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December 21 Marks The Beginning Of Winter In The Northern Hemisphere

• The astronomical start of winter in the Northern Hemisphere is December 21, 2024.
• The winter solstice is the shortest day and longest night of the year.
• Residents of the Southern Hemisphere celebrate the summer solstice on the same day.
• Earth's seasons are caused by its orbit around the Sun and the tilt of its axis at 23.5 degrees.
• The Northern Hemisphere tilts farthest from the Sun, receiving less sunlight during the December solstice.
• The Southern Hemisphere leans toward the Sun, receiving more warmth during the December solstice.
• For ancient cultures, the winter solstice held great significance because longer days signaled the Sun's "rebirth" after cold months.
• Stonehenge in Wiltshire, England, is believed to have been built for solstice ceremonies.
• Its modest circle of stones aligns with the Sun's movement during the solstices. Every year, hundreds of people gather here on the winter solstice to commemorate Yule which is one of the oldest solstice celebrations.
• Newgrange in Boyne Valley, Ireland, is a 5,200 year-old stone structure designed to receive a beam of light into its central chamber at sunrise during the five days surrounding the winter solstice.
• The light illuminates the intricate carvings inside the structure for about 17 minutes.
• To visit dawn admission December 19th to 23rd each year is limited to a few dozen people selected by lottery and visitors without tickets are allowed to enter in groups of 20.
• Many cities in the United States have started their own winter solstice traditions, like a bonfire on Ocean Beach in San Francisco, California, and sleigh riding/admiring the northern lights while enjoying the over-18-hour night in Anchorage, Alaska.

Can Life Exist On An Icy Moon? NASA's Latest Mission Aims To Find Out!

• NASA's Europa Clipper mission seeks to determine if Jupiter's fourth largest moon, Europa, can sustain alien life.
• On October 14, 2024, the Europa Clipper spacecraft was launched from the Kennedy Space Center in Florida.
• It was confirmed that the spacecraft had successfully entered orbit around Jupiter about 1 hour 10 minutes after the launch.
• The Europa Clipper is the largest spacecraft ever built for a planetary mission, and it deployed its massive solar arrays shortly after achieving orbit.
• Europa is a top candidate for alien life because it contains liquid water, energy, and chemical elements.
• It may contain twice as much water as Earth's oceans under its icy crust.
• The icy moon's only energy source comes from Jupiter's gravity pulling on it, stretching and squeezing Europa's interior, creating heat.
• This heat might prevent Europa's underground ocean from freezing and even support certain forms of life.
• Europa's surface may have essential elements for life, which together could create conditions for microbial life.
• Jupiter is about 480 million miles (772 million km) from Earth.
• Europa Clipper will travel 1.8 billion miles (2.8 billion km) over 5.5 years to reach its destination by using "gravity assist" maneuvers to gain speed.
• The spacecraft will fly past Mars in February 2025 for its first boost, and then swing by Earth in December 2025 for a final push, putting it on course for Europa.
• Europa Clipper will enter Jupiter's orbit in April 2030, spending a year preparing for its first flyby of the moon.
• Over the next three years, the spacecraft will fly over Europa 49 times, each pass being over a different area, to map the entire moon.
• The spacecraft won't land on Europa but will get as close as 16 miles (25 km) to its surface.
• The nine instruments will help scientists estimate the thickness of Europa's icy shell and better understand the ocean beneath it and the water's composition.
• The mission's goal is not to directly search for life on Europa, but to determine if areas below the icy moon's surface could support life
• Once the Europa mission is over, the massive spacecraft will deliberately crash into Ganymede, Jupiter's largest moon and the biggest moon in our solar system.

Metal Detectorists Unearth Ancient Silver Coins Worth Millions

• In January 2019, Adam Staples and his friends found a trove of silver coins in Chew Valley, Somerset, England.
• The Chew Valley Hoard is a collection of 2,584 silver pennies which date back to the 11th century.
• On October 23, 2024, the South West Heritage Trust purchased the coins for $5.5 million, making it Britain's most valuable treasure find.
• Staples and his friends will receive half of the money ($400,000 each), and the other half (approximately $2.8 million), will go to the owner of the land where the coins were found.
• The coins date from 1066 to 1068 and are believed to have been minted at 46 different locations in England.
• The coins marked a significant turning point in England's history, following the Norman Conquest of 1066. This conquest marked the defeat and death of King Harold II, the last Anglo-Saxon king, at the hands of William I.
• Roughly half the coins bear King Harold's image, while the other half feature William I, who ruled England until 1087.
• Experts think the coins were buried for safekeeping.
• Some of the coins are cut in half. This practice was common in ancient times to create smaller units of money.
• Gareth Williams, a curator at the British Museum, estimates that the Chew Valley Hoard was probably worth about 500 sheep or the annual income of a large estate.
• The Chew Valley Hoard will tour museums across the UK, beginning with the British Museum in London in November 2024, before it then permanently housed at the South West Museum of Somerset.

