September 16, 2024: We're covering a supermoon-eclipse event, the power of electroreception and a trait among scientists that holds great benefit for everyday folks. —Robin Lloyd, Contributing Editor | | | When the full moon occurs within a couple days of our solo satellite's closest orbital approach to Earth, some skywatchers call the event a supermoon. But Phil Plait, the astronomer who writes a weekly column for Scientific American, is not a fan of the moniker. The next such event will occur tomorrow, September 17. Supermoons are brighter, by about 15 percent, and bigger, by about 7 percent, in the night sky compared with these measures at the moon's usual brightness or average distance from Earth. Take advantage of any clear night to look at the phase changes, craters and silvery light cast by the moon, be it "super" or not, Plait writes. But it's unlikely that any of us actually can perceive the increased size or brightness, for a few reasons that he explains.
How it works: Our eyes don't perceive light in a linear fashion, Plait writes. In other words, an object emitting twice as much light appears to be less than twice as bright to us. And the moon's apparent size in the sky changes incrementally. We can refer to our memory of the moon's smaller size on prior nights, but such recalled estimates are unreliable.
What the experts say: Tomorrow's supermoon is special in a way that we can reliably see with the naked eye, Plait writes. Look at the top left of the moon's disk, as seen from the U.S., from 10:15 P.M. to 11:15 P.M. Eastern to witness a partial lunar eclipse.
| | | A 'supermoon' rises over the Statue of Liberty in New York City on August 30, 2023. Fatih Aktas/Anadolu Agency via Getty Images | | | Caterpillars Have a 'Superpower' | Humans lack the ability to sense electrical fields in our environment, but caterpillars are now among the few terrestrial animals known to have so-called electroreception, reports freelance science journalist Gennaro Tomma. The caterpillars use the ability to detect approaching wasps, predators of the larval lepidopterans, new research suggests. The finding marks the first recording of such a predator-prey interaction on land.
How they did it: After measuring wasps' and caterpillars' electrostatic charges, the researchers used electrodes to simulate the electric field of an approaching wasp. Caterpillars exposed to the field responded defensively, either by coiling up for longer than usual or by trying to bite the electrodes.
What the experts say: The study is an example of "the impressive variety of cues that animals—in contrast to humans—can detect and actually use in their everyday tasks," says neuroethologist Pauline N. Fleischmann. | | | • People who aren't scientists could benefit greatly by adopting at least one key trait that is expected of scientists. That trait is the ability to accept and admit that we are wrong, writes science historian Naomi Oreskes. She cites the example of a French geologist, Xavier Le Pichon, who defended his Ph.D. thesis in 1966 denying the possibility of the now widely accepted concept of continental drift. In the same week as his Ph.D. defense, new data drove him to accept that the conclusions of his thesis were invalid. Today, he is a key figure in developing the model and field of plate tectonics. "In science, as in life, it pays to be able to admit when you are wrong and change your mind," Oreskes writes. | 4 min read | | | Earlier this year, I briefly chatted with a former classmate who told me she works at Grand Canyon National Park. "How cool!" I responded. The Grand Canyon is one of my favorite places, of course. My classmate's reply was brusque: "You don't even know what I do there." True. I detected the note of aversion but thought, "Why?" There could be many reasons for it, but one explanation might be years of exposure to tourists. As writer and Chopped champion Drew Magary explains in this essay, we don't mean to be rude and foolish when we tour, but somehow, we can't help it. | —Robin Lloyd, Contributing Editor | | Subscribe to this and all of our newsletters . | | | | Scientific American
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