Highlights:
- Lunar Gravity Study Unveils Moon's Secrets: Discover how a new gravity study has finally shed light on the long-standing mystery of why the near side of the Moon looks so different from the far side. Researchers reveal significant structural differences in the lunar interior that contribute to this striking dichotomy.
- Historic Australian Rocket Launch Attempt: Join us as we discuss Gilmour Space Technologies' ambitious plan to launch the first Australian-made rocket from Australian soil. Learn about the challenges faced during the pre-launch operations and the significance of this milestone for the global space industry.
- Voyager 1's Thruster Revival: Marvel at the incredible engineering feat achieved by NASA, as they successfully revive thrusters on the Voyager 1 spacecraft, deemed unusable since 2004. This triumph ensures continued data transmission from over 15 billion miles away.
- New Insights into Venus: Explore groundbreaking findings about Venus, suggesting it may be more geologically active than previously thought. Data from NASA's Magellan mission reveals ongoing tectonic processes that reshape our understanding of this enigmatic planet.
- First Image of a Martian Aurora: Be amazed by the Perseverance rover's historic capture of a visible aurora on Mars, marking the first time such a phenomenon has been observed from the surface of another planet. This discovery offers a glimpse into the Martian night sky for future explorers.
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 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 - Lunar gravity study reveals Moon's secrets
10:00 - Historic Australian rocket launch attempt
15:30 - Voyager 1 thruster revival
20:00 - New insights into Venus's geological activity
25:00 - First image of a Martian aurora
✍️ Episode References
Lunar Gravity Study
[NASA GRAIL Mission](https://www.nasa.gov/mission_pages/grail/main/index.html)
Gilmour Space Technologies
[Gilmour Space](https://gilmourspace.com/)
Voyager 1 Thruster Revival
[NASA Voyager](https://www.nasa.gov/mission_pages/voyager/index.html)
Venus Geological Activity
[NASA Magellan Mission](https://www.nasa.gov/mission_pages/magellan/index.html)
Martian Aurora
[NASA Perseverance Rover](https://mars.nasa.gov/mars2020/)
Astronomy Daily
[Astronomy Daily](http://www.astronomydaily.io/)
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00:00:00 --> 00:00:02 Anna: Welcome to Astronomy Daily. Your cosmic
00:00:02 --> 00:00:05 connection to the stars and beyond. I'm
00:00:05 --> 00:00:07 Anna bringing you the latest developments in
00:00:07 --> 00:00:09 space exploration and astronomical
00:00:09 --> 00:00:12 discoveries right to your ears. Today's
00:00:12 --> 00:00:14 episode is packed with fascinating stories
00:00:14 --> 00:00:16 that showcase both the mysteries of our
00:00:16 --> 00:00:18 universe and humanity's incredible
00:00:18 --> 00:00:20 technological ingenuity in uncovering them.
00:00:20 --> 00:00:23 We'll be exploring several breaking stories
00:00:23 --> 00:00:25 that highlight just how dynamic our solar
00:00:25 --> 00:00:28 system truly is. We'll start by delving into
00:00:28 --> 00:00:30 a new gravity study that finally helps
00:00:30 --> 00:00:33 explain why the two sides of our moon look so
00:00:33 --> 00:00:35 dramatically different. A question that has
00:00:35 --> 00:00:37 puzzled scientists for decades. The research
00:00:37 --> 00:00:40 reveals fascinating asymmetries deep within
00:00:40 --> 00:00:42 the lunar interior that have shaped its
00:00:42 --> 00:00:45 distinctive appearance. Then
00:00:45 --> 00:00:47 we'll head down under to Australia, where an
00:00:47 --> 00:00:50 aerospace firm was preparing for a historic
00:00:50 --> 00:00:52 rocket launch that would have been the first
00:00:52 --> 00:00:54 Australian made rocket to reach orbit from
00:00:54 --> 00:00:57 Australian soil. We'll look at what happened
00:00:57 --> 00:01:00 with this milestone attempt and what it means
00:01:00 --> 00:01:01 for the growing global space industry.
00:01:02 --> 00:01:05 Next, we'll travel to the very edge of our
00:01:05 --> 00:01:08 solar system, where NASA engineers have
00:01:08 --> 00:01:10 achieved what many would consider impossible.
