LAKEPORT, Calif. — The Lakeport City Council this week will meet a new department head and get an update from staff on the development of the city’s newest park.
The council will meet at 6 p.m. Tuesday, Aug. 1, in the council chambers at Lakeport City Hall, 225 Park St.
The council chambers will be open to the public for the meeting. Masks are highly encouraged where 6-foot distancing cannot be maintained.
If you cannot attend in person, and would like to speak on an agenda item, you can access the Zoom meeting remotely at this link or join by phone by calling toll-free 669-900-9128 or 346-248-7799.
The webinar ID is 973 6820 1787, access code is 477973; the audio pin will be shown after joining the webinar. Those phoning in without using the web link will be in “listen mode” only and will not be able to participate or comment.
Comments can be submitted by email to This email address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it.. To give the city clerk adequate time to print out comments for consideration at the meeting, please submit written comments before 3:30 p.m. on Tuesday, Aug. 1.
On Tuesday, the council will get a presentation from Brian Fisher of the Lake County Tourism Improvement District on the district’s activities and meet new Community Development Director Joey Hejnowicz.
Under council business, council members will get updates on the 2023 Lakeport Splash-In at Clear Lake and Taste In Lakeport events and consider approving applications for both.
Public Works Director Ron Ladd also will give the council the latest on the Lakefront Park project.
On the consent agenda — items considered noncontroversial and usually accepted as a slate on one vote — are warrants; ordinances; minutes of the regular council meeting on July 18; approval of the designated temporary disabled parking on C and D Streets, between South Forbes Street and the respective fairgrounds entrance gates from 4 p.m. on Thursday, Aug. 31, to midnight on Sunday, Sept. 3, for the Lake County Fair; approval of the military Use Policy and City Ordinance, as drafted, and setting of this matter for public hearing and adoption at the Aug. 15 Lakeport City Council meeting.
Email Elizabeth Larson at This email address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it.. Follow her on Twitter, @ERLarson, or Lake County News, @LakeCoNews.
Michael Wysession, Arts & Sciences at Washington University in St. Louis
Between the record-breaking global heat and extreme downpours, it’s hard to ignore that something unusual is going on with the weather in 2023.
People have been quick to blame climate change – and they’re right, to a point: Human-caused global warming does play the biggest role. A recent study determined that the weekslong heat wave in Texas and Mexico that started in June 2023 would have been virtually impossible without it.
However, the extremes this year are sharper than anthropogenic global warming alone would be expected to cause. Human activities that release greenhouse gas emissions into the atmosphere have been increasing temperatures gradually, at an average of 0.2 degrees Fahrenheit (0.1 Celsius) per decade.
Three additional natural factors are also helping drive up global temperatures and fuel disasters this year: El Niño, solar fluctuations and a massive underwater volcanic eruption.
Unfortunately, these factors are combining in a way that is exacerbating global warming. Still worse, we can expect unusually high temperatures to continue through at least 2025, which means even more extreme weather in the near future.
Essentially, the atmosphere borrows heat out of the Pacific, and global temperatures increase slightly. This happened in 2016, the time of the last strong El Niño. Global temperatures increased by about 0.25 F (0.14 C) on average, making 2016 the warmest year on record. A weak El Niño also occurred in 2019-2020, contributing to 2020 becoming the world’s second-warmest year.
El Niño’s opposite, La Niña, involves cooler-than-usual Pacific currents flowing westward, absorbing heat out of the atmosphere, which cools the globe. The world just came out of three straight years of La Niña, meaning we’re experiencing an even greater temperature swing.
Based on increasing Pacific sea surface temperatures in mid-2023, climate modeling now suggests a 90% chance that Earth is headed toward its first strong El Niño since 2016.
Combined with the steady human-induced warming, Earth may soon again be breaking its annual temperature records. June 2023 was the hottest in modern record. July saw global records for the hottest days and a large number of regional records, including an incomprehensible heat index of 152 F (67 C) in Iran.
Solar fluctuations
The Sun may seem to shine at a constant rate, but it is a seething, churning ball of plasma whose radiating energy changes over many different time scales.
The Sun is slowly heating up and in half a billion years will boil away Earth’s oceans. On human time scales, however, the Sun’s energy output varies only slightly, about 1 part in 1,000, over a repeating 11-year cycle. The peaks of this cycle are too small for us to notice at a daily level, but they affect Earth’s climate systems.
Rapid convection within our Sun both generates a strong magnetic field aligned with its spin axis and causes this field to fully flip and reverse every 11 years. This is what causes the 11-year cycle in emitted solar radiation.
Earth’s temperature increase during a solar maximum, compared with average solar output, is only about 0.09 F (0.05 C), roughly a third of a large El Niño. The opposite happens during a solar minimum. However, unlike the variable and unpredictable El Niño changes, the 11-year solar cycle is comparatively regular, consistent and predictable.
The last solar cycle hit its minimum in 2020, reducing the effect of the modest 2020 El Niño. The current solar cycle has already surpassed the peak of the relatively weak previous cycle (which was in 2014) and will peak in 2025, with the Sun’s energy output increasing until then.
A massive volcanic eruption
Volcanic eruptions can also significantly affect global climates. They usually do this by lowering global temperatures when erupted sulfate aerosols shield and block a portion of incoming sunlight – but not always.
The eruption released an unusually small amount of cooling sulfate aerosols but an enormous amount of water vapor. The molten magma exploded underwater, vaporizing a huge volume of ocean water that erupted like a geyser high into the atmosphere.
Water vapor is a powerful greenhouse gas, and the eruption may end up warming Earth’s surface by about 0.06 F (0.035 C), according to one estimate. Unlike the cooling sulfate aerosols, which are actually tiny droplets of sulfuric acid that fall out of the atmosphere within one to two years, water vapor is a gas that can stay in the atmosphere for many years. The warming impact of the Tonga volcano is expected to last for at least five years.
Underlying it all: Global warming
All of this comes on top of anthropogenic, or human-caused, global warming.
Humans have raised global average temperatures by about 2 F (1.1 C) since 1900 by releasing large volumes of greenhouse gases into the atmosphere. For example, humans have increased the amount of carbon dioxide in the atmosphere by 50%, primarily through combustion of fossil fuels in vehicles and power plants. The warming from greenhouse gases is actually greater than 2 F (1.1 C), but it has been masked by other human factors that have a cooling effect, such as air pollution.
If human impacts were the only factors, each successive year would set a new record as the hottest year ever, but that doesn’t happen. The year 2016 was the warmest so far, in large part because of the last large El Niño.
