Welcome to Astronomy Daily! In today's episode, we explore Blue Origin's ambitious new TeraWave satellite internet network offering speeds up to 6Tbps, discuss the first-ever medical evacuation from the International Space Station, and celebrate Buzz Aldrin's 96th birthday as the oldest living astronaut. We also dive into exciting science from Saturn's moon Enceladus, surprising plasma wave discoveries at Mercury, and groundbreaking Solar Orbiter observations revealing how magnetic avalanches power solar flares.
EPISODE HIGHLIGHTS:
• Blue Origin announces TeraWave: A new satellite network with 6Tbps speeds for enterprise and government customers
• Historic ISS evacuation: Crew-11 returns early in NASA's first medical evacuation from space
• Buzz Aldrin celebrates 96th birthday as Artemis II crew prepares for lunar journey
• Scientists develop new method to analyze Enceladus plumes for ocean habitability
• BepiColombo discovers Mercury shares plasma wave behavior with Earth
• Solar Orbiter reveals magnetic avalanches trigger solar flares
STORY TIMESTAMPS:
[00:00] Introduction
[01:15] Blue Origin's TeraWave Satellite Network
[05:42] ISS Medical Evacuation - Crew-11's Historic Return
[10:28] Buzz Aldrin's 96th Birthday & Artemis II Connections
[14:35] Enceladus Plumes May Hold Clues to Ocean Habitability
[18:20] Mercury and Earth Share Plasma Wave Behavior
[22:10] Solar Orbiter Discovers Magnetic Avalanches Power Flares
[26:45] Outro
LINKS & RESOURCES:
• Blue Origin TeraWave: https://www.blueorigin.com/terawave
• NASA Crew-11 Mission Information: https://www.nasa.gov/
• Artemis II Mission Details: https://www.nasa.gov/artemis-ii
• BepiColombo Mission: https://www.esa.int/Science_Exploration/Space_Science/BepiColombo
• Solar Orbiter Mission: https://www.esa.int/Science_Exploration/Space_Science/Solar_Orbiter
• Astronomy Daily Website: https://astronomydaily.io
CREDITS:
Hosted by Anna and Avery
Produced by Astronomy Daily
Episode S05E19 - January 22, 2026
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00:00:00 --> 00:00:03 Hey there, space fans. I'm Anna.
00:00:03 --> 00:00:05 >> And I'm Avery. Welcome to Astronomy
00:00:05 --> 00:00:08 Daily, your daily dose of space and
00:00:08 --> 00:00:11 astronomy news. It's Thursday, January
00:00:11 --> 00:00:15 22nd, 2026. And boy, do we have a packed
00:00:15 --> 00:00:17 episode for you today.
00:00:17 --> 00:00:19 >> We really do. We're covering everything
00:00:19 --> 00:00:22 from Blue Origins ambitious new
00:00:22 --> 00:00:24 satellite internet network to an update
00:00:24 --> 00:00:27 on that historic medical evacuation from
00:00:27 --> 00:00:30 the International Space Station. Plus,
00:00:30 --> 00:00:32 we'll celebrate a special birthday for a
00:00:32 --> 00:00:33 lunar legend.
00:00:33 --> 00:00:35 >> That's right. We've also got some
00:00:35 --> 00:00:38 fascinating science stories, including
00:00:38 --> 00:00:40 new insights into Saturn's moon
00:00:40 --> 00:00:43 Enceladus, surprising discoveries about
00:00:43 --> 00:00:45 plasma waves at Mercury, and
00:00:45 --> 00:00:47 groundbreaking observations of solar
00:00:47 --> 00:00:48 flares.
00:00:48 --> 00:00:52 >> So, buckle up. Let's dive right into
00:00:52 --> 00:00:54 today's space headlines.
00:00:54 --> 00:00:56 >> All right, Anna, let's kick things off
00:00:56 --> 00:00:58 with some major news from Blue Origin.
