Earth and Space News

Wednesday, September 14, 2016

Penumbral Lunar Eclipse Sept. 16 Is Last of Three 2016 Lunar Eclipses

Summary: The penumbral lunar eclipse Sept. 16 closes 2016’s lineup of two penumbral lunar eclipses and one almost lunar eclipse.

penumbral lunar eclipse Friday, Sep. 16, 2016: SockPuppetForTomruen, Public Domain, via Wikimedia Commons

The penumbral lunar eclipse Sept. 16 is 2016’s final lunar eclipse and is viewable from the mid-Atlantic Ocean eastward to the mid-Pacific Ocean.

The four continents of Africa, Asia, Australia and Europe fall within the viewing path for Friday, Sept. 16’s penumbral lunar eclipse. Visibility occurs over all of the Indian Ocean and parts of the Arctic and Southern Oceans. The eclipse will be visible over portions of two continents: eastern Brazil in South America’s eastern bulge and part of Antarctica.

North America is the only continent that is completely excluded from the eclipse’s path of visibility. During the penumbral lunar eclipse Sept. 16, the moon is below the horizon for places in North America.

The penumbral lunar eclipse Sept. 16 has an expected total duration of 3 hours 59 minutes 17 seconds. It begins at 16:54:40 Universal Coordinated Time (UTC). Greatest eclipse, which is the instant of closest lunar passage to the axis of Earth’s shadow, takes place at 18:54:16.8 UTC. The eclipse ends at 20:53:57 UTC.

The penumbral lunar eclipse Sept. 16 takes place while the moon is in the constellation of Pisces the fish, notes retired NASA Goddard Space Flight Center (GSFC) astrophysicist Fred Espenak. Known as Mr. Eclipse, Espenak co-authored lunar and solar eclipse bulletins with meteorologist Jay Anderson of Environment Canada from 1993 through 2008.

graphics and details of penumbral lunar eclipse Friday, Sep. 16, 2016: "Permission is freely granted to reproduce this data when accompanied by an acknowledgment, Eclipse Predictions by Fred Espenak, NASA GSFC Emeritus," via NASA Eclipse Web Site

Solar eclipses are paired with lunar eclipses. A solar eclipse precedes or follows a lunar eclipse by about a fortnight, or approximately two weeks. The last lunar eclipse of 2016 happens a little over two weeks after Thursday, Sept. 1’s annular eclipse, which is the final of two solar eclipses in 2016.

A penumbral lunar eclipse is occasioned by the lunar passage through the Earth’s penumbra, which is the outer portion of Earth’s shadow. A penumbral shadow only blocks a portion of sunlight.

The penumbral lunar eclipse Sept. 16 is considered to be very deep. Its penumbral magnitude is 0.9080. Penumbral magnitude concerns the fraction of the lunar diameter that is occulted, or hidden, by Earth’s penumbra.

Of the three types of lunar eclipses, penumbral holds first place for number of occurrences in the 21st century. Of 228 lunar eclipses, penumbral make 86 showings. Second-place total lunar eclipses have 85 occurrences. Third-place partial eclipses account for 57 events.

On Sunday, Sept. 18, two days after the eclipse’s ending, the moon reaches the month’s perigee, the nearest point in the lunar orbit to Earth. September’s perigee takes place at 17:01 UTC. The center-to-center distance between Earth and moon will be 361,893 kilometers (224,869.88 miles).

Proxigee, which is the closest perigee for a particular year, occurs close to two months after Sept. 16’s penumbral lunar eclipse. Proxigee for 2016 happens Monday, Nov. 14, at 11:24 UTC. The center-to-center distance between Earth and moon will be 356,511 kilometers (22,1525.66 miles).

On Tuesday, Sept. 6, almost 10 days before eclipse starts, the moon reaches September’s apogee, or farthest distance from Earth. At 18:45 UTC, the center-to-center distance will be 405,057 kilometers (251,690.75 miles). The greatest apogee for 2016 happened Aug. 10. The center-to-center distance was 404,265 kilometers (251,198.62 miles).

The next penumbral lunar eclipse in the 21st century occurs Saturday, Feb. 11, as the first lunar eclipse of 2017. North America joins Africa, Asia and South America as the eclipse’s geographic regions of visibility. Australia is excluded from the path of visibility.

Almost six months later, a partial eclipse takes place Monday, Aug. 7, as the second and final lunar eclipse of 2017. North America is excluded from the path of visibility, but Australia joins Europe, Africa and Asia as regions for viewing 2017's partial eclipse.

The takeaway for 2016's penumbral lunar eclipse Sept. 16, is that geographic regions, such as North America, that are excluded from the viewing area for 2016's final eclipse only have to wait less than five months to fall in the path of visibility for 2017's first lunar eclipse.

penumbral lunar eclipse Friday, Sep. 16, 2016, as viewed from center of moon during the greatest eclipse: Tom Ruen (SockPuppetForTomruen), Public Domain, via Wikimedia Commons

Acknowledgment

My special thanks to talented artists and photographers/concerned organizations who make their fine images available on the internet.

Image credits:

penumbral lunar eclipse Friday, Sep. 16, 2016: Tom Ruen (SockPuppetForTomruen), Public Domain, via Wikimedia Commons @ https://commons.wikimedia.org/wiki/File:Lunar_eclipse_chart_close-2016Sep16.png

penumbral lunar eclipse Friday, Sep. 16, 2016, as viewed from center of moon during the greatest eclipse: Tom Ruen (SockPuppetForTomruen), Public Domain, via Wikimedia Commons @ https://commons.wikimedia.org/wiki/File:Lunar_eclipse_from_moon-2016Sep16.png

For further information:

Espenak, Fred. "2017 Eclipse Bulletin." LinkedIn > Pulse. May 20, 2015.
Available @ https://www.linkedin.com/pulse/2017-eclipse-bulletin-fred-espenak

Espenak, Fred. “Glossary of Solar Eclipse Terms.” NASA Eclipse Web Site > Solar Eclipses.
Available @ http://eclipse.gsfc.nasa.gov/SEhelp/SEglossary.html

