Among people in the community who follow the news on Unidentified Anomalous Phenomena (UAP), I have a reputation for being both a believer and, at the same time, a skeptic. I’m fairly convinced that there are likely “alien” drones, probes, and possibly “manned” ships occasionally present in our atmosphere. I believe this for a number of reasons. First, trained professional military personnel, airline pilots, and others are reporting such phenomena in ever-increasing numbers—possibly because we have more of our own craft flying about. Secondly, several members of Congress, specifically Representative Tim Burchett (R-TN) and Representative Anna Luna (R-FL), have met with Department of Defense (DOD) personnel in secure rooms called Sensitive Compartmented Information Facilities (SCIF). They have emerged from these briefings more convinced than ever that the U.S. government appears to be hiding evidence of “nonhuman intelligence” that has been discovered, uncovered, and retrieved over the past seventy-five years or so. Senators Kirsten Gillibrand (D-NY) and Marco Rubio (R-FL), now Secretary of State, are among the members of the upper chamber who are likewise engaged with the topic.
Something else that makes me wonder whether we are being visited is the fact that there has been a quantum leap in torpedo and missile technology in the U.S., Russia, and China, suggesting that there may be some reverse engineering of greatly advanced systems occurring. It’s one thing to see Russian nuclear-capable rockets from thirty years ago lumbering across the sky; it’s quite another to see current Russian Avangard, or more precisely, Oreshnik missiles, slam into the ground at speeds greater than 8,000 mph. The Avangard is actually capable of speeds three times that of the Oreshnik. I’ve never before seen an object travel at Mach 10, let alone Mach 30 (“Mach” representing the speed of sound), strike the Earth. It is positively terrifying to witness and apparently useless to attempt to defend against. Where did this ability suddenly come from?
The All-domain Anomaly Resolution Office (AARO), which is the investigative body for the Department of Defense (DOD) with respect to unidentified aerial phenomena (UAP), claims that it can solve or identify 736 out of the 757 most recent cases; however, 21 of these cases have defied resolution. These cases involve phenomena that contradict our laws of physics, such as displaying no visible means of propulsion while hovering without motion in gale-force winds or executing impossible aerial maneuvers at ninety-degree angles. Some objects are too small for an average-sized person to fit inside, while others are as large as a soccer stadium. A total of 21 cases seems disappointingly meager,
almost insignificant, but there have been thousands of reports over the past decade also and therefore (all other things being equal), hundreds of unknown objects.
The Pentagon admits (1) that there seem to be machine-like objects in U.S. skies. And (2) these objects are not from another country. Finally, (3) they are not made in America. What, then, is left for the public to conclude?
This is not to say that we should believe every Tom, Dick, and Alf. I have weighed the points above against what I’ve read and learned concerning news and science. For example, the recent frenzy of reports of drones and objects reported as being similar to aircraft and helicopters occurring in New Jersey and other North Atlantic states has, for the most part (and in my opinion), been just that: drones, aircraft, and helicopters. I’ve written elsewhere on my blog that this “flap” or cluster of reports bore the hallmarks of mass hysteria. Still, there are interesting and occasional accounts and videos available if one is intent on not throwing the baby out with the bathwater and if a person patiently and dispassionately sifts through the videos and other affidavits.
Origins
The prospect of alien life reaching our planet is also daunting, given the vast distances in our galaxy and beyond. Even at light speed—which, according to Einstein, cannot be overcome—voyages would take years, even from the closest star system to Earth. Of the several thousand exoplanets discovered in the past half-century, not a single one is deemed capable of supporting life as we know it. I’ve blogged about some of these planets in detail in other posts, including Kepler 16, Wolf 359, 51 Pegasi b, PSR B1257+12 b, Gliese 667
as a three-body problem, and PSO J318.5−22, a rogue planet, among others. One of these planets I mentioned circles a dwarf star, another a red giant, another a pulsar, and still another orbits no star at all. In the process, I’ve added discussions on alien DNA and alternatives (to carbon) as a basis for life (e.g., ammonia, silicon, barium, and so on). I’ve also touched on frozen water worlds, Kepler 131b appears to be a rocky planet that is not quite in the habitable zone (habitable as in the Goldilocks Principle: “Not too sour, not too sweet. Just right!”).