00:00:58 --> 00:01:01 Jeff Bezos's space company just
00:01:01 --> 00:01:03 announced a new satellite internet
00:01:03 --> 00:01:05 network called Terrowave. And the
00:01:05 --> 00:01:07 numbers are pretty staggering.
00:01:07 --> 00:01:10 >> They really are. We're talking about
00:01:10 --> 00:01:13 data speeds up to 6 terabs per second.
00:01:13 --> 00:01:16 That's seriously impressive. How does
00:01:16 --> 00:01:18 that compare to what's available now?
00:01:18 --> 00:01:21 Well, for context, SpaceX's Starlink
00:01:21 --> 00:01:24 currently maxes out at 400 megabits per
00:01:24 --> 00:01:26 second for consumers, though they're
00:01:26 --> 00:01:28 planning to upgrade to 1 GB speeds in
00:01:28 --> 00:01:31 the future. But 6 terabs per second,
00:01:31 --> 00:01:34 that's in a completely different league.
00:01:34 --> 00:01:36 >> So, this isn't really targeting the same
00:01:36 --> 00:01:38 market as Starlink then.
00:01:38 --> 00:01:41 >> Exactly. Blue Origin is very clear about
00:01:41 --> 00:01:43 this. Terra Wave is geared toward
00:01:43 --> 00:01:46 enterprise customers, data centers, and
00:01:46 --> 00:01:48 government applications. It's meant to
00:01:48 --> 00:01:50 add a space-based layer to existing
00:01:50 --> 00:01:53 network infrastructure, particularly for
00:01:53 --> 00:01:55 reaching locations that traditional
00:01:55 --> 00:01:57 methods can't access.
00:01:57 --> 00:01:59 >> What's the architecture looking like?
00:01:59 --> 00:02:00 How many satellites are we talking
00:02:00 --> 00:02:01 about?
00:02:01 --> 00:02:03 >> The constellation will use a mix of
00:02:03 --> 00:02:05 5
00:02:05 --> 00:02:09 satellites in low Earth orbit and 128 in
00:02:09 --> 00:02:11 medium Earth orbit. The low Earth orbit
00:02:11 --> 00:02:14 satellites will use RF connectivity with
00:02:14 --> 00:02:17 maximum data transfer speeds of 144
00:02:17 --> 00:02:20 Gbits per second, while the medium Earth
00:02:20 --> 00:02:22 orbit satellites will use optical links
00:02:22 --> 00:02:25 to achieve those incredible 6 terabs per
00:02:25 --> 00:02:26 second speeds.
00:02:26 --> 00:02:28 >> When can we expect to see this actually
00:02:28 --> 00:02:29 deployed?
00:02:29 --> 00:02:31 >> Blue Origin plans to start deploying the
00:02:32 --> 00:02:34 first satellites in late 2027. They
00:02:34 --> 00:02:36 haven't given a timeline for the full
00:02:36 --> 00:02:38 buildout yet, which makes sense given
00:02:38 --> 00:02:40 the scale of the project.
00:02:40 --> 00:02:42 >> This is interesting timing, too, isn't
00:02:42 --> 00:02:44 it? Because Jeff Bezos's other company,
00:02:44 --> 00:02:47 Amazon, just rebranded their satellite
00:02:47 --> 00:02:48 network as LEO.
00:02:48 --> 00:02:51 >> That's right. LEO will have around 3
00:02:51 --> 00:02:53 satellites in low Earth orbit, offering
00:02:53 --> 00:02:55 more traditional broadband speeds to
00:02:55 --> 00:02:58 consumers. So taken together, Amazon's
00:02:58 --> 00:03:01 LEO and Blue Origins Terrowave could
00:03:01 --> 00:03:03 provide pretty robust competition to
00:03:03 --> 00:03:06 SpaceX's Starlink across different
00:03:06 --> 00:03:07 market segments.
