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2019 SkS Weekly Climate Change & Global Warming News Roundup #36

A chronological listing of news articles linked to on the Skeptical Science Facebook Page during the past week, i.e., Sun, Sep 1 through Sat, Sep 7, 2019

Editor's Pick

Hundreds of climate sceptics to mount international campaign to stop net-zero targets being made law

Exclusive: The signatories are part of a network pushing for environmental deregulation after Brexit – and some have links with Boris Johnson’s cabinet

Boris Johnson & Cabinet

Some of the 400 climate deniers have links to the prime minister's top ministers ( Getty ) 

Hundreds of climate change deniers including academics, politicians and lobbyists are to launch a campaign to stop commitments to net zero carbon emissions being enshrined in law, The Independent can reveal.

A letter titled “There is no climate emergency” – which has been signed by 400 people who deem climate change to be a myth – is being sent to leaders of the European Union (EU) and United Nations (UN) institutions in the coming weeks ahead of key environment talks.

The group will take further steps, which are to be outlined in press conferences in Oslo, Brussels, The Hague and Rome.

The climate deniers are connected to a transatlantic network of think tanks pushing for environmental deregulation after Brexit, which also have a history of climate science denial.

The letter, obtained by investigative non-profit news organisation DeSmog, shows the group has links with members of Boris Johnson’s Cabinet.

Hundreds of climate sceptics to mount international campaign to stop net-zero targets being made law by Phoebe Weston, Environment, The Independent (UK), Sep 6, 2019

Click here to access the entire article.

Articles Linked to on Facebook

Sun Sep 1, 2019

[On vacation.]

Mon Sep 2, 2019

Tue Sep 3, 2019

Wed Sep 4, 2019

Thu Sep 5, 2019

Fri Sep 6, 2019

Sat Sep 7, 2019



from Skeptical Science https://ift.tt/2PUFEeW
A chronological listing of news articles linked to on the Skeptical Science Facebook Page during the past week, i.e., Sun, Sep 1 through Sat, Sep 7, 2019

Editor's Pick

Hundreds of climate sceptics to mount international campaign to stop net-zero targets being made law

Exclusive: The signatories are part of a network pushing for environmental deregulation after Brexit – and some have links with Boris Johnson’s cabinet

Boris Johnson & Cabinet

Some of the 400 climate deniers have links to the prime minister's top ministers ( Getty ) 

Hundreds of climate change deniers including academics, politicians and lobbyists are to launch a campaign to stop commitments to net zero carbon emissions being enshrined in law, The Independent can reveal.

A letter titled “There is no climate emergency” – which has been signed by 400 people who deem climate change to be a myth – is being sent to leaders of the European Union (EU) and United Nations (UN) institutions in the coming weeks ahead of key environment talks.

The group will take further steps, which are to be outlined in press conferences in Oslo, Brussels, The Hague and Rome.

The climate deniers are connected to a transatlantic network of think tanks pushing for environmental deregulation after Brexit, which also have a history of climate science denial.

The letter, obtained by investigative non-profit news organisation DeSmog, shows the group has links with members of Boris Johnson’s Cabinet.

Hundreds of climate sceptics to mount international campaign to stop net-zero targets being made law by Phoebe Weston, Environment, The Independent (UK), Sep 6, 2019

Click here to access the entire article.

Articles Linked to on Facebook

Sun Sep 1, 2019

[On vacation.]

Mon Sep 2, 2019

Tue Sep 3, 2019

Wed Sep 4, 2019

Thu Sep 5, 2019

Fri Sep 6, 2019

Sat Sep 7, 2019



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Contact with India moon lander lost, moments before touchdown

A man at a computer terminal with his head in his hands.

A Chandrayaan-2 team member reacts, after contact with the Vikram lander is lost moments before its scheduled touchdown on the moon Saturday morning. The robotic craft apparently crashed during final descent. Image via ISRO.

India’s Chandrayaan-2 moon orbiter released a lander to the lunar surface Saturday morning (Friday, according to clocks in the Americas), but contact with the lander has apparently been lost. The lander was in the final stages of a 15-minute powered descent to the moon’s surface when contact with it abruptly broke off. The craft was just 1.3 miles (2.1 km) above the lunar surface at the time. Although, at this writing, no official statement about the loss has yet been placed on Chandrayaan-2’s update page by Indian Space Research Organization (ISRO), statements from India’s prime minister strongly suggest that Vikram and Pragyan, the rover that was supposed to deploy from the lander, are dead. K. Sivan, ISRO’s chairman, said:

The Vikram lander descent was as planned, and normal performance was observed up to an altitude of 2.1 kilometers (1.3 miles). Subsequently, the communications from the lander to the ground station was lost. The data are being analyzed.

India’s prime minister Narendra Modi was observing Vikram’s landing attempt from a gallery overlooking the Chandrayaan 2 control center in Bengaluru. After contact with the lander was lost, Modi visited ISRO teams, telling them to “be courageous.” He later said that “India’s space program will bounce back strong” from this apparent set-back.

Modi also met with K. Sivan soon after contact was lost and was seen, in videos, to comfort him. If Vikram had succeeded, it would have made India the 4th nation on Earth to achieve a soft landing on the moon, after the former Soviet Union, the United States and China.

As reported by SpaceFlight Now:

The Indian prime minister returned to the control center Bengaluru several hours later to address the nation.

‘We came very close, but we will need to cover more ground in the times to come,’ Modi said. ‘Every Indian is filled with a spirit of pride as well as confidence. We are proud of our space program and scientists. Their hard work and determination has ensured a better life, not only for our citizens, but also for other nations … India is suffering, but there will be many more opportunities to be proud and rejoice.

‘When it comes to our space program, the best is yet to come,’ Modi continued. ‘There are new frontiers to discover and new places to go … To our scientists, I want to say India is with you.’

India’s landing attempt Friday was the third try to put a spacecraft on the moon’s surface this year. Before Beresheet’s failed landing in April, China successfully landed the Chang’e 4 spacecraft on the far side of the moon in January.

The Vikram is named for Vikram Sarabhai, often called “the father of India’s space program.”

Bottom line: Contact with the Vikram lander – released by India’s Chandrayaan-2 moon orbiter Saturday morning, India time – has apparently been lost. Presumably, ISRO will eventually add to Chandrayaan-2’s update page.



from EarthSky https://ift.tt/2ZVyHtH
A man at a computer terminal with his head in his hands.

A Chandrayaan-2 team member reacts, after contact with the Vikram lander is lost moments before its scheduled touchdown on the moon Saturday morning. The robotic craft apparently crashed during final descent. Image via ISRO.

India’s Chandrayaan-2 moon orbiter released a lander to the lunar surface Saturday morning (Friday, according to clocks in the Americas), but contact with the lander has apparently been lost. The lander was in the final stages of a 15-minute powered descent to the moon’s surface when contact with it abruptly broke off. The craft was just 1.3 miles (2.1 km) above the lunar surface at the time. Although, at this writing, no official statement about the loss has yet been placed on Chandrayaan-2’s update page by Indian Space Research Organization (ISRO), statements from India’s prime minister strongly suggest that Vikram and Pragyan, the rover that was supposed to deploy from the lander, are dead. K. Sivan, ISRO’s chairman, said:

The Vikram lander descent was as planned, and normal performance was observed up to an altitude of 2.1 kilometers (1.3 miles). Subsequently, the communications from the lander to the ground station was lost. The data are being analyzed.

India’s prime minister Narendra Modi was observing Vikram’s landing attempt from a gallery overlooking the Chandrayaan 2 control center in Bengaluru. After contact with the lander was lost, Modi visited ISRO teams, telling them to “be courageous.” He later said that “India’s space program will bounce back strong” from this apparent set-back.

Modi also met with K. Sivan soon after contact was lost and was seen, in videos, to comfort him. If Vikram had succeeded, it would have made India the 4th nation on Earth to achieve a soft landing on the moon, after the former Soviet Union, the United States and China.

As reported by SpaceFlight Now:

The Indian prime minister returned to the control center Bengaluru several hours later to address the nation.

‘We came very close, but we will need to cover more ground in the times to come,’ Modi said. ‘Every Indian is filled with a spirit of pride as well as confidence. We are proud of our space program and scientists. Their hard work and determination has ensured a better life, not only for our citizens, but also for other nations … India is suffering, but there will be many more opportunities to be proud and rejoice.

‘When it comes to our space program, the best is yet to come,’ Modi continued. ‘There are new frontiers to discover and new places to go … To our scientists, I want to say India is with you.’

India’s landing attempt Friday was the third try to put a spacecraft on the moon’s surface this year. Before Beresheet’s failed landing in April, China successfully landed the Chang’e 4 spacecraft on the far side of the moon in January.

The Vikram is named for Vikram Sarabhai, often called “the father of India’s space program.”

Bottom line: Contact with the Vikram lander – released by India’s Chandrayaan-2 moon orbiter Saturday morning, India time – has apparently been lost. Presumably, ISRO will eventually add to Chandrayaan-2’s update page.



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News digest – NHS staff shortages, ‘snack tax’, cancer cell ‘sleep mode’ and PTSD

Cancer nurse staff

NHS staffing shortage undermines ambition to diagnose cancer early

Our new figures show that in just one year around 115,000 cancer patients in England are diagnosed too late to give them the best chance of survival. NHS staff are working tirelessly to give the best care possible, but with more people being referred to hospital for tests, there aren’t enough staff to cope with demand. The Guardian and our press release have the details.

Parents in Scotland support restrictions on junk food price promotions

According to The Scotsman, the majority of parents in Scotland believe that promotions on junk food, like buy one get one free deals, tempt people into buying unhealthy food. Our poll also found that 6 in 10 parents strongly support restricting price promotions on foods high in fat, sugar and salt. Read our press release for more.

