Welcome to Astronomy Daily! Today we explore NASA's inspiring collection of historic keepsakes heading to the Moon on Artemis II, including fabric from the 1903 Wright Flyer. We examine an urgent warning about orbital debris—the CRASH Clock shows catastrophic collision could occur in just 5.5 days if satellites lose maneuvering capability. New analysis of Apollo lunar samples challenges our understanding of where Earth's water came from. Irish researchers solve the mystery of how supermassive black holes grew so quickly in the early universe. Plus, Blue Origin schedules its third New Glenn launch with a reused booster, and NASA's AI tool ExoMiner++ identifies 7,000 new exoplanet candidates in TESS data.
Hosts: Anna & Avery
Episode: S05E20
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00:00:00 --> 00:00:03 Welcome to Astronomy Daily. I'm Anna.
00:00:03 --> 00:00:05 >> And I'm Avery. It's Friday, January
00:00:06 --> 00:00:08 23rd, and we've got an amazing lineup of
00:00:08 --> 00:00:10 space stories to close out your week.
00:00:10 --> 00:00:13 >> We certainly do. Today, we're exploring
00:00:13 --> 00:00:16 NASA's plans to send some very special
00:00:16 --> 00:00:19 keepsakes around the moon on Artemis 2,
00:00:19 --> 00:00:21 Blue Origin's latest new Glenn launch
00:00:22 --> 00:00:24 plans, and some fascinating new research
00:00:24 --> 00:00:27 about where Earth's water really came
00:00:27 --> 00:00:29 from. Plus, we'll dive into a rather
00:00:29 --> 00:00:31 urgent warning about the increasing
00:00:31 --> 00:00:33 dangers of space debris, uncover new
00:00:33 --> 00:00:35 insights about how super massive black
00:00:35 --> 00:00:38 holes grew so quickly, and learn how AI
00:00:38 --> 00:00:40 is helping scientists discover thousands
00:00:40 --> 00:00:43 of new exoplanets. Let's get started.
00:00:43 --> 00:00:46 >> Avery, as Artemis 2 preparations
00:00:46 --> 00:00:49 continue at Kennedy Space Center, NASA
00:00:49 --> 00:00:51 has revealed something really special
00:00:51 --> 00:00:53 they'll be taking along for the ride.
00:00:53 --> 00:00:55 And it's not just the four astronauts.
00:00:55 --> 00:00:57 Oh, I love when missions carry
00:00:57 --> 00:00:59 meaningful items. What are they
00:00:59 --> 00:01:00 bringing?
00:01:00 --> 00:01:02 >> This is fascinating. The official flight
00:01:02 --> 00:01:05 kit includes a piece of fabric from the
00:01:05 --> 00:01:08 original 1903 Wright flyer. It's a tiny
00:01:08 --> 00:01:11 swatch just 1 in square from the very
00:01:11 --> 00:01:13 first aircraft that made the powered
00:01:13 --> 00:01:16 flight at Kittyhawk. What's even cooler
00:01:16 --> 00:01:18 is that this same piece already flew on
00:01:18 --> 00:01:20 the space shuttle Discovery back in
00:01:20 --> 00:01:22 1985.
00:01:22 --> 00:01:24 So, it's making its second journey to
00:01:24 --> 00:01:26 space. That's a beautiful connection
00:01:26 --> 00:01:28 between the beginning of powered flight
00:01:28 --> 00:01:31 and humanity's return to the moon. What
00:01:31 --> 00:01:32 else is in the flight kit?
00:01:32 --> 00:01:34 >> Bears an American flag with an
00:01:34 --> 00:01:36 incredible history. It flew on the very
00:01:36 --> 00:01:40 first shuttle mission, STS1, and the
00:01:40 --> 00:01:43 final shuttle mission, STS135.
00:01:43 --> 00:01:46 It also went up on SpaceX's first crude
00:01:46 --> 00:01:49 Dragon flight. Talk about bookending an
00:01:49 --> 00:01:51 era of space flight. That flag has seen
00:01:51 --> 00:01:53 some serious history. Is there anything
00:01:53 --> 00:01:55 connecting Artemis back to the Apollo
00:01:55 --> 00:01:56 program?
