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"content": "\u003cp>Amateur astronomers and idiom lovers will both have reason to rejoice this week: It’s the once in a blue moon when an \u003cem>actual \u003c/em>blue moon will rise in the sky.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>And it’s not just any blue moon. It’s a rare blue supermoon. The Earth’s lunar sidekick will seem extra big and bright as it reaches its fullest stage on Wednesday.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>We won’t see this particular lunar twofer again until 2037, so here’s what you need to know to make the most of it.\u003c/p>\n\u003ch2>First things first: What is a supermoon?\u003c/h2>\n\u003cp>A perigean full moon, better known as a supermoon, happens when the moon is full during the closest point in its orbit around Earth.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>\u003ca href=\"https://solarsystem.nasa.gov/news/2367/the-next-full-moon-is-a-supermoon-and-a-blue-moon/\">According to NASA\u003c/a>, the moon’s typical orbit ranges between 226,000 and 251,000 miles from Earth, but variances can bring it a bit closer or farther away. Only the closest three or four approaches each year qualify as supermoons.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>[ad fullwidth]\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>The \u003ca href=\"https://www.npr.org/2023/08/02/1191532619/sturgeon-supermoon-images\">last supermoon fell earlier this month, on Aug. 2\u003c/a>, inspiring photographers from all over the world to document the big and bright spectacle, from New York’s moody skyline to light-filled late night soccer matches in South Africa.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>Yet the supermoon coming up this week will be even bigger and brighter — the biggest and brightest of 2023 — because the moon will be “exceptionally close” to Earth at 222,043 miles, according to \u003ca href=\"https://www.almanac.com/content/full-moon-august\">The Old Farmer’s Almanac \u003c/a>— nearly 17,000 miles closer than average.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>This means it’ll appear “about 8% larger than a normal full moon and 15% brighter than a normal full moon,” according to Dave Teske, the lunar topographic studies coordinator for the Association of Lunar and Planetary Observers.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>And while that might not make a hugely discernible difference to the naked eye, it’ll still be a sight to behold.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>As Teske put it, “It’ll be big and bright and beautiful.”\u003c/p>\n\u003ch2>But it’s not just a supermoon. It’s a blue supermoon\u003c/h2>\n\u003cp>While the term “supermoon” references the moon’s orbit in relation to Earth, a blue moon has to do with frequency. Confusingly, it doesn’t have anything to do with color, either (though there was one time \u003ca href=\"https://www.nasa.gov/vision/universe/watchtheskies/07jul_bluemoon.html\">when a blue moon actually turned blue\u003c/a>).\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>The moon takes 27.3 days to orbit the Earth, but because of how the sun’s light hits the celestial body, it takes 29.5 days to complete its \u003ca href=\"https://spaceplace.nasa.gov/moon-phases/en/#:~:text=The%20Moon%20displays%20these%20eight,to%20the%20next%20new%20moon.\">lunar cycle\u003c/a> from one new moon to the next. So it’s rare for us on Earth to see two full moons in the span of a single month. When we do, we call it a “blue moon.”\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>The term “blue moon” is also used in some circles to describe the \u003ca href=\"https://blogs.nasa.gov/Watch_the_Skies/2021/08/20/august-2021-brings-rare-seasonal-blue-moon/\">third of four full moons\u003c/a> in an astrological season.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>And the idiom “once in a blue moon” is used to describe a rare but nonetheless recurring event. But according to NASA, blue moons aren’t actually all that rare, recurring every 2.5 years or so.[aside postID='science_1983728,science_1982244,news_11945083' label='Related coverage']A blue supermoon, however, happens far less frequently. The last blue supermoon was in December 2009, and the next one won’t be until January 2037, \u003ca href=\"https://moon.nasa.gov/news/197/super-blue-moons-your-questions-answered/\">NASA reports.\u003c/a>\u003c/p>\n\u003ch2>When and where can I see it?\u003c/h2>\n\u003cp>This year’s blue supermoon will officially turn full at 9:36 p.m. ET on Aug. 30, \u003ca href=\"https://www.space.com/biggest-full-moon-of-2023\">according to Space.com\u003c/a>, but to the naked eye, it’ll look just as full from Tuesday night to Friday morning, with the shaded strip appearing so narrow as to be virtually imperceptible.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>And, if it’s an especially big moon you’re after, consider catching the moonrise in the east or moonset in the west. Experts say this is when foreground objects combine with a low-hanging moon to create the “moon illusion” — the time when the moon tends to look the largest.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>(You can check the local rising and setting times for your area using the \u003ca href=\"https://aa.usno.navy.mil/data/RS_OneDay\">U.S. Navy’s Moonrise calendar\u003c/a>).\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>Anyone looking to take in more detail of the lunar surface could use binoculars, a telescope, or an astrophotography lens. But astronomers like Teske say those tools aren’t necessary for a moving experience.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>“Get out there and observe it. Just enjoy the beautiful view of the moon,” he said. “Really think about what you’re seeing out there.”\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>After all, this isn’t just a hunk of rock orbiting the Earth about a quarter of a million miles away. It could be the next frontier.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>Just in the last week, \u003ca href=\"https://www.npr.org/2023/08/23/1195411957/india-joins-an-elite-club-as-first-to-land-a-spacecraft-near-the-moons-south-pol\">the Indian Space Agency\u003c/a> successfully landed a spacecraft on the moon’s south pole, where frozen water craters could fuel future missions. Japan’s space agency, \u003ca href=\"https://www.reuters.com/technology/space/japan-space-agency-suspends-launch-attempt-rocket-carrying-moon-lander-2023-08-28/\">JAXA, nearly launched a moon lander\u003c/a> (but postponed the moonshot due to strong winds).\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>And the private company SpaceX paired with NASA to \u003ca href=\"https://www.npr.org/2023/08/26/1195668373/nasa-spacex-crew-7-launch-international-space-station-iss\">dock a crew of astronauts at the International Space Station\u003c/a>, in order to perform experiments that might one day make it easier to travel to the moon and back.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>“We’re doing things with the moon now that are building this slow and steady public interest,” said Noah Petro, a research scientist with NASA’s Goddard Space Flight Center.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>Petro said that the value of supermoons like these is that they “allow us to take a moment and revel, and enjoy that nearest neighbor and space.”\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>“It’s not so far away that we can’t see it. It’s effectively right there in our backyard,” he added.\u003c/p>\n\u003ch2>One note of caution: This moon could bring an elevated risk for flooding\u003c/h2>\n\u003cp>But those looking to observe the moon from a beach should consider checking conditions first.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>The close proximity of the moon means that for several days this week, the range of tides will be greater than normal.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>The moon will exert 48% more tidal force during the spring tides of Aug. 30 compared with two weeks earlier, \u003ca href=\"https://www.space.com/biggest-full-moon-of-2023\">according to Space.com\u003c/a>. Higher tides could get more high, which could cause some coastal flooding.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>That risk will be especially heightened along the gulf coast of Florida, where \u003ca href=\"https://www.npr.org/live-updates/hurricane-idalia-path-florida\">Hurricane Idalia\u003c/a> is expected to make landfall early Wednesday.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>[ad floatright]\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>\u003ca href=\"https://www.npr.org/people/963390115/dustin-jones\">\u003cem>NPR’s Dustin Jones\u003c/em>\u003c/a>\u003cem> contributed reporting. \u003c/em>\u003c/p>\n\u003cdiv class=\"fullattribution\">Copyright 2023 NPR. To see more, visit https://www.npr.org.\u003cimg decoding=\"async\" src=\"https://www.google-analytics.com/__utm.gif?utmac=UA-5828686-4&utmdt=It%27s+big%21+It%27s+bright%21+It%27s+a+rare+blue+supermoon%21+Here%27s+how+to+check+it+out&utme=8(APIKey)9(MDAxOTAwOTE4MDEyMTkxMDAzNjczZDljZA004)\">\u003c/div>\n\n",
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"content": "\u003cdiv class=\"post-body\">\u003cp>\u003cp>Amateur astronomers and idiom lovers will both have reason to rejoice this week: It’s the once in a blue moon when an \u003cem>actual \u003c/em>blue moon will rise in the sky.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>And it’s not just any blue moon. It’s a rare blue supermoon. The Earth’s lunar sidekick will seem extra big and bright as it reaches its fullest stage on Wednesday.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>We won’t see this particular lunar twofer again until 2037, so here’s what you need to know to make the most of it.\u003c/p>\n\u003ch2>First things first: What is a supermoon?\u003c/h2>\n\u003cp>A perigean full moon, better known as a supermoon, happens when the moon is full during the closest point in its orbit around Earth.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>\u003ca href=\"https://solarsystem.nasa.gov/news/2367/the-next-full-moon-is-a-supermoon-and-a-blue-moon/\">According to NASA\u003c/a>, the moon’s typical orbit ranges between 226,000 and 251,000 miles from Earth, but variances can bring it a bit closer or farther away. Only the closest three or four approaches each year qualify as supermoons.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>\u003c/p>\u003c/div>",
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"content": "\u003cdiv class=\"post-body\">\u003cp>\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>The \u003ca href=\"https://www.npr.org/2023/08/02/1191532619/sturgeon-supermoon-images\">last supermoon fell earlier this month, on Aug. 2\u003c/a>, inspiring photographers from all over the world to document the big and bright spectacle, from New York’s moody skyline to light-filled late night soccer matches in South Africa.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>Yet the supermoon coming up this week will be even bigger and brighter — the biggest and brightest of 2023 — because the moon will be “exceptionally close” to Earth at 222,043 miles, according to \u003ca href=\"https://www.almanac.com/content/full-moon-august\">The Old Farmer’s Almanac \u003c/a>— nearly 17,000 miles closer than average.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>This means it’ll appear “about 8% larger than a normal full moon and 15% brighter than a normal full moon,” according to Dave Teske, the lunar topographic studies coordinator for the Association of Lunar and Planetary Observers.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>And while that might not make a hugely discernible difference to the naked eye, it’ll still be a sight to behold.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>As Teske put it, “It’ll be big and bright and beautiful.”\u003c/p>\n\u003ch2>But it’s not just a supermoon. It’s a blue supermoon\u003c/h2>\n\u003cp>While the term “supermoon” references the moon’s orbit in relation to Earth, a blue moon has to do with frequency. Confusingly, it doesn’t have anything to do with color, either (though there was one time \u003ca href=\"https://www.nasa.gov/vision/universe/watchtheskies/07jul_bluemoon.html\">when a blue moon actually turned blue\u003c/a>).\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>The moon takes 27.3 days to orbit the Earth, but because of how the sun’s light hits the celestial body, it takes 29.5 days to complete its \u003ca href=\"https://spaceplace.nasa.gov/moon-phases/en/#:~:text=The%20Moon%20displays%20these%20eight,to%20the%20next%20new%20moon.\">lunar cycle\u003c/a> from one new moon to the next. So it’s rare for us on Earth to see two full moons in the span of a single month. When we do, we call it a “blue moon.”\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>The term “blue moon” is also used in some circles to describe the \u003ca href=\"https://blogs.nasa.gov/Watch_the_Skies/2021/08/20/august-2021-brings-rare-seasonal-blue-moon/\">third of four full moons\u003c/a> in an astrological season.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>And the idiom “once in a blue moon” is used to describe a rare but nonetheless recurring event. But according to NASA, blue moons aren’t actually all that rare, recurring every 2.5 years or so.\u003c/p>\u003c/div>",
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"content": "\u003cdiv class=\"post-body\">\u003cp>A blue supermoon, however, happens far less frequently. The last blue supermoon was in December 2009, and the next one won’t be until January 2037, \u003ca href=\"https://moon.nasa.gov/news/197/super-blue-moons-your-questions-answered/\">NASA reports.\u003c/a>\u003c/p>\n\u003ch2>When and where can I see it?\u003c/h2>\n\u003cp>This year’s blue supermoon will officially turn full at 9:36 p.m. ET on Aug. 30, \u003ca href=\"https://www.space.com/biggest-full-moon-of-2023\">according to Space.com\u003c/a>, but to the naked eye, it’ll look just as full from Tuesday night to Friday morning, with the shaded strip appearing so narrow as to be virtually imperceptible.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>And, if it’s an especially big moon you’re after, consider catching the moonrise in the east or moonset in the west. Experts say this is when foreground objects combine with a low-hanging moon to create the “moon illusion” — the time when the moon tends to look the largest.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>(You can check the local rising and setting times for your area using the \u003ca href=\"https://aa.usno.navy.mil/data/RS_OneDay\">U.S. Navy’s Moonrise calendar\u003c/a>).\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>Anyone looking to take in more detail of the lunar surface could use binoculars, a telescope, or an astrophotography lens. But astronomers like Teske say those tools aren’t necessary for a moving experience.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>“Get out there and observe it. Just enjoy the beautiful view of the moon,” he said. “Really think about what you’re seeing out there.”\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>After all, this isn’t just a hunk of rock orbiting the Earth about a quarter of a million miles away. It could be the next frontier.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>Just in the last week, \u003ca href=\"https://www.npr.org/2023/08/23/1195411957/india-joins-an-elite-club-as-first-to-land-a-spacecraft-near-the-moons-south-pol\">the Indian Space Agency\u003c/a> successfully landed a spacecraft on the moon’s south pole, where frozen water craters could fuel future missions. Japan’s space agency, \u003ca href=\"https://www.reuters.com/technology/space/japan-space-agency-suspends-launch-attempt-rocket-carrying-moon-lander-2023-08-28/\">JAXA, nearly launched a moon lander\u003c/a> (but postponed the moonshot due to strong winds).\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>And the private company SpaceX paired with NASA to \u003ca href=\"https://www.npr.org/2023/08/26/1195668373/nasa-spacex-crew-7-launch-international-space-station-iss\">dock a crew of astronauts at the International Space Station\u003c/a>, in order to perform experiments that might one day make it easier to travel to the moon and back.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>“We’re doing things with the moon now that are building this slow and steady public interest,” said Noah Petro, a research scientist with NASA’s Goddard Space Flight Center.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>Petro said that the value of supermoons like these is that they “allow us to take a moment and revel, and enjoy that nearest neighbor and space.”\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>“It’s not so far away that we can’t see it. It’s effectively right there in our backyard,” he added.\u003c/p>\n\u003ch2>One note of caution: This moon could bring an elevated risk for flooding\u003c/h2>\n\u003cp>But those looking to observe the moon from a beach should consider checking conditions first.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>The close proximity of the moon means that for several days this week, the range of tides will be greater than normal.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>The moon will exert 48% more tidal force during the spring tides of Aug. 30 compared with two weeks earlier, \u003ca href=\"https://www.space.com/biggest-full-moon-of-2023\">according to Space.com\u003c/a>. Higher tides could get more high, which could cause some coastal flooding.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>That risk will be especially heightened along the gulf coast of Florida, where \u003ca href=\"https://www.npr.org/live-updates/hurricane-idalia-path-florida\">Hurricane Idalia\u003c/a> is expected to make landfall early Wednesday.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>\u003c/p>\u003c/div>",
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"content": "\u003cdiv class=\"post-body\">\u003cp>\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>\u003ca href=\"https://www.npr.org/people/963390115/dustin-jones\">\u003cem>NPR’s Dustin Jones\u003c/em>\u003c/a>\u003cem> contributed reporting. \u003c/em>\u003c/p>\n\u003cdiv class=\"fullattribution\">Copyright 2023 NPR. To see more, visit https://www.npr.org.\u003cimg decoding=\"async\" src=\"https://www.google-analytics.com/__utm.gif?utmac=UA-5828686-4&utmdt=It%27s+big%21+It%27s+bright%21+It%27s+a+rare+blue+supermoon%21+Here%27s+how+to+check+it+out&utme=8(APIKey)9(MDAxOTAwOTE4MDEyMTkxMDAzNjczZDljZA004)\">\u003c/div>\n\n\u003c/div>\u003c/p>",
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"title": "James Webb Telescope Captures Cosmic 'Question Mark' in Deep Space",
"headTitle": "James Webb Telescope Captures Cosmic ‘Question Mark’ in Deep Space | KQED",
"content": "\u003cp>The James Webb Space Telescope recently captured a stunning new image of what scientists call a pair of actively forming stars.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>But eagle-eyed viewers were quick to seize on an even tinier — and to some, more intriguing — detail at the very bottom of the frame: an orange formation in the unmistakable shape of a question mark, tail and all.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>\u003ca href=\"https://www.esa.int/ESA_Multimedia/Images/2023/07/Herbig-Haro_46_47_NIRCam_image_annotated\">The photo\u003c/a> — which is actually a composite of a half-dozen infrared images — went viral on social media sites like \u003ca href=\"https://twitter.com/latestinspace/status/1688563643762233344\">X (formerly Twitter\u003c/a>) and \u003ca href=\"https://www.reddit.com/r/Damnthatsinteresting/comments/15ktn5d/nasas_james_webb_telescope_has_spotted_a_giant/\">Reddit \u003c/a>after the European Space Agency (one of the three agencies behind the telescope) shared it late last month, prompting the \u003ca href=\"https://news.abs-cbn.com/spotlight/08/11/23/james-webb-space-telescope-finds-question-mark-in-space\">ESA to clarify\u003c/a> weeks later that “it’s not a hoax.”\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>“The aliens know we’ve found them and now they’re just messing with us,” one Reddit user wrote.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>The photo shows a tightly bound pair of young stars known as Herbig-Haro 46/47, surrounded by a disc of gas and dust, and dotted by distant galaxies and stars in the background.\u003c/p>\n\u003cfigure id=\"attachment_1983969\" class=\"wp-caption alignnone\" style=\"max-width: 800px\">\u003cimg loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" class=\"size-medium wp-image-1983969\" src=\"https://ww2.kqed.org/app/uploads/sites/35/2023/08/screenshot-2023-08-16-at-21.15.43-26af1c5c8f40ea765418b617974d3c8c771a5aae-800x600.png\" alt=\"\" width=\"800\" height=\"600\" srcset=\"https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/35/2023/08/screenshot-2023-08-16-at-21.15.43-26af1c5c8f40ea765418b617974d3c8c771a5aae-800x600.png 800w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/35/2023/08/screenshot-2023-08-16-at-21.15.43-26af1c5c8f40ea765418b617974d3c8c771a5aae-160x120.png 160w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/35/2023/08/screenshot-2023-08-16-at-21.15.43-26af1c5c8f40ea765418b617974d3c8c771a5aae-768x576.png 768w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/35/2023/08/screenshot-2023-08-16-at-21.15.43-26af1c5c8f40ea765418b617974d3c8c771a5aae.png 945w\" sizes=\"(max-width: 800px) 100vw, 800px\">\u003cfigcaption class=\"wp-caption-text\">A new photo from the James Webb Space Telescope shows a tightly bound pair of actively forming stars (at the center of the red spikes). But many people are more curious about the question mark-shaped structure highlighted at the bottom middle of the frame. \u003ccite>(Courtesy of NASA, ESA, CSA, J. DePasquale (STScI))\u003c/cite>\u003c/figcaption>\u003c/figure>\n\u003cp>ESA says Herbig-Haro 46/47 is important to study because it’s “only a few thousand years old” — and since stars take millions of years to form, its young age offers researchers a chance to observe how stars gather mass over time (and to potentially model the formation of one of the most famous stars, the sun).\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>[ad fullwidth]\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>Even so, scientists acknowledge, it’s not the only notable formation in the photo.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>Macarena Garcia Marin, a Webb project scientist with the Space Telescope Science Institute in Baltimore (which manages the telescope’s science operations), told NPR in an email that the question mark is “a great example of how, with Webb, no matter what you are looking at, you can have surprises in the background.”\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>And she has at least one theory for why it’s resonating so much with people.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>“I think we all enjoy finding familiar shapes in the sky; that creates a deep connection between our human-experience and language in this case (a question mark!) and the beauty of the Universe surrounding us,” Garcia Marin writes. “I think this exemplifies the human need for exploration and wonder, and to me it brings the question of how many other interesting objects are out there waiting to be explored with Webb!”\u003c/p>\n\u003ch2>So what exactly is it?\u003c/h2>\n\u003cp>Scientists say the punctuation-shaped object appears to be two or more \u003ca href=\"https://www.cfa.harvard.edu/research/topic/galaxies-merging-and-interacting\">galaxies merging\u003c/a> — the \u003ca href=\"https://academic-accelerator.com/encyclopedia/galaxy-merger\">intense process\u003c/a> through which galaxies collide (the Milky Way itself is the byproduct of one such merger).\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>“It looks like a group or a chance alignment of 2 or 3 galaxies,” Kai Noeske, ESA communication program officer, said over email. “The upper part of the question mark looks like a distorted spiral galaxy, maybe merging with a second galaxy.”\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>ESA study scientist Nora Luetzgendorf says that while it’s too far away to say for sure, the arc of the question mark likely comes from the tidal interaction between the galaxies, “and the dot might as well be just a smaller spherical galaxy.”\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>Galaxy mergers are actually a very common astrophysical phenomenon, she adds — even our own galaxy is interacting with its neighbor, the Andromeda galaxy. Garcia Marin similarly calls them “a normal phase in the life and evolution of galaxies.”\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>But that doesn’t mean we see them very often.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>It’s “all about projection,” Garcia Marin explains. She says the reason we see the galaxies in a question mark shape is a result of both the angle with which they have encountered each other and our own point of view.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>“This ‘question mark’ shape figure perfectly exemplifies projection effects when looking at the sky,” she adds. “What we measure is a 2D image of a Universe that is filled with objects spanning time and space. We see their projection; that ?-shaped object is much further away from us than HH 46/47 and it does not have a direct impact on it.”\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>But she does note one interesting connection between the two phenomena.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>In general, she says, the process of galaxies interacting with each other can trigger the formation of stars — “and objects like HH 46/47, the main subject of the image, could be born.”\u003c/p>\n\u003ch2>What can it teach us?\u003c/h2>\n\u003cfigure id=\"attachment_1983970\" class=\"wp-caption aligncenter\" style=\"max-width: 800px\">\u003cimg loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" class=\"wp-image-1983970 size-medium\" src=\"https://ww2.kqed.org/app/uploads/sites/35/2023/08/ap22193546501073_custom-3adf5f7fe104fd24d17698c09feb39e227780f4b-800x764.jpg\" alt=\"\" width=\"800\" height=\"764\" srcset=\"https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/35/2023/08/ap22193546501073_custom-3adf5f7fe104fd24d17698c09feb39e227780f4b-800x764.jpg 800w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/35/2023/08/ap22193546501073_custom-3adf5f7fe104fd24d17698c09feb39e227780f4b-1020x974.jpg 1020w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/35/2023/08/ap22193546501073_custom-3adf5f7fe104fd24d17698c09feb39e227780f4b-160x153.jpg 160w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/35/2023/08/ap22193546501073_custom-3adf5f7fe104fd24d17698c09feb39e227780f4b-768x733.jpg 768w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/35/2023/08/ap22193546501073_custom-3adf5f7fe104fd24d17698c09feb39e227780f4b-1536x1466.jpg 1536w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/35/2023/08/ap22193546501073_custom-3adf5f7fe104fd24d17698c09feb39e227780f4b-2048x1955.jpg 2048w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/35/2023/08/ap22193546501073_custom-3adf5f7fe104fd24d17698c09feb39e227780f4b-1920x1833.jpg 1920w\" sizes=\"(max-width: 800px) 100vw, 800px\">\u003cfigcaption class=\"wp-caption-text\">An image released by NASA last summer shows Stephan’s Quintet as captured by the Webb telescope. \u003ccite>(Courtesy of NASA, ESA, CSA, and STScI/AP)\u003c/cite>\u003c/figcaption>\u003c/figure>\n\u003cp>Galaxy mergers generate “all kinds of beautiful shapes and structures,” Garcia Marin says — especially depending on the angle from which they are perceived.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>One example is \u003ca href=\"https://webbtelescope.org/contents/media/images/2022/034/01G7F6AWJNTF1G0ZWP5ESGSFXF\">Stephan’s Quintet\u003c/a>, a visual grouping of five close-together galaxies located in the constellation Pegasus. It was one of the first \u003ca href=\"https://webbtelescope.org/contents/media/images/2022/034/01G7DA5ADA2WDSK1JJPQ0PTG4A\">images released from the Webb telescope\u003c/a> last summer, showing a swirling cluster of stars and sweeping tails.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>Luetzgendorf says images of some of the interacting galaxies closer by (relatively speaking), like the Whirlpool galaxy and Antennae galaxies, bear some resemblance to the structure people are talking about now.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>“You can see the similarities and how from a different perspective and from farther away, this might look like a question mark,” she adds.\u003c/p>\n\u003cfigure id=\"attachment_1983971\" class=\"wp-caption alignnone\" style=\"max-width: 800px\">\u003cimg loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" class=\"size-medium wp-image-1983971\" src=\"https://ww2.kqed.org/app/uploads/sites/35/2023/08/ap22488019950_custom-5939419ee7fadb303ec3726ffbf4d3cdd66dae80-800x794.jpg\" alt=\"\" width=\"800\" height=\"794\" srcset=\"https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/35/2023/08/ap22488019950_custom-5939419ee7fadb303ec3726ffbf4d3cdd66dae80-800x794.jpg 800w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/35/2023/08/ap22488019950_custom-5939419ee7fadb303ec3726ffbf4d3cdd66dae80-1020x1012.jpg 1020w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/35/2023/08/ap22488019950_custom-5939419ee7fadb303ec3726ffbf4d3cdd66dae80-160x159.jpg 160w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/35/2023/08/ap22488019950_custom-5939419ee7fadb303ec3726ffbf4d3cdd66dae80-768x762.jpg 768w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/35/2023/08/ap22488019950_custom-5939419ee7fadb303ec3726ffbf4d3cdd66dae80-1536x1524.jpg 1536w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/35/2023/08/ap22488019950_custom-5939419ee7fadb303ec3726ffbf4d3cdd66dae80-2048x2032.jpg 2048w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/35/2023/08/ap22488019950_custom-5939419ee7fadb303ec3726ffbf4d3cdd66dae80-1920x1905.jpg 1920w\" sizes=\"(max-width: 800px) 100vw, 800px\">\u003cfigcaption class=\"wp-caption-text\">This image made by the NASA/ESA Hubble Space Telescope shows the Antennae galaxies, formerly separate galaxies that have spent the last few hundred million years intertwining with one another. \u003ccite>(AP)\u003c/cite>\u003c/figcaption>\u003c/figure>\n\u003cp>Given that mergers are relatively common, and the new photos are really focused on the growing stars, is there anything new we can learn from the question mark hidden within? Garcia Marin thinks so.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>“If this is a galaxy merger,” she says, “its relevance would be to see how it fits in what we know about mergers and their importance for galaxy evolution.”\u003c/p>\n\u003cdiv class=\"fullattribution\">Copyright 2023 NPR. To see more, visit https://www.npr.org.\u003cimg decoding=\"async\" src=\"https://www.google-analytics.com/__utm.gif?utmac=UA-5828686-4&utmdt=People+are+freaking+out+over+a+question+mark+seen+in+space.+Scientists+can+explain&utme=8(APIKey)9(MDAxOTAwOTE4MDEyMTkxMDAzNjczZDljZA004)\">\u003c/div>\n\n",
