00:00:00 --> 00:00:02 Anna: Hello, everyone, and welcome to Astronomy
00:00:02 --> 00:00:05 Daily. I'm your host, Anna, and I'm thrilled
00:00:05 --> 00:00:07 to have you join us for another journey
00:00:07 --> 00:00:10 through the cosmos. Here we dive into the
00:00:10 --> 00:00:12 latest, most fascinating discoveries and
00:00:12 --> 00:00:14 events shaping our understanding of the
00:00:14 --> 00:00:17 universe. Uh, all delivered with a friendly,
00:00:17 --> 00:00:19 accessible approach. Today, we'll start by
00:00:19 --> 00:00:22 exploring the largest black hole merger ever
00:00:22 --> 00:00:24 detected, an event so immense it's
00:00:24 --> 00:00:26 challenging our current theories. Then we'll
00:00:26 --> 00:00:28 look at how private spaceflights are not just
00:00:28 --> 00:00:31 reaching orbit, but also paving the way for a
00:00:31 --> 00:00:34 dynamic commercial space economy. Plus,
00:00:34 --> 00:00:36 we'll uncover the secrets of an ancient lunar
00:00:36 --> 00:00:38 meteorite that's rewriting the Moon's
00:00:38 --> 00:00:41 volcanic history. And finally, we'll discuss
00:00:41 --> 00:00:43 a rare opportunity to own a piece of the Red
00:00:43 --> 00:00:46 Planet. But you will need deep pockets. Stay
00:00:46 --> 00:00:46 tuned.
00:00:48 --> 00:00:50 Let's kick things off with a truly massive
00:00:50 --> 00:00:53 cosmic event. Astronomers have recently
00:00:53 --> 00:00:56 detected the largest black hole merger ever
00:00:56 --> 00:00:58 observed, an incredible event that has
00:00:58 --> 00:01:01 resulted in a new black hole approximately
00:01:01 --> 00:01:03 225 times the mass of our Sun.
00:01:04 --> 00:01:06 This monumental collision, officially named
00:01:06 --> 00:01:09 GW 231123, was picked
00:01:09 --> 00:01:10 up by the LIGO gravitational wave
00:01:10 --> 00:01:13 observatories. Now, you might be wondering,
00:01:13 --> 00:01:15 what exactly are gravitational waves? These
00:01:15 --> 00:01:18 are ripples in the very fabric of spacetime,
00:01:18 --> 00:01:21 first theorized by Albert Einstein in his
00:01:21 --> 00:01:23 General Theory of Relativity. They're caused
00:01:23 --> 00:01:25 by the most violent and energetic events in
00:01:25 --> 00:01:28 the cosmos, like the merging of two massive
00:01:28 --> 00:01:30 black holes. The first direct detection of
00:01:30 --> 00:01:33 these waves happened back in 2015 at the US
00:01:33 --> 00:01:35 Laser Interferometer Gravitational Wave
00:01:35 --> 00:01:38 Observatory, or LIGO, marking a
00:01:38 --> 00:01:41 groundbreaking moment in astrophysics. Since
00:01:41 --> 00:01:43 then, gravitational wave observatories have
00:01:43 --> 00:01:45 truly opened a new window to the universe,
00:01:45 --> 00:01:48 detecting hundreds of black hole mergers. The
00:01:48 --> 00:01:50 LVK Network of Detectors, which is a
00:01:50 --> 00:01:52 collaboration between ligo, the Virgo
00:01:52 --> 00:01:55 detector in Italy and KAGRA in Japan, has
00:01:55 --> 00:01:58 alone spotted about 300 such events in just
00:01:58 --> 00:02:00 the last 10 years. The newest and
00:02:00 --> 00:02:02 largest discovery, GW23
00:02:03 --> 00:02:05 1123, was detected on
00:02:05 --> 00:02:08 November 23, 2023.
00:02:08 --> 00:02:10 Scientists poring over the data have
00:02:10 --> 00:02:12 determined that this event involved the
00:02:12 --> 00:02:15 collision of two individual black holes, each
00:02:15 --> 00:02:18 incredibly massive, ranging from 100
00:02:18 --> 00:02:20 to 140 times the size of our Sun.
