km-long Crimean Bridge, also known as the Kerch Bridge, with an explosive-laden vehicle in 2025.

In April, the security service of Belarus intercepted a minivan loaded with more than 500 kg of synthetic explosives, intended for an attack on the strategic transport link connecting Krasnodar Region and Crimea in Russia, it said.

RT’s Igor Zhadov reports that some 130kg of Finnish-made explosives had been packed into the Chevrolet Volt.

The driver tasked with delivering the car to Crimea said during an interrogation that he knew that he had been working for Ukraine. However, he added that he had no idea there was a bomb inside.

He claims to have been hired to register the vehicle in Russia and deliver it to the peninsula via the Crimean Bridge for $2,500.

Senior Russian diplomat Rodion Miroshnik suggested that the bombing plot was “a new attempt by Ukraine and Co. to commit a terrorist act as a provocation to disrupt negotiations and the search for a peaceful resolution” of the conflict between Moscow and Kiev.

US President Donald Trump is expected to meet with Ukraine’s Vladimir Zelensky at the White House later on Monday. Zelensky was summoned to Washington after Friday’s summit in Alaska between Russian President Vladimir Putin and Trump, during which both leaders underlined their commitment to settling the Ukraine crisis.

https://www.rt.com/russia/623154-ukrainian-terrorist-attack-on-crimean-bridge/

Protesters attack government offices in Serbia

17 Aug, 2025 07:59

Fresh clashes between anti-government demonstrators and police have erupted in Serbia after offices of the ruling Serbian Progressive Party (SNS) were set on fire.

President Aleksandar Vucic has condemned the unrest, earlier stating that it was being fueled from abroad.

New clashes began on Wednesday in Valjevo, about 100km west of Belgrade, after videos of police using force against protesters spread online.

The footage spurred rallies in several cities, with opposition groups accusing authorities of heavy-handed tactics.

Clips posted online showed masked demonstrators throwing flares and stones at empty SNS offices, breaking windows before flames broke out inside. Firefighters arrived and extinguished the blaze.

Vucic described the violence as “an expression of total weakness” and promised to “punish the bullies.” ”Alongside all the bad things happening to our country and to us, there is one good thing – all the masks are off.

People see everything: the protesters’ nervousness and hysteria are growing, and the violence is becoming more obvious, because they have nothing left to offer,” he said in a video message on Saturday.

“The time of accountability has come, and everyone who burned and destroyed will be held responsible and punished for their crimes.”

He added that “no civil war” would be allowed and that “no one is stronger than the state, even with foreign support.” Vucic argued earlier this week that the unrest in Serbia was largely fueled from abroad, drawing parallels with the “color revolutions” seen in other countries.

In a related statement, Hungarian Foreign Minister Peter Szijjarto claimed the European Union is seeking to topple the governments of Hungary, Slovakia, and Serbia because they prioritize national interests over alignment with Brussels.

The unrest has “far exceeded civilized protest,” Russia’s Foreign Ministry said, adding that Moscow ”cannot remain unresponsive” to events in “brotherly Serbia” and expressed confidence that stability would be restored.

Student-led protests first broke out in 2024 after a railway station roof collapsed in Novi Sad, killing 16 people. Protesters alleged government corruption and demanded early elections.

https://www.rt.com/news/623107-serbia-protesters-attack-government-offices/

https://twitter.com/GlobalDiss/status/1956814025993716019

https://twitter.com/stijepovic_i/status/1956829714863083550

Zelensky could end conflict ‘immediately’ – Trump

18 Aug, 2025 05:47

Ukrainian leader Vladimir Zelensky could bring the fighting with Russia to a halt “immediately” by agreeing to a settlement that rules out NATO membership and entails territorial concessions, US President Donald Trump has said.

Zelensky has been summoned to the White House for a meeting on Monday to discuss the potential peace proposal.

According to reports, the plan could involve Kiev giving up its remaining positions in Donbass while freezing battle lines elsewhere in exchange for a halt to hostilities.

Zelensky “can end the war with Russia almost immediately, if he wants to, or he can continue to fight,” Trump wrote on his Truth Social network on Sunday.

“Remember how it started. No getting back Obama-given Crimea (12 years ago, without a shot being fired!), and NO GOING INTO NATO BY UKRAINE. Some things never change!!!” he added.

Trump was referring to the events of 2014, when the administration of then-US President Barack Obama did not intervene after Crimea voted to reunite with Russia following a Western-backed coup in Kiev.