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"content": "\u003cdiv class=\"post-body\">\u003cp>\u003cp>The James Webb Space Telescope recently captured a stunning new image of what scientists call a pair of actively forming stars.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>But eagle-eyed viewers were quick to seize on an even tinier — and to some, more intriguing — detail at the very bottom of the frame: an orange formation in the unmistakable shape of a question mark, tail and all.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>\u003ca href=\"https://www.esa.int/ESA_Multimedia/Images/2023/07/Herbig-Haro_46_47_NIRCam_image_annotated\">The photo\u003c/a> — which is actually a composite of a half-dozen infrared images — went viral on social media sites like \u003ca href=\"https://twitter.com/latestinspace/status/1688563643762233344\">X (formerly Twitter\u003c/a>) and \u003ca href=\"https://www.reddit.com/r/Damnthatsinteresting/comments/15ktn5d/nasas_james_webb_telescope_has_spotted_a_giant/\">Reddit \u003c/a>after the European Space Agency (one of the three agencies behind the telescope) shared it late last month, prompting the \u003ca href=\"https://news.abs-cbn.com/spotlight/08/11/23/james-webb-space-telescope-finds-question-mark-in-space\">ESA to clarify\u003c/a> weeks later that “it’s not a hoax.”\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>“The aliens know we’ve found them and now they’re just messing with us,” one Reddit user wrote.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>The photo shows a tightly bound pair of young stars known as Herbig-Haro 46/47, surrounded by a disc of gas and dust, and dotted by distant galaxies and stars in the background.\u003c/p>\n\u003cfigure id=\"attachment_1983969\" class=\"wp-caption alignnone\" style=\"max-width: 800px\">\u003cimg loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" class=\"size-medium wp-image-1983969\" src=\"https://ww2.kqed.org/app/uploads/sites/35/2023/08/screenshot-2023-08-16-at-21.15.43-26af1c5c8f40ea765418b617974d3c8c771a5aae-800x600.png\" alt=\"\" width=\"800\" height=\"600\" srcset=\"https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/35/2023/08/screenshot-2023-08-16-at-21.15.43-26af1c5c8f40ea765418b617974d3c8c771a5aae-800x600.png 800w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/35/2023/08/screenshot-2023-08-16-at-21.15.43-26af1c5c8f40ea765418b617974d3c8c771a5aae-160x120.png 160w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/35/2023/08/screenshot-2023-08-16-at-21.15.43-26af1c5c8f40ea765418b617974d3c8c771a5aae-768x576.png 768w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/35/2023/08/screenshot-2023-08-16-at-21.15.43-26af1c5c8f40ea765418b617974d3c8c771a5aae.png 945w\" sizes=\"(max-width: 800px) 100vw, 800px\">\u003cfigcaption class=\"wp-caption-text\">A new photo from the James Webb Space Telescope shows a tightly bound pair of actively forming stars (at the center of the red spikes). But many people are more curious about the question mark-shaped structure highlighted at the bottom middle of the frame. \u003ccite>(Courtesy of NASA, ESA, CSA, J. DePasquale (STScI))\u003c/cite>\u003c/figcaption>\u003c/figure>\n\u003cp>ESA says Herbig-Haro 46/47 is important to study because it’s “only a few thousand years old” — and since stars take millions of years to form, its young age offers researchers a chance to observe how stars gather mass over time (and to potentially model the formation of one of the most famous stars, the sun).\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>\u003c/p>\u003c/div>",
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"content": "\u003cdiv class=\"post-body\">\u003cp>\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>Even so, scientists acknowledge, it’s not the only notable formation in the photo.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>Macarena Garcia Marin, a Webb project scientist with the Space Telescope Science Institute in Baltimore (which manages the telescope’s science operations), told NPR in an email that the question mark is “a great example of how, with Webb, no matter what you are looking at, you can have surprises in the background.”\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>And she has at least one theory for why it’s resonating so much with people.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>“I think we all enjoy finding familiar shapes in the sky; that creates a deep connection between our human-experience and language in this case (a question mark!) and the beauty of the Universe surrounding us,” Garcia Marin writes. “I think this exemplifies the human need for exploration and wonder, and to me it brings the question of how many other interesting objects are out there waiting to be explored with Webb!”\u003c/p>\n\u003ch2>So what exactly is it?\u003c/h2>\n\u003cp>Scientists say the punctuation-shaped object appears to be two or more \u003ca href=\"https://www.cfa.harvard.edu/research/topic/galaxies-merging-and-interacting\">galaxies merging\u003c/a> — the \u003ca href=\"https://academic-accelerator.com/encyclopedia/galaxy-merger\">intense process\u003c/a> through which galaxies collide (the Milky Way itself is the byproduct of one such merger).\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>“It looks like a group or a chance alignment of 2 or 3 galaxies,” Kai Noeske, ESA communication program officer, said over email. “The upper part of the question mark looks like a distorted spiral galaxy, maybe merging with a second galaxy.”\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>ESA study scientist Nora Luetzgendorf says that while it’s too far away to say for sure, the arc of the question mark likely comes from the tidal interaction between the galaxies, “and the dot might as well be just a smaller spherical galaxy.”\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>Galaxy mergers are actually a very common astrophysical phenomenon, she adds — even our own galaxy is interacting with its neighbor, the Andromeda galaxy. Garcia Marin similarly calls them “a normal phase in the life and evolution of galaxies.”\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>But that doesn’t mean we see them very often.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>It’s “all about projection,” Garcia Marin explains. She says the reason we see the galaxies in a question mark shape is a result of both the angle with which they have encountered each other and our own point of view.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>“This ‘question mark’ shape figure perfectly exemplifies projection effects when looking at the sky,” she adds. “What we measure is a 2D image of a Universe that is filled with objects spanning time and space. We see their projection; that ?-shaped object is much further away from us than HH 46/47 and it does not have a direct impact on it.”\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>But she does note one interesting connection between the two phenomena.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>In general, she says, the process of galaxies interacting with each other can trigger the formation of stars — “and objects like HH 46/47, the main subject of the image, could be born.”\u003c/p>\n\u003ch2>What can it teach us?\u003c/h2>\n\u003cfigure id=\"attachment_1983970\" class=\"wp-caption aligncenter\" style=\"max-width: 800px\">\u003cimg loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" class=\"wp-image-1983970 size-medium\" src=\"https://ww2.kqed.org/app/uploads/sites/35/2023/08/ap22193546501073_custom-3adf5f7fe104fd24d17698c09feb39e227780f4b-800x764.jpg\" alt=\"\" width=\"800\" height=\"764\" srcset=\"https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/35/2023/08/ap22193546501073_custom-3adf5f7fe104fd24d17698c09feb39e227780f4b-800x764.jpg 800w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/35/2023/08/ap22193546501073_custom-3adf5f7fe104fd24d17698c09feb39e227780f4b-1020x974.jpg 1020w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/35/2023/08/ap22193546501073_custom-3adf5f7fe104fd24d17698c09feb39e227780f4b-160x153.jpg 160w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/35/2023/08/ap22193546501073_custom-3adf5f7fe104fd24d17698c09feb39e227780f4b-768x733.jpg 768w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/35/2023/08/ap22193546501073_custom-3adf5f7fe104fd24d17698c09feb39e227780f4b-1536x1466.jpg 1536w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/35/2023/08/ap22193546501073_custom-3adf5f7fe104fd24d17698c09feb39e227780f4b-2048x1955.jpg 2048w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/35/2023/08/ap22193546501073_custom-3adf5f7fe104fd24d17698c09feb39e227780f4b-1920x1833.jpg 1920w\" sizes=\"(max-width: 800px) 100vw, 800px\">\u003cfigcaption class=\"wp-caption-text\">An image released by NASA last summer shows Stephan’s Quintet as captured by the Webb telescope. \u003ccite>(Courtesy of NASA, ESA, CSA, and STScI/AP)\u003c/cite>\u003c/figcaption>\u003c/figure>\n\u003cp>Galaxy mergers generate “all kinds of beautiful shapes and structures,” Garcia Marin says — especially depending on the angle from which they are perceived.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>One example is \u003ca href=\"https://webbtelescope.org/contents/media/images/2022/034/01G7F6AWJNTF1G0ZWP5ESGSFXF\">Stephan’s Quintet\u003c/a>, a visual grouping of five close-together galaxies located in the constellation Pegasus. It was one of the first \u003ca href=\"https://webbtelescope.org/contents/media/images/2022/034/01G7DA5ADA2WDSK1JJPQ0PTG4A\">images released from the Webb telescope\u003c/a> last summer, showing a swirling cluster of stars and sweeping tails.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>Luetzgendorf says images of some of the interacting galaxies closer by (relatively speaking), like the Whirlpool galaxy and Antennae galaxies, bear some resemblance to the structure people are talking about now.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>“You can see the similarities and how from a different perspective and from farther away, this might look like a question mark,” she adds.\u003c/p>\n\u003cfigure id=\"attachment_1983971\" class=\"wp-caption alignnone\" style=\"max-width: 800px\">\u003cimg loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" class=\"size-medium wp-image-1983971\" src=\"https://ww2.kqed.org/app/uploads/sites/35/2023/08/ap22488019950_custom-5939419ee7fadb303ec3726ffbf4d3cdd66dae80-800x794.jpg\" alt=\"\" width=\"800\" height=\"794\" srcset=\"https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/35/2023/08/ap22488019950_custom-5939419ee7fadb303ec3726ffbf4d3cdd66dae80-800x794.jpg 800w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/35/2023/08/ap22488019950_custom-5939419ee7fadb303ec3726ffbf4d3cdd66dae80-1020x1012.jpg 1020w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/35/2023/08/ap22488019950_custom-5939419ee7fadb303ec3726ffbf4d3cdd66dae80-160x159.jpg 160w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/35/2023/08/ap22488019950_custom-5939419ee7fadb303ec3726ffbf4d3cdd66dae80-768x762.jpg 768w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/35/2023/08/ap22488019950_custom-5939419ee7fadb303ec3726ffbf4d3cdd66dae80-1536x1524.jpg 1536w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/35/2023/08/ap22488019950_custom-5939419ee7fadb303ec3726ffbf4d3cdd66dae80-2048x2032.jpg 2048w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/35/2023/08/ap22488019950_custom-5939419ee7fadb303ec3726ffbf4d3cdd66dae80-1920x1905.jpg 1920w\" sizes=\"(max-width: 800px) 100vw, 800px\">\u003cfigcaption class=\"wp-caption-text\">This image made by the NASA/ESA Hubble Space Telescope shows the Antennae galaxies, formerly separate galaxies that have spent the last few hundred million years intertwining with one another. \u003ccite>(AP)\u003c/cite>\u003c/figcaption>\u003c/figure>\n\u003cp>Given that mergers are relatively common, and the new photos are really focused on the growing stars, is there anything new we can learn from the question mark hidden within? Garcia Marin thinks so.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>“If this is a galaxy merger,” she says, “its relevance would be to see how it fits in what we know about mergers and their importance for galaxy evolution.”\u003c/p>\n\u003cdiv class=\"fullattribution\">Copyright 2023 NPR. To see more, visit https://www.npr.org.\u003cimg decoding=\"async\" src=\"https://www.google-analytics.com/__utm.gif?utmac=UA-5828686-4&utmdt=People+are+freaking+out+over+a+question+mark+seen+in+space.+Scientists+can+explain&utme=8(APIKey)9(MDAxOTAwOTE4MDEyMTkxMDAzNjczZDljZA004)\">\u003c/div>\n\n\u003c/div>\u003c/p>",
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"title": "Your Guide to Viewing the Perseids and Delta Aquariids Meteor Showers",
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"content": "\u003cp>\u003cstrong>Update: The Perseids meteor shower will be at its peak this weekend, starting at 1 a.m. on Sunday, August 13. \u003c/strong>\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>\u003cstrong>Jump straight to \u003ca href=\"#perseidsmeteorshower\">how to spot these meteors, where to see the Perseids this weekend\u003c/a> and how to watch for Delta Aquariids too.\u003c/strong>\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>Are you ready for another meteor shower to delight your early morning sky watching? How about a two-for-one deal?\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>As the annual Perseids meteor shower grows closer to its peak of activity in mid-August, another, lesser-known shower, called the Delta Aquariids, is already underway, and will continue into late August.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>That means as you camp out in the early morning on August 13 to watch Perseids, you may see some Delta Aquariids as well!\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>The fun is in figuring out which streaks belong to which shower.\u003c/p>\n\u003ch2>Where and when to see the Delta Aquariids\u003c/h2>\n\u003cp>The \u003ca href=\"https://solarsystem.nasa.gov/asteroids-comets-and-meteors/meteors-and-meteorites/delta-aquariids/in-depth/\">Delta Aquariids\u003c/a> shower is active between July 18 and August 21, with peak activity around July 29–31. The shower can produce as many as 20 meteors per hour if viewing conditions are good.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>Delta Aquariids tend to be faint meteors, making them more difficult to spot except when the sky is very dark. This year, the moon approaches its full phase during the Delta Aquariids’ peak, but sets a few hours before dawn, offering an early morning window of moonless sky.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>On the morning of July 29, the moon sets just after 2 a.m., and on July 30 after 3 a.m., allowing for prime meteor-watching conditions.\u003c/p>\n\u003cfigure id=\"attachment_1983528\" class=\"wp-caption aligncenter\" style=\"max-width: 1398px\">\u003cimg loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" class=\"wp-image-1983528 size-full\" src=\"https://ww2.kqed.org/app/uploads/sites/35/2023/07/perseids-and-delta-aquarids-2023.jpg\" alt=\"A night-sky constellation map.\" width=\"1398\" height=\"715\" srcset=\"https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/35/2023/07/perseids-and-delta-aquarids-2023.jpg 1398w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/35/2023/07/perseids-and-delta-aquarids-2023-800x409.jpg 800w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/35/2023/07/perseids-and-delta-aquarids-2023-1020x522.jpg 1020w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/35/2023/07/perseids-and-delta-aquarids-2023-160x82.jpg 160w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/35/2023/07/perseids-and-delta-aquarids-2023-768x393.jpg 768w\" sizes=\"auto, (max-width: 1398px) 100vw, 1398px\">\u003cfigcaption class=\"wp-caption-text\">Map of the sky looking to the southeast, around 2 a.m., on Aug. 13, 2023. The radiant point for the Perseids meteor shower, the constellation Perseus, rises over the northeastern horizon, while that of the Delta Aquariids (Aquarius) rests high in the south. The planet Saturn punctuates the modest stars of Aquarius, offering a visual guide. \u003ccite>(Chabot Space & Science Center/Image created using Stellarium)\u003c/cite>\u003c/figcaption>\u003c/figure>\n\u003cp>If you choose to look for these meteors during the shower peak, pick a safe \u003ca href=\"https://www.kqed.org/quest/155/dark-secrets\">dark-sky location\u003c/a> away from city lights and schedule your viewing to begin no earlier than 2 or 3 a.m.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>You’ll have a good two or three hours of dark, moonless sky before twilight begins to glow.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>Look toward the south, taking in the view of the southern sky with your gaze centered about halfway between the horizon and the zenith point directly overhead to spot the constellation \u003ca href=\"https://www.constellation-guide.com/constellation-list/aquarius-constellation/\">Aquarius\u003c/a>. The Delta Aquariids shower is named for one of the constellation’s brighter stars, Delta Aquarii.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>None of the stars of Aquarius is outstandingly bright, but this year there’s a handy visual reference to guide your eye: The planet Saturn sits right in the middle of the constellation.\u003c/p>\n\u003ch2>\u003ca id=\"perseidsmeteorshower\">\u003c/a>Where and when to see the Perseids\u003c/h2>\n\u003cp>If you decide to skip viewing the Delta Aquariids during its peak, you still have a shot at seeing some cascading meteors during the more prominent \u003ca href=\"https://solarsystem.nasa.gov/asteroids-comets-and-meteors/meteors-and-meteorites/perseids/in-depth/\">Perseids \u003c/a>shower, which will peak on the morning of Sunday, August 13.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>Watch for meteors anytime after 1 a.m. Perseids tend to be brighter than Delta Aquariids, and this shower reliably produces up to 60 meteors per hour in dark viewing conditions.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>The waning crescent moon doesn’t rise until 3:30 a.m., so once again, you will have two or three hours of dark meteor-viewing time — and the moon’s thin crescent won’t put too much light into the sky anyway.\u003c/p>\n\u003cfigure id=\"attachment_1983527\" class=\"wp-caption aligncenter\" style=\"max-width: 1280px\">\u003cimg loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" class=\"wp-image-1983527 size-full\" src=\"https://ww2.kqed.org/app/uploads/sites/35/2023/07/1280px-Swift-Tuttle_Comet_Particles-NASA-Ron-Garan.jpg\" alt=\"A meteor as seen in space from the International Space Station.\" width=\"1280\" height=\"852\" srcset=\"https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/35/2023/07/1280px-Swift-Tuttle_Comet_Particles-NASA-Ron-Garan.jpg 1280w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/35/2023/07/1280px-Swift-Tuttle_Comet_Particles-NASA-Ron-Garan-800x533.jpg 800w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/35/2023/07/1280px-Swift-Tuttle_Comet_Particles-NASA-Ron-Garan-1020x679.jpg 1020w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/35/2023/07/1280px-Swift-Tuttle_Comet_Particles-NASA-Ron-Garan-160x107.jpg 160w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/35/2023/07/1280px-Swift-Tuttle_Comet_Particles-NASA-Ron-Garan-768x511.jpg 768w\" sizes=\"auto, (max-width: 1280px) 100vw, 1280px\">\u003cfigcaption class=\"wp-caption-text\">A Perseid meteor captured by astronaut Ron Garan from the International Space Station. \u003ccite>(NASA/Ron Garan)\u003c/cite>\u003c/figcaption>\u003c/figure>\n\u003cp>At 1 a.m. on August 13, the constellation \u003ca href=\"https://www.constellation-guide.com/constellation-list/perseus-constellation/\">Perseus\u003c/a>, for which the Perseids shower is named, will be rising in the northeast. Perseus is this shower’s “radiant,” the point where the meteors appear to streak from.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>Now, putting the two overlapping showers together, how do you tell a Delta Aquarid from a Perseid? The game is on!\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>The answer can be determined by identifying the two showers’ radiant points: where a time-lapse photo would show meteor trails radiating from.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>After midnight on August 13, Perseus will sit low on the northeastern horizon, while Aquarius will rest higher in the sky to the south.[aside label=\"More astronomy coverage\" tag=\"astronomy\"]Focus your attention toward the east, and your gaze will encompass the radiants of both showers. When you see a meteor streak across the sky, make note of which direction it is traveling. If it’s flying from a more northerly direction, then it’s a Perseid. From the south? Then it’s an Aquariid.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>But it doesn’t really matter. A meteor is a meteor and a sheer thrill to see — no matter what time of the night you see it.\u003c/p>\n\u003ch2>\u003cb>So, what is a meteor anyway?\u003c/b>\u003c/h2>\n\u003cp>A \u003ca href=\"https://education.nationalgeographic.org/resource/meteor/\">meteor\u003c/a> is a tiny speck of metal or rock from space that enters Earth’s atmosphere and is incinerated in a dazzling flash of incandescence (hopefully) before it can reach Earth’s surface. Before hitting the atmosphere, usually at speeds of multiple miles per second, most meteors are no bigger than a pebble.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>Depending on the size, speed and composition of a meteor, it may be bright or faint, fast or less so, or even tinted with color — orange, green, yellow. Fainter meteors appear white because they are not bright enough to stimulate our color vision.\u003c/p>\n\u003ch2>\u003cb>What causes a meteor shower?\u003c/b>\u003c/h2>\n\u003cp>A \u003ca href=\"https://spaceplace.nasa.gov/meteor-shower/en/\">meteor shower\u003c/a> happens when the Earth moves through a cloud of dust particles left behind in the wake of a \u003ca href=\"https://solarsystem.nasa.gov/asteroids-comets-and-meteors/comets/overview/?page=0&per_page=40&order=name+asc&search=&condition_1=102%3Aparent_id&condition_2=comet%3Abody_type%3Ailike\">comet\u003c/a> (or sometimes an \u003ca href=\"https://science.nasa.gov/science-news/science-at-nasa/2012/09dec_rockcomet\">asteroid\u003c/a>) that traveled through our part of the solar system at some point in the past.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>[ad fullwidth]\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>As a comet orbits the sun, it can shed gas and dust along the way, especially when it passes close to the sun and heats up. Then, some of its frozen volatile material (mostly water) evaporates, blowing into space and carrying bits of dust and small rocks with it.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>Every year when Earth moves through a given stream of comet dust, we enjoy a meteor shower. We always see Perseids, for example, in mid-August because that’s the time of year when Earth returns to that particular trail of dust.\u003c/p>\n\u003ch2>\u003cb>Where do these meteors come from?\u003c/b>\u003c/h2>\n\u003cp>Most meteor showers can be traced to a specific parent comet.\u003c/p>\n\u003cfigure id=\"attachment_1983526\" class=\"wp-caption alignnone\" style=\"max-width: 1000px\">\u003cimg loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" class=\"wp-image-1983526\" src=\"https://ww2.kqed.org/app/uploads/sites/35/2023/07/96P_20070403_000500_HI1A-Macholz-STEREO.png\" alt=\"A comet streaking across space.\" width=\"1000\" height=\"750\">\u003cfigcaption class=\"wp-caption-text\">Comet 96P/Machholz. This image was captured by one of NASA’s twin STEREO spacecraft. \u003ccite>(NASA/STEREO)\u003c/cite>\u003c/figcaption>\u003c/figure>\n\u003cp>The Delta Aquariids are believed to be the dusty debris left behind by a 4-mile-wide comet named \u003ca href=\"https://www.nasa.gov/feature/goddard/2017/return-of-the-comet-96p-spotted-by-esa-nasa-satellites\">96P/Machholz\u003c/a>, which was discovered by amateur astronomer Donald Machholz in 1986 from the Loma Prieta peak in the Santa Cruz Mountains. \u003ca href=\"https://www.heavens-above.com/comet.aspx?cid=96P\">96P/Machholz orbits the sun\u003c/a> about every five years, coming \u003ca href=\"https://www.swpc.noaa.gov/news/comet-96p-machholz-observed-nasasoho-instrument\">within 12 million miles of the sun\u003c/a>, three times closer than the planet Mercury. These characteristics have earned 96/Machholz the designation of a “sun-grazing comet.”\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>In contrast, the instigating comet of the Perseids meteor shower, \u003ca href=\"https://solarsystem.nasa.gov/asteroids-comets-and-meteors/comets/109p-swift-tuttle/in-depth/\">109P/Swift-Tuttle\u003c/a>, takes the long way around the sun, orbiting once every 133 years. Swift-Tuttle was discovered in 1862 by Lewis Swift and Horace Parnell Tuttle. Their independent observations were made only three days apart, earning them a shared comet name. Swift-Tuttle is also larger than 96P/Machholz, with a nucleus diameter of 16 miles.\u003c/p>\n\u003cfigure id=\"attachment_1983529\" class=\"wp-caption alignnone\" style=\"max-width: 938px\">\u003cimg loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" class=\"wp-image-1983529 size-full\" src=\"https://ww2.kqed.org/app/uploads/sites/35/2023/07/SOHO-LASCO-Macholz-Jan2023-Perihelion-NASA-ESA.jpg\" alt=\"A sequence of three images of a comet grazing the sun.\" width=\"938\" height=\"321\" srcset=\"https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/35/2023/07/SOHO-LASCO-Macholz-Jan2023-Perihelion-NASA-ESA.jpg 938w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/35/2023/07/SOHO-LASCO-Macholz-Jan2023-Perihelion-NASA-ESA-800x274.jpg 800w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/35/2023/07/SOHO-LASCO-Macholz-Jan2023-Perihelion-NASA-ESA-160x55.jpg 160w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/35/2023/07/SOHO-LASCO-Macholz-Jan2023-Perihelion-NASA-ESA-768x263.jpg 768w\" sizes=\"auto, (max-width: 938px) 100vw, 938px\">\u003cfigcaption class=\"wp-caption-text\">A sequence of images of the sun-grazing comet 96P/ Machholz as it passed through perihelion last January, coming within only 12 million miles of the sun. Captured by the LASCO instrument aboard the NASA/ESA SOHO spacecraft, the sun’s disk is hidden behind a blackout occulting disk, revealing the bright plasma of the sun’s outer atmosphere, the corona. \u003ccite>(SOHO/NASA/ESA)\u003c/cite>\u003c/figcaption>\u003c/figure>\n\u003cp>\u003cem>A version of this story originally published on July 19, 2023.\u003c/em>\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>[ad floatright]\u003c/p>\n",
