- SpaceX's Rapid ISS Crew Delivery: Join us as we celebrate SpaceX's remarkable achievement of delivering a new crew to the International Space Station in just 15 hours. We discuss the diverse backgrounds of the astronauts onboard and the significance of their swift journey from launch at NASA's Kennedy Space Center to docking above the South Pacific.
- - Diplomatic Developments in Space: Explore the recent high-level meetings between NASA and Roscosmos, marking a significant step in U.S.-Russia space relations. We delve into the implications of their discussions on the future of the International Space Station and potential collaborations beyond 2030.
- - Groundbreaking Discoveries at CERN: Uncover the latest findings from the LHCB experiment at CERN that could shed light on the universe's matter-antimatter imbalance. This discovery of differing decay rates in baryons and antibaryons opens new avenues for understanding why our universe is predominantly composed of matter.
- - August Night Sky Highlights: Get ready for an exciting month of stargazing as we highlight the stunning conjunction of Jupiter and Venus, the annual Perseid meteor shower, and the easily observable Dumbbell Nebula. We provide tips on how to best enjoy these celestial events, even with the Moon's interference.
- 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 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 and Avery signing off. Until next time, keep looking up and stay curious about the wonders of our universe.
SpaceX Crew Delivery Overview
[SpaceX](https://www.spacex.com/)
NASA-Roscosmos Meeting Insights
[NASA](https://www.nasa.gov/)
CERN LHCB Findings
[CERN](https://home.cern/)
August Night Sky Events
[Astronomy Daily](http://www.astronomydaily.io/)
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00:00:00 --> 00:00:02 Anna: Welcome to Astronomy Daily. Your
00:00:02 --> 00:00:05 go to source for the latest happenings in
00:00:05 --> 00:00:08 space and astronomy. I'm Anna.
00:00:08 --> 00:00:11 Avery: And I'm, um, Avery. We're thrilled to have
00:00:11 --> 00:00:13 you join us for today's episode packed with
00:00:13 --> 00:00:16 fascinating updates from around our universe.
00:00:17 --> 00:00:20 Anna: We've got a lot to cover, from
00:00:20 --> 00:00:23 SpaceX's incredibly speedy trip
00:00:23 --> 00:00:25 to the International Space Station to some
00:00:25 --> 00:00:28 intriguing new findings at CERN that could
00:00:28 --> 00:00:31 shed light on one of the universe's biggest
00:00:31 --> 00:00:31 mysteries.
00:00:33 --> 00:00:36 Avery: Plus, as always, we'll be sharing our
00:00:36 --> 00:00:38 top tips for what to look for in the night
00:00:38 --> 00:00:41 sky this month, including a stunning
00:00:41 --> 00:00:43 planetary conjunction and a famous
00:00:43 --> 00:00:46 meteor shower. So let's dive right in.
00:00:47 --> 00:00:50 Anna: First up, let's talk about an impressive
00:00:50 --> 00:00:53 feat from SpaceX which just delivered a
00:00:53 --> 00:00:55 new crew to the International Space Station
00:00:55 --> 00:00:58 in a lightning fast 15 hours.
00:00:59 --> 00:01:01 Avery: That's incredibly quick, Anna. Uh, for
00:01:01 --> 00:01:04 context, that's just over half a day.
00:01:04 --> 00:01:07 The four astronauts, a mix of U.S.
00:01:07 --> 00:01:10 russian and Japanese crew members, launched
00:01:10 --> 00:01:13 from NASA's Kennedy Space center and arrived
00:01:13 --> 00:01:15 at the orbiting lab. Feeling pretty good, I
00:01:15 --> 00:01:16 imagine.
00:01:16 --> 00:01:19 Anna: Absolutely. Mike Thinke one of the
00:01:19 --> 00:01:22 NASA astronauts even radioed hello,
00:01:22 --> 00:01:25 Space Station. As soon as their tapsule
00:01:25 --> 00:01:28 docked high above the South Pacific. They're
00:01:28 --> 00:01:30 set to spend at least six months up there
00:01:30 --> 00:01:33 swapping places with the current crew who've
00:01:33 --> 00:01:34 been aboard since March.
