WEBVTT

0
00:00:00.000 --> 00:00:02.040
Anna: Hey there, space enthusiasts. Welcome to

1
00:00:02.040 --> 00:00:04.640
Astronomy Daily, your cosmic catch up for the

2
00:00:04.640 --> 00:00:07.000
latest in space and astronomy News. Give us

3
00:00:07.000 --> 00:00:08.720
10 minutes and we'll give you the universe.

4
00:00:08.880 --> 00:00:11.240
I'm Anna, and I've got my coffee ready. How

5
00:00:11.240 --> 00:00:11.760
about you?

6
00:00:12.480 --> 00:00:14.840
Avery: Yo, Anna. Uh, I'm Avery, and my mug's

7
00:00:14.840 --> 00:00:15.440
steaming. M too.

8
00:00:15.680 --> 00:00:18.640
It's October 22, 2025, and we've

9
00:00:18.640 --> 00:00:21.200
got a stellar lineup Today. We're diving into

10
00:00:21.200 --> 00:00:24.040
five out of this world stories. Europe's bold

11
00:00:24.040 --> 00:00:26.660
new Space Shield initiative. Some spicy drama

12
00:00:26.660 --> 00:00:29.220
between Elon Musk and NASA over the moon.

13
00:00:29.300 --> 00:00:32.020
Quirky giant planets rewriting astronomy

14
00:00:32.020 --> 00:00:34.620
textbooks, an interstellar comet ready to

15
00:00:34.620 --> 00:00:36.820
sprinkle NASA's Jupiter probe with cosmic

16
00:00:36.820 --> 00:00:39.420
dust. And a sneaky asteroid playing hide and

17
00:00:39.420 --> 00:00:41.620
seek in the sun's glare. Buckle up.

18
00:00:42.180 --> 00:00:44.540
Anna: Oh, yeah, Avery. It's like the universe is

19
00:00:44.540 --> 00:00:47.060
serving us a full buffet of news today. Let's

20
00:00:47.060 --> 00:00:48.340
get straight into our first story.

21
00:00:48.820 --> 00:00:49.700
Avery: Right, right.

22
00:00:49.700 --> 00:00:52.020
Let's kick things off with Europe's big move.

23
00:00:52.300 --> 00:00:54.180
The EU is rolling out the European Space

24
00:00:54.180 --> 00:00:57.020
Shield initiative in Q2 2026,

25
00:00:57.420 --> 00:00:59.980
part of their Defense Readiness Roadmap 2030.

26
00:01:00.540 --> 00:01:03.180
This is all about protecting space assets.

27
00:01:03.340 --> 00:01:05.820
Think satellites for navigation, Earth

28
00:01:05.820 --> 00:01:08.339
observation, and secure comms from growing

29
00:01:08.339 --> 00:01:10.700
threats. Anna, what's the vibe here?

30
00:01:11.020 --> 00:01:13.380
Anna: It's like Europe saying we're not messing

31
00:01:13.380 --> 00:01:16.140
around. They're pumping euro 800 billion

32
00:01:16.140 --> 00:01:18.180
into the rearm Europe program to boost

33
00:01:18.180 --> 00:01:20.170
defense, and this space shield is a

34
00:01:20.170 --> 00:01:22.690
cornerstone. It's about building tools to

35
00:01:22.690 --> 00:01:25.530
spot threats in real time, counter stuff like

36
00:01:25.530 --> 00:01:28.330
jamming or spoofing, and even do cool in

37
00:01:28.330 --> 00:01:30.810
space ops like satellite servicing. There

38
00:01:30.810 --> 00:01:32.770
released a white paper on European defense

39
00:01:32.770 --> 00:01:34.530
readiness in March this year, laying it all

40
00:01:34.530 --> 00:01:34.810
out.

