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☆ The Milky Way's shiniest known planet has metal clouds that rain down titanium. Astronomers say it 'shouldn't exist.'
▼ + stars: | 2023-07-12 | by ( Marianne Guenot | ) www.businessinsider.com time to read: +3 min

A planet five times the size of Earth was found to be the shiniest planet outside our solar system. This ultra-hot planet "shouldn't exist" as it is and could be a new class of planet altogether. This planet's hot metal atmosphere is defying astronomers' rules for how planets of this size should behave. Venus, the solar system's shiniest planet, reflects 75% of the sunlight. "We believe these metal clouds help the planet to survive" in these conditions said study author Sergio Hoyer of the Marseille Astrophysics Laboratory.

Persons: LTT9779, Vivien Parmentier, NASA Exoplanet LTT9779, James Jenkins, Ricardo Ramírez Reyes, Exoplanet, It's, Parmentier, Sergio Hoyer Organizations: Service, European Space Agency, ESA, NASA, Diego Portales University, CATA, Universidad, Universidad de Chile, Marseille Astrophysics, Astrophysics Locations: Wall, Silicon, Côte d'Azur, Universidad de, Marseille

☆ Shiniest exoplanet ever found has reflective metal clouds
▼ + stars: | 2023-07-10 | by ( Ashley Strickland | ) edition.cnn.com time to read: +4 min

CNN —An ultrahot exoplanet that zips around its host star every 19 hours is the shiniest exoplanet ever discovered. The scorching world, dubbed planet LTT9779b, has reflective metallic clouds made of silicates and metals like titanium. An artist's illustration shows an exoplanet, called LTT9779b, orbiting its much larger host star. The side of the exoplanet that faces its host star likely reaches 3,632 degrees Fahrenheit (2,000 degrees Celsius). And LTT9779b is so piping hot that it shouldn’t have any clouds, even those made of metal or glass.

Persons: Ricardo Ramírez Reyes, LTT9779b, ”, James Jenkins, Vivien Parmentier, ” Parmentier, “, ” Vivien, Sergio Hoyer Organizations: CNN, European Southern Observatory, Universidad de Chile, Astrophysics, Diego Portales University, Marseille Astrophysics Locations: Chile, Santiago , Chile, Nice, France, Marseille

☆ The sun has produced a record number of sunspots — and it could mean power outages, grounded flights, and beautiful auroras
▼ + stars: | 2023-07-04 | by ( Marianne Guenot | ) www.businessinsider.com time to read: +4 min

Scientists are paying close attention to this number because it can help predict if powerful solar flares may cause problems for Earth. Because we're seeing more sunspots than expected, we're likely to see a much stronger solar maximum than had been anticipated. A solar maximum is on its wayThe sun follows a solar cycle, whereby its activity grows and wanes approximately every 11 years. The latest solar cycle was particularly quiet and may have lulled us into a false sense of security, he added. Still, if the sun peaks at 200 sunspots, it will be far from the biggest solar maximum on record.

Persons: —, Auroras, Keith Strong, Mathew Owens, Owens Organizations: Service, Atmospheric Administration, NOAA, NASA, Federal Aviation Administration, Riverton, Twitter, Royal Observatory, University of Reading Locations: North America, Central America, South America, Arizona, Riverton, Belgium

☆ Fact Check-Image does not show photo captured by the James Webb telescope
▼ + stars: | 2023-06-06 | by ( Reuters Fact Check | ) www.reuters.com time to read: +1 min

An image showing dark grey clouds and small specks of light on Jupiter is an illustration created using data from the U.S. National Aeronautics and Space Administration’s (NASA) Jupiter mission ‘Juno’, and not a photograph captured by the James Webb Space Telescope as being claimed by some social media users. The graphic can be found on a page on NASA's website titled “Shallow Lightning on Jupiter (Illustration)” (here), credited to Gerald Eichstädt, a “citizen scientist” with NASA who contributes to the Juno mission (here). NASA launched the infrared James Webb Space Telescope in December 2021, describing it as the premiere space-science observatory of the next decade. The image of a storm in Jupiter’s atmosphere is an illustration, not a photograph captured by the James Webb Telescope. This article was produced by the Reuters Fact Check team.

