Moon and Spica on June 1 and 2

On June 1 and 2, 2020, use the waxing gibbous moon to find Spica, the brightest star in the constellation Virgo the Maiden. In fact, Spica is Virgo’s one and only 1st-magnitude star. Although the bright moon will wipe out a number of fainter stars from the canopy of night tonight, bright Spica should withstand the moonlit glare. If you have trouble seeing Spica, place your finger over the moon and look for a bright star nearby.

We in the Northern Hemisphere associate the star Spica with the spring and summer seasons. That’s because Spica first lights up the early evening sky in late March or early April, and then disappears from the evening sky around the September equinox.

The constellation Virgo stands as a memorial to that old legend of Hades, god of the underworld, who was said to have abducted Persephone, daughter of Demeter, goddess of the harvest. According to the legend, Hades took Persephone to his underground hideaway. Demeter’s grief was so great that she abandoned her role in insuring fruitfulness and fertility. In some parts of the globe, it’s said, winter cold came out of season and turned the once-verdant Earth in to a frigid wasteland. Elsewhere, summer heat was said to scorch the Earth and give rise to pestilence and disease. According to the myth, Earth would not bear fruit again until Demeter was reunited with her daughter.

Zeus, the king of the gods, intervened, insisting that Persephone be returned to her mother. However, Persephone was instructed to abstain from food until the reunion with her mother was a done deal. Alas, Hades purposely gave Persephone a pomegranate to take along, knowing she would eat a few seeds on her way home. Because of Persephone’s slip-up, Persephone has to return to the underworld for a number of months each year. When she does so, Demeter grieves, and winter reigns.

The constellation Virgo is linked to Demeter (and also Ishtar of Babylonian mythology, Isis of Egyptian mythology and Ceres of Roman mythology). Virgo is seen as a Maiden, associated with the harvest and fertility. The Latin word spicum refers to the ear of wheat Virgo holds in her left hand. The star Spica takes its name from this ear of wheat. Each evening, if you watch at the same time, you’ll see Spica slowly shift westward, toward the sunset direction. Eventually, Spica will get so close to the sunset that it’ll fade into the glare of evening twilight. Once Spica disappears from the evening sky, we at northerly latitudes must harvest our crops and put away firewood, because the cold winter season is on its way.

We are surrounded by stars. Because Earth orbits in a flat plane around the sun, we see the sun against the same stars again and again throughout the year. Those constellations, which have been special to people throughout the ages, are the constellations of the zodiac. Image via Professor Marcia Rieke.

The constellations of the zodiac – like Virgo – define the sun’s path across our sky. Putting it another way, each year, the sun passes in front of all the constellations of the zodiac. This year, 2020, the sun leaves the constellation Leo to enter the constellation Virgo on September 16, 2020. Then the sun leaves the constellation Virgo to enter the constellation Libra on October 30, 2020 (one day before Halloween).

Three other 1st-magnitude zodiacal stars join up with Spica to help sky gazers to envision the ecliptic – the sun’s annual path in front of the backdrop stars: Aldebaran, Regulus and Antares. Every year, the sun has its annual conjunction with Aldebaran on or near June 1, Regulus on or near August 23, Spica around mid-October, and Antares on or near December 1.

Of course, all these stars are invisible on their conjunction dates with the sun because they are totally lost in the sun’s glare at that time. However, six months before or after these stars’ conjunction dates, these stars are out all night long. Six months one way or the other of their conjunction, these stars reside opposite the sun in the sky and therefore stay out all night (Regulus around February 23, Spica around mid-April, Antares around June 1 and Aldebaran around December 1).

The ecliptic – Earth’s orbital plane projected onto the constellations of the zodiac – crosses the celestial equator (declination of O degrees) in the constellation Virgo. Because Spica resides so close to the ecliptic, it is considered a major star of the zodiac. Virgo constellation chart via the International Astronomical Union (IAU).

Bottom line: Use the moon to see the star Spica at nightfall on June 1 and 2, 2020, and celebrate this star’s presence in the evening sky.

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

On June 1 and 2, 2020, use the waxing gibbous moon to find Spica, the brightest star in the constellation Virgo the Maiden. In fact, Spica is Virgo’s one and only 1st-magnitude star. Although the bright moon will wipe out a number of fainter stars from the canopy of night tonight, bright Spica should withstand the moonlit glare. If you have trouble seeing Spica, place your finger over the moon and look for a bright star nearby.

We in the Northern Hemisphere associate the star Spica with the spring and summer seasons. That’s because Spica first lights up the early evening sky in late March or early April, and then disappears from the evening sky around the September equinox.

The constellation Virgo stands as a memorial to that old legend of Hades, god of the underworld, who was said to have abducted Persephone, daughter of Demeter, goddess of the harvest. According to the legend, Hades took Persephone to his underground hideaway. Demeter’s grief was so great that she abandoned her role in insuring fruitfulness and fertility. In some parts of the globe, it’s said, winter cold came out of season and turned the once-verdant Earth in to a frigid wasteland. Elsewhere, summer heat was said to scorch the Earth and give rise to pestilence and disease. According to the myth, Earth would not bear fruit again until Demeter was reunited with her daughter.

Zeus, the king of the gods, intervened, insisting that Persephone be returned to her mother. However, Persephone was instructed to abstain from food until the reunion with her mother was a done deal. Alas, Hades purposely gave Persephone a pomegranate to take along, knowing she would eat a few seeds on her way home. Because of Persephone’s slip-up, Persephone has to return to the underworld for a number of months each year. When she does so, Demeter grieves, and winter reigns.

The constellation Virgo is linked to Demeter (and also Ishtar of Babylonian mythology, Isis of Egyptian mythology and Ceres of Roman mythology). Virgo is seen as a Maiden, associated with the harvest and fertility. The Latin word spicum refers to the ear of wheat Virgo holds in her left hand. The star Spica takes its name from this ear of wheat. Each evening, if you watch at the same time, you’ll see Spica slowly shift westward, toward the sunset direction. Eventually, Spica will get so close to the sunset that it’ll fade into the glare of evening twilight. Once Spica disappears from the evening sky, we at northerly latitudes must harvest our crops and put away firewood, because the cold winter season is on its way.

We are surrounded by stars. Because Earth orbits in a flat plane around the sun, we see the sun against the same stars again and again throughout the year. Those constellations, which have been special to people throughout the ages, are the constellations of the zodiac. Image via Professor Marcia Rieke.

The constellations of the zodiac – like Virgo – define the sun’s path across our sky. Putting it another way, each year, the sun passes in front of all the constellations of the zodiac. This year, 2020, the sun leaves the constellation Leo to enter the constellation Virgo on September 16, 2020. Then the sun leaves the constellation Virgo to enter the constellation Libra on October 30, 2020 (one day before Halloween).

Three other 1st-magnitude zodiacal stars join up with Spica to help sky gazers to envision the ecliptic – the sun’s annual path in front of the backdrop stars: Aldebaran, Regulus and Antares. Every year, the sun has its annual conjunction with Aldebaran on or near June 1, Regulus on or near August 23, Spica around mid-October, and Antares on or near December 1.

