Pod of killer whales spotted in extremely rare sighting in the Channel by stunned pals on fishing trip
David Hilton, 64, and Paul Bradshaw, 61, were angling off the South Coast when they saw several large creatures breaching the surface.
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Two pals spotted what appeared to be a pod of killer whales in the Channel
Credit: Neil Hope
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David Hilton was angling off the South Coast when he spotted the creatures breaching the surface
Credit: Neil Hope
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Sightings of orcas in the Channel are extremely rare
Credit: Getty
They appeared to be hunting dolphins in busy international shipping lanes, just five miles south of Plymouth, Devon.
Also known as orcas, killer whales — like those in the hit film Free Willy — are seen in the North Sea and off the west coast of Scotland.
But sightings in the Channel are extremely rare.
David, a retired hospital worker, said: 'I couldn't believe it.
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'I've never seen orcas before in
Paul, a retired medical scientist and marine life enthusiast, added: 'We weren't sure what they were at first.
'The larger ones were over five metres long.'
Paul sent pictures to the Orca Research Trust, which said: 'While we can't say definitively that these were
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But Dr Peter Evans, professor of Ocean Sciences at Bangor University, said he thought they may have been white beaked dolphins.
He said: 'Changes in the status and distribution of various whale and dolphin species have been occurring in recent years.'
Terrifying moment huge fin is spotted off UK coast sparking fears killer WHALES are lurking close to shores
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The Irish Sun
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- The Irish Sun
I was hired by NASA to protect Earth from aliens – here's what happens when they find us… & why it may spark disaster
AN EX-NASA chief has sensationally revealed plans for intelligent alien visitors. John Rummel was twice NASA's Planetary Protection Officer - from 1987 to 1993 and 1997 to 2006. 5 Dr John Rummel served as NASA's Planetary Protection Officer Credit: NASA 5 5 His objective was to prevent the contamination of other planets during exploratory missions, and also to ensure alien samples didn't contaminate Earth. But he also contemplated what he would do if intelligent aliens were to visit. And Rummel, now retired, has even outlined what could happen if there was a full-scale alien invasion. Rummel told The Sun: 'An alien visitor would provide mutual benefit. More tech news 'We could imagine standard microbial sampling, such as swabs and wipes for our part. 'Conceptually, it could be like the Danish film , The Visit, where we have somebody who is coming here but not invading, and they're interested in finding out more. 'I would insist we sample the visitor to make sure we have no microbial hitchhikers and also that we do not introduce anything to hurt the visitor. 'As for alien invasions, you could end up with the Martians being killed off by the first pathogenic bacteria, and the other way around. Most read in Science 'If we go to Mars, we become the Martians. We have to be careful that when we do get there we don't bring back unknowns that might otherwise be a problem. 'A lot of people go, oh well, we haven't found life on Mars so far, so it shouldn't be a problem. 'There are a lot of people with big enough egos to say 'trust me'. 'But that's not really a good idea. Ignorance is not bliss. Let's go ahead and take some data.' He added: 'We are just getting started in looking for signs of life. I will vote for aliens finding us first. 'We are otherwise in the 'selfie' stage of understanding what to look for, and where.' Rummel said there were no official NASA plans to prepare for an invasion, insisting his views are personal. But in that scenario, he says the agency would be unlikely to have any jurisdiction for a response. Rummel spoke after his successor, Catharine Conley, exclusively told The Sun she had been fired by NASA in 2013 for Conley said her job, like Rummel's, was to protect Earth from rogue alien life entering the atmosphere. But she believes that if there was an alien invasion, the response would be led by the US Air Force. 5 Dr Rummel outlined what could happen if there was a full-scale alien invasion Credit: John Rummel Mars facts Here's what you need to know about the red planet... Mars is the fourth planet from the Sun It is named after the Roman god of war The landmass of Mars is very similar to Earth, but due to the difference in gravity, you could jump three times higher there than you can here. Mars is mountainous and hosts the tallest mountain known in the Solar System called Olympus Mons, which is three times higher than Everest Mars is considered the second most habitable planet after Earth. It takes the planet 687 Earth days to orbit the Sun The planet has a diameter of 4,212 miles, and has an average distance from Earth of 140 million miles Martian temperatures can vary wildly, reaching as high as 70F/20C or as low as -225F/-153C She told The Sun: 'They would very much more likely be tiny little aliens. 