00:01:56 --> 00:01:58 >> Absolutely. They're flying a flag that
00:01:58 --> 00:02:01 was originally meant for Apollo 18, a
00:02:01 --> 00:02:04 mission that never happened. This will
00:02:04 --> 00:02:06 be its very first space flight, finally
00:02:06 --> 00:02:08 fulfilling its original destiny after
00:02:08 --> 00:02:11 all these years. There's also a photo
00:02:11 --> 00:02:13 negative from the Ranger 7 mission,
00:02:13 --> 00:02:16 which was the US first spacecraft to
00:02:16 --> 00:02:18 successfully reach the lunar surface
00:02:18 --> 00:02:20 back in the 1960s.
00:02:20 --> 00:02:21 >> It's like they're weaving together the
00:02:21 --> 00:02:24 entire story of American exploration.
00:02:24 --> 00:02:26 And knowing NASA, I bet they're
00:02:26 --> 00:02:27 including the public somehow.
00:02:27 --> 00:02:30 >> Of course, an SD card carrying millions
00:02:30 --> 00:02:33 of names, including ours, from the send
00:02:33 --> 00:02:35 your name to space campaign, will be
00:02:35 --> 00:02:38 aboard. NASA administrator Jared
00:02:38 --> 00:02:40 Isaacman put it beautifully when he
00:02:40 --> 00:02:42 said, "These artifacts reflect the long
00:02:42 --> 00:02:45 arc of American exploration and the
00:02:45 --> 00:02:47 generations of innovators who made this
00:02:47 --> 00:02:50 moment possible." With about 10 lbs of
00:02:50 --> 00:02:53 momentos in total, Artemis 2 will truly
00:02:53 --> 00:02:56 be carrying our collective history and
00:02:56 --> 00:02:58 dreams forward into the next chapter
00:02:58 --> 00:02:59 beyond Earth.
00:02:59 --> 00:03:01 >> What a perfect way to mark America's
00:03:01 --> 00:03:04 250th anniversary. Now, speaking of
00:03:04 --> 00:03:06 missions and launches, let's shift gears
00:03:06 --> 00:03:08 to Blue Origin and their New Glenn
00:03:08 --> 00:03:09 rocket.
00:03:09 --> 00:03:11 >> Blue Origin has announced their third
00:03:11 --> 00:03:13 New Glenn launch is scheduled for late
00:03:13 --> 00:03:15 February. And there's an interesting
00:03:16 --> 00:03:17 twist to this one.
00:03:17 --> 00:03:19 >> Let me guess, everyone expected them to
00:03:19 --> 00:03:21 fly their Blue Moon lunar lander next.
00:03:21 --> 00:03:22 Right.
00:03:22 --> 00:03:24 >> Exactly. But instead, they're launching
00:03:24 --> 00:03:27 a satellite for AS Space Mobile, making
00:03:28 --> 00:03:30 it the second commercial payload to fly
00:03:30 --> 00:03:33 on New Glenn. The Blue Moon Mark1 lander
00:03:33 --> 00:03:35 is currently being shipped to NASA's
00:03:35 --> 00:03:37 Johnson Space Center for vacuum chamber
00:03:37 --> 00:03:39 testing, and they haven't announced a
00:03:39 --> 00:03:41 launch date for that mission yet.
00:03:41 --> 00:03:43 >> So, what makes this particular launch
00:03:43 --> 00:03:44 notable?
00:03:44 --> 00:03:46 >> This will be the third new Glenn launch
00:03:46 --> 00:03:49 in just over a year, which is impressive
00:03:49 --> 00:03:51 considering the rocket spent a decade in
00:03:51 --> 00:03:53 development. But here's the really
00:03:53 --> 00:03:55 exciting part. They're reusing the
00:03:55 --> 00:03:58 booster from November's second flight.
00:03:58 --> 00:04:00 They successfully landed it on a drone
00:04:00 --> 00:04:02 ship in the ocean just like SpaceX does
00:04:02 --> 00:04:04 with Falcon 9.
