Pisces? Here’s your constellation

Pisces the Fishes illustration courtesy of Old Book Art Image gallery

Pisces the Fishes is sometimes called the first constellation of the Zodiac because the sun appears in front of this constellation at the time of the March equinox. One tropical year is usually defined as the period of time between successive March equinoxes. So – in this sense – the March equinox marks the beginning of a new year. And that is why Pisces – backdrop to the sun on the March equinox – often appears as marking the starting point of the Zodiac. Follow the links below to learn more about the constellation Pisces the Fishes.

When can I see the constellation Pisces?

Pisces’ lone Messier object

Pisces in mythology and star lore

How long is the Age of Pisces?

As seen from mid-northern latitudes, the constellation Pisces appears in the southeast as darkness falls in November. Image via Wikimedia Commons

When can I see the constellation Pisces? In our time, the sun’s annual passage in front of the constellation Pisces is from about March 12 to April 19. Then the sun passes in front of the constellation Aries from about April 19 to May 14.

Of course, March and April are not good for seeing Pisces because this constellation is lost in the sun’s glare at that time of year. Instead, a Northern Hemisphere autumn (or Southern Hemisphere spring) – say, November – presents an opportune time for viewing Pisces in the evening sky.

As seen from across the globe, Pisces reaches its high point for the night at about 10 p.m. local standard time in early November and at about 8 p.m. in early December.

You need a dark country sky to see this fairly dim constellation swimming in what the early stargazers considered to be a watery region of the lore-laden heavens. Pisces is found to the northeast of the constellation Aquarius the Water Bearer and to the northwest of the constellation Cetus the Sea-monster.

Fortunately, Pisces can be found rather handily by referring to the signpost known as the Great Square of Pegasus, as shown on the sky chart below. Look first for the Circlet of Pisces – otherwise known as the head of the Western Fish – to the south of the Square of Pegasus. Once you’ve found the Western Fish, go on from there to catch the Eastern Fish that’s jumping upward to the east of the Square of Pegasus. The entire constellation looks like the letter V, and a very graceful and lovely V at that. The Alpha star of the constellation (though not the brightest star) is Al Risha. By the way, as seen from the northern tropics or the Southern Hemisphere, the Eastern Fish appears to be plunging downward.

First find the signpost known as the Great Square of Pegasus. That’s your jumping off spot for finding Pisces’ place in the great celestial sea. Click here for a larger chart.

Part of Pisces, the Circlet in Pisces, and the Great Square of Pegasus by Susan Jensen in Odessa, Washington. Thank you, Susan.

Pisces’ lone Messier object. Pisces can only claim one Messier object – that is, a fuzzy object resembling a comet but really a star cluster, nebula or galaxy – within its borders. It’s Messier 74, a face-on spiral galaxy looming at an estimated 35 million light-years distant. In the month of March, when it’s technically possible – yet difficult – to see all the Messier objects in the span of one night, this Messier object in the constellation Pisces is one that is commonly missed.

Messier 74 as seen by the Hubble Space Telescope. Image via NASA,ESA and the Hubble Heritage

There are two reasons why Messier 74 is so hard to catch during the annual Messier Marathons in March and/or April. At that time of year, Messier 74 lurks rather low in the western sky at nightfall and quickly sinks out of view shortly thereafter. Plus, this distant galaxy has an extremely low surface brightness, so excellent seeing conditions are absolutely critical for catching Messier 74. You don’t need a large telescope as much as you need a dark, transparent sky.

But if you want to nab this faint galaxy that is Messier 74, the months around November are a grand time of year to do so. Try, possibly with averted vision, on a dark, clear moonless night.

Ruins of Palmyra, ancient Syrian city to the northeast of Damascus. Image credit: Wikimedia Commons

Pisces in mythology and star lore. Greek and Roman versions of Pisces’ sky lore seemed to have come from Syria, where fish were regarded as divine. There seems to be some confusion as to whether the ancient Syrians abstained from fish altogether or only fish from the Chalos River (presently called the Queiq or Aleppo River).

The Syrian goddess of love and fertility, Atagartis, is often portrayed as half woman and half fish. She is thought to be the origin of the Greek goddess Aphrodite and the Roman goddess Venus.

According to Greek mythology, the fire-breathing monster Typhon was about to devour Aphrodite (the Roman Venus) and her son Eros (the Roman Cupid), except that they turned into fish and jumped into the Euphrates River to make a great escape. Mother and son tied themselves together with a cord to make sure they would not lose one another in the tumbling waters.

1948 night sky star map showing the constellations of the ancient Sea imagined by the ancients in this part of the sky. Look for the Western Fish swimming along the celestial equator, to the northeast of Aquarius and the northwest of Cetus. Image via etsy.com

How long is the Age of Pisces? By some definitions, we’ll continue to live within the Age of Pisces as long the sun shines in front of this constellation on the March equinox. By the way, although the sun hasn’t appeared in front of the constellation Aries on the equinox for over 2,000 years, we still refer to the March equinox point as the First Point in Aries.

