JWST Is Imaging "A Shimmering, Waving Curtain" Of Warmed Gas & Dust, Hundreds Of Light Years Across -- At Cassiopeia A.

Once upon a time, the core of a massive star collapsed, creating a shockwave that blasted outward, ripping the star apart as it went. When the shockwave reached the star’s surface, it punched through, generating a brief, intense pulse of X-rays and ultraviolet light that traveled outward into the surrounding space. About 350 years later, that pulse of light has reached interstellar material, illuminating it, warming it, and causing it to glow in infrared light.

Those ripples appear as wood-grain brown in the images at right. Here's the whole jaw-slacking story, from NASA:

. . .[These images show a] shimmering cosmic curtain [of] interstellar gas and dust that has been heated by the flashbulb explosion of a long-ago supernova. The gas then glows infrared light in what is known as a thermal light echo. As the supernova illumination travels through space at the speed of light, the echo appears to expand. NASA’s [JWST] observed this light echo in the vicinity of the supernova remnant Cassiopeia A. . . .

The researchers targeted a light echo that had previously been observed by NASA’s retired Spitzer Space Telescope. It is one of dozens of light echoes seen near the Cassiopeia A supernova remnant – the remains of the star that exploded. The light echo is coming from unrelated material that is behind Cassiopeia A, not material that was ejected when the star exploded.

The most obvious features in the [JWST] images are tightly packed sheets. These filaments show structures on remarkably small scales of about 400 astronomical units, or less than one-hundredth of a light-year. An astronomical unit, or AU, is the average Earth-Sun distance. Neptune’s orbit is 60 AU in diameter. . . .

What an amazing place the interstellar medium -- between our systems -- must be. Daunting, austere and almost. . . hostile. . . but gorgeous! Smile. . . .

नमस्ते

The Congressional Ban On Chinese Control Of TikTok Will Stand: So Sez The Supremes. Yikes.

Of course, if Congress now feels it "got it wrong", in a bipartisan effort (under Mr. Biden -- and one Tangerine 1.0 tried to achieve by executive fiat, BTW). . . it may amend or repeal the law in the coming session. You see, it is the province of judges and Justices to simply read the law as written -- not rewrite it. Here's the full 27 page opinion, just published.

So the Sunday deadline is now real. TikTok will be closed to US users, unless the parent ByteDance can divest those assets by Sunday morning. [We've never used -- and don't now use TikTok, at all -- since we long knew Chinese state affiliated actors likely have access to everything one writes or posts there.] And to be clear, Tangerine 1.0's order (struck as beyond his Constitutional powers in 2020) was for the most venial of reasons: the kids embarrassed his rally in Tulsa.

But this time, it was an Act of Congress, firmly rooted in national security arguments -- and bipartisan at that. Here's the opinion, and a bit, below in blue. This all is not likely the last word, as Tangerine 2.0 now wants his 13 million TikTok followers to remain enthralled -- and some consortium of non-China billionaires may buy the US assets, and keep it open -- independently. Stay tuned -- but I'd expect some hot-footed M&A / divestiture activity this weekend:

. . .[W]e are conscious that the cases before us involve new technologies with transformative capabilities. This challenging new context counsels caution on our part. As Justice Frankfurter advised 80 years ago in considering the application of established legal rules to the “totally new problems” raised by the airplane and radio, we should take care not to “embarrass the future.” Northwest Airlines, Inc. v. Minnesota, 322 U. S. 292, 300 (1944).

That caution is heightened in these cases, given the expedited time allowed for our consideration. Our analysis must be understood to be narrowly focused in light of these circumstances. . . .

Because the Act itself designates applications operated by “ByteDance, Ltd.” and “TikTok,” prohibitions as to those applications take effect 270 days after the Act’s enactment—January 19, 2025. The Act exempts a foreign adversary controlled application from the prohibitions if the application undergoes a “qualified divestiture.” §2(c)(1). A “qualified divestiture” is one that the President determines will result in the application “no longer being controlled by a foreign adversary.” §2(g)(6)(A). . . .

[Please forgive me my very jumbled and chaotic graphic here -- there is much conflicted history to consider in the shaping of today's chapter in the long, and frankly weird. . . narrative.] What a strange reversal of positions we've seen here: Tangerine 2.0 seeing a way to grease his palm as he takes 1600 Penn back. Count on that being his motivation for now championing the platform. Hell, he may even try to get Truth Social to be the leveraged bidder for the assets. Damn. As I say, stay tuned.

नमस्ते

It Is Believed One Of The Index Cases In Tanzania Died Of Marburg In December 2024 -- At Least 300 Contacts To Trace...

One of the hardest parts of communicable disease management -- in public health circles, is often cajoling life-saving, compliant behaviors. . . from members of. . . the public. In this regard, Tanzania's health ministers are doing their country-wide populace. . . no favors, of late.

