Friday, 29 November 2024

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California is one of the most biodiverse regions in the world, with more than 30,000 species of insects, 6,500 plants, 650 birds, 220 mammals, 100 reptiles, 75 amphibians, 70 freshwater fish and 100 species of marine fish and mammals.

California Biodiversity Day, held Sept. 7 of each year, is an opportunity to celebrate the unique diversity of living things found in our state and encourage actions to protect them. This year’s celebration coincides with Labor Day.

Although physical distancing restrictions and other COVID-19 precautions have prevented California Department of Fish and Wildlife ecological reserves and wildlife areas from planning the "open house" style celebrations that were hosted last year, where large groups of people could gather, CDFW staff across the state have created a roster of ways – both virtual and outdoors – for Californians to explore and learn about the biodiversity found on state lands.

A master list of California Biodiversity Day events can be found here.

This year's virtual events, self-guided tours and outdoor opportunities lend themselves to physical distancing. The events will be held over the course of a week, through Sept. 13.

A sampling of California Biodiversity Day 2020 events, many of which feature the use of the free iNaturalist app, include the following:

– Take one of the many self-guided tours available at CDFW properties throughout the state. Use the iNaturalist app to learn and document any plants, animals or other organisms you encounter while exploring CDFW ecological reserves and wildlife areas.
– Challenge yourself with a self-guided bioblitz at Old Town San Diego State Historic Park. Contribute observations of organisms spotted while exploring the park through Sept. 13.
– Play along in the bioblitz competition between Prairie Creek Redwoods State Park and Humboldt Redwoods State Park. Support your favorite park in their quest to log the highest number of bioblitz participants.
– Play California Biodiversity Bingo. Download the California Academy of Science's bingo card and see if you can find enough common species in your backyard or neighborhood to make a bingo.
– Challenge your family to with a bioblitz at the greater Mono Lake area, including Lee Vining Canyon and Lundy Canyon. Share what you see, from bird nests to scat samples.
– Get ideas for kid-friendly activities on the Santa Cruz Museum of Natural History's website. Learn about ways to engage kids at home in exploring and learning about biodiversity.
– Venture out on a virtual scavenger hunt at the Nimbus Fish Hatchery. Walk along the Discovery Trail and try to find as many of the species on the list as you can.

Visit the website for a full list of events and details.

All proposed in-personal activities will take place outdoors and involve minimal contact between participants and any staff present, with an observed minimum physical distance of 6 feet from individuals from different households observed by all.
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NORTHERN CALIFORNIA – Officials will host another virtual community meeting on Saturday evening to discuss the August Complex, which has been burning for nearly three weeks in the Mendocino National Forest.

The August Complex rose to 305,673 acres on Saturday, with containment remaining at 23 percent, according to the US Forest Service report.

There will be a virtual community meeting at 7 p.m., Saturday, Sept. 5. Residents, particularly from the Covelo area, are encouraged to participate.

The meeting and fire updates can be found on the Mendocino National Forest Facebook page.

The complex originally was 37 fires that merged into several larger incidents. Those fires – the Hull, Doe, Tatham and Glade – have since merged to form one large fire.

The Doe fire is 297,377 acres and 23 percent contained, the Tatham fire is 15,594 acres and 9 percent contained, the Hull fire is 13,177 acres and 10 percent contained, and the Hopkins fire is 11,089 acres and zero percent contained.

The Forest Service said 1,048 resources are committed to the complex, including 22 crews, four camp crews, seven helicopters, 46 engines, 20 dozers, 31 water tenders and three masticators.

The National Weather Service has issued a fire weather warning beginning 10 p.m. Monday and continuing through 8 a.m. Wednesday.

Weather predictions call for extreme heat ranging from the mid-90s on the ridges to 110 degrees in the valleys. Relative humidity is expected to drop to the single digits.

