00:00:00 --> 00:00:03 Anna: Welcome to Astronomy Daily, your
00:00:03 --> 00:00:05 source for the latest space and astronomy
00:00:05 --> 00:00:07 news. I'm Anna.
00:00:07 --> 00:00:09 Avery: And I'm Avery. Thanks for joining us on this
00:00:09 --> 00:00:12 Thursday, February 29, 2026.
00:00:12 --> 00:00:15 We've got a fascinating lineup today covering
00:00:15 --> 00:00:17 everything from Mercury's surprising
00:00:17 --> 00:00:19 geological activity to a possible
00:00:19 --> 00:00:21 asteroid impact on the M Moon.
00:00:21 --> 00:00:24 Anna: That's right. We're going to explore bright
00:00:24 --> 00:00:27 streaks on Mercury that suggest our
00:00:27 --> 00:00:29 smallest planet is still geologically
00:00:29 --> 00:00:32 active. Cheque in on NASA's TESS
00:00:32 --> 00:00:35 satellite after a command error temporarily
00:00:35 --> 00:00:38 sidelined it and discuss the discovery of an
00:00:38 --> 00:00:41 intriguing Earth like exoplanet that's
00:00:41 --> 00:00:42 much colder than you might expect.
00:00:43 --> 00:00:45 Avery: Plus, we'll bring you updates on NASA and
00:00:45 --> 00:00:48 SpaceX. Moving up the Crew 12 launch to help
00:00:48 --> 00:00:49 out the Skeleton crew currently on the
00:00:49 --> 00:00:52 International Space Station. Then we'll dive
00:00:52 --> 00:00:54 into the wild world of runaway black holes
00:00:54 --> 00:00:57 tearing through space and wrap up with what
00:00:57 --> 00:00:59 could be a once in a lifetime scientific
00:00:59 --> 00:01:02 opportunity if an asteroid hits the moon in
00:01:02 --> 00:01:03 2020 32.
00:01:03 --> 00:01:04 Anna: It's quite a ride.
00:01:04 --> 00:01:07 Today, let's get started with some surprising
00:01:07 --> 00:01:10 news from the innermost planet in our solar
00:01:10 --> 00:01:10 system.
00:01:11 --> 00:01:13 Avery: Mercury has long been viewed as a small,
00:01:13 --> 00:01:16 geologically dead world, but new research
00:01:16 --> 00:01:19 is challenging that assumption in a big way.
00:01:19 --> 00:01:21 A team led by researchers at the University
00:01:21 --> 00:01:24 of Bern has uncovered hundreds of bright
00:01:24 --> 00:01:27 linear streaks on crater slopes that point to
00:01:27 --> 00:01:30 ongoing volcanic activity and and volatile
00:01:30 --> 00:01:31 laws from Mercury's interior.
00:01:32 --> 00:01:34 Anna: This is really fascinating work, Avery.
00:01:34 --> 00:01:37 The team applied deep learning techniques to
00:01:37 --> 00:01:40 analyse about 100 high
00:01:40 --> 00:01:42 resolution images taken by NASA's
00:01:42 --> 00:01:45 messenger spacecraft during its orbital
00:01:45 --> 00:01:47 mission from 2011 to 2015.
00:01:48 --> 00:01:51 Using this automated approach, they mapped
00:01:51 --> 00:01:53 the global distribution of roughly
00:01:53 --> 00:01:56 400 bright streaks that had previously
00:01:56 --> 00:01:58 escaped comprehensive cataloguing.
00:01:58 --> 00:02:01 Avery: And what they found was pretty telling. These
00:02:01 --> 00:02:04 features, known as slope lineae, occur
00:02:04 --> 00:02:06 preferentially on sun facing slopes inside
00:02:06 --> 00:02:09 relatively young impact craters that cut
00:02:09 --> 00:02:11 through thick volcanic deposits. The
00:02:11 --> 00:02:13 concentration of streaks in these thermally
00:02:13 --> 00:02:16 stressed environments indicates that solar
00:02:16 --> 00:02:18 heating is an important trigger for volatile
00:02:18 --> 00:02:20 escape from near surface layers.
00:02:20 --> 00:02:23 Anna: Much of these streaks originate in small
00:02:23 --> 00:02:26 bright depressions called hollows that dot
00:02:26 --> 00:02:29 crater floors and walls. These hollows have
00:02:29 --> 00:02:32 long been interpreted as products of volatile
00:02:32 --> 00:02:35 loss, and their close association with the
00:02:35 --> 00:02:38 lineae supports the view that both structures
00:02:38 --> 00:02:41 form when volatile components like sulphur
00:02:41 --> 00:02:43 or other light elements escape from the
00:02:43 --> 00:02:44 subsurface.
