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Just when you thought Christmas was over: At the end of the day on Dec. 25, a pair of holiday lights will pop out of the deepening twilight. Jupiter and the Moon are having a Christmas conjunction.
It’s a beautiful apparition, visible all around the globe. Even city dwellers, who often miss astronomical events because of light pollution, can see the show.
Separated by less than 2 degrees, the bright pair will beam right through urban lights.
For anyone who gets a telescope for Christmas, the timing is perfect.
Jupiter and the Moon are among the most satisfying targets for backyard optics. A quick sweep of the telescope from Jupiter to the Moon and back again will reveal Jupiter’s storms and cloud belts, the Moon’s mountains and impact craters, and of course the four Galilean satellites circling the giant planet like a miniature solar system.
Jupiter’s trademark Great Red Spot will also be on display – and it is worth a look.
Astronomers recently announced that the enormous swirling storm, twice as wide as the planet Earth, is “spinning up.”
Actually, explains planetary scientist Glenn Orton of NASA’s Jet Propulsion Laboratory, “the Red Spot is shrinking.”
He likens it to “the iconic picture of a figure skater pulling her arms in to spin faster. As the size contracts, the spin rate increases.”
John Rogers, head of the British Astronomical Association’s Jupiter Section, noticed the phenomenon in recent pictures of Jupiter snapped by amateur astronomers.
He was able to track a dark cloudy feature as it swirled three times around the Red Spot’s central vortex.
The circulating streak completed the circuit in only 4.0 days, shorter than the 4.5 days Rogers measured in 2006 using the same method.
Looking back in time, “the trend of decreasing rotation period has been consistent at least since Voyager visited Jupiter in 1979,” said Rogers.
As the spot shrinks, it also changes shape. Decades ago the Red Spot looked like a sausage – now it’s more circular.
What happens next is hard to say. “Perhaps the Red Spot will continue to shrink and eventually disappear,” speculated Rogers. “Or perhaps it will be rejuvenated if some new storm arises to reinforce it.”
One thing is certain, Christmas night is a good time to look. The Red Spot will be transiting Jupiter’s middle for observers across North America and will be perfectly positioned for telescopic observations.
But you don’t need a telescope to enjoy the show.
Step outside at sunset on Dec. 25 and look east. After all, Christmas isn’t really over until you’ve seen the holiday lights.
Dr. Tony Phillips works for the National Aeronautics and Space Administration.
CLEARLAKE, Calif. – Lake County’s district attorney said Friday that he does not have enough evidence to pursue the prosecution of the suspect in the June death of a Clearlake businessman.
District Attorney Don Anderson said that after six months of investigation, there’s not enough evidence to prove exactly what caused the death of 44-year-old Edward Alden, a popular barber who died June 25 of injuries he sustained days earlier.
Based on the findings of the investigation, review of medical records and interviews with the pathologist, Anderson said he won’t seek prosecution of the chief suspect in the case, Franklin Reed, because the circumstances surrounding Alden’s injuries and actual cause of death cannot be proven beyond a reasonable doubt.
Complicating the investigation are changing or inconsistent stories from witnesses, Anderson said.
“This is devastating,” said Rochelle Davis, one of Alden’s longtime friends.
Alden’s sister Angela Beatty, who reopened his salon at 14656 Lakeshore Dr., said her family was told Wednesday of the decision.
“None of us are happy,” she said, adding that her mother was “not doing that good” as a result.
Alden’s family said he suffered major head injuries after being assaulted at his W. 40th Avenue home late on the night of June 16, a chronology which differs by less than an hour from that offered by investigators, who believe the fight actually happened shortly after midnight on June 17.
His family has held that Reed attacked Alden and kicked him in the head repeatedly.
Early on the morning of June 17, Alden was found unresponsive in his home by his roommate, Sarah Felder, and flown by air ambulance to Santa Rosa Memorial Hospital.
