Dance of 3 stars confirms Einstein’s ‘most fortunate thought’

Artist’s concept of the system known as PSR J0337+1715. It’s triple system, consisting of a millisecond pulsar with 2 white dwarf companions. The green mesh illustrates the curvature of space-time caused by the different masses of these 3 stars. Size and distances of the 3 components are not to scale. Image via Michael Kramer/ MPIfR.

It’s part of science legend that Galileo dropped objects of different masses from Italy’s Leaning Tower of Pisa in order to contradict the long-held notion that heavier and lighter objects fall at different rates. In fact, all objects – irrespective of mass – fall at the same rate in a vacuum. This is called the universality of free fall, confirmed since then both on Earth and in space. Einstein himself called the universality of free fall his “most fortunate thought” since it led him eventually to the general theory of relativity. Now researchers in Europe have confirmed this fact of nature again, with extremely high precision, by tracking the motion of a triple star system containing a millisecond pulsar.

The findings were published in the peer-reviewed journal Astronomy & Astrophysics on June 10, 2020. A statement from the Max Planck Institute for Radio Astronomy (MPIfR) in Bonn, Germany, whose researchers participated in the study, said:

[The] findings – achieved by a new rigorous method and a combination of radio telescope data with latest insight from gravitational wave detectors – provide the strongest test ever of one of the most fundamental predictions of general relativity: that gravity attracts all objects with the same acceleration, without regard for their composition, density or the strength of their own gravitational field.

The pulsar in the system they studied – a highly compact neutron star – is called PSR J0337+1715. It orbits in a triple system with two white dwarfs, objects less compact than a neutron star, but more compact than our sun.

As described by general relativity theory, very compact objects like neutron stars curve spacetime many trillion times more strongly than planets or than our sun. These scientists said:

Perhaps more than any previous test, this result indicates that general relativity, based on the simplicity of Einstein’s most fortunate thought, really captures something fundamental about nature.

How can we understand what these scientists studied? Consider the universality of free fall in our own Earth/moon system – in the video below – which shows what’s sometimes called the Apollo 15 Hammer Feather Drop. The video shows that, on an airless world like the moon, a hammer and a feather fall at the same rate.

Much as in the video above, the new work is about a test of the universality of free fall. The scientists’ statement explained:

Pulsar PSR J0337+1715, located in the constellation Taurus, is a neutron star of 1.44 solar masses, showing regular radio pulses as it rotates 366 times per second around its own axis. It is a member of an unusual triple star system, in mutual interaction with two other stars, both of which are white dwarfs. A white dwarf is already quite exotic – a star typically the size of the Earth with a density of many hundred kilograms per cubic centimeter at its center. Compared to white dwarfs, a neutron star is truly extreme, having more mass than the sun squashed into a radius of just 12 kilometers [7 1/2 miles] and by this reaching densities of more than a billion tons within the volume of a sugar cube.

A research team, led by Guillaume Voisin (Jodrell Bank Centre for Astrophysics/UK and Observatoire de Paris), including MPIfR astronomers Paulo Freire, Norbert Wex and Michael Kramer, and astronomers from several institutions in France, used the Nançay radio telescope, located in the Sologne region of France, to precisely measure the arrival times of the radio pulses from PSR J0337+1715 over a time interval of eight years. They can show that neutron stars and white dwarf stars fall with the same acceleration within two parts per million.

What does it mean that the neutron star and white dwarf stars fall with the same acceleration? What does falling have to do with the orbits of objects in this triple system? In fact, you can look at objects in orbit around one another as being in a state of free fall. The object with less mass is falling toward the object with more mass. However, if the less massive object has enough tangential velocity – enough speed – it won’t fall into the other body. Instead, it’ll follow a curved path around the other body. The less massive object is then said to be orbiting the more massive one. To understand more about orbits, try this post on Newton’s cannonball.

Artist’s concept of 2 bodies orbiting a common center of gravity (red cross). You can consider the less massive body as “falling” toward the more massive one. It never reaches the more massive body, though, because it’s moving too fast. Image via Wikipedia.

What these scientists showed – to a high degree of precision – was that the orbits of the objects in the pulsar/white dwarf triple system are all “falling” at the same rate, as they pursue their mutual orbit. Since the pulsar is more massive than the white dwarf stars, this result confirms the universality of free fall: it shows that objects of different masses fall at the same rate. Guillaume Voisin commented:

Confirming it to this precision constitutes one of the most stringent tests of Einstein’s theory ever made – and the theory passes the test with flying colors. Moreover, the results also provide very stringent constraints on alternative theories of gravity, which compete with Einstein’s general relativity to explain gravity and, for example, dark energy.

Einstein’s Most Fortunate Thought

The scientists’ statement explained:

After the 1905 publication of the special theory of relativity, Einstein started thinking about how to combine his new theory with gravity, since Newton’s law of gravity is incompatible with his new principle of relativity. In the fall of 1907, an idea came to his mind: that for someone in free fall it is as if gravity has been turned off, since due to the universality of free fall everything in his environment accelerates the same way.

This simple but profound insight led Einstein eventually to understand that gravity is a manifestation of curved space-time acting on all masses the same way, a concept which is at the heart of his general theory of relativity. He later described this sudden inspiration as ‘the most fortunate thought in my life.’

Read more about some of the applications of the new work, via MPIfR.

The scientists also pointed out that this triple system containing the pulsar PSR J0337+1715 illustrates something very profound. It shows that Einstein’s “ingenious insight” also applies to such extreme cosmic objects as neutron stars, which were discovered for the first time only 50 years after the publication of the general theory of relativity. Paulo Freire, another co-author from MPIfR, commented:

Perhaps more than any previous test, this result indicates that Einstein’s most fortunate thought really captures something fundamental about gravity and the inner workings of nature.

Bottom line: The universality of free fall describes the fact that objects of unequal mass fall at the same rate (in a vacuum). Einstein called the universality of free fall “my most fortunate thought.” Researchers in Europe have now confirmed this fact of nature with extremely high precision, using a triple star system containing the millisecond pulsar PSR J0337+1715.

Source: An improved test of the strong equivalence principle with the pulsar in a triple star system

Via MPIfR

from EarthSky https://ift.tt/3hLC9RU

Artist’s concept of the system known as PSR J0337+1715. It’s triple system, consisting of a millisecond pulsar with 2 white dwarf companions. The green mesh illustrates the curvature of space-time caused by the different masses of these 3 stars. Size and distances of the 3 components are not to scale. Image via Michael Kramer/ MPIfR.

It’s part of science legend that Galileo dropped objects of different masses from Italy’s Leaning Tower of Pisa in order to contradict the long-held notion that heavier and lighter objects fall at different rates. In fact, all objects – irrespective of mass – fall at the same rate in a vacuum. This is called the universality of free fall, confirmed since then both on Earth and in space. Einstein himself called the universality of free fall his “most fortunate thought” since it led him eventually to the general theory of relativity. Now researchers in Europe have confirmed this fact of nature again, with extremely high precision, by tracking the motion of a triple star system containing a millisecond pulsar.

The findings were published in the peer-reviewed journal Astronomy & Astrophysics on June 10, 2020. A statement from the Max Planck Institute for Radio Astronomy (MPIfR) in Bonn, Germany, whose researchers participated in the study, said:

[The] findings – achieved by a new rigorous method and a combination of radio telescope data with latest insight from gravitational wave detectors – provide the strongest test ever of one of the most fundamental predictions of general relativity: that gravity attracts all objects with the same acceleration, without regard for their composition, density or the strength of their own gravitational field.

The pulsar in the system they studied – a highly compact neutron star – is called PSR J0337+1715. It orbits in a triple system with two white dwarfs, objects less compact than a neutron star, but more compact than our sun.

As described by general relativity theory, very compact objects like neutron stars curve spacetime many trillion times more strongly than planets or than our sun. These scientists said:

Perhaps more than any previous test, this result indicates that general relativity, based on the simplicity of Einstein’s most fortunate thought, really captures something fundamental about nature.

How can we understand what these scientists studied? Consider the universality of free fall in our own Earth/moon system – in the video below – which shows what’s sometimes called the Apollo 15 Hammer Feather Drop. The video shows that, on an airless world like the moon, a hammer and a feather fall at the same rate.

Much as in the video above, the new work is about a test of the universality of free fall. The scientists’ statement explained:

Pulsar PSR J0337+1715, located in the constellation Taurus, is a neutron star of 1.44 solar masses, showing regular radio pulses as it rotates 366 times per second around its own axis. It is a member of an unusual triple star system, in mutual interaction with two other stars, both of which are white dwarfs. A white dwarf is already quite exotic – a star typically the size of the Earth with a density of many hundred kilograms per cubic centimeter at its center. Compared to white dwarfs, a neutron star is truly extreme, having more mass than the sun squashed into a radius of just 12 kilometers [7 1/2 miles] and by this reaching densities of more than a billion tons within the volume of a sugar cube.