00:01:10 --> 00:01:13 Reviving thrusters on the Voyager 1
00:01:13 --> 00:01:15 spacecraft that had been deemed unusable
00:01:15 --> 00:01:18 since 2004. This remarkable feat
00:01:18 --> 00:01:20 of remote engineering shows just how
00:01:20 --> 00:01:22 resourceful our space teams can be,
00:01:22 --> 00:01:24 especially when working with a spacecraft
00:01:24 --> 00:01:27 that's now over 15 billion miles from Earth.
00:01:27 --> 00:01:30 We'll also examine fascinating new findings
00:01:30 --> 00:01:31 about Venus that suggest our nearest
00:01:31 --> 00:01:33 planetary neighbor may be more geologically
00:01:33 --> 00:01:36 active than previously thought. Data from
00:01:36 --> 00:01:39 NASA's Magellan mission has revealed evidence
00:01:39 --> 00:01:41 of ongoing tectonic processes that reshape
00:01:41 --> 00:01:44 our understanding of this enigmatic world.
00:01:45 --> 00:01:47 Finally, we'll look at a historic first on
00:01:47 --> 00:01:49 Mars, where the Perseverance rover has
00:01:49 --> 00:01:51 captured an image that no human has ever seen
00:01:51 --> 00:01:54 before. A visible aurora on the
00:01:54 --> 00:01:57 red planet. This subtle green glow
00:01:57 --> 00:01:59 gives us a preview of what future Martian
00:01:59 --> 00:02:01 explorers might witness in the night sky.
00:02:02 --> 00:02:04 These stories remind us that our solar system
00:02:04 --> 00:02:07 is not a static place, but an ever changing
00:02:07 --> 00:02:10 dynamic environment full of ongoing processes
00:02:10 --> 00:02:13 and unexpected discoveries. They also
00:02:13 --> 00:02:15 highlight the incredible technological
00:02:15 --> 00:02:17 achievements that allow us to explore these
00:02:17 --> 00:02:19 distant worlds from right here on Earth.
00:02:20 --> 00:02:22 So settle in as we journey across the cosmos,
00:02:23 --> 00:02:25 exploring the latest findings that continue
00:02:25 --> 00:02:27 to expand our understanding of the universe
00:02:27 --> 00:02:30 we call home. Let's get things underway.
00:02:31 --> 00:02:34 One of the most enduring mysteries about our
00:02:34 --> 00:02:36 closest celestial neighbor has been why the
00:02:36 --> 00:02:39 moon's near side. The face we see from Earth
00:02:39 --> 00:02:41 looks so dramatically different from its far
00:02:41 --> 00:02:44 side. Now, an exhaustive
00:02:44 --> 00:02:46 examination of lunar gravity. You using data
00:02:46 --> 00:02:48 from NASA's GRAIL mission is offering
00:02:48 --> 00:02:51 compelling new evidence to explain this lunar
00:02:51 --> 00:02:53 dichotomy the research team discovered that
00:02:53 --> 00:02:55 the Moon's near side flexes slightly more
00:02:55 --> 00:02:58 than the far side during its elliptical orbit
00:02:58 --> 00:03:00 around Earth. This difference in tidal
00:03:00 --> 00:03:02 deformation caused by Earth's gravitational
00:03:02 --> 00:03:05 pull indicates significant structural
00:03:05 --> 00:03:06 differences between the two sides of the
00:03:06 --> 00:03:09 lunar interior, particularly in the mantle
00:03:09 --> 00:03:12 layer. M. Our study shows that the Moon's
00:03:12 --> 00:03:15 interior is not uniform except, explains Ryan
00:03:15 --> 00:03:17 park, lead author of the study published in
00:03:17 --> 00:03:20 the journal Nature. The side facing Earth,
00:03:20 --> 00:03:22 the near side, is warmer and more
00:03:22 --> 00:03:25 geologically active deep down than the far
00:03:25 --> 00:03:27 side. This temperature difference is
00:03:27 --> 00:03:30 substantial. Researchers estimate that the
00:03:30 --> 00:03:32 near side Mantle averages between 180
00:03:32 --> 00:03:35 to 360 degrees Fahrenheit,
00:03:35 --> 00:03:38 hotter than the far side mantle. This thermal
00:03:38 --> 00:03:39 difference is likely sustained by the
00:03:39 --> 00:03:42 radioactive decay of elements like the
00:03:42 --> 00:03:45 thorium and titanium, which appear to have
00:03:45 --> 00:03:47 accumulated on the near side over billions of
00:03:47 --> 00:03:49 years. The findings help explain the stark
00:03:49 --> 00:03:52 visual contrast between the two lunar
00:03:52 --> 00:03:54 hemispheres. If you've ever looked up at the
00:03:54 --> 00:03:56 Moon, you've noticed that the near side is
00:03:56 --> 00:03:59 dominated by vast dark plains called mare,
00:04:00 --> 00:04:02 formed when molten rock cooled and solidified
00:04:02 --> 00:04:05 billions of years ago. In contrast, the
00:04:05 --> 00:04:07 far side has a much more rugged, mountainous
00:04:07 --> 00:04:09 terrain, with very few of these plains.
