WEBVTT 0 00:00:00.000 --> 00:00:02.400 Avery: Hello, and welcome to Astronomy Daily, the 1 00:00:02.400 --> 00:00:04.520 podcast that brings you the universe, one 2 00:00:04.520 --> 00:00:06.400 story at a time. I'm Avery. 3 00:00:06.480 --> 00:00:09.040 Anna: And I'm Anna. It's great to have you with us 4 00:00:09.360 --> 00:00:11.680 today, covering everything from the deepest 5 00:00:11.680 --> 00:00:13.880 cosmic mysteries to the latest missions 6 00:00:13.880 --> 00:00:15.600 exploring our own solar system. 7 00:00:16.000 --> 00:00:18.000 Avery: That's right, Anna. We'll be talking about a 8 00:00:18.000 --> 00:00:20.240 potential breakthrough in the search for dark 9 00:00:20.240 --> 00:00:22.880 matter, a very busy week of rocket launches, 10 00:00:22.880 --> 00:00:25.720 and a curious find by the Perseverance rover 11 00:00:25.720 --> 00:00:26.400 on Mars. 12 00:00:26.890 --> 00:00:28.100 Anna: Plus, we'll check in with the Osiris, uh, 13 00:00:28.610 --> 00:00:31.610 apex, and Escapade missions and dive into 14 00:00:31.610 --> 00:00:33.970 a fascinating new study that suggests there 15 00:00:33.970 --> 00:00:36.810 could be boiling oceans on tiny icy moons. 16 00:00:37.290 --> 00:00:39.130 Avery: So grab your favorite beverage, get 17 00:00:39.130 --> 00:00:41.690 comfortable, and let's explore the cosmos. 18 00:00:41.930 --> 00:00:44.330 Anna: Avery, let's start with what could be one of 19 00:00:44.330 --> 00:00:46.410 the biggest discoveries in modern physics. 20 00:00:46.650 --> 00:00:48.690 For nearly a century, scientists have been 21 00:00:48.690 --> 00:00:50.010 searching for dark matter. 22 00:00:50.410 --> 00:00:52.810 Avery: Right. It's this mysterious substance that we 23 00:00:52.810 --> 00:00:54.730 know is out there because we can see its 24 00:00:54.730 --> 00:00:57.530 gravitational effects on galaxies, but. But 25 00:00:57.530 --> 00:00:59.650 it doesn't interact with light, so we can't 26 00:00:59.650 --> 00:01:01.530 see it directly. It's a huge puzzle. 27 00:01:01.770 --> 00:01:04.690 Anna: Exactly. And now there's a tantalizing 28 00:01:04.690 --> 00:01:07.050 new signal. An astronomer from the University 29 00:01:07.130 --> 00:01:09.890 of Tokyo, analyzing data from NASA's 30 00:01:09.890 --> 00:01:12.730 Fermi Gamma Ray Space Telescope, believes he 31 00:01:12.730 --> 00:01:14.330 may have found its signature. 32 00:01:14.810 --> 00:01:16.970 Avery: Wow. Okay. How? What did he find? 33 00:01:17.370 --> 00:01:20.290 Anna: He detected high energy photons, gamma 34 00:01:20.290 --> 00:01:22.690 rays that seemed to perfectly match the 35 00:01:22.690 --> 00:01:25.050 theoretical predictions for when dark matter 36 00:01:25.050 --> 00:01:27.290 particles collide and annihilate each other. 37 00:01:27.930 --> 00:01:29.130 Avery: And we're not just talking about any 38 00:01:29.130 --> 00:01:30.930 particles. This is linked to the leading 39 00:01:30.930 --> 00:01:32.650 theory, Right? The idea of WIMPs. 40 00:01:32.970 --> 00:01:35.650 Anna: That's the one. WIMPs, or weakly 41 00:01:35.650 --> 00:01:37.730 interacting Massive Particles, are the 42 00:01:37.730 --> 00:01:39.850 hypothetical particles that many physicists 43 00:01:39.850 --> 00:01:42.050 believe make up dark matter. The signal 44 00:01:42.050 --> 00:01:44.010 matches the energy that would be released if 45 00:01:44.010 --> 00:01:45.440 two wimps destroyed each other. 