News digest – naked mole-rats, junk food deals, ovarian cancer drug and glowing surgery dye

With news about the coronavirus pandemic developing daily, we want to make sure everyone affected by cancer gets the information they need during this time.

We’re pulling together the latest government and NHS health updates from across the UK in a separate blog post, which we’re updating regularly.

Naked mole-rats and cancer resistance

Research into naked mole-rat’s resistance to cancer could open the door to new ways of preventing cancer in humans. Scientists have long been fascinated by this remarkable rodent, which is immune to certain types of pain, can survive 18 minutes without oxygen and resists the biological laws of ageing. For a long time, scientists believed that naked mole-rats almost never got cancer because their cells were resistant to becoming cancerous. But new research funded by Cancer Research UK suggests that it’s the environment around cells that stop them dividing. Read more at The Independent and in our press release.

‘Buy one get one free deals’ fuel obesity

As part of its renewed, pandemic-inspired interest in getting the nation fitter, the UK Government is considering restrictions on multi-buy promotions. New restrictions would be introduced as a means of reducing obesity levels, which have doubled over the last 20 years and now affects 13 million people in England alone. Experts say that rather than saving money, multi-buy deals encourage us to buy more in the long-term, especially of unhealthy foods. And restricting such deals could encourage promotions on healthier produce. More on this at iNews.

Ovarian cancer drug could reduce fertility in mice

A drug used to treat people with advanced ovarian and breast cancer has been shown to damage immature eggs stored in primary ovarian follicles in mice. Olaparib has not been used for long enough to know if the drug could have the same effect on women’s fertility. Daily Mail has the full story.

And finally…

A glowing dye used to light up breast cancer cells in dogs could help doctors remove more cancerous cells during surgery, reports New Atlas. Using the technique would allow cancers to be more safely removed via surgery, with fewer cells left behind, reducing the likelihood that the cancer will return or spread to other parts of the body. Scientists are now investigating the best way to deliver this type of florescent dye to tumours in humans. It’s not the first time that fluorescent dyes have been used during surgery, in 2019 a ‘pink drink’ to help guide brain surgery was rolled out across the NHS.

Scarlett Sangster is a writer for PA Media Group

from Cancer Research UK – Science blog https://ift.tt/2Bsl3s0

With news about the coronavirus pandemic developing daily, we want to make sure everyone affected by cancer gets the information they need during this time.

We’re pulling together the latest government and NHS health updates from across the UK in a separate blog post, which we’re updating regularly.

Naked mole-rats and cancer resistance

Research into naked mole-rat’s resistance to cancer could open the door to new ways of preventing cancer in humans. Scientists have long been fascinated by this remarkable rodent, which is immune to certain types of pain, can survive 18 minutes without oxygen and resists the biological laws of ageing. For a long time, scientists believed that naked mole-rats almost never got cancer because their cells were resistant to becoming cancerous. But new research funded by Cancer Research UK suggests that it’s the environment around cells that stop them dividing. Read more at The Independent and in our press release.

‘Buy one get one free deals’ fuel obesity

As part of its renewed, pandemic-inspired interest in getting the nation fitter, the UK Government is considering restrictions on multi-buy promotions. New restrictions would be introduced as a means of reducing obesity levels, which have doubled over the last 20 years and now affects 13 million people in England alone. Experts say that rather than saving money, multi-buy deals encourage us to buy more in the long-term, especially of unhealthy foods. And restricting such deals could encourage promotions on healthier produce. More on this at iNews.

Ovarian cancer drug could reduce fertility in mice

A drug used to treat people with advanced ovarian and breast cancer has been shown to damage immature eggs stored in primary ovarian follicles in mice. Olaparib has not been used for long enough to know if the drug could have the same effect on women’s fertility. Daily Mail has the full story.

And finally…

A glowing dye used to light up breast cancer cells in dogs could help doctors remove more cancerous cells during surgery, reports New Atlas. Using the technique would allow cancers to be more safely removed via surgery, with fewer cells left behind, reducing the likelihood that the cancer will return or spread to other parts of the body. Scientists are now investigating the best way to deliver this type of florescent dye to tumours in humans. It’s not the first time that fluorescent dyes have been used during surgery, in 2019 a ‘pink drink’ to help guide brain surgery was rolled out across the NHS.

Scarlett Sangster is a writer for PA Media Group

from Cancer Research UK – Science blog https://ift.tt/2Bsl3s0

For the 1st time, a visible light explosion from a black hole merger

Artist’s concept of a peculiar black hole system, in which 2 small black holes are merging in the disk surrounding a 3rd, supermassive black hole. Astronomers think that, when the 2 smaller holes merged, they sent a newly formed black hole flying through the gaseous disk, disturbing the gas and producing a visible light flare. Image via Caltech/ R. Hurt (IPAC).

Astronomers long believed – and in recent years they’ve observed – that 2 black holes orbiting each other sometimes spiral closer and then merge. Until now, they’ve never seen visible light from such a merger. What they observe are elusive signals from black hole mergers called gravitational waves: ripples in spacetime. Meanwhile, theorists have proposed ways that black hole mergers might explode with visible light. This month, for the first time, astronomers in California announced evidence that they’ve now seen one of these light-producing scenarios.

The new study describing the origin of the light explosion, or flare, was published June 25, 2020, in the peer-reviewed journal Physical Review Letters.

The evidence comes from Caltech’s robotic Zwicky Transient Facility (ZTF), located at Palomar Observatory near San Diego. ZTF’s job is to survey the night sky, capturing a multiplicity of unexpected flares and eruptions, lighting up like cosmic fireflies in the night. On May 21, 2019, the ZTF robot telescope detected a flare generated by a distant active supermassive black hole, or quasar, called J1249+3449. This object is an estimated 12.8 billion light-years away.

Around that same time, two gravitational wave detectors – the Laser Interferometer Gravitational-wave Observatory (LIGO) and the European Virgo detector – also detected an event. They labeled the gravitational wave event S190521g.