It is past time for those ministers to furnish any test results -- and original blood samples -- to WHO. Marburg, a viral cousin of Ebola, is lethal in nearly 70% of all cases -- so the problem. . . is decidedly urgent. Here's CIDRAP's fine -- and latest -- reporting on it all:

. . .At a WHO briefing [on January 16, 2025], however, Director-General Tedros Adhanom Ghebreyesus, PhD, urged Tanzania's government send its samples for testing to international reference labs and to collect additional samples in accordance with normal procedures. He also said the WHO is supporting Tanzania's response and has offered to provide any additional support that is needed. . . .

[One of the] suspected index case-patients is a 27-year-old pregnant woman who had an illness that progressed to hemorrhagic symptoms and died on December 16, 2024. So far, investigators have identified 300 contacts, including 56 healthcare workers. Africa CDC said 16 of the contacts had direct contact with sick patients.

. . .[T]he outbreak would be Tanzania's second Marburg event. In 2023, an outbreak in the same region resulted in nine illnesses, six of them fatal. . . .

Some of the issue here must be that at least some of the rural transmission chain is likely fueled by traveling mine workers -- who are known on occasion to visit sex workers. . . and so, the originally small outbreak crosses into new districts (with the resulting social stigmas helping to obscure its tracks). Very vexing -- as a public perception / psychology problem, as well.

नमस्ते

I. Just. Can’t. Resist! Musk’s Latest Re-Entry Explosion…

Wow. Bad re-entry. Again.

x.com/elonmusk/status/1880040599761596689

pic.twitter.com/30FFwkxe8f

Oops.

— JP Mann (@ThreeDayCondor) January 17, 2025

Someone on X-itter just posted something akin to this, regarding a Mars Musk date:

. . .and, the rocket's red glare

Elon's new craft bursting in mid-air. . . .

gave proof through the night that SpaceX is
still not very close to getting there. . . .

Derp. Space is. . . hard, man.

नमस्ते

Firefly's BlueGhost Has "Left The Building!" -- On Its Way To The Lunar Surface (And A March 2, 2025 Automated Touchdown)...

In addition to the Blue Origin heavy rocket reaching orbit, we've been thrilled about this private robotic lunar mission's successes. [We need more competitors to Elon Muskian efforts.]

So it is, that the BlueGhost is now making a leisurely stroll out toward -- and beyond -- the Moon. Then it will begin a series of tightening loops, ultimately setting down around March 2, 2025. Here's the latest update:

. . .Firefly Aerospace’s Blue Ghost lunar lander successfully powered on as it continues its way to the Moon, carrying NASA science demonstrations as part of the agency’s CLPS (Commercial Lunar Payload Services) initiative and Artemis campaign. [Updated: Flight controllers for Blue Ghost Mission 1 said Wednesday that the company’s spacecraft continues to meet mission milestones including acquisition of signal, and maintaining communications through its Mission Operations Center in Cedar Park, Texas. The camera above the deck of the lander was powered up, and shot a great image, confirming the health of the X-band antenna and NASA’s Lunar Environment heliospheric X-ray Imager (LEXI) payload. . . .]

Blue Ghost is expected to land on the lunar surface on Sunday, March 2 and, throughout its mission, NASA’s scientific instruments aim to test and demonstrate lunar subsurface drilling technology, regolith sample collection capabilities, global navigation satellite system abilities, radiation tolerant computing, and lunar dust mitigation methods. The data captured could also benefit humans on Earth by providing insights into how space weather and other cosmic forces impact Earth. . . .

Now you know. Quite the busy news day -- on world, and off it. Smile.

नमस्ते

[U] Mr. Giuliani Has Agreed To Pay Up. In Full -- Plus Attorneys' Fees. That Would Be The ONLY Acceptable "Settlement". Case Is Being Settled, In New York.

A letter just entered explains all the preposterous shenanigans of this morning, in Manhattan.

Rudy has settled this contempt matter, with the plaintiffs. He is certainly turning over all the rings, and all watches except his granddad's less economically valuable one. He says he's keeping his property -- but that MUST mean either the RNC, or some deep-pocketed donor. . . is going to pay a good portion of the $148 million -- in cash, to the plaintiffs, shortly.

The πs had Hizzoner absolutely on the ropes.

Here's the letter in full, just docketed.

. . .Plaintiffs Ruby Freeman and Wandrea’ Moss, Defendant Rudolph W. Giuliani, and Intervenor Andrew Giuliani (collectively, the “Parties”) respectfully submit this letter-motion to inform the Court that Plaintiffs and Defendant have executed a settlement agreement (“Agreement”) that, once certain conditions are met, would fully resolve all issues currently scheduled for trial, including the claims of Intervenor Andrew H. Giuliani, and would result in the conclusion of all litigation currently pending between and among the Parties.

