WEBVTT 0 00:00:00.000 --> 00:00:03.000 Hallie: Hi everyone. Welcome to Astronomy Daily 1 00:00:03.000 --> 00:00:05.666 with Steve and Hallie. It's August 4, 2 00:00:05.814 --> 00:00:06.480 2025. 3 00:00:13.200 --> 00:00:15.720 We are back again with the mostly live Monday 4 00:00:15.720 --> 00:00:18.240 episode direct from the Australia studio here 5 00:00:18.240 --> 00:00:20.800 down under. And with me as usual and always 6 00:00:20.800 --> 00:00:23.680 is my very favorite human, Mr. Steve. 7 00:00:23.680 --> 00:00:25.840 Steve Dunkley: Oh, nicely done, Hallie. And thank you so 8 00:00:25.840 --> 00:00:28.280 much for those kind words, Mr. Steve. 9 00:00:28.280 --> 00:00:31.000 Indeed. I think you handled that opening very 10 00:00:31.000 --> 00:00:31.840 well for your. 11 00:00:32.540 --> 00:00:33.660 Hallie: Thank you. I try. 12 00:00:33.900 --> 00:00:36.140 Steve Dunkley: Yes. Maybe you should uh, take more of a 13 00:00:36.140 --> 00:00:38.460 leading role in this and it's one less thing 14 00:00:38.460 --> 00:00:39.260 I have to do. 15 00:00:39.340 --> 00:00:41.380 And what have you discovered in the Astronomy 16 00:00:41.380 --> 00:00:43.340 Daily newsletter for us today, Hallie? 17 00:00:43.340 --> 00:00:45.380 Hallie: Some interesting stories that I thought you 18 00:00:45.380 --> 00:00:46.380 would be interested in. 19 00:00:46.380 --> 00:00:47.460 Steve Dunkley: Oh yes, do go on. 20 00:00:47.460 --> 00:00:49.700 Hallie: I know you are following Europa Clipper on 21 00:00:49.700 --> 00:00:51.900 its journey outward across the solar system. 22 00:00:51.980 --> 00:00:53.860 Steve Dunkley: Ah, uh, yes, regular listeners will know that 23 00:00:53.860 --> 00:00:54.940 is one of my favorites. 24 00:00:55.020 --> 00:00:56.500 Hallie: You can present that one. 25 00:00:56.500 --> 00:00:57.260 Steve Dunkley: Oh, okay. 26 00:00:57.340 --> 00:00:59.700 Hallie: And a great news story about a solar sail 27 00:00:59.700 --> 00:01:01.660 equipped spacecraft that has some special 28 00:01:01.660 --> 00:01:02.300 properties. 29 00:01:02.460 --> 00:01:05.440 Steve Dunkley: Solar sails. Intriguing. Yes, I like 30 00:01:05.440 --> 00:01:05.720 that. 31 00:01:05.720 --> 00:01:08.160 Hallie: I also found stories about new deep field 32 00:01:08.160 --> 00:01:10.600 images from Webb and Hubble, the replacement 33 00:01:10.600 --> 00:01:13.200 crew for the iss. And how about this one? 34 00:01:13.200 --> 00:01:13.800 Steve Dunkley: Do tell. 35 00:01:13.880 --> 00:01:15.720 Hallie: Like something out of a science fiction 36 00:01:15.720 --> 00:01:16.040 story. 37 00:01:16.120 --> 00:01:17.440 Steve Dunkley: Oh, okay, now you've got me. 38 00:01:17.440 --> 00:01:20.040 Hallie: SpaceX is sending disease causing bacteria 39 00:01:20.040 --> 00:01:20.920 out to the ISS. 40 00:01:21.480 --> 00:01:24.160 Steve Dunkley: Say what disease causing bacteria? 41 00:01:24.160 --> 00:01:25.480 Hallie: I can't wait to find out. 42 00:01:25.480 --> 00:01:27.720 Steve Dunkley: Why haven't we seen this movie? Yeah, 43 00:01:28.520 --> 00:01:30.920 why would they do that? I mean, what could 44 00:01:30.920 --> 00:01:31.960 possibly go wrong? 45 00:01:31.960 --> 00:01:32.680 Hallie: Exactly. 46 00:01:32.680 --> 00:01:34.400 Steve Dunkley: Somebody's already writing the script for 47 00:01:34.400 --> 00:01:34.840 that one. 48 00:01:34.840 --> 00:01:35.640 Hallie: Just like SC. 49 00:01:36.260 --> 00:01:38.180 Steve Dunkley: Oh, I don't know if it sounds fun or scary. 50 00:01:38.340 --> 00:01:40.740 Sounds great. Okay, shall we do the thing? 51 00:01:41.060 --> 00:01:41.700 Hallie: Let's go. 52 00:01:41.860 --> 00:01:42.380 Steve Dunkley: I'm ready. 53 00:01:42.380 --> 00:01:43.380 Hallie: Hallie Okies 54 00:01:54.100 --> 00:01:56.060 astronauts sidelined for the past year by 55 00:01:56.060 --> 00:01:58.100 Boeing's Starliner Trouble, blasted off to 56 00:01:58.100 --> 00:01:59.860 the International Space Station on Friday 57 00:02:00.020 --> 00:02:02.750 getting a lift from SpaceX. The US 58 00:02:02.920 --> 00:02:05.190 AH Japanese Russian crew of AH4 rocketed from 59 00:02:05.190 --> 00:02:08.190 NASA's Kennedy Space Center. They'll replace 60 00:02:08.190 --> 00:02:09.910 colleagues who launched to the space station 61 00:02:09.910 --> 00:02:12.030 in March as fill INS for NASA's two stuck 62 00:02:12.030 --> 00:02:14.270 astronauts and stay for at least six months. 63 00:02:15.150 --> 00:02:17.990 Zena Cardman, a biologist and polar explorer 64 00:02:17.990 --> 00:02:19.990 who should have launched last year was yanked 65 00:02:19.990 --> 00:02:21.670 along with another NASA crewmate to make room 66 00:02:21.670 --> 00:02:23.710 for Starliner's Starcross test pilots. 67 00:02:24.590 --> 00:02:26.830 I have no emotion but joy right now. 68 00:02:27.640 --> 00:02:30.640 That was transcendent ride of a lifetime, 69 00:02:30.640 --> 00:02:32.840 Cardman the flight commander said after 70 00:02:32.840 --> 00:02:35.840 reaching orbit. The botched Starliner demo 71 00:02:35.840 --> 00:02:37.800 forced Butch Wilmore and Suni Williams to 72 00:02:37.800 --> 00:02:39.760 switch to SpaceX to get back from the space 73 00:02:39.760 --> 00:02:41.760 station more than nine months after departing 74 00:02:41.760 --> 00:02:43.320 on what should have been a week long trip. 75 00:02:44.040 --> 00:02:45.960 Every astronaut wants to be in space. 76 00:02:46.840 --> 00:02:48.800 None of us wants to stay on the ground, but 77 00:02:48.800 --> 00:02:51.000 it's not about me, cardman said before her 78 00:02:51.000 --> 00:02:53.960 flight. NASA's Mike Fink, Cardman's 79 00:02:53.960 --> 00:02:55.920 co pilot, was the backup for Wilmore and 80 00:02:55.920 --> 00:02:57.960 Williams on Starliner, making those three 81 00:02:57.960 --> 00:02:59.880 still the only ones certified to fly it. 82 00:03:00.520 --> 00:03:03.120 Fink and Japan's Kamiya Yui, former military 83 00:03:03.120 --> 00:03:04.760 officers with previous spaceflight 84 00:03:04.760 --> 00:03:06.800 experience, were training for Starliner's 85 00:03:06.800 --> 00:03:09.480 second astronaut mission. With Starliner 86 00:03:09.480 --> 00:03:12.440 grounded until 2026, NASA switched the two to 87 00:03:12.440 --> 00:03:15.200 the latest SpaceX flight, a, uh, SpaceX 88 00:03:15.200 --> 00:03:17.440 Falcon 9 rocket carrying a Dragon capsule 89 00:03:17.440 --> 00:03:19.640 with a U2S. Japanese Russian crew of four 90 00:03:19.910 --> 00:03:21.670 lifts off from Kennedy Space Center's Launch 91 00:03:21.670 --> 00:03:24.310 Pad 39A in Cape Canaveral of Florida on 92 00:03:24.310 --> 00:03:26.630 Friday, Aug. 1, 2025. 