A research team, led by Guillaume Voisin (Jodrell Bank Centre for Astrophysics/UK and Observatoire de Paris), including MPIfR astronomers Paulo Freire, Norbert Wex and Michael Kramer, and astronomers from several institutions in France, used the Nançay radio telescope, located in the Sologne region of France, to precisely measure the arrival times of the radio pulses from PSR J0337+1715 over a time interval of eight years. They can show that neutron stars and white dwarf stars fall with the same acceleration within two parts per million.

What does it mean that the neutron star and white dwarf stars fall with the same acceleration? What does falling have to do with the orbits of objects in this triple system? In fact, you can look at objects in orbit around one another as being in a state of free fall. The object with less mass is falling toward the object with more mass. However, if the less massive object has enough tangential velocity – enough speed – it won’t fall into the other body. Instead, it’ll follow a curved path around the other body. The less massive object is then said to be orbiting the more massive one. To understand more about orbits, try this post on Newton’s cannonball.

Artist’s concept of 2 bodies orbiting a common center of gravity (red cross). You can consider the less massive body as “falling” toward the more massive one. It never reaches the more massive body, though, because it’s moving too fast. Image via Wikipedia.

What these scientists showed – to a high degree of precision – was that the orbits of the objects in the pulsar/white dwarf triple system are all “falling” at the same rate, as they pursue their mutual orbit. Since the pulsar is more massive than the white dwarf stars, this result confirms the universality of free fall: it shows that objects of different masses fall at the same rate. Guillaume Voisin commented:

Confirming it to this precision constitutes one of the most stringent tests of Einstein’s theory ever made – and the theory passes the test with flying colors. Moreover, the results also provide very stringent constraints on alternative theories of gravity, which compete with Einstein’s general relativity to explain gravity and, for example, dark energy.

Einstein’s Most Fortunate Thought

The scientists’ statement explained:

After the 1905 publication of the special theory of relativity, Einstein started thinking about how to combine his new theory with gravity, since Newton’s law of gravity is incompatible with his new principle of relativity. In the fall of 1907, an idea came to his mind: that for someone in free fall it is as if gravity has been turned off, since due to the universality of free fall everything in his environment accelerates the same way.

This simple but profound insight led Einstein eventually to understand that gravity is a manifestation of curved space-time acting on all masses the same way, a concept which is at the heart of his general theory of relativity. He later described this sudden inspiration as ‘the most fortunate thought in my life.’

Read more about some of the applications of the new work, via MPIfR.

The scientists also pointed out that this triple system containing the pulsar PSR J0337+1715 illustrates something very profound. It shows that Einstein’s “ingenious insight” also applies to such extreme cosmic objects as neutron stars, which were discovered for the first time only 50 years after the publication of the general theory of relativity. Paulo Freire, another co-author from MPIfR, commented:

Perhaps more than any previous test, this result indicates that Einstein’s most fortunate thought really captures something fundamental about gravity and the inner workings of nature.

Bottom line: The universality of free fall describes the fact that objects of unequal mass fall at the same rate (in a vacuum). Einstein called the universality of free fall “my most fortunate thought.” Researchers in Europe have now confirmed this fact of nature with extremely high precision, using a triple star system containing the millisecond pulsar PSR J0337+1715.

Source: An improved test of the strong equivalence principle with the pulsar in a triple star system

Via MPIfR

from EarthSky https://ift.tt/3hLC9RU

Libra? Here’s your constellation

The constellation Libra from Urania’s Mirror, a boxed set of 32 constellation cards first published in or before 1825. Via ianridpath.com.

The zodiacal constellation Libra the Scales is a fixture of the evening sky during a Northern Hemisphere summer (Southern Hemisphere winter). It’s not the most flamboyant constellation of the zodiac. But, in any year, you can find Libra fairly easily in a dark sky using two bright stars, Spica and Antares, as guides. Use these two bright stars to find two fainter stars in Libra, which, by the way, have two of the best star names: Zubenelgenubi and Zubeneschamali.

The constellation Libra the Scales and its brightest stars Zubenelgenubi and Zubeneschamali.

How to find the constellation Libra. Libra is a constellation of the zodiac. Thus you will know to look for it along the sun’s path across our sky.

Two stars in Libra sit about midway between two bright stars, Spica and Antares. Those two Libra stars are Zubenelgenubi and Zubeneschamali, and they mark Libra’s place in the heavens.

By the way, many have noticed that Zubenelgenubi and Zubeneschamali sound a lot like Obi-Wan Kenobi, one of only four characters to appear in all six “Star Wars” films. Did George Lucas use these stars as inspiration for the character’s name? It would be interesting to know.

Obi-Wan Kenobi of “Star Wars” movie fame. His name rhymes with the names of the constellation Libra’s 2 brightest stars. Image via Wikimedia Commons.

As seen from Earth, the sun passes in front of the constellation Libra from about October 30 until November 22 every year.

Libra’s star Zubenelgenubi sits almost exactly on the ecliptic, which is the sun’s yearly path in front of the background stars. At present, the sun has its annual conjunction with the Libra star Zubenelgenubi on or near November 7, or about midway between the September equinox and the December solstice.

However, the conjunction date of the sun and Zubenelgenubi changes over the long course of time.

More than 3,000 years ago, the sun and Libra’s star Zubenelgenubi were in conjunction on the Northern Hemisphere’s autumnal equinox (Southern Hemisphere’s spring equinox). Over 3,000 years into the future, the sun and Zubenelgenubi will be in conjunction on the December solstice (Northern Hemisphere’s winter solstice or Southern Hemisphere’s summer solstice).

Regardless of which constellation provides a backdrop for the sun on the September equinox, the sun is said to be at the first point of (the sign) Libra when it the crosses the celestial equator going from north to south.

According to mythology, at the return of the golden age the goddess Astraea will dispense justice and weigh the souls of men. Image via Wikipedia.

Libra in history and myth. Several thousands of years ago – around 2,000 B.C. – the ancient Babylonians apparently associated this constellation with scales or a balance. Quite possibly, this association was made because the sun on the autumn equinox shone in front of the stars of Libra at that time. It’s at the equinox that the world realizes its seasonal and temporal balance, between the extremes of heat and cold, and with day and night of equal length all over the globe. Metaphorically, Libra the Scales serves as an age-old symbol of divine justice, harmony and balance.

In contrast to their Babylonian forebears, the ancient Greeks seemed to regard Libra as the outstretched claws of the constellation Scorpius the Scorpion. In fact, the names for Libra’s two brightest stars are Arabic terms that hearken back to these olden times when Scorpius reigned as a double or super constellation. Zubenelgenubi translates into “the southern claw of the Scorpion” and Zubeneschamali into “the northern claw of the Scorpion.”

The Romans, though inheriting much of the Greek tradition, again revived Libra as the only inanimate constellation of the zodiac. In Roman thought, the constellation Virgo is the embodiment of Astraea, the Starry Goddess, holding Libra, the Scales of Justice.

Astrologers regard Libra as the second air sign, ruled over by the planet Venus. Although astronomy and astrology have been intertwined historically, they are now regarded as separate disciplines. Astrology assumes the positions of heavenly bodies have certain influences over human affairs which most modern-day astronomers regard as unfounded.

More constellations of the zodiac:

Taurus? Here’s your constellation
Gemini? Here’s your constellation
Cancer? Here’s your constellation
Leo? Here’s your constellation
Virgo? Here’s your constellation
Libra? Here’s your constellation
Scorpius? Here’s your contellation
Sagittarius? Here’s your constellation
Capricornus? Here’s your constellation
Aquarius? Here’s your constellation
Pisces? Here’s your constellation
Aries? Here’s your constellation
Birthday late November to early December? Here’s your constellation

Bottom line: Find zodiac constellation Libra the Scales in the evening sky during Northern Hemisphere summer (Southern Hemisphere winter) between two bright stars, Spica and Antares.

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

The constellation Libra from Urania’s Mirror, a boxed set of 32 constellation cards first published in or before 1825. Via ianridpath.com.

The zodiacal constellation Libra the Scales is a fixture of the evening sky during a Northern Hemisphere summer (Southern Hemisphere winter). It’s not the most flamboyant constellation of the zodiac. But, in any year, you can find Libra fairly easily in a dark sky using two bright stars, Spica and Antares, as guides. Use these two bright stars to find two fainter stars in Libra, which, by the way, have two of the best star names: Zubenelgenubi and Zubeneschamali.

