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Astronomers have found a deep space radio burst that pulses every 16 days – MIT Technology Review

Posted on February 12, 2020 by Danzig

A recently discovered fast radio burst turns out to be pulsing on a steady 16-day cycle, marking the first time scientists have been able to see a specific tempo from one of these mysterious signals.

Whats an FRB? They are extremely powerful radio emissions lasting only a few milliseconds. The sources of these bursts are absolute mysteries to astronomers, and of the hundreds that have been detected so far, weve only localized where five actually come from. Whatever event produces these emissions generates over tens of thousands of times more energy than the sun. While most FRBs are one-off signals, a few have been detected multiple times overagain, without explanation. Scientists have batted around hypotheses ranging from cosmic collisions to stellar flares to highly magnetized neutron stars to intelligent extraterrestrials (well come to that).

What do we know about this FRB? Its a repeating burst calledFRB 180916.J0158+65, first detected on September 16, 2018. It comes from a massive star-forming spiral galaxy 500 million light-years away, rich in heavy metals and low in magnetism.

Whats new here: After initially discovering FRB 180916.J0I158+65, the Canadian Hydrogen Intensity Mapping Experiment (CHIME) in British Columbia began follow-up observations for 13 months, detecting 28 more bursts. The bursts arrived in four-day phases (sometimes with multiple bursts, sometimes without bursts) followed by 12 days of silence, indicating that the source producing the FRB operated on a regular 16-day cycle. The findings were reported in a new paper recently uploaded to arXiv.

The plot thickens: The fact that the FRB has an overall 16-day cycle but the four-day window varies between zero signals and multiple signals suggests the source might be orbiting a massive object of some kind (such as low-mass black hole) that perhaps stimulates or eclipses emission of the signal based on the orbital period. A separate study posits that the FRB is produced by a neutron star in a binary system with a much more massive star.

Wait, is it aliens? Almost certainly not. The signals are a sign of energetic events that are on the extreme scale of the cosmos. Even a highly intelligent species would be very unlikely to produce energies like this. And there is no detectable pattern so far that would suggest theres a sentient hand at play.

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Astronomers have found a deep space radio burst that pulses every 16 days - MIT Technology Review

Here are some astronomical LEGO facts in honor of LEGO Masters upcoming space-themed episode – FOX 10 News Phoenix

Posted on February 12, 2020 by Danzig

Actress, neuroscientist, and overall genius Mayim Bialik will use her science know-how LEGO Masters

This weeks highly-anticipated Space Smash event aims to be an astronomical, televised brick build-off.

LOS ANGELES - Following last weeks amusement park-themed episode of LEGO Masters, this weeks highly-anticipated Space Smash event aims to be an astronomical, televised brick build-off.

If that werent exciting enough, actress, neuroscientist, and overall genius Mayim Bialik will use her science know-how as a guest judge, critiquing the LEGO-ized aliens, rocket ships and more.

To get you stoked for Wednesday nights episode, here are some LEGO facts that are simply out of this world:

Each year, over 20 billion LEGO pieces are made

There are approximately 35,000 LEGO pieces made every single minute. That might explain why its so easy to step on them.

Since LEGO began production of its iconic colorful pieces in 1932, there have been 400 billion created. If you stacked together every brick ever produced, the resulting toy tower would be 2,386,065 miles tall.

LEGO = Play Well

The name LEGO originates from the Danish term Leg Godt, meaning Play Well. Its actually the companys motto.

Every second, seven LEGO sets are sold in retail

The toy has never slowed in demand since the Danish company began making sets in 1955.

As if these brick production efforts werent impressive enough, LEGO also makes 400 million tiny toy tires annually, technically making the company the largest tire manufacturer in the world.

There are 86 LEGO bricks for every person on Earth

And for some, they have their own LEGO-ized versions of themselves. The manufacturer started basing its figurines off of notable people when it began producing NBAMinifigures in 2003.

The plural of LEGO is LEGO

The companys famous bricks come in over 60 different colors. This explains why it is so easy to get creative with them.

Each piece even has its own story. On the interior of a LEGO brick is stamped a three-digit number that indicates the origin of the molds production line. This means that any brick could be traced back to where it was produced in the event of errors.

Watch LEGO Masters at 9 p.m. ET / 6 p.m. PT on FOX.

This story was reported from Los Angeles. This station is owned by the FOX Corporation.

Ask An Astronomer: Here’s All You Need to Know About Decade’s First Supermoon on February 9 – The Weather Channel

Posted on February 12, 2020 by Danzig

A "supermoon" is seen over Dubai, United Arab Emirates, on Nov. 14, 2016.

Come Sunday night, and a larger-than-usual full moon is likely to greet you with the decade's first supermoon-like experience. While most of the astronomers believe that the full snow moon on February 9 is a supermoon, there are a few who say it is not. Remember, there is no single foolproof definition for the supermoon, and hence the confusion.

Amid all the ambiguity, we asked Mr Pradeep Nayak, a senior astronomer at Khagol Mandal and the author of 'Tarangan: Guide to night sky', to answer to tell us more about this recurring phenomenon. Khagol Mandal is a non-profit collective of astronomy enthusiasts who organise various sky observation programmes, lectures and study tours. Here is what Mr Nayak had to say:

First, can you tell us what a supermoon is?

A 'supermoon' rises at CST in Mumbai on Monday, November 14, 2016,

Supermoon simply means the full moon which appears larger to us than usual when its position in its orbit is nearest to the Earth. According to another definition, it is also the new moon at its closest approach to Earth, but since the new moon is 'Amavasya', we cannot observe the moon that day. There is no official definition of supermoon given by the International Astronomical Union. So, one may find different full moons or new moons as supermoons.

On February 9, there is a full moon day, and it's also a 'supermoon' according to famous Solar and Lunar eclipse scientist, Fred Espenak.

What is the best time and place to witness the supermoon on February 9?

As the sun will set in the west, this supermoon will rise over the eastern horizon. Choose a place from where the eastern horizon is clearly visible. Moon will rise at around 7:10 from Mumbai region. Since our celestial neighbour will be visible throughout the night, you can get a glimpse of brighter and larger than usual supermoon any time during the night. As the moon rises high on the sky, one can witness moon from any suitable place. It might be cold out there. So if you are planning to stay outdoor for a longer time, it is better to protect yourself with warm clothing.

Will the supermoon be visible around the world?

A "super moon" rises near the Lincoln Memorial on March 19, 2011, in Washington, D.C.

As Earth rotates around its axis in 24 hours, entire Earth will be able to observe the full moon on this day. As the day starts from the east, from the International Date Line, the night also starts from there.

Supermoon will be visible to half of the globe at a time. During the nighttime, all seven billion-plus people will be able to watch brightly lit supermoon, provided the sky clear. As the moon approached its 'perigee' with respect to Earth, the apparent size would be larger than usual.

Wait a minute, what do you mean by the 'perigee', and how much do supermoon events vary in size and brightness?

Moon is the most prominent object in the sky. Moon is the closest celestial object to us. Lying at the average distance of 3,84,000 km from Earth, it revolves the Earth about every 27 days.

To understand what is apogee and perigee, we have to remember what we studied during high school. Every planet revolves around the sun in an elliptical orbit, and every ellipse has two foci, i.e., two centres. Sun is on one of the foci. So, when the planet revolves around the sun, planet-sun distances are not constant, but always change. Hence, during the revolution, at one point in its orbit, the planet comes closest to the sun and at another point planet moves farthest from the sun.

Mumbaikars were treated with a bigger and brighter super full moon on Tuesday, Feb 19, 2019.

Same is true for our earth-moon system. When the moon is farthest to Earth in its orbit, at the distance of 4,05,700 km, i.e. 21,700 km further than average, it appears slightly smaller in apparent size. This point on moon's orbit is called as 'apogee'.

When the moon is closest to the Earth in its orbit, it is at the distance of 3,63,100 km from Earth, which is almost 21,000 km closer than the average. At this point, called 'perigee', the moon appears much larger.

Whenever the full moon occurs at or near perigee, it is called 'supermoon'. A supermoon appears around 14 per cent larger and 30 per cent brighter than usual. Of course, the change in size and brightness is not distinctly perceivable to a casual observer. With sophisticated instruments and accurate measurements, one can measure the difference in size as well as brightness.

Is there any impact of this particular phase of the moon on the Earth?

The term supermoon is relatively new. A US astronomer by the name Richard Nolle coined this term about 40 years ago. There are a few predictions of disasters during supermoon day. But, these claims are entirely untrue and have been refuted by scientists all over the world. It is the day as usual for Earth. Apart from a visual treat, the only effect we may observe is slightly higher spring tide. Astronomy enthusiasts now use this event to popularise astronomy.

How many supermoons can we look forward to in 2020?

"Supermoon" appears in the sky over Cairo, Egypt, on Jan. 31, 2018.

In the recent past, there were three consecutive supermoons in October, November and December 2016, which arouse the interest of people all over the world. November 2016 was the largest supermoon in the last 70 years.

