WEBVTT 0 00:00:00.000 --> 00:00:02.560 Avery: Welcome to Astronomy Daily, the podcast 1 00:00:02.560 --> 00:00:04.680 bringing you the biggest news from across the 2 00:00:04.680 --> 00:00:06.320 cosmos. I'm Avery. 3 00:00:06.400 --> 00:00:09.040 Anna: And I'm Anna. It's great to have you with us. 4 00:00:09.280 --> 00:00:11.720 Today we'll be looking at Google's ambitious 5 00:00:11.720 --> 00:00:14.520 plan to build data centers in space. A 6 00:00:14.520 --> 00:00:16.880 dangerously close encounter between two 7 00:00:16.880 --> 00:00:19.800 satellites in orbit, and a new theory that a 8 00:00:19.800 --> 00:00:22.640 rogue planet may have reshaped our entire 9 00:00:22.720 --> 00:00:23.520 solar system. 10 00:00:24.000 --> 00:00:26.200 Avery: Plus, we'll explore how Mars might be 11 00:00:26.200 --> 00:00:28.680 secretly influencing Earth's climate. And 12 00:00:28.680 --> 00:00:31.080 celebrate an incredible new milestone for the 13 00:00:31.080 --> 00:00:33.340 legendary V Voyager 1 spacecraft. 14 00:00:33.820 --> 00:00:35.020 Let's get right into it. 15 00:00:35.180 --> 00:00:36.140 Anna: Ready when you are. 16 00:00:36.460 --> 00:00:38.900 Avery: So, Anna, our first story sounds like it's 17 00:00:38.900 --> 00:00:41.100 straight out of science fiction. Google wants 18 00:00:41.100 --> 00:00:43.940 to put data centers in space. It's 19 00:00:43.940 --> 00:00:45.580 called Project Suncatcher. 20 00:00:45.740 --> 00:00:48.420 Anna: It does have that futuristic feel, but the 21 00:00:48.420 --> 00:00:50.340 reasoning behind it is actually very 22 00:00:50.340 --> 00:00:53.340 practical. On Earth, data centers consume 23 00:00:53.340 --> 00:00:56.220 an immense amount of electricity, and a huge 24 00:00:56.220 --> 00:00:58.140 portion of that just goes to keeping them 25 00:00:58.140 --> 00:00:58.540 cool. 26 00:00:59.170 --> 00:01:01.810 Avery: Right. So the idea is, in space, you've got 27 00:01:01.810 --> 00:01:04.730 unlimited solar power, and the cold vacuum is 28 00:01:04.730 --> 00:01:06.770 a perfect and free cooling system. 29 00:01:07.170 --> 00:01:09.730 Anna: That's the core concept. They envision a 30 00:01:09.730 --> 00:01:12.090 constellation of satellites, each equipped 31 00:01:12.090 --> 00:01:14.730 with powerful TPU chips, forming a 32 00:01:14.730 --> 00:01:17.210 distributed data center in orbit. They're 33 00:01:17.210 --> 00:01:19.370 planning to launch the first two prototype 34 00:01:19.370 --> 00:01:22.010 satellites in early 2027 to test the 35 00:01:22.010 --> 00:01:22.450 idea. 36 00:01:22.770 --> 00:01:25.250 Avery: But it can't be that simple. I imagine space 37 00:01:25.410 --> 00:01:27.410 throws a few curveballs at sensitive 38 00:01:27.410 --> 00:01:28.050 electronics. 39 00:01:28.540 --> 00:01:31.400 Anna: Mm, Several big ones. Cosmic radiation 40 00:01:31.400 --> 00:01:33.760 is a constant threat that can corrupt data 41 00:01:33.760 --> 00:01:36.640 and damage hardware. Thermal management is 42 00:01:36.640 --> 00:01:39.240 also more complex than you think. You have to 43 00:01:39.240 --> 00:01:42.040 actively radiate heat away from the sun 44 00:01:42.040 --> 00:01:42.800 facing side. 45 00:01:43.040 --> 00:01:45.360 Avery: And I'm guessing the launch costs aren't 46 00:01:45.360 --> 00:01:45.760 cheap. 