COVID-19: “The really hard part is we know what needs to be done”

From labs closing to funding cuts, the impact of COVID-19 on research has been severe. But while COVID-19 has slowed us down, we will never stop.  

We caught up with Professor David Sebag-Montefiore and Professor Bhavik Patel about how COVID-19 has impacted their work, and what the next few months looks like for them.

Professor Bhavik Patel: “We were so close we could touch it” 

Professor Bhavik Patel’s lab has been empty since the end of March. “The lab shut on the 20th March, and we haven’t returned since. It was a real kick in the stomach because we were in a period with our research where it was the most exciting it’s ever been.”  

A chemist by training, Patel says he started working on cancer a couple of years ago because it seemed like the technologies his lab were developing could have a role in understanding the disease. And it’s been an explosive start. He’s part of two grants from Cancer Research UK, both of which are generating exciting results.  

“The first one is to develop a novel sensing tool that will be used for the early detection of leukaemia in liquid biopsies, although we hope that the platform is more universal and would be useful for many cancers.”  

The other project aims to help tailor treatment to an individual’s tumour. It involves growing tumour samples from patients on a platform that can predict the growth of that tumour in the presence of different treatments, with the aim of providing a realistic, accurate readout of which treatment is most likely to work for someone.  

Patel says they started looking at breast cancer samples but, like their early detection work, they hope the technology could be used across multiple cancer types. 

Both projects were coming towards an end when the labs shut down because of COVID-19. “It was so frustrating, because both projects had a single experiment that we needed to do to tip it over the edge.” Patel says that while there was some data analysis for the team to be getting on with during lockdown, they’re a bit stuck with the lab being shut.  

“The really hard part is that we know what needs to be done and we’re so close we could touch it, but we can’t. So we’ve had to furlough post-doctoral staff, because there’s nothing they can do for us now and it would be a waste of funds to have them working.”  

As labs start to reopen, Patel is keen to get started again, but there’s a question mark over how many members of the lab will still be working, as there are gaps in their funding due to COVID-19.  

“The most important element will be the personnel. It feels like if we can retain everyone, then yes we could get up and running again quite quickly, but if we lose our staff then we’re probably six months to a year behind where we wanted to be.  

“It’s painful, because you know you’re doing something that can make an impact. And I’ve met the people that it impacts and the people that support you at events we run and I’ve felt that connectivity to why we’re doing what we’re doing.  

“And right now you just feel, we could be doing more for you, and we can’t right now, which is the really hard part.” 

Professor David Sebag-Montefiore: “The next few months should be an opportunity for us to focus on recovery of cancer research activity”

Professor David Sebag-Montefiore is a cancer doctor and researcher at the University of Leeds and Leeds Teaching Hospitals NHS Trust.  

Sebag-Montefiore’s work and expertise stretches from directing the Cancer

David Sebag-Montefiore has been working on some COVID-19 related research.

Research UK Leeds Radiotherapy Research Centre of Excellence, part of our radiation research network, RadNet, to working as a clinical director of the Cancer Research UK Leeds Clinical Trial Unit, to name just a few.   

For Sebag-Montefiore, the main impact of COVID-19 has been managing the changes to workforce “and reacting to the rapidly changing landscape,” particularly as a lot of the research staff returned to clinical roles to support the NHS during the peak of the outbreak.  

“The other angle has been focusing on more COVID-19 related implications,” explains Sebag-Montefiore, who led an urgent piece of work to produce international clinical guidelines for treating bowel cancer during COVID-19.

Sebag-Montefiore is also the chair of CTRad, the national NCRI radiotherapy research group, who are empowering radiotherapy units to collect data on how their work has changed during the pandemic. 

“In COVID RT, we’re collecting valuable information that will help us understand the changes that were made for patients who received radiotherapy,” he explains. “It is really important that we understand the outcomes of our patient’s radiotherapy treatment based on the different approaches that were used.”  

Sebag-Montefiore is delighted with the support so far, with 52 out of 62 radiotherapy centres in the UK taking part. “This will provide really valuable information – how we coped, how we reacted, how we changed. It will also help us decide how we approach future waves or new pandemics.” 

On top of the new projects, some of his regular work with RadNet has been able to continue remotely, and some radiotherapy clinical trial activity has also continued throughout these challenging times. “For example, we were able to continue recruit patients to the PLATO trial, led by Leeds Clinical Trial Unit, that’s personalising radiotherapy dose for anal cancer patients.”

However, it’s by no means business as usual. “There’s no doubt that we’ve had effectively a 90% freeze on our ability to conduct the research we would normally do. So I don’t want to gloss over the fact the impact has been dramatic and very substantial and created major challenges to adapt to new and remote ways of working.  

“In lockdown you realise the value of all those informal corridor and café conversation and personal connections that we previously almost take for granted – I have really missed them!” 

He goes on to explain how a large part of the reason that trials were paused was because a lot of resources were switched over to COVID-19 trials. “That was due to staff being deployed for COVID-19 trial activity and recruitment. And during the peak, that was a very appropriate approach.”   

But while the switch to COVID-19 was necessary during the peak of the pandemic, Sebag-Montefiore stresses the need to support the recovery of cancer clinical trials.  

“We know that a next “big wave” is going to be a significant surge in cancer diagnosis. I feel very strongly that we need to fight hard to recover the cancer clinical trial portfolio. 

“Clinical trials are at the centre of clinical research and the way we improve patient outcomes and bring new treatments from the lab to the clinic.  It is critically important that cancer patients have the opportunity to be part of these trials.” 

Lilly 

from Cancer Research UK – Science blog https://ift.tt/2Z5EsaS

From labs closing to funding cuts, the impact of COVID-19 on research has been severe. But while COVID-19 has slowed us down, we will never stop.  

We caught up with Professor David Sebag-Montefiore and Professor Bhavik Patel about how COVID-19 has impacted their work, and what the next few months looks like for them.

Professor Bhavik Patel: “We were so close we could touch it” 

Professor Bhavik Patel’s lab has been empty since the end of March. “The lab shut on the 20th March, and we haven’t returned since. It was a real kick in the stomach because we were in a period with our research where it was the most exciting it’s ever been.”  

A chemist by training, Patel says he started working on cancer a couple of years ago because it seemed like the technologies his lab were developing could have a role in understanding the disease. And it’s been an explosive start. He’s part of two grants from Cancer Research UK, both of which are generating exciting results.  

“The first one is to develop a novel sensing tool that will be used for the early detection of leukaemia in liquid biopsies, although we hope that the platform is more universal and would be useful for many cancers.”  

The other project aims to help tailor treatment to an individual’s tumour. It involves growing tumour samples from patients on a platform that can predict the growth of that tumour in the presence of different treatments, with the aim of providing a realistic, accurate readout of which treatment is most likely to work for someone.  

Patel says they started looking at breast cancer samples but, like their early detection work, they hope the technology could be used across multiple cancer types. 

Both projects were coming towards an end when the labs shut down because of COVID-19. “It was so frustrating, because both projects had a single experiment that we needed to do to tip it over the edge.” Patel says that while there was some data analysis for the team to be getting on with during lockdown, they’re a bit stuck with the lab being shut.  

“The really hard part is that we know what needs to be done and we’re so close we could touch it, but we can’t. So we’ve had to furlough post-doctoral staff, because there’s nothing they can do for us now and it would be a waste of funds to have them working.”  

As labs start to reopen, Patel is keen to get started again, but there’s a question mark over how many members of the lab will still be working, as there are gaps in their funding due to COVID-19.  

“The most important element will be the personnel. It feels like if we can retain everyone, then yes we could get up and running again quite quickly, but if we lose our staff then we’re probably six months to a year behind where we wanted to be.  

“It’s painful, because you know you’re doing something that can make an impact. And I’ve met the people that it impacts and the people that support you at events we run and I’ve felt that connectivity to why we’re doing what we’re doing.  

“And right now you just feel, we could be doing more for you, and we can’t right now, which is the really hard part.” 

Professor David Sebag-Montefiore: “The next few months should be an opportunity for us to focus on recovery of cancer research activity”

Professor David Sebag-Montefiore is a cancer doctor and researcher at the University of Leeds and Leeds Teaching Hospitals NHS Trust.  

Sebag-Montefiore’s work and expertise stretches from directing the Cancer

David Sebag-Montefiore has been working on some COVID-19 related research.

Research UK Leeds Radiotherapy Research Centre of Excellence, part of our radiation research network, RadNet, to working as a clinical director of the Cancer Research UK Leeds Clinical Trial Unit, to name just a few.   

For Sebag-Montefiore, the main impact of COVID-19 has been managing the changes to workforce “and reacting to the rapidly changing landscape,” particularly as a lot of the research staff returned to clinical roles to support the NHS during the peak of the outbreak.  

“The other angle has been focusing on more COVID-19 related implications,” explains Sebag-Montefiore, who led an urgent piece of work to produce international clinical guidelines for treating bowel cancer during COVID-19.

Sebag-Montefiore is also the chair of CTRad, the national NCRI radiotherapy research group, who are empowering radiotherapy units to collect data on how their work has changed during the pandemic. 