The year 2020 is unique in terms of lunar events as we are going to witness four consecutive supermoons: February 9, March 9, April 8 and May 7.

Why the apparent size of the moon visible from the Earth change with time?

As the moon revolves around the Earth in an elliptical orbit, the distance between the Earth and the moon keeps changing. Therefore, the size of the moon also varies according to distance.

There is another factor which changes the size of the moon with timealbeit extremely slowly. The gravitational interaction between the sun, the Earth and the moon, is slowly pulling the moon away from the Earth, at the rate of about 4 cm per year.

This article was produced in collaboration with Khagol Mandal.

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Ask An Astronomer: Here's All You Need to Know About Decade's First Supermoon on February 9 - The Weather Channel

The economic cost of destroying nature is astronomical – Fast Company

Posted on February 12, 2020 by Danzig

The world economy depends on nature, from coral reefs that protect coastal cities from flooding to insects that pollinate crops. But by the middle of the century, the loss of key ecosystem services could cost the world $479 billion each year. The U.S. will lose more than any other country, with an $83 billion loss to the GDP per year by 2050.

Thats a conservative estimate. The projection comes from a report, called Global Futures, from World Wildlife Fund, which looked at only six of the services that nature provides and how those might change because of the impacts of climate breakdown, lost wildlife habitat, and other human-caused destruction of nature. (Many other services will also be impacted but cant currently be accurately modeled; the study also doesnt take into account the possibility of tipping points that lead to sudden, catastrophic losses of natural services.) By 2050, if the world continues on its current path, the global economy could lose $327 billion a year as we lose natural coastal protection from coral reefs, mangrove forests, and other natural systems. Another $128 billion could be lost annually from forests and peatlands that store carbon. Agriculture could lose $15 billion from lost pollinators and $19 billion from reduced water availability. Food costs are likely to go up, threatening food security in some regions.

In the U.S., the biggest losses will come from lost coastal protection and losses in marine fisheries. Because of the size of the U.S. economy, it will lose most in absolute terms. But developing countries will be hit hardest in terms of the percentage of GDP lost; Madagascar tops that list, followed by Togo, Vietnam, and Mozambique.

If the world radically changes course to more sustainable development, protecting areas that are most critical for biodiversity and ecosystem services, the global annual GDP could, instead, grow $11 billion by 2050. Businesses can help this happen by taking steps to make sure their supply chains arent damaging tropical forests and other key ecosystems, the report says. The nonprofit is also advocating for a New Deal for Nature and People that would help stop and reverse biodiversity loss by 2030. The current situation is bleak: Around half of the worlds corals have been lost in the last three decades. An average of around 12 million hectares of tropical forest has been lost each year in the last decade. More than 40% of insect species are at risk of extinction in the next few decadesand overall, a U.N. report last year estimated that humans have managed to put more than 1 million species at risk of extinction.

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The economic cost of destroying nature is astronomical - Fast Company

Darkest county in Georgia has its own astronomy village – 13WMAZ.com

Posted on February 12, 2020 by Danzig

From the Atlantic Coast to the mountains, there's a lot to do and see in Georgia. On Fridays, Anchor and Reporter Suzanne Lawler is taking you into wild places around the state you've probably never been to in her four-part series "Georgia Adventures."

If you're into stargazing, the darkest city in the state and even the southeast has you covered.

Sharon, Georgia in Taliaferro County is what you would call a one-horse town, with a population just over a hundred folks.

"Sharon, at one time, had over 40 stores here, and with the end of cotton and people moving away to find jobs in the city and so on, it died," said Renee Brown.

She's the mayor.

"We have no business, and there are no commercial lights," Brown said.

The skeletons of the past still stand, but there is a silver lining.

"I grew up in Atlanta, and I never really thought about astronomy and the stars and so on, and you come out here, and look at the sky at night, and it's another world, and it's fascinating, and it's beautiful," she said.

RELATED: Off the Beaten Path: Lake Tchukolako in Wilkinson Co.

In 2006, a group of folks from Atlanta bought a large tract of land and named it the Deerlick Astronomy Village.

"I always tell people that it's astronomy, not astrology. We are not the people that dance naked in front of the moon; we just are semi-scientists," said Jane Kuehn, who lives at the village.

Folks that live out there take star gazing seriously. There are 26 plots of land that cost homeowners at least $35,000 a piece.

"This is the darkest city in Georgia, and it's probably the darkest city in the southeast," Kuehn said.

Many homes have retractable roofs.

"This one you're pointing at here is a Richie Crichton telescope, I do mainly imaging, so you see the main telescope here here, it's a 10-inch, which basically means you have a 10-inch diameter mirror in the back," Daniel Ford said.

Ford took up astronomy as a kid, and as an imager, he's able to capture the moon in all its glory.

"So you see quite a number of the craters as well as the seas," Ford said.

RELATED: Off the Beaten Path: Jay Bird Springs in Dodge Co.

Dan Llewellny is a deep space imager too, and his photographs are stunning.

"This is where a lot of the new stars are born, there's all sorts of stellar nurseries all throughout the galaxy," Llewellny said.

Llewellny sends his stellar images to NASA.

"This is Messier 31, which is our neighboring galaxy," he said.

Where there's galaxies, there's planets.

"This is the Great Red Spot. The Great Red Spot is a giant storm on Jupiter. The diameter of the great red spot will fit two earths in here," Llewellny said.

These guys use really expensive equipment, but you can achieve this image with a DSLR camera or a high-end still photography camera.

The village does have two open houses a year for you to check them out. No matter what kind of gear you bring, there is a magic to seeing the night sky like few have ever seen it.

"You feel sort of really connected to the universe," he said.

You can learn more about the Deerlick Astronomy Village on their website.

Check out the last Georgia Adventures story, where Suzanne headed out to rural Georgia for a guided, high-tech hog hunt.

RELATED: How you can go on a guided, high-tech hog hunt

Join us next Friday, Feb. 14 on 13WMAZ Morning at 6 a.m., where Suzanne checks out one of the Seven Natural Wonders of Georgia.

Big telescopes join hunt for things that go flash in the night – Science Magazine

Posted on February 12, 2020 by Danzig

The Gemini North telescope in Hawaii is one of the worlds largest. Now, it is also very fast.

By Daniel CleryFeb. 12, 2020 , 2:15 PM

Last month, gravitational wave detectors picked up ripples in spacetime from a cosmic cataclysm: the possible merger of a black hole with a neutron star, an event never seen before. Responding to an alert, telescopes around the world swiveled toward the apparent source to watch for the collisions afterglow and confirm that it was a first. The array of telescopes joining the hunt was unprecedented, too: It included the 8.1-meter Gemini North telescope on Hawaiis Mauna Kea, one of the biggest in the world.

On this occasion, Gemini and the other telescopes saw nothing unexpected. Yet it was an important test of a new telescope network and software developed to automate observations of fast-moving events. Rejigging Geminis nightly schedule normally takes hours, but this time it was accomplished in minutes with a few clicks of a mouse. Were on the verge of a new era, says Andy Howell of Las Cumbres Observatory (LCO), an existing rapid response network, who helped develop the software. Its a whole new way to observe the universe.

Telescopes and other detectors that scan the sky for events that change daily, hourly, or even by the minute are creating a need for fast follow-up observations. Setting the pace now is the Zwicky Transient Facility, a 1.2-meter survey telescope in California that produces up to 1 million transient alerts per night, flagging objects that include supernovae, flaring galactic nuclei, and passing asteroids. The telescope has even alerted astronomers to black holes in the act of swallowing stars. But in 3 years time, its output will be dwarfed by that of the Vera C. Rubin Observatory (VRO, formerly the Large Synoptic Survey Telescope) in Chile. With an 8.4-meter mirror, the VRO will look much deeper into the universe and generate roughly 10 million transient alerts per night.

Chasing those alerts will be a daunting task. LCO, a privately funded network of 23 small telescopes, has set an example for how to do it. The heart of the network is a dynamic scheduler that juggles urgent follow-up requests and the more routine observations planned for the telescopes, which can offer almost 24/7 access to the entire sky because they are scattered around the globe. LCO is unique at the moment, changing schedule every 5 to 10 minutes, says Director Lisa Storrie-Lombardi. Such is its success that European astronomers are adapting LCOs scheduler for an expansion of their OPTICON network of about 60 telescopes. Their software was so much better than ours for the control system, says principal investigator Gerry Gilmore of the University of Cambridge.

The National Science Foundation (NSF), which owns a handful of large telescopes, also wants in on the action. About 18 months ago, it teamed up with LCO to create what it calls the Astronomical Event Observatory Network (AEON). Because many of the objects that trigger VRO alerts will be faint, NSF will add some of its large telescopes to the network. The difficulty is that LCOs telescopes are entirely robotic and NSFs arent, so the AEON team is designing software interfaces to bridge these two systems. The testbed has been the 4.1-meter Southern Astrophysical Research Telescope (SOAR) in Chile. For 20 nights last year, SOAR ran in AEON mode, with an operator responding to a quickly changing list of targets provided by the LCO scheduler. Another 20 AEON nights on SOAR begins this month, and Gemini North is now accessible on a limited basis. NSF also hopes to include the 4-meter Victor M. Blanco Telescope in Chile in AEON.