46 00:01:45.440 --> 00:01:47.930 Avery: M. So this could be our first direct 47 00:01:47.930 --> 00:01:50.650 glimpse of dark matter actually doing 48 00:01:50.730 --> 00:01:52.770 something. Of course, it still needs to be 49 00:01:52.770 --> 00:01:55.330 verified and peer reviewed, of course, but. 50 00:01:55.330 --> 00:01:57.930 Anna: If it holds up, it would be a monumental 51 00:01:57.930 --> 00:02:00.190 discovery. Finally pulling back the curtain 52 00:02:00.190 --> 00:02:02.550 on one of the universe's greatest secrets. 53 00:02:02.790 --> 00:02:04.070 Avery: Absolutely incredible. 54 00:02:04.470 --> 00:02:06.590 From the invisible universe to the very 55 00:02:06.590 --> 00:02:08.830 visible, let's talk about what's heading up 56 00:02:08.830 --> 00:02:11.670 into the sky this week. It is going to be a 57 00:02:11.670 --> 00:02:13.350 very busy one for launch fans. 58 00:02:13.590 --> 00:02:16.230 Anna: It certainly is. How many are we looking at? 59 00:02:16.790 --> 00:02:19.790 Avery: 7 launches from five different rockets all 60 00:02:19.790 --> 00:02:22.030 across the globe. SpaceX is leading the 61 00:02:22.030 --> 00:02:24.270 charge as usual, with three missions planned 62 00:02:24.270 --> 00:02:26.546 for its workhorse Falcon 9. 63 00:02:26.674 --> 00:02:29.410 Anna: 3 launches. They really make it look 64 00:02:29.410 --> 00:02:31.850 routine. And there's also a crewed mission 65 00:02:31.850 --> 00:02:32.770 this week, isn't there? 66 00:02:33.010 --> 00:02:35.690 Avery: There is a Russian Soyuz rocket will be 67 00:02:35.690 --> 00:02:38.130 launching from Kazakhstan carrying three new 68 00:02:38.130 --> 00:02:40.170 crew members up to the International Space 69 00:02:40.170 --> 00:02:42.690 Station. Always exciting to see humans 70 00:02:42.690 --> 00:02:43.570 heading to orbit. 71 00:02:43.820 --> 00:02:46.250 Anna: Mhm. And Russia has another launch planned 72 00:02:46.250 --> 00:02:46.530 too. 73 00:02:46.690 --> 00:02:48.810 Avery: That's right. A military payload is set to 74 00:02:48.810 --> 00:02:51.730 launch on an Angara 1.2 rocket from 75 00:02:51.730 --> 00:02:53.900 northern Russia. And not to be left out, 76 00:02:53.900 --> 00:02:56.260 South Korea is getting in on the action with 77 00:02:56.260 --> 00:02:59.060 a launch of its KSLV2 rocket. 78 00:02:59.220 --> 00:03:01.020 Anna: And the week is rounded out from French 79 00:03:01.020 --> 00:03:03.140 Guiana. Right, a Vega C launch. 80 00:03:03.700 --> 00:03:06.260 Avery: Exactly. The Vega C will carry another South 81 00:03:06.260 --> 00:03:08.940 Korean satellite, this one heading to a sun 82 00:03:08.940 --> 00:03:11.380 synchronous orbit. It's a truly international 83 00:03:11.620 --> 00:03:12.740 week for spaceflight. 84 00:03:13.060 --> 00:03:15.380 Anna: It's amazing to think of all that hardware 85 00:03:15.380 --> 00:03:17.780 leaving Earth in such a short span of time. 86 00:03:18.590 --> 00:03:20.790 Speaking of other worlds, let's journey from 87 00:03:20.790 --> 00:03:23.230 Earth orbit to the surface of Mars, where the 88 00:03:23.230 --> 00:03:25.310 Perseverance Rover has spotted something 89 00:03:25.310 --> 00:03:26.030 unusual. 90 00:03:26.510 --> 00:03:29.510 Avery: Yes, another Martian mystery rock. What did 91 00:03:29.510 --> 00:03:30.910 Percy find this time? 92 00:03:31.550 --> 00:03:33.910 Anna: Well, the science team describes it as a 93 00:03:33.910 --> 00:03:36.910 sculpted, high standing rock that looked 94 00:03:36.910 --> 00:03:38.950 completely different from the flat, broken up 95 00:03:38.950 --> 00:03:40.910 terrain around it. It immediately caught 96 00:03:40.910 --> 00:03:41.470 their attention. 