ALMA sheds light on planet-forming gas streams

Thursday, January 3, 2013

Astronomers using the Atacama Large Millimeter/submillimeter Array (ALMA) telescope have seen a key stage in the birth of giant planets for the first time. Vast streams of gas are flowing across a gap in the disc of material around a young star. These are the first direct observations of such streams, which are expected to be created by giant planets guzzling gas as they grow. The result is published on 2 January 2013 in the journal Nature.

The international team of astronomers studied the young star HD 142527, over 450 light-years from Earth, which is surrounded by a disc of gas and cosmic dust ? the remains of the cloud from which the star formed. The dusty disc is divided into an inner and an outer part by a gap, which is thought to have been carved by newly forming gas giant planets clearing out their orbits as they circle the star. The inner disc reaches from the star out to the equivalent of the orbit of Saturn in the Solar System, while the outer disc begins about 14 times further out. The outer disc does not surround the star uniformly; instead, it has a horseshoe shape, probably caused by the gravitational effect of the orbiting giant planets.

According to theory, the giant planets grow by capturing gas from the outer disc, in streams that form bridges across the gap in the disc.

"Astronomers have been predicting that these streams must exist, but this is the first time we've been able to see them directly," says Simon Casassus (Universidad de Chile, Chile), who led the new study. "Thanks to the new ALMA telescope, we've been able to get direct observations to illuminate current theories of how planets are formed!"

Casassus and his team used ALMA to look at the gas and cosmic dust around the star, seeing finer details, and closer to the star, than could be seen with previous such telescopes. ALMA's observations, at submillimetre wavelengths, are also impervious to the glare from the star that affects infrared or visible-light telescopes. The gap in the dusty disc was already known, but they also discovered diffuse gas remaining in the gap, and two denser streams of gas flowing from the outer disc, across the gap, to the inner disc.

"We think that there is a giant planet hidden within, and causing, each of these streams. The planets grow by capturing some of the gas from the outer disc, but they are really messy eaters: the rest of it overshoots and feeds into the inner disc around the star" says Sebasti?n P?rez, a member of the team, who is also at Universidad de Chile.

The observations answer another question about the disc around HD 142527. As the central star is still forming, by capturing material from the inner disc, the inner disc would have already been devoured, if it was not somehow topped up. The team found that the rate at which leftover gas streams onto the inner disc is just right to keep the inner disc replenished, and to feed the growing star.

Another first is the detection of the diffuse gas in the gap. "Astronomers have been looking for this gas for a long time, but so far we only had indirect evidence for it. Now, with ALMA, we can see it directly," explains Gerrit van der Plas, another team member at Universidad de Chile.

This residual gas is more evidence that the streams are caused by giant planets, rather than even larger objects such as a companion star. "A second star would have cleared out the gap more, leaving no residual gas. By studying the amount of gas left, we may be able to pin down the masses of the objects doing the clearing." adds P?rez.

What about the planets themselves? Casassus explains that, although the team did not detect them directly, he is not surprised. "We searched for the planets themselves with state-of-the-art infrared instruments on other telescopes. However, we expect that these forming planets are still deeply embedded in the streams of gas, which are almost opaque. Therefore, there may be little chance of spotting the planets directly."

Nevertheless, the astronomers aim to find out more about the suspected planets by studying the gas streams as well as the diffuse gas. The ALMA telescope is still under construction, and has not yet reached its full capabilities. When it is complete, its vision will be even sharper, and new observations of the streams may allow the team to determine properties of the planets, including their masses.

###

ESO: http://www.eso.org

Thanks to ESO for this article.