00:04:04 --> 00:04:07 >> So, this demonstrates their reusability
00:04:07 --> 00:04:09 program is working. That's crucial for
00:04:09 --> 00:04:12 reducing launch costs. What else is Blue
00:04:12 --> 00:04:13 Origin working on?
00:04:13 --> 00:04:16 >> They've got some ambitious plans. In
00:04:16 --> 00:04:18 November, they revealed a Superheavy
00:04:18 --> 00:04:21 variant of New Glenn that will be taller
00:04:21 --> 00:04:24 than a Saturn 5 rocket on par with
00:04:24 --> 00:04:26 SpaceX's Starship. And just this week,
00:04:26 --> 00:04:28 they announced a satellite internet
00:04:28 --> 00:04:31 constellation called Terrowave that they
00:04:31 --> 00:04:34 plan to start deploying in late 2027.
00:04:34 --> 00:04:36 >> February is shaping up to be a busy
00:04:36 --> 00:04:38 month for space flight. NASA might
00:04:38 --> 00:04:41 launch Artemis 2 as early as February
00:04:41 --> 00:04:43 6th. SpaceX is testing the third version
00:04:44 --> 00:04:46 of Starship and Crew 12 to the
00:04:46 --> 00:04:47 International Space Station is also
00:04:48 --> 00:04:50 scheduled. Speaking of busy orbital
00:04:50 --> 00:04:52 environments, that brings us to our next
00:04:52 --> 00:04:55 story about space debris. Avery, this
00:04:55 --> 00:04:58 next story is both fascinating and a bit
00:04:58 --> 00:05:01 alarming. A new study has introduced
00:05:01 --> 00:05:03 something called the crash clock. And
00:05:03 --> 00:05:05 according to their calculations, if
00:05:05 --> 00:05:08 satellite operators suddenly lost the
00:05:08 --> 00:05:10 ability to maneuver their spacecraft, we
00:05:10 --> 00:05:12 could see a catastrophic collision in
00:05:12 --> 00:05:15 just 5.5 days.
00:05:15 --> 00:05:19 >> Wait, 5.5 days? That's incredibly short.
00:05:19 --> 00:05:21 What's driving this?
00:05:21 --> 00:05:23 >> Mega constellations. The researchers
00:05:23 --> 00:05:25 found that close approaches between
00:05:25 --> 00:05:27 satellites, defined as two satellites
00:05:27 --> 00:05:29 passing within 1 kilometer of each
00:05:29 --> 00:05:32 other, now happen every 22 seconds
00:05:32 --> 00:05:35 across all low Earth orbit mega
00:05:35 --> 00:05:37 constellations. For Starlink alone, it's
00:05:37 --> 00:05:40 once every 11 minutes. Each Starling
00:05:40 --> 00:05:43 satellite performs an average of 41
00:05:43 --> 00:05:45 avoidance maneuvers per year.
00:05:45 --> 00:05:48 >> Those numbers are staggering. And you
00:05:48 --> 00:05:51 said 5.5 days. I thought I'd heard this
00:05:51 --> 00:05:53 was originally 2.8 days.
00:05:53 --> 00:05:56 >> Good catch. The team updated their model
00:05:56 --> 00:05:58 based on community feedback. The
00:05:58 --> 00:06:00 original calculation was 2.8 days, but
00:06:00 --> 00:06:03 after incorporating expert input, they
00:06:03 --> 00:06:07 revised it to 5.5 days for 2025 data. By
00:06:07 --> 00:06:10 comparison, back in 2018, before the
00:06:10 --> 00:06:12 mega constellation era really took off,
00:06:12 --> 00:06:15 it would have taken 164 days before a
00:06:16 --> 00:06:19 collision. So, we've gone from 164 days
00:06:19 --> 00:06:23 down to 5.5 days in just 7 years. What
00:06:23 --> 00:06:25 could cause operators to lose control
00:06:25 --> 00:06:26 like that?