Espenak, Fred. “Penumbral Lunar Eclipse of 2016 Sep 16.” Eclipse Wise > Lunar > Lunar Eclipses Prime > 2001-2100.
Available @ http://www.eclipsewise.com/lunar/LEprime/2001-2100/LE2016Sep16Nprime.html

Espenak, Fred. “Penumbral Lunar Eclipse of 2016 Sep 16.” NASA Eclipse Web Site > Lunar Eclipse Plot. April 29, 2009.
Available @ http://eclipse.gsfc.nasa.gov/LEplot/LEplot2001/LE2016Sep16N.pdf

Espenak, Fred. “Penumbral Lunar Eclipse of 2017 Feb 11.” Eclipse Wise > Lunar > Lunar Eclipse Prime > 2001-2100.
Available @ http://www.eclipsewise.com/lunar/LEprime/2001-2100/LE2017Feb11Nprime.html

Espenak, Fred. “Partial Lunar Eclipse of 2017 Aug 07.” Eclipse Wise > Lunar > Lunar Eclipse Prime > 2001-2100.
Available @ http://www.eclipsewise.com/lunar/LEprime/2001-2100/LE2017Aug07Pprime.html

Espenak, Fred, and Jean Meeus. "Five Millennium Catalog of Lunar Eclipses." NASA Eclipse Web Site > Lunar Eclipses > Lunar Eclipse Publications Online.
Available @ http://eclipse.gsfc.nasa.gov/LEcat5/LE2001-2100.html

L’Amie, Lauren. “Lunar Eclipse 2016 Guide: When, Where & How to See It.” Space.com > Science & Astronomy. Aug. 30, 2016.
Available @ http://www.space.com/33786-lunar-eclipse-guide.html

Layton, Laura. "NASA's 'Mr. Eclipse' Retires but Still Chasing Shadows." NASA > Topics > Solar System > Features > Eclipses. July 20, 2009.
Available @ http://www.nasa.gov/topics/solarsystem/features/eclipse/espenak.html

Marriner, Derdriu. “2016 Almost Lunar Eclipse Shadowlessly Taps Earth’s Penumbra Aug. 18.” Earth and Space News. Wednesday, Aug. 17, 2016.
Available @ https://earth-and-space-news.blogspot.com/2016/08/2016-almost-lunar-eclipse-shadowlessly.html

Marriner, Derdriu. “2016 Eclipse Lineup Features Two Lunar and Two Solar Eclipses.” Earth and Space News. Tuesday, March 8, 2016.
Available @ https://earth-and-space-news.blogspot.com/2016/03/2016-eclipse-lineup-features-two-lunar.html

Marriner, Derdriu. “March 23 Penumbral Lunar Eclipse Bypasses Africa and Europe.” Earth and Space News. Tuesday, March 22, 2016.
Available @ https://earth-and-space-news.blogspot.com/2016/03/march-23-penumbral-lunar-eclipse.html

McClure, Bruce."Dates of lunar and solar eclipses in 2016." EarthSky > Astronomy Essentials > Space. Aug. 20, 2016.
Available @ http://earthsky.org/astronomy-essentials/dates-of-next-lunar-and-solar-eclipses

“September 16 / September 17, 2016 – Penumbral Lunar Eclipse.” Time And Date > Sun & Moon > Eclipses.
Available @ http://www.timeanddate.com/eclipse/lunar/2016-september-16

Tate, Karl. "'Blood Moons' Explained: What Causes a Lunar Tetrad? (Infographic)." Space.com > Science & Astronomy. Sept. 18, 2015.
Available @ http://www.space.com/25427-blood-moons-lunar-eclipse-tetrad-infographic.html

Walker, John. “Lunar Perigee and Apogee Calculator.” Fourmilab Switzerland > Earthview. May 5, 1997.
Available @ https://www.fourmilab.ch/earthview/pacalc.html

"What Are Solar Eclipses?" Time And Date > Sun & Moon > Eclipses > Frequency
Available @ http://www.timeanddate.com/eclipse/solar-eclipse-frequency.html

Sunday, September 11, 2016

Tomato Hornworms Defoliate But Five Spotted Hawkmoths Pollinate

Summary: New World insect Manduca quinquemaculata doubles as pesky caterpillar and beneficial moth: tomato hornworms defoliate but five spotted hawkmoths pollinate.

Five spotted hawkmoths pollinate; Monday, Aug. 16, 2010, 19:49:14: twig73010, CC BY 2.0 Generic, via Flickr

Stages as pesky larva and beneficial moth, whereby tomato hornworms defoliate but five spotted hawkmoths pollinate, characterize the life cycle of New World insect Manduca quinquemaculata. Manduca quinquemaculata centers its life cycle on nightshades, especially tobacco (Nicotiana tabacum) and tomato (Solanum lycopersicum), as host plants.

Manduca quinquemaculata belongs to the Sphingidae family of moderate- to large-sized moths. The Sphingidae are commonly known as hawkmoths, hornworms and sphinx moths.

The common name of five spotted hawkmoth refers to the insect’s adult stage as a moth. The previous three stages (eggs, caterpillars or larvae, cocoons or pupae) have the common name of tomato hornworm. A noticeable, black-colored, hornlike structuve develops at the posterior end during the larval stage.

In the larval stage, caterpillars emerge from eggs that have been deposited singly on the foliage of host plants in the Solanaceae family, known popularly as nightshades. Cultivated tobacco (Nicotiana tabacum) and tomatoes (Solanum lycopersicum) are preferred host plants. When preferred host plants become absent or sparse in habitats, other nightshades that may be selected include bell peppers (Capsicum annuum); eggplants (Solanum melongena); potatoes (Solanum tuberosum); coyote, or wild, tobacco (Nicotiana attenuata).

Caterpillars feed on the host plant’s blossoms, foliage and green fruit. With big appetites that match their large growth spurts, tomato hornworms defoliate entire plants. Usually working downward from the top, large instars are capable of stripping plants of all leaves. The fifth, and final, instar is credited with about 90 percent of the larval stage’s foliage consumption.

At maturity, tomato hornworms burrow shallowly into the soil to form their pupal cells. The metamorphic third stage of Manduca quinquemaculata’s life cycle leads to the fourth, and final stage, of adulthood as a beneficial moth.