Winds will shift from southeast to northwest, with sustained wind speeds of up to 25 miles per hour. This could result in the potential for rapid fire spread throughout the complex and dense smoke in the surrounding area.

Officials said there was a slopover across the M1 Road in the Riley Ridge area of the Doe fire.

Helicopters and dozers are performing containment operations. Crews are making good progress containing a spot fire north of Anthony Peak and South of Buck Rock. Small aircraft will assist in this area, as smoke conditions permit, the Forest Service reported.

The Hopkins fire is moving toward areas of old burn scars and road systems surrounding the perimeter of the fire. Burnout operations and air operations will proceed Saturday. There are presently five engines and three bulldozers committed to the Hopkins fire, officials said.

Mendocino National Forest officials updated the area closure for the August Complex on Sept. 5. The Forest Order 08-20-12 and map are posted on the forest website.

The most up to date information on the August Complex can be found on InciWeb.



The August Complex in Northern California as mapped on Saturday, September 5, 2020. Map courtesy of the US Forest Service and Cal Fire.
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LAKE COUNTY, Calif. – The Lake County Sheriff’s Office has released the name of a woman killed in a Tuesday morning crash near Clearlake.

Lt. Corey Paulich said Renea Pillow, 41, of Clearlake died in the wreck.

At about 9:15 a.m. Tuesday, Pillow was driving her 2005 Mercedes ML350 northbound on Highway 53, north of Ogulin Canyon Road, at approximately 70 miles per hour when she crossed a broken yellow center line, entering into the southbound lane, in order to pass a large vehicle, the California Highway Patrol’s Clear Lake Area office said.

The CHP said Pillow collided head-on with a 2016 Toyota Camry driven by Jesus Valdes, 53, of Novato, whose wife, Elisha Valdes, 49, of Clearlake Oaks was following him in a 2015 Nissan Altima.

After Pillow and Jesus Valdes collided head-on, Elisha Valdes’ vehicle hit the driver's side of her husband’s Toyota, the CHP said.

Pillow, who was not wearing her seat belt, died at the scene. Jesus Valdes was flown out of county for treatment of major injuries and Elisha Valdes was treated for minor injuries at Adventist Health Clear Lake, the CHP said. The couple was wearing their seat belts.

The CHP said drugs or alcohol are not believed to have been contributing factors.

Email Elizabeth Larson at This email address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it.. Follow her on Twitter, @ERLarson, or Lake County News, @LakeCoNews.
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The LNU Lightning Complex as mapped by Cal Fire on Sunday, September 6, 2020.

LAKE COUNTY, Calif. – Containment continues to edge upward on the LNU Lightning Complex as more than 1,600 firefighters remain assigned to the incident.

For nearly a week, the complex has remained at 375,209 acres, with firefighters strengthening lines and increasing containment daily. On Saturday evening, the containment had risen to 89 percent.

On the east side of the complex in Colusa, Lake, Napa, Solano and Yolo counties, containment on the 317,909-acre Hennessey fire was up to 89 percent, Cal Fire said.

To the west in Sonoma County, Cal Fire said the Walbridge fire west of Healdsburg is at 54,940 acres and 95 percent containment. The 2,360-acre Meyers fire north of Jenner was fully contained last week.

Cal Fire said resources assigned on Saturday night included 1,674 firefighters, 125 engines, 40 water tenders, six helicopters, 39 hand crews and 36 dozers.

Approximately 1,350 structures remain threatened, Cal Fire said. The number of structures destroyed and damaged, 1,491 and 232, respectively, has not changed.

Numerous evacuation warnings remain in effect in repopulated areas throughout the fire area, including in southern Lake County, in and around Lower Lake and Middletown, according to Cal Fire.

Officials said they are monitoring the hot and dry weather conditions forecast for the weekend.

Email Elizabeth Larson at This email address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it.. Follow her on Twitter, @ERLarson, or Lake County News, @LakeCoNews.
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LAKE COUNTY, Calif. – As Lake County added three dozen more confirmed COVID-19 cases in the past week, the county’s Public Health officer said the county is continuing to monitor an outbreak at a skilled nursing facility that has so far resulted in two deaths.