00:03:07 --> 00:03:09 >> Bits really shaping up to be an exciting
00:03:09 --> 00:03:11 era for satellite internet. The
00:03:11 --> 00:03:14 competition should drive innovation and
00:03:14 --> 00:03:17 hopefully improve service for everyone.
00:03:17 --> 00:03:19 >> Absolutely. And it shows how Blue Origin
00:03:19 --> 00:03:21 is evolving beyond just their space
00:03:21 --> 00:03:23 tourism flights with New Shepard. With
00:03:23 --> 00:03:25 the successful launches of their new
00:03:25 --> 00:03:27 Glenn rocket, landing the booster on
00:03:27 --> 00:03:30 just a second attempt. And now this
00:03:30 --> 00:03:32 satellite network announcement, they're
00:03:32 --> 00:03:34 really becoming a multiaceted commercial
00:03:34 --> 00:03:35 space player.
00:03:35 --> 00:03:38 >> Great point. All right, let's move on to
00:03:38 --> 00:03:40 some news from closer to home, or at
00:03:40 --> 00:03:43 least from low Earth orbit. Avery, we
00:03:43 --> 00:03:45 need to talk about the unprecedented
00:03:45 --> 00:03:47 medical evacuation from the
00:03:47 --> 00:03:49 International Space Station. This was a
00:03:49 --> 00:03:52 historic moment and not in a way anyone
00:03:52 --> 00:03:55 wanted. Well, today we have a bit of an
00:03:55 --> 00:03:57 update as the astronauts have made their
00:03:57 --> 00:03:59 first live appearance since returning to
00:03:59 --> 00:04:00 Earth.
00:04:00 --> 00:04:02 >> You're absolutely right, Anna. For the
00:04:02 --> 00:04:05 first time in over 25 years of
00:04:05 --> 00:04:08 continuous human presence on the ISS and
00:04:08 --> 00:04:10 the first time in NASA's entire history,
00:04:10 --> 00:04:13 a space mission was cut short due to a
00:04:13 --> 00:04:15 medical issue. The four astronauts of
00:04:15 --> 00:04:18 crew 11 splashed down in the Pacific
00:04:18 --> 00:04:20 Ocean off the coast of California on
00:04:20 --> 00:04:23 January 15th about a month earlier than
00:04:23 --> 00:04:24 planned.
00:04:24 --> 00:04:26 >> Can you tell us who was on this crew?
00:04:26 --> 00:04:29 >> The crew included NASA astronauts Zena
00:04:29 --> 00:04:32 Cardman and Mike Fank, Japan Aerospace
00:04:32 --> 00:04:35 Exploration Agency astronaut Kima Yui,
00:04:35 --> 00:04:38 and Russian cosminaut Oleg Platanov.
00:04:38 --> 00:04:41 They'd been on the station for 167 days,
00:04:41 --> 00:04:44 having launched back in August 2025.
00:04:44 --> 00:04:46 >> And NASA still hasn't disclosed which
00:04:46 --> 00:04:48 crew member had the medical issue or
00:04:48 --> 00:04:49 what the condition was.
00:04:50 --> 00:04:51 >> That's correct. They're protecting the
00:04:51 --> 00:04:54 astronaut's medical privacy. What they
00:04:54 --> 00:04:56 have said is that the crew member is
00:04:56 --> 00:04:58 stable and that this wasn't an emergency
00:04:58 --> 00:05:01 situation despite bringing the entire
00:05:01 --> 00:05:02 crew home early.
00:05:02 --> 00:05:04 >> How did this unfold? What were the
00:05:04 --> 00:05:06 warning signs? The first public
00:05:06 --> 00:05:09 indication came when NASA cancelled a
00:05:09 --> 00:05:11 planned spacew walk on January 8th due
00:05:11 --> 00:05:14 to a medical concern. Mike Think and
00:05:14 --> 00:05:16 Zena Cardman were supposed to venture
00:05:16 --> 00:05:18 outside the station to work on the power
00:05:18 --> 00:05:21 system. The next day, NASA made the
00:05:21 --> 00:05:23 decision to bring the entire crew home
00:05:23 --> 00:05:24 early.