“In COVID RT, we’re collecting valuable information that will help us understand the changes that were made for patients who received radiotherapy,” he explains. “It is really important that we understand the outcomes of our patient’s radiotherapy treatment based on the different approaches that were used.”  

Sebag-Montefiore is delighted with the support so far, with 52 out of 62 radiotherapy centres in the UK taking part. “This will provide really valuable information – how we coped, how we reacted, how we changed. It will also help us decide how we approach future waves or new pandemics.” 

On top of the new projects, some of his regular work with RadNet has been able to continue remotely, and some radiotherapy clinical trial activity has also continued throughout these challenging times. “For example, we were able to continue recruit patients to the PLATO trial, led by Leeds Clinical Trial Unit, that’s personalising radiotherapy dose for anal cancer patients.”

However, it’s by no means business as usual. “There’s no doubt that we’ve had effectively a 90% freeze on our ability to conduct the research we would normally do. So I don’t want to gloss over the fact the impact has been dramatic and very substantial and created major challenges to adapt to new and remote ways of working.  

“In lockdown you realise the value of all those informal corridor and café conversation and personal connections that we previously almost take for granted – I have really missed them!” 

He goes on to explain how a large part of the reason that trials were paused was because a lot of resources were switched over to COVID-19 trials. “That was due to staff being deployed for COVID-19 trial activity and recruitment. And during the peak, that was a very appropriate approach.”   

But while the switch to COVID-19 was necessary during the peak of the pandemic, Sebag-Montefiore stresses the need to support the recovery of cancer clinical trials.  

“We know that a next “big wave” is going to be a significant surge in cancer diagnosis. I feel very strongly that we need to fight hard to recover the cancer clinical trial portfolio. 

“Clinical trials are at the centre of clinical research and the way we improve patient outcomes and bring new treatments from the lab to the clinic.  It is critically important that cancer patients have the opportunity to be part of these trials.” 

Lilly 

from Cancer Research UK – Science blog https://ift.tt/2Z5EsaS

When is the next Great Comet?

View at EarthSky Community Photos. | In early July 2020, people are getting amazing shots of comet C/2020 F3 (NEOWISE). It’s not a great comet, but it’s a pretty good one! Alexander Krivenyshev in Guttenberg, New Jersey – of the website WorldTimeZone.com – wrote: “Despite a layer of clouds on the horizon, I was able to capture my first comet over New York City on the early morning of July 6, 2020.” Cool shot, Alexander! Thank you. Here’s how to see Comet NEOWISE.

We’re now treated to a near-constant barrage of wonderful comet photos – including those coming in this week of comet C/2020 F3 (NEOWISE). Most are from experienced astrophotographers, most with excellent skies, employing telescopes and modern cameras and sometimes later creating composites of several images. We now sometimes see comet images from the International Space Station, too. Meanwhile, from the ground and with the eye alone? Yes, NEOWISE is a nice comet. But most will need binoculars to see it. The last two Great Comets – McNaught in 2007 and Lovejoy in 2011 – were mainly seen under Southern Hemisphere skies. Not since Hale-Bopp in 1996-97 has the Northern Hemisphere seen a magnificent comet.

What’s more, some skygazers wouldn’t even classify Hale-Bopp as a Great Comet. In that case, we in the Northern Hemisphere might have to look all the way back to comet West in 1976 – 44 years ago – to find a truly great Great Comet. When will we see the next one?

Let’s consider some of the incredible comets of recent times and historic records, to find out when the Northern and Southern Hemispheres might expect to see the next Great Comet.

A night under the stars and comet Hale-Bopp in 1997. It remained visible to the unaided eye for 18 months, and many in the Northern Hemisphere saw it. Photo via Jerry Lodriguss/ www.astropix.com. Used with permission.

First, how are we defining a Great Comet? There’s no official definition. The label Great Comet stems from some combination of a comet’s brightness, longevity and breadth across the sky.

For purposes of this article, to consider the question of Great Comets of the north and south, and their frequency, we’ll define Great Comets as those that achieve a brightness equal to the brightest planet Venus (magnitude -3 to -4) or brighter with tails that span 30 degrees or more of sky.

We can consider some other major comets, too, those that reached magnitude 1 or brighter – in other words, they became as bright as the brightest stars – with tails spanning 15 degrees or more. These major comets would have been visible long enough for Earth’s citizenry to take notice (some impressive comets have such extreme orbits that they aren’t visible long, and hardly anyone besides astronomers notices them).

Halley’s comet in 1986 seconds before closest approach by the ESA spacecraft Giotto. The inset shows comets as depicted in popular illustration duration the time of Halley’s 1910 apparition. Big difference! Image via Giotto/ ESA.

Comet 67P/Churyumov-Gerasimenko in the days before its perihelion, or closest point to the sun, in August 2015, as seen by ESA’s Rosetta spacecraft. The image is intentionally overexposed to show the dust jets leaving the comet’s surface during its most active phase. Image via Rosetta/ OSIRIS Image Viewer/ Max Planck Institute for Solar System Research.

Consider, also, that humanity’s ability to view the heavens has completely changed in the last 50 years.

In that time, space travel has become a reality and solid-state electronics have revolutionized photography. Space probes have been sent to comets, most recently the European Space Agency’s Rosetta spacecraft, which spent two years (2014 to 2016) becoming intimately acquainted with comet 67P/Churyumov–Gerasimenko.

And the transistor and sensitive solid-state detectors revolutionized astrophotography providing amateurs with observing capabilities far exceeding professionals prior to modern electronics.

Everyone agrees that comet Lovejoy of 2011 was a Great Comet. Unfortunately, it was seen mainly from Earth’s Southern Hemisphere. In this image, comet Lovejoy is visible near Earth’s horizon behind airglow. December 22, 2011, image via NASA astronaut Dan Burbank, Expedition 30 commander, aboard the International Space Station/ Wikimedia Commons.

Comet Lovejoy (C/2014 Q2), photographed January 18, 2015, from Austria. This isn’t the comet Lovejoy that the Southern Hemisphere knew and loved as the Great Comet of 2011. Instead, it’s the rather spectacular comet Lovejoy of late 2014 and early 2015, made famous by the steady advances in digital astrophotography. Photo via G. Rhemann.

The years 1996-1997 were all about Hale-Bopp for comet fans. It was primarily a Northern Hemisphere comet. For weeks on end, Hale-Bopp was a fixture in our western sky, and it probably became one of the most-viewed comets in history.

This comet was indeed a major comet, but a Great Comet?

Nearly all comets have short periods of visibility. Hale-Bopp literally smashed the previous record for longevity in our skies, which had been held for nearly two centuries by the Great Comet of 1811. The 1811 comet remained visible to the unaided eye for nine months. Hale-Bopp was visible for a historic 18 months, truly the Cal Ripken Jr. of comets.

Hale-Bopp was bright early on, nearly but not quite as bright as Venus. The size of its nucleus – the icy core of the comet, hurtling through space – was estimated to be 60 kilometers +/- 20 km (37 miles +/- 12). That makes Hale-Bopp’s nucleus some six times larger than the nucleus of Halley’s comet and 20 times that of Rosetta’s comet, 67P/Churyumov–Gerasimenko.

Hale-Bopp had a long tail, up to 30 degrees long, but what was visible and bright was relatively a short tail, less than 10 degrees long, for nearly its entire period of visibility. Yes, some former Great Comets did not have 30 degree or longer tails, but those comets were, instead, extremely bright.

Bright generally means as bright as Venus or brighter. Hale-Bopp was not quite that bright. Some Great Comets are visible in daylight, but Hale-Bopp was not.

Finally, probably, we have to concede that Hale-Bopp straddles the edge of greatness.

Comet West as seen on January 11, 1974, and comet Kohoutek (inset) in 1973. Photo via University of Arizona/ Catalina Observatory/ NASA.

In 1973, skygazers were alerted to the early discovery of a comet called Kohoutek. At the distance at which it was discovered and its brightness, astronomers projected that this was going to be a Comet of the Century, perhaps a daylight comet, a once-in-a-lifetime event.

But Kohoutek fizzled. It really disappointed skygazers even though, for professional astronomers, the drawn-out observations of Kohoutek were quite valuable.

Astronomers thought they had learned a lesson from Kohoutek. Too many astronomers stood outdoors at public “star parties” that year, trying to show a disappointed public a difficult-to-see comet.

Unfortunately, the lesson learned from this comet led astronomers to downplay the next contender for greatness: comet West in 1976. That was too bad, because comet West did not disappoint. It was a magnificent comet! Still, many average skygazers were left out because astronomers remained quiet and the media did not report on it. Thus comet West was not seen and appreciated as it should have been.

Comet Lovejoy (2011) as seen from Santiago, Chile, December 22, 2011. Photo via Y. Beletsky (LCO)/ ESO.

From comet West, fast forward a full 31 years to 2007 and the next truly Great Comet (sidestepping Hale-Bopp). The comet hunter Robert H. McNaught – who has discovered more than 50 comets – discovered it. This 2007 comet is sometimes called the Great Comet of 2007. You’re in the Northern Hemisphere and don’t remember a Great Comet that year? That’s because, due to the inclination and high eccentricity of comet orbits, many are viewable from only one Earth hemisphere or the other. That was the case for comet McNaught in 2007.

