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homomenhommes · 1 month

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THIS DAY IN GAY HISTORY

based on: The White Crane Institute's 'Gay Wisdom', Gay Birthdays, Gay For Today, Famous GLBT, glbt-Gay Encylopedia, Today in Gay History, Wikipedia, and more … April 22

Today is EARTH DAY! – Earth Day's a name used for two different observances, both held annually during spring in the northern hemisphere, and autumn in the southern hemisphere. These are intended to inspire awareness of and appreciation for the Earth's environment. The United Nations celebrates Earth Day, which was founded by John McConnell in 1969, each year on the March equinox, while a global observance originated by Gaylord Nelson as an environmental teach-in, also called Earth Day, is celebrated in many countries each year on April 22.

1766 – Madame de Staël, (Anne Louise Germaine de Staël-Holstein) French author (d.1817); When old editions of the staid Encyclopedia Britannica say that someone's sex life is "unconventional," it can sometimes mean little more than the subject enjoyed something other than missionary position with his clothes on and the lights off. When a woman's sex life is even mentioned, no less described as "unconventional," then you had better sit up and take notice.

Madame de Staël liked not only men, but women, too. In 1798 the French novelist, separated from her husband, began living with a male lover, and met Juliette Récamier, the most celebrated beauty of her time. Mme. de Staël was 31, Juliette ten years younger.

"She fixed her great eyes upon me," wrote Juliette, "and paid me compliments about my figure which might have seemed exaggerated and too direct had they not seemed to have escaped from her. From that time on I thought only of Mme. de Staël."

They lived together for the next nineteen years, until the novelist died. Her final words to Juliette, to whom she had once written, "I love you with a love that surpasses that of friendship," were "I embrace you with all that remains of me."

Emile Norman with Brooks Clement

1918 – Emile Norman (d.2009) was a California artist known for mosaics, panels, jewelry and sculpture - with a meticulous attention to detail. Emile Norman grew up with a club foot on a San Gabriel Valley walnut farm. From an early age he exhibited artistic talent, carving his first sculpture from a riverside rock at age 11 - ruining his father's chisels, but also gaining his respect.

From 1946, Norman lived and worked at his studio-home in Big Sur on Pfeiffer Ridge with his partner Brooks Clement, until Clement's death in 1973 from cancer.

In 2008, actors Michael Tucker and Jill Eikenberry met Norman, purchased land from him in Big Sur, became his neighbors and his close friends - eventually taking five years to produce a PBS documentary, Emile Norman: By His Own Design. Having moved in with Norman in 2003, long-time friends Jeff Mallory and C. Kevin Smith had discovered movie film shot by Norman's partner Brooks Clement on a hand-cranked 16 mm Bolex, footage that was eventually incorporated in the documentary.

Norman died September 24, 2009 in Monterey, California at age 91, survived by three sisters.

1946 – John Waters was born on April 22. Recognizable by his pencil-thin moustache this American filmmaker, actor, writer, personality, visual artist and art collector, rose to fame in the early 1970s for his transgressive cult films and has, against all intuition and all odds has become the toast of Broadway with not one, but two major musicals based on his cinematic oeuvre.

For his 16th birthday, Waters received an 8mm movie camera from his maternal grandmother, Stella Whitaker. His first movie was Hag in a Black Leather Jacket. According to Waters, the film was shown only once in a "beatnik coffee house" in Baltimore. Waters was a student at New York University (NYU) in New York City.

In January 1966, Waters and some friends were caught smoking marijuana on the grounds; they were soon expelled. Waters returned to Baltimore, where he began work on his next film, Eat Your Makeup, which was filmed that year. Waters' films would become Divine's primary star vehicle. Waters' early films were all shot in the Baltimore area with his company of local actors, the Dreamlanders. In addition to Divine, the group included Mink Stole, Cookie Mueller, Edith Massey, David Lochary, Mary Vivian Pearce, and others. These early films were among the first picked up for distribution by New Line Cinema. Waters' films premiered at the Baltimore Senator Theatre and sometimes at the Charles Theatre.

Waters' early campy movies present filthily lovable characters in outrageous situations with hyperbolic dialogue. His early films, Pink Flamingos, Female Trouble, and Desperate Living, which he labeled the Trash Trilogy, pushed hard at the boundaries of conventional propriety and movie censorship. A particularly notorious final segment of Pink Flamingos, simply added in as a non sequitur to the end of the film, featured, in one take without special effects, a small dog defecating and Divine eating the feces.

His 1981 film Polyester starred Divine opposite closeted, once-teen-idol Tab Hunter. Since then, his films have become less controversial and more mainstream, although works such as Hairspray, Cry- Baby and Serial Mom still retain his trademark inventiveness. The film Hairspray was turned into a hit Broadway musical, which swept the 2003 Tony Awards, and a movie adaptation of the Broadway musical was released in theaters on July 20, 2007.

Waters' most recent film, the NC-17-rated A Dirty Shame, was a move back toward his earlier, more controversial work of the 1970s. He also had a cameo in Jackass: Number Two, which starred Dirty Shame co-star Johnny Knoxville. A Gay American, Waters is an avid supporter of Gay rights and Gay pride.

1953 – Charles Farthing (d.2014) was a New Zealand doctor who specialised in the treatment of AIDS. He was the Medical Director of the AIDS Healthcare Foundation from 2001 to 2007. He later worked at Merck Sharp & Dohme as the Director of medical affairs for infectious diseases in the Asia-Pacific.

Farthing was born on 22 April 1953 in Christchurch, New Zealand. His father was an accountant and his mother was a music teacher. He was educated at Christ's College, Christchurch, an independent boys school. As a child he had considered entering the priesthood. He went on to study medicine at the University of Otago in Dunedin.

Farthing began his medical career in New Zealand where he practiced as a dermatologist. After five years, he moved abroad and worked for a year in Riyadh, Saudi Arabia. He then moved to England and joined St Stephen's Hospital in Chelsea, London. Between 1985 and 1987, the numbers of AIDS patients treated at St Stephen's rose from a dozen to over 1000. From 1985 to 1988, he was involved in clinical trials for the antiretroviral drugs Thymosin, AZT and foscarnet. In 1987, he helped found the Kobler Center at St Stephen’s Hospital which specialised in the treatment and research of HIV/AIDS. It was one of the first wards in the United Kingdom to specialise in the area. He was Chair of the all-party parliamentary committee on AIDS during the late 1980s, and was instrumental in guiding the governments reaction to the AIDS crisis.

In 1988, he was awarded a Winston Churchill fellowship which allowed him to move to the United States of America where he studied AIDS at the Bellevue Hospital in New York. He later became the Director of the hospital's AIDS treatment program. In 1994, he moved to Los Angeles where he became the principal investigator of the AIDS Healthcare Foundation, and in 2001, he was promoted to Medical Director. In 2007, he left the United States for Hong Kong where he joined Merck Sharp & Dohme. At the time of his death, he was Director of medical affairs for infectious diseases in the Asia-Pacific.

In the 1990s, after moving to America, Farthing played a leading role in the introduction of the triple drug therapy that has transformed survival rates and quality of life for those infected with HIV. In 1997, frustrated by the way in which safety concerns were preventing tests of HIV vaccines on live human candidates, he volunteered to try the vaccines himself. "Someone has to go first," he explained. "Medicine has changed. Years ago, people took risks. Now it is as if research cannot expose anyone to risk. That is why this research is going so slowly."

In the event, discouraging results from tests of a similar vaccine in monkeys meant that the trials did not go ahead.

Farthing died of a heart attack in a Hong Kong taxi in 2014.

Farthing was gay. At the time of his death he was in a relationship with Dougie Lui, a hotelier.

1956 – Phill Wilson founded the Black AIDS Institute in 1999 and is a prominent African-American HIV/AIDS activist. Wilson is himself both gay and HIV-positive. His partner, Chris Brownlie, died of HIV-related illness.

Prior to founding the Institute, Wilson served as the AIDS Coordinator for the City of Los Angeles from 1990 to 1993, the Director of Policy and Planning at AIDS Project Los Angeles from 1993 to 1996. He was co-chair of the Los Angeles County HIV Health Commission from 1990 to 1995, and was an appointee to the HRSA AIDS Advisory Committee from 1995 to 1998.

