Space Shuttle Atlantis awaits Blastoff on July 8, 2011 from Launch Pad 39A at the Kennedy Space Center in Florida. Credit: Ken Kremer
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The countdown to NASA’s 135th and final shuttle launch began today (July 5) with no technical issues blocking liftoff at this time. But upwards of 750,000 spectators may be disappointed because the weather on launch day, July 8, is looking decidedly dicey. Storm weather and stormy seas lie ahead for NASA.
At today’s press briefing, Shuttle Weather Officer Kathy Winters projected that the chance of favorable weather is only 40% for Friday’s 11.26 a.m. liftoff of Atlantis because of the likely threat of rain at the Kennedy Space Center.
The 12 day STS-135 mission will loft about 9500 pounds of supplies and equipment that NASA shuttle managers state are absolutely “mandatory” in order to keep the International Space Station operating at full capacity for the next year.
“I wish I had a better weather briefing for you, but it does look like we are going to have some weather, at least potential for weather, in the area at launch time,” said Winters. “Right now, we’re going with a 60 percent chance of KSC weather prohibiting launch due to the potential for showers and isolated thunderstorms in the area.”
In the event of a one day delay to Saturday, the chances for favorable weather increases considerably to 60%. For a two day delay to July 10, the chances of acceptable weather climbs to 70%.
After July 10, the liftoff of the STS-135 mission would have to be delayed to July 16 because NASA would be forced to stand down shuttle launch operations in order to allow the Air Force to launch a military navigation satellite on July 14 from Cape Canaveral. That is unless the Air Force relents – out of consideration for the three quarters of a million folks expected to jam the Florida space coast beaches, highways and hotels – and offers NASA the opportunity to launch Atlantis for several days starting on July 11 – in case of a launch delay.
STS-135 crew at base of Launch Pad 39A, Kennedy Space Center. From left; Mission Specialists Rex Walheim and Sandy Magnus; Pilot Doug Hurley and Commander Chris Ferguson. Credit: Ken Kremer
Space fans need to be patient and plan for undesired contingencies just like NASA by packing extra provisions like food, water and clothing and also should consider extended accommodations.
Clocks began ticking backwards today at 1p.m.EDT at the T Minus 43 hour mark towards the final blastoff of Space Shuttle Atlantis.
NASA Test Director Jeremy Graeber said at today’s briefing that Atlantis is ready to fly.
“Our teams here at the Kennedy Space Center and all the NASA centers across the country have been working for over a year to prepare Atlantis, the external tank our solid rocket boosters, the payload and all of our ground systems for the STS-135 mission,” Graeber stated. “All of our vehicle and ground systems are ready, the STS-135 crew, Atlantis and the launch team are all ready to proceed and we’re looking forward to a spectacular launch on Friday morning.”
STS-135 payload manager Joe Delai said the payloads and the Raffaello cargo carrier module are ready to go as well. “The primary objective of Atlantis is to resupply the ISS for one year. About 9500 pounds are going up. This is the largest payload in terms of volume.”
Delai said that Raffaello was specially modified to increase its cargo carrying capacity by several hundred pounds.
The STS-135 mission will bring NASA’s 30 year long shuttle program to a definite close and simultaneously mark the termination of the US capability to launch humans to space for at least several years.
Space Shuttle Atlantis perched on top of Pad 39A for the Grand Finale of the shuttle program.
Credit: Ken KremerNASA KSC shuttle managers brief media about the payload and launch status of the STS-135 mission to the International Space Station. From left: NASA Test Director Jeremy Graeber, Payload Mission Manager Joe Delai and Shuttle Weather Officer Kathy Winters
Within our own lives, one of the most powerful forces is that of the Sun. Directly or indirectly, it provides all of the energy we use on a daily basis. Yet this mass of incandescent plasma is often a mere afterthought. But not to be forgotten, writer for Astronomy magazine, Bob Berman makes the Sun the focus of a new book, The Sun’s Heartheat which explores how our parent star affects our lives in ways more direct than we might expect. The book is due to be released July 13th, but I got a review copy to tell everyone about.