Only Southern Hemisphere skygazers had a chance to become enamored of comet McNaught in 2007. Then, just four years later, another Great Comet appeared in Southern Hemisphere skies, comet Lovejoy of 2011. Northerners could only watch these two comets from a distance, through the wizardry of the digital age.

Or they could hitch a costly ride to place themselves under the southern skies.

So now consider the following chart which plots the major and Great Comets going back to 1680. Bear in mind that astronomical records appear to have reached a high level of fidelity about 200 years ago. Looking at this data statistically, what does it reveal?

Chronological chart of Great Comets and major comets, 1670 to present. Great Comets are marked with a yellow dot and all comets are displayed relative to their spheres of visibility – north, south or both. Image via T. Reyes/ Harvard University/ Space.com.

On average, every five years, one can expect to see a major comet visible from the Earth. However, the variability around that average is also about five years (one standard deviation).

This means that, on average, a major comet arrives every five to 10 years.

Sometimes the visitations are clustered. A prime example is the years 1910 and 1911, when four major comets crossed the sky.

The data also reveal that Great Comets arrive on average every 20 years. The variability is 10 years, as represented by a standard deviation around the average. So truly Great Comets may be visible from Earth every 20 to 30 years. Some centuries might have two or three (1800s) while others, four or more (1900s).

Great Comet of 1861, also known as C/1861 J1 or comet Tebbutt. Beyond this date, astrophotography began to capture Great Comets and major comets. Illustration via E. Weiß/ Bilderatlas der Sternenwelt.

Statistically, accounting for comet activity over 250 years – 38 major comets – is pretty sparse data, but one can see in the plot a historic trend. It is possible that if data could reveal a leaning towards one hemisphere, it could be an indicator that the Oort Cloud north or south of the ecliptic plane was affected by some object, e.g. a passing star. There is no indication of this in the records.

Does it answer the question? Has the Northern Hemisphere missed out on Great Comets?

There is certainly a recent trend towards the Southern Hemisphere for Great Comets. The data reveal that the long-term trend for both the Southern and Northern Hemispheres is a Great Comet every 25 to 40 years.

But, if you discount Hale-Bopp, then the last Great Comet for the Northern Hemisphere was Comet West, 44 years ago. Even if you consider Hale-Bopp as great, 23 years have passed.

It would seem that the north is statistically ready to receive its next Great Comet. Bring it on!

Comet Hale-Bopp with its prominent dust (white) and plasma (blue) tails. Photo taken from Linz, Austria. Image via E. Kolmhofer, H. Raab/ Johannes-Kepler-Observatory.

Bottom line: The Southern Hemisphere has had two Great Comets in this century: McNaught in 2007 and Lovejoy in 2011. But what about the Northern Hemisphere? Our last widely seen comet was Hale-Bopp in 1996-97. Comet West in 1976 was probably our last Great Comet. We’re due for one!

Read more and see charts: How to see Comet NEOWISE

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

View at EarthSky Community Photos. | In early July 2020, people are getting amazing shots of comet C/2020 F3 (NEOWISE). It’s not a great comet, but it’s a pretty good one! Alexander Krivenyshev in Guttenberg, New Jersey – of the website WorldTimeZone.com – wrote: “Despite a layer of clouds on the horizon, I was able to capture my first comet over New York City on the early morning of July 6, 2020.” Cool shot, Alexander! Thank you. Here’s how to see Comet NEOWISE.

We’re now treated to a near-constant barrage of wonderful comet photos – including those coming in this week of comet C/2020 F3 (NEOWISE). Most are from experienced astrophotographers, most with excellent skies, employing telescopes and modern cameras and sometimes later creating composites of several images. We now sometimes see comet images from the International Space Station, too. Meanwhile, from the ground and with the eye alone? Yes, NEOWISE is a nice comet. But most will need binoculars to see it. The last two Great Comets – McNaught in 2007 and Lovejoy in 2011 – were mainly seen under Southern Hemisphere skies. Not since Hale-Bopp in 1996-97 has the Northern Hemisphere seen a magnificent comet.

What’s more, some skygazers wouldn’t even classify Hale-Bopp as a Great Comet. In that case, we in the Northern Hemisphere might have to look all the way back to comet West in 1976 – 44 years ago – to find a truly great Great Comet. When will we see the next one?

Let’s consider some of the incredible comets of recent times and historic records, to find out when the Northern and Southern Hemispheres might expect to see the next Great Comet.

A night under the stars and comet Hale-Bopp in 1997. It remained visible to the unaided eye for 18 months, and many in the Northern Hemisphere saw it. Photo via Jerry Lodriguss/ www.astropix.com. Used with permission.

First, how are we defining a Great Comet? There’s no official definition. The label Great Comet stems from some combination of a comet’s brightness, longevity and breadth across the sky.

For purposes of this article, to consider the question of Great Comets of the north and south, and their frequency, we’ll define Great Comets as those that achieve a brightness equal to the brightest planet Venus (magnitude -3 to -4) or brighter with tails that span 30 degrees or more of sky.

We can consider some other major comets, too, those that reached magnitude 1 or brighter – in other words, they became as bright as the brightest stars – with tails spanning 15 degrees or more. These major comets would have been visible long enough for Earth’s citizenry to take notice (some impressive comets have such extreme orbits that they aren’t visible long, and hardly anyone besides astronomers notices them).

Halley’s comet in 1986 seconds before closest approach by the ESA spacecraft Giotto. The inset shows comets as depicted in popular illustration duration the time of Halley’s 1910 apparition. Big difference! Image via Giotto/ ESA.

Comet 67P/Churyumov-Gerasimenko in the days before its perihelion, or closest point to the sun, in August 2015, as seen by ESA’s Rosetta spacecraft. The image is intentionally overexposed to show the dust jets leaving the comet’s surface during its most active phase. Image via Rosetta/ OSIRIS Image Viewer/ Max Planck Institute for Solar System Research.

Consider, also, that humanity’s ability to view the heavens has completely changed in the last 50 years.

In that time, space travel has become a reality and solid-state electronics have revolutionized photography. Space probes have been sent to comets, most recently the European Space Agency’s Rosetta spacecraft, which spent two years (2014 to 2016) becoming intimately acquainted with comet 67P/Churyumov–Gerasimenko.

And the transistor and sensitive solid-state detectors revolutionized astrophotography providing amateurs with observing capabilities far exceeding professionals prior to modern electronics.

Everyone agrees that comet Lovejoy of 2011 was a Great Comet. Unfortunately, it was seen mainly from Earth’s Southern Hemisphere. In this image, comet Lovejoy is visible near Earth’s horizon behind airglow. December 22, 2011, image via NASA astronaut Dan Burbank, Expedition 30 commander, aboard the International Space Station/ Wikimedia Commons.

Comet Lovejoy (C/2014 Q2), photographed January 18, 2015, from Austria. This isn’t the comet Lovejoy that the Southern Hemisphere knew and loved as the Great Comet of 2011. Instead, it’s the rather spectacular comet Lovejoy of late 2014 and early 2015, made famous by the steady advances in digital astrophotography. Photo via G. Rhemann.

The years 1996-1997 were all about Hale-Bopp for comet fans. It was primarily a Northern Hemisphere comet. For weeks on end, Hale-Bopp was a fixture in our western sky, and it probably became one of the most-viewed comets in history.

This comet was indeed a major comet, but a Great Comet?

Nearly all comets have short periods of visibility. Hale-Bopp literally smashed the previous record for longevity in our skies, which had been held for nearly two centuries by the Great Comet of 1811. The 1811 comet remained visible to the unaided eye for nine months. Hale-Bopp was visible for a historic 18 months, truly the Cal Ripken Jr. of comets.

Hale-Bopp was bright early on, nearly but not quite as bright as Venus. The size of its nucleus – the icy core of the comet, hurtling through space – was estimated to be 60 kilometers +/- 20 km (37 miles +/- 12). That makes Hale-Bopp’s nucleus some six times larger than the nucleus of Halley’s comet and 20 times that of Rosetta’s comet, 67P/Churyumov–Gerasimenko.

Hale-Bopp had a long tail, up to 30 degrees long, but what was visible and bright was relatively a short tail, less than 10 degrees long, for nearly its entire period of visibility. Yes, some former Great Comets did not have 30 degree or longer tails, but those comets were, instead, extremely bright.

Bright generally means as bright as Venus or brighter. Hale-Bopp was not quite that bright. Some Great Comets are visible in daylight, but Hale-Bopp was not.

Finally, probably, we have to concede that Hale-Bopp straddles the edge of greatness.

Comet West as seen on January 11, 1974, and comet Kohoutek (inset) in 1973. Photo via University of Arizona/ Catalina Observatory/ NASA.

In 1973, skygazers were alerted to the early discovery of a comet called Kohoutek. At the distance at which it was discovered and its brightness, astronomers projected that this was going to be a Comet of the Century, perhaps a daylight comet, a once-in-a-lifetime event.

But Kohoutek fizzled. It really disappointed skygazers even though, for professional astronomers, the drawn-out observations of Kohoutek were quite valuable.

