October guide to the bright planets

Mars and Venus meet up for a close conjunction on October 5, 2017. Thereafter, the red planet Mars climbs higher up in the morning sky all month long, whereas Venus plunges downward. Read more.

Three of the five bright planets – Saturn, Jupiter and Mercury – are evening planets, at least nominally, but only Saturn is clearly visible after nightfall in October 2017. Meanwhile, Jupiter and Mercury are – for the most part this month – lost in sun’s glare. Meanwhile, the other two bright planets – Venus and Mars – can be found in the morning sky, before sunup, through this month. Follow the links below to learn more about the planets in October 2017.

Jupiter sits in the glare of sunset

Saturn out from dusk until mid-evening

Venus, brilliant in east at morning dawn

Mars climbs out of the glare of sunrise

Mercury lost in the glare of sunset

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.

Jupiter will disappear from the evening sky in October, but will reappear in the morning sky in November. Your first good chance might come with the Venus/Jupiter conjunction on November 13, 2017. < a href="http://ift.tt/2fHnKea" target=_blank>Read more.

Jupiter sits in the glare of sunset. Jupiter beams as the fourth-brightest celestial body, after the sun, moon and Venus. But in early October, Jupiter shines very low in the sky and in the direction of sunset at dusk. Shortly thereafter, Jupiter follows the sun beneath the horizon. Day by day, Jupiter will sink closer and closer to the sun, to disappear from the evening sky later this month. Your best chance of catching Jupiter is at the first of the month.

From mid-northern latitudes, Jupiter sets about one hour after the sun in early October. By late October, Jupiter will set with the sun, to transition out of the evening sky and into the morning sky. However, you probably won’t see Jupiter in the eastern sky before sunrise until sometime in November 2017.

Jupiter stays out longer after sunset at more southerly latitudes. At temperate latitudes in the Southern Hemisphere, Jupiter sets about one and one-half hours after the sun in early October. In other words, the Southern Hemisphere has the better chance of spotting Jupiter early in the month, or before it disappears from the evening sky.

Click here for an almanac telling you Jupiter’s setting time in your sky.

From both the Northern and Southern Hemispheres, Jupiter will disappear from the evening sky sometime in October 2017. Look for the king planet to reappear in the morning sky in November 2017. Then a wonderful event will occur! Be sure to watch for Jupiter to join up with Venus to stage a close conjunction in the morning sky on November 13. The sky’s brightest and second-brightest planet near each other will be amazing!

Jupiter shines in front of the constellation Virgo, near Virgo’s sole 1st-magnitude star, called Spica. Spica will also disappear from the evening sky in October but you might be able to catch this star near Venus in early November.

Fernando Roquel Torres in Caguas, Puerto Rico captured Jupiter, the Great Red Spot (GRS) and all 4 of its largest moons – the Galilean satellites – on the date of Jupiter’s 2017 opposition (April 7).

If you have binoculars or a telescope, it’s fairly easy to see Jupiter’s four major moons, which look like pinpricks of light all on or near the same plane. They are often called the Galilean moons to honor Galileo, who discovered these great Jovian moons in 1610. In their order from Jupiter, these moons are Io, Europa, Ganymede and Callisto.

These moons orbit Jupiter around the Jovian equator. In cycles of six years, we view Jupiter’s equator edge-on. So, in 2015, we were able to view a number of mutual events involving Jupiter’s moons, through high-powered telescopes. Starting in late 2016, Jupiter’s axis began tilting enough toward the sun and Earth so that the farthest of these four moons, Callisto, has not been passing in front of Jupiter or behind Jupiter, as seen from our vantage point. This will continue for a period of about three years, during which time Callisto is perpetually visible to those with telescopes, alternately swinging above and below Jupiter as seen from Earth.

Click here for a Jupiter’s moons almanac, courtesy of skyandtelescope.com.

James Martin in Albuquerque, New Mexico caught this wonderful photo of Saturn on its June 15, 2017 opposition.

Let the moon help guide your eye to the planet Saturn (and the nearby star Antares) as darkness falls on October 22, 23 and 24. Read more.

Saturn out from dusk until mid-evening. Look for Saturn as soon as darkness falls. It’s in the southwest sky at dusk or nightfall as seen from Earth’s Northern Hemisphere, and in the west at early evening as viewed from the Southern Hemisphere. Your best view of Saturn, from either the Northern or Southern Hemisphere, is around nightfall because that’s when Saturn is highest up for the night.

From mid-northern latitudes (US and Europe), Saturn sets about two hours after nightfall in early October, and about one hour after nightfall by the month’s end.

From temperate latitudes in the Southern Hemisphere (South Africa, southern Australia), Saturn sets around midnight in early October. By the month’s end, Saturn sets some two hours earlier, around 10 p.m. local time.

Although Saturn has dimmed slightly since September, this world will still be shining at first-magnitude brightness all through October.

Be sure to let the moon guide you to Saturn (and the nearby star Antares) for several days, centered on or near October 23.

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 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.

Saturn’s rings are inclined at 27^o from edge-on, exhibiting their northern face. In October 2017, the rings open most widely for this year, displaying a maximum inclination.

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.

Jenney Disimon in Sabah, Borneo captured Venus before dawn.

Let the moon guide your eye to the planets Venus and Mars on the mornings of October 16, 17 and 18. Read more.

Venus, brilliant in east at morning dawn Venus is always brilliant and beautiful, the brightest celestial body to light up our sky besides the sun and moon. If you’re an early bird, you can count on Venus to be your morning companion all month long.

Although Venus will remain in the morning sky for the rest of this year, Venus will sink closer and closer to the glare of sunrise over the next few months. October will present Venus higher up and easier to view in the morning sky than will the months of November and December of 2017.

Watch out for these highlights. Venus and Mars will have a spectacular conjunction in the morning sky on October 5. Then, later in the month, enjoy the picturesque display of the waning crescent moon and Venus plus Mars) for several mornings, centered on October 16.

Venus reached a milestone as the morning “star” when it swung out to its greatest elongation from the sun on June 3, 2017. At this juncture, Venus was farthest from the sun on our sky’s dome, and the telescope showed Venus as half-illuminated in sunshine, like a first quarter moon. For the rest of the year, Venus will wax toward full phase.

Click here to know Venus’s present phase, remembering to select Venus as your object of interest.

From mid-northern latitudes (U.S. and Europe), Venus rises about two hours before the sun in early October, and about one and one-half hours before sunrise by the month’s end.

At temperate latitudes in the Southern Hemisphere (Australia and South Africa), Venus rises about one hour before sunup in early October. By the month’s end, that’ll taper to about 40 minutes.

Click here for an almanac giving rising times of Venus in your sky.

The chart below helps to illustrate why we sometimes see Venus in the evening, and sometimes before dawn.

The Earth and Venus orbit the sun counterclockwise as seen from earthly north. When Venus is to the east (left) of the Earth-sun line, we see Venus as an evening “star” in the west after sunset. After Venus reaches its inferior conjunction, Venus then moves to the west (right) of the Earth-sun line, appearing as a morning “star” in the east before sunrise.

Mars, Mercury, Earth’s moon and the dwarf planet Ceres. Mars is smaller than Earth, but bigger than our moon. Image via NASA/JPL-Caltech/UCLA.

