- China's Zhuqi 3 Rocket Launch: Landspace has successfully launched its Zhuqi 3 rocket, marking a significant milestone in the reusable rocket race. Although the first stage booster experienced a mishap during its landing attempt, the successful reach of orbit demonstrates the progress in China's commercial space industry.
- WASP 107B's Atmospheric Loss: The James Webb Space Telescope has captured stunning images of the gas giant WASP 107B, which is actively losing its atmosphere due to intense stellar radiation. This phenomenon provides valuable insights into planetary evolution and the life cycles of exoplanets.
- Asteroid Bennu's Life Ingredients: NASA's Osiris Rex mission has returned samples from Asteroid Bennu, revealing essential sugars like ribose and glucose. These findings support the theory that asteroids could have delivered the building blocks of life to early Earth, with a fascinating discovery of a complex organic material playfully dubbed "Spacegum."
- December's Celestial Events: Sky watchers can look forward to a spectacular full moon, known as the Cold Moon, that will coincide with a supermoon and a major lunar standstill, making it a rare and beautiful sight in the winter sky.
- Hataku Matu R's Stunning Imagery: Despite the crash landing of the Japanese lunar lander Hataku Matu R, it captured breathtaking images of Earth during a total solar eclipse, showcasing the beauty of our planet from a unique perspective.
- Cosmic Ray and JetBlue Emergency Landing: A fascinating theory suggests that a cosmic ray may have caused a JetBlue airliner to experience a sudden altitude drop, highlighting the potential effects of high-energy particles from deep space on modern avionics.
- For more cosmic updates, visit our website at astronomydaily.io. Join our community on social media by searching for #AstroDailyPod on Facebook, X, YouTubeMusic, 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 Avery and Anna signing off. Until next time, keep looking up and exploring the wonders of our universe.
Zhuqi 3 Rocket Launch
[Landspace](https://www.landspace.com/)
WASP 107B Observations
[NASA](https://www.nasa.gov/)
Osiris Rex Mission Findings
[NASA Osiris Rex](https://www.nasa.gov/osiris-rex)
Lunar Events Details
[Astronomy Magazine](https://www.astronomy.com/)
Hataku Matu R Imagery
[Japan Aerospace Exploration Agency](https://www.jaxa.jp/)
Cosmic Ray Theory
[JetBlue Airways](https://www.jetblue.com/)
Become a supporter of this podcast: https://www.spreaker.com/podcast/astronomy-daily-space-news-updates--5648921/support.
Sponsor Details:
Ensure your online privacy by using NordVPN. To get our special listener deal and save a lot of money, visit www.bitesz.com/nordvpn. You'll be glad you did!
Sponsor Details:
Ensure your online privacy by using NordVPN. To get our special listener deal and save a lot of money, visit www.bitesz.com/nordvpn. You'll be glad you did!
Become a supporter of Astronomy Daily by joining our Supporters Club. Commercial free episodes daily are only a click way... Click Here
This episode includes AI-generated content.
00:00:00 --> 00:00:02 Avery: Hello, and welcome to Astronomy
00:00:02 --> 00:00:05 Daily, the podcast that brings you the
00:00:05 --> 00:00:07 universe one story at a time. I'm
00:00:07 --> 00:00:08 Avery.
00:00:08 --> 00:00:11 Anna: And I'm Anna. It's great to have you with us
00:00:11 --> 00:00:13 today. We're covering everything from
00:00:13 --> 00:00:16 exploding rockets and sugars on
00:00:16 --> 00:00:18 asteroids to a cosmic ray that might have
00:00:18 --> 00:00:20 sent an airplane into a dive.
00:00:21 --> 00:00:24 Avery: It's going to be a wild ride. Let's get
00:00:24 --> 00:00:26 started with our first story, which takes us
00:00:26 --> 00:00:29 to the rapidly evolving world of commercial
00:00:29 --> 00:00:31 spaceflight in China.
00:00:31 --> 00:00:33 Anna: There is so much going on with space
00:00:33 --> 00:00:36 technology in China at the moment, isn't
00:00:36 --> 00:00:37 there? What's the latest?
