JWST's latest picture of the month is‚ of course‚ stunning – but what’s the science inside the beauty? The space telescope has snapped a protostar system called HH 797. HH stands for Herbig-Haro‚ and Herbig-Haro objects are the nebulous structures formed by the jets of tiny young stars.This protostar is throwing stuff into the Perseus Dark Cloud Complex‚ creating a turbulent interaction full of interesting molecules that shine due to the shocks and produce this beautiful view.Previous ground observations used redshift to understand the motions of these jets. As you can see‚ the left part appears to be longer than the right part. That is an optical effect: the left part is coming towards us while the right part is pointing away from us. This was estimated by measuring how the speed of these jets changes the light emitted. Just like an ambulance’s siren pitch changes if the ambulance approaches or goes away from you (the Doppler shift)‚ so does light. The jet coming towards us gets slightly bluer‚ and the one going away gets slightly redder. However‚ astronomers found a different blueshift and redshift in each of the jets. The eastern edge (at the bottom of the emission) tends to be slightly red-shifted compared to the top part. At first‚ it was thought that the jet was rotating – but the complex motion is caused by the fact that HH-797 is not just a protostar but two. The full picture of the month‚ showing other stars and protostars.Image Credit: ESA/Webb‚ NASA &; CSA‚ T. Ray (Dublin Institute for Advanced Studies)The mechanism that produces the jets is not exactly understood. Astronomers believe that jets are caused by interactions between some of the close material surrounding the fledgling protostar and the nascent star's strong magnetic field.  As the material accumulates onto the star‚ some of it is ejected along its axis of rotation as two thin jets. As they encounter more and more material‚ they spread out‚ creating the structure that can be admired in many photos.JWST and Hubble have looked at several of these fascinating young systems to better understand how stars come to be. Even recently‚ JWST looked at HH-211 which is located in the Perseus Molecular Cloud‚ just 30 arcseconds south of  HH-797The region has many young stars including the other protostar at the top of the image‚ showing off a completely different style of outflow compared to the Herbig-Haro objects.

NASA has revealed an incredible – and unusual – new view of Mars’s horizon‚ one that took three months to plan and execute‚ for our viewing pleasure. Astronauts on the International Space Station (ISS) orbiting Earth often share mesmerizing views of Earth’s curvature‚ but this is what you would see if you were orbiting Mars.The incredible panoramic image is a composite stitched together end to end from 10 images taken by the Thermal Emission Imaging System (THEMIS) onboard NASA’s 2001 Mars Odyssey orbiter. It shows the curving Martian landscape below layers of cloud and dust. It doesn’t just look fantastic – it will help scientists gain new insights into Mars’s atmosphere.  In fact‚ this view is so unusual that no other Mars spacecraft has actually seen this type of view before‚ according to Jonathon Hill‚ operations lead for THEMIS. “If there were astronauts in orbit over Mars‚ this is the perspective they would have‚” he said in a statement.The view shows the curvature of Mars as seen from 400 kilometers (250 miles) above the surface – the same altitude that the ISS flies above Earth. However‚ while astronauts cruising above us regularly see (and snap) our pale blue dot’s curvature‚ it was no easy feat capturing Mars’s.“In order to get these images‚ we had to do something with the spacecraft we’ve never done before‚” deputy project scientist for Odyssey‚ Laura Kerber‚ explains in the video below.“Usually our camera faces straight down for mapping. In the past we’ve experimented with rolling the spacecraft so we can catch pictures of some of Mars’s moons… but this time we had to do something even more extreme‚ We had to rotate the spacecraft all the way to the horizon‚ then we had to keep it that way for an entire orbit.”  It took three months of planning with engineers at NASA’s Jet Propulsion Laboratory (JPL) and Lockheed Martin Space‚ which co-manages operations of the mission. THEMIS uses infrared to map the ice‚ sand‚ rock‚ and dust on Mars as well as any temperature changes on the planet’s surface. It also measures water ice and dust in the atmosphere‚ but usually just a thin column looking down‚ as Kerber mentioned.To get a more expansive view‚ the team couldn’t just change the angle of the camera – they had the rotate the whole spacecraft 90 degrees while making sure the Sun could still reach its solar panels. The prime angle turned out to be pointing its antennae away from Earth‚ meaning the crew on the ground lost contact with the spacecraft for several hours as it completed its task.If you really want to pretend you’re the first Martian astronaut orbiting Mars‚ find the largest screen you have and open the image here.Having this view will help scientists understand more about Mars's thin atmosphere‚ which is less than 1 percent as thick as Earth's. This view will help them understand where the layers of water-ice clouds and dust are in relation to each other; either one big layer or stacked on top of each other. “I think of it as viewing a cross-section‚ a slice through the atmosphere‚” said Jeffrey Plaut‚ Odyssey’s project scientist at JPL. “There’s a lot of detail you can’t see from above‚ which is how THEMIS normally makes these measurements.”Odyssey has been going strong for 22 years‚ making it the longest-running spacecraft ever sent to Mars. Next year it will hit the milestone of 100‚000 orbits.