Now, more than a year later, astronomers have done the careful analysis, coordination and review needed to say that, yes, these two events – one in visible light, one in gravitational waves – likely spring from the same black hole merger. Matthew Graham of Caltech is lead author of the new research and ZTF project scientist. He said in a statement from Caltech:

This supermassive black hole was burbling along for years before this more abrupt flare.

The flare occurred on the right timescale, and in the right location, to be coincident with the gravitational-wave event. In our study, we conclude that the flare is likely the result of a black hole merger, but we cannot completely rule out other possibilities.

Astronomer Matthew Graham of Caltech is project scientist of the robotic Zwicky Transient Facility and lead author of the new research.

How do two merging black holes erupt with light? Graham and his fellow astronomers believe that two small black holes resided within a disk surrounding a much-larger black hole. A co-author of the new research, Kathleen E. Saavik Ford of the Graduate Center at City University New York (CUNY), explained:

At the center of most galaxies lurks a supermassive black hole. It’s surrounded by a swarm of stars and dead stars, including [other] black holes. These objects swarm like angry bees around the monstrous queen bee at the center. They can briefly find gravitational partners and pair up but usually lose their partners quickly to the mad dance. But in a supermassive black hole’s disk, the flowing gas converts the mosh pit of the swarm to a classical minuet, organizing the black holes so they can pair up.

Astrophysicist Kathleen E. Saavik Ford of CUNY is a co-author of the new research.

According to the scenario described by these scientists, once the two smaller black holes merged into a new black hole, that new black hole experienced a “kick” that sent it flying off in a random direction within the gaseous disk of the supermassive black hole. Astronomer Barry McKernan, also of CUNY, said:

It is the reaction of the gas to this speeding bullet [the newly formed black hole] that creates a bright flare, visible with telescopes.

Such a flare is predicted to begin days to weeks after the initial splash of gravitational waves produced during the merger, these astronomers said. Their statement explained:

In this case, ZTF did not catch the event right away, but when the scientists went back and looked through archival ZTF images months later, they found a signal that started days after the May 2019 gravitational-wave event. ZTF observed the flare slowly fade over the period of a month.

The scientists attempted to get a more detailed look at the light of the supermassive black hole, called a spectrum, but by the time they looked, the flare had already faded. A spectrum would have offered more support for the idea that the flare came from merging black holes within the disk of the supermassive black hole. However, the researchers say they were able to largely rule out other possible causes for the observed flare, including a supernova or a tidal disruption event, which occurs when a black hole essentially eats a star.

What is more, the team says it is not likely that the flare came from the usual rumblings of the supermassive black hole, which regularly feeds off its surrounding disk. Using the Catalina Real-Time Transient Survey, led by Caltech, they were able to assess the behavior of the black hole over the past 15 years, and found that its activity was relatively normal until May of 2019, when it suddenly intensified.

Another co-author, astronomer Mansi Kasliwal of Caltech, said:

Supermassive black holes like this one have flares all the time. They are not quiet objects, but the timing, size, and location of this flare was spectacular

The reason looking for flares like this is so important is that it helps enormously with astrophysics and cosmology questions. If we can do this again and detect light from the mergers of other black holes, then we can nail down the homes of these black holes and learn more about their origins.

These astronomers believe the newly formed black hole should cause another flare in the next few years. The same process that sent the newly formed black hole flying – after the two smaller black holes coalesced into one – should cause the new black hole to enter the supermassive black hole’s disk again:

… producing another flash of light that ZTF should be able to see.

Astronomer Mansi Kasliwal.

Bottom line: In recent years, black hole mergers in our universe have been detected via ripples in spacetime known as gravitational waves. Now, for the first time, astronomers believe they’ve observed visible light from a black hole merger, in a peculiar 3-black-hole system.

Source: Candidate Electromagnetic Counterpart to the Binary Black Hole Merger Gravitational-Wave Event S190521g

Via Caltech

Via CUNY

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

Artist’s concept of a peculiar black hole system, in which 2 small black holes are merging in the disk surrounding a 3rd, supermassive black hole. Astronomers think that, when the 2 smaller holes merged, they sent a newly formed black hole flying through the gaseous disk, disturbing the gas and producing a visible light flare. Image via Caltech/ R. Hurt (IPAC).

Astronomers long believed – and in recent years they’ve observed – that 2 black holes orbiting each other sometimes spiral closer and then merge. Until now, they’ve never seen visible light from such a merger. What they observe are elusive signals from black hole mergers called gravitational waves: ripples in spacetime. Meanwhile, theorists have proposed ways that black hole mergers might explode with visible light. This month, for the first time, astronomers in California announced evidence that they’ve now seen one of these light-producing scenarios.

The new study describing the origin of the light explosion, or flare, was published June 25, 2020, in the peer-reviewed journal Physical Review Letters.

The evidence comes from Caltech’s robotic Zwicky Transient Facility (ZTF), located at Palomar Observatory near San Diego. ZTF’s job is to survey the night sky, capturing a multiplicity of unexpected flares and eruptions, lighting up like cosmic fireflies in the night. On May 21, 2019, the ZTF robot telescope detected a flare generated by a distant active supermassive black hole, or quasar, called J1249+3449. This object is an estimated 12.8 billion light-years away.

Around that same time, two gravitational wave detectors – the Laser Interferometer Gravitational-wave Observatory (LIGO) and the European Virgo detector – also detected an event. They labeled the gravitational wave event S190521g.

Now, more than a year later, astronomers have done the careful analysis, coordination and review needed to say that, yes, these two events – one in visible light, one in gravitational waves – likely spring from the same black hole merger. Matthew Graham of Caltech is lead author of the new research and ZTF project scientist. He said in a statement from Caltech:

This supermassive black hole was burbling along for years before this more abrupt flare.

The flare occurred on the right timescale, and in the right location, to be coincident with the gravitational-wave event. In our study, we conclude that the flare is likely the result of a black hole merger, but we cannot completely rule out other possibilities.

Astronomer Matthew Graham of Caltech is project scientist of the robotic Zwicky Transient Facility and lead author of the new research.

