Next Mars rover will have 23 eyes

This image presents a selection of the 23 cameras on NASA’s 2020 Mars rover. Many are improved versions of the cameras on the Curiosity rover, with a few new additions as well. Image via NASA.

Mars hasn’t been spectacular in our sky in 2017, but it’ll have a memorable opposition in 2018. Then Mars will be especially close to us, and when many will be speaking of this neighboring red world, shining so brightly in our skies. The 2020 opposition of Mars will be excellent as well, which is why NASA choose 2020 as the year to send a new rover to Mars. Because Earth and Mars will come particularly close that year, the Mars 2020 mission will need relatively less power to travel to Mars, thus lowering mission costs and risks. Various details of the mission have already been published, and this week – October 31, 2017 – NASA announced that the new Mars 2020 rover will have 23 “eyes,” that is, 23 cameras.

That’s in contrast to five cameras for NASA’s Mars Pathfinder mission in 1997, whose rover, Sojourner, was the first to creep across Mars’ surface. And it’s more cameras than Curiosity’s 17; Curiosity is the most recent Mars rover, and the Mars 2020 mission is building on its technologies.

Camera technology has, clearly, taken a quantum leap since Sojourner in 1997.

Mars 2020’s cameras will be designed, NASA said, to:

… create sweeping panoramas, reveal obstacles, study the atmosphere, and assist science instruments. They will provide dramatic views during the rover’s descent to Mars and be the first to capture images of a parachute as it opens on another planet. There will even be a camera inside the rover’s body, which will study samples as they’re stored and left on the surface for collection by a future mission.

Jim Bell of Arizona State University, Tempe, principal investigator for 2020’s Mastcam-Z, the rover’s main eyes (the Z stands for zoom), said:

The cameras on 2020 will include more color and 3-D imaging than on Curiosity.

Some camera lenses will also have a wider field of view. That’s critical for the 2020 mission, which will try to maximize the time spent doing science and collecting samples. Colin McKinney of JPL, product delivery manager for the new engineering cameras, said:

Our previous Navcams would snap multiple pictures and stitch them together. With the wider field of view, we get the same perspective in one shot.

Read more about Mars 2020’s new cameras via NASA

This diagram by Roy L. Bishop shows why 2020 is a good time to send a spacecraft to Mars. It shows the distance between Earth and Mars at Mars once-every-2-year oppositions, when Earth is passing more or less between Mars and the sun. Mars’ distance at opposition varies on a 15-year cycle. Image copyright Royal Astronomical Society of Canada. Used with permission. Visit the RASC estore to purchase the Observers Handbook, a necessary tool for all skywatchers.

The Mars 2020 spacecraft will follow an entry, descent, landing process similar to that used in landing the Mars rover Curiosity in 2012, but with major technological advancements. Read more about Curiosity’s landing, which space engineers jokingly described as 7 minutes of terror.

The Mars 2020 spacecraft entry, descent, landing process will have some flexibility that Curiosity did not have.

Artist’s concept of rovers on Mars, via NASA.

Bottom line:

from EarthSky http://ift.tt/2j3cSsy

This image presents a selection of the 23 cameras on NASA’s 2020 Mars rover. Many are improved versions of the cameras on the Curiosity rover, with a few new additions as well. Image via NASA.

Mars hasn’t been spectacular in our sky in 2017, but it’ll have a memorable opposition in 2018. Then Mars will be especially close to us, and when many will be speaking of this neighboring red world, shining so brightly in our skies. The 2020 opposition of Mars will be excellent as well, which is why NASA choose 2020 as the year to send a new rover to Mars. Because Earth and Mars will come particularly close that year, the Mars 2020 mission will need relatively less power to travel to Mars, thus lowering mission costs and risks. Various details of the mission have already been published, and this week – October 31, 2017 – NASA announced that the new Mars 2020 rover will have 23 “eyes,” that is, 23 cameras.

That’s in contrast to five cameras for NASA’s Mars Pathfinder mission in 1997, whose rover, Sojourner, was the first to creep across Mars’ surface. And it’s more cameras than Curiosity’s 17; Curiosity is the most recent Mars rover, and the Mars 2020 mission is building on its technologies.

Camera technology has, clearly, taken a quantum leap since Sojourner in 1997.

Mars 2020’s cameras will be designed, NASA said, to:

… create sweeping panoramas, reveal obstacles, study the atmosphere, and assist science instruments. They will provide dramatic views during the rover’s descent to Mars and be the first to capture images of a parachute as it opens on another planet. There will even be a camera inside the rover’s body, which will study samples as they’re stored and left on the surface for collection by a future mission.

Jim Bell of Arizona State University, Tempe, principal investigator for 2020’s Mastcam-Z, the rover’s main eyes (the Z stands for zoom), said:

The cameras on 2020 will include more color and 3-D imaging than on Curiosity.

Some camera lenses will also have a wider field of view. That’s critical for the 2020 mission, which will try to maximize the time spent doing science and collecting samples. Colin McKinney of JPL, product delivery manager for the new engineering cameras, said:

Our previous Navcams would snap multiple pictures and stitch them together. With the wider field of view, we get the same perspective in one shot.

Read more about Mars 2020’s new cameras via NASA

This diagram by Roy L. Bishop shows why 2020 is a good time to send a spacecraft to Mars. It shows the distance between Earth and Mars at Mars once-every-2-year oppositions, when Earth is passing more or less between Mars and the sun. Mars’ distance at opposition varies on a 15-year cycle. Image copyright Royal Astronomical Society of Canada. Used with permission. Visit the RASC estore to purchase the Observers Handbook, a necessary tool for all skywatchers.

The Mars 2020 spacecraft will follow an entry, descent, landing process similar to that used in landing the Mars rover Curiosity in 2012, but with major technological advancements. Read more about Curiosity’s landing, which space engineers jokingly described as 7 minutes of terror.

The Mars 2020 spacecraft entry, descent, landing process will have some flexibility that Curiosity did not have.

Artist’s concept of rovers on Mars, via NASA.

Bottom line:

from EarthSky http://ift.tt/2j3cSsy

Watch for Jupiter, below Venus!

Astronaut Scott Kelly captured this photo of Jupiter and Venus (brighter) from space in 2015, while serving aboard the International Space Station. He re-posted it on his Twitter feed last week, to celebrate the Houston Astros winning the World Series. In November 2017, we’ll see Venus and Jupiter close again!

The two brightest planets visible from Earth are Venus and Jupiter. Only the sun and moon outshine them. When these two worlds come together in our sky, it’s a very special time to be outdoors, gazing skyward. They were last visible near one another, in the west after sunset, in August of 2016. They’ll be close again – this time in the east before dawn – in November, 2017.

When should you watch? Soon, before sunup! Venus is already up there, very bright, low in the east before sunup. You’ll be looking in the sunrise direction, and you’ll want an unobstructed horizon (no trees or tall buildings). Jupiter’s very recent conjunction with the sun – when it was traveling more or less behind the sun from Earth – happened on October 26. That event marked Jupiter’s official transition out of the evening sky and into the morning sky. So Jupiter is up there now, but it’s very near the sun’s glare.

Look for the king planet to creep back into the morning sky – appearing as a strangely bright object low on the sunrise horizon, below an even brighter object, Venus – after the first week of November, 2017.