Astronomers thought they had learned a lesson from Kohoutek. Too many astronomers stood outdoors at public “star parties” that year, trying to show a disappointed public a difficult-to-see comet.

Unfortunately, the lesson learned from this comet led astronomers to downplay the next contender for greatness: comet West in 1976. That was too bad, because comet West did not disappoint. It was a magnificent comet! Still, many average skygazers were left out because astronomers remained quiet and the media did not report on it. Thus comet West was not seen and appreciated as it should have been.

Comet Lovejoy (2011) as seen from Santiago, Chile, December 22, 2011. Photo via Y. Beletsky (LCO)/ ESO.

From comet West, fast forward a full 31 years to 2007 and the next truly Great Comet (sidestepping Hale-Bopp). The comet hunter Robert H. McNaught – who has discovered more than 50 comets – discovered it. This 2007 comet is sometimes called the Great Comet of 2007. You’re in the Northern Hemisphere and don’t remember a Great Comet that year? That’s because, due to the inclination and high eccentricity of comet orbits, many are viewable from only one Earth hemisphere or the other. That was the case for comet McNaught in 2007.

Only Southern Hemisphere skygazers had a chance to become enamored of comet McNaught in 2007. Then, just four years later, another Great Comet appeared in Southern Hemisphere skies, comet Lovejoy of 2011. Northerners could only watch these two comets from a distance, through the wizardry of the digital age.

Or they could hitch a costly ride to place themselves under the southern skies.

So now consider the following chart which plots the major and Great Comets going back to 1680. Bear in mind that astronomical records appear to have reached a high level of fidelity about 200 years ago. Looking at this data statistically, what does it reveal?

Chronological chart of Great Comets and major comets, 1670 to present. Great Comets are marked with a yellow dot and all comets are displayed relative to their spheres of visibility – north, south or both. Image via T. Reyes/ Harvard University/ Space.com.

On average, every five years, one can expect to see a major comet visible from the Earth. However, the variability around that average is also about five years (one standard deviation).

This means that, on average, a major comet arrives every five to 10 years.

Sometimes the visitations are clustered. A prime example is the years 1910 and 1911, when four major comets crossed the sky.

The data also reveal that Great Comets arrive on average every 20 years. The variability is 10 years, as represented by a standard deviation around the average. So truly Great Comets may be visible from Earth every 20 to 30 years. Some centuries might have two or three (1800s) while others, four or more (1900s).

Great Comet of 1861, also known as C/1861 J1 or comet Tebbutt. Beyond this date, astrophotography began to capture Great Comets and major comets. Illustration via E. Weiß/ Bilderatlas der Sternenwelt.

Statistically, accounting for comet activity over 250 years – 38 major comets – is pretty sparse data, but one can see in the plot a historic trend. It is possible that if data could reveal a leaning towards one hemisphere, it could be an indicator that the Oort Cloud north or south of the ecliptic plane was affected by some object, e.g. a passing star. There is no indication of this in the records.

Does it answer the question? Has the Northern Hemisphere missed out on Great Comets?

There is certainly a recent trend towards the Southern Hemisphere for Great Comets. The data reveal that the long-term trend for both the Southern and Northern Hemispheres is a Great Comet every 25 to 40 years.

But, if you discount Hale-Bopp, then the last Great Comet for the Northern Hemisphere was Comet West, 44 years ago. Even if you consider Hale-Bopp as great, 23 years have passed.

It would seem that the north is statistically ready to receive its next Great Comet. Bring it on!

Comet Hale-Bopp with its prominent dust (white) and plasma (blue) tails. Photo taken from Linz, Austria. Image via E. Kolmhofer, H. Raab/ Johannes-Kepler-Observatory.

Bottom line: The Southern Hemisphere has had two Great Comets in this century: McNaught in 2007 and Lovejoy in 2011. But what about the Northern Hemisphere? Our last widely seen comet was Hale-Bopp in 1996-97. Comet West in 1976 was probably our last Great Comet. We’re due for one!

Read more and see charts: How to see Comet NEOWISE

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

How do waterspouts form?

View at EarthSky Community Photos. | Mark Rutkowski said on July 3, 2020, that he caught this sunrise waterspout in the Atlantic Ocean, near Miami. Thank you, Mark!

You’ve likely heard the term waterspout. In general terms, a waterspout is just a tornado that forms over an open body of water. A tornado over an ocean, lake – or even a river – is considered to be a waterspout. Waterspouts are typically weaker than most tornadoes. They’re usually short-lived. But they can be destructive. In this post, we’ll look at some images and videos of waterspouts and learn more about how they form.

When and where do waterspouts form?

Waterspouts typically occur in tropical regions, but they can form almost anywhere. They can occur in the Gulf of Mexico, the Great Lakes, western coast of Europe, Mediterranean Sea, and the Baltic Sea. They’re common throughout the world. In the U.S., the most common place to see waterspouts is along the Florida Keys and in the Gulf of Mexico. They typically form during the late spring and summer months, with tornadic waterspouts generally forming after 2 p.m. in the afternoon. Florida is considered to be the most prone area to see tornadoes in the United States. However, many of them end up being waterspouts. It’s not unusual to see 400 to 500 waterspouts a year in this area, and many that go unreported. In rare instances, more than one waterspout can form from a storm offshore.

Waterspout off Miami, Florida. Image via Neal Dorst/ OAR/ AOML.

Are waterspouts destructive?

Waterspouts are typically weaker than tornadoes, but as seen in the videos below, they can still cause a decent amount of damage. If you’re boating in the ocean, you’ll want to monitor the weather to avoid waterspouts. For instance, you might avoid being in the ocean around the Florida Keys in the afternoon or evening, when there’s a chance for thunderstorms at the coast. If you’re on a boat or ship and a waterspout develops, try to navigate around the area by going at right angles to its path. The National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration (NOAA) recommends that those on boats or ships monitor special marine warnings issued by the National Weather Service.

And of course it’s highly recommended that you avoid navigating through a waterspout. They can cause decent damage, and could hurt or kill you.

Here is a video of two waterspouts forming off Honolulu, Hawaii back in May of 2011:

How do waterspouts form?

There are two types of waterspouts we commonly see: A fair weather waterspout and a tornadic waterspout.

Fair-weather waterspouts form during relatively calm weather. They typically form along the dark, flat bases of a line of developing cumulus clouds. Air begins to circulate at the surface of the water and develops upward. Unlike tornadic waterspouts, which tend to happen in the afternoon, fair-weather waterspouts typically occur in the early to mid-morning hours, and sometimes in the early afternoon. Everyone associates tornadoes and waterspouts with thunderstorms, but in a fair-weather waterspout, there are no thunderstorms in the area. When fair-weather waterspouts form, they typically occur during light wind conditions. Because of this, these waterspouts typically don’t move much.

Waterspout in the Gulf of Mexico in 2012. Image via NWS Collection.

There are five stages that occur for fair weather waterspouts:

Stage 1 is the formation of a disk on the surface of the water, known as a dark spot.
Stage 2 is a spiral pattern on the water surface.
Stage 3 is a formation of a spray ring.
Stage 4 is where the waterspout becomes a visible funnel: the waterspout!
Stage 5 is the last and final stage of the life cycle where the waterspout decays. When the waterspout decays, it likely does so because a cool rain falls near the spout. This cool air typically disrupts the supply of warm, humid air that allows to keep the waterspout going.

Waterspout over the Gulf of Mexico in 2018. Image via National Weather Service/ Greg O’Neal of Hiram, Georgia.

Tornadic waterspouts are simply tornadoes that form over water or move from land to water. They typically occur with afternoon and evening thunderstorms. You need two main ingredients for tornadic waterspouts: warm, moist air and an unstable atmosphere. Trade winds from boundaries can also influence the formation of this kind of waterspout.

Unlike fair weather waterspouts, tornadic waterspouts typically develop downward in a thunderstorm, and begin to appear initially as funnel clouds. The storms that develop these waterspouts are typically non-supercell thunderstorms. According to NWS, a supercell thunderstorm is defined as:

… a large severe storm occurring in a significant vertically-sheared environment; contains quasi-steady, strongly rotating updraft (mesocyclone); usually moves to the right (perhaps left) of the mean wind; can evolve from a non-supercell storm; and contain moderate-to-strong vertical speed and directional wind shear in the 0-6 km [0-3.7 miles] layer.

Supercell thunderstorms are what produce large, violent tornadoes. In non-supercell thunderstorms – like those that produce waterspouts – tornadoes that typically form are due to a boundary layer. Spin ups that do occur in the storm are typically short and do not last long. Obviously, every waterspout is different and some could last longer than others.

Check out the amazing photo and video below of a waterspout pushing ashore on Grand Isle, Louisiana, on May 8, 2012. There’s spectacular footage of multiple waterspouts and a tornado hitting the coast around four minutes into the video. Scary stuff! FYI: Do not try this at home! If you know a tornado is about to strike near you, go inside and take shelter. It’s not the tornado itself that will hurt or kill you. Instead, it’s the flying debris in the air that’s dangerous.