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"excerpt": "The annual Perseids meteor shower, which peaks this year on August 13, is joined by the overlapping Delta Aquariids shower, offering a two-for-one meteor viewing opportunity in a dark sky near you.",
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"headline": "Your Guide to Viewing the Perseids and Delta Aquariids Meteor Showers",
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"content": "\u003cdiv class=\"post-body\">\u003cp>\u003cp>\u003cstrong>Update: The Perseids meteor shower will be at its peak this weekend, starting at 1 a.m. on Sunday, August 13. \u003c/strong>\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>\u003cstrong>Jump straight to \u003ca href=\"#perseidsmeteorshower\">how to spot these meteors, where to see the Perseids this weekend\u003c/a> and how to watch for Delta Aquariids too.\u003c/strong>\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>Are you ready for another meteor shower to delight your early morning sky watching? How about a two-for-one deal?\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>As the annual Perseids meteor shower grows closer to its peak of activity in mid-August, another, lesser-known shower, called the Delta Aquariids, is already underway, and will continue into late August.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>That means as you camp out in the early morning on August 13 to watch Perseids, you may see some Delta Aquariids as well!\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>The fun is in figuring out which streaks belong to which shower.\u003c/p>\n\u003ch2>Where and when to see the Delta Aquariids\u003c/h2>\n\u003cp>The \u003ca href=\"https://solarsystem.nasa.gov/asteroids-comets-and-meteors/meteors-and-meteorites/delta-aquariids/in-depth/\">Delta Aquariids\u003c/a> shower is active between July 18 and August 21, with peak activity around July 29–31. The shower can produce as many as 20 meteors per hour if viewing conditions are good.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>Delta Aquariids tend to be faint meteors, making them more difficult to spot except when the sky is very dark. This year, the moon approaches its full phase during the Delta Aquariids’ peak, but sets a few hours before dawn, offering an early morning window of moonless sky.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>On the morning of July 29, the moon sets just after 2 a.m., and on July 30 after 3 a.m., allowing for prime meteor-watching conditions.\u003c/p>\n\u003cfigure id=\"attachment_1983528\" class=\"wp-caption aligncenter\" style=\"max-width: 1398px\">\u003cimg loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" class=\"wp-image-1983528 size-full\" src=\"https://ww2.kqed.org/app/uploads/sites/35/2023/07/perseids-and-delta-aquarids-2023.jpg\" alt=\"A night-sky constellation map.\" width=\"1398\" height=\"715\" srcset=\"https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/35/2023/07/perseids-and-delta-aquarids-2023.jpg 1398w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/35/2023/07/perseids-and-delta-aquarids-2023-800x409.jpg 800w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/35/2023/07/perseids-and-delta-aquarids-2023-1020x522.jpg 1020w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/35/2023/07/perseids-and-delta-aquarids-2023-160x82.jpg 160w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/35/2023/07/perseids-and-delta-aquarids-2023-768x393.jpg 768w\" sizes=\"auto, (max-width: 1398px) 100vw, 1398px\">\u003cfigcaption class=\"wp-caption-text\">Map of the sky looking to the southeast, around 2 a.m., on Aug. 13, 2023. The radiant point for the Perseids meteor shower, the constellation Perseus, rises over the northeastern horizon, while that of the Delta Aquariids (Aquarius) rests high in the south. The planet Saturn punctuates the modest stars of Aquarius, offering a visual guide. \u003ccite>(Chabot Space & Science Center/Image created using Stellarium)\u003c/cite>\u003c/figcaption>\u003c/figure>\n\u003cp>If you choose to look for these meteors during the shower peak, pick a safe \u003ca href=\"https://www.kqed.org/quest/155/dark-secrets\">dark-sky location\u003c/a> away from city lights and schedule your viewing to begin no earlier than 2 or 3 a.m.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>You’ll have a good two or three hours of dark, moonless sky before twilight begins to glow.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>Look toward the south, taking in the view of the southern sky with your gaze centered about halfway between the horizon and the zenith point directly overhead to spot the constellation \u003ca href=\"https://www.constellation-guide.com/constellation-list/aquarius-constellation/\">Aquarius\u003c/a>. The Delta Aquariids shower is named for one of the constellation’s brighter stars, Delta Aquarii.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>None of the stars of Aquarius is outstandingly bright, but this year there’s a handy visual reference to guide your eye: The planet Saturn sits right in the middle of the constellation.\u003c/p>\n\u003ch2>\u003ca id=\"perseidsmeteorshower\">\u003c/a>Where and when to see the Perseids\u003c/h2>\n\u003cp>If you decide to skip viewing the Delta Aquariids during its peak, you still have a shot at seeing some cascading meteors during the more prominent \u003ca href=\"https://solarsystem.nasa.gov/asteroids-comets-and-meteors/meteors-and-meteorites/perseids/in-depth/\">Perseids \u003c/a>shower, which will peak on the morning of Sunday, August 13.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>Watch for meteors anytime after 1 a.m. Perseids tend to be brighter than Delta Aquariids, and this shower reliably produces up to 60 meteors per hour in dark viewing conditions.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>The waning crescent moon doesn’t rise until 3:30 a.m., so once again, you will have two or three hours of dark meteor-viewing time — and the moon’s thin crescent won’t put too much light into the sky anyway.\u003c/p>\n\u003cfigure id=\"attachment_1983527\" class=\"wp-caption aligncenter\" style=\"max-width: 1280px\">\u003cimg loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" class=\"wp-image-1983527 size-full\" src=\"https://ww2.kqed.org/app/uploads/sites/35/2023/07/1280px-Swift-Tuttle_Comet_Particles-NASA-Ron-Garan.jpg\" alt=\"A meteor as seen in space from the International Space Station.\" width=\"1280\" height=\"852\" srcset=\"https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/35/2023/07/1280px-Swift-Tuttle_Comet_Particles-NASA-Ron-Garan.jpg 1280w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/35/2023/07/1280px-Swift-Tuttle_Comet_Particles-NASA-Ron-Garan-800x533.jpg 800w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/35/2023/07/1280px-Swift-Tuttle_Comet_Particles-NASA-Ron-Garan-1020x679.jpg 1020w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/35/2023/07/1280px-Swift-Tuttle_Comet_Particles-NASA-Ron-Garan-160x107.jpg 160w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/35/2023/07/1280px-Swift-Tuttle_Comet_Particles-NASA-Ron-Garan-768x511.jpg 768w\" sizes=\"auto, (max-width: 1280px) 100vw, 1280px\">\u003cfigcaption class=\"wp-caption-text\">A Perseid meteor captured by astronaut Ron Garan from the International Space Station. \u003ccite>(NASA/Ron Garan)\u003c/cite>\u003c/figcaption>\u003c/figure>\n\u003cp>At 1 a.m. on August 13, the constellation \u003ca href=\"https://www.constellation-guide.com/constellation-list/perseus-constellation/\">Perseus\u003c/a>, for which the Perseids shower is named, will be rising in the northeast. Perseus is this shower’s “radiant,” the point where the meteors appear to streak from.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>Now, putting the two overlapping showers together, how do you tell a Delta Aquarid from a Perseid? The game is on!\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>The answer can be determined by identifying the two showers’ radiant points: where a time-lapse photo would show meteor trails radiating from.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>After midnight on August 13, Perseus will sit low on the northeastern horizon, while Aquarius will rest higher in the sky to the south.\u003c/p>\u003c/div>",
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"content": "\u003cdiv class=\"post-body\">\u003cp>Focus your attention toward the east, and your gaze will encompass the radiants of both showers. When you see a meteor streak across the sky, make note of which direction it is traveling. If it’s flying from a more northerly direction, then it’s a Perseid. From the south? Then it’s an Aquariid.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>But it doesn’t really matter. A meteor is a meteor and a sheer thrill to see — no matter what time of the night you see it.\u003c/p>\n\u003ch2>\u003cb>So, what is a meteor anyway?\u003c/b>\u003c/h2>\n\u003cp>A \u003ca href=\"https://education.nationalgeographic.org/resource/meteor/\">meteor\u003c/a> is a tiny speck of metal or rock from space that enters Earth’s atmosphere and is incinerated in a dazzling flash of incandescence (hopefully) before it can reach Earth’s surface. Before hitting the atmosphere, usually at speeds of multiple miles per second, most meteors are no bigger than a pebble.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>Depending on the size, speed and composition of a meteor, it may be bright or faint, fast or less so, or even tinted with color — orange, green, yellow. Fainter meteors appear white because they are not bright enough to stimulate our color vision.\u003c/p>\n\u003ch2>\u003cb>What causes a meteor shower?\u003c/b>\u003c/h2>\n\u003cp>A \u003ca href=\"https://spaceplace.nasa.gov/meteor-shower/en/\">meteor shower\u003c/a> happens when the Earth moves through a cloud of dust particles left behind in the wake of a \u003ca href=\"https://solarsystem.nasa.gov/asteroids-comets-and-meteors/comets/overview/?page=0&per_page=40&order=name+asc&search=&condition_1=102%3Aparent_id&condition_2=comet%3Abody_type%3Ailike\">comet\u003c/a> (or sometimes an \u003ca href=\"https://science.nasa.gov/science-news/science-at-nasa/2012/09dec_rockcomet\">asteroid\u003c/a>) that traveled through our part of the solar system at some point in the past.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>\u003c/p>\u003c/div>",
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"content": "\u003cdiv class=\"post-body\">\u003cp>\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>As a comet orbits the sun, it can shed gas and dust along the way, especially when it passes close to the sun and heats up. Then, some of its frozen volatile material (mostly water) evaporates, blowing into space and carrying bits of dust and small rocks with it.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>Every year when Earth moves through a given stream of comet dust, we enjoy a meteor shower. We always see Perseids, for example, in mid-August because that’s the time of year when Earth returns to that particular trail of dust.\u003c/p>\n\u003ch2>\u003cb>Where do these meteors come from?\u003c/b>\u003c/h2>\n\u003cp>Most meteor showers can be traced to a specific parent comet.\u003c/p>\n\u003cfigure id=\"attachment_1983526\" class=\"wp-caption alignnone\" style=\"max-width: 1000px\">\u003cimg loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" class=\"wp-image-1983526\" src=\"https://ww2.kqed.org/app/uploads/sites/35/2023/07/96P_20070403_000500_HI1A-Macholz-STEREO.png\" alt=\"A comet streaking across space.\" width=\"1000\" height=\"750\">\u003cfigcaption class=\"wp-caption-text\">Comet 96P/Machholz. This image was captured by one of NASA’s twin STEREO spacecraft. \u003ccite>(NASA/STEREO)\u003c/cite>\u003c/figcaption>\u003c/figure>\n\u003cp>The Delta Aquariids are believed to be the dusty debris left behind by a 4-mile-wide comet named \u003ca href=\"https://www.nasa.gov/feature/goddard/2017/return-of-the-comet-96p-spotted-by-esa-nasa-satellites\">96P/Machholz\u003c/a>, which was discovered by amateur astronomer Donald Machholz in 1986 from the Loma Prieta peak in the Santa Cruz Mountains. \u003ca href=\"https://www.heavens-above.com/comet.aspx?cid=96P\">96P/Machholz orbits the sun\u003c/a> about every five years, coming \u003ca href=\"https://www.swpc.noaa.gov/news/comet-96p-machholz-observed-nasasoho-instrument\">within 12 million miles of the sun\u003c/a>, three times closer than the planet Mercury. These characteristics have earned 96/Machholz the designation of a “sun-grazing comet.”\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>In contrast, the instigating comet of the Perseids meteor shower, \u003ca href=\"https://solarsystem.nasa.gov/asteroids-comets-and-meteors/comets/109p-swift-tuttle/in-depth/\">109P/Swift-Tuttle\u003c/a>, takes the long way around the sun, orbiting once every 133 years. Swift-Tuttle was discovered in 1862 by Lewis Swift and Horace Parnell Tuttle. Their independent observations were made only three days apart, earning them a shared comet name. Swift-Tuttle is also larger than 96P/Machholz, with a nucleus diameter of 16 miles.\u003c/p>\n\u003cfigure id=\"attachment_1983529\" class=\"wp-caption alignnone\" style=\"max-width: 938px\">\u003cimg loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" class=\"wp-image-1983529 size-full\" src=\"https://ww2.kqed.org/app/uploads/sites/35/2023/07/SOHO-LASCO-Macholz-Jan2023-Perihelion-NASA-ESA.jpg\" alt=\"A sequence of three images of a comet grazing the sun.\" width=\"938\" height=\"321\" srcset=\"https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/35/2023/07/SOHO-LASCO-Macholz-Jan2023-Perihelion-NASA-ESA.jpg 938w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/35/2023/07/SOHO-LASCO-Macholz-Jan2023-Perihelion-NASA-ESA-800x274.jpg 800w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/35/2023/07/SOHO-LASCO-Macholz-Jan2023-Perihelion-NASA-ESA-160x55.jpg 160w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/35/2023/07/SOHO-LASCO-Macholz-Jan2023-Perihelion-NASA-ESA-768x263.jpg 768w\" sizes=\"auto, (max-width: 938px) 100vw, 938px\">\u003cfigcaption class=\"wp-caption-text\">A sequence of images of the sun-grazing comet 96P/ Machholz as it passed through perihelion last January, coming within only 12 million miles of the sun. Captured by the LASCO instrument aboard the NASA/ESA SOHO spacecraft, the sun’s disk is hidden behind a blackout occulting disk, revealing the bright plasma of the sun’s outer atmosphere, the corona. \u003ccite>(SOHO/NASA/ESA)\u003c/cite>\u003c/figcaption>\u003c/figure>\n\u003cp>\u003cem>A version of this story originally published on July 19, 2023.\u003c/em>\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>\u003c/p>\u003c/div>",
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"title": "Whistleblower Alerts Congress of Secret US Program to Capture UFOs",
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"content": "\u003cp>The U.S. is concealing a longstanding program that retrieves and reverse engineers \u003ca href=\"https://apnews.com/article/7227512231fa206da624f813455c2f0b\">unidentified flying objects\u003c/a>, a former Air Force intelligence officer testified Wednesday to Congress. The Pentagon has denied his claims.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>Retired Maj. David Grusch’s highly anticipated testimony before a House Oversight subcommittee was Congress’ \u003ca href=\"https://apnews.com/article/science-politics-government-and-congress-4234f7cd9379fa1cc4ffd3cf8d5b230a\">latest foray into the world of UAPs\u003c/a> — or “unidentified aerial phenomena,” which is the official term the U.S. government uses instead of UFOs. While the study of mysterious aircraft or objects often evokes talk of aliens and “little green men,” Democrats and Republicans in recent years have pushed for more research as a national security matter due to concerns that sightings observed by pilots may be tied to U.S. adversaries.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>Grusch said he was asked in 2019 by \u003ca href=\"https://apnews.com/article/technology-government-and-politics-f5f24502d97072fd4bef34b6fe36c81d\">the head of a government task force on UAPs\u003c/a> to identify all highly classified programs relating to the task force’s mission. At the time, Grusch was detailed to the National Reconnaissance Office, the agency that operates U.S. spy satellites.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>“I was informed in the course of my official duties of a multi-decade UAP crash retrieval and reverse engineering program to which I was denied access,” he said.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>\u003ciframe loading=\"lazy\" title=\"LIVE | Congress holds UFO hearing with retired Maj. David Grusch\" width=\"500\" height=\"281\" src=\"https://www.youtube.com/embed/SpzJnrwob1A?feature=oembed\" frameborder=\"0\" allow=\"accelerometer; autoplay; clipboard-write; encrypted-media; gyroscope; picture-in-picture; web-share\" allowfullscreen>\u003c/iframe>\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>Asked whether the U.S. government had information about extraterrestrial life, Grusch said the U.S. likely has been aware of “non-human” activity since the 1930s.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>The Pentagon has denied Grusch’s claims of a coverup. In a statement, Defense Department spokeswoman Sue Gough said investigators have not discovered “any verifiable information to substantiate claims that any programs regarding the possession or reverse-engineering of extraterrestrial materials have existed in the past or exist currently.” The statement did not address UFOs that are not suspected of being extraterrestrial objects.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>Grusch says he became a government whistleblower after his discovery and has faced retaliation for coming forward. He declined to be more specific about the retaliatory tactics, citing an ongoing investigation.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>“It was very brutal and very unfortunate, some of the tactics they used to hurt me both professionally and personally,” he said.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>[ad fullwidth]\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>Rep. Glenn Grothman (R-Wis.) chaired the panel’s hearing and joked to a packed audience, “Welcome to the most exciting subcommittee in Congress this week.” But members of both parties asked Grusch about his study of UFOs and the consequences he faced.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>“I take it that you’re arguing what we need is real transparency and reporting systems so we can get some clarity on what’s going on out there,” said Rep. Jamie Raskin (D-Md.)\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>Some lawmakers criticized the Pentagon for not providing more details in a classified briefing or releasing images that could be shown to the public. In previous hearings, \u003ca href=\"https://apnews.com/article/science-politics-government-and-congress-4234f7cd9379fa1cc4ffd3cf8d5b230a\">Pentagon officials showed\u003c/a> a video taken from an F-18 military plane that showed an image of one balloon-like shape.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>Pentagon officials in December said they had received “several hundreds” of new reports since \u003ca href=\"https://apnews.com/article/7227512231fa206da624f813455c2f0b\">launching a renewed effort\u003c/a> to investigate reports of UFOs.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>At that point, “we have not seen anything, and we’re still very early on, that would lead us to believe that any of the objects that we have seen are of alien origin,” said Ronald Moultrie, the undersecretary of defense for intelligence and security. “Any unauthorized system in our airspace we deem as a threat to safety.”\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>\u003c/p>\n",
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"content": "\u003cdiv class=\"post-body\">\u003cp>\u003cp>The U.S. is concealing a longstanding program that retrieves and reverse engineers \u003ca href=\"https://apnews.com/article/7227512231fa206da624f813455c2f0b\">unidentified flying objects\u003c/a>, a former Air Force intelligence officer testified Wednesday to Congress. The Pentagon has denied his claims.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>Retired Maj. David Grusch’s highly anticipated testimony before a House Oversight subcommittee was Congress’ \u003ca href=\"https://apnews.com/article/science-politics-government-and-congress-4234f7cd9379fa1cc4ffd3cf8d5b230a\">latest foray into the world of UAPs\u003c/a> — or “unidentified aerial phenomena,” which is the official term the U.S. government uses instead of UFOs. While the study of mysterious aircraft or objects often evokes talk of aliens and “little green men,” Democrats and Republicans in recent years have pushed for more research as a national security matter due to concerns that sightings observed by pilots may be tied to U.S. adversaries.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>Grusch said he was asked in 2019 by \u003ca href=\"https://apnews.com/article/technology-government-and-politics-f5f24502d97072fd4bef34b6fe36c81d\">the head of a government task force on UAPs\u003c/a> to identify all highly classified programs relating to the task force’s mission. At the time, Grusch was detailed to the National Reconnaissance Office, the agency that operates U.S. spy satellites.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>“I was informed in the course of my official duties of a multi-decade UAP crash retrieval and reverse engineering program to which I was denied access,” he said.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>\u003ciframe loading=\"lazy\" title=\"LIVE | Congress holds UFO hearing with retired Maj. David Grusch\" width=\"500\" height=\"281\" src=\"https://www.youtube.com/embed/SpzJnrwob1A?feature=oembed\" frameborder=\"0\" allow=\"accelerometer; autoplay; clipboard-write; encrypted-media; gyroscope; picture-in-picture; web-share\" allowfullscreen>\u003c/iframe>\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>Asked whether the U.S. government had information about extraterrestrial life, Grusch said the U.S. likely has been aware of “non-human” activity since the 1930s.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>The Pentagon has denied Grusch’s claims of a coverup. In a statement, Defense Department spokeswoman Sue Gough said investigators have not discovered “any verifiable information to substantiate claims that any programs regarding the possession or reverse-engineering of extraterrestrial materials have existed in the past or exist currently.” The statement did not address UFOs that are not suspected of being extraterrestrial objects.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>Grusch says he became a government whistleblower after his discovery and has faced retaliation for coming forward. He declined to be more specific about the retaliatory tactics, citing an ongoing investigation.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>“It was very brutal and very unfortunate, some of the tactics they used to hurt me both professionally and personally,” he said.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>\u003c/p>\u003c/div>",
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"content": "\u003cdiv class=\"post-body\">\u003cp>\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>Rep. Glenn Grothman (R-Wis.) chaired the panel’s hearing and joked to a packed audience, “Welcome to the most exciting subcommittee in Congress this week.” But members of both parties asked Grusch about his study of UFOs and the consequences he faced.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>“I take it that you’re arguing what we need is real transparency and reporting systems so we can get some clarity on what’s going on out there,” said Rep. Jamie Raskin (D-Md.)\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>Some lawmakers criticized the Pentagon for not providing more details in a classified briefing or releasing images that could be shown to the public. In previous hearings, \u003ca href=\"https://apnews.com/article/science-politics-government-and-congress-4234f7cd9379fa1cc4ffd3cf8d5b230a\">Pentagon officials showed\u003c/a> a video taken from an F-18 military plane that showed an image of one balloon-like shape.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>Pentagon officials in December said they had received “several hundreds” of new reports since \u003ca href=\"https://apnews.com/article/7227512231fa206da624f813455c2f0b\">launching a renewed effort\u003c/a> to investigate reports of UFOs.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>At that point, “we have not seen anything, and we’re still very early on, that would lead us to believe that any of the objects that we have seen are of alien origin,” said Ronald Moultrie, the undersecretary of defense for intelligence and security. “Any unauthorized system in our airspace we deem as a threat to safety.”\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>\u003c/p>\n\u003c/div>\u003c/p>",
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"title": "Meteors, Supermoons, Eclipse: Mark Your Calendars for These 2023 Astronomical Delights",
"headTitle": "Meteors, Supermoons, Eclipse: Mark Your Calendars for These 2023 Astronomical Delights | KQED",
