europeanspaceagency posted a photo:

This NASA/ESA/CSA James Webb Space Telescope provides a close-up view of IRAS 04302+2247, a planet-forming disc located about 525 light-years away in a dark cloud within the Taurus star-forming region. With Webb, researchers can study the properties and growth of dust grains within protoplanetary discs like this one, shedding light on the earliest stages of planet formation.

In stellar nurseries across the galaxy, baby stars are forming in giant clouds of cold gas. As young stars grow, the gas surrounding them collects in narrow, dusty protoplanetary discs. This sets the scene for the formation of planets, and observations of distant protoplanetary discs can help researchers understand what took place roughly 4.5 billion years ago in our own Solar System, when the Sun, Earth, and the other planets formed.

IRAS 04302+2247, or IRAS 04302 for short, is a beautiful example of a protostar – a young star that is still gathering mass from its environment – surrounded by a protoplanetary disc in which baby planets might be forming. Webb is able to measure the disc at 65 billion km across – several times the diameter of our Solar System. From Webb’s vantage point, IRAS 04302’s disc is oriented edge-on, so we see it as a narrow, dark line of dusty gas that blocks the light from the budding protostar at its centre. This dusty gas is fuel for planet formation, providing an environment within which young planets can bulk up and pack on mass.

When seen face-on, protoplanetary discs can have a variety of structures like rings, gaps and spirals. These structures can be signs of baby planets that are burrowing through the dusty disc, or they can point to phenomena unrelated to planets, like gravitational instabilities or regions where dust grains are trapped. The edge-on view of IRAS 04302’s disc shows instead the vertical structure, including how thick the dusty disk is. Dust grains migrate to the midplane of the disc, settle there and form a thin, dense layer that is conducive to planet formation; the thickness of the disc is a measure of how efficient this process has been.

The dense streak of dusty gas that runs vertically across this image cocoons IRAS 04302, blotting out its bright light such that Webb can more easily image the delicate structures around it. As a result, treated to the sight of two gauzy nebulae on either side of the disc. These are reflection nebulae, illuminated by light from the central protostar reflecting off of the nebular material. Given the appearance of the two reflection nebulae, IRAS 04302 has been nicknamed the 'Butterfly Star'.

This view of IRAS 04302 combines observations from Webb, the NASA/ESA Hubble Space Telescope, and the Atacama Large Millimetre/submillimetre Array (ALMA). Webb contributed data from both its Near-InfraRed Camera (NIRCam) and its Mid-InfraRed Instrument (MIRI).

Together, these three powerful facilities paint a fascinating multiwavelength portrait of a planetary birthplace. Webb reveals the distribution of tiny dust grains as well as the reflection of near-infrared light off of dusty material that extends a large distance from the disc. Hubble focuses on the dust lane as well as clumps and streaks surrounding the dust that suggest the star is still collecting mass from its surroundings as well as shooting out jets and outflows. ALMA detects the glow of larger dust grains within the disk, showing that for a disc as young as IRAS 04302, the dust has yet to settle into a narrow plane as is expected for more evolved discs.

The Webb observations of IRAS 04302 were taken as part of the Webb GO programme #2562 (PI F. Ménard, K. Stapelfeldt). This programme investigates four protoplanetary discs that are oriented edge-on from our point of view, aiming to understand how dust evolves within these discs. The growth of dust grains in protoplanetary discs is believed to be an important step toward planet formation.

Read more

[Image Description: A detailed view of IRAS 16594-4656 captured by the James Webb Space Telescope. A bright central region is bisected by a thin, horizontal line of dark dust. Symmetrical lobes of glowing gas extend above and below, with soft blue, purple, and orange hues blending outward into surrounding space.]

Credits: ESA/Webb, NASA & CSA, M. Villenave et al.; CC BY 4.0

europeanspaceagency posted a photo:

This image takes the viewer on a deep dive into the heart of the Butterfly Nebula, NGC 6302. The Butterfly Nebula, located about 3400 light-years away in the constellation Scorpius, is one of the best-studied planetary nebulae in our galaxy.

Planetary nebulae are among the most beautiful and most elusive creatures in the cosmic zoo. These nebulae form when stars with masses between about 0.8 and 8 times the mass of the Sun shed most of their mass at the end of their lives. The planetary nebula phase is fleeting, lasting only about 20 000 years.

At the centre of the Butterfly Nebula is the ancient core of a Sun-like star that energises the surrounding nebula and causes it to glow. This scorching central star is hidden from view at optical wavelengths, but Webb’s infrared capabilities have revealed the star and its surroundings in great detail.

