- Rethinking the Milky Way and Andromeda Collision: Explore the latest research challenging the long-held belief that our Milky Way is on a collision course with the Andromeda galaxy. New simulations suggest a nearly 50% chance that these two galaxies may not collide at all within the next 10 billion years, reshaping our understanding of cosmic interactions.
- Robots Revolutionising Solar Power: Discover how the UK Atomic Energy Agency is pioneering the use of robots to construct gigawatt-scale solar power satellites in space. This innovative project aims to harness the intense solar energy available in orbit, potentially providing a continuous stream of clean energy back to Earth.
- Unusual Full Moon in June: Learn about the upcoming Full Moon on June 11, 2025, which will appear unusually low in the northern sky. This rare event is part of an 18.6-year cycle that influences the Moon's position, creating fascinating celestial patterns that have been observed for millennia.
- Space Launch Highlights: Stay updated on the latest launches from SpaceX and Rocket Lab, including a historic Axiom mission featuring a diverse international crew. With multiple Starlink deployments and significant milestones for human spaceflight, the commercial space sector is rapidly evolving and expanding access to space.
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 - Rethinking the Milky Way and Andromeda collision
10:00 - Robots revolutionising solar power
15:30 - Unusual Full Moon in June
20:00 - Space launch highlights
✍️ Episode References
Milky Way and Andromeda Research
[Nature Astronomy](https://www.nature.com/)
UK Atomic Energy Agency Solar Project
[UKAEA](https://www.gov.uk/government/organisations/uk-atomic-energy-authority)
Lunar Standstill Cycle
[NASA Moon Phases](https://moon.nasa.gov/)
SpaceX Launch Updates
[SpaceX](https://www.spacex.com/)
Rocket Lab Launch Information
[Rocket Lab](https://www.rocketlabusa.com/)
Astronomy Daily
[Astronomy Daily](http://www.astronomydaily.io/)
For Commercial-Free versions become a supporter of this podcast: https://www.spreaker.com/podcast/astronomy-daily-exciting-space-discoveries-and-news--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!
Become a supporter of Astronomy Daily by joining our Supporters Club. Commercial free episodes daily are only a click way... Click Here
00:00:00 --> 00:00:02 Anna: Hello and welcome to Astronomy Daily, your
00:00:02 --> 00:00:04 source for the latest developments in space
00:00:04 --> 00:00:07 science and astronomy. I'm your host, Anna.
00:00:07 --> 00:00:09 And today we've got a fascinating lineup of
00:00:09 --> 00:00:11 cosmic news to share with you. We'll start
00:00:11 --> 00:00:12 with a surprising revelation about our
00:00:12 --> 00:00:15 galactic neighbourhood. Then we'll look at
00:00:15 --> 00:00:17 how robots could revolutionise space based
00:00:17 --> 00:00:19 solar power with breakthrough technology that
00:00:19 --> 00:00:21 might soon beam, constant clean energy back
00:00:21 --> 00:00:24 to Earth. We'll also examine why June's
00:00:24 --> 00:00:27 upcoming Full Moon will be sitting unusually
00:00:27 --> 00:00:29 low in the northern sky, a rare celestial
00:00:29 --> 00:00:32 event. And finally, we'll catch up on the
00:00:32 --> 00:00:34 Latest launches from SpaceX and Rocket Lab,
00:00:34 --> 00:00:36 including historic milestones for human
00:00:36 --> 00:00:38 spaceflight. So stay with us as we journey
00:00:38 --> 00:00:41 through today's cosmic headlines on Astronomy
00:00:41 --> 00:00:43 Daily. Let's kick things off today
00:00:43 --> 00:00:45 with a story that might help you sleep easier
00:00:45 --> 00:00:46 at night.
00:00:47 --> 00:00:48 For what seems like billions of years,
00:00:48 --> 00:00:50 astronomers have been telling us that our
00:00:50 --> 00:00:52 Milky Way galaxy is on an inevitable
00:00:52 --> 00:00:55 collision course with our nearest large
00:00:55 --> 00:00:58 galactic neighbourhood, Andromeda. This
00:00:58 --> 00:01:00 cosmic crash was thought to be about 4 to 5
00:01:00 --> 00:01:03 billion years in our future, with the merger
00:01:03 --> 00:01:05 eventually creating what scientists had
00:01:05 --> 00:01:07 already named Milcomeda. But now
00:01:07 --> 00:01:10 this long held belief is being challenged by
00:01:10 --> 00:01:12 new research. A paper published in Nature
00:01:12 --> 00:01:14 Astronomy suggests that this galactic
00:01:14 --> 00:01:17 collision might not be as certain as we once
00:01:17 --> 00:01:19 thought. Scientists have analysed the latest
00:01:19 --> 00:01:22 and most accurate observations from both the
00:01:22 --> 00:01:24 Gaia and Hubble space telescopes, combined
00:01:24 --> 00:01:27 with recent mass estimates to recalculate the
00:01:27 --> 00:01:29 possible future scenarios for our Local Group
00:01:29 --> 00:01:32 of galaxies over the next 10 billion years.
