WEBVTT 0 00:00:00.320 --> 00:00:02.960 Avery: Welcome to Astronomy Daily, the podcast that 1 00:00:02.960 --> 00:00:05.760 brings you the universe one story at a time. 2 00:00:05.840 --> 00:00:06.760 I'm Avery. 3 00:00:06.760 --> 00:00:09.040 Anna: And I'm Anna. It's great to have you with us. 4 00:00:09.360 --> 00:00:11.640 Today we'll be looking at SpaceX's 5 00:00:11.640 --> 00:00:14.560 absolutely staggering launch record. A 6 00:00:14.560 --> 00:00:17.160 real life tractor beam for cleaning up space 7 00:00:17.160 --> 00:00:19.880 junk and the latest search for alien 8 00:00:19.880 --> 00:00:20.400 signals. 9 00:00:20.720 --> 00:00:23.480 Avery: Plus we'll dive into the new gold rush or 10 00:00:23.480 --> 00:00:26.440 maybe m water rush on the moon. Tell you 11 00:00:26.440 --> 00:00:28.760 what to look for in the night sky and solve a 12 00:00:28.760 --> 00:00:31.280 celestial mystery nearly a thousand years in 13 00:00:31.280 --> 00:00:31.680 the making. 14 00:00:32.300 --> 00:00:33.900 Let's get started with our top story. 15 00:00:34.220 --> 00:00:37.020 Anna: And it's a big one. SpaceX has once 16 00:00:37.020 --> 00:00:39.260 again completely shattered their own launch 17 00:00:39.260 --> 00:00:41.740 record. In 2025, the company 18 00:00:41.820 --> 00:00:43.180 successfully completed 19 00:00:43.260 --> 00:00:45.980 165 orbital flight. 20 00:00:46.460 --> 00:00:49.460 Avery: Wow, 165. That 21 00:00:49.460 --> 00:00:52.220 averages out to a launch every 2.2 days. 22 00:00:52.460 --> 00:00:54.060 That pace is just incredible. 23 00:00:54.380 --> 00:00:57.260 Anna: It really is. And the workhorse behind this 24 00:00:57.260 --> 00:00:59.900 feat was the Falcon 9 rocket, which handled 25 00:00:59.900 --> 00:01:02.380 almost all of those missions. To put it in 26 00:01:02.380 --> 00:01:03.810 perspective, this number represents 27 00:01:03.880 --> 00:01:05.880 represents a huge increase over their 28 00:01:05.880 --> 00:01:08.800 previous years and absolutely dominates the 29 00:01:08.800 --> 00:01:10.040 global launch landscape. 30 00:01:10.520 --> 00:01:13.080 Avery: Right, and I'm guessing a huge chunk of those 31 00:01:13.080 --> 00:01:14.680 launches were for their own project. 32 00:01:15.240 --> 00:01:18.040 Anna: Exactly. The vast majority were dedicated 33 00:01:18.040 --> 00:01:20.160 to building out the Starlink Internet 34 00:01:20.160 --> 00:01:22.560 constellation. But it wasn't just about the 35 00:01:22.560 --> 00:01:25.160 Falcon 9. The company also made significant 36 00:01:25.400 --> 00:01:27.800 strides with its next generation starship 37 00:01:27.800 --> 00:01:30.480 vehicle, completing several successful test 38 00:01:30.480 --> 00:01:33.400 flights that bring a fully reusable heavy 39 00:01:33.400 --> 00:01:35.400 lift rocket closer to reality. 40 00:01:35.840 --> 00:01:37.800 Avery: It's clear they're not just leading, they're 41 00:01:37.800 --> 00:01:39.120 creating a whole new league. 42 00:01:39.440 --> 00:01:41.840 But all those satellites do bring up the ever 43 00:01:41.840 --> 00:01:44.400 growing issue of space junk. And it seems 44 00:01:44.400 --> 00:01:46.600 like every week we have some new idea on how 45 00:01:46.600 --> 00:01:49.120 to deal with it. Well, here's a novel new 46 00:01:49.440 --> 00:01:51.440 Some scientists are turning to science 47 00:01:51.440 --> 00:01:52.720 fiction for a solution. 