The five spotted hawkmoth flies at dusk. The flowers of bouncing bet (Saponaria officinalis), Japanese honeysuckle (Lonicera japonica), petunias (Petunia hybrid), phlox (Phlox spp.), pricklyburr (Datura meteloides) and tobacco (Nicotiana spp.) are preferred nectar sources.

Manduca quinquemaculata claims homelands from northwestern Mexico northward through much of the continental United States. Its distribution range is weak in the Great Plains and Gulf Coast states.

The five spotted hawkmoth also may be found in southeastern and southwestern Canada. Restricted, not widespread, distributions occur in British Columbia, Ontario, Quebec, and the Canadian Maritimes.

Habitat selection is focused on agricultural and garden sites where nightshades grow, such as agricultural crop lands, tobacco fields and vegetable gardens.

On Sunday, Sept. 4, 2016, over the Labor Day weekend, I spotted a five spotted hawkmoth in the grass near the east side of the trunk of a Virginia juniper (Juniperus virginiana) that stands near the meadow along my yard’s southern border. Although largely unresponsive, the large moth occasionally moved its first pair of legs.

The moth was located not far from the site of wild tomatoes that were abundant last summer but sparse and stunted during this summer’s extreme rainfall. Tomato hornworms have never defoliated my tomato plants. Perhaps the effective secret to their moderation or absence is the presence of marigolds. Their floral scent naturally repels tomato hornworms.

Subsequent checks revealed the moth’s secretive mobility. Facing downward, it was positioned near the base of the trunk on the juniper’s south side. Later the five spotted hawkmoth was resting in the recently mowed bramble patch along my yard’s southwestern border.

I gathered grass and green leaves from the meadow to form a soft bed in a large, plastic tray that I use for gathering flowers, foliage and nuts. I placed the quiet moth on top of some leaves and transported the tray to a wood-topped table on the southern wing of my front porch.

The five spotted hawkmoth passed away during the night. On Labor Day morning, the wings were stiff and the moth’s body seemed somewhat desiccated.

Tomato hornworms defoliate: tomato hornworm on tomato plant; defoliation has already bared a number of leaf stalks: Whitney Cranshaw/Bugwood.org, CC BY 3.0 United States, via Forestry Images

Acknowledgment

My special thanks to talented artists and photographers/concerned organizations who make their fine images available on the internet.

Image credits:

Five spotted hawkmoths pollinate; Monday, Aug. 16, 2010, 19:49:14: twig73010, CC BY 2.0 Generic, via Flickr @ https://www.flickr.com/photos/7890429@N03/4912498974/

tomato hornworm on tomato plant: Whitney Cranshaw/Bugwood.org, CC BY 3.0 United States, via Forestry Images @ http://www.forestryimages.org/browse/detail.cfm?imgnum=5499217

For further information:

Day, Eric. “Hornworms on Tomato.”
Available @ http://pubs.ext.vt.edu/3104/3104-1551/3104-1551.html

“Five-spotted hawkmoth Manduca quinquemaculata (Haworth, 1803).” Butterflies and Moths of North America > Species.
Available @ http://www.butterfliesandmoths.org/species/Manduca-quinquemaculata

Grant, Verne, and Karen A. Grant. "Behavior of hawkmoths on flowers of Datura meteloides." Botanical Gazette, vol. 144, no. 2 (June 1983): 280-284.
Available @ https://www.jstor.org/stable/2474654?seq=1#page_scan_tab_contents
Available @ http://www.journals.uchicago.edu/doi/10.1086/337374

“How to Tell the Difference Between Tomato and Tobacco Hornworms.” Entomology Today > 2013. Dec. 14, 2013.
Available @ https://entomologytoday.org/2013/12/14/how-to-tell-the-difference-between-tomato-and-tobacco-hornworms/

“Manduca quinquemaculata (Haworth, 1803) Five-spotted Hawk Moth.” Pacific Northwest Moths > Family Sphingidae > Subfamily Sphingidae > Manduca.
Available @ http://pnwmoths.biol.wwu.edu/browse/family-sphingidae/subfamily-sphinginae/manduca/manduca-quinquemaculata/

"Manduca quinquemaculata (tomato hornworm)." CABI (Centre for Agriculture and Biosciences International) > Invasive Species Compendium > Datasheets.
Available @ http://www.cabi.org/isc/datasheet/44564

Marriner, Derdriu. “Tomato Hornworms Become Five Spotted Hawkmoths (Manduca quinquemaculata).” Earth and Space News. Saturday, Sept. 10, 2016.
Available @ https://earth-and-space-news.blogspot.com/2016/09/tomato-hornworms-become-five-spotted.html

Marriner, Derdriu. “Tomatoes Love Marigolds: Tomato Companion Planting.” Earth and Space News. Thursday, Feb. 19, 2015.
Available @ https://earth-and-space-news.blogspot.com/2015/02/tomatoes-love-marigolds-tomato.html

Moeller, Karla. “Manduca Growth Experiment.” Arizona State University Ask A Biologist.
Available @ https://askabiologist.asu.edu/manduca/introduction

“Moth Anatomy.” Wildlife Insight > Guide to British Moths.
Available @ http://www.wildlifeinsight.com/guide-to-british-moths/moth-anatomy/

NC Small Fruit and Tobacco IPM. “How to ID Two Common Hornworms.” YouTube. Dec. 11, 2013.
Available @ https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=4IRcFWakMlY

Palache, Spencer. “Farmers Menace to Colorful Hoverer: The Five Spotted Hawk Moth.” Havasi Wilderness Foundation. March 16, 2015.
Available @ http://www.havasiwf.org/farmers-menace-to-colorful-hoverer-the-five-spotted-hawk-moth/

Villanueva, J. Raul. “Common name: tobacco hornworm scientific name: Manduca sexta (Linnaeus) (Insecta: Lepidoptera: Sphingidae), common name: tomato hornworm scientific name: Manduca quinquemaculata (Haworth) (Insecta: Lepidoptera: Sphingidae).” University of Florida Entomology and Nematology Department > Featured Creatures. June 1998. Latest revision November 2013.
Available @ http://entnemdept.ufl.edu/creatures/field/hornworm.htm

Saturday, September 10, 2016

Tomato Hornworms Become Five Spotted Hawkmoths (Manduca quinquemaculata)

Summary: Tomato hornworms become five spotted hawkmoths (Manduca quinquemaculata) via the metamorphic pupal stage in the New World native insect's life cycle.

five spotted hawkmoth Manduca quinquemaculata, Cuivre River State Park, Lincoln Hills region, northeastern Missouri; Saturday, Aug. 30, 2014, 23:10: Andy Reago & Chrissy McClarren, CC BY 2.0 Generic, via Wikimedia Commons

Tomato hornworms become five spotted hawkmoths (Manduca quinquemaculata) by undergoing dramatic metamorphosis as pupae, the third stage in the New World native insect’s four-stage life cycle.

