WEBVTT 0 00:00:00.400 --> 00:00:03.280 Anna: Welcome to Astronomy Daily, your source 1 00:00:03.280 --> 00:00:06.240 for the latest news in space and astronomy. 2 00:00:06.480 --> 00:00:07.440 I'm Anna. 3 00:00:07.680 --> 00:00:10.000 Avery: And I'm Avery. We've got an 4 00:00:10.000 --> 00:00:12.440 absolutely packed show for you today with 5 00:00:12.440 --> 00:00:14.360 some really exciting developments happening 6 00:00:14.360 --> 00:00:16.480 across the solar system and beyond. 7 00:00:16.960 --> 00:00:19.840 Anna: That's right, Avery. NASA's Artemis 2 8 00:00:19.840 --> 00:00:22.840 mission just reached a major milestone that 9 00:00:22.840 --> 00:00:25.320 brings us closer to putting humans back on 10 00:00:25.320 --> 00:00:27.440 the moon. We'll update you on the m 11 00:00:27.520 --> 00:00:30.160 impressive journey their massive rocket just 12 00:00:30.160 --> 00:00:30.800 completed. 13 00:00:31.280 --> 00:00:33.820 Avery: Plus, we're saying goodbye to a spacecraft 14 00:00:33.820 --> 00:00:36.260 that refused to give up. Japan's 15 00:00:36.260 --> 00:00:38.860 Akatsuki mission to Venus has officially 16 00:00:38.860 --> 00:00:41.620 ended after more than a decade of incredible 17 00:00:41.620 --> 00:00:44.140 science. But not before delivering some 18 00:00:44.140 --> 00:00:45.260 stunning discoveries. 19 00:00:45.580 --> 00:00:48.299 Anna: We've also got a fascinating storey about 20 00:00:48.300 --> 00:00:51.020 China's fast telescope solving a 21 00:00:51.020 --> 00:00:53.380 cosmic mystery that's had astronomers 22 00:00:53.380 --> 00:00:56.060 scratching their heads for years. Fast 23 00:00:56.060 --> 00:00:57.580 radio bursts, anyone? 24 00:00:58.300 --> 00:01:00.140 Avery: Speaking of mysteries, there's some 25 00:01:00.140 --> 00:01:02.460 concerning news about a Spanish military 26 00:01:02.460 --> 00:01:05.240 satell. We'll explore what might be the most 27 00:01:05.240 --> 00:01:07.160 comprehensive year for space science in 28 00:01:07.160 --> 00:01:09.520 recent memory, with missions heading to the 29 00:01:09.520 --> 00:01:11.080 moon, Mars and beyond. 30 00:01:11.640 --> 00:01:14.240 Anna: And finally, astronomers have been taking a, 31 00:01:14.240 --> 00:01:17.240 uh, closer look at dwarf galaxies. And what 32 00:01:17.240 --> 00:01:20.080 they found is changing our understanding of 33 00:01:20.080 --> 00:01:23.080 supermassive black holes across the universe. 34 00:01:23.480 --> 00:01:26.080 Avery: It's going to be a great show, so let's get 35 00:01:26.080 --> 00:01:26.520 into it. 36 00:01:26.760 --> 00:01:29.360 Anna: All right, Avery. Let's kick things off with 37 00:01:29.360 --> 00:01:32.240 some really exciting news from NASA's Kennedy 38 00:01:32.240 --> 00:01:34.940 Space Centre in Florida. The Artemis 2 39 00:01:34.940 --> 00:01:37.340 mission just hit a huge milestone. 40 00:01:37.820 --> 00:01:39.040 Avery: This is big, Anna. 41 00:01:39.040 --> 00:01:39.660 Anna: Uh. 42 00:01:39.660 --> 00:01:42.620 Avery: After nearly 12 hours of careful travel, 43 00:01:42.860 --> 00:01:45.740 NASA's Space Launch System rocket and Orion 44 00:01:45.740 --> 00:01:48.140 spacecraft finally reached launch pad 45 00:01:48.140 --> 00:01:50.540 39B this past Saturday evening. 46 00:01:50.780 --> 00:01:53.700 Anna: And when you say careful travel, you really 47 00:01:53.700 --> 00:01:56.620 mean it. We're talking about NASA's Crawler 48 00:01:56.620 --> 00:01:59.420 Transporter 2 moving at a blazing 49 00:01:59.420 --> 00:02:02.300 maximum speed of just 0.82 50 00:02:02.300 --> 00:02:03.340 miles per hour. 51 00:02:04.500 --> 00:02:07.020 Avery: Right. I could literally walk faster than 52 00:02:07.020 --> 00:02:09.540 that. But when you're moving a massive moon 53 00:02:09.540 --> 00:02:12.380 rocket, slow and steady definitely wins the 54 00:02:12.380 --> 00:02:14.980 race. The journey from the vehicle assembly 55 00:02:14.980 --> 00:02:16.900 building covered about four miles. 56 00:02:17.300 --> 00:02:19.619 Anna: What I find interesting is that they had to 57 00:02:19.619 --> 00:02:22.540 make a planned pause. Along the way, the team 58 00:02:22.540 --> 00:02:25.380 needed to reposition the crew access arm, 59 00:02:25.460 --> 00:02:27.620 which is essentially a bridge that will 60 00:02:27.620 --> 00:02:30.100 provide the astronauts access to the Orion 61 00:02:30.100 --> 00:02:31.620 spacecraft on launch day. 62 00:02:32.130 --> 00:02:33.610 Avery: That's such a critical piece of 63 00:02:33.610 --> 00:02:35.970 infrastructure. Now that the rocket's at the 64 00:02:35.970 --> 00:02:38.410 pad, teams are preparing for what NASA calls 65 00:02:38.410 --> 00:02:41.170 a wet dress rehearsal, which is targeted for 66 00:02:41.170 --> 00:02:42.850 no later than February 2nd. 67 00:02:43.250 --> 00:02:45.450 Anna: Can you explain what that entails for our 68 00:02:45.450 --> 00:02:47.330 listeners who might not be familiar? 69 00:02:47.809 --> 00:02:50.770 Avery: Absolutely. During the wet dress rehearsal, 70 00:02:50.770 --> 00:02:52.650 engineers will load the rocket with its 71 00:02:52.650 --> 00:02:55.410 cryogenic propellants, super cold fuel 72 00:02:55.730 --> 00:02:58.050 run through the entire countdown. Sequence 73 00:02:58.050 --> 00:03:00.530 and then practise safely draining all those 74 00:03:00.530 --> 00:03:03.130 propellants from the rocket. It's basically a 75 00:03:03.130 --> 00:03:05.450 full mission simulation without actually 76 00:03:05.530 --> 00:03:06.090 launching. 77 00:03:06.410 --> 00:03:08.970 Anna: And this is absolutely essential. Before 78 00:03:09.050 --> 00:03:11.610 putting a crew on board, NASA wants to make 79 00:03:11.610 --> 00:03:14.010 sure every system works perfectly. 80 00:03:14.410 --> 00:03:17.130 Avery: Exactly. Now, they've noted that additional 81 00:03:17.130 --> 00:03:19.970 wet dress rehearsals might be required to 82 00:03:19.970 --> 00:03:22.290 ensure the vehicle is completely ready for 83 00:03:22.290 --> 00:03:24.890 flight. And if needed, they may roll the 84 00:03:24.890 --> 00:03:27.770 SLS and Orion back to the vehicle assembly 85 00:03:27.770 --> 00:03:29.210 building for additional work. 86 00:03:29.800 --> 00:03:32.080 Anna: Let's talk about the crew. This is going to 87 00:03:32.080 --> 00:03:33.560 be a historic mission. 