Latest news with #Alcor
Yahoo
3 days ago
- Science
- Yahoo
How to see the 'Horse and Rider' in the Big Dipper's handle this summer
When you buy through links on our articles, Future and its syndication partners may earn a commission. At around 10 p.m. local daylight time on these warm June evenings, face north and look overhead to see the seven stars that compose the famous Big Dipper. At this time of the year, the handle appears to stand almost straight up while the bowl appears tilted down; draining its unknown contents toward the right. The Dipper is not a constellation in of itself, but an asterism, a prominent pattern or group of stars, typically having a popular name, belonging to a specific constellation. For most sky gazers, the Big Dipper is probably the most important group of stars in the sky. For anyone in the latitude of New York (41 degrees North) or points northward, it never goes below the horizon. It is one of the most recognizable patterns in the sky and thus one of the easiest for the novice to find. Of greatest importance is the ability to utilize the Big Dipper to locate Polaris, the North Star. This is made possible by the two bright stars that mark the outer edge of the bowl of the Big Dipper. These two stars — Dubhe and Merak — are known as the Pointers, because they always point to Polaris. Just draw a line, in your imagination, between these two stars and prolong this line about 5 times, the way our map shows; this line will ultimately hit a moderately bright star. That will be Polaris. Even those who live well south of the equator can see the Big Dipper now. During autumn in the Southern Hemisphere, it appears to hover upside-down above the northern horizon for those down to about latitude 30-degrees south. That includes the northern two-thirds of South America and virtually all of Africa. In his classic constellation guide, "The Stars — A New Way to See Them," author H.A. Rey sketched a cute cartoon on page 24 of a mother kangaroo and its joey above the caption: "The Dipper? Never seen it ..." And yet for the northern two-thirds of Australia, during April, May and June, the Dipper is plainly visible hanging low above the northern horizon. The middle star in the Dipper's handle is Zeta Ursae Majoris; the Greek letter is the given name, and the possessive of the Latin name of its constellation. In this case Ursa Major, the Great Bear — is its family name. But this particular star is far better known as "Mizar," derived from the Arabic meaning for "wrapping" or "cover." With just your eyes alone, if you look carefully, you'll notice that Mizar appears to have a fainter companion by the name of Alcor, also derived from the Arabic, meaning "faint one." The Persian Al Kazwini stated during the 13th century that people "tested their eyesight by this star." TOP TELESCOPE PICK: Want to see Alcor and the other stars of the Big Dipper? The Celestron NexStar 4SE is ideal for beginners wanting quality, reliable and quick views of celestial objects. For a more in-depth look at our Celestron NexStar 4SE review. Mizar and Alcor were known as the "Horse and Rider" to the ancient Arabs and the Arabian writer Al Firuzabadi, in the 14th century referred to Alcor as Al Sadak, "The Test" or "The Riddle." So, when the ancient Arabs remarked: "He can see Alcor," they were alluding to someone who had normal vision. Why not test your own eyesight by looking for Alcor tonight? Alcor is one-fifth as bright as Mizar and the two stars are separated by roughly one-third of the apparent diameter of the moon. Both stars are located about 83 light-years away and recent observations suggest that Alcor is traveling around Mizar in a wide orbit that takes 750,000 years to complete. Binoculars provide a better view of this pair, but there's more to see here than many skywatchers realize. As an example, Mizar, is in itself a true binary star; one of the first to be observed and identified as a binary pair by astronomers in the 17th century. A binary star is two or more stars that are physically connected with each other and are "locked" or connected together by gravity. They actually orbit each other in a fashion similar to the Earth and the planets orbiting the sun or the moon orbiting the Earth. To see the companion of Mizar you'll need a small telescope and an eyepiece providing a magnification of at least 50-power. Between Mizar and Alcor and a little to their south is an 8th-magnitude star that was once mistaken for a new planet. In December 1722, the German professor Johann Georg Liebknecht announced that this object had just moved into its present position. He christened his "planet" Sidus Ludoviciana — Ludwig's Star — to flatter his local sovereign Ludwig V of Hesse-Darmstadt in hopes of being granted money. The object never moved again. Liebknecht disappeared in a hail of ridicule, but amazingly the name of the "faux" or "ersatz" planet remains to this very day! If you draw a line east from Mizar