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When the Space Age began, astronomers knew of exactly zero planets outside the solar system. What a difference 50 years makes.
Modern, ground-based telescopes and NASA's Kepler spacecraft have now confirmed more than 850 exoplanets, while thousands more await confirmation.
The pace of discovery suggests “there are at least 100 billion planets in our galaxy,” said John Johnson of Caltech, who works with data from the Kepler mission. “That's mind-boggling.”
When the hunt for exoplanets began, the focus was on Earth-like worlds, planets like our own that might support alien life in distant solar systems.
Yet planets as small as Earth are difficult to detect when they circle stars hundreds of light years away. Indeed, only a handful have been found so far.
The real haul has been in gas giants, especially “hot Jupiters.” These are behemoth worlds that orbit close to their parent stars, blocking a fraction of the star’s light when it transits in front. Observations of hot Jupiter “mini-eclipses” have yielded hundreds of discoveries.
At first considered to be the “chaff” researchers would have to wade through to get to the fainter Earth-like worlds, hot Jupiters are now attracting their own attention.
Consider the case of “HD189733b,” discovered in 2005 by a team working at the Haute-Provence Observatory in France.
Because it is nearby, only 63 light years away, and because it blocks a whopping 3 percent of the light from its orange-dwarf parent star, astronomers are rapidly learning a great deal.
For one thing, it's blue. Data obtained by the Hubble Space Telescope suggest that, seen from a distance, the azure disk of HD 189733b would look to the human eye much like Earth. Indeed, some members of the media have taken to calling it “the other blue planet.”
It is, however, anything but Earthlike.
In 2007, Heather Knutson of Caltech made a global temperature map of HD189733b using NASA’s infrared Spitzer Space Telescope. She knew it would be hot because HD189733b orbits its star 13 times closer than Mercury.
“Even so, we were impressed by the readings,” she recalled.
Temperatures ranged from 1200 F on the nightside to 1700 F on the dayside. Thermal gradients drive winds as fast as 6,000 miles per hour, carrying suffocating heat around the globe.
The blue color may be caused by silicate particles in the planet’s atmosphere, which scatter blue wavelengths of light from the parent star.
The same physics plays out in Earth’s atmosphere, although the chemicals are different. Silicates are a component of glass, so some researchers have speculated that it is actually raining molten glass on HD189733b.
The newest observations come from a pair of X-ray observatories. NASA’s Chandra and the ESA’s XMM Newton watched HD189733b transit its star and detected a drop in X-rays three times deeper than the corresponding decrease in optical light. This means the outer atmosphere is larger than anyone expected.
In fact, it is probably boiling away. Authors of the study estimate HD189733b is losing 100 million to 600 million kilograms of mass per second.
“The extended atmosphere of this planet makes it a bigger target for high-energy radiation from its star, so more evaporation occurs,” noted Scott Wolk of the Center for Astrophysics.
Blasts of stellar radiation hitting the planet at point-blank range could have another effect: auroras that wrap around the planet from pole to pole, orders of magnitude brighter than any Northern Lights in our own solar system. This is speculative, though.
While the search for Earth-like planets proceeds, hot Jupiters are a welcome albeit unexpected diversion. It makes you wonder, what will we be looking for 50 years from now …?
Dr. Tony Phillips works for the National Aeronautics and Space Administration.
CLEARLAKE OAKS, Calif. – After several hours of battling a wildland blaze amidst power lines and increasing winds, firefighters from local, state and federal agencies contained the fire.
The fire, burning in the area of 12556 Sulphur Bank Mine Road, was first dispatched shortly after 1:30 p.m. Saturday, as Lake County News has reported.
Cal Fire Battalion Chief Greg Bertelli said the fire was contained at just over 19 acres shortly after 4 p.m.
Agencies sending resources included Northshore Fire, Lake County Fire, US Forest Service and Cal Fire, with the California Highway Patrol having responded for traffic control, Bertelli reported.
With the winds picking up and pushing the fire, four Cal Fire air tankers, two helicopters as well as air attacks had responded to battle the fire, hitting it aggressively to prevent it from spreading to a nearby ridge, according to Bertelli.
Bertelli said fire investigators were at the scene early Saturday evening to assess the cause.
