WEBVTT 0 00:00:00.000 --> 00:00:02.880 Anna: It aborted at zero. It got scrubbed 1 00:00:02.880 --> 00:00:05.520 by the weather, and then on the third try, 2 00:00:05.600 --> 00:00:08.200 it flew and came down in the Indian 3 00:00:08.200 --> 00:00:10.640 Ocean softer than it ever has before. 4 00:00:11.360 --> 00:00:14.120 Avery: Starship's 13th test finally left the 5 00:00:14.120 --> 00:00:17.080 pad. That's our lead then, the strongest 6 00:00:17.080 --> 00:00:19.840 sign yet of a moon beyond our solar system. 7 00:00:20.240 --> 00:00:22.760 A robot mechanic heading for the graveyard 8 00:00:22.760 --> 00:00:25.520 belt of dead satellites. And what the 9 00:00:25.520 --> 00:00:28.240 far side of our own moon has been quietly 10 00:00:28.240 --> 00:00:29.760 recording about the Earth. 11 00:00:30.440 --> 00:00:32.600 Anna: It's the weekend wrap. I'm Anna. 12 00:00:32.760 --> 00:00:35.240 Avery: And I'm Avery. This is Astronomy Daily. 13 00:00:35.880 --> 00:00:37.960 Anna: So we have been living with this one for 14 00:00:37.960 --> 00:00:40.160 weeks and I want to give it the room it 15 00:00:40.160 --> 00:00:42.760 deserves because the story of Flight 13 16 00:00:42.920 --> 00:00:45.240 is really the story of persistence. 17 00:00:45.799 --> 00:00:48.760 Let's rewind. For anyone just joining US Back 18 00:00:48.760 --> 00:00:51.680 on 16 July, SpaceX counted all 19 00:00:51.680 --> 00:00:54.280 the way down to zero, and the rocket's own 20 00:00:54.280 --> 00:00:57.140 flight computer said no. 4 of the 21 00:00:57.140 --> 00:01:00.020 33 Raptor engines on the booster didn't 22 00:01:00.020 --> 00:01:02.380 come up to healthy starting conditions and 23 00:01:02.380 --> 00:01:04.660 the vehicle aborted, uh, itself on the pad. 24 00:01:04.900 --> 00:01:07.260 That's not a failure, by the way. That's the 25 00:01:07.260 --> 00:01:09.740 safety system doing exactly what it's built 26 00:01:09.740 --> 00:01:10.180 to do. 27 00:01:10.660 --> 00:01:13.420 Avery: Right? An abort at uh T0 is the 28 00:01:13.420 --> 00:01:16.340 rocket protecting itself and the pad. Elon 29 00:01:16.340 --> 00:01:18.940 Musk said afterwards two Raptors would be 30 00:01:18.940 --> 00:01:21.380 pulled and replaced to be confident of a good 31 00:01:21.380 --> 00:01:24.210 flight. They swapped the engines, rolled back 32 00:01:24.210 --> 00:01:26.770 out. And then last week, the weather turned. 33 00:01:27.090 --> 00:01:29.050 Thursday's attempt got scrubbed because 34 00:01:29.050 --> 00:01:31.890 SpaceX wanted clear skies, not just for the 35 00:01:31.890 --> 00:01:34.210 launch, but to actually see the vehicle and 36 00:01:34.210 --> 00:01:36.530 photograph the heat shield under high stress 37 00:01:36.530 --> 00:01:37.330 on the way up. 38 00:01:37.730 --> 00:01:40.690 Anna: And that brings us to Friday, the 24th 39 00:01:41.010 --> 00:01:43.810 liftoff from Starbase in Texas, just 40 00:01:43.810 --> 00:01:45.970 before quarter to seven in the evening 41 00:01:45.970 --> 00:01:48.570 Eastern time. So prime time viewing across 42 00:01:48.570 --> 00:01:51.170 North America and the small hours of Saturday 43 00:01:51.330 --> 00:01:54.110 morning for us here in Australia. This was 44 00:01:54.110 --> 00:01:56.390 the second flight of the bigger, more 45 00:01:56.390 --> 00:01:59.190 powerful version 3 Starship. And this 46 00:01:59.190 --> 00:02:01.270 time it went, let's walk 47 00:02:01.270 --> 00:02:03.710 Avery: the flights because there's real nuance here. 48 00:02:03.870 --> 00:02:05.990 Not everything was perfect. And, um, that's 49 00:02:05.990 --> 00:02:08.870 okay. First, the good news that matters most 50 00:02:08.870 --> 00:02:11.870 for the program. The heat shield basics 51 00:02:11.870 --> 00:02:13.670 and Musk both flagged a, uh, marked 52 00:02:13.670 --> 00:02:15.870 improvement in how the shield held up during 53 00:02:15.870 --> 00:02:18.590 re entry. And that is the single hardest 54 00:02:18.590 --> 00:02:21.230 problem standing between Starship and genuine 55 00:02:21.230 --> 00:02:24.000 reusability. If you can't bring the ship home 56 00:02:24.000 --> 00:02:25.920 intact, none of the rest works. 