Treatment may cause some breast cancer cells in the lab to ‘sleep’

Some breast cancer drugs may force certain cancer cells into ‘sleep mode’, a state from which they can reawaken and causes problems years after initial treatment, according to The Sun. The new research, carried out by scientists in London, studied breast cancer cells in the lab and treated them with hormone therapy. Now work needs to be done to see if the same effects happen in people.

Cancer overtaking heart disease as leading cause of death in wealthiest nations

According to the Mail Online, cancer is overtaking heart disease as the leading cause of death in wealthy countries. Experts say this is partly due to health improvements decreasing deaths from heart disease in high income countries, as well potential differences in factors, such as diet which can impact cancer risk.

Promising prostate cancer trial launched

iNews covers the launch of a new trial for men with advanced prostate cancer. Doctors will examine four different treatment options including a highly focused ultrasound treatment, surgery and radiotherapy in a bid to see if treating the original tumour helps stop their cancer spreading further.

GP referrals examined in NHS survey

A new NHS report says a third of people diagnosed with cancer in England have gone to their GP at least twice before being referred to hospitals for tests. The Mail Online covered the figures, which have shown a slight improvement on last years’ survey.

“Snack tax” could be more effective at curbing obesity than soft drinks tax

Sky News reports research that shows a so-called “snack tax” could be more effective at tackling obesity than the soft drinks levy introduced in April last year. The researchers say that increasing the price of sugary snacks by 20% could lead to an average weight loss of 1.3kg per person. Predictions suggest the “snack tax” could reduce obesity levels in the UK from around 28% to 25%.

And finally…

The Mail Online says women who have six or more symptoms associated with post-traumatic stress disorder (PTSD) have a greater risk of ovarian cancer than those who have no symptoms. So far there is no good evidence of a link between PTSD and cancer, so the researchers now need to study different groups of people to confirm these findings. If conditions like PTSD really are behind certain ovarian cancers, then this insight could help doctors determine who is at a higher risk of the disease.

Gabi



from Cancer Research UK – Science blog https://ift.tt/312bAiD
Cancer nurse staff

NHS staffing shortage undermines ambition to diagnose cancer early

Our new figures show that in just one year around 115,000 cancer patients in England are diagnosed too late to give them the best chance of survival. NHS staff are working tirelessly to give the best care possible, but with more people being referred to hospital for tests, there aren’t enough staff to cope with demand. The Guardian and our press release have the details.

Parents in Scotland support restrictions on junk food price promotions

According to The Scotsman, the majority of parents in Scotland believe that promotions on junk food, like buy one get one free deals, tempt people into buying unhealthy food. Our poll also found that 6 in 10 parents strongly support restricting price promotions on foods high in fat, sugar and salt. Read our press release for more.

Treatment may cause some breast cancer cells in the lab to ‘sleep’

Some breast cancer drugs may force certain cancer cells into ‘sleep mode’, a state from which they can reawaken and causes problems years after initial treatment, according to The Sun. The new research, carried out by scientists in London, studied breast cancer cells in the lab and treated them with hormone therapy. Now work needs to be done to see if the same effects happen in people.

Cancer overtaking heart disease as leading cause of death in wealthiest nations

According to the Mail Online, cancer is overtaking heart disease as the leading cause of death in wealthy countries. Experts say this is partly due to health improvements decreasing deaths from heart disease in high income countries, as well potential differences in factors, such as diet which can impact cancer risk.

Promising prostate cancer trial launched

iNews covers the launch of a new trial for men with advanced prostate cancer. Doctors will examine four different treatment options including a highly focused ultrasound treatment, surgery and radiotherapy in a bid to see if treating the original tumour helps stop their cancer spreading further.

GP referrals examined in NHS survey

A new NHS report says a third of people diagnosed with cancer in England have gone to their GP at least twice before being referred to hospitals for tests. The Mail Online covered the figures, which have shown a slight improvement on last years’ survey.

“Snack tax” could be more effective at curbing obesity than soft drinks tax

Sky News reports research that shows a so-called “snack tax” could be more effective at tackling obesity than the soft drinks levy introduced in April last year. The researchers say that increasing the price of sugary snacks by 20% could lead to an average weight loss of 1.3kg per person. Predictions suggest the “snack tax” could reduce obesity levels in the UK from around 28% to 25%.

And finally…

The Mail Online says women who have six or more symptoms associated with post-traumatic stress disorder (PTSD) have a greater risk of ovarian cancer than those who have no symptoms. So far there is no good evidence of a link between PTSD and cancer, so the researchers now need to study different groups of people to confirm these findings. If conditions like PTSD really are behind certain ovarian cancers, then this insight could help doctors determine who is at a higher risk of the disease.

Gabi



from Cancer Research UK – Science blog https://ift.tt/312bAiD
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Have astronomers found a hyper-volcanic exomoon?

Gas giant planet on right with volcanic moon surrounded by large yellow cloud of gas.

Artist’s concept of the moon orbiting WASP-49. The observations are similar to what’s seen with Jupiter and its moon Io in our own solar system. Researchers found sodium gas near WASP-49b, but far enough away that the gas is unlikely to be due to winds on the planet. Is this moon like Io on steroids? Image via University of Bern/Thibaut Roger.

Astronomers may have discovered a “hyper-volcanic” exomoon – an extreme version of Jupiter’s moon Io – orbiting a distant planet. A new study suggests that this possible moon, 550 light-years away, is even more volcanically active than Io, the most volcanically active body in our own solar system. An amazing discovery, if true.

The new peer-reviewed findings were published by researchers from the University of Bern in Switzerland, and a draft version of the new paper was posted on arXiv on August 29, 2019.

Apurva Oza led the new study, and described what this Io-on-steroids world might be like:

It would be a dangerous volcanic world with a molten surface of lava, a lunar version of close-in super-Earths like 55 Cancri e, a place where Jedis go to die, perilously familiar to Anakin Skywalker.

The possible exomoon would orbit a hot Jupiter gas giant planet – WASP-49b – that orbits its sun-like star, WASP-49 in the constellation Lepus. WASP-49b orbits its star in less than three days.

The exomoon hasn’t been confirmed yet, but there is good circumstantial evidence for its existence. The researchers found sodium gas near WASP-49b, but far enough away that it is unlikely to be due to winds on the planet. The observations are similar to what is seen with Jupiter and Io in our own solar system. According to Oza:

The neutral sodium gas is so far away from the planet that it is unlikely to be emitted solely by a planetary wind. The sodium is right where it should be.

Deep red large planet with darker bands.

Artist’s concept of WASP-49b, a hot Jupiter exoplanet 550 light-years from Earth. Image via exoplanetkyoto.org.

If confirmed, this would be an interesting analog to the Jupiter-Io system, but a more extreme version.

An earlier study in 2006 had also shown that large amounts of sodium near an exoplanet could be evidence for a moon, and that compact systems of a star, planet and moon – like with WASP-49 – could be stable for billions of years. According to Oza:

The enormous tidal forces in such a system are the key to everything. Sodium and potassium lines are quantum treasures to us astronomers because they are extremely bright. The vintage street lamps that light up our streets with yellow haze, are akin to the gas we are now detecting in the spectra of a dozen exoplanets.

While the researchers think that an exomoon is the most likely explanation, there are still other possibilities such as a ring of ionized gas around the planet. More data is needed, Oza said:

We need to find more clues. While the current wave of research is going towards habitability and biosignatures, our signature is a signature of destruction.

Star chart of constellation Lepus with stars in black on white.

WASP-49b is located in the constellation Lepus, just below the larger constellation Orion. Image via IAU/Sky & Telescope/Roger Sinnott/Rick Fienberg/Wikipedia.

Exomoons by nature are extremely difficult to detect, and there has been only one other good candidate so far, a possible Neptune-sized moon orbiting the giant planet Kepler-1625b, 8,000 light-years away in the constellation Cygnus. Confirmation of the moon of WASP-49b would be exciting, not only because of it being a moon orbiting a distant planet in another solar system, but also because it would be a discovery of “destruction” in a planetary system. As Oza explained:

The exciting part is that we can monitor these destructive processes in real time, like fireworks.

The possible moon orbiting WASP-49b would be similar to Jupiter’s moon Io, but a more extreme version. That’s a remarkable finding, since Io is the most volcanically active body in our solar system, even more than Earth. Io has hundreds of sulfur volcanoes, many of which are erupting at any given time. The moon’s multi-colored surface is covered in new and old lava flows, including lakes of molten silicate lava, and its appearance is often compared to a pizza. The volcanic activity is so intense and persistent, the moon is essentially always “turning itself inside out.” It also has a very thin atmosphere of sulfur dioxide.

Very patchy yellow-orange-brown round moon with blue geyser-like plume on horizon.

Volcanic plume from Pillan Patera on Io, the most volcanically active body in the solar system. Image via NASA/JPL/Discover Magazine.

Io’s volcanism is the result of its being continuously tugged at by Jupiter’s immense gravity, which keeps its insides molten. The process would probably be similar for the moon orbiting WASP-49b, which is also a gas giant planet. Io has been visited and observed by the Voyager, Cassini, Galileo and New Horizons spacecraft, but its volcanic eruptions are big enough to be seen by large telescopes on Earth.

If the moon is confirmed, it will be an incredible discovery: a tiny, distant world whose presence was given away by volcanic eruptions more powerful than any seen in our own solar system.

Bottom line: Astronomers have found evidence for a possible exomoon orbiting the gas giant exoplanet WASP-49b. If it’s real, this moon is an incredibly destructive place, even more volcanically active than Jupiter’s moon Io.

Source: Sodium and Potassium Signatures of Volcanic Satellites Orbiting Close-in Gas Giant Exoplanets

Via University of Bern



from EarthSky https://ift.tt/2PQ8Mnk
Gas giant planet on right with volcanic moon surrounded by large yellow cloud of gas.