47 00:01:46.080 --> 00:01:48.880 Anna: They're astronomical. So Even if the 48 00:01:48.880 --> 00:01:51.280 2027 demonstration is a success, 49 00:01:51.760 --> 00:01:54.280 Google is very clear that this is just the 50 00:01:54.280 --> 00:01:56.540 first step in a project that could take time, 51 00:01:56.690 --> 00:01:59.610 decades to realize. It's a bold long term 52 00:01:59.610 --> 00:02:00.050 vision. 53 00:02:00.450 --> 00:02:02.570 Avery: This is a developing story, so we'll be sure 54 00:02:02.570 --> 00:02:03.890 to keep an eye out for updates. 55 00:02:04.450 --> 00:02:07.370 Anna: Speaking of crowded skies, our next story 56 00:02:07.370 --> 00:02:10.290 is a bit of a cautionary tale. A recently 57 00:02:10.370 --> 00:02:13.170 launched Chinese spacecraft from a Kinetica 58 00:02:13.170 --> 00:02:16.090 1 rocket had a very close pass with one of 59 00:02:16.090 --> 00:02:18.130 SpaceX's Starlink satellites. 60 00:02:18.370 --> 00:02:20.650 Avery: Okay, how close is very close when you're in 61 00:02:20.650 --> 00:02:21.090 orbit? 62 00:02:21.170 --> 00:02:24.090 Anna: The two came within 200 meters of each 63 00:02:24.090 --> 00:02:26.930 other at orbital speeds of thousands of 64 00:02:26.930 --> 00:02:29.590 miles per hour. That is incredibly small 65 00:02:29.590 --> 00:02:31.990 margin for error. A collision would have been 66 00:02:31.990 --> 00:02:32.910 catastrophic. 67 00:02:33.470 --> 00:02:34.910 Avery: Wow. So what went wrong? 68 00:02:35.230 --> 00:02:37.710 Anna: SpaceX used the incident to highlight a 69 00:02:37.710 --> 00:02:40.430 growing problem. A fundamental lack of 70 00:02:40.430 --> 00:02:42.510 coordination and communication between 71 00:02:42.590 --> 00:02:45.350 different satellite operators. Low Earth 72 00:02:45.350 --> 00:02:48.030 orbit is becoming dangerously congested. 73 00:02:48.270 --> 00:02:50.750 Avery: I believe it. The number of satellites has 74 00:02:50.750 --> 00:02:52.590 just exploded in the last few years. 75 00:02:52.990 --> 00:02:55.230 Anna: It has. We're now at about 76 00:02:55.310 --> 00:02:58.230 13,000 functional satellites, which is 77 00:02:58.230 --> 00:03:01.210 a huge jump from just hundred back 78 00:03:01.210 --> 00:03:03.930 in 2020. Most of that increase is from 79 00:03:03.930 --> 00:03:04.570 Starlink. 80 00:03:04.890 --> 00:03:06.930 Avery: And don't the Starlink satellites have an 81 00:03:06.930 --> 00:03:08.730 autonomous collision avoidance system? 82 00:03:09.050 --> 00:03:11.450 Anna: They do, and it performs thousands of 83 00:03:11.450 --> 00:03:14.050 maneuvers. But the system is only as good as 84 00:03:14.050 --> 00:03:16.330 the tracking data it has. When new 85 00:03:16.409 --> 00:03:19.010 uncoordinated objects appear, it makes the 86 00:03:19.010 --> 00:03:21.450 situation far more dangerous for everyone. 87 00:03:21.930 --> 00:03:24.370 This is the exact scenario that could lead to 88 00:03:24.370 --> 00:03:26.700 the Kessler Syndrome, where one. 89 00:03:26.700 --> 00:03:28.740 Avery: Collision creates a cloud of debris which 90 00:03:28.740 --> 00:03:31.180 causes more collisions, creating a feedback 91 00:03:31.180 --> 00:03:32.980 loop until orbit is unusable. 92 00:03:33.300 --> 00:03:36.220 Anna: Precisely. This near miss serves as 93 00:03:36.220 --> 00:03:39.020 a stark warning. Better international space 94 00:03:39.020 --> 00:03:41.300 traffic management isn't a luxury anymore. 95 00:03:41.300 --> 00:03:42.340 It's a necessity. 