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Loneliness was long thought to cause health conditions ranging from diabetes to cardiovascular disease, but new research paints a more nuanced picture

Loneliness was long thought to cause health conditions ranging from diabetes to cardiovascular disease, but new research paints a more nuanced picture

Artificial intelligence has more in common with ants than humans, says Neil Lawrence. Only by taking a more nuanced view of intelligence can we see how machines will truly transform society

Artificial intelligence has more in common with ants than humans, says Neil Lawrence. Only by taking a more nuanced view of intelligence can we see how machines will truly transform society

Apophis will come close enough to Earth to be seen with the naked eye in 2029, but a chance encounter with another asteroid could steer 'God of Destruction' space rock destructively close on a future pass.

The long-standing mystery of how supermassive black holes grew so huge so quickly could be solved by decaying dark matter

The long-standing mystery of how supermassive black holes grew so huge so quickly could be solved by decaying dark matter

The Moon just brushes the umbral shadow of the Earth during Tuesday night’s partial lunar eclipse.

A shallow partial lunar eclipse is on tap for the night of September 17th/18th. The eclipse is a slight one to be sure, but will be noticeable as the northwestern limb of the Moon just slips past the dark inner umbral shadow of the Earth. The eclipse is just over 8% partial at its maximum, meaning the Full Moon will look a little ‘smushed’ on one side at mid-eclipse.

The path of the Moon through the Earth’s shadow Tuesday night. Credit: F.Espenak/NASA/GSFC. Additional annotations by author. Timing and Visibility

The eclipse will be visible in its entirety around the Atlantic Ocean region, including western Africa and Europe, eastern North America, and all of South America. Eastern Europe and Africa will see the eclipse in progress at moonset towards sunrise, while western North America will see the eclipse already underway at moonrise/sunset. The umbral (partial) phase of the eclipse lasts not quite 63 minutes in duration, and is centered on 2:45 Universal Time (UT) Sept 18th/10:45 PM U.S. East Coast Time (EDT) on the evening of Tuesday, September 17th. The entire penumbral phase of the eclipse starts at 00:41 UT/8:41PM EDT, and runs about 4 hours and six minutes in duration.

A map showing the visibility footprint of Tuesday night’s eclipse. F. Espenak/NASA/GSFC A Complicated Celestial Affair

This is also a complex event, before and after the eclipse. First up, the Moon occults (passes in front of) the planet Saturn for western North America, just over 15 hours prior. Then, the Moon reaches perigee (its closest point to the Earth) just 10 hours after the eclipse. This will likely lead to cries of a ‘Supermoon eclipse’ across ye ‘ole web. Don’t buy into any purported ‘Blood Moon’ hype; the Moon won’t go far enough into the umbral shadow of the Earth to turn red. Finally, the Moon also occults Neptune for North America just over five hours after the eclipse, a challenging event indeed.

The start of the January 31st, 2018 lunar eclipse. Credit: Marion Haligowski.

The September Moon nearest the Equinox (which falls on Sunday, September 22nd, for 2024) is also known as the Harvest Moon. Not only did the illumination from the Full Moon give farmers in the pre-industrial era a few extra hours to get the harvest in, but the angle of the ecliptic is shallow enough in September that the Moon seems to linger from one night to the next, rising only slightly later. I remember growing up picking potatoes in Northern Maine in September, working our way home on foot under the light of the Harvest Moon.

A partial lunar eclipse over London, UK from April 25th, 2013. Credit: Sculptor Lil. Catching This Week’s Partial Lunar Eclipse

Observing and imaging the eclipse is as simple as following the Full Moon Tuesday night at the appointed time. Modern phones zoomed in will produce a clear image, as will a phone camera aimed through the eyepiece of a telescope. You probably won’t notice anything is amiss with the eclipse until about 30 minutes into the penumbral phase. Then, the Moon may seem to have a bit of a tea-colored tint. Towards the partial phase, the ragged umbral shadow of the Earth will just brush the Moon. The curve of the shadow cast by the Earth will become apparent, visual proof that our fair planet is indeed round.

Cloud cover prospects for the contiguous United States seem to favor the central and southern U.S. around eclipse time:

Cloud cover percentages for the CONUS around eclipse time. Credit: NWS/NOAA.