What does this mean for the future?
The next couple of years could be very rough.
If a strong El Niño develops over the next year, combined with the solar maximum and the effects of the Hunga Tonga-Hunga Ha’apai eruption, Earth’s temperatures would likely soar to uncharted highs. According to climate modeling, this would likely mean even more heat waves, forest fires, flash floods and other extreme weather events.
Both weather and climate forecasts have become very reliable in recent years, benefiting from vast amounts of data from Earth-orbiting satellites and enormous supercomputing power for forecasting the flow and interactions of heat and water among the complex components of the ocean, land and atmosphere.
There is now a greater than 50% chance that Earth’s global temperature will reach 2.7 F (1.5 C) by the year 2028, at least temporarily, increasing the risk of triggering climate tipping points with even greater human impacts. Because of the unfortunate timing of several parts of the climate system, it seems that the odds are not in our favor.
LAKE COUNTY, Calif. — The county of Lake announced that it has received a $75,000 grant from the California Cultural and Historical Endowment for the transformation of the Lake Pomo Gallery at the Historic Courthouse Museum in Lakeport.
This initiative, which began in March 2022, represents a collaborative effort between Lake County Museum staff and the volunteer Tribal Advisory Committee to the Museums of Lake County.
The funding is part of the $19.7 million awarded by the California Cultural and Historical Endowment to support 63 museum projects spanning from San Diego to Shasta counties.
These projects aim to provide resources for small capital projects and programs in museums that have been severely affected by COVID-19 and serve historically underserved communities or students subject to Title 1.
Wade Crowfoot, California Natural Resources Secretary, expressed his enthusiasm for the initiative, stating, “California's museums teach us about our state's dynamic, diverse history and culture. This funding will support projects across the state that lift up history and culture that has been underrepresented in the past and enable more people to learn these remarkable stories.”
The ambitious endeavor will lead to the establishment of a permanent exhibit in the Historic Courthouse Museum, showcasing the rich and vibrant history of the seven federally recognized Pomo Nations of the Clear Lake basin.
The exhibit will feature an extensive basketry collection and other cultural objects displayed in modern cases, incorporating dynamic mounts and interactive screens with oral histories and other cultural content in collaboration with the tribes in Lake County: Big Valley Band of Pomo Indians, Elem Indian Colony of Pomo Indians, Habematolel Pomo of Upper Lake, the Koi Nation of Northern California, Middletown Rancheria of Pomo Indians of California, the Robinson Rancheria of Pomo Indians of California and the Scotts Valley Band of Pomo Indians.
Additionally, contemporary art from Pomo artists will be included to connect the present and future with the generations of Lake County's indigenous heritage.
Planning for this transformative project began in the summer 2023, with a grand opening scheduled for 2024.
The gallery will welcome museum visitors and students on tours, fostering knowledge and appreciation for the culture and identity of the Lake Pomo tribes.
In another partnership, the county of Lake also was successful in its application to the Upstate California Creative Corps Grant program, which will enable the completion of the Lake Pomo Family statue on the grounds of the Historic Courthouse Museum in Lakeport.
This grant is part of a broader media, outreach and engagement campaign designed to increase awareness for issues such as public health, water and energy conservation, climate mitigation, and emergency preparedness, relief, and recovery.
The California Arts Council views the California Creative Corps program as an opportunity for job creation and human infrastructure development, fostering artist engagement in public work and intersectional public interest goals.
The life-size bronze sculpture featuring a Lake Pomo family will be erected on the grounds of the museum.
The project represents the culmination of nearly a decade of fundraising efforts and will be a major attraction for the community, drawing visitors to the county and museums alike. The statue holds profound symbolism, representing the cultural beauty and heritage of the Lake Pomo people for generations to come.
This statue project aims to address historical trauma and foster healing within Indigenous communities that have endured centuries of marginalization and assimilation. The power of public art, such as this statue, promotes well-being by providing individuals with a sense of purpose and inviting public spaces that encourage physical activity, socialization, and a deeper understanding of the world.
Throughout the process, the Tribal Advisory Committee to the Museums of Lake County has worked closely with Kelseyville artist Rolf Kriken to ensure cultural authenticity of the individual figures in the statue and reflect the family bonds, resiliency, and intergenerational connection of the Pomo people.
The committee, consisting of elders and tribal members representing all seven Pomo tribes, has creatively guided the project and contributed significantly to its realization.
Their vision and input have been central to the creation of the Lake Pomo Family bronze statue, county officials said.
LAKE COUNTY, Calif. — The East Region Town Hall, or ERTH, will meet on Wednesday, Aug. 2.
The meeting will begin at 4 p.m. at the Moose Lodge, located at 15900 Moose Lodge Lane in Clearlake Oaks.
The meeting will be available via Zoom. The meeting ID is 986 3245 2684, pass code is 666827.
This meeting’s guest speaker is Dianna Mann, general manager of the Clearlake Oaks County Water District.
Also on the agenda is the latest on commercial cannabis cultivation projects and a cannabis ordinance task force update and a report from Supervisor EJ Crandell.
The group’s next meeting will take place on Sept. 6.
ERTH’s members are Denise Loustalot, Jim Burton, Tony Morris and Pamela Kicenski.
For more information visit the group’s Facebook page.
LAKE COUNTY, Calif. — Lake County Animal Care and Control has new dogs for adoption this week.
Dogs available for adoption this week include mixes of Anatolian shepherd, Belgian malinois, border collie, Chihuahua, collie, German shepherd, hound, mastiff, pit bull, pointer and terrier.
Dogs that are adopted from Lake County Animal Care and Control are either neutered or spayed, microchipped and, if old enough, given a rabies shot and county license before being released to their new owner. License fees do not apply to residents of the cities of Lakeport or Clearlake.
The following dogs at the Lake County Animal Care and Control shelter have been cleared for adoption.
Call Lake County Animal Care and Control at 707-263-0278 or visit the shelter online for information on visiting or adopting.
Male poodle
This 2-year-old male poodle has a black coat.
He is in kennel No. 4, ID No. LCAC-A-5541.
‘Coya’
“Coya” is a 1-year-old female pit bull-pointer mix with a white coat.
She is in kennel No. 18, ID No. LCAC-A-5231.
‘Diamond’
“Diamond” is a 10-month-old female pit bull terrier-pointer mix with a brown brindle coat.
She is in kennel No. 23, ID No. LCAC-A-5230.