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Source: http://www.labspaces.net/126111/ALMA_sheds_light_on_planet_forming_gas_streams

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Mom says boy didn't steal plane in Alabama crash

A Walker County sheriff's deputy lifts crime scene tape for investigators as National Transportation Safety Board officials continue investigate the fatal crash Tuesday night of a small plane that was reported stolen near Jasper, Ala., Wednesday, Jan. 2, 2013. Walker County sheriff's Chief Deputy James Painter says authorities are still investigating but believe the teenagers took the plane without permission before it crashed Tuesday night. (AP Photo/AL.com, Joe Songer) MAGS OUT

A Walker County sheriff's deputy lifts crime scene tape for investigators as National Transportation Safety Board officials continue investigate the fatal crash Tuesday night of a small plane that was reported stolen near Jasper, Ala., Wednesday, Jan. 2, 2013. Walker County sheriff's Chief Deputy James Painter says authorities are still investigating but believe the teenagers took the plane without permission before it crashed Tuesday night. (AP Photo/AL.com, Joe Songer) MAGS OUT

National Transportation Safety Board officials continue to investigate at the scene of a fatal crash Tuesday night of a small plane that was reported stolen near Jasper, Ala., Wednesday, Jan. 2, 2013. Walker County sheriff's Chief Deputy James Painter says authorities are still investigating but believe the teenagers took the plane without permission before it crashed Tuesday night. (AP Photo/AL.com, Joe Songer) MAGS OUT

JASPER, Ala. (AP) ? Jordan Smith fell in love with flying at an early age and was just one test short of earning his private license when the small plane he was piloting crashed after taking off from the county airport, his mother said.

The owner of the Piper PA 30 had given the 17-year-old high school junior his own key and the code to a security gate behind which it was parked, Sherrie Smith said.

"He had used the plane many times before," Smith told The Associated Press on Wednesday. "We were working on getting him his own plane when he was a senior."

The plane went down Tuesday night less than a mile from the Walker County Airport in Jasper, northwest of Birmingham, the Federal Aviation Administration said. Jordan Smith was killed, along with two teens whom Walker County Coroner J.C. Poe identified as Brandon Tyler Ary, 19, and Jordan Seth Montgomery, 17.

Walker County sheriff's Chief Deputy James Painter said earlier Wednesday that authorities believed the three teenagers took off in the plane without permission.

"We don't know for sure but we think it was some teenagers who stole the plane and were sort of joyriding it," Painter said.

A call to the National Transportation Safety Board was not returned Wednesday.

The plane had departed from the small airport about 10:30 p.m. in overcast skies and a low cloud ceiling, airport manager Edwin Banks said.

"It was a student pilot flying an airplane without permission, an airplane that he was not qualified to fly at night," Banks said.

The crash happened in a wooded, swampy area just over the fence from Margaret Swann's hay farm. She said training flights from the airport circle over her farm routinely and she guessed that Jordan Smith was flying the same pattern before the plane went down.

"It's just three kids making a wrong decision," she said.

Smith said her son had left the house about 6 p.m. Tuesday to meet some friends at another airport in the area, and she said she last spoke to him by cellphone about four hours later. One of her son's friends called later about reports of a plane crash, and she tried to reach Jordan again but couldn't.

Jordan Smith had enough promise as a pilot that he'd already earned a scholarship to Wallace State Community College to study aviation, Sherrie Smith said.

"He started going to the airport when he was 14, and friends would take him up."

The Piper PA 30 is also called a Piper Twin Comanche. It is a low-wing plane with two propellers and can seat four to six, depending on the model.

The planes were built from 1963 until 1972, and were popular with flight schools because of their fuel efficiency and relatively inexpensive price tags, according to the International Comanche Society, an enthusiasts' group.

Jordan Smith's father is an Alabama state trooper and member of the Alabama National Guard who is currently serving in Afghanistan.

___

Associated Press writers Jeff Martin and Phillip Lucas in Atlanta and AP researcher Judith Ausuebel in New York contributed to this report.

Associated Press

Source: http://hosted2.ap.org/APDEFAULT/386c25518f464186bf7a2ac026580ce7/Article_2013-01-03-New%20Year's%20Plane%20Crash/id-f8cfc18141a945e89fc9b4e136ec272e

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Nexus 7 dock to become available in U.S. and Europe this month

After an eternity of waiting and speculation, it seems the elusive ASUS Nexus 7 dock may be about to hit the United States and Europe this month.

