Viper's Lunar Revival, Asteroid Threats, and Ancient Cosmic Secrets
Astronomy Daily: Space News UpdatesSeptember 20, 2025x
226
00:14:1513.11 MB

Viper's Lunar Revival, Asteroid Threats, and Ancient Cosmic Secrets

  • NASA's Viper Rover Gets a Second Chance: After facing potential cancellation, NASA's Viper lunar rover has been revived thanks to a new $190 million partnership with Blue Origin. Set to launch in late 2027, Viper will explore the moon's south pole for water ice deposits, crucial for future lunar missions and the Artemis program. This rover, equipped with advanced instruments, aims to analyze ice composition and distribution, potentially transforming lunar exploration.
  • Asteroid 2024 YR4 Threatens the Moon: A new asteroid, 2024 YR4, poses a 4% chance of impacting the moon in December 2032. While it may not directly threaten Earth, the resulting debris could increase micrometeoroid impacts on our planet, jeopardizing satellites and astronauts in space. With only eight years to prepare for a potential deflection mission, scientists are exploring various options to mitigate this threat.
  • Ancient Tektites Uncover Asteroid Impact History: Researchers in Australia have discovered new tektites, indicating a previously unknown asteroid impact that occurred 11 million years ago. These glass fragments, formed from intense heat during the impact, have led scientists to believe there may be an undiscovered impact crater in the region of the Philippines or Papua New Guinea, providing insights into Earth's impact history.
  • Stellar Nursery Mapping Revolutionizes Astronomy: Astronomers have created the most detailed 3D map of stellar nurseries in our galaxy using data from the Gaia telescope. This map reveals how massive stars influence their surroundings, creating cavities in space and triggering new star formation, thus enhancing our understanding of galactic structure and stellar evolution.
  • James Webb Telescope's Exoplanet Discoveries: The James Webb Space Telescope continues to make strides in exoplanet research, recently detecting water vapor in the atmosphere of the rocky planet K2-18b. This finding brings us closer to identifying potentially habitable worlds, while future ground-based telescopes may allow us to detect biosignatures in exoplanet atmospheres.
  • Solar Activity and Its Implications: As we approach solar maximum, the sun's heightened activity is creating both challenges and opportunities for space missions. While strong solar flares pose risks to astronauts and technology, they also provide unique opportunities to study solar physics and have resulted in spectacular auroras visible farther south than usual.
  • Perseverance Rover's Martian Discoveries: NASA's Perseverance rover has collected 26 samples from Mars, some showing evidence of ancient microbial life. These samples are set to be returned to Earth in the Mars Sample Return Mission, which could fundamentally change our understanding of life beyond our planet.
  • For more cosmic updates, visit our website at astronomydaily.io. Join our community on social media by searching for #AstroDailyPod on Facebook, X, YouTubeMusic 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 exploring the wonders of our universe.
✍️ Episode References
Viper Rover Update
[NASA](https://www.nasa.gov/)
Asteroid 2024 YR4 Threat
[NASA](https://www.nasa.gov/)
Ancient Tektites Discovery
[Nature](https://www.nature.com/)
Stellar Nursery Map
[European Space Agency](https://www.esa.int/)
James Webb Exoplanet Findings
[NASA](https://www.nasa.gov/)
Solar Activity Insights
[NASA](https://www.nasa.gov/)
Perseverance Rover Discoveries
[NASA](https://www.nasa.gov/)
Astronomy Daily
[Astronomy Daily](http://www.astronomydaily.io/)

Become a supporter of this podcast: https://www.spreaker.com/podcast/astronomy-daily-space-news-updates--5648921/support.

Sponsor Details:
Ensure your online privacy by using NordVPN. To get our special listener deal and save a lot of money, visit www.bitesz.com/nordvpn. You'll be glad you did!

Become a supporter of Astronomy Daily by joining our Supporters Club. Commercial free episodes daily are only a click way... Click Here


00:00:00 --> 00:00:02 Avery: Welcome to Astronomy Daily, your source for

00:00:02 --> 00:00:05 the latest news from the cosmos. I'm Avery.

00:00:06 --> 00:00:09 Anna: And I'm Anna. Today we're diving

00:00:09 --> 00:00:11 into some fascinating developments that span

00:00:11 --> 00:00:14 from our own moon to the far reaches of our

00:00:14 --> 00:00:15 galaxy.

