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5 Jan 2025, 03:33 UT; Spotsylvania, Virginia USA. Bortle 4.5 zone.
Celestron C8 SCT at f/10.1. Orion Atlas AZ/EQ-G mount. Mallincam DS26cTEC camera, bin 1x1, exposure 16s, single frame, Optolong L'eNhance filter, no guiding, no calibration frames, sensor -5°C. Captured in Sharpcap Pro. Processed in PixInsight and Photoshop.
IDENTIFICATION OF Rigel BC
In the absence of a plate-solved location for Rigel BC the following information was considered:
1. Positive -- Published position angle (202° East of North) is consistent with labelled BC. Per ASTAP this image does not have standard orientation, e.g. it does not show North in the standard position -- up (0°). A corrected image would be rotated 7° and flipped on the horizontal axis for standard alignment with North, which puts the labelled star near the correct position.
2. Negative -- The brightest star in the field (besides Rigel A) is magnitude 6.35 and the nearby dimmer stars are approx. magnitude 10. The image of the labelled star BC (magnitude 7.5) is between them in size (brightness) but appears closer to magnitude 10 than 6.
3. Negative -- The separation of A from labelled BC in the image is roughly estimated from the image at 1 arcmin, not the expected 0.16 arcmin (9.5 arcsec).
4. Positive -- It is consistent with other posted amateur images of Rigel A & B.
BOTTOM LINE
I have 80% confidence that Rigel BC is correctly identified in this image, but another star could be obscured in the asymmetrical flare. An occulting bar may be used to verify dim Rigel BC against its brilliant companion in a subsequent image.
Appearance: Bright light blue star (Rigel A) and dim companions (Rigel B, C, and D), with adjacent variable star λ Eri (magnitude 6.35) at 3:00 position. The severe halo/flare around Rigel may be due to the filter, and may be asymmetrical due to moderate sensor tilt in the system.
Clouds: clear
Transparency: average
Seeing: below average
Apparent Magnitude (USNO): A 0.5-0.18, BC 7.5-7.6
Separation A-BC: 9.5 arcsec
Image scale:
Moon age, illuminated: xx, xx
Azimuth: xx°
Altitude: xx°
from Wikipedia
Rigel is a blue supergiant star in the constellation of Orion. It has the Bayer designation β Orionis, which is Latinized to Beta Orionis and abbreviated Beta Ori or β Ori. Rigel is the brightest and most massive component – and the eponym – of a star system of at least four stars that appear as a single blue-white point of light to the naked eye. This system is located at a distance of approximately 860 light-years (260 pc) from the Sun.
A star of spectral type B8Ia, Rigel is 120,000 times as luminous as the Sun, and is 18 to 24 times as massive, depending on the method and assumptions used. Its radius is more than seventy times that of the Sun, and its surface temperature is 12,100 K. Due to its stellar wind, Rigel's mass-loss is estimated to be ten million times that of the Sun. With an estimated age of seven to nine million years, Rigel has exhausted its core hydrogen fuel, expanded, and cooled to become a supergiant. It is expected to end its life as a type II supernova, leaving a neutron star or a black hole as a final remnant, depending on the initial mass of the star.
Rigel varies slightly in brightness, its apparent magnitude ranging from 0.05 to 0.18. It is classified as an Alpha Cygni variable due to the amplitude and periodicity of its brightness variation, as well as its spectral type. Its intrinsic variability is caused by pulsations in its unstable atmosphere. Rigel is generally the seventh-brightest star in the night sky and the brightest star in Orion, though it is occasionally outshone by Betelgeuse, which varies over a larger range.
A triple-star system is separated from Rigel by an angle of 9.5 arc seconds. It has an apparent magnitude of 6.7, making it 1/400th as bright as Rigel. Two stars in the system can be seen by large telescopes, and the brighter of the two is a spectroscopic binary. These three stars are all blue-white main-sequence stars, each three to four times as massive as the Sun. Rigel and the triple system orbit a common center of gravity with a period estimated to be 24,000 years. The inner stars of the triple system orbit each other every 10 days, and the outer star orbits the inner pair every 63 years. A much fainter star, separated from Rigel and the others by nearly an arc minute, may be part of the same star system.
In 2016, the International Astronomical Union (IAU) included the name "Rigel" in the IAU Catalog of Star Names. According to the IAU, this proper name applies only to the primary component A of the Rigel system. The system is listed variously in historical astronomical catalogs as H II 33, Σ 668, β 555, or ADS 3823. For simplicity, Rigel's companions are referred to as Rigel B, C, and D; the IAU describes such names as "useful nicknames" that are "unofficial". In modern comprehensive catalogs, the whole multiple star system is known as WDS 05145-0812 or CCDM 05145–0812.
