Micah Hanks, Author at The Debrief

Vera C. Rubin Observatory Cosmic Treasure Chest

Look: Stunning First Images from Vera C. Rubin Observatory Reveal the Cosmos Like Nothing You’ve Ever Seen

Micah Hanks·July 8, 2025

The widely anticipated first images collected by the Vera C. Rubin Observatory have been released, offering nothing short of an awe-inspiring view of the cosmos.

Did a Mystery Object Just Hit Saturn? Astronomers Investigating Strange Flash Issue Urgent Call for Images

Micah Hanks·July 8, 2025

Astronomers are calling for images of Saturn captured over the weekend that may help document a rare impact event with a mystery object.

Scientists Are Tracking an Undersea Phenomenon Off Japan’s Tsunami-Prone Coast Linked to “Silent” Earthquakes

Micah Hanks·July 7, 2025

In a scientific first, researchers have tracked the elusive motion of a rare variety of earthquake during a seismic event along a major fault zone on the ocean floor.

NASA Reveals New Images of Oddly Shaped Asteroid ‘Donaldjohanson’ Captured by Lucy Spacecraft

Micah Hanks·July 4, 2025

NASA has released new detailed images revealing a full-frame view of the peculiarly shaped asteroid Donaldjohanson.

NASA Confirms Arrival of New Interstellar Object in Our Solar System: Here’s What We Know

Micah Hanks·July 3, 2025

This week, a new object from interstellar space has entered our solar system, as recently confirmed by NASA.

COSMOS2020-635829, enhanced from original JWST imagery (Credit: COSMOS2020-635829)

James Webb Space Telescope Discovers Peculiar Cosmic ‘Jellyfish’ in Rare Galactic Observation

Micah Hanks·July 2, 2025

The most distant known example of what astronomers call a “jellyfish galaxy” has been spotted by NASA’s James Webb Space Telescope.

Look: NASA Satellite Images Reveal Mysterious Blast Site of 1908 Tunguska Event that Scorched Remote Siberia

Micah Hanks·June 30, 2025

The mysterious blast site of the Tunguska Event of 1908 is revealed in satellite images obtained by NASA’s Operational Land Imager (OLI) on Landsat 8.

James Webb Space Telescope Trains Its Sights on the ‘Bullet Cluster,’ Revealing a Stunning View of Galaxies in Collision

Micah Hanks·June 30, 2025

NASA’s James Webb Space Telescope has captured high-resolution images of the Bullet Cluster, revealing its complex dynamics.

A Mysterious Radio Signal from Space Was Traced to an Unexpected Source—and It’s Something Within Our Own Galaxy

Micah Hanks·June 27, 2025

An object astronomers initially thought to be a high-speed burst of radio waves from deep space last year has been revealed to be something else entirely.

U.S. Missile Defense Agency’s Long Range Radar Achieves Milestone in Live ICBM Tracking Test

Micah Hanks·June 26, 2025

The U.S. Missile Defense Agency’s Long Range Discrimination Radar aims to serve as the backbone of the current Golden Dome initiative for protecting America.

James Webb Space Telescope Captures First Direct Image of Mysterious Alien Exoplanet Lurking in Dusty Debris Disk

Micah Hanks·June 25, 2025

In a groundbreaking first, the James Webb Space Telescope has captured its first direct image of a distant exoplanet unrecognized from past astronomical surveys.

Tensions Escalate as Israel Strikes Iran; U.S. and Europe Seek to Contain Conflict

Micah Hanks·June 19, 2025

Israel and Iran enter their second week of hostilities as world leaders push for de-escalation, and the U.S. weighs its next moves.

Scientists Are Tracking Mysterious ‘Transient Luminous Events’ from Space Using This Innovative Tech

Micah Hanks·June 18, 2025

Scientists are using instruments on the International Space Station to shed light on the mysterious appearances of transient luminous events.

Engineering Artificial Eclipses, the ESA’s Proba-3 Mission Catches First High-Res Images of the Sun’s Mysterious Corona

Micah Hanks·June 17, 2025

The first images from the ESA's Proba-3 mission have captured the Sun's mysterious corona by creating artificial eclipses in space.

James Webb Space Telescope Has Spotted Something “Abnormal, Chaotic, and Strange” 60 Light-Years from Earth

Micah Hanks·June 15, 2025

NASA’s James Webb Space Telescope has spotted an “abnormal, chaotic, and strange" planetary system 60 light-years from Earth.