00:00:37 --> 00:00:40 Avery: So, Anna, there's big news from a company
00:00:40 --> 00:00:43 called Landspace. They just launched their
00:00:43 --> 00:00:46 Zhuqi 3 rocket, and it's a major
00:00:46 --> 00:00:48 step forward in the reusable rocket race.
00:00:49 --> 00:00:51 Anna: That's right, Avery. This is a methane
00:00:51 --> 00:00:54 powered rocket, similar in concept to
00:00:54 --> 00:00:56 SpaceX's Starship, designed for
00:00:56 --> 00:00:59 reusability. And the big news is that the
00:00:59 --> 00:01:01 first launch was, in large part, a, uh,
00:01:01 --> 00:01:04 success. The the rocket successfully reached
00:01:04 --> 00:01:04 orbit.
00:01:05 --> 00:01:07 Avery: Reaching orbit on a brand new rocket is the
00:01:07 --> 00:01:10 single biggest hurdle. So that's fantastic
00:01:10 --> 00:01:13 news for them. But I hear the second half of
00:01:13 --> 00:01:15 the test didn't go quite so smoothly.
00:01:16 --> 00:01:19 Anna: Yes, the reusable part of the test hit a
00:01:19 --> 00:01:21 snag. The first stage booster, which is
00:01:21 --> 00:01:23 supposed to fly back and land itself for
00:01:23 --> 00:01:26 reuse, experienced what the company calls a
00:01:26 --> 00:01:27 mishap.
00:01:27 --> 00:01:30 Avery: A, uh, mishap is putting it mildly. It
00:01:30 --> 00:01:32 exploded during the landing attempt, right?
00:01:32 --> 00:01:35 Anna: It did. But Land's base is still
00:01:35 --> 00:01:37 framing the overall mission as a success.
00:01:38 --> 00:01:40 And in the world of rocket development, they
00:01:40 --> 00:01:42 have a point. Proving your design can reach
00:01:42 --> 00:01:45 orbital velocity is a massive achievement.
00:01:45 --> 00:01:48 Avery: That makes sense. It's an iterative process.
00:01:48 --> 00:01:50 They've nailed the hardest part, and now they
00:01:50 --> 00:01:52 can use the data from the failed landing to
00:01:52 --> 00:01:54 figure out how to stick it next time.
00:01:55 --> 00:01:57 Anna: Precisely. It shows that the global
00:01:57 --> 00:01:59 competition for reusable rockets is heating
00:01:59 --> 00:02:02 up, and it's not just limited to a few big
00:02:02 --> 00:02:04 players anymore. This is a significant
00:02:04 --> 00:02:06 milestone for China's commercial space
00:02:06 --> 00:02:06 industry.
00:02:07 --> 00:02:09 Avery: And of course, we'll be keeping an eye on all
00:02:09 --> 00:02:11 their developments in the coming months.
00:02:11 --> 00:02:14 Anna: From rockets soaring up, we turn to a
00:02:14 --> 00:02:17 planet that is falling apart. The James
00:02:17 --> 00:02:19 Webb Space Telescope has given us an
00:02:19 --> 00:02:22 extraordinary view of an exoplanet that
00:02:22 --> 00:02:24 is actively losing its atmosphere.
00:02:24 --> 00:02:27 Avery: I love a good JWST story.
00:02:28 --> 00:02:30 Which planet are we talking about? And, um,
00:02:30 --> 00:02:32 what does that even look like? A planet
00:02:32 --> 00:02:33 shedding its atmosphere. What?
00:02:34 --> 00:02:36 Anna: The planet is WASP 107B.
00:02:36 --> 00:02:39 It's a gas giant, but it's unusually
00:02:39 --> 00:02:42 Puffy. It's very large for its mass
00:02:42 --> 00:02:44 because it orbits extremely close to its
00:02:44 --> 00:02:47 star. The intense radiation is boiling its
00:02:47 --> 00:02:49 atmosphere away into space.
00:02:50 --> 00:02:53 Avery: Wow. So it's just venting gas out into
00:02:53 --> 00:02:53 the void.
00:02:54 --> 00:02:57 Anna: Exactly. And Webb's instruments were able to
00:02:57 --> 00:02:59 detect a massive cloud of helium being
00:02:59 --> 00:03:02 stripped from the planet. This cloud is so
00:03:02 --> 00:03:05 large that it actually forms a giant T
00:03:05 --> 00:03:07 that travels ahead of the planet in its
00:03:07 --> 00:03:08 orbit.