The constellation Libra the Scales and its brightest stars Zubenelgenubi and Zubeneschamali.

How to find the constellation Libra. Libra is a constellation of the zodiac. Thus you will know to look for it along the sun’s path across our sky.

Two stars in Libra sit about midway between two bright stars, Spica and Antares. Those two Libra stars are Zubenelgenubi and Zubeneschamali, and they mark Libra’s place in the heavens.

By the way, many have noticed that Zubenelgenubi and Zubeneschamali sound a lot like Obi-Wan Kenobi, one of only four characters to appear in all six “Star Wars” films. Did George Lucas use these stars as inspiration for the character’s name? It would be interesting to know.

Obi-Wan Kenobi of “Star Wars” movie fame. His name rhymes with the names of the constellation Libra’s 2 brightest stars. Image via Wikimedia Commons.

As seen from Earth, the sun passes in front of the constellation Libra from about October 30 until November 22 every year.

Libra’s star Zubenelgenubi sits almost exactly on the ecliptic, which is the sun’s yearly path in front of the background stars. At present, the sun has its annual conjunction with the Libra star Zubenelgenubi on or near November 7, or about midway between the September equinox and the December solstice.

However, the conjunction date of the sun and Zubenelgenubi changes over the long course of time.

More than 3,000 years ago, the sun and Libra’s star Zubenelgenubi were in conjunction on the Northern Hemisphere’s autumnal equinox (Southern Hemisphere’s spring equinox). Over 3,000 years into the future, the sun and Zubenelgenubi will be in conjunction on the December solstice (Northern Hemisphere’s winter solstice or Southern Hemisphere’s summer solstice).

Regardless of which constellation provides a backdrop for the sun on the September equinox, the sun is said to be at the first point of (the sign) Libra when it the crosses the celestial equator going from north to south.

According to mythology, at the return of the golden age the goddess Astraea will dispense justice and weigh the souls of men. Image via Wikipedia.

Libra in history and myth. Several thousands of years ago – around 2,000 B.C. – the ancient Babylonians apparently associated this constellation with scales or a balance. Quite possibly, this association was made because the sun on the autumn equinox shone in front of the stars of Libra at that time. It’s at the equinox that the world realizes its seasonal and temporal balance, between the extremes of heat and cold, and with day and night of equal length all over the globe. Metaphorically, Libra the Scales serves as an age-old symbol of divine justice, harmony and balance.

In contrast to their Babylonian forebears, the ancient Greeks seemed to regard Libra as the outstretched claws of the constellation Scorpius the Scorpion. In fact, the names for Libra’s two brightest stars are Arabic terms that hearken back to these olden times when Scorpius reigned as a double or super constellation. Zubenelgenubi translates into “the southern claw of the Scorpion” and Zubeneschamali into “the northern claw of the Scorpion.”

The Romans, though inheriting much of the Greek tradition, again revived Libra as the only inanimate constellation of the zodiac. In Roman thought, the constellation Virgo is the embodiment of Astraea, the Starry Goddess, holding Libra, the Scales of Justice.

Astrologers regard Libra as the second air sign, ruled over by the planet Venus. Although astronomy and astrology have been intertwined historically, they are now regarded as separate disciplines. Astrology assumes the positions of heavenly bodies have certain influences over human affairs which most modern-day astronomers regard as unfounded.

More constellations of the zodiac:

Taurus? Here’s your constellation
Gemini? Here’s your constellation
Cancer? Here’s your constellation
Leo? Here’s your constellation
Virgo? Here’s your constellation
Libra? Here’s your constellation
Scorpius? Here’s your contellation
Sagittarius? Here’s your constellation
Capricornus? Here’s your constellation
Aquarius? Here’s your constellation
Pisces? Here’s your constellation
Aries? Here’s your constellation
Birthday late November to early December? Here’s your constellation

Bottom line: Find zodiac constellation Libra the Scales in the evening sky during Northern Hemisphere summer (Southern Hemisphere winter) between two bright stars, Spica and Antares.

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

All you need to know: June solstice 2020

The sunset has been making its way north, as illustrated in this 2016 photo composite by Abhijit Juvekar.

The June solstice – your signal to celebrate summer in the Northern Hemisphere and winter in the Southern Hemisphere – will happen on June 20, 2020, at 21:44 UTC. That’s 4:44 p.m. CDT in North America on June 20. Translate UTC to your time. For us in the Northern Hemisphere, this solstice marks the beginning of summer and the longest day of the year. Early dawns. Long days. Late sunsets. Short nights. The sun at its height each day, as it crosses the sky. Meanwhile, south of the equator, winter begins.

Waiting for dawn to arrive at Stonehenge, summer solstice 2005. Image via Andrew Dunn/ Wikimedia Commons. Read more about summer solstice at Stonehenge.

What is a solstice? Ancient cultures knew that the sun’s path across the sky, the length of daylight, and the location of the sunrise and sunset all shifted in a regular way throughout the year.

They built monuments, such as Stonehenge, to follow the sun’s yearly progress.

Today, we know that the solstice is an astronomical event, caused by Earth’s tilt on its axis and its motion in orbit around the sun.

It’s because Earth doesn’t orbit upright. Instead, our world is tilted on its axis by 23 1/2 degrees. Earth’s Northern and Southern Hemispheres trade places in receiving the sun’s light and warmth most directly.

At the June solstice, Earth is positioned in its orbit so that our world’s North Pole is leaning most toward the sun. As seen from Earth, the sun is directly overhead at noon 23 1/2 degrees north of the equator, at an imaginary line encircling the globe known as the Tropic of Cancer – named after the constellation Cancer the Crab. This is as far north as the sun ever gets.

All locations north of the equator have days longer than 12 hours at the June solstice. Meanwhile, all locations south of the equator have days shorter than 12 hours.

The red line shows the Tropic of Cancer. As seen from this line of latitude, the sun appears overhead at noon on the June solstice. Image via Wikimedia Commons.

When is the solstice where I live? The solstice takes place place on June 20, 2020, at 21:44 UTC. That’s 4:44 p.m. CDT in North America on June 20.

A solstice happens at the same instant for all of us, everywhere on Earth. To find the time of the solstice in your location, you have to translate to your time zone.

Here’s an example of how to do that. In the central United States, for those of us using Central Daylight Time, we subtract five hours from Universal Time. That’s how we get 16:44 (4:44 p.m.) CDT as the time of the 2020 June solstice (21:44 UTC on June 20 minus 5 equals 16:44 (4:44 p.m.) CDT on June 20.

Want to know the time in your location? Check out EarthSky’s article How to translate UTC to your time. And just remember: you’re translating from 21:44 UTC, June 20.

Sunset via EarthSky Facebook friend Lucy Bee in Dallas, Texas.

Where should I look to see signs of the solstice in nature? Everywhere. For all of Earth’s creatures, nothing is so fundamental as the length of the day. After all, the sun is the ultimate source of almost all light and warmth on Earth’s surface.

If you live in the Northern Hemisphere, you might notice the early dawns and late sunsets, and the high arc of the sun across the sky each day. You might see how high the sun appears in the sky at local noon. And be sure to look at your noontime shadow. Around the time of the solstice, it’s your shortest noontime shadow of the year.

If you’re a person who’s tuned in to the out-of-doors, you know the peaceful, comforting feeling that accompanies these signs and signals of the year’s longest day.

Watching the solstice sunrise. Photo via Sarah Little-Knitwitz, Glastonbury Tor, Somerset, U.K.

Is the solstice the first day of summer? No world body has designated an official day to start each new season, and different schools of thought or traditions define the seasons in different ways.

In meteorology, for example, summer begins on June 1. And every school child knows that summer starts when the last school bell of the year rings.

Yet June 21 is perhaps the most widely recognized day upon which summer begins in the Northern Hemisphere and upon which winter begins on the southern half of Earth’s globe. There’s nothing official about it, but it’s such a long-held tradition that we all recognize it to be so.

It has been universal among humans to treasure this time of warmth and light.

For us in the modern world, the solstice is a time to recall the reverence and understanding that early people had for the sky. Some 5,000 years ago, people placed huge stones in a circle on a broad plain in what’s now England and aligned them with the June solstice sunrise.

We may never comprehend the full significance of Stonehenge. But we do know that knowledge of this sort wasn’t limited to just one part of the world. Around the same time Stonehenge was being constructed in England, two great pyramids and then the Sphinx were built on Egyptian sands. If you stood at the Sphinx on the summer solstice and gazed toward the two pyramids, you’d see the sun set exactly between them.

Image via Flickr user Ludwig Simbajon.