00:01:33 --> 00:01:35 The Milky Way's path through the universe
00:01:35 --> 00:01:38 isn't just influenced by Andromeda. It's
00:01:38 --> 00:01:40 actually affected by the gravitational pull
00:01:40 --> 00:01:42 of several objects in our cosmic
00:01:42 --> 00:01:44 neighbourhood, including the smaller
00:01:44 --> 00:01:46 Triangulum Galaxy, also known as
00:01:46 --> 00:01:49 Messier33, along with the Large and
00:01:49 --> 00:01:52 Small Magellanic Clouds and various
00:01:52 --> 00:01:54 superclusters. What's particularly
00:01:54 --> 00:01:56 interesting is how these other cosmic bodies
00:01:56 --> 00:01:58 play a significant role in determining
00:01:58 --> 00:02:00 whether the Milky Way and Andromeda will
00:02:00 --> 00:02:03 actually collide. The research shows that
00:02:03 --> 00:02:05 while the Triangulum Galaxy increases the
00:02:05 --> 00:02:08 merger probability, the Large Magellanic
00:02:08 --> 00:02:10 Cloud's orbit runs perpendicular to the Milky
00:02:10 --> 00:02:13 Way Andromeda path, which actually makes
00:02:13 --> 00:02:16 their merger less likely. The most striking
00:02:16 --> 00:02:18 finding from these new simulations is that
00:02:18 --> 00:02:21 there's nearly a 50% chance that the Milky
00:02:21 --> 00:02:24 Way and Andromeda won't collide at all within
00:02:24 --> 00:02:27 the next 10 billion years. That's a dramatic
00:02:27 --> 00:02:29 shift from what was previously considered
00:02:29 --> 00:02:31 almost inevitable. The researchers do
00:02:31 --> 00:02:33 acknowledge some uncertainties in their
00:02:33 --> 00:02:36 model. They assumed, for example, that the
00:02:36 --> 00:02:38 mass distributions within the galaxies remain
00:02:38 --> 00:02:40 constant over the next 10 billion years,
00:02:41 --> 00:02:43 which may not be entirely accurate, but their
00:02:43 --> 00:02:46 updated simulations using the latest
00:02:46 --> 00:02:48 observational data and physics cast
00:02:48 --> 00:02:50 considerable doubt on whether this cosmic
00:02:50 --> 00:02:53 collision will ever occur. Interestingly,
00:02:53 --> 00:02:55 the study suggests there's a higher chance
00:02:55 --> 00:02:57 that the Milky Way will actually collide with
00:02:57 --> 00:03:00 the Large Magellanic cloud in about 2 billion
00:03:00 --> 00:03:02 years. Of course, none of us will be around
00:03:02 --> 00:03:04 to witness any of these potential cosmic
00:03:04 --> 00:03:07 crashes, but it's fascinating how our
00:03:07 --> 00:03:09 understanding of even the largest scale
00:03:09 --> 00:03:11 events in our cosmic neighbourhood continues
00:03:11 --> 00:03:12 to evolve.
00:03:13 --> 00:03:15 Next today, and I assure this is real and not
00:03:15 --> 00:03:18 some fancy sci fi dream. In a breakthrough
00:03:18 --> 00:03:19 that could revolutionise clean energy
00:03:19 --> 00:03:22 production, the UK Atomic Energy Agency has
00:03:22 --> 00:03:25 demonstrated that remotely operated robots
00:03:25 --> 00:03:27 can successfully build gigawatt scale solar
00:03:27 --> 00:03:30 power satellites without human intervention.
00:03:30 --> 00:03:33 This development, part of the Albatross
00:03:33 --> 00:03:35 project in collaboration with clean tech firm
00:03:35 --> 00:03:38 Space Solar, marks a significant step toward
00:03:38 --> 00:03:40 achieving round the clock renewable energy
00:03:40 --> 00:03:43 from space. The project, based at the
00:03:43 --> 00:03:45 UKEAEA's Cullam campus in Oxfordshire,
00:03:46 --> 00:03:48 utilised dual arm robotic manipulators to
00:03:48 --> 00:03:51 construct satellite components designed to be
00:03:51 --> 00:03:53 several kilometres long and about 20 metres
00:03:53 --> 00:03:56 wide. This robotic approach offers both
00:03:56 --> 00:03:59 cost advantages and safety benefits by
00:03:59 --> 00:04:01 reducing the need for astronaut involvement
00:04:01 --> 00:04:04 in the assembly, maintenance and eventual
00:04:04 --> 00:04:06 decommissioning of these massive structures.
