Media Today

[Rick Plant]

James Webb telescope can take detailed photos of our own solar system's planets and moons

NASA has released images of Jupiter taken during James Webb's commissioning period



Over the past few days, NASA has released stunning photos of nebulae, groups of galaxies and even the "deepest" view of the universe taken by the James Webb Space Telescope. Now, the agency has released images of something much closer to home that everyone's new favorite telescope — sorry, Hubble! — has captured. When the James Webb team was calibrating the instrument, members took photos of Jupiter to see if it can be used to observe nearby celestial objects like moons and asteroids, as well other elements like planet rings and satellites. The answer, it turns out, is yes.

A photo taken by the telescope's Near-Infrared Camera (NIRCam) instrument’s short-wavelength filter (above) clearly shows the gas giant's distinct bands and its moon Europa. The Great Red Spot is also perfectly visible, even though it looks white due to the way the image was processed. When the NIRCam instrument's 2.12 micron filter was used, the resulting image showed the Jovian moons Europa, Thebe, Metis and even Europa's shadow near the Great Red Spot. And when the team used NIRCam's 3.23 micron filter, the resulting image captured some of Jupiter's rings, as you can see below:



Bryan Holler, one of the scientists who helped plan these observations, said:

"Combined with the deep field images released the other day, these images of Jupiter demonstrate the full grasp of what Webb can observe, from the faintest, most distant observable galaxies to planets in our own cosmic backyard that you can see with the naked eye from your actual backyard."

It's worth noting that James Webb captured these images moving across its field of view in three separate observations, proving that it's capable of finding and tracking stars in the vicinity of a celestial body as bright as Jupiter. That means it can be used to study moons in our solar system and could give us the first images of the plumes of material known to spew out of natural satellites like Europa and Saturn's moon Enceladus.

The team also tracked asteroids in the asteroid belt to figure out the fastest objects it can observe. They found that it can still get gather data from objects moving up to 67 milliarcseconds per second across its field of view. NASA says that's equivalent to tracking a turtle moving from a mile away. As Stefanie Milam, James Webb's deputy project scientist, said, these images show that "everything worked brilliantly." We can expect not just more impressively detailed images of space in the future, but also information that could shed more light on how the first galaxies had formed.

https://www.engadget.com/james-webb-telescope-jupiter-images-072407786.html

[Rick Plant]

Mariners Continue To Claw Their Way Out Of Obscurity, Win 12th Straight



The Seattle Mariners have never been set up for success in the eyes of an American sports fan. They have to fight the prevalent East Coast bias, they’re too far out of the way to be a team one could catch a home game to while passing through to another city, and they certainly never had a media proprietor as an owner that put them on national television (here’s looking at you, Atlanta Braves and TBS).

To add to that, the Mariners play their home games on the West Coast. If you’ve never experienced 10:10pm game starts on the regular, consider yourself fortunate. The day begins on the East Coast, meaning the news cycle begins on the East Coast. Chances are whoever is influencing those news cycles probably didn’t stay up to watch a lot of West Coast teams.

That’s all to say that the Mariners were born, trident first, into an uphill battle out of obscurity. Any media attention they get is earned, not given.

One way to get the media’s attention? Keep winning.

And so they keep winning.

Mariners anew

There were plenty moments in this game that would’ve made Mariners fans of yester-month melt faster than a snow cone in a Texas summer. The team only recorded one hit through the first three innings while striking out four times over that span, Robbie Ray gave up two homes runs (one of which put Texas within a run) before being pulled for Erik Swanson, and Julio was down to his last strike with the bases loaded and two outs.

Yester-month Mariners fans might’ve felt misplaced anger boil up during these moments, perhaps even shutting the television or radio off because we already know what’s going to happen.

I can’t speak for everyone in the Mariners fandom, but for me these moments felt different. The challenges the team faced in these moments no longer seemed insurmountable, they now felt doable. Not just doable, but presumed achievable.

After the Mariners failed to get more than one hit for three innings they went on to score three runs in the 4th inning.

After Robbie Ray gave up two home runs that put Texas within a run the bullpen came in to record seven straight outs to end the game.

After Julio found himself in a 2-out make-or-break situation with the bases and count full he delivered and hit his first ever Grand Slam (break out the rye bread).

And yes, after another 12-strikeout performance by our reigning Cy Young winner, our offense continued the trend of providing run support.

Now that the Baltimore Orioles had their win streak snapped by the Tampa Bay Rays, all eyes are rightfully affixed to the team in the Upper Left USA. It helps that Julio has lived up to — and perhaps exceeded — his hype, but I can’t remember the last time I saw the MLB social media accounts or the ESPN social media accounts talk about the Mariners as much as they are now.