The book is a short read clocking in at a quick 20 chapters. Roughly the first third of them is a brief history of solar astronomy. Most of this is concentrated on the history of observations of sunspots. It goes through the initial discoveries, the waxing and waning of popularity of sunspots thanks to the Maunder minimum, and Schwabe’s discovery of the cycles.
Once that’s ironed out, we get to what I consider to be the main theme of the book: How does the Sun affect us here on Earth? The first topics addressed are rather germane: The sun brings life, but too much of it can kill you. But after that, the topics are a bit more interesting. There’s a fantastic chapter on the importance of getting adequate supplies of vitamin D which your body produces naturally from exposure to the Sun. Another chapter deals with the way the Sun doesn’t affect us: Astrologically. The book discusses our ability to see colors and the impressiveness of total solar eclipses and auroras.
The second to last chapter covers just how much peril we face from a large coronal mass ejection. I was familiar with nearly everything in the book, including this chapter, but I think this chapter was my favorite. Sadly, most people are disinterested in science, but more than any other, this one was tangible enough to be rather alarming.
It closes with a preview of the future Sun, describing how its slow increase in brightness will make life on Earth unfavorable in a billion years or so and how it will eventually expand into a red giant.
If you’re an experienced astronomy enthusiast, this book will likely offer little new information on the Sun itself, although it does have lots of good backstories on some of the discoveries and those involved. It is engaging thanks to a friendly tone, even if Berman does have an odd fascination with anachronisms (17th century HMO’s?). The book lacked several of the deeper topics that I feel could have been more inviting for advanced readers such as a more thorough description of our knowledge of the innards of the Sun thanks to helioseismology. I suspect this is because it didn’t relate strongly enough to the main thesis aside from a general, how the Sun works which doesn’t focus on how it affects us.
But if you know a young astronomer, or someone older just getting into the field, or someone that’s stared only at deep sky objects and never thought much about the closest star to home, this book would likely be of some interest.
A local famer from Afghanistan looks at the night sky through a telescope. Credit: Saeid Aghaei.
Most amateur astronomers take for granted that they can just go outside and enjoy viewing the night sky without encountering many problems — aside from keeping mosquitoes at bay or fixing equipment malfunctions. But in order for amateur astronomers in Afghanistan to simply set up a telescope in a dark region, they have to deal with more serious complications, such as making sure the area is clear of land mines, not arousing the suspicions the Taliban or the local police, and watching out for potential bombing raids by the US/UK/Afghan military alliance. But amateur astronomers like Saeid Aghaei and Yunos Bakhshi take those risks in stride just so they can share the beauty of the night sky with the Afghani people.
Aghaei is an amateur astronomer and a science and technology columnist from Neyshabur, Iran. For several years, he has been translating Universe Today articles on space and astronomy and publishing them in his local newspaper in Iran. But he is now in Kabul, Afghanistan working with his Afghan friend Yunos Bakhshi, to help establish and nurture the Afghanistan Astronomy Association. Bakhshi is one of the founders and is currently head of the organization.
This organization was initiated during the International Year of Astronomy in 2009, but has faced difficulties; not only from the upheaval the country is experiencing but because of the limited scientific exposure the general public has in Afghanistan. Bakhshi said there is confusion between astronomy and astrology (which, unfortunately happens everywhere) and also, due to limited access to the internet and illiteracy among the majority of Afghanis, many don’t see the practical applications of studying the sciences.
But on their website, the Afghan Astronomy Association says they hope to help make it easier to learn more about astronomy for all Afghans with different levels of knowledge on the subject.
“We believe, that astronomy can solve one of the background problems of Afghanistan; the struggle over the real ownership of this country, which lasts more than three decades. We try by wiping off the gun smoke from Afghanistan sky, to show the beauty and mysterious of Universe to all Afghans; so they will understand that this world, this blue planet and even this sun with its planets are just a tiny point in the Grand picture of Universe that no one is better than other; except by knowledge and moral values.”
Bakhshi said he and Aghaei are “committed to disseminate the astronomy knowledge among ordinary Afghans, mainly school children.” They are helping the cause by doing what they call “Adventure Astronomy” – basically braving dangerous situations to expose more Afghanis to astronomy.
The two shared their experiences from a recent night of skywatching in Afghanistan:
A view of the night sky about 20 km from Kabul, Afghanistan, with light pollution from the Bagram Military Base. Credit: Yunos Bakhshi.
