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A2 Weekend of February 1-2, 2020 The Dalles Chronicle TheDallesChronicle.com February features lengthening days–and a longer year We will really begin to see the change in day length in February. On Saturday, Feb. 1, sunrise will be at about 7:30 a.m., with sunset at about 5:10 p.m. By the end of the month, sunrise will be at 6:45 a.m., and sunset at 5:52 p.m. Day length will increase by about an hour and a half during the month. In January I said I would describe something in the night sky you can observe with binoculars every month. January’s object was the Pleiades star cluster, but I’m not sure if anyone got a chance to check it out given our typical January weather. Not much in the way of clear skies! This month’s object is a bright star in the constella- tion Orion—Betelgeuse. You may remember it from the movie, when it was pro- nounced “Beetlejuice,” but I think it is supposed to be “Betelgeeze.” At least, that is the way I say it. Betelgeuse is in the familiar constellation Orion, and is the shoulder star on the left side of the hunter, as we look at it. Betelgeuse is one of the brightest stars in the night sky and appears distinctly orange in color. It is a supergiant, one In the Sky Jim White of the largest stars we can see. If Betelgeuse were located where our Sun is, it would extend out beyond Mars! It is also a “variable” star, one that varies a bit in brightness, with the period of variance being about 400 days. And it is of current interest, as Betelgeuse has gone from the 10th brightest star in the sky to about 23rd as of last December. It is normally much bright- er than the star that makes up Orion’s other shoulder— Bellatrix. But right now the two stars are about the same brightness. Check it out when skies are clear. It is predicted that Betelgeuse will end its life in a supernova … in about 100,000 years or so. So don’t stay up late waiting for that! A first-quarter Moon greets us on Feb. 1 in the south- west, to the right of Orion and Taurus. On Feb. 3, the bright Moon will lie just to the right of the bright star Health Plan (i.e., Medicaid) coverage for non-pregnant adults 21 and older. Only some aide • Medicaid-funded long- programs at issue term care. • Supplemental Nutrition Continued from page A1 Assistance Program (SNAP) commonly called food stamps. injunction. The Supreme • Federal, state or local Court’s decision allows the cash-assistance programs. rule to go into effect during This includes: the litigation. • Supplemental Security The new public charge Income (SSI). rule expands the list of • Temporary Assistace for benefits that the federal Needy Families (TANF). government may consider • Section 8 rental assis- to determine if someone is a public charge, which would tance (i.e., housing choice make it more difficult for vouchers). them to get a green card. • Project-based Section These benefits include: 8 housing and subsidized • Non-emergency Oregon housing. RULES Aldebaran, another red-giant star. Compare it to Betelgeuse and see if you can detect the orange tint. Full Moon occurs on Feb. 9, with new Moon following on Feb. 23. On the morning of Feb. 18, the waning crescent Moon will lie just to the left of Mars, a nice conjunction to view. Check it out at about 5 a.m. if skies are clear. Venus will again be promi- nent in the southwestern sky after sunset. In the first half of the month, Mercury will also be visible below and to the right of Venus. Mercury will be brighter than nearby stars, but look right after sunset, as our innermost planet will set soon after. Another easily recogniz- able constellation is rising in the east during February— Leo the Lion. The “head” of the Lion resembles a backwards question mark, or a sickle. The brightest star, Regulus, has a small “com- panion” star that is visible in binoculars. Leo will be above the eastern horizon by 9 p.m. in early February. Late in 2019, I had a call from a person who saw something odd—a line of white dots that appeared to move in unison across the sky. I think what the person saw was a group of “Starlink” satellites. The satellites are part of an effort to place small satellites in orbit for a global broadband network. The company behind the project, SpaceX, initially launched 60 satellites in the spring, and another 60 in November. In January, 120 were launched. After launch, and before they attain their full alti- tude, they are visible as a bright line of satellites in the morning or evening sky. Once they attain their full altitude and spread out, they are less visible. The company intends to launch thousands of satellites, and a few other companies are developing similar fleets of satellites. Professional and amateur astronomers are concerned about the impact on photog- raphy and data collection. Companies are working with the astronomy communi- ty—hopefully they will not markedly interfere with our view of the night sky. The public charge rule does not apply to many federal and state programs, including but not limited to: • Oregon Health Plan cov- erage for youth younger than 21 (i.e., Medicaid and the Children’s Health Insurance Program, or CHIP). • Oregon Health Plan coverage for people who are pregnant, including 60 days after giving birth (i.e., Medicaid, Citizen-Alien Waived Emergent Medical (CAWEM) Plus, etc.) • Oregon MothersCare (OMC) program. • Emergency Oregon Health Plan coverage for people of all ages (i.e., CAWEM.) • Oregon’s Cover All Kids program. • Special education services funded by the Individuals with Disabilities Education Act (IDEA) that Medicaid covers. • Early Head Start and Head Start/Oregon PreKindergarten. • Employment Related Day-Care child-care reimbursement. • School based health services for school-aged children. • Free and reduced school lunch program (exception: the new rule would consider this if there was a referral to this program through SNAP.) • Women, Infants, and Children (WIC) supplemen- tal nutrition program. • Commercial health in- surance premium subsidies through Oregon’s Health Insurance Marketplace. • Oregon Food Bank pro- grams and services. • Older Americans Act (OAA) programs. • State-funded pro- grams to aid older adults and people with disabili- ties (e.g., Oregon Project Independence). • Medicare Part D Low- Income Subsidy (LIS.) • Many other health and social services programs not listed here. The Oregon Health Authority is the state agency responsible for protecting the health of all four million people living in Oregon. In a previous statement issued after the original federal rule was announced, the Oregon Health Authority said, “This rule is in direct conflict with our agency’s mission, which is to help people and com- munities achieve optimum physical, mental and social well-being and improve access to quality, affordable health care.” OHA encourages any- one who has questions or concerns about how public charge may affect them or members of their family to seek counsel from a quali- fied immigration attorney. Green Home Design + Build now offers gutter services! √ Fabrication & installation of new seamless gutters √ Removal of old gutters √ Leafguard products √ Gutter Cleaning + Build Services + Gutter Installation and Services + Weatherization & Home Performance 541.490.1951 | greenhome-designbuild.com Stay up to date on the go: TheDallesChronicle.com