The moon will pair up with the red planet Mars on the morning of October 17, 2017. Read more.

Mars climbs out of the glare of sunrise. Mars transitioned out of the evening sky and into the morning sky on July 27, 2017, at which juncture Mars was on the far side of the sun at what astronomers call superior conjunction.

Look for Mars to emerge in the east before dawn in late September or early October 2017. The conjunction of Mars and Venus on October 5, 2017, will likely present the first view of Mars in the morning sky for many sky watchers. Be sure to watch the moon pass close to Mars on the morning of October 17.

Exactly one year after Mars’s superior conjunction on July 27, 2017, Mars will swing to opposition on July 27, 2018. This will be Mars’s best opposition since the historically close opposition on August 28, 2003. In fact, Mars will become the fourth-brightest heavenly body to light up the sky in July 2018, after the sun, moon and the planet Venus. It’s not often that Mars outshines Jupiter, normally the fourth-brightest celestial object.

Wow! Wonderful shot of Mercury – over the Chilean Andes – January 2017, from Yuri Beletsky Nightscapes.

You might have seen the moon near Mercury and Mars on September 17, 2017. Since then, Mars has climbed upward, toward Venus, while Mercury has fallen downward, toward the sunrise.

Mercury lost in the glare of sunset. Mercury will transition out of the morning sky and into the evening sky on October 8. But Mercury may not climb high enough above the glare of sunset to become visible in the evening sky until November 2017.

Mercury is tricky, even when it becomes visible. If you look too early, Mercury will still be obscured by evening twilight; if you look too late, it will have followed the sun beneath the horizon.

The Southern Hemisphere has the advantage and could possibly catch Mercury by the end of October. Watch for Mercury low in the sky, and near the sunset point on the horizon, being mindful of Mercury’s setting time.

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.

This image is from February 8, 2016. It shows all 5 bright planets at once. Photo by our friend Eliot Herman in Tucson, Arizona.

Skywatcher, by Predrag Agatonovic.

Bottom line: In September 2017, two of the five bright planets appear in the evening sky: Jupiter and Saturn. Venus is found exclusively in the morning sky. Let Venus help guide your eye to the two other morning planets, Mercury and Mars.

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

Enjoy knowing where to look in the night sky? Please donate to help EarthSky keep going.

from EarthSky http://ift.tt/IJfHCr

Mars and Venus meet up for a close conjunction on October 5, 2017. Thereafter, the red planet Mars climbs higher up in the morning sky all month long, whereas Venus plunges downward. Read more.

Three of the five bright planets – Saturn, Jupiter and Mercury – are evening planets, at least nominally, but only Saturn is clearly visible after nightfall in October 2017. Meanwhile, Jupiter and Mercury are – for the most part this month – lost in sun’s glare. Meanwhile, the other two bright planets – Venus and Mars – can be found in the morning sky, before sunup, through this month. Follow the links below to learn more about the planets in October 2017.

Jupiter sits in the glare of sunset

Saturn out from dusk until mid-evening

Venus, brilliant in east at morning dawn

Mars climbs out of the glare of sunrise

Mercury lost in the glare of sunset

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.

Jupiter will disappear from the evening sky in October, but will reappear in the morning sky in November. Your first good chance might come with the Venus/Jupiter conjunction on November 13, 2017. < a href="http://ift.tt/2fHnKea" target=_blank>Read more.

Jupiter sits in the glare of sunset. Jupiter beams as the fourth-brightest celestial body, after the sun, moon and Venus. But in early October, Jupiter shines very low in the sky and in the direction of sunset at dusk. Shortly thereafter, Jupiter follows the sun beneath the horizon. Day by day, Jupiter will sink closer and closer to the sun, to disappear from the evening sky later this month. Your best chance of catching Jupiter is at the first of the month.

From mid-northern latitudes, Jupiter sets about one hour after the sun in early October. By late October, Jupiter will set with the sun, to transition out of the evening sky and into the morning sky. However, you probably won’t see Jupiter in the eastern sky before sunrise until sometime in November 2017.

Jupiter stays out longer after sunset at more southerly latitudes. At temperate latitudes in the Southern Hemisphere, Jupiter sets about one and one-half hours after the sun in early October. In other words, the Southern Hemisphere has the better chance of spotting Jupiter early in the month, or before it disappears from the evening sky.

Click here for an almanac telling you Jupiter’s setting time in your sky.

From both the Northern and Southern Hemispheres, Jupiter will disappear from the evening sky sometime in October 2017. Look for the king planet to reappear in the morning sky in November 2017. Then a wonderful event will occur! Be sure to watch for Jupiter to join up with Venus to stage a close conjunction in the morning sky on November 13. The sky’s brightest and second-brightest planet near each other will be amazing!

Jupiter shines in front of the constellation Virgo, near Virgo’s sole 1st-magnitude star, called Spica. Spica will also disappear from the evening sky in October but you might be able to catch this star near Venus in early November.

Fernando Roquel Torres in Caguas, Puerto Rico captured Jupiter, the Great Red Spot (GRS) and all 4 of its largest moons – the Galilean satellites – on the date of Jupiter’s 2017 opposition (April 7).

If you have binoculars or a telescope, it’s fairly easy to see Jupiter’s four major moons, which look like pinpricks of light all on or near the same plane. They are often called the Galilean moons to honor Galileo, who discovered these great Jovian moons in 1610. In their order from Jupiter, these moons are Io, Europa, Ganymede and Callisto.

These moons orbit Jupiter around the Jovian equator. In cycles of six years, we view Jupiter’s equator edge-on. So, in 2015, we were able to view a number of mutual events involving Jupiter’s moons, through high-powered telescopes. Starting in late 2016, Jupiter’s axis began tilting enough toward the sun and Earth so that the farthest of these four moons, Callisto, has not been passing in front of Jupiter or behind Jupiter, as seen from our vantage point. This will continue for a period of about three years, during which time Callisto is perpetually visible to those with telescopes, alternately swinging above and below Jupiter as seen from Earth.

Click here for a Jupiter’s moons almanac, courtesy of skyandtelescope.com.

James Martin in Albuquerque, New Mexico caught this wonderful photo of Saturn on its June 15, 2017 opposition.

Let the moon help guide your eye to the planet Saturn (and the nearby star Antares) as darkness falls on October 22, 23 and 24. Read more.

Saturn out from dusk until mid-evening. Look for Saturn as soon as darkness falls. It’s in the southwest sky at dusk or nightfall as seen from Earth’s Northern Hemisphere, and in the west at early evening as viewed from the Southern Hemisphere. Your best view of Saturn, from either the Northern or Southern Hemisphere, is around nightfall because that’s when Saturn is highest up for the night.

From mid-northern latitudes (US and Europe), Saturn sets about two hours after nightfall in early October, and about one hour after nightfall by the month’s end.

From temperate latitudes in the Southern Hemisphere (South Africa, southern Australia), Saturn sets around midnight in early October. By the month’s end, Saturn sets some two hours earlier, around 10 p.m. local time.

Although Saturn has dimmed slightly since September, this world will still be shining at first-magnitude brightness all through October.

Be sure to let the moon guide you to Saturn (and the nearby star Antares) for several days, centered on or near October 23.

