00:00:00 --> 00:00:02 Avery: And hello and welcome back to Astronomy
00:00:02 --> 00:00:04 Daily, your daily dose of cosmic news. I'm
00:00:04 --> 00:00:05 Avery.
00:00:05 --> 00:00:07 Anna: And I'm Anna. It's great to be with you all
00:00:07 --> 00:00:10 again as we break down the latest happenings
00:00:10 --> 00:00:11 from across the universe.
00:00:11 --> 00:00:14 Avery: And today we've got a major rocket launch
00:00:14 --> 00:00:16 that got scrubbed at the last minute. The
00:00:16 --> 00:00:19 discovery of a truly unique exoplanet system,
00:00:19 --> 00:00:22 and our first ever detailed look at a star
00:00:22 --> 00:00:23 outside our own galaxy.
00:00:24 --> 00:00:26 Anna: Plus we'll be looking at the dangerous
00:00:26 --> 00:00:28 weather on Venus and, well,
00:00:29 --> 00:00:31 let's just say a new recipe for space food
00:00:31 --> 00:00:33 that is raising some eyebrows.
00:00:33 --> 00:00:35 Avery: You're not kidding, Anna. It's definitely an
00:00:35 --> 00:00:37 interesting one. So let's not wait any
00:00:37 --> 00:00:38 longer. Let's get right into it.
00:00:39 --> 00:00:40 Anna: I'm ready if you are.
00:00:40 --> 00:00:42 Avery: Okay, first up, uh, let's talk about some
00:00:42 --> 00:00:45 drama down on the launch pad. It was supposed
00:00:45 --> 00:00:47 to be a big day for Blue Origin, but their
00:00:47 --> 00:00:49 second ever New Glenn rocket launch was
00:00:49 --> 00:00:50 scrubbed yet again.
00:00:51 --> 00:00:53 Anna: Right. This was a really crucial mission for
00:00:53 --> 00:00:55 them. This wasn't just another test flight.
00:00:55 --> 00:00:58 It was a commercial mission carrying NASA's
00:00:58 --> 00:00:59 Escapade spacecraft.
00:00:59 --> 00:01:01 Avery: Escapade is headed to Mars, so a very
00:01:01 --> 00:01:04 important payload. But the launch was hit
00:01:04 --> 00:01:06 with a triple whammy of problems.
00:01:06 --> 00:01:08 Anna: Mhm. What happened?
00:01:08 --> 00:01:10 Avery: First, there was bad weather moving into the
00:01:10 --> 00:01:12 area. That's pretty standard. Then they
00:01:12 --> 00:01:14 reported some minor equipment issues they
00:01:14 --> 00:01:17 needed to sort out. But the real kicker was a
00:01:17 --> 00:01:18 cruise ship.
00:01:18 --> 00:01:19 Anna: A cruise ship?
00:01:21 --> 00:01:23 Avery: You're kidding. Nope. A cruise ship had
00:01:23 --> 00:01:25 apparently wandered into the restricted
00:01:25 --> 00:01:28 flight path zone offshore. You can plan for
00:01:28 --> 00:01:30 technical glitches and weather, but it's
00:01:30 --> 00:01:32 tough to plan for a road rogue vacation
00:01:32 --> 00:01:32 vessel.
00:01:32 --> 00:01:35 Anna: Wow. That has to be frustrating for the
00:01:35 --> 00:01:38 entire team. So when will they try again?
00:01:38 --> 00:01:40 Avery: The new launch date is set for November 12,
00:01:41 --> 00:01:43 so fingers crossed they get a clear sky and
00:01:43 --> 00:01:45 more importantly, a clear ocean.
00:01:46 --> 00:01:48 Anna: And there's so much riding on this
00:01:48 --> 00:01:51 because it's not just about getting the NASA
00:01:51 --> 00:01:53 probe on its way. It's about the rocket
00:01:53 --> 00:01:56 itself. The main goal for Blue Origin here is
00:01:56 --> 00:01:59 to prove the reusability of the new Glenn's
00:01:59 --> 00:02:00 first first stage booster.