‘Jax’
“Jax” is a 4-year-old male Siberian husky with a black and white coat.
He is in kennel No. 17, ID No. LCAC-A-5477.
Female collie mix
This 3-year-old collie mix has a black coat.
She is in kennel No. 28, ID No. LCAC-A-5514.
German shepherd puppy
This male German shepherd puppy is 7 months old, with a short black and tan coat.
He is in kennel No. 2, ID No. LCAC-A-5315.
Male Great Pyrenees
This 1 and a half year old male Great Pyrenees has a white coat.
He is in kennel No. 3, ID No. LCAC-A-5469.
Anatolian shepherd-mastiff mix
This 3-year-old male Anatolian shepherd-mastiff mix has a short fawn coat.
He is in kennel No. 5, ID No. LCAC-A-5276.
Male Chihuahua
This 5-year-old male Chihuahua has a short tricolor coat.
He is in kennel No. 6, ID No. LCAC-A-5500.
‘Roasie’
“Roasie”is a 2-year-old female pit bull terrier with a short black and white coat.
She is in kennel No. 7, ID No. LCAC-A-5434.
Female pit bull
This 3-year-old female pit bull has a short brown coat.
She is in kennel No. 8, ID No. LCAC-A-5505.
‘Trixie’
“Trixie” is a 3-year-old female hound with a short brown coat.
She is in kennel No. 9, ID No. LCAC-A-5433.
Female pit bull terrier
This 3-year-old female pit bull terrier has a brown and white coat.
She is in kennel No. 10, ID No. LCAC-A-5400.
Female Chihuahua
This 9-year-old female Chihuahua has a short brown and white coat.
She is in kennel No. 11, ID No. LCAC-A-5511.
Female German shepherd
This 2-year-old female German shepherd has a black and tan coat.
She is in kennel No. 12, ID No. LCAC-A-5488.
Male shepherd
This 2 and a half year old male shepherd has a short black and tan coat.
He is in kennel No. 14, ID No. LCAC-A-5479.
Female border collie
This 2-year-old female border collie has a black and white coat.
She is in kennel No. 15, ID No. LCAC-A-5513.
‘Zeta’
“Zeta” is a 1-year-old female pit bull terrier with a black and tan coat.
She is in kennel No. 16, ID No. LCAC-A-5427.
Male Chihuahua-terrier mix
This 2-year-old male Chihuahua-terrier mix has a short white coat.
She is in kennel No. 20, ID No. LCAC-A-5381.
Female Chihuahua
This 2-year-old female Chihuahua has a short brown and white coat.
She is in kennel No. 21, ID No. LCAC-A-5379.
Male shepherd
This 2-year-old male shepherd has a black and tan coat.
He is in kennel No. 22, ID No. LCAC-A-5423.
Male pit bull
This 3-year-old male American pit bull has a short gray and white coat.
He is in kennel No. 23, ID No. LCAC-A-5499.
Female pit bull terrier
This 6-year-old female pit bull terrier has a short tan coat.
She is in kennel No. 24, ID No. LCAC-A-5410.
Male pit bull terrier
This 4-year-old male pit bull terrier has a short gray coat with white markings.
He is in kennel No. 25, ID No. LCAC-A-5446.
Male shepherd
This 1 and a half year old male shepherd has a short tricolor coat.
He is in kennel No. 26, ID No. LCAC-A-5424.
Female shepherd
This 2-year-old female shepherd has a short yellow and white coat.
She is in kennel No. 27, ID No. LCAC-A-5369.
Male pit bull puppy
This 5-month-old male pit bull puppy has a white coat.
He is in kennel No. 29, ID No. LCAC-A-5325.
Male Belgian malinois
This 1 and a half year old male Belgian malinois has a tan and black coat.
He is in kennel No. 30, ID No. LCAC-A-5409.
Male shepherd
This 2-year-old male shepherd has a short tan coat with white markings.
He is in kennel No. 31, ID No. LCAC-A-5344.
Male shepherd mix puppy
This 6-month-old male shepherd mix puppy has a black coat with white markings.
He is in kennel No. 32, ID No. LCAC-A-5408.
Female shepherd mix
This 2-year-old female shepherd mix has a short yellow coat.
She is in kennel No. 33, ID No. LCAC-A-5277.
Female shepherd
This 10-month-old female shepherd has a tricolor coat.
She is in kennel No. 34, ID No. LCAC-A-5323.
‘Jojo’
“Jojo” is a one and a half year old female pit bull terrier with a short tricolor coat.
She is in kennel foster care, ID No. LCAC-A-5312.
Email Elizabeth Larson at This email address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it.. Follow her on Twitter, @ERLarson, or Lake County News, @LakeCoNews.
Deborah Carr, Boston University; Giacomo Falchetta, International Institute for Applied Systems Analysis (IIASA), and Ian Sue Wing, Boston University
Scorching temperatures have put millions of Americans in danger this summer, with heat extremes stretching from coast to coast in the Southern U.S.
Phoenix hit 110 degrees Fahrenheit (43.3 Celsius) or higher every day for over three weeks in July. Other major cities, from Las Vegas to Miami, experienced relentless high temperatures, which residents described as “hell on earth.”
While the evening news runs footage of miserable sunbathers on Miami Beach and joggers in Austin, Texas, dousing themselves with water, these images conceal a growing hidden crisis: the millions of older adults who are suffering behind closed doors.
Some of the country’s hottest states, including Arizona, are forecast to see dramatic growth in their older adult populations. But heat isn’t just a problem in the South: Northern populations also face rising risks from extreme heat that many people aren’t accustomed to.
Communities, families and older residents need to understand these risks and be prepared.
Older adults don’t sweat or cool down as efficiently as younger people. Heat stress can worsen underlying conditions like heart, lung and kidney disease, and extreme heat can trigger delirium.
Poor air quality makes it harder to breathe, especially among people who already have breathing difficulties. For older adults with physical health problems, temperatures as low as 80 degrees F (26.7 C) – to say nothing of 110 degrees – can pose a grave danger.
Medications also work best when stored at room temperatures of 68 to 77 degrees and may lose their effectiveness if not kept in a cool place on a very hot day.
And it’s not just physical health that suffers.
Having to stay indoors all day to keep cool and enduring the stress of heat emergencies can make older adults depressed and isolated. Those with cognitive problems or dementia may not understand their health risks or may not take proper precautions. Seniors with physical disabilities, limited mobility or lack of access to transportation can’t easily travel to a public cooling center – if there is one nearby.
