New research, November 20-26, 2017

A selection of new climate related research articles is shown below.

Figure is from paper #6.

Climate change

1. Acceleration in the global mean sea level rise: 2005-2015

"Our results show that the acceleration during the last decade (0.27 ± 0.17 mm/yr²) is about three times faster than its value during 1993–2014. The acceleration comes from three factors, i.e. 0.04 ± 0.01 mm/yr² (~15%) by land ice melting, 0.12 ± 0.06 mm/yr² (~44%) by thermal expansion of the sea water, and 0.11 ± 0.02 mm/yr² (~41%) by declining land water storage."

2. Relationship between ocean carbon and heat multi-decadal variability

"Although the magnitude and frequency of variability in global heat and carbon content is different across the model simulations, there is a robust anti-correlation between global heat and carbon content in all simulations."

3. Vegetation greenness and land carbon-flux anomalies associated with climate variations: a focus on the year 2015

"The year 2015 appeared as a paradox regarding how global carbon cycle has responded to climate variation: it is the greenest year since 2000 according to satellite observation, but the atmospheric CO₂ growth rate is also the highest since 1959. We found that this is due to a only moderate land carbon sink, because high growing-season sink in northern lands has been partly offset by autumn and winter release and the late-year El Niño has led to an abrupt transition to land source in the tropics."

4. Influence of Global Warming on Western North Pacific Tropical Cyclone Intensities during 2015

"Statistical models show that the EINT is mostly due to the anomalous warmth in the environment indicated by global mean sea-surface temperature. In comparison, the EINT due to El Niño is negligible. This implies that the record-setting intensity of 2015 might not occurred without environmental warming and suggests that a year with even greater TC intensity is possible in the near future when above normal activity coincides with another record EINT due to continued multidecadal warming."

5. Intensified mega-ENSO has increased the proportion of intense tropical cyclones over the western Northwest Pacific since the late 1970s

"Intense tropical cyclones (TCs) formed over the western part of the western North Pacific (WWNP) pose greater coastal risk than those formed over the eastern part (EWNP). Here we show that the proportion of intense TCs relative to all TCs (PITC) locally formed over the WWNP west of 140E has almost doubled since the late 1970s. However, that over the EWNP has experienced little change. This sharp west-east contrast is primarily driven by the La Nina-like sea surface temperature (SST) pattern in the Pacific, identified as the mega-ENSO in previous studies. The strong warming in the WWNP has contributed greatly to the increased PITC while the dynamical conditions associated with the intensified mega-ENSO play a vital opposite role in offsetting and even overweighting the effect of local SST warming over the EWNP."

6. Rigorous 3D change determination in Antarctic Peninsula glaciers from stereo WorldView-2 and archival aerial imagery

"81% of glaciers studied showed considerable loss of volume over the period of record. The mean annual mass loss for all glaciers yielded 0.24 ± 0.08 m.w.e. per year, with a maximum mass loss of up to 62 m.w.e. and frontal retreat exceeding 2.2 km for Stadium Glacier, located furthest north on Elephant Island. Observed volumetric loss was broadly, though not always, correlated with frontal retreat. The combined mass balance of all 16 glaciers yielded − 1.862 ± 0.006 Gt, which corresponds to − 0.005 mm sea level equivalent (SLE) over the 57 year observation period."

7. Quantifying the uncertainties in an ensemble of decadal climate predictions

8. Potential large-scale forcing mechanisms driving enhanced North Atlantic tropical cyclone activity since the mid-1990s

9. Winter Eurasian cooling linked with the Atlantic Multidecadal Oscillation

10. Results of the first Arctic Heat Open Science Experiment

11. The role of snow in the thickening processes of lake ice at Lake Abashiri, Hokkaido, Japan

12. GPS-derived estimates of surface mass balance and ocean-induced basal melt for Pine Island Glacier ice shelf, Antarctica

13. Antarctic grounding line mapping from CryoSat-2 radar altimetry

14. Detecting high spatial variability of ice shelf basal mass balance, Roi Baudouin Ice Shelf, Antarctica

15. Wave-induced stress and breaking of sea ice in a coupled hydrodynamic discrete-element wave–ice model

16. Sensitivity of simulated South America climate to the land surface schemes in RegCM4

17. High Resolution Dynamical Downscaling Ensemble Projections of Future Extreme Temperature Distributions for the United States

18. Evaluation and projection of extreme precipitation indices in the Eastern Mediterranean based on CMIP5 multi-model ensemble

19. Flash droughts: a review and assessment of the challenges imposed by rapid onset droughts in the United States

20. How would the 21st-century warming influence Pacific decadal variability and its connection to North American rainfall: assessment based on a revised procedure for IPO/PDO

21. Anomalies of hydrological cycle components during the 2007 heat wave in Bulgaria

22. Diagnosing Human-Induced Dynamic and Thermodynamic Drivers of Extreme Rainfall

23. Trend and change point analyses of annual precipitation in the Souss-Massa Region in Morocco during 1932–2010

24. Implications of differential effects between 1.5 and 2 °C global warming on temperature and precipitation extremes in China's urban agglomerations

25. Variations in the start, end, and length of extreme precipitation period across China

26. Observed and Simulated Spring and Summer Dryness in the United States: the Impact of the Pacific Sea Surface Temperature and Beyond

27. Linkage between global sea surface temperature and hydroclimatology of a major river basin of India before and after 1980

28. Carbon stocks and fluxes in the high latitudes: using site-level data to evaluate Earth system models

29. Carbon uptake and biogeochemical change in the Southern Ocean, south of Tasmania

30. Surface Water pCO₂ Variations and Sea-Air CO₂ Fluxes During Summer in the Eastern Canadian Arctic

31. Year-round CH₄ and CO₂ flux dynamics in two contrasting freshwater ecosystems of the subarctic

32. Soil pH as the chief modifier for regional nitrous oxide emissions: New evidence and implications for global estimates and mitigation

33. Reanalysis of and attribution to near-surface ozone concentrations in Sweden during 1990–2013

34. Cloudy-sky land surface longwave downward radiation (LWDR) estimation by integrating MODIS and AIRS/AMSU measurements

35. Real-time Determination of Earth Radiation Budget Spectral Signatures for Non-Linear Unfiltering of Results from MERBE

36. Clouds and the Earth’s Radiant Energy System (CERES) Energy Balanced and Filled (EBAF) Top-of-Atmosphere (TOA) Edition 4.0 Data Product

37. Characteristics of mid-level clouds over West Africa

38. A Comparison of Daily Temperature Averaging Methods: Spatial Variability and Recent Change for the CONUS

39. Evaluating modeled impact metrics for human health, agriculture growth, and near-term climate

40. Evaluating the relationship between climate change and volcanism

Climate change impacts

41. Large-scale bleaching of corals on the Great Barrier Reef

"In 2015–2016, record temperatures triggered a pan-tropical episode of coral bleaching." ... "The severity of bleaching on individual reefs in 2016 was tightly correlated with the level of local heat exposure: the southernmost region of the Great Barrier Reef escaped with only minor bleaching because summer temperatures there were close to average." ... "Two earlier mass bleaching events occurred on the Great Barrier Reef in 1998 and 2002, that were less severe than 2016. In 2016, less than 9% of scored reefs had no bleaching, compared to 42% in 2002 and 44% in 1998. Conversely, the proportion of reefs that were severely bleached (>60% of corals affected) was four times higher in 2016."

42. Climate of migration? How climate triggered migration from southwest Germany to North America during the 19th century

"This paper presents the extent to which climate, harvest and prices influenced the major migration waves from southwest Germany into North America during the 19th century, a century of dramatic climatic and societal changes."

43. Temperature-dependent body size effects determine population responses to climate warming

"We show that interactive scaling alters population and stage-specific responses to rising temperatures, such that warming can induce shifts in population regulation and stage-structure, influence community structure and govern population responses to mortality. Analysing experimental data for 20 fish species, we found size–temperature interactions in intraspecific scaling of metabolic rate to be common."

44. Climate extremes and predicted warming threaten Mediterranean Holocene firs forests refugia

"Models anticipate abrupt growth reductions for the late 21st century when climatic conditions will be analogous to the most severe dry/heat spells causing forest die-off in the past decades. However, growth would increase in moist refugia. Circum-Mediterranean fir forests currently subjected to warm and dry conditions will be the most vulnerable according to the climate model predictions for the late 21st century."

45. Impact of choice of future climate change projection on growth chamber experimental outcomes: a preliminary study in potato

46. Maize leaf functional responses to drought episode and rewatering

47. Predicting the risk of cucurbit downy mildew in the eastern United States using an integrated aerobiological model

48. The impact of climate change on air conditioning requirements in Andalusia at a detailed scale

49. The relationship between thermal sensation and the rate of hospital admissions for cardiovascular disease in Kermanshah, Iran

50. Potential impacts of climate warming and increased summer heat stress on the electric grid: a case study for a large power transformer (LPT) in the Northeast United States

51. Environmental impacts and causes of conflict in the Horn of Africa: A review

52. The role of knowledge in climate transition and transformation literatures

53. Resilient futures of a small island: A participatory approach in Tenerife (Canary Islands) to address climate change

54. Natural and human-induced variability in barrier-island response to sea-level rise

55. Multi-sectoral, high-resolution assessment of climate change consequences of coastal flooding

56. An investigation of coastal climate change risk assessment practice in Australia

57. Climate Change Impacts on Selected Global Rangeland Ecosystem Services

58. Predicting climate change impacts on the distribution of the threatened Garcinia indica in the Western Ghats, India

59. Projections for the changes in growing season length of tree-ring formation on the Tibetan Plateau based on CMIP5 model simulations

60. Increased precipitation has stronger effects on plant production of an alpine meadow than does experimental warming in the Northern Tibetan Plateau

61. Climate and nutrient effects on Arctic wetland plant phenology observed from phenocams

62. Climate-mediated changes in marine ecosystem regulation during El Niño

63. Antarctic emerald rockcod have the capacity to compensate for warming when uncoupled from CO₂-acidification

64. The sensitivity of breeding songbirds to changes in seasonal timing is linked to population change but cannot be directly attributed to the effects of trophic asynchrony on productivity

65. Both life history plasticity and local adaptation will shape range-wide responses to climate warming in the tundra plant Silene acaulis

66. Physical effects of habitat-forming species override latitudinal trends in temperature

67. How complex should models be? Comparing correlative and mechanistic range dynamics models

68. Coral calcifying fluid aragonite saturation states derived from Raman spectroscopy

Climate change mitigation

69. Transformation of Japan's energy system to attain net-zero emission by 2050

"Based on a scenario analysis performed using AIM/Enduse [Japan], Japan's energy supply sector requires a radical transformation, including reliance on carbon dioxide removal options such as bioenergy with carbon capture and storage (BECCS) to attain net-zero emissions by 2050 without substantial social changes."

70. Variation in beliefs about 'fracking' between the UK and US

"The US sample was more likely to associate positive impacts with development (i.e. production of clean energy, cheap energy, and advancing national energy security). The UK sample was more likely to associate negative impacts (i.e. water contamination, higher carbon emissions, and earthquakes)."

71. Integrated assessment of international climate mitigation commitments outside the UNFCCC

72. The role of cities in multi-level climate governance: local climate policies and the 1.5 °C target

73. Pros and cons of online education as a measure to reduce carbon emissions in higher education in the Netherlands

74. Is financial development good for carbon mitigation in India? A regime shift-based cointegration analysis

75. How ‘Digital-born’ media cover climate change in comparison to legacy media: A case study of the COP 21 summit in Paris

76. Knowledge, perceptions, concerns, and behaviors to climate change—the Caribbean context: an introduction

77. Emission factors of CO₂, CO and CH₄ from Sumatran peatland fires in 2013 based on shipboard measurements

78. Quantifying methane emissions from natural gas production in north-eastern Pennsylvania

79. Well-to-wheel GHG emissions and mitigation potential from light-duty vehicles in Macau

Other papers

80. Emulation of long-term changes in global climate: application to the late Pliocene and future

81. The Little Ice Age in Iberian mountains

82. Can solar cycle modulate the ENSO effect on the Pacific/North American pattern?

83. Did anthropogeology anticipate the idea of the Anthropocene?

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

A selection of new climate related research articles is shown below.

