WEBVTT 0 00:00:00.000 --> 00:00:02.480 Anna: Hello and welcome to Astronomy Daily, your 1 00:00:02.480 --> 00:00:04.480 source for the latest developments in space 2 00:00:04.480 --> 00:00:07.040 science and astronomy. I'm your host, Anna. 3 00:00:07.040 --> 00:00:09.000 And today we've got a fascinating lineup of 4 00:00:09.000 --> 00:00:11.240 cosmic news to share with you. We'll start 5 00:00:11.240 --> 00:00:12.920 with a surprising revelation about our 6 00:00:12.920 --> 00:00:15.280 galactic neighbourhood. Then we'll look at 7 00:00:15.280 --> 00:00:17.400 how robots could revolutionise space based 8 00:00:17.400 --> 00:00:19.800 solar power with breakthrough technology that 9 00:00:19.800 --> 00:00:21.830 might soon beam, constant clean energy back 10 00:00:21.830 --> 00:00:24.710 to Earth. We'll also examine why June's 11 00:00:24.710 --> 00:00:27.110 upcoming Full Moon will be sitting unusually 12 00:00:27.110 --> 00:00:29.660 low in the northern sky, a rare celestial 13 00:00:29.660 --> 00:00:32.340 event. And finally, we'll catch up on the 14 00:00:32.340 --> 00:00:34.340 Latest launches from SpaceX and Rocket Lab, 15 00:00:34.420 --> 00:00:36.260 including historic milestones for human 16 00:00:36.260 --> 00:00:38.700 spaceflight. So stay with us as we journey 17 00:00:38.700 --> 00:00:41.020 through today's cosmic headlines on Astronomy 18 00:00:41.020 --> 00:00:43.860 Daily. Let's kick things off today 19 00:00:43.860 --> 00:00:45.860 with a story that might help you sleep easier 20 00:00:45.860 --> 00:00:46.340 at night. 21 00:00:47.140 --> 00:00:48.820 For what seems like billions of years, 22 00:00:48.900 --> 00:00:50.620 astronomers have been telling us that our 23 00:00:50.620 --> 00:00:52.620 Milky Way galaxy is on an inevitable 24 00:00:52.620 --> 00:00:55.060 collision course with our nearest large 25 00:00:55.060 --> 00:00:58.020 galactic neighbourhood, Andromeda. This 26 00:00:58.020 --> 00:01:00.540 cosmic crash was thought to be about 4 to 5 27 00:01:00.540 --> 00:01:03.300 billion years in our future, with the merger 28 00:01:03.300 --> 00:01:05.140 eventually creating what scientists had 29 00:01:05.140 --> 00:01:07.860 already named Milcomeda. But now 30 00:01:07.860 --> 00:01:10.220 this long held belief is being challenged by 31 00:01:10.220 --> 00:01:12.940 new research. A paper published in Nature 32 00:01:12.940 --> 00:01:14.980 Astronomy suggests that this galactic 33 00:01:14.980 --> 00:01:17.140 collision might not be as certain as we once 34 00:01:17.140 --> 00:01:19.820 thought. Scientists have analysed the latest 35 00:01:19.820 --> 00:01:22.060 and most accurate observations from both the 36 00:01:22.060 --> 00:01:24.840 Gaia and Hubble space telescopes, combined 37 00:01:24.840 --> 00:01:27.560 with recent mass estimates to recalculate the 38 00:01:27.560 --> 00:01:29.800 possible future scenarios for our Local Group 39 00:01:29.800 --> 00:01:32.560 of galaxies over the next 10 billion years. 40 00:01:33.680 --> 00:01:35.880 The Milky Way's path through the universe 41 00:01:35.880 --> 00:01:38.680 isn't just influenced by Andromeda. It's 42 00:01:38.680 --> 00:01:40.880 actually affected by the gravitational pull 43 00:01:40.880 --> 00:01:42.680 of several objects in our cosmic 44 00:01:42.680 --> 00:01:44.760 neighbourhood, including the smaller 45 00:01:44.760 --> 00:01:46.960 Triangulum Galaxy, also known as 46 00:01:46.960 --> 00:01:49.840 Messier33, along with the Large and 47 00:01:49.840 --> 00:01:52.110 Small