Accordingly, the Parties respectfully request that the Court adjourn the trial scheduled for January 21, 2025, and the continued contempt hearing currently scheduled for January 29, 2025, to dates on or after February 25, 2025, to permit the Parties to fully implement the Agreement. The Parties will promptly notify the Court upon full satisfaction of the terms of the Agreement. Plaintiffs have not previously sought any requests for adjournment of the trial date. Defendant has made one such request, No. 24-cv-6563, ECF No. 91, which the Court denied orally during a hearing on November 26, 2024 and memorialized in a subsequent written order, No. 24-cv-6563, ECF No. 104. Other than the appearances described above, no other appearances are currently scheduled. . . .

Wild times. But now you know. Onward.

नमस्ते

A Terse Order Just Entered Says Giuliani Bench Trial Re-Convenes On Next Tuesday -- January 21, 2025 -- AFTER The Tangerine Ball 2.0. Damn.

This crook / jamoke. . . is being shown grace far beyond any mere mortal, now -- in my estimation.

An X-itter video appeared, live, apparently -- from Mar-a-Lago, Florida mid-morning this morning -- with Mr. Giuliani narrating a story about his dog, in the warm sunshine. That, after he'd been denied the motion to move this contempt trial until after the inaugural. He's in contempt in two federal courts, and facing another felony trial, next year in Arizona.

I am certain that the able USDC Judge Liman had not seen the live X-itter feed from Florida on Rudy's official account, when he simply rescheduled the trial.

But. . . I'd expect fireworks, come next Tuesday. It may even be that the US Marshals are sent to a late night pickup of Hizzoner, in DC on Monday night -- to "bring him" in cuffs, if need be -- to Manhattan by Tuesday at 9 AM Eastern. Wow.

नमस्ते

Update: Tanzanian Governmental Authorities Claim The Eight Deaths -- Across Two Districts -- Were NOT... Marburg(?).

I do understand. These countries cannot economically withstand a perhaps six month "no travel" order. The mining and tourism industries will suffer. . . and suffer immensely. And no such order has issued from any other nation, thus far.

But it seems a less than credible proposition -- that these local public health ministers would refute lab tests independently conducted by the WHO. What interest might WHO have in lying here? None. So (while we will report it, for a complete record) do take this with a truckload of salt. The latest, from the Beeb:

. . .Tanzania has dismissed a World Health Organisation (WHO) report of a suspected new outbreak of the Ebola-like Marburg virus in the north-west of the country. On Tuesday, the global health agency said a total of nine suspected cases were reported over the last five days in the Kagera region, including eight deaths.

But in a statement, Tanzania's Health Minister Jenista Mhagama said after samples were analysed, all suspected cases were found negative for Marburg virus. She said that the country had strengthened its surveillance systems and disease monitoring. . . .

Again, I do well-understand the fear factor, and the crippling economic impact a multi-district outbreak of lethal Marburg will have on the already struggling nation. But -- as ever -- for the sake of future traveling parties, and to avoid perhaps thousands more hosts / patients / fatalities (and the safety of that nation's people), we must tell the truth. Onward.

नमस्ते

[U X3] BREAKING: Mr. Giuliani And His Lawyer, Mr. Cammarata, Are Over Two And A Half Hours Late -- Judge And πs Present And Ready To Go!

This is simply. . . crazy.

InnerCityPress reports on X-itter (from inside Foley Square!) that Rudy is MIA. Only the junior associate from Cammarata's firm is in court. Hizzoner was to be the first witness at trial on the Florida condo, the DiMaggio jersey and of course the World Series rings.

Update No. 3 -- The Rudy Giuliani trial, which never began amid his no-show, has been "adjourned" until 1 pm (EST) - then something on the record (about his absence, four hours by then?) - watch this feed.

Update of 11:27 am - nothing was put on that record at 11 am - now Judge has summoned those lawyers present back into his chambers or robing room. Waiting for them to emerge. Rudy still not here.

[Updated @ 10:54 am] Rudy Update: We're told to expect Judge Liman at 11 am to take the bench and put something on the record (about Giuliani's absence, two hours by then) - watch this feed. . . .

. . . .[Earlier] innercitypress 20 minutes ago:

Update: Rudy Giuliani still a no-show at 10:06 am. At Rudy's / defense table, only an associate of Rudy's lawyer Cammarata. Cammarata has not been seen yet this morning: now 1 hour late and counting. . . .

[U 2X -- SNARK, Matthew is] working on the lyrics now : )

Song 1: https://x.com/innercitypress/status/1875701822457049570

They wanna take his rings

For saying nasty things

USB ports

Memorabilia of sport

America's Mayor

in his Palm Beach Lair

Plaintiffs wanna take a look

& so, a book https://amazon.com/dp/B0DS54RXXX

Hilarious! Stay tuned; we will update if he does show up, or loses by a default from the capable USDC Judge Liman, in Manhattan. Out -- grinning. . . .

नमस्ते

This Is Good FDA "Food Safety" News... But Overdue. And I Get The Cosmetics Argument.

To be clear, food manufacturers will have until early 2027 to sell off stock containing erythrosine (more commonly known as Red No. 3), and source alternate supplies of red food coloring agents.