Wilson grew up in Chicago. His parents had moved north from the southern states like many black Americans did after World War II. Both his parents worked outside the home, but they also provided a strong, supportive environment within the family. He grew up learning a commitment to family and to the community too.Wilson was often involved in civil rights activities in the Chicago area, such as Operation PUSH, Operation Breadbasket, and Black Expos, according to Out Magazine. He credits his family with continuing to support him after he came out to them regarding his sexuality. Wilson told Out a story about how he and his former lover, Chris Brownlie, had been to a family reunion and an in-law commented to a cousin about their presence after they had left. "My cousin," said Wilson, "who is a very committed, active, and faithful Jehovah's Witness told this woman, 'that man is my cousin. He is welcome here, and his partner's welcome here. They're a part of our family. You can't come to my house and talk about my cousin and his partner that way. That's not allowed.'"

Phill Wilson has always been busy. He was busy in high school with community activities and still managed to graduate early. He worked hard for American Telephone & Telegraph (AT&T) and was married for a short time. He described himself as naive to his sexuality until he heard a radio interview with a publisher of gay magazines. He then went about trying to locate the gay community in Chicago and met his partner of 10 years Chris Brownlie in 1979.

In 1981 Wilson said he "had enough of the cold weather of Chicago." He and Chris moved to the Los Angeles area. They ran a giftware manufacturing company called Black Is More Than Beautiful. By this time both Phill and his partner had heard of AIDS. Some of their friends had been ill or had died. Wilson said around this time both he and Chris had biopsies of their lymph nodes taken, because they had been swollen for a long time. "No one knew what caused AIDS then," said Wilson. "The doctors told Chris and I that there were abnormalities to the lymph nodes but they couldn't tell us what it meant."

As the years progressed more friends grew ill and people learned a virus caused AIDS. In 1986 California placed Proposition 64 - a proposal calling for the forced quarantine of all people with AIDS - on the election ballot. Both Wilson and Brownlie volunteered to work for a committee opposing the passage of this proposal.

About the time of the November of 1986 election Brownlie became ill. Wilson said Brownlie's illness, plus the amount of time they found themselves working on the ballot proposal led them to close down their giftware business. With their efforts Proposition 64 went down to defeat. In 1986 Wilson also founded a group called the AIDS Prevention Team. This group was started with a small grant Wilson received while volunteering with a social organization called Black and White Men Together.

In early 1987 Wilson and Brownlie were both diagnosed with HIV infection, which nearly always gives way to full blown AIDS, an often sexually transmitted condition in which the body's immune system is depressed, making one susceptible to a host of health problems, usually becoming fatal. In fact, Brownlie's illness was classified as AIDS. This diagnosis just seemed to make Wilson and Brownlie work harder. They also founded the AIDS Health Care Foundation around that time, which has grown into the largest nonprofit HIV medical services provider in Los Angeles County. It now includes the Chris Brownlie Hospice, named for Wilson's late partner.Phill Wilson is realistic in his work with AIDS. He knows the heavy losses of colleagues and friends. His lover Chris died in 1989. He wrote about the grief and anguish in Advocate magazine in 1992. He often speaks of his work as war. But the necessity of the work keeps him going.

"If you don't do any of that long term planning," he told Out, "then you're assuring that it's going to be around another 5, 10, 15, or 20 years."

"By the time we have the infrastructure we have to have," said Wilson in POZ, "I'll probably be dead. But right now I'm doing what I'm doing and living my life as I see it."

1975 – Jónsi (Jón Þór Birgisson) is the guitarist and vocalist for the Icelandic post-rock band Sigur Rós. He is known for his use of a cello bow on guitar and his falsetto voice. He is also blind in his right eye and is openly gay.

Apart from Sigur Rós, Jónsi also performs together with his boyfriend Alex Somers as an art collaboration called Jónsi & Alex. They released their self-titled first book in November 2006, which was an embossed hardcover limited to 1000 copies,along with their first album, Riceboy Sleeps, in July 2009. On December 1, 2009, Jónsi's official website, jonsi.com, was launched in anticipation of his debut solo album, Go, which was released the week of April 5, 2010. After the release of the album, Jónsi promptly started a worldwide tour across North America and Europe, featuring songs from the album plus a few other selections.

1982 – Thomas Bridegroom was born in Knox, Indiana, USA as Thomas Lee Bridegroom. He was an actor, known for The X-Effect (2006), Bridegroom (2013) and The Janice Dickinson Modeling Agency (2006).

Tom was born and raised in Knox, Indiana and finished high school at the prestigious Culver Military Academy. Tom excelled at CMA, winning the Hobie Leadership award, which garnered him a trip to Washington, D.C. to meet with the president. After graduating from CMA Cum Laude, Tom enrolled in Vassar College, where he trained in voice and piano.

Although he was succeeding in his academic career at Vassar, Tom made the decision to leave school early and pursue his true calling: a career in the entertainment industry. Tom co-wrote the powerful and meaningful song, “Lost” with his friend Paige Williams, which attracted attention from the music industry, as well as writing numerous other songs with many other talented musicians, and on his own.

Tom also pursued ambitions of acting and being in front of the camera. Tom gained national recognition at the age of 23 when he was chosen as the Hot Boy Next Door for the popular magazine, Teen People, for the October 2005 issue.In 2005, Tom met his partner, Shane Bitney Crone. Shane and Tom started a social media/public relations company, Bridegroom and Bitney, in 2008.

He died on May 7, 2011 in Los Angeles, California, USA when he accidentally fell off of the roof of his friend's four story building. After his death, Tom's family refused to acknowledge their relationship, and because of this his partner Shane Bitney Crone was prevented from being by Tom's side for several hours as Tom was in the hospital, and was even warned to stay away from the funeral by his family – and even threatened with violence if he were to appear. This is chronicled in the documentary Bridegroom (2013).

1993 – On this date the United States Holocaust Memorial Museum was dedicated in Washington, DC. It marked the first time the United States government inscribed the words "Gay" and "Lesbian" in stone in the museum's exhibit on Gays and Lesbians killed by the Nazis in World War II.

2014 – Harvey Milk is the first openly gay elected official on a U.S. stamp. He was an American politician and the first openly gay elected official in the history of California where he was elected to the San Francisco Board of Supervisors in 1977. He fought and defeated the anti-gay Prop 6. Milk was assassinated in 1978 by Supervisor Dan White.

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66-bl1tz-kr13g-fr1tz · 1 month

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//The Wire//2130Z April 25, 2024// //ROUTINE// //BLUF: PROTESTS CONTINUE AT MAJOR UNIVERSITIES. BELARUS ALLEGES LITHUANIAN DRONE ATTACK.// -----BEGIN TEARLINE----- -International Events- Europe: Belarus has revealed that KGB agents have foiled a plot to conduct a drone attack on targets in Belarus from neighboring Lithuania. Though few details of the alleged plot have been made public, rhetoric from Belarussian President Lukashenko has increased in severity (moreso than usual). AC: While Lukashenko’s rhetoric is not taken seriously most of the time, this may lead to yet another political milestone being reached, as this is essentially a formal accusation that a NATO member has directly attacked Belarus. The truth of the matter likely will not be known for some time (if ever), but this could lead to even more souring of relations as priorities shift and realign as Europe begins to eye a post-war Ukraine. -HomeFront- USA: As expected, unrest continues at many major universities and Ivy League institutions around the United States. Many of the pro-Palestine protests at universities around the country have been host to immediate mass arrests, and overwhelming responses by authorities to remove encampments. However, demonstrations continue not without disruptions. The University of Southern California has canceled their main commencement event due to the unrest, and Columbia has moved all students to an online class schedule as encampment events continue. -----END TEARLINE----- Analyst Comments: Most demonstrations continue to some degree, as the conglomeration of politically leftist groups engaging in these events take advantage of substantial funding to sow discord during this protest season. As many citizens rush to support one side or the other, a separate observation is the expediency and decisiveness by which authorities have acted upon these demonstrations, but not others. To the casual observer, this results in questions remaining as to why these responses were warranted in these specific instances, but not the other situations of normalized mass rioting, chaos, and destruction over the past few years. Analyst: S2A1 //END REPORT//

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spacetimewithstuartgary · 6 months

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NASA Sensor Produces First Global Maps of Surface Minerals in Arid Regions

EMIT delivers first-of-a-kind maps of minerals in Earth’s dust-source areas, enabling scientists to model the fine particles’ role in climate change and more.