00:01:35 --> 00:01:36 Avery: What's really interesting about this
00:01:36 --> 00:01:39 particular crew are their backstories.
00:01:40 --> 00:01:42 Zena Cardman and Mike Finke from NASA,
00:01:42 --> 00:01:45 Japan's Kimiya Ui and Russia's
00:01:45 --> 00:01:48 Oleg Plutonov each had quite a journey
00:01:48 --> 00:01:49 to get to this mission.
00:01:50 --> 00:01:53 Anna: That's right for Cardman. She was pulled from
00:01:53 --> 00:01:55 a SpaceX flight last year to make room for
00:01:55 --> 00:01:58 the two NASA astronauts who ended up stuck on
00:01:58 --> 00:02:01 the station due to the Boeing Starliner
00:02:01 --> 00:02:04 issues. Butch Wilmore and Suni Williams.
00:02:04 --> 00:02:07 Avery: And speaking of Starliner, both Mike
00:02:07 --> 00:02:10 Finke and Kimiya Yui had actually been
00:02:10 --> 00:02:12 training for the next Starliner mission.
00:02:13 --> 00:02:16 But with Starliner still grounded by
00:02:16 --> 00:02:17 thruster problems and other issues
00:02:18 --> 00:02:20 potentially until 2026,
00:02:20 --> 00:02:23 they switched over to SpaceX. It's a clear
00:02:23 --> 00:02:26 sign of how dynamic and sometimes
00:02:26 --> 00:02:29 unpredictable spaceflight scheduling can be.
00:02:30 --> 00:02:32 Anna: And Oleg, uh, Platanov, the Russian
00:02:32 --> 00:02:35 cosmonaut, has his own story too. He was
00:02:35 --> 00:02:38 bumped from a Soyuz launch lineup a couple of
00:02:38 --> 00:02:40 years ago due to an undisclosed illness.
00:02:41 --> 00:02:42 So it's great to see him back in action.
00:02:43 --> 00:02:46 Avery: It really is. With their arrival, the
00:02:46 --> 00:02:49 International Space Station temporarily has
00:02:49 --> 00:02:52 a population of 11. Imagine
00:02:52 --> 00:02:54 that many people living and working together
00:02:54 --> 00:02:56 in that confined space.
00:02:57 --> 00:03:00 Anna: Zena Cardman expressed her awe once on board,
00:03:00 --> 00:03:03 saying it was such an unbelievably
00:03:03 --> 00:03:05 beautiful sight to see the space station come
00:03:05 --> 00:03:08 into our view for the first time. It just
00:03:08 --> 00:03:10 goes to show that even for seasoned
00:03:10 --> 00:03:13 astronauts, the wonder of space never fades.
00:03:14 --> 00:03:17 Avery: And while this 15 hour trip was speedy
00:03:17 --> 00:03:20 by US standards, it's worth noting that the
00:03:20 --> 00:03:22 Russians still hold the record for the
00:03:22 --> 00:03:25 fastest trip to the space station, clocking
00:03:25 --> 00:03:28 in at a lightning fast three hours.
00:03:29 --> 00:03:29 Quite a difference.
00:03:30 --> 00:03:33 Anna: Following up on that speedy delivery to the
00:03:33 --> 00:03:35 iss, there's been some significant
00:03:35 --> 00:03:38 diplomatic movement in space this week that
00:03:38 --> 00:03:39 we need to talk about.
00:03:40 --> 00:03:42 Avery: Uh, you're talking about the first high level
00:03:42 --> 00:03:45 face to face meetings between NASA and
00:03:45 --> 00:03:47 Roscosmos in almost eight years,
00:03:47 --> 00:03:50 right? This is a huge deal
00:03:50 --> 00:03:52 considering the last time their leaders met
00:03:52 --> 00:03:55 was back in October 2018, which
00:03:55 --> 00:03:57 was before a lot of the major
00:03:57 --> 00:04:00 geopolitical shifts and leadership changes
00:04:00 --> 00:04:01 on both sides.