The first stage, as eggs, may last from two to eight days. The average duration of the egg stage is five days.

The spherically or ovally shaped egg has a tiny diameter of about 1.50 millimeters (0.059 inches). Egg color varies from light green to white. Egg deposition occurs mainly on leafy undersides but may also happen on the uppersides of foliage. Each egg is deposited singly.

The second stage, as larvae, lasts an average of about 20 days. Larvae are known popularly as caterpillars.

Usually the larval stage consists of five instars (Latin: instar, “form, likeness”). Occasionally larvae undergo a sixth instar. Instars are stages between molts, in which larvae shed their waxy skin, or cuticle, in a process known as ecdysis (Ancient Greek: ἐκδύω, ekduo, "to take off, strip off”). The five instars measure successive mean larval body lengths of 6.7 millimeters (0.26 inches), 11.2 millimeters (0.44 inches), 23.4 millimeters (0.92 inches), 49.0 millimeters (1.92 inches) and 81.3 millimeters (3.2 inches).

The tomato hornworm larva has a cylindrical shape that is punctuated by five pairs of prolegs. The small, fleshy stubs extend from the ventral surface, or underside, of the abdomen, which is the third and final segment of the caterpillar’s body.

Three pairs of jointed legs extending from the thorax are known as thoracic legs. As the second segment in the caterpillar’s body, the thorax continues from the head and leads into the abdomen.

A noticeable feature is the protrusion of a thickly pointed, hornlike structure on the dorsal, or upper, side of the last abdominal segment. The tomato hornworm’s horn usually is black or bluish black in color.

The tomato hornworm distinctively displays eight white or yellow v-shaped lines on both sides of its green body.

With maturity, caterpillars drop from host plants. They make soil burrows, at shallow depths of 10 to 15 centimeters (3.93 to 5.9 inches), to pupate.

The third stage, as pupae, is of variable duration. Pupae measure lengths of 45 to 60 millimeters (1.77 to 2.36 inches).

The elongated oval shape of the large, brown or reddish brown pupae forms a point at the posterior end. A distinctive feature of the pupal stage is a long structure, known as a maxillary loop, that covers the mouthparts. The maxillary loop extends from the mouthparts backward to about one-third of the pupal length.

The adult stage emerges as a large moth with a big head and a stout abdomen. The species name of quinquemaculata recognizes the five orange-yellow spots that mark each side of the abdomen.

Wing span measures 9 to 13.5 centimeters (3 9/16 to 5 5/16 inches). The forewings are a blur of gray or gray brown. A white band extending from the base of the hindwing is zigzagged across the middle with two dark bands before turning into a dark posterior band.

Tomato hornworms become five spotted hawkmoths in a four-stage cycle that ends with the moths' deaths but restarts with each egg, laid singly, that the female moths have deposited on host plants.

view of back (upperside) of tomato hornworm caterpillar, late instar larva; note black "horn" at posterior end (near plant stem): Whitney Crenshaw/Colorado State University/Bugwood.org, CC BY 3.0 United States, via Forestry Images

Acknowledgment

My special thanks to talented artists and photographers/concerned organizations who make their fine images available on the internet.

Image credits:

five spotted hawkmoth Manduca quinquemaculata, Cuivre River State Park, Lincoln Hills region, northeastern Missouri; Saturday, Aug. 30, 2014, 23:10: Andy Reago & Andy Reago & Chrissy McClarren, CC BY 2.0 Generic, via Wikimedia Commons @ https://commons.wikimedia.org/wiki/File:-_7776_–_Manduca_quinquemaculatus_–_Five-spotted_Hawk_Moth_(14935916497).jpg;
Andy Reago & Chrissy McClarren (Wildreturn), CC BY 2.0 Generic, via Flickr @ https://www.flickr.com/photos/wildreturn/14935916497/

tomato hornworm caterpillar: Whitney Crenshaw/Colorado State University/Bugwood.org, CC BY 3.0 United States, via Forestry Images @ http://www.forestryimages.org/browse/detail.cfm?imgnum=5304021

For further information:

Day, Eric. “Hornworms on Tomato.”
Available @ http://pubs.ext.vt.edu/3104/3104-1551/3104-1551.html

“Five-spotted hawkmoth Manduca quinquemaculata (Haworth, 1803).” Butterflies and Moths of North America > Species.
Available @ http://www.butterfliesandmoths.org/species/Manduca-quinquemaculata

Moeller, Karla. “Manduca Growth Experiment.” Arizona State University Ask A Biologist.
Available @ https://askabiologist.asu.edu/manduca/introduction

“Moth Anatomy.” Wildlife Insight > Guide to British Moths.
Available @ http://www.wildlifeinsight.com/guide-to-british-moths/moth-anatomy/

NC Small Fruit and Tobacco IPM. “How to ID Two Common Hornworms.” YouTube. Dec. 11, 2013.
Available @ https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=4IRcFWakMlY

Wednesday, September 7, 2016

North Star Pointer Constellation Cassiopeia Is Opposite the Big Dipper

Summary: North Star pointer constellation Cassiopeia circles Polaris oppositely from the Big Dipper all year for stargazers northward from 35 degrees north latitude.

Cassiopeia the Seated Queen's brightest star, Schedar (Alpha Cassipeiae) points to Polaris: Learn to Skywatch @Learntoskywatch, via Twitter July 22, 2016

The distinctive M/W-shaped asterism, or pattern of stars, in North Star pointer constellation Cassiopeia is a directional aid year-round as a circumpolar constellatory fixture in the Northern Hemisphere for latitudes northward from the 35th parallel.

