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This illustration shows a night-side view of the exoplanet WASP-76b (via ESO/M. Kornmesser)

Even the sturdiest umbrella wouldn’t withstand the rain on exoplanet WASP-76b.

Researchers using the European Southern Observatory’s Very Large Telescope (VLT) have observed an extreme world where it appears to bucket down iron.

“One could say that this planet gets rainy in the evening, except it rains iron,” lead study author David Ehrenreich, a professor at the University of Geneva, said in a statement.

The phenomenon, described in a paper published this week by the journal Nature, occurs because the planet, known as WASP-76b, only ever shows one face—the “day side”—to its parent star. The opposite “night side” remains in perpetual darkness.

Located some 640 light-years away in the constellation Pisces, the giant’s ultra-hot day side reaches temperatures above 4,350 °F—so hot that molecules separate into atoms and metals like iron evaporate into the atmosphere.

This comic-book-style illustration by Swiss graphic novelist Frederik Peeters shows a close-up view of the evening border of the exoplanet WASP-76b (via Frederik Peeters)

“A fraction of this iron is injected into the night side owing to the planet’s rotation and atmospheric winds,” astrophysicist Maria Rosa Zapatero Osorio, chair of the ESPRESSO science team, explained. “There, the iron encounters much cooler environments, condenses, and rains down.”

WASP-76b also has distinct day-night chemistry, according to the study.

Employing the new ESPRESSO instrument on ESO’s VLT in the Chilean Atacama Desert, astronomers identified chemical variations for the first time on an ultra-hot gas giant.

Specifically, they detected a strong signature of iron vapor at the evening border that separates the planet’s two hemispheres.

“Surprisingly, however, we do not see the iron vapor in the morning,” Ehrenreich said, likely because “it is raining iron on the night side of this extreme exoplanet.”

More on Geek.com:

• Large Exoplanet May Have Right Conditions For Life
• People From 112 Countries Help Name Exoplanets, Stars
• ESA Launches CHEOPS Mission to Study Exoplanets

Megan Smith knew early on that her commitment to fashion was going to take her places.

As a competitor on the Amazon Studios competition series, Making the Cut, Smith presented a body of work that blended strength and femininity in a way that impressed the judges. It is that same sensibility that echoes in Smith’s life. Now living in Los Angeles, Smith reflects on the journey that brought her from Kansas City to Los Angeles and her journey in fashion and being an entrepreneur. 

Born in Kansas City to a 16-year-old mother suffering from schizophrenia, Smith would learn the value of strength and perseverance early on. But beyond that, it would be Smith’s mother that first introduced her to the world of fashion and the art that clothing could be.

“Believe it or not,” Smith says, “a lot of my fashion sense does come from my mother. She had me young so we sort of grew up together. She was heavily into fashion and makeup and glamour. But it was my grandmother that taught me how to sew. So, I started making clothes for my Barbies. If I didn’t have fabric, I used my socks. Then they bought me a sewing machine. Despite her having her illness, my mother is very creative. I know there were a lot of things she wanted to do but couldn’t because of it.” 

Living in a city not widely known for being a center of fashion influence didn’t dissuade Smith from pursuing a career in the industry. With a wide range of influences around her that included everything from Prince to Ebony Fashion Fair to Vogue, it was the era of ’90s supermodels that birthed some of her earliest creations. 

“I would look at Vogue magazine and music videos and just the women around me and my family — everyone was always so well put together and fashionable living in Kansas City,” Smith remembers. “My mom and I had this deep love for ’90s supermodels. I just remember being in like Cindy Crawford and Naomi Campbell. We both followed them, and that influenced my aesthetic: feminine with a little bit of glam, but an edge and that all comes from pop culture.”

On Making the Cut, contestants are challenged with applying their personal design aesthetics to a variety of different styles and influences. For Smith, adapting her personal style to the weekly tasks had its challenges. Ultimately, it was her commitment to a strong personal style that allowed her to navigate through the various competitions without losing sight of her own personal aesthetic. Additionally, it was the time spent designing the creations that observers aren’t privy to, a time that Smith was able to navigate through week after week.