This image, which combines infrared data from the NASA/ESA/CSA James Webb Space Telescope with submillimetre observations from the Atacama Large Millimeter/submillimeter Array (ALMA), shows the doughnut-shaped torus and interconnected bubbles of dusty gas that surround the nebula’s central star. The torus is oriented vertically and nearly edge-on from our perspective, and it intersects with bubbles of gas enclosing the star. The bubbles appear bright red in this image, illuminated by the light from helium and neon gas. Outside the bubbles, jets traced by emission from ionised iron shoot off in opposite directions.

These features are labeled in an annotated version of this image.

Read more

[Image description: The complicated structure at the centre of the Butterfly Nebula, NGC 6302. There is a bright source at the centre that is surrounded by greenish nebulosity and several looping lines in cream, orange and pink. One of these lines appears to form a ring oriented vertically and nearly edge-on around the bright source at the centre. Other lines trace out a figure eight shape. Moving outward from these complex lines and green nebulosity, there is a section of red light on either side of the object. The upper-right and lower-left corners of this image show a purple streak pointing out of the image.]

Credits: ESA/Webb, NASA & CSA, M. Matsuura, ALMA (ESO/NAOJ/NRAO), N. Hirano, M. Zamani (ESA/Webb); CC BY 4.0

europeanspaceagency posted a photo:

This annotated image takes the viewer on a deep dive into the heart of the Butterfly Nebula, NGC 6302, as seen by the NASA/ESA/CSA James Webb Space Telescope. The Butterfly Nebula, located about 3400 light-years away in the constellation Scorpius, is one of the best-studied planetary nebulae in our galaxy.

Planetary nebulae are among the most beautiful and most elusive creatures in the cosmic zoo. These nebulae form when stars with masses between about 0.8 and 8 times the mass of the Sun shed most of their mass at the end of their lives. The planetary nebula phase is fleeting, lasting only about 20 000 years.

At the centre of the Butterfly Nebula is the ancient core of a Sun-like star that energises the surrounding nebula and causes it to glow. This scorching central star is hidden from view at optical wavelengths, but Webb’s infrared capabilities have revealed the star and its surroundings in great detail.

This image, which combines infrared data from Webb with submillimetre observations from the Atacama Large Millimetre/submillimetre Array (ALMA), shows the doughnut-shaped torus and interconnected bubbles of dusty gas that surround the nebula’s central star. The torus is oriented vertically and nearly edge-on from our perspective, and it intersects with bubbles of gas enclosing the star. The bubbles appear bright red in this image, illuminated by the light from helium and neon gas. Outside the bubbles, jets traced by emission from ionised iron shoot off in opposite directions.

Read more

[Image description: The complicated structure at the centre of the Butterfly Nebula, NGC 6302. There is a bright source at the centre of the image, labeled ‘dying star’. This is surrounded by greenish nebulosity and several looping lines in cream, orange and pink. One of these lines appears to form a ring oriented vertically and nearly edge-on around the bright source at the centre. This ring is labeled in several different places to indicate the near and far sides of a structure called the torus, a dust lane running along the torus and an area where the torus is ionised. Other lines trace out a figure eight shape. These lines are labeled to indicate the inner bubble as well as where the bubble intersects with the torus. Moving outward from these complex lines and green nebulosity, there is a section of red light on either side of the object, labeled ‘outer bubble’. The upper-right and lower-left corners of this image show a purple streak pointing out of the image. These purple streaks are labeled ‘jet’.]

Credits: ESA/Webb, NASA & CSA, M. Matsuura, ALMA (ESO/NAOJ/NRAO), N. Hirano, M. Zamani (ESA/Webb); CC BY 4.0

europeanspaceagency posted a photo:

This image set showcases three views of the Butterfly Nebula, also called NGC 6302. The Butterfly Nebula, located about 3400 light-years away in the constellation Scorpius, is one of the best-studied planetary nebulae in our galaxy.

Planetary nebulae are among the most beautiful and most elusive creatures in the cosmic zoo. These nebulae form when stars with masses between about 0.8 and 8 times the mass of the Sun shed most of their mass at the end of their lives. The planetary nebula phase is fleeting, lasting only about 20 000 years.

The Butterfly Nebula is a bipolar nebula, meaning that it has two lobes that spread in opposite directions, forming the ‘wings’ of the butterfly. A dark band of dusty gas poses as the butterfly’s ‘body’. This band is actually a doughnut-shaped torus that we see from the side, hiding the nebula’s central star – the ancient core of a Sun-like star that energises the nebula and causes it to glow. The dusty doughnut may be responsible for the nebula’s insectoid shape by preventing gas from flowing outward from the star equally in all directions.

The first and second of the three images shown here highlight the bipolar nature of the Butterfly Nebula in optical and near-infrared light captured by the NASA/ESA Hubble Space Telescope. The newer image on the right taken by the NASA/ESA/CSA James Webb Space Telescope zooms in on the centre of the Butterfly Nebula and its dusty torus, providing an unprecedented view of its complex structure. The Webb data are supplemented with data from the Atacama Large Millimeter/submillimeter Array, a powerful network of radio dishes.

