New moon is May 22, 2020

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.

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. Most of the time, the new moon passes not in front of the sun, but simply near it in our sky. That’s why, in most months, there’s no solar eclipse.

The moon must be at the new phase in order for a solar eclipse to take place.

The photo of a new moon at the top of this page shows the moon as it passed near the sun on July 8, 2013. There was no eclipse that day; it was an ordinary new moon. New moons typically can’t be seen, or at least they can’t without special equipment and a lot of moon-photography experience. Thierry Legault was able to catch the photo at top – the moon at the instant it was new – because the moon that month passed to one side of the sun, and the faintest of lunar crescents was visible.

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.

Some people use the term new moon for a thin crescent moon visible in the west after sunset. You always see these little crescents – which set shortly after the sun – a day or two after each month’s new moon. Astronomers don’t call these little crescent moons new moons, however. In the language of astronomy, this slim crescent is called a young moon.

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.

Bottom line: New moons generally can’t be seen. They cross the sky with the sun during the day. This month’s new moon happens on May 22 at 17:40 UTC.

Read more: What’s the youngest moon you can see?

Read more: 4 keys to understanding moon phases

Help EarthSky keep going! Please donate.

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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.

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. Most of the time, the new moon passes not in front of the sun, but simply near it in our sky. That’s why, in most months, there’s no solar eclipse.

The moon must be at the new phase in order for a solar eclipse to take place.

The photo of a new moon at the top of this page shows the moon as it passed near the sun on July 8, 2013. There was no eclipse that day; it was an ordinary new moon. New moons typically can’t be seen, or at least they can’t without special equipment and a lot of moon-photography experience. Thierry Legault was able to catch the photo at top – the moon at the instant it was new – because the moon that month passed to one side of the sun, and the faintest of lunar crescents was visible.

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.

Some people use the term new moon for a thin crescent moon visible in the west after sunset. You always see these little crescents – which set shortly after the sun – a day or two after each month’s new moon. Astronomers don’t call these little crescent moons new moons, however. In the language of astronomy, this slim crescent is called a young moon.

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.

Bottom line: New moons generally can’t be seen. They cross the sky with the sun during the day. This month’s new moon happens on May 22 at 17:40 UTC.

Read more: What’s the youngest moon you can see?

Read more: 4 keys to understanding moon phases

Help EarthSky keep going! Please donate.

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

Why is Earth’s magnetic north pole drifting so rapidly?

You probably know that a compass doesn’t point to true north. Earth’s geographic north pole – and magnetic north pole – were first recognized as two different places in 1831. Until the early 1990s, the magnetic North Pole was known to lie some 1,000 miles south of true north, in Canada. Yet, as scientists realized, the location of magnetic north was not fixed. Magnetic north was drifting at a rate of up to about 9 miles (15 km) a year. Since the 1990s, however, the drift of Earth’s magnetic north pole has turned into “more of a sprint,” scientists say. Its present speed is about 30 to nearly 40 miles a year (50-60 km a year) toward Siberia. And now – using satellite measurements – scientists in Europe have helped confirm a theory as to why Earth’s magnetic north pole is drifting so rapidly.

The European Space Agency (ESA) released this interesting article on May 14, 2020. It describes a new study in the peer-reviewed journal Nature Geoscience that describes the theory of “tussling magnetic blobs deep below Earth’s surface” at the root of the phenomenon of rapid magnetic pole drift since the 1990s. ESA said:

In late October 2017, [the magnetic north pole] crossed the International Date Line, passing within 390 km [242 miles] of the geographic pole, and is now heading south …

Tussling magnetic blobs deep below Earth’s surface appear to be at the root of the phenomenon of rapid magnetic pole drift since the 1990s. Image via ESA.

At present, the Siberian blob appears to be winning in this magnetic “tug of war.” Image via Phil Livermore/ BBC.

In our modern world, it’s not just compasses that are affected by the drift of Earth’s magnetic north pole. ESA explained:

One of the practical consequences of this is that the World Magnetic Model has to be updated periodically with the pole’s current location. The model is vital for many navigation systems used by ships, Google maps and smartphones, for example.

That’s why the subject of magnetic north is such a vital one to our world, and why ESA’s Living Planet Symposium last year featured a talk from scientists at the University of Leeds in the U.K. about their findings on magnetic north, using SWARM satellite data. The Swarm satellites carry sophisticated magnetometers. Their goal, in part, is to provide a survey of Earth’s magnetic field. ESA said:

The data showed that the position of the north magnetic pole is determined largely by a balance, or tug-of-war, between two large lobes of negative flux at the boundary between Earth’s core and mantle under Canada.

Phil Livermore, from the University of Leeds, said:

By analyzing magnetic field maps and how they change over time, we can now pinpoint that a change in the circulation pattern of flow underneath Canada has caused a patch of magnetic field at the edge of the core, deep within the Earth, to be stretched out. This has weakened the Canadian patch and resulted in the pole shifting towards Siberia.

