Chemists teach old drug new tricks to target deadly staph bacteria

Emory chemist Bill Wuest, far right, with some of his graduate students, from left: Erika Csatary, Madeleine Dekarske and Ingrid Wilt. Photo by Ann Watson.

"Saying superbugs, one antibiotic at a time,” is the motto of Bill Wuest’s chemistry lab at Emory University. Wuest (it rhymes with “beast”) leads a team of students fighting drug-resistant bacteria — some of the scariest, most dangerous bugs on the planet.

Most recently, they created new molecules for a study published in PNAS. Their work helped verify how bithionol — a drug used to treat parasitic infections — can weaken the cell membranes of “persister” cells of methicillin-resistant Staphylococcus aureus (MRSA), a deadly staph bacterium. They also synthesized new compounds, to learn more about how bithionol works and enhance its potential for clinical use.

“Just before I entered graduate school, my mother was diagnosed with a severe staph infection,” says Ingrid Wilt, a PhD candidate, explaining what drives her passion to tackle MRSA.

“She was in a hospital in the ICU for about two weeks,” Wilt adds. “Luckily, a last-resort antibiotic worked for her and she’s okay now.”

Click here to read the full story.

Related:
Chemistry students sing their studies, hoping for a good reaction
Brazilian peppertree packs power to knock out antibiotic-resistant bacteria

from eScienceCommons https://ift.tt/2OFhtAe

Emory chemist Bill Wuest, far right, with some of his graduate students, from left: Erika Csatary, Madeleine Dekarske and Ingrid Wilt. Photo by Ann Watson.

"Saying superbugs, one antibiotic at a time,” is the motto of Bill Wuest’s chemistry lab at Emory University. Wuest (it rhymes with “beast”) leads a team of students fighting drug-resistant bacteria — some of the scariest, most dangerous bugs on the planet.

Most recently, they created new molecules for a study published in PNAS. Their work helped verify how bithionol — a drug used to treat parasitic infections — can weaken the cell membranes of “persister” cells of methicillin-resistant Staphylococcus aureus (MRSA), a deadly staph bacterium. They also synthesized new compounds, to learn more about how bithionol works and enhance its potential for clinical use.

“Just before I entered graduate school, my mother was diagnosed with a severe staph infection,” says Ingrid Wilt, a PhD candidate, explaining what drives her passion to tackle MRSA.

“She was in a hospital in the ICU for about two weeks,” Wilt adds. “Luckily, a last-resort antibiotic worked for her and she’s okay now.”

Click here to read the full story.

Related:
Chemistry students sing their studies, hoping for a good reaction
Brazilian peppertree packs power to knock out antibiotic-resistant bacteria

from eScienceCommons https://ift.tt/2OFhtAe

Black Moon supermoon on July 31

Image at top via EarthView.

Depending on where you live worldwide, the new moon falls on July 31 or August 1, 2019. Same new moon … different time zones. Thus this new moon is either the second of two July 2019 new moons. Or it’s the first of two August 2019 new moons. Either way, the second of two new moons in one calendar month is sometimes called a Black Moon. Here, in the United States, the Black Moon – July’s second new moon – falls on July 31. In the world’s Eastern Hemisphere, a Black Moon falls in late August.

You can’t see a new moon. It travels across the sky with the sun during the day. But the gravitational influence of the new moon and sun combine to physically affect our water planet, which people along the ocean coastlines may notice in the coming days.

Moreover, this new moon is a supermoon, that is, a new moon happening in close conjunction with lunar perigee – the moon’s closest point to Earth in its monthly orbit. Don’t listen to curmudgeon-y old astronomers telling you supermoons are “hype.” Supermoons aren’t hype; the name has arisen from folklore, like Blue Moon or Black Moon or the beloved Harvest Moon.

And, although you can’t see a new supermoon (because it’s in the sun’s glare), a new supermoon’s impact is real and profound. The tidal force of the extra-close new moon and the sun team up to usher in extra-large spring tides, where the variation in high and low tide is especially great. High spring tides typically follow the new or full moon by a day or so; as always, the variation in your local tide will depend on a number of factors, including the weather and the shape of your coast.

In any case, spring tides – especially the large spring tides caused by supermoons – are in stark contrast to even-keeled neap tides, when there’s a minimal variation between high and low tide, around the time of the first and last quarter moon.

So supermoons – particularly close new or full moons – increase the range between high and low spring tides all the more. Spring tides are not named for the season, by the way, but in the sense of jump, burst forth, or rise.

Supermoons affect earthly tides. A day or so after every new moon and full moon – when the sun, Earth, and moon are located more or less on a line in space – the whole Earth has its highest and lowest tides. These are called “spring tides.” A supermoon – close moon at the new or full phase – will accentuate the range between high and low tides even more. Image via physicalgeography.net. Read more: Tides, and the pull of the moon and sun.

The exact time of this new moon is August 1 at 03:12 Universal Time. Although the new moon comes at the same instant worldwide, our clocks read differently by time zone. At North American and U.S. time zones, the new moon instant falls on August 1, at 12:12 a.m. ADT – yet on July 31 at 11:12 p.m. EDT, 10:12 p.m. CDT, 9:12 p.m. MDT, 8:12 p.m. PDT, 7:12 p.m. AKDT, and 5:12 p.m. HST.

