WEBVTT 0 00:00:00.640 --> 00:00:03.240 Anna: The world's most powerful rocket is on the 1 00:00:03.240 --> 00:00:05.880 launch pad and it's launching tomorrow. We 2 00:00:05.880 --> 00:00:08.720 have the full Update on Starship V3 and 3 00:00:08.720 --> 00:00:10.880 the bittersweet shadow hanging over the 4 00:00:10.880 --> 00:00:11.520 launch site. 5 00:00:11.920 --> 00:00:14.360 Avery: In the cold darkness of the Moon's south 6 00:00:14.360 --> 00:00:16.680 pole, scientists want to build the most 7 00:00:16.680 --> 00:00:19.680 precise navigation system ever created. 8 00:00:20.160 --> 00:00:22.680 Lasers and craters permanently 9 00:00:22.680 --> 00:00:23.920 frozen in shadow. 10 00:00:24.320 --> 00:00:26.440 Anna: A, uh, space startup you might know best for 11 00:00:26.440 --> 00:00:29.240 its space station ambitions just revealed a 12 00:00:29.240 --> 00:00:31.800 surprise new business. Astronomy Daily 13 00:00:31.880 --> 00:00:34.840 Season 5 Episode 107 let's go. 14 00:00:35.160 --> 00:00:36.120 Avery: Ready when you are. 15 00:00:36.440 --> 00:00:38.920 Anna: It's launch eve for the most anticipated 16 00:00:38.920 --> 00:00:41.920 rocket test of 2026. SpaceX's 17 00:00:41.920 --> 00:00:44.720 Starship V3, the biggest, most 18 00:00:44.720 --> 00:00:47.680 powerful rocket ever built, is on the pad at 19 00:00:47.680 --> 00:00:50.680 Starbase in South Texas. Confirmed go for 20 00:00:50.680 --> 00:00:52.600 launch Thursday, May 21st. 21 00:00:53.080 --> 00:00:55.240 Avery: We've been following this one for a few days 22 00:00:55.240 --> 00:00:57.720 now, Anna, and this is genuinely the launch 23 00:00:57.720 --> 00:01:00.660 where the stakes couldn't be higher for NASA, 24 00:01:00.660 --> 00:01:03.420 for SpaceX, for the whole future of deep 25 00:01:03.420 --> 00:01:04.380 space travel. 26 00:01:04.860 --> 00:01:06.900 Anna: Let's run through what's happening and why it 27 00:01:06.900 --> 00:01:09.220 matters. The launch window opens at 28 00:01:09.220 --> 00:01:11.740 6:30pm Eastern Time on Thursday. 29 00:01:12.140 --> 00:01:14.900 That's 8:30 Friday morning for listeners in 30 00:01:14.900 --> 00:01:17.820 Australia and New Zealand. 90 minutes to get 31 00:01:17.820 --> 00:01:18.540 off the pad. 32 00:01:19.020 --> 00:01:21.860 Avery: This is Flight 12, the 12th Test 33 00:01:21.860 --> 00:01:24.440 of the fully stacked Starship vehicle. And 34 00:01:24.440 --> 00:01:26.260 um, the very first for the completely 35 00:01:26.260 --> 00:01:29.100 redesigned version 3 architecture. It's 36 00:01:29.100 --> 00:01:31.740 been seven months since Starship last flew 37 00:01:31.740 --> 00:01:34.580 back in October 2025, so the 38 00:01:34.580 --> 00:01:35.900 pressure has been building. 39 00:01:36.540 --> 00:01:39.220 Anna: And it's the first flight From Starbase Pad 40 00:01:39.220 --> 00:01:42.100 2, a brand new launch complex. So 41 00:01:42.100 --> 00:01:44.340 there are a lot of firsts stacked up in this 42 00:01:44.340 --> 00:01:45.019 one mission. 43 00:01:45.420 --> 00:01:47.780 Avery: What are the main test objectives for Flight 44 00:01:47.780 --> 00:01:48.140 12? 45 00:01:48.700 --> 00:01:51.170 Anna: The Booster Super Heavy will attempt a, uh, 46 00:01:51.260 --> 00:01:53.820 controlled splashdown in the Gulf of Mexico 47 00:01:53.900 --> 00:01:56.390 about seven minutes after launching. No 48 00:01:56.390 --> 00:01:59.270 Mechazilla catch attempt this time. This is a 49 00:01:59.270 --> 00:02:01.790 new vehicle and SpaceX wants clean data 50 00:02:01.870 --> 00:02:04.830 before pushing for that. Meanwhile, the upper 51 00:02:04.830 --> 00:02:07.190 stage ship 39 heads on a 52 00:02:07.190 --> 00:02:09.590 suborbital trajectory partway around the 53 00:02:09.590 --> 00:02:09.870 world. 54 00:02:10.350 --> 00:02:13.030 Avery: And it ends in the Indian Ocean, which puts 55 00:02:13.030 --> 00:02:15.430 the re entry path right over Western 56 00:02:15.430 --> 00:02:17.790 Australia. For our Southern Hemisphere 57 00:02:17.790 --> 00:02:20.110 audience, there is a real chance of a visible 58 00:02:20.110 --> 00:02:22.830 streak across the Predawn sky around 59 00:02:22.910 --> 00:02:24.850 65 minutes after launching. 