Category: US

Sign up for CNN’s Wonder Theory science newsletter. Explore the universe with news on fascinating discoveries, scientific advancements and more.

CNN
 — 

Look in the night sky this weekend for February’s full moon, where it can be glimpsed around the world.

It will reach peak illumination around 1:29 p.m. ET Sunday, but the moon will appear full from early Saturday morning through early Tuesday morning, according to NASA.

The full moon is considered a micromoon because it appears slightly smaller than normal in our sky due to its distant location in orbit around Earth right now, according to EarthSky. January’s full moon was also a micromoon.

The moon will still be very bright even though it’s 252,171 miles (405,830 kilometers) away.

It is known as the snow moon, according to the Old Farmer’s Almanac, since February is associated with more snowfall in North America. The Arapaho tribe’s name for February’s full moon means “frost sparkling in the sun,” according to a guide compiled at Western Washington University.

Wintry-sounding names for February’s full moon vary across other Native American tribes. The Comanche call it sleet moon, while the Lakota know it as cannapopa wi, which means “when trees crack because of cold.” The month was also associated with hunger and a lack of food sources, hence the Kalapuya tribe’s moon name atchiulartadsh, or “out of food.”

Europeans have referred to February’s full moon as the Candles moon, connected to Candlemas on February 2, or the Feast of the Presentation of Jesus Christ. The moon also occurs with the end of Lunar New Year celebrations, which is the Lantern Festival.

The full moon falls in the middle of the month of Shevat and on the holiday Tu BiShvat on the Hebrew calendar, or “New Year of the Trees,” which is celebrated by planting trees and raising ecological awareness.

Here are the rest of 2023’s top sky events, so you can have your binoculars and telescope ready.

Most years, there are 12 full moons — one for each month. But in 2023, there will be 13 full moons, with two in August.

The second full moon in one month is known as a blue moon, like the phrase “once in a blue moon,” according to NASA. Typically, full moons occur every 29 days. But most months in our calendar last 30 or 31 days, so the months and moon phases don’t always align, resulting in a blue moon about every 2½ years.

The two full moons in August can also be considered supermoons, according to EarthSky. Definitions of a supermoon vary, but the term generally denotes a full moon that is brighter and closer to Earth than normal and thus appears larger in the night sky.

Some astronomers say the phenomenon occurs when the moon is within 90% of perigee — its closest approach to Earth in orbit. By that definition, the full moon for July will also be considered a supermoon event, according to EarthSky.

Here is the list of remaining full moons for 2023, according to the Farmer’s Almanac:

These are the popularized names associated with the monthly full moons, but each one carries its own significance across Native American tribes (with many also referred to by differing names).

Mark your calendar with the peak dates of meteor showers to watch in 2023:

If you live in an urban area, you may want to drive to a place that isn’t full of bright city lights to view the showers. If you’re able to find an area unaffected by light pollution, meteors could be visible every couple of minutes from late evening until dawn, depending on which part of the world you’re in.

Find an open area with a wide view of the sky. Make sure you have a chair or blanket so you can look straight up. And give your eyes about 20 to 30 minutes to adjust to the darkness — without looking at your phone — so the meteors will be easier to spot.

There will be two solar eclipses and two lunar eclipses in 2023.

A total solar eclipse will occur on April 20, visible to those in Australia, New Zealand, Southeast Asia and Antarctica. This kind of event occurs when the moon moves between the sun and Earth, blocking out the sun.

And for some sky watchers in Indonesia, parts of Australia and Papua New Guinea, it will be a hybrid solar eclipse. The curvature of Earth’s surface can cause some eclipses to shift between total and annular as the moon’s shadow moves across the globe, according to NASA.

Like a total solar eclipse, the moon passes between the sun and Earth during an annular eclipse — but it occurs when the moon is at or near its farthest point from Earth, according to NASA. This causes the moon to appear smaller than the sun, so it doesn’t completely block out our star and creates a glowing ring around the moon.

A Western Hemisphere-sweeping annular solar eclipse will occur on October 14 and be visible across the Americas.

Be sure to wear proper eclipse glasses to view solar eclipses safely as the sun’s light can be damaging to the eyes.

Meanwhile, a lunar eclipse can occur only during a full moon when the sun, Earth and moon align and the moon passes into Earth’s shadow. When this occurs, Earth casts two shadows on the moon during the eclipse. The partial outer shadow is called the penumbra; the full, dark shadow is the umbra.

When the full moon moves into Earth’s shadow, it darkens, but it won’t disappear. Instead, sunlight passing through Earth’s atmosphere lights the moon in a dramatic fashion, turning it red — which is why the event is often referred to as a “blood moon.”

