WEBVTT 0 00:00:00.320 --> 00:00:03.280 Avery: Hello, and welcome to Astronomy Daily, the 1 00:00:03.280 --> 00:00:05.680 podcast that brings the universe down to 2 00:00:05.680 --> 00:00:07.680 Earth. I'm your host, Avery. 3 00:00:07.760 --> 00:00:10.280 Anna: And I'm Anna. It's great to be with you all 4 00:00:10.280 --> 00:00:12.960 again, Avery. The cosmos has been 5 00:00:12.960 --> 00:00:15.520 busy, and we have some great stories for you. 6 00:00:15.919 --> 00:00:18.640 Avery: You are not kidding. We're talking about a 7 00:00:18.640 --> 00:00:21.400 historic change at the top of NASA. A 8 00:00:21.400 --> 00:00:23.360 supermassive black hole on the run. 9 00:00:23.680 --> 00:00:26.040 Incredible news from Mars, a 10 00:00:26.040 --> 00:00:28.930 surprisingly active moon, and a, major 11 00:00:28.930 --> 00:00:31.330 leap forward for European spacefl. 12 00:00:31.870 --> 00:00:32.830 Where do we even begin? 13 00:00:33.310 --> 00:00:36.030 Anna: Let's start here on Earth with a big 14 00:00:36.030 --> 00:00:38.630 leadership announcement. It's been confirmed 15 00:00:38.630 --> 00:00:41.270 that billionaire entrepreneur and astronaut 16 00:00:41.270 --> 00:00:43.870 Jared Isaacman will be the next head of 17 00:00:43.870 --> 00:00:44.430 NASA. 18 00:00:44.830 --> 00:00:47.749 Avery: That is huge news. I mean, this is the guy 19 00:00:47.749 --> 00:00:50.390 behind the Inspiration 4 and Polaris dawn 20 00:00:50.390 --> 00:00:52.950 missions. He's not just a funder, he's 21 00:00:52.950 --> 00:00:54.270 actually flown to space. 22 00:00:54.830 --> 00:00:57.550 Anna: Exactly. And that background is what makes 23 00:00:57.550 --> 00:01:00.550 this appointment so fascinating. Isaacman 24 00:01:00.550 --> 00:01:02.910 brings a deep understanding of the commercial 25 00:01:02.910 --> 00:01:05.370 space sector. This signals a potential 26 00:01:05.450 --> 00:01:08.290 acceleration of the partnership between NASA 27 00:01:08.290 --> 00:01:10.930 and private companies like SpaceX, Blue 28 00:01:10.930 --> 00:01:12.170 Origin and others. 29 00:01:12.570 --> 00:01:15.380 Avery: Right. A, shift in focus. So we might 30 00:01:15.380 --> 00:01:18.220 see more commercially driven missions, maybe 31 00:01:18.220 --> 00:01:20.100 faster development cycles for new 32 00:01:20.100 --> 00:01:20.740 technologies. 33 00:01:21.220 --> 00:01:23.820 Anna: That seems to be the expectation. His 34 00:01:23.820 --> 00:01:26.300 supporters believe his entrepreneurial spirit 35 00:01:26.300 --> 00:01:28.620 could Streamline Some of NASA's larger 36 00:01:28.620 --> 00:01:31.540 projects, like the Artemis program. However, 37 00:01:31.780 --> 00:01:33.660 some in the scientific community are 38 00:01:33.660 --> 00:01:36.660 cautiously optimistic, hoping the agency's 39 00:01:36.660 --> 00:01:39.060 core mission of pure scientific research 40 00:01:39.380 --> 00:01:40.900 remains a top priority. 41 00:01:41.300 --> 00:01:44.060 Avery: It's a, balancing act, for sure. It will be 42 00:01:44.060 --> 00:01:45.940 incredibly interesting to see how his 43 00:01:45.940 --> 00:01:48.300 leadership shapes NASA's direction over the 44 00:01:48.300 --> 00:01:49.060 next few years. 