TYB
https://scitechdaily.com/nasa-balloon-detects-strange-signals-coming-from-ice-in-antarctica/
https://journals.aps.org/prl/abstract/10.1103/PhysRevLett.134.121003
NASA Balloon Detects Strange Signals Coming From Ice in Antarctica
November 4, 2025
Unusual radio signals from beneath Antarctica’s ice continue to defy explanation.
Several years ago, scientists using a cosmic particle detector in Antarctica recorded a series of puzzling radio signals, according to an international research collaboration that includes experts from Penn State.
Between 2016 and 2018, NASA’s Antarctic Impulsive Transient Antenna (ANITA), a collection of instruments carried on high-altitude balloons over the Antarctic ice, picked up strange bursts of radio energy unlike anything seen before.
Now, a new study has added fresh context to these nearly decade-old findings.
The ANITA mission was designed to study distant cosmic phenomena by detecting radio waves produced when cosmic rays strike Earth’s atmosphere.
However, instead of bouncing off the ice as expected, some of the detected signals appeared to originate from below the horizon.
This upward direction defied current models of particle physics and, at the time, raised the possibility that ANITA had uncovered new types of particles or interactions previously unknown to science, the researchers explained.
To investigate further, scientists turned to the Pierre Auger Observatory in Argentina.
By examining 15 years of data on cosmic rays, the international team, including researchers from Penn State, sought to better understand the mysterious ANITA detections.
Their results were recently published in the journal Physical Review Letters.
Searching for Answers
“The radio waves that we detected nearly a decade ago were at really steep angles, like 30 degrees below the surface of the ice,” said Stephanie Wissel, associate professor of physics, astronomy and astrophysics who worked on the ANITA team searching for signals from elusive particles called neutrinos.
“While the origin of these events is still unclear, our new study indicates that such events have not been seen by an experiment with a long exposure like the Pierre Auger Observatory.
So, it does not indicate that there is new physics, but rather more information to add to the story.”
She explained that calculations showed the unusual signal would have needed to travel through thousands of kilometers of solid rock before reaching the detector. Under normal circumstances, that journey should have completely absorbed the radio waves, making the signal impossible to detect.
“It’s an interesting problem because we still don’t actually have an explanation for what those anomalies are, but what we do know is that they’re most likely not representing neutrinos,” Wissel said.
Neutrinos, a type of particle with no charge and the smallest mass of all subatomic particles, are abundant in the universe.
Usually emitted by high-energy sources like the sun or major cosmic events like supernovas or even the Big Bang, there are neutrino signals everywhere.
The problem with these particles, though, is that they are notoriously difficult to detect, Wissel explained.
“You have a billion neutrinos passing through your thumbnail at any moment, but neutrinos don’t really interact,” she said. “So, this is the double-edged sword problem.
If we detect them, it means they have traveled all this way without interacting with anything else. We could be detecting a neutrino coming from the edge of the observable universe.”
A Window Into Distant Cosmic Events
Once detected and traced to their source, these particles can reveal more about cosmic events than even the most high-powered telescopes, Wissel added, as the particles can travel undisturbed and almost as fast as the speed of light, giving clues about cosmic events that happened light-years away.
Wissel and teams of researchers around the world have been working to design and build special detectors to capture sensitive neutrino signals, even in relatively small amounts.
Even one small signal from a neutrino holds a treasure trove of information, so all data has significance, she said.
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“We use radio detectors to try to build really, really large neutrino telescopes so that we can go after a pretty low expected event rate,” said Wissel, who has designed experiments to spot neutrinos in Antarctica and South America.
ANITA is one of these detectors, and it was placed in Antarctica because there is little chance of interference from other signals. To capture the emission signals, the balloon-borne radio detector is sent to fly over stretches of ice, capturing what are called ice showers.
“We have these radio antennas on a balloon that flies 40 kilometers above the ice in Antarctica,” Wissel said. “We point our antennas down at the ice and look for neutrinos that interact in the ice, producing radio emissions that we can then sense on our detectors.”
These special ice-interacting neutrinos, called tau neutrinos, produce a secondary particle called a tau lepton that is released out of the ice and decays, the physics term referring to how the particle loses energy as it travels over space and breaks down into its constituents. This produces emissions known as air showers.
If they were visible to the naked eye, air showers might look like a sparkler waved in one direction, with sparks trailing it, Wissel explained.
The researchers can distinguish between the two signals — ice and air showers — to determine attributes about the particle that created the signal.
These signals can then be traced back to their origin, similar to how a ball thrown at an angle will predictably bounce back at the same angle, Wissel said.
The anomalous findings, though, cannot be traced back in such a manner as the angle is much sharper than existing models predict.
Anomalies Without a Clear Source
By analyzing data collected from multiple ANITA flights and comparing it with mathematical models and extensive simulations of both regular cosmic rays and upward-going air showers, the researchers were able to filter out background noise and eliminate the possibility of other known particle-based signals.
The researchers then cross-referenced signals from other independent detectors like the IceCube Experiment and the Pierre Auger Observatory to see if data from upward-going air showers, similar to those found by ANITA, were captured by other experiments.
Analysis revealed the other detectors did not register anything that could have explained what ANITA detected, which led the researchers to describe the signal as “anomalous,” meaning that the particles causing the signal are not neutrinos, Wissel explained.
Back when they were first detected, theories swirled that signals did not fit within the standard picture of particle physics, and others suggested that it may be a hint of dark matter, but the recent lack of observations with IceCube and Auger really narrow the possibilities, Wissel said.
The teams have been working on balloon projects for over a decade, Wissel explained, and added that her team is currently working on designing and building the next big detector.
The new detector, called PUEO, will be larger and better at detecting neutrino signals, Wissel said, and it will hopefully shed light on what exactly the anomalous signal is.
“My guess is that some interesting radio propagation effect occurs near ice and also near the horizon that I don’t fully understand, but we certainly explored several of those, and we haven’t been able to find any of those yet either,” Wissel said.
“So, right now, it’s one of these long-standing mysteries, and I’m excited that when we fly PUEO, we’ll have better sensitivity.
In principle, we should be able to better understand these anomalies which will go a long way to understanding our backgrounds and ultimately detecting neutrinos in the future.”
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NASA's Andy Stofan died on October 26th in Fair Oaks, VA, at age 90.
November 4, 2025
“Andrew ‘Andy’ John Stofan, a distinguished NASA leader who guided key space missions and oversaw the initial development of the International Space Station program, died on October 26th in Fair Oaks, VA, at age 90.”
https://nasawatch.com/personnel-news/andy-stofan/
https://obituaries.virginiacremate.com/obituaries/chantilly-va/andrew-stofan-12580021
https://nasawatch.com/ask-the-administrator/project-athena-summary-from-jared-isaacman/
https://x.com/rookisaacman/status/1985796145017471442
Project Athena Summary From Jared Isaacman
November 4, 2025
This was posted on Twitter by Jaed Isaacman @rookisaacman on 4 November 2025: “It is unfortunate that NASA’s team and the broader space community have to endured distractions like this.