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 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.

Saturn’s rings are inclined at 27^o from edge-on, exhibiting their northern face. In October 2017, the rings open most widely for this year, displaying a maximum inclination.

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.

Jenney Disimon in Sabah, Borneo captured Venus before dawn.

Let the moon guide your eye to the planets Venus and Mars on the mornings of October 16, 17 and 18. Read more.

Venus, brilliant in east at morning dawn Venus is always brilliant and beautiful, the brightest celestial body to light up our sky besides the sun and moon. If you’re an early bird, you can count on Venus to be your morning companion all month long.

Although Venus will remain in the morning sky for the rest of this year, Venus will sink closer and closer to the glare of sunrise over the next few months. October will present Venus higher up and easier to view in the morning sky than will the months of November and December of 2017.

Watch out for these highlights. Venus and Mars will have a spectacular conjunction in the morning sky on October 5. Then, later in the month, enjoy the picturesque display of the waning crescent moon and Venus plus Mars) for several mornings, centered on October 16.

Venus reached a milestone as the morning “star” when it swung out to its greatest elongation from the sun on June 3, 2017. At this juncture, Venus was farthest from the sun on our sky’s dome, and the telescope showed Venus as half-illuminated in sunshine, like a first quarter moon. For the rest of the year, Venus will wax toward full phase.

Click here to know Venus’s present phase, remembering to select Venus as your object of interest.

From mid-northern latitudes (U.S. and Europe), Venus rises about two hours before the sun in early October, and about one and one-half hours before sunrise by the month’s end.

At temperate latitudes in the Southern Hemisphere (Australia and South Africa), Venus rises about one hour before sunup in early October. By the month’s end, that’ll taper to about 40 minutes.

Click here for an almanac giving rising times of Venus in your sky.

The chart below helps to illustrate why we sometimes see Venus in the evening, and sometimes before dawn.

The Earth and Venus orbit the sun counterclockwise as seen from earthly north. When Venus is to the east (left) of the Earth-sun line, we see Venus as an evening “star” in the west after sunset. After Venus reaches its inferior conjunction, Venus then moves to the west (right) of the Earth-sun line, appearing as a morning “star” in the east before sunrise.

Mars, Mercury, Earth’s moon and the dwarf planet Ceres. Mars is smaller than Earth, but bigger than our moon. Image via NASA/JPL-Caltech/UCLA.

The moon will pair up with the red planet Mars on the morning of October 17, 2017. Read more.

Mars climbs out of the glare of sunrise. Mars transitioned out of the evening sky and into the morning sky on July 27, 2017, at which juncture Mars was on the far side of the sun at what astronomers call superior conjunction.

Look for Mars to emerge in the east before dawn in late September or early October 2017. The conjunction of Mars and Venus on October 5, 2017, will likely present the first view of Mars in the morning sky for many sky watchers. Be sure to watch the moon pass close to Mars on the morning of October 17.

Exactly one year after Mars’s superior conjunction on July 27, 2017, Mars will swing to opposition on July 27, 2018. This will be Mars’s best opposition since the historically close opposition on August 28, 2003. In fact, Mars will become the fourth-brightest heavenly body to light up the sky in July 2018, after the sun, moon and the planet Venus. It’s not often that Mars outshines Jupiter, normally the fourth-brightest celestial object.

Wow! Wonderful shot of Mercury – over the Chilean Andes – January 2017, from Yuri Beletsky Nightscapes.

You might have seen the moon near Mercury and Mars on September 17, 2017. Since then, Mars has climbed upward, toward Venus, while Mercury has fallen downward, toward the sunrise.

Mercury lost in the glare of sunset. Mercury will transition out of the morning sky and into the evening sky on October 8. But Mercury may not climb high enough above the glare of sunset to become visible in the evening sky until November 2017.

Mercury is tricky, even when it becomes visible. If you look too early, Mercury will still be obscured by evening twilight; if you look too late, it will have followed the sun beneath the horizon.

The Southern Hemisphere has the advantage and could possibly catch Mercury by the end of October. Watch for Mercury low in the sky, and near the sunset point on the horizon, being mindful of Mercury’s setting time.

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.

This image is from February 8, 2016. It shows all 5 bright planets at once. Photo by our friend Eliot Herman in Tucson, Arizona.

Skywatcher, by Predrag Agatonovic.

Bottom line: In September 2017, two of the five bright planets appear in the evening sky: Jupiter and Saturn. Venus is found exclusively in the morning sky. Let Venus help guide your eye to the two other morning planets, Mercury and Mars.

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

Enjoy knowing where to look in the night sky? Please donate to help EarthSky keep going.

from EarthSky http://ift.tt/IJfHCr

2017 SkS Weekly Climate Change & Global Warming News Roundup #39

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

Editor's Pick

People Are Dying’: Puerto Rico Faces Daunting Humanitarian Crisis

As the full scope of Hurricane Maria's devastation emerges, leaders are calling for urgent help. Many of the risks were spelled out in a 2013 climate assessment.

 

Hurricane Maria swept mud and debris down streets and into homes across the U.S. territory of Puerto Rico, home to 3.4 million people, about 44 percent of whom live below the poverty line. Credit: Hector Retamal/AFP/Getty Images

A public health crisis is unfolding in Puerto Rico following Hurricane Maria, as millions of people face a frightening array of urgent dangers, some of which may drag on for weeks or months.

Nearly one week after the storm hit, federal emergency response personnel struggled to make contact with remote communities and restore critical medical infrastructure.

As of Monday, the U.S. Federal Emergency Management Agency (FEMA), already stretched thin by continuing recovery efforts from Hurricanes Harvey in Texas and Irma in Florida, had yet to reach six communities in Puerto Rico and was just sending its first shipment of water to the remote islands of Vieques and Culebra.

"We are in response mode, and our main priority is saving lives, getting generators to the hospitals, and making sure that there is enough fuel for those generators to run," FEMA spokesperson Jose Davila said.

"It is very bad down there right now," said Sven Rodenbeck, chief science officer for the U.S. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention's 2017 hurricane response. "For the vast majority of the island, there is no power. They have had flooding, and the health care system—many of the clinics and hospitals are closed. A lot of the drinking water systems are not operational, along with the waste water systems."

Carmen Yulín Cruz, the mayor of San Juan, the capital of Puerto Rico, gave a blunt assessment of the situation.

"People are dying," Cruz told CBS news on Tuesday. "This is the reality that we live in, the crude aftermath of a storm, a hurricane that has left us practically paralyzed."

