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Articles by John Goss
Festive Fun in the Mountains
Changes can occur after press date, so call ahead; go to BlueRidgeCountry.com/Events for more information or to list your own event on our free calendar. Compiled by Jeff Wood 56th Annual Helen Oktoberfest, through Nov 1. Helen. 878-1908. helenchamber.com. Northeast Georgia Arts Tour, Nov 6-9. Various locations. 828-280-3944. artstour.org. Of These Mountains Fall Marketplace, Nov 7. Clayton. 561-889-6681. ofthesemountains.com. Holiday Bazaar, Nov 7-8.Young Harris. 896-4966. golakechatuge.com.
Skywatch: November/December 2026
By John Goss When people think of constellations, the Big Dipper often comes to mind. It surprises them that it is not an officially recognized constellation, but a grouping of stars known as an asterism. It lies within Ursa Major, a constellation. Essentially, an asterism can be any group of stars, bright or dim, greatly dispersed or tightly concentrated. It can be contained within a single constellation or it can spill over into two or more constellations.
Visible planets and night sky guide late September and October
September 28: Moon near Saturn The bright September full moon – the Harvest Moon, or full moon closest to the autumn equinox – was near Saturn. But it’s not far from Saturn on Monday, September 28, too! Chart via EarthSky. September 28 evening: Moon near Pleiades The bright waning gibbous moon will float near the Pleiades star cluster tonight. A charming little cluster! Chart via EarthSky.
The September full Moon is the Harvest Moon near Saturn
KosmosNauka EarthSky 26 września 2026 8 min czytania Aktualizacja 28 września 2026, 22:41 Czytasz w BOMEGA EarthSky 8 min czytania Udostępnij Czytanie Formularz zgłoszeniowy Opisz problem dotyczący tego materiału. Zgłoszenie zostanie przekazane do weryfikacji. Formularz zostanie przygotowany po otwarciu. What is a Harvest Moon? Plus, how can you see this 2026 Harvest Moon near Saturn? EarthSky’s Deborah Byrd has more. Watch in the player above or on YouTube.
Pupillage supervision – a two-way street
Pupil supervisors may differ in their practices and working styles but one factor that remains constant is the extent to which the pupil-supervisor relationship can define, for better or worse, your pupillage experience. While chambers and supervisors should aim to create the optimal learning environment, pupils are not passive participants. Building a productive relationship is very much a two-way street.
Sarah Smiles: Choose Adventure
By Sarah Riddell It’s a season that always seems to inspire adventure, whether it’s taking a scenic drive for some leaf-peeping, hiking a favorite trail in the cooler air, or, in my case, willingly stepping off a wooden platform suspended high above the forest floor in Floyd, Virginia. Last October, my brother and I surprised our mom with a birthday trip to Buffalo Mountain Ziplines, home to Virginia’s highest and longest zipline.
Skywatch: September/October 2026
By John Goss Some of its splashy stars are arcing overhead, while others are descending in the west. Replacing them are more subtle luminaries rising in the east and southeast, heralding a quieter time of year with cooler weather and earlier sunsets. Low in the southeast shines what seems to be a solitary star: the 25-light-year-distant Fomalhaut. But it is not the brightest object in this area of the sky. Northeast of it shines not a star, but the planet Saturn. How far apart are they?
Critters Crossing! | Blue Ridge Country
By Cat McCue / Photo courtesy of Lori A. Cash For today’s wildlife lovers, perhaps the question is not “Why did the chicken cross the road?” but rather “How do deer, bears, opossums, and other creatures survive crossing the massive network of highways we’ve built across the landscape?” In the late 1900s, animal-vehicle collisions rose dramatically due to rapid suburbanization. In 2008, a federal study estimated that 365 million vertebrates died each year on U.S. roads.
The March of the Spotted Lanternfly
By Cat McCue You’ve probably seen them by now, the moth-like bugs with polka dots and a distinctive flash of red. They’re quite beautiful, actually. If you’ve visited any parks or public green spaces, you’ve probably seen signs urging you to squash, swat, stomp on, and kill them. The Asian spotted lanternfly was first detected in the United States in 2014 in Pennsylvania.
