Hot on the heels of my post last month about a new extrasolar planet that had been photographed at an extraordinary 330 AU from its parent star, Space.com posted a new story that purports to explain why such planets are so hot. The article discusses the phenomenon of so-called “hot Jupiters,” gas giant planets that are generally found very close to their parent stars. Since this condition is a de-facto repudiation of the accretion model of planetary formation, scientists are becoming desperate to explain how the most massive planet’s can form so close to their parent stars and why they are so hot.

In the new model, proposed by Adam Showman of the University of Arizona, these Hot Jupiters are somehow tidally locked close to their parent stars, and heat from the star is transferred to the cool backside of planet through a complex series of winds and weather patterns, giving the planet a basically uniform temperature.

This idea is all well and good, but it is not based on actual observational evidence. Instead, this is simply an attempt to explain a contradictory observation within the established model, by building a computer simulation to demonstrate the idea. Obviously, if you build enough bias into the inputs, you can make the outcome anything you want.

Mainstream scientists and debunkers are fond of citing Occam’s Razor, the idea that all things being equal, the simplest explanation is the most likely one. Of course, rarely in the examples they cite are “all things equal,” and this is another case in point. One idea, the fission model which we discussed in the previous post, matches all observational phenomena relating to extra-solar planets. The other idea, the planetary accretion model, does not and requires multiple square pegs to be jammed into multiple round holes to even begin to reasonably reflect the observations. What is more likely under Occam’s Razor then, that these giant Hot Jupiters randomly formed so close to their parent stars and rely on a complex and highly unlikely chain of unproven assumptions to maintain their uniform (and uniformly hot) temperatures, or that the accretion model is simply wrong? Obviously, the simpler explanation is that these Hot Jupiters are fissioned off of their parent stars, just as the fission model suggests and are in the process of receding from them as we speak. Their hot temperatures are explained by the fact that they are made up of ejected stellar material, which would take many millions of years (most likely) to cool.

Not to mention, Occam’s Razor isn’t a scientific axiom anyway, it’s a T-shirt slogan.

Mars Express Close Encounter With Phobos

Hot on the heels of the Enterprise Mission’s publication of a new article addressing the probable artificial origin of asteroid 2867 Steins, the European Space Agency has released startling new images of Phobos, one of Mars’ two “moons.” While the characterization of Phobos as “moon” at all (it’s obviously simply an asteroid somehow captured or held by Mars’ gravitational field) is problematic, it’s not nearly as problematic as characterizing it as a natural object. Phobos is generally considered similar to the carbonaceous C-Class asteroids because of its surface albedo characteristics, but a new analysis of Phobos’ composition revealed something of a surprise; Phobos is basically hollow.

By simply measuring the gravitational influence of Phobos on the Mars Express spacecraft itself (which is a function of Phobos’ shape and density), ESA was able to determine that Phobos is incredibly light, about 1 billionth the mass of Earth, and has a much lower density (1.85 grams per cubic centimeter) than Martian surface rocks (.7-3.3 grams per cubic centimeter). Theoretically, this places Phobos more correctly in the D-Class category of asteroids, which are believed to be highly fractured and cavernous. One explanation for this is that Phobos (and perhaps its sister moon, Deimos) might be a “rubble pile,” essentially a bunch of big chunks that crashed into each other that are held together by gravity. According to this idea, Phobos was formed from material somehow ejected from Mars itself eons ago that somehow assembled themselves into a coherent body. However, there is no suitable explanation for how such a “rubble pile” could manage to find itself in a near perfect equatorial orbit around Mars, a condition that is highly unlikely to have occurred just by chance, to say the least. Given that its composition and density is so different from Mars’ own, it seems more likely that Phobos came from somewhere else, perhaps somewhere in the nearby asteroid field that lies between Mars and Jupiter. The only issue that remains is the question of whether this placement is a natural condition – again, highly unlikely – or whether it was placed there in the distant past by some unseen and unknown force.

Fortunately, Mars Express carries an on board radar called MARSIS which took measurements of the moon’s interior. That data should probably settle the issue of whether Phobos is a natural object or not, or at least whether it has been modified internally by an artificial force of some kind. Sadly, the ESA article does not say when the MARSIS data might be released.