Resources remaining on scene shortly after 5 p.m. included a US Forest Service engine and water tender, five Cal Fire engines and a dozer, and some overhead command positions, Bertelli said.
He said some Cal Fire engines were to remain on scene into the evening and possibly overnight for patrol as conditions warranted.
Email Elizabeth Larson at
LAKEPORT, Calif. – Lake County Public Health has received final reports of testing done to investigate the cause of an illness developed by a dog after swimming in the Konocti Bay area of Clear Lake at the end of July.
The dog later had to be euthanized and local officials arranged for a state lab to test several types of tissue specimens for microcystins (a type of cyanotoxin), leptospirosis and amanita mushroom poisoning.
Public Health Officer Dr. Karen Tait said the tests did not confirm any of the above to be the cause of the illness which led to the dog’s death.
“The recent tests show that while we can't affirmatively prove that toxins caused this dog's disease, we have an association of an unsafe level of toxin in the water where the exposure occurred and a clinically compatible illness consistent with cyanotoxin illness without another explanation,” Tait said.
Many if not most species of cyanobacteria – often referred to as blue-green algae – do not produce toxins and some produce toxin only intermittently and unpredictably, according to Tait's report.
In addition, laboratory test methods are readily available for only a few of the possible cyanotoxins, she said.
Tait said these scenarios make study of cyanotoxins and direct linkages to related illnesses difficult and illustrate the necessity for an increased awareness by the public, health care providers, veterinarians and local officials related to potential dangers to toxin exposure from cyanobacteria.
The high level of microcystins in the area where the dog was swimming gives rise to continued concerns about exposure to cyanotoxins leading to illness, according to county officials.
The sample taken from the area where the dog played detected elevations of several types of microcystins totaling 395 ppb, which was well into the range (20 – 2,2000 ppb) considered by the World Health Organization to be unsafe for recreational water, the county reported.
Officials said extreme care should be taken when the potential for exposure to humans or pets exist.
The elevated microcystin level in the water sampled from the area where the dog played was far in excess of any other measurements taken to date in Clear Lake, Tait reported.
Although this appears to be an isolated and unusual elevation, more information is needed to determine what conditions might have led to the increased toxin and whether the high level will persist or could be found under similar conditions elsewhere, according to the report.
The county reported that samples of water from the area have been submitted for repeat testing and other sites around the lake were recently sampled.
Public areas that meet recommended criteria for posting of health advisories or warnings will continue to be posted, but certain guidelines should be followed regardless, officials said.
A few recommended precautions include:
- Avoid contact with water in areas with surface foam, scum, or a pea soup appearance, especially in areas with little current or wave action. This is particularly important for small children and pets.
- Avoid generating aerosols (water skiing, jet skiing, etc.) in areas of the lake where there are signs of blue-green algae.
- After swimming, towel off promptly. Even better, shower with fresh water. After pets swim, rinse with fresh water and towel them dry to prevent them from ingesting the blue-green algae while self-cleaning.
- Never drink untreated lake or other surface water. Boiling water does not guarantee that it is safe to drink. If your household water system draws water from a lake, bee sure that it is properly maintained.
- If unexplained illness develops following direct exposure to water in a lake, pond, or stream, see a doctor (or bring your pet to a veterinarian) promptly and be sure to mention the exposure that occurred.
For more information, see http://www.co.lake.ca.us/Government/Directory/Environmental_Health/Blue-Green_Algae.htm or http://www.cdph.ca.gov/healthinfo/environhealth/water/pages/bluegreenalgae.aspx .
CLEARLAKE OAKS, Calif. – Firefighters are battling a wildland fire on Sulphur Bank Mine Road in Clearlake Oaks, with weather and wind creating concerns for the fire's spread.
The fire was first dispatched at 1:38 p.m. Saturday, with several callers having reported the fire to Lake County Central Dispatch.
The incident's exact address was given as 12556 Sulphur Bank Mine Road, according to radio reports.
Northshore Fire, Cal Fire, Lake County Fire and US Forest Service personnel responding to the scene found the fire three to five acres upon arrival, with a moderate rate of speed and a wind behind it, based on scanner reports.