00:02:00 --> 00:02:03 Avery: Exactly. During the very first launch, that
00:02:03 --> 00:02:06 booster failed to land successfully on the
00:02:06 --> 00:02:08 drone ship. For a rocket to be commercially
00:02:08 --> 00:02:11 viable these days, it has to be reusable.
00:02:12 --> 00:02:14 So this is a massive test for Blue Origin to
00:02:14 --> 00:02:15 show they can compete.
00:02:15 --> 00:02:17 Anna: We'll definitely be watching on November
00:02:17 --> 00:02:18 12th.
00:02:18 --> 00:02:21 Let's move from our solar system to worlds
00:02:21 --> 00:02:24 much farther away. Astronomers have just
00:02:24 --> 00:02:27 confirmed a fascinating new exoplanet system
00:02:27 --> 00:02:30 called TOI2267.
00:02:30 --> 00:02:32 Avery: Oh, this is the one in the binary star
00:02:32 --> 00:02:34 system, right? The one that's about 72 light
00:02:34 --> 00:02:35 years away?
00:02:35 --> 00:02:38 Anna: That's the one. It's a system with two
00:02:38 --> 00:02:40 red dwarf stars orbiting each other
00:02:40 --> 00:02:42 relatively closely. And what makes this
00:02:42 --> 00:02:45 discovery so groundbreaking is that it's the
00:02:45 --> 00:02:48 first time we've ever found planets that are
00:02:48 --> 00:02:51 transiting or passing in front of both of
00:02:51 --> 00:02:52 the stars in a binary system.
00:02:53 --> 00:02:56 Avery: Wow, that's incredible. So there are planets
00:02:56 --> 00:02:59 orbiting each of the suns in this two sun
00:02:59 --> 00:03:00 system. How many did they find?
00:03:01 --> 00:03:03 Anna: They have confirmed two rocky exoplanets
00:03:04 --> 00:03:06 and they have a very strong candidate for a
00:03:06 --> 00:03:09 third. This is so exciting because
00:03:09 --> 00:03:12 finding planets in such a close binary system
00:03:12 --> 00:03:14 really throws a wrench in our existing models
00:03:14 --> 00:03:15 of planet formation.
00:03:16 --> 00:03:17 Avery: Right. Because the gravitational environment
00:03:18 --> 00:03:20 would be so chaotic, you'd think the pull
00:03:20 --> 00:03:23 from the second star would disrupt a delicate
00:03:23 --> 00:03:25 process of dust and gas clumping together to
00:03:25 --> 00:03:26 form planets.
00:03:27 --> 00:03:29 Anna: Precisely. The thinking was that it would be
00:03:29 --> 00:03:32 very difficult, if not impossible, for
00:03:32 --> 00:03:35 rocky Earth like planets to form there. But
00:03:35 --> 00:03:38 this discovery challenges that idea directly.
00:03:38 --> 00:03:40 It suggests that the universe is better at
00:03:40 --> 00:03:43 making planets than we gave it credit for and
00:03:43 --> 00:03:45 that uh, rocky worlds might be far more
00:03:45 --> 00:03:47 common in binary systems than we ever
00:03:47 --> 00:03:48 thought.
00:03:48 --> 00:03:51 Avery: That's amazing. What are the next steps for
00:03:51 --> 00:03:51 studying?
00:03:51 --> 00:03:53 Anna: The system team is planning follow up
00:03:53 --> 00:03:56 observations with both the Hubble and the
00:03:56 --> 00:03:58 James Webb space telescopes. They want to
00:03:58 --> 00:04:01 study the atmospheres of these planets and
00:04:01 --> 00:04:03 confirm the third candidate.
