How to resolve AdBlock issue? 
News
- Details
- Written by: NATIONAL AERONAUTICS AND SPACE ADMINISTRATION
Threads of superheated gas and magnetic fields are weaving a tapestry of energy at the center of the Milky Way galaxy.
A new image of this new cosmic masterpiece, shown above, was made using a giant mosaic of data from NASA's Chandra X-ray Observatory and the MeerKAT radio telescope in South Africa.
The new panorama of the Galactic Center builds on previous surveys from Chandra and other telescopes.
This latest version expands Chandra's high-energy view farther above and below the plane of the Galaxy — that is, the disk where most of the Galaxy's stars reside — than previous imaging campaigns.
In the image featured in our main graphic, X-rays from Chandra are orange, green, blue and purple, showing different X-ray energies, and the radio data from MeerKAT are shown in lilac and gray.
One thread is particularly intriguing because it has X-ray and radio emission intertwined. It points perpendicular to the plane of the galaxy and is about 20 light years long but only one-hundredth that size in width.
A new study of the X-ray and radio properties of this thread by Q. Daniel Wang of the University of Massachusetts at Amherst suggests these features are bound together by thin strips of magnetic fields. This is similar to what was observed in a previously studied thread.
Both threads are labeled with red rectangles in the image. The newly studied one in the lower left, G0.17-0.41, is much farther away from the plane of the Galaxy.
Such strips may have formed when magnetic fields aligned in different directions, collided, and became twisted around each other in a process called magnetic reconnection.
This is similar to the phenomenon that drives energetic particles away from the Sun and is responsible for the space weather that sometimes affects Earth.
A detailed study of these threads teaches us more about the Galactic space weather astronomers have witnessed throughout the region. This weather is driven by volatile phenomena such as supernova explosions, close-quartered stars blowing off hot gas, and outbursts of matter from regions near Sagittarius A*, our Galaxy's supermassive black hole.
Also labeled in the main image are X-rays reflected from dust around bright X-ray sources (green circles), Sagittarius A*, and, in purple circles and ellipses, the Arches and Quintuplet Clusters, DB00-58 and DB00-6, 1E 1743.1-28.43, the Cold Gas Cloud and Sagittarius C.
In addition to the threads, the new panorama reveals other wonders in the Galactic Center. For example, Wang's paper reports large plumes of hot gas, which extend for about 700 light years above and below the plane of the galaxy, seen here in greater detail than ever before. (They are much smaller than the Fermi Bubbles which extend for about 25,000 light years above and below the plane of the galaxy.)
These plumes may represent galactic-scale outflows, analogous to the particles driven away from the Sun. The gas is likely heated by supernova explosions and many recent magnetic reconnections occurring near the center of the galaxy.
Such reconnection events in the Galaxy are normally not sufficiently energetic to be detected in X-rays, except for the most energetic ones at the center of the Galaxy, where the interstellar magnetic field is much stronger.
Magnetic reconnection events may play a major role in heating the gas existing between stars (the interstellar medium). This process may also be responsible for accelerating particles to produce cosmic rays like those observed on Earth and driving turbulence in the interstellar medium that triggers new generations of star birth.
The image shows that the magnetic threads tend to occur at the outer boundaries of the large plumes of hot gas. This suggests that the gas in the plumes is driving magnetic fields that collide to create the threads.
The paper by Wang describing these results appears in the June issue of the Monthly Notices of the Royal Astronomical Society, and a preprint is available online. NASA's Marshall Space Flight Center manages the Chandra program. The Smithsonian Astrophysical Observatory's Chandra X-ray Center controls science from Cambridge, Massachusetts, and flight operations from Burlington, Massachusetts.
For more Chandra images, multimedia and related materials, visit http://www.nasa.gov/chandra.
- Details
- Written by: Elizabeth Larson
At its May 18 meeting, the Lakeport City Council unanimously approved a resolution to direct the future issuance of one or more series of pension obligation bonds, approve a form of indenture of trust pursuant to which the bonds would be issued and authorize the commencement of a judicial validation action related to the issuance of pension obligation bonds.
