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☆ Perovskite Solar Cells Push Bounds of Efficiency. Tapping Their Potential Will Be Challenging.
▼ + stars: | 2023-05-31 | by ( Dieter Holger | ) www.wsj.com time to read: +6 min

Higher efficiency, measured by how many of the Sun’s photons are turned into watts, lowers the cost of generating solar energy. The factory is small, with a 100-megawatt yearly capacity, but can be expanded and Oxford PV has ambitions to increase production in 2024. Perovskite solar panels may reach commercialization this decade thanks to an expansion of solar investment spurred by government aid from the U.S. and Europe, solar analysts say. China dominates more than 80% of the world’s manufacturing of solar panels, according to the International Energy Agency. “The conversation about degradation is an old one, dating to the early days of perovskite solar technology,” Case said.

Persons: hasn’t, Chris Case, ”, Martin Green, Green, Oxford PV’s Case, ” Case, Diego Diaz, ” Diaz, Dieter Holger Organizations: U.S, Oxford, Oxford University, Saule Technologies, Sustainable Business, International Energy Agency, Oxford PV’s, University of New, Fraunhofer Institute for Solar Energy Systems ISE, dieter.holger Locations: Oxford, Brandenburg, Germany, U.S, Europe, China, Oxford PV’s Brandenburg, University of New South Wales, company’s Brandenburg

☆ Solar trees could soon be charging your car
▼ + stars: | 2023-05-30 | by ( Nell Lewis | ) edition.cnn.com time to read: +5 min

CNN —Metal trees with a seven-meter canopy of solar panels that generate electricity may soon be coming to car parks and shopping malls in the UK. In the UK, EV charging infrastructure is rapidly growing, with more than 40,000 public charging points installed by the end of April 2023, up 37% from the previous year, according to ZapMap, an EV mapping service. SolarBotanic Trees has partnered with RAW Charging to supply co-branded trees (shown here in a rendering) as part of a network of EV charging sites. Charging upSolarBotanic Trees are likely to cost between £18,000 and £25,000 ($22,000 to $30,000), considerably more than a conventional solar panel source. Shelley notes that he is also exploring creating a solar tree solution for powering electric scooter charging hubs.

☆ Solar telescope’s images reveal the sun’s surface like never before
▼ + stars: | 2023-05-25 | by ( Ashley Strickland | ) edition.cnn.com time to read: +4 min

CNN —New images of the sun’s surface captured by a powerful ground-based solar telescope have revealed sunspots and other features in unprecedented detail. The eight images, released on May 19, were taken using the National Science Foundation’s Daniel K. Inouye Solar Telescope, a 4-meter (13.1-foot) telescope located on the island of Maui in Hawaii. Although the sun is becoming increasingly active as the July 2025 solar maximum — the peak of the sun’s 11-year cycle — draws closer, the photos showcase the quieter aspects of the solar surface. Bright hot plasma flows upward on the sun’s surface, while darker, cooler plasma flows down. NSF/AURA/NSOThe Inouye Solar Telescope also glimpsed “light bridges,” bright solar features that span the darkest region of a sunspot.

☆ Safest summer sunscreens for 2023, according to the Environmental Working Group
▼ + stars: | 2023-05-23 | by ( Sandee Lamotte | ) edition.cnn.com time to read: +9 min

In 2019, oxybenzone was an ingredient in 60% of all sunscreen products tested by EWG, dropping to 30% in 2022. Best sunscreen by useFor the 2023 report, EWG tested and ranked over 1,700 sunscreen products for their safety and effectiveness, grouping the results by use. In addition to chemicals, there are two types of mineral ingredients listed in the guide that the FDA said are safe and effective: titanium dioxide and zinc oxide. “Consumers need to have confidence that the sunscreen products they use meet international standards,” Swei said. Another plus — mineral ingredients don’t appear to harm the environment.

