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Anna: Welcome to Astronomy Daily. Your go

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to source for the latest news from space and

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beyond. I'm Anna.

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Avery: And I'm Avery. We've got some absolutely

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fascinating stories for you today from

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groundbreaking research on how space travel

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affects our bodies to a spectacular lunar

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eclipse coming next year, and even the most

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expensive Lego set ever created.

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Anna: Oh, that Lego story is going to be fun.

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But first, let's dive into some serious

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science.

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NASA just published some pretty concerning

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findings about what happens to our blood

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cells in space. Avery. This study

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tracked human stem cells during four

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different SpaceX missions to the

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International Space Station.

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Avery: Yeah, and the results are pretty eye opening,

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Anna. Uh, these cells spent between 32 to

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45 days in space, and researchers found

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they started losing their ability to make

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healthy new cells. Basically, they began

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showing signs of accelerated aging up there.

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Anna: That's really troubling when you think about

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it. What specifically were they seeing?

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DNA damage.

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Avery: Exactly. The cells show DNA damage

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and something called shorter telomeres. Think

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of telomeres like the plastic tips on

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shoelaces. They protect our chromosomes. And

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when they get shorter, it's a sign of

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cellular aging. But here's the interesting

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part. So some of this damage actually

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reversed when the cells returned to Earth.

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Anna: M that's actually encouraging news. So our

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bodies might have some ability to recover

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from space induced aging, but this research

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is crucial for planning those long duration

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missions to Mars, right?

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Avery: Absolutely. A trip to Mars could take six

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to nine months each way. So we're talking

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about astronauts spending well over a year in

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space. Understanding how to protect them from

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the cellular damage is going to be essential.

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The research team led by SC from UC

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San Diego found that the space environment

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creates what they call a senescence like

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state in these stem cells. Basically,

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premature aging at the cellular level. Plus,

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this research might also help us understand

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aging here on Earth, potentially leading to

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new treatments for age related diseases.

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Anna: That's fascinating. So what exactly

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is it about the space environment that causes

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this damage? Is it the radiation

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or the microgravity or both?

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Avery: Great question, Anna. Uh, it's actually a

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combination of multiple stressors. First,

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there's the cosmic radiation. High energy

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particles that constantly bombard astronauts

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outside Earth's protective magnetosphere.

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Then there's microgravity, which affects how

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cells distribute nutrients and waste

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products. The researchers also noted that the

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confined space environment and altered

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circadian rhythms could contribute to

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cellular stress. It's like a perfect

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storm of conditions that our bodies simply

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didn't evolve to handle.

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Anna: M Are there any potential countermeasures

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being developed? I imagine this research is

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leading to Ideas about how we might protect

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astronauts on those long Mars missions?

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Avery: Absolutely. NASA and other space agencies

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are exploring several approaches. They're

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looking at pharmaceutical interventions,

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drugs that could protect cells from radiation

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damage or help maintain telomere length.

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There's also research into better spacecraft

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shielding, artificial gravity systems using

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rotating modules, and even the possibility

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of using stem cell therapy to refresh an

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astronaut's blood supply during long

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missions. Some scientists are even

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investigating whether certain dietary

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supplements or exercise regimens might help

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counteract these effects.

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Anna: That's a great point. Space research often

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leads to medical breakthroughs for everyone.

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But speaking of things we can all look

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forward to, let's talk about this amazing

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lunar eclipse coming up. Avery, tell me about

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this blood Moon event.

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Avery: Oh, this is going to be spectacular.

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On September 7th and 8th, 2025,

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we're getting a total lunar eclipse that will

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be visible to over 7 billion people around

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the world. That's like 85% of the

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global population. Anna. Uh, the eclipse will

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be best seen from Europe, Africa, Asia, and

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Australia. The total phase will last for

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about 65 minutes, making it one of the longer

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total lunar eclipses we'll see this decade.

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Anna: That's a long duration. Can you walk us

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through what viewers will actually see during

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those 65 minutes of totality?

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Avery: It's going to be amazing. The eclipse will

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begin with a subtle dimming as Earth's

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penumbral shadow starts covering the moon.

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Then, around 1826 UTC,

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the partial eclipse begins as Earth darker

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umbral shadow starts taking a bite out of the

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Moon. The real magic happens at 19:30

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UTC, when the moon will turn that beautiful

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deep red or copper color. During

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totality, viewers might also see stars that

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are normally washed out by the Moon's

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brightness. The whole event will last about

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five and a half hours from start to finish.