Damascus Renaissance
By Eric J. Wallace / Photo Above: Virginia Creeper Trail in Damascus. Photo courtesy of the Town of Damascus. When locals returned to Damascus on September 25, 2024, things looked nightmarishly bleak. Hurricane Helene had dumped more than 10 inches of rain, causing Laurel Creek to rise 20 feet and tear through town like a crazed juggernaut. Roads were shredded. Numerous homes and businesses lay collapsed, damaged, or filled with mud and debris.
A Mystery on the River
By Joe Tennis / Photo Above: Eugenia Williams House. Photo courtesy of Bruce Cole For much of a century, the Eugenia Williams House piqued the curiosity of residents around Knoxville, Tennessee. Now, the 10,800-square-foot residence on 24 acres is open for hikes and picnics, plus lectures on the first Wednesday of each month. Like her home, Eugenia Williams “was a little bit of a mystery and always has been,” said house director Megan Robertson.
Happy 90th birthday to Guy Ottewell, chart-maker of the night sky
Human World Guy Ottewell is a poet and artist, as well as a master astronomy chart-maker. Here’s one of his illustrations. It shows the asterism – or noticeable star pattern – known as the Northern Cross in the night sky. Image via Guy Ottewell. Used with permission. Beloved British astronomer Guy Ottewell turns 90 on July 4, 2026. EarthSky wishes him a warm congrats on completing another trip around the sun.
Even Closer to Almost Heaven
By Cat McMcue / Photo Above: At Coopers Rock State Forest, new Stargazer cabins invite guests to look up through skylights and telescopes / Courtesy of WV Department of Tourism Almost 50 years ago, the breathtaking beauty of West Virginia’s high mountains inspired songwriter John Denver to describe the state as “almost heaven,” and the phrase stuck. Now, visitors to Coopers Rock State Forest can feel even closer to the firmament when they stay in one of the new Stargazer cabins.
Skywatch: July/August 2026
By John Goss When darkness settles, July and August evenings provide a wonderful opportunity to view the immensity of the night sky as seen from a rural area. City dwellers, those who reside in suburbia, and even seasoned stargazers are astonished at the number of stars encountered when they visit a dark, rural area. Instead of counting perhaps 100 stars from their backyards, suddenly they are exposed to 2,000 points of light—some bright, most faint.
A Mountain Tradition Turns 90
Text and Photo By Duncan Seaman Each August, the quiet mountain town of Galax, Virginia—tucked into the Blue Ridge Plateau near the North Carolina line—comes alive as the center of Appalachian string band music. In 2026, that tradition will reach a milestone with the 90th Old Fiddlers’ Convention, returning to Felts Park August 3-8.
NightFlight Expedition Takes Off at Dollywood
By Joe Tennis Dollywood expands this summer with NightFlight Expedition, the popular Pigeon Forge, Tennessee, theme park’s most elaborate ride yet. “This is really one of the more important things that we have done,” said park spokeswoman and superstar Dolly Parton at Dollywood’s 2026 season opening in March.
Sarah Smiles: The Lake Effect
By Sarah Riddell The crew usually consisted of my mom, brother, stepdad, and me, along with my older stepsiblings, if they were in town. No matter who was there, though, the routine was always the same: hop in the car early on Saturday morning to get the roughly two-hour drive out of the way, then spend as much time on or near the water as possible before it was time to pack up and head home. We engaged in all the classic lake activities.
How Ryanair's Internal Culture Created Its External Reputation: The John Goss Case and the Operating Model Behind the Brand
This article replaces an earlier version published on this URL. Ryanair's external reputation is not produced by its communications team. It is produced by its internal culture. The brand voice that the public sees — adversarial, fast, cost-disciplined, willing to fight regulators in public — is the same posture the airline applies internally to crew negotiations, supplier disputes, route decisions, and labor disputes. The communications follow the operations. The operations follow the culture.
Mo2049 CHARACTERIZING METALD ON THE LIVER TRANSPLANT WAITLIST: MISCLASSIFICATION, AND WAITLIST OUTCOMES
Also available on ScienceDirect
Mo1058 ADULT ORTHOTOPIC LIVER TRANSPLANTATION IN A PATIENT WITH DECOMPENSATED CIRRHOSIS SECONDARY TO CHOLESTERYL ESTER STORAGE DISEASE
Also available on ScienceDirect
28 New Grants Support Virginia Land, Cultural Sites, and Wildlife
By Cat McCue / Photo above: A $1.21 million grant will help the Monacan Indian Nation purchase more than 300 acres on Bear Mountain in Amherst County. © The Conservation Fund In the Blue Ridge Country coverage area, 13 projects in 11 localities will receive a total of $5.586 million for protecting some 2,840 acres. In Amherst County, the Monacan Indian Nation will use $1.21 million to purchase 339 acres of mostly hardwood forests on Bear Mountain, the tribe’s home for more than 10,000 years.