Drawn to high-risk regions
Retirees are often drawn to the South’s sunny skies, low taxes and costs of living and amenities, like golf courses, beaches, health care facilities and age 55+ residential communities tailored to their needs. In Phoenix, the share of residents over age 65 is projected to rise from 10% of its 1.6 million residents today to roughly 17% by 2050.
At the same time that these populations are rising, the number of days people will need air conditioning is rising, too.
We found that populations in historically hot locations like Arizona and desert regions of California are aging at a rapid clip, placing demands on cities, counties and states to meet the pressing needs of older residents during heat waves.
These include providing cooling centers and ensuring that they are physically accessible to those with mobility challenges, and training first responders to be sensitive to the special needs of older adults who may be reluctant to leave their homes during a heat emergency.
Communities also need to find effective ways to warn “snowbirds,” vacationers or recent migrants who might hail from cooler climates and be less aware of, or adapted to, the risks of extreme heat.
Northern regions are at risk, too
Our research finds that historically cooler places like New England, the upper Midwest and the Pacific Northwest also have rising heat risks.
These regions – historically home to high shares of older adults – are projected to experience the steepest increases in heat exposure relative to temperatures historically experienced. Older adults who are accustomed to the New England chill may not fully understand the threats an extreme heat wave can pose, and they may underestimate the harm they might suffer from a day in the hot sun.
Older homes in the Northeast also tend to have less efficient cooling systems. Nighttime heat can be particularly harmful for those without air conditioning, including people who live in densely populated Northeastern and Rust Belt cities where “heat islands” trap temperatures. For older adults with health conditions, a night of restless sleep may make one more depressed and confused during waking hours.
Stay indoors. Use air conditioning. Drink plenty of water. Don’t use the oven, especially in small homes. Help an older adult with transportation to a cooling center. Place medications in the coolest spot in one’s home. Be sensitive to symptoms like dizziness and call for medical attention as needed.
However, community-scale adaptations also are needed. Public investments in early warning systems for extreme weather, ride services to transport older adults to cooling centers and hospitals, geographic information systems to help first responders identify neighborhoods with high concentrations of older adults, and installation of energy-efficient air conditioning in homes and public settings can help to fight back against sweltering days in the future.
July 2023 marks the one-year anniversary of the national launch of the 988 Suicide & Crisis Lifeline. Currently, more than 200 call centers throughout the U.S. are responding to 988 calls. But few people know it exists. SciLine interviewed Dr. Emmy Betz, a professor of emergency medicine at the University of Colorado, who discussed the critical need to raise awareness about 988, the increasing numbers of suicide deaths in the U.S. and the signs that someone is thinking about suicide.
Below are some highlights from the discussion. Answers have been edited for brevity and clarity.
Can you share some statistics about suicide in the U.S.?
Emmy Betz: Suicide continues to be a leading cause of death in the United States. In fact, it’s the 12th-leading cause of death among all ages. We had been seeing suicide rates rise from about 2000, up until around the COVID era. There was a small dip in rates during those COVID years, which was great, but unfortunately we’ve now seen rates increase again. In 2021, there were 48,000 suicide deaths in the U.S., which is about one every 11 minutes.
What about youth suicide?
Emmy Betz: Suicide rates among youth in particular have increased. Between 2011 and 2021, suicide rates for youth rose 60%. Particularly concerning are increases in suicide rates among young individuals of color, where there have traditionally been lower suicide rates.
Who should call 988, and when?
Emmy Betz: 988 is the suicide and crisis lifeline. I want to really emphasize, it’s not just for suicide. It’s for anyone who’s experiencing substance abuse, mental health crisis, emotional distress or suicidal thoughts. You can call for yourself. You can call for someone in your family or a friend. It’s available 24/7, and it’s free and confidential.
How has the first year of the 988 hotline gone?
Emmy Betz: In the first year, 988 answered nearly 5 million calls, chats or texts. That’s great news. But one thing that I think is concerning: There was a Pew Charitable Trusts survey published in April 2023. Only 13% of respondents said they knew both about 988 and what it was for. So I think we still have a ways to go in terms of raising awareness among people about what the hotline is, when you should call and then what happens when you do call.
What are warning signs that a person is thinking about suicide?
Emmy Betz: It can vary. Sometimes, it can look like what we think of classically as depression – somebody who might seem sad, seems withdrawn and not doing the things that they previously have been wanting to do.
Certainly anything like talking a lot about death, mentioning suicide, mentioning not wanting to be around anymore – those are all very concerning. Some people, though, can seem angry or sort of ramped up or different.
And perhaps the most important thing to know – it’s OK to ask. If you’re ever worried that someone might be having thoughts of suicide, it’s fine to ask them directly. You’re not going to prompt suicidal thoughts by asking that question.
What are some prevention strategies for firearm suicides?
Emmy Betz: Here at the University of Colorado, I lead the firearm injury prevention initiative, which is a new program funded through the medical school that hopes to reduce all sorts of firearm injuries and deaths, including suicide.
Where I live in Colorado, 73% of our gun deaths are by suicide. It’s a critical problem in our state. And these deaths are preventable.
Suicide typically occurs in the context of some kind of crisis, whether it’s related to a job, or a recent breakup with a romantic partner, or something else. Prevention is all about getting people through that high-risk period, to get the treatment or resources they need.
We know that if a person uses a firearm in a suicide attempt, about 90% of the time they die. So my work and the work of our initiative really focuses on how can we reduce firearm access when someone is in that high-risk period.
And importantly, it’s not about confiscation. It’s not about legislation. It’s about engaging with communities, educating communities and educating health care providers about what we can do to reduce firearm access – specifically, encouraging people to take steps to lock up guns differently, such as changing the locks or changing the password so the at-risk person can’t access the gun.
When someone has suicide risk, it can be a good idea to move firearms out of the home temporarily. We’ve been working with gun ranges, retailers and other locations that offer voluntary and temporary firearm storage as a solution for people – to make the home safer while someone’s getting better.
There are things we can do that don’t conflict with views on Second Amendment rights. I’m thrilled to see firearm rights organizations working with large organizations like the Veterans Administration, the Department of Defense and medical organizations.
What is suicide contagion, and what should journalists know about covering suicide without contributing to it?
Emmy Betz: Suicide contagion is the phenomenon whereby hearing about one suicide – in particular, the methods – leads to additional individuals attempting or dying by suicide using the same methods.