The designation of Rigel as β Orionis (Latinized to beta Orionis) was made by Johann Bayer in 1603. The "beta" designation is usually given to the second-brightest star in each constellation, but Rigel is almost always brighter than α Orionis (Betelgeuse). Astronomer J.B. Kaler speculated that Bayer assigned letters during a rare period when variable star Betelgeuse temporarily outshone Rigel, resulting in Betelgeuse being designated "alpha" and Rigel designated "beta". However, closer examination of Bayer's method shows that he did not strictly order the stars by brightness, but instead grouped them first by magnitude, then by declination. Rigel and Betelgeuse were both classed as first magnitude, and in Orion the stars of each class appear to have been ordered north to south.
Rigel has many other stellar designations taken from various catalogs, including the Flamsteed 19 Orionis (19 Ori), the Bright Star Catalogue entry HR 1713, and the Henry Draper Catalogue number HD 34085. These designations frequently appear in the scientific literature,[ but rarely in popular writing. Rigel is listed in the General Catalogue of Variable Stars, but since its familiar Bayer designation is used instead of creating a separate variable star designation.
Rigel is an intrinsic variable star with an apparent magnitude ranging from 0.05 to 0.18. It is typically the seventh-brightest star in the celestial sphere, excluding the Sun, although occasionally fainter than Betelgeuse. Rigel appears slightly blue-white and has a B-V color index of −0.06. It contrasts strongly with reddish Betelgeuse.
Culminating every year at midnight on 12 December, and at 9:00 pm on 24 January, Rigel is visible on winter evenings in the Northern Hemisphere and on summer evenings in the Southern Hemisphere. In the Southern Hemisphere, Rigel is the first bright star of Orion visible as the constellation rises. Correspondingly, it is also the first star of Orion to set in most of the Northern Hemisphere. The star is a vertex of the "Winter Hexagon", an asterism that includes Aldebaran, Capella, Pollux, Procyon, and Sirius. Rigel is a prominent equatorial navigation star, being easily located and readily visible in all the world's oceans (the exception is the area north of the 82nd parallel north).
Rigel's spectral type is a defining point of the classification sequence for supergiants.[36][37] The overall spectrum is typical for a late B class star, with strong absorption lines of the hydrogen Balmer series as well as neutral helium lines and some of heavier elements such as oxygen, calcium, and magnesium.[38] The luminosity class for B8 stars is estimated from the strength and narrowness of the hydrogen spectral lines, and Rigel is assigned to the bright supergiant class Ia.[39] Variations in the spectrum have resulted in the assignment of different classes to Rigel, such as B8 Ia, B8 Iab, and B8 Iae.
As early as 1888, the heliocentric radial velocity of Rigel, as estimated from the Doppler shifts of its spectral lines, was seen to vary. This was confirmed and interpreted at the time as being due to a spectroscopic companion with a period of about 22 days. The radial velocity has since been measured to vary by about 10 km/s around a mean of 21.5 km/s.
In 1933, the Hα line in Rigel's spectrum was seen to be unusually weak and shifted 0.1 nm towards shorter wavelengths, while there was a narrow emission spike about 1.5 nm to the long wavelength side of the main absorption line. This is now known as a P Cygni profile after a star that shows this feature strongly in its spectrum. It is associated with mass loss where there is simultaneously emission from a dense wind close to the star and absorption from circumstellar material expanding away from the star.
The unusual Hα line profile is observed to vary unpredictably. It is a normal absorption line around a third of the time. About a quarter of the time, it is a double-peaked line, that is, an absorption line with an emission core or an emission line with an absorption core. About a quarter of the time it has a P Cygni profile; most of the rest of the time, the line has an inverse P Cygni profile, where the emission component is on the short wavelength side of the line. Rarely, there is a pure emission Hα line. The line profile changes are interpreted as variations in the quantity and velocity of material being expelled from the star. Occasional very high-velocity outflows have been inferred, and, more rarely, infalling material. The overall picture is one of large looping structures arising from the photosphere and driven by magnetic fields.
Rigel has been known to vary in brightness since at least 1930. The small amplitude of Rigel's brightness variation requires photoelectric or CCD photometry to be reliably detected. This brightness variation has no obvious period. Observations over 18 nights in 1984 showed variations at red, blue, and yellow wavelengths of up to 0.13 magnitudes on timescales of a few hours to several days, but again no clear period. Rigel's color index varies slightly, but this is not significantly correlated with its brightness variations.