00:00:16 --> 00:00:18 Avery: We've got quite the lineup today. A lunar

00:00:18 --> 00:00:21 rover gets a second chance at life. An

00:00:21 --> 00:00:23 asteroid threatens to pelt our moon with

00:00:23 --> 00:00:26 debris. Ancient glass reveals secrets from

00:00:26 --> 00:00:28 millions of years ago. And astronomers have

00:00:28 --> 00:00:30 created the most detailed map of stellar

00:00:30 --> 00:00:32 other nurseries in our galaxy.

00:00:33 --> 00:00:35 Anna: Let's start with some good news from NASA.

00:00:36 --> 00:00:38 The Viper lunar rover, which was facing

00:00:38 --> 00:00:41 cancellation just months ago, has been given

00:00:41 --> 00:00:44 a lifeline after NASA spent

00:00:44 --> 00:00:46 $450 million on the

00:00:46 --> 00:00:49 project and then canceled it in July

00:00:49 --> 00:00:52 2024 due to cost overruns. It

00:00:52 --> 00:00:54 looked like the car sized rover would never

00:00:54 --> 00:00:55 see the lunar surface.

00:00:56 --> 00:00:59 Avery: But here's where it gets interesting. NASA

00:00:59 --> 00:01:02 has struck a new deal worth $190 million

00:01:02 --> 00:01:05 with Jeff Bezos, Blue Origin. Under the

00:01:05 --> 00:01:07 Commercial Lunar Payload Services Program.

00:01:08 --> 00:01:10 This partnership will send Viper to the

00:01:10 --> 00:01:13 moon's south pole in late 2027, where it

00:01:13 --> 00:01:15 will hunt for water ice deposits for about

00:01:15 --> 00:01:16 100 Earth days.

00:01:17 --> 00:01:20 Anna: This mission is crucial for NASA's Artemis

00:01:20 --> 00:01:23 program goals of establishing a

00:01:23 --> 00:01:26 sustainable lunar presence. Water ice

00:01:26 --> 00:01:28 isn't just scientifically interesting. It's a

00:01:28 --> 00:01:31 resource that could support future human

00:01:31 --> 00:01:33 missions. The rover will be able to analyze

00:01:33 --> 00:01:36 the composition and distribution of ice

00:01:36 --> 00:01:38 deposits, giving us a much clearer

00:01:38 --> 00:01:41 picture of what's available for future lunar

00:01:41 --> 00:01:44 explorers. What's particularly impressive

00:01:44 --> 00:01:46 about this rescue is the technical

00:01:46 --> 00:01:49 specifications of Viper itself. This

00:01:49 --> 00:01:52 rover is no lightweight explorer. It

00:01:52 --> 00:01:55 weighs about 430 kilograms

00:01:55 --> 00:01:57 and stands 1.5 meters meters tall.

00:01:57 --> 00:01:59 It's equipped with four scientific

00:01:59 --> 00:02:02 instruments specifically designed to analyze

00:02:02 --> 00:02:05 water ice, including a neutron spectrometer

00:02:05 --> 00:02:08 and a drill that can dig up to a meter

00:02:08 --> 00:02:09 into the lunar surface.

00:02:10 --> 00:02:13 Avery: The choice of landing site is also crucial

00:02:13 --> 00:02:15 here. Ana, uh, the moon's south pole region

00:02:15 --> 00:02:17 experiences what scientists call permanently

00:02:17 --> 00:02:20 shadowed regions, areas that haven't seen

00:02:20 --> 00:02:23 sunlight for potentially billions of years.

00:02:23 --> 00:02:25 These could be like frozen time capsules,

00:02:25 --> 00:02:28 preserving water ice and other volatiles that

00:02:29 --> 00:02:31 could tell us about the early solar system.

00:02:32 --> 00:02:35 Anna: Exactly. And the data Viper collects will

00:02:35 --> 00:02:37 directly influence where future Artemis

00:02:37 --> 00:02:40 missions land. If the rover finds

00:02:40 --> 00:02:43 accessible water ice deposits near potential

00:02:43 --> 00:02:46 landing sites, it could dramatically change

00:02:46 --> 00:02:48 our approach to lunar exploration. Water

00:02:48 --> 00:02:51 isn't just for drinking. It can be split

00:02:51 --> 00:02:54 into hydrogen and oxygen for rocket

00:02:54 --> 00:02:57 fuel, essentially creating a, uh, gas station

00:02:57 --> 00:02:58 on the moon.