00:04:10 --> 00:04:12 Scientists have long hypothesized that
00:04:12 --> 00:04:15 intense volcanism on the near side caused
00:04:15 --> 00:04:17 radioactive heat generating elements to
00:04:17 --> 00:04:19 accumulate in the mantle beneath this
00:04:19 --> 00:04:21 hemisphere, driving these surface
00:04:21 --> 00:04:24 differences. The new GRAIL data provides
00:04:24 --> 00:04:26 the strongest evidence yet supporting this
00:04:26 --> 00:04:29 theory. The researchers devoted years to
00:04:29 --> 00:04:32 analyzing data from the twin GRAIL spacecraft
00:04:32 --> 00:04:35 Ebb and Flow, which orbited the Moon from
00:04:35 --> 00:04:37 December 2011 to to December
00:04:37 --> 00:04:40 2012. Their work has resulted in
00:04:40 --> 00:04:43 what park describes as the most detailed and
00:04:43 --> 00:04:45 accurate gravitational map of the Moon to
00:04:45 --> 00:04:48 date. Beyond solving this lunar mystery,
00:04:48 --> 00:04:51 the enhanced gravity map has practical
00:04:51 --> 00:04:53 applications. It will be crucial for
00:04:53 --> 00:04:55 developing lunar positioning, navigation, and
00:04:55 --> 00:04:58 timing systems, essential tools for future
00:04:58 --> 00:05:01 lunar exploration missions. By improving
00:05:01 --> 00:05:03 our understanding of the Moon's gravity
00:05:03 --> 00:05:05 field, the research contributes to
00:05:05 --> 00:05:07 establishing a precise lunar reference frame
00:05:07 --> 00:05:10 that will enable safer and more reliable
00:05:10 --> 00:05:12 navigation for spacecraft and surface
00:05:12 --> 00:05:14 operations. This asymmetry in the
00:05:14 --> 00:05:17 Moon's interior structure also deepens our
00:05:17 --> 00:05:19 appreciation of our celestial companions
00:05:19 --> 00:05:22 importance to Earth. The Moon stabilizes our
00:05:22 --> 00:05:25 planet's rotation and generates ocean tides
00:05:25 --> 00:05:27 that influence countless natural systems and
00:05:27 --> 00:05:29 daily rhythms on our world. What's
00:05:29 --> 00:05:31 particularly exciting is that the
00:05:31 --> 00:05:33 gravitational analysis techniques used in
00:05:33 --> 00:05:35 this study could potentially be applied to
00:05:35 --> 00:05:38 other bodies in our solar system, such as
00:05:38 --> 00:05:41 Saturn's moon Enceladus and Jupiter's moon
00:05:41 --> 00:05:43 Ganymede, both considered prime candidates in
00:05:43 --> 00:05:45 the search for potential life beyond Earth.