How do two merging black holes erupt with light? Graham and his fellow astronomers believe that two small black holes resided within a disk surrounding a much-larger black hole. A co-author of the new research, Kathleen E. Saavik Ford of the Graduate Center at City University New York (CUNY), explained:

At the center of most galaxies lurks a supermassive black hole. It’s surrounded by a swarm of stars and dead stars, including [other] black holes. These objects swarm like angry bees around the monstrous queen bee at the center. They can briefly find gravitational partners and pair up but usually lose their partners quickly to the mad dance. But in a supermassive black hole’s disk, the flowing gas converts the mosh pit of the swarm to a classical minuet, organizing the black holes so they can pair up.

Astrophysicist Kathleen E. Saavik Ford of CUNY is a co-author of the new research.

According to the scenario described by these scientists, once the two smaller black holes merged into a new black hole, that new black hole experienced a “kick” that sent it flying off in a random direction within the gaseous disk of the supermassive black hole. Astronomer Barry McKernan, also of CUNY, said:

It is the reaction of the gas to this speeding bullet [the newly formed black hole] that creates a bright flare, visible with telescopes.

Such a flare is predicted to begin days to weeks after the initial splash of gravitational waves produced during the merger, these astronomers said. Their statement explained:

In this case, ZTF did not catch the event right away, but when the scientists went back and looked through archival ZTF images months later, they found a signal that started days after the May 2019 gravitational-wave event. ZTF observed the flare slowly fade over the period of a month.

The scientists attempted to get a more detailed look at the light of the supermassive black hole, called a spectrum, but by the time they looked, the flare had already faded. A spectrum would have offered more support for the idea that the flare came from merging black holes within the disk of the supermassive black hole. However, the researchers say they were able to largely rule out other possible causes for the observed flare, including a supernova or a tidal disruption event, which occurs when a black hole essentially eats a star.

What is more, the team says it is not likely that the flare came from the usual rumblings of the supermassive black hole, which regularly feeds off its surrounding disk. Using the Catalina Real-Time Transient Survey, led by Caltech, they were able to assess the behavior of the black hole over the past 15 years, and found that its activity was relatively normal until May of 2019, when it suddenly intensified.

Another co-author, astronomer Mansi Kasliwal of Caltech, said:

Supermassive black holes like this one have flares all the time. They are not quiet objects, but the timing, size, and location of this flare was spectacular

The reason looking for flares like this is so important is that it helps enormously with astrophysics and cosmology questions. If we can do this again and detect light from the mergers of other black holes, then we can nail down the homes of these black holes and learn more about their origins.

These astronomers believe the newly formed black hole should cause another flare in the next few years. The same process that sent the newly formed black hole flying – after the two smaller black holes coalesced into one – should cause the new black hole to enter the supermassive black hole’s disk again:

… producing another flash of light that ZTF should be able to see.

Astronomer Mansi Kasliwal.

Bottom line: In recent years, black hole mergers in our universe have been detected via ripples in spacetime known as gravitational waves. Now, for the first time, astronomers believe they’ve observed visible light from a black hole merger, in a peculiar 3-black-hole system.

Source: Candidate Electromagnetic Counterpart to the Binary Black Hole Merger Gravitational-Wave Event S190521g

Via Caltech

Via CUNY

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

Check out this sloth robot

SlothBot is a slow-moving, solar-powered robot built by robotics engineers to take advantage of the low-energy lifestyle of real sloths. It moves along a cable strung between two large trees, as it monitors temperature, weather, carbon dioxide levels, and other information.

For the next several months, SlothBot will be hanging out in the Atlanta Botanical Garden’s 30-acre (12-hectare) midtown forest. That’s where the new high-tech tool is being tested for use in the battle to save some of the world’s most endangered species.

SlothBot demonstrates how being slow can be ideal for certain applications. Georgia Institute of Technology roboticist Magnus Egerstedt led the team. He said in a statement:

SlothBot embraces slowness as a design principle. That’s not how robots are typically designed today, but being slow and hyper-energy efficient will allow SlothBot to linger in the environment to observe things we can only see by being present continuously for months, or even years.

SlothBot research team at Atlanta Botanical Garden. Image via Georgia Tech.

SlothBot is about 3 feet (1 meter) long, with a whimsical 3D-printed shell that protects its motors, gearing, batteries, and sensing equipment from the weather. The robot is programmed to move only when necessary, and will locate sunlight when its batteries need recharging. At the Atlanta Botanical Garden, SlothBot will operate on a single 100-foot cable, but in larger environmental applications, it will be able to switch from cable to cable to cover more territory.

SlothBot could help scientists better understand the non-living chemical and physical parts of the environment, providing a new tool to better understand how to protect rare species and endangered ecosystems. Emily Coffey is vice president for conservation and research at the Atlanta Botanical Garden. She said in a statement:

SlothBot could do some of our research remotely and help us understand what’s happening with pollinators, interactions between plants and animals, and other phenomena that are difficult to observe otherwise.

Egerstedt said inspiration for the robot came from a visit he made to a vineyard in Costa Rica where he saw two-toed sloths creeping along overhead wires in their search for food in the tree canopy.

It turns out that they were strategically slow, which is what we need if we want to deploy robots for long periods of time.

Two-toed sloth. Image via San Diego Zoo.

A few other robotic systems have already demonstrated the value of slowness. Among the best known are the Mars Exploration Rovers that gathered information on the red planet for more than a dozen years. Egerstedt said:

Speed wasn’t really all that important to the Mars Rovers. But they learned a lot during their leisurely exploration of the planet.

After testing in the Atlanta Botanical Garden, the researchers hope to move SlothBot to South America to observe orchid pollination or the lives of endangered frogs. Egerstedt said:

It’s really fascinating to think about robots becoming part of the environment, a member of an ecosystem. While we’re not building an anatomical replica of the living sloth, we believe our robot can be integrated to be part of the ecosystem it’s observing like a real sloth.

Image via Georgia Tech.

Bottom line: SlothBot is a solar-powered robot designed to mimic the slow movements of a sloth.

Via Georgia Institute of Technology

from EarthSky https://ift.tt/2NP27WT

SlothBot is a slow-moving, solar-powered robot built by robotics engineers to take advantage of the low-energy lifestyle of real sloths. It moves along a cable strung between two large trees, as it monitors temperature, weather, carbon dioxide levels, and other information.