60 00:02:25.240 --> 00:02:27.120 Anna: The upper stage has some fascinating 61 00:02:27.120 --> 00:02:30.080 objectives. It'll deploy 22 dummy 62 00:02:30.080 --> 00:02:32.440 Starlink satellites. Two of those are 63 00:02:32.440 --> 00:02:35.360 specially modified. They'll scan Starship's 64 00:02:35.360 --> 00:02:38.360 heat shield from outside and beam images back 65 00:02:38.360 --> 00:02:40.919 to mission controllers. That's a completely 66 00:02:40.919 --> 00:02:43.640 new capability testing how the team might 67 00:02:43.640 --> 00:02:45.960 assess heat shield readiness for future 68 00:02:46.040 --> 00:02:47.720 return to Starbase missions. 69 00:02:48.200 --> 00:02:50.120 Avery: And there's a deliberately removed heat 70 00:02:50.120 --> 00:02:52.200 shield tile to measure what happens 71 00:02:52.200 --> 00:02:55.190 aerodynamically when one is missing. Plus a 72 00:02:55.190 --> 00:02:57.830 Raptor engine relay in space and a 73 00:02:57.830 --> 00:03:00.190 structural stress maneuver on the rear flaps. 74 00:03:00.510 --> 00:03:02.750 SpaceX is loading this flight with data 75 00:03:02.750 --> 00:03:03.230 collection. 76 00:03:03.870 --> 00:03:06.470 Anna: Now, before we go further with the excitement 77 00:03:06.470 --> 00:03:09.430 and we are genuinely excited, we do need 78 00:03:09.430 --> 00:03:12.350 to acknowledge something. On 15 May, a 79 00:03:12.350 --> 00:03:14.590 worker died at the Starbase site in South 80 00:03:14.590 --> 00:03:17.430 Texas. According to reports, the person was a 81 00:03:17.430 --> 00:03:20.190 contractor who died after a fall in the early 82 00:03:20.190 --> 00:03:22.630 hours of that Friday morning OSHA is 83 00:03:22.630 --> 00:03:23.310 investigating. 84 00:03:23.870 --> 00:03:26.470 Avery: SpaceX has not publicly commented. Our 85 00:03:26.470 --> 00:03:28.230 thoughts are with the person's family and 86 00:03:28.230 --> 00:03:30.990 colleagues. It's a reminder that behind every 87 00:03:30.990 --> 00:03:33.430 spectacular launch is a workforce of 88 00:03:33.430 --> 00:03:35.310 thousands of people doing difficult, 89 00:03:35.550 --> 00:03:37.989 sometimes dangerous work that deserves 90 00:03:37.989 --> 00:03:38.750 acknowledgment. 91 00:03:39.230 --> 00:03:41.870 Anna: And there is a broader context here. A, uh, 92 00:03:41.950 --> 00:03:44.510 2025 analysis using OSHA data 93 00:03:44.750 --> 00:03:47.110 found that Starbase has a significantly 94 00:03:47.110 --> 00:03:49.550 higher worker injury rate than comparable 95 00:03:49.550 --> 00:03:51.940 aerospace facilities. That's something the 96 00:03:51.940 --> 00:03:54.340 industry and regulators need to keep in focus 97 00:03:54.580 --> 00:03:56.900 as the pace of operations accelerates. 98 00:03:57.300 --> 00:04:00.220 Avery: With that noted, the launch itself. Why does 99 00:04:00.220 --> 00:04:02.780 NASA need Starship V3 to work so 100 00:04:02.780 --> 00:04:03.300 badly? 101 00:04:03.700 --> 00:04:06.460 Anna: Because Starship is the designated lunar 102 00:04:06.460 --> 00:04:09.180 lander for Artemis 4. That's the mission that 103 00:04:09.180 --> 00:04:11.540 will actually put boots back on the moon, 104 00:04:11.700 --> 00:04:14.460 targeted for 2028. NASA 105 00:04:14.460 --> 00:04:17.140 needs SpaceX to prove Starship can get to 106 00:04:17.140 --> 00:04:20.140 orbit, refuel there, dock with an Orion 107 00:04:20.140 --> 00:04:23.140 capsule and descend to the surface. None of 108 00:04:23.140 --> 00:04:25.660 that has happened yet. This test is the 109 00:04:25.660 --> 00:04:26.220 foundation. 110 00:04:26.780 --> 00:04:29.140 Avery: B3 is also supposed to be the baseline 111 00:04:29.140 --> 00:04:31.500 vehicle for crewed missions eventually. And 112 00:04:31.500 --> 00:04:34.140 SpaceX's plans for orbital data centers, 113 00:04:34.140 --> 00:04:37.140 Mars missions, everything a lot is 114 00:04:37.140 --> 00:04:38.860 riding on a clean test tomorrow. 115 00:04:39.100 --> 00:04:41.980 Anna: The launch window opens at 6:30 Eastern 116 00:04:42.060 --> 00:04:44.700 Thursday evening. 8:30 Friday morning, 117 00:04:44.780 --> 00:04:47.460 Australian Eastern Time. SpaceX will 118 00:04:47.460 --> 00:04:49.940 livestream from about 45 minutes before 119 00:04:49.940 --> 00:04:52.340 liftoff. We'll link everything in the show 120 00:04:52.340 --> 00:04:53.780 Notes next up. 121 00:04:53.780 --> 00:04:56.140 Avery: Today, here's, um, an idea that sounds like 122 00:04:56.140 --> 00:04:58.980 science fiction, but is grounded in some very 123 00:04:58.980 --> 00:05:01.300 serious physics. What if the 124 00:05:01.300 --> 00:05:04.060 coldest, darkest, most inhospitable 125 00:05:04.060 --> 00:05:06.899 places on the Moon turned out to be the ideal 126 00:05:06.899 --> 00:05:09.300 location for one of the most precise 127 00:05:09.380 --> 00:05:11.060 instruments ever conceived? 