41
00:01:36.090 --> 00:01:38.810
Avery: That's a hefty budget. This is one of four

42
00:01:38.810 --> 00:01:41.210
big initiatives alongside drone defense,

43
00:01:41.210 --> 00:01:43.610
eastern flank watch, and airshield

44
00:01:44.010 --> 00:01:46.650
space and air shields drop in quarter two,

45
00:01:46.810 --> 00:01:49.610
2026 after the others in quarter one.

46
00:01:50.250 --> 00:01:52.530
No word yet on who's joining or what

47
00:01:52.530 --> 00:01:55.290
companies are involved, but Europe's clearly

48
00:01:55.290 --> 00:01:58.050
leveling up its space game. Kaya Kallas,

49
00:01:58.050 --> 00:02:01.010
the EU high rep, put it to

50
00:02:01.010 --> 00:02:03.050
defend ourselves in space, we are now

51
00:02:03.050 --> 00:02:05.850
developing a new European Space shield.

52
00:02:06.330 --> 00:02:08.690
Anna: Love that quote. She's all about real time

53
00:02:08.690 --> 00:02:10.330
threat awareness, quick response and

54
00:02:10.330 --> 00:02:13.090
teamwork. And Commissioner Andreas Kabilius

55
00:02:13.090 --> 00:02:15.490
nailed it, too. There can be no defense

56
00:02:15.490 --> 00:02:17.970
without space, and there is no space without

57
00:02:18.050 --> 00:02:20.610
industry. It's like space is the

58
00:02:20.610 --> 00:02:22.050
backbone of modern security.

59
00:02:22.850 --> 00:02:25.490
Avery: Totally. This could really unify Europe

60
00:02:25.570 --> 00:02:28.090
against threats like anti satellite weapons

61
00:02:28.090 --> 00:02:30.970
or cyberattacks in orbit. With space getting

62
00:02:30.970 --> 00:02:33.610
more crowded and contested, it's a power

63
00:02:33.610 --> 00:02:36.170
move. Anna, uh, do you Think this could spark

64
00:02:36.170 --> 00:02:37.650
similar programs globally?

65
00:02:37.890 --> 00:02:40.370
Anna: Oh, for sure. It might nudge the US or others

66
00:02:40.370 --> 00:02:41.730
to team up or step up.

67
00:02:42.300 --> 00:02:43.980
Okay, let's pivot to some juicy drama.

68
00:02:44.220 --> 00:02:46.500
Tensions are flaring between Elon Musk and

69
00:02:46.500 --> 00:02:49.060
NASA over the Artemis moon missions. Avery,

70
00:02:49.060 --> 00:02:49.820
spill the tea.

71
00:02:50.540 --> 00:02:52.860
Avery: Oh, uh, it's piping hot.

72
00:02:53.260 --> 00:02:55.660
NASA's acting administrator, Sean

73
00:02:55.660 --> 00:02:58.423
Duffy, who's also the US transportation

74
00:02:58.575 --> 00:03:01.220
secretary, went on Fox News and

75
00:03:01.220 --> 00:03:03.900
said SpaceX's Starship delays are

76
00:03:03.900 --> 00:03:06.740
holding up Artemis 3 now pushed

77
00:03:06.740 --> 00:03:09.510
to mid-2027. He's like,

78
00:03:09.750 --> 00:03:12.670
love SpaceX, but we're in a race with China

79
00:03:12.670 --> 00:03:15.590
for the moon by 2030, so we're

80
00:03:15.590 --> 00:03:18.150
opening bids to other companies like Blue

81
00:03:18.150 --> 00:03:20.950
Origin. Musk clapped back on X,

82
00:03:21.030 --> 00:03:23.990
calling Duffy Sean dummy and accusing

83
00:03:23.990 --> 00:03:26.870
him of trying to kill NASA. Bold

84
00:03:26.870 --> 00:03:27.590
move, Elon.

85
00:03:27.750 --> 00:03:30.750
Anna: Whoa, that's some spicy shade. Duffy's

86
00:03:30.750 --> 00:03:32.550
pushing for the best players to get us to the

87
00:03:32.550 --> 00:03:35.260
moon first. But there's also NASA

88
00:03:35.260 --> 00:03:38.260
leadership drama. Duffy might stay. Or

89
00:03:38.260 --> 00:03:41.060
Jared Isaacman, a Musk buddy, could be back

90
00:03:41.060 --> 00:03:42.620
in the running after bowing out earlier.