00:06:26 --> 00:06:28 >> Solar storms are the main threat. When a
00:06:28 --> 00:06:31 coronal mass ejection hits Earth, it
00:06:31 --> 00:06:33 heats up the upper atmosphere, creating
00:06:33 --> 00:06:35 more drag on satellites and making their
00:06:35 --> 00:06:37 trajectories harder to predict. During
00:06:38 --> 00:06:41 the Ganon storm in May 2024, over half
00:06:41 --> 00:06:43 of all satellites in low Earth orbit had
00:06:43 --> 00:06:46 to use fuel for repositioning maneuvers.
00:06:46 --> 00:06:49 More seriously, solar storms can knock
00:06:49 --> 00:06:50 out satellites navigational and
00:06:50 --> 00:06:52 communication systems, leaving them
00:06:52 --> 00:06:55 unable to maneuver at all.
00:06:55 --> 00:06:57 >> And solar storms don't give us much
00:06:57 --> 00:06:58 warning, do they?
00:06:58 --> 00:07:01 >> Typically, just a day or two at most.
00:07:01 --> 00:07:03 The study found that within 24 hours of
00:07:03 --> 00:07:05 losing maneuvering capability, there's a
00:07:06 --> 00:07:08 30% chance of a collision between
00:07:08 --> 00:07:11 tracked objects and a 26% chance of a
00:07:11 --> 00:07:13 collision involving a Starlink satellite
00:07:13 --> 00:07:15 specifically. Such collisions would be
00:07:15 --> 00:07:18 catastrophic, creating major debris
00:07:18 --> 00:07:20 generating events with high likelihood
00:07:20 --> 00:07:23 of secondary and tertiary collisions.
00:07:23 --> 00:07:26 That sounds like Kesler syndrome. The
00:07:26 --> 00:07:28 cascade effect where collisions create
00:07:28 --> 00:07:30 debris that causes more collisions.
00:07:30 --> 00:07:33 >> Exactly. Though the researchers want to
00:07:33 --> 00:07:35 be clear about something important. Lead
00:07:35 --> 00:07:37 author Sarah Theal emphasized they're
00:07:37 --> 00:07:40 not saying Kesler syndrome is days away.
00:07:40 --> 00:07:42 The crash clock only measures time to
00:07:42 --> 00:07:45 the first collision, not a runaway
00:07:45 --> 00:07:47 cascade. Bull Kesler syndrome would take
00:07:47 --> 00:07:50 decades or even centuries to develop.
00:07:50 --> 00:07:52 But the clock does show how reliant we
00:07:52 --> 00:07:55 are on errorless operations every single
00:07:55 --> 00:07:56 day.
00:07:56 --> 00:07:58 >> So it's more of a stress indicator for
00:07:58 --> 00:07:59 the orbital environment.
00:08:00 --> 00:08:03 >> Right. The team suggests the crash clock
00:08:03 --> 00:08:05 could serve as a key environmental
00:08:05 --> 00:08:07 indicator similar to how we use carbon
00:08:07 --> 00:08:10 emissions metrics for climate change.
00:08:10 --> 00:08:12 They're calling for improved debris
00:08:12 --> 00:08:14 mitigation, coordinated traffic
00:08:14 --> 00:08:16 management, and stronger space weather
00:08:16 --> 00:08:18 resilience measures to protect the
00:08:18 --> 00:08:22 technology modern society depends on.
00:08:22 --> 00:08:24 Now, let's shift from orbital concerns
00:08:24 --> 00:08:27 to lunar mysteries.
00:08:27 --> 00:08:29 >> For decades, Anna, scientists have
00:08:29 --> 00:08:31 assumed that Earth's water was delivered
00:08:31 --> 00:08:33 by asteroids and comets during the late
00:08:33 --> 00:08:35 heavy bombardment about 4 billion years
00:08:35 --> 00:08:38 ago. But new research from lunar samples
00:08:38 --> 00:08:39 is challenging that assumption.
00:08:39 --> 00:08:42 >> The Apollo samples are still teaching us
00:08:42 --> 00:08:45 new things after all these years. What
00:08:45 --> 00:08:46 did they find?