Historic Easement Protects SWVA Land, Opens It to the Public
By Cat McCue / Photo above: Ron Messina | Courtesy of the Department of Wildlife Resources The Nature Conservancy and Virginia Department of Wildlife Resources recently announced plans for the largest open-space public-access easement in the state’s history. The Cumberland Outdoor Access Legacy project includes multiple tracts across four mountain counties—Buchanan, Dickenson, Russell, and Wise—for a total of 65,000 acres. For scale, that’s about eight times the size of the City of Bristol.
Skywatch: May/June 2026
By John Goss As May begins, you can’t miss them both shining in the west less than 60 minutes after sunset. Bright Jupiter stands high in the west accompanied by Castor and Pollux, the twin stars of Gemini. As the nights proceed, the mighty planet with the twins in tow drops closer to the horizon. Brilliant Venus, on the other hand, first appeared very low above the western horizon in late February. It is now found higher and easier to spot as twilight darkens.
Old Fort Welcomes One-of-a-Kind Retreat
By Marla Hardee Milling / Photo above: Courtesy of Wunderland Creating unique experiences is a special skill of entrepreneur Shawn Verbrugghe. He developed the Amazing Pubcycle in Asheville and the former Conundrum with escape rooms and an underground speakeasy. Now he’s focused on developing a one-of-a-kind lodging experience in Old Fort, North Carolina, called Wunderland. “I’ve been a builder and designer my whole life,” said Verbrugghe. “At some point I didn’t want to be a builder.
From the Emeritus: Open Note to Kevin Nealon
Hi, Kevin, We were delighted to receive the communication, some weeks back, from you and the Appalachian Trail Conference about the campaign to get dictionaries to change the definition of “take a hike” from “get outta here” to something more like “let’s go out into the woods and undertake a great, healthy, restorative walk.” After all, we here at the old emeritus editor’s chair have enjoyed what, on Valentine’s Day, became 22 years of every-weekend hikes with The Greatest Day Hiker Of Them...
March/April Skywatch: Late Winter Celestial Attractions
Late winter skies are filled with almost too many celestial attractions. Since December, we’ve seen magnificent Orion — along with its two brightest stars, Betelgeuse and Rigel, its fascinating, fuzzy star-forming nebula and its three belt stars — march across the sky. Now they all lie high in the south-southwest two hours after sunset. For folks learning their way around the sky, the stars Procyon to Orion’s east and Sirius to Orion’s southeast are good sky guides.
January/February Skywatch: Is the Brightest Star the Closest?
Stars are without a doubt far, even the closest ones. Consider that a light-year — a distance term tossed around lightly — equals almost 6 trillion miles, some 64,000 times the distance to our sun. In our winter evening sky, which star is closest? Is it bright, nearly imperceptible or somewhere between? Climbing in the southeast in January early-evening and rising to its highest elevation in the south in early February is the brightest star in the night sky, Sirius.
Best stargazing of 2026: The top events not to miss
Tonight View at EarthSky Community Photos. | Kevin O’Donnell in North Phoenix, Arizona, captured the full supermoon as it rose on December 4, 2025. Thank you, Kevin! Do you want to see the best stargazing of 2026? Read our list below and mark your calendars! It’s the best of 2026! Mark your calendars for these special stargazing events in the upcoming year.
November/December Skywatch: Spy a Galaxy Not Our Own
The early sunsets of November and December make it convenient to gaze at the stars on a cold, clear evening. From a dark location, such as at a state park or at an overlook along the Blue Ridge Parkway, something can be seen that will make you feel incredibly small — if you know where to look. Nearly overhead between 8 and 9 p.m. lies not a single star, nor a pretty cluster of a few dozen twinkling stars, but the combined light of over 200 billion stars — the Andromeda Galaxy.
The art of seeking feedback
The pupillage application process is gruelling for everyone, and for many it is an ordeal that has to be endured more than once. What can applicants do to learn from the experience and improve their applications for the next time around? Many applicants quite understandably seek feedback on their applications from the chambers to which they have applied.