The US president argues concessions may be needed for peace, but Zelensky insists Crimea and other regions remain Ukrainian and has rejected any compromise.

The meeting comes shortly after Trump’s talks with Russian President Vladimir Putin in Alaska, their first face-to-face encounter since the escalation of the Ukraine conflict in 2022.

Both leaders voiced cautious optimism that discussions could help move toward a resolution of the hostilities between Moscow and Kiev.

Moscow has repeatedly stated that any settlement should see Ukraine abandoning its NATO ambitions, undergoing demilitarization and denazification, and recognizing the new territorial reality on the ground, including the status of Crimea, Donetsk, Lugansk, Kherson, and Zaporozhye regions, all of which have voted to become parts of Russia.

Putin said any settlement must address Russia’s concerns, adding that restoring a fair balance in Europe is essential for lasting peace.

On Sunday, US special envoy Steve Witkoff told Fox News that Washington and its European allies were considering offering security guarantees to Ukraine outside the framework of NATO.

https://www.rt.com/news/623150-zelensky-could-end-conflict-immediately/

Coast Guard Continues Response to Chinese Research Vessel Activity in U.S. Arctic

Aug. 16, 2025

JUNEAU, Alaska — The Coast Guard is continuing its response to five Chinese research vessels operating in the U.S. Arctic.

The Coast Guard Arctic District has been monitoring activity and deployed a C-130J Hercules fixed wing aircraft from Air Station Kodiak Wednesday to query the vessels.

The U.S. Coast Guard, in conjunction with U.S. Northern Command and Alaskan Command, constantly monitor the activity of foreign vessels operating in and near U.S. waters in support of U.S. homeland defense and security efforts.

The Arctic is a growing zone of strategic global competition. The Coast Guard is the only U.S. surface presence in the Arctic and recently, in Alaska, commissioned U.S. Coast Guard Cutter Storis (WAGB 21), the service’s newest polar icebreaker, and U.S. Coast Guard Cutter Earl Cunningham (WPC 1159), the newest Sentinel-class fast response cutter.

“Commissioning the Storis and Earl Cunningham increases our ability to control, secure, and defend Alaska's U.S. border and maritime approaches,” said Rear Adm. Bob Little, commander, U.S. Coast Guard Arctic District.

“As we continue to grow our surface fleet, we utilize our aviation resources which play a vital role in countering foreign malign influence.”

The five Chinese Research Vessels are: Xue Long 2, China flagged; Shen Hai Yi Hao, China flagged; Zhong Shan Da Xue Ji Di, Liberia flagged; Ji Di, China flagged; and Tan Suo San Hao, China flagged.

https://www.news.uscg.mil/Press-Releases/Article/4276832/coast-guard-continues-response-to-chinese-research-vessel-activity-in-us-arctic/

Russian drone attack on Kharkiv: seven killed, 20 injured

18.08.2025 12:13

The death toll from this morning’s Russian drone strike on Kharkiv has risen to seven, according to Kharkiv Mayor Ihor Terekhov. Terekhov wrote this in a post on Telegram, as reported by Ukrinform.

“Another victim’s body has just been recovered at the site of the morning strike. Six peaceful Kharkiv residents have already been killed by the occupiers,” he stated.

Later, the mayor confirmed that the body of another victim had been pulled from the rubble following the morning’s terrorist shelling, bringing the total number of fatalities to seven.

As previously reported by Ukrinform, Russian UAVs attacked Kharkiv early on August 18, sparking fires in the city’s Industrialnyi district. Initial reports indicated five dead and 20 injured.

https://www.ukrinform.net/rubric-ato/4026794-russian-drone-attack-on-kharkiv-seven-killed-20-injured.html

https://t.me/ihor_terekhov/2991

Japan deploys large drone over Senkakus Islands amid China ship intrusions

August 18, 2025

TOKYO (Kyodo) – Japan is using a large coast guard drone, the SeaGuardian, to monitor the Senkaku Islands in the East China Sea amid repeated incursions into nearby waters by Chinese vessels, sources familiar with bilateral relations said Monday.

The use of the MQ-9B SeaGuardian, a U.S.-made remotely piloted aircraft equipped with state-of-the-art radar, is expected to help beef up security in Japan's territorial waters off the uninhabited islets, encompassing a vast area of about 4,740 square kilometers.

China Coast Guard ships regularly sail near the Senkakus, administered by Japan but claimed by China, which calls them Diaoyu. They were spotted on 355 days in 2024, marking a record high since the Japanese government put the islets under state control in 2012.