How does it end up hotter later in the summer, if June has the longest day? People often ask:

If the June solstice brings the longest day, why do we experience the hottest weather in late July and August?

This effect is called the lag of the seasons. It’s the same reason it’s hotter in mid-afternoon than at noontime. Earth just takes a while to warm up after a long winter. Even in June, ice and snow still blanket the ground in some places. The sun has to melt the ice – and warm the oceans – and then we feel the most sweltering summer heat.

Ice and snow have been melting since spring began. Meltwater and rainwater have been percolating down through snow on tops of glaciers.

But the runoff from glaciers isn’t as great now as it’ll be in another month, even though sunlight is striking the northern hemisphere most directly around now.

So wait another month for the hottest weather. It’ll come when the days are already beginning to shorten again, as Earth continues to move in orbit around the sun, bringing us closer to another winter.

And so the cycle continues.

Hello, summer solstice!

Bottom line: The 2020 June solstice happens on June 20 at 21:44 UTC. That’s 4:44 p.m. CDT in North America. This solstice – which marks the beginning of summer in the Northern Hemisphere – marks the sun’s most northerly point in Earth’s sky. It’s an event celebrated by people throughout the ages.

Visit EarthSky Tonight for easy-to-use night sky charts and info. Updated daily.

Celebrate the summer solstice as the Chinese philosophers did

Why the hottest weather isn’t on the longest day

from EarthSky https://ift.tt/2N7tlHS

The sunset has been making its way north, as illustrated in this 2016 photo composite by Abhijit Juvekar.

The June solstice – your signal to celebrate summer in the Northern Hemisphere and winter in the Southern Hemisphere – will happen on June 20, 2020, at 21:44 UTC. That’s 4:44 p.m. CDT in North America on June 20. Translate UTC to your time. For us in the Northern Hemisphere, this solstice marks the beginning of summer and the longest day of the year. Early dawns. Long days. Late sunsets. Short nights. The sun at its height each day, as it crosses the sky. Meanwhile, south of the equator, winter begins.

Waiting for dawn to arrive at Stonehenge, summer solstice 2005. Image via Andrew Dunn/ Wikimedia Commons. Read more about summer solstice at Stonehenge.

What is a solstice? Ancient cultures knew that the sun’s path across the sky, the length of daylight, and the location of the sunrise and sunset all shifted in a regular way throughout the year.

They built monuments, such as Stonehenge, to follow the sun’s yearly progress.

Today, we know that the solstice is an astronomical event, caused by Earth’s tilt on its axis and its motion in orbit around the sun.

It’s because Earth doesn’t orbit upright. Instead, our world is tilted on its axis by 23 1/2 degrees. Earth’s Northern and Southern Hemispheres trade places in receiving the sun’s light and warmth most directly.

At the June solstice, Earth is positioned in its orbit so that our world’s North Pole is leaning most toward the sun. As seen from Earth, the sun is directly overhead at noon 23 1/2 degrees north of the equator, at an imaginary line encircling the globe known as the Tropic of Cancer – named after the constellation Cancer the Crab. This is as far north as the sun ever gets.

All locations north of the equator have days longer than 12 hours at the June solstice. Meanwhile, all locations south of the equator have days shorter than 12 hours.

The red line shows the Tropic of Cancer. As seen from this line of latitude, the sun appears overhead at noon on the June solstice. Image via Wikimedia Commons.

When is the solstice where I live? The solstice takes place place on June 20, 2020, at 21:44 UTC. That’s 4:44 p.m. CDT in North America on June 20.

A solstice happens at the same instant for all of us, everywhere on Earth. To find the time of the solstice in your location, you have to translate to your time zone.

Here’s an example of how to do that. In the central United States, for those of us using Central Daylight Time, we subtract five hours from Universal Time. That’s how we get 16:44 (4:44 p.m.) CDT as the time of the 2020 June solstice (21:44 UTC on June 20 minus 5 equals 16:44 (4:44 p.m.) CDT on June 20.

Want to know the time in your location? Check out EarthSky’s article How to translate UTC to your time. And just remember: you’re translating from 21:44 UTC, June 20.

Sunset via EarthSky Facebook friend Lucy Bee in Dallas, Texas.

Where should I look to see signs of the solstice in nature? Everywhere. For all of Earth’s creatures, nothing is so fundamental as the length of the day. After all, the sun is the ultimate source of almost all light and warmth on Earth’s surface.

If you live in the Northern Hemisphere, you might notice the early dawns and late sunsets, and the high arc of the sun across the sky each day. You might see how high the sun appears in the sky at local noon. And be sure to look at your noontime shadow. Around the time of the solstice, it’s your shortest noontime shadow of the year.

If you’re a person who’s tuned in to the out-of-doors, you know the peaceful, comforting feeling that accompanies these signs and signals of the year’s longest day.

Watching the solstice sunrise. Photo via Sarah Little-Knitwitz, Glastonbury Tor, Somerset, U.K.

Is the solstice the first day of summer? No world body has designated an official day to start each new season, and different schools of thought or traditions define the seasons in different ways.

In meteorology, for example, summer begins on June 1. And every school child knows that summer starts when the last school bell of the year rings.

Yet June 21 is perhaps the most widely recognized day upon which summer begins in the Northern Hemisphere and upon which winter begins on the southern half of Earth’s globe. There’s nothing official about it, but it’s such a long-held tradition that we all recognize it to be so.

It has been universal among humans to treasure this time of warmth and light.

For us in the modern world, the solstice is a time to recall the reverence and understanding that early people had for the sky. Some 5,000 years ago, people placed huge stones in a circle on a broad plain in what’s now England and aligned them with the June solstice sunrise.

We may never comprehend the full significance of Stonehenge. But we do know that knowledge of this sort wasn’t limited to just one part of the world. Around the same time Stonehenge was being constructed in England, two great pyramids and then the Sphinx were built on Egyptian sands. If you stood at the Sphinx on the summer solstice and gazed toward the two pyramids, you’d see the sun set exactly between them.

Image via Flickr user Ludwig Simbajon.

How does it end up hotter later in the summer, if June has the longest day? People often ask:

If the June solstice brings the longest day, why do we experience the hottest weather in late July and August?

This effect is called the lag of the seasons. It’s the same reason it’s hotter in mid-afternoon than at noontime. Earth just takes a while to warm up after a long winter. Even in June, ice and snow still blanket the ground in some places. The sun has to melt the ice – and warm the oceans – and then we feel the most sweltering summer heat.

Ice and snow have been melting since spring began. Meltwater and rainwater have been percolating down through snow on tops of glaciers.

But the runoff from glaciers isn’t as great now as it’ll be in another month, even though sunlight is striking the northern hemisphere most directly around now.

So wait another month for the hottest weather. It’ll come when the days are already beginning to shorten again, as Earth continues to move in orbit around the sun, bringing us closer to another winter.

And so the cycle continues.

Hello, summer solstice!

Bottom line: The 2020 June solstice happens on June 20 at 21:44 UTC. That’s 4:44 p.m. CDT in North America. This solstice – which marks the beginning of summer in the Northern Hemisphere – marks the sun’s most northerly point in Earth’s sky. It’s an event celebrated by people throughout the ages.

Visit EarthSky Tonight for easy-to-use night sky charts and info. Updated daily.

Celebrate the summer solstice as the Chinese philosophers did

Why the hottest weather isn’t on the longest day

from EarthSky https://ift.tt/2N7tlHS

Emory-led consortium explores brain and behavior, across the tree of life

“Our consortium will create tools to study motor control in any species or behavior,” says Emory biologist Samuel Sober, co-director of the new consortium, funded by the Simons Foundation.

By Carol Clark

The Simons Foundation awarded scientists from Emory University and their collaborators $2.5 million to develop new tools to study how the brain controls behavior in vertebrates. Named the Simons-Emory International Consortium on Motor Control, the project brings together eight research groups from three countries that use cutting-edge techniques to explore connections between the firing of neurons and the movement of muscles. Their work spans a range of behaviors in an array of species, from songbirds and monkeys to rats and mice.

The consortium will kick off with a virtual symposium on Friday, June 26, from 10 a.m. to 1 p.m. EDT. Eight neuroscientists will each give a 10-minute talk about a not-yet-invented tool they wish they had today to transform the field. The speakers will include Chethan Pandarinath and Lena Ting (both from Emory and Georgia Tech), Amy Bastian (Kennedy Krieger Institute), Rui Costa (Columbia University), Amy Orsborn (University of Washington), Andrew Pruszynski (Western University) and Philip Sabes (from the University of California San Francisco and Neuralink). The talks will stream live on YouTube, and registrants from around the world can ask questions in real-time via an online chat feature.