00:02:44 --> 00:02:47 Avery: According to the research team, fracture
00:02:47 --> 00:02:49 networks created by the original impact
00:02:49 --> 00:02:51 events likely provide pathways that allow
00:02:51 --> 00:02:54 volatile rich material from deeper levels to
00:02:54 --> 00:02:56 reach the surface. Uh, as solar radiation
00:02:56 --> 00:02:59 warms these exposed zones, volatiles can
00:02:59 --> 00:03:02 escape into space, driving the development or
00:03:02 --> 00:03:05 modification of the Bright streaks downslope.
00:03:05 --> 00:03:08 Anna: What's particularly exciting is the
00:03:08 --> 00:03:10 timing. This research arrives just as the
00:03:10 --> 00:03:13 joint ESA and JAXA uh, Becky Colombo
00:03:13 --> 00:03:16 mission is en route to Mercury. The mission
00:03:16 --> 00:03:19 carries an advanced payload that includes
00:03:19 --> 00:03:21 several key contributions from the University
00:03:21 --> 00:03:22 of Bernard.
00:03:22 --> 00:03:25 Avery: Absolutely. The Becky Colombo Laser Altimeter
00:03:25 --> 00:03:28 or bela, was designed and built in part
00:03:28 --> 00:03:31 at the University of Bern. It will use laser
00:03:31 --> 00:03:33 pulses from an orbit roughly a thousand
00:03:33 --> 00:03:35 kilometres above the surface to measure
00:03:35 --> 00:03:38 elevations with about 10 centimetre
00:03:38 --> 00:03:40 precision, enabling a uh, detailed
00:03:40 --> 00:03:42 reconstruction of Mercury's topography.
00:03:42 --> 00:03:45 Anna: The Bern team also contributed the ion
00:03:45 --> 00:03:48 optical system for STROFEO, a NASA
00:03:48 --> 00:03:51 mass spectrometer on BepiColombo that will m
00:03:51 --> 00:03:53 measure the composition of Mercury's
00:03:53 --> 00:03:55 extremely thin atmosphere, connecting
00:03:55 --> 00:03:58 present day volatile escape at the surface to
00:03:58 --> 00:04:00 the surrounding exosphere.
00:04:00 --> 00:04:03 Avery: The research team plans to use the current
00:04:03 --> 00:04:05 inventory of slope streaks as a baseline for
00:04:05 --> 00:04:08 future comparisons once BepiColombo begins
00:04:08 --> 00:04:11 returning data by imaging key regions
00:04:11 --> 00:04:13 again, they aim to determine whether new
00:04:13 --> 00:04:16 streaks have formed or existing ones have
00:04:16 --> 00:04:18 changed since the MESSENGER era. Any such
00:04:18 --> 00:04:21 changes would provide strong evidence that
00:04:21 --> 00:04:23 volatile driven processes are still
00:04:23 --> 00:04:26 reshaping Mercury's surface on human time
00:04:26 --> 00:04:27 timescales.
00:04:27 --> 00:04:30 Anna: It's a great reminder that even our smallest
00:04:30 --> 00:04:32 closest planetary neighbour still has secrets
00:04:32 --> 00:04:35 to reveal. Mercury is far more dynamic than
00:04:35 --> 00:04:36 we thought.
00:04:36 --> 00:04:38 Avery: Shifting from Mercury to uh, our planet
00:04:38 --> 00:04:41 hunting efforts, NASA's Transiting Exoplanet
00:04:41 --> 00:04:44 Survey Satellite, or TESS, recently had a bit
00:04:44 --> 00:04:46 of a scare when a command error temporarily
00:04:46 --> 00:04:47 knocked it offline.
00:04:48 --> 00:04:50 Anna: Right. The spacecraft was forced into safe
00:04:50 --> 00:04:53 mode after an unexpected command error caused
00:04:53 --> 00:04:55 its solar panels to misalign with the sun.
00:04:56 --> 00:04:58 This misalignment had serious consequences
00:04:58 --> 00:05:00 because the panels were unable to charge
00:05:00 --> 00:05:03 tess's batteries, leading to a low power
00:05:03 --> 00:05:04 condition that triggered the automatic
00:05:04 --> 00:05:06 transition to safe mode.