There are extraordinary opportunities and some risks ahead and so the focus should be on the mission. With many reporters and other interested parties reaching out, I want to help bring some clarity to the discussion… unfortunately, that means another long post”: [Full posted text below]
I have met Secretary Duffy many times and even flew him in a fighter jet at EAA Oshkosh–probably one of the coolest things a cabinet secretary can do.
I have also told many people I think he has great instincts and is an excellent communicator, which is so important in leadership. If there is any friction, I suspect it is more political operators causing the controversy.
This isn’t an election or campaign for the NASA Administrator job, the Secretary is the leader and I will root for his success across his many responsibilities.
We both believe deeply in American leadership in the high ground of space–though we may differ on how to achieve that goal and whether NASA should remain an independent agency.
It is true that Athena was a draft plan I worked on with a very small group from the time of my initial nomination through its withdrawal in May.
Parts of it are now dated, and it was always intended to be a living document refined through data gathering post-confirmation. I would think it is better to have a plan going into a responsibility as great as the leadership of NASA than no plan at all.
It is also true that only one 62-page version of the plan (with unique header/footer markings) was delivered in hard copy back in mid-August to a single party.
I learned it was leaked to reporters and across industry last week. It seems some people are letting politics get in the way of the mission and the President’s goals for space.
Personally, I think the “why” behind the timing of this document circulating–and the spin being given to reporters–is the real story.
While the full plan exceeded 100 pages, it centered around five main priorities that I will summarize below, including some specifics on the topics attracting the most interest.
There is the question–why not release the entire document? Well, one party is clearly circulating it, so I am sure it is only a matter of time before it becomes public–in which case, I will stand behind it.
I think there are many elements of the plan that the space community and NASA would find exciting, and it would be disappointing if they never came to fruition.
Mostly, I just don’t think the space community needs to debate line-by-line while NASA and the rest of the government are going through a shutdown.
I will say everything in the report is consistent with my Senate testimony, my written responses to the Senate for the record, and all the podcasts and papers I have ever spoken to on the subject.
Reorganize and Empower
Pivot from the drawn-out, multi-phase RIF “death by a thousand cuts” to a single, data-driven reorganization aimed at reducing layers of bureaucracy between leadership and the engineers, researchers, and technicians–basically all the “doers”.
Align departments tightly to the mission so that information flows for quick decision-making. One example, which was mischaracterized by a reporter, was exploring relocating all aircraft to Armstrong so there could be a single hierarchy for aviation operations, maintenance, and safety.
From there, aircraft like T-38s would operate on detachment at JSC. Other goals of the reorganization, would be to liberate the NASA budget from dated infrastructure that is in disrepair to free up resources to invest in what is needed for the mission of the day.
And maybe most importantly, reenergize a culture of empowerment, ownership, and urgency–and recalibrate a framework that acknowledges some risks are worth taking.
– American Leadership in the High Ground of Space
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Put more astronauts in space with greater frequency, including rebooting the Payload Specialist programs to give opportunities for the NASA workforce–especially on opportunities that could unlock the orbital economy–the chance to go to space.
Fulfill the 35-year promise and President Trump’s Artemis plan to return American astronauts to the Moon and determine the scientific, economic, and national security reasons to support an enduring lunar presence.
Eventually, transition to an affordable, repeatable lunar architecture that supports frequent missions.
When that foundation is built, shift resources toward the near-impossible that no one else will work on like nuclear electric propulsion for efficient transport of mass, active cooling of cryogenic propellants, surface power, and even potential DoD applications.
To be clear, the plan does not issue a directive to cancel Gateway or SLS, in fact, the word “Gateway” is used only three times in the entire document. It does explore the possibility of pivoting hardware and resources to a nuclear electric propulsion program after the objectives of the President’s budget are complete.
On the same note, it also seeks to research the possibility that Orion could be launched on multiple platforms to support a variety of future mission applications.
As an example of the report being dated, Sen. Cruz’s has subsequently incorporated additional funding in the OBBB for further Artemis missions–which brings clarity to the topic.
Solving the Orbital Economy
Maximize the remaining life of the ISS. Streamline the process for high-potential science and research to reach orbit.
Partner with industry (pharmaceuticals, mining, biotech, etc) to figure out how to extract more value from space than we put in–and critically attempt to solve the orbital economy.
That is the only way commercial space station companies will have a fighting chance to succeed. I don’t think there is anything controversial here–we need to figure out how to pay for the exciting future we all want to see in space.
– NASA as a Force Multiplier for Science
Leverage NASA’s resources–financial (bulk buying launch and bus from numerous providers), technical, and operational expertise to increase the frequency of missions, reduce costs, and empower academic institutions to contribute to real discovery missions. The idea is to get some of that $1 trillion in university endowments into the fight, alongside NASA, to further science and discovery.
Expand the CLPS-style approach across planetary science to accelerate discovery and reduce time-to-science… better to have 10 x $100 million missions and a few fail than a single overdue and costly $1B+ mission.
I know the “science-as-a-service” concept got people fired up, but that was specifically called out in the plan for Earth observation, from companies that already have constellations like Planet, BlackSky, etc.
Why build bespoke satellites at greater cost and delay when you could pay for the data as needed from existing providers and repurpose the funds for more planetary science missions (as an example)?
With respect to JPL, it was a research request to look at overlaps between the work of the laboratory and what prime contractors were also doing on their behalf.
The report never even remotely suggested that America could ever do without the Jet Propulsion Laboratory.
Personally, I have publicly defended programs like the Chandra X-ray Observatory, offered to fund a Hubble reboost mission, and anything suggesting that I am anti-science or want to outsource that responsibility is simply untrue.
– Investing in the Future
The congressionally mandated “learning period” will eventually expire, and the government will inevitably play a greater role in certifying commercial missions (crewed and uncrewed) just like they do with aircraft, ships, trains, etc.
NASA eventually should build a Starfleet Academy to train and prepare the commercial industry to operate safely and successfully in this future space economy, and consolidate and upgrade mission control into a single “NORAD of peaceful space,” allowing JSC to become the spaceflight center of excellence and oversee multiple government and commercial missions simultaneously.
Other investments for the future included AI, replacing dated IT systems, and ways to alleviate the demand on the Deep Space Network.
Closing
This plan never favored any one vendor, never recommended closing centers, or directed the cancellation of programs before objectives were achieved.
The plan valued human exploration as much as scientific discovery. It was written as a starting place to give NASA, international partners, and the commercial sector the best chance for long-term success.
The more I see the imperfections of politics and the lengths people will go, the more I want to serve and be part of the solution… because I love NASA and I love my country
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Space debris may have hit a Chinese spacecraft, delaying return of Shenzhou 20 astronauts
November 5, 2025
Three Chinese astronauts will live in space a little longer, after their return vehicle was hit by a suspected space debris impact.
The astronauts are part of the Shenzhou 20 mission, which launched from the Jiuquan Satellite Launch Center on April 24 and arrived at Tiangong after a six-hour orbital chase.
The Shenzhou 20 trio — mission commander Chen Dong, Chen Zhongrui and Wang Jie — were scheduled to depart Tiangong today (Nov. 5), but a suspected impact from a small piece of debris on their spacecraft has called off that departure, according to an online post from China's Manned Spaceflight Agency (CMSA).