Artist’s concept of the moon orbiting WASP-49. The observations are similar to what’s seen with Jupiter and its moon Io in our own solar system. Researchers found sodium gas near WASP-49b, but far enough away that the gas is unlikely to be due to winds on the planet. Is this moon like Io on steroids? Image via University of Bern/Thibaut Roger.

Astronomers may have discovered a “hyper-volcanic” exomoon – an extreme version of Jupiter’s moon Io – orbiting a distant planet. A new study suggests that this possible moon, 550 light-years away, is even more volcanically active than Io, the most volcanically active body in our own solar system. An amazing discovery, if true.

The new peer-reviewed findings were published by researchers from the University of Bern in Switzerland, and a draft version of the new paper was posted on arXiv on August 29, 2019.

Apurva Oza led the new study, and described what this Io-on-steroids world might be like:

It would be a dangerous volcanic world with a molten surface of lava, a lunar version of close-in super-Earths like 55 Cancri e, a place where Jedis go to die, perilously familiar to Anakin Skywalker.

The possible exomoon would orbit a hot Jupiter gas giant planet – WASP-49b – that orbits its sun-like star, WASP-49 in the constellation Lepus. WASP-49b orbits its star in less than three days.

The exomoon hasn’t been confirmed yet, but there is good circumstantial evidence for its existence. The researchers found sodium gas near WASP-49b, but far enough away that it is unlikely to be due to winds on the planet. The observations are similar to what is seen with Jupiter and Io in our own solar system. According to Oza:

The neutral sodium gas is so far away from the planet that it is unlikely to be emitted solely by a planetary wind. The sodium is right where it should be.

Deep red large planet with darker bands.

Artist’s concept of WASP-49b, a hot Jupiter exoplanet 550 light-years from Earth. Image via exoplanetkyoto.org.

If confirmed, this would be an interesting analog to the Jupiter-Io system, but a more extreme version.

An earlier study in 2006 had also shown that large amounts of sodium near an exoplanet could be evidence for a moon, and that compact systems of a star, planet and moon – like with WASP-49 – could be stable for billions of years. According to Oza:

The enormous tidal forces in such a system are the key to everything. Sodium and potassium lines are quantum treasures to us astronomers because they are extremely bright. The vintage street lamps that light up our streets with yellow haze, are akin to the gas we are now detecting in the spectra of a dozen exoplanets.

While the researchers think that an exomoon is the most likely explanation, there are still other possibilities such as a ring of ionized gas around the planet. More data is needed, Oza said:

We need to find more clues. While the current wave of research is going towards habitability and biosignatures, our signature is a signature of destruction.

Star chart of constellation Lepus with stars in black on white.

WASP-49b is located in the constellation Lepus, just below the larger constellation Orion. Image via IAU/Sky & Telescope/Roger Sinnott/Rick Fienberg/Wikipedia.

Exomoons by nature are extremely difficult to detect, and there has been only one other good candidate so far, a possible Neptune-sized moon orbiting the giant planet Kepler-1625b, 8,000 light-years away in the constellation Cygnus. Confirmation of the moon of WASP-49b would be exciting, not only because of it being a moon orbiting a distant planet in another solar system, but also because it would be a discovery of “destruction” in a planetary system. As Oza explained:

The exciting part is that we can monitor these destructive processes in real time, like fireworks.

The possible moon orbiting WASP-49b would be similar to Jupiter’s moon Io, but a more extreme version. That’s a remarkable finding, since Io is the most volcanically active body in our solar system, even more than Earth. Io has hundreds of sulfur volcanoes, many of which are erupting at any given time. The moon’s multi-colored surface is covered in new and old lava flows, including lakes of molten silicate lava, and its appearance is often compared to a pizza. The volcanic activity is so intense and persistent, the moon is essentially always “turning itself inside out.” It also has a very thin atmosphere of sulfur dioxide.

Very patchy yellow-orange-brown round moon with blue geyser-like plume on horizon.

Volcanic plume from Pillan Patera on Io, the most volcanically active body in the solar system. Image via NASA/JPL/Discover Magazine.

Io’s volcanism is the result of its being continuously tugged at by Jupiter’s immense gravity, which keeps its insides molten. The process would probably be similar for the moon orbiting WASP-49b, which is also a gas giant planet. Io has been visited and observed by the Voyager, Cassini, Galileo and New Horizons spacecraft, but its volcanic eruptions are big enough to be seen by large telescopes on Earth.

If the moon is confirmed, it will be an incredible discovery: a tiny, distant world whose presence was given away by volcanic eruptions more powerful than any seen in our own solar system.

Bottom line: Astronomers have found evidence for a possible exomoon orbiting the gas giant exoplanet WASP-49b. If it’s real, this moon is an incredibly destructive place, even more volcanically active than Jupiter’s moon Io.

Source: Sodium and Potassium Signatures of Volcanic Satellites Orbiting Close-in Gas Giant Exoplanets

Via University of Bern



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Monster penguin was as tall as a person

Model of a big white penguin next to photo of a woman.

Image via Canterbury Museum.

Scientists have described fossil remains discovered in New Zealand as belonging to a previously-unknown extinct species of monster penguin, Crossvallia waiparensis, that measured 5 feet, 3 inches (1.6 meters) tall – about the height of an adult woman – and weighed up to 176 pounds (80 kg),

C. waiparensis lived between 66 and 56 million years ago, during the Paleocene epoch, and is one of the world’s oldest known penguin species. It’s also one of the largest, taller than today’s largest penguin, the emperor penguin, that measures up to almost 4 feet (1.2 meters), although not as large as the extinct Palaeeudyptes klekowskii, which lived 7 million years ago, stood 6.5 feet (2 meters) tall and weighed 250 pounds (115 kg).

Amateur paleontologist Leigh Love found the bones at the Waipara Greensand fossil site in North Canterbury, New Zealand, in 2018. A international team of scientists analyzed the bones and concluded they belonged to a previously unknown penguin species.

Three penguins ranging from 1 foot to 5 feet next to silhouette of woman.

Image via The Sun.

In a paper published August 12, 2019, in Alcheringa: An Australasian Journal of Palaeontology, the team concluded that the closest known relative of C. waiparensis is Crossvallia unienwillia, which also lived during the Paleocene, but in Cross Valley, Antarctica. Though separate today, during the Paleocene, the New Zealand and Antarctica land masses were connected. Canterbury Museum Senior Curator and study co-author Paul Scofield says finding closely related birds in New Zealand and Antarctica shows New Zealand’s close connection to the icy continent. He said in a statement:

When the Crossvallia species were alive, New Zealand and Antarctica were very different from today – Antarctica was covered in forest and both had much warmer climates.

The researchers said that leg bones of both Crossvallia penguins suggest their feet played a greater role in swimming than those of modern penguins, or that they hadn’t yet adapted to standing upright like modern penguins.

Study co-author Vanesa De Pietri, also of Canterbury Museum, says discovering a second giant penguin from the Paleocene epoch is further evidence that early penguins were huge. She said:

It further reinforces our theory that penguins attained a giant size very early in their evolution.

Woman, young man, and white-bearded man looking at an irregular gray object.

Researchers look at a Crossvallia waiparensis fossil at Canterbury Museum in New Zealand. Image via Canterbury Museum.

Bottom line: Fossil remains suggest an ancient penguin was the size of a human.

Source: Leg bones of a new penguin species from the Waipara Greensand add to the diversity of very large-sized Sphenisciformes in the Paleocene of New Zealand

Via Canterbury Museum



from EarthSky https://ift.tt/2PN8JIV
Model of a big white penguin next to photo of a woman.

Image via Canterbury Museum.

Scientists have described fossil remains discovered in New Zealand as belonging to a previously-unknown extinct species of monster penguin, Crossvallia waiparensis, that measured 5 feet, 3 inches (1.6 meters) tall – about the height of an adult woman – and weighed up to 176 pounds (80 kg),

C. waiparensis lived between 66 and 56 million years ago, during the Paleocene epoch, and is one of the world’s oldest known penguin species. It’s also one of the largest, taller than today’s largest penguin, the emperor penguin, that measures up to almost 4 feet (1.2 meters), although not as large as the extinct Palaeeudyptes klekowskii, which lived 7 million years ago, stood 6.5 feet (2 meters) tall and weighed 250 pounds (115 kg).

Amateur paleontologist Leigh Love found the bones at the Waipara Greensand fossil site in North Canterbury, New Zealand, in 2018. A international team of scientists analyzed the bones and concluded they belonged to a previously unknown penguin species.

Three penguins ranging from 1 foot to 5 feet next to silhouette of woman.

Image via The Sun.

In a paper published August 12, 2019, in Alcheringa: An Australasian Journal of Palaeontology, the team concluded that the closest known relative of C. waiparensis is Crossvallia unienwillia, which also lived during the Paleocene, but in Cross Valley, Antarctica. Though separate today, during the Paleocene, the New Zealand and Antarctica land masses were connected. Canterbury Museum Senior Curator and study co-author Paul Scofield says finding closely related birds in New Zealand and Antarctica shows New Zealand’s close connection to the icy continent. He said in a statement:

When the Crossvallia species were alive, New Zealand and Antarctica were very different from today – Antarctica was covered in forest and both had much warmer climates.

The researchers said that leg bones of both Crossvallia penguins suggest their feet played a greater role in swimming than those of modern penguins, or that they hadn’t yet adapted to standing upright like modern penguins.

Study co-author Vanesa De Pietri, also of Canterbury Museum, says discovering a second giant penguin from the Paleocene epoch is further evidence that early penguins were huge. She said:

It further reinforces our theory that penguins attained a giant size very early in their evolution.

Woman, young man, and white-bearded man looking at an irregular gray object.

Researchers look at a Crossvallia waiparensis fossil at Canterbury Museum in New Zealand. Image via Canterbury Museum.