Of course, all these stars are invisible on their conjunction dates with the sun because they are totally lost in the sun’s glare at that time. However, six months before or after these stars’ conjunction dates, these stars are out all night long. Six months one way or the other of their conjunction, these stars reside opposite the sun in the sky and therefore stay out all night (Regulus around February 23, Spica around mid-April, Antares around June 1 and Aldebaran around December 1).

The ecliptic – Earth’s orbital plane projected onto the constellations of the zodiac – crosses the celestial equator (declination of O degrees) in the constellation Virgo. Because Spica resides so close to the ecliptic, it is considered a major star of the zodiac. Virgo constellation chart via the International Astronomical Union (IAU).

Bottom line: Use the moon to see the star Spica at nightfall on June 1 and 2, 2020, and celebrate this star’s presence in the evening sky.

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

NOAA predicts a ‘busy’ 2020 Atlantic hurricane season

Welcome to the 2020 Atlantic hurricane season. Although we’ve had two named storms already, the official season starts today – June 1 – and runs until November 30.

The two named storms that formed before hurricane season’s official start are Arthur, which formed May 16 and passed just 25 miles (40 km) south of Cape Hatteras, North Carolina, and Bertha, which formed off the East Coast early this past week, and made landfall on Wednesday (May 27) east of Charleston, South Carolina, with 50 mile-per-hour (80 km-per-hour) winds.

The U.S. National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration (NOAA) released a statement on May 21, 2020, saying its forecasters are calling for an active 2020 Atlantic hurricane season, perhaps similar to last year’s, with more named storms than in an average season.

The 2020 NOAA forecast calls for a likely range of 13 to 19 named storms (winds of 39 mph – 63 kph – or higher), of which six to 10 could become hurricanes (winds of 74 mph – 119 kph – or higher), including three to six major hurricanes (category 3, 4 or 5; with winds of 111 mph – 179 kph – or higher). The powerful 2019 Atlantic hurricane season saw 18 named storms, six of which were hurricanes, including three major hurricanes. An average hurricane season produces 12 named storms, of which six become hurricanes, including three major hurricanes.

Hurricane names for 2020, plus how hurricanes get their names

Tropical Storm Arthur swirls off the southeast coast of the U.S. on the morning of Sunday, May 17, 2020. Image via CIRA/ RAMMB/ Accuweather.

NOAA said its outlook calls for a 60% chance of an above-normal season, a 30% chance of a near-normal season and only a 10% chance of a below-normal season, and it said the agency:

… provides these ranges with a 70% confidence.

The annual Atlantic hurricane forecast comes from NOAA’s Climate Prediction Center, a division of the U.S. National Weather Service.

Find NOAA’s full 2020 Atlantic Hurricane Season Outlook here

In addition to the Atlantic hurricane season outlook, NOAA also issued seasonal hurricane outlooks for the eastern Pacific and central Pacific basins.

NOAA’s 2020 Atlantic hurricane outlook comes on the heels of a new study from scientists at the University of Wisconsin suggesting that global warming is making hurricanes stronger. The study was based on analysis of nearly 40 years of satellite imagery of hurricanes. Their results say that – over the past four decades – hurricanes have become more intense and destructive.

Hurricane season probabilities and numbers of named storms predicted via NOAA’s 2020 Atlantic Hurricane Season Outlook. Image via NOAA.

NOAA linked its forecast of an active 2020 hurricane season to Earth’s current climate, saying:

El Nino Southern Oscillation (ENSO) conditions are expected to either remain neutral or to trend toward La Nina, meaning there will not be an El Nino present to suppress hurricane activity. Also, warmer-than-average sea surface temperatures in the tropical Atlantic ocean and Caribbean sea, coupled with reduced vertical wind shear, weaker tropical Atlantic trade winds, and an enhanced west African monsoon all increase the likelihood for an above-normal Atlantic hurricane season.

Similar conditions have been producing more active seasons since the current high-activity era began in 1995.

Hurricane Dorian on September 1, 2019. It was the most destructive storm of 2019, a monster hurricane that battered the Bahamas last September. It was the 4th named storm, 2nd hurricane and 1st Category 5 hurricane of the 2019 Atlantic hurricane season. It’s also the 4th-strongest Atlantic hurricane (as measured by 1-minute sustained wind speeds) since reliable record-keeping began in 1851. Image via National Weather Service.

According to Samantha Montano, an emergency-management expert at Massachusetts Maritime Academy, one concern for officials regarding 2020’s Atlantic hurricane season is the effect that the coronavirus will have on the volunteer responders. Many volunteers won’t be able to fly to disaster zones, she said, and those who are able to go will have a harder time interacting with people. Montano told the New York Times:

Volunteers do everything, handing out donations, moving debris off the roads, gutting houses, helping survivors navigate state and federal aid programs.

The flight deck of NOAA Lockheed WP-3D Orion N42RF during a flight into Hurricane Harvey in August 2017. Harvey was a devastating Category 4 hurricane that made landfall in Texas and Louisiana, causing catastrophic flooding and many deaths. It is tied with 2005’s Hurricane Katrina as the costliest tropical cyclone on record. Image via Lt. Kevin Doremus/ NOAA.

Bottom line: Multiple climate factors indicate above-normal activity is most likely in 2020, according to NOAA’s 2020 Atlantic Hurricane Season Outlook.

Via NOAA

Read more: Global warming is making hurricane stronger

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

Welcome to the 2020 Atlantic hurricane season. Although we’ve had two named storms already, the official season starts today – June 1 – and runs until November 30.

The two named storms that formed before hurricane season’s official start are Arthur, which formed May 16 and passed just 25 miles (40 km) south of Cape Hatteras, North Carolina, and Bertha, which formed off the East Coast early this past week, and made landfall on Wednesday (May 27) east of Charleston, South Carolina, with 50 mile-per-hour (80 km-per-hour) winds.

The U.S. National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration (NOAA) released a statement on May 21, 2020, saying its forecasters are calling for an active 2020 Atlantic hurricane season, perhaps similar to last year’s, with more named storms than in an average season.

The 2020 NOAA forecast calls for a likely range of 13 to 19 named storms (winds of 39 mph – 63 kph – or higher), of which six to 10 could become hurricanes (winds of 74 mph – 119 kph – or higher), including three to six major hurricanes (category 3, 4 or 5; with winds of 111 mph – 179 kph – or higher). The powerful 2019 Atlantic hurricane season saw 18 named storms, six of which were hurricanes, including three major hurricanes. An average hurricane season produces 12 named storms, of which six become hurricanes, including three major hurricanes.

Hurricane names for 2020, plus how hurricanes get their names

Tropical Storm Arthur swirls off the southeast coast of the U.S. on the morning of Sunday, May 17, 2020. Image via CIRA/ RAMMB/ Accuweather.

NOAA said its outlook calls for a 60% chance of an above-normal season, a 30% chance of a near-normal season and only a 10% chance of a below-normal season, and it said the agency:

… provides these ranges with a 70% confidence.

The annual Atlantic hurricane forecast comes from NOAA’s Climate Prediction Center, a division of the U.S. National Weather Service.

Find NOAA’s full 2020 Atlantic Hurricane Season Outlook here

In addition to the Atlantic hurricane season outlook, NOAA also issued seasonal hurricane outlooks for the eastern Pacific and central Pacific basins.