In the Netherlands, AndroidWorld.nl has word from ASUS Benelux that the dock will arrive in mid-January. Prices are speculated to be around €29.99. On the U.S. side B&H Photo, which opened preorders of the Nexus 7 dock back in December, is now showing an expected availability date of Jan. 10.

Originally rumored shortly after the tablet's Google I/O debut, the ASUS-made dock connects through the Nexus 7's pogo pins and allows it to connect to other devices through microUSB and headphone jack.

Source: AndroidWorld.nl (Dutch)

Source: http://feedproxy.google.com/~r/androidcentral/~3/4-zahOTv26c/story01.htm

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obama: fiscal cliff deal is - Business Insider

Appearing shortly after the House voted to pass a fiscal cliff deal Tuesday night, President Barack Obama called the bill a "first step" toward deficit reduction, but warned that he will not go through the same battle with Republicans over the debt ceiling.?

"Thanks to the votes of Democrats and Republicans in Congress I will sign a law that raises taxes on the wealthiest 2% of Americans," Obama said.?"Tonight?s agreement further reduces the deficit by raising $620 billion in revenue from the wealthiest households."?

But, he added, "the fact is, the deficit is still too high."?

"I believe there's further unnecessary spending in government that we can eliminate," he said.?"There will be more deficit reduction as Congress decides what to do about the automatic spending cuts in two months."

The statement caps off days of chaotic negotiations, which ended in a bill that will raise taxes on households earning $450,000, as well as increase taxes on estates over $5 million and extend unemployment benefits. The bill does little to address sequestration, however, but extends the deadline for the spending cuts by two months.?

That deal marks a significant political victory for Obama, fulfilling his central campaign promise to raise taxes on the wealthiest Americans.?

Still, the agreement fell far short of the "grand bargain" that Obama had initially hoped for, putting off negotiations over spending cuts and the debt ceiling. Republicans have indicated that they plan to put up a tougher fight over these issues in the next Congress, guaranteeing a protracted battle that the White House had initially sought to avoid.?

In his remarks Tuesday, Obama issued a stern forewarning on the upcoming debates, and reiterated that he will not negotiate with Republicans over the debt ceiling.?

"As I've demonstrated throughout the past several weeks, I am very open to compromise," he said. "But we cannot simply cut our way to prosperity."?

"While I will negotiate over many things, I will not have another debate with this Congress over whether or not they should pay the bills they have already racked up," Obama said. "We can not not pay bills that we have already incurred."?

Immediately following the remarks, Obama left the White House to return to Hawaii, where his family is still on vacation.?

Read the full statement below:?

A central promise of my campaign for President was to change the tax code that was too skewed towards the wealthy at the expense of working middle-class Americans.? Tonight we've done that.? Thanks to the votes of Democrats and Republicans in Congress, I will sign a law that raises taxes on the wealthiest 2 percent of Americans while preventing a middle-class tax hike that could have sent the economy back into recession and obviously had a severe impact on families all across America.

I want to thank all the leaders of the House and Senate.? In particular, I want to thank the work that was done by my extraordinary Vice President Joe Biden, as well as Leader Harry Reid, Speaker Boehner, Nancy Pelosi, and Mitch McConnell.? Everybody worked very hard on this and I appreciate it.? And, Joe, once again, I want to thank you for your great work.

Under this law, more than 98 percent of Americans and 97 percent of small businesses will not see their income taxes go up.? Millions of families will continue to receive tax credits to help raise their kids and send them to college.? Companies will continue to receive tax credits for the research that they do, the investments they make, and the clean energy jobs that they create.? And 2 million Americans who are out of work but out there looking, pounding the pavement every day, are going to continue to receive unemployment benefits as long as they?re actively looking for a job.

But I think we all recognize this law is just one step in the broader effort to strengthen our economy and broaden opportunity for everybody.? The fact is the deficit is still too high, and we're still investing too little in the things that we need for the economy to grow as fast as it should.?