93 00:03:27.990 --> 00:03:29.990 AP Photo Chris Omera 94 00:03:30.710 --> 00:03:33.030 Boy it's great to be back in orbit again, 95 00:03:33.030 --> 00:03:35.630 fink radioed. He last soared on 96 00:03:35.630 --> 00:03:37.870 NASA's next to last space shuttle flight in 97 00:03:37.870 --> 00:03:40.710 2011. Rounding out the crew is 98 00:03:40.710 --> 00:03:43.710 Russia's Oleg Plaitanov. The former fighter 99 00:03:43.710 --> 00:03:45.510 pilot was pulled a few years ago from the 100 00:03:45.510 --> 00:03:47.470 Russian Soyuz flight lineup because of an 101 00:03:47.470 --> 00:03:49.390 undisclosed health issue that he said has 102 00:03:49.390 --> 00:03:52.300 since been resolved on hand for the first 103 00:03:52.300 --> 00:03:54.340 launch Attempt. On Thursday, NASA's new 104 00:03:54.340 --> 00:03:56.220 acting administrator, Transportation 105 00:03:56.220 --> 00:03:58.540 Secretary Sean Duffy, met with Roscosmos 106 00:03:58.540 --> 00:04:00.820 Director General Dmitri Bakanov, an invited 107 00:04:00.820 --> 00:04:03.220 guest. The two discussed future 108 00:04:03.220 --> 00:04:05.500 collaboration, then left town after thick 109 00:04:05.500 --> 00:04:08.420 clouds forced a last minute delay. What we 110 00:04:08.420 --> 00:04:09.980 learn on these missions is what's going to 111 00:04:09.980 --> 00:04:11.940 get us to the moon and then from the moon to 112 00:04:11.940 --> 00:04:13.780 Mars, which is I think the direction that 113 00:04:13.780 --> 00:04:16.100 NASA has to be, duffy said in a NASA 114 00:04:16.100 --> 00:04:18.809 interview. There's critical real estate on 115 00:04:18.809 --> 00:04:21.449 the moon. We want to claim that real estate 116 00:04:21.449 --> 00:04:24.329 for ourselves and our partners to save 117 00:04:24.329 --> 00:04:26.569 money. In light of tight budgets, NASA is 118 00:04:26.569 --> 00:04:28.529 looking to increase its space station stays 119 00:04:28.529 --> 00:04:30.369 from six months to eight months, a um move 120 00:04:30.369 --> 00:04:32.609 already adopted by Russia's space agency. 121 00:04:33.329 --> 00:04:35.609 SpaceX is close to certifying its Dragon 122 00:04:35.609 --> 00:04:37.689 capsules for longer flights, which means the 123 00:04:37.689 --> 00:04:39.369 newly launched crew could be up there until 124 00:04:39.369 --> 00:04:42.209 April. NASA is also considering 125 00:04:42.209 --> 00:04:44.520 smaller crews, three astronauts launching on 126 00:04:44.520 --> 00:04:46.920 SpaceX instead of the typical four to cut 127 00:04:46.920 --> 00:04:49.880 costs. As for Starliner, NASA 128 00:04:49.880 --> 00:04:51.520 is leaning toward launching the next one with 129 00:04:51.520 --> 00:04:53.320 cargo before flying another crew. 130 00:04:54.120 --> 00:04:55.920 Engineers are still investigating the 131 00:04:55.920 --> 00:04:57.960 thruster failures and helium leaks that 132 00:04:57.960 --> 00:05:00.920 bedeviled Starliner following liftoff. Time 133 00:05:00.920 --> 00:05:02.960 is running out as NASA looks to abandon the 134 00:05:02.960 --> 00:05:04.920 aging space station by 2030. 135 00:05:05.720 --> 00:05:07.440 An air leak on the Russian side of the 136 00:05:07.440 --> 00:05:09.440 station remains unresolved after years of 137 00:05:09.440 --> 00:05:12.330 patching. Engineering teams already are 138 00:05:12.330 --> 00:05:14.090 working on the plan for the space station's 139 00:05:14.090 --> 00:05:17.010 last days. NASA's Ken Bowersox 140 00:05:17.010 --> 00:05:19.130 said the US and Russia need to cooperate in 141 00:05:19.130 --> 00:05:21.130 order to steer the outpost into the Pacific 142 00:05:21.130 --> 00:05:24.050 with minimal risk to the public. It will 143 00:05:24.050 --> 00:05:25.850 take at least two years to get the space 144 00:05:25.850 --> 00:05:27.890 station low enough to where a SpaceX vehicle 145 00:05:27.890 --> 00:05:30.850 can provide the final shove. Thrusters on the 146 00:05:30.850 --> 00:05:32.370 Russian side of the station will help with 147 00:05:32.370 --> 00:05:34.290 control, but that means more fuel will have 148 00:05:34.290 --> 00:05:37.100 to be delivered by 2028. The latest 149 00:05:37.100 --> 00:05:39.460 timeline calls for SpaceX to launch the last 150 00:05:39.460 --> 00:05:42.020 mission for NASA, the Deorbit Vehicle, to the 151 00:05:42.020 --> 00:05:43.700 space station in 2029. 152 00:05:44.500 --> 00:05:46.380 Astronauts would remain on board until the 153 00:05:46.380 --> 00:05:48.580 last four to six months of the station's life 154 00:05:48.580 --> 00:05:50.500 to handle any breakdowns with the empty 155 00:05:50.500 --> 00:05:52.620 outpost plunging into the Pacific by late 156 00:05:52.620 --> 00:05:54.580 2030 or early 2031. 157 00:05:55.700 --> 00:05:57.460 You're listening to Astronomy Daily. 158 00:06:04.350 --> 00:06:06.710 Steve Dunkley: The burgeoning space industry and the 159 00:06:06.710 --> 00:06:09.670 technologies society increasingly relies 160 00:06:09.670 --> 00:06:12.510 on electric grids. Aviation and 161 00:06:12.510 --> 00:06:15.390 telecommunications are all vulnerable to 162 00:06:15.390 --> 00:06:17.550 the same threat. Space Weather 163 00:06:18.590 --> 00:06:21.510 Space weather encompasses any variations in 164 00:06:21.510 --> 00:06:24.070 the space environment between the sun, um, 165 00:06:24.070 --> 00:06:26.590 and the Earth. One common type of space 166 00:06:26.590 --> 00:06:28.390 weather event is called interplanetary 167 00:06:28.540 --> 00:06:31.180 planetary coronal mass ejection. 