Persons: CNN —, ”, Emily Spilman, oxybenzone, EWG, David Andrews, EWG’s, Spilman, Homer Swei, ” Swei, ” Spilman, Oxybenzone, —, sunscreens, Alexandra Kowcz Organizations: CNN, Food and Drug Administration, Science, Environmental, Products, FDA, Healthy, EWG, sunscreens, European Union, Canada, US Environmental Protection Agency, National Toxicology Program, Skin Cancer Foundation, US Food and Drug Administration, Research, Care Products Council Locations: sunscreens, oxybenzone, EWG

☆ Justin Sun argues crypto winter is over and addresses the SEC charges against him
▼ + stars: | 2023-05-17 | by ( Talia Kaplan | ) www.cnbc.com time to read: +1 min

Crypto World reached out to the Securities and Exchange Commission for comment in response to Sun’s claim that the agency lost a lot of credibility on its crypto legal actions and a spokesperson pointed to a prior statement from SEC Chair Gary Gensler. When the SEC charged Sun and his companies in March Gensler said, “This case demonstrates again the high risk investors face when crypto asset securities are offered and sold without proper disclosure." “As alleged, Sun and his companies not only targeted U.S. investors in their unregistered offers and sales, generating millions in illegal proceeds at the expense of investors, but they also coordinated wash trading on an unregistered trading platform to create the misleading appearance of active trading in TRX,” Gensler's statement continued. “Sun further induced investors to purchase TRX and BTT by orchestrating a promotional campaign in which he and his celebrity promoters hid the fact that the celebrities were paid for their tweets.”

☆ How the Voyager probes keep going decades after launch
▼ + stars: | 2023-05-10 | by ( Ashley Strickland | ) edition.cnn.com time to read: +6 min

Voyager 2’s priceless data is captured and returned to Earth through its five science instruments, while Voyager 1 still has four operational instruments after one failed earlier in the mission. Both Voyager probes rely on radioisotope thermoelectric generators. Over time, the Voyager team has commanded the probes to turn off instrument heaters and other nonessential systems. The Voyager proof test model, seen here in 1976, has a platform showcasing several of the science instruments. “Picture it as an ocean of space with waves and turbulence and activity going on, and the Voyager instruments can measure what’s happening,” Spilker said.

Its Very Large Telescope is perched at 8,645 feet atop an explosive-flattened mountaintop, where the atmosphere is relatively stable and incredibly dry. is building a new telescope, the Extremely Large Telescope, which will be used for, among other purposes, hunting for exoplanets that might support life. On my way back to the residencia, I stopped and looked up at the billowing arch of the Milky Way. The Atacama, for all its emptiness, is not a void. The desert, in its dryness, keeps the dead and opens the sky.

☆ No-Show Socks: We Tested 50 Styles to Find One That Doesn’t Slip
▼ + stars: | 2023-05-06 | by ( John Ortved | ) www.wsj.com time to read: 1 min

MANY MEN—and perhaps you’re one—give summer socks a lot more thought than such tiny scraps of fabric might seem to deserve. The key question: Should you wear visible socks (hardly the breeziest or sexiest summer look), or choose “no-show” designs that hide inside your shoes, leaving ankles to lap up the sun’s rays? These invisible socks can be infuriating—constantly slipping underfoot, scrunching into a ball that wreaks havoc beneath your arches. What’s more, they have slipped out of fashion in recent years. This summer, you’ll likely spot more stylish guys wearing tall, ribbed tube socks than flashing their ankle bones.

☆ Get Ready to See More of the Northern Lights
▼ + stars: | 2023-05-05 | by ( April Rubin | ) www.nytimes.com time to read: +1 min

In the southern hemisphere, aurora australis, or the southern lights, are typically visible from Antarctica, Australia and south of Argentina. As the sun’s magnetic fields flip over 11 years, this cycle, phases between solar minimum and solar maximum, Dr. Cameron said. Experts predict that solar maximum will be reached in 2025, meaning the auroral oval, or the area on earth where the lights are visible, will widen until then. “When we’re in the minimum part of the solar cycle, the sun is very quiet, basically nothing going on,” Dr. Cameron said. The solar cycle is tied to the sun’s magnetic field, Dr. Cameron said, but doesn’t affect its temperature.