For the next several months, SlothBot will be hanging out in the Atlanta Botanical Garden’s 30-acre (12-hectare) midtown forest. That’s where the new high-tech tool is being tested for use in the battle to save some of the world’s most endangered species.

SlothBot demonstrates how being slow can be ideal for certain applications. Georgia Institute of Technology roboticist Magnus Egerstedt led the team. He said in a statement:

SlothBot embraces slowness as a design principle. That’s not how robots are typically designed today, but being slow and hyper-energy efficient will allow SlothBot to linger in the environment to observe things we can only see by being present continuously for months, or even years.

SlothBot research team at Atlanta Botanical Garden. Image via Georgia Tech.

SlothBot is about 3 feet (1 meter) long, with a whimsical 3D-printed shell that protects its motors, gearing, batteries, and sensing equipment from the weather. The robot is programmed to move only when necessary, and will locate sunlight when its batteries need recharging. At the Atlanta Botanical Garden, SlothBot will operate on a single 100-foot cable, but in larger environmental applications, it will be able to switch from cable to cable to cover more territory.

SlothBot could help scientists better understand the non-living chemical and physical parts of the environment, providing a new tool to better understand how to protect rare species and endangered ecosystems. Emily Coffey is vice president for conservation and research at the Atlanta Botanical Garden. She said in a statement:

SlothBot could do some of our research remotely and help us understand what’s happening with pollinators, interactions between plants and animals, and other phenomena that are difficult to observe otherwise.

Egerstedt said inspiration for the robot came from a visit he made to a vineyard in Costa Rica where he saw two-toed sloths creeping along overhead wires in their search for food in the tree canopy.

It turns out that they were strategically slow, which is what we need if we want to deploy robots for long periods of time.

Two-toed sloth. Image via San Diego Zoo.

A few other robotic systems have already demonstrated the value of slowness. Among the best known are the Mars Exploration Rovers that gathered information on the red planet for more than a dozen years. Egerstedt said:

Speed wasn’t really all that important to the Mars Rovers. But they learned a lot during their leisurely exploration of the planet.

After testing in the Atlanta Botanical Garden, the researchers hope to move SlothBot to South America to observe orchid pollination or the lives of endangered frogs. Egerstedt said:

It’s really fascinating to think about robots becoming part of the environment, a member of an ecosystem. While we’re not building an anatomical replica of the living sloth, we believe our robot can be integrated to be part of the ecosystem it’s observing like a real sloth.

Image via Georgia Tech.

Bottom line: SlothBot is a solar-powered robot designed to mimic the slow movements of a sloth.

Via Georgia Institute of Technology

from EarthSky https://ift.tt/2NP27WT

M5, your new favorite globular cluster

M5 in all its glory. Image via Robert (Bob) J. Vanderbei of Princeton University.

Even with the best of viewing conditions, the globular star cluster Messier 5 – aka M5 – is barely detectable to the unaided eye as a faint star. In binoculars, it appears as a faint, fuzzy star. Ah, but point a small telescope its way! Some amateur observers swear that M5 is the finest globular cluster north of the celestial equator for small telescopes – even better than the celebrated M13, the Great Hercules cluster.

M5, as seen by the Hubble Space Telescope. This photo was an Astronomy Picture of the Day in June 2015. Via HST/ NASA/ ESA/ APOD.

What is M5? Many of the brighter and larger clusters visible from Earth are open star clusters. For example, the Pleiades and the Hyades clusters are open star clusters. Open star clusters are born, and live out their lives, within the galactic disk. They are loose collections of several hundred stars. The ones we know best are relatively nearby, a few hundred light-years away.

In contrast, M5 is a globular star cluster. Globular clusters reside within the galactic halo – a sphere-shaped region of the Milky Way that extends above and below the galactic disk. If we liken the disk to a hamburger, then the bun would be the galactic halo. Globular star clusters contain hundreds of thousands of stars, tightly packed in a symmetrical ball. These clusters are our galaxy’s oldest inhabitants. In other words, they formed first, as the galaxy was forming. Spanning 165 light-years in diameter, M5 is one of the largest globular clusters known. It contains more than 100,000 stars, or as many as 500,000 according to some estimates.

The relatively young stars of open clusters disperse after hundreds of millions of years. The stars in globular clusters still remain intact after many billions of years.

As you gaze at M5, you’re looking at an object that’s around 13 billion years old, more than twice the age of our solar system, and almost as ancient as the universe itself. Considering that M5 lies some 25,000 light-years distant, we can only imagine what this stellar city would look like if it were at the Pleiades’ distance of 430 light-years!

View larger. | Messier 5 is due north of the Libra star Zubeneschamali and west of the constellation Virgo.

Messier finder chart for M5. Under very good viewing conditions, M5 can be just about glimpsed with the naked eye as a faint point of light. With binoculars, it’s easily visible as small fuzzy patch. A small 80mm (3.1-inch) telescope reveals a bright glowing core wrapped inside a much fainter halo of nebulosity. Image via FreeStarCharts.com.

How to find M5. M5 is located in the constellation Serpens Caput (the Serpent’s Head). It is highest up in the south at about 10 p.m (11 p.m. daylight saving time) in mid-June. Because the stars (and star clusters) return to the same place in the sky some two hours earlier with each passing month, it’s highest in the sky around 8 p.m. (9 p.m. daylight saving time) in mid-July.

Using a fist at arm’s length for a guide, M5 resides a good two fist-widths to the southeast of yellow-orange Arcturus, summertime’s brightest star. M5 is also three fist-widths to the east of blue-white Spica, the brightest star in the constellation Virgo.

Plus, M5 is about one fist-width to the north (above) Zubeneschamali. These stars give you at least a rough idea of M5’s whereabouts in the heavens.

Practiced skygazers star-hop to M5 by way of two faint yet visible Virgo stars: 109 Virginis and 110 Virginis. They draw an imaginary line from 109 Virginis through 110 Virginis, and go twice the distance to land on the star 5 Serpentis. M5 is only 1/3 degree to the northwest (upper right) of this star. The distance from 109 Virginis to M5 spans about 8 degrees of sky. For reference, the width of four fingers at arm’s length away approximates 8 degrees.

