South American solar eclipse on July 2

Above: Beverley Sinclair’s photo of the solar eclipse on August 21, 2017, highlighting the diamond ring effect.

A total eclipse of the sun is coming to the South American countries of Chile and Argentina in the late afternoon hours of July 2, 2019. This is the first total solar eclipse since the great American total solar eclipse of August 21, 2017.

We refer to the map below. Outside the narrow path of totality (in blue) that swings over the South Pacific Ocean and southern South America, a much broader swath of the Pacific, South America and southern Central America sits beneath the moon’s penumbral shadow, to undergo a partial eclipse of the sun. It’ll be an exceedingly shallow solar eclipse for southern Central America, however. Be sure to use proper eye protection any time the sun is not eclipsed or in any stage of a partial eclipse (even when it’s over 99 percent but less than 100 percent eclipsed)!

Top 7 tips for safe solar eclipse viewing

The narrow dark blue corridor depicts the path of totality; you must be on that path to see a total eclipse. The broader swath shows varying degrees of a partial solar eclipse. The numbers (0.80 to 0.20) indicate how much of the sun’s diameter is covered over by the moon. The total eclipse will start at sunrise, at left, and – some 2 2/3 hours later – it’ll end at sunset over eastern Argentina. The path of totality is approximately 7,000 miles (11,200 km) long. The maximum path width is 125 miles (201 km).

An animated version of the above map whereby the small black dot depicts totality. The large gray circle shows the region of a partial eclipse of the sun.

Unless you’re on a cruise ship, or perhaps an airplane, you can only watch the total solar eclipse from Chile or Argentina in South America. Oneo, a small and uninhabited atoll of the Pitcairn Islands, is the only Pacific island where the total solar eclipse is visible, starting at 10:24 a.m. local time (18:24 Universal Time). Totality lasts for 2 minutes and 53 seconds. Numerous Pacific islands, on the other hand, can observe a partial solar eclipse – but, once again, we stress the need for proper eye protection.

View larger. | Stephen Aman in Orlando, Florida, kindly provided this chart of eclipse times for all major cities and islands that lie in its path. Thank you, Stephen!

We expect eclipse chasers to flock to the big cities of Santiago, Chile, and Buenos Aires, Argentina, in their quest to witness the most spectacular of natural wonders, a total eclipse of the sun. It’s been said that on a scale of one to ten, a total solar eclipse rates a million! After seeing a total solar eclipse for the first time in Wyoming on August 21, 2017, I have to agree with the assessment. If you live in South America and are within traveling distance of totality, by all means take the trip. It’s an experience that’ll live with you for the rest of your days.

View larger. Zooming in on the path of totality going through Chile and Argentina via Mark Littmann and Fred Espenak.

As evident on the map above, Santiago, Chile, lies to the south of the total eclipse path, whereas Buenos Aires, Argentina, sits at the northern edge. We give the eclipse times in local time for Santiago, Chile, and Buenos Aires, Argentina, plus two cities within the total eclipse path: La Serena, Chile, and Rio Cuarto, Argentina.

Local eclipse times:

Santiago, Chile
Partial solar eclipse begins: 4:21 p.m local time
Maximum eclipse (sun’s disk 92.1 percent covered over): 4:37 p.m. local time
Partial solar eclipse ends: 7:44 p.m. local time

Buenos Aires, Argentina
Partial solar eclipse begins: 4:36 p.m. local time
Maximum eclipse (sun’s disk 99.7 percent covered over): 5:44 p.m. local time
Sunset (eclipse still in process): 5:51 p.m. local time

La Serena, Chile
Partial solar eclipse begins: 3:23 p.m.local time
Total solar eclipse begins: 4:38:13 p.m. local time
Maximum eclipse: 4:39:23 p.m. local time
Total solar eclipse ends: 4:40:31 p.m. local time
Partial solar eclipse ends 5:47 p.m. local time

Rio Cuarto, Argentina
Partial solar eclipse begins: 4:31 p.m. local time
Total solar eclipse begins: 5:41:26 p.m. local time
Maximum eclipse: 5:42:26 p.m. local time
Total solar eclipse ends: 5:43:26 p.m local time
Sunset (eclipse still in process): 6:22 p.m. local time

Resources:

Solar eclipse calculator via EclipseWise

Eclipse information via TimeandDate

If you want to find out when (or if) this eclipse happens in your sky, click on either one of the above links or this Google map.

View larger. Map of total eclipse path through Argentina via Eclipsophile. Along the central line of the total eclipse path, totality lasts for about 2 minutes at the beginning and end points, and around 4 1/2 minutes around the midpoint. Click here for details.

What causes a solar eclipse?

A solar eclipse is only possible at new moon, when the moon in its orbit swings between Earth and the sun. Then the moon blocks out the solar disk, either partially or totally, as viewed from a portion of the Earth’s surface. More often than not, however, no solar eclipse happens at new moon, because the new moon swings to the north or south of the sun. Despite having 13 new moons in 2019, there are only three solar eclipses:

January 6, 2019: partial solar eclipse
July 2, 2019: total solar eclipse
December 26, 2019: annular solar eclipse

This year, in 2019, we have 13 new moons and 3 solar eclipses (P = partial, T = total and A = annular). We also have 12 full moons and 2 lunar eclipses (t = total and p = partial). Moon phase table via Astropixels.

Read more: Why no eclipse at every full and new moon?

During the course of one year, the new moon swings anywhere from 5 degrees (10 moon diameters) north of the ecliptic (Earth’s orbital plane) to 5 degrees south of the ecliptic. Yet a solar eclipse can only happen when the new moon is appreciably close to the ecliptic. After the year’s first solar eclipse on January 6, 2019, the following five new moons swung too far south of the ecliptic for a solar eclipse to take place. After the year’s second solar eclipse on July 2, 2019, the following five new moons will swing too far north of the ecliptic to feature a solar eclipse.

A = total solar eclipse, B = annular eclipse and C = partial solar eclipse

The upcoming total solar eclipse on July 2, 2019, depends on more than the fortuitous alignment of the new moon with the Earth and sun. For a total solar eclipse to occur, the angular diameter of the moon has to exceed that of the sun. During this eclipse, the new moon comes considerably closer than its average distance from Earth. Yet, at the same time, the Earth is only a few days shy of reaching its farthest point from the sun.

The closer moon makes the new moon appear larger, whereas the more distant sun makes the sun appear smaller. Because the new moon looms larger than the sun in Earth’s sky, the moon totally covers over the solar disk during the total solar eclipse of July 2, 2019.

Annular solar eclipse – called a “ring of fire” eclipse – captured by photographer Geoff Sims on May 10, 2013. Used with permission.

Six lunar months (six new moons) after the total solar eclipse on July 2, 2019, the year’s final solar eclipse will fall on December 26, 2019. But this time around, the December 2019 new moon will be about 10,000 miles (16,000 km) farther than the new moon of July 2019. Also, the sun will be about 3 million miles (5 million km) closer than it was in July 2019. On December 26, 2019, the smaller new moon won’t be able to totally cover over the larger solar disk, so a ring of sunshine will surround the new moon silhouette, to showcase an annular eclipse of the sun.

The total solar eclipse on July 2, 2019, will be the last total eclipse of the sun to grace Earth’s sky until December 14, 2020. Hard to believe, but the path of totality on both July 2, 2019, and December 14, 2020, will sweep over Chile and Argentina, to give these lucky South American residents a total solar eclipse for two years in a row.

Bottom line: A total eclipse of the sun is coming to the South American countries of Chile and Argentina in the late afternoon hours on July 2, 2019.

from EarthSky https://ift.tt/2Xif3vn

Above: Beverley Sinclair’s photo of the solar eclipse on August 21, 2017, highlighting the diamond ring effect.

A total eclipse of the sun is coming to the South American countries of Chile and Argentina in the late afternoon hours of July 2, 2019. This is the first total solar eclipse since the great American total solar eclipse of August 21, 2017.

We refer to the map below. Outside the narrow path of totality (in blue) that swings over the South Pacific Ocean and southern South America, a much broader swath of the Pacific, South America and southern Central America sits beneath the moon’s penumbral shadow, to undergo a partial eclipse of the sun. It’ll be an exceedingly shallow solar eclipse for southern Central America, however. Be sure to use proper eye protection any time the sun is not eclipsed or in any stage of a partial eclipse (even when it’s over 99 percent but less than 100 percent eclipsed)!

Top 7 tips for safe solar eclipse viewing

The narrow dark blue corridor depicts the path of totality; you must be on that path to see a total eclipse. The broader swath shows varying degrees of a partial solar eclipse. The numbers (0.80 to 0.20) indicate how much of the sun’s diameter is covered over by the moon. The total eclipse will start at sunrise, at left, and – some 2 2/3 hours later – it’ll end at sunset over eastern Argentina. The path of totality is approximately 7,000 miles (11,200 km) long. The maximum path width is 125 miles (201 km).

An animated version of the above map whereby the small black dot depicts totality. The large gray circle shows the region of a partial eclipse of the sun.

Unless you’re on a cruise ship, or perhaps an airplane, you can only watch the total solar eclipse from Chile or Argentina in South America. Oneo, a small and uninhabited atoll of the Pitcairn Islands, is the only Pacific island where the total solar eclipse is visible, starting at 10:24 a.m. local time (18:24 Universal Time). Totality lasts for 2 minutes and 53 seconds. Numerous Pacific islands, on the other hand, can observe a partial solar eclipse – but, once again, we stress the need for proper eye protection.

View larger. | Stephen Aman in Orlando, Florida, kindly provided this chart of eclipse times for all major cities and islands that lie in its path. Thank you, Stephen!

We expect eclipse chasers to flock to the big cities of Santiago, Chile, and Buenos Aires, Argentina, in their quest to witness the most spectacular of natural wonders, a total eclipse of the sun. It’s been said that on a scale of one to ten, a total solar eclipse rates a million! After seeing a total solar eclipse for the first time in Wyoming on August 21, 2017, I have to agree with the assessment. If you live in South America and are within traveling distance of totality, by all means take the trip. It’s an experience that’ll live with you for the rest of your days.

View larger. Zooming in on the path of totality going through Chile and Argentina via Mark Littmann and Fred Espenak.

As evident on the map above, Santiago, Chile, lies to the south of the total eclipse path, whereas Buenos Aires, Argentina, sits at the northern edge. We give the eclipse times in local time for Santiago, Chile, and Buenos Aires, Argentina, plus two cities within the total eclipse path: La Serena, Chile, and Rio Cuarto, Argentina.

Local eclipse times:

Santiago, Chile
Partial solar eclipse begins: 4:21 p.m local time
Maximum eclipse (sun’s disk 92.1 percent covered over): 4:37 p.m. local time
Partial solar eclipse ends: 7:44 p.m. local time

Buenos Aires, Argentina
Partial solar eclipse begins: 4:36 p.m. local time
Maximum eclipse (sun’s disk 99.7 percent covered over): 5:44 p.m. local time
Sunset (eclipse still in process): 5:51 p.m. local time

La Serena, Chile
Partial solar eclipse begins: 3:23 p.m.local time
Total solar eclipse begins: 4:38:13 p.m. local time
Maximum eclipse: 4:39:23 p.m. local time
Total solar eclipse ends: 4:40:31 p.m. local time
Partial solar eclipse ends 5:47 p.m. local time

Rio Cuarto, Argentina
Partial solar eclipse begins: 4:31 p.m. local time
Total solar eclipse begins: 5:41:26 p.m. local time
Maximum eclipse: 5:42:26 p.m. local time
Total solar eclipse ends: 5:43:26 p.m local time
Sunset (eclipse still in process): 6:22 p.m. local time

Resources:

Solar eclipse calculator via EclipseWise

Eclipse information via TimeandDate

If you want to find out when (or if) this eclipse happens in your sky, click on either one of the above links or this Google map.