‘People Are Dying’: Puerto Rico Faces Daunting Humanitarian Crisis by Phil Mckenna, Inside Climate News, Sep 27, 2017

---

Links posted on Facebook

Sun Sep 24, 2017

• The Climate Swerve: Reflections on Mind, Hope and Survival with Robert Jay Lifton and Bill Moyers, Moyers & Company, Sep 21, 2017
• Simulating The Bodily Pain Of Future Climate Change, Opinion by Lisa Feldman Barrett, NPR News, Sep 23, 2017
• Climate deniers want to protect the status quo that made them rich by John Gibbons, Guardian, Sep 22, 2017
• Silent killer: Sweltering planet braces for deadly heat shocks by Laurie Goering, Thomson Reuters Foundation, Sep 19, 2017
• Solar Panel Tariff Threat: 8 Questions Homeowners Are Asking by Marianne LaVelle, InsideClimate News, Sep 22, 2017
• Global warming presents a clear and present danger to America's national security, world stability by Alice Hall, Houston Chronicle, Sep 23, 2017
• “Eden Is Broken”: A Caribbean Leader Calls for Action on Climate Change by Natalie Meade, New Yorker, Sep 24, 2017
• Cities Cracking Down on Climate Law-Breakers by Courtney Humphries, InsideClimate News, Sep 22, 2017

Mon Sep 25, 2017

• Category 5 hurricanes have hit 6 land areas dead-on in 2017, more than ever before by Jason Samenow, Capital Weather Gang, Washington Post, Sep 22, 2017
• The Weird Way That Climate Change Could Make Earthquakes Worse by Kristin Hugo, Newsweek, Sep 24, 2017
• Extreme weather to cost UK billions and leave 2.5m homes at risk of flooding unless ministers take action, warns WWF by Ian Johnston, Independent, Sep 25, 2017
• Puerto Rico’s Agriculture and Farmers Decimated by Maria by Frances Robles & Luis Ferré-Sadurní, New York Times, Sep 24, 2017
• The Mail's censure shows which media outlets are biased on climate change by Dana Nuccitelli, Climate Consensus - the 97%, Guardian, Sep 25, 2017
• At 2017 minimum, scientists ask: Is Arctic entering the Thin Ice Age? by Gloria Dickie, Mongabay, Sep 25,2017
• Hot, isolated, and running out of supplies, parts of Puerto Rico near desperation by Samantha Schmidt & Joel Achenbach, Washington Post, Sep 24, 2017

Tue Sep 26, 2017

• Kerala trains local leaders on climate change by S. Gopikrishna Warrier, India Climate Dialogue, Sep 25, 2017
• Here's How a Borderline La Niña Could Impact the Rest of the 2017 Atlantic Hurricane Season by Jonathan Erdman, The Weather Channel, Sep 25, 2017
• Trump Is Ignoring Puerto Rico’s Suffering by Phillip Carter, Slate, Sep 25, 2017
• Battered Puerto Rico hospitals on life support after Hurricane Maria by Robin Respaut & Dave Graham, Reuters, Sep 24, 2017
• Anger at EU climate chief’s suggestion US can backtrack on Paris by Arthur Neslen, Climate Home, Sep 25, 2017
• Trump's lack of empathy about Puerto Rico is staggering, Opinion by Paul A Reyes, CNN, Sep 26. 2017
• In Hawaii and the Pacific Islands, 2017 has been anything but normal by Michael Kruk, NOAA's Climate.gov, Sep 26, 2017
• What would an entirely flood-proof city look like? by Sophie Knight, Guardian, Sep 25, 2017

Wed Sep 27, 2017

• Vanishing Antarctic Snowflakes May Alter Sea Level Rise by Chelsea Harvey, E&E News/Scientific American, Sep 26, 2017
• What Happens When a Superstorm Hits D.C.? by Justin Nobel, Rolling Stone, Sep 21, 2017
• How Puerto Rico Is Becoming Trump's Katrina by Tim Dickenson, Rolling Stone, Sep 26, 2017
• Climate change made Lucifer heatwave far more likely, scientists find by Damien Carrington, Guardian, Sep 27, 2017
• Right-wing media could not be more wrong about the 1.5°C carbon budget paper by Dana Nuccitelli, Climate Consensus - the 97%, Guardian, Sep 27, 2017
• One in five Australians believe global warming is a hoax by Felicity Caldwell, Sydney Morning Herald, Sep 27, 2017
• Exxon Aims to Cut Methane Leaks, a Culprit in Global Warming by Clifford Krause, Energy & Environment, New York Times, Sep 25, 2017
• What every American needs to know about Puerto Rico’s hurricane disaster by Brian Resnick & Eliza Barclay, Science & Health, Vox, Sep 27, 2017

Thu Sep 28, 2017

• Warm waters tripled the amount of ice lost in these Antarctic glaciers — and that's bad for sea level rise by Alessandra Potenza, The Verge, Sep 26, 2017
• Do more to help poor nations cope with climate change, IMF tells rich countries by Larry Elliott, Guardian, Sep 27, 2017
• Washington state deals blow to plan for coal export terminal by Rachel La Corte, AP, Sep 26, 2017
• Global carbon emissions stood still in 2016, offering climate hope by Damian Carrington, Guardian, Sep 28, 2017
• Late-September heat wave leaves climate experts stunned by Joe Romm, Think Progress, Sep 27, 2017
• A key Antarctic glacier just lost a huge piece of ice — the latest sign of its worrying retreat by Chris Mooney, Energy & Envronment, Washington Post, Sep 25, 2017
• Maria and Lee are weakening and heading east. What’s next for this hurricane season? by Brian McNoldy, Capital Weather Gang, Washington Post, Sep 28, 2017
• Tropical forests used to protect us from climate change. A new study says they’re now making it worse. by Chris Mooney, Mooney, Energy & Envronment, Washington Post, Sep 28, 2017

Fri Sep 29, 2017

• Hidden Costs of Climate Change Running Hundreds of Billions a Year by Stephen Leahy, National Geographic, Sep 27, 2017
• Climate and energy are becoming focal points in state political races by John Abraham, Climate Consensus - the 97%, Guardian, Sep 28, 2017
• Puerto Ricans Could Be Newest U.S. Climate Refugees by Daniel Cusick Adam Aton, Climate Wire/Scientific American, Sep 28, 2017
• One of the clearest signs of climate change in Hurricanes Maria, Irma, and Harvey was the rain by Umair Irfan, Vox, Sep 28, 2017
• Global Warming Tort Litigation: Two Very Different Approaches by David Bookbinder, Niskanen Center, Sep 28, 2017
• Analysis: What does revised methane data mean for the Paris Agreement? by Daisy Dunne, InsideCarbon News, Sep 29, 2017
• Rick Perry proposes sweeping new steps to support coal and nuclear plants by Steven Mufson & Chris Mooney, Energy & Environment, Washington Post, Sep 29, 2017
• Pruitt Plans to Gut The Clean Power Plan: How Weak Will The New EPA Proposal Be? by Rachel Cleetus, Union of Concerned Scientists, Sep 29, 2017

Sat Sep 30, 2017

• Diesel cars help drive Australia's energy emissions to highest level, report shows by Nicole Hasham, The Age, Sep 29, 2017
• 'Stuck in the dark ages': Pacific Island leader vents after Australia's emissions hit record high by Nicole Ashman, Sydney Morning Herald, Sep 29, 2017
• Pascal’s Wager And Global Climate Change: Hedging Your Bet When the Cost of Error is Too High by Eric K Clemons, HuffPost, Sep 25, 2017
• September is the most energetic month for hurricanes ever recorded in the Atlantic by Matthew Cappucci, Capital Weather Gang, Washington Post, Sep 27, 2017
• ‘People Are Dying’: Puerto Rico Faces Daunting Humanitarian Crisis by Phil Mckenna, Inside Climate News, Sep 27, 2017
• The McKibben effect: a case study in how radical environmentalism can work by David Roberts, Energy & Enviornment, Vox, Sep 29, 2017
• New research, September 18-24, 2017 by Ari Jokimäki, Skeptical Science, Sep 30, 2017
• Climate change burden unfairly borne by world's poorest countries by Stuart Braun, Deutsche Welle (DW), Sep 28, 2017

from Skeptical Science http://ift.tt/2xS6Ikn

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

Editor's Pick

People Are Dying’: Puerto Rico Faces Daunting Humanitarian Crisis

As the full scope of Hurricane Maria's devastation emerges, leaders are calling for urgent help. Many of the risks were spelled out in a 2013 climate assessment.