Some practiced sky gazers star-hop to Messier 5 from the constellation Virgo.

Bottom line: M5, or Messier 5, is a beautiful globular star cluster. How to find M5 in your sky.

from EarthSky https://ift.tt/2C5bSgJ

M5 in all its glory. Image via Robert (Bob) J. Vanderbei of Princeton University.

Even with the best of viewing conditions, the globular star cluster Messier 5 – aka M5 – is barely detectable to the unaided eye as a faint star. In binoculars, it appears as a faint, fuzzy star. Ah, but point a small telescope its way! Some amateur observers swear that M5 is the finest globular cluster north of the celestial equator for small telescopes – even better than the celebrated M13, the Great Hercules cluster.

M5, as seen by the Hubble Space Telescope. This photo was an Astronomy Picture of the Day in June 2015. Via HST/ NASA/ ESA/ APOD.

What is M5? Many of the brighter and larger clusters visible from Earth are open star clusters. For example, the Pleiades and the Hyades clusters are open star clusters. Open star clusters are born, and live out their lives, within the galactic disk. They are loose collections of several hundred stars. The ones we know best are relatively nearby, a few hundred light-years away.

In contrast, M5 is a globular star cluster. Globular clusters reside within the galactic halo – a sphere-shaped region of the Milky Way that extends above and below the galactic disk. If we liken the disk to a hamburger, then the bun would be the galactic halo. Globular star clusters contain hundreds of thousands of stars, tightly packed in a symmetrical ball. These clusters are our galaxy’s oldest inhabitants. In other words, they formed first, as the galaxy was forming. Spanning 165 light-years in diameter, M5 is one of the largest globular clusters known. It contains more than 100,000 stars, or as many as 500,000 according to some estimates.

The relatively young stars of open clusters disperse after hundreds of millions of years. The stars in globular clusters still remain intact after many billions of years.

As you gaze at M5, you’re looking at an object that’s around 13 billion years old, more than twice the age of our solar system, and almost as ancient as the universe itself. Considering that M5 lies some 25,000 light-years distant, we can only imagine what this stellar city would look like if it were at the Pleiades’ distance of 430 light-years!

View larger. | Messier 5 is due north of the Libra star Zubeneschamali and west of the constellation Virgo.

Messier finder chart for M5. Under very good viewing conditions, M5 can be just about glimpsed with the naked eye as a faint point of light. With binoculars, it’s easily visible as small fuzzy patch. A small 80mm (3.1-inch) telescope reveals a bright glowing core wrapped inside a much fainter halo of nebulosity. Image via FreeStarCharts.com.

How to find M5. M5 is located in the constellation Serpens Caput (the Serpent’s Head). It is highest up in the south at about 10 p.m (11 p.m. daylight saving time) in mid-June. Because the stars (and star clusters) return to the same place in the sky some two hours earlier with each passing month, it’s highest in the sky around 8 p.m. (9 p.m. daylight saving time) in mid-July.

Using a fist at arm’s length for a guide, M5 resides a good two fist-widths to the southeast of yellow-orange Arcturus, summertime’s brightest star. M5 is also three fist-widths to the east of blue-white Spica, the brightest star in the constellation Virgo.

Plus, M5 is about one fist-width to the north (above) Zubeneschamali. These stars give you at least a rough idea of M5’s whereabouts in the heavens.

Practiced skygazers star-hop to M5 by way of two faint yet visible Virgo stars: 109 Virginis and 110 Virginis. They draw an imaginary line from 109 Virginis through 110 Virginis, and go twice the distance to land on the star 5 Serpentis. M5 is only 1/3 degree to the northwest (upper right) of this star. The distance from 109 Virginis to M5 spans about 8 degrees of sky. For reference, the width of four fingers at arm’s length away approximates 8 degrees.

Some practiced sky gazers star-hop to Messier 5 from the constellation Virgo.

Bottom line: M5, or Messier 5, is a beautiful globular star cluster. How to find M5 in your sky.

from EarthSky https://ift.tt/2C5bSgJ

July full moon comes on Sunday, July 5

A full moon is opposite the sun. We see all of its dayside. Illustration via Bob King.

The moon appears full to the eye for two to three nights. However, astronomers regard the moon as full at a precisely defined instant, when the moon is exactly 180 degrees opposite the sun in ecliptic longitude. This month, the instant of full moon happens Sunday, July 5, at 04:44 UTC (Saturday, July 4, 11:44 p.m. CDT). Translate UTC to your time.

It’s that feature of a full moon – the fact that it’s opposite the sun as viewed from Earth – that causes a full moon to look full.

A kiss under the full moon of November 3, 2017, via our friend Steven Sweet of Lunar 101-Moon Book. He was at Port Credit, a neighborhood in the city of Mississauga, Ontario, Canada … at the mouth of the Credit River on the north shore of Lake Ontario.

Why does a full moon look full? Remember that half the moon is always illuminated by the sun. That lighted half is the moon’s day side. In order to appear full to us on Earth, we have to see the entire day side of the moon. That happens only when the moon is opposite the sun in our sky. So a full moon looks full because it’s opposite the sun.

That’s also why every full moon rises in the east around sunset – climbs highest up for the night midway between sunset and sunrise (around midnight) – and sets around sunrise. Stand outside tonight around sunset and look for the moon. Sun going down while the moon is coming up? That’s a full moon, or close to one.

Just be aware that the moon will look full for at least a couple of night around the instant of full moon.

Read more: What are the full moon names?

Often, you’ll find two different dates on calendars for the date of full moon. That’s because some calendars list moon phases in Coordinated Universal Time, also called Universal Time Coordinated (UTC). And other calendars list moon phases in local time, a clock time of a specific place, usually the place that made and distributed the calendars. Translate UTC to your local time.

Want to know the instant of full moon in your part of the world, as well as the moonrise and moonset times? Visit Sunrise Sunset Calendars, remembering to check the moon phases plus moonrise and moonset boxes.

If a full moon is opposite the sun, why doesn’t Earth’s shadow fall on the moon at every full moon? The reason is that the moon’s orbit is tilted by 5.1 degrees with respect to Earth’s orbit around the sun. At every full moon, Earth’s shadow sweeps near the moon. But, in most months, there’s no eclipse.