168 00:06:31.500 --> 00:06:34.060 These ejections are bundles of magnetic 169 00:06:34.060 --> 00:06:36.180 fields and particles that originate from the 170 00:06:36.180 --> 00:06:39.020 sun. They can travel at speeds of up to 171 00:06:39.020 --> 00:06:41.820 1242 miles m per 172 00:06:41.820 --> 00:06:44.620 second or 2000 kilometers per second and may 173 00:06:44.620 --> 00:06:47.580 cause geomagnetic storms. They 174 00:06:47.580 --> 00:06:50.340 create beautiful aurora displays like the 175 00:06:50.340 --> 00:06:52.580 northern lights you can sometimes see in the 176 00:06:52.580 --> 00:06:55.500 skies, but can also disrupt satellite 177 00:06:55.500 --> 00:06:57.900 operations and shut down electric grids 178 00:06:58.510 --> 00:07:00.910 and expose astronauts aboard future 179 00:07:00.990 --> 00:07:03.750 crewed missions to the moon and Mars to 180 00:07:03.750 --> 00:07:06.590 lethal doses of radiation. The goal 181 00:07:06.590 --> 00:07:09.510 of a heliophysicist and space weather 182 00:07:09.510 --> 00:07:12.510 expert is to forecast 183 00:07:12.590 --> 00:07:14.990 extreme space weather, uh, more accurately 184 00:07:15.070 --> 00:07:17.750 and earlier. And to do this, they use a 185 00:07:17.750 --> 00:07:20.190 satellite constellation called Swift. 186 00:07:20.750 --> 00:07:23.710 Commercial interests now make up a big part 187 00:07:23.710 --> 00:07:26.690 of space exploration, focusing on on 188 00:07:26.690 --> 00:07:29.570 space tourism, building satellite networks 189 00:07:29.810 --> 00:07:32.170 and working towards extracting 190 00:07:32.170 --> 00:07:35.170 resources from the moon and nearby asteroids. 191 00:07:35.650 --> 00:07:38.410 Space is also a critical domain for military 192 00:07:38.410 --> 00:07:41.330 operations. Satellites provide essential 193 00:07:41.330 --> 00:07:43.490 capabilities for military communication, 194 00:07:43.810 --> 00:07:46.530 surveillance, navigation and intelligence. 195 00:07:47.090 --> 00:07:49.850 As countries such as the US grow to 196 00:07:49.850 --> 00:07:52.620 depend on infrastructure in space, extreme 197 00:07:52.620 --> 00:07:55.500 space weather events pose a greater threat. 198 00:07:55.900 --> 00:07:58.700 Today, space weather threatens up to 199 00:08:00.220 --> 00:08:03.020 $2.7 trillion in assets 200 00:08:03.020 --> 00:08:05.662 globally. In September 201 00:08:05.858 --> 00:08:08.580 1859, the most powerful recorded space 202 00:08:08.580 --> 00:08:11.020 weather event, known as the Carrington Event, 203 00:08:11.020 --> 00:08:13.900 caused fires in North America and Europe 204 00:08:13.900 --> 00:08:16.460 by supercharging, uh, telegraph wires. 205 00:08:17.260 --> 00:08:19.980 In August 1972, another 206 00:08:19.980 --> 00:08:22.500 Carrington like event nearly struck the 207 00:08:22.500 --> 00:08:25.200 astronauts orbiting the mo. The radiation 208 00:08:25.200 --> 00:08:28.120 dose could have been fatal. More recently, in 209 00:08:28.120 --> 00:08:30.360 February 2022, SpaceX 210 00:08:30.760 --> 00:08:33.400 lost 39 of its 49 newly 211 00:08:33.400 --> 00:08:36.240 launched Starlink satellites. Because of a 212 00:08:36.240 --> 00:08:39.200 moderate space weather event. Space weather 213 00:08:39.200 --> 00:08:41.400 services heavily rely on satellites. That 214 00:08:41.400 --> 00:08:44.320 monitor the solar wind, which is made up 215 00:08:44.320 --> 00:08:46.680 of magnetic field lines and particles coming 216 00:08:46.680 --> 00:08:48.520 from the sun. And communicate their 217 00:08:48.520 --> 00:08:51.480 observations back to Earth. Satellites 218 00:08:51.480 --> 00:08:53.600 can then compare those observations with 219 00:08:53.600 --> 00:08:56.360 historical records. And predict space 220 00:08:56.360 --> 00:08:59.240 weather. And explore how the Earth may 221 00:08:59.240 --> 00:09:01.880 respond to the observed changes in solar 222 00:09:01.880 --> 00:09:04.200 wind. The Earth's magnetic field 223 00:09:04.440 --> 00:09:07.320 naturally protects living things and, uh, 224 00:09:07.480 --> 00:09:09.800 Earth, uh, orbiting satellites. From most 225 00:09:09.800 --> 00:09:12.120 adverse effects of space weather. However, 226 00:09:12.600 --> 00:09:15.400 extreme space weather events may compress 227 00:09:15.400 --> 00:09:18.050 or, or in some cases, peel back the Earth's 228 00:09:18.050 --> 00:09:20.810 magnetic shield. This process allows 229 00:09:20.810 --> 00:09:22.690 solar wind particles to make it into our 230 00:09:22.690 --> 00:09:25.290 protected environment, the magnetosphere, 231 00:09:25.610 --> 00:09:28.010 Exposing satellites and astronauts aboard 232 00:09:28.010 --> 00:09:30.970 space stations to harsher conditions. Most 233 00:09:30.970 --> 00:09:32.770 satellites that continuously monitor 234 00:09:32.770 --> 00:09:35.050 earthbound space weather Orbit relatively 235 00:09:35.050 --> 00:09:37.930 close to the planet. Some satellites are 236 00:09:37.930 --> 00:09:40.130 positioned in low Earth orbit. About 100 237 00:09:40.130 --> 00:09:42.810 miles or 161 kilometers above the Earth. 238 00:09:43.250 --> 00:09:45.490 While others are in geosynchronous orbit, 239 00:09:45.490 --> 00:09:48.050 approximately 25,000 miles or 240 00:09:48.050 --> 00:09:50.290 40,000 kilometers away. 241 00:09:50.850 --> 00:09:53.570 At these distances, the satellites remain 242 00:09:53.570 --> 00:09:55.810 within Earth's, uh, protective magnetic 243 00:09:55.810 --> 00:09:58.650 shield. And can reliably measure the planet's 244 00:09:58.650 --> 00:10:00.610 response to space weather conditions. 245 00:10:00.770 --> 00:10:03.770 However, to more directly study incoming 246 00:10:03.770 --> 00:10:06.450 solar wind, Researchers use additional 247 00:10:06.450 --> 00:10:08.610 satellites located further upstream. 248 00:10:09.110 --> 00:10:11.430 Hundreds of thousands of miles from Earth. 