00:02:21 --> 00:02:23 To give you some perspective, the previous
00:02:23 --> 00:02:25 record holder for a black hole merger, known
00:02:25 --> 00:02:28 as GW190521,
00:02:29 --> 00:02:31 involved black holes with a combined mass of
00:02:31 --> 00:02:34 140 times that of the Sun. So this new
00:02:34 --> 00:02:37 detection is a significant leap. The findings
00:02:37 --> 00:02:39 and their implications are being presented at
00:02:39 --> 00:02:42 major international conferences, highlighting
00:02:42 --> 00:02:45 just how important this discovery is. Mark
00:02:45 --> 00:02:47 Hannam, a member of the LVK
00:02:47 --> 00:02:49 collaboration from Cardiff University in
00:02:49 --> 00:02:52 Wales notes that this is the most
00:02:52 --> 00:02:54 massive black hole binary we've observed
00:02:54 --> 00:02:57 through gravitational waves, and it presents
00:02:57 --> 00:02:59 a real challenge to our understanding of
00:02:59 --> 00:03:01 black hole formation. He explains that black
00:03:01 --> 00:03:04 holes of this immense size are not easily
00:03:04 --> 00:03:06 accounted for by standard stellar evolution
00:03:06 --> 00:03:09 models. One exciting possibility is that
00:03:09 --> 00:03:11 these colossal black holes actually
00:03:11 --> 00:03:14 formed through earlier sequential mergers
00:03:14 --> 00:03:17 of smaller black holes. Imagine a
00:03:17 --> 00:03:19 cosmic game of billiards. But with black
00:03:19 --> 00:03:22 holes, gravitational wave observations
00:03:22 --> 00:03:25 like GW 231123 are incredibly
00:03:25 --> 00:03:27 valuable because they allow astronomers to
00:03:27 --> 00:03:30 observe phenomena that truly test the limits
00:03:30 --> 00:03:32 of known physics. Charlie Hoy,
00:03:33 --> 00:03:35 another LVK member from the UK's University
00:03:35 --> 00:03:38 of Portsmouth, points out that the black
00:03:38 --> 00:03:40 holes appear to be spinning very rapidly,
00:03:40 --> 00:03:43 near the limit allowed by Einstein's theory
00:03:43 --> 00:03:46 of general relativity. This rapid spin makes
00:03:46 --> 00:03:48 the signal incredibly complex and difficult
00:03:48 --> 00:03:50 to model and interpret, serving as an
00:03:50 --> 00:03:52 excellent case study for pushing forward the
00:03:52 --> 00:03:55 development of theoretical tools. The
00:03:55 --> 00:03:57 scientific community recognizes that
00:03:57 --> 00:03:59 unraveling this intricate signal will take
00:03:59 --> 00:04:02 time. Gregorio Carullo from the University of
00:04:02 --> 00:04:05 Birmingham, uk, suggests it will take years
00:04:05 --> 00:04:07 for the community to fully unravel this
00:04:07 --> 00:04:09 intricate signal pattern and all its
00:04:09 --> 00:04:12 implications. While a black hole
00:04:12 --> 00:04:14 merger remains the most likely explanation,
00:04:14 --> 00:04:16 he hints that more complex scenarios could be
00:04:16 --> 00:04:18 the key to deciphering its unexpected
00:04:18 --> 00:04:21 features. Ultimately, as Dave
00:04:21 --> 00:04:23 Reitze, the Executive Director of ligo, puts
00:04:23 --> 00:04:26 it, this observation once again demonstrates
00:04:26 --> 00:04:28 how gravitational waves are uniquely
00:04:28 --> 00:04:30 revealing the fundamental and exotic nature
00:04:30 --> 00:04:33 of black holes throughout the universe.
00:04:34 --> 00:04:36 It's truly a thrilling time to be studying
00:04:36 --> 00:04:39 the cosmos, moving from the
00:04:39 --> 00:04:42 distant cosmos to our orbital neighborhood.