88 00:03:34.040 --> 00:03:36.880 Avery: It really is. The Artemis 2 mission 89 00:03:36.880 --> 00:03:39.400 will send NASA astronauts Reid Wiseman, 90 00:03:39.480 --> 00:03:42.440 Victor Glover and Christina Koch, along with 91 00:03:42.440 --> 00:03:44.680 Canadian Space Agency astronaut Jeremy 92 00:03:44.680 --> 00:03:47.360 Hansen, on approximately 10 day journey 93 00:03:47.360 --> 00:03:48.680 around the moon and back. 94 00:03:49.000 --> 00:03:51.480 Anna: And this will be the first crewed lunar 95 00:03:51.480 --> 00:03:53.800 mission since Apollo 17 in 96 00:03:53.800 --> 00:03:56.600 1972. We're talking about more 97 00:03:56.600 --> 00:03:57.800 than 50 years. 98 00:03:58.690 --> 00:04:00.610 Avery: That's incredible when you think about it. 99 00:04:00.850 --> 00:04:03.330 And this mission is a crucial stepping stone 100 00:04:03.330 --> 00:04:05.530 towards landing humans on the moon's surface 101 00:04:05.530 --> 00:04:07.690 again, which will then help us prepare for 102 00:04:07.690 --> 00:04:10.610 the ultimate sending astronauts to Mars. 103 00:04:10.930 --> 00:04:13.730 Anna: The timeline is really coming together. From 104 00:04:13.730 --> 00:04:16.290 rollout to wet dress rehearsal to launch, 105 00:04:16.530 --> 00:04:17.570 it's all happening. 106 00:04:18.210 --> 00:04:21.010 Avery: And every step brings us closer to seeing 107 00:04:21.010 --> 00:04:23.490 humans venture beyond Earth orbit for the 108 00:04:23.490 --> 00:04:26.390 first time in over half a century. It's 109 00:04:26.390 --> 00:04:28.390 an exciting time for space exploration. 110 00:04:29.030 --> 00:04:31.750 Anna: Moving from the moon to our other planetary 111 00:04:31.750 --> 00:04:32.230 neighbour. 112 00:04:32.550 --> 00:04:35.150 We need to talk about the end of an era at 113 00:04:35.150 --> 00:04:38.110 Venus. Japan's Akatsuki mission 114 00:04:38.110 --> 00:04:41.030 officially concluded in September 2025 115 00:04:41.270 --> 00:04:43.910 after an absolutely remarkable journey. 116 00:04:44.630 --> 00:04:47.360 Avery: This is such a bittersweet storey, Anna. Uh, 117 00:04:47.360 --> 00:04:50.110 Akatsuki, which was operated by JAXA and 118 00:04:50.110 --> 00:04:52.750 iss, was Japan's first fully 119 00:04:52.750 --> 00:04:55.340 successful planetary orbiter. And it went 120 00:04:55.340 --> 00:04:57.220 through quite an ordeal to get there. 121 00:04:57.620 --> 00:04:59.820 Anna: Right, because the mission didn't exactly go 122 00:04:59.820 --> 00:05:01.700 according to plan from the start, did it? 123 00:05:02.100 --> 00:05:05.020 Avery: Not at all. Akatsuki launched back in 2010 124 00:05:05.020 --> 00:05:07.380 with the goal of studying Venus's atmosphere, 125 00:05:07.460 --> 00:05:10.140 but it actually failed to enter Venus orbit 126 00:05:10.140 --> 00:05:12.420 on its first attempt due to a main engine 127 00:05:12.420 --> 00:05:14.860 malfunction. So the spacecraft ended up 128 00:05:14.860 --> 00:05:17.300 drifting around the sun for five years. 129 00:05:18.100 --> 00:05:20.740 Anna: Five years. That must have been incredibly 130 00:05:20.740 --> 00:05:22.780 frustrating for the team. But they didn't 131 00:05:22.780 --> 00:05:23.220 give up. 132 00:05:24.000 --> 00:05:26.960 Avery: They absolutely didn't. In December 2015, 133 00:05:27.120 --> 00:05:29.920 JAXA engineers managed a second attempt using 134 00:05:29.920 --> 00:05:32.680 the spacecraft's smaller thrusters. And this 135 00:05:32.680 --> 00:05:35.680 time it worked. Akatsuki successfully entered 136 00:05:35.680 --> 00:05:37.920 orbit around Venus and became the only 137 00:05:38.000 --> 00:05:40.240 operational spacecraft there at the time. 138 00:05:40.720 --> 00:05:43.040 Anna: So what kind of work did it accomplish once 139 00:05:43.040 --> 00:05:44.480 it finally got into position? 140 00:05:45.200 --> 00:05:47.360 Avery: Well, the spacecraft weighed just over 141 00:05:47.520 --> 00:05:50.120 1150 pounds and carried five 142 00:05:50.120 --> 00:05:52.720 imaging instruments plus a six radio system. 143 00:05:53.270 --> 00:05:55.670 Its orbit was Highly elliptical, ranging from 144 00:05:55.670 --> 00:05:58.270 about 620 miles at its closest to 145 00:05:58.270 --> 00:06:00.070 Venus all the way out to 146 00:06:00.070 --> 00:06:03.030 223,700 miles 147 00:06:03.030 --> 00:06:04.230 at its farthest point. 148 00:06:04.790 --> 00:06:07.550 Anna: That's quite a range. I imagine that gave 149 00:06:07.550 --> 00:06:09.429 them different perspectives on the planet. 150 00:06:09.910 --> 00:06:12.550 Avery: Exactly. It allowed for both wide angle 151 00:06:12.550 --> 00:06:15.230 observations and detailed close up studies of 152 00:06:15.230 --> 00:06:18.230 Venus's thick toxic cloud layers. And 153 00:06:18.230 --> 00:06:20.430 Akatsuki made some really incredible 154 00:06:20.430 --> 00:06:22.550 discoveries during its decade of operations. 155 00:06:23.340 --> 00:06:23.900 Anna: Like what? 156 00:06:24.540 --> 00:06:26.620 Avery: One of the most striking findings was a, uh, 157 00:06:26.700 --> 00:06:29.340 giant stationary gravity wave about 158 00:06:29.420 --> 00:06:32.340 6,200 miles long. It's the 159 00:06:32.340 --> 00:06:34.660 largest of its kind in the entire solar 160 00:06:34.660 --> 00:06:34.940 system. 161 00:06:35.500 --> 00:06:38.340 Anna: That's enormous. What causes something 162 00:06:38.340 --> 00:06:38.860 like that? 163 00:06:39.500 --> 00:06:41.940 Avery: These gravity waves appeared as alternating 164 00:06:41.940 --> 00:06:44.300 light and dark bands in the atmosphere. And 165 00:06:44.300 --> 00:06:46.700 they're created when air is pushed upward by 166 00:06:46.700 --> 00:06:48.780 mountainous terrain on Venus's surface. 167 00:06:49.360 --> 00:06:51.840 What's fascinating is that how even the lower 168 00:06:51.840 --> 00:06:54.400 surface can influence the upper atmospheric 169 00:06:54.400 --> 00:06:56.560 layers despite the crushing pressure. 