91
00:03:43.100 --> 00:03:44.540
What's the deal with starship?

92
00:03:44.940 --> 00:03:47.500
Avery: Starship's the planned lunar lander, but it's

93
00:03:47.500 --> 00:03:50.460
super complex and delays keep piling up.

94
00:03:50.780 --> 00:03:53.140
No specifics on what's tripping them up, but

95
00:03:53.140 --> 00:03:55.580
it's critical to fix this. Could

96
00:03:55.580 --> 00:03:58.260
diversify NASA's roster, maybe speed things

97
00:03:58.260 --> 00:04:01.180
up to outpace China. But Musk's not

98
00:04:01.180 --> 00:04:03.870
happy. It's like a space soap opera.

99
00:04:03.950 --> 00:04:06.910
Science, politics and eagles colliding.

100
00:04:07.230 --> 00:04:09.550
Anna: Totally. It's a reminder that getting to the

101
00:04:09.550 --> 00:04:12.350
moon isn't just rockets. It's people and

102
00:04:12.350 --> 00:04:14.910
power plays. Will this light a fire under

103
00:04:14.910 --> 00:04:16.990
SpaceX or just make things messier?

104
00:04:18.030 --> 00:04:20.670
Alright, let's zoom out to something wilder.

105
00:04:20.910 --> 00:04:23.350
Giant planets. So weird they're rewriting the

106
00:04:23.350 --> 00:04:25.870
rules. Talk to me about these eccentric warm

107
00:04:25.870 --> 00:04:26.990
Jupiters, Avery.

108
00:04:27.070 --> 00:04:30.030
Avery: These are gas giants with wonky stretched out

109
00:04:30.030 --> 00:04:32.710
orbits. Nothing like our neat solar system.

110
00:04:33.110 --> 00:04:36.070
A team at Northern Arizona University backed

111
00:04:36.070 --> 00:04:39.030
by the NSF through M 2028, is diving into

112
00:04:39.030 --> 00:04:41.630
why warm Jupiters are like hot

113
00:04:41.630 --> 00:04:44.150
Jupiters, but orbit farther out. And get

114
00:04:44.150 --> 00:04:46.629
this. They're almost always aligned with

115
00:04:46.629 --> 00:04:49.350
their star's equator. Especially the quirkier

116
00:04:49.350 --> 00:04:51.750
their orbit. No model saw that coming.

117
00:04:51.910 --> 00:04:54.750
Anna: That's wild. Researcher Daniel

118
00:04:54.750 --> 00:04:57.470
Munoz said the variability of extrasolar

119
00:04:57.470 --> 00:04:59.540
planets is just enormous. We're very

120
00:04:59.540 --> 00:05:01.140
interested in seeing how the solar system

121
00:05:01.140 --> 00:05:04.060
forms in context. They're using NASA's TESS

122
00:05:04.060 --> 00:05:06.940
satellite to collect data. Theories. Maybe

123
00:05:06.940 --> 00:05:09.020
companion planets, birth nebulae. Or get

124
00:05:09.020 --> 00:05:10.740
this. Waves inside the star, messing with

125
00:05:10.740 --> 00:05:11.180
orbits.

126
00:05:11.900 --> 00:05:14.700
Avery: Munoz is all in on the star waves idea.

127
00:05:14.860 --> 00:05:17.300
Stars acting like fluid, creating Internal

128
00:05:17.300 --> 00:05:19.620
waves that align planets. He's throwing

129
00:05:19.620 --> 00:05:22.540
computers, math and wild creativity at it,

130
00:05:22.860 --> 00:05:25.850
Even hiring a grad student to help his words.