96 00:03:42.820 --> 00:03:45.100 Avery: All right, let's journey from the chaos of 97 00:03:45.100 --> 00:03:47.460 the near future back to the chaos of the 98 00:03:47.460 --> 00:03:50.380 distant past. I love these stories. A 99 00:03:50.380 --> 00:03:52.860 new study proposes that a rogue planet may 100 00:03:52.860 --> 00:03:55.420 have completely rearranged our early solar 101 00:03:55.420 --> 00:03:55.700 system. 102 00:03:56.150 --> 00:03:58.620 Anna: Mm It's a really compelling idea that tries 103 00:03:58.620 --> 00:04:01.180 to solve a long standing puzzle called the 104 00:04:01.180 --> 00:04:02.700 giant planet Instability. 105 00:04:03.180 --> 00:04:04.220 Avery: Okay, what's that? 106 00:04:04.780 --> 00:04:07.700 Anna: Well, evidence suggests that the giant 107 00:04:07.700 --> 00:04:10.620 planets, Jupiter, Saturn, Uranus and 108 00:04:10.620 --> 00:04:13.340 Neptune didn't form in their current 109 00:04:13.420 --> 00:04:16.420 stable orbits billions of years ago. They 110 00:04:16.420 --> 00:04:19.180 went through a violent reshuffling with their 111 00:04:19.180 --> 00:04:20.940 orbits shifting dramatically. 112 00:04:21.500 --> 00:04:24.180 Avery: Right, and this instability event explains a 113 00:04:24.180 --> 00:04:25.980 lot of weird things about our solar system. 114 00:04:26.140 --> 00:04:28.380 Like the structure of the Kuiper Belt and the 115 00:04:28.380 --> 00:04:30.540 existence of Jupiter's Trojan asteroids. 116 00:04:30.940 --> 00:04:33.820 Anna: Exactly. But the big question has always 117 00:04:33.820 --> 00:04:36.620 been what kicked it all off? This 118 00:04:36.620 --> 00:04:39.620 new research ran simulations and found that 119 00:04:39.620 --> 00:04:42.620 a close flyby from a wandering substellar 120 00:04:42.620 --> 00:04:44.540 object could have been the trigger. 121 00:04:44.860 --> 00:04:47.660 Avery: So you mean a rogue planet or something even 122 00:04:47.660 --> 00:04:49.980 bigger just drifted through our cosmic 123 00:04:49.980 --> 00:04:51.650 neighborhood and stirred the potential? 124 00:04:52.120 --> 00:04:54.880 Anna: Essentially, yes. The simulations show 125 00:04:54.880 --> 00:04:57.840 an object between three and 30 times the 126 00:04:57.840 --> 00:05:00.720 mass of Jupiter. So a super Jupiter or a 127 00:05:00.720 --> 00:05:03.520 small brown dwarf passing through the outer 128 00:05:03.520 --> 00:05:05.920 solar system could have provided just the 129 00:05:05.920 --> 00:05:08.680 right gravitational nudge to send the giant 130 00:05:08.680 --> 00:05:11.080 planets into that chaotic dance that 131 00:05:11.080 --> 00:05:13.520 ultimately shaped the solar system we see 132 00:05:13.520 --> 00:05:13.880 today. 133 00:05:14.280 --> 00:05:16.920 Avery: That is amazing. To think that the layout of 134 00:05:16.920 --> 00:05:19.200 our home is potentially the result of a 135 00:05:19.200 --> 00:05:21.560 chance encounter with a cosmic wanderer 136 00:05:21.560 --> 00:05:22.680 billions of years ago. 137 00:05:23.320 --> 00:05:26.160 Anna: And speaking of cosmic connections, our next 138 00:05:26.160 --> 00:05:29.000 story suggests that one of our neighbors has 139 00:05:29.000 --> 00:05:31.400 had a much bigger influence on us than we 140 00:05:31.400 --> 00:05:34.320 thought. It turns out Mars may have 141 00:05:34.320 --> 00:05:36.880 been secretly pulling the strings on Earth's 142 00:05:36.880 --> 00:05:37.960 climate for eons. 143 00:05:38.759 --> 00:05:41.320 Avery: Mars? But it's so much smaller than Earth. 