Latest news with #Culbertson
Yahoo
10-06-2025
- Climate
- Yahoo
Strawberry Moon will make a ‘standstill' over Kansas tonight
KANSAS (KSNT) – Kansans will be able to see a special full moon Tuesday night that will come to a 'lunar standstill'. National Aeronautics and Space Administration (NASA)/Jet Propulsion Laboratory (JPL) Solar System Ambassador Brenda Culbertson told 27 News that the event only occurs every 18.6 years. She said the full moon on the night of June 10 is referred to as the Strawberry Moon because it happens at the time of year when wild strawberries ripen. Culbertson said the moon could appear redder than usual because of smoke in the atmosphere, as long as the smoke stays in our area. 'The Lunar Standstill occurs when the inclined lunar orbit has Moon at the southernmost point in our skies, opposite [the] Sun's standstill point during the summer solstice, which occurs on June 20-21,' Culbertson said. Gambling machines at Kansas businesses: legal or illegal? The last full moon standstill was in 2006. The Strawberry Moon's low position in the sky is made more extreme by the standstill, resulting in the lowest full moon in over a decade, according to 'Since Full Moon is bright, it will be able to be viewed from most locations with a clear southeast-south horizon, and no special equipment is needed to observe it,' Culbertson said. For more Kansas news, click here. Keep up with the latest breaking news in northeast Kansas by downloading our mobile app and by signing up for our news email alerts. Sign up for our Storm Track Weather app by clicking here. Copyright 2025 Nexstar Media, Inc. All rights reserved. This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten, or redistributed.
Chicago Tribune
10-06-2025
- Entertainment
- Chicago Tribune
Fans of model aircraft fly high at Festival of Flight in St. Charles
Airplane enthusiasts took to the skies on Saturday as the Fox Valley Aero Club offered its annual Festival of Flight public demonstration in St. Charles featuring a variety of model aircraft flown by Aero Club members. Paul Lund of Sycamore has long held a love of planes and decided to visit St. Charles for the event. 'I used to be a member of the club a while back that is putting this on, but then we moved out to Sycamore and were too far away,' Lund said as he stood near some bleachers in a field operated by the Fox Valley Aero Club. 'I used to have some planes myself but I sold them. I came to hang out with a couple guys I know and I just love flying. It was fun to just come out and watch the planes fly.' The event, which ran from 9 a.m. to 5 p.m. at Fox Valley Aero Club Field at 3831 Karl Madsen Drive, featured model aircraft including 'civilian and military replicas to non-scale sport planes, with power sources including electric motors, small gas and glow engines and even real jet turbines,' according to the club's website. Todd Culbertson of St. Charles, who handles public relations for the club, said the event has been held 'for more than 20 years,' noting that the club holds two such air shows a year along with about 10 other events. The club, he said, has been in existence for almost 100 years. 'These shows are community-focused. The purpose of this show is to showcases miniature versions of every full-sized aircraft in existence,' Culbertson said. 'We're talking about jets, biplanes, warbirds from World War I, World War II, commercial aircraft – every aircraft in full-scale is represented here in miniature. We fly using a transmitter and they look like the real things when they're flying.' Culbertson said that 'some of our planes have wing spans up to 20 feet.' 'It gets kind of crazy. It's a hobby for club members but it's a real community event and a chance to bring whatever kind of craft you have and hang out with other enthusiasts,' he said. 'It is a community event as tickets are $5 and kids are free and it helps pay for the upkeep of the field every year.' Those attending had a chance to to see planes built and flown by their owners. 'We're talking about things like a jet with an eight-foot wing span – an F-16, military jet, all scale – and it goes 300 mph,' Culbertson said. 'It's flying right over the 800-foot runway and people are 'oohing and aahing' while it's doing it. There are real jet engines in these planes and these things cost $30,000. This is pretty series hobby action.' St. Charles resident Laura Molter said she came with her cousin to the event. 'I love this event and I actually am going to become a member and learn how to fly,' she said. Mark Ramsgard of Geneva said he has worked as a commercial pilot for 35 years and that he is amazed at the authenticity of the planes hobbyists fly. 'It's incredible the way they make things seem so real now. Back when I was a youngster, guys were doing things out of balsa wood,' he said. 'I usually just come out here whether there is a show or not and find guys flying. People enjoy seeing the historical airplanes and they like the history.'