However, what makes a planet such as Kepler-131b different—assuming it has intelligent life—or even human life—is that Kepler-131b has such a huge mass that a civilization might never be able to achieve escape velocity (the speed necessary to launch a payload into space). The escape velocity of Earth is 24,923 mph. That would be the speed needed if someone were to fire an artillery shell out of a giant cannon into space. Because a rocket engine continually applies power to the rocket as it climbs to the upper atmosphere until burnout, the speed needed, in practical terms, is something less than that. The escape velocity of Kepler-131b, with a mass greater than sixteen times that of Earth, requires a rocket to travel at a speed more than three times the 25,000 mph it takes to escape from Earth’s gravity. If a civilization were capable of breaking free of its surface under those conditions, it would definitely be alien to us.
Hyperspace
For these reasons, I have decided to look elsewhere for a possible point of origin, and that search has taken me to the higher dimensions (referred to as hyperspace). Looking to a higher dimension would also explain the changing shape that some observers of UAPs report. Now, any spatial dimension above the third dimension (such as the fourth dimension) is purely hypothetical, though it does exist in mathematical equations, especially as it relates to time. There is no direct empirical data to support the spatial notion because our senses are so finely tuned to the three-dimensional world in which we live. Only string theory, which itself has fallen somewhat out of vogue of late, provides a framework for this.
What follows in this post is based on the assumption that higher spatial dimensions do exist. In some sense, this post is just an academic exercise of interest only to science fiction writers and amateur students of physics and cosmology. There must be a context in discussions like these, even though our 3D+1 reality may not be representative of what lies beyond. Without a benchmark or a trail of breadcrumbs, it is entirely possible to lose our way—and possibly our minds as well.
The Multiverse
Higher-dimensional theory and multiverses (also known as parallel universes, many-worlds theory, or even polycosmos) are an integral part of what we refer to as hyperspace. The term “hyperspace” was first used in 1866 (or 1867 in other sources) and combines “hyper” (meaning “above”) with “space” to indicate its domain. What follows is strictly theoretical, but scientists who believe in this posits that each universe may indeed have different
physical laws. How many universes might there be? Two? Twenty? Two thousand? No one really knows. The evidence for the multiverse comes from modeling the exponential expansion during the first fraction of a second following the Big Bang. Even if another universe has gravity and electromagnetism, these forces might be much weaker or much stronger than they are here. Yet, there is still no consensus among scientists that the multiverse exists, and you are likely to find either the term “universe” or “multiverse” in textbooks, depending on the leanings of the authors.
The First Three Dimensions
The first three dimensions are relatively easy to describe: length, width, and height. In some cases, you might use geometrical symbols (x, y, and z) or other terms to describe these three labels, but the meaning remains the same. As an example, consider the floor plan on the right. The bottom half of the plan describes what is essentially a two-dimensional home. If you add a second floor, you now have a three-dimensional home (for the sake of this example). Thus, homes can be either two-dimensional or three-dimensional. All other things being equal, adding a third dimension to a home increases the cost. Adding a third dimension to other products in life also offers advantages (i.e., freedom).
Take the two ultrasound photos below. The black-and-white image of the baby provides a two-dimensional view (length and height). You can see a flat image of how the baby is positioned, but it is a very basic image with limited information and detail for an obstetrician to visualize. For example, you cannot see both eyes and the far side of the head; therefore, the doctor’s freedom is restricted. In contrast, the second photo below is a three-dimensional image. As you get older, you may find that getting around in a two-dimensional house is easier because you can avoid steps. However, having a second floor (i.e., a third dimension) provides you with more freedom and advantages in various ways. You have more living space on a small-sized lot, a better view, an apartment for your mother-in-law to move into, and so on.
Adding a third dimension to other products in life also provides advantages (freedom) as well. Take the two ultrasound photos below. The black-and-white image of the baby gives you a two-dimensional image (length and height). You can see a flat representation of how the baby is lying, but it is only a very fundamental image, and there is not a whole lot of information or detail for an obstetrician to visualize. For example, you cannot see both eyes or the far side of the head. The doctor’s freedom is restricted. The second photo below is a three-dimensional image.
Note how the head of the baby seems to “leap” off the background in the second photo. A fourth dimension added to this 3-D image introduces time to the photo. To convert the second ultrasound image into a four-dimensional image, you could video the infant for about twenty seconds and save the file in .avi or .mp4 format, which would include motion, but more importantly, time (twenty seconds). Time is the only four-dimensional effect that we directly experience. However, there appears to be more to the fourth dimension than that. If we wanted to convert the three-dimensional image into four spatial dimensions, we could not. First of all, because we do not have that technology yet, the result would be a more confusing image. We can convert a cube into a four-dimensional solid (called a tesseract), but that is pretty much as far as we can go and still maintain a consensus.