And lest anyone get too terribly alarmed, the level of Red No. 3 in foodstuffs is only a very tiny fraction of what was once in cosmetics (parts per 500,000, compared to parts per 10,000 in old cosmetics) -- which were banned in 1990, under the so-called Delaney Clause. I would like to believe that we will continue to see aggressive reviews like this one as to our food supplies, but my concern is that Tangerine 2.0 may well work to undo even these modest changes.

Still, it is true that the concentration of dye in most people's diets would be, over a life-time, less than 1/100,000^th of what old cosmetics delivered in just about a ten year span of daily use. [And the substance was shown to cause cancer only in rats that ate it as over 5% of their diet -- in a pure form. Not in humans, ever.]

Even so, I just hope all the current FDA Commissioners resolve to keep their seats until 2.0's clock runs out -- whenever that may be -- even if it is all the way to 2028. Here's the latest, from PBS:

. . .The agency said it was taking the action as a “matter of law” because some studies have found that the dye caused cancer in lab rats. Officials cited a statute known as the Delaney Clause, which requires FDA to ban any additive found to cause cancer in people or animals.

The dye is known as erythrosine, FD&C Red No. 3 or Red 3. The ban removes it from the list of approved color additives in foods, dietary supplements and oral medicines, such as cough syrups. More than three decades ago, the FDA declined to authorize use of Red 3 in cosmetics and externally applied drugs because a study showed it caused cancer when eaten by rats. Food manufacturers will have until January 2027 to remove the dye from their products, while makers of ingested drugs have until January 2028 to do the same. . . .

Now you know. Onward to another Rudy grilling tomorrow! Smile.

नमस्ते

Tanzania Has Now Confirmed Eight Deaths -- In TWO Separate Districts -- From A New Marburg Flare-Up... Tough News.

This is hard news. Less than a month after Rwanda was able to arrest its own late 2024 outbreak of Marburg -- a very lethal remote cousin of Ebola. . . we now see a geographically-dispersed pattern of at least eight Marburg deaths, in a remote mountainous part of Tanzania.

The fact that this outbreak crosses distinct geographies, makes it of particularly grave concern: there are probably more than two index cases, and it would seem more than one of them has. . . traveled -- endangering multiple communities. [Sadly, we should expect the death toll will rise for a few weeks, at least.] Here's the latest, from The [UK] Guardian:

. . .A suspected outbreak of Marburg virus disease (MVD) in Tanzania has killed eight people and poses a high risk to the country and its neighbours, global health leaders have said.

The World Health Organization (WHO) said nine suspected cases of the Ebola-like virus had been reported as of 11 January, in two districts of the Kagera region in the north of the country, including the eight deaths.

While the global risk from the outbreak is considered low, officials said the risk in Tanzania and the region was considered high. . . .

In a statement, the WHO said: “The reporting of suspected MVD cases from two districts suggests geographic spread. The delayed detection and isolation of cases, coupled with ongoing contact tracing, indicates lack of full information of the current outbreak. More cases are expected to be identified.” It also emphasised the high death rate of 89%, and the fact that healthcare workers are among suspected cases, potentially indicating spread within health facilities.

Kagera borders Rwanda, Burundi and Uganda, with significant cross-border movement of people, and the WHO said there was “the potential for spread into neighbouring countries. . . .”

I wish it were better news. . . but there you have it. Another role for an experimental vaccine -- and a monoclonal antibody therapeutic. Prevention would plainly be the better medicine, but we must meet the virus where and when it finds a host. Onward.

नमस्ते

Preview Of Tomorrow: Rudy Cannot Block Any Open Court Showing That Neither He, Nor The Son, Filed Gift Tax Returns On The Supposed "Gift" Of The Yankees Rings...

There will be portions of Mr. Giuliani's (and son's) IRS Form 1040 Schedules made public documents, in the able USDC Judge Liman's Manhattan courtroom, tomorrow. Woot!

The cogent Judge just denied Rudy's motion to seal the pre-trial order exhibits. The people have a right to see the evidence in this case -- it is plainly a matter of substantial public and political concern. He is trying to duck paying a $148 million libel verdict, related to his dangerous lies about the 2020 election outcome in Georgia.

And the fact that he filed no tax return listing the supposed "gifts" -- for the 20218 tax year (the year they claim the gifts were finalized), and his son didn't, either. . . can only be understood to mean that (if the gifts really happened), (i) they both lied to the IRS and didn't pay taxes on the rings, or (ii) they made the whole thing up in under-oath documents and testimony (see page 19 here) in a federal court. . . to (iii) achieve a "fraudulent conveyance" -- against judgment creditors, under NY law, at some point -- in 2024.