Automating follow-up observations is just one part of coping with the coming deluge from the VRO. Astronomers also need software to sift through transient alerts and take a first stab at deciding what an event is. Such programs, called event brokers, will divide alerts into categories: supernovae, flaring stars, or comets, for example. Researchers can pluck interesting events from these bins, or they can automate the task with a target and observation manager (TOM), which can automatically request follow-up observations and set up a web page for each event so astronomers can see and discuss data. Its like Facebook for transients, says Eric Bellm, who leads the development of the VRO alert pipeline at the University of Washington, Seattle.

Sherry Suyu of the Max Planck Institute for Astrophysics is leading the development of a TOM for gravitational lensing events. Sometimes, the light of distant supernovae is bent, or lensed, by an intervening galaxy, creating multiple images of the same supernova. Because the light for the images follows different paths to Earth, they may flare up days or weeks apart. Its like a time machine, Suyu says. We see the first one and wait for the second to appear, which makes it possible to study a supernova from its very first moments.

Only two such lensed supernovae have been discovered. But Suyu expects the VRO will find hundreds, enabling astronomers to study supernovae in detail and use them to calculate the Hubble constant, the expansion rate of the universe. Suyus TOM would take events categorized as supernovae by event brokers, automatically trigger observations to assess whether a new supernova is lensed, and, if so, schedule daily observations.

Some astronomers are concerned that enlisting more telescopes to respond to transient alerts could disrupt everyday research. Gemini, for example, is partly funded by international partners, and not all partners are turned on by time-domain, says Geminis Andy Adamson. In this fast-moving new world, time-domain astronomers may end up alienating others who have long-planned observations. Were working out the politics, Howell says.

And despite all these efforts, theres still widespread concern among astronomers that the sheer volume of VRO alerts will swamp them. LCOs Rachel Street led the development of a toolkit for designing TOMs, but she says, Were already saturated with more targets than we can possibly observe and its going to get worse.

Big telescopes join hunt for things that go flash in the night - Science Magazine

Black holes echoing through spacetime could be telling us they arent what we think they are – SYFY WIRE

Posted on February 12, 2020 by Danzig

Nothing not even light can escape a black hole, right?Black holes might not be the fathomless cosmic graves we think they are. Most scientists believe that once matter falls past the event horizon (basically the point of no return), intense gravity means that matter is a goner. Emphasis on most. Now physicist Niayesh Ashfordi of the University of Waterloo is challenging that belief based on the theory of gravitational wave echoes in spacetime that could mean not everything that dares to pass the event horizon will vanish forever.

Enter quantum black holes.

If matter echoing from an interaction with a black hole can be proven, it will shake physics like nothing else. Such echoes disrupt the curvature of spacetime that has been created over innumerable years by everything from astral explosions to planets smashing into each other. Ashfordi recently published a study in The Journal of Cosmology and Astroparticle Physics that suggests these gravitational wave echoes might have already been detected in a particular black hole, caused by an epic neutron star crash spinning at breakneck speed.

If confirmed, this finding will have significant consequences for both physics of quantum black holes and astrophysics of binary neutron star mergers, he and co-author Jahed Abadi said of the merger, GW170817, adding that it is the first tentative detection of post-merger gravitational wave "echoes" from a highly spinning "black hole" remnant.

But first, understanding gravitational wave echoes means you have to understand Hawking radiation.

Stephen Hawkings black hole information paradox makes a shocking suggestion. Quantum black holes, or black holes that account for the extreme weirdness of quantum mechanics, might actually vomit matter it swallowed back out into the cosmos. The thing is, whatever escapes would have no information left about anything that happened before it fell victim to the gaping maw of that black hole. No matter. Quantum particles sneaking out of black holes still defy what we think we know about these star corpses. This theoretical phenomenon, in which particles radiate from a black hole until nothing remains, is Hawking radiation.

It sounds like it makes total sense until you realize it breaks the laws of the universe. Nothing, not even a black hole, is supposed to permanently delete information. So how could gravitational wave echoes even get out? Back to that neutron star merger. Gravitational waves are already known to come out of collisions that violent, and not only do they ripple out into space, but also bounce back. Never mind that physics would normally say this bouncing back of something that already overstepped the event horizon is impossible.

Ashfordi and Abedi saidtentative evidence for [gravitational wave echoes] has been found in binary black hole merger events and that they discovered a tentative detection of echoes.

The scientists believe that a gravitational wave can get head-butted by quantum particles flying out of there, which makes that wave bounce back as an echo of the ripple that started all this chaos. Bouncing outward, this wave bumps into that luminous halo you probably saw in the first black hole image ever, alsoknown as the photon ring. Echoes end up trapped between the quantum black hole and the photon ring. Some of them are believed to eventually break free, which is why traces of them may have already been observed. Upcoming telescopes like the Laser Interferometer Space Antenna (LISA) may be able to pick up these runaway echoes in the future.

While much still needs to be demystified, one thing that can be said for sure is that its definitely not aliens.

(via Motherboard/Journal of Cosmology and Astroparticle Physics)

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Black holes echoing through spacetime could be telling us they arent what we think they are - SYFY WIRE

Why the suns mysteries could soon be revealed – Christian Science Monitor

Posted on February 12, 2020 by Danzig

For astronomers, the next decade could reveal a wealth of scientific understanding about our nearest star, thanks to a trio of new instruments.

Launched on Sunday,Solar Orbiter spacecraft a collaboration between the European Space Agency and NASA aims to study the suns mysterious magnetic poles, which appear to flip every 11 years. NASAs Parker Solar Probe, which launched in 2018 and recently made its closest pass to the suns surface, seeks to explain the mysteries of the suns atmosphere. And theNational Solar ObservatorysDaniel K. Inouye Solar Telescope in Hawaii, which released dazzling test images last month, brings its keen eye to the suns fainter parts.

The three observatorieswere designed and planned separately, and it was a coincidence that theyre set to operate around the same time. Scientists say that learning about our sun can yield information about other stars and perhaps even life outside our solar system.

These three together, they basically will define the future of the field, says Nour Raouafi, project scientist of NASAs Parker Solar Probe mission. The next decade, I believe, will be the golden age of solar and heliophysics research.

Our sun is such an enduring presence in our sky that it can feel like an old friend. But, with a blinding light that confounds traditional telescopes and scorches most space probes, much about it remains a mystery.

That could soon change, with a trio of new solar observatories poised to revolutionize our view of our solar companion, its relationship to our world, and perhaps even other star systems.

On Sunday evening, the newest solar observer rocketed into space by the light of a nearly full moon. The Solar Orbiter spacecraft a collaboration between the European Space Agency and NASA is designed to examine the sun from new angles, including taking the first ever look at its poles.

It joins NASAs Parker Solar Probe, which launched in 2018 and has recently taken its deepest dive into the suns atmosphere to sample the solar wind directly. Also coming online later this year is a 4-meter ground-based observatory, the Daniel K. Inouye Solar Telescope (DKIST) in Hawaii, which will be able to study the fainter parts of the sun. Late last month, DKIST released its first test images of the suns surface, depicting turbulent cell-like structures the size of Texas and dazzling the public.

The sun is continually producing space weather coronal mass ejections, geomagnetic storms, and solar flares that can disrupt satellites and the power grid on Earth.

Researchers have long observed that these solar storms seem to wax and wane regularly, a phenomenon thought to be linked to the suns magnetic poles flipping every 11 years. But scientists havent been able to take a good look at the poles. All images of the sun have largely been from the same angle, roughly in line with the solar equator.

Its like trying to study a three-dimensional ball with only looking at part of it, says Holly Gilbert, NASA deputy project scientist for Solar Orbiter and director of the Heliophysics Science Division at NASAs Goddard Space Flight Center. But Solar Orbiters path will take it over the suns top and bottom. This allows us to look at the entire sun itself.

We know from observing other stars that our sun is fairly tame at least at the moment. Astronomers have spotted stars exploding violently, likely dousing planets in their orbit with radiation. Could our star be capable of that, too?

Were so desperate to know if other stars are like our sun, if our sun is normal, or what our sun might have looked like in its past or in its future, says James Davenport, a stellar astronomer at the University of Washington.

If researchers can figure out what mechanisms drive the suns activity, it could help put it in a cosmological context among other stars. And that knowledge, in turn, could help scientists piece together a more precise picture of how solar systems form as well as what might make a planet habitable.

All of life on the Earth comes from the energy that the sun produces, says Jeff Kuhn, an astronomer at the University of Hawaii and a co-investigator on the DKIST Science Working Group. And without a complete understanding of how that energy fluctuates, we dont really understand our future.

Earths atmosphere allows just enough of the suns light through while keeping the most harmful rays out. But scientists say the solar wind, the stream of plasma rushing away from our star, can rip atmospheres from planets. Earths magnetic field deflects much of the solar wind, protecting our atmosphere, but the same might not be the case for similar planets orbiting other stars.

