No alien signal, says SETI astronomer

You might have read the stories this week about Russian astronomers detecting a possible “signal” from a star 94 light-years from Earth. The signal from sunlike star HD 164595 – said to be a very strong signal – spawned a flurry of speculation that, maybe, perhaps, at last, we’ve heard a signal from an alien civilization. In the video above, though, Seth Soshak of the SETI Institute says the signal has now been identified as being from a Russian military satellite.

Astronomer Yulia Sotnikova wrote in an update published today – August 31, 2016 – by the Special Astrophysical Observatory of the Russian Academy of Sciences:

Subsequent processing and analysis of the signal revealed its most probable terrestrial origin. It can be said with confidence that no sought-for signal has been detected yet.

Like many other stars in our Milky Way galaxy, the star HD 164595 looked promising as an abode for alien life. Italian astronomer Claudio Maccone and others had described it as:

… a strong candidate for SETI.

What did SETI astronomers think the signal might be?

If the signal had been artificial, its strength suggested that it came from an advanced civilization, at least a Type II on the Kardashev scale, which astronomers have been talking about and speculating about for decades. The Kardashev scale – originally designed in 1964 by the Russian astrophysicist Nikolai Kardashev – is a lot of fun to think about. It’s a way of imagining a civilization’s level of technological advancement, based on the amount of energy it’s able to harness.

We humans on Earth, for example, represent a Type I civilization – sometimes called planetary civilization. We have the technology to use and store energy from our sun that strikes our world’s surface, or nearby space.

A Type II civilization can do much more. It has the capability to harness the energy of the entire star. The device used to do this is called a Dyson sphere. It’s basically a big sphere built around a star that can capture its energy. Read more about Dyson spheres here.

As early as yesterday, those with technical backgrounds were already urging caution on the idea that the signal apparently from HD 164595 was a sign of aliens. On the website SETI@home, someone (apparently an astronomer) commented:

I was one of the many people who received the the email with the subject ‘Candidate SETI SIGNAL DETECTED by Russians from star HD 164595 by virtue of RATAN-600 radio telescope.’ Since the email did come from known SETI researchers, I looked over the presentation. I was unimpressed. In one out of 39 scans that passed over star showed a signal at about 4.5 times the mean noise power with a profile somewhat like the beam profile. Of course SETI@home has seen millions of potential signals with similar characteristics, but it takes more than that to make a good candidate. Multiple detections are a minimum criterion.

Because the receivers used were making broad band measurements, there’s really nothing about this “signal” that would distinguish it from a natural radio transient (stellar flare, active galactic nucleus, microlensing of a background source, etc.) There’s also nothing that could distinguish it from a satellite passing through the telescope field of view.

And so it is a satellite. To all SETI astronomers: keep searching!

So, that new SETI signal everyone is babbling about? Yeah, not really that interesting. Via https://t.co/qghGhLgMdh http://pic.twitter.com/5ro2zhxRek

— Lee Billings (@LeeBillings) August 29, 2016

Bottom line: A strong signal from sunlike star HD 164595 sparked a flurry of speculation this week that we have – at last – heard from an alien civilization. Now astronomers say the signal was from a military satellite.

from EarthSky http://ift.tt/2bCClV0

You might have read the stories this week about Russian astronomers detecting a possible “signal” from a star 94 light-years from Earth. The signal from sunlike star HD 164595 – said to be a very strong signal – spawned a flurry of speculation that, maybe, perhaps, at last, we’ve heard a signal from an alien civilization. In the video above, though, Seth Soshak of the SETI Institute says the signal has now been identified as being from a Russian military satellite.

Astronomer Yulia Sotnikova wrote in an update published today – August 31, 2016 – by the Special Astrophysical Observatory of the Russian Academy of Sciences:

Subsequent processing and analysis of the signal revealed its most probable terrestrial origin. It can be said with confidence that no sought-for signal has been detected yet.

Like many other stars in our Milky Way galaxy, the star HD 164595 looked promising as an abode for alien life. Italian astronomer Claudio Maccone and others had described it as:

… a strong candidate for SETI.

What did SETI astronomers think the signal might be?

If the signal had been artificial, its strength suggested that it came from an advanced civilization, at least a Type II on the Kardashev scale, which astronomers have been talking about and speculating about for decades. The Kardashev scale – originally designed in 1964 by the Russian astrophysicist Nikolai Kardashev – is a lot of fun to think about. It’s a way of imagining a civilization’s level of technological advancement, based on the amount of energy it’s able to harness.

We humans on Earth, for example, represent a Type I civilization – sometimes called planetary civilization. We have the technology to use and store energy from our sun that strikes our world’s surface, or nearby space.

A Type II civilization can do much more. It has the capability to harness the energy of the entire star. The device used to do this is called a Dyson sphere. It’s basically a big sphere built around a star that can capture its energy. Read more about Dyson spheres here.

As early as yesterday, those with technical backgrounds were already urging caution on the idea that the signal apparently from HD 164595 was a sign of aliens. On the website SETI@home, someone (apparently an astronomer) commented:

I was one of the many people who received the the email with the subject ‘Candidate SETI SIGNAL DETECTED by Russians from star HD 164595 by virtue of RATAN-600 radio telescope.’ Since the email did come from known SETI researchers, I looked over the presentation. I was unimpressed. In one out of 39 scans that passed over star showed a signal at about 4.5 times the mean noise power with a profile somewhat like the beam profile. Of course SETI@home has seen millions of potential signals with similar characteristics, but it takes more than that to make a good candidate. Multiple detections are a minimum criterion.

Because the receivers used were making broad band measurements, there’s really nothing about this “signal” that would distinguish it from a natural radio transient (stellar flare, active galactic nucleus, microlensing of a background source, etc.) There’s also nothing that could distinguish it from a satellite passing through the telescope field of view.

And so it is a satellite. To all SETI astronomers: keep searching!

So, that new SETI signal everyone is babbling about? Yeah, not really that interesting. Via https://t.co/qghGhLgMdh http://pic.twitter.com/5ro2zhxRek

— Lee Billings (@LeeBillings) August 29, 2016

Bottom line: A strong signal from sunlike star HD 164595 sparked a flurry of speculation this week that we have – at last – heard from an alien civilization. Now astronomers say the signal was from a military satellite.

from EarthSky http://ift.tt/2bCClV0

Will Planet 9 spell doom for solar system?

View larger. | Artist’s concept via University of Warwick.