Depending on the weather conditions in your area, it may be a rusty or brick-colored red. This happens because blue light undergoes stronger atmospheric scattering, so red light will be the most dominant color highlighted as sunlight passes through the atmosphere and casts it on the moon.

A penumbral lunar eclipse will occur on May 5 for those in Africa, Asia and Australia. This less dramatic version of a lunar eclipse happens when the moon moves through the penumbra, or the faint, outer part of Earth’s shadow.

A partial lunar eclipse of the hunter’s moon on October 28 will be visible to those in Europe, Asia, Australia, Africa, parts of North America and much of South America. Partial eclipses occur when the sun, Earth and moon don’t completely align, so only part of the moon passes into shadow.

When US President Joe Biden learned a suspected Chinese spy balloon was drifting through the stratosphere 60,000 feet above Montana, his first inclination was to take it down.

By then, however, it was both too early and too late. After flying over swaths of sparsely populated land, it was now projected to keep drifting over American cities and towns. The debris from the balloon could endanger lives on the ground, his top military brass told him.

Its arrival had gone unnoticed by the public as it floated eastward over Alaska – where it was first detected by North American Aerospace Defense Command on January 28 – toward Canada. NORAD continued to track and assess the balloon’s path and activities, but military officials assigned little importance to the intrusion into American airspace, having often witnessed Chinese spy balloons slip into the skies above the United States. At the time, the balloon was not assessed to be an intelligence risk or physical threat, officials say.

This time, however, the balloon kept going: high over Alaska, into Canada and back toward the US, attracting little attention from anyone looking up from the ground.

It would take seven days from when the balloon first entered US airspace before an F-22 fighter jet fired a heat-seeking missile into the balloon on the opposite end of the country, sending its equipment and machinery tumbling into the Atlantic Ocean.

The balloon’s week-long American journey, from the remote Aleutian Islands to the Carolina coast, left a wake of shattered diplomacy, furious reprisals from Biden’s political rivals and a preview of a new era of escalating military strain between the world’s two largest economies.

It’s also raised questions about why it wasn’t shot down sooner and what information, if any, it scooped up along its path.

Read More:

CNN
 — 

Two suspects were taken into custody, one after a shootout, in a “cartel-style” massacre last month that left six people dead in central California, including a young mother and her 10-month-old son, authorities announced Friday.

The suspects, identified in charging documents as Angel Uriarte, 35, and Noah Beard, 25, are known members of the Norteño gang, Tulare County Sheriff Mike Boudreaux said during a news conference. He said the January 16 shooting was the likely result of a conflict with members of the Sureños, a rival gang.

“The suspects and the victims have a long history of gun violence, heavily active in guns, gang violence, gun violence, and narcotics dealings,” Boudreaux said, adding, “the motive is not exactly clear at this point.”

Authorities said Uriarte was injured in a shootout with ATF agents before he was taken into custody. He is hospitalized, and in stable condition, according to ATF Acting Special Agent in Charge Joshua Jackson. Beard was taken into custody without incident.

Beard is accused of killing 16-year-old Alissa Parraz and her 10-month-old son, Nycholas, as they fled the overnight shooting at a home in Goshen, a farming community about 30 miles southeast of Fresno. Authorities showed surveillance video Friday showing the young mother lifting her son over a fence and climbing over. Both were found dead in the street outside the home.

Along with the mother and her son, the four other victims were identified as Marcos Parraz, 19; Eladio Parraz, 52; Alissa’s grandmother, Rosa Parraz, 72; and Jennifer Analla, 49.

Boudreaux said all the victims died of gunshot wounds, most were shot in the head, including the 10-month-old boy.

The surprising history of gun laws in America

“This was clearly not a random act of violence. This family was targeted by coldblooded killers,” Boudreaux said.

The arrests were part of a multiagency effort dubbed Operation Nightmare, which included searches of several California prisons and 24/7 surveillance of the suspects over the last 10 days. DNA left at the scene was credited with quickly leading law enforcement to zero in on the pair.

Uriarte and Beard are each facing six counts of murder, according to Tulare County District Attorney Tim Ward, along with enhancements relating to the use of a firearm, and that the acts were committed in participation of a criminal street gang. The suspects may eventually face the death penalty if convicted.

CNN is trying to determine if both suspects have legal representation.

The massacre came before a series of back-to-back mass shootings in California late last month, including an attack during a Lunar New Year Celebration in suburban Monterey Park, just west of Los Angeles. That shooting on January 21 left 11 people dead.

Another attack on January 23 left four dead at a California mushroom farm in Half Moon Bay. That night, another shooting, this time in Oakland, left one dead and seven others injured.

