WEBVTT

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Anna: Welcome to Astronomy Daily, your daily dive

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into the cosmos. I'm Anna and today

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we're starting close to home, looking at

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Europe's ambitious push to achieve greater

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independence in space, with new launch sites

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emerging in the Nordic region. Then we'll

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turn our gaze to the night sky as July

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promises a spectacular show with three major

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meteor showers about to light things up.

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Later in the programme, we'll delve into a

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curious case of a retracted cosmic

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discovery that highlights the rigorous nature

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of scientific investigation. And finally,

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we'll journey to the far side of the moon to

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learn about an ambitious mission designed to

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peer back into the universe's dark ages.

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So settle in as we launch into today's

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astronomical headlines. Europe

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is currently embarking on an ambitious

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journey to reduce its reliance on US space

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capabilities, uh, a move significantly

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spurred by recent geopolitical events. The

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America first policies, coupled with the

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ongoing conflict in Ukraine, have underscored

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the urgent need for Europe to bolster its

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independent capabilities, not just in

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defence, but crucially, in space operations.

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The concern, for instance, that a figure like

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Elon Musk might limit Ukraine's access to

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vital Starlink satellite communications has

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only heightened the urgency for Europe to

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cultivate its own alternatives. The

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statistics highlight the challenge. In

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2024, the US conducted a, uh,

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staggering 154 launches into

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orbit, while Europe managed just three.

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And out of $143 billion

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in global public investment in space ventures

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last year, Europe accounted for only

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10%. With the trend moving

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towards lower Earth orbit satellites, which

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are cheaper but require deployment in larger

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numbers, the pressure is on. A Goldman

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Sachs report even estimates a tenfold

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increase in LEO satellite launches in the

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next five years, potentially reaching 70,000.

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As European Commissioner for Defence and

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Space Andreas Kubelius put it, Europe needs

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its own autonomous launching possibilities.

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Currently, Europe's only spaceport is located

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in French Guiana, some 7,000 kilometres from

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Paris. While their new Ariane 6 rocket,

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launched earlier this year, can carry a

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bigger payload than SpaceX's Falcon 9, it's

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not reusable and comes with a higher cost per

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launch. This is where the budding Nordic

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Spaceports in Sweden and Norway come into

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play, offering Europe a rare advantage.

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Take the S Range Space Centre in Sweden.

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Situated 200 kilometres above the Arctic

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Circle, it boasts an expansive

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5,200 square kilometres of uninhabited

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land, making it ideal for recovering rocket

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parts. This unique feature, combined with its

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proximity to railways and an airport in

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Kiruna, gives it a significant edge. S

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Range, which has been operational since 1964

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for research rockets, was inaugurated as

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mainland Europe's first orbital launch site

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in 2023. Preparations are well underway, with

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new launch pads and facilities being readied.

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Ezrange has strategically opted for existing

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hardware, signing contracts with US rocket

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manufacturer Firefly and South Korea's

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Perigee, giving it multiple launch options.

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Firefly, for instance, plans to launch from

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Asrange from 2026 and offers a rapid

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response service, potentially sending rockets

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into space within 24 hours to meet urgent

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needs like replacing a failing satellite.

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Then there's the Andoya spaceport, an island

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base in northern Norway. In March,

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Andoya successfully conducted the first test

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launch of a small rocket from German startup

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Isar Aerospace. While it only

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flew for 30 seconds before falling into the

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sea, it was deemed a success and points

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towards future capabilities.

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Isar is aiming for its first commercial

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flights next year, and its CEO Daniel

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Metzler highlighted the enormous interest

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from defence ministries even before a

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successful orbital launch. He noted that the

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renewed focus on European defence was

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significantly driven by geopolitical shifts.

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Both Esringe and Andoya are seen as Europe's

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best hope for securing independent access to

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space in the coming years. While these Nordic

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ventures are still in their early stages

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compared to established leaders like SpaceX,

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with its reusable rockets and lower costs,

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they represent a critical step towards

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Europe's space autonomy. The goal is to

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have all technical systems in place and

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thoroughly tested, with Asrange expecting to

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have its entire base ready within about a

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year. The timeline is aggressive, but

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the determination to achieve independent

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space capabilities is clear.