We frequently get messages from an anxious people asking about Nibiru, which doesn’t exist, by the way, but which zealous or uninformed or unscrupulous websites and YouTube videos say is a large planet due for a disastrous encounter with Earth very soon. Actually, it’s supposed to have happened years ago, but who’s counting? Nibiru is one of many internet hoaxes. Meanwhile – confusingly – in scientific circles, there is a hypothetical Planet 9, announced by astronomers in early 2016. Thus astrophysicists at University of Warwick were likely having fun with their famous deadpan British humor, and also perhaps looking for media attention, when they used the words “doom for solar system” in their August 30, 2016 statement about the hypothetical Planet 9 ejecting Jupiter from our solar system after our sun dies, billions of years from now:

The solar system could be thrown into disaster when the sun dies if the mysterious ‘Planet Nine’ exists, according to research from the University of Warwick.

Yes, these are real theoretical astrophysicists – bound by the laws of physics and the power of their computers – not internet hoaxers. It can be hard to tell the difference sometimes, right? One way to tell is to look for publication in peer-reviewed journals like the Monthly Notices of the Royal Astronomical Society , where this work has been accepted.

The work is led by Dimitri Veras of University of Warwick. His group says that the presence of Planet 9 – the hypothetical planet which may exist on the outskirts of our solar system – could cause the elimination of at least one of the giant planets after the sun dies, probably Jupiter, hurling it or them into interstellar space through a sort of ‘pinball’ effect. Veras’ statement explains:

When the sun starts to die in around seven billion years, it will blow away half of its own mass and inflate itself — swallowing the Earth — before fading into an ember known as a white dwarf. This mass ejection will push Jupiter, Saturn, Uranus and Neptune out to what was assumed a safe distance.

However, Dr. Veras has discovered that the existence of Planet 9 could rewrite this happy ending. He found that Planet 9 might not be pushed out in the same way, and in fact might instead be thrust inward into a death dance with the solar system’s four known giant planets — most notably Uranus and Neptune. The most likely result is ejection from the solar system, forever.

Using a unique code that can simulate the death of planetary systems, Dr. Veras has mapped numerous different positions where a ‘Planet 9’ could change the fate of the solar system. The further away and the more massive the planet is, the higher the chance that the solar system will experience a violent future.

Veras and his group point out that their work sheds light not just on the fate of our solar system, but also on:

… planetary architectures in different solar systems. Almost half of existing white dwarfs contain rock, a potential signature of the debris generated from a similarly calamitous fate in other systems with distant ‘Planet 9s’ of their own.

In effect, the future death of our sun could explain the evolution of other planetary systems.

By the way, the soon-to-be-published paper of these astronomers will be given the less provocative title of ‘The fates of solar system analogues with one additional distant planet.’ Look for it soon in the Monthly Notices of the Royal Astronomical Society.

Read the rest of Veras’ statement here

Want to know more about hypothetical Planet 9 at our solar system’s outskirts? Remember, it hasn’t been discovered. So far, it’s just a very, very educated and high tech conjecture. The video below explains more:

And back to Nibiru, just for a moment. It’s supposedly “revealed near the sun” in photos. The photos I’ve seen all actually show either the brightest planet Venus (now low in the west after sunset) or, more often, lens flares. Lens flares often appear on photos as globes of light near bright objects such as the sun or moon. We see a lot of them here at EarthSky, on photos submitted by our community. They’re not really objects in the sky. They’re internal reflections from peoples’ cameras. Read more about lens flares.

I found this photo on a website about Nirbiru, but it’s really a lens flare, an internal reflection from the photographer’s camera.

Bottom line: Theoretical astrophysicists at University of Warwick announced on August 30, 2016 that a hypothetical Planet 9 could hurtle Jupiter into interstellar space when the sun dies, billions of years from now.

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

View larger. | Artist’s concept via University of Warwick.

We frequently get messages from an anxious people asking about Nibiru, which doesn’t exist, by the way, but which zealous or uninformed or unscrupulous websites and YouTube videos say is a large planet due for a disastrous encounter with Earth very soon. Actually, it’s supposed to have happened years ago, but who’s counting? Nibiru is one of many internet hoaxes. Meanwhile – confusingly – in scientific circles, there is a hypothetical Planet 9, announced by astronomers in early 2016. Thus astrophysicists at University of Warwick were likely having fun with their famous deadpan British humor, and also perhaps looking for media attention, when they used the words “doom for solar system” in their August 30, 2016 statement about the hypothetical Planet 9 ejecting Jupiter from our solar system after our sun dies, billions of years from now:

The solar system could be thrown into disaster when the sun dies if the mysterious ‘Planet Nine’ exists, according to research from the University of Warwick.

Yes, these are real theoretical astrophysicists – bound by the laws of physics and the power of their computers – not internet hoaxers. It can be hard to tell the difference sometimes, right? One way to tell is to look for publication in peer-reviewed journals like the Monthly Notices of the Royal Astronomical Society , where this work has been accepted.

The work is led by Dimitri Veras of University of Warwick. His group says that the presence of Planet 9 – the hypothetical planet which may exist on the outskirts of our solar system – could cause the elimination of at least one of the giant planets after the sun dies, probably Jupiter, hurling it or them into interstellar space through a sort of ‘pinball’ effect. Veras’ statement explains:

When the sun starts to die in around seven billion years, it will blow away half of its own mass and inflate itself — swallowing the Earth — before fading into an ember known as a white dwarf. This mass ejection will push Jupiter, Saturn, Uranus and Neptune out to what was assumed a safe distance.

However, Dr. Veras has discovered that the existence of Planet 9 could rewrite this happy ending. He found that Planet 9 might not be pushed out in the same way, and in fact might instead be thrust inward into a death dance with the solar system’s four known giant planets — most notably Uranus and Neptune. The most likely result is ejection from the solar system, forever.

Using a unique code that can simulate the death of planetary systems, Dr. Veras has mapped numerous different positions where a ‘Planet 9’ could change the fate of the solar system. The further away and the more massive the planet is, the higher the chance that the solar system will experience a violent future.

Veras and his group point out that their work sheds light not just on the fate of our solar system, but also on:

… planetary architectures in different solar systems. Almost half of existing white dwarfs contain rock, a potential signature of the debris generated from a similarly calamitous fate in other systems with distant ‘Planet 9s’ of their own.

In effect, the future death of our sun could explain the evolution of other planetary systems.