131
00:05:26.010 --> 00:05:28.450
We don't have a model that predicted this, so

132
00:05:28.450 --> 00:05:30.610
we're gonna go crazy and dive into the most

133
00:05:30.610 --> 00:05:32.170
creative ways we can think about this

134
00:05:32.170 --> 00:05:32.490
problem.

135
00:05:32.970 --> 00:05:35.890
Anna: That's the spirit of science. This could show

136
00:05:35.890 --> 00:05:37.970
if our solar system is typical or a, uh,

137
00:05:38.050 --> 00:05:40.850
cosmic oddball reshaping how we think planets

138
00:05:40.850 --> 00:05:43.610
form everywhere. Avery, what's the coolest

139
00:05:43.610 --> 00:05:44.250
part for you?

140
00:05:44.970 --> 00:05:47.850
Avery: Stars tweaking orbits like cosmic DJs.

141
00:05:48.090 --> 00:05:48.890
Mind blown.

142
00:05:49.610 --> 00:05:52.460
Next up, an update on Interstellar Comet

143
00:05:52.600 --> 00:05:55.370
3I Atlas, which just might shower

144
00:05:55.370 --> 00:05:58.150
NASA's Europa Cl with charged particles,

145
00:05:58.390 --> 00:06:00.550
giving us a taste of alien material.

146
00:06:00.950 --> 00:06:03.190
Anna: Okay, this is so cool. This comet from

147
00:06:03.190 --> 00:06:05.430
another star system has its ion tail

148
00:06:05.430 --> 00:06:07.510
predicted to cross Europa clipper's path

149
00:06:07.510 --> 00:06:10.150
between October 30 to November 6.

150
00:06:10.390 --> 00:06:12.390
It's harmless, but a science jackpot.

151
00:06:12.470 --> 00:06:14.710
Researchers Samuel Grant and Geraint Jones

152
00:06:14.710 --> 00:06:17.430
used tail catcher software to call it. Comets

153
00:06:17.430 --> 00:06:19.870
have dust tails trailing behind and ion tails

154
00:06:19.870 --> 00:06:22.070
pushed by solar wind, always pointing away

155
00:06:22.070 --> 00:06:22.630
from the Sun.

156
00:06:23.480 --> 00:06:26.200
Avery: That eye entails a time capsule from billions

157
00:06:26.200 --> 00:06:28.960
of years ago from another star's nursery. As

158
00:06:28.960 --> 00:06:31.768
3i Atlas hits perihelion on October

159
00:06:31.912 --> 00:06:34.680
29, 126 million miles from the Sun.

160
00:06:34.760 --> 00:06:37.720
It's got Vaisti Europa Clipper chilling

161
00:06:37.720 --> 00:06:40.320
186 million miles out after a Mars

162
00:06:40.320 --> 00:06:43.080
flyby and could snag ions zooming at

163
00:06:43.080 --> 00:06:44.360
hundreds of miles per second.

164
00:06:44.840 --> 00:06:46.840
Anna: The trick is detecting heavier water group

165
00:06:46.840 --> 00:06:49.320
ions versus solar wind, protons and helium,

166
00:06:49.670 --> 00:06:51.950
plus spotting flow slowdowns. But a US

167
00:06:51.950 --> 00:06:53.470
Government shutdown could have turned

168
00:06:53.470 --> 00:06:55.910
instruments off, and it needs strong solar

169
00:06:55.910 --> 00:06:58.750
wind. Grant said we have virtually no data on

170
00:06:58.750 --> 00:07:01.310
the interior of interstellar comets. Sampling

171
00:07:01.310 --> 00:07:03.230
the tail is the closest we can get to a

172
00:07:03.230 --> 00:07:04.070
direct sample.

173
00:07:04.470 --> 00:07:07.470
Avery: If it worked, we're comparing alien comets to

174
00:07:07.470 --> 00:07:10.350
ours. Tail catchers legit nailed

175
00:07:10.350 --> 00:07:13.190
it with Solar Orbiter in 2020. This

176
00:07:13.190 --> 00:07:15.750
could prep us for ESA's 2029

177
00:07:15.750 --> 00:07:18.310
Comet Interceptor. It's like getting a

178
00:07:18.310 --> 00:07:20.590
postcard from another star system without

179
00:07:20.590 --> 00:07:22.030
leaving the solar system.