NASA’s EMIT mission has created the first comprehensive maps of the world’s mineral dust-source regions, providing precise locations of 10 key minerals based on how they reflect and absorb light. When winds loft these substances into the air, they either cool or warm the atmosphere and Earth’s surface, depending on their composition. Understanding their abundance around the globe will help researchers predict future climate impacts.

Launched to the International Space Station in 2022, EMIT – short for Earth Surface Mineral Dust Source Investigation – is an imaging spectrometer developed by NASA’s Jet Propulsion Laboratory in Southern California. The mission fills a crucial need among climate scientists for more detailed information on surface mineral composition.

Surveying Earth’s surface from about 250 miles (410 kilometers) above, EMIT scans broad areas that would be impossible for a geologist on the ground or instruments carried by aircraft to survey, yet it does this while achieving effectively the same level of detail.

To date, the mission has captured more than 55,000 “scenes” – 50-by-50-mile (80-by-80-kilometer) images of the surface – in its study area, which includes arid regions within a 6,900-mile-wide (11,000-kilometer-wide) belt around Earth’s mid-section. Taken together, the scenes comprise billions of measurements – more than enough to create detailed maps of surface composition.

The mission has also demonstrated a range of additional capabilities in its 17 months in orbit, including detecting plumes of methane and carbon dioxide being emitted by landfills, oil facilities, and other infrastructure.

“Wherever we need chemistry to understand something on the surface, we can do that with imaging spectroscopy,” said Roger Clark, an EMIT science team member and senior scientist at the Planetary Science Institute in Tucson, Arizona. “Now, with EMIT, we’re going to see the big picture, and that’s certainly going to open some eyes.”

Dust and Climate

Scientists have long known that airborne mineral dust affects the climate. They know that darker, iron oxide-rich substances absorb the Sun’s energy and warm the surrounding air, while non-iron-based, brighter substances reflect light and heat, cooling the air. Whether those effects have a net warming or cooling impact, however, has remained uncertain.

Researchers have an idea of how dust travels through the atmosphere, but the missing piece has been the composition – the color, essentially – of the surface in the places dust typically originates, which until now was derived from fewer than 5,000 sample sites around the world. Based on billions of samples, EMIT’s maps offer much more detail.

“We’ll take the new maps and put them into our climate models,” said Natalie Mahowald, EMIT’s deputy principal investigator and an Earth system scientist at Cornell University in Ithaca, New York. “And from that, we’ll know what fraction of aerosols are absorbing heat versus reflecting to a much greater extent than we have known in the past.”

Dust and Ecosystems

Beyond harnessing EMIT’s mineral data to improve Earth climate modeling, scientists can use the information to study dust’s impact on the ecosystems where it lands. There’s strong evidence that particles settling in the ocean can spur phytoplankton blooms, which can have implications for aquatic ecosystems and the planet’s carbon cycle. Scientists also have shown that dust originating in the Andes of South America, as well as in parts of northern and sub-Saharan Africa, provides nutrients for rainforest growth in the Amazon basin.

EMIT data can enable researchers to pinpoint the sources of mineral dust and get a more detailed look at its composition, helping estimate the travel of key elements such as phosphorus, calcium, and potassium, which are thought to factor into this long-distance fertilization.

“EMIT could help us to build more intricate and finely resolved dust-transport models to track the movement of those nutrients across long distances,” said Eric Slessarev, a soil researcher at Yale University in New Haven, Connecticut. “That will help us to better understand the chemistry of soils in places very far from the dust-generating regions.”

A New Generation of Science

Aside from tracking 10 key minerals that are part of its primary mission, EMIT data is being used to identify a range of other minerals, types of vegetation, snow and ice, and even human-produced substances at or near Earth’s surface. And with vastly more measurements at their disposal, researchers will be able to find statistical relationships between surface characteristics and other features of interest.

For example, they might spot signals in EMIT data that correspond with the presence of rare-earth elements and lithium-bearing minerals, said Robert Green, a senior research scientist at JPL and EMIT’s principal investigator. This new information could be used to look for those substances in previously unknown places.

“To this point we simply haven’t known the distribution of surface minerals over huge swaths of the planet,” said Phil Brodrick, a JPL data scientist who spearheaded the creation of the mineral maps. With the EMIT data, “there will likely be a new generation of science that comes out that we don’t know about yet, and that’s a really cool thing.”

More About the Mission

EMIT was selected from the Earth Venture Instrument-4 solicitation under the Earth Science Division of NASA’s Science Mission Directorate and was developed at NASA’s Jet Propulsion Laboratory, which is managed for the agency by Caltech in Pasadena, California. The instrument’s data is available at the NASA Land Processes Distributed Active Archive Center for use by other researchers and the public.

TOP IMAGE....NASA’s EMIT produced its first global maps of hematite, goethite, and kaolinite in Earth’s dry regions using data from the year ending November 2023. The mission collected billions of measurements of the three minerals and seven others that may affect climate when lofted into the air as dust storms. Credit: NASA/JPL-Caltech

LOWER IMAGE....EMIT, a NASA mission launched to the International Space Station in 2022, mapped hematite, goethite, and kaolinite in North Africa and the Arabian Peninsula. The three minerals are among 10 key substances the mission studied that are thought to influence climate change. Credit: NASA/JPL-Caltech

