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Did Jesse Jackson's family bar Obama from funeral? Here's the truth
Feb. 20th, 2026 12:28 am![[syndicated profile]](https://www.dreamwidth.org/img/silk/identity/feed.png){kind=small}
snopes_feedWith the exception of a brief rift in 2008, the two publicly maintained mutual respect. A family representative told Snopes the rumor was false.
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Texas GOP candidate Bo French called for deporting several Native Americans
Feb. 20th, 2026 12:20 amsnopes_feedHis campaign said he didn't call to deport all Native Americans, but rather only the ones in the photograph he posted with his comment.
Rumor Epstein said babies taste like cream cheese is unsubstantiated
Feb. 19th, 2026 10:42 pmsnopes_feedWhile "cream cheese" and "babies" appear in an email exchange within the Epstein files, there's no evidence he was comparing the taste of the two.
2026 Winter Olympics rumors we've raced to investigate
Feb. 19th, 2026 07:20 pmsnopes_feedWith the 2026 Milano Cortina Games in the spotlight, claims about politicians and athletes tore through feeds like Olympic speed skaters.
Did Woody Harrelson criticize Trump in interview?
Feb. 19th, 2026 07:09 pmsnopes_feedA video depicted Harrelson as allegedly saying he wished "that there were a way to get rid of" Trump and replace him with "a great president."
Epstein files' references to 'jerky' fuel cannibalism claims. The records tell a different story
Feb. 19th, 2026 04:00 pmsnopes_feedAs victims of Jeffrey Epstein's crimes continued seeking justice, users flooded social media with conspiracy theories about food, including jerky.
Unpacking claim Seahawks QB Sam Darnold owed more in California taxes than his Super Bowl bonus
Feb. 19th, 2026 02:00 pmsnopes_feedA rumor circulated that Darnold owed the state of California $249,000 after receiving a Super Bowl victory bonus of $178,000.
Did George Will report Fox News cut away from Trump mid-speech? Watch out
Feb. 19th, 2026 12:00 pmsnopes_feedThis is just the latest fabricated video appearing to show the conservative columnist sounding off about Trump.
Don't fall for rumor Trump asked when he could kill Olympians who lost
Feb. 19th, 2026 11:00 amsnopes_feedWhile this claim began as a joke, the president did call a U.S. skier "a real loser" for speaking about the country's current political state.
Northern Glow Spans Iceland and Canada
Feb. 19th, 2026 05:00 amearthobservatory_iod_feed
February 16, 2026
Although the aurora borealis, or northern lights, is most often observed in March and September, it can appear at other times of the year if conditions are right. For instance, in February 2026, a minor geomagnetic storm produced a striking display of light swirling across northern skies.
The VIIRS (Visible Infrared Imaging Radiometer Suite) on the Suomi NPP satellite acquired these images in the early morning hours of February 16. The VIIRS day-night band detects nighttime light in a range of wavelengths from green to near-infrared and uses filtering techniques to observe signals such as city lights, reflected moonlight, and auroras. While these satellite data are displayed in grayscale, auroras appear in various colors to observers on the ground, from green (the most common) to purple to red.
The first image (top) shows ribbons of light that shimmered over the Denmark Strait and Iceland at 04:45 Universal Time (4:45 a.m. local time in Reykjavík). The second image shows the view farther west, where the lights danced above the Canadian provinces of Québec and Newfoundland and Labrador at about 06:30 Universal Time (1:30 a.m. local time in Montreal).
February 16, 2026
According to the NOAA Space Weather Prediction Center, a minor geomagnetic storm was in progress during this period. Classified as a G1—the lowest level on a scale that goes up to G5—such storms typically make the aurora visible at high latitudes. G1 storms can also cause slight disruptions, including weak fluctuations in power grids and minor impacts on satellite operations.
Later that day, conditions intensified to a G2 storm, likely associated with a coronal hole and a high-speed stream of solar wind. G2 storms are considered moderate in strength and can occasionally push auroral displays as far south as New York and Idaho.