From analysis of Hipparcos satellite photometry, Rigel is identified as belonging to the Alpha Cygni class of variable stars, defined as "non-radially pulsating supergiants of the Bep–AepIa spectral types". In those spectral types, the 'e' indicates that it displays emission lines in its spectrum, while the 'p' means it has an unspecified spectral peculiarity. Alpha Cygni type variables are generally considered to be irregular or have quasi-periods. Rigel was added to the General Catalogue of Variable Stars in the 74th name-list of variable stars on the basis of the Hipparcos photometry, which showed variations with a photographic amplitude of 0.039 magnitudes and a possible period of 2.075 days. Rigel was observed with the Canadian MOST satellite for nearly 28 days in 2009. Milli-magnitude variations were observed, and gradual changes in flux suggest the presence of long-period pulsation modes.
From observations of the variable Hα spectral line, Rigel's mass-loss rate due to stellar wind is estimated be (1.5±0.4)×10−7 solar masses per year (M☉/yr)—about ten million times more than the mass-loss rate from the Sun.[52] More detailed optical and K band infrared spectroscopic observations, together with VLTI interferometry, were taken from 2006 to 2010. Analysis of the Hα and Hγ line profiles, and measurement of the regions producing the lines, show that Rigel's stellar wind varies greatly in structure and strength. Loop and arm structures were also detected within the wind. Calculations of mass loss from the Hγ line give (9.4±0.9)×10−7 M☉/yr in 2006-7 and (7.6±1.1)×10−7 M☉/yr in 2009–10. Calculations using the Hα line give lower results, around 1.5×10−7 M☉/yr. The terminal wind velocity is 300 km/s. It is estimated that Rigel has lost about three solar masses (M☉) since beginning life as a star of 24±3 M☉ seven to nine million years ago.
Rigel's distance from the Sun is somewhat uncertain, different estimates being obtained by different methods. Old estimates placed it 166 parsecs (or 541 light years) away from the Sun. The 2007 Hipparcos new reduction of Rigel's parallax is 3.78±0.34 mas, giving a distance of 863 light-years (265 parsecs) with a margin of error of about 9%. Rigel B, usually considered to be physically associated with Rigel and at the same distance, has a Gaia Data Release 3 parallax of 3.2352±0.0553 mas, suggesting a distance around 1,000 light-years (310 parsecs). However, the measurements for this object may be unreliable.
Indirect distance estimation methods have also been employed. For example, Rigel is believed to be in a region of nebulosity, its radiation illuminating several nearby clouds. Most notable of these is the 5°-long IC 2118 (Witch Head Nebula), located at an angular separation of 2.5° from the star, or a projected distance of 39 light-years (12 parsecs) away. From measures of other nebula-embedded stars, IC 2118's distance is estimated to be 949 ± 7 light-years (291 ± 2 parsecs).
Rigel is an outlying member of the Orion OB1 association, which is located at a distance of up to 1,600 light-years (500 parsecs) from Earth. It is a member of the loosely defined Taurus-Orion R1 Association, somewhat closer at 1,200 light-years (360 parsecs). Rigel is thought to be considerably closer than most of the members of Orion OB1 and the Orion Nebula. Betelgeuse and Saiph lie at a similar distance to Rigel, although Betelgeuse is a runaway star with a complex history and might have originally formed in the main body of the association.
The star system of which Rigel is a part has at least four components. Rigel (sometimes called Rigel A to distinguish from the other components) has a visual companion, which is likely a close triple-star system. A fainter star at a wider separation might be a fifth component of the Rigel system.
William Herschel discovered Rigel to be a visual double star on 1 October 1781, cataloguing it as star 33 in the "second class of double stars" in his Catalogue of Double Stars, usually abbreviated to H II 33, or as H 2 33 in the Washington Double Star Catalogue.
Friedrich Georg Wilhelm von Struve first measured the relative position of the companion in 1822, cataloguing the visual pair as Σ 668. The secondary star is often referred to as Rigel B or β Orionis B. The angular separation of Rigel B from Rigel A is 9.5 arc seconds to its south along position angle 204°. Although not particularly faint at visual magnitude 6.7, the overall difference in brightness from Rigel A (about 6.6 magnitudes or 440 times fainter) makes it a challenging target for telescope apertures smaller than 15 cm (6 in).
At Rigel's estimated distance, Rigel B's projected separation from Rigel A is over 2,200 astronomical units (AU). Since its discovery, there has been no sign of orbital motion, although both stars share a similar common proper motion. The pair would have an estimated orbital period of 24,000 years. Gaia Data Release 2 (DR2) contains a somewhat unreliable parallax for Rigel B, placing it at about 1,100 light-years (340 parsecs), further away than the Hipparcos distance for Rigel, but similar to the Taurus-Orion R1 association. There is no parallax for Rigel in Gaia DR2. The Gaia DR2 proper motions for Rigel B and the Hipparcos proper motions for Rigel are both small, although not quite the same.