Clouded out, or simply live in the wrong hemisphere? You can still watch the eclipse live courtesy of astronomer Gianluca Masi and the Virtual Telescope Project.

The Partial Lunar Eclipse…As Seen From Space

The spectacle extends out into space as well. Most of the Earthward face of the Moon will experience a partial solar eclipse, except the very northwestern limb, which will see a total solar eclipse. Perhaps one day, human astronauts will stand on the Moon and witness this event.

A time lapse of Tuesday night’s eclipse as seen from the northwest limb of the Moon. Credit: Stellarium. Tales of the Saros

Eclipses (lunar or solar) occur in groups known as saroses, with members spaced 18.04 years (223 synodic months) apart. Several saroses are active at any given time. This is eclipse member 52 of 74 for lunar saros series 118, meaning this cycle is past its prime on its way out. Lunar saros 118 began waaaaay back on March 2nd, 1105. This saros produced its first total lunar eclipse on August 22nd, 1393, and final one on June 22nd, 1880. If you caught the September 7th, 2006 partial lunar eclipse centered over the Indian Ocean region, you caught the last member of this saros cycle. The final member of saros series (a barely perceptible penumbral eclipse) occurs on… (mark your calendars) May 7th, 2403.

This marks the start of the final eclipse season of 2024. This is book-ended by an annular solar eclipse two weeks from now on October 2nd. This event spans Easter Island in the South Pacific, and the southern tip of South America.

The next lunar eclipse is a total lunar eclipse on March 13-14th 2025 favoring the Americas. This ends the current ongoing ‘lunar eclipse drought,’ as the last one occurred on November 8th, 2022.

The partial phase start of a lunar eclipse. Credit: Dave Dickinson

If skies are clear, be sure to give this final lunar eclipse of 2024 a look Tuesday night.

The post Earth’s Shadow Nicks the Moon During This Week’s Partial Lunar Eclipse appeared first on Universe Today.

A NASA MITTIC participant during the competition’s on-site experience and Space Tank at NASA’s Johnson Space Center in Houston on Dec. 7, 2022. (Credit: Riley McClenaghan)

NASA will spotlight its program to engage underrepresented and underserved students in science, technology, engineering, and math at the 2024 National Historically Black Colleges and Universities (HBCU) Week Conference in Philadelphia, from Sunday, Sept. 15, to Thursday, Sept. 19.

As part of the White House’s initiative to advance educational equity and economic opportunities through HBCUs, NASA’s Minority University Research and Education Project (MUREP) provides HBCU scholars access to NASA technology, networks, training, resources, and partners. During the conference, NASA will host a MUREP Innovation and Tech Transfer Idea Competition (MITTIC), featuring a hackathon challenging students to develop creative and innovative solutions for the benefit of humanity.

“NASA’s MUREP is delighted to continue our collaboration with the White House initiative on HBCU’s to elevate students’ learning experience,” said Keya Briscoe, manager, MUREP, NASA Headquarters in Washington. “We are enthusiastic about the fresh insights and innovative solutions that the scholars will develop at the MITTIC hackathon, which provides an opportunity to showcase the depth and breadth of their academic and professional excellence.”

The MITTIC HBCU hackathon concentrates on using NASA technologies to address various challenges common to HBCU campuses. The scholars will be divided into teams which will utilize NASA technology to address the challenge they select. Each team will pitch their concepts to a panel of subject matter experts.

The winning team will receive a cash prize provided by MITTIC’s partner, JP Morgan Chase (JPMC), in collaboration with the JPMC Chief Technology Office, Career and Skills Development Office, and Advancing Black Pathways Group. The remaining HBCU hackathon teams will be able to submit their proposals to the fall or spring MITTIC Space2Pitch Competitions taking place at NASA’s Johnson Space Center in Houston.

To further NASA’s initiative of promoting engagement and inclusion, the scholars will have the opportunity to interact with NASA exhibits to learn more about different career paths with NASA. In addition, a viewing of the Color of Space will show, highlighting the life stories of seven current and former Black astronauts.

Through the HBCU Scholar Recognition Program, the White House Initiative annually recognizes students from HBCUs for their accomplishments in academics, leadership, and civic engagement. Over the course of an academic school year, HBCU scholars participate in professional development through monthly classes and have access to a network of public and private partners.