Technical.ly
07-06-2025
- Business
- Technical.ly
Techstars announces AI Health accelerator will stay in Baltimore, with more cash for startups
Techstars' accelerator focused on artificial intelligence and healthcare will stay in Baltimore for the next few years and companies taking part can expect more cash, organizers announced Thursday. The AI Health Baltimore accelerator will host five more programs in the region. Participating startups can expect up to $220,000 in investment instead of the previous $120,000, managing director Nick Culbertson said at the accelerator's inaugural demo day at M&T Bank Stadium. Eight companies hailing from Argentina to Pittsburgh pitched their startups at the event. Innovations included using AI to detect cancer, using the tech as a between-sessions therapy assistant and having it facilitate compliance with rebate policies. No companies in this cohort were from Baltimore, and Culbertson acknowledged that. 'We really want companies in Baltimore to apply,' Culbertson told the crowd. However, he added, 'It's not just about Baltimore companies. Many of the companies who came here, came here because of the resources we have to offer, because of the ecosystem we have provided.' That ecosystem includes Johns Hopkins University and Mid-Atlantic insurance provider CareFirst — the program's key partners. Inaugural cohort urged to stay in Baltimore Lester Davis, the executive vice president and chief of staff at CareFirst, called for founders in this cohort to keep a presence in the region. 'We need you to stay here,' Davis told the crowd. 'Baltimore, the Maryland area, has everything that you need … Stay right here, invest here, build here.' AidRx CEO Tony Lee is taking that advice. He's creating a platform that enables pharmacists to work remotely and connect with patients and outpatient physicians. While completing the Techstars program, Lee from Calgary signed with three outpatient clinics in Canada to use his product. Plus, he's now working with digital health firm Scene Health in Brooklandville to use his product. Leaning into investments in health, tech Investment in AI and healthcare is on the rise for Techstars. The firm is running another health-focused accelerator in nearby DC this spring, with applications accepted now through June 11. Baltimore gets equal investment from Techstars in comparison to players like New York and London, per Andrew Cleland, its chief investment officer. Techstars is also leaning into these health and AI verticals, he said. Out of 500 healthcare investments from Techstars, a third of those are related to AI. Those companies are some of Techstars most successful. 'They've rewarded investors and owners and families,' Cleland told the crowd during a presentation. 'They've changed for our thousands of people. All that context goes into why we're here and why we're so committed to this program.' Applications just closed for the next cohort in Baltimore, and that group will start in September.