Bottom line: Fossil remains suggest an ancient penguin was the size of a human.

Source: Leg bones of a new penguin species from the Waipara Greensand add to the diversity of very large-sized Sphenisciformes in the Paleocene of New Zealand

Via Canterbury Museum



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SkS Analogy 20 - The Tides of Earth

Tag Line

Heavenly bodies regularly cause sea level to change by 0.5 to 120 m (2 to 400 ft).
Human bodies can cause sea level to change by 60 m (200 ft).

Elevator Statement

You’ve heard it said, “The climate is always changing.” What does that mean?

If someone said, “Mr. Smith is always falling down”, you would assume that Mr. Smith is unstable.

When you hear the phrase “The climate is always changing,” you might think, “I wonder why the climate is so unstable and always changing?” On 100,000-year cycles the global average temperature varies by 5°C, which causes variation in sea level of 120 m (400 ft). That is a lot!

These massive, 120-m glacial tides are caused by heavenly bodies that are hundreds of millions of miles away, tugging on what appears to be a very sensitive environmental system, causing regular, massive changes.

Is it possible that 8,000,000,000 human bodies pushing hard on this same, sensitive environmental system could cause a similar effect?

Jupiter and Saturn cause 100,000-year glacial tides

Climate Science

The tides of Earth include …

  • Daily tides: Controlled by daily changes in the alignment of the Earth, Moon, and the Sun.
  • Spring tides: Higher than daily tides, and occurring every 14 days when the gravitational forces of the Sun and the Moon are aligned.
  • King tides: Higher than Spring tides, and occurring once a year when the Earth is at perihelion (orbit of Earth closest to the Sun) and the moon is at perigee (orbit of Moon closest to the Earth).
  • Glacial “tides”1: Fluctuating sea level up to 120 m (400 ft), occurring over 100,000-year cycles and primarily influenced by the effects of Jupiter and Saturn on the orbital dynamics of the Earth.

The Sun and Moon pull on the oceans, causing bulges in their shape that cause local fluctuations of sea level.

Jupiter and Saturn pull on the Earth, causing bulges and wobbles in Earth’s orbit around the Sun. The influence on Earth’s orbital dynamics caused by Jupiter and Saturn are called Milankovitch cycles, named after a Serbian mathematician, Milutin Milankovitch.2  Because the orbits of planets are very regular, the Milankovitch cycles cause bulges and wobbles in Earth’s orbit that operate over 20,000, 40,000, and 100,000 years. The Milankovitch cycles drive the current ice-age variations.3

Changes in the orbital dynamics caused by Milankovitch cycles affect the distribution of sunlight between the northern and southern hemispheres. When the northern hemisphere receives less sunlight, large glaciers form over North America and Europe. The water used to form the large glaciers comes from the oceans, causing sea level to drop globally by up to 120 m. When the northern hemisphere receives more sunlight the glaciers melt, and sea level rises. The driver of these massive changes is not the orbits of Jupiter and Saturn, but rather feedbacks that are triggered by Jupiter and Saturn.

What are feedbacks? Speak into a microphone connected to an amplifier set on high-gain. Your voice into the microphone triggers a set of feedbacks that repeatedly amplify your original words until a loud squeal comes out of the speakers. Your voice does not cause the squeal, but triggers a set of feedbacks, which in turn cause the squeal.4 A similar process occurs during Milankovitch cycles where a small change in the orbit of the Earth causes a small amount of warming, which triggers feedbacks that eventually lead to large changes in CO2, temperature, and sea level.5

The sequence of events of how Jupiter and Saturn trigger 120-m sea-level change is6

  • Jupiter and Saturn affect Earth’s orbital dynamics, changing the energy distribution between the Southern and Northern Hemispheres, which causes a small temperature change in the Northern Hemisphere.
  • This small temperature change in the Northern Hemisphere causes about a 10-ppm increase in atmospheric CO2 concentration
  • Feedbacks cause the 10-ppm CO2 increase to further increase the temperature, which causes a further increase in CO2, which causes a further increase of temperature, …

This cycle goes on until the initial, direct effects combined with the feedbacks cause …

•    CO2 to change by 100 ppm …
•    Which changes global, average temperature by 5°C …
•    Which causes sea level to change by 120 m

The direct effect of Jupiter and Saturn is to cause a 10-ppm change in CO2. The feedbacks in Earth’s climate do the rest to cause the 100-ppm CO2 change.

If planets 100’s of millions of miles away can trigger 120-m tides, is there anything that human civilization is doing today that could trigger feedbacks in our sensitive, unstable environment?

By burning fossil fuels we’ve increased CO2 by 130 ppm in 200 years, 13 times the initial CO2 pulse during an ice-age cycle.

We live in an era of Earth’s history with very sensitive climate-feedback dynamics.

CO2 is currently increasing about 2.5 ppm/year. This represents a continuous, hard push on the environment.

What kind of feedbacks will we trigger if we keep pushing hard on our sensitive climate system?

Footnotes

1. “Glacial tide” is a term we define for this analogy. It does not refer to direct, tidal influences such as the Sun and the Moon exert on the oceans, but simply refers to the fact that in the same way that the relative orbital dynamics of the Sun, Moon, and the Earth cause periodic sea-level fluctuations, the relative orbital dynamics of Jupiter, Saturn, Sun, and Earth cause periodic sea-level fluctuations. The Sun and Moon cause tidal fluctuations with a period of about 12 hours and simply cause a local redistribution of water up and down a local shoreline, whereas Jupiter and Saturn cause fluctuations with a period of about 20,000, 40,000, and 100,000 years, and which redistribute water between the oceans and the land.

2. https://www.skepticalscience.com/Milankovitch.html

3. Read here for information about ice ages and glaciation cycles.

4. The feedback process is something like: small soundwave (trigger) into microphone -> electrical signal -> amplified electrical signal -> louder sound wave out of speaker and back into microphone -> stronger electrical signal -> amplified stronger electrical signal -> really big sound wave out of speaker and back into microphone -> …

5. https://skepticalscience.com/co2-lags-temperature.htm

6. The dynamics of how the distribution of sunlight between the northern and southern hemispheres causes the complex feedback between CO2 and temperature leading to large-scale glacial formation/retreat is beyond the scope of this analogy. For a summary of the link between Milankovitch cycles and ice sheet growth please read here. The scientific paper referenced in this summary article is available in this Nature article. Also read here for additional information about the effects of positive and negative feedbacks that control glaciation.







from Skeptical Science https://ift.tt/2HN3kLK

Tag Line

Heavenly bodies regularly cause sea level to change by 0.5 to 120 m (2 to 400 ft).
Human bodies can cause sea level to change by 60 m (200 ft).

Elevator Statement

You’ve heard it said, “The climate is always changing.” What does that mean?

If someone said, “Mr. Smith is always falling down”, you would assume that Mr. Smith is unstable.

When you hear the phrase “The climate is always changing,” you might think, “I wonder why the climate is so unstable and always changing?” On 100,000-year cycles the global average temperature varies by 5°C, which causes variation in sea level of 120 m (400 ft). That is a lot!

These massive, 120-m glacial tides are caused by heavenly bodies that are hundreds of millions of miles away, tugging on what appears to be a very sensitive environmental system, causing regular, massive changes.

Is it possible that 8,000,000,000 human bodies pushing hard on this same, sensitive environmental system could cause a similar effect?

Jupiter and Saturn cause 100,000-year glacial tides

Climate Science

The tides of Earth include …

  • Daily tides: Controlled by daily changes in the alignment of the Earth, Moon, and the Sun.
  • Spring tides: Higher than daily tides, and occurring every 14 days when the gravitational forces of the Sun and the Moon are aligned.
  • King tides: Higher than Spring tides, and occurring once a year when the Earth is at perihelion (orbit of Earth closest to the Sun) and the moon is at perigee (orbit of Moon closest to the Earth).
  • Glacial “tides”1: Fluctuating sea level up to 120 m (400 ft), occurring over 100,000-year cycles and primarily influenced by the effects of Jupiter and Saturn on the orbital dynamics of the Earth.

The Sun and Moon pull on the oceans, causing bulges in their shape that cause local fluctuations of sea level.

Jupiter and Saturn pull on the Earth, causing bulges and wobbles in Earth’s orbit around the Sun. The influence on Earth’s orbital dynamics caused by Jupiter and Saturn are called Milankovitch cycles, named after a Serbian mathematician, Milutin Milankovitch.2  Because the orbits of planets are very regular, the Milankovitch cycles cause bulges and wobbles in Earth’s orbit that operate over 20,000, 40,000, and 100,000 years. The Milankovitch cycles drive the current ice-age variations.3

Changes in the orbital dynamics caused by Milankovitch cycles affect the distribution of sunlight between the northern and southern hemispheres. When the northern hemisphere receives less sunlight, large glaciers form over North America and Europe. The water used to form the large glaciers comes from the oceans, causing sea level to drop globally by up to 120 m. When the northern hemisphere receives more sunlight the glaciers melt, and sea level rises. The driver of these massive changes is not the orbits of Jupiter and Saturn, but rather feedbacks that are triggered by Jupiter and Saturn.

What are feedbacks? Speak into a microphone connected to an amplifier set on high-gain. Your voice into the microphone triggers a set of feedbacks that repeatedly amplify your original words until a loud squeal comes out of the speakers. Your voice does not cause the squeal, but triggers a set of feedbacks, which in turn cause the squeal.4 A similar process occurs during Milankovitch cycles where a small change in the orbit of the Earth causes a small amount of warming, which triggers feedbacks that eventually lead to large changes in CO2, temperature, and sea level.5

The sequence of events of how Jupiter and Saturn trigger 120-m sea-level change is6

  • Jupiter and Saturn affect Earth’s orbital dynamics, changing the energy distribution between the Southern and Northern Hemispheres, which causes a small temperature change in the Northern Hemisphere.
  • This small temperature change in the Northern Hemisphere causes about a 10-ppm increase in atmospheric CO2 concentration
  • Feedbacks cause the 10-ppm CO2 increase to further increase the temperature, which causes a further increase in CO2, which causes a further increase of temperature, …

This cycle goes on until the initial, direct effects combined with the feedbacks cause …

•    CO2 to change by 100 ppm …
•    Which changes global, average temperature by 5°C …
•    Which causes sea level to change by 120 m

The direct effect of Jupiter and Saturn is to cause a 10-ppm change in CO2. The feedbacks in Earth’s climate do the rest to cause the 100-ppm CO2 change.