November's Beaver Moon Will Be This Year's Last Supermoon

• November 15, 2024, promises a spectacular full moon, the last of four consecutive supermoons, following August's Blue Moon, September's Harvest Moon, and October's Hunter Moon.
• The next supermoon will occur on October 7, 2025.
• Supermoons can be 14 percent larger and 30 percent brighter than the average full moon due to the full moon coinciding with the lunar perigee — the Moon's closest point to Earth in orbit.
• On November 15, 2024, the Moon will be about 224,853 miles (361,866 km) from Earth which is a few thousand miles farther than the November 2016 supermoon at 221,524 miles (356,508 km).
• The distance between the Moon and Earth varies due to the Moon's elliptical orbit, which alternately brings our satellite closer to and farther from our planet.
• The farthest point in this orbit is known as the apogee, and it places the Moon at a distance of about 253,000 miles (407,164 km) from Earth.
• The Moon's distance from Earth when at perigee averages 226,000 miles (363,711 km).
• The November full moon is often called the Beaver Moon because beavers take shelter in their lodges for the long winter ahead during this time of year.
• During North America's fur trade era, it was also the season to trap the animals for their thick, winter-ready coats.
• Other names for the November full moon include the Frost Moon, the Freezing Moon, and the Digging Moon.
• Some people believe that a supermoon's proximity to Earth can cause earthquakes or tidal waves.
• Scientists have found no evidence to support this claim.

Student-Built Rocket Breaks 20-Year-Old Amateur Space Altitude Record

• The University of Southern California (USC) Rocket Propulsion Lab (RPL) built a rocket that shattered a 20-year record.
• Aftershock II launched from Nevada's Black Rock Desert on October 20, 2024, reaching an altitude of 470,000 feet (143.3 km).
• This was 90,000 feet (27.4 km) higher than the previous amateur rocket altitude record of 380,000 feet (115.8 km). It was set by the Civilian Space eXploration Team's GoFast rocket in 2004.
• The 14 feet (4 m) tall Aftershock II broke the sound barrier within two seconds of launch.
• It reached a maximum speed of 3,600 mph (5,800 km/h), which is 5.5 times the speed of sound, just 19 seconds after launch. This slightly exceeded the speed record set by GoFast in 2004.
• While its engine burned out shortly after launch, Aftershock II continued its ascent.
• The rocket left Earth's atmosphere in about 85 seconds after launch and reached its peak altitude in 92 seconds. At this point, the rocket's nose cone detached and deployed its parachute for a safe landing in the desert.
• Aftershock II's success can largely be credited to technological innovations developed by the 100-person team at RPL, like the rocket's titanium-coated fins and a new heat-resistant paint capable of enduring extreme temperatures.
• Student-designed computer systems allowed real-time tracking of the rocket's position and sent back live data throughout the flight.
• RPL was founded in 2005 to launch student-designed and built rockets into space.
• The Traveler IV rocket became the first student-built rocket to cross the Kármán line in 2019, which is 328,083 feet (100 km) above Earth's surface and marks the internationally recognized edge of space.
• RPL's next goal is to focus on developing "sounding" rockets vehicles to carry scientific instruments into space for research purposes, rather than build rockets for higher altitudes because such launches would require special permissions.
• RPL's Executive Engineer Ryan Kraemer mentioned that they are excited to gather and release data because the altitude of 470,000 feet is just shy of the limit for amateur rocketry (490,000 feet) unless they receive special clearances..

World's First Wooden Satellite Launched Into Space

• LignoSat, the world's first satellite made mostly from wood, reached the International Space Station (ISS) aboard a SpaceX cargo capsule on November 5, 2024.
• The palm-sized satellite, named after the Latin word for "wood," will be launched from the ISS into Earth's orbit later this month.
• Its mission is to determine if wood can withstand the harsh conditions of space, so it is more environmentally friendly.
• The LignoSat Space Wood Project is a collaboration between Japan's Kyoto University and Sumitomo Forestry who began by sending a small panel containing three different wood samples to the ISS in 2022.
• The panel was exposed to space for ten months before being returned to Earth in early 2023, at which time the team picked wood from magnolia trees for the satellite.
• According to Professor Koji Murata of Kyoto University, using wood for rocket science had not been considered because many engineers considered wood to be old technology.
• The main reason that motivates testing a wooden satellite is to reduce space junk.
• Current satellites are primarily made of aluminum which reacts with oxygen when the satellites burn up in Earth's atmosphere at the end of their life cycle.
• The metal then releases aluminum oxide particles, potentially damaging the ozone layer whereas wooden satellites leave behind only water and carbon dioxide.
• Takao Doi, an aerospace engineer with Kyoto University., said that since all the satellites which re-enter the Earth's atmosphere burn and create tiny alumina particles that will float in the upper atmosphere for many years, it will eventually affect the environment of the Earth.
• Researchers also envision a future where trees could be grown on the Moon and Mars and it would also demonstrate that wood can withstand harsh space conditions if the mission became successful.
• LignoSat will orbit Earth for six months, gathering valuable data before burning up in the atmosphere.
• Murata and his team will use this information to design larger and more advanced wooden satellites and devices.