00:04:01 --> 00:04:04 Anna: Exactly. The relatively new head of
00:04:04 --> 00:04:07 Roscosmos, Director General Dmitry
00:04:07 --> 00:04:09 Bakanov actually visited the United
00:04:09 --> 00:04:12 States. He was here to view the launch of the
00:04:12 --> 00:04:15 Crew 11 mission, which included the cosmonaut
00:04:15 --> 00:04:18 Oleg Plitinov we just mentioned. And he also
00:04:18 --> 00:04:20 met with some of NASA's human space flight
00:04:20 --> 00:04:21 leaders in Houston.
00:04:22 --> 00:04:24 Avery: What's particularly striking about this visit
00:04:24 --> 00:04:27 is the disparity in how it was covered.
00:04:28 --> 00:04:31 NASA barely mentioned it, providing almost no
00:04:31 --> 00:04:33 public coverage. But the state operated
00:04:33 --> 00:04:36 Russian news service published
00:04:36 --> 00:04:38 multiple updates, clearly wanting to
00:04:38 --> 00:04:40 highlight the interaction.
00:04:40 --> 00:04:43 Anna: It definitely points to a different agenda.
00:04:43 --> 00:04:46 Toss reported that Bakanov and acting
00:04:46 --> 00:04:49 NASA Administrator Sean Duffy
00:04:49 --> 00:04:51 discussed the future of the International
00:04:51 --> 00:04:54 Space Station at Kennedy Space Center.
00:04:54 --> 00:04:57 Bakanov was quoted saying they
00:04:57 --> 00:04:59 agreed to continue using the ISS
00:05:00 --> 00:05:03 until 2028 and would work
00:05:03 --> 00:05:05 on the deorbiting process until
00:05:05 --> 00:05:08 2030. They also reportedly
00:05:08 --> 00:05:11 discussed potential collaborations beyond
00:05:11 --> 00:05:14 2030. Before Bakanov's visit,
00:05:14 --> 00:05:17 there was speculation that relations might
00:05:17 --> 00:05:20 cease entirely after the ISS's
00:05:20 --> 00:05:22 demise. So this suggests a potential
00:05:22 --> 00:05:25 shift towards some kind of ongoing
00:05:25 --> 00:05:26 partnership.
00:05:26 --> 00:05:29 Avery: This brings us to what's been termed Russia's
00:05:29 --> 00:05:31 charm offensive with NASA. It's clear
00:05:31 --> 00:05:34 Bakanov wants to reestablish warmer
00:05:34 --> 00:05:37 relations, but the question is, why
00:05:37 --> 00:05:39 now? What's driving this push?
00:05:39 --> 00:05:42 Anna: Well, there are a few interesting theories
00:05:42 --> 00:05:45 floating around. One highly speculative
00:05:45 --> 00:05:47 angle involves internal Russian
00:05:47 --> 00:05:50 politics. Bakanov is reportedly
00:05:50 --> 00:05:53 popular in Russia and he's managed to
00:05:53 --> 00:05:55 navigate a very complex political
00:05:55 --> 00:05:58 landscape, especially given the recent
00:05:58 --> 00:06:01 dismissal and tragic death of a former
00:06:01 --> 00:06:03 colleague from his Transportation Ministry
00:06:03 --> 00:06:06 days. His very public trip could be
00:06:06 --> 00:06:09 seen as a way to bolster his image and
00:06:09 --> 00:06:11 show strong international ties.
00:06:11 --> 00:06:14 Avery: That's quite a twist. But on a more
00:06:14 --> 00:06:16 direct space related note, a significant
00:06:17 --> 00:06:19 motivation might be tied to The International
00:06:19 --> 00:06:21 Space Station's deorbiting contract.
00:06:22 --> 00:06:25 NASA awarded SpaceX a nearly $1 billion
00:06:25 --> 00:06:28 contract a year ago to ensure a safety
00:06:28 --> 00:06:30 orbiting of the station into the Pacific.
00:06:31 --> 00:06:33 Anna: And before that, NASA and Roscosmos
00:06:33 --> 00:06:36 had actually considered using three Russian
00:06:36 --> 00:06:38 Progress vehicles for the deorbiting.