#science #space #astronomy #news #physics #astrophysics #earth observatory

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spacenutspod · 6 months

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Water from the subsurface ocean of Saturn’s moon Enceladus sprays from huge fissures out into space. NASA’s Cassini spacecraft, which captured this image in 2010, sampled icy particles and scientists are continuing to make new discoveries from the data.NASA/JPL-Caltech/Space Science Institute A study zooms in on data that NASA’s Cassini gathered at Saturn’s icy moon and finds evidence of a key ingredient for life and a supercharged source of energy to fuel it. Scientists have known that the giant plume of ice grains and water vapor spewing from Saturn’s moon Enceladus is rich with organic compounds, some of which are important for life as we know it. Now, scientists analyzing data from NASA’s Cassini mission are taking the evidence for habitability a step further: They’ve found strong confirmation of hydrogen cyanide, a molecule that is key to the origin of life. The researchers also uncovered evidence that the ocean, which is hiding below the moon’s icy outer shell and supplies the plume, holds a powerful source of chemical energy. Unidentified until now, the energy source is in the form of several organic compounds, some of which, on Earth, serve as fuel for organisms. The findings, published Thursday, Dec. 14, in Nature Astronomy, indicate there may be much more chemical energy inside this tiny moon than previously thought. The more energy available, the more likely that life might proliferate and be sustained. “Our work provides further evidence that Enceladus is host to some of the most important molecules for both creating the building blocks of life and for sustaining that life through metabolic reactions,” said lead author Jonah Peter, a doctoral student at Harvard University who performed much of the research while working at NASA’s Jet Propulsion Laboratory in Southern California. “Not only does Enceladus seem to meet the basic requirements for habitability, we now have an idea about how complex biomolecules could form there, and what sort of chemical pathways might be involved.” NASA’s Cassini spacecraft captured this image of reflective Enceladus, seen at center, as it orbits Saturn. Also in the 2007 image are two other moons: Pandora, a bright speck hovering near the rings, and Mimas, at lower right.NASA/JPL/Space Science Institute Versatile and Energetic “The discovery of hydrogen cyanide was particularly exciting, because it’s the starting point for most theories on the origin of life,” Peter said. Life as we know it requires building blocks, such as amino acids, and hydrogen cyanide is one of the most important and versatile molecules needed to form amino acids. Because its molecules can be stacked together in many different ways, the study authors refer to hydrogen cyanide as the Swiss army knife of amino acid precursors. “The more we tried to poke holes in our results by testing alternative models,” Peter added, “the stronger the evidence became. Eventually, it became clear that there is no way to match the plume composition without including hydrogen cyanide.” In 2017, scientists found evidence at Enceladus of chemistry that could help sustain life, if present, in its ocean. The combination of carbon dioxide, methane, and hydrogen in the plume was suggestive of methanogenesis, a metabolic process that produces methane. Methanogenesis is widespread on Earth, and may have been critical to the origin of life on our planet. Click on this interactive visualization of Saturn’s moon Enceladus and take it for a spin. The full interactive experience is at Eyes on the Solar System. The new work uncovers evidence for additional energy chemical sources far more powerful and diverse than the making of methane: The authors found an array of organic compounds that were oxidized, indicating to scientists that there are many chemical pathways to potentially sustain life in Enceladus’ subsurface ocean. That’s because oxidation helps drive the release of chemical energy. “If methanogenesis is like a small watch battery, in terms of energy, then our results suggest the ocean of Enceladus might offer something more akin to a car battery, capable of providing a large amount of energy to any life that might be present,” said JPL’s Kevin Hand, co-author of the study and principal investigator of the effort that led to the new results. Math Is the Way Unlike earlier research that used lab experiments and geochemical modeling to replicate the conditions Cassini found at Enceladus, the authors of the new work relied on detailed statistical analyses. They examined data collected by Cassini’s ion and neutral mass spectrometer, which studied the gas, ions, and ice grains around Saturn. By quantifying the amount of information contained in the data, the authors were able to tease out subtle differences in how well different chemical compounds explain the Cassini signal. “There are many potential puzzle pieces that can be fit together when trying to match the observed data,” Peter said. “We used math and statistical modeling to figure out which combination of puzzle pieces best matches the plume composition and makes the most of the data, without overinterpreting the limited dataset.” Scientists are still a long way from answering whether life could originate on Enceladus. But as Peter noted, the new work lays out chemical pathways for life that could be tested in the lab. Meanwhile, Cassini is the mission that keeps giving – long after it revealed that Enceladus is an active moon. In 2017, the mission ended by deliberately plunging the spacecraft into Saturn’s atmosphere. “Our study demonstrates that while Cassini’s mission has ended, its observations continue to provide us with new insights about Saturn and its moons – including the enigmatic Enceladus,” said Tom Nordheim, a JPL planetary scientist who’s a co-author of the study and was a member of the Cassini team. More About the Mission The Cassini-Huygens mission was a cooperative project of NASA, ESA (European Space Agency), and the Italian Space Agency. JPL, a division of Caltech in Pasadena, California, managed the mission for NASA’s Space Mission Directorate in Washington. JPL designed, developed, and assembled the Cassini orbiter. For more information about Cassini, visit: http://nasa.gov/cassini News Media Contacts Gretchen McCartneyJet Propulsion Laboratory, Pasadena, [email protected] Karen Fox / Alana JohnsonNASA Headquarters, Washington301-286-6284 / [email protected] / [email protected] 2023-183 Share Details Last Updated Dec 14, 2023 Related TermsCassiniAstrobiologyEnceladusPlanetary ScienceSaturnSaturn MoonsThe Solar System Explore More 6 min read NASA’s NEOWISE Celebrates 10 Years, Plans End of Mission Article 19 hours ago 6 min read 2023 in Review: Highlights from NASA in Silicon Valley Article 22 hours ago 5 min read NASA: Some Icy Exoplanets May Have Habitable Oceans and Geysers Article 1 day ago

#space #astronomy #news #science

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lawaysmessenger · 8 months

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The Role Of Messenger Services In Modern Business

In an era of instant communication and rapid business transactions, package delivery services have emerged as essential partners for modern businesses. Companies like Ways Messenger in Los Angeles are revolutionizing the way businesses operate by providing efficient, reliable, and timely courier services. In this article, we’ll delve into the pivotal role messenger service plays in modern business logistics and communication.

Streamlining Daily Operations Package delivery services have become the backbone of daily business operations. Whether it’s delivering important documents, contracts, or time-sensitive packages, businesses rely on the speed and efficiency of messenger services to keep their operations running smoothly. Ways Messenger, with its Rush and Scheduled 24-hour Courier Delivery options, caters to the diverse needs of businesses in Los Angeles and beyond.

Facilitating Real-Time Communication In a fast-paced business environment, real-time communication is paramount. A package delivery service enables instant exchanges between businesses, clients, and partners. By offering swift message delivery and ensuring documents reach their destination promptly, services like Ways Messenger contribute to effective communication, fostering better business relationships.

Specialized Services for Various Industries The versatility of package delivery service extends to various industries. In the realms of escrow, title, and mortgage transactions, where time is of the essence, messenger services play a crucial role. Ways Messenger specializes in handling such documents, ensuring secure and timely deliveries that meet the stringent requirements of these industries.

Medical Courier Services: Critical for Healthcare Healthcare institutions, including hospitals, clinics, and medical laboratories, heavily depend on medical courier services. These services ensure the safe and timely delivery of medical specimens, reports, and supplies. Ways Messenger offers dedicated Medical Lab Courier Services, contributing to the efficient functioning of the healthcare sector in Southern California.

Enhancing Efficiency and Productivity Messenger services are integral to enhancing efficiency and productivity. They eliminate the need for businesses to divert their valuable resources to handle deliveries and logistics. With routine delivery courier services, companies can focus on their core operations while leaving the logistics to professionals like Ways Messenger.

Meeting the Needs of a Diverse Clientele Modern package delivery services understand the diverse needs of their clientele. From handling sensitive legal documents to delivering vital medical specimens, messenger services like Ways Messenger tailor their solutions to meet the unique requirements of each industry and client they serve.

Going the Extra Mile: Customer Satisfaction In today’s competitive business landscape, exceeding customer expectations is crucial. Messenger services that prioritize customer satisfaction, like Ways Messenger, offer not only efficient deliveries but also friendly and professional courier personnel who represent your business positively.

Eco-Friendly Courier Practices Modern businesses also have an eye on sustainability. Eco-friendly courier practices are gaining traction, and package delivery services are embracing this trend. By adopting fuel-efficient vehicles and eco-conscious delivery strategies, services like Ways Messenger contribute to reducing their environmental footprint.

Reliability in a Digital Age In an age dominated by digital communication, package delivery services provide a tangible and reliable means of delivering physical documents and packages. They offer a sense of security and trust that digital communication alone cannot replicate, making them indispensable in modern business.

Navigating the Modern Business Landscape Messenger service has become an integral part of navigating the complex and fast-paced modern business landscape. They offer efficiency, reliability, and security, ensuring that businesses can meet their logistical needs with ease. Services like Ways Messenger are at the forefront of this transformation, catering to the diverse needs of businesses in Los Angeles and Southern California, ultimately contributing to their success.

Whether it’s a rush delivery of critical documents or routine courier services, messenger services are the unsung heroes of modern business, making sure that communication remains swift, secure, and efficient.