97 00:03:41.790 --> 00:03:43.910 Avery: And it's a decent size too, right? About 98 00:03:43.910 --> 00:03:46.750 three feet long. So of course they zapped it 99 00:03:46.750 --> 00:03:47.390 with the laser. 100 00:03:48.140 --> 00:03:50.700 Anna: Naturally, the Supercam instrument 101 00:03:50.700 --> 00:03:53.500 analyzed its composition and the results 102 00:03:53.660 --> 00:03:56.460 are pretty conclusive. The rock, which 103 00:03:56.460 --> 00:03:59.340 they've nicknamed Phi Staxhla, is made 104 00:03:59.340 --> 00:04:01.420 of iron and nickel, which. 105 00:04:01.420 --> 00:04:04.340 Avery: Is the classic signature of a meteorite. It's 106 00:04:04.340 --> 00:04:06.700 likely a fragment from the core of a large 107 00:04:06.780 --> 00:04:09.700 asteroid that slammed into Mars at some point 108 00:04:09.700 --> 00:04:10.860 in the distant past. 109 00:04:11.500 --> 00:04:14.100 Anna: That's the leading theory. And if its 110 00:04:14.100 --> 00:04:16.940 origin is confirmed, this would be the very 111 00:04:17.020 --> 00:04:19.540 first meteorite the Perseverance has 112 00:04:19.540 --> 00:04:22.220 discovered since it landed back in February 113 00:04:22.380 --> 00:04:23.420 2021. 114 00:04:23.900 --> 00:04:26.340 Avery: That's fantastic. It's like getting a free 115 00:04:26.340 --> 00:04:28.540 sample of an asteroid delivered right to your 116 00:04:28.540 --> 00:04:28.940 rover. 117 00:04:29.660 --> 00:04:32.580 From one NASA mission to another, let's come 118 00:04:32.580 --> 00:04:35.020 a little closer to home and talk about a 119 00:04:35.020 --> 00:04:37.140 spacecraft that just paid Earth a flying 120 00:04:37.140 --> 00:04:37.500 visit. 121 00:04:38.060 --> 00:04:40.860 Anna: You must be talking about Osiris Apex. 122 00:04:41.260 --> 00:04:43.700 This is the same spacecraft that delivered 123 00:04:43.700 --> 00:04:46.640 the sample from Astero Bennu, but now on 124 00:04:46.640 --> 00:04:47.480 a new mission. 125 00:04:47.960 --> 00:04:50.920 Avery: Exactly. Its new name is Osiris 126 00:04:50.920 --> 00:04:53.640 Apophis Explorer. And its new target 127 00:04:53.720 --> 00:04:56.440 is Asteroid Apophis. To get 128 00:04:56.440 --> 00:04:59.120 there, it needed a gravity assist from Earth, 129 00:04:59.120 --> 00:05:01.880 and that just happened on September 23rd. 130 00:05:02.360 --> 00:05:03.720 Anna: How close did it come? 131 00:05:04.200 --> 00:05:07.200 Avery: It flew within about 2,100 miles of the 132 00:05:07.200 --> 00:05:09.120 surface. But the team didn't waste 133 00:05:09.120 --> 00:05:11.720 opportunity. As it approached and flew past, 134 00:05:11.720 --> 00:05:13.960 the spacecraft turned its instruments back 135 00:05:13.960 --> 00:05:14.680 towards home. 136 00:05:15.590 --> 00:05:18.430 Anna: Right. To calibrate them. Since we know Earth 137 00:05:18.430 --> 00:05:20.990 so well, it's the perfect subject to test 138 00:05:20.990 --> 00:05:23.230 your instruments. On to make sure they're 139 00:05:23.230 --> 00:05:25.430 working correctly before you get to your new 140 00:05:25.430 --> 00:05:28.230 target. I bet they got some beautiful 141 00:05:28.230 --> 00:05:28.630 images. 142 00:05:29.110 --> 00:05:31.790 Avery: They certainly did. It's always a bit 143 00:05:31.790 --> 00:05:33.990 special seeing our home planet from the 144 00:05:33.990 --> 00:05:36.790 perspective of one of our robotic explorers. 