57 00:02:26.480 --> 00:02:29.120 Anna: The booster, super heavy, separated 58 00:02:29.120 --> 00:02:31.960 cleanly a few minutes in and flew itself back 59 00:02:31.960 --> 00:02:34.200 for a controlled splashdown in the Gulf of 60 00:02:34.200 --> 00:02:36.560 Mexico about six minutes after launch. 61 00:02:36.960 --> 00:02:39.640 But here's the honest on that 62 00:02:39.640 --> 00:02:42.480 final landing burn, it looked like only about 63 00:02:42.640 --> 00:02:45.360 five of the 13 planned engines lit, 64 00:02:45.760 --> 00:02:48.480 so it came down harder and faster than 65 00:02:48.480 --> 00:02:49.440 SpaceX wanted. 66 00:02:50.190 --> 00:02:52.750 Avery: Now, important context, so nobody mishears 67 00:02:52.750 --> 00:02:55.270 this. That booster was always going to be 68 00:02:55.270 --> 00:02:57.350 thrown away in the water. This wasn't the 69 00:02:57.350 --> 00:03:00.350 catch attempt. So a rough splashdown on an 70 00:03:00.350 --> 00:03:03.030 expendable booster is a data point, not a 71 00:03:03.030 --> 00:03:05.870 disaster. And crucially, it still made a 72 00:03:05.870 --> 00:03:07.990 controlled landing, which means they appear 73 00:03:07.990 --> 00:03:10.310 to have fixed whatever caused them to lose 74 00:03:10.310 --> 00:03:12.910 the booster outright. On Flight 12 back in 75 00:03:12.910 --> 00:03:15.870 May, that one lost engines after separation 76 00:03:15.870 --> 00:03:18.600 and just fell into the Gulf. This one 77 00:03:18.600 --> 00:03:20.920 flew the profile. That's progress. 78 00:03:21.560 --> 00:03:24.440 Anna: Then the star of the show, the ship itself. 79 00:03:24.600 --> 00:03:27.320 Ship 40 sailed through its burn, 80 00:03:27.320 --> 00:03:30.200 coasted on a suborbital arc. This was never 81 00:03:30.200 --> 00:03:32.560 going all the way to orbit and did something 82 00:03:32.560 --> 00:03:35.440 lovely on the way. It relit one of its 83 00:03:35.440 --> 00:03:38.200 Raptor engines in space. That in space 84 00:03:38.280 --> 00:03:41.120 relight is a rehearsal for the maneuvers a 85 00:03:41.120 --> 00:03:43.360 future orbital starship will need to come 86 00:03:43.360 --> 00:03:46.180 home. And then came the splashdown west 87 00:03:46.180 --> 00:03:48.180 of Australia in the Indian Ocean. 88 00:03:48.580 --> 00:03:50.580 Avery: And this is the bit I keep replaying. 89 00:03:50.580 --> 00:03:53.300 SpaceX's Dan Huat called it live, 90 00:03:53.460 --> 00:03:55.980 the softest splashdown they have ever had 91 00:03:55.980 --> 00:03:58.620 with Starship for the first time. After the 92 00:03:58.620 --> 00:04:00.980 ship did its flip and settled onto the water 93 00:04:00.980 --> 00:04:03.940 and tipped over, it did not explode. 94 00:04:04.020 --> 00:04:06.780 It sat there bobbing, still sending back 95 00:04:06.780 --> 00:04:09.380 telemetry and video floating in the Indian 96 00:04:09.380 --> 00:04:12.160 Anna: Ocean, which, if you've watched these tests, 97 00:04:12.160 --> 00:04:14.800 is genuinely new. We are used to the 98 00:04:14.800 --> 00:04:17.120 fireball as the full stop at the end of the 99 00:04:17.120 --> 00:04:19.680 sentence. This time the sentence just 100 00:04:19.920 --> 00:04:20.640 kept going. 