Here are Venus (brighter) and Jupiter in the twilight sky seen from Rio de Janeiro, Brazil on August 25, 2016. Photo by Helio C. Vital. Click here for many photos of the August 2016 Venus-Jupiter conjunction.

The wonderful Venus-Jupiter conjunction will occur before mid-month. Jupiter will join up with Venus in the eastern morning sky, and their conjunction – when these two bright worlds will have the same right ascension on Earth’s sky dome – will happen on November 13.

Watch for them for as many days as you can before and after November 13, too. Venus is now sinking into the sun’s glare, as Jupiter is ascending out of it. You’ll easily see these two very bright planets shift and move with respect to each other on the sky’s dome.

They’ll be beautiful.

Don’t miss the Venus/Jupiter conjunction on or around November 13, 2017. Read more.

What’s more, the waning moon will come along, just in time to join the show. Let the waning crescent moon guide your eye to Jupiter and Venus on or before the mornings of November 16 and November 17.

Those are, coincidently, very close to the peak mornings of the Leonid meteor shower; it peaks on the mornings of November 17 and 18. So if you’re in a dark location, watching for meteors, be sure to stay until Venus, Jupiter and the moon all rise.

And wow! Just as Venus and Jupiter are closest, the moon will be there, too. Let the moon be your guide to the early morning planets on November 13, 14, 15 and 16. Read more.

Bottom line: The Venus-Jupiter conjunction will be on the morning of November 13. But don’t plan to watch just one day … their meeting will be a cosmic do-si-do that’ll last many days.

Photos and video of Venus and Jupiter, from 2016’s conjunction

from EarthSky http://ift.tt/2ywFBN1

Astronaut Scott Kelly captured this photo of Jupiter and Venus (brighter) from space in 2015, while serving aboard the International Space Station. He re-posted it on his Twitter feed last week, to celebrate the Houston Astros winning the World Series. In November 2017, we’ll see Venus and Jupiter close again!

The two brightest planets visible from Earth are Venus and Jupiter. Only the sun and moon outshine them. When these two worlds come together in our sky, it’s a very special time to be outdoors, gazing skyward. They were last visible near one another, in the west after sunset, in August of 2016. They’ll be close again – this time in the east before dawn – in November, 2017.

When should you watch? Soon, before sunup! Venus is already up there, very bright, low in the east before sunup. You’ll be looking in the sunrise direction, and you’ll want an unobstructed horizon (no trees or tall buildings). Jupiter’s very recent conjunction with the sun – when it was traveling more or less behind the sun from Earth – happened on October 26. That event marked Jupiter’s official transition out of the evening sky and into the morning sky. So Jupiter is up there now, but it’s very near the sun’s glare.

Look for the king planet to creep back into the morning sky – appearing as a strangely bright object low on the sunrise horizon, below an even brighter object, Venus – after the first week of November, 2017.

Here are Venus (brighter) and Jupiter in the twilight sky seen from Rio de Janeiro, Brazil on August 25, 2016. Photo by Helio C. Vital. Click here for many photos of the August 2016 Venus-Jupiter conjunction.

The wonderful Venus-Jupiter conjunction will occur before mid-month. Jupiter will join up with Venus in the eastern morning sky, and their conjunction – when these two bright worlds will have the same right ascension on Earth’s sky dome – will happen on November 13.

Watch for them for as many days as you can before and after November 13, too. Venus is now sinking into the sun’s glare, as Jupiter is ascending out of it. You’ll easily see these two very bright planets shift and move with respect to each other on the sky’s dome.

They’ll be beautiful.

Don’t miss the Venus/Jupiter conjunction on or around November 13, 2017. Read more.

What’s more, the waning moon will come along, just in time to join the show. Let the waning crescent moon guide your eye to Jupiter and Venus on or before the mornings of November 16 and November 17.

Those are, coincidently, very close to the peak mornings of the Leonid meteor shower; it peaks on the mornings of November 17 and 18. So if you’re in a dark location, watching for meteors, be sure to stay until Venus, Jupiter and the moon all rise.

And wow! Just as Venus and Jupiter are closest, the moon will be there, too. Let the moon be your guide to the early morning planets on November 13, 14, 15 and 16. Read more.

Bottom line: The Venus-Jupiter conjunction will be on the morning of November 13. But don’t plan to watch just one day … their meeting will be a cosmic do-si-do that’ll last many days.

Photos and video of Venus and Jupiter, from 2016’s conjunction

from EarthSky http://ift.tt/2ywFBN1

Moon hides bright star Aldebaran

Tonight – November 5, 2017 – the moon occults (covers over) Aldebaran, the brightest star in the constellation Taurus the Bull. On the sky chart above, we don’t show the moon for November 5, because if we did – on the rough scale of our sky charts – it’d hide the star Aldebaran from view. This occultation is visible from much of North America, Greenland, Iceland and northern Europe. Elsewhere around the world, tonight’s moon shines close to Aldebaran but won’t pass directly in front of Aldebaran.

Keep in mind, though, that the glare of the still-bright, almost-full waning gibbous moon might make it tough to see Aldebaran and the nearly Pleiades star cluster. You may glance up and notice Aldebaran and the Pleiades shining in the moon’s glare. Or, if you don’t, try placing a finger over the moon to get a better view of Aldebaran and the Pleiades star cluster better.

The Pleiades in the light of the full supermoon – November 14, 2016 – from Zefri Besar in Brunei Darussalam. Bright moonlight makes the stars harder to see!

The sky chart at the top of the page is for mid-northern North American latitudes, on the evenings of November 4, 5 and 6. On these dates from the world’s Eastern Hemisphere – Europe, Africa and Asia – the moon is somewhat offset toward the previous date.

Look at the worldwide map below. All locations to the north (above) the solid white line are in a position to see the lunar occultation of Aldebaran, where the star first disappears behind the moon’s illuminated side and then reappears from behind the moon’s tiny sliver of darkness.

Worldwide map via IOTA. Everyplace to the north of the whie line can see the lunar occultation of Aldebaran in a nighttime sky. The area above the short blue line shows where the occultation occurs at dusk and the area above the dotted red line sees the occulation in a daytime sky. The turquoise loop in North America can’t see the beginning of the occultation but only the tail end. Click here for more information.

The occultation is visible from much of North America. However, the western part of North America to the west (left) of the turquoise loop is not in a position to watch this occultation. The section of North America within this turquoise loop can only see the tail end of the occultation, when Aldebaran reappears from behind the moon.

How do I translate UTC to my time?

For your convenience, we give the local times of the occultation for various U. S. localities:

New York City, New York (November 5)
Occultation begins (Aldebaran disappears): 20:01:28 (8:01:28 p.m.) local time
Occultation ends (Aldebaran reappears): 20:56:41 (8:56:41 p.m.) local time

Chicago, Illinois (November 5)
Occultation begins (Aldebaran disappears): 19:03:26 (7:03:26 p.m.) local time
Occultation ends (Aldebaran reappears); 19:55:53 (7:55:53 p.m.) local time

New Orleans, Louisiana (November 5)
Occultation begins (Aldebaran disappears): before moonrise
Moonrise: 18:51 p.m. (6:51 p.m.) local time
Occultation ends (Aldebaran reappears): 19:38:15 (7:38:15 p.m.) local time

Click here to find out the occultation times in your locality in Universal Time (UTC).