00:06:39 --> 00:06:42 However, NASA ultimately decided that the
00:06:42 --> 00:06:45 Russian vehicles would not provide sufficient
00:06:45 --> 00:06:48 margin to lower the public risk to an accept.
00:06:49 --> 00:06:52 Avery: So Roscosmos under Bakanov
00:06:52 --> 00:06:55 has apparently been urging NASA to reconsider
00:06:55 --> 00:06:58 using Russian vehicles. And there might be
00:06:58 --> 00:06:59 some interest from certain White House
00:06:59 --> 00:07:02 officials to reduce reliance on Elon
00:07:02 --> 00:07:05 Musk's companies for federal contracting.
00:07:06 --> 00:07:08 Especially after some reported falling out
00:07:08 --> 00:07:10 between President Trump and Musk a couple of
00:07:10 --> 00:07:13 months ago, although NASA's press
00:07:13 --> 00:07:15 secretary was not aware if this specific
00:07:15 --> 00:07:16 issue was discussed.
00:07:17 --> 00:07:20 Anna: It's a complex web of motivations for sure.
00:07:20 --> 00:07:23 Another key factor is NASA's current
00:07:23 --> 00:07:26 reliance on SpaceX's Dragon
00:07:26 --> 00:07:29 spacecraft for crewed transport to the ISS.
00:07:30 --> 00:07:32 Boeing's Starliner vehicle isn't expected
00:07:33 --> 00:07:35 to fly crew again until
00:07:35 --> 00:07:38 2027, and it's unlikely to
00:07:38 --> 00:07:40 be price competitive with Dragon.
00:07:40 --> 00:07:43 Avery: So having Russian Soyuz spacecraft as a
00:07:43 --> 00:07:45 viable option could provide NASA with a
00:07:45 --> 00:07:48 crucial means of avoiding a, uh, SpaceX
00:07:48 --> 00:07:51 monopol on crew transport, especially
00:07:51 --> 00:07:53 as they look towards commercial space
00:07:53 --> 00:07:55 stations in the 2000 and 30s. It provides
00:07:55 --> 00:07:58 leverage and redundancy in their access to
00:07:58 --> 00:07:58 space.
00:07:59 --> 00:08:01 Anna: It makes a lot of sense from NASA's
00:08:01 --> 00:08:04 perspective to keep their options open and
00:08:04 --> 00:08:07 maintain diverse access to space. It's not
00:08:07 --> 00:08:09 just about one mission, but the long term
00:08:09 --> 00:08:12 strategic needs for human spaceflight.
00:08:12 --> 00:08:15 Avery: Absolutely. This visit, despite the
00:08:15 --> 00:08:18 geopolitical backdrop, highlights the unique
00:08:18 --> 00:08:20 collaborative nature of space exploration
00:08:20 --> 00:08:22 and the enduring need for international
00:08:23 --> 00:08:25 partnerships, even when things are tense on
00:08:25 --> 00:08:26 Earth.
00:08:26 --> 00:08:29 Anna: From navigating geopolitical tensions,
00:08:29 --> 00:08:32 let's shift our focus to an even grander
00:08:32 --> 00:08:35 mystery, why our universe exists
00:08:35 --> 00:08:38 at all. A, uh, groundbreaking discovery at
00:08:38 --> 00:08:41 CERN could bring us much closer to
00:08:41 --> 00:08:43 answering one of the most fundamental
00:08:43 --> 00:08:44 questions in physics.
00:08:45 --> 00:08:47 Avery: You're talking about the new findings from
00:08:47 --> 00:08:50 the LHCB experiment, aren't you? This
00:08:50 --> 00:08:52 goes right to the heart of the matter
00:08:52 --> 00:08:54 antimatter imbalance. Which is just mind
00:08:54 --> 00:08:56 boggling when you think about it.
