WEBVTT 0 00:00:00.320 --> 00:00:02.720 Anna: Hey there, space fans. I'm Anna. 1 00:00:03.040 --> 00:00:05.840 Avery: And I'm Avery. Welcome to Astronomy 2 00:00:05.840 --> 00:00:08.440 Daily, your daily dose of space and 3 00:00:08.440 --> 00:00:11.200 astronomy News. It's Thursday, January 4 00:00:11.440 --> 00:00:14.400 22, 2026, and boy, 5 00:00:14.400 --> 00:00:16.720 do we have a packed episode for you today. 6 00:00:17.120 --> 00:00:19.760 Anna: We really do. We're covering everything 7 00:00:19.920 --> 00:00:22.400 from Blue Origin's ambitious new 8 00:00:22.400 --> 00:00:25.000 satellite Internet network to an update on 9 00:00:25.000 --> 00:00:27.720 that historic medical evacuation from the 10 00:00:27.720 --> 00:00:30.400 International Space Station. Plus, we'll 11 00:00:30.400 --> 00:00:33.340 celebrate a special bir for a lunar legend. 12 00:00:33.820 --> 00:00:36.380 Avery: That's right. We've also got some fascinating 13 00:00:36.380 --> 00:00:39.380 science stories, including new insights into 14 00:00:39.380 --> 00:00:42.060 Saturn's moon Enceladus, surprising 15 00:00:42.060 --> 00:00:44.700 discoveries about plasma waves at Mercury, 16 00:00:44.780 --> 00:00:47.460 and groundbreaking observations of solar 17 00:00:47.460 --> 00:00:47.980 flares. 18 00:00:48.700 --> 00:00:51.580 Anna: So buckle up, let's dive right 19 00:00:51.580 --> 00:00:53.740 into today's space headlines. 20 00:00:54.060 --> 00:00:56.300 Avery: Alright, Anna, um, let's kick things off with 21 00:00:56.300 --> 00:00:59.130 some major news from Blue Origin. Jeff 22 00:00:59.130 --> 00:01:02.050 Bezos Space Company just announced a new 23 00:01:02.050 --> 00:01:04.810 satellite Internet network called TerraWave. 24 00:01:05.050 --> 00:01:07.450 And the numbers are pretty staggering. 25 00:01:07.850 --> 00:01:10.490 Anna: They really are. We're talking about data 26 00:01:10.490 --> 00:01:13.370 speeds up to 6 terabits per second. 27 00:01:13.690 --> 00:01:16.490 That's seriously impressive. How does that 28 00:01:16.490 --> 00:01:18.090 compare to what's available now? 29 00:01:18.490 --> 00:01:21.450 Avery: Well, for context, SpaceX's Starlink 30 00:01:21.450 --> 00:01:22.810 currently maxes out at 31 00:01:22.810 --> 00:01:25.290 400Mbps for consumers, 32 00:01:25.780 --> 00:01:27.780 though they're planning to upgrade to 1 33 00:01:27.780 --> 00:01:30.300 gigabit speeds in the future. But 6 34 00:01:30.300 --> 00:01:32.940 terabits per second, that's in a completely 35 00:01:32.940 --> 00:01:33.540 different league. 36 00:01:34.180 --> 00:01:36.540 Anna: So this isn't really targeting the same 37 00:01:36.540 --> 00:01:38.100 market as Starlink then? 38 00:01:38.500 --> 00:01:41.499 Avery: Exactly. Blue Origin is very clear about 39 00:01:41.499 --> 00:01:44.380 this. TerraWave is geared toward enterprise 40 00:01:44.380 --> 00:01:46.500 customers, data centers and government 41 00:01:46.580 --> 00:01:49.460 applications. It's meant to add a space based 42 00:01:49.460 --> 00:01:51.940 layer to existing network infrastructure, 43 00:01:52.500 --> 00:01:54.500 particularly for reaching locations that 44 00:01:54.500 --> 00:01:56.340 traditional methods can't access. 45 00:01:56.900 --> 00:01:59.220 Anna: What's the architecture looking like? How 46 00:01:59.220 --> 00:02:00.820 many satellites are we talking about? 47 00:02:01.300 --> 00:02:03.380 Avery: The constellation will use a mix of 48 00:02:03.380 --> 00:02:06.260 5,280 satellites in low 49 00:02:06.260 --> 00:02:08.980 Earth orbit and 128 in 50 00:02:08.980 --> 00:02:11.580 medium Earth orbit. The low Earth orbit 51 00:02:11.580 --> 00:02:14.220 satellites will use RF connectivity with 52 00:02:14.220 --> 00:02:16.180 maximum data transfer speeds of 53 00:02:16.180 --> 00:02:18.660 144 gigabits per second, 54 00:02:19.320 --> 00:02:21.360 while the medium Earth orbit satellites will 55 00:02:21.360 --> 00:02:23.240 use optical lengths to achieve those 56 00:02:23.240 --> 00:02:26.200 incredible 6 terabits per second speeds. 57 00:02:26.520 --> 00:02:28.680 Anna: When can we expect to see this actually 58 00:02:28.760 --> 00:02:29.400 deployed? 59 00:02:29.720 --> 00:02:31.960 Avery: Blue Origin plans to start deploying the 60 00:02:31.960 --> 00:02:34.800 first satellites in late 2027. They 61 00:02:34.800 --> 00:02:36.960 haven't given a timeline for the full build 62 00:02:36.960 --> 00:02:39.320 out yet, which makes sense given the scale of 63 00:02:39.320 --> 00:02:39.800 the project. 64 00:02:40.280 --> 00:02:42.680 Anna: This is interesting timing too, isn't it? 65 00:02:42.680 --> 00:02:45.520 Because Jeff Bezos other company Amazon, 66 00:02:45.520 --> 00:02:47.840 just rebranded their satellite network as 67 00:02:47.840 --> 00:02:48.440 LEO. 68 00:02:48.810 --> 00:02:51.250 Avery: That's right. LEO will have around 3,000 69 00:02:51.250 --> 00:02:54.050 satellites in low Earth orbit, offering more 70 00:02:54.050 --> 00:02:56.410 traditional broadband speeds to consumers. 71 00:02:56.810 --> 00:02:59.770 So, taken together, Amazon's LEO and Blue 72 00:02:59.770 --> 00:03:02.570 Origin's TerraWave could provide pretty 73 00:03:02.570 --> 00:03:05.250 robust competition to SpaceX's Starlink 74 00:03:05.250 --> 00:03:06.890 across different market segments. 75 00:03:07.290 --> 00:03:10.010 Anna: It's really shaping up to be an exciting era 76 00:03:10.010 --> 00:03:12.410 for satellite Internet. The competition 77 00:03:12.490 --> 00:03:15.210 should drive innovation and hopefully improve 78 00:03:15.290 --> 00:03:16.330 service for everyone. 