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Tag Archives: Venus
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This mutant Venus flytrap mysteriously lost its ability to “count” to 5
Comparing stimulation of a Venus flytrap and the mutant DYSC. Credit: Ines Kreuzer, Rainer Hedrich, Soenke Scherzer
In 2011, a horticulturist named Mathias Maier stumbled across an unusual mutant of a Venus flytrap, a carnivorous plant that traps and feeds on insects. Scientists recently discovered that the typical Venus flytrap can actually “count” to five, sparking further research on how the plant manages this remarkable feat. The mutant flytrap might hold the key. According to a new paper published in the journal Current Biology, this mutant flytrap doesn’t snap closed in response to stimulation like typical Venus flytraps.
“This mutant has obviously forgotten how to count, which is why I named it Dyscalculia (DYSC),” said co-author Rainer Hedrich, a biophysicist at Julius-Maximilians-Universität Würzburg (JMU) in Bavaria, Germany. (It had previously been called “ERROR.”)
As we’ve reported previously, the Venus flytrap attracts its prey with a pleasing fruity scent. When an insect lands on a leaf, it stimulates the highly sensitive trigger hairs that line the leaf. When the pressure becomes strong enough to bend those hairs, the plant will snap its leaves shut and trap the insect inside. Long cilia grab and hold the insect in place, much like fingers, as the plant begins to secrete digestive juices. The insect is digested slowly over five to 12 days, after which the trap reopens, releasing the dried-out husk of the insect into the wind.
In 2016, Hedrich led the team of German scientists who discovered that the Venus flytrap could actually “count” the number of times something touches its hair-lined leaves—an ability that helps the plant distinguish between the presence of prey and a small nut or stone, or even a dead insect. The scientists zapped the leaves of test plants with mechano-electric pulses of different intensities and measured the responses. It turns out that the plant detects that first “action potential” but doesn’t snap shut right away, waiting until a second zap confirms the presence of actual prey, at which point the trap closes.
But the Venus flytrap doesn’t close all the way and produces digestive enzymes to consume the prey until the hairs are triggered three more times (for a total of five stimuli). The German scientists likened this behavior to performing a rudimentary cost-to-benefit analysis, in which the triggering stimuli help the Venus flytrap determine the size and nutritional content of any potential prey struggling in its maw and whether it’s worth the effort. If not, the trap will release whatever has been caught within 12 hours or so.
In 2020, Japanese scientists genetically altered a Venus flytrap so that it glows green in response to outside stimulation, yielding important clues about how the plant’s short-term “memory” works. They introduced a gene for a calcium sensor protein called GCaMP6, which glows green whenever it binds to calcium. That green fluorescence allowed the team to visually track the changes in calcium concentrations in response to stimulating the plant’s sensitive hairs with a needle.
Enlarge / Stimulation of the Venus flytrap by touch triggers electrical signals and calcium waves. The calcium signature is decoded; this causes the trap to shut quickly. But the DYSC mutant has lost the ability to read and decode the calcium signature correctly.
Ines Kreuzer / University of Wuerzburg
The results supported the hypothesis that the first stimulus triggers the release of calcium, but the concentration doesn’t reach the critical threshold that signals the trap to close without a second influx of calcium from a second stimulus. That second stimulus has to occur within 30 seconds, however, since the calcium concentrations decrease over time. If it takes longer than 30 seconds between the first and second stimuli, the trap won’t close. So the waxing and waning of calcium concentrations in the leaf cells really do seem to serve as a kind of short-term memory for the Venus flytrap, though precisely how calcium concentrations work with the plant’s electrical network remains unclear.
That doesn’t seem to be the case with DYSC, even though it is otherwise “essentially indistinguishable” from Venus flytraps in the wild. DYSC does not close in response to two sensory stimuli, nor does it process its prey in response to additional stimuli. Naturally, Hedrich et al. wanted to find out why. They purchased wild Venus flytraps and the mutant DYSC flytraps and performed parallel experiments: both mechanically stimulating the plants and measuring the action potentials, and spraying the plants with a contact hormone called jasmonic acid, which is crucial for the processing of prey.
Hedrich and his team found that the mutation did not seem to affect either the action potential or the underlying calcium signal in the first two-count stage of the process. The action potentials fire, yet the trap doesn’t snap shut, suggesting that the touch-activation of calcium signaling is being suppressed. Furthermore, the scientists suspected a defect that affected the decoding of the calcium signal. Administering jasmonic acid didn’t fix the problem with the failure of the rapid trap closure, but it did restore the ability to process prey.