To convert Universal Time to local time in North America:

Atlantic Standard Time: UTC – 4 hours

Eastern Standard Time = UTC – 5 hours

Central Standard Time = UTC – 6 hours

Mountain Standard Time = UTC – 7 hours

Pacific Standard Time = UTC – 8 hours

We also give the local times of the occultation for two European localities:

Edinburgh, United Kingdom (November 6)
Occultation begins (Aldebaran disappears): 2:26:49 (2:26:49 a.m.) local time
Occultation ends (Aldebaran reappears); 3:25:37 (3:25:37 a.m.) local time

Oslow, Norway (November 6)
Occultation begins (Aldebaran disappears): 3:38:40 (3:38:40 a.m.) local time
Occultation ends (Aldebaran reappears): 4:39:34 (4:39:34 a.m.) local time

The star Aldebaran lies in the moon’s path, and the moon passes near it, or in front of it, frequently. This shot from Fernando Roquel in Caguas, Puerto Rico show Aldebaran after an April 10, 2016 occultation, captured just as the star re-emerged from behind the moon.

Bottom line: As seen from around the world, the moon and star Aldebaran cross the night sky from the evening of November 5 until dawn November 6. From some parts of the world, the moon will pass in front of Aldebaran.

from EarthSky http://ift.tt/2hH6mnB

Tonight – November 5, 2017 – the moon occults (covers over) Aldebaran, the brightest star in the constellation Taurus the Bull. On the sky chart above, we don’t show the moon for November 5, because if we did – on the rough scale of our sky charts – it’d hide the star Aldebaran from view. This occultation is visible from much of North America, Greenland, Iceland and northern Europe. Elsewhere around the world, tonight’s moon shines close to Aldebaran but won’t pass directly in front of Aldebaran.

Keep in mind, though, that the glare of the still-bright, almost-full waning gibbous moon might make it tough to see Aldebaran and the nearly Pleiades star cluster. You may glance up and notice Aldebaran and the Pleiades shining in the moon’s glare. Or, if you don’t, try placing a finger over the moon to get a better view of Aldebaran and the Pleiades star cluster better.

The Pleiades in the light of the full supermoon – November 14, 2016 – from Zefri Besar in Brunei Darussalam. Bright moonlight makes the stars harder to see!

The sky chart at the top of the page is for mid-northern North American latitudes, on the evenings of November 4, 5 and 6. On these dates from the world’s Eastern Hemisphere – Europe, Africa and Asia – the moon is somewhat offset toward the previous date.

Look at the worldwide map below. All locations to the north (above) the solid white line are in a position to see the lunar occultation of Aldebaran, where the star first disappears behind the moon’s illuminated side and then reappears from behind the moon’s tiny sliver of darkness.

Worldwide map via IOTA. Everyplace to the north of the whie line can see the lunar occultation of Aldebaran in a nighttime sky. The area above the short blue line shows where the occultation occurs at dusk and the area above the dotted red line sees the occulation in a daytime sky. The turquoise loop in North America can’t see the beginning of the occultation but only the tail end. Click here for more information.

The occultation is visible from much of North America. However, the western part of North America to the west (left) of the turquoise loop is not in a position to watch this occultation. The section of North America within this turquoise loop can only see the tail end of the occultation, when Aldebaran reappears from behind the moon.

How do I translate UTC to my time?

For your convenience, we give the local times of the occultation for various U. S. localities:

New York City, New York (November 5)
Occultation begins (Aldebaran disappears): 20:01:28 (8:01:28 p.m.) local time
Occultation ends (Aldebaran reappears): 20:56:41 (8:56:41 p.m.) local time

Chicago, Illinois (November 5)
Occultation begins (Aldebaran disappears): 19:03:26 (7:03:26 p.m.) local time
Occultation ends (Aldebaran reappears); 19:55:53 (7:55:53 p.m.) local time

New Orleans, Louisiana (November 5)
Occultation begins (Aldebaran disappears): before moonrise
Moonrise: 18:51 p.m. (6:51 p.m.) local time
Occultation ends (Aldebaran reappears): 19:38:15 (7:38:15 p.m.) local time

Click here to find out the occultation times in your locality in Universal Time (UTC).

To convert Universal Time to local time in North America:

Atlantic Standard Time: UTC – 4 hours

Eastern Standard Time = UTC – 5 hours

Central Standard Time = UTC – 6 hours

Mountain Standard Time = UTC – 7 hours

Pacific Standard Time = UTC – 8 hours

We also give the local times of the occultation for two European localities:

Edinburgh, United Kingdom (November 6)
Occultation begins (Aldebaran disappears): 2:26:49 (2:26:49 a.m.) local time
Occultation ends (Aldebaran reappears); 3:25:37 (3:25:37 a.m.) local time

Oslow, Norway (November 6)
Occultation begins (Aldebaran disappears): 3:38:40 (3:38:40 a.m.) local time
Occultation ends (Aldebaran reappears): 4:39:34 (4:39:34 a.m.) local time

The star Aldebaran lies in the moon’s path, and the moon passes near it, or in front of it, frequently. This shot from Fernando Roquel in Caguas, Puerto Rico show Aldebaran after an April 10, 2016 occultation, captured just as the star re-emerged from behind the moon.

Bottom line: As seen from around the world, the moon and star Aldebaran cross the night sky from the evening of November 5 until dawn November 6. From some parts of the world, the moon will pass in front of Aldebaran.

from EarthSky http://ift.tt/2hH6mnB

See it! Full Hunter’s Moon

The November full moon is also called the Beaver Moon. You can see all the full moon names here. Maggie NY wrote, “November’s Beaver Moon over NY.”

Hunter’s Moon from Indiana by Carol Spicuzzi.

Helio C. Vital was at Saquarema Beach, Brazil – near Rio de Janeiro – when he caught the rising moon in the midst of anti-crespuscular rays on November 3, 2017.

Stephanie Whitman wrote, “Hunter’s moon 2017 as seen with my 20mm telescope lens from Dunlap, Illinois.”

CB Devgun in New Delhi, India wrote on November 4: “Tonight’s full moon with Pleiades? No! While shooting the moon, a few hanging LEDs came in between … and made this beautiful Bokeh effect!”

Geri Abbott Glavis captured the moon rising in Burlington, North Carolina.

Mike Cohea – whose video is above – was in Newport, Rhode Island on November 3, when the full moon rose just as a cruise ship was passing … Nice timing, Mike!

A kiss under the November 3, 2017 full moon, via our friend Lunar 101 Moon Book. He was at Port Credit, a neighbourhood in the city of Mississauga, Ontario, Canada … at the mouth of the Credit River on the northern shore of Lake Ontario.

Bottom line: Photos of the November 2017 full moon.

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

The November full moon is also called the Beaver Moon. You can see all the full moon names here. Maggie NY wrote, “November’s Beaver Moon over NY.”

Hunter’s Moon from Indiana by Carol Spicuzzi.

Helio C. Vital was at Saquarema Beach, Brazil – near Rio de Janeiro – when he caught the rising moon in the midst of anti-crespuscular rays on November 3, 2017.