'But if there were any intelligent ones, that would be the Air Force's problem, not NASA's, at least for the US. 'But again, we don't know what we're preparing for.' Rummel continued to work for NASA as a senior scientist at the Astrobiology Program after leaving his PPO role before retiring. He added: 'If somebody were to come in and land on the Earth, it's unlikely that they're going to cause a problem in my opinion . 'But I wouldn't trust my opinion on this because I don't have data. 'I believe that there's life out there but it wouldn't consider itself alien. Because they're out there and we're the aliens if we go out there. 'They're not the aliens themselves. I hope intelligent alien life is out there, and I certainly think it could be. We have a chance of seeing them in our lifetime. 'It changes all the time, but the search for extra terrestrial intelligence or technology has the potential to reveal if there's something else going on in the galaxy that's not us. 'At one point in time, I was the SETI program person at NASA headquarters. "And some very smart people are dedicated to seeing what's out there.' 5 NASA says on its website it hopes to send humans to Mars as early as the 2030s to explore signs of alien life. It was planning to return Mars samples before then as part of its Mars Sample Return (MSR) campaign. But that has been scrapped by Donald Trump's cuts, and NASA instead says it anticipates returning samples through lower-cost options. China remains on course with its own plans to return Mars samples through its Tianwen-3 Mars mission, set for launch in 2028 and bringing samples back by 2031. Rummel says he agrees with Catharine that NASA's current plans to bring samples back to Earth are not safe. But he says he'll be keeping an eager eye on the Chinese. He said: 'Mars sample return by robotic space vehicles is not currently funded by the US, so Catharine is right. 'It will be interesting to see the details of whatever the Chinese do.' He added: 'The bottom line is that we're looking for life on Mars and if we think there's a credible possibility of finding life on Mars, then it would be nice to know something about whether or not that life form was benign or whether or not it somehow might affect us.' 'You don't want it to go badly.' The Sun has approached NASA for a response to Rummel's comments. On questions surrounding the safety of samples returned to Mars, NASA previously said: "It is anticipated that future missions to Mars will return samples for study on Earth. "NASA will never compromise on safety." How long does it take to get to Mars? It's not that short of a trip... There's an immense distance between Earth and Mars, which means any trip to the red planet will take a very long time It's also made more complicated by the fact that the distance is constantly changing as the two planets rotate around the sun The closest that the Earth and Mars would ever be is a distance of 33.9million miles – that's 9,800 times the distance between London and New York That's really rare though: the more useful distance is the average, which is 140million miles Scientists on Earth have already launched a whole bunch of spacecraft to (or near) Mars, so we have a rough idea of how long it takes with current technology Historically, the trip has taken anywhere from 128 to 333 days – admittedly a huge length of time for humans to be on board a cramped spacecraft.
The Irish Sun
2 days ago
- The Irish Sun
Disturbing Ancient Egyptian graves reveal brutal treatment of corpses 5,000 years ago including shock teen girl's burial
ARCHAEOLOGISTS have uncovered a disturbing Ancient Egyptian burial practice that saw people dismembered before being put to rest. The discovery offers a rare insight into the spiritual life of villagers more than 5,000 years ago - and may even mark the beginning of religion for the ancient pharaohs. 3 Using artificial intelligence (AI) and machine learning, researchers analysed patterns among more than 900 tombs across the 74-acre Adaiima site Credit: Alcouffe, A., Duchesne, S., Tupikova, I. et al./ Journal of Archaeological Method and Theory Researchers found the remains of a teenage girl whose arm had been deliberately severed after her death and positioned to match her left arm. The girl's left arm was bent unnaturally in a more than 90degree angle and tucked in very tightly. The limb was removed near the lower part of the upper arm and forearm, possibly done using an axe. The muscles were most likely sliced with a flint blade, according to researchers. READ MORE ON ANCIENT EGYPT Her severed arm was carefully arranged to appear almost intact, with the hand placed beside the forearm. Buried in the Adaiima cemetery on the west bank of the Nile river, the remains date back to between 3300 to 2700 BC. The girl's body was carefully aligned