WEBVTT

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Anna: Welcome to Astronomy Daily, your ultimate

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guide to the latest in space and astronomy

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news. I'm Anna, your host and today

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we're diving into the groundbreaking visual

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evidence of a star's double detonation

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demise, shedding new light on cosmic

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expansion. Then we'll explore how

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revolutionary algae bioplastics could enable

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self sustaining habitats on Mars. For all

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you skywatchers, I'll share how you can spot

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both the International Space Station and and

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China's Tiangong Station in the pre dawn sky.

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This week. We'll also discuss a new study

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suggesting the universe might be headed for a

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big crunch in billions of years. And

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finally, we'll talk about the largest piece

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of Mars ever found on Earth. A massive rock

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set for auction and the debate surrounding

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it.

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It's going to be an exciting journey, so

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let's get started. For the first

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time ever, astronomers have captured stunning

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visual evidence of a star's dramatic exit,

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a double detonation that marks its explosive

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death. This groundbreaking discovery

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centres around a type of stellar explosion

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known as a type 1a supernova, which plays an

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absolutely crucial role in our understanding

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of the universe. These specific supernovas

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are not just spectacular cosmic fireworks.

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They are vital for accurately measuring the

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universe's expansion rate, a topic currently

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at the heart of a major cosmological debate.

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What's more, type 1A supernovas are also the

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primary source of iron found throughout the

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cosmos, making their explosion mechanisms a

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puzzle astronomers are keen to solve. The

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evidence for this twin eruption was found by

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scientists studying two concentric rings of

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calcium surrounding

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SNR0509.67.5,

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which is the remnant of a star that met its

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explosive end centuries ago. While

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astronomers have long theorised that white

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dwarfs, the dense husks of dead stars,

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typically explode after steadily accumulating

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material from a companion star until they

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reach a critical mass known as the

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Chandrasekhar limit. Hints have suggested

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other mechanisms might be at play. Using the

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European Southern Observatory's Very Large

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Telescope, researchers found those two

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distinct calcium rings, which offer clear

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proof that white dwarfs can indeed detonate

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well before reaching the Chandrasekhar mass

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limit. This confirms the existence of the

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double detonation mechanism in nature. The

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proposed scenario is fascinating. The white

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dwarf first blankets itself in stolen helium

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from its neighbour. This helium then ignites,

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sending a shockwave inward that causes the

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dead star's core to ignite in a second, much

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larger explosion. Studying these dual

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detonations has profound implications,

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particularly for how we use type 1A

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supernovas as standard candles,

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cosmic benchmarks that explode with

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consistent Brightness, allowing astronomers

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to measure vast distances and calculate the

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universe's expansion rate. This tangible

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evidence not only helps solve a ah, long

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standing mystery, but also offers a truly

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visual spectacle revealing the inner workings

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of such a dramatic cosmic event.

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Moving on, let's head over to Mars. Imagine

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building a home on Mars that literally grows

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itself. It sounds like something out of

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science fiction, but scientists are making

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strides towards this very possibility with a

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revolutionary new bioplastic derived from

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green algae. This innovation could be a game

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changer for human missions to other worlds,

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tackling the immense challenge and cost of

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transporting building materials from Earth.

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The concept is elegantly simple. If a

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habitat is constructed from this bioplastic

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and it can grow algae within its structure,

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that algae can then produce even more

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bioplastic. This creates a self sustaining

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closed loop system that could allow

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extraterrestrial settlements to not only

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sustain themselves, but also expand over

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time. It truly echoes the living

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ships seen in sci fi classics like Stargate

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Atlantis or Star Trek. In lab

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experiments, researchers successfully

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recreated the challenging atmospheric

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conditions of Mars, where the air pressure is

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significantly lower and the atmosphere is

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rich in carbon dioxide. Despite these

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harsh conditions, a common green algae called

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Dunaliella tertiolecta thrived inside

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a 3D printed growth chamber made from this

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new bioplastic, which is a type of

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polylactic acid. The bioplastic

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material proved crucial, blocking harmful UV

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radiation while still allowing enough light

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to penetrate for photosynthesis. Critically,

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the chamber also created a pressure gradient

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that allowed liquid water to stabilise within

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its walls, a key element for life that is

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otherwise unstable on the Martian surface.

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This research indicates that even on

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seemingly barren worlds, organic growth could

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be harnessed to construct human habitats.

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This builds upon previous work by the same

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team, which showed that sheets of silica

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aerogels could mimic Earth's greenhouse

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effect to enable biological growth on other

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planets. Combining these two lines of

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research could pave the way for a truly

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sustainable human presence beyond Earth. The

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next step for the team is to demonstrate that

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these bioplastic habitats can be grown in a

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vacuum, simulating conditions for missions

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to other deep space locations like the Moon.