The mystery of how the pyramids were built may have finally been solved thanks to the discovery of an ancient branch of the Nile that once flowed through Giza. Hundreds of meters wide‚ the enormous waterway has long since dried up‚ but could have provided transportation for the colossal amounts of material and workers needed to construct the iconic landmarks thousands of years ago.According to the researchers‚ the clustering of pyramids along the western desert margin of the Nile floodplain indicates that the area may once have been served by a large watercourse capable of supporting ambitious construction projects. Speaking to IFLScience‚ study author Dr Eman Ghoneim said that “if there are pyramids everywhere in this specific area‚ there must have been in the past water bodies that carried or facilitated the transportation of rocks and large numbers of workmen to these sites.”“So we know that there was a waterway‚ there was a highway that the ancient Egyptians used to use‚ but no one knows where it was‚” she explained. “How big was this branch [of the Nile]? Where exactly was this branch? How close was this branch to the actual pyramid sites?”To find out‚ Ghoneim had to zoom out as far as possible‚ using radar satellite data to survey the Nile Valley from space. Because radar waves are able to penetrate the ground‚ the images provided access to an “invisible world of information beneath the surface”‚ revealing the presence of a dried-up riverbed that snakes through the desert and agricultural land for about 100 kilometers (62 miles).“The length probably was really‚ really long‚ but also the width of this branch in some areas was huge‚” said Ghoneim. “We're talking about half a kilometer or more in terms of width‚ which is something that is equivalent to today's Nile course width.”“So it wasn't a small branch. It was a major branch.”Left: illustration revealing how the pyramids' causeways and harbors align perfectly with the ancient Nile branch. Top right: A causeway in Giza that once led down to the waterfront.Image credit: Eman GhoneimRunning from Faiyum to Giza‚ the defunct waterway passes through 38 different pyramid sites and has therefore been dubbed the Ahramat Branch (meaning Pyramid Branch in Arabic) by the researchers. The team now plans to analyze soil cores from the ancient riverbed in order to determine if it was active during the Old and Middle Kingdoms (3‚700 to 4‚700 years ago)‚ when the pyramids were built.Without this confirmation‚ it’s impossible to draw any firm conclusions‚ although there are a number of smoking guns that suggest the branch did indeed play a role in the monuments’ construction. For instance‚ Ghoneim explained that “most of these pyramids used to have a causeway that ends usually with what we call a valley temple‚ which is like a harbor or ancient port.”Most of these valley temples are “located exactly at the bank of the branch that we found‚” she said.In addition to providing new insights into the construction of the pyramids‚ the exploration of ancient Nile branches could also help archaeologists uncover the secrets of Ancient Egypt by assisting in the location of other lost sites‚ Ghoneim said. “Over time‚ the main course of the Nile has migrated – in some areas east‚ in some places west – because rivers always do that‚” she explained.“As branches disappeared‚ Ancient Egyptian cities and towns also silted up and disappeared‚ and we have no clue actually where to find them.” By following the course of ancient waterways‚ she said‚ researchers stand a better chance of discovering these old settlements‚ all of which will help “to understand our history‚ the Egyptian heritage.”The research was presented at the 13th International Congress of Egyptologists earlier this year.

On a bone-chilling night‚ when the wind seemed to freeze everything in its path‚ a tale of compassion and resilience unfolded. It all began when Officer Eric McCombs‚ out on patrol‚ stumbled upon a heart-wrenching scene: a malnourished and trembling pit bull‚ chained to a porch. This discovery marked the start of a life-altering journey‚... The post Cop sees abandoned pittie shivering in -20 degree windchill and vows to ‘protect her’ appeared first on Animal Channel.

