Patrick Rowan
Richmond
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Articles by Patrick Rowan
Skywatch: New telescope puts ‘Big Picture’ in focus
At 7:26 a.m. Sunday morning, NASA launched its Nancy Grace Roman Space Telescope aboard a SpaceX Falcon Heavy rocket from the Kennedy Space Center in Florida. It is now speeding toward its destination a million miles away. We’ve become so culturally jaded to such incredible projects that this one almost caught me off guard. The Hubble Space Telescope’s launch 36 years ago would not have so easily slipped under my radar.
Skywatch: Entering a new phase as summer wanes
Southern New England gets a partial solar eclipse today and a partial lunar eclipse in two weeks. Tonight also offers our best chance in years to view the Perseid meteor shower. In the meantime, Venus continues its reign as our “evening star” in the west after sunset, and the Milky Way features prominently when the moon isn’t brightening the night sky. Nights expand noticeably in this final full calendar month of summer.
Skywatch: As Viking mission anniversary looms, the search for Martian life lives on
On July 20, 1976 — 50 years ago this month — NASA’s Viking 1 lander set down in the Chryse Planitia region of Mars. Its identical twin, Viking 2, followed on Sept. 3 of that year, landing on the opposite side of the planet. These were not the first craft to land on the Martian surface, but they were the first to do so and continue operating. The Soviet Mars 3 craft beat them there in 1971, but fell silent a few seconds after touching down.
OFAC Details Sanctions Compliance Expectations for the Stablecoin Industry
The Office of Foreign Assets Control (“OFAC”) recently issued a proposed rule that will require the implementation and maintenance of a sanctions compliance program (“SCP”) for permitted payment stablecoin issuers (“PPSIs”).
Skywatch: Longer days give time to notice the setting sun, rising moon
Take heed, lovers of summer: our longest days are here! In Springfield, the sun stays up today for 15 hours and 5 minutes — just ten minutes fewer than on the June 21 summer solstice, our longest day. This is 6 hours and 9 minutes more daylight than we get on the winter solstice in December. These are, of course, also our shortest nights. There is a slight asymmetry surrounding the solstice: our earliest sunrises arrive before the solstice on June 14, and our latest sunsets come after, on June 27.
Skywatch: Black hole of conspiracies clouds astronomical achievement
The excitement I felt for the return to our closest celestial neighbor after half a century was shared by many, but not everyone. The public reception of the Artemis flight to the moon and back last month varied for many likely reasons, including daily life demands, political opinions and so on. But I also detected garden variety disinterest that I believe stems from a lack of understanding or appreciation of the social, historical or physical significance of the event.
Sa1824 PATIENT-REPORTED OUTCOMES FOLLOWING ACUTE PANCREATITIS: A PROSPECTIVE MULTI-CENTER STUDY
Also available on ScienceDirect
With Artemis, a new moon phase is rising
A couple of weeks ago, a neighbor asked if I knew a place she could bring her spouse to see the full moon rise on April 1 for her birthday. I suggested a nearby hill here in Western Massachusetts with a view to the east that I’ve used myself many times over the decades. I was aware that NASA’s new Artemis launch window opened on April 1, but it never occurred to me that humans might actually be on their way there before we saw the moon rise from here.
Skywatch: Adjusting for a new season of discovery
Here in southern New England, the land of four distinct seasons, spring is on our doorstep. This month’s vernal equinox, the moment the sun crosses the equator from south to north, comes at 10:46 a.m. on Friday, March 20, means that stronger sunlight and warmer days are on the way. This winter’s cold and snow reminded long-time New Englanders of the challenges presented by the darkest and cloudiest season of the year.
Skywatch: Entering a lunar launch window to go where no crew has gone before Original
NASA’s Artemis II mission to carry four people around the moon and back could launch as early as this Sunday, Feb. 8. Backup dates keep this launch window open into April if delays occur, but NASA astronauts Reid Wiseman, Victor Glover and Christina Koch, along with Canadian Space Agency astronaut Jeremy Hansen, are anxious to go as soon as possible. I don’t blame them; they will be the first in more than half a century to experience the moon from close up.
Skywatch: Illuminating the darker days of December
It’s December, and we’re in our darkest month. It is also now meteorological winter — the name given to the coldest three months of the year (December, January and February). December comes with one of the year’s busiest meteor showers, and this time around, the final supermoon of 2025. This is the month of the winter solstice, which marks the start of astronomical winter in the Northern Hemisphere.
Skywatch: 25 years of life in space
Everyone you know younger than 25 has never experienced a moment when a human hasn’t been in space, orbiting our world. That’s a population of around 3 billion people, or about 40% of the 8 billion people alive on Earth today. Humankind passed this noteworthy milestone on Sunday, Nov. 2, thanks to the amazing International Space Station. Weighing in at almost 1 million pounds, it is the largest – and arguably the most complex – manmade object ever to orbit the Earth. Perhaps you’ve heard of it.