48 00:01:53.120 --> 00:01:55.440 Anna: That's right. Researchers at the University 49 00:01:55.440 --> 00:01:57.760 of Colorado Boulder are developing what 50 00:01:57.760 --> 00:02:00.440 they're calling a tractor beam to help clean 51 00:02:00.440 --> 00:02:01.600 up orbital debris. 52 00:02:01.940 --> 00:02:04.180 Avery: A tractor beam, like in Star Trek? 53 00:02:04.580 --> 00:02:06.900 Anna: That's the inspiration. But the physics is 54 00:02:06.900 --> 00:02:09.620 very real. It's a non contact system. 55 00:02:09.940 --> 00:02:12.780 It would use a focused electrostatic beam to 56 00:02:12.780 --> 00:02:15.540 attract and move pieces of space junk without 57 00:02:15.540 --> 00:02:17.060 ever physically touching them. 58 00:02:17.300 --> 00:02:19.700 Avery: And that's the key part, isn't it? The non 59 00:02:19.780 --> 00:02:22.180 contact aspect. Using nets or 60 00:02:22.180 --> 00:02:24.620 harpoons to grab the bree runs the risk of 61 00:02:24.620 --> 00:02:26.740 hitting it wrong and accidentally creating 62 00:02:26.740 --> 00:02:29.300 even smaller, harder to track pieces of junk 63 00:02:29.770 --> 00:02:30.490 precisely. 64 00:02:30.650 --> 00:02:33.370 Anna: This electrostatic method would gently pull 65 00:02:33.370 --> 00:02:36.050 the object, allowing a cleanup satellite to 66 00:02:36.050 --> 00:02:38.530 guide it into a decaying orbit where it can 67 00:02:38.530 --> 00:02:41.210 safely burn up in the atmosphere. The concept 68 00:02:41.210 --> 00:02:43.730 is currently being tested in labs, but it's a 69 00:02:43.730 --> 00:02:46.170 Very promising approach to a serious problem. 70 00:02:46.410 --> 00:02:48.130 Avery: It's great to see that kind of innovative 71 00:02:48.130 --> 00:02:50.490 thinking. From cleaning up our orbital 72 00:02:50.490 --> 00:02:52.770 neighborhood to looking for signs of other 73 00:02:52.770 --> 00:02:54.010 civilizations out there. 74 00:02:54.490 --> 00:02:57.340 Our next story takes us far beyond Earth's 75 00:02:57.340 --> 00:03:00.060 orbit to our recent interstellar 76 00:03:00.060 --> 00:03:00.580 visitor. 77 00:03:00.660 --> 00:03:03.300 Anna: Yes, astronomers, uh, conducted a highly 78 00:03:03.300 --> 00:03:05.860 sensitive radio search on 3i 79 00:03:05.940 --> 00:03:07.980 Atlas as it traveled through our 80 00:03:07.980 --> 00:03:10.180 neighborhood. This was an interstellar 81 00:03:10.180 --> 00:03:12.820 object, meaning it originated from outside 82 00:03:13.140 --> 00:03:15.460 our solar system and was just passing 83 00:03:15.460 --> 00:03:17.780 through. The team was looking for what are. 84 00:03:17.780 --> 00:03:20.340 Avery: Called technosignatures, basically 85 00:03:20.420 --> 00:03:22.420 signals that would indicate the presence of 86 00:03:22.420 --> 00:03:24.900 alien technology. A, uh, transmission, a 87 00:03:24.900 --> 00:03:27.260 beacon. Anything that isn't produced by 88 00:03:27.260 --> 00:03:29.640 natural. Natural cosmic phenomena. So what 89 00:03:29.640 --> 00:03:30.240 did they find? 90 00:03:30.560 --> 00:03:32.880 Anna: Well, after sifting through the data, and 91 00:03:32.880 --> 00:03:35.440 despite a few initial candidate signals that 92 00:03:35.440 --> 00:03:37.840 caused some excitement, all of them were 93 00:03:37.840 --> 00:03:40.400 eventually determined to be false positives. 