At the end of last week, they traveled about 20 km from Kabul with a group of interested people. Even at that distance they experienced light pollution from the city and the American military base in Bagram. “Our observation site was a small farm not so far from the main highway,” Aghaei told Universe Today in an email. “It was a peaceful and calm place (based on local standards): all land mines are cleared or exploded, no sign of Taliban, because two days before they attacked Intercontinental Hotel in Kabul and based on our experiences and statistics (nonofficial), they would rest for one or two weeks. The only concern of us, even from the start of night was the battery charge (energy supply). But our presence with suspicious equipments triggered the local farmers’ concerns.”
After aligning the telescope, a car slowly approached, shining its lights on Aghaei and his friends, which included scientist Yunos Bakhshi and another amateur astronomer, and several Afghani people who were just interested in seeing the night sky.
“Suddenly we found ourselves surrounded by a group of gunmen,” Aghaei said. “We explained that we are astronomers, but the local police commander approached so to be sure that we are not terrorists and that our telescope had no military application and it is not a rocket launcher. We invited him to watch M4 Star Cluster, but he didn’t like it and said that his own binocular is more powerful. He told us were a group of half-witted and nothing else. One of the police registered our names and listed all our equipment.”
This frightened some of people who had joined the astronomers and many of them left.
“We explained that in most cases national and international forces do not mistake and target civilians, but we couldn’t assure them, and most of them (who for sure were saner than us) escaped and left us three astronomers alone,” Aghaei said.
Just when they finally had a chance to start observing and do some night sky photography, the sky was lit up from bright lights from the Bagram Military Airbase, one of the big bases of US forces in Afghanistan.
“We were sure that the American forces launched some kind of military training and that is why they simulated the daylight condition.” Aghaei said. “After one hour another issue halted our observation, saving our life: two military helicopters on their way to the Bagram military base, with no light crossed the sky over us. At first we were ready to risk our life but not turn off the telescope remote, because once again alignment could take a lot of time, but finally we preferred to stay alive. We heard that in many occasions by mistake pastors were attacked by these iron birds, and this issue forced us not to play Russian roulette.”
Aghaei quickly looked one last time at M27 and then turned off the telescope, lay down on the ground and didn’t move. The trio realized only later that the military could have had night vision cameras and the astronomers could have been spotted. Aghaei also said with this experience, he is going to propose to telescope companies that they invent a special button to switch off the remote control light in situations like this, at least for Afghan astronomers.
But their adventures weren’t over for the night. Next, a pack of dogs approached and began barking loudly. Aghaei said they dispersed the dogs by inventing a new application for green laser pointers.
Ultimately, the group was able to do what they hoped most, to take some astronomical images from their observations. Here is their image of M27:
Saeid Aghaei’s first experience of deep sky photography in Afghanistan, showing M27, the Dumbbell Nebula. Credit: Saeid Aghaei.
Aghaei and Bakhshi reflected on their experiences.
“Finally the night passed and close to dawn we arrived to the main entrance check point to Kabul city. We were thinking about our adventures and want to say that, no matter what kind of telescope or photography equipment you have, even it is not important you have got the first deep sky photo or TWAN-style (The World At Night) photo of this country (we had such experience that night), but it was important that we saved our life. We realized that for any next observation program, the main challenge is security concern and this factor will determine where ever we want to go for next our observation.”
But – no question — they will be going again, and Aghaei says, “Anyone who wants to experience such adventure we highly appreciate and welcome.”
Find out more about the Afghan Astronomy Association at www.kabulsky.com
Artist's impression of the transiting exoplanet HAT-P-7b. Credit: NASA/ESA
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After 21 years in orbit, the Hubble Space Telescope has reached an historic milestone: the venerable HST has made its millionth observation. The telescope was used to search for the chemical signature of water in the atmosphere of planet HAT-P-7b, a gas giant larger than Jupiter which orbits the star HAT-P-7, about 1,000 light-years away from Earth. The observation was led by Dr. Drake Deming, planetary scientist and astronomer from the University of Maryland and the Goddard Space Flight Center.