170 00:06:56.880 --> 00:06:58.960 Anna: Akatsuki, uh, also contributed to 171 00:06:58.960 --> 00:07:01.200 understanding Venus's super rotation 172 00:07:01.200 --> 00:07:02.320 phenomenon, right? 173 00:07:02.960 --> 00:07:05.920 Avery: That's right. Super rotation is this bizarre 174 00:07:05.920 --> 00:07:08.400 phenomenon where Venus's upper atmosphere 175 00:07:08.400 --> 00:07:10.920 moves significantly faster than the planet's 176 00:07:10.920 --> 00:07:13.760 surface rotates. Akatsuki provided evidence 177 00:07:13.760 --> 00:07:16.280 linking this wind acceleration to vertical 178 00:07:16.280 --> 00:07:18.120 momentum transfers through waves and 179 00:07:18.120 --> 00:07:18.720 turbulence. 180 00:07:19.430 --> 00:07:21.670 Anna: So how did the mission ultimately end? 181 00:07:22.230 --> 00:07:24.790 Avery: In late April 2024, contact with 182 00:07:24.790 --> 00:07:27.350 Akatsuki was lost during a period of low 183 00:07:27.350 --> 00:07:29.830 precision attitude control. Basically, the 184 00:07:29.830 --> 00:07:31.910 spacecraft's orientation and antenna 185 00:07:31.910 --> 00:07:33.950 positioning drifted off target. The 186 00:07:33.950 --> 00:07:36.030 transmitter likely kept working, but the 187 00:07:36.030 --> 00:07:38.230 radio signal could no longer reach Earth. 188 00:07:38.710 --> 00:07:40.990 Anna: And despite months of attempts to re 189 00:07:40.990 --> 00:07:43.190 establish communication, they couldn't get it 190 00:07:43.190 --> 00:07:43.430 back. 191 00:07:44.070 --> 00:07:46.440 Avery: Unfortunately not. JAXA 192 00:07:46.440 --> 00:07:48.560 officially sent the final command to 193 00:07:48.560 --> 00:07:50.884 terminate the mission on September 18, 194 00:07:51.036 --> 00:07:53.880 2025, just over 15 years after 195 00:07:53.880 --> 00:07:56.760 launch. This ensured no uncontrolled signals 196 00:07:56.760 --> 00:07:59.000 would continue broadcasting from the inactive 197 00:07:59.000 --> 00:07:59.400 probe. 198 00:07:59.800 --> 00:08:02.280 Anna: What a legacy though. Despite all the 199 00:08:02.280 --> 00:08:04.720 setbacks, Akatsuki delivered remarkable 200 00:08:04.720 --> 00:08:07.440 science about Venus's atmosphere and proved 201 00:08:07.440 --> 00:08:09.240 that you should never count a mission out. 202 00:08:09.960 --> 00:08:12.800 Avery: Absolutely. It's a testament to the ingenuity 203 00:08:12.800 --> 00:08:15.280 and determination of the team. They turned 204 00:08:15.280 --> 00:08:17.320 what could have been a complete failure into 205 00:08:17.320 --> 00:08:19.320 a highly successful decade. 206 00:08:19.320 --> 00:08:21.640 Anna: Long mission from Venus. 207 00:08:21.640 --> 00:08:23.440 Let's turn our attention to one of the 208 00:08:23.440 --> 00:08:26.240 biggest mysteries in modern astronomy. Fast 209 00:08:26.240 --> 00:08:29.000 radio bursts and Avery. Chinese 210 00:08:29.000 --> 00:08:30.919 astronomers have just made a breakthrough 211 00:08:30.919 --> 00:08:33.200 that's reshaping our understanding of these 212 00:08:33.200 --> 00:08:34.520 enigmatic signals. 213 00:08:35.080 --> 00:08:37.760 Avery: This is really exciting work, Anna. Um, an 214 00:08:37.760 --> 00:08:40.080 international team using China's FAST 215 00:08:40.080 --> 00:08:42.800 telescope, that's the 500 metre 216 00:08:42.800 --> 00:08:45.640 aperture spherical Telescope, also known as 217 00:08:45.640 --> 00:08:48.400 the China Sky Eye, has uncovered the 218 00:08:48.400 --> 00:08:51.000 first clear evidence that some fast radio 219 00:08:51.000 --> 00:08:53.960 burst sources actually originate in binary 220 00:08:53.960 --> 00:08:54.880 star systems. 221 00:08:55.280 --> 00:08:57.680 Anna: Okay, so for our listeners who Might not be 222 00:08:57.680 --> 00:09:00.160 familiar. Can you explain what fast radio 223 00:09:00.160 --> 00:09:00.880 bursts are? 224 00:09:01.360 --> 00:09:03.640 Avery: Sure. Fast radio bursts, or 225 00:09:03.640 --> 00:09:06.440 FRBs, are these incredibly brief 226 00:09:06.440 --> 00:09:09.360 but energetic pulses of radio waves from 227 00:09:09.360 --> 00:09:11.990 deep space. We're talking about flashes that 228 00:09:11.990 --> 00:09:14.710 last less than a thousandth of a second, but 229 00:09:14.710 --> 00:09:17.550 can release more energy than our sun emits in 230 00:09:17.550 --> 00:09:17.830 days. 231 00:09:18.310 --> 00:09:21.070 Anna: That's mind boggling. And most of these are 232 00:09:21.070 --> 00:09:22.550 one time events, right? 233 00:09:23.030 --> 00:09:25.830 Avery: Exactly. Most FRBs are one 234 00:09:25.830 --> 00:09:28.430 off events, which makes them really hard to 235 00:09:28.430 --> 00:09:31.270 study. But a handful repeat and those 236 00:09:31.270 --> 00:09:33.870 give astronomers rare opportunities for long 237 00:09:33.870 --> 00:09:36.270 term observation. That's what made this 238 00:09:36.270 --> 00:09:37.190 discovery possible. 239 00:09:37.940 --> 00:09:40.460 Anna: So tell us about this particular burst they 240 00:09:40.460 --> 00:09:41.060 were studying. 241 00:09:41.620 --> 00:09:44.500 Avery: The team led by Professor Bing Zhang from the 242 00:09:44.500 --> 00:09:47.340 University of Hong Kong focus on a repeating 243 00:09:47.340 --> 00:09:48.100 source called 244 00:09:48.180 --> 00:09:51.860 FRB2205.29A, 245 00:09:52.180 --> 00:09:55.060 located about 2.5 billion light years 246 00:09:55.060 --> 00:09:57.540 away. They monitored it for 17 247 00:09:57.780 --> 00:10:00.500 months using FAST, which is the world's most 248 00:10:00.500 --> 00:10:02.500 sensitive instrument for detecting these 249 00:10:02.500 --> 00:10:02.980 signals. 250 00:10:03.410 --> 00:10:05.690 Anna: And for most of that time it seemed pretty 251 00:10:05.690 --> 00:10:06.610 unremarkable. 252 00:10:07.090 --> 00:10:09.730 Avery: That's what's so interesting. For 17 253 00:10:09.970 --> 00:10:12.410 months, the signal appeared consistent and 254 00:10:12.410 --> 00:10:15.010 ordinary. But then near the end of 255 00:10:15.010 --> 00:10:17.850 2023, something truly exciting 256 00:10:17.850 --> 00:10:20.450 happened that transformed the entire study. 257 00:10:20.770 --> 00:10:21.570 Anna: What changed? 