NOAA’s 2020 Atlantic hurricane outlook comes on the heels of a new study from scientists at the University of Wisconsin suggesting that global warming is making hurricanes stronger. The study was based on analysis of nearly 40 years of satellite imagery of hurricanes. Their results say that – over the past four decades – hurricanes have become more intense and destructive.

Hurricane season probabilities and numbers of named storms predicted via NOAA’s 2020 Atlantic Hurricane Season Outlook. Image via NOAA.

NOAA linked its forecast of an active 2020 hurricane season to Earth’s current climate, saying:

El Nino Southern Oscillation (ENSO) conditions are expected to either remain neutral or to trend toward La Nina, meaning there will not be an El Nino present to suppress hurricane activity. Also, warmer-than-average sea surface temperatures in the tropical Atlantic ocean and Caribbean sea, coupled with reduced vertical wind shear, weaker tropical Atlantic trade winds, and an enhanced west African monsoon all increase the likelihood for an above-normal Atlantic hurricane season.

Similar conditions have been producing more active seasons since the current high-activity era began in 1995.

Hurricane Dorian on September 1, 2019. It was the most destructive storm of 2019, a monster hurricane that battered the Bahamas last September. It was the 4th named storm, 2nd hurricane and 1st Category 5 hurricane of the 2019 Atlantic hurricane season. It’s also the 4th-strongest Atlantic hurricane (as measured by 1-minute sustained wind speeds) since reliable record-keeping began in 1851. Image via National Weather Service.

According to Samantha Montano, an emergency-management expert at Massachusetts Maritime Academy, one concern for officials regarding 2020’s Atlantic hurricane season is the effect that the coronavirus will have on the volunteer responders. Many volunteers won’t be able to fly to disaster zones, she said, and those who are able to go will have a harder time interacting with people. Montano told the New York Times:

Volunteers do everything, handing out donations, moving debris off the roads, gutting houses, helping survivors navigate state and federal aid programs.

The flight deck of NOAA Lockheed WP-3D Orion N42RF during a flight into Hurricane Harvey in August 2017. Harvey was a devastating Category 4 hurricane that made landfall in Texas and Louisiana, causing catastrophic flooding and many deaths. It is tied with 2005’s Hurricane Katrina as the costliest tropical cyclone on record. Image via Lt. Kevin Doremus/ NOAA.

Bottom line: Multiple climate factors indicate above-normal activity is most likely in 2020, according to NOAA’s 2020 Atlantic Hurricane Season Outlook.

Via NOAA

Read more: Global warming is making hurricane stronger

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

Impact of coronavirus on cancer services revealed – over 2 million people waiting for screening, tests and treatments

COVID-19 has placed a huge strain on cancer services in the UK.  

It’s been felt in all areas of cancer care – from screening and diagnosis through to cancer treatment, as we’ve blogged about before. And new figures have revealed the sheer scale of this disruption – estimating that over 2 million people in the UK are waiting for screening, tests and treatments since lockdown began 10 weeks ago.  

Our chief clinician, Professor Charles Swanton, has seen first–hand the devastating impact this pandemic is having on patients. “Delays to diagnosis and treatment could mean that some cancers will become inoperable. Patients shouldn’t need to wait for this to be over before getting the treatment they need.” 

“We can create a safe environment for both staff and cancer patients if testing efforts ramp up quickly.” 

Screening and diagnosis 

When you break down the figures, delays to cancer screening is responsible for the bulk of the backlog, with around 2.1 million people waiting for breast, bowel or cervical screening.  

Screening services have been formally ‘paused in Scotland, Wales and Northern Ireland due to COVID-19 and are effectively paused in England – with invitations not being sent out from screening hubs.  

For every week that’s screening is paused, 7,000 people aren’t being referred for further tests and 380 cancers aren’t being diagnosed through screening programmes.  

But while the screening backlog is big, potentially the biggest impact on survival is being felt in cancer diagnosis and treatment.  

There’s been a significant drop in the number of urgent referrals for cancer, often reported as ‘two-week wait figures’, with 290,000 fewer people being referred for further tests than normal.  

This drop is largely because fewer people are going to their GP with symptoms that might be cancer, but we’ve heard that some GPs are also reluctant to risk sending their patient to hospital for further tests, and some diagnostic services – such as endoscopies – have been put on hold due to the risk of spreading COVID-19.  

Urgent referrals dropped to around 25% of usual levels in England at the start of the pandemic but have since started to rebound, with figures at around 50% of usual levels in recent weeks. But for each week referrals stay below 100%, the number of cancer cases that are going undiagnosed will continue to stack up.  

The cancer community has been working hard to get the message out there that the NHS is still open for business and that people should contact their doctor if they are worried about symptoms – and this must continue.  

But patients also need to be confident that they are safe if they do go to the doctor, so ensuring that hospitals have ‘COVID-protected’ safe spaces to carry out cancer tests will be vital to getting urgent and non-urgent referrals back on track. 

Treatment 

Despite national guidelines stating that urgent and essential cancer treatments must continue, the impact of COVID-19 has been felt in cancer wards across the country, with surgery worst hit.  

Around 12,750 people are waiting for cancer surgery across the UK, as the number of operations has fallen to around 60% of expected levels. Chemotherapy has also taken a hit, with 6,000 fewer people than expected receiving chemotherapy since lockdown began. 

Radiotherapy services have experienced the least disruption, with appointments falling by 10% during the pandemic. But the real impact to the service might be masked by the fact that some people have had radiotherapy instead of other treatments like surgery. It’s estimated that 2,800 fewer people have received radiotherapy because of COVID-19.  

While some of this is due to the pressures faced by an overstretched NHS and a lack of recovery or ICU beds, some treatment was delayed because it could make people more vulnerable to severe illness with coronavirus.  

“There have been some difficult discussions with patients about their safety and ability to continue treatment during this time,” says Michelle Mitchell, our chief executive. “But we’re over the peak of the pandemic now, and cancer care is starting to get up and running.” 

We’re seeing cancer services across the UK adapting to COVID-19, with COVID-protected safe spaces being set up to allow cancer treatment to be delivered safely.  

But for this to work, it requires regular testing for COVID-19 in all patients and staff working in these places, whether they have COVID-19 symptoms or not. 

The road ahead – more COVID-19 testing 

The Government has committed to reach 200,000 tests a day in the UK. But we’ve heard from Trusts that not everyone who needs to get a test are able to access it, and test results are taking too long to come back. 

We’ve estimated that between 21,000 and 37,000 COVID-19 tests must be done each day to ensure COVID-protected safe spaces for cancer diagnosis and treatment. This assumes that staff are tested weekly and patients are tested before they come into hospital and potentially when they are there for treatment – but more regular testing will be needed.    

While testing is vital, this must also be supported by staff having enough PPE and embedding infection control measures consistently.  

Securing safe spaces for cancer services is an urgent the first step that must be taken to support the recovery for cancer services. It is critical that testing is ramped up as quickly as possible.  

“Staff in hospitals around the country are working extremely hard and with more testing of staff and patients – with and without symptoms – we will have hospitals and centres free of COVID-19 where patients can be treated safely,” says Swanton.  

Katie

We need your help to secure safe spaces for cancer services.