It’s really important that journalists talk about suicide, and that we raise awareness, and we get these messages out. But there are guidelines about how to reduce contagion. There are guidelines from the American Foundation for Suicide Prevention and other large organizations that really spell out best practices for journalists.
Watch the full interview to hear more about the 988 hotline and suicide prevention.
SciLine is a free service based at the nonprofit American Association for the Advancement of Science that helps journalists include scientific evidence and experts in their news stories.
This article was corrected to fix the attribution for the April 2023 survey.
A young planet whirling around a petulant red dwarf star is changing in unpredictable ways orbit-by-orbit. It is so close to its parent star that it experiences a consistent, torrential blast of energy, which evaporates its hydrogen atmosphere – causing it to puff off the planet.
But during one orbit observed with NASA's Hubble Space Telescope, the planet looked like it wasn't losing any material at all, while an orbit observed with Hubble a year and a half later showed clear signs of atmospheric loss.
This extreme variability between orbits shocked astronomers. "We've never seen atmospheric escape go from completely not detectable to very detectable over such a short period when a planet passes in front of its star," said Keighley Rockcliffe of Dartmouth College in Hanover, New Hampshire. "We were really expecting something very predictable, repeatable. But it turned out to be weird. When I first saw this, I thought 'That can't be right.'"
Rockcliffe was equally puzzled to see, when it was detectable, the planet's atmosphere puffing out in front of the planet, like a headlight on a fast-bound train. "This frankly strange observation is kind of a stress-test case for the modeling and the physics about planetary evolution. This observation is so cool because we're getting to probe this interplay between the star and the planet that is really at the most extreme," she said.
Located 32 light-years from Earth, the parent star AU Microscopii (AU Mic) hosts one of the youngest planetary systems ever observed. The star is less than 100 million years old (a tiny fraction of the age of our Sun, which is 4.6 billion years old).
The innermost planet, AU Mic b, has an orbital period of 8.46 days and is just 6 million miles from the star (about 1/10th the planet Mercury's distance from our Sun). The bloated, gaseous world is about four times Earth's diameter.
AU Mic b was discovered by NASA’s Spitzer and the Transiting Exoplanet Survey Satellite, or TESS, space telescopes in 2020. It was spotted with the transit method, meaning telescopes can observe a slight dip in the star's brightness when the planet crosses in front of it.
Red dwarfs like AU Microscopii are the most abundant stars in our Milky Way galaxy. They therefore should host the majority of planets in our galaxy. But can planets orbiting red dwarf stars like AU Mic b be hospitable to life?
A key challenge is that young red dwarfs have ferocious stellar flares blasting out withering radiation. This period of high activity lasts a lot longer than that of stars like our Sun.
The flares are powered by intense magnetic fields that get tangled by the roiling motions of the stellar atmosphere. When the tangling gets too intense, the fields break and reconnect, unleashing tremendous amounts of energy that are 100 to 1,000 times more energetic than our Sun unleashes in its outbursts.
It's a blistering fireworks show of torrential winds, flares, and X-rays blasting any planets orbiting close to the star. "This creates a really unconstrained and frankly, scary, stellar wind environment that's impacting the planet's atmosphere," said Rockcliffe.
Under these torrid conditions, planets forming within the first 100 million years of the star's birth should experience the most amount of atmospheric escape. This might end up completely stripping a planet of its atmosphere.
"We want to find out what kinds of planets can survive these environments. What will they finally look like when the star settles down? And would there be any chance of habitability eventually, or will they wind up just being scorched planets?" said Rockcliffe. "Do they eventually lose most of their atmospheres and their surviving cores become super-Earths? We don't really know what those final compositions look like because we don't have anything like that in our solar system."
While the star's glare prevents Hubble from directly seeing the planet, the telescope can measure changes in the star's apparent brightness caused by hydrogen bleeding off the planet and dimming the starlight when the planet transits the star. That atmospheric hydrogen has been heated to the point where it escapes the planet's gravity.
The never-before-seen changes in atmospheric outflow from AU Mic b may indicate swift and extreme variability in the host red dwarf's outbursts. There is so much variability because the star has a lot of roiling magnetic field lines.
One possible explanation for the missing hydrogen during one of the planet's transits is that a powerful stellar flare, seen seven hours prior, may have photoionized the escaping hydrogen to the point where it became transparent to light, and so was not detectable.
Another explanation is that the stellar wind itself is shaping the planetary outflow, making it observable at some times and not observable at other times, even causing some of the outflow to "hiccup" ahead of the planet itself. This is predicted in some models, like those of John McCann and Ruth Murray-Clay from the University of California at Santa Cruz, but this is the first kind of observational evidence of it happening and to such an extreme degree, say researchers.
Hubble follow-up observations of more AU Mic b transits should offer additional clues to the star and planet's odd variability, further testing scientific models of exoplanetary atmospheric escape and evolution.
Rockcliffe is lead author on the science paper accepted for publication in The Astronomical Journal.
The Hubble Space Telescope is a project of international cooperation between NASA and ESA. NASA's Goddard Space Flight Center in Greenbelt, Maryland, manages the telescope. The Space Telescope Science Institute (STScI) in Baltimore conducts Hubble science operations. STScI is operated for NASA by the Association of Universities for Research in Astronomy, in Washington, D.C.
CLEARLAKE, Calif. — Clearlake Animal Control has a full kennel of adoptable dogs this week.
The Clearlake Animal Control website continues to list 34 dogs for adoption.
This week’s dogs include “Freddy,” a 4-year-old male German shepherd-Labrador retriever mix.
There also is “Mikey,” a male American pit bull terrier mix.
The shelter is located at 6820 Old Highway 53. It’s open from 9 a.m. to 6 p.m. Tuesday through Saturday.
For more information, call the shelter at 707-762-6227, email This email address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it., visit Clearlake Animal Control on Facebook or on the city’s website.
This week’s adoptable dogs are featured below.
Email Elizabeth Larson at This email address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it.. Follow her on Twitter, @ERLarson, or Lake County News, @LakeCoNews.
I am an avid fisherman and moved to Lake County to enjoy my retirement fishing on Clear Lake. I recently purchased a bass boat and had to purchase a Lake County quagga mussel sticker. I don’t know much about these mussels or what would happen if they got into our lake. Can you provide some information so I can make sure we are doing all we can to protect Clear Lake?
Thanks,
Frank the fisherman
Dear Fisherman Frank,
Again, thank you for this question. As you recall, I answered part of your question in part 1 in my column from Sunday July 16, 2023. Readers can visit Preventing invasive mussels, part one.