If we accept the constellation boundaries as defined by the International Astronomical Union, the Age of Pisces started in 68 B.C. and the Age of Aquarius will begin in 2597.

But there are many varied views on this, some of which you can read about in this post: When does the Age of Aquarius begin?

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Bottom line: How to see the constellation Pisces. Plus sky lore and science.

Taurus? Here’s your constellation
Gemini? Here’s your constellation
Cancer? Here’s your constellation
Leo? Here’s your constellation
Virgo? Here’s your constellation
Libra? Here’s your constellation
Scorpius? Here’s your contellation
Sagittarius? Here’s your constellation
Capricornus? Here’s your constellation
Aquarius? Here’s your constellation
Pisces? Here’s your constellation
Aries? Here’s your constellation
Birthday late November to early December? Here’s your constellation

from EarthSky http://ift.tt/1vF991I

Pisces the Fishes illustration courtesy of Old Book Art Image gallery

Pisces the Fishes is sometimes called the first constellation of the Zodiac because the sun appears in front of this constellation at the time of the March equinox. One tropical year is usually defined as the period of time between successive March equinoxes. So – in this sense – the March equinox marks the beginning of a new year. And that is why Pisces – backdrop to the sun on the March equinox – often appears as marking the starting point of the Zodiac. Follow the links below to learn more about the constellation Pisces the Fishes.

When can I see the constellation Pisces?

Pisces’ lone Messier object

Pisces in mythology and star lore

How long is the Age of Pisces?

As seen from mid-northern latitudes, the constellation Pisces appears in the southeast as darkness falls in November. Image via Wikimedia Commons

When can I see the constellation Pisces? In our time, the sun’s annual passage in front of the constellation Pisces is from about March 12 to April 19. Then the sun passes in front of the constellation Aries from about April 19 to May 14.

Of course, March and April are not good for seeing Pisces because this constellation is lost in the sun’s glare at that time of year. Instead, a Northern Hemisphere autumn (or Southern Hemisphere spring) – say, November – presents an opportune time for viewing Pisces in the evening sky.

As seen from across the globe, Pisces reaches its high point for the night at about 10 p.m. local standard time in early November and at about 8 p.m. in early December.

You need a dark country sky to see this fairly dim constellation swimming in what the early stargazers considered to be a watery region of the lore-laden heavens. Pisces is found to the northeast of the constellation Aquarius the Water Bearer and to the northwest of the constellation Cetus the Sea-monster.

Fortunately, Pisces can be found rather handily by referring to the signpost known as the Great Square of Pegasus, as shown on the sky chart below. Look first for the Circlet of Pisces – otherwise known as the head of the Western Fish – to the south of the Square of Pegasus. Once you’ve found the Western Fish, go on from there to catch the Eastern Fish that’s jumping upward to the east of the Square of Pegasus. The entire constellation looks like the letter V, and a very graceful and lovely V at that. The Alpha star of the constellation (though not the brightest star) is Al Risha. By the way, as seen from the northern tropics or the Southern Hemisphere, the Eastern Fish appears to be plunging downward.

First find the signpost known as the Great Square of Pegasus. That’s your jumping off spot for finding Pisces’ place in the great celestial sea. Click here for a larger chart.

Part of Pisces, the Circlet in Pisces, and the Great Square of Pegasus by Susan Jensen in Odessa, Washington. Thank you, Susan.

Pisces’ lone Messier object. Pisces can only claim one Messier object – that is, a fuzzy object resembling a comet but really a star cluster, nebula or galaxy – within its borders. It’s Messier 74, a face-on spiral galaxy looming at an estimated 35 million light-years distant. In the month of March, when it’s technically possible – yet difficult – to see all the Messier objects in the span of one night, this Messier object in the constellation Pisces is one that is commonly missed.

Messier 74 as seen by the Hubble Space Telescope. Image via NASA,ESA and the Hubble Heritage

There are two reasons why Messier 74 is so hard to catch during the annual Messier Marathons in March and/or April. At that time of year, Messier 74 lurks rather low in the western sky at nightfall and quickly sinks out of view shortly thereafter. Plus, this distant galaxy has an extremely low surface brightness, so excellent seeing conditions are absolutely critical for catching Messier 74. You don’t need a large telescope as much as you need a dark, transparent sky.

But if you want to nab this faint galaxy that is Messier 74, the months around November are a grand time of year to do so. Try, possibly with averted vision, on a dark, clear moonless night.

Ruins of Palmyra, ancient Syrian city to the northeast of Damascus. Image credit: Wikimedia Commons

Pisces in mythology and star lore. Greek and Roman versions of Pisces’ sky lore seemed to have come from Syria, where fish were regarded as divine. There seems to be some confusion as to whether the ancient Syrians abstained from fish altogether or only fish from the Chalos River (presently called the Queiq or Aleppo River).

The Syrian goddess of love and fertility, Atagartis, is often portrayed as half woman and half fish. She is thought to be the origin of the Greek goddess Aphrodite and the Roman goddess Venus.