Grand Isle, Louisiana, pair of waterspouts taken on May 8, 2012. See these same waterspouts in the video below. Image via WVUE-TV.

Bottom line: Waterspouts can be harmless as long as you understand and avoid them. If you live along the coast, you should treat all waterspouts as you would tornadoes on land, and assume they might come ashore. Waterspouts form off non-supercell thunderstorms, and typically are short-lived. Some waterspouts can reach the coastline and become tornadoes, so it is important for everyone to monitor the weather as it evolves. Waterspouts can occur anywhere in the world, and the most common place they form in the United States is along the Florida Keys and in the Gulf of Mexico.

from EarthSky https://ift.tt/2BDocW1

View at EarthSky Community Photos. | Mark Rutkowski said on July 3, 2020, that he caught this sunrise waterspout in the Atlantic Ocean, near Miami. Thank you, Mark!

You’ve likely heard the term waterspout. In general terms, a waterspout is just a tornado that forms over an open body of water. A tornado over an ocean, lake – or even a river – is considered to be a waterspout. Waterspouts are typically weaker than most tornadoes. They’re usually short-lived. But they can be destructive. In this post, we’ll look at some images and videos of waterspouts and learn more about how they form.

When and where do waterspouts form?

Waterspouts typically occur in tropical regions, but they can form almost anywhere. They can occur in the Gulf of Mexico, the Great Lakes, western coast of Europe, Mediterranean Sea, and the Baltic Sea. They’re common throughout the world. In the U.S., the most common place to see waterspouts is along the Florida Keys and in the Gulf of Mexico. They typically form during the late spring and summer months, with tornadic waterspouts generally forming after 2 p.m. in the afternoon. Florida is considered to be the most prone area to see tornadoes in the United States. However, many of them end up being waterspouts. It’s not unusual to see 400 to 500 waterspouts a year in this area, and many that go unreported. In rare instances, more than one waterspout can form from a storm offshore.

Waterspout off Miami, Florida. Image via Neal Dorst/ OAR/ AOML.

Are waterspouts destructive?

Waterspouts are typically weaker than tornadoes, but as seen in the videos below, they can still cause a decent amount of damage. If you’re boating in the ocean, you’ll want to monitor the weather to avoid waterspouts. For instance, you might avoid being in the ocean around the Florida Keys in the afternoon or evening, when there’s a chance for thunderstorms at the coast. If you’re on a boat or ship and a waterspout develops, try to navigate around the area by going at right angles to its path. The National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration (NOAA) recommends that those on boats or ships monitor special marine warnings issued by the National Weather Service.

And of course it’s highly recommended that you avoid navigating through a waterspout. They can cause decent damage, and could hurt or kill you.

Here is a video of two waterspouts forming off Honolulu, Hawaii back in May of 2011:

How do waterspouts form?

There are two types of waterspouts we commonly see: A fair weather waterspout and a tornadic waterspout.

Fair-weather waterspouts form during relatively calm weather. They typically form along the dark, flat bases of a line of developing cumulus clouds. Air begins to circulate at the surface of the water and develops upward. Unlike tornadic waterspouts, which tend to happen in the afternoon, fair-weather waterspouts typically occur in the early to mid-morning hours, and sometimes in the early afternoon. Everyone associates tornadoes and waterspouts with thunderstorms, but in a fair-weather waterspout, there are no thunderstorms in the area. When fair-weather waterspouts form, they typically occur during light wind conditions. Because of this, these waterspouts typically don’t move much.

Waterspout in the Gulf of Mexico in 2012. Image via NWS Collection.

There are five stages that occur for fair weather waterspouts:

Stage 1 is the formation of a disk on the surface of the water, known as a dark spot.
Stage 2 is a spiral pattern on the water surface.
Stage 3 is a formation of a spray ring.
Stage 4 is where the waterspout becomes a visible funnel: the waterspout!
Stage 5 is the last and final stage of the life cycle where the waterspout decays. When the waterspout decays, it likely does so because a cool rain falls near the spout. This cool air typically disrupts the supply of warm, humid air that allows to keep the waterspout going.

Waterspout over the Gulf of Mexico in 2018. Image via National Weather Service/ Greg O’Neal of Hiram, Georgia.

Tornadic waterspouts are simply tornadoes that form over water or move from land to water. They typically occur with afternoon and evening thunderstorms. You need two main ingredients for tornadic waterspouts: warm, moist air and an unstable atmosphere. Trade winds from boundaries can also influence the formation of this kind of waterspout.

Unlike fair weather waterspouts, tornadic waterspouts typically develop downward in a thunderstorm, and begin to appear initially as funnel clouds. The storms that develop these waterspouts are typically non-supercell thunderstorms. According to NWS, a supercell thunderstorm is defined as:

… a large severe storm occurring in a significant vertically-sheared environment; contains quasi-steady, strongly rotating updraft (mesocyclone); usually moves to the right (perhaps left) of the mean wind; can evolve from a non-supercell storm; and contain moderate-to-strong vertical speed and directional wind shear in the 0-6 km [0-3.7 miles] layer.

Supercell thunderstorms are what produce large, violent tornadoes. In non-supercell thunderstorms – like those that produce waterspouts – tornadoes that typically form are due to a boundary layer. Spin ups that do occur in the storm are typically short and do not last long. Obviously, every waterspout is different and some could last longer than others.

Check out the amazing photo and video below of a waterspout pushing ashore on Grand Isle, Louisiana, on May 8, 2012. There’s spectacular footage of multiple waterspouts and a tornado hitting the coast around four minutes into the video. Scary stuff! FYI: Do not try this at home! If you know a tornado is about to strike near you, go inside and take shelter. It’s not the tornado itself that will hurt or kill you. Instead, it’s the flying debris in the air that’s dangerous.

Grand Isle, Louisiana, pair of waterspouts taken on May 8, 2012. See these same waterspouts in the video below. Image via WVUE-TV.

Bottom line: Waterspouts can be harmless as long as you understand and avoid them. If you live along the coast, you should treat all waterspouts as you would tornadoes on land, and assume they might come ashore. Waterspouts form off non-supercell thunderstorms, and typically are short-lived. Some waterspouts can reach the coastline and become tornadoes, so it is important for everyone to monitor the weather as it evolves. Waterspouts can occur anywhere in the world, and the most common place they form in the United States is along the Florida Keys and in the Gulf of Mexico.

from EarthSky https://ift.tt/2BDocW1

Coronavirus and cancer – July updates

• 30 June – Two NHS Nightingale hospitals converted into cancer testing centres
• 29 June – Cervical screening to resume in Scotland
• 22 June – Shielding advice updated in England
• 2 June – Risk of death from COVID-19 confirmed to be higher for Black, Asian and minority ethnic Groups
• 27 April – NHS campaign urges people to get help if they need it
• 21 April – Urgent cancer referrals fall across the UK
• 21 March – Shielding measures introduced to protect people at high risk of COVID-19
• See previous coronavirus and cancer updates from June, May or March and April.

We’re monitoring the latest government and NHS health updates from across the UK and updating this blog post regularly as new guidance emerges.

1 July – UK Government sets out ‘road map’ to cementing the UK as a science superpower

Business Secretary, Alok Sharma, laid out a road map to help cement the UK as a research and science superpower. The plan centres around attracting global talent, investing in research infrastructure and cutting unnecessary red tape.

We fully support the Government’s ambitions for the UK to be a science superpower. Right now, the UK isn’t investing enough in world-leading infrastructure, so a move to do so is welcome. Charities like Cancer Research UK play a unique and vital role in the research ecosystem, which should not be under-estimated. This also comes as medical research charities like us are feeling the financial impact of COVID-19, which is putting our life saving research at risk. We look forward to working with Government to shape how the Roadmap is implemented, and importantly protect the role that charities can play in achieving these shared ambitions.

– Iain Foulkes, Cancer Research UK’s executive director of research and innovation.

Visit our previous blog posts for coronavirus and cancer updates from June, May or March and April.

Katie 

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

from Cancer Research UK – Science blog https://ift.tt/2Z4PcpX

• 30 June – Two NHS Nightingale hospitals converted into cancer testing centres
• 29 June – Cervical screening to resume in Scotland
• 22 June – Shielding advice updated in England
• 2 June – Risk of death from COVID-19 confirmed to be higher for Black, Asian and minority ethnic Groups
• 27 April – NHS campaign urges people to get help if they need it
• 21 April – Urgent cancer referrals fall across the UK
• 21 March – Shielding measures introduced to protect people at high risk of COVID-19
• See previous coronavirus and cancer updates from June, May or March and April.

We’re monitoring the latest government and NHS health updates from across the UK and updating this blog post regularly as new guidance emerges.

1 July – UK Government sets out ‘road map’ to cementing the UK as a science superpower

Business Secretary, Alok Sharma, laid out a road map to help cement the UK as a research and science superpower. The plan centres around attracting global talent, investing in research infrastructure and cutting unnecessary red tape.