In 1871, Sherburne Wesley Burnham suspected Rigel B to be a binary system, and in 1878, he resolved it into two components. This visual companion is designated as component C (Rigel C), with a measured separation from component B that varies from less than 0.1″ to around 0.3″. In 2009, speckle interferometry showed the two almost identical components separated by 0.124″, with visual magnitudes of 7.5 and 7.6, respectively. Their estimated orbital period is 63 years. Burnham listed the Rigel multiple system as β 555 in his double star catalog or BU 555 in modern use.
Component B is a double-lined spectroscopic binary system, which shows two sets of spectral lines combined within its single stellar spectrum. Periodic changes observed in relative positions of these lines indicate an orbital period of 9.86 days. The two spectroscopic components Rigel Ba and Rigel Bb cannot be resolved in optical telescopes but are known to both be hot stars of spectral type around B9. This spectroscopic binary, together with the close visual component Rigel C, is likely a physical triple-star system, although Rigel C cannot be detected in the spectrum, which is inconsistent with its observed brightness.
In 1878, Burnham found another possibly associated star of approximately 13th magnitude. He listed it as component D of β 555, although it is unclear whether it is physically related or a coincidental alignment. Its 2017 separation from Rigel was 44.5″, almost due north at a position angle of 1°.[8] Gaia DR2 finds it to be a 12th magnitude sunlike star at approximately the same distance as Rigel. Likely a K-type main-sequence star, this star would have an orbital period of around 250,000 years, if it is part of the Rigel system.
A spectroscopic companion to Rigel was reported on the basis of radial velocity variations, and its orbit was even calculated, but subsequent work suggests the star does not exist and that observed pulsations are intrinsic to Rigel itself.
Rigel is a blue supergiant that has exhausted the hydrogen fuel in its core, expanded and cooled as it moved away from the main sequence across the upper part of the Hertzsprung–Russell diagram. When it was on the main sequence, its effective temperature would have been around 30,000 K. Rigel's complex variability at visual wavelengths is caused by stellar pulsations similar to those of Deneb. Further observations of radial velocity variations indicate that it simultaneously oscillates in at least 19 non-radial modes with periods ranging from about 1.2 to 74 days.
Estimation of many physical characteristics of blue supergiant stars, including Rigel, is challenging due to their rarity and uncertainty about how far they are from the Sun. As such, their characteristics are mainly estimated from theoretical stellar evolution models. Its effective temperature can be estimated from the spectral type and color to be around 12,100 K. A mass of 21±3 M☉ at an age of 8±1 million years has been estimated by comparing evolutionary tracks, while atmospheric modeling from the spectrum gives a mass of 24±8 M☉.
Although Rigel is often considered the most luminous star within 1,000 light-years of the Sun, its energy output is poorly known. Using the Hipparcos distance of 860 light-years (264 parsecs), the estimated relative luminosity for Rigel is about 120,000 times that of the Sun (L☉), but another recently published distance of 1,170 ± 130 light-years (360 ± 40 parsecs) suggests an even higher luminosity of 219,000 L☉. Other calculations based on theoretical stellar evolutionary models of Rigel's atmosphere give luminosities anywhere between 83,000 L☉ and 363,000 L☉, while summing the spectral energy distribution from historical photometry with the Hipparcos distance suggests a luminosity as low as 61,515±11,486 L☉.
A 2018 study using the Navy Precision Optical Interferometer measured the angular diameter as 2.526 mas. After correcting for limb darkening, the angular diameter is found to be 2.606±0.009 mas, yielding a radius of 74.1+6.1−7.3 R☉. An older measurement of the angular diameter gives 2.75±0.01 mas, equivalent to a radius of 78.9 R☉ at 264 pc. These radii are calculated assuming the Hipparcos distance of 264 pc; adopting a distance of 360 pc leads to a significantly larger size. Older distance estimates were mostly far lower than modern estimates, leading to lower radius estimates; a 1922 estimate by John Stanley Plaskett gave Rigel a diameter of 25 million miles, or approximately 28.9 R☉, smaller than its neighbor Aldebaran.
Due to their closeness to each other and ambiguity of the spectrum, little is known about the intrinsic properties of the members of the Rigel BC triple system. All three stars seem to be near equally hot B-type main-sequence stars that are three to four times as massive as the Sun.
Stellar evolution models suggest the pulsations of Rigel are powered by nuclear reactions in a hydrogen-burning shell that is at least partially non-convective. These pulsations are stronger and more numerous in stars that have evolved through a red supergiant phase and then increased in temperature to again become a blue supergiant. This is due to the decreased mass and increased levels of fusion products at the surface of the star.