145 00:05:37.430 --> 00:05:39.990 Anna: From a, uh, spacecraft looking back at us. 146 00:05:40.550 --> 00:05:42.470 Let's talk about one that's looking at 147 00:05:42.470 --> 00:05:45.090 itself. So NASA's new escapade 148 00:05:45.090 --> 00:05:47.930 mission has just sent back its first selfies. 149 00:05:48.330 --> 00:05:51.290 Avery: That's right. This mission is a pair of twin 150 00:05:51.290 --> 00:05:53.650 spacecraft, and about a week after their 151 00:05:53.650 --> 00:05:56.330 launch, One of them turned its camera around 152 00:05:56.410 --> 00:05:57.610 to snap a picture. 153 00:05:58.090 --> 00:06:01.050 Anna: And what do these selfies show? It's not just 154 00:06:01.050 --> 00:06:02.730 for social media, I assume. 155 00:06:03.210 --> 00:06:05.770 Avery: No, though they are pretty cool. The 156 00:06:05.770 --> 00:06:08.450 images taken by the visible and infrared 157 00:06:08.450 --> 00:06:11.400 observation system, or visions, show part 158 00:06:11.400 --> 00:06:13.640 of the spacecraft solar panel against the 159 00:06:13.640 --> 00:06:14.640 backdrop of space. 160 00:06:15.280 --> 00:06:17.920 Anna: It's an important engineering check. Right. 161 00:06:18.160 --> 00:06:20.520 It confirms that the camera system has 162 00:06:20.520 --> 00:06:23.120 deployed correctly and is functioning as 163 00:06:23.120 --> 00:06:25.880 expected as the explorer's speed away from 164 00:06:25.880 --> 00:06:28.800 Earth. It's the first step in a long journey. 165 00:06:29.200 --> 00:06:31.920 Avery: Exactly. It's the spacecraft saying, 166 00:06:32.080 --> 00:06:34.920 I'm okay, My eyes are open and 167 00:06:34.920 --> 00:06:37.290 I'm ready for what's next. It's a simple 168 00:06:37.290 --> 00:06:39.730 image, but a very reassuring one for the 169 00:06:39.730 --> 00:06:40.330 mission team. 170 00:06:40.650 --> 00:06:41.690 Anna: It always is. 171 00:06:42.330 --> 00:06:44.930 Avery: And speaking of long journeys, let's take one 172 00:06:44.930 --> 00:06:47.330 ourselves out to the far reaches of the solar 173 00:06:47.330 --> 00:06:50.010 system for our final story, which sounds like 174 00:06:50.010 --> 00:06:51.770 something straight out of science fiction. 175 00:06:52.250 --> 00:06:54.250 Anna: This is the one I've been waiting for. 176 00:06:54.490 --> 00:06:56.970 Boiling oceans on icy moons. 177 00:06:57.290 --> 00:06:58.970 It sounds contradictory. 178 00:06:59.450 --> 00:07:02.330 Avery: It does. But a, uh, new study suggests it 179 00:07:02.330 --> 00:07:04.910 might be possible. We already have strong 180 00:07:04.910 --> 00:07:07.630 evidence that some larger icy moons, Like 181 00:07:07.630 --> 00:07:10.070 Saturn's moon Enceladus or Jupiter's 182 00:07:10.070 --> 00:07:13.070 Europa, have liquid water oceans under their 183 00:07:13.070 --> 00:07:13.950 icy shells. 184 00:07:14.430 --> 00:07:17.310 Anna: Right. Kept liquid by the heat generated from 185 00:07:17.310 --> 00:07:20.030 tidal forces. The constant gravitational 186 00:07:20.110 --> 00:07:23.070 push and pull from their giant parent planet. 187 00:07:23.550 --> 00:07:26.430 Avery: Exactly. This new research takes it a 188 00:07:26.430 --> 00:07:29.070 step further. It models what might happen 189 00:07:29.230 --> 00:07:32.230 inside much smaller icy moons, Moons that 190 00:07:32.230 --> 00:07:34.510 we previously thought would be frozen solid. 191 00:07:35.240 --> 00:07:37.800 The study finds that the same tidal forces 192 00:07:37.880 --> 00:07:40.680 could generate so much heat in the rocky core 193 00:07:40.840 --> 00:07:42.920 that the water at the bottom of the ocean 194 00:07:42.920 --> 00:07:44.440 could actually be boiling. 