Joy in Mudville

by Tom Damm

Photo: Courtesy of Jim Bintliff

If you were lucky enough to catch one of the record number of home run balls hit in Major League ballparks this year, you may have noticed that the ball didn’t look brand new – that there was some sort of film over it.  Mud to be exact.

All baseballs used in the professional leagues are rubbed up before games with mud found only at a secret location along a tributary of the Delaware River.  It’s been that way for decades.

After a batter was killed with an errant pitch in 1920, the search was on for a substance to give a fresh baseball a better grip without altering its integrity.  Chewing tobacco juice and infield dirt mixed with water were among the remedies tried to no avail.  In 1938, Lena Blackburne, a coach for the old Philadelphia Athletics, found mud with just the right composition at a spot off the New Jersey side of the river.  And it’s been used ever since.

What makes this mud so special?

“It’s two very simple things,” says Jim Bintliff, who has continued the family mud supply operation his grandfather started with Blackburne.  “It’s the geology and the geography.  The mineral content of the area is unique and there has to be a certain flow to the waterway that allows for sediment and decomposition (of the organic matter) and all that good stuff.”

As to claims by some pitchers that this year’s World Series balls seem slicker than usual, Bintliff says, “They’re using the same mud they used during the (regular) season.” Bintliff supplied the Dodgers and Astros and the rest of the teams with their mud allotments in March.

Bintliff says that in addition to all the pro baseball teams, he provides mud to “probably half of the NFL teams,” as well as to a posh Philadelphia spa and an assortment of college and recreational leagues.  He also uses it as a home remedy for poison ivy and bee stings.

According to Bintliff, the skimmed mud is strained of foreign objects and then cured for about six weeks.  A proprietary ingredient is added to the mix to give it the right feel.  The texture of the finished product is like thick pudding.

The rubbing mud is an unusual, though representative example of the “ecosystem services” provided by the Delaware Basin.  The basin is a focus of cleanup and preservation efforts by two EPA regions, four states and a host of other partners.

So, while the Phillies team didn’t make the playoffs this year, the Philadelphia area was represented in the post-season by a touch of the Delaware on the cover of every baseball.  Little solace to fans, but a handy bit of trivia.

 

About the Author: Tom Damm has been with EPA since 2002 and now serves as communications coordinator for the region’s Water Protection Division.

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

by Tom Damm

Photo: Courtesy of Jim Bintliff

If you were lucky enough to catch one of the record number of home run balls hit in Major League ballparks this year, you may have noticed that the ball didn’t look brand new – that there was some sort of film over it.  Mud to be exact.

All baseballs used in the professional leagues are rubbed up before games with mud found only at a secret location along a tributary of the Delaware River.  It’s been that way for decades.

After a batter was killed with an errant pitch in 1920, the search was on for a substance to give a fresh baseball a better grip without altering its integrity.  Chewing tobacco juice and infield dirt mixed with water were among the remedies tried to no avail.  In 1938, Lena Blackburne, a coach for the old Philadelphia Athletics, found mud with just the right composition at a spot off the New Jersey side of the river.  And it’s been used ever since.

What makes this mud so special?

“It’s two very simple things,” says Jim Bintliff, who has continued the family mud supply operation his grandfather started with Blackburne.  “It’s the geology and the geography.  The mineral content of the area is unique and there has to be a certain flow to the waterway that allows for sediment and decomposition (of the organic matter) and all that good stuff.”

As to claims by some pitchers that this year’s World Series balls seem slicker than usual, Bintliff says, “They’re using the same mud they used during the (regular) season.” Bintliff supplied the Dodgers and Astros and the rest of the teams with their mud allotments in March.

Bintliff says that in addition to all the pro baseball teams, he provides mud to “probably half of the NFL teams,” as well as to a posh Philadelphia spa and an assortment of college and recreational leagues.  He also uses it as a home remedy for poison ivy and bee stings.

According to Bintliff, the skimmed mud is strained of foreign objects and then cured for about six weeks.  A proprietary ingredient is added to the mix to give it the right feel.  The texture of the finished product is like thick pudding.

The rubbing mud is an unusual, though representative example of the “ecosystem services” provided by the Delaware Basin.  The basin is a focus of cleanup and preservation efforts by two EPA regions, four states and a host of other partners.

So, while the Phillies team didn’t make the playoffs this year, the Philadelphia area was represented in the post-season by a touch of the Delaware on the cover of every baseball.  Little solace to fans, but a handy bit of trivia.

 

About the Author: Tom Damm has been with EPA since 2002 and now serves as communications coordinator for the region’s Water Protection Division.

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

$2 million NSF grant funds physicists' quest for optical transistors

"The ultimate goal is making it possible to devise all-optical computers and telecommunications," says Hayk Harutyunyan, left, with Ajit Srivastava. 