If there is intelligent life in the fourth (spatial) dimension, they would have more freedom than we do to come and go in our three-dimensional world. They would appear to change shape as they passed through our world. While we don’t know for sure, absent any empirical or verifiable data, scientists believe that if intelligent life exists in the fourth dimension (or an even higher dimension), this life could come and go in our dimension with impunity. They could steal gold out of Fort Knox, even the yolks out of eggs, without breaking them. This is because their dimension would provide access to “foolproof” security systems made in our dimension. Their ships could appear and disappear spontaneously, seeming to change shape as they entered and withdrew from our dimension back into theirs. Likely, they would need some sort of access points, similar to portals. These portals could be anything from Einstein-Rosen Bridges (i.e., wormholes) to rabbit holes. They could be clearly marked or not marked at all, possibly explaining why some people mysteriously disappear and are never found. Perhaps some local space phenomena could open these gateways or, if the lifeforms there were sufficiently advanced, they might be able to “fold space” or open portals on their own.
Lewis Carroll and his portal, which was actually a wormhole to another reality, is a fitting reference here. Carroll (1832-1898), whose real name was Charles Dodgson, was a mathematician at Oxford and was familiar with the concept, as depicted in “Alice’s Adventures in Wonderland”.
It’s also possible that the small exotic drones being reported by Navy pilots in restricted airspace are operated from the fourth dimension. We have drones flying in Syria that are piloted from Nevada. There has been a recent increase (since 2015 or so) in the number of UAPs seen or challenged by the U.S. Navy off the East Coast, in an area known as the Virginia Capes. This is restricted airspace for military aircraft to maneuver and possibly to discharge munitions. Reports from The War Zone and testimony to Congress by naval pilots have compiled incidents of UAPs waiting for Navy jets to approach the entry points for pre-designated areas such as W-72 and W-386. These are “doorways” at certain coordinates and altitudes. Naval carrier and escort ship radar picks them up as well.
Coincidentally, naval radar systems were reported to have undergone a major update or upgrade around that same time, which may account for the increased number of UAPs that were not perceivable prior to the upgrade. I wonder if the new software was able to perceive them?
Area W-72 Right (NASA)
The Fourth Dimension
So, I’ve written extensively on the fourth dimension.
Rather than repeat myself (with the exception of the brief quote below), I’d like to add more material about the fourth dimension and hyperspace in general. I’m going to avoid the mathematical proofs and detailed discussions about branes, vibrations, etc., just to keep it simple.
As I mentioned in my post on the fourth dimension:
“As three-dimensional beings, we find ourselves conveniently placed in a three-dimensional existence. If we were to suddenly find ourselves in a four-dimensional reality, our organs would fall out because our bodies could no longer contain them, or they might collect in a pile in the bottom of our pelvic area. If we were ‘thrown’ into the fourth dimension, we would die almost instantaneously. That’s because atomic particles such as electrons and elements such as magnesium would likely behave or appear differently in the fourth dimension than in our existence, and we need these particles and elements in their current 3D states to survive. There would not be oxygen, as we know it and need it, present in the fourth dimension, or we would quickly suffocate.”
But what if a craft from the fourth dimension crashed in our world? There was a reported incident where a DOD crash retrieval team found a thirty-foot machine that had crashed and was partially embedded in the ground. It was estimated to be about thirty feet in size, but when one of the team members entered the craft, he noted that it seemed as large as a football stadium. Then, he felt ill and disoriented. There was also some sort of temporal distortion. He was inside the craft for only a few minutes, but to his comrades, it was more like four hours.
Now, normally I would obtain much more corroborating information on an incident like this before repeating it. I only do so now because these subjective experiences are exactly what you might feel if something from the fourth dimension entered our world and landed (or crashed) near you. You would not be ripped apart as you might be if you were thrown into the fourth dimension. In a very real and important sense, in this scenario, you are still in our 3D world. But the craft is giving you a “taste” of another reality.
Other possible “quirks” you might experience within the object could be a change in the gravitational field, temperature changes, alterations in air pressure, or you might be overwhelmed by bright, perhaps unfamiliar colors and sounds. Whatever you might encounter would depend on the physiological needs of the pilot. If the pilot were human, you might feel no effects. The impact of all these variables would be compounded by your fear, anxiety, sense of wonder, and so on.