Co-author Ines Kreuzer next examined gene expression patterns in the mutant genes to spot any changes that might account for this. She was able to narrow the likely suspects down to a few decoding components, which bind to calcium and subsequently modify certain effector proteins—most notably an enzyme called LOX3, which plays a vital role in the biosynthesis of jasmonic acid. The next step is to look more closely at the modified proteins and change their activity when prey comes into contact with DYSC. “In this way, we want to close the circle and find out what the plant does to distinguish numbers from each other—i.e., how it counts,” said Hedrich.
DOI: Current Biology, 2023. 10.1016/j.cub.2022.12.058 (About DOIs).
Listing image by Naturfoto Honal | Getty
earth: New Moon will be the closest to Earth ‘Tonight’; Heavenly miracle to happen after 993 years
The New Moon will be in the closest proximity to Earth on January 21, 2023, since the Middle Ages. Reportedly, this astronomical event is occurring for the first time in 993 years and is most likely to reoccur after another 345 years.
Due to its closeness to the Earth, the New Moon will be in its biggest appearance in the sky since December 3, 1030, CE. ‘Timeanddate.com’ has revealed the information after a review from the Jet Propulsion Laboratory of NASA. Today, the moon will be 356,568 kilometres or 221,561 miles from Earth. Those who will miss the incident today will have to wait till January 20, 2368, to experience it.
The Moon’s orbit across the Earth is far from the shape of a perfect circle. In reality, it is elliptical in shape and represents a barely stretched circle. Because of its shape, the distance between the Moon and Earth keeps changing over a month. The point of the Moon’s orbit closest to Earth is called ‘perigee,’ while the point farthest from the planet is known as ‘apogee.’ The longest Earth-to-Moon distance is witnessed when the Earth is in the closest proximity to the Sun. This happened on January 4. Nearly 2000 years ago, three New Moons occurred at distances lower than 356,570 KM.
Venus and Saturn will be aligned on the day following the New Moon. The New Moon today holds great importance as it signifies the start of the Chinese Lunar New Year, also known as the ‘Spring Competition.’ According to the Chinese calendar, this year is called the ‘Year of the Rabbit.’ The Chinese calendar integrates the lunar and photovoltaic methodologies to ascertain dates. The total distance between the Moon and Earth through such incidents is crucial. On April 20, the world will witness a complete photo voltaic eclipse in Australia, Timor Leste, and West Papua. Also, in October, an annular photovoltaic eclipse will be seen in the US, Mexico, and South America.
FAQ
Q1. What is the distance between Earth and Sun?
Ans. The total distance between Earth and Sun is 147.21M km.
Q2. Which is the green planet?
Ans. Uranus is known as the green planet.
Disclaimer Statement: This content is authored by an external agency. The views expressed here are that of the respective authors/ entities and do not represent the views of Economic Times (ET). ET does not guarantee, vouch for or endorse any of its contents nor is responsible for them in any manner whatsoever. Please take all steps necessary to ascertain that any information and content provided is correct, updated, and verified. ET hereby disclaims any and all warranties, express or implied, relating to the report and any content therein.
See the conjunction of Venus and Saturn in free webcast on Jan. 22
During the evening of Sunday (Jan. 22) the solar system planets Saturn and Venus will meet up in the night sky making a close approach. Luckily, skywatchers who don’t want to brave the bitter cold of January can watch the encounter from the comfort of their homes.
The Virtual Telescope Project will stream the close-approach and the arrangement, known as a “conjunction,” between Venus, the second planet from the sun, and Saturn, the solar system’s second-largest planet. The livestream will begin while the two planets will be separated by less than half a degree, which is less than the angular size of the full moon, and is equivalent to half the width of a finger at arm’s length.
The Virtual Telescope Project’s livestream of the conjunction of Venus and Saturn will begin at 1:30 pm EST (1830 GMT) on Sunday (Jan. 22) and will be available to watch online for free courtesy of the project’s website (opens in new tab) or YouTube channel (opens in new tab).
Related: What time is the conjunction of Venus and Saturn on Sunday (Jan. 22)?
Both Saturn and Venus are visible to the naked eye in the night sky, but there is a massive difference between the brightness of the two. Venus is the brightest object in the sky after the sun and the moon and during the conjunction will be at magnitude -3.9. Saturn, famous for the rings which encircle it, will be at magnitude 0.7 during the conjunction. (Negative numbers indicate bright objects in the sky.)