00:03:08 --> 00:03:10 Avery: It travels ahead of the planet? How does that
00:03:10 --> 00:03:11 work?
00:03:11 --> 00:03:13 Anna: It's due to the complex interaction between
00:03:13 --> 00:03:16 the stellar wind and the planet's own orbital
00:03:16 --> 00:03:18 motion. It's a bit like a boat's wake
00:03:18 --> 00:03:20 appearing in front of it in a strong current.
00:03:21 --> 00:03:24 Avery: That's incredible. So this gives us a real
00:03:24 --> 00:03:26 time look at how planets can die
00:03:26 --> 00:03:29 or at least transform over billions of
00:03:29 --> 00:03:30 years.
00:03:30 --> 00:03:33 Anna: Yes, It's a vital piece of the puzzle for
00:03:33 --> 00:03:35 understanding planetary evolution. By
00:03:35 --> 00:03:38 studying planets like Wasp 1, we can
00:03:38 --> 00:03:40 learn more about how our own solar system may
00:03:40 --> 00:03:42 have formed and changed over time.
00:03:43 --> 00:03:43 Avery: Alright.
00:03:43 --> 00:03:45 From the ingredients of planets being
00:03:45 --> 00:03:47 stripped away, let's talk about the
00:03:47 --> 00:03:50 ingredients for life being found in a very
00:03:50 --> 00:03:53 exciting place. The samples from Asteroid
00:03:53 --> 00:03:55 Bennu are back. And they did not
00:03:55 --> 00:03:56 disappoint.
00:03:56 --> 00:03:59 Anna: They certainly did not. After years of
00:03:59 --> 00:04:02 travel, NASA's Osiris Rex mission
00:04:02 --> 00:04:05 returned pristine samples from the asteroid.
00:04:05 --> 00:04:07 And the initial findings are groundbreaking.
00:04:08 --> 00:04:10 Scientists have confirmed the presence of
00:04:10 --> 00:04:12 essential sugars within the asteroid
00:04:12 --> 00:04:13 material.
00:04:13 --> 00:04:15 Avery: And we're not talking about table sugar here,
00:04:15 --> 00:04:18 we're talking about the fundamental building
00:04:18 --> 00:04:19 blocks, uh, of life, right?
00:04:20 --> 00:04:23 Anna: Precisely. They have positively identified
00:04:23 --> 00:04:25 sugars like ribose, which is a critical
00:04:25 --> 00:04:28 component of rna, the molecule that may have
00:04:28 --> 00:04:31 preceded DNA in the earliest forms of life.
00:04:31 --> 00:04:33 They also found other vital sugars like
00:04:33 --> 00:04:34 glucose.
00:04:34 --> 00:04:37 Avery: So this adds huge weight to the theory
00:04:37 --> 00:04:39 that asteroids and comets could have
00:04:39 --> 00:04:41 delivered these prebiotic ingredients to the
00:04:41 --> 00:04:43 early Earth, kickstarting life here.
00:04:44 --> 00:04:46 Anna: Mm mhm. It's some of the strongest evidence
00:04:46 --> 00:04:49 to date. It tells us that these fundamental
00:04:49 --> 00:04:51 building blocks were likely common in the
00:04:51 --> 00:04:54 early solar system, available to planets like
00:04:54 --> 00:04:55 ours.
00:04:55 --> 00:04:57 Avery: Okay, I have to ask about my favorite part of
00:04:57 --> 00:05:00 this story. The space gum. What on Earth is
00:05:00 --> 00:05:00 that?
00:05:01 --> 00:05:03 Anna: Yes. The team also discovered a strange
00:05:03 --> 00:05:06 black, viscous organic material that
00:05:06 --> 00:05:08 they've playfully nicknamed Spacegum.
00:05:09 --> 00:05:11 They're still analyzing its exact
00:05:11 --> 00:05:13 composition, but it appears to be a very
00:05:14 --> 00:05:16 complex carbon rich substance. Just
00:05:16 --> 00:05:19 another fascinating piece of this cosmic
00:05:19 --> 00:05:19 puzzle.