The new observatories are built to glean more information about the solar wind and the mechanisms that drive it. As such winds are difficult to study directly around other stars, scientists hope these missions will reveal indirect ways to infer the flow of stellar winds in other star systems. That knowledge, in turn, could help improve models to identify potentially habitable distant worlds.

The sun is basically the star in our backyard, says David Alexander, a solar physicist at Rice University. So it becomes a laboratory for astrophysics, he says. Were taking that knowledge of the sun and then applying it to other stars.

Parker, Orbiter, and DKIST werent planned to be a team. All three observatories were designed separately, and it was a coincidence that they will all begin to operate around the same time.

But thats a coincidence scientists are eager to harness. The three observatories will work together in many ways, using their unique sets of instruments and paths to study regions of the sun from different angles, both literally and figuratively.

Its a really good synergy with these different observatories, Dr. Gilbert says. Heliophysics is pretty difficult because its really a system science, and we have to understand how these different parts of the system are coupled, from the solar atmosphere to the magnetic field, and how that interacts with the Earths atmosphere and magnetic field.

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Together, astrophysicists expect this trio to revolutionize our view of the sun, resolving long-standing questions about stars and planets, and revealing surprises about our constant companion.

The sun is right there in front of us, Dr. Kuhn says. Its been there in front of us forever, since civilization started. And yet now, only now in our lifetime are we looking at it and seeing as much detail thats there.

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Why the suns mysteries could soon be revealed - Christian Science Monitor

As era of commercial spaceflight dawns, U of T alumna seeks to deliver health care among the stars – News@UofT

Posted on February 12, 2020 by Danzig

When it comes to choosing a career path, students are often told to reach for the stars. Katie Harris is taking this advice literally.

Harris has her sights set on becoming a flight surgeon, a doctor who provides medical care for astronauts before, during and after their missions.

What led Harris to become interested in such a specialized field? Shes fascinated with how the human body performs in hostile conditions.

I just love human performance in space, says the University of Toronto alumna.

Were not really designed for space, Harris says. It flips medicine on its headbecause typical medicine is an unhealthy population in a normal environment. Space medicine is an extremely healthy population in an extremely abnormal environment. I think that's really interesting.

A member ofTrinity College, Harris graduated from the Faculty of Arts & Science in 2018 with an honours bachelor of science, majoring in astronomy and astrophysics, and physics, with a minor in anthropology. Immediately after graduating, she attended the International Space University in Strasbourg, France, where she completed a master of science in space studies. Her courses included space humanities, space management and business, space policy and law, and space engineering. Essentially, the school enables graduates to become well-rounded space professionals.

With the ever-evolving field of space travel, including commercial space flight programs on the horizon, theres a good chance Harris may one day administer health care in zero gravity.

We need people in space with diverse training in addition to advanced military training, says Harris, who has since returned to Canada to attend medical school at Memorial University in Newfoundland. Theres now a need for people with diverse, interdisciplinary backgrounds.

While enjoying her third university, she looks back at U of T fondly and says her time as an undergraduate set her up for success.

I had the perfect undergrad experience, she says. I had a community within my degree, a community where I lived and then all this opportunity because U of T was so big.

In her second year, she connected withProfessor Suresh Sivanandamat theDunlap Institute for Astronomy & Astrophysics another highlight.

Professor Sivanandam took a chance on me, says Harris, recalling when she approached him to become involved in his research projects despite having very little lab or research experience.

He helped me become a really good researcher, she says. He taught me a lot of research skills, how to work in a lab, how to give a strong presentation, how to write good abstracts. He gave me all these opportunities and taught me things that I still apply day-to-day.

[Harris] had a lot of great initiative and resourcefulness, says Sivanandam. If theres one phrase that I would use to describe her, its can-do. She also has this side to her where she really wants to give back to the community and make positive social change, so looking at her path to space medicinethis makes sense.

Another of Harrissmentors is no stranger to space travel. Harris says she has benefitted from advice given by Canadian astronaut Chris Hadfield, who has been both supportive and candid about the incredible demands of space travel and exploration.

One of the best pieces of advice he ever gave me was, Make sure you're doing something that you love, because space can be a bit of a long shot. You have to love every step.

Harriss next step will be finishing medical school in 2023 and serving the people in her home province of Newfoundland as a doctor allwhile keeping an eye on the cosmos.

When the day comes to care for astronauts, she hopes she can apply what she learns in orbit to benefit those back home.

You can gain a lot of insight through space medicine for medicine on the ground, she says, adding that space-medicine models can be applied to telemedicine to better serve Canadas rural populations.

While the future of space travel and space medicine is difficult to predict, Harris is confident shell get there. Recently connecting with Canadas lone flight surgeon, Raffi Kuyumjian, who works with the Canadian Space Agency has definitely helped.

But this is a pathway that Im still figuring out day-by-day, says Harris, predicting that she will likely have to put in a decade of being a doctor here on Earth before she can focus on keeping astronauts healthy in space.

That was something I also learned in undergrad: Dont plan for right now because right now is not going to stay this way for long. Use your broadest imagination and plan for that.

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As era of commercial spaceflight dawns, U of T alumna seeks to deliver health care among the stars - News@UofT

Elon University’s new 10-year plan includes an innovation quad, new nursing programs and lots more dorm rooms – Greensboro News & Record

Posted on February 12, 2020 by Danzig

ELON A pair of new engineering buildings, a new nursing program, more than 1,000 new dorm beds and much more could come to Elon University over the next decade.

Elon on Tuesday rolled out an ambitious 10-year plan that will take the private university to 2030. Also included in the "Boldly Elon" plan: a lot more money for financial aid, renovations to several major campus buildings and a higher graduation rate.

"We have set a bold course for the next decade," Elon President Connie Ledoux Book told an audience of Elon students and employees inside the Alumni Gym. "It will be an exciting 10 years and a busy 10 years."

Among the highlights of Elon's new plan:

The Innovation Quad: Elon will create what it's calling an Innovation Quad, a new STEM-focused part of campus that will include as many as 10 academic and residential buildings. Elon expects to start construction on two adjoining buildings 60,000 square feet of space estimated to cost $50 million in the fall. The larger of the two buildings will have classrooms, labs and faculty offices for Elon's engineering and physics departments. The smaller building will have a virtual reality classroom, an astrophysics lab and labs that will let students design, make and test their creations.

These two connected buildings will go up north of the McMichael Science Center, which opened in 1998 and is Elon's newest science facility. The rest of the Innovation Quad will be built to the east on the former site of Elon Elementary. The university didn't disclose timelines or costs for these future buildings.

Engineering: Elon for years offered engineering classes, then established a four-year engineering-degree program in 2018. In addition to providing itsengineering program a new home, Elon will seek accreditation for engineering in 2021 and then create a standalone School of Engineering. (Engineering is currently part of the university's arts and sciences college.) The university said it's promoting engineering and other STEM disciplines because K-12 schools are emphasizing math and science and STEM college graduates are in high demand in the workforce.

Nursing:Nursing is another high-growth career field, and Book said nursing is among the majors requested most often by prospective Elon students. Elon is planning four tracks that will lead to work as a registered nurse: a traditional four-year undergraduate program; a pair of two-year programs for current registered nurses and associate's degree holders who want a bachelor's degree in nursing; and an accelerated 16-month program for people with a bachelor's degree in another field. Elon expects to enroll its first nursing students in 2021.

Bricks and mortar: Elon's 10-year plan calls for adding 1,200 more residence hall beds, which will let the university house 80% of its undergraduates on campus. Book said new dorms likely will be built as part of the Innovation Quad and on the south side of campus. Elon's plan includes new spaces for theater, music and other performing arts programs and new practice, competition and academic spaces for Elon's athletic teams. Several key campus buildings could be renovated. That number includes Elon's student center, the student recreation center, the McMichael Science Center and older residence halls. The strategic plan didn't list cost or timetables for these projects.

Scholarships: Over the next decade Elon wants to double its financial aid budget to be able to recruit students from a wider range of racial, ethnic and socioeconomic backgrounds from across the United States and around the world. To do that, Elon aims to more than double its endowment to $625 million and commit 80% of that fund to scholarships. First, though, Elon must complete its current fundraising campaign. The university so far has raised $181 million toward its $250 million goal.

Graduation rates: Most universities would be thrilled with Elon's graduation rates: 80% of Elon students get their degrees in four years, and roughly 85% graduate in six years. But Elon thinks it can do better and will push for a four-year rate of 85% and a six-year rate of 90% by decade's end.

The law school: The university wants to "achieve national recognition" for Elon University School of Law in downtown Greensboro but wasn't specific on how it plans to gain that acclaim.

A greener campus:Elon pledged to be carbon-neutral by 2037, meaning that it wants its campus to have net carbon emissions of zero. The university plans to reduce energy usage, erect environmentally friendly buildings and invest in renewable energy.