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Beyond the exciting prospects for space

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exploration, this kind of biomaterial

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technology is expected to have significant

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spin off benefits for sustainability here on

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Earth, offering innovative solutions for our

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own planet's future.

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Okay, let's make a quick trip back to Earth.

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For skywatchers across most of the US and

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southern Canada, and indeed for many in North

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America and Europe, there's a fantastic

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opportunity this week to witness two of

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humanity's largest orbiting outposts within

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minutes of each other. I'm talking about the

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International Space Station or iss, and

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China's Tiangong Space Station. If you're up

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during the pre dawn hours, you might even

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catch both in the sky at the same time on

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certain mornings. It's truly remarkable how

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many satellites now orbit Earth, though. Most

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of the over 30,700 objects are space

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junk, too small to see with the unaided eye.

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But there are about 500 that are large enough

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and low enough in orbit to be visible. As the

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distinguished British scientist Desmond King

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Healy once put it, a satellite looks like a

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star that has taken leave of its senses and

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decided to move off to another part of the

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sky. The International Space

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Station is by far the biggest and brightest

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of these man made objects. Imagine

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something almost the length of a football

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field, including the end zones. Powered

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by solar arrays longer than a Boeing

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777's wingspan.

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Orbiting at an average altitude of about

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416 kilometres and moving at a

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staggering 28,800 kilometres per hour,

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the ISS completes roughly 15.5

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orbits per day. Because of its massive

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size and highly reflective solar panels, it

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can appear up to two and a half times

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brighter than Venus and sometimes even flare

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to an incredible magnitude, making it much

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brighter than any star. Then there's

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Tiangong, China's Heavenly Palace Space

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Station. While smaller than the ISS,

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about 1/5 the size, it's still a prominent

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object in the night sky. It orbits at a

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slightly lower altitude of about 393

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kilometres and can appear as bright as Venus

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or Jupiter on its most favourable passes.

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Currently, between the ISS and Tiangong,

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there are 14 humans living and working in

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space. Now, if you're wondering when and

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where to look, it's easier than you might

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think. From now through the end of July,

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North Americans and Europeans will have

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numerous chances to spot both stations,

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primarily because nights are shorter,

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allowing these low Earth orbit satellites to

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remain illuminated by the sun for longer

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periods. Since both stations circle

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earth roughly every 90 minutes, you might

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even catch them on several consecutive

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passes. They have slightly different orbital

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altitudes and inclinations, which makes

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seeing them simultaneously a less common

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event. But it is possible to find out the

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exact viewing schedule for your specific

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location. I highly recommend visiting either

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Chris Peet's Heavens above website or NASA's

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spot the station. Both are excellent

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resources. Heavens above allows you to input

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your precise latitude and longitude to

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generate accurate sighting data for both the

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ISS and Tiangong. NASA's

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Spot the Station offers a widget where you

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simply enter your location and it provides

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details like the time of the flyover, how

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long it will be visible, its maximum height

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in the sky, and the direction it will appear

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and disappear from your view. Just remember

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that predictions can change slightly due to

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orbital adjustments, so it's a good idea to

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check frequently for updates. Happy sky

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gazing.

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Next up, let's talk about an old, yet

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mysterious dark energy

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for generations, humanity has looked up at

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the stars and pondered the ultimate fate of

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our universe. Will it expand forever into the

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cold, empty vastness, or is there a more

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dramatic end in store? A new study published

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by physicists from Cornell University,

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Shanghai, Jiao Tong University, and other

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institutions suggests we might finally have a

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surprising and specific answer. Using data

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from several astronomical surveys, including

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the Dark Energy Survey and the Dark Energy

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Spectroscopic Instrument, researchers have

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developed a model that predicts our universe

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will meet its end in a big crunch in

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approximately 33.3 billion years.

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Considering the universe is currently 13.8

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billion years old, this gives us roughly 20

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billion years before the curtain falls. This

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prediction challenges the long held

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assumption that the universe will expand

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indefinitely. Instead, it suggests that after

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reaching its maximum expansion in about 7

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billion years, the universe will begin to

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contract until everything eventually

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collapses back into a single point. The key

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to this theory lies in understanding dark

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energy, the mysterious force that makes up

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about 70% of the universe and drives its

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expansion. For a long time, it was assumed

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that dark energy behaved like a cosmological

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constant, maintaining a steady pressure that

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pushed space apart indefinitely. However,

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recent observations hint that dark energy

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might actually be dynamic. The researchers

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propose a model involving an ultralight

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particle called an axion, combined with

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what's known as a negative cosmological

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constant. You can think of it like a massive

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rubber band. Initially, the universe expands

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as this rubber band stretches, but eventually

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the elastic force becomes stronger than the

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expansion, causing everything to snap back

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together. According to this new model, the

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universe will continue expanding, but at a

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gradually slowing rate until it reaches its

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maximum size, about 69%

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larger than today in roughly 7 billion

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years. Then gradual contraction

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will begin as gravitational forces and

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the negative cosmological constant take over,

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leading to a rapid collapse in the final

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moments. It's important to note that this

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prediction comes with significant

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uncertainty. The researchers acknowledge

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that their model has large margins of error

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due to limited observational data, and the

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negative cosmological constant that drives

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their prediction remains highly speculative.