In open court, the lawyers for the election workers will also show the bankruptcy papers Rudy filed last year, listing the rings (one of which is imaged at upper right) as "his own property". These plainly untrue statements, along with the ones related to the Florida condo and that Lauren Bacall blue Mercedes. . . mean he is going to lose -- and be hit with perhaps another $2 million in legal fees, expended by the other side in running his lies to ground. Damn.

It must be said: even though Tangerine 2.0 two nights ago, got his Truth Social followers to donate more money toRudy's legal defense coffers. . . almost all of that ought to be paid to Willkie, Farr for Ms. Moss -- and the plaintiffs. Judge Liman should "so order" it.

Ever onward, into the sub-zero windchill sunshine here. . . be excellent to one another!

नमस्ते

[Re-Upping; Updated] The "Spider's Web" Mystery (First Appeared / Visible To Earth, Some 5,000 Years Ago)... Wolf-Rayet 140: Solved, By NASA's Next Gen Space 'Scope Team...

Updated: As of January 14, 2025, NASA has offered much more interstellar "spacey-science" (and many more graphics, and animations, below!) -- on what is going on here -- after much more data analysis, and imagery transmission, from JWST. Do go read it all -- but what a cool pattern it forms, across a few light-years. Almost like a spider's web -- on a vast scale. End, update.

[Originally published 10.15.2022] Back in early September, we mentioned what we thought might be an enduring open question: what physics might be at work to create the strange, sort of rectangular wavelets, at right spinning off of Wolf-Rayet 140 (near Gaia).

It turns out that the mystery was solved in under a month, with the power of our new [name redacted] space telescope, out at L2.

Having a new, and very powerful tool. . . makes all the difference. It turns out that two stars (one very large, and massive; the other very small and now dying) are revolving tightly around each other, at about once every eight years, and as they draw closest in each orbital cycle the stellar winds compress into each other, creating something not unlike a set of rings, in a tree's cross-section. Do watch the YouTube explainer at bottom, as the compression force creates a regular series of more opaque (carbon dust) bands, and those propagate out at a regular interval / steady speed, over time. So each ring represents about eight years' time, on Earth.

It remains unclear, to me, at least -- why the wave pattern isn't more circular / elliptical. . . but instead seems to most-nearly resemble a "rectangular boxed" shape. I guess that is for future study / observations. It also turns out (via the video, at one minute and twenty seconds!) that because the duo's orbits are so highly-elliptical, each of the close approaches causes a flattened curve to be propagated outward, in bands of carbon filled dust. . . thus explaining why it looks flat on two sides. Wild!

Here's the latest, from this past week:

. . .A new image shows at least 17 dust rings created by a rare type of star and its companion locked in a celestial dance. . . .

A new image from NASA’s [Redacted] Space Telescope reveals a remarkable cosmic sight: at least 17 concentric dust rings emanating from a pair of stars. Located just over 5,000 light-years from Earth, the duo is collectively known as Wolf-Rayet 140.

Each ring was created when the two stars came close together and their stellar winds (streams of gas they blow into space) met, compressing the gas and forming dust. The stars’ orbits bring them together about once every eight years; like the growth of rings of a tree’s trunk, the dust loops mark the passage of time.

“We’re looking at over a century of dust production from this system,” said Ryan Lau, an astronomer at NSF’s NOIRLab and lead author of a new study about the system, published today in the journal Nature Astronomy. “The image also illustrates just how sensitive this telescope is. Before, we were only able to see two dust rings, using ground-based telescopes. Now we see at least 17 of them. . . .”

This truly is a phenomenal time to be alive, and able to witness the progress of all scientific endeavors -- but especially interstellar space science:



नमस्ते

"Hizzoner" Giuliani Cannot Suddenly Spring Up -- With Surprise Witnesses In Manhattan, Come Thursday...

He will lose come this Thurday, in his bench trial before the able USDC Judge Liman in Manhattan. That is certain. His right to offer evidence has been largely curtailed via his own lies and omissions, as we've repeatedly noted.

And here is the order setting ground rules, well-reasoned. Here's that opinion in full -- and a bit:

. . . .In deciding whether to exclude a witness from testifying as a sanction for a violation of Rule 26, the court considers the Softel factors: “(1) the party’s explanation for the failure to comply with the [disclosure requirement]; (2) the importance of the testimony of the precluded witness[es]; (3) the prejudice suffered by the opposing party as a result of having to prepare to meet the new testimony; and (4) the possibility of a continuance.” Patterson v. Balsamico, 440 F.3d 104, 117 (2d Cir. 2006) (quoting Softel, Inc. v. Dragon Med. & Scientific Commc’ns, Inc., 118 F.3d 955, 961 (2d Cir. 1997)). “Preclusion is considered ‘a drastic remedy’ that is generally disfavored within the District.” Rosado v. Soriano, 2021 WL 4192863, at *1 (S.D.N.Y. Aug. 6, 2021) (quoting Rivera v. United Parcel Serv., 325 F.R.D. 542, 548 (S.D.N.Y. 2018)). “Before the extreme sanction of preclusion may be used by the district court, a judge should inquire more fully into the actual difficulties which the violation causes, and must consider less drastic responses.” Outley v. City of New York, 837 F.2d 587, 591 (2d Cir. 1988). There is no serious dispute that Defendant violated Rule 26(a)(1). . . .