00:05:47 --> 00:05:49 Next in today's story lineup An Australian
00:05:49 --> 00:05:51 aerospace firm has been forced to delay what
00:05:51 --> 00:05:52 would have been a historic rocket launch from
00:05:52 --> 00:05:55 Australian soil. Gilmour Space
00:05:55 --> 00:05:57 Technologies had planned to conduct the first
00:05:57 --> 00:05:59 test launch of their three stage ERIS rocket
00:05:59 --> 00:06:01 yesterday, but had to postpone after
00:06:01 --> 00:06:03 encountering a ground system glitch during
00:06:03 --> 00:06:06 pre launch operations. The company's
00:06:06 --> 00:06:07 communications chief, Michelle Gilmour,
00:06:07 --> 00:06:10 explained that the issue was with an external
00:06:10 --> 00:06:12 power system we used during system checks.
00:06:13 --> 00:06:16 The technical team identified the fix but ran
00:06:16 --> 00:06:18 out of time to implement it and fuel the
00:06:18 --> 00:06:20 rocket within the day's launch window. The
00:06:20 --> 00:06:22 they're now targeting today for the
00:06:22 --> 00:06:24 rescheduled launch attempt. The 23
00:06:24 --> 00:06:27 meter 75 foot ARIS rocket is
00:06:27 --> 00:06:30 poised to take off from a spaceport near
00:06:30 --> 00:06:33 Bowen, a coastal township approximately
00:06:33 --> 00:06:36 1000km north of Brisbane. If
00:06:36 --> 00:06:38 successful, it would mark a significant
00:06:38 --> 00:06:40 milestone as the first Australian made rocket
00:06:40 --> 00:06:43 to achieve an orbital launch from Australian
00:06:43 --> 00:06:46 soil. While the maiden flight is primarily
00:06:46 --> 00:06:48 a test, the rocket isn't traveling empty. In
00:06:48 --> 00:06:50 a quintessentially Australian touch, it will
00:06:50 --> 00:06:53 be carrying a jar of Vegemite, the iconic
00:06:53 --> 00:06:55 Australian toast spread, as its payload.
00:06:56 --> 00:06:58 CEO Adam Gilmour has been candid about
00:06:58 --> 00:07:01 managing expectations for this first flight.
00:07:01 --> 00:07:03 If it orbits Earth. I would probably have a
00:07:03 --> 00:07:05 heart attack actually because I'll be so
00:07:05 --> 00:07:08 surprised but deliriously happy, he told
00:07:08 --> 00:07:10 reporters. We're going to be happy if it gets
00:07:10 --> 00:07:12 off the pad. 10, 20,
00:07:13 --> 00:07:15 30 seconds of flight time. Fantastic. So
00:07:15 --> 00:07:17 orbit is just not in the realm of my belief
00:07:17 --> 00:07:20 right now, even though it's theoretically
00:07:20 --> 00:07:23 possible. The Aris rocket is designed
00:07:23 --> 00:07:25 to eventually carry small satellites weighing
00:07:25 --> 00:07:28 between 100 and 200 kg into low
00:07:28 --> 00:07:30 Earth orbit. Weighing 30 tons when
00:07:30 --> 00:07:33 fully fueled, it uses a hybrid propulsion
00:07:33 --> 00:07:36 system combining solid inert fuel with a
00:07:36 --> 00:07:39 liquid oxidizer. Gilmour Space
00:07:39 --> 00:07:40 Technologies has backing from private
00:07:40 --> 00:07:42 investors, including venture capital group
00:07:42 --> 00:07:45 Blackbird and pension fund Hesta. The
00:07:45 --> 00:07:48 company, which employs 230 people, has
00:07:48 --> 00:07:49 ambitious plans to commence commercial
00:07:49 --> 00:07:52 launches by late 2026 or early
00:07:52 --> 00:07:55 2027. Here's wishing them all the best with
00:07:55 --> 00:07:56 the next attempt.
00:07:57 --> 00:07:59 Now here's a story that truly showcases the
00:07:59 --> 00:08:02 incredible ingenuity of NASA's engineering
00:08:02 --> 00:08:05 team in what can only be described
00:08:05 --> 00:08:07 as a remarkable feat of remote problem
00:08:07 --> 00:08:10 solving, engineers at NASA's Jet Propulsion
00:08:10 --> 00:08:13 Laboratory have successfully revived a set of
00:08:13 --> 00:08:15 thrusters aboard Voyager 1 that had been
00:08:15 --> 00:08:18 considered completely inoperable since 2004.