94 00:03:40.560 --> 00:03:43.520 Human generated interference from Earth. So 95 00:03:43.600 --> 00:03:46.240 no alien transmissions were found. Ah, ah, I 96 00:03:46.240 --> 00:03:48.800 have the shame. It might seem so, but the 97 00:03:48.800 --> 00:03:51.600 project was far from a failure. The search 98 00:03:51.600 --> 00:03:54.240 was actually the most sensitive of its kind 99 00:03:54.400 --> 00:03:56.720 ever conducted on an interstellar object. 100 00:03:57.380 --> 00:04:00.260 It sets a new standard and a powerful new 101 00:04:00.260 --> 00:04:02.460 benchmark for how to conduct these searches 102 00:04:02.460 --> 00:04:04.780 in the future when the next interstellar 103 00:04:04.780 --> 00:04:06.020 visitor comes calling. 104 00:04:06.260 --> 00:04:08.460 Avery: That makes sense. We learn and refine the 105 00:04:08.460 --> 00:04:09.540 process with each attempt. 106 00:04:09.780 --> 00:04:11.660 And while we're searching the far reaches of 107 00:04:11.660 --> 00:04:14.100 space for others, there's a new kind of space 108 00:04:14.100 --> 00:04:16.340 race heating up much, much closer to home. 109 00:04:16.580 --> 00:04:18.980 Anna: That's right, Avery. There's a growing and 110 00:04:19.060 --> 00:04:21.780 increasingly urgent international race to 111 00:04:21.780 --> 00:04:24.580 mine the moon. Various countries and private 112 00:04:24.580 --> 00:04:26.700 companies are actively developing the 113 00:04:26.700 --> 00:04:29.480 technology needed to extract valu lunar 114 00:04:29.480 --> 00:04:30.000 resources. 115 00:04:30.400 --> 00:04:32.440 Avery: And we're not just talking about rocks. The 116 00:04:32.440 --> 00:04:34.640 big prizes are resources like water ice, 117 00:04:34.640 --> 00:04:37.240 which is critical for life support and can be 118 00:04:37.240 --> 00:04:39.560 broken down into hydrogen and oxygen for 119 00:04:39.560 --> 00:04:42.440 rocket fuel, and an isotope called helium 120 00:04:42.440 --> 00:04:45.159 3, which is rare on Earth, but could be a 121 00:04:45.159 --> 00:04:48.150 fuel for future fusion reactors. Mhm. 122 00:04:48.150 --> 00:04:50.720 Anna: And the list of players is growing. We have 123 00:04:50.720 --> 00:04:53.040 space agencies and Companies from the U.S. 124 00:04:53.280 --> 00:04:55.760 china, Australia, Japan and Europe, 125 00:04:56.160 --> 00:04:58.880 all working on lunar excavation and resource 126 00:04:58.880 --> 00:05:00.160 extraction technologies. 127 00:05:00.610 --> 00:05:02.650 Avery: But there's a major hurdle, and it's not a 128 00:05:02.650 --> 00:05:03.250 technical one. 129 00:05:03.490 --> 00:05:06.450 Anna: Exactly. The international legal framework 130 00:05:06.450 --> 00:05:09.370 for this is dangerously outdated. The Outer 131 00:05:09.370 --> 00:05:12.050 Space Treaty of 1967 forbids 132 00:05:12.050 --> 00:05:14.610 any nation from claiming sovereignty over a 133 00:05:14.610 --> 00:05:17.530 celestial body. But it's completely silent on 134 00:05:17.530 --> 00:05:19.970 the issue of commercial resource extraction. 