APOD - Starburst Galaxy M94 from Hubble

Astronomy Picture of the Day

Discover the cosmos! Each day a different image or photograph of our fascinating universe is featured, along with a brief explanation written by a professional astronomer.

2022 July 31

Starburst Galaxy M94 from Hubble
Image Credit: ESA/Hubble & NASA

Explanation: Why does this galaxy have a ring of bright blue stars? Beautiful island universe Messier 94 lies a mere 15 million light-years distant in the northern constellation of the Hunting Dogs (Canes Venatici). A popular target for Earth-based astronomers, the face-on spiral galaxy is about 30,000 light-years across, with spiral arms sweeping through the outskirts of its broad disk. But this Hubble Space Telescope field of view spans about 7,000 light-years across M94's central region. The featured close-up highlights the galaxy's compact, bright nucleus, prominent inner dust lanes, and the remarkable bluish ring of young massive stars. The ring stars are all likely less than 10 million years old, indicating that M94 is a starburst galaxy that is experiencing an epoch of rapid star formation from inspiraling gas. The circular ripple of blue stars is likely a wave propagating outward, having been triggered by the gravity and rotation of a oval matter distributions. Because M94 is relatively nearby, astronomers can better explore details of its starburst ring.

Tomorrow's picture: space mountain

---

< | Archive | Submissions | Index | Search | Calendar | RSS | Education | About APOD | Discuss | >

---

Authors & editors: Robert Nemiroff (MTU) & Jerry Bonnell (UMCP)
NASA Official: Phillip Newman Specific rights apply.
NASA Web Privacy Policy and Important Notices
A service of: ASD at NASA / GSFC,
NASA Science Activation
& Michigan Tech. U.

---

This is an automated email. If you notice any problems, just send me a note at gtracy@gmail.com. You can add and remove email addresses to this distribution list here, https://apodemail.org.Unsubscribe

A new sex ed book puts kids at the center of the conversation

Plus: A look at the state of disability rights in America

View this email online July 31, 2022 by Andrea Muraskin This week: An update on second-round boosters for Americans under 50, a sex ed book that’s about more than body parts, and a journalist’s call for an expansion of disability rights.  Waiting for a (hopefully) better booster Mario Tama/Getty Images Last week, we reported that the Biden administration was considering offering a second round of COVID-19 boosters to adults under 50 before summer’s end, but opinions were divided. This week, officials told NPR that the FDA is scrapping those plans. Instead, the government is focusing on speeding up the rollout of a booster specifically targeting the omicron BA.5 subvariant, which is expected to be ready in the fall. The idea is to shore up immunity before a possible winter surge. But critics say that come winter, BA.5 might not even be the dominant variant. Rob Stein reports. Shout out to Rob for tirelessly providing up-to-the-minute COVID news from the beginning! Follow him on Twitter @robsteinnews.  Also: HHS boosts access to a drug that can protect the immunocompromised from COVID-19. Newsletter continues after sponsor message A new sex ed book puts kids at the center of the conversation Triangle Square Books for Young Readers/Seven Stories Press “There’s no right way or wrong way to have a body.” That’s the quote on the first page of You Know, Sex: Bodies, Gender, Puberty, and Other Things, a new book written for kids entering puberty, and their parents and caretakers. The book goes on to describe sexual experiences as multifaceted: people have sex to make babies, but — let’s be real — most of the time it’s not about reproduction. Sex can feel great. Also, it’s not wrong if you don’t enjoy it. Author and sex educator Corey Silverberg says they wrote the book to give young people the space to think through their feelings about sex — not just the mechanics of it. And they want to make parents aware of the ways sexuality shows up in the world: “We're teaching and talking to our kids about sex all the time. We just don't realize it,” Silverberg told Fresh Air. Read the highlights or listen to the full interview.  Also: More Americans are choosing to get sterilized, but some face roadblocks. Perspective: The ADA was a victory for the disabled community, but we need more. Jeff Markowitz/AP When NPR digital intern Shruti Rajkumar visited a bar in Washington, D.C. earlier this month, she was told her wheelchair couldn’t come in the front door. Later on, staff stopped her friends from carrying the chair to the dancefloor. She wrote about the experience on Twitter, and the thread went viral, with repliers venting their frustration at the bar and other “ableist” spaces. This week, on the 32nd anniversary of the 1990 Americans with Disabilities Act, Shruti reflects on what the disability rights movement achieved with the passage of the ADA, like accessible buses in transit systems around the country. And she argues for more changes, including increasing education around disability, and adapting older buildings to make them accessible.  Also: Disabled people face a different reality as many return to “pre-COVID normalcy." Before you go: Julia Robinson for NPR Pregnancy loss happens. Here's how abortion bans are changing how it's treated in Texas. What to do if you get COVID on a family vacation.  Listen: Why some people enjoy the pain of spicy foods. San Francisco declares monkeypox a public health emergency. We hope you enjoyed these stories. Find more of NPR's health journalism on Shots and follow us on Twitter at @NPRHealth. All the best, Andrea Muraskin and your Shots editors Listen to your local NPR station. Visit NPR.org to hear live radio from WUFT 89.1 (edit station). What do you think of today's email? We'd love to hear your thoughts, questions and feedback: shots@npr.org Enjoying this newsletter? Forward to a friend! They can sign up here. Looking for more great content? Check out all of our newsletter offerings — including Goats & Soda, Daily News, Best of NPR and more! You received this message because you're subscribed to Health emails. This email was sent by National Public Radio, Inc., 1111 North Capitol Street NE, Washington, DC 20002 Unsubscribe  |  Privacy Policy