“NASA’s unwavering commitment to provide our nation’s HBCUs with opportunity to participate in the space enterprise is invaluable to our institutions and our nation,” said Dietra Trent, executive director of the White House Initiative on HBCUs. “The initiative proudly solutes NASA for their relentless support and we look forward to having them again as a valued partner for the 2024 HBCU Week Conference and HBCU Scholar Recognition Program. By fostering innovation and expanding opportunities in STEM, NASA is empowering the next generation of diverse leaders to reach for the stars and beyond.”

Through their relationships with NASA, community-based organizations, and other public and private partners, HBCU scholars have the opportunity to strive for their education and career potentials.  

To learn more about NASA and agency programs, visit:

https://www.nasa.gov

Looking for your next space exploration game? Astroneer is getting its first expansion soon and might be the playful odyssey you're looking for.

We think the Nikon z6 II mirrorless camera is one of the best cameras for astrophotography and now this bundle is $500 off.

Northern lights could be visible over mid-latitudes across the US and Europe tonight, Sept. 16. A geomagnetic storm watch has been issued by NOAA's Space Weather Prediction Center.

The Apollo 11 mission in July 1969 completed the goal set by President John F. Kennedy in 1961 to land a man on the Moon and return him safely to the Earth before the end of the decade. At the time, NASA planned nine more Apollo Moon landing missions of increasing complexity and an Earth orbiting experimental space station. No firm human space flight plans existed once these missions ended in the mid-1970s. After taking office in 1969, President Richard M. Nixon chartered a Space Task Group (STG) to formulate plans for the nation’s space program for the coming decades. The STG’s proposals proved overly ambitious and costly to the fiscally conservative President who chose to take no action on them.

Left: President John F. Kennedy addresses a Joint Session of Congress in May 1961. Middle: President Kennedy addresses a crowd at Rice University in Houston in September 1962. Right: President Lyndon B. Johnson addresses a crowd during a March 1968 visit to the Manned Spacecraft Center, now NASA’s Johnson Space Center, in Houston.

On May 25, 1961, before a Joint Session of Congress, President John F. Kennedy committed the United States to the goal, before the decade was out, of landing a man on the Moon and returning him safely to the Earth. President Kennedy reaffirmed the commitment during an address at Rice University in Houston in September 1962. Vice President Lyndon B. Johnson, who played a leading role in establishing NASA in 1958, under Kennedy served as the Chair of the National Aeronautics and Space Council. Johnson worked with his colleagues in Congress to ensure adequate funding for the next several years to provide NASA with the needed resources to meet that goal.

Following Kennedy’s assassination in November 1963, now President Johnson continued his strong support to ensure that his predecessor’s goal of a Moon landing could be achieved by the stipulated deadline. But with increasing competition for scarce federal resources from the conflict in southeast Asia and from domestic programs, Johnson showed less interest in any space endeavors to follow the Apollo Moon landings. NASA’s annual budget peaked in 1966 and began a steady decline three years before the agency met Kennedy’s goal. From a budgetary standpoint, the prospects of a vibrant, post-Apollo space program didn’t look all that rosy, the triumphs of the Apollo missions of 1968 and 1969 notwithstanding.

Left: On March 5, 1969, President Richard M. Nixon, left, introduces Thomas O. Paine as the NASA Administrator nominee, as Vice President Spiro T. Agnew looks on. Middle: Proposed lunar landing sites through Apollo 20, per August 1969 NASA planning. Right: An illustration of the Apollo Applications Program experimental space station that later evolved into Skylab.

Less than a month after assuming the Presidency in January 1969, Richard M. Nixon appointed a Space Task Group (STG), led by Vice President Spiro T. Agnew as the Chair of the National Aeronautics and Space Council, to report back to him on options for the American space program in the post-Apollo years. Members of the STG included NASA Acting Administrator Thomas O. Paine (confirmed by the Senate as administrator on March 20), the Secretary of Defense, and the Director of the Office of Science and Technology. At the time, the only approved human space flight programs included lunar landing missions through Apollo 20 and three long-duration missions to an experimental space station based on Apollo technology that evolved into Skylab.