Cal Fire Battalion Chief Greg Bertelli said Cal Fire was hitting the fire aggressively from the air, with four air tankers and two helicopters working the blaze.
“We went heavy on the aircraft to stop it before it hit the ridge,” he said.
Radio reports indicated power lines in the area were creating a hazard in the firefighting effort. The 20-mile-per-hour winds also were creating challenges.
Shortly before 2 p.m. the fire had grown to about eight acres with the wind behind it starting to increase, radio traffic indicated.
At 2:20 p.m. incident command reported that the fire was about 15 acres in size and 20 percent contained.
Just after 2:30 p.m. the fire was holding at 15 acres and was 60 percent contained, according to Bertelli.
By 3 p.m., after a Cal Fire copter flew the fire, the size estimate was increased to 19 acres and 95 percent containment.
Bertelli said a weather pressure system passing through the area was leading to concerns.
“We're expecting some winds increasing and to be shifting,” he said.
In addition to the air resources, Bertelli said there were three engines from local government fire agencies, an engine and a water tender from the US Forest Service, and five engines and two dozers from Cal Fire.
Additional details will be posted as they become available.
Email Elizabeth Larson at
LAKEPORT, Calif. – The annual Lake County Fair week gets started on Saturday, Aug. 24, with the junior horse show and gymkhana, which is followed on Sunday, Aug. 25, by the open horse show.
For 2013, the open horse show features a revamped and expanded show for horses in harness on Sunday afternoon.
Horses of all sizes, from the cute and spirited miniatures to the classy carriage horses and the colossal “gentle giant” draft horses will be shown in a total of 10 competitive classes.
The animals will be decked out in fancy harnesses and pulling elegant carts driven by teamsters decked out in period appropriate costumes.
One of the more popular classes is the “gambler's choice,” a timed obstacle course with elements of varying degrees of difficulty, each worth a different number of points.
The driver must gamble on which obstacles he or she can guile the horse and cart through in the allotted time so as to accumulate the most points. Other classes include single horse and cart, multiple horse hitches, and various timed competitions.
Classes will begin soon after the light horse classes on Sunday, expected to be around midday, and continue for several hours into the afternoon. The competition takes place in the infield of the Lakeport Speedway, and is offered free to the public.
Other animal competitions include the Lake County Fair dog show, which takes place on the Fiesta Lawn Sunday, Aug. 25, at 4 p.m. The dog show is also free to the public.
The Lake County Fair traditionally occurs Labor Day weekend each year at the fairgrounds in Lakeport.
The 2013 fair dates are Thursday, Aug. 29, through Sunday, Sept. 1.
Lake County Fair is one of Lake County's favorite summertime events, and is enjoyed by nearly 40,000 people each year.
The fair features a variety of entertainment, food, exhibits, a carnival, and livestock shows. This year's theme is “Find Great Treasures!”
Visit the fair online at www.lakecountyfair.com .
LAKE COUNTY, Calif. – The California Highway patrol will conduct a sobriety checkpoint in Lake County on Sunday, Aug. 25.
“The desired result is to save lives and make everyone's family summer excursion, for both our community residents and those visiting our beautiful county, a safe and pleasurable memory,” said Lt. Greg Baarts, commander of the CHP's Clear Lake Area office.
The sobriety checkpoint will be staffed by officers who are trained in the detection of alcohol- and drug-impaired drivers. Drug recognition experts, certified by the National Highway Traffic Safety Administration, will be on site to provide on-the-spot assessments of drivers suspected of drug use.
The officers also will be equipped with state-of-the-art, handheld breath devices which provide an accurate measure of blood alcohol concentrations of suspected drunk drivers.
“Traffic volume permitting, all vehicles will be checked and drivers who are under the influence of alcohol and/or drugs can expect to be arrested,” said Baarts.
“Our goal is to ensure the safe passage of each and every motorist by targeting roads where there is a high frequency of drunk driving. DUI enforcement patrols, as well as sobriety checkpoints, are effective tools for achieving this goal and are designed to augment existing patrol operations,” Baarts added. “By publicizing our efforts, we believe that we can deter motorists from drinking and driving.”
Funding for this program was provided by a grant from the California Office of Traffic Safety, through the National Highway Traffic Safety Administration.