Latest news with #Faherty
The Star
19 hours ago
- Entertainment
- The Star
New York museum showcases past, future of Milky Way with new space show
NEW YORK, June 3 (Xinhua) -- The American Museum of Natural History in New York City is launching a new space show to present the story of cosmic motion and how that impacts the solar system, offering a journey through the history and future of the Milky Way galaxy. Titled "Encounters in the Milky Way," the immersive show will open to the public on June 9. As the 7th space show from the museum's Hayden Planetarium, it has been developed by a team of astronomers, scientific visualization experts, and artists, and designed to explore the dynamic movements of the universe, tracing the Milky Way's past over billions of years and projecting its future across millions more. The space show is presented in a theater equipped with a high-resolution projection system and immersive sound, giving the audience the sensation of traveling through space and experiencing the galaxy up close. The show has been particularly supported by the European Space Agency's Gaia mission, also called the "billion-star survey," a project aimed at mapping the precise positions, distances, and motions of nearly 2 billion stars in the Milky Way, according to Jackie Faherty, curator of the show. "Gaia dropped a map that all humans should be proud of," said Faherty at a media preview event on Tuesday. "We mapped the cosmos in a way, and the Milky Way really is the star of it, in a way we had never been able to do before," she added. The vast amount of detailed star movement data provides an unparalleled visual experience, including some brand-new experiences, such as the first visualization of the dramatic and ongoing merger of the Milky Way with smaller satellite galaxies. The production team spent approximately one and a half years creating this 25-minute show. Six months were primarily spent searching for data sets, developing outlines and methods, recruiting staff, and developing technical processes, followed by a year or more of production, according to Vivian Trakinski, producer of the show and the director of science visualization of the museum. "This show has more simulation data than our past shows. We have a new sound system in the dome, which is composed of 34 speakers, which was a great opportunity to specialize the motion that we present in the show. So in that way, it's much richer and more sophisticated. So it's definitely a continuation of our tradition, but there are things that make it unique," Trakinski told Xinhua. The program is expected to be screened at the museum for about three years. Faherty expressed the hope that the space show as an introduction to the globe and the map of the cosmos would lead people to explore the data available to everybody, make discoveries and walk away wanting to be scientists. To date, the museum's space shows have been seen by more than 15 million visitors and have been distributed to 160 institutions across 40 countries worldwide, according to a release by the American Museum of Natural History, which is one of the world's most distinguished scientific and cultural institutions, with a history of more than 120 years.
Yahoo
a day ago
- General
- Yahoo
Can humans spontaneously combust? The baffling cases explained.
In December 2010, Michael Faherty died in his home in Galway, Ireland. His body was found burned and the fireplace was lit, but there was no other apparent source of flames nearby nor accelerant. The house was largely unscorched. The only damage were soot marks on the ceiling and floor immediately below and above where the 76-year-old retiree met his end. At a loss for an alternate explanation, the coroner chalked Faherty's death up to spontaneous combustion. Such deaths are rare, especially in the 21st century. But in Europe in the 17th, 18th, and 19th centuries, upwards of a dozen cases of supposed spontaneous combustion (and potentially as many as 200, depending on who you ask) were reported or described retrospectively. Most share a few unifying hallmarks. The victims were largely older, overweight women. Often, they were believed to be heavy drinkers or alcohol was present at the scene. The bodies were found with the torso burned away, bones and all, and puddles of a dark, greasy substance left behind, while extremities and immediate surroundings–including furniture were left unmarred. The grim scenes were frequently written up in tabloid-esque periodicals of the time, says Michael Lynn, a historian of early modernist Europe at Purdue University Northwest. Lynn has researched and published on the spontaneous combustion trend that emerged in his study region and era. Stories of spontaneous combustion were treated akin to sensational oddities that functioned like Enlightenment-era clickbait, he tells Popular Science, often with a heavy dose of exaggeration, moralizing, and hand-wringing over the perceived indulgences of modern living. The idea that, at any moment, a living person could burst into deadly flames, permeated the cultural zeitgeist of the time– showing up in literature as well as newspapers. Charles Dickens' Bleak House is the most famous example. In the story, alcoholic landlord and rag merchant, Krook, leaves only a pile of ash behind when he is consumed by sourceless fire. Herman Melville and Emile Zola also killed off characters through spontaneous combustion. But the phenomenon wasn't just a convenient plot device. For some, it was a firmly held belief. Dickens included a defense of the possibility, citing multiple alleged real-world reports, in a preface added to an early edition of the book. 