WEBVTT

0
00:00:00.320 --> 00:00:02.920
Avery: Hello, and welcome to Astronomy Daily, the

1
00:00:02.920 --> 00:00:05.440
podcast that brings you the universe, one

2
00:00:05.440 --> 00:00:07.600
story at a time. I'm Avery.

3
00:00:08.000 --> 00:00:10.360
Anna: And I'm Anna. Um, it's great to have you with

4
00:00:10.360 --> 00:00:13.120
us. We've got news stretching from the rusty

5
00:00:13.120 --> 00:00:15.440
soil of Mars all the way to the deepest

6
00:00:15.440 --> 00:00:17.040
reaches of cosmic time.

7
00:00:17.520 --> 00:00:19.840
Avery: That's right, we'll be talking about possible

8
00:00:19.920 --> 00:00:22.840
lightning on Mars. A new crew arriving at the

9
00:00:22.840 --> 00:00:25.640
space station. Europe's next gen reusable

10
00:00:25.640 --> 00:00:28.080
spacecraft. A potential new kind of

11
00:00:28.080 --> 00:00:31.000
cosmic monster. And we'll finally get

12
00:00:31.000 --> 00:00:33.820
an answer to what drives the furious winds

13
00:00:33.820 --> 00:00:34.620
of Venus.

14
00:00:35.340 --> 00:00:37.900
Anna: So let's get started. Our first story takes

15
00:00:37.900 --> 00:00:40.220
us to the Red Planet, where an old question

16
00:00:40.540 --> 00:00:42.940
might have a shocking new answer.

17
00:00:43.420 --> 00:00:45.580
Avery: Do tell, Avery.

18
00:00:45.580 --> 00:00:47.700
Anna: For decades, scientists have wondered if

19
00:00:47.700 --> 00:00:50.460
lightning could occur on Mars. Well, it

20
00:00:50.460 --> 00:00:52.900
seems NASA's Perseverance rover may have

21
00:00:52.900 --> 00:00:55.260
finally captured the first direct evidence.

22
00:00:55.900 --> 00:00:58.740
Avery: Wow. Really? After all this time? How did it

23
00:00:58.740 --> 00:01:00.700
detect it? Was it a flash of light?

24
00:01:01.580 --> 00:01:04.500
Anna: Not visually, but audibly. The rover's

25
00:01:04.500 --> 00:01:06.420
super sensitive microphone, part of the

26
00:01:06.420 --> 00:01:08.860
Supercam instrument, recorded crackling

27
00:01:08.860 --> 00:01:11.740
sounds, faint pops and crackles that

28
00:01:11.740 --> 00:01:13.980
are distinct from the usual Martian wind.

29
00:01:14.380 --> 00:01:16.620
Avery: It heard lightning. That's incredible.

30
00:01:17.180 --> 00:01:19.100
So what's causing these electrical

31
00:01:19.100 --> 00:01:19.820
discharges?

32
00:01:20.380 --> 00:01:22.940
Anna: Scientists believe the primary suspect is the

33
00:01:22.940 --> 00:01:25.820
planet's infamous dust storms. The friction

34
00:01:25.820 --> 00:01:27.780
between dust particles as they're whipped

35
00:01:27.780 --> 00:01:29.900
around by the wind can build up a significant

36
00:01:30.220 --> 00:01:32.580
static charge. Just like shuffling your feet

37
00:01:32.580 --> 00:01:33.560
on a carpet.

38
00:01:33.880 --> 00:01:36.480
Avery: Right, and eventually that charge has to go

39
00:01:36.480 --> 00:01:38.520
somewhere, resulting in a spark.

40
00:01:39.000 --> 00:01:41.720
Anna: Exactly. A miniature Martian lightning

41
00:01:41.720 --> 00:01:44.560
bolt. While the energy is likely much lower

42
00:01:44.560 --> 00:01:47.240
than a typical terrestrial thunderstorm, it

43
00:01:47.240 --> 00:01:49.520
proves that Mars's atmosphere is more

44
00:01:49.520 --> 00:01:51.640
electrically active than we ever knew.