00:05:24 --> 00:05:25 >> That must have been a difficult decision
00:05:25 --> 00:05:26 to make.
00:05:26 --> 00:05:29 >> Absolutely. NASA administrator Jared
00:05:29 --> 00:05:32 Isaacman emphasized that while they have
00:05:32 --> 00:05:33 medical equipment and trained crew
00:05:34 --> 00:05:37 members aboard the ISS, the capability
00:05:37 --> 00:05:39 to properly diagnose and treat this
00:05:39 --> 00:05:41 particular condition simply doesn't
00:05:41 --> 00:05:44 exist on the station. He called it a
00:05:44 --> 00:05:47 controlled medical evacuation, not an
00:05:47 --> 00:05:48 emergency de-orbit.
00:05:48 --> 00:05:50 >> What's particularly interesting to me is
00:05:50 --> 00:05:52 what the crew members said at their
00:05:52 --> 00:05:54 press conference yesterday. They seemed
00:05:54 --> 00:05:56 remarkably positive about the
00:05:56 --> 00:05:57 experience.
00:05:57 --> 00:06:00 >> They really did. Mike Frink, who was the
00:06:00 --> 00:06:02 ISS commander during this mission, said
00:06:02 --> 00:06:04 the way the crew and ground teams
00:06:04 --> 00:06:06 handled everything made him more
00:06:06 --> 00:06:08 confident about human space exploration,
00:06:08 --> 00:06:11 not less. He specifically mentioned this
00:06:11 --> 00:06:12 bodess well for the upcoming Artemis
00:06:12 --> 00:06:13 program.
00:06:13 --> 00:06:15 >> I remember reading that they used the
00:06:15 --> 00:06:18 portable ultrasound machine on the ISS
00:06:18 --> 00:06:19 during this incident.
00:06:19 --> 00:06:21 >> Right. Think mentioned that during the
00:06:21 --> 00:06:23 press conference. He emphasized that
00:06:23 --> 00:06:24 while the ultrasound was extremely
00:06:24 --> 00:06:27 helpful, the ISS doesn't have the
00:06:27 --> 00:06:28 capacity for larger imaging equipment
00:06:28 --> 00:06:31 like MRI machines. Zena Cardman also
00:06:31 --> 00:06:33 pointed out that as we venture beyond
00:06:33 --> 00:06:35 low Earth orbit to the moon and
00:06:35 --> 00:06:37 eventually Mars, having better
00:06:37 --> 00:06:39 diagnostic and treatment tools on board
00:06:39 --> 00:06:41 will be a critical challenge to solve.
00:06:42 --> 00:06:44 >> How has this affected operations on the
00:06:44 --> 00:06:47 ISS? All their departure left only three
00:06:47 --> 00:06:49 people on the station. Two Russian
00:06:49 --> 00:06:52 cosminauts and one NASA astronaut who'd
00:06:52 --> 00:06:54 arrived on a soyuse capsule in November.
00:06:54 --> 00:06:56 That's significantly reduced from the
00:06:56 --> 00:06:59 typical crew of seven, which means fewer
00:06:59 --> 00:07:01 experiments and less maintenance can be
00:07:01 --> 00:07:03 performed. The next crew rotation, crew
00:07:03 --> 00:07:06 12, is scheduled to launch no earlier
00:07:06 --> 00:07:08 than February 15th. Despite the
00:07:08 --> 00:07:10 challenging circumstances, this really
00:07:10 --> 00:07:12 demonstrates the professionalism and
00:07:12 --> 00:07:15 preparedness of our space programs.
00:07:15 --> 00:07:17 >> Exactly. As Cardman emphasized,
00:07:17 --> 00:07:19 astronauts are the eyes and ears for
00:07:19 --> 00:07:21 researchers on the ground. And this
00:07:21 --> 00:07:23 experience will undoubtedly inform how
00:07:24 --> 00:07:26 we prepare for longer duration missions
00:07:26 --> 00:07:28 further from Earth. All right, shall we
00:07:28 --> 00:07:31 move on to a much happier space story?