'I shall not abandon the facts,' he wrote. But what exactly are the facts behind this fiery phenomenon? Scientifically speaking, spontaneous combustion is a real phenomenon. Certain extremely flammable chemicals–like phosphorus–or materials, such as wet hay or compost, can flare up at relatively low ambient temperatures and without any ignition source. Exothermic chemical reactions and accumulating heat from decaying organic matter and fermentation explain the sudden fires. But human bodies are a whole other issue. It's deeply improbable, nigh impossible that 'spontaneous combustion' is a valid explanation for any of the alleged cases, says Roger Byard, a forensic pathologist and emeritus professor at the University of Adelaide in Australia. 'It's never been witnessed,' Byard tells Popular Science. 'If people could spontaneously burst into flames, you'd be down at Walmart and suddenly the little old lady beside you, pushing a trolley would explode.' [ Related: Charles Dickens's belief in spontaneous combustion sparked Victorian London's hottest debate. ] Instead, the incidents all concern people who die isolated and unobserved. There's also never been a report in any other animal species, he notes–it's a strictly human phenomenon. (Although whale carcasses washed up on beaches sometimes 'explode,'that's simply a buildup of gasses from internal decomposition that release suddenly, there's no intense heat or fire.) In his view, the missing factor is that other animals don't tend to 'wrap themselves up in blankets and drink whiskey and smoke,' he says. A handful of hypotheses have been proposed for how and why spontaneous combustion might occur in humans, none of which are especially scientifically rigorous nor have been demonstrated. Conspiracists and 19th century scientists alike have blamed acts of God, lightning, trace amounts of phosphates, static electricity, unspecified particles in the blood, and intestinal gases. More recently, an independent researcher suggested acetone accumulation resulting from the metabolic state, ketosis, could explain it. But one explanation seems far more likely than the rest, and doesn't really involve any 'spontaneous' combustion at all. Instead, Byard thinks the wick effect is the most plausible. 'These people are essentially human candles,' he says. The wick effect describes how human fat burns under blankets and clothing lit with the help of a little bit of accelerant (for instance, spilled liquor), when ignited by a spark or ember. Under these conditions, a fire can burn low and slow, producing hot temperatures, but without high flames and with little collateral damage. If a sleeping or intoxicated person spilled some alcohol on themselves, then dropped a cigarette or caught a stray ember from a fireplace, that could kick off the deadly process. In 1998, an experiment conducted for a BBC science documentary series demonstrated that the wick effect could replicate the types of scenes found in instances of alleged spontaneous combustion. John DeHaan, a forensic scientist, set fire to a pig carcass wrapped in blankets, and found that it continued to burn for hours. Eventually, the entire midsection of the pig was gone, including the bones, while the less fatty legs remained intact. It's not a nice way to go, for a pig or a person. But at least it's more avoidable than a sudden fiery act of divine punishment or an unforeseen internal gas explosion. This story is part of Popular Science's Ask Us Anything series, where we answer your most outlandish, mind-burning questions, from the ordinary to the off-the-wall. Have something you've always wanted to know? Ask us.
Yahoo
5 days ago
- General
- Yahoo
Homes, cars struck in Iredell County shootout
Some residents in Iredell County said their homes were struck during a shootout that deputies said may have started over a case of road rage. Chopper 9 Skyzoom flew over the scene off Interstate 77, just south of Statesville, on Thursday. Channel 9's Dave Faherty was first on the scene at Wall Street, where a large police presence could be seen. Two cars were seen with damage in the area, but one eyewitness said that as many as five people were involved in the shooting. State troopers told Faherty that one of the weapons used in the shootout was an assault rifle. READ: Investigators search for road rage suspects One woman took Faherty around her home and showed him where bullets struck her residence. She said there were children in her home at the time of the shootout. She said they dropped to the floor to duck for cover as shots rang out for about three minutes. Thursday's police presence could be seen from Chopper 9 Skyzoom as deputies and state troopers attempted to locate the suspects. It is possible that the suspects got rides out of the area just before deputies arrived, the sheriff said. Channel 9 checked over the jail and has not yet seen any arrests. No additional details have been made available. This is a developing story. Check back with for updates. WATCH: Investigators search for road rage suspects
Yahoo
7 days ago
- General
- Yahoo
Manhattanhenge returns to NYC this month – here's how to see the spectacular sky show