00:05:06 --> 00:05:09 Avery: In safe mode, all non essential systems are
00:05:09 --> 00:05:11 turned off to conserve power and the
00:05:11 --> 00:05:13 spacecraft awaits further instructions from
00:05:13 --> 00:05:16 ground controllers. NASA engineers quickly
00:05:16 --> 00:05:18 worked to resolve the issue and fortunately
00:05:18 --> 00:05:20 tess's safe mode performed as intended,
00:05:21 --> 00:05:22 protecting the spacecraft from permanent
00:05:22 --> 00:05:23 damage.
00:05:24 --> 00:05:26 Anna: This incident is actually reminiscent of past
00:05:26 --> 00:05:29 missin failures. Remember Viking 1 back
00:05:29 --> 00:05:32 in 1982? A uh, faulty command caused the
00:05:32 --> 00:05:35 loss of communication and there was that
00:05:35 --> 00:05:37 catastrophic series of events that nearly
00:05:37 --> 00:05:39 destroyed the Soho probe in 1998.
00:05:40 --> 00:05:43 But unlike those cases, TESS was fortunate
00:05:43 --> 00:05:44 to have safeguards in place.
00:05:44 --> 00:05:47 Avery: Exactly. The spacecraft's automatic safe
00:05:47 --> 00:05:49 mode kicked in when the power situation
00:05:49 --> 00:05:52 became critical. The safe mode is designed to
00:05:52 --> 00:05:54 preserve the spacecraft's core functions such
00:05:54 --> 00:05:57 as attitude control and ensure it can be
00:05:57 --> 00:05:59 reactivated once engineers identify and
00:05:59 --> 00:06:00 address the issue.
00:06:00 --> 00:06:03 Anna: According to NASA, the mission team is now
00:06:03 --> 00:06:05 reviewing and updating procedures to prevent
00:06:05 --> 00:06:07 this command error from happening in the
00:06:07 --> 00:06:09 future. It's a good reminder that even with
00:06:09 --> 00:06:12 advanced technology, human error remains a
00:06:12 --> 00:06:14 significant challenge in space operations.
00:06:15 --> 00:06:17 Avery: Absolutely. While tess's recovery was
00:06:17 --> 00:06:20 successful and demonstrates how far space
00:06:20 --> 00:06:22 mission technology has come, this incident
00:06:22 --> 00:06:25 emphasises the need for continued vigilance
00:06:25 --> 00:06:28 in mission planning. The risk of human error
00:06:28 --> 00:06:30 is always there, and the consequences can be
00:06:30 --> 00:06:33 costly in terms of both time and resources.
00:06:33 --> 00:06:36 Anna: The good news is that TESS is back online and
00:06:36 --> 00:06:38 continuing its important work of hunting for
00:06:38 --> 00:06:41 exoplanets. Which brings us nicely to our
00:06:41 --> 00:06:43 next storey about a newly discovered Earth
00:06:43 --> 00:06:44 like world.
00:06:45 --> 00:06:47 Avery: Speaking of exoplanets, astronomers have just
00:06:47 --> 00:06:49 discovered what might be one of the closest
00:06:49 --> 00:06:52 things we have to Earth's twin. Though it's
00:06:52 --> 00:06:54 considerably colder than our home.
00:06:54 --> 00:06:56 Anna: Planet, the Exoplanet is called
00:06:56 --> 00:06:59 HD13710B
00:06:59 --> 00:07:02 and it's located 146 light years
00:07:02 --> 00:07:05 away. It's slightly larger than Earth and
00:07:05 --> 00:07:07 orbits a star that resembles our Sun.
00:07:07 --> 00:07:10 However, despite its similarities to Earth in
00:07:10 --> 00:07:13 terms of size and orbital period, its surface
00:07:13 --> 00:07:15 could be far colder than even Mars,
00:07:15 --> 00:07:18 potentially reaching a frigid minus 90
00:07:18 --> 00:07:21 degrees Fahrenheit or minus 68 degrees
00:07:21 --> 00:07:21 Celsius.
00:07:21 --> 00:07:23 Avery: This discovery was published in the
00:07:23 --> 00:07:26 Astrophysical Journal Letters and was made by
00:07:26 --> 00:07:29 an international team led by Alexander
00:07:29 --> 00:07:32 Venner. The search for Earth, like
00:07:32 --> 00:07:35 exoplanets, has been a central focus of
00:07:35 --> 00:07:38 astronomical research for over three decades
00:07:38 --> 00:07:38 now.