By the way, the soon-to-be-published paper of these astronomers will be given the less provocative title of ‘The fates of solar system analogues with one additional distant planet.’ Look for it soon in the Monthly Notices of the Royal Astronomical Society.

Read the rest of Veras’ statement here

Want to know more about hypothetical Planet 9 at our solar system’s outskirts? Remember, it hasn’t been discovered. So far, it’s just a very, very educated and high tech conjecture. The video below explains more:

And back to Nibiru, just for a moment. It’s supposedly “revealed near the sun” in photos. The photos I’ve seen all actually show either the brightest planet Venus (now low in the west after sunset) or, more often, lens flares. Lens flares often appear on photos as globes of light near bright objects such as the sun or moon. We see a lot of them here at EarthSky, on photos submitted by our community. They’re not really objects in the sky. They’re internal reflections from peoples’ cameras. Read more about lens flares.

I found this photo on a website about Nirbiru, but it’s really a lens flare, an internal reflection from the photographer’s camera.

Bottom line: Theoretical astrophysicists at University of Warwick announced on August 30, 2016 that a hypothetical Planet 9 could hurtle Jupiter into interstellar space when the sun dies, billions of years from now.

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

September 2016 bright planet guide

Skywatcher, by Predrag Agatonovic.

All five bright planets start out as evening objects in September 2016, but two are hard to see. Mercury and Jupiter are quickly fading into the glare of sunset, and will move into the morning sky later this month. Venus, Mars and Saturn adorn the evening sky all through September. Venus is up just after sunset (setting before nightfall at northerly latitudes or shortly after dark in the Southern Hemisphere). The other two evening planets – Mars and Saturn – stay out until late evening at mid-northern latitudes (or until midnight or beyond as seen from the Southern Hemisphere). Mars is still bright, forming a noticeable triangle on the sky’s dome with Saturn and the bright star Antares. Follow the links below to learn more about September planets in 2016.

Brilliant Venus sets at dusk or early evening

Mercury in morning sky by late September

Jupiter shifts from evening to morning sky

Mars, dusk until mid-to-late evening, shines near Saturn

Saturn, dusk until mid-to-late evening, shines near Mars

Like what EarthSky offers? Sign up for our free daily newsletter today!

Astronomy events, star parties, festivals, workshops

Visit a new EarthSky feature – Best Places to Stargaze – and add your fav.

On September 2, 2016, the moon is near Jupiter, low in the west after sunset. Venus, 3rd-brightest sky object after sun and moon, might be your ticket to finding Jupiter (4th-brightest sky object). Or you might spot the moon first that night. From very northerly latitudes, bring your binoculars. The moon and Jupiter will be exceedingly near the sunset.

By September 3, 2016, the moon will be easy to see from all parts of Earth. It’ll still be near Venus and Jupiter, shortly after sunset. Look west!

On September 4, 5 and 6, the bow of the waxing crescent moon points toward the planets Venus and Jupiter. This month, Jupiter quickly falls into the glare of sunset while Venus slowly but surely climbs away. Read more.

Brilliant Venus sets at dusk or early evening . People have been reporting sightings of the brightest planet, Venus, in the west after sunset. It’s rather low in the twilight glare, but surprisingly bright for being so close to the horizon. Everyone on Earth has a shot at seeing it, but it’s easier from Earth’s Southern Hemisphere.

Watch for Venus near the moon on September 3. Binoculars will enhance the view!

Venus will become easier to see in the western evening sky in October, and even more so in November.

By the way, when Venus passed behind the sun in June, it passed directly behind it, as seen from Earth. That happened on June 6, 2016, and at that time Venus officially transitioned from our morning to our evening sky. Exactly four years previous to Venus’ passing directly behind the sun on June 6, 2016, Venus swung directly in front of the sun on June 6, 2012. You might remember that event: the widely watched transit of Venus, during which Venus crossed the sun’s face as seen from Earth (see photos). It was the last transit of Venus until December 11, 2117.

Here’s Venus, caught from a plane over southern Oregon, on July 28, 2016. Notice the bright twilight background. Photo by Gemini Brett.

The bow of the waning crescent moon points toward Mercury’s place over the sunrise point on the horizon. Mercury is more easily viewed in the Northern Hemisphere. Read more.

Mercury in morning sky by late September. Although Mercury may still be visible as an evening object from the Southern Hemisphere in early September, this fleet-footed planet will move out of the evening sky and into the morning sky by mid-September 2016. Mercury will swing to its greatest morning elongation from the sun on September 28, to present a fine morning apparition of Mercury in the Northern Hemisphere (and not so good for the Southern Hemisphere).

Fortunately, the waning crescent moon can help you locate Mercury at and near its greatest morning elongation on September 27, September 28 and September 29.

From northerly latitudes, Mercury may remain visible before sunrise for the first week or two during October 2016. If you are blessed with clear skies, you might even see the conjunction of Mercury and Jupiter on the morning of October 11, 2016. See the sky chart below.

How many of you will see Mercury and Jupiter snuggling up together before sunrise on or near October 11, 2016?

Click here for recommended almanacs; they can give you Mercury’s rising time in your sky.

Look for the moon near Jupiter on August 5 and August 6. Binoculars could come in handy. The green line depicts the ecliptic – Earth’s orbital plane projected on the great dome of sky.

Jupiter shifts from evening to morning sky. From around the world, Jupiter quickly fades into the sunset and, for the most part, is lost in the glare of the sun throughout the month. Your best chance of spotting Jupiter this month is in the evening sky during the first few days of September. Southerly latitudes in the Southern Hemisphere are favored for seeing the last vestiges of Jupiter as an evening “star.”

If you are blessed with an unobstructed horizon in the direction of sunset, and crystal-clear skies, you might catch the young waxing crescent moon with Jupiter on or near September 2. the moon and Jupiter will be especially hard to see from northerly latitudes, so have binoculars handy!

Venus, the third-brightest celestial object, after sun and moon, may be your ticket to finding Jupiter, the fourth-brightest celestial body. At northerly latitudes, you’ll probably need binoculars to view the moon and Jupiter on this date.

After Jupiter disappears from evening sky in early September, its reappearance in the morning sky will come sometime in October 2016.

View larger | Mikhail Chubarets in the Ukraine made this chart. It shows the view of Mars through a telescope in 2016. We never see Mars as a disk like this with the eye alone. But you can see why Mars has been so bright to the eye in 2016.

