- Blue Origin's Latest Milestone: Join us as we celebrate Blue Origin's successful 12th crewed suborbital mission aboard the New Shepard, where space tourists experienced the breathtaking views of Earth and the sensation of weightlessness. This achievement marks another step forward in commercial space tourism, showcasing the reusable capabilities of the New Shepard vehicle.
- Unprecedented Black Hole Imaging: Dive into the groundbreaking results from the Event Horizon Telescope, which has captured the sharpest images of black holes ever seen from Earth. With enhanced resolution at 345 GHz, scientists can now observe the behaviours of supermassive black holes in unprecedented detail, revealing insights into their magnetic environments and the dynamics surrounding them.
- Spectacular Aurora Displays: Discover the stunning auroras that lit up the skies across North America and beyond, triggered by a powerful coronal mass ejection. This event created breathtaking light shows, visible as far south as Sandy Kaye, and even delighted observers in New Zealand with vibrant displays of the Aurora Australis.
- NASA's Dragonfly Mission to Titan: Journey with us as we look ahead to NASA's upcoming Dragonfly mission, set to launch in July 2028. This revolutionary nuclear-powered rotorcraft will explore Titan, Saturn's largest moon, investigating its unique methane-rich environment and the chemical processes that may shed light on the origins of life.
For more cosmic updates, visit our website at astronomydaily.io. Join our community on social media by searching for #AstroDailyPod on Facebook, X, YouTube Music, TikTok, and our new Instagram account! Don’t forget to subscribe to the podcast on Apple Podcasts, Spotify, iHeartRadio, or wherever you get your podcasts.
Thank you for tuning in. This is Anna signing off. Until next time, keep looking up and stay curious about the wonders of our universe.
Chapters:
00:00 - Welcome to Astronomy Daily
01:10 - Blue Origin's latest milestone
10:00 - Unprecedented black hole imaging
15:30 - Spectacular aurora displays
20:00 - NASA's Dragonfly mission to Titan
✍️ Episode References
Blue Origin Updates
[Blue Origin](https://www.blueorigin.com/)
Event Horizon Telescope Findings
[Event Horizon Telescope](https://eventhorizontelescope.org/)
Aurora Reports
[NOAA Space Weather](https://www.swpc.noaa.gov/)
Dragonfly Mission Details
[NASA Dragonfly](https://www.nasa.gov/dragonfly)
Astronomy Daily
[Astronomy Daily](http://www.astronomydaily.io/)
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00:00:00 --> 00:00:02 Anna: Hello, and welcome to Astronomy Daily, your
00:00:02 --> 00:00:04 go to podcast for the latest discoveries and
00:00:04 --> 00:00:07 developments in the cosmos. I'm your host,
00:00:07 --> 00:00:09 Anna, and we've got a great lineup of space
00:00:09 --> 00:00:11 news for you today. Coming up, we'll blast
00:00:11 --> 00:00:13 off with details of Blue Origin's latest
00:00:13 --> 00:00:16 achievement, then prepare to have your mind
00:00:16 --> 00:00:19 blown as we dive into groundbreaking black
00:00:19 --> 00:00:21 hole images that are the sharpest ever
00:00:21 --> 00:00:24 captured from Earth. We'll also explore the
00:00:24 --> 00:00:27 spectacular aurora displays that lit up
00:00:27 --> 00:00:30 skies across North America and beyond. And
00:00:30 --> 00:00:32 finally, we'll journey to the mysterious
00:00:32 --> 00:00:35 world of Titan as we look ahead to NASA's
00:00:35 --> 00:00:38 fascinating Dragonfly mission. So strap
00:00:38 --> 00:00:40 in and prepare for liftoff as we explore
00:00:40 --> 00:00:43 today's top stories from across the universe.