 

Hurricane Maria swept mud and debris down streets and into homes across the U.S. territory of Puerto Rico, home to 3.4 million people, about 44 percent of whom live below the poverty line. Credit: Hector Retamal/AFP/Getty Images

A public health crisis is unfolding in Puerto Rico following Hurricane Maria, as millions of people face a frightening array of urgent dangers, some of which may drag on for weeks or months.

Nearly one week after the storm hit, federal emergency response personnel struggled to make contact with remote communities and restore critical medical infrastructure.

As of Monday, the U.S. Federal Emergency Management Agency (FEMA), already stretched thin by continuing recovery efforts from Hurricanes Harvey in Texas and Irma in Florida, had yet to reach six communities in Puerto Rico and was just sending its first shipment of water to the remote islands of Vieques and Culebra.

"We are in response mode, and our main priority is saving lives, getting generators to the hospitals, and making sure that there is enough fuel for those generators to run," FEMA spokesperson Jose Davila said.

"It is very bad down there right now," said Sven Rodenbeck, chief science officer for the U.S. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention's 2017 hurricane response. "For the vast majority of the island, there is no power. They have had flooding, and the health care system—many of the clinics and hospitals are closed. A lot of the drinking water systems are not operational, along with the waste water systems."

Carmen Yulín Cruz, the mayor of San Juan, the capital of Puerto Rico, gave a blunt assessment of the situation.

"People are dying," Cruz told CBS news on Tuesday. "This is the reality that we live in, the crude aftermath of a storm, a hurricane that has left us practically paralyzed."

‘People Are Dying’: Puerto Rico Faces Daunting Humanitarian Crisis by Phil Mckenna, Inside Climate News, Sep 27, 2017

---

Links posted on Facebook

Sun Sep 24, 2017

• The Climate Swerve: Reflections on Mind, Hope and Survival with Robert Jay Lifton and Bill Moyers, Moyers & Company, Sep 21, 2017
• Simulating The Bodily Pain Of Future Climate Change, Opinion by Lisa Feldman Barrett, NPR News, Sep 23, 2017
• Climate deniers want to protect the status quo that made them rich by John Gibbons, Guardian, Sep 22, 2017
• Silent killer: Sweltering planet braces for deadly heat shocks by Laurie Goering, Thomson Reuters Foundation, Sep 19, 2017
• Solar Panel Tariff Threat: 8 Questions Homeowners Are Asking by Marianne LaVelle, InsideClimate News, Sep 22, 2017
• Global warming presents a clear and present danger to America's national security, world stability by Alice Hall, Houston Chronicle, Sep 23, 2017
• “Eden Is Broken”: A Caribbean Leader Calls for Action on Climate Change by Natalie Meade, New Yorker, Sep 24, 2017
• Cities Cracking Down on Climate Law-Breakers by Courtney Humphries, InsideClimate News, Sep 22, 2017

Mon Sep 25, 2017

• Category 5 hurricanes have hit 6 land areas dead-on in 2017, more than ever before by Jason Samenow, Capital Weather Gang, Washington Post, Sep 22, 2017
• The Weird Way That Climate Change Could Make Earthquakes Worse by Kristin Hugo, Newsweek, Sep 24, 2017
• Extreme weather to cost UK billions and leave 2.5m homes at risk of flooding unless ministers take action, warns WWF by Ian Johnston, Independent, Sep 25, 2017
• Puerto Rico’s Agriculture and Farmers Decimated by Maria by Frances Robles & Luis Ferré-Sadurní, New York Times, Sep 24, 2017
• The Mail's censure shows which media outlets are biased on climate change by Dana Nuccitelli, Climate Consensus - the 97%, Guardian, Sep 25, 2017
• At 2017 minimum, scientists ask: Is Arctic entering the Thin Ice Age? by Gloria Dickie, Mongabay, Sep 25,2017
• Hot, isolated, and running out of supplies, parts of Puerto Rico near desperation by Samantha Schmidt & Joel Achenbach, Washington Post, Sep 24, 2017

Tue Sep 26, 2017

• Kerala trains local leaders on climate change by S. Gopikrishna Warrier, India Climate Dialogue, Sep 25, 2017
• Here's How a Borderline La Niña Could Impact the Rest of the 2017 Atlantic Hurricane Season by Jonathan Erdman, The Weather Channel, Sep 25, 2017
• Trump Is Ignoring Puerto Rico’s Suffering by Phillip Carter, Slate, Sep 25, 2017
• Battered Puerto Rico hospitals on life support after Hurricane Maria by Robin Respaut & Dave Graham, Reuters, Sep 24, 2017
• Anger at EU climate chief’s suggestion US can backtrack on Paris by Arthur Neslen, Climate Home, Sep 25, 2017
• Trump's lack of empathy about Puerto Rico is staggering, Opinion by Paul A Reyes, CNN, Sep 26. 2017
• In Hawaii and the Pacific Islands, 2017 has been anything but normal by Michael Kruk, NOAA's Climate.gov, Sep 26, 2017
• What would an entirely flood-proof city look like? by Sophie Knight, Guardian, Sep 25, 2017

Wed Sep 27, 2017

• Vanishing Antarctic Snowflakes May Alter Sea Level Rise by Chelsea Harvey, E&E News/Scientific American, Sep 26, 2017
• What Happens When a Superstorm Hits D.C.? by Justin Nobel, Rolling Stone, Sep 21, 2017
• How Puerto Rico Is Becoming Trump's Katrina by Tim Dickenson, Rolling Stone, Sep 26, 2017
• Climate change made Lucifer heatwave far more likely, scientists find by Damien Carrington, Guardian, Sep 27, 2017
• Right-wing media could not be more wrong about the 1.5°C carbon budget paper by Dana Nuccitelli, Climate Consensus - the 97%, Guardian, Sep 27, 2017
• One in five Australians believe global warming is a hoax by Felicity Caldwell, Sydney Morning Herald, Sep 27, 2017
• Exxon Aims to Cut Methane Leaks, a Culprit in Global Warming by Clifford Krause, Energy & Environment, New York Times, Sep 25, 2017
• What every American needs to know about Puerto Rico’s hurricane disaster by Brian Resnick & Eliza Barclay, Science & Health, Vox, Sep 27, 2017

