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- Written by: PRESTON DYCHES
What's up for November? Venus and Jupiter on opposite sides of the sky, the Leonid meteors return, and the celestial "sea" surrounding Saturn.
This November, Jupiter is up in the sky all night and sets just before sunrise, while Venus rises in the early morning hours. This means you can see them on opposite sides of the sky if you happen to be up before dawn. You may recall that these two planets appeared super close together just a few months ago, back in March.
On the morning of Nov. 9, find the crescent moon hanging just beneath Venus in the early morning sky before sunrise.
Then on the 17th, look for a beautiful crescent moon sitting low in the southwest all by itself in the twilight following sunset.
Thanks to the Moon illusion, which causes the rising or setting Moon to look larger, a crescent moon low near the horizon often appears extra captivating.
Then, after sunset on Nov. 20, look toward the south to see the first quarter moon just below Ringed Planet Saturn. The pair are joined by bright stars Fomalhaut and Altair.
And then on the 24th, look for the nearly full moon close to giant Jupiter in the east after sunset. Some binoculars will be able to capture both of them in the same field of view.
Finally, in the last few days of November, you'll notice Venus is rising in the morning with a bright star very close by. That star is Spica, which is actually two massive stars that orbit around each other every four days.
The annual Leonid meteor shower returns this month. The shower peaks overnight on Nov. 17, with the most meteors visible between midnight and dawn on the 18th. The Leonid meteors are dust particles that originate from comet Tempel-Tuttle, which was discovered in 1865 and orbits the Sun every 33 years.
Leonids tend to be bright, with many producing long trains that persist for a few seconds after the initial flash of light. To view the Leonids, find a safe, dark spot away from bright lights, lie down and look straight up. The meteors can appear anywhere in the sky.
This year, the Moon is near its first quarter phase on the peak night. It sets just a couple of hours after nightfall, so it won't interfere with viewing Leonids. So bring a warm drink, bundle up, and enjoy your time searching for meteors in the November sky.
Looking toward the south a couple of hours after dark in November, you'll find the planet Saturn about halfway up the sky. This region of the sky is full of water-related constellations. For that reason, it's sometimes referred to as "the Sea" or "the Water."
Saturn currently sits within Aquarius, the water bearer, imagined as a human figure pouring water from a jug. Nearby are Pisces, the fishes, and Capricornus, the strange, mythical sea goat. Just beneath Aquarius is the Southern Fish, and just above him is the Dolphin.
To the east of Aquarius you'll find the constellation Cetus, a sea monster or whale. And next to Cetus is the constellation Eridanus, which represents a long, winding cosmic river.
Now, these star patterns are not particularly bright or easy to pick out. But it is interesting to note that this whole area of the night sky is populated by mythical figures related to water.
And speaking of connections between water and wonder, NASA plans to launch its Europa Clipper spacecraft next fall to study Jupiter's icy moon Europa — which is thought to contain an ocean that might support life.
And you can send your name to Europa, etched on the spacecraft. Visit this link to sign the "message in a bottle" that will be sent across the cosmic sea from Earth to Europa — from one ocean world to another.
Stay up to date on NASA's missions exploring the solar system and beyond at http://science.nasa.gov.
"What's Up" is NASA's longest running web video series. It had its first episode in April 2007 with original host Jane Houston Jones. Today, Preston Dyches, Christopher Harris and Lisa Poje are the science communicators and space enthusiasts who produce this monthly video series at NASA's Jet Propulsion Laboratory. Additional astronomy subject matter guidance is provided by JPL's Bill Dunford, Gary Spiers, Lyle Tavernier and GSFC's Molly Wasser.
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- Written by: Lake County News reports
Several county, state and federal offices will be on the ballot for the primary, which takes place on March 5, 2024.
The partisan offices on the ballot include United States president, county central committees and councils, United States Senator (full term), United States Senator (partial/unexpired term), United States Representative in Congress for District 4, State Assembly Member for District 4.
Nonpartisan offices up for election include Superior Court judges for departments 1, 3 and 4; county supervisors for districts 1, 4 and 5; and sheriff-coroner.
The Registrar’s Office said the timeframe for submitting in lieu of petitions — which reduce the cost for filings — ends at 5 p.m. Nov. 8.
All candidates for elective office must file nomination documents — which include nomination papers and declaration of candidacy — as well as pay a nonrefundable filing fee. That’s except for judicial candidates, who pay when filing the declaration of intention to have their name printed on the ballot.
The nomination filing period begins Nov. 13 and ends at 5 p.m. Dec. 8.
If an incumbent fails to file during this period, candidate filing will extend for any candidate except the incumbent until Dec. 13 by 5 p.m.
Registered voters interested in filing for county central committees and county council must file nomination papers and a declaration of candidacy between Sept. 29 and Dec. 8.
Filings to date
The Registrar of Voters Office said the following candidates have been issued in-lieu petitions so far.
• Judge of the Superior Court, Department 1: Michael S. Lunas.
• Judge of the Superior Court, Department 3: Andrew S. Blum.
• Judge of the Superior Court, Department 4: Shanda M. Harry, Anna Gregorian and William Conwell.
• County Supervisor, District 1: Bryan Pritchard, Bren Boyd, Sean Millerick and John H. Hess.
• County Supervisor, District 4: Brad Rasmussen, Laura McAndrews Sammel, Scott Jason Barnett and Chris Read.
• County Supervisor, District 5: Jessica Pyska, Dennis Holzinger and Daniel “Boone” Bridges.