00:00:44 --> 00:00:46 Blue Origin has once again reached for the
00:00:46 --> 00:00:48 stars with their New Shepard vehicle
00:00:49 --> 00:00:51 successfully completing their 12th crewed
00:00:51 --> 00:00:54 suborbital mission. The spacecraft carried a
00:00:54 --> 00:00:56 full complement of space tourists to the edge
00:00:56 --> 00:00:59 of our atmosphere, where they experienced the
00:00:59 --> 00:01:01 breathtaking views of our planet and the
00:01:01 --> 00:01:03 unforgettable sensation of weightlessness.
00:01:04 --> 00:01:06 This latest flight represents another
00:01:06 --> 00:01:09 milestone for Jeff Bezos's space company as
00:01:09 --> 00:01:11 they continue to establish themselves as
00:01:11 --> 00:01:13 leaders in the commercial space tourism
00:01:13 --> 00:01:16 industry. The New Shepard vehicle, named
00:01:16 --> 00:01:19 after Mercury astronaut Alan Shepard, follows
00:01:19 --> 00:01:22 a fully autonomous flight profile, carrying
00:01:22 --> 00:01:24 passengers in a capsule that detaches from
00:01:24 --> 00:01:26 its booster rocket before both components
00:01:26 --> 00:01:29 return separately to Earth. The reusable
00:01:29 --> 00:01:30 nature of New Shepard continues to
00:01:30 --> 00:01:33 demonstrate Blue Origin's commitment to more
00:01:33 --> 00:01:35 sustainable space travel, with the booster
00:01:35 --> 00:01:37 making a controlled, powered landing while
00:01:37 --> 00:01:39 the passenger capsule gently descends under
00:01:39 --> 00:01:42 parachutes. This mission further cements
00:01:42 --> 00:01:44 Blue Origin's growing track record of
00:01:44 --> 00:01:47 reliable suborbital flights, providing more
00:01:47 --> 00:01:49 civilians the rare opportunity to experience
00:01:50 --> 00:01:52 the overview effect, that profound shift in
00:01:52 --> 00:01:55 perspective that astronauts describe when
00:01:55 --> 00:01:57 seeing Earth from space for the first time.
00:01:58 --> 00:02:01 Now, this next story is pretty cool. In a
00:02:01 --> 00:02:03 major breakthrough for astronomy, scientists
00:02:03 --> 00:02:05 using the Event Horizon Telescope have
00:02:05 --> 00:02:07 captured the sharpest images ever of distant
00:02:07 --> 00:02:10 black holes from Earth. These remarkable new
00:02:10 --> 00:02:12 observations employed light at a frequency of
00:02:12 --> 00:02:15 345 gigahertz, allowing
00:02:15 --> 00:02:17 researchers to peer deeper into the regions
00:02:17 --> 00:02:19 surrounding black holes with unprecedented
00:02:19 --> 00:02:22 clarity. This achievement represents a
00:02:22 --> 00:02:24 significant leap forward from their previous
00:02:24 --> 00:02:26 work at 230 GHz,
00:02:27 --> 00:02:29 with the shorter wavelength providing
00:02:29 --> 00:02:32 approximately 50% sharper resolution
00:02:32 --> 00:02:34 around 14 microarc seconds.
00:02:35 --> 00:02:37 To put this in perspective, that's like being
00:02:37 --> 00:02:39 able to see a donut on the surface of the
00:02:39 --> 00:02:42 Moon from Earth. The Event Horizon
00:02:42 --> 00:02:44 Telescope isn't a single instrument, but
00:02:44 --> 00:02:46 rather a global network of radio telescopes
00:02:46 --> 00:02:49 working in perfect synchronisation using
00:02:49 --> 00:02:51 a powerful technique called very long
00:02:51 --> 00:02:54 baseline interferometry scientists
00:02:54 --> 00:02:56 effectively created a virtual telescope the
00:02:56 --> 00:02:59 size of our planet. By combining signals from
00:02:59 --> 00:03:01 observatories scattered across Earth, they've
00:03:01 --> 00:03:03 achieved imaging capabilities far beyond what
00:03:03 --> 00:03:05 any single telescope could accomplish.