It used to be that we’d have to wait for Mina Kimes to appear on a show to hear the word “Mariners” uttered through our television’s sound system. That’s no longer the case.

The only drawback to this is every analysis of the team is met with the question, “but are they the real deal?” I guess there’s only one way to find out.

Keep winning.

https://www.lookoutlanding.com/2022/7/15/23221000/mariners-continue-to-claw-their-way-out-of-obscurity-win-12th-straight

[Rick Plant]

WATCH LIVE: Stunning new images from James Webb Space Telescope offer fuller picture of our universe

[Rick Plant]

The clearest image of Jupiter ever photographed.

[Rick Plant]

The Seattle Mariners make it 13 straight.

For historical perspective, only 47 teams in MLB history have won more than 13 in a row, and just 8 teams since 2000 (including M’s record of 15 in 2001). MLB record seems safe at 26 straight by 1916 NY Giants.

Surging Seattle Mariners outlast Texas Rangers in 10 innings, extend winning streak to 13 games



ARLINGTON, Texas -- J.P. Crawford hit an RBI single in the 10th inning and the Seattle Mariners stretched their winning streak to 13 games, defeating the Texas Rangers 3-2 on Saturday.

Carlos Santana homered as the Mariners (50-42) moved closer to the club-record 15-game winning streak set in their last playoff season in 2001. They have won 21 of their past 24 games overall to take eight series in a row, their most since winning 14 straight sets during that 116-win season 21 years ago.

Seattle would match the longest winning streak in the majors this year with a victory in the series finale Sunday, its final game before the All-Star break. Reigning World Series champion Atlanta won 14 games in a row last month.

Crawford chopped a one-out single down the line past first base off Brett Martin (0-5), who was the fifth Texas pitcher and went the last two innings. That scored automatic runner Sam Haggerty, who came on as a pinch runner for Santana, who had an inning-ending groundout in the ninth.

A confident Haggerty told Seattle manager Scott Servais before the inning began that he could steal third base off Martin, and Servais went along with it. "If you feel it, take it," Servais said. "Don't play scared."

"Made our jobs a whole lot easier," Crawford said of the stolen base. "Changed the whole infield. Now a lot of more holes are open, and we have an extra opportunity not to waste an out to try to get him over. Just get him in."

Diego Castillo (7-1) faced only three batters in the ninth, benefitting from a double-play liner after walking the leadoff batter. Matthew Festa struck out the side in the 10th for his first save.

"Today, we had a chance to win the game and we didn't," Texas manager Chris Woodward said. "We didn't make baseball plays today. That's plain and simple. We had a chance to win that game. We should have won that game in my opinion."

Crawford and Santana both returned to the Mariners' lineup. Crawford had missed two games because of a bruised right index finger, and Santana was reinstated from the restricted list after being away from the club for a day after a fire at his home in Florida.

Ty France, who had three more hits to raise his batting average to .306, singled in the third before Santana hit his eighth homer of the season to put the Mariners up 2-1. France had a one-out double in the ninth, but his pinch runner got stranded on base.

Nathaniel Lowe, mired in a 4-for-26 slide, led off the Texas second with a double and scored on a single by Jonah Heim. The Rangers tied the game in the seventh after another leadoff double, this one by hot-hitting Leody Taveras before Elier Hernandez singled to get his first career RBI. Taveras has hit .593 (16-of-27) with six doubles in a seven-game hitting streak.

Chris Flexen (6-8, 3.84 ERA), who is 4-0 with a 2.53 ERA in five career starts against Texas, will take the mound for the Mariners in the final game before the All-Star break Sunday.

"Everybody's just doing their job, pitching in and really keeping a very calm demeanor about them," Servais said. "You're not always going to get the big hit or get a big shutdown inning. But we've been able to do it through the streak, and it has been awesome."

https://www.espn.com/mlb/story/_/id/34255601/surging-seattle-mariners-outlast-texas-rangers-10-innings-extend-winning-streak-13-games

[Rick Plant]

Does the COVID vaccine protect against BA.5 variant? A doctor answers

The new BA.5 is one of the “worst” subvariants circulating the country, infecting even those who have immunity from previous infections and vaccines.

Dr. Eric Topol, founder and director of Scripps Research Translational Institute, called the new subvariant “the worst version of the virus that we’ve seen” in an online post in June. He cited its advanced ability to escape immunity and high transmission, in contrast to the original omicron and its family variants, including BA.2 and BA.4.