00:07:38 --> 00:07:41 Anna: Dr. Huang, a key member of the research team,
00:07:41 --> 00:07:43 explained it well when he said, since the
00:07:43 --> 00:07:45 discovery of the first exoplanet 30 years
00:07:45 --> 00:07:48 ago, we've always tried to find Earth's
00:07:48 --> 00:07:51 Trinity. HD13007 010
00:07:51 --> 00:07:53 b could bring us closer to that goal.
00:07:53 --> 00:07:56 Although it's not an exact match, the.
00:07:56 --> 00:07:58 Avery: Planet is positioned in what astronomers call
00:07:58 --> 00:08:01 the habitable zone of its star, which is the
00:08:01 --> 00:08:03 area where water could potentially exist in
00:08:03 --> 00:08:06 liquid form, which is crucial for life as we
00:08:06 --> 00:08:08 know it. However, there's a major obstacle
00:08:09 --> 00:08:10 right the.
00:08:10 --> 00:08:11 Anna: Star HD
00:08:11 --> 00:08:14 137010B
00:08:14 --> 00:08:16 orbits is cooler and dimmer than our sun,
00:08:17 --> 00:08:20 meaning the planet receives only a fraction
00:08:20 --> 00:08:22 of the energy Earth does. This could result
00:08:22 --> 00:08:24 in surface temperatures as low as
00:08:24 --> 00:08:27 -90 degrees Fahrenheit, making it one
00:08:27 --> 00:08:30 of the coldest exoplanets discovered in
00:08:30 --> 00:08:30 recent years.
00:08:31 --> 00:08:34 Avery: But scientists remain hopeful. Dr.
00:08:34 --> 00:08:36 Venner pointed out that while the planet's
00:08:36 --> 00:08:38 surface might be frozen, it could still fall
00:08:38 --> 00:08:41 within the broader optimistic habitable zone
00:08:41 --> 00:08:43 of its star. With the right atmospheric
00:08:43 --> 00:08:44 conditions,
00:08:44 --> 00:08:47 HD137010B
00:08:47 --> 00:08:49 might not be as inhospitable as its
00:08:49 --> 00:08:50 temperature suggests.
00:08:51 --> 00:08:53 Anna: One of the challenges of studying this planet
00:08:53 --> 00:08:56 is its orbital distance from its star, which
00:08:56 --> 00:08:58 is similar to Earth's but much farther than
00:08:58 --> 00:09:01 the typical exoplanets that are easier to
00:09:01 --> 00:09:04 observe. Transits when the planet crosses
00:09:04 --> 00:09:06 in front of its star happen less frequently,
00:09:07 --> 00:09:09 making it harder to confirm the planet's
00:09:09 --> 00:09:09 existence.
00:09:10 --> 00:09:13 Avery: The discovery was made from a single Transit
00:09:13 --> 00:09:15 captured by NASA's Kepler Space Telescope.
00:09:16 --> 00:09:17 Further confirmation of the planet's
00:09:17 --> 00:09:20 existence and detailed analysis of its mass
00:09:20 --> 00:09:23 and atmosphere will require more data, which
00:09:23 --> 00:09:25 might not be possible until the next
00:09:25 --> 00:09:27 generation of telescopes become operational.
00:09:27 --> 00:09:30 Anna: It's an exciting discovery that adds to our
00:09:30 --> 00:09:32 understanding of the types of environments
00:09:32 --> 00:09:35 where life could potentially exist beyond our
00:09:35 --> 00:09:37 solar system. Even if
00:09:37 --> 00:09:40 HD137010B
00:09:40 --> 00:09:43 is too cold for life as we know it, it
00:09:43 --> 00:09:46 teaches us valuable lessons about planetary
00:09:46 --> 00:09:46 habitability.
00:09:47 --> 00:09:49 Avery: Now let's turn our attention back to Earth
00:09:49 --> 00:09:52 orbit and the International Space Station.
00:09:52 --> 00:09:55 NASA has announced an earlier than expected
00:09:55 --> 00:09:57 target date to launch the next astronauts to
00:09:57 --> 00:09:58 the ISS.
00:09:59 --> 00:10:01 Anna: That's right, the agency is now targeting
00:10:01 --> 00:10:04 February 11 for liftoff of SpaceX
00:10:04 --> 00:10:07 Crew 12 mission, which will fly four
00:10:07 --> 00:10:09 astronauts to join the skeleton crew
00:10:09 --> 00:10:11 presently operating the orbital.