"content": "\u003cp>\u003ca href=\"https://idsw.darksky.org/\">International Dark Sky Week\u003c/a> — the annual celebration of the night sky, to raise awareness of \u003ca href=\"https://www.kqed.org/news/11945083/in-search-of-bright-stars-can-the-bay-area-reduce-its-worsening-light-pollution\">light pollution\u003c/a> globally — is April 15–22. And with the new moon approaching, it’s a perfect time to embrace and appreciate our sparkling, enchanting night skies.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>If you’re hoping to plan a stargazing trip this year, or just get outside and enjoy the view at a stargazing spot near you, keep reading for a guide to the astronomical events to look for this year — with some night photography tips to keep handy.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>\u003cstrong>Jump straight to:\u003c/strong>\u003c/p>\n\u003cul>\n\u003cli>\u003cstrong>\u003ca href=\"#annulareclipse\">The big event: October’s eclipse\u003c/a>\u003c/strong>\u003c/li>\n\u003cli>\u003cstrong>\u003ca href=\"#wherefinddarkskies\">Where to find dark skies near you\u003c/a>\u003c/strong>\u003c/li>\n\u003cli>\u003cstrong>\u003ca href=\"#nightphotography\">Expert tips for photographing the night sky\u003c/a>\u003c/strong>\u003c/li>\n\u003c/ul>\n\u003ch2>Meteor showers to watch for\u003c/h2>\n\u003cp>Meteors are small chunks of dirt and dust that were freed up from comets or asteroids that are in orbit around the solar system. The earth intersects with this swarm of dust, and the dust hits Earth’s atmosphere and burns up.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>According to \u003ca href=\"https://www.kqed.org/author/ben-burress\">Ben Burress\u003c/a>, staff astronomer at \u003ca href=\"https://chabotspace.org/\">Chabot Space and Science Center\u003c/a>, there will be four meteor showers this year that will be worth planning for in the Bay Area and beyond … if \u003ca href=\"https://www.instagram.com/karlthefog/?hl=en\">Karl the Fog\u003c/a> doesn’t get in the way.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>\u003cstrong>\u003ca href=\"https://www.timeanddate.com/astronomy/meteor-shower/lyrids.html\">See the Lyrids April 21–22, 2023\u003c/a>\u003c/strong>\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>The \u003ca href=\"https://www.kqed.org/science/1982233/the-lyrids-meteor-shower-adds-its-own-fiery-blossoms-to-april-skies\">Lyrids meteor shower\u003c/a> will begin to have excellent visibility during the evening of April 21, and will peak going into the morning of Saturday, April 22 around 2 a.m. The Lyrids will produce about 20 meteors an hour, and because the night will be moonless, it’ll make for a reliable light show. \u003ca href=\"https://www.kqed.org/science/1982233/the-lyrids-meteor-shower-adds-its-own-fiery-blossoms-to-april-skies\">Read more details on how to watch the Lyrids meteor shower with this guide from Burress.\u003c/a>[aside postID=science_1982233 hero='https://ww2.kqed.org/app/uploads/sites/35/2023/04/651338main_iss030e260480_rotated_full-NASA-JSC-D.-Pettit-1020x766.jpg']\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>\u003cstrong>\u003ca href=\"https://www.timeanddate.com/astronomy/meteor-shower/eta-aquarids.html\">See the Eta Aquarids May 5–6, 2023\u003c/a>\u003c/strong>\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>The Eta Aquarid meteor shower will peak from 3 a.m. until 6 a.m. on Saturday, May 6, producing around 60 meteors per hour. The Eta Aquarids is one of two meteor showers created by debris from Comet Halley. Note that there will be a full moon that night, and its light will probably be competing with the meteors. This means your visibility might be low.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>\u003cstrong>\u003ca href=\"https://www.timeanddate.com/astronomy/meteor-shower/perseid.html\">See the Perseids Aug. 12–13, 2023\u003c/a>\u003c/strong>\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>On Aug. 12 and 13, the Perseids meteor shower, one of the more popular showers occurring in the summer, will be visible in our night skies. It will peak at around 3 a.m. on Sunday, Aug. 13, producing 50 to 100 meteors per hour. There will be a relatively new moon, so not a lot of moonlight will disrupt the view.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>\u003cstrong>\u003ca href=\"https://www.timeanddate.com/astronomy/meteor-shower/geminids.html\">See the Geminids Dec. 13–14, 2023\u003c/a>\u003c/strong>\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>Unlike other meteor showers, the Geminids are associated with an asteroid called the 3200 Phaethon, instead of a comet. The Geminids produce up to 120 meteors per hour, and a moonless night will again make this worth watching out for. “It’s pretty active and it’s usually nice dark skies because it’s in the winter,” Burress said.\u003c/p>\n\u003ch2>Supermoons to see starting in July\u003c/h2>\n\u003cp>In addition to these meteor showers, we’ll also be able to see \u003ca href=\"https://www.farmersalmanac.com/supermoon-11971#:~:text=The%20first%20is%20on%20July,19th%20in%20Pacific%20Time%20Zone).\">four supermoons this year, in July, August and September\u003c/a>.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>Supermoons look slightly larger and brighter than your average full moon and are always a spectacle if you get the chance to see them on a clear night. They’re hard to miss.[aside postID=news_11945083 hero='https://ww2.kqed.org/app/uploads/sites/10/2023/03/pexels-griffin-wooldridge-5111788-1020x620.jpg']The first supermoon will be on July 3, and called the buck moon. The sturgeon moon will be visible on Aug. 1, the blue moon on Aug. 31, and the last of the four, the harvest moon, will illuminate our skies on Sept. 29. \u003ca href=\"https://www.farmersalmanac.com/supermoon-11971#:~:text=The%20first%20is%20on%20July,19th%20in%20Pacific%20Time%20Zone).\">Read more about the four supermoons to watch for in 2023.\u003c/a>\u003c/p>\n\u003ch2>\u003ca id=\"annulareclipse\">\u003c/a>The big event: October’s annular solar eclipse\u003c/h2>\n\u003cp>On Oct. 14, 2023, we will be able to experience an \u003ca href=\"https://solarsystem.nasa.gov/eclipses/2023/oct-14-annular/overview/\">annular solar eclipse\u003c/a>. Unlike a total solar eclipse, where the sun is fully covered by the moon, during an annular eclipse the moon is a little bit further away in its orbit.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>“So it doesn’t quite cover the sun, but it leaves the ring of fire around the dark circle of the moon,” said \u003ca href=\"https://www.fraknoi.com/\">Andrew Fraknoi\u003c/a>, an astronomer and board member of the \u003ca href=\"https://www.seti.org/\">SETI Institute\u003c/a>.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>The eclipse, which will happen on a Saturday, will chart a path under which you can see it from Oregon all the way to Texas. The Bay Area won’t be in the path of totality, but we will see a partial eclipse, where part of the sun will be covered by the moon, making it notably dimmer outside. \u003ca href=\"https://solarsystem.nasa.gov/eclipses/2023/oct-14-annular/overview/\">See a map of the annular eclipse’s path on the “Where & When” tab from this guide at NASA.gov.\u003c/a>\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>Burress says the moon will block out about 80% of the sun in the morning of Oct. 14 from about 8:05 a.m. to 10:42 a.m. The mid-eclipse, where the sun will mostly be covered, will be around 9:20 a.m.\u003c/p>\n\u003cfigure id=\"attachment_1982248\" class=\"wp-caption alignnone\" style=\"max-width: 800px\">\u003cimg loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" class=\"size-medium wp-image-1982248\" src=\"https://ww2.kqed.org/app/uploads/sites/35/2023/04/GettyImages-838972500-800x533.jpg\" alt=\"A view of a total solar eclipse when the sun is fully blocked by the moon to create a dark sky. \" width=\"800\" height=\"533\" srcset=\"https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/35/2023/04/GettyImages-838972500-800x533.jpg 800w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/35/2023/04/GettyImages-838972500-1020x680.jpg 1020w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/35/2023/04/GettyImages-838972500-160x107.jpg 160w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/35/2023/04/GettyImages-838972500-768x512.jpg 768w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/35/2023/04/GettyImages-838972500-1536x1024.jpg 1536w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/35/2023/04/GettyImages-838972500-2048x1365.jpg 2048w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/35/2023/04/GettyImages-838972500-1920x1280.jpg 1920w\" sizes=\"(max-width: 800px) 100vw, 800px\">\u003cfigcaption class=\"wp-caption-text\">2017 total solar eclipse. \u003ccite>(Jorge Villalba/Getty Images)\u003c/cite>\u003c/figcaption>\u003c/figure>\n\u003cp>\u003ca href=\"https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Solar_eclipse_of_August_21,_2017\">The last time we had a total eclipse of the sun over the United States\u003c/a> was in 2017, an event that awed the nation. Next year, on April 8, 2024, \u003ca href=\"https://solarsystem.nasa.gov/eclipses/2024/apr-8-total/where-when/\">a total eclipse will be visible in the U.S.\u003c/a> once again, starting over Texas and traversing northeast toward Canada, Fraknoi said.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>Fraknoi is one of the principals in \u003ca href=\"https://www.moore.org/grant-detail?grantId=GBMF10756\">an eclipse education project as part of the Gordon and Betty Moore Foundation\u003c/a> that will be distributing 5 million safe-viewing eclipse glasses and information materials through 10,000 public libraries nationwide. During a solar eclipse, it is never safe to look directly at the sun without solar-filtered eyewear designed for solar viewing.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>Organizations across North America, including the American Astronomical Society, the Astronomical Society of the Pacific and the National Science Teaching Association, are gearing up to help train eclipse “explainers” and disseminate reliable information.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>[ad fullwidth]\u003c/p>\n\u003ch2>\u003ca id=\"wherefinddarkskies\">\u003c/a>Where to find dark skies\u003c/h2>\n\u003cp>The general advice for success in stargazing is to \u003ca href=\"https://www.kqed.org/news/11945083/in-search-of-bright-stars-can-the-bay-area-reduce-its-worsening-light-pollution\">find a dark spot, away from city lights\u003c/a>. Once you’ve found it, give your eyes a chance to get adapted, and then look all over the sky.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>Places like Henry W. Coe State Park in the South Bay, Skyline Boulevard in Oakland and Mount Diablo in the East Bay, Mount Tamalpais and Point Reyes in Marin County, and Bodega Bay in Sonoma County in the North Bay have especially dark skies and optimal conditions for stargazing. On the peninsula, Pescadero and the Santa Cruz Mountains are good spots.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>If you’re willing to drive a bit further, you can head out of the Bay Area to places like Pinnacles National Park, Death Valley, Yosemite or other national parks that usually have less light pollution. Or, \u003ca href=\"https://darksitefinder.com/dark-sites/list-of-dark-sites/\">refer to a dark sky map\u003c/a> to find out where you’ll have the best view.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>You can join a free telescope viewing at \u003ca href=\"https://chabotspace.org/events/events-listing/\">Chabot Space and Science Center\u003c/a> in Oakland. On the peninsula, there’s the \u003ca href=\"https://foothill.edu/astronomy/observatory.html\">Foothill College Observatory\u003c/a> in Los Altos Hills, and in the North Bay you can go to the Robert Ferguson Observatory in Sonoma County, which regularly has telescope viewings available to the public.\u003c/p>\n\u003cfigure id=\"attachment_1982247\" class=\"wp-caption alignnone\" style=\"max-width: 800px\">\u003cimg loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" class=\"size-medium wp-image-1982247\" src=\"https://ww2.kqed.org/app/uploads/sites/35/2023/04/RS63098_02172023_chabotastronomy-040-qut-800x532.jpg\" alt=\"A person is looking through a telescope.\" width=\"800\" height=\"532\" srcset=\"https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/35/2023/04/RS63098_02172023_chabotastronomy-040-qut-800x532.jpg 800w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/35/2023/04/RS63098_02172023_chabotastronomy-040-qut-1020x678.jpg 1020w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/35/2023/04/RS63098_02172023_chabotastronomy-040-qut-160x106.jpg 160w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/35/2023/04/RS63098_02172023_chabotastronomy-040-qut-768x511.jpg 768w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/35/2023/04/RS63098_02172023_chabotastronomy-040-qut-1536x1022.jpg 1536w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/35/2023/04/RS63098_02172023_chabotastronomy-040-qut.jpg 1920w\" sizes=\"(max-width: 800px) 100vw, 800px\">\u003cfigcaption class=\"wp-caption-text\">Kayleen Mojica, 21, laughs as she peers at Venus through the 8-inch Alvan Clark Refractor telescope at Chabot Space and Science Center in Oakland on Feb. 17, 2023. \u003ccite>(Kori Suzuki/KQED)\u003c/cite>\u003c/figcaption>\u003c/figure>\n\u003cp>Or you could join an astronomy club, like the \u003ca href=\"https://sfaa-astronomy.org/\">San Francisco Amateur Astronomers\u003c/a>.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>“There are actually hundreds of clubs of astronomy enthusiasts around the country. And in the Bay Area, we have a very rich collection of astronomy clubs,” said Fraknoi.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>You can find other fellow astronomy enthusiasts on \u003ca href=\"https://nightsky.jpl.nasa.gov/index.cfm\">NASA’s Night Sky Network\u003c/a>, many of whom host star parties and astronomy events, including camping trips.\u003c/p>\n\u003ch2>\u003ca id=\"nightphotography\">\u003c/a>Tips for taking photos of stars and meteor showers\u003c/h2>\n\u003cp>\u003ca href=\"https://www.shreeniclix.com/\">Shreenivasan Manievannan\u003c/a>, a professional photographer and Bay Area resident, has been an advocate at the \u003ca href=\"https://www.darksky.org/\">International Dark-Sky Association\u003c/a> since 2014. He’s involved with public outreach activities that promote the protection of our dark skies. This includes sharing his love of astrophotography through photos and time-lapse videos of the amazing views of our cosmos and organizing workshops about the importance of our dark skies at public libraries.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>For those interested in taking photos of the night sky, Manievannan says you should first understand which camera suits your need and what you are trying to capture. If you’re planning on shooting high-quality images and are ready to make the investment, Manievannan’s advice is to first \u003ca href=\"https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Single-lens_reflex_camera\">look for a basic SLR or mirrorless camera\u003c/a> with a good wide-angle lens, a camera that can take long exposure shots, like 15 to 30 seconds long.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>If you’re not ready to make an investment but still want to take some good night shots, he says most camera phones these days can take decent photos of the night sky, and are equipped with night mode functions.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>The second important tip, he says: Make sure you have a camera mount or a tripod. The mounts will help capture those really long exposures, something that can’t be done reliably by just holding it with your hands. \u003ca href=\"https://www.space.com/astrophotography-for-beginners-guide\">Read a detailed guide for astrophotography for beginners from space.com.\u003c/a>\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>https://www.instagram.com/p/Clk42fCu9_l/\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>Timing matters, too. Manievannan said his favorite time of year to capture the Milky Way, for example, is the summer, when “you would be able to see the Milky Way rising in the southeast, soon after sunset.” His favorite places to capture the Milky Way are the Sierra Nevada, Bodega Bay, Davenport and Pescadero. He also recommends looking for the Perseids. “The number of meteors per hour is pretty consistent with Perseids, and the meteors are really bright. And then it has a long trail, too, at times,” he said.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>These days he particularly enjoys taking his 7-year-old daughter out to enjoy the night sky. “I’ve been taking her since she was 1 or 2,” he said.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>Manievannan hopes that, especially for Dark Sky Week, while the moon is not as bright, people take the opportunity to step outside to enjoy the beauty of the night sky.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>To join in the celebration of International Dark Sky Week in the Bay Area, head over to \u003ca href=\"https://darkskypointreyes.com/dark-sky-point-reyes-community-events/\">Point Reyes Station on Wed., April 19\u003c/a>, for a session about light pollution and talks about preserving our dark skies. There’s also a members-only star party with the \u003ca href=\"https://sfaa-astronomy.org/event-5091446\">San Francisco Amateur Astronomers on Sat., April 15 at Mount Tamalpais\u003c/a>.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>[ad floatright]\u003c/p>\n",
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"content": "\u003cdiv class=\"post-body\">\u003cp>\u003cp>\u003ca href=\"https://idsw.darksky.org/\">International Dark Sky Week\u003c/a> — the annual celebration of the night sky, to raise awareness of \u003ca href=\"https://www.kqed.org/news/11945083/in-search-of-bright-stars-can-the-bay-area-reduce-its-worsening-light-pollution\">light pollution\u003c/a> globally — is April 15–22. And with the new moon approaching, it’s a perfect time to embrace and appreciate our sparkling, enchanting night skies.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>If you’re hoping to plan a stargazing trip this year, or just get outside and enjoy the view at a stargazing spot near you, keep reading for a guide to the astronomical events to look for this year — with some night photography tips to keep handy.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>\u003cstrong>Jump straight to:\u003c/strong>\u003c/p>\n\u003cul>\n\u003cli>\u003cstrong>\u003ca href=\"#annulareclipse\">The big event: October’s eclipse\u003c/a>\u003c/strong>\u003c/li>\n\u003cli>\u003cstrong>\u003ca href=\"#wherefinddarkskies\">Where to find dark skies near you\u003c/a>\u003c/strong>\u003c/li>\n\u003cli>\u003cstrong>\u003ca href=\"#nightphotography\">Expert tips for photographing the night sky\u003c/a>\u003c/strong>\u003c/li>\n\u003c/ul>\n\u003ch2>Meteor showers to watch for\u003c/h2>\n\u003cp>Meteors are small chunks of dirt and dust that were freed up from comets or asteroids that are in orbit around the solar system. The earth intersects with this swarm of dust, and the dust hits Earth’s atmosphere and burns up.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>According to \u003ca href=\"https://www.kqed.org/author/ben-burress\">Ben Burress\u003c/a>, staff astronomer at \u003ca href=\"https://chabotspace.org/\">Chabot Space and Science Center\u003c/a>, there will be four meteor showers this year that will be worth planning for in the Bay Area and beyond … if \u003ca href=\"https://www.instagram.com/karlthefog/?hl=en\">Karl the Fog\u003c/a> doesn’t get in the way.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>\u003cstrong>\u003ca href=\"https://www.timeanddate.com/astronomy/meteor-shower/lyrids.html\">See the Lyrids April 21–22, 2023\u003c/a>\u003c/strong>\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>The \u003ca href=\"https://www.kqed.org/science/1982233/the-lyrids-meteor-shower-adds-its-own-fiery-blossoms-to-april-skies\">Lyrids meteor shower\u003c/a> will begin to have excellent visibility during the evening of April 21, and will peak going into the morning of Saturday, April 22 around 2 a.m. The Lyrids will produce about 20 meteors an hour, and because the night will be moonless, it’ll make for a reliable light show. \u003ca href=\"https://www.kqed.org/science/1982233/the-lyrids-meteor-shower-adds-its-own-fiery-blossoms-to-april-skies\">Read more details on how to watch the Lyrids meteor shower with this guide from Burress.\u003c/a>\u003c/p>\u003c/div>",
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"content": "\u003cdiv class=\"post-body\">\u003cp>\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>\u003cstrong>\u003ca href=\"https://www.timeanddate.com/astronomy/meteor-shower/eta-aquarids.html\">See the Eta Aquarids May 5–6, 2023\u003c/a>\u003c/strong>\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>The Eta Aquarid meteor shower will peak from 3 a.m. until 6 a.m. on Saturday, May 6, producing around 60 meteors per hour. The Eta Aquarids is one of two meteor showers created by debris from Comet Halley. Note that there will be a full moon that night, and its light will probably be competing with the meteors. This means your visibility might be low.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>\u003cstrong>\u003ca href=\"https://www.timeanddate.com/astronomy/meteor-shower/perseid.html\">See the Perseids Aug. 12–13, 2023\u003c/a>\u003c/strong>\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>On Aug. 12 and 13, the Perseids meteor shower, one of the more popular showers occurring in the summer, will be visible in our night skies. It will peak at around 3 a.m. on Sunday, Aug. 13, producing 50 to 100 meteors per hour. There will be a relatively new moon, so not a lot of moonlight will disrupt the view.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>\u003cstrong>\u003ca href=\"https://www.timeanddate.com/astronomy/meteor-shower/geminids.html\">See the Geminids Dec. 13–14, 2023\u003c/a>\u003c/strong>\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>Unlike other meteor showers, the Geminids are associated with an asteroid called the 3200 Phaethon, instead of a comet. The Geminids produce up to 120 meteors per hour, and a moonless night will again make this worth watching out for. “It’s pretty active and it’s usually nice dark skies because it’s in the winter,” Burress said.\u003c/p>\n\u003ch2>Supermoons to see starting in July\u003c/h2>\n\u003cp>In addition to these meteor showers, we’ll also be able to see \u003ca href=\"https://www.farmersalmanac.com/supermoon-11971#:~:text=The%20first%20is%20on%20July,19th%20in%20Pacific%20Time%20Zone).\">four supermoons this year, in July, August and September\u003c/a>.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>Supermoons look slightly larger and brighter than your average full moon and are always a spectacle if you get the chance to see them on a clear night. They’re hard to miss.\u003c/p>\u003c/div>",
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"content": "\u003cdiv class=\"post-body\">\u003cp>The first supermoon will be on July 3, and called the buck moon. The sturgeon moon will be visible on Aug. 1, the blue moon on Aug. 31, and the last of the four, the harvest moon, will illuminate our skies on Sept. 29. \u003ca href=\"https://www.farmersalmanac.com/supermoon-11971#:~:text=The%20first%20is%20on%20July,19th%20in%20Pacific%20Time%20Zone).\">Read more about the four supermoons to watch for in 2023.\u003c/a>\u003c/p>\n\u003ch2>\u003ca id=\"annulareclipse\">\u003c/a>The big event: October’s annular solar eclipse\u003c/h2>\n\u003cp>On Oct. 14, 2023, we will be able to experience an \u003ca href=\"https://solarsystem.nasa.gov/eclipses/2023/oct-14-annular/overview/\">annular solar eclipse\u003c/a>. Unlike a total solar eclipse, where the sun is fully covered by the moon, during an annular eclipse the moon is a little bit further away in its orbit.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>“So it doesn’t quite cover the sun, but it leaves the ring of fire around the dark circle of the moon,” said \u003ca href=\"https://www.fraknoi.com/\">Andrew Fraknoi\u003c/a>, an astronomer and board member of the \u003ca href=\"https://www.seti.org/\">SETI Institute\u003c/a>.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>The eclipse, which will happen on a Saturday, will chart a path under which you can see it from Oregon all the way to Texas. The Bay Area won’t be in the path of totality, but we will see a partial eclipse, where part of the sun will be covered by the moon, making it notably dimmer outside. \u003ca href=\"https://solarsystem.nasa.gov/eclipses/2023/oct-14-annular/overview/\">See a map of the annular eclipse’s path on the “Where & When” tab from this guide at NASA.gov.\u003c/a>\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>Burress says the moon will block out about 80% of the sun in the morning of Oct. 14 from about 8:05 a.m. to 10:42 a.m. The mid-eclipse, where the sun will mostly be covered, will be around 9:20 a.m.\u003c/p>\n\u003cfigure id=\"attachment_1982248\" class=\"wp-caption alignnone\" style=\"max-width: 800px\">\u003cimg loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" class=\"size-medium wp-image-1982248\" src=\"https://ww2.kqed.org/app/uploads/sites/35/2023/04/GettyImages-838972500-800x533.jpg\" alt=\"A view of a total solar eclipse when the sun is fully blocked by the moon to create a dark sky. \" width=\"800\" height=\"533\" srcset=\"https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/35/2023/04/GettyImages-838972500-800x533.jpg 800w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/35/2023/04/GettyImages-838972500-1020x680.jpg 1020w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/35/2023/04/GettyImages-838972500-160x107.jpg 160w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/35/2023/04/GettyImages-838972500-768x512.jpg 768w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/35/2023/04/GettyImages-838972500-1536x1024.jpg 1536w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/35/2023/04/GettyImages-838972500-2048x1365.jpg 2048w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/35/2023/04/GettyImages-838972500-1920x1280.jpg 1920w\" sizes=\"(max-width: 800px) 100vw, 800px\">\u003cfigcaption class=\"wp-caption-text\">2017 total solar eclipse. \u003ccite>(Jorge Villalba/Getty Images)\u003c/cite>\u003c/figcaption>\u003c/figure>\n\u003cp>\u003ca href=\"https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Solar_eclipse_of_August_21,_2017\">The last time we had a total eclipse of the sun over the United States\u003c/a> was in 2017, an event that awed the nation. Next year, on April 8, 2024, \u003ca href=\"https://solarsystem.nasa.gov/eclipses/2024/apr-8-total/where-when/\">a total eclipse will be visible in the U.S.\u003c/a> once again, starting over Texas and traversing northeast toward Canada, Fraknoi said.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>Fraknoi is one of the principals in \u003ca href=\"https://www.moore.org/grant-detail?grantId=GBMF10756\">an eclipse education project as part of the Gordon and Betty Moore Foundation\u003c/a> that will be distributing 5 million safe-viewing eclipse glasses and information materials through 10,000 public libraries nationwide. During a solar eclipse, it is never safe to look directly at the sun without solar-filtered eyewear designed for solar viewing.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>Organizations across North America, including the American Astronomical Society, the Astronomical Society of the Pacific and the National Science Teaching Association, are gearing up to help train eclipse “explainers” and disseminate reliable information.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>\u003c/p>\u003c/div>",
