Latest news with #StephenSchneider
San Francisco Chronicle
2 days ago
- Science
- San Francisco Chronicle
What is the summer solstice? An astronomer explains
(The Conversation is an independent and nonprofit source of news, analysis and commentary from academic experts.) Stephen Schneider, UMass Amherst (THE CONVERSATION) The summer solstice marks the official start of summer. It brings the longest day and shortest night of the year for the 88% of Earth's people who live in the Northern Hemisphere. People around the world traditionally observe the change of seasons with bonfires and festivals and Fête de la Musique celebrations. Astronomers can calculate an exact moment for the solstice, when Earth reaches the point in its orbit where the North Pole is angled closest to the Sun. That moment will be at 10:42 p.m. Eastern Time on June 20 this year. In Europe, Africa and points eastward, the moment of the equinox falls on June 21 locally, making that the day of the solstice. From Earth, the Sun will appear farthest north relative to the stars. People living on the Tropic of Cancer, 23.5 degrees north of the Equator, will see the Sun pass straight overhead at noon. Six months from now the Sun will reach its southern extreme and pass overhead for people on the Tropic of Capricorn, and northerners will experience their shortest days of the year, at the winter solstice. The Sun's angle relative to Earth's equator changes so gradually close to the solstices that, without instruments, the shift is difficult to perceive for about 10 days. This is the origin of the word solstice, which means 'solar standstill.' This slow shift means that daylight on June 20 is only about 2 seconds longer than on June 21, at mid-northern latitudes in the United States. It will be about a week before there's more than a minute change to the calculated amount of daylight. Even that's an approximation — Earth's atmosphere bends light over the horizon by different amounts depending on weather, which can introduce changes of more than a minute to sunrise and sunset times. Monuments at Stonehenge in England, Karnak in Egypt, and Chankillo in Peru reveal that people around the world have taken note of the Sun's northern and southern travels for more than 5,000 years. From Stonehenge's circle of standing stones, the Sun will rise directly over an ancient avenue leading away to the northeast on the solstice. We know little about the people who built Stonehenge, or why they went to such great effort to construct it — moving multi-ton stones from rock outcrops as far as 140 miles away. All this to mark the spot on the horizon where the Sun returns each year to rest for a while before moving south again. Perhaps they, like us, celebrated this signal of the coming change of seasons. Leer en español.
Yahoo
29-05-2025
- General
- Yahoo
Protesters pack outside Harvard commencement as families focus on their graduates
Just outside the gates of Harvard Yard, hundreds of families of soon-to-be graduates navigated the narrow brick sidewalks of Harvard Square and dodged protesters of varying stripes as they headed into the school's commencement ceremony Thursday morning. 'It's a zoo every year,' said Stephen Schneider, of Methuen, who has sold bouquets and teddy bears to families outside Harvard University's commencement for over two decades. 'From what I see, every year there's somebody protesting,' he said. 'But there's a lot of people just happy to enjoy the day.' This year brought a new tension. Harvard has spent weeks as the focal point of President Donald Trump's assault on higher education, with his administration zeroed in on a pressure campaign to enact massive change to Harvard's admissions, hiring, management and curriculum. In just the last week, the Trump administration has moved to cut all federal contracts with the school and attempted to revoke the certification allowing Harvard to enroll international students, a quarter of its student body. That, on top of billions of dollars in federal funding cuts to Harvard and a seemingly endless stream of other moves pressuring the university. Read more: Here's everything Trump has stripped from Harvard so far — and what is threatened On Thursday, lines outside the campus snaked around the block of attendees clad in sundresses, heels, blazers and crisp collared shirts. For some families, it was the first chance to attend a college commencement ceremony. Dozens of demonstrators lined the sidewalk of Harvard Square carrying signs protesting Trump or U.S. support of Israel. Some carried Israeli flags, others Palestinian flags. Some showed their support for Harvard's stance against pressure from the Trump administration, while others sought to lean on Harvard to stand even more staunchly against the administration. Gabriel Rodriguez, whose family is from Mexico but grew up in Southern California, said his brother was graduating as a first-generation college student. The last few months have been stressful — for his brother on a campus under pressure from the federal government, and for the family watching it from afar. 'We were worried, because whenever there's such a spotlight on a university, you just never know what's going to happen,' he said. 'And so there were concerns that we just want to make sure that he was safe and that he was in a good place.' Read more: 'Devastating impact': Trump's attacks on Harvard could cost Mass. millions, Healey warns Despite the hustle and bustle, many families tuned out the noise, their attention set on the graduates. Bryan Davis, of Dallas, was there to see his niece graduate. He didn't expect the commotion outside Harvard on Thursday morning but wasn't overly concerned. He was more focused on the joy of seeing his niece complete her undergraduate degree with a perfect GPA, with plans to become a lawyer. 'I'm just soaking it all in,' he said. Anushka Nageswaran, of Chicago, was there with her mother, father and cousin to see her brother graduate with a degree in applied math, as well as a master's degree. He planned to return to Harvard for doctoral studies. Even as Harvard was constantly in the news in recent months, she said her brother enjoyed his final semester. On Thursday, Nageswaran and her family brimmed with pride at the culmination of her brother's years-long dream. Their attention was also on the forecast. 'Shouldn't rain today,' Nageswaran's father said when asked what was on his mind. Read more: 'Worth fighting for': Community members, fellow students rally to Harvard's cause Across the street, Jon Hiratsuka, of Cambridge, held a sign protesting Israel's war in Gaza. He said he was there to pressure Harvard to cut any potential ties it had with the Israeli government, and to support students who had advocated the same. Nearby, his fellow demonstrators raised their voices in a chant as a camera crew from a counterprotest group attempted to interview them. 'I think it's fine, and I'm happy that people are standing up and having a voice,' Tracy Munion, of Dallas, who was there for the graduation of her daughter's boyfriend, said. Linda McMahon, of New Jersey, at Harvard for her nephew's graduation, was pleased to see the protesters. 'I hope that their voices are heard,' she said. At Harvard's Class Day celebration Wednesday, Bidisha Kundu listened as guest speaker and NBA legend Kareem Abdul-Jabbar praised the university for its stance against the Trump administration. She said the famously outspoken and activist basketball Hall of Famer instructed graduating students, like her brother, to carry on the work of past generations advocating for a better world. 'Whatever is going on with the world, we are all hopeful,' Kundu said. 'Hardship always comes and at the end of the day, we believe that there's an end of it. There's light at the end of the tunnel.' Harvard commencement speaker says it's fitting to 'hear from an immigrant like me' Many foreign students already fleeing Harvard University due to Trump order Trump admin starts 30-day countdown on Harvard foreign students Shadow of Trump administration hangs over Harvard University commencement Trump proposes a 15% cap on foreign students at Harvard Read the original article on MassLive.