101 00:04:21.040 --> 00:04:23.240 Avery: There's one more first, and it's a big one 102 00:04:23.240 --> 00:04:25.480 for the Starlink side of the business. On the 103 00:04:25.480 --> 00:04:28.320 way up, the ship deployed 20 real Starlink 104 00:04:28.320 --> 00:04:31.320 V3 satellites, the first V3s ever to 105 00:04:31.320 --> 00:04:33.600 fly. Every previous flight that tested 106 00:04:33.600 --> 00:04:36.360 deployment used dummy mass simulators. These 107 00:04:36.360 --> 00:04:38.840 were the real thing, big flat satellites with 108 00:04:38.840 --> 00:04:41.360 laser links and large solar arrays. And 109 00:04:41.360 --> 00:04:43.640 SpaceX says they successfully talked to all 110 00:04:43.640 --> 00:04:45.720 of them by radio and laser and pulled 111 00:04:45.720 --> 00:04:48.120 telemetry down, which six of 112 00:04:48.120 --> 00:04:51.040 Anna: those 20 carried cameras specifically to 113 00:04:51.040 --> 00:04:53.760 scan Starship's own heat shield tiles and 114 00:04:53.760 --> 00:04:56.240 beam the pictures back. A clever way to 115 00:04:56.240 --> 00:04:58.960 inspect the shield in flight. The satellites 116 00:04:58.960 --> 00:05:01.560 then follow the ship's path back down. So 117 00:05:01.560 --> 00:05:03.670 they're not staying up there. It's a test 118 00:05:03.670 --> 00:05:05.870 appointment, not a Constellation launch. 119 00:05:06.350 --> 00:05:09.230 Avery: So how do we score Flight 13 overall? 120 00:05:09.710 --> 00:05:12.110 SpaceX and Musk both called it a success. 121 00:05:12.430 --> 00:05:15.390 And I think the fair read is a strong 122 00:05:15.550 --> 00:05:18.230 flight with one soft spot. The heat 123 00:05:18.230 --> 00:05:20.550 shield improved. The ship flew its whole 124 00:05:20.550 --> 00:05:23.390 profile and relit in space. The softest 125 00:05:23.390 --> 00:05:26.190 ever splashdown first real V3 126 00:05:26.190 --> 00:05:28.510 deployment set against a booster landing 127 00:05:28.510 --> 00:05:30.070 burn, uh, that underperformed on an 128 00:05:30.070 --> 00:05:31.070 expendable stage. 129 00:05:31.510 --> 00:05:34.230 Anna: And a lovely piece of timing to close on the 130 00:05:34.230 --> 00:05:36.950 original Launch date. The 16th was the 131 00:05:36.950 --> 00:05:39.590 57th anniversary of the Apollo 11 132 00:05:39.670 --> 00:05:42.510 launch. Friday's launch date. The 24th 133 00:05:42.510 --> 00:05:45.350 of July is the 57th anniversary 134 00:05:45.350 --> 00:05:48.350 of the day the Apollo 11 crew splashed back 135 00:05:48.350 --> 00:05:50.990 down on Earth in 1969. A 136 00:05:50.990 --> 00:05:53.630 splashdown anniversary for a rocket that's 137 00:05:53.630 --> 00:05:55.790 meant to help carry the next crew to the 138 00:05:55.790 --> 00:05:56.150 moon. 139 00:05:56.470 --> 00:05:59.390 Avery: The road ahead is still steep. SpaceX has to 140 00:05:59.390 --> 00:06:01.750 dramatically raise the flight rate, prove 141 00:06:01.750 --> 00:06:03.570 they can catch the ship on the tower like 142 00:06:03.570 --> 00:06:05.930 they catch boosters and crack an orbit 143 00:06:05.930 --> 00:06:08.410 refueling before starship can land Artemis 144 00:06:08.410 --> 00:06:11.010 astronauts. But after weeks of near misses, 145 00:06:11.090 --> 00:06:13.650 Flight 13 is exactly the kind of day the 146 00:06:13.650 --> 00:06:14.450 program needed. 147 00:06:14.690 --> 00:06:17.210 Anna: Alright, let's move on to other news from the 148 00:06:17.210 --> 00:06:18.610 past in space. 149 00:06:18.850 --> 00:06:21.610 Avery: From our own backyard to 70 odd light 150 00:06:21.610 --> 00:06:24.610 years away and a discovery with a southern 151 00:06:24.610 --> 00:06:26.690 hemisphere fingerprint all over it. 152 00:06:27.090 --> 00:06:29.530 Astronomers using the European Southern 153 00:06:29.530 --> 00:06:32.450 Observatory's Very Large Telescope up in 154 00:06:32.450 --> 00:06:34.850 the Chilean desert have reported the 155 00:06:35.230 --> 00:06:37.790 strongest evidence yet for a moon outside 156 00:06:37.950 --> 00:06:40.910 our solar system. It's in a system called 157 00:06:40.910 --> 00:06:43.790 CD35 20072 2. 