The north magnetic pole is moving fast and in an unexpected way, baffling scientists who are involved in tracking its motions. ?

Dr Phil Livermore from @SEELeeds discusses the movement in @nature.https://t.co/QULuA31xt8 pic.twitter.com/oJwL9BLecV

— University of Leeds (@UniversityLeeds) January 11, 2019

The big question, these scientists say, is whether the pole will ever return to Canada or continue heading south. Livermore explained:

Models of the magnetic field inside the core suggest that, at least for the next few decades, the pole will continue to drift towards Siberia.

However, given that the pole’s position is governed by this delicate balance between the Canadian and Siberian patch, it would take only a small adjustment of the field within the core to send the pole back to Canada.

Bottom line: Scientists studying the drift of Earth’s magnetic north pole have pinpointed a change in the circulation pattern of magnetic blobs deep below Earth’s surface. They’ve learned a change in the flow underneath Canada has caused a patch of magnetic field at the edge of Earth’s core, deep within the Earth, to be stretched out. This has weakened the Canadian patch and resulted in the pole shifting towards Siberia.

Source: Recent north magnetic pole acceleration towards Siberia caused by flux lobe elongation

Via ESA

Read more from the BBC: Scientists explain magnetic pole’s wanderings

from EarthSky https://ift.tt/2zeV0TV

You probably know that a compass doesn’t point to true north. Earth’s geographic north pole – and magnetic north pole – were first recognized as two different places in 1831. Until the early 1990s, the magnetic North Pole was known to lie some 1,000 miles south of true north, in Canada. Yet, as scientists realized, the location of magnetic north was not fixed. Magnetic north was drifting at a rate of up to about 9 miles (15 km) a year. Since the 1990s, however, the drift of Earth’s magnetic north pole has turned into “more of a sprint,” scientists say. Its present speed is about 30 to nearly 40 miles a year (50-60 km a year) toward Siberia. And now – using satellite measurements – scientists in Europe have helped confirm a theory as to why Earth’s magnetic north pole is drifting so rapidly.

The European Space Agency (ESA) released this interesting article on May 14, 2020. It describes a new study in the peer-reviewed journal Nature Geoscience that describes the theory of “tussling magnetic blobs deep below Earth’s surface” at the root of the phenomenon of rapid magnetic pole drift since the 1990s. ESA said:

In late October 2017, [the magnetic north pole] crossed the International Date Line, passing within 390 km [242 miles] of the geographic pole, and is now heading south …

Tussling magnetic blobs deep below Earth’s surface appear to be at the root of the phenomenon of rapid magnetic pole drift since the 1990s. Image via ESA.

At present, the Siberian blob appears to be winning in this magnetic “tug of war.” Image via Phil Livermore/ BBC.

In our modern world, it’s not just compasses that are affected by the drift of Earth’s magnetic north pole. ESA explained:

One of the practical consequences of this is that the World Magnetic Model has to be updated periodically with the pole’s current location. The model is vital for many navigation systems used by ships, Google maps and smartphones, for example.

That’s why the subject of magnetic north is such a vital one to our world, and why ESA’s Living Planet Symposium last year featured a talk from scientists at the University of Leeds in the U.K. about their findings on magnetic north, using SWARM satellite data. The Swarm satellites carry sophisticated magnetometers. Their goal, in part, is to provide a survey of Earth’s magnetic field. ESA said:

The data showed that the position of the north magnetic pole is determined largely by a balance, or tug-of-war, between two large lobes of negative flux at the boundary between Earth’s core and mantle under Canada.

Phil Livermore, from the University of Leeds, said:

By analyzing magnetic field maps and how they change over time, we can now pinpoint that a change in the circulation pattern of flow underneath Canada has caused a patch of magnetic field at the edge of the core, deep within the Earth, to be stretched out. This has weakened the Canadian patch and resulted in the pole shifting towards Siberia.

The north magnetic pole is moving fast and in an unexpected way, baffling scientists who are involved in tracking its motions. ?

Dr Phil Livermore from @SEELeeds discusses the movement in @nature.https://t.co/QULuA31xt8 pic.twitter.com/oJwL9BLecV

— University of Leeds (@UniversityLeeds) January 11, 2019

The big question, these scientists say, is whether the pole will ever return to Canada or continue heading south. Livermore explained:

Models of the magnetic field inside the core suggest that, at least for the next few decades, the pole will continue to drift towards Siberia.

However, given that the pole’s position is governed by this delicate balance between the Canadian and Siberian patch, it would take only a small adjustment of the field within the core to send the pole back to Canada.