According to Greek mythology, the fire-breathing monster Typhon was about to devour Aphrodite (the Roman Venus) and her son Eros (the Roman Cupid), except that they turned into fish and jumped into the Euphrates River to make a great escape. Mother and son tied themselves together with a cord to make sure they would not lose one another in the tumbling waters.

1948 night sky star map showing the constellations of the ancient Sea imagined by the ancients in this part of the sky. Look for the Western Fish swimming along the celestial equator, to the northeast of Aquarius and the northwest of Cetus. Image via etsy.com

How long is the Age of Pisces? By some definitions, we’ll continue to live within the Age of Pisces as long the sun shines in front of this constellation on the March equinox. By the way, although the sun hasn’t appeared in front of the constellation Aries on the equinox for over 2,000 years, we still refer to the March equinox point as the First Point in Aries.

If we accept the constellation boundaries as defined by the International Astronomical Union, the Age of Pisces started in 68 B.C. and the Age of Aquarius will begin in 2597.

But there are many varied views on this, some of which you can read about in this post: When does the Age of Aquarius begin?

Enjoying EarthSky? Sign up for our free daily newsletter today!

Bottom line: How to see the constellation Pisces. Plus sky lore and science.

Taurus? Here’s your constellation
Gemini? Here’s your constellation
Cancer? Here’s your constellation
Leo? Here’s your constellation
Virgo? Here’s your constellation
Libra? Here’s your constellation
Scorpius? Here’s your contellation
Sagittarius? Here’s your constellation
Capricornus? Here’s your constellation
Aquarius? Here’s your constellation
Pisces? Here’s your constellation
Aries? Here’s your constellation
Birthday late November to early December? Here’s your constellation

from EarthSky http://ift.tt/1vF991I

EPA’s Western Ecology Division Reflects on 50 Years of Research

By Coral Tily

Contents of the time capsule.

The Western Ecology Division in Corvallis, Oregon is celebrating the 50^th anniversary of the dedication of the building. To commemorate the anniversary, the division opened the cornerstone and unsealed the time capsule to reflect on 50 years of research.

The time capsule was located in a document box behind the cornerstone encased in 50-year old plaster.

The contents in the time capsule were a snapshot of life in Oregon in 1966. It included photos of the original building, an Oregon State University newsletter, current copies of the Corvallis Gazette-Times and the Oregonian, the dedication invitation list, a Life Magazine, and the Oregon State Flag.

In 1966, the facility was constructed for research pertaining to waste treatment and water pollution control. It was originally called the Pacific Northwest Water Laboratory under the Department of Interior’s Federal Water Pollution Control Administration. The Interior Secretary at the time, Stewart Udall delivered the dedication address.

The facility was transferred to the newly formed EPA in 1970, and became the National Environmental Research Center – Corvallis. Research transitioned to fish toxicology and air pollution in the 1970’s. In the 1980’s, the facility began research in acid rain, ecotoxicology, and air pollution. The 1990’s saw a shift to environmental monitoring and biotechnology.

In 1995, with a reorganization of the EPA, the National Environmental Research Center-Corvallis became the Western Ecology Division under the National Health and Environmental Effect Laboratory. The environmental monitoring program evolved into the current research of the National Aquatic Resource Surveys.

Today, the Western Ecology Division is fully engaged in climate change, ocean acidification, ecosystems services, and emerging nanomaterials research. During the next couple of weeks, the division is taking suggestions for items to place into the document box for future excavations.

Read more about the event in the Corvallis Gazette-Times article EPA office in Corvallis celebrates 50 years.

About the Author: Coral Tily is an information services specialist at EPA’s Western Ecology Division.

from The EPA Blog http://ift.tt/2fd02BR

By Coral Tily

Contents of the time capsule.

The Western Ecology Division in Corvallis, Oregon is celebrating the 50^th anniversary of the dedication of the building. To commemorate the anniversary, the division opened the cornerstone and unsealed the time capsule to reflect on 50 years of research.

The time capsule was located in a document box behind the cornerstone encased in 50-year old plaster.

The contents in the time capsule were a snapshot of life in Oregon in 1966. It included photos of the original building, an Oregon State University newsletter, current copies of the Corvallis Gazette-Times and the Oregonian, the dedication invitation list, a Life Magazine, and the Oregon State Flag.

In 1966, the facility was constructed for research pertaining to waste treatment and water pollution control. It was originally called the Pacific Northwest Water Laboratory under the Department of Interior’s Federal Water Pollution Control Administration. The Interior Secretary at the time, Stewart Udall delivered the dedication address.

The facility was transferred to the newly formed EPA in 1970, and became the National Environmental Research Center – Corvallis. Research transitioned to fish toxicology and air pollution in the 1970’s. In the 1980’s, the facility began research in acid rain, ecotoxicology, and air pollution. The 1990’s saw a shift to environmental monitoring and biotechnology.

In 1995, with a reorganization of the EPA, the National Environmental Research Center-Corvallis became the Western Ecology Division under the National Health and Environmental Effect Laboratory. The environmental monitoring program evolved into the current research of the National Aquatic Resource Surveys.

