WEBVTT 0 00:00:00.000 --> 00:00:02.720 Avery: Hello, and welcome to Astronomy 1 00:00:02.720 --> 00:00:05.120 Daily, the podcast that brings you the 2 00:00:05.120 --> 00:00:07.920 universe one story at a time. I'm 3 00:00:07.920 --> 00:00:08.560 Avery. 4 00:00:08.720 --> 00:00:11.360 Anna: And I'm Anna. It's great to have you with us 5 00:00:11.600 --> 00:00:13.560 today. We're covering everything from 6 00:00:13.560 --> 00:00:16.159 exploding rockets and sugars on 7 00:00:16.159 --> 00:00:18.800 asteroids to a cosmic ray that might have 8 00:00:18.800 --> 00:00:20.800 sent an airplane into a dive. 9 00:00:21.120 --> 00:00:24.040 Avery: It's going to be a wild ride. Let's get 10 00:00:24.040 --> 00:00:26.320 started with our first story, which takes us 11 00:00:26.320 --> 00:00:29.080 to the rapidly evolving world of commercial 12 00:00:29.080 --> 00:00:31.040 spaceflight in China. 13 00:00:31.980 --> 00:00:33.980 Anna: There is so much going on with space 14 00:00:33.980 --> 00:00:36.060 technology in China at the moment, isn't 15 00:00:36.060 --> 00:00:37.340 there? What's the latest? 16 00:00:37.980 --> 00:00:40.380 Avery: So, Anna, there's big news from a company 17 00:00:40.380 --> 00:00:43.220 called Landspace. They just launched their 18 00:00:43.220 --> 00:00:46.140 Zhuqi 3 rocket, and it's a major 19 00:00:46.220 --> 00:00:48.780 step forward in the reusable rocket race. 20 00:00:49.180 --> 00:00:51.900 Anna: That's right, Avery. This is a methane 21 00:00:51.900 --> 00:00:54.380 powered rocket, similar in concept to 22 00:00:54.380 --> 00:00:56.780 SpaceX's Starship, designed for 23 00:00:56.780 --> 00:00:59.660 reusability. And the big news is that the 24 00:00:59.660 --> 00:01:01.920 first launch was, in large part, a, uh, 25 00:01:01.980 --> 00:01:04.470 success. The the rocket successfully reached 26 00:01:04.470 --> 00:01:04.910 orbit. 27 00:01:05.150 --> 00:01:07.830 Avery: Reaching orbit on a brand new rocket is the 28 00:01:07.830 --> 00:01:10.350 single biggest hurdle. So that's fantastic 29 00:01:10.350 --> 00:01:13.270 news for them. But I hear the second half of 30 00:01:13.270 --> 00:01:15.710 the test didn't go quite so smoothly. 31 00:01:16.190 --> 00:01:19.150 Anna: Yes, the reusable part of the test hit a 32 00:01:19.150 --> 00:01:21.470 snag. The first stage booster, which is 33 00:01:21.470 --> 00:01:23.670 supposed to fly back and land itself for 34 00:01:23.670 --> 00:01:26.670 reuse, experienced what the company calls a 35 00:01:26.750 --> 00:01:27.470 mishap. 36 00:01:27.710 --> 00:01:30.310 Avery: A, uh, mishap is putting it mildly. It 37 00:01:30.310 --> 00:01:32.430 exploded during the landing attempt, right? 38 00:01:32.860 --> 00:01:35.460 Anna: It did. But Land's base is still 39 00:01:35.460 --> 00:01:37.900 framing the overall mission as a success. 40 00:01:38.300 --> 00:01:40.420 And in the world of rocket development, they 41 00:01:40.420 --> 00:01:42.940 have a point. Proving your design can reach 42 00:01:42.940 --> 00:01:45.660 orbital velocity is a massive achievement. 43 00:01:45.900 --> 00:01:48.300 Avery: That makes sense. It's an iterative process. 44 00:01:48.539 --> 00:01:50.660 They've nailed the hardest part, and now they 45 00:01:50.660 --> 00:01:52.980 can use the data from the failed landing to 46 00:01:52.980 --> 00:01:54.620 figure out how to stick it next time. 47 00:01:55.020 --> 00:01:57.180 Anna: Precisely. It shows that the global 48 00:01:57.180 --> 00:01:59.620 competition for reusable rockets is heating 49 00:01:59.620 --> 00:02:02.180 up, and it's not just limited to a few big 50 00:02:02.180 --> 00:02:04.270 players anymore. This is a significant 51 00:02:04.510 --> 00:02:06.550 milestone for China's commercial space 52 00:02:06.550 --> 00:02:06.910 industry. 