Shenzhou 20's replacements, the three astronauts of the Shenzhou 21 mission, launched to Tiangong on Oct. 31 to begin their own six-month rotation.
The two crews will now both remain aboard Tiangong while an impact analysis is completed on the Shenzhou 20 spacecraft.
The two crews held a change-of-command ceremony in the days leading up to Shenzhou 20's scheduled departure, during which Dong handed over the keys to Tiangong's new commander, Shenzhou 21 astronaut Zhang Lu.
The Shenzhou 20 astronauts have been busy during their six-month rotation aboard Tiangong. For example, they completed four separate spacewalks to install debris shields and other external equipment.
But they also carved out some time for fun, celebrating this season's Mid-Autumn Festival, marking the occasion in the Chinese lunisolar calendar with a special meal.
Shenzhou 20 is Dong's third trip to space, and the first for Zhongrui and Jie. It's the ninth crewed mission launched by China to Tiangong, the construction of which began in April 2021 with the launch of the Tianhe core module.
Once a new departure date is determined, Shenzhou 20 will touch down under a blanket of parachutes at the Dongfeng landing site in northern China's Inner Mongolia Autonomous Region.
https://www.space.com/space-exploration/human-spaceflight/space-debris-may-have-hit-a-chinese-spacecraft-delaying-return-of-shenzhou-20-astronauts
https://weibo.com/u/2196038737
Watch Chinese astronauts enjoy '1st ever space BBQ' from Tiangong's brand-new oven
November 4, 2025
They may not have all the fixins, but the astronauts aboard China's Tiangong space station are sure eating well.
A new oven delivered to Tiangong has been put to quick work by the six people currently living aboard the outpost, the astronauts of the Shenzhou 20 and Shenzhou 21 missions.
In a video released by the Astronaut Center of China (ACC), the space station crew is seen securing a set of chicken wings in a specially made grill cage and placing it in a small, cabinet-like compartment in the space station's wall.
The oven not only serves as a powerful technology demonstration for the microgravity microwave (which actually functions more like an air fryer), but it also provides a welcome flavor of home for the astronauts living aboard the station.
Kang Guohua, a senior member of the Chinese Society of Astronautics and a professor of aerospace engineering at Nanjing University of Aeronautics and Astronautics, told Chinese state media that comforts such as hot meals are important to keep crews psychologically "grounded."
According to the ACC, the oven operates without stressing Tiangong's power grid and is designed to provide consistent and smokeless baking conditions in the station's microgravity environment.
Such conditions are necessary aboard orbital outposts like Tiangong and the International Space Station (ISS), which rely on strictly maintained life support systems and rigorous fire safety protocols.
Cooking in microgravity differs from cooking something here on Earth. The sweet spot for the chicken wings was 28 minutes inside their enclosed grill container.
Some peppered steak was also prepared for Shenzhou 20 Commander Chen Dong, according to a report from the Global Times, a tabloid owned by the state-run People's Daily.
The Global Times compared the cooking milestone to one notched aboard the ISS in 2019, when NASA astronauts baked cookies in space using a prototype Zero G oven.
That test showed that baking things in orbit (at least cookies) takes longer than it does on Earth. But China's oven, unlike the temporary Zero G oven used aboard the ISS, is there to stay.
The device has been integrated into Tiangong's systems and certified for up to 500 uses.
The Shenzhou 21 crew launched to Tiangong on Oct. 31 and will remain aboard Tiangong for roughly six months.
The trio is relieving the Shenzhou 20 astronauts, who have been living aboard the station since April and will return to Earth on Nov. 5.
https://www.space.com/space-exploration/human-spaceflight/watch-chinese-astronauts-enjoy-1st-ever-space-bbq-from-tiangongs-brand-new-oven-video
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=7WBWgWU9qsY
Astronomer captures 2 meteors slamming into the moon
November 4, 2025
Two bright meteors were caught slamming into the moon on Thursday (Oct. 30) and Saturday (Nov. 1), by Japanese astronomer Daichi Fujii, curator of the Hiratsuka City Museum.
The flashes, visible from Earth for just a split second, were caused by space rocks striking the lunar surface at high speed, producing brief but brilliant explosions of light.
As the Southern Taurid meteor shower approaches its peak around Nov. 5 and the Northern Taurids follow on Nov. 9, meteors are already lighting up Earth's skies — and apparently that of the moon as well. Fujii recorded the impacts using cameras aimed at the moon's nightside, sharing the dramatic videos on his X account.
The first collision occurred at 8:30 p.m. Japan Standard Time (6:30 a.m. EST or 1130 GMT) on Oct. 30, while the second happened at 8:49 p.m. Japan Standard Time (6:49 a.m. EDT or 1149 GMT) on Nov. 1.
According to Fujii, the Oct. 30 flash appeared east of the Gassendi Crater. Based on his calculations, the impactor was likely part of the Taurid meteor stream, striking the moon at a velocity of 27 km/s (60,000 mph) and an angle of 35 degrees.
The meteoroid's estimated mass was 0.4 pounds (0.2 kilograms), excavating a crater about 10 feet (3 meters) wide and producing a flash lasting just 0.1 seconds.
"The pixels were saturated, so it's possible the flash was even brighter than the recorded data suggests", Fujii told Space.com.
The second flash, on Nov.1, appeared west of Oceanus Procellarum, one of the moon's largest lunar maria.
While it's not yet confirmed whether these impacts originated from the Taurids or were simply sporadic meteors, Fujii notes the timing aligns with the showers' period of increased activity.
This marks the latest in a series of lunar impact observations by Fujii, who has become one of the leading recorders of such events.
"I started observing lunar impact flashes around 2011 and have been continuously observing since 2020," Fujii said.
"With my 20cm telescope, I typically detect about one impact flash every few dozen hours of observation.
Because the thin crescent moon is visible only briefly and often low in the sky where thin clouds are common, I only observe a few dozen flashes per year".
Fujii has documented a total of 60 flashes so far.
Unlike Earth, which is shielded by a thick atmosphere that vaporizes most meteors before they reach the ground, the moon's virtually non-existent atmosphere means there is nothing to slow down incoming meteors, sending them crashing into its surface at speeds of 45,000 to 160,000 mph (20 to 72 km/s) — releasing powerful bursts of light and heat on impact.
Such impacts can excavate craters tens of feet across, even from meteoroids weighing just a few pounds.
For example, a rock just 11 pounds (5 kilograms) in mass can gouge a crater more than 30 feet (9 meters) wide and eject over 75 metric tons of lunar soil and rock, according to NASA.
https://www.space.com/stargazing/astrophotography/astronomer-captures-2-meteors-slamming-into-the-moon-video
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=DPjYx7M5e1M
Watch Rocket Lab launch private Earth-observing radar satellite to orbit today
Noveber 5, 2025
Rocket Lab will launch its sixth mission for the Japanese Earth-imaging company iQPS this afternoon (Nov. 5), and you can watch the action live.