During the same meeting, the council approved the appointment of Mayor Kenny Parlet and Councilman Michael Green to the Unfunded Accrued Liability Policy and Restructuring Ad Hoc Committee, which city staff said will make policy recommendations and evaluate restructuring options with regard to the bonds.
City Manager Kevin Ingram told the council that the matter was not about approving the bonds themselves but the process to move forward, which could last four to six months.
During that time, Ingram said they will start to dig into the specifics about how the bonds will work for the city. “It does offer us quite a few advantages moving forward.”
Ingram said a primary objective of the bonds is to “smooth” the budget, helping with predictability, sustainability and resilience to future economic shocks.
It’s also an opportunity to take advantage of low interest rates, he said.
Another key reason for the bonds is that they will allow the city to refinance a lease action the council approved in 2015 that used as collateral City Hall, the Lakeport Fire Protection District’s downtown fire station and Westside Community Park. The new funding would remove those encumbrances, Ingram said.
Mike Meyer of NHA Advisors, a city adviser on the bonds, said the city has $10.4 million in pension liability on its balance sheet.
Of that amount, $8.4 million is for unfunded accrued liabilities with the California Public Employees’ Retirement System, or CalPERS, plus $2 million remaining on the 2015 lease.
Meyer said that unfunded pension liability has increased from $4.9 million to $8.4 million over the last seven years, primarily due to CalPERS’ investment assumption changes.
The resolution also approved the city’s contract with Jones Hall, a bond counsel firm.
James Wawrzyniak of Jones Hall said they are working with other cities across California on similar actions.
Once the resolution was approved, Wawrzyniak said the firm planned to commence the validation action on May 21.
He said a workshop to review the unfunded accrued liability restructuring options will be held in June or July. At that point, the council would determine whether to proceed with the pension restructuring transaction.
If the council moved forward, Wawrzyniak said a credit rating process would take place during the summer, and then in the summer or fall the valuation process would end. Formal council approvals would be needed at that time.
Ahead of the vote to approve the resolution, Parlet noted that the council’s 2015 attempt at “lowering the curve” of its obligations was an effort to balance the annual expenses so the city could maintain its service levels.
He faulted CalPERS for the “unpredictable nature” of the organization’s investments.
Dealing with obligations
In 2015, Dan Buffalo, then the city’s finance director, took to the council a proposal to reduce the cost of its unfunded pension costs to the general fund.
Over the course of several months, the council and staff looked at issuing new, unsecured debt to replace its existing CalPERS obligations, but by August of that year changes to the bond market ruled out pursuing a pension obligation bond at that time.
That led to staff and the city’s finance committee coming back in August 2015 with a proposal the council unanimously accepted, to pursue new debt through a bank to securitize new debt.
In order to do that, the city had to use City Hall — listed as the city’s “most essential” asset, which would allow for more aggressive bidding from banks and a lower interest rate — along with the Lakeport Fire Station and Westside Community Park to secure the debt.
The city eventually would choose Umpqua Bank for a lease plan. The final lease for the pension obligations was dated Dec. 1, 2015, and notarized on Dec. 28, 2015, Ingram told Lake County News.
Ingram said in an interview this week that the process the city followed for its lease agreement in 2015 wasn’t standardized for cities as it is now, with collateral no longer being required.
He said the lease did work to help the city with its pension liabilities. Had the city not taken the action, the city would have had to use almost its entire general fund to pay for the liabilities.
“Then CalPERS didn’t meet their obligation again,” he said. “It looks like we’re in the exact same position.”
Ingram said CalPERS has “shown over and over again that we can’t trust them.”
CalPERS’ handling of retirement investments is further complicated by parameters set out for it by the Legislature, which Ingram said means that CalPERS’ investments don’t get the same returns as the rest of the market.
