NASA's Hubble Space Telescope captured new images of Jupiter on January 5-6, 2024, revealing dynamic weather patterns and notable storms such as the Great Red Spot and Red Spot Junior. The observations are part of the annual Outer Planet Atmospheres Legacy project. Volcanic activity and surface features of Io. Credit: NASA, ESA, STScI, Amy Simon (NASA-GSFC)

Hurricanes, wind shear, violent storms in Jupiter's atmosphere

The largest and closest of the giant exoplanets, ThursdayIts colorful clouds offer an ever-changing kaleidoscope of shapes and colors. It is a planet with always stormy weather: hurricanes, anticyclones, wind shear and the largest storm in the solar system, the Great Red Spot.

Jupiter does not have a solid surface, and is permanently covered by ammonia ice-crystal clouds about 30 miles thick in an atmosphere tens of thousands of miles deep and giving the planet its banded appearance.

Bands are produced by winds flowing in different directions at different latitudes at speeds of up to 350 miles per hour. The lighter areas where the atmosphere rises are called zones. The dark areas where the wind falls are called belts. When these opposing currents interact, storms and turbulence appear.

Hubble tracks these dynamic changes with unprecedented clarity every year, and there are always new surprises. The many large storms and small white clouds seen in Hubble's latest images are evidence that there is a lot of activity going on in Jupiter's atmosphere right now.

Jupiter is built in stripes of brownish orange, light gray, soft yellow and cream colors. Many large storms and small white clouds stop the planet. The largest storm, the Great Red Spot, is the most prominent feature in the lower left third of this view. To its lower right is a small reddish anticyclone, Red Spot Jr. Another small red anti-vortex appears near the top center of the image. At the top right of center in the right image, a pair of storms appear next to each other: a deep red, triangular-shaped tornado and a red anti-storm. Towards the lower left edge of the image is Jupiter's small moon Io. The colorful orange color means that volcanic outflow sediments are found on Io's surface. Credit: NASA, ESA, Amy Simon (NASA-GSFC)

The Hubble Space Telescope monitors Jupiter's stormy weather

The giant planet Jupiter, in all its glory, is revisited NASAs Hubble Space Telescope In these latest images, both sides of the planet were captured on January 5-6, 2024. Hubble observes Jupiter and other outer solar system planets every year Outer Planet Atmospheres Legacy Program (OPAL). Because these large worlds are surrounded by clouds and stirred by violent winds, causing an ever-changing kaleidoscope of weather patterns.

[left image] – Big enough to swallow Earth, the classic Great Red Spot stands prominently in Jupiter's atmosphere. To its lower right, at a higher southern latitude, is a feature sometimes called the Red Spot Jr. This anticyclone is the result of combined storms in 1998 and 2000, and it first appeared red in 2006 and then turned light brown in subsequent years. It's a bit red again this year. The source of the red color is unknown but may include a variety of chemical compounds: sulfur, phosphorus, or organic matter. Staying in their paths, but moving in opposite directions, Red Spot Junior passes the Great Red Spot every two years. Another small red anticyclone appears in the far north.

[right image] – Storm activity also appears in the opposite hemisphere. A pair of storms, a deep red tornado and a reddish anti-tornado, appear next to each other to the right of center. They look so red that, at first glance, it looks like Jupiter's knees are skinned. These storms rotate in opposite directions, indicating an alternating pattern of high and low pressure systems. In the case of cyclones, clouds at the edges descend in the middle, removing atmospheric fog.

Credit: NASA's Goddard Space Flight Center, Lead Producer: Paul Morris

The storms are expected to pass each other because their counterclockwise and counterclockwise rotation repels each other. “Many large storms and small white clouds are a sign of a lot of activity in Jupiter's atmosphere right now,” said Amy Simon, Opal project manager at NASA's Goddard Space Flight Center in Greenbelt, Maryland.

The Galilean moon on the left edge of the image, Io – is the most volcanically active body in the Solar System, despite its small size (slightly larger than Earth's moon). Hubble resolves volcanic outflow deposits on the surface. Hubble's sensitivity to blue and violet wavelengths clearly reveals interesting surface features. of NASA in 1979 Voyager 1 The spacecraft discovered Io's pizza-like appearance and volcanoes, which surprised planetary scientists because it is a small moon. Hubble picked up where Voyager left off, tracking the restless Io year after year.