00:10:12 --> 00:10:15 That's four days earlier than originally
00:10:15 --> 00:10:15 planned.
00:10:15 --> 00:10:18 Avery: Just to give everyone context, currently only
00:10:18 --> 00:10:20 three crew members are covering the
00:10:20 --> 00:10:22 maintenance and science investigations aboard
00:10:22 --> 00:10:25 the ISS. They were left behind on January
00:10:25 --> 00:10:28 14th by the early departure of Crew 11
00:10:28 --> 00:10:30 on the station's first ever medical
00:10:30 --> 00:10:31 evacuation.
00:10:32 --> 00:10:35 Anna: The M Crew 12 astronauts were already in line
00:10:35 --> 00:10:38 to take the Crew 11's quartet's place, but
00:10:38 --> 00:10:40 they had originally been scheduled to overlap
00:10:40 --> 00:10:42 with them before their return to Earth.
00:10:42 --> 00:10:45 SpaceX and NASA had originally targeted
00:10:45 --> 00:10:48 February 15 for Crew 12's launch, but
00:10:48 --> 00:10:50 managed to get the mission's crew Dragon
00:10:50 --> 00:10:53 spacecraft and Falcon 9 rocket ready ahead
00:10:53 --> 00:10:54 of schedule.
00:10:54 --> 00:10:57 Avery: The Crew 12 team includes NASA
00:10:57 --> 00:10:59 astronauts Jessica Meir, who's the mission
00:10:59 --> 00:11:02 commander, and Jack Hathaway as pilot.
00:11:02 --> 00:11:05 The mission specialists are Sophie Adenot of
00:11:05 --> 00:11:07 the European Space Agency and
00:11:07 --> 00:11:10 Roscosmos cosmonaut Andrei
00:11:10 --> 00:11:11 Fedyayev.
00:11:11 --> 00:11:14 Anna: Interestingly, Fedyav was a relatively late
00:11:14 --> 00:11:17 replacement for cosmonaut Oleg Artemiev, who
00:11:17 --> 00:11:20 was pulled off Crew 12 in early December,
00:11:20 --> 00:11:23 possibly for violating US national security
00:11:23 --> 00:11:24 regulations.
00:11:24 --> 00:11:27 Avery: This quartet will fly the crew Dragon capsule
00:11:27 --> 00:11:30 named Grace to the ISS for a longer than
00:11:30 --> 00:11:32 normal assignment lasting nine months instead
00:11:32 --> 00:11:35 of the typical six months. It'll be the
00:11:35 --> 00:11:37 second spaceflight for both Mayur and Fedyav,
00:11:37 --> 00:11:40 while Hathaway and Adino uh are both
00:11:40 --> 00:11:42 spaceflight rookies headed to orbit for the
00:11:42 --> 00:11:43 first time.
00:11:43 --> 00:11:46 Anna: The launch window opens on February 11th at
00:11:46 --> 00:11:49 6:00am Eastern Time from Launch Complex 40
00:11:49 --> 00:11:52 at Cape Canaveral Space Force Station in
00:11:52 --> 00:11:54 Florida. If they don't manage to launch that
00:11:54 --> 00:11:56 day, there are backup opportunities. On
00:11:56 --> 00:11:59 February 12th and 13th, the Crew.
00:11:59 --> 00:12:02 Avery: 12 astronauts will join NASA, Chris Williams
00:12:02 --> 00:12:05 and cosmonauts Sergey Kud Sverskov and
00:12:05 --> 00:12:07 Sergei Mikayev as part of ISS
00:12:07 --> 00:12:10 Expedition 74, which will eventually
00:12:10 --> 00:12:13 transition to Expedition 75 before
00:12:13 --> 00:12:16 the end of Crew 12's rotation station. It's
00:12:16 --> 00:12:17 great to see the relief crew heading up
00:12:17 --> 00:12:19 sooner to help out the skeleton crew
00:12:19 --> 00:12:21 currently managing the station.
00:12:21 --> 00:12:24 Anna: Now for something truly mind bending.
00:12:24 --> 00:12:27 Astronomers have confirmed the first runaway
00:12:27 --> 00:12:30 supermassive black hole and it's leaving
00:12:30 --> 00:12:31 quite a trail behind it.