180
00:07:22.670 --> 00:07:24.990
Anna: So clever how missions snag bonus science.

181
00:07:25.390 --> 00:07:28.164
Okay, last up today, asteroid 2025

182
00:07:28.336 --> 00:07:31.190
SC79 hiding in the Sun's glare and way too

183
00:07:31.190 --> 00:07:32.110
close for comfort.

184
00:07:32.750 --> 00:07:35.550
Avery: Found by Scott Shepard on September 27th with

185
00:07:35.550 --> 00:07:38.510
the Blanco telescope. Confirmed by Gemini and

186
00:07:38.510 --> 00:07:41.470
Magellan is the 39th Atira asteroid

187
00:07:41.630 --> 00:07:44.430
orbiting entirely inside Earth's and only the

188
00:07:44.430 --> 00:07:47.300
second fully inside Venus's. Dipping past

189
00:07:47.300 --> 00:07:49.980
Mercury with a 128 day period.

190
00:07:50.220 --> 00:07:51.580
The third shortest known.

191
00:07:52.300 --> 00:07:54.860
Anna: It's 700 meters wide. Not dinosaur killer

192
00:07:54.860 --> 00:07:56.940
big, but bad enough for continental chaos and

193
00:07:56.940 --> 00:07:59.500
billions at risk. Atiras, uh, are sneaky.

194
00:07:59.500 --> 00:08:01.740
Only visible in twilight due to sun glare.

195
00:08:02.060 --> 00:08:04.860
Its origins maybe knocked from the main belt.

196
00:08:05.020 --> 00:08:07.860
Captured closer, its heat tolerance sparks

197
00:08:07.860 --> 00:08:10.020
questions about what it's made of. More data

198
00:08:10.020 --> 00:08:11.340
when it pops back into view.

199
00:08:11.660 --> 00:08:14.520
Avery: Shepherd's warning was chilling. The most

200
00:08:14.520 --> 00:08:17.240
dangerous asteroids are the most difficult to

201
00:08:17.240 --> 00:08:20.160
detect. If these twilight asteroids approach

202
00:08:20.160 --> 00:08:22.480
Earth, they could pose serious impact

203
00:08:22.560 --> 00:08:25.000
hazards. It's a wake up call for better

204
00:08:25.000 --> 00:08:27.680
detection tech and a nod to our wild

205
00:08:27.680 --> 00:08:28.800
early solar system.

206
00:08:29.200 --> 00:08:31.160
Anna: Yeah, it's humbling. We're just a speck in a

207
00:08:31.160 --> 00:08:32.880
cosmic shooting gallery. We need those

208
00:08:32.880 --> 00:08:34.800
planetary defense upgrades asap.

209
00:08:35.440 --> 00:08:36.320
Avery: No kidding.

210
00:08:36.560 --> 00:08:39.280
Well, that's our cosmic tour for today. From

211
00:08:39.280 --> 00:08:42.000
shields in orbit to asteroids playing peek a

212
00:08:42.000 --> 00:08:44.370
booze. Never a dull moment out there.

213
00:08:44.690 --> 00:08:46.650
Anna: Thanks for hanging out with us on Astronomy

214
00:08:46.650 --> 00:08:49.370
Daily, folks. I'm Anna, and my coffee's gone

215
00:08:49.370 --> 00:08:52.210
cold, but my love for space is still red

216
00:08:52.210 --> 00:08:52.530
hot.

217
00:08:52.850 --> 00:08:55.050
Avery: I'm Avery, and I'm already hyped for

218
00:08:55.050 --> 00:08:57.610
tomorrow's news. Catch you then. Clear skies

219
00:08:57.610 --> 00:08:58.690
and keep looking up.