At new moon, the moon swings (more or less) between the Earth and sun, to transition from the morning to evening sky. Around new moon, the moon is lost in the sun’s glare for a day or two. Expect to see the moon next in the western evening sky after sunset. You might see it as soon as August 2, for example.

How much bigger is a supermoon? Above, Peter Lowenstein superimposed a mini-moon (full moon at apogee, its farthest from Earth for that month) on a young crescent moon (covered over in earthshine) near perigee, its closest to Earth for that month. The size difference is proportionally similar to that of a U.S. quarter versus a U.S. nickel.

The astrologer Richard Nolle is credited for coining the word supermoon. That’s probably one reason some astronomers object to it, although others embrace it as a simpler and catchier name than perigean new or full moon, which is what we called these moons before the term supermoon came along. Nolle defined a supermoon as:

… a new moon or full moon at or near (within 90 percent) of its closest approach to earth in a given orbit.

The moon in its orbit comes closest to Earth at perigee and swings farthest from Earth at apogee. At apogee, the moon is at 0 percent of its closest distance to Earth; and at perigee, it’s at 100 percent of its closest distance to Earth. A new or full moon aligning with perigee is about 30,000 miles (50,000 km) closer to Earth than a new or full moon aligning with apogee.

Based on Nolle’s definition of a supermoon, the relative nearness of the next three new moons gives us a “season” of new supermoons:

New moon distance (2019 Aug 01): 224,074 miles or 360,612 km
New moon distance (2019 Aug 30): 221,971 miles or 357,227 km
New moon distance (2019 Sep 28): 222,596 miles or 358,233 km

Source: The Moon Tonight

By the way, this year’s farthest new moon happened on February 4, 2019, when it was a whopping 252,566 miles (406,466 km) away. This new moon micro-moon took place one fortnight (approximately two weeks) after the full moon supermoon of January 21 and one fortnight before the full moon supermoon of February 19, 2019.

And guess what? The year’s farthest and smallest full moon (micro-moon) will occur on September 14, 2019, exactly one fortnight after the new moon supermoon of August 30 and one fortnight before the new moon supermoon of September 28, 2019.

In fact, the July 31-August 1, 2019, new moon will present the first in a series of three straight new moon supermoons, to fall (by Universal Time) on August 1, August 30, and September 28.

Here’s another far moon/near moon comparison between the December 3, 2017 close full moon and 2017’s farthest full moon in June by Muzamir Mazlan at Telok Kemang Observatory, Port Dickson, Malaysia.

Bottom line: Depending on where you live worldwide, this new moon happens on July 31 or August 1. It is either the second of two July 2019 new moons, or the first of two August 2019 new moons, depending on your time zone. By popular decree, the second of two new moons in one calendar month is called a Black Moon. This July 31/August 1 new moon is also a supermoon.

from EarthSky https://ift.tt/2yotMWL

Image at top via EarthView.

Depending on where you live worldwide, the new moon falls on July 31 or August 1, 2019. Same new moon … different time zones. Thus this new moon is either the second of two July 2019 new moons. Or it’s the first of two August 2019 new moons. Either way, the second of two new moons in one calendar month is sometimes called a Black Moon. Here, in the United States, the Black Moon – July’s second new moon – falls on July 31. In the world’s Eastern Hemisphere, a Black Moon falls in late August.

You can’t see a new moon. It travels across the sky with the sun during the day. But the gravitational influence of the new moon and sun combine to physically affect our water planet, which people along the ocean coastlines may notice in the coming days.

Moreover, this new moon is a supermoon, that is, a new moon happening in close conjunction with lunar perigee – the moon’s closest point to Earth in its monthly orbit. Don’t listen to curmudgeon-y old astronomers telling you supermoons are “hype.” Supermoons aren’t hype; the name has arisen from folklore, like Blue Moon or Black Moon or the beloved Harvest Moon.

And, although you can’t see a new supermoon (because it’s in the sun’s glare), a new supermoon’s impact is real and profound. The tidal force of the extra-close new moon and the sun team up to usher in extra-large spring tides, where the variation in high and low tide is especially great. High spring tides typically follow the new or full moon by a day or so; as always, the variation in your local tide will depend on a number of factors, including the weather and the shape of your coast.

In any case, spring tides – especially the large spring tides caused by supermoons – are in stark contrast to even-keeled neap tides, when there’s a minimal variation between high and low tide, around the time of the first and last quarter moon.

So supermoons – particularly close new or full moons – increase the range between high and low spring tides all the more. Spring tides are not named for the season, by the way, but in the sense of jump, burst forth, or rise.

Supermoons affect earthly tides. A day or so after every new moon and full moon – when the sun, Earth, and moon are located more or less on a line in space – the whole Earth has its highest and lowest tides. These are called “spring tides.” A supermoon – close moon at the new or full phase – will accentuate the range between high and low tides even more. Image via physicalgeography.net. Read more: Tides, and the pull of the moon and sun.