View larger. Map of total eclipse path through Argentina via Eclipsophile. Along the central line of the total eclipse path, totality lasts for about 2 minutes at the beginning and end points, and around 4 1/2 minutes around the midpoint. Click here for details.

What causes a solar eclipse?

A solar eclipse is only possible at new moon, when the moon in its orbit swings between Earth and the sun. Then the moon blocks out the solar disk, either partially or totally, as viewed from a portion of the Earth’s surface. More often than not, however, no solar eclipse happens at new moon, because the new moon swings to the north or south of the sun. Despite having 13 new moons in 2019, there are only three solar eclipses:

January 6, 2019: partial solar eclipse
July 2, 2019: total solar eclipse
December 26, 2019: annular solar eclipse

This year, in 2019, we have 13 new moons and 3 solar eclipses (P = partial, T = total and A = annular). We also have 12 full moons and 2 lunar eclipses (t = total and p = partial). Moon phase table via Astropixels.

Read more: Why no eclipse at every full and new moon?

During the course of one year, the new moon swings anywhere from 5 degrees (10 moon diameters) north of the ecliptic (Earth’s orbital plane) to 5 degrees south of the ecliptic. Yet a solar eclipse can only happen when the new moon is appreciably close to the ecliptic. After the year’s first solar eclipse on January 6, 2019, the following five new moons swung too far south of the ecliptic for a solar eclipse to take place. After the year’s second solar eclipse on July 2, 2019, the following five new moons will swing too far north of the ecliptic to feature a solar eclipse.

A = total solar eclipse, B = annular eclipse and C = partial solar eclipse

The upcoming total solar eclipse on July 2, 2019, depends on more than the fortuitous alignment of the new moon with the Earth and sun. For a total solar eclipse to occur, the angular diameter of the moon has to exceed that of the sun. During this eclipse, the new moon comes considerably closer than its average distance from Earth. Yet, at the same time, the Earth is only a few days shy of reaching its farthest point from the sun.

The closer moon makes the new moon appear larger, whereas the more distant sun makes the sun appear smaller. Because the new moon looms larger than the sun in Earth’s sky, the moon totally covers over the solar disk during the total solar eclipse of July 2, 2019.

Annular solar eclipse – called a “ring of fire” eclipse – captured by photographer Geoff Sims on May 10, 2013. Used with permission.

Six lunar months (six new moons) after the total solar eclipse on July 2, 2019, the year’s final solar eclipse will fall on December 26, 2019. But this time around, the December 2019 new moon will be about 10,000 miles (16,000 km) farther than the new moon of July 2019. Also, the sun will be about 3 million miles (5 million km) closer than it was in July 2019. On December 26, 2019, the smaller new moon won’t be able to totally cover over the larger solar disk, so a ring of sunshine will surround the new moon silhouette, to showcase an annular eclipse of the sun.

The total solar eclipse on July 2, 2019, will be the last total eclipse of the sun to grace Earth’s sky until December 14, 2020. Hard to believe, but the path of totality on both July 2, 2019, and December 14, 2020, will sweep over Chile and Argentina, to give these lucky South American residents a total solar eclipse for two years in a row.

Bottom line: A total eclipse of the sun is coming to the South American countries of Chile and Argentina in the late afternoon hours on July 2, 2019.

from EarthSky https://ift.tt/2Xif3vn

NASA has a plan to knock an asteroid off course

NASA’s Deep Impact spacecraft struck a 4-mile-wide (6-km-wide) comet – called Tempel 1 – on July 4, 2005. This image was acquired 67 seconds after impact. Image via ESA.

In the past several decades, astronomers have waked up to the reality that asteroids orbiting our sun do sometimes strike the Earth. It’s now know that the relatively little ones strike fairly often, mostly disintegrating in Earth’s protective atmosphere, and/or falling into the ocean. But larger asteroids have been known to pierce Earth’s atmosphere as well, such as the one that entered over Chelyabinsk, Russia, in 2013, causing a shock wave that broke windows in several Russian cities. At present, astronomers do not expect any large, world-destroying asteroids to be on a collision course with Earth, in the foreseeable future. But smaller asteroids – those capable of causing destruction on a regional or city-wide scale, for example – are possible. And what if we learned that one was headed our way while there was still time to try to avert the collision? Could we deflect it? How?

Astronomers have been meeting and seriously talking about what might be needed to deflect an asteroid for at least a couple of decades. Those talks have evolved into action; NASA’s DART mission is planned to launch in 2021, with the goal of ramming an asteroid in 2022, and testing the asteroid’s response. Afterwards, if all goes as planned, an ESA mission called Hera – now currently under study – will also visit the asteroid, gathering more detailed information. A February 4, 2019, statement from ESA explained:

The target of [both DART and Hera] is a double asteroid system, called Didymos, which will come a comparatively close 11 million km (about 7 million miles) to Earth in 2022. The 800-meter-diameter main body (about 2,600 feet) is orbited by a 160-meter-diameter moon (about 525 feet), informally called ‘Didymoon’.

Hera manager Ian Carnelli said in an email to EarthSky that both DART and Hera fall under the framework of what scientists call the Asteroid Impact and Deflection Assessment, or AIDA. Carnelli wrote:

Our Hera and Dart mission teams are fully functional and coordinating this joint experiment. An AIDA workshop is planned in September 2019 in Rome. The original ESA part of the mission, called AIM, did not receive full funding. ESA has therefore re-worked the mission (now called Hera) and optimized for reaching Didymos after DART impact, to complete the experiment by 2026.

DART is currently planned to launch in 2021. Hera would follow a few years after DART’s impact. ESA explained:

… Hera will follow up with a detailed post-impact survey that will turn this grand-scale experiment into a well-understood and repeatable planetary defense technique.

Read more: ESA plans to visit the double asteroid, too

View larger. | DART mission profile. Illustration via ESA.

ESA also said the Hera mission will be the first spacecraft to explore a binary asteroid system – the Didymos pair. Also, the moon Didymoon will be the smallest asteroid ever visited by a spacecraft. It is about the same size as the Great Pyramid of Giza. Carnelli commented:

Such a binary asteroid system is the perfect testbed for a planetary defense experiment but is also an entirely new environment for asteroid investigations. Although binaries make up 15 percent of all known asteroids, they have never been explored before, and we anticipate many surprises.

Check out the scale chart below – prepared by the Planetary Society – of all asteroids and comets so far surveyed by spacecraft. On this chart, the larger Didymos asteroid would form a modest dot, with its smaller moonlet struggling to make a single pixel.

View larger. | The Planetary Society created this comparison chart of all the asteroids and comets visited so far by spacecraft. On this chart, the larger Didymos asteroid would form a dot, with Didymoon struggling to make a single pixel. Image via Planetary Society/ESA.

ESA said Didymoon’s small size was one reason it was chosen for a pioneering planetary defense experiment. As it happens, this little asteroid moonlet is also in the riskiest class of near-Earth asteroids because of its size: larger bodies can more easily be tracked, smaller bodies will burn up or do limited damage, while a Didymoon-sized impactor could devastate an entire region of our planet.

Read more about the Hera mission from ESA, and the DART mission from NASA, or check out the video below:

Bottom line: In what’s being called humankind’s 1st planetary defense test, space scientists are planning to send a spacecraft to a double asteroid – Didymos and its tiny moon – and crash it into the moon in attempt to change its orbit.

Via ESA

EarthSky lunar calendars are cool! They make great gifts. Order now.

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NASA’s Deep Impact spacecraft struck a 4-mile-wide (6-km-wide) comet – called Tempel 1 – on July 4, 2005. This image was acquired 67 seconds after impact. Image via ESA.

In the past several decades, astronomers have waked up to the reality that asteroids orbiting our sun do sometimes strike the Earth. It’s now know that the relatively little ones strike fairly often, mostly disintegrating in Earth’s protective atmosphere, and/or falling into the ocean. But larger asteroids have been known to pierce Earth’s atmosphere as well, such as the one that entered over Chelyabinsk, Russia, in 2013, causing a shock wave that broke windows in several Russian cities. At present, astronomers do not expect any large, world-destroying asteroids to be on a collision course with Earth, in the foreseeable future. But smaller asteroids – those capable of causing destruction on a regional or city-wide scale, for example – are possible. And what if we learned that one was headed our way while there was still time to try to avert the collision? Could we deflect it? How?

Astronomers have been meeting and seriously talking about what might be needed to deflect an asteroid for at least a couple of decades. Those talks have evolved into action; NASA’s DART mission is planned to launch in 2021, with the goal of ramming an asteroid in 2022, and testing the asteroid’s response. Afterwards, if all goes as planned, an ESA mission called Hera – now currently under study – will also visit the asteroid, gathering more detailed information. A February 4, 2019, statement from ESA explained:

The target of [both DART and Hera] is a double asteroid system, called Didymos, which will come a comparatively close 11 million km (about 7 million miles) to Earth in 2022. The 800-meter-diameter main body (about 2,600 feet) is orbited by a 160-meter-diameter moon (about 525 feet), informally called ‘Didymoon’.

Hera manager Ian Carnelli said in an email to EarthSky that both DART and Hera fall under the framework of what scientists call the Asteroid Impact and Deflection Assessment, or AIDA. Carnelli wrote:

Our Hera and Dart mission teams are fully functional and coordinating this joint experiment. An AIDA workshop is planned in September 2019 in Rome. The original ESA part of the mission, called AIM, did not receive full funding. ESA has therefore re-worked the mission (now called Hera) and optimized for reaching Didymos after DART impact, to complete the experiment by 2026.

DART is currently planned to launch in 2021. Hera would follow a few years after DART’s impact. ESA explained:

… Hera will follow up with a detailed post-impact survey that will turn this grand-scale experiment into a well-understood and repeatable planetary defense technique.

Read more: ESA plans to visit the double asteroid, too

View larger. | DART mission profile. Illustration via ESA.

ESA also said the Hera mission will be the first spacecraft to explore a binary asteroid system – the Didymos pair. Also, the moon Didymoon will be the smallest asteroid ever visited by a spacecraft. It is about the same size as the Great Pyramid of Giza. Carnelli commented:

Such a binary asteroid system is the perfect testbed for a planetary defense experiment but is also an entirely new environment for asteroid investigations. Although binaries make up 15 percent of all known asteroids, they have never been explored before, and we anticipate many surprises.

Check out the scale chart below – prepared by the Planetary Society – of all asteroids and comets so far surveyed by spacecraft. On this chart, the larger Didymos asteroid would form a modest dot, with its smaller moonlet struggling to make a single pixel.

