WEBVTT 0 00:00:00.400 --> 00:00:03.280 Avery: Hello, and welcome to Astronomy Daily, 1 00:00:03.520 --> 00:00:06.160 the podcast that brings you the latest news 2 00:00:06.160 --> 00:00:09.040 from across the cosmos. I'm your host, 3 00:00:09.040 --> 00:00:09.800 Avery. 4 00:00:09.800 --> 00:00:12.000 Anna: And I'm Anna. It's great to be with you. 5 00:00:12.320 --> 00:00:14.920 Avery: Today we'll be looking at the slow but steady 6 00:00:14.920 --> 00:00:17.680 progress in UAP research and a new 7 00:00:17.680 --> 00:00:20.280 discovery that suggests our universe might be 8 00:00:20.280 --> 00:00:22.000 surprisingly lopsided. 9 00:00:22.320 --> 00:00:24.840 Anna: We'll also journey to Mars to see the largest 10 00:00:24.840 --> 00:00:27.800 fresh impact crater ever confirmed, witness 11 00:00:27.800 --> 00:00:30.720 a rare cosmic dance of three supermassive 12 00:00:30.720 --> 00:00:33.500 black holes, and explore the innovative ways 13 00:00:33.500 --> 00:00:35.500 scientists are trying to protect future 14 00:00:35.500 --> 00:00:37.340 astronauts from cosmic rays. 15 00:00:37.900 --> 00:00:40.540 Avery: So let's get started. Our first story 16 00:00:40.620 --> 00:00:42.940 brings us back to Earth's atmosphere. 17 00:00:43.340 --> 00:00:46.180 After years of headlines, whistleblower 18 00:00:46.180 --> 00:00:48.700 testimonies, and even congressional hearings. 19 00:00:49.020 --> 00:00:51.660 Unidentified anomalous phenomena, or 20 00:00:51.660 --> 00:00:54.300 UAPs, are still being reported in 21 00:00:54.300 --> 00:00:56.980 America's skies. But getting to the bottom of 22 00:00:56.980 --> 00:00:59.420 it all has been slow going in 2025. 23 00:01:00.040 --> 00:01:02.520 Anna: Right. And experts agree that the only way 24 00:01:02.520 --> 00:01:05.160 forward is with disciplined scientific study. 25 00:01:05.480 --> 00:01:08.040 The holdup, according to Michael Cifoni of 26 00:01:08.040 --> 00:01:11.040 the Society for UAP Studies, isn't a lack of 27 00:01:11.040 --> 00:01:13.840 interest, but a reluctance to invest serious 28 00:01:13.840 --> 00:01:16.560 time and money into what many still see as a 29 00:01:16.560 --> 00:01:17.560 wild goose chase. 30 00:01:18.040 --> 00:01:21.000 Avery: Exactly. The good news is that the focus 31 00:01:21.000 --> 00:01:23.640 is finally shifting away from old flying 32 00:01:23.720 --> 00:01:26.040 saucer cold cases and towards 33 00:01:26.040 --> 00:01:28.880 observational and experimental science. But 34 00:01:28.880 --> 00:01:31.880 that requires real funding and institutional. 35 00:01:31.880 --> 00:01:33.880 Anna: Support, and we're starting to see that 36 00:01:33.880 --> 00:01:36.280 happen. Institutions like the University of 37 00:01:36.280 --> 00:01:38.840 Wurtzburg in Germany and the Galileo Project 38 00:01:38.840 --> 00:01:41.360 at Harvard are developing sophisticated 39 00:01:41.360 --> 00:01:44.000 sensor arrays to collect high quality real 40 00:01:44.000 --> 00:01:45.480 time data on UAPs. 41 00:01:46.040 --> 00:01:48.640 Avery: But it's a massive undertaking. Robert 42 00:01:48.640 --> 00:01:51.320 Powell of the Scientific Coalition for UAP 43 00:01:51.320 --> 00:01:53.920 Studies says that if you want to seriously 44 00:01:53.920 --> 00:01:56.290 test the hypothesis that science some UAPs 45 00:01:56.370 --> 00:01:59.330 are extraterrestrial, you need high precision 46 00:01:59.330 --> 00:02:02.050 scientific gear that could cost hundreds of 47 00:02:02.050 --> 00:02:02.930 millions of dollars. 