Latest news with #southernhemisphere
The Guardian
2 days ago
- General
- The Guardian
Starwatch: Summer is the time to look for the constellation Sagittarius
It's a good time of year to track down the summer constellation of Sagittarius, the archer, who is usually depicted as a centaur drawing a bow. The chart shows the view looking south from London at 23:00 BST on 28 July, when the most recognisable portion of the constellation will be visible. Often called the teapot because of its distinctive shape, it fits into the larger constellation. The teapot's spout, as represented by the star Alnasl, depicts the arrow's sharp head in the full constellation. The lid and handle represent the upper body and outstretched arms. The full constellation never rises above the UK horizon and is anyway composed of much fainter stars than the teapot, making it more difficult to see except under excellent sky conditions at more southerly latitudes. One of the zodiacal constellations, Sagittarius was also included on Ptolemy's original list of 48 constellations, made in the 2nd century AD. According to classical myths, Sagittarius either represents Chiron, the wisest of all the centaurs, or the satyr Crotus, the inventor of archery. At this time of year, the constellation is high in the southern hemisphere sky.
Irish Times
4 days ago
- Sport
- Irish Times
‘What dreams are made of': Andy Farrell and Maro Itoje hails Lions' heart after comeback win
A small, cramped press conference room in the biggest sports stadium in the southern hemisphere was the scene for one of the more surreal post-match briefings with the respective head coaches and captains after the Lions' dramatic series-clinching victory over Australia at the MCG. Each were conducted to the backdrop of the Lions players loudly going through a post-match song list in the nearby away 'shed' as they say hereabouts. At times it was hard to hear Andy Farrell and Maro Itoje . both describing the second Test victory to clinch a series win as 'what dreams are made of'. And it was even harder to hear Joe Schmidt when he quietly seethed against the officials' decision not to award Australia a penalty and thus overturn Hugo Keenan's last-minute, match-winning try. Farrell and Itoje's press conference had barely begun when the Lions players could be heard singing their ever-changing version of Rocking All Over The World, which includes a reference to 'Captain Maro' and, it seemed, 'Big Faz the coach'. A broad smile came across Itoje's face as he recognised the lyrics. 'See what you guys are making me miss out!' READ MORE On being informed it was the biggest Lions comeback in a Test, Farrell agreed it doesn't get any better. 'Not really when you see what it means to everyone. You can hear them can't you? These lads have dreamed of being a British and Irish Lion all their lives and to get to the point when we come to the MCG with 90-odd thousand people with a dramatic finish like that to win the series, is what dreams are made of and no one can deny that for us now. Lions head coach Andy Farrell celebrates with his wife Colleen after the win over Australia. Photograph: Billy Stickland/Inpho 'It is a special moment for everyone, we are absolutely delighted that we showed the courage and what it takes to be a Lion.' 'To me, this is a dream for everyone in that dressingroom,' Farrell added when discussing some of the big plays and big moments in the game such as Tom Curry's crucial tackle on Joseph Suaalii early in the second half when the Wallabies might have gone 14 or 16 points ahead. 'I've said it before, they've dreamt of being a British and Irish Lion all of their life. To get to a point now where Hugo Keenan scores a try in the last minute to win a series in Australia, if you're a child watching that back home, do you want to be a British and Irish Lion? One hundred per cent. 'That's the dream and that's the fairytale that these lads have wished for since they were this high. It's alive and kicking and we're over the moon.' Farrell paid credit to the Wallabies' performance. 'They were good. They turned up. I suppose the drama and how it unfolded is what makes it special. We came here to win a series. To do it in that type of fashion, you wouldn't have backed us at 23-5 but to find a way adds to the story, doesn't it? It adds to the fairytale. Lions captain Maro Itoje celebrates with his wife Mimi at the MCG. Photograph:'To be a part of it is an honour, it really is. 2013 was special, 1-1, and being able to win it at the death, but we won quite comfortably in the end. To win it like that is what top level sport is all about. It's cruel in so many ways for Australia but we stayed in the fight and we got what we deserved.' Asked if he wanted Finn Russell to opt for a drop goal in the final play, Farrell said: 'Finn doesn't do drop goals. He's not done many in his career. Have a look at Jamison Gibson-Park's play towards the end. He's absolutely everywhere, fizzing the ball at speed, and he's been playing that way for 79 minutes. 'Have a look at the carries we had, getting over the gainline, people constantly offering themselves, the breakdown and the instinct we had to just keep on playing. It just shows the courage of the side.' Itoje reflected on his lap of the pitch, by which stage there was only red in the house, and this included his wife Mimi, whom he married last summer. 'It was surreal. These are one of the moments in your life that you will cherish,' said Itoje. 'This will live long in the memory. Often in sport you have to move on to the next thing, you have to focus on what is next and focus on the next challenge. No doubt we will do that after tonight's celebration. But every now and again I think it's important to saviour in moment.' While the squad were evidently set on having a big night in Melbourne, they will return their focus to the clean sweep which Farrell targeted with them from the outset. 'No the plan will stay the same. Win or lose we trust the plan ahead. We will make sure we enjoy tonight that's for sure, we have just made a bit of history, we are delighted with that.'