249 00:10:11.910 --> 00:10:14.710 The U.S. the European Space Agency 250 00:10:14.710 --> 00:10:17.670 and India all operate space 251 00:10:17.670 --> 00:10:19.990 monitoring satellites positioned around the 252 00:10:19.990 --> 00:10:22.790 L1 Lagrange point. Nearly 900,000 253 00:10:22.950 --> 00:10:24.190 miles, or 254 00:10:24.190 --> 00:10:27.150 1450,000 kilometers from Earth, 255 00:10:27.150 --> 00:10:29.270 where the gravitational forces of the Earth 256 00:10:29.270 --> 00:10:31.990 and the sun balance. Um, from this 257 00:10:31.990 --> 00:10:34.620 vantage point, space weather monitors can can 258 00:10:34.620 --> 00:10:37.340 provide up to 40 minutes of advanced warning 259 00:10:37.420 --> 00:10:40.380 for incoming solar events. Increasing the 260 00:10:40.380 --> 00:10:42.940 warning time beyond 40 minutes. Current 261 00:10:42.940 --> 00:10:45.820 warning time would help satellite operators, 262 00:10:46.060 --> 00:10:48.700 electric grid planners, flight directors, 263 00:10:48.700 --> 00:10:51.460 astronauts and space force officers. 264 00:10:51.460 --> 00:10:54.340 Better prepare for extreme space weather 265 00:10:54.340 --> 00:10:56.540 events. For instance, during 266 00:10:56.700 --> 00:10:59.460 geomagnetic storms, the atmosphere 267 00:10:59.460 --> 00:11:02.150 heats up, um, and expands, increasing drag on 268 00:11:02.150 --> 00:11:04.910 satellites in low Earth orbit. With enough 269 00:11:04.910 --> 00:11:07.070 advance warning, operators can update their 270 00:11:07.070 --> 00:11:09.510 drag calculations. To prevent satellites from 271 00:11:09.510 --> 00:11:11.190 descending and burning up during these 272 00:11:11.190 --> 00:11:13.430 events. With the updated drag 273 00:11:13.430 --> 00:11:15.670 calculations, satellite operators could use 274 00:11:15.670 --> 00:11:17.710 the satellite's propulsion systems. To 275 00:11:17.710 --> 00:11:20.470 maneuver them into a higher orbit. 276 00:11:20.470 --> 00:11:22.550 Airlines could change their routes. To avoid 277 00:11:22.550 --> 00:11:25.230 exposing passengers and staff to high 278 00:11:25.230 --> 00:11:28.030 radiation doses. During geomagnetic 279 00:11:28.030 --> 00:11:30.600 storms. And and future astronauts on the way 280 00:11:30.760 --> 00:11:33.720 to or working on the Moon or Mars. Who lack 281 00:11:33.720 --> 00:11:35.640 protection from these particles. Could be 282 00:11:35.640 --> 00:11:38.560 alerted in advance to take cover. Aurora 283 00:11:38.560 --> 00:11:40.840 lovers would also appreciate having more time 284 00:11:40.840 --> 00:11:42.280 to get to their favorite viewing 285 00:11:42.280 --> 00:11:43.160 destinations. 286 00:11:43.960 --> 00:11:46.360 The team in charge of the Swift 287 00:11:46.440 --> 00:11:49.400 Constellation, which stands for Space Weather 288 00:11:50.040 --> 00:11:52.600 Investigation Frontier. Will for the first 289 00:11:52.600 --> 00:11:55.600 time place a weather monitor beyond the L1 290 00:11:55.600 --> 00:11:58.440 point. At 1.3 million miles or 291 00:11:58.440 --> 00:12:00.980 2.1 million kilometers from Earth. This 292 00:12:00.980 --> 00:12:03.500 distance would allow scientists to inform 293 00:12:03.660 --> 00:12:06.060 decision makers of any Earthbound, uh, space 294 00:12:06.060 --> 00:12:08.980 weather events up to nearly 60 minutes before 295 00:12:08.980 --> 00:12:11.740 arrival. Satellites with traditional 296 00:12:11.740 --> 00:12:14.300 chemical or electric propulsion systems 297 00:12:14.300 --> 00:12:16.460 cannot maintain an orbit at that location 298 00:12:16.940 --> 00:12:19.100 farther from Earth and closer to the sun for 299 00:12:19.100 --> 00:12:21.980 very long. This is because they would need to 300 00:12:21.980 --> 00:12:24.540 continually burn fuel to 301 00:12:24.540 --> 00:12:27.050 counteract the Sun's gravitational pull. To 302 00:12:27.050 --> 00:12:29.770 address this issue, the team has spent 303 00:12:29.770 --> 00:12:31.850 decades designing and developing a new 304 00:12:31.850 --> 00:12:34.410 propulsion system. The solution is designed 305 00:12:34.410 --> 00:12:37.170 to affordably reach that distance that is 306 00:12:37.170 --> 00:12:39.970 closer to the sun than the traditional L1 307 00:12:39.970 --> 00:12:42.810 point and to operate there reliably for 308 00:12:42.810 --> 00:12:45.530 more than a decade by harnessing an abundant 309 00:12:45.530 --> 00:12:48.290 and reliable source that is sunlight. 310 00:12:48.610 --> 00:12:51.370 Swift would use a fuel less propulsion 311 00:12:51.370 --> 00:12:54.290 system called a solar sail to reach its 312 00:12:54.290 --> 00:12:56.910 orbit. A solar sail is a hair thin 313 00:12:56.910 --> 00:12:59.710 reflective surface simulating a very 314 00:12:59.710 --> 00:13:02.590 thin mirror that spans about a third of a 315 00:13:02.590 --> 00:13:05.390 football field. It balances the force of 316 00:13:05.390 --> 00:13:07.670 light particles coming in from the sun, which 317 00:13:07.670 --> 00:13:10.190 pushes it away with the Sun's 318 00:13:10.190 --> 00:13:12.310 gravity which pulls it inward. 319 00:13:13.110 --> 00:13:15.710 While a sailboat harnesses the lift 320 00:13:15.710 --> 00:13:18.190 created by wind flowing over its curved 321 00:13:18.190 --> 00:13:21.180 sails to move it across the water. A solar 322 00:13:21.180 --> 00:13:24.020 sail uses the momentum of photons from 323 00:13:24.020 --> 00:13:26.980 sunlight reflected off its large shiny sail 324 00:13:27.060 --> 00:13:29.980 to propel a spacecraft through space. Both 325 00:13:29.980 --> 00:13:32.380 the sailboat and the solar sail exploit the 326 00:13:32.380 --> 00:13:34.540 transfer of energy from their respective 327 00:13:34.540 --> 00:13:37.460 environments to drive motion without relying 328 00:13:37.540 --> 00:13:40.300 on traditional propellants. A solar sail 329 00:13:40.300 --> 00:13:42.980 would enable Swift to enter an Otherwise 330 00:13:43.540 --> 00:13:46.460 unstable sub L1 orbit without the 331 00:13:46.460 --> 00:13:49.000 risk