144 00:05:41.480 --> 00:05:43.080 How could it have such a big impact? 145 00:05:43.640 --> 00:05:46.400 Anna: Through the subtle Persistent tug of 146 00:05:46.400 --> 00:05:49.240 gravity. A new study analyzed deep 147 00:05:49.240 --> 00:05:51.960 sea sediment cores which hold a record of 148 00:05:51.960 --> 00:05:54.750 Earth's past climate. They found that the 149 00:05:54.900 --> 00:05:57.260 gravitational interactions between Earth and 150 00:05:57.260 --> 00:06:00.180 Mars appear to amplify long term 151 00:06:00.180 --> 00:06:02.020 climate rhythms here on Earth. 152 00:06:02.340 --> 00:06:04.180 Avery: What kind of rhythms are we talking about? 153 00:06:04.340 --> 00:06:05.380 Like seasons? 154 00:06:05.940 --> 00:06:08.780 Anna: Much, much longer. The study focused on 155 00:06:08.780 --> 00:06:11.380 the 100,000 year cycles that are 156 00:06:11.380 --> 00:06:13.780 strongly linked to the coming and going of 157 00:06:13.780 --> 00:06:16.700 our ice ages. These are primarily driven by 158 00:06:16.700 --> 00:06:19.620 predictable changes in Earth's orbit and tilt 159 00:06:19.780 --> 00:06:21.540 known as Milinkovitch cycles. 160 00:06:21.940 --> 00:06:24.020 Avery: Okay, so where does Mars fit in? 161 00:06:24.260 --> 00:06:26.740 Anna: The combined gravity of Earth and Mars 162 00:06:26.740 --> 00:06:29.140 creates a sort of resonance in the solar 163 00:06:29.140 --> 00:06:31.980 system. A grand cycle that repeats every 164 00:06:31.980 --> 00:06:34.940 2.4 million years. This resonance 165 00:06:34.940 --> 00:06:37.180 amplifies the effects of the Milinkovitch 166 00:06:37.180 --> 00:06:40.060 cycles, making the swings between glacial and 167 00:06:40.060 --> 00:06:42.340 interglacial periods more pronounced. 168 00:06:42.900 --> 00:06:45.260 Avery: So the red Planet is helping to dictate our 169 00:06:45.260 --> 00:06:47.900 ice ages. I always think of the sun and Moon 170 00:06:47.900 --> 00:06:49.820 as the big players, but I never would have 171 00:06:49.820 --> 00:06:52.380 guessed Mars had a say. The solar system is 172 00:06:52.380 --> 00:06:53.920 more interconnected than I thought. Thought. 173 00:06:54.080 --> 00:06:56.760 Anna: It's a beautiful reminder that no planet is 174 00:06:56.760 --> 00:06:57.280 an island. 175 00:06:57.840 --> 00:07:00.360 Avery: For our final story today, we're heading out 176 00:07:00.360 --> 00:07:02.720 of the solar system and into the vastness of 177 00:07:02.720 --> 00:07:05.080 interstellar space. The legendary 178 00:07:05.080 --> 00:07:07.800 spacecraft Voyager 1 is about to hit an 179 00:07:07.800 --> 00:07:09.680 absolutely staggering milestone. 180 00:07:10.000 --> 00:07:12.600 Anna: This one is truly mind bending. In 181 00:07:12.600 --> 00:07:15.480 November of 2026, Voyager 1 182 00:07:15.480 --> 00:07:17.840 will be one light day from Earth. 183 00:07:18.240 --> 00:07:21.020 Avery: One light day. Lets put that in perspective. 184 00:07:21.180 --> 00:07:23.740 That means a radio signal traveling at the 185 00:07:23.740 --> 00:07:26.460 absolute fastest speed possible. The speed of 186 00:07:26.460 --> 00:07:29.180 light will take a full 24 hours to 187 00:07:29.180 --> 00:07:31.260 travel from Earth to the spacecraft. 