The Fifth Dimension
Another postulate of the many-worlds theory is that there is a different “you” in each reality, as you may know from watching sci-fi shows on Netflix, Apple TV, and Amazon Prime. In one reality, you set your alarm for 6:00 a.m. and get up when it rings. In another reality, it does not ring because you forgot to set it. In yet another reality, you sleep through the alarm, and so on. Next, you dress. In one reality, you wear red socks; in another, blue socks; and in yet another, you choose black, white, or brown socks, etc. In one reality, you walk to work. In another, you drive and arrive safely. In another reality, you drive and die in a car crash en route, and so on. Every possible outcome is acted out in a different timeline. All of these possible timelines occur in the fifth dimension (we think).
There is the notion of Monism, which states that only one of the many timelines or alternative possibilities is truly “real,” while the other timelines are nothing more than possibilities and mere artifacts of no consequence. However, in true quantum mechanics, there is no single, definitive timeline; each of the possibilities is equally valid.
The Sixth Dimension
In mathematics and physics, a sixth dimension is just an additional coordinate on an abstract model beyond the fifth dimension. But the need for a sixth dimension is important in advanced geometry and high energy particle physics. The freedom of a sixth dimension could also—despite its tiny size—contain all of the multiverses with their possibly different laws and every possible outcome that is part of string theory.
Like most higher dimensions, from the sixth dimension upward, the current notion is that they are very tiny, even less than microscopic. Part of the reason for this is that when two protons collide at a great enough speed, a tiny black hole is formed for a fraction of a second before collapsing. This collision opens a tiny bubble in interdimensional space, which possesses different laws of physics than our own. This phenomenon is known as vacuum decay. If the dimensions were large and, therefore, the space larger, this “cosmic bubble” would grow at light speed, and the gravity involved in the dynamic would obliterate us. Because this has not yet happened, the hypothesis is that these remaining dimensions are tiny. Creating this miniature black hole is the current focus of research at CERN. Still, these tiny dimensions have a profound influence on how our universe functions and remains stable overall.
In string theory, additional dimensions help unify gravity with the other forces of nature. The sixth dimension could be considered a space where different possible realities or parallel universes exist or where different states of physical systems can be understood. If time travel were ever realized, it might very likely be a sixth-dimensional function.
The sixth and seventh dimensions have been claimed by cartoon characters, as well as by metaphysical and theosophical states of being and consciousness that have little at all to do with science. So, at this point, I’ll pause. However, if you want a peek at the remaining dimensions, see here. I should mention, however, that mainstream quantum physics suggests that any dimension higher than the fourth is likely “curled up” into something very tiny, and that the only purpose of all these higher dimensions is to contain the necessary “script” for our universe to operate as it does.
Is Transdimensional Communication Possible?
Trandimensional communication is possible in science fiction movies and television series, perhaps. Mystics and people involved in the occult may claim they’ve projected themselves to different astral planes or dimensions and have been in telepathic communication with angels and demons, perhaps even the spirits of the departed. Young people who practice what is known as “shifting” believe that there is a dream-related state whereby they are caught up in or approach another dimension. It is tragic to read about how
hard they try to push themselves into a dissociative state that resembles schizophrenia. In spite of their enthusiasm and ill-advised practices, there is neither empirical evidence nor a mathematical or scientific framework to support these beliefs. At least hyperspace itself has some basis in modeling. There are no ghosts in hyperspace. Some devotees say that ghosts are from another dimension and that Heaven and Hell are different dimensions. None of this has any shred of evidence, though there certainly is ample room for spatial dimensions in the Bible. Keep in mind that Kaluza and Einstein likely did not have theology in mind when they developed their theories.
Hypothetically, at least, communication is possible, and if you watched the movie Interstellar, you’ll find a good introduction to it there. What, then, are the ways that information might be exchanged across dimensional boundaries? One possibility is M-theory, which develops the notion of virtually infinite one-dimensional strings in addition to multi-dimensional branes that vibrate at certain frequencies. The frequency at which they vibrate (oscillate) depends on the tension, energy, and other space-time properties in their surroundings. Like strings, branes (from the word “membrane”) are not made out of anything (such as gas or particles) as far as we know. They just “are.” And while strings and branes are thin, they are incredibly dense, able to distort time and space and generate graviton waves that affect even light, causing multiple images of a distant object.