Stephanie Whitman wrote, “Hunter’s moon 2017 as seen with my 20mm telescope lens from Dunlap, Illinois.”

CB Devgun in New Delhi, India wrote on November 4: “Tonight’s full moon with Pleiades? No! While shooting the moon, a few hanging LEDs came in between … and made this beautiful Bokeh effect!”

Geri Abbott Glavis captured the moon rising in Burlington, North Carolina.

Mike Cohea – whose video is above – was in Newport, Rhode Island on November 3, when the full moon rose just as a cruise ship was passing … Nice timing, Mike!

A kiss under the November 3, 2017 full moon, via our friend Lunar 101 Moon Book. He was at Port Credit, a neighbourhood in the city of Mississauga, Ontario, Canada … at the mouth of the Credit River on the northern shore of Lake Ontario.

Bottom line: Photos of the November 2017 full moon.

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

2017 SkS Weekly Climate Change & Global Warming News Roundup #44

A chronological listing of news articles posted on the Skeptical Science Facebook page during the past week. 

Editor's Pick

There’s a huge gap between the Paris climate change goals and reality

Current pledges are about a third of what’s needed.

 

Coal-fired power plant in Wyoming 

n 2015 in Paris, the countries of the world agreed to hold the rise in global average temperatures to “well below 2°C above pre-industrial levels and pursue efforts to limit the temperature increase to 1.5°C above pre-industrial levels.”

How’s that going?

The unavoidably grim answer: not well, and not just because President Donald Trump has promised to pull the United States out of the accord.

Every year, the United Nations Environment Program (UNEP) releases an “Emissions Gap” report, on the remaining disparity between the world’s stated ambitions on climate and the actions it is currently taking. The 2017 edition of the report is out a week before the next round of international climate talks in Bonn, Germany. And it reports that the gap remains ... substantial.

Researchers calculate that for a reasonable chance of hitting our goal, global greenhouse gas emissions must peak by 2020 and the gap must be closed by 2030 — in other words, if we are not on the right trajectory by 2030, all hope of 1.5 degrees is lost and 2 degrees is almost certainly out of reach as well.

Let’s run through a few of the top-line conclusions of the report, which was assembled by an international team of scientists based on the most recent published science. 

There’s a huge gap between the Paris climate change goals and reality by David Roberts, Energy & Environment, Vox, Oct 31, 2017

---

Links posted on Facebook

Sun Oct 29, 2017

• Guest Post: Dieter Helm’s review is not as radical as it might first appear by Matthew Bell, Carbaon Brief, Oct 27, 2017
• Why Isn’t the Bond Market More Worried About Climate Change? by Henry Grabar, Slate, Oct 28, 2017
• US winter has shrunk by more than one month in 100 years, AP/Guardian, Oct 27, 2017
• China Has Shut Down Up to 40% of Its Factories in an Unprecedented Stand Against Pollution by Peter Dockrill, Futurism, Oct 25, 2017
• UCS Publishes Industry’s Anti-ScienceDisinformation Playbook by Climate Denier Roundup (Climate Nexus), Daily Kos, Oct 25, 2017 
• These U.S. Cities Are Most Vulnerable to Major Coastal Flooding and Sea Level Rise, Research Report by Climate Central, Oct 25, 2017
• Global warming threatens nutrition levels in staple crops by Adam Wernick, Public Radio International (PRI), Oct 29, 2017
• Richard Branson’s green energy plan for Caribbean may include debt relief by Adriana Brasileiro, Thomson Reuters Foundation, Oct 28, 2017

Mon Oct 30, 2017

• 5 Years After Sandy: Vulnerable Red Hook Is Booming, Right at the Water's Edge by Brian Walsh, InsideClimate News, Oct 26, 2017
• How Fossil Fuel Allies Are Tearing Apart Ohio's Embrace of Clean Energy by Brad Wienders & David Hasemyer, InsideClimate News, Oct 29, 2017
• The internal inconsistency of Scott Pruitt’s climate stance by Jeremy Deaton, Think Progress, Oct 25, 2017
• Climate, migration disputes cloud German coalition talks by Hans-Edzard Busemann & Andrea Shalal, Reuters, Oct 28. 2017
• Global atmospheric CO2 levels hit record high by Jonathan Watts, Guardian, Oct 30, 2017
• 5 years after Superstorm Sandy, the lessons haven’t sunk in by Frank Eltman & Wayne Parry, AP News, Oct 27, 2017
• Trump administration’s Clean Power Plan repeal proposal is illegal, Opinion by William W Buzbee, The Hill, Oct 29, 2017
• Who will deliver the negative emissions needed to avoid 2C warming?, Guest Post by Glen Peters & Oliver Geden, Carbon Brief, Oct 30, 2017

Tue Oct 31, 2017

• Bonn, the global climate village: Bigger, greener ... better? by Helena Weise, Deutsche Welle (DW), Oct 30. 2017
• Sumatran region heats up as forests disappear by Hans Nicholas Jong, Mongabay, Oct 29, 2017
• Massive Carbon Sink May Be More Resilient Than Scientists Thought by Chelsea Harvey, Climate Wire/Scientific American, Oct 30, 2017
• New data gives hope for meeting the Paris climate targets by Dana Nuccitelli, Climate Consensus - the 97%, Guardian, Oct 30, 2017
• Trump’s Gang of Climate Deniers Has Grown Into an Army by Emily Atkin, New Republic, Oct 30, 2017
• Trump sued, lawyers claim denying children a healthy future by Niki Anderson, Yale News, Oct 30, 2017
• Climate change fueling disasters, disease in ‘potentially irreversible’ ways, report warns by Ben Guarino & Brady Dennis, Health & Science, Washington Post, Oct 30, 2017
• UN warns of 'unacceptable' greenhouse gas emissions gap by Fiona Harvey, Guardian, Oct 31, 2017

Wed Nov 1, 2017

• New Zealand considers creating climate change refugee visas by Charles Anderson, Guardian, Oct 31, 2017
• China says it still wants US cooperation on climate change, AP/Washington Post, Oct 31, 2017
• World set to bust global warming goal, but U.N. cool on threat from Trump by Tom Miles, Reuters, Oct 31, 2017
• Beyond Electric Cars: As China Leads in Electric Buses, India Could Follow Suit in Electric Motorcycles by Srikanth Shastry, World Resources Institute (WRI), Oct 31, 2017
• Can religions help in the fight against climate change? by Anna Pujol-Mazzini, Reuters, Oct 31, 2017
• Sea Change by Hannah Hoag, bioGraphic, Oct 31, 2017
• Climate change is happening — but it's not game-over yet by Ruby Russell, Deutsche Welle (DW), Nov 1, 2017
• Fossil fuel companies undermining Paris agreement negotiations – report by Michael Slezak, Guardian, Nov 1, 2017