Bottom line: Scientists studying the drift of Earth’s magnetic north pole have pinpointed a change in the circulation pattern of magnetic blobs deep below Earth’s surface. They’ve learned a change in the flow underneath Canada has caused a patch of magnetic field at the edge of Earth’s core, deep within the Earth, to be stretched out. This has weakened the Canadian patch and resulted in the pole shifting towards Siberia.

Source: Recent north magnetic pole acceleration towards Siberia caused by flux lobe elongation

Via ESA

Read more from the BBC: Scientists explain magnetic pole’s wanderings

from EarthSky https://ift.tt/2zeV0TV

Why clouds form near black holes

This artist’s concept depicts a quasar, a type of active galactic nucleus, surrounded by a dusty donut shape (torus) and clumps called “clouds.” These clouds start small but can expand to be more than 1 parsec (3.3 light-years) wide. In this diagram, the clouds are at least 1 parsec from the torus. Image via Nima Abkenar/ NASA.

Via NASA

Once you leave the majestic skies of Earth, the word cloud no longer means a white fluffy-looking structure that produces rain. Instead, clouds in the greater universe are clumpy areas of greater density than their surroundings.

Space telescopes have observed these cosmic clouds in the vicinity of supermassive black holes, those mysterious dense objects from which no light can escape, with masses equivalent to more than 100,000 suns. There is a supermassive black hole in the center of nearly every galaxy, and it is called an active galactic nucleus (AGN) if it is gobbling up a lot of gas and dust from its surroundings. The brightest kind of AGN is called a quasar. While the black hole itself cannot be seen, its vicinity shines extremely brightly as matter gets torn apart close to its event horizon, its point of no return.

But black holes aren’t truly like vacuum cleaners; they don’t just suck up everything that gets too close. While some material around a black hole will fall directly in, never to be seen again, some of the nearby gas will be flung outward, creating a shell that expands over thousands of years. That’s because the area near the event horizon – the threshold around a black hole where the escape velocity surpasses the speed of light – is extremely energetic; the high-energy radiation from fast-moving particles around the black hole can eject a significant amount of gas into the vastness of space.

Scientists would expect that this outflow of gas would be smooth. Instead, it is clumpy, extending well beyond 1 parsec (3.3 light-years) from the black hole. Each cloud starts out small, but can expand to be more than 1 parsec wide – and could even cover the distance between Earth and the nearest star beyond the sun, Proxima Centauri.

Astrophysicist Daniel Proga at the University of Nevada, Las Vegas, likens these clumps to groups of cars waiting at a highway onramp with stoplights designed to regulate the influx of new traffic. He said:

Every now and then you have a bunch of cars.

What explains these clumps in deep space? Proga and colleagues have a new computer model that presents a possible solution to this mystery, published April 21, 2020, in the peer-reviewed Astrophysical Journal Letters. Science suggests that extremely intense heat near the supermassive black hole can allow the gas to flow outward really fast, but in a way that can also lead to clump formation. If the gas accelerates too quickly, it will not cool off enough to form clumps. The computer model takes these factors into account and proposes a mechanism to make the gas travel far, but also clump. Proga said:

Near the outer edge of the shell there is a perturbation that makes gas density a little bit lower than it used to be. That makes this gas heat up very efficiently. The cold gas further out is being lifted out by that.

This phenomenon is somewhat like the buoyancy that makes hot air balloons float. The heated air inside the balloon is lighter than the cooler air outside, and this density difference makes the balloon rise.

University of Nevada doctoral student Randall Dannen led the study. Dannen said:

This work is important because astronomers have always needed to place clouds at a given location and velocity to fit the observations we see from AGN. They were not often concerned with the specifics of how the clouds formed in the first place, and our work offers a potential explanation for the formation of these clouds.

This model looks only at the shell of gas, not at the disk of material swirling around the black hole that is feeding it. The researchers’ next step is to examine whether the flow of gas originates from the disk itself. They are also interested in tackling the mystery of why some clouds move extremely fast, on the order of 20 million miles per hour (10,000 kilometers per second).

Bottom line: A new study looks at how cosmic clouds form near black holes.

Source: Clumpy AGN Outflows due to Thermal Instability

from EarthSky https://ift.tt/2z2WWyV

This artist’s concept depicts a quasar, a type of active galactic nucleus, surrounded by a dusty donut shape (torus) and clumps called “clouds.” These clouds start small but can expand to be more than 1 parsec (3.3 light-years) wide. In this diagram, the clouds are at least 1 parsec from the torus. Image via Nima Abkenar/ NASA.

Via NASA

Once you leave the majestic skies of Earth, the word cloud no longer means a white fluffy-looking structure that produces rain. Instead, clouds in the greater universe are clumpy areas of greater density than their surroundings.