158 00:06:44.110 --> 00:06:46.670 And it is, in the lead author's own words, 159 00:06:46.990 --> 00:06:47.790 super weird. 160 00:06:48.270 --> 00:06:51.150 Anna: Weird how? Well, we've found more than 161 00:06:51.150 --> 00:06:53.950 6,000 planets around other stars, but 162 00:06:53.950 --> 00:06:56.790 never once confirmed a moon out there. Every 163 00:06:56.790 --> 00:06:59.630 candidate so far has been contested. So what 164 00:06:59.630 --> 00:07:00.750 makes this one different? 165 00:07:01.440 --> 00:07:03.800 Avery: This is the twist. It didn't turn up the way 166 00:07:03.800 --> 00:07:06.560 exomoon hunters expected. A little moon 167 00:07:06.560 --> 00:07:09.320 crossing in front of a planet. Instead, the 168 00:07:09.320 --> 00:07:11.920 team led by Kevin Hoy, an um ESO 169 00:07:11.920 --> 00:07:14.520 student based in Chile with Alice Zurlo and 170 00:07:14.520 --> 00:07:17.080 colleagues, published in Nature, watched a 171 00:07:17.080 --> 00:07:19.880 brown dwarf and caught it wobbling. Something 172 00:07:19.880 --> 00:07:22.760 is tugging on it. And that something is a gas 173 00:07:22.760 --> 00:07:25.480 giant about the mass of Jupiter orbiting the 174 00:07:25.480 --> 00:07:26.240 brown dwarf. 175 00:07:26.810 --> 00:07:29.330 Anna: So let me get the nesting doll right, because 176 00:07:29.330 --> 00:07:32.170 it's genuinely strange. There's a star 177 00:07:32.490 --> 00:07:35.410 about half the mass of our own sun. Around it 178 00:07:35.410 --> 00:07:38.170 orbits a brown dwarf bigger than a planet, 179 00:07:38.170 --> 00:07:41.170 too small to be a star, around 30 times 180 00:07:41.170 --> 00:07:43.850 the mass of Jupiter. And around the brown 181 00:07:43.850 --> 00:07:46.650 dwarf orbits this Jupiter mass object. 182 00:07:47.050 --> 00:07:49.570 Avery: Exactly. And that's why nobody quite knows 183 00:07:49.570 --> 00:07:51.890 what to call it. It's the size of a planet, 184 00:07:51.890 --> 00:07:54.440 but it doesn't orbit a star. It orbits an 185 00:07:54.440 --> 00:07:57.440 object that orbits a star. So is it a moon? 186 00:07:57.680 --> 00:08:00.240 An exosatellite? The researchers 187 00:08:00.240 --> 00:08:02.560 themselves say there's no officially accepted 188 00:08:02.560 --> 00:08:05.040 definition of an exomoon. And this system 189 00:08:05.120 --> 00:08:07.960 blurs every line between star, planet 190 00:08:07.960 --> 00:08:08.560 and moon. 191 00:08:08.800 --> 00:08:10.720 Anna: And the honest headline, because this 192 00:08:10.720 --> 00:08:13.360 matters, is that the team calls it the first 193 00:08:13.440 --> 00:08:16.000 plausible detection of an exosatellite. 194 00:08:16.160 --> 00:08:18.960 Not confirmed plausible, the strongest 195 00:08:18.960 --> 00:08:21.350 candidate we've had, but still one that needs 196 00:08:21.350 --> 00:08:23.070 more observations to nail down. 197 00:08:23.390 --> 00:08:25.710 Avery: The technique is the exciting part. For what 198 00:08:25.710 --> 00:08:28.590 comes next. They used radial velocity, 199 00:08:28.590 --> 00:08:30.670 the same wobble method that found the first 200 00:08:30.670 --> 00:08:33.110 exoplanet around a sun like star back in the 201 00:08:33.110 --> 00:08:35.750 90s, but applied it to a directly 202 00:08:35.750 --> 00:08:38.750 imaged brown dwarf for the first time. Which 203 00:08:38.750 --> 00:08:41.030 means, uh, every one of those directly imaged 204 00:08:41.030 --> 00:08:43.550 giant worlds out there is now a fresh hunting 205 00:08:43.550 --> 00:08:44.430 ground for moons. 