48 00:02:03.360 --> 00:02:05.890 Anna: Mhm. And this isn't just an academic 49 00:02:05.890 --> 00:02:08.810 question. Former Navy pilot Ryan Graves, 50 00:02:08.810 --> 00:02:10.770 who now chairs an aerospace committee on 51 00:02:10.770 --> 00:02:13.570 UAPs, emphasizes the national security 52 00:02:13.810 --> 00:02:16.410 implications. He states that these objects 53 00:02:16.410 --> 00:02:19.250 are operating in sovereign airspace and could 54 00:02:19.250 --> 00:02:20.770 be collecting intelligence. 55 00:02:21.420 --> 00:02:23.340 Avery: That's the angle that seems to be getting the 56 00:02:23.340 --> 00:02:25.980 most traction. There's even a bipartisan 57 00:02:25.980 --> 00:02:28.780 bill, the Safe Airspace for Americans act, 58 00:02:29.100 --> 00:02:31.980 designed to support civilian UAP reporting. 59 00:02:32.300 --> 00:02:34.500 Anna: Between that and the Department of Defense's 60 00:02:34.500 --> 00:02:37.020 own All Domain Anomaly Resolution Office, 61 00:02:37.340 --> 00:02:40.220 it feels like momentum is building. Graves 62 00:02:40.220 --> 00:02:42.780 says he's optimistic that we may finally get 63 00:02:42.780 --> 00:02:44.140 some closure on this topic. 64 00:02:44.460 --> 00:02:46.860 Avery: It will be fascinating to see what they find. 65 00:02:47.460 --> 00:02:50.020 Anna: From the skies above Earth to the very fabric 66 00:02:50.020 --> 00:02:50.980 of the cosmos. 67 00:02:51.140 --> 00:02:53.780 Our next story challenges one of the most 68 00:02:53.780 --> 00:02:56.620 fundamental assumptions in cosmology. A 69 00:02:56.620 --> 00:02:58.980 new study in the reviews of modern physics 70 00:02:58.980 --> 00:03:01.380 suggests the universe may not be as 71 00:03:01.380 --> 00:03:03.060 symmetrical as we've always thought. 72 00:03:03.700 --> 00:03:06.580 Avery: Not symmetrical? What does that mean exactly? 73 00:03:06.900 --> 00:03:09.340 I thought the cosmological principle was that 74 00:03:09.340 --> 00:03:11.980 the universe looks the same in all directions 75 00:03:11.980 --> 00:03:13.220 from any vantage point. 76 00:03:13.790 --> 00:03:16.590 Anna: That principle is called isotropy, and this 77 00:03:16.590 --> 00:03:19.270 new evidence directly challenges it. The 78 00:03:19.270 --> 00:03:21.910 phenomenon is known as the cosmic dipole 79 00:03:21.910 --> 00:03:24.110 anomaly, and it was discovered through 80 00:03:24.110 --> 00:03:26.670 precise measurements of the cosmic microwave 81 00:03:26.670 --> 00:03:28.030 background, or cmb. 82 00:03:28.750 --> 00:03:31.630 Avery: Right. The CMB is the afterglow of the 83 00:03:31.630 --> 00:03:34.110 Big Bang. The oldest light in the universe. 84 00:03:34.430 --> 00:03:37.310 Anna: Exactly. And while it's incredibly uniform, 85 00:03:37.470 --> 00:03:39.950 it does have tiny temperature variations. 86 00:03:40.350 --> 00:03:43.070 What's strange is that these variations seem 87 00:03:43.070 --> 00:03:46.050 to be biased. The CMB is slightly 88 00:03:46.050 --> 00:03:48.690 hotter in one direction and slightly cooler 89 00:03:48.690 --> 00:03:51.370 in the opposite direction. It suggests our 90 00:03:51.370 --> 00:03:53.930 entire galaxy might be moving through space 91 00:03:53.930 --> 00:03:56.690 in a preferred direction at a very high 92 00:03:56.690 --> 00:03:58.370 speed, which shouldn't. 93 00:03:58.370 --> 00:04:00.490 Avery: Be happening if the universe expanded 94 00:04:00.490 --> 00:04:03.170 uniformly. So this throws a wrench in the 95 00:04:03.170 --> 00:04:04.730 standard model of cosmology. 