We fully support the Government’s ambitions for the UK to be a science superpower. Right now, the UK isn’t investing enough in world-leading infrastructure, so a move to do so is welcome. Charities like Cancer Research UK play a unique and vital role in the research ecosystem, which should not be under-estimated. This also comes as medical research charities like us are feeling the financial impact of COVID-19, which is putting our life saving research at risk. We look forward to working with Government to shape how the Roadmap is implemented, and importantly protect the role that charities can play in achieving these shared ambitions.

– Iain Foulkes, Cancer Research UK’s executive director of research and innovation.

Visit our previous blog posts for coronavirus and cancer updates from June, May or March and April.

Katie 

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

from Cancer Research UK – Science blog https://ift.tt/2Z4PcpX

Use the Big Dipper to find Polaris

Tonight, use the Big Dipper in the constellation Ursa Major the Great Bear to find the sky’s northern pole star, Polaris. This is the star around which the whole northern celestial sphere appears to turn throughout the night. That’s because this star is located nearly above Earth’s northern axis. In times past, wanderers on the northern face of Earth used Polaris to stay on course.

Once you find it, you can also look for Thuban, a famous former pole star in the constellation Draco the Dragon. More about finding Thuban below.

So how can you find Polaris? Look at the chart at the top of this post. You’ll simply draw a line through the Big Dipper’s pointer stars – Dubhe and Merak. That line will point to Polaris, the North Star. You can use this trick to find Polaris any evening – no matter how the Dipper is oriented with respect to your northern horizon.

EarthSky community member Ken Christison captured these glorious star trails around Polaris, the North Star. This is the star around which the entire northern sky appears to turn.

Once you’ve got Polaris, if your sky is dark enough, you might be able to see the Little Dipper asterism. It’s harder to spot than the Big Dipper and needs a dark sky to be seen.

The chart below shows the Big Dipper, Little Dipper and the star Polaris as you’ll see them in the north on July evenings. Polaris marks the end of the handle on the Little Dipper asterism, which is in the constellation Ursa Minor.

In other words, the Little Dipper is not the whole constellation, but just a noticeable pattern within the constellation Ursa Minor the Smaller Bear.

Polaris isn’t the brightest star in the sky, as is commonly supposed. It’s only 50th brightest or so.

Still, Polaris is bright enough to be seen with relative ease on a dark, clear night.

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

Orientation of Dippers on July evenings. Note that Polaris is the end star in the handle of the Little Dipper. And look at Thuban, between the Dippers.

How to find the star Thuban, and its constellation Draco the Dragon. As night deepens, and the fainter stars of the Little Dipper spring into view, those of you with dark-enough skies can expect to see a winding stream of stars between the Big and Little Dippers. These meandering stars make up the constellation Draco.

The star Thuban is one of the stars here, part of the Tail of the legendary constellation Draco the Dragon, a fixture of the northern skies. I always find Thuban by remembering it’s between the Big and Little Dippers.

Thuban is famous for having served as a pole star around 3000 B.C. This date coincides with the beginning of the building of the pyramids in Egypt. It’s said that the descending passage of the Great Pyramid of Khufu at Gizeh was built to point directly at Thuban. So our ancestors knew and celebrated this star.

More about Draco, the great Dragon of the north

Draco the Dragon as seen on early summer evenings from mid-northern latitudes. Image via Wikipedia/AlltheSky.com.

Bottom line: Draw a line through the Big Dipper pointer stars to find Polaris, Earth’s northern pole star. If your sky is dark, also look for a former pole star, Thuban.

July 2020 guide to the bright planets

Donate: Your support means the world to us

from EarthSky https://ift.tt/2Jgnlv8

Tonight, use the Big Dipper in the constellation Ursa Major the Great Bear to find the sky’s northern pole star, Polaris. This is the star around which the whole northern celestial sphere appears to turn throughout the night. That’s because this star is located nearly above Earth’s northern axis. In times past, wanderers on the northern face of Earth used Polaris to stay on course.

Once you find it, you can also look for Thuban, a famous former pole star in the constellation Draco the Dragon. More about finding Thuban below.

So how can you find Polaris? Look at the chart at the top of this post. You’ll simply draw a line through the Big Dipper’s pointer stars – Dubhe and Merak. That line will point to Polaris, the North Star. You can use this trick to find Polaris any evening – no matter how the Dipper is oriented with respect to your northern horizon.

EarthSky community member Ken Christison captured these glorious star trails around Polaris, the North Star. This is the star around which the entire northern sky appears to turn.

Once you’ve got Polaris, if your sky is dark enough, you might be able to see the Little Dipper asterism. It’s harder to spot than the Big Dipper and needs a dark sky to be seen.

The chart below shows the Big Dipper, Little Dipper and the star Polaris as you’ll see them in the north on July evenings. Polaris marks the end of the handle on the Little Dipper asterism, which is in the constellation Ursa Minor.

In other words, the Little Dipper is not the whole constellation, but just a noticeable pattern within the constellation Ursa Minor the Smaller Bear.

Polaris isn’t the brightest star in the sky, as is commonly supposed. It’s only 50th brightest or so.

Still, Polaris is bright enough to be seen with relative ease on a dark, clear night.

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

Orientation of Dippers on July evenings. Note that Polaris is the end star in the handle of the Little Dipper. And look at Thuban, between the Dippers.

How to find the star Thuban, and its constellation Draco the Dragon. As night deepens, and the fainter stars of the Little Dipper spring into view, those of you with dark-enough skies can expect to see a winding stream of stars between the Big and Little Dippers. These meandering stars make up the constellation Draco.

The star Thuban is one of the stars here, part of the Tail of the legendary constellation Draco the Dragon, a fixture of the northern skies. I always find Thuban by remembering it’s between the Big and Little Dippers.

Thuban is famous for having served as a pole star around 3000 B.C. This date coincides with the beginning of the building of the pyramids in Egypt. It’s said that the descending passage of the Great Pyramid of Khufu at Gizeh was built to point directly at Thuban. So our ancestors knew and celebrated this star.

More about Draco, the great Dragon of the north

Draco the Dragon as seen on early summer evenings from mid-northern latitudes. Image via Wikipedia/AlltheSky.com.

Bottom line: Draw a line through the Big Dipper pointer stars to find Polaris, Earth’s northern pole star. If your sky is dark, also look for a former pole star, Thuban.

July 2020 guide to the bright planets

Donate: Your support means the world to us

from EarthSky https://ift.tt/2Jgnlv8

Eclipse? What eclipse?

View at EarthSky Community Photos. | Rob Pettengill in Austin, Texas – an experienced moon photographer – caught this image of the full moon Saturday night, July 4, 2020, one minute before midnight, at the height of the partial penumbral eclipse. He wrote: “A beautiful full moon for Independence Day in the United States, but where did the eclipse go? Partial penumbral eclipses are very subtle. Only a small sliver of the sun is hidden by the Earth, in roughly the top third of this image. This small gradual change in illumination is almost impossible to detect without careful photometric measurement.” Thanks, Rob!

By all reports, the faint partial penumbral lunar eclipse of July 4-5, 2020 was barely discernible (if that), even by experienced observers. At maximum eclipse, only about a third of the moon was covered by Earth’s faint, outer penumbral shadow. And – for most of us – that’s not enough to make the eclipse visible, according to experts.

For example, prior to July 4, eclipse guru Fred Espenak had written at the Facebook group Solar Eclipse Chasers:

During past lunar eclipses, I have made a concerted effort to determine when I can first see the subtle shading of Earth’s penumbral shadow on the moon (using unaided eye and binoculars). I have consistently found the penumbral shading is only detectable when at least 2/3 of the moon lies within the penumbral shadow.

Since the moon will only pass 1/3 of the way into the penumbral shadow during the July 4/5 lunar eclipse, it will not be visible to the unaided eye. But digital photography can reveal the subtle shading if the contrast of the image is greatly increased.

On the other hand, it’s been my experience that people’s powers of observation vary greatly. Some people have exceptional eyesight. Some have a really remarkable ability to notice subtle details. If that’s you, and you noticed Earth’s shadow on the moon during this eclipse, let us know in the comments below!

Eliot Herman in Tucson, Arizona – another experienced sky photographer – told EarthSky: “The eclipse was mostly a bust, but I do think there was a slight shadow. This is a side-by-side comparison of the moon one hour before, and at, maximum eclipse. There appears to be a very slight shading in the north of the moon as expected by prediction. These images were acquired in Tucson under somewhat degraded seeing from the Bighorn fire smoke particles still in the sky. The capture equipment is a Questar telescope and a Nikon D850. The exposures were matched closely as possible and the imagery was processed as a duo unit as to be identical.” Thank you, Eliot!

View at EarthSky Community Photos. | Iqbal Khan in Columbia, Missouri wrote: “A subtle penumbral lunar eclipse.” Thank you, Iqbal!

Bottom line: Even experienced observers say they couldn’t discern the Earth’s shadow on the moon during the partial penumbral eclipse of July 4-5, 2020. Did you see it? Do your photos show it? Let us know in the comments below, or post at EarthSky Community Photos.

from EarthSky https://ift.tt/2AuVw0y

View at EarthSky Community Photos. | Rob Pettengill in Austin, Texas – an experienced moon photographer – caught this image of the full moon Saturday night, July 4, 2020, one minute before midnight, at the height of the partial penumbral eclipse. He wrote: “A beautiful full moon for Independence Day in the United States, but where did the eclipse go? Partial penumbral eclipses are very subtle. Only a small sliver of the sun is hidden by the Earth, in roughly the top third of this image. This small gradual change in illumination is almost impossible to detect without careful photometric measurement.” Thanks, Rob!