Beyond a general vague consensus that the United States human space flight program should continue, no approved projects existed once these missions ended by about 1975. With NASA’s intense focus on achieving the Moon landing within President Kennedy’s time frame, long-term planning for what might follow the Apollo Program garnered little attention. During a Jan. 27, 1969, meeting at NASA chaired by Acting Administrator Paine, a general consensus emerged that the next step after the Moon landing should involve the development of a 12-person earth-orbiting space station by 1975, followed by an even larger outpost capable of housing up to 100 people “with a multiplicity of capabilities.” In June, with the goal of the Moon landing almost at hand, NASA’s internal planning added the development of a space shuttle by 1977 to support the space station, the development of a lunar base by 1976, and the highly ambitious idea that the U.S. should prepare for a human mission to Mars as early as the 1980s. NASA presented these proposals to the STG for consideration in early July in a report titled “America’s Next Decades in Space.”

Left: President Richard M. Nixon, right, greets the Apollo 11 astronauts aboard the U.S.S. Hornet after their return from the Moon. Middle: The cover page of the Space Task Group (STG) Report to President Nixon. Right: Meeting in the White House to present the STG Report to President Nixon. Image credit: courtesy Richard Nixon Presidential Library and Museum.

Still bathing in the afterglow of the successful Moon landing, the STG presented its 29-page report “The Post-Apollo Space Program:  Directions for the Future” to President Nixon on Sep. 15, 1969, during a meeting at the White House. In its Conclusions and Recommendations section, the report noted that the United States should pursue a balanced robotic and human space program but emphasized the importance of the latter, with a long-term goal of a human mission to Mars before the end of the 20th century. The report proposed that NASA develop new systems and technologies that emphasized commonality, reusability, and economy in its future programs. To accomplish these overall objectives, the report presented three options:

Option I – this option required more than a doubling of NASA’s budget by 1980 to enable a human Mars mission in the 1980s, establishment of a lunar orbiting space station, a 50-person Earth orbiting space station, and a lunar base. The option required a decision by 1971 on development of an Earth-to-orbit transportation system to support the space station. The option maintained a strong robotic scientific and exploration program.

Option II – this option maintained NASA’s budget at then current levels for a few years, then anticipated a gradual increase to support the parallel development of both an earth orbiting space station and an Earth-to-orbit transportation system, but deferred a Mars mission to about 1986. The option maintained a strong robotic scientific and exploration program, but smaller than in Option I.

Option III – essentially the same as Option II but deferred indefinitely the human Mars mission.

In separate letters, both Agnew and Paine recommended to President Nixon to choose Option II. 

Left: Illustration of a possible space shuttle, circa 1969. Middle: Illustration of a possible 12-person space station, circa 1969. Right: An August 1969 proposed mission scenario for a human mission to Mars.

The White House released the report to the public at a press conference on Sep. 17 with Vice President Agnew and Administrator Paine in attendance. Although he publicly supported a strong human spaceflight program, enjoyed the positive press he received when photographed with Apollo astronauts, and initially sounded positive about the STG options, President Nixon ultimately chose not to act on the report’s recommendations.  Nixon considered these plans too grandiose and far too expensive and relegated NASA to one America’s domestic programs without the special status it enjoyed during the 1960s. Even some of the already planned remaining Moon landing missions fell victim to the budgetary axe.

On Jan. 4, 1970, NASA had to cancel Apollo 20 since the Skylab program needed its Saturn V rocket to launch the orbital workshop. In 1968, then NASA Administrator James E. Webb had turned off the Saturn V assembly line and none remained beyond the original 15 built under contract. In September 1970, reductions in NASA’s budget forced the cancellation of two more Apollo missions, and  in 1971 President Nixon considered cancelling two more. He reversed himself and they flew as Apollo 16 and Apollo 17 in 1972, the final Apollo Moon landing missions.

Left: NASA Administrator James C. Fletcher, left, and President Richard M. Nixon announce the approval to proceed with space shuttle development in 1972. Middle: First launch of the space shuttle in 1981. Right: In 1984, President Ronald W. Reagan directs NASA to build a space station.