The exact time of this new moon is August 1 at 03:12 Universal Time. Although the new moon comes at the same instant worldwide, our clocks read differently by time zone. At North American and U.S. time zones, the new moon instant falls on August 1, at 12:12 a.m. ADT – yet on July 31 at 11:12 p.m. EDT, 10:12 p.m. CDT, 9:12 p.m. MDT, 8:12 p.m. PDT, 7:12 p.m. AKDT, and 5:12 p.m. HST.

At new moon, the moon swings (more or less) between the Earth and sun, to transition from the morning to evening sky. Around new moon, the moon is lost in the sun’s glare for a day or two. Expect to see the moon next in the western evening sky after sunset. You might see it as soon as August 2, for example.

How much bigger is a supermoon? Above, Peter Lowenstein superimposed a mini-moon (full moon at apogee, its farthest from Earth for that month) on a young crescent moon (covered over in earthshine) near perigee, its closest to Earth for that month. The size difference is proportionally similar to that of a U.S. quarter versus a U.S. nickel.

The astrologer Richard Nolle is credited for coining the word supermoon. That’s probably one reason some astronomers object to it, although others embrace it as a simpler and catchier name than perigean new or full moon, which is what we called these moons before the term supermoon came along. Nolle defined a supermoon as:

… a new moon or full moon at or near (within 90 percent) of its closest approach to earth in a given orbit.

The moon in its orbit comes closest to Earth at perigee and swings farthest from Earth at apogee. At apogee, the moon is at 0 percent of its closest distance to Earth; and at perigee, it’s at 100 percent of its closest distance to Earth. A new or full moon aligning with perigee is about 30,000 miles (50,000 km) closer to Earth than a new or full moon aligning with apogee.

Based on Nolle’s definition of a supermoon, the relative nearness of the next three new moons gives us a “season” of new supermoons:

New moon distance (2019 Aug 01): 224,074 miles or 360,612 km
New moon distance (2019 Aug 30): 221,971 miles or 357,227 km
New moon distance (2019 Sep 28): 222,596 miles or 358,233 km

Source: The Moon Tonight

By the way, this year’s farthest new moon happened on February 4, 2019, when it was a whopping 252,566 miles (406,466 km) away. This new moon micro-moon took place one fortnight (approximately two weeks) after the full moon supermoon of January 21 and one fortnight before the full moon supermoon of February 19, 2019.

And guess what? The year’s farthest and smallest full moon (micro-moon) will occur on September 14, 2019, exactly one fortnight after the new moon supermoon of August 30 and one fortnight before the new moon supermoon of September 28, 2019.

In fact, the July 31-August 1, 2019, new moon will present the first in a series of three straight new moon supermoons, to fall (by Universal Time) on August 1, August 30, and September 28.

Here’s another far moon/near moon comparison between the December 3, 2017 close full moon and 2017’s farthest full moon in June by Muzamir Mazlan at Telok Kemang Observatory, Port Dickson, Malaysia.

Bottom line: Depending on where you live worldwide, this new moon happens on July 31 or August 1. It is either the second of two July 2019 new moons, or the first of two August 2019 new moons, depending on your time zone. By popular decree, the second of two new moons in one calendar month is called a Black Moon. This July 31/August 1 new moon is also a supermoon.

from EarthSky https://ift.tt/2yotMWL

Opinion: ‘Building an NHS workforce for the future must be Boris Johnson’s top health priority’

The dust has just about settled on the latest busy week in politics. The Conservative party has a new leader and so the UK has a new Prime Minister.

Outside 10 Downing Street, Boris Johnson used his first speech to commit to supporting the NHS and building on the strength of our science in the UK.

These are vital ambitions. And now more than ever, they must become reality.

Why should the Government prioritise cancer?

Brexit will be the biggest thing on the Government’s plate. But cancer can’t be forgotten.

Cancer affects all of us. In the UK, 1 in 2 people born after 1960 will be diagnosed with cancer in their lifetime. And the public consistently see health as one of the most important issues facing the country.

Preventing more cancers and making sure people are diagnosed early and treated quickly matters deeply to those affected. That’s why it should be a priority for anyone leading the country, from MPs up to the Prime Minister.

So, what should the new Government do?

Early diagnosis is crucial. The commitment from Government and the NHS last year that it will diagnose 3 in 4 cancers early by 2028 was hugely positive. This will save thousands of lives. But getting there will mean hospitals have to carry out more tests, leaving an already short-staffed NHS under growing pressure.

To prevent this, the new Government must now invest in the NHS workforce. This is essential in the short-term, but it also goes much further.

Without investment in training and education to grow vital staff numbers, the ambitions of the NHS long term plan are at risk of being lost. And it will become even more challenging to help the growing number of people who will be diagnosed with cancer in the future.

But relieving the strain on our much-loved NHS doesn’t just rely on staff numbers.

Preventing more cancers should also be an essential goal for the new Government. This means delivering on the recent promises to make England smokefree by 2030 and acting on evidence that will help people make healthier choices, including through restrictions on junk food advertising. If the Prime Minister prioritises cancer prevention, he can protect future generations, while saving the NHS time and money.

