See Saturn at Its Best In the Weekend Night Sky

In the early hours of Sunday morning (April 28), the planet Saturn reaches opposition. This places it exactly opposite the sun in our sky.

Opposition has several effects on Saturn. Most important, it marks its arrival in the evening sky. It is now visible all night long, a treat for the many people who consider this the most beautiful object in the sky. On Saturday and Sunday night, Saturn can be found in the southeastern sky, weather permitting.

Saturn's opposition also marks the planet's maximum brightness for the year, and the brightest it has been for a number of years. At magnitude 0.2, the ringed planet now outshines the first magnitude star Spica in the constellation Virgo. Astronomers measure the brightness of night sky in terms of magnitude, with lower numbers denoting exceptional brightness. [Photos of Saturn's Dazzling Rings]

You can easily spot Saturn and Spica by following the old rule: "Arc to Arcturus, then speed on to Spica." Start by following the arc formed by the handle of the Big Dipper away from the Dipper's bowl in a broad arc across the sky, first reaching Arcturus in kite-shaped Bo?tes, and then on to Spica and Saturn in Virgo. Sparkling Spica is on the right, steady Saturn on the left. Starlight, coming from a distant point, is deflected by the Earth's atmosphere and twinkles. A planet like Saturn is larger than a star in apparent size, and so is less affected by atmospheric turbulence, so shines with a steady light.

Saturn is most famous for its magnificent set of rings. All the outer planets have rings, but Saturn's are the brightest and most easily seen. Composed of small pieces of rock and ice, these rings are thin and transparent. When the rings pass in front of a star, the star's light shines through undiminished.

How much magnification do you need to see Saturn's rings? Although some people claim to have seen them with their unaided eyes, most people need a magnification of about 25 power to see that Saturn is an oval rather than a disk. For a really good view, 100 power is much better. Even so, Saturn appears much smaller in a telescope than most people expect. Although tiny, Saturn's perfection astounds all first-time viewers.

Besides its rings, Saturn has an amazing collection of moons, 62 in all. Its brightest moons are mostly in orbits in the same plane as the rings, as you can see in the chart. Its largest moon, Titan, is one of the two largest moons in the solar system; Jupiter's Ganymede is the other. These are the only two moons large enough to have extensive atmospheres. Titan is also the farthest object from Earth on which a spacecraft has landed, the unmanned Huygens probe in 2005.

Titan can be seen easily in almost any telescope. Rhea, Tethys, and Dione can be seen with a 90mm telescope. The innermost moons, Mimas and Enceladus, are more challenging because the lie so close to the bright rings.

Iapetus is Saturn's most interesting moon. Its orbit is not in the plane of the rings, but is tilted at a steep angle. Like all large moons in the solar system, it always keeps one face turned towards its planet, but one side of Iapetus is coated with a dark sooty material. This results in Iapetus being much brighter when west of the planet that when it is to the east.

Because Saturn's moons can appear at any angle from the planet, you will need to use a planetarium software program to identify the individual moons and to distinguish them from background stars. Watching them change positions from night to night is fascinating.

Saturn holds something for every skywatcher. Everyone can enjoy spotting it in the sky, and those with telescopes can admire its rings and track the dance of its many moons.

Editor's Note: If you snap an amazing photo of Saturn and its rings and would like to share it with SPACE.com for a story or image gallery, please send comments and images to managing editor Tariq Malik at spacephotos@space.com.

This article was provided to SPACE.com by Starry Night Education, the leader in space science curriculum solutions. Follow Starry Night on Twitter @StarryNightEdu. Original article at SPACE.com.

Copyright 2013 SPACE.com, a TechMediaNetwork company. All rights reserved. This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten or redistributed.

Source: http://news.yahoo.com/see-saturn-best-weekend-night-sky-161250439.html

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Graham blocks vote on Obama energy nominee

WASHINGTON (AP) ? Republican Sen. Lindsey Graham of South Carolina is blocking a Senate vote on President Barack Obama's energy secretary nominee to protest proposed budget cuts to a nuclear processing facility in Graham's home state.

The Senate was expected to vote as soon as this week on physics professor Ernest Moniz's nomination to lead the Energy Department. The Senate Energy Committee endorsed Moniz in a 21-1 vote last week.

South Carolina Republican Sen. Tim Scott cast the only dissenting vote. Like Graham, Scott opposes Obama's plan to cut about $200 million from a project to turn weapons-grade plutonium into nuclear reactor fuel. The plant is being built at the Savannah River nuclear site.

A spokesman confirmed that Graham has placed a "hold" on the nominee and plans to meet with Moniz.