That means Saturn will be 100 times fainter than Venus during the conjunction according to Virtual Telescope Project head and astrophysicist Gianluca Masi. Masi will be observing the conjunction between Venus and Saturn from Ceccano, Italy.
During the conjunction, the two planets will be close enough in the night sky to be resolved with a telescope. Skywatchers will also be able to observe the conjunction with binoculars or with the naked eye, though Saturn may be difficult to spot without assistance from an instrument.
Conditions for viewing the spectacle should be favorable, weather permitting, as the the moon will only be a 2% illuminated crescent the day following January’s new moon on Saturday (Jan. 21).
According to In the Sky (opens in new tab), from New York City the conjunction between Venus and Saturn will become visible in the constellation of Capricorn at around 5:18 p.m. EST (2218 GMT) at around 14 degrees over the horizon to the southwest. The planets will set around two hours after the sun at 6:48 p.m. EST (2348 GMT).
The conjunction of these planets marks the beginning of the evening apparition of Venus. According to Space.com’s Joe Rao, the evening apparition of Venus will see it literally soar high into the heavens by late spring during which time the already bright planet will more than double its brightness.
As Venus rises above the horizon, during this period Saturn will lower in the night sky each subsequent night, disappearing into the twilight as it does so. This is leading to Saturn’s solar conjunction on Feb. 16th, 2023.
If you’re hoping to observe the conjunction between Saturn and Venus for yourself, our guides for the best telescopes and best binoculars are a great place to start. If you’re looking to take some photos of the conjunction, see our best cameras for astrophotography and best lenses for astrophotography.
Editor’s Note: If you snap the conjunction between Saturn and Venus, and would like to share it with Space.com’s readers, send your photo(s), comments, and your name and location to spacephotos@space.com. This story was updated on Jan. 22 to include the new start time for this livestream and to include its YouTube video feed.
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NASA scientist explains why Venus is Earth’s ‘evil twin’ (video)
A new NASA video makes the case that Venus is Earth’s “evil twin.”
The nefarious moniker is revealed to be, in a way, an apt description of why astronomers will be investigating Venus this decade. Scientists and engineers from NASA and the European Space Agency are gearing up to send three new missions to the second rock from the sun. They want to know a whole lot more about the nearby planet, which resembles Earth in so many ways, and yet is so strikingly different.
The video touches on a few nightmarish but intriguing aspects of Venus. For one, it’s got a runaway greenhouse effect. The 15-mile-thick (24 kilometers) shroud of atmosphere is made of carbon dioxide and contains sulfuric acid clouds. The planet produces temperatures hot enough to melt lead. Lori Glaze, NASA’s director of planetary science, said in the video that the Venusian surface can reach 900 degrees Fahrenheit (480 degrees Celsius).
“So it is a crazy place, but really interesting,” Glaze said. “And we really want to understand why Venus and Earth turned out so differently.”
Related: Scientists hail ‘the decade of Venus’ with 3 new missions on the way
At least three missions to Venus will fly within the next decade or so. There is NASA’s DAVINCI, short for Deep Atmosphere Venus Investigation of Noble Gases, Chemistry and Imaging, which includes two major components. First and foremost is a spacecraft that will fly by Venus, capturing data about the planet’s clouds and its terrain, in addition to acting as a telecommunications hub for the mission. Second is a special descent probe, which will drop down through Venus’ thick atmosphere and collect data as it journeys through the perilous environment.
Another mission, called VERITAS, will become the first NASA orbiter to visit Venus since the 1990s. VERITAS is short for Venus Emissivity, Radio Science, InSAR, Topography and Spectroscopy. The spacecraft will develop a big-picture look at Venus and its history, aiding scientists who want to know more about its volcanoes and to determine whether Venus ever had water. The Italian Space Agency (ASI), the German Aerospace Center (DLR) and the French Space Agency (CNES) will also contribute to VERITAS.
Then there is the EnVision mission from the European Space Agency (ESA). The NASA-supported mission targets a launch in the early 2030s. When it reaches Venus, EnVision will try to learn why Venus became Earth’s “evil twin,” as the NASA video describes it. Specifically, it will study Venus’ hostile atmosphere and its inner core to see how both planets could form in the same part of the solar system and with the same stuff, yet yield wildly different realities.
Perhaps soon, these missions will let us marvel at Earth’s closest planetary neighbor.