Persons: ’, James Webb, Gerald Eichstädt, Juno, NASA’s, Read Organizations: U.S . National Aeronautics and Space, NASA, James Webb Space Telescope, James, Reuters

☆ U.S.-Made Technology Is Flowing to Sanctioned Russian Airlines
▼ + stars: | 2023-05-15 | by ( Ana Swanson | Niraj Chokshi | ) www.nytimes.com time to read: +1 min

The shipments also increased over the course of last year as Russia recruited global businesses to help it bypass the sanctions. The men are accused of fielding requests for parts, including expensive brake systems for a Boeing 737, from at least three Russian airlines, including two that had been strictly barred from purchasing U.S.-made products through a so-called temporary denial order issued by the Commerce Department. Despite the level of sanctions evasion, airplane shipments into Russia remain significantly lower than before the war. U.S. officials say Russian airlines have been forced to cannibalize planes, breaking them down for spare parts to keep others in operation, as well as turning to Iran for maintenance and parts. Russia’s imports of aircraft and aircraft parts fell from $3.45 billion annually before the invasion to only about $286 million afterward, according to The Observatory of Economic Complexity, a data visualization platform that explores global trade dynamics.

☆ Russian diamonds could soon be sanctioned — potentially disrupting the global jewelry market
▼ + stars: | 2023-05-12 | by ( Silvia Amaro | ) www.cnbc.com time to read: +1 min

The seven most advanced economies in the world, the G-7, are discussing imposing sanctions on Russian diamond exports — a complicated measure that could potentially hike prices for the luxury commodity. Russia's diamond exports have largely been spared from international sanctions following Moscow's full-scale invasion of Ukraine in February last year. In 2021, Russia raked in roughly $4.7 billion from diamond exports, according to data from the Observatory of Economic Complexity. Diamonds are not commonly traded like oil or gold, but they represent a large market that goes beyond jewelry. Some countries — such as Belgium, which buys a significant amount of Russian diamonds — want a "global approach" to Russian exports, as opposed to an EU-specific measure, to ensure the sanctions do not disproportionately hurt them.

☆ Mysterious glowing 'SpaceX spirals' in the night sky seem to be linked to rocket launches
▼ + stars: | 2023-04-19 | by ( Rebecca Cohen | Morgan Mcfall-Johnsen | ) www.businessinsider.com time to read: +4 min

It's likely a cloud of excess fuel from a SpaceX rocket launched earlier that day. "SpaceX spirals" are rare, but they may be getting more common. These spirals are appearing shortly after SpaceX rocket launches, and are probably residual fuel the rockets released during flight, space physicist Don Hampton told the Associated Press. SpaceX spirals, jellyfish, and smoke rings may happen more oftenThis is the third time in the past year that a Falcon 9 rocket has appeared to produce a SpaceX spiral. A SpaceX Falcon 9 rocket carrying the company's Crew Dragon spacecraft launches at Cape Canaveral, Florida.

He was replaced by Pedro Rafael Tellechea, who had been named to head PDVSA in January. Maduro said that his government was committed to "going to the root" of corruption, calling the probe which began last year "professional, scientific and disciplined." The Finance Ministry, the central bank, and PDVSA did not respond to requests for comment. It is unclear whether the corruption probe and contract review will concretely improve PDVSA's cash flows in the near future. PDVSA last year delayed cash payments in dollars to several of its suppliers because of dwindling income.

Resurgent inflation is devouring the income of Venezuelans - even the relatively privileged ones like Mendoza who have access to U.S. dollars. That is leaving them hungry and struggling to buy food and medicine, they told Reuters. "Neither dollars or bolivars are enough. Many Venezuelans were left to scour through garbage to find food, and millions fled the country to build new lives across South America and beyond. "Whether you pay in bolivars or dollars it is not enough," Lochunga said, sitting in front of his stall.

☆ A bright comet is heading towards Earth and could outshine the stars in the sky, say astronomers
▼ + stars: | 2023-03-07 | by ( Marianne Guenot | ) www.businessinsider.com time to read: +3 min

The last time the comet visited Earth was around 80,000 years ago, astronomers said. It could be as bright or brighter as our stars, and much more brilliant than the recent ZTF green comet that passed the Earth last month. By comparison, the recent Green Comet ZTF had a brightness of around magnitude +4.6 (the lower the magnitude, the brighter), per space.com. Comet ZTF (C/2022 E3) taken at NAOJ Mitaka Campus on January 31, 2023. On that occasion, we were lucky and the comet only passed our planet, offering spectacular vistas to onlookers.