00:02:59 --> 00:03:01 Avery: It's a great example of how public private

00:03:01 --> 00:03:04 partnerships can salvage important scientific

00:03:04 --> 00:03:06 missions. Sometimes it just takes finding the

00:03:06 --> 00:03:08 right partner with the Right Capabilities and

00:03:08 --> 00:03:09 timeline.

00:03:10 --> 00:03:12 Now, speaking of lunar threats, we need to

00:03:12 --> 00:03:15 discuss something a bit more concerning

00:03:15 --> 00:03:18 asteroid 2024 yr4.

00:03:19 --> 00:03:21 Anna: This asteroid has a 4% chance

00:03:21 --> 00:03:24 of hitting our moon in December

00:03:24 --> 00:03:27 2032. Now, while that might not sou like

00:03:27 --> 00:03:30 a direct threat to us here on Earth, the

00:03:30 --> 00:03:32 consequences could be far reaching. If

00:03:32 --> 00:03:35 this asteroid does impact the moon, it could

00:03:35 --> 00:03:38 create a massive amount of debris that would

00:03:38 --> 00:03:41 increase micrometeoroid impacts on Earth

00:03:41 --> 00:03:43 by up to 1 times.

00:03:44 --> 00:03:46 Avery: That's where things get really problematic.

00:03:46 --> 00:03:49 This debris cloud would pose serious risk to

00:03:49 --> 00:03:52 our satellites and any astronauts working in

00:03:52 --> 00:03:54 space. We're talking about potentially

00:03:54 --> 00:03:55 damaging or destroying critical

00:03:55 --> 00:03:58 infrastructure that we rely on for everything

00:03:59 --> 00:04:01 from GPS to communications.

00:04:02 --> 00:04:04 Anna: What makes this situation particularly

00:04:04 --> 00:04:07 challenging is that asteroid 2024

00:04:07 --> 00:04:10 yr4 was only discovered recently,

00:04:10 --> 00:04:13 giving us limited time to study its

00:04:13 --> 00:04:15 characteristics. The asteroid is estimated to

00:04:15 --> 00:04:18 be between 40 and 100 meters in

00:04:18 --> 00:04:21 diameter, which might not sound enormous, but

00:04:21 --> 00:04:24 at cosmic velocities, even relatively

00:04:24 --> 00:04:26 small objects can cause tremendous

00:04:26 --> 00:04:27 damage.

00:04:27 --> 00:04:30 Avery: The timeline is also tight with the potential

00:04:30 --> 00:04:33 impact in 2032. We have roughly

00:04:33 --> 00:04:36 eight years to mount a response mission. That

00:04:36 --> 00:04:38 might seem like plenty of time, but space

00:04:38 --> 00:04:40 missions require years of planning,

00:04:40 --> 00:04:43 development and travel time. If we

00:04:43 --> 00:04:46 decide to attempt deflection, we'd likely

00:04:46 --> 00:04:48 need to launch by 2028 or

00:04:48 --> 00:04:51 2029 to have the best chance of success.

00:04:51 --> 00:04:54 Scientists have identified several options

00:04:54 --> 00:04:56 for dealing with this threat. The, uh,

00:04:56 --> 00:04:58 preferred approach is deflection. But there's

00:04:58 --> 00:05:01 a big chall we don't know the asteroid's

00:05:01 --> 00:05:04 exact mass. Current estimates range from

00:05:04 --> 00:05:07 51 million to 711 million

00:05:07 --> 00:05:10 kg. And that uncertainty makes it

00:05:10 --> 00:05:12 difficult to plan an effective deflection

00:05:12 --> 00:05:12 mission.

00:05:13 --> 00:05:15 Anna: If deflection isn't feasible,

00:05:15 --> 00:05:18 destruction becomes an option. This could

00:05:18 --> 00:05:21 involve a kinetic impact designed to break

00:05:21 --> 00:05:24 the asteroid into manageable 10 meter

00:05:24 --> 00:05:27 chunks. Or in extreme cases, a, uh,

00:05:27 --> 00:05:29 nuclear option using a 1 megaton

00:05:29 --> 00:05:32 warhead. The good news is that there's a

00:05:32 --> 00:05:35 possible reconnaissance mission in 2028

00:05:35 --> 00:05:37 that could help us better assess the

00:05:37 --> 00:05:39 asteroid's mass and composition.

00:05:40 --> 00:05:42 Avery: It's fascinating how these seemingly distant

00:05:42 --> 00:05:45 cosmic events can have such direct

00:05:45 --> 00:05:48 implications for life on Earth. While a, uh,

00:05:48 --> 00:05:50 4% chance might seem relatively low,

00:05:51 --> 00:05:53 the potential consequences are significant

00:05:53 --> 00:05:55 enough that we need to take this threat

00:05:55 --> 00:05:57 seriously and prepare accordingly.