Follow Doris Elin Urrutia on Twitter @salazar_elin. Follow us on Twitter @Spacedotcom and on Facebook.
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The astronomical events you don’t want to miss in 2023
From meteor showers to solar eclipses, to crescent moons peaking out beside Saturn and Venus, there is a lot going on in the sky you do not want to miss in 2023.
The year will kick off with the annual Quadrantids meteor shower and will end with the impressive Geminid meteor shower in December.
In between there will be partial solar eclipses, chances to spot Saturn and Venus, and supermoons to watch out for.
MailOnline rounds up the biggest and brightest of the astronomical events waiting for us in the new year.
The Geminid meteor shower usually peaks around mid-December and is considered to be one of the most prolific and reliable annual shower
January 3 and 4 – Quadrantids meteor shower
It is one of the most spectacular meteor showers of the year and you do not need specialist equipment to see it.
While the meteor shower technically began today, it will reach its peak on the night of January 3 and morning of January 4.
It is an above average shower, which usually sees 40 meteors past per hour.
At an extreme, however, up to 200 shooting stars can be seen per hour, but that relies on perfect conditions in the ideal spot on Earth.
Quadrantid meteor shower over in the Great Khingan Mountains in northeast China’s Heilongjiang province back in January 2019
The pieces of debris whip around the Earth’s atmosphere at around 43mph per second (70km per second).
Unfortunately, this year the full moon will mean fainter meteors will not be so easily visible so it is best to get as far away from city lights as possible and head out to more rural secluded spots.
Astrologists believe that the meteors from the minor planet 2003 EH1.
January 23 – Thin crescent moon next to Saturn and Venus
Within an hour or so after sunset on this day, you should be able to see a crescent moon next to Saturn and Venus in the south-western sky.
Just below the thin moon will be a bright Venus, and directly below that a dimmer Saturn will be spotted.
You would need to head out quickly to make sure you do not miss this event before they head out of sight.
The crescent moon in conjunction with the illuminated planet Venus (brightest on the right) ahead of dawn in Whitley Bay, in England, 2020
March 1 – Spot the brightest planets align
On March 1, Venus and Jupiter will be visible in the southwestern sky.
The two planets will become visible around 6.01pm (GMT) as dusk begins to fade to darkness.
You will have to be quite quick to be able to see them though, because at around 20:27 GMT the two planets will fade as they go over the horizon.
They will be bright enough to view with the naked eye or a pair of binoculars.
It is best not to use a telescope, however, as you may not be able to fit both planets into the view.
Venus, Mars and Jupiter align over the Isle of Portland in the English Channel
April 11 – Mercury at Greatest Eastern Elongation
This is the best time to view Mercury because it will reach its highest point in the sky after sunset, offering the best view of the planet for the whole year.
It reaches what is known as its ‘Greatest Eastern Elongation’, where it has the maximum angular separation from the sun, as observed from Earth.
This means Mercury will be more visible than usual because it won’t be as obscured by the brightness of the Sun.
It is one of two ‘inferior planets’. Inferior planets are those that orbit closer to the Sun than the Earth (the other being Venus).
The elongation of a superior planet – one with an orbit beyond the Earth’s orbit (Mars, Jupiter, Saturn, etc) – can vary from 0 degrees to 180 degrees.
Inferior planets, however, range between 0 degrees and a greatest elongation of 28 degrees for Mercury and 48 degrees for Venus.
As it is the smallest planet in our Solar System, and closest to the sun, it is best to have a pair of binoculars handy to try spot the tiny dot.
In April 2023, Mercury reaches what is known as its ‘Greatest Eastern Elongation’, where it has the biggest angular separation from the Sun, as observed from Earth. This means the planet will be more visible than usual because it won’t be as obscured by the brightness of the Sun
April 22, 23 – Lyrids Meteor Shower
The Lyrids meteor shower is one of the oldest known meteor showers in the UK, first being observed more than 2,500 year ago when the first sighting was recording in 687 BC by the Chinese.
It is a very bright meteor shower which travels at a fast pace.
Around 10 to 15 meteors are generally seen during this type of shower, however, sometimes up to 100 meteors can be seen.
As they pass through the sky, the meteors leave a trail of dust behind them which can be observable for a few seconds.
Multiple exposures were cobmbined to produce this image of the Lyrids meteor shower over Niederhollabrunn, Austria in April 2020. The meteors streak through the sky at speeds of about 110,000 mph
The best place to see Lyrids Meteor Shower is in the Northern Hemisphere after moonset but before dawn, in areas away from light pollution.