While the nebula’s central star is blanketed with thick, dusty gas at optical wavelengths, Webb’s infrared capabilities reveal the central star and show the doughnut-shaped torus and interconnected bubbles of dusty gas that surround it.

Read more

[Image description: Three views of the same nebula, presented side by side. The left and middle images, which are labeled ‘Hubble Optical’ and ‘Hubble Near IR’, show the nebula at roughly the same scale. These two images show some similar features, including a dark dust lane that runs through the centre of the nebula and two broad clouds that emerge from either side of the dust lane like the outstretched wings of a butterfly. A diamond-shaped region centred on the dust lane is outlined in each of these images. In the optical Hubble image, the nebula appears clumpy and nearly opaque, with few background stars showing through the cloudy material. The nebula appears in different shades of cream, yellow and orange, with the lightest colours appearing closest to the centre. The background of space is black with a handful of stars that are tinged pink. In the near-infrared Hubble image, the nebula appears cream coloured and most opaque near the centre, then becomes reddish with purple streaks and more translucent out toward the wings of the nebula. There are hundreds of background stars in the image, many of which are visible through the nebula. The third and final image zooms in on the diamond-shaped region near the centre of the other two images. This image is labeled ‘Webb & ALMA, Mid-IR & Sub-mm’. This image is completely different from the other two, showing a bright source at the centre that is surrounded by greenish nebulosity and several looping lines in cream, orange and pink. The upper-right and lower-left corners of this image show a purple streak pointing out of the image.]

Credits: ESA/Webb, NASA & CSA, M. Matsuura, J. Kastner, K. Noll, ALMA (ESO/NAOJ/NRAO), N. Hirano, J. Kastner, M. Zamani (ESA/Webb); CC BY 4.0

europeanspaceagency posted a photo:

This view of the Butterfly Nebula, NGC 6302, comes from the NASA/ESA Hubble Space Telescope. In the optical wavelengths shown here, the ‘wings’ of the Butterfly Nebula appear clumpy and nearly opaque, blocking most of the background stars from view. The orange colour that suffuses the ‘wings’ comes from ionised nitrogen and hydrogen, while the red accents come from ionised sulphur. Blue comes from hydrogen atoms.

This Hubble image highlights the Butterfly Nebula’s bipolar shape, showing how its two lobes spread in opposite directions, forming the ‘wings’ of the butterfly. A dark band of dusty gas poses as the butterfly’s ‘body’. This band is actually a doughnut-shaped torus that we see from the side, hiding the nebula’s central star – the ancient core of a Sun-like star that energises the nebula and causes it to glow. The dusty doughnut may be responsible for the nebula’s insectoid shape by preventing gas from flowing outward from the star equally in all directions.

Read more

[Image description: A planetary nebula called NGC 6302 or the Butterfly Nebula. A dark dust lane runs through the centre of the nebula and two broad clouds emerge from either side of the dust lane like the outstretched wings of a butterfly. The nebula appears clumpy and nearly opaque, with a few background stars showing through the cloudy material. The nebula appears in different shades of cream, yellow and orange, with the lightest colours appearing closest to the centre. The background of space is black with a handful of stars that are tinged pink.]

Credits: ESA/Webb, NASA & CSA, K. Noll, J. Kastner, M. Zamani (ESA/Webb); CC BY 4.0

alternative_right shares a report from Phys.org: You've probably heard it before in a meeting: 'Let's touch base offline to align our bandwidth on this workflow.' Corporate jargon like this is easy to laugh at -- but its negative impact in the office can be serious. According to a new study, using too much jargon in the workplace can hurt employees' ability to process messages, leading them to experience negative feelings and making them feel less confident. In turn, they're less likely to reach out and ask for or share information with their colleagues.

"You need people to be willing to collaborate, share ideas and look for more information if they don't understand something at work," said Olivia Bullock, Ph.D., an assistant professor of advertising at the University of Florida and co-author of the new study. "And jargon might actually be impeding that information flow across teams." Age made a difference, though. Older workers had a harder time processing jargon, but were more likely to intend to ask for more information to clarify the message. Younger employees were less likely to seek and share information when confused by jargon. "It gives credence to the idea that younger people are more vulnerable to these workplace dynamics," Bullock said. "If you're onboarding younger employees, explain everything clearly." The findings have been published in the International Journal of Business Communication.

Read more of this story at Slashdot.