258 00:10:21.970 --> 00:10:24.850 Avery: They detected what they call an RM flare, 259 00:10:24.930 --> 00:10:27.690 a sudden dramatic change in the rotation 260 00:10:27.690 --> 00:10:30.110 measure of the radio waves. The rotation 261 00:10:30.110 --> 00:10:32.390 measure increased by more than a factor of 262 00:10:32.390 --> 00:10:35.230 100, then rapidly declined over 263 00:10:35.230 --> 00:10:37.670 two weeks before returning to its previous 264 00:10:37.670 --> 00:10:40.150 level. Think of rotation measure as 265 00:10:40.150 --> 00:10:43.110 describing how polarised radio waves twist 266 00:10:43.110 --> 00:10:45.750 as they pass through magnetic plasma. A 267 00:10:45.750 --> 00:10:48.190 sudden change like this reveals shifts in the 268 00:10:48.190 --> 00:10:50.710 environment surrounding the FRB source. 269 00:10:51.110 --> 00:10:52.520 Anna: And what does that tell us? 270 00:10:52.520 --> 00:10:55.510 Avery: Uh, well, this flare suggested that the 271 00:10:55.510 --> 00:10:58.510 FRB's environment was suddenly flooded by 272 00:10:58.510 --> 00:11:00.970 highly magnetised plasma, likely 273 00:11:00.970 --> 00:11:03.770 ejected by a nearby star. It's consistent 274 00:11:03.770 --> 00:11:06.770 with coronal mass ejections, those massive 275 00:11:06.770 --> 00:11:09.130 bursts of stellar material that our sun 276 00:11:09.130 --> 00:11:10.290 occasionally launches. 277 00:11:10.930 --> 00:11:13.770 Anna: So that's the smoking gun for a binary 278 00:11:13.770 --> 00:11:14.130 system. 279 00:11:14.770 --> 00:11:17.730 Avery: Exactly. By linking this RM flare 280 00:11:17.730 --> 00:11:20.290 to plasma activity from a companion star, 281 00:11:20.530 --> 00:11:23.170 the team provided the strongest evidence yet 282 00:11:23.170 --> 00:11:26.090 that some FRBs arise in binary 283 00:11:26.090 --> 00:11:28.490 systems containing a magnetar, which is a 284 00:11:28.490 --> 00:11:30.610 neutron star with an extremely strong 285 00:11:30.610 --> 00:11:33.440 magnetic field paired with a regular star 286 00:11:33.440 --> 00:11:34.160 like our sun. 287 00:11:34.480 --> 00:11:36.880 Anna: This contradicts the long standing belief 288 00:11:36.880 --> 00:11:39.720 that FRBs come solely from isolated 289 00:11:39.720 --> 00:11:40.960 magnetars, doesn't it? 290 00:11:41.360 --> 00:11:43.800 Avery: It does, and it's a major shift in our 291 00:11:43.800 --> 00:11:46.120 understanding. The findings were published in 292 00:11:46.120 --> 00:11:48.840 the journal Science and mark a real milestone 293 00:11:48.840 --> 00:11:51.360 for astrophysics. The observations were 294 00:11:51.360 --> 00:11:54.000 corroborated by data from Australia's Parkes 295 00:11:54.000 --> 00:11:56.720 telescope, which reinforces the reliability 296 00:11:56.720 --> 00:11:57.680 of these findings. 297 00:11:58.160 --> 00:12:00.320 Anna: Do these results fit into any broader 298 00:12:00.320 --> 00:12:01.680 theories about FRBs? 299 00:12:02.320 --> 00:12:04.960 Avery: Actually, yes. They align with a unified 300 00:12:05.040 --> 00:12:07.640 model recently proposed by Professor Zhang 301 00:12:07.640 --> 00:12:10.400 and colleagues, suggesting that all FRBs 302 00:12:10.400 --> 00:12:13.040 originate from Magnetars, but those within 303 00:12:13.040 --> 00:12:15.880 binary systems have specific geometries 304 00:12:15.880 --> 00:12:18.440 and environments that make them repeat more 305 00:12:18.440 --> 00:12:19.040 frequently. 306 00:12:19.440 --> 00:12:21.400 Anna: So we're starting to piece together the 307 00:12:21.400 --> 00:12:24.000 puzzle of, uh, why some FRBs repeat 308 00:12:24.240 --> 00:12:25.280 and others don't. 309 00:12:25.910 --> 00:12:28.550 Avery: Exactly. And this discovery was only 310 00:12:28.630 --> 00:12:31.270 possible because of persevering observations 311 00:12:31.590 --> 00:12:34.030 using the world's best telescopes and the 312 00:12:34.030 --> 00:12:36.470 tireless work of dedicated research teams. 313 00:12:36.630 --> 00:12:38.710 It's astronomy at its finest. 314 00:12:39.190 --> 00:12:41.350 Anna: Alright, now let's look ahead, because 315 00:12:41.430 --> 00:12:43.910 2026 is shaping up to be an 316 00:12:43.910 --> 00:12:46.790 absolutely incredible year for space science. 317 00:12:47.030 --> 00:12:48.870 Avery, where should we even begin? 318 00:12:49.430 --> 00:12:51.950 Avery: There's so much happening. Ana, uh, let's 319 00:12:51.950 --> 00:12:53.790 start with lunar missions, because we're 320 00:12:53.790 --> 00:12:55.830 seeing a real renaissance in moon 321 00:12:55.830 --> 00:12:58.780 exploration. Multiple commercial landers and 322 00:12:58.780 --> 00:13:00.660 government missions are on the schedule. 323 00:13:00.900 --> 00:13:03.220 Anna: And we learned some valuable lessons from 324 00:13:03.220 --> 00:13:05.940 2025's lunar landing attempts, didn't we? 325 00:13:06.420 --> 00:13:08.540 Avery: We certainly did. In early 326 00:13:08.540 --> 00:13:11.060 2025, three commercial landers 327 00:13:11.060 --> 00:13:13.460 attempted moon landings, but only one, 328 00:13:13.540 --> 00:13:15.700 Firefly Aerospace's Blue Ghost, 329 00:13:15.860 --> 00:13:18.740 succeeded. That was a major milestone as 330 00:13:18.740 --> 00:13:21.380 the first fully successful commercial lunar 331 00:13:21.380 --> 00:13:21.860 landing. 332 00:13:22.350 --> 00:13:24.990 Anna: Blue Ghost touched down near Mons Littrelle 333 00:13:24.990 --> 00:13:27.750 in Mar Criseum and operated for several 334 00:13:27.750 --> 00:13:29.910 days before shutting down during the lunar 335 00:13:29.910 --> 00:13:30.190 night. 336 00:13:30.830 --> 00:13:33.190 Avery: Right, And Firefly isn't resting on their 337 00:13:33.190 --> 00:13:35.630 laurels. They're planning Blue Ghost Mission 338 00:13:35.630 --> 00:13:38.469 2 for November 2026, launching 339 00:13:38.469 --> 00:13:41.390 aboard a Falcon 9. This mission will carry 340 00:13:41.390 --> 00:13:43.390 some really interesting payloads, including 341 00:13:43.470 --> 00:13:45.710 NASA's Lucy Night experiment. 