206 00:08:44.830 --> 00:08:47.590 Anna: A new door opened from a telescope under the 207 00:08:47.590 --> 00:08:50.060 southern skies. We'll be watching CD 208 00:08:50.060 --> 00:08:52.580 352722 closely. 209 00:08:53.060 --> 00:08:55.420 Avery: Next up in our weekly roundup, Northrop 210 00:08:55.420 --> 00:08:57.460 Grumman MRV MEP. 211 00:08:57.780 --> 00:08:59.780 Anna: Here's a job title you don't hear every 212 00:09:00.340 --> 00:09:03.260 satellite mechanic. On Tuesday evening, a 213 00:09:03.260 --> 00:09:05.660 SpaceX Falcon 9 lifted off from Cape 214 00:09:05.660 --> 00:09:08.140 Canaveral carrying one of the more quietly 215 00:09:08.140 --> 00:09:10.860 futuristic missions of the year. Northrop 216 00:09:10.860 --> 00:09:13.700 Grumman's Mission Robotic Vehicle, plus 217 00:09:13.700 --> 00:09:16.020 three of what the company literally calls 218 00:09:16.020 --> 00:09:16.950 jetpacks. 219 00:09:17.500 --> 00:09:20.300 Avery: I love this because it's so practical. We 220 00:09:20.300 --> 00:09:22.620 put enormous expensive satellites up in 221 00:09:22.620 --> 00:09:24.940 geostationary orbit. The ring about 222 00:09:25.020 --> 00:09:27.540 36,000 km up, where a 223 00:09:27.540 --> 00:09:29.700 spacecraft hovers over the same spot on 224 00:09:29.700 --> 00:09:32.420 Earth. And historically, when one runs out of 225 00:09:32.420 --> 00:09:35.180 maneuvering fuel, that's the end of it. A 226 00:09:35.180 --> 00:09:37.700 perfectly good satellite, dead because the 227 00:09:37.700 --> 00:09:38.380 tank's empty. 228 00:09:38.620 --> 00:09:40.380 Anna: So what does the mechanic do about it? 229 00:09:40.540 --> 00:09:43.260 Avery: The Mission robotic vehicle, the MRV, 230 00:09:43.500 --> 00:09:46.220 carries two fully articulated robotic 231 00:09:46.220 --> 00:09:49.180 arms, each about 3 meters long, built by 232 00:09:49.180 --> 00:09:51.500 the U.S. naval Research Laboratory under a 233 00:09:51.500 --> 00:09:54.260 DARPA program. Over the next year, it climbs 234 00:09:54.260 --> 00:09:56.700 out to geostationary orbit. And then it 235 00:09:56.700 --> 00:09:59.220 starts making house calls. It grabs one of 236 00:09:59.220 --> 00:10:01.820 those mission extension pods, the jetpacks, 237 00:10:01.820 --> 00:10:04.699 and bolts it onto an aging satellite. The 238 00:10:04.699 --> 00:10:07.220 pod becomes a satellite's new propulsion, 239 00:10:07.460 --> 00:10:10.060 buying it something like six extra years of 240 00:10:10.060 --> 00:10:10.340 life. 241 00:10:10.740 --> 00:10:12.820 Anna: And then it moves on to the next customer. 242 00:10:13.060 --> 00:10:15.780 One robot, three pods, three rescued 243 00:10:15.780 --> 00:10:18.670 satellites. Here's the local hook. Among the 244 00:10:18.670 --> 00:10:21.390 named clients are SES in Luxembourg, 245 00:10:21.390 --> 00:10:23.790 and this one's for our Australian listeners, 246 00:10:23.790 --> 00:10:26.430 Optis. So there's a genuine chance an 247 00:10:26.430 --> 00:10:28.590 Aussie communications satellite gets a new 248 00:10:28.590 --> 00:10:30.190 lease on life from this robot. 249 00:10:30.590 --> 00:10:32.350 Avery: This isn't coming out of nowhere either. 250 00:10:32.670 --> 00:10:35.310 Northrop Space Logistics Arm did this before 251 00:10:35.310 --> 00:10:37.830 with its mission extension vehicles. The 252 00:10:37.830 --> 00:10:40.510 first one, back in 2019, was the first 253 00:10:40.590 --> 00:10:43.030 commercial spacecraft ever to dock with a 254 00:10:43.030 --> 00:10:45.910 live satellite in geostationary orbit. But 255 00:10:45.910 --> 00:10:48.390 those were big. One to one. One 256 00:10:48.390 --> 00:10:50.390 vehicle, one satellite for good. 257 00:10:50.790 --> 00:10:53.590 Anna: Whereas the pods are smaller, cheaper