00:08:46 --> 00:08:48 >> Dr. Tony Gargano at the Lunar and
00:08:48 --> 00:08:50 Planetary Institute led a team that
00:08:50 --> 00:08:52 analyzed lunar rocks and regalith using
00:08:52 --> 00:08:55 high precision triple oxygen isotopes.
00:08:55 --> 00:08:57 They found that meteorites could only
00:08:57 --> 00:08:58 have supplied a small fraction of
00:08:58 --> 00:09:01 Earth's water, even by the most generous
00:09:01 --> 00:09:03 estimates. The lunar surface record sets
00:09:04 --> 00:09:06 a hard limit on volatile delivery.
00:09:06 --> 00:09:08 >> Why is the moon such a good record
00:09:08 --> 00:09:10 keeper for this?
00:09:10 --> 00:09:12 >> On Earth, tectonic plates constantly
00:09:12 --> 00:09:14 renew the surface, erasing traces of
00:09:14 --> 00:09:16 ancient impacts. But the moon is airless
00:09:16 --> 00:09:19 and hasn't had geological activity for
00:09:19 --> 00:09:21 billions of years. So, its geological
00:09:21 --> 00:09:23 records since the late heavy bombardment
00:09:23 --> 00:09:25 has been carefully preserved. It's like
00:09:25 --> 00:09:27 a cosmic history book that hasn't been
00:09:27 --> 00:09:29 edited. How did they approach the
00:09:29 --> 00:09:31 analysis differently from previous
00:09:31 --> 00:09:32 studies?
00:09:32 --> 00:09:34 >> Instead of focusing on metal loving
00:09:34 --> 00:09:36 elements like previous researchers,
00:09:36 --> 00:09:39 Gargano's team analyzed oxygen isotopes
00:09:39 --> 00:09:41 which make up the largest mass fraction
00:09:41 --> 00:09:44 of rocks. The oxygen triple isotope
00:09:44 --> 00:09:46 signature can separate two things that
00:09:46 --> 00:09:48 are often confused in lunar regalith.
00:09:48 --> 00:09:50 The addition of impactor material and
00:09:50 --> 00:09:52 the effects of impact induced
00:09:52 --> 00:09:55 vaporization on isotopic composition.
00:09:55 --> 00:09:57 And what did the oxygen isotopes tell
00:09:57 --> 00:09:57 them?
00:09:58 --> 00:09:59 >> They found that at least 1% of the
00:09:59 --> 00:10:02 moon's mass consists of impact related
00:10:02 --> 00:10:04 material, likely from carbonatous
00:10:04 --> 00:10:06 meteorites that partially vaporized on
00:10:06 --> 00:10:09 impact. From this, they calculated that
00:10:09 --> 00:10:11 only a tiny amount of water has been
00:10:11 --> 00:10:13 delivered to the Earth moon system since
00:10:13 --> 00:10:15 the late heavy bombardment compared to
00:10:15 --> 00:10:16 Earth's existing water.
00:10:16 --> 00:10:18 >> To put that in perspective, how much
00:10:18 --> 00:10:21 water does Earth have? Water covers over
00:10:21 --> 00:10:24 71% of Earth's surface, but it only
00:10:24 --> 00:10:27 accounts for about 0%
00:10:27 --> 00:10:30 of Earth's total mass. That still works
00:10:30 --> 00:10:33 out to roughly 1
00:10:33 --> 00:10:38 kg. That's 1.46 followed by 21.
00:10:38 --> 00:10:39 So even a tiny fraction of that is
00:10:40 --> 00:10:40 significant.
00:10:40 --> 00:10:43 >> Co-author Dr. Justin Simon from NASA
00:10:44 --> 00:10:46 summed it up well. The results don't say
00:10:46 --> 00:10:49 meteorites delivered no water, but they
00:10:49 --> 00:10:51 do make it very hard for late meteorite
00:10:51 --> 00:10:54 delivery to be the dominant source of
00:10:54 --> 00:10:55 Earth's oceans.
00:10:55 --> 00:10:57 >> This has interesting implications for
00:10:57 --> 00:10:59 lunar exploration, doesn't it?