DEN HAAG (ANP) - Asielminister David van Weel (VVD) mag nog steeds een verblijfsvergunning aanbieden in schrijnende gevallen, oordeelt de Raad van State. Deze zogeheten discretionaire bevoegdheid is in 2019 verschoven van de minister naar de directeur van de Immigratie- en Naturalisatiedienst (IND). Maar die regels zijn veranderd in lagere regelgeving en niet in de Vreemdelingenwet. Daarom heeft de minister deze bevoegdheid nog steeds, schrijft de hoogste bestuursrechter voor.

Haaien staan bekend om hun eindeloze voorraad messcherpe tanden: zodra er eentje uitvalt, groeit er meteen een nieuwe. Maar nieuw onderzoek laat zien dat zelfs deze dodelijke wapens niet bestand zijn tegen klimaatverandering. Door verzuring van de oceanen worden de tanden brozer en gevoeliger voor schade.

“Haaientanden bestaan uit sterk gemineraliseerde fosfaten, maar zijn toch kwetsbaar voor corrosie onder toekomstige verzuringsscenario’s,” zegt bioloog Maximilian Baum van de Heinrich Heine Universiteit Düsseldorf in Frontiers in Marine Science. “Het zijn hoogontwikkelde wapens die gemaakt zijn om vlees te snijden, niet om oceaanzuur te weerstaan. Onze resultaten laten zien hoe kwetsbaar zelfs de scherpste wapens van de natuur zijn.”

Uitgevallen tanden

Voor hun studie verzamelden onderzoekers meer dan 600 uitgevallen tanden van zwartpuntrifhaaien in een aquarium. Zestien daarvan werden acht weken ondergedompeld in water met verschillende zuurgraden: de huidige oceaanwaarde van pH 8,1 en een verwachte toekomstige waarde van 7,3. “Dit onderzoek begon als een bachelorproject en groeide uit tot een peer-reviewed publicatie. Het is een prachtig voorbeeld van wat studentonderzoek kan opleveren,” zegt hoogleraar Sebastian Fraune, mede-auteur van de studie.

De resultaten liegen er niet om: de tanden in zuurder water vertonen scheuren, gaten en duidelijke aantasting. “We zagen zichtbare schade zoals barsten en gaten, meer corrosie aan de wortel en structurele verzwakking,” aldus Fraune.

Stapeling van schade

Levende haaien zijn mogelijk in staat om hun tanden te herstellen, maar dat kost energie. Zeker omdat rifhaaien permanent met open bek zwemmen en hun tanden dus constant in aanraking komen met zeewater. “Zelfs gematigde dalingen in pH kunnen gevoelige soorten treffen met tragere tandvervanging, of juist op termijn een stapeling van schade veroorzaken,” legt Baum uit.

Zijn boodschap is duidelijk: “Het behouden van de huidige oceaan-pH is cruciaal voor de overleving van roofdieren. Het is een herinnering dat klimaatverandering doorwerkt in alle hoeken van voedselketens en ecosystemen.”

Bron: Frontiers in Marine Science

DEN HAAG (ANP) - PVV-leider Geert Wilders en D66-leider Rob Jetten botsten woensdag in de Tweede Kamer over de gewelddadige dood van de 17-jarige Lisa in Duivendrecht. Het debat gaat over de politieke situatie na het vertrek van NSC uit het gevallen kabinet, maar Wilders grijpt het aan voor een pleidooi om op zijn partij te stemmen. Hij bracht mensen met een niet-westerse afkomst daarbij in verband met seksueel geweld. "Als je het spuugzat bent: stem op de PVV. Als je het allemaal wel goed vindt: voor mijn part ga je naar D66."

De dood van de 17-jarige Lisa is "verschrikkelijk", reageerde Jetten. "Dat gaat helemaal niemand in Nederland in de koude kleren zitten." Hij wierp terug dat Wilders "zich alleen uitspreekt over vrouwenrechten en homorechten als hij daarmee asielzoekers en migranten kan aanpakken".

De D66'er wees onder meer op een voorstel om 10 miljoen uit te trekken voor de aanpak van femicide. De PVV steunde dat niet. Wilders reageerde dat hij zijn partij wel een motie steunde om bij femicide een zwaardere straf mogelijk te maken.

"Adventure before dementia" has added a photo to the pool:

Shots from three National Parks in the Northern Territory of Australia is my theme for today. What's in a name? The explorer Phillip Parker King was the first English navigator to enter the Gulf of Carpentaria. He made a number of explorations in the area between 1818 and 1822 and named the rivers after the crocodiles which he mistook for alligators as his journals note.

"Alligator River" refers to the Alligator Rivers region in Australia's Northern Territory, which includes the East, West, and South Alligator Rivers. This area, a significant portion of which lies within Kakadu National Park, is known for its rich biodiversity and is home to large populations of saltwater crocodiles. The rivers are a popular spot for nature activities and fishing, but swimming is strongly discouraged.