00:05:19 --> 00:05:22 Avery: From asteroids to our own celestial neighbor.
00:05:22 --> 00:05:25 Let's bring it closer to home. Sky watchers
00:05:25 --> 00:05:28 are in for a special event this December. In
00:05:28 --> 00:05:29 coming days, in fact.
00:05:29 --> 00:05:31 Anna: That's right, the final full moon of
00:05:31 --> 00:05:34 2025. Has a few special things going
00:05:34 --> 00:05:37 for it. It's known as the cold Moon. And
00:05:37 --> 00:05:40 this year, it will also be a supermoon.
00:05:40 --> 00:05:43 Avery: Supermoon? That means it'll appear larger and
00:05:43 --> 00:05:45 brighter in the sky because it's closer to
00:05:45 --> 00:05:47 Earth and its orbit. I always love a good
00:05:47 --> 00:05:47 supermoon.
00:05:48 --> 00:05:51 Anna: It does. But there's an even more rare
00:05:51 --> 00:05:54 event happening at the same time. Something
00:05:54 --> 00:05:56 called a major lunar standstill.
00:05:57 --> 00:05:59 Avery: Okay, a major lunar standstill. That sounds
00:05:59 --> 00:06:01 very official and very dramatic. Break that
00:06:01 --> 00:06:02 down for us.
00:06:02 --> 00:06:05 Anna: It's a point in the moon's 18.6
00:06:05 --> 00:06:08 year cycle where its orbit is tilted
00:06:08 --> 00:06:11 to the maximum degree relative to Earth's
00:06:11 --> 00:06:13 equator. For those of us in the northern
00:06:13 --> 00:06:16 hemisphere, it means this full moon will
00:06:16 --> 00:06:19 trace a much higher arc across the winter sky
00:06:19 --> 00:06:19 than usual.
00:06:20 --> 00:06:22 Avery: Right, so it's not just closer, it's also
00:06:22 --> 00:06:24 taking the high road across the sky. The.
00:06:24 --> 00:06:26 That should make it visible for longer and
00:06:26 --> 00:06:27 easier to see.
00:06:28 --> 00:06:30 Anna: Exactly. It will rise in the northeast and
00:06:30 --> 00:06:33 set in the northwest, Similar to the sun's
00:06:33 --> 00:06:35 path in the summer. And it will stay above
00:06:35 --> 00:06:38 the horizon for an extended period. It's a
00:06:38 --> 00:06:41 perfect combination for a beautiful lunar
00:06:41 --> 00:06:41 spectacle.
00:06:42 --> 00:06:44 Avery: So make sure you get outside and look up, as
00:06:44 --> 00:06:45 we like to remind you.
00:06:46 --> 00:06:49 Anna: And while we're on the subject of our moon,
00:06:49 --> 00:06:52 we have a beautiful but bittersweet story
00:06:52 --> 00:06:54 from the Japanese lunar lander Hataku
00:06:54 --> 00:06:56 Matu R. Oh, right.
00:06:56 --> 00:06:58 Avery: This was the private mission that attempted
00:06:58 --> 00:07:01 to land on the moon last year. Sadly, it
00:07:01 --> 00:07:03 crashed in the final seconds of its descent.
00:07:04 --> 00:07:06 Anna: It did. But before the mission ended, it
00:07:06 --> 00:07:09 captured some truly breathtaking imagery.
00:07:09 --> 00:07:12 And one photo in particular has been making
00:07:12 --> 00:07:14 the rounds. It's a stunning shot of our
00:07:14 --> 00:07:15 own planet.
00:07:16 --> 00:07:18 Avery: I've seen it. It's an image of Earth during a
00:07:18 --> 00:07:21 total solar eclipse Taken from space.
00:07:22 --> 00:07:24 You can clearly see the round shadow of the
00:07:24 --> 00:07:26 moon moving across the Earth's surface.
00:07:27 --> 00:07:29 Australia in particular. It's just an
00:07:29 --> 00:07:30 incredible perspective.
00:07:31 --> 00:07:33 Anna: It really is. It's a viewpoint we so rarely
00:07:33 --> 00:07:36 get to see. It's a powerful reminder of the
00:07:36 --> 00:07:39 beauty of our world and the celestial dance.