96 00:04:05.210 --> 00:04:08.170 Anna: It certainly could. If this anomaly 97 00:04:08.170 --> 00:04:10.930 is confirmed to be a real large scale 98 00:04:10.930 --> 00:04:13.130 feature of the universe, it would have 99 00:04:13.130 --> 00:04:16.060 profound implications. It could change 100 00:04:16.060 --> 00:04:18.500 our understanding of cosmic inflation, 101 00:04:18.820 --> 00:04:21.620 dark energy and dark matter. It might 102 00:04:21.620 --> 00:04:24.140 point to entirely new physics, an 103 00:04:24.140 --> 00:04:26.820 undiscovered cosmic force, or 104 00:04:26.820 --> 00:04:29.660 even require us to revise our theory of the 105 00:04:29.660 --> 00:04:30.740 Big Bang itself. 106 00:04:31.620 --> 00:04:34.340 Avery: Wow. That is a truly cosmic 107 00:04:34.340 --> 00:04:34.820 mystery. 108 00:04:35.140 --> 00:04:38.100 Anna: And as you know, we love a, uh, good mystery 109 00:04:38.100 --> 00:04:39.700 here on Astronomy Daily. 110 00:04:40.260 --> 00:04:43.220 Avery: From that grand scale, let's zoom in on our 111 00:04:43.220 --> 00:04:46.160 planetary neighborhood, Mars. NASA's 112 00:04:46.160 --> 00:04:48.280 Mars Reconnaissance Orbiter has discovered 113 00:04:48.280 --> 00:04:50.680 the largest fresh impact crater ever 114 00:04:50.680 --> 00:04:52.280 confirmed on the Red Planet. 115 00:04:52.680 --> 00:04:55.560 Anna: That's fantastic. How big is it and 116 00:04:55.560 --> 00:04:56.600 how did they spot it? 117 00:04:57.080 --> 00:04:59.560 Avery: The crater is about 50 meters wide, 118 00:04:59.720 --> 00:05:01.800 roughly half the length of a football field. 119 00:05:02.040 --> 00:05:04.200 And the way they found that is quite clever. 120 00:05:04.440 --> 00:05:07.160 Bruce Cancer of Mallon Space Science Systems 121 00:05:07.160 --> 00:05:10.120 was using the Mars Color Imager, a camera 122 00:05:10.120 --> 00:05:12.540 primarily used for weather monitoring, which 123 00:05:12.610 --> 00:05:14.890 when he noticed an unusual dark spot that 124 00:05:14.890 --> 00:05:17.854 appeared between March 27th and 28th, 125 00:05:18.006 --> 00:05:18.690 2012. 126 00:05:19.410 --> 00:05:21.970 Anna: So he found it by noticing something had 127 00:05:21.970 --> 00:05:23.970 changed in the daily weather maps. 128 00:05:24.450 --> 00:05:27.010 Avery: Precisely. The crater itself is relatively 129 00:05:27.010 --> 00:05:29.210 shallow, and scientists believe it was caused 130 00:05:29.210 --> 00:05:32.050 by an asteroid only about 10 to 18ft 131 00:05:32.050 --> 00:05:34.410 long. When they pointed the high resolution 132 00:05:34.410 --> 00:05:37.010 HiRISE camera at the spot, they not only 133 00:05:37.010 --> 00:05:39.650 confirmed the crater, but also saw smaller 134 00:05:39.650 --> 00:05:42.650 nearby craters and even landslides caused 135 00:05:42.650 --> 00:05:44.160 by the impact's shockwave. 136 00:05:44.790 --> 00:05:47.590 Anna: And studying a fresh crater like this must be 137 00:05:47.590 --> 00:05:48.870 incredibly valuable. 138 00:05:49.590 --> 00:05:52.150 Avery: Absolutely. It provides crucial data on 139 00:05:52.150 --> 00:05:54.910 current impact rates on Mars and gives us a 140 00:05:54.910 --> 00:05:57.470 pristine look at the subsurface materials 141 00:05:57.470 --> 00:06:00.230 that were blasted out. A powerful reminder 142 00:06:00.230 --> 00:06:02.990 that the solar system is still A very active 143 00:06:02.990 --> 00:06:03.350 place. 