View larger. | The Planetary Society created this comparison chart of all the asteroids and comets visited so far by spacecraft. On this chart, the larger Didymos asteroid would form a dot, with Didymoon struggling to make a single pixel. Image via Planetary Society/ESA.

ESA said Didymoon’s small size was one reason it was chosen for a pioneering planetary defense experiment. As it happens, this little asteroid moonlet is also in the riskiest class of near-Earth asteroids because of its size: larger bodies can more easily be tracked, smaller bodies will burn up or do limited damage, while a Didymoon-sized impactor could devastate an entire region of our planet.

Read more about the Hera mission from ESA, and the DART mission from NASA, or check out the video below:

Bottom line: In what’s being called humankind’s 1st planetary defense test, space scientists are planning to send a spacecraft to a double asteroid – Didymos and its tiny moon – and crash it into the moon in attempt to change its orbit.

Via ESA

EarthSky lunar calendars are cool! They make great gifts. Order now.

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ESA will head for the double asteroid, too

Take three minutes to watch astrophysicist and Queen guitarist Brian May tell the story of the European Space Agency’s (ESA’s) planned Hera mission, tentatively slated for 2026. Following NASA’s DART mission, ESA’s Hera mission also plans to visit a double asteroid system. The larger asteroid is named Didymos. This system is typical of the thousands that pose an impact risk to our planet, and even the smaller of the two little asteroids – the asteroid moon – would be big enough to destroy an entire city if it were to collide with Earth.

In 2022, NASA will crash its DART spacecraft into the Didymos system’s smaller asteroid, which is known as Didymoon. A few years later, Hera will come in to map the resulting impact crater and measure the asteroid’s mass. Hera will carry two CubeSats on board, which will be able to fly close to the asteroid’s surface, carrying out crucial scientific studies before touching down.

The Hera mission will be presented to an ESA meeting this November, where Europe’s space ministers will make a final decision on flying the mission.

Read more: NASA has a plan to knock an asteroid off course

Didymos is a binary asteroid. The primary body (at right) has a diameter of around half a mile (780 meters). The Didymoon secondary body (at left) has a diameter of around 525 feet (160 meters) and revolves around the primary at a distance of around .75 miles (1.2 km) in about 12 hours. Image via ESA.

Bottom line: Video narrated by Brian May explains ESA’s Hera mission to the Didymos asteroid system.

Via ESA

from EarthSky https://ift.tt/2IXyml0

Take three minutes to watch astrophysicist and Queen guitarist Brian May tell the story of the European Space Agency’s (ESA’s) planned Hera mission, tentatively slated for 2026. Following NASA’s DART mission, ESA’s Hera mission also plans to visit a double asteroid system. The larger asteroid is named Didymos. This system is typical of the thousands that pose an impact risk to our planet, and even the smaller of the two little asteroids – the asteroid moon – would be big enough to destroy an entire city if it were to collide with Earth.

In 2022, NASA will crash its DART spacecraft into the Didymos system’s smaller asteroid, which is known as Didymoon. A few years later, Hera will come in to map the resulting impact crater and measure the asteroid’s mass. Hera will carry two CubeSats on board, which will be able to fly close to the asteroid’s surface, carrying out crucial scientific studies before touching down.

The Hera mission will be presented to an ESA meeting this November, where Europe’s space ministers will make a final decision on flying the mission.

Read more: NASA has a plan to knock an asteroid off course

Didymos is a binary asteroid. The primary body (at right) has a diameter of around half a mile (780 meters). The Didymoon secondary body (at left) has a diameter of around 525 feet (160 meters) and revolves around the primary at a distance of around .75 miles (1.2 km) in about 12 hours. Image via ESA.

Bottom line: Video narrated by Brian May explains ESA’s Hera mission to the Didymos asteroid system.

Via ESA

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Today in science: Tunguska explosion

A 1929 image of fallen trees at Tunguska in Siberia. It wasn’t until 1927 that Russian scientists – led by Leonid Kulik – were finally able to get to the scene. Today, a global asteroid-awareness campaign (#WorldAsteroidDay) is held every June 30, the anniversary of the Tunguska event. Photo via the Soviet Academy of Science/Wikimedia Commons.

June 30 is Asteroid Day 2019

June 30, 1908 In a remote part of Russia, a fireball was seen streaking across the daytime sky. Within moments, something exploded in the atmosphere above Siberia’s Podkamennaya Tunguska River in what is now Krasnoyarsk Krai, Russia. This event – now widely known as the Tunguska event – is believed to have been caused by an incoming asteroid (or comet), which never actually struck Earth but instead exploded in the atmosphere, causing what is known as an air burst, three to six miles (5–10 kilometers) above Earth’s surface.

The explosion released enough energy to kill reindeer and flatten trees for many kilometers around the blast site. But no crater was ever found. At the time, it was difficult to reach this remote part of Siberia. It wasn’t until 1927 that Leonid Kulik led the first Soviet research expedition to investigate the Tunguska event. He made a initial trip to the region, interviewed local witnesses and explored the region where the trees had been felled. He became convinced that they were all turned with their roots to the center. He did not find any meteorite fragments, and he did not find a meteorite crater.

Over the years, scientists and others concocted fabulous explanations for the Tunguska explosion. Some were pretty wild – such as the encounter of Earth with an alien spacecraft, or a mini-black-hole, or a particle of antimatter.

The truth is more ordinary. In all likelihood, a small icy comet or stony asteroid collided with Earth’s atmosphere on June 30, 1908. If it were an asteroid, it might have been about a third as big as a football field – moving at about 15 kilometers (10 miles) per second.

In 2019, new research – inspired by a workshop held at NASA’s Ames Research Center in Silicon Valley and sponsored by the NASA Planetary Defense Coordination Office – was published about the Tunguska event, in series of papers in a special issue of the journal Icarus. The theme of the workshop was reexamining the astronomical cold case of the 1908 Tunguska impact event.

Photo of an air burst, in this case from a U.S. Navy submarine-launched Tomamhawk cruise missile. An air burst from an incoming comet or asteroid is thought to have flattened trees in Siberia in 1908. Image via Wikimedia Commons

Map showing the approximate location of the Tunguska event of 1908.

Vital clues to the Tunguska event appeared on February 15, 2013, when a smaller but still impressive meteor burst in the atmosphere near Chelyabinsk, Russia. NASA explained:

New evidence to help solve the mystery of Tunguska had arrived. This highly documented fireball created an opportunity for researchers to apply modern computer modeling techniques to explain what was seen, heard and felt.

The models were used with video observations of the fireball and maps of the damage on the ground to reconstruct the original size, motion and speed of the Chelyabinsk object. The resulting interpretation is that Chelyabinsk was most likely a stony asteroid the size of a five-story building that broke apart 15 miles above the ground. This generated a shock wave equivalent to a 550-kiloton explosion. The explosion’s shockwave blew out roughly a million windows and injured more than a thousand people. Fortunately, the force of the explosion was not enough to knock down trees or structures.

Per current understanding of the asteroid population, an object like the Chelyabinsk meteor can impact the Earth every 10 to 100 years on average.

Read more about the new research on the Tunguska event

In recent decades, astronomers have come to take the possibility of comet and asteroid impacts very seriously indeed. They now have regular observing programs to watch for Near-Earth Objects, as they’re called. They meet regularly to discuss what might happen if we did find an object on a collision course with Earth. And space scientists are planning missions to an asteroid, including Hera and __.

Lorien Wheeler – a researcher at NASA Ames Research Center, working on NASA’s Asteroid Threat Assessment Project – said:

Because there are so few observed cases, a lot of uncertainty remains about how large asteroids break up in the atmosphere and how much damage they could cause on the ground. However, recent advancements in computational models, along with analyses of the Chelyabinsk and other meteor events, are helping to improve our understanding of these factors so that we can better evaluate potential asteroid threats in the future.

Astronomer David Morrison, also at NASA Ames Research Center, commented:

Tunguska is the largest cosmic impact witnessed by modern humans. It also is characteristic of the sort of impact we are likely to have to protect against in the future.

Chelyabinsk meteor smoke trail, February 15, 2013. Image via Alex Alishevskikh., who caught it about a minute after the blast.

Bottom line: On June 30, 1908, an object from space exploded above Siberia. The explosion killed reindeer and flattened trees, in what has become known as the Tunguska event. Recent research shows that the object was most likely a stony asteroid the size of a five-story building that broke apart 15 miles above the ground.

Source: Icarus special papers on Tunguska

No, asteroid 2006 QV89 won’t strike Earth in September 2019

from EarthSky https://ift.tt/2KOzXMd

A 1929 image of fallen trees at Tunguska in Siberia. It wasn’t until 1927 that Russian scientists – led by Leonid Kulik – were finally able to get to the scene. Today, a global asteroid-awareness campaign (#WorldAsteroidDay) is held every June 30, the anniversary of the Tunguska event. Photo via the Soviet Academy of Science/Wikimedia Commons.

June 30 is Asteroid Day 2019

June 30, 1908 In a remote part of Russia, a fireball was seen streaking across the daytime sky. Within moments, something exploded in the atmosphere above Siberia’s Podkamennaya Tunguska River in what is now Krasnoyarsk Krai, Russia. This event – now widely known as the Tunguska event – is believed to have been caused by an incoming asteroid (or comet), which never actually struck Earth but instead exploded in the atmosphere, causing what is known as an air burst, three to six miles (5–10 kilometers) above Earth’s surface.

The explosion released enough energy to kill reindeer and flatten trees for many kilometers around the blast site. But no crater was ever found. At the time, it was difficult to reach this remote part of Siberia. It wasn’t until 1927 that Leonid Kulik led the first Soviet research expedition to investigate the Tunguska event. He made a initial trip to the region, interviewed local witnesses and explored the region where the trees had been felled. He became convinced that they were all turned with their roots to the center. He did not find any meteorite fragments, and he did not find a meteorite crater.

Over the years, scientists and others concocted fabulous explanations for the Tunguska explosion. Some were pretty wild – such as the encounter of Earth with an alien spacecraft, or a mini-black-hole, or a particle of antimatter.

The truth is more ordinary. In all likelihood, a small icy comet or stony asteroid collided with Earth’s atmosphere on June 30, 1908. If it were an asteroid, it might have been about a third as big as a football field – moving at about 15 kilometers (10 miles) per second.

In 2019, new research – inspired by a workshop held at NASA’s Ames Research Center in Silicon Valley and sponsored by the NASA Planetary Defense Coordination Office – was published about the Tunguska event, in series of papers in a special issue of the journal Icarus. The theme of the workshop was reexamining the astronomical cold case of the 1908 Tunguska impact event.

Photo of an air burst, in this case from a U.S. Navy submarine-launched Tomamhawk cruise missile. An air burst from an incoming comet or asteroid is thought to have flattened trees in Siberia in 1908. Image via Wikimedia Commons

Map showing the approximate location of the Tunguska event of 1908.

Vital clues to the Tunguska event appeared on February 15, 2013, when a smaller but still impressive meteor burst in the atmosphere near Chelyabinsk, Russia. NASA explained:

New evidence to help solve the mystery of Tunguska had arrived. This highly documented fireball created an opportunity for researchers to apply modern computer modeling techniques to explain what was seen, heard and felt.

