- The Asian giant hornet (Vespa mandarinia) or northern giant hornet, including the color form referred to as the Japanese giant hornet, is the world’s largest hornet. It is native to temperate and tropical East Asia, South Asia, Mainland Southeast Asia, and parts of the Russian Far East. It was also found in the Pacific Northwest of North America in late 2019 with a few more additional sightings in 2020, and nests found in 2021, prompting concern that it could become an invasive species. However, by the end of the season in November 2022, there were no confirmed sightings in North America at all, suggesting they may have been eradicated in that region.
- Messier 98 (Wikipedia)
Messier 98, M98 or NGC 4192, is an intermediate spiral galaxy about 44.4 million light-years away in slightly northerly Coma Berenices, about 6° to the east of the bright star Denebola (Beta Leonis). It was discovered by French astronomer Pierre Méchain on 1781, along with nearby M99 and M100, and was catalogued by compatriot Charles Messier 29 days later in his Catalogue des Nébuleuses & des amas d’Étoiles. It has a blueshift, denoting ignoring of its fast other movement (vectors of proper motion), it is approaching at about 140 km/s.
- In August 2019, three [Asian Giant] hornets were found in Nanaimo on Vancouver Island, and a large nest was found and destroyed shortly thereafter [Sept 2019]
- Two specimens were collected in May 2020, one from Langley, British Columbia, about 13 kilometres (8 miles) north of Blaine, and one from Custer, Washington, 14 km (9 mi) southeast of Blaine.
- One queen sighting in June 2020, from Bellingham, Washington, 24 km (15 mi) south of Custer
- An unmated queen was trapped in July 2020, near Birch Bay, Washington, 10 km (6 mi) west of Custer.
- A male hornet was captured in Custer, Washington in July 2020.
- A hornet of unknown caste was reported in August 2020, in Birch Bay, and another was trapped in the same area the following day.