What to know about Manhattanhenge, NYC's sunset spectacle
NEW YORK (AP) — New York City residents and visitors are treated to a phenomenon twice a year known as Manhattanhenge, when the setting sun aligns with the Manhattan street grid and sinks below the horizon framed in a canyon of skyscrapers. The first Manhattanhenge of the year took place Thursday at sunset, with another version of the setting sun possible Friday. The sunset spectacle occurs again on July 11 and 12. Astrophysicist Neil deGrasse Tyson coined the name in 1997 after being inspired by a visit to Stonehenge. Manhattanhenge happens about three weeks before and after the summer solstice.
Pigeons may be navigating with their liver, study suggests
NEW YORK (AP) — A study details a surprising new way into how pigeons find their way home. Some animals including birds orient themselves using both the sun and Earth’s magnetic field as a compass. But it’s not yet clear how exactly they do this. Scientists searched for magnetic clues in pigeons' organs and found a strong signal in an unexpected place: immune cells in the liver. More work is needed to verify the pigeons navigate this way and to firm up how these signals get to the brain. The findings were published Thursday in the journal Science.
A rare blue micromoon rises this weekend
CAPE CANAVERAL, Fla. (AP) — Get set for a rare blue micromoon this weekend. It's when a blue moon that's also the most distant and smallest-looking full moon of the year rises. The brilliant star Antares will photobomb Sunday's spectacle for a celestial three-for-one. A blue moon occurs every two to three years when a second full moon squeezes into a single month. May 1 saw this month's first full moon. The upcoming full moon will be farther from Earth than usual at a distance of 252,360 miles. That will make the moon seem a bit smaller and dimmer.
Tractors, ATVs and golf carts, oh my: Michigan seniors arrive at school in style on Tractor Day
CARLETON, Mich. (AP) — Dozens of soon-to-be graduates of a Michigan high school eschewed their cars and trucks and arrived in tractors, ATVs, golf carts and more. It was all part of Tractor Day, a celebration at Airport High that dates back to the 1980s. Most students arrived by 7:30 a.m. Friday, but the fun continued throughout the day with games, music, and lunch catered by a local restaurant. The annual event is not only a fun going-away celebration for seniors but also honors the area’s agricultural heritage. The class treasurer expected about 150 of the roughly 180 seniors would take part in Tractor Day.
A round of a-paws for ‘La Perra,’ winner of the Palm Dog award at Cannes
CANNES, France (AP) — Yuri the dog from the Chilean movie “La Perra” has won the coveted Palm Dog award in Cannes. The prize was given Friday, a day before the festival’s official awards ceremony. Director Dominga Sotomayor collected the dog collar prize with a stand-in look-alike pooch. Lola, the border terrier cross who appears in the British movie “I See Buildings Fall Like Lightning,” took the Grand Jury prize. The Palm Dog Award was founded in 2001 by film journalist Toby Rose with a mission to give equal celebration to canines at Cannes as their human co-stars.
Artist JR, the 'French Banksy' creates a 'cave' installation over Paris' oldest bridge
PARIS (AP) — The oldest bridge in Paris has begun vanishing as JR — the artist known as the “French Banksy” — began inflating a giant “cave” over the Pont Neuf. By Thursday, the 17th-century landmark that has carried Parisians across the Seine for more than 400 years looked as if a prehistoric cliff had risen in the heart of the city. The monumental, rocky illusion is the most dramatic stage yet of one of the most ambitious public artworks the French capital has seen in decades. The Associated Press has been documenting the transformation since March with time-lapse cameras, including one fixed on a rooftop terrace high above the river, watching the bridge slowly disappear day by day.
Dying star resembles a billowing crystal ball in new telescope photo
CAPE CANAVERAL, Fla. (AP) — A dying star has never looked so lovely. A telescope atop Hawaii's tallest peak, Mauna Kea, captured the star in its last gasps. The image was released Thursday. It's actually a binary star system 1,500 light-years away, nicknamed the Crystal Ball Nebula because of the milky white, spherical cloud of gas around it. The cloud forms when a star sheds its outer layers near the end of its life. The exposed stellar core heats the cloud to tens of thousands of degrees, giving it an ethereal glow. Scientists believe one of the nebula's two orbiting stars gave up the ghost.
Sorry, Arsenal fans, but a public holiday for you in Botswana is fake news
CAPE TOWN, South Africa (AP) — Arsenal fans in Botswana were briefly excited by the apparent announcement of a public holiday to celebrate their team's first Premier League title win in 22 years. But the government of the southern African country has debunked the notice that falsely claimed President Duma Boko had declared the holiday. The fake statement with official-looking details was shared online but later marked "FAKE" by the government on X. The statement was dated May 17, or Sunday, while Arsenal's victory was only confirmed two days later.
Trump’s portrait hits New Delhi traffic as US Embassy rolls out 'Happy Birthday America!' rickshaws
NEW DELHI (AP) — In New Delhi, some auto-rickshaws are now displaying images of U.S. President Donald Trump with the slogan “Happy Birthday America!” splashed across the back of the vehicles. This campaign, featuring Trump and the Statue of Liberty, has appeared in about 100 auto-rickshaws across the city. It was unveiled last month by Sergio Gor, the U.S. ambassador to India, as part of a broader initiative to celebrate the 250th anniversary of American independence. The U.S. Embassy described the campaign with the slogan, “Freedom is on the move … literally!” The effort also aims to improve U.S.-India relations, which have been strained by tariff policies.
Seagull splatters King Charles III during Northern Ireland visit
LONDON (AP) — A seagull has left a lasting impression on King Charles III during his visit to Northern Ireland. The bird dropped a surprise on the king's suit jacket Wednesday, splattering others around him, including members of the press. According to a witness, the king quipped that it was fortunate it didn’t land on his head. The witness also mentioned that being hit by a seagull is supposed to be good luck. Earlier in the day, the king seemed to foreshadow the event during a visit to a food pantry when he picked up a roll of toilet paper and said, “very important.”