00:03:06 --> 00:03:08 Among the most studied targets are the
00:03:08 --> 00:03:10 supermassive black hole at the centre of
00:03:10 --> 00:03:13 Galaxy M, M87 and Sagittarius A,
00:03:13 --> 00:03:15 the black hole at the heart of our own Milky
00:03:15 --> 00:03:18 Way. With this enhanced resolution,
00:03:18 --> 00:03:20 researchers can now observe how light bends
00:03:20 --> 00:03:22 near these cosmic giants with remarkable
00:03:22 --> 00:03:25 detail, potentially revealing subtle
00:03:25 --> 00:03:27 behaviours that were previously invisible.
00:03:27 --> 00:03:29 The technical challenges involved were
00:03:29 --> 00:03:31 immense. At 345
00:03:32 --> 00:03:34 GHz, atmospheric water vapour
00:03:34 --> 00:03:37 heavily absorbs radio waves, significantly
00:03:37 --> 00:03:39 weakening signals from distant black holes.
00:03:39 --> 00:03:42 To overcome this, the EHT team expanded their
00:03:42 --> 00:03:44 bandwidth and carefully selected high
00:03:44 --> 00:03:46 altitude observation sites like the Atacama
00:03:46 --> 00:03:48 Large Millimetre Submillimeter Array in Chile
00:03:48 --> 00:03:51 and the Submillimeter Array in Hawaii, where
00:03:51 --> 00:03:53 atmospheric interference is minimised.
00:03:54 --> 00:03:55 This advancement opens exciting new
00:03:55 --> 00:03:58 possibilities. Scientists can now study
00:03:58 --> 00:04:00 polarised light around black holes with
00:04:00 --> 00:04:03 greater precision, providing insights into
00:04:03 --> 00:04:05 their magnetic environments. The reduced
00:04:05 --> 00:04:07 effects of Faraday rotation, a phenomenon
00:04:07 --> 00:04:09 that alters light's electric field
00:04:09 --> 00:04:12 orientation, allows for clearer observations
00:04:12 --> 00:04:14 of magnetic field structures. Perhaps most
00:04:14 --> 00:04:16 thrilling is the potential to create time
00:04:16 --> 00:04:19 lapse movies of black hole environments
00:04:19 --> 00:04:21 showing material moving around the event
00:04:21 --> 00:04:23 horizon in near real time. For
00:04:23 --> 00:04:26 Sagittarius a star, which has a dynamic
00:04:26 --> 00:04:28 timescale of about 200 seconds,
00:04:28 --> 00:04:30 simultaneous observations at multiple
00:04:30 --> 00:04:33 wavelengths could soon allow scientists to
00:04:33 --> 00:04:35 watch the cosmic dance of matter as it
00:04:35 --> 00:04:37 spirals toward the point of no return.
00:04:38 --> 00:04:40 This groundbreaking advancement in black hole
00:04:40 --> 00:04:42 imaging technology is set to revolutionise
00:04:42 --> 00:04:44 our understanding of these cosmic giants.
00:04:45 --> 00:04:48 With m, the successful 345 GHz
00:04:48 --> 00:04:51 observations, scientists are now on the cusp
00:04:51 --> 00:04:53 of creating something truly remarkable.
00:04:54 --> 00:04:56 Time lapse movies of black hole environments
00:04:56 --> 00:04:58 that would show us the dynamic nature of
00:04:58 --> 00:05:01 these extreme regions in unprecedented
00:05:01 --> 00:05:04 detail. For Matey 7's black hole, which
00:05:04 --> 00:05:06 evolves over a longer period of about three
00:05:06 --> 00:05:08 days, researchers could combine images
00:05:09 --> 00:05:11 collected over consecutive observation
00:05:11 --> 00:05:13 sessions to construct detailed
00:05:13 --> 00:05:16 visualisations of its active surroundings.