Mass shootings are ‘uniquely American experience,’ Dem Senator says

CNN
 — 

LeBron James finished with 27 points in the Los Angeles Lakers’ 131-126 loss to the New Orleans Pelicans Saturday, leaving the 38-year-old needing 36 points to surpass Kareem Abdul-Jabbar’s NBA all-time scoring record.

James struggled out of the gates but was able to finish the game strong, adding nine rebounds and six assists in the loss. Lakers forward Anthony Davis finished with a team-high 34 points and 14 rebounds.

There were a lot of cheers at the Smoothie King Center in New Orleans whenever James touched the ball, but fans will have to wait a little longer for the record to be broken. It is likely that James will achieve the historic feat before a home crowd this week.

Kareem Abdul-Jabbar’s record of 38,387 points has stood for nearly 39 years, the Lakers great overtaking Wilt Chamberlain on April 5, 1984 – before James was even born.

In what is supposed to be the twilight of his career, James is enjoying one of his highest-scoring seasons, averaging 30.1 points per game.

James could break the record either on Tuesday, against the Oklahoma City Thunder, or Thursday, against the Milwaukee Bucks. Both are home ties.

Ticket prices for those games have predictably skyrocketed, with the NBA saying that any game where he has a reasonable chance of breaking the record will be broadcast nationally.

Feb 7: Thunder at Lakers, 10pET on TNT

Feb 9: Bucks at Lakers, 10pET on TNT

Feb 11: Lakers at Warriors, 830pET on ABC

CNN
 — 

Evacuation and shelter-in-place orders remain in effect in a northeastern Ohio town after a train derailment sparked a massive fire and concerns about air quality.

A Norfolk Southern train with more than 100 cars derailed in East Palestine, about 15 miles south of Youngstown, according to the National Transportation Safety Board.

There were 20 cars with hazardous material in the train – 10 of which derailed. Of those 10, five were carrying vinyl chloride, the NTSB said Saturday night.

“We have not confirmed vinyl chloride has been released other than from the pressure release devices,” the agency added.

NTSB board member Michael Graham said in a news conference earlier Saturday there was still an “active fire scene,” and could not estimate when the flames would be put out.

The cause of the derailment was not known Saturday.

Investigators say the train had image and data recorders onboard. It will take four to six weeks for the NTSB to have a preliminary report on the accident, Graham said.

No injuries were reported.

One car released some of the vinyl chloride through a safety release valve, Graham said. State environmental officials say they have not detected any harmful levels of the chemical in the community.

Exposure with vinyl chloride, a colorless gas, is associated with a higher risk of certain forms of cancer, according to the federal government’s National Cancer Institute.

No harmful levels of compounds had been detected in the air as of Saturday evening, a spokesperson with the Ohio Environmental Protection Agency told CNN in an email.

“Ohio EPA will remain on site and air monitors will remain in place as long as necessary,” Ohio EPA spokesperson James Lee said in a statement. “Ohio EPA has established containment to help limit any damage to local streams and rivers from water runoff from the firefighting.”

The agency will work with local officials and the railroad company to “identify the nature and extent” of any possible contamination and will work to ensure cleanup efforts to protect human health and the environment, Lee said.

Officials issued a shelter-in-place order for the entire town of roughly 5,000 people, while an evacuation order was in effect within a mile of the train crossing at James Street as of early Saturday. Conaway said he did not know when those orders would be lifted.

Two evacuation stations have opened to provide shelter to residents, and the Red Cross has been notified, Trent Conaway, the mayor of East Palestine said.

Conaway on Saturday called for the “exercise of all necessary emergency authority for protection of lives and the property of the residents of the Village of East Palestine, Ohio.”

The proclamation also called on citizens to comply with the emergency measures.

Traci Spratt, the interim manager of the village of East Palestine, said late Saturday the one-mile radius evacuation order from the incident remained in place “until further notice,” and stressed, “We need everyone to stay away from the scene.”

Spratt also said officials were conducting “continuous air monitoring and have found zero health risks.”

“The village’s drinking water is safe to drink and is being continually monitored,” Spratt added.

Photos from the scene showed a large, dense cloud of smoke engulfing flames atop the train. Firefighters from three states, Pennsylvania, Ohio and West Virginia responded, according to Conaway.

Pennsylvania Gov. Josh Shapiro said Saturday he was briefed on the derailment and state authorities were “prepared to help our neighbors.”

The Norfolk Southern train departed from Madison, Illinois, and was bound for Conway, Pennsylvania, when it derailed, according to the NTSB.

Norfolk Southern Railway said in a statement its team members were at the scene and added it was “coordinating with federal, state and local agencies.”

The company said it set up a family assistance center “to address the needs of the community and support those directly impacted.”

“Additionally, we are supporting the efforts of the American Red Cross and their temporary community shelters through a $25,000 donation,” the company said.

CNN has reached out to Norfolk Southern for further comment.