These meteor’s have been attributed to comet C1861 G1, known as Comet Thatcher.
In the UK the shower will begin on April 14 and will come to a maximum between April 22 and April 23.
July 3 – Supermoon
The July Supermoon will be the first of four occurring in 2023. There will be two other Supermoons in August and one in September.
On the night of the Supermoon, the moon appears much larger and brighter than it would on any other night.
Supermoons occur because the moon orbits the Earth on an elliptical path, rather than a circular one.
Therefore, there is a point in its 29.5-day orbit where it is closest to the Earth and, at certain times of the year, it passes this point during a full moon.
This makes it appear about 14 per cent bigger and 30 per cent brighter than when a full moon appears at the apogee – the point furthest away from out planet.
A supermoon is about 7 per cent larger and 15 per cent brighter than a standard full moon.
This is because the moon is at its closest point to Earth in its orbit. It is not an unusual phenomena but gives the appearance of the moon being larger.
The July Supermoon will be the first of four occurring in 2023. There will be two other Supermoon’s in August and one in September. Pictured: The Supermoon behind the shard in August 2022
August 12, 13 – Perseids Meteor Shower
This meteor shower is best seen in the Northern Hemisphere, with the best viewing spot in the UK set to be near Derby in Derbyshire.
Up to 100 meteors can be seen per hour during the shower, with the optimum time for viewing in the UK being between midnight and 05:00 GMT.
The meteor is caused by the Earth bumping into debris left behind from the Swift-Tuttle comet.
The shower is popular among stargazers because of its high hourly rate and bright meteors.
August 27 – Saturn at Opposition
When Saturn takes Opposition it means it will lie opposite to the sun in the sky, making it extremely visible for most of the night.
At the same time, Saturn will be making its closest approach to Earth, which makes it one of the brightest and largest objects in the sky.
From London this will be visible between 21.24 GMT on August 27 and 04.45am GMT on August 28. It will reach its highest point at 01.04 GMT.
Unless you have a telescope, however, you will not be able to distinguish the rings around Saturn. It will instead look like a large, bright star.
October 14 – Annular Solar Eclipse
The annular solar eclipse occurs when the moon is too far away from Earth to completely cover the sun.
This leaves a ring of light around the dark moon and the sun’s corona cannot be seen either.
Unfortunately this year it will not be visible in Europe but will be able to be seen in southern Canada, south-western United States and Central American countries such as Columbia and Brazil.
In the UK, the last full Solar Eclipse was seen in August 1999. It will not be seen in the UK until September 2090, according to the Royal Greenwich Observatory.
In the UK, the last full Solar Eclipse was seen in August 1999. It will not be seen in the UK until September 2090, according to the Royal Greenwich Observatory
October 28 – Partial Lunar Eclipse
A partial lunar eclipse happens when the moon passes through the Earth’s partial shadow, known as the penumbra.
It happens when the Earth moves between the Sun and the moon but it does not directly align.
The shadow then causes a darkening of part of moons surface, while the rest remains lit up by the sun.
This year the moon will begin to enter the Earth’s penumbra at 07.03 GMT with the partial eclipse beginning at 20.36 GMT. It will then reach its greatest eclipse at 21.15 GMT.
The sun breaking through the clouds during a partial solar eclipse over Stoodley Pike in West Yorkshire, in 2022
December 13, 14 – Geminid meteor shower
NASA calls this the ‘best meteor shower of the year’ and ‘the cosmos’ annual gift to sky watchers’.
The Geminid meteor shower usually peaks around mid-December and is considered to be one of the most prolific and reliable annual shower.
The meteors are mainly white but unusually can also be yellow, green, red or blue.
While most meteor showers are caused by comets, the Geminid meteor shower is unique as the shower is produced as the Earth passes through a trail of debris created by an asteroid known as 3200 Phaethon.
Head to a dark area, away from light pollution, and allow at least 30 minutes for your eyes to adjust to the night sky.
The Geminid meteor shower was first reported in 1862, but it was not until 1983 that scientists determined 3200 Phaethon, was the source.
It is called the Geminids because when Earth passes through the debris it lights up the Castor star in the Gemini constellation.
Unfortunately in 2022, the Moon was extremely bright which led to dimmer meteors.