00:04:42 --> 00:04:44 We have a quick wrap up to our coverage of
00:04:44 --> 00:04:47 the private AX4 mission to the International
00:04:47 --> 00:04:50 Space Station. AXIOM Mission 4, the
00:04:50 --> 00:04:52 fourth NASA supported private astronaut
00:04:52 --> 00:04:54 mission, has successfully completed its
00:04:54 --> 00:04:57 flight. This endeavor is a crucial part of
00:04:57 --> 00:05:00 NASA's strategy to to foster a vibrant low
00:05:00 --> 00:05:02 Earth orbit economy and build operational
00:05:02 --> 00:05:05 knowledge for future commercial space
00:05:05 --> 00:05:07 stations. The four person crew
00:05:07 --> 00:05:10 safely returned to Earth, splashing down off
00:05:10 --> 00:05:13 the coast of California aboard a SpaceX
00:05:13 --> 00:05:15 Dragon spacecraft. The international team
00:05:15 --> 00:05:18 included Peggy Whitson from Axiom Space,
00:05:18 --> 00:05:20 Shubhanshu Shukla from the Indian Space
00:05:20 --> 00:05:23 Research Organization, Slawosz Uznanski
00:05:23 --> 00:05:26 Wisniewski of Poland and Tibor Kapu from
00:05:26 --> 00:05:29 Hungary. They spent about two and a half
00:05:29 --> 00:05:32 weeks in space, having launched on June 25
00:05:32 --> 00:05:34 from NASA's Kennedy Space center and
00:05:34 --> 00:05:37 undocking on July 14. During
00:05:37 --> 00:05:39 their time on the ISS, the crew conducted
00:05:39 --> 00:05:42 approximately 60 science experiments along
00:05:42 --> 00:05:44 with educational outreach and commercial
00:05:44 --> 00:05:46 activities, returning valuable research,
00:05:46 --> 00:05:49 including NASA cargo, back to Earth.
00:05:49 --> 00:05:51 This mission truly highlighted global
00:05:51 --> 00:05:54 collaboration. It fulfilled a commitment by
00:05:54 --> 00:05:55 President Trump and Indian Prime Minister
00:05:55 --> 00:05:58 Narendra Modi to send the first ISRO
00:05:58 --> 00:06:01 astronaut to the station, involving five
00:06:01 --> 00:06:04 joint science investigations. It also
00:06:04 --> 00:06:06 carried the first astronauts from Poland and
00:06:06 --> 00:06:08 Hungary to stay aboard the space station.
00:06:09 --> 00:06:11 This successful private flight demonstrates
00:06:11 --> 00:06:14 NASA's vision for a strong economy off
00:06:14 --> 00:06:17 Earth. By purchasing services from commercial
00:06:17 --> 00:06:19 providers, NASA can meet its size, science
00:06:19 --> 00:06:22 and research objectives in microgravity more
00:06:22 --> 00:06:24 efficiently and at a lower cost. This
00:06:24 --> 00:06:27 strategic shift enables the agency to
00:06:27 --> 00:06:29 dedicate more resources and focus on its
00:06:29 --> 00:06:32 ambitious Artemis missions to the moon in
00:06:32 --> 00:06:35 preparation for Mars, while low Earth orbit
00:06:35 --> 00:06:37 continues to serve as an essential training
00:06:37 --> 00:06:39 ground for these deep space explorations.
00:06:40 --> 00:06:42 Now let's turn our attention closer to home,
00:06:42 --> 00:06:45 to our celestial neighbor, the Moon. A
00:06:45 --> 00:06:47 remarkable discovery is rewriting what we
00:06:47 --> 00:06:50 thought we knew about its fiery past A rare
00:06:50 --> 00:06:52 lunar meteorite found in Africa in
00:06:52 --> 00:06:55 2023 is shedding new light on hidden
00:06:55 --> 00:06:57 volcanic processes that shaped the moon long
00:06:57 --> 00:06:59 after its surface was believed to have
00:06:59 --> 00:07:02 cooled. This meteorite, officially
00:07:02 --> 00:07:05 named Northwest Africa 16286,
00:07:05 --> 00:07:08 is an incredible 2.35 billion years
00:07:08 --> 00:07:10 old. Its unique chemical signature has
00:07:10 --> 00:07:12 plummeted a significant gap in our
00:07:12 --> 00:07:15 understanding of the moon's volcanic history.
00:07:16 --> 00:07:18 Researchers from the University of Manchester
00:07:18 --> 00:07:20 unveiled their fascinating results at the
00:07:20 --> 00:07:23 Goldschmidt conference in Prague, detailing
00:07:23 --> 00:07:25 how this ancient rock illuminates the moon's
00:07:25 --> 00:07:28 evolving interior and the surprising
00:07:28 --> 00:07:30 longevity of its volcanic activity.
