WEBVTT 0 00:00:00.000 --> 00:00:02.640 Avery: Hello, and welcome to Astronomy Daily, 1 00:00:02.720 --> 00:00:05.320 the podcast that brings you the biggest news 2 00:00:05.320 --> 00:00:07.760 from across the cosmos. I'm your host, 3 00:00:07.840 --> 00:00:08.640 Avery. 4 00:00:08.720 --> 00:00:11.680 Anna: And I'm Anna. It's a packed day, Avery. 5 00:00:11.680 --> 00:00:14.040 We've got a massive rocket gearing up for 6 00:00:14.040 --> 00:00:16.620 launch, a rare lunar event, a, uh, 7 00:00:16.680 --> 00:00:18.800 disappointing update on a once promising 8 00:00:18.880 --> 00:00:21.880 exoplanet, and a fascinating new strategy 9 00:00:21.880 --> 00:00:23.680 for finding intelligent life. 10 00:00:24.480 --> 00:00:27.280 Avery: Let's not waste any time then. Let's start 11 00:00:27.280 --> 00:00:28.240 with the big one. 12 00:00:28.700 --> 00:00:31.420 SpaceX is getting ready to fly Starship 13 00:00:31.420 --> 00:00:31.740 again. 14 00:00:32.140 --> 00:00:34.860 Anna: That's right. This will be the 10th overall 15 00:00:34.860 --> 00:00:37.860 test flight for the Starship system. The 16 00:00:37.860 --> 00:00:40.340 massive super heavy booster has been moved to 17 00:00:40.340 --> 00:00:43.340 the launch pad down at Starbase in South 18 00:00:43.340 --> 00:00:46.020 Texas, with the launch tentatively scheduled 19 00:00:46.020 --> 00:00:47.900 for this Sunday, August 24th. 20 00:00:48.060 --> 00:00:50.420 Avery: And for anyone who's new to the show, we're 21 00:00:50.420 --> 00:00:53.180 not exaggerating when we say massive 22 00:00:53.580 --> 00:00:56.300 Starship is the largest and most powerful 23 00:00:56.300 --> 00:00:59.120 rocket and ever built. This is the vehicle 24 00:00:59.120 --> 00:01:01.840 SpaceX has designed to eventually send people 25 00:01:01.840 --> 00:01:03.320 to the Moon and Mars. 26 00:01:03.760 --> 00:01:06.440 Anna: M. Exactly. This upcoming launch marks the 27 00:01:06.440 --> 00:01:09.200 fourth test flight of 2025. And 28 00:01:09.200 --> 00:01:11.560 as many of our listeners know, the previous 29 00:01:11.720 --> 00:01:14.200 three flights this year ended prematurely. 30 00:01:14.760 --> 00:01:17.200 SpaceX is known for its rapid, iterative 31 00:01:17.200 --> 00:01:20.200 approach to testing. They build, they fly, 32 00:01:20.280 --> 00:01:22.440 they learn from any failures, and they fly 33 00:01:22.440 --> 00:01:23.240 again quickly. 34 00:01:23.240 --> 00:01:26.080 Avery: And that's really what sets SpaceX apart from 35 00:01:26.080 --> 00:01:28.970 traditional aerospace, isn't it? The old 36 00:01:28.970 --> 00:01:31.250 way was to test everything on the ground for 37 00:01:31.250 --> 00:01:34.170 years, aiming for perfection before the first 38 00:01:34.170 --> 00:01:36.970 launch. SpaceX treats it more like 39 00:01:36.970 --> 00:01:39.530 software development. Launch, find the 40 00:01:39.530 --> 00:01:41.890 bugs, fix them, and launch again. 41 00:01:42.210 --> 00:01:45.130 It's a build, fly, learn, repeat model 42 00:01:45.130 --> 00:01:48.010 that moves incredibly fast. So 43 00:01:48.010 --> 00:01:50.810 what does a successful test look like this 44 00:01:50.810 --> 00:01:53.570 time around? Are they trying to get to orbit? 45 00:01:53.890 --> 00:01:55.810 Anna: The flight plan is similar to the previous 46 00:01:55.810 --> 00:01:58.570 attempts. If all goes well, the super 47 00:01:58.570 --> 00:02:01.430 heavy booster will perform its burn separate 48 00:02:01.430 --> 00:02:03.630 from the Starship upper stage and then 49 00:02:03.630 --> 00:02:05.990 conduct a soft splashdown in the Gulf of 50 00:02:05.990 --> 00:02:08.750 Mexico. The upper stage, or 51 00:02:08.750 --> 00:02:11.230 ship will continue on a suborbital 52 00:02:11.230 --> 00:02:14.030 trajectory, re enter the atmosphere and 53 00:02:14.190 --> 00:02:16.910 aim for its own splashdown in the Indian 54 00:02:16.910 --> 00:02:17.470 Ocean. 