00:10:59 --> 00:11:02 >> Absolutely. While meteorites may have
00:11:02 --> 00:11:04 delivered only a tiny fraction of
00:11:04 --> 00:11:06 Earth's water, their contribution could
00:11:06 --> 00:11:09 be crucial for the moon. Water ice in
00:11:09 --> 00:11:11 permanently shadowed regions is
00:11:11 --> 00:11:13 essential for establishing a sustained
00:11:13 --> 00:11:15 human presence, providing drinking
00:11:15 --> 00:11:18 water, irrigation, radiation shielding,
00:11:18 --> 00:11:21 and the means to make rocket propellant.
00:11:21 --> 00:11:23 As the researchers noted, that small
00:11:23 --> 00:11:26 amount of water delivered by impacts
00:11:26 --> 00:11:28 could be the single most important
00:11:28 --> 00:11:31 factor enabling humanity's expansion
00:11:31 --> 00:11:34 into space. From water on the moon to
00:11:34 --> 00:11:36 mysteries in the early universe, let's
00:11:36 --> 00:11:38 talk about super massive black holes.
00:11:38 --> 00:11:42 >> How did black holes get so big so fast?
00:11:42 --> 00:11:44 That's been one of astronomy's great
00:11:44 --> 00:11:46 mysteries, Avery. And researchers at
00:11:46 --> 00:11:49 Ireland's May University have found an
00:11:49 --> 00:11:50 answer.
00:11:50 --> 00:11:52 >> The James Webb Space Telescope has been
00:11:52 --> 00:11:54 finding these massive black holes in the
00:11:54 --> 00:11:55 early universe that shouldn't exist
00:11:56 --> 00:11:58 according to our previous models. Right.
00:11:58 --> 00:12:01 >> Exactly. These super massive black holes
00:12:01 --> 00:12:03 existed just a few hundred million years
00:12:04 --> 00:12:06 after the big bang and conventional
00:12:06 --> 00:12:08 theories said there wasn't enough time
00:12:08 --> 00:12:11 for them to grow so large. The May team
00:12:11 --> 00:12:14 led by PhD candidate Daxel Ma used
00:12:14 --> 00:12:17 state-of-the-art computer simulations to
00:12:17 --> 00:12:18 reveal what happened
00:12:18 --> 00:12:21 >> and what did they discover? The chaotic
00:12:21 --> 00:12:23 conditions in the early universe
00:12:23 --> 00:12:25 triggered these smaller black holes to
00:12:25 --> 00:12:28 undergo what they call a feeding frenzy,
00:12:28 --> 00:12:31 devouring material all around them. The
00:12:31 --> 00:12:33 dense gas-rich environments in early
00:12:33 --> 00:12:36 galaxies enabled something called
00:12:36 --> 00:12:38 superdington accretion.
00:12:38 --> 00:12:41 >> Super Edington accretion. That sounds
00:12:41 --> 00:12:42 intense. What is it?
00:12:42 --> 00:12:45 >> It's when a black hole eats matter
00:12:45 --> 00:12:47 faster than what's considered normal or
00:12:47 --> 00:12:50 safe. Normally, when matter falls into a
00:12:50 --> 00:12:53 black hole that quickly, it should blow
00:12:53 --> 00:12:55 the food away with radiation pressure.
00:12:55 --> 00:12:58 But somehow, in these early dense
00:12:58 --> 00:13:00 environments, the black holes kept
00:13:00 --> 00:13:04 eating anyway, growing incredibly fast
00:13:04 --> 00:13:07 into tens of thousands of times the mass
00:13:07 --> 00:13:08 of our sun.
00:13:08 --> 00:13:10 >> So, they found the missing link between
00:13:10 --> 00:13:12 the first stars and later super massive
00:13:12 --> 00:13:13 black holes.
00:13:14 --> 00:13:17 >> Yes, black holes come in two main seed
00:13:17 --> 00:13:19 types. light seeds, which start at only
00:13:19 --> 00:13:22 about 10 to a few hundred times the mass
00:13:22 --> 00:13:24 of our sun, and heavy seeds, which can
00:13:24 --> 00:13:28 start at up to 100 solar masses.