128 00:05:11.460 --> 00:05:13.940 Anna: You're talking about the permanently shadowed 129 00:05:13.940 --> 00:05:15.940 craters near the lunar south pole. 130 00:05:16.670 --> 00:05:18.750 Avery: Exactly. Researchers at the National 131 00:05:18.830 --> 00:05:20.590 Institute of Standards and Technology 132 00:05:21.710 --> 00:05:24.550 in the US have published a proposal this 133 00:05:24.550 --> 00:05:27.230 week that's genuinely elegant. These 134 00:05:27.230 --> 00:05:30.070 polar craters never, ever receive direct 135 00:05:30.070 --> 00:05:32.549 sunlight. Because of the Moon's very low 136 00:05:32.549 --> 00:05:34.910 axial tilt, they've been in permanent 137 00:05:34.910 --> 00:05:37.750 darkness for billions of years. Temperatures 138 00:05:37.750 --> 00:05:40.550 inside reach around 16 Kelvin. That's 139 00:05:40.550 --> 00:05:43.310 minus 257 degrees Celsius, 140 00:05:43.960 --> 00:05:45.400 almost absolute zero. 141 00:05:45.880 --> 00:05:48.200 Anna: And that makes them special for lasers. 142 00:05:48.680 --> 00:05:51.400 Avery: Incredibly special. The most stable 143 00:05:51.400 --> 00:05:54.160 lasers in existence rely on silicon 144 00:05:54.160 --> 00:05:57.160 optical cavities, essentially a pair of 145 00:05:57.160 --> 00:06:00.040 ultra precise mirrors in a rigid housing. 146 00:06:00.440 --> 00:06:02.840 The problem is that even the tiniest 147 00:06:02.840 --> 00:06:05.640 temperature fluctuation or vibration will 148 00:06:05.640 --> 00:06:08.560 cause the laser frequency to drift. On Earth, 149 00:06:08.560 --> 00:06:11.280 you need enormously complex cryogenic 150 00:06:11.280 --> 00:06:13.640 cooling systems and vibration isolation 151 00:06:14.040 --> 00:06:16.500 just to keep them stable. In one of these 152 00:06:16.500 --> 00:06:19.460 lunar craters, nature provides all of that 153 00:06:19.460 --> 00:06:19.940 for free. 154 00:06:20.420 --> 00:06:22.660 Anna: The near absolute zero temperature 155 00:06:22.740 --> 00:06:25.540 eliminates thermal noise. The near perfect 156 00:06:25.540 --> 00:06:28.100 vacuum eliminates atmospheric interference. 157 00:06:28.500 --> 00:06:30.740 And the bedrock of a lunar crater is 158 00:06:30.740 --> 00:06:33.380 extraordinarily stable compared to any 159 00:06:33.380 --> 00:06:34.500 location on Earth. 160 00:06:34.980 --> 00:06:37.940 Avery: Jun Ye, the lead researcher at nist, put it 161 00:06:37.940 --> 00:06:40.300 beautifully. He said as soon as he understood 162 00:06:40.300 --> 00:06:42.500 what these permanently shadowed regions could 163 00:06:42.500 --> 00:06:45.140 offer, he he felt it would be the most ideal 164 00:06:45.140 --> 00:06:48.060 environment ever for a super stable laser. 165 00:06:48.540 --> 00:06:51.180 Anna: So what would such a laser actually be used 166 00:06:51.260 --> 00:06:53.660 for? This isn't just a cool physics 167 00:06:53.660 --> 00:06:54.300 experiment. 168 00:06:54.780 --> 00:06:57.460 Avery: Not at all. The applications are immediately 169 00:06:57.460 --> 00:06:59.900 practical for everything humanity is planning 170 00:06:59.900 --> 00:07:02.540 to do on the moon. First, navigation. 171 00:07:02.860 --> 00:07:05.300 As we build up Artemis infrastructure at the 172 00:07:05.300 --> 00:07:08.180 lunar south pole, spacecraft and landers 173 00:07:08.180 --> 00:07:10.660 currently have to rely heavily on Earth based 174 00:07:10.660 --> 00:07:12.950 tracking systems. That's slow, 175 00:07:12.950 --> 00:07:15.710 imprecise and increasingly impractical as 176 00:07:15.710 --> 00:07:18.470 lunar activity ramps up. A laser 177 00:07:18.470 --> 00:07:20.910 locked to this kind of ultra stable cavity 178 00:07:20.910 --> 00:07:23.750 could provide a GPS like timing backbone. 179 00:07:23.990 --> 00:07:26.630 A master reference signal that spacecraft, 180 00:07:26.630 --> 00:07:28.950 landers and astronauts could navigate by 181 00:07:29.350 --> 00:07:30.470 an independent 182 00:07:30.470 --> 00:07:32.830 Anna: lunar positioning system that's 183 00:07:32.830 --> 00:07:34.990 genuinely transformative for long term 184 00:07:34.990 --> 00:07:35.590 operations. 