Skywatch: Falling into milkier ways
As we all knew it would, much of that wonderful warmth we accumulated from sunlight during summer is seeping off into space. If we disregard the intervention of clouds, which limit the losses like blankets, or the movement of air masses which can affect local temperature over the short term, more of that precious commodity radiates away into the void beyond Earth’s atmosphere each clear fall New England night. Our lengthening nights make sure that, on average, more does than the night before.
Skywatch: Phasing into the autumnal equinox
Patrick Rowan Wed, September 3, 2025 at 10:08 AM UTC 5 min read The weather seems to have skipped a month as the oppressive heat of summer fades into the past, and that’s OK with me. Unfortunately, the last days of summer also bring us to the most rapid loss of daylight of the year. The autumnal equinox — midway between the summer and winter solstices — may be weeks away, but we’re closing in fast.
Skywatch: Phasing into the autumnal equinox
The weather seems to have skipped a month as the oppressive heat of summer fades into the past, and that’s OK with me. Unfortunately, the last days of summer also bring us to the most rapid loss of daylight of the year. The autumnal equinox — midway between the summer and winter solstices — may be weeks away, but we’re closing in fast. In September, Springfield loses more than two minutes and 45 seconds of daylight every day, amounting to one hour and 20 minutes total.
Skywatch: As summer wanes, curiosity waxes
The days have been slowly shortening since the Summer Solstice in June, but the change becomes more apparent here in southern New England around now, as it does every August. Another sign that summer is lightening its grip is the rising chorus of high-pitched insect sounds filling the evening air in many locations. The chirps of tree frogs often punctuate the drone. Be sure to give a good listen. The ambience of these earlier evenings can be wondrous for those lucky enough to be in the right places.
Skywatch: Can the Vera Rubin telescope solve cosmic puzzles?
The brand new Vera Rubin telescope is about to begin its 10-year mission to offer the newest cosmic perspective we’ve had in a long time. For Big Picture enthusiasts like myself, such an all-encompassing survey of the heavens is long overdue, and this amazing new telescope is about as close to a dream machine as one could hope for with current technology and funding.
Skywatch: Lunar landings loom large
Weather permitting, you can find tonight’s waxing gibbous moon halfway up in the south at sunset. That’s its peak height for tonight. In the coming week, as it thickens to its fullest phase, it will also take a lower more southerly path each night.
Skywatch: This New England spring is as wonderful as any
A winter with a few cold snaps but little snow transitioned to spring with some windy days and a couple of hard freezes. But the foliage didn’t care, and the leaves came out. In April, I walked several nights with a friend among the local hills in a T-shirt — a gift almost two months from the official start of summer. And now it’s May. Did you know that the sun is up for more hours this month than in August? August is summertime, and May is still spring, so it may not seem quite right.
Skywatch: This New England spring is as wonderful as any
A winter with a few cold snaps but little snow transitioned to spring with some windy days and a couple of hard freezes. But the foliage didn’t care, and the leaves came out. In April, I walked several nights with a friend among the local hills in a T-shirt — a gift almost two months from the official start of summer. And now it’s May. Did you know that the sun is up for more hours this month than in August? August is summertime, and May is still spring, so it may not seem quite right.
Skywatch: Putting Hubble’s cosmic discoveries into focus
Just about everyone has heard of NASA’s Hubble Space Telescope — not too surprising considering that it has been with us for the past 35 years. For the majority of people alive today, the HST has been operating in Earth’s orbit for most, if not all, of their lives. My own memories of its launch and initial problems are especially clear because I was involved in astronomy and space science education, and already writing this monthly Skywatch column.
Skywatch: Eclipsing into the equinox
One of this month’s skywatching highlights is a total lunar eclipse on the night of March 13 — or more precisely, on the morning of the 14th when the Earth gets between the moon and the sun, and we see the moon pass through Earth’s shadow. All lunar eclipses occur when the moon is full because that is when the moon, Earth and sun are aligned.
Skywatch: Meet the stars of the planetary alignment
Almost all of the planets of our solar system are spread across our early evening sky right now. Of these, four are easily visible and worth stepping outside to take a look at. Some are calling this gathering a planetary alignment, but that appears to be giving many folks the wrong impression about what is happening. Here’s what you should know when you go outside to see for yourself: Yes, the planets are indeed lined up across our sky.
Trump Tariffs on Canada, Mexico, and China
On February 1, 2025, the Trump Administration imposed long-expected tariffs on imports from Canada, Mexico, and China through the issuance of three executive orders (“EOs”). While some recent reporting suggested that implementation of these tariffs may be delayed to March 1, 2025, the White House confirmed on January 31, 2025 that these tariffs would be implemented according to a previously-set deadline.