By Carol Clark

The National Science Foundation awarded two Emory physicists a $2 million Emergent Frontiers grant, for development of miniaturized optical transistors to take computers and telecommunications into a new era.

“We are working to change some properties of light — such as making it travel in only one direction — by using atomically thin, two-dimensional materials,” says Ajit Srivastava, assistant professor of physics and principal investigator for the grant. “These novel materials are being touted as the next silicon. They could open the door to even smaller and more efficient electronics than are possible today.”

Srivastava’s co-investigators include Hayk Harutyunyan, also an assistant professor of physics at Emory, as well as scientists from Georgia State and Stanford universities.

“The ultimate goal is making it possible to devise all-optical computers and telecommunications,” Harutyunyan says.

A major revolution in telecommunications occurred in the 1950s, driven by the development of silicon semiconductors as miniature transistors to control the flow of electrical current. These transistors led to smaller, faster computers and paved the way for everything from flatscreen TVs to cell phones.

“They changed civilization,” Harutyunyan says. “Every year new computers would come out with faster processors as the transistors got tinier and more efficient. But about a decade ago this progress stopped, because these transistors cannot be made any smaller than about 15 nanometers and still function well.”

Meanwhile, the gradual replacement of copper wiring with fiber optics is speeding up transmissions between computers and other electronic devices and allowing for greater bandwidth. “When you send an email from Atlanta to Europe, the information is encoded into light and relayed by fiber optic cables running under the ocean,” Srivastava explains. “It’s super fast, because light is the fastest thing that you can imagine.”

Unlike in our everyday life, however, where the arrow of time moves in one direction, light photos operate at the quantum scale and can move back and forth. This lack of a fixed direction is called reciprocity. “Reciprocity in optics,” Srivastava says, “can best be described by a familiar observation: ‘If I can see you, you can see me.’”

Fiber optic cables use magnetic fields to break reciprocity and prevent light from reflecting off surfaces and creating “noise” in a signal. The required magnetic devices, known as optical isolators, are typically bulky and heavy because tiny magnets are not strong enough to do the job.

The Emory project aims to develop powerful nonreciprocal optical devices that are not based on magnets and can function at the nanoscale.

Srivastava’s lab is investigating the potential of transition metal dichalcogenides, or TMDs. TMDs are semiconductors within a new family of two-dimensional, extraordinarily thin materials. While the smallest feature of a current computer processor is 14 nanometers thick, a TMD monolayer is smaller than a single nanometer.

Harutyunyan’s lab, meanwhile, is exploring ways to make interactions between light and matter stronger through the use of metallic nano particles. Metals are shiny because of their free electrons that easily interact with light. The oscillations of these free electrons, called plasmons, allow metallic nano-particles to funnel large amounts of light into tiny dimensions.

A long-term goal of the project is to hybridize TMDs and metallic particles into nanomaterials that use laser fields to create the same light-guiding effects of magnetic fields. Such devices have the potential to be faster and cheaper and offer more precise control of the light-directing process. They would also be much smaller than existing optical isolators and transistors.

“Nano-science is an exciting area,” Srivastava says. “You can imagine the possibility of flexible cell phones or even wearable electronic membranes that would take the shape of your body.”

More powerful computers could also ramp up the ability of scientists to analyze massive datasets faster, Harutyunyan notes.

The Emory grant will also fund public outreach projects in Atlanta area schools. “We want people to understand the importance of fundamental science research,” Harutyunyan says. “And we want to inspire young people to think about science careers.

from eScienceCommons http://ift.tt/2hqppT5

"The ultimate goal is making it possible to devise all-optical computers and telecommunications," says Hayk Harutyunyan, left, with Ajit Srivastava. 

By Carol Clark

The National Science Foundation awarded two Emory physicists a $2 million Emergent Frontiers grant, for development of miniaturized optical transistors to take computers and telecommunications into a new era.

“We are working to change some properties of light — such as making it travel in only one direction — by using atomically thin, two-dimensional materials,” says Ajit Srivastava, assistant professor of physics and principal investigator for the grant. “These novel materials are being touted as the next silicon. They could open the door to even smaller and more efficient electronics than are possible today.”

Srivastava’s co-investigators include Hayk Harutyunyan, also an assistant professor of physics at Emory, as well as scientists from Georgia State and Stanford universities.

“The ultimate goal is making it possible to devise all-optical computers and telecommunications,” Harutyunyan says.

A major revolution in telecommunications occurred in the 1950s, driven by the development of silicon semiconductors as miniature transistors to control the flow of electrical current. These transistors led to smaller, faster computers and paved the way for everything from flatscreen TVs to cell phones.

“They changed civilization,” Harutyunyan says. “Every year new computers would come out with faster processors as the transistors got tinier and more efficient. But about a decade ago this progress stopped, because these transistors cannot be made any smaller than about 15 nanometers and still function well.”