The symposium’s theme reflects the ambitious goals of the consortium. “Often in neuroscience, labs are working on one species in relative isolation,” says Samuel Sober, co-director of the new consortium and an Emory associate professor of biology. “Our consortium is unique because our members are investigating not just different species but different motor skills, from how songbirds vocalize to how monkeys move their arms. And we’re working together to develop new methods and apply them to a really wide range of problems.”

Sober’s lab, for instance, developed technology for recording and analyzing how the precise timing of neurons firing controls vocal behavior in songbirds. “Our consortium will create tools to study motor control in any species or behavior,” Sober says. “We will provide a framework to allow researchers to reveal the mechanisms of motor agility across the tree of life.”

The Simons Foundation is a leading, private philanthropical organization dedicated to advancing research in basic science and mathematics.

Solving mysteries about how the brain and muscles of different animals work together may one day benefit humans dealing with neural system injuries, says Gordon Berman, co-director of the consortium and an Emory assistant professor of biology.

“Motion and movement are the basic building blocks of behavior,” he says. “I view the consortium’s work as a critical, early component to ultimately map what you’re thinking in your head to actually producing a movement. Such insights could help in the design of prosthetic limbs that move in response to a person’s thoughts or computer interfaces that assist people with spinal cord injuries.”

Berman’s research group uses tools from theoretical and computational biophysics to understand how changes in neural activity affect how animals move and vice versa.

“One thing I’m particularly interested in is how those patterns change over the course of learning a skill,” Berman says. “I play the piano. As I learn a new piece of music how does the code between my brain and my fingers change?”

Other members of the consortium include Chethan Pandarinath, assistant professor in Emory’s Department of Neurosurgery and in the Wallace H. Coulter Department of Biomedical Engineering at Georgia Tech and Emory. His group is using sophisticated methods of artificial intelligence and machine learning to better understand how large networks of neurons in the brain encode information and control behavior.

A fourth consortium member from Emory is Ilya Nemenman, professor of physics, and a pioneer in developing algorithms for analyzing the information content of biological signals.

Additional members include Megan Carey (Champalimaud Centre for the Unknown in Portugal), Rui Costa (Columbia University), Abigail Person (University of Colorado, Denver) and Andrew Pruszynski (Western University in Canada).

“By sharing new tools, algorithms and ideas through research collaborations, group meetings and a joint post-doctoral training program, we will transform how neuroscientists explore motor behavior,” Sober says.

In addition to streaming live, the June 26 symposium, “The Inaugural Simons-Emory Workshop on Motor Control,” will be recorded and remain on YouTube for future reference. The symposium will be the third in a series of virtual events sponsored by the Emory College of Arts and Sciences’ Theory and Modeling in Living Systems initiative.

Related:
BRAIN grant to fund study of how the mind learns
Birdsong study reveals how brain uses timing during motor activity

from eScienceCommons https://ift.tt/2Y7tHEL

“Our consortium will create tools to study motor control in any species or behavior,” says Emory biologist Samuel Sober, co-director of the new consortium, funded by the Simons Foundation.

By Carol Clark

The Simons Foundation awarded scientists from Emory University and their collaborators $2.5 million to develop new tools to study how the brain controls behavior in vertebrates. Named the Simons-Emory International Consortium on Motor Control, the project brings together eight research groups from three countries that use cutting-edge techniques to explore connections between the firing of neurons and the movement of muscles. Their work spans a range of behaviors in an array of species, from songbirds and monkeys to rats and mice.

The consortium will kick off with a virtual symposium on Friday, June 26, from 10 a.m. to 1 p.m. EDT. Eight neuroscientists will each give a 10-minute talk about a not-yet-invented tool they wish they had today to transform the field. The speakers will include Chethan Pandarinath and Lena Ting (both from Emory and Georgia Tech), Amy Bastian (Kennedy Krieger Institute), Rui Costa (Columbia University), Amy Orsborn (University of Washington), Andrew Pruszynski (Western University) and Philip Sabes (from the University of California San Francisco and Neuralink). The talks will stream live on YouTube, and registrants from around the world can ask questions in real-time via an online chat feature.

The symposium’s theme reflects the ambitious goals of the consortium. “Often in neuroscience, labs are working on one species in relative isolation,” says Samuel Sober, co-director of the new consortium and an Emory associate professor of biology. “Our consortium is unique because our members are investigating not just different species but different motor skills, from how songbirds vocalize to how monkeys move their arms. And we’re working together to develop new methods and apply them to a really wide range of problems.”

Sober’s lab, for instance, developed technology for recording and analyzing how the precise timing of neurons firing controls vocal behavior in songbirds. “Our consortium will create tools to study motor control in any species or behavior,” Sober says. “We will provide a framework to allow researchers to reveal the mechanisms of motor agility across the tree of life.”

The Simons Foundation is a leading, private philanthropical organization dedicated to advancing research in basic science and mathematics.

Solving mysteries about how the brain and muscles of different animals work together may one day benefit humans dealing with neural system injuries, says Gordon Berman, co-director of the consortium and an Emory assistant professor of biology.

“Motion and movement are the basic building blocks of behavior,” he says. “I view the consortium’s work as a critical, early component to ultimately map what you’re thinking in your head to actually producing a movement. Such insights could help in the design of prosthetic limbs that move in response to a person’s thoughts or computer interfaces that assist people with spinal cord injuries.”

Berman’s research group uses tools from theoretical and computational biophysics to understand how changes in neural activity affect how animals move and vice versa.

“One thing I’m particularly interested in is how those patterns change over the course of learning a skill,” Berman says. “I play the piano. As I learn a new piece of music how does the code between my brain and my fingers change?”

Other members of the consortium include Chethan Pandarinath, assistant professor in Emory’s Department of Neurosurgery and in the Wallace H. Coulter Department of Biomedical Engineering at Georgia Tech and Emory. His group is using sophisticated methods of artificial intelligence and machine learning to better understand how large networks of neurons in the brain encode information and control behavior.

A fourth consortium member from Emory is Ilya Nemenman, professor of physics, and a pioneer in developing algorithms for analyzing the information content of biological signals.

Additional members include Megan Carey (Champalimaud Centre for the Unknown in Portugal), Rui Costa (Columbia University), Abigail Person (University of Colorado, Denver) and Andrew Pruszynski (Western University in Canada).

“By sharing new tools, algorithms and ideas through research collaborations, group meetings and a joint post-doctoral training program, we will transform how neuroscientists explore motor behavior,” Sober says.

In addition to streaming live, the June 26 symposium, “The Inaugural Simons-Emory Workshop on Motor Control,” will be recorded and remain on YouTube for future reference. The symposium will be the third in a series of virtual events sponsored by the Emory College of Arts and Sciences’ Theory and Modeling in Living Systems initiative.

Related:
BRAIN grant to fund study of how the mind learns
Birdsong study reveals how brain uses timing during motor activity

from eScienceCommons https://ift.tt/2Y7tHEL

Who was the 1st woman in space?

Valentina Tereshkova in her spacesuit. Image via ESA.

On June 16, 1963, 26-year-old Valentina Tereshkova, under the radio call name Chaika (Seagull), was launched solo aboard the Soviet rocket Vostok 6, becoming the first-ever woman in space. She spent nearly 71 hours total in space, orbiting the Earth 48 times.

As part of her mission, Tereshkova performed tests to collect data on how her body responded to being in a weightless environment, and maintained a detailed flight log. This was later compared to how her male cosmonaut colleagues were affected. She also took photographs of Earth from orbit, which were used to identify aerosol layers in the atmosphere.

Tereshkova’s mission lasted an impressive two days, 23 hours, and 12 minutes. That’s longer than all the U.S. Mercury mission astronauts who had flown up to that date combined.

Tereshkova’s flight was heralded as a leap forward for women, although next female cosmonaut, Svetlana Savitskaya, did not fly until 1982. The United States’ first female astronaut, Sally Ride, rocketed into space 20 years after Tereshkova, on June 18, 1983.

Valentina Tereshkova. Image via RIA Novosti/ Wikipedia.

Valentina Tereshkova was born on March 6, 1937, in the village of Bolshoye Maslennikovo, near Yaroslavl, Russia. She became interested in skydiving as a teenager, and made her first jump in May 1959 at the age of 22. Her mother worked in a textile factory and her father was a tractor driver. When she was first selected to be a cosmonaut, she was also working in textile factory.

Tereshkova was one of five women chosen out of more than 400 applicants. The others were Tatyana Kuznetsova, Irina Solovyova, Zhanna Yorkina and Valentina Ponomaryova. All of them trained for several months, which included weightless flights, isolation tests, centrifuge tests, 120 parachute jumps and pilot training in jet aircraft.