188 00:07:31.500 --> 00:07:34.420 Anna: And Then another 24 hours for a reply 189 00:07:34.420 --> 00:07:37.260 to get back to us. That's a 48 hour 190 00:07:37.260 --> 00:07:40.020 round trip just to send a command and confirm 191 00:07:40.020 --> 00:07:42.460 it was received. The distance is almost 192 00:07:42.540 --> 00:07:43.660 incomprehensible. 193 00:07:44.060 --> 00:07:46.860 Avery: It really is. And to think it launched in 194 00:07:46.860 --> 00:07:49.550 1977, it's the most distant 195 00:07:49.550 --> 00:07:51.950 human made object still operating on 196 00:07:51.950 --> 00:07:53.430 1970s technology. 197 00:07:53.910 --> 00:07:56.910 Anna: It's an absolute marvel of engineering. It 198 00:07:56.910 --> 00:07:59.230 has overcome so many challenges over the 199 00:07:59.230 --> 00:08:02.110 decades, including a very serious memory 200 00:08:02.110 --> 00:08:04.310 failure just recently that the team at ah, 201 00:08:04.350 --> 00:08:07.110 NASA managed to diagnose and fix from 202 00:08:07.110 --> 00:08:09.750 nearly 24 billion kilometers away. 203 00:08:10.070 --> 00:08:12.590 Avery: That's like performing remote surgery from 204 00:08:12.590 --> 00:08:15.400 across the solar system. Unbelievable. 205 00:08:15.640 --> 00:08:17.560 And it's still sending useful data. 206 00:08:17.880 --> 00:08:20.720 Anna: It is, it's our only direct source of 207 00:08:20.720 --> 00:08:23.080 information about the interstellar medium, 208 00:08:23.240 --> 00:08:25.080 the space between the stars. 209 00:08:25.480 --> 00:08:28.280 Unfortunately its nuclear power source 210 00:08:28.280 --> 00:08:31.040 is slowly fading. It's expected to go 211 00:08:31.040 --> 00:08:33.560 silent for good sometime in the2030s. 212 00:08:34.200 --> 00:08:37.080 Avery: But even then its journey isn't over. It will 213 00:08:37.080 --> 00:08:39.000 just keep drifting through the Milky Way 214 00:08:39.240 --> 00:08:39.800 forever. 215 00:08:40.290 --> 00:08:43.050 Anna: Exactly. A silent ambassador 216 00:08:43.050 --> 00:08:45.410 carrying its golden record. With the sights 217 00:08:45.410 --> 00:08:47.810 and sounds of humanity, it will likely 218 00:08:47.890 --> 00:08:50.890 outlast Earth itself. A true legend 219 00:08:50.890 --> 00:08:51.810 of exploration. 220 00:08:52.290 --> 00:08:54.770 Avery: And what a perfect, humbling note to end on. 221 00:08:55.090 --> 00:08:57.610 From data centers in our own backyard to a 222 00:08:57.610 --> 00:09:00.370 lonely probe tasting the space between stars, 223 00:09:00.770 --> 00:09:02.090 what a day for astronomy. 224 00:09:02.090 --> 00:09:04.690 Anna: News it certainly was. To 225 00:09:04.690 --> 00:09:07.130 recap, we discussed Google's orbital 226 00:09:07.130 --> 00:09:10.070 ambitions, a traffic jam in space, a 227 00:09:10.220 --> 00:09:12.460 a rogue planet shaking up our past, 228 00:09:12.860 --> 00:09:15.420 Mars's surprising influence on our climate, 229 00:09:15.580 --> 00:09:17.900 and Voyager 1's incredible, 230 00:09:18.140 --> 00:09:19.100 lonely journey. 231 00:09:19.420 --> 00:09:21.380 Avery: Thanks so much for joining us on Astronomy 232 00:09:21.380 --> 00:09:23.500 Daily. We'll be back tomorrow with more news 233 00:09:23.500 --> 00:09:26.019 from across the universe. Until then, keep 234 00:09:26.019 --> 00:09:27.660 looking up clear skies. 235 00:09:28.220 --> 00:09:29.580 Anna: Astronomy Day 236 00:09:31.340 --> 00:09:31.900 stories.