Progress on all these fronts relies on one thing: great science. It’s what builds the evidence for us, and Government, to save lives. Thanks to research, cancer survival in the UK has doubled since the 1970s, so today half of all people diagnosed with cancer survive.

That’s why I fully support the Prime Minister’s commitment to UK science. And as Brexit discussions continue, science must be front and centre in our future relationship with the EU.

I hear time and again from our scientists that international collaboration is at the heart of developing life-saving treatments. If it’s harder to work together, progress is likely to be slower.

How will Cancer Research UK help?

Whatever the Prime Minister’s priorities, we’ll be working hard – with your help – to make sure that early diagnosis, prevention and world-class research are high on the Government’s agenda.

We will also continue our work with MPs from all political parties, because it’s not just the Government of the day that influences the agenda for change. Our priorities are long-term, not just for the course of one Government.

And as we do this our message will be clear: together we will beat cancer.

Michelle Mitchell is chief executive of Cancer Research UK

from Cancer Research UK – Science blog https://ift.tt/2KeKvRZ

The dust has just about settled on the latest busy week in politics. The Conservative party has a new leader and so the UK has a new Prime Minister.

Outside 10 Downing Street, Boris Johnson used his first speech to commit to supporting the NHS and building on the strength of our science in the UK.

These are vital ambitions. And now more than ever, they must become reality.

Why should the Government prioritise cancer?

Brexit will be the biggest thing on the Government’s plate. But cancer can’t be forgotten.

Cancer affects all of us. In the UK, 1 in 2 people born after 1960 will be diagnosed with cancer in their lifetime. And the public consistently see health as one of the most important issues facing the country.

Preventing more cancers and making sure people are diagnosed early and treated quickly matters deeply to those affected. That’s why it should be a priority for anyone leading the country, from MPs up to the Prime Minister.

So, what should the new Government do?

Early diagnosis is crucial. The commitment from Government and the NHS last year that it will diagnose 3 in 4 cancers early by 2028 was hugely positive. This will save thousands of lives. But getting there will mean hospitals have to carry out more tests, leaving an already short-staffed NHS under growing pressure.

To prevent this, the new Government must now invest in the NHS workforce. This is essential in the short-term, but it also goes much further.

Without investment in training and education to grow vital staff numbers, the ambitions of the NHS long term plan are at risk of being lost. And it will become even more challenging to help the growing number of people who will be diagnosed with cancer in the future.

But relieving the strain on our much-loved NHS doesn’t just rely on staff numbers.

Preventing more cancers should also be an essential goal for the new Government. This means delivering on the recent promises to make England smokefree by 2030 and acting on evidence that will help people make healthier choices, including through restrictions on junk food advertising. If the Prime Minister prioritises cancer prevention, he can protect future generations, while saving the NHS time and money.

Progress on all these fronts relies on one thing: great science. It’s what builds the evidence for us, and Government, to save lives. Thanks to research, cancer survival in the UK has doubled since the 1970s, so today half of all people diagnosed with cancer survive.

That’s why I fully support the Prime Minister’s commitment to UK science. And as Brexit discussions continue, science must be front and centre in our future relationship with the EU.

I hear time and again from our scientists that international collaboration is at the heart of developing life-saving treatments. If it’s harder to work together, progress is likely to be slower.

How will Cancer Research UK help?

Whatever the Prime Minister’s priorities, we’ll be working hard – with your help – to make sure that early diagnosis, prevention and world-class research are high on the Government’s agenda.

We will also continue our work with MPs from all political parties, because it’s not just the Government of the day that influences the agenda for change. Our priorities are long-term, not just for the course of one Government.

And as we do this our message will be clear: together we will beat cancer.

Michelle Mitchell is chief executive of Cancer Research UK

from Cancer Research UK – Science blog https://ift.tt/2KeKvRZ

Dark Rift in the Milky Way

View at EarthSky Community Photos. | The Great Rift or Dark Rift is a dark area in the starlit band of the Milky Way. It’s really clouds of dust, where new stars are forming. Photo captured July 19, 2019, by Chuck Reinhart in Vincennes, Indiana. Thank you, Chuck!

Have you ever looked up from a dark place on a starry July or August evening and noticed the dark areas in the Milky Way? For centuries, skywatchers pondered this Great Rift or Dark Rift, as it’s called, but today’s astronomers know it consists of dark, obscuring dust in the disk of our Milky Way galaxy.

How can you see it? It’s best to wait until the moon is gone from your night sky, as it will be around late July and early August 2019. Under a dark sky, far from city lights, the Milky Way is easy to see at this time of year. It’s a shining band stretching across the sky. If you want to see the Dark Rift, that’s easy, too, as long as you realize you aren’t looking for a bright object. You’re looking instead for dark lanes of dust running the length of the starlit Milky Way band.

The Great Rift - also known as the Dark Rift - and the Milky Way pass through the Summer Triangle and above the Teapot asterism in Sagittarius

You can see the Milky Way most easily in the evening from around June or July through about October. From a Northern Hemisphere location, you’ll see the thickest part of the Milky Way above the southern horizon. From the Southern Hemisphere, the thickest part of the Milky Way appears more overhead. Notice that the Milky Way band looks milky white. The skies aren’t really black like ink between stars in the Milky Way. You’ll know when you see the Dark Rift, because it is as if someone took a marker and colored parts of the Milky Way darker.