The models were used with video observations of the fireball and maps of the damage on the ground to reconstruct the original size, motion and speed of the Chelyabinsk object. The resulting interpretation is that Chelyabinsk was most likely a stony asteroid the size of a five-story building that broke apart 15 miles above the ground. This generated a shock wave equivalent to a 550-kiloton explosion. The explosion’s shockwave blew out roughly a million windows and injured more than a thousand people. Fortunately, the force of the explosion was not enough to knock down trees or structures.

Per current understanding of the asteroid population, an object like the Chelyabinsk meteor can impact the Earth every 10 to 100 years on average.

Read more about the new research on the Tunguska event

In recent decades, astronomers have come to take the possibility of comet and asteroid impacts very seriously indeed. They now have regular observing programs to watch for Near-Earth Objects, as they’re called. They meet regularly to discuss what might happen if we did find an object on a collision course with Earth. And space scientists are planning missions to an asteroid, including Hera and __.

Lorien Wheeler – a researcher at NASA Ames Research Center, working on NASA’s Asteroid Threat Assessment Project – said:

Because there are so few observed cases, a lot of uncertainty remains about how large asteroids break up in the atmosphere and how much damage they could cause on the ground. However, recent advancements in computational models, along with analyses of the Chelyabinsk and other meteor events, are helping to improve our understanding of these factors so that we can better evaluate potential asteroid threats in the future.

Astronomer David Morrison, also at NASA Ames Research Center, commented:

Tunguska is the largest cosmic impact witnessed by modern humans. It also is characteristic of the sort of impact we are likely to have to protect against in the future.

Chelyabinsk meteor smoke trail, February 15, 2013. Image via Alex Alishevskikh., who caught it about a minute after the blast.

Bottom line: On June 30, 1908, an object from space exploded above Siberia. The explosion killed reindeer and flattened trees, in what has become known as the Tunguska event. Recent research shows that the object was most likely a stony asteroid the size of a five-story building that broke apart 15 miles above the ground.

Source: Icarus special papers on Tunguska

No, asteroid 2006 QV89 won’t strike Earth in September 2019

from EarthSky https://ift.tt/2KOzXMd

The first complete picture of how long it takes to diagnose cancer in England

Waiting for cancer tests and results is stressful. As well as the emotional impact, how long people wait can also affect how likely their treatment is to work and if they will be fit enough to tolerate treatment.

The NHS’s struggle to meet cancer waiting time targets is a regular feature in the news, but gauging how the NHS is doing on cancer diagnosis waiting times right now is based on incomplete data. In fact, how long most people with cancer wait for a diagnosis isn’t captured in NHS stats.

In 2015, just 4 in 10 people (43%) who were diagnosed with cancer in England had the time they waited for their diagnosis recorded by the NHS. This covers those referred urgently from a GP or through screening. But it misses the majority.

With changes to the NHS waiting times targets in England on the horizon, including the introduction of a ’28 day diagnosis standard’ for people with suspected cancer, it’s vital that all patients are accounted for.

In a first attempt, a research analysis team from Cancer Research UK and Public Health England has gathered the most complete picture of how long people wait for a cancer diagnosis in England, from when they have a relevant interaction in secondary care for their cancer to their date of diagnosis, based on data from 2014 and 2015. The figures include around 95% of patients diagnosed with 25 types of cancer – whether they were referred urgently or otherwise.

Thanks to this research, we can now say how long people waited for their cancer diagnosis within secondary care in England – something that wasn’t possible before.

What about Scotland, Wales and Northern Ireland?

This research used data for patients in England so doesn’t provide a picture of the devolved nations.

Each nation has different cancer waiting times, with variations in the targets, patients and cancer types included. And no nation records the time waited for diagnostic tests for all patients.

Can health services meet NHS England’s new standards?

The findings for lung and bowel cancer, published in the journal Cancer Epidemiology, paint a concerning picture. From April 2020, health services in England will be expected to diagnose or give the all clear to everyone referred by a healthcare professional with an urgent suspicion of cancer within 28 days. This is part of NHS England’s long-term plan to ensure people with cancer can start treatment sooner.

But will our health services be ready?

In 2014 and 2015, people who were urgently referred with suspected lung cancer were diagnosed, on average, within 36 days. Even if we assume the figures are still the same today, that’s 8 days longer than the target set for 2020. This is not the case for all cancers, the average time for a diagnosis was less than 20 days for leukaemia, breast and stomach cancer, among others.

Professor Mick Peake, Clinical Director of the Centre for Cancer Outcomes at University College London Hospitals, was a specialist clinical advisor on this study. Despite saying that “there are many examples of great practice within the NHS,” he acknowledges there are some big challenges that diagnostic services will need to overcome.

Peake says that diagnosing lung cancer is particularly complicated. “The national lung cancer audit found over two thirds of lung cancer patients had their care managed by two or more hospital trusts, either for diagnostic tests or treatment, requiring additional coordination.”

And if those being referred urgently are already waiting too long, what’s happening to everyone else?

Should everyone be counted?

By focusing on people referred urgently we lose sight of people who aren’t covered by NHS England’s targets. And the new data makes it clear just how long some of these people are waiting.

The average time for a diagnosis of bowel or lung cancer following a routine GP referral was 61 and 69 days respectively, according to this study. But 1 in 4 people diagnosed with bowel cancer in this way waited at least 102 days. This grew to 126 days for those with lung cancer.

And it’s not just true for lung and bowel cancers. A quarter of people diagnosed with 20 of the 25 cancer types following a routine referral waited 80 days or longer for their diagnosis.

While we don’t know who will be affected by a longer wait, it’s vital that everyone has the best chance of successful treatment following their diagnosis. People urgently referred should be seen quickly, but this shouldn’t cause longer waits for other people.

Time for the NHS to commit to change

One of the biggest hurdles facing the NHS is staff shortages. Increasing demands on diagnostic staff and difficulties filling vacancies make it difficult for the NHS to diagnose cancers early. In Peake’s experience, “there is a resource issue in terms of workforce. Some of these delays are not organisational, they are not logistical – they are purely down to workforce.”

Without significant growth in the NHS workforce, there’s only so much that struggling services can do. And with a growing and ageing population, this staffing crisis is only going to get worse.

It’s in the hands of the Government to fund a workforce plan that ensures all patients, now and in the future, have the best chance of an early, and quick, diagnosis.

• Tell the Government you want thousands more lives to be saved by diagnosing cancer early

Ben Yarnall is an early diagnosis manager at Cancer Research UK

Reference

Pearson, et al., (2019) Establishing population-based surveillance of diagnostic timeliness using linked cancer registry and administrative data for patients with colorectal and lung cancer. Cancer Epidemiology. DOI: 10.1016/j.canep.2019.05.010

from Cancer Research UK – Science blog https://ift.tt/2xix3q8

Waiting for cancer tests and results is stressful. As well as the emotional impact, how long people wait can also affect how likely their treatment is to work and if they will be fit enough to tolerate treatment.

The NHS’s struggle to meet cancer waiting time targets is a regular feature in the news, but gauging how the NHS is doing on cancer diagnosis waiting times right now is based on incomplete data. In fact, how long most people with cancer wait for a diagnosis isn’t captured in NHS stats.

In 2015, just 4 in 10 people (43%) who were diagnosed with cancer in England had the time they waited for their diagnosis recorded by the NHS. This covers those referred urgently from a GP or through screening. But it misses the majority.

With changes to the NHS waiting times targets in England on the horizon, including the introduction of a ’28 day diagnosis standard’ for people with suspected cancer, it’s vital that all patients are accounted for.

In a first attempt, a research analysis team from Cancer Research UK and Public Health England has gathered the most complete picture of how long people wait for a cancer diagnosis in England, from when they have a relevant interaction in secondary care for their cancer to their date of diagnosis, based on data from 2014 and 2015. The figures include around 95% of patients diagnosed with 25 types of cancer – whether they were referred urgently or otherwise.

Thanks to this research, we can now say how long people waited for their cancer diagnosis within secondary care in England – something that wasn’t possible before.

What about Scotland, Wales and Northern Ireland?

This research used data for patients in England so doesn’t provide a picture of the devolved nations.

Each nation has different cancer waiting times, with variations in the targets, patients and cancer types included. And no nation records the time waited for diagnostic tests for all patients.

Can health services meet NHS England’s new standards?

The findings for lung and bowel cancer, published in the journal Cancer Epidemiology, paint a concerning picture. From April 2020, health services in England will be expected to diagnose or give the all clear to everyone referred by a healthcare professional with an urgent suspicion of cancer within 28 days. This is part of NHS England’s long-term plan to ensure people with cancer can start treatment sooner.

But will our health services be ready?

In 2014 and 2015, people who were urgently referred with suspected lung cancer were diagnosed, on average, within 36 days. Even if we assume the figures are still the same today, that’s 8 days longer than the target set for 2020. This is not the case for all cancers, the average time for a diagnosis was less than 20 days for leukaemia, breast and stomach cancer, among others.

Professor Mick Peake, Clinical Director of the Centre for Cancer Outcomes at University College London Hospitals, was a specialist clinical advisor on this study. Despite saying that “there are many examples of great practice within the NHS,” he acknowledges there are some big challenges that diagnostic services will need to overcome.

Peake says that diagnosing lung cancer is particularly complicated. “The national lung cancer audit found over two thirds of lung cancer patients had their care managed by two or more hospital trusts, either for diagnostic tests or treatment, requiring additional coordination.”

And if those being referred urgently are already waiting too long, what’s happening to everyone else?

Should everyone be counted?

By focusing on people referred urgently we lose sight of people who aren’t covered by NHS England’s targets. And the new data makes it clear just how long some of these people are waiting.

The average time for a diagnosis of bowel or lung cancer following a routine GP referral was 61 and 69 days respectively, according to this study. But 1 in 4 people diagnosed with bowel cancer in this way waited at least 102 days. This grew to 126 days for those with lung cancer.

And it’s not just true for lung and bowel cancers. A quarter of people diagnosed with 20 of the 25 cancer types following a routine referral waited 80 days or longer for their diagnosis.

While we don’t know who will be affected by a longer wait, it’s vital that everyone has the best chance of successful treatment following their diagnosis. People urgently referred should be seen quickly, but this shouldn’t cause longer waits for other people.

Time for the NHS to commit to change

One of the biggest hurdles facing the NHS is staff shortages. Increasing demands on diagnostic staff and difficulties filling vacancies make it difficult for the NHS to diagnose cancers early. In Peake’s experience, “there is a resource issue in terms of workforce. Some of these delays are not organisational, they are not logistical – they are purely down to workforce.”

Without significant growth in the NHS workforce, there’s only so much that struggling services can do. And with a growing and ageing population, this staffing crisis is only going to get worse.

It’s in the hands of the Government to fund a workforce plan that ensures all patients, now and in the future, have the best chance of an early, and quick, diagnosis.