00:13:28 --> 00:13:30 Previously, astronomers thought you
00:13:30 --> 00:13:33 needed those rare heavy seeds to explain
00:13:33 --> 00:13:35 super massive black holes. But this
00:13:35 --> 00:13:37 research shows that common light seed
00:13:38 --> 00:13:40 black holes can grow at extreme rates
00:13:40 --> 00:13:42 under the right conditions.
00:13:42 --> 00:13:44 >> Dr. John Regan from the team put it
00:13:44 --> 00:13:46 perfectly when he said, "Heavy seeds are
00:13:46 --> 00:13:48 somewhat exotic and may need rare
00:13:48 --> 00:13:50 conditions to form, but their
00:13:50 --> 00:13:52 simulations show that garden variety
00:13:52 --> 00:13:54 stellar mass black holes can grow at
00:13:54 --> 00:13:56 extreme rates in the early universe."
00:13:56 --> 00:13:59 >> This has implications beyond just
00:13:59 --> 00:14:01 understanding the past. The research
00:14:01 --> 00:14:03 team noted that future gravitational
00:14:03 --> 00:14:06 wave observations from the LISA mission
00:14:06 --> 00:14:09 scheduled to launch in 2035 may be able
00:14:09 --> 00:14:12 to detect the mergers of these tiny
00:14:12 --> 00:14:15 early rapidly growing baby black holes.
00:14:15 --> 00:14:17 It's exciting to think we might actually
00:14:17 --> 00:14:20 observe these processes directly. From
00:14:20 --> 00:14:22 black holes to exoplanets, let's close
00:14:22 --> 00:14:24 with our final story about AI hunting
00:14:24 --> 00:14:27 for new worlds. Anna, we found over
00:14:27 --> 00:14:30 6 exoplanets so far with more than
00:14:30 --> 00:14:32 half discovered using data from NASA's
00:14:32 --> 00:14:34 Kepler and test missions, but there's
00:14:34 --> 00:14:36 still a treasure trove of data waiting
00:14:36 --> 00:14:38 to be analyzed. And that's where
00:14:38 --> 00:14:40 artificial intelligence comes in.
00:14:40 --> 00:14:42 >> I remember hearing about Exomminer back
00:14:42 --> 00:14:45 in 2021. Is that what this is about?
00:14:45 --> 00:14:48 >> Exactly. The team at NASA's AS research
00:14:48 --> 00:14:51 center created exomminer, which used AI
00:14:51 --> 00:14:55 to validate 370 new exoplanets from
00:14:55 --> 00:14:57 Kepler data. Now, they've released
00:14:57 --> 00:15:00 Exomminer Plus+ trained on both Kepler
00:15:00 --> 00:15:02 and test data, and the results are
00:15:02 --> 00:15:03 impressive.
00:15:03 --> 00:15:05 >> What can the new version do?
00:15:05 --> 00:15:07 >> On its initial run of test data, Exom
00:15:08 --> 00:15:11 Miner++ identified 7 targets as
00:15:11 --> 00:15:13 exoplanet candidates. These are signals
00:15:13 --> 00:15:15 that are likely to be planets, but
00:15:15 --> 00:15:17 require follow-up observations to
00:15:17 --> 00:15:19 confirm. The software sifts through
00:15:19 --> 00:15:22 observations of possible transits, those
00:15:22 --> 00:15:24 tiny dips in starlight when a planet
00:15:24 --> 00:15:26 passes in front of its host star, and
00:15:26 --> 00:15:28 predicts which ones are real planets
00:15:28 --> 00:15:30 versus other phenomena like eclipsing
00:15:30 --> 00:15:31 binary stars.
00:15:31 --> 00:15:34 >> And this is all open-source software.
00:15:34 --> 00:15:36 >> Yes, anyone can download it from GitHub
00:15:36 --> 00:15:38 and use it to hunt for planets in TESS's
00:15:38 --> 00:15:41 growing public data archive. Kevin
00:15:41 --> 00:15:43 Murphy, NASA's chief science data
00:15:43 --> 00:15:45 officer, emphasized that open-source
00:15:45 --> 00:15:47 software like Exom Minor accelerates
00:15:47 --> 00:15:49 scientific discovery. When researchers
00:15:49 --> 00:15:52 freely share their tools, it lets others
00:15:52 --> 00:15:54 replicate results and dig deeper into
00:15:54 --> 00:15:55 the data.