There is however one last scenario under which Phobos might turn out to be a natural object, albeit one that resides in an impossibly perfect equatorial orbit. According to Dr. Tom van Flandern’s exploded planet hypothesis, all the remnant chunks of an exploded planet (like his theorized Planet V in the orbit between Mars and Jupiter) would be expected to have orbiting companions for at least a significant portion of their lifetimes. True to form, Phobos in close up shows the tell tale-signs of just such a post explosion condition; it is criss-crossed with dozens of race track signatures which indicate orbiting companions which have spiraled into the mother body (Phobos). As van Flandern has pointed out, these types of race track patterns are a sure sign of orbiting companions.

So the question at hand now is just what is Phobos? A remnant of the protoplanetary disk that formed the Solar System (not likely)? A captured Jupiter Trojan that somehow drifted into a perfectly equatorial orbit over Mars (even less likely)? Or, is it neither of those, but instead a shattered survivor of the cataclysm that devastated Mars, towed into this bizarrely non-random orbit by the survivors of the Martian Apocalypse and then mined by them, or simply drilled out to make an orbiting, artificial habitat? The MARSIS data should tell us that, if only we get the real stuff. Time will tell if we do.

David Icke at the Million Dollar Theater in LA

I posted a blog about this event over on my MySpace page. I thought you guys might like to read it.

--Mike

Space.com Story on Saturn's Hyperdimensional Hexagon

Well, the Space.com folks have posted a new story on the polar storms on Saturn, showing new Cassini images of the planet. They once again mention - as they should - the bizarre hexagonal cloud pattern that encloses the storms in the north polar region. It's important to keep in mind that there is nothing, absolutely nothing, in conventional planetary physics or fluid mechanics which can account for this phenomenon. It is however an inherent and specific prediction of the Hoagland\Torun Hyperdimensional physics model.

Once again, HDP stands alone as the only predictive and coherent model which can explain a specific physical observation. It will be interesting if the main streamers try to come up with an explanation for this one. In all the years since Voyager, no one has attempted it yet, but it may be time soon. After all, you can only ignore the elephant in the living room for so long.

Dark Mission Gets a Mention in the Indian Press

Here's the Link.

No Blogging 'till Tuesday

Hey everyone, I'm off to Seattle tomorrow for my high school reunion. I'll back with some new stuff hopefully Tuesday or Wednesday. Have a great weekend!

Mike

Spectacular New Images of Mercury From the Messenger Spacecraft

NASA's Messenger spacecraft yesterday returned stunning new images of the planet Mercury, really showing parts of the Sun's nearest neighbor in close-up for the first time. The views show a rocky terrestrial satellite that bears a strong resemblance to our own Moon. In fact, I'm struck just how much it looks like the Moon's far side, minus the occasional Maria blotch.

Still, as Jim Oberg pointed out earlier, there are some interesting things to see on the images. I'm always fascinated by the fact that some craters look so bright in these images. What are they, glass craters?

I also love the radial spoke pattern in some of the images. I can't help but have a sense of awe and mystery when I look at another world for the first time. I wonder what mysteries we'd uncover if we went there ourselves?

More pics at the Messenger web site.

The 2008 Bay Area UFO Expo – San Francisco

With Clifford Stone and Robert O. Dean

Late Thursday night (the 26th of September), I was sitting around contemplating my plans for the weekend when I got an email from Victoria Jack, who runs the Bay Area UFO Expo and has for 10 years now. For those of you who don't know, the BAUFOE is pretty much the biggest of its kind, at least in this country, and it always has a stellar line up of the top names in UFOlogy. This year was no exception, with the likes of Whitley Streiber, Jordan Maxwell, Robert O. Dean, David Icke, Jose Escamilla, Dr. Roger Leir, Sean David Morton and a whole host of others scheduled to be in attendance. I was surprised to find that the email asked if I was available to fill a lecture spot on Saturday morning, and even though it meant taking the Friday off of my day job (oh the pain, the pain) I readily accepted. I threw together some clothes, slapped a presentation together and headed up the road to Frisco.