Today, the Western Ecology Division is fully engaged in climate change, ocean acidification, ecosystems services, and emerging nanomaterials research. During the next couple of weeks, the division is taking suggestions for items to place into the document box for future excavations.

Read more about the event in the Corvallis Gazette-Times article EPA office in Corvallis celebrates 50 years.

About the Author: Coral Tily is an information services specialist at EPA’s Western Ecology Division.

from The EPA Blog http://ift.tt/2fd02BR

New Impact Hypothesis Might Explain Our Moon’s Uniqueness (Synopsis) [Starts With A Bang]

“The pressure to compete, the fear somebody else will make the splash first, creates a frenzied environment in which a blizzard of information is presented and serious questions may not be raised.” -Carl Bernstein

Why is our Moon so unlike every other moon in the Solar System? No other moon is such a large percent of its parent planet’s mass or size; no other moon rotates so far afield of its planet’s rotational axis; no other moon orbits so far out of the planet-Sun plane. Yet our Moon does it all. The giant impact hypothesis might explain why the Moon is made of the same material as Earth, but wouldn’t explain these features.

The layers of the Moon, consistent with an origin that is identical to the Earth’s interior. Image credit: Wikimedia Commons user Kelvinsong.

Unless, that is, the giant impact occurred with a very large velocity out of the plane of proto-Earth’s orbit. Unless, again, the Earth weren’t rotating at 23.5º prior to the impact. This new tweak on the impact hypothesis, put forth by a team of authors earlier this week in the journal Nature, might explain the unique history of the Earth-Moon system, including some features we don’t normally think about as being puzzling.

The Earth and Moon, along with some of their more important orbital and rotational properties. Image credit: NASA.

It isn’t just Earth that’s unique in our Solar System, but the Moon as well. Combined, the great cosmic detective story might have a new lead suspect!

from ScienceBlogs http://ift.tt/2f0VoXf

“The pressure to compete, the fear somebody else will make the splash first, creates a frenzied environment in which a blizzard of information is presented and serious questions may not be raised.” -Carl Bernstein

Why is our Moon so unlike every other moon in the Solar System? No other moon is such a large percent of its parent planet’s mass or size; no other moon rotates so far afield of its planet’s rotational axis; no other moon orbits so far out of the planet-Sun plane. Yet our Moon does it all. The giant impact hypothesis might explain why the Moon is made of the same material as Earth, but wouldn’t explain these features.

The layers of the Moon, consistent with an origin that is identical to the Earth’s interior. Image credit: Wikimedia Commons user Kelvinsong.

Unless, that is, the giant impact occurred with a very large velocity out of the plane of proto-Earth’s orbit. Unless, again, the Earth weren’t rotating at 23.5º prior to the impact. This new tweak on the impact hypothesis, put forth by a team of authors earlier this week in the journal Nature, might explain the unique history of the Earth-Moon system, including some features we don’t normally think about as being puzzling.

The Earth and Moon, along with some of their more important orbital and rotational properties. Image credit: NASA.

It isn’t just Earth that’s unique in our Solar System, but the Moon as well. Combined, the great cosmic detective story might have a new lead suspect!

from ScienceBlogs http://ift.tt/2f0VoXf

Spacecraft catches partial solar eclipse

Image via NASA’s Goddard Space Flight Center/SDO/Joy Ng

2017 EarthSky Lunar Calendar pre-sale…is happening NOW!

On October 30, 2016, NASA’s Solar Dynamics Observatory (SDO) captured a partial solar eclipse in space.

The lunar transit – the moon passing in front of the sun – lasted one hour, between 3:56 p.m. and 4:56 p.m. EDT. At the peak of its journey, he moon covered about 59 percent of the sun.

The moon’s shadow obstructs SDO’s otherwise constant view of the sun. The reason the shadow’s edge is so sharp and distinct is because the moon has no atmosphere, which would distort sunlight.

According to a NASA statement:

From SDO’s point of view, the sun appears to be shaking slightly – but not because the solar observatory was spooked by this near-Halloween sight. Instead, the shaking results from slight adjustments in SDO’s guidance system, which normally relies upon viewing the entire sun to center the images between exposures. SDO captured these images in extreme ultraviolet light, a type of light invisible to human eyes. The imagery here is colorized in red.

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Bottom line: On October 30, 2016 NASA’s Solar Dynamics Observatory (SDO) caught the moon passing in front of the sun.

Read more from NASA

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Image via NASA’s Goddard Space Flight Center/SDO/Joy Ng

2017 EarthSky Lunar Calendar pre-sale…is happening NOW!

On October 30, 2016, NASA’s Solar Dynamics Observatory (SDO) captured a partial solar eclipse in space.

The lunar transit – the moon passing in front of the sun – lasted one hour, between 3:56 p.m. and 4:56 p.m. EDT. At the peak of its journey, he moon covered about 59 percent of the sun.