Figure is from paper #6.

Climate change

1. Acceleration in the global mean sea level rise: 2005-2015

"Our results show that the acceleration during the last decade (0.27 ± 0.17 mm/yr²) is about three times faster than its value during 1993–2014. The acceleration comes from three factors, i.e. 0.04 ± 0.01 mm/yr² (~15%) by land ice melting, 0.12 ± 0.06 mm/yr² (~44%) by thermal expansion of the sea water, and 0.11 ± 0.02 mm/yr² (~41%) by declining land water storage."

2. Relationship between ocean carbon and heat multi-decadal variability

"Although the magnitude and frequency of variability in global heat and carbon content is different across the model simulations, there is a robust anti-correlation between global heat and carbon content in all simulations."

3. Vegetation greenness and land carbon-flux anomalies associated with climate variations: a focus on the year 2015

"The year 2015 appeared as a paradox regarding how global carbon cycle has responded to climate variation: it is the greenest year since 2000 according to satellite observation, but the atmospheric CO₂ growth rate is also the highest since 1959. We found that this is due to a only moderate land carbon sink, because high growing-season sink in northern lands has been partly offset by autumn and winter release and the late-year El Niño has led to an abrupt transition to land source in the tropics."

4. Influence of Global Warming on Western North Pacific Tropical Cyclone Intensities during 2015

"Statistical models show that the EINT is mostly due to the anomalous warmth in the environment indicated by global mean sea-surface temperature. In comparison, the EINT due to El Niño is negligible. This implies that the record-setting intensity of 2015 might not occurred without environmental warming and suggests that a year with even greater TC intensity is possible in the near future when above normal activity coincides with another record EINT due to continued multidecadal warming."

5. Intensified mega-ENSO has increased the proportion of intense tropical cyclones over the western Northwest Pacific since the late 1970s

"Intense tropical cyclones (TCs) formed over the western part of the western North Pacific (WWNP) pose greater coastal risk than those formed over the eastern part (EWNP). Here we show that the proportion of intense TCs relative to all TCs (PITC) locally formed over the WWNP west of 140E has almost doubled since the late 1970s. However, that over the EWNP has experienced little change. This sharp west-east contrast is primarily driven by the La Nina-like sea surface temperature (SST) pattern in the Pacific, identified as the mega-ENSO in previous studies. The strong warming in the WWNP has contributed greatly to the increased PITC while the dynamical conditions associated with the intensified mega-ENSO play a vital opposite role in offsetting and even overweighting the effect of local SST warming over the EWNP."

6. Rigorous 3D change determination in Antarctic Peninsula glaciers from stereo WorldView-2 and archival aerial imagery

"81% of glaciers studied showed considerable loss of volume over the period of record. The mean annual mass loss for all glaciers yielded 0.24 ± 0.08 m.w.e. per year, with a maximum mass loss of up to 62 m.w.e. and frontal retreat exceeding 2.2 km for Stadium Glacier, located furthest north on Elephant Island. Observed volumetric loss was broadly, though not always, correlated with frontal retreat. The combined mass balance of all 16 glaciers yielded − 1.862 ± 0.006 Gt, which corresponds to − 0.005 mm sea level equivalent (SLE) over the 57 year observation period."

7. Quantifying the uncertainties in an ensemble of decadal climate predictions

8. Potential large-scale forcing mechanisms driving enhanced North Atlantic tropical cyclone activity since the mid-1990s

9. Winter Eurasian cooling linked with the Atlantic Multidecadal Oscillation

10. Results of the first Arctic Heat Open Science Experiment

11. The role of snow in the thickening processes of lake ice at Lake Abashiri, Hokkaido, Japan

12. GPS-derived estimates of surface mass balance and ocean-induced basal melt for Pine Island Glacier ice shelf, Antarctica

13. Antarctic grounding line mapping from CryoSat-2 radar altimetry

14. Detecting high spatial variability of ice shelf basal mass balance, Roi Baudouin Ice Shelf, Antarctica

15. Wave-induced stress and breaking of sea ice in a coupled hydrodynamic discrete-element wave–ice model

16. Sensitivity of simulated South America climate to the land surface schemes in RegCM4

17. High Resolution Dynamical Downscaling Ensemble Projections of Future Extreme Temperature Distributions for the United States

18. Evaluation and projection of extreme precipitation indices in the Eastern Mediterranean based on CMIP5 multi-model ensemble

19. Flash droughts: a review and assessment of the challenges imposed by rapid onset droughts in the United States

20. How would the 21st-century warming influence Pacific decadal variability and its connection to North American rainfall: assessment based on a revised procedure for IPO/PDO

21. Anomalies of hydrological cycle components during the 2007 heat wave in Bulgaria

22. Diagnosing Human-Induced Dynamic and Thermodynamic Drivers of Extreme Rainfall

23. Trend and change point analyses of annual precipitation in the Souss-Massa Region in Morocco during 1932–2010

24. Implications of differential effects between 1.5 and 2 °C global warming on temperature and precipitation extremes in China's urban agglomerations

25. Variations in the start, end, and length of extreme precipitation period across China

26. Observed and Simulated Spring and Summer Dryness in the United States: the Impact of the Pacific Sea Surface Temperature and Beyond

27. Linkage between global sea surface temperature and hydroclimatology of a major river basin of India before and after 1980

28. Carbon stocks and fluxes in the high latitudes: using site-level data to evaluate Earth system models

29. Carbon uptake and biogeochemical change in the Southern Ocean, south of Tasmania

30. Surface Water pCO₂ Variations and Sea-Air CO₂ Fluxes During Summer in the Eastern Canadian Arctic

31. Year-round CH₄ and CO₂ flux dynamics in two contrasting freshwater ecosystems of the subarctic

32. Soil pH as the chief modifier for regional nitrous oxide emissions: New evidence and implications for global estimates and mitigation

33. Reanalysis of and attribution to near-surface ozone concentrations in Sweden during 1990–2013

34. Cloudy-sky land surface longwave downward radiation (LWDR) estimation by integrating MODIS and AIRS/AMSU measurements

35. Real-time Determination of Earth Radiation Budget Spectral Signatures for Non-Linear Unfiltering of Results from MERBE

36. Clouds and the Earth’s Radiant Energy System (CERES) Energy Balanced and Filled (EBAF) Top-of-Atmosphere (TOA) Edition 4.0 Data Product

37. Characteristics of mid-level clouds over West Africa

38. A Comparison of Daily Temperature Averaging Methods: Spatial Variability and Recent Change for the CONUS

39. Evaluating modeled impact metrics for human health, agriculture growth, and near-term climate

40. Evaluating the relationship between climate change and volcanism

Climate change impacts

41. Large-scale bleaching of corals on the Great Barrier Reef

"In 2015–2016, record temperatures triggered a pan-tropical episode of coral bleaching." ... "The severity of bleaching on individual reefs in 2016 was tightly correlated with the level of local heat exposure: the southernmost region of the Great Barrier Reef escaped with only minor bleaching because summer temperatures there were close to average." ... "Two earlier mass bleaching events occurred on the Great Barrier Reef in 1998 and 2002, that were less severe than 2016. In 2016, less than 9% of scored reefs had no bleaching, compared to 42% in 2002 and 44% in 1998. Conversely, the proportion of reefs that were severely bleached (>60% of corals affected) was four times higher in 2016."

42. Climate of migration? How climate triggered migration from southwest Germany to North America during the 19th century

"This paper presents the extent to which climate, harvest and prices influenced the major migration waves from southwest Germany into North America during the 19th century, a century of dramatic climatic and societal changes."

43. Temperature-dependent body size effects determine population responses to climate warming

"We show that interactive scaling alters population and stage-specific responses to rising temperatures, such that warming can induce shifts in population regulation and stage-structure, influence community structure and govern population responses to mortality. Analysing experimental data for 20 fish species, we found size–temperature interactions in intraspecific scaling of metabolic rate to be common."

44. Climate extremes and predicted warming threaten Mediterranean Holocene firs forests refugia

"Models anticipate abrupt growth reductions for the late 21st century when climatic conditions will be analogous to the most severe dry/heat spells causing forest die-off in the past decades. However, growth would increase in moist refugia. Circum-Mediterranean fir forests currently subjected to warm and dry conditions will be the most vulnerable according to the climate model predictions for the late 21st century."

45. Impact of choice of future climate change projection on growth chamber experimental outcomes: a preliminary study in potato

46. Maize leaf functional responses to drought episode and rewatering

47. Predicting the risk of cucurbit downy mildew in the eastern United States using an integrated aerobiological model

48. The impact of climate change on air conditioning requirements in Andalusia at a detailed scale

49. The relationship between thermal sensation and the rate of hospital admissions for cardiovascular disease in Kermanshah, Iran

50. Potential impacts of climate warming and increased summer heat stress on the electric grid: a case study for a large power transformer (LPT) in the Northeast United States

51. Environmental impacts and causes of conflict in the Horn of Africa: A review

52. The role of knowledge in climate transition and transformation literatures

53. Resilient futures of a small island: A participatory approach in Tenerife (Canary Islands) to address climate change

54. Natural and human-induced variability in barrier-island response to sea-level rise

55. Multi-sectoral, high-resolution assessment of climate change consequences of coastal flooding

56. An investigation of coastal climate change risk assessment practice in Australia

57. Climate Change Impacts on Selected Global Rangeland Ecosystem Services

58. Predicting climate change impacts on the distribution of the threatened Garcinia indica in the Western Ghats, India

59. Projections for the changes in growing season length of tree-ring formation on the Tibetan Plateau based on CMIP5 model simulations

60. Increased precipitation has stronger effects on plant production of an alpine meadow than does experimental warming in the Northern Tibetan Plateau

61. Climate and nutrient effects on Arctic wetland plant phenology observed from phenocams

62. Climate-mediated changes in marine ecosystem regulation during El Niño

63. Antarctic emerald rockcod have the capacity to compensate for warming when uncoupled from CO₂-acidification

64. The sensitivity of breeding songbirds to changes in seasonal timing is linked to population change but cannot be directly attributed to the effects of trophic asynchrony on productivity

65. Both life history plasticity and local adaptation will shape range-wide responses to climate warming in the tundra plant Silene acaulis

66. Physical effects of habitat-forming species override latitudinal trends in temperature

67. How complex should models be? Comparing correlative and mechanistic range dynamics models

68. Coral calcifying fluid aragonite saturation states derived from Raman spectroscopy

Climate change mitigation

69. Transformation of Japan's energy system to attain net-zero emission by 2050

"Based on a scenario analysis performed using AIM/Enduse [Japan], Japan's energy supply sector requires a radical transformation, including reliance on carbon dioxide removal options such as bioenergy with carbon capture and storage (BECCS) to attain net-zero emissions by 2050 without substantial social changes."

70. Variation in beliefs about 'fracking' between the UK and US

"The US sample was more likely to associate positive impacts with development (i.e. production of clean energy, cheap energy, and advancing national energy security). The UK sample was more likely to associate negative impacts (i.e. water contamination, higher carbon emissions, and earthquakes)."

71. Integrated assessment of international climate mitigation commitments outside the UNFCCC

72. The role of cities in multi-level climate governance: local climate policies and the 1.5 °C target

73. Pros and cons of online education as a measure to reduce carbon emissions in higher education in the Netherlands

74. Is financial development good for carbon mitigation in India? A regime shift-based cointegration analysis

75. How ‘Digital-born’ media cover climate change in comparison to legacy media: A case study of the COP 21 summit in Paris

76. Knowledge, perceptions, concerns, and behaviors to climate change—the Caribbean context: an introduction

77. Emission factors of CO₂, CO and CH₄ from Sumatran peatland fires in 2013 based on shipboard measurements

78. Quantifying methane emissions from natural gas production in north-eastern Pennsylvania

79. Well-to-wheel GHG emissions and mitigation potential from light-duty vehicles in Macau

Other papers

80. Emulation of long-term changes in global climate: application to the late Pliocene and future

81. The Little Ice Age in Iberian mountains

82. Can solar cycle modulate the ENSO effect on the Pacific/North American pattern?

83. Did anthropogeology anticipate the idea of the Anthropocene?

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

December guide to the bright planets

Three planets appear in the December 2017 morning sky all month long: Mars, Jupiter and Venus. Whereas Mars and Jupiter light up the predawn hours, Venus hovers closer and closer to the sunrise as the month progresses. Click here for an almanac telling you when these planets rise into your sky.