“The overall design process is not as smooth and easy as it looks on the show. It’s a lot of like back and forth and changing a lot of things,” Smith says. “I would start making a neutral dress, and it would turn into something completely different.  

“I think the environment of these beautiful locations like Paris and Tokyo influence how the design process changes. Working on my own at home, I can sketch out a collection, but as I started to make it, it totally changed depending on my mood or the aesthetic. 

“In Paris, it was easy to translate that aesthetic into my brand, but in Tokyo, I will admit I did get a little intimidated by the streetwear challenge. I’ve never designed streetwear in my life. My aesthetic is more clearly defined. I know exactly the woman that I’m dressing now. I just envisioned myself dressing that woman and she said she wanted streetwear. How would I translate it? I really was happy with what I created, and I think it definitely still was very true to my brand identity.”

For Smith, the next step is taking all the valuable critiques and feedback from the experience and applying it to her booming business to become a global brand.

“I have a clear vision on where I want to take my brand, and I have to thank the show for it,” she says. “Before going on the show, I had an idea, but, being a new brand, I was still figuring out a few things. As the competition went on, I was like, ‘Okay, I got this. I know exactly who [my customer] is.’ That has helped me in more ways than I can say. It gave me a lot of confidence and more drive than I already had to get my brand out there and make it big.”

Making the Cut is currently streaming on Amazon Prime.

The post ‘Making the Cut’ Competitor Megan Smith Details Becoming a Sought-After Designer appeared first on Black Girl Nerds.

While face masks are still hard to find online and creators on Etsy often have a backlog wait for weeks, Disney is coming with their own masks with some of our favorite characters on them. Yes, including the Child. Baby Yoda stands prominently on the front with his iconic cup of bone broth and honestly, would wear it frequently!

It was only a matter of time before face masks started to become more recognizable fashion brand statements in our coronavirus era. At least these are cute.

To help, Disney is also planning on donating $1 million to the non-profit MedShare. In a statement, the president of MedShare, Charles Redding, shared his excitement on the donation:

“Disney’s donations will make a tremendous impact in the communities we serve. Their contribution of one million Disney cloth face masks will be provided to families in underserved communities and organizations working to limit the spread of COVID-19, while their monetary donation will be used to support the medical community’s ongoing efforts to provide lifesaving care to those who need it most.”

For $19.99, you can order a set of four from shopDisney.com. So you can get Baby Yoda in a set with four other Star Wars-inspired masks and honestly, I’d walk around looking like R2-D2. Yolo at this point, amirite?

(via Collider, image: Disney, LucasFilm)

Here are some other things we saw out there today:

• Adam Driver is set to star in Jeff Nichol’s latest project (via Vulture)
• The National Theater is sharing the Johnny Lee Miller/Benedict Cumberbatch Frankenstein and honestly, thank you (via ComicBook.com)

• a random guy tweeted at Trump about making ventilators. then, on direct recommendation from the White House, NY paid him $69M.

  he never sent NY any ventilators.https://t.co/VvB1yS8jBq pic.twitter.com/Gsz00v0PUU

  — Jesse Lehrich (@JesseLehrich) April 29, 2020

• Donald Trump thinks that Coronavirus is a plot from China so he’ll lose the election… (via Vice)

• This is the best weather forecast in the history of television news pic.twitter.com/LhmoJDCkbZ

  — Andrew Feinberg (@AndrewFeinberg) April 30, 2020

What did you see out there today?

Anything we missed out there today, Mary Suevians? Let us know what you saw in the comments below!

Want more stories like this? Become a subscriber and support the site! 

 —The Mary Sue has a strict comment policy that forbids, but is not limited to, personal insults toward anyone, hate speech, and trolling.—

In the wake of the global pandemic, Cooper’s Bar Episode 1, “The Pitch” (on Vimeo) is here to assuage some anxieties.