45 00:01:49.700 --> 00:01:52.380 Okay, from leadership on Earth, let's head 46 00:01:52.380 --> 00:01:54.900 out to the truly wild frontiers of space. 47 00:01:55.380 --> 00:01:57.750 Anna, you have to tell us about this runaway 48 00:01:57.750 --> 00:01:58.470 black hole. 49 00:01:58.920 --> 00:02:01.080 Anna: This story is just breathtaking. 50 00:02:01.480 --> 00:02:04.160 Astronomers using the James Webb Telescope 51 00:02:04.160 --> 00:02:06.520 have confirmed something they've never seen. 52 00:02:07.240 --> 00:02:10.160 A supermassive black hole weighing as much 53 00:02:10.160 --> 00:02:12.880 as 20 million suns hurtling 54 00:02:12.880 --> 00:02:14.600 through intergalactic space. 55 00:02:15.240 --> 00:02:17.560 Avery: Wow. How fast are we talking? 56 00:02:17.960 --> 00:02:20.680 Anna: It's moving at about 2.2 million 57 00:02:20.840 --> 00:02:23.360 miles per hour. Fast enough to travel from 58 00:02:23.360 --> 00:02:25.960 the Earth to the Moon in about six minutes. 59 00:02:26.620 --> 00:02:29.420 Avery: That is absolutely mind bending. But 60 00:02:29.420 --> 00:02:31.420 that's not even the wildest part, is it? 61 00:02:31.660 --> 00:02:34.460 Anna: Not at all. The most stunning part is what 62 00:02:34.460 --> 00:02:36.760 it's leaving behind. As, this black hole 63 00:02:36.760 --> 00:02:39.560 plows through the gas between galaxies, it's 64 00:02:39.560 --> 00:02:42.159 compressing that material and triggering a 65 00:02:42.159 --> 00:02:44.800 massive wave of star formation. It's 66 00:02:44.800 --> 00:02:47.680 dragging a tail of newborn stars behind it 67 00:02:47.760 --> 00:02:50.640 that is 200,000 light years long. 68 00:02:51.120 --> 00:02:54.080 Avery: 200,000 light years. That's twice 69 00:02:54.080 --> 00:02:56.800 the diameter of our own Milky Way galaxy. 70 00:02:56.960 --> 00:02:59.900 Just a tail of stars. So it's both 71 00:02:59.900 --> 00:03:02.580 a force of destruction and creation at the 72 00:03:02.580 --> 00:03:03.100 same time. 73 00:03:03.500 --> 00:03:06.500 Anna: Precisely. The theory is that this happened 74 00:03:06.500 --> 00:03:09.460 because of a massive cosmic collision. Two 75 00:03:09.460 --> 00:03:11.420 galaxies merged and their central 76 00:03:11.580 --> 00:03:14.340 supermassive black holes began to orbit each 77 00:03:14.340 --> 00:03:16.870 other. Then a, third galaxy joined the 78 00:03:16.870 --> 00:03:19.790 fray and a complex gravitational dance 79 00:03:19.790 --> 00:03:22.310 ejected one of the black holes, sending it 80 00:03:22.310 --> 00:03:24.350 careening out of its home galaxy. 81 00:03:24.750 --> 00:03:27.190 Avery: It's like a gravitational slingshot on a 82 00:03:27.190 --> 00:03:30.030 galactic scale. An incredible discovery, 83 00:03:30.030 --> 00:03:32.270 and what a testament to the power of the 84 00:03:32.270 --> 00:03:34.590 JWST it really is. 85 00:03:35.150 --> 00:03:37.630 Anna: Now let's bring our focus a little closer to 86 00:03:37.630 --> 00:03:40.270 home, to our neighbor Mars, where another 87 00:03:40.430 --> 00:03:42.430 NASA mission is making history. 88 00:03:42.990 --> 00:03:45.710 Avery: Yes, let's talk about the Perseverance Rover. 