Millions Of Bats Gather In Largest Mammal Migration On Earth

• Kasanka National Park in Zambia, Africa, is home to the world's largest mammal migration of millions of straw-colored fruit bats who converge each year.
• From October to December, millions of straw-colored fruit bats from across Africa converge on this evergreen swamp forest.
• This is where these nocturnal mammals spend their nights feasting on wild fruits in the surrounding farmlands and their days resting in the forest.
• The cycle continues daily until January when the bats disperse and return to their respective habitats across the continent.
• Each year, about 12 million fruit bats arrive in Kasanka forming a living cloud that stretches across the horizon, according to Simon Siame who is a tour guide at Kasanka.
• The reason the bats choose Kasanka for their annual migration is unknown since it isn't for breeding as the bats are known to mate in other African countries, such as Mozambique and Tanzania.
• According to Dr. Teague O'Mara, the director of Bat Conservation International, the bats may be drawn to the area for its abundant food sources.
• If food is indeed the primary attraction, the researcher wonders why the bats only visit Kasanka for three months each year, when the fruit is available year-round.
• The bats' migration routes and habits also remain a mystery as scientists tracking the bats using GPS tags have batteries that are not strong enough to last the entire year.
• The ecological importance of the bats is undeniable as the mammals disperse fruit seeds across miles of land, helping to maintain the health and diversity of many ecosystems.
• According to Dr. Dechmann, a researcher at Germany's Max Planck Institute, the bats of Kasanka are effective seed dispersers because they are not in the protection of a forest canopy.
• Straw-colored bats are larger than most bat species, with a wingspan that can reach up to 30 inches (76 cm).
• In addition, they are highly social who form colonies in the millions.
• The bats face threats from habitat loss and hunting, which could impact both wildlife and human communities that depend on the seeds they disperse, highlighting the need for conservation efforts.

From Orphans To Soulmates - The Heartwarming Tale Of Two Amur Tigers

• Boris and Svetlaya, a pair of rescued Amur tigers in Siberia, Russia, have reunited as mates after being separated for more than a year and over 100 miles.
• Their love story began in 2014 when the orphaned cubs were about 3 and 5 months old when they were rescued and taken to the same conservation center in Siberia.
• Here, the cubs were raised with minimal human contact and in an environment that resembled the wild.
• To help develop their natural hunting instincts, the tigers were given live prey, like rabbits and pheasants.
• At 18 months old, the two were released back into their natural habitat in the Sikhote-Alin mountain area, but the tigers were placed in separate areas over 100 miles (160 km) apart in order to help spread the population of the endangered species over a wider area.
• Wildlife Conservation Society (WCF) researchers closely monitored Boris and Svetlaya to ensure their well-being.
• A year after their release, the researchers noticed Boris walking north in a nearly straight line toward where Svetlaya had settled.
• The two reunited and six months later, Svetlaya gave birth to a litter of healthy cubs.
• The scientists published their findings in the Journal of Wildlife Management in November 2024, which noted that this strategy of using released rescue cats may make it an option to restore tiger populations in the wild
• A few years ago, another rescued tiger named Zolushka ("Cinderella" in Russian) was released into the wild and she produced a litter of healthy cubs with an unknown male tiger.
• Amur tigers, or Siberian tigers, are the largest of all tiger subspecies who are native to the forests of eastern Russia and parts of China.
• The tigers can survive temperatures as low as -50°F (-46°C) so their thick, pale orange coats with dark stripes in snowy landscapes help them blend seamlessly.
• Amur tigers were once on the brink of extinction due to poaching and habitat loss, but their numbers have increased to about 500 in the wild thanks to ongoing conservation efforts,