• Tell the Government you want thousands more lives to be saved by diagnosing cancer early

Ben Yarnall is an early diagnosis manager at Cancer Research UK

Reference

Pearson, et al., (2019) Establishing population-based surveillance of diagnostic timeliness using linked cancer registry and administrative data for patients with colorectal and lung cancer. Cancer Epidemiology. DOI: 10.1016/j.canep.2019.05.010

from Cancer Research UK – Science blog https://ift.tt/2xix3q8

2019 SkS Weekly Climate Change & Global Warming News Roundup #26

A chronological listing of news articles posted on the Skeptical Science Facebook Page during the past week, i.e., Sun, Jun 23 through Sat, June 29, 2019

Editor's Pick

When Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez met Greta Thunberg: 'Hope is contagious'

 

Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez and Greta Thunberg. Photograph: Stephen Voss, Anna Schori/The Guardian 

Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez enters a boardroom at her constituency office in Queens, New York, after a short delay which, a political aide hopes, hasn’t been caused by a constituent waylaying her in the corridor. (“They can get really excited to meet her.”) Greta Thunberg is in her home in Sweden, her father testing the technology for the video link while the teenager waits in the background. The activists have never met nor spoken but, as two of the most visible climate campaigners in the world, they are keenly aware of each other. 

Thunberg, now 16, catapulted to fame last year for skipping school every Friday to stand outside the Swedish parliament, protesting against political inaction over the climate crisis and sparking an international movement, the school strike for climate, in which millions of other children followed suit. Ocasio-Cortez, the Democratic Representative for New York’s 14th congressional district is, at 29, the youngest woman ever to serve in Congress, whose election over a well-funded incumbent in 2018 was a huge upset to politics-as-usual. She has been in office for less than a year, which seems extraordinary given the amount of coverage she has generated. In February, Ocasio-Cortez submitted the Green New Deal to the US House of Representatives, calling for, among other things, the achievement of “net-zero” greenhouse gases within a decade and “a full transition off fossil fuels”, as well as retrofitting all buildings in the US to meet new energy efficient standards.

The Green New Deal, while garnering support from Democratic presidential candidates Elizabeth Warren, Kamala Harris and Amy Klobuchar, was mocked by speaker Nancy Pelosi (“the green dream or whatever they call it”), and defeated in the Senate by Republicans. Like Thunberg, however, Ocasio-Cortez gives every appearance of being galvanised by opposition, and has the kind of energy that has won her 4.41 million Twitter followers and makes establishment politicians in her path very nervous.

In the course of their conversation, Ocasio-Cortez and Thunberg discuss what it is like to be dismissed for their age, how depressed we should be about the future, and what tactics, as an activist, really work. Ocasio-Cortez speaks with her customary snap and brilliance that, held up against the general waffle of political discourse, seems startlingly direct. Thunberg, meanwhile, is phenomenally articulate, well-informed and self-assured, holding her own in conversation with an elected official nearly twice her age and speaking in deliberate, thoughtful English. They are, in some ways, as different as two campaigners can get – the politician working the system with Washington polish, and the teenager in her socks and leggings, working from her bedroom to reach the rest of the world. There is something very moving about the conversation between these young women, a sense of generational rise that, as we know from every precedent from the Renaissance onwards, has the power to ignite movements and change history. 

When Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez met Greta Thunberg: 'Hope is contagious' by Emma Brockes, Environment, Guardian, June 29, 2019 

---

Links posted on Facebook

Sun June 23 2019

• Sydney to Declare a Climate Emergency in Face of National Inaction by Isabella Kwai, Australia, New York Times, June 21, 2019
• Why environmentalists are taking their climate fight to Canadian courtrooms by Duncan McCue, CBC News, June 21, 2019
• Frank Luntz vs. Grover Norquist: the GOP’s climate change dilemma in a nutshell by David Roberts, Energy & Environment, Vox, June 21, 2019
• A Degree of Concern: Why Global Temperatures Matter (Part2) by Alan Buis, NASA Global Climate Change, Vital Signs of the Planet, June 19, 2019
• A Democratic Think Tank, the Progressive Policy Institute, Is Promoting Pushback Against Climate Lawsuits by Itai Vardi, DeSmog, June 20, 2019
• The rise of eco-anxiety and how to come to terms with climate change by Phoebe Weston, Environment, The Independent (UK), June 22, 2019
• Can The Climate Crisis Continue To Go Begging? by David Introcaso, 3 Quarks Daily, June 17, 2019
• Senate gavels in, gavels out Sunday as protesters gather after militia threats by Connor Radnovich, Salem Statesman Journal, June 23, 2019

Mon June 24 2019

• Europe’s youth want climate action. Elected leaders should give it to them, Opinion by Caio Koch-Weser, EURACTIV, June 19, 2019
• Eastern European states block bid for EU climate change 2050 decarbonisation target by Jon Ston, The Independent (UK), June 21, 2019
• Mike Pence repeatedly refuses to say climate crisis is a threat to US by Martin Pengelly, US Politics, Guardian, June 23, 2019
• Trump's impeachable offense: Ignoring climate change, Opinion by Dan Rodricks, Baltimore Sun, June 21, 2019
• The Trump EPA strategy to undo Clean Power Plan by Dana Nuccitelli, Yale Climate Connections, June 21, 2019
• The climate change lawsuit that could stop the US government from supporting fossil fuels by Steve Croft, 60 Minutes, CBS, June 23, 2019
• 'Hell is coming': week-long heatwave begins across Europe by Jon Henley, World, Guardian, June 24, 2019
• Medical groups warn climate change is a ‘health emergency’ by Elana Schor, AP News, June 24, 2019

Tue June 25 2019

• Chennai's the latest city to have almost run out of water, and other cities could follow suit, ABC News (AU), June 21, 2019
• Canada's military feeling the strain responding to climate change by Darren Major & Salimah Shivji, In Our Backyard, CBC News, June 24, 2019
• Four countries have declared climate emergencies. But give billions to fossil fuels by Chloé Farand, Climate Home News, June 24, 2019
• Emissions need to be halved to avoid 3C warming: scientists by Nina Chestney, Sustainable Business, Reuters, June 19, 2019
• Agriculture Department buries studies showing dangers of climate change by Helena Bottemiller Evich, Investigations, Politico, June 23, 2019
• How to Debate a Science Denier by Diana Kwon, Scientific American, June 25, 2019
• Zurich Insurance Takes Action Against Global Warming, finews.com, June 25, 2019
• G20 countries triple coal power subsidies despite climate crisis by Damian Carrington, Environment, Guardian, June 24, 2019

Wed June 26 2019

• Cognitive dissonance: Canada declares a national climate emergency and approves a pipeline by Warren Mabee, The Conversation Canada, June 20, 2019
• Women of Faith: Millennial Christians say loving God means protecting creation by Kerri Miller & Kelly Gordon, MPR News (Minnesota), June 24, 2019
• Shell is not a green saviour. It’s a planetary death machine, Opinion by George Monbiot, Comment is Free, Guardian, June 26, 2019
• Oregon Climate Bill Appears Dead After Some Ridiculous Bullshit You Can't Make Up by Brian Kahn, Earther, Gizmodo, June 25, 2019
• Debate 2020: The Candidates' Climate Positions & What They've Actually Done by John H Cushman Jr. InsideClimate News, June 16, 2019
• To tackle the climate crisis we need more democracy, not less by Rebecca Willis, The Conversation UK. June 21, 2019

Thu June 27 2019

• As Coal Fades in the U.S., Natural Gas Becomes the Climate Battleground by Brad Plumer, Climate, New York Times, June 26, 2019
• The climate crisis and the end of the golden era of food choice by Sean Illing, The Highlight, Vox, June 24, 2019
• The First Democratic Debate Failed The Planet by Emily Atkin, The New Republic Magazine, June 26, 2019
• Climate change: What 10 presidents have known by Brit McCandless Farmer, 60 Minutes Overtime, CBS News, June 23, 2019
• Canada Signals a Willingness to Challenge Trump on His Clean-Car Rollback by Coral Davenport, Climate, New York Times, June 26, 2019
• I Am a Carbon Abolitionist by Eric Beinhocker, Democracy: A Journal of Ideas, June 24, 2019
• Airplane Contrails' Climate Impact to Triple by 2050, Study Says by Bob Berwyn, InsideClimate News, June 27, 2019
• 105 degrees in France: why Europe is so vulnerable to extreme heat by Umair Irfan, Energy & Environment, Vox, June 27, 2019

Fri June 28 2019

• The Fossil Fuel Industry Is Quietly Undermining Global Climate Talks by Luke McGrath, Climate Changed, Bloomberg News, June 24, 2019
• Majority of Americans Know Fossil Fuel Companies Drive Climate Change, Should Pay for Damages by Karen Savage, Climate Liability News, June 19, 2019
• In "climate apartheid", rich will save themselves while poor suffer - UN report by Tom Miles, Reuters, June 25, 2019
• European heatwave: France hits record temperature of 45.8C, BBC News, June 28, 2019
• The biggest loser in the presidential debates: Planet Earth by James Temple, Climate Change/Clean Energy, MIT Technology Review, June 28, 2019
• Temperature records are melting away in Miami by Brian McNoldy, Capital Weather Gang, Washington Post, June 27, 2019
• Amidst ‘high political tension’, UN chief appeals to G20 leaders for stronger commitment to climate action, economic cooperation, UN News, June 28, 2019
• Japan aims for ‘harmony’ at G-20. Is it sidestepping climate change? by Simon Denyer & Damian Paletta, World, Washington Post, June 28, 2019

Sat June 29 2019

• Bonn climate talks end with Saudis and Brazil defiant by Natalie Sauer & Megan Darby, Politics, Climate Home News, June 27, 2019
• Europe has had five 500-year summers in 15 years. And now this by Stephen Leahy, Environment, National Geographic, June 28, 2019
• Denmark’s new government raises climate change to highest priority by Chloé Farand, Politics, Climate Home News, June 26, 2019
• Wildfires and power cuts plague Europe as heatwave breaks records by Gus Trompiz & Joan Faus, Reuters, June 29, 2019
• When Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez met Greta Thunberg: 'Hope is contagious' by Emma Brockes, Environment, Guardian, June 29, 2019
• First 2020 Debates Spent 15 Minutes on Climate Change. What Did We Learn? by Marianne Lavelle, InsideClimate News, June 28, 2019
• How Republican senators killed Oregon’s climate crisis bill by Jason Wilson, US News, Guardian, June 29, 2019
• Protective Wind Shear Barrier Against Hurricanes on Southeast U.S. Coast Likely to Weaken in Coming Decades by Jeff Masters, Category 6, Weather Underground, June 24, 2019

from Skeptical Science https://ift.tt/2IXWnrZ

A chronological listing of news articles posted on the Skeptical Science Facebook Page during the past week, i.e., Sun, Jun 23 through Sat, June 29, 2019

Editor's Pick

When Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez met Greta Thunberg: 'Hope is contagious'

 

Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez and Greta Thunberg. Photograph: Stephen Voss, Anna Schori/The Guardian 

Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez enters a boardroom at her constituency office in Queens, New York, after a short delay which, a political aide hopes, hasn’t been caused by a constituent waylaying her in the corridor. (“They can get really excited to meet her.”) Greta Thunberg is in her home in Sweden, her father testing the technology for the video link while the teenager waits in the background. The activists have never met nor spoken but, as two of the most visible climate campaigners in the world, they are keenly aware of each other. 

