Latest news with #PatrickIrwin
BBC News
25-07-2025
- Science
- BBC News
Uranus: Giant ice planet could be warmer than first thought
The planet Uranus is known for being one of two ice giants in the outer solar system and sits in a remote part of the Milky one Nasa spacecraft, Voyager 2, has ever travelled close to it and the planet has long been thought of as a cold and distant could it actually be warmer than we first thought?A new study by scientists suggests that could be true as they think Uranus gives out more heat than it receives from the Sun. What did scientists find? The new study was carried out by a group of experts from Nasa and from the University of Oxford in the decided to take a closer look at the huge planet, which is four times wider than of the reasons scientists don't know much about Uranus is because it's located so far only ever been visited once before, in a brief flyby by the Voyager-2 probe nearly 40 years ago, in from that mission suggested the planet is colder than expected, which challenged ideas of how planets formed and the team decided to use the latest tech and advanced computer modelling and take a fresh new look at the old a result, scientists now think the planet may actually be warmer than previously author Professor Patrick Irwin, from the University of Oxford, explained: "We did many calculations to see how much sunshine is reflected by Uranus and we realized that it is actually more reflective than people had estimated."Researchers found that Uranus releases about 15% more energy than it receives from the Sun, suggesting that it has its own team says that the discovery could help people better understand exoplanets, which are planets located outside the solar system. Five top facts about Uranus 1. Uranus is the seventh planet from the Sun, and the third largest planet in the Milky Way.2. Uranus is unlike any other planet in our solar system. It spins on its side, which means each pole directly faces the Sun for around 42 years at a time, followed by 42 years of complete darkness.3. Uranus has two sets of rings. The inner group of nine rings is mostly made up of narrow, dark grey rings. There are also two outer rings: the innermost one is reddish in colour, and the outer ring is blue.4. Uranus is one of just two planets in our solar system that rotate in the opposite direction to all the rest of the planets in the Milky Way - the other one being Venus.5. According to Nasa, Uranus gets its blue-green colour thanks to methane gas in the atmosphere. Sunlight passes through the atmosphere and is reflected back out by Uranus' cloud tops. Methane gas absorbs the red portion of the light, resulting in a blue-green colour.
CBS News
14-05-2025
- Health
- CBS News
Chicago area experts warn of more ticks around this year
Experts have a safety warning with an uptick in ticks this year Experts have a safety warning with an uptick in ticks this year Experts have a safety warning with an uptick in ticks this year With warmer weather in Chicago this week, it feels like summer is knocking on our door. But while there are many things to love about the season, nobody is a fan of ticks. Ticks can, in fact, be dangerous, and there are reports that this is shaping up to be an especially bad year for the parasitic arachnids. Wildlife ecologist Kathryn McCabe of the Lake County Forest Preserve said she has pulled 10 to 20 dog ticks off her clothes every day she has been in the field. She warned that people may start to see a tick uptick. "They definitely seem to be more prevalent in areas that are traditionally more urban, and you don't come across them as often," McCabe said. This past weekend, a notification was sent out for Thomas Jefferson Middle School in northwest suburban Hoffman Estates. It warned parents and staff that crews would be spraying for ticks on the school property. "It is literally right across from a forest preserve district," said Patrick Irwin of the Northwest Mosquito Abatement District. Irwin said a tick surveillance was conducted at the school. "We actually take a canvas sheet, one meter by one meter, and we walk down trails, and we drag that canvas sheet behind us — and the ticks will actually attach to it," Irwin said. Right now, experts say the two ticks to be concerned about are dog and deer ticks. They can carry Lyme disease and Rocky Mountain spotted fever." "The deer tick seems to be moving down from Wisconsin at a pretty good pace," Irwin said. As for what people can do now, Irwin advised wearing clothes that cover skin in wooded areas, doing tick checks, and using insect repellent. "The same insect repellent that you can use for mosquitoes, DEET, you can just spray that kind of a little bit on your socks and the top of your shoes," Irwin said. McCabe said the reason we may be seeing more than usual is simple — climate change. "The warmer winters we've been having with less hard freezes and fewer cold days, fewer ticks will die over the winter," she said. Experts said while we may see a break from ticks later this summer, they may come back in numbers this fall. CBS News Chicago also asked about mosquito season. The experts said it is too early to tell, and so far, it is too cool at night for them to be active.