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phonemantra-blog · 9 months

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A Clearer Vision of Excellence The Pacific Eye Institute In a world where vision is invaluable, the Pacific Eye Institute stands as a beacon of excellence in the field of eye care. With a commitment to precision, advanced technology, and patient-centered care, this institute has become synonymous with top-tier eye health solutions. In this article, we embark on a journey to discover the Pacific Eye Institute's unparalleled dedication to preserving and enhancing the gift of sight. [caption id="attachment_54302" align="aligncenter" width="348"] pacific eye institute[/caption] About Pacific Eye Institute At the heart of Southern California, nestled in the vibrant city of Los Angeles, the Pacific Eye Institute has been a trusted pillar of eye care since its inception. Established with the vision of providing world-class eye care accessible to all, this institute has remained steadfast in its mission for several decades. Our Commitment to Excellence History: Founded by visionary leaders in the field of ophthalmology, the Pacific Eye Institute has a rich history of innovation and service to the community. It has consistently pushed the boundaries of what's possible in eye care. Mission: Our core mission is simple yet profound: to safeguard and enhance the precious gift of sight. We believe that everyone deserves the highest quality of eye care, and we're dedicated to making that a reality. Values: Integrity, compassion, and excellence are the cornerstones of our institute. We approach each patient with the utmost respect, understanding their unique needs and concerns. Why Choose Pacific Eye Institute? The Pacific Eye Institute distinguishes itself through several key features that set it apart as a leader in the world of eye care: Advanced Technology: We invest in state-of-the-art diagnostic tools and treatment equipment to provide the most accurate assessments and effective solutions. Expert Team: Our team comprises skilled ophthalmologists, optometrists, and support staff who share a passion for preserving and enhancing vision. They bring years of experience and expertise to every patient interaction. Comprehensive Services: From routine eye exams to complex surgical procedures, we offer a comprehensive range of services to address various eye conditions and needs. Services Offered The Pacific Eye Institute's comprehensive array of services encompasses all aspects of eye care, ensuring that your visual health is in the most capable hands. Here's an overview of the services you can expect: Eye Examinations: Regular eye exams are the cornerstone of eye health. Our skilled optometrists perform thorough examinations to detect early signs of eye conditions and vision changes. Whether you need a routine checkup or have specific concerns, we've got you covered. Cataract Surgery: Cataracts can cloud your vision and impact your daily life. Our experienced ophthalmologists specialize in cataract surgery, using cutting-edge techniques and premium intraocular lenses to restore your clarity of vision. LASIK and Refractive Surgery: Tired of glasses or contact lenses? Discover the freedom of clear vision with LASIK and refractive surgery. Our experts employ the latest technology to correct nearsightedness, farsightedness, and astigmatism. Glaucoma Management: Glaucoma is a silent thief of sight. Our team is well-versed in glaucoma diagnosis and management, ensuring that you receive timely treatment to preserve your vision. Meet Our Team of Experts Behind every successful eye institute is a team of dedicated professionals. At the Pacific Eye Institute, we take immense pride in our exceptional team, which includes: Ophthalmologists: Our board-certified ophthalmologists are leaders in their respective specialties. They're at the forefront of eye care advancements, ensuring that you receive the best treatment options available. Optometrists: Skilled in comprehensive eye exams and vision correction, our optometrists play a crucial role in your eye health journey. They are your first point of contact for routine checkups and vision assessments. Our Commitment to Excellence Patient-Centered Care At the Pacific Eye Institute, our unwavering commitment is to you, the patient. We understand that your vision is precious, and your trust in us is invaluable. Here's how we prioritize your well-being: Individualized Care: Your eyes are unique, and so is your care plan. We take the time to listen to your concerns, thoroughly assess your needs, and tailor our approach to ensure the best possible outcomes. Compassionate Approach: We recognize that visiting an eye institute can be a source of anxiety for many. Our team is dedicated to providing a warm, empathetic environment where you feel comfortable and heard. Why Your Vision Matters Your vision isn't just about seeing the world; it's about experiencing life to the fullest. A clear view of your loved ones' faces, the beauty of nature, and the moments that matter most—all hinge on the health of your eyes. That's why we're dedicated to preserving and enhancing your vision, ensuring that you continue to see the world with clarity and vibrancy. Common Eye Conditions In our pursuit of preserving your vision, it's crucial to shed light on common eye conditions that can affect anyone, regardless of age. Recognizing the symptoms and understanding the importance of early detection can make all the difference in maintaining your eye health. Here are some prevalent eye conditions: Cataracts: Cataracts are a natural part of aging but can lead to cloudy vision. Symptoms include blurry vision, sensitivity to light, and difficulty seeing at night. Early diagnosis is key, and cataract surgery can restore clear vision. Glaucoma: Often called the "silent thief of sight," glaucoma can damage your optic nerve without noticeable symptoms until it's advanced. Regular eye exams are essential for early detection, as timely intervention can slow its progression. Treatment Approaches While early detection is essential, the good news is that many eye conditions are treatable, and vision loss can often be prevented or minimized. Treatment approaches may include: Medications: Prescription eye drops, oral medications, or injections can effectively manage various eye conditions. Surgery: Procedures like cataract surgery, glaucoma surgery, and corneal transplants can restore or improve vision. Lifestyle Modifications: Lifestyle changes, such as managing diabetes, quitting smoking, and protecting your eyes from UV radiation, can help maintain eye health. Vision Correction: Eyeglasses, contact lenses, and refractive surgeries provide solutions for many common vision problems. Eye Health Tips Preserving and enhancing your vision isn't just about early detection and treatment—it's also about proactive steps you can take to promote good eye health. Here are some practical tips to consider: Routine Eye Exams: Schedule regular eye exams, even if you don't have noticeable vision problems. Early detection of eye conditions is key to successful treatment. Eat a Balanced Diet: A diet rich in antioxidants, vitamins, and minerals can support eye health. Include foods like leafy greens, colorful fruits and vegetables, and fish high in omega-3 fatty acids. Stay Hydrated: Proper hydration supports overall health, including eye moisture. Aim to drink plenty of water throughout the day. Protect Your Eyes: Wear protective eyewear when engaged in activities that could risk eye injury, such as sports, DIY projects, or working with hazardous materials. Frequently Asked Questions (FAQs) 1. What is the Pacific Eye Institute? The Pacific Eye Institute is a leading center for comprehensive eye care, offering a wide range of services, from eye examinations to specialized treatments, with a focus on preserving and enhancing vision. 2. Where is the Pacific Eye Institute located? The Pacific Eye Institute is located in the vibrant city of Los Angeles, Southern California. Our address is [Insert Address], making it convenient for patients in the region. 3. Do I need a referral to visit the Pacific Eye Institute? In most cases, you don't need a referral to schedule an appointment at the Pacific Eye Institute. You can contact us directly to set up your eye examination or consultation. 4. What types of eye conditions does the institute treat? The Pacific Eye Institute specializes in treating a wide range of eye conditions, including cataracts, glaucoma, diabetic retinopathy, age-related macular degeneration, and more. We offer comprehensive care for various eye health needs. 5. How often should I have an eye examination? The recommended frequency of eye examinations varies depending on your age, risk factors, and overall eye health. In general, adults should have a comprehensive eye exam every one to two years. 6. Does the Pacific Eye Institute offer pediatric eye care? Yes, we provide specialized pediatric eye care services to address the unique vision needs of children. Our team is experienced in diagnosing and treating eye conditions in young patients. 7. What is the 20-20-20 rule for reducing eye strain? The 20-20-20 rule is a helpful guideline for reducing eye strain during prolonged screen time. Every 20 minutes, take a 20-second break and focus your eyes on something at least 20 feet away to relax your eye muscles. 8. Is LASIK surgery offered at the Pacific Eye Institute? Yes, we offer LASIK and refractive surgery to correct vision problems like nearsightedness, farsightedness, and astigmatism. Our experts use advanced techniques to provide a clear vision. 9. How can I protect my eyes from UV radiation? Wearing sunglasses with adequate UV protection is an effective way to shield your eyes from harmful UV rays. Look for sunglasses that block both UVA and UVB rays. 10. What should I expect during a cataract surgery consultation? During a cataract surgery consultation at the Pacific Eye Institute, you can expect a thorough examination of your eyes to determine the severity of your cataracts. Our team will discuss treatment options and answer any questions you may have. Conclusion: Our journey into the world of the Pacific Eye Institute has revealed a commitment to excellence, patient-centered care, and cutting-edge technology that sets it apart in the field of eye care. The Pacific Eye Institute offers a wide range of services, from eye examinations to specialized treatments, ensuring that all your eye care needs are met under one roof.

#Advanced_eye_treatments_in_LA #Eye_care_center_in_Los_Angeles #Eye_clinic_near_me #Eye_surgery_center_LA #LA_Eye_Surgery_Center #Los_Angeles_Eye_Clinic #Los_Angeles_eye_specialists #Los_Angeles_ophthalmologists #Ophthalmology_clinic_Southern_California #Pacific_Vision_Center #Southern_California_Eye_Institute #Southern_California_vision_experts #Top_eye_care_facility #Vision_Health_Center_LA #Vision_health_institute

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stirlingmoss · 10 months

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A swing high above Saturn by NASA's Cassini spacecraft revealed this stately view of the golden-hued planet and its main rings. The view is in natural color, as human eyes would have seen it. This mosaic was made from 36 images in three color filters obtained by Cassini's imaging science subsystem on Oct. 10, 2013. The observation and resulting image mosaic were planned as one of three images for Cassini's 2013 Scientist for a Day essay contest.

Saturn sports differently colored bands of weather in this image. For instance, a bright, narrow wave of clouds around 42 degrees north latitude appears to be some of the turbulent aftermath of a giant storm that reached its violent peak in early 2011. The mysterious six-sided weather pattern known as the hexagon is visible around Saturn's north pole.