Two of the five bright planets – Saturn and Mercury – start out the month as evening planets, at least nominally, but are pretty much lost in the glare of sunset. The other three bright planets – Venus, Jupiter and Mars – reside exclusively in the morning sky, before sunup. Mars and Jupiter light up the predawn hours all month long, but Venus rapidly sinks into the glare of sunrise, becoming difficult – if not impossible – to see by early December. Follow the links below to learn more about the planets in December 2017.

Venus, sinking into the glare of sunrise

Jupiter lights up predawn/dawn sky

Mars, above Jupiter, in eastern predawn sky

Saturn sinking into the glare of sunset

Mercury before sunrise in late December

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.

You won’t see the moon with Venus in December 2018. Last month, in November, when the crescent moon made a triangle with Jupiter (top) and Venus on the morning of November 17, 2017, Venus was rising earlier before sunrise than she will in December. This photo was taken over Valletta Lighthouse from Tigné Point on the island of Malta, by Gilbert Vancell Nature Photography.

Venus, sinking into the glare of sunrise Although Venus ranks as the third-brightest celestial body to light up our sky, after the sun and moon, Venus will be extremely difficult to see this month. Venus sinks closer and closer to the glare of sunrise all through December and passes out of the morning sky in January 2018.

If you don’t catch Venus in the east shortly before sunrise in early December, you may have to wait until February 2018 to catch Venus in the west after sunset. Throughout December, Venus rises only a short while before the sun, and in February 2018, Venus will set a short while after the sun.

Did you see the spectacular conjunction of Venus and Jupiter in the morning sky on or around November 13? Ever since, Jupiter has been climbing away from the glare of sunrise day by day while Venus has been falling toward the sunrise daily.

Conjunction of Venus and Jupiter over downtown Denver on November 13, after emerging from the clouds, via Christy Sanchez.

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 45 minutes before the sun in early December, and about 5 minutes before sunrise by the month’s end.

At temperate latitudes in the Southern Hemisphere (Australia and South Africa), Venus rises about 30 minutes before sunup in early December. By the month’s end, that’ll taper to about 10 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.

The waning crescent moon helps to guide your eye to the morning spectacle. Aim binoculars at Jupiter to view the star Zubenelgenubi and Jupiter in the same binocular field of view. Look closely and you’ll see that Zubenelgenubi is a double star – two stars in one!

Jupiter lights up predawn/dawn sky. Because Venus is pretty much obscured by the glare of sunrise this month, the king planet Jupiter takes over as the brightest starlike object to adorn the predawn/dawn sky. Look eastward for the most brilliant point of light in the morning sky, and more than likely, that’ll be Jupiter.

This month, Jupiter shines in front of the constellation Libra the Scales and close to Libra’s alpha star, Zubenelgenubi. Use brilliant Jupiter to locate Zubenelgenubi, and then use binoculars to view this star as a double star!

Before dawn, try finding modesty-bright Mars above Jupiter. Mars will be rather close to the 1st-magnitude star Spica at the beginning of December. Then, for the rest of this month, watch the gap between Jupiter and the red planet Mars rapidly come to a close. These two worlds will meet up in front of the constellation Libra for a stunningly close conjunction in the morning sky on January 7, 2018.

Around the time of the Geminid meteor shower, look for the waning crescent moon to pair up with Mars on the morning of December 13 and then with Jupiter on the morning of December 14. (See the sky chart above.)

From mid-northern latitudes, Jupiter rises about two and one-half hours before the sun in early December. By late December, Jupiter will rise about four and one-half 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).

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.

Later this month, starting on or near the December solstice, an imaginary line from Jupiter through Mars can help guide your eye to Mercury’s place near the horizon. Read more.

Mars, above Jupiter, in eastern predawn sky. Look for Mars to rise in the east well before dawn’s first light. Mars and Jupiter are the only naked-eye planets to grace the predawn sky throughout the month. Jupiter begins the month about 16^o below Mars and gets to within 3^o of the red planet by the month’s end. (For reference, a fist at an arm length spans about 10^o of sky.) Mars and Jupiter will finally meet up for a conjunction on January 7, 2018.

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 Jupiter, which outshines Mars by over 20 times in December. Jupiter is even visible in a twilight sky.

Be sure to let the waning crescent moon help guide your eye to Mars (and Jupiter) on the mornings of December 13 and 14, at which time the Geminid meteor shower should be at or near its peak.

Later this month, starting around the December solstice, an imaginary line from Jupiter through Mars can help guide your eye to Mercury’s place near the horizon. Look for Mercury over the sunrise point on the horizon as the predawn darkness begins to give way to dawn. (See the sky chart above.)

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 body.

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

The morning conjunction of Mercury and Saturn on January 13, 2018, may well be your first opportunity to view Saturn in the morning sky. Read more.

Saturn sinking into the glare of sunset. On these early December evenings, look for Saturn shortly after sunset. It’s low in the southwest sky. Saturn will transition out of the evening sky and into the morning sky on the December solstice, and probably won’t be seen in the morning sky until mid-January 2018.

From mid-northern latitudes (US and Europe), Saturn sets about 70 minutes after sunset in early December and sets with the sun around the December 21 solstice.

From temperate latitudes in the Southern Hemisphere (South Africa, southern Australia), Saturn sets about 80 minutes after sunset in early December and sets with the sun around the December 21 solstice.

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.

November 21, 2017 photo of the waxing crescent moon, Saturn and Mercury in the evening sky via Annie Lewis in Madrid, Spain.

You won’t see the moon close to Mercury or Saturn in December 2017. But you can use
the lit side of the moon to find Mercury and Saturn pairing up together in the morning sky on January 12, 13 and 14, 2018. Read more.

Mercury before sunrise in late December. It might be possible to catch Mercury in the evening sky in early December and then in the morning sky in late December. But it won’t be easy to catch Mercury in the evening sky (especially at northerly latitudes) and your chances of spotting Mercury in the evening sky plunge rapidly after the first of the month. Mercury and Saturn had a conjunction in the evening sky on November 28, 2017, and will have another conjunction in the evening sky on December 6, 2017, which will be much harder to see. A third conjunction of these two worlds will take place in the morning sky on January 13, 2018.

For the most part, your best shot of catching Mercury will be in the morning sky, for several weeks centered around January 1, 2018. Although this apparition of Mercury in the morning sky slightly favors the Northern Hemisphere, this world should be fairly easy to see around the world in late December 2017 and early January 2018.

Mercury is tricky, even when it becomes visible. If you look too early, Mercury will still be under the horizon; if you look too late, it will be obscured by morning twilight. Watch for Mercury low in the sky, and near the sunrise point on the horizon, being mindful of Mercury’s rising time.

You won’t see the moon close to Mercury (or Saturn) this month, but you can use the lit part of the moon to find Mercury pairing up with Saturn on the mornings of January 12, 13 and 14. (See above sky chart.)

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 December 2017, two of the five bright planets – Saturn and Mercury – nominally reign as evening planets in early December, but transition over to the morning sky by the end of the month. The other three bright planets – Venus, Mars and Jupiter – are found in the morning sky, before sunup.

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Three planets appear in the December 2017 morning sky all month long: Mars, Jupiter and Venus. Whereas Mars and Jupiter light up the predawn hours, Venus hovers closer and closer to the sunrise as the month progresses. Click here for an almanac telling you when these planets rise into your sky.

Two of the five bright planets – Saturn and Mercury – start out the month as evening planets, at least nominally, but are pretty much lost in the glare of sunset. The other three bright planets – Venus, Jupiter and Mars – reside exclusively in the morning sky, before sunup. Mars and Jupiter light up the predawn hours all month long, but Venus rapidly sinks into the glare of sunrise, becoming difficult – if not impossible – to see by early December. Follow the links below to learn more about the planets in December 2017.

Venus, sinking into the glare of sunrise

Jupiter lights up predawn/dawn sky

Mars, above Jupiter, in eastern predawn sky

Saturn sinking into the glare of sunset

Mercury before sunrise in late December

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You won’t see the moon with Venus in December 2018. Last month, in November, when the crescent moon made a triangle with Jupiter (top) and Venus on the morning of November 17, 2017, Venus was rising earlier before sunrise than she will in December. This photo was taken over Valletta Lighthouse from Tigné Point on the island of Malta, by Gilbert Vancell Nature Photography.

Venus, sinking into the glare of sunrise Although Venus ranks as the third-brightest celestial body to light up our sky, after the sun and moon, Venus will be extremely difficult to see this month. Venus sinks closer and closer to the glare of sunrise all through December and passes out of the morning sky in January 2018.

If you don’t catch Venus in the east shortly before sunrise in early December, you may have to wait until February 2018 to catch Venus in the west after sunset. Throughout December, Venus rises only a short while before the sun, and in February 2018, Venus will set a short while after the sun.

Did you see the spectacular conjunction of Venus and Jupiter in the morning sky on or around November 13? Ever since, Jupiter has been climbing away from the glare of sunrise day by day while Venus has been falling toward the sunrise daily.

Conjunction of Venus and Jupiter over downtown Denver on November 13, after emerging from the clouds, via Christy Sanchez.

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 45 minutes before the sun in early December, and about 5 minutes before sunrise by the month’s end.

At temperate latitudes in the Southern Hemisphere (Australia and South Africa), Venus rises about 30 minutes before sunup in early December. By the month’s end, that’ll taper to about 10 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.

The waning crescent moon helps to guide your eye to the morning spectacle. Aim binoculars at Jupiter to view the star Zubenelgenubi and Jupiter in the same binocular field of view. Look closely and you’ll see that Zubenelgenubi is a double star – two stars in one!

Jupiter lights up predawn/dawn sky. Because Venus is pretty much obscured by the glare of sunrise this month, the king planet Jupiter takes over as the brightest starlike object to adorn the predawn/dawn sky. Look eastward for the most brilliant point of light in the morning sky, and more than likely, that’ll be Jupiter.

This month, Jupiter shines in front of the constellation Libra the Scales and close to Libra’s alpha star, Zubenelgenubi. Use brilliant Jupiter to locate Zubenelgenubi, and then use binoculars to view this star as a double star!

Before dawn, try finding modesty-bright Mars above Jupiter. Mars will be rather close to the 1st-magnitude star Spica at the beginning of December. Then, for the rest of this month, watch the gap between Jupiter and the red planet Mars rapidly come to a close. These two worlds will meet up in front of the constellation Libra for a stunningly close conjunction in the morning sky on January 7, 2018.

Around the time of the Geminid meteor shower, look for the waning crescent moon to pair up with Mars on the morning of December 13 and then with Jupiter on the morning of December 14. (See the sky chart above.)

From mid-northern latitudes, Jupiter rises about two and one-half hours before the sun in early December. By late December, Jupiter will rise about four and one-half 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).

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.

Later this month, starting on or near the December solstice, an imaginary line from Jupiter through Mars can help guide your eye to Mercury’s place near the horizon. Read more.

Mars, above Jupiter, in eastern predawn sky. Look for Mars to rise in the east well before dawn’s first light. Mars and Jupiter are the only naked-eye planets to grace the predawn sky throughout the month. Jupiter begins the month about 16^o below Mars and gets to within 3^o of the red planet by the month’s end. (For reference, a fist at an arm length spans about 10^o of sky.) Mars and Jupiter will finally meet up for a conjunction on January 7, 2018.

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 Jupiter, which outshines Mars by over 20 times in December. Jupiter is even visible in a twilight sky.