of running out of fuel. NASA 332 00:13:49.000 --> 00:13:51.760 successfully launched its first solar sail in 333 00:13:51.760 --> 00:13:54.640 2010. This space demonstration, named 334 00:13:54.640 --> 00:13:57.000 Nanosail D2 featured a 335 00:13:57.000 --> 00:13:59.280 107 square foot or 10 336 00:13:59.940 --> 00:14:02.920 uh square meter sail and was placed in low 337 00:14:02.920 --> 00:14:05.200 Earth orbit. That same year, the Japanese 338 00:14:05.200 --> 00:14:08.080 space agency launched a larger solar sail, 339 00:14:08.720 --> 00:14:10.880 Icarus, which deployed a 340 00:14:10.880 --> 00:14:13.560 2,110 foot or 341 00:14:13.560 --> 00:14:16.270 196 square meter sail 342 00:14:17.230 --> 00:14:20.110 in the solar wind and successfully orbited 343 00:14:20.190 --> 00:14:22.990 Venus. The Planetary society and NASA 344 00:14:22.990 --> 00:14:25.030 followed up by launching two sales in low 345 00:14:25.030 --> 00:14:27.750 Earth orbit Light sail and the advanced 346 00:14:27.750 --> 00:14:30.549 composite solar sail system. With an 347 00:14:30.549 --> 00:14:31.230 area of 348 00:14:32.030 --> 00:14:34.790 860ft square feet 349 00:14:34.790 --> 00:14:37.510 or 80 uh square meters, the 350 00:14:37.510 --> 00:14:39.790 Swift team's solar sail 351 00:14:39.870 --> 00:14:42.670 demonstration mission Solar cruiser will 352 00:14:42.670 --> 00:14:45.150 be equipped with a much larger sail. 353 00:14:45.390 --> 00:14:47.190 Its sail will have an area of 354 00:14:47.190 --> 00:14:49.830 17,793 square 355 00:14:49.830 --> 00:14:50.630 feet or 356 00:14:50.630 --> 00:14:53.390 1653 square 357 00:14:53.390 --> 00:14:55.470 meters and launch as early as 358 00:14:55.470 --> 00:14:58.470 2029. If successful, solar cruiser 359 00:14:58.470 --> 00:15:01.070 will pave the way for Swift's constellation 360 00:15:01.310 --> 00:15:03.910 of four satellites. The constellation would 361 00:15:03.910 --> 00:15:06.230 include one satellite equipped with a sail 362 00:15:06.230 --> 00:15:09.200 propulsion set to be placed in an orbit 363 00:15:09.200 --> 00:15:11.960 beyond L1 and three smaller satellites 364 00:15:12.120 --> 00:15:14.800 with chemical propulsion in an orbit at the 365 00:15:14.800 --> 00:15:16.360 L1 Lagrange point. 366 00:15:26.840 --> 00:15:28.400 Thank you for joining us for this Monday 367 00:15:28.400 --> 00:15:30.680 edition of Astronomy Daily, where we offer 368 00:15:30.680 --> 00:15:32.480 just a few stories from the now famous 369 00:15:32.480 --> 00:15:34.650 Astronomy Daily newsletter, which you can 370 00:15:34.650 --> 00:15:36.890 receive in your email every day just like 371 00:15:36.890 --> 00:15:39.530 Hallie and I do. And to do that, just visit 372 00:15:39.530 --> 00:15:41.570 our uh, URL astronomydaily 373 00:15:42.050 --> 00:15:44.770 IO and place your email address in the slot 374 00:15:44.770 --> 00:15:47.170 provided. Just like that, you'll be receiving 375 00:15:47.330 --> 00:15:49.490 all the latest news about science, space 376 00:15:49.490 --> 00:15:51.730 science and astronomy from around the world 377 00:15:51.730 --> 00:15:54.170 as it's happening. And not only that, you can 378 00:15:54.170 --> 00:15:56.690 interact with us by visiting at 379 00:15:56.770 --> 00:15:59.330 astrodaily Pod on X 380 00:15:59.570 --> 00:16:02.250 or at our new Facebook page, which is of 381 00:16:02.250 --> 00:16:04.990 course Astronomy Daily on Facebook. See you 382 00:16:04.990 --> 00:16:07.710 there. Astronomy Daily 383 00:16:07.710 --> 00:16:10.110 with Steve and Hallie Space, 384 00:16:10.590 --> 00:16:12.750 Space, Science and Astronomy. 385 00:16:17.390 --> 00:16:19.830 Hallie: There's a secret extra member of Crew 11 386 00:16:19.830 --> 00:16:21.750 traveling to the International Space Station 387 00:16:21.750 --> 00:16:24.750 right now. Disease causing bacteria, or 388 00:16:24.830 --> 00:16:26.790 at least such bacteria, will be growing 389 00:16:26.790 --> 00:16:28.910 aboard the orbiting laboratory very soon. 390 00:16:29.710 --> 00:16:31.670 Scientists at the Sheba Medical center in 391 00:16:31.670 --> 00:16:33.970 Israel, in partnership with US Based space 392 00:16:33.970 --> 00:16:36.250 tech company Space Tango, have developed a 393 00:16:36.250 --> 00:16:38.130 study that will examine how microgravity 394 00:16:38.130 --> 00:16:39.810 affects the growth of certain bacterial 395 00:16:39.810 --> 00:16:42.050 species that cause diseases in humans. 396 00:16:42.770 --> 00:16:44.650 To pull it off, researchers will grow 397 00:16:44.650 --> 00:16:46.130 different strains of bacteria under 398 00:16:46.130 --> 00:16:48.569 microgravity, freeze that bacteria at minus 399 00:16:48.569 --> 00:16:50.490 80 degrees Celsius, and then return the 400 00:16:50.490 --> 00:16:52.090 samples to Earth to see how they've grown 401 00:16:52.090 --> 00:16:53.890 differently than the same bacteria grown on 402 00:16:53.890 --> 00:16:56.370 the home planet. The bacterial strains 403 00:16:56.370 --> 00:16:59.370 involved re Coli, Salmonella bongori and 404 00:16:59.370 --> 00:17:01.050 Salmonella tiffimurium, and they were 405 00:17:01.050 --> 00:17:02.450 launched toward the International space 406 00:17:02.450 --> 00:17:04.750 station aboard NASA's Crew Crew 11 mission 407 00:17:04.750 --> 00:17:06.750 that SpaceX successfully launched on Friday, 408 00:17:06.750 --> 00:17:09.590 August 1. Scientists have already 409 00:17:09.590 --> 00:17:11.710 studied how a lack of gravity affects the way 410 00:17:11.710 --> 00:17:14.190 bacteria grow, and research from NASA is 411 00:17:14.190 --> 00:17:16.390 already underway to study bacteria in space 412 00:17:16.390 --> 00:17:19.150 in general. But researchers behind the 413 00:17:19.150 --> 00:17:21.550 current ISS and bacteria mission specifically 414 00:17:21.550 --> 00:17:23.390 hope to bring home data that will help curb 415 00:17:23.390 --> 00:17:25.590 the spread of infectious disease, or at least 416 00:17:25.590 --> 00:17:27.910 help experts find ways to