Thu Sep 28, 2017

• Warm waters tripled the amount of ice lost in these Antarctic glaciers — and that's bad for sea level rise by Alessandra Potenza, The Verge, Sep 26, 2017
• Do more to help poor nations cope with climate change, IMF tells rich countries by Larry Elliott, Guardian, Sep 27, 2017
• Washington state deals blow to plan for coal export terminal by Rachel La Corte, AP, Sep 26, 2017
• Global carbon emissions stood still in 2016, offering climate hope by Damian Carrington, Guardian, Sep 28, 2017
• Late-September heat wave leaves climate experts stunned by Joe Romm, Think Progress, Sep 27, 2017
• A key Antarctic glacier just lost a huge piece of ice — the latest sign of its worrying retreat by Chris Mooney, Energy & Envronment, Washington Post, Sep 25, 2017
• Maria and Lee are weakening and heading east. What’s next for this hurricane season? by Brian McNoldy, Capital Weather Gang, Washington Post, Sep 28, 2017
• Tropical forests used to protect us from climate change. A new study says they’re now making it worse. by Chris Mooney, Mooney, Energy & Envronment, Washington Post, Sep 28, 2017

Fri Sep 29, 2017

• Hidden Costs of Climate Change Running Hundreds of Billions a Year by Stephen Leahy, National Geographic, Sep 27, 2017
• Climate and energy are becoming focal points in state political races by John Abraham, Climate Consensus - the 97%, Guardian, Sep 28, 2017
• Puerto Ricans Could Be Newest U.S. Climate Refugees by Daniel Cusick Adam Aton, Climate Wire/Scientific American, Sep 28, 2017
• One of the clearest signs of climate change in Hurricanes Maria, Irma, and Harvey was the rain by Umair Irfan, Vox, Sep 28, 2017
• Global Warming Tort Litigation: Two Very Different Approaches by David Bookbinder, Niskanen Center, Sep 28, 2017
• Analysis: What does revised methane data mean for the Paris Agreement? by Daisy Dunne, InsideCarbon News, Sep 29, 2017
• Rick Perry proposes sweeping new steps to support coal and nuclear plants by Steven Mufson & Chris Mooney, Energy & Environment, Washington Post, Sep 29, 2017
• Pruitt Plans to Gut The Clean Power Plan: How Weak Will The New EPA Proposal Be? by Rachel Cleetus, Union of Concerned Scientists, Sep 29, 2017

Sat Sep 30, 2017

• Diesel cars help drive Australia's energy emissions to highest level, report shows by Nicole Hasham, The Age, Sep 29, 2017
• 'Stuck in the dark ages': Pacific Island leader vents after Australia's emissions hit record high by Nicole Ashman, Sydney Morning Herald, Sep 29, 2017
• Pascal’s Wager And Global Climate Change: Hedging Your Bet When the Cost of Error is Too High by Eric K Clemons, HuffPost, Sep 25, 2017
• September is the most energetic month for hurricanes ever recorded in the Atlantic by Matthew Cappucci, Capital Weather Gang, Washington Post, Sep 27, 2017
• ‘People Are Dying’: Puerto Rico Faces Daunting Humanitarian Crisis by Phil Mckenna, Inside Climate News, Sep 27, 2017
• The McKibben effect: a case study in how radical environmentalism can work by David Roberts, Energy & Enviornment, Vox, Sep 29, 2017
• New research, September 18-24, 2017 by Ari Jokimäki, Skeptical Science, Sep 30, 2017
• Climate change burden unfairly borne by world's poorest countries by Stuart Braun, Deutsche Welle (DW), Sep 28, 2017

from Skeptical Science http://ift.tt/2xS6Ikn

New Horizons’ discoveries keep coming

New Horizons, which passed Pluto in 2015, is on its way to new discoveries deep in the Kuiper Belt – a region inhabited by ancient remnants from the dawn of the solar system. It’ll encounter its next target, a cold, classic Kuiper Belt object called MU69, in __. In the meantime, mission scientists are still pouring over the data from New Horizons’ Pluto encounter, and wow! The discoveries they’re still making show Pluto – dwarf planet though it may now be – as one of the most fascinating worlds in our solar system.

Find a transcript of this video here.

Here’s an example of what New Horizons is still discovering at Pluto. Images recently analyzed from the craft’s cameras revealed what appear to be small, low-lying isolated clouds – the first to be seen on the dwarf planet. Alan Stern – principal investigator for the New Horizons mission – commented: “If there are clouds, it would mean the weather on Pluto is even more complex than we imagined.” Image via ScienceCast video.

Bottom line: New ScienceCast video on what’s still being learned from New Horizons’ 2015 Pluto encounter, plus a preview of the craft’s next target, MU69.

Via NASA ScienceCast

from EarthSky http://ift.tt/2hE4IGe

New Horizons, which passed Pluto in 2015, is on its way to new discoveries deep in the Kuiper Belt – a region inhabited by ancient remnants from the dawn of the solar system. It’ll encounter its next target, a cold, classic Kuiper Belt object called MU69, in __. In the meantime, mission scientists are still pouring over the data from New Horizons’ Pluto encounter, and wow! The discoveries they’re still making show Pluto – dwarf planet though it may now be – as one of the most fascinating worlds in our solar system.

Find a transcript of this video here.

Here’s an example of what New Horizons is still discovering at Pluto. Images recently analyzed from the craft’s cameras revealed what appear to be small, low-lying isolated clouds – the first to be seen on the dwarf planet. Alan Stern – principal investigator for the New Horizons mission – commented: “If there are clouds, it would mean the weather on Pluto is even more complex than we imagined.” Image via ScienceCast video.

Bottom line: New ScienceCast video on what’s still being learned from New Horizons’ 2015 Pluto encounter, plus a preview of the craft’s next target, MU69.

Via NASA ScienceCast

from EarthSky http://ift.tt/2hE4IGe

Autumn arrives in Colorado

Image via Manish Mamtani Photography.

EarthSky tees are back! Check out the styles and colors

Manish Mamtani captured this aerial view on September 24, 2017 – two days after the September equinox. Welcome to fall for the Northern Hemisphere!

Help us create an autumn 2017 gallery. Submit your photo here.

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

from EarthSky http://ift.tt/2yz9N5Q

Image via Manish Mamtani Photography.

EarthSky tees are back! Check out the styles and colors

Manish Mamtani captured this aerial view on September 24, 2017 – two days after the September equinox. Welcome to fall for the Northern Hemisphere!

Help us create an autumn 2017 gallery. Submit your photo here.

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

from EarthSky http://ift.tt/2yz9N5Q

News digest – repurposed drugs, HIV, bisphosphonates and… a prostate cancer ‘cure’?

• Our scientists will be comparing the ways in which HIV and lung cancer evolve, as well as evade the immune system, reports the Evening Standard. Studying these health challenges side by side may reveal new targets for lung cancer drugs. For more info on the other projects funded through our Pioneer Award read this post.
• Breast Cancer Now is campaigning for drugs designed to strengthen bones to be given to certain women with breast cancer. The Guardian and Sky News say that all postmenopausal women who have received treatment for early stage breast cancer should be given the drugs, called bisphosphonates. This is because existing data suggests they can stop cancer coming back in the bone later on.
• New stats from Public Health England state there are ‘alarming’ levels of obesity in children leaving primary school. And the Telegraph say this is despite a drop in obesity levels in younger kids, aged 4 and 5.
• The Mail Online reports that a group of British scientists have an idea about how prostate cancer cells spread to the bone. Based on lab tests they suggest an asthma drug, with the catchy name of AS1517499, may stop this from happening.