☆ Ghostly flying 'whirlpool' that appeared above Hawaii could be leftover SpaceX rocket fuel
▼ + stars: | 2023-01-31 | by ( Chris Panella | Morgan Mcfall-Johnsen | ) www.businessinsider.com time to read: +3 min

A Japanese telescope captured footage of the anomaly after a SpaceX navigation satellite launch. "The Subaru-Asahi Star Camera captured a mysterious flying spiral over Maunakea, Hawai`i," the Subaru Telescope said on Twitter on January 19. SpaceX launches a Falcon 9 rocket carrying a pair of television broadcasting satellites at Cape Canaveral, Florida. Michael Weekes Jr./ReutersThis isn't the first time a spiral has been spotted in the sky after a SpaceX launch. The SpaceX rocket is also known for the "space jellyfish" it often paints across the sky as it climbs through the atmosphere.

☆ The Green Comet will be closest to earth on Feb 1. Here's the science behind its ghoulish glow.
▼ + stars: | 2023-01-31 | by ( Marianne Guenot | ) www.businessinsider.com time to read: +4 min

A green comet is whizzing past the earth for the first time since the ice age. The green comet, which last passed through the inner solar system about 50,000 years ago, will be at its brightest during this time. Comet ZTF (C/2022 E3) taken at NAOJ Mitaka Campus on January 31, 2023. Another green comet, called ISON, passed Earth in 2013. As it approaches the sun, the heat turns the ice into gas creating an atmosphere around the comet called the coma.

[1/4] U.S. Treasury Secretary Janet Yellen and South Africa's Finance Minister Enoch Godongwana attend bilateral talks, at the treasury offices in Pretoria, South Africa, January 26, 2023. Nevertheless Lavrov made a stopover after visiting South Africa, which his counterpart Thulisile Dladla described as a "profound honour." Eswatini relies on the United States for aid, but its absolute monarchy has suffered U.S. criticism on human rights. South Africa, alongside Russia and China, is pushing for a "multipolar" world in which geopolitical power is less concentrated around the United States. "It hasn't delivered the kind of benefits South Africa was hoping to get."

"The situation is very dangerous because of years of continuous drought," said Hammadi Habib, an Agriculture Ministry official. Tunisia already has food supply problems thanks to high global prices and the government's own financial difficulties, which have reduced its capacity to buy imported food and subsidise farms at home. "It is time for the authorities to declare a state of water emergency," said Radhia Smine of the Tunisian Observatory of Water. Thousands of families will lack drinking water," she added. "If we do not take decisions in January to reduce irrigation water and ration water use now to prioritise drinking water... then for sure in August we will not have drinking water in the capital or coastal regions," said Habib, the agriculture ministry official.

☆ Column: Why G7 aims to crack Vietnam's coal fix with $15.5 billion deal
▼ + stars: | 2022-12-15 | by ( Gavin Maguire | Thomson Reuters | Gavin Maguire Is The Global Energy Transition Columnist. He Was Previously Asia Commodities | ) www.reuters.com time to read: +5 min

Between 2017 and 2021, Vietnam's power sector emissions from burning fossil fuels jumped by 65.3% to more than 121 million tonnes of CO2 or equivalent gases, data from Ember shows. That's the fastest growth in all of Southeast Asia, and places Vietnam as the second largest power sector polluter in the region behind Indonesia (another target of JTEP efforts). Export earnings topped a record $330 billion in 2021, up from $70 billion in 2010, International Monetary Fund data shows. According to data from Ember, 64.3% of Vietnam's electricity was generated from fossil fuels in 2021 (52% coal, 12% gas), while 35.7% came from clean energy sources (30% hydropower, 5% solar). In addition, due to its proximity to other fast-growing economies with similar ambitions to develop manufacturing hubs - including the Philippines, Thailand and Cambodia - any successful retooling of Vietnam's energy system can be used as a template elsewhere.

