WEBVTT

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Anna: Welcome to Astronomy Daily, your regular dive

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into the cosmos with me, Anna. Um. In this

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episode, we're uncovering a centuries old

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mystery of a famous star, marvelling at how

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NASA fixed a camera millions of miles away,

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and getting ready for an epic total solar

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eclipse. Plus a quick look at upcoming

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launches from around the globe. So let's get

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started.

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Our first story shines a light on Betelgeuse,

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the famous red supergiant that has baffled

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astronomers for millennia. Now

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scientists have finally spotted its hidden

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stellar companion. A discovery that has

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cracked a thousand year old mystery

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surrounding its behaviour. For centuries,

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Betelgeuse has puzzled astronomers with its

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varying brightness, particularly a regular

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dimming over six year periods. This is

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distinct from the more dramatic great dimming

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of 2019 and 2020,

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which though solved in 2023 by a

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giant dust cloud, sparked intense

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supernova speculation. It was the

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consistent millennia old six year

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heartbeat that remained the profound

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enigma. The breakthrough came from reviewing

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archival data, leading scientists to theorise

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a hidden companion. Despite challenges

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with instruments like Hubble, a team led by

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NASA Ames Research Centre scientist Steve

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Howell persevered. They utilised the Gemini

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North Telescope and its Alopiki instrument,

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employing speckle imaging to cut through

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atmospheric distortions with short exposures.

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This advanced technique provided the high

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resolution images needed to directly detect

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Betelgeuse's faint companion for the first

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time ever. What they found is

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truly fascinating. This companion star,

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believed to be a hot blue white star with

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about 1.5 times the Sun's mass, orbits

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Betelgeuse in an incredibly tight embrace,

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roughly four times the Earth's sun distance.

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This places it within Betelgeuse's extended

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atmosphere, marking the first time a

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companion has been detected so close to a red

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supergiant. The irony lies in their life

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stages. Betelgeuse rapidly nearing its end,

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while its companion, though formed at the

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same time, hasn't even begun to fuse hydrogen

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in its core yet. Sadly, this doesn't promise

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a long life for the smaller star.

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Betelgeuse's intense gravity will likely drag

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in and devour its companion within the next

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10, 10,000 years. This

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groundbreaking research not only solves a

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millennia old puzzle about Betelgeuse's

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brightness, but also paves the way for

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similar observations of other red

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supergiants. Astronomers anticipate another

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look at this unique system in November 2027,

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when the Companion reaches maximum

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separation. The team's findings were recently

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published across two papers in the

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Astrophysical Journal.

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Next, we turn our gaze to Jupiter, where

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NASA's Juno spacecraft team recently pulled

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off an incredible feat, rescuing its

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radiation damaged JunoCam imager. Using an

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experimental technique. This ingenious

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solution not only restored the camera's

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ability to capture stunning images of

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Jupiter's volcanic moon, but it

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also provides vital lessons for future

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missions operating in the harsh radiation

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environments across our solar system.

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JunoCam, a colour visible light camera,

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is located outside the spacecraft's titanium

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walled radiation vault, leaving it exposed to

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some of the most intense planetary radiation

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fields in our solar system. While it was

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designed to withstand the first eight orbits,

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no one knew how long it would truly last. It

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performed normally through Juno's first 34

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orbits, but by orbit 47, hints of

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radiation damage began to appear. And by

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orbit 56, nearly all images were

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corrupted. Pinpointing the exact damage

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from hundreds of millions of miles away was a

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challenge, but clues pointed to a damaged

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voltage regulator critical for JunoCam's

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power. With few options left, the team

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turned to a process called annealing, heating

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a material for a period before slowly cooling

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it. This technique can sometimes alter a

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material like silicon at a microscopic level,

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potentially reducing defects. They commanded

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JunoCam's heater to raise the camera's

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temperature to 77 degrees Fahrenheit, much

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warmer than its typical operating conditions.

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And to their delight, soon after the

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annealing process finished, JunoCam began

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cranking out crisp images for the next

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several orbits. However,

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Juno was flying deeper into Jupiter's

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radiation fields with each pass. And by

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orbit55, the imagery once again started

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showing problems, full of streaks and noise.

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With a close encounter with IO just days

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away, it was a Hail Mary moment. The team

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decided to crank junocam's heater all the way

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up, hoping for a more extreme annealing to

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save them. For the first week, test

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images showed little improvement. Then,

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dramatically just days before the IO

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encounter, the images began to improve

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significantly. By December 30,

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2023, when Juno came within just

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930 miles of IO's surface, the

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images were almost as good as the day the

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camera launched. They captured detailed views

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of IO's north polar region, remember

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revealing mountain blocks covered in sulphur

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dioxide, frosts rising sharply from the

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plains, and previously uncharted volcanoes

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with extensive lava flow fields.