It is possible that the vibrations or other effects on space-time can create quantum field interactions that could disrupt the boundaries of dimensions, allowing data to seep through. Certainly, wormholes and quantum tunneling, whereby particles burrow through dimensional borders, might also occur. But as theoretical as wormholes are today, a stable wormhole seems ever more far-fetched. I’ve heard it suggested that in the case of someone who has a recurrent dream that plays over and over in their sleep, with the same outcome each time, this might be a result of an adjacent and alternate quantum timeline where the dream actually occurred. Perhaps in real life, the person was robbed of their watch at gunpoint at some point in time. However, in their dream, the robber shoots them as well as steals their watch. But I don’t know how this could be tested, and the fundamental assumption does not even have a theory attached to it (assuming alternative outcomes are even possible). At this point, we are moving as much towards philosophy as we are towards physics. However, for me to repeatedly remind you that this is all theory, or that it is, at present, far beyond our current grasp, does not discount the possibility. Just consider how far we’ve come in the last century and a half and the significance of the discoveries we’ve made.
Would Parallel Universes Each Have Their Own Dimensions?
I thought this was an interesting question. Referring to the illustration above with the different bubbles, each representing a different universe, I wondered whether each would have the same dimensions that we have and whether, for example, the fourth dimension in these bubbled universes would have the same function as ours. Would another universe among many share our fourth dimension or have a separate fourth dimension of its own? The answer seems to be “No!” Some of these universes might be absolutely barren, void of any matter or energy, so in that case, what would lower dimensions even mean? How could you measure and state the x, y, and z of an infinite expanse of empty space? Clearly, since time might unfold differently in a different dimension and the laws of physics might vary, it may well mean that you cannot get from universe “A” to universe “B” by entering our fourth dimension (not that you even could, because as my post on the fourth dimension notes, you would immediately bleed out through evisceration if you entered our fourth dimension). And if that doesn’t kill you in less than a minute, any one of a number of other things might.
Constants in Cosmology
There are a series of critical mathematical constants in our universe that keep electrons revolving around the nuclei of atoms, the planets in our solar system rotating on their axes while revolving around our sun, and our sun revolving around our galaxy. These constants include (when relevant) the speed of light and the Gravitational Constant (which measures the strength of the gravitational attraction between stars, planets, asteroids, etc.). Planck’s constant relates to photons and their frequencies, while the Fine Structure Constant (FSC) describes the electromagnetic interaction between atomic particles. The Hubble Constant measures the inflation rate of our universe, and beyond this, there are five or six other constants as well. If any one of these constant values were to shift, even imperceptibly, our universe could essentially cease to exist. A change in the Fine Structure Constant could disrupt the properties of molecules involved in life processes (including DNA). Life would cease to exist on Earth since the Anthropic Principle is tied to the FSC. Stars would age prematurely in this case as well, and our sun would begin to cool. Since other universes could have different physical laws and constants, then all bets are off. But maybe the other universes have the same constants with the same values?
Then again, what are the odds that the hydrogen line would be precisely 1420.4 MHz in twelve (or 2,000) universes as it is here? Or that hydrogen would even be as abundant elsewhere as it is here?
Dimensional Reduction (Compactification)
This is something arbitrarily applied to the higher dimensions to make them easier for scientists and mathematicians to study. By assuming the sixth, seventh, and eighth through tenth dimensions are microscopic in size, they can fit into the model more easily. There may come a point in time when we realize they are not curled in on each other or that they don’t exist at all! But for the moment, “dimensional reduction,” “compactification,” and “holographic principle” (which I won’t discuss here) are buzzwords currently being thrown around. Indeed, David Grusch brought these up last summer in his testimony to the U.S. House of Representatives.
Afterword
I may add another (third) post on dimensions later this year. If anyone has any specific questions or interests along these lines, please post your comments here.
Footnotes
- A CBS news report from two days ago documented what was carried on other platforms concerning Congressman Tim Burchett (R-TN). According to the CBS report:
“Republican Rep. Tim Burchett said in an interview Wednesday that an admiral—whom he did not identify—had told him of an unidentified craft moving at incredible speeds in the sea.
“They tell me something’s moving at hundreds of miles an hour underwater… as large as a football field, underwater,”the Tennessee congressman told former Republican congressman Matt Gaetz, who now hosts a show on the right-wing news outlet One America News.
“This was a documented case, and I have an admiral telling me this stuff.”
If this is true (that Congressman Burchett’s comments are accurate and the anonymous admiral was truthful), and assuming this was not a false echo caused by temperature inversion or whatever else a nuclear submarine crew might encounter, then determining what this was should be a national priority, regardless of where it came from.