79 00:03:17.010 --> 00:03:19.530 Avery: Absolutely. And it shows how Blue Origin is 80 00:03:19.530 --> 00:03:21.650 evolving beyond just their space tourism 81 00:03:21.650 --> 00:03:23.530 flights. With New Shepard, with the 82 00:03:23.530 --> 00:03:25.370 successful launches of their new Glenn 83 00:03:25.370 --> 00:03:28.210 rocket, landing the booster on just a second 84 00:03:28.210 --> 00:03:30.930 attempt, and now this satellite network 85 00:03:30.930 --> 00:03:32.969 announcement. They're really becoming a 86 00:03:32.969 --> 00:03:35.170 multifaceted commercial space player. 87 00:03:35.570 --> 00:03:36.290 Anna: Great point. 88 00:03:36.850 --> 00:03:39.010 Alright, let's move on to some news from 89 00:03:39.010 --> 00:03:41.730 closer to home, or at least from low Earth 90 00:03:41.730 --> 00:03:44.560 orbit. Avery, we need to talk about the 91 00:03:44.560 --> 00:03:47.440 unprecedented medical evacuation from the 92 00:03:47.440 --> 00:03:49.800 International Space Station. This was a 93 00:03:49.800 --> 00:03:52.440 historic moment and not in a way anyone 94 00:03:52.440 --> 00:03:55.200 wanted. Well, today we have a bit of an 95 00:03:55.200 --> 00:03:57.560 update as the astronauts have made their 96 00:03:57.560 --> 00:03:59.800 first live appearance since returning to 97 00:03:59.800 --> 00:04:00.160 Earth. 98 00:04:00.480 --> 00:04:03.000 Avery: You're absolutely right, Anna. For the first 99 00:04:03.000 --> 00:04:05.720 time in over 25 years of continuous 100 00:04:05.720 --> 00:04:08.680 human presence on the ISS, and the first time 101 00:04:08.680 --> 00:04:11.440 in NASA's entire history, a space 102 00:04:11.520 --> 00:04:14.160 mission was cut short due to a medical issue. 103 00:04:14.780 --> 00:04:17.540 The four astronauts of Crew 11 splashed down 104 00:04:17.540 --> 00:04:19.340 in the Pacific Ocean off the coast of 105 00:04:19.340 --> 00:04:22.340 California on January 15, about 106 00:04:22.340 --> 00:04:23.900 a month earlier than planned. 107 00:04:24.220 --> 00:04:26.380 Anna: Can you tell us who was on this crew? 108 00:04:26.700 --> 00:04:29.500 Avery: The crew included NASA astronauts Zena 109 00:04:29.500 --> 00:04:32.500 Cardman and Mike Fenk, Japan Aerospace 110 00:04:32.500 --> 00:04:35.260 Exploration Agency astronaut Kimiya Yui 111 00:04:35.260 --> 00:04:37.900 and Russian cosmonaut Oleg Platanov. 112 00:04:38.300 --> 00:04:40.940 They'd been on the station for 167 113 00:04:40.940 --> 00:04:43.900 days, having launched back in August 2025. 114 00:04:44.530 --> 00:04:46.850 Anna: And NASA still hasn't disclosed which crew 115 00:04:46.850 --> 00:04:48.810 member had the medical issue or um, what the 116 00:04:48.810 --> 00:04:49.490 condition was. 117 00:04:49.890 --> 00:04:51.770 Avery: That's correct. They're protecting the 118 00:04:51.770 --> 00:04:54.730 astronauts medical privacy. What they have 119 00:04:54.730 --> 00:04:57.010 said is that the crew member is stable and 120 00:04:57.010 --> 00:04:59.090 that this wasn't an emergency situation 121 00:04:59.650 --> 00:05:02.050 despite bringing the entire crew home early. 122 00:05:02.450 --> 00:05:04.650 Anna: How did this unfold? What were the warning 123 00:05:04.650 --> 00:05:05.090 signs? 124 00:05:05.570 --> 00:05:08.330 Avery: The first public indication came when NASA 125 00:05:08.330 --> 00:05:11.330 canceled a planned spacewalk on January 8 126 00:05:11.410 --> 00:05:14.340 due to a medical concern. Mike Fink and 127 00:05:14.340 --> 00:05:16.860 Zena Cardman were supposed to venture outside 128 00:05:16.940 --> 00:05:19.940 the station to work on the power system. The 129 00:05:19.940 --> 00:05:22.300 next day, NASA made the decision to bring the 130 00:05:22.300 --> 00:05:23.660 entire crew home early. 131 00:05:24.060 --> 00:05:25.940 Anna: That must have been a difficult decision to 132 00:05:25.940 --> 00:05:26.220 make. 133 00:05:26.780 --> 00:05:29.580 Avery: Absolutely. NASA Administrator Jared 134 00:05:29.580 --> 00:05:32.100 Isaacman emphasized that while they have 135 00:05:32.100 --> 00:05:34.260 medical equipment and trained crew members 136 00:05:34.260 --> 00:05:36.860 aboard the iss, the capability 137 00:05:37.020 --> 00:05:39.300 to properly diagnose and treat this 138 00:05:39.300 --> 00:05:42.020 particular condition simply doesn't exist on 139 00:05:42.020 --> 00:05:44.740 the station. He called it, uh, a controlled 140 00:05:44.740 --> 00:05:47.500 medical evacuation, not an emergency 141 00:05:47.500 --> 00:05:48.220 deorbit. 142 00:05:48.220 --> 00:05:51.100 Anna: What's particularly interesting to me is what 143 00:05:51.100 --> 00:05:52.700 the crew members said at their press 144 00:05:52.700 --> 00:05:55.460 conference yesterday. They seemed remarkably 145 00:05:55.460 --> 00:05:58.060 positive about the experience, they really 146 00:05:58.060 --> 00:05:58.420 did. 147 00:05:58.819 --> 00:06:01.500 Avery: Mike Fink, who was the ISS commander during 148 00:06:01.500 --> 00:06:03.900 this mission, said the way the crew and 149 00:06:03.900 --> 00:06:06.420 ground teams handled everything made him more 150 00:06:06.420 --> 00:06:08.860 confident about human space exploration, not 151 00:06:08.860 --> 00:06:11.450 less. He specifically mentioned this bodes 152 00:06:11.450 --> 00:06:13.250 well for the upcoming Artemis program. 153 00:06:13.570 --> 00:06:15.570 Anna: I remember reading that they used the 154 00:06:15.570 --> 00:06:18.410 portable ultrasound machine on the ISS during 155 00:06:18.410 --> 00:06:19.010 this incident. 