Meanwhile, the gradual replacement of copper wiring with fiber optics is speeding up transmissions between computers and other electronic devices and allowing for greater bandwidth. “When you send an email from Atlanta to Europe, the information is encoded into light and relayed by fiber optic cables running under the ocean,” Srivastava explains. “It’s super fast, because light is the fastest thing that you can imagine.”

Unlike in our everyday life, however, where the arrow of time moves in one direction, light photos operate at the quantum scale and can move back and forth. This lack of a fixed direction is called reciprocity. “Reciprocity in optics,” Srivastava says, “can best be described by a familiar observation: ‘If I can see you, you can see me.’”

Fiber optic cables use magnetic fields to break reciprocity and prevent light from reflecting off surfaces and creating “noise” in a signal. The required magnetic devices, known as optical isolators, are typically bulky and heavy because tiny magnets are not strong enough to do the job.

The Emory project aims to develop powerful nonreciprocal optical devices that are not based on magnets and can function at the nanoscale.

Srivastava’s lab is investigating the potential of transition metal dichalcogenides, or TMDs. TMDs are semiconductors within a new family of two-dimensional, extraordinarily thin materials. While the smallest feature of a current computer processor is 14 nanometers thick, a TMD monolayer is smaller than a single nanometer.

Harutyunyan’s lab, meanwhile, is exploring ways to make interactions between light and matter stronger through the use of metallic nano particles. Metals are shiny because of their free electrons that easily interact with light. The oscillations of these free electrons, called plasmons, allow metallic nano-particles to funnel large amounts of light into tiny dimensions.

A long-term goal of the project is to hybridize TMDs and metallic particles into nanomaterials that use laser fields to create the same light-guiding effects of magnetic fields. Such devices have the potential to be faster and cheaper and offer more precise control of the light-directing process. They would also be much smaller than existing optical isolators and transistors.

“Nano-science is an exciting area,” Srivastava says. “You can imagine the possibility of flexible cell phones or even wearable electronic membranes that would take the shape of your body.”

More powerful computers could also ramp up the ability of scientists to analyze massive datasets faster, Harutyunyan notes.

The Emory grant will also fund public outreach projects in Atlanta area schools. “We want people to understand the importance of fundamental science research,” Harutyunyan says. “And we want to inspire young people to think about science careers.

from eScienceCommons http://ift.tt/2hqppT5

New data gives hope for meeting the Paris climate targets

Over the past half-century, growth in the global economy and carbon pollution have been tied together. When the global economy has been strong, we’ve consumed more energy, which has translated into burning more fossil fuels and releasing more carbon pollution. But over the past four years, economic growth and carbon dioxide emissions have been decoupled. The global economy has continued to grow, while data from the EU Joint Research Centre shows carbon pollution has held fairly steady.

Annual global carbon dioxide and gross domestic product growth. Data from the EU Joint Research Centre and World Bank. Illustration: Dana Nuccitelli

China is becoming a global climate leader

China’s shift away from coal to clean energy has been largely responsible for this decoupling. Due to its large population (1.4 billion) – more than four times that of the USA (323 million) and nearly triple the EU (510 million) – and rapid growth in its economy and coal power supply, China has become the world’s largest net carbon polluter (though still less than half America’s per-person carbon emissions, and on par with those of Europeans). But as with the global total, China’s carbon pollution has flattened out since 2013.

 

That’s especially remarkable because it puts China about 15 years ahead of schedule. In an agreement with President Obama ahead of the Paris international climate negotiations, Chinese President Xi Jingping pledged that China’s carbon emissions would peak by 2030. Republican Party leaders grossly distorted this agreement at the time, with Senate majority leader Mitch McConnell claiming:

As I read the agreement it requires the Chinese to do nothing at all for 16 years while these carbon emissions regulations are creating havoc in my state and around the country

As the chart above shows, Chinese carbon emissions tripled between 1999 and 2013. To slow that rate of growth to zero as the Chinese economy continues to grow would require a dramatic shift in the country’s energy supply. But that’s exactly what’s happened, with the Chinese government cancelling over 100 planned new coal power plants earlier this year. Chinese coal consumption has in fact fallen since 2013. And China and the EU have pledged to strengthen their efforts to cut carbon pollution.

America isn’t a lost cause

In 2016, American carbon pollution fell to below 1993 levels. The emissions decline began around 2008, which is also when natural gas, solar, and wind energy began rapidly replacing coal in the power grid.

The Trump administration has done everything in its power to reverse that trend. It began the withdrawal from the Paris climate agreement and the process to repeal the Clean Power Plan, has begun censoring EPA climate scientists and deleting climate change information from government websites, and proposed to prop up the dirty, failing coal industry with taxpayer-funded subsidies.