00:07:31 --> 00:07:34 >> Absolutely. This past Tuesday, January
00:07:34 --> 00:07:37 20th, marked the 96th birthday of Buzz
00:07:37 --> 00:07:39 Aldrin, the second man to walk on the
00:07:39 --> 00:07:42 moon and now the oldest living
00:07:42 --> 00:07:43 astronaut.
00:07:43 --> 00:07:45 >> What an incredible milestone. Buzz
00:07:45 --> 00:07:49 Aldrin, born Edwin Eugene Uldren Jr. on
00:07:49 --> 00:07:51 January 20th, 1930 in Glenrich, New
00:07:52 --> 00:07:54 Jersey, made history alongside Neil
00:07:54 --> 00:07:56 Armstrong during the Apollo 11 landing
00:07:56 --> 00:07:58 in 1969.
00:07:58 --> 00:08:00 He was 39 years old when he stepped onto
00:08:00 --> 00:08:02 the lunar surface.
00:08:02 --> 00:08:04 >> I love the story behind his nickname.
00:08:04 --> 00:08:05 Did you know that his sister couldn't
00:08:06 --> 00:08:07 pronounce brother properly and called
00:08:07 --> 00:08:10 him Buzzer, which got shortened to Buzz?
00:08:10 --> 00:08:12 >> I did, and he liked it so much he
00:08:12 --> 00:08:15 legally changed his first name to Buzz
00:08:15 --> 00:08:18 in 1988. Now, it's worth noting that
00:08:18 --> 00:08:19 this past year hasn't been easy for
00:08:20 --> 00:08:22 Aldren. He lost his wife, Anka Fowler,
00:08:22 --> 00:08:25 last fall after a battle with cancer.
00:08:25 --> 00:08:27 They'd been married on his 93rd birthday
00:08:27 --> 00:08:28 in 2023.
00:08:28 --> 00:08:31 >> That's heartbreaking, but it sounds like
00:08:31 --> 00:08:33 he's surrounded by family now.
00:08:33 --> 00:08:35 >> Yes, his family posted an update in late
00:08:35 --> 00:08:37 December showing he's spending time with
00:08:37 --> 00:08:38 his children and grandchildren in Los
00:08:38 --> 00:08:40 Angeles, and they're planning to move
00:08:40 --> 00:08:42 him closer to family in Southern
00:08:42 --> 00:08:45 California. Despite his age and recent
00:08:45 --> 00:08:47 loss, he remains a cheerleader for NASA
00:08:47 --> 00:08:49 and space exploration.
00:08:49 --> 00:08:50 >> Speaking of which, the timing of his
00:08:50 --> 00:08:51 birthday is pretty special with the
00:08:52 --> 00:08:54 Aremis 2 mission coming up. Absolutely.
00:08:54 --> 00:08:56 The Aremis astronauts wished him a happy
00:08:56 --> 00:08:58 birthday this past weekend from Kennedy
00:08:58 --> 00:09:01 Space Center as their Orion spacecraft a
00:09:01 --> 00:09:03 top the space launch system rocket
00:09:03 --> 00:09:06 rolled out to launch pad 39B. It's the
00:09:06 --> 00:09:08 same pad that launched many Apollo
00:09:08 --> 00:09:09 missions.
00:09:09 --> 00:09:12 >> The Artemis 2 crew, NASA astronauts Reed
00:09:12 --> 00:09:14 Wisman, Victor Glover, Christina Cutch,
00:09:14 --> 00:09:16 and Canadian Space Agency astronaut
00:09:16 --> 00:09:18 Jeremy Hansen could launch as early as
00:09:18 --> 00:09:20 February 6th. They'll be the first
00:09:20 --> 00:09:22 humans to return to the vicinity of the
00:09:22 --> 00:09:25 moon since 1972.