Look for the moon near Saturn, Antares and Mars as darkness falls on September 7, 8 and 9. Read more.

Mars, dusk until mid-to-late evening, shines near Saturn. Mars is still bright this month, though fainter than it was earlier in 2016! Saturn came closest to Earth for the year on June 3, less than four days after Mars’ closest approach to Earth on May 30. Although Mars and Saturn are beginning to fade a bit, they’re still plenty bright and easy to see – especially Mars!

Mars was at its brightest at its opposition on May 22. Although Mars has faded since its glory days in May and June 2016, Mars is nonetheless respectably bright, shining on par with the sky’s brightest stars.

Looking for a sky almanac? EarthSky recommends…

Here’s some really good news, though. Mars is near another planet on the sky’s dome, Saturn. Look for Mars and Saturn near Antares, the brightest star in the constellation Scorpius the Scorpion. They make a noticeable triangle on the sky’s dome.

Let the moon help guide your eye to Mars (plus Saturn and the bright star Antares) for several evenings, centered on or near September 9.

Use the moon on to find the colorful threesome – Mars, Saturn and Antares – on September 8. Read more.

Saturn, dusk until mid-to-late evening, shines near Saturn. Both Mars and Saturn are near a fainter object – still one of the sky’s brightest stars – Antares in the constellation Scorpius.

The ringed planet starts out the month appearing in the southwest sky at nightfall. Although Saturn appears respectably bright, its brilliance can’t match that of Mars. Look for Saturn near Mars, even though Mars moves farther away from Saturn (and the star Antares) all month long. These two worlds form a bright celestial triangle with the star Antares in the September night sky. Mars is brighter than Saturn, which in turn is brighter than Antares.

Watch for the moon to swing by Saturn for several days, centered on or near September 8.

Saturn, the farthest world that you can easily view with the eye alone, appears golden in color. It shines with a steady light. Binoculars don’t reveal Saturn’s gorgeous rings, by the way, although binoculars will enhance Saturn’s golden color. To see the rings, you need a small telescope. A telescope will also reveal one or more of Saturn’s many moons, most notably Titan.

Tom Wildoner over-exposed Saturn itself to capture this view of Saturn’s moons on June 25, 2016. Visit Tom at LeisurelyScientist.com.

Contrasting the size of Saturn and its rings with our planet Earth via Hubble Heritage Team.

Saturn’s rings are inclined at a little more than 26^o from edge-on in August 2016, exhibiting their northern face. Next year, in October 2017, the rings will open most widely, displaying a maximum inclination of 27^o.

As with so much in space (and on Earth), the appearance of Saturn’s rings from Earth is cyclical. In the year 2025, the rings will appear edge-on as seen from Earth. After that, we’ll begin to see the south side of Saturn’s rings, to increase to a maximum inclination of 27^o by May 2032.

Click here for recommended almanacs. They can help you know when the planets rise, transit and set in your sky

What do we mean by bright planet? By bright planet, we mean any solar system planet that is easily visible without an optical aid and that has been watched by our ancestors since time immemorial. In their outward order from the sun, the five bright planets are Mercury, Venus, Mars, Jupiter and Saturn. These planets actually do appear bright in our sky. They are typically as bright as – or brighter than – the brightest stars. Plus, these relatively nearby worlds tend to shine with a steadier light than the distant, twinkling stars. You can spot them, and come to know them as faithful friends, if you try.

From late January, and through mid-February, 5 bright planets were visible at once in the predawn sky. This image is from February 8, 2016. It’s by Eliot Herman in Tucson, Arizona. View on Flickr.

Bottom line: In August 2016, Jupiter starts out the month above Mercury and Venus in the western evening sky. Toward the end of the month, Venus climbs above Mercury and then Jupiter. Saturn and the bright star Antares make a triangle with Mars on the sky’s dome, shining from dusk until late night.

Easily locate stars and constellations with EarthSky’s planisphere.

Don’t miss anything. Subscribe to EarthSky News by email

from EarthSky http://ift.tt/IJfHCr

Skywatcher, by Predrag Agatonovic.

All five bright planets start out as evening objects in September 2016, but two are hard to see. Mercury and Jupiter are quickly fading into the glare of sunset, and will move into the morning sky later this month. Venus, Mars and Saturn adorn the evening sky all through September. Venus is up just after sunset (setting before nightfall at northerly latitudes or shortly after dark in the Southern Hemisphere). The other two evening planets – Mars and Saturn – stay out until late evening at mid-northern latitudes (or until midnight or beyond as seen from the Southern Hemisphere). Mars is still bright, forming a noticeable triangle on the sky’s dome with Saturn and the bright star Antares. Follow the links below to learn more about September planets in 2016.

Brilliant Venus sets at dusk or early evening

Mercury in morning sky by late September

Jupiter shifts from evening to morning sky

Mars, dusk until mid-to-late evening, shines near Saturn

Saturn, dusk until mid-to-late evening, shines near Mars

Like what EarthSky offers? Sign up for our free daily newsletter today!

Astronomy events, star parties, festivals, workshops

Visit a new EarthSky feature – Best Places to Stargaze – and add your fav.

On September 2, 2016, the moon is near Jupiter, low in the west after sunset. Venus, 3rd-brightest sky object after sun and moon, might be your ticket to finding Jupiter (4th-brightest sky object). Or you might spot the moon first that night. From very northerly latitudes, bring your binoculars. The moon and Jupiter will be exceedingly near the sunset.

By September 3, 2016, the moon will be easy to see from all parts of Earth. It’ll still be near Venus and Jupiter, shortly after sunset. Look west!

On September 4, 5 and 6, the bow of the waxing crescent moon points toward the planets Venus and Jupiter. This month, Jupiter quickly falls into the glare of sunset while Venus slowly but surely climbs away. Read more.

Brilliant Venus sets at dusk or early evening . People have been reporting sightings of the brightest planet, Venus, in the west after sunset. It’s rather low in the twilight glare, but surprisingly bright for being so close to the horizon. Everyone on Earth has a shot at seeing it, but it’s easier from Earth’s Southern Hemisphere.

Watch for Venus near the moon on September 3. Binoculars will enhance the view!

Venus will become easier to see in the western evening sky in October, and even more so in November.