Space telescopes have observed these cosmic clouds in the vicinity of supermassive black holes, those mysterious dense objects from which no light can escape, with masses equivalent to more than 100,000 suns. There is a supermassive black hole in the center of nearly every galaxy, and it is called an active galactic nucleus (AGN) if it is gobbling up a lot of gas and dust from its surroundings. The brightest kind of AGN is called a quasar. While the black hole itself cannot be seen, its vicinity shines extremely brightly as matter gets torn apart close to its event horizon, its point of no return.

But black holes aren’t truly like vacuum cleaners; they don’t just suck up everything that gets too close. While some material around a black hole will fall directly in, never to be seen again, some of the nearby gas will be flung outward, creating a shell that expands over thousands of years. That’s because the area near the event horizon – the threshold around a black hole where the escape velocity surpasses the speed of light – is extremely energetic; the high-energy radiation from fast-moving particles around the black hole can eject a significant amount of gas into the vastness of space.

Scientists would expect that this outflow of gas would be smooth. Instead, it is clumpy, extending well beyond 1 parsec (3.3 light-years) from the black hole. Each cloud starts out small, but can expand to be more than 1 parsec wide – and could even cover the distance between Earth and the nearest star beyond the sun, Proxima Centauri.

Astrophysicist Daniel Proga at the University of Nevada, Las Vegas, likens these clumps to groups of cars waiting at a highway onramp with stoplights designed to regulate the influx of new traffic. He said:

Every now and then you have a bunch of cars.

What explains these clumps in deep space? Proga and colleagues have a new computer model that presents a possible solution to this mystery, published April 21, 2020, in the peer-reviewed Astrophysical Journal Letters. Science suggests that extremely intense heat near the supermassive black hole can allow the gas to flow outward really fast, but in a way that can also lead to clump formation. If the gas accelerates too quickly, it will not cool off enough to form clumps. The computer model takes these factors into account and proposes a mechanism to make the gas travel far, but also clump. Proga said:

Near the outer edge of the shell there is a perturbation that makes gas density a little bit lower than it used to be. That makes this gas heat up very efficiently. The cold gas further out is being lifted out by that.

This phenomenon is somewhat like the buoyancy that makes hot air balloons float. The heated air inside the balloon is lighter than the cooler air outside, and this density difference makes the balloon rise.

University of Nevada doctoral student Randall Dannen led the study. Dannen said:

This work is important because astronomers have always needed to place clouds at a given location and velocity to fit the observations we see from AGN. They were not often concerned with the specifics of how the clouds formed in the first place, and our work offers a potential explanation for the formation of these clouds.

This model looks only at the shell of gas, not at the disk of material swirling around the black hole that is feeding it. The researchers’ next step is to examine whether the flow of gas originates from the disk itself. They are also interested in tackling the mystery of why some clouds move extremely fast, on the order of 20 million miles per hour (10,000 kilometers per second).

Bottom line: A new study looks at how cosmic clouds form near black holes.

Source: Clumpy AGN Outflows due to Thermal Instability

from EarthSky https://ift.tt/2z2WWyV

Seen from space: Covid-19 and the environment

As the Covid-19 pandemic has disrupted lives across the globe, Earth-observing satellites take the pulse of our planet from space. While the global lockdown has had a massive impact on daily life and the economy, there have been environmental benefits that are visible from space. How can we preserve these positives when returning to “business as usual”?

Via ESA

from EarthSky https://ift.tt/2zb8UGA

As the Covid-19 pandemic has disrupted lives across the globe, Earth-observing satellites take the pulse of our planet from space. While the global lockdown has had a massive impact on daily life and the economy, there have been environmental benefits that are visible from space. How can we preserve these positives when returning to “business as usual”?

Via ESA

from EarthSky https://ift.tt/2zb8UGA

Last Antarctic sunset

May 3, 2020, sunset – the last sunset for several months – at Concordia research station in Antarctica. Image via ESA.

At Concordia Research Station in Antarctica, scientists are studying how an extreme environment can be a risk to the human body and mind. Their ultimate goal is preparing humans for life in outer space beyond low-Earth orbit. In early May, the sun set for winter at the facility. The photo above captured the scene. The European Space Agency (ESA) wrote:

The 16th crew at Concordia Research Station in Antarctica to spend a full winter at the facility, wave goodbye to the sun as it descends below the horizon, not to return for four months. May 3, 2020, marked the start of the crew’s winter-over period. The 12-member group will spend the next few months in total darkness. This is in addition to their nine-month isolation in one of the most extreme environments on Earth.

Concordia research station is one of three stations operating year round for science in the middle of the Antarctic ice sheet. Located at Dome C on the Antarctic peninsula, the station sits about 10,500 feet (3,200 meters) above sea level.

If the altitude does not steal your breath, the cold certainly will: temperatures can drop to -80°C (-112 F) in the winter, with a yearly average temperature of -50°C (-58 F).