Source: http://news.yahoo.com/graham-blocks-vote-obama-energy-nominee-195055141--politics.html

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NTSB probes safety testing of Boeing 787 batteries

WASHINGTON (AP) ? As airlines prepare to resume flying Boeing's beleaguered 787 Dreamliners, federal investigators looked Tuesday at how regulators and the company tested and approved the plane's cutting-edge battery system, and whether the government cedes too much safety-testing authority to aircraft makers.

The National Transportation Safety Board is also asking how problems with the aircraft's lithium-ion battery system that led to a fire aboard one plane and smoke in another escaped the notice of regulators and company officials who certified the plane's safety.

"We are here to understand why the 787 experienced unexpected battery failures following a design program led by one of the world's leading manufacturers and a certification process that is well-respected throughout the international aviation community," NTSB's Chairman Deborah Hersman said at the opening of a two-day board hearing. Officials with the FAA, Boeing and Boeing subcontractors responsible for the battery system were scheduled to testify.

"We are looking for lessons learned not just for the design and certification of the failed battery, but also for knowledge that can be applied to emerging technologies going forward," Hersman said.

To save manpower, the FAA designates employees at aircraft makers to oversee the safety testing of new planes. Every item that is part of an airplane, down to its nuts and bolts, must be certified as safe before the FAA approves that type of plane as safe for flight. Boeing won FAA safety certification for the 787 in August 2011.

"In a way, the designee system is admitting the FAA doesn't have the manpower to do what is required, and also that they may not have the expertise," said John Goglia, a former NTSB board member and aviation safety expert.

The FAA has used designated company employees to oversee and validate some safety testing for more than two decades, a practice critics complain has inherent conflicts of interest. The agency significantly expanded its use of designees in recent years under pressure from manufacturers, who complained it was taking the agency too long to approve new planes because they didn't have enough staff.

"If industry had to wait for government employees to be available to do the testing" and to develop enough technical knowledge to assess new aviation technologies, "we would just never get any products certified," Goglia said.

The 787, Boeing's newest and most technologically-advanced plane, is the first airliner to make extensive use of lithium-ion batteries. It has long been known that lithium batteries are more susceptible than conventional nickel-cadmium batteries to extreme, uncontrolled temperature increases and fires that are very different to put out. But lithium batteries weigh less, store more energy and recharge faster than conventional batteries, making them attractive to airlines.

Boeing did some of the safety testing on the 787 battery system, but much of the testing was done by a subcontractor, Thales of France, which made the 787's electrical system, and by battery maker GS Yuasa of Japan, according to a previously released NTSB report. The testing concluded there was no chance that short-circuiting would lead to a fire, and the odds of a smoking battery were one in every 10 million flight hours.

Instead, there were two battery failures when the entire 787 fleet had clocked less than 52,000 flight hours. The first was on Jan. 7 aboard a Japan Airlines 787 parked at Boston's Logan International Airport shortly after landing following an overseas flight. Firefighters reported two small flames and dense clouds of white smoke streaming from the battery. It took over an hour before they declared the incident under control.

Nine days later a smoking battery aboard an All Nippon Airways 787 led to an emergency landing in Japan. The Federal Aviation Administration ordered all U.S.-registered 787s grounded the same day, and aviation authorities in other countries swiftly followed suit.

The NTSB, which is investigating the Boston incident, hasn't yet determined the root cause of the fire and may never be able to do so. The insides of the battery were severely charred, leaving few clues for investigators.

Boeing has since developed and tested a revamped version of the battery system, with changes designed to prevent a fire or to contain one should it occur. FAA officials approved the revamped batteries last week and agreed to lift the grounding order. The company has been working furiously to install the new system on the 50 Dreamliners in service worldwide. Boeing has orders for 840 of the planes from airlines around the globe.

What the NTSB uncovers regarding the FAA's safety certification program could have important implications for the agency's ability to handle other technology challenges, including the transition to a new air traffic control system and the introduction of unmanned aircraft into the national airspace, said Jim Hall, a former safety board chairman.

"It's important to know that the government has oversight capability," Hall said. "Our aviation safety, which is unparalleled at the moment in the world, has been built on having active oversight by the FAA."

___

Follow Joan Lowy on Twitter at http://www.twitter.com/AP_Joan_Lowy

Source: http://news.yahoo.com/ntsb-probes-safety-testing-boeing-787-batteries-071419182--finance.html

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Feds delay plolicy to allow small knives on planes

WASHINGTON (AP) ? Airline passengers will have to leave their knives at home after all. And their bats and golf clubs.

A policy change scheduled to go into effect this week that would have allowed passengers to carry small knives, bats, and other sports equipment onto airliners will be delayed, federal officials said Monday.