An imaginary line extended from the peak of the acute angle formed by the asterism’s deeply notched V segment leads directly to Polaris, known popularly as the North Star. Designation as the current northern pole star recognizes the multiple star’s extreme closeness to the north celestial pole. The trio of yellow supergiant with two smaller companions marks not only the tip of the tail of Ursa Minor (Latin: “Little Bear”) but also the tip of the handle for the constellation’s seven-star asterism, the Little Dipper.

The constellation’s brightest star, Alpha Cassiopeiae (α Cassiopeiae; Alpha Cas, α Cas), marks the vertex, or endpoint where the angle’s sloping rays, or lines, meet. Alpha Cassiopeiae has the traditional name of Schedar (Arabic: şadr, “breast").

The constellation’s second brightest star, Beta Cassiopeiae (ß Cassiopeiae; Beta Cas, ß Cas), is placeholder for the open end of the outer ray. Beta Cassiopeiae is known traditionally as Caph (Arabic: kaf, “palm.

Third-brightest star Gamma Cassiopeiae (γ Cassiopeiae; Gamma Cas, γ Cas) marks the limit of the angle’s inner flank as well as the asterism’s center.

Cassiopeia’s chair circles the North Star on the opposite side from the Big Dipper. They each complete a full circle of Polaris every 23 hours 56 minutes.

The Big Dipper is an asterism composed of the seven brightest stars in the northern constellation of Ursa Major. Known popularly as the Great Bear, Ursa Major is credited with 93 stars.

Alpha Ursae Majoris (α Ursae Majoris; Alpha UMa, α UMa) and Beta Ursae Majoris (ß Ursae Majoris; Beta UMa, ß UMa) respectively mark the top and bottom of the front side of the dipper’s bowl. The two stars are known as pointer, or guard, stars because an imaginary line extended beyond Alpha UMa leads to Polaris. Known popularly as Dubhe (Arabic: dub, “bear”), Alpha UMa is the second brightest star in the Great Bear constellation. Known popularly as Merak (Arabic: al-maraqq, “loins of the bear”), Beta UMa is the constellation’s brightest star.

An imaginary clock face for their relative positions places Polaris at the center, from which the short, thick hour hand and the long, thin minute hand radiate. During their westward, or counter-clockwise, passage around Polaris, Alpha Cassiopeiae in Cassiopeia’s chair and Dubhe and Merak in the dipper’s bowl successively move through opposite points on the clock face’s periphery, where the clock’s numbers tell hours and minutes.

Cassiopeia’s chair helps to pinpoint not only north for wayfarers but also Andromeda Galaxy for stargazers. An imaginary arrow shot straight outward from a bow formed by the trio of Alpha, Beta and Gamma Cassiopeiae lands at Andromeda Galaxy.

Cassiopeia’s noticeable asterism of the constellation’s five brightest stars marks the chair in which Greek mythology’s vainglorious Ethiopian queen is doomed to sit for eternity. The asterism perches variably as an M or a W, according to season and time of day. As an M, Cassiopeia’s chair frightens the seated queen with the prospect of falling from a perch that is secure as a W.

The takeaway for Cassiopeia the Seated Queen constellation is the easy, fun and practical visibility of its five-star, M/W shaped asterism. The simple beauty of the queen’s chair is enhanced by its practical application as a finding aid for true north.

Cassiopeia the Seated Queen and Ursa Major the Great Bear circle around the Little Dipper asterism's Polaris: Alexander Korf @FarikoBrainiac, via Twitter July 31, 2014

Acknowledgment

My special thanks to talented artists and photographers/concerned organizations who make their fine images available on the internet.

Image credits:

Cassiopeia the Seated Queen's brightest star, Schedar (Alpha Cassipeiae) points to Polaris: Learn to Skywatch (@Learntoskywatch), via Twitter July 22, 2016, @ https://twitter.com/Learntoskywatch/status/756549778654257153

Cassiopeia the Seated Queen and Ursa Major the Great Bear circle around the Little Dipper asterism's Polaris: Alexander Korf @FarikoBrainiac, via Twitter July 31, 2014, @ https://twitter.com/FarikoBrainiac/status/494908917265481728

For further information:

Alexander Korf @FarikoBrainiac. "Cassiopeia Dances with Ursus Major, Hugging Polaris." Twitter. July 31, 2014.
Available @ https://twitter.com/FarikoBrainiac/status/494908917265481728

AlfieAesthetics. “Find North with the Stars - Cassiopeia - Celestial Navigation (Northern Hemisphere).” YouTube. Aug. 30, 2014.
Available @ https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=eSRAZrrMRQI

“Cassiopeia.” Britannica Online for Kids > Compton’s by Britannica.
Available @ http://kids.britannica.com/comptons/article-9341172/Cassiopeia

“Cassiopeia Constellation.” Solar System Quick Astronomy Guide > Universe.
Available @ http://www.solarsystemquick.com/universe/cassiopeia-constellation.htm

EarthSky Team. “Cassiopeia and Big Dipper circle Polaris.” EarthSky Tonight. Jan. 1, 2016.
Available @ http://earthsky.org/tonight/cassiopeia-and-big-dipper

Learn to Skywatch @Learntoskywatch. "Tonight's Target: Look North. Can you find the Big Dipper, Polaris, Cepheus, and Cassiopeia?" Twitter. July 22, 2016.
Available @ https://twitter.com/Learntoskywatch/status/756549778654257153

Marriner, Derdriu. “Cassiopeia the Queen Constellation Is True Arrow to Andromeda Galaxy.” Earth and Space News. Wednesday, Aug. 24, 2016.
Available @ https://earth-and-space-news.blogspot.com/2016/08/cassiopeia-queen-constellation-true.html

McClure, Bruce. “Big Dipper and Little Dippers: Everything you need to know.” EarthSky > Favorite Star Patterns. March 13, 2016.
Available @ http://earthsky.org/favorite-star-patterns/big-and-little-dippers-highlight-northern-sky

McClure, Bruce. “More meteors? Plus Cassiopeia in the north.” EarthSky Tonight. Dec. 14, 2015.
Available @ http://earthsky.org/tonight/cassiopeia-high-in-the-north-on-winter-evenings

Stern, Dr. David P. “Finding the Pole Star.” NASA Goddard Space Flight Center (GSFC) International Solar Terrestrial Physics (ISTP) > Stargaze. Last updated April 23, 2008.
Available @ http://www-istp.gsfc.nasa.gov/stargaze/Spolaris.htm

Sunday, September 4, 2016

Solidago rugosa ‘Fireworks’ Streams Golden Yellow Flowers in Autumn

Summary: Solidago rugosa ‘Fireworks’ is a New World goldenrod cultivar that streams golden yellow flowers in autumn.