Enrollment: Book said Elon will continue its slow-growth approach and increase overall enrollment by about 100 students per year. At that rate, Elon's enrollment will reach about 8,000 students by 2030.

Elon announced its new path forward after it wrapped up its last 10-year planthat, according to a final report on the plan, ushered in "the most transformative decade in the universitys history."

The short list of Elon's milestones over the past decade includes the opening of a health sciences school, construction of a 5,100-seat basketball arena, creation of 20 new undergraduate majors, growth in campus square footage of 60% and enrollment of 25% and addition of financial aid and study abroad opportunities for its students.

The overarching goal of Elon's last strategic plan was to be recognized among the nation's top universities. Elon started the 2000s in the annual U.S. News & World Report college rankings as the second-ranked university in the South, then claimed the magazine's top spot among Southern regional universities for six straight years.

In September, Elon was ranked for the first time among the magazine's national universities, a list that includes all eight Ivy League institutions and well-known North Carolina schools such as Duke, Wake Forest, UNC-Chapel Hill and N.C. State University. Elon made its debut in the national university rankings at No. 84.

Contact John Newsom at (336) 373-7312 and follow @JohnNewsomNR on Twitter.

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Elon University's new 10-year plan includes an innovation quad, new nursing programs and lots more dorm rooms - Greensboro News & Record

Breaking the glass ceiling: When it comes to science, Polish women are on the up – The First News

Posted on February 12, 2020 by Danzig

Looking to the future. Polish women are strongly represented in the world of science. Kalbar/TFN

As the world marks International Day of Women and Girls in Science, Poland can boast one of the most balanced female-to-male ratios in science, with 49.5 percent being comprised of females. In real terms that means 611,700 of Polands 1,252,900 scientist and engineers are female.

To celebrate the day TFNs has come up with a selection of some the countrys brightest and best female scientists and engineers.

Malinkiewicz is carrying out pioneering work on solar energy.Marcin Obara/PAP

Olga Malinkiewicz founded Saule Technologies in 2014, and since then the company has gone from strength to strength developing perovskites based solar cells for commercial use. Solar energy has been around a long time but Malinkiewiczs innovation will allow it to be harnessed more efficiently and on more surfaces. Her work could help many nations hit clean energy goals without the culture shift required by most alternative energies.https://www.thefirstnews.com/article/here-comes-the-sun-the-future-looks-bright-for-solar-energy-in-poland-5069

Mocibrodzka helped capture the first image of a black hole.STEPHANIE LECOCQ/PAP/EPA

Doctor Monika Mocibrodzka was part of the international team who captured the first image of a black hole. The astrophysicist who works at the Department of Astrophysics at Radboud University in Nijmegen, the Netherlands, was analysing polarimetry, the measurement and interpretation of the polarization of transverse waves, most notably electromagnetic waves, such as radio or light waves for the project.https://www.thefirstnews.com/article/first-ever-direct-image-of-a-black-hole-captured-by-global-virtual-telescope-revealed-by-scientists-5525

Adamkiewicz has risen to the top of one of the countrys leading pharmaceutical companies.ADAMED

Doctor Magorzata Adamkiewicz is vice-president of the board at Adamed, one of the leading pharmaceutical companies in Poland. She started her professional career at the Endocrinology Clinic at the Medical Centre of Post-graduate Education in Warsaw before joining Adamed. Since 2001 Adamed has allocated PLN1.2 billion to research and development activities and runs a SmartUp programme to develop Polands talented young scientists.https://www.thefirstnews.com/article/geniuses-of-the-future-get-helping-hand-from-pharm-companys-smartup-camps-6920

An expert in maths, Karczewicz has scores of patents to her name.EPO

Marta Karczewicz has been named as an inventor on about 130 European patents. She studied at Tampere University in Finland, worked for Nokia and now works for Qualcomm. The mathematical genius was nominated for the 2019 European Inventor Award for her work on video compression. I like problems which require analysing large amounts of data and looking for patterns, Karczewicz said.https://www.thefirstnews.com/article/maths-genius-gets-lifetime-achievement-nomination-for-her-work-on-video-compression-5832

Rutkowska has been praised for her work in developing biodegradable packaging.Kalbar/TFN

Roza Rutkowska has created an alternative packing from natural waste that is biodegradable. The natural solution in the form of a material known as SCOBY (Symbiotic Culture of Bacteria and Yeast), is farmed vertically by feeding food waste to bacteria and this creates a usable membrane. The substance has won many admirers and prizes, and in April it will compete for $1 million in the international Chivas Venture prize.https://www.thefirstnews.com/article/not-a-bad-start-for-a-start-up-pulway-eco-firm-wins-chivas-venture-2020-9842

Przewocka: helping to take the pain out of the surgery.if-pan.krakow.pl

Barbara Przewocka, a professor of pharmacology, has co-authored 70 scientific papers and in 2019 was part of the team that created a chemical compound demonstrating painkilling properties 5,000 times more effective as the strongest analgesics currently available. She has received multiple honours for her contribution to science in Poland and continues her work at the Institute of Pharmacology - Polish Academy of Sciences.https://www.thefirstnews.com/article/scientists-create-power-drug-5000-times-stronger-than-standard-painkillers-6671

An expert in diet health Tkaczewska has developed an energy bar made from carp.Press materials

Doctor Joanna Tkaczewska is a dietician by trade but also the creator of an energy bar made from parts of carp. The energy-boosting snack, which she created with the Agricultural University in Krakw, includes carp as well as other more typical energy bars ingredients such as dates, nuts and seeds. Initial testing has shown that the energy bar has positive effects on the oxidative status of athletes blood.https://www.thefirstnews.com/article/smells-fishy-scientist-invents-energy-bar-made-from-carp-9100

Marta Klak: working on a 3D-printed pancreas.Foundation of Research and Science

Doctor Marta Klak is a specialist in medical biology and biotechnology. Currently she is the laboratory manager for the Research and Development Foundation based in Warsaw. The project she is currently working on is creating the worlds first 3D printed bionic pancreas. Klak is the co-creator of the protocol for the isolation of porcine pancreas islands for the needs of the 3D bio-printing project for bionic pancreas.https://www.thefirstnews.com/article/researchers-create-worlds-first-3d-bionic-pancreas-5156

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Breaking the glass ceiling: When it comes to science, Polish women are on the up - The First News

Features | Things I Have Learned | Six Organs Of Admittance’s Ben Chasny On Stargazing – The Quietus

Posted on February 12, 2020 by Danzig

Ben Chasny has been picking up where he left off

My interest in stargazing started pretty early, back when I was a kid. I lived in a very rural area where there was no light pollution at all. There was only a couple of channels on the TV and there wasnt a whole lot to do except look at the stars. I had a backyard telescope, it was really cheap and I couldnt see a lot of stuff, but I could spot the moons of Jupiter, or at least I thought they were the moons of Jupiter... I could always find Orions nebula too, it looked like a kind of smudgy star. I also had a subscription to an astronomy magazine that would let you know whats going on in the night sky, I wish I could remember the name of it. Every month it would say heres whats going on with the stars, and heres what to do. Its an interesting thing, stargazing, because any time they talk about something thats going on in the sky theres always a relational aspect, something thats moving with something else thats moving, or not moving. We imagine these celestial bodies meeting in the sky

I hadn't really been into stargazing for the last 20 years or so because I kept living in various cities where I couldn't really see the stars, but recently I moved back to my old home of Humboldt County, North California, where I grew up. I never thought Id go back, but families get older, so I thought Id come back and hang out a bit. I have a deeper appreciation for my home now, especially as I can just walk out of my door and see the stars again. Its one of my favourite things about moving here. I certainly dont think of stargazing as some sort of pastoral rejection of the modern or something though. That can get into some pretty shady areas.

If an article comes my way about astrophysics, Ill definitely read it, and theres a couple of people on YouTube I watch to see whats going on. Recently one of the Voyager satellites discovered that theres an awesome ring of plasma surrounding the solar system, a ring of fire where the temperature jumps up really high. Thats really cool!

One of the rarest and most spectacular celestial events might happen in our lifetimes, but that doesnt mean he wants to see it

Apparently, Betelgeuse could explode into a supernova at any moment, which would be a fantastic show in the night sky. A lot of scientists are so excited about it, saying I hope the star explodes in my lifetime! But I think its a little sad because if it does explode then we lose the shoulder of Orion! Orion has been a really strong constellation for like, thousands and thousands of years, and if it explodes youll just get these really weak Instagram posts for a couple of weeks then itll go into the data banks and were left with a lacking constellation. So, Im on the side where I hope it doesnt explode. Who knows how long humanity even has left on earth? Itd be nice for future generations to have a full Orion. Let another star explode!

Orion being one of the brightest constellations makes it a lot of peoples favourites, and he was my favourite as a kid. I used to dream of taking photos of the stars but it was impossible, but now with technology, its become possible for me, so one of the first things I started doing when I moved back to Humbolt and once I got a camera was to start taking pictures of Orion. I dont want to sound like a cosmic hippy, but Im reconnecting with Orion; hes kind of a buddy when youre a kid and have no friends in the country!