342 00:13:46.190 --> 00:13:48.670 Anna: That's the Lunar Surface Electromagnetic 343 00:13:48.670 --> 00:13:51.480 Experiment at night. And it's particularly 344 00:13:51.480 --> 00:13:53.400 exciting because it'll become the first 345 00:13:53.480 --> 00:13:55.960 operational radio telescope on the moon, 346 00:13:56.120 --> 00:13:57.800 operating through the lunar night. 347 00:13:58.360 --> 00:14:00.360 Avery: Also flying on that mission is the United 348 00:14:00.440 --> 00:14:02.760 Arab Emirates Rasheed Rover 2. 349 00:14:03.240 --> 00:14:04.960 But what makes this launch even more 350 00:14:04.960 --> 00:14:07.560 interesting is that it'll debut Firefly's 351 00:14:07.560 --> 00:14:10.440 Elytra Dark Space Tug, which will boost Blue 352 00:14:10.440 --> 00:14:13.400 Ghost to the moon and insert ESA's Lunar 353 00:14:13.400 --> 00:14:16.000 Pathfinder communication satellite into lunar 354 00:14:16.000 --> 00:14:16.440 orbit. 355 00:14:16.850 --> 00:14:18.850 Anna: There are other commercial missions planned 356 00:14:18.850 --> 00:14:19.570 too, right? 357 00:14:19.970 --> 00:14:22.490 Avery: Absolutely. Intuitive Machines is planning 358 00:14:22.490 --> 00:14:24.930 its IM3 mission in the second half of the 359 00:14:24.930 --> 00:14:27.850 year with another Nova Sea Lander. And Blue 360 00:14:27.850 --> 00:14:29.890 Origin will attempt its first lunar landing 361 00:14:29.890 --> 00:14:32.250 with the Blue Moon Mark one Pathfinder 362 00:14:32.250 --> 00:14:34.730 mission, testing systems for future crewed 363 00:14:34.730 --> 00:14:35.090 missions. 364 00:14:35.330 --> 00:14:36.930 Anna: What about the Gryphon Lander? 365 00:14:37.250 --> 00:14:39.650 Avery: Astrobotics Gryphon Lander is scheduled for 366 00:14:39.650 --> 00:14:42.170 July 2026. And it'll carry 367 00:14:42.170 --> 00:14:44.830 Astrolabe's Flip rover, a, uh, 368 00:14:44.890 --> 00:14:47.650 prototype for their larger Flex rover 369 00:14:47.650 --> 00:14:49.870 being pitched. NASA's Artemis programme. 370 00:14:50.190 --> 00:14:52.430 Anna: And China's getting in on the action too. 371 00:14:52.830 --> 00:14:55.510 Avery: They are. Chang' e 7 is planned to launch 372 00:14:55.510 --> 00:14:57.830 this year and attempt a landing on the rim of 373 00:14:57.830 --> 00:15:00.830 Shackleton Crater near the south pole. It's a 374 00:15:00.830 --> 00:15:03.470 comprehensive mission with an orbiter, lander 375 00:15:03.470 --> 00:15:06.110 rover and even a small hopping probe. 376 00:15:06.430 --> 00:15:09.070 Anna: Let's shift to Mars. What's happening there? 377 00:15:09.550 --> 00:15:12.550 Avery: Well, 2026 marks another Mars transfer 378 00:15:12.550 --> 00:15:14.750 window, so we'll see new missions heading to 379 00:15:14.750 --> 00:15:17.550 the Red Planet. NASA's twin escapade 380 00:15:17.550 --> 00:15:20.030 satellites called Blue and Gold actually 381 00:15:20.030 --> 00:15:22.950 launched in November 2025 and are waiting 382 00:15:22.950 --> 00:15:25.750 at the Sun Earth Lagrange.2 until the 383 00:15:25.750 --> 00:15:27.310 transfer window opens in November. 384 00:15:27.550 --> 00:15:28.430 Anna: What will they study? 385 00:15:28.990 --> 00:15:31.070 Avery: They'll investigate how the solar wind has 386 00:15:31.070 --> 00:15:33.270 been stripping away at Mars atmosphere over 387 00:15:33.270 --> 00:15:36.270 time. And Japan's MMX M UM mission, the 388 00:15:36.270 --> 00:15:38.870 Martian Moons Exploration Mission, will also 389 00:15:38.870 --> 00:15:41.350 launch during this window to study Phobos and 390 00:15:41.350 --> 00:15:43.880 Deimos and even attempt to collect a sample 391 00:15:43.880 --> 00:15:44.800 from Phobos. 392 00:15:44.960 --> 00:15:47.080 Anna: There's also the ongoing situation with 393 00:15:47.080 --> 00:15:49.120 NASA's MAVEN satellite. Isn't there? 394 00:15:49.520 --> 00:15:52.400 Avery: Unfortunately, yes. MAVEN lost contact in 395 00:15:52.400 --> 00:15:54.560 early December when it failed to cheque in 396 00:15:54.560 --> 00:15:57.480 after passing behind Mars. A small fragment 397 00:15:57.480 --> 00:16:00.080 of telemetry suggests the spacecraft might be 398 00:16:00.080 --> 00:16:02.400 rotating and its orbit may have changed. 399 00:16:02.720 --> 00:16:05.120 NASA had to pause recovery efforts during the 400 00:16:05.120 --> 00:16:07.320 Mars solar conjunction, but they planned to 401 00:16:07.320 --> 00:16:09.900 start trying again over the weekend. No word 402 00:16:09.900 --> 00:16:11.900 yet on how that's going, but fingers are 403 00:16:11.900 --> 00:16:12.420 crossed. 404 00:16:12.740 --> 00:16:14.740 Anna: Indeed, fingers crossed for maven. 405 00:16:15.300 --> 00:16:17.780 Now, what about space telescopes? We've got 406 00:16:17.780 --> 00:16:19.300 some major launches coming up. 407 00:16:19.780 --> 00:16:22.060 Avery: Three new space telescopes are launching in 408 00:16:22.060 --> 00:16:24.900 2026. First up is ESA's 409 00:16:24.900 --> 00:16:27.540 Smile mission in April aboard a Vega C 410 00:16:27.540 --> 00:16:30.300 rocket. It'll study Earth's magnetosphere 411 00:16:30.300 --> 00:16:33.260 interacting with solar wind using soft X ray 412 00:16:33.260 --> 00:16:34.740 and ultraviolet observations. 413 00:16:35.240 --> 00:16:37.400 Anna: Then we have the Nancy Grace Roman Space 414 00:16:37.400 --> 00:16:38.760 Telescope in October. 415 00:16:39.400 --> 00:16:42.000 Avery: M that's the big one. Roman will launch on a 416 00:16:42.000 --> 00:16:44.800 Falcon 9 and features a 288 417 00:16:44.800 --> 00:16:47.720 megapixel camera that'll perform sky surveys 418 00:16:47.720 --> 00:16:50.520 with Hubble quality resolution, but producing 419 00:16:50.520 --> 00:16:53.000 images nearly 200 times larger. 420 00:16:53.320 --> 00:16:55.360 Construction was completed in November and 421 00:16:55.360 --> 00:16:56.920 it's currently in final testing. 422 00:16:57.160 --> 00:16:59.960 Anna: And ESA's Plato mission rounds out the year. 423 00:17:00.690 --> 00:17:03.020 Avery: Exactly. PLATO launches in December aboard, 424 00:17:03.020 --> 00:17:05.730 uh, an Ariane6.2 and will search for 425 00:17:05.730 --> 00:17:07.890 Earth like exoplanets in their star's 426 00:17:07.890 --> 00:17:10.690 habitable zones. It'll study up to 1 427 00:17:10.690 --> 00:17:11.570 million stars. 