The doctor who saw monkeypox coming

Plus, how to fix your lousy Instagram feed.

View this email online July 31, 2022 This week, we look at a Nigerian doctor who tried to ring early alarm bells about the monkeypox outbreak. Plus, a new “I Voted” sticker design is captivating voters. Scott’s weekly weigh-in A good weekend to you. A few words about a friend. Larry Josephson died this past week at the age of 83.   By the time I met him, Larry was a producer and consultant, and ran his Radio Foundation, including a studio in his apartment on New York City’s Upper West Side, where he would greet important guests that we would occasionally book in his robe, and with bagels.   He was Larry the J. in his days as one of the original voices of “listener supported radio,” on Pacifica’s WBAI in the 1960s, with a morning show that fit no programmer’s definition. Larry would sip coffee, share music, tell jokes that would make a Spartan soldier cringe, float unpopular ideas, laud fresh takes, and make himself an indispensable companion for hardened New Yorkers.   His daughter, the great producer Jennie Josephson, wrote to friends this week that her father’s legacy “is more than just his radio shows. It is contained in the generations of public radio engineers, producers, and talent who he hired, fired, and recommended to others. In other words, all of you who have made the public radio airwaves so special.”   “Larry was a complicated man,” she added. “[A] wonderful friend, a relentless and public nemesis, and a royal pain in the tush. He yelled too much. He ate too much. But you can never love life too much, and at that he excelled.”   I’ll miss flinching to hear Larry’s jokes, but cherish his friendship and encouragement. He reminds us to respect your audience by letting them think for themselves — and to laugh with you.   This week’s essay is about a chess-playing robot, the kind of story Larry might have noticed. We also chatted with Billy Russo, the team interpreter for Spanish-speaking players on the Chicago White Sox. Hear how he handles baseball’s many colorful curses! Scott Simon Scott Simon is one of NPR's most renowned news anchors. He is the host of Weekend Edition Saturday and one of the hosts of the morning news podcast Up First. Be sure to listen to him every Saturday on your local NPR station, and follow him on Twitter. Newsletter continues after sponsor message Stories you might have missed   Dr. Dimie Ogoina This Nigerian doctor raised the alarm about monkeypox years ago — to no avail. Dr. Dimie Ogoina detected the virus in an 11-year-old patient in 2017 and noticed its transmission patterns changing. When he tried to warn health officials, he was told to be quiet. Ogoina says the outbreak in his country ballooned underground for several years. Then it spilled into others. These hurricane flood maps reveal the climate future of three major East Coast cities. Storm surge flooding is intensifying as climate change energizes hurricanes. We found that in New York City, Washington, D.C., and Miami, future sea rise alone could expose about 720,000 more people to flooding in the coming decades. Here’s what that impact looks like now — and in 2080. The cancellation of Full Frontal is part of a bigger story about late night television. The news of TBS ending the incisive news satire show carried the sting of seeing Samantha Bee, the most prominent female voice in late night, unceremoniously removed from TV, our critic Eric Deggans writes. The genre is suffering instability — just as women and people of color were getting a seat at the table. Editor's pick   Hudson Rowan What “I Voted” sticker would you want to wear to flex your civic duty? This 14-year-old had an idea. Hudson Rowan submitted a sketch of a grinning spider-humanoid with bloodshot eyes to an “I Voted” sticker contest in Ulster County, N.Y. He won — by a landslide. "It hits a nerve. It makes people on both sides of the aisle feel like, yep, this is what voting is like," the local elections commissioner said. Before you go...   Chumsak Kanoknan/Getty Images Who is Viktor Bout, the prisoner the U.S. may trade for Brittney Griner? Here’s a look at the man dubbed “The Merchant of Death.” The Q, a celebrity-backed LGBTQ nightclub in Hell's Kitchen, held a lot of promise. Then came a litany of allegations The Jan. 6 hearings may have shifted rank-and-file Republican voters’ views on Donald Trump. This is what focus groups reveal. Disappointed with the new Instagram changes? Here’s how to improve your feed — with four easy steps. Listen to your local NPR station. Visit NPR.org to hear live radio from WUFT 89.1 (edit station). Enjoying this newsletter? Forward to a friend! They can sign up here. Looking for more great content? Check out all of our newsletter offerings — including Daily News, Politics, Health and more! You received this message because you're subscribed to Best of NPR emails. This email was sent by National Public Radio, Inc., 1111 North Capitol Street NE, Washington, DC 20002 Unsubscribe  |  Privacy Policy