NHK
17-07-2025
- Science
- NHK
World's largest digital camera captures clear images of galaxies
A team at an astronomical observatory in Chile has released images by "the world's largest digital camera", which can capture 3.2 billion pixels. The NSF-DOE Vera C. Rubin Observatory, jointly set up by US institutions, is equipped with an 8.4-meter telescope and a 3.2-gigapixel camera. It has been recognized as the world's largest digital camera by Guinness World Records. The equipment is said to provide the widest field of view achieved by a telescope of its class -- wide enough to capture an area of the sky equivalent to 45 full moons in a single exposure. Images taken between April and May were made public for the first time. One composite image, compiled from 678 photos, reveals galaxies located thousands of light years from Earth in the direction of the Sagittarius constellation. The image clearly shows gases and dust -- the materials that form stars. Another composite, made from 1,185 photos captured in the direction of Virgo, reportedly contains around 10 million galaxies. The team plans to continuously photograph the entire sky over the southern hemisphere over the next ten years. Scientists hope to make new discoveries, such as finding asteroids within the solar system and identifying how dark matter distorts space. Dark matter is a mysterious substance making up the majority of a galaxy's mass and acting as an invisible glue that keeps stars, dust, and gas together. Associate Professor Utsumi Yousuke of the National Astronomical Observatory of Japan and a member of the team said he expects numerous astronomical questions will be answered by observing the universe with an unprecedented breadth and depth.
The Guardian
14-07-2025
- Science
- The Guardian
Starwatch: use the moon to find Saturn before its pirouette in the sky
The moon will help us track down Saturn, the sixth planet in the solar system, this week. Currently residing in the constellation of Pisces, the fishes, Saturn is gradually building in brightness as the Earth's orbit is carrying the two planets closer together. This year, the closest approach between them will occur on 21 September. In the meantime, the moon can be useful as your guide to locate Saturn and then watch it over the coming months as the planet performs a lazy pirouette in the sky, known as retrograde motion. This is an optical illusion caused by our changing line of sight to the planet as Earth overtakes it on the inside. The chart shows the view looking east from London on 16 July at midnight BST, soon after the moon and Saturn have risen. The moon will be almost 20 days old and in its waning gibbous phase, rising later each night. Just over 72% of the moon's visible surface will be illuminated on this night, and it will be 373,842km away from Earth. Saturn, on the other hand, will be 1,368m km away. The conjunction will be easily visible from the southern hemisphere.
The Guardian
30-06-2025
- Science
- The Guardian
Starwatch: Spica greets the passing moon
This week, the bright star Spica greets the passing moon. The chart shows the view looking south-west from London at 22.15 BST on 3 July 2025. At 8.3 days old, and with 60% of its visible surface illuminated, the moon will be just past its first quarter (half moon) phase and into its waxing gibbous phase, on the way to becoming full next week. Spica is the brightest star in the constellation Virgo, the maiden. It is the 15th brightest star in the night sky and lies about 250 light-years away from Earth. Although it appears as a single object to even our most advanced telescopes, detailed analysis reveals that Spica is in fact a binary star. It is composed of two giant stars, separated by about 18m km, that orbit each other once every four days. One of these component stars has a diameter just under eight times the size of the sun's diameter and the other is four times the diameter. Together they give out more than 12,000 times the light from our sun. From the southern hemisphere, the conjunction will appear to be higher in the sky, and therefore a little easier to see.