A full moon normally passes above or below Earth’s shadow, with no eclipse. Illustration by Bob King.

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

New moon
Waxing crescent moon
First quarter moon
Waxing gibbous moon
Full moon
Waning gibbous moon
Last quarter moon
Waning crescent moon

Bottom line: A full moon looks full because it’s opposite the sun. Its lighted face is turned entirely in Earth’s direction. The next full moon is Sunday, July 5, at 04:44 UTC.

Read more: Top 4 keys to understanding moon phases

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

A full moon is opposite the sun. We see all of its dayside. Illustration via Bob King.

The moon appears full to the eye for two to three nights. However, astronomers regard the moon as full at a precisely defined instant, when the moon is exactly 180 degrees opposite the sun in ecliptic longitude. This month, the instant of full moon happens Sunday, July 5, at 04:44 UTC (Saturday, July 4, 11:44 p.m. CDT). Translate UTC to your time.

It’s that feature of a full moon – the fact that it’s opposite the sun as viewed from Earth – that causes a full moon to look full.

A kiss under the full moon of November 3, 2017, via our friend Steven Sweet of Lunar 101-Moon Book. He was at Port Credit, a neighborhood in the city of Mississauga, Ontario, Canada … at the mouth of the Credit River on the north shore of Lake Ontario.

Why does a full moon look full? Remember that half the moon is always illuminated by the sun. That lighted half is the moon’s day side. In order to appear full to us on Earth, we have to see the entire day side of the moon. That happens only when the moon is opposite the sun in our sky. So a full moon looks full because it’s opposite the sun.

That’s also why every full moon rises in the east around sunset – climbs highest up for the night midway between sunset and sunrise (around midnight) – and sets around sunrise. Stand outside tonight around sunset and look for the moon. Sun going down while the moon is coming up? That’s a full moon, or close to one.

Just be aware that the moon will look full for at least a couple of night around the instant of full moon.

Read more: What are the full moon names?

Often, you’ll find two different dates on calendars for the date of full moon. That’s because some calendars list moon phases in Coordinated Universal Time, also called Universal Time Coordinated (UTC). And other calendars list moon phases in local time, a clock time of a specific place, usually the place that made and distributed the calendars. Translate UTC to your local time.

Want to know the instant of full moon in your part of the world, as well as the moonrise and moonset times? Visit Sunrise Sunset Calendars, remembering to check the moon phases plus moonrise and moonset boxes.

If a full moon is opposite the sun, why doesn’t Earth’s shadow fall on the moon at every full moon? The reason is that the moon’s orbit is tilted by 5.1 degrees with respect to Earth’s orbit around the sun. At every full moon, Earth’s shadow sweeps near the moon. But, in most months, there’s no eclipse.

A full moon normally passes above or below Earth’s shadow, with no eclipse. Illustration by Bob King.

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

New moon
Waxing crescent moon
First quarter moon
Waxing gibbous moon
Full moon
Waning gibbous moon
Last quarter moon
Waning crescent moon

Bottom line: A full moon looks full because it’s opposite the sun. Its lighted face is turned entirely in Earth’s direction. The next full moon is Sunday, July 5, at 04:44 UTC.

Read more: Top 4 keys to understanding moon phases

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

Earth farthest from the sun on July 4

Image at top via Sara Zimmerman at Unearthed Comics. Thanks, Sara!

Planet Earth reaches a milestone on July 4, 2020, as it swings out to aphelion, its most distant point from the sun. It happens at 11:35 UTC. That’s 6:35 a.m. Central Daylight Time in the U.S. Translate UTC to your time. Is it hot outside for you on your part of Earth right now? Or cold out? Earth’s aphelion comes in the midst of Northern Hemisphere summer and Southern Hemisphere winter. That should tell you that our distance from the sun doesn’t cause the seasons. More about that below.

Image credit: NASA

The fact is, Earth’s orbit is almost, but not quite, circular. So our distance from the sun doesn’t change much. Today, we’re about 3 million miles (5 million km) farther from the sun than we will be six months from now. That’s in contrast to our average distance from the sun of about 93 million miles (150 million km).

The word aphelion, by the way, comes from the Greek words apo meaning away, off, apart and helios, for the Greek god of the sun. Apart from the sun. That’s us, today.

Looking for Earth’s exact distance from the sun at aphelion? It’s 94,507,635 miles (152,095,295 km) . Last year, on July 4, 2019, the Earth at aphelion was a tiny bit farther, at 94,513,221 miles (152,104,285 km).

The sun at aphelion appears smaller in our sky, as shown in this composite image. This image consists of 2 photos, taken just days away from a perihelion (Earth’s closest point to sun) in January, 2016, and an aphelion (Earth’s farthest point from sun) in July, 2017. The gray rim around the sun (actually the perihelion photo) illustrates that, as seen in our sky, the sun is about 3.6% bigger at perihelion than aphelion. This difference is, of course, too small to detect with the eye. Peter Lowenstein in Mutare, Zimbabwe – who captured the photos and created the composite – wrote: “Although taken 18 months apart, and a few days from the events due to adverse weather conditions, they show that there is an unmistakable size difference of the sun as viewed from Earth when it is closest at perihelion and furthest away at aphelion.”

This animation shows what’s also in the image above … the size difference of the sun between Earth’s perihelion (closest point) and aphelion (farthest point).

Here’s what does cause the seasons. The seasons aren’t due to Earth’s changing distance from the sun. We’re always farthest from the sun in early July during northern summer and closest in January during northern winter.

Instead, the seasons result from Earth’s tilt on its axis. Right now, it’s summer in the Northern Hemisphere because the northern part of Earth is tilted most toward the sun.

Meanwhile, it’s winter in the Southern Hemisphere because the southern part of Earth is tilted most away from the sun.

Earth’s varying distance from the sun does affect the length of the seasons. That’s because, at our farthest from the sun, like now, Earth is traveling most slowly in its orbit. That makes summer the longest season in the Northern Hemisphere and winter the longest season on the southern half of the globe.