APOD - The Eagle Rises

Astronomy Picture of the Day

Discover the cosmos! Each day a different image or photograph of our fascinating universe is featured, along with a brief explanation written by a professional astronomer.

2022 July 30

The Eagle Rises
Image Credit: Apollo 11, NASA - Stereo Image Copyright: John Kaufmann (ALSJ)

Explanation: Get out your red/blue glasses and check out this stereo view from lunar orbit. The 3D anaglyph was created from two photographs (AS11-44-6633, AS11-44-6634) taken by astronaut Michael Collins during the 1969 Apollo 11 mission. It features the lunar module ascent stage, dubbed The Eagle, rising to meet the command module in lunar orbit on July 21. Aboard the ascent stage are Neil Armstrong and Buzz Aldrin, the first to walk on the Moon. The smooth, dark area on the lunar surface is Mare Smythii located just below the equator on the extreme eastern edge of the Moon's near side. Poised beyond the lunar horizon is our fair planet Earth.

Tomorrow's picture: starburst galaxy

---

< | Archive | Submissions | Index | Search | Calendar | RSS | Education | About APOD | Discuss | >

---

Authors & editors: Robert Nemiroff (MTU) & Jerry Bonnell (UMCP)
NASA Official: Phillip Newman Specific rights apply.
NASA Web Privacy Policy and Important Notices
A service of: ASD at NASA / GSFC,
NASA Science Activation
& Michigan Tech. U.

---

This is an automated email. If you notice any problems, just send me a note at gtracy@gmail.com. You can add and remove email addresses to this distribution list here, https://apodemail.org.Unsubscribe

Beyoncé’s new album is here; Joni Mitchell performs at Newport Folk Festival

Plus, standout Tiny Desk Contest entries.