00:08:56 --> 00:08:59 Anna: Exactly. The core problem is,
00:09:00 --> 00:09:02 according to our cosmological models,
00:09:03 --> 00:09:05 the Big Bang should have created equal
00:09:05 --> 00:09:08 amounts of matter and antimatter. And if
00:09:08 --> 00:09:10 matter and antimatter meet, they
00:09:10 --> 00:09:13 annihilate each other, leaving behind
00:09:13 --> 00:09:16 nothing but pure energy. So
00:09:16 --> 00:09:19 if that were strictly true, our
00:09:19 --> 00:09:22 universe should just be a, uh, cosmic soup of
00:09:22 --> 00:09:24 energy with no stars, no
00:09:24 --> 00:09:27 galaxies, and certainly no us.
00:09:27 --> 00:09:30 But obviously that's not the case.
00:09:30 --> 00:09:33 Astronomical observations show that our
00:09:33 --> 00:09:35 universe is overwhelmingly made of
00:09:35 --> 00:09:38 matters with hardly any antimatter
00:09:38 --> 00:09:41 left. This tells us that matter
00:09:41 --> 00:09:43 and antimatter must behave
00:09:43 --> 00:09:46 differently. Somehow. There has to be
00:09:46 --> 00:09:49 some asymmetry that allowed matter
00:09:49 --> 00:09:51 to survive and dominate, while
00:09:51 --> 00:09:54 antimatter largely vanished. Our
00:09:54 --> 00:09:57 best theory of fundamental quantum physics,
00:09:57 --> 00:10:00 the Standard Model, does account for
00:10:00 --> 00:10:02 some differences between matter and
00:10:02 --> 00:10:05 antimatter. But these differences are
00:10:05 --> 00:10:08 far too small to explain the vast
00:10:08 --> 00:10:10 imbalance we observe. And
00:10:10 --> 00:10:13 that's where the new discovery comes in.
00:10:13 --> 00:10:16 The LHCB team at CERN
00:10:16 --> 00:10:19 has reported finding differences in the decay
00:10:19 --> 00:10:21 rates of matter particles, called
00:10:21 --> 00:10:24 baryons, compared to their
00:10:24 --> 00:10:25 antimatter counterparts,
00:10:26 --> 00:10:28 antibaryons. M for context,
00:10:29 --> 00:10:31 baryons are particles made of three
00:10:31 --> 00:10:34 quarks, like protons and neutrons,
00:10:34 --> 00:10:37 which make up most of the known matter in our
00:10:37 --> 00:10:40 universe. Antibaryons are made
00:10:40 --> 00:10:42 of three antiquarks.
00:10:42 --> 00:10:45 Previously, we'd seen differences in
00:10:45 --> 00:10:48 particles like mesons, which are made of
00:10:48 --> 00:10:51 a quark and an antiquark. But this is
00:10:51 --> 00:10:53 the first time these differences have been
00:10:53 --> 00:10:55 observed in baryons, which is
00:10:55 --> 00:10:58 hugely significant because they're the
00:10:58 --> 00:11:00 building blocks of most of the visible
00:11:00 --> 00:11:01 universe.
00:11:01 --> 00:11:04 Avery: Specifically, they studied over 80 lambda
00:11:04 --> 00:11:07 B baryons and their anti baryon counterparts.
00:11:07 --> 00:11:09 They found that these matter baryons decayed
00:11:09 --> 00:11:12 to specific subatomic particles, a proton,
00:11:12 --> 00:11:15 a kaon, and two pions, about
00:11:15 --> 00:11:18 5% more often than the same process happened
00:11:18 --> 00:11:19 with the antiparticles.
00:11:19 --> 00:11:22 Anna: 5% difference might sound small,
00:11:22 --> 00:11:25 but it's statistically significant enough to
00:11:25 --> 00:11:28 be the first direct observation of
00:11:28 --> 00:11:30 different behaviors between baryons and
00:11:30 --> 00:11:32 antibaryons in their decay.
00:11:33 --> 00:11:35 Avery: So while this particular measurement is still
00:11:35 --> 00:11:37 consistent with the Standard Model's
00:11:37 --> 00:11:39 predictions for such small differences, the
00:11:39 --> 00:11:42 fact that we've now observed this asymmetry
00:11:42 --> 00:11:44 in the type of particles that dominate our
00:11:44 --> 00:11:47 universe is a monumental step. It
00:11:47 --> 00:11:49 supports the idea that there must be
00:11:49 --> 00:11:51 additional fundamental particles or effects
00:11:51 --> 00:11:53 beyond the Standard Model that caused the
00:11:53 --> 00:11:55 universe to exist in its current form.