The Geminid meteor shower was first reported in 1862, but it was not until 1983 that scientists determined 3200 Phaethon, was the source. Pictured: The Geminid meteor shower over the Isle of Wight
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The astronomical events you don’t want to miss in 2023
From meteor showers to solar eclipses, to crescent moons peaking out beside Saturn and Venus, there is a lot going on in the sky you do not want to miss in 2023.
The year will kick off with the annual Quadrantids meteor shower and will end with the impressive Geminid meteor shower in December.
In between there will be partial solar eclipses, chances to spot Saturn and Venus, and supermoons to watch out for.
MailOnline rounds up the biggest and brightest of the astronomical events waiting for us in the new year.
The Geminid meteor shower usually peaks around mid-December and is considered to be one of the most prolific and reliable annual shower
January 3 and 4 – Quadrantids meteor shower
It is one of the most spectacular meteor showers of the year and you do not need specialist equipment to see it.
While the meteor shower technically began today, it will reach its peak on the night of January 3 and morning of January 4.
It is an above average shower, which usually sees 40 meteors past per hour.
At an extreme, however, up to 200 shooting stars can be seen per hour, but that relies on perfect conditions in the ideal spot on Earth.
Quadrantid meteor shower over in the Great Khingan Mountains in northeast China’s Heilongjiang province back in January 2019
The pieces of debris whip around the Earth’s atmosphere at around 43mph per second (70km per second).
Unfortunately, this year the full moon will mean fainter meteors will not be so easily visible so it is best to get as far away from city lights as possible and head out to more rural secluded spots.
Astrologists believe that the meteors from the minor planet 2003 EH1.
January 23 – Thin crescent moon next to Saturn and Venus
Within an hour or so after sunset on this day, you should be able to see a crescent moon next to Saturn and Venus in the south-western sky.
Just below the thin moon will be a bright Venus, and directly below that a dimmer Saturn will be spotted.
You would need to head out quickly to make sure you do not miss this event before they head out of sight.
The crescent moon in conjunction with the illuminated planet Venus (brightest on the right) ahead of dawn in Whitley Bay, in England, 2020
March 1 – Spot the brightest planets align
On March 1, Venus and Jupiter will be visible in the southwestern sky.
The two planets will become visible around 6.01pm (GMT) as dusk begins to fade to darkness.
You will have to be quite quick to be able to see them though, because at around 20:27 GMT the two planets will fade as they go over the horizon.
They will be bright enough to view with the naked eye or a pair of binoculars.
It is best not to use a telescope, however, as you may not be able to fit both planets into the view.
Venus, Mars and Jupiter align over the Isle of Portland in the English Channel
April 11 – Mercury at Greatest Eastern Elongation
This is the best time to view Mercury because it will reach its highest point in the sky after sunset, offering the best view of the planet for the whole year.
It reaches what is known as its ‘Greatest Eastern Elongation’, where it has the maximum angular separation from the sun, as observed from Earth.
This means Mercury will be more visible than usual because it won’t be as obscured by the brightness of the Sun.
It is one of two ‘inferior planets’. Inferior planets are those that orbit closer to the Sun than the Earth (the other being Venus).
The elongation of a superior planet – one with an orbit beyond the Earth’s orbit (Mars, Jupiter, Saturn, etc) – can vary from 0 degrees to 180 degrees.
Inferior planets, however, range between 0 degrees and a greatest elongation of 28 degrees for Mercury and 48 degrees for Venus.
As it is the smallest planet in our Solar System, and closest to the sun, it is best to have a pair of binoculars handy to try spot the tiny dot.
In April 2023, Mercury reaches what is known as its ‘Greatest Eastern Elongation’, where it has the biggest angular separation from the Sun, as observed from Earth. This means the planet will be more visible than usual because it won’t be as obscured by the brightness of the Sun
April 22, 23 – Lyrids Meteor Shower
The Lyrids meteor shower is one of the oldest known meteor showers in the UK, first being observed more than 2,500 year ago when the first sighting was recording in 687 BC by the Chinese.
It is a very bright meteor shower which travels at a fast pace.
Around 10 to 15 meteors are generally seen during this type of shower, however, sometimes up to 100 meteors can be seen.
As they pass through the sky, the meteors leave a trail of dust behind them which can be observable for a few seconds.
Multiple exposures were cobmbined to produce this image of the Lyrids meteor shower over Niederhollabrunn, Austria in April 2020. The meteors streak through the sky at speeds of about 110,000 mph
The best place to see Lyrids Meteor Shower is in the Northern Hemisphere after moonset but before dawn, in areas away from light pollution.