The moon’s shadow obstructs SDO’s otherwise constant view of the sun. The reason the shadow’s edge is so sharp and distinct is because the moon has no atmosphere, which would distort sunlight.

According to a NASA statement:

From SDO’s point of view, the sun appears to be shaking slightly – but not because the solar observatory was spooked by this near-Halloween sight. Instead, the shaking results from slight adjustments in SDO’s guidance system, which normally relies upon viewing the entire sun to center the images between exposures. SDO captured these images in extreme ultraviolet light, a type of light invisible to human eyes. The imagery here is colorized in red.

Enjoying EarthSky? Sign up for our free daily newsletter today!

Bottom line: On October 30, 2016 NASA’s Solar Dynamics Observatory (SDO) caught the moon passing in front of the sun.

Read more from NASA

from EarthSky http://ift.tt/2edhnss

Asteroid, discovered yesterday, swept past

Near-Earth asteroid 2016 VA swept within only 0.2 times the moon’s distance last night. Image via Virtual Telescope Project.

Story and images by Gianluca Masi of the Virtual Telescope Project. Used with permission.

The near-Earth asteroid 2016 VA was discovered by the Mt. Lemmon Sky Survey in Arizona (USA) on 1 Nov. 2016 and announced later the same day by the Minor Planet Center. The object was going to have a very close encounter with the Earth, at 0.2 times the moon’s distance – about 75,000 km [46,000 miles]. At Virtual Telescope Project we grabbed extremely spectacular images and a unique video showing the asteroid eclipsed by the Earth.

The image above is a 60-seconds exposure, remotely taken with “Elena” (PlaneWave 17?+Paramount ME+SBIG STL-6303E robotic unit) available at Virtual Telescope. The robotic mount tracked the extremely fast (570″/minute) apparent motion of the asteroid, so stars are trailing. The asteroid is perfectly tracked: it is the sharp dot in the center, marked with two white segments. At the imaging time, asteroid 2016 VA was at about 200,000 km [124,000 miles] from us and approaching. Its diameter should be around 12 meters or so.

During its fly-by, asteroid 2016 VA was also eclipsed by the Earth. We covered the spectacular event, clearly capturing also the penumbra effects.

The movie below is an amazing document showing the eclipse. Each frame comes from a 5-seconds integration.

Asteroid 2016 VA eclipsed by Earth. Image via Virtual Telescope Project.

The eclipse started around 23:23:56 UT and ended about at 23:34:46. To our knowledge, this is the first video ever of a complete eclipse of an asteroid. Some hot pixels are visible on the image. At the eclipse time, the asteroid was moving with an apparent motion of 1500″/minutes and it was at about 120,000 km [75,000 miles] from the Earth, on its approaching route. You can see here a simulation of the eclipse as if you were on the asteroid.

Click here to see this article at the Virtual Telescope Project

Help support The Virtual Telescope Project!

Bottom line: An asteroid called 2016 VA was discovered on November 1, 2016 and passed closest to Earth – within 0.2 times the moon’s distance – a few hours later. Gianluca Masi of the Virtual Telescope Project caught images of the asteroid as it swept by.

from EarthSky http://ift.tt/2ezkL1B

Near-Earth asteroid 2016 VA swept within only 0.2 times the moon’s distance last night. Image via Virtual Telescope Project.

Story and images by Gianluca Masi of the Virtual Telescope Project. Used with permission.

The near-Earth asteroid 2016 VA was discovered by the Mt. Lemmon Sky Survey in Arizona (USA) on 1 Nov. 2016 and announced later the same day by the Minor Planet Center. The object was going to have a very close encounter with the Earth, at 0.2 times the moon’s distance – about 75,000 km [46,000 miles]. At Virtual Telescope Project we grabbed extremely spectacular images and a unique video showing the asteroid eclipsed by the Earth.

The image above is a 60-seconds exposure, remotely taken with “Elena” (PlaneWave 17?+Paramount ME+SBIG STL-6303E robotic unit) available at Virtual Telescope. The robotic mount tracked the extremely fast (570″/minute) apparent motion of the asteroid, so stars are trailing. The asteroid is perfectly tracked: it is the sharp dot in the center, marked with two white segments. At the imaging time, asteroid 2016 VA was at about 200,000 km [124,000 miles] from us and approaching. Its diameter should be around 12 meters or so.

During its fly-by, asteroid 2016 VA was also eclipsed by the Earth. We covered the spectacular event, clearly capturing also the penumbra effects.

The movie below is an amazing document showing the eclipse. Each frame comes from a 5-seconds integration.

Asteroid 2016 VA eclipsed by Earth. Image via Virtual Telescope Project.

The eclipse started around 23:23:56 UT and ended about at 23:34:46. To our knowledge, this is the first video ever of a complete eclipse of an asteroid. Some hot pixels are visible on the image. At the eclipse time, the asteroid was moving with an apparent motion of 1500″/minutes and it was at about 120,000 km [75,000 miles] from the Earth, on its approaching route. You can see here a simulation of the eclipse as if you were on the asteroid.