Defendant failed to include the Third-Party Witnesses in the initial disclosures and failed to amend those disclosures to include Placa’s name until December 23, 2024 (and failed to ever name Goodman). He also failed to include telephone numbers as required by Rule 26(a)(1)(A)(i). His failures were not substantially justified or harmless. Defendant offers no justification or explanation for the failure to identify Ryan, Placa, or Goodman. Defendant proposes to offer Ryan and Placa to testify to his alleged relocation from New York City to Palm Beach. Dkt. No. 157. But he does not offer any reason why, if those persons have relevant information, he would not have known the information and have formed the view that they might be used as witnesses at the time of the November 4 initial disclosures. . . .

What a. . . putz.

["Hizzoner" has filed what he calls an "interlocutory appeal", from this evidence non-admission opinion, to the Second Circuit. But trial will occur this week And he will lose in both courts -- evidentiary matters are to be appealed only after judgment.] Onward, to Thursday -- and his shellacking.

He loses the Florida condo, is my experienced bet.

नमस्ते

It Seems Over A Third Of All Ultra-Massive Black Holes In The Known Universe Are Deeply Hidden, In Vast, Torus-Shaped Dust Blankets...

In part in an effort to "find" the so-called "missing mass" of the then known Universe (such that the Universe doesn't forever just fly apart into an infinite time period), but eventually collapses back into a closed system / singularity -- to restart, from another "big bang", JPL operated a space-based 'scope for ten months in 1983, looking at the whole sky, in infrared.

This ultimately led to a ground-based telescope studies, in the last few years, in which hundreds of initial targets were sorted.

Some of them turned out to be not heavily obscured black holes but galaxies with high rates of star formation that emit a similar infrared glow. So the authors of the new study used visible-light telescopes to identify those galaxies and separate them from the hidden black holes. The result confirms that at least one third of these super massive giants are never going to emit visible wavelength light, as their torus shaped dust clouds blot them out, when viewed edge on. Here's the latest -- but incrementally increases the chances that the math works for the Universe to be a closed system, in a potentially endless series of expansion / collapse epochs:

. . .To confirm edge-on, heavily obscured black holes, the researchers relied on NASA’s NuSTAR (Nuclear Spectroscopic Telescope Array), an X-ray observatory also managed by JPL. X-rays are radiated by some of the hottest material around the black hole. Lower-energy X-rays are absorbed by the surrounding clouds of gas and dust, while the higher-energy X-rays observed by NuSTAR can penetrate and scatter off the clouds. Detecting these X-rays can take hours of observation, so scientists working with NuSTAR first need a telescope like IRAS to tell them where to look. . . .

The new study published in the Astrophysical Journal found that about 35% of supermassive black holes are heavily obscured, meaning the surrounding clouds of gas and dust are so thick they block even low-energy X-ray light.

Comparable searches have previously found less than 15% of supermassive black holes are so obscured. Scientists think the true split should be closer to 50/50 based on models of how galaxies grow. . . .

Onward -- smiling into the chilly sunshine, after a new one inch dusting of fluffy snows overnight (twice at around 7:15 am local). . . be excellent to one another. And I cannot resist noting that Jack Smith confirmed what we all knew -- and Pete Hegseth shows himself to be the lil' troll he is, at hearings today. Ugh.

नमस्ते

So... Elon Musk May Find... There Are Some Rides He CANNOT Just "Buy." Heh.

As irony would have it, this three part sci-fi book I'm just now finishing makes a main character (set in the late stages of the 21^st Century) out of an ultra-rich guy who is Hell-bent on terraforming Mars. . . a very soft-echo of one Elon Musk (except that he's Russian). And the guy looks more and more to be. . . a baddy, as the second of the trilogy gets underway. [Very much like. . . the real one.] I am sure it is all just. . . coincidental, though (cough!).

Meanwhile with the Tangerine 2.0 honeymoon already falling apart between them, the real life story is looking more and more like he'll never get to Mars, at all -- let alone be green-lit to. . . terraform it. Here is this rather snarky Politico item, and a bit:

. . .Trump confidant Elon Musk wants NASA to drop its ambitious plans to return to the moon and instead head straight to Mars. Congress is ready to put up a fight.

Republican and Democratic lawmakers, who control NASA’s purse strings, want Americans to return to the lunar surface in 2027 — and they’re not willing to abandon that mission despite Musk’s obsession with skipping the moon for Mars. . . .

The SpaceX founder dreams of a Mars mission that would preserve human life beyond Earth, even if it costs hundreds of billions of dollars and poses extreme risks to those involved. He’s called colonization of the planet “life insurance for life.”

“We’re going straight to Mars,” Musk posted recently, adding that the moon focus was a “distraction.”