00:05:16 --> 00:05:19 These time lapse sequences would reveal how
00:05:19 --> 00:05:21 matter behaves as it approaches the event
00:05:21 --> 00:05:23 horizon, potentially showing the formation
00:05:23 --> 00:05:26 and evolution of jets that extend thousands
00:05:26 --> 00:05:29 of light years into space. Beyond the well
00:05:29 --> 00:05:31 known black holes at M, M87 and Sagittarius
00:05:31 --> 00:05:34 A, the improved resolution enables
00:05:34 --> 00:05:36 detailed studies of active galactic nuclei
00:05:36 --> 00:05:38 jets with unprecedented precision.
00:05:39 --> 00:05:41 Researchers can now investigate phenomena
00:05:41 --> 00:05:43 like limb brightening, where jets appear
00:05:43 --> 00:05:45 brighter near their edges, and study how
00:05:45 --> 00:05:47 these massive energy beams form and
00:05:47 --> 00:05:49 accelerate across vast cosmic distances.
00:05:50 --> 00:05:52 Perhaps most exciting is the potential for
00:05:52 --> 00:05:55 Multi Frequency Synthesis, a technique that
00:05:55 --> 00:05:57 combines data from different frequencies to
00:05:57 --> 00:06:00 map black hole environments in exquisite
00:06:00 --> 00:06:03 detail over time. For our galaxy's
00:06:03 --> 00:06:05 central black hole, this could provide real
00:06:05 --> 00:06:07 time glimpses into its turbulent
00:06:07 --> 00:06:09 surroundings, capturing moment by moment
00:06:09 --> 00:06:11 changes near the event horizon.
00:06:12 --> 00:06:14 Did you happen to see this? Earth has been
00:06:14 --> 00:06:17 putting on quite a show lately. A powerful
00:06:17 --> 00:06:19 coronal mass ejection struck our planet head
00:06:19 --> 00:06:22 on in the early hours of June 1, triggering
00:06:22 --> 00:06:24 one of the most spectacular aurora displays
00:06:24 --> 00:06:27 in recent memory. The CME originated from an
00:06:27 --> 00:06:30 M M8.2 class solar flare that erupted
00:06:30 --> 00:06:32 on May 30 and raced toward Earth at a
00:06:32 --> 00:06:34 staggering speed of nearly
00:06:34 --> 00:06:36 1 kilometres per second.
00:06:37 --> 00:06:39 That's about 4.3 million miles per hour.
00:06:40 --> 00:06:42 When this massive burst of solar energy
00:06:42 --> 00:06:44 collided with Earth's magnetic field, it, it
00:06:44 --> 00:06:47 triggered what scientists classify as a
00:06:47 --> 00:06:50 severe G4 geomagnetic storm.
00:06:50 --> 00:06:52 This intense disturbance in our planet's
00:06:52 --> 00:06:55 magnetosphere created breathtaking
00:06:55 --> 00:06:57 auroras that were visible much farther south
00:06:57 --> 00:07:00 than usual, delighting skygazers across North
00:07:00 --> 00:07:03 America. The severity of this particular
00:07:03 --> 00:07:05 storm meant that aurora chasers were treated
00:07:05 --> 00:07:08 to spectacular displays, even in regions
00:07:08 --> 00:07:10 where such sightings are extremely rare.