Lake County’s COVID-19 cases totaled 360 on Friday, said Dr. Gary Pace. That’s an increase of 36 over the previous Friday.

Of those, 38 are under active Public Health monitoring and 317 are recovered. None currently are hospitalized and five have died.

On Friday night, more than 731,000 cases and approximately 13,643 deaths were reported statewide by Public Health departments across California.

Lake County Public Health said 10,040 tests have been conducted locally.

On Friday, the California Department of Public Health said 11,796,970 tests have been conducted in the state, an increase of 133,046 over the prior 24-hour reporting period.

The state said local health departments have reported 33,307 confirmed positive cases in health care workers and 157 deaths statewide.

In Lake County, Pace said Public Health is continuing to track an outbreak at a local skilled nursing facility.

Pace said he would not comment when asked to identify the specific facility.

He said Friday that the outbreak has resulted in four of the facility’s staff members testing positive. Five residents have contracted the virus, and two have died; those deaths were Lake County’s fourth and fifth COVID-19 deaths.

“Similar concerning situations have arisen in other counties around the state,” said Pace.

“The facility is working with local Public Health and state regulators to ensure everything is being done to protect staff and residents,” Pace said.

Pace told Lake County News that the facility has been working with Public Health and “reportedly following the protocols.”

He said the state has visited the facility with the outbreak and reviewed infection prevention issues.

“Of course this is a very concerning scenario in our community. And there has been a great deal of controversy about mask-wearing and general adoption of protective measures,” Pace said.

He said skilled nursing facilities are extremely vulnerable and have been successful in keeping the virus out until this point.

Pace said the virus is generally entering into workplaces through contacts outside of work – such as family and social gatherings.

Email Elizabeth Larson at This email address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it.. Follow her on Twitter, @ERLarson, or Lake County News, @LakeCoNews.

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CLEARLAKE, Calif. – Clearlake Animal Control has seven dogs ready for new families.

The following dogs are ready for adoption or foster.

“Bella.” Photo courtesy of Clearlake Animal Control.

‘Bella’

“Bella” is a female American Bully mix.

She has a short beige and tan coat.

She is dog No. 3537.

“Boog.” Photo courtesy of Clearlake Animal Control.

‘Boog’

“Boog” is a senior male American Bully mix with a short brown and white coat.

He is dog No. 4012.

“Diesel.” Photo courtesy of Clearlake Animal Control.

‘Diesel’

“Diesel” is a male border collie mix with a black and white coat.

He is dog No. 4023.

“Jack.” Photo courtesy of Clearlake Animal Control.

‘Jack’

“Jack” is a male Labrador Retriever mix with a short yellow coat.

He is dog No. 4155.

“Lady.” Photo courtesy of Clearlake Animal Control.

‘Lady’

“Lady” is a female German Shepherd mix.

She has been spayed.

She is dog No. 3683.

“Nibbler.” Photo courtesy of Clearlake Animal Control.

‘Nibbler’

“Nibbler” is a senior male Australian Kelpie mix with a short brown and tan coat.

He is dog No. 4158.

“Wilbur.” Photo courtesy of Clearlake Animal Control.

‘Wilbur’

“Wilbur” is a male American Bully mix with a short gray and white coat.

He is dog No. 3999.

Clearlake Animal Control’s shelter is located at 6820 Old Highway 53, off Airport Road.

The shelter is open by appointment only due to COVID-19.

Call the Clearlake Animal Control shelter at 707-273-9440, or email This email address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it. to inquire about adoptions and schedule a visit to the shelter.

Visit Clearlake Animal Control on Facebook or on the city’s website.

Email Elizabeth Larson at This email address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it.. Follow her on Twitter, @ERLarson, or Lake County News, @LakeCoNews.
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LAKE COUNTY, Calif. – Lake County Animal Care and Control has five dogs this week prepared for new homes.