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Anna: Wow, that's incredible reach. But

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unfortunately, we here in the US Won't be

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able to see it directly, right?

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Avery: That's right. But don't worry. There are

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going to be multiple free livestreams

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available. The Virtual Telescope project in

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Italy and Time and Date from Cyprus are both

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planning coverage. So we can still experience

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that beautiful blood Moon effect from our

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computers.

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Anna: For our listeners who might not know, can

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you explain what creates that dramatic red

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color during a total lunar eclipse?

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Avery: Sure. So during a total lunar eclipse,

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Earth passes directly between the Moon and

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the Sun. But Earth's atmosphere acts like a

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lens, bending sunlight around our planet.

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The red wavelengths of light get through more

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easily than blue ones. So the Moon takes on

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this eerie reddish glow. It's the same Reason

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sunsets look red.

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Anna: I love how astronomy connects these

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everyday phenomena.

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Now let's shift gears to some exciting

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telescope news. The Murchison

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Wildfield Array in Western Australia

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just completed a major upgrade.

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Avery: This upgrade is massive, Anna. Uh, they've

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completed what they're calling phase three,

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which doubled the telescope from

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4,096 antennas to

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8,192 antennas spread

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over a 30 square kilometer area. That's

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quadrupled their data output and

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significantly improved their resolution.

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Anna: That's an incredible scale. What are they

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planning to study with all this new

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capability?

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Avery: They're focusing on some of the most

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fundamental questions in astronomy. They want

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to study the epoch of reionization,

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basically the period when the first stars and

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galaxies lit up the universe after the dark

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ages, about 13 billion years ago.

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This upgrade will let them map hydrogen

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signals from that era with unprecedented

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detail. They're also looking at transient

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events like fast radio bursts and something

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really mysterious called odd radio circles,

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or orcs. Plus, they'll be

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doing advanced studies of pulsars, which are

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like cosmic lighthouses that can help us

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understand extreme physics.

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Anna: Odd radio circles. That sounds

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intriguing. Are these like crop circles

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but in space?

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Avery: Not quite, but they are mysterious.

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Orcs are these huge circular

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radio structures that we can see with radio

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telescopes, but they don't appear in visible

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light, X rays, or infrared.

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We're not exactly sure what causes them. They

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might be shockwaves from galactic collisions

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or something even more exotic. The

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upgraded MWA should help us figure out what

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they really are.

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Anna: And this is all preparation for an even

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bigger project, right?

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Avery: Exactly. This upgrade is helping prepare for

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the Square kilometer array, or

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SKA, which will eventually have

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131,000 antennas.

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When that's complete, it'll be the world's

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largest radio telescope. The MWA

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is basically a testing ground for the

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technologies and techniques they'll need for

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that massive project.

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Anna: Speaking of groundbreaking discoveries, we

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should talk about some recent James Webb

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Telescope findings that are literally

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rewriting astronomy textbooks.

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Avery. The Webb Telescope has been finding

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galaxies that are much more massive and

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mature than we expected in the early

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universe.

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Avery: Oh, yes, this is absolutely revolutionary

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stuff. Anna Webb is seeing galaxies that

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formed just 400 to 600 million years

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after the Big Bang. That's when the universe

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was only about 3 to 4% of its current age.

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But these galaxies are surprisingly large and

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well structured. Some are as massive as our

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Milky Way, which, according to our previous

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models, shouldn't have been possible so early

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in cosmic history. It's like finding a fully

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grown oak tree in what you expected to be A

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nursery of seedlings.

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Anna: That's such a perfect analogy. So

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what does this mean for our understanding of

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how the universe evolved? Are astronomers

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having to revise their models?

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Avery: Absolutely they are. These discoveries

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suggest that galaxy formation and growth

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happened much faster than we thought

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possible. Astronomers are now reconsidering

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how efficiently the first black holes and

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stars formed and how quickly they could

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accumulate matters. Some theories propose

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that the universe's early dark matter

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structures were more massive and formed more

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rapidly than our standard models predicted.

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It's also possible that the first stars were

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much more massive and short lived than we

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assumed, leading to faster chemical

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enrichment of the early universe.

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Anna: It's incredible how much Webb is changing our

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perspective on the cosmos.

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And speaking of discoveries that challenge

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our assumptions, let's talk about some

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exciting news from Mars. The Perseverance

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rover has made some remarkable discoveries in

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Jezero CR that are giving us new

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insights into ancient Martian water activity.