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Now let's shift our gaze from Earth's orbital

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ambitions to the celestial wonders unfolding

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above us. The second half of July and the

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early days of August are shaping up to be a

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spectacular time to step outside and marvel

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at the night sky. That's because three of the

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year's most captivating meteor showers are

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about to peak, each with its own unique

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characteristics. For those in the northern

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hemisphere, the warm summer temperatures make

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meteor spotting a perfect evening activity,

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while down south, longer nights offer

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extended viewing opportunities. You won't

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need any specialised equipment to enjoy these

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cosmic displays, though for some, binoculars

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might just enhance the experience. Meteor

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showers occur when our planet, on its annual

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journey around the sun, passes through the

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trails of debris left behind by comets or

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asteroids. As these celestial objects orbit,

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they shed material that remains along Earth's

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orbital path. When our planet enters this

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cloud of detritus, tiny pieces of rock and

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dust smack into Earth's atmosphere, burning

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up due to the intense friction. This creates

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those luminous trails, or fireballs, that we

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can see with the naked eye, first up,

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making their appearance around July 12th and

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peaking from July 29th to 30th are the

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alpha Capricornids. These meteors are

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visible in both northern and southern skies.

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They originate from a short period comet

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named 169neat,

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which orbits the sun once every 4.2 years,

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and their radiant point, or the spot they

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appear to emerge from, is in the

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constellation Capricorn.

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While the Alpha Capricornids aren't known for

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their sheer numbers, producing only about 5

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meteors per hour at their peak, what they

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lack in quantity they more than make up for

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in brilliance. These meteors shine

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exceptionally brightly, often producing

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stunning fireballs that can even cut through

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light pollution. This year the peak

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coincides with a low illumination waxing

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crescent moon, further increasing their

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visibility. The best time to catch these

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bright beauties will be in the evening

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starting around 10pm local time.

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Next the famous and much anticipated Perseids

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begin to appear around July 17, reaching

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their peak from August 12 to 13.

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Primarily a northern Hemisphere treat, the

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Perseids originate from Comet Swift Tuttle, a

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short period comet with a longer orbital

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period of 133 years. Their

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radiant is located near the constellations of

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Perseus, Cassiopeia and

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Camelopardalis. The Perseids are known for

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being prolific, often showering the sky with

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numerous meteors. While this year's peak

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might be a bit complicated by a waxing

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gibbous moon, the shower will remain active

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throughout the entire month of August,

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offering plenty of chances to catch them.

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Your best bet for viewing the Perseids is in

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the early morning hours between midnight and

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dawn. Finally, we have the southern Delta

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Aquariids, which start on July 18th

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and also peak from July 29th to 30th,

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sharing the stage with the Alpha

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Capricornids, these meteors are believed to

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come from the short period Comet

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96PMachholz, orbiting

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the sun every 5.27 years. With a

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radiant point in the constellation Aquarius,

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this shower produces a respectable 20 to 25

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meteors per hour during its 48 hour peak

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window. They tend to be a bit fainter and

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don't leave strong trails, so if you have

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binoculars they might come in handy.

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Fortunately, this year's peak occurs during a

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waxing crescent Moon that sets before the

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radiant is high, providing pretty optimal

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viewing conditions, especially between

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midnight and dawn. Keep an extra eye out for

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the southern Delta Aquarids this year. As on

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two past occasions in 1977 and

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2003, they put on a much stronger show than

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usual, so there's always a chance for a

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surprise to make the most of your meteor

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shower viewing experience, consider

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downloading a sky watching app like Starwalk

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to help you locate the constellations and

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plan your viewing times. And don't forget to

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pack all the creature comforts, a comfy

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blanket, some snacks and perhaps a camera if

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you're hoping to capture the moment.

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Happy sky gazing from

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dazzling meteor showers we now turn our

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attention to another fascinating corner of

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astrophysics where a recent development has

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sent ripples through the scientific

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community. Astronomers have been captivated

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by fast radio bursts, or FRBs,

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mysterious millisecond long explosive events

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believed to originate from highly magnetised

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neutron stars in distant galaxies.

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One particular event, dubbed FRB2019

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1221A detected in 2019 by the

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CHIME radio telescope, initially seemed to be

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a groundbreaking discovery. This burst was

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unusual, three seconds long, with nine

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regular sub bursts every 217 milliseconds.

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This rhythmic pulsing strongly suggested a,

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uh, neutron star origin like a pulsar.