Click here to see this article at the Virtual Telescope Project

Help support The Virtual Telescope Project!

Bottom line: An asteroid called 2016 VA was discovered on November 1, 2016 and passed closest to Earth – within 0.2 times the moon’s distance – a few hours later. Gianluca Masi of the Virtual Telescope Project caught images of the asteroid as it swept by.

from EarthSky http://ift.tt/2ezkL1B

Close-up on Auriga the Charioteer

Auriga is easy to spot as a large, 5-sided figure

From mid-northern latitudes, the constellation Auriga the Charioteer is easily visible throughout the autumn and winter. Things to look for in the constellation Auriga, below:

The bright star Capella

An asterism called The Kids

Other stars in Auriga

Star clusters in Auriga

Auriga carrying the goat and kids depicted in Urania's Mirror, a set of constellation cards published in London c.1825. Via Wikipedia

The bright star Capella. Auriga’s brightest star is called Capella. It’s a golden star, somewhat similar to our sun. In fact, if you could get some distance away from our solar system – light-years away – you might see our sun much as we see Capella. Capella is located at one corner of the constellation Auriga. Capella marks the Charioteer’s left shoulder.

An asterism called The Kids. If you’re unsure whether you’ve identified Capella, you can always look nearby for a small triangle of stars. Capella is sometimes called the Goat Star, and this little triangle is known as The Kids.

Other stars in Auriga. Menkalinan, the second-brightest star in Auriga, marks the Charioteer’s right shoulder. Also, notice the star Elnath at the southern tip of Auriga. This star used to belong both to Auriga, where it was known as the heel of the Charioteer, and to the constellation Taurus, where it represented the tip of the Bull’s northern horn. In the last century, though, the International Astronomical Union decreed that this star shall belong only to Taurus!

Star clusters in Auriga. In a dark sky, using binoculars, you can spot some easy-to-see star clusters within Auriga: M36, M37 and M38.

This constellation and its brightest star Capella – and all that Auriga has to offer – are easy to identify in the northeast by mid to late evening. If you don’t see them, try looking a bit later at night – especially if you live in the southern U.S.

Auriga, via the International Astronomical Union

Bottom line: From the Northern Hemisphere latitudes, look for the beautiful star Capella and its constellation Auriga the Charioteer.

2017 EarthSky Lunar Calendar pre-sale…is happening NOW!

from EarthSky http://ift.tt/1RKUkTS

Auriga is easy to spot as a large, 5-sided figure

From mid-northern latitudes, the constellation Auriga the Charioteer is easily visible throughout the autumn and winter. Things to look for in the constellation Auriga, below:

The bright star Capella

An asterism called The Kids

Other stars in Auriga

Star clusters in Auriga

Auriga carrying the goat and kids depicted in Urania's Mirror, a set of constellation cards published in London c.1825. Via Wikipedia

The bright star Capella. Auriga’s brightest star is called Capella. It’s a golden star, somewhat similar to our sun. In fact, if you could get some distance away from our solar system – light-years away – you might see our sun much as we see Capella. Capella is located at one corner of the constellation Auriga. Capella marks the Charioteer’s left shoulder.

An asterism called The Kids. If you’re unsure whether you’ve identified Capella, you can always look nearby for a small triangle of stars. Capella is sometimes called the Goat Star, and this little triangle is known as The Kids.

Other stars in Auriga. Menkalinan, the second-brightest star in Auriga, marks the Charioteer’s right shoulder. Also, notice the star Elnath at the southern tip of Auriga. This star used to belong both to Auriga, where it was known as the heel of the Charioteer, and to the constellation Taurus, where it represented the tip of the Bull’s northern horn. In the last century, though, the International Astronomical Union decreed that this star shall belong only to Taurus!

Star clusters in Auriga. In a dark sky, using binoculars, you can spot some easy-to-see star clusters within Auriga: M36, M37 and M38.

This constellation and its brightest star Capella – and all that Auriga has to offer – are easy to identify in the northeast by mid to late evening. If you don’t see them, try looking a bit later at night – especially if you live in the southern U.S.

Auriga, via the International Astronomical Union

Bottom line: From the Northern Hemisphere latitudes, look for the beautiful star Capella and its constellation Auriga the Charioteer.

2017 EarthSky Lunar Calendar pre-sale…is happening NOW!

from EarthSky http://ift.tt/1RKUkTS

Science Snaps: understanding where breast cancer stems from

This entry is part 18 of 18 in the series Science Snaps

Cancers start when faulty genes cause cells to grow uncontrollably.

But these cancer-triggering cells do more than just get a tumour up and running – they also continually fuel its growth.

And these cells that a cancer stems from – helpfully named cancer stem cells – are a crucial focus for scientists looking to understand cancer.

That’s because, frustratingly, these cells tend to be able to shrug off treatments such as chemotherapy and radiotherapy.

Revealing the identities of these cells is therefore important in our battle against cancer. So in order to lift the veil on these elusive cells, scientists are retracing the steps a tumour takes as it develops, following it right back to where the cellular journey begins.