00:15:55 --> 00:15:58 >> What makes Exomminer Plus+ particularly
00:15:58 --> 00:15:59 effective?
00:15:59 --> 00:16:01 >> Miguel Martinho, the co-investigator,
00:16:01 --> 00:16:03 explains that when you have hundreds of
00:16:03 --> 00:16:05 thousands of signals like this, it's the
00:16:05 --> 00:16:07 ideal place to deploy deep learning
00:16:07 --> 00:16:10 technologies. Despite Kepler and TESS
00:16:10 --> 00:16:12 operating differently, TESS surveys
00:16:12 --> 00:16:14 nearly the whole sky looking for planets
00:16:14 --> 00:16:17 around nearby stars, while Kepler looked
00:16:17 --> 00:16:19 at a small patch of sky more deeply. The
00:16:19 --> 00:16:21 two missions produce compatible data
00:16:21 --> 00:16:24 sets. This allows Exomminer Plus+ to
00:16:24 --> 00:16:25 train on both and deliver strong
00:16:26 --> 00:16:27 results.
00:16:27 --> 00:16:29 >> Project lead Jameid again said it
00:16:29 --> 00:16:32 perfectly. With not many resources, they
00:16:32 --> 00:16:34 can make a lot of returns. What's next
00:16:34 --> 00:16:36 for the program? The team is working on
00:16:36 --> 00:16:38 giving the model the ability to identify
00:16:38 --> 00:16:41 transit signals themselves from raw data
00:16:41 --> 00:16:42 rather than just evaluating
00:16:42 --> 00:16:45 pre-identified candidates. And looking
00:16:45 --> 00:16:47 ahead, NASA's Nancy Grace Roman Space
00:16:47 --> 00:16:50 Telescope will capture tens of thousands
00:16:50 --> 00:16:52 of exoplanet transits starting in a few
00:16:52 --> 00:16:54 years. And all that data will be freely
00:16:54 --> 00:16:56 available, too. The advances made with
00:16:56 --> 00:16:58 Exomminer could help hunt for planets in
00:16:58 --> 00:17:00 Roman data as well.
00:17:00 --> 00:17:02 >> Exoplanet scientist John Jenkins summed
00:17:02 --> 00:17:05 it up beautifully. Open source science
00:17:05 --> 00:17:07 and open-source software are why the
00:17:07 --> 00:17:09 exoplanet field is advancing as quickly
00:17:09 --> 00:17:12 as it is. It's a great reminder of how
00:17:12 --> 00:17:14 collaboration and shared resources drive
00:17:14 --> 00:17:15 discovery.
00:17:15 --> 00:17:18 >> And that's all we have time for today.
00:17:18 --> 00:17:20 What a day of space news, Anna. From
00:17:20 --> 00:17:22 legacy keepsakes heading to the moon to
00:17:22 --> 00:17:25 urgent warnings about orbital debris to
00:17:25 --> 00:17:27 AI discovering thousands of new worlds
00:17:27 --> 00:17:30 >> and everything in between. New insights
00:17:30 --> 00:17:32 about Earth's water, the rapid growth of
00:17:32 --> 00:17:35 super massive black holes, and Blue
00:17:35 --> 00:17:37 Origin's expanding launch manifest.
00:17:37 --> 00:17:39 Space exploration continues to
00:17:39 --> 00:17:41 accelerate on multiple fronts.
00:17:41 --> 00:17:42 >> That's it for today's episode of
00:17:42 --> 00:17:44 Astronomy Daily. Thanks for joining us,
00:17:44 --> 00:17:46 and we'll see you tomorrow. Keep looking
00:17:46 --> 00:17:47 up.
00:17:47 --> 00:17:51 >> Clear skies, everyone. Astronomy day.
00:17:51 --> 00:18:00 The stories be told.
00:18:00 --> 00:18:03 Stories told.