Rigel is likely to be fusing helium in its core. Due to strong convection of helium produced in the core while Rigel was on the main sequence and in the hydrogen-burning shell since it became a supergiant, the fraction of helium at the surface has increased from 26.6% when the star formed to 32% now. The surface abundances of carbon, nitrogen, and oxygen seen in the spectrum are compatible with a post-red supergiant star only if its internal convection zones are modeled using non-homogeneous chemical conditions known as the Ledoux Criteria.
Rigel is expected to eventually end its stellar life as a type II supernova. It is one of the closest known potential supernova progenitors to Earth, and would be expected to have a maximum apparent magnitude of around −11 (about the same brightness as a quarter Moon or around 300 times brighter than Venus ever gets). The supernova would leave behind either a black hole or a neutron star.
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On average, a doe mule deer will not exceed 160 pounds or so. They are rather small compared to their cousins, the white-tailed deer. This girl was looking pretty skinny! Her desert habitat on the floor of Zion Canyon, plus the fact that she was raising two fawns, must make for a pretty spartan existence! Her fawns were terrified and would not come out of the thick grass, so no photos! She was grazing about 30 feet from my tent in Watchman Campground. She allowed me super super close--as I sat on a rock about 10 feet from her and just watched her attack those wildflowers!
Double Double.
An average of 69 frames from a video taken with a SAC-IV QuickCam based CCD camera mounted on a 203.2mm f/6.3 Meade LX200 Schmidt-Cassegrain Telescope at 10:40 PM on September 28, 2002 in Ellenville, NY. The Double Double (epsilon Lyrae, SAO67310 and SAO67315) is a pair of double stars with a separation of 209 arc seconds. A dark frame was subtracted from each of the frames and they were aligned and averaged using Keith's Image Staker on my 600MHz iBook. To resolve the individual stars, more magnification is needed.
Red-headed Trogon
The red-headed trogon (Harpactes erythrocephalus) is a species of bird in the family Trogonidae.
The red-headed trogon is on average 34 cm (13 in) in length. The male has a red head and breast, a unique feature in the Trogon group. The female resembles the Diard’s trogon without a speckled undertail.
The head, neck and upper breast of an adult male is dull crimson. A narrow white band crosses the mid breast, underneath which the lower breast to abdomen is light red to pink. Pale red can be observed on the flanks whereas the mantle and back of the bird are rusty brown. The male perches on branches with the support of mauve-blue legs. Regarding wing colouration, the lesser and median wing coverts, secondary coverts, as well as outer webs of tertials and secondaries are vermiculated black and white. The primary feathers also appear black and white. As for the bird’s long tail, the central feathers are dark brown with a black tip, the second and third pairs are black and the outer pairs are white with black bases. Finally, a black-tipped cobalt blue bill, a deep mauve-blue gape and eyering and reddish-brown irises shape the bird’s face.
The head, neck and upper breast of an adult female are olive-brown. Just like the male, a narrow white band crosses the mid breast, underneath which the lower breast to abdomen is light red to pink. The mantle and back appear orange to brown in colour. The wings are vermiculated dark brown and yellowish brown. The tail feathers are very similar to those of the males. The bill, gape and bare eyering are pale blue on females.
At the juvenile stage, the head, neck and upper-parts are buff brown, whereas the underparts appear buff white. No black tip on the narrower central tail feathers can be observed.
The Red-headed trogon is a widely distributed species of the Harpactes genus and is occurs across much of the Indian subcontinent and Southeast Asia. It is sporadically distributed from North-Eastern India, Bangladesh and Central Nepal to Southern China, through the Malay Peninsula all the way to areas of Sumatra.
The red-headed trogon prefers upland forests. In the Himalayan foothills it lives in dense broad-leaved forests and in tropical and subtropical zones the species inhabits mostly mixed bamboo forests. In Southeast Asia, this species frequents broadleaved evergreen forests from 300m up to 2600m. In Myanmar, Red-headed trogons live in bamboo and oak forests at 2500m altitude with Ward's Trogons (Harpactes wardi). On the Malay Peninsula, the birds can be observed regularly between 300m and 1680m in evergreen lowland, lower montane and taller upper montane forests. Towards the south of the peninsula however, it is rarely seen below 700m. In Laos, it shares its habitat of evergreen forests and adjacent plains 1700m high, with the Orange-breasted Trogon (Harpactes oreskios). Finally, in northern, western and southern Thailand, it favours climax broad-leaved evergreen forests between 400m and 2000m which it also shares with the Orange-breasted Trogon (Harpactes oreskios).