If planets 100’s of millions of miles away can trigger 120-m tides, is there anything that human civilization is doing today that could trigger feedbacks in our sensitive, unstable environment?

By burning fossil fuels we’ve increased CO2 by 130 ppm in 200 years, 13 times the initial CO2 pulse during an ice-age cycle.

We live in an era of Earth’s history with very sensitive climate-feedback dynamics.

CO2 is currently increasing about 2.5 ppm/year. This represents a continuous, hard push on the environment.

What kind of feedbacks will we trigger if we keep pushing hard on our sensitive climate system?

Footnotes

1. “Glacial tide” is a term we define for this analogy. It does not refer to direct, tidal influences such as the Sun and the Moon exert on the oceans, but simply refers to the fact that in the same way that the relative orbital dynamics of the Sun, Moon, and the Earth cause periodic sea-level fluctuations, the relative orbital dynamics of Jupiter, Saturn, Sun, and Earth cause periodic sea-level fluctuations. The Sun and Moon cause tidal fluctuations with a period of about 12 hours and simply cause a local redistribution of water up and down a local shoreline, whereas Jupiter and Saturn cause fluctuations with a period of about 20,000, 40,000, and 100,000 years, and which redistribute water between the oceans and the land.

2. https://www.skepticalscience.com/Milankovitch.html

3. Read here for information about ice ages and glaciation cycles.

4. The feedback process is something like: small soundwave (trigger) into microphone -> electrical signal -> amplified electrical signal -> louder sound wave out of speaker and back into microphone -> stronger electrical signal -> amplified stronger electrical signal -> really big sound wave out of speaker and back into microphone -> …

5. https://skepticalscience.com/co2-lags-temperature.htm

6. The dynamics of how the distribution of sunlight between the northern and southern hemispheres causes the complex feedback between CO2 and temperature leading to large-scale glacial formation/retreat is beyond the scope of this analogy. For a summary of the link between Milankovitch cycles and ice sheet growth please read here. The scientific paper referenced in this summary article is available in this Nature article. Also read here for additional information about the effects of positive and negative feedbacks that control glaciation.







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Moon, Jupiter, Saturn September 5 to 7

These next several evenings – September 5, 6 and 7, 2019 – feature the moon and the solar system’s two largest gas giant planets, Jupiter and Saturn. Given clear skies, you can’t miss the moon and Jupiter. The moon is the second-brightest celestial object, after the sun; Jupiter ranks as the fourth-brightest, after the planet Venus, which is in the sun’s glare this month. With Venus gone from our sky, there’s no way to mistake Venus for Jupiter in September 2019. Jupiter is simply the brightest starlike object visible.

You’ll also find a reddish star shining close to Jupiter on the sky’s dome. It’s Antares, the brightest star in the constellation Scorpius the Scorpion. Although Antares provides a prime example of a 1st-magnitude star, it nonetheless pales next to Jupiter. Jupiter, which is brighter than any star, is nearly 20 times brighter than Antares.

Red star with orbit of Mars inside it, smaller red star, sun as tiny white.

Contrasting the supergiant red star Antares with the giant star Arcturus and our sun. Image credit: Wikipedia

As viewed from the mainland United States, the moon reaches its first quarter phase on September 5, 2019, at 11:10 p.m. EDT, 10:10 p.m. CDT, 9:10 p.m. MDT and 8:10 p.m. PDT. By Universal Time (UTC), the moon reaches its first quarter phase on September 6, 2019, at 3:10 UTC. At first quarter, the one half of the moon is illuminated in sunshine while the dark half is engulfed in the moon’s own shadow.

The illuminated side of a waxing moon always points eastward (direction of sunrise). And the moon in its orbit always travels toward the east, too, relative to the sky background. The moon travels about 1/2 degree eastward – its own width on our sky’s dome – every hour. So the moon will go past Jupiter, and then it’ll go past Saturn.

The moon will swing 2 degrees (4 moon-diameters) to the north of Jupiter on September 6, 2019, at 6:52 UTC. Then the moon (more precisely: the center of the moon) will sweep 0.04 degree to the south of Saturn on September 8, 2019, at 13:53 UTC. In other words, if you’re at the right spot on Earth (Australia and Indonesia) you can actually watch the moon occult (cover over) Saturn on the night of September 8-9. We talk more about this occultation on our post for September 7.

A telescope, even a modest backyard variety, works like a charm for viewing the moon, Jupiter and Saturn. Dust off that telescope and zoom in to scan the lunar terrain, the four major moons of Jupiter and Saturn’s rings.

Take a gander at the moon along the lunar terminator – the shadow line that divides the lunar day from the lunar night. The long shadows along the terminator provide a wondrous three-dimensional portrayal of the lunar mountains, craters and valleys. Believe or not, this is one time that a dark sky is not an advantage. The glare of the moon is too overwhelming at nighttime, so enjoy your moon watching adventure in a twilight or daytime sky.

Jupiter’s four major moons – Io, Europa, Ganymede and Callisto – are quite easy to see in a low-powered telescope, usually appearing as pinpoints of light along the same plane. Sometimes, a moon or two might not be visible, because these Jovian moons regularly pass behind and in front of Jupiter.

Jupiter and moons

Jupiter and its moons as seen through a telescope on August 15, 2009. Click here for the present position of Jupiter’s four major moons.

Click here to find out the positions of these Galilean moons for right now or some chosen time, via Sky and Telescope.

Last but hardly least, aim your telescope at Saturn to see this planet’s glorious rings, which circle Saturn above this planet’s equator. Fortunately, Saturn’s rings are inclined at around 25 degrees in Earth’s sky, so they quite easy to see in 2019. There are years (2009, 2025) when Saturn’s rings are not inclined at all, but appear edge-on in Earth’s sky. At those times, the rings become invisible. But not this year, because we enjoy a favorable inclination of the rings in 2019.

Viewing Saturn’s rings? Read me first

These images suggest how the ringed planet Saturn might look when seen through a telescope with an aperture 4 inches (100 mm) in diameter (top) and through a larger instrument with an 8-inch aperture (bottom). Image via SkyandTelescope.com/NASA/Hubble Space Telescope.

Best of all, we can enjoy observing the lunar landscape, Jupiter’s moons and Saturn’s rings in a sky that’s beset with moonlight or light pollution. These solar system wonders don’t demand the dark sky that far-off galaxies and nebula do.

Bottom line: On September 5, 6 and 7, 2019, use the moon to find the planets Jupiter and Saturn. Have a telescope? Then use it to view Jupiter’s four major moons and Saturn’s glorious rings.



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

These next several evenings – September 5, 6 and 7, 2019 – feature the moon and the solar system’s two largest gas giant planets, Jupiter and Saturn. Given clear skies, you can’t miss the moon and Jupiter. The moon is the second-brightest celestial object, after the sun; Jupiter ranks as the fourth-brightest, after the planet Venus, which is in the sun’s glare this month. With Venus gone from our sky, there’s no way to mistake Venus for Jupiter in September 2019. Jupiter is simply the brightest starlike object visible.

You’ll also find a reddish star shining close to Jupiter on the sky’s dome. It’s Antares, the brightest star in the constellation Scorpius the Scorpion. Although Antares provides a prime example of a 1st-magnitude star, it nonetheless pales next to Jupiter. Jupiter, which is brighter than any star, is nearly 20 times brighter than Antares.

Red star with orbit of Mars inside it, smaller red star, sun as tiny white.

Contrasting the supergiant red star Antares with the giant star Arcturus and our sun. Image credit: Wikipedia

As viewed from the mainland United States, the moon reaches its first quarter phase on September 5, 2019, at 11:10 p.m. EDT, 10:10 p.m. CDT, 9:10 p.m. MDT and 8:10 p.m. PDT. By Universal Time (UTC), the moon reaches its first quarter phase on September 6, 2019, at 3:10 UTC. At first quarter, the one half of the moon is illuminated in sunshine while the dark half is engulfed in the moon’s own shadow.

The illuminated side of a waxing moon always points eastward (direction of sunrise). And the moon in its orbit always travels toward the east, too, relative to the sky background. The moon travels about 1/2 degree eastward – its own width on our sky’s dome – every hour. So the moon will go past Jupiter, and then it’ll go past Saturn.

The moon will swing 2 degrees (4 moon-diameters) to the north of Jupiter on September 6, 2019, at 6:52 UTC. Then the moon (more precisely: the center of the moon) will sweep 0.04 degree to the south of Saturn on September 8, 2019, at 13:53 UTC. In other words, if you’re at the right spot on Earth (Australia and Indonesia) you can actually watch the moon occult (cover over) Saturn on the night of September 8-9. We talk more about this occultation on our post for September 7.

A telescope, even a modest backyard variety, works like a charm for viewing the moon, Jupiter and Saturn. Dust off that telescope and zoom in to scan the lunar terrain, the four major moons of Jupiter and Saturn’s rings.

Take a gander at the moon along the lunar terminator – the shadow line that divides the lunar day from the lunar night. The long shadows along the terminator provide a wondrous three-dimensional portrayal of the lunar mountains, craters and valleys. Believe or not, this is one time that a dark sky is not an advantage. The glare of the moon is too overwhelming at nighttime, so enjoy your moon watching adventure in a twilight or daytime sky.