The Dark Rift begins just above the constellation Sagittarius the Archer. Follow the Milky Way up until you see a black area in the Milky Way just before you get to the constellation Cygnus, which has the shape of a cross. Deneb is the brightest star in Cygnus; it’s part of the famous Summer Triangle asterism. You can see the Dark Rift inside the Summer Triangle.

Be sure to keep your binoculars handy for any Milky Way viewing session. There are many interesting star-forming regions, star clusters and millions of stars that will capture your attention.

Photo via Manish Mamtani.

The Dark Rift is dark due to dust. Stars are formed from great clouds of gas and dust in our Milky Way galaxy and other galaxies. When we look up at the starry band of the Milky Way and see the Dark Rift, we are looking into our galaxy’s star-forming regions. Imagine the vast number of new stars that will emerge, in time, from these clouds of dust!

Shown is the interaction between interstellar dust in the Milky Way and the structure of our galaxy’s magnetic field, as detected by ESA’s Planck satellite over the entire sky. Image via ESA on Pinterest.

Ancient cultures focused on the dark areas, not the light areas. You know those paintings where if you look at the light areas you see one thing, but in the dark areas you see something else?

The Dark Rift is a bit like that. A few ancient cultures in Central and South America saw the dark areas of the Milky Way as constellations. These dark constellations had a variety of myths associated with them. For example, one important dark constellation was Yacana the Llama. It rises above Cuzco, the ancient city of the Incas, every year in November.

By the way, the other famous area of the sky that is obscured by molecular dust is visible from the Southern Hemisphere. It’s the famous Coalsack Nebula near the Southern Cross, also known as the constellation Crux. The Coalsack is another region of star-forming activity in our night sky – much like the Dark Rift.

This painting shows some of the animal shapes that the Incas saw in the Dark Rift of the Milky Way. Image via Coricancha Sun Temple in Cusco/Futurism.

Bottom line: On a late July or August evening, looking edgewise into our galaxy’s disk, you’ll notice a long, dark lane dividing the bright starry band of the Milky Way. This so-called Dark Rift or Great Rift is a place where new stars are forming.

from EarthSky https://ift.tt/2u4hK18

View at EarthSky Community Photos. | The Great Rift or Dark Rift is a dark area in the starlit band of the Milky Way. It’s really clouds of dust, where new stars are forming. Photo captured July 19, 2019, by Chuck Reinhart in Vincennes, Indiana. Thank you, Chuck!

Have you ever looked up from a dark place on a starry July or August evening and noticed the dark areas in the Milky Way? For centuries, skywatchers pondered this Great Rift or Dark Rift, as it’s called, but today’s astronomers know it consists of dark, obscuring dust in the disk of our Milky Way galaxy.

How can you see it? It’s best to wait until the moon is gone from your night sky, as it will be around late July and early August 2019. Under a dark sky, far from city lights, the Milky Way is easy to see at this time of year. It’s a shining band stretching across the sky. If you want to see the Dark Rift, that’s easy, too, as long as you realize you aren’t looking for a bright object. You’re looking instead for dark lanes of dust running the length of the starlit Milky Way band.

The Great Rift - also known as the Dark Rift - and the Milky Way pass through the Summer Triangle and above the Teapot asterism in Sagittarius

You can see the Milky Way most easily in the evening from around June or July through about October. From a Northern Hemisphere location, you’ll see the thickest part of the Milky Way above the southern horizon. From the Southern Hemisphere, the thickest part of the Milky Way appears more overhead. Notice that the Milky Way band looks milky white. The skies aren’t really black like ink between stars in the Milky Way. You’ll know when you see the Dark Rift, because it is as if someone took a marker and colored parts of the Milky Way darker.

The Dark Rift begins just above the constellation Sagittarius the Archer. Follow the Milky Way up until you see a black area in the Milky Way just before you get to the constellation Cygnus, which has the shape of a cross. Deneb is the brightest star in Cygnus; it’s part of the famous Summer Triangle asterism. You can see the Dark Rift inside the Summer Triangle.

Be sure to keep your binoculars handy for any Milky Way viewing session. There are many interesting star-forming regions, star clusters and millions of stars that will capture your attention.

Photo via Manish Mamtani.

The Dark Rift is dark due to dust. Stars are formed from great clouds of gas and dust in our Milky Way galaxy and other galaxies. When we look up at the starry band of the Milky Way and see the Dark Rift, we are looking into our galaxy’s star-forming regions. Imagine the vast number of new stars that will emerge, in time, from these clouds of dust!

Shown is the interaction between interstellar dust in the Milky Way and the structure of our galaxy’s magnetic field, as detected by ESA’s Planck satellite over the entire sky. Image via ESA on Pinterest.

Ancient cultures focused on the dark areas, not the light areas. You know those paintings where if you look at the light areas you see one thing, but in the dark areas you see something else?

The Dark Rift is a bit like that. A few ancient cultures in Central and South America saw the dark areas of the Milky Way as constellations. These dark constellations had a variety of myths associated with them. For example, one important dark constellation was Yacana the Llama. It rises above Cuzco, the ancient city of the Incas, every year in November.