135 00:05:20.370 --> 00:05:22.490 Avery: So it's a bit like the Wild west on the final 136 00:05:22.490 --> 00:05:24.810 frontier. There are urgent calls from legal 137 00:05:24.810 --> 00:05:27.010 experts and diplomats to establish clear 138 00:05:27.170 --> 00:05:29.690 modern international rules to prevent 139 00:05:29.690 --> 00:05:32.010 conflict and ensure that lunar mining is done 140 00:05:32.010 --> 00:05:33.710 responsibly. Responsibly and sustainably. 141 00:05:33.950 --> 00:05:36.070 Anna: It's a Conversation that needs to happen 142 00:05:36.070 --> 00:05:36.590 quickly. 143 00:05:36.990 --> 00:05:39.510 Well, while nations plan their lunar futures, 144 00:05:39.510 --> 00:05:41.630 the rest of us can look up and enjoy some 145 00:05:41.630 --> 00:05:44.190 amazing celestial events right from our own 146 00:05:44.190 --> 00:05:46.670 backyards. Avery, what should we be looking 147 00:05:46.670 --> 00:05:47.790 for in the night sky? 148 00:05:48.110 --> 00:05:50.110 Avery: There's plenty to see as we head into the new 149 00:05:50.110 --> 00:05:52.070 year, particularly for our Northern 150 00:05:52.070 --> 00:05:54.350 Hemisphere listeners. For starters, on 151 00:05:54.350 --> 00:05:56.910 January 1, the brightest star in our night 152 00:05:56.910 --> 00:05:59.430 sky, Sirius, will be at its highest point in 153 00:05:59.430 --> 00:06:01.350 the sky around midnight, making it a 154 00:06:01.350 --> 00:06:02.270 brilliant sight. 155 00:06:02.430 --> 00:06:03.710 Anna: And what about the moon? 156 00:06:03.950 --> 00:06:06.070 Avery: We'll have three full moons before the spring 157 00:06:06.070 --> 00:06:08.830 equinox, and the third one on March 3rd is 158 00:06:08.830 --> 00:06:11.070 special. It will feature a total lunar 159 00:06:11.070 --> 00:06:12.910 eclipse, which will be at least partially 160 00:06:12.910 --> 00:06:15.350 visible across most of the United States. So 161 00:06:15.350 --> 00:06:16.590 mark your calendars for that. 162 00:06:16.750 --> 00:06:19.710 Anna: Ooh, I will. Any planets putting on a show? 163 00:06:20.030 --> 00:06:22.630 Avery: Absolutely. The giant of our solar system, 164 00:06:22.630 --> 00:06:25.030 Jupiter, is at opposition. That means Earth 165 00:06:25.030 --> 00:06:27.190 is passing directly between Jupiter and the 166 00:06:27.190 --> 00:06:29.550 Sun. So the planet will be visible all night 167 00:06:29.550 --> 00:06:31.940 long and at its brightest for the year. And 168 00:06:31.940 --> 00:06:34.420 for the early evening skywatchers, Venus is 169 00:06:34.420 --> 00:06:36.620 making its return as the brilliant evening 170 00:06:36.620 --> 00:06:36.940 star. 171 00:06:37.420 --> 00:06:40.260 Anna: Wonderful. Plenty to look forward to. It's 172 00:06:40.260 --> 00:06:42.220 amazing to look up and see these events 173 00:06:42.220 --> 00:06:43.100 happening now. 174 00:06:43.420 --> 00:06:45.980 But our final story today, Avery, is about 175 00:06:45.980 --> 00:06:48.700 solving a cosmic mystery that's almost a 176 00:06:48.700 --> 00:06:49.740 thousand years old. 177 00:06:50.140 --> 00:06:52.220 Avery: That's right. Astronomers believe they 178 00:06:52.220 --> 00:06:54.540 finally figured out the puzzle of a supernova 179 00:06:54.540 --> 00:06:57.340 remnant known as PA30. Historical 180 00:06:57.340 --> 00:06:59.700 records from Chinese and Japanese astronomers 181 00:06:59.700 --> 00:07:02.650 in the year 1181 noted a new guest 182 00:07:02.650 --> 00:07:04.730 star in the sky that was visible for six 183 00:07:04.730 --> 00:07:07.730 months. Scientists have long suspected PA30 184 00:07:07.890 --> 00:07:09.810 was the leftover cloud from that event. 