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Although the image noise recently returned

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during Juno's 74th orbit, the Juno

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team has already applied variations of this

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annealing technique to several other Juno

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instruments and engineering subsystems. This

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pioneering work is teaching scientists how to

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create and maintain spacecraft tolerant to

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radiation, offering insights that will

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benefit not only defence and commercial

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satellites, but also future NASA missions,

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helping us push the boundaries of space

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exploration even further.

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Get ready to mark your calendars for August

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12, 2026, when a total

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solar eclipse will sweep across a select part

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of the Northern hemisphere, bringing the

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breathtaking spectacle of totality to

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Greenland, Iceland and Spain. For those

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planning to chase this incredible event, now

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is the time to prepare, as a perfect eclipse

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trip often requires months, if not years of

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meticulous planning. To truly witness a total

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solar eclipse in all its glory, you

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absolutely must be within the narrow path of

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totality, the precise strip of land where the

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moon completely blocks the sun. Even a

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99% eclipse leaves the sun's dazzling disc

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exposed, meaning the ethereal beauty of the

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corona, the sun's ghostly outer

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atmosphere, remains hidden. So choosing your

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location wisely is paramount for the

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adventurous. Greenland offers pristine Arctic

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landscapes, particularly in Scoresby Sund,

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which lies entirely within the path of

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totality. Many will experience this from

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expedition style cruise ships. Here you could

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witness up to 2 minutes and 17 seconds of

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totality with the sun about 25

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degrees above the western horizon. While

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travel costs are high and the weather is a

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consideration, meteorologist Jay Anderson

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notes that air flowing off the ice cap often

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dries out, leading to clear skies. Though

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large weather systems can still pose a

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challenge, this is truly a bucket list

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trip, offering far more than just the eclipse

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itself. Iceland presents one of the most

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photogenic landscapes on Earth. Boasting the

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longest totality on land at 2 minutes and

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13.7 seconds, the path crosses

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the most populated areas of the country,

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specifically the Reykjanes Peninsula, the

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Snaefelsnes Peninsula and the Westfjords.

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Eclipse chaser Saevar Helgi Bragason

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warns of heavy traffic, especially since the

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eclipse falls on a Wednesday and many locals

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will be heading into the path. Icelandic

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weather is famously unpredictable, often

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changing completely in just five minutes.

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However, it's rarely entirely overcast in

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August, with always a hole somewhere,

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so staying mobile and relying on excellent

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forecasts from the Icelandic Met Office will

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be key. Getting close to the water on one of

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the peninsulas could also offer better

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conditions due to onshore flow. Most

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travellers, however, are expected to flock to

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Spain, which will experience its first total

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solar eclipse since since 1905. The

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path of totality cuts a diagonal track across

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the northeast from Galicia to Catalonia,

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with the longest duration about 1 minute and

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44 seconds, occurring just before

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sunset. Spain's mountainous terrain,

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particularly the Cantabrian Mountains, the

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Meseda Plateau and the Iberian System,

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means that choosing a spot with an open view

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is essential. The new eclipse viewing map

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from M. Spain's Geographic Institute can help

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observers avoid blocked sight lines.

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While August cloud cover averages less than

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50%, late day storms are common.

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Travel around Spain will be relatively easy,

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but be prepared for significant traffic, as

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many locals from Madrid and Barcelona will be

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heading into the path. Accommodation could

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also be tricky due to peak vacation season.

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Experts strongly advise against attempting to

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drive back to major cities immediately after

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the eclipse to avoid potentially millions of

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people on the roads. Instead,

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consider staying overnight in the path. This

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offers another astronomical treat, the

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Perseid meteor shower, which peaks just a few

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hours after the eclipse on August 12th to

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13th. Rural skies will also provide a

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stunning view of the Milky Way arching across

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the southern sky. Whether you choose the

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icy fjords of Greenland, the dramatic

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landscapes of Iceland or the plains of Spain,

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the experts agree on three key strategies for

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chasing this event. Plan ahead, check weather

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forecasts diligently and stay mobile.

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Witnessing the 2026 total solar

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eclipse will undoubtedly be a moment you

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carry for life, and if you happen to miss

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this one, don't worry. Spain will host

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another total solar eclipse exactly one lunar

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year later, on August 2,

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2027.