and 258 00:10:53.590 --> 00:10:55.990 reusable in the sense that the robot can keep 259 00:10:55.990 --> 00:10:58.750 deploying them. It turns satellite servicing 260 00:10:58.750 --> 00:11:01.070 from a one off rescue into something closer 261 00:11:01.070 --> 00:11:03.550 to a routine a tow truck service for the 262 00:11:03.550 --> 00:11:04.950 geostationary belt. 263 00:11:05.110 --> 00:11:06.990 Avery: And, um, in an era we're all worried about 264 00:11:06.990 --> 00:11:09.750 space junk keeping working satellites working 265 00:11:09.830 --> 00:11:11.750 instead of abandoning them and launching 266 00:11:11.750 --> 00:11:14.270 replacements is a genuinely good news story 267 00:11:14.270 --> 00:11:16.070 about doing more with less up there. 268 00:11:16.640 --> 00:11:19.600 Anna: Next. Chang' E6 Far Side Solar wind. 269 00:11:20.000 --> 00:11:22.720 Avery: Our last highlight brings us home to our own 270 00:11:22.720 --> 00:11:25.440 moon and a result that turns lunar soil 271 00:11:25.440 --> 00:11:28.080 into a diary of the Earth. This is from 272 00:11:28.080 --> 00:11:30.520 China's Chang' E6 mission, the one that 273 00:11:30.520 --> 00:11:32.840 pulled off the first ever sample return from 274 00:11:32.840 --> 00:11:35.160 the far side of the Moon. The findings are 275 00:11:35.160 --> 00:11:36.880 published in Nature Geoscience. 276 00:11:37.200 --> 00:11:39.160 Anna: And it starts with a question I'd never 277 00:11:39.160 --> 00:11:41.960 thought to. Does the solar wind hit the 278 00:11:41.960 --> 00:11:44.240 near side and the far side of the Moon the 279 00:11:44.240 --> 00:11:44.880 same way? 280 00:11:45.460 --> 00:11:48.220 Avery: Turns out, no. The solar wind is this 281 00:11:48.220 --> 00:11:50.700 constant stream of charged particles pouring 282 00:11:50.700 --> 00:11:53.460 off the Sun. The Moon has no real atmosphere 283 00:11:53.460 --> 00:11:55.860 and no global magnetic field. So those 284 00:11:55.860 --> 00:11:58.300 particles slam straight into the dust. And 285 00:11:58.300 --> 00:12:00.740 over billions of years, that dust, the 286 00:12:00.740 --> 00:12:03.380 regolith, becomes an archive, trapping 287 00:12:03.380 --> 00:12:06.380 noble gases, helium, neon, argon, 288 00:12:06.380 --> 00:12:07.700 krypton, xenon. 289 00:12:08.180 --> 00:12:10.700 Anna: So the team compared the far side dirt that 290 00:12:10.700 --> 00:12:12.980 Chang' E6 brought back from the South Pole 291 00:12:12.980 --> 00:12:15.740 Aitken Basin with the near side samples from 292 00:12:15.740 --> 00:12:18.320 the earlier Chang' e 5 mission. And the two 293 00:12:18.320 --> 00:12:20.000 sides tell different stories. 294 00:12:20.400 --> 00:12:23.040 Avery: They do. The far side samples show the 295 00:12:23.040 --> 00:12:25.560 solar wind penetrating deeper and a 296 00:12:25.560 --> 00:12:28.320 distinctly different neon fingerprint. And 297 00:12:28.320 --> 00:12:30.750 the culprit they land on is us, 298 00:12:30.750 --> 00:12:33.720 uh, the Earth. For part of every month, 299 00:12:33.720 --> 00:12:36.600 the Moon's near side sits inside the Earth's 300 00:12:36.600 --> 00:12:39.200 magnetosphere, our planet's magnetic shield. 301 00:12:39.520 --> 00:12:42.280 And that shield actually slows the solar wind 302 00:12:42.280 --> 00:12:44.400 down before it reaches the near side. 303 00:12:44.660 --> 00:12:47.140 Anna: The far side, meanwhile, spends more of its 304 00:12:47.140 --> 00:12:50.060 time fully exposed, taking the solar wind at 305 00:12:50.060 --> 00:12:52.660 full speed. Though the Earth has, in effect, 306 00:12:52.980 --> 00:12:55.500 been leaving its signature on one face of the 307 00:12:55.500 --> 00:12:58.020 Moon and not the other for billions of years. 