00:08:19 --> 00:08:21 This achievement is particularly impressive
00:08:21 --> 00:08:23 when you consider that Voyager 1 is currently
00:08:23 --> 00:08:26 hurtling through interstellar space at
00:08:26 --> 00:08:29 approximately 35 miles per hour,
00:08:29 --> 00:08:32 over 15 billion miles from Earth.
00:08:33 --> 00:08:35 That's so far away that radio Signals take
00:08:35 --> 00:08:38 more than 23 hours to travel between the
00:08:38 --> 00:08:40 spacecraft and our planet. The thruster
00:08:40 --> 00:08:43 revival was critically timed. Engineers
00:08:43 --> 00:08:45 needed to fix these systems before May 4th,
00:08:46 --> 00:08:49 when the Deep Space Network's 230 foot wide
00:08:49 --> 00:08:51 antenna in Canberra, Australia, the only
00:08:51 --> 00:08:54 dish powerful enough to send commands to the
00:08:54 --> 00:08:56 distant Voyagers, went offline for extensive
00:08:56 --> 00:08:58 upgrades that will last until February
00:08:58 --> 00:09:01 2026. With only brief operational
00:09:01 --> 00:09:04 windows in August and December, why was this
00:09:04 --> 00:09:07 fix so urgent? The Voyager spacecraft
00:09:07 --> 00:09:09 rely on small thrusters to maintain their
00:09:09 --> 00:09:12 orientation, keeping their antennas pointed
00:09:12 --> 00:09:14 at Earth so they can continue sending back
00:09:14 --> 00:09:17 data and receiving commands. The
00:09:17 --> 00:09:20 primary set of thrusters currently in use on
00:09:20 --> 00:09:22 Voyager 1 have been experiencing fuel tube
00:09:22 --> 00:09:25 clogging due to residue buildup, which could
00:09:25 --> 00:09:27 cause them to fail completely as early as
00:09:27 --> 00:09:30 this northern fall. The situation was
00:09:30 --> 00:09:32 complicated by the fact that the backup
00:09:32 --> 00:09:34 thrusters had stopped working back in 2004,
00:09:35 --> 00:09:37 when two small internal heaters lost power.
00:09:38 --> 00:09:40 At that time, engineers determined the
00:09:40 --> 00:09:43 heaters were likely unfixable and switched to
00:09:43 --> 00:09:46 other backup systems. After all, who could
00:09:46 --> 00:09:47 have predicted Voyager would still be
00:09:47 --> 00:09:50 operational two decades later? After
00:09:50 --> 00:09:52 revisiting the 2004 thruster failure,
00:09:52 --> 00:09:55 the team suspected that an unexpected circuit
00:09:55 --> 00:09:58 disturbance had essentially flipped a switch
00:09:58 --> 00:10:00 to the wrong position. If they could turn the
00:10:00 --> 00:10:02 switch back, the heaters might work again.
00:10:03 --> 00:10:06 This M solution required precision timing and
00:10:06 --> 00:10:08 careful planning. If the spacecraft's star
00:10:08 --> 00:10:11 tracker drifted too far from its guide star
00:10:11 --> 00:10:13 during the fix, the dormant thrusters would
00:10:13 --> 00:10:15 automatically fire without their heaters,
00:10:15 --> 00:10:18 potentially causing a small explosion.
00:10:18 --> 00:10:21 On March 20th, after sending their commands
00:10:21 --> 00:10:24 and waiting anxiously through the 23 hour
00:10:24 --> 00:10:26 signal delay, the team witnessed the
00:10:26 --> 00:10:28 temperature of the thruster heaters rise
00:10:28 --> 00:10:30 dramatically, confirming their success.
00:10:30 --> 00:10:33 As mission propulsion lead Todd Barber
00:10:33 --> 00:10:35 described it, it was such a glorious moment.