The operation of the drone is apparently intended to showcase Japan's resolve not to tolerate any unilateral attempts to change the status quo by force in the East China Sea.

The sources said the SeaGuardian has flown over the Senkakus several times since April, surveilling Chinese coast guard ships and capturing images.

It may be tasked with issuing aerial warnings to Chinese vessels not to enter Japan's territorial waters, according to the sources. The Japan Coast Guard has not disclosed the drone operations around the Senkakus.

The SeaGuardian, about 12 meters long with a wingspan of 24 meters, is steered by pilots at a ground operation center. Images and other data collected by the drone are checked by coast guard officers, who also issue instructions.

The Japan Coast Guard is currently operating three SeaGuardian drones, with two more to be added during the fiscal year through March 2026.

The SeaGuardian has been introduced for surveillance missions in the East China Sea, the Pacific, and the Sea of Japan, and is also deployed for maritime distress and disaster response.

Manufactured by General Atomics Aeronautical Systems Inc., the aircraft can fly continuously for more than 24 hours. In a single flight, it can complete a full circuit of the outer perimeter of Japan's exclusive economic zone.

The Japan Coast Guard began operating the SeaGuardian at a Maritime Self-Defense Force air base in Aomori Prefecture, northeastern Japan, but moved its base to Kitakyushu Airport in Fukuoka Prefecture, southwestern Japan, in January to prepare for full-scale operations.

https://mainichi.jp/english/articles/20250818/p2g/00m/0in/040000c

>>23477252

2nd image shouldnt be there

U.S. Army Pulls Off ‘First-of-Its-Kind’ Drone-on-Drone Takedown

August 15, 2025

The US Army has demonstrated a “first-of-its-kind” aerial strike: one drone taking down another mid-flight.

Using a first-person-view (FPV) SkyRaider quadcopter armed with a claymore mine, the service successfully destroyed a second drone during a recent test at Fort Rucker..

The armed quadcopter closed in on the target to achieve the takedown, detonating the claymore to neutralize the other unmanned aerial vehicle (UAV).

Although the FPV drone lost contact with the army upon detonation, communications quickly resumed, showing the system can be reused as a reliable air-to-air solution.

“In the skies above Fort Rucker, the first airborne destruction of an aircraft by an armed FPV drone in the history of the US Army was carried out,” the army announced.

The demo, conducted in coordination with the Combat Capabilities Development Command Armaments Center, took place just ahead of the army’s Unmanned Aircraft Systems Summit.

A Low-Cost Solution?

The test reflects the army’s shift toward unconventional solutions and a layered approach against hostile drones.

Arming UAVs with claymores could offer a low-cost option for countering low-altitude threats and striking ground targets in challenging environments.

As drones continue to dominate modern battlefields, the army’s test highlights the growing role of counter-drone systems in shaping regional conflicts.

“Drones are the biggest battlefield innovation in a generation, accounting for most of this year’s casualties in Ukraine,” said US Secretary of Defense Pete Hegseth, as quoted by The War Zone.

https://nextgendefense.com/us-army-drone-takedown/

https://twitter.com/173rdAbnBde/status/1955179468340826141

IDF Plans to Capture Gaza City, Prepares Construction of Field Hospitals for Evacuated Civilians

Monday, 18 August 2025 08:18 AM EDT

While the Israeli military continues to firm up plans for the capture of Gaza City, the IDF is also reportedly preparing to expand humanitarian support in other parts of Gaza, including building additional field hospitals ahead of mass civilian evacuations.

According to a Monday report in Ynet News, the military intends to establish more humanitarian zones and medical facilities to bolster international legitimacy for the planned offensive against remaining Hamas forces.

Previous field hospitals in the Gaza Strip were facilitated by the IDF, many of them built and operated by the United Arab Emirates.

According to the Ynet report, the IDF is currently conducting an assessment of the requirements and feasibility of the plan, which is awaiting approval from the political echelon.

On Saturday evening, reports in Hebrew media indicated the military had resumed allowing tents and other shelter equipment into the Gaza Strip in preparation for the planned evacuation of Gaza City's civilian population.

By Sunday afternoon, social media posts showed trucks loaded with tents waiting to enter the Strip.

By Sunday afternoon, social media showed trucks preparing to enter Gaza with the tents.

The entry of renewed aid comes as IDF Chief of Staff Lt. Gen. Eyal Zamir said he approved plans for the takeover of Gaza City and is expected to present them to Defense Minister Israel Katz for final approval on Tuesday.

While visiting the frontlines on Sunday, Zamir said, "Today we are approving the plan for the next phase of the war.