The Mars-first strategy, though, would likely find little support on Capitol Hill. . . .

Despite the more prosaic political lens in the above pull quote, in point of fact. . . crew safety would be a primary reason. NASA has admitted that the cancer risks from that duration of time in space -- outside our protective magnetosphere. . . will be daunting. And we collectively have not solved the "in capsule" shielding tech challenge. Not even remotely.

So it goes -- and life (again) is imitating art -- or is it. . . the other way around?

I dunno.

Grin.

नमस्ते

What Rudy's SECOND Contempt Order In Two Federal Courts, In A Week, Means...

I wanted this to get the full ride of a Monday morning traffic burst, so here it is. [Prior backgrounder, here.] The former "Hizzoner" still faces a felony trial in Arizona federal courts for his efforts to defraud the 2002 electoral process there. That may, along with these two civil contempt citations. . . send him to jail.

So, he been ordered to shut his mouth about the Georgie workers. He's going to be ordered as early as today to put the World Series rings in the hands of the US Marshals -- in USDC Judge Liman's Manhattan courtroom -- for "safe-keeping" -- since he and his son cannot be trusted to comply with clear court orders.

He still has to answer on contempt this coming Thursday in Manhattan for his hiding of assets owed to the Georgia election workers. In sum, the man will now lose his Florida condo, and will need to rely of friends for shelter. He is nearly broke, disbarred and increasingly demented in his speech patterns. What a mess. Here's that Friday order, in full -- and a bit:

. . .The Court finds, based on clear and convincing evidence, that defendant violated the Consent Judgment. The Consent Judgment, to which defendant agreed and requested that this Court enter, see Stipulation and Consent to Entry of Final Judgment, ECF No. 14, contains a provision that permanently enjoins him from engaging in conduct described in part (a) and part (b). Consent Judgment at 5. He violated part (a), which enjoins defendant from making “any statements that suggest that Plaintiffs, whether mentioned directly, indirectly, or by implication, engaged in wrong-doing in connection with the 2020 presidential election,” by making at least. . . four [completely false and slanderous and libelous] statements in three talk show videos that were live streamed to social media on November 12, 14, and 19, 2024. . . .

Defendant [Giuliani] understands and acknowledges that no factual matter set out in the Freeman I Sworn Testimony or the conclusion reached in the Georgia Report of Investigation, referenced in paragraphs 1 and 3 above, has been contradicted or otherwise undermined in any way by any other sworn testimony or formal report issued by any government body; it is further

ORDERED that defendant shall be assessed a $200 fine for each day that defendant does not comply with this condition after January 20, 2025, which fine shall be paid directly to plaintiffs’ law firm as partial reimbursement of the attorneys’ fees and costs. . . .

The man is unlikely to live very long, if he does end up in the Bureau of Prisons in Arizona some time in 2026. His health is just too frail. But this is the path he's willfully chosen. And Tangerine has no power to pardon those state level felonies. [And trivially, my Broncos came up short yesterday afternoon in Buffalo against the great Josh Allen.] Onward.

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Claims Of Fraud -- In Science -- Are Much The Same As Claims Of Fraud, In Business. . . Only Waged On Much Smaller Scales. A Fossil Fraud(?), From A Phosphate Mine In Morocco?

The purported discovery was in 2021, near the height of COVID related travel curtailments. Few saw the original site / find (and almost no independent party actually witnessed the "excavation", physically) before the claim was published. [But to be fair, some cohort of miners / mine owners, not scientists. . . may have "salted" the find, and then called the scientist team in. That is, we will likely never know -- exactly -- how it came to be.]

And as I indicate below the pull-quote, I must note that it is Elon Musk that has put me in mind of this story, I saw early on Sunday, anew.

In any event, the guy at right was likely not found at the bottom of a phosphate mine, in Morocco. Whatever this jaw-bone was, it unlikely belonged to the monster at right. Here's the story, from LiveScience:

. . .A mosasaur species with saw-like teeth that was described by scientists in 2021 may have been based on forged fossils, and researchers are now calling for CT scans to determine the creature's origin. . . .

The scientists behind the original study described the species, named Xenodens calminechari, from a partial jaw bone and four sharp teeth unearthed in a phosphate mine in Morocco's Khouribga province. Those teeth prompted the team in 2021 to make claims about its uniqueness, and these are key to the doubts raised in the new study, which was published Dec. 16, 2024, in the journal The Anatomical Record.

Mosasaurs were predatory marine reptiles that dominated the oceans during the Cretaceous period (145 million to 66 million years ago). They were hugely diverse, reaching lengths of between 10 and 50 feet (3 to 15 meters) feet. They also had varying tooth shapes befitting their different diets. The 2021 team claimed that X. calminechari had "small, short, bladelike teeth packed together to form a saw-like cutting edge. . . ."