The bird's local conservation status varies depending on the level of disturbance in the forest. Generally speaking it is locally fairly common in Northeastern India, frequent in Bhutan, and locally dispersed in Bangladesh. The forests of Vietnam appear to be a stronghold, for the birds are reported regularly from many localities throughout the country. Elsewhere throughout its range, it is uncommon to scarce, including Nepal where habitat destruction most certainly explains a rapid decline in population numbers in that area.
In most regions, the red-headed trogon is sedentary although researchers have observed altitudinal movements in Southern Laos, as well as in the Sangthong district, Northern Laos.
Red-headed trogons can most often be found perched on a shaded branch waiting for prey, alone or in pairs. Flight between trees is often sluggish and very low, only a few meters above the ground.
Red-headed trogons are most active in the early hours of the morning and at night, when they fly on the edges of forest clearings in pursuit of flying moths.
In central south Thailand, they share their habitat with the Orange-breasted trogon (Harpactes oreskios). The two species often follow flocks of foraging birds taking advantage of the insects they flush out.
The male’s call resembles that of the Eurasian golden oriole (Oriolus oriolus): a sequence of usually five to six, well-spaced mellow “tyaup” notes, repeated every minute. Occasionally the male calls an extended “pluu-du” note marked by a significant terminal drop in pitch. The call is repeated every 3–6 seconds. As an alarm signal, the Red-headed trogon emits a chattering croak.
Red-headed trogons feed primarily on insects and their larvae found in the foliage, on tree branches or in mid air. They also eat leaves and fruits. Some food items include green orthopterans, stick-insects, cicadas, millipedes, flies, beetles, centipedes, woodlice and moths.
In Northern India, eggs are laid between mid April and mid July, with a peak in May and June. In China, eggs are laid in April, as do eggs in Myanmar. In Thailand, nesting occurs slightly earlier, in March and continues until July, while on the Malay Peninsula dependent juveniles have been observed anytime between early March and late May.
Red-headed trogons usually nest in natural tree cavities, 1.5 to 5m above the ground. The entrance hole is generally wide. Indeed, the pair will enlarge narrow entrances, and occasionally, will excavate the entire nesting cavity. Birds have been seen using old nesting holes of woodpeckers and barbets.
Both sexes contribute to the nesting process, namely excavating, incubating the eggs, brooding and feeding the offspring. However females spend more time brooding, since they alone incubate and brood at night. Males on the other hand contribute more to providing the chicks with food. During the day the pair will take it in turns to brood although they have been known to incubate together.
Nest success is low, at about 9%.
A working day for the average Malaysian, more often than not, begins with a long commute from residential areas into the city. Bus services start running before dawn so residents are usually on their way to work by 5.30am.
At an average of 40 feet, a Grey Whale is about as long as a large school bus and at 40 tons, about three and a half times as heavy. You can see the barnacles and scarring on this whale’s back.
The average girl would rather have beauty than brains because she knows the average man can see much better than he can think.
Type: BOP
Diet: Carnivore
Average life span in the wild:
30 years
Size:
Body, 21 to 23 in (54 to 58 cm); wingspan, 5 to 6 ft (1.5 to 1.8 m)
Weight:
3.1 to 4.4 lbs (1.4 to 2 kg)
Did you know?
The osprey is one of the most widespread birds of prey and can be found on every continent except Antarctica.
Ospreys are superb fishers and indeed eat little else—fish make up some 99 percent of their diet. Because of this appetite, these birds can be found near ponds, rivers, lakes, and coastal waterways around the world. Ospreys hunt by diving to the water's surface from some 30 to 100 feet (9 to 30 meters) up. They have gripping pads on their feet to help them pluck fish from the water with their curved claws and carry them for great distances. In flight, ospreys will orient the fish headfirst to ease wind resistance.
Ospreys are sometimes confused with bald eagles, but can be identified by their white underparts. Their white heads also have a distinctive black eyestripe that goes down the side of their faces. Eagles and ospreys frequent similar habitats and sometimes battle for food. Eagles often force osprey to drop fish that they have caught and steal them in midair.
Human habitat is sometimes an aid to the osprey. The birds happily build large stick-and-sod nests on telephone poles, channel markers, and other such locations. Artificial nesting platforms are common in areas where preservationists are working to reestablish the birds. North American osprey populations became endangered in the 1950s due to chemical pollutants such as DDT, which thinned their eggshells and hampered reproduction. Ospreys have rebounded significantly in recent decades, though they remain scarce in some locales.
Most ospreys are migratory birds that breed in the north and migrate south for the winter. They lay eggs (typically three), which both parents help to incubate. Osprey eggs don't hatch all at once, but are staggered in time so that some siblings are older and more dominant. When food is scarce these stronger birds may take it all and leave their siblings to starve.