From The White House To Global Peace - The Lasting Legacy Of Jimmy Carter

• Jimmy Carter was the 39th President of the United States when he died peacefully at his home in Plains, Georgia, on December 29, 2024.
• Leader turned 100 on October 1, 2024, and was the longest-living president in US history.
• Mr. Carter will be laid to rest at the family's residence on January 9, 2025, alongside his wife, Rosalynn, who died in 2023 at age 96.
• President Joe Biden has declared January 9 a federal holiday in his honor.
• Mr. Carter grew up in the small farming communities of Archery and Plains, Georgia.
• After graduating from the US Naval Academy in 1946, Mr. Carter served as a Navy submariner.
• He married the love of his life, Rosalynn Smith, the same year.
• Mr. Carter swiftly rose through the military ranks before his plans changed when his father was diagnosed with cancer in 1953.
• He left the Navy and returned to Georgia to manage his family's peanut farm.
• Mr. Carter became active in the Democratic Party, leading to his election as a Georgia state senator and later as governor.
• When Mr. Carter announced his Presidential candidacy on December 12, 1974, he was relatively unknown outside Georgia but gained support and ultimately, the Presidency.
• Mr. Carter served only one term as President of the United States due to economic crises and foreign policy challenges.
• Mr. Carter achieved negotiating a peace treaty between Egypt and Israel, advancing human rights reforms in the US, creating both the Department of Energy and the modern Department of Education.
• After his Presidency, Mr. Carter devoted himself to humanitarian causes, forming The Elders and establishing The Carter Center which focuses on advancing human rights and improving global health.
• Mr. Carter's lifelong efforts were recognized with the Nobel Peace Prize in 2002.

Israel And Hamas Reach Ceasefire Agreement

• Israel and Hamas signed a ceasefire agreement on January 15, 2025 to start the end to the 15-month conflict, which has killed thousands and caused widespread devastation in Gaza.
• The United Nations estimates that 1.9 million of Gaza's 2.4 million residents have been displaced by the war.
• The conflict began on October 7, 2023, with an attack of about 1,200 civilians and 251 hostages led by Hamas militants from the Gaza Strip.
• In response, Israel declared war on Hamas and launched military operations in Gaza.
• On October 17, 2024, the Israel Defense Forces (IDF) announced they had killed Yahya Sinwar, the Hamas leader behind the October 7 attack. Shortly after, international mediators began peace talks to end the conflict.
• Ceasefires halt war giving leaders time to negotiate a more permanent peace.
• The Israel-Hamas ceasefire will be carried out in three stages, with the first to last for 42 days.
• During stage one, during which fighting will completely halt. During this time, Hamas is expected to release 33 of the 55 living hostages.
• In turn, Israel will release 1,900 Palestinian prisoners.
• Additionally, hundreds of aid trucks carrying essentials like food and supplies will be allowed into Gaza daily and the IDF will also withdraw from populated areas in Gaza, allowing residents to return.
• Stage two begins sixteen days after the start of stage one which will also allow the exchange of remaining living Israeli hostages for more Palestinian and the IDF will fully withdraw from Gaza in order to establish a path toward permanently ending the war.
• Hamas will return the bodies of 35 deceased hostages officially ending the war in stage three since both sides will then begin post-war reconstruction efforts.
• Since January 15, Hamas has freed seven female hostages civilians.
• Israel has released 290 Palestinian prisoners to live up to its promise.
• As of January 22, 2025, more than 2,400 aid trucks have entered Gaza, delivering to mostly northern Gaza because it has been hardest to deliver there.

Wildfires Cause Widespread Destruction In Los Angeles

• Since early January 2025, multiple large wildfires have erupted in and around Los Angeles (LA), California.
• As of January 15, 2025, the fires have destroyed more than 12,000 homes, businesses, schools, and other structures, and at least 25 people have died and more than 100,000 have been forced to flee their homes.
• The wildfires are largely driven by the severe drought affecting Los Angeles because downtown LA has recorded just a fifth of an inch (5mm) since July 2024, the second-driest period in nearly 150 years. The city usually receives several inches of rain by January.
• The dry conditions worsened with powerful Santa Ana winds, reaching speeds of 50 to 100 miles per hour (80 to 160 km/h) in some areas.
• These winds spread the fires and make them difficult to control by dehydrating parched vegetation, reducing humidity, and being flammable to ignite flames with embers.
• Firefighters battling several fires in the Los Angeles area are most concerned with the Palisades Fire and the Eaton Fire.
• As of January 14, 2025, the Palisades Fire has burned over 23,000 acres (9,300 hectares) and destroyed at least 10,000 strucutres which makes it the largest and most destructive fire in California's history.
• It threatens neighborhoods in West LA like Pacific Palisades, Malibu, and Santa Monica and as of January 15, 2025, the blaze was only 21 percent contained.
• At least 16 people have died while more than 1,400 homes, businesses, schools, and other structures have been destroyed because the Eaton Fire devastated communities in northern LA.
• The Palisades and Eaton Fires rank among the most destructive in California's history, with damages estimated at $250 to $275 billion.
• Rebuilding Los Angeles will be both costly and time-consuming, but California Governor Gavin Newsom proposed easing some of the state's strict building laws to expedite reconstruction.
• President Joe Biden has pledged federal funds to cover firefighting costs for the next 180 days and approved a one-time payment of $770 to affected residents for essentials, like food and water.
• However, the US leader emphasized that lawmakers must financial aid to rebuild the affected areas.