Dogs available for adoption this week include mixes of chow chow, husky, Labrador Retriever and pit bull.

Dogs that are adopted from Lake County Animal Care and Control are either neutered or spayed, microchipped and, if old enough, given a rabies shot and county license before being released to their new owner. License fees do not apply to residents of the cities of Lakeport or Clearlake.

The following dogs at the Lake County Animal Care and Control shelter have been cleared for adoption (additional dogs on the animal control Web site not listed are still “on hold”).

Call Lake County Animal Care and Control at 707-263-0278 or visit the shelter online at http://www.co.lake.ca.us/Government/Directory/Animal_Care_And_Control.htm for information on visiting or adopting.

This female Labrador Retriever mix is in kennel No. 9, ID No. 13989. Photo courtesy of Lake County Animal Care and Control.

Female Labrador Retriever

This female Labrador Retriever mix has a short black coat with white markings.

She is in kennel No. 9, ID No. 13989.

This female pit bull terrier is in kennel No. 18, ID No. 13990. Photo courtesy of Lake County Animal Care and Control.

Female pit bull terrier

This female pit bull terrier has a short gray and white coat.

She is in kennel No. 18, ID No. 13990.

“Lilly” is a female pit bull-husky mix in kennel No. 21, ID No. 13991. Photo courtesy of Lake County Animal Care and Control.

‘Lilly’

“Lilly” is a female pit bull-husky mix with a short brown and white coat.

She is in kennel No. 21, ID No. 13991.

“Shiloh” is a male pit bull-chow chow mix in kennel No. 24, ID No. 13992. Photo courtesy of Lake County Animal Care and Control.

‘Shiloh’

“Shiloh” is a male pit bull-chow chow mix with a short tan coat.

He is in kennel No. 24, ID No. 13992.

“Hunter” is a male yellow Labrador Retriever in kennel No. 30, ID No. 13896. Photo courtesy of Lake County Animal Care and Control.

‘Hunter’

“Hunter” is a male yellow Labrador Retriever.

He has been neutered.

He’s in kennel No. 30, ID No. 13896.

Email Elizabeth Larson at This email address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it.. Follow her on Twitter, @ERLarson, or Lake County News, @LakeCoNews.
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LAKE COUNTY, Calif. – Work to contain, patrol and mop up the vast acreage of the LNU Lightning Complex is continuing, with a number of evacuation warnings remaining in effect for southern Lake County.

The complex, burning since Aug. 17, remains at 375,209 acres and reached 88-percent containment on Friday evening, Cal Fire reported.

Cal Fire said the portion of the complex burning in Lake County, the 317,909-acre Hennessey fire – which also has burned in Colusa, Napa, Solano and Yolo counties – is 88 percent contained.

On the west side of the complex, the 54,940-acre Walbridge fire west of Healdsburg is at 94-percent containment, Cal Fire said. The 2,360-acre Meyers fire north of Jenner was fully contained earlier this week.

The complex continues to threaten 1,350 structures. Cal Fire said it has destroyed 1,491 structures and damaged 232 others.

Resources on the complex continue to be released. On Friday, Cal Fire said assigned resources included 1,759 personnel, 135 engines, 41 water tenders, eight helicopters, 39 hand crews and 41 dozers.

Cal Fire said the crews are continuing to work on containment lines and teams also are conducting suppression repair throughout the fire area.