Candidates for judicial offices are required to file a declaration of intention and pay a nonrefundable filing fee before filing for office. Judicial candidates may file a declaration of intention between Oct. 30 and Nov. 8 at 5 p.m.
The elections office said Lunas, Blum, Harry and Gregorian have filed their declarations of intention.
Voters desiring information regarding any of the offices listed below may contact the Registrar of Voters office in person at 325 N Forbes St., Lakeport, by phone at 707-263-2372 or toll free at 888-235-6730.
The Registrar of Voters office is open Monday through Friday, from 8 a.m. to 5 p.m., excluding county holidays, to assist both candidates and voters.
For additional information, visit the registrar’s website or email the department at
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- Written by: Lake County News reports
Daylight saving time ends this year at 2 a.m. Sunday, Nov. 5.
The CHP joins the National Sleep Foundation in recognizing Nov. 5 to 11 as Drowsy Driving Prevention Week and encourages everyone to prioritize sleep and only drive when they are alert and refreshed.
Although we “fall back” and gain an extra hour of sleep this weekend, it does not necessarily equate to added rest, according to the American Academy of Sleep Medicine.
In the fall, people tend to wake up earlier, which results in less sleep throughout the week.
The time change can also disrupt sleep/wake patterns, which can put motorists at an increased risk of crashes.
Every year thousands of crashes occur in California involving drowsy drivers.
According to preliminary data from the CHP’s Statewide Integrated Traffic Records System, or SWITRS, there have been more than 4,000 crashes in California in 2023 involving a drowsy driver.
There were more than 5,000 crashes involving drowsy drivers in each of the two previous years.
Whenever motorists begin to feel tired or fatigued, the CHP reminds motorists to pull safely off the road and use one of the California Department of Transportation’s (Caltrans) statewide roadside rest areas for a quick mind-clearing break.
To find a rest area or to check for the latest travel information on state highways, visit the Caltrans QuickMap at http://quickmap.dot.ca.gov/.
Motorists are advised against stopping on the side of the road where they risk getting hit by another car.
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- Written by: DENNIS FORDHAM
Some step children and foster children may qualify as heirs to a deceased step or foster parent’s estate and so qualify to inherit when their deceased step parent or foster parent dies without a will.
Until now, it was widely accepted that a step child or foster child could only inherit if the following two conditions were both conditions of Probate Code section 6454 are satisfied: (1) the relationship began during the step child/foster child’s minority and continued throughout their joint lifetimes; and (2) it is established by clear and convincing evidence that the step parent/foster parent would have adopted the step child/foster child but for a legal barrier.
The legal barrier requirement eliminates adult step children and foster children from qualifying under section 6454 because adult adoptions do not require any consent of the biological parent; the barrier is thus removed.
Now, however, the California Court of Appeal, Fourth Appellate District, issued its opinion in Nick Zambito v. Tracy Martino (Super Ct. No. 37-2020-000002011-PR-LA-CTL) that allows step children and foster children to qualify as an heir under section 6453.
Unlike section 6454, section 6453 is not specific to step children. Section 6453 incorporates the various ways that a parent child relationship can be established under the Uniform Parentage Act (“UPA”).
As relevant, a child does not have to be a biological child, an adopted child, or even a step child, for a parent child relationship to be established under section 6453.
Section 7661 of the Family Code, a section within the UPA, defines a “natural parent” as “a nonadoptive parent established under this part, whether biologically related to the child or not.”
In Nick Zambito v. Tracy Martino, the decedent died intestate (i.e., without a will) and the decedent’s step child initially petitioned to inherit under section 6454 the pathway specifically and uniquely provided for step children and foster children to establish inheritance rights.
However, the stepchild conceded that he did not qualify because once his biological father had died the legal barrier to adoption was removed; thus, the step child no longer qualified under section 6454.
The stepchild amended his petition to assert that his deceased step father was his “natural parent,” for inheritance purposes, under section 6453 of the Probate Code.
One way that a parent-child relationship can be established under UPA for inheritance purposes under section 6453 is if a person receives a child into his home and openly holds out the child as his natural child under section 7611(d) of the Family Code.
As the court opinion in Nick Zambito says, “… a man ‘with no biological connection to the mother, and no way to satisfy the statutory presumption of paternity may nevertheless be deemed a presume father’ under Family Code section 7611, subdivision (d), if he can prove ‘an existing familial relationship with the child,’ a bond the likes of which ‘should not lightly be dissolved’. [(citing, In re D.M. (2012) 210 Cal. App. 4th 541, 554; AG v. County of Los Angeles (2018) 28 Cal. App. 5th 373, 380.] Thus, to qualify under section 7611(d) of the Family Code, the person claiming to be a child must prove that the parent both “received the child into his or her home” and “openly held out the child as his or her natural child.”
In sum, the requirements under sections 6453 and 6454 are different and it is possible, at least in California’s Fourth Appellate District at present, for a step child to establish a parent child relationship under one section but not the other.
The appellate court harmonized section 6453 and 6453 based on each statute's own terms and the fact that section 6454 did not expressly limit a step child to establishing a parent child relationship under section 6454.
The foregoing discussion is not legal advice. Consult a qualified estate planning attorney for fact specific legal guidance.
Dennis A. Fordham, Attorney, is a State Bar-Certified Specialist in estate planning, probate and trust law. His office is at 870 S. Main St., Lakeport, Calif. He can be reached at