428 00:17:11.890 --> 00:17:14.770 Anna: There are also some exciting arrivals this 429 00:17:14.770 --> 00:17:15.410 year, right? 430 00:17:15.970 --> 00:17:18.930 Avery: Yes. ESA's HERA mission arrives 431 00:17:18.930 --> 00:17:21.370 at the Didymos binary asteroid system in 432 00:17:21.370 --> 00:17:24.010 November, a month ahead of schedule thanks to 433 00:17:24.010 --> 00:17:26.700 excellent spacecraft performance. It'll study 434 00:17:26.700 --> 00:17:28.860 the crater left by NASA's dart impact. 435 00:17:29.340 --> 00:17:31.340 Anna: And don't forget BepiColombo. 436 00:17:31.820 --> 00:17:34.540 Avery: Right. The joint ESA JAXA 437 00:17:34.540 --> 00:17:37.500 mission enters Mercury orbit on November 6th. 438 00:17:37.740 --> 00:17:40.700 After an eight year journey, it'll deploy two 439 00:17:40.700 --> 00:17:43.140 orbiters that begin science operations in 440 00:17:43.140 --> 00:17:44.460 early 2027. 441 00:17:44.860 --> 00:17:47.820 Anna: This really is going to be an incredible year 442 00:17:47.820 --> 00:17:48.780 for space science. 443 00:17:49.500 --> 00:17:52.300 Avery: Without a doubt. From the Moon to Mars, 444 00:17:52.380 --> 00:17:54.940 from nearby asteroids to distant galaxies, 445 00:17:55.260 --> 00:17:58.080 2026 promises discoveries will 446 00:17:58.080 --> 00:18:00.040 advance our understanding of the cosmos. 447 00:18:00.440 --> 00:18:02.960 Anna: Now we need to talk about a, uh. Concerning 448 00:18:02.960 --> 00:18:05.920 development in Earth orbit. Bain's His 449 00:18:05.920 --> 00:18:08.320 DAT company has confirmed that one of their 450 00:18:08.320 --> 00:18:10.760 military communications satellites has 451 00:18:10.760 --> 00:18:12.800 sustained what they're calling non 452 00:18:12.800 --> 00:18:13.960 recoverable damage. 453 00:18:14.680 --> 00:18:17.240 Avery: This is a significant loss. Anna. Uh, we're 454 00:18:17.240 --> 00:18:20.080 talking about the SpainSat NG2 satellite, 455 00:18:20.080 --> 00:18:22.160 which was struck by what's being described as 456 00:18:22.160 --> 00:18:24.670 a space particle. And despite the 457 00:18:24.670 --> 00:18:27.390 relatively small size of this particle, the 458 00:18:27.390 --> 00:18:28.470 damage is total. 459 00:18:28.870 --> 00:18:31.550 Anna: Let's give our listeners some context. This 460 00:18:31.550 --> 00:18:33.750 satellite was brand new, wasn't it? 461 00:18:34.390 --> 00:18:36.990 Avery: Very new. It launched aboard a SpaceX 462 00:18:36.990 --> 00:18:39.590 Falcon 9 just this past October 463 00:18:39.830 --> 00:18:42.830 2025. SpainSatNG2 was one of a 464 00:18:42.830 --> 00:18:45.510 pair of satellites built by Airbus to provide 465 00:18:45.510 --> 00:18:47.870 secure communications for Spain's armed 466 00:18:47.870 --> 00:18:50.470 forces. So what exactly happened 467 00:18:51.210 --> 00:18:54.210 on January 16? Hisdat released details 468 00:18:54.210 --> 00:18:56.490 explaining that while the space particle was 469 00:18:56.490 --> 00:18:59.290 estimated to be only millimetres in size and 470 00:18:59.290 --> 00:19:02.050 weighing just a few grammes, its extremely 471 00:19:02.050 --> 00:19:04.490 high velocity combined with the location of 472 00:19:04.490 --> 00:19:07.009 the impact caused catastrophic non 473 00:19:07.009 --> 00:19:08.170 recoverable damage. 474 00:19:08.570 --> 00:19:10.850 Anna: That really highlights the danger of space 475 00:19:10.850 --> 00:19:13.130 debris and micrometeorites, doesn't it? 476 00:19:13.610 --> 00:19:16.290 Avery: Absolutely. Even something tiny can be 477 00:19:16.290 --> 00:19:18.330 devastating when it's travelling at orbital 478 00:19:18.330 --> 00:19:21.300 velocities. The company did note that because 479 00:19:21.300 --> 00:19:23.900 a satellite is in a highly eccentric orbit, 480 00:19:24.060 --> 00:19:26.780 it doesn't pose any risk or interference to 481 00:19:26.780 --> 00:19:28.780 existing or future space missions. 482 00:19:29.180 --> 00:19:31.100 Anna: What are the financial implications? 483 00:19:31.740 --> 00:19:34.340 Avery: Well, his dad says the satellite was fully 484 00:19:34.340 --> 00:19:36.660 insured against this type of incident, so 485 00:19:36.660 --> 00:19:38.980 there won't be any direct economic damage to 486 00:19:38.980 --> 00:19:41.500 the company. However, here's the thing. 487 00:19:41.820 --> 00:19:44.150 While the insurance covers the loss, a uh, 488 00:19:44.220 --> 00:19:46.940 claim this large will almost certainly drive 489 00:19:46.940 --> 00:19:49.340 up insurance premiums for future satellites. 490 00:19:49.790 --> 00:19:51.230 Anna: How much are we talking about? 491 00:19:51.950 --> 00:19:54.910 Avery: The total SpainSat ng programme cost is 492 00:19:54.910 --> 00:19:57.830 around 2 billion euros, according to Spain's 493 00:19:57.830 --> 00:20:00.030 official foreign investment promotion agency. 494 00:20:00.510 --> 00:20:03.270 So this single satellite claim is likely in 495 00:20:03.270 --> 00:20:04.990 the hundreds of millions of euros. 496 00:20:05.390 --> 00:20:07.470 Anna: That's going to have ripple effects across 497 00:20:07.470 --> 00:20:08.510 the insurance market. 498 00:20:09.150 --> 00:20:11.790 Avery: It will. And there's another concern. The 499 00:20:11.790 --> 00:20:14.390 replacement timeline. Airbus secured the 500 00:20:14.390 --> 00:20:16.950 contract to build the first two Spain Sat Ng 501 00:20:16.950 --> 00:20:19.930 satellites back in May 2019 and the 502 00:20:19.930 --> 00:20:22.370 first one launched in January 2025. 503 00:20:22.690 --> 00:20:25.130 That's more than five years from contract to 504 00:20:25.130 --> 00:20:25.410 launch. 505 00:20:25.730 --> 00:20:28.410 Anna: So if we're looking at a similar timeline for 506 00:20:28.410 --> 00:20:31.330 SpainSat NG3, we might not 507 00:20:31.330 --> 00:20:33.890 see a replacement until around 2030. 508 00:20:34.450 --> 00:20:37.290 Avery: That's the concern. In fact, HISDAT has 509 00:20:37.290 --> 00:20:39.810 already initiated a request for quotation for 510 00:20:39.810 --> 00:20:42.130 the replacement satellite. In the meantime, 511 00:20:42.130 --> 00:20:43.890 they'll continue providing secure 512 00:20:43.890 --> 00:20:46.690 communications for Spain's armed forces using 513 00:20:46.690 --> 00:20:49.450 Spainsat NG1 and the original 514 00:20:49.450 --> 00:20:50.770 Spainsat satellite. 