September/October Skywatch: Autumn’s Summer Triangle
Summer may be ending, but as strange as it seems, the stars of the Summer Triangle stay in our early evening skies until Christmas. These three easily identifiable stars are great guides to exploring this region of the sky. Beautiful blue-white Vega is the Triangle’s brightest member and is the third brightest star visible from the Blue Ridge. It shines nearly overhead this time of year.
The July full moon is the beautiful Buck Moon
Moon Phases The July full moon will lie low above the horizon in the late evening on July 28, 2026, for observers in North America. It will look full this evening, even though the exact moment of the full moon occurs at 9:36 CDT (14:36 UTC) on July 29, 2026. Chart via EarthSky. When to watch in 2026: The moment of full moon comes on July 29 for the Americas, Europe and Africa. And it falls on July 30 for Australia, New Zealand and Asia. Same full moon for all of Earth … but different time zones.
July/August Skywatch: Where the Action is
July, August and September are the months that stargazers love most for the simple reason that there is so much to investigate. This is largely because the direction of the center of the Milky Way galaxy lies at the confluence of three constellations visible in the early evening – Sagittarius with its fanciful teapot shape, Scorpius tracing a celestial hook, and Ophiuchus, a relatively large, less showy neighbor. Ninety minutes after sunset, face south.
May/June Skywatch: Gazing at the Night Sky, How do You Feel?
When gazing at the night sky, how do you feel? Look closely at the spring sky above, what do you see? The view on a clear, moonless night from a dark location gives one pause for thought. With a basic sky chart, you can pick out Arcturus, the second brightest star seen from mid northern latitudes. And of course, you can see the Big Dipper, climbing nearly overhead with Leo hanging below it. Plus a multitude of mostly unfamiliar stars of all different brightnesses.
Sex‐Based Differences in Rejection Among Pediatric Solid Organ Transplant Recipients
Data Availability Statement The data that support the findings of this study are available from OPTN. Restrictions apply to the availability of these data, which were used under license for this study. Data are available from the author(s) with the permission of OPTN.
March/April Skywatch: Late Winter’s and Early Spring’s Captivating Celestial Scene
Winter evenings are known for their many bright stars gracing our sky. By the time March arrives, those stars lie in the western half of the sky, and by April they still are easily visible but have drifted noticeably closer to the western horizon. Look low in the west-southwest in the first half of March shortly after sunset for unmistakable, brilliant Venus. As darkness settles, Venus drops from view, but Jupiter shines brightly almost overhead, brighter than any star.
Clinical Utility of Plasma Microbial Cell-Free DNA Sequencing in Determining Microbiologic Etiology of Infectious Syndromes in Solid Organ Transplant Recipients
BACKGROUND: Metagenomic next-generation sequencing (mNGS) is increasingly being used for microbial detection in various infectious syndromes. However, data regarding the use of mNGS in solid organ transplant recipients (SOTR) are lacking.
January/February Skywatch: The Bright Lights of Winter’s Sky
Winter skies are known by skywatchers for its many bright, beautiful stars, more so than for any other season. This winter, the stars are joined by three bright planets, one in the early evening, with two appearing later as darkness fully settles.
November/December Skywatch: A Star Like Our Sun Twinkles Overhead
When gazing into the heavens—especially from a dark location along the Blue Ridge Parkway—folks often wonder about the nature of the stars. Are any of them like our sun? Almost all stars seen on a clear night are intrinsically much larger and much brighter than the sun. But one star is neither. High in the south at 9 p.m. hangs the Great Square of Pegasus, four stars of nearly equal brightness forming the corners of an almost square.
What’s that bright star by the moon? It’s Venus!
Tonight The 2025 EarthSky Lunar Calendar presale is here! First 100 purchases signed by the legendary Deborah Byrd as a thank you. Get yours today! What’s that bright star by the waxing moon on November 4, 2024? It’s not a star. It’s the brightest planet, Venus. We saw the moon and Venus close together in evening twilight on October 5. And we’ll see them again on November 4 and December 4. Notice the ecliptic, the green line on our chart above. That’s the path traveled by the sun, moon and planets.