Originally, Tereshkova had been scheduled to launch on a Vostok 5 rocket, followed by Ponomaryova on the Vostok 6. But that plan was changed in March 1963. A male cosmonaut, Valeri Bykovsky, flew in Vostok 5 at the same time as Tereshkova in Vostok 6, on June 16, 1963.

Her flight was celebrated, with her image broadcast all over the Soviet Union, and she spoke to Premier Nikita Khrushchev by radio. Novopromyshna Square in Tver, near Moscow, was renamed Tereshkova Square in 1963 in her honor.

Tereshkova did not return to space again, but she did become a colonel in the Soviet Air Force by 1976, and in April 1977, she earned a doctorate in aeronautical engineering. She also continued as an instructor at the Yuri Gagarin Cosmonaut Training Center. She retired from the Soviet Air Force in 1997, after achieving the rank of major general. In 2007, Tereshkova was invited to Prime Minister Vladimir Putin’s residence in Novo-Ogaryovo for the celebration of her 70th birthday. She mentioned that she would like to fly to Mars one day, even if it meant that it was a one-way trip. She said:

If I had money, I would enjoy flying to Mars. This was the dream of the first cosmonauts. I wish I could realize it! I am ready to fly without coming back.

The Vostok 6 capsule in which Tereshkova orbited the Earth in 1963. Image via Science Museum/ Wikipedia.

But while she was still enthusiastic about space travel for cosmonauts, Tereshkova did say in 2013, on the 50th anniversary of her space flight, that she disapproved of space tourists. She has also been concerned about the risk of an asteroid collision with Earth, as she told The Guardian in 2017:

People shouldn’t waste money on wars, but come together to discuss how to defend the world from threats like asteroids coming from outer space.

The historic flight of Tereshkova to space in 1963 not only solidified her legacy as the first woman to go into orbit, but also paved the way for future women cosmonauts and astronauts to follow in the years afterward.

Bottom line: Valentina Tereshkova, a Soviet cosmonaut, was the first-ever woman to go to space, in 1963.

from EarthSky https://ift.tt/3hx9qjo

Valentina Tereshkova in her spacesuit. Image via ESA.

On June 16, 1963, 26-year-old Valentina Tereshkova, under the radio call name Chaika (Seagull), was launched solo aboard the Soviet rocket Vostok 6, becoming the first-ever woman in space. She spent nearly 71 hours total in space, orbiting the Earth 48 times.

As part of her mission, Tereshkova performed tests to collect data on how her body responded to being in a weightless environment, and maintained a detailed flight log. This was later compared to how her male cosmonaut colleagues were affected. She also took photographs of Earth from orbit, which were used to identify aerosol layers in the atmosphere.

Tereshkova’s mission lasted an impressive two days, 23 hours, and 12 minutes. That’s longer than all the U.S. Mercury mission astronauts who had flown up to that date combined.

Tereshkova’s flight was heralded as a leap forward for women, although next female cosmonaut, Svetlana Savitskaya, did not fly until 1982. The United States’ first female astronaut, Sally Ride, rocketed into space 20 years after Tereshkova, on June 18, 1983.

Valentina Tereshkova. Image via RIA Novosti/ Wikipedia.

Valentina Tereshkova was born on March 6, 1937, in the village of Bolshoye Maslennikovo, near Yaroslavl, Russia. She became interested in skydiving as a teenager, and made her first jump in May 1959 at the age of 22. Her mother worked in a textile factory and her father was a tractor driver. When she was first selected to be a cosmonaut, she was also working in textile factory.

Tereshkova was one of five women chosen out of more than 400 applicants. The others were Tatyana Kuznetsova, Irina Solovyova, Zhanna Yorkina and Valentina Ponomaryova. All of them trained for several months, which included weightless flights, isolation tests, centrifuge tests, 120 parachute jumps and pilot training in jet aircraft.

Originally, Tereshkova had been scheduled to launch on a Vostok 5 rocket, followed by Ponomaryova on the Vostok 6. But that plan was changed in March 1963. A male cosmonaut, Valeri Bykovsky, flew in Vostok 5 at the same time as Tereshkova in Vostok 6, on June 16, 1963.

Her flight was celebrated, with her image broadcast all over the Soviet Union, and she spoke to Premier Nikita Khrushchev by radio. Novopromyshna Square in Tver, near Moscow, was renamed Tereshkova Square in 1963 in her honor.

Tereshkova did not return to space again, but she did become a colonel in the Soviet Air Force by 1976, and in April 1977, she earned a doctorate in aeronautical engineering. She also continued as an instructor at the Yuri Gagarin Cosmonaut Training Center. She retired from the Soviet Air Force in 1997, after achieving the rank of major general. In 2007, Tereshkova was invited to Prime Minister Vladimir Putin’s residence in Novo-Ogaryovo for the celebration of her 70th birthday. She mentioned that she would like to fly to Mars one day, even if it meant that it was a one-way trip. She said:

If I had money, I would enjoy flying to Mars. This was the dream of the first cosmonauts. I wish I could realize it! I am ready to fly without coming back.

The Vostok 6 capsule in which Tereshkova orbited the Earth in 1963. Image via Science Museum/ Wikipedia.

But while she was still enthusiastic about space travel for cosmonauts, Tereshkova did say in 2013, on the 50th anniversary of her space flight, that she disapproved of space tourists. She has also been concerned about the risk of an asteroid collision with Earth, as she told The Guardian in 2017:

People shouldn’t waste money on wars, but come together to discuss how to defend the world from threats like asteroids coming from outer space.

The historic flight of Tereshkova to space in 1963 not only solidified her legacy as the first woman to go into orbit, but also paved the way for future women cosmonauts and astronauts to follow in the years afterward.

Bottom line: Valentina Tereshkova, a Soviet cosmonaut, was the first-ever woman to go to space, in 1963.

from EarthSky https://ift.tt/3hx9qjo

Opinion: ‘Medical research charities are falling through the cracks of COVID-19 Government support’

A few short months ago, our ambitious plans for 2020 were in full swing.

More than 4,000 of our funded researchers were working together in labs and hospitals across the UK and our 600 shops were buzzing with activity at the heart of the high street. The build up to our big fundraising calendar – the calendar that millions of our supporters make so special – was about to shift into high gear.

Those few short months already seem like a lifetime ago.

Since the pandemic began in the UK, much of our life-saving research has been forced to pause as universities closed and hospitals switched their focus to COVID-19, and many of our fundraising activities have ground to a halt, such as making the difficult decision to cancel Race for Life this year. The devastating impact on people affected by cancer and those that support them has been well documented, and we keep doing everything we can to help them.

The impact of COVID-19 has been felt in every corner of society, and the impact it’s having on Cancer Research UK and our mission to beat cancer is serious, and it is still unfolding. One of the biggest challenges we face as an organisation right now is managing the fall in our income this year, and the likely ongoing impact of COVID-19 – and one place we have been looking to for support is the Government.

But it has become increasingly clear over the last few weeks that while the Government has provided funding to some charities, medical research charities like Cancer Research UK have so far been overlooked, falling through the gaps of many Government support packages.

Without specific and strategic Government support, the COVID-19 pandemic could have a deep and long-lasting effect on our work and that of other medical research charities, damaging a research infrastructure in the UK that has taken decades to build, and slowing down vital progress for patients.

COVID-19 has affected everything we do

With almost every way we fund our cancer research impacted by COVID-19, we expect to see a £150 million (around 30%) drop in fundraising income between now and March 2021, as we’ve written about before. And as the wider economic impact of COVID-19 is beginning to be felt by everyone, including our donors, the future landscape for many of our fundraising events remains uncertain.

As a result, we have had to take the difficult decision to cut our research funding by £44 million this year in the first instance, and we are considering further reductions in planned spending for coming years.

As the largest independent funder of cancer research globally, we are critically concerned about the impact of this, and how this will limit our ambition to improve cancer survival.

Medical research charities are slipping through the cracks of Government funding

The Government recently announced a £750 million Charity Support Package. While this was a lot less than the sector needed to make up for lost income – estimated to be around £4.3 billion – it was a positive and welcome show of support.

But, like lots of other charities, Cancer Research UK faced huge challenges in trying to access this funding, and now it looks almost certain that we won’t benefit from this support.

More than half of the Government package – £370 million – has been set aside for small community charities through the National Lottery Community Fund. As more detail has emerged on the rest of the money, it’s become increasingly clear that medical research charities like Cancer Research UK will not be included.

Again, though welcome, the £1.25 billion funding announcement for research businesses will not help organisations like ours.