156 00:06:19.330 --> 00:06:21.250 Avery: Right. Fink mentioned that during the press 157 00:06:21.250 --> 00:06:23.370 conference. He emphasized that while the 158 00:06:23.370 --> 00:06:26.210 ultrasound was extremely helpful, the ISS 159 00:06:26.450 --> 00:06:28.570 doesn't have the capacity for larger imaging 160 00:06:28.570 --> 00:06:31.490 equipment like MRI machines. Zena Cardman 161 00:06:31.490 --> 00:06:33.570 also pointed out that as we venture beyond 162 00:06:33.570 --> 00:06:35.930 low Earth orbit to the Moon and eventually 163 00:06:35.930 --> 00:06:38.730 Mars, having better diagnostic and treatment 164 00:06:38.730 --> 00:06:40.970 tools on board will be a critical challenge 165 00:06:40.970 --> 00:06:41.320 to solve. 166 00:06:42.030 --> 00:06:44.910 Anna: How has this affected operations on the iss? 167 00:06:45.470 --> 00:06:47.910 Avery: Well, their departure left only three people 168 00:06:47.910 --> 00:06:50.470 on the station, two Russian cosmonauts and 169 00:06:50.470 --> 00:06:53.230 one NASA astronaut who'd arrived on a Soyuz 170 00:06:53.230 --> 00:06:55.870 capsule in November. That's significantly 171 00:06:55.870 --> 00:06:58.230 reduced from the typical crew of seven, which 172 00:06:58.230 --> 00:07:00.750 means fewer experiments and less maintenance 173 00:07:00.750 --> 00:07:03.390 can be performed. The next crew rotation, 174 00:07:03.390 --> 00:07:06.110 Crew 12 is scheduled to launch no earlier 175 00:07:06.110 --> 00:07:07.550 than February 15th. 176 00:07:08.140 --> 00:07:10.460 Anna: Despite the challenging circumstances, this 177 00:07:10.460 --> 00:07:12.660 really demonstrates the professionalism and 178 00:07:12.660 --> 00:07:14.540 preparedness of our space programs. 179 00:07:15.020 --> 00:07:17.420 Avery: Exactly as Cardman emphasized, 180 00:07:17.420 --> 00:07:19.660 astronauts are the eyes and ears for 181 00:07:19.660 --> 00:07:21.740 researchers on the ground, and this 182 00:07:21.740 --> 00:07:24.100 experience will undoubtedly inform how we 183 00:07:24.100 --> 00:07:26.420 prepare for longer duration missions further 184 00:07:26.420 --> 00:07:29.340 from Earth. Alright, shall we move on to a 185 00:07:29.340 --> 00:07:30.700 much happier space story? 186 00:07:31.260 --> 00:07:32.220 Anna: Absolutely. 187 00:07:32.540 --> 00:07:35.300 This past Tuesday, January 20th, marked 188 00:07:35.300 --> 00:07:38.220 the 96th birthday of Buzz Aldrin, 189 00:07:38.220 --> 00:07:40.960 the second man to walk the moon and now 190 00:07:40.960 --> 00:07:42.920 the oldest living astronaut. 191 00:07:43.240 --> 00:07:45.920 Avery: What an incredible milestone. Buzz 192 00:07:45.920 --> 00:07:48.773 Aldrin, born Edwin Eugene Aldrin Jr. 193 00:07:48.874 --> 00:07:51.720 On January 20, 1930 in Glen Rich, 194 00:07:51.720 --> 00:07:54.440 New Jersey, made history alongside Neil 195 00:07:54.440 --> 00:07:56.880 Armstrong during the Apollo 11 landing in 196 00:07:56.880 --> 00:07:59.800 1969. He was 39 years old 197 00:07:59.800 --> 00:08:01.720 when he stepped onto the lunar surface. 198 00:08:01.960 --> 00:08:04.800 Anna: I love the story behind his nickname. Did you 199 00:08:04.800 --> 00:08:06.400 know that his sister couldn't pronounce 200 00:08:06.400 --> 00:08:08.840 brother properly and called him Buzzer, which 201 00:08:08.840 --> 00:08:10.120 got shortened to Buzz? 202 00:08:10.720 --> 00:08:13.360 Avery: I did. And he liked it so much he legally 203 00:08:13.360 --> 00:08:15.440 changed his first name to buzz in 204 00:08:15.440 --> 00:08:18.440 1988. Now, it's worth noting that this 205 00:08:18.440 --> 00:08:20.960 past year hasn't been easy for Aldrin. He 206 00:08:20.960 --> 00:08:23.960 lost his wife, Anka Fower, last fall after a 207 00:08:23.960 --> 00:08:25.960 battle with cancer. They'd been married on 208 00:08:25.960 --> 00:08:28.400 his 93rd birthday in 2023. 209 00:08:28.800 --> 00:08:31.280 Anna: That's heartbreaking, but it sounds like he's 210 00:08:31.280 --> 00:08:32.560 surrounded by family now. 211 00:08:32.880 --> 00:08:35.200 Avery: Yes, his family posted an update in late 212 00:08:35.200 --> 00:08:37.280 December showing he's spending time with his 213 00:08:37.280 --> 00:08:39.530 children and grandchildren in Los Angeles and 214 00:08:39.760 --> 00:08:41.360 and they're planning to move him closer to 215 00:08:41.360 --> 00:08:44.160 family in Southern California. Despite his 216 00:08:44.160 --> 00:08:46.720 age and recent loss, he remains a cheerleader 217 00:08:46.720 --> 00:08:48.320 for NASA and space exploration. 218 00:08:48.880 --> 00:08:51.000 Anna: Speaking of which, the timing of his birthday 219 00:08:51.000 --> 00:08:53.040 is pretty special with the Artemis II mission 220 00:08:53.040 --> 00:08:53.520 coming up. 221 00:08:53.840 --> 00:08:56.440 Avery: Absolutely. The Artemis astronauts wished him 222 00:08:56.440 --> 00:08:58.400 a happy birthday this past weekend from 223 00:08:58.400 --> 00:09:00.250 Kennedy Space center as their Orion, uh, 224 00:09:00.640 --> 00:09:03.040 spacecraft atop the Space Launch System 225 00:09:03.360 --> 00:09:06.080 rocket rolled out to launch pad 39B. 226 00:09:06.490 --> 00:09:08.970 It's the same pad that launched many Apollo 227 00:09:08.970 --> 00:09:09.370 missions. 228 00:09:09.530 --> 00:09:12.250 Anna: The Artemis 2 crew, NASA astronauts Reid 229 00:09:12.250 --> 00:09:14.850 Wiseman, Victor Glover, Christina Koch, and 230 00:09:14.850 --> 00:09:17.450 Canadian Space Agency astronaut Jeremy Hansen 231 00:09:17.610 --> 00:09:19.850 could launch as early as February 6th. 232 00:09:20.010 --> 00:09:22.050 They'll be the first humans to return to the 233 00:09:22.050 --> 00:09:24.650 vicinity of the moon since 1972. 