53 00:02:07.390 --> 00:02:09.470 Avery: And of course, we'll be keeping an eye on all 54 00:02:09.470 --> 00:02:11.230 their developments in the coming months. 55 00:02:11.870 --> 00:02:14.670 Anna: From rockets soaring up, we turn to a 56 00:02:14.670 --> 00:02:17.470 planet that is falling apart. The James 57 00:02:17.470 --> 00:02:19.629 Webb Space Telescope has given us an 58 00:02:19.629 --> 00:02:22.390 extraordinary view of an exoplanet that 59 00:02:22.390 --> 00:02:24.590 is actively losing its atmosphere. 60 00:02:24.990 --> 00:02:27.710 Avery: I love a good JWST story. 61 00:02:28.030 --> 00:02:30.220 Which planet are we talking about? And, um, 62 00:02:30.220 --> 00:02:32.270 what does that even look like? A planet 63 00:02:32.270 --> 00:02:33.800 shedding its atmosphere. What? 64 00:02:34.030 --> 00:02:36.670 Anna: The planet is WASP 107B. 65 00:02:36.910 --> 00:02:39.390 It's a gas giant, but it's unusually 66 00:02:39.550 --> 00:02:42.190 Puffy. It's very large for its mass 67 00:02:42.830 --> 00:02:44.990 because it orbits extremely close to its 68 00:02:44.990 --> 00:02:47.950 star. The intense radiation is boiling its 69 00:02:47.950 --> 00:02:49.630 atmosphere away into space. 70 00:02:50.270 --> 00:02:53.230 Avery: Wow. So it's just venting gas out into 71 00:02:53.230 --> 00:02:53.790 the void. 72 00:02:54.190 --> 00:02:57.070 Anna: Exactly. And Webb's instruments were able to 73 00:02:57.070 --> 00:02:59.870 detect a massive cloud of helium being 74 00:02:59.870 --> 00:03:02.550 stripped from the planet. This cloud is so 75 00:03:02.550 --> 00:03:05.310 large that it actually forms a giant T 76 00:03:05.770 --> 00:03:07.530 that travels ahead of the planet in its 77 00:03:07.530 --> 00:03:08.010 orbit. 78 00:03:08.090 --> 00:03:10.930 Avery: It travels ahead of the planet? How does that 79 00:03:10.930 --> 00:03:11.210 work? 80 00:03:11.450 --> 00:03:13.930 Anna: It's due to the complex interaction between 81 00:03:13.930 --> 00:03:16.490 the stellar wind and the planet's own orbital 82 00:03:16.490 --> 00:03:18.810 motion. It's a bit like a boat's wake 83 00:03:18.810 --> 00:03:20.730 appearing in front of it in a strong current. 84 00:03:21.210 --> 00:03:24.130 Avery: That's incredible. So this gives us a real 85 00:03:24.130 --> 00:03:26.850 time look at how planets can die 86 00:03:26.850 --> 00:03:29.650 or at least transform over billions of 87 00:03:29.650 --> 00:03:30.010 years. 88 00:03:30.650 --> 00:03:33.250 Anna: Yes, It's a vital piece of the puzzle for 89 00:03:33.250 --> 00:03:35.850 understanding planetary evolution. By 90 00:03:35.850 --> 00:03:38.750 studying planets like Wasp 1, we can 91 00:03:38.750 --> 00:03:40.910 learn more about how our own solar system may 92 00:03:40.910 --> 00:03:42.710 have formed and changed over time. 93 00:03:43.110 --> 00:03:43.670 Avery: Alright. 94 00:03:43.670 --> 00:03:45.870 From the ingredients of planets being 95 00:03:45.870 --> 00:03:47.790 stripped away, let's talk about the 96 00:03:47.790 --> 00:03:50.510 ingredients for life being found in a very 97 00:03:50.510 --> 00:03:53.470 exciting place. The samples from Asteroid 98 00:03:53.470 --> 00:03:55.830 Bennu are back. And they did not 99 00:03:55.830 --> 00:03:56.550 disappoint. 100 00:03:56.950 --> 00:03:59.830 Anna: They certainly did not. After years of 101 00:03:59.830 --> 00:04:02.470 travel, NASA's Osiris Rex mission 102 00:04:02.470 --> 00:04:05.200 returned pristine samples from the asteroid. 