And yet, while these steps can slow the decline in American carbon pollution, the transition from coal to clean energy will nevertheless persist. Coal simply can no longer compete with cheaper, cleaner sources of energy, and the next American president can quickly reverse many of the Trump administration’s anti-climate orders.

Click here to read the rest

from Skeptical Science http://ift.tt/2ijE6qT

Over the past half-century, growth in the global economy and carbon pollution have been tied together. When the global economy has been strong, we’ve consumed more energy, which has translated into burning more fossil fuels and releasing more carbon pollution. But over the past four years, economic growth and carbon dioxide emissions have been decoupled. The global economy has continued to grow, while data from the EU Joint Research Centre shows carbon pollution has held fairly steady.

Annual global carbon dioxide and gross domestic product growth. Data from the EU Joint Research Centre and World Bank. Illustration: Dana Nuccitelli

China is becoming a global climate leader

China’s shift away from coal to clean energy has been largely responsible for this decoupling. Due to its large population (1.4 billion) – more than four times that of the USA (323 million) and nearly triple the EU (510 million) – and rapid growth in its economy and coal power supply, China has become the world’s largest net carbon polluter (though still less than half America’s per-person carbon emissions, and on par with those of Europeans). But as with the global total, China’s carbon pollution has flattened out since 2013.

 

That’s especially remarkable because it puts China about 15 years ahead of schedule. In an agreement with President Obama ahead of the Paris international climate negotiations, Chinese President Xi Jingping pledged that China’s carbon emissions would peak by 2030. Republican Party leaders grossly distorted this agreement at the time, with Senate majority leader Mitch McConnell claiming:

As I read the agreement it requires the Chinese to do nothing at all for 16 years while these carbon emissions regulations are creating havoc in my state and around the country

As the chart above shows, Chinese carbon emissions tripled between 1999 and 2013. To slow that rate of growth to zero as the Chinese economy continues to grow would require a dramatic shift in the country’s energy supply. But that’s exactly what’s happened, with the Chinese government cancelling over 100 planned new coal power plants earlier this year. Chinese coal consumption has in fact fallen since 2013. And China and the EU have pledged to strengthen their efforts to cut carbon pollution.

America isn’t a lost cause

In 2016, American carbon pollution fell to below 1993 levels. The emissions decline began around 2008, which is also when natural gas, solar, and wind energy began rapidly replacing coal in the power grid.

The Trump administration has done everything in its power to reverse that trend. It began the withdrawal from the Paris climate agreement and the process to repeal the Clean Power Plan, has begun censoring EPA climate scientists and deleting climate change information from government websites, and proposed to prop up the dirty, failing coal industry with taxpayer-funded subsidies.

And yet, while these steps can slow the decline in American carbon pollution, the transition from coal to clean energy will nevertheless persist. Coal simply can no longer compete with cheaper, cleaner sources of energy, and the next American president can quickly reverse many of the Trump administration’s anti-climate orders.

Click here to read the rest

from Skeptical Science http://ift.tt/2ijE6qT

November guide to the bright planets

Venus – the brightest planet – has a conjunction with Spica, the brightest star in the constellation Virgo, in late October and early November 2017. They are closest on the morning of November 2. Read more.

Two of the five bright planets – Saturn and Mercury – are evening planets, but only Saturn is clearly visible after nightfall in early November, 2017. Mercury is lost in the sunset glare during the first half of the month and will likely be seen after mid-month. The other three bright planets – dazzlingly bright Venus, extremely bright Jupiter and super-faint Mars – adorn the morning sky, before sunup. Venus and Jupiter will have a spectacular conjunction – albeit low in the sky – around November 13. Follow the links below to learn more about the planets in November 2017.

Venus, brilliant in east at morning dawn

Jupiter climbs out of the glare of sunrise

Mars visible in eastern predawn sky

Saturn out from dusk until early evening

Seek for Mercury after sunset

EarthSky’s 2018 lunar calendars are here! Get yours while they last.

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Astronomy events, star parties, festivals, workshops

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

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

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

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. Although it’s lower in the sky now than it was a month ago, if you’re an early bird, you can count on Venus to be your morning companion throughout November, 2017.

Although Venus will remain in the morning sky for the rest of this year, this dazzling planet will sink closer and closer to the glare of sunrise over the next two months.

As Venus sinks downward in our morning sky (really, moving behind the sun as seen from our earthly perspective), Jupiter will be climbing upward, out of the dawn.

Watch for Venus and Jupiter to have a spectacular conjunction in the morning sky on or around November 13. Around that same time, enjoy the picturesque displays of the waning crescent moon with Venus, Jupiter and Mars. the moon and Venus will be closest on the mornings of November 16 and November 17.