through Alcor, you'll come across a 5th-magnitude star, glowing with a distinct ruddy hue. That's 83 Ursae Majoris, a red giant star roughly 80 times larger and about 1,300 times more luminous than the sun. It's located at a distance of 580 light-years from us. If you continue onward along the same line at about twice the distance past 83, you'll come to the big, but dim galaxy M101. Under a dark sky M101 appears in 7 x 50 and larger binoculars in much the same way that its discoverer Pierre Méchain described it in 1781: "very obscure and pretty large." It is popularly known as the "Pinwheel Galaxy," and at 21 million light years, it is one of the closer spiral galaxies to our Milky Way. But in order to perceive its spiral structure, you'll need a rather large telescope, very dark skies and a low-power eyepiece. Finally, our familiar Dipper will not last forever. Of the seven stars that make up this pattern, five apparently belong to a loosely joined swarm of stars, all hurtling through space at roughly the same speed and the same direction. These five range in distances from 78 to 84 light-years from Earth. Two of the stars, however — Dubhe (the northern Pointer) and Alkaid (the star at the end of the handle) — are not part of the swarm and appear to be rushing at even greater speeds in the opposite direction. Alkaid is 101 light-years away, while Dubhe is 124 light-years distant. These opposing motions will slowly alter the form of the Big Dipper. In short, the Dipper is slowly going to pieces. The bent handle will bend still more as time wears on, while the bowl will spread. Granted, it will still remain a fairly convincing dipper for about the next 25,000 years, but 50,000 years (or 2,000 generations) from now it will be hopelessly out of shape. If you're looking for a telescope or binoculars to observe the night sky, our guides for the best binoculars deals and the best telescope deals now can help. Our guides on the best cameras for astrophotography and best lenses for astrophotography can also help you prepare to capture the next skywatching sight. Joe Rao serves as an instructor and guest lecturer at New York's Hayden Planetarium. He writes about astronomy for Natural History magazine, Sky and Telescope and other publications.
Al Etihad
02-06-2025
- Business
- Al Etihad
Al Seer Marine and BGN affiliate launch JV to meet growing LPG demand
2 June 2025 10:09 ABU DHABI (ALETIHAD)Al Seer Marine, a subsidiary of International Holding Company (IHC), has announced the launch of a joint venture (JV) with B International Shipping & Logistics—an affiliate of energy trader BGN — to strengthen its footprint in the liquefied petroleum gas (LPG) logistics Seer Marine, a listed company on the Abu Dhabi Securities Exchange (ADX) with a market cap of Dh3.55 billion, posted a statement announcing the JV on the ADX's website. The new joint venture, named ASBI Shipping FZCO, aims to own and operate mid-sized LPG and product tankers, targeting growing demand in regional and infrastructure-constrained part of its initial operations, ASBI has acquired two 22,000 cbm semi-refrigerated LPG tankers, Alkaid and Alcor. The vessels are backed by a 10-year charter agreement with BGN INT DMCC, a subsidiary of BGN that trades over 50 million metric tonnes of commodities annually. The deal is expected to generate Dh660 million ($180 million) in revenue through on the partnership, Guy Neivens, CEO of Al Seer Marine, said, 'The global energy landscape is evolving rapidly, reshaping how countries manage their supply chains. This transformation is driving increased demand for smaller, more flexible LPG vessels that can efficiently serve regional hubs and infrastructure-constrained ports.'To support the vessel acquisition, Abu Dhabi Commercial Bank has extended Dh210 million ($57.2 million) in senior secured term financing. The seven-year facility is secured by the vessels and their associated cash flows, underlining institutional confidence in the JV's commercial to Rüya Bayegan, CEO of BGN Group,'Our charter with ASBI aligns with BGN's focus on securing transition fuel supply chains. Smaller vessels are indispensable for ports lacking VLGC infrastructure.'The vessels, equipped with semi-refrigerated systems and high-standard safety features, are designed for carrying propane, butane, ammonia, and other petrochemical cargoes. These mid-size carriers are particularly suited to serve emerging hubs across Africa, South Asia, and Southeast Asia, where 30% of LPG shipments now rely on sub-30,000 cbm Turgut, Director at B International Shipping & Logistics, highlighted the demand outlook, 'We see this as a unique market window and intend to grow ASBI's fleet to meet regional demand and become a global leader in this specialised segment.' The formation of ASBI Shipping reflects Al Seer Marine's capital-efficient expansion model, aimed at scaling through partnerships and capturing market share in high-demand maritime sectors.