00:04:03 --> 00:04:06 Avery: A multi planet system around a double
00:04:06 --> 00:04:08 sun. It sounds like something straight out of
00:04:08 --> 00:04:10 science fiction. I can't wait to see what
00:04:10 --> 00:04:11 JWST.
00:04:11 --> 00:04:14 Anna: Finds there and we'll be sure to report them
00:04:14 --> 00:04:15 when the findings are in.
00:04:15 --> 00:04:17 Avery: Alright, let's bring it a bit closer to home
00:04:17 --> 00:04:20 now. Or at least closer to the astronauts
00:04:20 --> 00:04:22 orbiting our home on the International Space
00:04:22 --> 00:04:24 Station. Ana, uh, you tease this one at the
00:04:24 --> 00:04:27 top of the show. Space food is getting
00:04:27 --> 00:04:28 weird.
00:04:29 --> 00:04:31 Anna: Creative is the word I used, I believe.
00:04:32 --> 00:04:34 But yes, this is certainly a conversation
00:04:34 --> 00:04:37 starter. The European Space Agency or
00:04:37 --> 00:04:40 esa, is currently testing a new kind
00:04:40 --> 00:04:43 of food, a powdered protein called
00:04:43 --> 00:04:44 solane.
00:04:44 --> 00:04:46 Avery: Solane? Okay, sounds
00:04:46 --> 00:04:48 futuristic. What's it made from?
00:04:48 --> 00:04:51 Anna: It's made in a bioreactor from
00:04:51 --> 00:04:53 microbes, air and electricity.
00:04:54 --> 00:04:56 It's a type of gas fermentation process.
00:04:57 --> 00:04:59 But the headline grabbing part isn't how it's
00:04:59 --> 00:05:02 made, but rather the planned source for a key
00:05:02 --> 00:05:03 ingredient on the iss.
00:05:04 --> 00:05:07 Avery: I'm bracing myself. What's the ingredient?
00:05:07 --> 00:05:09 Anna: It requires a source of nitrogen
00:05:10 --> 00:05:12 and the plan is to use urea, which would
00:05:12 --> 00:05:15 be harvested directly from astronaut urine.
00:05:16 --> 00:05:18 Avery: There it is. So they are making food
00:05:19 --> 00:05:20 from astronaut.
00:05:20 --> 00:05:22 Anna: P in a very complex,
00:05:22 --> 00:05:25 sterile and highly scientific way. Yes.
00:05:26 --> 00:05:28 It's all about creating a closed loop
00:05:28 --> 00:05:31 sustainable food system for long duration
00:05:31 --> 00:05:34 missions to the moon or Mars. You can't
00:05:34 --> 00:05:36 rely on resupply missions from Earth for all
00:05:36 --> 00:05:39 your food. You have to make it yourself from
00:05:39 --> 00:05:39 what you have.
00:05:40 --> 00:05:42 Avery: That makes perfect sense. Waste not, want
00:05:42 --> 00:05:45 not. Especially when you're millions of miles
00:05:45 --> 00:05:47 from the nearest grocery store. It's the
00:05:47 --> 00:05:48 ultimate form of recycling.
00:05:48 --> 00:05:51 Anna: Exactly. The project even has a fun
00:05:51 --> 00:05:54 Hobi Wan. The goal is to perfect this
00:05:54 --> 00:05:57 gas fermentation technology so that it can
00:05:57 --> 00:06:00 operate efficiently in microgravity
00:06:00 --> 00:06:02 environments of space. If it works, it
00:06:02 --> 00:06:04 could be a game changer for deep space
00:06:04 --> 00:06:05 exploration.
00:06:05 --> 00:06:08 Avery: Obi Wan, I'm still going to picture a Jedi
00:06:08 --> 00:06:11 knight in a lab coat. But I have to admit,
00:06:11 --> 00:06:13 it's a fascinating and incredibly practical
00:06:13 --> 00:06:15 innovation from the space station.