stop bacteria from 417 00:17:27.910 --> 00:17:30.230 developing antibiotic resistance, uh, a major 418 00:17:30.230 --> 00:17:31.830 public health problem. That means some 419 00:17:31.830 --> 00:17:33.990 disease causing bacteria is no longer wiped 420 00:17:33.990 --> 00:17:35.830 out by drugs that? Ve been developed to clear 421 00:17:35.830 --> 00:17:37.830 the bacteria from people's bodies and get 422 00:17:37.830 --> 00:17:40.350 them healthy again. We know that space 423 00:17:40.350 --> 00:17:42.350 conditions affect bacterial behavior, 424 00:17:42.350 --> 00:17:44.830 including how they grow, express genes and 425 00:17:44.830 --> 00:17:47.190 acquire traits like antibiotic resistance or 426 00:17:47.190 --> 00:17:49.190 virulence, ohad Galmore, head of the 427 00:17:49.190 --> 00:17:51.150 Infectious Diseases Research Laboratory at 428 00:17:51.150 --> 00:17:53.150 Sheba Medical center, said in a statement. 429 00:17:54.030 --> 00:17:56.390 This experiment will allow us for the first 430 00:17:56.390 --> 00:17:58.710 time to systematically and molecularly map 431 00:17:58.710 --> 00:18:00.870 how the genetic expression profile of several 432 00:18:00.870 --> 00:18:02.990 pathogenic bacteria changes in space, 433 00:18:03.870 --> 00:18:06.110 the health of astronauts, and microgravity's 434 00:18:06.110 --> 00:18:08.230 effect on the human body has been top of mind 435 00:18:08.230 --> 00:18:10.550 as people explore space and the idea of what 436 00:18:10.550 --> 00:18:13.110 life off Earth looks like. Human 437 00:18:13.110 --> 00:18:14.910 genes sometimes express themselves 438 00:18:14.910 --> 00:18:17.190 differently in microgravity conditions, and 439 00:18:17.190 --> 00:18:19.110 scientists have linked such an environment to 440 00:18:19.110 --> 00:18:20.830 the expedited loss of muscle seen in 441 00:18:20.830 --> 00:18:22.640 astronauts and even their likelihood of 442 00:18:22.640 --> 00:18:25.640 developing skin rashes if examined on 443 00:18:25.640 --> 00:18:27.680 their own. However, genetic changes in 444 00:18:27.680 --> 00:18:29.680 bacteria will hopefully give researchers more 445 00:18:29.680 --> 00:18:31.720 clues about how they act once inside a human, 446 00:18:31.800 --> 00:18:33.600 whether it's how fast they spread or their 447 00:18:33.600 --> 00:18:35.240 likelihood of getting around our treatments 448 00:18:35.320 --> 00:18:37.080 both in space and here on Earth. 449 00:18:39.400 --> 00:18:41.520 You're listening to Astronomy Daily, the 450 00:18:41.520 --> 00:18:42.040 podcast. 451 00:18:42.040 --> 00:18:45.040 Steve Dunkley: With Steve Dunkley and now 452 00:18:45.040 --> 00:18:47.600 the latest news from Europa Clipper by 453 00:18:47.600 --> 00:18:50.210 NASA. The agency's largest 454 00:18:50.210 --> 00:18:52.570 interplanetary probe tested its radar during 455 00:18:52.570 --> 00:18:55.490 a Mars flyby. The results include a 456 00:18:55.490 --> 00:18:58.130 detailed image and bode well for the mission 457 00:18:58.130 --> 00:19:00.930 at Jupiter's moon Europa 458 00:19:01.330 --> 00:19:04.290 as it soared past Mars in March, 459 00:19:04.370 --> 00:19:07.290 Europa uh, Clipper conducted a critical radar 460 00:19:07.290 --> 00:19:09.090 test that had been impossible to accomplish 461 00:19:09.090 --> 00:19:10.890 here on Earth. Now that the mission 462 00:19:10.890 --> 00:19:13.170 scientists have studied the full stream of 463 00:19:13.170 --> 00:19:15.810 data, they can declare that mission ace or 464 00:19:15.810 --> 00:19:18.530 that test a success. The radar 465 00:19:18.530 --> 00:19:20.490 performed just as expected, bouncing and 466 00:19:20.490 --> 00:19:22.460 receiving signals off the region around Mars 467 00:19:22.460 --> 00:19:24.570 m equator without a hitch. 468 00:19:25.130 --> 00:19:27.130 Europa Clippers radar instrument received 469 00:19:27.130 --> 00:19:29.770 echoes of its very high frequency 470 00:19:29.770 --> 00:19:32.410 radar signals that bounce off Mars and were 471 00:19:32.410 --> 00:19:34.930 processed to develop a radiogram which can be 472 00:19:34.930 --> 00:19:37.410 found on the NASA website. What looks like a 473 00:19:37.410 --> 00:19:40.330 skyline is the outline of the topography 474 00:19:40.330 --> 00:19:42.920 beneath the spacecraft called reason, which 475 00:19:42.920 --> 00:19:45.840 stands for radar for Europa Assessment and 476 00:19:45.840 --> 00:19:48.680 Sounding Ocean near to surface. The radar 477 00:19:48.680 --> 00:19:51.640 instrument will see into Europa's icy 478 00:19:51.640 --> 00:19:53.520 shell, which may have pockets of water 479 00:19:53.520 --> 00:19:56.280 inside. The radar may even be able to detect 480 00:19:56.440 --> 00:19:58.800 the ocean beneath the shell of Jupiter's 481 00:19:58.800 --> 00:20:01.800 fourth largest moon. We've got everything 482 00:20:01.880 --> 00:20:04.280 out of the flyby that we dreamed of, said Don 483 00:20:04.280 --> 00:20:06.800 Blankenship. He's the principal investigator 484 00:20:06.800 --> 00:20:09.620 of the radar instrument of the University of 485 00:20:09.620 --> 00:20:12.540 Texas at Austin. He says the goal was 486 00:20:12.540 --> 00:20:14.500 to determine the radar's readiness for the 487 00:20:14.500 --> 00:20:16.540 Europa mission. And it worked. He says 488 00:20:16.780 --> 00:20:19.220 everything part of every part of the mission 489 00:20:19.220 --> 00:20:21.900 proved itself to do exactly what we 490 00:20:21.900 --> 00:20:23.740 intended. He sounds like a very happy 491 00:20:23.740 --> 00:20:26.660 developer. The radar will help scientists 492 00:20:26.660 --> 00:20:29.620 understand how the ice may capture materials 493 00:20:29.620 --> 00:20:31.460 from the ocean and transfer them to the 494 00:20:31.460 --> 00:20:34.140 surface of the moon above ground. The 495 00:20:34.140 --> 00:20:37.060 instrument will help to study elements of 496 00:20:37.060 --> 00:20:39.460 Europa's topography, such as ridges 497 00:20:39.860 --> 00:20:42.420 so the scientists can examine how they relate 498 00:20:42.420 --> 00:20:44.740 to features that REASON images beneath the 499 00:20:44.740 --> 00:20:47.580 surface. Europa Clipper has an unusual 500 00:20:47.580 --> 00:20:50.100 radar setup for an interplanetary 501 00:20:50.100 --> 00:20:52.820 spacecraft. Reason uses two pair of 502 00:20:52.820 --> 00:20:55.460 slender antenna that jut out from the 503 00:20:55.460 --> 00:20:58.340 solar arrays spanning a distance of about 504 00:20:58.340 --> 00:21:01.060 58ft, or 17.6 meters. 