He never regained consciousness, and after nine days his family had him removed from life support, as Lake County News reported in an in-depth article on the case earlier this year: http://bit.ly/Rtt2Al .
Anderson’s Friday report said that the investigation revealed that there were several phone calls exchanged between Alden, Reed and a third man, Robert Winter – Alden’s cousin – on the evening of June 16.
There also were several threats made and mutual arrangements to meet and fight, with the report stating that Alden invited Reed and Winter to his home to fight. Anderson said the chronology of events put them at Alden’s home shortly after midnight.
“The accounts of the ensuing fight are conflicting and some witnesses changed their account of the events during the course of the investigation,” Anderson said.
Anderson said it appears that Alden and Reed squared off and began fighting. “The fight appears to be a mutual combat between Alden and Reed.”
Alden was knocked to the ground and may have been kicked while down by either Reed or by Alden’s “girlfriend,” Anderson’s report said.
That female subject is not named, but Alden’s family said Felder had been living at Alden’s home, although they denied the two were romantically involved.
Anderson said the stories from witnesses conflict about whether Alden was knocked unconscious and then drug into the residence by Felder, or whether he walked into the house on his own.
Once he was back inside the house, Alden called another person and related that he was in a fight but was all right. “Alden says he was going to get into the shower and they talk of retaliation,” the report said.
An unconscious Alden is later found by paramedics in the bathtub, with injuries to his head and face, Anderson said. Alden was then transported to the hospital where he was placed on life support and died eight days later.
Anderson said the pathologist who examined Alden’s body suggested that the cause of death might have been caused by the combination of the assault and a high alcohol level.
Alden’s blood alcohol level at the time of the fight was estimated to be .36, Anderson said. However, the pathologist could not testify with certainty to what the actual cause of death was.
“In the final analysis, based on medical evidence, this office can not determine the exact cause of death, an essential element in a homicide case such as this. If the death was solely caused by the injuries to the head it would have to first prove who inflicted the injuries,” Anderson said in his report.
“It is known Franklin Reed punched Alden and there is conflicting stories that he may have also kicked him,” said Anderson, adding that one witness said Felder accidentally kicked Alden while he was on the ground, when she was trying to kick at Reed.
Additionally, Anderson said his office would have to prove that Alden’s head injuries occurred during the assault and not during “an intervening event.”
Anderson said Alden was conscious and able to have a phone conversation after the fight. He then got into the bathtub, where he was found unconscious.
“There is no evidence that Alden did or did not receive head injuries after the fight, in part because of his extreme intoxication,” Anderson said.
The brief fight between Alden and Reed appeared to be mutual combat, with no weapons used by either. “It can not be proved that one side used extensive, prolonged or aggravated force against the other. The possibility of self defense can also not be ruled out,” Anderson said in his report.
Based on what investigators have compiled so far, Anderson said it cannot be proved beyond a reasonable doubt that any one person is guilty of killing Alden or of any lesser included offense.
Anderson said that if any additional evidence is obtained at any time, the case will be reviewed for prosecution.
Email Elizabeth Larson at
NORTH COAST, Calif. – Pacific Gas and Electric Co. this week reported that its employees and retirees have raised nearly $350,000 to support nonprofit organizations and schools throughout the North Bay and North Coast regions.
The following donations were provided by local employees and retirees through PG&E’s annual giving initiative, Campaign for the Community:
- Marin County: $97,850.67;
- Napa County: $14,810.40;
- Sonoma County: $124,538.60;
- Solano County: $31,321.40;
- Lake County: $4,574.79;
- Mendocino County: $14,386.80;
- Humboldt County: $51,839.61.
Throughout PG&E’s entire service area in Northern and Central California, employees and retirees raised a total of $6 million – the most ever pledged in the campaign’s history, exceeding last year’s total by $700,000.
Tony Earley, chairman, CEO and president of PG&E Corp., praised employees for their generosity, calling it “an incredible outpouring of support for our customers in this time of economic need.”