Yahoo
14-03-2025
- Climate
- Yahoo
Spring Equinox to be celebrated at UMass
AMHERST, Mass. (WWLP)– Spring is a week away bringing with it warmer days and longer daylight. The Spring Equinox or Vernal Equinox is when the Earth's axis is tilted neither toward nor away from the sun, creating an almost equal amount of daylight and darkness. The sun rises due east and sets due west. The exact time of the equinox this year is 5:01 a.m. Eastern Daylight Time on March 20 as the sun moves from the southern to the northern half of the Earth. What time is the lunar eclipse in Massachusetts To learn more about this celestial event people are invited to attend two gatherings at the standing stones of the UMass Amherst Sunwheel on Thursday, March 20 at 6:45 a.m. and 6 p.m. UMass Amherst astronomer Stephen Schneider will explain the astronomical cause of the sun's changing position as well as the historical use of standing stones around the world to identify the changing seasons. Just before sunset, the sun can be seen between the tall standing stones that form a portal on the west side of the Sunwheel. If it is clear before sunset, a solar telescope will be set up to safely observe the surface of the sun. Visitors should dress appropriately for the weather, including footwear for wet ground conditions. Poor weather will cancel the events. The UMass Amherst Sunwheel is located south of McGuirk Alumni Stadium, just off Rocky Hill Road (the continuation of Amity St.) about one-quarter-mile west of University Drive. More information on the Sunwheel and events can be found on the UMass Amherst Sunwheel website. WWLP-22News, an NBC affiliate, began broadcasting in March 1953 to provide local news, network, syndicated, and local programming to western Massachusetts. Watch the 22News Digital Edition weekdays at 4 p.m. on Copyright 2025 Nexstar Media, Inc. All rights reserved. This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten, or redistributed.
Yahoo
12-02-2025
- Yahoo
Gear Theft Is on the Rise, According to a Maine Ski Area
Black Mountain of Maine, a small ski area in Rumford, said in a recent social media update that it has seen a few incidences of gear theft inside and outside of its lodge, cautioning guests to lock up their equipment and asking that they report any suspicious behavior.'Unfortunately, this is an issue affecting many ski areas in our region & across the industry — not just us,' the ski area wrote. 'Please know that the police have been informed, & we will prosecute any theft to the fullest extent.'Black Mountain of Maine said that it is actively monitoring the situation and looking for potential solutions. Earlier this season, at Sunday River, another Maine ski area, an individual shared in a local Facebook group that three of their 15-person party had had equipment stolen during a visit. Another post asked, in January, what 'is going on up there with the stolen [skis]??'Such posts may make the problem of gear theft appear larger than it is. Still, at another ski destination — Stevens Pass, Washington — skiers and snowboarders requested that mountain managers take action.A petition started by Stephen Schneider in late December called ski theft at Stevens Pass 'rampant,' and lobbied for the implementation of a slopeside ski check service.'With ever-rising ticket prices and growing resort amenity costs, it seems the least we could expect is a measure of safety and value for our equipment,' Schneider petition received 378 signatures. In response, a representative of Stevens Pass said that reports of equipment theft are lower than they were last season at the time the petition was created.'We want to assure our guests that our team continues to invest in measures and resources to prevent theft,' the representative in December, the Summit Daily wrote that across Summit County, Colorado ski areas, ski and snowboard theft was rising with at least eight incidents of theft reported to law enforcement since the season hard data on year-over-year ski thefts across the U.S., though, it's difficult to determine whether, nationally, the problem is actually becoming if you're concerned about someone walking off with your brand new gear, there is a straightforward — and cheap — solution, retractable ski locks. Get one. They typically cost less than $ the first to read breaking ski news with POWDER. Subscribe to our newsletter and stay connected with the latest happenings in the world of skiing. From ski resort news to profiles of the world's best skiers, we are committed to keeping you informed.