2024: A cosmic shift in viewing the night’s sky
In 2024, nature treated New Englanders to a total solar eclipse within driving distance followed by several great displays of the aurora borealis, or northern lights. In space exploration, the year began with the demise of the Ingenuity Mars helicopter and ended with the Parker Solar Probe’s record breaking swing by the sun. Around the world, scientists enthusiastically dug into new data from space probes to deepen our understanding of this world, the sun, and the rest of our solar system.
Planetary perspectives are coming into focus
The constellations and stars we associate with winter are appearing earlier in our eastern evening skies as nature’s celestial clock tells us that our coldest, darkest season is upon us (the winter solstice is Dec. 21 at 4:21 a.m.). This year, Jupiter and Mars add some dazzle to those sparkling winter stars. The month’s highlight is our best view of Jupiter in a decade, with Venus, Saturn and Mars rounding out the nights.
Methodical discoveries amid the madness of Earth
Have you ever walked out at night and wondered what all those twinkling points of light in the sky are? Silly question, right? We all know — just like in all the science fiction movies and shows we’ve seen — that those are stars ... very, very far away suns. Under clear moonless skies from dark locations away from city lights, several thousand can be seen. Some are bright and others are almost too faint to see. Depending on when you look, a wispy, cloud-like band of light may also be visible.
Skywatch: Keep reaching for the STARS
The Springfield STARS Club dedicated last week’s Tuesday evening meeting to celebrating its 90-year history. Kindly alerted ahead of time, I was privileged to be able to attend this gathering of dozens who have been involved with the club or connected with it in important ways.
Special sights fill September's nights
Lovers of the night and cooler temps rejoice: September is here with the most rapid loss of daylight for any time of year. In Springfield, we lose a total of one hour and 20 minutes — more than 2 minutes and 45 seconds each day. Shorter days do not particularly thrill this skywatcher, but the clearer air that opens our nighttime window into the great beyond makes up for that. If you too mourn the shortening of days and end to summer at 8:44 a.m. on Sunday, Sept.
Meteoric moments mark the end of summer's 'dog days'
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Meteoric moments mark the end of summer's 'dog days'
August is great for sky watching here in southern New England, as summer lightens its grip and the shortening days slowly become more apparent. The second half of summer is already here, and the peak of this year’s Perseid meteor shower s just days away. We are now 49 days into summer, with 43 left to go before the start of fall. That puts us more than halfway through astronomical summer — the one we use on our calendars.
Skywatch: A universal search for signs of life
Welcome to NewsBreak, an open platform where diverse perspectives converge. Most of our content comes from established publications and journalists, as well as from our extensive network of tens of thousands of creators who contribute to our platform. We empower individuals to share insightful viewpoints through short posts and comments.
Shining light on the sun in the summer sky
Welcome to NewsBreak, an open platform where diverse perspectives converge. Most of our content comes from established publications and journalists, as well as from our extensive network of tens of thousands of creators who contribute to our platform. We empower individuals to share insightful viewpoints through short posts and comments.
Shining light on the sun in the summer sky
It’s still spring, but the June sun is just about tracing its highest arcs across the sky. For all of the northern hemisphere of Earth, we are nearing the summer solstice when the sun reaches its peak altitude and exerts its greatest influence. Our sun is 865 million miles wide (109 times Earth’s diameter) and contains 99.85 percent of all matter in our solar system.
Skywatch: Shared tales from the road to totality
Welcome to NewsBreak, an open platform where diverse perspectives converge. Most of our content comes from established publications and journalists, as well as from our extensive network of tens of thousands of creators who contribute to our platform. We empower individuals to share insightful viewpoints through short posts and comments.
Skywatch: Shared tales from the road to totality
Last month’s Great North American Total Solar Eclipse may be behind us, but its memory lives on. Coming just seven years after North America’s previous total solar eclipse, this may be the greatest one yet. My wife and I were among those lucky enough this time to see the moon completely block the sun, and like so many others, we have stories to tell. Three times now, I’ve witnessed totality. In each case, I got there by car. In 1963, my father drove me and family to Maine.
A historic cosmic event will be on display
For an eclipse to happen, three celestial bodies must align — a common occurrence in our solar system and beyond. When Earth is involved however, such events become important because we are here to see them. Total solar eclipses like the one on Monday, April 8 — just days from now — are the most cherished. While Springfield and the rest of southern New England is not in the path of totality, we will experience a very deep partial eclipse.
Chasing the solar exlipse
Welcome to NewsBreak, an open platform where diverse perspectives converge. Our contributor network of tens of thousands of creators appears alongside stories from established publications and journalists. We empower individuals to share insightful viewpoints through short posts and comments. It’s essential to note our commitment to transparency: our Terms of Use acknowledge that our services may not always be error-free, and our Community Standards emphasize our discretion in enforcing policies.