View this email online July 30, 2022 by Marissa Lorusso This week, we’re sharing standout videos from artists who entered this year’s Tiny Desk Contest; plus, news about Joni Mitchell at Newport and Beyoncé’s latest record YouTube The week in music started with the glorious surprise return of one musical icon to the stage and ended with the highly anticipated release of a new album by another. And while we have plenty to say about both of those, we're going to start this newsletter with a few musicians who are not nearly as well-known. You might recognize the name Alisa Amador — she beat out thousands of other musicians to be named this year’s Tiny Desk Contest winner. When she came to NPR HQ, she performed the first Tiny Desk concert with a crowd in over 800 days, and pretty much everyone in that crowd was blown away by her captivating voice and charming presence. But the Tiny Desk Contest team watched each and every entry that came into this year’s Contest, and they heard a lot of great songs — and tons of great stories about the artists who had made them. For the past few weeks, Weekend Edition has been spotlighting some of those artists — artists like Wryn, whose moving song was inspired by witnessing the challenges that transgender youth face in accessing healthcare, and Micah Edwards, whose entry has an upbeat, soulful sound and sentimental lyrics that caught our judges’ ears. Weekend Edition also talked to Lillian Frances, a songwriter and rock climber who filmed her striking entry video from a portaledge on the side of a cliff in Lake Tahoe. (I’ve watched a lot of Tiny Desk Contest entries in the past few years, and I can safely say I’ve never seen anything like her entry.) And this weekend, host Scott Simon talked to Brooklyn-based artist Marcus Jade about the remarkable blues song he submitted to this year’s Contest and how his music and resilience have helped him through some particularly difficult times. Newsletter continues after sponsor message New Music Beyoncé’s new record, Renaissance, is here. The 16-song LP marks Bey’s first solo album in six years, following her pivotal visual album Lemonade. If you want to catch up before you dive in, my colleague Sidney Madden hosted an All Songs Considered conversation with our pop critic, Ann Powers, plus Ayana Contreras of WBEZ Chicago about where Beyoncé has been and what a new album from the superstar means for pop music and beyond.  Renaissance aside, some other great new albums came out this week, too. On New Music Friday from All Songs Considered, our panel discussed the delightful new album from pop singer and songwriter Maggie Rogers; the head-spinning, jazz-adjacent debut from DOMi & JD Beck; a gorgeous, self-titled release from indie-folk band Florist and more. Featuring Last Sunday, Joni Mitchell surprised crowds at the Newport Folk Festival (and fans across the world who saw on social media) with an unannounced performance. It was Mitchell’s first time performing at Fort Adams since an evening appearance there in 1969, and her first full-length public concert anywhere in two decades. Brandi Carlile, who has diligently worked to ensure Mitchell's place at the center of popular music history for the past five years, was the force behind Mitchell’s return to the stage. The set began as a group singalong with "Carey," the beloved romp from Blue, Mitchell’s classic album that turned 50 last year (if you want a reminder of the lasting power and genius of that record, I recommend Ann Powers’ deep dive on the record from last year).  Mitchell has spent years recovering from a 2015 brain aneurysm, which left her unable to speak or walk, much less play the guitar. "To be able to recover to the point of being able to perform as a musician is really incredible," Dr. Anthony Wang, a neurosurgeon at Ronald Reagan UCLA Hospital, told NPR. Also this week: We asked Maggie Rogers to make us a roséwave playlist in honor of Surrender, her summery new record; Jazz Night in America shines a light on Rhoda Scott, an American organist who moved to Europe on a whim and became a jazz superstar; and our friends at the public radio show Live from Cain's shared a video of Kalyn Fay performing "Spotted Bird," part of a new album of original music performed entirely in the Cherokee language. Tiny Desk Bob Boilen/NPR A song by the band Pigeon Pit has been getting my colleague Lars Gotrich through the year. Called “milk crates,” it’s a folk-punk track about finding “freedom from tyranny, exhaustion and the everyday nonsense that drags us down,” as Lars puts it. So he invited Pigeon Pit to play that song, plus a few others, for a cathartic, hopeful Tiny Desk concert.  One More Thing A new college course that goes in more than One Direction Listen to your local NPR station. Visit NPR.org to hear live radio from WUFT 89.1 (edit station). Need a new playlist? Follow NPR Music on Spotify and Apple Music What do you think of today's email? We'd love to hear your thoughts, questions and feedback: nprmusic@npr.org Enjoying this newsletter? Forward to a friend! They can sign up here. Looking for more great content? Check out all of our newsletter offerings — including Books, Pop Culture, Health and more! You received this message because you're subscribed to NPR Music emails. This email was sent by National Public Radio, Inc., 1111 North Capitol Street NE, Washington, DC 20002 Unsubscribe  |  Privacy Policy