Be sure to let the waning crescent moon help guide your eye to Mars (and Jupiter) on the mornings of December 13 and 14, at which time the Geminid meteor shower should be at or near its peak.

Later this month, starting around the December solstice, an imaginary line from Jupiter through Mars can help guide your eye to Mercury’s place near the horizon. Look for Mercury over the sunrise point on the horizon as the predawn darkness begins to give way to dawn. (See the sky chart above.)

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 body.

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

The morning conjunction of Mercury and Saturn on January 13, 2018, may well be your first opportunity to view Saturn in the morning sky. Read more.

Saturn sinking into the glare of sunset. On these early December evenings, look for Saturn shortly after sunset. It’s low in the southwest sky. Saturn will transition out of the evening sky and into the morning sky on the December solstice, and probably won’t be seen in the morning sky until mid-January 2018.

From mid-northern latitudes (US and Europe), Saturn sets about 70 minutes after sunset in early December and sets with the sun around the December 21 solstice.

From temperate latitudes in the Southern Hemisphere (South Africa, southern Australia), Saturn sets about 80 minutes after sunset in early December and sets with the sun around the December 21 solstice.

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.

November 21, 2017 photo of the waxing crescent moon, Saturn and Mercury in the evening sky via Annie Lewis in Madrid, Spain.

You won’t see the moon close to Mercury or Saturn in December 2017. But you can use
the lit side of the moon to find Mercury and Saturn pairing up together in the morning sky on January 12, 13 and 14, 2018. Read more.

Mercury before sunrise in late December. It might be possible to catch Mercury in the evening sky in early December and then in the morning sky in late December. But it won’t be easy to catch Mercury in the evening sky (especially at northerly latitudes) and your chances of spotting Mercury in the evening sky plunge rapidly after the first of the month. Mercury and Saturn had a conjunction in the evening sky on November 28, 2017, and will have another conjunction in the evening sky on December 6, 2017, which will be much harder to see. A third conjunction of these two worlds will take place in the morning sky on January 13, 2018.

For the most part, your best shot of catching Mercury will be in the morning sky, for several weeks centered around January 1, 2018. Although this apparition of Mercury in the morning sky slightly favors the Northern Hemisphere, this world should be fairly easy to see around the world in late December 2017 and early January 2018.

Mercury is tricky, even when it becomes visible. If you look too early, Mercury will still be under the horizon; if you look too late, it will be obscured by morning twilight. Watch for Mercury low in the sky, and near the sunrise point on the horizon, being mindful of Mercury’s rising time.

You won’t see the moon close to Mercury (or Saturn) this month, but you can use the lit part of the moon to find Mercury pairing up with Saturn on the mornings of January 12, 13 and 14. (See above sky chart.)

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 December 2017, two of the five bright planets – Saturn and Mercury – nominally reign as evening planets in early December, but transition over to the morning sky by the end of the month. The other three bright planets – Venus, Mars and Jupiter – are found in the morning sky, before sunup.

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Watch for this weekend’s supermoon

Eliot Herman in Tucson, Arizona compared the apparent size of 2017’s smallest full moon in June with the November 2016 supermoon. He wrote: “Both images captured with a Questar telescope and a Nikon D800 camera. The images were combined with Photoshop.”

Full moon happens at the same instant worldwide on December 3, 2017 at 15:47 UTC; translate UTC to your time zone. It’ll be 2017’s first, last and only supermoon. In other words, this full moon will be near perigee, or the closest point of the moon in orbit for this month. Your eye probably can’t detect a difference in size between the December 3 supermoon and any ordinary full moon (although experienced observers say they can detect a size difference). But the supermoon is substantially brighter than an ordinary full moon.

Like every full moon, this one is opposite the sun from Earth. It’ll rise in the east as the sun sets in the west, ascend to its highest point in the sky in the middle of the night, and set in the west around dawn. Clouded out on December 3? The Virtual Telescope Project in Rome is offering an online viewing of the supermoon.

The December 2017 supermoon will be the first of three full moon supermoons in succession. The two full moons in January 2018 – on January 2 and 31 – also count as supermoons.

Some people will call the full moon on January 31 a Blue Moon because it’ll be the second of two full moons in one calendar month.

Moreover, the January 31, 2018 supermoon will stage a total eclipse of the moon: a super Blue Moon eclipse!

Read more about the December 2017 full supermoon.

Read more: What is a supermoon?

The Virtual Telescope Project in Rome, Italy will provide an online viewing of the December 3, 2017 supermoon, as it rises above Rome’s legendary monuments, with audio commentary by astrophysicist Gianluca Masi. Click here to join the show. The show starts December 3, 2017 at 16:00 UTC; translate UTC to your time zone.

As the moon orbits Earth, it changes phase in an orderly way. Follow these links to understand the various phases of the moon.

Four keys to understanding moon phases

Where’s the moon? Waxing crescent
Where’s the moon? First quarter
Where’s the moon? Waxing gibbous
What’s special about a full moon?
Where’s the moon? Waning gibbous
Where’s the moon? Last quarter
Where’s the moon? Waning crescent
Where’s the moon? New phase

Bottom line: A full moon looks full because it’s opposite Earth from the sun, showing us its fully lighted hemisphere or day side. The December 3, 2017 full moon is a supermoon.

Can you tell me the full moon names?

Moon in 2017: Phases, cycles, eclipses, supermoons and more

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

Eliot Herman in Tucson, Arizona compared the apparent size of 2017’s smallest full moon in June with the November 2016 supermoon. He wrote: “Both images captured with a Questar telescope and a Nikon D800 camera. The images were combined with Photoshop.”

Full moon happens at the same instant worldwide on December 3, 2017 at 15:47 UTC; translate UTC to your time zone. It’ll be 2017’s first, last and only supermoon. In other words, this full moon will be near perigee, or the closest point of the moon in orbit for this month. Your eye probably can’t detect a difference in size between the December 3 supermoon and any ordinary full moon (although experienced observers say they can detect a size difference). But the supermoon is substantially brighter than an ordinary full moon.

Like every full moon, this one is opposite the sun from Earth. It’ll rise in the east as the sun sets in the west, ascend to its highest point in the sky in the middle of the night, and set in the west around dawn. Clouded out on December 3? The Virtual Telescope Project in Rome is offering an online viewing of the supermoon.

The December 2017 supermoon will be the first of three full moon supermoons in succession. The two full moons in January 2018 – on January 2 and 31 – also count as supermoons.

Some people will call the full moon on January 31 a Blue Moon because it’ll be the second of two full moons in one calendar month.

Moreover, the January 31, 2018 supermoon will stage a total eclipse of the moon: a super Blue Moon eclipse!

Read more about the December 2017 full supermoon.

Read more: What is a supermoon?

The Virtual Telescope Project in Rome, Italy will provide an online viewing of the December 3, 2017 supermoon, as it rises above Rome’s legendary monuments, with audio commentary by astrophysicist Gianluca Masi. Click here to join the show. The show starts December 3, 2017 at 16:00 UTC; translate UTC to your time zone.

As the moon orbits Earth, it changes phase in an orderly way. Follow these links to understand the various phases of the moon.

Four keys to understanding moon phases

Where’s the moon? Waxing crescent
Where’s the moon? First quarter
Where’s the moon? Waxing gibbous
What’s special about a full moon?
Where’s the moon? Waning gibbous
Where’s the moon? Last quarter
Where’s the moon? Waning crescent
Where’s the moon? New phase

Bottom line: A full moon looks full because it’s opposite Earth from the sun, showing us its fully lighted hemisphere or day side. The December 3, 2017 full moon is a supermoon.

Can you tell me the full moon names?

Moon in 2017: Phases, cycles, eclipses, supermoons and more

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

When is the next Blue Moon?

Most Blue Moons are not blue in color. This photo of a moon among fast-moving clouds was created using special filters. Image via EarthSky Facebook friend Jv Noriega.

In recent years, people have been using the name Blue Moon for the second of two full moons in a single calendar month. An older definition says a Blue Moon is the third of four full moons in a single season. Someday, you might see an actual blue-colored moon. The term once in a blue moon used to mean something rare. Now that the rules for naming Blue Moons include several different possibilities, Blue Moons are pretty common! The next Blue Moon (second full moon in one calendar month) will be January 31, 2018. Follow the links below to learn more about Blue Moons:

Last seasonal Blue Moon on May 21, 2016.

Next monthly Blue Moon on January 31, 2018.

Which Blue Moon definition is better?

Can a moon be blue in color?

Can there be two Blue Moons in a single calendar year?

Desert Blue Moon from our friend Priya Kumar in Oman. August, 2012. Thank you, Priya!

Blue Moon as third full moon of four in a season. The Maine Farmer’s Almanac defined a Blue Moon as an extra full moon that occurred in a season. One season – winter, spring, fall, summer – typically has three full moons. If a season has four full moons, then the third full moon may be called a Blue Moon.

There was a Blue Moon by this definition happened on November 21, 2010. Another occurred on August 20-21, 2013.

It last happened on May 21, 2016.

The next seasonal Blue Moon (third of four full moons in one season) will take place on May 18, 2019.

This photo was created using special blue filters, too. Image via EarthSky Facebook friend Jv Noriega.

Next monthly Blue Moon on January 31, 2018. In recent decades, many people have begun using the name Blue Moon to describe the second full moon of a calendar month. There was a full moon on July 2, 2015. There was another full moon on July 31, 2015. So the July 31, 2015, full moon was called a Blue Moon, according to this definition.

The next one will be on January 31, 2018.

The time between one full moon and the next is close to the length of a calendar month. So the only time one month can have two full moons is when the first full moon happens in the first few days of the month. This happens every 2-3 years, so these sorts of Blue Moons come about that often.

The idea of a Blue Moon as the second full moon in a month stemmed from the March 1946 issue of Sky and Telescope magazine, which contained an article called “Once in a Blue Moon” by James Hugh Pruett. Pruett was referring to the 1937 Maine Farmer’s Almanac, but he inadvertently simplified the definition. He wrote:

Seven times in 19 years there were — and still are — 13 full moons in a year. This gives 11 months with one full moon each and one with two. This second in a month, so I interpret it, was called Blue Moon.

Had James Hugh Pruett looked at the actual date of the 1937 Blue Moon, he would have found that it had occurred on August 21, 1937. Also, there were only 12 full moons in 1937. You need 13 full moons in one calendar year to have two full moons in one calendar month.

However, that fortuitous oversight gave birth to a new and perfectly understandable definition for Blue Moon.

EarthSky’s Deborah Byrd happened upon a copy of this old 1946 issue of Sky and Telescope in the stacks of the Peridier Library at the University of Texas Astronomy Department in the late 1970s. Afterward, she began using the term Blue Moon to describe the second full moon in a calendar month on the radio. Later, this definition of Blue Moon was also popularized by a book for children by Margot McLoon-Basta and Alice Sigel, called “Kids’ World Almanac of Records and Facts,” published in New York by World Almanac Publications, in 1985. The second-full-moon-in-a-month definition was also used in the board game Trivial Pursuit.

Today, it has become part of folklore.

What most call a Blue Moon isn't blue in color. It's only Blue in name. This great moon photo from EarthSky Facebook friend Rebecca Lacey in Cambridge, Idaho.

Which Blue Moon definition is better? In recent years, a controversy has raged – mainly among purists – about which Blue Moon definition is better. The idea of a Blue Moon as the third of four in a season may be older than the idea of a Blue Moon as the second full moon in a month. Is it better? Is one definition right and the other wrong?

Opinions vary, but, remember, this is folklore. So we, the folk, get to decide. In the 21st century, both sorts of full moons have been called Blue.

As the folklorist Phillip Hiscock wrote in his comprehensive article Folklore of the Blue Moon:

Old folklore it is not, but real folklore it is.

Can a moon be blue in color? There’s one kind of blue moon that is still rare. It’s very rare that you would see a blue-colored moon, although unusual sky conditions – certain-sized particles of dust or smoke – can create them.

Blue-colored moons aren’t predictable. So don’t be misled by the photo above. The sorts of moons people commonly call Blue Moons aren’t usually blue.