Solidago rugosa ‘Fireworks’ streams bright yellow flowers, Irish Hills area, Lenawee County, southeastern Michigan; Tuesday, Sep. 4, 2012, 12:34:12: F.D. Richards, CC BY SA 2.0 Generic, via Flickr

Solidago rugosa ‘Fireworks,’ a cultivar of New World native perennial Solidago rugosa, streams cascading golden yellow flowers in autumn.

‘Fireworks’ has an outstanding reputation in the late season vanguard of blooming sequences and successional interest. The Chicago Botanic Garden gives ‘Fireworks’ the best overall rating in a five-year comparative study of 25 species and garden hybrids of Solidago, commenced in 1993.

The Royal Horticultural Society, based in London, England, since 1804, has recognized the autumnally flowering cultivar’s excellence as a garden performer since honoring ‘Fireworks’ in 2012 with an Award of Garden Merit (AGM), the society’s prestigious mark of quality. The Royal Horticultural Society also gives its highest hardiness rating, H7, to ‘Fireworks.’

Solidago rugosa ‘Fireworks’ puts forth aboveground, sturdy, upright stems from underground stems known as rhizomes (Ancient Greek: ῥίζα, rhíza, “root”). The Royal Horticultural Society places ultimate height at 1 to 1.5 meters (3.28 to 4.92 feet) and ultimate spread at o.5 to 1 meters (1.64 to 3.28 feet).

The shrubby ornamental starts leafing in spring. Fine-textured leaves are arranged alternately along stems. Leaf color turns from the burgundy of youth to dark green in summer.

Solidago rugosa ‘Fireworks’ usually flowers in autumn, from September through October. Flowering may occur in late summer, in August.

Tiny, showy golden yellow flowers are borne as loosely branching clusters known as panicles. Curved, finely wanded panicles trace gracefully bowing arches that are reminiscent of streams of fireworks. The Chicago Botanic Garden’s study notes that stem sturdiness easily supports, without sagging, the extra floral weight.

‘Fireworks’ thrives in poor to fertile, moist soils that are well-drained. Clay, sandy and loam soils are all tolerated. The acceptable pH level for ‘Fireworks’ spans acidic and neutral.

Sunlight requirements favor full sun but tolerate partial shade. ‘Fireworks’ accepts both exposed and sheltered sites.

The Royal Horticultural Society recommends propagation by division in early spring for plant growth and pruning in late winter for plant care. Also, the society notes the shrubby ornamental’s generally pest-free attributes and alerts against the powdery mildew triggered by overly dry conditions.

The parent cultivar of ‘Fireworks’ is known commonly as rough goldenrod, rough-leaf goldenrod, rough-stemmed goldenrod or wrinkleleaf goldenrod. Solidago rugosa’s scientific name reflects its membership in the mostly North American genus of Solidago, known commonly as goldenrods. Its species name, rugosa (Latin: rugosus, “rugose, wrinkled”), recognizes the perennial’s noticeably rough, wrinkled leaves.

Solidago rugosa claims New World homelands mostly in central and eastern Northern America. In Canada, wrinkleleaf goldenrod occurs natively from the central eastern province of Ontario eastward through Quebec and all four provinces of Atlantic Canada.

Wrinkleleaf goldenrod is also native to the French Overseas Collectivity of Saint Pierre and Miquelon (Collectivité d’Outre-mer de Saint-Pierre-et-Miquelon). The small archipelago of eight islands lies in the northwestern Atlantic Ocean, at a westerly distance of around 13.5 nautical miles (15.5 miles; 25 kilometers) from Burin Peninsula on Newfoundland’s southern coast.

In the United States, wrinkleleaf goldenrod occurs natively from New England westward to Wisconsin, Missouri and Oklahoma, and southward through all five Gulf Coast states.

The parent cultivar of ‘Fireworks’ shares in the Solidago (Latin: soldare, "to make whole") genus’s status as a healing plant in herbal medicine. In the New World’s Native American ethnobotany, the Iroquois of eastern Northern America prepare a decoction of wrinkleleaf goldenrod’s flowers and leaves as a treatment for dizziness, sunstroke or weakness. The entire plant is prized as a remedy for liver conditions, such as biliousness.

As an ornamental, wrinkleleaf goldenrod's showy cultivar, Solidago rugosa ‘Fireworks,’ provides visual appeal in private and public gardens. The Royal Horticultural Society’s suggestions include plantings in beds and borders of cottage, informal and wildlife gardens. ‘Fireworks’ also brings gardens indoors by showing well in cut flower arrangements.

The streams of tiny, showy, golden yellow flowers that Solidago rugosa ‘Fireworks’ gracefully puts forth make memorable contributions to autumn’s indoor and outdoor landscapes.

closeup of Solidago rugosa 'Fireworks' flower and foliage; Wednesday, Oct. 2, 2013, 09:15:32: F. D. Richards, CC BY SA 2.0 Generic, via Flickr

Acknowledgment

My special thanks to talented artists and photographers/concerned organizations who make their fine images available on the internet.

Image credits:

closeup of Solidago rugosa 'Fireworks' flower and foliage; Wednesday, Oct. 2, 2013, 09:15:32: F. D. Richards, CC BY SA 2.0 Generic, via Flickr @ https://www.flickr.com/photos/50697352@N00/10056756733/

For further information:

Burrows, George E.; Ronald J. Tyrl. Toxic Plants of North America. Second edition. Hoboken NJ: Wiley-Blackwell, 2013.