When Cassini arrived in 2004, more of the northern hemisphere sported a bluish hue and it was northern winter. The golden tones dominated the southern hemisphere, where it was southern summer. But as the seasons have turned and northern spring is in full swing, the colors have begun to change in each hemisphere as well. Golden tones have started to dominate in the northern hemisphere and the bluish color in the north is now confined to a tighter circle around the north pole. The southern hemisphere has started getting bluer, too.

The rings shown here include Saturn's main rings. The innermost D ring, and the C, B and A rings are easily seen. The F ring is also there, but not easily seen without enhancing the contrast of the image. (Rings were named in order of their discovery rather than their position around Saturn.) The rings also cast a shadow on Saturn at the limb of the planet in the lower right quadrant.

Cassini is currently in a set of tilted orbits known as "inclined orbits" that allow it to swing up over the north pole and below the south pole. Much of Cassini's time is spent close to the equatorial plane, where most of Saturn's rings and moons are located.

The Cassini-Huygens mission is a cooperative project of NASA, the European Space Agency and the Italian Space Agency. The Jet Propulsion Laboratory, a division of the California Institute of Technology, Pasadena, manages the Cassini-Huygens mission for NASA's Science Mission Directorate in Washington. The Cassini orbiter and its two onboard cameras were designed, developed and assembled at JPL. The imaging team consists of scientists from the United States, the United Kingdom, France and Germany. The imaging operations center is based at the Space Science Institute in Boulder, Colo.

Original public domain image from Wikimedia Commons

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theacademyofbeautyoc1 · 11 months

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Unleash Your Inner Artist at Orange County Beauty School

Introduction

Are you passionate about the art of makeup, hair styling, skincare, and the latest beauty trends? If so, a beauty school could be your gateway to a fulfilling and creative career in the beauty industry. Among the many exceptional institutions, Orange County Beauty School stands out as a beacon of excellence, providing aspiring beauty enthusiasts with top-notch education, hands-on experience, and a supportive environment to hone their skills and unleash their inner artist.

Discovering the Beauty School Experience

A beauty school is more than just a place to learn about cosmetics and styling; it's a hub of inspiration and creativity. Aspiring beauty professionals flock to these institutions to turn their passion into a rewarding career. Whether you dream of becoming a makeup artist, hairdresser, esthetician, or nail technician, beauty school provides the essential foundation and practical expertise needed to succeed in this dynamic industry.

Orange County Beauty School: An Oasis of Excellence

Nestled in the heart of sunny Southern California, Orange County Beauty School has earned a well-deserved reputation for its high-quality education and commitment to student success. The school's mission is to cultivate a diverse community of beauty professionals who are not only skilled in their craft but also empowered with the knowledge and confidence to thrive in their chosen careers.

Comprehensive Curriculum

At Orange County Beauty School, the curriculum is thoughtfully designed to cover every aspect of beauty and wellness. From fundamental principles to advanced techniques, students receive a well-rounded education that prepares them for the challenges and opportunities in the field. The programs encompass a wide range of subjects, including:

Makeup Artistry: Learn the art of enhancing natural beauty, explore various makeup styles, and develop the expertise to create stunning looks for any occasion.

Hair Design: Master the art of cutting, coloring, and styling hair, keeping up with the latest trends and techniques in the ever-evolving world of hairdressing.

Esthetics: Dive into the realm of skincare, understanding skin types, providing facials, performing various spa treatments, and even exploring the booming field of medical aesthetics.

Nail Technology: Acquire the skills to create beautiful manicures, pedicures, nail extensions, and artistic nail designs, leaving clients feeling pampered and glamorous.

Expert Faculty and Hands-on Training

One of the cornerstones of Orange County Beauty School's success is its experienced and passionate faculty. The instructors are industry experts who bring a wealth of real-world knowledge into the classroom. They mentor and guide students throughout their journey, nurturing their talents and encouraging them to push their boundaries.

The beauty school also emphasizes hands-on training, ensuring that students get ample opportunities to practice and refine their skills. Under the watchful eyes of their instructors, students gain confidence in their abilities, preparing them to excel in the beauty industry.

Creating a Supportive Community

Stepping into a beauty school is like joining a supportive community of like-minded individuals who share your passion for beauty and creativity. At Orange County Beauty School, students build lasting friendships and professional networks that can prove invaluable in their future careers. The school fosters an inclusive and positive environment, encouraging collaboration and personal growth.

Career Opportunities and Industry Connections

Orange County, known for its vibrant beauty industry, offers students a unique advantage. The beauty school maintains strong connections with local salons, spas, and cosmetic companies, providing students with access to internship opportunities, industry events, and potential job placements. This exposure opens doors to exciting career paths and helps students kickstart their dream careers upon graduation.

Conclusion

If you're looking to turn your passion for beauty into a successful and fulfilling career, Orange County Beauty School is the place to be. With its exceptional curriculum, experienced faculty, hands-on training, and thriving community, the school prepares aspiring beauty professionals to excel in the dynamic world of cosmetics, hairdressing, skincare, and nail technology. Unleash your inner artist and embark on an inspiring journey in the beauty industry with Orange County Beauty School!

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biglisbonnews · 1 year

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Marine Stratocumulus Clouds May Be the Most Important Clouds on Earth From a beach or the deck of a ship, marine stratocumulus clouds don’t look like anything special. Quite frankly, they’re too big—often stretching for hundreds of miles—for us to appreciate from below. We see only a fraction of a formation, a lumpy or ripply blanket draped across the sky, from our typical puny human vantage. It’s only from far above, thanks to satellite imagery, that their shifting patterns of light and dark catch the eye. Climate scientists have been keeping close watch on these formations for years, because of the role they play in global climate and what they can reveal about hyperlocal environmental conditions. On any given day, almost a quarter of Earth’s oceans are covered with marine stratocumulus clouds—they’re one of the most common kinds of cloud moving through the atmosphere. You’ll find them primarily along western coasts in the mid- to lower latitudes, where upwelling occurs. That’s when Earth’s rotation can push warm surface water away from the coast, bringing cold water surging up from the depths. This chilly water cools the air above it, ultimately leading to these low-lying clouds, which are roughly a mile above the surface. And that’s when things get interesting. The clouds organize into open- or closed-cell formations; the latter, as you might imagine, is denser and puffier, and the sun’s radiation largely bounces off it. These closed-cell marine stratocumulus clouds essentially shade the planet, cooling off the surface by reflecting sunlight back into space. Open-cell marine stratocumulus clouds, on the other hand, are thin and ethereal, with an open center that allows the sun to shine through and hit the surface of the planet, heating it up. They also tend to break up faster, unlike their closed-cell cousins, which can stick around for the better part of a day—for now. In 2019, a Nature Geoscience paper showed that, in simulations, high concentrations of greenhouse gases caused closed-cell marine stratocumulus clouds to break up and not re-form. This exposed more of Earth’s surface to the sun, which increased warming. The levels of carbon dioxide used in the simulations were considerably higher than they are on Earth today—1,200 parts per million, or about three times current levels—and the authors considered the results preliminary. But the research hints at the importance of keeping these common clouds around. As a result, marine stratocumulus clouds are among the most closely studied types of cloud. NOAA/PUBLIC DOMAIN Even on a local scale, marine stratocumulus clouds are sensitive to environmental changes. Papers in the Journal of Geophysical Research and other peer-reviewed journals found that emissions from ships chugging across the oceans, as well as pollutants, smoke from wildfires, sand from dust storms, and other matter that gets released into the atmosphere all affect whether the clouds are open- or closed-cell. Speaking of things getting released into the atmosphere, if you’re along the Southern California coast and see something big and white floating by, don’t assume it’s a spy balloon. In February, researchers from UC-San Diego’s Scripps Institute and the Department of Energy began a yearlong project that includes plans to release four weather balloons each day to study marine stratocumulus clouds in real time. It’s just the latest effort to understand how these clouds may be critical for climate control—and canaries in the coal mine for changes in global patterns. https://www.atlasobscura.com/articles/marine-stratocumulus-clouds

#Gemma Tarlach #Atlas Obscura

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a3veen · 1 year

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Cosmic Dust Rings Spotted by NASA’s James Webb Space Telescope

Star Duo Forms ‘Fingerprint’ in Space, NASA’s Webb Finds

NASA

The two stars in Wolf-Rayet 140 produce shells of dust every eight years that look like rings, as seen in this image from NASA’s James Webb Space Telescope. Each ring was created when the stars came close together and their stellar winds collided, compressing the gas and forming dust.Credits: NASA, ESA, CSA, STScI, JPL-Caltech

A new image shows at least 17 dust rings created by a rare type of star and its companion locked in a celestial dance.