505 00:21:01.140 --> 00:21:03.740 Those arrays themselves are huge, from tip to 506 00:21:03.740 --> 00:21:06.580 tip, the size of a basketball court, so they 507 00:21:06.580 --> 00:21:08.660 can catch as much light as possible at 508 00:21:08.660 --> 00:21:11.260 Europa, which gets about 1 25th as sunlight 509 00:21:11.260 --> 00:21:13.780 as Earth. The instrument team conducted all 510 00:21:13.780 --> 00:21:15.659 the testing that was possible prior to the 511 00:21:15.659 --> 00:21:18.580 Spacecraft's launch from NASA's Kennedy 512 00:21:18.580 --> 00:21:21.116 Space center in Florida on October 513 00:21:21.270 --> 00:21:23.940 14, 2024. During development, 514 00:21:24.180 --> 00:21:26.600 engineers at the agency's Jet Propulsion Lab 515 00:21:26.750 --> 00:21:28.870 laboratory in Southern California even took 516 00:21:28.870 --> 00:21:31.550 the work to outdoors, using open air 517 00:21:31.550 --> 00:21:34.270 towers on a plateau above JPL to stretch out 518 00:21:34.590 --> 00:21:36.390 and test engineering models of the 519 00:21:36.390 --> 00:21:39.310 instruments spindly high frequency and more 520 00:21:39.310 --> 00:21:42.310 compact very high frequency antennas. But 521 00:21:42.310 --> 00:21:44.910 once the actual flight hardware was built, it 522 00:21:44.910 --> 00:21:47.270 needed to be kept sterile and could be tested 523 00:21:47.270 --> 00:21:50.070 only in an enclosed area. Engineers 524 00:21:50.070 --> 00:21:52.960 used the giant high Bay 525 00:21:52.960 --> 00:21:55.920 one clean room at JPL where the spacecraft 526 00:21:55.920 --> 00:21:58.080 was assembled to test the instrument piece by 527 00:21:58.080 --> 00:22:01.000 piece. To test the echo or the bounce back of 528 00:22:01.000 --> 00:22:03.680 reason signals, however, they needed 529 00:22:03.840 --> 00:22:06.480 a chamber of about 250ft, or 530 00:22:06.480 --> 00:22:09.480 76 meters long, nearly 3/4 the length of a 531 00:22:09.480 --> 00:22:12.480 football field. The mission's primary goal in 532 00:22:12.480 --> 00:22:15.280 flying by Mars on March 1, less than 533 00:22:15.280 --> 00:22:17.720 five months after the launch, was to use the 534 00:22:17.720 --> 00:22:20.500 plan planet's gravitational pull to reshape 535 00:22:20.500 --> 00:22:23.420 the spacecraft's trajectory. But it 536 00:22:23.420 --> 00:22:26.380 also presented opportunities to calibrate the 537 00:22:26.380 --> 00:22:28.860 spacecraft's infrared camera and perform a 538 00:22:28.860 --> 00:22:31.700 dry run of the radar instrument over terrain 539 00:22:31.860 --> 00:22:34.300 NASA scientists had been studying for 540 00:22:34.300 --> 00:22:37.060 decades. As Europa Clipper 541 00:22:37.060 --> 00:22:39.260 zipped by the volcanic plains of the Red 542 00:22:39.260 --> 00:22:42.100 planet, starting at 3,100 miles or 543 00:22:42.100 --> 00:22:44.790 5,000 kilometers, down to 550 544 00:22:44.790 --> 00:22:47.790 miles, or 884 kilometers above the surface, 545 00:22:47.950 --> 00:22:50.950 Reason sent and received radio waves for 546 00:22:50.950 --> 00:22:53.630 about 40 minutes. In comparison, at 547 00:22:53.630 --> 00:22:55.790 Europa, the instrument will operate as close 548 00:22:55.790 --> 00:22:58.750 as 16 miles, or 25 kilometers above the 549 00:22:58.750 --> 00:23:00.910 moon's surface. All told, 550 00:23:01.230 --> 00:23:03.870 engineers were able to collect 60 gigabytes 551 00:23:03.870 --> 00:23:06.230 of rich data from the instrument. Almost 552 00:23:06.230 --> 00:23:08.350 immediately, they could tell REASON was 553 00:23:08.350 --> 00:23:10.860 working very well indeed. The flight team 554 00:23:10.860 --> 00:23:13.380 scheduled the full data set to download 555 00:23:13.380 --> 00:23:15.900 starting in mid May. Scientists relished the 556 00:23:15.900 --> 00:23:18.140 opportunity over the next couple of months to 557 00:23:18.140 --> 00:23:20.420 examine the information in detail and compare 558 00:23:20.420 --> 00:23:23.340 notes. The engineers were excited that 559 00:23:23.340 --> 00:23:26.020 their test worked so perfectly, said JPL's 560 00:23:26.020 --> 00:23:28.380 Tina Ray, Europa Clippers deputy science 561 00:23:28.380 --> 00:23:30.940 manager. All of us who had worked so hard to 562 00:23:30.940 --> 00:23:32.900 make this test happen and the scientists 563 00:23:32.900 --> 00:23:34.660 seeing the data for the first time were 564 00:23:34.660 --> 00:23:37.650 ecstatic, she says, saying, oh, look at 565 00:23:37.650 --> 00:23:40.330 this and look at that. Now the science team 566 00:23:40.330 --> 00:23:42.490 is getting a, uh, head start on learning how 567 00:23:42.490 --> 00:23:44.410 to process the data and understand the 568 00:23:44.410 --> 00:23:46.690 instruments behavior compared to the models 569 00:23:47.330 --> 00:23:49.970 they are exercising those muscles just like 570 00:23:49.970 --> 00:23:52.930 they will out at Europa. She sounds like a 571 00:23:52.930 --> 00:23:55.850 very excited scientist. Europa Clipper's 572 00:23:55.850 --> 00:23:58.810 total journey to reach the icy moon will 573 00:23:58.810 --> 00:24:01.210 be about 1.8 billion miles, or 574 00:24:01.210 --> 00:24:04.050 2.9 billion kilometers, and includes more 575 00:24:04.050 --> 00:24:06.030 one more gravity ascendant, fastest using 576 00:24:06.030 --> 00:24:08.790 Earth in 2026. The 577 00:24:08.790 --> 00:24:11.790 spacecraft is currently about 280 million 578 00:24:11.790 --> 00:24:14.790 miles, or 450 million kilometers from Earth. 