Manhattanhenge is making its heavenly return to the Big Apple at the end of the month. The annual phenomenon — when New Yorkers watch in awe as the setting sun aligns perfectly with the city grid — is back for two evenings in May and two more in July. 'You can't miss it if you're outside at sunset,' said Dr. Jackie Faherty, an astronomer at the American Museum of Natural History in Manhattan, to The Post on Monday. 'It's really what I like to call astronomy in your face: The sun is beaming down the grid of Manhattan, and it's a reminder that we're on this rock that's moving around. 'It's an astronomy lesson that's also a gorgeous sunset picture in the greatest city in the world,' Faherty said. The golden crosstown views happen each year before and after the summer solstice, when the sun sets just north — and later, south — enough to align with Manhattan's grid. While the sun will meander between crosstown streets from May 28 and July 12 in what Faherty calls the 'Manhattanhenge Effect,' the sun won't perfectly align with the grid save for four sunsets this year. A 'half sun' framed by city buildings – and partly cut off at the horizon in a picture-perfect view – will be visible Wednesday, May 28, at 8:13 p.m. and Saturday, July 12, at 8:22 p.m., Faherty said. A 'full sun' will be visible Thursday, May 29, at 8:12 p.m. and Friday, July 11, at 8:20 p.m. Faherty recommends arriving between 30 and 40 minutes beforehand at your desired location to ensure a good spot and a full show. 'You'll be able to just watch for a while, because the light starts to change and the sun makes a grand entrance,' she said. 'It's got an anticipation factor.' The best views in Manhattan will be along 14th Street, 23rd Street, 34th Street, 42nd Street, 57th Street and the Tudor City Overpass, Faherty said. Hunter's Point South Park in Long Island City, Queens, and Gantry State Park are other optimal viewing locations — as well as anywhere in the outer boroughs so long as you can see all the way to New Jersey. Since 42nd Street in Midtown is known as the 'mecca' for Manhattanhenge viewing, the crowds can build quickly, the astronomer said. 'The whole street can get shut down with people just taking it over,' Faherty said. 'You have to be in the middle of the street to see the phenomenon, and there's this other pesky thing in the middle of the street, which is cars – you have to get away from the cars.' Midtown Manhattan may not just be the best spot to view a 'henge' in the city but perhaps the world — as New York City's unique grid allows for ideally framed, famously unobstructed views of the sun, Faherty said. 'There might be a street or two or three streets [in other cities] that you can recommend' for henge viewing, 'but we have the whole grid: as long as you can see towards New Jersey, you can catch Manhattanhenge,' she said. Aside from stellar sunset views, New Yorkers will have plenty of other astronomical sights on deck this season, too — in the form of meteor showers. The Eta Aquariids sky show will be peaking May 5 and 6, the Eta Lyrids on May 8 and the Perseids in August, the latter of which will be 'the one to look forward to,' Faherty said. But the expert contends the 'star' of the show is still Manhattanhenge – which the museum will be paying tribute to at a public viewing event in July. 'Manhattanhenge really brings the city together,' she said. 'It's a very unifying event.'
Time Out
28-05-2025
- Entertainment
- Time Out
Where to see Manhattanhenge this week even if you're not in Manhattan
The biggest celebrity sighting in NYC this week? The sun. The twice-yearly solar spectacle known as Manhattanhenge returns Wednesday, May 28 and Thursday, May 29. On these days, the setting sun aligns just so with the Manhattan street grid, creating an Instagram-perfect glow that slices through the city's skyscraper canyons. Wednesday night features a 'half sun' at 8:13 pm, and Thursday delivers the full solar showstopper at 8:12 pm. But good news for outer borough dwellers: you don't need to be elbowing tourists on 42nd Street to get the full Manhattanhenge experience. 'You want to be as far east as you can get,' Dr. Jackie Faherty, astronomer at the American Museum of Natural History, told the New York Post. That means Queens, Brooklyn and even Randall's Island offer top-tier vantage points, without the Midtown mayhem. Hunter's Point South Park in Long Island City is the only outer-borough spot officially endorsed by NYC Parks for Manhattanhenge. Its waterfront perch gives crystal-clear views—and bonus points for East River reflections. A bit north, Gantry Plaza State Park is Dr. Faherty's personal fave: 'It's got a really good long view,' she told the Post. Want even more drama? Head to the pedestrian path on the Queensboro Bridge for panoramic views over the river and the Manhattan skyline. Brooklynites don't have a ton of ideal spots, but Greenpoint scrapes into the viewing zone. Find a west-facing street or rooftop view north of 59th and south of 110th, and you're golden—literally. While it's technically still Manhattan, Roosevelt Island's southern tip at Four Freedoms Park offers a centered perspective on the phenomenon, and you can even catch it from the iconic tram. Over on Randall's Island, head to the ballfields for unobstructed views minus the skyscraper squeeze. And even if you are stuck in Manhattan for the sighting, you don't have to battle the crowds. With more than 150 crosstown streets in Manhattan, you can seek out your own secret spot to frame the sun. So whether you're in Queens, Brooklyn or somewhere in between, cue up your sunset playlist and grab your camera. The solar party is on, and everyone's invited!