45
00:01:51.960 --> 00:01:54.920
Avery: So Mars has more dynamic and complex weather

46
00:01:54.920 --> 00:01:57.480
than we previously thought. This just makes

47
00:01:57.480 --> 00:01:59.520
me even more excited for future crewed

48
00:01:59.520 --> 00:02:01.790
missions. There's still so much to discover.

49
00:02:02.270 --> 00:02:04.150
Anna: I think you'll find you're not the only one

50
00:02:04.150 --> 00:02:05.150
waiting for that step.

51
00:02:06.030 --> 00:02:08.030
Avery: Speaking of space travel, let's turn our

52
00:02:08.030 --> 00:02:10.500
attention a little closer to home. On, um,

53
00:02:10.550 --> 00:02:12.430
Thanksgiving Day, a crew of three

54
00:02:12.430 --> 00:02:14.270
successfully launched to the International

55
00:02:14.430 --> 00:02:16.910
Space Station aboard a Soyuz rocket.

56
00:02:17.150 --> 00:02:19.990
Anna: That's right. The crew consists of one NASA

57
00:02:19.990 --> 00:02:22.870
astronaut and two Russian cosmonauts. It's

58
00:02:22.870 --> 00:02:25.150
a powerful symbol of continued international

59
00:02:25.390 --> 00:02:28.390
cooperation in space, even during complicated

60
00:02:28.390 --> 00:02:29.390
times here on Earth.

61
00:02:30.060 --> 00:02:32.300
Avery: Absolutely. The space station has always been

62
00:02:32.300 --> 00:02:34.980
a beacon for that kind of partnership. What's

63
00:02:34.980 --> 00:02:36.460
on the agenda for their mission?

64
00:02:37.100 --> 00:02:39.260
Anna: It's going to be a busy stay. They're

65
00:02:39.260 --> 00:02:41.340
scheduled for an eight month mission, during

66
00:02:41.340 --> 00:02:43.580
which they'll oversee a whole range of

67
00:02:43.580 --> 00:02:46.060
scientific experiments. These experiments

68
00:02:46.060 --> 00:02:48.500
cover everything from human biology and

69
00:02:48.500 --> 00:02:51.260
microgravity to material science and

70
00:02:51.260 --> 00:02:52.300
earth observation.

71
00:02:53.340 --> 00:02:55.940
Avery: And I imagine a lot of maintenance work too,

72
00:02:55.940 --> 00:02:58.340
keeping the 20 plus year old station in good

73
00:02:58.340 --> 00:02:58.700
shape.

74
00:02:59.240 --> 00:03:01.600
Anna: Of course, there's always something to fix or

75
00:03:01.600 --> 00:03:03.920
upgrade. They'll also be preparing the

76
00:03:03.920 --> 00:03:06.280
station for the arrival of new commercial

77
00:03:06.280 --> 00:03:08.840
modules and supporting spacewalks for

78
00:03:08.840 --> 00:03:11.520
hardware installation. It's a critical job to

79
00:03:11.520 --> 00:03:13.960
keep our outpost in orbit running smoothly.

80
00:03:14.280 --> 00:03:16.520
Avery: Well, we wish them, uh, a safe and productive

81
00:03:16.520 --> 00:03:17.240
mission up there.

82
00:03:18.280 --> 00:03:20.680
Anna: From the present of spaceflight to its

83
00:03:20.680 --> 00:03:23.360
future. The European Space Agency, or

84
00:03:23.360 --> 00:03:26.040
esa, has just announced a target date for a

85
00:03:26.040 --> 00:03:28.680
very exciting project. The inaugural flight

86
00:03:28.680 --> 00:03:31.440
of its state Space Rider vehicle is now set

87
00:03:31.440 --> 00:03:32.560
for 2028.