By the way, the other famous area of the sky that is obscured by molecular dust is visible from the Southern Hemisphere. It’s the famous Coalsack Nebula near the Southern Cross, also known as the constellation Crux. The Coalsack is another region of star-forming activity in our night sky – much like the Dark Rift.

This painting shows some of the animal shapes that the Incas saw in the Dark Rift of the Milky Way. Image via Coricancha Sun Temple in Cusco/Futurism.

Bottom line: On a late July or August evening, looking edgewise into our galaxy’s disk, you’ll notice a long, dark lane dividing the bright starry band of the Milky Way. This so-called Dark Rift or Great Rift is a place where new stars are forming.

from EarthSky https://ift.tt/2u4hK18

How to find Delta Aquariid radiant point

The star Skat – near the radiant for the Delta Aquariids – is the 3rd-brightest in the faint constellation Aquarius.

The Delta Aquariid meteor shower has a broad maximum and produces meteors throughout late July and early August. It overlaps with the more famous Perseid meteor shower, which peaks this year on the mornings of August 12 and 13. The Delta Aquariid shower takes its name from the star Skat – also known by its Greek name Delta Aquarii. If you trace the paths of the meteors backward, you’ll find that all Delta Aquariids appear to originate from a point near this star. This point – near Skat – is called the radiant point of the Delta Aquariid meteor shower.

Skat isn’t a bright star. It ranks as only the third-brightest in the dim constellation Aquarius the Water Bearer. Still, you can glimpse this constellation and this star, if you go someplace nice and dark. If you’re in the Northern Hemisphere, you’ll also need a good view to the south. From mid-latitudes in the Southern Hemisphere, the star and constellation are northward and higher in the sky.

Skat or Delta Aquarii appears modestly bright in a dark country sky. It’s near on the sky’s dome to a very bright star, Fomalhaut in the constellation Piscis Austrinus the Southern Fish.

If you can see the Great Square of Pegasus and Fomalhaut, they can help you find Skat. See the chart below.

Find the star Skat by first finding the Great Square of Pegasus. Skat is found roughly on a line drawn southward through stars on Square’s west side. It’s between the Great Square and the bright star Fomalhaut.

Of course, in actuality, the Delta Aquariid meteors have nothing whatever to do with the star Skat. The meteors burn up some 60 miles (100 km) above Earth’s surface. Skat lies about 160 light-years away.

A meteor shower results when the Earth passes through the orbital path of a comet, and the debris from this passing comet vaporizes in the Earth’s upper atmosphere. The meteors enter Earth’s atmosphere on parallel paths.

Seeing them come from a radiant point in the sky is much the same illusion as standing on railroad tracks and seeing the tracks converge in the distance.

When you stand on a railroad track, you can see the illusion of tracks converging in the distance. Likewise, the paths of meteors in a single meteor shower appear to converge at a point – the radiant point – on the sky’s dome. Image via Shutterstock.

In late July and early August, when the Delta Aquariid meteors are flying, Skat and its constellation Aquarius rise above the horizon in the hours between midnight and dawn. They’re best seen in the evening sky in the months of October, November and December.

No matter when you look, you’ll always find Skat to the south (or below) the Great Square of Pegasus and to the north (or above) the bright star Fomalhaut.

View larger. | Want to see the star Skat? This chart can help, and you also need a dark sky. Chart via Wikimedia Commons.

Bottom line: How to find the star Skat, or Delta Aquarii, third-brightest star in the constellation Aquarius the Water Bearer, radiant point for the Delta Aquariid meteor shower. Plus an explanation of why meteors in annual showers have radiant points.

Great Square of Pegasus: Easy to see

Read about all the major meteor showers: EarthSky’s meteor shower guide

from EarthSky https://ift.tt/318acKX

The star Skat – near the radiant for the Delta Aquariids – is the 3rd-brightest in the faint constellation Aquarius.

The Delta Aquariid meteor shower has a broad maximum and produces meteors throughout late July and early August. It overlaps with the more famous Perseid meteor shower, which peaks this year on the mornings of August 12 and 13. The Delta Aquariid shower takes its name from the star Skat – also known by its Greek name Delta Aquarii. If you trace the paths of the meteors backward, you’ll find that all Delta Aquariids appear to originate from a point near this star. This point – near Skat – is called the radiant point of the Delta Aquariid meteor shower.

Skat isn’t a bright star. It ranks as only the third-brightest in the dim constellation Aquarius the Water Bearer. Still, you can glimpse this constellation and this star, if you go someplace nice and dark. If you’re in the Northern Hemisphere, you’ll also need a good view to the south. From mid-latitudes in the Southern Hemisphere, the star and constellation are northward and higher in the sky.

Skat or Delta Aquarii appears modestly bright in a dark country sky. It’s near on the sky’s dome to a very bright star, Fomalhaut in the constellation Piscis Austrinus the Southern Fish.

If you can see the Great Square of Pegasus and Fomalhaut, they can help you find Skat. See the chart below.