00:04:07 --> 00:04:09 What makes this concept particularly
00:04:09 --> 00:04:12 promising is the intensity of solar energy
00:04:12 --> 00:04:15 available in space. According to the
00:04:15 --> 00:04:18 European Space Agency, sunlight at the top
00:04:18 --> 00:04:20 of Earth's atmosphere is more than 10 times
00:04:20 --> 00:04:23 stronger than at ground level. These orbital
00:04:23 --> 00:04:25 solar collectors would capture this
00:04:25 --> 00:04:28 uninterrupted energy source and beam it back
00:04:28 --> 00:04:30 to Earth as microwaves, which could then be
00:04:30 --> 00:04:32 converted into electricity by ground based
00:04:32 --> 00:04:35 antennas. The robotic technology being
00:04:35 --> 00:04:38 developed at UKEAEA's remote applications in
00:04:38 --> 00:04:40 Challenging Environment Centre isn't just for
00:04:40 --> 00:04:43 space applications. These same innovations
00:04:43 --> 00:04:46 support fusion energy production on Earth,
00:04:46 --> 00:04:48 highlighting the synergy between terrestrial
00:04:48 --> 00:04:50 and space based energy solutions.
00:04:51 --> 00:04:53 Space solar is moving quickly with this
00:04:53 --> 00:04:55 technology, expecting to Commission its first
00:04:55 --> 00:04:58 30 megawatt demonstrator system by
00:04:58 --> 00:05:00 2029 and reach full gigawatt
00:05:00 --> 00:05:02 scale capac within the following decade,
00:05:03 --> 00:05:05 potentially providing a continuous stream of
00:05:05 --> 00:05:07 clean energy from the limitless solar
00:05:07 --> 00:05:09 resources available in orbit.
00:05:10 --> 00:05:12 If you've been watching the night sky, you
00:05:12 --> 00:05:14 might notice something unusual happening this
00:05:14 --> 00:05:17 June. The Full Moon on June 11,
00:05:17 --> 00:05:20 2025 will appear remarkably low in
00:05:20 --> 00:05:23 the sky for Northern Hemisphere observers.
00:05:23 --> 00:05:26 In fact, it will be the lowest full moon
00:05:26 --> 00:05:29 we've seen in decades. This isn't random
00:05:29 --> 00:05:31 chance or an astronomical anomaly. It's
00:05:31 --> 00:05:34 actually part of a fascinating 18.6
00:05:34 --> 00:05:36 year cycle that affects how we see our lunar
00:05:36 --> 00:05:39 companion Unlike what many people
00:05:39 --> 00:05:42 assume, the Moon's orbit isn't aligned with
00:05:42 --> 00:05:44 Earth's equator or even with Earth's path
00:05:44 --> 00:05:47 around the Sun. The Moon's orbit is actually
00:05:47 --> 00:05:50 tilted by about 5.15 degrees relative
00:05:50 --> 00:05:52 to the ecliptic. That's the plane of Earth's
00:05:52 --> 00:05:55 orbit around the Sun. This tilt,
00:05:55 --> 00:05:58 combined with Earth's own 23.5 degree
00:05:58 --> 00:06:00 axial tilt, creates some interesting effects
00:06:00 --> 00:06:03 that play out over long time periods. Because
00:06:03 --> 00:06:05 of these combined tilts, the Moon can appear
00:06:05 --> 00:06:08 anywhere from 28.65 degrees south
00:06:08 --> 00:06:11 to 28.65 degrees north in our sky.
00:06:11 --> 00:06:14 This means that over time, the Moon seems to
00:06:14 --> 00:06:16 wander north and south against the background
00:06:16 --> 00:06:19 stars. Astronomers call the extreme points
00:06:19 --> 00:06:21 in this cycle lunar standstills.