Jenney Disimon in Sabah, Borneo captured Venus before dawn. It’s easy to spot, the brightest object in our sky besides the sun and moon.

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 a 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 exact phase at present, remembering to select Venus as your object of interest.

From mid-northern latitudes (U.S. and Europe), Venus rises about one and one-half before the sun in early November, and about 45 minutes before sunrise by the month’s end.

At temperate latitudes in the Southern Hemisphere (Australia and South Africa), Venus rises about 40 minutes before sunup in early November. By the month’s end, that’ll taper to about 30 minutes.

Click here for recommended almanacs; they can provide 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.

This chart is so special that we’re using it twice in this post! Don’t miss the Venus/Jupiter conjunction on or around November 13, 2017. Read more.

Jupiter climbs out of the glare of sunrise. Jupiter’s very recent conjunction with the sun – when it was traveling more or less behind the sun from Earth – happened on October 26, 2017. That event marked Jupiter’s official transition out of the evening sky and into the morning sky. Look for the king planet to creep back into the morning sky – appearing as a strangely bright object low on the sunrise horizon – after the first week of November, 2017.

By around mid-month, a wonderful event will occur! Jupiter will join up with Venus to stage a close conjunction in the eastern morning sky on November 13. It’ll be amazing to see Venus, the sky’s brightest planet, and Jupiter, the second-brightest planet, presenting their closest conjunction since August 27, 2016!

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

After the conjunction of Venus and Jupiter on November 13, look for Venus to sink into the glare of sunrise and for Jupiter to climb away from the twilight glare. For the rest of this year, Jupiter will close the gap between itself and the red planet Mars, which appears higher up in the November morning sky. Jupiter will meet up with Mars, to stage a stunningly close conjunction in the morning sky on January 7, 2018.

From mid-northern latitudes, Jupiter rises about one-half hour before the sun in early November. By late November, Jupiter will rise about two hours before sunrise.

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

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).

Jupiter starts the month of November, 2017 in front of the constellation Virgo, fairly close to Virgo’s sole 1st-magnitude star, called Spica.

By mid-month, Jupiter will enter into the constellation Libra.

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.

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.

Let the waning crescent moon guide your eye to the planet Mars on the mornings of November 14 and 15. Read more.

Mars visible in eastern predawn sky. 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 rise in the east before dawn’s first light. Mars is the only one of the three morning planets – Venus, Mars and Jupiter – to grace the predawn sky throughout the month. Jupiter begins the month deeply buried in the glow of twilight whereas Venus ends the month deeply buried in the twilight glare.

It’s best to look for Mars before dawn (approximately one and one-half hours before sunrise) because this second-magnitude gem is only modestly bright right now. Mars is nowhere as brilliant as Venus or Jupiter, which are easily visible in a twilight sky.

Be sure to let the waning crescent moon help guide your eye to Mars on the mornings of November 14 and 15.

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 its 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.

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 possibly Mercury) for several days, centered on or near November 20. Read more.

Saturn out from dusk until early evening. On these November evenings, look for Saturn as soon as darkness falls. It’s in the southwest sky at dusk or nightfall. 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 one hour after nightfall in early November and around nightfall (1.5 hours after sunset) by the month’s end.

From temperate latitudes in the Southern Hemisphere (South Africa, southern Australia), Saturn sets about 2 hours after nightfall in early November and around nightfall by the month’s end.

From anywhere worldwide, this will be the final full month for seeing Saturn in the evening sky before it transitions over into the morning sky in December 2017.

Be sure to let the moon guide you to Saturn (and possibly Mercury, which lurks beneath Saturn) for several days, centered on or near November 20. Saturn and Mercury will be in conjunction on November 28.

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 now inclined at nearly 27^o from edge-on, exhibiting their northern face. In 2017, the north side of the rings opened up most widely since since the last grand opening in 1988. The next maximum exposure of the north side of Saturn’s rings will take place in 2046.

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.

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

Let the moon help guide your eye to the planet Mercury on November 19, 20 and 21. Read more.

Seek for Mercury after sunset. This apparition of Mercury in the November evening sky greatly favors the Southern Hemisphere. Even so, we at mid-northern latitudes have a fairly decent shot of catching this world in the second half of the month.

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. Watch for Mercury low in the sky, and near the sunset point on the horizon, being mindful of Mercury’s setting time.

Let the thin waxing crescent moon help guide your eye to Mercury, the solar system’s innermost planet, on the evenings of November 19, 20 and 21. Then watch for the conjunction of Mercury and Saturn on November 28.

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 November 2017, two of the five bright planets – Saturn and Mercury – reign as evening planets, and the other three bright planets – Venus, Mars and Jupiter – are found in the morning sky, before sunup.

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Venus – the brightest planet – has a conjunction with Spica, the brightest star in the constellation Virgo, in late October and early November 2017. They are closest on the morning of November 2. Read more.