00:06:16 --> 00:06:18 Anna: Let's journey much, much farther out.
00:06:19 --> 00:06:21 Astronomers have just achieved a major
00:06:21 --> 00:06:24 milestone. They've captured the first
00:06:24 --> 00:06:26 detailed image of an individual star
00:06:27 --> 00:06:29 outside our own Milky Way galaxy.
00:06:29 --> 00:06:32 Avery: That's incredible. We've seen smudges of
00:06:32 --> 00:06:34 light from other galaxies, but to resolve a
00:06:34 --> 00:06:37 single star, that's a huge achievement.
00:06:37 --> 00:06:38 Which star is it?
00:06:38 --> 00:06:41 Anna: It's a red supergiant named
00:06:41 --> 00:06:44 whog64. It's
00:06:44 --> 00:06:47 located in the Large Magellanic, which is a
00:06:47 --> 00:06:49 small satellite galaxy that orbits our Milky
00:06:49 --> 00:06:52 Way. The image was taken using the European
00:06:52 --> 00:06:55 Southern Observatory's Very Large
00:06:55 --> 00:06:56 Telescope interferometer.
00:06:56 --> 00:06:59 Avery: And what did they find? I imagine a red
00:06:59 --> 00:07:00 supergiant is quite a sight.
00:07:01 --> 00:07:03 Anna: They found something very strange.
00:07:03 --> 00:07:06 The star itself is shrouded in a
00:07:06 --> 00:07:09 massive, thick cocoon of dust and gas.
00:07:09 --> 00:07:11 But the cocoon isn't a neat symmetrical
00:07:11 --> 00:07:13 sphere like our models predict.
00:07:13 --> 00:07:14 Avery: It's.
00:07:14 --> 00:07:16 Anna: Instead, it's clumpy and highly
00:07:16 --> 00:07:19 asymmetrical. It's a shape that has
00:07:19 --> 00:07:21 completely baffled the scientists who
00:07:21 --> 00:07:21 observed it.
00:07:21 --> 00:07:24 Avery: So it's not behaving the way an aging star is
00:07:24 --> 00:07:27 supposed to as it sheds its outer layers into
00:07:27 --> 00:07:27 space.
00:07:27 --> 00:07:30 Anna: Not at all. It fundamentally challenges our
00:07:30 --> 00:07:33 understanding of how massive stars evolved in
00:07:33 --> 00:07:35 their final stages. And to add to the
00:07:35 --> 00:07:38 mystery, the star has also dimmed
00:07:38 --> 00:07:40 dramatically in recent observation.
00:07:40 --> 00:07:42 Avery: And the two things could be related. Maybe
00:07:42 --> 00:07:44 this new weird dust cloud is just blocking
00:07:44 --> 00:07:45 more of its light.
00:07:45 --> 00:07:47 Anna: That's the leading theory. Another
00:07:47 --> 00:07:49 possibility is that
00:07:49 --> 00:07:52 whog64 might have a
00:07:52 --> 00:07:54 hidden companion star, and its gravity is
00:07:54 --> 00:07:57 pulling the dust into this strange, distorted
00:07:57 --> 00:08:00 shape. Whatever the answer is, it's a
00:08:00 --> 00:08:03 fantastic puzzle that proves how much we
00:08:03 --> 00:08:04 still have to learn about our closest
00:08:04 --> 00:08:05 galactic neighbors.
00:08:06 --> 00:08:08 Avery: For Our final story today, let's head back
00:08:08 --> 00:08:10 into our own solar system and visit
00:08:10 --> 00:08:13 Earth's so called evil twin, the
00:08:13 --> 00:08:14 planet Venus.
00:08:15 --> 00:08:17 Anna: Always a fascinating, if utterly
00:08:17 --> 00:08:18 terrifying place.