Several evacuation warnings remain in effect for south Lake County. Cal Fire said they include the following:

– East of the Middletown area: East of Highway 29, north of Lake-Napa County line, south of Butts Canyon Road and east of Callayomi Road to Western Mine Road.
– North of the Lower Lake area: North of Morgan Valley Road, east of the Intersection of Morgan Valley Road and Sky High Ridge Road to Highway 20, south of Highway 20 and west of the Lake/Colusa/Yolo County lines.
– South of the Lower Lake area: South of Morgan Valley Road, east of Chimney Rock/Canyon Road, north of Jerusalem Grade Road extending to the Lake/Napa County line, and west of the Lake/Napa County Line.
– The Middletown area: East of Guenoc Road, north Butts Canyon Road, south of Grange Road, west of Lake/Napa County Line, south of Butts Canyon Road, east of Highway 29 and St.Helena Creek Road, west of Callayomi Road extending to Western Mine Road and north of Lake/Napa County line.

Email Elizabeth Larson at This email address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it.. Follow her on Twitter, @ERLarson, or Lake County News, @LakeCoNews.







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NORTH COAST, Calif. – A vehicle stop last week in Mendocino County led to the arrests of two Clearlake residents, one for possessing drugs for sale – including heroin and methamphetamine – and the other for warrants.

Joseph Fitzgerald, 37, and Allison Strout, 27, were taken into custody early on the morning of Friday, Aug. 28, according to a report from Sgt. Eric Riboli of the Mendocino County Sheriff’s Office.

Riboli said that at 3:15 a.m. that day, Mendocino County Sheriff's deputies were on routine patrol when they observed a bronze-colored Jeep traveling northbound on North State Street in Redwood Valley.

The vehicle displayed expired registration tabs, which is a violation of the California Vehicle Code. As a result, Riboli said the deputies conducted a traffic enforcement stop on the vehicle in the 7700 block of North State Street.

Riboli said the deputies contacted the driver and identified him as Fitzgerald, with Strout identified as the passenger.

A warrants check revealed two outstanding Humboldt County arrest warrants for Strout's arrest. The deputies also learned Strout was on probation with search terms. Fitzgerald came back clear in all systems, Riboli said.

Riboli said a probation search of the Jeep revealed a large quantity of heroin and a smaller quantity of methamphetamine.

As their investigation continued, the deputies developed probable cause to believe Fitzgerald possessed the heroin with the intent to sell, Riboli said.

Fitzgerald was arrested for possession of narcotics for sale and Strout was arrested for the two active Humboldt County arrest warrants, according to Riboli’s report.

Riboli said the two were transported to the Mendocino County Jail. Fitzgerald was booked for the listed charge and was released on zero bail at the conclusion of the jail booking process.

Strout was booked on the warrants and held in lieu of $50,000 bail, Riboli said.
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An artist's concept of a protoplanetry disk surrounding a forming star that is ejecting jets of material (yellow beams). Such disks contain countless tiny dust grains, many of which become incorporated into asteroids, comets, and planets. Credits: NASA's Goddard Space Flight Center.


NASA is preparing for the first launch of a sounding rocket since the coronavirus pandemic began in the United States.

The DUST-2 mission, which is short for the Determining Unknown yet Significant Traits-2, will carry a miniature laboratory into space, simulating how tiny grains of space dust – the raw materials of stars, planets and solar systems – form and grow.

The launch window opens at the White Sands Missile Range in New Mexico on Sept. 8.

DUST-2, a collaboration between NASA and the Japan Aerospace Exploration Agency, follows up on the DUST mission launched in October 2019.

Like its predecessor, DUST-2 will fly on a sounding rocket, a suborbital rocket that makes a brief trip into space before falling back to Earth. Sounding rockets provide cost-effective access to space and remain one of the most efficient ways to achieve near-zero gravity, a critical requirement for the mission.

DUST-2’s goal is to study how individual atoms, shed by dying stars and supernovae, stick together. When they do, they form dust grains – some of the basic building blocks of our universe.

“What we're trying to do is duplicate what happens in at least two astrophysical environments,” said principal investigator Joe Nuth, a planetary scientist at NASA’s Goddard Space Flight Center in Greenbelt, Maryland. “One is when [dust] grains form when stars die, as they blow off their outer atmospheres. The other is during the formation of solar systems, where you're actually forming planets from the vaporized dust of star-forming clouds.”