234 00:09:25.130 --> 00:09:27.570 Avery: And they'll make history, too. Victor Glover 235 00:09:27.570 --> 00:09:29.850 will be the first black astronaut, Christina 236 00:09:29.850 --> 00:09:32.770 Koch the first woman, and Jeremy Hansen the 237 00:09:32.770 --> 00:09:35.170 first non American to travel that far from 238 00:09:35.170 --> 00:09:35.530 Earth. 239 00:09:35.930 --> 00:09:38.050 Anna: What really struck me was how the Artemis 240 00:09:38.050 --> 00:09:39.810 astronauts talked about their connections to 241 00:09:39.810 --> 00:09:40.730 the Apollo program. 242 00:09:41.370 --> 00:09:44.250 Avery: Me too. Reid Wiseman shared this great story 243 00:09:44.250 --> 00:09:46.810 about almost missing a call from Apollo 10's 244 00:09:46.810 --> 00:09:49.130 General Tom Stafford on the day he was 245 00:09:49.130 --> 00:09:51.649 selected for Artemis 2. He thought it was a 246 00:09:51.649 --> 00:09:53.570 telemarketer, but Stafford called to 247 00:09:53.570 --> 00:09:55.530 congratulate him, and Wiseman said, the 248 00:09:55.530 --> 00:09:57.970 Apollo astronauts are just so excited that 249 00:09:57.970 --> 00:09:59.370 we're headed back to the moon. 250 00:09:59.610 --> 00:10:01.810 Anna: Victor Glover mentioned carrying a bag of 251 00:10:01.810 --> 00:10:04.410 wisdom quotes from Apollo 9's Rusty Schweiker 252 00:10:04.410 --> 00:10:06.440 to the space station, and he's planning to 253 00:10:06.440 --> 00:10:07.680 take it to the moon as well. 254 00:10:07.920 --> 00:10:10.280 Avery: And Christina Koch talked about Fred haise 255 00:10:10.280 --> 00:10:12.960 from Apollo 13, teasing her about breaking 256 00:10:12.960 --> 00:10:15.600 their distance record. She said that moment 257 00:10:15.600 --> 00:10:17.880 brought her into the Apollo camaraderie, and 258 00:10:17.880 --> 00:10:19.920 she promised to carry that spirit forward. 259 00:10:20.160 --> 00:10:22.480 Anna: Jeremy Hansen's story is my favorite, though. 260 00:10:22.560 --> 00:10:25.360 He saw a picture of Buzz or Neil on the moon 261 00:10:25.360 --> 00:10:27.560 as a kid, turned his treehouse into a 262 00:10:27.560 --> 00:10:30.400 spaceship, and here he is now about to go to 263 00:10:30.400 --> 00:10:31.280 the moon himself. 264 00:10:31.940 --> 00:10:33.980 Avery: It really shows the lasting impact of the 265 00:10:33.980 --> 00:10:36.700 Apollo program. Of the 12 men who walked on 266 00:10:36.700 --> 00:10:39.260 the moon, only four are still alive. Buzz 267 00:10:39.260 --> 00:10:41.780 Aldrin at 96, David Scott at 268 00:10:41.780 --> 00:10:44.420 93, Charles Duke at 90, and 269 00:10:44.420 --> 00:10:45.860 Harrison Schmidt at 90. 270 00:10:46.180 --> 00:10:48.980 Anna: Buzz Aldrin truly is a living legend, and his 271 00:10:48.980 --> 00:10:50.540 enthusiasm for the future of space 272 00:10:50.540 --> 00:10:53.060 exploration is inspiring. Happy 273 00:10:53.060 --> 00:10:54.660 96th birthday, Buzz. 274 00:10:54.980 --> 00:10:57.820 Avery: Hear, hear. Now let's shift gears and head 275 00:10:57.820 --> 00:11:00.480 out to Saturn's moon Enceladus. Anna. 276 00:11:00.480 --> 00:11:02.560 Uh, this next story is about one of the most 277 00:11:02.560 --> 00:11:05.000 exciting places in our solar system when it 278 00:11:05.000 --> 00:11:07.560 comes to the search for life. Saturn's moon 279 00:11:07.560 --> 00:11:08.400 Enceladus. 280 00:11:08.640 --> 00:11:11.520 Anna: Oh, I love Enceladus. Those gorgeous 281 00:11:11.520 --> 00:11:13.480 plumes shooting out from the south pole are 282 00:11:13.480 --> 00:11:15.760 just mesmerizing. What's the new development? 283 00:11:16.400 --> 00:11:18.840 Avery: A team of Japanese scientists has Developed a 284 00:11:18.840 --> 00:11:21.160 new method for analyzing those plumes that 285 00:11:21.160 --> 00:11:23.280 could help us determine whether Enceladus 286 00:11:23.280 --> 00:11:25.970 subsurface ocean is habitable. They're 287 00:11:25.970 --> 00:11:28.450 proposing to use Rayman spectroscopy To 288 00:11:28.450 --> 00:11:30.730 estimate the ph levels of the water Being 289 00:11:30.730 --> 00:11:32.010 ejected from the moon. 290 00:11:32.250 --> 00:11:35.010 Anna: Rayman spectroscopy, can you explain what 291 00:11:35.010 --> 00:11:36.090 that is for our listeners? 292 00:11:36.490 --> 00:11:39.170 Avery: Sure. Rayman spectroscopy is a technique that 293 00:11:39.170 --> 00:11:41.610 uses laser light to identify the molecular 294 00:11:41.610 --> 00:11:44.250 composition of materials. It's been used on 295 00:11:44.250 --> 00:11:46.380 several planetary missions, including on, um, 296 00:11:46.410 --> 00:11:49.250 the perseverance rover currently on Mars. The 297 00:11:49.250 --> 00:11:51.090 technique can identify different chemical 298 00:11:51.090 --> 00:11:53.530 compounds and in this case, different ph 299 00:11:53.610 --> 00:11:54.090 levels. 300 00:11:54.490 --> 00:11:57.210 Anna: And why is ph so important for habitability? 301 00:11:57.770 --> 00:12:00.450 Avery: Well, the ph level tells us how acidic or 302 00:12:00.450 --> 00:12:02.890 alkaline the water is, which is crucial for 303 00:12:02.890 --> 00:12:04.890 understanding whether life as we know it 304 00:12:04.890 --> 00:12:07.410 could potentially exist there. Scientists 305 00:12:07.410 --> 00:12:09.970 have estimated that Enceladus plumes Likely 306 00:12:09.970 --> 00:12:12.810 have a ph somewhere between 8 and 12, 307 00:12:13.050 --> 00:12:15.370 which is weakly to strongly alkaline. 308 00:12:15.690 --> 00:12:17.530 Anna: So how did they test this method? 