“Goldenrod Solidago rugosa ‘Fireworks.’” Fine Gardening > Plant Guide.
Available @ http://www.finegardening.com/goldenrod-solidago-rugosa-fireworks

“Goldenrod Solidago spp.” Chicago Botanic Garden > Plant Information.
Available @ http://www.chicagobotanic.org/plantinfo/goldenrod

Hawke, Richard G. “An Evaluation Report of Goldenrods for the Garden.” Chicago Botanic Garden > Plant Evaluation Notes > Issue 15. 2000.
Available @ http://www.chicagobotanic.org/downloads/planteval_notes/no15_goldenrods.pdf

Honeycutt, Ellen. “Goldenrods Are Good for Your Garden.” State-by-State Gardening. September 2014.
Available @ http://statebystategardening.com/state.php/newsletters/stories/goldenrods_are_good_for_your_garden/

Marriner, Derdriu. "Canada Goldenrod Solidago canadensis Has Therapeutic Qualities." Earth and Space News. Sunday, Aug. 28, 2016.
Available @ https://earth-and-space-news.blogspot.com/2016/08/canada-goldenrod-solidago-canadensis.html

“Rough-Stemmed Goldenrod ‘Fireworks’ Solidago rugosa.” Dave’s Garden > Guides.
Available @ http://davesgarden.com/guides/pf/go/53623/

“Solidago rugosa ‘Fireworks.’” Missouri Botanical Garden > Gardens & Gardening > Your Garden > Plant Finder.
Available @ http://www.missouribotanicalgarden.org/PlantFinder/PlantFinderDetails.aspx?kempercode=m400

“Solidago rugosa ‘Fireworks.’” The Perennial Farm Whats Native > Native Perennials.
Available @ http://www.whatsnative.com/images/Solidago_whatsnative_PDF_2-12-10.pdf

“Solidago rugosa ‘Fireworks.’” Royal Horticultural Society > Plants > Find a Plant.
Available @ https://www.rhs.org.uk/Plants/101910/Solidago-rugosa-Fireworks/Details?returnurl=%2fplants%2fsearch-results%3fform-mode%3dfalse%26query%3dsolidago%26aliaspath%3d%252fplants%252fsearch-results

“Solidago rugosa ‘Fireworks’ Goldenrod.” Greenwood Nursery > Perennial Plants.
Available @ https://www.greenwoodnursery.com/categories/all-perennial-plants-for-sale/solidago-rugosa-fireworks-goldenrod

“Solidago rugosa ‘Fireworks’ (Rough Goldenrod).” Gardenia.net > Plant Finder > Alphabetical Plant Listing.
Available @ https://www.gardenia.net/plant/solidago-rugosa-fireworks-rough-goldenrod

"Solidago rugosa 'Fireworks' Wrinkle-Leaf Goldenrod." New Moon Nursery > Plant List > Perennials.
Available @ http://www.newmoonnursery.com/index.cfm/fuseaction/plants.plantDetail/plant_id/170/typeID/4/index.htm

“Solidago rugosa Mill. Wrinkleleaf Goldenrod.” USDA NRCS (Natural Resources Conservation Service) PLANTS Database.
Available @ http://plants.usda.gov/core/profile?symbol=SORU2

“Solidago rugosa P. Mill.” Digital Atlas of the Virginia Flora.
Available @ http://vaplantatlas.org/index.php?do=plant&plant=361&search=Search

Saturday, September 3, 2016

Coleus Plant ‘UF10-45-12’ Has Chartreuse Leaves With Red Magenta Veins

Summary: Coleus plant ‘UF10-45-12’ is a common coleus cultivar from Gainesville, Florida, that has large chartreuse leaves with red magenta veins.

Coleus plant ‘UF10-45-12’ is a recently patented, common coleus cultivar (Plectranthus scutellarioides; syn. Solenostemon scutellarioides) that has large chartreuse leaves and prominent red magenta veins.

On Tuesday, Aug. 30, 2016, the U.S. Patent and Trademark Office granted the patent application filed Friday, June 6, 2014, by Florida Foundation Seed Producers, Inc., of Marianna, Jackson County, northwestern Florida, for Coleus plant ‘UF10-45-12.’ The father and son team of David G. Clark and Grayson M. Clark of Gainesville, Alachua County, north central Florida, is identified as the inventors of coleus plant ‘UF10-45-12.’ June Hwu is the U.S. Patent and Trademark Office’s primary examiner of the application for coleus plant ‘UF10-45-12.’

Coleus plant ‘UF10-45-12’ is a cultivar of the common coleus (Plectranthus scutellarioides; syn. Solenostemon scutellarioides). Common coleus is a flowering plant in the Lamiaceae family, known commonly as mints or deadnettles. The shrubby evergreen is an Old World native that claims homelands in India and in Southeast Asia.

The patent application describes 9-week-old plants that were grown from cuttings in 1-gallon pots in a Gainesville, Florida-based glass greenhouse.

Coleus plant ‘UF10-45-12’ presents compact, upright growth with desirable lateral branching. The late season bloomer is found to tolerate heat and to maintain stable foliage color under a range of sunny to shady conditions.

The Clarks’ cultivar, measured from top to soil to plant top, ranges from 32 to 34 centimeters (12.59 to 13.38 inches). Horizontal plant diameter, known as spread, ranges from 46 to 50 centimeters (18.11 to 19.68 inches).

Highly-branched stems are square-shaped. At the soil line, the stem diameter is 1.5 centimeters (0.59 inches).

Each plant has 6 to 8 main, smooth-textured branches. Branch length measures 26 centimeters. Diameter at the branch base ranges from 0.5 to 0.6 centimeters (0.19 to 0.23 inches).

The Clarks refer to The Royal Horticultural Society of London’s color chart for their color identifications. They assign RHS color 145A, light green, to the branch color.

Leaves form opposite arrangements on branches. Each branch bears 14 to 16 leaves. Leaf shape, which resembles an equal-angled triangle, is described as deltoid.

Leaf length ranges from 11 to 13 centimeters (4.33 to 5.11 inches). Leaf width ranges from 8 to 10 centimeters.