> Demand urgent action now.  

from Cancer Research UK – Science blog https://ift.tt/2BoV0S9

COVID-19 has placed a huge strain on cancer services in the UK.  

It’s been felt in all areas of cancer care – from screening and diagnosis through to cancer treatment, as we’ve blogged about before. And new figures have revealed the sheer scale of this disruption – estimating that over 2 million people in the UK are waiting for screening, tests and treatments since lockdown began 10 weeks ago.  

Our chief clinician, Professor Charles Swanton, has seen first–hand the devastating impact this pandemic is having on patients. “Delays to diagnosis and treatment could mean that some cancers will become inoperable. Patients shouldn’t need to wait for this to be over before getting the treatment they need.” 

“We can create a safe environment for both staff and cancer patients if testing efforts ramp up quickly.” 

Screening and diagnosis 

When you break down the figures, delays to cancer screening is responsible for the bulk of the backlog, with around 2.1 million people waiting for breast, bowel or cervical screening.  

Screening services have been formally ‘paused in Scotland, Wales and Northern Ireland due to COVID-19 and are effectively paused in England – with invitations not being sent out from screening hubs.  

For every week that’s screening is paused, 7,000 people aren’t being referred for further tests and 380 cancers aren’t being diagnosed through screening programmes.  

But while the screening backlog is big, potentially the biggest impact on survival is being felt in cancer diagnosis and treatment.  

There’s been a significant drop in the number of urgent referrals for cancer, often reported as ‘two-week wait figures’, with 290,000 fewer people being referred for further tests than normal.  

This drop is largely because fewer people are going to their GP with symptoms that might be cancer, but we’ve heard that some GPs are also reluctant to risk sending their patient to hospital for further tests, and some diagnostic services – such as endoscopies – have been put on hold due to the risk of spreading COVID-19.  

Urgent referrals dropped to around 25% of usual levels in England at the start of the pandemic but have since started to rebound, with figures at around 50% of usual levels in recent weeks. But for each week referrals stay below 100%, the number of cancer cases that are going undiagnosed will continue to stack up.  

The cancer community has been working hard to get the message out there that the NHS is still open for business and that people should contact their doctor if they are worried about symptoms – and this must continue.  

But patients also need to be confident that they are safe if they do go to the doctor, so ensuring that hospitals have ‘COVID-protected’ safe spaces to carry out cancer tests will be vital to getting urgent and non-urgent referrals back on track. 

Treatment 

Despite national guidelines stating that urgent and essential cancer treatments must continue, the impact of COVID-19 has been felt in cancer wards across the country, with surgery worst hit.  

Around 12,750 people are waiting for cancer surgery across the UK, as the number of operations has fallen to around 60% of expected levels. Chemotherapy has also taken a hit, with 6,000 fewer people than expected receiving chemotherapy since lockdown began. 

Radiotherapy services have experienced the least disruption, with appointments falling by 10% during the pandemic. But the real impact to the service might be masked by the fact that some people have had radiotherapy instead of other treatments like surgery. It’s estimated that 2,800 fewer people have received radiotherapy because of COVID-19.  

While some of this is due to the pressures faced by an overstretched NHS and a lack of recovery or ICU beds, some treatment was delayed because it could make people more vulnerable to severe illness with coronavirus.  

“There have been some difficult discussions with patients about their safety and ability to continue treatment during this time,” says Michelle Mitchell, our chief executive. “But we’re over the peak of the pandemic now, and cancer care is starting to get up and running.” 

We’re seeing cancer services across the UK adapting to COVID-19, with COVID-protected safe spaces being set up to allow cancer treatment to be delivered safely.  

But for this to work, it requires regular testing for COVID-19 in all patients and staff working in these places, whether they have COVID-19 symptoms or not. 

The road ahead – more COVID-19 testing 

The Government has committed to reach 200,000 tests a day in the UK. But we’ve heard from Trusts that not everyone who needs to get a test are able to access it, and test results are taking too long to come back. 

We’ve estimated that between 21,000 and 37,000 COVID-19 tests must be done each day to ensure COVID-protected safe spaces for cancer diagnosis and treatment. This assumes that staff are tested weekly and patients are tested before they come into hospital and potentially when they are there for treatment – but more regular testing will be needed.    

While testing is vital, this must also be supported by staff having enough PPE and embedding infection control measures consistently.  

Securing safe spaces for cancer services is an urgent the first step that must be taken to support the recovery for cancer services. It is critical that testing is ramped up as quickly as possible.  

“Staff in hospitals around the country are working extremely hard and with more testing of staff and patients – with and without symptoms – we will have hospitals and centres free of COVID-19 where patients can be treated safely,” says Swanton.  

Katie

We need your help to secure safe spaces for cancer services.

> Demand urgent action now.  

from Cancer Research UK – Science blog https://ift.tt/2BoV0S9

Proxima Centauri b confirmed as nearest exoworld

View larger. | Artist’s concept of what Proxima Centauri b could look like on the surface. Image via ESO/ M. Kornmesser/ UNIGE.

Four years ago, scientists made one of the most exciting exoplanet discoveries so far, a rocky planet similar in size to Earth orbiting the nearest star to the sun, Proxima Centauri. While the detection seemed solid, more confirmation is always good, and now the ESPRESSO  spectrograph on the Very Large Telescope (VLT) in Chile has provided that extra and more detailed confirmation. The news was announced by the University of Geneva (UNIGE) on May 28, 2020.

The new planet is called Proxima Centauri b.

A new paper about it was submitted to the journal Astronomy & Astrophysics on May 25, 2020.

In the past several years, astronomers have found a large and growing number of Earth-sized exoplanets, orbiting distant stars. Some are in the habitable zones of their stars, where temperatures might allow liquid water to exist on their surfaces. That is exciting in itself, but Proxima Centauri b is of particular interest since it’s orbiting the closest star to our sun, only 4.2 light-years away.

Its confirmation underscores current findings that such worlds are common in our galaxy.

Proxima Centauri b is very similar in size to Earth, with a mass of 1.17 Earth masses. It orbits its star in only 11.2 days, in contrast to our Earth’s year-long orbit around our sun. That means Proxima Centauri b is a lot closer to its star than Earth is to the sun. But, because the star is a red dwarf – much smaller and cooler than our sun – its orbit is indeed within the habitable zone of Proxima Centauri. Interestingly, Proxima Centauri b receives about the same amount of solar energy from its star that Earth does from our sun.

Relative star sizes and photospheric temperatures. Any planet around a red dwarf, such as the one shown here (Gliese 229A), would have to huddle close – as Proxima Centauri b does – to achieve Earth-like temperatures. Image via MPIA/ V. Joergens/ Wikimedia Commons.

So, theoretically, Proxima Centauri b could have water on its surface. It could be habitable, but, of course, we don’t yet know all the details about habitability for exoworlds. We do know that many factors affect a planet’s habitability, such as temperature, composition of the planet and atmosphere, water (or lack of) and radiation from its sun. Red dwarfs like Proxima Centauri are known to emit flares, and these flares make habitability for red dwarf exoplanets even more complex and interesting.

