WEBVTT

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Anna: Hello and welcome to Astronomy Daily. I'm

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Anna bringing you the latest developments in

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space and astronomy news. Today we have a

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packed episode covering a wide range of

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fascinating stories from across the cosmos.

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We'll check in with NASA astronauts Butch

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Wilmore and Suni Williams as they recover

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from what was meant to be an eight day

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mission, but turned into a nine month stay

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aboard the International Space Station. I'll

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also tell you about a truly mysterious star

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that pulses every 44 minutes in both radio

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waves and X rays, leaving scientists

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puzzled about its true nature. Then we'll

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explore China's ambitious Tianwen 2 mission

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that just launched to collect samples from a

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living fossil asteroid. We'll round

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up this week's busy launch schedule from

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around the world and end with some slightly

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unsettling news about Earth's long term

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orbital stability and a potential cosmic

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fate that thankfully remains extremely

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unlikely. Stay with me for all this and more

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on today's Astronomy Daily.

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Lets kick off with a story I'm sure most

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folks thought was done and dusted. Turns out

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there's an epilogue. NASA astronauts

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Butch Wilmore and Suni Williams are making

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steady progress in their recovery after

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returning to Earth following what became an

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unexpectedly extended mission in space.

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What was originally planned as an eight day

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test flight aboard Boeing's Starliner capsule

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turned into a nine month stay on the

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International Space Station when propulsion

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system issues forced NASA to bring the

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capsule back without its crew. The

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astronauts, now back on solid ground since

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March, have been undergoing intensive

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physical therapy as part of the standard 45

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day reconditioning period for long duration

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space travellers. Wilmore, who is

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62, described the challenging readjustment to

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Earth's gravity in a recent interview, noting

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that gravity stinks for a period as

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astronauts deal with balance issues and

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muscle weakness as after extended time in

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microgravity. Williams, 59,

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shared that some of her post spaceflight side

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effects were slower to resolve. She

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experienced significant fatigue during the

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later stages of recovery as dozens of muscles

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re engaged after months of disuse. The

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veteran astronaut couldn't maintain her

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preferred early morning routine until

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recently when she happily reported then

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I'm up at 4 in the morning and I'm like aha,

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uh-huh, I'm back. For

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Wilmore, the return to Earth reintroduced him

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to some familiar discomfort. He had

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experienced neck pain before his mission that

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completely disappeared in the weightlessness

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of space. Remarkably, he

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felt that same pain return while still in the

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Starliner capsule bobbing in the ocean even

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before extraction teams had reached them. The

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human body, having evolved over millions of

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years in Earth's gravity undergoes

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significant changes during spaceflight.

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Without gravity's constant pull, astronauts

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experience muscle atrophy, cardiovascular

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shifts and other physical changes that

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require dedicated rehabilitation upon return.

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While recovering physically, both astronauts

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have been ramping up their work schedules

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with Boeing's Starliner programme, NASA's

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Space Station Operations in Houston, and

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agency researchers. Williams described

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the past months as a bit of a whirlwind

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as they balance their recovery with

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professional obligations. Meanwhile,

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NASA faces important decisions regarding

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Boeing's troubled Starliner programme.

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Williams has publicly advocated for requiring

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Boeing to fly Starliner uncrewed before

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putting humans aboard again, calling it the

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logical thing to do and drawing comparisons

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to SpaceX and Russian spacecraft that

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underwent similar safety validation.

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NASA officials have indicated that that

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additional testing, planned throughout the

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summer, will determine whether Starliner can

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carry humans on its next flight.

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As you know, I love a good mystery here on

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Astronomy Daily. And here's Today's

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Scientists have discovered a truly puzzling

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cosmic object that's breaking all the rules

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of what we thought we knew about stars. It's

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called ASCAP J

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1832, and what makes it so

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extraordinary is its unusual pulsing

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behaviour. It sends out bursts of energy

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every 44 minutes with clockwork precision.

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ASCAP J1832 belongs to a

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rare category known as long period radio

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transients, which were only first discovered

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in 2022. Unlike typical pulsars that

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flash multiple times per second, these

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objects pulse much more slowly. But what

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truly sets ASCAP J1832 apart

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is that it's the first of its kind to emit

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both radio waves and X rays on the exact same

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44 minute cycle. This groundbreaking

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discovery came through the combined

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observations of NASA's powerful Chandra X Ray

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Observatory and Australia's ASCAP radio

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telescope. When scientists created composite

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images using data from these telescopes,

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along with infrared information from NASA's

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Spitzer Space Telescope, they revealed a

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vivid portrait of this stellar enigma. The

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mystery deepened when researchers noticed

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that ASCAP J

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1832's emissions

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faded dramatically over a six month period in

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both radio and X ray wavelengths. This

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combination of short term pulses with long

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term changes makes it unlike anything

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previously observed in our Milky Way galaxy.