Vegas Elites enjoyed mountains of delicious nachos, a little basketball inspired competition and a whole lotta Runnin' Rebels' spirit at Nacho Daddy! Photos by Hicks Photography.https://www.facebook.com/JHicksPhotography
Averaging more than 18 meters in length, and weighing sometimes in excess of 35 tons, a breaching humpback whale clears the surface of the ocean in an awesome display of power
Mars.
An average of 101 frames from video taken with a SAC-IV QuickCam based CCD camera mounted on an 203.2mm f/6.3 Meade LX200 Schmidt-Cassegrain Telescope with a Meade Series 4000 x2 barlow at 2:07 AM on July 26, 2003 in Ellenville, NY. Each of the frames was aligned and averaged using Keith's Image Staker on my 600MHz iBook.
The average human body contains enough human bones to make up an entire human skeleton.
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© Hugh Lee 2014
Average speed was slow because of staying on the canal for so long (see canal tow-path pics at the start of the set)
On average, over 2,000 B737's are in the air at any given time. On average, one B737 takes off or lands every 2 seconds.
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Pictured: Boeing 737 assembly line at Boeing Field's Thompson facility in the late 1960s before production moved to Renton (Source: Boeing).
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#history #aviationhistory #flight #boeing737 #boeing #crewlife #flighttraining #flightsafety #airbus #airline #airlines #facts fat.ly/26nqo
Nagamori - Victoria's colleagues
Thoughts about Japan - OK Japan, here is one more thing you need to do before 2020. You need to listen to and understand the words of songs chosen by department stores that assault their unsuspecting customers. Yes, I do realise that the average customer does not understand the words and, if they are paying any attention at all to the music, they may be attracted to the beat but, the World is coming to Japan and if English-speaking tourists heard what I heard this morning, they'd be shocked and, this is saying a lot because I do not shock easily.
I was in Gifu's Loft (similar to the Bay) this morning on the 3rd floor (Halloween/Stationary/cards/luggage) and the music that was blasting away at 10:30am (actually, once you've finished reading this posting, you'll probably agree that no matter the time, the music choice was unacceptable) made me first, uncomfortable and then angry. For approximately 5 minutes, I was treated to rap lyrics that included (they were so disgusting that I had to write them down) 'You call this shit rape but I think that rape's fun, I just got one request, stop breathing'; 'F*** Mary ... keep that bitch locked up in my storage, rape her and record it' and finally, ''I wanna tie her body up and throw her in my basement, keep her there so nobody can wonder where her face went'. I asked a clerk if she understood the music that she was singing along with and she blushed and said 'no'. At this time of day, there were shoppers of all ages from toddlers to grandparents. If they only knew what they'd been listening to, they would probably complain to the store manager. I made my purchase and escaped to the second floor where the music choice was a bit more in keeping with the location and time of day.
By 2020, this must be fixed.
Further thoughts on Japan:
Even though Canadians would be scandalized, the colourful array of laundry drying on lines stretched across apartment balconies adds to the over all feeling of well-being in Japan. Perhaps if we permitted such colourful displays, the monotony of Canadian suburbia would be reduced.
Even though the population is much greater here than at home, I do not sense underlying frustration and impatience that I feel amongst Canadians. Even though everyone seems to be in a hurry in both countries, here, I have not witnessed people angry that they've missed a train or that someone got to the door before them and then let it swing shut in their face or constantly looking at their watch and huffing about how late they are going to be. Japan's infrastructure has been built with the express purpose of making transit as painless as possible whether on the roads, riding trains/buses or just walking on the streets. Of course the areas of Japan I visit most often have lovely weather the majority of the time with the odd typhoon and earthquake thrown in just to add a little excitement so, what I am about to write may be impossible to replicate in Ottawa.
Where we build out, Japan builds up making life here a vertical experience. Train stations are often elevated which means that where there is the need to build stairs, they are accompanied by covered outdoor escalators. Elevated sidewalks are covered (but not enclosed) from the elements which makes walking very enjoyable. An example of this is the location of Victoria's local train that takes her from her apartment to downtown Gifu. I have appreciated this route as I've taken the train from Gifu to Okayama, Nagoya, Takayama and Kyoto. The local train is owned & operated by a private company and does not let off at Gifu JR Station. There is a five minute walk between the two stations as well as a descending and ascending situation. The local comes in at an elevated station. After leaving, you must descend to the sidewalk using either stairs or escalator or elevator. After leaving the train, you are always outdoors but under a roof so that you will be dry but not necessarily warm as everything is open to the street. Walking along the sidewalk can be a bit of a challenge with bikes weaving between pedestrians (I can just hear you gasping that having bikes on sidewalks is dangerous. I've witnessed a couple of near misses but have not yet seen a collision. Cyclists here are not plugged into headphones and do not ride bikes that seat the rider over the handlebars. Japanese cyclists sit upright so are usually aware of their surroundings.) Gifu Station is 2 floors and train riders going to the station by foot enter on the second floor (the first floor has stores and restaurants). This means another outdoor covered escalator to a covered (sides open to the air) walkway that takes you to the station. Located along the walkway, are stores, a medical clinic and a travel agent. It is interesting that businesses survive without a street-level store front. Yesterday, I watched a delivery man manoeuvre stacking trays of breads, buns and oniguri out of an elevator from the street to the convenience store located on the elevated walkway. Infrastructure in Japan is amazing! Where there is a need, there is usually a solution provided.