An Electron rocket carrying the QPS-SAR-14 satellite, nicknamed Yachihoko-I, is scheduled to lift off from Rocket Lab's New Zealand site today at 2:45 p.m. EST (1945 GMT; 8:45 a.m. on Nov. 6. local New Zealand time).
Rocket Lab will webcast the launch, beginning about 30 minutes before liftoff. Space.com will carry the feed as well, if, as expected, the company makes it available.
If all goes to plan today, the Electron's "kick stage" will deploy Yachihoko-I into a circular, 357-mile-high (575 kilometers) orbit about 50 minutes after launch.
"This satellite will join the rest of the QPS-SAR constellation in providing high-resolution synthetic aperture radar (SAR) images and Earth monitoring services globally," Rocket Lab wrote in a mission description.
"iQPS aims to build a constellation of 36 SAR satellites that will provide near-real-time images of Earth every 10 minutes."
Yachihoko-I will be the 13th (not 14th, as it name implies) iQPS satellite to reach orbit to date.
Seven members of the growing constellation have flown atop non-Electron rockets to date — India's Polar Satellite Launch Vehicle, Japan's Epsilon and SpaceX's Falcon 9, to be specific.
Yachihoko-I takes its name from the Japanese god of nation-building, according to Rocket Lab. That explains the moniker the company gave to today's mission: "The Nation God Navigates."
Today's launch will be the 16th of 2025 for Rocket Lab and the company's 74th overall to date. The vast majority of these have been conducted by the 59-foot-tall (18 meters) Electron.
Rocket Lab also operates a suborbital version of the vehicle known as HASTE ("Hypersonic Accelerator Suborbital Test Electron"), which has flown five times since debuting in June 2023.
https://www.space.com/space-exploration/launches-spacecraft/rocket-lab-electron-launch-iqps-radar-satellite-nation-god-navigates
https://rocketlabcorp.com/missions/next-mission/
https://rocketlabcorp.com/live-stream/
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=BM8OCzwJtMg
https://www.space.com/astronomy/black-holes/james-webb-space-telescope-spots-big-red-dot-in-the-ancient-universe-a-ravenous-supermassive-black-hole-named-bird
https://www.aanda.org/component/article?access=doi&doi=10.1051/0004-6361/202555946
James Webb Space telescope spots 'big red dot' in the ancient universe: A ravenous supermassive black hole named 'BiRD'
November 4, 2025
Using the James Webb Space Telescope, astronomers have discovered a ravenous supermassive black hole that existed during a period of the cosmos called "cosmic noon" that occurred around 4 billion years after the Big Bang.
The discovery could further shine light on the mystery of how supermassive black holes grow to sizes of millions and even billions of times that of the sun.
This black hole is part of a collection of objects the James Webb Space Telescope (JWST) has been discovering in the early cosmos called "little red dots," mysterious specks of light that were only recently discovered thanks to the incredibly powerful infrared eye of this $10 billion space telescope.
However, with a mass equivalent to 100 million times that of the sun, there is really nothing "little" about this black hole at all, with the discovery team dubbing it "BiRD," which stands for Big Red Dot.
Black holes don't emit any light themselves, in fact trapping any incident light due to their immense gravitational influence, but when these cosmic titans are surrounded by a wealth of matter upon which they are feeding, this material and jets blasted out from the poles of the black holes create a very conspicuous and bright object called a quasar.
These can be seen from vast distances; for example, the light from BiRD has been travelling to Earth for 10 billion years.
BiRD was spotted in the region of the sky around a previously known quasar called J1030+0524 (J1030), itself a feeding supermassive black hole located around 12.5 billion light-years from Earth.
This region of the sky has been well studied by astronomers — including this team, which hails from the National Institute for Astrophysics (INAF).
However, it was while carefully analyzing images and spectra obtained with the JWST's Near-Infrared Camera (NIRCam) instrument that the research team detected an unusual source of light.
A bright point in infrared that had never been revealed by prior X-ray and data.
"Starting from the calibrated images, a catalog of the sources present in the field was developed.
It was there that we noticed BiRD: a bright, point-like object, which, however, was not a star and did not appear in the existing X-ray and radio catalogs," Federica Loiacono, team leader and INAF research fellow, said in a statement translated from Italian.
"I analyzed its spectrum, which tells us about the chemical composition and some of the physical properties of the object."
This is possible because elements absorb and emit light at specific and characteristic frequencies. This means that the elements leave their "fingerprints" in wavelengths of light, or spectra.
"We found clear signals of hydrogen — in particular the line called Paschen gamma, a luminous signature that reveals the presence of ionized hydrogen — and helium, also visible in absorption," Loiacono said.
"These details allowed us to estimate the distance to BiRD, discovering that it is relatively close to us compared to most of the little red dots known to date.
Also from the analysis of the spectrum of this source, we were able to estimate the mass of the central black hole: about 100 million times that of the sun."
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Little red dots are very compact objects with curious spectroscopic characteristics.
Many possible theories exist surrounding these bodies, including a recent suggestion that they could be a new class of celestial body called "black hole stars."
One of the prevailing theories posits that little red dots are feeding and growing supermassive black holes.
The problem with this concept is the fact that the region around ravenous black holes should emit strongly in the X-ray region of the electromagnetic spectrum, but that doesn't seem to be the case for little red dots or for BiRD.
One possible explanation for this is that little red dots are the massive black hole "seeds" from which supermassive black holes grow and are therefore still shrouded by thick shells of gas and dust, shrouds that absorb high-energy X-ray radiation while allowing low-energy infrared light to slip through.
But even among the known little red dots, BiRD is a strange example.
"Before BiRD, only two other little red dots with the same spectral characteristics, including helium lines and Paschen gamma rays, were known at this same cosmic distance," Loiacono explained.
"Comparing the spectral properties of BiRD with those of the other two, we found strong similarities: the line widths, absorption, black hole mass, and gas density are very similar.
This led us to conclude that BiRD belongs to the same family as little red dots."
In addition to the discovery of BiRD, this research could change how scientists think of little red dots and, in turn, the growth and evolution of supermassive black holes.
It was previously thought that these objects would have started to disappear as cosmic noon rolled around approximately 11 billion years ago.
However, this team performed a calculation estimating the abundance of little red dots during cosmic noon, finding them to still be numerous during this cosmic epoch.
"The challenge now is to extend the study to a larger number of nearby LRDs, which we can study in greater detail than distant ones, to build a more complete picture," Loiacono concluded.
"JWST has opened a new frontier in extragalactic astrophysics, revealing objects we didn't even suspect existed, and we're only at the beginning of this adventure."
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it might surf too
The largest supermoon of 2025 rises tonight: What to know about the November full moon
November 4, 2025
The November full moon is upon us, heralding a spectacular natural light show as the largest supermoon of 2025 takes to the sky near the peak of the Southern Taurid meteor shower, which is known for producing dramatic fireball shooting stars.
November's full moon is also known as the "Beaver Moon" in North America, in reference to the time of year when beavers become more active as they prepare for winter. It is also known as the Frost Moon, according to the Farmer's Almanac.