Cats‚ those enigmatic creatures‚ are a study in contradictions. Just when you’re craving their affection‚ they act aloof. But when they decide it’s cuddle time‚ you’d better be ready! They’ll go to great lengths for attention‚ from sitting on your keyboard to causing all sorts of mischief. Anyone who’s ever owned a cat knows that... The post Kitten sees man’s upset and finds adorable way to ‘comfort’ him appeared first on Animal Channel.

ABC’s Jimmy Kimmel expressed his concern with Hunter Biden possibly going before the House Oversight Committee on his Tuesday show claiming Republicans’ desire for a closed-door hearing will lead them to “make stuff up” because “they’ve seen no evidence that Joe Biden had anything to do” with Hunter’s business operations. Kimmel actually began with a rare joke about Hunter himself‚ “Hunter Biden may be heading to Congress. He said—Hunter said he is willing to testify before the House Oversight Committee‚ but only if it is televised. He wants to do it in public‚ preferably nude‚ in a hot tub‚ smoking an unfiltered cigarette with a hooker.”     However‚ Kimmel quickly shifted to the substance of the matter and‚ like Hunter’s legal team‚ demanded a televised hearing‚ “but his legal team wants him to testify out in the open‚ but Republicans don’t want that. They don't want it on TV. They're like‚ ‘If we don’t do this behind closed doors‚ how are we supposed to make stuff up?’"  If the positions were reversed‚ Kimmel would probably accuse Republicans of wanting the hearing televised so they could get their 30 seconds of fame by confronting Hunter and putting the clip on the internet while fundraising off it. As it is‚ Republicans are seeking to deny Democrats the opportunity to get their own 30 second clips that would end up on Jimmy Kimmel Live! And as for Chairman James Comer‚ Kimmel declared: James Comer‚ the man who runs the Oversight Committee says‚ ‘Hunter Biden is trying to play by his own rules instead of following the rules required of everyone else. That won't stand with House Republicans.’  Which of course‚ is hilarious for about 10‚000 different reasons especially from James Comer‚ who went after Joe Biden for giving his brother a $200‚000 loan‚ turned out he did the same thing for his own brother‚ so--. It's really amazing. Even though we've seen no evidence‚ and they've seen no evidence‚ that Joe Biden had anything to do with this‚ Hunter and the laptop-- this will not go away. Joe Biden could become the first president to get impeached because his son didn't have AppleCare.  Kimmel‚ the king of late night insult hurling‚ who once told Hunter that him being attacked by Sen. Lindsey Graham was proof of how politics becomes "toxic‚" loves joking about the professional relationship between Donald Trump and his children‚ but when it comes to the Bidens there is nothing to see here‚ please move along because there is no comedic value in Joe Biden conversing with Hunter on speakerphone in front of his associates. Here is a transcript for the November 28 show: ABC Jimmy Kimmel Live! 11/28/2023 11:40 PM ET JIMMY KIMMEL: Hunter Biden may be heading to Congress. He said—Hunter said he is willing to testify before the House Oversight Committee‚ but only if it is televised. He wants to do it in public‚ preferably nude‚ in a hot tub‚ smoking an unfiltered cigarette with a hooker‚ but his legal team wants him to testify out in the open‚ but Republicans don’t want that. They don't want it on TV. They're like‚ ‘If we don’t do this behind closed doors‚ how are we supposed to make stuff up?"  The chair of the Oversight Committee—it’s really—it’s something else. James Comer‚ the man who runs the Oversight Committee says‚ “Hunter Biden is trying to play by his own rules instead of following the rules required of everyone else. That won't stand with House Republicans."  Which of course‚ is hilarious for about 10‚000 different reasons especially from James Comer‚ who went after Joe Biden for giving his brother a $200‚000 loan‚ turned out he did the same thing for his own brother‚ so--. It's really amazing. Even though we've seen no evidence‚ and they've seen no evidence‚ that Joe Biden had anything to do with this‚ Hunter and the laptop-- this will not go away. Joe Biden could become the first president to get impeached because his son didn't have AppleCare. 