185 00:07:36.150 --> 00:07:38.630 Avery: There's more. The same laser could enable 186 00:07:38.630 --> 00:07:41.030 ultra precise distance measurements between 187 00:07:41.030 --> 00:07:43.690 satellites in lunar orbit, critical for 188 00:07:43.690 --> 00:07:46.290 mapping and coordination. It could serve as 189 00:07:46.290 --> 00:07:49.050 the first atomic clock on an extraterrestrial 190 00:07:49.050 --> 00:07:51.450 body, establishing a lunar timescale. 191 00:07:51.850 --> 00:07:54.530 And this one caught my eye. It could 192 00:07:54.530 --> 00:07:56.890 potentially support gravitational wave 193 00:07:56.890 --> 00:07:59.050 detection from the lunar surface. 194 00:07:59.450 --> 00:08:01.530 Anna: The Moon has been discussed as a future 195 00:08:01.610 --> 00:08:04.410 gravitational wave observatory site. Because 196 00:08:04.410 --> 00:08:06.690 it lacks the seismic noise that limits 197 00:08:06.690 --> 00:08:09.490 detectors on Earth, a laser like this would 198 00:08:09.490 --> 00:08:10.730 be a key component. 199 00:08:11.440 --> 00:08:13.480 Avery: This is still a proposal, but it's the kind 200 00:08:13.480 --> 00:08:15.680 of forward thinking infrastructure planning 201 00:08:15.680 --> 00:08:18.200 that needs to happen now before the crewed 202 00:08:18.200 --> 00:08:20.680 missions arrive. Because you really don't 203 00:08:20.680 --> 00:08:23.480 want to be figuring out lunar GPS after 204 00:08:23.480 --> 00:08:25.200 the astronauts are already there. 205 00:08:25.680 --> 00:08:28.560 Anna: Before moving on to our next story, a quick 206 00:08:28.560 --> 00:08:31.520 reminder about our sponsor NORDVPN and 207 00:08:31.520 --> 00:08:33.760 the special money saving deal they have in 208 00:08:33.760 --> 00:08:36.040 place for you. When you're ready to upgrade 209 00:08:36.040 --> 00:08:38.640 your online security, make sure it's to 210 00:08:38.640 --> 00:08:41.560 NORDVPN and save a bunch of money in the 211 00:08:41.560 --> 00:08:41.840 process. 212 00:08:42.350 --> 00:08:44.830 Avery: When when you can find a link to our special 213 00:08:44.830 --> 00:08:47.230 offer in the show notes, do what we did and 214 00:08:47.230 --> 00:08:48.590 get NordVPN. 215 00:08:49.230 --> 00:08:51.870 Anna: Now you might know vast as the California 216 00:08:51.870 --> 00:08:54.710 startup building haven one the commercial 217 00:08:54.710 --> 00:08:57.070 space station that launched last year as 218 00:08:57.070 --> 00:08:59.750 humanity's first privately owned orbital 219 00:08:59.750 --> 00:09:02.550 outpost. But this week, VAST made an 220 00:09:02.550 --> 00:09:04.830 announcement that raised a few eyebrows. 221 00:09:04.910 --> 00:09:06.990 They're getting into the satellite business. 222 00:09:07.470 --> 00:09:10.060 A pivot, an expansion really. 223 00:09:10.380 --> 00:09:13.340 On 19 May, Vast announced a new 224 00:09:13.340 --> 00:09:16.140 line of high power satellites distinct 225 00:09:16.140 --> 00:09:18.420 from their space station work. They're 226 00:09:18.420 --> 00:09:20.780 positioning this as a separate business line, 227 00:09:21.020 --> 00:09:23.380 entering a market currently dominated by 228 00:09:23.380 --> 00:09:26.260 established players like Boeing and Airbus in 229 00:09:26.260 --> 00:09:29.100 the geostationary orbit segment, as well as 230 00:09:29.100 --> 00:09:31.980 the emerging high throughput LEO operators. 231 00:09:32.700 --> 00:09:35.220 Avery: High power satellites. What does that mean 232 00:09:35.220 --> 00:09:37.670 specifically? Higher power than standard 233 00:09:37.670 --> 00:09:38.950 communication satellites? 234 00:09:39.270 --> 00:09:41.790 Anna: Exactly. High power satellites can 235 00:09:41.790 --> 00:09:44.550 generate significantly more electrical power 236 00:09:44.550 --> 00:09:46.950 from their solar arrays, which translates 237 00:09:46.950 --> 00:09:49.590 directly into more powerful transmitters and 238 00:09:49.590 --> 00:09:52.110 more bandwidth capacity. They're attractive 239 00:09:52.110 --> 00:09:53.950 for government customers, defense 240 00:09:53.950 --> 00:09:56.150 applications and premium commercial 241 00:09:56.150 --> 00:09:58.310 communications sectors where performance 242 00:09:58.710 --> 00:10:00.950 outweighs launch cost as a priority. 