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"content": "\u003cdiv class=\"post-body\">\u003cp>\u003c/p>\n\u003ch2>\u003ca id=\"wherefinddarkskies\">\u003c/a>Where to find dark skies\u003c/h2>\n\u003cp>The general advice for success in stargazing is to \u003ca href=\"https://www.kqed.org/news/11945083/in-search-of-bright-stars-can-the-bay-area-reduce-its-worsening-light-pollution\">find a dark spot, away from city lights\u003c/a>. Once you’ve found it, give your eyes a chance to get adapted, and then look all over the sky.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>Places like Henry W. Coe State Park in the South Bay, Skyline Boulevard in Oakland and Mount Diablo in the East Bay, Mount Tamalpais and Point Reyes in Marin County, and Bodega Bay in Sonoma County in the North Bay have especially dark skies and optimal conditions for stargazing. On the peninsula, Pescadero and the Santa Cruz Mountains are good spots.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>If you’re willing to drive a bit further, you can head out of the Bay Area to places like Pinnacles National Park, Death Valley, Yosemite or other national parks that usually have less light pollution. Or, \u003ca href=\"https://darksitefinder.com/dark-sites/list-of-dark-sites/\">refer to a dark sky map\u003c/a> to find out where you’ll have the best view.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>You can join a free telescope viewing at \u003ca href=\"https://chabotspace.org/events/events-listing/\">Chabot Space and Science Center\u003c/a> in Oakland. On the peninsula, there’s the \u003ca href=\"https://foothill.edu/astronomy/observatory.html\">Foothill College Observatory\u003c/a> in Los Altos Hills, and in the North Bay you can go to the Robert Ferguson Observatory in Sonoma County, which regularly has telescope viewings available to the public.\u003c/p>\n\u003cfigure id=\"attachment_1982247\" class=\"wp-caption alignnone\" style=\"max-width: 800px\">\u003cimg loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" class=\"size-medium wp-image-1982247\" src=\"https://ww2.kqed.org/app/uploads/sites/35/2023/04/RS63098_02172023_chabotastronomy-040-qut-800x532.jpg\" alt=\"A person is looking through a telescope.\" width=\"800\" height=\"532\" srcset=\"https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/35/2023/04/RS63098_02172023_chabotastronomy-040-qut-800x532.jpg 800w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/35/2023/04/RS63098_02172023_chabotastronomy-040-qut-1020x678.jpg 1020w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/35/2023/04/RS63098_02172023_chabotastronomy-040-qut-160x106.jpg 160w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/35/2023/04/RS63098_02172023_chabotastronomy-040-qut-768x511.jpg 768w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/35/2023/04/RS63098_02172023_chabotastronomy-040-qut-1536x1022.jpg 1536w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/35/2023/04/RS63098_02172023_chabotastronomy-040-qut.jpg 1920w\" sizes=\"(max-width: 800px) 100vw, 800px\">\u003cfigcaption class=\"wp-caption-text\">Kayleen Mojica, 21, laughs as she peers at Venus through the 8-inch Alvan Clark Refractor telescope at Chabot Space and Science Center in Oakland on Feb. 17, 2023. \u003ccite>(Kori Suzuki/KQED)\u003c/cite>\u003c/figcaption>\u003c/figure>\n\u003cp>Or you could join an astronomy club, like the \u003ca href=\"https://sfaa-astronomy.org/\">San Francisco Amateur Astronomers\u003c/a>.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>“There are actually hundreds of clubs of astronomy enthusiasts around the country. And in the Bay Area, we have a very rich collection of astronomy clubs,” said Fraknoi.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>You can find other fellow astronomy enthusiasts on \u003ca href=\"https://nightsky.jpl.nasa.gov/index.cfm\">NASA’s Night Sky Network\u003c/a>, many of whom host star parties and astronomy events, including camping trips.\u003c/p>\n\u003ch2>\u003ca id=\"nightphotography\">\u003c/a>Tips for taking photos of stars and meteor showers\u003c/h2>\n\u003cp>\u003ca href=\"https://www.shreeniclix.com/\">Shreenivasan Manievannan\u003c/a>, a professional photographer and Bay Area resident, has been an advocate at the \u003ca href=\"https://www.darksky.org/\">International Dark-Sky Association\u003c/a> since 2014. He’s involved with public outreach activities that promote the protection of our dark skies. This includes sharing his love of astrophotography through photos and time-lapse videos of the amazing views of our cosmos and organizing workshops about the importance of our dark skies at public libraries.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>For those interested in taking photos of the night sky, Manievannan says you should first understand which camera suits your need and what you are trying to capture. If you’re planning on shooting high-quality images and are ready to make the investment, Manievannan’s advice is to first \u003ca href=\"https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Single-lens_reflex_camera\">look for a basic SLR or mirrorless camera\u003c/a> with a good wide-angle lens, a camera that can take long exposure shots, like 15 to 30 seconds long.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>If you’re not ready to make an investment but still want to take some good night shots, he says most camera phones these days can take decent photos of the night sky, and are equipped with night mode functions.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>The second important tip, he says: Make sure you have a camera mount or a tripod. The mounts will help capture those really long exposures, something that can’t be done reliably by just holding it with your hands. \u003ca href=\"https://www.space.com/astrophotography-for-beginners-guide\">Read a detailed guide for astrophotography for beginners from space.com.\u003c/a>\u003c/p>\u003c/p>\u003c/div>",
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"content": "\u003cdiv class=\"post-body\">\u003cp>\u003cp>Timing matters, too. Manievannan said his favorite time of year to capture the Milky Way, for example, is the summer, when “you would be able to see the Milky Way rising in the southeast, soon after sunset.” His favorite places to capture the Milky Way are the Sierra Nevada, Bodega Bay, Davenport and Pescadero. He also recommends looking for the Perseids. “The number of meteors per hour is pretty consistent with Perseids, and the meteors are really bright. And then it has a long trail, too, at times,” he said.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>These days he particularly enjoys taking his 7-year-old daughter out to enjoy the night sky. “I’ve been taking her since she was 1 or 2,” he said.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>Manievannan hopes that, especially for Dark Sky Week, while the moon is not as bright, people take the opportunity to step outside to enjoy the beauty of the night sky.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>To join in the celebration of International Dark Sky Week in the Bay Area, head over to \u003ca href=\"https://darkskypointreyes.com/dark-sky-point-reyes-community-events/\">Point Reyes Station on Wed., April 19\u003c/a>, for a session about light pollution and talks about preserving our dark skies. There’s also a members-only star party with the \u003ca href=\"https://sfaa-astronomy.org/event-5091446\">San Francisco Amateur Astronomers on Sat., April 15 at Mount Tamalpais\u003c/a>.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>\u003c/p>\u003c/div>",
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"title": "The Lyrids Meteor Shower Adds Its Own Fiery Blossoms to April Skies",
"headTitle": "The Lyrids Meteor Shower Adds Its Own Fiery Blossoms to April Skies | KQED",
"content": "\u003cp>A month into spring, something more than flowers are popping up — or down — meteors! Like pale night-blooming petals falling from a celestial tree, the annual Lyrids meteor shower will cascade over our heads from late evening on April 21 through early morning on Saturday, April 22.\u003c/p>\n\u003ch2>Here’s how to see the meteors\u003c/h2>\n\u003cp>The best time to watch for Lyrids meteors is after midnight on the morning of Saturday, April 22. At this time, the area of the sky the meteors appear to streak from, in the \u003ca href=\"https://www.constellation-guide.com/constellation-list/lyra-constellation/\"> constellation Lyra\u003c/a>, is rising in the east, and by 2 a.m. will be positioned high in the southeast.\u003c/p>\n\u003cfigure id=\"attachment_1982236\" class=\"wp-caption aligncenter\" style=\"max-width: 1131px\">\u003cimg loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" class=\"wp-image-1982236 size-full\" src=\"https://ww2.kqed.org/app/uploads/sites/35/2023/04/Lyrids-Stellarium-April22-2am.jpg\" alt=\"Black night dotted by white starts and a directional axis across the bottom, showing NE in the lower left, E and SE to the right. \" width=\"1131\" height=\"765\" srcset=\"https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/35/2023/04/Lyrids-Stellarium-April22-2am.jpg 1131w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/35/2023/04/Lyrids-Stellarium-April22-2am-800x541.jpg 800w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/35/2023/04/Lyrids-Stellarium-April22-2am-1020x690.jpg 1020w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/35/2023/04/Lyrids-Stellarium-April22-2am-160x108.jpg 160w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/35/2023/04/Lyrids-Stellarium-April22-2am-768x519.jpg 768w\" sizes=\"(max-width: 1131px) 100vw, 1131px\">\u003cfigcaption class=\"wp-caption-text\">The southeastern sky on the morning of April 22 at about 2 a.m. Look for the bright star Vega in the constellation Lyra to gaze at the radiant point of the Lyrids meteor shower. \u003ccite>(Chabot Space and Science Center/Made using Stellarium)\u003c/cite>\u003c/figcaption>\u003c/figure>\n\u003cp>Find a place with a good view of the southeastern sky, \u003ca href=\"https://www.kqed.org/quest/155/dark-secrets\">as far from city lights\u003c/a> as possible, and center your sight on the star Vega, the brightest in Lyra and one of the brightest stars of the night sky.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>Now, watch and wait — and pay attention to your peripheral vision.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>Even though the meteors’ point of origin is in Lyra, the meteors can appear anywhere in the sky. In fact, the meteor trails will be longer and more visible the farther they are from their “\u003ca href=\"https://earthsky.org/astronomy-essentials/radiant-point-of-meteor-showers/\">radiant point\u003c/a>” in Lyra since you’re looking at them from the side instead of head-on. \u003ca href=\"https://solarsystem.nasa.gov/asteroids-comets-and-meteors/meteors-and-meteorites/lyrids/in-depth/\">The Lyrids shower\u003c/a> produces up to 18 meteors per hour around its peak of activity, under good seeing conditions and dark, clear skies. The moon won’t be in the sky, only three days past its new phase, so moonlight will not interfere.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>[ad fullwidth]\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>If you live under city skies \u003ca href=\"https://www.darksky.org/light-pollution/\">inundated by scattered light\u003c/a>, you may miss out on the fainter meteors.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>Fortunately, the Bay Area has numerous places within a 20- to 30-minute drive that are partly sheltered from light pollution, if you’re willing to make the late-night trip. In the South Bay, Henry W. Coe State Park is a favorite dark-sky watching location. On the peninsula, there are numerous spots from the Santa Cruz Mountains northward along Skyline Boulevard for a pullover with partial protection from city light. In the East Bay, go for the Sunol area, Mount Diablo or a ridgeline pullout along the East Bay hills from Tilden Park southward into Hayward. In the North Bay, you can find miles of darkened rural skies from the coast eastward.\u003c/p>\n\u003ch2>What is a meteor shower?\u003c/h2>\n\u003cp>A \u003ca href=\"https://solarsystem.nasa.gov/asteroids-comets-and-meteors/meteors-and-meteorites/overview/?page=0&per_page=40&order=id+asc&search=&condition_1=meteor_shower%3Abody_type\">meteor\u003c/a> is a small piece of rock or metal, usually not much bigger than a pebble, that can be seen as it burns up in Earth’s atmosphere. Hitting the thin air 30 to 50 miles above Earth’s surface at speeds of tens of miles per second, each dust speck vaporizes to incandescence in a flash, leaving a glowing trail across the sky.\u003c/p>\n\u003cfigure id=\"attachment_1982240\" class=\"wp-caption aligncenter\" style=\"max-width: 632px\">\u003cimg loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" class=\"wp-image-1982240 size-full\" src=\"https://ww2.kqed.org/app/uploads/sites/35/2023/04/lyrid_shower.jpg\" alt=\"Bright white lights with long tails against a dark blue image. \" width=\"632\" height=\"480\" srcset=\"https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/35/2023/04/lyrid_shower.jpg 632w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/35/2023/04/lyrid_shower-160x122.jpg 160w\" sizes=\"(max-width: 632px) 100vw, 632px\">\u003cfigcaption class=\"wp-caption-text\">Long-exposure image of the sky during the 2012 Lyrids meteor shower. \u003ccite>(NASA/MSFC/Danielle Moser)\u003c/cite>\u003c/figcaption>\u003c/figure>\n\u003cp>A \u003ca href=\"https://spaceplace.nasa.gov/meteor-shower/en/\">meteor \u003ci>shower\u003c/i>\u003c/a> happens when Earth passes through a trail of dust left behind in the wake of a comet. Comets are large chunks of rock, ice and other frozen materials, as well as a smattering of dust. A typical comet is several miles in diameter.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>When a \u003ca href=\"https://solarsystem.nasa.gov/asteroids-comets-and-meteors/comets/overview/?page=0&per_page=40&order=name+asc&search=&condition_1=102%3Aparent_id&condition_2=comet%3Abody_type%3Ailike\">comet\u003c/a> passes close to the sun, it is warmed and some of its ice sublimates into gas, blowing into space and carrying dust with it. Over time, the dust spreads out into a trail along the parent comet’s orbital path.\u003c/p>\n\u003ch2>Where do the Lyrids come from?\u003c/h2>\n\u003cp>Every year, as Earth orbits the sun, it passes through the dust trail of one comet or another, and we see a meteor shower.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>The comet that left behind the dust for the Lyrids shower is called \u003ca href=\"https://solarsystem.nasa.gov/asteroids-comets-and-meteors/comets/c-1861-g1-thatcher/in-depth/\">C/1861 G1 (Thatcher)\u003c/a>.\u003c/p>\n\u003cfigure id=\"attachment_1982241\" class=\"wp-caption aligncenter\" style=\"max-width: 800px\">\u003cimg loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" class=\"wp-image-1982241 size-full\" src=\"https://ww2.kqed.org/app/uploads/sites/35/2023/04/comettail.jpg\" alt=\"A black and white image that shows a hazy gas tail and a more diffuse dust tail. \" width=\"800\" height=\"1104\" srcset=\"https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/35/2023/04/comettail.jpg 800w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/35/2023/04/comettail-160x221.jpg 160w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/35/2023/04/comettail-768x1060.jpg 768w\" sizes=\"(max-width: 800px) 100vw, 800px\">\u003cfigcaption class=\"wp-caption-text\">Diagram of a comet showing its icy nucleus, its ion and dust tails, and the trail of dust it leaves behind in its orbital path. \u003ccite>(NASA)\u003c/cite>\u003c/figcaption>\u003c/figure>\n\u003cp>No one alive today has seen Thatcher, which was discovered in 1861 by astronomer A.E. Thatcher when it last passed close to the sun. And no one alive now will ever see it. Thatcher takes over 415 years to orbit the sun, and won’t come close enough for us to witness until the year 2283!\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>So, as you lie on your blanket under the early morning sky, waiting for the next meteor flare to delight, think about how each one you see was left behind by a comet over 160 years ago.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>Gone in a flash, but living on in our wonder.\u003c/p>\n\n",
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"excerpt": "The annual Lyrids meteor shower will cascade over our heads from late evening on April 21 through early morning on Saturday, April 22. ",
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"title": "The Lyrids Meteor Shower Adds Its Own Fiery Blossoms to April Skies | KQED",
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"content": "\u003cdiv class=\"post-body\">\u003cp>\u003cp>A month into spring, something more than flowers are popping up — or down — meteors! Like pale night-blooming petals falling from a celestial tree, the annual Lyrids meteor shower will cascade over our heads from late evening on April 21 through early morning on Saturday, April 22.\u003c/p>\n\u003ch2>Here’s how to see the meteors\u003c/h2>\n\u003cp>The best time to watch for Lyrids meteors is after midnight on the morning of Saturday, April 22. At this time, the area of the sky the meteors appear to streak from, in the \u003ca href=\"https://www.constellation-guide.com/constellation-list/lyra-constellation/\"> constellation Lyra\u003c/a>, is rising in the east, and by 2 a.m. will be positioned high in the southeast.\u003c/p>\n\u003cfigure id=\"attachment_1982236\" class=\"wp-caption aligncenter\" style=\"max-width: 1131px\">\u003cimg loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" class=\"wp-image-1982236 size-full\" src=\"https://ww2.kqed.org/app/uploads/sites/35/2023/04/Lyrids-Stellarium-April22-2am.jpg\" alt=\"Black night dotted by white starts and a directional axis across the bottom, showing NE in the lower left, E and SE to the right. \" width=\"1131\" height=\"765\" srcset=\"https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/35/2023/04/Lyrids-Stellarium-April22-2am.jpg 1131w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/35/2023/04/Lyrids-Stellarium-April22-2am-800x541.jpg 800w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/35/2023/04/Lyrids-Stellarium-April22-2am-1020x690.jpg 1020w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/35/2023/04/Lyrids-Stellarium-April22-2am-160x108.jpg 160w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/35/2023/04/Lyrids-Stellarium-April22-2am-768x519.jpg 768w\" sizes=\"(max-width: 1131px) 100vw, 1131px\">\u003cfigcaption class=\"wp-caption-text\">The southeastern sky on the morning of April 22 at about 2 a.m. Look for the bright star Vega in the constellation Lyra to gaze at the radiant point of the Lyrids meteor shower. \u003ccite>(Chabot Space and Science Center/Made using Stellarium)\u003c/cite>\u003c/figcaption>\u003c/figure>\n\u003cp>Find a place with a good view of the southeastern sky, \u003ca href=\"https://www.kqed.org/quest/155/dark-secrets\">as far from city lights\u003c/a> as possible, and center your sight on the star Vega, the brightest in Lyra and one of the brightest stars of the night sky.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>Now, watch and wait — and pay attention to your peripheral vision.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>Even though the meteors’ point of origin is in Lyra, the meteors can appear anywhere in the sky. In fact, the meteor trails will be longer and more visible the farther they are from their “\u003ca href=\"https://earthsky.org/astronomy-essentials/radiant-point-of-meteor-showers/\">radiant point\u003c/a>” in Lyra since you’re looking at them from the side instead of head-on. \u003ca href=\"https://solarsystem.nasa.gov/asteroids-comets-and-meteors/meteors-and-meteorites/lyrids/in-depth/\">The Lyrids shower\u003c/a> produces up to 18 meteors per hour around its peak of activity, under good seeing conditions and dark, clear skies. The moon won’t be in the sky, only three days past its new phase, so moonlight will not interfere.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>\u003c/p>\u003c/div>",
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"content": "\u003cdiv class=\"post-body\">\u003cp>\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>If you live under city skies \u003ca href=\"https://www.darksky.org/light-pollution/\">inundated by scattered light\u003c/a>, you may miss out on the fainter meteors.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>Fortunately, the Bay Area has numerous places within a 20- to 30-minute drive that are partly sheltered from light pollution, if you’re willing to make the late-night trip. In the South Bay, Henry W. Coe State Park is a favorite dark-sky watching location. On the peninsula, there are numerous spots from the Santa Cruz Mountains northward along Skyline Boulevard for a pullover with partial protection from city light. In the East Bay, go for the Sunol area, Mount Diablo or a ridgeline pullout along the East Bay hills from Tilden Park southward into Hayward. In the North Bay, you can find miles of darkened rural skies from the coast eastward.\u003c/p>\n\u003ch2>What is a meteor shower?\u003c/h2>\n\u003cp>A \u003ca href=\"https://solarsystem.nasa.gov/asteroids-comets-and-meteors/meteors-and-meteorites/overview/?page=0&per_page=40&order=id+asc&search=&condition_1=meteor_shower%3Abody_type\">meteor\u003c/a> is a small piece of rock or metal, usually not much bigger than a pebble, that can be seen as it burns up in Earth’s atmosphere. Hitting the thin air 30 to 50 miles above Earth’s surface at speeds of tens of miles per second, each dust speck vaporizes to incandescence in a flash, leaving a glowing trail across the sky.\u003c/p>\n\u003cfigure id=\"attachment_1982240\" class=\"wp-caption aligncenter\" style=\"max-width: 632px\">\u003cimg loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" class=\"wp-image-1982240 size-full\" src=\"https://ww2.kqed.org/app/uploads/sites/35/2023/04/lyrid_shower.jpg\" alt=\"Bright white lights with long tails against a dark blue image. \" width=\"632\" height=\"480\" srcset=\"https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/35/2023/04/lyrid_shower.jpg 632w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/35/2023/04/lyrid_shower-160x122.jpg 160w\" sizes=\"(max-width: 632px) 100vw, 632px\">\u003cfigcaption class=\"wp-caption-text\">Long-exposure image of the sky during the 2012 Lyrids meteor shower. \u003ccite>(NASA/MSFC/Danielle Moser)\u003c/cite>\u003c/figcaption>\u003c/figure>\n\u003cp>A \u003ca href=\"https://spaceplace.nasa.gov/meteor-shower/en/\">meteor \u003ci>shower\u003c/i>\u003c/a> happens when Earth passes through a trail of dust left behind in the wake of a comet. Comets are large chunks of rock, ice and other frozen materials, as well as a smattering of dust. A typical comet is several miles in diameter.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>When a \u003ca href=\"https://solarsystem.nasa.gov/asteroids-comets-and-meteors/comets/overview/?page=0&per_page=40&order=name+asc&search=&condition_1=102%3Aparent_id&condition_2=comet%3Abody_type%3Ailike\">comet\u003c/a> passes close to the sun, it is warmed and some of its ice sublimates into gas, blowing into space and carrying dust with it. Over time, the dust spreads out into a trail along the parent comet’s orbital path.\u003c/p>\n\u003ch2>Where do the Lyrids come from?\u003c/h2>\n\u003cp>Every year, as Earth orbits the sun, it passes through the dust trail of one comet or another, and we see a meteor shower.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>The comet that left behind the dust for the Lyrids shower is called \u003ca href=\"https://solarsystem.nasa.gov/asteroids-comets-and-meteors/comets/c-1861-g1-thatcher/in-depth/\">C/1861 G1 (Thatcher)\u003c/a>.\u003c/p>\n\u003cfigure id=\"attachment_1982241\" class=\"wp-caption aligncenter\" style=\"max-width: 800px\">\u003cimg loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" class=\"wp-image-1982241 size-full\" src=\"https://ww2.kqed.org/app/uploads/sites/35/2023/04/comettail.jpg\" alt=\"A black and white image that shows a hazy gas tail and a more diffuse dust tail. \" width=\"800\" height=\"1104\" srcset=\"https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/35/2023/04/comettail.jpg 800w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/35/2023/04/comettail-160x221.jpg 160w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/35/2023/04/comettail-768x1060.jpg 768w\" sizes=\"(max-width: 800px) 100vw, 800px\">\u003cfigcaption class=\"wp-caption-text\">Diagram of a comet showing its icy nucleus, its ion and dust tails, and the trail of dust it leaves behind in its orbital path. \u003ccite>(NASA)\u003c/cite>\u003c/figcaption>\u003c/figure>\n\u003cp>No one alive today has seen Thatcher, which was discovered in 1861 by astronomer A.E. Thatcher when it last passed close to the sun. And no one alive now will ever see it. Thatcher takes over 415 years to orbit the sun, and won’t come close enough for us to witness until the year 2283!\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>So, as you lie on your blanket under the early morning sky, waiting for the next meteor flare to delight, think about how each one you see was left behind by a comet over 160 years ago.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>Gone in a flash, but living on in our wonder.\u003c/p>\n\n\u003c/div>\u003c/p>",
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"title": "Look Up! Venus and Jupiter Are Going In for a Nighttime Kiss",
"headTitle": "Look Up! Venus and Jupiter Are Going In for a Nighttime Kiss | KQED",
"content": "\u003cp>Last night, after dinner, I went outside to take care of our chickens. And I literally gasped. Up in the sky were two dazzlingly bright objects close to each other. It was a beautiful, extraordinary sight. I felt a tingle of joy and a moment of calm. I felt what psychologists call \u003ca href=\"https://www.npr.org/sections/health-shots/2021/06/29/1010319240/stuck-in-a-rut-sometimes-joy-takes-a-little-practice\">awe\u003c/a> – an emotion that can relieve stress and calm nerves. Who doesn’t need that?\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>And tonight is going to be an even better night to experience this awe. So, after sunset I’m taking my entire family outside to feel this warm and lovely feeling of awe. Because these two bright objects – the planets Venus and Jupiter – will be even closer.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>“They’ve been coming in closer and closer for a little nighttime kiss,” says \u003ca href=\"http://www.jackiefaherty.com/\">Jackie Faherty\u003c/a>, who’s an astronomer at the American Museum of Natural History.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>Of course in space the planets aren’t really going to smooch. “They are actually 400 million miles apart,” Faherty says. That’s more than four times the distance than we are from the sun.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>What is happening, is a Venus-Jupiter “conjunction” — that’s what astronomers call it. “Venus is passing Jupiter as they both orbit the sun,” Faherty explains. “The inner planets move a lot faster than the outer planets. So you get a lot of these like racetrack passes,” she says.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>[ad fullwidth]\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>So, as the orbits pass, they’ll appear to be about .5 degrees apart from our earthly vantage point. That means, the two planets will be separated by the width of a pencil erasure held up at arms’ length in the sky.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>To see this beautiful event, go outside as darkness falls and look west toward the sunset. “There is no way that you’ll miss these two bright lights in the sky,” says \u003ca href=\"https://skyandtelescope.org/about-us/diana-hannikainen/\">Diana Hannikainen\u003c/a>, who’s an editor at \u003cem>Sky & Telescope\u003c/em> magazine. “Venus is definitely brighter and is the rightmost one. Jupiter is the leftmost one.”\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>And while you’re looking up, try something new. Pause for a moment and focus on how extraordinary the universe is. How far away these planets are. How mysterious they are. And how small you are.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>“Look at that sky and think, ‘Wow! That’s big,” says psychologist \u003ca href=\"https://search.asu.edu/profile/977684\">Michelle Shiota\u003c/a> at Arizona State University. “That’s so much bigger than me. That’s so much bigger than my life and my problems. However real those problems are.”\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>That’s the feeling of awe, Shiota says, which can give us perspective and be humbling. “And it seems to just help us calm down a little bit in a powerful way.”\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>If you miss the event tonight, check back on Thursday night. The two planets will still seem quite close, continuing their celestial dance. But soon, they’ll go back to arms length.\u003c/p>\n\u003cdiv class=\"fullattribution\">Copyright 2023 NPR. To see more, visit https://www.npr.org.\u003cimg decoding=\"async\" src=\"https://www.google-analytics.com/__utm.gif?utmac=UA-5828686-4&utmdt=Look+up%21+Venus+and+Jupiter+are+going+in+for+a+nighttime+kiss&utme=8(APIKey)9(MDAxOTAwOTE4MDEyMTkxMDAzNjczZDljZA004)\">\u003c/div>\n\n",