Two of the five bright planets – Saturn and Mercury – are evening planets, but only Saturn is clearly visible after nightfall in early November, 2017. Mercury is lost in the sunset glare during the first half of the month and will likely be seen after mid-month. The other three bright planets – dazzlingly bright Venus, extremely bright Jupiter and super-faint Mars – adorn the morning sky, before sunup. Venus and Jupiter will have a spectacular conjunction – albeit low in the sky – around November 13. Follow the links below to learn more about the planets in November 2017.

Venus, brilliant in east at morning dawn

Jupiter climbs out of the glare of sunrise

Mars visible in eastern predawn sky

Saturn out from dusk until early evening

Seek for Mercury after sunset

EarthSky’s 2018 lunar calendars are here! Get yours while they last.

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.

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

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

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. Although it’s lower in the sky now than it was a month ago, if you’re an early bird, you can count on Venus to be your morning companion throughout November, 2017.

Although Venus will remain in the morning sky for the rest of this year, this dazzling planet will sink closer and closer to the glare of sunrise over the next two months.

As Venus sinks downward in our morning sky (really, moving behind the sun as seen from our earthly perspective), Jupiter will be climbing upward, out of the dawn.

Watch for Venus and Jupiter to have a spectacular conjunction in the morning sky on or around November 13. Around that same time, enjoy the picturesque displays of the waning crescent moon with Venus, Jupiter and Mars. the moon and Venus will be closest on the mornings of November 16 and November 17.

Jenney Disimon in Sabah, Borneo captured Venus before dawn. It’s easy to spot, the brightest object in our sky besides the sun and moon.

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 a 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 exact phase at present, remembering to select Venus as your object of interest.

From mid-northern latitudes (U.S. and Europe), Venus rises about one and one-half before the sun in early November, and about 45 minutes before sunrise by the month’s end.

At temperate latitudes in the Southern Hemisphere (Australia and South Africa), Venus rises about 40 minutes before sunup in early November. By the month’s end, that’ll taper to about 30 minutes.

Click here for recommended almanacs; they can provide 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.

This chart is so special that we’re using it twice in this post! Don’t miss the Venus/Jupiter conjunction on or around November 13, 2017. Read more.

Jupiter climbs out of the glare of sunrise. Jupiter’s very recent conjunction with the sun – when it was traveling more or less behind the sun from Earth – happened on October 26, 2017. That event marked Jupiter’s official transition out of the evening sky and into the morning sky. Look for the king planet to creep back into the morning sky – appearing as a strangely bright object low on the sunrise horizon – after the first week of November, 2017.

By around mid-month, a wonderful event will occur! Jupiter will join up with Venus to stage a close conjunction in the eastern morning sky on November 13. It’ll be amazing to see Venus, the sky’s brightest planet, and Jupiter, the second-brightest planet, presenting their closest conjunction since August 27, 2016!

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

After the conjunction of Venus and Jupiter on November 13, look for Venus to sink into the glare of sunrise and for Jupiter to climb away from the twilight glare. For the rest of this year, Jupiter will close the gap between itself and the red planet Mars, which appears higher up in the November morning sky. Jupiter will meet up with Mars, to stage a stunningly close conjunction in the morning sky on January 7, 2018.

From mid-northern latitudes, Jupiter rises about one-half hour before the sun in early November. By late November, Jupiter will rise about two hours before sunrise.

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

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).

Jupiter starts the month of November, 2017 in front of the constellation Virgo, fairly close to Virgo’s sole 1st-magnitude star, called Spica.

By mid-month, Jupiter will enter into the constellation Libra.

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.

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.

Let the waning crescent moon guide your eye to the planet Mars on the mornings of November 14 and 15. Read more.

Mars visible in eastern predawn sky. 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 rise in the east before dawn’s first light. Mars is the only one of the three morning planets – Venus, Mars and Jupiter – to grace the predawn sky throughout the month. Jupiter begins the month deeply buried in the glow of twilight whereas Venus ends the month deeply buried in the twilight glare.

It’s best to look for Mars before dawn (approximately one and one-half hours before sunrise) because this second-magnitude gem is only modestly bright right now. Mars is nowhere as brilliant as Venus or Jupiter, which are easily visible in a twilight sky.

Be sure to let the waning crescent moon help guide your eye to Mars on the mornings of November 14 and 15.

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 its 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.

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 possibly Mercury) for several days, centered on or near November 20. Read more.

Saturn out from dusk until early evening. On these November evenings, look for Saturn as soon as darkness falls. It’s in the southwest sky at dusk or nightfall. 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 one hour after nightfall in early November and around nightfall (1.5 hours after sunset) by the month’s end.