103 00:04:05.200 --> 00:04:07.720 And the initial findings are groundbreaking. 104 00:04:08.280 --> 00:04:10.400 Scientists have confirmed the presence of 105 00:04:10.400 --> 00:04:12.520 essential sugars within the asteroid 106 00:04:12.520 --> 00:04:13.000 material. 107 00:04:13.240 --> 00:04:15.840 Avery: And we're not talking about table sugar here, 108 00:04:15.840 --> 00:04:18.200 we're talking about the fundamental building 109 00:04:18.200 --> 00:04:19.800 blocks, uh, of life, right? 110 00:04:20.360 --> 00:04:23.000 Anna: Precisely. They have positively identified 111 00:04:23.000 --> 00:04:25.720 sugars like ribose, which is a critical 112 00:04:25.720 --> 00:04:28.400 component of rna, the molecule that may have 113 00:04:28.400 --> 00:04:31.000 preceded DNA in the earliest forms of life. 114 00:04:31.530 --> 00:04:33.490 They also found other vital sugars like 115 00:04:33.490 --> 00:04:34.090 glucose. 116 00:04:34.810 --> 00:04:37.650 Avery: So this adds huge weight to the theory 117 00:04:37.650 --> 00:04:39.650 that asteroids and comets could have 118 00:04:39.650 --> 00:04:41.970 delivered these prebiotic ingredients to the 119 00:04:41.970 --> 00:04:43.930 early Earth, kickstarting life here. 120 00:04:44.170 --> 00:04:46.610 Anna: Mm mhm. It's some of the strongest evidence 121 00:04:46.610 --> 00:04:49.450 to date. It tells us that these fundamental 122 00:04:49.450 --> 00:04:51.810 building blocks were likely common in the 123 00:04:51.810 --> 00:04:54.610 early solar system, available to planets like 124 00:04:54.610 --> 00:04:55.050 ours. 125 00:04:55.370 --> 00:04:57.530 Avery: Okay, I have to ask about my favorite part of 126 00:04:57.530 --> 00:05:00.010 this story. The space gum. What on Earth is 127 00:05:00.010 --> 00:05:00.330 that? 128 00:05:01.070 --> 00:05:03.630 Anna: Yes. The team also discovered a strange 129 00:05:03.710 --> 00:05:06.470 black, viscous organic material that 130 00:05:06.470 --> 00:05:08.990 they've playfully nicknamed Spacegum. 131 00:05:09.230 --> 00:05:11.150 They're still analyzing its exact 132 00:05:11.150 --> 00:05:13.950 composition, but it appears to be a very 133 00:05:14.030 --> 00:05:16.990 complex carbon rich substance. Just 134 00:05:16.990 --> 00:05:19.270 another fascinating piece of this cosmic 135 00:05:19.270 --> 00:05:19.710 puzzle. 136 00:05:19.790 --> 00:05:22.350 Avery: From asteroids to our own celestial neighbor. 137 00:05:22.510 --> 00:05:25.390 Let's bring it closer to home. Sky watchers 138 00:05:25.390 --> 00:05:28.070 are in for a special event this December. In 139 00:05:28.070 --> 00:05:29.070 coming days, in fact. 140 00:05:29.630 --> 00:05:31.750 Anna: That's right, the final full moon of 141 00:05:31.750 --> 00:05:34.750 2025. Has a few special things going 142 00:05:34.750 --> 00:05:37.710 for it. It's known as the cold Moon. And 143 00:05:37.710 --> 00:05:40.030 this year, it will also be a supermoon. 144 00:05:40.670 --> 00:05:43.150 Avery: Supermoon? That means it'll appear larger and 145 00:05:43.150 --> 00:05:45.309 brighter in the sky because it's closer to 146 00:05:45.309 --> 00:05:47.230 Earth and its orbit. I always love a good 147 00:05:47.230 --> 00:05:47.870 supermoon. 148 00:05:48.430 --> 00:05:51.390 Anna: It does. But there's an even more rare 149 00:05:51.390 --> 00:05:54.110 event happening at the same time. Something 150 00:05:54.110 --> 00:05:56.430 called a major lunar standstill. 