Astronomers first found Proxima Centauri b in 2016, using an older spectrograph called HARPS. The newer spectrograph, ESPRESSO – said to be “the most accurate in the world” – was able to conduct radial velocity measurements on Proxima Centauri that are the most precise to date. A total of 63 spectroscopic observations of Proxima Centauri were acquired by ESPRESSO in 2019. Francesco Pepe at UNIGE, and the man in charge of ESPRESSO, said in a statement:

We were already very happy with the performance of HARPS, which has been responsible for discovering hundreds of exoplanets over the last 17 years. We’re really pleased that ESPRESSO can produce even better measurements, and it’s gratifying and just reward for the teamwork lasting nearly 10 years.

Depiction of the orbital phase of Proxima Centauri b, in days. Image via UNIGE.

The lead author of the new study, Alejandro Suarez Mascareño,  added:

Confirming the existence of Proxima b was an important task, and it’s one of the most interesting planets known in the solar neighborhood.

The mass of Proxima b was previously estimated to be 1.3 Earth masses. The accuracy of the new measurement of 1.17 Earth masses is unprecedented, according to Michel Mayor, the ‘architect’ of all ESPRESSO-type instruments:

ESPRESSO has made it possible to measure the mass of the planet with a precision of over one-tenth of the mass of Earth. It’s completely unheard of.

The new confirmation of Proxima Centauri b is exciting, but there may be more surprises in store … there is also possible evidence of another, and smaller planet in the newest data. A secondary detection was also made, although it isn’t certain whether it is actually a planet. If it is, it is even smaller than Proxima Centauri b.

The ESPRESSO spectrograph on the Very Large Telescope (VLT) in Chile. Image via UNIGE.

Pepe said:

If the signal was planetary in origin, this potential other planet accompanying Proxima Centauri b would have a mass less than one third of the mass of the Earth. It would then be the smallest planet ever measured using the radial velocity method.

If it is a planet, it would be more akin to Mars or Mercury in size and mass – estimated at a minimum Earth mass of 0.29 ± 0.08 – and orbits the star in only 5.15 days. It wouldn’t be too surprising though, in that low-mass stars like red dwarfs tend to have multiple planets in their systems. More observations will be required to either confirm or refute this possible second planet.

But wait, there’s more! Last January, another research team announced their finding of another possible planet orbiting Proxima Centauri, called Proxima Centauri c. This one is also still just a candidate at this point, but if real, is about six time as massive as Earth. This would make it a super-Earth, planets that are significantly larger and more massive than Earth but smaller and less massive than Neptune. It is estimated to orbit the star every 5.2 years. If both of the new candidates were to be confirmed, that would mean Proxima Centauri would have at least three planets orbiting it!

Proxima Centauri is the nearest star to our sun, although it is actually part of a three-star system including the two stars of Alpha Centauri. They may be the closest stars, but the planets don’t transit in front of Proxima Centauri as seen from Earth, as most exoplanets are found, so astronomers have had to use the radial velocity method to find them, where the planets’ gravity causes a slight wobble in the star’s motion.

While little is known so far about what Proxima Centauri b is actually like, just the fact that it exists around the nearest star to our solar system supports previous research showing that Earth-sized and super-Earth-sized exoplanets are common in our galaxy. That is exciting, and bodes well for the search for life elsewhere.

Alejandro Suarez Mascareño, lead author of the new study. Image via LinkedIn.

One potential problem though is that red dwarf stars are very energetic, and emit dangerous radiation that could strip the atmospheres off of planets that are too close. Whether this is case for Proxima Centauri b is not known yet. If it does still have a substantial atmosphere, it would be an ideal target for other telescopes to look for possible biomarkers, chemical signatures of life. According to Christophe Lovis at UNIGE:

Is there an atmosphere that protects the planet from these deadly rays? And if this atmosphere exists, does it contain the chemical elements that promote the development of life (oxygen, for example)? How long have these favourable conditions existed? We’re going to tackle all these questions, especially with the help of future instruments like the RISTRETTO spectrometer, which we’re going to build specially to detect the light emitted by Proxima b, and HIRES, which will be installed on the future ELT 39 m giant telescope that the European Southern Observatory (ESO) is building in Chile.

The confirmation of Proxima Centauri b – now the nearest confirmed exoworld – is exciting. Its potential habitability and close proximity to our own solar system give us something to think about. It’s another big step towards finding an inhabited world beyond Earth.

Artist’s concept of Proxima Centauri b, an Earth-sized exoplanet orbiting the nearest star to our sun, Proxima Centauri. Image via ESO/ M. Kornmesser/ Wikipedia.

Bottom line: Researchers have confirmed the existence of an Earth-sized exoplanet orbiting the nearest star to our sun, Proxima Centauri.

Source: Revisiting Proxima with ESPRESSO

Via University of Geneva

from EarthSky https://ift.tt/3eBCzrG

View larger. | Artist’s concept of what Proxima Centauri b could look like on the surface. Image via ESO/ M. Kornmesser/ UNIGE.

Four years ago, scientists made one of the most exciting exoplanet discoveries so far, a rocky planet similar in size to Earth orbiting the nearest star to the sun, Proxima Centauri. While the detection seemed solid, more confirmation is always good, and now the ESPRESSO  spectrograph on the Very Large Telescope (VLT) in Chile has provided that extra and more detailed confirmation. The news was announced by the University of Geneva (UNIGE) on May 28, 2020.

The new planet is called Proxima Centauri b.

A new paper about it was submitted to the journal Astronomy & Astrophysics on May 25, 2020.

In the past several years, astronomers have found a large and growing number of Earth-sized exoplanets, orbiting distant stars. Some are in the habitable zones of their stars, where temperatures might allow liquid water to exist on their surfaces. That is exciting in itself, but Proxima Centauri b is of particular interest since it’s orbiting the closest star to our sun, only 4.2 light-years away.

Its confirmation underscores current findings that such worlds are common in our galaxy.

Proxima Centauri b is very similar in size to Earth, with a mass of 1.17 Earth masses. It orbits its star in only 11.2 days, in contrast to our Earth’s year-long orbit around our sun. That means Proxima Centauri b is a lot closer to its star than Earth is to the sun. But, because the star is a red dwarf – much smaller and cooler than our sun – its orbit is indeed within the habitable zone of Proxima Centauri. Interestingly, Proxima Centauri b receives about the same amount of solar energy from its star that Earth does from our sun.

Relative star sizes and photospheric temperatures. Any planet around a red dwarf, such as the one shown here (Gliese 229A), would have to huddle close – as Proxima Centauri b does – to achieve Earth-like temperatures. Image via MPIA/ V. Joergens/ Wikimedia Commons.

So, theoretically, Proxima Centauri b could have water on its surface. It could be habitable, but, of course, we don’t yet know all the details about habitability for exoworlds. We do know that many factors affect a planet’s habitability, such as temperature, composition of the planet and atmosphere, water (or lack of) and radiation from its sun. Red dwarfs like Proxima Centauri are known to emit flares, and these flares make habitability for red dwarf exoplanets even more complex and interesting.

Astronomers first found Proxima Centauri b in 2016, using an older spectrograph called HARPS. The newer spectrograph, ESPRESSO – said to be “the most accurate in the world” – was able to conduct radial velocity measurements on Proxima Centauri that are the most precise to date. A total of 63 spectroscopic observations of Proxima Centauri were acquired by ESPRESSO in 2019. Francesco Pepe at UNIGE, and the man in charge of ESPRESSO, said in a statement:

We were already very happy with the performance of HARPS, which has been responsible for discovering hundreds of exoplanets over the last 17 years. We’re really pleased that ESPRESSO can produce even better measurements, and it’s gratifying and just reward for the teamwork lasting nearly 10 years.