243 00:10:01.270 --> 00:10:03.990 Avery: And VAST has the manufacturing expertise from 244 00:10:03.990 --> 00:10:05.510 Haven One to draw on. 245 00:10:05.970 --> 00:10:08.570 Anna: That's presumably part of the logic. Building 246 00:10:08.570 --> 00:10:11.450 a space station requires solving very hard 247 00:10:11.450 --> 00:10:14.290 problems around long duration power systems, 248 00:10:14.450 --> 00:10:17.330 thermal management, structural integrity in 249 00:10:17.330 --> 00:10:20.170 orbitall, things that translate well into 250 00:10:20.170 --> 00:10:22.970 satellite manufacturing. Bast seems to be 251 00:10:22.970 --> 00:10:25.450 betting they can leverage that expertise into 252 00:10:25.450 --> 00:10:26.770 a new revenue stream. 253 00:10:27.010 --> 00:10:29.010 Avery: It's, um, an interesting strategic move. 254 00:10:29.330 --> 00:10:31.530 Space stations are enormously capital 255 00:10:31.530 --> 00:10:34.290 intensive with a very long return horizon. 256 00:10:34.710 --> 00:10:37.190 Satellites are a more established market with 257 00:10:37.190 --> 00:10:39.910 clearer near term revenue. It diversifies 258 00:10:39.910 --> 00:10:41.590 their business in a meaningful way. 259 00:10:41.990 --> 00:10:44.550 Anna: Haven One remains their flagship product. 260 00:10:44.710 --> 00:10:47.390 This isn't an abandonment of that vision, but 261 00:10:47.390 --> 00:10:49.870 it signals that VAST is thinking about itself 262 00:10:49.870 --> 00:10:52.310 as a broader space infrastructure company, 263 00:10:52.710 --> 00:10:55.190 not just a station operator. One to watch. 264 00:10:55.750 --> 00:10:58.190 Avery: Time now for a black hole story. When the 265 00:10:58.190 --> 00:11:00.710 James Webb Space Telescope started returning 266 00:11:00.710 --> 00:11:03.390 data from the early universe, it created a 267 00:11:03.390 --> 00:11:06.050 beautiful problem. It found black holes that 268 00:11:06.050 --> 00:11:08.650 were too big. Impossibly big by our 269 00:11:08.650 --> 00:11:11.210 models. Supermassive black holes in 270 00:11:11.210 --> 00:11:14.090 galaxies just 800 million years after 271 00:11:14.090 --> 00:11:16.690 the Big Bang. Far more massive relative to 272 00:11:16.690 --> 00:11:18.810 their host galaxies than anything we see in 273 00:11:18.810 --> 00:11:19.770 the modern universe. 274 00:11:20.170 --> 00:11:22.410 Anna: And that shouldn't be possible under our 275 00:11:22.410 --> 00:11:24.850 standard understanding of how black holes and 276 00:11:24.850 --> 00:11:26.410 galaxies co evolve. 277 00:11:26.890 --> 00:11:29.050 Avery: Right. The conventional model says black 278 00:11:29.050 --> 00:11:31.850 holes and galaxies grow together in a kind 279 00:11:31.850 --> 00:11:34.700 of feedback loop. Star formation, gas 280 00:11:34.700 --> 00:11:37.180 accretion, they regulate each other. The 281 00:11:37.180 --> 00:11:39.900 ratio of black hole mass to galaxy mass is 282 00:11:39.900 --> 00:11:42.140 fairly consistent in the local universe, 283 00:11:42.300 --> 00:11:45.020 around a, uh, tenth to half a percent. But 284 00:11:45.020 --> 00:11:47.980 JWST kept finding early galaxies where 285 00:11:47.980 --> 00:11:50.940 the black hole was grotesquely oversized 286 00:11:51.260 --> 00:11:51.740 relative 287 00:11:51.740 --> 00:11:53.740 Anna: to its host galaxy, the 288 00:11:53.740 --> 00:11:56.660 overmassive black holes. So what's the new 289 00:11:56.660 --> 00:11:57.420 explanation? 290 00:11:57.820 --> 00:12:00.220 Avery: New research published this week on Arxiv, 291 00:12:00.220 --> 00:12:02.940 led by Muhammad Latif at UAE University, 292 00:12:03.420 --> 00:12:06.240 proposes a, uh, compelling mechanism in the 293 00:12:06.240 --> 00:12:08.440 earliest Cosmic environments. Certain 294 00:12:08.440 --> 00:12:11.240 galaxies were extraordinarily gas rich 295 00:12:11.240 --> 00:12:13.920 and embedded in particularly dense dark 296 00:12:13.920 --> 00:12:16.640 matter halos. That combination created 297 00:12:16.640 --> 00:12:18.880 conditions where gas could fall into the 298 00:12:18.880 --> 00:12:21.600 central black hole far faster than the 299 00:12:21.600 --> 00:12:23.480 surrounding galaxy could form stars. 300 00:12:23.880 --> 00:12:26.280 Anna: Though the black hole got a head start, it 301 00:12:26.280 --> 00:12:28.280 never lost exactly. 