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- Written by: Preston Dyches
What's up for April? The Seven Sisters meet the evening star, Mars continues its getaway, and unpacking the moon illusion.
At the beginning of April, look to the west each evening in the couple of hours after sunset as Venus visits the Pleiades.
Watch each night from the 1st through the 5th, as Venus climbs higher in the sky each evening, crossing through the Pleiades star cluster.
The planetary quartet of Jupiter, Saturn, Mars and the moon once again make a showing in mid-April.
Since giving Jupiter and Saturn the slip last month, the Red Planet continues its getaway from the gas giants in this month's morning skies. Mars begins the month just beneath Saturn, but by the middle of April, it's moved a decent distance away.
The moon swings by on the 14th, 15th and 16th. The three planets won't appear close together in the sky again for a couple of years, so catch them now if you can!
Earth is currently catching up to Mars in its orbit, as the two planets come into the right position for the launch of NASA's Mars 2020 mission and its newly named Perseverance rover.
Most of us have had the experience of watching the full moon rise in the distance, maybe over a city or a distant mountain, and it looks HUGE.
In fact, it's got the very appropriate (if unimaginative) name of "the moon illusion." Although this illusion has been known for thousands of years, there still isn't a truly satisfying scientific explanation for why we see it.
Now the moon is essentially the same width in the sky on any specific night, whether it's rising, setting or overhead. (There are a variety of experiments you can do to prove this for yourself.)
Photographers can simulate the moon illusion by taking shots of the moon low on the horizon using a long lens with buildings, mountains or trees in the frame.
It's known not to be an optical effect of our atmosphere, though the atmosphere does add to the yellowish color of the rising and setting moon, much as it makes the rising and setting sun look redder.
Even airline pilots and astronauts have reported seeing the moon illusion – in the absence of trees, buildings and mountains to help provide a sense of scale.
Researchers have shown that it's definitely something going on in our brains that has to do with the way we perceive the size of distant objects near the horizon, versus high in the sky, but the precise explanation for why it happens is still elusive.
So until someone puzzles out exactly what our brains are up to, it's probably best to just enjoy the moon illusion, and the moody, atmospheric and sometimes downright haunting vistas it creates.
Preston Dyches works for NASA's Jet Propulsion Laboratory.
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- Written by: Elizabeth Larson
By Thursday night, cases statewide had topped 11,000, with nearly 250 deaths, according to numbers Lake County News compiled from health departments across the state.
With state health experts predicting COVID-19 cases are due to peak later this month, earlier this week several counties around the Bay Area extended their shelter in place orders to May 3.
On Thursday, Napa became the latest county to take that action. Napa County Public Health Officer Dr. Karen Relucio reported during a Thursday afternoon webcast that she had also extended that order until May 3.
Lake County’s shelter in place order, which went into effect on March 19, is due to expire on April 10.
However, Lake County Public Health Officer Dr. Gary Pace told Lake County News on Thursday that he wasn’t yet prepared to extend the local order.
“There are a few clarifications that will need to be made, so likely something will come out next week,” he said.
Separately, Pace issued a Thursday update that touched on testing numbers and emphasized the need to continue to stay at home.
“We continue to perform testing as allowed by available supplies,” Pace said.
At that point, more than 150 tests had been conducted, with more than over 120 results back, and all of those negative, he said.
However, with California’s cases rising rapidly, Pace said it remains critical that everyone commit to these primary strategies to limit entry and spread of the virus:
– Stay home: leave only to conduct essential business, and maintain at least 6 feet of social distancing while out.
– Do not gather or mix with people outside of your immediate household – there are reported cases of COVID-19 spread and even death resulting from gatherings of extended family and/or friends.
– Wash your hands frequently, and regularly disinfect common surfaces.
Pace also urged people not to meet with friends or do nonessential activities, as the virus can be spread for a few days before symptoms appear.
“People who knowingly ignore the rules are jeopardizing the safety of their friends and neighbors by choosing to satisfy their own desires over the well-being of the community,” he said.