About a week earlier, on February 10, a NASA rocket mission launched from the Poker Flat Research Range near Fairbanks, Alaska, to study the electrical environment of an aurora. The GNEISS (Geophysical Non-Equilibrium Ionospheric System Science) mission’s two sounding rockets gathered data that will help scientists create a 3D reconstruction of the electrical currents flowing from the northern lights. Combined with observations from the ground and space, this information can help researchers better understand the system that drives space weather near Earth.
NASA Earth Observatory images by Michala Garrison, using VIIRS day-night band data from the Suomi National Polar-Orbiting Partnership. Story by Kathryn Hansen.
References & Resources
- NASA Science (2025, February 27) Electrojet Zeeman Imaging Explorer. Accessed February 18, 2026.
- NASA Science (2025, January 23) Aurorasaurus. Accessed February 18, 2026.
- NASA’s Wallops Flight Facility (2026, February 10) NASA Rocket to Conduct ‘CT Scan’ of Auroral Electricity. Accessed February 18, 2026.
- NOAA Space Weather Prediction Center via X (2026, February 16) EXTENDED WARNING: Geomagnetic K-index of 5 expected. Accessed February 18, 2026.
- University of Alaska Fairbanks (2026, February) Launches x4: Multiple missions kept everyone busy at Poker Flat. Accessed February 18, 2026.
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The post Northern Glow Spans Iceland and Canada appeared first on NASA Science.
Did Seahawks decline White House visit? No proof that's true
Feb. 19th, 2026 12:52 amsnopes_feedSocial media users claimed Seattle's Super Bowl champions declined an invitation, but evidence is lacking.
German parade floats mocking Trump are real. Here's why the caricatures were displayed
Feb. 19th, 2026 12:33 amsnopes_feedWhile the date of the parades lined up with Presidents Day in the U.S., several German cities actually held annual Rose Monday parades.
Investigating claim Dr. Oz invited Epstein to Valentine's Day party in 2016
Feb. 18th, 2026 11:41 pmsnopes_feedThe rumor circulated online after former Rep. Marjorie Taylor Greene mentioned it in a podcast appearance.
Does Netanyahu have blood cancer? Claim lacks evidence
Feb. 18th, 2026 09:05 pmsnopes_feedThe Israeli prime minister was previously rumored to have prostate cancer.
Did JetBlue flight attendant thank Trump on Presidents Day? What we know
Feb. 18th, 2026 07:11 pmsnopes_feedThe claim stemmed from a Threads user's post that didn't include an audio or video recording of the flight attendant's purported announcement.
9 'Sesame Street' rumors we've screened over the years
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Mars Global Localization Pinpoints Perseverance’s Location
Feb. 18th, 2026 05:21 pmearthobservatory_iod_feed3 Min Read
Mars Global Localization Pinpoints Perseverance’s Location
Credits:
NASA/JPL-Caltech
Description
These images were part of the first successful use of a new technology called Mars Global Localization, developed at NASA’s Jet Propulsion Laboratory. Using its navigation cameras, NASA’s Perseverance captured a 360-degree view of the surrounding terrain that was matched to orbital imagery, enabling the rover to pinpoint its location on Mars on Feb. 2, 2026, the 1,762nd day, or sol, of the mission. The navcam images were turned into an overhead view called an orthomosaic, forming a circle around the rover. In this animation, the orthomosaic is superimposed on the imagery from NASA’s Mars Reconnaissance Orbiter (MRO). Contrast and hue have been enhanced to increase visibility of terrain features, which align in the ground and orbital imagery.
The rover took the five stereo pairs of navcam images in this relatively featureless location, dubbed “Mala Mala,” an area on the rim of Jezero Crater. The blank area in the upper right of the orthomosaic is where the back of the rover blocked the cameras’ view of the surrounding landscape.