Number of the week

36

Women with a disability in the UK are 36% less likely to attend breast cancer screening, compared to those with no reported disability.

•  Another drug that may be repurposed to treat cancer is a treatment for Parkinson’s disease called carbidopa. Scientists have shown that the drug can stop the growth of cells and tumours in mice, according to the Huffington Post.
• Immunotherapy has been hailed by many as a new era of cancer medicine, but Dr Ranjana Srivastava, writing for the Guardian, makes the important point that it still doesn’t work in the majority of patients.
• The Huffington Post reports that women with disabilities are less likely to take part in some types of cancer screening than those without. We part-funded the study which found women with a disability are a third less likely to participate in breast cancer screening and a quarter less likely to take part in bowel cancer screening. Our press release has the details. And if you want to take part in screening and think you might need assistance, it’s best to call your doctor or screening unit who will be able to talk through what can be done to accommodate your individual needs.
• A number of patients with late stage bowel cancer were offered end of life care instead of seeing a specialist surgeon, says The Sun and Mail Online. The concern, raised by the charity Bowel Cancer UK, is that patients with bowel cancer that has spread to the liver are missing out on liver surgeries that could potentially extend their lives.

And finally…

We reported that a form of ‘precision’ radiotherapy that targets the pelvis is safe to use on men with advanced localised prostate cancer. But other media reports jumped the gun a little, saying the study showed the radiotherapy technique could ‘cure’ patients. What the headlines didn’t stress is that the trial was testing the safety of the treatment, called IMRT, rather than how it affected survival. The research is still promising though and does suggest that this type of radiotherapy should be studied further for these men. NHS Choices had this excellent account of the complex study.

Gabi 

from Cancer Research UK – Science blog http://ift.tt/2x4yqLC

• Our scientists will be comparing the ways in which HIV and lung cancer evolve, as well as evade the immune system, reports the Evening Standard. Studying these health challenges side by side may reveal new targets for lung cancer drugs. For more info on the other projects funded through our Pioneer Award read this post.
• Breast Cancer Now is campaigning for drugs designed to strengthen bones to be given to certain women with breast cancer. The Guardian and Sky News say that all postmenopausal women who have received treatment for early stage breast cancer should be given the drugs, called bisphosphonates. This is because existing data suggests they can stop cancer coming back in the bone later on.
• New stats from Public Health England state there are ‘alarming’ levels of obesity in children leaving primary school. And the Telegraph say this is despite a drop in obesity levels in younger kids, aged 4 and 5.
• The Mail Online reports that a group of British scientists have an idea about how prostate cancer cells spread to the bone. Based on lab tests they suggest an asthma drug, with the catchy name of AS1517499, may stop this from happening.

Number of the week

36

Women with a disability in the UK are 36% less likely to attend breast cancer screening, compared to those with no reported disability.

•  Another drug that may be repurposed to treat cancer is a treatment for Parkinson’s disease called carbidopa. Scientists have shown that the drug can stop the growth of cells and tumours in mice, according to the Huffington Post.
• Immunotherapy has been hailed by many as a new era of cancer medicine, but Dr Ranjana Srivastava, writing for the Guardian, makes the important point that it still doesn’t work in the majority of patients.
• The Huffington Post reports that women with disabilities are less likely to take part in some types of cancer screening than those without. We part-funded the study which found women with a disability are a third less likely to participate in breast cancer screening and a quarter less likely to take part in bowel cancer screening. Our press release has the details. And if you want to take part in screening and think you might need assistance, it’s best to call your doctor or screening unit who will be able to talk through what can be done to accommodate your individual needs.
• A number of patients with late stage bowel cancer were offered end of life care instead of seeing a specialist surgeon, says The Sun and Mail Online. The concern, raised by the charity Bowel Cancer UK, is that patients with bowel cancer that has spread to the liver are missing out on liver surgeries that could potentially extend their lives.

And finally…

We reported that a form of ‘precision’ radiotherapy that targets the pelvis is safe to use on men with advanced localised prostate cancer. But other media reports jumped the gun a little, saying the study showed the radiotherapy technique could ‘cure’ patients. What the headlines didn’t stress is that the trial was testing the safety of the treatment, called IMRT, rather than how it affected survival. The research is still promising though and does suggest that this type of radiotherapy should be studied further for these men. NHS Choices had this excellent account of the complex study.

Gabi 

from Cancer Research UK – Science blog http://ift.tt/2x4yqLC

Moon’s near side is its dark side

Moon image via US Naval Observatory

Tonight – September 30, 2017 – see if you can make out the dark areas on tonight’s waxing gibbous moon. These smooth, low-lying lunar plains are called mare (singular) or maria (plural), the Latin words for sea or seas. You should be able to see the darkened portions on the moon with the eye alone. This collection of lunar plains – the solidified remnants of ancient seas of molten magma – actually makes the near side of the moon reflect less light than the far side does, which lacks the maria. So, in terms of reflectivity, the moon’s near side is its darker side.

If you’d like to scrutinize the maria more closely, use binoculars or the telescope. Remember, the view will be better around the time of sunset or early dusk – before the dark of night accentuates the moon’s glare.

Near side of the moon via Wikimedia Commons. Click here to expand image.

Far side of the moon via Wikimedia Commons. Click here to expand image.

In times past, astronomers really thought the dark areas contrasting with the light-colored, heavily-crated highlands were lunar seas. In some ways they were correct, except that these were seas of molten magma instead of water. Now solidified, this molten rock came from volcanic eruptions that flooded the lunar lowlands. However, volcanic activity – at least from basaltic volcanoes – is now a thing of the moon’s past.

For the most part, lunar maria are found on the near side of the moon. In this respect, that makes the near side – not the far side – the dark side of the moon.

Maria cover about 30% of the near side but only 2% of the far side. The reason for this is not well understood, but it has been suggested that the crust on the moon’s far side is thicker, making it more difficult for magma to reach the surface.

The lighter-colored highland regions of the moon are composed of anorthosite, a certain kind of igneous rock. On Earth, anorthosite is uncommon, except for in the Adirondack Mountains and the Canadian Shield. For this reason, people in this part of the world like to fancy that the moon originated from their home turf.

The prevailing theory states that the moon was formed when a Mars-sized object crashed into the Earth, creating a ring of debris that eventually condensed into the moon. I suppose time will tell whether this explanation for the moon’s origin is true or false.

Bottom line: Strange as it may seem, the moon’s near side is really its dark side. By that we mean the near side of the moon reflects less light – due to a collection of dark, low-lying lunar plains that are the solidified remnants of ancient seas of molten magma.

Help support EarthSky! Visit the EarthSky store for to see the great selection of educational tools and team gear we have to offer.

The lunar calendars are almost here! They’ll help you with the moon phases throughout the year.

from EarthSky http://ift.tt/19WxlQf

Moon image via US Naval Observatory

Tonight – September 30, 2017 – see if you can make out the dark areas on tonight’s waxing gibbous moon. These smooth, low-lying lunar plains are called mare (singular) or maria (plural), the Latin words for sea or seas. You should be able to see the darkened portions on the moon with the eye alone. This collection of lunar plains – the solidified remnants of ancient seas of molten magma – actually makes the near side of the moon reflect less light than the far side does, which lacks the maria. So, in terms of reflectivity, the moon’s near side is its darker side.