Jupiter’s four major moons – Io, Europa, Ganymede and Callisto – are quite easy to see in a low-powered telescope, usually appearing as pinpoints of light along the same plane. Sometimes, a moon or two might not be visible, because these Jovian moons regularly pass behind and in front of Jupiter.

Jupiter and moons

Jupiter and its moons as seen through a telescope on August 15, 2009. Click here for the present position of Jupiter’s four major moons.

Click here to find out the positions of these Galilean moons for right now or some chosen time, via Sky and Telescope.

Last but hardly least, aim your telescope at Saturn to see this planet’s glorious rings, which circle Saturn above this planet’s equator. Fortunately, Saturn’s rings are inclined at around 25 degrees in Earth’s sky, so they quite easy to see in 2019. There are years (2009, 2025) when Saturn’s rings are not inclined at all, but appear edge-on in Earth’s sky. At those times, the rings become invisible. But not this year, because we enjoy a favorable inclination of the rings in 2019.

Viewing Saturn’s rings? Read me first

These images suggest how the ringed planet Saturn might look when seen through a telescope with an aperture 4 inches (100 mm) in diameter (top) and through a larger instrument with an 8-inch aperture (bottom). Image via SkyandTelescope.com/NASA/Hubble Space Telescope.

Best of all, we can enjoy observing the lunar landscape, Jupiter’s moons and Saturn’s rings in a sky that’s beset with moonlight or light pollution. These solar system wonders don’t demand the dark sky that far-off galaxies and nebula do.

Bottom line: On September 5, 6 and 7, 2019, use the moon to find the planets Jupiter and Saturn. Have a telescope? Then use it to view Jupiter’s four major moons and Saturn’s glorious rings.



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Ka-bam! Signs of a giant impact with Jupiter

Jupiter, with bands and red spot, seen from spacecraft Juno.

Composite image of Jupiter, made of 3 photographs acquired by NASA’s Juno mission on February 12, 2019, during the spacecraft’s 17th science perijove, the maneuver that pulls Juno close to Jupiter in its off-center orbit. Image via NASA/JPL-Caltech/SwRI/MSSS/Kevin M. Gill.

Did you know there’s a spacecraft in orbit around Jupiter now? NASA’s Juno spacecraft isn’t getting much press, but it is getting results. For example, Juno has measured Jupiter’s gravitational field with what Tristan Guillot of the Observatoire de la Côte d’Azur in Nice, France – writing in Nature – called “exquisite accuracy.” In the article, he’s discussing a peer-reviewed study by Liu et al., published in Nature on August 14, 2019, proposing surprising findings about Jupiter’s core based on Juno gravitational data and observations of the composition of Jupiter’s atmosphere. The new study suggests that a young Jupiter might have collided head-on with another, very massive object, a planetary embryo or would-be planet if no collision had occurred. This object would have needed to have about 10 times Earth’s mass in order to account for what scientists are seeing in Jupiter’s core. That would make the colliding object nearly as massive as planet Uranus, the smallest of the four gas giant planets in our solar system. Guillot wrote that Liu’s team suggests:

… that the primordial cores of the planet and of the embryo would have merged and then partially mixed with Jupiter’s envelope, explaining the structure of the planet seen today.

Like the other gas giants (Saturn, Uranus, Neptune), Jupiter is mostly made of hydrogen and helium. However, as Guillot explained, Jupiter:

… contains a non-negligible proportion of heavier elements in the form of a central core and in the hydrogen–helium envelope. This envelope is fluid and is expected to be largely convective, so it was surprising when Juno revealed that the envelope’s composition is not uniform.

Instead, the core seems to be partially diluted in the envelope, extending to almost half of the planet’s radius.

Graphic showing three cutaway views of Jupiter from core through atmosphere.

Three phases of Jupiter. Liu et al. propose that the present-day internal structure of Jupiter is the result of a giant impact between the young planet and a planetary embryo that had roughly the mass of Uranus. a) In the authors’ model, before the impact, both Jupiter and the embryo contained a dense central core of heavy elements and a hydrogen–helium envelope. The colors represent the density of material, ranging from low (white) to high (dark orange). b) Just after the impact, the two cores merged and partially mixed with the planet’s envelope to produce a dilute core. c) After subsequent evolution, the dilute core remained, but was partially eroded into the envelope, causing the envelope to be enriched in heavy elements. Image and caption via Nature.

What can explain this strange dilution of the planet’s core? There are several possibilties, but Liu et al. favor the one calling for an impact with Jupiter. Liu and his team write in Nature:

Here we show that a sufficiently energetic head-on collision (giant impact) between a large planetary embryo and the proto-Jupiter could have shattered its primordial compact core and mixed the heavy elements with the inner envelope. Models of such a scenario lead to an internal structure that is consistent with a diluted core, persisting over billions of years.

They add:

We suggest that collisions were common in the young solar system and that a similar event may have also occurred for Saturn, contributing to the structural differences between Jupiter and Saturn.

Learn more about this study by reading Tristan Guillot’s article.

By the way, the $1.1 billion Juno mission launched August 5, 2011, and arrived in orbit around Jupiter on July 4, 2016. It’s the farthest space probe ever to be powered by solar arrays. The mission suffered a setback early on, when a planned burn – designed to take the craft from a 53-day orbit to a 14-day orbit – had to be skipped. But NASA has extended its mission to 2021. The spacecraft is expected to stay in its 53-day orbit around Jupiter throughout that time.

Click here for more results from Juno

Visit the Juno image gallery

Planet with many bluish spots near center, spotty brown concentric bands around outside edge.

This image shows a view of Jupiter’s south pole, as seen by Juno from an altitude of 32,000 miles (52,000 km). The oval features are cyclones, up to 600 miles (1,000 km) in diameter. Multiple images taken with the JunoCam instrument on three separate orbits were combined to show all areas in daylight, enhanced color, and stereographic projection. Image via NASA/JPL-Caltech/SwRI/MSSS/Betsy Asher Hall/Gervasio Robles.

Bottom line: A new study suggests an object with 10 times Earth’s mass might have struck Jupiter billions of years ago.

Source: The formation of Jupiter’s diluted core by a giant impact

Via Nature



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Jupiter, with bands and red spot, seen from spacecraft Juno.

Composite image of Jupiter, made of 3 photographs acquired by NASA’s Juno mission on February 12, 2019, during the spacecraft’s 17th science perijove, the maneuver that pulls Juno close to Jupiter in its off-center orbit. Image via NASA/JPL-Caltech/SwRI/MSSS/Kevin M. Gill.

Did you know there’s a spacecraft in orbit around Jupiter now? NASA’s Juno spacecraft isn’t getting much press, but it is getting results. For example, Juno has measured Jupiter’s gravitational field with what Tristan Guillot of the Observatoire de la Côte d’Azur in Nice, France – writing in Nature – called “exquisite accuracy.” In the article, he’s discussing a peer-reviewed study by Liu et al., published in Nature on August 14, 2019, proposing surprising findings about Jupiter’s core based on Juno gravitational data and observations of the composition of Jupiter’s atmosphere. The new study suggests that a young Jupiter might have collided head-on with another, very massive object, a planetary embryo or would-be planet if no collision had occurred. This object would have needed to have about 10 times Earth’s mass in order to account for what scientists are seeing in Jupiter’s core. That would make the colliding object nearly as massive as planet Uranus, the smallest of the four gas giant planets in our solar system. Guillot wrote that Liu’s team suggests:

… that the primordial cores of the planet and of the embryo would have merged and then partially mixed with Jupiter’s envelope, explaining the structure of the planet seen today.

Like the other gas giants (Saturn, Uranus, Neptune), Jupiter is mostly made of hydrogen and helium. However, as Guillot explained, Jupiter:

… contains a non-negligible proportion of heavier elements in the form of a central core and in the hydrogen–helium envelope. This envelope is fluid and is expected to be largely convective, so it was surprising when Juno revealed that the envelope’s composition is not uniform.

Instead, the core seems to be partially diluted in the envelope, extending to almost half of the planet’s radius.

Graphic showing three cutaway views of Jupiter from core through atmosphere.

Three phases of Jupiter. Liu et al. propose that the present-day internal structure of Jupiter is the result of a giant impact between the young planet and a planetary embryo that had roughly the mass of Uranus. a) In the authors’ model, before the impact, both Jupiter and the embryo contained a dense central core of heavy elements and a hydrogen–helium envelope. The colors represent the density of material, ranging from low (white) to high (dark orange). b) Just after the impact, the two cores merged and partially mixed with the planet’s envelope to produce a dilute core. c) After subsequent evolution, the dilute core remained, but was partially eroded into the envelope, causing the envelope to be enriched in heavy elements. Image and caption via Nature.

What can explain this strange dilution of the planet’s core? There are several possibilties, but Liu et al. favor the one calling for an impact with Jupiter. Liu and his team write in Nature:

Here we show that a sufficiently energetic head-on collision (giant impact) between a large planetary embryo and the proto-Jupiter could have shattered its primordial compact core and mixed the heavy elements with the inner envelope. Models of such a scenario lead to an internal structure that is consistent with a diluted core, persisting over billions of years.

They add:

We suggest that collisions were common in the young solar system and that a similar event may have also occurred for Saturn, contributing to the structural differences between Jupiter and Saturn.

Learn more about this study by reading Tristan Guillot’s article.

By the way, the $1.1 billion Juno mission launched August 5, 2011, and arrived in orbit around Jupiter on July 4, 2016. It’s the farthest space probe ever to be powered by solar arrays. The mission suffered a setback early on, when a planned burn – designed to take the craft from a 53-day orbit to a 14-day orbit – had to be skipped. But NASA has extended its mission to 2021. The spacecraft is expected to stay in its 53-day orbit around Jupiter throughout that time.