For more about truly blue-colored moons, click here.

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Can there be two Blue Moons in a single calendar year? Yes. It last happened in 1999. There were two full moons in January and two full moons in March and no full moon in February. So both January and March had Blue Moons.

The next year of double monthly blue moons is coming up in January and March, 2018 – and then, after that, in January and March, 2037.

Very rarely, a monthly Blue Moon (second of two full moons in one calendar month) and a seasonal Blue Moon (third of four full moons in one season) can occur in the same calendar year. But for this to happen, you need 13 full moons in one calendar year AND 13 full moons in between successive December solstices. This will next happen in the year 2048, when a monthly Blue Moon falls on January 31, and a seasonal Blue Moon on August 23.

Bottom line: A blue-colored moon is rare. But folklore has defined two different kinds of Blue Moons, and moons that are Blue by name have become pretty common. A Blue Moon can be the second full moon in a month. We had that sort of Blue Moon on July 31, 2015, and will happen again on January 31, 2018. Or it can be the third of four full moons in a season. That’ll be May 18, 2019.

Possible to have only 2 full moons in one season?

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Most Blue Moons are not blue in color. This photo of a moon among fast-moving clouds was created using special filters. Image via EarthSky Facebook friend Jv Noriega.

In recent years, people have been using the name Blue Moon for the second of two full moons in a single calendar month. An older definition says a Blue Moon is the third of four full moons in a single season. Someday, you might see an actual blue-colored moon. The term once in a blue moon used to mean something rare. Now that the rules for naming Blue Moons include several different possibilities, Blue Moons are pretty common! The next Blue Moon (second full moon in one calendar month) will be January 31, 2018. Follow the links below to learn more about Blue Moons:

Last seasonal Blue Moon on May 21, 2016.

Next monthly Blue Moon on January 31, 2018.

Which Blue Moon definition is better?

Can a moon be blue in color?

Can there be two Blue Moons in a single calendar year?

Desert Blue Moon from our friend Priya Kumar in Oman. August, 2012. Thank you, Priya!

Blue Moon as third full moon of four in a season. The Maine Farmer’s Almanac defined a Blue Moon as an extra full moon that occurred in a season. One season – winter, spring, fall, summer – typically has three full moons. If a season has four full moons, then the third full moon may be called a Blue Moon.

There was a Blue Moon by this definition happened on November 21, 2010. Another occurred on August 20-21, 2013.

It last happened on May 21, 2016.

The next seasonal Blue Moon (third of four full moons in one season) will take place on May 18, 2019.

This photo was created using special blue filters, too. Image via EarthSky Facebook friend Jv Noriega.

Next monthly Blue Moon on January 31, 2018. In recent decades, many people have begun using the name Blue Moon to describe the second full moon of a calendar month. There was a full moon on July 2, 2015. There was another full moon on July 31, 2015. So the July 31, 2015, full moon was called a Blue Moon, according to this definition.

The next one will be on January 31, 2018.

The time between one full moon and the next is close to the length of a calendar month. So the only time one month can have two full moons is when the first full moon happens in the first few days of the month. This happens every 2-3 years, so these sorts of Blue Moons come about that often.

The idea of a Blue Moon as the second full moon in a month stemmed from the March 1946 issue of Sky and Telescope magazine, which contained an article called “Once in a Blue Moon” by James Hugh Pruett. Pruett was referring to the 1937 Maine Farmer’s Almanac, but he inadvertently simplified the definition. He wrote:

Seven times in 19 years there were — and still are — 13 full moons in a year. This gives 11 months with one full moon each and one with two. This second in a month, so I interpret it, was called Blue Moon.

Had James Hugh Pruett looked at the actual date of the 1937 Blue Moon, he would have found that it had occurred on August 21, 1937. Also, there were only 12 full moons in 1937. You need 13 full moons in one calendar year to have two full moons in one calendar month.

However, that fortuitous oversight gave birth to a new and perfectly understandable definition for Blue Moon.

EarthSky’s Deborah Byrd happened upon a copy of this old 1946 issue of Sky and Telescope in the stacks of the Peridier Library at the University of Texas Astronomy Department in the late 1970s. Afterward, she began using the term Blue Moon to describe the second full moon in a calendar month on the radio. Later, this definition of Blue Moon was also popularized by a book for children by Margot McLoon-Basta and Alice Sigel, called “Kids’ World Almanac of Records and Facts,” published in New York by World Almanac Publications, in 1985. The second-full-moon-in-a-month definition was also used in the board game Trivial Pursuit.

Today, it has become part of folklore.

What most call a Blue Moon isn't blue in color. It's only Blue in name. This great moon photo from EarthSky Facebook friend Rebecca Lacey in Cambridge, Idaho.

Which Blue Moon definition is better? In recent years, a controversy has raged – mainly among purists – about which Blue Moon definition is better. The idea of a Blue Moon as the third of four in a season may be older than the idea of a Blue Moon as the second full moon in a month. Is it better? Is one definition right and the other wrong?

Opinions vary, but, remember, this is folklore. So we, the folk, get to decide. In the 21st century, both sorts of full moons have been called Blue.

As the folklorist Phillip Hiscock wrote in his comprehensive article Folklore of the Blue Moon:

Old folklore it is not, but real folklore it is.

Can a moon be blue in color? There’s one kind of blue moon that is still rare. It’s very rare that you would see a blue-colored moon, although unusual sky conditions – certain-sized particles of dust or smoke – can create them.

Blue-colored moons aren’t predictable. So don’t be misled by the photo above. The sorts of moons people commonly call Blue Moons aren’t usually blue.

For more about truly blue-colored moons, click here.

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Can there be two Blue Moons in a single calendar year? Yes. It last happened in 1999. There were two full moons in January and two full moons in March and no full moon in February. So both January and March had Blue Moons.

The next year of double monthly blue moons is coming up in January and March, 2018 – and then, after that, in January and March, 2037.

Very rarely, a monthly Blue Moon (second of two full moons in one calendar month) and a seasonal Blue Moon (third of four full moons in one season) can occur in the same calendar year. But for this to happen, you need 13 full moons in one calendar year AND 13 full moons in between successive December solstices. This will next happen in the year 2048, when a monthly Blue Moon falls on January 31, and a seasonal Blue Moon on August 23.

Bottom line: A blue-colored moon is rare. But folklore has defined two different kinds of Blue Moons, and moons that are Blue by name have become pretty common. A Blue Moon can be the second full moon in a month. We had that sort of Blue Moon on July 31, 2015, and will happen again on January 31, 2018. Or it can be the third of four full moons in a season. That’ll be May 18, 2019.

Possible to have only 2 full moons in one season?

from EarthSky http://ift.tt/SSlbBZ

What is a supermoon?

In recent years, we’ve had many full supermoons, but not so in 2017. The December 3 full moon is 2017’s 1st, last and only supermoon. Full moon photo via Kristal Alaimo-Moritz at Sepulveda Basin Wildlife Reserve, Van Nuys, California.

A supermoon is a new or full moon closely coinciding with perigee – the moon’s closest point to Earth in its monthly orbit. An astrologer, Richard Nolle, coined the term supermoon over 30 years ago, but now many in astronomy use it as well. Are supermoons hype? In our opinion … gosh, no, just modern folklore. They’ve entered the popular culture (check out Sophie Hunger’s music video in this post, for example). And they can cause real physical effects, such as larger-than-usual tides. According to the definition of supermoon coined by Nolle, the year 2017 has a total of four supermoons. The new moons of April, May and June and the full moon of December all qualify as supermoons. Follow the links below to learn more about supermoons.

What is a supermoon?

What did astronomers call these moons before we called them supermoons?

When are the supermoons of 2017?

Spring tides accompany the supermoons.

Dates of closest full supermoons in past and future years

What is a Black Moon?

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

Photographs or other instruments can tell the difference between a supermoon and ordinary full moon. The supermoon of March 19, 2011 (right), compared to an average moon of December 20, 2010 (left). Image by Marco Langbroek of the Netherlands via Wikimedia Commons.

What is a supermoon? We confess: before a few years ago, we in astronomy had never heard that term. To the best of our knowledge, astrologer Richard Nolle coined the term supermoon over 30 years ago. The term has only recently come into popular usage. Nolle has defined a supermoon as:

… a new or full moon which occurs with the moon at or near (within 90% of) its closest approach to Earth in a given orbit.

That’s a pretty generous definition, which is why there are so many supermoons. By this definition, according to Nolle:

There are 4-6 supermoons a year on average.

Some astronomers have complained about the name … but we like it! And it’s entered the popular culture. for example, Supermoon is the title track of Sophie Hunger’s 2015 album. It’s a nice song! Check it out in the video below.

What did astronomers call these moons before we called them supermoons? We called them a perigee full moon, or a perigee new moon. Perigee just means “near Earth.”

The moon is full, or opposite Earth from the sun, once each month. It’s new, or more or less between the Earth and sun, once each month. And, every month, as the moon orbits Earth, it comes closest to Earth. That point is called perigee. The moon always swings farthest away once each month; that point is called apogee.

No doubt about it. Supermoon is a catchier term than perigee new moon or perigee full moon.

We first became familiar with the supermoon label in the year 2011 when the media used it to describe the full moon of March 19, 2011. On that date, the full moon aligned with proxigee – the closest perigee of the year – to stage the closest, largest full moon of 2011.

About three or four times a year, the new or full moon coincides closely in time with the perigee of the moon—the point when the moon is closest to the Earth. These occurrences are often called ‘perigean spring tides.’ The difference between ‘perigean spring tide’ and normal tidal ranges for all areas of the coast is small. In most cases, the difference is only a couple of inches above normal spring tides. Image and caption via NOAA.

When are the supermoons of 2017? By Nolle’s definition, the new moon or full moon has to come within 362,146 kilometers (225,027 miles) of our planet, as measured from the centers of the moon and Earth, in order to be considered a supermoon.

By that definition, the year 2017 has a total of four supermoons. The first supermoon, for 2017, came with the April 26 new moon. The new moons on May 25 and June 24 are also considered supermoons, according to Nolle’s definition, and that same definition dictates that the full moon of December 2017 – plus the full moons on January 2 and 31, 2018 – will be supermoons, too. Thus, three successive full moon supermoons (aka near-perigee full moons) come in December 2017 and January 2018:

Full moon of 2017 December 3 at 15:47 UTC

Full moon of 2018 January 2 at 2:24 UTC

Full moon of 2018 January 31 at 13:27 UTC

The new moon on May 25, 2017 will present the closest supermoon of the year (357,265 kilometers or 221,994 miles). What’s more, this will be the first time since the year 2009 that the new moon (instead of the full moon) ushers in the year’s closest supermoon. It’ll also be the first time since 2009 that the closest supermoon didn’t come closer than 357,000 km.

Want more detail? Okay. In 2017, the moon comes closest to Earth on May 26 (357,207 kilometers), and swings farthest away on December 19 (406,603 kilometers). That’s a difference of 49,396 kilometers (406,603 – 357,207 = 49,396). Ninety percent of this 49,396-figure equals 44,456.4 kilometers (0.9 x 49,396 = 44,456.4). Presumably, any new or full moon coming closer than 362,146.6 kilometers (406,603 – 44,456.4 = 362,146.6) would be “at or near (within 90% of) its closest approach to Earth.”

Around each new moon (left) and full moon (right) – when the sun, Earth, and moon are located more or less on a line in space – the range between high and low tides is greatest. These are called spring tides. A supermoon – new or full moon at its closest to Earth – accentuates these tides. Image via physicalgeography.net

Spring tides will accompany the supermoons. Will the tides be larger than usual at the April, May and June 2017 new moons and the December 2017 full moon? Yes, all full moons (and new moons) combine with the sun to create larger-than-usual tides, but closer-than-average full moons (or closer-than-average new moons) elevate the tides even more.

Each month, on the day of the new moon, the Earth, moon and sun are aligned, with the moon in between. This line-up creates wide-ranging tides, known as spring tides. High spring tides climb up especially high, and on the same day low tides plunge especially low.