00:08:19 --> 00:08:21 Avery: Absolutely. A new study has managed to
00:08:21 --> 00:08:24 model the weather on the surface of Venus for
00:08:24 --> 00:08:27 the first time. And the findings have major
00:08:27 --> 00:08:29 implications for future missions planning to
00:08:29 --> 00:08:30 land there.
00:08:30 --> 00:08:33 Anna: I imagine hot is the the main forecast,
00:08:33 --> 00:08:34 but what about the wind?
00:08:35 --> 00:08:37 Avery: Well, the winds themselves are surprisingly
00:08:37 --> 00:08:40 slow, only about 1 meter per second, which
00:08:40 --> 00:08:43 is roughly a slow walking pace. But the key
00:08:43 --> 00:08:46 is the planet's atmosphere. It is
00:08:46 --> 00:08:48 incredibly dense, about 90 times
00:08:48 --> 00:08:50 denser than Earth's.
00:08:50 --> 00:08:53 Anna: Ah. Uh, so even the slow wind has a
00:08:53 --> 00:08:56 lot of force behind it because the air itself
00:08:56 --> 00:08:57 is so heavy.
00:08:57 --> 00:08:59 Avery: Exactly. The study shows that this slow
00:08:59 --> 00:09:02 moving, super dense wind has more than enough
00:09:02 --> 00:09:04 force to lift free fine dust and particles
00:09:04 --> 00:09:06 from the surface. This means Venus can
00:09:06 --> 00:09:08 experience dust storms, which is a huge
00:09:08 --> 00:09:11 concern for any future landers like NASA's
00:09:11 --> 00:09:13 upcoming Da Vinci mission.
00:09:13 --> 00:09:15 Anna: You wouldn't want your very expensive probe
00:09:15 --> 00:09:18 to get effectively sandblasted the moment
00:09:18 --> 00:09:20 it lands. That makes sense.
00:09:20 --> 00:09:22 Avery: Definitely not. But the study did find a sort
00:09:22 --> 00:09:25 of silver lining to Venus's weather. It
00:09:25 --> 00:09:27 showed that winds flowing over the planet's
00:09:27 --> 00:09:30 mountainous regions play a crucial role in
00:09:30 --> 00:09:31 circulating the atmosphere.
00:09:32 --> 00:09:34 Anna: And that circulation helps moderate
00:09:34 --> 00:09:37 temperatures. Venus has such a long day
00:09:37 --> 00:09:39 night cycle, the temperature swings must be
00:09:39 --> 00:09:40 enormous.
00:09:40 --> 00:09:42 Avery: They would be, but this wind helps even
00:09:42 --> 00:09:45 things out a bit. So the weather is both a
00:09:45 --> 00:09:47 significant threat and the planetary
00:09:47 --> 00:09:50 stabilizing force. It just goes to show how
00:09:50 --> 00:09:52 complex Venus is the more we learn about it.
00:09:52 --> 00:09:55 Anna: And with that, we are out of time for today's
00:09:55 --> 00:09:56 episode of Astronomy Daily.
00:09:57 --> 00:09:59 Avery: What a fascinating tour of the cosmos it was.
00:09:59 --> 00:10:02 We had launch scrubs and cruise ships,
00:10:03 --> 00:10:05 new planets around double suns, space
00:10:05 --> 00:10:08 food from unconventional sources,
00:10:09 --> 00:10:11 a, um, mysterious star in another galaxy, and
00:10:11 --> 00:10:14 the new look at the harsh weather of Venus.
00:10:14 --> 00:10:17 Anna: It's a constant and welcome reminder that the
00:10:17 --> 00:10:20 universe is always full of surprises, big and
00:10:20 --> 00:10:22 small. Thank you so much for joining us.
00:10:22 --> 00:10:24 Avery: We'll be back tomorrow with more of the
00:10:24 --> 00:10:27 latest news. Until then, keep looking up.
00:10:34 --> 00:10:34 Love
00:10:38 --> 00:10:40 story Soul.
00:10:41 --> 00:10:41 Anna: Hmm.