309 00:12:17.930 --> 00:12:19.930 Avery: The researchers conducted laboratory 310 00:12:19.930 --> 00:12:22.570 experiments Using carbonate salty fluid 311 00:12:22.570 --> 00:12:25.470 samples at different ph levels. They 312 00:12:25.470 --> 00:12:28.070 placed these samples in a vacuum chamber to 313 00:12:28.070 --> 00:12:30.350 simulate Enceladus surface conditions, 314 00:12:30.750 --> 00:12:32.990 Letting the fluid evaporate and freeze, 315 00:12:33.070 --> 00:12:36.070 Leaving only the salt deposits behind. Then 316 00:12:36.070 --> 00:12:38.510 they used Raman spectroscopy instruments 317 00:12:38.590 --> 00:12:41.109 Configured to simulate how they'd work On a 318 00:12:41.109 --> 00:12:42.190 future space mission. 319 00:12:42.510 --> 00:12:43.870 Anna: And were they successful? 320 00:12:44.270 --> 00:12:46.830 Avery: They were. The Raman spectroscopy 321 00:12:46.830 --> 00:12:48.910 Successfully identified the different ph 322 00:12:48.990 --> 00:12:51.470 levels in each of the salt deposit samples. 323 00:12:51.980 --> 00:12:54.140 The researchers concluded that this technique 324 00:12:54.140 --> 00:12:56.020 could identify Carbonate minerals On 325 00:12:56.020 --> 00:12:58.980 Enceladus surface and potentially estimate 326 00:12:58.980 --> 00:13:01.340 the ph of the subsurface ocean. 327 00:13:01.740 --> 00:13:04.220 Anna: This is particularly clever because it means 328 00:13:04.220 --> 00:13:06.340 we wouldn't necessarily need to drill through 329 00:13:06.340 --> 00:13:08.620 the ice to sample the ocean directly. 330 00:13:09.020 --> 00:13:11.500 Avery: Exactly. The plumes are constantly 331 00:13:11.500 --> 00:13:14.300 depositing material on the surface, so a 332 00:13:14.300 --> 00:13:16.780 lander could analyze these deposits and learn 333 00:13:16.780 --> 00:13:19.150 about the ocean below. It's a much more 334 00:13:19.150 --> 00:13:21.390 accessible approach Than trying to penetrate 335 00:13:21.390 --> 00:13:22.630 kilometers of ice. 336 00:13:23.030 --> 00:13:25.070 Anna: Remind me, what do we already know about 337 00:13:25.070 --> 00:13:26.950 enceladus from the Cassini mission? 338 00:13:27.350 --> 00:13:29.950 Avery: Well, Cassini discovered the plumes back in 339 00:13:29.950 --> 00:13:32.630 the mid 2000s and even flew through them. 340 00:13:32.870 --> 00:13:35.670 The mission found mostly water ice, but also 341 00:13:35.670 --> 00:13:37.990 salt rich ice grains, Organic 342 00:13:37.990 --> 00:13:40.870 molecules, Hydrogen gas, and evidence of 343 00:13:40.870 --> 00:13:43.510 heat, all indicative of active geology 344 00:13:43.670 --> 00:13:45.590 and a warm subsurface ocean. 345 00:13:46.240 --> 00:13:48.160 Anna: And the presence of hydrogen gas Was 346 00:13:48.160 --> 00:13:50.120 particularly exciting because it could be 347 00:13:50.120 --> 00:13:52.480 produced by hydrothermal vents on the ocean 348 00:13:52.480 --> 00:13:53.200 floor, right? 349 00:13:53.600 --> 00:13:56.000 Avery: Exactly. That could provide A source of 350 00:13:56.000 --> 00:13:58.800 chemical energy for potential microbial life, 351 00:13:59.120 --> 00:14:01.520 Similar to what we see around hydrothermal 352 00:14:01.520 --> 00:14:04.280 vents in earth's deep oceans. Being able to 353 00:14:04.280 --> 00:14:06.560 measure the ph more accurately Would be 354 00:14:06.560 --> 00:14:08.880 another crucial piece of the habitability 355 00:14:08.960 --> 00:14:09.520 puzzle. 356 00:14:09.920 --> 00:14:11.880 Anna: This really makes me excited for future 357 00:14:11.880 --> 00:14:14.380 missions to enceladus hopefully we'll see a 358 00:14:14.380 --> 00:14:15.980 dedicated mission there in the coming 359 00:14:15.980 --> 00:14:16.580 decades. 360 00:14:16.980 --> 00:14:19.620 Avery: Absolutely. The technology is there. We just 361 00:14:19.620 --> 00:14:20.340 need the mission. 362 00:14:20.740 --> 00:14:23.140 Alright, let's head to Mercury for our next 363 00:14:23.140 --> 00:14:23.460 story. 364 00:14:23.940 --> 00:14:26.380 Anna: Avery, this next story reveals some 365 00:14:26.380 --> 00:14:28.780 surprising connections between Mercury and 366 00:14:28.780 --> 00:14:31.460 Earth. It turns out these two very different 367 00:14:31.460 --> 00:14:33.780 planets have more in common than we thought 368 00:14:33.780 --> 00:14:35.700 when it comes to their magnetospheres. 369 00:14:36.100 --> 00:14:38.220 Avery: That's right, Anna. Um. An international team 370 00:14:38.220 --> 00:14:40.660 of researchers has discovered that natural 371 00:14:40.660 --> 00:14:43.020 electromagnetic waves, called chorus 372 00:14:43.020 --> 00:14:45.900 emissions occur in Mercury's magnetosphere 373 00:14:45.900 --> 00:14:48.380 with strikingly similar characteristics to 374 00:14:48.380 --> 00:14:51.180 those found around Earth, despite Mercury 375 00:14:51.180 --> 00:14:54.060 having a magnetic field only about 100th 376 00:14:54.060 --> 00:14:54.540 as strong. 377 00:14:55.020 --> 00:14:57.660 Anna: Chorus waves. That's such an evocative name. 378 00:14:57.820 --> 00:14:59.340 Can you explain what these are? 379 00:14:59.739 --> 00:15:02.700 Avery: Sure. Chorus waves are plasma waves that 380 00:15:02.700 --> 00:15:05.100 sound like birdsong when converted to audio 381 00:15:05.100 --> 00:15:07.660 frequencies. They're created when electrons 382 00:15:07.660 --> 00:15:10.100 in a planet's magnetosphere interact with 383 00:15:10.100 --> 00:15:12.620 electromagnetic waves, producing these 384 00:15:12.620 --> 00:15:15.140 characteristic rising and falling tones. 385 00:15:15.700 --> 00:15:18.340 Anna: And why do we care about these waves on 386 00:15:18.340 --> 00:15:18.700 Earth? 