00:06:22 --> 00:06:24 The last major lunar standstill occurred in
00:06:24 --> 00:06:27 2006, and now we're approaching another
00:06:27 --> 00:06:29 one. During this period, the Moon's path
00:06:29 --> 00:06:32 swings to its maximum extremes, making it
00:06:32 --> 00:06:34 appear exceptionally high in winter and
00:06:34 --> 00:06:36 exceptionally low in summer for Northern
00:06:36 --> 00:06:39 Hemisphere observers. That's why this June's
00:06:39 --> 00:06:42 Full Moon will barely skim the treetops for
00:06:42 --> 00:06:44 many North American and European viewers.
00:06:45 --> 00:06:47 And if you're in places like Alaska or
00:06:47 --> 00:06:50 Iceland, the Moon might not rise at all.
00:06:51 --> 00:06:53 Meanwhile, observers in the Southern
00:06:53 --> 00:06:55 hemisphere will experience the opposite
00:06:55 --> 00:06:57 effect. They'll see what's essentially their
00:06:57 --> 00:07:00 own long night's Moon riding remarkably high
00:07:00 --> 00:07:02 in their June skies. This
00:07:02 --> 00:07:05 gradual shifting of the Moon's path
00:07:05 --> 00:07:08 happens because the Moon's orbital plane is
00:07:08 --> 00:07:11 slowly being dragged around once every 18.6
00:07:11 --> 00:07:13 years, primarily due to the gravitational
00:07:13 --> 00:07:16 pull of the Sun. Astronomers call
00:07:16 --> 00:07:19 this the nodal precession. What's
00:07:19 --> 00:07:21 particularly fascinating is that ancient
00:07:21 --> 00:07:23 peoples recognised and tracked these lunar
00:07:23 --> 00:07:26 cycles at the Callanish stones in
00:07:26 --> 00:07:29 Scotland, erected during the bronze age over
00:07:29 --> 00:07:32 4000 years ago. Archaeoastronomers have
00:07:32 --> 00:07:34 discovered alignments that mark the rising
00:07:34 --> 00:07:37 and setting positions of the Moon at its
00:07:37 --> 00:07:39 extreme standstills. These
00:07:39 --> 00:07:42 ancient stone circles served as astronomical
00:07:42 --> 00:07:45 calendars, helping people track longer
00:07:45 --> 00:07:47 periods of time than the regular monthly
00:07:47 --> 00:07:49 lunar cycle. So when you look at this
00:07:49 --> 00:07:51 unusually low full Moon in June, remember
00:07:51 --> 00:07:53 you're witnessing the same celestial
00:07:53 --> 00:07:55 mechanics that our ancestors observed and
00:07:55 --> 00:07:58 celebrated thousands of years ago. A living
00:07:58 --> 00:08:00 connection to humanity's earliest attempts to
00:08:00 --> 00:08:02 understand the rhythms of the cosmos.
00:08:03 --> 00:08:05 Let's switch gears now and look at what's
00:08:05 --> 00:08:06 happening in space. Launches this week.
00:08:07 --> 00:08:09 SpaceX continues to dominate the launch
00:08:09 --> 00:08:11 schedule, with an impressive five missions
00:08:11 --> 00:08:13 packed into just one week. Rocket Lab
00:08:13 --> 00:08:16 kicked things off with their 65th Electron
00:08:16 --> 00:08:19 launch, nicknamed Full Stream, ahead just
00:08:19 --> 00:08:21 before June 3rd ended in New Zealand time.
00:08:21 --> 00:08:23 They successfully deployed a BlackSky
00:08:23 --> 00:08:26 Generation 3 satellite into orbit. This marks
00:08:26 --> 00:08:28 Rocket Lab's 10th launch for BlackSky
00:08:28 --> 00:08:30 technology, making them the most frequent
00:08:30 --> 00:08:33 launch provider for this constellation. The
00:08:33 --> 00:08:35 Gen 3 satellites are quite impressive,
00:08:35 --> 00:08:37 capable of producing images with 50
00:08:37 --> 00:08:39 centimetre resolution and equipped with
00:08:39 --> 00:08:42 shortwave infrared sensors. SpaceX
00:08:42 --> 00:08:44 has been even busier with multiple Starlink
00:08:44 --> 00:08:47 deployments across different launch sites.