55 00:02:17.710 --> 00:02:20.030 Avery: Fingers crossed for a successful flight. 56 00:02:20.430 --> 00:02:22.710 Each step gets them closer to returning 57 00:02:22.710 --> 00:02:24.750 astronauts to the moon. We'll be watching 58 00:02:24.750 --> 00:02:25.630 closely on Sunday. 59 00:02:26.820 --> 00:02:29.540 Speaking of the moon, the Starship is a 60 00:02:29.540 --> 00:02:32.340 crucial part of NASA's Artemis program. 61 00:02:32.820 --> 00:02:35.820 It's not just about SpaceX's ambitions. It's 62 00:02:35.820 --> 00:02:38.820 about a global effort to return to the lunar 63 00:02:38.820 --> 00:02:41.500 surface. For our listeners who might not be 64 00:02:41.500 --> 00:02:44.260 familiar with it, what exactly is the 65 00:02:44.260 --> 00:02:45.140 Artemis Program? 66 00:02:45.380 --> 00:02:48.180 Anna: The Artemis program is NASA's ambitious 67 00:02:48.180 --> 00:02:50.860 plan to establish a, uh, sustainable human 68 00:02:50.860 --> 00:02:53.860 presence on and around the Moon. It's 69 00:02:53.860 --> 00:02:56.420 A multi stage effort with the ultimate goal 70 00:02:56.420 --> 00:02:58.920 of not just visiting the Moon, but learning 71 00:02:58.920 --> 00:03:01.320 to live and work there. This will then serve 72 00:03:01.320 --> 00:03:04.000 as a stepping stone for future missions to 73 00:03:04.000 --> 00:03:06.920 Mars. From a future event to one 74 00:03:06.920 --> 00:03:08.400 that's happening this week. 75 00:03:08.800 --> 00:03:10.960 On Saturday, August 23rd, we'll be 76 00:03:10.960 --> 00:03:12.640 experiencing a black Moon. 77 00:03:13.040 --> 00:03:15.400 Avery: A black Moon. That sounds incredibly 78 00:03:15.400 --> 00:03:18.080 dramatic. Is this an official astronomical 79 00:03:18.080 --> 00:03:18.400 term? 80 00:03:18.560 --> 00:03:21.200 Anna: It's more of a colloquial term, actually. 81 00:03:21.760 --> 00:03:24.160 It's not something you'll find in astronomy 82 00:03:24.160 --> 00:03:27.070 textbooks. A black moon refers to the 83 00:03:27.070 --> 00:03:29.550 13th new moon in a single 84 00:03:29.550 --> 00:03:32.550 calendar year. Normally we have 12, one 85 00:03:32.550 --> 00:03:35.470 for each month. But because the lunar cycle 86 00:03:35.470 --> 00:03:37.830 is slightly shorter than our calendar months, 87 00:03:38.070 --> 00:03:40.150 we get an extra one every few years. 88 00:03:40.310 --> 00:03:43.230 Avery: Ah, uh, so it's a scheduling quirk. So 89 00:03:43.230 --> 00:03:45.990 what is a new Moon? For our listeners who 90 00:03:45.990 --> 00:03:46.790 might not know. 91 00:03:47.110 --> 00:03:49.550 Anna: A new Moon occurs when the Moon passes 92 00:03:49.550 --> 00:03:52.430 between the Earth and the Sun. From our 93 00:03:52.430 --> 00:03:55.110 perspective, the side of the Moon facing us 94 00:03:55.110 --> 00:03:57.470 is, is not illuminated by sunlight. 95 00:03:57.950 --> 00:03:59.910 So the Moon is still up there in the sky 96 00:03:59.910 --> 00:04:02.270 during the day, but we can't see it because 97 00:04:02.270 --> 00:04:05.190 its dark side is facing us and it's 98 00:04:05.190 --> 00:04:06.590 lost in the blare of the Sun. 99 00:04:06.750 --> 00:04:09.230 Avery: Which means if we can't see the Moon, the 100 00:04:09.230 --> 00:04:11.950 night sky is much, much darker. 101 00:04:12.110 --> 00:04:14.590 This is fantastic news for stargazers. 102 00:04:14.910 --> 00:04:17.870 Anna: Precisely. Without the moonlight washing 103 00:04:17.870 --> 00:04:20.510 out the fainter stars, a new Moon 104 00:04:20.510 --> 00:04:23.310 provides the best conditions for stargazing. 