Like in part one, this column is focused on invasive mussels, or specifically Quagga (Dreissena rostriformis bugensis) and Zebra (Dreissena polymorpha) mussels, which are both freshwater mussels in the Dreissenidae family. I will refer to these mussels as invasive dreissenid mussels.
Today, in part two, I will describe our prevention program, why it's needed, how it works and how we can all help keep invasive mussels out of Clear Lake. Lastly, we will talk about the County of Lake’s current plans for a rapid response, control, and containment plan. There is even a way for the public — you! — to be involved in the planning process.
If you are unsure of what defines an invasive species, please revisit part one, as I describe in detail what is considered an invasive species, and the difference between them and a desired non-native, such as black bass.
In part one we discussed where invasive mussels originated, how they came to North America and the devastating impacts they could have if introduced into Clear Lake or other Lake County water bodies.
The impacts of an invasive dreissenid mussels introduction would be horrific, destroying the local lake-based economy and impacting the lake ecology and food web in unpredictable ways. The probability of a mussel introduction into Clear Lake is high, due to the favorable environmental conditions of Clear Lake waters and the high use of the lake by visiting water users, recreationalists and fishers.
High-risk probability for invasion
The specific favorable environmental water conditions for invasive dreissenid mussels include waters with a high pH (up to 9.5), calcium concentration above 12 mg/L, total hardness between 100-420 mg/L of CaCo3, and a salinity below 12 ppm. Water quality monitoring conducted by Lake County Water Resources reveal that Clear Lake, and surrounding water bodies, do contain these specific water conditions.
These conditions are important to acknowledge because if an invasive mussel was to become introduced into the lake, the environment here is suitable for them to be not only comfortable, but to thrive. We know that the local environmental condition is an important part of what makes a successful introduction grow to an established infestation.
The second factor that makes Lake County extremely susceptible to an introduction is that Clear Lake, the main attraction for water users in Lake County, is huge, and has over 120 miles of shoreline where boats can access the water.
According to the Lake County Water Resources, there are also over 750 public and private access ramps and points around the Clear Lake shoreline. About 15 of those access points are public and only about 11 of those access points are regularly monitored by ramp monitors and prevention program staff.
In addition, Clear Lake is a fishing tournament destination, for prize game fish such as bass, crappie, and catfish. In fact, in 2020, Clear Lake was rated the number #1 Bass fishing lake of the decade by Bassmaster magazine. The boats that participate in these large tournaments come from all over the United States throughout the year, including from mussel-infested states, counties, and water bodies.
The ease of access by boat to the lake, combined with the high number of boating visitors per year from potentially infested lakes, combined with the favorable water conditions means that Clear Lake is at high-risk for an invasive dreissenid mussel introduction.
Due to the high-risk scenario of destruction that would occur should there be an aquatic invasive mussel introduction into Clear Lake, the County established a robust prevention program to stop an invasive dreissenid mussel introduction from occurring in the first place.
It’s the law!
There is a county ordinance, Chapter 15 Article 9, that requires all water vessels be screened for invasive mussels before being able to legally launch in Lake County water bodies.
In addition to Clear Lake, the ordinance provides legal coverage county-wide, specifically, according to the County of Lake Invasive Mussel Prevention Plan (last updated in 2019), that outlines the mechanisms for implementing and enforcing the ordinance, “The purpose of this program is to prevent the introduction and establishment of invasive mussels in Lake County water bodies, including Clear Lake, Indian Valley Reservoir, Blue Lakes, Hidden Valley Lake, Highland Springs Reservoir, and Lake Pillsbury”.
Failure to comply with the ordinance could lead a boater (and boat owner, should the operator be a different party) responsible for a hefty $1000 fine, at maximum. Minimum citations start at $100. In contrast, the cost of compliance in the program is easy, fast, and affordable.
Water vessel screening, inspections and decontamination
I commonly receive and hear comments from local boaters that their boat never gets “inspected” by prevention program staff, yet they still are required to purchase a Lake County Mussel Sticker.
The Lake County mussel sticker indicates that a vessel has gone through a screening process and been determined to be safe, and uninfested with invasive mussels - compared to the State Mussel Sticker which has no screening process involved.
The Lake County mussel sticker, both for resident and visitor boats, is different from the State of California DMV mussel sticker. As its name implies, the Lake County Mussel sticker is specific and unique to Lake County, and must be displayed on all boats and vessels that are launching (or within 50 feet of a waterbody) in Lake County water bodies.
The State Mussel sticker is required for all vessels registered in the state but allows boats to launch and load from any water body — even those that are infested with invasive dressenid mussels in Southern California such as Havasu, Pyramid and Piru Lakes.
The purpose of the State Mussel Sticker is to raise awareness and revenue to support a fund that can be used to implement state-wide aquatic invasive species programs and to prevent spread of mussels, and other dangerous invasive aquatic organisms, from impacting water ways throughout the state.
Some of the grants the County of Lake receives to implement the invasive mussel prevention program are sourced from this state sticker fund and administered through the California State Parks Division of Boating and Waterways.
Preventing the spread of invasive mussels one boat at a time
The Lake County invasive dreissenid mussel prevention program is based on a risk assessment screening process that determines and categorizes a boat is at low, medium, or high risk for moving invasive dreissenid mussels into and around Lake County.
The prevention program is administered through the use of Lake County-specific stickers that indicate if a boat has passed the risk assessment screening or has been determined to be cleaned, drained, dried. A boat that passes the screening process will be allowed to display a mussel sticker.
You can test your knowledge of the current Invasive Mussel Prevention program by taking this quiz.
Screenings are conducted by knowledgeable and trained County staff, like ramp monitors, and trained commercial or business employees at locations that sell mussel stickers, called screeners or vendors. A list and map of screening locations can be found online here.
First, residential boats that “live” or stay within Lake County, that do not travel outside the County, are considered very low risk. Meaning that they are basically guaranteed to not be moving invasive dreissenid mussels, as none of the Lake County water bodies, or neighboring counties, are infested with mussels.
These low risk boats can be affixed with a Lake County mussel sticker without being inspected or decontaminated — because they don’t have anything to be inspected or decontaminated for, since they don’t travel around and there is essentially no risk of them moving mussels.
Residential boats can get a Lake County mussel sticker valid for an entire calendar year and come in a set of three. These stickers usually display the year and are appended on both sides of the bow, adjacent to the “CF” registration numbers, and one sticker adheres to the back of the trailer. The trailer sticker purpose is to communicate to program staff monitoring the parking lots that while the boat is in the water, the boat -and boater- are still compliant with the sticker program.