00:08:47 --> 00:08:50 From Cape Canaveral in Florida, they launched
00:08:50 --> 00:08:52 Starlink Group 1219, carrying
00:08:52 --> 00:08:55 23 Starlink V2 mini satellites,
00:08:56 --> 00:08:58 13 of which feature the new direct to cell
00:08:58 --> 00:09:01 capabilities. This mission used booster
00:09:01 --> 00:09:03 B1077, making its
00:09:03 --> 00:09:06 remarkable 21st flight. The very
00:09:06 --> 00:09:09 same day, SpaceX conducted another Starlink
00:09:09 --> 00:09:11 launch from Vandenberg Space Force Base in
00:09:11 --> 00:09:14 California, delivering 27 more
00:09:14 --> 00:09:15 satellites to, a different orbital
00:09:15 --> 00:09:18 inclination. And if that wasn't enough,
00:09:18 --> 00:09:20 they scheduled yet another StarLink mission
00:09:20 --> 00:09:23 for June 8 from Vandenberg, adding 26 more
00:09:23 --> 00:09:25 satellites to their rapidly growing
00:09:25 --> 00:09:27 constellation. Beyond Starlink, SpaceX
00:09:27 --> 00:09:30 is launching the SXM10 satellite for SiriusXM
00:09:30 --> 00:09:33 on June 7. This third generation satellite
00:09:33 --> 00:09:35 weighs over 6 kilogrammes and will
00:09:35 --> 00:09:37 replace older satellites in the constellation
00:09:37 --> 00:09:40 that have been in service since 2005 and
00:09:40 --> 00:09:43 2006. SiriusXM currently serves
00:09:43 --> 00:09:46 over 33 million subscribers, highlighting how
00:09:46 --> 00:09:48 space technology directly impacts everyday
00:09:48 --> 00:09:50 services many of us use. Perhaps most
00:09:50 --> 00:09:53 exciting is the Axiom 4 crewed mission
00:09:53 --> 00:09:55 launching June 9th. Commander Peggy Whitson
00:09:55 --> 00:09:57 will lead a diverse international crew,
00:09:57 --> 00:09:59 including Shubanshu Shukla from India,
00:10:00 --> 00:10:03 Slavosh Usnanski from Poland and
00:10:03 --> 00:10:06 Tibor Kapu from Hungary, each representing
00:10:06 --> 00:10:07 only the second astronaut from their
00:10:07 --> 00:10:10 respective countries to reach space. They'll
00:10:10 --> 00:10:12 spend up to two weeks aboard the
00:10:12 --> 00:10:14 International Space Station, conducting 60
00:10:14 --> 00:10:17 scientific experiments, setting a record for
00:10:17 --> 00:10:20 the most research activities during an Axiom
00:10:20 --> 00:10:22 mission. The Dragon capsule for this mission
00:10:22 --> 00:10:25 is brand new, making its first flight, While
00:10:25 --> 00:10:28 the Falcon 9 booster is flying for just its
00:10:28 --> 00:10:30 second time, having been used only 41 days
00:10:30 --> 00:10:33 earlier for a Starlink mission. These
00:10:33 --> 00:10:35 milestones highlight how commercial space
00:10:35 --> 00:10:37 missions are now creating opportunities for
00:10:37 --> 00:10:39 nations that don't have their own human
00:10:39 --> 00:10:41 spaceflight programmes to send their citizens
00:10:41 --> 00:10:44 to orbit. It's democratising access to
00:10:44 --> 00:10:47 space in ways we couldn't have imagined even
00:10:47 --> 00:10:47 a decade ago.
00:10:49 --> 00:10:51 Well, what an incredible journey through
00:10:51 --> 00:10:54 space we've taken today. From reconsidering
00:10:54 --> 00:10:56 the collision course of galaxies to robots
00:10:56 --> 00:10:59 building solar satellites in orbit. From the
00:10:59 --> 00:11:02 moon's fascinating dance across our skies to
00:11:02 --> 00:11:04 the remarkable diversity of launches carrying
00:11:04 --> 00:11:07 humans and technology beyond our atmosphere.
00:11:08 --> 00:11:10 I'm Anna and I want to thank you for joining
00:11:10 --> 00:11:12 me on this episode of Astronomy Daily. If you
00:11:12 --> 00:11:14 enjoyed today's Cosmic Update, please visit
00:11:14 --> 00:11:17 astronomydaily IO where you can sign up for
00:11:17 --> 00:11:19 our free daily newsletter delivering the
00:11:19 --> 00:11:21 latest space news right to your inbox.
00:11:22 --> 00:11:24 Don't miss future episodes by subscribing to
00:11:24 --> 00:11:27 the podcast on Apple Podcasts, Spotify,
00:11:27 --> 00:11:29 YouTube, or wherever you get your podcasts.
00:11:30 --> 00:11:32 Your support helps us continue bringing the
00:11:32 --> 00:11:34 wonders of the universe down to Earth.
00:11:35 --> 00:11:37 Until next time, keep looking up. There's
00:11:37 --> 00:11:39 always something fascinating happening in our
00:11:39 --> 00:11:40 cosmic neighbourhood.