The closest new moon of the year on May 25 and the year’s closest full moon on December 3 are bound to accentuate the spring tide all the more, giving rise to what’s called a perigean spring tide. If you live along an ocean coastline, watch for high tides caused by these perigean full moons.

Will these high tides cause flooding? Probably not, unless a strong weather system accompanies the perigean spring tide. Still, keep an eye on the weather, because storms do have a large potential to accentuate perigean spring tides.

Dates of closest full supermoons in past and future years. More often than not, the one day of the year that the full moon and perigee align also brings about the year’s closest perigee (also called proxigee). Because the moon has recurring cycles, we can count on the full moon and perigee to come in concert in periods of about one year, one month and 18 days.

A lunar month refers to the time period between successive full moons, a mean period of 29.53059 days. An anomalistic month refers to successive returns to perigee, a period of 27.55455 days. Hence:

14 lunar months x 29.53059 days = 413.428 days
15 anomalistic months x 27.55455 days = 413.318 days

Therefore, the full moon and perigee realign in periods of about 413 days (one year and 48 days). So we can figure the dates of the closest full moons (<357,000 km) in past and future years:

Extra-close perigee full moons from 2010 to 2020

2010 Jan 30 (356,593 km)

2011 Mar 19 (356,575 km)

2012 May 06 (356,955 km)

2013 Jun 23 (356,991 km)

2014 Aug 10 (356,896 km)

2015 Sep 28 (356,877 km)

2016 Nov 14 (356,509 km)

2018 Jan 02 (356,565 km)

2019 Feb 19 (356,761 km)

2020 Apr 08 (356,907 km)

There won’t be an extra-close perigee full moon in 2017 (<357,000 km) because the extra-close coincidence of full moon and perigee won’t happen again (after November 14, 2016) until January 2, 2018. Looking further into the future, the perigee full moon will come closer than 356,500 kilometers for the first time in the 21st century (2001-2100) on November 25, 2034 (356,446 km). The closest full moon of the 21st century will fall on December 6, 2052 (356,425 km). By the way, some astronomers will call all the full moons listed above proxigee full moons.

But, like many of you, we’ll have fun just calling ’em supermoons.

What does a full supermoon look like? Most astronomers say you can’t really detect any difference with your eye between a supermoon and any ordinary full moon, although some careful observers say you can. This great moon photo is from EarthSky Facebook friend Rebecca Lacey in Cambridge, Idaho.

What is a Black Moon? We had never heard the term Black Moon until early 2014. It doesn’t come from astronomy, or skylore, either. Instead, according to David Harper, the term comes from Wiccan culture. It’s the name for the second of two new moons in one calendar month. January 2014, for example, had two new moon supermoons, the second of which was not only a supermoon, but a Black Moon. Does a Black Moon have to be a supermoon in order to be called Black? No. You can read more about Black Moons here.

The next Black moon by the above definition will occur on October 30, 2016. Sten Odenwald at astronomycafe.net lists some other names for the second new moon in a month: Spinner Moon, Finder’s Moon, Secret Moon.

However, we’ve also come across another definition for Black Moon: the third of four new moons in one season. This last happened with the new moon supermoon of February 18, 2015, because this particular new moon was the third of four new moons to take place between the December 2014 solstice and the March 2015 equinox. The next Black Moon by this definition will occur on August 21, 2017, to feature a Black Moon total solar eclipse in the United States.

Bottom line: The term supermoon doesn’t come from astronomy. It comes from astrology, and the definition is pretty generous so that there are about 6 supermoons each year. This post explains what a supermoon is, how many will occur in 2017, which moon is the most “super” of all the 2017 supermoons, and gives a list of upcoming full supermoons for the years ahead.

Learn more: Tides and the pull of the moon and sun

from EarthSky http://ift.tt/12MniMw

In recent years, we’ve had many full supermoons, but not so in 2017. The December 3 full moon is 2017’s 1st, last and only supermoon. Full moon photo via Kristal Alaimo-Moritz at Sepulveda Basin Wildlife Reserve, Van Nuys, California.

A supermoon is a new or full moon closely coinciding with perigee – the moon’s closest point to Earth in its monthly orbit. An astrologer, Richard Nolle, coined the term supermoon over 30 years ago, but now many in astronomy use it as well. Are supermoons hype? In our opinion … gosh, no, just modern folklore. They’ve entered the popular culture (check out Sophie Hunger’s music video in this post, for example). And they can cause real physical effects, such as larger-than-usual tides. According to the definition of supermoon coined by Nolle, the year 2017 has a total of four supermoons. The new moons of April, May and June and the full moon of December all qualify as supermoons. Follow the links below to learn more about supermoons.

What is a supermoon?

What did astronomers call these moons before we called them supermoons?

When are the supermoons of 2017?

Spring tides accompany the supermoons.

Dates of closest full supermoons in past and future years

What is a Black Moon?

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

Photographs or other instruments can tell the difference between a supermoon and ordinary full moon. The supermoon of March 19, 2011 (right), compared to an average moon of December 20, 2010 (left). Image by Marco Langbroek of the Netherlands via Wikimedia Commons.

What is a supermoon? We confess: before a few years ago, we in astronomy had never heard that term. To the best of our knowledge, astrologer Richard Nolle coined the term supermoon over 30 years ago. The term has only recently come into popular usage. Nolle has defined a supermoon as:

… a new or full moon which occurs with the moon at or near (within 90% of) its closest approach to Earth in a given orbit.

That’s a pretty generous definition, which is why there are so many supermoons. By this definition, according to Nolle:

There are 4-6 supermoons a year on average.

Some astronomers have complained about the name … but we like it! And it’s entered the popular culture. for example, Supermoon is the title track of Sophie Hunger’s 2015 album. It’s a nice song! Check it out in the video below.

What did astronomers call these moons before we called them supermoons? We called them a perigee full moon, or a perigee new moon. Perigee just means “near Earth.”

The moon is full, or opposite Earth from the sun, once each month. It’s new, or more or less between the Earth and sun, once each month. And, every month, as the moon orbits Earth, it comes closest to Earth. That point is called perigee. The moon always swings farthest away once each month; that point is called apogee.

No doubt about it. Supermoon is a catchier term than perigee new moon or perigee full moon.

We first became familiar with the supermoon label in the year 2011 when the media used it to describe the full moon of March 19, 2011. On that date, the full moon aligned with proxigee – the closest perigee of the year – to stage the closest, largest full moon of 2011.

About three or four times a year, the new or full moon coincides closely in time with the perigee of the moon—the point when the moon is closest to the Earth. These occurrences are often called ‘perigean spring tides.’ The difference between ‘perigean spring tide’ and normal tidal ranges for all areas of the coast is small. In most cases, the difference is only a couple of inches above normal spring tides. Image and caption via NOAA.

When are the supermoons of 2017? By Nolle’s definition, the new moon or full moon has to come within 362,146 kilometers (225,027 miles) of our planet, as measured from the centers of the moon and Earth, in order to be considered a supermoon.

By that definition, the year 2017 has a total of four supermoons. The first supermoon, for 2017, came with the April 26 new moon. The new moons on May 25 and June 24 are also considered supermoons, according to Nolle’s definition, and that same definition dictates that the full moon of December 2017 – plus the full moons on January 2 and 31, 2018 – will be supermoons, too. Thus, three successive full moon supermoons (aka near-perigee full moons) come in December 2017 and January 2018:

Full moon of 2017 December 3 at 15:47 UTC

Full moon of 2018 January 2 at 2:24 UTC

Full moon of 2018 January 31 at 13:27 UTC

The new moon on May 25, 2017 will present the closest supermoon of the year (357,265 kilometers or 221,994 miles). What’s more, this will be the first time since the year 2009 that the new moon (instead of the full moon) ushers in the year’s closest supermoon. It’ll also be the first time since 2009 that the closest supermoon didn’t come closer than 357,000 km.

Want more detail? Okay. In 2017, the moon comes closest to Earth on May 26 (357,207 kilometers), and swings farthest away on December 19 (406,603 kilometers). That’s a difference of 49,396 kilometers (406,603 – 357,207 = 49,396). Ninety percent of this 49,396-figure equals 44,456.4 kilometers (0.9 x 49,396 = 44,456.4). Presumably, any new or full moon coming closer than 362,146.6 kilometers (406,603 – 44,456.4 = 362,146.6) would be “at or near (within 90% of) its closest approach to Earth.”

Around each new moon (left) and full moon (right) – when the sun, Earth, and moon are located more or less on a line in space – the range between high and low tides is greatest. These are called spring tides. A supermoon – new or full moon at its closest to Earth – accentuates these tides. Image via physicalgeography.net

Spring tides will accompany the supermoons. Will the tides be larger than usual at the April, May and June 2017 new moons and the December 2017 full moon? Yes, all full moons (and new moons) combine with the sun to create larger-than-usual tides, but closer-than-average full moons (or closer-than-average new moons) elevate the tides even more.

Each month, on the day of the new moon, the Earth, moon and sun are aligned, with the moon in between. This line-up creates wide-ranging tides, known as spring tides. High spring tides climb up especially high, and on the same day low tides plunge especially low.

The closest new moon of the year on May 25 and the year’s closest full moon on December 3 are bound to accentuate the spring tide all the more, giving rise to what’s called a perigean spring tide. If you live along an ocean coastline, watch for high tides caused by these perigean full moons.

Will these high tides cause flooding? Probably not, unless a strong weather system accompanies the perigean spring tide. Still, keep an eye on the weather, because storms do have a large potential to accentuate perigean spring tides.

Dates of closest full supermoons in past and future years. More often than not, the one day of the year that the full moon and perigee align also brings about the year’s closest perigee (also called proxigee). Because the moon has recurring cycles, we can count on the full moon and perigee to come in concert in periods of about one year, one month and 18 days.

A lunar month refers to the time period between successive full moons, a mean period of 29.53059 days. An anomalistic month refers to successive returns to perigee, a period of 27.55455 days. Hence:

14 lunar months x 29.53059 days = 413.428 days
15 anomalistic months x 27.55455 days = 413.318 days

Therefore, the full moon and perigee realign in periods of about 413 days (one year and 48 days). So we can figure the dates of the closest full moons (<357,000 km) in past and future years:

Extra-close perigee full moons from 2010 to 2020

2010 Jan 30 (356,593 km)

2011 Mar 19 (356,575 km)

2012 May 06 (356,955 km)

2013 Jun 23 (356,991 km)

2014 Aug 10 (356,896 km)

2015 Sep 28 (356,877 km)

2016 Nov 14 (356,509 km)

2018 Jan 02 (356,565 km)

2019 Feb 19 (356,761 km)

2020 Apr 08 (356,907 km)

There won’t be an extra-close perigee full moon in 2017 (<357,000 km) because the extra-close coincidence of full moon and perigee won’t happen again (after November 14, 2016) until January 2, 2018. Looking further into the future, the perigee full moon will come closer than 356,500 kilometers for the first time in the 21st century (2001-2100) on November 25, 2034 (356,446 km). The closest full moon of the 21st century will fall on December 6, 2052 (356,425 km). By the way, some astronomers will call all the full moons listed above proxigee full moons.

But, like many of you, we’ll have fun just calling ’em supermoons.

What does a full supermoon look like? Most astronomers say you can’t really detect any difference with your eye between a supermoon and any ordinary full moon, although some careful observers say you can. This great moon photo is from EarthSky Facebook friend Rebecca Lacey in Cambridge, Idaho.

What is a Black Moon? We had never heard the term Black Moon until early 2014. It doesn’t come from astronomy, or skylore, either. Instead, according to David Harper, the term comes from Wiccan culture. It’s the name for the second of two new moons in one calendar month. January 2014, for example, had two new moon supermoons, the second of which was not only a supermoon, but a Black Moon. Does a Black Moon have to be a supermoon in order to be called Black? No. You can read more about Black Moons here.

The next Black moon by the above definition will occur on October 30, 2016. Sten Odenwald at astronomycafe.net lists some other names for the second new moon in a month: Spinner Moon, Finder’s Moon, Secret Moon.