144 00:06:04.070 --> 00:06:07.070 Anna: Speaking of active places, our next story 145 00:06:07.070 --> 00:06:09.710 involves a, uh, truly rare and dynamic 146 00:06:09.710 --> 00:06:12.700 system. Astronomers have confirmed the first 147 00:06:12.700 --> 00:06:15.460 known triple system where all three 148 00:06:15.460 --> 00:06:18.380 merging galaxies host actively feeding 149 00:06:18.620 --> 00:06:21.340 radio bright supermassive black holes. 150 00:06:22.060 --> 00:06:25.020 Avery: A triple black hole system. That 151 00:06:25.020 --> 00:06:26.940 sounds like something out of science fiction. 152 00:06:27.100 --> 00:06:28.140 How far away is it? 153 00:06:28.540 --> 00:06:31.506 Anna: This system, known as J1218 154 00:06:31.854 --> 00:06:34.300 35, is about 155 00:06:34.300 --> 00:06:37.260 1.2 billion light years from Earth. 156 00:06:37.460 --> 00:06:40.090 You. Using high resolution observations from 157 00:06:40.090 --> 00:06:42.810 radio telescopes like the Very Large Array, 158 00:06:43.130 --> 00:06:45.890 scientists confirmed that all three galaxies 159 00:06:45.890 --> 00:06:48.410 have active galactic nuclei, or 160 00:06:48.490 --> 00:06:51.330 agn, which are powered by these growing 161 00:06:51.330 --> 00:06:52.090 black holes. 162 00:06:52.810 --> 00:06:55.290 Avery: And um, you said this is a first. What makes 163 00:06:55.290 --> 00:06:56.090 this so unique? 164 00:06:56.330 --> 00:06:58.810 Anna: While a few other tripleagn 165 00:06:58.810 --> 00:07:01.610 systems have been found, this is the first 166 00:07:01.770 --> 00:07:04.500 confirmed triple radioagna, 167 00:07:04.650 --> 00:07:07.050 meaning all three black holes are blasting 168 00:07:07.050 --> 00:07:10.050 out powerful jets of radiation detectable 169 00:07:10.050 --> 00:07:11.530 in radio wavelengths. 170 00:07:11.770 --> 00:07:14.130 Avery: That makes sense. And I imagine this tells us 171 00:07:14.130 --> 00:07:15.930 a lot about how galaxies evolve. 172 00:07:16.410 --> 00:07:19.290 Anna: Exactly. Finding these systems is a key 173 00:07:19.290 --> 00:07:21.770 prediction of the hierarchical model of 174 00:07:21.770 --> 00:07:24.770 galaxy evolution where large galaxies 175 00:07:24.770 --> 00:07:27.610 grow by merging with smaller ones. This 176 00:07:27.610 --> 00:07:29.970 discovery provides a perfect natural 177 00:07:29.970 --> 00:07:32.890 laboratory for testing how these galactic 178 00:07:32.890 --> 00:07:35.610 encounters drive gas into the galactic 179 00:07:35.610 --> 00:07:38.590 centers and ignite the black holes, causing 180 00:07:38.590 --> 00:07:39.270 them to grow. 181 00:07:40.230 --> 00:07:42.550 Avery: Finally, today, let's turn our attention to 182 00:07:42.550 --> 00:07:45.390 the human element of space exploration. One 183 00:07:45.390 --> 00:07:47.590 of the single biggest obstacles for future 184 00:07:47.590 --> 00:07:50.070 long duration missions to the moon and Mars 185 00:07:50.230 --> 00:07:52.710 is the constant threat of cosmic rays. 186 00:07:53.270 --> 00:07:55.750 Anna: Right. These aren't like the rays from our 187 00:07:55.750 --> 00:07:58.390 sun. Cosmic rays are high energy 188 00:07:58.390 --> 00:08:01.270 particles from distant exploding stars. 189 00:08:01.350 --> 00:08:03.630 And they are incredibly damaging to 190 00:08:03.630 --> 00:08:06.090 biological tissue. They they can shred 191 00:08:06.090 --> 00:08:08.330 DNA, damage proteins, and 192 00:08:08.410 --> 00:08:10.690 significantly increase the risk for things 193 00:08:10.690 --> 00:08:11.530 like cancer. 