The Hubble Space Telescope images used in this animated science visualization present a complete rotation of the giant planet Jupiter. It's not a real-time movie. Instead, Hubble snapshots of the colorful planet taken on January 5-6, 2024, were photographed on a sphere and rotated in model animation. The planet's actual rotation rate is about 10 hours, which is easily plotted by watching the Great Red Spot come and go during each completed rotation. Hubble observes Jupiter and other outer solar system planets every year under the Outer Planet Atmospheres Legacy Project (OPAL). Credit: NASA, ESA, Amy Simon (NASA-GSFC), Joseph DePasquale (STScI)

The Hubble Space Telescope has been operating for more than three decades and continues to make new discoveries that shape our fundamental understanding of the universe. Hubble is a project of international collaboration between NASA and ESA (European Space Agency) NASA's Goddard Space Flight Center in Greenbelt, Maryland manages the telescope. Goddard is working with Lockheed Martin Space in Denver, Colorado. The Space Telescope Science Institute (STScI) in Baltimore, Maryland, runs Hubble and Webb science operations for NASA. STScI is operated for NASA by the Association of Universities for Astronomical Research in Washington, DC.

This 12-panel series of Hubble Space Telescope images taken January 5-6, 2024, provide snapshots of the giant planet Jupiter's entire cycle. The Great Red Spot is used to measure the planet's true rotation rate of about 10 hours. The innermost Galilean satellite, Io, is seen in many frames as its shadow crosses over Jupiter's cloud cover. Hubble observes Jupiter and other outer solar system planets every year under the Outer Planet Atmospheres Legacy Project (OPAL). Credit: Amy Simon (NASA-GSFC)

3 hours before

LAKEVIEW, Ohio (AP) — Residents of a region of Central America hit by a deadly hurricane spent Saturday cleaning up, assessing damage and helping neighbors. But it will be a long recovery from the storms that swept through parts of Ohio, Kentucky, Indiana and Arkansas.

Storms Thursday night Three lives were lost One of the hardest-hit areas was the Indian Lake area of ​​Logan County, Ohio, and an Indiana community where about 40 people were injured and dozens of homes were damaged. Tornadoes were also reported in Illinois and Missouri.

Samantha Snipes, 33, said when she first heard the tornado warning, she called her father, who lives seven minutes away, to take cover. He told The Associated Press that he was trying to get into a closet in his childhood home and then the phone was cut off.

She and her husband tried to reach him on the main road but could not and had to take a back route after the cyclone passed.

“It was out of a movie like 'Twister,'” he said. “My dad's garage was leveled. The back of his house is gone. It's like everything's gone.”

They all clamored for him. When they found him, he was unhurt and told him to stop crying, she said.

Her father, Joe Baker, told his children to hide in the closet in case a tornado ever hit.

“We grew up here. It's our childhood home,” said Snipes, who spent Saturday throwing things away and figuring out what could be saved. “You see it on the news. But you never imagine it happening to you.

Steve Wills, a pastor who owns a vacation home on Orchard Island, said Saturday he had a family crew clean up and patch up a hole in the roof.

“We grieve for the families who lost their lives. There are three deaths in our society. You know, it breaks our hearts,” Wills said. “But it could have been more, could have been more. Yeah, so I still have hope.

The community was really helpful, Snipes said.

The school superintendent was dropping off food, clothes and diapers on Friday. The night of the hurricane, neighbors on her dad's street were going door-to-door stopping for gas, she said.

“Everyone who travels on this road is safe. You know neighbors helping neighbors,” Snipes said.

A gunman accused of fatally shooting family members, including a 13-year-old girl in Pennsylvania, was taken into custody without incident before fleeing to New Jersey and barricading himself inside a home in Trenton, police said Saturday evening.

The suspected shooter, Andre Gordon, 26, allegedly shot the victims. Saturday morning At two locations in Levittown, Pennsylvania. He then kidnapped a driver at gunpoint and fled to New Jersey, where he was located, police said “Tracked to his home” in Trenton.

As SWAT team members surrounded it, the man somehow got out of the home — which authorities initially said was occupied — and was found and arrested nearby, Trenton Police Department officials said.

Trenton police spokeswoman Lisette Rios said Saturday afternoon that officers believed the hostages were not home and that Gordon was inside.

The incident began at 8:52 a.m. when officers were dispatched to a residence on Viewpoint Lane in Levittown following a report of shots fired in Falls Township, Pennsylvania, police said in a news release.

District Attorney Jennifer Schorn in Bucks County, Pennsylvania, said Gordon drove a stolen vehicle from Trenton, drove into the home and killed his 52-year-old stepmother, Karen Gordon, and 13-year-old sister, Cara Gordon. .

Three other people inside the home, including a minor, “managed to hide and avoid being shot as Gordon went through the house looking for them,” he said at a Saturday afternoon news conference.

Following that incident, Gordon drove to a home on Edgewood Lane in Levittown, where he fatally shot Taylor Daniel, 25, with whom he shared two children, Schorn said.