88
00:03:33.280 --> 00:03:36.200
Avery: Space Rider, that's ESA's reusable space

89
00:03:36.200 --> 00:03:38.800
plane, right? What makes it different from

90
00:03:38.800 --> 00:03:40.080
other spacecraft out there?

91
00:03:40.560 --> 00:03:43.520
Anna: Think of it as an uncrewed robotic space

92
00:03:43.600 --> 00:03:46.320
laboratory. It's designed to launch on a

93
00:03:46.320 --> 00:03:49.320
Vega C rocket, deploy a multi purpose

94
00:03:49.320 --> 00:03:51.800
cargo bay into orbit, and stay there for up

95
00:03:51.800 --> 00:03:53.880
to two months, conducting experiments

96
00:03:53.880 --> 00:03:54.560
automatically.

97
00:03:55.430 --> 00:03:57.550
Avery: So it's essentially a free flying science

98
00:03:57.550 --> 00:03:58.070
platform.

99
00:03:58.230 --> 00:04:00.710
Anna: Exactly, and here's the key part.

100
00:04:01.110 --> 00:04:03.590
After its mission is complete, it will re

101
00:04:03.590 --> 00:04:06.110
enter the Earth's atmosphere and land on a

102
00:04:06.110 --> 00:04:09.030
Runway just like an airplane. The vehicle and

103
00:04:09.030 --> 00:04:10.789
its payloads can then be recovered,

104
00:04:10.789 --> 00:04:12.630
refurbished and flown again.

105
00:04:13.030 --> 00:04:15.830
Avery: That's a huge step for Europe. Reusability

106
00:04:15.910 --> 00:04:18.230
is the name of the game for making access to

107
00:04:18.230 --> 00:04:20.710
space more affordable and sustainable. Having

108
00:04:20.710 --> 00:04:23.070
their own reusable vehicle opens up a lot of

109
00:04:23.070 --> 00:04:24.870
possibilities for science and technology

110
00:04:24.950 --> 00:04:25.350
development.

111
00:04:25.910 --> 00:04:28.630
Anna: It really does. It will give European

112
00:04:28.630 --> 00:04:31.350
scientists and companies a routine way to run

113
00:04:31.350 --> 00:04:33.630
experiments in microgravity and bring them

114
00:04:33.630 --> 00:04:36.230
back to Earth for analysis without relying on

115
00:04:36.230 --> 00:04:39.110
other launch providers. 2028 will be

116
00:04:39.110 --> 00:04:40.070
a year to watch.

117
00:04:40.310 --> 00:04:43.110
Avery: All right, now let's journey from low Earth

118
00:04:43.110 --> 00:04:45.230
orbit out to the edge of the observable

119
00:04:45.230 --> 00:04:47.830
universe. The James Webb Space Telescope has

120
00:04:47.830 --> 00:04:50.790
found something peculiar. And it might be

121
00:04:50.790 --> 00:04:53.310
a new class of object we've never seen

122
00:04:53.310 --> 00:04:53.670
before.

123
00:04:54.090 --> 00:04:56.290
Anna: This is one of those stories that really

124
00:04:56.290 --> 00:04:58.890
stretches the imagination. In some of its

125
00:04:58.890 --> 00:05:01.530
deepest images of the early universe, Webb

126
00:05:01.530 --> 00:05:04.410
spotted a series of tiny, extremely red

127
00:05:04.410 --> 00:05:04.890
dots.

128
00:05:05.370 --> 00:05:08.090
Avery: Okay, tiny red dots in deep space,

129
00:05:08.250 --> 00:05:10.049
that could be a lot of things. What's the

130
00:05:10.049 --> 00:05:10.410
theory?