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Its significant signal dispersion indicating

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intervening matter, led the team to conclude

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it came from 3 billion light years away.

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For a pulsar to be seen at such a distance,

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it would need incredible luminosity, leading

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to the exciting conclusion that this was the

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first regularly pulsing FRB ever observed.

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However, the claim about FRB2019

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1221A has now been officially

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retracted. The discovery team announced that

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a critical calibration problem in the CHIME

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telescope had led to a 20 degree error in

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pinpointing the burst's true location. CHIME

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is a unique instrument where sky position is

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electronically derived, requiring precise

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daily calibration. The error was attributed

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to an extremely rare confluence of

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circumstances, including heavy rain and

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strong local radio interference. With the

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correct sky position, it became clear the

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signal was not from a far off galaxy, but

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from a familiar pulsar within our Milky Way

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PSR J0248

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6021 in Cassiopeia.

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This closer location means the observed

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signal dispersion is fully attributed to

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interstellar matter within our galaxy. While

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a retraction might seem like a setback, the

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scientific community lauded the team's

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transparency. As one scientist noted,

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correcting your errors helps the science go

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forward. It's a powerful example of

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science's self correcting nature, turning

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challenges into learning opportunities.

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From correcting our understanding of distant

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bursts, let's now journey to the far side of

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the Moon where scientists are proposing an

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ambitious mission to unravel the universe's

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earliest secrets. For decades,

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astronomers have yearned to observe cosmic

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dawn. The period roughly 50 million to

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1 billion years after the Big Bang, marking

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the formation of the very first galaxies.

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Understanding these nascent galaxies is

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fundamental to comprehending cosmic

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evolution, including the roles of dark matter

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and dark energy. The challenge lies in

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observing the preceding cosmic dark ages,

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when the universe was predominantly filled

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with neutral hydrogen. The light from this

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period is so so redshifted that it's only

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visible in the radio spectrum, making it

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incredibly difficult to detect with modern

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instruments on Earth due to overwhelming

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background noise and radio frequency

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interference. This is precisely why the

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Royal Astronomical Society is proposing

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the Cosmo Cube mission to the far side of the

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Moon. The Moon's far side offers a

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uniquely quiet radio environment shielded

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from Earth's interference. As Dr. Eloy Dilera

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Acedo, who presented the proposal vividly put

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it, it's like trying to hear that whisper

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while a loud concert is playing next door.

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To detect the faint radio signal from the

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universe's primordial hydrogen, silence is

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key. Cosmo Cube will be a small satellite

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with a precision calibrated radiometer

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operating at low frequencies. This will allow

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it to pick up extremely faint radio signals

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that have travelled over 13 billion years to

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reach us. Such observations could unlock

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answers to profound cosmological mysteries,

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from the perplexing Hubble tension to

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narrowing the search for the elusive dark

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matter particle. The mission aims to help us

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understand how our universe transformed from

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a simple dark state into the complex

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star filled cosmos we see today.

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Developed by a UK led international

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consortium, the Cosmo Cube project team is

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already creating and testing functioning

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prototypes. The ambitious vision is

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for the mission to be ready to launch in four

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to five years with the ultimate goal of

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reaching lunar orbit before the end of the

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decade, poised to listen to that ancient

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whisper from the cosmos.

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And that brings us to the end of another

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journey through the cosmos. On Astronomy

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Daily Today, we've explored Europe's

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ambitious strides towards space independence.

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With new Nordic launch sites poised to

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reshape the global space landscape. We then

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looked skyward to prepare for July's

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spectacular meteor showers, offering a guide

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to catching those dazzling Alpha

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Capricornids, Southern Delta Aquariids and

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the ever popular Perseids. We also

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delved into the intriguing story of a

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retracted fast radio burst discovery, a

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testament to the rigorous self correcting

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nature of science. And finally, we

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soared to the far side of the Moon and

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envisioning the Cosmo Cube mission and its

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quest to listen to the universe's earliest

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whispers, potentially unlocking secrets of

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the cosmic dark ages and dark matter.

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Thank you for tuning in and joining me Anna,

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on this episode of Astronomy Daily. If you'd

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like to dive deeper into these stories or

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00:14:16.890 --> 00:14:19.130
catch up on past episodes, visit our website

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at astronomydaily IO. There

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you can sign up for our free daily newsletter

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