00:12:31 --> 00:12:34 Avery: This is wild stuff, Anna. Uh, the black
00:12:34 --> 00:12:37 hole was identified by a 200 light
00:12:37 --> 00:12:40 year tail and a supersonic bow shock in the
00:12:40 --> 00:12:43 Cosmic Owl galaxy, which is actually a
00:12:43 --> 00:12:45 pair of ring galaxies about 8.8 billion
00:12:46 --> 00:12:48 light years away. The rings appear as
00:12:48 --> 00:12:50 owlized as they get closer and closer to
00:12:50 --> 00:12:51 merging.
00:12:51 --> 00:12:54 Anna: The research led by Peter von Dockam, um,
00:12:54 --> 00:12:56 from Yale's Astronomy Department, was
00:12:56 --> 00:12:59 confirmed using observations from the James
00:12:59 --> 00:13:01 Webb Space Telescope. The central
00:13:01 --> 00:13:04 proposal is that this linear feature is the
00:13:04 --> 00:13:07 wake behind a runaway supermassive black
00:13:07 --> 00:13:10 hole. And this is strongly supported by their
00:13:10 --> 00:13:10 analysis.
00:13:10 --> 00:13:13 Avery: But how does something weighing potentially
00:13:13 --> 00:13:15 millions or even billions of times the mass
00:13:15 --> 00:13:18 of our sun get kicked out of a galaxy? The
00:13:18 --> 00:13:21 answer lies in galaxy mergers. When big
00:13:21 --> 00:13:23 galaxies collide and merge, they force the
00:13:23 --> 00:13:25 black holes at their respective centres into
00:13:25 --> 00:13:26 close proximity.
00:13:27 --> 00:13:29 Anna: Right. If two black holes become locked in a
00:13:29 --> 00:13:32 gravitational dance and then a third crashes
00:13:32 --> 00:13:35 in from another merging galaxy, the resulting
00:13:35 --> 00:13:38 instability can hurl one of the trio away at
00:13:38 --> 00:13:41 sufficient speed to exit the host galaxy
00:13:41 --> 00:13:43 entirely. This can happen through two main
00:13:43 --> 00:13:44 mechanisms.
00:13:44 --> 00:13:47 Avery: The first is gravitational wave recoil.
00:13:47 --> 00:13:49 When black holes merge, they emit uh,
00:13:49 --> 00:13:51 gravitational waves that can give the
00:13:51 --> 00:13:54 resulting black hole a velocity boost of up
00:13:54 --> 00:13:56 to several thousand kilometres per second,
00:13:56 --> 00:13:58 propelling it away from the galactic centre.
00:13:59 --> 00:14:01 Anna: The second mechanism is the classical
00:14:01 --> 00:14:04 slingshot scenario. In this case, a long
00:14:04 --> 00:14:06 lived binary black hole forms through a
00:14:06 --> 00:14:09 merger of two galaxies when a third
00:14:09 --> 00:14:11 supermassive black hole is introduced. In a
00:14:11 --> 00:14:14 second merger, the three body interaction can
00:14:14 --> 00:14:16 eject one of the black holes, usually the
00:14:16 --> 00:14:17 lightest one.
00:14:17 --> 00:14:19 Avery: What's particularly striking about this
00:14:19 --> 00:14:22 confirmed runaway black hole is the trail it
00:14:22 --> 00:14:25 leaves behind. As the black hole ploughs
00:14:25 --> 00:14:27 through intergalactic space, it compresses
00:14:27 --> 00:14:29 tenuous gas in front of it, which
00:14:29 --> 00:14:32 precipitates the birth of hot blue stars.
00:14:32 --> 00:14:35 This creates a 200 light year long
00:14:35 --> 00:14:36 contrail of young stars.
00:14:37 --> 00:14:39 Anna: The black hole also generates a bow shock at
00:14:39 --> 00:14:41 the head of this week, something the
00:14:41 --> 00:14:44 researchers predicted based on shock models
00:14:44 --> 00:14:46 from the ages of the stars in the trail. They
00:14:46 --> 00:14:49 deduce that the black hole escaped about 40
00:14:49 --> 00:14:51 million years ago and is barreling through
00:14:51 --> 00:14:54 space at roughly 1600 kilometres per
00:14:54 --> 00:14:54 second.
00:14:55 --> 00:14:57 Avery: To put that in perspective, that's fast
00:14:57 --> 00:14:59 enough to travel from Earth to the moon in
00:14:59 --> 00:15:02 about 14 minutes. It's an incredible
00:15:02 --> 00:15:04 speed for something so massive.