131
00:05:11.050 --> 00:05:13.410
Anna: Well, after ruling out more conventional

132
00:05:13.410 --> 00:05:16.410
explanations like distant red galaxies,

133
00:05:16.650 --> 00:05:19.370
a team of astrophysicists has proposed a

134
00:05:19.370 --> 00:05:22.170
wild new idea. They think these could be

135
00:05:22.170 --> 00:05:24.650
a new kind of cosmic monster.

136
00:05:25.310 --> 00:05:28.270
Whoa. They're calling them black hole

137
00:05:28.270 --> 00:05:30.910
stars. The idea is that, uh, at the core of

138
00:05:30.910 --> 00:05:33.670
each of these objects is a supermassive

139
00:05:33.670 --> 00:05:36.150
black hole, but it's surrounded by an

140
00:05:36.150 --> 00:05:39.070
incredibly dense, massive shell of gas

141
00:05:39.070 --> 00:05:40.110
that it's feeding on.

142
00:05:40.510 --> 00:05:43.110
Avery: So it would look like a giant puffy star from

143
00:05:43.110 --> 00:05:46.030
the outside, but it's really a black hole in

144
00:05:46.030 --> 00:05:46.590
disguise.

145
00:05:46.990 --> 00:05:49.710
Anna: That's the essence of it. This shell of gas

146
00:05:49.710 --> 00:05:52.230
is so thick that it traps the light from the

147
00:05:52.230 --> 00:05:54.670
accreting, uh, material, making the object

148
00:05:54.670 --> 00:05:57.530
appear as a single redd point of light

149
00:05:57.770 --> 00:05:59.930
rather than a blazing quasar, which is what

150
00:05:59.930 --> 00:06:01.530
we'd normally expect to see.

151
00:06:02.010 --> 00:06:03.690
Avery: That would be a game changer for

152
00:06:03.690 --> 00:06:05.530
understanding how the very first

153
00:06:05.850 --> 00:06:08.650
supermassive black holes grew so big

154
00:06:08.890 --> 00:06:10.570
so fast in the early universe.

155
00:06:10.810 --> 00:06:13.770
Anna: It certainly would. If this hypothesis holds

156
00:06:13.770 --> 00:06:15.890
up, it means there could be a hidden

157
00:06:15.890 --> 00:06:18.730
population of these growing black holes

158
00:06:18.970 --> 00:06:21.610
that we've been completely missing until now.

159
00:06:21.930 --> 00:06:24.250
It's a testament to how JWST

160
00:06:24.570 --> 00:06:26.740
isn't just seeing farther, it's seeing,

161
00:06:26.890 --> 00:06:28.570
seeing things in a whole new way.

162
00:06:28.730 --> 00:06:31.490
Avery: It really does make you wonder what else is

163
00:06:31.490 --> 00:06:33.850
out there that we know nothing about. But

164
00:06:33.850 --> 00:06:36.050
let's hope it's not a case of ignorance is

165
00:06:36.050 --> 00:06:36.410
bliss.

166
00:06:36.490 --> 00:06:37.450
Anna: Ya betcha.

167
00:06:37.850 --> 00:06:40.690
Okay, for our final story, we come back

168
00:06:40.690 --> 00:06:43.570
to our own solar system, to Earth's evil

169
00:06:43.570 --> 00:06:46.490
twin sister planet, Venus. We're talking

170
00:06:46.490 --> 00:06:49.130
about its hellish atmosphere and the

171
00:06:49.130 --> 00:06:51.770
extreme winds that whip around the planet.

172
00:06:52.170 --> 00:06:54.570
Avery: Ah, uh, Venusian super rotation.

173
00:06:55.480 --> 00:06:58.000
This has been a huge puzzle for decades. The

174
00:06:58.000 --> 00:07:00.840
entire atmosphere rotates around the planet

175
00:07:01.480 --> 00:07:04.120
60 times faster than the planet itself

176
00:07:04.120 --> 00:07:04.600
spins.