Isolation in a cold, dark environment on Earth makes an ideal stand-in for space to better prepare us for exploration of our solar system. Researchers come to Concordia to study not only astronomy, meteorology and glaciology but also human physiology and psychology.

Researchers are interested in how this extreme environment can be a risk to the human body and mind. Data from these studies is preparing humans for life in outer space beyond low Earth orbit.

ESA-sponsored medical doctor Stijn Thoolen coordinates this year’s biomedical research experiments at Concordia to assess the prolonged effects of isolation on the human body and mind.

He collects blood, stool and urine samples to track changes in blood volume, immune system and gut bacteria and how they impact our health. Stijn also facilitates stress and coordination tests and follows social dynamics to understand the roles stress plays in making or breaking a group in isolation.

The coming months will prove the most challenging for the group but potentially also the most rewarding.

Follow the adventures at Concordia on the blog.

Bottom line: Photo showing the last sunset – prior to several months of winter darkness – at Concordia Research Station in Antarctica. Scientists at the station are studying how living in extreme conditions affects the human body and mind.

Via ESA

from EarthSky https://ift.tt/2yk8HR6

May 3, 2020, sunset – the last sunset for several months – at Concordia research station in Antarctica. Image via ESA.

At Concordia Research Station in Antarctica, scientists are studying how an extreme environment can be a risk to the human body and mind. Their ultimate goal is preparing humans for life in outer space beyond low-Earth orbit. In early May, the sun set for winter at the facility. The photo above captured the scene. The European Space Agency (ESA) wrote:

The 16th crew at Concordia Research Station in Antarctica to spend a full winter at the facility, wave goodbye to the sun as it descends below the horizon, not to return for four months. May 3, 2020, marked the start of the crew’s winter-over period. The 12-member group will spend the next few months in total darkness. This is in addition to their nine-month isolation in one of the most extreme environments on Earth.

Concordia research station is one of three stations operating year round for science in the middle of the Antarctic ice sheet. Located at Dome C on the Antarctic peninsula, the station sits about 10,500 feet (3,200 meters) above sea level.

If the altitude does not steal your breath, the cold certainly will: temperatures can drop to -80°C (-112 F) in the winter, with a yearly average temperature of -50°C (-58 F).

Isolation in a cold, dark environment on Earth makes an ideal stand-in for space to better prepare us for exploration of our solar system. Researchers come to Concordia to study not only astronomy, meteorology and glaciology but also human physiology and psychology.

Researchers are interested in how this extreme environment can be a risk to the human body and mind. Data from these studies is preparing humans for life in outer space beyond low Earth orbit.

ESA-sponsored medical doctor Stijn Thoolen coordinates this year’s biomedical research experiments at Concordia to assess the prolonged effects of isolation on the human body and mind.

He collects blood, stool and urine samples to track changes in blood volume, immune system and gut bacteria and how they impact our health. Stijn also facilitates stress and coordination tests and follows social dynamics to understand the roles stress plays in making or breaking a group in isolation.

The coming months will prove the most challenging for the group but potentially also the most rewarding.

Follow the adventures at Concordia on the blog.

Bottom line: Photo showing the last sunset – prior to several months of winter darkness – at Concordia Research Station in Antarctica. Scientists at the station are studying how living in extreme conditions affects the human body and mind.

Via ESA

from EarthSky https://ift.tt/2yk8HR6

Find the Keystone in Hercules

EarthSky astronomy kits are perfect for beginners. Order today from the EarthSky store

Tonight, from mid-northern latitudes, you can easily find the brilliant star Vega in the eastern sky at dusk and nightfall. Vega acts as your guide star to the Keystone – a pattern of four stars in the constellation Hercules.

Look for the Keystone asterism – star pattern – to the upper right of the brilliant blue-white star Vega. Hold your fist at arm’s length. There is easily enough room between Vega and the Keystone for your fist to fit between the two.

You can also locate the Keystone by using Vega in conjunction with the brilliant yellow-orange star Arcturus. From mid-northern latitudes, Arcturus is found quite high in the southeast sky at nightfall and evening. By late evening, Arcturus will have moved over to the southern sky. The Keystone is found about one-third the way from Vega to Arcturus, the two brightest stars to grace the Northern Hemisphere’s spring and summertime sky. The only star-like object to outshine these stars is the king planet Jupiter, rather low in the southwest sky at nightfall.

Before you can find M13, you need to find the Keystone in Hercules, a pattern of four stars. As darkness falls, look for the Keystone to the upper right of the brilliant star Vega. Image via Wikimedia Commons.

The Keystone, in turn, is your ticket to finding a famous globular star cluster in Hercules, otherwise known as the Great Cluster in Hercules, aka Messier 13 or M13.

Most likely, you’ll need binoculars to see the Hercules cluster, although sharp-eyed people can see it with the unaided eye in a dark, transparent sky. Through binoculars, this cluster looks like a dim and somewhat hazy star. But a telescope begins to resolve this faint fuzzy into what it really is – a great big, globe-shaped stellar city populated with hundreds of thousands of stars!