185 00:07:10.130 --> 00:07:12.890 Anna: And now they know what caused it. It turns 186 00:07:12.890 --> 00:07:15.330 out this was an extremely rare type of 187 00:07:15.330 --> 00:07:18.130 stellar explosion. What they call A failed 188 00:07:18.130 --> 00:07:20.370 type 1ax supernova. 189 00:07:20.530 --> 00:07:23.210 Avery: A failed supernova. So the star didn't 190 00:07:23.210 --> 00:07:24.850 completely blow itself to bits? 191 00:07:25.090 --> 00:07:28.090 Anna: Exactly. The explosion wasn't powerful enough 192 00:07:28.090 --> 00:07:30.890 to completely obliterate the star. Instead, 193 00:07:30.890 --> 00:07:33.790 a surviving white dwarf star behind 194 00:07:33.790 --> 00:07:36.030 at the center of the remnant. And this 195 00:07:36.030 --> 00:07:38.270 survivor is doing something incredible. 196 00:07:38.640 --> 00:07:41.430 Avery: Mhm. And that explains the remnant's weird 197 00:07:41.430 --> 00:07:44.110 shape, Right? Most supernova remnants are 198 00:07:44.110 --> 00:07:46.830 chaotic, messy clouds of gas and dust. 199 00:07:47.310 --> 00:07:50.270 Pay 30 is different. It has these strange 200 00:07:50.350 --> 00:07:51.950 almost straight filaments. 201 00:07:52.270 --> 00:07:55.230 Anna: That's the key. The surviving white dwarf 202 00:07:55.230 --> 00:07:57.950 at the center is emitting an extremely fast 203 00:07:57.950 --> 00:08:00.815 stellar wind. Material flowing outwards at 204 00:08:00.815 --> 00:08:03.590 the thousands of kilometers per second. It's 205 00:08:03.590 --> 00:08:06.470 this incredibly fast, powerful wind that 206 00:08:06.470 --> 00:08:09.270 is shaping the nebula, creating those unique 207 00:08:09.270 --> 00:08:12.110 straight line filaments. It's a fantastic 208 00:08:12.110 --> 00:08:13.750 piece of cosmic detective work. 209 00:08:14.070 --> 00:08:16.630 Avery: And that's a wrap on another star studded 210 00:08:16.630 --> 00:08:19.310 collection of stories for today from record 211 00:08:19.310 --> 00:08:21.430 breaking launches to thousand year old 212 00:08:21.430 --> 00:08:24.430 stellar mysteries. The universe never fails 213 00:08:24.430 --> 00:08:25.190 to fascinate. 214 00:08:25.350 --> 00:08:28.190 Anna: It certainly doesn't. A uh, huge thank you to 215 00:08:28.190 --> 00:08:30.390 all of you for tuning in to Astronomy Daily. 216 00:08:30.710 --> 00:08:32.710 We hope you'll join us again next time for 217 00:08:32.930 --> 00:08:35.050 another journey through the cosmos. And we 218 00:08:35.050 --> 00:08:36.530 hope you'll visit our website at 219 00:08:36.530 --> 00:08:39.210 astronomydaily IO for even more 220 00:08:39.210 --> 00:08:41.530 space news and our full catalog of back 221 00:08:41.530 --> 00:08:42.130 episodes. 222 00:08:42.450 --> 00:08:45.330 Avery: Until tomorrow, this has been Avery and. 223 00:08:45.330 --> 00:08:48.090 Anna: Anna reminding you to always keep looking 224 00:08:48.090 --> 00:08:48.450 up. 225 00:08:59.690 --> 00:09:00.410 The stories. 226 00:09:08.250 --> 00:09:08.890 We told. 227 00:09:12.080 --> 00:09:12.100 Avery: M.