Thu Nov 2, 2017

• The Cruel, Topsy-Turvy Economics of Collapse by Jeremy Lent, Patterns of Meaning, Oct 31, 2017
• Got Climate Questions? Climate Watch Has Answers by Johannes Friedrich & Andrew Pickens, World Resources Institute (WRI), Nov 1, 2017
• Trump’s nominee for NASA administrator comes under fire at Senate hearing by Christian Davenport. Washington Post, Nov 1, 2017
• Government Scientist Blocked from Talking About Climate and Wildfires by Brittany Patterson, ClimateWire/Scientific American, Oct 31, 2017
• 'Critical turning point' as more nations hit peak carbon emissions: think-tank by Peter Hannam, Sydney Morning Herald, Nov 2, 2017
• Huge private sector investment puts Paris climate target in reach, says report by Fiona Harvey, Guardian, Nove 2, 2017
• Trump Team to Promote Fossil Fuels and Nuclear Power at Bonn Climate Talks by Lisa Friedman, New York Times, Nov 2, 2017
• Trump's pick to lead NASA reveals controversial global warming views by Andrew Freedman, Mashable, Nov 1, 2017

Fri Nov 3, 2017

• Red Sea Warming Faster Than Global Average by Ruth Schuster, Haaretz, Nov 2, 2017
• How Wind Might Nudge a Sleeping Giant in Antarctica by Chelsea Harvey, ClimateWire/Scientific American, Nov 2, 2017
• Impact of climate change on health is ‘the major threat of 21st century by Daisy Dunne, Carbon Brief, Oct 30, 2017
• New Greenland maps show more glaciers at risk by Carol Rasmussen, NASA's Global Climate Change, Nov 1, 2017
• Mining activity causing nearly 10 percent of Amazon deforestation by Zoe Sullivan, Mongabay, Nov 2, 2017
• Massive Government Report Says Climate Is Warming And Humans Are The Cause by Christopher Joice, All Things Considered, NPR, Nov 2, 2017
• Is the world prepared for climate refugees? by Dave Keating, Deutsche Welle (DW), Nov 3, 2017
• A Contested Finding in a Major New Climate-Change Report by Robinson Myer, The Atlantic, Nov 2, 2017

Sat Nov 4, 2017

• More coral bleaching feared for Great Barrier Reef in coming months by Michael Slezak, Guardian, Nov 2, 2017
• There’s a huge gap between the Paris climate change goals and reality by David Roberts, Energy & Environment, Vox, Oct 31, 2017
• UNEP: Six crucial actions to help close the world’s ‘emissions gap’ by Zeke Hausfather, Carbon Brief, Oct 31, 2017
• After a Record-Breaking Atlantic Hurricane Season, Here's What to Expect in the South Pacific by Kate Wheeling, Pacific Standard, Nov 3, 2017
• What do Jellyfish teach us about climate change? by John Abraham, Climate Consensus - the 97%, Guardian, Nov 3, 2017
• From Miami to Shanghai: 3C of warming will leave world cities below sea level by Jonathan Watts, Guardian, Nov 3, 2017

from Skeptical Science http://ift.tt/2AjPc7h

A chronological listing of news articles posted on the Skeptical Science Facebook page during the past week. 

Editor's Pick

There’s a huge gap between the Paris climate change goals and reality

Current pledges are about a third of what’s needed.

 

Coal-fired power plant in Wyoming 

n 2015 in Paris, the countries of the world agreed to hold the rise in global average temperatures to “well below 2°C above pre-industrial levels and pursue efforts to limit the temperature increase to 1.5°C above pre-industrial levels.”

How’s that going?

The unavoidably grim answer: not well, and not just because President Donald Trump has promised to pull the United States out of the accord.

Every year, the United Nations Environment Program (UNEP) releases an “Emissions Gap” report, on the remaining disparity between the world’s stated ambitions on climate and the actions it is currently taking. The 2017 edition of the report is out a week before the next round of international climate talks in Bonn, Germany. And it reports that the gap remains ... substantial.

Researchers calculate that for a reasonable chance of hitting our goal, global greenhouse gas emissions must peak by 2020 and the gap must be closed by 2030 — in other words, if we are not on the right trajectory by 2030, all hope of 1.5 degrees is lost and 2 degrees is almost certainly out of reach as well.

Let’s run through a few of the top-line conclusions of the report, which was assembled by an international team of scientists based on the most recent published science. 

There’s a huge gap between the Paris climate change goals and reality by David Roberts, Energy & Environment, Vox, Oct 31, 2017

---

Links posted on Facebook

Sun Oct 29, 2017

• Guest Post: Dieter Helm’s review is not as radical as it might first appear by Matthew Bell, Carbaon Brief, Oct 27, 2017
• Why Isn’t the Bond Market More Worried About Climate Change? by Henry Grabar, Slate, Oct 28, 2017
• US winter has shrunk by more than one month in 100 years, AP/Guardian, Oct 27, 2017
• China Has Shut Down Up to 40% of Its Factories in an Unprecedented Stand Against Pollution by Peter Dockrill, Futurism, Oct 25, 2017
• UCS Publishes Industry’s Anti-ScienceDisinformation Playbook by Climate Denier Roundup (Climate Nexus), Daily Kos, Oct 25, 2017 
• These U.S. Cities Are Most Vulnerable to Major Coastal Flooding and Sea Level Rise, Research Report by Climate Central, Oct 25, 2017
• Global warming threatens nutrition levels in staple crops by Adam Wernick, Public Radio International (PRI), Oct 29, 2017
• Richard Branson’s green energy plan for Caribbean may include debt relief by Adriana Brasileiro, Thomson Reuters Foundation, Oct 28, 2017

Mon Oct 30, 2017

• 5 Years After Sandy: Vulnerable Red Hook Is Booming, Right at the Water's Edge by Brian Walsh, InsideClimate News, Oct 26, 2017
• How Fossil Fuel Allies Are Tearing Apart Ohio's Embrace of Clean Energy by Brad Wienders & David Hasemyer, InsideClimate News, Oct 29, 2017
• The internal inconsistency of Scott Pruitt’s climate stance by Jeremy Deaton, Think Progress, Oct 25, 2017
• Climate, migration disputes cloud German coalition talks by Hans-Edzard Busemann & Andrea Shalal, Reuters, Oct 28. 2017
• Global atmospheric CO2 levels hit record high by Jonathan Watts, Guardian, Oct 30, 2017
• 5 years after Superstorm Sandy, the lessons haven’t sunk in by Frank Eltman & Wayne Parry, AP News, Oct 27, 2017
• Trump administration’s Clean Power Plan repeal proposal is illegal, Opinion by William W Buzbee, The Hill, Oct 29, 2017
• Who will deliver the negative emissions needed to avoid 2C warming?, Guest Post by Glen Peters & Oliver Geden, Carbon Brief, Oct 30, 2017

Tue Oct 31, 2017

• Bonn, the global climate village: Bigger, greener ... better? by Helena Weise, Deutsche Welle (DW), Oct 30. 2017
• Sumatran region heats up as forests disappear by Hans Nicholas Jong, Mongabay, Oct 29, 2017
• Massive Carbon Sink May Be More Resilient Than Scientists Thought by Chelsea Harvey, Climate Wire/Scientific American, Oct 30, 2017
• New data gives hope for meeting the Paris climate targets by Dana Nuccitelli, Climate Consensus - the 97%, Guardian, Oct 30, 2017
• Trump’s Gang of Climate Deniers Has Grown Into an Army by Emily Atkin, New Republic, Oct 30, 2017
• Trump sued, lawyers claim denying children a healthy future by Niki Anderson, Yale News, Oct 30, 2017
• Climate change fueling disasters, disease in ‘potentially irreversible’ ways, report warns by Ben Guarino & Brady Dennis, Health & Science, Washington Post, Oct 30, 2017
• UN warns of 'unacceptable' greenhouse gas emissions gap by Fiona Harvey, Guardian, Oct 31, 2017