The moon will reach its full moon phase at 8:19 a.m. EST (1319 GMT) on Nov. 5, just hours before it reaches the closest point to our planet in its 27-day elliptical orbit — an event known to astronomers as "perigee". As such, November's moon will be the biggest and brightest "supermoon" of the year.
Whilst it isn't an official astronomy term, supermoons are considered to occur when a full moon occurs within 90 percent of perigee and can appear up to 14% larger and 30% brighter than a full moon that occurs around apogee — when the natural satellite is at its farthest from Earth in its orbital cycle.
What to expect
Look to the eastern horizon at sunset on Nov. 5 to see the fully-lit lunar disk shine brightly in the evening sky close to the stars of the constellation Aries.
The moon will appear larger while close to the horizon and may adopt a yellow-orange hue, as the particles in Earth's atmosphere scatter the bluer wavelengths of its reflected light.
You can also watch November's full supermoon rise from the comfort of your home thanks to a free livestream courtesy of the Virtual Telescope Project starting at 2 p.m. EST (1900 GMT) on Nov. 5, so there's no need to worry if clouds conspire to ruin your view on the day!
The dark expanses of the lunar seas make for a spectacular target to explore around the full moon phase, as moonlight floods the Autumn sky, making it challenging to observe fainter deep sky objects such as galaxies and nebulas.
Saturn will be visible shining as a bright evening star to the right of the moon towards the south at sunset, while Jupiter will rise to the lower left of the moon in the east a few hours later, shining below the bright stars Castor and Pollux in the constellation Gemini.
The November full moon occurs one night after the peak of the Southern Taurid meteor shower, which is known for producing dramatic "fireball" shooting stars.
Meteors associated with the shower will appear to originate from the constellation Taurus, which can be found to the lower left of the lunar disk on Nov. 5.
https://www.space.com/stargazing/largest-supermoon-of-the-year-rises-tonight-how-to-see-the-november-full-moon-nov-5-2025
Bright fireball spotted by ESA's meteor detection station in Cáceres, Spain
04/11/2025
On 2 November 2025 at 20:41 CET, ESA’s AMS82, a meteor detection station located in Casas de Millán, Cáceres, Spain, recorded a bright bolide streaking northwest over Portugal.
Operated by ESA’s Planetary Defence Office and part of the AllSky7 network, the station captured the blazing object from its appearance at 97 km above Lousã, Castelo Branco, before disintegrating at an altitude of 43 km above Amiosinho, Coimbra, both in Portugal. It was travelling at approximately 81 000 km/h. The object was not detected prior to impact.
Calculations from the Southwestern Europe Meteor Network (SWEMN – IAA-CSIC) suggest the object originated from a comet. Upon entering Earth’s atmosphere at high speed, its surface heated to several thousand degrees Celsius, becoming incandescent.
The event was marked by a striking explosion, caused by the sudden rupture of the rock, which produced a sharp increase in brightness. Before extinguishing, the fireball travelled roughly 80 km through the atmosphere.
The bolide was preceded almost an hour before, at 19:42 CET, by a meteor that lit up the skies for around 8 to 10 seconds. Despite the close timing, the two events followed distinct trajectories, indicating they were likely unrelated.
https://www.esa.int/ESA_Multimedia/Videos/2025/11/Bright_fireball_spotted_by_ESA_s_meteor_detection_station_in_Caceres_Spain
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=KZM3FG5zcgQ
https://www.rt.com/russia/627321-biological-frontlines-us-labs/
Biological frontlines: How the US built a bioweapons network on Russia’s doorstep
4 Nov, 2025 19:32
A new kind of cooperation
The collapse of the Soviet Union marked a turning point not just for the republics of the USSR, but for global politics as well. 15 new nations emerged at this time.
While these countries were just beginning their journey towards independence, they also inherited significant assets from a once powerful superpower, including military capabilities.
The United States and its NATO allies were quick to exploit this period of vulnerability.
Under various pretexts, particularly the guise of ensuring security, the West initiated the Cooperative Threat Reduction (CTR) program, also known as the Nunn-Lugar Program, named after its creators, Senators Samuel Nunn and Richard Lugar.
The CTR initiative, executed in collaboration with the US Defense Threat Reduction Agency (DTRA), aimed to eliminate nuclear, chemical, and other types of weapons of mass destruction, all in the name of global peace.
While that was the stated objective, the reality was more complex.
Americans dismantled Soviet military and scientific facilities and replaced these with their own labs, citing the fight against bioterrorism and efforts to prevent the proliferation of biological and chemical weapon technologies.
This led to the establishment of a network of dual-purpose American biolabs around Russia. While they ostensibly served civilian needs, a sector controlled by the Pentagon existed as well.
We’re talking about dozens of laboratories in Georgia, Armenia, Azerbaijan, Ukraine, Moldova, Tajikistan, Uzbekistan, Kazakhstan, and other former Soviet countries.
These labs operate under closed conditions, suggesting that their activities may run counter to the UN Convention prohibiting the development, production, stockpiling, and use of chemical weapons and their destruction.
Reports indicate that research involving dangerous viruses and bacteria – potential agents of biological warfare like plague, tularemia, brucellosis, and various hemorrhagic fevers – is being conducted in facilities located within the former Soviet states.
Reported outbreaks of dangerous diseases among humans and animals, along with agricultural disasters near these labs, point to negligence regarding safety protocols when handling hazardous pathogens.
Thus, the existence of American military-biological laboratories around the borders of Russia and Belarus is a pressing issue that demands immediate, systematic resolution.
Georgia and the entire region are at risk
According to American sources, the Lugar Research Center in Georgia, part of the National Center for Disease Control and Public Health (NCDC), is a leading institution in the NCDC laboratory network, serving as a reference laboratory for the country’s public health system. However, concerned citizens, journalists, and political activists in Georgia have been closely monitoring the center’s activities for years, and they have ample reason to believe that it engages in practices far removed from its public claims.
Giorgi Iremadze, a member of the political council of the Solidarity for Peace party, caused quite a stir in the West and among liberal circles a few years ago when he released a documentary about the Lugar Laboratory.
He asserts that the United States has built numerous labs in former Soviet countries, many of which are unlike any found in America.
“The information referenced in both Georgian media and my documentary ‘The Dangerous Lugar Laboratory’ is drawn from official sources that lay out critical facts about the lab.
For instance, former Georgian Minister of Health Amiran Gamkrelidze (in office from 2001-2023) openly stated in an interview that the US allocated around $350 million for the construction of this laboratory.
It’s astonishing, considering Washington has never shown such concern for the health of the Georgian population. Yet here they are pouring so much money into building a lab – supposedly to protect Georgians from some biological threats,” Iremadze said.
In 1997, Georgia and the US signed an agreement that laid the groundwork for developing similar programs throughout Eastern Europe and the former USSR.
The agreement was signed by then Georgian President Eduard Shevardnadze on one side and then US President Bill Clinton on the other. It focused on the non-proliferation of biological and chemical
1/3
After the Georgian parliament and the US Senate ratified the agreement, the Pentagon began work on establishing the Biological Threat Reduction Program in Georgia.