151 00:05:57.210 --> 00:05:59.770 Avery: Okay, a major lunar standstill. That sounds 152 00:05:59.770 --> 00:06:01.650 very official and very dramatic. Break that 153 00:06:01.650 --> 00:06:02.250 down for us. 154 00:06:02.410 --> 00:06:05.250 Anna: It's a point in the moon's 18.6 155 00:06:05.250 --> 00:06:08.170 year cycle where its orbit is tilted 156 00:06:08.170 --> 00:06:11.130 to the maximum degree relative to Earth's 157 00:06:11.130 --> 00:06:13.610 equator. For those of us in the northern 158 00:06:13.610 --> 00:06:16.090 hemisphere, it means this full moon will 159 00:06:16.090 --> 00:06:19.050 trace a much higher arc across the winter sky 160 00:06:19.050 --> 00:06:19.690 than usual. 161 00:06:20.410 --> 00:06:22.730 Avery: Right, so it's not just closer, it's also 162 00:06:22.730 --> 00:06:24.850 taking the high road across the sky. The. 163 00:06:24.920 --> 00:06:26.680 That should make it visible for longer and 164 00:06:26.680 --> 00:06:27.560 easier to see. 165 00:06:28.120 --> 00:06:30.880 Anna: Exactly. It will rise in the northeast and 166 00:06:30.880 --> 00:06:33.680 set in the northwest, Similar to the sun's 167 00:06:33.680 --> 00:06:35.880 path in the summer. And it will stay above 168 00:06:35.880 --> 00:06:38.800 the horizon for an extended period. It's a 169 00:06:38.800 --> 00:06:41.200 perfect combination for a beautiful lunar 170 00:06:41.200 --> 00:06:41.800 spectacle. 171 00:06:42.360 --> 00:06:44.720 Avery: So make sure you get outside and look up, as 172 00:06:44.720 --> 00:06:45.960 we like to remind you. 173 00:06:46.360 --> 00:06:49.160 Anna: And while we're on the subject of our moon, 174 00:06:49.320 --> 00:06:52.060 we have a beautiful but bittersweet story 175 00:06:52.060 --> 00:06:54.620 from the Japanese lunar lander Hataku 176 00:06:54.620 --> 00:06:56.620 Matu R. Oh, right. 177 00:06:56.620 --> 00:06:58.620 Avery: This was the private mission that attempted 178 00:06:58.620 --> 00:07:01.380 to land on the moon last year. Sadly, it 179 00:07:01.380 --> 00:07:03.620 crashed in the final seconds of its descent. 180 00:07:04.180 --> 00:07:06.820 Anna: It did. But before the mission ended, it 181 00:07:06.820 --> 00:07:09.620 captured some truly breathtaking imagery. 182 00:07:09.780 --> 00:07:12.220 And one photo in particular has been making 183 00:07:12.220 --> 00:07:14.900 the rounds. It's a stunning shot of our 184 00:07:14.900 --> 00:07:15.940 own planet. 185 00:07:16.020 --> 00:07:18.860 Avery: I've seen it. It's an image of Earth during a 186 00:07:18.860 --> 00:07:21.460 total solar eclipse Taken from space. 187 00:07:22.200 --> 00:07:24.560 You can clearly see the round shadow of the 188 00:07:24.560 --> 00:07:26.840 moon moving across the Earth's surface. 189 00:07:27.000 --> 00:07:29.360 Australia in particular. It's just an 190 00:07:29.360 --> 00:07:30.600 incredible perspective. 191 00:07:31.000 --> 00:07:33.880 Anna: It really is. It's a viewpoint we so rarely 192 00:07:33.880 --> 00:07:36.560 get to see. It's a powerful reminder of the 193 00:07:36.560 --> 00:07:39.200 beauty of our world and the celestial dance. 194 00:07:39.200 --> 00:07:42.000 It's a part of a final, beautiful piece of 195 00:07:42.000 --> 00:07:44.200 data from, um, a mission that came so close 196 00:07:44.280 --> 00:07:45.480 to achieving its goal. 197 00:07:46.120 --> 00:07:48.600 Avery: Okay, for our final story, we're coming back 198 00:07:48.600 --> 00:07:50.960 down to Earth, but it's a story with a truly 199 00:07:50.960 --> 00:07:52.180 cosmic origin story. 200 00:07:52.490 --> 00:07:54.210 This sounds like pure science fiction, Anna, 201 00:07:54.210 --> 00:07:56.810 but an expert is suggesting a cosmic ray may 202 00:07:56.810 --> 00:07:59.730 have been responsible for forcing a JetBlue 203 00:07:59.730 --> 00:08:01.850 airliner into an emergency landing. 