with the setting sun on the winter solstice, while her coffin also pointed towards the rising of Sirius, the brightest star in the sky. Celestial alignments, and other symbolic gestures, likely influenced the religious traditions later embraced by Egypt's first pharaohs who emerged between 100 and 400 years later. Most read in Science 3 Buried in the Adaiima cemetery on the west bank of the Nile river, the remains date back to between 3300 to 2700 BC Credit: Getty Her burial may also be the earliest sign of the Osiris and Isis myth - where the goddess Isis reassembles the dismembered body of Osiris beneath the rising Sirius. The tale is thought to symbolise death, rebirth, and cosmic order. Ancient Egyptian Tombs: Over a Thousand Mummies Unveiled The cemetery her remains were found in is one of Egypt's oldest and most thoroughly studied, and paints a detailed picture about how funerary practices changed over time. Using artificial intelligence (AI) and machine learning, researchers analysed patterns among more than 900 tombs across the 74-acre Adaiima site. Another coffin that was positioned to catch the winter sun contained a woman buried with ornate jewelry and pottery. A third grave, also belonging to a woman, faced the summer sunset and contained a ceremonial staff and plant-fiber wig. The study suggests these early burials shaped the mythology later adopted by Egypt's ruling elite - from their sky-based alignments to their ritual gestures, such as dismemberment. Older graves were placed around earlier, astronomically-aligned tombs, suggesting those burials held continued to hold religious or ancestral significance over the years. Ivory boat models and fine coffins were found with remains researchers believed once belonged to individuals of higher status or spiritual importance. Similar to the dismemberment, a singular bone belonging to a child was found placed on the chest of an adult in a later tomb. In the myth of Osiris, Isis gathers the scattered body parts of her murdered husband after he is slain by his jealous brother, Set. "Sepdet, which we know as Sirius, was believed to be the appearance of Isis in the sky," the study said. "When the state emerged, it did not create religion from scratch. "It absorbed long-standing practices and reworked them into royal narratives." 3 The limb was removed near the lower part of the upper arm and forearm, possibly done using an axe Credit: Alcouffe, A., Duchesne, S., Tupikova, I. et al./ Journal of Archaeological Method and Theory
The Irish Sun
5 days ago
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Three-year trips to Mars in 2030s, spaceship holidays & budget rocket trips to race around Earth, UK space hero predicts
SPACE isn't just for scientists and celebs – it'll be a hot holiday destination and will offer a shortcut to slash flight times too. They're just some of the predictions from British space hero Tim Peake, who sat down with The Sun for a chat about our off-Earth future . 9 Space hero Tim Peake was Britain's first European Space Agency astronaut Credit: Getty 9 Peake, who hails from Sussex, spent half a year on board the ISS Credit: Publicity - Getty Tim, 53, spent about 186 days in space, returning from the ISS on June 18, 2016. But when humans start making the first trips to Mars in the next decade or so, they'll be in space for a lot longer – potentially for three years. It sounds nightmarish, but Tim says we've done it all before, hundreds of years ago. 'A lot of people today forget about what we used to do in terms of exploration, the hardships, the torture, the kind of risk that was taken,' Tim told The Sun at Goodwood Festival of Speed's Future Lab earlier this month. Read more on space 'And in the early 1800s, nothing was thought about disappearing off on a three year expedition. 'That was pretty standard if you were in the Royal Navy. You say goodbye to your family and your mum. 'You say goodbye. You don't really know where you're going or what you're going to be doing, but you're just going to be away for a long time. 'So when I talk to people about in the mid 2030s, we're going to be on a three year mission to Mars and they kind of have this shock and horror that, well, that's so long, you'll never get people to go away for that long. Most read in Science 'Well, you will. We've done this before. 'It's only in the last 150 years that it hasn't been normal to have a three year expedition away, finding new lands and discovering new things. Nasa reveals mesmerising footage of Northern Lights from ISS 'And we're going to kind of go back into that kind of mindset. It's just that it won't be on Earth. It will be out into space.' Nasa hopes to make manned trips to Mars as soon as the 2030s, although no firm date has been set. But whenever those first visits happen, the astronauts will likely be a lot more comfortable than explorers of the past. 