00:10:35 --> 00:10:37 Team morale was very high that day. These
00:10:37 --> 00:10:40 thrusters were considered dead. It was yet
00:10:40 --> 00:10:42 another miracle, save for Voyager. Launched
00:10:42 --> 00:10:45 in 1977, both Voyager 1 and its twin
00:10:45 --> 00:10:48 Voyager 2 continue to push the boundaries of
00:10:48 --> 00:10:51 space exploration. As the only spacecraft to
00:10:51 --> 00:10:53 have ever sent back data from interstellar
00:10:53 --> 00:10:55 space, the region beyond our solar system's
00:10:55 --> 00:10:58 protective bubble, this latest engineering
00:10:58 --> 00:11:00 triumph ensures that this incredible
00:11:00 --> 00:11:02 scientific journey can continue even longer.
00:11:03 --> 00:11:06 Let's move on now to some news from one of
00:11:06 --> 00:11:08 our celestial neighbors. Our, understanding
00:11:08 --> 00:11:10 of Venus, Earth's so called twin planet,
00:11:10 --> 00:11:13 continues to evolve as scientists uncover
00:11:13 --> 00:11:15 evidence that it may be more geologically
00:11:15 --> 00:11:18 active than previously thought. New research
00:11:18 --> 00:11:20 based on Data gathered over 30 years ago by
00:11:20 --> 00:11:23 NASA's Magellan mission has revealed
00:11:23 --> 00:11:25 fascinating insights about vast
00:11:25 --> 00:11:28 quasicircular features on Venus called
00:11:28 --> 00:11:30 coronae, which suggest ongoing
00:11:30 --> 00:11:33 tectonic activity beneath the planet's
00:11:33 --> 00:11:35 surface. Unlike Earth, with its shifting
00:11:35 --> 00:11:38 tectonic plates, Venus doesn't have plate
00:11:38 --> 00:11:40 tectonics as we know it. However, this
00:11:40 --> 00:11:42 doesn't mean Venus is geologically dead. The
00:11:42 --> 00:11:44 new study, published in Science Advances
00:11:44 --> 00:11:47 indicates that its surface is still being
00:11:47 --> 00:11:49 deformed by molten material rising from
00:11:49 --> 00:11:52 below. Coronae are enormous structures
00:11:52 --> 00:11:54 ranging from dozens to hundreds of miles
00:11:54 --> 00:11:57 across, where plumes of hot buoyant material
00:11:57 --> 00:11:59 from Venus's mantle are thought to push
00:11:59 --> 00:12:02 against the lithosphere, the planet's crust
00:12:02 --> 00:12:05 and uppermost mantle layer. These features
00:12:05 --> 00:12:07 typically appear as oval structures
00:12:07 --> 00:12:09 surrounded by concentric fracture systems,
00:12:09 --> 00:12:11 and hundreds of them have been identified
00:12:11 --> 00:12:14 across Venus. What makes this
00:12:14 --> 00:12:17 research particularly exciting is that it
00:12:17 --> 00:12:19 suggests multiple ongoing processes are are
00:12:19 --> 00:12:22 actively shaping these coronae. By combining
00:12:22 --> 00:12:25 gravity and topography data from Magellan and
00:12:25 --> 00:12:27 developing sophisticated three dimensional
00:12:27 --> 00:12:30 geodynamic models, researchers were able to
00:12:30 --> 00:12:33 identify 52 carony out of the 75
00:12:33 --> 00:12:35 studied that appear to have buoyant mantle
00:12:35 --> 00:12:37 material beneath them, likely driving
00:12:37 --> 00:12:40 tectonic processes. The team
00:12:40 --> 00:12:42 identified several different mechanisms
00:12:42 --> 00:12:45 potentially at work in some carony. A,
00:12:45 --> 00:12:47 venous specific type of subduction may be
00:12:47 --> 00:12:50 occurring. As hot rock pushes upward
00:12:50 --> 00:12:53 from the mantle surface, material rises and
00:12:53 --> 00:12:55 spreads outward, eventually colliding with
00:12:55 --> 00:12:58 surrounding material and pushing it downward
00:12:58 --> 00:13:00 into the mantle. Another process called
00:13:00 --> 00:13:02 lithospheric dripping, might also be present
00:13:03 --> 00:13:05 where dense accumulations of cooler material
00:13:05 --> 00:13:08 sink from the lithosphere into the hot mantle
00:13:08 --> 00:13:10 below. Lead researcher Gail
00:13:10 --> 00:13:12 Cascioli, who is part of NASA's forthcoming
00:13:12 --> 00:13:15 Veritas mission to Venus, noted that these
00:13:15 --> 00:13:17 features might provide a unique window into
00:13:17 --> 00:13:20 Earth's past. Coronae are not found