These meteor’s have been attributed to comet C1861 G1, known as Comet Thatcher.
In the UK the shower will begin on April 14 and will come to a maximum between April 22 and April 23.
July 3 – Supermoon
The July Supermoon will be the first of four occurring in 2023. There will be two other Supermoons in August and one in September.
On the night of the Supermoon, the moon appears much larger and brighter than it would on any other night.
Supermoons occur because the moon orbits the Earth on an elliptical path, rather than a circular one.
Therefore, there is a point in its 29.5-day orbit where it is closest to the Earth and, at certain times of the year, it passes this point during a full moon.
This makes it appear about 14 per cent bigger and 30 per cent brighter than when a full moon appears at the apogee – the point furthest away from out planet.
A supermoon is about 7 per cent larger and 15 per cent brighter than a standard full moon.
This is because the moon is at its closest point to Earth in its orbit. It is not an unusual phenomena but gives the appearance of the moon being larger.
The July Supermoon will be the first of four occurring in 2023. There will be two other Supermoon’s in August and one in September. Pictured: The Supermoon behind the shard in August 2022
August 12, 13 – Perseids Meteor Shower
This meteor shower is best seen in the Northern Hemisphere, with the best viewing spot in the UK set to be near Derby in Derbyshire.
Up to 100 meteors can be seen per hour during the shower, with the optimum time for viewing in the UK being between midnight and 05:00 GMT.
The meteor is caused by the Earth bumping into debris left behind from the Swift-Tuttle comet.
The shower is popular among stargazers because of its high hourly rate and bright meteors.
August 27 – Saturn at Opposition
When Saturn takes Opposition it means it will lie opposite to the sun in the sky, making it extremely visible for most of the night.
At the same time, Saturn will be making its closest approach to Earth, which makes it one of the brightest and largest objects in the sky.
From London this will be visible between 21.24 GMT on August 27 and 04.45am GMT on August 28. It will reach its highest point at 01.04 GMT.
Unless you have a telescope, however, you will not be able to distinguish the rings around Saturn. It will instead look like a large, bright star.
October 14 – Annular Solar Eclipse
The annular solar eclipse occurs when the moon is too far away from Earth to completely cover the sun.
This leaves a ring of light around the dark moon and the sun’s corona cannot be seen either.
Unfortunately this year it will not be visible in Europe but will be able to be seen in southern Canada, south-western United States and Central American countries such as Columbia and Brazil.
In the UK, the last full Solar Eclipse was seen in August 1999. It will not be seen in the UK until September 2090, according to the Royal Greenwich Observatory.
In the UK, the last full Solar Eclipse was seen in August 1999. It will not be seen in the UK until September 2090, according to the Royal Greenwich Observatory
October 28 – Partial Lunar Eclipse
A partial lunar eclipse happens when the moon passes through the Earth’s partial shadow, known as the penumbra.
It happens when the Earth moves between the Sun and the moon but it does not directly align.
The shadow then causes a darkening of part of moons surface, while the rest remains lit up by the sun.
This year the moon will begin to enter the Earth’s penumbra at 07.03 GMT with the partial eclipse beginning at 20.36 GMT. It will then reach its greatest eclipse at 21.15 GMT.
The sun breaking through the clouds during a partial solar eclipse over Stoodley Pike in West Yorkshire, in 2022
December 13, 14 – Geminid meteor shower
NASA calls this the ‘best meteor shower of the year’ and ‘the cosmos’ annual gift to sky watchers’.
The Geminid meteor shower usually peaks around mid-December and is considered to be one of the most prolific and reliable annual shower.
The meteors are mainly white but unusually can also be yellow, green, red or blue.
While most meteor showers are caused by comets, the Geminid meteor shower is unique as the shower is produced as the Earth passes through a trail of debris created by an asteroid known as 3200 Phaethon.
Head to a dark area, away from light pollution, and allow at least 30 minutes for your eyes to adjust to the night sky.
The Geminid meteor shower was first reported in 1862, but it was not until 1983 that scientists determined 3200 Phaethon, was the source.
It is called the Geminids because when Earth passes through the debris it lights up the Castor star in the Gemini constellation.
Unfortunately in 2022, the Moon was extremely bright which led to dimmer meteors.