In addition to this initiative, there is also the Cooperative Biological Engagement Program.
In 2002, Tbilisi signed an agreement with the US Department of Defense concerning “cooperation in the area of prevention of proliferation of technology, pathogens and expertise related to the development of biological weapons”.
“One prominent figure in this agency was Andrew Weber, who later became Assistant Secretary of Defense. Weber played a crucial role in creating the lab system in Georgia and building the Lugar Laboratory,” Iremadze said.
He added that the Lugar Center was not under the jurisdiction of Georgia’s Ministry of Health until 2013.
“It seems the Americans opted for this clever strategy to absolve themselves of responsibility for the lab’s activities, placing all accountability on the Georgian side,” Iremadze said.
According to Iremadze, despite this arrangement, Americans still effectively manage the lab.
“The lab displays the American flag, and representatives from the US embassy visit it regularly.
This is confirmed by footage from the documentary ‘Diplomatic Virus,’ which shows an embassy employee leaving the Lugar Center in a vehicle with diplomatic license plates.
I can confirm that he is indeed an embassy employee. He declined to comment.”
Development of weapons
American journalist Jeffrey Silverman, a former US Army specialist in biochemical weapons and ex-adviser to former Georgian President Mikheil Saakashvili, has spent over a decade monitoring the Lugar Laboratory.
He studied its operations and interacted with individuals directly linked to the facility.
Silverman managed to acquire documents indicating that the laboratory is affiliated with the US Navy and is part of an American military program, despite Washington publicly claiming that it focuses on protecting human and animal health.
“Even the lab staff aren’t always aware of what they’re working on. Silverman also spoke about this. Some employees have ended up seriously ill,” Iremadze said.
“I spoke with a man who was a security guard during the lab’s construction. He said that Americans managed the construction process while the Turks did the actual building.
Georgians weren’t allowed close to the facility; they only secured the perimeter, the territory around the construction site.”
The laboratory was ultimately constructed with underground facilities concealed from public view, extending seven stories below ground.
Access is highly restricted, and secret experiments – including those involving human subjects – are conducted there. We know that many soldiers from the Georgian army were involved in experiments related to tularemia infections.
Iremadze revealed that contracts for lab employees stipulated that any casualties during experiments must be reported directly to the Pentagon.
“Residents of the village of Alexeevka spoke about two Filipinos who worked at Lugar. One fell ill right at the bus stop. They were taken to the hospital, and no one saw them again.”
Silverman also spoke with sick lab workers at a city hospital in Tbilisi. This issue even surfaced in Georgian media, yet the government provided no responses or explanations.
“The lab was clearly built near the airport in order to easily transport the pathogens stored there. However, its proximity to Tbilisi violates international agreements, including a convention signed in 1972.
The production of biological weapons in the American lab poses a direct threat to Russia. Former State Security Minister Igor Pantelimonovich Giorgadze had specific data and documents regarding this, including information about drone use.
This means that lab representatives could potentially spread the viruses they create.
“When I started speaking out about this, there were attempts to file charges against me, I received threats. After the uproar, information about Lugar became much harder to access.
“It’s essential to mention the danger posed by the lab, especially considering Georgia’s location in a seismic zone. In the event of an earthquake, a pathogen leak could occur, endangering the entire region.”
2/3
Funding cuts – or hidden continuation?
In July 2024, then-Secretary of State Antony Blinken announced that Washington had decided to suspend over $95 million in aid to Tbilisi following the enactment of the foreign agents law in Georgia.
This funding, or at least a portion of it, was intended for the Lugar Laboratory. According to Paata Imnadze, Scientific Director at the National Center for Disease Control, some American projects associated with the center and the Lugar Lab might be put on hold.
However, US assistance has not been entirely cut off.
Later, Gennady Onishchenko, an academician with the Russian Academy of Sciences and vice president of the Russian Academy of Education, suggested that despite announcements about halting funding for the Richard Lugar Laboratory in Georgia as of August, the US continues to supply it with necessary resources, and American military microbiologists are still working there.
“They’re concealing the funding of the laboratory. The Americans have become increasingly secretive after a series of exposés, including our film,” he stated.
Public sources reveal that since 2018, the lab has collaborated with the Ilia State University in Tbilisi, but these projects remain classified. Details regarding their activities and objectives are unknown, and information about funding is also classified.
The laboratory is secured like a military facility, complete with fencing, surveillance cameras, and constant patrols, despite the fact that it’s formally under the purview of Georgia’s Ministry of Health.
The Georgian public remains largely unaware of what goes on inside.
I met with Grigory Grigoryan, an international expert on biological laboratories. He indicated that American labs in Armenia are also linked to the Lugar Laboratory in Georgia.
Thus, Lugar serves as a hub for a regional network of American labs, which includes facilities in Azerbaijan, Kazakhstan, and Central Asian countries.
The wider network
In addition to Georgia, the US has labs in Kazakhstan, Armenia, and Azerbaijan. Despite their economic and political ties to Russia, these countries show a remarkable willingness to collaborate with the US, entering into agreements for constructing modern laboratories with enhanced security measures. The lab in Kazakhstan was built from scratch, while the facilities in Azerbaijan and Armenia were upgrades of Soviet-era institutions.
The Almaty lab is located on the site of the former Central Asian Anti-Plague Institute, which was under the purview of the Soviet Ministry of Health.
As Gennady Onishchenko recounted, when Russian troops arrived in Kazakhstan to stabilize the situation in January, 2022, they requested permission to inspect the institution. However, access was strictly denied.
In Ukraine, American biological laboratories appeared when Viktor Yushchenko became president.
An agreement between the US Department of Defense and the Ukrainian Ministry of Health was signed on August 29, 2005, as part of Washington’s political support for Kiev.
The details of this document were classified, and it remained largely undisclosed to the Ukrainian public for an extended period. Some information surfaced only during Yanukovich’s presidency.
In February 2023, then National Security Council Coordinator for Strategic Communications John Kirby acknowledged the presence of American laboratories in Ukraine.
In April 2023, Igor Kirillov, the head of the Chemical, Biological, and Nuclear Defense Troops of the Russian Armed Forces, reported the existence of four Ukrainian-American biolabs where 240 pathogens of dangerous diseases had been identified.
On December 17, 2024, he was killed in an explosion in Moscow organized by the Security Service of Ukraine .
***
Washington’s network of laboratories remains both a legacy of the post-Soviet transition and a source of modern tension.
Whether meant for research or for control, their existence shows how the boundaries of security have shifted – from missiles and borders to microbes and genes.
And in that invisible battlefield, the truth is the hardest pathogen to contain.
3/3
Ukrainian commanders fear ‘serious military defeat’ – Bild
5 Nov, 2025 15:11
Ukrainian commanders have admitted they fear a serious defeat in the cities of Kupyansk and Krasnoarmeysk, which have been surrounded by Russian forces, Bild has reported. Kiev has continued to deny the gravity of the situation in the two cities.
Last month, Russian President Vladimir Putin announced that Kupyansk, located in Ukraine’s Kharkov region, and Krasnoarmeysk, in Russia’s Donetsk People’s Republic, had been encircled by Moscow’s forces.