Magellanic Clouds and various 48 00:01:52.110 --> 00:01:54.190 superclusters. What's particularly 49 00:01:54.190 --> 00:01:56.270 interesting is how these other cosmic bodies 50 00:01:56.270 --> 00:01:58.470 play a significant role in determining 51 00:01:58.470 --> 00:02:00.750 whether the Milky Way and Andromeda will 52 00:02:00.750 --> 00:02:03.390 actually collide. The research shows that 53 00:02:03.390 --> 00:02:05.790 while the Triangulum Galaxy increases the 54 00:02:05.790 --> 00:02:08.350 merger probability, the Large Magellanic 55 00:02:08.350 --> 00:02:10.790 Cloud's orbit runs perpendicular to the Milky 56 00:02:10.790 --> 00:02:13.350 Way Andromeda path, which actually makes 57 00:02:13.350 --> 00:02:16.270 their merger less likely. The most striking 58 00:02:16.270 --> 00:02:18.790 finding from these new simulations is that 59 00:02:18.790 --> 00:02:21.310 there's nearly a 50% chance that the Milky 60 00:02:21.310 --> 00:02:24.270 Way and Andromeda won't collide at all within 61 00:02:24.270 --> 00:02:27.270 the next 10 billion years. That's a dramatic 62 00:02:27.270 --> 00:02:29.070 shift from what was previously considered 63 00:02:29.070 --> 00:02:31.870 almost inevitable. The researchers do 64 00:02:31.870 --> 00:02:33.430 acknowledge some uncertainties in their 65 00:02:33.430 --> 00:02:36.030 model. They assumed, for example, that the 66 00:02:36.030 --> 00:02:38.430 mass distributions within the galaxies remain 67 00:02:38.430 --> 00:02:40.870 constant over the next 10 billion years, 68 00:02:41.190 --> 00:02:43.670 which may not be entirely accurate, but their 69 00:02:43.670 --> 00:02:46.090 updated simulations using the latest 70 00:02:46.090 --> 00:02:48.530 observational data and physics cast 71 00:02:48.530 --> 00:02:50.530 considerable doubt on whether this cosmic 72 00:02:50.530 --> 00:02:53.210 collision will ever occur. Interestingly, 73 00:02:53.450 --> 00:02:55.330 the study suggests there's a higher chance 74 00:02:55.330 --> 00:02:57.410 that the Milky Way will actually collide with 75 00:02:57.410 --> 00:03:00.010 the Large Magellanic cloud in about 2 billion 76 00:03:00.010 --> 00:03:02.730 years. Of course, none of us will be around 77 00:03:02.730 --> 00:03:04.770 to witness any of these potential cosmic 78 00:03:04.770 --> 00:03:07.010 crashes, but it's fascinating how our 79 00:03:07.010 --> 00:03:09.010 understanding of even the largest scale 80 00:03:09.010 --> 00:03:11.460 events in our cosmic neighbourhood continues 81 00:03:11.460 --> 00:03:12.020 to evolve. 82 00:03:13.380 --> 00:03:15.380 Next today, and I assure this is real and not 83 00:03:15.380 --> 00:03:18.100 some fancy sci fi dream. In a breakthrough 84 00:03:18.100 --> 00:03:19.780 that could revolutionise clean energy 85 00:03:19.780 --> 00:03:22.620 production, the UK Atomic Energy Agency has 86 00:03:22.620 --> 00:03:25.060 demonstrated that remotely operated robots 87 00:03:25.140 --> 00:03:27.740 can successfully build gigawatt scale solar 88 00:03:27.740 --> 00:03:30.020 power satellites without human intervention. 