515 00:20:51.310 --> 00:20:53.630 Anna: Wait, the original Sveinsat from 516 00:20:53.630 --> 00:20:54.750 2006? 517 00:20:55.470 --> 00:20:58.310 Avery: Exactly. That satellite launched aboard an 518 00:20:58.310 --> 00:21:01.030 Ariane 5 in 2006 with a 519 00:21:01.030 --> 00:21:04.030 15 year design life. And here we are almost 520 00:21:04.110 --> 00:21:06.430 20 years later, still relying on it. 521 00:21:06.749 --> 00:21:08.470 That's actually a testament to good 522 00:21:08.470 --> 00:21:09.550 engineering and design. 523 00:21:09.950 --> 00:21:12.510 Anna: But surely it can't be operating at full 524 00:21:12.510 --> 00:21:14.430 capacity after all this time? 525 00:21:14.990 --> 00:21:17.880 Avery: You'd expect some degradation, yes, but it's 526 00:21:17.880 --> 00:21:20.040 remarkable that it's still functional. But 527 00:21:20.040 --> 00:21:22.120 this incident really underscores the 528 00:21:22.120 --> 00:21:24.600 vulnerability of our space assets and the 529 00:21:24.600 --> 00:21:26.400 importance of having redundancy. 530 00:21:26.720 --> 00:21:29.720 Anna: This also raises questions about space debris 531 00:21:29.720 --> 00:21:31.760 tracking and mitigation, doesn't it? 532 00:21:32.240 --> 00:21:34.880 Avery: Absolutely. If a particle just 533 00:21:34.960 --> 00:21:37.880 millimetres in size can cause total loss of 534 00:21:37.880 --> 00:21:40.200 a satellite worth hundreds of millions of 535 00:21:40.200 --> 00:21:43.120 euros, we really need to think seriously 536 00:21:43.120 --> 00:21:45.260 about the growing debris problem in Earth or 537 00:21:45.410 --> 00:21:46.290 orbit and around it. 538 00:21:46.610 --> 00:21:49.530 Anna: For our final storey, let's venture into the 539 00:21:49.530 --> 00:21:51.570 distant universe to talk about some 540 00:21:51.570 --> 00:21:54.290 fascinating new research on dwarf galaxies 541 00:21:54.290 --> 00:21:56.690 and the black holes at their centres. 542 00:21:57.090 --> 00:21:59.850 Avery, this is challenging some long held 543 00:21:59.850 --> 00:22:00.450 assumptions. 544 00:22:00.930 --> 00:22:03.650 Avery: It really is, Anna. Astronomers from the 545 00:22:03.650 --> 00:22:05.690 Harvard and Smithsonian Centre for 546 00:22:05.690 --> 00:22:08.130 Astrophysics and the University of North 547 00:22:08.130 --> 00:22:10.650 Carolina at Chapel Hill presented what 548 00:22:10.650 --> 00:22:13.210 they're calling the most comprehensive senses 549 00:22:13.210 --> 00:22:15.650 of active galactic nuclei in dwarf 550 00:22:15.880 --> 00:22:16.920 galaxies to date. 551 00:22:17.240 --> 00:22:19.200 Anna: Now, for listeners who might need a 552 00:22:19.200 --> 00:22:21.680 refresher, can you explain what an active 553 00:22:21.680 --> 00:22:23.080 galactic nucleus is? 554 00:22:23.800 --> 00:22:26.520 Avery: Sure. Active galactic nuclei, or 555 00:22:26.520 --> 00:22:29.520 agn, sometimes called quasars, are the 556 00:22:29.520 --> 00:22:32.200 incredibly bright core regions of galaxies. 557 00:22:32.360 --> 00:22:35.200 They're so luminous that they can temporarily 558 00:22:35.200 --> 00:22:37.680 outshine all the stars in the entire 559 00:22:37.680 --> 00:22:38.760 galaxy combined. 560 00:22:39.000 --> 00:22:41.240 Anna: And that's because of the supermassive black 561 00:22:41.240 --> 00:22:42.680 holes at the centre of. 562 00:22:42.990 --> 00:22:45.590 Avery: Exactly. These supermassive black 563 00:22:45.590 --> 00:22:48.550 holes accelerate infalling gas and dust and 564 00:22:48.550 --> 00:22:50.870 their accretion discs to near the speed of 565 00:22:50.870 --> 00:22:53.870 light, producing intense radiation across the 566 00:22:53.870 --> 00:22:56.550 electromagnetic spectrum. Everything from 567 00:22:56.550 --> 00:22:59.390 visible light in infrared to microwaves and 568 00:22:59.390 --> 00:23:00.030 X rays. 569 00:23:00.350 --> 00:23:02.830 Anna: For decades, we've known that many massive 570 00:23:02.830 --> 00:23:05.190 galaxies have supermassive black holes at 571 00:23:05.190 --> 00:23:07.670 their centres. And we assumed the same was 572 00:23:07.670 --> 00:23:09.470 true for dwarf galaxies, right? 573 00:23:10.250 --> 00:23:12.570 Avery: That was the assumption. But scientists have 574 00:23:12.570 --> 00:23:14.970 since learned that many dwarf galaxies 575 00:23:14.970 --> 00:23:17.090 actually don't have these central black 576 00:23:17.090 --> 00:23:19.890 holes. That's why this new census was so 577 00:23:19.890 --> 00:23:20.170 important. 578 00:23:20.810 --> 00:23:21.930 Anna: So what did they do? 579 00:23:22.410 --> 00:23:25.330 Avery: The team reassessed over 8,000 nearby 580 00:23:25.330 --> 00:23:27.570 galaxies for signs of active black hole 581 00:23:27.570 --> 00:23:30.250 activity. They grouped these galaxies by mass 582 00:23:30.250 --> 00:23:33.050 and analysed the latest optical, infrared 583 00:23:33.050 --> 00:23:36.010 and X ray observations to detect Even the 584 00:23:36.010 --> 00:23:38.010 faintest signs of AGN activity. 585 00:23:38.570 --> 00:23:39.610 Anna: And what did they find? 586 00:23:40.090 --> 00:23:42.772 Avery: Previous surveys generally found about 10 587 00:23:42.888 --> 00:23:45.810 AGNs per 1,000 dwarf galaxies. That's 588 00:23:45.810 --> 00:23:48.810 just 1%. But this new census yielded 589 00:23:48.810 --> 00:23:51.610 values of about 20 to 50 per 1,000 590 00:23:51.930 --> 00:23:53.530 or 2 to 5%. 591 00:23:54.089 --> 00:23:56.930 Anna: So they're finding AGNs are two to five times 592 00:23:56.930 --> 00:23:59.050 more common than we thought in dwarf 593 00:23:59.050 --> 00:23:59.690 galaxies? 594 00:23:59.690 --> 00:24:02.610 Avery: Yes. Now this is still significantly 595 00:24:02.610 --> 00:24:04.650 less than what we observe in medium sized 596 00:24:04.650 --> 00:24:07.650 galaxies at 16 to 27% or 597 00:24:07.650 --> 00:24:10.080 large galaxies at 20 to 48%. 598 00:24:10.790 --> 00:24:12.950 But it's a substantial increase from previous 599 00:24:12.950 --> 00:24:13.590 estimates. 