00:07:11 --> 00:07:13 Terry Gryphon captured beautiful aurora
00:07:13 --> 00:07:15 pillars in St. George, Kansas, noting that
00:07:15 --> 00:07:17 the white pillars were strikingly visible to
00:07:17 --> 00:07:20 the naked eye. In Cheyenne, Wyoming,
00:07:20 --> 00:07:23 skywatchers reported brilliant curtains of
00:07:23 --> 00:07:25 green and purple light dancing across the
00:07:25 --> 00:07:28 night sky. Perhaps most remarkable were the
00:07:28 --> 00:07:30 sightings from places like Farmington, New
00:07:30 --> 00:07:33 Mexico, where photographer Derek Wilson
00:07:33 --> 00:07:35 captured a, stunning timelapse of the
00:07:35 --> 00:07:37 northern lights. Wilson explained that
00:07:37 --> 00:07:40 visible auroras this far south are such a
00:07:40 --> 00:07:42 rare occurrence that he knew he had to get
00:07:42 --> 00:07:44 far from city lights when he saw the solar
00:07:44 --> 00:07:47 storm data. Most astonishingly, the
00:07:47 --> 00:07:49 light show was confirmed as visible on
00:07:49 --> 00:07:51 webcams as far south as San Diego,
00:07:51 --> 00:07:54 California, an extremely unusual occurrence
00:07:54 --> 00:07:56 that highlights just how powerful this G
00:07:56 --> 00:07:59 force storm truly was. The Southern
00:07:59 --> 00:08:00 hemisphere wasn't left out of this
00:08:00 --> 00:08:03 extraordinary light show. Sky watchers in New
00:08:03 --> 00:08:05 Zealand were treated to spectacular displays
00:08:05 --> 00:08:08 of the Aurora Australis with vibrant red
00:08:08 --> 00:08:11 and pink hues illuminating night skies. The
00:08:11 --> 00:08:13 crimson and magenta hues that dominated many
00:08:13 --> 00:08:16 Southern Hemisphere sightings created an
00:08:16 --> 00:08:19 almost otherworldly atmosphere, distinctly
00:08:19 --> 00:08:20 different from the predominantly green
00:08:20 --> 00:08:22 curtains often seen in the north.
00:08:23 --> 00:08:26 In Australia, the Aurora Australis made a
00:08:26 --> 00:08:29 dramatic appearance over Victoria. The aurora
00:08:29 --> 00:08:31 was particularly impressive over Tasmania,
00:08:31 --> 00:08:34 with observers in Queenstown reporting some
00:08:34 --> 00:08:37 of the most vibrant displays. The rugged
00:08:37 --> 00:08:39 landscape provided a striking foreground to
00:08:39 --> 00:08:42 the cosmic light show, with red and pink
00:08:42 --> 00:08:45 aurora reflections visible in the still
00:08:45 --> 00:08:47 waters of lakes and bays across the region.
00:08:48 --> 00:08:49 What makes these sightings especially
00:08:50 --> 00:08:52 remarkable is their rarity. While
00:08:52 --> 00:08:54 northern lights are occasionally visible in
00:08:54 --> 00:08:57 the northern United States, seeing auroras
00:08:57 --> 00:08:59 from places like San Diego or central
00:08:59 --> 00:09:02 Australia is extraordinarily uncommon,
00:09:02 --> 00:09:04 requiring exceptionally powerful
00:09:04 --> 00:09:07 geomagnetic storms, like this G4
00:09:07 --> 00:09:08 event.
00:09:09 --> 00:09:11 Now let's turn our attention to a mission
00:09:11 --> 00:09:13 that will take us to one of the most
00:09:13 --> 00:09:15 fascinating worlds in our solar system.