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"excerpt": "The two brightest planets in Earth's night sky are millions of miles apart. But due to an astronomical quirk, they appear to be engaging in a cosmic dance tonight. Now, that's a moment of awe.",
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"content": "\u003cdiv class=\"post-body\">\u003cp>\u003cp>Last night, after dinner, I went outside to take care of our chickens. And I literally gasped. Up in the sky were two dazzlingly bright objects close to each other. It was a beautiful, extraordinary sight. I felt a tingle of joy and a moment of calm. I felt what psychologists call \u003ca href=\"https://www.npr.org/sections/health-shots/2021/06/29/1010319240/stuck-in-a-rut-sometimes-joy-takes-a-little-practice\">awe\u003c/a> – an emotion that can relieve stress and calm nerves. Who doesn’t need that?\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>And tonight is going to be an even better night to experience this awe. So, after sunset I’m taking my entire family outside to feel this warm and lovely feeling of awe. Because these two bright objects – the planets Venus and Jupiter – will be even closer.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>“They’ve been coming in closer and closer for a little nighttime kiss,” says \u003ca href=\"http://www.jackiefaherty.com/\">Jackie Faherty\u003c/a>, who’s an astronomer at the American Museum of Natural History.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>Of course in space the planets aren’t really going to smooch. “They are actually 400 million miles apart,” Faherty says. That’s more than four times the distance than we are from the sun.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>What is happening, is a Venus-Jupiter “conjunction” — that’s what astronomers call it. “Venus is passing Jupiter as they both orbit the sun,” Faherty explains. “The inner planets move a lot faster than the outer planets. So you get a lot of these like racetrack passes,” she says.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>\u003c/p>\u003c/div>",
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"content": "\u003cdiv class=\"post-body\">\u003cp>\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>So, as the orbits pass, they’ll appear to be about .5 degrees apart from our earthly vantage point. That means, the two planets will be separated by the width of a pencil erasure held up at arms’ length in the sky.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>To see this beautiful event, go outside as darkness falls and look west toward the sunset. “There is no way that you’ll miss these two bright lights in the sky,” says \u003ca href=\"https://skyandtelescope.org/about-us/diana-hannikainen/\">Diana Hannikainen\u003c/a>, who’s an editor at \u003cem>Sky & Telescope\u003c/em> magazine. “Venus is definitely brighter and is the rightmost one. Jupiter is the leftmost one.”\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>And while you’re looking up, try something new. Pause for a moment and focus on how extraordinary the universe is. How far away these planets are. How mysterious they are. And how small you are.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>“Look at that sky and think, ‘Wow! That’s big,” says psychologist \u003ca href=\"https://search.asu.edu/profile/977684\">Michelle Shiota\u003c/a> at Arizona State University. “That’s so much bigger than me. That’s so much bigger than my life and my problems. However real those problems are.”\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>That’s the feeling of awe, Shiota says, which can give us perspective and be humbling. “And it seems to just help us calm down a little bit in a powerful way.”\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>If you miss the event tonight, check back on Thursday night. The two planets will still seem quite close, continuing their celestial dance. But soon, they’ll go back to arms length.\u003c/p>\n\u003cdiv class=\"fullattribution\">Copyright 2023 NPR. To see more, visit https://www.npr.org.\u003cimg decoding=\"async\" src=\"https://www.google-analytics.com/__utm.gif?utmac=UA-5828686-4&utmdt=Look+up%21+Venus+and+Jupiter+are+going+in+for+a+nighttime+kiss&utme=8(APIKey)9(MDAxOTAwOTE4MDEyMTkxMDAzNjczZDljZA004)\">\u003c/div>\n\n\u003c/div>\u003c/p>",
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"title": "That Bright Green Comet Looked Exactly as Cool as You'd Think",
"headTitle": "That Bright Green Comet Looked Exactly as Cool as You’d Think | KQED",
"content": "\u003cp>If you missed the recent passage of the green-hued \u003ca href=\"https://science.nasa.gov/comet-2022-e3-ztf\">comet C/2022 E3 (ZTF)\u003c/a>, or only saw a blurry smudge through binoculars, take heart!\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>Comets visible to the human eye attract a lot of attention from stargazers, and some of them are equipped with cameras, telescopes and a desire to share the experience. We’ve collected some of those here.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>Discovered in March 2022 by astronomers using the \u003ca href=\"https://www.ztf.caltech.edu/\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener\"> Zwicky Transient Facility\u003c/a> at the Palomar Observatory, the comet made its closest approach to the sun on Jan. 12, 2023. Almost three weeks later, on Feb. 1, it cruised within 26 million miles of Earth, moving across the northern sky as it began its voyage back toward deep space.\u003c/p>\n\u003cfigure id=\"attachment_1981618\" class=\"wp-caption aligncenter\" style=\"max-width: 991px\">\u003cimg loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" class=\"wp-image-1981618 size-full\" src=\"https://ww2.kqed.org/app/uploads/sites/35/2023/02/comet_orbit_solarsystemsimulator.jpg\" alt=\"The bright orb of the sun in the middle of black space, with a lighter, vertical swath of the Milky Way to the left, overlaid with graphical concentric circles representing the orbits of the planets, with a vertical graphical line going through them to indicate the path of the comet.\" width=\"991\" height=\"655\" srcset=\"https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/35/2023/02/comet_orbit_solarsystemsimulator.jpg 991w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/35/2023/02/comet_orbit_solarsystemsimulator-800x529.jpg 800w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/35/2023/02/comet_orbit_solarsystemsimulator-160x106.jpg 160w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/35/2023/02/comet_orbit_solarsystemsimulator-768x508.jpg 768w\" sizes=\"(max-width: 991px) 100vw, 991px\">\u003cfigcaption class=\"wp-caption-text\">The orbit of comet C/2022 E3 (ZTF) as it passed perihelion on Jan. 12 and its closest approach to Earth on Feb. 1, 2023. \u003ccite>(3D Solar System Simulator/TheSkyLive.com)\u003c/cite>\u003c/figcaption>\u003c/figure>\n\u003cp>In that brief flash of days, eyes turned skyward, cameras snapped image after image, and telescopes bent a collective stare at the fleeting visitor. And though the comet remained elusive to the naked eye except under dark, moonless conditions, the photographs are stunning.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>The color of ZTF — called the “green comet” by some — is not that unusual. Green can be seen in the gaseous haloes of many comets. The color is believed to come from a \u003ca href=\"https://www.science.org/content/article/why-do-some-comets-glow-green\">photochemical reaction\u003c/a> between sunlight and certain molecules (like diatomic carbon) exuded by the comet when it gets close to the sun. Some comets even have a bluish hue.\u003c/p>\n\u003ch2>Comet apparitions\u003c/h2>\n\u003cp>Naked-eye comets can be one of the most thrilling sky shows we can behold, right up there with eclipses.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>[ad fullwidth]\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>Unlike eclipses, their appearances are unpredictable. Forecasting how visible a comet becomes and how long a tail it grows — if it grows a tail at all — is often guesswork until weeks, or even days, before it passes by. Every near-Earth encounter with a comet raises hopes that it will bloom into a brilliant nocturnal spectacle, like \u003ca href=\"https://earthsky.org/space/this-date-in-science-comet-hale-bopp/\">Hale-Bopp\u003c/a> in 1997 or the passage of \u003ca href=\"https://www.nasa.gov/feature/955-years-ago-halley-s-comet-and-the-battle-of-hastings\">Halley’s Comet\u003c/a> in 1910.\u003c/p>\n\u003cfigure id=\"attachment_1981619\" class=\"wp-caption aligncenter\" style=\"max-width: 2048px\">\u003cimg loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" class=\"size-full wp-image-1981619\" src=\"https://ww2.kqed.org/app/uploads/sites/35/2023/02/Robert_Sparks_Saguaro-National-Park-Arizona_013023.jpg\" alt=\"\" width=\"2048\" height=\"1366\" srcset=\"https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/35/2023/02/Robert_Sparks_Saguaro-National-Park-Arizona_013023.jpg 2048w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/35/2023/02/Robert_Sparks_Saguaro-National-Park-Arizona_013023-800x534.jpg 800w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/35/2023/02/Robert_Sparks_Saguaro-National-Park-Arizona_013023-1020x680.jpg 1020w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/35/2023/02/Robert_Sparks_Saguaro-National-Park-Arizona_013023-160x107.jpg 160w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/35/2023/02/Robert_Sparks_Saguaro-National-Park-Arizona_013023-768x512.jpg 768w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/35/2023/02/Robert_Sparks_Saguaro-National-Park-Arizona_013023-1536x1025.jpg 1536w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/35/2023/02/Robert_Sparks_Saguaro-National-Park-Arizona_013023-1920x1281.jpg 1920w\" sizes=\"(max-width: 2048px) 100vw, 2048px\">\u003cfigcaption class=\"wp-caption-text\">Comet C/2022 E3 (ZTF) on Jan. 30, 2023. Picture taken from Saguaro National Park near Tucson, Arizona. \u003ccite>(Courtesy of Robert Sparks)\u003c/cite>\u003c/figcaption>\u003c/figure>\n\u003cp>But, more like \u003ca href=\"https://astronomy.com/news/2013/11/comet-ison-fizzles-as-it-rounds-the-sun\">comet ISON in 2013\u003c/a> and \u003ca href=\"https://skynews.ca/kohoutek-fiasco/\">Kohoutek in 1973\u003c/a>, both of which were predicted to be “comets of the century,” ZTF did not rise to the level of captivating naked-eye drama. It became much more famous for its alien green coloration and wispy multiple tails revealed in astrophotos.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>Despite the naked-eye fizzle, the comet’s eerie hue and mysterious point of origin made it grow large in the eye of the public’s imagination.\u003c/p>\n\u003ch2>When will it come back?\u003c/h2>\n\u003cp>Going, going … gone? Comet C/2022 E3 (ZTF) will not return for a very long time, if ever. Since its discovery, \u003ca href=\"https://theskylive.com/3dsolarsystem?obj=c2022e3\"> astronomers have tracked its orbit\u003c/a> to figure out where it came from, whether it originated in the Oort Cloud, the vast and diffuse cloud of comets, ice and dust surrounding the solar system, or somewhere farther out. Does it orbit our sun in a periodic cycle like most known comets, or did it wander in from interstellar space and is it now headed back there?\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>Even now the answer isn’t clear. If it \u003ci>is\u003c/i> gravitationally bound to our solar system, then it follows a long, looping elliptical orbit that would carry it repeatedly past the sun — though the far end of that orbit is projected to stretch at least 4.3 light years into space, equivalent to the distance to the nearest star system, Alpha Centauri. At such great distance, who knows what the comet will do within the error margins of the orbital math. Will it come to a crawling halt and begin the slow fall back toward the sun, or break free of our solar system’s feeble gravity and drift away into the galaxy at large?\u003c/p>\n\u003cfigure id=\"attachment_1981617\" class=\"wp-caption aligncenter\" style=\"max-width: 2000px\">\u003cimg loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" class=\"size-full wp-image-1981617\" src=\"https://ww2.kqed.org/app/uploads/sites/35/2023/02/c2022e3ztf-martin_ratcliffe-feb102023.jpg\" alt=\"\" width=\"2000\" height=\"1420\" srcset=\"https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/35/2023/02/c2022e3ztf-martin_ratcliffe-feb102023.jpg 2000w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/35/2023/02/c2022e3ztf-martin_ratcliffe-feb102023-800x568.jpg 800w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/35/2023/02/c2022e3ztf-martin_ratcliffe-feb102023-1020x724.jpg 1020w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/35/2023/02/c2022e3ztf-martin_ratcliffe-feb102023-160x114.jpg 160w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/35/2023/02/c2022e3ztf-martin_ratcliffe-feb102023-768x545.jpg 768w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/35/2023/02/c2022e3ztf-martin_ratcliffe-feb102023-1536x1091.jpg 1536w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/35/2023/02/c2022e3ztf-martin_ratcliffe-feb102023-1920x1363.jpg 1920w\" sizes=\"(max-width: 2000px) 100vw, 2000px\">\u003cfigcaption class=\"wp-caption-text\">Comet C/2022 E3 (ZTF) seen near the planet Mars. The image was taken on Feb. 10 near Rush Valley, southwest of Salt Lake City, Utah. \u003ccite>(Martin Ratcliffe/StarryNightSkyArt)\u003c/cite>\u003c/figcaption>\u003c/figure>\n\u003cp>Even if it does swing back toward us, it won’t pass through our neighborhood again for millions of years. So, if you managed a glimpse of this ancient space traveler, count that as a blessing, a rare peek at something humans had never seen before, and probably never will again.\u003c/p>\n\u003ch2>Anatomy of a comet\u003c/h2>\n\u003cp>As enormous as a comet may appear, most of the visual spectacle is actually a cosmic form of “smoke and mirrors” deception — or, in the comet’s case, \u003ca href=\"https://airandspace.si.edu/exhibitions/exploring-the-planets/online/solar-system/comets/anatomy.cfm#:~:text=The%20coma%20is%20a%20cloud,about%202%20million%20miles)%20across\">ionized gas and reflected sunlight\u003c/a>.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>At the heart of every comet is a nucleus of frozen materials: water, ammonia, methane and other compounds. This nucleus is typically no larger than half a mile to 6 miles across — so small that we’d never see it unless it whizzed very close to Earth. ZTF is on the lower end of that range, estimated to be a bit more than half a mile across.\u003c/p>\n\u003cfigure id=\"attachment_1981678\" class=\"wp-caption aligncenter\" style=\"max-width: 683px\">\u003cimg loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" class=\"size-full wp-image-1981678\" src=\"https://ww2.kqed.org/app/uploads/sites/35/2023/02/anatomy-of-a-comet.en_.jpg\" alt=\"\" width=\"683\" height=\"482\" srcset=\"https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/35/2023/02/anatomy-of-a-comet.en_.jpg 683w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/35/2023/02/anatomy-of-a-comet.en_-160x113.jpg 160w\" sizes=\"(max-width: 683px) 100vw, 683px\">\u003cfigcaption class=\"wp-caption-text\">Diagram of a typical comet and the relationship of its iconic tails. \u003ccite>(NASA/JPL-Caltech)\u003c/cite>\u003c/figcaption>\u003c/figure>\n\u003cp>When a \u003ca href=\"https://spaceplace.nasa.gov/comets/en/\">comet swings by the sun\u003c/a>, it is heated by sunlight, and some of its frozen material sublimates, spewing out into a cloud of gas and dust that engulfs the nucleus. This cloud, called the coma, can grow to become hundreds of thousands of miles across — so big that it could easily engulf the entire Earth and moon system.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>The gasses of the coma may be blown off into space by the solar wind, forming the comet’s iconic tail. The solar wind is a stream of ionized particles flowing outward from the sun, so the comet’s gas tail always points away from the sun, like a giant wind sock. The gas tail may grow to millions, or hundreds of millions, of miles long, depending on the size of the nucleus and how much gas it dumps into space.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>A comet often develops more than one tail. Dust embedded in the nucleus is carried into space by the spewing gasses and drifts along the comet’s path.\u003c/p>\n\u003cfigure id=\"attachment_1981621\" class=\"wp-caption aligncenter\" style=\"max-width: 885px\">\u003cimg loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" class=\"wp-image-1981621 size-full\" src=\"https://ww2.kqed.org/app/uploads/sites/35/2023/02/ZTF_27_Jan_2023-fullres_Tara-Mostofi-cropped.jpg\" alt=\"Backdrop of a stary night sky, a bright circle in the center surrounded by a white and green hue, along with several tails. \" width=\"885\" height=\"696\" srcset=\"https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/35/2023/02/ZTF_27_Jan_2023-fullres_Tara-Mostofi-cropped.jpg 885w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/35/2023/02/ZTF_27_Jan_2023-fullres_Tara-Mostofi-cropped-800x629.jpg 800w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/35/2023/02/ZTF_27_Jan_2023-fullres_Tara-Mostofi-cropped-160x126.jpg 160w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/35/2023/02/ZTF_27_Jan_2023-fullres_Tara-Mostofi-cropped-768x604.jpg 768w\" sizes=\"(max-width: 885px) 100vw, 885px\">\u003cfigcaption class=\"wp-caption-text\">You can clearly see the details of the coma (bright spot), ion tail (right), dust tail (curving veil) and antitail (left) in this picture taken Jan. 20, 2023, from Yosemite National Park. \u003ccite>(Tara Mostofi)\u003c/cite>\u003c/figcaption>\u003c/figure>\n\u003cp>In pictures of \u003ca href=\"https://skyandtelescope.org/astronomy-news/understanding-the-tails-of-comet-ztf-c-2022-e3/\">C/2022 E3 (ZTF)\u003c/a>, \u003ci>three \u003c/i>tails can be seen clearly: a long, thin gas-ion tail; a wide, curving dust tail; and a pale, spikey “antitail” pointing in the opposite direction from the other two.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>The antitail, a fairly uncommon feature of comets, is formed of dust particles larger than the finer-grained dust tail. The larger grains are less affected by the blowing force of the solar wind, and tend to be left behind in the wake of the comet’s passage, like dust kicked up by a car moving down a dirt road.\u003c/p>\n\u003ch2>Bad omens?\u003c/h2>\n\u003cp>Being objects that can be sometimes seen with the naked eye, comets have been talked about by humans since prehistory. And because they occasionally come close to Earth and can grow to \u003ca href=\"https://allthatsinteresting.com/halleys-comet-1910\">startling proportions\u003c/a>, ancient cultures often interpreted them as portents of calamity, bad omens or heralds of impending disaster. And in a way they weren’t wrong, considering the catastrophe one would cause were it to actually collide with Earth. Fortunately, most comets only deliver a visual warning of that possibility.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>In fact, the word “disaster,” used in the mid-16th century in connection with the passage of a comet, derives from the Italian “disastro,” meaning an “ill-starred” event.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>[ad floatright]\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>Bad omens or good sightseeing opportunities, comets are rare celestial gems, sights to cherish when they come our way. C/2022 E3 (ZTF) won’t catch our eye again, but there are plenty more comets out there to anticipate.\u003c/p>\n\n",
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"excerpt": "Missed the green-hued comet that made a trip across the sky earlier this month ? Check out these photos.",
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"content": "\u003cdiv class=\"post-body\">\u003cp>\u003cp>If you missed the recent passage of the green-hued \u003ca href=\"https://science.nasa.gov/comet-2022-e3-ztf\">comet C/2022 E3 (ZTF)\u003c/a>, or only saw a blurry smudge through binoculars, take heart!\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>Comets visible to the human eye attract a lot of attention from stargazers, and some of them are equipped with cameras, telescopes and a desire to share the experience. We’ve collected some of those here.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>Discovered in March 2022 by astronomers using the \u003ca href=\"https://www.ztf.caltech.edu/\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener\"> Zwicky Transient Facility\u003c/a> at the Palomar Observatory, the comet made its closest approach to the sun on Jan. 12, 2023. Almost three weeks later, on Feb. 1, it cruised within 26 million miles of Earth, moving across the northern sky as it began its voyage back toward deep space.\u003c/p>\n\u003cfigure id=\"attachment_1981618\" class=\"wp-caption aligncenter\" style=\"max-width: 991px\">\u003cimg loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" class=\"wp-image-1981618 size-full\" src=\"https://ww2.kqed.org/app/uploads/sites/35/2023/02/comet_orbit_solarsystemsimulator.jpg\" alt=\"The bright orb of the sun in the middle of black space, with a lighter, vertical swath of the Milky Way to the left, overlaid with graphical concentric circles representing the orbits of the planets, with a vertical graphical line going through them to indicate the path of the comet.\" width=\"991\" height=\"655\" srcset=\"https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/35/2023/02/comet_orbit_solarsystemsimulator.jpg 991w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/35/2023/02/comet_orbit_solarsystemsimulator-800x529.jpg 800w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/35/2023/02/comet_orbit_solarsystemsimulator-160x106.jpg 160w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/35/2023/02/comet_orbit_solarsystemsimulator-768x508.jpg 768w\" sizes=\"(max-width: 991px) 100vw, 991px\">\u003cfigcaption class=\"wp-caption-text\">The orbit of comet C/2022 E3 (ZTF) as it passed perihelion on Jan. 12 and its closest approach to Earth on Feb. 1, 2023. \u003ccite>(3D Solar System Simulator/TheSkyLive.com)\u003c/cite>\u003c/figcaption>\u003c/figure>\n\u003cp>In that brief flash of days, eyes turned skyward, cameras snapped image after image, and telescopes bent a collective stare at the fleeting visitor. And though the comet remained elusive to the naked eye except under dark, moonless conditions, the photographs are stunning.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>The color of ZTF — called the “green comet” by some — is not that unusual. Green can be seen in the gaseous haloes of many comets. The color is believed to come from a \u003ca href=\"https://www.science.org/content/article/why-do-some-comets-glow-green\">photochemical reaction\u003c/a> between sunlight and certain molecules (like diatomic carbon) exuded by the comet when it gets close to the sun. Some comets even have a bluish hue.\u003c/p>\n\u003ch2>Comet apparitions\u003c/h2>\n\u003cp>Naked-eye comets can be one of the most thrilling sky shows we can behold, right up there with eclipses.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>\u003c/p>\u003c/div>",