A fan attempted to get a picture with Florida rapper Nardo Wick early Monday morning following a show at Club Skye in Tampa. Instead of a selfie‚ George Obregon Jr. of Pasco County reportedly received a savage beating‚ which left him in critical condition with a brain bleed. Tampa police are now investigating the attack‚ noting that the suspects "appear to be affiliated with the performer." Connor Villa‚ a witness to the attack and a friend of the victim‚ told TMZ they both shelled out for VIP tickets and attended the rapper's show. Afterward‚ "George was just walking toward Nardo with his phone up and then the guys that were around him‚ they didn't hit him at first‚ they just kind of looked at him. And he was like‚ 'Hey‚ can I get a picture?' And then out of nowhere‚ the guy hit him from the side and just knocked him out." "The other guy continuously hit him while he was knocked out‚" said Villa. "It's completely ridiculous because even if you don't want someone coming up taking a picture of your artist or your friend or whatever is going on‚ to hit him ... is out of the question‚ but to continuously hit him after he's on the wall‚ leaning‚ like not even responsive‚ it just should never have happened." Graphic footage of the attack shows Obregon calmly approach the rapper's entourage with both hands clearly visible. One hooded individual — ostensibly a member of the rapper's entourage — closes in on the victim from the side‚ then sucker-punches him in the head. The victim appears to lose consciousness‚ freeze up‚ then lean against the wall. The thugs aren't finished with the rap fan‚ however. A short‚ hooded individual notices the fan wavering and defenseless‚ then delivers a series of blows to his head. The victim falls with his short attacker atop him. As Obregon makes contact with the ground‚ his head can be heard bouncing against the pavement. Wick intervenes at the last moment to pull the short attacker away. Police indicated Obregon was still in critical condition as of Tuesday afternoon‚ reported WFLA-TV. Michelle Obregon‚ the victim's mother‚ said that doctors informed her that her son has a concussion and bleeding to various parts of his brain. She shared footage of the incident to Meta‚ noting‚ "I want everyone to see what these mother f***ers did to my son!!!!! At no point was my son aggressive." "My son wanted a stupid f***in picture with his favorite artist!!!! And This is what he gets!!!!!!! I am sick to my stomach to think about how this could have turned out!!!!" Wick‚ whose real name is Horace Walls III‚ addressed the attack in an Instagram post‚ stating‚ "I don't condone what happened to my fan George after my show in any type of way." "I expressed to him and his mama how sorry and concerned I was that it happened to him‚ multiple times before anything was even posted or on the internet. ... I cant control another grown man actions‚ I ain't know that was gone happen‚ and I was mad when it happened‚" continued Wick. "I tried to stop it as u can see in the video‚ and if somebody got the longer video you can see how mad I was." Wick's team also released a statement noting‚ "Nardo is furious over what happened! He did not condone or participate in anything that occurred. He took no part in it. As soon as he realized what was happening‚ he jumped to put a stop to it‚" reported WFLA. "That's not his security nor are the individuals directly connected to Nardo‚" added the team. The Tampa Police Department indicated on Tuesday that they are looking for the two suspects seen in the video assaulting Obregon. Like Blaze News? Bypass the censors‚ sign up for our newsletters‚ and get stories like this direct to your inbox. Sign up here!