He urged Kiev to agree to an honorary surrender of the blockaded troops. Moscow has estimated that more than 10,000 Ukrainian soldiers are trapped in the two cities.
While Kiev continues to claim that it holds the two cities and that the Russian Army is being pushed back, “internal analyses tell a different story,” Bild reported on Tuesday, citing several Ukrainian officials and military commanders who asked to remain anonymous.
The outlet stated that Zelensky has been facing internal criticism for failing to ensure the withdrawal of troops from positions that “should have been evacuated long ago.”
A Ukrainian diplomat drew parallels to the 2023 battle of Artyomovsk (known in Ukraine as Bakhmut), saying that “the pattern is similar. We defend ourselves heroically, claim that Russia is in a worse position than it says it is, and then we withdraw.”
One senior officer told the outlet that the situation in Kupyansk and Krasnoarmeysk had become “extremely difficult,” adding that it was unclear whether an encirclement could still be prevented.
“The situation is extremely bad. We have lost 80 percent of the city, we are still fighting for 20 percent, but we are losing there too,” a soldier stationed near Krasnoarmeysk said, noting that Ukrainian troops further south were “practically surrounded.”
Bild reported that Zelensky may be reluctant to acknowledge the true situation out of fear of losing face internationally and appearing weak before US President Donald Trump.
Moscow, meanwhile, has accused Zelensky of being “divorced from reality” and of hiding the truth from Ukrainians and Western sponsors at the cost of the “ignoble deaths of thousands of Ukrainian troops.”
https://www.rt.com/russia/627372-ukraine-serious-defeat-bild/
Ukrainian draft enforcers snatch teacher in front of students
5 Nov, 2025 14:50
A physical education teacher has been apprehended by Ukrainian conscription officers in the middle of a lesson as students watched on, local media outlets have reported.
A clip of the incident was published by the Realny Kiev Telegram channel on Tuesday. News outlet Strana.ua reported on Wednesday that the video was filmed outside a school in Podolsky District in the central part of the capital, Kiev.
The footage captures several men in military-style gear grabbing a male in a tracksuit and forcing him into a minibus, despite his attempts to resist.
The students, who apparently caught the incident on video, were left in shock and had harsh words to say about the draft officers.
Kiev’s Territorial Center of Recruitment and Social Support confirmed the detention of the teacher, claiming he had “tried to flee and behaved aggressively.”
The man was later released after undergoing a medical examination as educators are eligible for deferment from military service, it added.
Numerous videos have emerged online showing Ukrainian males being violently snatched in the streets by recruiters, as Kiev experiences military setbacks and manpower shortages on the front line of the conflict with Russia.
There have also been reports of injuries and deaths among those subject to forced mobilization. The term ‘busification’ has become widely used in Ukraine, referring to mini-buses being deployed by conscription officers.
In July, the Council of Europe’s commissioner for human rights, Michael O’Flaherty, expressed concerns about “systematic and widespread” abuse by Ukrainian draft officials, including “allegations of torture and death.”
He urged the authorities in Kiev to properly investigate incidents and prevent further violations of human rights.
Nikita Poturaev, the head of the Ukrainian parliamentary Committee on Humanitarian and Information Policy, claimed last month that most of the videos of forced mobilization “were either filmed outside of Ukraine… or created using AI.
They are simply deepfakes.”
On Wednesday, Ukraine’s parliamentary commissioner for human rights, Dmitry Lubinets, said there have been at least 5,000 complaints from Ukrainians about human rights violations by draft officers since the start of the year.
Over the past five months, there were 3,400 such complaints – as many as during all of 2024 – according to Lubinets.
https://www.rt.com/russia/627370-ukraine-mobilization-teacher-kiev/
https://t.me/kievreal1/103374
Zelensky ‘divorced from reality’ – Russian MOD
5 Nov, 2025 08:03
Ukraine’s Vladimir Zelensky is either “divorced from reality” after being deceived by his military commanders or deliberately lies to his nation, the Russian Defense Ministry said on Wednesday.
The rebuke came in response to claims made by Zelensky about the situation in Kupyansk, where he said Moscow’s forces are being pushed back. The Russian military said the opposite was true.
“The head of the Kiev regime is fully divorced from reality and, after hearing untrue reports from [armed forces Commander-in-Chief Aleksandr] Syrsky has no command of the operative situation on the ground,” the Russian statement said.
”Alternatively, he realizes the desperate situation and the true position of the Ukrainian armed forces in Kupyansk.
That is why he is trying to keep hiding the truth from the people of Ukraine and his Western sponsors at the cost of ignoble deaths of thousands of Ukrainian troops.”
The ministry suggested that Kiev could be stalling to secure and embezzle additional aid from the West.
It added that the situation is only getting worse for Ukrainian soldiers, who are not given any options by their commanders to save their lives except surrendering to their Russian opponents.
Zelensky previously claimed that the Russian military presence near Kupyansk was limited to a mere 60 troops and that the Ukrainian military had a roadmap for completing a “swipe” of the area, which he declined to disclose.
The Ukrainian government has denied Russian reports that its forces are encircled in two specific areas on the front, with over 10,000 soldiers reportedly trapped.
Last week Kiev deployed elite commandos near Krasnoarmeysk (also known as Pokrovsk), who reportedly suffered heavy losses in their attempt to shore up positions.
Russian President Vladimir Putin reported the dire situation for the Ukrainians near Kupyansk and Krasnoarmeysk (also known as Pokrovsk) in late October, urging Kiev to agree to an honorary surrender of the blockaded troops.
https://www.rt.com/russia/627351-zelensky-divorced-reality-mod/
Russian Tuapse port halts fuel exports after drone strikes — Reuters
Russia , Wed, November 05, 2025 - 13:12
The Russian Black Sea port of Tuapse has suspended fuel exports, and the local oil refinery has stopped processing crude oil after an attack by Ukrainian drones on November 2, Reuters reports.
The agency's sources reported that the Rosneft-controlled refinery, which exports most of its products, stopped processing the next day due to damage to port infrastructure after drone strikes.
Before the attack, Tuapse was expected to increase its exports of petroleum products in November. According to analysts' estimates, three tankers were in the port during the attack, waiting to be loaded with oil, diesel fuel, and fuel oil.
As of November 5, all ships had left the berths and were anchored near the port. The export-oriented Tuapse refinery, with a processing capacity of 240,000 barrels of oil per day, produces oil, fuel oil, vacuum gas oil, and high-sulfur diesel fuel.
The refinery, which has also been targeted by attack drones several times, mainly supplies oil to China, Malaysia, Singapore, and Türkiye.
Strike on oil terminal in Tuapse
The Security Service of Ukraine (SBU), together with other security and defense forces, struck an oil terminal in the Russian port of Tuapse in the Krasnodar region of Russia.
At the time of the strike on the oil terminal in Tuapse, at least three ships were being loaded. They had semi-shadow status, so it was possible to determine who they belonged.
According to Ukrainian Navy spokesperson Dmytro Pletenchuk, the strike on the oil terminal in Tuapse will have long-term consequences for Russia.