The Keystone and the Hercules cluster swing high overhead after midnight, and are found in the western sky before dawn.

View larger. | Can you find the Keystone on this chart? See the compact grouping of four stars at the center of Hercules? That’s it. Note the whereabouts of Messier 13 within the Keystone pattern.

The Great Cluster in Hercules – aka M13 – as captured by our friend Scott MacNeill at Frosty Drew Observatory in Charlestown, Rhode Island. Thanks, Scott!

Bottom line: Let the bright star Vega guide you to a famous star pattern in Hercules – called the Keystone – and then to the Great Cluster in Hercules, aka M13, a famous globular star cluster.

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

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

EarthSky astronomy kits are perfect for beginners. Order today from the EarthSky store

Tonight, from mid-northern latitudes, you can easily find the brilliant star Vega in the eastern sky at dusk and nightfall. Vega acts as your guide star to the Keystone – a pattern of four stars in the constellation Hercules.

Look for the Keystone asterism – star pattern – to the upper right of the brilliant blue-white star Vega. Hold your fist at arm’s length. There is easily enough room between Vega and the Keystone for your fist to fit between the two.

You can also locate the Keystone by using Vega in conjunction with the brilliant yellow-orange star Arcturus. From mid-northern latitudes, Arcturus is found quite high in the southeast sky at nightfall and evening. By late evening, Arcturus will have moved over to the southern sky. The Keystone is found about one-third the way from Vega to Arcturus, the two brightest stars to grace the Northern Hemisphere’s spring and summertime sky. The only star-like object to outshine these stars is the king planet Jupiter, rather low in the southwest sky at nightfall.

Before you can find M13, you need to find the Keystone in Hercules, a pattern of four stars. As darkness falls, look for the Keystone to the upper right of the brilliant star Vega. Image via Wikimedia Commons.

The Keystone, in turn, is your ticket to finding a famous globular star cluster in Hercules, otherwise known as the Great Cluster in Hercules, aka Messier 13 or M13.

Most likely, you’ll need binoculars to see the Hercules cluster, although sharp-eyed people can see it with the unaided eye in a dark, transparent sky. Through binoculars, this cluster looks like a dim and somewhat hazy star. But a telescope begins to resolve this faint fuzzy into what it really is – a great big, globe-shaped stellar city populated with hundreds of thousands of stars!

The Keystone and the Hercules cluster swing high overhead after midnight, and are found in the western sky before dawn.

View larger. | Can you find the Keystone on this chart? See the compact grouping of four stars at the center of Hercules? That’s it. Note the whereabouts of Messier 13 within the Keystone pattern.

The Great Cluster in Hercules – aka M13 – as captured by our friend Scott MacNeill at Frosty Drew Observatory in Charlestown, Rhode Island. Thanks, Scott!

Bottom line: Let the bright star Vega guide you to a famous star pattern in Hercules – called the Keystone – and then to the Great Cluster in Hercules, aka M13, a famous globular star cluster.

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

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

Coronavirus reports – Part 3: “I should have known when they came back in PPE”

We caught up with people living with cancer across the country, to find out how the coronavirus pandemic has been affecting them and their families.

Christine: “I should have known when they came back in PPE”

Christine was diagnosed with ovarian cancer in September 2019. “I had some routine bloods done and I mentioned that I had some niggling pains in my side. Test results showed that something wasn’t right.” She was told by the doctor that the cancer was treatable, but not curable.

Christine had four rounds of chemotherapy before Christmas, followed by surgery in January. “I then had 6 weeks off before two more rounds of chemo.” It was after the second round that Christine started to feel unwell and was taken into hospital for tests.

Christine during treatment.

It was pneumonia, sepsis and COVID-19.

“I should have known as they came in gowned up and in PPE when they came back.” Christine was isolated for 5 days at Salford Royal, and while the staff were amazing, the experience was not.

“I was so out of breath moving around the room. I was uncomfortable and it was not nice being stuck in the room. I couldn’t read or watch anything really, and I didn’t want to see any news.”

Not being able to have family also took its toll. “The doctors came in to tell me that if I needed intensive care, it would be up to the doctors in the unit whether I would be accepted for this. And I was hearing this all on my own – no family there.”

Fortunately, Christine didn’t need intensive care and was able to go home after 5 days. “I’m still not quite right and feel tired, but I am going out to walk the dog. I can’t give into this.”

Christine says that having family nearby has been so important. Her husband and son have been with her at home, while her other son lives nearby. “It’s a small family but so supportive. My husband is looking after me – we have been married 44 years.”

Charly: “COVID-19 has impacted my treatment options but has not stopped it, and for that I am grateful.”