'The levels of resilience and self-sufficiency they needed was unbelievable. I mean, again, when we do Mars, the crew will have enough food, they'll have enough water, they'll have enough life support,' Tim said. 9 Six-month trips to the ISS will be nothing compared to a three-year Mars trek Credit: Getty He continued: 'We've mapped the surface, we'll have habitation modules for them. 'So it'll probably be a lot more comfortable than it would be setting off on endurance or HMS Wager back in the day.' SPACE STAYS For now, going to space is largely the preserve of professional astronauts, celebs and the ultra-wealthy. But in the future, Tim thinks that Tim credits Musk's company SpaceX with making space travel a lot cheaper. 'They've brought the cost of getting to space down so much, which is really exciting. 'Because that opens up whole markets of things you didn't think were possible because they were cost-prohibitive five or 10 years ago, that are now economically viable. 'So that's really exciting, but SpaceX is just the Uber that gets you there and back. 9 A return trip to and from Mars will be long and arduous – but Tim says explorers will be more than capable of surviving the time away from home Credit: Getty 'What's even more exciting is: now what can you do when you're up there?' Tim tells me that space tourism has been around for a long time – but it's becoming more frequent. And that's a trend that will only grow with time. 'It's part of the democratisation of space,' Tim told The Sun. 'I think fast-forward 100 years and there'll be an awful lot of people going to space for a variety of different reasons. 'Some for science, some for exploration, some for entertainment, and some for a different holiday.' Unsurprisingly, Tim reckons that we'd all be better off if we'd taken a trip to space. He says it gives you a different view of the world – and not just literally. WHO IS TIM PEAKE? Here's what you need to know... Major Tim Peake is a British Army officer and astronaut He is the first British astronaut with the European Space Agency He's also the sixth Brit to go aboard the International Space Agency Peake was born in Chichester, West Sussex in 1972 In 1990 he attended the Royal Military Academy Sandhurst In 1992, he joined the Army Air Corps Then two years later Peake became a qualified helicopter pilot Peake left the army in 2009 to follow his dream of becoming an astronaut He beat more than 9,000 applicants for one of six spots on the ESA's astronaut training programme He had to endure a rigorous selection process that tested his intellect and fitness Peake was launched to the ISS on December 15, 2015 In April the next year, he ran the 2016 London Marathon from the ISS treadmill And in June 2016, he finally returned to Earth, landing in Kazakhstan on a Soyuz descent module During his time in space, Peake completed roughly 3,000 orbits of Earth Picture Credit: Getty Images 'I think it is amazing. The more people that can witness Earth from space – Earth would be a better place. Definitely,' Tim said. 'People would have perhaps have a different perspective when they're making decisions. 'Having kind of seen how we all share one planet. And it looks fairly remote and isolated from space.' So your Moon vacation in 2065 won't just be a relaxing break, but an upgrade for your mind too. 9 Space tourism could be big business – Jeff Bezos' Blue Origin has already shown off concepts for an Orbital Reef space station that could host holidaymakers Credit: Blur Origin 9 Travellers could pay large sums of money to enjoy off-Earth hols Credit: AFP EARTH, VIA SPACE Of course, space tourism isn't the only way rockets will help your holidays . Tim reckons it'll make moving around Earth easier too. Holidays to the Moon will involve blasting off from Earth and landing on the rocky satellite. But that's not the only version of going space – you can also take suborbital flights that skim space, and descend back to Earth. 9 'Some of those missions they're launching, say, from New Mexico . They're going up and landing in New Mexico ,' Tim explained. 'Having been into space, well, there's no reason why you couldn't launch in New Mexico and land in Paris on that same kind of mission. 'And that could be a new form of suborbital transportation that becomes very popular in the future.' It sounds nightmarishly expensive – and it probably would be at the start. 9 Tim Peake was the Randox Future Lab Ambassador at this year's Goodwood Festival of Speed Credit: Nicole Hains / Goodwood Festival of Speed But eventually, Tim thinks, we could see the cost come down. Speaking to the astronaut, I joke that we could see Ryanair-style budget flights that only cost a tenner. 'I mean, if you if you went back to those early 1920s, 1930s transatlantic carriers, you would have found very wealthy people on board traveling in relative luxury ,' Tim told me. 'And if you'd have said, you know, in 100 years time, we're going to have the EasyJets and the Ryanairs – a mass global transportation at the same cost of a train ticket – they would never have believed it. 'So you never know what we can do with future changes in technology.' 9 The Sun's tech editor Sean Keach sat down with astronaut Tim Peake for a chat Credit: Sean Keach