From temperate latitudes in the Southern Hemisphere (South Africa, southern Australia), Saturn sets about 2 hours after nightfall in early November and around nightfall by the month’s end.

From anywhere worldwide, this will be the final full month for seeing Saturn in the evening sky before it transitions over into the morning sky in December 2017.

Be sure to let the moon guide you to Saturn (and possibly Mercury, which lurks beneath Saturn) for several days, centered on or near November 20. Saturn and Mercury will be in conjunction on November 28.

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 now inclined at nearly 27^o from edge-on, exhibiting their northern face. In 2017, the north side of the rings opened up most widely since since the last grand opening in 1988. The next maximum exposure of the north side of Saturn’s rings will take place in 2046.

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.

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

Let the moon help guide your eye to the planet Mercury on November 19, 20 and 21. Read more.

Seek for Mercury after sunset. This apparition of Mercury in the November evening sky greatly favors the Southern Hemisphere. Even so, we at mid-northern latitudes have a fairly decent shot of catching this world in the second half of the month.

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. Watch for Mercury low in the sky, and near the sunset point on the horizon, being mindful of Mercury’s setting time.

Let the thin waxing crescent moon help guide your eye to Mercury, the solar system’s innermost planet, on the evenings of November 19, 20 and 21. Then watch for the conjunction of Mercury and Saturn on November 28.

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 November 2017, two of the five bright planets – Saturn and Mercury – reign as evening planets, and the other three bright planets – Venus, Mars and Jupiter – are found in the morning sky, before sunup.

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Air Force Uses Cutting Edge 3-D Printing to Focus on Warfighter

Air Force innovation helps warfighters look ahead and build parts that would otherwise be obsolete.

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Air Force innovation helps warfighters look ahead and build parts that would otherwise be obsolete.

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Boo! Halloween star trails

Gowrishankar Lakshminarayanan, who composed this photo, calls it Keep Looking Up With Cosm-‘0’-Lanterns.

Gowrishankar Lakshminarayanan was at North South Lake Campground, Haines Falls, New York when he created this image of Halloween-themed star trails. He wrote:

I always wanted to do some kind of astro nightscapes with the Halloween ghosts/ghouls … That night was particularly cold with the onset of fall weather, and I had to battle strong winds that made the weather even more cold. Am happy none of my pumpkins got knocked off due to these heavy winds … had to secure them with tapes and back support. :)

In the background you can also see my another camera setup on a tracker … and, in the far back, one of my friend observing through his ‘scope.

Thanks, Gowri, and Happy Halloween to you!

Read more: How to take great photos of star trails

from EarthSky http://ift.tt/2hrP65C

Gowrishankar Lakshminarayanan, who composed this photo, calls it Keep Looking Up With Cosm-‘0’-Lanterns.

Gowrishankar Lakshminarayanan was at North South Lake Campground, Haines Falls, New York when he created this image of Halloween-themed star trails. He wrote:

I always wanted to do some kind of astro nightscapes with the Halloween ghosts/ghouls … That night was particularly cold with the onset of fall weather, and I had to battle strong winds that made the weather even more cold. Am happy none of my pumpkins got knocked off due to these heavy winds … had to secure them with tapes and back support. :)

In the background you can also see my another camera setup on a tracker … and, in the far back, one of my friend observing through his ‘scope.

Thanks, Gowri, and Happy Halloween to you!

Read more: How to take great photos of star trails

from EarthSky http://ift.tt/2hrP65C

Halloween is a cross-quarter day

Photo via Kurt Magoon/Flickr

2018 EarthSky lunar calendars are here! Get yours now.

Halloween – short for All Hallows’ Eve – is an astronomical holiday. Sure, it’s the modern-day descendant from Samhain, a sacred festival of the ancient Celts and Druids in the British Isles. But it’s also a cross-quarter day, which is probably why Samhain occurred when it did. Early people were keen observers of the sky. A cross-quarter day is a day more or less midway between an equinox (when the sun sets due west) and a solstice (when the sun sets at its most northern or southern point on the horizon). Halloween – October 31 – is approximately midway point between the autumn equinox and winter solstice, for us in the Northern Hemisphere.

In other words, in traditional astronomy, there are eight major seasonal subdivisions of every year. They include the March and September equinoxes, the June and December solstices, and the intervening four cross-quarter days.

In modern times, the four cross-quarter days are often called Groundhog Day (February 2), May Day (May 1), Lammas (August 1) and Halloween (October 31).

Equinoxes, solstices and cross-quarter days are all hallmarks of Earth’s orbit around the sun. Halloween is the 4th cross-quarter day of the year. Illustration via NASA

For us in the Northern Hemisphere, Halloween is the darkest of the cross-quarter days, coming at a time of year when the days are growing shorter. Early people once said that the spirits of the dead wander from sunset until midnight around this cross-quarter day. After midnight – on November 1, which we now call All Saints’ Day – the ghosts are said to go back to rest.