Conversely, winter is the shortest season in the Northern Hemisphere, and summer is the shortest in the Southern Hemisphere, in each instance by nearly five days.

Earth at perihelion and aphelion 2001 to 2100

Bottom line: Planet Earth reaches its most distant point from the sun for 2020 on July 4. Astronomers call this yearly point in Earth’s orbit our aphelion.

EarthSky astronomy kits are perfect for beginners. Order yours today.

Why isn’t the hottest weather on the year’s longest day?

from EarthSky https://ift.tt/2r81U5z

Image at top via Sara Zimmerman at Unearthed Comics. Thanks, Sara!

Planet Earth reaches a milestone on July 4, 2020, as it swings out to aphelion, its most distant point from the sun. It happens at 11:35 UTC. That’s 6:35 a.m. Central Daylight Time in the U.S. Translate UTC to your time. Is it hot outside for you on your part of Earth right now? Or cold out? Earth’s aphelion comes in the midst of Northern Hemisphere summer and Southern Hemisphere winter. That should tell you that our distance from the sun doesn’t cause the seasons. More about that below.

Image credit: NASA

The fact is, Earth’s orbit is almost, but not quite, circular. So our distance from the sun doesn’t change much. Today, we’re about 3 million miles (5 million km) farther from the sun than we will be six months from now. That’s in contrast to our average distance from the sun of about 93 million miles (150 million km).

The word aphelion, by the way, comes from the Greek words apo meaning away, off, apart and helios, for the Greek god of the sun. Apart from the sun. That’s us, today.

Looking for Earth’s exact distance from the sun at aphelion? It’s 94,507,635 miles (152,095,295 km) . Last year, on July 4, 2019, the Earth at aphelion was a tiny bit farther, at 94,513,221 miles (152,104,285 km).

The sun at aphelion appears smaller in our sky, as shown in this composite image. This image consists of 2 photos, taken just days away from a perihelion (Earth’s closest point to sun) in January, 2016, and an aphelion (Earth’s farthest point from sun) in July, 2017. The gray rim around the sun (actually the perihelion photo) illustrates that, as seen in our sky, the sun is about 3.6% bigger at perihelion than aphelion. This difference is, of course, too small to detect with the eye. Peter Lowenstein in Mutare, Zimbabwe – who captured the photos and created the composite – wrote: “Although taken 18 months apart, and a few days from the events due to adverse weather conditions, they show that there is an unmistakable size difference of the sun as viewed from Earth when it is closest at perihelion and furthest away at aphelion.”

This animation shows what’s also in the image above … the size difference of the sun between Earth’s perihelion (closest point) and aphelion (farthest point).

Here’s what does cause the seasons. The seasons aren’t due to Earth’s changing distance from the sun. We’re always farthest from the sun in early July during northern summer and closest in January during northern winter.

Instead, the seasons result from Earth’s tilt on its axis. Right now, it’s summer in the Northern Hemisphere because the northern part of Earth is tilted most toward the sun.

Meanwhile, it’s winter in the Southern Hemisphere because the southern part of Earth is tilted most away from the sun.

Earth’s varying distance from the sun does affect the length of the seasons. That’s because, at our farthest from the sun, like now, Earth is traveling most slowly in its orbit. That makes summer the longest season in the Northern Hemisphere and winter the longest season on the southern half of the globe.

Conversely, winter is the shortest season in the Northern Hemisphere, and summer is the shortest in the Southern Hemisphere, in each instance by nearly five days.

Earth at perihelion and aphelion 2001 to 2100

Bottom line: Planet Earth reaches its most distant point from the sun for 2020 on July 4. Astronomers call this yearly point in Earth’s orbit our aphelion.

EarthSky astronomy kits are perfect for beginners. Order yours today.

Why isn’t the hottest weather on the year’s longest day?

from EarthSky https://ift.tt/2r81U5z

Stunning images of the night

View larger | Mihail Minkov captured this photo, which is titled Star Catcher. The photo is from the Black Sea Coast of Bulgaria. It’s the 1st-place winner in 2020’s IDA photo contest, in the Connecting to the Dark category.

The International Dark-Sky Association (IDA) held its first annual Capture the Dark photography competition during May 2020. The goal was to portray the meaning of the night for people around the world. Participants were invited to submit images in five categories: Connecting to the Dark, International Dark Sky Places, Impact of Light Pollution, Bright Side of Lighting, and Youth. In two weeks, IDA received nearly 450 submissions from people around the world. An international panel of judges made the final selections. The winning entries in each category are on this page.

See all winners’ and finalists’ photos here.

Category 1: Connecting to the Dark.

IDA explained:

Experiencing a natural night provides perspective, inspiration, and leads us to reflect on our humanity and place in the universe.

The winning entry in this category is Star Catcher, shown at the top of this post. Photographer Mihail Minkov said:

I have a 4-year-old daughter, who is really in love with the night sky … She is always asking to come with me when I go to shoot the Milky Way. So I decided to make her part of the process and try to show her what it’s like to be out under the dark sky, and see the beauty of the night sky. I hope that one day, she will remember that, and this memory will make her a good and decent person, who really takes care of the planet and the night sky.

View larger. | Jean-Francois Graffand captured this image at the Pic du Midi International Dark Sky Reserve in France. It’s the winner in the International Dark Sky Places category. The photo is titled Dark Night in Pyrénées Mountains.

Category 2: International Dark Sky Places.

IDA explained:

Over 130 protected lands and municipalities have been certified by IDA as an International Dark Sky Place creating havens for astrophotographers around the world.

Winning photographer Jean-Francois Graffand said:

A typical landscape of French Pyrénées mountains, taken inside the Pic du Midi Dark Sky Reserve, during a summer night. At 1,400-meters [4,600 feet] of altitude, the mountain torrent descends into the valley where absolutely no source of light is visible at night.

View larger. | Petr Horálek captured this image at the Great Wall of China. It’s the winner in the Impact of Light Pollution category. The photo is titled Remembering the Old Times.

Category 3: Impact of Light Pollution.

IDA explained:

Light pollution can have significant impacts on the environment, human health, and our access to the universe.