Since many of us are finding out that we are now, even more so, stuck inside watching a few re-runs of our favorite shows, here comes a comedy that won’t take up but seven minutes of your time. For audiences who require a quick understanding of this episode pilot, I am here to help.

Let us talk about the director.

Cooper’s Bar is a seven-minute comedy that will have you wanting more episodes. This is because of the vision of its director, Alfredo De Villa, from Mexico and probably best known for his works like Washington Heights (2002) and Adrift in Manhattan. With his keen eye, he has managed to produce a work that is short but has real potential — it just has to be longer than seven minutes.  

Who are the casts and writers?

The very talented individuals who helped create this project in front and behind the cameras have produced an alluring pilot. Screenwriters Nick Morton, and David Conolly do a bang-up job of creating dialogue that reflects each character’s individual personalities.  

Let us begin with the lead character Cooper Marino, played by Louis Mustillo. Marino is a character actor between jobs, otherwise known as unemployed. He wants to leave LA for New York to become a real bartender. Before that, his friend attempts to convince him to pitch his backyard bar to an executive as a TV show.  He is accompanied by his equally humorous wife. Kila Kitu plays Mary Marino, who holds a PhD. She is fondly referred to as his “meal ticket.” This comical couple with their brief moments on screen together have real chemistry.  

Brandon Washington (Casey Washington) is Cooper’s friend. Brandon is a screenwriter currently working as a postal worker. His current project includes words like Christian, babies, and zombies. He also doesn’t skip a beat when it comes time to drink and chill at Cooper’s bar. Cooper’s connected friend and who will help him land his show is David Butler (David Conolly). Butler is a director whose current resume has him as an Uber driver. His scheme is to lure a TV executive into the bar and pitch the show.

Rhea Seehorn stars as Kris Latimer, a big shot TV executive. She is lured into the bar by Butler who falsely claimed that Amy Schumer would be meeting them. This is just the start of their misadventure. Latimer’s personality is one who possesses a great sense of unearned grandeur. This makes her appearance so spectacular. As she visits Cooper’s bar, she almost instinctually comments on the plethora of objects. Her comment is wonderful, and I hope there are more to come.    

Is there a twist and if so where?

If there is one thing you should take way from this pilot, it’s the conclusion. The build up to the twist is small, but it works. When you finally see the look on the character’s face as they walk back to their once pristine car, you just know the rest of the season is going to get even better!

What is the setting of this show?

The great thing about this episode pilot is that it only has one location, thus far. It is the Cooper’s backyard. The overly decorated bar does not luxuriate in its opulence — opulence in the loosest terms possible. It instead draws attention to itself by way of how messy it appears. The concept of pitching at a bar has its benefits: it’s often dark in bars, and it can provide decent conversation. This, however, is not what happens. This is exaggerated by the lighting that is used. In one scene it is clearly nighttime, but once at the bar, it appears to be as bright as day. The lighting plays a terrific role in switching the mood and attention to what is most important in the scenes. 

What are some redeeming qualities these characters have?

It’s too early to tell if there are any redeeming qualities about these characters, but this is what can be gleaned from the pilot. It has a few characters who all appear to be a little unlikeable. This is partly due to their vulgar language and their insistence on insulting their friends. Yet, it is the fact that these characters might get a chance to create their idea. That possibility is what that makes this show worth watching.

This first episode features a lot of what you would expect from a comedy: misfortune, a few one-liners, and good comedic timing for both. It is clear that their adventures will not end at the pilot, but where it will take them is another story entirely. This attractively packaged storyline inculcated with alcohol, trash, and bad insults are all used to create the world for these characters. The director’s idea as to where this visual experience will take audiences is worth sticking around to see. This viewer can’t wait to see where they end up next.

To watch the SXSW pilot showcase which includes this title and more, CLICK HERE.

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