☆ See a meteor shower and lunar eclipse this weekend
▼ + stars: | 2023-05-04 | by ( Taylor Nicioli | ) edition.cnn.com time to read: +6 min

CNN —With bright meteors blazing across the sky from the Aquariids meteor shower and a chance to see a lunar eclipse, Friday will be the time to look up to the sky for a day of spectacular celestial events. That alignment will create what is known as a penumbral lunar eclipse, which is when the moon enters Earth’s outer shadow. Get a lawn chair and put the moon at your back,” said Robert Lunsford, fireball report coordinator for the American Meteor Society. During a penumbral eclipse, the moon stays on this outer ring, appearing as if it is dimming, but not completely darkening like a total lunar eclipse. On October 28, a partial lunar eclipse will be viewable in Europe, Asia, Australia, Africa, parts of North America and much of South America.

☆ Opinion: Biden’s secret weapon to defuse the age issue
▼ + stars: | 2023-04-30 | by ( Opinion Dean Obeidallah | ) edition.cnn.com time to read: +7 min

Recent polls tell us that many Americans have questions about the age of the 80-year-old Biden heading into the 2024 election. It’s in everybody’s mind and by everyone, I mean The New York Times.” Biden then added, “Headline: ‘Biden’s advanced age is a big issue. Biden’s reelection campaign (he announced his bid last week) is not the first time that age has been front and center in a presidential campaign. It became even more acute after the first presidential debate in October 1984. At the second presidential debate, however, Reagan was ready for the age question.

☆ Defunct NASA spacecraft returns to Earth after 21 years
▼ + stars: | 2023-04-19 | by ( Katie Hunt | ) edition.cnn.com time to read: +2 min

CNN —A NASA satellite that observed solar flares and helped scientists understand the sun’s powerful bursts of energy will fall to Earth this week, almost 21 years after it was launched. The retired Reuven Ramaty High Energy Solar Spectroscopic Imager (RHESSI) spacecraft, which launched in 2002 and was decommissioned in 2018, is expected to reenter Earth’s atmosphere Wednesday at approximately 9:30 p.m. The risk of harm coming to anyone on Earth as a result of RHESSI’s return is low — approximately 1 in 2,467, according to NASA. From its former perch in low-Earth orbit, the satellite captured images of high-energy electrons that carry a large part of the energy released in solar flares, NASA said. NASA said that the agency, along with the Department of Defense, would monitor the satellite’s reentry into Earth’s atmosphere.

☆ Opinion | My Continent Is Not Your Giant Climate Laboratory
▼ + stars: | 2023-04-18 | by ( Chukwumerije Okereke | ) www.nytimes.com time to read: +2 min

Several environmentalists last year presented Africa’s leading climate negotiators with a bold idea: A technology called solar geoengineering could protect their countries from the worst effects of climate change, they said. It wasn’t the first time Westerners have tried to persuade Africans that solar engineering projects may be in our best interest. As a climate expert, I consider these environmental manipulation techniques extremely risky. And as an African climate expert, I strongly object to the idea that Africa should be turned into a testing ground for their use. Even if solar geoengineering can help deflect heat and improve weather conditions on the ground — a prospect that is unproven on any relevant scale — it’s not a long-term solution to climate change.

☆ Lindsay Lohan, Jake Paul and other celebrities charged $400,000 for violating crypto rules
▼ + stars: | 2023-03-22 | by ( David Goldman | ) edition.cnn.com time to read: +2 min

New York CNN —The Securities and Exchange Commission on Wednesday charged Lindsay Lohan, Jake Paul and several other celebrities with failing to disclose that they were paid to promote crypto. The celebrities agreed to pay $400,000, including fines, and return what they were paid for the promotion. For their violations, Lohan agreed to pay $30,000 in fines in addition to the $10,000 she earned for the promotion. Paul agreed to pay $75,000 in fines on top of the $25,000 he earned. “At the same time, Sun paid celebrities with millions of social media followers to tout the unregistered offerings, while specifically directing that they not disclose their compensation.”