Charly found a lump in her breast in February 2020. “It was the day before my daughter’s birthday, I had a shower and found a bit of a lump.”

She didn’t tell anyone in her family but scheduled an appointment with her GP, who referred her to the breast clinic. When she felt a lump in her armpit, she called to see if they could speed things up. “I was in a state of panic, I

Charly with her family.

was reading about everything.”

Her biopsy was in early March. “COVID-19 wasn’t really a concern at that point,” she says, but things changed rapidly over the next few weeks.

“I went back for the results on the 10th March and it was confirmed as having cancer. They said I would have chemo first, then radiotherapy and surgery.” Charly asked if the treatment plan might be affected by COVID-19, but the doctors didn’t know enough at that point.

But the situation evolved with the outbreak, with Charly’s appointment being followed by a flurry of calls. The doctors told Charly that because of COVID-19, chemo was off the table for now. “They said it was to be surgery first, and it should still be a lumpectomy. But by the time I went to meet the surgeon the week after, this changed to a full mastectomy.”

Charly says she had anticipated that changes may happen, and they quickly became a central part of her cancer experience. Her surgeon changed before the operation, which was particularly hard, especially as she was dealing with the changes by herself on the day.

“I had to go into surgery alone and that was one of the toughest things, but I just had to do it.”

And after 6 weeks recovering from surgery, which Charly describes as “an emotional and frustrating time”, it was time for chemo.

Because of COVID-19, Charly’s doctors changed the chemotherapy drugs to minimise infection risk. She started chemotherapy at the beginning of May, which will last 18 weeks in total. Charly says that being a personal trainer and an active person, the next stage could be the hardest for her. “I have always needed exercise for headspace, it is part of me.” It’s particularly hard not being able to run around with her kids.

The other big challenge for Charly has been the phone calls with her cancer team. “I am often on my own and there is so much information to take in. It’s hard to have a serious talk and build trust on the phone.”

“It’s such an emotionally charged time and it’s draining – COVID-19 has been a huge factor.”

But while her treatment has been complicated and challenging so far, Charly is positive. “I am lucky in many ways, my cancer is treatable and being ex-Army and a personal trainer I am relatively fit and healthy.”

Charly says that while lockdown with two young daughters – aged 4 and 5 – has been a challenge, there were some benefits during recovery. “Because of lockdown there were people around who were keen to help, with provisions or dog walking, so I felt less of a burden.”

Stephen: “Our dream family trip was cancelled due to COVID-19”

Stephen was diagnosed with stage 4 bowel cancer just before Christmas in 2019, after an accident brought him to the hospital.

Stephen with his daughter, Isabelle.

The initial prognosis was that without chemotherapy, Stephen was expected to live for 6 to 9 months, and 12 to 18 months with it. “It’s incredibly daunting to be told those words, especially with a 10-month old baby. We had been looking forward to Isabelle’s first Christmas and then all this began.”

Stephen started a 6 month course of chemotherapy in January, and is responding well to the treatment so far. “If I continue to respond well, they may do a few operations on my liver and then re-assess everything else.”

A big thing that’s kept Stephen going through chemo was a family trip to Florida, which friends raised money for. “We would have liked to wait until Isabelle was older, but we thought we should go now, until that was cancelled due to COVID-19.” On the day the family was due to fly, Stephen was having chemo on his own instead.

Stephen says it’s been tough not being able to see loved ones, but they’ve celebrated Isabelle’s first birthday and his 30th in lockdown. “Having a positive mental attitude is vital, we’ve kept up the spirits.”

Katie

Read more coronavirus reports:

• “We’re ahead when it comes to isolation”
• “I’m taking things week by week”

 

Thanks to Christine, Charly and Stephen for sharing their experiences. If you would like to share your story with us, please visit our website. And you can tell us how COVID-19 is impacting your life with cancer through our survey.

If you have questions about cancer, you can talk to our nurses Monday to Friday, 9-5pm, on freephone 0808 800 4040.

from Cancer Research UK – Science blog https://ift.tt/3fT9ZDo

We caught up with people living with cancer across the country, to find out how the coronavirus pandemic has been affecting them and their families.

Christine: “I should have known when they came back in PPE”

Christine was diagnosed with ovarian cancer in September 2019. “I had some routine bloods done and I mentioned that I had some niggling pains in my side. Test results showed that something wasn’t right.” She was told by the doctor that the cancer was treatable, but not curable.

Christine had four rounds of chemotherapy before Christmas, followed by surgery in January. “I then had 6 weeks off before two more rounds of chemo.” It was after the second round that Christine started to feel unwell and was taken into hospital for tests.

Christine during treatment.

It was pneumonia, sepsis and COVID-19.

“I should have known as they came in gowned up and in PPE when they came back.” Christine was isolated for 5 days at Salford Royal, and while the staff were amazing, the experience was not.