Chartreuse leaves are marked with red magenta veins in a netted pattern. The patent describes the upper surface venation color as dark purple red (RHS 59A). The lower surface venation is described as light green (RHS 145A).

The pedigree for coleus plant ‘UF10-45-12’ traces back to ‘Stained Glassworks™ Copper.’ Successive open pollinations with unknown male coleus plants led to coleus plant ‘UF10-45-12’ as the fifth generation descendant of ‘Stained Glassworks™ Copper.’

The Coleus hybrid is an easy grower that classically decorates borders and containers. ‘Stained Glassworks™ Copper’ has a height range of 12 to 24 inches (30.48 to 60.96 centimeters) and an aesthetically equiproportionate spread range. Chantal Aida Gordon, co-founder and editorial director of online gardening site The Horticult describes the coleus hybrid’s toothed, textured leaves as “tye-dyed, stonewashed hot-pink denim.” ‘Stained Glassworks™ Copper’ puts forth inconspicuous blue flower spikes.

‘UF08-17-2,’ the female coleus plant parent of ‘UF10-45-12,’ has smaller leaves than the new cultivar. Female coleus plant ‘UF08-17-2’ displays deep maroon foliage with bright yellow edges.

Patent applicant and assignee Florida Foundation Seed Producers, Inc. (FFSP) has granted a license to Ball Horticultural Company of West Chicago, DuPage County, northeastern Illinois, for exclusive propagation of the red magenta veined, chartreuse leafed coleus cultivar. Its commercial name is Coleosaurus™ 'UF10-45-12.'

Easy growth, low maintenance and attractive variability all combine to account for the popular naturalization of common coleus and its cultivars beyond their native homelands. Coleus plant ‘UF10-45-12’ represents the appealing creativity that coleus cultivars continue to contribute as bedding and potted plants in private and public landscapes.

'Stained Glassworks™ Copper' is ancestor of coleus cultivar 'UF10-45-12'; Monday, April 3, 2006, 16:00:57:: NC Cooperative Extension Horticulture, Public Domain, via Flickr

Acknowledgment

My special thanks to talented artists and photographers/concerned organizations who make their fine images available on the internet.

Image credits:

closeup of coleus plant ‘UF10-45-12’; one of two images included in David G. Clark and Grayson M. Clark’s patent application, filed Friday, June 6, 2014, as application number 14/120,606, with the United States Patent and Trademark Office (USPTO); United States Plant Patent No. US PP27,126; Date of Patent Aug. 30, 2016: David and Grayson Clark, Public Domain, via U.S. Patent and Trademark Office @ http://pdfpiw.uspto.gov/.piw?PageNum=0&docid=PP027126&IDKey=BCDB4AB2ACE7;
color scans via Plant Patents Image Database, Digital Collections @ University of Maryland Libraries, @ https://digital.lib.umd.edu/plantpatents/id/PP27126

'Stained Glassworks™ Copper' is ancestor of coleus cultivar 'UF10-45-12'; Monday, April 3, 2006, 16:00:57: NC Cooperative Extension Horticulture, Public Domain, via Flickr @ https://www.flickr.com/photos/55548967@N03/26582878162/

For further information:

Buck, Brad. “UF/IFAS Approves 14 New Cultivars for Release.” University of Florida IFAS (Institute for Food and Agricultural Sciences) News. Feb. 19,2014.
Available @ https://news.ifas.ufl.edu/2014/02/ufifas-approves-14-new-cultivars-for-release/

Buck, Brad. “UF/IFAS Professor Attracts Non-Agriculture Majors to Class; Gives Student 40,000th Plant.” University of Florida IFAS (Institute of Food and Agricultural Sciences) News. Oct. 29, 2015.
Available @ https://news.ifas.ufl.edu/2015/10/ufifas-professor-attracts-non-agriculture-majors-to-class-gives-student-40000th-plant/

"Coleosaurus™ 'UF10-45-12.'" Florida Foundation Seed Producers Inc. > Varieties > Coleus.
Available @ http://www.ffsp.net/varieties/coleus/coleosaurus-uf10-45-12/

“Coleus hybrid ‘Stained Glassworks™ Copper.’” GardenCenterMarketing.
Available @ https://www.gardencentermarketing.com/plantName/Coleus-hybrida-Stained-Glassworks-Copper

“Coleus Plant Named ‘UF10-45-12.’” United States Patent and Trademark Office. Aug. 30, 2016.
Available @ http://pdfpiw.uspto.gov/.piw?PageNum=0&docid=PP027126

“Coleus scutellarioides var. scutellarioides.” eFloras > Flora of China > Flora Taxon.
Available @ http://www.efloras.org/florataxon.aspx?flora_id=2&taxon_id=210000307

Gordon, Chantal Aida. “Coleus Collection: A Colorful Fall Fix for Our Garden.” The Horticult. Oct. 14, 2014.
Available @ http://thehorticult.com/coleus-collection-a-colorful-fall-fix-for-our-garden/

Hyam, Roger; Richard J. Pankhurst. Plants and Their Names: A Concise Dictionary. Oxford, England; New York NY: Oxford University Press; Edinburgh, Scotland: Royal Botanic Gardens, 1995.

International Union for the Protection of New Varieties of Plants. “Document TGP/14: Glossary of Technical, Botanical and Statistical Terms Used in UPOV Documents.” UPOV (Union Internationale Pour la Protection des Obtentions Végétales; International Union for the Protection of New Varieties of Plants). Dec. 9, 2006.
Available @ http://www.upov.org/edocs/mdocs/upov/en/tc_edc/2007/tgp_14_draft_1_section_2_3_2.pdf

“Plectranthus scutellarioides.” Missouri Botanical Garden > Gardens & Gardening > Your Garden > Plant Finder.
Available @ http://www.missouribotanicalgarden.org/PlantFinder/PlantFinderDetails.aspx?kempercode=a547.

Rogers, Ray. Coleus: Rainbow Foliage for Containers and Gardens. Portland OR: Timber Press, Inc., 2008.

“Solenostemon scutellarioides (L.) Codd Common Coleus.” USDA NRCS (Natural Resources Conservation Service) PLANTS Database.
Available @ http://plants.usda.gov/core/profile?symbol=SOSC7