387 00:15:18.700 --> 00:15:21.140 Avery: They play a crucial role in the Van Allen 388 00:15:21.140 --> 00:15:23.700 radiation belts. They can both accelerate 389 00:15:23.700 --> 00:15:26.540 particles to create the belts and also cause 390 00:15:26.540 --> 00:15:28.940 particles to rain down into the atmosphere, 391 00:15:28.940 --> 00:15:31.580 depleting them. Understanding these waves is 392 00:15:31.580 --> 00:15:34.060 important for space weather forecasting and 393 00:15:34.060 --> 00:15:35.940 protecting satellites from radiation. 394 00:15:36.580 --> 00:15:39.060 Anna: So how did researchers make this discovery at 395 00:15:39.060 --> 00:15:39.620 Mercury? 396 00:15:40.190 --> 00:15:42.710 Avery: They used data from the BepiColombo mission's 397 00:15:42.710 --> 00:15:45.310 magnetospheric orbiter, called MEO, 398 00:15:45.470 --> 00:15:48.110 during six flybys of Mercury between 399 00:15:48.110 --> 00:15:50.910 2021 and 2025. They 400 00:15:50.910 --> 00:15:52.830 combined this with decades of data from 401 00:15:52.830 --> 00:15:55.310 Earth's Geotail satellite, which operated 402 00:15:55.310 --> 00:15:57.710 from 1992 to 2022. 403 00:15:58.110 --> 00:16:00.910 Anna: Why was Geotail particularly useful for 404 00:16:00.910 --> 00:16:01.550 comparison? 405 00:16:01.950 --> 00:16:04.790 Avery: Great question. Geotail observed Earth's 406 00:16:04.790 --> 00:16:07.550 Magnetotail from about 10 Earth radii 407 00:16:07.550 --> 00:16:10.000 away, conditions that actually resemble 408 00:16:10.000 --> 00:16:12.560 Mercury's much smaller, more compact 409 00:16:12.560 --> 00:16:15.040 magnetosphere. This made it an excellent 410 00:16:15.040 --> 00:16:16.240 benchmark for comparison. 411 00:16:16.880 --> 00:16:18.480 Anna: What exactly did they find? 412 00:16:19.040 --> 00:16:21.920 Avery: The team identified rapid rising and 413 00:16:21.920 --> 00:16:24.240 falling frequency sweeps at Mercury, 414 00:16:24.720 --> 00:16:27.240 indicating the same kind of nonlinear 415 00:16:27.240 --> 00:16:30.160 coupling between electrons and waves that we 416 00:16:30.160 --> 00:16:32.760 see at Earth. They also found that the 417 00:16:32.760 --> 00:16:35.360 emissions were concentrated in the dawn side 418 00:16:35.520 --> 00:16:38.020 sector, just like at Earth, where 419 00:16:38.020 --> 00:16:40.820 energetic electrons preferentially stream 420 00:16:40.820 --> 00:16:42.220 through the magnetosphere. 421 00:16:42.620 --> 00:16:45.020 Anna: What surprised me about this is that Mercury 422 00:16:45.020 --> 00:16:47.620 has almost no atmosphere. I would have 423 00:16:47.620 --> 00:16:49.100 thought that would make a big difference. 424 00:16:49.820 --> 00:16:52.060 Avery: That's what scientists expected, too. 425 00:16:52.620 --> 00:16:54.940 Earlier theories suggested that Mercury 426 00:16:54.940 --> 00:16:57.420 wouldn't have the cold or low energy 427 00:16:57.420 --> 00:17:00.420 electrons necessary to generate chorus 428 00:17:00.420 --> 00:17:03.020 waves. But this discovery confirms 429 00:17:03.100 --> 00:17:05.780 predictions from 2025 that these 430 00:17:05.780 --> 00:17:08.060 electrons do exist around Merc. 431 00:17:09.159 --> 00:17:11.399 Anna: So what does this tell us about how universal 432 00:17:11.399 --> 00:17:13.079 these plasma processes are? 433 00:17:13.479 --> 00:17:15.639 Avery: It demonstrates that the mechanisms 434 00:17:15.639 --> 00:17:18.119 responsible for generating chorus emissions 435 00:17:18.119 --> 00:17:20.519 can operate across vastly different 436 00:17:20.679 --> 00:17:23.439 Planetary environments. From Earth with its 437 00:17:23.439 --> 00:17:25.959 strong magnetic field and thick atmosphere, 438 00:17:26.199 --> 00:17:28.999 to Mercury with its weak field and virtually 439 00:17:29.079 --> 00:17:31.559 no atmosphere. It's a universal 440 00:17:31.559 --> 00:17:32.519 plasma process. 441 00:17:33.239 --> 00:17:35.719 Anna: This has implications for other planets too, 442 00:17:35.719 --> 00:17:36.279 doesn't it? 443 00:17:37.020 --> 00:17:39.300 Avery: Absolutely. The researchers mentioned that 444 00:17:39.300 --> 00:17:41.900 this opens up systematic comparative studies 445 00:17:41.980 --> 00:17:44.940 of auroral and radiation processes at 446 00:17:44.940 --> 00:17:47.940 multiple planets, including Mars, Jupiter 447 00:17:47.940 --> 00:17:50.500 and Saturn. By understanding how these 448 00:17:50.500 --> 00:17:52.820 emissions work across different planetary 449 00:17:52.820 --> 00:17:55.700 systems, we can build a more complete picture 450 00:17:55.700 --> 00:17:57.780 of plasma physics throughout the solar 451 00:17:57.780 --> 00:17:58.060 system. 452 00:17:58.540 --> 00:18:01.380 Anna: And Mio is scheduled to enter Mercury orbit 453 00:18:01.380 --> 00:18:03.420 in late 2026, right? 454 00:18:04.090 --> 00:18:06.610 Avery: That's correct. Once in orbit, Mio will be 455 00:18:06.610 --> 00:18:09.050 able to make much more detailed observations 456 00:18:09.290 --> 00:18:12.010 of how these emissions vary with location and 457 00:18:12.010 --> 00:18:14.570 how they interact with electron populations 458 00:18:14.730 --> 00:18:17.570 around Mercury. We should learn a lot more in 459 00:18:17.570 --> 00:18:18.330 the coming years. 460 00:18:18.730 --> 00:18:21.490 Anna: It's amazing how studying one planet helps us 461 00:18:21.490 --> 00:18:24.090 understand others. Alright, let's wrap up 462 00:18:24.090 --> 00:18:24.970 with some solar. 