00:13:20 --> 00:13:22 on Earth today. However, they may have
00:13:22 --> 00:13:24 existed when our planet was young and before
00:13:24 --> 00:13:27 plate tectonics had been established, he
00:13:27 --> 00:13:29 explained. This work is especially
00:13:29 --> 00:13:32 significant as it represents yet another
00:13:32 --> 00:13:34 instance where scientists are finding Venus
00:13:34 --> 00:13:36 exhibits more Earth like geologic processes
00:13:36 --> 00:13:39 than originally thought. Just recently,
00:13:39 --> 00:13:41 researchers were able to identify erupting
00:13:41 --> 00:13:44 volcanoes and vast lava flows in radar images
00:13:44 --> 00:13:46 from Magellan, providing direct evidence of
00:13:46 --> 00:13:49 volcanic activity. While these discoveries
00:13:49 --> 00:13:52 are groundbreaking, scientists will need even
00:13:52 --> 00:13:54 higher resolution data to fully understand
00:13:54 --> 00:13:57 the tectonic processes driving corona
00:13:57 --> 00:13:59 formation. That's where NASA's upcoming
00:13:59 --> 00:14:02 Veritas mission comes in. Scheduled to launch
00:14:02 --> 00:14:05 no earlier than 2031, Veridus will
00:14:05 --> 00:14:07 create detailed three dimensional global maps
00:14:07 --> 00:14:10 of Venus and measure its gravitational field
00:14:10 --> 00:14:12 to determine the structure of the planet's
00:14:12 --> 00:14:15 interior at unprecedented resolution,
00:14:15 --> 00:14:18 potentially revolutionizing our understanding
00:14:18 --> 00:14:20 of Venus and what it might tell us about
00:14:20 --> 00:14:21 Earth's early history.
00:14:23 --> 00:14:24 Next, let's head off to our other near
00:14:24 --> 00:14:27 neighbor and One of our favorite planets. In
00:14:27 --> 00:14:30 a groundbreaking astronomical first, NASA's
00:14:30 --> 00:14:32 Perseverance rover has captured an image of a
00:14:32 --> 00:14:35 visible aurora on Mars. On March
00:14:35 --> 00:14:38 18, 2024, the rover
00:14:38 --> 00:14:40 observed what scientists describe as a subtle
00:14:40 --> 00:14:43 green glow hanging low in the Martian sky,
00:14:43 --> 00:14:46 Wreathing the horizon in every direction.
00:14:46 --> 00:14:49 This marks not only the first sighting of a
00:14:49 --> 00:14:51 visible Martian aurora, but also the first
00:14:51 --> 00:14:54 observation of any aurora from the surface of
00:14:54 --> 00:14:56 a planet other than Earth. Until now,
00:14:56 --> 00:14:58 auroras had been spotted on Mercury, Jupiter,
00:14:58 --> 00:15:01 and every other non Earth planet in our solar
00:15:01 --> 00:15:04 system, but only from orbit. On Mars
00:15:04 --> 00:15:06 specifically, scientists had only detected
00:15:06 --> 00:15:07 auroral wavelengths of light that are
00:15:07 --> 00:15:10 invisible to the naked eye. Using specialized
00:15:10 --> 00:15:13 instruments. This new observation answers a
00:15:13 --> 00:15:15 long standing question. About what future
00:15:15 --> 00:15:17 human explorers might witness in the Martian
00:15:17 --> 00:15:20 night sky. According to Roger Wiens,
00:15:20 --> 00:15:22 a planetary scientist at Purdue University,
00:15:23 --> 00:15:26 future astronauts would see a dull or dim
00:15:26 --> 00:15:29 green glow with their own eyes. The image
00:15:29 --> 00:15:31 from Perseverance appears somewhat fuzzy
00:15:31 --> 00:15:33 Compared to the spectacular aurora displays
00:15:33 --> 00:15:34 we're accustomed to seeing from Earth. And
00:15:34 --> 00:15:37 for good reason. The rover's cameras aren't
00:15:37 --> 00:15:40 optimized for night photography, Performing
00:15:40 --> 00:15:42 with sensitivity roughly comparable to human
00:15:42 --> 00:15:44 eyes. Another factor contributing to the
00:15:44 --> 00:15:46 aurora's different appearance Is Mars's
00:15:46 --> 00:15:49 unique magnetic environment. Unlike Earth,
00:15:49 --> 00:15:51 with its global magnetic field that
00:15:51 --> 00:15:53 concentrates auroras near the poles. Mars
00:15:53 --> 00:15:56 Mars has a patchy magnetized crust. This
00:15:56 --> 00:15:58 means auroras can appear all over the planet
00:15:58 --> 00:16:00 Rather than being confined to polar regions.