Thunberg, now 16, catapulted to fame last year for skipping school every Friday to stand outside the Swedish parliament, protesting against political inaction over the climate crisis and sparking an international movement, the school strike for climate, in which millions of other children followed suit. Ocasio-Cortez, the Democratic Representative for New York’s 14th congressional district is, at 29, the youngest woman ever to serve in Congress, whose election over a well-funded incumbent in 2018 was a huge upset to politics-as-usual. She has been in office for less than a year, which seems extraordinary given the amount of coverage she has generated. In February, Ocasio-Cortez submitted the Green New Deal to the US House of Representatives, calling for, among other things, the achievement of “net-zero” greenhouse gases within a decade and “a full transition off fossil fuels”, as well as retrofitting all buildings in the US to meet new energy efficient standards.

The Green New Deal, while garnering support from Democratic presidential candidates Elizabeth Warren, Kamala Harris and Amy Klobuchar, was mocked by speaker Nancy Pelosi (“the green dream or whatever they call it”), and defeated in the Senate by Republicans. Like Thunberg, however, Ocasio-Cortez gives every appearance of being galvanised by opposition, and has the kind of energy that has won her 4.41 million Twitter followers and makes establishment politicians in her path very nervous.

In the course of their conversation, Ocasio-Cortez and Thunberg discuss what it is like to be dismissed for their age, how depressed we should be about the future, and what tactics, as an activist, really work. Ocasio-Cortez speaks with her customary snap and brilliance that, held up against the general waffle of political discourse, seems startlingly direct. Thunberg, meanwhile, is phenomenally articulate, well-informed and self-assured, holding her own in conversation with an elected official nearly twice her age and speaking in deliberate, thoughtful English. They are, in some ways, as different as two campaigners can get – the politician working the system with Washington polish, and the teenager in her socks and leggings, working from her bedroom to reach the rest of the world. There is something very moving about the conversation between these young women, a sense of generational rise that, as we know from every precedent from the Renaissance onwards, has the power to ignite movements and change history. 

When Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez met Greta Thunberg: 'Hope is contagious' by Emma Brockes, Environment, Guardian, June 29, 2019 

---

Links posted on Facebook

Sun June 23 2019

• Sydney to Declare a Climate Emergency in Face of National Inaction by Isabella Kwai, Australia, New York Times, June 21, 2019
• Why environmentalists are taking their climate fight to Canadian courtrooms by Duncan McCue, CBC News, June 21, 2019
• Frank Luntz vs. Grover Norquist: the GOP’s climate change dilemma in a nutshell by David Roberts, Energy & Environment, Vox, June 21, 2019
• A Degree of Concern: Why Global Temperatures Matter (Part2) by Alan Buis, NASA Global Climate Change, Vital Signs of the Planet, June 19, 2019
• A Democratic Think Tank, the Progressive Policy Institute, Is Promoting Pushback Against Climate Lawsuits by Itai Vardi, DeSmog, June 20, 2019
• The rise of eco-anxiety and how to come to terms with climate change by Phoebe Weston, Environment, The Independent (UK), June 22, 2019
• Can The Climate Crisis Continue To Go Begging? by David Introcaso, 3 Quarks Daily, June 17, 2019
• Senate gavels in, gavels out Sunday as protesters gather after militia threats by Connor Radnovich, Salem Statesman Journal, June 23, 2019

Mon June 24 2019

• Europe’s youth want climate action. Elected leaders should give it to them, Opinion by Caio Koch-Weser, EURACTIV, June 19, 2019
• Eastern European states block bid for EU climate change 2050 decarbonisation target by Jon Ston, The Independent (UK), June 21, 2019
• Mike Pence repeatedly refuses to say climate crisis is a threat to US by Martin Pengelly, US Politics, Guardian, June 23, 2019
• Trump's impeachable offense: Ignoring climate change, Opinion by Dan Rodricks, Baltimore Sun, June 21, 2019
• The Trump EPA strategy to undo Clean Power Plan by Dana Nuccitelli, Yale Climate Connections, June 21, 2019
• The climate change lawsuit that could stop the US government from supporting fossil fuels by Steve Croft, 60 Minutes, CBS, June 23, 2019
• 'Hell is coming': week-long heatwave begins across Europe by Jon Henley, World, Guardian, June 24, 2019
• Medical groups warn climate change is a ‘health emergency’ by Elana Schor, AP News, June 24, 2019

Tue June 25 2019

• Chennai's the latest city to have almost run out of water, and other cities could follow suit, ABC News (AU), June 21, 2019
• Canada's military feeling the strain responding to climate change by Darren Major & Salimah Shivji, In Our Backyard, CBC News, June 24, 2019
• Four countries have declared climate emergencies. But give billions to fossil fuels by Chloé Farand, Climate Home News, June 24, 2019
• Emissions need to be halved to avoid 3C warming: scientists by Nina Chestney, Sustainable Business, Reuters, June 19, 2019
• Agriculture Department buries studies showing dangers of climate change by Helena Bottemiller Evich, Investigations, Politico, June 23, 2019
• How to Debate a Science Denier by Diana Kwon, Scientific American, June 25, 2019
• Zurich Insurance Takes Action Against Global Warming, finews.com, June 25, 2019
• G20 countries triple coal power subsidies despite climate crisis by Damian Carrington, Environment, Guardian, June 24, 2019

Wed June 26 2019

• Cognitive dissonance: Canada declares a national climate emergency and approves a pipeline by Warren Mabee, The Conversation Canada, June 20, 2019
• Women of Faith: Millennial Christians say loving God means protecting creation by Kerri Miller & Kelly Gordon, MPR News (Minnesota), June 24, 2019
• Shell is not a green saviour. It’s a planetary death machine, Opinion by George Monbiot, Comment is Free, Guardian, June 26, 2019
• Oregon Climate Bill Appears Dead After Some Ridiculous Bullshit You Can't Make Up by Brian Kahn, Earther, Gizmodo, June 25, 2019
• Debate 2020: The Candidates' Climate Positions & What They've Actually Done by John H Cushman Jr. InsideClimate News, June 16, 2019
• To tackle the climate crisis we need more democracy, not less by Rebecca Willis, The Conversation UK. June 21, 2019

Thu June 27 2019

• As Coal Fades in the U.S., Natural Gas Becomes the Climate Battleground by Brad Plumer, Climate, New York Times, June 26, 2019
• The climate crisis and the end of the golden era of food choice by Sean Illing, The Highlight, Vox, June 24, 2019
• The First Democratic Debate Failed The Planet by Emily Atkin, The New Republic Magazine, June 26, 2019
• Climate change: What 10 presidents have known by Brit McCandless Farmer, 60 Minutes Overtime, CBS News, June 23, 2019
• Canada Signals a Willingness to Challenge Trump on His Clean-Car Rollback by Coral Davenport, Climate, New York Times, June 26, 2019
• I Am a Carbon Abolitionist by Eric Beinhocker, Democracy: A Journal of Ideas, June 24, 2019
• Airplane Contrails' Climate Impact to Triple by 2050, Study Says by Bob Berwyn, InsideClimate News, June 27, 2019
• 105 degrees in France: why Europe is so vulnerable to extreme heat by Umair Irfan, Energy & Environment, Vox, June 27, 2019

Fri June 28 2019

• The Fossil Fuel Industry Is Quietly Undermining Global Climate Talks by Luke McGrath, Climate Changed, Bloomberg News, June 24, 2019
• Majority of Americans Know Fossil Fuel Companies Drive Climate Change, Should Pay for Damages by Karen Savage, Climate Liability News, June 19, 2019
• In "climate apartheid", rich will save themselves while poor suffer - UN report by Tom Miles, Reuters, June 25, 2019
• European heatwave: France hits record temperature of 45.8C, BBC News, June 28, 2019
• The biggest loser in the presidential debates: Planet Earth by James Temple, Climate Change/Clean Energy, MIT Technology Review, June 28, 2019
• Temperature records are melting away in Miami by Brian McNoldy, Capital Weather Gang, Washington Post, June 27, 2019
• Amidst ‘high political tension’, UN chief appeals to G20 leaders for stronger commitment to climate action, economic cooperation, UN News, June 28, 2019
• Japan aims for ‘harmony’ at G-20. Is it sidestepping climate change? by Simon Denyer & Damian Paletta, World, Washington Post, June 28, 2019

Sat June 29 2019

• Bonn climate talks end with Saudis and Brazil defiant by Natalie Sauer & Megan Darby, Politics, Climate Home News, June 27, 2019
• Europe has had five 500-year summers in 15 years. And now this by Stephen Leahy, Environment, National Geographic, June 28, 2019
• Denmark’s new government raises climate change to highest priority by Chloé Farand, Politics, Climate Home News, June 26, 2019
• Wildfires and power cuts plague Europe as heatwave breaks records by Gus Trompiz & Joan Faus, Reuters, June 29, 2019
• When Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez met Greta Thunberg: 'Hope is contagious' by Emma Brockes, Environment, Guardian, June 29, 2019
• First 2020 Debates Spent 15 Minutes on Climate Change. What Did We Learn? by Marianne Lavelle, InsideClimate News, June 28, 2019
• How Republican senators killed Oregon’s climate crisis bill by Jason Wilson, US News, Guardian, June 29, 2019
• Protective Wind Shear Barrier Against Hurricanes on Southeast U.S. Coast Likely to Weaken in Coming Decades by Jeff Masters, Category 6, Weather Underground, June 24, 2019

from Skeptical Science https://ift.tt/2IXWnrZ

When asteroids photobomb galaxies

Those streaks are asteroid trails, caught in front of the distant galaxies in the Abell 370 galaxy cluster. The effect of parallax causes the asteroid trails to appear curved. Click here for high-res version. Image via ESA.

Asteroids are common in our solar system, and astronomers find new ones frequently. The first two images on this page, though, show how astronomers have found asteroids while looking for something else, in this case galaxy clusters billions of light-years away. They came across the asteroids by chance. You could say that the asteroids photobombed the galaxy photoshoot!

You can help astronomers find asteroids in this way, too. More about that newly launched Zooniverse project below.

Asteroids – or actually asteroid “trails,” created as the asteroids move in their orbits, closer to us than the stars and galaxies beyond – are seen in these first two images on this page. The images were released by the European Space Agency (ESA) on June 24 and 25, 2019, in conjunction with the annual Asteroid Day festivities in the days leading up to and on June 30.

The trails are created by the movement of the asteroids, as seen in multiple exposures taken by the Hubble Space Telescope. Those multiple exposures can then be combined to create a single image, such as those you see above and below. The images were taken as part of the Frontier Fields program, which aims to use the Hubble Space Telescope to its maximum capabilities.

The astronomers were observing the huge galaxy clusters, containing thousands of galaxies as well as hot gas and dark matter. The asteroids were found accidentally. And now you can participate in a project that aims to find them, intentionally. Keep reading.

Asteroids are members of our solar system; because they’re relatively close to us, we see them move apart from the more distant background of space. This image from the Hubble Space Telescope shows the distant galaxy cluster Abell 370. There are also 20 asteroid trails in this image, resulting from 7 individual asteroids, 5 of which had never been seen before because they were too faint. The curved or S-shaped trails stand out sharply against the background of galaxies. Click here for high-res version. Image via ESA.