89 00:03:45.950 --> 00:03:48.550 This machine is just an absolute marathon 90 00:03:48.550 --> 00:03:50.950 runner. NASA recently announced it has 91 00:03:50.950 --> 00:03:53.950 traveled almost 25 miles across the surface 92 00:03:53.950 --> 00:03:54.590 of Mars. 93 00:03:54.890 --> 00:03:56.930 Anna: And after several years in a harsh 94 00:03:56.930 --> 00:03:59.250 environment, it's still in excellent 95 00:03:59.250 --> 00:04:01.650 condition. This mission has been a huge 96 00:04:01.650 --> 00:04:03.690 success for autonomous navigation. 97 00:04:04.010 --> 00:04:06.410 Perseverance is making many of its own 98 00:04:06.410 --> 00:04:08.970 driving decisions to avoid hazards, which 99 00:04:08.970 --> 00:04:11.570 allows it to cover ground much faster than 100 00:04:11.570 --> 00:04:12.410 previous rovers. 101 00:04:12.730 --> 00:04:15.530 Avery: It's an explorer in the truest sense. And 102 00:04:15.530 --> 00:04:17.690 it's not just driving. It's doing some 103 00:04:17.690 --> 00:04:20.410 groundbreaking science. Tell us about the 104 00:04:20.410 --> 00:04:21.290 Margin Unit. 105 00:04:21.740 --> 00:04:24.260 Anna: Right, so Perseverance has been exploring 106 00:04:24.260 --> 00:04:26.780 this area at the edge of Jezero Crater 107 00:04:27.020 --> 00:04:29.380 called the Margin Unit. It's a 108 00:04:29.380 --> 00:04:32.180 geological treasure trove. The rover has been 109 00:04:32.180 --> 00:04:34.980 analyzing rocks rich in olivine, a 110 00:04:34.980 --> 00:04:37.419 mineral that on Earth is often associated 111 00:04:37.419 --> 00:04:38.060 with water. 112 00:04:38.460 --> 00:04:41.460 Avery: Okay, so olivine plus water, that's always an 113 00:04:41.460 --> 00:04:43.660 exciting combination in the search for life. 114 00:04:44.060 --> 00:04:46.820 Anna: Indeed, the data suggests these rocks 115 00:04:46.820 --> 00:04:49.060 interacted with liquid water and carbon 116 00:04:49.060 --> 00:04:51.780 dioxide from the Martian atmosphere over 117 00:04:51.780 --> 00:04:54.120 long periods. By studying these 118 00:04:54.120 --> 00:04:56.720 interactions, scientists can piece together 119 00:04:56.720 --> 00:04:58.760 what the Martian environment was like 120 00:04:58.760 --> 00:05:01.440 billions of years ago and assess whether it 121 00:05:01.440 --> 00:05:03.240 could have supported microbial life. 122 00:05:03.560 --> 00:05:05.720 Avery: And Perseverance has been drilling samples 123 00:05:05.720 --> 00:05:08.000 from these rocks. Right. To eventually bring 124 00:05:08.000 --> 00:05:08.760 back to Earth. 125 00:05:09.159 --> 00:05:11.800 Anna: Yes, it has been collecting a diverse library 126 00:05:11.800 --> 00:05:14.440 of rock cores. The Mars Sample Return 127 00:05:14.440 --> 00:05:16.600 Mission is still in development. But when 128 00:05:16.600 --> 00:05:19.120 those samples finally get into labs here on 129 00:05:19.120 --> 00:05:21.600 Earth, they could fundamentally change our 130 00:05:21.600 --> 00:05:24.080 understanding of Mars and the potential for 131 00:05:24.080 --> 00:05:25.780 life beyond our planet. 132 00:05:25.940 --> 00:05:28.500 Avery: An amazing mission that just keeps on giving. 