105 00:04:23.960 --> 00:04:26.520 So while you can't see the Black Moon itself, 106 00:04:26.920 --> 00:04:29.320 its absence makes for a perfect 107 00:04:29.320 --> 00:04:32.320 opportunity to get out your telescope or 108 00:04:32.320 --> 00:04:35.320 even just a pair of binoculars and enjoy 109 00:04:35.320 --> 00:04:36.280 the night sky. 110 00:04:36.760 --> 00:04:39.240 Avery: All right, from good news for stargazing here 111 00:04:39.240 --> 00:04:41.760 on Earth to some less than stellar news from 112 00:04:41.760 --> 00:04:44.360 far away. Anna, what's this about? The James 113 00:04:44.360 --> 00:04:46.800 Webb Space Telescope delivering a bit of a 114 00:04:46.800 --> 00:04:47.320 letdown. 115 00:04:48.040 --> 00:04:50.760 Anna: Yes, this story concerns an 116 00:04:50.760 --> 00:04:53.000 exoplanet named GJ 117 00:04:53.160 --> 00:04:54.760 3929. 118 00:04:56.140 --> 00:04:58.740 It was once considered a promising candidate 119 00:04:58.740 --> 00:05:01.660 in the search for Earth like worlds. However, 120 00:05:02.140 --> 00:05:04.300 new data from the JWST 121 00:05:05.020 --> 00:05:07.900 has determined that the planet likely has no 122 00:05:07.900 --> 00:05:10.820 atmosphere at all. It's now believed to be 123 00:05:10.820 --> 00:05:11.740 a bare rock. 124 00:05:12.140 --> 00:05:14.580 Avery: Ah, uh, that's a shame. Uh, you hear about 125 00:05:14.580 --> 00:05:16.820 these potentially habitable worlds and get 126 00:05:16.820 --> 00:05:19.660 your hopes up. Why was this one considered so 127 00:05:19.660 --> 00:05:20.860 promising to begin with? 128 00:05:21.430 --> 00:05:24.430 Anna: It's a rocky exoplanet orbiting a red 129 00:05:24.430 --> 00:05:27.270 dwarf star, a type of system that is 130 00:05:27.270 --> 00:05:30.230 very common in our galaxy and a key 131 00:05:30.310 --> 00:05:32.750 focus for scientists. This 132 00:05:32.750 --> 00:05:35.270 observation was part of a special program 133 00:05:35.510 --> 00:05:37.030 using the JWST 134 00:05:37.750 --> 00:05:40.630 specifically designed to study these rocky 135 00:05:40.630 --> 00:05:42.870 worlds and hunt for atmospheres. 136 00:05:43.590 --> 00:05:45.430 Avery: So even though it's a disappointing result 137 00:05:45.430 --> 00:05:47.950 for this Specific planet. It's still useful 138 00:05:47.950 --> 00:05:48.550 data, right? 139 00:05:49.370 --> 00:05:51.850 Anna: That's the key takeaway. Science 140 00:05:51.850 --> 00:05:54.130 isn't just about finding what you're looking 141 00:05:54.130 --> 00:05:56.730 for. It's also about ruling things out. 142 00:05:57.370 --> 00:06:00.170 These findings, while not what we hoped for, 143 00:06:00.410 --> 00:06:03.010 are crucial. They contribute to our 144 00:06:03.010 --> 00:06:05.930 understanding of how planets evolve and 145 00:06:05.930 --> 00:06:08.930 what factors allow a planet to hold on 146 00:06:08.930 --> 00:06:11.530 to its atmosphere. It helps scientists 147 00:06:11.530 --> 00:06:14.490 refine their models and know what to look for 148 00:06:14.490 --> 00:06:17.450 and what to avoid in future searches. 149 00:06:18.140 --> 00:06:21.060 Every discovery, even a null result, is a 150 00:06:21.060 --> 00:06:22.140 piece of the puzzle. 151 00:06:22.780 --> 00:06:24.710 Avery: Speaking of searching for things, our, uh, 152 00:06:24.710 --> 00:06:26.860 last story is the one that really caught my 153 00:06:26.860 --> 00:06:29.460 eye. It's about finding the best places to 154 00:06:29.460 --> 00:06:32.140 look for signals from intelligent alien life. 155 00:06:32.540 --> 00:06:34.300 This is the big question, isn't it? 156 00:06:34.380 --> 00:06:35.340 Avery: Are we alone? 