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"content": "\u003cdiv class=\"post-body\">\u003cp>\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>Unlike eclipses, their appearances are unpredictable. Forecasting how visible a comet becomes and how long a tail it grows — if it grows a tail at all — is often guesswork until weeks, or even days, before it passes by. Every near-Earth encounter with a comet raises hopes that it will bloom into a brilliant nocturnal spectacle, like \u003ca href=\"https://earthsky.org/space/this-date-in-science-comet-hale-bopp/\">Hale-Bopp\u003c/a> in 1997 or the passage of \u003ca href=\"https://www.nasa.gov/feature/955-years-ago-halley-s-comet-and-the-battle-of-hastings\">Halley’s Comet\u003c/a> in 1910.\u003c/p>\n\u003cfigure id=\"attachment_1981619\" class=\"wp-caption aligncenter\" style=\"max-width: 2048px\">\u003cimg loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" class=\"size-full wp-image-1981619\" src=\"https://ww2.kqed.org/app/uploads/sites/35/2023/02/Robert_Sparks_Saguaro-National-Park-Arizona_013023.jpg\" alt=\"\" width=\"2048\" height=\"1366\" srcset=\"https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/35/2023/02/Robert_Sparks_Saguaro-National-Park-Arizona_013023.jpg 2048w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/35/2023/02/Robert_Sparks_Saguaro-National-Park-Arizona_013023-800x534.jpg 800w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/35/2023/02/Robert_Sparks_Saguaro-National-Park-Arizona_013023-1020x680.jpg 1020w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/35/2023/02/Robert_Sparks_Saguaro-National-Park-Arizona_013023-160x107.jpg 160w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/35/2023/02/Robert_Sparks_Saguaro-National-Park-Arizona_013023-768x512.jpg 768w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/35/2023/02/Robert_Sparks_Saguaro-National-Park-Arizona_013023-1536x1025.jpg 1536w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/35/2023/02/Robert_Sparks_Saguaro-National-Park-Arizona_013023-1920x1281.jpg 1920w\" sizes=\"(max-width: 2048px) 100vw, 2048px\">\u003cfigcaption class=\"wp-caption-text\">Comet C/2022 E3 (ZTF) on Jan. 30, 2023. Picture taken from Saguaro National Park near Tucson, Arizona. \u003ccite>(Courtesy of Robert Sparks)\u003c/cite>\u003c/figcaption>\u003c/figure>\n\u003cp>But, more like \u003ca href=\"https://astronomy.com/news/2013/11/comet-ison-fizzles-as-it-rounds-the-sun\">comet ISON in 2013\u003c/a> and \u003ca href=\"https://skynews.ca/kohoutek-fiasco/\">Kohoutek in 1973\u003c/a>, both of which were predicted to be “comets of the century,” ZTF did not rise to the level of captivating naked-eye drama. It became much more famous for its alien green coloration and wispy multiple tails revealed in astrophotos.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>Despite the naked-eye fizzle, the comet’s eerie hue and mysterious point of origin made it grow large in the eye of the public’s imagination.\u003c/p>\n\u003ch2>When will it come back?\u003c/h2>\n\u003cp>Going, going … gone? Comet C/2022 E3 (ZTF) will not return for a very long time, if ever. Since its discovery, \u003ca href=\"https://theskylive.com/3dsolarsystem?obj=c2022e3\"> astronomers have tracked its orbit\u003c/a> to figure out where it came from, whether it originated in the Oort Cloud, the vast and diffuse cloud of comets, ice and dust surrounding the solar system, or somewhere farther out. Does it orbit our sun in a periodic cycle like most known comets, or did it wander in from interstellar space and is it now headed back there?\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>Even now the answer isn’t clear. If it \u003ci>is\u003c/i> gravitationally bound to our solar system, then it follows a long, looping elliptical orbit that would carry it repeatedly past the sun — though the far end of that orbit is projected to stretch at least 4.3 light years into space, equivalent to the distance to the nearest star system, Alpha Centauri. At such great distance, who knows what the comet will do within the error margins of the orbital math. Will it come to a crawling halt and begin the slow fall back toward the sun, or break free of our solar system’s feeble gravity and drift away into the galaxy at large?\u003c/p>\n\u003cfigure id=\"attachment_1981617\" class=\"wp-caption aligncenter\" style=\"max-width: 2000px\">\u003cimg loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" class=\"size-full wp-image-1981617\" src=\"https://ww2.kqed.org/app/uploads/sites/35/2023/02/c2022e3ztf-martin_ratcliffe-feb102023.jpg\" alt=\"\" width=\"2000\" height=\"1420\" srcset=\"https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/35/2023/02/c2022e3ztf-martin_ratcliffe-feb102023.jpg 2000w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/35/2023/02/c2022e3ztf-martin_ratcliffe-feb102023-800x568.jpg 800w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/35/2023/02/c2022e3ztf-martin_ratcliffe-feb102023-1020x724.jpg 1020w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/35/2023/02/c2022e3ztf-martin_ratcliffe-feb102023-160x114.jpg 160w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/35/2023/02/c2022e3ztf-martin_ratcliffe-feb102023-768x545.jpg 768w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/35/2023/02/c2022e3ztf-martin_ratcliffe-feb102023-1536x1091.jpg 1536w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/35/2023/02/c2022e3ztf-martin_ratcliffe-feb102023-1920x1363.jpg 1920w\" sizes=\"(max-width: 2000px) 100vw, 2000px\">\u003cfigcaption class=\"wp-caption-text\">Comet C/2022 E3 (ZTF) seen near the planet Mars. The image was taken on Feb. 10 near Rush Valley, southwest of Salt Lake City, Utah. \u003ccite>(Martin Ratcliffe/StarryNightSkyArt)\u003c/cite>\u003c/figcaption>\u003c/figure>\n\u003cp>Even if it does swing back toward us, it won’t pass through our neighborhood again for millions of years. So, if you managed a glimpse of this ancient space traveler, count that as a blessing, a rare peek at something humans had never seen before, and probably never will again.\u003c/p>\n\u003ch2>Anatomy of a comet\u003c/h2>\n\u003cp>As enormous as a comet may appear, most of the visual spectacle is actually a cosmic form of “smoke and mirrors” deception — or, in the comet’s case, \u003ca href=\"https://airandspace.si.edu/exhibitions/exploring-the-planets/online/solar-system/comets/anatomy.cfm#:~:text=The%20coma%20is%20a%20cloud,about%202%20million%20miles)%20across\">ionized gas and reflected sunlight\u003c/a>.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>At the heart of every comet is a nucleus of frozen materials: water, ammonia, methane and other compounds. This nucleus is typically no larger than half a mile to 6 miles across — so small that we’d never see it unless it whizzed very close to Earth. ZTF is on the lower end of that range, estimated to be a bit more than half a mile across.\u003c/p>\n\u003cfigure id=\"attachment_1981678\" class=\"wp-caption aligncenter\" style=\"max-width: 683px\">\u003cimg loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" class=\"size-full wp-image-1981678\" src=\"https://ww2.kqed.org/app/uploads/sites/35/2023/02/anatomy-of-a-comet.en_.jpg\" alt=\"\" width=\"683\" height=\"482\" srcset=\"https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/35/2023/02/anatomy-of-a-comet.en_.jpg 683w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/35/2023/02/anatomy-of-a-comet.en_-160x113.jpg 160w\" sizes=\"(max-width: 683px) 100vw, 683px\">\u003cfigcaption class=\"wp-caption-text\">Diagram of a typical comet and the relationship of its iconic tails. \u003ccite>(NASA/JPL-Caltech)\u003c/cite>\u003c/figcaption>\u003c/figure>\n\u003cp>When a \u003ca href=\"https://spaceplace.nasa.gov/comets/en/\">comet swings by the sun\u003c/a>, it is heated by sunlight, and some of its frozen material sublimates, spewing out into a cloud of gas and dust that engulfs the nucleus. This cloud, called the coma, can grow to become hundreds of thousands of miles across — so big that it could easily engulf the entire Earth and moon system.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>The gasses of the coma may be blown off into space by the solar wind, forming the comet’s iconic tail. The solar wind is a stream of ionized particles flowing outward from the sun, so the comet’s gas tail always points away from the sun, like a giant wind sock. The gas tail may grow to millions, or hundreds of millions, of miles long, depending on the size of the nucleus and how much gas it dumps into space.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>A comet often develops more than one tail. Dust embedded in the nucleus is carried into space by the spewing gasses and drifts along the comet’s path.\u003c/p>\n\u003cfigure id=\"attachment_1981621\" class=\"wp-caption aligncenter\" style=\"max-width: 885px\">\u003cimg loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" class=\"wp-image-1981621 size-full\" src=\"https://ww2.kqed.org/app/uploads/sites/35/2023/02/ZTF_27_Jan_2023-fullres_Tara-Mostofi-cropped.jpg\" alt=\"Backdrop of a stary night sky, a bright circle in the center surrounded by a white and green hue, along with several tails. \" width=\"885\" height=\"696\" srcset=\"https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/35/2023/02/ZTF_27_Jan_2023-fullres_Tara-Mostofi-cropped.jpg 885w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/35/2023/02/ZTF_27_Jan_2023-fullres_Tara-Mostofi-cropped-800x629.jpg 800w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/35/2023/02/ZTF_27_Jan_2023-fullres_Tara-Mostofi-cropped-160x126.jpg 160w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/35/2023/02/ZTF_27_Jan_2023-fullres_Tara-Mostofi-cropped-768x604.jpg 768w\" sizes=\"(max-width: 885px) 100vw, 885px\">\u003cfigcaption class=\"wp-caption-text\">You can clearly see the details of the coma (bright spot), ion tail (right), dust tail (curving veil) and antitail (left) in this picture taken Jan. 20, 2023, from Yosemite National Park. \u003ccite>(Tara Mostofi)\u003c/cite>\u003c/figcaption>\u003c/figure>\n\u003cp>In pictures of \u003ca href=\"https://skyandtelescope.org/astronomy-news/understanding-the-tails-of-comet-ztf-c-2022-e3/\">C/2022 E3 (ZTF)\u003c/a>, \u003ci>three \u003c/i>tails can be seen clearly: a long, thin gas-ion tail; a wide, curving dust tail; and a pale, spikey “antitail” pointing in the opposite direction from the other two.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>The antitail, a fairly uncommon feature of comets, is formed of dust particles larger than the finer-grained dust tail. The larger grains are less affected by the blowing force of the solar wind, and tend to be left behind in the wake of the comet’s passage, like dust kicked up by a car moving down a dirt road.\u003c/p>\n\u003ch2>Bad omens?\u003c/h2>\n\u003cp>Being objects that can be sometimes seen with the naked eye, comets have been talked about by humans since prehistory. And because they occasionally come close to Earth and can grow to \u003ca href=\"https://allthatsinteresting.com/halleys-comet-1910\">startling proportions\u003c/a>, ancient cultures often interpreted them as portents of calamity, bad omens or heralds of impending disaster. And in a way they weren’t wrong, considering the catastrophe one would cause were it to actually collide with Earth. Fortunately, most comets only deliver a visual warning of that possibility.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>In fact, the word “disaster,” used in the mid-16th century in connection with the passage of a comet, derives from the Italian “disastro,” meaning an “ill-starred” event.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>\u003c/p>\u003c/div>",
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"content": "\u003cdiv class=\"post-body\">\u003cp>\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>Bad omens or good sightseeing opportunities, comets are rare celestial gems, sights to cherish when they come our way. C/2022 E3 (ZTF) won’t catch our eye again, but there are plenty more comets out there to anticipate.\u003c/p>\n\n\u003c/div>\u003c/p>",
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"title": "Here's When and How to See the Green Comet Everyone's Talking About",
"headTitle": "Here’s When and How to See the Green Comet Everyone’s Talking About | KQED",
"content": "\u003cp>The \u003ca href=\"https://www.kqed.org/science/1981226/a-bright-green-is-making-a-rare-trip-across-the-sky\">green comet we’ve all been hearing about\u003c/a>, newly discovered by astronomers, can be seen in the northern sky between the Big Dipper and the North Star. On a clear night, and far away from city lights, Bay Area residents will be able to view this spectacular event from now until early February.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>Ben Burress, Chabot Space and Science Center’s staff astronomer, advises facing north, then looking at the area of the sky to the right, above the horizon. “It’s the patch of sky immediately to the right of North, bounded between the Dippers,” he says. “Right now the comet is between the Big and Little Dippers. It will look like a small fuzzy patch of light, possibly slightly greenish.”\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>Burress recommends getting to darker viewing areas like Tilden Regional Park in Berkeley, the Chabot center in Oakland, Henry W. Coe State Park, Mount Diablo, Sunol Wilderness Regional Preserve, or anywhere else you can find light-sheltered viewing.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>The comet, named C/2022 E3 (ZTF), was first spotted by scientists in March 2022 at the Zwicky Transient Facility on Palomar Mountain in San Diego County. At the time, the comet was inside the orbit of Jupiter.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>Comets like this one are the building blocks from which the solar system is assembled.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>“Comets are chunks of dirty ice — ice with lots of dust and dirt frozen into it left over from the days that the sun and the planets were first forming 5 billion years ago,” Andrew Fraknoi, astronomy professor at the University of San Francisco, told KQED in an email.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>On the night between Feb. 1 and Feb. 2, the comet will be at its brightest, as it approaches its perigee, or the closest point at which it will come to Earth. While observers may be able to see the comet without visual aid during this time, it will still be easier to view the comet through binoculars or a small telescope. “[It] may have a faint tail, and may even appear to have two tails: a gas tail and a particle tail,” said Gerald McKeegan, East Bay Astronomical Society astronomer, in an email.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>Trying to predict exactly how bright a comet will become is notoriously difficult. “One thing I always cite is a quote from comet hunter David Levy: ‘Comets are like cats. They have tails and they do precisely what they want,'” said Bing Quock, assistant director of the Morrison Planetarium at the California Academy of Sciences.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>The comet will remain in the night sky for a few weeks, but observers will need a telescope to see it after the first week of February. By the end of March, it will be beyond the orbit of Mars, and even more difficult to see.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>[aside label=\"related coverage\" tag=\"comet\"]\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>You can also track the comet on \u003ca href=\"https://theskylive.com/planetarium?objects=sun-moon-c2022e3-mercury-venus-mars-jupiter-saturn-uranus-neptune-pluto&localdata=37.8774%7C-122.2817%7CCAL+Fire+Northern+Region%2C+United+States%7CAmerica%2FLos_Angeles%7C0&obj=c2022e3&h=09&m=00&date=2023-01-24#ra%7C15.219190334943296%7Cdec%7C60.2699547237815%7Cfov%7C10\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener\">TheSkyLive\u003c/a> or through astronomy and sky apps like \u003ca href=\"https://stellarium.org/\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener\">Stellarium\u003c/a>, \u003ca href=\"https://skysafariastronomy.com/\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener\">SkySafari\u003c/a>, \u003ca href=\"https://starwalk.space/en\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener\">Star Walk\u003c/a> and others.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>Chabot is hosting a \u003ca href=\"https://chabotspace.org/visit/observatories/\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener\">free viewing at the observatory\u003c/a> this weekend (Jan. 27–28) and again Feb. 3–4. Weather permitting, one of the telescopes will be viewing the comet.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>Down the peninsula, the \u003ca href=\"https://foothill.edu/astronomy/observatory.html\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener\">Foothill College Observatory\u003c/a> in Los Altos Hills will also be hosting a comet-viewing event on Tuesday, Jan. 31, starting at 6:30 p.m. They will be open to the public on Friday nights from 9 to 11 p.m.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>The \u003ca href=\"https://sfaa-astronomy.org/\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener\">SF Amateur Astronomers\u003c/a> will be holding a couple of public star parties at the Presidio’s Main Parade Lawn, in the Golden Gate National Recreation Area (in front of the Walt Disney Family Museum), on Jan. 28 at 6 p.m. and Feb. 25 at 6:30 p.m.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>[ad fullwidth]\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>\u003c/p>\n",
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"content": "\u003cdiv class=\"post-body\">\u003cp>\u003cp>The \u003ca href=\"https://www.kqed.org/science/1981226/a-bright-green-is-making-a-rare-trip-across-the-sky\">green comet we’ve all been hearing about\u003c/a>, newly discovered by astronomers, can be seen in the northern sky between the Big Dipper and the North Star. On a clear night, and far away from city lights, Bay Area residents will be able to view this spectacular event from now until early February.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>Ben Burress, Chabot Space and Science Center’s staff astronomer, advises facing north, then looking at the area of the sky to the right, above the horizon. “It’s the patch of sky immediately to the right of North, bounded between the Dippers,” he says. “Right now the comet is between the Big and Little Dippers. It will look like a small fuzzy patch of light, possibly slightly greenish.”\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>Burress recommends getting to darker viewing areas like Tilden Regional Park in Berkeley, the Chabot center in Oakland, Henry W. Coe State Park, Mount Diablo, Sunol Wilderness Regional Preserve, or anywhere else you can find light-sheltered viewing.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>The comet, named C/2022 E3 (ZTF), was first spotted by scientists in March 2022 at the Zwicky Transient Facility on Palomar Mountain in San Diego County. At the time, the comet was inside the orbit of Jupiter.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>Comets like this one are the building blocks from which the solar system is assembled.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>“Comets are chunks of dirty ice — ice with lots of dust and dirt frozen into it left over from the days that the sun and the planets were first forming 5 billion years ago,” Andrew Fraknoi, astronomy professor at the University of San Francisco, told KQED in an email.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>On the night between Feb. 1 and Feb. 2, the comet will be at its brightest, as it approaches its perigee, or the closest point at which it will come to Earth. While observers may be able to see the comet without visual aid during this time, it will still be easier to view the comet through binoculars or a small telescope. “[It] may have a faint tail, and may even appear to have two tails: a gas tail and a particle tail,” said Gerald McKeegan, East Bay Astronomical Society astronomer, in an email.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>Trying to predict exactly how bright a comet will become is notoriously difficult. “One thing I always cite is a quote from comet hunter David Levy: ‘Comets are like cats. They have tails and they do precisely what they want,'” said Bing Quock, assistant director of the Morrison Planetarium at the California Academy of Sciences.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>The comet will remain in the night sky for a few weeks, but observers will need a telescope to see it after the first week of February. By the end of March, it will be beyond the orbit of Mars, and even more difficult to see.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>\u003c/p>\u003c/div>",
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"content": "\u003cdiv class=\"post-body\">\u003cp>\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>You can also track the comet on \u003ca href=\"https://theskylive.com/planetarium?objects=sun-moon-c2022e3-mercury-venus-mars-jupiter-saturn-uranus-neptune-pluto&localdata=37.8774%7C-122.2817%7CCAL+Fire+Northern+Region%2C+United+States%7CAmerica%2FLos_Angeles%7C0&obj=c2022e3&h=09&m=00&date=2023-01-24#ra%7C15.219190334943296%7Cdec%7C60.2699547237815%7Cfov%7C10\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener\">TheSkyLive\u003c/a> or through astronomy and sky apps like \u003ca href=\"https://stellarium.org/\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener\">Stellarium\u003c/a>, \u003ca href=\"https://skysafariastronomy.com/\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener\">SkySafari\u003c/a>, \u003ca href=\"https://starwalk.space/en\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener\">Star Walk\u003c/a> and others.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>Chabot is hosting a \u003ca href=\"https://chabotspace.org/visit/observatories/\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener\">free viewing at the observatory\u003c/a> this weekend (Jan. 27–28) and again Feb. 3–4. Weather permitting, one of the telescopes will be viewing the comet.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>Down the peninsula, the \u003ca href=\"https://foothill.edu/astronomy/observatory.html\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener\">Foothill College Observatory\u003c/a> in Los Altos Hills will also be hosting a comet-viewing event on Tuesday, Jan. 31, starting at 6:30 p.m. They will be open to the public on Friday nights from 9 to 11 p.m.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>The \u003ca href=\"https://sfaa-astronomy.org/\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener\">SF Amateur Astronomers\u003c/a> will be holding a couple of public star parties at the Presidio’s Main Parade Lawn, in the Golden Gate National Recreation Area (in front of the Walt Disney Family Museum), on Jan. 28 at 6 p.m. and Feb. 25 at 6:30 p.m.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>\u003c/p>\u003c/div>",
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"content": "\u003cp>It’s prime time to see the comet known as C/2022 E3, marked by its bright green nucleus and long faint ion tail. It’s visible now with telescopes and binoculars, and the best chance of seeing it with the naked eye is coming up in early February.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>This marks possibly the first time ever — or at least for thousands of years — that the comet has streaked across the Earth sky.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>“If C/2022 E3 has ever passed through the solar system before, it would have last been seen in the sky more than 10,000 years ago,” Jon Giorgini, a senior analyst at NASA’s Jet Propulsion Laboratory, told NPR.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>Astronomers first spotted the brightening outburst in March 2022 at the Zwicky Transient Facility on Palomar Mountain in California. At the time, the comet was inside the orbit of Jupiter.\u003c/p>\n\u003ch2>The best chance to see the comet is between Feb. 1 and Feb. 2\u003c/h2>\n\u003cp>For the past week and a half, the comet has been moving closer to Earth and as a result, becoming more visible in the Earth sky.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>Between Feb. 1 and Feb. 2, the newly discovered comet is slated to draw nearest to Earth — 26.4 million miles away to be exact — meaning it will be the best chance to see its glow unaided.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>Comets are essentially clumps of frozen gases, rock and dust. But when they approach the sun and heat up, they become powerful cosmic objects, spewing gases and dust in a way that forms their iconic shape: a glowing core and flame-like tail that can stretch on for millions of miles.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>The brightness of comets tends to be unpredictable, but this one’s current behavior is promising, according to a recent explainer from Preston Dyches of NASA’s Jet Propulsion Laboratory.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>Its glow may be visible to the naked eye in dark night skies, he said, while observers with binoculars or telescopes have a greater chance of witnessing the rare speck of light.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>Spectators in the Northern Hemisphere can begin to spot the comet’s faint glow in the morning sky, as it journeys toward the northwest, according to Dyches. The comet will likely be visible to those in the Southern Hemisphere starting early February.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>After its brief appearance in the Earth skies, it’s unclear where it may go.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>Because scientists have only recently begun to track the comet’s path, there is still a lot to understand about C/2022 E3, says Giorgini.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>It’s possible it may gain enough energy to fling out of our solar system, or it might remain bound to its elliptical orbit for another trip around the sun.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>[ad fullwidth]\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>\u003c/p>\n",
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"content": "\u003cdiv class=\"post-body\">\u003cp>\u003cp>It’s prime time to see the comet known as C/2022 E3, marked by its bright green nucleus and long faint ion tail. It’s visible now with telescopes and binoculars, and the best chance of seeing it with the naked eye is coming up in early February.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>This marks possibly the first time ever — or at least for thousands of years — that the comet has streaked across the Earth sky.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>“If C/2022 E3 has ever passed through the solar system before, it would have last been seen in the sky more than 10,000 years ago,” Jon Giorgini, a senior analyst at NASA’s Jet Propulsion Laboratory, told NPR.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>Astronomers first spotted the brightening outburst in March 2022 at the Zwicky Transient Facility on Palomar Mountain in California. At the time, the comet was inside the orbit of Jupiter.\u003c/p>\n\u003ch2>The best chance to see the comet is between Feb. 1 and Feb. 2\u003c/h2>\n\u003cp>For the past week and a half, the comet has been moving closer to Earth and as a result, becoming more visible in the Earth sky.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>Between Feb. 1 and Feb. 2, the newly discovered comet is slated to draw nearest to Earth — 26.4 million miles away to be exact — meaning it will be the best chance to see its glow unaided.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>Comets are essentially clumps of frozen gases, rock and dust. But when they approach the sun and heat up, they become powerful cosmic objects, spewing gases and dust in a way that forms their iconic shape: a glowing core and flame-like tail that can stretch on for millions of miles.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>The brightness of comets tends to be unpredictable, but this one’s current behavior is promising, according to a recent explainer from Preston Dyches of NASA’s Jet Propulsion Laboratory.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>Its glow may be visible to the naked eye in dark night skies, he said, while observers with binoculars or telescopes have a greater chance of witnessing the rare speck of light.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>Spectators in the Northern Hemisphere can begin to spot the comet’s faint glow in the morning sky, as it journeys toward the northwest, according to Dyches. The comet will likely be visible to those in the Southern Hemisphere starting early February.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>After its brief appearance in the Earth skies, it’s unclear where it may go.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>Because scientists have only recently begun to track the comet’s path, there is still a lot to understand about C/2022 E3, says Giorgini.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>It’s possible it may gain enough energy to fling out of our solar system, or it might remain bound to its elliptical orbit for another trip around the sun.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>\u003c/p>\u003c/div>",
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"title": "The 5 Most Out-of-This-World Space Accomplishments of 2022",
"headTitle": "The 5 Most Out-of-This-World Space Accomplishments of 2022 | KQED",