With David Icke. I was not drunk. Really.

I can't say enough about everyone I saw there. Contrary to what I have heard over the years, I have found the "UFO community" to be extremely welcoming and open to me in my visits to these events. I met David Icke at the Friday meet and greet, and then rekindled acquaintances with Dr. Leir, Jose, Paola Harris, and a whole host of others. I got up Saturday and hit my lecture right on time, following the excellent presentation by Dr. John Alexander. Like him, I had video issues ($%&*!!! Vista!) and after getting a late start, I managed to get through all my 100 or so slides in the allotted 45 minutes. I was gratified by the reaction of the audience but frustrated with the limitations of the equipment. I learned that some things are just too subtle for the standard 1024x768 projector to handle.

Trust me, its artificial

After that, it was time to relax and I spent some time listening to Jordan, who I just love. And then I went to see Robert O. Dean. I had met Mr. Dean earlier in the day, and I was overwhelmed by his kindness, generosity and graciousness. I honestly don't remember ever meeting a more polite, friendly and engaging man, and I was flattered beyond belief that he had read Dark Mission and not only enjoyed it, but bought copies for several acquaintances that work at the Pentagon. Later, in both his lecture and his workshop, he made special effort to acknowledge me, Richard and Dark Mission, and I was very humbled and grateful for it. Between he and Jordan, who is always so much nicer to me than he ever needs to be, I feel like I am under the wing of 2 Jedi Masters or something. It's not like Richard is chopped liver or anything, but to be blessed by Jordan and acknowledged by Bob Dean feels like way more praise than I ever deserve. I consider all three men to be true giants amongst us, and they've made me feel as though I belonged with them at their side.

With Jordan Maxwell

I'm not worthy!

The more I listen to Mr. Dean, who has struggled and suffered for what he has told the world, the more impressed I am by the man. It is such a pleasure to hear from someone who has truly glimpsed the future, and feels so optimistic about our place in it. The UFO culture can be a dark and pessimistic place at times, so Bob Dean is a breath of fresh air in more ways than one.

George and TD

After that I headed to Gorge Noory's meet and greet, and once again I was flattered when he spotted me and acknowledged me to the crowd. He is another nice and generous man. It was too bad he and TD (touchdown Tommy Danheiser) couldn't stay, but they had to catch a plane to St. Louis to get George's studio in order after Hurricane Ike (not Icke). Tom and I exchanged a quick hello and he is so helpful and supportive to George. It's really cool to watch.

Saturday night was the big banquet, and I had a table with my name on it and a few people actually sat with me just to talk about Dark Mission. The drinks were strong, Sean David Morton was hysterical as the after dinner entertainment, and the food was excellent. I ended up in the bar (as usual) with Jose, Sean, Jordan, and some new friends over the course of the evening. Jordan held court in the lobby until the wee hours of the morning, and I staggered off to bed happy drunk and truly overwhelmed at how nice everyone is to me.

Sunday I did an interview with Regina Meredith of the Conscious Media Network and went to Paola Harris' workshop. She's as sweet as they come and a very sharp researcher. I also had a chance to catch up with Jordan as well as Tim Crawford. I also had a chance to conspire with several big names about a special project for Richard's next birthday (heh heh heh). I came back from my interview in the lobby to see various people pointing up to the sky, which could only mean one thing: "They" were making an appearance. I ran into Jordan and he told me to go check it out, so Victoria and I both went out to see what was going on. Of course, Whitley's friends had left by the time I got there. Maybe someday I'll see a UFO.

I was sorely tempted to stick around one more night for the speakers' party, but duty and my day job as a card carrying member of the Military Industrial Complex called, so I hit the road about 3 PM and got home to a very unhappy tuxedo kitty.

I had a fantastic weekend and now I'm looking forward to David Icke this week in LA. I assume it's going to rock as much as the rest of my life has been lately. Special thanks to Victoria for inviting me, Robert Perala, Jordan, Bob Dean, Jose, Sean, Brenda, Paola, Melinda Leslie, Roger Leir, George and TD, and pretty much everybody else. I had a blast. Too bad life can't be that much fun all the time.

As always, there are tons more pics over at my Flickr site.