The October 31 date for Halloween has been fixed by tradition. The true cross-quarter day falls on November 7, representing a discrepancy of about a week. According to the ancient Celts, a cross-quarter day marks the beginning – not the middle – of a season.

The Pleiades star cluster, also known as the Seven Sisters. This tiny, misty dipper is easy to pick out in the night sky. Photo via Dave Dehetre/Flickr.

The Pleiades connection. It’s thought that the early forbearer of Halloween – Samhain – happened on the night that the Pleiades star cluster culminated at midnight.

In other words, the Pleiades climbed to its highest point in the sky at midnight on or near the same date as this cross-quarter day. In our day, Halloween is fixed on October 31, though the midnight culmination of the Pleiades cluster now occurs on November 21.

Presuming the supposed connection between Samhain and the midnight culmination of the Pleiades, the two events took place on or near the same date in the 11th century (1001-1100) and 12th century (1101-1200). This was several centuries before the introduction of the Gregorian calendar.

At that time, when the Julian calendar was in use, the cross-quarter day and the midnight culmination of the Pleiades fell – amazingly enough – on or near October 31. But, then, the Julian calendar was about one week out of step with the seasons. Had the Gregorian calendar been in use back then, the date of the cross-quarter day celebration would have been November 7.

Calendar converter

But Halloween is now fixed on October 31. Meanwhile, the true cross-quarter day now falls on or near November 7 and the midnight culmination of the Pleiades cluster on or near November 21.

Bottom line: The present date for Halloween – October 31 – marks the approximate midway point between the autumn equinox and the winter solstice. Halloween is one of the year’s four cross-quarter days.

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Photo via Kurt Magoon/Flickr

2018 EarthSky lunar calendars are here! Get yours now.

Halloween – short for All Hallows’ Eve – is an astronomical holiday. Sure, it’s the modern-day descendant from Samhain, a sacred festival of the ancient Celts and Druids in the British Isles. But it’s also a cross-quarter day, which is probably why Samhain occurred when it did. Early people were keen observers of the sky. A cross-quarter day is a day more or less midway between an equinox (when the sun sets due west) and a solstice (when the sun sets at its most northern or southern point on the horizon). Halloween – October 31 – is approximately midway point between the autumn equinox and winter solstice, for us in the Northern Hemisphere.

In other words, in traditional astronomy, there are eight major seasonal subdivisions of every year. They include the March and September equinoxes, the June and December solstices, and the intervening four cross-quarter days.

In modern times, the four cross-quarter days are often called Groundhog Day (February 2), May Day (May 1), Lammas (August 1) and Halloween (October 31).

Equinoxes, solstices and cross-quarter days are all hallmarks of Earth’s orbit around the sun. Halloween is the 4th cross-quarter day of the year. Illustration via NASA

For us in the Northern Hemisphere, Halloween is the darkest of the cross-quarter days, coming at a time of year when the days are growing shorter. Early people once said that the spirits of the dead wander from sunset until midnight around this cross-quarter day. After midnight – on November 1, which we now call All Saints’ Day – the ghosts are said to go back to rest.

The October 31 date for Halloween has been fixed by tradition. The true cross-quarter day falls on November 7, representing a discrepancy of about a week. According to the ancient Celts, a cross-quarter day marks the beginning – not the middle – of a season.

The Pleiades star cluster, also known as the Seven Sisters. This tiny, misty dipper is easy to pick out in the night sky. Photo via Dave Dehetre/Flickr.

The Pleiades connection. It’s thought that the early forbearer of Halloween – Samhain – happened on the night that the Pleiades star cluster culminated at midnight.

In other words, the Pleiades climbed to its highest point in the sky at midnight on or near the same date as this cross-quarter day. In our day, Halloween is fixed on October 31, though the midnight culmination of the Pleiades cluster now occurs on November 21.

Presuming the supposed connection between Samhain and the midnight culmination of the Pleiades, the two events took place on or near the same date in the 11th century (1001-1100) and 12th century (1101-1200). This was several centuries before the introduction of the Gregorian calendar.

At that time, when the Julian calendar was in use, the cross-quarter day and the midnight culmination of the Pleiades fell – amazingly enough – on or near October 31. But, then, the Julian calendar was about one week out of step with the seasons. Had the Gregorian calendar been in use back then, the date of the cross-quarter day celebration would have been November 7.

Calendar converter

But Halloween is now fixed on October 31. Meanwhile, the true cross-quarter day now falls on or near November 7 and the midnight culmination of the Pleiades cluster on or near November 21.

Bottom line: The present date for Halloween – October 31 – marks the approximate midway point between the autumn equinox and the winter solstice. Halloween is one of the year’s four cross-quarter days.

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

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