With this announcement, however, there is no stunning image or unprecedented view of an exoplanet. The millionth observation will show up as squiggly lines on a graph, since the observation was done with Hubble’s spectrograph.
Spectroscopy is the technique of splitting light into its component colors, and the gases present in a planet’s atmosphere leave a fingerprint in the form of the distinctive color patterns that different gases absorb. Analyzing this data can give precise measurements of which elements are present in the exoplanet’s atmosphere.
“We are looking for the spectral signature of water vapor. This is an extremely precise observation and it will take months of analysis before we have an answer,” said Deming. “Hubble has demonstrated that it is ideally suited for characterizing the atmospheres of exoplanets and we are excited to see what this latest targeted world will reveal.”
“With a million observations and many thousands of scientific papers to its name, Hubble is one of the most productive scientific instruments ever built,” said Alvaro Gimenez, head of science and robotic exploration for the European Space Agency. “As well as changing our view of the Universe with its stunning imagery, Hubble has revolutionized whole areas of science.”
Hubble’s on-orbit history began when it was launched on the space shuttle Discovery on April 24, 1990. The HST has collected over 50 terabytes of data, enough to fill more than 10,000 DVDs. While the the data collected in the one millionth observation is now proprietary for the scientists, within a year, it will be released to the public. The huge and varied library of data Hubble has produced is made freely available to scientists and the public through an online archive at his link:
Hubble made the millionth observation using its Wide Field Camera 3, a visible- and infrared-light imager with an on-board spectrometer. It was installed by astronauts during the Hubble Servicing Mission 4 in May 2009.
Earlier this year, a sounding rocket was launched to measure solar energy output and calibrate the EVE instrument on the Solar Dynamics Observatory. Two on-board cameras recorded the rocket’s journey, allowing the rest of us to tag along from Earth to space and back again. Make sure you listen to all the sounds as well as enjoy the views.
Space Shuttle Atlantis on the launchpad. Credit: Mike Deep for Universe Today.
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It was the ultimate experience for a space enthusiast. Universe Today photographer Michael Deep had the opportunity to get up close and personal with the last shuttle that will ever sit on a launchpad and head to space. Enjoy some unique views of space shuttle Atlantis before she goes down into history as the final shuttle to launch to space.
And stay tuned all week for great photos and articles to chronicle the final shuttle launch: Universe Today photographers Alan Walters, Mike Deep, and David Gonzales as well as writers Ken Kremer and Jason Rhian are on location at Kennedy Space Center to provide full coverage.
Sunrise at launchpad 39A. Credit: Mike Deep for Universe Today.A view of Atlantis from the gantry. Credit: Mike Deep for Universe Today.A view of the walkway to enter the shuttle. Credit: Mike Deep for Universe Today.Atlantis on the launchpad. Credit: Mike Deep for Universe TodayUnique view of shuttle Atlantis on the pad. Credit: Mike Deep for Universe Today.The shuttle's SRBs get the stack off the ground. Credit: Mike Deep for Universe TodayThe view from the top of launchpad 39A at KSC. Credit: Mike Deep for Universe Today.Atlantis. Credit: Mike Deep for Universe Today. Looking down at Atlantis from the gantry. Credit: Mike Deep for Universe Today. A wide-angle view of Atlantis on the launchpad. Credit: Mike Deep for Universe Today.
The final Shuttle Crew jets into the Kennedy Space Center on Independence Day, 2011. From Left: Shuttle Commander Chris Ferguson, Pilot Doug Hurley and Mission Specialists Sandy Magnus and Rex Walheim. Credit: Ken Kremer
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The four astronauts who will fly the Grand Finale of NASA’s space shuttle program arrived at the Florida launch site on Independence Day on a wave of T-38 training jets. The veteran crew flew into the Kennedy Space Center (KSC) from Ellington Field in Houston, Texas and touched down at the shuttle landing strip at about 2:30 p.m. EDT.
Blast off of Space Shuttle Atlantis on the STS-135 mission is slated for July 8 at 11.26 a.m. with Shuttle Commander Chris Ferguson at the helm. He is joined by Pilot Doug Hurley and Mission Specialists Sandy Magnus and Rex Walheim.