The Geminid meteor shower was first reported in 1862, but it was not until 1983 that scientists determined 3200 Phaethon, was the source. Pictured: The Geminid meteor shower over the Isle of Wight
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Vast volcanic eruptions may have turned Venus into hell
Massive global volcanism that covered 80% of Venus’ surface in lava may have been the deciding factor that transformed Venus from a wet and mild world into the suffocating, sulfuric, hellish planet that it is today.
The surface temperature on Venus is a sweltering 867 degrees Fahrenheit (464 degrees Celsius), hot enough to melt lead, and there’s a crushing pressure of 90 atmospheres underneath the dense clouds of carbon dioxide laced with corroding sulfuric acid. Often decried as Earth‘s “evil twin,” Venus is a victim of a runaway greenhouse effect, no doubt amplified by Venus being about 25 million miles (40 million kilometers) closer to the sun than Earth and therefore receiving more heat.
Yet, there’s growing evidence that Venus wasn’t always this way, and could have once been a temperate world somewhat similar to Earth — perhaps more recently, in geological terms, than expected.
Related: NASA’s Parker Solar Probe captures stunning Venus photo during close flyby
Michael Way, of NASA’s Goddard Space Flight Center in Maryland, has led much of the research developing this new vision of Venus. In their latest paper, he and his team argue that Venus’ volcanism could have ultimately been what pushed the planet over the edge by sending vast amounts of carbon dioxide — as we know, a potent greenhouse gas — billowing into Venus’ atmosphere.
In the 1990s, NASA’s Magellan spacecraft radar-mapped the surface of Venus, which is otherwise obscured by the planet’s dense atmosphere, and found that much of the surface was covered in volcanic basalt rock. Such “large igneous provinces” are the result of tens of thousands, if not hundreds of thousands of years’ worth of massive volcanism that occurred at some point in the past billion years.
In particular, several of these events coming in the space of a million years, perhaps, and each covering hundreds of thousands of square miles or kilometers in lava, could have endowed Venus’ atmosphere with so much carbon dioxide that the climate would have been unable to cope. Any oceans would have boiled away, adding moisture to the atmosphere, and because water vapor is also a greenhouse gas, accelerating the runaway greenhouse effect. Over time, the water would have been lost to space, but the carbon dioxide, and the inhospitable world, remained.
“While we’re not yet sure how often the events which created these fields occurred, we should be able to narrow it down by studying Earth’s own history,” Way said in a statement.
The frequency with which massive volcanic events forming large igneous provinces have occurred on Earth implies that it is likely that several such events could have occurred on Venus within a million years. These incidents could have scarred Venus forever.
Earth itself has had some close calls. So-called “super-volcanoes” have been connected to numerous mass-extinction events on Earth over the past half-a-billion years. For example, the Late Devonian era mass extinction 370 million years ago has been attributed by some to super-volcanism in what is now Russia and Siberia, as well as to a separate super-volcanic eruption in Australia. The Triassic–Jurassic mass extinction is widely blamed on the formation of the biggest of Earth’s large igneous provinces, the Central Atlantic Magmatic Province, 200 million years ago. Even the death of the dinosaurs 65 million years ago may have been caused by the double whammy of an asteroid strike and super-volcanism in the Deccan Traps, a large igneous province in India.
For unknown reasons, similar volcanic events on Venus were much more widespread and instigated a runaway greenhouse effect that transformed the planet. Meanwhile on Earth, the carbon-silicate cycle that acts as the planet’s natural thermostat, exchanging carbon dioxide and other greenhouse gases between the mantle and the atmosphere over millions of years, was able to prevent Earth from following the same path as Venus.
Two future NASA missions will endeavor to answer some of these questions. DAVINCI, the Deep Atmosphere Venus Investigation of Noble Gases, Chemistry and Imaging mission will launch later this decade, to be followed by VERITAS, the Venus Emissivity, Radio Science, InSAR, Topography and Spectroscopy mission in the early 2030s. The European Space Agency’s EnVision mission also targets launch sometime in the 2030s, while China has proposed a possible mission called VOICE, the Venus Volcano Imaging and Climate Explorer, that if launched would reach Venus in 2027 to study the planet’s atmosphere and geology.
“A primary goal of DAVINCI is to narrow down the history of water on Venus and when it may have disappeared, providing more insight into how Venus’ climate has changed over time,” Way said.
The findings were published in the Planetary Science Journal earlier this year.
Follow Keith Cooper on Twitter @21stCenturySETI. Follow us on Twitter @Spacedotcom and on Facebook.