And that's why Speaker Boehner and I originally tried to negotiate a larger agreement that would put this country on a path to paying down its debt while also putting Americans back to work rebuilding our roads and bridges, and providing investments in areas like education and job training.? Unfortunately, there just wasn?t enough support or time for that kind of large agreement in a lame duck session of Congress.? And that failure comes with a cost, as the messy nature of the process over the past several weeks has made business more uncertain and consumers less confident.?

But we are continuing to chip away at this problem, step by step.? Last year I signed into law $1.7 trillion in deficit reduction.? Tonight?s agreement further reduces the deficit by raising $620 billion in revenue from the wealthiest households in America.? And there will be more deficit reduction as Congress decides what to do about the automatic spending cuts that we have now delayed for two months.

I want to make this point:? As I've demonstrated throughout the past several weeks, I am very open to compromise.? I agree with Democrats and Republicans that the aging population and the rising cost of health care makes Medicare the biggest contributor to our deficit.? I believe we've got to find ways to reform that program without hurting seniors who count on it to survive.? And I believe that there?s further unnecessary spending in government that we can eliminate.?

But we can't simply cut our way to prosperity.? Cutting spending has to go hand-in-hand with further reforms to our tax code so that the wealthiest corporations and individuals can't take advantage of loopholes and deductions that aren't available to most Americans.? And we can't keep cutting things like basic research and new technology and still expect to succeed in a 21st century economy.? So we're going to have to continue to move forward in deficit reduction, but we have to do it in a balanced way, making sure that we are growing even as we get a handle on our spending.?

Now, one last point I want to make -- while I will negotiate over many things, I will not have another debate with this Congress over whether or not they should pay the bills that they?ve already racked up through the laws that they passed.? Let me repeat:? We can't not pay bills that we've already incurred.? If Congress refuses to give the United States government the ability to pay these bills on time, the consequences for the entire global economy would be catastrophic -- far worse than the impact of a fiscal cliff.?

People will remember, back in 2011, the last time this course of action was threatened, our entire recovery was put at risk.? Consumer confidence plunged.? Business investment plunged. Growth dropped.? We can't go down that path again.

And today?s agreement enshrines, I think, a principle into law that will remain in place as long as I am President:? The deficit needs to be reduced in a way that's balanced.? Everyone pays their fair share.? Everyone does their part.? That's how our economy works best.? That's how we grow.?

The sum total of all the budget agreements we've reached so far proves that there is a path forward, that it is possible if we focus not on our politics but on what?s right for the country. And the one thing that I think, hopefully, in the New Year we'll focus on is seeing if we can put a package like this together with a little bit less drama, a little less brinksmanship, not scare the heck out of folks quite as much.

We can come together as Democrats and Republicans to cut spending and raise revenue in a way that reduces our deficit, protects our middle class, provides ladders into the middle class for everybody who?s willing to work hard.? We can find a way to afford the investments that we need to grow and compete.? We can settle this debate, or at the very least, not allow it to be so all-consuming all the time that it stops us from meeting a host of other challenges that we face -- creating jobs, boosting incomes, fixing our infrastructure, fixing our immigration system, protecting our planet from the harmful effects of climate change, boosting domestic energy production, protecting our kids from the horrors of gun violence.

It?s not just possible to do these things; it?s an obligation to ourselves and to future generations.? And I look forward to working with every single member of Congress to meet this obligation in the New Year.?

And I hope that everybody now gets at least a day off, I guess, or a few days off, so that people can refresh themselves, because we're going to have a lot of work to do in 2013.

???? Thanks, everybody.? Happy New Year.

Source: http://www.businessinsider.com/obama-fiscal-cliff-deal-2013-1

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Video: Florio's hot seat: Will Jones fire Garrett?

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Source: http://nbcsports.msnbc.com/id/21134540/vp/50346449#50346449

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Clinton suffers clot behind right ear, full recovery seen

WASHINGTON/NEW YORK (Reuters) - U.S. Secretary of State Hillary Clinton suffered a blood clot in a vein between her brain and skull behind her right ear but is expected to make a full recovery, her doctors said on Monday in a statement released by the State Department.