California’s seven-day test positivity rate is at 16.1%, as of July 12, an increase from 4.3% on May 11, according to the state’s public health dashboard. Reported COVID case numbers have remained steady with 36.1 new cases per 100,000, but hospitalizations with confirmed cases have jumped from the last week — at more than 4,000.

Will current vaccines protect me from BA.5?

Preventing infection from BA.5 with vaccines is probably limited, if it provides any protection at all, said Dr. Stuart Cohen, infectious disease professor and chief of UC Davis Health’s division of infectious diseases.

According to a UC Davis Health news release, BA.5 is a “whole different animal.” It’s the most easily transmissible variant and can evade previous immunity from both infections and vaccinations.

Cohen explained that the changes with the COVID-19 virus are in the areas that the immune response from the vaccines target. As the virus continues to mutate, it becomes different from what the vaccine was designed against, he said.

But while current COVID vaccines might not prevent infection, Cohen said it can minimize the amount of damage that the virus causes. He added that those who are experiencing severe infection are unvaccinated people.

Symptoms of BA.5

According to UC Davis, symptoms of BA.5 are similar to previous COVID infections. Signs include “fever, runny nose, coughing, sore throat, headaches, muscle pain and fatigue.”

If you notice you have COVID-related symptoms, you should get tested. The federal government is providing free at-home COVID tests. You can order them online.

Should I get another booster?

If you’ve already had the two-series COVID shot and booster — three shots total — you don’t need another booster, unless you are older and have underlying medical conditions, Cohen said.

In March, the U.S. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention recommended immunocompromised people and those over 50 years old who had their first booster dose at least four months ago to get another mRNA booster.

Cohen said he’s gotten the four shots, but the second booster isn’t necessary for everyone. He advised that those who can wait look ahead to the fall, when a new vaccine may become available.

To prevent infection from BA.5, consider re-employing safety measures. Cohen said the practices from the beginning of the pandemic, including masking, not gathering in large groups and social distancing, likely still serve a significant purpose in preventing infection.

© The Sacramento Bee

[Rick Plant]

Sharks mistaking feet for fish are likely behind Long Island attacks



A series of five shark attacks in two weeks on New York's Long Island probably has many beachgoers in the Northeast hesitant to wade into the water.

But the sharks aren't targeting humans — they're after fish.

A sand tiger shark nursery located just off the Long Island coast and an abundance of bait fish close to shore could explain the recent string of unwanted encounters, according to Florida Program for Shark Research Program Director Gavin Naylor.

The sand tiger shark is one of the more menacing looking creatures lurking beneath the ocean's surface. It can grow up to 10 feet in length and has a set of jagged teeth protruding from its jaws.

However, as far as sharks go, this big fish shouldn't be cause for alarm.

The sand tiger is a relatively docile species of shark that wants little to nothing to do with humans. Attacks are almost always carried out by smaller juveniles that accidentally bite someone while chasing fish.

"Off the coast of Long Island there are lots of juvenile sand tiger sharks, a lot of them, and usually we don't have a problem with them. But as you've probably heard reported, a lot of the baitfish — the bunker (the menhaden) — are actually closer in this year and there's a lot more," Naylor said. "... It's a statistical fact that sharks don't target people. If they did, we'd have about 10,000 bites a day."

Scientists with the Wildlife Conservation Society's New York Aquarium announced the discovery of a sand tiger shark nursery off the southern Long Island coast in 2016. Naylor said this could explain why encounters, such as the five in the past two weeks, didn't result in life-threatening injuries.

Adult sharks are considerably larger and are capable of delivering more damage in the event of an attack, but they're also more mature, and less likely to mistake a human for food.

What to do if you see a shark

Having said all that, there are some extra precautions you can take to better avoid an unwanted encounter with sharks: don't swim between dusk and dawn; don't go into the water alone; avoid flashy jewelry, which can be mistaken for fish scales; don't go in if you've got an open wound.

If you've done your due diligence and still come face to face with a shark, the best thing you can do is remain calm — easier said than done. Square up with the shark and don't take your eyes off of it, Naylor said. Move purposefully, while watching the shark, and back towards the shore.

And if the shark gets too close for comfort — or it tries to bite you — defend yourself. Your best bet is to punch or kick the shark in the nose or gills.

Having said all of that, our fear of sharks is a bit out of proportion, Naylor said. The odds of getting bit by a shark are a little less than 1 in 4 million, according to the International Shark Attack File. In fact, you're 10 times more likely to get killed by fireworks.

"You're probably 200 times more likely to drown in the ocean than you are to get bitten by a shark," Naylor said. "And I think that people aren't that worried about drowning."

https://www.npr.org/2022/07/17/1111940993/possible-explanation-behind-long-islands-recent-series-of-shark-encounters