Two of the mosasaur's closely-packed teeth sit in one tooth socket. This conflicts with all other known mosasaur species, in which each tooth has its own socket, according to the new study. Rather than being constructed out of bone from the jaw, tooth sockets are "made by bone that develops from the tooth itself. Each tooth crown makes its own house," said study co-author Michael Caldwell, a professor of biological sciences at the University of Alberta. In other words, there should be only one tooth per socket.

Mosasaurs "replaced their teeth continuously throughout their lives," he told Live Science. "Every time one of these teeth is resorbed and falls out, there's a huge pit left over. And that's because the next tooth is coming into that hole to build all that tissue back up again so that it's firmly anchored in the jaw."

Additionally, rather than sitting flush within the jaw, two of the teeth also appear to have a little material, or "medial overlap," extending over them on one side. That overlap shouldn't be there in normal mosasaur tooth development. "The fact that there's that medial overlap is a huge indicator" of a possible forgery, study co-author Mark Powers, PhD candidate at the University of Alberta [said]. . . .

In a book I'm reading (my original artwork -- at left -- on it) there was a line from an archeologist that here applies -- she said something to the effect that "academic battles in archeology are fought very fiercely -- in no small part because the rewards are so very. . . small." She compared these sorts of battles to anything Musk might battle in a business boardroom or court for. . . as "electron microscope level" by comparison. I think she may well not be wrong.

And the book, to be fair, is science fiction [a book about a 2.5 billion year old metal burial chamber, covered in symbols, found embedded about 300 feet into a crater-wall, on Barsoom -- perhaps also faked, in the telling of this author] -- but I expect the quote from the unnamed archeologist. . . is not wholly-invented.

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WHO's Just-Released 45th Situation Report: Multi-Country Outbreak Of Mpox

The masthead above [and below] details how the spread has progressed, from Clade 2 -- now to the more dangerous Clade 1b.

There can be no mistake -- this is more than a regional (African) emergency. As the report intro indicates, "the outbreak of clade Ib monkeypox virus (MPXV) continues predominantly in the Democratic Republic of the Congo, Burundi and Uganda, with new travel-related cases identified in previously unaffected countries. Recent travel-associated mpox cases highlight the risk of undetected transmission in countries, emphasizing the need for strengthened surveillance and timely reporting to improve global monitoring and prevent international spread".

Additional detailed info may be found here, and a bit of it appears below:

. . .▲ The outbreak of clade Ib monkeypox virus (MPXV) continues predominantly in the Democratic Republic of the Congo, Burundi and Uganda, with new travel-related cases identified in previously unaffected countries.

▲ Recent travel-associated mpox cases highlight the risk of undetected transmission in countries, emphasizing the need for strengthened surveillance and timely reporting to improve global monitoring and prevent international spread.

▲ The Democratic Republic of the Congo remains the most affected country, experiencing circulation of both clade I MPXV subclades. Despite many of the provinces reporting stable trends in cases, the situation in the country remains concerning with continued high circulation of the virus.

▲ Burundi and Uganda continue reporting between 100-200 new mpox cases per week, with a plateauing trend, possibly impacted by a decline in surveillance and reporting during the December festive season.

▲ Since the last update (23 December 2024), Uganda has reported six deaths, bringing the total to 12 deaths among confirmed mpox cases in the country.

▲ A travel-related case of mpox due to clade Ib MPXV in Germany (the second importation) led to secondary household transmission.

▲ Clade Ib MPXV has been detected in three additional countries, Belgium, China and France, directly or indirectly linked to travel to affected countries in Central Africa.

▲ Kosovo has reported its first case of mpox Clade 1b. . . .

▲ Information on the MPXV clade in some other nations is not yet available. . . .

Now you know -- onward, resolutely. And go you Denver Broncos! Smile. . . .

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First Commercial Robotic Lunar Landing Mission To Launch From Canaveral This Coming Week...

To be fair, it will reach orbit using a Musk / SpaceX rocket. [There. I said it.]

But from there on, it will be Firefly and NASA -- to attempt the first commercial robotic lunar launch (a mission that a Japanese firm failed to complete without a hard landing, in April of 2023).

Here's the latest -- good luck, to them all!

. . .Carrying NASA science and technology to the Moon as part of the agency’s CLPS (Commercial Lunar Payload Services) initiative and Artemis campaign, Firefly Aerospace’s Blue Ghost Mission 1 is targeting launch Wednesday, Jan. 15.

The mission will lift off on a SpaceX Falcon 9 rocket from Launch Complex 39A at the agency’s Kennedy Space Center in Florida. . . .

After the launch, Firefly’s Blue Ghost lander will spend approximately 45 days in transit to the Moon before landing on the lunar surface in early March. The lander will carry 10 NASA science investigations to further our understanding of the Moon’s environment and help prepare for future human missions to the lunar surface, as part of the agency’s Moon to Mars exploration approach. . . .

Now you know. Onward, into the chilly sunshine, with Rudy in contempt in DC -- his second in a week's time. Hilarious!

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