Clinton did not suffer a stroke or neurological damage as a result of the clot, the doctors said, adding that "she is in good spirits, engaging with her doctors, her family and her staff."

The U.S. secretary of state, who has not been seen in public since December 7, was revealed on Sunday evening to be in a New York hospital under treatment for a blood clot that stemmed from a concussion she suffered in mid-December.

The concussion was itself the result of an earlier illness, described by the State Department as a stomach virus she had picked up during a trip to Europe that led to dehydration and a fainting spell after she returned to the United States.

"In the course of a routine follow-up MRI on Sunday, the scan revealed that a right transverse sinus venous thrombosis had formed. This is a clot in the vein that is situated in the space between the brain and the skull behind the right ear," Clinton's doctors, Drs. Lisa Bardack and Gigi El-Bayoumi said in the statement released by the State Department.

"To help dissolve this clot, her medical team began treating the Secretary with blood thinners. She will be released once the medication dose has been established," the doctors said. "In all other aspects of her recovery, the Secretary is making excellent progress and we are confident she will make a full recovery."

MAY RAISE QUESTIONS ABOUT ANY WHITE HOUSE RUN

Clinton's illness may raise questions about her fitness to be president should she make a new run for the White House in 2016. Barack Obama defeated her in the 2008 Democratic primary and then, upon his election as president, took the unusual step of tapping her for the most important post in his Cabinet.

Clinton earlier this month played down the notion that she would run again for the White House in 2016, telling a TV interviewer: "I've said I really don't believe that that's something I will do again. I am so grateful I had the experience of doing it before.

The former first lady turned U.S. senator from New York turned diplomat has played down talk of possibly making another White House run. She is expected to step down when her replacement as secretary of state, Senator John Kerry, is confirmed by the Senate.

Clinton has kept up a punishing schedule as the top U.S. diplomat, flying more than 950,000 miles to visit 112 countries and spending more than a quarter of her tenure - 401 days - on the road, according to the State Department.

Her health setbacks have forced her to cancel an overseas trip and postpone testimony to Congress regarding a report on the deadly attack on the U.S. diplomatic post in Benghazi, Libya. Her two deputies testified instead.

Clinton has said she intends to appear before Congress to discuss the attack - in which four Americans, including the U.S. ambassador to Libya, died - but it is unclear when she will be back at work.

The doctors gave no estimate of when she may go home from the hospital.

On Sunday, a State Department spokesman said Clinton was "being treated with anti-coagulants and is at New York-Presbyterian Hospital so that they can monitor the medication over the next 48 hours."

'PIPES' DRAIN BLOOD FROM THE BRAIN

Clinton's condition is unusual, but by no means unheard-of.

"This condition is not very common, but it certainly happens," said Dr. Raj Narayan, chair of neurosurgery at North Shore University Hospital and Long Island Jewish Medical Center in New York. It probably happens more often than we realize, he said, because it must be diagnosed with an MRI, as Clinton's was.

Narayan, who is not treating Clinton, said it likely was caused by her dehydration and the concussion that occurred from her fall. Head trauma can cause blood clots, Narayan said, because the injury triggers the production of thromboplastin, a blood protein that causes the blood to clot.

The severity depends in part on how someone is built, he said.

People normally have two of the veins where Clinton suffered the clot. Some people, however, have only one, while others have two but one is much larger than the other. The prognosis is typically better if you have two normal veins because the blood could flow through the other vein if one is blocked.

"Think of it as two pipes draining all of the blood out of the brain," Narayan said. "If one is blocked and the other is open, there is no problem. But if both pipes are blocked, you are in trouble."

Dr. Geoffrey Manley, chief of neurosurgery at San Francisco General Hospital and professor of neurosurgery at the University of California San Francisco (UCSF), said the condition can be fatal if not treated but that most patients recover well.

"Left untreated, these things could be fatal. But typically, injuries to the transverse sinus, if treated appropriately, patients typically do very well," Manley said.