00:07:31 --> 00:07:34 By carefully measuring lead isotopes, the
00:07:34 --> 00:07:36 team determined that this particular rock
00:07:36 --> 00:07:39 star solidified around 2.35 billion years
00:07:39 --> 00:07:42 ago. This period is especially
00:07:42 --> 00:07:44 interesting because we have almost no other
00:07:44 --> 00:07:47 samples from that specific time. What makes
00:07:47 --> 00:07:49 it even more extraordinary is its unusual
00:07:49 --> 00:07:51 geochemical fingerprint, which sets it apart
00:07:51 --> 00:07:54 from the basalts brought back by the Apollo,
00:07:54 --> 00:07:56 Luna, and Chang' E missions. This
00:07:56 --> 00:07:59 suggests it crystallized from deep source
00:07:59 --> 00:08:01 lava shortly after reaching the lunar
00:08:01 --> 00:08:04 surface. Dr. Joshua Snape, a
00:08:04 --> 00:08:05 research fellow at the University of
00:08:05 --> 00:08:08 Manchester, explained the immense scientific
00:08:08 --> 00:08:11 value of lunar meteorites. While samples
00:08:11 --> 00:08:14 from return missions are invaluable, they are
00:08:14 --> 00:08:17 limited to the immediate landing sites. Lunar
00:08:17 --> 00:08:19 meteorites, however, can be ejected by impact
00:08:19 --> 00:08:21 cratering from anywhere on the moon's
00:08:21 --> 00:08:23 surface, offering a serendipitous glimpse
00:08:23 --> 00:08:25 into areas we couldn't otherwise explore
00:08:25 --> 00:08:27 without the massive expense of a space
00:08:27 --> 00:08:30 mission. This 311 gram
00:08:30 --> 00:08:32 meteorite is a type of lunar volcanic basalt
00:08:32 --> 00:08:35 called olivine ferric basalt, containing
00:08:35 --> 00:08:37 relatively large crystals of the mineral
00:08:37 --> 00:08:39 olivine, along with moderate levels of
00:08:39 --> 00:08:42 titanium and high levels of potassium. Beyond
00:08:42 --> 00:08:44 its unusual age, the study found that its
00:08:44 --> 00:08:47 lead isotope composition, a geochemical
00:08:47 --> 00:08:49 Fingerprint points to an origin in the Moon's
00:08:49 --> 00:08:52 interior with an unusually high uranium to
00:08:52 --> 00:08:54 lead ratio. These chemical clues suggest
00:08:54 --> 00:08:57 ongoing heat generation within the Moon,
00:08:57 --> 00:08:59 likely from radiogenic elements decaying and
00:08:59 --> 00:09:02 producing heat over an extended period. The
00:09:02 --> 00:09:05 age of the sample is particularly exciting
00:09:05 --> 00:09:07 because it effectively bridges an almost
00:09:07 --> 00:09:09 billion year gap in lunar volcanic history.
00:09:10 --> 00:09:12 It's younger than the basalts collected by
00:09:12 --> 00:09:15 the Apollo, Luna and Chang' e 6 missions,
00:09:15 --> 00:09:17 but older than the much younger rocks
00:09:17 --> 00:09:20 retrieved by China's Chang' E5 mission.
00:09:20 --> 00:09:22 Its composition, combined with its age,
00:09:23 --> 00:09:25 indicates that volcanic activity continued on
00:09:25 --> 00:09:28 the Moon throughout this vast timespan. This
00:09:28 --> 00:09:30 unique rock provides new constraints about
00:09:30 --> 00:09:32 when and how volcanic activity occurred on
00:09:32 --> 00:09:35 the Moon, guiding where future sample return
00:09:35 --> 00:09:38 missions might land. From ancient
00:09:38 --> 00:09:40 Moon rocks, we now travel even further to
00:09:40 --> 00:09:42 another familiar neighbor, Mars.
00:09:43 --> 00:09:46 Soon, a unique opportunity will allow someone
00:09:46 --> 00:09:48 here on Earth to own a significant piece of
00:09:48 --> 00:09:50 the red planet. As A.H. sotheby's prepares to
00:09:50 --> 00:09:52 auction off the largest known Martian
00:09:52 --> 00:09:55 meteorite on our world. This extraordinary
00:09:55 --> 00:09:57 Specimen, officially designated NWA
00:09:58 --> 00:10:01 16788, is anticipated to
00:10:01 --> 00:10:03 fetch up to $4 million at the upcoming
00:10:03 --> 00:10:05 auction in New York City. The rarity of such
00:10:05 --> 00:10:08 a find cannot be overstated. Out of more than
00:10:08 --> 00:10:11 77 officially recognized meteorites
00:10:11 --> 00:10:13 discovered on Earth, only about 400, or
00:10:13 --> 00:10:16 roughly 0.6%, originate from Mars.
00:10:16 --> 00:10:19 NWA 16788 itself, uh,
00:10:19 --> 00:10:22 represents an impressive 6.5% of all
00:10:22 --> 00:10:24 Martian material currently known on our
00:10:24 --> 00:10:27 planet. This colossal chunk of Martian rock,
00:10:27 --> 00:10:30 weighing in at just over 54 pounds, was
00:10:30 --> 00:10:32 likely dislodged from Mars by an asteroid
00:10:32 --> 00:10:35 strike, sending it on an incredible journey.