00:15:04 --> 00:15:06 Anna: Recent papers have shown images of
00:15:06 --> 00:15:09 surprisingly straight streaks of stars within
00:15:09 --> 00:15:12 galaxies that seem to be convincing evidence
00:15:12 --> 00:15:15 for runaway black holes. One paper describes
00:15:15 --> 00:15:17 a very distant galaxy imaged by James Webb
00:15:17 --> 00:15:20 with a bright contrail, suggesting a black
00:15:20 --> 00:15:23 hole with a mass 10 million times the mass
00:15:23 --> 00:15:23 of the sun.
00:15:23 --> 00:15:26 Avery: It's a reminder that the universe is even
00:15:26 --> 00:15:28 more dynamic and violent than we often
00:15:28 --> 00:15:31 imagine. These behemoths aren't just sitting
00:15:31 --> 00:15:33 quietly at the centres of galaxies. Some of
00:15:33 --> 00:15:35 them are literally tearing through space,
00:15:35 --> 00:15:37 creating new stars in their wake.
00:15:37 --> 00:15:40 Anna: And finally, let's talk about an upcoming
00:15:40 --> 00:15:42 event that has both exciting scientific
00:15:42 --> 00:15:45 potential and some concerning risks.
00:15:45 --> 00:15:48 On 12-22-2032,
00:15:48 --> 00:15:51 asteroid 2024 yr 4
00:15:51 --> 00:15:54 has a 4% chance of actually striking
00:15:54 --> 00:15:55 the Moon.
00:15:55 --> 00:15:58 Avery: A 4% chance might not sound like much, but
00:15:58 --> 00:16:01 it's definitely non negligible. If this
00:16:01 --> 00:16:03 collision does happen, it will release enough
00:16:03 --> 00:16:06 energy to be the equivalent of smacking our
00:16:06 --> 00:16:08 nearest neighbour with a medium sized
00:16:08 --> 00:16:11 thermonuclear weapon. It would be six
00:16:11 --> 00:16:13 orders of magnitude more powerful than the
00:16:13 --> 00:16:15 last major impact on the moon, which happened
00:16:15 --> 00:16:16 back in 2013.
00:16:17 --> 00:16:20 Anna: A uh, new paper from Yifan he of Tsinghua
00:16:20 --> 00:16:22 University looks at the potential scientific
00:16:22 --> 00:16:25 opportunities if this collision occurs. And
00:16:25 --> 00:16:27 while they can simulate models of how the
00:16:27 --> 00:16:30 impact will go, monitoring it as it happens
00:16:30 --> 00:16:32 will provide never before collected actual
00:16:32 --> 00:16:35 data that's infeasible to get any other way.
00:16:35 --> 00:16:38 Avery: The impact would vaporise rock and plasma and
00:16:38 --> 00:16:40 would be clearly visible from the Pacific
00:16:40 --> 00:16:42 region where it will be nighttime during the
00:16:42 --> 00:16:45 impact. Even days after the impact, the
00:16:45 --> 00:16:48 melt pool of the impacted material will still
00:16:48 --> 00:16:50 be cooling, allowing infrared observers like
00:16:50 --> 00:16:53 the James Webb Space Telescope to capture
00:16:53 --> 00:16:53 plenty of data.
00:16:54 --> 00:16:57 Anna: The impact should form a crater roughly one
00:16:57 --> 00:16:59 kilometre wide and 150 to
00:16:59 --> 00:17:02 260 metres deep, with a 100
00:17:02 --> 00:17:05 metre pool of molten rock at the centre.
00:17:05 --> 00:17:07 Comparing it in size to other craters
00:17:07 --> 00:17:09 scattered around the moon will help us
00:17:09 --> 00:17:11 understand its bombardment history.
00:17:12 --> 00:17:14 Avery: The impact will also set off a global
00:17:14 --> 00:17:17 moonquake of magnitude 5.0 that
00:17:17 --> 00:17:19 would be the strongest moonquake yet detected
00:17:19 --> 00:17:22 by any seismometer on the Moon. Watching the
00:17:22 --> 00:17:24 propagation of the moonquake will shine a
00:17:24 --> 00:17:26 light on the Moon's interior and help
00:17:26 --> 00:17:28 researchers understand its composition.
00:17:28 --> 00:17:31 Anna: And here's where it gets really spectacular.