By the way, when Venus passed behind the sun in June, it passed directly behind it, as seen from Earth. That happened on June 6, 2016, and at that time Venus officially transitioned from our morning to our evening sky. Exactly four years previous to Venus’ passing directly behind the sun on June 6, 2016, Venus swung directly in front of the sun on June 6, 2012. You might remember that event: the widely watched transit of Venus, during which Venus crossed the sun’s face as seen from Earth (see photos). It was the last transit of Venus until December 11, 2117.

Here’s Venus, caught from a plane over southern Oregon, on July 28, 2016. Notice the bright twilight background. Photo by Gemini Brett.

The bow of the waning crescent moon points toward Mercury’s place over the sunrise point on the horizon. Mercury is more easily viewed in the Northern Hemisphere. Read more.

Mercury in morning sky by late September. Although Mercury may still be visible as an evening object from the Southern Hemisphere in early September, this fleet-footed planet will move out of the evening sky and into the morning sky by mid-September 2016. Mercury will swing to its greatest morning elongation from the sun on September 28, to present a fine morning apparition of Mercury in the Northern Hemisphere (and not so good for the Southern Hemisphere).

Fortunately, the waning crescent moon can help you locate Mercury at and near its greatest morning elongation on September 27, September 28 and September 29.

From northerly latitudes, Mercury may remain visible before sunrise for the first week or two during October 2016. If you are blessed with clear skies, you might even see the conjunction of Mercury and Jupiter on the morning of October 11, 2016. See the sky chart below.

How many of you will see Mercury and Jupiter snuggling up together before sunrise on or near October 11, 2016?

Click here for recommended almanacs; they can give you Mercury’s rising time in your sky.

Look for the moon near Jupiter on August 5 and August 6. Binoculars could come in handy. The green line depicts the ecliptic – Earth’s orbital plane projected on the great dome of sky.

Jupiter shifts from evening to morning sky. From around the world, Jupiter quickly fades into the sunset and, for the most part, is lost in the glare of the sun throughout the month. Your best chance of spotting Jupiter this month is in the evening sky during the first few days of September. Southerly latitudes in the Southern Hemisphere are favored for seeing the last vestiges of Jupiter as an evening “star.”

If you are blessed with an unobstructed horizon in the direction of sunset, and crystal-clear skies, you might catch the young waxing crescent moon with Jupiter on or near September 2. the moon and Jupiter will be especially hard to see from northerly latitudes, so have binoculars handy!

Venus, the third-brightest celestial object, after sun and moon, may be your ticket to finding Jupiter, the fourth-brightest celestial body. At northerly latitudes, you’ll probably need binoculars to view the moon and Jupiter on this date.

After Jupiter disappears from evening sky in early September, its reappearance in the morning sky will come sometime in October 2016.

View larger | Mikhail Chubarets in the Ukraine made this chart. It shows the view of Mars through a telescope in 2016. We never see Mars as a disk like this with the eye alone. But you can see why Mars has been so bright to the eye in 2016.

Look for the moon near Saturn, Antares and Mars as darkness falls on September 7, 8 and 9. Read more.

Mars, dusk until mid-to-late evening, shines near Saturn. Mars is still bright this month, though fainter than it was earlier in 2016! Saturn came closest to Earth for the year on June 3, less than four days after Mars’ closest approach to Earth on May 30. Although Mars and Saturn are beginning to fade a bit, they’re still plenty bright and easy to see – especially Mars!

Mars was at its brightest at its opposition on May 22. Although Mars has faded since its glory days in May and June 2016, Mars is nonetheless respectably bright, shining on par with the sky’s brightest stars.

Looking for a sky almanac? EarthSky recommends…

Here’s some really good news, though. Mars is near another planet on the sky’s dome, Saturn. Look for Mars and Saturn near Antares, the brightest star in the constellation Scorpius the Scorpion. They make a noticeable triangle on the sky’s dome.

Let the moon help guide your eye to Mars (plus Saturn and the bright star Antares) for several evenings, centered on or near September 9.

Use the moon on to find the colorful threesome – Mars, Saturn and Antares – on September 8. Read more.

Saturn, dusk until mid-to-late evening, shines near Saturn. Both Mars and Saturn are near a fainter object – still one of the sky’s brightest stars – Antares in the constellation Scorpius.

The ringed planet starts out the month appearing in the southwest sky at nightfall. Although Saturn appears respectably bright, its brilliance can’t match that of Mars. Look for Saturn near Mars, even though Mars moves farther away from Saturn (and the star Antares) all month long. These two worlds form a bright celestial triangle with the star Antares in the September night sky. Mars is brighter than Saturn, which in turn is brighter than Antares.

Watch for the moon to swing by Saturn for several days, centered on or near September 8.

Saturn, the farthest world that you can easily view with the eye alone, appears golden in color. It shines with a steady light. Binoculars don’t reveal Saturn’s gorgeous rings, by the way, although binoculars will enhance Saturn’s golden color. To see the rings, you need a small telescope. A telescope will also reveal one or more of Saturn’s many moons, most notably Titan.

Tom Wildoner over-exposed Saturn itself to capture this view of Saturn’s moons on June 25, 2016. Visit Tom at LeisurelyScientist.com.

Contrasting the size of Saturn and its rings with our planet Earth via Hubble Heritage Team.

Saturn’s rings are inclined at a little more than 26^o from edge-on in August 2016, exhibiting their northern face. Next year, in October 2017, the rings will open most widely, displaying a maximum inclination of 27^o.

As with so much in space (and on Earth), the appearance of Saturn’s rings from Earth is cyclical. In the year 2025, the rings will appear edge-on as seen from Earth. After that, we’ll begin to see the south side of Saturn’s rings, to increase to a maximum inclination of 27^o by May 2032.

Click here for recommended almanacs. They can help you know when the planets rise, transit and set in your sky

What do we mean by bright planet? By bright planet, we mean any solar system planet that is easily visible without an optical aid and that has been watched by our ancestors since time immemorial. In their outward order from the sun, the five bright planets are Mercury, Venus, Mars, Jupiter and Saturn. These planets actually do appear bright in our sky. They are typically as bright as – or brighter than – the brightest stars. Plus, these relatively nearby worlds tend to shine with a steadier light than the distant, twinkling stars. You can spot them, and come to know them as faithful friends, if you try.

From late January, and through mid-February, 5 bright planets were visible at once in the predawn sky. This image is from February 8, 2016. It’s by Eliot Herman in Tucson, Arizona. View on Flickr.