How you can help astronomers find asteroids. This month, astronomers launched a new citizen-science project called the Hubble Asteroid Hunter, part of the larger Zooniverse project. Astronomers, planetary scientists and software engineers at ESA and other institutions initiated Hubble Asteroid Hunter. Here’s what ESA said when it announced the new project on June 24:

… a team of astronomers, planetary scientists and software engineers based at ESA and other research institutes has launched a new citizen science project: the Hubble Asteroid Hunter. The project was developed as part of the Zooniverse – the world’s largest and most popular platform for people-powered research.

The new project features a collection of archival Hubble images where calculations indicate that an asteroid might have been crossing the field of view at the time of the observation. Everyone can participate! By identifying the asteroids potentially present in these images and marking the exact position of their trails, you too can help the team improve the asteroid orbit determination and better characterise these objects. Precise knowledge of the orbit is particularly important for so-called near-Earth asteroids, those potentially flying close to our planet.

ESA said the citizen-science project particularly useful for finding near-Earth asteroids, those that could pose a possible risk to our planet. Astronomers are always on the lookout for those, since an impact from one could be catastrophic.

Astronomers know of hundreds of thousands of asteroids in our solar system. The current count is 796,059, according to NASA. Yet we also know there are still many more asteroids waiting to be discovered.

And you can help. Click here to go to Hubble Asteroid Hunter.

You can participate in projects like Hubble Asteroid Hunter. Click here to learn how. The goal is to find new asteroids in archived images, including near-Earth asteroids that could potentially pose a threat. Image via DepositPhotos/ Popular Science.

Bottom line: Although they weren’t specifically looking for them at the time, astronomers found some bonus asteroids while taking some deep-space images of distant galaxy clusters. You can participate in a similar project via Hubble Asteroid Hunter.

Via ESA

from EarthSky https://ift.tt/2LqWXAn

Those streaks are asteroid trails, caught in front of the distant galaxies in the Abell 370 galaxy cluster. The effect of parallax causes the asteroid trails to appear curved. Click here for high-res version. Image via ESA.

Asteroids are common in our solar system, and astronomers find new ones frequently. The first two images on this page, though, show how astronomers have found asteroids while looking for something else, in this case galaxy clusters billions of light-years away. They came across the asteroids by chance. You could say that the asteroids photobombed the galaxy photoshoot!

You can help astronomers find asteroids in this way, too. More about that newly launched Zooniverse project below.

Asteroids – or actually asteroid “trails,” created as the asteroids move in their orbits, closer to us than the stars and galaxies beyond – are seen in these first two images on this page. The images were released by the European Space Agency (ESA) on June 24 and 25, 2019, in conjunction with the annual Asteroid Day festivities in the days leading up to and on June 30.

The trails are created by the movement of the asteroids, as seen in multiple exposures taken by the Hubble Space Telescope. Those multiple exposures can then be combined to create a single image, such as those you see above and below. The images were taken as part of the Frontier Fields program, which aims to use the Hubble Space Telescope to its maximum capabilities.

The astronomers were observing the huge galaxy clusters, containing thousands of galaxies as well as hot gas and dark matter. The asteroids were found accidentally. And now you can participate in a project that aims to find them, intentionally. Keep reading.

Asteroids are members of our solar system; because they’re relatively close to us, we see them move apart from the more distant background of space. This image from the Hubble Space Telescope shows the distant galaxy cluster Abell 370. There are also 20 asteroid trails in this image, resulting from 7 individual asteroids, 5 of which had never been seen before because they were too faint. The curved or S-shaped trails stand out sharply against the background of galaxies. Click here for high-res version. Image via ESA.

How you can help astronomers find asteroids. This month, astronomers launched a new citizen-science project called the Hubble Asteroid Hunter, part of the larger Zooniverse project. Astronomers, planetary scientists and software engineers at ESA and other institutions initiated Hubble Asteroid Hunter. Here’s what ESA said when it announced the new project on June 24:

… a team of astronomers, planetary scientists and software engineers based at ESA and other research institutes has launched a new citizen science project: the Hubble Asteroid Hunter. The project was developed as part of the Zooniverse – the world’s largest and most popular platform for people-powered research.

The new project features a collection of archival Hubble images where calculations indicate that an asteroid might have been crossing the field of view at the time of the observation. Everyone can participate! By identifying the asteroids potentially present in these images and marking the exact position of their trails, you too can help the team improve the asteroid orbit determination and better characterise these objects. Precise knowledge of the orbit is particularly important for so-called near-Earth asteroids, those potentially flying close to our planet.

ESA said the citizen-science project particularly useful for finding near-Earth asteroids, those that could pose a possible risk to our planet. Astronomers are always on the lookout for those, since an impact from one could be catastrophic.

Astronomers know of hundreds of thousands of asteroids in our solar system. The current count is 796,059, according to NASA. Yet we also know there are still many more asteroids waiting to be discovered.

And you can help. Click here to go to Hubble Asteroid Hunter.

You can participate in projects like Hubble Asteroid Hunter. Click here to learn how. The goal is to find new asteroids in archived images, including near-Earth asteroids that could potentially pose a threat. Image via DepositPhotos/ Popular Science.

Bottom line: Although they weren’t specifically looking for them at the time, astronomers found some bonus asteroids while taking some deep-space images of distant galaxy clusters. You can participate in a similar project via Hubble Asteroid Hunter.

Via ESA

from EarthSky https://ift.tt/2LqWXAn

News digest – HPV vaccine, prostate cancer urine test, IVF breast cancer risk and baby food

Review adds to the evidence of HPV vaccination success

A review of lots of different studies has added to evidence showing that the HPV vaccination in girls has reduced rates of HPV infection, and pre-cancerous cervical changes, in several countries. Experts say it’s still too early to see the effect of the HPV vaccine on cervical cancer. But, with reductions in early cell changes that can become cancer, they expect to see a drop in cases of cervical cancer over the coming years.

Experimental urine test for prostate cancer shows promise

An experimental urine test could feature among the detection tech used for prostate cancer. According to the BBC, UK researchers say the test may be able to point out who will need aggressive treatment as well as those who can be monitored. Now the early results need to be confirmed in a larger group of patients.

Cancer patients waiting longer for treatment in Scotland

A lack of staff could be to blame for cancer patients in Scotland waiting longer to start treatment. BBC Scotland reports new figures showing that in the first three months of this year, just over 81 in 100 cancer patients started treatment within the Scottish Government’s 62-day target, compared with 85 in 100 a year earlier.

What’s on the horizon in immunotherapy?

The Atlantic suggests that current therapies approved to treat certain cancers, which unleash the immune system against cancer, are just the beginning.

Government yet to make progress on childhood obesity plans

Health campaigners say plans to tackle childhood obesity have been held up by government’s focus on Brexit, reports the BBC. Several measures central to the refreshed obesity strategy announced a year ago are yet to be introduced. This includes a ban on energy drink sales to under-16s and a crackdown on junk food advertising. We spoke to a former junk food advertiser turned campaigner about why restrictions on junk food advertising are important.

Potential link between fertility treatments and breast cancer risk in older women

Results of a large study presented at a conference this week suggest that women above the age of 40 who use fertility treatments, such as IVF, to get pregnant might be at greater risk of developing breast cancer, reports The Independent. However, overall research evidence hasn’t shown that women who’ve had fertility treatments are at higher risk of breast cancer. More work is needed before we can say anything for sure, as there could be other underlying reasons at play.

Vaping is cheaper than smoking

The Mail Online reports that switching from cigarettes to e-cigarettes could save smokers money. A study from scientists at UCL suggests some people could save up to £15 a week making the change. The researchers’ calculations were based on an average of around six cigarettes per day.

And finally

Baby food can often come with a hefty dose of sugar, according to a study from the Royal College of Paediatrics and Child Health covered by the BBC. It warns that even weaning products that claim to have ‘no added sugar’ are often sweetened by honey or fruit juice. The researchers say that the amount of sugar in baby food should be restricted because eating sugary foods can contribute to children becoming overweight and obese.

Gabi

from Cancer Research UK – Science blog https://ift.tt/2IV7NN7

Review adds to the evidence of HPV vaccination success

A review of lots of different studies has added to evidence showing that the HPV vaccination in girls has reduced rates of HPV infection, and pre-cancerous cervical changes, in several countries. Experts say it’s still too early to see the effect of the HPV vaccine on cervical cancer. But, with reductions in early cell changes that can become cancer, they expect to see a drop in cases of cervical cancer over the coming years.

Experimental urine test for prostate cancer shows promise

An experimental urine test could feature among the detection tech used for prostate cancer. According to the BBC, UK researchers say the test may be able to point out who will need aggressive treatment as well as those who can be monitored. Now the early results need to be confirmed in a larger group of patients.

Cancer patients waiting longer for treatment in Scotland

A lack of staff could be to blame for cancer patients in Scotland waiting longer to start treatment. BBC Scotland reports new figures showing that in the first three months of this year, just over 81 in 100 cancer patients started treatment within the Scottish Government’s 62-day target, compared with 85 in 100 a year earlier.

What’s on the horizon in immunotherapy?

The Atlantic suggests that current therapies approved to treat certain cancers, which unleash the immune system against cancer, are just the beginning.

Government yet to make progress on childhood obesity plans

Health campaigners say plans to tackle childhood obesity have been held up by government’s focus on Brexit, reports the BBC. Several measures central to the refreshed obesity strategy announced a year ago are yet to be introduced. This includes a ban on energy drink sales to under-16s and a crackdown on junk food advertising. We spoke to a former junk food advertiser turned campaigner about why restrictions on junk food advertising are important.

Potential link between fertility treatments and breast cancer risk in older women

Results of a large study presented at a conference this week suggest that women above the age of 40 who use fertility treatments, such as IVF, to get pregnant might be at greater risk of developing breast cancer, reports The Independent. However, overall research evidence hasn’t shown that women who’ve had fertility treatments are at higher risk of breast cancer. More work is needed before we can say anything for sure, as there could be other underlying reasons at play.

Vaping is cheaper than smoking

The Mail Online reports that switching from cigarettes to e-cigarettes could save smokers money. A study from scientists at UCL suggests some people could save up to £15 a week making the change. The researchers’ calculations were based on an average of around six cigarettes per day.

And finally

Baby food can often come with a hefty dose of sugar, according to a study from the Royal College of Paediatrics and Child Health covered by the BBC. It warns that even weaning products that claim to have ‘no added sugar’ are often sweetened by honey or fruit juice. The researchers say that the amount of sugar in baby food should be restricted because eating sugary foods can contribute to children becoming overweight and obese.

Gabi

from Cancer Research UK – Science blog https://ift.tt/2IV7NN7

How meteors create Mars’ clouds

A stunning view of cirrus-like clouds seen by the Curiosity rover on Mars, on sol 2417. This is a cloudy day for Mars! Image via NASA/JPL-Caltech/MSSS/Thomas Appéré.

Mars’ atmosphere is very thin, but – much like Earth – Mars does have clouds, silently gracing the pinkish-colored skies. But how do they form? A new study from the University of Colorado Boulder (CU Boulder) has found that meteors play a big role in cloud-formation on Mars. This new insight by scientists was published on June 17, 2019, in the peer-reviewed journal Nature Geoscience.

