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Deep in the heart of the spiral Milky Way galaxy, a hot vortex of matter swirls around a black hole more than a million times as massive as the sun.
Many galaxies, perhaps all, contain such a “monster in the middle.” These supermassive black holes sustain themselves by swallowing stars, planets, asteroids, comets and clouds of gas that wander by the crowded galactic core.
NASA’s NuSTAR spacecraft recently caught the Milky Way’s central black hole in the act of having a snack.
“We got lucky and captured an outburst from the black hole during our [first] observing campaign,” said Fiona Harrison, the mission’s principal investigator at the California Institute of Technology.
NuSTAR is an orbiting observatory designed to take pictures of violent, high-energy phenomena in the universe.
Launched on June 13, 2012, it is the only telescope capable of producing focused images of the highest-energy X-rays produced by dying stars and ravenous black holes.
“It’s like putting on a new pair of glasses and seeing aspects of the world around us clearly for the first time,” said Harrison.
NuSTAR’s first light image of Cygnus X-1, a black hole in our galaxy that is siphoning gas off a giant-star companion, shows what she’s talking about: http://www.nasa.gov/mission_pages/nustar/news/nustar20120628.html .
NuSTAR’s sharp vision allowed it to pinpoint a burst of hard X-rays coming from the galactic center during an observing campaign in July.
Lower-energy X-ray observations by NASA’s Chandra X-ray Observatory and infrared data from the Keck telescope in Hawaii confirmed the outburst. The Milky Way’s black hole had just swallowed ... something.
Black hole snacks are a violent process in which the “meal” is ripped apart by powerful tides and heated to millions of degrees as it slides down the gullet of the gravitational singularity.
In this case, NuSTAR picked up X-rays emitted by matter being heated up to about 100 million degrees Celsius.
The observation raises hopes that astronomers will be able to solve a long-standing mystery: Why is the Milky Way’s supermassive black hole such a picky eater?
Compared to giant black holes at the centers of other galaxies, the Milky Way’s is relatively quiet. More active black holes tend to gobble up matter in prodigious quantities. Ours, on the other hand, is thought only to nibble or not eat at all.
Asteroids could be a primary food source. One model holds that trillions of asteroids surround the Milky Way’s core.
Astronomers using the Chandra X-ray Observatory have indeed detected flares consistent with asteroids 10 kilometers wide or larger falling into the black hole.
These space rocks would be about the same size as the asteroid that wiped out the dinosaurs on Earth 65 million years ago. Smaller space rocks might be falling in, too, but their flares would be too weak for Chandra to detect.
NuSTAR brings something new to the problem. With its unprecedented ability to detect and make focused images of X-ray flares, the telescope will almost certainly help astronomers understand what’s happening deep in the core of our galaxy. The monster’s menu might soon be revealed.
For more information about NuSTAR and its focused observations of black holes, visit the mission’s home page at www.nustar.caltech.edu .
Dr. Tony Phillips works for the National Aeronautics and Space Administration.
CLEARLAKE, Calif. – An early morning house fire on Friday displaced a Clearlake family and did significant damage to the structure.
The home, located at the corner of Cypress and Crawford, was reported to be on fire between 1:30 a.m. and 2 a.m. Friday, according to Lake County Fire Protection District Battalion Chief George Murch.
Murch said the older two-story, wood frame home was 30 to 40 percent involved when firefighters arrived.
Seven people were living in the home, including five adults, a 17-year-old male and a 2-year-old. Everyone but the teen was home at the time the fire was reported, Murch said.
He said the family's 21-year-old daughter suffered smoke inhalation while trying to rescue their pets, and the mother had first- and second-degree burns on her hands from trying to get out of the house. The only two ways out, he added, were through the fire area.
“They just barely got out,” Murch said.
All of the home's occupants got out except for one of the family's dogs, according to Murch.
Murch said three Lake County Fire engines and a water tender responded, along with one engine from Northshore Fire.
He said it took firefighters about 30 minutes to knock the fire down. While the home wasn't destroyed, he said it was badly damaged by the fire, particularly the back of the structure. Smoke damage was throughout.
Firefighters also had trouble isolating the home's electrical source, Murch said. About 30 minutes into the incident Pacific Gas & Electric was able to locate a panel and shut the power off.