600 00:24:13.910 --> 00:24:16.070 Anna: What's causing this discrepancy with earlier 601 00:24:16.150 --> 00:24:16.710 surveys? 602 00:24:17.270 --> 00:24:19.470 Avery: A big part of it was suppressing the glare 603 00:24:19.470 --> 00:24:21.990 from star formation, which had been obscuring 604 00:24:21.990 --> 00:24:23.830 emissions from accreting, uh, black holes. 605 00:24:24.150 --> 00:24:26.550 The team developed better detection methods 606 00:24:26.550 --> 00:24:27.830 to cut through that glare. 607 00:24:28.390 --> 00:24:30.230 Anna: So what does this tell us about how black 608 00:24:30.230 --> 00:24:31.910 holes relate to galaxy mass? 609 00:24:32.470 --> 00:24:34.910 Avery: Well, the results suggest that AGN 610 00:24:34.910 --> 00:24:37.870 frequency is mass dependent and increases 611 00:24:37.870 --> 00:24:40.430 sharply among galaxies with mass similar to 612 00:24:40.430 --> 00:24:43.040 our Milky Way. As lead author Magda 613 00:24:43.040 --> 00:24:45.840 Polymera explained, there's an intense jump 614 00:24:45.840 --> 00:24:48.760 in AGN activity between dwarf galaxies and 615 00:24:48.760 --> 00:24:50.080 mid sized galaxies. 616 00:24:50.400 --> 00:24:52.880 Anna: That's a significant finding. What might 617 00:24:52.880 --> 00:24:53.520 explain it? 618 00:24:53.840 --> 00:24:56.280 Avery: It could indicate a fundamental shift in the 619 00:24:56.280 --> 00:24:59.280 galaxies themselves as they grow. Or it might 620 00:24:59.280 --> 00:25:01.360 mean we're still not catching everything into 621 00:25:01.360 --> 00:25:03.560 smaller galaxies and need even better 622 00:25:03.560 --> 00:25:06.040 detection methods. Either way, it's an 623 00:25:06.040 --> 00:25:06.800 important clue. 624 00:25:07.270 --> 00:25:09.350 Anna: How does this relate to galaxy formation? 625 00:25:09.910 --> 00:25:12.390 Avery: Well, as co author Professor Sheila 626 00:25:12.390 --> 00:25:15.270 Kanopan pointed out, we believe the Milky Way 627 00:25:15.350 --> 00:25:18.150 formed from many smaller galaxies that merged 628 00:25:18.150 --> 00:25:20.790 together. So the massive black holes in those 629 00:25:20.790 --> 00:25:23.350 dwarf galaxies should have merged to form the 630 00:25:23.350 --> 00:25:25.750 Milky Way's supermassive black hole. 631 00:25:26.150 --> 00:25:28.390 Anna: So understanding these dwarf galaxy black 632 00:25:28.390 --> 00:25:31.030 holes helps us understand our own galaxy's 633 00:25:31.030 --> 00:25:31.350 history. 634 00:25:31.990 --> 00:25:34.810 Avery: Exactly. These results are essential to 635 00:25:34.810 --> 00:25:37.210 test models of black hole origins and their 636 00:25:37.210 --> 00:25:39.810 role in shaping galaxies over cosmic time. 637 00:25:40.290 --> 00:25:42.930 Are there still uncertainties in this census? 638 00:25:43.330 --> 00:25:45.690 Yes. There's still a margin of uncertainty 639 00:25:45.690 --> 00:25:47.850 where fainter creating black holes are 640 00:25:47.850 --> 00:25:49.970 involved. So these percentages are 641 00:25:49.970 --> 00:25:52.690 approximate. Future observations with more 642 00:25:52.690 --> 00:25:55.010 sensitive instruments will likely refine 643 00:25:55.010 --> 00:25:55.650 these numbers. 644 00:25:55.730 --> 00:25:58.410 Anna: But this gives astronomers a much clearer 645 00:25:58.410 --> 00:25:59.570 picture than we had before. 646 00:26:00.010 --> 00:26:02.970 Avery: Absolutely. It provides the clearest picture 647 00:26:02.970 --> 00:26:05.890 yet of how likely galaxies of different sizes 648 00:26:05.890 --> 00:26:08.450 are to host active black holes. And it 649 00:26:08.450 --> 00:26:10.650 demonstrates how cutting through the glare of 650 00:26:10.650 --> 00:26:12.890 star formation can reveal what's really 651 00:26:12.890 --> 00:26:15.130 happening at the centres of nearby galaxies. 652 00:26:15.130 --> 00:26:17.170 Anna: And the team is releasing their data for 653 00:26:17.170 --> 00:26:19.530 other researchers to verify and expand on. 654 00:26:19.770 --> 00:26:22.010 Avery: That's right. They're making their processed 655 00:26:22.010 --> 00:26:24.290 measurements available so other astronomers 656 00:26:24.290 --> 00:26:26.570 can confirm and build on these results. 657 00:26:27.270 --> 00:26:28.470 That's good science in action. 658 00:26:28.470 --> 00:26:30.470 Anna: Well, that brings us to the end of another 659 00:26:30.550 --> 00:26:33.390 packed episode of Astronomy Daily. From 660 00:26:33.390 --> 00:26:35.470 the Artemis, uh, two rocket reaching the 661 00:26:35.470 --> 00:26:37.950 launch pad to new discoveries about black 662 00:26:37.950 --> 00:26:40.910 holes in dwarf galaxies, it's been quite a 663 00:26:40.910 --> 00:26:42.310 journey through the cosmos today. 664 00:26:42.390 --> 00:26:44.590 Avery: It really has, Anna. Uh, we covered 665 00:26:44.590 --> 00:26:47.230 everything from the Moon to Venus to distant 666 00:26:47.230 --> 00:26:49.870 galaxies, and every storey reminds us just 667 00:26:49.870 --> 00:26:52.310 how active and exciting space exploration and 668 00:26:52.310 --> 00:26:53.510 astronomy are right now. 669 00:26:53.510 --> 00:26:55.670 Anna: Before we go, a quick reminder that you can 670 00:26:55.670 --> 00:26:57.950 find more space and astronomy news on our 671 00:26:57.950 --> 00:27:00.690 website@astronomydaily.IO. 672 00:27:00.770 --> 00:27:03.530 we've got detailed articles, images and lots 673 00:27:03.530 --> 00:27:05.490 more content for space enthusiasts. 674 00:27:05.570 --> 00:27:07.730 Avery: And if you enjoyed today's episode, please 675 00:27:07.730 --> 00:27:09.930 subscribe to Astronomy Daily. Wherever you 676 00:27:09.930 --> 00:27:12.170 get your podcasts, we're here every day 677 00:27:12.170 --> 00:27:14.250 bringing you the latest news from across the 678 00:27:14.250 --> 00:27:14.689 universe. 679 00:27:14.689 --> 00:27:16.650 Anna: Thanks so much for listening, everyone. I'm 680 00:27:16.650 --> 00:27:17.090 Anna. 681 00:27:17.090 --> 00:27:19.610 Avery: And I'm Avery. Keep looking up and we'll see 682 00:27:19.610 --> 00:27:21.250 you next time on Astronomy Daily. 683 00:27:21.250 --> 00:27:21.890 Anna: Clear skies