Upon landing in the sweltering Florida heat, the astronauts were welcomed by Space Shuttle Launch Director Mike Leinbach as well as other NASA/KSC officials and a large crowd of media. Many waved US flags in honor of the July 4th Independence Day holiday.
Shuttle Commander Chris Ferguson addresses the media about the STS-135 mission. Credit: Ken Kremer
“I think I speak for the whole crew in that we are delighted to be here after a very arduous nine month training flow and we’re thrilled to finally be here in Florida for launch week,” said Ferguson. “This is a day that’s decidedly American, a day where we kind of reflect on our independence and all the wonderful things that we really have as part of being the United States of America. I think it’s wonderful you’ve all come out to join us.”
“We have a very event-filled mission ahead of us, we have 12 days, we’ll be very, very busy,” Ferguson added. “When it’s all over, we’ll be very proud to put the right-hand bookend on the space shuttle program.”
The quartet will spend the next few days completing final prelaunch training to prepare for their planned 12 day flight bound for the International Space Station.
The primary cargo is the Raffaello Multipurpose Logistics module built in Italy and jam packed with some five tons of spare parts, science gear, food, water, clothing and more that will be transferred to the station by the station and shuttle crews and are absolutely essential to keep the orbiting outpost operating over the next year.
About 2000 journalists and photographers are expected to cover Atlantis’s launch, the largest media gathering for a shuttle launch since the Return to Flight in 2005 – that’s about twice the media here for the last launch of Endeavour in April.
The countdown clock begins ticking at 1 p.m. EDT on Tuesday, July 5
Shuttle Launch Director Mike Leinbach greets Commander Ferguson. Credit: Ken KremerDoug Hurley and Sandy Magnus speak to reporters at the shuttle landing strip. Credit: Ken KremerSTS-135 crew jets to Florida on T-38 training jets for planned July 8 blastoff. Shuttle Commander Chris Ferguson flew this jet accompanied by Sandy Magnus. Credit: Ken KremerSTS 135 crew arrives in Florida at the Shuttle Landing Facility. Credit: Ken Kremer
Supernova 1994D. The supernova is the bright point in the lower-left. It is a type Ia thermonuclear supernova like those described by Howell. The supernova is on the edge of galaxy NGC 4526, depicted in the center of the image. Credit: NASA/Hubble Space Telescope
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It’s called a Type Ia supernovae and it shines with the luminosity of a billion suns. For all intents and purposes, once they explode they’re dead… But it ain’t so. They might have a core of ash, but they come back to life by sucking matter from a companion star. Zombies? You bet. Zombie stars… And they can be used to measure dark energy.
Why are Type Ia supernovae findings important? Right now they’re instrumental in helping researchers like Andy Howell, adjunct professor of physics at UCSB and staff scientist at Las Cumbres Observatory Global Telescope Network (LCOGT), take a closer look at the mysteries of dark energy. “We only discovered this about 20 years ago by using Type Ia supernovae, thermonuclear supernovae, as standard or ‘calibrated’ candles,” said Howell. “These stars are tools for measuring dark energy. They’re all about the same brightness, so we can use them to figure out distances in the universe.”
As a rule, white dwarf stars which end their lives as Type Ia supernovae have approximately the same mass. These findings were so regular that they are considered a base rule of physics, but rules are usually made to be broken. In this case there’s a new class of Type Ia supernovae – one that goes beyond the typical mass. These stars that go beyond their limits have scientists confused as to their nature. We know they are part of a binary system… But shouldn’t only the white dwarf be the one to explode?
D. Andrew Howell Credit: Katrina MarcinowskiHowell presented a hypothesis to understand this new class of objects. “One idea is that two white dwarfs could have merged together; the binary system could be two white dwarf stars,” he said. “Then, over time, they spiral into each other and merge. When they merge, they blow up. This may be one way to explain what is going on.” Now astrophysicists utilize Type Ia supernovae to track universal expansion. “What we’ve found is that the universe hasn’t been expanding at the same rate,” said Howell. “And it hasn’t been slowing down as everyone thought it would be, due to gravity. Instead, it has been speeding up. There’s a force that counteracts gravity and we don’t know what it is. We call it dark energy.”