Depiction of the orbital phase of Proxima Centauri b, in days. Image via UNIGE.

The lead author of the new study, Alejandro Suarez Mascareño,  added:

Confirming the existence of Proxima b was an important task, and it’s one of the most interesting planets known in the solar neighborhood.

The mass of Proxima b was previously estimated to be 1.3 Earth masses. The accuracy of the new measurement of 1.17 Earth masses is unprecedented, according to Michel Mayor, the ‘architect’ of all ESPRESSO-type instruments:

ESPRESSO has made it possible to measure the mass of the planet with a precision of over one-tenth of the mass of Earth. It’s completely unheard of.

The new confirmation of Proxima Centauri b is exciting, but there may be more surprises in store … there is also possible evidence of another, and smaller planet in the newest data. A secondary detection was also made, although it isn’t certain whether it is actually a planet. If it is, it is even smaller than Proxima Centauri b.

The ESPRESSO spectrograph on the Very Large Telescope (VLT) in Chile. Image via UNIGE.

Pepe said:

If the signal was planetary in origin, this potential other planet accompanying Proxima Centauri b would have a mass less than one third of the mass of the Earth. It would then be the smallest planet ever measured using the radial velocity method.

If it is a planet, it would be more akin to Mars or Mercury in size and mass – estimated at a minimum Earth mass of 0.29 ± 0.08 – and orbits the star in only 5.15 days. It wouldn’t be too surprising though, in that low-mass stars like red dwarfs tend to have multiple planets in their systems. More observations will be required to either confirm or refute this possible second planet.

But wait, there’s more! Last January, another research team announced their finding of another possible planet orbiting Proxima Centauri, called Proxima Centauri c. This one is also still just a candidate at this point, but if real, is about six time as massive as Earth. This would make it a super-Earth, planets that are significantly larger and more massive than Earth but smaller and less massive than Neptune. It is estimated to orbit the star every 5.2 years. If both of the new candidates were to be confirmed, that would mean Proxima Centauri would have at least three planets orbiting it!

Proxima Centauri is the nearest star to our sun, although it is actually part of a three-star system including the two stars of Alpha Centauri. They may be the closest stars, but the planets don’t transit in front of Proxima Centauri as seen from Earth, as most exoplanets are found, so astronomers have had to use the radial velocity method to find them, where the planets’ gravity causes a slight wobble in the star’s motion.

While little is known so far about what Proxima Centauri b is actually like, just the fact that it exists around the nearest star to our solar system supports previous research showing that Earth-sized and super-Earth-sized exoplanets are common in our galaxy. That is exciting, and bodes well for the search for life elsewhere.

Alejandro Suarez Mascareño, lead author of the new study. Image via LinkedIn.

One potential problem though is that red dwarf stars are very energetic, and emit dangerous radiation that could strip the atmospheres off of planets that are too close. Whether this is case for Proxima Centauri b is not known yet. If it does still have a substantial atmosphere, it would be an ideal target for other telescopes to look for possible biomarkers, chemical signatures of life. According to Christophe Lovis at UNIGE:

Is there an atmosphere that protects the planet from these deadly rays? And if this atmosphere exists, does it contain the chemical elements that promote the development of life (oxygen, for example)? How long have these favourable conditions existed? We’re going to tackle all these questions, especially with the help of future instruments like the RISTRETTO spectrometer, which we’re going to build specially to detect the light emitted by Proxima b, and HIRES, which will be installed on the future ELT 39 m giant telescope that the European Southern Observatory (ESO) is building in Chile.

The confirmation of Proxima Centauri b – now the nearest confirmed exoworld – is exciting. Its potential habitability and close proximity to our own solar system give us something to think about. It’s another big step towards finding an inhabited world beyond Earth.

Artist’s concept of Proxima Centauri b, an Earth-sized exoplanet orbiting the nearest star to our sun, Proxima Centauri. Image via ESO/ M. Kornmesser/ Wikipedia.

Bottom line: Researchers have confirmed the existence of an Earth-sized exoplanet orbiting the nearest star to our sun, Proxima Centauri.

Source: Revisiting Proxima with ESPRESSO

Via University of Geneva

from EarthSky https://ift.tt/3eBCzrG

Watch for the legendary green flash

The green flash image at the top of this post was taken by Jim Grant, an EarthSky friend on Facebook. He captured it off the coast of Ocean Beach, California, and identified it as a mock mirage green flash.

It’s not hard to see a green flash with the eye alone, when sky conditions are right, and when you’re looking toward a very clear and very distant horizon. That’s why those who live near an ocean tend to report green flashes most often. A sea horizon is the best place to see them.

The video below, posted to EarthSky by Vladek in 2016, is an excellent example of the experience of seeing a green flash:

Most people see green flashes just at sunset, at the last moment before the sun disappears below the horizon. Be careful and don’t look too soon. If you do look too soon, the light of the sunset will dazzle (or damage) your eyes, and you’ll miss your green flash chance that day.

But if you wait – looking away until just the thinnest rim of the sun appears above the horizon – that day’s green flash could be yours.

Read more: Is Zubeneschamali a green star?

Of course, the green flash can be seen before sunrise, too, although it’s harder at that time of day to know precisely when to look.

Mock mirage and green flash seen from San Francisco in 2006. Image via Brocken Inaglory/Wikimedia Commons.

There are many different types of green flash. Some describe a streak or ray of the color green … like a green flame shooting up from the sunrise or sunset horizon.

The most common green flash, though – the one most people describe – is a flash of the color green seen when the sun is nearly entirely below the horizon.

Again … you need a distant horizon to see any of these phenomena, and you need a distinct edge to the horizon. That’s why these green flashes, streaks, and rays are most often seen over the ocean. But you can see them over land, too, if your horizon is far enough away.

Pollution or haze on the horizon will hide this instantaneous flash of the color green.

Jim Grant photographed this green flash on April 27, 2012, off the coast of San Diego.

If you’re interested in green flashes, Andrew Young’s green flash page is great. He also has a page of links to pictures of green flashes taken by people from around the globe.

And, of course, Les Cowley at the great website Atmospheric Optics devotes many pages to the green flash phenomenon. Notice the menu bar at the left side of the page; it’ll let you explore many different types of green flashes.

Green flash atop sun pyramid via astrophotographer Colin Legg in Australia.

Bottom line: The green flash is legendary, and some people have told us they thought it was a myth, like a unicorn or a pot of gold at the end of a rainbow. But green flashes are very real. You need a distant and exceedingly clear horizon to see them at the last moment before the sun disappears below the horizon at sunset.

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

Can you see a green flash? More tips, plus more pictures

from EarthSky https://ift.tt/31enSo2

The green flash image at the top of this post was taken by Jim Grant, an EarthSky friend on Facebook. He captured it off the coast of Ocean Beach, California, and identified it as a mock mirage green flash.