Manley, who is also not involved in Clinton's treatment, said it was quite possible she would be out of the hospital in a week or less and the condition was not likely to have long-term effects or to be the harbinger of more clots over time.

"One doesn't necessarily dictate another one," he said.

"This is ultimately not going to cause any long-term brain problems for her, and I think that it's a message to the public that when you fall and hit your head, you need to be evaluated by somebody that takes care of brain-injured patients," he added.

(Additional reporting by Dhanya Skariachan and by Warren Strobel; editing by Todd Eastham)

Source: http://news.yahoo.com/clinton-suffers-clot-behind-ear-full-recovery-seen-001428277.html

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Gay Marriage Is Officially Legal in Maryland | TheBlaze.com

BALTIMORE (TheBlaze/AP) ? The New Year wasn?t the only reason to celebrate for some Maryland residents. Same-sex couples in the state were greeted with cheers and noisemakers held over from holiday parties, as gay marriage became legal in the first state south of the Mason-Dixon Line on New Year?s Day.

James Scales, 68, was married to William Tasker, 60, on Tuesday shortly after midnight by Baltimore Mayor Stephanie Rawlings-Blake inside City Hall.

?It?s just so hard to believe it?s happening,? Scales said shortly before marrying his partner of 35 years.

Six other same-sex couples also were being married at City Hall. Ceremonies were taking place in other parts of the state as well.

Maryland Gov. Martin O?Malley speaks during the celebration rally for the U.S. Senator of Maryland, Ben Cardin for his re-election at M&T Bank Stadium in Baltimore on Tuesday, Nov. 6, 2012.?Credit: AP

The ceremonies follow a legislative fight that pitted Gov. Martin O?Malley against leaders of his Catholic faith. Voters in the state, founded by Catholics in the 17th century, sealed the change by approving a November ballot question.

?There is no human institution more sacred than that of the one that you are about to form,? Rawlings-Blake said during the brief ceremony. ?True marriage, true marriage, is the dearest of all earthly relationships.?

Brigitte Ronnett, who also was married, said she hopes one day to see full federal recognition of same-sex marriage. Maryland, Maine and Washington state were the first states to approve same-sex marriage by popular vote, in November, a development Ronnett said was significant.

?I think it?s a great sign when you see that popular opinion is now in favor of this,? said Ronnett, 51, who married Lisa Walther, 51, at City Hall.

Same-sex couples in Maryland have been able to get marriage licenses since Dec. 6, but they did not take effect until Tuesday.

In 2011, same-sex marriage legislation passed in the state Senate but stalled in the House of Delegates. O?Malley hadn?t made the issue a key part of his 2011 legislative agenda, but indicated that summer that he was considering backing a measure similar to New York?s law, which includes exemptions for religious organizations.

Photo Credit: AP

Shortly after, Archbishop Edwin O?Brien of Baltimore wrote to O?Malley that same-sex marriage went against the governor?s faith.

?As advocates for the truths we are compelled to uphold, we speak with equal intensity and urgency in opposition to your promoting a goal that so deeply conflicts with your faith, not to mention the best interests of our society,? wrote O?Brien, who served as archbishop of the nation?s first diocese from October 2007 to August 2011.

The governor was not persuaded. He held a news conference in July 2011 to announce that he would make same-sex marriage a priority in the 2012 legislative session. He wrote back to the archbishop that ?when shortcomings in our laws bring about a result that is unjust, I have a public obligation to try to change that injustice.?

The measure, with exemptions for religious organizations that choose not to marry gay couples, passed the House of Delegates in February in a close vote. O?Malley signed it in March. Opponents then gathered enough signatures to put the bill to a statewide vote, and it passed with 52 percent in favor.

In total, nine states and the District of Columbia have approved same-sex marriage. The other states are Connecticut, Iowa, Massachusetts, New Hampshire, New York and Vermont.

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Related:

Source: http://www.theblaze.com/stories/gay-marriage-is-officially-legal-in-maryland/

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