463 00:18:24.970 --> 00:18:27.880 Avery: Science for our final story today. Anna, 464 00:18:27.880 --> 00:18:30.170 uh, we're heading to the sun to talk about 465 00:18:30.170 --> 00:18:32.930 some remarkable new insights into how 466 00:18:32.930 --> 00:18:35.830 solar flares actually work, courtesy of 467 00:18:35.830 --> 00:18:38.110 ESA's Solar Orbiter spacecraft. 468 00:18:38.510 --> 00:18:40.630 Anna: Solar flares are one of those phenomena that 469 00:18:40.630 --> 00:18:42.710 everyone's heard of and are certainly in the 470 00:18:42.710 --> 00:18:45.190 news this week, but I think many people don't 471 00:18:45.190 --> 00:18:47.670 really understand what's happening. What did 472 00:18:47.670 --> 00:18:49.070 Solar Orbiter discover? 473 00:18:49.630 --> 00:18:52.510 Avery: Well, researchers found that solar flares 474 00:18:52.510 --> 00:18:54.990 start with what they're calling a magnetic 475 00:18:54.990 --> 00:18:57.590 avalanche. Just like a, uh, snow avalanche 476 00:18:57.590 --> 00:18:59.710 starts with a small amount of snow movement 477 00:18:59.710 --> 00:19:02.350 and then cascades into something much larger. 478 00:19:02.360 --> 00:19:05.070 And solar flares begin with initially 479 00:19:05.070 --> 00:19:08.030 weak magnetic disturbances that rapidly 480 00:19:08.030 --> 00:19:09.310 become more violent. 481 00:19:09.790 --> 00:19:12.390 Anna: That's a great analogy. How are they able to 482 00:19:12.390 --> 00:19:13.070 observe this? 483 00:19:13.790 --> 00:19:16.070 Avery: Solar Orbiter captured one of its most 484 00:19:16.070 --> 00:19:18.789 detailed views of a large solar flare during 485 00:19:18.789 --> 00:19:21.430 its September 30, 2024 close 486 00:19:21.430 --> 00:19:23.790 approach to the Sun. What made this 487 00:19:23.790 --> 00:19:26.510 observation special was the combination of 488 00:19:26.510 --> 00:19:28.990 four different instruments working together. 489 00:19:29.530 --> 00:19:32.090 The Extreme Ultraviolet Imager, along with 490 00:19:32.090 --> 00:19:34.170 spice sticks and phi. 491 00:19:34.730 --> 00:19:36.810 Anna: What kind of detail are we talking about? 492 00:19:37.370 --> 00:19:40.090 Avery: The high resolution imagery from the EUI 493 00:19:40.090 --> 00:19:42.810 instrument zoomed in to features just a 494 00:19:42.810 --> 00:19:45.650 few hundred kilometers across in the Sun's 495 00:19:45.650 --> 00:19:48.250 corona, capturing changes every two 496 00:19:48.410 --> 00:19:51.210 seconds. And the team was able to watch the 497 00:19:51.210 --> 00:19:53.970 buildup to the flare for about 40 minutes 498 00:19:53.970 --> 00:19:55.050 before it erupted. 499 00:19:55.670 --> 00:19:57.750 Anna: That's incredibly fortunate timing. 500 00:19:58.150 --> 00:20:00.910 Avery: It really was. Pradeep Cheetah from the Max 501 00:20:00.910 --> 00:20:03.030 Planck Institute for Solar System Research, 502 00:20:03.350 --> 00:20:06.030 who led the study, said they were very lucky 503 00:20:06.030 --> 00:20:08.230 to witness the precursor events in such 504 00:20:08.230 --> 00:20:11.149 beautiful detail. These kinds of high cadence 505 00:20:11.149 --> 00:20:13.790 observations take up enormous amounts of 506 00:20:13.790 --> 00:20:16.470 memory on spacecraft, so they can't do them 507 00:20:16.470 --> 00:20:17.110 all the time. 508 00:20:17.830 --> 00:20:20.710 Anna: So what actually happens during this magnetic 509 00:20:20.710 --> 00:20:21.350 avalanche? 510 00:20:21.790 --> 00:20:24.470 Avery: About 40 minutes before the main Flare. The 511 00:20:24.470 --> 00:20:26.830 instruments observed a dark filament of 512 00:20:26.830 --> 00:20:29.790 twisted magnetic fields connected to a cross 513 00:20:29.790 --> 00:20:32.150 shaped structure of progressively brightening 514 00:20:32.150 --> 00:20:35.150 magnetic field lines. New magnetic field 515 00:20:35.150 --> 00:20:37.950 strands appeared every two seconds or less, 516 00:20:38.270 --> 00:20:40.830 each one magnetically contained and becoming 517 00:20:40.830 --> 00:20:42.110 twisted like ropes. 518 00:20:42.430 --> 00:20:44.990 Anna: And then everything becomes unstable. 519 00:20:45.390 --> 00:20:48.270 Avery: Exactly. Just like in a typical avalanche, 520 00:20:48.270 --> 00:20:50.760 the region becomes unstable. The 521 00:20:50.760 --> 00:20:53.400 twisted strands begin to break and reconnect 522 00:20:53.400 --> 00:20:55.800 in what's called magnetic reconnection. 523 00:20:56.120 --> 00:20:58.760 This rapidly triggers a cascade of further 524 00:20:58.760 --> 00:21:01.320 destabilizations, creating progressively 525 00:21:01.400 --> 00:21:04.000 stronger reconnection events and outflows of 526 00:21:04.000 --> 00:21:06.680 energy visible as increasing brightness in 527 00:21:06.680 --> 00:21:07.240 the imagery. 528 00:21:07.480 --> 00:21:09.560 Anna: This is different from how scientists 529 00:21:09.560 --> 00:21:11.240 previously thought flares work. 530 00:21:11.640 --> 00:21:14.320 Avery: Scientists had proposed a simple avalanche 531 00:21:14.320 --> 00:21:16.560 model for explaining the collective behavior 532 00:21:16.560 --> 00:21:18.880 of thousands of flares on the sun and other 533 00:21:18.880 --> 00:21:21.820 stars. But it wasn't clear whether a single 534 00:21:21.820 --> 00:21:23.740 large flare could be described this way. 535 00:21:24.200 --> 00:21:24.280 Anna: Mhm. 536 00:21:24.280 --> 00:21:26.420 Avery: This result shows that a flare isn't 537 00:21:26.420 --> 00:21:29.380 necessarily one coherent eruption, but can 538 00:21:29.380 --> 00:21:31.860 be a cascade of many interacting 539 00:21:31.860 --> 00:21:33.020 reconnection events. 540 00:21:33.340 --> 00:21:36.300 Anna: I read something about raining plasma blobs 541 00:21:36.300 --> 00:21:37.020 in this study. 