Wed Nov 1, 2017

• New Zealand considers creating climate change refugee visas by Charles Anderson, Guardian, Oct 31, 2017
• China says it still wants US cooperation on climate change, AP/Washington Post, Oct 31, 2017
• World set to bust global warming goal, but U.N. cool on threat from Trump by Tom Miles, Reuters, Oct 31, 2017
• Beyond Electric Cars: As China Leads in Electric Buses, India Could Follow Suit in Electric Motorcycles by Srikanth Shastry, World Resources Institute (WRI), Oct 31, 2017
• Can religions help in the fight against climate change? by Anna Pujol-Mazzini, Reuters, Oct 31, 2017
• Sea Change by Hannah Hoag, bioGraphic, Oct 31, 2017
• Climate change is happening — but it's not game-over yet by Ruby Russell, Deutsche Welle (DW), Nov 1, 2017
• Fossil fuel companies undermining Paris agreement negotiations – report by Michael Slezak, Guardian, Nov 1, 2017

Thu Nov 2, 2017

• The Cruel, Topsy-Turvy Economics of Collapse by Jeremy Lent, Patterns of Meaning, Oct 31, 2017
• Got Climate Questions? Climate Watch Has Answers by Johannes Friedrich & Andrew Pickens, World Resources Institute (WRI), Nov 1, 2017
• Trump’s nominee for NASA administrator comes under fire at Senate hearing by Christian Davenport. Washington Post, Nov 1, 2017
• Government Scientist Blocked from Talking About Climate and Wildfires by Brittany Patterson, ClimateWire/Scientific American, Oct 31, 2017
• 'Critical turning point' as more nations hit peak carbon emissions: think-tank by Peter Hannam, Sydney Morning Herald, Nov 2, 2017
• Huge private sector investment puts Paris climate target in reach, says report by Fiona Harvey, Guardian, Nove 2, 2017
• Trump Team to Promote Fossil Fuels and Nuclear Power at Bonn Climate Talks by Lisa Friedman, New York Times, Nov 2, 2017
• Trump's pick to lead NASA reveals controversial global warming views by Andrew Freedman, Mashable, Nov 1, 2017

Fri Nov 3, 2017

• Red Sea Warming Faster Than Global Average by Ruth Schuster, Haaretz, Nov 2, 2017
• How Wind Might Nudge a Sleeping Giant in Antarctica by Chelsea Harvey, ClimateWire/Scientific American, Nov 2, 2017
• Impact of climate change on health is ‘the major threat of 21st century by Daisy Dunne, Carbon Brief, Oct 30, 2017
• New Greenland maps show more glaciers at risk by Carol Rasmussen, NASA's Global Climate Change, Nov 1, 2017
• Mining activity causing nearly 10 percent of Amazon deforestation by Zoe Sullivan, Mongabay, Nov 2, 2017
• Massive Government Report Says Climate Is Warming And Humans Are The Cause by Christopher Joice, All Things Considered, NPR, Nov 2, 2017
• Is the world prepared for climate refugees? by Dave Keating, Deutsche Welle (DW), Nov 3, 2017
• A Contested Finding in a Major New Climate-Change Report by Robinson Myer, The Atlantic, Nov 2, 2017

Sat Nov 4, 2017

• More coral bleaching feared for Great Barrier Reef in coming months by Michael Slezak, Guardian, Nov 2, 2017
• There’s a huge gap between the Paris climate change goals and reality by David Roberts, Energy & Environment, Vox, Oct 31, 2017
• UNEP: Six crucial actions to help close the world’s ‘emissions gap’ by Zeke Hausfather, Carbon Brief, Oct 31, 2017
• After a Record-Breaking Atlantic Hurricane Season, Here's What to Expect in the South Pacific by Kate Wheeling, Pacific Standard, Nov 3, 2017
• What do Jellyfish teach us about climate change? by John Abraham, Climate Consensus - the 97%, Guardian, Nov 3, 2017
• From Miami to Shanghai: 3C of warming will leave world cities below sea level by Jonathan Watts, Guardian, Nov 3, 2017

from Skeptical Science http://ift.tt/2AjPc7h

Astronomers complete 1st global asteroid tracking drill

In this flyby simulation, Earth is the blue dot. A geosynchronous satellite and its orbit are purple. The moon’s orbit is white. The asteroid’s path sweeps by on a green path. Watch how the orbit of 2012 TC4 gets deflected as it passes by Earth, turning darker as it dips below the ecliptic plane. Image Created with orbitsimulator.com, via Tony873004/AstroBob.

Throughout human history, we earthlings have been, for the most part, cheerfully unaware of the potential threat posed by Near-Earth Asteroids (NEOs). It’s only been in recent decades that improved tracking mechanisms, and more astronomers looking, have increased both public and scientific awareness of this issue. Now we know there are, potentially, millions of chunks of flying debris in space, and that space boulders sweep past Earth continually. Astronomers also know that no large, continent-destroying asteroid is on a collision course with Earth, for the foreseeable future. But city-shattering asteroids – like the one whose shock wave broke windows in the Russian city of Chelyabinsk in February 2013, injuring 1,500 people and damaging over 7,000 buildings – are smaller and hence harder to track. Plus, what would we do if we saw one coming our way? A first step would be to get the information: to find out if, indeed, the asteroid were truly on a collision course with Earth and to find out whatever else we could about it. Now an international team of astronomers led by NASA scientists has practiced this first step by successfully completing the first global asteroid tracking exercise, using a real asteroid.

They used the asteroid designated 2012 TC4, which passed safely close to Earth – within the moon’s orbit – on October 11-12, 2017. Prior to this year, this object was observed for just one week in the year 2012. Astronomers tracked its orbit well enough to know it would return and come close to Earth – but pose no danger to us – although they didn’t have its orbit pinned down precisely. That’s when the idea for the TC4 Observation Campaign was born.

NASA’s Planetary Defense Coordination Office launched the campaign this past April. NASA said:

The exercise commenced in earnest in late July, when the European Southern Observatory’s Very Large Telescope recovered the asteroid. The finale was a close approach to Earth in mid-October. The goal: to recover, track and characterize a real asteroid as a potential impactor — and to test the International Asteroid Warning Network for hazardous asteroid observations, modeling, prediction and communication.

The target of the exercise was asteroid 2012 TC4 — a small asteroid originally estimated to be between 30 and 100 feet (10 and 30 meters) in size, which was known to be on a very close approach to Earth. On October 12, TC4 safely passed Earth at a distance of only about 27,200 miles (43,780 km) above Earth’s surface. In the months leading up to the flyby, astronomers from the U.S., Canada, Colombia, Germany, Israel, Italy, Japan, the Netherlands, Russia and South Africa all tracked TC4 from ground- and space-based telescopes to study its orbit, shape, rotation and composition.

Detlef Koschny, co-manager of the near-Earth object (NEO) segment in the European Space Agency (ESA)’s Space Situational Awareness program, said:

This campaign was an excellent test of a real threat case. I learned that in many cases we are already well-prepared; communication and the openness of the community was fantastic.