Congress will soon have the chance to roll back the Biden administration’s politicization of the U.S. military. To pull it off‚ the Armed Services Committees must embrace bipartisanship‚ just as we have in the past. The National Defense Authorization Act‚ Congress’s annual military authorization bill‚ is one of the least controversial bills produced in Washington. The NDAA first passed Congress in 1961. In every year since‚ Congress has passed the law before the end of the calendar year with support from lawmakers of both parties. For more than 60 years‚ this bipartisan tradition has helped keep our military well funded and ready to respond to foreign threats. The NDAA has been bipartisan for decades because it exclusively concerns the U.S. military‚ which has been equally apolitical. Unfortunately‚ that is no longer the case. At the bidding of the Biden administration‚ the Department of Defense bureaucracy has ditched its end of the bargain and entered the political arena. Early in 2021‚ Defense Secretary Lloyd Austin launched an initiative to root out “domestic extremists” from the military. Then‚ the Biden administration released a national security strategy that focused mostly on “climate risks‚” while the Pentagon started calling politicized diversity‚ equity‚ and inclusion training a “strategic imperative.” This year‚ Congress must reject partisan meddling in the military. We must refocus the Defense Department on its core mission by passing a funding bill that’s aligned with our military’s apolitical roots. In the first years of this administration‚ thousands of service members were booted over a senseless and anti-scientific COVID vaccine mandate. Most recently‚ after the U.S. Supreme Court’s 2022 decision in Dobbs v. Jackson Women's Health Organization‚ the Biden Defense Department announced it would pay for service members’ abortion-related travel expenses. Under Joe Biden‚ the Defense Department has become a political tool. That’s why‚ since Biden took over‚ public trust in our military has dropped by 20%. It’s also why the Army still hasn’t recovered from its worst recruiting crisis in the history of the all-volunteer force. Americans won’t enlist and agree to pay the ultimate sacrifice for their country if the military’s own position is that America is evil‚ racist‚ and not worth fighting for. Our military will fail to compete with China so long as it wastes over 500‚000 man-hours each year on diversity training‚ as it did in 2021‚ or focuses on pronouns and electric vehicle transitions instead of fighting and winning wars. Joe Biden’s partisan‚ weaponized Pentagon has been a national security disaster. Fortunately‚ Congress is in a position to fix it. In the coming week‚ Senate and House Armed Services Committee leaders will meet with the goal of merging both chambers’ NDAAs into a single‚ final version. The House version of the NDAA goes a long way toward depoliticizing the military. We passed my amendments to help reinstate service members fired over the COVID vaccine mandate‚ ban affirmative action at the service academies‚ cap the pay of DEI bureaucrats at the Pentagon‚ and crucially‚ to restore merit — and only merit — as the basis for military promotions and recruitment. My colleagues in the Anti-Woke Caucus‚ Mike Waltz (R-Fla.)‚ Greg Steube (R-Fla.)‚ Mark Alford (R-Mo.)‚ and Ronny Jackson (R-Texas)‚ as well as many of the other Republicans on the Armed Services Committee‚ secured provisions to pull the military out of left-wing political causes such as abortion‚ gender ideology‚ and the Green New Deal. Republicans and Democrats disagree on these social issues‚ of course‚ but we should be able to agree that they have nothing to do with our nation’s common defense. Therefore‚ they should be none of the U.S. military’s business. This year‚ Congress must reject partisan meddling in the military. We must refocus the Defense Department on its core mission by passing an NDAA that is aligned with our military’s apolitical roots.

The Biden administration’s efforts to intimidate media outlets into censoring information that might paint the president in a bad light (other than his own gaffes‚ lies‚ and plagiarism) are receiving new and much-needed attention this week. The House Judiciary Select Subcommittee on the Weaponization of the Federal Government reconvenes Thursday to look into “the federal government’s involvement in social media censorship” and “recent attacks on independent journalism and free expression‚” according to the committee’s press release. It is a timely investigation. As Byron York noted at the Washington Examiner‚ “President Joe Biden’s 2024 reelection campaign is ‘overhauling’ its strategy to fight ‘misinformation’ on social media. The new effort includes ‘recruiting hundreds of staffers and volunteers to monitor platforms.’” The Biden team’s big current concern is the economy. Somehow‚ the public just isn’t getting the message that everything is hunky-dory and that Biden is the reason we’re all supposedly so much richer than we were in January 2021. Yet even voters who admit to having voted for Biden in 2020 say the economy is awful. The new operation is reminiscent of the Biden administration’s successful efforts in 2021 to persuade media companies to suppress unpopular observations about government initiatives‚ especially doubts about the science behind combatting COVID-19 and concerns about interference in the 2020 election. That was‚ in fact‚ a ruthless campaign of threats and intimidation against tech companies‚ the legality of which the U.S. Supreme Court has agreed to decide in its current session. “They were bullying companies to censor anything contradicting government guidance‚” the Wall Street Journal