00:11:55 --> 00:11:58 Anna: Like finding a crucial piece of the puzzle,
00:11:59 --> 00:12:01 this discovery doesn't solve the whole
00:12:01 --> 00:12:04 mystery of why matter won out, but it
00:12:04 --> 00:12:07 points us in the right direction. It gives
00:12:07 --> 00:12:09 physicists a new avenue to explore
00:12:09 --> 00:12:12 for signs of that new physics that
00:12:12 --> 00:12:14 could finally explain the cosmic
00:12:14 --> 00:12:16 asymmetry after the Big Bang.
00:12:16 --> 00:12:19 Avery: It's incredibly exciting. With more data from
00:12:19 --> 00:12:22 the LHCB experiment, scientists hope to
00:12:22 --> 00:12:24 forensically study these differences and and
00:12:25 --> 00:12:28 potentially tease out the definitive signs of
00:12:28 --> 00:12:30 those new fundamental particles, or forces
00:12:30 --> 00:12:32 that are currently beyond our grasp.
00:12:32 --> 00:12:35 Anna: Very small to the very large.
00:12:35 --> 00:12:38 Let's turn Our attention now to something you
00:12:38 --> 00:12:41 can observe yourself, the August night
00:12:41 --> 00:12:43 sky. There are some fantastic sights
00:12:43 --> 00:12:46 to behold this month, even with the Moon
00:12:46 --> 00:12:48 getting in the way of one of our favorite
00:12:48 --> 00:12:49 annual events.
00:12:49 --> 00:12:51 Avery: That's right, Ana, uh, kicking things off.
00:12:51 --> 00:12:54 Jupiter and Venus are putting on a show.
00:12:54 --> 00:12:56 They'll be shining brightly in the east each
00:12:56 --> 00:12:59 morning before sunrise, with Venus appearing
00:12:59 --> 00:13:02 particularly brilliant. The real highlight
00:13:02 --> 00:13:05 for these two is their close meetup on August
00:13:05 --> 00:13:07 11th and 12th, when they'll appear just about
00:13:07 --> 00:13:08 a degree apart.
00:13:08 --> 00:13:11 Anna: It's a beautiful conjunction happening
00:13:11 --> 00:13:14 against a backdrop of familiar bright stars
00:13:14 --> 00:13:17 like Orion, Taurus and
00:13:17 --> 00:13:19 Gemini. And later in the month, around the
00:13:19 --> 00:13:22 19th and 20th, a slim lunar
00:13:22 --> 00:13:25 crescent will join Jupiter and Venus in the
00:13:25 --> 00:13:27 eastern sky, creating another
00:13:27 --> 00:13:29 stunning view before sunrise.
00:13:29 --> 00:13:32 Avery: Now, about that moon interference I
00:13:32 --> 00:13:35 mentioned. The annual Perseid meteor shower,
00:13:35 --> 00:13:37 which usually peaks overnight on August 12th
00:13:37 --> 00:13:40 into the 13th, is unfortunately going to be
00:13:40 --> 00:13:42 hampered this year. The Moon will be nearly
00:13:42 --> 00:13:45 84% full on the peak night, and its
00:13:45 --> 00:13:47 glare will wash out all but the brightest
00:13:47 --> 00:13:48 meteors.
00:13:48 --> 00:13:50 Anna: It's a bit of a bummer for Perseid
00:13:50 --> 00:13:53 enthusiasts, but you might still catch a
00:13:53 --> 00:13:55 few bright ones in the pre dawn hours.
00:13:56 --> 00:13:59 The good news is that the Geminids, another
00:13:59 --> 00:14:02 fantastic annual meteor shower in
00:14:02 --> 00:14:04 December, is set for Moon free viewing,
00:14:04 --> 00:14:06 so we have that to look forward to.