More than two years after the STG submitted its report, in January 1972 President Nixon directed NASA Administrator James C. Fletcher to develop the Space Transportation System, the formal name for the space shuttle, the only element of the recommendations to survive the budgetary challenges.  NASA anticipated the first orbital flight of the program in 1979, with the actual first flight occurring two years later. Twelve years elapsed after Nixon’s shuttle decision when President Ronald W. Reagan approved the development of a space station, the second major component of the STG recommendation.  14 years later, the first element of that program reached orbit. In those intervening years, NASA had redesigned the original American space station, leading to the development of a multinational orbiting laboratory called the International Space Station. Humans have inhabited the space station continuously for the past quarter century, conducting world class and cutting edge scientific and engineering research. Work on the space station helps enable future programs, returning humans to the Moon and later sending them on to Mars and other destinations.

The International Space Station as it appeared in 2021.

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Mars has always held a special place in our hearts, likely from hints over the decades of perhaps finding signs of life, albeit fossilised and primitive. It’s been the subject of study from telescopes and space missions alike, most notably ESA’s Mars Express which has been observing the red planet for 20 years. Over the two decades of observation it has studied an amazing variety of atmospheric phenomenon which have now been catalogued in a new ‘Cloud Atlas.’ Many will be familiar to sky watchers on Earth but some are very different. 

The atmosphere of the red planet is thin and mostly composed of carbon dioxide. There are traces of nitrogen and argon but with an atmospheric pressure of just 1% of the Earth’s it’s inhospitable for human life. The rarefied atmosphere provides insufficient insulation to the surface leading to aggressive temperature fluctuations from -125°C on night time side to 20°C during the day. It’s not unusual for dust storms to whip up in the atmosphere sometimes encircling the entire planet. It’s in this atmosphere that a multitude of cloud features have been observed. 

Mars, Credit NASA

Over the last 20 years, Mars Express has been studying the cloud formations in the Martian atmosphere. It was launched in June 2003 to study Mars remotely from an orbit around the red planet. Mars Express was not only studying atmospheric phenomenon but also the surface, subsurface and geological history. With a suite of scientific instruments from high resolution cameras and radar to spectrometers and atmospheric sensors, Mars Express is well equipped for the task. 

Using the High Resolution Stereo Camera (HSRC) on board Mars Express, images of a multitude of clouds have been captured. The clouds are usually the result of microscopic dust particles in the atmosphere around which, water and carbon dioxide crystals form. The dust particles themselves can be left hanging in the atmosphere following unusually strong winds that lift large quantities of dust into the atmosphere. They are occasionally seen as large beige coloured clouds. In the north polar regions it’s possible to see giant spiral dust storms as cyclonic storm systems develop. They are one of the drivers of the global weather systems seen on Mars and studying them is crucial to understanding the dynamics of the atmosphere. 

In January 2024, DLR’s HRSC on board ESA’s Mars Express spacecraft captured the Caralis Chaos region, which has several interesting and sometimes puzzling landscape features – such as a field of small, light-coloured hills to the northeast (bottom-right of the image). The mounds are located in the remains of a depression that was once filled by a lake. Image Credit: ESA/DLR/FU Berlin (CC BY-SA 3.0 IGO)

So called ‘gravity waves’ are a common sight on Mars as they are on Earth. Somewhat resembling rolling hills or the rippling of water, they are usually seen in the mid-latitudes in the colder winter months. A particular type of these gravity waves, known as Lee waves, can build up on the downwind side of mountains and ridges. The presence of the mountain or other large obstacle disturbs the laminar flow of air to generate the effect.

The study has led to a Martian cloud spotters dream, the publication of a fully browsable 20-years of cloud images and data. It was created by the German Aerospace Centre (DLR) in Berlin and is proving invaluable helping researchers to gain a better understanding of the Martian atmosphere. In particular how the different dynamical processes can lead to the clouds seen. The ‘Atlas’ which is available to the public here has been presented at the Europlanet Science Congress in Berlin by Daniela Tirsch form DLR.

Source : Cloud Atlas of Mars Showcases Array of Atmospheric Phenomena

The post Mars has an Amazing Variety of Clouds appeared first on Universe Today.

Temperature fluctuations above Antarctica in winter show the earliest warming of the stratosphere on record.

Predators’ electricity gives caterpillars an early warning

We can’t yet tell how life got its start on Earth. That’s one great reason to keep looking for life elsewhere

A species of leaf chameleon newly named Brookesia nofy was discovered in a patch of coastal rainforest, a highly threatened habitat in Madagascar

A species of leaf chameleon newly named Brookesia nofy was discovered in a patch of coastal rainforest, a highly threatened habitat in Madagascar