reported earlier this year. “The private intimidation was amplified by public threats to use antitrust action and regulation if tech companies didn't follow orders.” The Biden administration has continually turned up the heat on those who dare to say things that might undermine the president’s re-election prospects. In the spring of 2022‚ Homeland Security Secretary Alejandro Mayorkas announced he was forming a Disinformation Governance Board‚ which a writer at the Hill aptly described as an Orwellian “Ministry of Truth.” The DHS shut down the board under pressure‚ but its work continued in other DHS sub-agencies‚ including the Secret Service‚ the Intercept reported. Meanwhile‚ tens of thousands of people illegally enter the country each month while Mayorkas’ vigilant border guardians keep their eyes peeled for embarrassing tweets. The Department of Defense in May contracted with a firm owned by “a researcher who applauded Twitter for censoring stories about Hunter Biden’s laptop‚ to ‘proactively respond’ to international disinformation campaigns” by providing “a software tool that tracks global disinformation campaigns‚” the Washington Free Beacon reported. The Pentagon also made “other controversial grants this year to organizations that support censorship of so-called disinformation‚” the paper said. The Department of Health and Human Services has created a “Surgeon General’s Community Toolkit for Addressing Health Misinformation‚” which “provides specific guidance and resources for health care providers‚ educators‚ librarians‚ faith leaders‚ and trusted community members to understand‚ identify‚ and stop the spread of health misinformation in their communities.” Think of it as the first step toward a nationwide Soviet-style snitch culture for health care. Similar efforts are under way across the federal bureaucracy. All of this came about after Biden’s campaign apparatus in 2020 successfully conspired with social media companies to spike the Hunter Biden laptop story‚ which a significant percentage of voters later said would have changed their decision about whether to vote for Joe Biden for president. Biden’s 2024 re-election campaign is now conducting a similar operation‚ led by deputy campaign manager Rob Flaherty‚ who ran the White House censorship squad in 2021. Flaherty’s appointment to lead this “anti-misinformation” crusade is an obvious intimidation ploy. It sends a clear message that the Biden administration is taking names and will do all it can to punish media organizations that do not comply with the campaign team’s “requests.” As a private effort (though subject to political campaign laws)‚ this undertaking is legally different from the operations that took place in the White House in 2021‚ but it is morally just as corrupt. The current campaign of bullying is even worse than the variations in 2020 and from 2021 to the present‚ because it combines the freedom of the 2020 version with the explicit power dynamic of the subsequent efforts directed by the White House. The use of benevolent-sounding words to mask this harassment and intimidation is proof that those behind it know exactly how abhorrent it is.

Harvard English professor Stephanie Burt‚ a man who identifies as a woman‚ explained that the once prestigious school will offer a course surrounding pop star Taylor Swift.Burt explained to TMZ Live that while there will be an emphasis on Swift's music as art‚ the course material will also include the musician's relationships as they pertain to lyrics and songs she has released."She writes about her relationships‚ so we will be talking about her relationships. So we will be talking about Travis Kelce‚" Burt said of Swift's alleged boyfriend‚ who is in the NFL."The amount of time that we give him and therefore that we give American football is going to depend honestly on whether she has written and released songs about him and about that relationship."Burt referred to himself as a woman when he explained why there is so much coverage of Swift's relationships in the media."Women tend to get looked at more in terms of who we're dating‚ especially straight women‚ maybe."Burt‚ who has a B.A. from Harvard and a Ph.D. from Yale‚ explained in a 2017 editorial that after spending time identifying as a male and also a female‚ he wished to move forward only as a female.The article was unironically presented with a feature image of a curtain being pulled back to reveal the female symbol and noted that Burt has been known as both Stephen and Steph. "As many of you know‚ but some of you don’t‚ after several years of presenting myself as a lady some of the time‚ and as a guy at other times‚ I am now a lady all the time‚" he wrote."The more I get to live as a woman‚ the more I feel like I can live in a physical world‚" Burt went on.However‚ this professor isn't the only educator at an American university to offer a Swift-related program. The University of Florida honors program lists a Musical Storytelling course where "students will fearlessly jump then fall into 13 gorgeous weeks of discussing Taylor Swift’s discography‚" among other artists.As well‚ Psychology of Taylor Swift – Advanced Topics of Social Psychology was set to make its debut at Arizona State for the 2023 fall semester. Meanwhile‚ NYU has its own Swift course taught by a staff writer from Rolling Stone.At the same time‚ the University of Texas began a new liberal arts course in 2022 celebrating Swift's songbook. Literary Contests and Contexts — The Taylor Swift Songbook reportedly taught the woman's music alongside the works of Shakespeare and Dickinson.Like Blaze News? Bypass the censors‚ sign up for our newsletters‚ and get stories like this direct to your inbox. Sign up here!