542 00:21:37.500 --> 00:21:39.700 Avery: Yes, that's one of the most fascinating 543 00:21:39.700 --> 00:21:42.260 parts. The team observed ribbon like 544 00:21:42.260 --> 00:21:44.940 features moving extremely quickly down 545 00:21:44.940 --> 00:21:47.420 through the Sun's atmosphere even before the 546 00:21:47.420 --> 00:21:50.180 main episode of the flare. These streams of 547 00:21:50.180 --> 00:21:53.180 what they called raining plasma blobs are 548 00:21:53.180 --> 00:21:55.860 signatures of energy deposition. They get 549 00:21:55.860 --> 00:21:58.220 stronger as the flare progresses and continue 550 00:21:58.460 --> 00:22:00.220 even after the flare subsides. 551 00:22:00.620 --> 00:22:03.420 Anna: And they detected some seriously high energy 552 00:22:03.500 --> 00:22:04.860 particles too, right? 553 00:22:05.180 --> 00:22:08.140 Avery: They did. The STIX instrument 554 00:22:08.140 --> 00:22:10.340 measured X ray emission that rose 555 00:22:10.340 --> 00:22:12.140 dramatically during the flare. As 556 00:22:12.140 --> 00:22:14.820 reconnection events increased, particles were 557 00:22:14.820 --> 00:22:17.780 accelerated to speeds of 40 to 50% the 558 00:22:17.780 --> 00:22:20.680 speed of light. That's about 430 to 559 00:22:20.680 --> 00:22:23.000 540 kilometers per hour. 560 00:22:23.320 --> 00:22:25.840 Anna: Those high energy particles can be dangerous 561 00:22:25.840 --> 00:22:27.880 for satellites and astronauts, can't they? 562 00:22:28.040 --> 00:22:30.160 Avery: Absolutely. They can escape into 563 00:22:30.160 --> 00:22:32.560 interplanetary space and pose radiation 564 00:22:32.560 --> 00:22:35.360 hazards to satellites, astronauts and even 565 00:22:35.360 --> 00:22:37.680 Earth based technologies. That's why 566 00:22:37.680 --> 00:22:40.160 understanding this process is essential for 567 00:22:40.160 --> 00:22:41.560 forecasting space weather. 568 00:22:41.720 --> 00:22:44.280 Anna: What surprised the researchers most about 569 00:22:44.280 --> 00:22:45.080 this discovery? 570 00:22:45.440 --> 00:22:48.040 Avery: Cheetah said they didn't expect the avalanche 571 00:22:48.040 --> 00:22:50.160 process could lead to such high energy 572 00:22:50.240 --> 00:22:52.680 particles. They're excited to explore this 573 00:22:52.680 --> 00:22:54.880 further. But he mentioned they'd need even 574 00:22:54.880 --> 00:22:57.400 higher resolution X ray imagery from future 575 00:22:57.400 --> 00:23:00.080 missions to really untangle all the details. 576 00:23:00.400 --> 00:23:02.640 Anna: What does this mean for our understanding of 577 00:23:02.640 --> 00:23:04.240 flares on other stars? 578 00:23:04.400 --> 00:23:07.000 Avery: That's a great question. Miho Janvier, 579 00:23:07.000 --> 00:23:09.680 ESO Solar Orbiter Co project scientist, 580 00:23:09.920 --> 00:23:12.320 called this one of the most exciting results 581 00:23:12.320 --> 00:23:15.120 from Solar Orbiter so far. She said an 582 00:23:15.120 --> 00:23:16.880 interesting prospect is whether this 583 00:23:16.880 --> 00:23:18.800 avalanche mechanism happens in all, uh, 584 00:23:18.960 --> 00:23:21.480 flares and on other flaring stars as well. 585 00:23:21.880 --> 00:23:24.000 It really highlights how much we still have 586 00:23:24.000 --> 00:23:26.360 to learn about our own sun, even as we 587 00:23:26.360 --> 00:23:28.600 explore the far reaches of the solar system. 588 00:23:28.920 --> 00:23:31.680 Anna: Absolutely. And that's the beauty of space 589 00:23:31.680 --> 00:23:34.080 science. There's always new mysteries to 590 00:23:34.080 --> 00:23:34.520 unravel. 591 00:23:34.840 --> 00:23:37.600 Avery: Well, that wraps up another packed episode of 592 00:23:37.600 --> 00:23:40.280 Astronomy Daily. We've covered everything 593 00:23:40.440 --> 00:23:42.680 from cutting edge satellite technology 594 00:23:43.080 --> 00:23:45.640 to historic medical operations in 595 00:23:46.500 --> 00:23:49.300 from birthday celebrations to groundbreaking 596 00:23:49.300 --> 00:23:50.660 scientific discoveries. 597 00:23:50.900 --> 00:23:53.620 Anna: What a journey through the cosmos. From Blue 598 00:23:53.620 --> 00:23:56.540 Origin's ambitious Terra Wave network to 599 00:23:56.540 --> 00:23:59.540 the first medical evacuation in ISS history, 600 00:23:59.860 --> 00:24:02.620 from Buzz Aldrin's 96th birthday to 601 00:24:02.620 --> 00:24:05.300 Enceladus potentially habitable ocean, 602 00:24:05.460 --> 00:24:08.100 from Mercury's plasma waves to the Sun's 603 00:24:08.100 --> 00:24:10.820 magnetic avalanches, there's never a dull 604 00:24:10.820 --> 00:24:12.340 moment in space exploration. 605 00:24:12.810 --> 00:24:14.850 Avery: If you enjoyed today's episode, make sure to 606 00:24:14.850 --> 00:24:17.170 subscribe to Astronomy Daily wherever you get 607 00:24:17.170 --> 00:24:19.570 your podcasts. We bring you the latest space 608 00:24:19.570 --> 00:24:21.930 and astronomy news every single day. 609 00:24:22.170 --> 00:24:24.490 Anna: And don't forget to follow us on social media 610 00:24:24.490 --> 00:24:27.290 for updates, bonus content, and to join our 611 00:24:27.290 --> 00:24:29.970 community of space enthusiasts. You can find 612 00:24:29.970 --> 00:24:31.690 all our episodes and more at 613 00:24:31.690 --> 00:24:34.690 astronomydaily.IO thanks for joining us. 614 00:24:34.690 --> 00:24:36.090 Avery: On this cosmic journey. 615 00:24:36.250 --> 00:24:38.810 Anna: Keep looking up clear skies, everyone. 616 00:24:39.410 --> 00:24:41.530 Avery: This has been Astronomy Daily. We'll see you 617 00:24:41.530 --> 00:24:41.970 tomorrow.