“We have been fortunate to not yet see the infections that are beginning to surge in neighboring counties. Taking precautions now has the potential to dramatically change the outcome of the COVID-19 outbreak. Please take every precaution you can to help slow the spread of this virus,” Pace said.
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Lake County Public Health Officer Dr. Gary Pace issued a countywide shelter in place order that went into effect on March 19.
Three days later, he issued an amended order that closed Clear Lake and other county waterways and lodging facilities unless they are serving medical staff, COVID-19 emergency workers, construction workers of critical infrastructure and permanent residents who have resided on-site since prior to March 9.
The Clearlake Police Department reported Thursday that its Code Enforcement Bureau received information regarding the rental of a home via Airbnb.
Police said Code Enforcement had contacted the property’s owner less than a week ago for renting in violation of the order. In that situation, the property owner was warned and provided with a copy of the order and exemption flowchart.
Although the owner denied that a new rental was occurring, the Code Enforcement officer made contact with the new renters, who traveled from out of the area, as they arrived and confirmed they rented through Airbnb. They were advised of the orders and vacated, police said.
The police department said the property owner – whose name was not released – was cited for renting the property in violation of the health officer’s orders and for property use in violation of the law. The property owner faces a fine of $600.
Clearlake Police Chief Andrew White told Lake County News that he contacted Airbnb via its website on March 26 to notify them of the rental restrictions due to the shelter in place order.
In his message to the company, White cited the shelter in place order, sent them a link to the order along with a flowchart for determining restrictions, and explained violations and the potential for administrative citations.
“Out of concern for the safety of your customers and in order to prevent them from being cited for violating the order, we would appreciate your help in flagging the rentals within the City of Clearlake notifying any potential renters (as well as property owners) of these restrictions,” White wrote to the company.
White said Airbnb acknowledged receipt of the notification and closed it without a response.
Lake County News reached out to Airbnb on Thursday evening to ask if it has a policy regarding shelter in place orders, if it’s making any effort to flag rental properties in areas where there are such orders enacted and if they are communicating with property owners at all about the orders. The company did not immediately respond.
White said this was the eighth citation his department has issued for violations of the shelter in place order.
So far, all of them have been issued to individuals who have refused to follow the orders, said White.
White and other local law enforcement officials have emphasized the need for education over enforcement, with the latter used as a last resort.
Earlier this week, the Lakeport Police Department issued its first citation to a woman who refused to go home after she was found drinking wine in a courthouse parking lot, as Lake County News has reported.
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Lake PH Order Shelter in Place 03.23.2020 C20-3 (A2) 03.23.2020 by LakeCoNews on Scribd
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Det. Marylou Armer, 44, had previously tested positive for COVID-19 and died Tuesday from complications from the illness, officials said.
Her death is the first line of duty death of a police officer in California to be associated with the disease.
“Jennifer and I are terribly saddened to learn of Det. Armer’s untimely death,” Gov. Newsom said. “Amid the current fight against COVID-19, Det. Armer selflessly and courageously served her community and the people of California. We extend our heartfelt condolences to her family, friends, colleagues and members of the Santa Rosa community as they mourn her loss.”
Armer was a 20-year veteran of the City of Santa Rosa. She began her career as a field evidence technician and was sworn in as a police officer in May 2008.
She was serving as a member of the Santa Rosa Police Department’s Domestic Violence Sexual Assault Team at the time of her death.
Detective Armer is survived by her husband and daughter.
In honor of Det. Armer, State Capitol flags will be flown at half-staff.
On Friday, the city of Santa Rosa’s elected officials and staff will honor Armer by wearing blue and they invite the community to do the same.
Since people must stay home due to county and state shelter in place orders, officials are asking that people show support by posting photos of themselves wearing blue on social media using the hashtag #BlueforMarylou.
“Not on social media? No problem, wearing blue at home is equally meaningful,” city officials said in a Thursday statement.
- State public health officials release guidance on use of cloth face coverings; social distancing, hand washing still best protections
- Inmate who walked away from Alder Conservation Camp still at large
- Lakeport Police Department issues first shelter-in-place violation citation; overall crime reports down