Using the observations collected during the campaign, scientists at NASA’s Center for Near-Earth Object Studies (CNEOS) at the Jet Propulsion Laboratory in Pasadena, California were able to precisely calculate TC4’s orbit, predict its flyby distance on Oct. 12, and look for any possibility of a future impact. Davide Farnocchia from CNEOS, who led the orbit determination effort, said:

The high-quality observations from optical and radar telescopes have enabled us to rule out any future impacts between the Earth and 2012 TC4. These observations also help us understand subtle effects such as solar radiation pressure that can gently nudge the orbit of small asteroids.

Astronomers learned that 2012 TC4’s orbit has changed due to its 2012 and 2017 close encounters with Earth. The cyan color shows the trajectory before the 2012 flyby, the magenta shows the trajectory after the 2012 flyby, and yellow shows the trajectory after the 2017 flyby. Image via NASA/JPL-Caltech.

In addition to the observation campaign, NASA used this exercise to test communications between the many observers and also to test internal U.S. government messaging and communications up through the executive branch and across government agencies, as it would during an actual predicted impact emergency. Vishnu Reddy of the University of Arizona’s Lunar and Planetary Laboratory in Tucson, who led the observation campaign, said:

We demonstrated that we could organize a large, worldwide observing campaign on a short timeline, and communicate results efficiently,

Michael Kelley, TC4 exercise lead at NASA Headquarters in Washington added:

We are much better prepared today to deal with the threat of a potentially hazardous asteroid than we were before the TC4 campaign.

NASA’s Planetary Defense Coordination Office administers the Near-Earth Object Observations Program and is responsible for finding, tracking and characterizing potentially hazardous asteroids and comets coming near Earth, issuing warnings about possible impacts, and assisting coordination of U.S. government response planning, should there be an actual impact threat.

Asteroid 2012 TC4 was 0.72 million miles from Earth in this October 10, 2017 image by EarthSky community member Mike Olason in Denver, Colorado.

Bottom line: This is only a test. Astronomers report on the TC4 Observation Campaign, which, in October, used a real Near-Earth Asteroid to practice our global response to a potential asteroid threat.

Via NASA JPL

from EarthSky http://ift.tt/2y1PLRq

In this flyby simulation, Earth is the blue dot. A geosynchronous satellite and its orbit are purple. The moon’s orbit is white. The asteroid’s path sweeps by on a green path. Watch how the orbit of 2012 TC4 gets deflected as it passes by Earth, turning darker as it dips below the ecliptic plane. Image Created with orbitsimulator.com, via Tony873004/AstroBob.

Throughout human history, we earthlings have been, for the most part, cheerfully unaware of the potential threat posed by Near-Earth Asteroids (NEOs). It’s only been in recent decades that improved tracking mechanisms, and more astronomers looking, have increased both public and scientific awareness of this issue. Now we know there are, potentially, millions of chunks of flying debris in space, and that space boulders sweep past Earth continually. Astronomers also know that no large, continent-destroying asteroid is on a collision course with Earth, for the foreseeable future. But city-shattering asteroids – like the one whose shock wave broke windows in the Russian city of Chelyabinsk in February 2013, injuring 1,500 people and damaging over 7,000 buildings – are smaller and hence harder to track. Plus, what would we do if we saw one coming our way? A first step would be to get the information: to find out if, indeed, the asteroid were truly on a collision course with Earth and to find out whatever else we could about it. Now an international team of astronomers led by NASA scientists has practiced this first step by successfully completing the first global asteroid tracking exercise, using a real asteroid.

They used the asteroid designated 2012 TC4, which passed safely close to Earth – within the moon’s orbit – on October 11-12, 2017. Prior to this year, this object was observed for just one week in the year 2012. Astronomers tracked its orbit well enough to know it would return and come close to Earth – but pose no danger to us – although they didn’t have its orbit pinned down precisely. That’s when the idea for the TC4 Observation Campaign was born.

NASA’s Planetary Defense Coordination Office launched the campaign this past April. NASA said:

The exercise commenced in earnest in late July, when the European Southern Observatory’s Very Large Telescope recovered the asteroid. The finale was a close approach to Earth in mid-October. The goal: to recover, track and characterize a real asteroid as a potential impactor — and to test the International Asteroid Warning Network for hazardous asteroid observations, modeling, prediction and communication.

The target of the exercise was asteroid 2012 TC4 — a small asteroid originally estimated to be between 30 and 100 feet (10 and 30 meters) in size, which was known to be on a very close approach to Earth. On October 12, TC4 safely passed Earth at a distance of only about 27,200 miles (43,780 km) above Earth’s surface. In the months leading up to the flyby, astronomers from the U.S., Canada, Colombia, Germany, Israel, Italy, Japan, the Netherlands, Russia and South Africa all tracked TC4 from ground- and space-based telescopes to study its orbit, shape, rotation and composition.

Detlef Koschny, co-manager of the near-Earth object (NEO) segment in the European Space Agency (ESA)’s Space Situational Awareness program, said:

This campaign was an excellent test of a real threat case. I learned that in many cases we are already well-prepared; communication and the openness of the community was fantastic.

Using the observations collected during the campaign, scientists at NASA’s Center for Near-Earth Object Studies (CNEOS) at the Jet Propulsion Laboratory in Pasadena, California were able to precisely calculate TC4’s orbit, predict its flyby distance on Oct. 12, and look for any possibility of a future impact. Davide Farnocchia from CNEOS, who led the orbit determination effort, said:

The high-quality observations from optical and radar telescopes have enabled us to rule out any future impacts between the Earth and 2012 TC4. These observations also help us understand subtle effects such as solar radiation pressure that can gently nudge the orbit of small asteroids.

Astronomers learned that 2012 TC4’s orbit has changed due to its 2012 and 2017 close encounters with Earth. The cyan color shows the trajectory before the 2012 flyby, the magenta shows the trajectory after the 2012 flyby, and yellow shows the trajectory after the 2017 flyby. Image via NASA/JPL-Caltech.

In addition to the observation campaign, NASA used this exercise to test communications between the many observers and also to test internal U.S. government messaging and communications up through the executive branch and across government agencies, as it would during an actual predicted impact emergency. Vishnu Reddy of the University of Arizona’s Lunar and Planetary Laboratory in Tucson, who led the observation campaign, said:

We demonstrated that we could organize a large, worldwide observing campaign on a short timeline, and communicate results efficiently,

Michael Kelley, TC4 exercise lead at NASA Headquarters in Washington added:

We are much better prepared today to deal with the threat of a potentially hazardous asteroid than we were before the TC4 campaign.

NASA’s Planetary Defense Coordination Office administers the Near-Earth Object Observations Program and is responsible for finding, tracking and characterizing potentially hazardous asteroids and comets coming near Earth, issuing warnings about possible impacts, and assisting coordination of U.S. government response planning, should there be an actual impact threat.

Asteroid 2012 TC4 was 0.72 million miles from Earth in this October 10, 2017 image by EarthSky community member Mike Olason in Denver, Colorado.

Bottom line: This is only a test. Astronomers report on the TC4 Observation Campaign, which, in October, used a real Near-Earth Asteroid to practice our global response to a potential asteroid threat.

Via NASA JPL

from EarthSky http://ift.tt/2y1PLRq

Will Earth undergo 15 days of darkness in November 2017?