Resident boats have to be registered in Lake County, and have to show proof of this registration, when they are purchasing stickers from a certified screener or vendor. Stickers are $20 for residents for a single calendar year and $20 per visitor for a calendar month. When stickers are purchased, boat owners / operators sign a form stating that they will get their boat rescreened should they take it out of County at any time.
The same form designates the boat owner and operator financially responsible should they be the ones found to move invasive dreissenid mussels into Lake County without getting their boat rescreened or inspected.
Visitor boats, that were previously in a non-infested water body, are also able to purchase and display a Lake County mussel sticker without an inspection. Program staff, at ramps, and at selected vendor locations, use handheld portable digital tablets and the Western Inspection Database (or WID) to check and confirm the information provided on screening forms is true and accurate.
The tables are connected to a large database managed by the Colorado State Parks Invasive Mussel team. The database connects lake managers and prevention programs across the western United States, to identify boats that are at high risk for moving invasive mussels.
Boats that leave infested water bodies will appear in the database when they try to get screened in Lake County. If the period between leaving an infested water body and entering Lake County is less than 30 days, then the database screen will flash red, and recommend an inspection or decontamination, when that boat’s information is scanned into the database.
Boats that don’t pass a screening, including visitor boats that come from counties or water bodies that are known to be infested with dreissenid mussels, are required to get their boat inspected. An inspection is performed for free by a County employee that is specifically trained to find small, tiny mussels or unidentified water on a vessel.
Inspectors are thorough, and will sometimes climb into the boat and search live wells or ballast compartments, look around engine compartments or along water outflow ports and intakes. The inspectors are looking for the attached adult form of invasive dreissenid mussels, but also the juvenile form which can only survive in standing water.
The juvenile form of invasive dreissenid mussels are very small microscopic free-floating organisms, called veligers, that can survive in any small pocket of cool water on a boat, in a bilge, or live well. If an inspector finds any wet area or collection of water on or in a boat and it's known that the boat was last in an mussel-infested lake or county within the last month, the boat will be considered high risk and assumed to be positive for invasive mussels, and will have failed an inspection.
If a boat fails an inspection, it will then be decontaminated by County staff. The decontamination procedure is also free, and can take between 20 minutes and 2 hours depending on the complexity of the boat.
Proper decontamination includes washing the outside of the boat and trailer, and any inner ports, compartments, ballast tanks, and intakes with 120 F degree hot water from a pressure washer.
120 degree hot water has been shown to cause mortality in both adults and juvenile invasive dreissenid mussels. While other states allow chemical decontamination, such as the use of Cleaner 409, bleach/chlorine, or specialty products like Vikron, the State of California does not recognize these as suitable decontamination methods and only approves use of 120 / 140 degree hot water.
Once a boat is decontaminated, and determined to be clean and clear of any potential adult or juvenile invasive dreissenid mussels, then the boat owner operator can safely purchase a mussel sticker for their boat and are free to launch unlimited times in Lake County until they cross back over the County line.
Mussel stickers work!
The sticker works because it communicates to the community that the boat displaying that sticker has successfully passed the boat screening-inspection-decontamination process and associated procedures and is safe for boating in Lake County. Without a sticker, no one would know if that boat was safe, has been screened, inspected, or cleaned.
Additionally, the mussels stickers are a unique financial resource for the local economy. When they are sold by participating vendor screeners, the business conducting the screening receives a portion of that sticker sale cost. For some busy shops, the money generated from mussel sticker sales are significant and can pay for utilities, insurances, or extra staff help during the busy season.
The rest of the sticker proceeds go to the County of Lake Water Resources department and are 100% consumed back into the costs of administering the invasive mussel prevention program.
Informational flier identifying the distribution of revenues from the Lake County Mussel Sticker Program. Currently stickers are only $20 for residents and visitors.
If mussels become introduced into Clear Lake, or Lake County, the prevention program dissipates along with the sticker program. This could mean a significant drop in revenue for local businesses like bait and tackle stores, hardware stores, and individual screeners.
To learn more about the current prevention program, you can visit the County of Lake Invasive Mussel web page at www.nomussels.com.
Planning for an introduction
While focus and investment into the prevention program is the ultimate goal and strategy, there is a chance that mussels could be discovered in Clear Lake or other Lake County Water bodies.
The County of Lake Water Resources staff are preparing for this occurrence, to ensure that the impact to economy and ecology are minimized as much as possible. Water Resources secured a 2021 US Fish and Wildlife grant to hire a specialized firm to facilitate the development of an Invasive Mussel Response and Containment Transition Plan for Clear Lake (“the plan”).
The grant and plan have a new, corresponding website that is a great source for literature, links, ways to get involved, and updates on the plan status, progress, and components. You can access the plan website here.
The purpose of the plan is to outline the steps needed to follow for when or if an invasive mussel becomes introduced into Clear Lake. Depending on the location and type of introduction, there is a chance that a chemical or biological agent could be applied to kill off any introduced mussels before their spread throughout the lake. The plan identifies these potential products and how they could get approved for application if needed.
If spread throughout the lake has already occurred, then the plan outlines how the County and partners can implement a containment strategy to prevent spread of mussels from Clear Lake to regional water bodies that would, assumingly, remain mussel-free at this point within this theoretical scenario.
The website, and plan, even includes lessons learned and outcomes from a “Response Exercise” that included participation from local and state agencies and emergency personnel working through example scenarios where mussels were introduced into Clear Lake and responses needed to be developed.
The second part of the plan, called a “Containment Transition Plan”, like it sounds, focuses on preventing mussels from leaving Lake County water bodies and infecting other regional water bodies. Part of the concern driving the need for a containment plan, is that if mussels are discovered in Clear Lake, the state could limit or eliminate fishing tournaments or boating activity completely. This was the course of action that closed San Justo Reservoir, in San Benito County, once zebra mussels were discovered in that water body. That county is still living with the impacts of that closure.
This is obviously the worst case scenario, but if the State wanted to prevent any chance of mussels moving from Clear Lake, to regional water bodies or throughout the state, then eliminating that vector (i.e. the boats!) would prevent any potential for movement. And because Clear Lake is technically a public state-owned lake, they would have the ability to impose those restrictions.
You can imagine how such fishing restrictions would damage the Lake County economy that is mostly lake and water based. Therefore, developing a containment transition plan now, and including state input and direction, is being proactive in identifying alternative actions that could prevent short and long term financially devastating outcomes.