Click here for more results from Juno

Visit the Juno image gallery

Planet with many bluish spots near center, spotty brown concentric bands around outside edge.

This image shows a view of Jupiter’s south pole, as seen by Juno from an altitude of 32,000 miles (52,000 km). The oval features are cyclones, up to 600 miles (1,000 km) in diameter. Multiple images taken with the JunoCam instrument on three separate orbits were combined to show all areas in daylight, enhanced color, and stereographic projection. Image via NASA/JPL-Caltech/SwRI/MSSS/Betsy Asher Hall/Gervasio Robles.

Bottom line: A new study suggests an object with 10 times Earth’s mass might have struck Jupiter billions of years ago.

Source: The formation of Jupiter’s diluted core by a giant impact

Via Nature



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‘There are scientists from all over the world at my institute, working to accelerate progress in cancer research’  

Photo of Ines Figuiredo.

Ines Figueiredo, originally from Portugal, works as a research scientist at The Institute of Cancer Research (ICR) in London, where she focuses on prostate cancer. Typical of cancer research projects in the UK, Ines is part of a multinational team and works with scientists based across the globe. 

With the Government redesigning the immigration system, a change that will apply to all scientists coming to the UK for research purposes, we spoke to Ines about her experiences of moving to and working in the UK.

“Working at the ICR is amazing. I get to work with incredible people and every day you learn new things.”

A big draw for Ines was getting to work in a diverse research team, bringing together a unique mix of skills and expertise from across the world. “My team is so international – there are scientists from all over the world at the ICR working to accelerate progress in cancer research.”

Ines works as a higher scientific officer, collecting and analysing tissue samples from patients and splits her time between assisting clinical trials and working in the lab.

Research teams with a mix of UK and international researchers, like Ines’, have been key to driving progress in cancer survival. In the 1970s, 1 in 4 survived their cancer for 5 years or more compared to 1 in 2 today, a shift that’s been underpinned by increasingly international teams – drawing talent from around the world.

And this holds true today: 50% of PhD students and 76% of post-doctoral researchers we fund at Cancer Research UK are not originally from the UK.

UK research is international

Ines’ route to working in the UK was an interesting one: “I applied to the EU Da Vinci programme in 2011, which paid for EU citizens to take up research positions in another EU country. I was successful and got my first choice of England.”

Ines was subsequently offered a permanent position at the ICR and has worked there ever since, gaining promotion along the way. “For me, it’s all about helping patients. If my research and work can give patients extra time to look forward to after they’ve received a diagnosis, that, for me, is a great thing.”

To drive progress, her team works with research groups from around the world. “We have a lot of collaborative projects with teams from across the world – in Europe, in the US and in Australia.” This lets scientists in different countries share tissue samples, which Ines says can help to “bring together different pieces of a puzzle from across the world.”

And the collaboration isn’t limited to sharing samples. “Colleagues sometimes go to labs abroad for 2 or 3 months to learn a specific technique or skill before coming back. And people come to our labs and train before returning to their lab, too.”

For Ines this is vitally important, as it allows UK scientists to travel abroad and learn techniques where there might not be expertise in the UK to do so.

‘It could definitely be more difficult’

Ines at the 2012 Olympics in London. Ines has loved her time at the ICR so far, but she’s concerned for when the UK withdraws from the EU. “It could definitely be more difficult, depending on what the relationship will be like with the EU,” she says.

Under current proposals, it’s not clear if scientists like Ines would have been allowed into the UK, as she had a relatively low wage when joining the ICR. And even for those scientists who do earn enough to meet proposed immigration controls, they would have to pay relatively high visa fees compared to other leading science nations.

While Government have said they want to introduce a new visa for scientific talent, which we’ve blogged about before, it’s not clear if this will include all levels of researchers.

Ines is also concerned about funding. Her team receives a variety of grants and research funding, with a core part of this coming from the EU. She’s worried that UK-based scientists may lose access to this type of funding, which could not only hurt research projects like hers but also have a knock-on effect on enticing scientists to live and work in the UK.  “If we don’t qualify to get these grants then it’s already bad, but this could also mean we can’t attract the people who have the experience and expertise and are willing to work.”

She also has questions about how the UK will be able to participate in clinical trials involving the EU, which could have a big impact on her team.

And more personally, Ines also worries that visiting her family in Europe will become more difficult. “I love my life and my friends here, but if it wasn’t easy to travel back to Portugal to see my family, I wouldn’t be here.”

Ines is one of over 4,000 scientists, nurses and doctors supported by Cancer Research UK to help us beat cancer. To continue making significant progress towards that goal, Government must design a new, modern immigration system that encourages skilled international scientists to come to the UK and build an environment where scientific endeavour can thrive.

Ben Moore is a policy advisor at Cancer Research UK 

Find out more:



from Cancer Research UK – Science blog https://ift.tt/2ZNKfiz
Photo of Ines Figuiredo.

Ines Figueiredo, originally from Portugal, works as a research scientist at The Institute of Cancer Research (ICR) in London, where she focuses on prostate cancer. Typical of cancer research projects in the UK, Ines is part of a multinational team and works with scientists based across the globe. 

With the Government redesigning the immigration system, a change that will apply to all scientists coming to the UK for research purposes, we spoke to Ines about her experiences of moving to and working in the UK.

“Working at the ICR is amazing. I get to work with incredible people and every day you learn new things.”

A big draw for Ines was getting to work in a diverse research team, bringing together a unique mix of skills and expertise from across the world. “My team is so international – there are scientists from all over the world at the ICR working to accelerate progress in cancer research.”

Ines works as a higher scientific officer, collecting and analysing tissue samples from patients and splits her time between assisting clinical trials and working in the lab.

Research teams with a mix of UK and international researchers, like Ines’, have been key to driving progress in cancer survival. In the 1970s, 1 in 4 survived their cancer for 5 years or more compared to 1 in 2 today, a shift that’s been underpinned by increasingly international teams – drawing talent from around the world.

And this holds true today: 50% of PhD students and 76% of post-doctoral researchers we fund at Cancer Research UK are not originally from the UK.

UK research is international

Ines’ route to working in the UK was an interesting one: “I applied to the EU Da Vinci programme in 2011, which paid for EU citizens to take up research positions in another EU country. I was successful and got my first choice of England.”

Ines was subsequently offered a permanent position at the ICR and has worked there ever since, gaining promotion along the way. “For me, it’s all about helping patients. If my research and work can give patients extra time to look forward to after they’ve received a diagnosis, that, for me, is a great thing.”

To drive progress, her team works with research groups from around the world. “We have a lot of collaborative projects with teams from across the world – in Europe, in the US and in Australia.” This lets scientists in different countries share tissue samples, which Ines says can help to “bring together different pieces of a puzzle from across the world.”

And the collaboration isn’t limited to sharing samples. “Colleagues sometimes go to labs abroad for 2 or 3 months to learn a specific technique or skill before coming back. And people come to our labs and train before returning to their lab, too.”

For Ines this is vitally important, as it allows UK scientists to travel abroad and learn techniques where there might not be expertise in the UK to do so.

‘It could definitely be more difficult’

Ines at the 2012 Olympics in London. Ines has loved her time at the ICR so far, but she’s concerned for when the UK withdraws from the EU. “It could definitely be more difficult, depending on what the relationship will be like with the EU,” she says.

Under current proposals, it’s not clear if scientists like Ines would have been allowed into the UK, as she had a relatively low wage when joining the ICR. And even for those scientists who do earn enough to meet proposed immigration controls, they would have to pay relatively high visa fees compared to other leading science nations.

While Government have said they want to introduce a new visa for scientific talent, which we’ve blogged about before, it’s not clear if this will include all levels of researchers.

Ines is also concerned about funding. Her team receives a variety of grants and research funding, with a core part of this coming from the EU. She’s worried that UK-based scientists may lose access to this type of funding, which could not only hurt research projects like hers but also have a knock-on effect on enticing scientists to live and work in the UK.  “If we don’t qualify to get these grants then it’s already bad, but this could also mean we can’t attract the people who have the experience and expertise and are willing to work.”

She also has questions about how the UK will be able to participate in clinical trials involving the EU, which could have a big impact on her team.

And more personally, Ines also worries that visiting her family in Europe will become more difficult. “I love my life and my friends here, but if it wasn’t easy to travel back to Portugal to see my family, I wouldn’t be here.”

Ines is one of over 4,000 scientists, nurses and doctors supported by Cancer Research UK to help us beat cancer. To continue making significant progress towards that goal, Government must design a new, modern immigration system that encourages skilled international scientists to come to the UK and build an environment where scientific endeavour can thrive.

Ben Moore is a policy advisor at Cancer Research UK 

Find out more:



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ALMA images show what’s happening beneath Jupiter’s storms


Artists’ animation showing Jupiter in radio waves with ALMA and in visible light with the Hubble Space Telescope (HST). Via ALMA (ESO/NAOJ/NRAO), I. de Pater et al.; NRAO/AUI NSF, S. Dagnello; NASA/Hubble

The National Radio Astronomy Observatory published these new radio images of Jupiter on August 20, 2019. They’re made with the Atacama Large Millimeter/submillimeter Array (ALMA) in northern Chile. They show Jupiter’s atmosphere down to 30 miles (50 km) below the planet’s topmost, visible cloud deck, which is made up of ammonia ice. NRAO wrote:

Swirling clouds, big colorful belts, giant storms – the beautiful and turbulent atmosphere of Jupiter has been showcased many times. But what is going on below the clouds? What is causing the many storms and eruptions that we see on the ‘surface’ of the planet? To see this, visible light is not enough. We need to study Jupiter using radio waves.

Imke de Pater of the University of California, Berkeley is lead author of the new radio study of Jupiter’s storms. Her team acquired the images with the ALMA telescope a few days after amateur astronomers spotted an eruption in Jupiter’s South Equatorial Belt in January 2017. According to NRAO:

A small bright white plume was visible first and then a large-scale disruption in the belt was observed that lasted for weeks after the eruption.

