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- Written by: NATIONAL AERONAUTICS AND SPACE ADMINISTRATION
The universe would be a pretty boring place without stars. Without them, the universe would remain a diffuse plasma of mostly hydrogen and helium from the big bang.
As the basic building blocks of the cosmos, stellar nuclear fusion furnaces forge new heavy elements, enriching their parent galaxy. The radiant energy from stars potentially nurtures the emergence of life on the most favorably located planets, as it did on Earth.
To better understand stars and stellar evolution, the Space Telescope Science Institute (STScI) in Baltimore, Maryland, has launched an ambitious new initiative with NASA's Hubble Space Telescope, called UV Legacy Library of Young Stars as Essential Standards, or ULLYSES.
ULLYSES is Hubble's largest observing program ever in terms of the amount of time Hubble will dedicate to it. More than 300 stars will be included. Ultraviolet (UV) light from the target stars is being used to produce a library of the spectral "templates" of young, low-mass stars from eight star-forming regions in the Milky Way, as well as fully mature high-mass stars in several nearby dwarf galaxies including the Magellanic Clouds.
"One of the key goals of ULLYSES is to form a complete reference sample that can be used to create spectral libraries capturing the diversity of stars, ensuring a legacy dataset for a wide range of astrophysical topics. ULLYSES is expected to have a lasting impact on future research by astronomers around the world," said program lead Julia Roman-Duval of STScI.
STScI is now releasing the first set of ULLYSES observations to the astronomical community. These early targets are hot, massive, blue stars in several nearby dwarf galaxies.
Hubble is located above Earth's atmosphere, which filters out most UV radiation from space before it reaches ground-based telescopes. Hubble's ultraviolet sensitivity makes it the only observatory up to the task because young stars radiate a lot of their energy in the UV as they grow chaotically in fits and starts while feeding on infalling gas and dust.
The program's goal is to give astronomers a much better understanding of the birth of stars and how this relates to everything from planets to the formation and evolution of galaxies.
Astronomers want to learn how young low-mass stars affect the evolution and composition of planets forming around them.
Intense UV radiation pulls apart molecules and penetrates circumstellar disks, where planets form, influencing their chemistry and affecting how long the disks survive. This has a direct bearing on planet habitability, atmospheric escape, and chemistry.
"This unique collection is enabling diverse and exciting astrophysical research across many fields," Roman-Duval said.
This is a ground-based telescopic photo of the Small Magellanic Cloud, or SMC, a satellite galaxy of our Milky Way.
In addition, the torrential outflows of hot gas from fully mature stars that are much more massive than our Sun shape their environments in dramatic ways. By targeting massive stars in nearby galaxies with low abundances in heavy elements, similar to the primitive composition of early galaxies, astronomers can gain insights into how their outflows may have influenced early galaxy evolution billions of years ago.
The design and targets of these observations were selected in partnership with the astronomical community, allowing researchers from around the world to help develop the final program as well as have the opportunity to organize coordinated observations by other space- and ground-based telescopes at different wavelengths of light.
STScI scientific and technical staff are designing software specifically related to the development of databases and web interfaces to ensure wide access to the library by the astronomical community. Tools for high-level science products and spectroscopic analysis are being developed. All of the data are stored in STScI's Mikulski Archive for Space Telescopes.
The ULLYSES program is building a legacy for the future, creating a comprehensive database that astronomers will use for research for decades to come. The archive also complements the portions of the star-formation story that will soon be obtained with infrared-light observations from NASA's upcoming James Webb Space Telescope. Working together, both Hubble and Webb will provide a holistic view of stars and the star-formation history of the universe.
To learn more about the ULLYSES program, visit https://hubblesite.org/mission-and-telescope/hubbles-ullyses-program.
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- Written by: Lake County News reports
While COVID-19 activity in Lake County has remained relatively stable, new cases around the state and the country are rapidly climbing, Pace said.
Cooler weather is pushing people indoors more now, and Pace said that increases the risk for transmission of the virus.
As of Friday, Lake County had 776 COVID-19 cases, with 709 of them recovered and three hospitalized. There have been 17 deaths related to the virus.
Statewide, county public health departments reported a total of 18,220 deaths due to the virus as of Friday night, with positive cases now numbering more than 1,015,600.
On Friday, state officials issued a travel advisory and updated guidance for private gatherings.
Pace said holiday travel can be especially risky, since it brings people together from different locations, indoors, to eat and drink with their masks off.
Since there are currently record levels of infection at many places around the country, the upcoming Thanksgiving and Christmas holidays carry greater than usual risk, Pace said.
“We encourage people to stay home this Thanksgiving,” said Pace. “Traveling out of the area, or having out-of-area family and friends come to visit you, is not a good idea this year. Many people travel to other parts of the state, or out of the country, to see family. Some people travel to other areas for work. We strongly encourage people to think twice before doing so.”
If you do end up traveling, Pace said the following precautions should be emphasized:
– Masking while indoors;
– Staying away from others when ill;
– Social distancing;
– Proper disinfection.
In addition to the state’s advisory, many regional health leaders, including the Association of Bay Area Health Officials, are recommending self-quarantine for 14 days after travel.
That means to stay home from work or other out-of-home activities for 14 days after traveling to other areas. Pace said testing during that time would also be a good idea.
“Remember, simple precautions and avoiding gatherings can slow the spread of COVID-19 and keep local businesses open,” Pace said.
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- Written by: Lake County News reports
Officials will be lowering the flag for the winter on Monday, Nov. 16, at 11 a.m. at Austin Park, 14077 Lakeshore Drive.
The flag, the largest in Lake County, is annually raised in May and typically flies for six months.
Monday’s flag-lowering event will include performances by members of the Lower Lake High School Show Choir, invocation by Navy veteran and Assistant Pastor Tim Miller of First Baptist Church, and the playing of “Retreat” by the Lake County Military Honors Team.
The flag will be lowered and folded according to the US flag code. The flag will be raised again in May 2021.
The Park Study Club sponsors the flag annually for the city. Masks are required and organizers ask that healthy distancing rules be followed.
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- Written by: Lake County News reports
The travel advisories urge against nonessential out-of-state travel, ask people to self-quarantine for 14 days after arriving from another state or country and encourage residents to stay local.
“California just surpassed a sobering threshold – one million COVID-19 cases – with no signs of the virus slowing down,” said Gov. Newsom. “Increased cases are adding pressure on our hospital systems and threatening the lives of seniors, essential workers and vulnerable Californians. Travel increases the risk of spreading COVID-19, and we must all collectively increase our efforts at this time to keep the virus at bay and save lives.”
In addition to urging individuals arriving from other states or countries to self-quarantine for 14 days after arrival, the states’ travel advisories recommend individuals limit their interactions to their immediate household.
The advisories define essential travel as travel for work and study, critical infrastructure support, economic services and supply chains, health, immediate medical care and safety and security.
“COVID-19 does not stop at state lines. As hospitals across the West are stretched to capacity, we must take steps to ensure travelers are not bringing this disease home with them,” said Gov. Brown. “If you do not need to travel, you shouldn’t. This will be hard, especially with Thanksgiving around the corner. But the best way to keep your family safe is to stay close to home.”
“COVID cases have doubled in Washington over the past two weeks. This puts our state in as dangerous a position today as we were in March,” said Gov. Inslee. “Limiting and reducing travel is one way to reduce the further spread of the disease. I am happy to partner with California and Oregon in this effort to help protect lives up and down the West Coast.”
To learn more about the risk that travel itself poses for COVID-19 exposure, please visit the CDC page on travel risks.