And a handful of stunning images released this week reveal how researchers are beginning to piece together this journey for some types of breast cancer.

Published in the journal Nature Cell Biology, scientists from the Francis Crick Institute – part-funded by Cancer Research UK – identified a particular type of cell that can trigger breast cancer in mice, and keep those tumours growing.

Importantly, the images also reveal that these cells could be a good target for treatment.

A glowing report

Different cells have their own unique identities, and these can be given away by the various molecular ‘tags’ that they brandish on their surface.

But it’s one particular tag that helped illuminate these breast tumours.

Structures found inside a mouse mammary gland during pregnancy.  Courtesy of Leander Blaas/Karolinska Institutet

The molecule is called Lgr6, and it’s found on stem cells in various parts of the body, including the taste buds, lungs and skin.

“Lgr6 is a well-known stem cell marker in certain tissues,” says co-lead author Dr Fabio Pucci, from the Francis Crick Institute.

“We’re trying to understand the connection between stem cell populations in the breast and the origin of some breast cancers, so we wondered whether this protein might also mark stem cells in the breast.”

To get to the bottom of this, the researchers used a red fluorescent molecule which sticks to cells that carry the Lgr6 molecule, and tracked the fate of these cells in mice.

In the mammary gland, which produces milk in mammals, they found that these particular cells contained genetic ‘signatures’ that were characteristic of a type of immature cell called a progenitor cell.“Whereas stem cells can give rise to lots of different types of cell, progenitor cells can only become one type of cell,” Pucci explains.

In fact, the team discovered that there were two groups of progenitor cell in the mammary gland that were marked by Lgr6. And it was these cells that gave rise to the two types of cell that make up the mammary gland tissue: basal cells and luminal cells.

The researchers also found that cells carrying Lgr6 go on to form the basket-like network of milk-carrying tubes that develop during pregnancy, which you can see in the striking microscope images to the right and below.

The blue shows the milk-producing luminal cells, explains lead researcher Dr Leander Blaas from the Karolinska Institute in Sweden, whereas the green highlights a type of cell called a myoepithelial cell. These cells, Blaas says, squeeze tiny milk-filled sacs together in order to push the milk through the ducts towards the nipples.

These images show structures found inside the mouse mammary gland during pregnancy and lactation. Courtesy of Leander Blaas/Karolinska Institutet

Of mice and women

So these Lgr6 carrying cells help healthy mammary gland tissue develop. But what about breast cancer?

Next, the team looked for Lgr6 in more than 500 human breast cancer samples and found it was present in roughly half of the tumours.

And it was here that they also spotted a link between the levels of Lgr6 and patient outcome – the less Lrg6 that was present in the samples, the longer patients were free from signs of disease after treatment.

But it was in their final series of experiments in mice that the possible involvement of Lgr6 cells in breast cancer became clearer.

Here the team switched off genes inside the Lgr6 cells that are frequently lost in cancer, including the well-known BRCA1 and p53 genes. Sure enough, these animals developed breast cancers, indicating that the progenitor cells can act as tumour initiating cells.

On closer inspection, the team found that the mice developed a particular type of cancer: luminal breast cancer.

But this runs counter to what might have been expected.

In people, faults in the BRCA1 and p53 genes tend to cause a different type of breast tumour called a basal tumour.

“No matter what genetic fault we made, we always got luminal-like tumours,” Pucci says. “This tells us that perhaps, in some cases, the cell of origin is more important in determining the type of cancer that arises than the specific genetic faults.”

And when the researchers looked at mice that were predisposed to breast cancer, not only were Lgr6 cells found to contribute to early tumour growth, they also played a role in maintaining the fully-developed tumours. And removing these cells slowed the growth of the tumours.

An obvious target

The researchers conclude that Lgr6 cells can help breast tumours start. But what does that mean for patients with the disease?

“If this work is confirmed in further studies, it will open the doors for new treatment approaches,” says Pucci.

If this work is confirmed in further studies, it will open the doors for new treatment approaches.

– Dr Fabio Pucci, Francis Crick Institute

“Because Lrg6 is found on the surface of cells, it will be a very easy target for developing potential treatments – it’s much easier to target something that’s on the outside of a cell than the inside.”

Encouragingly, Pucci says, removing the Lrg6 cells in mice didn’t seem to affect their health, so it may well be a good target for drugs.

But the journey from studying a tumour’s origins to finding new ways to treat it is a long one. What happens in mice may not reflect what happens in people, so it’s too early to say whether targeting Lgr6 could represent an effective way to treat breast cancer.

But every scientific journey has a beginning, and it’s only further research that will help define what stems from this discovery.

Justine 

from Cancer Research UK – Science blog http://ift.tt/2f08iV9

This entry is part 18 of 18 in the series Science Snaps

Cancers start when faulty genes cause cells to grow uncontrollably.

But these cancer-triggering cells do more than just get a tumour up and running – they also continually fuel its growth.

And these cells that a cancer stems from – helpfully named cancer stem cells – are a crucial focus for scientists looking to understand cancer.