U.S. Army Secretary Refers to Astronaut “On the Moon Who’s a Soldier,” Igniting Secret Space Program Conspiracies

Micah Hanks·June 13, 2025

An odd statement by U.S. Army Secretary Dan Driscoll this week ignited speculations about secretive U.S. military operations on the Moon.

Scientists Tracking Elusive Plasma ‘Blobs’ and ‘Voids’ Unravel a Longstanding Fusion Energy Mystery

Micah Hanks·June 13, 2025

New research involving plasma blobs and voids within tokamaks could soon solve a longstanding mystery in nuclear fusion research.

“We Are Past the Event Horizon”: Controversial AI Visionary Says the Singularity is Here, and It’s Not What We Expected

Micah Hanks·June 12, 2025

AI may have crossed a technological threshold popularly known as “Singularity,” according to one expert who says we have surpassed the point where machines exceed human capabilities.

Eyes in the Sky, Boots on the Ground: Surveillance and Military Force Meet U.S. Immigration Protests

Micah Hanks·June 12, 2025

This week, tensions continue to rise in American cities like Los Angeles following the deployment of National Guard troops in response to U.S. immigration protests.

SETI Researchers Report Potential Discovery of ‘Communication’ by Non-Human Intelligence in Earth’s Oceans

Micah Hanks·June 9, 2025

For the first time, scientists have documented a unique behavior in the animal kingdom that provides new insights into non-human intelligence and potential clues in the search for intelligent life from other worlds.

Tech Firm Palantir’s Government Work on Data Collection Sparks New Privacy Fears

Micah Hanks·June 5, 2025

Tech industry experts are sounding alarms about efforts to compile data on American citizens, as tech company Palantir’s involvement in government work expands.

7,000 Years Ago, a 1,200-Ton Boulder Was Dropped on a Pacific Island—Now Scientists Know How It Got There

Micah Hanks·June 4, 2025

Researchers have discovered a massive 1,200-ton out-of-place boulder that mysteriously made its way onto the island of Tonga long ago.

“It Seems Like Science Fiction”: Researchers Unleash Breakthrough Tracking Technology Using Environmental DNA

Micah Hanks·June 3, 2025

Scientists have revealed a novel means of tracking everything from wildlife to the presence of illicit substances using DNA that is readily detectable in the environment.

Hypersonic Flight and AI Dogfights: U.S. Defense Startups Set to Redefine Air Power

Micah Hanks·May 29, 2025

This week, new developments in autonomous and high-speed aviation are signaling a dramatic shift in the future of military airpower.

Scientists Have Made a Dark Discovery About Earth’s Oceans—Experts Call It a “Genuine Cause for Concern”

Micah Hanks·May 27, 2025

Scientists say Earth’s oceans are slowly getting darker, according to new findings that reveal a concerning trend affecting our planet.

James Webb Space Telescope Time Travels to Spot an Ancient “Mega-Monster,” Revealing a Cosmic Oddity

Micah Hanks·May 27, 2025

Stunning new deep-field imagery captured by NASA’s James Webb Space Telescope reveals one of the universe's most distant galaxies.

Scientists Are Decoding a Mysterious Form of Writing From the Ancient Inca Empire—Here’s What It Reveals

Micah Hanks·May 26, 2025

Researchers studying an ancient form of string-writing used in pre-Columbian South America have unraveled new clues to a longstanding mystery.

Emergency Drill Reveals U.S. Government’s “Cosmic Blindspot” with Sobering Vulnerabilities to Solar Storms

Micah Hanks·May 22, 2025

A new report on the U.S.'s readiness in the face of threats from space has revealed concerns about our vulnerability to major solar storms.

Look: NASA’s Perseverance Rover Catches Rare Glimpse of a Mystery in the Martian Skies

Micah Hanks·May 21, 2025

NASA’s Perseverance rover has captured new images of a mystery gleaming in the Martian skies as dawn approached over the Red Planet earlier this year.

14,000 Years Ago, a Mysterious Solar Event “500 Times More Intense” Than Any Previously Known Bombarded Earth—Could it Happen Again?

Micah Hanks·May 19, 2025

New findings suggest that a mysterious solar event roughly 500 times more powerful than any recorded by scientists struck the Earth near the end of the last Ice Age.