If you’d like to scrutinize the maria more closely, use binoculars or the telescope. Remember, the view will be better around the time of sunset or early dusk – before the dark of night accentuates the moon’s glare.

Near side of the moon via Wikimedia Commons. Click here to expand image.

Far side of the moon via Wikimedia Commons. Click here to expand image.

In times past, astronomers really thought the dark areas contrasting with the light-colored, heavily-crated highlands were lunar seas. In some ways they were correct, except that these were seas of molten magma instead of water. Now solidified, this molten rock came from volcanic eruptions that flooded the lunar lowlands. However, volcanic activity – at least from basaltic volcanoes – is now a thing of the moon’s past.

For the most part, lunar maria are found on the near side of the moon. In this respect, that makes the near side – not the far side – the dark side of the moon.

Maria cover about 30% of the near side but only 2% of the far side. The reason for this is not well understood, but it has been suggested that the crust on the moon’s far side is thicker, making it more difficult for magma to reach the surface.

The lighter-colored highland regions of the moon are composed of anorthosite, a certain kind of igneous rock. On Earth, anorthosite is uncommon, except for in the Adirondack Mountains and the Canadian Shield. For this reason, people in this part of the world like to fancy that the moon originated from their home turf.

The prevailing theory states that the moon was formed when a Mars-sized object crashed into the Earth, creating a ring of debris that eventually condensed into the moon. I suppose time will tell whether this explanation for the moon’s origin is true or false.

Bottom line: Strange as it may seem, the moon’s near side is really its dark side. By that we mean the near side of the moon reflects less light – due to a collection of dark, low-lying lunar plains that are the solidified remnants of ancient seas of molten magma.

Help support EarthSky! Visit the EarthSky store for to see the great selection of educational tools and team gear we have to offer.

The lunar calendars are almost here! They’ll help you with the moon phases throughout the year.

from EarthSky http://ift.tt/19WxlQf

Meet Fomalhaut, the loneliest star

Tonight – September 28, 2017 – look for the lonelieststar. Which one is that? Many people would say the answer is Fomalhaut, a bright star in the constellation Piscis Austrinus the Southern Fish, bright enough to be seen on a moonlit night. Fomalhaut is a bright star – visible from all but far-northern latitudes – located in a region of the sky that contains only very faint stars. So it appears solitary in the night sky.

From the Northern Hemisphere, at about 8 to 9 p.m., look for a solitary star that’s peeking out at you just above the southeast horizon. See it? No other bright star sits so low in the southeast at this time of year. From this hemisphere, Fomalhaut dances close the southern horizon until well after midnight on these autumn nights. It reaches its highest point for the night in the southern sky at roughly 10:30 p.m. local time (11:30 p.m. daylight-saving time). At mid-northern latitudes, Fomalhaut sets in the southwest around 2 to 3 a.m. local time (3 to 4 a.m. local daylight-saving time).

From the Southern Hemisphere, Fomalhaut rises in a southeasterly direction, too, but this star climbs much higher up in the Southern Hemisphere sky and stays out for a longer period of time. Click here to find out precisely when Fomalhaut rises, transits (climbs highest up for the night) and sets in your sky.

Remember … it’s bright and solitary. The coming month or so presents a good time to see this star.

Fomalhaut is a bright white star, the brightest star in an otherwise empty-looking part of the sky. In skylore, you sometimes see it called the Lonely One, or the Solitary One, or sometimes the Autumn Star. Depending on whose list you believe, Fomalhaut is either the 17th or the 18th brightest star in the sky.

Roughly translated from Arabic, the star’s name means mouth of the fish or whale. Its constellation, Piscis Austrinus, represents the Southern Fish.

Besides being one of the brighter stars in the night sky, Fomalhaut has interest to professional astronomers. In 2008, it became the center of the first star with an extrasolar planet candidate (Fomalhaut b) imaged at visible wavelengths. The image was published in the journal Science in November, 2008. By the way, Fomalhaut is the third-brightest star (as viewed from Earth) known to have a planetary system, after the star Pollux in the constellation Gemini and our own sun.

View larger. | This image shows the debris ring around Fomalhaut and the location of its first known planet. This is the actual discovery image, published in the journal Science in November, 2008. Fomalhaut b was the first beyond our solar system visible to the eye in photographic images. Image via Hubble Space Telescope.

Bottom line: Go outside around mid-evening – and learn to keep company with Fomalhaut – brightest star in the constellation Piscis Austrinus, the Southern Fish – also called the loneliest star.

More about Fomalhaut here.

EarthSky’s guide to the bright planets

Donate: Your support means the world to us

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

Tonight – September 28, 2017 – look for the lonelieststar. Which one is that? Many people would say the answer is Fomalhaut, a bright star in the constellation Piscis Austrinus the Southern Fish, bright enough to be seen on a moonlit night. Fomalhaut is a bright star – visible from all but far-northern latitudes – located in a region of the sky that contains only very faint stars. So it appears solitary in the night sky.

From the Northern Hemisphere, at about 8 to 9 p.m., look for a solitary star that’s peeking out at you just above the southeast horizon. See it? No other bright star sits so low in the southeast at this time of year. From this hemisphere, Fomalhaut dances close the southern horizon until well after midnight on these autumn nights. It reaches its highest point for the night in the southern sky at roughly 10:30 p.m. local time (11:30 p.m. daylight-saving time). At mid-northern latitudes, Fomalhaut sets in the southwest around 2 to 3 a.m. local time (3 to 4 a.m. local daylight-saving time).

From the Southern Hemisphere, Fomalhaut rises in a southeasterly direction, too, but this star climbs much higher up in the Southern Hemisphere sky and stays out for a longer period of time. Click here to find out precisely when Fomalhaut rises, transits (climbs highest up for the night) and sets in your sky.

Remember … it’s bright and solitary. The coming month or so presents a good time to see this star.

Fomalhaut is a bright white star, the brightest star in an otherwise empty-looking part of the sky. In skylore, you sometimes see it called the Lonely One, or the Solitary One, or sometimes the Autumn Star. Depending on whose list you believe, Fomalhaut is either the 17th or the 18th brightest star in the sky.

Roughly translated from Arabic, the star’s name means mouth of the fish or whale. Its constellation, Piscis Austrinus, represents the Southern Fish.

Besides being one of the brighter stars in the night sky, Fomalhaut has interest to professional astronomers. In 2008, it became the center of the first star with an extrasolar planet candidate (Fomalhaut b) imaged at visible wavelengths. The image was published in the journal Science in November, 2008. By the way, Fomalhaut is the third-brightest star (as viewed from Earth) known to have a planetary system, after the star Pollux in the constellation Gemini and our own sun.

View larger. | This image shows the debris ring around Fomalhaut and the location of its first known planet. This is the actual discovery image, published in the journal Science in November, 2008. Fomalhaut b was the first beyond our solar system visible to the eye in photographic images. Image via Hubble Space Telescope.

Bottom line: Go outside around mid-evening – and learn to keep company with Fomalhaut – brightest star in the constellation Piscis Austrinus, the Southern Fish – also called the loneliest star.

More about Fomalhaut here.

EarthSky’s guide to the bright planets

Donate: Your support means the world to us

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