News Roundup: Brexit, the Sun, & the Grammys

News Roundup: Brexit, the Sun, & the Grammys

NFK Editors - February 1, 2020

Brexit is Official: UK Finally Leaves the European Union

At 11 o’clock on Friday night, the United Kingdom officially left the European Union, ending a process that began 3 1/2 years ago.

Brexit is a word made up to describe the“BritishExit“from the European Union. In 2016, in a special vote called a “referendum”, more than half of the people of the United Kingdom chose to leave the EU.

Prime Minister Boris Johnson and Brexit fans have been celebrating. Last night, a digital timer was projected onto the wall of the prime minister’s home, counting down the minutes and seconds until Brexit was complete.

At 11 o’clock on Friday night, the United Kingdom officially left the European Union, ending a process that began 3 1/2 years ago. Prime Minister Boris Johnson and Brexit fans have been celebrating. Above is a Brexit celebration at Westminster in London on January 31.
(Source: David Howard, via Flickr.com.)

For Mr Johnson, it represents the completion of a goal he has long worked for. For many others in the UK, it represents the final stage of something they fought hard to prevent. Mr. Johnson is now the leader of an extremely divided country.

For many in the UK, yesterday represented the final stage of something they fought hard to prevent. The picture shows Brexit day protests in central London on January 31, 2020.
(Source: Steve Eason, via Flickr.com.)

Making things even more difficult is the fact that the next challenge of Brexit has arrived. The UK and EU now have until the end of the year to work out the details of the relationship they will have in the future. Many expect that making these new agreements will be just as difficult as reaching the original Brexit deal.

Telescope Produces Amazing New Pictures of the Sun

On Wednesday, scientists at the University of Hawaii released new pictures showing the sun in more detail than has ever been seen before. The images show the sun’s surface broken down into many sections. Though the sections appear to be small, each is roughly the size of Texas.

On Wednesday, scientists at the University of Hawaii released pictures showing the sun in more detail than has ever been seen before. The images show the sun’s surface broken into many sections. Though the sections appear small, each is roughly the size of Texas.
(Source: National Science Foundation [Public domain], via Wikimedia Commons.)

The pictures were taken by the Daniel K. Inouye Solar Telescope, which was recently built on the island of Maui, Hawaii. Solar telescopes are built for studying the sun. The Inouye Telescope is the world’s largest solar telescope.

Jeff Kuhn, who works at the University of Hawaii, says the telescope represents a huge improvement in our ability to study the sun. “It’s a big deal,” he says.

The telescope represents a huge improvement in our ability to study the sun. Scientists plan to use the telescope to map the magnetic fields in the sun’s outer layer, or corona. The picture shows a highly detailed picture of the sun’s surface taken by the telescope.
(Source: National Science Foundation [Public domain], via Wikimedia Commons.)

Scientists plan to use the telescope to map the magnetic fields in the sun’s outer layer, or corona. “Space weather” caused by sudden changes in the corona, can have big effects on Earth, interfering with satellites, GPS services, and even taking out electrical systems.

The telescope isn’t quite complete yet. Several more tools will be added over the next few months, making it even more powerful.

18-Year-Old Billie Eilish Cleans Up at the Grammys

Last Sunday night, the 62nd Grammy Awards – America’s best-known music prizes – were announced at a ceremony in Los Angeles.

The big winner of the night was Billie Eilish, an 18-year-old singer who started out recording songs in her bedroom with her brother. Ms. Eilish wrote her first hit song, “Ocean Eyes”, when she was just 14.

Last Sunday night, the 62nd Grammy Awards were announced. The big winner of the night was Billie Eilish, an 18-year-old singer. Ms. Eilish won Best New Artist, and four more of the night’s big awards. Ms. Eilish is shown at a concert last summer.
(Source: ©Lars Crommelinck Photography [CC BY], via Wikimedia Commons.)

On Sunday Ms. Eilish won Best New Artist, and four more of the night’s big awards. Her song “Bad Guy” won Song of the Year and Record of the Year. Her first album, “When We All Fall Asleep, Where Do We Go?” won Album of the Year and Best Pop Vocal Album.

At age 18, she’s the youngest person ever to win the Album of the Year award. Ms. Eilish’s brother, Finneas O’Connell, 22, also won an award as Producer of the Year for their work together.

“I never thought this would happen in my whole life,” Ms. Eilish said. “I’m so honored and grateful to be here.”

Sources

www.theguardian.com
www.npr.org
www.nytimes.com
www.nytimes.com
www.smithsonianmag.com
www.dw.com
www.npr.org
www.bbc.com
www.voanews.com

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