00:14:07 --> 00:14:10 Avery: Beyond meteors and planets, August is
00:14:10 --> 00:14:12 also a prime time to observe one of the
00:14:12 --> 00:14:15 easiest to spot nebulas in the sky, the
00:14:15 --> 00:14:17 Dumbbell Nebula. Also known as M
00:14:17 --> 00:14:20 M27. It's located high
00:14:20 --> 00:14:22 overhead on August nights.
00:14:22 --> 00:14:25 Anna: The Dumbbell Nebula is a type of object
00:14:25 --> 00:14:28 called a planetary nebula. Though it has
00:14:28 --> 00:14:30 nothing to do with planets, it's
00:14:30 --> 00:14:33 essentially a giant cloud of gas and
00:14:33 --> 00:14:36 dust that's been shed by a star like our
00:14:36 --> 00:14:39 sun as it reaches the end of its life.
00:14:39 --> 00:14:42 Once nuclear fusion ceases, these
00:14:42 --> 00:14:45 stars blow off their outer layers, leaving
00:14:45 --> 00:14:48 behind a small hot remnant called a
00:14:48 --> 00:14:49 white dwarf.
00:14:49 --> 00:14:52 Avery: That white dwarf then emits a lot of bright
00:14:52 --> 00:14:54 ultraviolet light, which illuminates the
00:14:54 --> 00:14:57 expanding shell of gas, causing it to glow
00:14:57 --> 00:15:00 in visible light. The Dumbbell Nebula,
00:15:00 --> 00:15:03 named for its shape, appears as a small,
00:15:03 --> 00:15:06 faint patch of light. In binoculars or a
00:15:06 --> 00:15:08 small telescope, you.
00:15:08 --> 00:15:10 Anna: Can find it within the summer triangle, a
00:15:10 --> 00:15:13 prominent pattern of stars in the August sky.
00:15:14 --> 00:15:16 It's about a third of the way between the
00:15:16 --> 00:15:18 bright stars Altair and Deneb.
00:15:19 --> 00:15:22 It's truly a glimpse into the future of our
00:15:22 --> 00:15:24 own sun, which will undergo a similar
00:15:24 --> 00:15:27 transformation about 5 billion years from
00:15:27 --> 00:15:27 now.
00:15:28 --> 00:15:31 Avery: It's a powerful reminder of the cosmic
00:15:31 --> 00:15:33 cycle that seeds the galaxy with the
00:15:33 --> 00:15:36 ingredients for new generations of stars and
00:15:36 --> 00:15:38 planets, and potentially even ones not too
00:15:38 --> 00:15:41 different from our own. It's a beautiful
00:15:41 --> 00:15:43 sight and a profound thought.
00:15:43 --> 00:15:46 Anna: And that brings us to the end of another
00:15:46 --> 00:15:48 fascinating episode of Astronomy Daily.
00:15:49 --> 00:15:51 We've covered everything from quick trips to
00:15:51 --> 00:15:54 the ISS and diplomatic dances in
00:15:54 --> 00:15:57 space, to the mysteries of antimatter
00:15:57 --> 00:15:59 and the beauty of our night sky.
00:15:59 --> 00:16:02 Avery: It's been an absolute blast. As always, Anna,
00:16:02 --> 00:16:05 we hope you've enjoyed diving into the latest
00:16:05 --> 00:16:07 space news with us. And remember, there's
00:16:07 --> 00:16:10 always something incredible happening above
00:16:10 --> 00:16:10 us.
00:16:10 --> 00:16:13 Anna: Absolutely. So keep looking up.
00:16:13 --> 00:16:16 You can find Astronomy Daily wherever you get
00:16:16 --> 00:16:18 your podcasts. And be sure to follow us on
00:16:18 --> 00:16:21 social media for more updates and behind the
00:16:21 --> 00:16:21 scenes content.
00:16:22 --> 00:16:24 Avery: Thank you for tuning in. We can't wait to
00:16:24 --> 00:16:26 share more cosmic adventures with you next
00:16:26 --> 00:16:26 time.
00:16:27 --> 00:16:29 Anna: Until then, this is Anna and this is
00:16:29 --> 00:16:32 Avery signing off. Astronomy
00:16:32 --> 00:16:32 Day