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Avery: Yes, this is really exciting. Perseverance

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has been analyzing sedimentary rocks that

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clearly show evidence of a substantial lake

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that existed in Jezero Crater buildings of

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years ago. But what's particularly

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interesting is the chemistry they're finding.

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The rover has detected organic compounds,

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carbon based molecules that could potentially

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be biosignatures. Now these could also have

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non biological origins, but they're exactly

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the kind of molecules that life as we know it

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would produce.

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Anna: And Perseverance is collecting samples from

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these promising locations. Right, for

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eventual return to Earth.

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Avery: Exactly. Perseverance has now collected over

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24 samples in sealed tubes. And several

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of them are from these particularly

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intriguing locations. The Mars sample return

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mission is still being planned. But when

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those samples eventually make it back to

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Earth, hopefully Sometime in the2030s,

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scientists will be able to analyze them with

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laboratory instruments that are far more

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sophisticated than anything we can send to

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Mars. That's when we might finally get

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definitive answers about whether life ever

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existed on Mars.

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Anna: The possibility of finding life on Mars,

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that would be the ultimate discovery.

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But while we wait for those samples to

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return, let's bring things back to Earth with

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something that's sure to delight space fans

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of all ages. And it's going to cost you

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nearly $1,000 if you want it.

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Avery: Ugh. You're talking about the new LEGO Death

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Star. Anna. Uh, this thing is absolutely

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incredible. Lego just announced their new

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Star Wars Ultimate Collector series, Death

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Star, and it's the most expensive LEGO set

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they've ever made at

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$999.99.

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Anna: Nearly a thousand dollars for LEGO

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blocks. But I have to admit, when I saw the

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specs, I was Pretty impressed. How many

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pieces are we talking about here?

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Avery: Get this. 9,023

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pieces and 38 minifigures. The completed

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Death Star measures 28 inches high,

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32 inches wide, and 11 inches deep.

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It's got this amazing cross sectional design

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that shows all the famous locations from the

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Star wars films inside the Death Star.

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Anna: So you can see the throne room where Luke

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confronted the emperor, the trash compactor,

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all those iconic scenes.

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Avery: Exactly. And, um, LEGO really knows their

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audience. It goes on sale October 1st for

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LEGO Insiders, and then everyone else can get

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it starting October 4th. What's really

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impressive is that this isn't just a display

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model. It's designed to be highly

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interactive. The cross sectional design lets

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builders recreate famous scenes from the

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movies. And with 38 minifigures, you

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can populate all those detailed interior

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spaces. I have a feeling this is going to

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sell out pretty quickly, especially with the

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holidays coming up.

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Anna: The engineering that goes into these massive

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LEGO sets is incredible, too. Uh, I

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imagine supporting a structure that size and

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weight with LEGO bricks requires some

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serious architectural planning.

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Avery: Oh, absolutely. Lego's designers are

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basically architects and engineers. This

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Depth Star uses advanced building techniques

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like technic beams for internal structure,

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specialized connector pieces to handle the

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weight distribution, and clever use of

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overlapping plates to ensure stability. The

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fact that it can support its own weight while

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still allowing access to all those detailed

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interior sections is really a masterpiece of

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toy engineering. It's estimated to take about

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20 to 30 hours to complete for most builders.

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Anna: I can see this becoming a serious collector's

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item, though. At that price point,

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it's definitely more of an investment piece

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than a casual purchase. But for Star wars

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fans who also love building, it sounds like

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it could be worth every penny.

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Avery: Absolutely. And you know what I love about

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stories like this? It shows how space and

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science fiction continue to inspire people in

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so many different ways. From serious research

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about aging in space to incredibly

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detailed recreations of imaginary space

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stations.

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Anna: That's such a great point, Avery. Whether

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it's NASA studying how to keep

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astronauts healthy on Mars missions,

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radio telescopes, PE back to the dawn of

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time, or LEGO bringing the Death Star

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to our living rooms, it all stems from that

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same human fascination with what's out there

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beyond our world.

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Avery: And we'll be here to bring you all of it.

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That's all for today's episode of Astronomy

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Daily. Don't forget to mark your calendars

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for that lunar eclipse in September 2025.

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Even if we can't see it directly here in the

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US Those live streams are going to be

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amazing.

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Anna: Thanks for joining us today, everyone. Keep

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looking up. And Steve and Hallie will be here

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on Monday with more news from the cosmos. I'm

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Anna.

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Avery: And I'm Avery. Until next time, stay curious

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about the universe around us.