Cosmic wonders from Chile, record heat wave and July Fourth food: The week in review
New window to the universe
A “cosmic treasure chest” has been opened with the debut of the Vera C. Rubin Observatory in northern Chile as astronomers released startling first images, including one of a southern region of the Virgo Cluster capturing a stunning 10 million galaxies. That was just 0.05% of the 20 billion galaxies the telescope is expected to capture with its car-sized digital camera in the coming decade. Its principal mission: the Legacy Survey of Space and Time, an ultrawide, ultra-high-definition time-lapse record of the universe, according to the facility's website − “the largest astronomical movie of all time.”
Heat wave is one for the books
A dangerous heat wave smothered a large chunk of the central and eastern United States for days before easing, sending temperature records into oblivion as a huge atmospheric “heat dome” trapped the scorching air over more than 150 million people. Baltimore’s Inner Harbor soared to 104 degrees, just short of the 106 degrees in Death Valley, California. The town of North Hartland, Vermont, hit 101 degrees − hotter than Yuma, Arizona. In Paterson, New Jersey, graduation ceremonies were rescheduled for five high schools. And in the nation's capital, the Washington Monument was closed for most of the week as temperatures topped 100.
July Fourth and your wallet
Classic Fourth of July barbecues will cost a little more this year: $130 for food and drinks for a gathering of 10 people, a 2.2% increase from last year. That’s according to a Wells Fargo Agri-Food Institute analysis of data from NielsenIQ, which tracks food scanned at U.S. retailers. The menu used in the analysis: barbecued chicken breasts, beef sliders, hot dogs, fruit, vegetable platter, potato salad, cornbread, cake, apple pie, ice cream, beer, wine and sodas. But lots of people will pay nothing, according to another survey by Coupon Follow − the 1 out of 3 people who don’t plan to celebrate Independence Day at all.
Alanis Morissette didn't have it easy
Alanis Morissette’s early days in the music industry were no strawberry festival. When faced with the “lovely patriarchy” of the ’90s, she told The Guardian in an interview, “there was no one to hide behind,” adding that if men in the industry couldn't sleep with her, “they didn’t know what to do with me.” She was more of an introvert and had trouble breaking through, she said: “So, tequila – anything that allowed me to be the life of the party. ... Anything that would help me pretend I’m not me.” But now, said the sometimes outspoken singer, 51, who has been open about her addiction struggles, “there's zero desire to present as something I'm not.”
Thunder pour it on to win NBA title
Oklahoma City closed out its season with a rumble heard across the NBA. The Thunder dominated the Indiana Pacers 103-91 in Game 7 of the NBA Finals, pulling ahead in the third and fourth quarters after Indiana lost star guard Tyrese Haliburton to a torn Achilles tendon late in the first quarter. The championship is Oklahoma City’s first since relocating from Seattle in 2008; for the Pacers, close wasn’t good enough for their second straight season with a strong playoff run before falling to the eventual NBA champs. Indiana has never won an NBA title. − Compiled and written by Robert Abitbol, Paste BN copy chief