Both environments involve atoms colliding, sticking together, and forming dust grains. But exactly how dust grains form and grow depends on many different factors. Nuth and his collaborator, Yuki Kimura of Hokkaido University in Japan, designed DUST-2 to study which factors are most important.

The refrigerator-sized mini-laboratory will launch aboard a Black Brant IX sounding rocket, reaching an altitude of about 210 miles high before beginning to fall back down to Earth.

A lot happens in the next six and a half minutes.

Thirty seconds into freefall, the first of its six experiments – all slight modifications of one another – kicks on. Inside a sealed chamber, a tiny filament begins to heat up. The thin coating of iron, silicon, magnesium and other particles sprayed onto the filament diffuse into the surrounding chamber.

Some of these atoms will collide and stick – the beginnings of a dust grain – while others ricochet away. Each minute, another chamber turns on until the payload parachutes back to Earth for recovery.

The DUST-2 sounding rocket on the launch rail at White Sands Missile Range. Credits: NASA/NSROC/Ted Gacek.


Back in the lab, Nuth, Kimura and their teams will study the grains that formed in each of the six chambers. Hotter particles collide more often, so they will measure how grains formed differently farther or closer to the hot filament.

Some elements may block one another from growing dust grains, so they will study which elements ended up in each grain.

They’ll also explore a surprise finding from the DUST-1 mission: In that experiment, dust grains that formed in argon gas with a small fraction (5%) of oxygen tended to smush together more than those formed in pure argon, a non-reactive noble gas.

“Without the oxygen, the atoms were like little billiard balls that touched and stuck,” said Nuth. “But with oxygen, when the billiard balls touched, they partially merged together. That was something we didn't suspect.”

Their hunch is that oxygen lowered the melting point of the dust grain, so that incoming particles mashed into partly molten material. To test this idea, DUST-2 removed all oxygen and replaced it with a small quantity (about 5%) of hydrogen.

“If that’s the case, we should get none of that merging with hydrogen,” Nuth said. “So we’ll see if it pans out.”

The experiment also includes a new carbon fiber heating filament for more precise control of the temperature. But the biggest difference between DUST-1 and DUST-2 is in mission operations – it’s the first sounding rocket to launch during the COVID-19 pandemic. The team has implemented many new processes in the background to ensure the launch can happen while protecting the health of the workforce.

“As we carefully evaluated each task, we developed new ways to accomplish some of our hands-on work to minimize the risk of exposure,” said John Hickman, deputy program manager for NASA’s Sounding Rockets Program.

Every four hours, the team sanitizes all surfaces and equipment. “In addition to masks we have eye protection – face shields and safety glasses,” said Eric Roper, NSROC mission manager who oversaw operations at White Sands. “We’ve worked pretty hard to develop a culture of doing these things as second nature.”

It seems to be working – even with the new precautions, launch preparations have proceeded on schedule.

“Honestly it’s going about the same pace as usual,” said Roper. “The team’s done a phenomenal job adapting to the situation.”

NASA's Sounding Rockets Program is managed at the agency's Wallops Flight Facility, which is managed by NASA's Goddard Space Flight Center in Greenbelt, Maryland. NASA's Heliophysics Division funds the Sounding Rockets Program for the agency.

Miles Hatfield works for NASA’s Goddard Space Flight Center in Greenbelt, Maryland.
The payload team conducting Attitude Control System phasing tests at White Sands Missile Range. From left: John Yackanech, Jesus Martinez, Ken Starr, Ted Gacek. Credits: NASA/NSROC/Ahmed Ghalib.
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LOWER LAKE, Calif. – The county of Lake, in a joint effort with our local partners and state and federal agencies including the California Governor’s Office of Emergency Services will open a Local Assistance Center to support residents affected by the LNU Lightning Complex event.

The Local Assistance Center, or LAC, will be a “one-stop” shop, where individuals and businesses that have suffered disaster-related loss or damage can find assistance and access services all in one place.