Earth is always half illuminated by sunlight. Notice the crescent of illumination on one edge in this composite image, which is from the Suomi NPP satellite. If you were on the other side of Earth when the images used in this composite were acquired, you’d see Earth shining brightly in reflected sunlight, aka daylight. Image via NASA..

We at EarthSky are receiving questions about the so-called days of darkness supposedly announced by NASA and supposedly coming up in late November, 2017.

Did NASA announce it? No.

Will it happen? No.

YouTube videos are suggesting the event will be caused by “another astronomical event, between Venus and Jupiter.” Yes, Jupiter and Venus – the sky’s two brightest planets – are having a conjunction low in the east before dawn this month. It’ll be beautiful! It’s just so wrong to use this conjunction – which has happened countless times in Earth history, to the wonderment of all privileged to observe it – to perpetuate a hoax.

As for the idea that NASA has issued a “1,000-page document” on the event for the White House. Well. That’s just entirely fake.

Think about it. What would have to happen for Earth to experience 15 days of darkness? Our day-night cycle stems from Earth’s rotation on its axis around our local star, the sun. The sun shines on half of Earth for part of its 24-hour period; that’s daytime. Nighttime is simultaneously occurring on the opposite side of Earth.

For the whole Earth to undergo 15 days of darkness … what would have to happen? The sun would have to go out for 15 days? Or something would have to shroud the sun? Or pass between us and the sun?

All of those scenarios are unlikely to the point of ridiculousness, when you consider the vast size of our sun. That’s why zero days of all-Earth darkness have occurred in human history so far.

Let me say it again. It’s never happened. It’s not going to happen.

Oh no, 15 days of darkness. What is a giant magic turtle going to block the son ?https://t.co/iCJbmDDK4b

— Keith Hicks (@KeithHicks_) November 2, 2017

This same hoax has been rearing its head every few years, since at least 2011, when the erstwhile Comet Elenin was supposed to pass between us and the sun and cause three days of darkness. In 2014, the number of supposed “dark days” increased to six in this article from Hutzlers.com.

In 2015, an article at Newswatch33 suggested NASA comfirmation for 15 days of darkness between November 15 and November 29 of that year. The article said that – according to NASA – such an event hadn’t occurred in over 1 million years. I couldn’t find Newswatch33 online anymore; maybe it’s gone.

There were zero days of all-Earth darkness in November, 2015.

So. It didn’t go dark in 2011, 2014, or 2015, and it’s not going to go dark for 15 days in November this year.

To our knowledge, the first crazy rumors of “days of darkness” sprung up in 2011, when Comet Elenin – sometimes depicted as a spaceship – was supposed to pass between us and the sun, causing 3 “days of darkness” that year. Remember them? Of course, you don’t because they didn’t happen. This image is from The Death of Comet Elenin: A Return to Rationality?

I think it’s interesting that these “days of darkness” rumors all spring up around November and December, when the northern half of Earth is edging toward its winter solstice and shortest day of the year. Let’s face it, it’s darker out there now for us on this half of the globe. Just remember … it’s a natural kind of darkness, a resting kind of darkness.

In fact, for the Northern Hemisphere, the earliest sunsets of the year come in early December. After the solstice, for sure by early January, the longer days will be returning very noticeably as we move toward spring and rebirth.

That’s nature’s cycle, and we can depend on it!

You know the old saying “as surely as the sun will rise?” Believe it! Sunrise in Delaware – June 1, 2017 – by Joe Perchetti.

Bottom line: NASA did not issue a “blackout warning” for November 15 to 29, 2017. There will be zero days of total darkness for Earth this month. Day and night will continue as usual. Sigh.

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

Earth is always half illuminated by sunlight. Notice the crescent of illumination on one edge in this composite image, which is from the Suomi NPP satellite. If you were on the other side of Earth when the images used in this composite were acquired, you’d see Earth shining brightly in reflected sunlight, aka daylight. Image via NASA..

We at EarthSky are receiving questions about the so-called days of darkness supposedly announced by NASA and supposedly coming up in late November, 2017.

Did NASA announce it? No.

Will it happen? No.

YouTube videos are suggesting the event will be caused by “another astronomical event, between Venus and Jupiter.” Yes, Jupiter and Venus – the sky’s two brightest planets – are having a conjunction low in the east before dawn this month. It’ll be beautiful! It’s just so wrong to use this conjunction – which has happened countless times in Earth history, to the wonderment of all privileged to observe it – to perpetuate a hoax.

As for the idea that NASA has issued a “1,000-page document” on the event for the White House. Well. That’s just entirely fake.

Think about it. What would have to happen for Earth to experience 15 days of darkness? Our day-night cycle stems from Earth’s rotation on its axis around our local star, the sun. The sun shines on half of Earth for part of its 24-hour period; that’s daytime. Nighttime is simultaneously occurring on the opposite side of Earth.

For the whole Earth to undergo 15 days of darkness … what would have to happen? The sun would have to go out for 15 days? Or something would have to shroud the sun? Or pass between us and the sun?

All of those scenarios are unlikely to the point of ridiculousness, when you consider the vast size of our sun. That’s why zero days of all-Earth darkness have occurred in human history so far.

Let me say it again. It’s never happened. It’s not going to happen.

Oh no, 15 days of darkness. What is a giant magic turtle going to block the son ?https://t.co/iCJbmDDK4b

— Keith Hicks (@KeithHicks_) November 2, 2017

This same hoax has been rearing its head every few years, since at least 2011, when the erstwhile Comet Elenin was supposed to pass between us and the sun and cause three days of darkness. In 2014, the number of supposed “dark days” increased to six in this article from Hutzlers.com.

In 2015, an article at Newswatch33 suggested NASA comfirmation for 15 days of darkness between November 15 and November 29 of that year. The article said that – according to NASA – such an event hadn’t occurred in over 1 million years. I couldn’t find Newswatch33 online anymore; maybe it’s gone.

There were zero days of all-Earth darkness in November, 2015.

So. It didn’t go dark in 2011, 2014, or 2015, and it’s not going to go dark for 15 days in November this year.

To our knowledge, the first crazy rumors of “days of darkness” sprung up in 2011, when Comet Elenin – sometimes depicted as a spaceship – was supposed to pass between us and the sun, causing 3 “days of darkness” that year. Remember them? Of course, you don’t because they didn’t happen. This image is from The Death of Comet Elenin: A Return to Rationality?

I think it’s interesting that these “days of darkness” rumors all spring up around November and December, when the northern half of Earth is edging toward its winter solstice and shortest day of the year. Let’s face it, it’s darker out there now for us on this half of the globe. Just remember … it’s a natural kind of darkness, a resting kind of darkness.

In fact, for the Northern Hemisphere, the earliest sunsets of the year come in early December. After the solstice, for sure by early January, the longer days will be returning very noticeably as we move toward spring and rebirth.

That’s nature’s cycle, and we can depend on it!

You know the old saying “as surely as the sun will rise?” Believe it! Sunrise in Delaware – June 1, 2017 – by Joe Perchetti.

Bottom line: NASA did not issue a “blackout warning” for November 15 to 29, 2017. There will be zero days of total darkness for Earth this month. Day and night will continue as usual. Sigh.

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