"content": "\u003cp>This year the most powerful space telescope ever assembled brought us breathtaking images of galaxies from billions of years ago. We kick-started the first moon mission in 50 years and altered the orbit of a planetary object for the first time ever. Here’s a recap of some of the best space accomplishments of 2022, according to KQED’s Danielle Venton, and Ben Burress, astronomer with Chabot Space and Science Center and longtime contributor to KQED’s website.\u003c/p>\n\u003ch2>1. James Webb telescope released spectacular images of nebulae and galaxies\u003c/h2>\n\u003cp>It’s been almost a year since Webb, the largest-ever space telescope, launched and began sending back spectacular images of the cosmos. And since July, we’ve been stunned by images of fledgling stars and the ancient universe, taking us as far back as 400 million years after the big bang. The Webb telescope has revealed the complexity of distant galaxies, observed extrasolar planets and detected the presence of water vapor and carbon dioxide in the atmospheres of two exoplanets — telltales of possible life beyond Earth. From Jupiter’s aurora, Neptune’s rings and Saturn’s moon to merging galaxies, \u003ca href=\"https://www.flickr.com/photos/nasawebbtelescope/albums/72177720301006030\">here’s a collection of some fascinating Webb images\u003c/a> that awed us this year. —\u003cem> Danielle Venton and Ben Burress\u003c/em>\u003c/p>\n\u003cfigure id=\"attachment_1981005\" class=\"wp-caption alignnone\" style=\"max-width: 800px\">\u003cimg loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" class=\"size-medium wp-image-1981005\" src=\"https://ww2.kqed.org/app/uploads/sites/35/2022/12/52565832838_d2d73bb5ed_o-800x432.png\" alt=\"Dozens of previously hidden jets and outflows from young stars are revealed in this new image of the Cosmic Cliffs from NASA’s James Webb Space Telescope’s Near-Infrared Camera (NIRCam). This image separates out several wavelengths of light from the First Image revealed on July 12, 2022, which highlight molecular hydrogen, a vital ingredient for star formation. Insets on the right-hand side highlight three regions of the Cosmic Cliffs with particularly active molecular hydrogen outflows.\" width=\"800\" height=\"432\" srcset=\"https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/35/2022/12/52565832838_d2d73bb5ed_o-800x432.png 800w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/35/2022/12/52565832838_d2d73bb5ed_o-1020x550.png 1020w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/35/2022/12/52565832838_d2d73bb5ed_o-160x86.png 160w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/35/2022/12/52565832838_d2d73bb5ed_o-768x414.png 768w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/35/2022/12/52565832838_d2d73bb5ed_o-1536x829.png 1536w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/35/2022/12/52565832838_d2d73bb5ed_o-1920x1036.png 1920w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/35/2022/12/52565832838_d2d73bb5ed_o.png 2000w\" sizes=\"(max-width: 800px) 100vw, 800px\">\u003cfigcaption class=\"wp-caption-text\">Dozens of previously hidden jets and outflows from young stars are revealed in this new image of the Cosmic Cliffs from NASA’s James Webb Space Telescope’s Near-Infrared Camera (NIRCam). This image separates out several wavelengths of light from the first image revealed on July 12, 2022, which highlight molecular hydrogen, a vital ingredient for star formation. Insets on the right-hand side highlight three regions of the Cosmic Cliffs with particularly active molecular hydrogen outflows. \u003ccite>(NASA, ESA, CSA and STScI/Image processing by J. DePasquale of STScI)\u003c/cite>\u003c/figcaption>\u003c/figure>\n\u003ch2>2. NASA’s DART mission crashed a spacecraft into an asteroid\u003c/h2>\n\u003cp>In September, NASA crashed a 1,200-pound spacecraft into an asteroid system called Didymos to test the possibility of deflecting an asteroid headed for earth. The goal of the mission was to change the trajectory of the asteroid by giving it a little nudge, pushing it off course and away from Earth. NASA announced that the Double Asteroid Redirection Test (or DART) mission, the first test of its kind, successfully altered the orbit of the asteroid by 32 minutes, giving scientists hope for the future of planetary defense of Earth.\u003cbr>\n\u003cem>— Ben Burress\u003c/em>\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>\u003ciframe loading=\"lazy\" title=\"DART's Impact with Asteroid Dimorphos (Official NASA Broadcast)\" width=\"500\" height=\"281\" src=\"https://www.youtube.com/embed/4RA8Tfa6Sck?start=4238&feature=oembed\" frameborder=\"0\" allow=\"accelerometer; autoplay; clipboard-write; encrypted-media; gyroscope; picture-in-picture; web-share\" allowfullscreen>\u003c/iframe>\u003c/p>\n\u003ch2>3. Artemis kick-starts mission to the moon\u003c/h2>\n\u003cp>NASA’s launch of Artemis 1 in November revived the space agency’s “Moon to Mars” initiative by sending the Orion, an uncrewed spacecraft, to orbit the moon for six weeks. On Dec. 11, the capsule returned from its flight around the moon, splashing down a few hundred miles south of San Diego. The success of Artemis 1 will lay the foundation for the next stages of the Artemis program, which will rely on SpaceX, Elon Musk’s rocket company, to build a moon lander for astronauts. The Artemis program aims to return humans to the moon in 2025 to learn about how humans can survive in space. \u003cem>— Danielle Venton\u003c/em>\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>\u003ciframe loading=\"lazy\" title=\"NASA’s Artemis I Mission Splashes Down in Pacific Ocean\" width=\"500\" height=\"281\" src=\"https://www.youtube.com/embed/xzZPzmMtQA8?start=6546&feature=oembed\" frameborder=\"0\" allow=\"accelerometer; autoplay; clipboard-write; encrypted-media; gyroscope; picture-in-picture; web-share\" allowfullscreen>\u003c/iframe>\u003c/p>\n\u003ch2>4. Black hole: Images and sounds\u003c/h2>\n\u003cp>In May, an international team of astrophysicists and researchers working with the Event Horizon Telescope successfully \u003ca href=\"https://www.kqed.org/science/1979313/this-is-the-first-image-of-the-black-hole-at-the-heart-of-the-milky-way\">captured the first image of our galaxy’s central, supermassive black hole\u003c/a>. They did this by positioning eight observatories around the world, working together as one huge radio telescope. The discovery comes three years after the team released the first-ever image of a black hole in the center of galaxy Messier 87. In other black hole news, we also heard, for the first time, \u003ca href=\"https://www.kqed.org/science/1980297/listen-to-the-deepest-musical-note-in-the-known-universe\">the sounds of a black hole in the Perseus cluster\u003c/a> in the eeriness of the sound waves carried through hot gasses in the galaxy. \u003cem>— Ben Burress\u003c/em>\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>\u003c!-- iframe plugin v.4.3 wordpress.org/plugins/iframe/ -->\u003cbr>\n\u003ciframe loading=\"lazy\" src=\"https://omny.fm/shows/kqed-segmented-audio/audible-cosmos-black-hole-sounds-v2-17luf-mp3/embed?style=Cover\" width=\"100%\" height=\"180\" allow=\"autoplay; clipboard-write\" frameborder=\"0\" scrolling=\"yes\" class=\"iframe-class\">\u003c/iframe>\u003c/p>\n\u003ch2>5. China sends astronauts to its very own space station\u003c/h2>\n\u003cp>In November, China sent Fei Junlong, Deng Qingming and Zhang Lu on the Shenzhou 15 mission to their recently completed, three-module space station called Tiangong. During this six-month mission, the taikonauts, as the Chinese call astronauts, will conduct three or four spacewalks and more than 100 experiments. The Tiangong, which means “celestial palace” in Mandarin, is the second space station in orbit next to the International Space Station.\u003cbr>\n\u003cem>—Danielle Venton\u003c/em>\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>\u003ciframe loading=\"lazy\" title=\"Shenzhou 15 crew enters Chinese space station after docking\" width=\"500\" height=\"281\" src=\"https://www.youtube.com/embed/jZ6lAhZnkeM?feature=oembed\" frameborder=\"0\" allow=\"accelerometer; autoplay; clipboard-write; encrypted-media; gyroscope; picture-in-picture; web-share\" allowfullscreen>\u003c/iframe>\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>What are some of the space and astronomy news you’re looking forward to in 2023?\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>[hearken src=\"https://modules.wearehearken.com/kqed/embed/10237.js\"]\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>[ad fullwidth]\u003c/p>\n\u003cp> \u003c/p>\n\u003cp> \u003c/p>\n\u003cp>\u003c/p>\n",
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"content": "\u003cdiv class=\"post-body\">\u003cp>\u003cp>This year the most powerful space telescope ever assembled brought us breathtaking images of galaxies from billions of years ago. We kick-started the first moon mission in 50 years and altered the orbit of a planetary object for the first time ever. Here’s a recap of some of the best space accomplishments of 2022, according to KQED’s Danielle Venton, and Ben Burress, astronomer with Chabot Space and Science Center and longtime contributor to KQED’s website.\u003c/p>\n\u003ch2>1. James Webb telescope released spectacular images of nebulae and galaxies\u003c/h2>\n\u003cp>It’s been almost a year since Webb, the largest-ever space telescope, launched and began sending back spectacular images of the cosmos. And since July, we’ve been stunned by images of fledgling stars and the ancient universe, taking us as far back as 400 million years after the big bang. The Webb telescope has revealed the complexity of distant galaxies, observed extrasolar planets and detected the presence of water vapor and carbon dioxide in the atmospheres of two exoplanets — telltales of possible life beyond Earth. 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Insets on the right-hand side highlight three regions of the Cosmic Cliffs with particularly active molecular hydrogen outflows.\" width=\"800\" height=\"432\" srcset=\"https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/35/2022/12/52565832838_d2d73bb5ed_o-800x432.png 800w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/35/2022/12/52565832838_d2d73bb5ed_o-1020x550.png 1020w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/35/2022/12/52565832838_d2d73bb5ed_o-160x86.png 160w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/35/2022/12/52565832838_d2d73bb5ed_o-768x414.png 768w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/35/2022/12/52565832838_d2d73bb5ed_o-1536x829.png 1536w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/35/2022/12/52565832838_d2d73bb5ed_o-1920x1036.png 1920w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/35/2022/12/52565832838_d2d73bb5ed_o.png 2000w\" sizes=\"(max-width: 800px) 100vw, 800px\">\u003cfigcaption class=\"wp-caption-text\">Dozens of previously hidden jets and outflows from young stars are revealed in this new image of the Cosmic Cliffs from NASA’s James Webb Space Telescope’s Near-Infrared Camera (NIRCam). This image separates out several wavelengths of light from the first image revealed on July 12, 2022, which highlight molecular hydrogen, a vital ingredient for star formation. Insets on the right-hand side highlight three regions of the Cosmic Cliffs with particularly active molecular hydrogen outflows. \u003ccite>(NASA, ESA, CSA and STScI/Image processing by J. DePasquale of STScI)\u003c/cite>\u003c/figcaption>\u003c/figure>\n\u003ch2>2. NASA’s DART mission crashed a spacecraft into an asteroid\u003c/h2>\n\u003cp>In September, NASA crashed a 1,200-pound spacecraft into an asteroid system called Didymos to test the possibility of deflecting an asteroid headed for earth. The goal of the mission was to change the trajectory of the asteroid by giving it a little nudge, pushing it off course and away from Earth. NASA announced that the Double Asteroid Redirection Test (or DART) mission, the first test of its kind, successfully altered the orbit of the asteroid by 32 minutes, giving scientists hope for the future of planetary defense of Earth.\u003cbr>\n\u003cem>— Ben Burress\u003c/em>\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>\u003ciframe loading=\"lazy\" title=\"DART's Impact with Asteroid Dimorphos (Official NASA Broadcast)\" width=\"500\" height=\"281\" src=\"https://www.youtube.com/embed/4RA8Tfa6Sck?start=4238&feature=oembed\" frameborder=\"0\" allow=\"accelerometer; autoplay; clipboard-write; encrypted-media; gyroscope; picture-in-picture; web-share\" allowfullscreen>\u003c/iframe>\u003c/p>\n\u003ch2>3. Artemis kick-starts mission to the moon\u003c/h2>\n\u003cp>NASA’s launch of Artemis 1 in November revived the space agency’s “Moon to Mars” initiative by sending the Orion, an uncrewed spacecraft, to orbit the moon for six weeks. On Dec. 11, the capsule returned from its flight around the moon, splashing down a few hundred miles south of San Diego. The success of Artemis 1 will lay the foundation for the next stages of the Artemis program, which will rely on SpaceX, Elon Musk’s rocket company, to build a moon lander for astronauts. The Artemis program aims to return humans to the moon in 2025 to learn about how humans can survive in space. \u003cem>— Danielle Venton\u003c/em>\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>\u003ciframe loading=\"lazy\" title=\"NASA’s Artemis I Mission Splashes Down in Pacific Ocean\" width=\"500\" height=\"281\" src=\"https://www.youtube.com/embed/xzZPzmMtQA8?start=6546&feature=oembed\" frameborder=\"0\" allow=\"accelerometer; autoplay; clipboard-write; encrypted-media; gyroscope; picture-in-picture; web-share\" allowfullscreen>\u003c/iframe>\u003c/p>\n\u003ch2>4. Black hole: Images and sounds\u003c/h2>\n\u003cp>In May, an international team of astrophysicists and researchers working with the Event Horizon Telescope successfully \u003ca href=\"https://www.kqed.org/science/1979313/this-is-the-first-image-of-the-black-hole-at-the-heart-of-the-milky-way\">captured the first image of our galaxy’s central, supermassive black hole\u003c/a>. They did this by positioning eight observatories around the world, working together as one huge radio telescope. The discovery comes three years after the team released the first-ever image of a black hole in the center of galaxy Messier 87. In other black hole news, we also heard, for the first time, \u003ca href=\"https://www.kqed.org/science/1980297/listen-to-the-deepest-musical-note-in-the-known-universe\">the sounds of a black hole in the Perseus cluster\u003c/a> in the eeriness of the sound waves carried through hot gasses in the galaxy. \u003cem>— Ben Burress\u003c/em>\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>\u003c!-- iframe plugin v.4.3 wordpress.org/plugins/iframe/ -->\u003cbr>\n\u003ciframe loading=\"lazy\" src=\"https://omny.fm/shows/kqed-segmented-audio/audible-cosmos-black-hole-sounds-v2-17luf-mp3/embed?style=Cover\" width=\"100%\" height=\"180\" allow=\"autoplay; clipboard-write\" frameborder=\"0\" scrolling=\"yes\" class=\"iframe-class\">\u003c/iframe>\u003c/p>\n\u003ch2>5. China sends astronauts to its very own space station\u003c/h2>\n\u003cp>In November, China sent Fei Junlong, Deng Qingming and Zhang Lu on the Shenzhou 15 mission to their recently completed, three-module space station called Tiangong. During this six-month mission, the taikonauts, as the Chinese call astronauts, will conduct three or four spacewalks and more than 100 experiments. The Tiangong, which means “celestial palace” in Mandarin, is the second space station in orbit next to the International Space Station.\u003cbr>\n\u003cem>—Danielle Venton\u003c/em>\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>\u003ciframe loading=\"lazy\" title=\"Shenzhou 15 crew enters Chinese space station after docking\" width=\"500\" height=\"281\" src=\"https://www.youtube.com/embed/jZ6lAhZnkeM?feature=oembed\" frameborder=\"0\" allow=\"accelerometer; autoplay; clipboard-write; encrypted-media; gyroscope; picture-in-picture; web-share\" allowfullscreen>\u003c/iframe>\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>What are some of the space and astronomy news you’re looking forward to in 2023?\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>\u003c/p>\u003c/div>",
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"info": "\u003cem>Code Switch\u003c/em>, which listeners will hear in the first part of the hour, has fearless and much-needed conversations about race. Hosted by journalists of color, the show tackles the subject of race head-on, exploring how it impacts every part of society — from politics and pop culture to history, sports and more.\u003cbr />\u003cbr />\u003cem>Life Kit\u003c/em>, which will be in the second part of the hour, guides you through spaces and feelings no one prepares you for — from finances to mental health, from workplace microaggressions to imposter syndrome, from relationships to parenting. The show features experts with real world experience and shares their knowledge. Because everyone needs a little help being human.\u003cbr />\u003cbr />\u003ca href=\"https://www.npr.org/podcasts/510312/codeswitch\">\u003cem>Code Switch\u003c/em> offical site and podcast\u003c/a>\u003cbr />\u003ca href=\"https://www.npr.org/lifekit\">\u003cem>Life Kit\u003c/em> offical site and podcast\u003c/a>\u003cbr />",
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"info": "The Commonwealth Club of California is the nation's oldest and largest public affairs forum. As a non-partisan forum, The Club brings to the public airwaves diverse viewpoints on important topics. The Club's weekly radio broadcast - the oldest in the U.S., dating back to 1924 - is carried across the nation on public radio stations and is now podcasting. Our website archive features audio of our recent programs, as well as selected speeches from our long and distinguished history. This podcast feed is usually updated twice a week and is always un-edited.",
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"id": "fresh-air",
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"hidden-brain": {
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"info": "Guy Raz dives into the stories behind some of the world's best known companies. How I Built This weaves a narrative journey about innovators, entrepreneurs and idealists—and the movements they built.",
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"airtime": "SUN 7:30pm-8pm",
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"hyphenacion": {
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"tagline": "Where conversation and cultura meet",
"info": "What kind of no sabo word is Hyphenación? For us, it’s about living within a hyphenation. Like being a third-gen Mexican-American from the Texas border now living that Bay Area Chicano life. Like Xorje! Each week we bring together a couple of hyphenated Latinos to talk all about personal life choices: family, careers, relationships, belonging … everything is on the table. ",
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"jerrybrown": {
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"title": "The Political Mind of Jerry Brown",
"tagline": "Lessons from a lifetime in politics",
"info": "The Political Mind of Jerry Brown brings listeners the wisdom of the former Governor, Mayor, and presidential candidate. Scott Shafer interviewed Brown for more than 40 hours, covering the former governor's life and half-century in the political game – and Brown has some lessons he'd like to share. ",
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"order": 18
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},
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"title": "Latino USA",
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"info": "Latino USA, the radio journal of news and culture, is the only national, English-language radio program produced from a Latino perspective.",
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"officialWebsiteLink": "http://latinousa.org/",
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"link": "/radio/program/latino-usa",
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"apple": "https://itunes.apple.com/WebObjects/MZStore.woa/wa/viewPodcast?s=143441&mt=2&id=79681317&at=11l79Y&ct=nprdirectory",
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"rss": "https://feeds.npr.org/510016/podcast.xml"
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},
"marketplace": {
"id": "marketplace",
"title": "Marketplace",
"info": "Our flagship program, helmed by Kai Ryssdal, examines what the day in money delivered, through stories, conversations, newsworthy numbers and more. Updated Monday through Friday at about 3:30 p.m. PT.",
"airtime": "MON-FRI 4pm-4:30pm, MON-WED 6:30pm-7pm",
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"officialWebsiteLink": "https://www.marketplace.org/",
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"source": "American Public Media"
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"masters-of-scale": {
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"title": "Masters of Scale",
"info": "Masters of Scale is an original podcast in which LinkedIn co-founder and Greylock Partner Reid Hoffman sets out to describe and prove theories that explain how great entrepreneurs take their companies from zero to a gazillion in ingenious fashion.",
"airtime": "Every other Wednesday June 12 through October 16 at 8pm (repeats Thursdays at 2am)",
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"meta": {
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"rss": "https://rss.art19.com/masters-of-scale"
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},
"mindshift": {
"id": "mindshift",
"title": "MindShift",
"tagline": "A podcast about the future of learning and how we raise our kids",
"info": "The MindShift podcast explores the innovations in education that are shaping how kids learn. Hosts Ki Sung and Katrina Schwartz introduce listeners to educators, researchers, parents and students who are developing effective ways to improve how kids learn. We cover topics like how fed-up administrators are developing surprising tactics to deal with classroom disruptions; how listening to podcasts are helping kids develop reading skills; the consequences of overparenting; and why interdisciplinary learning can engage students on all ends of the traditional achievement spectrum. This podcast is part of the MindShift education site, a division of KQED News. KQED is an NPR/PBS member station based in San Francisco. You can also visit the MindShift website for episodes and supplemental blog posts or tweet us \u003ca href=\"https://twitter.com/MindShiftKQED\">@MindShiftKQED\u003c/a> or visit us at \u003ca href=\"/mindshift\">MindShift.KQED.org\u003c/a>",
"imageSrc": "https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/2024/04/Mindshift-Podcast-Tile-703x703-1.jpg",
"imageAlt": "KQED MindShift: How We Will Learn",
"officialWebsiteLink": "/mindshift/",
"meta": {
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"order": 12
},
"link": "/podcasts/mindshift",
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"google": "https://podcasts.google.com/feed/aHR0cHM6Ly9mZWVkcy5tZWdhcGhvbmUuZm0vS1FJTkM1NzY0NjAwNDI5",
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},
"morning-edition": {
"id": "morning-edition",
"title": "Morning Edition",
"info": "\u003cem>Morning Edition\u003c/em> takes listeners around the country and the world with multi-faceted stories and commentaries every weekday. Hosts Steve Inskeep, David Greene and Rachel Martin bring you the latest breaking news and features to prepare you for the day.",
"airtime": "MON-FRI 3am-9am",
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"onourwatch": {
"id": "onourwatch",
"title": "On Our Watch",
"tagline": "Deeply-reported investigative journalism",
"info": "For decades, the process for how police police themselves has been inconsistent – if not opaque. In some states, like California, these proceedings were completely hidden. After a new police transparency law unsealed scores of internal affairs files, our reporters set out to examine these cases and the shadow world of police discipline. On Our Watch brings listeners into the rooms where officers are questioned and witnesses are interrogated to find out who this system is really protecting. Is it the officers, or the public they've sworn to serve?",
"imageSrc": "https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/2024/04/On-Our-Watch-Podcast-Tile-703x703-1.jpg",
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"officialWebsiteLink": "/podcasts/onourwatch",
"meta": {
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"source": "kqed",
"order": 11
},
"link": "/podcasts/onourwatch",
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"google": "https://podcasts.google.com/feed/aHR0cHM6Ly9mZWVkcy5ucHIub3JnLzUxMDM2MC9wb2RjYXN0LnhtbD9zYz1nb29nbGVwb2RjYXN0cw",
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},
"on-the-media": {
"id": "on-the-media",
"title": "On The Media",
"info": "Our weekly podcast explores how the media 'sausage' is made, casts an incisive eye on fluctuations in the marketplace of ideas, and examines threats to the freedom of information and expression in America and abroad. For one hour a week, the show tries to lift the veil from the process of \"making media,\" especially news media, because it's through that lens that we see the world and the world sees us",
"airtime": "SUN 2pm-3pm, MON 12am-1am",
"imageSrc": "https://ww2.kqed.org/radio/wp-content/uploads/sites/50/2018/04/onTheMedia.png",
"officialWebsiteLink": "https://www.wnycstudios.org/shows/otm",
"meta": {
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},
"link": "/radio/program/on-the-media",
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"apple": "https://itunes.apple.com/us/podcast/on-the-media/id73330715?mt=2",
"tuneIn": "https://tunein.com/radio/On-the-Media-p69/",
"rss": "http://feeds.wnyc.org/onthemedia"
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},
"pbs-newshour": {
"id": "pbs-newshour",
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"info": "Analysis, background reports and updates from the PBS NewsHour putting today's news in context.",
"airtime": "MON-FRI 3pm-4pm",
"imageSrc": "https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/2024/04/PBS-News-Hour-Podcast-Tile-360x360-1.jpg",
"officialWebsiteLink": "https://www.pbs.org/newshour/",
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},
"link": "/radio/program/pbs-newshour",
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"apple": "https://itunes.apple.com/us/podcast/pbs-newshour-full-show/id394432287?mt=2",
"tuneIn": "https://tunein.com/radio/PBS-NewsHour---Full-Show-p425698/",
"rss": "https://www.pbs.org/newshour/feeds/rss/podcasts/show"
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},
"perspectives": {
"id": "perspectives",
"title": "Perspectives",
"tagline": "KQED's series of daily listener commentaries since 1991",
"info": "KQED's series of daily listener commentaries since 1991.",
"imageSrc": "https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/2025/01/Perspectives_Tile_Final.jpg",
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"officialWebsiteLink": "/perspectives/",
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"order": 14
},
"link": "/perspectives",
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"planet-money": {
"id": "planet-money",
"title": "Planet Money",
"info": "The economy explained. Imagine you could call up a friend and say, Meet me at the bar and tell me what's going on with the economy. Now imagine that's actually a fun evening.",
"airtime": "SUN 3pm-4pm",
"imageSrc": "https://ww2.kqed.org/radio/wp-content/uploads/sites/50/2018/04/planetmoney.jpg",
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"meta": {
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"source": "npr"
},
"link": "/radio/program/planet-money",
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"apple": "https://itunes.apple.com/us/podcast/planet-money/id290783428?mt=2",
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},
"politicalbreakdown": {
"id": "politicalbreakdown",
"title": "Political Breakdown",
"tagline": "Politics from a personal perspective",
"info": "Political Breakdown is a new series that explores the political intersection of California and the nation. Each week hosts Scott Shafer and Marisa Lagos are joined with a new special guest to unpack politics -- with personality — and offer an insider’s glimpse at how politics happens.",
"airtime": "THU 6:30pm-7pm",
"imageSrc": "https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/2024/04/Political-Breakdown-2024-Podcast-Tile-703x703-1.jpg",
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