“They like to use it as a little bit of a political weapon,” he said of the Legislature.
He pointed to CalPERS divesting from tobacco and certain gun stocks.
The bonds will, like the lease, smooth the city’s budget and make it more predictable, Ingram said.
Before making a final decision on pursuing the bonds, the council will get information on CalPERS’ annual investment returns, Ingram said. All indications are that this year’s returns are good.
Email Elizabeth Larson at
- Details
- Written by: Lake County News reports
LAKE COUNTY, Calif. — Thanks to additional funding from the Board of Supervisors, effective June 1, the Middletown and Clearlake branches of the Lake County Library will have expanded hours.
The Middletown Library will expand hours to 10 a.m. to 5 p.m. Tuesday through Saturday.
Redbud Library in Clearlake will be open on Wednesdays from 10 a.m. to 7 p.m. The hours on Tuesdays, Thursdays, Fridays, and Saturdays will remain 10 a.m. to 5 p.m.
Hours at the Lakeport Library and the Upper Lake Library will remain the same. All Library branches are closed Sunday and Monday.
New funding from the Lake County Board of Supervisors made this increase in hours possible.
During a meeting in early February, the board voted to provide funding for additional staff and library materials through the County’s Cannabis grant program.
“Access to the library has grown increasingly important throughout the hardships of this past year,” said County Librarian Christopher Veach. “It’s wonderful to be able to expand access to the library at this time.”
Earlier this year, the library provided all services via contactless delivery and was closed for in-person services.
The library reopened so patrons could come inside the library in late March.
The grant also funded more than 1,800 new children’s books at all four branches of the library.
There are new nonfiction books for almost every subject, covering history, math, science and more.
To help children develop a love of reading there are also new picture books for families to check out and read together.
The library is also planning on offering more children’s events for the community.
Due to COVID-19, many children’s programs moved to a digital format. As it becomes safer and the weather warms up the library is planning to offer more outdoor story times.
Residents can check with their local branch or go online to sign up for email notifications of new events.
Visit the Lake County Library website at http://library.lakecountyca.gov.
- Details
- Written by: Lake County News reports
Since Jan. 1, Cal Fire has responded to 2,265 wildfires and more than 195,000 other incidents.
“Approximately 95% of all wildfires in California are caused by human activity, and each year we see disasters that could have been prevented,” said Chief Thom Porter, Cal Fire director. “The dry conditions and increased temperatures throughout the state have created a situation where a fire could easily spark, so we ask everyone to be cautious as they enjoy their time outdoors.”
If you plan on driving to your holiday destination:
• Ensure your vehicle is properly maintained with nothing dragging on the ground, which can cause a spark and potentially a wildfire.
• When towing, make sure trailer chains are properly secured.
• Never drive or pull over into dry grass, which can start a wildfire.
If you are staying around your home:
• If using equipment, check that spark arresters and equipment are in good working condition. Use it before 10 a.m. and avoid yard work on hot, dry and windy days.
• Make sure you use the right tool for the job — lawn mowers are for cutting grass only.
• If grilling, never leave the grill unattended and always watch what you grill.
If you plan on going camping:
• Make sure to obtain a campfire permit and check for local fire restrictions.
• If you plan on having a campfire, make sure it is legal to do so. Clear grass, leaves and other debris within a 10-foot perimeter of the ring.
• Make sure all campfires are completely extinguished before leaving.
• Buy your firewood where you burn it, that way you are not spreading dangerous insects and diseases.
Water drownings increase dramatically during Memorial Day weekend.
• Never swim alone and if you are not a strong swimmer, always wear a life jacket.
• Children should always wear a life jacket in or around water and be supervised by a responsible adult within arm’s reach.
• Be particularly cautious of rivers and waterways with rapid currents and never underestimate calm water.
• Drinking while boating/swimming is just as dangerous as drinking and driving on the roadways.
For more ways to be safe this holiday, visit www.fire.ca.gov or www.ReadyforWildfire.org.