302 00:12:28.440 --> 00:12:31.040 Avery: The researchers call this rapid early phase 303 00:12:31.040 --> 00:12:34.000 episodic super Eddington accretion. The black 304 00:12:34.000 --> 00:12:36.400 hole was consuming gas at rates that exceed 305 00:12:36.400 --> 00:12:38.640 the theoretical limit that normally governs 306 00:12:38.640 --> 00:12:41.400 how fast accretion can proceed in these 307 00:12:41.400 --> 00:12:43.560 extreme early environments. That limit may 308 00:12:43.560 --> 00:12:44.960 have been routinely broken. 309 00:12:45.280 --> 00:12:48.240 Anna: This paper also identifies these over massive 310 00:12:48.240 --> 00:12:50.960 black holes as potentially the missing link 311 00:12:50.960 --> 00:12:53.640 between what are called heavy seeds, the 312 00:12:53.640 --> 00:12:55.800 primordial black holes that formed from the 313 00:12:55.800 --> 00:12:58.480 collapse of the very first massive stars, and 314 00:12:58.480 --> 00:13:00.760 the luminous quasars we observe later in 315 00:13:00.760 --> 00:13:01.440 cosmic history. 316 00:13:01.920 --> 00:13:04.360 Avery: There is also a separate but related finding 317 00:13:04.360 --> 00:13:07.160 this week on JWST's data from two 318 00:13:07.160 --> 00:13:09.600 specific early galaxies, named in the 319 00:13:09.600 --> 00:13:12.400 research as Kola 1 and Nepla 4, 320 00:13:12.800 --> 00:13:15.360 seen just 800 million years after the Big 321 00:13:15.360 --> 00:13:17.719 Bang, where the black holes appear to have 322 00:13:17.719 --> 00:13:20.080 grown far faster than their host galaxies. 323 00:13:20.400 --> 00:13:23.200 The JWST spectroscopy detected 324 00:13:23.200 --> 00:13:25.260 broad hydrogen emission lines, a, uh, 325 00:13:25.260 --> 00:13:28.240 telltale signature of gas swirling rapidly 326 00:13:28.240 --> 00:13:30.000 around the supermassive black hole. 327 00:13:30.270 --> 00:13:32.510 Anna: That we're getting closer to a, uh, coherent 328 00:13:32.510 --> 00:13:34.830 story of how the universe's largest 329 00:13:34.830 --> 00:13:36.990 structures assembled themselves in those 330 00:13:36.990 --> 00:13:39.830 first billion years. JWST keeps 331 00:13:39.830 --> 00:13:40.350 delivering. 332 00:13:40.670 --> 00:13:43.150 Avery: If you thought the James Webb Space Telescope 333 00:13:43.150 --> 00:13:45.670 changed everything, and it did, you should be 334 00:13:45.670 --> 00:13:48.030 paying close attention to what's coming next. 335 00:13:48.430 --> 00:13:51.310 NASA's Nancy Grace Roman Space Telescope 336 00:13:51.310 --> 00:13:53.550 is now confirmed for launch as early as 337 00:13:53.550 --> 00:13:56.350 September 2026. That's eight months 338 00:13:56.350 --> 00:13:58.790 ahead of its mandated deadline, and it's 339 00:13:58.790 --> 00:14:00.340 under budget, which almost 340 00:14:00.420 --> 00:14:02.820 Anna: never happens with flagship space telescopes. 341 00:14:02.980 --> 00:14:05.780 Avery: Almost never. NASA administrator Jared 342 00:14:05.780 --> 00:14:08.340 Isaacman announced the updated timeline at a 343 00:14:08.340 --> 00:14:10.220 news conference at Goddard Space Flight 344 00:14:10.220 --> 00:14:12.300 center in April. And since then, the 345 00:14:12.300 --> 00:14:14.500 telescope has completed construction and is 346 00:14:14.500 --> 00:14:16.700 being prepared for shipment to Kennedy Space 347 00:14:16.700 --> 00:14:19.300 center in Florida. It'll ride to orbit on a 348 00:14:19.300 --> 00:14:20.660 SpaceX Falcon Heavy. 349 00:14:20.900 --> 00:14:23.140 Anna: Walk us through what Roman actually does, 350 00:14:23.140 --> 00:14:25.260 because I think a lot of people haven't heard 351 00:14:25.260 --> 00:14:27.100 as much about it as they will once it 352 00:14:27.100 --> 00:14:27.540 launches. 353 00:14:28.040 --> 00:14:30.320 Avery: Roman is built around the primary mirror 354 00:14:30.320 --> 00:14:32.760 that's similar in size to Hubble, about 355 00:14:32.760 --> 00:14:35.560 2.4 meters across. But where Hubble 356 00:14:35.560 --> 00:14:37.880 sees a relatively narrow field of view. 357 00:14:38.200 --> 00:14:40.800 Roman's Wide Field Instrument captures a 358 00:14:40.800 --> 00:14:43.360 patch of sky at least a hundred times larger 359 00:14:43.360 --> 00:14:46.160 in a single exposure. And it surveys the 360 00:14:46.160 --> 00:14:48.000 sky at, uh, more than a thousand times 361 00:14:48.000 --> 00:14:48.920 Hubble's speed. 