Just as in the recent operations in Iran, Yemen, Lebanon, Judea and Samaria, and Gaza, we will continue to reshape the security reality.

We will maintain the momentum of Operation 'Gideon's Chariots' while focusing on Gaza City. We will continue to strike until the decisive defeat of Hamas, with the hostages always at the forefront of our minds."

He also told IDF commanders, "In the upcoming campaign in Gaza, an attempt will be made to minimize the use of reserve forces as much as possible.

The expected evacuation of the population will last a little less than two months, and we are preparing for the complexity of moving the residents; therefore, we are preparing a variety of tools to encourage them to leave the city for the humanitarian areas.

After that, phases of encircling, entering, and conquering Gaza City will be carried out."

Alongside the reports of the IDF moving forward with an advanced plan for the Gaza City campaign, Saudi-affiliated news site Asharq Al-Awsat reported that Palestinian terror groups holding the remaining Israeli hostages are considering a plan to transfer the hostages into Gaza City ahead of the IDF campaign.

The move is an attempt to deter Israel from taking over the city.

Walla News reported that around 80,000 Israeli soldiers would be needed to encircle and occupy Gaza City as part of the effort to defeat the remaining Hamas forces there.

A military source told Walla, "This is a very broad plan that will exact a very heavy price from Hamas, but it also carries great risks for IDF forces."

The source also said that the IDF is already beginning to launch maneuvers in Gaza City to increase pressure on Hamas ahead of the campaign to capture the city.

Ahead of a government meeting on Sunday, Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu reiterated that the upcoming offensive was meant to achieve security control over the Gaza Strip, which he intends to maintain in the future.

"Our ongoing security control in the Strip is only one of our conditions for concluding the war, conditions that Hamas is refusing to accept.

We insist that not only must Hamas be disarmed, but also that Israel will enforce the demilitarization of the Strip over time by continuous action against any attempt at rearmament and reorganization by any terrorist element whatsoever," he said.

Meanwhile, reports in Arabic media say that Hamas is evaluating the latest Egyptian and Qatari proposals for a hostage-ceasefire deal.

Saudi Al-Arabiya TV reported that Egypt demanded an answer within hours, and asked Hamas and representatives from other terror groups to remain in Egypt until an agreement is reached.

At a Monday press conference at the Rafah crossing last Monday, Egyptian Foreign Minister Badr Abdelatty said Egypt is mediating with Qatar and the U.S. and holding intensive talks to restore calm, secure a ceasefire, and launch a serious political process to end the war.

Abdelatty added that there are currently Palestinian and Qatari delegations in Egypt to continue the negotiations.

https://www.newsmax.com/world/globaltalk/idf-israel-gaza-city/2025/08/18/id/1222881/

Armed terrorist cell eliminated during IDF operation in ‘old cemetery’ area in Khan Yunis

Aug 18, 2025, 9:32 AM (GMT+3)

Last week, troops from the Haruv Reconnaissance Battalion, under the Kfir Brigade, identified armed terrorists operating in the ‘Old Cemetery’ area in Khan Yunis, which posed a threat to the troops operating nearby.

The troops directed an Israeli Air Force aircraft that struck the structure in which the terrorists were operating and eliminated them.

Weapons were found on the terrorists’ bodies, including AK-47 rifles, RPG missiles, grenades, and explosives.

In another activity in the area, the troops located and dismantled rocket launchers.

"IDF troops under the Southern Command will continue to operate against the terrorist organizations in the Gaza Strip in order to protect Israeli civilians," the IDF stressed following the operation.

https://www.israelnationalnews.com/news/413448

Journey to Truth Podcast EP 382 | PANIC IN DC - Smithsonian "History" - What's In Alaska? - Melania & The Emerald Ring

Aug 18, 2025

Lots of cool Q drop tie-ins and digs and stuff related to the last couple weeks of happenins.

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=0rtz4PZQcGc

https://www.whitehouse.gov/briefings-statements/2025/08/letter-to-the-smithsonian-internal-review-of-smithsonian-exhibitions-and-materials/

https://x.com/MichaelSalla/status/1955236492374086047

https://x.com/WarClandestine/status/1955399704466034948

https://www.youtube.com/@AscensionDiaries

>>23477376

Ominous upload from Suspicious Observers

Are you getting ready?

Aug 17, 2025

Catastrophe is About to Happen: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=-sGPCMIQZLw (The Catastrophe Evidence Apr 3, 2024)

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=G7ONI2wpgfo

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=e4m1tjQDQGs