133 00:05:29.060 --> 00:05:31.940 Alright, let's hop from Mars to our own moon, 134 00:05:31.940 --> 00:05:34.180 which is apparently not the quiet, 135 00:05:34.180 --> 00:05:36.020 unchanging world we thought it was. 136 00:05:36.340 --> 00:05:39.180 Anna: That's right. New high resolution images 137 00:05:39.180 --> 00:05:42.060 from NASA's Lunar Reconnaissance Orbiter, or 138 00:05:42.060 --> 00:05:45.060 LRO, have revealed massive cracks on 139 00:05:45.060 --> 00:05:47.700 the moon's surface. These features are called 140 00:05:47.700 --> 00:05:50.220 grabens, and they're essentially trenches 141 00:05:50.220 --> 00:05:52.260 formed when the crust is pulled apart. 142 00:05:52.760 --> 00:05:55.200 Avery: Okay, so the crust is Fracturing? What's 143 00:05:55.200 --> 00:05:55.800 causing that? 144 00:05:56.200 --> 00:05:58.760 Anna: These particular grabens are located around 145 00:05:58.840 --> 00:06:01.720 Mare Humorum basin, an area that was 146 00:06:01.720 --> 00:06:04.600 once filled with volcanic lava. As this 147 00:06:04.600 --> 00:06:07.400 immense sea of lava cooled and solidified 148 00:06:07.400 --> 00:06:10.120 over millions of years, it contracted. 149 00:06:10.280 --> 00:06:12.880 This contraction put immense stress on the 150 00:06:12.880 --> 00:06:15.600 surrounding crust, causing it to buckle and 151 00:06:15.600 --> 00:06:18.120 fracture, forming these long linear 152 00:06:18.120 --> 00:06:18.670 valleys. 153 00:06:19.220 --> 00:06:21.180 Avery: So this is ancient history then? From when 154 00:06:21.180 --> 00:06:22.900 the Moon was volcanically active? 155 00:06:23.300 --> 00:06:26.100 Anna: Well, this is the surprising part. While the 156 00:06:26.100 --> 00:06:29.020 process started long ago, analysis of the 157 00:06:29.020 --> 00:06:31.380 images shows that some of these grabens are 158 00:06:31.380 --> 00:06:34.220 remarkably young in geological terms. Some 159 00:06:34.220 --> 00:06:36.820 might be less than 50 million years old. 160 00:06:37.300 --> 00:06:39.700 Avery: 50 million years. That's practically 161 00:06:39.700 --> 00:06:42.500 yesterday in geological time. So the Moon's 162 00:06:42.500 --> 00:06:45.100 surface is still actively changing. It's not 163 00:06:45.100 --> 00:06:45.860 a dead rock. 164 00:06:46.360 --> 00:06:49.300 Anna: Exactly. It suggests, the lunar interior is 165 00:06:49.300 --> 00:06:51.740 still cooling and contracting. And these 166 00:06:51.740 --> 00:06:54.420 surface features are the evidence it forces 167 00:06:54.420 --> 00:06:57.420 us to rethink the Moon as a dynamic, evolving 168 00:06:57.500 --> 00:07:00.180 world, which has important implications for 169 00:07:00.180 --> 00:07:02.940 future long term habitats and exploration. 170 00:07:03.340 --> 00:07:04.780 Avery: Absolutely fascinating. 171 00:07:05.180 --> 00:07:08.180 Okay, for a final story, we're back in Earth 172 00:07:08.180 --> 00:07:10.900 orbit celebrating a major milestone for the 173 00:07:10.900 --> 00:07:12.380 European Space Agency. 174 00:07:12.690 --> 00:07:15.530 Anna: Mm, this is a big one for European space 175 00:07:15.530 --> 00:07:18.490 autonomy. Just this week, Europe's brand new 176 00:07:18.490 --> 00:07:21.490 Ariane 6 rocket had its first operational 177 00:07:21.490 --> 00:07:23.730 launch and it was a complete success. 