89 00:03:30.980 --> 00:03:33.380 This development, part of the Albatross 90 00:03:33.380 --> 00:03:35.500 project in collaboration with clean tech firm 91 00:03:35.500 --> 00:03:38.480 Space Solar, marks a significant step toward 92 00:03:38.480 --> 00:03:40.440 achieving round the clock renewable energy 93 00:03:40.440 --> 00:03:43.200 from space. The project, based at the 94 00:03:43.200 --> 00:03:45.960 UKEAEA's Cullam campus in Oxfordshire, 95 00:03:46.280 --> 00:03:48.960 utilised dual arm robotic manipulators to 96 00:03:48.960 --> 00:03:51.080 construct satellite components designed to be 97 00:03:51.080 --> 00:03:53.800 several kilometres long and about 20 metres 98 00:03:53.800 --> 00:03:56.680 wide. This robotic approach offers both 99 00:03:56.680 --> 00:03:59.400 cost advantages and safety benefits by 100 00:03:59.400 --> 00:04:01.640 reducing the need for astronaut involvement 101 00:04:01.640 --> 00:04:04.480 in the assembly, maintenance and eventual 102 00:04:04.480 --> 00:04:06.640 decommissioning of these massive structures. 103 00:04:07.520 --> 00:04:09.520 What makes this concept particularly 104 00:04:09.520 --> 00:04:12.400 promising is the intensity of solar energy 105 00:04:12.480 --> 00:04:15.320 available in space. According to the 106 00:04:15.320 --> 00:04:18.240 European Space Agency, sunlight at the top 107 00:04:18.240 --> 00:04:20.920 of Earth's atmosphere is more than 10 times 108 00:04:20.920 --> 00:04:23.880 stronger than at ground level. These orbital 109 00:04:23.880 --> 00:04:25.800 solar collectors would capture this 110 00:04:25.800 --> 00:04:28.280 uninterrupted energy source and beam it back 111 00:04:28.280 --> 00:04:30.690 to Earth as microwaves, which could then be 112 00:04:30.690 --> 00:04:32.730 converted into electricity by ground based 113 00:04:32.730 --> 00:04:35.730 antennas. The robotic technology being 114 00:04:35.730 --> 00:04:38.530 developed at UKEAEA's remote applications in 115 00:04:38.530 --> 00:04:40.890 Challenging Environment Centre isn't just for 116 00:04:40.890 --> 00:04:43.770 space applications. These same innovations 117 00:04:43.770 --> 00:04:46.130 support fusion energy production on Earth, 118 00:04:46.210 --> 00:04:48.490 highlighting the synergy between terrestrial 119 00:04:48.490 --> 00:04:50.290 and space based energy solutions. 120 00:04:51.330 --> 00:04:53.330 Space solar is moving quickly with this 121 00:04:53.330 --> 00:04:55.930 technology, expecting to Commission its first 122 00:04:55.930 --> 00:04:58.010 30 megawatt demonstrator system by 123 00:04:58.010 --> 00:05:00.810 2029 and reach full gigawatt 124 00:05:00.810 --> 00:05:02.990 scale capac within the following decade, 125 00:05:03.470 --> 00:05:05.750 potentially providing a continuous stream of 126 00:05:05.750 --> 00:05:07.670 clean energy from the limitless solar 127 00:05:07.670 --> 00:05:09.230 resources available in orbit. 128 00:05:10.430 --> 00:05:12.830 If you've been watching the night sky, you 129 00:05:12.830 --> 00:05:14.870 might notice something unusual happening this 130 00:05:14.870 --> 00:05:17.762 June. The Full Moon on June 11, 131 00:05:17.898 --> 00:05:20.870 2025 will appear remarkably low in 132 00:05:20.870 --> 00:05:23.310 the sky for Northern Hemisphere observers. 133 00:05:23.870 --> 00:05:26.670 In fact, it will be the lowest full moon 134 00:05:26.670 --> 00:05:29.140 we've seen in decades. This isn't random 135 00:05:29.140 --> 00:05:31.300 chance or an astronomical anomaly. It's 136 00:05:31.300 --> 00:05:34.220 actually part of a fascinating 18.6 137 00:05:34.220 --> 00:05:36.660 year cycle that affects how we see our lunar 138 00:05:36.660 --> 00:05:39.140 companion Unlike what many people 139 00:05:39.140 --> 00:05:42.100 assume, the Moon's orbit isn't aligned with 140 00:05:42.100 --> 00:05:44.500 Earth's equator or even with Earth's path 141 00:05:44.500 --> 00:05:47.220 around the Sun. The Moon's orbit is actually 