“I was so out of breath moving around the room. I was uncomfortable and it was not nice being stuck in the room. I couldn’t read or watch anything really, and I didn’t want to see any news.”

Not being able to have family also took its toll. “The doctors came in to tell me that if I needed intensive care, it would be up to the doctors in the unit whether I would be accepted for this. And I was hearing this all on my own – no family there.”

Fortunately, Christine didn’t need intensive care and was able to go home after 5 days. “I’m still not quite right and feel tired, but I am going out to walk the dog. I can’t give into this.”

Christine says that having family nearby has been so important. Her husband and son have been with her at home, while her other son lives nearby. “It’s a small family but so supportive. My husband is looking after me – we have been married 44 years.”

Charly: “COVID-19 has impacted my treatment options but has not stopped it, and for that I am grateful.”

Charly found a lump in her breast in February 2020. “It was the day before my daughter’s birthday, I had a shower and found a bit of a lump.”

She didn’t tell anyone in her family but scheduled an appointment with her GP, who referred her to the breast clinic. When she felt a lump in her armpit, she called to see if they could speed things up. “I was in a state of panic, I

Charly with her family.

was reading about everything.”

Her biopsy was in early March. “COVID-19 wasn’t really a concern at that point,” she says, but things changed rapidly over the next few weeks.

“I went back for the results on the 10th March and it was confirmed as having cancer. They said I would have chemo first, then radiotherapy and surgery.” Charly asked if the treatment plan might be affected by COVID-19, but the doctors didn’t know enough at that point.

But the situation evolved with the outbreak, with Charly’s appointment being followed by a flurry of calls. The doctors told Charly that because of COVID-19, chemo was off the table for now. “They said it was to be surgery first, and it should still be a lumpectomy. But by the time I went to meet the surgeon the week after, this changed to a full mastectomy.”

Charly says she had anticipated that changes may happen, and they quickly became a central part of her cancer experience. Her surgeon changed before the operation, which was particularly hard, especially as she was dealing with the changes by herself on the day.

“I had to go into surgery alone and that was one of the toughest things, but I just had to do it.”

And after 6 weeks recovering from surgery, which Charly describes as “an emotional and frustrating time”, it was time for chemo.

Because of COVID-19, Charly’s doctors changed the chemotherapy drugs to minimise infection risk. She started chemotherapy at the beginning of May, which will last 18 weeks in total. Charly says that being a personal trainer and an active person, the next stage could be the hardest for her. “I have always needed exercise for headspace, it is part of me.” It’s particularly hard not being able to run around with her kids.

The other big challenge for Charly has been the phone calls with her cancer team. “I am often on my own and there is so much information to take in. It’s hard to have a serious talk and build trust on the phone.”

“It’s such an emotionally charged time and it’s draining – COVID-19 has been a huge factor.”

But while her treatment has been complicated and challenging so far, Charly is positive. “I am lucky in many ways, my cancer is treatable and being ex-Army and a personal trainer I am relatively fit and healthy.”

Charly says that while lockdown with two young daughters – aged 4 and 5 – has been a challenge, there were some benefits during recovery. “Because of lockdown there were people around who were keen to help, with provisions or dog walking, so I felt less of a burden.”

Stephen: “Our dream family trip was cancelled due to COVID-19”

Stephen was diagnosed with stage 4 bowel cancer just before Christmas in 2019, after an accident brought him to the hospital.

Stephen with his daughter, Isabelle.

The initial prognosis was that without chemotherapy, Stephen was expected to live for 6 to 9 months, and 12 to 18 months with it. “It’s incredibly daunting to be told those words, especially with a 10-month old baby. We had been looking forward to Isabelle’s first Christmas and then all this began.”

Stephen started a 6 month course of chemotherapy in January, and is responding well to the treatment so far. “If I continue to respond well, they may do a few operations on my liver and then re-assess everything else.”

A big thing that’s kept Stephen going through chemo was a family trip to Florida, which friends raised money for. “We would have liked to wait until Isabelle was older, but we thought we should go now, until that was cancelled due to COVID-19.” On the day the family was due to fly, Stephen was having chemo on his own instead.

Stephen says it’s been tough not being able to see loved ones, but they’ve celebrated Isabelle’s first birthday and his 30th in lockdown. “Having a positive mental attitude is vital, we’ve kept up the spirits.”

Katie

Read more coronavirus reports:

• “We’re ahead when it comes to isolation”
• “I’m taking things week by week”

 

Thanks to Christine, Charly and Stephen for sharing their experiences. If you would like to share your story with us, please visit our website. And you can tell us how COVID-19 is impacting your life with cancer through our survey.

If you have questions about cancer, you can talk to our nurses Monday to Friday, 9-5pm, on freephone 0808 800 4040.

from Cancer Research UK – Science blog https://ift.tt/3fT9ZDo