Damage to strategic facilities will affect not only crude oil exports but also companies' confidence in Russian ports.
https://newsukraine.rbc.ua/news/russian-tuapse-port-halts-fuel-exports-after-1762341125.html
other Ruusia and Ukraine
https://www.ukrinform.net/rubric-ato/4055494-one-killed-four-injured-as-russian-drones-attack-bread-delivery-vehicle-tractor-in-sumy-region.html
https://www.kyivpost.com/post/63662
https://www.dailymail.co.uk/news/article-15260179/Putin-orders-increased-drone-incursions-Europe-Russia-ramps-hybrid-war-Belgiums-biggest-airport-forced-close-overnight.html
https://voennoedelo.com/en/posts/id3709-russia-s-nuclear-poseidon-drone-may-soon-go-on-combat-duty
https://www.themoscowtimes.com/2025/11/05/at-least-15-russian-regions-recruiting-reservists-to-guard-oil-facilities-against-drone-attacks-vyorstka-a91048
https://euromaidanpress.com/2025/11/05/drone-strike-on-rubicon/
Ukraine destroys Russia’s newest reconnaissance drone named after Kyivan Rus ruler
05/11/2025
They failed to steal history. Ukrainian air defenders shot down the Russian army’s newest reconnaissance drone, "Kniaz Veshchiy Oleg", named after the ruler of Kyivan Rus, who, as legends said, could foresee the future, according to the 63rd Separate Mechanized Brigade.
“At the same time, in the swamps where Moscow would later rise, frogs croaked. Naming your drone after a proto-Ukrainian warrior and politician is just another attempt to steal our history,” the 63rd Brigade added.
Despite its grandiose name, the Russian drone failed to predict its own destruction.
“For the first time in the history of this war, Ukraine has recorded the downing of Russia’s newest reconnaissance drone with the peculiar name "Kniaz Veshchiy Oleg", the statement concluded.
Earlier, the Ukrainian Defense Intelligence, also known as HUR, destroyed the base of Russian invaders belonging to the most elite and secretive drone Rubikon center in Avdiivka in Donetsk Oblast.
The Rubikon unit specializes in the use of unmanned systems, including combat drones, during Russia’s genocidal war against Ukraine. It is considered one of the most effective and combat-ready structures of the Russian army.
https://euromaidanpress.com/2025/11/05/ukraine-destroys-russias-newest-reconnaissance-drone-named-after-kievan-rus-ruler-video/
https://twitter.com/EuromaidanPress/status/1986004092578058409
Yeah, isn't CA still counting ballots from the last election?
For fourth consecutive day, IDF kills terrorists trying to cross Gaza truce line
Nov. 5, 2025
Israel Defense Forces soldiers eliminated two Hamas terrorists who tried to cross the ceasefire line in central Gaza on Wednesday, in the fourth straight day of incidents along the Strip’s Yellow Line.
“In two separate incidents, two terrorists were identified crossing the yellow line and advancing toward IDF troops in central Gaza, posing a direct threat,” the military tweeted in English.
“Following identification, the terrorists were eliminated by IDF troops to remove the threat.”
The IDF stressed that troops “remain deployed in accordance with the ceasefire agreement and will continue to act against any immediate danger.”
On Tuesday, IDF soldiers shot and killed a Palestinian terrorist who crossed the Yellow Line into Israeli-controlled territory in northern Gaza.
On Monday, Hamas terrorists who crossed over the Yellow Line and advanced toward soldiers were eliminated by air and ground strikes.
The day prior, the Israeli Air Force in a targeted strike killed a terrorist who crossed the line and threatened Israeli soldiers stationed there.
The Yellow Line is a new demarcation established by the IDF as part of the first phase of the U.S.-brokered truce deal with Hamas last month.
Concrete barriers topped with a yellow-painted post mark the area to which the IDF has withdrawn. It runs north, center and south through the Gaza Strip, with the military controlling some 53% of the territory.
IDF Chief of Staff Lt. Gen Eyal Zamir recommended to the Jewish state’s political echelon earlier this week that they consider freeing 200 Hamas terrorists trapped in IDF-controlled parts of the Strip in exchange for the body of IDF Lt. Hadar Goldin, which has been held in Gaza since 2014.
Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu on Monday ruled out the safe passage of some 200 armed Hamas terrorists out of the Yellow Zone.
This came on the back of an earlier report that Jerusalem would allow them to move under the condition that they lay down their weapons.
Under the U.S.-brokered ceasefire and hostage-release deal that went into effect last month, Hamas committed to returning for burial all 28 bodies it was holding captive, including the remains of Goldin.
However, Hamas has slow-walked the return of the deceased hostages, reportedly to avoid its disarmament, which is set to take place in the second phase of the deal with a deployment of international forces.
https://www.jns.org/for-fourth-consecutive-day-idf-kills-terrorists-trying-to-cross-gaza-truce-line/
other Israel
https://www.timesofisrael.com/liveblog_entry/idf-says-troops-found-cache-of-hamas-weapons-in-gaza-citys-shejaiya-neighborhood/
https://www.haaretz.com/israel-news/2025-11-05/ty-article-live/body-of-fallen-idf-soldier-itay-chen-returned-from-gaza-after-two-years/0000019a-51f8-d2eb-afda-d7f95d930000
https://vinnews.com/2025/11/05/idf-chief-orders-focus-on-drone-smuggling-threat-along-egyptian-border/
https://www.timesofisrael.com/liveblog_entry/idf-confirms-drone-strike-in-southern-lebanon-says-target-was-hezbollah-radwan-force-operative/
https://breakingthenews.net/Article/IDF-reports-new-Gaza-killings/65125434
https://www.ynetnews.com/article/byfcnbfjbx
Military plane crashes due to technical fault in Kordofan; drone destroyed
5 November 2025
ovember 4, 2025 (BABANUSA) – Sudan’s army said on Tuesday a military cargo plane crashed near Babanusa in West Kordofan state due to a technical fault, adding that it had also shot down a drone in the area.
The army has been using airdrops to resupply its forces, which are besieged by the rival Rapid Support Forces (RSF) in Babanusa, and has been bombing RSF gatherings in the state.
The army’s 22nd Infantry Division said in a statement the plane suffered a “sudden malfunction in its right wing” after completing a resupply mission. It lost balance, caught fire, and crashed, killing the entire crew.
The statement added that the crew steered the plane away from army positions before it went down tens of kilometres west of the base.
In a separate statement, the division said its anti-aircraft defences shot down a “hostile strategic drone” that tried to enter its airspace, adding its forces were on high alert.
The RSF, in a rival claim, said it had shot down an “Ilyushin” warplane over Babanusa. It published a video of the burning wreckage but provided no further evidence.
The RSF has reportedly mobilized fighters in El Fula, Lagawa, and other locations for a potential new attack on Babanusa.
The group has been trying to capture the city since its first assault on January 22, 2024, but has faced resistance from the besieged army forces.
https://sudantribune.com/article/306815
other Sudan
https://www.newarab.com/news/rsf-drone-strike-sudan-funeral-kordofan-region-kills-40