204 00:08:02.170 --> 00:08:04.890 Anna: It's a fascinating theory. The flight in 205 00:08:04.890 --> 00:08:07.650 question experienced a sudden, unexpected 206 00:08:07.650 --> 00:08:10.250 drop in altitude. And while there's no 207 00:08:10.250 --> 00:08:12.810 official cause yet, one plausible, 208 00:08:12.970 --> 00:08:15.970 though unproven explanation involves a 209 00:08:15.970 --> 00:08:18.250 high energy particle from deep space. 210 00:08:18.410 --> 00:08:21.090 Avery: A single particle can do that to a massive 211 00:08:21.090 --> 00:08:22.890 airplane? How is that even possible? 212 00:08:24.230 --> 00:08:27.030 Anna: To a phenomenon called a single event 213 00:08:27.190 --> 00:08:29.790 upset? High energy cosmic 214 00:08:29.790 --> 00:08:32.790 rays, often accelerated by distant 215 00:08:32.790 --> 00:08:35.390 supernovas, are constantly 216 00:08:35.390 --> 00:08:38.270 bombarding our atmosphere. If one 217 00:08:38.270 --> 00:08:41.070 of these particles, traveling at near the 218 00:08:41.070 --> 00:08:43.910 speed of light, happens to strike a 219 00:08:43.910 --> 00:08:46.430 microscopic transistor in one of the 220 00:08:46.430 --> 00:08:49.030 plane's flight computers. Uh-huh. It can 221 00:08:49.030 --> 00:08:51.950 deposit enough energy to. To flip 222 00:08:51.950 --> 00:08:54.750 a bit of memory. It can change a 223 00:08:54.750 --> 00:08:57.390 digital one to a zero or vice 224 00:08:57.390 --> 00:09:00.030 versa. In a non critical system, 225 00:09:00.190 --> 00:09:02.830 you'd never notice. But if it 226 00:09:02.830 --> 00:09:05.390 hits a crucial part of the processor, 227 00:09:05.710 --> 00:09:08.550 it could cause a temporary glitch or 228 00:09:08.550 --> 00:09:10.270 even a system reboot. 229 00:09:11.390 --> 00:09:14.110 Avery: So the plane's electronic brain could have a 230 00:09:14.110 --> 00:09:17.110 momentary hiccup caused by a particle from 231 00:09:17.110 --> 00:09:19.790 an exploded star millions of light years 232 00:09:19.790 --> 00:09:21.550 away. That is mind blowing. 233 00:09:22.470 --> 00:09:25.270 Anna: It is. And while it's important 234 00:09:25.350 --> 00:09:28.110 to note this is just one expert's 235 00:09:28.110 --> 00:09:30.990 hypothesis, it is scientifically 236 00:09:30.990 --> 00:09:33.990 plausible. Modern avionics have 237 00:09:33.990 --> 00:09:36.710 extensive shielding and redundant 238 00:09:36.710 --> 00:09:39.350 systems to prevent this. But the 239 00:09:39.350 --> 00:09:42.310 possibility, however remote, is always 240 00:09:42.310 --> 00:09:45.150 there. It's a wild reminder that 241 00:09:45.150 --> 00:09:47.790 we're never truly separate from the 242 00:09:47.790 --> 00:09:49.590 events of the wider cosmos. 243 00:09:50.640 --> 00:09:52.560 Avery: That really is a mind bending connection. 244 00:09:52.880 --> 00:09:55.320 And on, um, that cosmic note, that's all the 245 00:09:55.320 --> 00:09:57.520 time we have for today's episode of Astronomy 246 00:09:57.520 --> 00:10:00.280 Daily. What a trip across the universe it's 247 00:10:00.280 --> 00:10:00.560 been. 248 00:10:01.040 --> 00:10:04.040 Anna: It certainly has. Thank you all so 249 00:10:04.040 --> 00:10:06.560 much for joining us. We'll be back again 250 00:10:06.560 --> 00:10:09.040 tomorrow with another roundup of the latest 251 00:10:09.120 --> 00:10:11.920 news from around and beyond our world. 252 00:10:12.720 --> 00:10:15.360 Avery: Until then, clear skies. And one more 253 00:10:15.360 --> 00:10:17.290 reminder, Keep looking up.