00:07:39 --> 00:07:42 It's a part of a final, beautiful piece of
00:07:42 --> 00:07:44 data from, um, a mission that came so close
00:07:44 --> 00:07:45 to achieving its goal.
00:07:46 --> 00:07:48 Avery: Okay, for our final story, we're coming back
00:07:48 --> 00:07:50 down to Earth, but it's a story with a truly
00:07:50 --> 00:07:52 cosmic origin story.
00:07:52 --> 00:07:54 This sounds like pure science fiction, Anna,
00:07:54 --> 00:07:56 but an expert is suggesting a cosmic ray may
00:07:56 --> 00:07:59 have been responsible for forcing a JetBlue
00:07:59 --> 00:08:01 airliner into an emergency landing.
00:08:02 --> 00:08:04 Anna: It's a fascinating theory. The flight in
00:08:04 --> 00:08:07 question experienced a sudden, unexpected
00:08:07 --> 00:08:10 drop in altitude. And while there's no
00:08:10 --> 00:08:12 official cause yet, one plausible,
00:08:12 --> 00:08:15 though unproven explanation involves a
00:08:15 --> 00:08:18 high energy particle from deep space.
00:08:18 --> 00:08:21 Avery: A single particle can do that to a massive
00:08:21 --> 00:08:22 airplane? How is that even possible?
00:08:24 --> 00:08:27 Anna: To a phenomenon called a single event
00:08:27 --> 00:08:29 upset? High energy cosmic
00:08:29 --> 00:08:32 rays, often accelerated by distant
00:08:32 --> 00:08:35 supernovas, are constantly
00:08:35 --> 00:08:38 bombarding our atmosphere. If one
00:08:38 --> 00:08:41 of these particles, traveling at near the
00:08:41 --> 00:08:43 speed of light, happens to strike a
00:08:43 --> 00:08:46 microscopic transistor in one of the
00:08:46 --> 00:08:49 plane's flight computers. Uh-huh. It can
00:08:49 --> 00:08:51 deposit enough energy to. To flip
00:08:51 --> 00:08:54 a bit of memory. It can change a
00:08:54 --> 00:08:57 digital one to a zero or vice
00:08:57 --> 00:09:00 versa. In a non critical system,
00:09:00 --> 00:09:02 you'd never notice. But if it
00:09:02 --> 00:09:05 hits a crucial part of the processor,
00:09:05 --> 00:09:08 it could cause a temporary glitch or
00:09:08 --> 00:09:10 even a system reboot.
00:09:11 --> 00:09:14 Avery: So the plane's electronic brain could have a
00:09:14 --> 00:09:17 momentary hiccup caused by a particle from
00:09:17 --> 00:09:19 an exploded star millions of light years
00:09:19 --> 00:09:21 away. That is mind blowing.
00:09:22 --> 00:09:25 Anna: It is. And while it's important
00:09:25 --> 00:09:28 to note this is just one expert's
00:09:28 --> 00:09:30 hypothesis, it is scientifically
00:09:30 --> 00:09:33 plausible. Modern avionics have
00:09:33 --> 00:09:36 extensive shielding and redundant
00:09:36 --> 00:09:39 systems to prevent this. But the
00:09:39 --> 00:09:42 possibility, however remote, is always
00:09:42 --> 00:09:45 there. It's a wild reminder that
00:09:45 --> 00:09:47 we're never truly separate from the
00:09:47 --> 00:09:49 events of the wider cosmos.
00:09:50 --> 00:09:52 Avery: That really is a mind bending connection.
00:09:52 --> 00:09:55 And on, um, that cosmic note, that's all the
00:09:55 --> 00:09:57 time we have for today's episode of Astronomy
00:09:57 --> 00:10:00 Daily. What a trip across the universe it's
00:10:00 --> 00:10:00 been.
00:10:01 --> 00:10:04 Anna: It certainly has. Thank you all so
00:10:04 --> 00:10:06 much for joining us. We'll be back again
00:10:06 --> 00:10:09 tomorrow with another roundup of the latest
00:10:09 --> 00:10:11 news from around and beyond our world.
00:10:12 --> 00:10:15 Avery: Until then, clear skies. And one more
00:10:15 --> 00:10:17 reminder, Keep looking up.