00:16:00 --> 00:16:02 But they tend to be comparatively dim.
00:16:03 --> 00:16:05 Scientists believe this particular aurora was
00:16:05 --> 00:16:08 triggered by a coronal mass ejection, A large
00:16:08 --> 00:16:11 cloud of plasma and magnetic fields blasted
00:16:11 --> 00:16:14 from the sun into space. The Perseverance
00:16:14 --> 00:16:16 team was alerted to this solar event days in
00:16:16 --> 00:16:18 advance, allowing them to prepare the rover
00:16:18 --> 00:16:20 to capture this historic image.
00:16:21 --> 00:16:23 Interestingly, while Perseverance is located
00:16:23 --> 00:16:26 near Mars's equator, Researchers suggest that
00:16:26 --> 00:16:28 observing auroras from Mars's southern
00:16:28 --> 00:16:31 hemisphere Might yield even more spectacular
00:16:31 --> 00:16:33 results. That region contains the most
00:16:33 --> 00:16:36 magnetized part of the planet, Potentially
00:16:36 --> 00:16:38 producing stronger auroral displays.
00:16:39 --> 00:16:41 This discovery adds another fascinating
00:16:41 --> 00:16:43 chapter to our understanding of Mars. And
00:16:43 --> 00:16:45 provides a glimpse of the ethereal
00:16:45 --> 00:16:48 experiences awaiting future human
00:16:48 --> 00:16:51 explorers who might one day stand on the
00:16:51 --> 00:16:54 red planet's surface, Gazing up at
00:16:54 --> 00:16:56 a glowing green Martian sky.
00:16:57 --> 00:16:59 And that brings us to the end of today's
00:16:59 --> 00:17:02 cosmic journey through the latest space news.
00:17:02 --> 00:17:04 From the mysterious asymmetry of our Moon to
00:17:04 --> 00:17:07 engineering marvels on Voyager 1, tectonic
00:17:07 --> 00:17:10 activity on Venus, Delayed rocket launches in
00:17:10 --> 00:17:12 Australia, and the first ever image of a
00:17:12 --> 00:17:15 Martian aurora. The universe continues to
00:17:15 --> 00:17:17 surprise and inspire us with each new
00:17:17 --> 00:17:20 discovery. I'm Anna, your host here
00:17:20 --> 00:17:23 on Astronomy Daily, bringing you the stories
00:17:23 --> 00:17:25 that connect us to the vast cosmos beyond our
00:17:25 --> 00:17:28 atmosphere. Whether you're a seasoned
00:17:28 --> 00:17:31 astronomer or simply curious about what lies
00:17:31 --> 00:17:34 beyond our blue marble, I hope today's
00:17:34 --> 00:17:36 episode has sparked your imagination and
00:17:36 --> 00:17:38 deepened your appreciation for the wonders of
00:17:38 --> 00:17:41 space exploration. If you've enjoyed
00:17:41 --> 00:17:43 today's show, please visit our
00:17:43 --> 00:17:46 website@astronomydaily.IO where you can
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00:17:51 --> 00:17:52 while you're there. You can also browse
00:17:52 --> 00:17:55 through all our back episodes to catch up on
00:17:55 --> 00:17:57 any cosmic stories you might have missed.
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00:18:08 --> 00:18:10 keep looking up. The universe is putting on
00:18:10 --> 00:18:11 quite a show.