Japan loves sliding doors. These take up far less space, are much quieter and no one gets hit going through. Swinging doors slow down the flow and often result in doors swinging shut just as you get there as no one bothered to hold it for that last second or having to hold doors as others rush through with no expression of appreciation to the door-holder.
Japan stores, again due to the weather, often have the entire store front open to the outside (plus, they continue to air condition the interior of the store). Canadian shoppers would consider the use of air conditioning to be wasteful as the store owner is air conditioning the outside air that is flowing in. In Japan, it just seems to be the way to get shoppers into your store. Again, it also makes life seamless ... it is much easier and feels friendlier to be entering a store or mall directly from the sidewalk without having to be funnelled through a door which you may have to open for yourself or hold open for others.
One of the things that I still can not get used to in Japan is the blaring of announcements from loud speakers mounted on cars and trucks that drive through the streets announcing concerts, store sales and, of course, during elections, campaign promises.
Oct 20/13 - Yesterday, Victoria and I started the day bright and early at her middle-school helping with Recycling Day. The school's 300 students plus teachers and parents were divided between 3 locations in Nagamori. Each location was responsible to receive & organized items droped off for recycling. One group collected clothing, another collected bottles & cans and our group collected newspapers & flyers. Citizens of Nagamori pulled up to a drop-off location, popped their trunk & the kids would grab bags & bundles, place them neatly along the roadway and then patiently wait for the recycling truck to pull up &, that's when the fun began. The 100 students we worked will had a great time throwing bundles of newspaper up into the truck. It was especially fun once a teacher jumped into the truck to help the recycling guys. The kids kept trying to throw the bundles to their teacher. I was amazed how well these kids worked together without constant parent/teacher nagging. Even while waiting for truck to return, the kids kept themselves entertained without any electronic devices or adult organization. After everything was picked up, the students went home for lunch and the teachers went to the school for lunch. After lunch, everyone was expected to return wearing their uniforms for an assembly. Later in the afternoon, there was going to be a parent vs. teachers volleyball game. Victoria and I left after lunch for our trip to Tokyo. While at Nagamori Minami Junior Highschool I met Masako Suzuki (English), Tomomi Kobayashi (English), Mr. Ryoji (Head Teacher & Science) and Mr. Kishimoto (Principal).
This is an average sized penguin with a full grown weight of no more than 13 pounds. When they mature they will develop a black breast band. It will extend all the way down to the thigh region. They only have one band around their neck which is an easy way to tell them from the Magellanic Penguins that live in close proximity to them.
The Humboldt Penguin lives in South America along the Pacific Coast. It is found in both Chile and Peru. They enjoy the warmer climate compared to many other types of penguins out there. They live on the rocky areas around the shores.
Due to the warm temperatures where the Humboldt Penguins live, they don’t engage in the migration process. The physical appearance of these penguins is very much the same for both the males and females. It is from observing their behaviors though that they are able to be distinguished from each other.
Both sexes are very social within their colony. They have intricate sounds for communication that researchers still have to learn a great deal about. It through sight and sound that they are able to recognize each other as independent beings. The entire colony works together in order to offer protection from their enemies.
You may be surprised to discover how easily the Humboldt Penguin is able to glide through the water. They can move at a speed of up to 20 miles per hour. This is how they go about feeding on small fish and krill that live in the water. They don’t chew their food, instead the swallow it quickly.
When it comes to reproduction, the Humboldt Penguin can take part in this activity any time of the year. Generally, the more food that they have available the more they will engage in it. When food is scarce they won’t reproduce which is why there are concerns over dropping food sources because it can lead to even more of a reduction in their overall numbers.
They reach maturity to be able to reproduce from 2 to 7 years of age. The females will lay eggs in nests or burrows to protect them from predators. They can lay up to three eggs at a time. Both the male and the female take turns keeping the eggs warm until they hatch. It takes approximately 40 days for them to be born. If food is scarce then only the largest of the offspring will be fed and the others left to die.