00:09:16 --> 00:09:18 NASA is preparing to launch the Dragonfly
00:09:18 --> 00:09:20 mission to Saturn's moon Titan in July
00:09:20 --> 00:09:23 2028, using a SpaceX
00:09:23 --> 00:09:25 Falcon Heavy rocket to send this
00:09:25 --> 00:09:27 revolutionary spacecraft on its six year
00:09:27 --> 00:09:30 journey. Titan is unlike any world
00:09:30 --> 00:09:33 we've explored before. It's the only moon in
00:09:33 --> 00:09:35 our solar system with a thick atmosphere and
00:09:35 --> 00:09:37 its surface is dotted with methane rivers,
00:09:37 --> 00:09:40 lakes and seas. This methane rich
00:09:40 --> 00:09:42 environment has scientists excited because
00:09:42 --> 00:09:45 they believe Titan resembles what Earth may
00:09:45 --> 00:09:46 have looked like billions of years ago,
00:09:47 --> 00:09:49 before life transformed our planet's
00:09:49 --> 00:09:51 chemistry. What makes Dragonfly truly
00:09:51 --> 00:09:54 revolutionary is its design. Rather than a
00:09:54 --> 00:09:57 traditional rover, NASA has created a nuclear
00:09:57 --> 00:09:59 powered rotorcraft, essentially a science
00:09:59 --> 00:10:02 drone that can fly from location to location
00:10:02 --> 00:10:05 across Titan's surface. This mobility
00:10:05 --> 00:10:07 will allow it to cover hundreds of kilometres
00:10:07 --> 00:10:09 during its mission, exploring diverse
00:10:09 --> 00:10:11 landscapes that would be impossible to reach
00:10:11 --> 00:10:14 with a wheeled vehicle. The principal
00:10:14 --> 00:10:17 investigator, Zibby Turtle from Johns Hopkins
00:10:17 --> 00:10:19 Applied Physics Laboratory, explains that
00:10:19 --> 00:10:21 Dragonfly isn't searching for current life on
00:10:21 --> 00:10:24 Titan. Instead, it's investigating the
00:10:24 --> 00:10:26 chemical processes that might have preceded
00:10:26 --> 00:10:29 life on Earth. Since Titan is so cold,
00:10:29 --> 00:10:32 about 144 degrees Celsius below zero,
00:10:32 --> 00:10:35 any chemical reactions occur much more slowly
00:10:35 --> 00:10:37 than they would on Earth, effectively
00:10:37 --> 00:10:39 preserving evidence of prebiotic chemistry.
00:10:40 --> 00:10:42 One of Dragonfly's prime destinations is Selk
00:10:42 --> 00:10:45 Crater, a, massive 90 kilometre wide impact
00:10:45 --> 00:10:47 site. Scientists believe this ancient
00:10:47 --> 00:10:50 asteroid impact may have temporarily melted
00:10:50 --> 00:10:53 Titan's icy crust, creating a warm pool of
00:10:53 --> 00:10:55 liquid water mixed with organic compounds,
00:10:55 --> 00:10:58 essentially a, prebiotic soup, similar to
00:10:58 --> 00:11:00 what might have spawned life on early Earth.
00:11:00 --> 00:11:03 By studying Titan, scientists hope to answer
00:11:03 --> 00:11:06 fundamental questions about how life begins.
00:11:06 --> 00:11:08 Is the path from chemistry to biology
00:11:08 --> 00:11:11 universal? Following the same pattern
00:11:11 --> 00:11:13 everywhere? Or was Earth's development of
00:11:13 --> 00:11:16 life a cosmic coincidence? It's
00:11:16 --> 00:11:18 essentially a long running chemical
00:11:18 --> 00:11:20 experiment, explains Sarah Horst, a
00:11:20 --> 00:11:23 Dragonfly co investigator. That's why Titan
00:11:23 --> 00:11:25 is exciting. It's a natural version of our
00:11:25 --> 00:11:28 origin of life experiments. Except it's been
00:11:28 --> 00:11:30 running much longer and on a planetary scale.
00:11:32 --> 00:11:35 Well, what an incredible journey around our
00:11:35 --> 00:11:37 cosmic neighbourhood. We've taken today from
00:11:37 --> 00:11:39 witnessing blue origin's continued progress
00:11:39 --> 00:11:42 in commercial spaceflight to marvelling at
00:11:42 --> 00:11:44 the sharpest black hole images ever captured
00:11:44 --> 00:11:46 from Earth. This has been Anna hosting
00:11:46 --> 00:11:49 Astronomy Daily if you'd like to keep up with
00:11:49 --> 00:11:51 all the latest space and astronomy news,
00:11:51 --> 00:11:54 visit our website@astronomydaily.IO,
00:11:54 --> 00:11:57 where our newsfeed updates constantly. You
00:11:57 --> 00:11:58 can also follow us on social media by
00:11:58 --> 00:12:01 searching for Astro Daily Pod on Facebook, X,
00:12:01 --> 00:12:03 YouTube, YouTube, Music, Instagram, Tumblr,
00:12:03 --> 00:12:06 and TikTok. Until next time, keep looking up.