Mickey Gubas' Blog: August 2015

Monday, August 31, 2015

Pluto in Enhanced Color

Pluto is more colorful than we can see. Color data and images of our Solar System’s most famous dwarf planet, taken by the robotic New Horizons spacecraft during its flyby in July, have been digitally combined to give an enhanced view of this ancient world sporting an unexpectedly young surface. The featured enhanced color image is not only esthetically pretty but scientifically useful, making surface regions of differing chemical composition visually distinct. For example, the light-colored heart-shaped Tombaugh Regio on the lower right is clearly shown here to be divisible into two regions that are geologically different, with the leftmost lobe Sputnik Planum also appearing unusually smooth. New Horizons now continues on beyond Pluto, will continue to beam back more images and data, and will soon be directed to change course so that it can fly past asteroid 2014 MU69 in 2019 January. via NASA http://ift.tt/1Q2xVAN

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In Alaska, Obama Depicts Stark Future Without Climate Action by THE ASSOCIATED PRESS

By THE ASSOCIATED PRESS

Submerged countries, abandoned cities and floods of refugees await the world barring urgent action on climate change, President Barack Obama warned Monday, painting a doomsday scenario as he opened a historic visit to Alaska.

Published: August 30, 2015 at 11:06PM

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Wildfire Forces Evacuation of Boaters From Idaho’s Salmon River by REUTERS

By REUTERS

Rescue teams scrambled for a fourth day to evacuate dozens of rafters and campers from a popular stretch of Idaho’s Lower Salmon River threatened by a massive wildfire on Monday, even as a cooling trend helped crews battling flames in the Pacific…

Published: August 31, 2015 at 02:29PM

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Hurricane Ignacio Rapidly Weakens, Moves Away From Hawaii by THE ASSOCIATED PRESS

By THE ASSOCIATED PRESS

The skies were clear and seas relatively calm Monday on Hawaii’s Big Island as Hurricane Ignacio rapidly weakened and moved farther from the state.

Published: August 31, 2015 at 08:52AM

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Obama Alaska Trip Aims for ‘Punctuation Mark’ on Climate Legacy by REUTERS

By REUTERS

President Barack Obama sets off for a three-day tour of Alaska on Monday, aiming to shine a spotlight on how the United States is being affected by warming temperatures and rising oceans.

Published: August 31, 2015 at 06:45AM

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Sunday, August 30, 2015

M31: The Andromeda Galaxy

What is the nearest major galaxy to our own Milky Way Galaxy? Andromeda. In fact, our Galaxy is thought to look much like Andromeda. Together these two galaxies dominate the Local Group of galaxies. The diffuse light from Andromeda is caused by the hundreds of billions of stars that compose it. The several distinct stars that surround Andromeda’s image are actually stars in our Galaxy that are well in front of the background object. Andromeda is frequently referred to as M31 since it is the 31st object on Messier’s list of diffuse sky objects. M31 is so distant it takes about two million years for light to reach us from there. Although visible without aid, the above image of M31 is a digital mosaic of 20 frames taken with a small telescope. Much about M31 remains unknown, including exactly how long it will before it collides with our home galaxy. via NASA http://ift.tt/1Eq99t1

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In Finland, Slippery Seals by PENELOPE COLSTON

By PENELOPE COLSTON

The desire to see a rare animal sometimes just isn’t enough.

Published: September 1, 2015 at 08:30AM

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Shark Spotted Off California Beach Again in 2 Days by THE ASSOCIATED PRESS

By THE ASSOCIATED PRESS

A shark has been spotted in the waters off a San Diego County beach for the second time in two days, prompting lifeguards to extend an advisory warning beachgoers of the shark sighting.

Published: August 30, 2015 at 07:50AM

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Death of Captain, Who Fished by His Own Rules, Casts Pall Over a New Jersey Marina by BENJAMIN MUELLER

By BENJAMIN MUELLER

Tom Andresen, whose boat sank off the Sandy Hook peninsula, defied some of the mantras of professional trawling. His death has brought an uneasy silence to the Bedford Seafood Co-Op.

Published: August 30, 2015 at 08:00PM

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Thousands Mourn Fallen Firefighters in Washington State by THE ASSOCIATED PRESS

By THE ASSOCIATED PRESS

Several thousand people gathered Sunday to honor three U.S. Forest Service firefighters killed battling wildfires in Washington state.

Published: August 30, 2015 at 01:45PM

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Obama Renames Mount McKinley as Denali on Eve of Alaska Trip by THE ASSOCIATED PRESS

By THE ASSOCIATED PRESS

President Barack Obama will change the name of North America’s tallest mountain peak from Mount McKinley to Denali, the White House said Sunday, a major symbolic gesture to Alaska Natives on the eve of the president’s historic visit to Alaska.

Published: August 30, 2015 at 01:02PM

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Saturday, August 29, 2015

Lucrative Catch for a Tennessee Man by THE ASSOCIATED PRESS

By THE ASSOCIATED PRESS

A Wartburg, Tenn., man who chose fishing over a pharmacy career won the biggest prize in bass fishing, the $500,000 Forrest Wood Cup, which was held on Lake Ouachita in Arkansas.

Published: August 29, 2015 at 08:00PM

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The Seagull Nebula

A broad expanse of glowing gas and dust presents a bird-like visage to astronomers from planet Earth, suggesting its popular moniker – The Seagull Nebula. This portrait of the cosmic bird covers a 1.6 degree wide swath across the plane of the Milky Way, near the direction of Sirius, alpha star of the constellation Canis Major. Of course, the region includes objects with other catalog designations: notably NGC 2327, a compact, dusty emission region with an embedded massive star that forms the bird’s head (aka the Parrot Nebula, above center). Dominated by the reddish glow of atomic hydrogen, the complex of gas and dust clouds with bright young stars spans over 100 light-years at an estimated 3,800 light-year distance. via NASA http://ift.tt/1NZ7MSf

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Obama Heads North to Alaska, Where Drilling Decision Looms Large by REUTERS

By REUTERS

President Barack Obama on Saturday defended his decision to allow Royal Dutch Shell to drill for oil in the Arctic Ocean under what he said were rigorous standards, fending off criticism by environmental groups.

Published: August 29, 2015 at 02:03AM

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Friday, August 28, 2015

Puppis A Supernova Remnant

Driven by the explosion of a massive star, supernova remnant Puppis A is blasting into the surrounding interstellar medium about 7,000 light-years away. At that distance, this colorful telescopic field based on broadband and narrowband optical image data is about 60 light-years across. As the supernova remnant expands into its clumpy, non-uniform surroundings, shocked filaments of oxygen atoms glow in green-blue hues. Hydrogen and nitrogen are in red. Light from the initial supernova itself, triggered by the collapse of the massive star’s core, would have reached Earth about 3,700 years ago. The Puppis A remnant is actually seen through outlying emission from the closer but more ancient Vela supernova remnant, near the crowded plane of our Milky Way galaxy. Still glowing across the electromagnetic spectrum Puppis A remains one of the brightest sources in the X-ray sky. via NASA http://ift.tt/1LF7ZfT

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In Alaska, Obama Will Be in Middle of Oil and Climate Change Battle by KIRK JOHNSON

By KIRK JOHNSON

As the president visits Alaska to examine the effects of climate change, the state is battling over oil, its chief source of revenue, and the implications of drilling.

Published: August 28, 2015 at 08:00PM

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