Yahoo
05-05-2025
- Science
- Yahoo
‘New star' may appear in the night sky after deep space explosion
TOPEKA (KSNT) – Astronomers are excitedly waiting for the arrival of a new light in the sky this year that appears once every 80 years. The National Aeronautics and Space Administration (NASA) shared on May 1 a list of important astronomical events to keep an eye out for in the days ahead. Among the highlights was a notice for an eagerly anticipated nova event that will add just a little more light to the sky soon. 27 News reached out to Solar System Ambassador Brenda Culbertson with the NASA Jet Propulsion Lab (JPL) for an explanation on this special event and how people can spot it in the night sky. She said the light is expected to appear in the Corona Borealis, also known as the Northern Crown, morning constellation. 'T Coronae Borealis (T CrB for short) is a binary system, two stars orbiting a central point of gravity,' Culbertson said. 'One of the stars is a Red Giant, an older, larger, and relatively cooler star, and the other is a White Dwarf, a smaller (about the size of Earth), denser, and relatively hotter star. Gravity of the White Dwarf accumulates some of the gases from the Red Giant partner. As the gases from the Red Giant build up on the White Dwarf, pressure increases and causes a thermonuclear reaction, and an explosion occurs that blows the outer shell of the White Dwarf out into space. The explosion is called a nova. Only the outer shell of gases is blown off, and the star, itself, remains.' Big sunspot appears, what this means for Earth Culbertson said the explosive process can happen multiple times with the last recorded nova from this binary star system appearing in 1946. NASA also reports that documented outbursts from T CrB have been reported in 1866, 1787 and possibly even in 1217. Astronomers now expect the same event to occur again in the near future. NASA has likened the event to a 'new star' appearing in the night sky for casual observers. However, this nova will be a temporary brightening of a star system that will be visible for only a few nights. 'T CrB, also known as the Blaze Star, was expected to go nova in 2024, but we are still waiting for it to happen,' Culbertson said. 'It is not what is being called a new star, but one that exists and will brighten at some point. If it happens when we are watching, and we see it go nova, that will be a nice sight to see, for sure.' People should be able to view the nova with the unaided eye once the sun goes down. You can learn more about T CrB and the nova process by clicking here. What new Kansas laws go into effect on July 1, 2025? For more Kansas news, click here. Keep up with the latest breaking news in northeast Kansas by downloading our mobile app and by signing up for our news email alerts. Sign up for our Storm Track Weather app by clicking here. Follow Matthew Self on X (Twitter): Copyright 2025 Nexstar Media, Inc. All rights reserved. This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten, or redistributed.
Yahoo
04-05-2025
- Science
- Yahoo
Big sunspot appears, what this means for Earth
TOPEKA (KSNT) – Astronomers are monitoring a large dark spot on the sun's surface which could impact Earth in the days ahead. 27 News spoke with Brenda Culbertson this week, a solar system ambassador with the National Aeronautics and Space Administration (NASA) Jet Propulsion Lab (JPL), about a massive sunspot, dubbed 4079, and what it could mean for residents on Earth. She said astronomers have been monitoring the sunspot complex, which stretches nearly 87,000 miles across, for several days. 'The energy from 4079 is very strong, and as it approaches the center of the solar face, it faces Earth directly,' Culbertson said. 'If any major solar flares occur while it is facing Earth, we will receive a direct hit of solar energy and solar particles, setting off a geomagnetic storm.' What new Kansas laws go into effect on July 1, 2025? The National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration's (NOAA) Space Weather Prediction Center (SWPC) describes geomagnetic storms as major disturbances in the Earth's magnetosphere which can result in increased activity of the northern lights/aurora borealis. Sunspots can erupt in events referred to as coronal mass ejections (CME) which send solar particles out into space and towards Earth on occasion. Periods of especially intense geomagnetic storms can result in disruptions to technology and widespread blackouts. 'One of the largest sunspot areas in recorded history occurred 1-2 September 1859, and it produced what is now called the Carrington Event,' Culbertson said. 'That was a geomagnetic storm so strong that aurora was seen around Earth, disrupted electric grids, caused blackouts, and even reportedly started fires in telegraph stations. Sunspot 4079 covers about half the area that caused the Carrington Event, so we do not expect anything majorly disruptive from it.' People in the U.S. witnessed the impact of one especially potent geomagnetic storm in 2024, referred to as the Gannon solar storm, that brought the northern lights into parts of the Midwest. Culbertson said some people may see strong activity of the lights in the days ahead if conditions prove favorable. For now, Culbertson and other astronomers will continue to monitor sunspot 4079. The SWPC may issue an alert for a geomagnetic storm in the near future, ranking it on a scale of G1 to G5 depending on its strength, to notify people about the possibility of seeing the northern lights. What is corporal punishment and is it allowed in Kansas? For more Kansas news, click here. Keep up with the latest breaking news in northeast Kansas by downloading our mobile app and by signing up for our news email alerts. Sign up for our Storm Track Weather app by clicking here. Follow Matthew Self on X (Twitter): Copyright 2025 Nexstar Media, Inc. All rights reserved. This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten, or redistributed.