Four other people were inside the home, including one who was injured after Gordon “blasted” her with an assault rifle, Schorn said. The injured woman was taken to hospital and is expected to recover.

At 9:13 a.m., he allegedly carjacked a 44-year-old man at gunpoint in the parking lot of a Dollar General store in Morrisville. The driver was not injured, officials said.

will shoot According to authorities, he fled in a 2016 gray Honda CRV with a Pennsylvania license plate and a “Namaste” sticker in white letters on the right bumper.

The Bucks County District Attorney's Office said the vehicle was unoccupied in Trenton at 11:38 a.m.

At 12:22 p.m., the district attorney's office said it received information that Gordon had barricaded himself inside a home in Trenton with hostages.

“We are forwarding all information related to that aspect of this investigation to the Trenton City Police Department,” the district attorney's office said.

Police in Pennsylvania previously said Gordon was homeless after being in contact with Trenton. They said he was in possession of the gun he allegedly used in the shooting. He warned that he may have additional weapons and that he is “very dangerous”.

A shelter was in place in Falls Township because of the shooting. Police have asked residents to lock their doors and windows to a safe place. The shelter-in-place order was lifted Saturday afternoon.

The Bucks County St. Patrick's Day Parade scheduled for Saturday morning was canceled, and Pennsbury School District activities were postponed.

In nearby Middletown Township, residents were told not to visit the city of Falls. Middletown Township police later said, “We received word that we were all clear.”

Rep. Brian Fitzpatrick said he was in contact with law enforcement.

Governor Josh Shapiro said he was briefed on the incident and asked state police to assist local law enforcement.

Falls Township Police Chief Nelson Whitney said officers had had little contact with Gordon in the past, but said there was “nothing to indicate anything like this was going to happen.”

Levittown is located in the Philadelphia metropolitan area, 26 miles from downtown.

This is a growing story. Check back for updates.

NC State picked up its fourth win in four nights in what could have been an even worse win.

The 10th-seeded Wolfpack defeated No. 3 seed Virginia 73-65 on a day that stunned No. 2 seed Duke in the quarterfinals of the ACC men's basketball tournament. NC State will face top-ranked UNC in the finals, beating Pitt.

In the final minute of the game, especially when they took a 58-52 lead with 51 seconds left, Virginia appeared on track to end the dream run. However, a foul on Ryan Dunn's 3-point attempt on the next possession allowed NC State to cut the lead to 58-55 with 43 seconds left.

Virginia came up empty on its next two possessions, the final one being a one-and-one free throw by Isaac McNeely with five seconds left. You can guess where this is going.

NC State has no deadlines. Virginia had a fault to give. Wolfpack guard Michael O'Connell drove into Virginia territory and had about four seconds to make a 3-pointer. It took a wild bank and a favorable spin to tie the game and he somehow did:

NC State outscored Virginia 73-65 and 15-7 in overtime.

It's hard to overstate how out of nowhere this run from NC State was. The Wolfpack finished the regular season 4-10 with losses in their final four games. They defeated conference doormat Louisville by nine points, then dominated Syracuse and convinced Duke to stay alive in Washington.

NC State is now one win away from becoming the outright bid stealer in March Madness and completing the five-win streak that Kemba Walker helped make UConn immortal. A UNC team ahead of them could clinch the No. 1 seed in the NCAA Tournament with a win.

UNC defeated NC State in both of their regular season games, a 67-54 win in Raleigh and a 79-70 win in Chapel Hill. The Wolfpack certainly weren't the opponent the Tar Heels expected in the finals, but that didn't mean they couldn't take them lightly.

Gerrit Cole and the New York Yankees seem to have avoided a worst-case scenario.

The Yankees' ace and reigning Cy Young winner will skip Tommy John surgery, instead Thursday with surgeon T. After meeting Neil L'Atrache, he will go with a rest and rehab routine after throwing his elbow. MLB.com's Mark Feinsand. Cole's timetable is believed to be around 10-12 weeks.

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The result confirms previous reports on Cole's health, which indicated he could miss a month or two. The 10-week schedule that begins Thursday could mean a mid-May return for Cole, who will start the season on the injured list.

Concerns surrounding Cole's elbow have gradually increased over the past few days as the Yankees have put him through a series of medical consultations. It's not hard to understand why the Yankees should be cautious with the right-hander, as there shouldn't be a team in the MLB that can't afford to lose its best starter for a significant amount of time.

With Cole out, the Yankees will enter 2024 with a rotation of something along the lines of Nestor Cortez, Carlos Roden, Marcus Stroman, Clark Schmidt and Clayton Peter. Despite the Yankees' upgrades elsewhere, it's not a team that screams AL East contender.