By all reports, the faint partial penumbral lunar eclipse of July 4-5, 2020 was barely discernible (if that), even by experienced observers. At maximum eclipse, only about a third of the moon was covered by Earth’s faint, outer penumbral shadow. And – for most of us – that’s not enough to make the eclipse visible, according to experts.

For example, prior to July 4, eclipse guru Fred Espenak had written at the Facebook group Solar Eclipse Chasers:

During past lunar eclipses, I have made a concerted effort to determine when I can first see the subtle shading of Earth’s penumbral shadow on the moon (using unaided eye and binoculars). I have consistently found the penumbral shading is only detectable when at least 2/3 of the moon lies within the penumbral shadow.

Since the moon will only pass 1/3 of the way into the penumbral shadow during the July 4/5 lunar eclipse, it will not be visible to the unaided eye. But digital photography can reveal the subtle shading if the contrast of the image is greatly increased.

On the other hand, it’s been my experience that people’s powers of observation vary greatly. Some people have exceptional eyesight. Some have a really remarkable ability to notice subtle details. If that’s you, and you noticed Earth’s shadow on the moon during this eclipse, let us know in the comments below!

Eliot Herman in Tucson, Arizona – another experienced sky photographer – told EarthSky: “The eclipse was mostly a bust, but I do think there was a slight shadow. This is a side-by-side comparison of the moon one hour before, and at, maximum eclipse. There appears to be a very slight shading in the north of the moon as expected by prediction. These images were acquired in Tucson under somewhat degraded seeing from the Bighorn fire smoke particles still in the sky. The capture equipment is a Questar telescope and a Nikon D850. The exposures were matched closely as possible and the imagery was processed as a duo unit as to be identical.” Thank you, Eliot!

View at EarthSky Community Photos. | Iqbal Khan in Columbia, Missouri wrote: “A subtle penumbral lunar eclipse.” Thank you, Iqbal!

Bottom line: Even experienced observers say they couldn’t discern the Earth’s shadow on the moon during the partial penumbral eclipse of July 4-5, 2020. Did you see it? Do your photos show it? Let us know in the comments below, or post at EarthSky Community Photos.

from EarthSky https://ift.tt/2AuVw0y

How to see Comet NEOWISE

View at EarthSky Community Photos. | Composite image of Comet C/2020 F3 NEOWISE, captured by Marsha Kirschbaum in San Leandro, California on the morning of July 5, 2020. She wrote: “It was a really early a.m. wakeup call for me. This icy celestial visitor survived its pass by the sun to put on a splendid show at 4:45 a.m. this morning. After a night and early morning of the dull background roar of fireworks punctuated by really loud ‘bombs’ with the smell of smoke, I was really doubtful I would see the comet because of the haze. And there was a lot of it as can be seen on the horizon in this image. I couldn’t quite see it with the unaided eye, but my 200 mm lens saw it just fine. My kind of celestial fireworks.” Thank you, Marsha!

We still have to wait for another very bright comet, what astronomers call a great comet. There’s no strict definition for great comet, but everyone agrees that Hale–Bopp – widely seen by people in 1997 – was one. Lesser comets are moderately frequent, though, and, right now, there’s a nice binocular comet in the dawn sky. Some skilled observers have reported that – once you spot it with binoculars – you can remove them and see the comet with the unaided eye. Using binoculars or other optical aid is a must, though, if you want to see this comet’s split tail. The comet is called C/2020 F3 (NEOWISE). In this post, we provide charts (below) that can help you see this celestial visitor.

Comet C/2020 F3 (NEOWISE) was discovered on March 27, 2020 from some 326 miles (525 km) above Earth’s surface by NEOWISE, the Near Earth Object Wide-field Infrared Survey Explorer, which is a space telescope launched by NASA in 2009.

Comet NEOWISE was closest to the sun on July 3, 2020, passing at about 26.7 million miles (43 million km) from the sun, or a bit closer than the average distance from the sun to Mercury. Observers are still reporting seeing it, and so it appears to have survived the close encounter with our star.

Comet C/2020 F3 (NEOWISE) is up at dawn now and should remain in the dawn sky until around July 11. Then it will temporarily disappear below the horizon while making a transition to the early evening sky, becoming visible again in the evening around July 15-16.

If the comet remains relatively bright, it might be easier to see in the second half of July during evening dusk, because, at that time, it will appear somewhat higher in the sky.

During the first days of July, Comet NEOWISE is a little tricky to catch because it appears not against a dark sky, but very close to the northeastern horizon just as dawn is brightening the sky.

Yet skilled astrophotographers are catching it and producing some glorious photos.

Here are a few charts for early this week that might help you see the comet. Again, it will probably be best seen in binoculars. If you don’t have binocs but do have a good camera, a great alternative is to capture a 20- or 30-second long exposure image of the approximate area of the sky. Try at different magnification or zoom settings, and the results should reveal the comet’s nice tail.

Now, take a look at these charts. The first one shows the planet Venus, which is the third-brightest object in the sky (after the moon and sun). If you are standing facing east, looking at Venus, look to the planet’s left to see the bright star Capella. The comet will be below Capella on the morning of July 6. Then note that it moves toward the north (to the left, as you stand facing east) with respect to Capella on the mornings of July 7 and 8.

Wide-sky view showing the location of Comet C/2020 F3 (NEOWISE) just before dawn on Monday, July 6, 2020. As seen from central U.S. facing northeast about 45 to 60 minutes before sunrise. Venus is the very bright planet, while Capella is a bright star seen towards the northeast now, at dawn. Illustration by Eddie Irizarry using Stellarium.

A closer look. Comet NEOWISE just before dawn on Monday, July 6, 2020. Look for bright star Capella in the northeast, then find these other visible stars below it (Menkalinan and Mahasim). You may find Comet NEOWISE below these stars, as seen here. Using binoculars or long-exposure photography is highly recommended. Illustration by Eddie Irizarry using Stellarium.

Location of Comet C/2020 F3 (NEOWISE) just before dawn on Tuesday, July 7, 2020. As seen from central U.S. facing northeast about 45 to 60 minutes before sunrise. You can see here that Comet NEOWISE appears a little more to the left (north) each day. Illustration by Eddie Irizarry using Stellarium.

Comet NEOWISE just before dawn on Wednesday, July 8, 2020. As seen from central U.S. facing northeast about 45 to 60 minutes before sunrise. Illustration by Eddie Irizarry using Stellarium.

Comet NEOWISE just before dawn on Wednesday, July 8, 2020. As seen from central U.S. facing northeast about 45 to 60 minutes before sunrise. The comet should remain in the dawn sky until around July 11. For additional charts, try TheSkyLive.com. Afterwards, Comet NEOWISE will temporarily disappear below the horizon while making a transition to the early evening sky, becoming visible again in the evening around July 15-16. For evening charts, see below. Illustration by Eddie Irizarry using Stellarium.

As of early July, reports indicated that Comet NEOWISE has a visual magnitude between 1 to 2. If you know the magnitude scale, where smaller numbers indicate brighter objects, that may sound very bright! However, stars are pinpoints of light, whereas the light of comets is diffuse (spread out). So, for comets, a magnitude of 1 or 2 is fainter than it would be for a star of equal magnitude. The reason is, the comet’s light is distributed over a relatively wide area, instead being concentrated in a single point.

Now let’s look at some more photos!

This image – taken on the morning of July 5, 2020 by Jeremy Perez at Sunset Crater in Arizona – shows Comet C/2020 F3 (NEOWISE) on the same scale that you might see it with the eye alone. Try to use binoculars to reveal all the beauty of this comet. Used with permission. Thank you, Jeremy!

Another July 5 shot of comet C/2020 F3 (NEOWISE) by Jeremy Perez in Arizona. This one is more of a close-up. “It was an easy naked-eye object,” wrote this experienced sky observer, who was looking in a desert sky, “but really rewarding through binoculars.” Used with permission. Thanks again, Jeremy!

Comet NEOWISE has been seen even from the International Space Station!  Russian cosmonaut Ivan Vagner says the comet’s tail is clearly visible from the space laboratory’s cupula. Look at this amazing image:

Its tail is quite clearly visible from the @Space_Station!#ISS #comet #NEOWISE pic.twitter.com/FnWkCummD6

— Ivan Vagner (@ivan_mks63) July 4, 2020

Here is another great image by Philipp Salzgeber from Austria:

Comet C/2020 F3 Neowise image taken with 300mm lens, f/5.6, Nikon Z6, 0,4s, ISO 1600 from Wolfurt / Austria. The comet was clearly visible with the unaided eye, it was beautiful in the 10×50 binoculars. #comet #neowise pic.twitter.com/hBGeJZKtie

— Philipp Salzgeber (@astro_graph) July 5, 2020

Now look below for are a couple of evening charts, for later this month. Comet NEOWISE will be closest to Earth on July 23, 2020. It will pass at some 64 million miles (103 million km) from our planet. The good news is that – if the comet continues looking great – the view during the night of closest approach should be nice. Although binoculars might be required for the celestial visitor, it will be visible at the same time we see a beautiful crescent (not too bright) moon.