Bottom line: In August 2016, Jupiter starts out the month above Mercury and Venus in the western evening sky. Toward the end of the month, Venus climbs above Mercury and then Jupiter. Saturn and the bright star Antares make a triangle with Mars on the sky’s dome, shining from dusk until late night.

Easily locate stars and constellations with EarthSky’s planisphere.

Don’t miss anything. Subscribe to EarthSky News by email

from EarthSky http://ift.tt/IJfHCr

Clean Energy in a Revitalized Spartanburg

Re-posted from the White House Blog

By Rohan Patel

Vulnerable communities around the country are transforming their neighborhoods through collaborative partnerships. When their voices, ideas, and visions are honored, amazing things can happen.

Almost 20 years ago, residents in Spartanburg, South Carolina, began to formulate their vision for change. It started with assistance from EPA’s regional office in Atlanta, when the community discovered the sources of public health and environmental problems in their neighborhoods. As a former mill town, Spartanburg had faced disinvestment for many years. As manufacturing facilities shut down, a 30 acre dump site and a three acre site with leaking underground storage tanks was left behind, exposing residents to toxic air and water pollution.

But that wasn’t the end of the story of Spartanburg; it was the beginning of the revitalization and renewal of the community. In 1997, longtime resident Harold Mitchell prompted EPA to investigate the causes of rare cancers and respiratory diseases that were affecting his family, friends, and neighbors in Spartanburg. The link to the legacy of pollution from years past became clear. Mitchell soon founded a program called ReGenisis to address these significant environmental concerns and to reverse the blight, disinvestment, and hopelessness impacting the neighborhood.

Over the last 20 years ReGenesis has led a collaborative and transformational effort to revive Spartanburg. It started with a $20,000 EPA environmental justice small grant, a program that has provided over $24 million to over 1,400 community-based organizations. Mr. Mitchell and his community members did something extraordinary – they leveraged that $20,000 into more than $300 million in public and private funding to turn things around. With investments from federal, state, and local government, as well as private foundations, ReGenisis spearheaded the effort to clean up the Superfund sites, bring in 500 affordable housing units, six health clinics, job training programs and many other amenities that sparked far-reaching positive changes in Spartanburg. This model inspired EPA to develop its Collaborative Problem Solving (CPS) Model and subsequent CPS grant program.

Today, I had the opportunity to participate in the first Clean Energy Savings for All Summit to highlight one of the crowning achievements of the revitalization effort in Spartanburg: the Arkwright Solar Farm, which is being built directly on top of one of the Superfund sites that was responsible for environmental contamination in the community. It’s a powerful symbol of the transformation that has happened in these communities. What once was a source of pollution and blight, the former Arkwright landfill is now being covered with 12,000 solar panels that will bring jobs and a source of clean energy that can power almost 500 homes in the surrounding neighborhoods.

For authentic and sustainable change to happen, it must be driven by communities. The story of Spartanburg is a lesson in how government can partner with communities, empower them to find solutions to their problems, and develop innovative and collaborative strategies to make them a reality. The solar farm is the latest chapter in the story of the revitalization of Spartanburg, and we are excited to continue to raise awareness of these examples so other communities across the country can follow the path from surviving to thriving.

About the author Rohan Patel: Special Assistant to the President, Deputy Director of Intergovernmental Affairs, and Senior Advisor for Climate and Energy Policy.

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

Re-posted from the White House Blog

By Rohan Patel

Vulnerable communities around the country are transforming their neighborhoods through collaborative partnerships. When their voices, ideas, and visions are honored, amazing things can happen.

Almost 20 years ago, residents in Spartanburg, South Carolina, began to formulate their vision for change. It started with assistance from EPA’s regional office in Atlanta, when the community discovered the sources of public health and environmental problems in their neighborhoods. As a former mill town, Spartanburg had faced disinvestment for many years. As manufacturing facilities shut down, a 30 acre dump site and a three acre site with leaking underground storage tanks was left behind, exposing residents to toxic air and water pollution.

But that wasn’t the end of the story of Spartanburg; it was the beginning of the revitalization and renewal of the community. In 1997, longtime resident Harold Mitchell prompted EPA to investigate the causes of rare cancers and respiratory diseases that were affecting his family, friends, and neighbors in Spartanburg. The link to the legacy of pollution from years past became clear. Mitchell soon founded a program called ReGenisis to address these significant environmental concerns and to reverse the blight, disinvestment, and hopelessness impacting the neighborhood.

Over the last 20 years ReGenesis has led a collaborative and transformational effort to revive Spartanburg. It started with a $20,000 EPA environmental justice small grant, a program that has provided over $24 million to over 1,400 community-based organizations. Mr. Mitchell and his community members did something extraordinary – they leveraged that $20,000 into more than $300 million in public and private funding to turn things around. With investments from federal, state, and local government, as well as private foundations, ReGenisis spearheaded the effort to clean up the Superfund sites, bring in 500 affordable housing units, six health clinics, job training programs and many other amenities that sparked far-reaching positive changes in Spartanburg. This model inspired EPA to develop its Collaborative Problem Solving (CPS) Model and subsequent CPS grant program.

Today, I had the opportunity to participate in the first Clean Energy Savings for All Summit to highlight one of the crowning achievements of the revitalization effort in Spartanburg: the Arkwright Solar Farm, which is being built directly on top of one of the Superfund sites that was responsible for environmental contamination in the community. It’s a powerful symbol of the transformation that has happened in these communities. What once was a source of pollution and blight, the former Arkwright landfill is now being covered with 12,000 solar panels that will bring jobs and a source of clean energy that can power almost 500 homes in the surrounding neighborhoods.

For authentic and sustainable change to happen, it must be driven by communities. The story of Spartanburg is a lesson in how government can partner with communities, empower them to find solutions to their problems, and develop innovative and collaborative strategies to make them a reality. The solar farm is the latest chapter in the story of the revitalization of Spartanburg, and we are excited to continue to raise awareness of these examples so other communities across the country can follow the path from surviving to thriving.

About the author Rohan Patel: Special Assistant to the President, Deputy Director of Intergovernmental Affairs, and Senior Advisor for Climate and Energy Policy.

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

Moyhu: climate feedbacks and circuits [Stoat]

There’s a vair nice post at Moyhu called climate feedbacks and circuits.

I think it is particaulrly nice that someone competent has finally taken and shaken the gibberish about feedbacks that the EE’s fling about so thoughtlessly and actually made some sense of it.

from ScienceBlogs http://ift.tt/2c5g7sD

There’s a vair nice post at Moyhu called climate feedbacks and circuits.