A new image from NASA’s James Webb Space Telescope reveals a remarkable cosmic sight: at least 17 concentric dust rings emanating from a pair of stars. Located just over 5,000 light-years from Earth, the duo is collectively known as Wolf-Rayet 140.

Each ring was created when the two stars came close together and their stellar winds (streams of gas they blow into space) met, compressing the gas and forming dust. The stars’ orbits bring them together about once every eight years; like the growth of rings of a tree’s trunk, the dust loops mark the passage of time.

“We’re looking at over a century of dust production from this system,” said Ryan Lau, an astronomer at NSF’s NOIRLab and lead author of a new study about the system, published today in the journal Nature Astronomy. “The image also illustrates just how sensitive this telescope is. Before, we were only able to see two dust rings, using ground-based telescopes. Now we see at least 17 of them.”

In addition to Webb’s overall sensitivity, its Mid-Infrared Instrument (MIRI) is uniquely qualified to study the dust rings – or what Lau and his colleagues call shells, because they are thicker and wider than they appear in the image. Webb’s science instruments detect infrared light, a range of wavelengths invisible to the human eye. MIRI detects the longest infrared wavelengths, which means it can often see cooler objects – including the dust rings – than Webb’s other instruments can. MIRI’s spectrometer also revealed the composition of the dust, formed mostly from material ejected by a type of star known as a Wolf-Rayet star.

MIRI was developed through a 50-50 partnership between NASA and ESA (European Space Agency). The Jet Propulsion Laboratory in Southern California led the effort for NASA, and a multinational consortium of European astronomical institutes contributed for ESA.

A Wolf-Rayet star is an O-type star, born with at least 25 times more mass than our Sun, that is nearing the end of its life, when it will likely collapse and form a black hole. Burning hotter than in its youth, a Wolf-Rayet star generates powerful winds that push huge amounts of gas into space. The Wolf-Rayet star in this particular pair may have shed more than half its original mass via this process.

Forming Dust in the Wind

Transforming gas into dust is somewhat like turning flour into bread: It requires specific conditions and ingredients. The most common element found in stars, hydrogen, can’t form dust on its own. But because Wolf-Rayet stars shed so much mass, they also eject more complex elements typically found deep in a star’s interior, including carbon. The heavy elements in the wind cool as they travel into space and are then compressed where the winds from both stars meet, like when two hands knead dough.

Some other Wolf-Rayet systems form dust, but none is known to make rings like Wolf-Rayet 140 does. The unique ring pattern forms because the orbit of the Wolf-Rayet star in WR 140 is elongated, not circular. Only when the stars come close together – about the same distance between Earth and the Sun – and their winds collide is the gas under sufficient pressure to form dust. With circular orbits, Wolf-Rayet binaries can produce dust continuously.

Lau and his co-authors think WR 140’s winds also swept the surrounding area clear of residual material they might otherwise collide with, which may be why the rings remain so pristine rather than smeared or dispersed. There are likely even more rings that have become so faint and dispersed, not even Webb can see them in the data.

Wolf-Rayet stars may seem exotic compared to our Sun, but they may have played a role in star and planet formation. When a Wolf-Rayet star clears an area, the swept-up material can pile up at the outskirts and become dense enough for new stars to form. There is some evidence the Sun formed in such a scenario.

Using data from MIRI’s Medium Resolution Spectroscopy mode, the new study provides the best evidence yet that Wolf-Rayet stars produce carbon-rich dust molecules. What’s more, the preservation of the dust shells indicates that this dust can survive in the hostile environment between stars, going on to supply material for future stars and planets.

The catch is that while astronomers estimate that there should be at least a few thousand Wolf-Rayet stars in our galaxy, only about 600 have been found to date.

“Even though Wolf-Rayet stars are rare in our galaxy because they are short lived as far as stars go, it’s possible they’ve been producing lots of dust throughout the history of the galaxy before they explode and/or form black holes,” said Patrick Morris, an astrophysicist at Caltech in Pasadena, California, and a co-author of the new study. “I think with NASA’s new space telescope we’re going to learn a lot more about how these stars shape the material between stars and trigger new star formation in galaxies.”

#youtube

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spacetimewithstuartgary · 1 year

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Tracing 13 billion years of history by the light of ancient quasars Astrophysicists in Australia have shed new light on the state of the universe 13 billion years ago by measuring the density of carbon in the gases surrounding ancient galaxies. The study adds another piece to the puzzle of the history of the universe. "We found that the fraction of carbon in warm gas increased rapidly about 13 billion years ago, which may be linked to large-scale heating of gas associated with the phenomenon known as the 'Epoch of Reionisation'," says Dr Rebecca Davies, ASTRO 3D Postdoctoral Research Associate at Swinburne University of Technology, Australia and lead author of the paper describing the discovery. The study shows the amount of warm carbon suddenly increased by a factor of five over a period of only 300 million years - the blink of an eye in astronomical timescales. While previous studies have suggested a rise in warm carbon, much larger samples - the basis of the new study - were needed to provide statistics to accurately measure the rate of this growth. "That's what we've done here. And so, we present two potential interpretations of this rapid evolution," says Dr Davies. The first is that there is an initial increase in carbon around galaxies simply because there is more carbon in the universe. "During the period when the first stars and galaxies are forming, a lot of heavy elements are forming because we never had carbon before we had stars," Dr Davies says. "And so one possible reason for this rapid rise is just that we're seeing the products of the first generations of stars." However, the study also found evidence that the amount of cool carbon decreased over the same period. This suggests that there might be two different phases in the evolution of the carbon - a rapid rise while reionisation occurs, followed by a flattening out. The research was a collaboration between: Swinburne University of Technology; the ARC Centre of Excellence for All Sky Astrophysics in 3 Dimensions (ASTRO 3D); INAF-Osservatorio Astronomico di Trieste; IFPU-Institute for Fundamental Physics of the Universe, Trieste; Scuola Normale Superiore, Pisa; Max-Planck - Institut fur Astronomie, Heidelberg, Germany; the University of California, Riverside; Leibniz Institute for Astrophysics Potsdam (AIP); MIT Kavli Institute for Astrophysics and Space Research, Gemini Observatory and NSF's NOIRLab, Hawai'i; and the University of Cambridge. The Epoch of Reionisation, which took place when the universe was "only" one billion years old, was when the lights came back on after the cosmic Dark Ages following the Big Bang. Before this the universe was a dark, dense fog of gas. But as the first massive stars formed, their light began to shine through space and reionise the cosmos. This light may have led to rapid heating of the surrounding gas, causing the rise in warm carbon observed in this study. Studies of reionisation are vital to understand when and how the first stars formed and began producing the elements that exist today. But measurements have been notoriously difficult. "The research led by Dr Davies was built on an exceptional sample of data obtained during 250 hours of observations on the Very Large Telescope (VLT) at the European Southern Observatory in Chile," says Dr Valentina D'Odorico from the Italian Institute for Astrophysics, the Principal Investigator of the observational programme. "This is the largest amount of observing time assigned to a single project carried out with the X-shooter spectrograph. "Thanks to the 8m VLT we could observe some of the most distant quasars, which act as flashlights, illuminating galaxies along the path from the early Universe to the Earth." As the quasar light passes through galaxies in its 13-billion-year journey across the universe some photons are absorbed, creating distinctive barcode-like patterns in the light, which can be analysed to determine the chemical composition and temperature of gas in the galaxies. This gives an historical picture of the development of the universe. "These 'barcodes' are captured by detectors at the VLT's X-Shooter spectrograph," Dr Davies explains. "This instrument splits the galaxy light into different wavelengths, like putting light through a prism, allowing us to read the barcodes and measure the properties of each galaxy." The study led by Dr Davies captured more barcodes of ancient galaxies than ever before. "We increased from 12 to 42 the number of quasars for which we had high quality data, finally allowing a detailed and accurate measurement of the evolution of the carbon density," says Dr D'Odorico. This major advance was enabled by the ESO VLT, one of the most advanced telescopes on Earth, and a strategic partner of Australia. "The study provides a legacy data set which will not be significantly improved until 30m-class telescopes comes online towards the end of this decade," says Professor Emma Ryan-Weber, a Chief Investigator in the ARC Centre of Excellence for All Sky Astrophysics in 3 Dimensions (ASTRO 3D) and second author of the study. "High quality data from even earlier in the Universe will require access to telescopes like the Extremely Large Telescope (ELT) now under construction in Chile." Astronomers are using many different types of data to build a history of the universe. "Our results are consistent with recent studies showing that the amount of neutral hydrogen in intergalactic space decreases rapidly around the same time," says Dr Davies. "This research also paves the way for future investigations with the Square Kilometre Array (SKA) which aims to directly detect emission from neutral hydrogen during this key phase of the universe's history." Professor Ryan-Weber says the research goes to the heart of ASTRO 3D's mission to understand the evolution of elements, from the Big Bang to present day. "It addresses this key goal: how did the building blocks of life - in this case carbon - proliferate across the universe? "As humans we strive to understand 'where did we come from?' It's incredible to think that the barcode of those 13-billion-year-old carbon atoms were imprinted on photons at a time when the Earth didn't even exist. Those photons travelled across the universe, into the VLT, and then were used to develop a picture of the evolution of the universe."