The delay is necessary to accommodate feedback from an advisory committee made up of aviation industry, consumer, and law enforcement officials, the Transportation Security Administration said in a brief statement. The statement said the delay is temporary, but gave no indication how long it might be.

TSA Administrator John Pistole proposed the policy change last month, saying it would free up the agency to concentrate on protecting against greater threats. TSA screeners confiscate about 2,000 small folding knives from passengers every day.

The proposal immediately drew fierce opposition from flight attendant unions and federal air marshals, who said the knives can be dangerous in the hands of the wrong passengers. Some airlines and members of Congress also urged TSA to reconsider its position.

The delay announced by TSA doesn't go far enough, a coalition of unions representing 90,000 flight attendants nationwide said Monday.

"All knives should be banned from planes permanently," the group said in a statement.

Sen. Charles Schumer, D-N.Y., who opposed the policy, said TSA's decision is an admission "that permitting knives on planes is a bad idea." He also called for a permanent ban.

Rep. Ed Markey, D-Mass., another opponent, said he will continue to push TSA to drop the proposal entirely.

"People with radical ideas can use everyday objects to cause great harm," Markey said. "If there is an opportunity to decrease risks to Americans, we have a duty to protect our citizens and disallow knives from being taken onto planes."

The proposed policy would have permitted folding knives with blades that are 2.36 inches (6 centimeters) or less in length and are less than 1/2-inch (1-centimeter) wide. The policy was aimed at allowing passengers to carry pen knives, corkscrews with small blades and other small knives.

Passengers also would have been be allowed to bring onboard as part of their carry-on luggage novelty-sized baseball bats less than 24 inches long, toy plastic bats, billiard cues, ski poles, hockey sticks, lacrosse sticks and two golf clubs, the agency said.

Security standards adopted by the International Civil Aviation Organization, a U.N. agency, already call for passengers to be able to carry those items. Those standards are non-binding, but many countries follow them.

The proposal didn't affect box cutters, razor blades and knives that don't fold or that have molded grip handles, which are prohibited.

Passengers were prohibited from carrying the small knives onboard planes after the Sept. 11, 2001 terrorist attacks. Some of the terrorists in those attacks used box cutters to intimidate passengers and airline crew members.

It's unlikely in these days of hardened cockpit doors and other preventative measures that the small folding knives could be used by terrorists to take over a plane, Pistole told Congress last month.

There has been a gradual easing of some of the security measures applied to passengers after the 9/11 attacks. In 2005, the TSA changed its policies to allow passengers to carry on airplanes small scissors, knitting needles, tweezers, nail clippers and up to four books of matches. The move came as the agency turned its focus toward keeping explosives off planes, because intelligence officials believed that was the greatest threat to commercial aviation.

And in September 2011, the TSA no longer required children 12 years old and under to remove their shoes at airport checkpoints. The agency recently issued new guidelines for travelers 75 and older so they can avoid removing shoes and light jackets when they go through airport security checkpoints.

___

Follow Joan Lowy on Twitter at http://www.twitter.com/AP_Joan_Lowy

Associated Press

Source: http://hosted2.ap.org/APDEFAULT/89ae8247abe8493fae24405546e9a1aa/Article_2013-04-22-US-Knives-on-Planes/id-5e26717959e5474e80cacb132b3df7b5

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'American Psycho' musical to open in London

Kerry Hayes / AP

Christian Bale in the film "American Psycho."

By Belinda Goldsmith, Reuters

A musical based on Bret Easton Ellis's "American Psycho," the disturbing tale of a Wall Street banker turned sadistic serial killer, will have its world premiere in London in December.

A spokesman for London's Almeida Theatre said on Friday that the show would open on December 3 and run until January 25.

American playwright Roberto Aguirre-Sacasa, best known for his work on the U.S. television series "Glee," is producing the script and the show is directed by Briton Rupert Goold.

The music and lyrics will be produced by American singer-songwriter Duncan Sheik, who wrote the music for "Spring Awakening" but is best known for his 1996 debut single "Barely Breathing."

Easton Ellis's novel, published in 1991, is a satire about the 1980s yuppie boom and follows Wall Street investment banker Patrick Bateman, an obsessive materialist who by night commits murders -- or at least imagines he commits them -- while losing himself in drugs and prostitution.

On its release, "American Psycho" shocked readers with graphic content that included Bateman torturing a woman with a rat. In Australia the book was shrink-wrapped and could not be sold to anyone aged under 18.

The book was adapted into a film in 2000 starring Christian Bale, while a project to adapt the book into a musical for the United States was first announced in 2008.

Producer Jesse Singer said the team behind the musical had decided to move it to London where Goold is based and is associated with the Almeida Theatre and to try the show off-Broadway first.