I think it is particaulrly nice that someone competent has finally taken and shaken the gibberish about feedbacks that the EE’s fling about so thoughtlessly and actually made some sense of it.

from ScienceBlogs http://ift.tt/2c5g7sD

EPA and the new TSCA – Stakeholders push agency in divergent directions [The Pump Handle]

As the U.S Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) begins work under the Lautenberg Chemical Safety Act for the 21^st Century (LCSA) – the updated Toxic Substances Control Act – more striking divisions are emerging between what environmental health advocates and what chemical manufacturing and industry groups want from the law.

These go beyond what was voiced during the public meetings the EPA held in early August to gather input on the rules it will use to prioritize chemicals for review and evaluate those chemicals’ risks. A look at the written comments now submitted to the agency underscores how important these decisions will be. Depending on what the EPA decides, the LCSA could either usher in a new era of public health protections – or it could reinforce and perhaps further entrench the status quo.

Altogether, more than 100 written comments have now been submitted to the EPA on both rules. In raw number of comments submitted, the industrial interest groups and environmental health advocates are currently nearly equally divided. [This could change as more comments are posted to the EPA online docket for the risk evaluation rule.] There are very few comments from apparently unaffiliated citizens, all submitted anonymously. But this is where the parity ends.

Will EPA limit or expand how exposures are considered?

Among the most striking differences between environmental health advocates and industry groups is how they would like EPA to assess chemical exposures. The American Academy of Pediatrics weighed in on the information needed to adequately protect children, reminding the EPA that “Children are not little adults.” In comments to which more than three dozen environmental, health and labor advocacy groups signed on, the EPA was urged to protect fence-line communities. In its comments, Alaska Community Action on Toxics highlighted the importance of how EPA will consider Arctic and other disproportionately exposed communities.

Meanwhile, various industry groups, including the Consumer Specialty Product Association (CSPA) expressed concern about a broad interpretation of the law’s direction to specially consider those who may be most vulnerable to chemical exposures. In its comments, the CSPA asks the EPA to clarify what the law’s means by describing these groups “potentially exposed” and how that differs from “an actual exposure.” Similarly, the International Fragrance Association North America asked that EPA find “some reasonable potential for greater risk” when considering susceptible populations, rather than simply considering those who are more exposed than others. This slicing and dicing could create obstacles for the EPA’s consideration of communities with heavy toxic exposures if it means having to prove individuals’ personal risk factors and specific exposure levels – rather than looking at a community as a whole.

Another point of divergence concerns the scope of the science that stakeholders want the agency to use in prioritizing and evaluating chemicals. The balance of industry and academic science appears to be shaping up as an area of contention, as noted in comments from the Endocrine Society. So does the potential confidentiality of information industry submits to EPA. The American Chemistry Council wants to EPA to explain how it will “protect confidential information during the prioritization process.”

Yet another is various industry groups’ focus on individual chemicals they would like to see designated low priority. This contrasts with the request from numerous environmental health advocates that EPA evaluate groups of similar chemicals together to avoid the single chemical approach that has facilitated so-called “regrettable substitutions” – as has happened with flame retardants.

How will EPA consider highly hazardous chemicals used in manufacturing?

For example, when it comes to worker exposure, the Vinyl Institute has written to the EPA explaining that the primary chemicals used to make vinyl – ethylene chloride, a neurotoxin and potential carcinogen and vinyl chloride monomer, a known human carcinogen – “should be considered as industrial intermediates, with little to no widespread public exposure.” The implication is that given existing regulation of these substances, these chemicals shouldn’t rise to the level of high priority under the Lautenberg Act.

On the other hand, the University of Massachusetts Lowell’s Toxic Use Reduction Institute (TURI) in its comments says:

“In considering chemical intermediates, it is important to consider the potential for occupational or public exposure during accidents or process malfunctions. Experience has shown that it is important not to assume an absence of exposure potential. For example, methyl isocyanate, a source of severe toxic exposures in the Bhopal disaster, is used as a chemical intermediate for the production of carbamate insecticides and herbicides.”

And the AFL-CIO points out that workers

“often are exposed to chemicals earlier in the supply chain” and are “are known for experiencing sentinel exposures because they often are the first to be exposed to a chemical, to higher levels of a chemical and throughout the duration of their working lives.”

The EPA, wrote the union, must

“consider occupational factors that make working populations susceptible to toxicity” throughout its chemical prioritization and evaluation process, “not simply consider occupational uses after chemicals are selected based only on non-occupational factors.”

Occupational diseases caused by chemical exposures, notes the AFL-CIO, “are responsible for more than 50,000 deaths and 190,000 illnesses each year.”

The public will have another chance to weigh in after the EPA releases these proposed rules, which Congress directed EPA to issue by mid-December.

 

 

from ScienceBlogs http://ift.tt/2cftR67

As the U.S Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) begins work under the Lautenberg Chemical Safety Act for the 21^st Century (LCSA) – the updated Toxic Substances Control Act – more striking divisions are emerging between what environmental health advocates and what chemical manufacturing and industry groups want from the law.

These go beyond what was voiced during the public meetings the EPA held in early August to gather input on the rules it will use to prioritize chemicals for review and evaluate those chemicals’ risks. A look at the written comments now submitted to the agency underscores how important these decisions will be. Depending on what the EPA decides, the LCSA could either usher in a new era of public health protections – or it could reinforce and perhaps further entrench the status quo.

Altogether, more than 100 written comments have now been submitted to the EPA on both rules. In raw number of comments submitted, the industrial interest groups and environmental health advocates are currently nearly equally divided. [This could change as more comments are posted to the EPA online docket for the risk evaluation rule.] There are very few comments from apparently unaffiliated citizens, all submitted anonymously. But this is where the parity ends.

Will EPA limit or expand how exposures are considered?

Among the most striking differences between environmental health advocates and industry groups is how they would like EPA to assess chemical exposures. The American Academy of Pediatrics weighed in on the information needed to adequately protect children, reminding the EPA that “Children are not little adults.” In comments to which more than three dozen environmental, health and labor advocacy groups signed on, the EPA was urged to protect fence-line communities. In its comments, Alaska Community Action on Toxics highlighted the importance of how EPA will consider Arctic and other disproportionately exposed communities.