194 00:08:12.010 --> 00:08:14.410 Avery: Here on Earth, our magnetic field and thick 195 00:08:14.410 --> 00:08:16.970 atmosphere protect us. But in deep space, 196 00:08:17.210 --> 00:08:19.770 astronauts are completely exposed. And 197 00:08:19.770 --> 00:08:22.370 physical shielding, like lining a spacecraft 198 00:08:22.370 --> 00:08:25.250 with polyethylene, can only do so much. The 199 00:08:25.250 --> 00:08:27.690 most energetic rays can punch right through. 200 00:08:28.170 --> 00:08:31.050 Anna: Mm mhm. And they can even create a shower 201 00:08:31.050 --> 00:08:33.770 of secondary radiation inside the ship 202 00:08:33.850 --> 00:08:36.010 when they hit the shielding material, which 203 00:08:36.010 --> 00:08:37.670 can sometimes be be worse. 204 00:08:38.310 --> 00:08:40.790 Avery: So with shielding limitations, scientists are 205 00:08:40.790 --> 00:08:42.950 turning to biology for creative new 206 00:08:42.950 --> 00:08:44.950 solutions. What are they looking into? 207 00:08:45.510 --> 00:08:48.470 Anna: Several strategies are being explored. One is 208 00:08:48.470 --> 00:08:51.270 the use of powerful antioxidant drugs, 209 00:08:51.270 --> 00:08:53.229 which have been shown to reduce cognitive 210 00:08:53.229 --> 00:08:56.070 damage in mice exposed to simulated cosmic 211 00:08:56.070 --> 00:08:58.950 radiation. Another fascinating area is 212 00:08:58.950 --> 00:09:01.350 learning from radio resistant organisms 213 00:09:01.670 --> 00:09:02.870 like tardigrades. 214 00:09:02.870 --> 00:09:04.790 Avery: The little water bears that can survive 215 00:09:04.790 --> 00:09:05.670 almost anything. 216 00:09:06.250 --> 00:09:09.090 Anna: Exactly. By studying how tardigrades and even 217 00:09:09.090 --> 00:09:11.530 hibernating animals protect their cellular 218 00:09:11.530 --> 00:09:14.050 components from damage, we might be able to 219 00:09:14.050 --> 00:09:15.850 develop treatments that do the same for 220 00:09:15.850 --> 00:09:18.730 astronauts. A third approach is to activate 221 00:09:18.730 --> 00:09:21.210 the body's own cellular stress responses 222 00:09:21.290 --> 00:09:23.450 through specific diets or drugs, 223 00:09:23.690 --> 00:09:26.290 essentially preparing the cells for the harsh 224 00:09:26.290 --> 00:09:27.290 environment of space. 225 00:09:27.930 --> 00:09:30.490 Avery: So the answer probably isn't just one thing. 226 00:09:30.890 --> 00:09:33.370 Anna: That's the consensus. It will likely require 227 00:09:33.370 --> 00:09:35.930 a combination of improved physical shielding 228 00:09:35.930 --> 00:09:38.710 and a cocktail of these biolog strategies 229 00:09:38.790 --> 00:09:41.670 to make long duration space travel truly safe 230 00:09:41.670 --> 00:09:42.390 for humans. 231 00:09:42.790 --> 00:09:45.070 Avery: And that's all the time we have for today on 232 00:09:45.070 --> 00:09:47.830 Astronomy Daily. From the ongoing search for 233 00:09:47.830 --> 00:09:50.630 answers about UAPs to the fundamental nature 234 00:09:50.630 --> 00:09:53.589 of our universe, and from new craters on Mars 235 00:09:53.589 --> 00:09:55.470 to protecting the next generation of 236 00:09:55.470 --> 00:09:56.150 explorers. 237 00:09:56.470 --> 00:09:58.790 Anna: It'S been an episode that shows us once again 238 00:09:59.110 --> 00:10:01.230 how much there is still to discover out 239 00:10:01.230 --> 00:10:01.510 there. 240 00:10:01.910 --> 00:10:04.670 Avery: Absolutely. A, uh, huge thanks to all of you 241 00:10:04.670 --> 00:10:07.110 for tuning in. Be sure to join us next time 242 00:10:07.110 --> 00:10:09.270 for more news from across the cosmos. 243 00:10:09.750 --> 00:10:11.350 Anna: Until then, keep looking up.