Mars Global Localization features an algorithm that rapidly compares panoramic navcam shots to MRO orbital imagery. Running on a powerful processor that Perseverance originally used to communicate with the now-retired Ingenuity Mars Helicopter, the algorithm takes about two minutes to pinpoint the rover’s location to within some 10 inches (25 centimeters).
Like NASA’s previous Mars rovers, Perseverance tracks its position using what’s called visual odometry, analyzing geologic features in camera images taken every few feet while accounting for wheel slippage. As tiny errors in the process add up over the course of each drive, the rover becomes increasingly unsure about its exact location. On long drives, the rover’s sense of its position can be off by more than 100 feet (up to 35 meters). Believing it could be too close to hazardous terrain, Perseverance may prematurely end its drive and wait for instructions from Earth.
After each drive comes to a halt, the rover sends a 360-degree panorama to Earth, where mapping experts match the imagery with shots from MRO. The team then sends the rover its location and instructions for its next drive. That process can take a day or more, but with Mars Global Localization, the rover can compare the images itself, determine its location, and roll ahead on its pre-planned route.
Managed for NASA by Caltech, JPL built and manages operations of the Perseverance rover. JPL also manages MRO for the agency’s Science Mission Directorate in Washington as part of its Mars Exploration Program portfolio.
The post Mars Global Localization Pinpoints Perseverance’s Location appeared first on NASA Science.
Perseverance Pinpoints Its Location at ‘Mala Mala’
Feb. 18th, 2026 05:14 pmearthobservatory_iod_feed2 Min Read
Perseverance Pinpoints Its Location at ‘Mala Mala’
Credits:
NASA/JPL-Caltech
Description
Using its navigation cameras, NASA’s Perseverance Mars rover captured the five stereo pairs of images that make up this panorama on Feb. 2, 2026, the 1,762nd day, or sol, of the mission. A new technology called Mars Global Localization matched this 360-degree view to onboard orbital imagery from the agency’s Mars Reconnaissance Orbiter (MRO), enabling the rover to pinpoint its location on the Red Planet for the first time without human help. The rover is in a relatively featureless area dubbed “Mala Mala” on the rim of Jezero Crater.
NASA’s Jet Propulsion Laboratory developed Mars Global Localization, which features an algorithm that rapidly compares panoramic navcam shots to MRO orbital imagery. Running on a powerful processor that Perseverance originally used to communicate with the now-retired Ingenuity Mars Helicopter, the algorithm takes about two minutes to pinpoint the rover’s location within some 10 inches (25 centimeters).
Like NASA’s previous Mars rovers, Perseverance tracks its position using what’s called visual odometry, analyzing geologic features in camera images taken every few feet while accounting for wheel slippage. As tiny errors in the process add up over the course of each drive, the rover becomes increasingly unsure about its exact location. On long drives, the rover’s sense of its position can be off by than 100 feet (up to 35 meters). Believing it could be too close to hazardous terrain, the rover may prematurely end its drive and wait for instructions from Earth.
After each drive comes to a halt, the rover sends a 360-degree panorama to Earth, where mapping experts match the imagery with shots from MRO. The team then sends the rover its location and instructions for its next drive. That process can take a day or more. With Mars Global Localization, the rover can compare the images itself, determine its location, and roll ahead on its pre-planned route.
Managed for NASA by Caltech, JPL built and manages operations of the Perseverance rover. JPL also manages MRO for the agency’s Science Mission Directorate in Washington as part of its Mars Exploration Program portfolio.
The post Perseverance Pinpoints Its Location at ‘Mala Mala’ appeared first on NASA Science.
Macaulay Culkin never said Michael Jackson 'saved' him from Epstein
Feb. 18th, 2026 04:00 pmsnopes_feedFor years, the former child actor has defended the late pop star from child sexual abuse allegations.
Inspecting fictional claim ICE agents arrested Black federal judge Nadine Ashford
Feb. 18th, 2026 02:00 pmsnopes_feedStories of ICE agents arresting various Black judges in different American cities circulated online in early 2026.