00:05:57 --> 00:05:58 Anna: Absolutely.

00:05:59 --> 00:06:02 Now let's shift our focus to a discovery that

00:06:02 --> 00:06:04 takes us much further back in time.

00:06:04 --> 00:06:07 Australian researchers have uncovered

00:06:07 --> 00:06:09 evidence of a previously unknown

00:06:09 --> 00:06:12 asteroid impact that occurred 11 million

00:06:12 --> 00:06:13 years ago.

00:06:14 --> 00:06:16 Avery: This discovery came through the

00:06:16 --> 00:06:18 identification of new tektites.

00:06:18 --> 00:06:20 Those are, uh, glass pieces formed when an

00:06:20 --> 00:06:23 asteroid Impact melts and launches

00:06:23 --> 00:06:26 rock material into the atmosphere. These

00:06:26 --> 00:06:29 particular tektites, called ananguites,

00:06:29 --> 00:06:32 span an impressive 900km

00:06:32 --> 00:06:33 across South Australia.

00:06:34 --> 00:06:37 Anna: What makes these ananguites particularly

00:06:37 --> 00:06:39 interesting is that they're chemically

00:06:39 --> 00:06:41 distinct from the famous Australasian

00:06:41 --> 00:06:43 tektites that formed about

00:06:43 --> 00:06:46 780 years ago. This

00:06:46 --> 00:06:48 means we're looking at evidence of a

00:06:48 --> 00:06:51 completely separate impact event, One

00:06:51 --> 00:06:53 that had been hidden from scientific view

00:06:53 --> 00:06:56 until now. The formation

00:06:56 --> 00:06:58 process of these tektites is

00:06:58 --> 00:07:00 absolutely extraordinary when you think about

00:07:00 --> 00:07:03 it. The original asteroid impact would

00:07:03 --> 00:07:06 have generated temperatures exceeding 2000

00:07:06 --> 00:07:09 degrees Celsius, instantly vaporizing

00:07:09 --> 00:07:12 and melting rock material. This molten

00:07:12 --> 00:07:14 debris was then hurled hundreds of

00:07:14 --> 00:07:17 kilometers through the atmosphere before

00:07:17 --> 00:07:19 cooling and solidifying into these glass

00:07:19 --> 00:07:22 fragments that we're finding today. The

00:07:22 --> 00:07:24 mystery deepens when we consider that the

00:07:24 --> 00:07:27 actual impact crater remains

00:07:27 --> 00:07:29 undiscovered. Researchers believe it

00:07:29 --> 00:07:32 may be located somewhere in the volcanic arcs

00:07:32 --> 00:07:35 around the Philippines, Indonesia, or Papua

00:07:35 --> 00:07:38 New Guinea. The fact that we can find

00:07:38 --> 00:07:40 evidence of the impact spread across such a

00:07:40 --> 00:07:43 wide area, yet still haven't located the

00:07:43 --> 00:07:46 source crater, really speaks to the

00:07:46 --> 00:07:48 challenges of studying these ancient cosmic

00:07:48 --> 00:07:49 events.

00:07:50 --> 00:07:52 Avery: This discovery is significant because it

00:07:52 --> 00:07:55 establishes a sixth known tektite

00:07:55 --> 00:07:58 strewn field globally. Each of these fields

00:07:58 --> 00:08:00 represents a major impact event in Earth's

00:08:00 --> 00:08:03 history. And finding a new one helps us

00:08:03 --> 00:08:05 better understand the frequency and scale of

00:08:05 --> 00:08:08 asteroid impacts over geological time. It's

00:08:08 --> 00:08:10 like finding a missing piece of Earth's

00:08:10 --> 00:08:12 cosmic collision history.

00:08:12 --> 00:08:15 Anna: Now let's journey from impact events to

00:08:15 --> 00:08:18 stellar creation. Astronomers have

00:08:18 --> 00:08:21 created the most detailed 3D MA

00:08:21 --> 00:08:23 map ever made of stellar nurseries in Art

00:08:23 --> 00:08:26 Galaxy. And it's absolutely

00:08:26 --> 00:08:27 breathtaking.

00:08:28 --> 00:08:30 Avery: This incredible map was created using data

00:08:30 --> 00:08:33 from the European Space Agency's Gaia

00:08:33 --> 00:08:35 telescope. And it covers a vast region

00:08:35 --> 00:08:38 extending 4 light years from our Sun.