What support have we received?

Outside of COVID-19 measures, we’ve been able to access some support for our shops and staff.

Around 60% of Cancer Research UK’s total workforce have now been furloughed under the Government’s Job Retention Scheme. This means the Government is helping us pay their salaries.

Government has removed business rates – the tax that is applied to our charity shops – for smaller outlets like ours this year. But because charities normally get help with business rates, this measure offers limited benefit.

We have also been looking to access another Government grant scheme that supports smaller high street shops like ours. But this is limited to about £700,000 across our whole network of charity shops, which works out as support for just 30 of our 600 outlets. To put that in context, we’ll have paid £4.5 million just in rent across our network of closed shops by the end of June when they begin to reopen.

All in all, the financial support we are receiving from the Government is limited, and pales into comparison to the knock-on impact on our fundraising efforts.

Together we will still beat cancer

Cancer doesn’t stop during the pandemic. One in two people will get cancer in their lifetime, and we’re doing everything in our power to continue our mission to beat the disease. But without further support, our life-saving cancer research will be set back for years to come.

We’ll continue to make the case to Government, but now more than ever we need our dedicated supporters and partners to help us in any way they can.

We want to continue working towards seeing 3 in 4 people survive their cancer by 2034. With your help we know we can do just that; with your help we can make a difference for the thousands of people with cancer right now and the millions of people to come.

COVID-19 has slowed us down, but we will never stop. Together we will still beat cancer.

Michelle Mitchell is Cancer Research UK’s chief executive officer

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

A few short months ago, our ambitious plans for 2020 were in full swing.

More than 4,000 of our funded researchers were working together in labs and hospitals across the UK and our 600 shops were buzzing with activity at the heart of the high street. The build up to our big fundraising calendar – the calendar that millions of our supporters make so special – was about to shift into high gear.

Those few short months already seem like a lifetime ago.

Since the pandemic began in the UK, much of our life-saving research has been forced to pause as universities closed and hospitals switched their focus to COVID-19, and many of our fundraising activities have ground to a halt, such as making the difficult decision to cancel Race for Life this year. The devastating impact on people affected by cancer and those that support them has been well documented, and we keep doing everything we can to help them.

The impact of COVID-19 has been felt in every corner of society, and the impact it’s having on Cancer Research UK and our mission to beat cancer is serious, and it is still unfolding. One of the biggest challenges we face as an organisation right now is managing the fall in our income this year, and the likely ongoing impact of COVID-19 – and one place we have been looking to for support is the Government.

But it has become increasingly clear over the last few weeks that while the Government has provided funding to some charities, medical research charities like Cancer Research UK have so far been overlooked, falling through the gaps of many Government support packages.

Without specific and strategic Government support, the COVID-19 pandemic could have a deep and long-lasting effect on our work and that of other medical research charities, damaging a research infrastructure in the UK that has taken decades to build, and slowing down vital progress for patients.

COVID-19 has affected everything we do

With almost every way we fund our cancer research impacted by COVID-19, we expect to see a £150 million (around 30%) drop in fundraising income between now and March 2021, as we’ve written about before. And as the wider economic impact of COVID-19 is beginning to be felt by everyone, including our donors, the future landscape for many of our fundraising events remains uncertain.

As a result, we have had to take the difficult decision to cut our research funding by £44 million this year in the first instance, and we are considering further reductions in planned spending for coming years.

As the largest independent funder of cancer research globally, we are critically concerned about the impact of this, and how this will limit our ambition to improve cancer survival.

Medical research charities are slipping through the cracks of Government funding

The Government recently announced a £750 million Charity Support Package. While this was a lot less than the sector needed to make up for lost income – estimated to be around £4.3 billion – it was a positive and welcome show of support.

But, like lots of other charities, Cancer Research UK faced huge challenges in trying to access this funding, and now it looks almost certain that we won’t benefit from this support.

More than half of the Government package – £370 million – has been set aside for small community charities through the National Lottery Community Fund. As more detail has emerged on the rest of the money, it’s become increasingly clear that medical research charities like Cancer Research UK will not be included.

Again, though welcome, the £1.25 billion funding announcement for research businesses will not help organisations like ours.

What support have we received?

Outside of COVID-19 measures, we’ve been able to access some support for our shops and staff.

Around 60% of Cancer Research UK’s total workforce have now been furloughed under the Government’s Job Retention Scheme. This means the Government is helping us pay their salaries.

Government has removed business rates – the tax that is applied to our charity shops – for smaller outlets like ours this year. But because charities normally get help with business rates, this measure offers limited benefit.

We have also been looking to access another Government grant scheme that supports smaller high street shops like ours. But this is limited to about £700,000 across our whole network of charity shops, which works out as support for just 30 of our 600 outlets. To put that in context, we’ll have paid £4.5 million just in rent across our network of closed shops by the end of June when they begin to reopen.

All in all, the financial support we are receiving from the Government is limited, and pales into comparison to the knock-on impact on our fundraising efforts.

Together we will still beat cancer

Cancer doesn’t stop during the pandemic. One in two people will get cancer in their lifetime, and we’re doing everything in our power to continue our mission to beat the disease. But without further support, our life-saving cancer research will be set back for years to come.

We’ll continue to make the case to Government, but now more than ever we need our dedicated supporters and partners to help us in any way they can.

We want to continue working towards seeing 3 in 4 people survive their cancer by 2034. With your help we know we can do just that; with your help we can make a difference for the thousands of people with cancer right now and the millions of people to come.

COVID-19 has slowed us down, but we will never stop. Together we will still beat cancer.

Michelle Mitchell is Cancer Research UK’s chief executive officer

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

Moon and Venus at dawn June 17, 18, 19

Before sunrise on June 17, 18 and 19, 2020, look for the waning crescent moon near Venus, the brightest planet. Venus is just now emerging from the dawn glare. A less-bright planet wouldn’t be visible so close to the sun, but Venus is exceedingly bright. It’ll be beautiful set against the brightening sky. You might – or might not – spot the Pleiades star cluster before Venus rises into your sky. This dipper-shaped cluster of stars is also just returning to the morning sky. From some parts of the globe, the moon will occult (cover over) Venus on June 19. More about the June 19 occultation of Venus by the moon later in this post.

In another week or two, both Venus and the Pleiades will be much easier to spot in a predawn sky. For now, let the moon guide you to them. The moon’s illuminated side will be pointing right at Venus on the mornings of June 17 and 18. Both will be ascending over your eastern horizon just as the morning darkness is giving way to dawn.

On June 19, look for the very old and very slender moon to be quite close to Venus on the sky’s dome. If you see the moon on June 19, but not Venus, that might be because Venus is behind the moon!

View at EarthSky Community Photos. | The planet Venus was bright in our evening sky in recent months, but it reached inferior conjunction – passing between us and the sun – on June 3. Now, this bright planet is in the east before sunrise. Those with telescopes will find Venus in a waxing crescent phase. Steven Bellavia of Mattituck, New York, caught the crescent Venus through a telescope, in daylight, only 5 days after its inferior conjunction. He wrote: “Venus, 0.9% illuminated, around noon on June 8.” Thank you, Steven!

We provide the approximate rising time for Venus at various latitudes (given an absolutely level horizon in the direction of sunrise):

40 degrees north latitude
Venus rises one hour before sunrise

Equator (0 degrees latitude)
Venus rises 1 1/3 hours before sunrise

35 degrees south latitude
Venus rises 1 1/2 hours before sunrise

Click here for a recommended sky almanac

Venus transitioned from the evening to morning sky on June 3. That’s when it passed between the Earth and sun at inferior conjunction. Now, Venus sits low in the east at dawn. Generally, when a planet or bright star lurks this low in the glow of morning twilight, it isn’t easily visible, if visible at all.

But dazzling Venus ranks as the 3rd-brightest celestial object to light up the sky, after the sun and moon, respectively. So if you have a clear sky and unobstructed horizon, you will likely see Venus with the unaided eye some 60 to 45 minutes before sunrise. If your sky conditions aren’t great – or trees or buildings block your view to the east – just wait. Venus is now ascending in the east before sunup. It’ll come into view for you in that part of the sky soon.

Daytime occultation of Venus by a crescent moon on June 19, 2020. Times are for the United Kingdom. Image via Pete Lawrence

Occultation of Venus on June 19. The waning crescent moon is taking aim at the planet Venus as we speak. Relative to the backdrop stars and planets of the zodiac, the moon travels about 1/2 degree (the moon’s own angular diameter) eastward per hour, or about 13 degrees eastward per day. On June 18, a thinner waning crescent moon will be closer to Venus on the sky’s dome than on June 17. Then, on June 19, an even slenderer crescent will meet up with the queen planet, to showcase a close conjunction of nighttime’s two brightest heavenly bodies: the moon and Venus.