178 00:07:24.290 --> 00:07:26.010 Avery: I know they've been waiting for this for a 179 00:07:26.010 --> 00:07:28.770 long time. After the retirement of Ariane 5, 180 00:07:28.850 --> 00:07:31.010 there was a gap in Europe's independent 181 00:07:31.010 --> 00:07:33.370 launch capability. This must be a huge 182 00:07:33.370 --> 00:07:33.890 relief. 183 00:07:34.210 --> 00:07:36.730 Anna: A massive relief. For the past couple of 184 00:07:36.730 --> 00:07:38.810 years, Europe has had to rely on other 185 00:07:38.810 --> 00:07:41.490 providers, including SpaceX, to launch its 186 00:07:41.490 --> 00:07:44.010 critical satellites. The successful launch of 187 00:07:44.010 --> 00:07:46.670 ARR restores their ability to 188 00:07:46.670 --> 00:07:49.510 independently access space, which is crucial 189 00:07:49.510 --> 00:07:51.870 for both commercial and strategic reasons. 190 00:07:52.270 --> 00:07:53.950 Avery: So what was on this inaugural flight? 191 00:07:54.110 --> 00:07:56.470 Anna: The rocket carried two new satellites for the 192 00:07:56.470 --> 00:07:59.150 Galileo Constellation. This is Europe's 193 00:07:59.150 --> 00:08:01.590 Global Navigation Satellite System, their 194 00:08:01.590 --> 00:08:04.390 equivalent of the American gps. Adding 195 00:08:04.390 --> 00:08:06.910 these new satellites enhances the system's 196 00:08:06.910 --> 00:08:09.550 accuracy, reliability and coverage. 197 00:08:09.950 --> 00:08:11.790 Avery: So this isn't just a win for the rocket 198 00:08:11.790 --> 00:08:13.910 program, but also for the millions of people 199 00:08:13.910 --> 00:08:16.890 who will rely on the Galileo. Everything from 200 00:08:16.890 --> 00:08:19.730 navigating their cars to critical emergency 201 00:08:19.730 --> 00:08:20.090 services. 202 00:08:20.650 --> 00:08:23.130 Anna: That's it. It's a dual victory that 203 00:08:23.130 --> 00:08:25.610 solidifies Europe's position as a major 204 00:08:25.690 --> 00:08:28.030 player in the global space industry. A, ah, 205 00:08:28.130 --> 00:08:29.850 really significant step forward. 206 00:08:30.330 --> 00:08:33.330 Avery: What a fantastic roundup. From new leadership 207 00:08:33.330 --> 00:08:35.810 at NASA to cosmic fugitives and 208 00:08:35.810 --> 00:08:37.930 evolving worlds right in our backyard. 209 00:08:38.170 --> 00:08:40.970 Anna: It just goes to show that there is always 210 00:08:41.050 --> 00:08:43.970 something new to discover. Every day brings 211 00:08:43.970 --> 00:08:46.790 a revelation that reshapes our understanding 212 00:08:46.790 --> 00:08:47.590 of the universe. 213 00:08:47.990 --> 00:08:49.840 Avery: Well said, Anna. that's all the time we have 214 00:08:49.840 --> 00:08:52.160 for today on Astronomy Daily. A, ah, big 215 00:08:52.160 --> 00:08:54.240 thank you to all of you for tuning in. You 216 00:08:54.240 --> 00:08:56.720 can find us on all major podcast platforms 217 00:08:56.720 --> 00:08:57.880 and on social media. 218 00:08:58.200 --> 00:09:00.760 Anna: Astrodaily Pod Join us again 219 00:09:00.760 --> 00:09:03.600 tomorrow as we continue to explore the final 220 00:09:03.600 --> 00:09:06.280 frontier. Until then, keep looking up 221 00:09:09.560 --> 00:09:10.120 stories. 222 00:09:12.380 --> 00:09:12.620 The. 223 00:09:17.500 --> 00:09:17.900 Story.