Celestial bodies are all over Six Organs new album, Companion Rises

A picture I took of Orion is on the cover of Companion Rises, and the title Companion Rises is a reference to the star Sirius being a companion star of Orion. I did a record in 2012 called Ascent, which was about a specific story but similar themes. I had this dream of a spacecraft that was being constructed outside of Jupiter. I dont know where I was, maybe on another spacecraft or one of the moons, but the spacecraft looked like a huge lobster. I never really went back to that space theme except for now, with me being concerned with the stars again, with more appreciation of the constellations and Orion. Sound-wise its very different this time, I was trying to do acoustic music and its a lot folkier, but lyric-wise it has a lot to do with the stars again.

One song on Companion Rises, The Scout Is Here, is influenced by the darker side of the new age, and the darker side of the New Age. Do you remember that elongated asteroid Oumuamua? It was the first interstellar object we detected in our Solar System; the name translates from Hawaiian as Scout. When it flew through there was a scientist in Boston who said it was probably an alien spacecraft, which caused a lot of controversy. I thought that was fascinating, so I decided to write a song from the perspective of a UFO cult, welcoming the asteroid in. And I also thought, just in case it is an alien spacecraft, maybe they wont want to kill me because I wrote a song for them

Theres always something more to see

Ive never seen a full solar eclipse but Ive seen full lunar eclipses when it gets kind of dark, then kind of pink. Nick Drake style. But to see everything go completely black would be amazing. Sometimes you read about these really magnificent meteor showers, that really do look like a shower, I think itd be great to witness something like that in my lifetime. Ive seen where meteors come in every minute or two at best, those are really exciting, but you read these reports, maybe theyre exaggerating, but they say that the whole sky was just falling. That would be cool.

Something I hadnt thought about until recently is the idea of modern constellations that are just the brightest stars you can still see in the city. A lot of constellations have lots of small stars, but now because theres so much light pollution its like modernity has had to create new geometric shapes, stuff like the Summer Triangle which was always a favourite of mine Aquila, Cygnus and Lyra. Ive just recently found out about the Winter Hexagon too.

There is more than one way to look at the stars

From the simple act of going out and looking at the stars, you can go a couple of ways. One way is to be interested in astronomy and astrophysics and outer space, or you could go the other way and just look at it in a more inspired, poetic way. It seems very entertaining to me to just watch the stars. One of the dangers of stargazing is the over-pedantic stargazer who feels like he has to describe everything, telling you this star is that, and this star is that. Maybe you just want to enjoy the movement of the stars, but unfortunately I think it lends itself to mansplaining. Thats the danger of stargazing!

Theres a guy called Gaston Bachelard that I talked about a lot when it came to my last record because it was really influenced by him. He has a funny thing about the constellations. Hes really against them as a concept, because he says theres these imposed forms. He says the night sky should be a Rorschach Test for humanity go out there and make your own constellations, which is also really cool. We do the same thing with clouds, because theyre always different and changing. I mention that because theres this thing about stargazing, youve got to know the constellations, do you know them?! and that goes back to that pedantic thing I talked about before. I think the best thing is to just go out there. If you can see some stars, just to go out to look at them.

Six Organs Of Admittance's new album Companion Rises is out via Drag City on February 21

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Features | Things I Have Learned | Six Organs Of Admittance's Ben Chasny On Stargazing - The Quietus

Supercharged Light Pulverizes Asteroids Cascade of Destruction – SciTechDaily

Posted on February 12, 2020 by Danzig

The majority of stars in the universe will become luminous enough to blast surrounding asteroids into successively smaller fragments using their light alone, according to a University of Warwick astronomer.

Electromagnetic radiation from stars at the end of their giant branch phase lasting just a few million years before they collapse into white dwarfs would be strong enough to spin even distant asteroids at high speed until they tear themselves apart again and again. As a result, even our own asteroid belt will be easily pulverized by our Sun billions of years from now.

The new study from the University of Warwicks Department of Physics, published in Monthly Notices of the Royal Astronomical Society, analyses the number of successive break-up events and how quickly this cascade occurs.

The authors have concluded that all but the most distant or smallest asteroids in a system would be disintegrated in a relatively short one million years, leaving behind debris that scientists can find and analyze around dead white dwarf stars. Some of this debris may be in the form of double asteroids which revolve around each other while they orbit the Sun.

After main sequence stars like our Sun have burnt all their hydrogen fuel, they then become hundreds of times larger during a giant branch phase and increase their luminosity ten-thousand-fold, giving out intense electromagnetic radiation. When that expansion stops, a star sheds its outer layers, leaving behind a dense core known as a white dwarf.

The radiation from the star will be absorbed by orbiting asteroids, redistributed internally and then emitted from a different location, creating an imbalance. This imbalance creates a torque effect that very gradually spins up the asteroid, eventually to break-up speed at one full rotation every 2 hours (the Earth takes almost 24 hours to complete a full rotation). This effect is known as the YORP effect, named after four scientists (Yarkovsky, OKeefe, Radzievskii, Paddack) who contributed ideas to the concept.

Eventually, this torque will pull the asteroid apart into smaller pieces. The process will then repeat itself in several stages, much like how in the classic arcade game Asteroids they break down into smaller and smaller asteroids after each destruction event. The scientists have calculated that in most cases there will be more than ten fission events or break-ups before the pieces become too small to be affected.

Lead author Dr. Dimitri Veras, from the University of Warwicks Astronomy and Astrophysics Group, said: When a typical star reaches the giant branch stage, its luminosity reaches a maximum of between 1,000 and 10,000 times the luminosity of our Sun. Then the star contracts down into an Earth-sized white dwarf very quickly, where its luminosity drops to levels below our Suns. Hence, the YORP effect is very important during the giant branch phase, but almost non-existent after the star has become a white dwarf.

For one solar-mass giant branch stars like what our Sun will become even exo-asteroid belt analogs will be effectively destroyed. The YORP effect in these systems is very violent and acts quickly, on the order of a million years. Not only will our own asteroid belt be destroyed, but it will be done quickly and violently. And due solely to the light from our Sun.

The remains of these asteroids will eventually form a debris disc around the white dwarf, and the disc will be drawn into the star, polluting it. This pollution can be detected from Earth by astronomers and analyzed to determine its composition.

Dr. Veras adds: These results help locate debris fields in giant branch and white dwarf planetary systems, which is crucial to determining how white dwarfs are polluted. We need to know where the debris is by the time the star becomes a white dwarf to understand how discs are formed. So the YORP effect provides important context for determining where that debris would originate.

When our Sun dies and runs out of fuel in about 6 billion years it too will shed its outer layers and collapse into a white dwarf. As its luminosity grows it will bombard our asteroid belt with increasingly intense radiation, subjecting the asteroids to the YORP effect and breaking them into smaller and smaller pieces, just like in a game of Asteroids.

Most asteroids are what are known as rubble piles a collection of rocks loosely held together which means they have little internal strength. However, smaller asteroids have greater internal strength, and while this effect will break down larger objects quite quickly, the debris will plateau at objects around 1-100 meters in diameter. Once the giant branch phase starts the process will continue unabated until reaching this plateau.

The effect lessens with increasing distance from the star and with increasing internal strength of the asteroid. The YORP effect can break up asteroids at hundreds of AU (Astronomical Units), much further away than where Neptune or Pluto resides.

However, the YORP effect will only influence asteroids. Objects larger than Pluto will likely escape this fate due to their size and internal strength unless they are broken up by another process, such as a collision with another planet.

Reference: Post-main-sequence debris from rotation-induced YORP break-up of small bodies II. Multiple fissions, internal strengths, and binary production by Dimitri Veras and Daniel J Scheeres, 20 December 2019, Monthly Notices of the Royal Astronomical Society.DOI: 10.1093/mnras/stz3565

The research received support from the UKs Science and Technology Facilities Council.

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Supercharged Light Pulverizes Asteroids Cascade of Destruction - SciTechDaily

Polar Express: New Spacecraft Will Explore Elusive Parts Of The Sun – OPB News

Posted on February 12, 2020 by Danzig

Until now, all the pictures of the sun have been straight-on head shots. Soon, scientists will be getting aprofile.

NASA and the European Space Agency are set to launch a joint mission on Sunday to provide the first-ever look at the suns poles. Previous images have all been taken from approximately the same angle, roughly in line with the starsequator.

Scientists are hesitant to guess what the elusive poles of the star might look like. I hate to speculate, says Holly Gilbert, the NASA project scientist for themission.

Were constantly taken by these discoveries where we thought we knew what something would be before we measured it for the first time, says David McComas, an astrophysics professor at Princeton University. And then we go like, Oh, geez, thats really different than we expected. So, I think we want to keep an open mind aboutthat.

After the NASA/ESA probe called Solar Orbiter takes off from Floridas Cape Canaveral, itll use Venus and Earths gravity to propel itself outside that equatorial plane where all the planets in our solar system orbit the sun. Orbiter eventually will be able to look down onto the poles of thesun.