On June 19, if you’re at just the right place worldwide, you can watch the moon occult (cover over) Venus, though the event will be taking place almost exclusively in a daytime sky. You’ll probably need binoculars or a telescope to witness the occultation. Venus disappears beneath the moon’s illuminated side and then reappears from behind the moon’s dark side an hour or so later. Use care if using an optical aid, as the moon and Venus won’t be that far from the sun. For your safety, and to enhance the view, have someone block out the sun with an umbrella or some such thing, but otherwise providing an open view of the moon and Venus.

Here in the most of the United States (excepting the extreme northeast U.S.), at dawn on June 19, by the time the moon rises, the occultation will already be over. Thus we’ll see the moon to the east (sunrise side) of Venus. We’ll see Venus exceedingly close to the moon, on the side of the moon that appears darkened and perhaps illuminated by earthshine.

Some people in northeastern North America (NE United States and Maritime provinces of Canada), at dawn June 19, may see the moon – but not Venus – because the moon will be covering Venus and hiding this world from view.

North (above) the dotted curve (Greenland, northwestern Europe and northern Asia) has the June 19th occultation of Venus in a daytime sky. At the far west (left) of the occultation viewing area (northeast North America), the occultation takes place at dawn. Worldwide map via IOTA (international Occultation Timing Association)

From Greenland, northwestern Europe and northern Asia (Russia and Mongolia), this lunar occultation of Venus takes place during the daytime hours on June 19, 2020.

In northeastern North America, you might catch the beginning of the occultation at dawn June 19. For example, on June 19th from St John’s, Newfoundland, the occultation starts at 4:49 a.m. Newfoundland Daylight Time (NDT), sunrise comes at 5:03 a.m. NDT, and the occultation ends at 5:41 a.m. NDT.

In the looped area over NE North America, the occultation is in process at moonrise June 19. Although you won’t see the beginning of the occultation from this looped area, you can view the end of the occultation at dawn June 19th. For instance, from Boston, Massachusetts, the end of the occultation occurs at 4:07 a.m. Eastern Daylight Time (EDT), or about an hour before sunrise (5:07 a.m. EDT).

Click on this IOTA page to find out the occultation times in Universal Time (UTC) for your part of the world. You must convert Universal Time to your local time.

Newfoundland Daylight Time = UTC – 2 1/2 hours
Atlantic Daylight Time = UTC – 3 hours
Eastern Daylight Time = UTC – 4 hours

Bottom line: In the predawn/dawn sky on June 17, 18 and 19, 2020, the waning crescent moon will appear near the brightest planet Venus. For some on June 19, the moon will be visible, but not Venus; the planet will be behind the moon.

from EarthSky https://ift.tt/30IuZI1

Before sunrise on June 17, 18 and 19, 2020, look for the waning crescent moon near Venus, the brightest planet. Venus is just now emerging from the dawn glare. A less-bright planet wouldn’t be visible so close to the sun, but Venus is exceedingly bright. It’ll be beautiful set against the brightening sky. You might – or might not – spot the Pleiades star cluster before Venus rises into your sky. This dipper-shaped cluster of stars is also just returning to the morning sky. From some parts of the globe, the moon will occult (cover over) Venus on June 19. More about the June 19 occultation of Venus by the moon later in this post.

In another week or two, both Venus and the Pleiades will be much easier to spot in a predawn sky. For now, let the moon guide you to them. The moon’s illuminated side will be pointing right at Venus on the mornings of June 17 and 18. Both will be ascending over your eastern horizon just as the morning darkness is giving way to dawn.

On June 19, look for the very old and very slender moon to be quite close to Venus on the sky’s dome. If you see the moon on June 19, but not Venus, that might be because Venus is behind the moon!

View at EarthSky Community Photos. | The planet Venus was bright in our evening sky in recent months, but it reached inferior conjunction – passing between us and the sun – on June 3. Now, this bright planet is in the east before sunrise. Those with telescopes will find Venus in a waxing crescent phase. Steven Bellavia of Mattituck, New York, caught the crescent Venus through a telescope, in daylight, only 5 days after its inferior conjunction. He wrote: “Venus, 0.9% illuminated, around noon on June 8.” Thank you, Steven!

We provide the approximate rising time for Venus at various latitudes (given an absolutely level horizon in the direction of sunrise):

40 degrees north latitude
Venus rises one hour before sunrise

Equator (0 degrees latitude)
Venus rises 1 1/3 hours before sunrise

35 degrees south latitude
Venus rises 1 1/2 hours before sunrise

Click here for a recommended sky almanac

Venus transitioned from the evening to morning sky on June 3. That’s when it passed between the Earth and sun at inferior conjunction. Now, Venus sits low in the east at dawn. Generally, when a planet or bright star lurks this low in the glow of morning twilight, it isn’t easily visible, if visible at all.

But dazzling Venus ranks as the 3rd-brightest celestial object to light up the sky, after the sun and moon, respectively. So if you have a clear sky and unobstructed horizon, you will likely see Venus with the unaided eye some 60 to 45 minutes before sunrise. If your sky conditions aren’t great – or trees or buildings block your view to the east – just wait. Venus is now ascending in the east before sunup. It’ll come into view for you in that part of the sky soon.

Daytime occultation of Venus by a crescent moon on June 19, 2020. Times are for the United Kingdom. Image via Pete Lawrence

Occultation of Venus on June 19. The waning crescent moon is taking aim at the planet Venus as we speak. Relative to the backdrop stars and planets of the zodiac, the moon travels about 1/2 degree (the moon’s own angular diameter) eastward per hour, or about 13 degrees eastward per day. On June 18, a thinner waning crescent moon will be closer to Venus on the sky’s dome than on June 17. Then, on June 19, an even slenderer crescent will meet up with the queen planet, to showcase a close conjunction of nighttime’s two brightest heavenly bodies: the moon and Venus.

On June 19, if you’re at just the right place worldwide, you can watch the moon occult (cover over) Venus, though the event will be taking place almost exclusively in a daytime sky. You’ll probably need binoculars or a telescope to witness the occultation. Venus disappears beneath the moon’s illuminated side and then reappears from behind the moon’s dark side an hour or so later. Use care if using an optical aid, as the moon and Venus won’t be that far from the sun. For your safety, and to enhance the view, have someone block out the sun with an umbrella or some such thing, but otherwise providing an open view of the moon and Venus.

Here in the most of the United States (excepting the extreme northeast U.S.), at dawn on June 19, by the time the moon rises, the occultation will already be over. Thus we’ll see the moon to the east (sunrise side) of Venus. We’ll see Venus exceedingly close to the moon, on the side of the moon that appears darkened and perhaps illuminated by earthshine.

Some people in northeastern North America (NE United States and Maritime provinces of Canada), at dawn June 19, may see the moon – but not Venus – because the moon will be covering Venus and hiding this world from view.

North (above) the dotted curve (Greenland, northwestern Europe and northern Asia) has the June 19th occultation of Venus in a daytime sky. At the far west (left) of the occultation viewing area (northeast North America), the occultation takes place at dawn. Worldwide map via IOTA (international Occultation Timing Association)

From Greenland, northwestern Europe and northern Asia (Russia and Mongolia), this lunar occultation of Venus takes place during the daytime hours on June 19, 2020.

In northeastern North America, you might catch the beginning of the occultation at dawn June 19. For example, on June 19th from St John’s, Newfoundland, the occultation starts at 4:49 a.m. Newfoundland Daylight Time (NDT), sunrise comes at 5:03 a.m. NDT, and the occultation ends at 5:41 a.m. NDT.

In the looped area over NE North America, the occultation is in process at moonrise June 19. Although you won’t see the beginning of the occultation from this looped area, you can view the end of the occultation at dawn June 19th. For instance, from Boston, Massachusetts, the end of the occultation occurs at 4:07 a.m. Eastern Daylight Time (EDT), or about an hour before sunrise (5:07 a.m. EDT).

Click on this IOTA page to find out the occultation times in Universal Time (UTC) for your part of the world. You must convert Universal Time to your local time.

Newfoundland Daylight Time = UTC – 2 1/2 hours
Atlantic Daylight Time = UTC – 3 hours
Eastern Daylight Time = UTC – 4 hours

Bottom line: In the predawn/dawn sky on June 17, 18 and 19, 2020, the waning crescent moon will appear near the brightest planet Venus. For some on June 19, the moon will be visible, but not Venus; the planet will be behind the moon.

from EarthSky https://ift.tt/30IuZI1