However, we’ve also come across another definition for Black Moon: the third of four new moons in one season. This last happened with the new moon supermoon of February 18, 2015, because this particular new moon was the third of four new moons to take place between the December 2014 solstice and the March 2015 equinox. The next Black Moon by this definition will occur on August 21, 2017, to feature a Black Moon total solar eclipse in the United States.

Bottom line: The term supermoon doesn’t come from astronomy. It comes from astrology, and the definition is pretty generous so that there are about 6 supermoons each year. This post explains what a supermoon is, how many will occur in 2017, which moon is the most “super” of all the 2017 supermoons, and gives a list of upcoming full supermoons for the years ahead.

Learn more: Tides and the pull of the moon and sun

from EarthSky http://ift.tt/12MniMw

Moon and Aldebaran in early December

Tonight – December 1, 2017 – an almost-full waxing gibbous moon lights up your sky nearly all night long. Because the moon is so very bright, it may be difficult to spot the constellation Taurus‘ two major signposts – the star Aldebaran and the Pleiades star cluster – in tonight’s moonlit glare. Put your finger over the moon and possibly you’ll spot Aldebaran and/or the Pleiades cluster.

Look for the moon and the constellation Taurus the Bull to travel across tonight’s night sky from east to west. The moon and Taurus appear in the east at nightfall and early evening. Then watch for the moon, Aldebaran and the Pleiades to climb upward during the evening hours, and to soar highest up for the night at or near midnight. Thereafter, the moon and Taurus will sink westward, to sit low in the west before morning dawn.

The moon and the constellation Taurus cross the sky from east to west for the same reason that the sun crosses the sky during the day. The Earth spins on its rotational axis from west to east, making it appear as though the sun, moon, planets and stars actually travel westward across the sky every day. But it’s actually the rotating Earth that’s doing the moving.

Because of the moon’s orbital motion around Earth, though, the moon is actually moving toward Aldebaran as we speak. Note the moon’s position relative to Aldebaran this evening, on December 1, and note the moon’s position at the same time tomorrow evening, on December 2. No matter where you live on Earth, the moon will be closer to Aldebaran on the sky’s dome on December 2 than on December 1.

Worldwide map via IOTA. The lunar occultation of the star Aldebaran on December 3, 2017, occurs to the north (above) the white line.

In fact, it you were at the right spot on Earth, it’d be possible to watch the moon occult (cover over) Aldebaran on the night of December 2-3. As shown on the worldwide map above, this occultation is visible to the north (above) the white line: northwest North America, northern Greenland and much of Asia. Northwestern North America will see the occultation in the morning hours before sunrise on December 3. But from anywhere worldwide, this lunar occultation of Aldebaran will be very difficult to observe in the glaring light of the super full moon.

For your convenience, we give the local times of the occultation for various localities below:

Seattle, Washington (December 3, 2017)
Occultation begins (Aldebaran disappears): 6:09:41 a.m. local time
Occultation ends (Aldebaran reappears): 6:46:25 a.m. local time

Anchorage, Alaska (December 3, 2017)
Occultation begins (Aldebaran disappears): 4:38:25 a.m. local time
Occultation ends (Aldebaran reappears); 5:32:25 a.m. local time

Ulan Bator, Mongolia (December 3, 2017)
Occultation begins (Aldebaran disappears): 7:54:46 p.m. local time
Occultation ends (Aldebaran reappears): 8:51:35 p.m. local time

Click here for the occultation times in Universal Time (UTC) for hundreds of localities. Here’s how to convert UTC to your local time.

The morning planets as they appear at mid-northern latitudes about 30 minutes before sunrise. Click here for an almanac telling you when these planets rise into your sky.

Starting this evening, on December 1, and for the next few days, see if you can spot the star Aldebaran in the moon’s glare.

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

Tonight – December 1, 2017 – an almost-full waxing gibbous moon lights up your sky nearly all night long. Because the moon is so very bright, it may be difficult to spot the constellation Taurus‘ two major signposts – the star Aldebaran and the Pleiades star cluster – in tonight’s moonlit glare. Put your finger over the moon and possibly you’ll spot Aldebaran and/or the Pleiades cluster.

Look for the moon and the constellation Taurus the Bull to travel across tonight’s night sky from east to west. The moon and Taurus appear in the east at nightfall and early evening. Then watch for the moon, Aldebaran and the Pleiades to climb upward during the evening hours, and to soar highest up for the night at or near midnight. Thereafter, the moon and Taurus will sink westward, to sit low in the west before morning dawn.

The moon and the constellation Taurus cross the sky from east to west for the same reason that the sun crosses the sky during the day. The Earth spins on its rotational axis from west to east, making it appear as though the sun, moon, planets and stars actually travel westward across the sky every day. But it’s actually the rotating Earth that’s doing the moving.

Because of the moon’s orbital motion around Earth, though, the moon is actually moving toward Aldebaran as we speak. Note the moon’s position relative to Aldebaran this evening, on December 1, and note the moon’s position at the same time tomorrow evening, on December 2. No matter where you live on Earth, the moon will be closer to Aldebaran on the sky’s dome on December 2 than on December 1.

Worldwide map via IOTA. The lunar occultation of the star Aldebaran on December 3, 2017, occurs to the north (above) the white line.

In fact, it you were at the right spot on Earth, it’d be possible to watch the moon occult (cover over) Aldebaran on the night of December 2-3. As shown on the worldwide map above, this occultation is visible to the north (above) the white line: northwest North America, northern Greenland and much of Asia. Northwestern North America will see the occultation in the morning hours before sunrise on December 3. But from anywhere worldwide, this lunar occultation of Aldebaran will be very difficult to observe in the glaring light of the super full moon.

For your convenience, we give the local times of the occultation for various localities below:

Seattle, Washington (December 3, 2017)
Occultation begins (Aldebaran disappears): 6:09:41 a.m. local time
Occultation ends (Aldebaran reappears): 6:46:25 a.m. local time

Anchorage, Alaska (December 3, 2017)
Occultation begins (Aldebaran disappears): 4:38:25 a.m. local time
Occultation ends (Aldebaran reappears); 5:32:25 a.m. local time

Ulan Bator, Mongolia (December 3, 2017)
Occultation begins (Aldebaran disappears): 7:54:46 p.m. local time
Occultation ends (Aldebaran reappears): 8:51:35 p.m. local time

Click here for the occultation times in Universal Time (UTC) for hundreds of localities. Here’s how to convert UTC to your local time.

The morning planets as they appear at mid-northern latitudes about 30 minutes before sunrise. Click here for an almanac telling you when these planets rise into your sky.

Starting this evening, on December 1, and for the next few days, see if you can spot the star Aldebaran in the moon’s glare.

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

Tackling ‘undruggable’ genes in lung and pancreatic cancers is this researcher’s life

There comes a point when we all ask: ‘what am I doing with my life?’ It’s a question often tied to career choices as we plot the road to follow.

Cancer researchers are no different. When embarking on their career, they have to choose a topic they often dedicate their life to researching.

And with over 200 types of cancer, there’s a lot to choose from.

Plus, much like in music and fashion, there are often trends in cancer research that come and go. This can make it tough to predict what will be in the spotlight next.

But some scientists know right from the beginning what area of cancer they’re going to work on, and what they hope to achieve.

And some choose this path knowing they’re taking on a huge challenge.

Professor Gerard Evan, who works in the Department of Biochemistry at the University of Cambridge, is one of these people.

He’s spent the majority of his career researching two genes: Ras and Myc. They are faulty or hyperactive in the vast majority of cancers, and so have attracted huge interest as potential targets for drugs.

But they carry a label that might put most young scientists off. They are said to be ‘undruggable’. Evan wasn’t one of those young researchers.

Not content with the challenge of tackling these genes, Evan also studies their role in lung and pancreatic cancers, two of the hardest-to-treat cancers.

We spoke to him about how he came to choose this path, what he’s working on right now, and what his hopes are for the future of cancer research.

The defining moment

“I’ve always studied cancer,” Evan explains. “From when I was a grad student in the early ‘80s right up to now, it’s always been my passion.”

Back then, when Evan was starting his career, scientists knew the Ras and Myc genes existed inside cells, and that when hyperactive or faulty these so-called oncogenes could cause cancer. But they didn’t know much else.

If you want to dam the river, you’re better to do it further down, rather than blocking each upstream tributary. Ras and Myc are like the point at which all the tributaries in a cancer cell meet

– Professor Gerard Evan

Then, in 1983, Professor Robert Weinberg and his team at MIT in the US made a discovery that would shape the rest of Evan’s career.

Weinberg’s team showed that if mouse cells had just a faulty version of Ras or Myc on their own, nothing happened. The cells didn’t turn into cancer cells. But, if the cells contained a faulty version of both genes, they would turn cancerous and cause a tumour to form.

“This fundamentally changed how we thought about oncogenes,” says Evan. “It showed us that they have to work together in cooperative ways in order for a cancer to form.”

It was this notion that sparked Evan’s interest in Ras and Myc, which he’s been researching ever since.

“Cancer cells develop because of genetic mistakes that cause the cell to grow and divide out of control. But most of these genetic mistakes eventually feed into and converge on Ras and Myc. The way I see it, it’s a bit like a river. Rivers have many upstream tributaries, but eventually they all flow together and meet at one point, before flowing out to the sea.

“If you want to dam the river, you’re better to do it further down, rather than blocking each upstream tributary. Ras and Myc are like the point at which all the tributaries in a cancer cell meet. They’re a common denominator across many, perhaps all, cancer cells.”

And it’s this commonality that Evan hopes to exploit.

“If we can find a way to target and block Ras and Myc, then we might not even have to worry about all the other genetic mistakes. We’d be targeting a vulnerability that is shared across cancers rather than the ones unique to each cancer and each patient.

No easy task

It’s a relatively simple idea to explain: develop drugs that switch off Ras and Myc and you’ll kill most cancer cells.

But decades of research have taught us that this is far more difficult in practice.

Despite knowing more about these genes than ever before, scientists still haven’t found a way to successfully develop drugs to switch them off. That’s why those in the cancer research field often call Ras and Myc ‘undruggable’.

This doesn’t deter Evan.

“Yes, I do like a challenge,” he says.

But it’s more than that.

“It’s the idea that if we can block Ras and Myc, these engines that are common across most cancer cells, the payoff would be huge. It could mean more generalised treatments that can be deployed against many different cancer types.

“That’s something I find really exciting and motivating.”

Evan also points out that the idea of something being ‘undruggable’ is a moving target – it isn’t set in stone.

“Things are constantly changing in the field of cancer research,” he says, recalling a time when the idea of developing specific drugs that are now standard treatment for certain cancers was laughed at.

“Today, not only do we have these drugs, but they’re widely used as cancer therapies. I’m convinced we’ll see the same thing with Ras and Myc in the future.

“But as scientists we need organisations like Cancer Research UK to help us get there. It’s an organisation that encourages people to think outside the box, and that’s what we need if we’re going to turn Ras and Myc from being ‘undruggable’ to ‘druggable’.”

‘This doesn’t mean these cancers are incurable’

Not content with taking on the challenge of Ras and Myc, Evan has chosen to take on another challenge – studying these genes in two cancers that are notoriously hard to treat with stubbornly low survival: lung and pancreatic cancer.

“For me and my close collaborator Dr Trevor Littlewood, who is co-leader of our laboratory, it’s all related. We know Ras and Myc are involved in both the more treatable cancers and those, like lung and pancreatic cancer, that are harder to treat. This means that there is a common process underlying both the treatable and less treatable diseases,” he says.

There are many cancers that used to be untreatable but which now succumb to new therapies. These past successes inspire us to tackle the tougher diseases

– Professor Gerard Evan

When speaking about hard-to-treat cancers, Evan takes a very practical approach.

“Every cancer has a mechanism that causes it to grow and divide uncontrollably. For some, we understand that mechanism really well and have really good ways to treat them, which means a lot of people survive.

“But for other cancers, including lung and pancreatic, we don’t fully understand their mechanisms. And this means that, for now, these cancers are hard to treat and few people survive them.