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Astronomers are struggling to explain what

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could cause such behaviour. ASCAP

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J1832 doesn't

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fit neatly into any known category of stellar

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objects. It's unlikely to be a typical pulsar

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or a neutron star pulling material from a

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companion star because the intensities of its

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radio and X ray signals don't match what we'd

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expect. Some of its properties suggest it

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could be an extremely magnetic neutron star,

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what astronomers call a Magnetar that's over

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500,000 years old. However, other

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features, like its bright and variable radio

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emission, are difficult to explain for such

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an aged magnetar. Initially,

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scientists thought ASCAP J1832

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might be associated with a nearby supernova

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remnant, as these exploded stars often

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contain neutron stars. However,

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further investigations suggested this

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proximity is likely just coincidence. The

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research team is now considering more exotic

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possibilities, including that it might be a

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white dwarf star with a companion. If true,

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it would require the strongest magnetic field

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ever recorded for a white dwarf in our

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galaxy. For now, ASC

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APJ1832 remains a, one of a kind

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cosmic mystery that could potentially

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represent an entirely new class of

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astronomical objects.

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Next up Today, China has taken a major step

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forward in its space exploration programme

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with the successful launch of the Tianwen 2

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probe, the country's first ever asteroid

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sample return mission. A long March 3rd B

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rocket carrying the spacecraft blasted off

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from the Sichung launch site in southwestern

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Sichuan Province early Thursday morning local

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time. About 18 minutes after liftoff,

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the probe was successfully inserted into its

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transfer orbit from Earth to asteroid

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20002016 HO3, also known

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by its official name, Kamo Oalawa. The

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China National Space Administration confirmed

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that the spacecraft deployed its solar panels

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as planned and declared the launch a complete

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success. This ambitious mission targets what

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scientists describe as a living fossil

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asteroid. Measuring between 40 to 100

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metres in diameter, Kamu' Oalawa orbits

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relatively close to Earth and consists of

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ancient materials that could provide crucial

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insights and into the formation of our early

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solar system. What makes Chen Wei

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particularly interesting is its complex

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mission profile. The spacecraft will spend

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approximately 30 months on its journey to and

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from the asteroid. Once it arrives, it will

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perform two different types of sample

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collection. First, the probe will touch down

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on the asteroid's surface to collect material

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using a drill. Then it will perform a touch

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and go sample collection similar to NASA's

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Osiris Rex mission. In total, the

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spacecraft aims to collect about 1000 grammes

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of asteroid material. But the mission doesn't

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end there. After delivering the precious

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samples back to Earth, the main spacecraft

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will continue its journey through space.

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Using Earth's gravity as a slingshot. Tianwen

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2 will be redirected toward a fascinating

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object called 311P

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Panstars in the main asteroid belt between

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Mars and Jupiter. This second target is

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particularly intriguing to scientists because

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it exhibits characteristics of both asteroids

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and comets, making it a valuable subject for

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further investigation. The entire mission is

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expected to last approximately a decade. This

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latest achievement represents another

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significant milestone in China's rapidly

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advancing space programme, which President Xi

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Jinping has described as the country's space

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dream. In recent years,

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China has established its own space station,

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landed rovers on Mars and the moon, and is

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planning crewed lunar missions later this

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decade.

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It's been an exceptionally busy week in the

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rocket launch sector, with multiple missions

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taking off from launch pads around the world.

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SpaceX continues its rapid fire cadence with

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several Starlink deployments already underway

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or scheduled in the coming days. On

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Wednesday, a Falcon 9 rocket thundered off

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Launch Complex 39A at Kennedy Space

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Centre in Florida carrying 27 Starlink

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V2 mini satellites into low Earth orbit.

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Despite only a 60% chance of favourable

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weather, SpaceX managed to launch right

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at the beginning of their four hour window.

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The mission used booster B1080, which

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incredibly was flying for its 19th time,

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a remarkable testament to SpaceX's

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reusability programme. Looking ahead,

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SpaceX has at least two more launches planned

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this week. On Friday, they're scheduled to

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launch the GPS 3 SV08 mission

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for the US Space Force from Cape Canaveral.

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This mission was actually originally assigned

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to ULA's Vulcan rocket before being

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reassigned to Falcon 9. Then just one minute

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after the GPS launch window opens in Florida,

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another Falcon 9 is set to lift off from

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Vandenberg Space Force Base in California

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with yet another batch of Starlink

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satellites. Then early next week,

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SpaceX has scheduled Starlink Group 12th 9 to

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launch from Cape Canaveral, continuing their

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rapid deployment of their Internet

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constellation. China has also been active

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beyond the Tianwen 2 mission we just

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discussed. The China Aerospace Science and

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Technology Corporation launched another

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mission on Thursday using a, Changjiang

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2D rocket from the Jukwan satellite launch

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Centre. The payload for this particular

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flight remains undisclosed, marking the fifth

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Changjiang 2D mission of 2025 and

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the 99th overall for this reliable Chinese

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launch vehicle. Meanwhile, Blue Origin is

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preparing for its fourth New Shepard mission

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of the year. Scheduled for Saturday morning.