308 00:12:58.420 --> 00:13:01.340 Avery: And that's the poetic bit. The far side of 309 00:13:01.340 --> 00:13:03.700 the Moon, the side we never see from here, 310 00:13:03.940 --> 00:13:06.340 has been keeping a record of the Earth's own 311 00:13:06.340 --> 00:13:08.900 magnetic environment across deep time. 312 00:13:09.300 --> 00:13:11.660 To be fair, the scientists say the neon 313 00:13:11.660 --> 00:13:14.060 result is still a bit of a puzzle. More than 314 00:13:14.060 --> 00:13:16.820 one process is probably at play. But the 315 00:13:16.820 --> 00:13:19.660 headline stands. The Moon's two faces have 316 00:13:19.660 --> 00:13:21.580 lived through different weather from the sun. 317 00:13:21.820 --> 00:13:23.660 And the Earth is part of the reason. 318 00:13:23.980 --> 00:13:26.580 Anna: A little over a gram and a half of farside 319 00:13:26.580 --> 00:13:29.180 dust, rewriting how we think about the Sun, 320 00:13:29.180 --> 00:13:31.260 Earth, Moon system. Not bad. 321 00:13:31.740 --> 00:13:34.580 Avery: Finally today, our regular sky watch for 322 00:13:34.580 --> 00:13:35.580 both hemispheres. 323 00:13:35.820 --> 00:13:38.300 Anna: Well, that was the week that was. Which means 324 00:13:38.300 --> 00:13:41.140 it's time to look up wherever you are. Lets 325 00:13:41.140 --> 00:13:43.100 start with the moon itself because it's the 326 00:13:43.100 --> 00:13:45.340 main character in the sky. Right now we're 327 00:13:45.340 --> 00:13:47.660 heading toward a full moon, the buck moon on 328 00:13:47.660 --> 00:13:50.140 the 29th. So tonight and over the weekend 329 00:13:50.140 --> 00:13:52.780 you've got a big bright waxing gibbous moon 330 00:13:52.780 --> 00:13:55.060 lighting up the evening sky, north and 331 00:13:55.060 --> 00:13:57.500 Avery: south alike, which is beautiful to look at 332 00:13:57.500 --> 00:14:00.340 and a nuisance if you're chasing meteors. So 333 00:14:00.340 --> 00:14:03.100 let's set expectations. Honestly, the 334 00:14:03.100 --> 00:14:05.700 southern Delta Aquariids are active right now 335 00:14:05.700 --> 00:14:08.420 and they peak on the 29th into the 30th 336 00:14:09.030 --> 00:14:11.390 southern hemisphere. Friends, this shower is 337 00:14:11.390 --> 00:14:14.230 ours. The radiant near the star Skat in 338 00:14:14.230 --> 00:14:17.150 Aquarius rides high overhead for us and 339 00:14:17.150 --> 00:14:18.950 it's also a fine show from the southern 340 00:14:18.950 --> 00:14:20.470 United States and the tropics. 341 00:14:20.710 --> 00:14:23.350 Anna: But here's the catch. This year that peak 342 00:14:23.350 --> 00:14:26.350 lands right on the full buck moon, so the sky 343 00:14:26.350 --> 00:14:28.590 will be washed out at exactly the wrong 344 00:14:28.590 --> 00:14:31.230 moment. My advice, don't pin your hopes on 345 00:14:31.230 --> 00:14:33.790 peak night. Go out in the dark window before 346 00:14:33.790 --> 00:14:36.550 dawn once the moon has set and look well away 347 00:14:36.550 --> 00:14:39.550 from it. The Delta Aquariids are faint, so a 348 00:14:39.550 --> 00:14:42.430 truly dark patch of sky is everything and 349 00:14:42.430 --> 00:14:45.430 a nice the slow bright fireballs of the 350 00:14:45.430 --> 00:14:47.510 Alpha Capricornids are peaking around the 351 00:14:47.510 --> 00:14:49.190 same nights for both hemispheres. 