362 00:14:49.160 --> 00:14:52.160 Anna: That's an almost incomprehensible upgrade 363 00:14:52.160 --> 00:14:53.160 in survey capability. 364 00:14:53.740 --> 00:14:55.980 Avery: By the end of its planned five year primary 365 00:14:55.980 --> 00:14:58.300 mission, Roman is expected to accumulate 366 00:14:58.300 --> 00:15:00.620 around 20,000 terabytes of data. 367 00:15:01.100 --> 00:15:03.020 Scientists will use that to investigate 368 00:15:03.020 --> 00:15:05.900 around 100,000 exoplanets, hundreds 369 00:15:05.900 --> 00:15:08.420 of millions of galaxies, billions of 370 00:15:08.420 --> 00:15:11.380 stars. And the mission team fully expects to 371 00:15:11.380 --> 00:15:13.660 find phenomena that have never been observed. 372 00:15:13.900 --> 00:15:16.260 Anna: The primary scientific targets are dark 373 00:15:16.260 --> 00:15:18.740 energy and dark matter, the invisible 374 00:15:18.740 --> 00:15:21.020 scaffolding of the universe that we know must 375 00:15:21.020 --> 00:15:23.930 exist but can't directly see. Roman should 376 00:15:23.930 --> 00:15:26.010 be able to map how much dark matter is 377 00:15:26.010 --> 00:15:28.810 distributed across cosmic time in a way 378 00:15:28.810 --> 00:15:30.290 that's never been possible before. 379 00:15:30.530 --> 00:15:33.290 Avery: It also carries a coronagraph instrument, the 380 00:15:33.290 --> 00:15:35.170 most advanced starlight suppression 381 00:15:35.170 --> 00:15:37.850 technology ever flown in space, which will 382 00:15:37.850 --> 00:15:40.010 enable direct imaging of planets around 383 00:15:40.010 --> 00:15:42.850 nearby stars. That's a key stepping stone in 384 00:15:42.850 --> 00:15:42.970 the 385 00:15:42.970 --> 00:15:45.410 Anna: search for earth like worlds September 386 00:15:45.410 --> 00:15:47.650 2026 mark the calendar. 387 00:15:47.730 --> 00:15:50.690 Astronomy is about to get very, very busy. 388 00:15:51.190 --> 00:15:53.750 Avery: Our final story today involves a visitor from 389 00:15:53.750 --> 00:15:56.190 beyond our solar system and two new 390 00:15:56.190 --> 00:15:58.310 revelations about it that are genuinely 391 00:15:58.310 --> 00:15:59.110 extraordinary. 392 00:15:59.430 --> 00:16:01.750 Anna: The interstellar comet 3 I 393 00:16:02.070 --> 00:16:05.030 HE L A S. We've spoken about this before on 394 00:16:05.030 --> 00:16:07.710 Astronomy Daily. It was officially discovered 395 00:16:07.710 --> 00:16:10.510 on 1 July 2025 by the 396 00:16:10.510 --> 00:16:13.270 ATLAS telescope network in Chile, the third 397 00:16:13.270 --> 00:16:15.870 interstellar object ever detected passing 398 00:16:15.870 --> 00:16:16.870 through our solar system. 399 00:16:17.480 --> 00:16:19.800 Avery: And there are two new developments this week. 400 00:16:20.040 --> 00:16:23.000 The first, researchers have found that 3i a 401 00:16:23.000 --> 00:16:25.880 atlas was actually being imaged by the Vera C 402 00:16:25.880 --> 00:16:28.560 Rubin Observatory in Chile for more than a 403 00:16:28.560 --> 00:16:31.320 week before its official discovery. The Comet 404 00:16:31.320 --> 00:16:34.320 nearly became 3i Rubin. Images from 405 00:16:34.320 --> 00:16:37.270 between 21 June and 2 July 406 00:16:37.396 --> 00:16:40.240 2025 show it clearly in Rubin data. But 407 00:16:40.240 --> 00:16:42.320 the observatory was still in its science 408 00:16:42.320 --> 00:16:44.680 validation phase at the time, not yet in full 409 00:16:44.680 --> 00:16:47.280 operation. Nobody was looking at those frames 410 00:16:47.280 --> 00:16:48.000 in real time. 411 00:16:48.480 --> 00:16:50.880 Anna: That's a fascinating footnote about the state 412 00:16:50.880 --> 00:16:53.880 of our sky survey infrastructure. Had Rubin 413 00:16:53.880 --> 00:16:55.800 been fully operational, we would have had 414 00:16:55.800 --> 00:16:57.960 over a week of additional early tracking 415 00:16:57.960 --> 00:16:58.240 data. 416 00:16:58.720 --> 00:17:00.760 Avery: And that matters enormously for 417 00:17:00.760 --> 00:17:03.120 characterizing these objects. The earlier you 418 00:17:03.120 --> 00:17:05.080 catch them, the better you understand their 419 00:17:05.080 --> 00:17:07.360 trajectory, their composition, their size. 420 00:17:07.520 --> 00:17:10.400 Anna: The second development is even more striking. 