Catch the crescent moon leap over Jupiter this week
A striking celestial event will occur this week as a delicate crescent moon approaches Jupiter in the post-sunset sky. On the night of April 29, skywatchers will observe the moon appear as a thin arc, illuminated only at its lower right edge, while the bright planet Jupiter glows above it in the constellation Taurus. By the evening of April 30, the crescent will “leapfrog” the gas giant, positioning itself to Jupiter’s upper right, offering a brief yet spectacular skywatching moment before both slip beneath the horizon.
Crescent Moon Makes Closest Approach to Jupiter on April 30, Visible After Sunset
As per a report from in-the-sky.org, the moon will make its closest apparent approach to Jupiter on April 30 at 12:54 p.m. EDT (1654 GMT), though the duo will remain visible in the twilight sky after sunset. Just over five degrees will separate the pair, while Mars shines higher in the southwestern sky and the bright star Elnath—forming one of Taurus’ horns—will appear near the moon’s darkened edge, separated by less than a degree.
This lunar-Jovian pairing follows the moon’s emergence from its April 27 new moon phase, when it passed between the sun and Earth. The moon now enters a waxing crescent phase that leads to its first quarter on May 4. On April 29, only a small fraction of its surface will be sunlit, with Earthshine potentially lighting up the shadowed regions, revealing ancient mare formations of basalt rock from a time when the moon’s surface was still cooling.
Catch the Crescent Moon and Jupiter Together in the Twilight Sky Until Late April 30
Observers in cities like New York can catch the pair until around 10:30 p.m. EDT, when the moon sets. The event promises fleeting beauty, ideal for astrophotography or telescope viewing. Jupiter will gradually set earlier each night in May, while the moon sets later as it approaches the first quarter.
Whether with the naked eye or assisted by optics, this twilight event offers a serene moment to witness Earth’s closest neighbour share the sky with a gas giant, backdropped by the stars of Taurus.
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A team of scientists has developed a new kind of self-healing circuit board that stays functional even after severe mechanical damage and can be reshaped or recycled entirely using heat. Infused with liquid metal and built using a polymer known as vitrimer, the new circuit boards could dramatically cut electronic waste and transform the durability of consumer electronics. Vitrimer retains the strength of traditional thermoset materials while allowing flexibility and repair, making it possible to reconfigure damaged boards without compromising electrical performance.
As per a study published in Advanced Materials on June 1, the boards were created by blending vitrimer with just 5% by volume of liquid metal droplets. This combination nearly doubled the material’s strain-at-break, or stretchability, compared to vitrimer alone. The embedded droplets are flexible as well, serving as flexible conductors in place of metal wiring used in traditional boards. Using a rheometer, tests showed the material was able to return to its original shape after heat-induced deformation ranging from 170°C to 200°C, which conventional epoxy-based thermosets cannot achieve.
Engineers also demonstrated that the material remains highly conductive and can recover its electrical function after being damaged. “Modern circuit boards simply cannot do this,” said Josh Worch, co-lead author of the study. His team designed the dynamic composite with the aim of building a circular economy around electronics. The design addresses a major environmental concern: most circuit boards today use thermosets that cannot be recycled and end up in landfills.
Electronic waste has more than doubled in 12 years, from 34 to 62 billion kilograms, as noted in a 2024 UN report. Despite containing valuable metals like gold, current boards are difficult to break down and reclaim due to the permanent nature of thermosetting plastics. The new vitrimer-based design, by contrast, allows for easy separation and reuse of materials. “Even if the board is damaged,” said Michael Bartlett, another co-lead author, “electrical performance will not suffer.”
More work needs to be done to improve the recovery of some elements, but the advance is a big step toward greener electronics, the researchers say. The technology could one day be in many different types of devices, from phones and laptops to wearables and TVs, changing the way devices are made, operated, and recycled.
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German Scientists at GSI Helmholtzzentrum für Schwerionenforschung found a new superheavy isotope, 257Sg, named Seaborgium, which reveals unexpected details about the stability and nuclear fission. This study was published in Physical Review Letters and describes how this isotope, made by fusing chromium-52 with lead-206, survived for 12.6 milliseconds, longer than usual. The rare longevity and decay into 253Rf provide new indications of how K-quantum numbers or angular momentum impact the fission resistance. The findings fill in the gaps and give us an understanding of the effects of quantum shells in superheavy nuclei, which is crucial for preventing immediate disintegration.
Challenging Traditional Views on K-Quantum Numbers and Fission
As per the study by GSI, it challenges conservative views on how K-quantum numbers impact fission. Previously, it was found that the higher K values lead to greater fission hindrance, but after getting the findings from the GSI team, a more complex dynamic emerged. They found that K-quantum numbers offer hindrance to fission, but it is still ot known that it is how much, said Dr. Pavol Mosat, the study’s co-author.
Discovery of First K-Isomeric State in Seaborgium
An important milestone is the identification of the first K-isomeric state in seaborgium. In 259Sg, the scientists found that the conversion of the electron signal occurs 40 microseconds after the nuclear formation. This is clear evidence of the high angular momentum K-isomer. These states have longer lifetimes and friction in fission in a more effective way than their ground-state counterparts.
Implications for the Theorised Island of Stability
This discovery by the scientists provides key implications for the Island of stability, which has long been theorised. It is a region where superheavy elements could have comparatively long half-lives. If K-isomers are present in the still undiscovered elements such as 120, they can enable scientists in the detection of nuclei that would otherwise decay in just under one microsecond.
Synthesising 256Sg with Ultra-Fast Detection Systems
This team of German Scientists under GSI is now aiming to synthesise 256Sg, which might decay quicker than observed or predicted. Their success is dependent on the ultra-fast detection systems created by GSI, which are capable of capturing events within 100 nanoseconds. This continued research by the team may help in reshaping the search and studying the heaviest elements in the periodic table.
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257Sg, seaborgium, K-isomer, superheavy, elements, nuclear stability, fission, GSI, TASCA, Physical Review Letters, element 120, island of stability
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