00:17:31 --> 00:17:33 A final piece of the scientific puzzle will
00:17:33 --> 00:17:36 be the debris field created by the blast. Up
00:17:36 --> 00:17:39 to 400 kilogrammes of lunar material
00:17:39 --> 00:17:42 is expected to survive re entry to Earth,
00:17:42 --> 00:17:45 creating essentially a free large scale
00:17:45 --> 00:17:46 lunar sample return mission.
00:17:46 --> 00:17:49 Avery: At its peak right around Christmas of 2032,
00:17:50 --> 00:17:52 simulations expect up to 20 million meteors
00:17:52 --> 00:17:55 per hour to hit our atmosphere, at least on
00:17:55 --> 00:17:57 the leading edge of the planet. Most of them
00:17:57 --> 00:17:59 would have naked eye visibility, including
00:17:59 --> 00:18:02 some 100 to 400 fireballs per hour.
00:18:03 --> 00:18:05 Anna: But there is a downside to all of this that
00:18:05 --> 00:18:08 400 kilogrammes of meteors has to land
00:18:08 --> 00:18:10 somewhere, and it looks like the crosshairs
00:18:10 --> 00:18:13 fall squarely on South America, North Africa
00:18:13 --> 00:18:16 and the Arabian Peninsula. A few kilogrammes
00:18:16 --> 00:18:18 of space rock falling on Dubai could
00:18:18 --> 00:18:20 certainly cause some damage.
00:18:20 --> 00:18:22 Avery: Perhaps more dangerous is the risk of
00:18:22 --> 00:18:24 satellite mega constellations that play such
00:18:24 --> 00:18:26 an important role in our modern day
00:18:26 --> 00:18:29 navigation and Internet systems. Such an
00:18:29 --> 00:18:31 event could trigger Kessler Syndrome and
00:18:31 --> 00:18:34 bring the entire network down over the span
00:18:34 --> 00:18:36 of a few short years, while also locking us
00:18:36 --> 00:18:38 out from being able to get anything else
00:18:38 --> 00:18:40 safely into orbit for much longer.
00:18:41 --> 00:18:43 Anna: Due to the risks, some space agencies are
00:18:43 --> 00:18:46 already considering a deflection mission that
00:18:46 --> 00:18:49 would bump asteroid 2024 yr 4
00:18:49 --> 00:18:51 out of the way of a potential lunar
00:18:51 --> 00:18:53 collision. But that hasn't been set in stone
00:18:53 --> 00:18:56 yet. Neither has the actual impact itself,
00:18:56 --> 00:18:58 with only a 4% chance of happening.
00:18:59 --> 00:19:01 Avery: If the odds increase over the coming years,
00:19:01 --> 00:19:03 we as a species will have to decide whether
00:19:03 --> 00:19:06 it's worth it to deflect it or not. If we
00:19:06 --> 00:19:08 do, we might miss out on a whole bunch of
00:19:08 --> 00:19:11 cool science, but we also might save our
00:19:11 --> 00:19:13 entire orbital infrastructure and the few
00:19:13 --> 00:19:14 lives directly to boot.
00:19:14 --> 00:19:16 Anna: And that wraps up today's episode of
00:19:16 --> 00:19:19 Astronomy Daily. From Mercury's surprising
00:19:19 --> 00:19:22 activity to a possible lunar impact in our
00:19:22 --> 00:19:25 future, space continues to surprise and
00:19:25 --> 00:19:25 amaze us.
00:19:26 --> 00:19:28 Avery: Thanks for joining us today. For more space
00:19:28 --> 00:19:30 news and to explore our archive of episodes,
00:19:30 --> 00:19:33 visit our website@astronomydaily.IO.
00:19:33 --> 00:19:35 you can also find us on social media,
00:19:35 --> 00:19:38 AstroDaily Pod on X, Facebook,
00:19:38 --> 00:19:40 Instagram and YouTube.
00:19:40 --> 00:19:42 Anna: If you enjoyed today's show, please subscribe
00:19:42 --> 00:19:44 on your favourite podcast platform and leave
00:19:44 --> 00:19:46 us a review. It really helps other space
00:19:46 --> 00:19:49 enthusiasts find us. Until next time, keep
00:19:49 --> 00:19:51 looking up clear skies everyone.
00:20:00 --> 00:20:01 Astronomy Day
00:20:03 --> 00:20:04 storeys
00:20:06 --> 00:20:06 love.