Such eruptions on Jupiter can be compared to thunderstorms on Earth and are often associated with lightning events, NRAO said.

Imke de Pater explained:

ALMA enabled us to make a three-dimensional map of the distribution of ammonia gas below the clouds. And for the first time, we were able to study the atmosphere below the ammonia cloud layers after an energetic eruption on Jupiter.

Orange ball with dark and yellow stripes.

View larger. | Spherical ALMA map of Jupiter showing the distribution of ammonia gas below Jupiter’s cloud deck. Image via ALMA (ESO/NAOJ/NRAO), I. de Pater et al.; NRAO/AUI NSF, S. Dagnello.

De Pater and her colleagues used ALMA to study the atmosphere below the plume and the disrupted belt at radio wavelengths and compared these to UV-visible light and infrared images made with other telescopes at approximately the same time. She said:

Our ALMA observations are the first to show that high concentrations of ammonia gas are brought up during an energetic eruption. The combination of observations simultaneously at many different wavelengths enabled us to examine the eruption in detail. This led us to confirm the current theory that energetic plumes are triggered by moist convection at the base of water clouds, which are located deep in the atmosphere.

The plumes bring up ammonia gas from deep in the atmosphere to high altitudes, well above the main ammonia cloud deck.

Upper picture dark orange and yellow; lower picture natural color, spot labeled Eruption.

Flat map of Jupiter in radio waves with ALMA (top) and visible light with the Hubble Space Telescope (bottom). The eruption in the South Equatorial Belt is visible in both images. Image via ALMA (ESO/NAOJ/NRAO), I. de Pater et al.; NRAO/AUI NSF, S. Dagnello; NASA/Hubble.

Bottom line: After amateur astronomers spotted an eruption in Jupiter’s South Equatorial Belt in January 2017, astronomers used the ALMA telescope to acquire radio images of the planet, showing high concentrations of ammonia gas brought up during the eruption.

Source: First ALMA Millimeter Wavelength Maps of Jupiter, with a Multi-Wavelength Study of Convection

Via NRAO



from EarthSky https://ift.tt/32xVZay


Artists’ animation showing Jupiter in radio waves with ALMA and in visible light with the Hubble Space Telescope (HST). Via ALMA (ESO/NAOJ/NRAO), I. de Pater et al.; NRAO/AUI NSF, S. Dagnello; NASA/Hubble

The National Radio Astronomy Observatory published these new radio images of Jupiter on August 20, 2019. They’re made with the Atacama Large Millimeter/submillimeter Array (ALMA) in northern Chile. They show Jupiter’s atmosphere down to 30 miles (50 km) below the planet’s topmost, visible cloud deck, which is made up of ammonia ice. NRAO wrote:

Swirling clouds, big colorful belts, giant storms – the beautiful and turbulent atmosphere of Jupiter has been showcased many times. But what is going on below the clouds? What is causing the many storms and eruptions that we see on the ‘surface’ of the planet? To see this, visible light is not enough. We need to study Jupiter using radio waves.

Imke de Pater of the University of California, Berkeley is lead author of the new radio study of Jupiter’s storms. Her team acquired the images with the ALMA telescope a few days after amateur astronomers spotted an eruption in Jupiter’s South Equatorial Belt in January 2017. According to NRAO:

A small bright white plume was visible first and then a large-scale disruption in the belt was observed that lasted for weeks after the eruption.

Such eruptions on Jupiter can be compared to thunderstorms on Earth and are often associated with lightning events, NRAO said.

Imke de Pater explained:

ALMA enabled us to make a three-dimensional map of the distribution of ammonia gas below the clouds. And for the first time, we were able to study the atmosphere below the ammonia cloud layers after an energetic eruption on Jupiter.

Orange ball with dark and yellow stripes.

View larger. | Spherical ALMA map of Jupiter showing the distribution of ammonia gas below Jupiter’s cloud deck. Image via ALMA (ESO/NAOJ/NRAO), I. de Pater et al.; NRAO/AUI NSF, S. Dagnello.

De Pater and her colleagues used ALMA to study the atmosphere below the plume and the disrupted belt at radio wavelengths and compared these to UV-visible light and infrared images made with other telescopes at approximately the same time. She said:

Our ALMA observations are the first to show that high concentrations of ammonia gas are brought up during an energetic eruption. The combination of observations simultaneously at many different wavelengths enabled us to examine the eruption in detail. This led us to confirm the current theory that energetic plumes are triggered by moist convection at the base of water clouds, which are located deep in the atmosphere.

The plumes bring up ammonia gas from deep in the atmosphere to high altitudes, well above the main ammonia cloud deck.

Upper picture dark orange and yellow; lower picture natural color, spot labeled Eruption.

Flat map of Jupiter in radio waves with ALMA (top) and visible light with the Hubble Space Telescope (bottom). The eruption in the South Equatorial Belt is visible in both images. Image via ALMA (ESO/NAOJ/NRAO), I. de Pater et al.; NRAO/AUI NSF, S. Dagnello; NASA/Hubble.

Bottom line: After amateur astronomers spotted an eruption in Jupiter’s South Equatorial Belt in January 2017, astronomers used the ALMA telescope to acquire radio images of the planet, showing high concentrations of ammonia gas brought up during the eruption.

Source: First ALMA Millimeter Wavelength Maps of Jupiter, with a Multi-Wavelength Study of Convection

Via NRAO



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1st quarter moon is September 5-6

Half of the moon visible against black background.

Nearly first quarter moon from Suzanne Murphy in Wisconsin.

A first quarter moon rises around noon and sets around midnight. You’ll likely spot it in late afternoon or early evening, high up in the sky. At this moon phase, the moon is showing us precisely half of its lighted half. Or you might say that – at first quarter moon – we’re seeing half the moon’s day side.

We call this moon a quarter and not a half because it is one quarter of the way around in its orbit of Earth, as measured from one new moon to the next. Also, although a first quarter moon appears half-lit to us, the illuminated portion we see of a first quarter moon truly is just a quarter. We’re now seeing half the moon’s day side, that is. Another lighted quarter of the moon shines just as brightly in the direction opposite Earth!

And what about the term half moon? That’s a beloved term, but not an official one.

Read more: 4 keys to understanding moon phases

Telescopic closeup of band of mountains on moon with a few large craters.

Tom Wildoner wrote: “One of my favorite areas to photograph on the moon near the 1st quarter! I captured this view of the sun lighting up the mountain range called Montes Apenninus. The moon was casting a nice shadow on the back side of the mountains. This mountain range is about 370 miles (600 km) long with some of the peaks rising as high as 3.1 miles (5 km).”

Half of the moon with Lunar V, Albategnius, and Lunar X labeled along straight edge.

Here’s something else to look for on a 1st quarter moon. Aqilla Othman in Port Dickson, Negeri Sembilan, Malaysia, caught this photo. Notice that he caught Lunar X and Lunar V. These are similar features on the moon that fleetingly take an X or V shape when the moon appears in a 1st quarter phase from Earth.

Closeup of boundary between light and dark areas of the moon with Lunar V and X labeled.

Here’s a closer look at Lunar X and Lunar V. Photo by Izaty Liyana in Port Dickson, Negeri Sembilan, Malaysia. What is Lunar X?

Bottom line: The moon reaches its first quarter phase on Thursday, September 6, 2019, at 03:10 UTC. As viewed from the whole Earth, it’s high up at sunset on September 5 and 6, looking like half a pie.

Check out EarthSky’s guide to the bright planets.

Help EarthSky keep going! Please donate.



from EarthSky https://ift.tt/2OIzLvs
Half of the moon visible against black background.

Nearly first quarter moon from Suzanne Murphy in Wisconsin.

A first quarter moon rises around noon and sets around midnight. You’ll likely spot it in late afternoon or early evening, high up in the sky. At this moon phase, the moon is showing us precisely half of its lighted half. Or you might say that – at first quarter moon – we’re seeing half the moon’s day side.

We call this moon a quarter and not a half because it is one quarter of the way around in its orbit of Earth, as measured from one new moon to the next. Also, although a first quarter moon appears half-lit to us, the illuminated portion we see of a first quarter moon truly is just a quarter. We’re now seeing half the moon’s day side, that is. Another lighted quarter of the moon shines just as brightly in the direction opposite Earth!

And what about the term half moon? That’s a beloved term, but not an official one.

Read more: 4 keys to understanding moon phases

Telescopic closeup of band of mountains on moon with a few large craters.

Tom Wildoner wrote: “One of my favorite areas to photograph on the moon near the 1st quarter! I captured this view of the sun lighting up the mountain range called Montes Apenninus. The moon was casting a nice shadow on the back side of the mountains. This mountain range is about 370 miles (600 km) long with some of the peaks rising as high as 3.1 miles (5 km).”

Half of the moon with Lunar V, Albategnius, and Lunar X labeled along straight edge.

Here’s something else to look for on a 1st quarter moon. Aqilla Othman in Port Dickson, Negeri Sembilan, Malaysia, caught this photo. Notice that he caught Lunar X and Lunar V. These are similar features on the moon that fleetingly take an X or V shape when the moon appears in a 1st quarter phase from Earth.

Closeup of boundary between light and dark areas of the moon with Lunar V and X labeled.

Here’s a closer look at Lunar X and Lunar V. Photo by Izaty Liyana in Port Dickson, Negeri Sembilan, Malaysia. What is Lunar X?

Bottom line: The moon reaches its first quarter phase on Thursday, September 6, 2019, at 03:10 UTC. As viewed from the whole Earth, it’s high up at sunset on September 5 and 6, looking like half a pie.

Check out EarthSky’s guide to the bright planets.

Help EarthSky keep going! Please donate.



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