421 00:17:10.800 --> 00:17:13.280 Research led by the University of Michigan 422 00:17:13.280 --> 00:17:15.600 and published in Nature Astronomy 423 00:17:15.950 --> 00:17:18.510 reveals that the water inside 2i 424 00:17:18.510 --> 00:17:21.430 Atlas is unlike anything we've ever 425 00:17:21.430 --> 00:17:24.430 found in our own solar system. Specifically, 426 00:17:24.430 --> 00:17:27.030 its ratio of heavy water water 427 00:17:27.030 --> 00:17:29.630 molecules, where one hydrogen atom is 428 00:17:29.630 --> 00:17:32.590 replaced by deuterium, is at least 30 429 00:17:32.670 --> 00:17:35.470 times higher than anything found in comets 430 00:17:35.470 --> 00:17:36.830 from our own solar system. 431 00:17:37.230 --> 00:17:40.030 Avery: Thirty times? That's not a small difference. 432 00:17:40.270 --> 00:17:43.170 Anna: It's a profound one. Deuterium is a heavier 433 00:17:43.170 --> 00:17:45.410 isotope of hydrogen, and the ratio of 434 00:17:45.410 --> 00:17:48.130 deuterium to regular hydrogen in water is a 435 00:17:48.130 --> 00:17:50.690 chemical fossil. It records the temperature 436 00:17:50.690 --> 00:17:53.170 conditions where the water formed. High 437 00:17:53.170 --> 00:17:55.210 deuterium means the water formed in an 438 00:17:55.210 --> 00:17:58.050 extremely cold environment, far colder than 439 00:17:58.050 --> 00:18:00.010 the outer reaches of our own solar system. 440 00:18:00.570 --> 00:18:03.490 Avery: So 3 IA atlas forms somewhere colder 441 00:18:03.490 --> 00:18:05.490 and stranger than anything in our 442 00:18:05.490 --> 00:18:08.250 neighborhood. A different kind of planetary 443 00:18:08.250 --> 00:18:10.810 system, possibly much further from its parent 444 00:18:10.810 --> 00:18:11.130 star. 445 00:18:11.660 --> 00:18:14.020 Anna: The researchers at ALMA Observatory described 446 00:18:14.020 --> 00:18:16.700 it beautifully. They said each interstellar 447 00:18:16.700 --> 00:18:19.380 comet brings a little bit of its history, its 448 00:18:19.380 --> 00:18:22.260 fossils from elsewhere in the galaxy. We 449 00:18:22.260 --> 00:18:25.060 don't know exactly where 3 IA Atlas came 450 00:18:25.060 --> 00:18:27.379 from, but with instruments like ALMA and 451 00:18:27.379 --> 00:18:30.260 Rubin and jwst, we're beginning to 452 00:18:30.260 --> 00:18:32.900 read the chemical biography of another star 453 00:18:32.900 --> 00:18:33.260 system. 454 00:18:33.820 --> 00:18:36.220 Avery: And the comet itself is estimated to be 455 00:18:36.220 --> 00:18:39.110 nearly 12 billion years old. Its 456 00:18:39.110 --> 00:18:42.070 parent star system may no longer exist. We're 457 00:18:42.070 --> 00:18:43.750 reading the message from a stellar 458 00:18:43.750 --> 00:18:46.190 civilization of ice and rock that formed 459 00:18:46.190 --> 00:18:47.710 before our sun was born. 460 00:18:48.270 --> 00:18:51.150 Anna: Space travel in slow motion across 461 00:18:51.310 --> 00:18:54.310 12 billion years before we go 462 00:18:54.310 --> 00:18:54.530 a, uh, 463 00:18:54.550 --> 00:18:56.910 Avery: quick heads up for your skies tonight. Look 464 00:18:56.910 --> 00:18:59.110 west after sunset and you'll find a lovely 465 00:18:59.110 --> 00:19:01.790 pairing. Jupiter glows brightly beside the 466 00:19:01.790 --> 00:19:04.510 waxing crescent moon. The crescent acts as a 467 00:19:04.510 --> 00:19:06.400 natural pointer. Jupiter will be the 468 00:19:06.400 --> 00:19:08.800 brightest star like object nearby. No 469 00:19:08.800 --> 00:19:10.920 telescope needed, though. Binoculars will 470 00:19:10.920 --> 00:19:13.840 show Jupiter's four Galilean moons as tiny 471 00:19:13.840 --> 00:19:16.680 dots in a line. Southern Hemisphere viewers 472 00:19:16.680 --> 00:19:19.080 look northwest after dark. Enjoy it. 473 00:19:19.320 --> 00:19:21.800 Anna: That's Astronomy daily for Wednesday, 474 00:19:22.040 --> 00:19:24.280 May 21, 2026. 475 00:19:24.680 --> 00:19:27.080 Season 5 Episode 107 476 00:19:27.480 --> 00:19:30.160 Big Day Tomorrow with Starship. We'll be 477 00:19:30.160 --> 00:19:30.600 watching. 478 00:19:30.760 --> 00:19:32.360 Avery: If you're enjoying the show, please 479 00:19:32.360 --> 00:19:34.720 subscribe, leave a review and tell a fellow 480 00:19:34.720 --> 00:19:37.590 space enthusiast. Find us at astronomydaily 481 00:19:37.670 --> 00:19:40.030 IO and across all platforms as 482 00:19:40.030 --> 00:19:42.830 astrodaily. Pod. This is Anna and 483 00:19:42.830 --> 00:19:44.550 Avery. Keep looking up.