352 00:14:49.430 --> 00:14:51.870 Avery: And if the moon spoils this one, don't 353 00:14:51.870 --> 00:14:54.710 despair because the big one is coming and the 354 00:14:54.710 --> 00:14:57.470 timing is perfect. The Perseids are 355 00:14:57.470 --> 00:14:59.710 already switching on and they peak on the 356 00:14:59.710 --> 00:15:02.710 12th into the 13th of August on a new moon. 357 00:15:03.180 --> 00:15:06.020 Dark skies, no interference. That's a 358 00:15:06.020 --> 00:15:08.340 Northern Hemisphere favorite. The radiant 359 00:15:08.340 --> 00:15:10.620 sits high in the north, but it carries down 360 00:15:10.620 --> 00:15:12.700 to the Southern hemisphere's mid latitudes 361 00:15:12.700 --> 00:15:14.660 too. So it's worth a look. From Northern 362 00:15:14.660 --> 00:15:16.780 Australia bark that date because 363 00:15:16.780 --> 00:15:19.380 Anna: it's a genuine double feature. On the very 364 00:15:19.380 --> 00:15:22.140 same day as the Perseid peak, 12 August, 365 00:15:22.220 --> 00:15:24.220 there's a total solar eclipse. 366 00:15:24.540 --> 00:15:27.540 Avery: There is. Totality carves a narrow path 367 00:15:27.540 --> 00:15:30.460 across Greenland, Iceland and Spain if 368 00:15:30.460 --> 00:15:32.420 you're lucky enough to be under it. That's 369 00:15:32.420 --> 00:15:34.620 the whole day sorted. Eclipse in the 370 00:15:34.620 --> 00:15:37.460 afternoon, meteors overnight. For most of 371 00:15:37.460 --> 00:15:39.740 North America and Western Europe, it's a 372 00:15:39.740 --> 00:15:42.380 partial eclipse rather than total, but still 373 00:15:42.380 --> 00:15:44.060 very much worth stepping out for. 374 00:15:44.300 --> 00:15:47.180 Anna: And this is our uh, non negotiable reminder. 375 00:15:47.500 --> 00:15:50.380 Never look at even a partial eclipse without 376 00:15:50.380 --> 00:15:53.340 proper certified eye protection. Solar 377 00:15:53.340 --> 00:15:54.940 viewers that meet the ISO 378 00:15:54.940 --> 00:15:57.580 123122 standard 379 00:15:58.100 --> 00:16:00.460 ordinary sunglasses will not protect your 380 00:16:00.460 --> 00:16:02.180 eyes. No exceptions. 381 00:16:02.740 --> 00:16:04.900 Avery: Please take care of your eyes safety first 382 00:16:04.900 --> 00:16:07.780 and all of that. As for planets, step out 383 00:16:07.780 --> 00:16:10.340 after sunset and brilliant Venus is climbing 384 00:16:10.340 --> 00:16:12.860 back into the western evening twilight it 385 00:16:12.860 --> 00:16:15.180 only gets better through August and if you're 386 00:16:15.180 --> 00:16:18.060 an early riser the pre dawn sky is where 387 00:16:18.060 --> 00:16:20.620 the action is Saturn is well up in the hours 388 00:16:20.620 --> 00:16:23.140 before sunrise with Jupiter returning low in 389 00:16:23.140 --> 00:16:25.290 the east southern hemisphere viewers get 390 00:16:25.290 --> 00:16:27.330 these morning planets riding higher and 391 00:16:27.330 --> 00:16:29.450 steeper one of the quiet perks of our 392 00:16:29.450 --> 00:16:31.530 southern skies so a 393 00:16:31.530 --> 00:16:33.930 Anna: bright moon this weekend patience on the 394 00:16:33.930 --> 00:16:36.810 meteors and a spectacular double bill to 395 00:16:36.810 --> 00:16:39.090 circle for the 12th of August that's 396 00:16:39.090 --> 00:16:41.650 Avery: the weekend wrap Starship's 13th 397 00:16:41.650 --> 00:16:44.370 finally flew and floated the strongest 398 00:16:44.370 --> 00:16:46.690 hint yet of a moon around the distant brown 399 00:16:46.690 --> 00:16:49.610 dwarf a robot mechanic on its way to the 400 00:16:49.610 --> 00:16:52.410 satellite graveyard and the far side of our 401 00:16:52.410 --> 00:16:54.000 moon cor quietly keeping the 402 00:16:54.000 --> 00:16:56.520 Anna: earth's diary thanks for spending part of 403 00:16:56.520 --> 00:16:58.720 your weekend with us you'll find every source 404 00:16:58.720 --> 00:17:00.720 in the show notes and we're back tomorrow 405 00:17:00.720 --> 00:17:03.000 with your daily space and astronomy news 406 00:17:03.240 --> 00:17:05.020 until then from Anna and 407 00:17:05.020 --> 00:17:07.160 Avery: uh Ivory clear skies. 408 00:17:19.010 --> 00:17:19.210 The 409 00:17:19.210 --> 00:17:27.810 toll.