☆ Sun’s Out—and So Is Ice Fishing, Vermont Officials Warn
▼ + stars: | 2023-02-18 | by ( Suryatapa Bhattacharya | ) www.wsj.com time to read: 1 min

This copy is for your personal, non-commercial use only. Distribution and use of this material are governed by our Subscriber Agreement and by copyright law. For non-personal use or to order multiple copies, please contact Dow Jones Reprints at 1-800-843-0008 or visit www.djreprints.com. https://www.wsj.com/articles/suns-outand-so-is-ice-fishing-vermont-officials-warn-31977b76

☆ Do Blue-Light Glasses Actually Help Your Sleep? Here Are 8 Pairs to Try
▼ + stars: | 2023-02-05 | by ( Kimberly Goad | ) www.wsj.com time to read: +8 min

And while the verdict is only partially in as to whether they actually reduce eye strain, there is research to suggest that certain blue-light-blocking glasses may help with sleep. That’s where blue light glasses come in. A study published in 2022 looked at 50 pairs of blue-light-blocking glasses (some of which are featured in our picks below). On the other hand, the lighter color means they don’t distort your color perception the way some blue glasses do. The blue-light-blocking glasses that actually filter out blue light do so by absorbing the blue wavelength light to stop it from ever reaching your eyes.

Persons: Kimberly Goad, ”, Michael Grandner, Grandner, they’re, Grandner’s, Cathy Goldstein M.D, Felix Gray, Goldstein, Warby Parker, Matte, Alvin, Warby Parker —, you’ll, Ashley Brissette Organizations: “, Health Research, University of Arizona College of Medicine, University of Michigan Sleep Disorders, Ophthalmology, American Academy of Ophthalmology, Weill Cornell Medicine Locations: University of Arizona College of Medicine Tucson, New York City

☆ Fact Check-False claims about the sun and clouds at night shared online
▼ + stars: | 2023-01-18 | by ( Reuters Fact Check | ) www.reuters.com time to read: +5 min

Contrary to online claims, the earth is 93 million miles from the sun, is not flat and there is plenty of night-time footage of the planet taken from space, experts told Reuters. It also says the earth is flat and questions why clouds can’t be seen in nighttime images of the earth taken from space. Orsola de Marco, an astrophysicist at Macquarie University in Sydney, told Reuters that visibility of clouds at night could also depend on camera angle and the light source. Rather than a spacecraft looking directly through a cloud, shooting from an angle makes clouds more visible because more light can be reflected off the clouds, she said. Photos shared by the European Space Station at night showing clouds can be seen (here), (here), and (here).

☆ Earth’s Ozone Layer Recovers as Airborne Chemicals Decline
▼ + stars: | 2023-01-10 | by ( Eric Niiler | ) www.wsj.com time to read: 1 min

Airborne chemicals that destroy ozone are now declining for the first time, helping to repair the atmospheric layer that protects humans from the sun’s harmful ultraviolet rays, according to a new report by a U.N.-backed panel of scientists. In a report released Monday by the United Nations Environment Program and the World Meteorological Organization, researchers found a significant thickening of the ozone layer, a region of the atmosphere from 9 to 18 miles high that absorbs ultraviolet rays and prevents them from reaching the Earth’s surface.

☆ Earth’s Ozone Layer Recovering as Damaging Airborne Chemicals Decline
▼ + stars: | 2023-01-09 | by ( Eric Niiler | ) www.wsj.com time to read: 1 min

Airborne chemicals that destroy ozone are now declining for the first time, helping to repair the atmospheric layer that protects humans from the sun’s harmful ultraviolet rays, according to a new report by a U.N.-backed panel of scientists. In a report released Monday by the United Nations Environment Program and the World Meteorological Organization, researchers found a significant thickening of the ozone layer, a region of the atmosphere from 9 to 18 miles high that absorbs ultraviolet rays (UV) and prevents them from reaching the Earth’s surface.