579 00:24:14.950 --> 00:24:17.310 Europa UH Clipper's three main science 580 00:24:17.310 --> 00:24:19.470 objectives are UH to determine the thickness 581 00:24:19.470 --> 00:24:22.230 of the Moon's icy shell and its interactions 582 00:24:22.230 --> 00:24:24.710 with the ocean below to investigate its 583 00:24:24.710 --> 00:24:27.390 composition and characterize its geology. The 584 00:24:27.390 --> 00:24:30.190 mission's detailed exploration of Europa will 585 00:24:30.190 --> 00:24:32.470 help scientists better understand the 586 00:24:32.470 --> 00:24:34.990 astrobiological potential for habitable 587 00:24:34.990 --> 00:24:36.550 worlds beyond Earth. 588 00:24:37.990 --> 00:24:40.270 You're listening to Astronomy Daily, the 589 00:24:40.270 --> 00:24:40.870 podcast. 590 00:24:40.950 --> 00:24:42.870 Hallie: With your host Steve Dudley. 591 00:24:48.950 --> 00:24:51.350 Astronomers using the NASA ESA 592 00:24:51.430 --> 00:24:53.990 CSA James Webb Space Telescope have observed 593 00:24:53.990 --> 00:24:56.350 the Hubble Ultra Deep Field, an area of deep 594 00:24:56.350 --> 00:24:58.720 space with nearly 10,000 galaxies in the 595 00:24:58.720 --> 00:25:01.320 constellation Fornax. The original 596 00:25:01.320 --> 00:25:03.880 HUDF images were pioneering deep field 597 00:25:03.880 --> 00:25:06.840 observations with hubble. Published in 2004, 598 00:25:07.560 --> 00:25:09.800 they probed more deeply than ever before and 599 00:25:09.800 --> 00:25:12.120 revealed a menagerie of galaxies dating back 600 00:25:12.120 --> 00:25:14.080 to less than a billion years after the Big 601 00:25:14.080 --> 00:25:16.960 Bang. The area was subsequently observed 602 00:25:16.960 --> 00:25:19.320 many times by Hubble and other telescopes. 603 00:25:20.120 --> 00:25:22.360 The field shown here, known as the MIRI Deep 604 00:25:22.360 --> 00:25:24.520 Imaging Survey region, was observed with the 605 00:25:24.520 --> 00:25:26.280 shortest wavelength filter of Webb's mid 606 00:25:26.280 --> 00:25:28.720 infrared Instrument for nearly 100 hours, the 607 00:25:28.720 --> 00:25:31.600 Webb astronomer said in a statement. This 608 00:25:31.600 --> 00:25:33.520 is Webb's longest observation of an 609 00:25:33.520 --> 00:25:35.960 extragalactic field in one filter so far, 610 00:25:35.960 --> 00:25:37.800 producing one of the deepest views ever 611 00:25:37.800 --> 00:25:40.600 obtained of the universe. Combined with data 612 00:25:40.600 --> 00:25:42.800 from Webb's near infrared camera, this image 613 00:25:42.800 --> 00:25:45.160 allows astronomers to explore how galaxies 614 00:25:45.160 --> 00:25:47.160 formed and evolved over billions of years. 615 00:25:48.040 --> 00:25:50.080 These deep observations have revealed more 616 00:25:50.080 --> 00:25:52.905 than 2,500 sources in this tiny patch of sky. 617 00:25:52.905 --> 00:25:55.820 The sky among them are hundreds of extremely 618 00:25:55.820 --> 00:25:57.700 red galaxies, some of which are likely 619 00:25:57.700 --> 00:26:00.100 massive dust obscured systems or evolved 620 00:26:00.100 --> 00:26:02.420 galaxies with mature stars that formed early 621 00:26:02.420 --> 00:26:05.380 in the universe's history. Thanks to Webb's 622 00:26:05.380 --> 00:26:07.260 sharp resolution even at mid infrared 623 00:26:07.260 --> 00:26:09.220 wavelengths, researchers can resolve the 624 00:26:09.220 --> 00:26:11.060 structures of many of these galaxies and 625 00:26:11.060 --> 00:26:12.820 study how their light is distributed, 626 00:26:12.820 --> 00:26:14.900 shedding light on their growth and evolution. 627 00:26:15.700 --> 00:26:18.140 In the new Webb image of hudf, the colors 628 00:26:18.140 --> 00:26:19.230 that appear have been assigned to different 629 00:26:19.230 --> 00:26:21.070 kinds of infrared light highlight the fine 630 00:26:21.070 --> 00:26:22.870 distinctions astronomers can make with these 631 00:26:22.870 --> 00:26:25.670 deep data. Orange and red represent the 632 00:26:25.670 --> 00:26:27.470 longest mid infrared wavelengths, the 633 00:26:27.470 --> 00:26:30.270 astronomers said. The galaxies in these 634 00:26:30.270 --> 00:26:32.390 colors have extra features such as high 635 00:26:32.390 --> 00:26:34.470 concentrations of dust, copious star 636 00:26:34.470 --> 00:26:36.870 formation, or an active galactic nucleus at 637 00:26:36.870 --> 00:26:38.750 their center, which emit more of this farther 638 00:26:38.750 --> 00:26:41.630 infrared light. Small greenish white 639 00:26:41.630 --> 00:26:43.990 galaxies are particularly distant with high 640 00:26:43.990 --> 00:26:46.650 redshifts. This shifts their light 641 00:26:46.650 --> 00:26:48.250 spectrum into the peak mid infrared 642 00:26:48.250 --> 00:26:50.090 wavelengths of the data, which are depicted 643 00:26:50.090 --> 00:26:53.010 in white and green. Most of the galaxies 644 00:26:53.010 --> 00:26:54.970 in this image lack any such mid infrared 645 00:26:54.970 --> 00:26:57.010 boosting features, leaving them most bright 646 00:26:57.010 --> 00:26:59.050 at shorter near infrared wavelengths, which 647 00:26:59.050 --> 00:27:01.170 are depicted with blue and cyan colors. 648 00:27:09.170 --> 00:27:11.850 That everyone was the Monday episode. 649 00:27:11.850 --> 00:27:12.810 Steve Dunkley: Wow, Hallie. All done. 650 00:27:12.810 --> 00:27:15.780 Hallie: Um, and no one caught a nasty science fiction 651 00:27:15.780 --> 00:27:17.700 bug from outer space, did we? 652 00:27:18.020 --> 00:27:20.620 Steve Dunkley: No we didn't, Hallie. So 653 00:27:20.620 --> 00:27:22.980 thankfully, we will be seeing you again next 654 00:27:22.980 --> 00:27:24.580 week on Astronomy Daily with. 655 00:27:24.580 --> 00:27:25.980 Hallie: Us, Hallie and Steve. 656 00:27:25.980 --> 00:27:27.780 Steve Dunkley: That's right. See you next Monday, everybody. 657 00:27:27.780 --> 00:27:28.340 Hallie: Bye. 658 00:27:31.700 --> 00:27:33.780 Voice Over Guy: Astronomy Daily, the podcast 659 00:27:34.500 --> 00:27:36.500 with your host, Steve Dunkley.