This year marks the sixth straight year in which large wildfire disasters have had a major impact on Lake County communities and the local economy.

This year, to ensure they provide accessible services to the public in a safe manner, in light of COVID-19, the LAC will run in a virtual format, accessible online.

Disaster resources available include Individual Assistance for clients whose homes were destroyed or damaged, vital records replacement, immigrant and veteran’s disaster services, postal service address changes and forwarding information, unemployment benefits information if the fire impacted your ability to work, driver’s license and car registration/title replacement, local food resources, utility assistance programs, emotional supports and more.

Local businesses can connect with the Small Business Administration for business loan assistance to cover losses. Local, state and federal agencies assisting in disaster recovery are all accessible through the LAC website.

Disaster survivors whose homes were destroyed or sustained damage will find links to recovery resources and information including property debris removal, hazardous materials cleanup, property tax evaluation and relief, utility and wastewater information, home repair and rebuilding information, tips on navigating the insurance industry, disaster recovery guides and links to local agencies active in community disaster assistance.

Community members are encouraged to access the LAC website.

Phone assistance will be available for clients without the ability to access the website for a limited period of time only, Sept. 7 to 11, at 707-995-4335, Monday through Friday, 8 a.m. to 4 p.m.

The Lake County 2-1-1 emergency line has also been activated for disaster and recovery information.

Requests for information by email may be sent to This email address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it..
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What's up for September? The moon with Mars and Venus, and a star with a planet … that wasn't.

On Sept. 6, you'll find the moon extremely close to Mars in the predawn sky. Now, they were even closer back on Aug. 9, but still a really pretty spectacle this month.

If you're up early and can step outside for a look, they'll be only a couple of degrees apart, meaning they'll appear in the same field of view if you take a look with most binoculars.

On Sept. 13 and 14, look in the east before dawn to see the slim crescent moon slip past brilliant Venus. On Sept. 13 you'll find the moon hanging above Venus with about 20 percent of its surface illuminated.

By the next morning, the moon has moved here, to the left of Venus, and has only about 10 percent of its sunlit surface visible.

Looking toward the south in September, there's really only one relatively bright star for most of us who live near cities. That star is called Fomalhaut, and it's got a pretty interesting story.

The star is about 25 light-years away, meaning it's relatively close by. It's also fairly young, at just a few hundred million years, and it's still surrounded by a disk of debris, which is a common feature for stars during their planet-forming phase.

Now we've discovered thousands of exoplanets – planets outside our solar system – but Fomalhaut appeared to be the first star to have a planet detected by direct imaging with a telescope (that being the Hubble Space Telescope). Astronomers announced the find back in 2008.

So Fomalhaut had itself a planet! But this is where it gets interesting, as the “planet” had a funky orbit, wasn't giving off excess heat like a young planet should, and proceeded to grow fainter over the several years that followed, disappearing by 2014.

In April 2020, another team of astronomers using Hubble announced their finding that Fomalhaut's “planet” wasn't a planet after all.

In fact, their study showed what Hubble detected was likely a giant, expanding cloud of debris resulting from a huge collision of two small bodies made of dust and ice, similar to worlds you might find in our own Kuiper Belt.

The scientists calculate collisions like this happen around Fomalhaut only every couple hundred thousand years, so Hubble just happened to be looking at the right time, not long after the collision took place.

So we may have lost a planet, but we gained a cool insight into how planetary systems form and evolve.

You can find Fomalhaut low in the south a couple of hours after sunset, to the left of the bright pair of Saturn and Jupiter.

Since it's bright and low in the sky, it sometimes appears to flicker from atmospheric turbulence. That can cause some skywatchers to wonder just what the heck it is.

Now you know: It's Fomalhaut, the nearby star where it appears we witnessed a dramatic planetary collision.

Preston Dyches works for NASA's Jet Propulsion Laboratory.

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