“For me, this doesn’t mean these cancers are incurable. It just means we haven’t yet found the right approach to treating them yet. There are many cancers that used to be untreatable but which now succumb to new therapies. These past successes inspire us to tackle the tougher diseases.

“And it’s why we need more research; so we can better understand the mechanisms of cancers where survival is low and improve the situation.”

In new research, published today in the journal Cell, Evan’s team has discovered more about how Ras and Myc work together in lung cancer.

They found that tumours growing in mice whose cells produced a faulty version of Myc as well as Ras looked remarkably different to tumours formed from cells with just faulty Ras.

Adding in a faulty version of Myc almost instantly made the lung tumours become far more aggressive and invasive. It drove the rapid and dramatic movement of immune cells both in and out of each lung tumour.

A lung cancer showing cancer cells carry activated Myc (red) that become flooded with immune cells (green). Credit: Professor Gerard Evan

They also showed that these rapid cell movements are essential for lung tumours to be able to rapidly and aggressively grow and spread.

But interestingly, as soon as they took Myc away using a lab-based bit of genetic engineering work, the tumours immediately returned to their original, non-aggressive states.

“It was amazing to see,” says Evan. “When we switched off Myc in lung tumours in the lab, it was like the shutters came down. The tumours stopped growing aggressively and shrivelled back to their former benign state before Myc was activated.”

Evan and his team believe this new understanding of how Ras and Myc work together in lung cancer will bring them closer to developing ways to mirror these effects in people.

“It’s early stage research,” he cautions, “but we’re so excited about what we found.”

This work is particularly exciting because the findings may cross over with other cancers too, including pancreatic cancer, which Evan works on as part of the Stand Up To Cancer Pancreatic Cancer Dream Team.

Evan calls the Dream Team the most wonderful collaboration he’s ever been involved with.

“I get to work with heroes of mine on a regular basis as part of the Dream Team. It’s an honour and a privilege to be part of it.”

Aside from allowing him to meet his heroes, the collaboration allows Evan to work with cancer doctors in a new way.

“These are people who regularly have patients who die and who are desperately trying to find new ways to treat them,” he says. “They’re the ones who take what people like us find out about the mechanisms of cancer cells and then apply it to patients.

“Working so closely with doctors in this way is illuminating, sometimes frustrating but always encouraging – it forces me to think about things in a different way.”

The future looks bright

There’s no doubt Evan is extremely passionate about cancer research, and is optimistic about what the future holds.

“In the last 10-15 years, there’s been an explosion in our understanding of cancer. Previously, it was a ‘black box’ disease where we knew very little about what we were dealing with. Today, we know so much and it’s given us new treatments that can cure some people, and we’re still learning and developing more each day.

“My intuition tells me we’re on the verge of some really exciting discoveries and developments.”

And despite its extremely challenging nature, Evan is optimistic about the future of his work on lung and pancreatic cancers and Ras and Myc.

“I believe that in the future, we’ll smile when we remember how Ras and Myc used to be said to be ‘undruggable’ and that we’ll get to a point where survival for cancers like lung and pancreatic has improved dramatically.

“But we’re not there yet. We still have a lot to do, which is why I still do what I do.

“And I couldn’t do it without Cancer Research UK. They’ve funded my work in many different ways over the years and continue to do so.

“It’s absolutely true to say I wouldn’t be where I am in my career without them.”

Áine

from Cancer Research UK – Science blog http://ift.tt/2zBi9ef

There comes a point when we all ask: ‘what am I doing with my life?’ It’s a question often tied to career choices as we plot the road to follow.

Cancer researchers are no different. When embarking on their career, they have to choose a topic they often dedicate their life to researching.

And with over 200 types of cancer, there’s a lot to choose from.

Plus, much like in music and fashion, there are often trends in cancer research that come and go. This can make it tough to predict what will be in the spotlight next.

But some scientists know right from the beginning what area of cancer they’re going to work on, and what they hope to achieve.

And some choose this path knowing they’re taking on a huge challenge.

Professor Gerard Evan, who works in the Department of Biochemistry at the University of Cambridge, is one of these people.

He’s spent the majority of his career researching two genes: Ras and Myc. They are faulty or hyperactive in the vast majority of cancers, and so have attracted huge interest as potential targets for drugs.

But they carry a label that might put most young scientists off. They are said to be ‘undruggable’. Evan wasn’t one of those young researchers.

Not content with the challenge of tackling these genes, Evan also studies their role in lung and pancreatic cancers, two of the hardest-to-treat cancers.

We spoke to him about how he came to choose this path, what he’s working on right now, and what his hopes are for the future of cancer research.

The defining moment

“I’ve always studied cancer,” Evan explains. “From when I was a grad student in the early ‘80s right up to now, it’s always been my passion.”

Back then, when Evan was starting his career, scientists knew the Ras and Myc genes existed inside cells, and that when hyperactive or faulty these so-called oncogenes could cause cancer. But they didn’t know much else.

If you want to dam the river, you’re better to do it further down, rather than blocking each upstream tributary. Ras and Myc are like the point at which all the tributaries in a cancer cell meet

– Professor Gerard Evan

Then, in 1983, Professor Robert Weinberg and his team at MIT in the US made a discovery that would shape the rest of Evan’s career.

Weinberg’s team showed that if mouse cells had just a faulty version of Ras or Myc on their own, nothing happened. The cells didn’t turn into cancer cells. But, if the cells contained a faulty version of both genes, they would turn cancerous and cause a tumour to form.

“This fundamentally changed how we thought about oncogenes,” says Evan. “It showed us that they have to work together in cooperative ways in order for a cancer to form.”

It was this notion that sparked Evan’s interest in Ras and Myc, which he’s been researching ever since.

“Cancer cells develop because of genetic mistakes that cause the cell to grow and divide out of control. But most of these genetic mistakes eventually feed into and converge on Ras and Myc. The way I see it, it’s a bit like a river. Rivers have many upstream tributaries, but eventually they all flow together and meet at one point, before flowing out to the sea.

“If you want to dam the river, you’re better to do it further down, rather than blocking each upstream tributary. Ras and Myc are like the point at which all the tributaries in a cancer cell meet. They’re a common denominator across many, perhaps all, cancer cells.”

And it’s this commonality that Evan hopes to exploit.

“If we can find a way to target and block Ras and Myc, then we might not even have to worry about all the other genetic mistakes. We’d be targeting a vulnerability that is shared across cancers rather than the ones unique to each cancer and each patient.

No easy task

It’s a relatively simple idea to explain: develop drugs that switch off Ras and Myc and you’ll kill most cancer cells.

But decades of research have taught us that this is far more difficult in practice.

Despite knowing more about these genes than ever before, scientists still haven’t found a way to successfully develop drugs to switch them off. That’s why those in the cancer research field often call Ras and Myc ‘undruggable’.

This doesn’t deter Evan.

“Yes, I do like a challenge,” he says.

But it’s more than that.

“It’s the idea that if we can block Ras and Myc, these engines that are common across most cancer cells, the payoff would be huge. It could mean more generalised treatments that can be deployed against many different cancer types.

“That’s something I find really exciting and motivating.”

Evan also points out that the idea of something being ‘undruggable’ is a moving target – it isn’t set in stone.

“Things are constantly changing in the field of cancer research,” he says, recalling a time when the idea of developing specific drugs that are now standard treatment for certain cancers was laughed at.

“Today, not only do we have these drugs, but they’re widely used as cancer therapies. I’m convinced we’ll see the same thing with Ras and Myc in the future.

“But as scientists we need organisations like Cancer Research UK to help us get there. It’s an organisation that encourages people to think outside the box, and that’s what we need if we’re going to turn Ras and Myc from being ‘undruggable’ to ‘druggable’.”

‘This doesn’t mean these cancers are incurable’

Not content with taking on the challenge of Ras and Myc, Evan has chosen to take on another challenge – studying these genes in two cancers that are notoriously hard to treat with stubbornly low survival: lung and pancreatic cancer.

“For me and my close collaborator Dr Trevor Littlewood, who is co-leader of our laboratory, it’s all related. We know Ras and Myc are involved in both the more treatable cancers and those, like lung and pancreatic cancer, that are harder to treat. This means that there is a common process underlying both the treatable and less treatable diseases,” he says.

There are many cancers that used to be untreatable but which now succumb to new therapies. These past successes inspire us to tackle the tougher diseases

– Professor Gerard Evan

When speaking about hard-to-treat cancers, Evan takes a very practical approach.

“Every cancer has a mechanism that causes it to grow and divide uncontrollably. For some, we understand that mechanism really well and have really good ways to treat them, which means a lot of people survive.

“But for other cancers, including lung and pancreatic, we don’t fully understand their mechanisms. And this means that, for now, these cancers are hard to treat and few people survive them.

“For me, this doesn’t mean these cancers are incurable. It just means we haven’t yet found the right approach to treating them yet. There are many cancers that used to be untreatable but which now succumb to new therapies. These past successes inspire us to tackle the tougher diseases.

“And it’s why we need more research; so we can better understand the mechanisms of cancers where survival is low and improve the situation.”

In new research, published today in the journal Cell, Evan’s team has discovered more about how Ras and Myc work together in lung cancer.

They found that tumours growing in mice whose cells produced a faulty version of Myc as well as Ras looked remarkably different to tumours formed from cells with just faulty Ras.

Adding in a faulty version of Myc almost instantly made the lung tumours become far more aggressive and invasive. It drove the rapid and dramatic movement of immune cells both in and out of each lung tumour.

A lung cancer showing cancer cells carry activated Myc (red) that become flooded with immune cells (green). Credit: Professor Gerard Evan

They also showed that these rapid cell movements are essential for lung tumours to be able to rapidly and aggressively grow and spread.

But interestingly, as soon as they took Myc away using a lab-based bit of genetic engineering work, the tumours immediately returned to their original, non-aggressive states.

“It was amazing to see,” says Evan. “When we switched off Myc in lung tumours in the lab, it was like the shutters came down. The tumours stopped growing aggressively and shrivelled back to their former benign state before Myc was activated.”

Evan and his team believe this new understanding of how Ras and Myc work together in lung cancer will bring them closer to developing ways to mirror these effects in people.

“It’s early stage research,” he cautions, “but we’re so excited about what we found.”

This work is particularly exciting because the findings may cross over with other cancers too, including pancreatic cancer, which Evan works on as part of the Stand Up To Cancer Pancreatic Cancer Dream Team.

Evan calls the Dream Team the most wonderful collaboration he’s ever been involved with.

“I get to work with heroes of mine on a regular basis as part of the Dream Team. It’s an honour and a privilege to be part of it.”

Aside from allowing him to meet his heroes, the collaboration allows Evan to work with cancer doctors in a new way.

“These are people who regularly have patients who die and who are desperately trying to find new ways to treat them,” he says. “They’re the ones who take what people like us find out about the mechanisms of cancer cells and then apply it to patients.

“Working so closely with doctors in this way is illuminating, sometimes frustrating but always encouraging – it forces me to think about things in a different way.”

The future looks bright

There’s no doubt Evan is extremely passionate about cancer research, and is optimistic about what the future holds.

“In the last 10-15 years, there’s been an explosion in our understanding of cancer. Previously, it was a ‘black box’ disease where we knew very little about what we were dealing with. Today, we know so much and it’s given us new treatments that can cure some people, and we’re still learning and developing more each day.

“My intuition tells me we’re on the verge of some really exciting discoveries and developments.”

And despite its extremely challenging nature, Evan is optimistic about the future of his work on lung and pancreatic cancers and Ras and Myc.

“I believe that in the future, we’ll smile when we remember how Ras and Myc used to be said to be ‘undruggable’ and that we’ll get to a point where survival for cancers like lung and pancreatic has improved dramatically.

“But we’re not there yet. We still have a lot to do, which is why I still do what I do.

“And I couldn’t do it without Cancer Research UK. They’ve funded my work in many different ways over the years and continue to do so.

“It’s absolutely true to say I wouldn’t be where I am in my career without them.”

Áine

from Cancer Research UK – Science blog http://ift.tt/2zBi9ef