Winning photographer Petr Horálek said:

Stargazing on one of the most legendary ancient human creations, the Chinese Great Wall, makes you deeply think. A piece of deepest history meets current civilization, unfortunately producing the light pollution. Think about how wonderful skies looked for ancient Chinese people walking the wall.

View larger. | Jean-Francois Graffand captured this photo at the Pyrénées National Parc in France. It’s the winner in the Bright Side of Lighting category. It’s titled The Celestial River.

Category 4: Bright Side of Lighting.

IDA explained:

Light pollution can give lighting a bad rap. But lighting that follows IDA’s Principles for Responsible Outdoor Light can be beautiful, healthy, and functional.

Winning photographer Jean-Francois Graffand said:

Panoramic view of the Pont d’Espagne site, in the heart of the Pic du Midi Dark Sky Reserve … Surrounded by the mountains at 1500m [5,000 ft] of altitude, all the city lights in the valley are hidden. During the summer tourist season, the little restaurant hosts some employees, which can generate the only light source. Here only a faint warm bedside lamp is turned on in a room, but amplified by the long exposure and high iso, it seems to light up the place like a beacon and reveals the landscape.

View larger.| Nayana Rajesh, age 16, captured the winning entry in the Youth category. The photo is set in Ennis, Texas. It’s titled “The Barn.”

Category 5: Youth.

IDA explained:

Entrant must be 17 years old or younger.

Winning photographer Nayana Rajesh said:

One of my favorite things about living in Texas is the blooming of the bluebonnets each year. I went out to Ennis, Texas, to shoot the bluebonnets under the stars at a ranch owned by our friend Jim. It’s important to me to always be learning something new every time I shoot, so I spent the night learning how to focus stack manually and think through different compositions.

See all winners’ and finalists’ photos here.

Bottom line: Winning photos in the International Dark-Sky Association (IDA) 2020 photography contest.

Via International Dark-Sky Association

See all winners’ and finalists’ photos here.

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

View larger | Mihail Minkov captured this photo, which is titled Star Catcher. The photo is from the Black Sea Coast of Bulgaria. It’s the 1st-place winner in 2020’s IDA photo contest, in the Connecting to the Dark category.

The International Dark-Sky Association (IDA) held its first annual Capture the Dark photography competition during May 2020. The goal was to portray the meaning of the night for people around the world. Participants were invited to submit images in five categories: Connecting to the Dark, International Dark Sky Places, Impact of Light Pollution, Bright Side of Lighting, and Youth. In two weeks, IDA received nearly 450 submissions from people around the world. An international panel of judges made the final selections. The winning entries in each category are on this page.

See all winners’ and finalists’ photos here.

Category 1: Connecting to the Dark.

IDA explained:

Experiencing a natural night provides perspective, inspiration, and leads us to reflect on our humanity and place in the universe.

The winning entry in this category is Star Catcher, shown at the top of this post. Photographer Mihail Minkov said:

I have a 4-year-old daughter, who is really in love with the night sky … She is always asking to come with me when I go to shoot the Milky Way. So I decided to make her part of the process and try to show her what it’s like to be out under the dark sky, and see the beauty of the night sky. I hope that one day, she will remember that, and this memory will make her a good and decent person, who really takes care of the planet and the night sky.

View larger. | Jean-Francois Graffand captured this image at the Pic du Midi International Dark Sky Reserve in France. It’s the winner in the International Dark Sky Places category. The photo is titled Dark Night in Pyrénées Mountains.

Category 2: International Dark Sky Places.

IDA explained:

Over 130 protected lands and municipalities have been certified by IDA as an International Dark Sky Place creating havens for astrophotographers around the world.

Winning photographer Jean-Francois Graffand said:

A typical landscape of French Pyrénées mountains, taken inside the Pic du Midi Dark Sky Reserve, during a summer night. At 1,400-meters [4,600 feet] of altitude, the mountain torrent descends into the valley where absolutely no source of light is visible at night.

View larger. | Petr Horálek captured this image at the Great Wall of China. It’s the winner in the Impact of Light Pollution category. The photo is titled Remembering the Old Times.

Category 3: Impact of Light Pollution.

IDA explained:

Light pollution can have significant impacts on the environment, human health, and our access to the universe.

Winning photographer Petr Horálek said:

Stargazing on one of the most legendary ancient human creations, the Chinese Great Wall, makes you deeply think. A piece of deepest history meets current civilization, unfortunately producing the light pollution. Think about how wonderful skies looked for ancient Chinese people walking the wall.

View larger. | Jean-Francois Graffand captured this photo at the Pyrénées National Parc in France. It’s the winner in the Bright Side of Lighting category. It’s titled The Celestial River.

Category 4: Bright Side of Lighting.

IDA explained:

Light pollution can give lighting a bad rap. But lighting that follows IDA’s Principles for Responsible Outdoor Light can be beautiful, healthy, and functional.

Winning photographer Jean-Francois Graffand said:

Panoramic view of the Pont d’Espagne site, in the heart of the Pic du Midi Dark Sky Reserve … Surrounded by the mountains at 1500m [5,000 ft] of altitude, all the city lights in the valley are hidden. During the summer tourist season, the little restaurant hosts some employees, which can generate the only light source. Here only a faint warm bedside lamp is turned on in a room, but amplified by the long exposure and high iso, it seems to light up the place like a beacon and reveals the landscape.

View larger.| Nayana Rajesh, age 16, captured the winning entry in the Youth category. The photo is set in Ennis, Texas. It’s titled “The Barn.”

Category 5: Youth.

IDA explained:

Entrant must be 17 years old or younger.

Winning photographer Nayana Rajesh said:

One of my favorite things about living in Texas is the blooming of the bluebonnets each year. I went out to Ennis, Texas, to shoot the bluebonnets under the stars at a ranch owned by our friend Jim. It’s important to me to always be learning something new every time I shoot, so I spent the night learning how to focus stack manually and think through different compositions.

See all winners’ and finalists’ photos here.

Bottom line: Winning photos in the International Dark-Sky Association (IDA) 2020 photography contest.

Via International Dark-Sky Association

See all winners’ and finalists’ photos here.

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