142 00:05:47.220 --> 00:05:50.220 tilted by about 5.15 degrees relative 143 00:05:50.220 --> 00:05:52.820 to the ecliptic. That's the plane of Earth's 144 00:05:52.820 --> 00:05:55.370 orbit around the Sun. This tilt, 145 00:05:55.370 --> 00:05:58.010 combined with Earth's own 23.5 degree 146 00:05:58.010 --> 00:06:00.770 axial tilt, creates some interesting effects 147 00:06:00.770 --> 00:06:03.450 that play out over long time periods. Because 148 00:06:03.450 --> 00:06:05.850 of these combined tilts, the Moon can appear 149 00:06:05.850 --> 00:06:08.490 anywhere from 28.65 degrees south 150 00:06:08.650 --> 00:06:11.450 to 28.65 degrees north in our sky. 151 00:06:11.770 --> 00:06:14.050 This means that over time, the Moon seems to 152 00:06:14.050 --> 00:06:16.490 wander north and south against the background 153 00:06:16.490 --> 00:06:19.330 stars. Astronomers call the extreme points 154 00:06:19.330 --> 00:06:21.130 in this cycle lunar standstills. 155 00:06:22.220 --> 00:06:24.460 The last major lunar standstill occurred in 156 00:06:24.460 --> 00:06:27.140 2006, and now we're approaching another 157 00:06:27.140 --> 00:06:29.980 one. During this period, the Moon's path 158 00:06:29.980 --> 00:06:32.500 swings to its maximum extremes, making it 159 00:06:32.500 --> 00:06:34.780 appear exceptionally high in winter and 160 00:06:34.780 --> 00:06:36.820 exceptionally low in summer for Northern 161 00:06:36.820 --> 00:06:39.780 Hemisphere observers. That's why this June's 162 00:06:39.780 --> 00:06:42.540 Full Moon will barely skim the treetops for 163 00:06:42.540 --> 00:06:44.700 many North American and European viewers. 164 00:06:45.260 --> 00:06:47.580 And if you're in places like Alaska or 165 00:06:47.580 --> 00:06:50.320 Iceland, the Moon might not rise at all. 166 00:06:51.680 --> 00:06:53.480 Meanwhile, observers in the Southern 167 00:06:53.480 --> 00:06:55.320 hemisphere will experience the opposite 168 00:06:55.320 --> 00:06:57.440 effect. They'll see what's essentially their 169 00:06:57.440 --> 00:07:00.320 own long night's Moon riding remarkably high 170 00:07:00.320 --> 00:07:02.760 in their June skies. This 171 00:07:02.760 --> 00:07:05.040 gradual shifting of the Moon's path 172 00:07:05.360 --> 00:07:08.200 happens because the Moon's orbital plane is 173 00:07:08.200 --> 00:07:11.200 slowly being dragged around once every 18.6 174 00:07:11.200 --> 00:07:13.840 years, primarily due to the gravitational 175 00:07:13.840 --> 00:07:16.820 pull of the Sun. Astronomers call 176 00:07:16.820 --> 00:07:19.820 this the nodal precession. What's 177 00:07:19.820 --> 00:07:21.460 particularly fascinating is that ancient 178 00:07:21.460 --> 00:07:23.660 peoples recognised and tracked these lunar 179 00:07:23.660 --> 00:07:26.620 cycles at the Callanish stones in 180 00:07:26.620 --> 00:07:29.340 Scotland, erected during the bronze age over 181 00:07:29.340 --> 00:07:32.300 4000 years ago. Archaeoastronomers have 182 00:07:32.300 --> 00:07:34.420 discovered alignments that mark the rising 183 00:07:34.420 --> 00:07:37.180 and setting positions of the Moon at its 184 00:07:37.180 --> 00:07:39.860 extreme standstills. These 185 00:07:39.860 --> 00:07:42.540 ancient stone circles served as astronomical 186 00:07:42.540 --> 00:07:45.090 calendars, helping people track longer 187 00:07:45.090 --> 00:07:47.010 periods of time than the regular monthly 188 00:07:47.010 --> 00:07:49.130 lunar cycle. So when you look at this 189 00:07:49.130 --> 00:07:51.650 unusually low full Moon in June, remember 190 00:07:51.650 --> 00:07:53.370 you're witnessing the same celestial 191 00:07:53.370 --> 00:07:55.970 mechanics that our ancestors observed and 192 00:07:55.970 --> 00:07:58.610 celebrated thousands of years ago. A living 193 00:07:58.610 --> 00:08:00.930 connection to humanity's earliest attempts to 194 00:08:00.930 --> 00:08:02.650 understand the rhythms of the cosmos. 