It’s not hard to see a green flash with the eye alone, when sky conditions are right, and when you’re looking toward a very clear and very distant horizon. That’s why those who live near an ocean tend to report green flashes most often. A sea horizon is the best place to see them.

The video below, posted to EarthSky by Vladek in 2016, is an excellent example of the experience of seeing a green flash:

Most people see green flashes just at sunset, at the last moment before the sun disappears below the horizon. Be careful and don’t look too soon. If you do look too soon, the light of the sunset will dazzle (or damage) your eyes, and you’ll miss your green flash chance that day.

But if you wait – looking away until just the thinnest rim of the sun appears above the horizon – that day’s green flash could be yours.

Read more: Is Zubeneschamali a green star?

Of course, the green flash can be seen before sunrise, too, although it’s harder at that time of day to know precisely when to look.

Mock mirage and green flash seen from San Francisco in 2006. Image via Brocken Inaglory/Wikimedia Commons.

There are many different types of green flash. Some describe a streak or ray of the color green … like a green flame shooting up from the sunrise or sunset horizon.

The most common green flash, though – the one most people describe – is a flash of the color green seen when the sun is nearly entirely below the horizon.

Again … you need a distant horizon to see any of these phenomena, and you need a distinct edge to the horizon. That’s why these green flashes, streaks, and rays are most often seen over the ocean. But you can see them over land, too, if your horizon is far enough away.

Pollution or haze on the horizon will hide this instantaneous flash of the color green.

Jim Grant photographed this green flash on April 27, 2012, off the coast of San Diego.

If you’re interested in green flashes, Andrew Young’s green flash page is great. He also has a page of links to pictures of green flashes taken by people from around the globe.

And, of course, Les Cowley at the great website Atmospheric Optics devotes many pages to the green flash phenomenon. Notice the menu bar at the left side of the page; it’ll let you explore many different types of green flashes.

Green flash atop sun pyramid via astrophotographer Colin Legg in Australia.

Bottom line: The green flash is legendary, and some people have told us they thought it was a myth, like a unicorn or a pot of gold at the end of a rainbow. But green flashes are very real. You need a distant and exceedingly clear horizon to see them at the last moment before the sun disappears below the horizon at sunset.

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

Can you see a green flash? More tips, plus more pictures

from EarthSky https://ift.tt/31enSo2

How to spot ISS in your sky

On May 30, 2020, NASA’s SpaceX Demo-2 mission launched successfully. It is the first U.S human spaceflight from U.S. soil since 2011 – on an American rocket and spacecraft – with astronauts Robert Behnken and Douglas Hurley, headed to the International Space Station. Image via NASA.

If you’re looking for information on the SpaceX Crew Dragon launch on Saturday, May 30, 2020 … click here.

The International Space Station (ISS) has been orbiting our planet since 1998. From most locations on Earth, assuming you have clear night skies, you can see ISS for yourself. To us on Earth, it looks like a bright star moving quickly from horizon to horizon. As suddenly as it appears, it disappears. How do you know when to see ISS pass overhead from your location?

NASA has a great tool to help – the Spot the Station program lets you sign up to receive alerts to let you know when ISS will be visible from your location – anywhere in the world. Plus there’s a map-based feature to track when to look for the station as it flies over you in your night sky.

You can also sign up for alerts via email or text message. Typically, alerts are sent out a few times each month when the station’s orbit is near your location. Visit the Spot the Station website to sign up, and see a list of upcoming sighting opportunities.

Wayne Boyd shared his photo of ISS passing over Marstons Mills, Massachusetts,

Patricia Evans in Seabrook, New Hampshire, caught this ISS flyover through clouds on June 9, 2016. She wrote: “It moved quickly and silently overhead towards the east.”

If you sign up for NASA’s Spot the Station service, notices will be sent to you only when ISS will be clearly visible from your location for at least a couple of minutes. If you live north of 51.6 degrees latitude (for example, in Alaska), you will likely have to visit the website to find sighting opportunities because notifications in this region would be rare.

A composite photograph of an International Space Station flyover, taken from the U.K. Image via Dave Walker.

The notices contain information on where to look for ISS in the night sky. Just note where the sun sets and you can easily find the direction where the station will appear (for example, in the southwest or in the northwest). The height at which the station will appear is given in degrees. Just remember that 90 degrees is directly over your head. Any number less than 90 degrees will mean that the station will appear somewhere between the horizon and the 90 degree mark. The station is so bright that it is really hard to miss if you’re looking in the correct direction. Alternatively, you can stretch out your fist at arm’s length toward the horizon, which is equivalent to about 10 degrees. Then, just use the appropriate number of fist-lengths to find the location marker, e.g., four fist-lengths from the horizon would be equivalent to about 40 degrees.

NASA’s Spot the Station program is great. I’ve seen the station fly over many times now, and it’s a pretty amazing experience.

The first module of ISS was launched into space in 1998 and the initial construction of the station took about two years to complete. Human occupation of the station began on November 2, 2000. Since that time, ISS has been continuously occupied. ISS serves as both an orbiting laboratory and a port for international spacecraft. The primary partnering countries involved in operating ISS include the United States, Canada, Japan, several European countries and Russia.

ISS orbits at approximately 220 miles (350 km) above the Earth and it travels at an average speed of 17,227 miles (27,724 km) per hour. ISS makes multiple orbits around the Earth every day.

Photo of the International Space Station taken from the space shuttle Endeavour on May 30, 2011. Image via NASA.

Astronauts Robert Curbeam, Jr. and Christer Fuglesang working on the International Space Station. Image via NASA.

ISS crossing the sky in a long-exposure photograph by Antonín Hušek.

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

Bottom line: Learn to watch the International Space Station (ISS) moving above your location.

from EarthSky https://ift.tt/3dueKkM

On May 30, 2020, NASA’s SpaceX Demo-2 mission launched successfully. It is the first U.S human spaceflight from U.S. soil since 2011 – on an American rocket and spacecraft – with astronauts Robert Behnken and Douglas Hurley, headed to the International Space Station. Image via NASA.

If you’re looking for information on the SpaceX Crew Dragon launch on Saturday, May 30, 2020 … click here.

The International Space Station (ISS) has been orbiting our planet since 1998. From most locations on Earth, assuming you have clear night skies, you can see ISS for yourself. To us on Earth, it looks like a bright star moving quickly from horizon to horizon. As suddenly as it appears, it disappears. How do you know when to see ISS pass overhead from your location?

NASA has a great tool to help – the Spot the Station program lets you sign up to receive alerts to let you know when ISS will be visible from your location – anywhere in the world. Plus there’s a map-based feature to track when to look for the station as it flies over you in your night sky.

You can also sign up for alerts via email or text message. Typically, alerts are sent out a few times each month when the station’s orbit is near your location. Visit the Spot the Station website to sign up, and see a list of upcoming sighting opportunities.

Wayne Boyd shared his photo of ISS passing over Marstons Mills, Massachusetts,

Patricia Evans in Seabrook, New Hampshire, caught this ISS flyover through clouds on June 9, 2016. She wrote: “It moved quickly and silently overhead towards the east.”

If you sign up for NASA’s Spot the Station service, notices will be sent to you only when ISS will be clearly visible from your location for at least a couple of minutes. If you live north of 51.6 degrees latitude (for example, in Alaska), you will likely have to visit the website to find sighting opportunities because notifications in this region would be rare.