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Alternative scenarios, including eternal

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expansion, are still very much on the table.

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What makes this research particularly

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exciting is isn't just the prediction itself,

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but the fact that we may soon be able to test

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it. Several m major astronomical

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projects Launching in the coming years are

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set to provide much more precise measurements

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of dark energy's behaviour. These future

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observations could potentially confirm,

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refine or even rule out the Big Crunch

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scenario entirely once and for all.

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Even if confirmed, a 20 billion year

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countdown hardly constitutes an immediate

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crisis for us. To put it in perspective,

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complex life on Earth has only existed for

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about 600 million years. 20 billion

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years represents a time frame so vast that

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our sun will have died and our galaxy will

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have collided with Andromeda long before any

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cosmic collapse even begins.

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Nevertheless, this research represents a

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remarkable achievement in our understanding

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of the cosmos, providing us with a concrete

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timeline for what could be the most dramatic

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event possible. The end of the universe

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itself.

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Shifting gears from the vast cosmic scale to

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something a little closer to home, or at

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least closer to Earth, we have a fascinating

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story about a very special rock. The most

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massive piece of Mars ever found here on

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Earth could soon sell for up to US$4 million

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in a Sotheby's auction later this month. This

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incredible meteorite, officially named NWA

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16788, weighs a staggering

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24.67 kilogrammes, or about

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54.39 pounds. That makes it

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approximately 70% larger than the previous

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record holder, another Martian meteorite

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found in mali back in 2021.

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This massive chunk of Mars was discovered by

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a meteorite hunter in November

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2023 in the sparsely populated

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Agadez region of Niger, an area more

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renowned for its dinosaur fossils than its

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meteorites. The Shanghai Astronomy

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Museum confirmed the rock's Martian identity

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after a small sample was sent there. And now

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this interplanetary treasure has a

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significant price tag. According to the

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Sotheby's listing, the meteorite shows

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minimal terrestrial weathering, which means

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its physical and chemical makeup haven't been

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significantly altered since it landed in the

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Sahara Desert. In other words,

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NWA 16

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is likely a relatively recent arrival on

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Earth, having fallen from outer space not too

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long ago. Its characteristics tell us a

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lot about its journey. Based on a high

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percentage of a glass called maskelynite,

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along with some shock melted areas,

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scientists believe this rock was likely sent

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hurtling through space when a severe asteroid

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crashed into Mars. The Sotheby's listing

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further explains that the meteorite was

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formed from the slow cooling of Martian magma

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and and is characterised by a coarse grained

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texture, primarily composed of pyroxene,

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masculinite and olivine.

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However, the sale of such a rare specimen has

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sparked a debate among some scientists.

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Palaeontologist Steve Brusot from the

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University of Edinburgh expressed concern to

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CNN stating that it would be a shame if it

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disappeared into the vault of an oligarch,

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suggesting it belongs in a museum where it

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can be studied and enjoyed by the public. On

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the other hand, planetary scientist Julia

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Cartwright from the University of Leicester

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offered a different perspective, telling CNN

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that the scientific interest will remain and

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the new owner may be very interested in

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learning from it, meaning we could still

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gather a lot of science from this unique

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find. The Sotheby's auction is scheduled to

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begin on July 16th.

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That brings us to the end of another

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fascinating episode of Astronomy Daily. I

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hope you've enjoyed exploring the latest

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cosmic revelations with me. From the

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explosive end of distant stars and the

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potential for life sustaining habitats on

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Mars, to the visible wonders of our orbiting

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space stations and the grand theories about

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the universe's ultimate fate. And

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of course, the journey of that very special

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Martian rock. It's been a pleasure sharing

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these stories with you. Before we sign off, I

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want to extend a huge thank you for tuning

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in. If you want to catch up on all the latest

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space and astronomy news or listen to any of

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our previous episodes, be sure to visit our

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website at astronomydaily IO. That's

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astronomydaily IO. You can

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also subscribe to Astronomy Daily on Apple

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00:15:39.590 --> 00:15:41.870
Podcasts, Spotify, YouTube, or wherever you

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get your podcasts. To ensure you never miss

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an episode, I'm Ana, your host, and I look

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forward to joining you again tomorrow for

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more captivating insights from the universe.

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Until then, keep looking up.