195 00:07:45.160 --> 00:07:47.400 Anna: So you'd have this incredible environment 196 00:07:47.960 --> 00:07:50.760 With a ceiling of ice, A floor of 197 00:07:50.760 --> 00:07:53.680 boiling rock, and a vast, uh, liquid ocean 198 00:07:53.680 --> 00:07:54.120 in between. 199 00:07:54.920 --> 00:07:57.800 Avery: That's the idea. And if you have liquid water 200 00:07:57.880 --> 00:08:00.120 and a source of heat and chemical energy, 201 00:08:00.360 --> 00:08:02.760 like a hydrothermal vent system at the bottom 202 00:08:02.760 --> 00:08:04.620 of an ocean, then you have. 203 00:08:04.620 --> 00:08:07.020 Anna: The key ingredients for life, as we know 204 00:08:08.060 --> 00:08:10.780 dramatically expands the number of places in 205 00:08:10.780 --> 00:08:13.620 our solar system that could potentially host 206 00:08:13.700 --> 00:08:16.220 living organisms. What an 207 00:08:16.220 --> 00:08:17.300 amazing thought. 208 00:08:18.260 --> 00:08:20.940 Avery: It really is. And it's not just about finding 209 00:08:20.940 --> 00:08:23.140 life, but understanding its limits. 210 00:08:23.700 --> 00:08:25.980 These environments would be under immense 211 00:08:25.980 --> 00:08:28.940 pressure and in total darkness. Life there 212 00:08:28.940 --> 00:08:31.060 would be fundamentally different, likely 213 00:08:31.140 --> 00:08:33.500 chemosynthetic, thriving on chemical 214 00:08:33.500 --> 00:08:36.220 reactions from the core rather than sunlight. 215 00:08:36.780 --> 00:08:38.940 Anna: And that has huge implications. 216 00:08:39.500 --> 00:08:42.140 It suggests that the habitable zone 217 00:08:42.220 --> 00:08:44.620 isn't just about the distance from a star, 218 00:08:45.020 --> 00:08:47.780 but also about the internal dynamics of a 219 00:08:47.780 --> 00:08:50.420 world. You could have potentially habitable 220 00:08:50.420 --> 00:08:53.060 moons orbiting rogue planets that were 221 00:08:53.060 --> 00:08:55.780 ejected from their star systems, wandering 222 00:08:55.780 --> 00:08:57.100 through interstellar space. 223 00:08:58.060 --> 00:09:00.180 Avery: And on, um, that note, we'll call it a wrap 224 00:09:00.180 --> 00:09:02.300 on today's episode of Astronomy Daily. 225 00:09:02.920 --> 00:09:05.840 Anna: From a potential glimpse of dark matter, a 226 00:09:05.840 --> 00:09:08.840 week of powerful launches, a meteorite 227 00:09:08.840 --> 00:09:11.640 on Mars, and missions checking in on their 228 00:09:11.640 --> 00:09:14.360 way to new adventures, all the way to 229 00:09:14.360 --> 00:09:16.760 boiling oceans on distant moons, 230 00:09:17.160 --> 00:09:19.880 the universe is never short of wonders. 231 00:09:20.840 --> 00:09:23.800 Avery: It certainly isn't. A huge thank you to all 232 00:09:23.800 --> 00:09:26.360 of you for joining us on Astronomy Daily. We 233 00:09:26.360 --> 00:09:27.560 hope you've enjoyed the journey. 234 00:09:28.290 --> 00:09:30.410 Anna: You can find links to all the stories we 235 00:09:30.410 --> 00:09:33.050 discussed today on our website. And be sure 236 00:09:33.050 --> 00:09:35.690 to subscribe wherever you get your podcasts 237 00:09:35.690 --> 00:09:38.330 so you don't miss an episode. Until next 238 00:09:38.330 --> 00:09:39.570 time. I'm Anna. 239 00:09:39.970 --> 00:09:42.050 Avery: And I'm, um, Avery. Keep looking up. 240 00:09:53.980 --> 00:09:54.380 Is the 241 00:09:54.380 --> 00:10:05.890 tongue.