Yahoo
01-05-2025
- Business
- Yahoo
Alcor Announces New Release of AccessFlow, Delivering a Smarter, Faster, and Intelligent IAM Experience
SAN FRANCISCO, May 1, 2025 /PRNewswire/ -- Alcor, a leading global provider of digital transformation solutions, announced the latest release of AccessFlow, its flagship Identity and Access Management (IAM) solution built natively on the ServiceNow platform. The new release delivers major enhancements in automation, AI-driven intelligence, privileged access control, and user experience, offering organizations greater visibility, agility, and assurance in managing enterprise access. The release introduces a revamped user interface, providing a smarter, faster, and intelligent IAM experience. With an emphasis on simplicity, accuracy, and adaptability, AccessFlow continues to empower enterprises to secure digital identities while accelerating productivity. Key highlights include: AI-Powered Access Intelligence – Intelligent automation predicts access based on role, flags anomalies in login behaviour, and highlights high-priority tasks with real-time visibility, helping organizations stay ahead of security and operational risks. Enhanced Privileged Access Management – Strengthened controls over elevated access with Just-in-Time provisioning, password vaulting and rotation, special privileged accounts, revocation triggers, and detailed reporting, enabling secure and compliant access to sensitive systems. Streamlined Lifecycle Workflows – Automated onboarding and offboarding journeys reduce delays and improve audit readiness, replacing manual processes with reliable, scalable automation, including automated password updates. Expanded Cloud Visibility – CIEM coverage now includes cloud platforms, ensuring comprehensive entitlement oversight across multi-cloud environments. Refined Catalogs and Access Structures – Catalogs, request flows, and configurations have been restructured for faster access, enhanced clarity, and improved administrative efficiency. Platform Stability and Performance – Built on the ServiceNow Xanadu release, the solution delivers improved performance, stability, and scalability across enterprise environments. "Access management continues to evolve, and with this release, we've made it smarter and more contextual. The enhancements not only strengthen compliance and security but also streamline user experience and eliminate common access hurdles. Every change, from interface to automation, is designed to deliver clarity, consistency, and control," says Sunita Gulia, Director, Product Development at Alcor Solutions, Inc. These advancements reflect Alcor's continued focus on driving value through thoughtful product design and customer-first innovation. AccessFlow's ability to dynamically adapt to complex access policies and support rapid deployment timelines makes it a standout solution for organizations aiming to modernize their IAM programs. "We've listened closely to our customers and built a release that delivers on the promise of intelligent identity governance. This version is not just about feature enhancements, it's about creating an experience that feels seamless, responsive, and ready for the future. It's where access control meets meaningful simplicity," adds Pulkit Agrawal, Sr. Product Manager at Alcor Solutions, Inc. AccessFlow is trusted by global enterprises for its no-code configurability, deep ServiceNow integration, and ability to scale across diverse IT ecosystems. With this release, Alcor strengthens its position as a leader in intelligent and adaptive identity and access management. To learn more about AccessFlow, you can visit or download the application from the ServiceNow® App Store. For more information on Alcor, please visit our website at and follow us on LinkedIn, Twitter, and Facebook. About Alcor Alcor Solutions, Inc. is a San Francisco, California-based company that provides global cloud advisory and implementation services to clients in multiple geographies. Their clients include global Fortune 500 as well as leading organizations in multiple industry verticals. Founded in 2008, Alcor Solutions Inc.'s focus has been building strong competency in cutting-edge technologies and advising clients in implementing them. They are passionate about their thought leadership and believe that successful IT implementations result equally from good strategy and technology excellence. Alcor is an Elite ServiceNow® Partner, AWS Consulting Partner, Modern Oracle® Partner, and works with several other technologies including Microsoft, Salesforce®, FireEye™, and more. Alcor Enabling Cloud™ is a registered trademark of Alcor. Media Contact:information@ View original content to download multimedia: SOURCE Alcor Solutions, Inc. Sign in to access your portfolio