That’s because, frustratingly, these cells tend to be able to shrug off treatments such as chemotherapy and radiotherapy.

Revealing the identities of these cells is therefore important in our battle against cancer. So in order to lift the veil on these elusive cells, scientists are retracing the steps a tumour takes as it develops, following it right back to where the cellular journey begins.

And a handful of stunning images released this week reveal how researchers are beginning to piece together this journey for some types of breast cancer.

Published in the journal Nature Cell Biology, scientists from the Francis Crick Institute – part-funded by Cancer Research UK – identified a particular type of cell that can trigger breast cancer in mice, and keep those tumours growing.

Importantly, the images also reveal that these cells could be a good target for treatment.

A glowing report

Different cells have their own unique identities, and these can be given away by the various molecular ‘tags’ that they brandish on their surface.

But it’s one particular tag that helped illuminate these breast tumours.

Structures found inside a mouse mammary gland during pregnancy.  Courtesy of Leander Blaas/Karolinska Institutet

The molecule is called Lgr6, and it’s found on stem cells in various parts of the body, including the taste buds, lungs and skin.

“Lgr6 is a well-known stem cell marker in certain tissues,” says co-lead author Dr Fabio Pucci, from the Francis Crick Institute.

“We’re trying to understand the connection between stem cell populations in the breast and the origin of some breast cancers, so we wondered whether this protein might also mark stem cells in the breast.”

To get to the bottom of this, the researchers used a red fluorescent molecule which sticks to cells that carry the Lgr6 molecule, and tracked the fate of these cells in mice.

In the mammary gland, which produces milk in mammals, they found that these particular cells contained genetic ‘signatures’ that were characteristic of a type of immature cell called a progenitor cell.“Whereas stem cells can give rise to lots of different types of cell, progenitor cells can only become one type of cell,” Pucci explains.

In fact, the team discovered that there were two groups of progenitor cell in the mammary gland that were marked by Lgr6. And it was these cells that gave rise to the two types of cell that make up the mammary gland tissue: basal cells and luminal cells.

The researchers also found that cells carrying Lgr6 go on to form the basket-like network of milk-carrying tubes that develop during pregnancy, which you can see in the striking microscope images to the right and below.

The blue shows the milk-producing luminal cells, explains lead researcher Dr Leander Blaas from the Karolinska Institute in Sweden, whereas the green highlights a type of cell called a myoepithelial cell. These cells, Blaas says, squeeze tiny milk-filled sacs together in order to push the milk through the ducts towards the nipples.

These images show structures found inside the mouse mammary gland during pregnancy and lactation. Courtesy of Leander Blaas/Karolinska Institutet

Of mice and women

So these Lgr6 carrying cells help healthy mammary gland tissue develop. But what about breast cancer?

Next, the team looked for Lgr6 in more than 500 human breast cancer samples and found it was present in roughly half of the tumours.

And it was here that they also spotted a link between the levels of Lgr6 and patient outcome – the less Lrg6 that was present in the samples, the longer patients were free from signs of disease after treatment.

But it was in their final series of experiments in mice that the possible involvement of Lgr6 cells in breast cancer became clearer.

Here the team switched off genes inside the Lgr6 cells that are frequently lost in cancer, including the well-known BRCA1 and p53 genes. Sure enough, these animals developed breast cancers, indicating that the progenitor cells can act as tumour initiating cells.

On closer inspection, the team found that the mice developed a particular type of cancer: luminal breast cancer.

But this runs counter to what might have been expected.

In people, faults in the BRCA1 and p53 genes tend to cause a different type of breast tumour called a basal tumour.

“No matter what genetic fault we made, we always got luminal-like tumours,” Pucci says. “This tells us that perhaps, in some cases, the cell of origin is more important in determining the type of cancer that arises than the specific genetic faults.”

And when the researchers looked at mice that were predisposed to breast cancer, not only were Lgr6 cells found to contribute to early tumour growth, they also played a role in maintaining the fully-developed tumours. And removing these cells slowed the growth of the tumours.

An obvious target

The researchers conclude that Lgr6 cells can help breast tumours start. But what does that mean for patients with the disease?

“If this work is confirmed in further studies, it will open the doors for new treatment approaches,” says Pucci.

If this work is confirmed in further studies, it will open the doors for new treatment approaches.

– Dr Fabio Pucci, Francis Crick Institute

“Because Lrg6 is found on the surface of cells, it will be a very easy target for developing potential treatments – it’s much easier to target something that’s on the outside of a cell than the inside.”

Encouragingly, Pucci says, removing the Lrg6 cells in mice didn’t seem to affect their health, so it may well be a good target for drugs.

But the journey from studying a tumour’s origins to finding new ways to treat it is a long one. What happens in mice may not reflect what happens in people, so it’s too early to say whether targeting Lgr6 could represent an effective way to treat breast cancer.

But every scientific journey has a beginning, and it’s only further research that will help define what stems from this discovery.

Justine 

from Cancer Research UK – Science blog http://ift.tt/2f08iV9