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This suborbital flight will lift off from

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their West Texas facility carrying six

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passengers just above the Carmen line, where

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they'll experience a brief period of

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weightlessness before the capsule returns to

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Earth. This will be New Shepard's

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12th crewed flight overall, continuing to

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advance private human spaceflight

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capabilities. Rocket Lab had planned a

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launch of their electron rocket from New

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Zealand this week, but They've postponed

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until June 3rd due to additional checks

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needed and unfavourable weather conditions at

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the launch site.

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Finally today, please don't let this news

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keep you up at night. But I've got some

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potentially unsettling news about Earth's

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cosmic future. New computer simulations have

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revealed, a previously underestimated risk to

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our planet's orbit. While it's not exactly

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time to panic, the findings are certainly

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intriguing. Astronomers Nathan Kaib from

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the Planetary Science Institute and Sean

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Raymond from the University of Bordeaux have

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discovered that passing stars could disrupt

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our solar system in ways we hadn't fully

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appreciated before. Their research

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shows that these stellar flybys could

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exacerbate an existing vulnerability in our

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planetary neighbourhood. It turns out Mercury

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is the potential troublemaker here. The

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innermost planet already has a fairly

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elliptical orbit, and Jupiter's gravitational

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influence can make that orbit even more oval

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shaped over time. What these new simulations

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reveal is that when you add the gravitational

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effects of passing stars, Mercury's orbit can

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become dramatically more eccentric. Once

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Mercury goes haywire, chaos can unfold.

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In typical scenarios, Mercury might collide

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with Venus or plunge into the Sun. But the

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resulting orbital disruption can then trigger

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a cascade of planetary instability. In some

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simulations, Venus or Mars crash into Earth,

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or Earth itself collides with the Sun.

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Another possibility is that Venus and Mars

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could gravitationally slingshot Earth toward

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Jupiter, which could then eject our planet

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from the solar system entirely. Before you

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start planning for cosmic doom, the

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researchers emphasise that the probability of

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such catastrophes is extremely low.

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Over the next 5 billion years, roughly the

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remaining lifespan of our sun, there's only a

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0.2% chance of Earth meeting such a

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fate. However, that's significantly higher

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than previous studies had calculated, as they

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didn't fully account for the cumulative

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effects of passing stars. The most

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dangerous scenarios involve stars that pass

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particularly close to our solar system,

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within 100 times Earth's distance from the

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sun. Or stars that move relatively slowly,

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extending their gravitational influence.

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There's about a 5% chance of such a close

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stellar encounter over the next 5 billion

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years. Interestingly, the simulation

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suggests that distant Pluto faces even

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greater risks despite its protective

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orbital resonance with Neptune. Passing stars

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could disrupt this arrangement, giving Pluto

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a 4% chance of being ejected or colliding

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with a planet over the same timeframe, 20

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times the risk Earth faces. While these

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cosmic timescales far exceed human planning

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horizons, they provide fascinating insights

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into the long term dynamics of our solar

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system and remind us that even in space,

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nothing lasts forever.

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And with that cheery news, I'll conclude our

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cosmic journey for today on Astronomy Daily.

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From astronauts readjusting to Earth's

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gravity after an extended space mission to

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mysterious pulsing stars, asteroid sample

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missions, and even the potential long term

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fate of our planet, the universe continues to

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surprise and fascinate us. I'm

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Anna and I hope these stories have sparked

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your curiosity about the vast cosmos we're

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all a part of. The beauty of astronomy is

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that there's always something new to

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discover, whether it's a strange stellar

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object pulsing every 44 minutes, or

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understanding how our own planet is might

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navigate cosmic challenges billions of years

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from now. If you'd like to stay connected

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00:14:39.820 --> 00:14:42.100
with the latest developments in space and

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00:14:42.100 --> 00:14:44.500
astronomy, please visit our website at

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00:14:44.500 --> 00:14:47.340
astronomydaily IO where you can sign up

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00:14:47.340 --> 00:14:50.180
for our free daily newsletter. Our site

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features a constantly updating news feed with

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all the latest space and astronomy news. As

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00:14:54.860 --> 00:14:57.300
it happens. Don't forget to subscribe to this

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podcast on Apple Podcasts, Spotify,

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00:15:02.910 --> 00:15:05.590
so you never miss an episode. Your support

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00:15:05.590 --> 00:15:07.750
helps us continue bringing these fascinating

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stories to you, and if you could, a review

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00:15:10.590 --> 00:15:13.550
would be greatly appreciated too. Thank

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00:15:13.550 --> 00:15:15.229
you for listening to Astronomy Daily. Until

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next time, keep looking up

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The story.