☆ 11 retinol and retinoid products for acne, wrinkles and more
▼ + stars: | 2022-12-28 | by ( Morgan Greenwald | Morgan Greenwald Is A Senior Editor For Select On Nbc News. | ) www.nbcnews.com time to read: +16 min

SKIP AHEAD Retinol and retinoid products | Retinol vs. retinoid | How to use retinol | What are the potential side effects of retinol? The serum contains time-released 1.5% retinol — which is on the higher side for retinol products — as well as vitamins C and E and squalane to moisturize the skin, according to the brand. Since retinoid products speeds up skin cell turnover, it can leave your skin feeling and looking dry, red and irritated. Greenwald has tried dozens of skin care products and brands over the years, including retinol products. Based on their guidance and recommendations, Greenwald reviewed the features and ingredients of highly rated retinoid products from brands like Neutrogena, Skinceuticals, Peter Thomas Roth, The Ordinary and more.

☆ Winter Solstice 2022: When It Is and How It’s Observed
▼ + stars: | 2022-12-21 | by ( Aylin Woodward | ) www.wsj.com time to read: 1 min

The annual winter solstice in the Northern Hemisphere, which this year occurs on Dec. 21, marks the first day of winter and the shortest day of the year in that half of the world. It coincides with the summer solstice in the Southern Hemisphere, which marks the start of summer and the year’s longest day there. In the months leading up to the Northern Hemisphere’s winter solstice, the sun’s rays gradually shift southward from the equator until the sun reaches its most southerly point in the sky at the Tropic of Capricorn, a mapmaker’s line that parallels the equator at 23.5 degrees south latitude. After a brief pause at that line on the solstice, the sun appears to reverse direction and begins its journey northward.

☆ Winter Solstice 2022: When It Is and How It Is Observed
▼ + stars: | 2022-12-21 | by ( Aylin Woodward | ) www.wsj.com time to read: 1 min

☆ Jeremy Clarkson: UK lawmakers call on Sun newspaper to sanction columnist over 'violent misogynistic' language
▼ + stars: | 2022-12-20 | by ( Jack Guy | ) edition.cnn.com time to read: +5 min

Jeremy Clarkson tweeted that he was 'horrified' at the hurt his article caused. “This sort of language has no place in our country, and it is unacceptable that it was allowed to be published in a mainstream newspaper,” it reads. This was the highest circulation of any UK national newspaper at the time. “In light of Jeremy Clarkson’s tweet he has asked us to take last week’s column down,” the page now reads. Meghan recalled how she was stressed by UK newspaper the Mail on Sunday publishing a private letter she had written to her father, Thomas Markle.

☆ 22 Unique Valentine’s Gifts for Men Who Have Everything
▼ + stars: | 2022-12-19 | by ( ) www.wsj.com time to read: +12 min

From the cocktail gadget that will level-up his drinks to the ultimate undershirts, these are presents you can purchase with confidence—no gift receipt required. This edition has a wood cabinet with metal plaques, die-cast metal houses and hotels, gold-foil stamping and money-holding drawers. Buy Side’s favorite automatic cocktail maker works with pre-measured pods and his favorite spirits to dispense cocktails at the push of a button. For more great gadget ideas, check out our roundup of the top gifts for your favorite techie. Even better, the jean material “came ready-to-wear with no awkward break-in period, plus a custom liner.”—Additional reporting by Leslie Yazel

☆ 'Firmageddon': Researchers find 1.1 million acres of dead trees in Oregon
▼ + stars: | 2022-12-11 | by ( Evan Bush | Evan Bush Is A Science Reporter For Nbc News. He Can Be Reached At Evan.Bush Nbcuni.Com. | ) www.nbcnews.com time to read: +6 min

“We’re seeing forms of stress in all of our species of trees,” said Christine Buhl, a forest entomologist with the Oregon Department of Forestry. Trained observers peer outside both sides of the plane, looking for noticeable damage to trees. “You definitely have to have a stomach of steel.”This year, the aerial observation program flew over about 69 million acres of Washington and Oregon forest in about 246 hours. Oregon’s average temperatures have risen about 2.2 degrees Fahrenheit since 1895, according to a 2021 state climate assessment delivered to the state’s Legislature. “It was the combination of the high temperatures in the afternoon with the sun boring down,” said Chris Still, a professor in the College of Forestry at Oregon State University.

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