The Rapid Response and Containment Transition Plan is currently in final draft form, but community feedback is still welcome and needed. The firm writing the plan held two public forums to gain community, business, commercial, and agency input. One of the forums was featured on a County of Lake Water Resources Water Quality Wednesdays and posed the question about how an invasive mussel introduction would impact the community and businesses.
There is still time to provide your comments and review the draft version of this plan. This is especially important if you or your business relies on Clear Lake and is dependent on water based activities.
You can access the plan draft here and submit comments on the same page.
It’s important to gather and include community input because an invasive dreissenid mussel introduction would have significant impacts that would trickle throughout the community, and anything that can be done now to lessen or remove those impacts should be pursued and prioritized.
Sincerely,
Lady of the Lake
Angela De Palma-Dow is a limnologist (limnology = study of fresh inland waters) who lives and works in Lake County. Born in Northern California, she has a Master of Science from Michigan State University. She is a Certified Lake Manager from the North American Lake Management Society, or NALMS, and she is the current president/chair of the California chapter of the Society for Freshwater Science. She can be reached at This email address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it..
The County of Lake Water Resources Department wants to know what you know about invasive mussels! Take this 2-minute survey and get entered to win a FREE 2024 resident or visitor sticker for your boat (a $20 value!). You can access the survey from a computer, tablet, or smartphone at this link: https://forms.gle/5YRq5hPcAdR8NBm56.
NORTHERN CALIFORNIA — Lake County’s representative in the California Assembly has been promoted to a key role in the Legislature.
On Friday, Assemblymember Cecilia Aguiar-Curry (D-Winters) was appointed speaker pro tempore of the California Assembly by Speaker Robert Rivas (D-Salinas), who administered the oath of office to her in a ceremony at the State Capitol.
“I am extraordinarily grateful to Speaker Rivas for his faith and confidence in me,” Aguiar-Curry said. “I am excited to work hand in hand with Majority Leader Bryan and the rest of our leadership team to serve the speaker, the Assembly Democratic Caucus, our legislative institutions, and the working people of this state.”
The Assembly speaker pro-tempore reports directly to Speaker Rivas and runs the Assembly floor together with the Majority Leader Isaac Bryan (D-Los Angeles).
“I won’t lie to you, I never thought I would be here — ever, in my wildest dreams — because I, like many others, started from nothing and here I am a grandmother, and I’m standing in front of all of you, telling you that we are going to change the world,” Aguiar-Curry said.
She said she couldn’t ask for a better job and told Rivas she wouldn’t let him down.
Aguiar-Curry, first elected to the Legislature in November 2016, represents the Fourth Assembly District, which includes all of Yolo, Napa, Colusa and Lake counties, and parts of Sonoma County.
NASA’s James Webb Space Telescope has captured the “antics” of a pair of actively forming young stars, known as Herbig-Haro 46/47, in high-resolution near-infrared light.
To find them, trace the bright pink and red diffraction spikes until you hit the center: The stars are within the orange-white splotch. They are buried deeply in a disk of gas and dust that feeds their growth as they continue to gain mass. The disk is not visible, but its shadow can be seen in the two dark, conical regions surrounding the central stars.
The most striking details are the two-sided lobes that fan out from the actively forming central stars, represented in fiery orange. Much of this material was shot out from those stars as they repeatedly ingest and eject the gas and dust that immediately surround them over thousands of years.
When material from more recent ejections runs into older material, it changes the shape of these lobes. This activity is like a large fountain being turned on and off in rapid, but random succession, leading to billowing patterns in the pool below it. Some jets send out more material and others launch at faster speeds. Why? It’s likely related to how much material fell onto the stars at a particular point in time.
The stars’ more recent ejections appear in a threadlike blue. They run just below the red horizontal diffraction spike at 2 o’clock. Along the right side, these ejections make clearer wavy patterns. They are disconnected at points, and end in a remarkable uneven light purple circle in the thickest orange area. Lighter blue, curly lines also emerge on the left, near the central stars, but are sometimes overshadowed by the bright red diffraction spike.
All of these jets are crucial to star formation itself. Ejections regulate how much mass the stars ultimately gather. (The disk of gas and dust feeding the stars is small. Imagine a band tightly tied around the stars.)
Now, turn your eye to the second most prominent feature: the effervescent blue cloud. This is a region of dense dust and gas, known both as a nebula and more formally as a Bok globule. When viewed mainly in visible light, it appears almost completely black — only a few background stars peek through.
In Webb’s crisp near-infrared image, we can see into and through the gauzy layers of this cloud, bringing a lot more of Herbig-Haro 46/47 into focus, while also revealing a deep range of stars and galaxies that lie well beyond it. The nebula’s edges appear in a soft orange outline, like a backward L along the right and bottom.
This nebula is significant — its presence influences the shapes of the jets shot out by the central stars. As ejected material rams into the nebula on the lower left, there is more opportunity for the jets to interact with molecules within the nebula, causing them both to light up.
There are two other areas to look at to compare the asymmetry of the two lobes. Glance toward the upper right to pick out a blobby, almost sponge-shaped ejecta that appears separate from the larger lobe. Only a few threads of semitransparent wisps of material point toward the larger lobe.
Almost transparent, tentacle-like shapes also appear to be drifting behind it, like streamers in a cosmic wind. In contrast, at lower left, look beyond the hefty lobe to find an arc. Both are made up of material that was pushed the farthest and possibly by earlier ejections. The arcs appear to be pointed in different directions, and may have originated from different outflows.
Take another long look at this image. Although it appears Webb has snapped Herbig-Haro 46/47 edge-on, one side is angled slightly closer to Earth. Counterintuitively, it’s the smaller right half. Though the left side is larger and brighter, it is pointing away from us.
Over millions of years, the stars in Herbig-Haro 46/47 will fully form — clearing the scene of these fantastic, multihued ejections, allowing the binary stars to take center stage against a galaxy-filled background.
Webb can reveal so much detail in Herbig-Haro 46/47 for two reasons. The object is relatively close to Earth, and Webb’s image is made up of several exposures, which adds to its depth.
Herbig-Haro 46/47 lies only 1,470 light-years away in the Vela Constellation.
The James Webb Space Telescope is the world's premier space science observatory. Webb is solving mysteries in our solar system, looking beyond to distant worlds around other stars, and probing the mysterious structures and origins of our universe and our place in it. Webb is an international program led by NASA with its partners, ESA (European Space Agency) and the Canadian Space Agency.