Chasing the solar exlipse
On Monday, April 8, 2024, the moon will completely block the sun along a track intersecting the United States from Texas to northwest Vermont, bringing the path of totality closer to southern New England than anytime since 1963. In practical terms, we here in Western Massachusetts can experience 31/2 minutes in the moon’s shadow for the low, low price of a day’s round-trip drive. It’s the total solar eclipse we’ve been waiting for.
Skywatch: A tribute to Ingenuity
This is my tribute to the little helicopter named Ingenuity, which recently suffered a mishap, ending its flying days after three incredible years on Mars. Ingenuity arrived at The Red Planet on Feb. 18, 2021. It was neatly tucked away on the underbelly of Perseverance, the unmanned car-sized Mars rover, as part of NASA’s Mars 2020 mission. In a series of steps from March 26 to April 3, 2021, Ingenuity was carefully deployed to the surface.
Recent Sanctions Enforcement Actions Demonstrate Importance of Incorporating All Available Data into Screening
For U.S. businesses, sanctions compliance has never been more challenging or more important. The U.S. has responded to Russia’s invasion of Ukraine with a broad range of sanctions targeting the Russian government, its officials, oligarchs and Russia’s financial and energy industries, among others.
Skywatch: A look back at 2023, and what lies ahead
Are you getting used to having more information available to you each year? In astronomy alone, tens of thousands of papers were published in 2023, so we depend on our collective filters to keep things manageable. Here, I present my own woefully incomplete selection along with a few anniversaries and a thought or two about everything in general. The most important story of 2023 is that it is now the warmest year on record for our planet.
Skywatch: NASA marks 65 years of space exploration
Few acronyms ever achieve the iconic status of NASA. On Sunday, the National Aeronautics and Space Administration turned 65. Life was different when NASA was activated as a civilian agency on Oct. 1, 1958, in response to the Soviets’ unexpected success with Sputnik 1, earth’s first artificial satellite, in 1957. It replaced the military-based National Advisory Committee for Aeronautics (NACA).
Skywatch: Tales from a comet chaser
Imagine yourself in an opening on a hill in the woods of southern Vermont. It’s a late August evening, the sun is setting, and people of all ages — including a healthy contingent of kids — are scattered about. The day’s heat is dissipating into open space, and the air temperature is dropping, but this gathering is just warming up. You survey the cars parked next to tents extending over the woodland and fields.
Strike Force Actions Underscore Foreign Risks For Tech Cos.
By Andrew Austria, Patrick Rowan and Alex Brackett (August 10, 2023, 1:42 PM EDT) -- In early 2023, the U.S. Department of Justice and U.S. Department of Commerce launched the Disruptive Technology Strike Force to "target illicit actors, strengthen supply chains and protect critical technology assets from theft by nation-state adversaries."[1]... A Law360 subscription puts you at the center of fast-moving legal issues, trends and developments so you can act with speed and confidence.
Departments of Justice, Commerce and Treasury Issue Tri-Seal Compliance Note on Voluntary Self-Disclosure of Potential Violations
On July 26, 2023, the U.S. Department of Justice’s National Security Division, U.S. Department of Commerce’s Bureau of Industry and Security, and U.S. Department of the Treasury’s Office of Foreign Assets Control issued a Tri-Seal Compliance Note (the Note) detailing updates to the three agencies’ voluntary self-disclosure policies applicable to violations of U.S. sanctions, export controls, and other national security laws.
Departments of Justice, Commerce and Treasury Issue Tri-Seal Compliance Note on Voluntary Self-Disclosure of Potential Violations
On July 26, 2023, the U.S. Department of Justice’s National Security Division, U.S. Department of Commerce’s Bureau of Industry and Security, and U.S. Department of the Treasury’s Office of Foreign Assets Control issued a Tri-Seal Compliance Note (the Note) detailing updates to the three agencies’ voluntary self-disclosure policies applicable to violations of U.S. sanctions, export controls, and other national security laws.
Skywatch: Modern-day light is dimming the heavens
The stars in our sky that our predecessors — including the architects of civilization — grew up knowing, are visible to a smaller percentage of humans every day as rampant outdoor lighting steals more of our night. The heavenly views that inspired religion, art, and science are rapidly disappearing in an electric fog. My introduction to the subject of light pollution came in 1986 on a visit to Arizona’s Kitt Peak National Observatory.
Disruptive Technology Strike Force Initiates Federal Prosecutions Targeting Trade Secret Theft
In early 2023, the U.S. Department of Justice and U.S. Department of Commerce launched the Disruptive Technology Strike Force to target illicit actors, strengthen supply chains and protect critical technology assets from theft by nation-state adversaries. Read on to learn about recent federal prosecutions initiated by the Strike Force, targeting theft of trade secrets and export control violations.
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