Meanwhile, various industry groups, including the Consumer Specialty Product Association (CSPA) expressed concern about a broad interpretation of the law’s direction to specially consider those who may be most vulnerable to chemical exposures. In its comments, the CSPA asks the EPA to clarify what the law’s means by describing these groups “potentially exposed” and how that differs from “an actual exposure.” Similarly, the International Fragrance Association North America asked that EPA find “some reasonable potential for greater risk” when considering susceptible populations, rather than simply considering those who are more exposed than others. This slicing and dicing could create obstacles for the EPA’s consideration of communities with heavy toxic exposures if it means having to prove individuals’ personal risk factors and specific exposure levels – rather than looking at a community as a whole.

Another point of divergence concerns the scope of the science that stakeholders want the agency to use in prioritizing and evaluating chemicals. The balance of industry and academic science appears to be shaping up as an area of contention, as noted in comments from the Endocrine Society. So does the potential confidentiality of information industry submits to EPA. The American Chemistry Council wants to EPA to explain how it will “protect confidential information during the prioritization process.”

Yet another is various industry groups’ focus on individual chemicals they would like to see designated low priority. This contrasts with the request from numerous environmental health advocates that EPA evaluate groups of similar chemicals together to avoid the single chemical approach that has facilitated so-called “regrettable substitutions” – as has happened with flame retardants.

How will EPA consider highly hazardous chemicals used in manufacturing?

For example, when it comes to worker exposure, the Vinyl Institute has written to the EPA explaining that the primary chemicals used to make vinyl – ethylene chloride, a neurotoxin and potential carcinogen and vinyl chloride monomer, a known human carcinogen – “should be considered as industrial intermediates, with little to no widespread public exposure.” The implication is that given existing regulation of these substances, these chemicals shouldn’t rise to the level of high priority under the Lautenberg Act.

On the other hand, the University of Massachusetts Lowell’s Toxic Use Reduction Institute (TURI) in its comments says:

“In considering chemical intermediates, it is important to consider the potential for occupational or public exposure during accidents or process malfunctions. Experience has shown that it is important not to assume an absence of exposure potential. For example, methyl isocyanate, a source of severe toxic exposures in the Bhopal disaster, is used as a chemical intermediate for the production of carbamate insecticides and herbicides.”

And the AFL-CIO points out that workers

“often are exposed to chemicals earlier in the supply chain” and are “are known for experiencing sentinel exposures because they often are the first to be exposed to a chemical, to higher levels of a chemical and throughout the duration of their working lives.”

The EPA, wrote the union, must

“consider occupational factors that make working populations susceptible to toxicity” throughout its chemical prioritization and evaluation process, “not simply consider occupational uses after chemicals are selected based only on non-occupational factors.”

Occupational diseases caused by chemical exposures, notes the AFL-CIO, “are responsible for more than 50,000 deaths and 190,000 illnesses each year.”

The public will have another chance to weigh in after the EPA releases these proposed rules, which Congress directed EPA to issue by mid-December.

 

 

from ScienceBlogs http://ift.tt/2cftR67

Watch spacewalk live September 1

NASA astronaut Barry Wilmore outside the International Space Station during February 2015 spacewalk. Fellow spacewalker Terry Virts, seen reflected in the visor, shared this photograph on social media. Image via NASA

On Thursday, September 1, 2016, two NASA astronauts – Jeff Williams and Kate Rubins – will spacewalk outside the International Space Station (ISS) for the second time in less than two weeks. NASA TV will provide complete coverage beginning at 6:30 a.m. EDT (1030 UTC). The spacewalk is scheduled to begin about 8 a.m. EDT (1200 UTC) and last six and half hours. Translate to your timezone.

Watch here.

Here is what the astronauts will be doing during the spacewalk, according to a NASA statement:

Working on the port side of the orbiting complex’s backbone, or truss, Expedition 48 Commander Jeff Williams and Flight Engineer Kate Rubins of NASA will retract a thermal radiator that is part of the station’s cooling system. The radiator is a backup that had been deployed previously as part of an effort to fix an ammonia coolant leak. They’ll also tighten struts on a solar array joint, and install the first of several enhanced high-definition television cameras that will be used to monitor activities outside the station, including the comings and goings of visiting cargo and crew vehicles.

The Thursday spacewalk will be the fifth of Williams’ career and the second for Rubins. Williams will be designated as extravehicular crew member 1 (EV1), wearing a spacesuit with a red stripe. Rubins will be EV2, wearing a suit with no stripes.

Bottom line: Two ISS astronauts will perform a 6.5 hour spacewalk beginning at about 8:00 a.m. ET (12:00 UTC) Thursday, September 1, 2016. NASA TV will broadcast live coverage.

Read more from NASA

from EarthSky http://ift.tt/2bJGG6b

NASA astronaut Barry Wilmore outside the International Space Station during February 2015 spacewalk. Fellow spacewalker Terry Virts, seen reflected in the visor, shared this photograph on social media. Image via NASA

On Thursday, September 1, 2016, two NASA astronauts – Jeff Williams and Kate Rubins – will spacewalk outside the International Space Station (ISS) for the second time in less than two weeks. NASA TV will provide complete coverage beginning at 6:30 a.m. EDT (1030 UTC). The spacewalk is scheduled to begin about 8 a.m. EDT (1200 UTC) and last six and half hours. Translate to your timezone.

Watch here.

Here is what the astronauts will be doing during the spacewalk, according to a NASA statement:

Working on the port side of the orbiting complex’s backbone, or truss, Expedition 48 Commander Jeff Williams and Flight Engineer Kate Rubins of NASA will retract a thermal radiator that is part of the station’s cooling system. The radiator is a backup that had been deployed previously as part of an effort to fix an ammonia coolant leak. They’ll also tighten struts on a solar array joint, and install the first of several enhanced high-definition television cameras that will be used to monitor activities outside the station, including the comings and goings of visiting cargo and crew vehicles.

The Thursday spacewalk will be the fifth of Williams’ career and the second for Rubins. Williams will be designated as extravehicular crew member 1 (EV1), wearing a spacesuit with a red stripe. Rubins will be EV2, wearing a suit with no stripes.

Bottom line: Two ISS astronauts will perform a 6.5 hour spacewalk beginning at about 8:00 a.m. ET (12:00 UTC) Thursday, September 1, 2016. NASA TV will broadcast live coverage.

Read more from NASA

from EarthSky http://ift.tt/2bJGG6b