00:08:38 --> 00:08:41 The map includes some of the most famous star

00:08:41 --> 00:08:43 forming regions we know, like the Orion,

00:08:43 --> 00:08:46 Iridan super bubble and the Gum

00:08:46 --> 00:08:46 Nebula.

00:08:47 --> 00:08:50 Anna: What's particularly fascinating is how

00:08:50 --> 00:08:53 this map reveals the dramatic influence of

00:08:53 --> 00:08:55 massive O type stars on their surrounding

00:08:55 --> 00:08:58 environments. These stellar giants are like

00:08:58 --> 00:09:01 cosmic sculptors, creating enormous

00:09:01 --> 00:09:04 cavities in space where gas clouds rupture

00:09:04 --> 00:09:05 and stream outward.

00:09:06 --> 00:09:08 Avery: It's a complex dance of creation and

00:09:08 --> 00:09:11 destruction. While these massive stars can

00:09:11 --> 00:09:14 trigger new star formation by compressing

00:09:14 --> 00:09:17 nearby gas clouds, they're simultaneously

00:09:17 --> 00:09:19 disrupting the galax galactic environment

00:09:19 --> 00:09:22 around them. The map shows us these processes

00:09:22 --> 00:09:25 in unprecedented detail, giving us new

00:09:25 --> 00:09:28 insights into, uh, how stars are born and how

00:09:28 --> 00:09:30 they reshape their cosmic neighborhoods.

00:09:30 --> 00:09:32 Anna: This kind of detailed mapping is

00:09:32 --> 00:09:35 revolutionizing our understanding of galactic

00:09:35 --> 00:09:37 structure and stellar evolution. We're not

00:09:37 --> 00:09:40 just seeing where stars are, but

00:09:40 --> 00:09:42 understanding the dynamic processes that

00:09:42 --> 00:09:44 create them and how they influence the

00:09:44 --> 00:09:46 broader galactic ecosystem.

00:09:47 --> 00:09:49 Avery: Speaking of revolutionary discoveries, I want

00:09:49 --> 00:09:51 to highlight some exciting developments in

00:09:51 --> 00:09:54 exoplanet research. The James Webb

00:09:54 --> 00:09:56 Space Telescope has been delivering

00:09:56 --> 00:09:58 unprecedented insights into atmospheric

00:09:58 --> 00:10:01 compositions of distant worlds. And recent

00:10:01 --> 00:10:04 findings suggest we might be much closer to

00:10:04 --> 00:10:07 finding potentially habitable exoplanets than

00:10:07 --> 00:10:08 we previously thought.

00:10:09 --> 00:10:11 Anna: What's particularly exciting is Webb's

00:10:11 --> 00:10:14 ability to detect water vapor, carbon

00:10:14 --> 00:10:17 dioxide, and other key atmospheric components

00:10:17 --> 00:10:19 in exopl atmospheres. Just last

00:10:19 --> 00:10:22 month, researchers announced the discovery of

00:10:22 --> 00:10:24 water vapor in the atmosphere of a Rocky

00:10:24 --> 00:10:27 planet called K2 18b

00:10:27 --> 00:10:30 located about 120 light years away.

00:10:30 --> 00:10:33 While this planet might be too large to be

00:10:33 --> 00:10:36 truly Earth, like it's showing us what to

00:10:36 --> 00:10:37 look for in our.

00:10:37 --> 00:10:40 Avery: Continued search, the precision of

00:10:40 --> 00:10:42 these atmospheric analyses is truly

00:10:42 --> 00:10:44 remarkable. Hannah uh, we're essentially

00:10:44 --> 00:10:46 doing chemistry experiments on worlds that

00:10:46 --> 00:10:49 are hundreds of light years away. The next

00:10:49 --> 00:10:51 generation of ground based telescopes, like

00:10:51 --> 00:10:54 the Extremely Large Telescope currently under

00:10:54 --> 00:10:57 construction in Chile, will push these

00:10:57 --> 00:10:59 capabilities even further, potentially

00:10:59 --> 00:11:01 allowing us to detect biosignatures in

00:11:01 --> 00:11:03 exoplanet atmospheres.

00:11:03 --> 00:11:05 Anna: I also want to touch on something closer to

00:11:05 --> 00:11:08 home. Our sun's recent activity has been

00:11:08 --> 00:11:10 quite remarkable. We're currently approaching

00:11:10 --> 00:11:13 what's called solar maximum, the peak of the

00:11:13 --> 00:11:16 Sun's 11 year activity cycle. And the

00:11:16 --> 00:11:19 implications for both space exploration and

00:11:19 --> 00:11:21 life on Earth are significant.