177
00:07:05.000 --> 00:07:06.280
Anna: How is that even possible

178
00:07:07.160 --> 00:07:09.680
exactly? The mechanics have been a

179
00:07:09.680 --> 00:07:12.560
mystery, but new research is pointing to a

180
00:07:12.560 --> 00:07:15.560
key driver. A massive atmospheric

181
00:07:15.560 --> 00:07:17.960
tide fueled by the heat of the Sun.

182
00:07:18.120 --> 00:07:20.840
Avery: An, um, atmospheric tide like the ocean.

183
00:07:20.840 --> 00:07:23.770
Anna: Tides on Earth, Similar in principle, but

184
00:07:23.770 --> 00:07:26.570
driven by heat, not gravity. The

185
00:07:26.570 --> 00:07:29.370
sun intensely heats the dense atmosphere on

186
00:07:29.370 --> 00:07:32.210
the day side of Venus. This creates a

187
00:07:32.210 --> 00:07:35.210
huge planet wide thermal wave. As

188
00:07:35.210 --> 00:07:38.049
Venus slowly rotates, this wave of hot

189
00:07:38.049 --> 00:07:40.890
expanding gas travels around the planet,

190
00:07:40.970 --> 00:07:43.490
pushing the atmosphere and maintaining those

191
00:07:43.490 --> 00:07:44.970
incredible wind speeds.

192
00:07:45.370 --> 00:07:48.010
Avery: So the daily cycle of heating and cooling

193
00:07:48.010 --> 00:07:50.730
from the sun is constantly pumping energy

194
00:07:50.810 --> 00:07:53.090
into the atmosphere, keeping it spinning like

195
00:07:53.090 --> 00:07:53.450
a top.

196
00:07:53.830 --> 00:07:56.510
Anna: That's a perfect analogy. Previous theories

197
00:07:56.510 --> 00:07:59.270
focused on other factors, but this research

198
00:07:59.510 --> 00:08:02.390
suggests this daily thermal tide is a

199
00:08:02.390 --> 00:08:05.030
major contributor, if not the primary one.

200
00:08:05.350 --> 00:08:07.870
It's a huge step forward in understanding the

201
00:08:07.870 --> 00:08:10.710
climate of not just Venus, but potentially

202
00:08:10.710 --> 00:08:13.510
of tidally locked exoplanets around other

203
00:08:13.510 --> 00:08:13.910
stars.

204
00:08:14.230 --> 00:08:16.950
Avery: And that's all the time we have for today.

205
00:08:17.510 --> 00:08:20.190
From the crackle of Martian lightning to the

206
00:08:20.190 --> 00:08:22.670
roar of Venusian winds and the

207
00:08:22.670 --> 00:08:25.500
silent mysteries of the Eurelli universe, it'

208
00:08:25.730 --> 00:08:28.290
been another incredible time in

209
00:08:28.290 --> 00:08:29.010
astronomy.

210
00:08:29.490 --> 00:08:32.270
Anna: It certainly has. Thank you for joining us,

211
00:08:32.270 --> 00:08:34.930
uh, on Astronomy Daily. We hope you'll

212
00:08:34.930 --> 00:08:37.570
subscribe and join us again next time as we

213
00:08:37.570 --> 00:08:40.490
continue to explore the cosmos. You'll

214
00:08:40.490 --> 00:08:43.170
find us on all podcast platforms, or

215
00:08:43.170 --> 00:08:45.810
simply visit our website at astronomydaily

216
00:08:46.130 --> 00:08:49.090
IO for details. Plus, you can catch up on

217
00:08:49.090 --> 00:08:51.770
all the latest space news by checking out our

218
00:08:51.770 --> 00:08:53.730
constantly updating news feedback.

219
00:08:54.190 --> 00:08:56.400
Avery: Um, until tomorrow then, this has been.

220
00:08:56.400 --> 00:08:59.240
Anna: Avery and Anna wishing

221
00:08:59.240 --> 00:09:00.520
you Clear Sky.