There are many reasons why scientists want to know more about the suns poles. They think the poles might be driving some important aspects of space weather throughout the solar system, which can impact spacecraft and even humans on Earth. It has real world effects on our satellites, our GPS, our power grid and things like that, McComassays.

As we get more and more technologically advanced, the more susceptible we are to space weather and the more important it becomes to be able to forecast and hopefully ultimately predict, Gilbert says. The data that Orbiter collects could eventually help build models forecasting spaceweather.

The mission will map the suns magnetic fields from the poles. Scientists think these fields have a complicated relationship with whats happening inside thesun.

Since the 1800s, scientists have noticed that the sun goes through cycles between points of relative calm and high activity. The active times are associated with a lot of sunspots, a lot of flares, and solar storms, Gilbert says. These cycles happen roughly every 11years.

Scientists dont fully understand what causes these cycles. But theyve noticed that they line up with major changes in the suns magnetic field. One pole is positive and one is negative and every 11 years, the poles swap and have the oppositecharge.

Gilbert says the changing polarity is likely because of activity inside the sun. Its a very complicated, rotating ball of gas and that causes the magnetic fields to get all tangled up. The fields store magnetic energy, which can escape in the form of solar storms when the fields get snarled. Its a chaotic process that can result in the poles switchingpolarity.

It would be useful for scientists to better understand when the biggest flares are going to happen, in order to protect satellites and other spacecraft. Even though we have ideas about how many sunspots and how many storms and how often they might occur, we cant really predict how strong theyre going to be, Gilbertsays.

The Solar Orbiter will also be able to collaborate with another probe circling the sun. NASAs Parker Solar Probe launched in 2018 and will eventually come within 4 million miles of the suns surface far closer than this new mission. It will move through the suns corona, a super-hot aura of gases around the star, and gather data on its magnetic fields and energetic particles, as NPRs Nell Greenfieldboyce has reported.

At certain points, the Solar Orbiter will be positioned along the same magnetic field line as the Parker probe. Gilbert says this means theyll be able to measure particles at two different times once at Parker and then once again when they reach the Solar Orbiter. Were going to have a nice picture of evolution of some of these particles and how that flow is changing as its moving away from the sun, shesays.

McComas, who is involved in the Parker mission, says hes excited to be able to look at the solar wind from two different latitudes at that same time. That solar wind blasts the suns magnetic field in all directions, which can create the space weather bursts that interfere with satellites andGPS.

We almost always measure it from this one perspective in the equatorial plane, he says. Having these measurements from two perspectives will allow them to determine whether the perspective that weve always known is representative or as he explains, maybe theyll say, Gee, its really different when you get to be, you know, 30 degreeshigher.

Its worth noting that scientists are also getting unique views of the sun from the National Science Foundations Daniel K. Inouye Solar Telescope. Last month, the foundation released unprecedented, mesmerizing photos of the suns surface.

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Nature is prized above mass tourism in Seychelles – The Star Online

Posted on February 12, 2020 by Danzig

In a shady patch along a pristine white beach on Mahe Island, a radio spits out reggae and snapper sizzles on the barbecue, as Seychelloise Nareen tops up her rum and Coke on time off from her job aboard a luxury yacht.

Her family is spending the weekend at the beach where a couple dipping their feet into the turquoise waters off in the distance are the only foreign tourists in sight.

We dont have mass tourism in Seychelles, and thats great. That is how we want it, says Nareen, 32, who asked for her full name not to be published.

Nevertheless, like most citizens, she earns her living from tourism, which makes up more than 60% of GDP in the Seychelles, the only country in Africa that is considered high income by the World Bank.

The Indian Ocean archipelago, a chain of 115 islands, is a byword for luxury holidays, Instagram-perfect beaches and has gained a reputation as a honeymoon idyll.

But it is confronting a tug-of-war over how to keep the economy growing, while protecting its fragile ecosystem.

More tourists means its better for the economy, but its not the only thing that comes into play, Nareen says.One island, one resort

High-end tourism, from Europe mainly, helped pull the Seychelles from the brink of financial ruin after the 2008 economic crisis.

Visitor numbers almost doubled in the decade that followed, to around 360,000 in 2018, nearly four times the countrys population.But now the Seychelles is grappling with how many visitors it can realistically accommodate. An official study commissioned into the matter is due to begin soon.

In the meantime, the government placed a moratorium in 2015 on the construction of large resorts on the three main islands of Mahe, Praslin and La Digue.

It wanted both to protect the environment and encourage the growth of smaller, locally run hotels. On further-flung islands, the Seychelles practises a one island, one resort policy.

Its about controlling the number of tourists that come here, through controlling the number of rooms in the hotels that exist, Tourism Minister Didier Dogley said.

The Seychelles has 6,000 hotel rooms, but another 3,000 are in the pipeline, having been approved before the moratorium took effect, Dogley said.

We believe that we can go up to 500,000 tourists, that is just an estimate for the time being, he said.

White-tailed tropicbirds on Cousin Island, a nature reserve island managed by Nature Seychelles, national environmental NGO, Seychelles.

World heritage

Nearly half of the Seychelles 455sq km are classed as protected areas. By later this year, 30% of its 1.3 million sq km of marine territory will have protected status too, under a special arrangement in which conservation groups agree in return to pay a small portion of Seychelles national debt.

The country has two Unesco world heritage sites: the Mai Valley and its indigenous coco de mer palm trees, and the Aldabra Atoll, home to the Seychelles famed giant tortoises.With a few exceptions such as the popular Beau Vallon Beach on Mahe or Anse Source dArgent on La Digue, regularly named one of the worlds most beautiful beaches, tranquillity reigns on the islands.

Most beachside resorts keep a low profile, blending into the jungle backdrop that reaches into the islands interior from the white sands bordering the azure shores.

It all depends on the standards that you want to maintain, said Nirmal Shah, executive director of environmental NGO Nature Seychelles. He believes that some of the more popular sites have already reached their full capacity.

The Seychelles, he said, really do not want to become an eyesore like some beaches in Europe, crowded by umbrellas and edged by concrete.

Yan Coquet, the programme coordinator of a conservation boot camp, swimming in the clear waters in Cousin Island.

Room to improve

On Grand Police, in the south of Mahe island, locals have been angered by a Gulf companys plans to build a new resort, approved before the 2015 ban.

The project is unpopular over concerns about the health of a local marshland but also because most large resorts are owned by foreign groups.

The government has promised to talk to those behind the new resort to explore how the proposal could be dropped.

Despite environmental pledges and efforts, Dogley said that much still had to be done in Seychelles to ensure a sustainable tourism industry.Large hotel groups have put measures in place to limit their impact on the environment, such as having their own vegetable gardens and reducing plastic and energy use.

Smaller, Seychellois-owned establishments, though not leaving the same ecological footprint, sometimes lack the resources to match these efforts, despite government incentives.Given our small population, the number of tourists is huge, and it is difficult to absorb the footprint of so many visitors, said Shah.

More than a quarter of the workforce is foreign, he pointed out, especially in the tourism and construction industries unemployment is only around 3.5%.

The tourism industry faces other constraints, too.

The small, hilly country is forced to import more than 90% of its goods, and most of the energy needed to keep the islands running is derived from oil-powered generators.Still, the pursuit of eco-friendly growth over profit alone has struck a chord with some visitors.

We didnt know much about the ecological side of tourism in the Seychelles... but once here, it really hit us, says Romain Tonda, a 28-year-old French tourist on his honeymoon on Cousin Island, fringed by coral reef.

Its not perfect, but we can see that its something that is important for the Seychellois. AFP

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Nature is prized above mass tourism in Seychelles - The Star Online

Where will Bafana play home Afcon qualifier against Sao Tome in March? – SowetanLIVE

Posted on February 12, 2020 by Danzig

The SA Football Association (Safa) are still in the process of finalising the venue for Bafana Bafanas home 2021 Africa Cup of Nations qualifier against Sao Tome e Principe in March.

TimesLIVE understands that it will be an inland stadium and Safa may well go for Soweto with a quick turnaround between the home and away fixture against the tiny West African islands.

The exact dates for the fixtures have also yet to be released but the Fifa window runs from March 23-31.

Bafana coach Molefi Ntseki will be eager to minimise the travel for his players to give them maximum time to prepare and that means being as close to OR Tambo International as possible.

It is the same formula that was used when they had a double-header against Seychelles in the 2019 qualifiers playing the home leg at the FNB Stadium before a meeting with the Indian Ocean Island team in Victoria just three days later.

In that instance they could at least get a direct flight from Johannesburg to the Seychelles but face a much more convoluted path to Sao Tome e Principe.

The quickest route to the islands is via Luanda on Angolan Airlines though flying via Portugal is also an option though a longer way round.

Bafana will meet Sao Tome e Principe for the first time and could need back-to-back wins to ensure they at least finish second in their qualification pool and reach the finals in Cameroon next January/February.