#space #science #Astronomy #physics #news

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your-dietician · 2 years

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'All-American' and undocumented: Rafael Agustin's funny and touching memoir strikes a chord

New Post has been published on https://medianwire.com/all-american-and-undocumented-rafael-agustins-funny-and-touching-memoir-strikes-a-chord/

'All-American' and undocumented: Rafael Agustin's funny and touching memoir strikes a chord

In high school, Rafael Agustin was desperately trying to be a “normal” Southern California teen. He was a young American who liked action movies, television shows like “Saved by the Bell” and of course, the singer Paula Abdul.

But he had a big secret.

“We came as immigrants and they never told me we were undocumented,” Agustin said, speaking about his parents, who were physicians in Ecuador — an anesthesiologist and a pediatric surgeon — but had working-class jobs in the United States. “I grew up an ignorant but all-American kid and, in high school, I couldn’t get my driver’s license because I didn’t have papers. It was like a shock.”

Agustin, 41, an acclaimed screenwriter (“Jane the Virgin”), producer and actor, has received widespread praise for his recently published book, “Illegally Yours,” a memoir in which he describes growing up in the United States and grappling with his undocumented status more or less on his own. He has written it in a style that combines humor and heartbreak — and best describes the way he sees life.

“I always wanted to tell our story as a comedy because, for me, it is very important that it be accessible and entertaining. I have read other memoirs that are — very sad, but I don’t see the world like that,” he said. “I want anyone, documented or undocumented, to be able to read the book and not only laugh or have fun, but also feel identified.”

“Illegally Yours” elicits both tears and laughter as he writes about trying to become the most popular student in high school while wrestling with his immigration issues, upbringing and heritage.

Agustin, the CEO of the Latino Film Institute, came to the U.S. as a young child in 1988 when his parents emigrated from Ecuador seeking better opportunities.

In his book, the author explains that he finally became a U.S. citizen after his parents obtained their permanent residence, but the long years before that happened inspired him to write his memoir.

He evokes the memories of his upbringing with large doses of humor and many pop references. Legendary TV series such as “Full House,” “Family Matters” and “Alf” and action movie classics such as “Terminator” and “American Ninja” parade through its pages.

Afraid of speaking Spanish

One of the most moving moments of the book captures a terrifying incident for the author. Early one Sunday morning in the late 1980s, he was walking with his father on the beach in San Clemente, California.

Suddenly, a man ran past and was later stopped by two armed immigration agents. Agustin never forgot two things. He asked his father what was going on and then saw the intense fear in his dad’s eyes as he ordered Agustin, ‘Don’t speak Spanish!’”

“Now that I’m an adult,” Agustin said, “I understand that he was telling me not to speak Spanish while the migra (immigration authorities) were there. But since I was a child and I saw the terror in my dad’s eyes, I decided not to speak Spanish for the rest of my youth, and that hurts a lot.”

He said it wasn’t until high school that he started speaking Spanish again with his parents, a little bit at a time.

Agustin’s book joins a series of notable memoirs that have stood out for vividly capturing the U.S. immigrant experience. These include “The Distance Between Us” by Reyna Grande, “Dear America: Notes of an Undocumented Citizen” by journalist Jose Antonio Vargas, and even the recent collection of poems — “Diaries of a Terrorist” — by Christopher Soto.

“We have to change the narrative of immigrants in this country to change the minds and hearts of Americans,” he said. “People have to remember that most of the immigrants from Europe who came to Ellis Island were undocumented and processed in two, three hours. We can do that today, but we don’t want to and that’s the problem.”

Below is an edited and condensed version of the interview with Agustin.

An important moment in the book is when you find out that you were an undocumented person in the U.S. What do you remember about that time in your life?

In high school, the whole truth falls on me. The truth is that I was very ignorant of our immigration status, imagine that I was always very nerdy but I couldn’t find my place. I liked both hip-hop and punk rock or Carlos Vives, so I didn’t know what my group was and when my parents told me that I didn’t have a social security number, I got depressed for a while. But then, I started wanting to be the most popular student in school because I didn’t want anyone to find out about my reality.

Was it a way to compensate for the insecurity generated by not having papers in the country?

Sure, I believed that if I was class president or prom king or an honors student, no one would think I was undocumented. So it was as American as it could be so that people wouldn’t find out what I was experiencing.

One of the successes of the book is to be able to recount the hard experiences of your migratory experience with a great sense of humor. How did you achieve that narrative balance?

It is true that life is difficult and work is hard, but we never lose our sense of humor or happiness and I wanted to put all that pride and love in the book. Very soon, I realized that my parents understood that the American dream was not for them but for their children, and I think that is the reality of many immigrants in this country.

Have you recently seen any positive change in the representation of Latinos in Hollywood?

The truth is, no. I agree with studies by the Norman Lear Center that show that, in real life, undocumented immigrants have higher levels of education, own more businesses and commit fewer crimes than what we see on television. It’s a big deal, which is why I wanted to write this book because we never hear the story of undocumented immigrants who are American in every way but one.

I always like to remind people that in Ecuador, I am not Latino but Ecuadorian. In Mexico, they are not Latino, they are Mexican. And that is the case in all countries. But in the United States, we are Latinos, so, for me, being Latino is something authentically American.

Many critics see that lack of representation as a step backward, even compared to the situation in the entertainment industry in the last century.

Definitely, one of the people who inspires me the most and who impacted the industry the most is Cuban American Desi Arnaz. When people ask me about the problem of the lack of diversity in Hollywood, I always say that in the ’50s, we were used to one of the main characters of “I Love Lucy” — the most important series in the country — being a Latino and being in our homes every holy day. We’re trying to get back to where we were in the ’50s, go figure.

Despite the fact that the U.S. has a large Latino population, that’s not reflected in shows. What is the challenge for Latino creatives in this social context?

My dream is to continue writing in English for television and film because for many years when a Latino story is written, it’s automatically assumed that it will be in Spanish, and I want to make sure that Hollywood executives know that we exist. We live in this country and we are bilingual — some of us don’t even speak Spanish and that’s fine.

But to meet that goal, we have to understand how to write our stories and the difference between Latinidad and a genre. It can be a love story or a horror story or a comedy — Latinidad is not the genre … It’s important that we start writing commercial stories that understand that.

Many “Dreamers” (young people brought to the U.S. as young children who lack legal immigration status) live in situations very similar to those you narrated in “Illegally Yours,” which makes it a very timely book. What is your message to those young people who are struggling to have a better future despite bureaucratic and legal measures?

We are fighting politically for your future and I know it is very frustrating because I have suffered that frustration, but I want you to know that you are not alone. We listen to them, we see them and we are going to continue fighting for them, and it’s very important that they know that they are Americans. It doesn’t matter what anyone tells them, or what the politicians say, because they are Americans and we have to treat them that way.

An earlier version of this story was first published on Noticias Telemundo.

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