195 00:08:03.530 --> 00:08:05.210 Let's switch gears now and look at what's 196 00:08:05.210 --> 00:08:06.810 happening in space. Launches this week. 197 00:08:07.130 --> 00:08:09.090 SpaceX continues to dominate the launch 198 00:08:09.090 --> 00:08:11.130 schedule, with an impressive five missions 199 00:08:11.130 --> 00:08:13.840 packed into just one week. Rocket Lab 200 00:08:13.840 --> 00:08:16.440 kicked things off with their 65th Electron 201 00:08:16.440 --> 00:08:19.280 launch, nicknamed Full Stream, ahead just 202 00:08:19.280 --> 00:08:21.400 before June 3rd ended in New Zealand time. 203 00:08:21.560 --> 00:08:23.600 They successfully deployed a BlackSky 204 00:08:23.600 --> 00:08:26.480 Generation 3 satellite into orbit. This marks 205 00:08:26.480 --> 00:08:28.560 Rocket Lab's 10th launch for BlackSky 206 00:08:28.560 --> 00:08:30.920 technology, making them the most frequent 207 00:08:30.920 --> 00:08:33.400 launch provider for this constellation. The 208 00:08:33.400 --> 00:08:35.360 Gen 3 satellites are quite impressive, 209 00:08:35.360 --> 00:08:37.520 capable of producing images with 50 210 00:08:37.520 --> 00:08:39.800 centimetre resolution and equipped with 211 00:08:39.800 --> 00:08:42.540 shortwave infrared sensors. SpaceX 212 00:08:42.540 --> 00:08:44.940 has been even busier with multiple Starlink 213 00:08:44.940 --> 00:08:47.340 deployments across different launch sites. 214 00:08:47.500 --> 00:08:50.260 From Cape Canaveral in Florida, they launched 215 00:08:50.260 --> 00:08:52.900 Starlink Group 1219, carrying 216 00:08:52.900 --> 00:08:55.820 23 Starlink V2 mini satellites, 217 00:08:56.060 --> 00:08:58.820 13 of which feature the new direct to cell 218 00:08:58.820 --> 00:09:01.340 capabilities. This mission used booster 219 00:09:01.340 --> 00:09:03.780 B1077, making its 220 00:09:03.780 --> 00:09:06.660 remarkable 21st flight. The very 221 00:09:06.660 --> 00:09:09.540 same day, SpaceX conducted another Starlink 222 00:09:09.540 --> 00:09:11.500 launch from Vandenberg Space Force Base in 223 00:09:11.500 --> 00:09:14.120 California, delivering 27 more 224 00:09:14.120 --> 00:09:15.770 satellites to, a different orbital 225 00:09:15.770 --> 00:09:18.210 inclination. And if that wasn't enough, 226 00:09:18.530 --> 00:09:20.650 they scheduled yet another StarLink mission 227 00:09:20.650 --> 00:09:23.570 for June 8 from Vandenberg, adding 26 more 228 00:09:23.570 --> 00:09:25.130 satellites to their rapidly growing 229 00:09:25.130 --> 00:09:27.970 constellation. Beyond Starlink, SpaceX 230 00:09:27.970 --> 00:09:30.810 is launching the SXM10 satellite for SiriusXM 231 00:09:30.810 --> 00:09:33.490 on June 7. This third generation satellite 232 00:09:33.490 --> 00:09:35.810 weighs over 6,000 kilogrammes and will 233 00:09:35.810 --> 00:09:37.930 replace older satellites in the constellation 234 00:09:37.930 --> 00:09:40.170 that have been in service since 2005 and 235 00:09:40.170 --> 00:09:43.160 2006. SiriusXM currently serves 236 00:09:43.160 --> 00:09:46.040 over 33 million subscribers, highlighting how 237 00:09:46.040 --> 00:09:48.360 space technology directly impacts everyday 238 00:09:48.360 --> 00:09:50.840 services many of us use. Perhaps most 239 00:09:50.840 --> 00:09:53.200 exciting is the Axiom 4 crewed mission 240 00:09:53.200 --> 00:09:55.840 launching June 9th. Commander Peggy Whitson 241 00:09:55.840 --> 00:09:57.680 will lead a diverse international crew, 242 00:09:57.680 --> 00:09:59.960 including Shubanshu Shukla from India, 243 00:10:00.360 --> 00:10:03.080 Slavosh Usnanski from Poland and 244 00:10:03.080 --> 00:10:06.080 Tibor Kapu from Hungary, each representing 245 00:10:06.080 --> 00:10:07.920 only the second astronaut from their 246 00:10:07.920 --> 00:10:10.890 respective countries to reach space. They'll 247 00:10:10.890 --> 00:10:12.650 spend up to two weeks aboard the 248 00:10:12.650 --> 00:10:14.850 International Space Station, conducting 60 249 00:10:14.930 --> 00:10:17.770 scientific experiments, setting a record for 250 00:10:17.770 --> 00:10:20.090 the most research activities during an Axiom 251 00:10:20.090 --> 00:10:22.970 mission. The Dragon capsule for this mission 252 00:10:22.970 --> 00:10:25.770 is brand new, making its first flight, While 253 00:10:25.770 --> 00:10:28.170 the Falcon 9 booster is flying for just its 254 00:10:28.170 --> 00:10:30.770 second time, having been used only 41 days 255 00:10:30.770 --> 00:10:33.490 earlier for a Starlink mission. These 256 00:10:33.490 --> 00:10:35.410 milestones highlight how commercial space 257 00:10:35.410 --> 00:10:37.450 missions are now creating opportunities for 258 00:10:37.450 --> 00:10:39.210 nations that don't have their own human 259 00:10:39.210 --> 00:10:41.830 spaceflight programmes to send their citizens 260 00:10:41.830 --> 00:10:44.750 to orbit. It's democratising access to 261 00:10:44.750 --> 00:10:47.030 space in ways we couldn't have imagined even 262 00:10:47.030 --> 00:10:47.790 a decade ago. 263 00:10:49.790 --> 00:10:51.870 Well, what an incredible journey through 264 00:10:51.870 --> 00:10:54.710 space we've taken today. From reconsidering 265 00:10:54.710 --> 00:10:56.990 the collision course of galaxies to robots 266 00:10:56.990 --> 00:10:59.630 building solar satellites in orbit. From the 267 00:10:59.630 --> 00:11:02.550 moon's fascinating dance across our skies to 268 00:11:02.550 --> 00:11:04.950 the remarkable diversity of launches carrying 269 00:11:04.950 --> 00:11:07.390 humans and technology beyond our atmosphere. 270 00:11:08.360 --> 00:11:10.440 I'm Anna and I want to thank you for joining 271 00:11:10.440 --> 00:11:12.800 me on this episode of Astronomy Daily. If you 272 00:11:12.800 --> 00:11:14.880 enjoyed today's Cosmic Update, please visit 273 00:11:14.880 --> 00:11:17.640 astronomydaily IO where you can sign up for 274 00:11:17.640 --> 00:11:19.680 our free daily newsletter delivering the 275 00:11:19.680 --> 00:11:21.720 latest space news right to your inbox. 276 00:11:22.440 --> 00:11:24.680 Don't miss future episodes by subscribing to 277 00:11:24.680 --> 00:11:27.000 the podcast on Apple Podcasts, Spotify, 278 00:11:27.080 --> 00:11:29.960 YouTube, or wherever you get your podcasts. 279 00:11:30.360 --> 00:11:32.400 Your support helps us continue bringing the 280 00:11:32.400 --> 00:11:34.360 wonders of the universe down to Earth. 281 00:11:35.540 --> 00:11:37.860 Until next time, keep looking up. There's 282 00:11:37.860 --> 00:11:39.540 always something fascinating happening in our 283 00:11:39.540 --> 00:11:40.500 cosmic neighbourhood.