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Now let's shift our gaze from distant stars

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to the rockets preparing for launch or right

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here from Earth as we bring you our Global

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Launch Watch. This week promises to be an

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exceptionally busy one in space, with eight

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launches on the docket highlighting the

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incredible pace of global space endeavours.

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Leading the charge are multiple SpaceX

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Falcon 9 missions. From

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Vandenberg Space Force Base in California, a

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Falcon 9 is set to launch NASA's Tracers

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mission, consisting of two satellites

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designed to study magnetic reconnection and

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its effects on Earth's atmosphere. This

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mission, scheduled for Tuesday, July 22,

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will also carry at least three other

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rideshare payloads. The booster is expected

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to return to land at landing zone 4.

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Meanwhile, on the east coast, the Cape

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Canaveral Space Force Station in Florida is

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bustling with activity. SpaceX's Falcon

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9 was initially scheduled to launch the

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O3BM M Power 9 and 10

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satellites for SES owned

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O3B Networks on Monday, July 21,

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though that launch was scrubbed due to

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unspecified reasons, with a new attempt

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possible on Tuesday. If successful, this

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would mark the 90th Falcon 9 mission of

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2025, utilising booster

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B1090 for its sixth flight

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shortly after. On, um, Thursday, July 24,

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another Falcon 9 will launch the Starlink

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Group 10 26th batch of V2 mini

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satellites into low Earth orbit, further

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expanding the Starlink constellation. The

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efficiency of pad turnarounds at SLC 40

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continues to be remarkable. Looking

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internationally, China's Hyperbola 1 rocket

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is expected to launch on Friday, July 25 from

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the Juquan Satellite Launch Centre. The

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mission's payload remains unknown and this

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will be its first flight since a previous

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launch failure in July 2024.

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Russia is also preparing for action with a

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Soyuz 2.1B rocket set to launch a pair of

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Ionosphera UM M satellites from the Vostochny

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Cosmodrome on Friday, July 25. These

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satellites will complete the four satellite

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Ionosphera constellation which aims to

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observe Earth's ionosphere and enhance our

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understanding of geomagnetic and solar

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storms. This mission will also deploy

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17 CubeSats. Europe's space

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ambitions are on display with Vega C's second

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mission of 2025 launching from the

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Guiana Space Centre in French guiana on

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Saturday, July 26. This mission

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will deliver five payloads to sun synchronous

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orbit, including Microcarb a UH

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microsatellite designed to measure

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atmospheric carbon dioxide levels with high

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precision alongside four Airbus built

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satellites for Earth stereo imagery back

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in the U.S. another Falcon 9 launch for

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Starlink Group 172 is

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scheduled for Friday, July 25 from

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Vandenberg, adding to the Constellation's

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polar shell. Finally, a highly anticipated

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launch comes from Australia where Gilmour

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Space will make its third attempt at

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launching its Eris rocket on Saturday, July

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27. After previous delays due to operational

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issues and unfavourable weather, this test

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flight one mission from the Bowen Orbital

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Spaceport is poised to be a historic moment

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as it aims to be the first orbital launch

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from Australian soil performed by a sovereign

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built vehicle and if successful, the first

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for a hybrid rocket design. The 25

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metre tall Eris rocket featuring proprietary

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Sirius hybrid engines represents a

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significant step forward for Australia's

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burgeoning space industry.

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Finally today in a late breaking story, we

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bring you news from Iran which yesterday

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conducted a suborbital test of its KAAS

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satellite launch vehicle. According to the

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semi official TASNIM news agency, this test

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was aimed at evaluating new technologies

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developed by the country's domestic space

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industry. While specific details about the

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technologies being evaluated were not

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provided, the report stated that the test's

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primary goal is to gather data that will be

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used to enhance the performance of Iran's

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future satellites and space systems. We'll be

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sure to update you as more details come to

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hand. And that's all for this episode

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of Astronomy Daily. I'm Anna, your host

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and it's been a pleasure sharing these cosmic

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updates with you. For all the latest space

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and astronomy news with our constantly

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00:14:14.020 --> 00:14:16.540
updating news feed and to catch up on all our

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back episodes, visit our

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website@astronomydaily.IO. you can

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00:14:21.180 --> 00:14:23.380
also subscribe to Astronomy Daily on Apple

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00:14:23.380 --> 00:14:26.220
Podcasts, Spotify, YouTube, or wherever you

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00:14:26.220 --> 00:14:28.380
get your podcasts to ensure you never miss an

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episode. And finally, please share our

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podcast with anyone that you think might be

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interested. That would help us a lot, and I'd

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be incredibly grateful for your support. I'll

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be back tomorrow with more news from the

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cosmos. In the meantime, keep looking

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up.