A composite photograph of an International Space Station flyover, taken from the U.K. Image via Dave Walker.

The notices contain information on where to look for ISS in the night sky. Just note where the sun sets and you can easily find the direction where the station will appear (for example, in the southwest or in the northwest). The height at which the station will appear is given in degrees. Just remember that 90 degrees is directly over your head. Any number less than 90 degrees will mean that the station will appear somewhere between the horizon and the 90 degree mark. The station is so bright that it is really hard to miss if you’re looking in the correct direction. Alternatively, you can stretch out your fist at arm’s length toward the horizon, which is equivalent to about 10 degrees. Then, just use the appropriate number of fist-lengths to find the location marker, e.g., four fist-lengths from the horizon would be equivalent to about 40 degrees.

NASA’s Spot the Station program is great. I’ve seen the station fly over many times now, and it’s a pretty amazing experience.

The first module of ISS was launched into space in 1998 and the initial construction of the station took about two years to complete. Human occupation of the station began on November 2, 2000. Since that time, ISS has been continuously occupied. ISS serves as both an orbiting laboratory and a port for international spacecraft. The primary partnering countries involved in operating ISS include the United States, Canada, Japan, several European countries and Russia.

ISS orbits at approximately 220 miles (350 km) above the Earth and it travels at an average speed of 17,227 miles (27,724 km) per hour. ISS makes multiple orbits around the Earth every day.

Photo of the International Space Station taken from the space shuttle Endeavour on May 30, 2011. Image via NASA.

Astronauts Robert Curbeam, Jr. and Christer Fuglesang working on the International Space Station. Image via NASA.

ISS crossing the sky in a long-exposure photograph by Antonín Hušek.

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

Bottom line: Learn to watch the International Space Station (ISS) moving above your location.

from EarthSky https://ift.tt/3dueKkM

AIM spots season’s 1st Arctic noctilucent clouds

These animated images show AIM’s observations from the first week of the Arctic noctilucent cloud season, which began on May 17, 2020. The colors — from dark blue to light blue and bright white — indicate the clouds’ albedo, which refers to the amount of light that a surface reflects compared to the total sunlight that falls upon it. Things that have a high albedo are bright and reflect a lot of light. Things that don’t reflect much light have a low albedo; they are dark. Image via NASA/ HU/ VT/ CU-LASP/ AIM/ Joy Ng

By Lina Tran/ NASA’s Goddard Space Flight Center

Ice-blue clouds are drifting high above the Arctic, which means the Northern Hemisphere’s noctilucent cloud season is here.

NASA’s AIM – Aeronomy of Ice in the Mesosphere – spacecraft first spotted wisps of these noctilucent, or night-shining, clouds over the Arctic on May 17. In the week that followed, the ghost-like wisps grew into a blur, quickly filling more of the Arctic sky. This is the second-earliest start of the northern season yet observed, and the season is expected to run through mid-August.

The seasonal clouds hover high above the ground, about 50 miles overhead in a layer of the atmosphere called the mesosphere. Most meteors burn up when they reach the mesosphere; there are enough gases there to slough plummeting meteors into nothing more than dust and smoke. Noctilucent clouds form when water molecules congregate around the fine dust and freeze, forming ice crystals. The icy clouds, reflecting sunlight, shine bright blue and white. They first appear in summer — around mid-May in the Northern Hemisphere and mid-November in the Southern — when the mesosphere is most humid, with the season’s heat lofting moisture up to the sky.

Jim Russell is AIM principal investigator at Hampton University in Virginia. He said:

Every year, twice a year, the start of the season is a big event for us. The reason we’re excited is we’re trying to find out what the causes of the season’s starting are and what does it really mean with regard to the larger picture in the atmosphere.

Also known as polar mesospheric clouds (because they tend to huddle around Earth’s poles), these clouds help scientists better understand the mesosphere and how it’s connected to the rest of the atmosphere, weather and climate.

Scientists are eager to see what this Arctic season brings. For the most part, the brilliant clouds usually cling to the polar regions. But sometimes, they stray south. Last year, they were spotted as far south as southern California and Oklahoma — lower latitudes than have ever been seen before, Russell said. The new season is another chance to better understand the fleeting clouds and their possible migration south. Some evidence indicates this could be the result of changing atmospheric conditions. Russell said:

With every year, we get new data to help us put together a picture of the atmosphere.

Botton line: Animated image by NASA’s AIM spacecraft of the 2020 season’s 1st noctilucent, or night-shining, clouds over the Arctic.

Via NASA

from EarthSky https://ift.tt/3cgBRyn

These animated images show AIM’s observations from the first week of the Arctic noctilucent cloud season, which began on May 17, 2020. The colors — from dark blue to light blue and bright white — indicate the clouds’ albedo, which refers to the amount of light that a surface reflects compared to the total sunlight that falls upon it. Things that have a high albedo are bright and reflect a lot of light. Things that don’t reflect much light have a low albedo; they are dark. Image via NASA/ HU/ VT/ CU-LASP/ AIM/ Joy Ng

By Lina Tran/ NASA’s Goddard Space Flight Center

Ice-blue clouds are drifting high above the Arctic, which means the Northern Hemisphere’s noctilucent cloud season is here.

NASA’s AIM – Aeronomy of Ice in the Mesosphere – spacecraft first spotted wisps of these noctilucent, or night-shining, clouds over the Arctic on May 17. In the week that followed, the ghost-like wisps grew into a blur, quickly filling more of the Arctic sky. This is the second-earliest start of the northern season yet observed, and the season is expected to run through mid-August.

The seasonal clouds hover high above the ground, about 50 miles overhead in a layer of the atmosphere called the mesosphere. Most meteors burn up when they reach the mesosphere; there are enough gases there to slough plummeting meteors into nothing more than dust and smoke. Noctilucent clouds form when water molecules congregate around the fine dust and freeze, forming ice crystals. The icy clouds, reflecting sunlight, shine bright blue and white. They first appear in summer — around mid-May in the Northern Hemisphere and mid-November in the Southern — when the mesosphere is most humid, with the season’s heat lofting moisture up to the sky.

Jim Russell is AIM principal investigator at Hampton University in Virginia. He said:

Every year, twice a year, the start of the season is a big event for us. The reason we’re excited is we’re trying to find out what the causes of the season’s starting are and what does it really mean with regard to the larger picture in the atmosphere.

Also known as polar mesospheric clouds (because they tend to huddle around Earth’s poles), these clouds help scientists better understand the mesosphere and how it’s connected to the rest of the atmosphere, weather and climate.

Scientists are eager to see what this Arctic season brings. For the most part, the brilliant clouds usually cling to the polar regions. But sometimes, they stray south. Last year, they were spotted as far south as southern California and Oklahoma — lower latitudes than have ever been seen before, Russell said. The new season is another chance to better understand the fleeting clouds and their possible migration south. Some evidence indicates this could be the result of changing atmospheric conditions. Russell said:

With every year, we get new data to help us put together a picture of the atmosphere.

Botton line: Animated image by NASA’s AIM spacecraft of the 2020 season’s 1st noctilucent, or night-shining, clouds over the Arctic.

Via NASA

from EarthSky https://ift.tt/3cgBRyn