September/October Skywatch: East of the Milky Way Leaps The Dolphin
Stargazing in the early evening at summer’s end features the bright luminaries of the Summer Triangle and the magically glowing band of the Milky Way stretching from the northeastern horizon to the zenith, then sweeping to the southwestern horizon. It is a wonderful sight, especially for the binocular-toting stargazer! Following the Summer Triangle in its nightly westward turn, just off the eastern shore of the Milky Way lies a curious group of stars, the constellation Delphinus the dolphin.
See 6 planets in late August and early September
Tonight Maybe you’ve already seen Jupiter and Mars in the morning sky? They’re just now coming off their conjunction in mid-August, when these two bright worlds swept close together before dawn. You might have spotted Saturn, too, farther to the west. The ringed planet is nearly at its brightest now, heading for opposition – when Earth will pass between Saturn and the sun – on September 8. Then, in late August, Mercury creeps away from the sun. So you might catch a glimpse of it before sunrise, too.
Goss: Roanoke Skies columnist signs off after 20 years
Surely, the most overarching theme over the past 239 installments — that’s one month shy of 20 years worth — of Roanoke Skies has been one of amazing “astronomical numbers.” This concluding column looks more closely at the concepts behind those fantastic values describing our universe — distance, mass, temperature, luminosity and time. You face the incredible vastness of the universe each time you gaze at the heavens from a dark location.
Goss: Except for two, the existence of interstellar craft flies in the face of facts
Our everyday world is plagued with demagogues and provocateurs stating over and over outrageous claims that fly directly in the face of facts and credible evidence. It’s as if that if something is said often enough and forcefully enough, then it must be true. This type of thinking has no place when describing our understanding of the universe. The cosmos, unlike many humans, does not respond to wishful thoughts.
July/August Skywatch: What Lies Between Summer’s Two Brightest Stars?
As you gaze skyward on a pleasant summer’s evening, you quickly are drawn to two particular stars. High in the south lies Arcturus, our sky’s brightest star, and nearly overhead shines Vega, a tad dimmer than Arcturus. Between these two luminaries is a region which, at first, might seem to have little of interest. Look again, but more closely. One-third between Arcturus and Vega is a star about as bright as those of the Big Dipper. Gemma is the brightest member of Corona Borealis, the Northern Crown.
Don’t miss! Jupiter and Mars conjunction this week
Tonight Bright Jupiter and red Mars have been near each other in the east before sunup all month. And – if you watch in the coming week – you’ll get to see Jupiter sideswipe Mars in a conjunction. They’ll be closest on August 14. Afterwards, Mars will be creeping higher in the predawn sky, brightening slowly. Jupiter will ascend faster, pulling rapidly away from Mars, steadily moving toward the evening sky and its early December, 2024, opposition.
Goss: Keep your eyes peeled for T Coronae Borealis' explosion
Astronomers believe that a fascinating once-in-a-lifetime astrophysical event is readying to happen again. And soon. In 1866 and again in 1946, an unseen star in the spring and summer skies brightened suddenly and quickly to become a stellar point as bright as those of the Big Dipper. High in the south as evening darkness deepens shines the bright star Arcturus. Lying in the east is Vega, a similarly bright star. One-third between them sits Corona Borealis.
Goss: If you head to the beach, beware of the moon
In much of our everyday lives, we don’t see a real connection between far away celestial phenomena and us. Sure, the 93 million mile distant sun shines, giving us heat and allowing plants to grow. But not much else in the heavenly realm appears to directly affect us. Until we go to the beach. When we see the ocean shore, one of the first questions asked is “Is the tide in or out?” It takes only 15 minutes before a difference in the extent of the lapping waves on the beach sand is observed.
Yes, spending on health is growing, but new research shows we’re getting more for it
By John Goss, Adjunct Associate Professor, Health Research Institute, University of Canberra Government spending on health has been growing so rapidly that a decade ago the then health minister Peter Dutton called it “unmanageable” and “unsustainable”. Health spending grew in real terms by 44% in the ten years to 2021–22. Real GDP grew by 26% in that period, so we have been spending increasing amounts on health as a… Read complete article © The Conversation -
Yes, spending on health is growing, but new research shows we’re getting more for it
Government spending on health has been growing so rapidly that a decade ago the then health minister Peter Dutton called it “unmanageable” and “unsustainable”. Health spending grew in real terms by 44% in the ten years to 2021–22. Real GDP grew by 26% in that period, so we have been spending increasing amounts on health as a proportion of GDP.
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