They will also be eager to make use of the altitude of the Highveld to tire the visiting players just as they did when they romped to a record 6-0 victory over Seychelles.

The return will be altogether different though on a sub-standard artificial surface in Sao Tome that will test the skills of Bafana perhaps more than the opposition players.

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Where will Bafana play home Afcon qualifier against Sao Tome in March? - SowetanLIVE

Air Seychelles to receive second A320neo in Mar-2020 – CAPA – Centre for Aviation

Posted on February 12, 2020 by Danzig

CAPA publishes more than 400 global News Briefs every weekday, covering all aspects of the aviation and travel industry. Its the most comprehensive source of market intelligence in the world, with around 50 per cent of content translated from non-English sources. The breadth of our coverage means you wont need any other news sources to monitor competitors and stay informed about the latest developments in the wider aviation sector.

Our daily News Briefs are only available to CAPA Members. Membership provides access to more than 400 News Briefs every weekday, with quick links to our Analysis Reports, Research Publications, Data Centre and more.

Its easy to keep your News Briefs relevant by customising your email alerts based on topic, region, sector, frequency and more. Once youve saved your settings, you can stay up-to-date wherever you are, by quickly scanning our News Briefs online or via the CAPA mobile app.

Membership also provides full access to our Analysis Reports, in-depth Research Publications and comprehensive Data Centre. Premium CAPA Members can also access add-ons such as our exclusive Fleet Database, Airline Cask Data tools and more, to enjoy the full capabilities of our global platform.

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Air Seychelles to receive second A320neo in Mar-2020 - CAPA - Centre for Aviation

Critics of Blackwater mercenary Erik Prince fear AG Barr will quash DOJ case against him: report – AlterNet

Posted on February 12, 2020 by Danzig

U.S. Attorney General William Barr has been consistently protective of President Donald Trump and his allies, and according to Law & Crime reporter Colin Kalmbacher, one of those allies might be Erik Prince brother of Betsy DeVos (secretary of education in the Trump Administration) and former head of the infamous private security firm Blackwater.

Kalmbacher reports that the U.S. Department of Justice (DOJ) is reportedly in the 11th hour of its decision-making process on whether to charge professional mercenary Erik Prince with the crime of lying to Congress amid the Russia probe in 2017. Princes critics, Kalmbacher notes, allege that he gave false testimony to the House Intelligence Committee in 2017 when discussing his meetings with a Russian banker in the Seychelles Islands earlier that year. Prince described that meeting as a chance encounter and told House Intelligence members that he was not acting on Trumps behalf, but his critics allege that he was.

One of Princes most vocal critics is Rep. Adam Schiff, the California Democrat who now chairs the House Intelligence Committee (which was in Republican hands back in 2017 during Princes testimony). Schiff alleges that former special counsel Robert Muellers final report for the Russia investigation demonstrates that Prince made false statements that hindered the Committees ability to fully understand and examine foreign efforts to undermine our political process and national security.

In a letter to Barr, Schiff asserted, As the (Mueller) Report makes clear, evidence obtained by the special counsel. differs materially from Mr. Princes testimony, under oath, before the Committee on November 30, 2017. The Report reveals that Mr. Princes testimony before the Committee was replete with manifest and substantial falsehoods that materially impaired the Committees investigation.

Schiff added, In particular, Mr. Princes testimony about his January 11, 2017 meeting in the Seychelles with Kirill Dmitriev, the chief executive officer of Russias sovereign wealth fund, differs from the (Mueller) Report in (several) material respects.

But despite Schiffs allegations against Prince, Kalmbacher reports, the case has long languished for unclear reasons. And now that prosecutors are getting into position. to potentially charge Prince, critics of Trump and Barr are largely unconvinced the case will move forward.

On February 11, Prince critic Harry Litman (a Washington Post writer and former federal prosecutor) tweeted, Prince plainly lied. We are really getting upriver here.

Another Prince critic, Dr. Dena Grayson (who ran for Congress as a Democrat) tweeted that the DOJ has been weighing charges of lying to Congress against Prince but noted the possibility that Barr quashes it.

a little context here too: Prince plainly lied. we are really getting upriver here. https://t.co/fts8iTbka2

Harry Litman (@harrylitman) February 11, 2020

DOJ is weighing CRIMINAL charges against @BetsyDeVosEDs brother Erik Prince for arms trafficking & LYING to Congress about his secret #Seychelles meet with a close Putin adviser to establish a secret backchannel with #Russia.

Until Barr quashes it.https://t.co/2qMdHVNJjg

Dr. Dena Grayson (@DrDenaGrayson) February 11, 2020

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Its through the generosity of our supporters that were able to share with you all the underreported news you need to know. Independent journalism is increasingly imperiled; ads alone cant pay our bills. AlterNet counts on readers like you to support our coverage. Did you enjoy content from David Cay Johnston, Common Dreams, Raw Story and Robert Reich? Opinion from Salon and Jim Hightower? Analysis by The Conversation? Then join the hundreds of readers who have supported AlterNet this year.

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Critics of Blackwater mercenary Erik Prince fear AG Barr will quash DOJ case against him: report - AlterNet

Report: Erik Prince May Face Indictment For Lying To Congress In Russia Probe – The National Memo

Posted on February 12, 2020 by Danzig

Reprinted with permission from Alternet

While Robert Muellers Special Counsels Office has long since closed up shop, a key mysterious figure in the Russia investigation may still face charges related to the probe.

Erik Prince, an ally of President Donald Trump and the founder of the military contracting company formerly called Blackwater, is under investigation by the Justice Department for potentially lying to congressional investigators who interviewed him as part of the House of Representatives Russia investigation, the Wall Street Journal reported on Tuesday. That investigation is reportedly in its late stages.

In addition to investigating potential lies to Congress, the Justice Department is also probing whether Prince violated U.S. export laws, the report said.

Prince came under scrutiny for a meeting he held with an ally of Russian President Vladimir Putin in January of 2017, just weeks before Trump was inaugurated. In Muellers report on the conclusions of the special counsels investigation, some details about the meeting in Seychelles remained mysterious.

But the report did indicate that Prince had lied to Congress in his account on key aspects of the meeting. Some criticized Mueller for not pursuing criminal charges for these apparent lies, given that he hadnt hesitated to indict other Trump allies for their criminal deceptions. After the report was released, Rep. Adam Schiff (D-CA), the chair of the House Intelligence Committee that interviewed Prince, sent the Justice Department a letter recommending that his testimony be reviewed for potential criminal statements.Schiff flagged six claims Prince madein testimony that contradicted the report in material respects. For example, Prince had claimed that the Seychelles meeting was a chance encounter, while Mueller found evidence that it was planned well in advance.

The Justice Department only recently replied toSchiffs letter, informing the chair on Feb. 4 that it was referring his request to the proper agency.

But according to the Journal, the investigation gathered steam in recent months with the cooperation of several witnesses.

An attorney for Prince told the Journal: There is nothing new here. The attorney claimed his client cooperated completely with Mueller.

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Report: Erik Prince May Face Indictment For Lying To Congress In Russia Probe - The National Memo

Barclays banks in Africa rebrand to Absa – Nehanda Radio

Posted on February 12, 2020 by Danzig

Barclays Africa is no more after its banks in seven African countries Botswana, Ghana, Kenya, Mauritius, Seychelles, Tanzania and Zambia were rebranded Absa on Monday.

Absas subsidiaries in Uganda and Mozambique were renamed in November. In 2016, the UK controlling shareholder of Barclays Africa Group, Barclays Plc, announced that it wanted to sell its 62 percent stake of its African banks, which included Absa SA and banks in 11 other countries in Africa.

The sale that netted more than R37.5 billion, was completed by the end of 2017 leaving Barclays Plc with a minority 16.5 percent shareholding.

On Monday, the name changes came into legal effect across the continent, which Absa called a substantial milestone in the three-year process to take over from UK Barclays.

More than a name change, this is a milestone that brings us closer to realising our ambition as a leading African bank to support growth and development on the continent and beyond, Absa group chief executive officer, Mr Daniel Mminele.

We are now united under a single brand in 12 countries in Africa.

Today, we as the Absa Group, reaffirm our commitment to contributing to growth and economic development in Africa. We have a long-established and respected legacy in all our African markets, which will serve us well for the future, said Mr Peter Matlare, Absa group deputy chief executive officer and chief executive of Absa regional operations.

Absa also has representative offices in London and New York. The rebranding started in SA when it launched its new logo in the country in July 2018. Absa has a presence in 12 countries in Africa, with about 42 000 employees.

In 2017, Barclays plc concluded a transaction in which it disposed an effective 42,7 percent of its shareholding in Barclays Bank of Zimbabwe to the Mauritius registered FMB Capital Holdings, which is now the major shareholder while Barclays plc retained 10 percent shareholding.

First Merchant Bank (FMB) is a financial institution established in 1995, and is listed on the Malawi Stock Exchange and also has equity interests in banking operations in other regional countries. Business Day/Business Reporter

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Barclays banks in Africa rebrand to Absa - Nehanda Radio

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