157 00:06:35.740 --> 00:06:38.700 Anna: It certainly is. And this new research 158 00:06:38.860 --> 00:06:41.620 from NASA's Deep Space Network and Penn 159 00:06:41.620 --> 00:06:44.420 State University offers a clever new 160 00:06:44.420 --> 00:06:46.940 approach. Scientists analyzed 161 00:06:47.100 --> 00:06:50.060 20 years of data from NASA's Deep Space 162 00:06:50.140 --> 00:06:52.900 Network, or DSN. That's the 163 00:06:52.900 --> 00:06:55.660 network of giant radio antennas we use 164 00:06:55.900 --> 00:06:58.700 to communicate with our spacecraft across the 165 00:06:58.700 --> 00:06:59.340 solar system. 166 00:06:59.740 --> 00:07:01.900 Avery: So they weren't looking for incoming signals. 167 00:07:01.900 --> 00:07:04.140 Avery: But looking at our outgoing signals. 168 00:07:04.540 --> 00:07:07.180 Anna: Exactly. They mapped where our most 169 00:07:07.260 --> 00:07:10.180 powerful deep space radio signals have 170 00:07:10.180 --> 00:07:12.620 been pointed over the last two decades. 171 00:07:13.130 --> 00:07:15.490 And they found something fascinating. Our 172 00:07:15.490 --> 00:07:18.130 transmissions are overwhelmingly directed 173 00:07:18.130 --> 00:07:21.130 towards our spacecraft near Mars. We are 174 00:07:21.130 --> 00:07:23.970 constantly beaming information towards the. 175 00:07:23.970 --> 00:07:26.410 Avery: Red planet M. So what you're saying. 176 00:07:26.410 --> 00:07:29.410 Avery: Is we've been accidentally broadcasting we 177 00:07:29.410 --> 00:07:32.090 are here in the direction of Mars for years? 178 00:07:32.730 --> 00:07:35.610 Anna: In a way, yes. The study suggests 179 00:07:35.610 --> 00:07:38.050 that if an extraterrestrial intelligence 180 00:07:38.050 --> 00:07:40.390 would were located in a place where they 181 00:07:40.390 --> 00:07:43.350 could see the Earth and Mars align, there's a 182 00:07:43.350 --> 00:07:46.270 77% chance they would be in the 183 00:07:46.270 --> 00:07:48.750 path of one of our powerful transmissions. 184 00:07:49.070 --> 00:07:51.310 This gives us a targeted search area. 185 00:07:52.110 --> 00:07:54.549 Avery: So the best place to listen for aliens is 186 00:07:54.549 --> 00:07:55.990 where they would have the best chance of 187 00:07:55.990 --> 00:07:58.310 hearing us first. That makes perfect sense. 188 00:07:58.310 --> 00:08:00.110 It's like checking your missed calls. 189 00:08:00.510 --> 00:08:03.430 Anna: It's a logical strategy. The researchers 190 00:08:03.430 --> 00:08:05.310 recommend that the search for these 191 00:08:05.310 --> 00:08:07.630 technosignatures should focus on 192 00:08:07.710 --> 00:08:10.490 planetary systems that are edge on 193 00:08:10.490 --> 00:08:13.250 to our own solar system's plane and 194 00:08:13.250 --> 00:08:15.610 relatively close by within about 195 00:08:15.690 --> 00:08:18.210 23 light years. It's a way of 196 00:08:18.210 --> 00:08:20.890 narrowing down an impossibly large search 197 00:08:20.890 --> 00:08:23.530 area to something much more manageable. 198 00:08:24.090 --> 00:08:26.810 Avery: What an episode. We've had a rocket launch, 199 00:08:26.890 --> 00:08:29.610 a, uh, sky gazing opportunity, a reality 200 00:08:29.610 --> 00:08:32.410 check for an exoplanet, and a new roadmap for 201 00:08:32.410 --> 00:08:33.290 finding E.T. 202 00:08:34.090 --> 00:08:36.170 Anna: It just shows that there's always something 203 00:08:36.250 --> 00:08:39.060 new and exciting happening out there. That's 204 00:08:39.060 --> 00:08:40.980 all the time we have for this episode. 205 00:08:41.220 --> 00:08:43.060 Avery: If you'd like to read more about the stories 206 00:08:43.060 --> 00:08:45.380 we discussed today or browse our archive of 207 00:08:45.380 --> 00:08:47.220 back episodes. Be sure to visit our 208 00:08:47.220 --> 00:08:49.700 website@astronomydaily.IO. 209 00:08:49.940 --> 00:08:52.260 Anna: Thanks for tuning in to Astronomy Daily. 210 00:08:52.980 --> 00:08:54.100 Avery: Clear skies, everyone.