Related content:

Source: http://todayentertainment.today.com/_news/2013/04/21/17850221-american-psycho-musical-to-premiere-in-britain?lite

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Using black holes to measure the universe's rate of expansion

Apr. 22, 2013 ? Radiation emitted in the vicinity of black holes could be used to measure distances of billions of light years, says TAU researcher

A few years ago, researchers revealed that the universe is expanding at a much faster rate than originally believed -- a discovery that earned a Nobel Prize in 2011. But measuring the rate of this acceleration over large distances is still challenging and problematic, says Prof. Hagai Netzer of Tel Aviv University's School of Physics and Astronomy.

Now, Prof. Netzer, along with Jian-Min Wang, Pu Du and Chen Hu of the Institute of High Energy Physics of the Chinese Academy of Sciences and Dr. David Valls-Gabaud of the Observatoire de Paris, has developed a method with the potential to measure distances of billions of light years with a high degree of accuracy. The method uses certain types of active black holes that lie at the center of many galaxies. The ability to measure very long distances translates into seeing further into the past of the universe -- and being able to estimate its rate of expansion at a very young age.

Published in the journal Physical Review Letters, this system of measurement takes into account the radiation emitted from the material that surrounds black holes before it is absorbed. As material is drawn into a black hole, it heats up and emits a huge amount of radiation, up to a thousand times the energy produced by a large galaxy containing 100 billion stars. For this reason, it can be seen from very far distances, explains Prof. Netzer.

Solving for unknown distances

Using radiation to measure distances is a general method in astronomy, but until now black holes have never been used to help measure these distances. By adding together measurements of the amount of energy being emitted from the vicinity of the black hole to the amount of radiation which reaches Earth, it's possible to infer the distance to the black hole itself and the time in the history of the universe when the energy was emitted.

Getting an accurate estimate of the radiation being emitted depends on the properties of the black hole. For the specific type of black holes targeted in this work, the amount of radiation emitted as the object draws matter into itself is actually proportional to its mass, say the researchers. Therefore, long-established methods to measure this mass can be used to estimate the amount of radiation involved.

The viability of this theory was proved by using the known properties of black holes in our own astronomical vicinity, "only" several hundred million light years away. Prof. Netzer believes that his system will add to the astronomer's tool kit for measuring distances much farther away, complimenting the existing method which uses the exploding stars called supernovae.

Illuminating "Dark Energy"

According to Prof. Netzer, the ability to measure far-off distances has the potential to unravel some of the greatest mysteries of the universe, which is approximately 14 billion years old. "When we are looking into a distance of billions of light years, we are looking that far into the past," he explains. "The light that I see today was first produced when the universe was much younger."

One such mystery is the nature of what astronomers call "dark energy," the most significant source of energy in the present day universe. This energy, which is manifested as some kind of "anti-gravity," is believed to contribute towards the accelerated expansion of the universe by pushing outwards. The ultimate goal is to understand dark energy on physical grounds, answering questions such as whether this energy has been consistent throughout time and if it is likely to change in the future.

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The above story is reprinted from materials provided by American Friends of Tel Aviv University.

Note: Materials may be edited for content and length. For further information, please contact the source cited above.

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Journal Reference:

1. Jian-Min Wang, Pu Du, David Valls-Gabaud, Chen Hu, Hagai Netzer. Super-Eddington Accreting Massive Black Holes as Long-Lived Cosmological Standards. Physical Review Letters, 2013; 110 (8) DOI: 10.1103/PhysRevLett.110.081301

Note: If no author is given, the source is cited instead.

Disclaimer: Views expressed in this article do not necessarily reflect those of ScienceDaily or its staff.

Source: http://feeds.sciencedaily.com/~r/sciencedaily/space_time/astronomy/~3/6XRfCgxonw8/130422123040.htm

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China's bird flu death toll rises to 20

GENEVA (Reuters) - Two more people have died from a new strain of avian influenza, bringing to 20 the number of deaths from the H7N9 virus, the World Health Organization (WHO) said on Sunday.

Chinese authorities have notified the WHO of six new cases, bringing the total to 102. Of those, 70 are still in hospital and 12 have been discharged. Five of the new cases were in Zhejiang province and one was in Shanghai.

"Until the source of infection has been identified, it is expected that there will be further cases of human infection with the virus in China," the WHO said In a statement.

The WHO's China representative, Michael O'Leary, issued data on Friday showing that half of the patients analyzed had had no known contact with poultry, the most obvious potential source, but he said it appeared human-to-human transmission was rare.

China announced the first case of human infection of the H7N9 in late March.

(Reporting by Tom Miles; Editing by Robin Pomeroy)

Source: http://news.yahoo.com/chinas-bird-flu-death-toll-rises-20-203639260.html

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