As a reminder, around mid-July, comet NEOWISE reappears early in the evening sky. This illustration shows location of the celestial visitor on July 15,2020. As seen from the central U.S., facing northwest just after sunset. Illustration by Eddie Irizarry using Stellarium.

Location of Comet NEOWISE on the night of closest approach to Earth (July 23, 2020). As seen from the central U.S., facing west-northwest just after sunset. Illustration by Eddie Irizarry using Stellarium.

In the meantime, it’s still a good idea to get up early in the morning this week and try for a glimpse of Comet NEOWISE while it’s still relatively bright, just in case it gets fainter later in the month.

And forget about making plans to view this comet’s next apparition in Earth’s skies. Comet NEOWISE might visible again from Earth, but not until around year 8,786!

Bottom line: Comet C/2020 F3 (NEOWISE) is basically a binocular object, although some experienced observers with pristine skies are reporting they can see it with the eye alone. This post has information and charts that will help you see the comet.

from EarthSky https://ift.tt/2VKrg9q

View at EarthSky Community Photos. | Composite image of Comet C/2020 F3 NEOWISE, captured by Marsha Kirschbaum in San Leandro, California on the morning of July 5, 2020. She wrote: “It was a really early a.m. wakeup call for me. This icy celestial visitor survived its pass by the sun to put on a splendid show at 4:45 a.m. this morning. After a night and early morning of the dull background roar of fireworks punctuated by really loud ‘bombs’ with the smell of smoke, I was really doubtful I would see the comet because of the haze. And there was a lot of it as can be seen on the horizon in this image. I couldn’t quite see it with the unaided eye, but my 200 mm lens saw it just fine. My kind of celestial fireworks.” Thank you, Marsha!

We still have to wait for another very bright comet, what astronomers call a great comet. There’s no strict definition for great comet, but everyone agrees that Hale–Bopp – widely seen by people in 1997 – was one. Lesser comets are moderately frequent, though, and, right now, there’s a nice binocular comet in the dawn sky. Some skilled observers have reported that – once you spot it with binoculars – you can remove them and see the comet with the unaided eye. Using binoculars or other optical aid is a must, though, if you want to see this comet’s split tail. The comet is called C/2020 F3 (NEOWISE). In this post, we provide charts (below) that can help you see this celestial visitor.

Comet C/2020 F3 (NEOWISE) was discovered on March 27, 2020 from some 326 miles (525 km) above Earth’s surface by NEOWISE, the Near Earth Object Wide-field Infrared Survey Explorer, which is a space telescope launched by NASA in 2009.

Comet NEOWISE was closest to the sun on July 3, 2020, passing at about 26.7 million miles (43 million km) from the sun, or a bit closer than the average distance from the sun to Mercury. Observers are still reporting seeing it, and so it appears to have survived the close encounter with our star.

Comet C/2020 F3 (NEOWISE) is up at dawn now and should remain in the dawn sky until around July 11. Then it will temporarily disappear below the horizon while making a transition to the early evening sky, becoming visible again in the evening around July 15-16.

If the comet remains relatively bright, it might be easier to see in the second half of July during evening dusk, because, at that time, it will appear somewhat higher in the sky.

During the first days of July, Comet NEOWISE is a little tricky to catch because it appears not against a dark sky, but very close to the northeastern horizon just as dawn is brightening the sky.

Yet skilled astrophotographers are catching it and producing some glorious photos.

Here are a few charts for early this week that might help you see the comet. Again, it will probably be best seen in binoculars. If you don’t have binocs but do have a good camera, a great alternative is to capture a 20- or 30-second long exposure image of the approximate area of the sky. Try at different magnification or zoom settings, and the results should reveal the comet’s nice tail.

Now, take a look at these charts. The first one shows the planet Venus, which is the third-brightest object in the sky (after the moon and sun). If you are standing facing east, looking at Venus, look to the planet’s left to see the bright star Capella. The comet will be below Capella on the morning of July 6. Then note that it moves toward the north (to the left, as you stand facing east) with respect to Capella on the mornings of July 7 and 8.

Wide-sky view showing the location of Comet C/2020 F3 (NEOWISE) just before dawn on Monday, July 6, 2020. As seen from central U.S. facing northeast about 45 to 60 minutes before sunrise. Venus is the very bright planet, while Capella is a bright star seen towards the northeast now, at dawn. Illustration by Eddie Irizarry using Stellarium.

A closer look. Comet NEOWISE just before dawn on Monday, July 6, 2020. Look for bright star Capella in the northeast, then find these other visible stars below it (Menkalinan and Mahasim). You may find Comet NEOWISE below these stars, as seen here. Using binoculars or long-exposure photography is highly recommended. Illustration by Eddie Irizarry using Stellarium.

Location of Comet C/2020 F3 (NEOWISE) just before dawn on Tuesday, July 7, 2020. As seen from central U.S. facing northeast about 45 to 60 minutes before sunrise. You can see here that Comet NEOWISE appears a little more to the left (north) each day. Illustration by Eddie Irizarry using Stellarium.

Comet NEOWISE just before dawn on Wednesday, July 8, 2020. As seen from central U.S. facing northeast about 45 to 60 minutes before sunrise. Illustration by Eddie Irizarry using Stellarium.

Comet NEOWISE just before dawn on Wednesday, July 8, 2020. As seen from central U.S. facing northeast about 45 to 60 minutes before sunrise. The comet should remain in the dawn sky until around July 11. For additional charts, try TheSkyLive.com. Afterwards, Comet NEOWISE will temporarily disappear below the horizon while making a transition to the early evening sky, becoming visible again in the evening around July 15-16. For evening charts, see below. Illustration by Eddie Irizarry using Stellarium.

As of early July, reports indicated that Comet NEOWISE has a visual magnitude between 1 to 2. If you know the magnitude scale, where smaller numbers indicate brighter objects, that may sound very bright! However, stars are pinpoints of light, whereas the light of comets is diffuse (spread out). So, for comets, a magnitude of 1 or 2 is fainter than it would be for a star of equal magnitude. The reason is, the comet’s light is distributed over a relatively wide area, instead being concentrated in a single point.

Now let’s look at some more photos!

This image – taken on the morning of July 5, 2020 by Jeremy Perez at Sunset Crater in Arizona – shows Comet C/2020 F3 (NEOWISE) on the same scale that you might see it with the eye alone. Try to use binoculars to reveal all the beauty of this comet. Used with permission. Thank you, Jeremy!

Another July 5 shot of comet C/2020 F3 (NEOWISE) by Jeremy Perez in Arizona. This one is more of a close-up. “It was an easy naked-eye object,” wrote this experienced sky observer, who was looking in a desert sky, “but really rewarding through binoculars.” Used with permission. Thanks again, Jeremy!

Comet NEOWISE has been seen even from the International Space Station!  Russian cosmonaut Ivan Vagner says the comet’s tail is clearly visible from the space laboratory’s cupula. Look at this amazing image:

Its tail is quite clearly visible from the @Space_Station!#ISS #comet #NEOWISE pic.twitter.com/FnWkCummD6

— Ivan Vagner (@ivan_mks63) July 4, 2020

Here is another great image by Philipp Salzgeber from Austria:

Comet C/2020 F3 Neowise image taken with 300mm lens, f/5.6, Nikon Z6, 0,4s, ISO 1600 from Wolfurt / Austria. The comet was clearly visible with the unaided eye, it was beautiful in the 10×50 binoculars. #comet #neowise pic.twitter.com/hBGeJZKtie

— Philipp Salzgeber (@astro_graph) July 5, 2020

Now look below for are a couple of evening charts, for later this month. Comet NEOWISE will be closest to Earth on July 23, 2020. It will pass at some 64 million miles (103 million km) from our planet. The good news is that – if the comet continues looking great – the view during the night of closest approach should be nice. Although binoculars might be required for the celestial visitor, it will be visible at the same time we see a beautiful crescent (not too bright) moon.

As a reminder, around mid-July, comet NEOWISE reappears early in the evening sky. This illustration shows location of the celestial visitor on July 15,2020. As seen from the central U.S., facing northwest just after sunset. Illustration by Eddie Irizarry using Stellarium.

Location of Comet NEOWISE on the night of closest approach to Earth (July 23, 2020). As seen from the central U.S., facing west-northwest just after sunset. Illustration by Eddie Irizarry using Stellarium.

In the meantime, it’s still a good idea to get up early in the morning this week and try for a glimpse of Comet NEOWISE while it’s still relatively bright, just in case it gets fainter later in the month.

And forget about making plans to view this comet’s next apparition in Earth’s skies. Comet NEOWISE might visible again from Earth, but not until around year 8,786!

Bottom line: Comet C/2020 F3 (NEOWISE) is basically a binocular object, although some experienced observers with pristine skies are reporting they can see it with the eye alone. This post has information and charts that will help you see the comet.

from EarthSky https://ift.tt/2VKrg9q