“Our customers have always been able to count on PG&E and its employees to give back to our communities. That spirit of service is alive through our volunteerism and giving throughout the year, but it has never been more evident than during this campaign,” Earley said.
The money raised by PG&E’s Campaign for the Community will be distributed throughout 2013 to 5,400 schools and nonprofit organizations, including environmental organizations, community centers, food banks, animal shelters, veterans groups and many others, to help keep important programs and services alive in local communities.
Through PG&E’s Campaign for the Community, employees can designate donation recipients and contribute amounts of their choosing through payroll deductions or onetime donations. This year, pledges were made by 8,500 employees, 41 percent of PG&E’s workforce, and more than 400 retirees.
In addition, PG&E’s employee resource groups raised $126,000 through community events, from funny slipper contests and food sales to dinners with PG&E officers. Last year, these employee led fundraising events earned nearly $100,000 for the community.
Since 2000, PG&E employees and retirees have raised more than $43 million through Campaign for the Community benefitting schools and nonprofit organizations in communities where PG&E employees live and work, primarily in Northern and Central California. These monies are in addition to the $23 million that PG&E donates annually throughout its service area.
If you’re reading this story, it means one thing: The world didn’t end yesterday.
According to media reports of an ancient Maya prophecy, the world was supposed to be destroyed on Dec. 21, 2012.
Apparently not.
“The whole thing was a misconception from the very beginning,” said Dr. John Carlson, director of the Center for Archaeoastronomy. “The Maya calendar did not end on Dec. 21, 2012, and there were no Maya prophecies foretelling the end of the world on that date.”
The truth, says Carlson, is more interesting than fiction.
Carlson is a hard-nosed scientist – a radio astronomer who earned his degree studying distant galaxies.
He became interested in the 2012 phenomenon in the early 1970s when he attended a meeting of the American Association for the Advancement of Science and learned about the lost civilization of the Maya.
Where the rain forests of Mesoamerica now stand, a great civilization once flourished. The people of Maya society built vast cities, ornate temples, and towering pyramids.
At its peak around 800 A.D., the population numbered more than 2,000 people per square mile in the cities – comparable to modern Los Angeles County.
The Maya mastered astronomy, developed an elaborate written language, and left behind exquisite artifacts.
Most compelling to Carlson was the Maya’s expansive sense of time. “The times Mayas used dwarf any time scales currently used by modern astronomers,” he explained. “According to our science, the Big Bang occurred 13.7 billion years ago. There are dates and time references in Mayan ruins that stretch back a billion billion times farther than that.”
The Maya Long Count Calendar was designed to keep track of such long intervals. “It is the most complex calendar system ever developed by people anywhere,” he said.
Written using modern typography, the Long Count Calendar resembles the odometer in a car. It’s a modified base-20 system in which rotating digits represent powers of 20 days.
Because the digits rotate, the calendar can “roll over” and repeat itself; this repetition is key to the 2012 phenomenon.
What caused the fall of the Maya? Using NASA data, one archaeologist believes he has found the answer.
According to Maya theology, the world was created 5,125 years ago, on a date modern people would write “August 11, 3114 BC.” At the time, the Maya calendar looked like this: 13.0.0.0.0.
On Dec. 21, 2012, it is exactly the same: 13.0.0.0.0.
In the language of Maya scholars, 13 Bak’tuns or 13 times 144,000 days elapsed between the two dates. This was a significant interval in Maya theology, but, stresses Carlson, not a destructive one. None of the thousands of ruins, tablets, and standing stones that archaeologists have examined foretell an end of the world.
Modern science agrees. NASA experts recently gathered in a Google hangout to review their own findings with the public.
Don Yeomans, head of NASA’s Near-Earth Object Program, stated that no known asteroids or comets are on a collision course with Earth.
Neither is a rogue planet coming to destroy us. “If there were anything out there like a planet headed for Earth,” said NASA astrobiologist David Morrison, “it would already be [one of the] brightest objects in the sky. Everybody on Earth could see it. You don’t need to ask the government, just go out and look. It’s not there.”