00:11:22 --> 00:11:24 Avery: Over the past year, we've seen some of the

00:11:24 --> 00:11:26 strongest solar flares in decades.

00:11:27 --> 00:11:29 And this increased activity is creating both

00:11:29 --> 00:11:32 challenges and opportunities for space

00:11:32 --> 00:11:35 missions. On one hand, the enhanced radiation

00:11:35 --> 00:11:38 environment poses risks for astronauts and

00:11:38 --> 00:11:40 sensitive electronics on spacecraft. On the

00:11:40 --> 00:11:43 other hand, it's providing unprecedented

00:11:43 --> 00:11:45 opportunities to study solar physics and

00:11:45 --> 00:11:46 space weather.

00:11:47 --> 00:11:49 Anna: The practical implications are enormous.

00:11:50 --> 00:11:52 Strong solar storms can disrupt GPS

00:11:52 --> 00:11:55 systems, interfere with radio communications,

00:11:55 --> 00:11:57 and even threaten power grids on Earth.

00:11:58 --> 00:12:00 But they also create those spectacular

00:12:00 --> 00:12:03 auroras that have been visible much farther

00:12:03 --> 00:12:05 south than usual this year. It's a perfect

00:12:05 --> 00:12:08 example of how our nearest star continues

00:12:08 --> 00:12:11 to surprise us and shape our technological

00:12:11 --> 00:12:11 civilization.

00:12:12 --> 00:12:15 Avery: Before we move on, I should mention that

00:12:15 --> 00:12:17 NASA's Perseverance rover on Mars

00:12:17 --> 00:12:20 continues to make remarkable discoveries. The

00:12:20 --> 00:12:23 rover has now collected 26 samples from the

00:12:23 --> 00:12:26 Martian surface, including some that show

00:12:26 --> 00:12:29 strong evidence of ancient microbial life.

00:12:29 --> 00:12:31 These samples are waiting for the Mars Sample

00:12:31 --> 00:12:33 Return Mission, which will bring them back to

00:12:33 --> 00:12:35 Earth for detailed analysis in the late

00:12:35 --> 00:12:36 2000s.

00:12:37 --> 00:12:39 Anna: The Mars sample Return Mission is really the

00:12:39 --> 00:12:42 holy grail of planetary science right now.

00:12:42 --> 00:12:44 If those samples do contain obtain evidence

00:12:44 --> 00:12:47 of past life, it would fundamentally change

00:12:47 --> 00:12:50 our understanding of biology and our place in

00:12:50 --> 00:12:52 the universe. And the engineering challenges

00:12:52 --> 00:12:55 of bringing samples back from another planet

00:12:55 --> 00:12:58 are absolutely staggering. It's almost like

00:12:58 --> 00:13:00 a preview of what we'll need to master for

00:13:00 --> 00:13:02 eventual human missions to Mars.

00:13:03 --> 00:13:06 Avery: Before we wrap up, I want to quickly mention

00:13:06 --> 00:13:08 an intriguing study that suggests aliens

00:13:08 --> 00:13:11 could potentially eavesdrop on our spacecraft

00:13:11 --> 00:13:14 communications using the same methods we

00:13:14 --> 00:13:17 use to detect signals from distant probes.

00:13:17 --> 00:13:20 It's a reminder that as we reach out into the

00:13:20 --> 00:13:22 cosmos, we might also be announcing our

00:13:22 --> 00:13:25 presence to any civilizations that might be

00:13:25 --> 00:13:25 listening.

00:13:26 --> 00:13:29 Anna: It really puts our cosmic activities into

00:13:29 --> 00:13:31 perspective. Every signal we send, every

00:13:31 --> 00:13:34 probe we launch could potentially be detected

00:13:34 --> 00:13:36 by advanced civilizations using technology

00:13:37 --> 00:13:38 similar to our own.

00:13:39 --> 00:13:41 Avery: That's all for today's episode of Astronomy

00:13:41 --> 00:13:44 Daily from Anna and me. Avery, thank you for

00:13:44 --> 00:13:45 joining us on this journey through the

00:13:45 --> 00:13:46 cosmos.

00:13:46 --> 00:13:49 Anna: Keep looking up and we'll see you next time

00:13:49 --> 00:13:51 with more news from the universe around us.