The fire displaced the residence's family, Murch said. “They're getting some assistance from Red Cross.”
He said an investigator is expected to be on the scene on Friday. So far, they believe the cause was accidental, with the fire originating in a bedroom.
Murch estimated total damages to be as high as $40,000.
Email Elizabeth Larson at
LAKE COUNTY, Calif. – Lake Transit Authority is among a number of public transit agencies and projects statewide that have been awarded funding to expand services to low-income residents who use buses to commute to work.
Caltrans said it has awarded approximately $17,465,068 to 105 public transit projects across California under the Job Access & Reverse Commute and New Freedom programs.
The agency said the projects that received the funds are designed to help low-income people and those with disabilities to access employment and employment-related activities such as job training and job interviews more easily. It also includes transporting people to employment opportunities in suburban areas and city centers.
“We want to make it easier for people to get to work,” said Caltrans Director Malcolm Dougherty. “People who rely on transit will have more opportunities, and that’s the point of a good transit system.”
Lake Transit received $250,000 to pay for expanding is service hours to 10 p.m. or after for service to Clearlake, Lakeport, Lower Lake, Clearlake Oaks, Glenhaven, Lucerne, Nice, Upper Lake and Kelseyville.
The total estimated cost of expanding Lake Transit’s services hours is $378,438, according to a Caltrans report.
In addition, Lake Transit received $54,000 to fully cover services for seniors that include nonemergency medical transportation trips, senior center and project partner shuttles, door‐to‐door trips, volunteer driver and pay‐your‐pal programs serving Lakeport, Upper Lake, Nice, Lucerne, Glenhaven, Clearlake Oaks and Clearlake.
Over the past several years Lake Transit has experienced record-breaking ridership as gas prices and the troubled economy have made riding the bus a more economical and reliable option, as Lake County News has reported.
Lake Transit General Manager Mark Wall told Lake County News in a previous interview that passenger fares – which went up at the start of this year – account for only 25 percent of the transit agency’s income, with state funds and federal grants making up the other 75 percent.
The agency has managed to expand its services, rather than make significant cuts as have been seen in other areas, by successfully going after state and federal money.
In June, Lake Transit received $1,366,525 for five replacement buses, which followed an October 2011 state transportation bond fund award of $309,288, also for upgrades to its aging fleet, as Lake County News has reported.
In addition to pursuing grants to expand its routes and purchase new buses, Lake Transit also amassed half a million dollars in grant funding over a several-year period that helped pay for new shelters and benches around the county.
Other projects around the North Coast and among Lake’s neighboring counties that received funds included:
- $174,708 for continuation of the Mendocino Transit Authority’s highly successful evening bus service;
- $100,000 to Yolo County Transportation District for operating assistance to continue service on Route 215, which provides service to low income and rural individuals to access employment;
- $300,000 to to Yolo County Transportation District to continue evening, weekend and holiday service on Route 42, which services Sacramento International Airport;
- $101,000 to Petaluma Transit to begin fixed route and complementary paratransit service on selected routes on Sundays.
For more about Lake Transit, its routes and schedules, visit www.laketransit.org .
Email Elizabeth Larson at
California Attorney General Kamala Harris has announced a $10.4 million grant program for organizations that provide housing counseling and legal services to homeowners.
The grant funds were secured through the National Mortgage Settlement with the goal of providing assistance to homeowners impacted by California's foreclosure crisis.
The California Department of Justice will award Consumer Assistance Grants for housing counseling and legal service providers ranging from $150,000 to $750,000 per organization.
A Homeowner Bill of Rights Implementation Grant of approximately $1 million also will be awarded to assist in the implementation of California’s new homeowner protection legislation sponsored by the attorney general this year.
Grant applications must be received electronically no later than Jan. 14, 2013. Details regarding the application process can be found at http://oag.ca.gov/grants .
The California State Bar, under the leadership of Executive Director Joe Dunn, will work with the Attorney General’s Office to administer the grants.
The California Homeowner Bill of Rights, signed into law earlier this year, restricts dual-track foreclosures, where a lender forecloses on a borrower despite being in discussions over a loan modification to save the home.
It also guarantees struggling homeowners a single point of contact at their lender with knowledge of their loan and direct access to decision makers, and imposes civil penalties on fraudulently signed mortgage documents.