Lika Guhathakurta, head of NASA’s Living with a Star Program, says the sun is not a threat, either.
“The sun has been flaring for billions of years--long before the Maya even existed--and it has never once destroyed the world,” she said.
“Right now the sun is approaching the maximum of its 11-year activity cycle,” she added, “but this is the wimpiest solar cycle of the past 50 years. Reports to the contrary are exaggerated.”
What would an ancient Maya think about all this hoopla? Carlson believes he knows the answer.
“If we could time warp a Maya to the present day, they would say that Dec. 21, 2012, is a very important date,” he explained. “Many Maya believed that their gods who created the world 5,125 years ago would return. One of them in particular, an enigmatic deity named Bolon Yokte’ K’uh, would conduct old rites of passage, to set space and time in order, and to regenerate the cosmos.”
The world would be refreshed, not destroyed.
“I have been waiting to experience this day for more than 30 years,” he said.
For him, “experiencing Dec. 21, 2012” means visiting the Maya homeland in the Yucatan, and thinking back to the height of Maya civilization, when ancient humans contemplated expanses of time orders of magnitude beyond modern horizons.
And, of course, appreciating the fact that the world didn’t end yesterday.
Dr. Tony Phillips works for the National Aeronautics and Space Administration.
LAKE COUNTY, Calif. – Winter driving on roads and highways in the snow-capped mountains of California can be a pleasant adventure – or it can be frustrating, tiring and sometimes even hazardous.
The Clear Lake Area California Highway Patrol provides the following information to help make your mountain driving safe and pleasant.
The CHP wishes everyone a safe a happy holiday season. They also remind everyone to buckle up, slow down and if you drink please designate a sober driver.
Before heading for snow country:
- Make sure your brakes, windshield wipers, defroster, heater and exhaust system are in top condition.
- Check your antifreeze and be ready for colder temperatures. You may want to add special solvent to your windshield washer reservoir to prevent icing.
- Check your tires. Make sure they are properly inflated and the tread is in good condition.
- Always carry chains. Make sure they are the proper size for your tires and are in working order. Carry a flashlight and chain repair links. Chains must be installed on the drive wheels. Make sure you know if your vehicle is front or rear wheel drive.
- Other suggested items to carry in your car are an ice scraper or commercial deicer, a broom for brushing snow off your car, a shovel to free your car if it’s “snowed in,” sand or burlap for traction if your wheels should become mired in snow; and an old towel to clean your hands.
- It is also a good idea to take along water, food, warm blankets, hats, gloves, and extra clothing. A lengthy delay will make you glad you have them.
- Put an extra car key in your pocket. A number of motorists have locked themselves out of their cars when putting on chains and at ski areas.
- Allow enough time. Trips to the mountains can take longer during winter than other times of year, especially if you encounter storm conditions or icy roads. Get an early start and allow plenty of time to reach your destination.
NORTH COAST, Calif. – Commercial Dungeness crab fishing season north of Sonoma County will be delayed for a third time, but will finally open on Jan.15, the Department of Fish and Game reported.
New test results from the fishing grounds show that crab from Mendocino County and north have still not developed enough meat for harvest.
“Another round of pre-season quality tests revealed that crab from the Trinidad area are not yet mature and won’t be ready for harvest by the delayed opening date of Dec. 31,” said DFG Environmental Scientist Christy Juhasz. “However, these crab are projected to meet the quality standard by Jan. 15 and so the season will open then.”
The season was originally set to open on Dec. 1, but quality tests have shown the crabs have less than 25 percent of their body weight as meat. At least 25 percent is ideal for harvest.
The Dungeness crab season from Sonoma County south does not fall under the same restrictions. That season opened on Nov. 15.
Regulations allow for delays off California’s northern coast if Dungeness crabs have soft shells or are of poor quality.
The delays may not extend past Jan. 15, so the season will definitely open by that date, the Department of Fish and Game said.