Once upon a time, Albert Einstein introduced the cosmological constant to help justify his theory of relativity, but it only applied to a static state. It didn’t take long before Edwin Hubble corrected him and Einstein later referred to his failure to predict the expansion of the universe as the “biggest blunder” of his life. But it wasn’t. “It turns out that this cosmological constant was actually one of his greatest successes,” said Howell. “This is because it’s what we need now to explain the data.”
We could argue all day about dark energy and its properties, along with whether or not it constitutes three-quarters of our known universe. However, it is Howell’s theory that it just might be a property of space. “Space itself has some energy associated with it,” said Howell. “That’s what the results seem to indicate, that dark energy is distributed everywhere in space. It looks like it’s a property of the vacuum, but we’re not completely sure. We’re trying to figure out how sure are we of that – and if we can improve Type Ia supernovae as standard candles we can make our measurements better.”
Unlike historic supernova observations, today’s technology allows even the backyard astronomer to make discoveries and report them. Take the latest M51 findings for example… It’s not just the eyes of the expert on the skies. Thanks to advances in cameras and equipment, we’re looking further away – and more accurately – than ever before. “Now we have huge digital cameras on our telescopes, and really big telescopes,” said Howell, “We’ve been able to survey large parts of the sky, regularly. We find supernovae daily.”
“The next decade holds real promise of making serious progress in the understanding of nearly every aspect of supernovae Ia, from their explosion physics, to their progenitors, to their use as standard candles,” writes Howell in Nature Communications. “And with this knowledge may come the key to unlocking the darkest secrets of dark energy.”
As we dig through the ditches and burn through the witches… 😉
And if you’re interested in looking back, here’s an archive to all the past Carnivals of Space. If you’ve got a space-related blog, you should really join the carnival. Just email an entry to [email protected], and the next host will link to it. It will help get awareness out there about your writing, help you meet others in the space community – and community is what blogging is all about. And if you really want to help out, sign up to be a host. Send an email to the above address.
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Those who can remember sitting through elementary science class might recall learning that with all matter, light is absorbed and converted into energy. In the case of plants, this process is known as photosynthesis. However, they are by no means the only species or objects that do this. In truth, all objects, living or inorganic are capable of absorbing light. In all cases, absorption depends on the electromagnetic frequency of the light being transmitted (i.e. the color) and the nature of the atoms of the object. If they are complementary, light will be absorbed; if they are not, then the light will be reflected or transmitted. In most cases, these processes occur simultaneously and to varying degrees, since light is usually transmitted at various frequencies. Therefore most objects will selectively absorb light while also transmitting and/or reflecting some of it. Wherever absorption occurs, heat energy is generated.
As already noted, absorption depends upon the state of an objects electrons. All electrons are known to vibrate at specific frequencies, what is commonly known as their natural frequency. When light, in the form of photons, interacts with an atom with the same natural frequency, the electrons of that atom will become excited and set into a natural vibrational motion. During this vibration, the electrons of the atom interact with neighboring atoms in such a way as to convert this vibrational energy into thermal energy. Subsequently, the light energy is not to be seen again, hence why absorption is differentiated from reflection and transmission. And since different atoms and molecules have different natural frequencies of vibration, they will selectively absorb different frequencies of visible light.
By relying on this method, physicists are able to determine the properties and material composition of an object by seeing which frequencies of light it is able to absorb. Whereas some materials are opaque to some wavelengths of light, they transparent to others. Wood, for example, is opaque to all forms of visible light. Glass and water, on the other hand, are opaque to ultraviolet light, but transparent to visible light.
Ultimately, absorption of electromagnetic radiation requires the generation of the opposite field, in other words, the field which has the opposite coefficient in the same mode. A good demonstration of this is color. If a material or matter absorbs light of certain wavelengths (or colors) of the spectrum, an observer will not see these colors in the reflected light. On the other hand if certain wavelengths of colors are reflected from the material, an observer will see them and see the material in those colors. For example, the leaves of green plants contain a pigment called chlorophyll, which absorbs the blue and red colors of the spectrum and reflects the green. Leaves therefore appear green, whereas reflected light often appears to the naked eye to be refracted into several colors of the spectrum (i.e. a rainbow effect).
We have written many articles about the absorption of light for Universe Today. Here’s an article about absorption spectra, and here’s an article about absorption spectroscopy.