00:10:35 --> 00:10:38 It traveled an astounding 140 million miles
00:10:38 --> 00:10:40 through space before making its dramatic
00:10:40 --> 00:10:43 landing in the Zaharov-Reutt Desert, where it
00:10:43 --> 00:10:45 was discovered in Niger's remote agadez
00:10:45 --> 00:10:47 region in 2023. Cassandra
00:10:47 --> 00:10:50 Hatton, Sotheby's vice chairman of Science
00:10:50 --> 00:10:52 and Natural History, highlighted the sheer
00:10:52 --> 00:10:55 improbability of this journey, stating that
00:10:55 --> 00:10:57 the odds of this getting from there to here
00:10:57 --> 00:11:00 are astronomically small. More than just
00:11:00 --> 00:11:01 a collector's item,
00:11:02 --> 00:11:04 NWA6788 is believed to be
00:11:04 --> 00:11:07 a relative newcomer to Earth, having fallen
00:11:07 --> 00:11:10 from outer space quite recently. This means
00:11:10 --> 00:11:12 it offers a pristine window into the Martian
00:11:12 --> 00:11:15 past. Hatton emphasizes its scientific
00:11:15 --> 00:11:17 significance, calling it not just a
00:11:17 --> 00:11:19 miraculous find, but a massive data set that
00:11:19 --> 00:11:21 can help us unlock the secrets of our
00:11:21 --> 00:11:24 neighbor, the Red Planet. Specimens like
00:11:24 --> 00:11:26 this from the Moon and Mars are considered
00:11:26 --> 00:11:28 among the greatest rarities on our planet,
00:11:28 --> 00:11:31 with Sotheby's noting that all known bits of
00:11:31 --> 00:11:32 both could fit into the cargo hold of a large
00:11:32 --> 00:11:35 suv. It truly is a chance to hold a piece
00:11:35 --> 00:11:37 of another world in your hands.
00:11:38 --> 00:11:40 And to wrap up today, some late breaking news
00:11:40 --> 00:11:42 from Australia's Gilmore Space. They've just
00:11:42 --> 00:11:45 posted the following message on we've
00:11:45 --> 00:11:48 scrubbed our July 16th launch window. Now
00:11:48 --> 00:11:50 targeting the next approved opportunity July
00:11:50 --> 00:11:53 27th. Why? Ops delayed us a day
00:11:53 --> 00:11:55 and current upper wind forecasts have ruled
00:11:55 --> 00:11:57 out a safe launch for the rest of the week.
00:11:57 --> 00:12:00 Team will be back for the 27th of July, and
00:12:00 --> 00:12:01 that brings us to the end of another
00:12:01 --> 00:12:03 fascinating journey through the cosmos here
00:12:03 --> 00:12:06 on Astronomy Daily. Today, we've explored
00:12:06 --> 00:12:07 some truly incredible stories from the
00:12:07 --> 00:12:10 largest black hole merger ever detected,
00:12:10 --> 00:12:13 GW 231123, which is
00:12:13 --> 00:12:15 pushing the limits of our understanding of
00:12:15 --> 00:12:17 these cosmic giants to the successful return
00:12:18 --> 00:12:20 of The Axiom Mission 4 crew, showcasing
00:12:20 --> 00:12:22 the exciting future of commercial space
00:12:22 --> 00:12:25 travel and international collaboration on the
00:12:25 --> 00:12:28 International Space Station. We also delved
00:12:28 --> 00:12:31 into the mysteries of a 2.35 billion
00:12:31 --> 00:12:34 year old lunar meteorite found in Africa,
00:12:34 --> 00:12:37 which is rewriting the volcanic history of
00:12:37 --> 00:12:40 our Moon. And finally, we looked at the
00:12:40 --> 00:12:42 incredible opportunity to own a piece of the
00:12:42 --> 00:12:45 Red Planet with The auction of NWA
00:12:45 --> 00:12:48 16788, the largest Martian
00:12:48 --> 00:12:51 meteorite on Earth. Thank you for tuning in
00:12:51 --> 00:12:54 and joining me, Anna on Astronomy Daily. If
00:12:54 --> 00:12:56 you want to dive deeper into these stories,
00:12:56 --> 00:12:58 sign up for our free daily newsletter or
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00:13:13 --> 00:13:13 looking up