Find the star Skat by first finding the Great Square of Pegasus. Skat is found roughly on a line drawn southward through stars on Square’s west side. It’s between the Great Square and the bright star Fomalhaut.

Of course, in actuality, the Delta Aquariid meteors have nothing whatever to do with the star Skat. The meteors burn up some 60 miles (100 km) above Earth’s surface. Skat lies about 160 light-years away.

A meteor shower results when the Earth passes through the orbital path of a comet, and the debris from this passing comet vaporizes in the Earth’s upper atmosphere. The meteors enter Earth’s atmosphere on parallel paths.

Seeing them come from a radiant point in the sky is much the same illusion as standing on railroad tracks and seeing the tracks converge in the distance.

When you stand on a railroad track, you can see the illusion of tracks converging in the distance. Likewise, the paths of meteors in a single meteor shower appear to converge at a point – the radiant point – on the sky’s dome. Image via Shutterstock.

In late July and early August, when the Delta Aquariid meteors are flying, Skat and its constellation Aquarius rise above the horizon in the hours between midnight and dawn. They’re best seen in the evening sky in the months of October, November and December.

No matter when you look, you’ll always find Skat to the south (or below) the Great Square of Pegasus and to the north (or above) the bright star Fomalhaut.

View larger. | Want to see the star Skat? This chart can help, and you also need a dark sky. Chart via Wikimedia Commons.

Bottom line: How to find the star Skat, or Delta Aquarii, third-brightest star in the constellation Aquarius the Water Bearer, radiant point for the Delta Aquariid meteor shower. Plus an explanation of why meteors in annual showers have radiant points.

Great Square of Pegasus: Easy to see

Read about all the major meteor showers: EarthSky’s meteor shower guide

from EarthSky https://ift.tt/318acKX

New moon is July 31 – August 1

Youngest possible lunar crescent, with the moon’s age being exactly zero when this photo was taken — at the instant of new moon – 07:14 UTC on July 8, 2013. Image by Thierry Legault.

The next new moon falls on August 1, 2019, at 03:12 UTC; that is, July 31 at 23:12 p.m. EDT. Translate UTC to your time. For some parts of the world, then, this will be the second new moon of July, and thus some will called it a Black Moon. It’s also a supermoon. Following this new moon, you’ll likely see the young crescent moon again – in the west after sunset – in early August.

New moons can’t be seen, or at least they can’t without special equipment and a lot of moon-watching experience. The photo at the top of this post shows the moon at the instant it became new in July 2013. When the moon is new, it’s most nearly between the Earth and sun for any particular month. There’s a new moon about once a month, because the moon takes about a month to orbit Earth. The moon is nearly between the Earth and sun. In most months, there’s no eclipse because, most of the time, the new moon passes not in front of the sun, but simply near it in our sky.

Either way – in front of the sun or just near it – on the day of new moon, the moon travels across the sky with the sun during the day, hidden in the sun’s glare.

A day or two after each month’s new moon, a slim crescent moon always becomes visible in the west after sunset. In the language of astronomy, this slim crescent is called a young moon by astronomers. When you can you expect to see the moon in the evening again? Probably around August 4, 5 or 6, when it’ll appear in the sunset direction for a brief time after sunset.

New moons, and young moons, are fascinating to many. The Farmer’s Almanac, for example, still offers information on gardening by the moon. And many cultures have holidays based on moon phases.

Watch the young moon – a slim crescent moon visible in the west after sunset – swing past the star S;pica on August 4, 5, and 6, 2019. Read more.

Bottom line: New moon is August 1, 2019, at 03:12 UTC; that is, July 31 at 23:12 p.m. EDT. Translate UTC to your time.

Read more: Spot the young moon in early August, 2019

Read more: 4 keys to understanding moon phases

Read more: EarthSky’s guide to the bright planets

Help EarthSky keep going! Please donate.

from EarthSky https://ift.tt/2QpMvsB

Youngest possible lunar crescent, with the moon’s age being exactly zero when this photo was taken — at the instant of new moon – 07:14 UTC on July 8, 2013. Image by Thierry Legault.

The next new moon falls on August 1, 2019, at 03:12 UTC; that is, July 31 at 23:12 p.m. EDT. Translate UTC to your time. For some parts of the world, then, this will be the second new moon of July, and thus some will called it a Black Moon. It’s also a supermoon. Following this new moon, you’ll likely see the young crescent moon again – in the west after sunset – in early August.

New moons can’t be seen, or at least they can’t without special equipment and a lot of moon-watching experience. The photo at the top of this post shows the moon at the instant it became new in July 2013. When the moon is new, it’s most nearly between the Earth and sun for any particular month. There’s a new moon about once a month, because the moon takes about a month to orbit Earth. The moon is nearly between the Earth and sun. In most months, there’s no eclipse because, most of the time, the new moon passes not in front of the sun, but simply near it in our sky.

Either way – in front of the sun or just near it – on the day of new moon, the moon travels across the sky with the sun during the day, hidden in the sun’s glare.

A day or two after each month’s new moon, a slim crescent moon always becomes visible in the west after sunset. In the language of astronomy, this slim crescent is called a young moon by astronomers. When you can you expect to see the moon in the evening again? Probably around August 4, 5 or 6, when it’ll appear in the sunset direction for a brief time after sunset.