The wispy clouds in Mars’ middle atmosphere, at about 18 miles (29 km) altitude and similar to cirrus clouds on Earth, are formed at least partially from what is called “meteoric smoke,” icy dust created by space debris slamming into the planet’s atmosphere, as also happens on Earth. According to Victoria Hartwick, a graduate student at CU Boulder:

We’re used to thinking of Earth, Mars and other bodies as these really self-contained planets that determine their own climates. But climate isn’t independent of the surrounding solar system.

Just as on Earth, clouds can’t just form spontaneously out of nowhere. They need some kind of “seeds” to start, particles around which water molecules can condense. On Earth – because we have a denser atmosphere – those particles might include grains of sea salt or dust, carried upward by winds. As earthly water molecules condense around these particles, the cloud formations can grow larger and larger. As Hartwick noted:

Clouds don’t just form on their own. They need something that they can condense onto.

Computer simulation of middle altitude noctilucent clouds on Mars. Image via Victoria Hartwick.

On Mars, however – with its vastly thinner atmosphere – there is a lack of those kinds of particles in the middle atmosphere. So how do the clouds form? That’s where meteors come in. When small meteors hit Mars’ atmosphere, they burn up, just as they do in Earth’s atmosphere. As a result, a lot of fine dust is created – the “meteoric smoke” – the particles of which can serve as the needed seeds for clouds to form. Hartwick’s team used computer simulations to test this hypothesis, and indeed, clouds did form after such meteor strikes. According to Hartwick:

Our model couldn’t form clouds at these altitudes before. But now, they’re all there, and they seem to be in all the right places.

The study shows that interplanetary dust can create Martian clouds, but there is still a limit on what kinds of clouds, due to the extreme thinness of Mars’ atmosphere. Pretty much all Martian clouds are wispy and cotton candy-like, very similar to cirrus clouds on Earth. You don’t see the big, puffy clouds that you would lie on the grass and gaze up at as a kid on Earth. Nevertheless, clouds on Mars can affect the Martian environment, according to Hartwick:

But just because they’re thin and you can’t really see them doesn’t mean they can’t have an effect on the dynamics of the climate.

Noctilucent clouds in Mars’ sky, seen by the Curiosity rover. Curiosity captured these clouds on Sol 2410 (May 18, 2019). The clouds are sunlit although the sun has set; they’re noctilucent clouds or night-shining clouds. Image via NASA/JPL-Caltech/Justin Cowart/The Planetary Society.

Noctilucent clouds in motion, Curiosity, Sol 2405. Curiosity looked upward after sunset on Sol 2405 (May 13, 2019) and saw wispy cirrus clouds in motion, high above the ground. Because of their high elevation, the clouds are still sunlit, making them noctilucent (night-shining) clouds. Image via NASA/JPL-Caltech/Justin Cowart/The Planetary Society.

The research team found that the clouds could cause temperatures at those altitudes to increase or decrease by as much as 18 degrees Fahrenheit (10 degrees Celsius). These kinds of observations can also provide clues about the evolution of the Martian atmosphere and how it changed from being able to support liquid water on Mars’ surface to the thin, cold atmosphere we see today. As noted by Brian Toon, a professor at CU Boulder:

More and more climate models are finding that the ancient climate of Mars, when rivers were flowing across its surface and life might have originated, was warmed by high altitude clouds. It is likely that this discovery will become a major part of that idea for warming Mars.

Earth also has clouds formed from meteoric dust, called noctilucent clouds. They are the highest clouds in the atmosphere, at about 50 miles (80 km) altitude. They can be seen after the sun has set, but are still reflecting sunlight, giving them a bright blue glow. The month of June marks the start of noctilucent cloud season on Earth, and this June, in particular, has been a great month for seeing them.

View recent photos: Amazing June for noctilucent clouds

Visit Noctilucent Clouds Around the World, on Facebook

An example of noctilucent clouds on Earth. Leon KijkindeVegte in the Netherlands caught this photo on the night of June 12, 2019. He posted it at the great Facebook page Noctilucent Clouds Around The World.

Martian clouds have been observed ever since the first telescopes were aimed at the planet. Some are composed of water vapor/ice while others are carbon dioxide ice. They can often be seen hanging around the summit of Olympus Mons, the largest volcano in the solar system, and elsewhere on Mars. They have been photographed by orbiting spacecraft as well as landers and rovers on the surface. Some beautiful new images were just taken recently by the Curiosity rover in Gale Crater, showing one of the best displays ever seen so far, almost giving the skies an Earth-like overcast look.

These clouds are too tenuous, and the atmosphere too thin, for rain to ever occur, but the Phoenix lander did observe snow falling from high above its location near the north pole in 2008. Fog is also common on Mars, often filling valleys and craters, and frost has also been observed on the ground, condensing from the thin air at night. This is all part of a water cycle on Mars that in many ways mimics that of Earth, despite the minuscule atmosphere and lack of surface water.

Patchy clouds on Mars, as seen by the Mars Reconnaissance Orbiter, using the MARCI camera. Image via NASA/JPL/Malin Space Science Systems.

Bottom line: New research shows that clouds on Mars are formed largely from icy dust left behind by small meteors hitting the atmosphere.

Source: High-altitude water ice cloud formation on Mars controlled by interplanetary dust particles

Via CU Boulder Today

from EarthSky https://ift.tt/2FEOQfG

A stunning view of cirrus-like clouds seen by the Curiosity rover on Mars, on sol 2417. This is a cloudy day for Mars! Image via NASA/JPL-Caltech/MSSS/Thomas Appéré.

Mars’ atmosphere is very thin, but – much like Earth – Mars does have clouds, silently gracing the pinkish-colored skies. But how do they form? A new study from the University of Colorado Boulder (CU Boulder) has found that meteors play a big role in cloud-formation on Mars. This new insight by scientists was published on June 17, 2019, in the peer-reviewed journal Nature Geoscience.

The wispy clouds in Mars’ middle atmosphere, at about 18 miles (29 km) altitude and similar to cirrus clouds on Earth, are formed at least partially from what is called “meteoric smoke,” icy dust created by space debris slamming into the planet’s atmosphere, as also happens on Earth. According to Victoria Hartwick, a graduate student at CU Boulder:

We’re used to thinking of Earth, Mars and other bodies as these really self-contained planets that determine their own climates. But climate isn’t independent of the surrounding solar system.

Just as on Earth, clouds can’t just form spontaneously out of nowhere. They need some kind of “seeds” to start, particles around which water molecules can condense. On Earth – because we have a denser atmosphere – those particles might include grains of sea salt or dust, carried upward by winds. As earthly water molecules condense around these particles, the cloud formations can grow larger and larger. As Hartwick noted:

Clouds don’t just form on their own. They need something that they can condense onto.

Computer simulation of middle altitude noctilucent clouds on Mars. Image via Victoria Hartwick.

On Mars, however – with its vastly thinner atmosphere – there is a lack of those kinds of particles in the middle atmosphere. So how do the clouds form? That’s where meteors come in. When small meteors hit Mars’ atmosphere, they burn up, just as they do in Earth’s atmosphere. As a result, a lot of fine dust is created – the “meteoric smoke” – the particles of which can serve as the needed seeds for clouds to form. Hartwick’s team used computer simulations to test this hypothesis, and indeed, clouds did form after such meteor strikes. According to Hartwick:

Our model couldn’t form clouds at these altitudes before. But now, they’re all there, and they seem to be in all the right places.

The study shows that interplanetary dust can create Martian clouds, but there is still a limit on what kinds of clouds, due to the extreme thinness of Mars’ atmosphere. Pretty much all Martian clouds are wispy and cotton candy-like, very similar to cirrus clouds on Earth. You don’t see the big, puffy clouds that you would lie on the grass and gaze up at as a kid on Earth. Nevertheless, clouds on Mars can affect the Martian environment, according to Hartwick:

But just because they’re thin and you can’t really see them doesn’t mean they can’t have an effect on the dynamics of the climate.

Noctilucent clouds in Mars’ sky, seen by the Curiosity rover. Curiosity captured these clouds on Sol 2410 (May 18, 2019). The clouds are sunlit although the sun has set; they’re noctilucent clouds or night-shining clouds. Image via NASA/JPL-Caltech/Justin Cowart/The Planetary Society.

Noctilucent clouds in motion, Curiosity, Sol 2405. Curiosity looked upward after sunset on Sol 2405 (May 13, 2019) and saw wispy cirrus clouds in motion, high above the ground. Because of their high elevation, the clouds are still sunlit, making them noctilucent (night-shining) clouds. Image via NASA/JPL-Caltech/Justin Cowart/The Planetary Society.

The research team found that the clouds could cause temperatures at those altitudes to increase or decrease by as much as 18 degrees Fahrenheit (10 degrees Celsius). These kinds of observations can also provide clues about the evolution of the Martian atmosphere and how it changed from being able to support liquid water on Mars’ surface to the thin, cold atmosphere we see today. As noted by Brian Toon, a professor at CU Boulder:

More and more climate models are finding that the ancient climate of Mars, when rivers were flowing across its surface and life might have originated, was warmed by high altitude clouds. It is likely that this discovery will become a major part of that idea for warming Mars.

Earth also has clouds formed from meteoric dust, called noctilucent clouds. They are the highest clouds in the atmosphere, at about 50 miles (80 km) altitude. They can be seen after the sun has set, but are still reflecting sunlight, giving them a bright blue glow. The month of June marks the start of noctilucent cloud season on Earth, and this June, in particular, has been a great month for seeing them.

View recent photos: Amazing June for noctilucent clouds

Visit Noctilucent Clouds Around the World, on Facebook

An example of noctilucent clouds on Earth. Leon KijkindeVegte in the Netherlands caught this photo on the night of June 12, 2019. He posted it at the great Facebook page Noctilucent Clouds Around The World.

Martian clouds have been observed ever since the first telescopes were aimed at the planet. Some are composed of water vapor/ice while others are carbon dioxide ice. They can often be seen hanging around the summit of Olympus Mons, the largest volcano in the solar system, and elsewhere on Mars. They have been photographed by orbiting spacecraft as well as landers and rovers on the surface. Some beautiful new images were just taken recently by the Curiosity rover in Gale Crater, showing one of the best displays ever seen so far, almost giving the skies an Earth-like overcast look.

These clouds are too tenuous, and the atmosphere too thin, for rain to ever occur, but the Phoenix lander did observe snow falling from high above its location near the north pole in 2008. Fog is also common on Mars, often filling valleys and craters, and frost has also been observed on the ground, condensing from the thin air at night. This is all part of a water cycle on Mars that in many ways mimics that of Earth, despite the minuscule atmosphere and lack of surface water.

Patchy clouds on Mars, as seen by the Mars Reconnaissance Orbiter, using the MARCI camera. Image via NASA/JPL/Malin Space Science Systems.

Bottom line: New research shows that clouds on Mars are formed largely from icy dust left behind by small meteors hitting the atmosphere.

Source: High-altitude water ice cloud formation on Mars controlled by interplanetary dust particles

Via CU Boulder Today

from EarthSky https://ift.tt/2FEOQfG