The California Homeowner Bill of Rights expanded Attorney General Harris’ response to the state’s foreclosure and mortgage crisis. Attorney General Harris created a Mortgage Fraud Strike Force in March, 2011 to investigate and prosecute misconduct related to mortgages and foreclosures.
In February 2012, Attorney General Harris negotiated a commitment from the nation’s five largest banks to dedicate an estimated $18 billion to mitigate harm to California homeowners caused by bank conduct in the foreclosure process.
LAKEPORT, Calif. – Lake County Live! returns to the Soper-Reese Community Theatre and on the air on KPFZ, Lake County Community Radio 88.1 FM on Sunday, Nov. 25, at 6 p.m.
This month’s show, marking 11 performances in the theater and on the air, is the Christmas show, with featured performers My Divas and Andy Rossoff.
Rossoff returns after his debut performance on Lake County Live! in March of this year, and the first performance on the show of My Divas.
My Divas is an a cappella group of women featuring songs of the Renaissance and other classical motifs, with outstanding harmonies and vocal talents.
The Divas consist of Joy Fay, director Claudia Listman, Susan Yeagan, Stephanie Regula, Laura Lamar, Laura Sammel, Barbarba Clark, Gail Albin and Kinene Barin.
Andy Rossoff is a local attorney and director of the Senior Law Project, but also a great keyboard artist who loves the blues, and will demonstrate his talents again for the audience in the theater and on the air.
“We continue to be blessed by the incredible talent Lake County has to offer, who come to our show and perform for the public, both live and on the air,” said show creator and host Doug Rhoades. “This month, we will celebrate Christmas, and please note we’re waiting until after Thanksgiving to do so!”
In addition to the show being live in the theater and on the air, the show is shown on Lake County’s Community television station, PEG 8 which airs on Mediacom channel 8 on Fridays at 6 p.m. with recurring repeats.
Rhoades added, “Join us in the theater for our holiday celebration, as well as the return of the Ladies of the Lake, news reports from the Lake County Daily Herald Sentinel, a special remote report on the labor dispute at Santa’s workshop along with more fun from our continuing cast of supporting actors, including Richard Smith, Nick Reid, Suna Flores, Pam Bradley, Kris Andre, Mitchell Hauptman and more.”
Information on the show is always available at www.facebook.com/lakecountylive .
Tickets for the performance are available at the theater box office on Friday from 10:30 a.m. to 5:30 p.m., at the Travel Center at 1265 S. Main in Lakeport and online at www.soperreesetheatre.com .
The show is presented with the support of the theater, Lake County News ( www.lakeconews.com ), KPFZ and the Lake County Community Co-op.
The Soper-Reese Community Theatre is located at 275 S. Main St., Lakeport.
NORTHERN CALIFORNIA – An early morning fire broke out at a State Water Project plant on Thursday, but officials said water deliveries are expected to continue uninterrupted.
The California Department of Water Resources said the fire, of undetermined origin, occurred at the State Water Project’s Ronald B. Robie Thermalito Pumping-Generating plant near Oroville.
The incident was not expected to interrupt water deliveries, the Department of Water Resources said.
The agency reported that there were no injuries, and no personnel were in the plant when the fire started.
The fire at the plant, four miles west of Oroville in Butte County, was detected about 7 a.m. Wednesday, and was responded to by Cal Fire, according to the report.
Crews fighting the fire eventually had to exit the facility due to life-threatening dangers from collapsing equipment, zero visibility and other conditions. The fire was still burning Thursday night, with Cal Fire and the Department of Water Resources continuing to monitor the situation.
Thermalito Pumping-Generating Plant is operated in tandem with Hyatt Powerplant beneath Oroville Dam and the nearby Thermalito Diversion Dam power plant to produce electrical power to pump State Water Project water.
Water released from Lake Oroville behind Oroville Dam can be diverted around the pumping-generating plant, so deliveries will not be impacted and no flow changes are expected in the downstream Feather River.
Damage to the plant, however, will reduce electrical generation, meaning the Department of Water Resources will have to purchase additional power to pump water.
The State Water Project delivers water to more than 25 million Californians and nearly a million acres of irrigated farmland.
The Department of Water Resources operates and maintains the State Water Project, provides dam safety and flood control and inspection services, assists local water districts in water management and water conservation planning, and plans for future statewide water needs.