New moons, and young moons, are fascinating to many. The Farmer’s Almanac, for example, still offers information on gardening by the moon. And many cultures have holidays based on moon phases.

Watch the young moon – a slim crescent moon visible in the west after sunset – swing past the star S;pica on August 4, 5, and 6, 2019. Read more.

Bottom line: New moon is August 1, 2019, at 03:12 UTC; that is, July 31 at 23:12 p.m. EDT. Translate UTC to your time.

Read more: Spot the young moon in early August, 2019

Read more: 4 keys to understanding moon phases

Read more: EarthSky’s guide to the bright planets

Help EarthSky keep going! Please donate.

from EarthSky https://ift.tt/2QpMvsB

Ten million stars

Image via ESA/CESAR/Wouter van Reeven.

The fuzzy blueish blob in this image is Omega Centauri, a globular cluster of 10 million stars about 15,800 light-years from Earth.

Globular clusters orbit the Milky Way outside the galactic disk. They harbor tens of thousands to millions of stars. Tightly bound by gravity, globular clusters remain intact after 12 billion years. Omega Centauri has a diameter of 230 light-years. Having a mass of 5 million suns, Omega Centauri is 10 times more massive than a typical globular cluster.

According to the European Space Agency (ESA), Omega Centauri is a picture-perfect example of a globular cluster: tightly bound by gravity, it has a very high density of stars at its center and a nearly perfect spherical shape. In addition:

As other globular clusters, Omega Centauri is made up of very old stars and it is almost devoid of gas and dust, indicating star formation in the cluster has long ceased. Its stars have a low proportion of elements heavier than hydrogen and helium, signaling they were formed earlier in the history of the universe than stars like our sun. Unlike in many other globular clusters, however, the stars in Omega Centauri don’t all have the same age and chemical abundances, making astronomers puzzle over the formation and evolution of this cluster. Some scientists have even suggested that Omega Centauri may not be a true cluster at all, but rather the leftovers of a dwarf galaxy that collided with the Milky Way.

Omega Centauri is also special in many other ways, not least because of the sheer number of stars it contains. It is the largest globular cluster in our galaxy, at about 150 light years in diameter, and is also the brightest and most massive of its type, its stars having a combined mass of about four million solar masses.

The image above was captured by Wouter van Reeven, a software engineer at ESA’s European Space Astronomy Centre in Spain, during his recent visit to Chile to observe the July 2019 total solar eclipse. From Chile’s La Silla Observatory, Omega Centauri was high in the sky, presenting the ideal opportunity to photograph it. To create the composition, Wouter combined eight images taken with an exposure time of 10 seconds, seven images of 30 seconds each and another seven images of 60 seconds each. He used a SkyWatcher Esprit 80 ED telescope and a Canon EOS 200D camera.

Bottom line: Image of globular cluster Omega Centauri.

Via ESA

from EarthSky https://ift.tt/2Yy7aOt

Image via ESA/CESAR/Wouter van Reeven.

The fuzzy blueish blob in this image is Omega Centauri, a globular cluster of 10 million stars about 15,800 light-years from Earth.

Globular clusters orbit the Milky Way outside the galactic disk. They harbor tens of thousands to millions of stars. Tightly bound by gravity, globular clusters remain intact after 12 billion years. Omega Centauri has a diameter of 230 light-years. Having a mass of 5 million suns, Omega Centauri is 10 times more massive than a typical globular cluster.

According to the European Space Agency (ESA), Omega Centauri is a picture-perfect example of a globular cluster: tightly bound by gravity, it has a very high density of stars at its center and a nearly perfect spherical shape. In addition:

As other globular clusters, Omega Centauri is made up of very old stars and it is almost devoid of gas and dust, indicating star formation in the cluster has long ceased. Its stars have a low proportion of elements heavier than hydrogen and helium, signaling they were formed earlier in the history of the universe than stars like our sun. Unlike in many other globular clusters, however, the stars in Omega Centauri don’t all have the same age and chemical abundances, making astronomers puzzle over the formation and evolution of this cluster. Some scientists have even suggested that Omega Centauri may not be a true cluster at all, but rather the leftovers of a dwarf galaxy that collided with the Milky Way.

Omega Centauri is also special in many other ways, not least because of the sheer number of stars it contains. It is the largest globular cluster in our galaxy, at about 150 light years in diameter, and is also the brightest and most massive of its type, its stars having a combined mass of about four million solar masses.

The image above was captured by Wouter van Reeven, a software engineer at ESA’s European Space Astronomy Centre in Spain, during his recent visit to Chile to observe the July 2019 total solar eclipse. From Chile’s La Silla Observatory, Omega Centauri was high in the sky, presenting the ideal opportunity to photograph it. To create the composition, Wouter combined eight images taken with an exposure time of 10 seconds, seven images of 30 seconds each and another seven images of 60 seconds each. He used a SkyWatcher Esprit 80 ED telescope and a Canon EOS 200D camera.

Bottom line: Image of globular cluster Omega Centauri.

Via ESA

from EarthSky https://ift.tt/2Yy7aOt