☆ Wine-loving France gets a taste for the alcohol-free
▼ + stars: | 2022-11-25 | by ( Manuel Ausloos | ) www.reuters.com time to read: +2 min

[1/4] Augustin Laborde, founder of "Le Paon qui boit" (The Drinking Peacock) alcohol-free wine and liquor store, looks a bottle of non-alcoholic wine sold at his shop in Paris, France, November 18, 2022. Two years later, Laborde has opened what he says is the first alcohol-free wine store in a country renowned the world over for its Bordeaux red wines and white Burgundies. While non-alcoholic drinks have gained popularity elsewhere, they have lagged in France. As she tasted a glass of alcohol-free red wine, Helene Bourgy said the drink was a compromise that allowed for an alcohol-free but still “festive atmosphere”. Even if the French have been slow to take up non-alcoholic drinks, their wine consumption has fallen from 20th-century peaks.

☆ My life in NYC revolved around drinking. After I got laid off from Hinge, I moved across the country and started a non-alcoholic wine brand. I'm never going back.
▼ + stars: | 2022-11-18 | by ( Hannah Towey | ) www.businessinsider.com time to read: +8 min

During the pandemic, she moved across the country and started a non-alcoholic wine company. After I was laid off, I started a non-alcoholic wine companyCourtesy of Molly FedickIn December of 2020, I was laid off from Hinge along with a few other people on the marketing team. It was during that time that I came up with the idea for my business Buzzkill Wines, which is a non-alcoholic wine company. So when I stopped drinking, I Googled non-alcoholic wine. I love how inclusive the "sober-curious" movement isLondon's first adult non-alcoholic drink store.

☆ Webb telescope finds two of the most distant galaxies ever observed
▼ + stars: | 2022-11-17 | by ( Ashley Strickland | ) edition.cnn.com time to read: +6 min

CNN —The James Webb Space Telescope has spied one of the earliest galaxies formed after the big bang, about 350 million years after the universe began. Webb’s capability to look deeper into the universe than other telescopes is revealing previously hidden aspects of the universe, including astonishingly distant galaxies such as these two finds. Two distant galaxies were observed by the James Webb Space Telescope. Just a few hundred million years after the big bang, there were already lots of galaxies. Detection of light invisible to the human eyeThe new findings about the two galaxies might mean there are other bright galaxies waiting to be found in the distant universe.

☆ How Russia Pays for War
▼ + stars: | 2022-10-30 | by ( Lazaro Gamio | Ana Swanson | ) www.nytimes.com time to read: +17 min

Invasion –84% Imports from Russia –20% Germany Current total trade $4.8 billion Since invasion –3% Exports to Russia Avg. Invasion –51% Imports from Russia +38% The Netherlands Current total trade $2 billion Since invasion +32% Exports to Russia Avg. Invasion –52% Imports from Russia +74% China Current total trade $15 billion Since invasion +64% Exports to Russia Avg. Invasion +24% Imports from Russia +98% India Current total trade $3.3 billion Since invasion +310% Exports to Russia Avg. Invasion –19% Imports from Russia +430% Turkey Current total trade $6.2 billion Since invasion +198% Exports to Russia Avg.

WHAT HAPPENS NOW TO VENEZUELANS IN TRANSIT TO THE UNITED STATES? Those in transit may attempt to reach the United States despite the near certainty that they will be sent back to Mexico. It is unclear where Venezuelans waiting in Mexico will stay, as Mexico's migrant shelter system is often overwhelmed. Then in 2014, Venezuela's economy buckled as global oil prices tumbled, and living conditions further deteriorated as stringent price controls created widespread shortages. Remittances to Venezuelans from relatives in the United States or elsewhere help but are insufficient for most.

☆ 'If you can make it here...' - runners race up Empire State building
▼ + stars: | 2022-10-07 | by ( ) www.reuters.com time to read: +1 min

NEW YORK, Oct 7 (Reuters) - While some New Yorkers are taking pains to avoid returning to the office, others are racing to the top of the Empire State Building. The iconic New York landmark played host Thursday evening to the 44th annual Empire State Building Run-Up. Register now for FREE unlimited access to Reuters.com Register1/3 Runners compete in the 44th Annual Empire State Building Run-Up the 86 floors to the 86th floor observatory of the Empire State Building in New York City, U.S., October 6, 2022. REUTERS/Shannon Stapleton Read MoreThe men saw a repeat champion in Malaysian tower runner, Soh Wai Ching, while Cindy Harris of Indianapolis was a repeat winner for the women's race. "This really means a lot to me," Soh Wai Ching said.

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