With a fully healthy goaltender last year, the Yankees finished 82-80, 19 games behind the division champion Baltimore Orioles. The team could still theoretically sign a free-agent pitcher like Blake Snell or Jordan Montgomery, but how the Yankees approached those players this offseason would require a significant change.

CNN
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A Manhattan judge on Thursday denied a motion to dismiss federal bribery and extortion charges. Sen. Bob Menendez On the basis of legislative immunity.

The New Jersey Democrat argued the charges violated the Constitution's doctrine of prerogatives and the speech or debate clause, which protects lawmakers from certain law enforcement actions aimed at their legislative duties.

Judge Sidney Stein on Thursday slammed the argument, ruling that the charges against Menendez cover conduct outside of “legislative acts” and that those legal protections are absent.

Menendez, his wife Nadine Menendez and three New Jersey businessmen were indicted in September as part of a bribery scheme. The indictment was updated a few times with additional charges as prosecutors filed new charges of acting as a senator. Foreign Agent of Egypt and accepting gifts from Qatar as part of a multi-year corruption scheme. Menendez pleaded guilty to the charge.

Menendez may appeal Stein's decision, which could delay his trial, which is set to begin on May 6. A separate motion to dismiss the charges on other grounds is also pending.

The senator's attorney, Adam Fee, told CNN that Menendez's team is reviewing the ruling and its legal options, adding that “the court's decision makes clear that a jury will have the final say on the government's allegations.”

“As we have said from day one, the indictment is a total distortion of the truth, and we continue to be fully confident that a jury will find the truth: that Senator Menendez did nothing wrong,” the statement continued. “We look forward to continuing the investigation, where we intend to clear the name of this dedicated lifelong public servant.”

Thursday's decision comes just days after Menendez Innocent A dozen new charges including conspiracy, obstruction of justice, bribery and extortion. Prosecutors charged three Allegation of trespass Earlier this month he led his lawyers to provide false information in interviews with investigators, including saying the alleged illegal bribes were loans.

Menendez also faced an uproar Calls for resignation — including from his own party and his Senate colleagues — have been indicted since September. The lawmaker has pushed back, saying repeatedly that he will not resign and that he hopes to be released.

CNN's Cara Scannell contributed to this report.

CNN
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The Manhattan District Attorney's Office is set to delay Donald Trump's criminal hush money investigation for up to 30 days. According to court filings.

The trial is now scheduled to begin on March 25.

The potential delay calls into question the date of the former president's first criminal trial, a surprise turn that represents a major boost for Trump — whose security teams have employed a strategy of consistently trying to delay all of his trials since the election. .

Trump faces criminal charges in four separate cases, but as of Thursday, the New York case was the only one with a clear trial date. While Trump's lawyers have urged him to delay, the federal election tampering case has been put on hold until the Supreme Court hears Trump's immunity claims next month. An investigation into the mishandling of classified documents Until August or even beyond the election in Florida.

In Georgia, a judge is set to rule within days on whether to disqualify the Fulton County district attorney who is suing the former president over his alleged efforts to overturn the 2020 election.

Last year Trump was charged by District Attorney Alvin Bragg's office with falsifying 34 business records. The charges stem from payments to former Trump lawyer Michael Cohen for payments he made to an adult film actor who accused him of having an affair with Trump before the 2016 election. The former president has pleaded not guilty and has denied the affair.

The proposed delay in the New York trial is to give Trump's lawyers time to review new material turned over by federal prosecutors this week, the DA's office said.

The U.S. Attorney's Office for the Southern District of New York sent out about 31,000 pages of discovery materials Wednesday and has more to share, according to a new filing.

“However, even if the People are willing to proceed with the trial on March 25, we do not object to an adjournment with plenty of caution and to ensure that the defendant has sufficient time to rehearse new material,” the filing said.

The documents were produced in response to a mid-January subpoena from Trump's legal team, according to the district attorney's letter. According to the filing, the US Attorney's Office has turned over 73,000 pages of records since March 4.

According to the district attorney's letter, Trump's attorneys asked for a 90-day delay in the trial — or dismissal of the case entirely — based on recent records produced by federal prosecutors over the past 10 days.

Bragg's office says it did not violate discovery protocol to dismiss the case, but says it is willing to postpone the hearing based on new records developed by federal prosecutors.

The U.S. Attorney's Office for the Southern District of New York declined to comment.

Separately, Trump asked Judge Juan Mercant to delay the hearing until the U.S. Supreme Court weighs his presidential immunity request. The court is not scheduled to hear that case until April 25, and a ruling will not come until the end of the court's term in late June or early July.

This story has been updated with additional details.