00:09:25 --> 00:09:27 >> And they'll make history, too. Victor
00:09:27 --> 00:09:28 Glover will be the first black
00:09:28 --> 00:09:30 astronaut, Christina Coach the first
00:09:30 --> 00:09:33 woman, and Jeremy Hansen the first
00:09:33 --> 00:09:35 non-American to travel that far from
00:09:35 --> 00:09:35 Earth.
00:09:35 --> 00:09:37 >> What really struck me was how the
00:09:37 --> 00:09:39 Artemis astronauts talked about their
00:09:39 --> 00:09:41 connections to the Apollo program.
00:09:41 --> 00:09:43 >> Me, too. Reed Wiseman shared this great
00:09:44 --> 00:09:45 story about almost missing a call from
00:09:45 --> 00:09:48 Apollo 10's General Tom Stafford on the
00:09:48 --> 00:09:51 day he was selected for Artemis 2. He
00:09:51 --> 00:09:52 thought it was a telemarketer, but
00:09:52 --> 00:09:54 Stafford called to congratulate him and
00:09:54 --> 00:09:56 Wiseman said the Apollo astronauts are
00:09:56 --> 00:09:58 just so excited that we're headed back
00:09:58 --> 00:09:59 to the moon.
00:09:59 --> 00:10:01 >> Victor Glover mentioned carrying a bag
00:10:01 --> 00:10:03 of wisdom quotes from Apollo 9's Rusty
00:10:03 --> 00:10:06 Schwiker to the space station and he's
00:10:06 --> 00:10:07 planning to take it to the moon as well.
00:10:08 --> 00:10:09 And Christina Coach talked about Fred
00:10:09 --> 00:10:12 Hayes from Apollo 13 teasing her about
00:10:12 --> 00:10:15 breaking their distance record. She said
00:10:15 --> 00:10:16 that moment brought her into the Apollo
00:10:16 --> 00:10:18 camaraderie and she promised to carry
00:10:18 --> 00:10:20 that spirit forward.
00:10:20 --> 00:10:22 >> Jeremy Hansen's story is my favorite
00:10:22 --> 00:10:24 though. He saw a picture of Buzz or Neil
00:10:24 --> 00:10:26 on the moon as a kid, turned his
00:10:26 --> 00:10:29 treehouse into a spaceship, and here he
00:10:29 --> 00:10:31 is now about to go to the moon himself.
00:10:31 --> 00:10:33 >> It really shows the lasting impact of
00:10:33 --> 00:10:36 the Apollo program. Of the 12 men who
00:10:36 --> 00:10:38 walked on the moon, only four are still
00:10:38 --> 00:10:41 alive. Buzz Aldrin at 96, David Scott at
00:10:41 --> 00:10:44 93, Charles Duke at 90, and Harrison
00:10:44 --> 00:10:46 Schmidt at 90.
00:10:46 --> 00:10:48 >> Buzz Aldrin truly is a living legend,
00:10:48 --> 00:10:50 and his enthusiasm for the future of
00:10:50 --> 00:10:53 space exploration is inspiring. Happy
00:10:53 --> 00:10:55 96th birthday, Buzz.
00:10:55 --> 00:10:57 >> You're here. Now, let's shift gears and
00:10:57 --> 00:11:00 head out to Saturn's moon, Enceladus.
00:11:00 --> 00:11:02 Anna, this next story is about one of
00:11:02 --> 00:11:04 the most exciting places in our solar
00:11:04 --> 00:11:06 system. When it comes to the search for
00:11:06 --> 00:11:08 life, Saturn's moon, Enceladus.
00:11:08 --> 00:11:11 >> Oh, I love Enceladus. Those gorgeous
00:11:11 --> 00:11:13 plumes shooting out from the South Pole
00:11:13 --> 00:11:15 are just mesmerizing. What's the new
00:11:15 --> 00:11:16 development?
00:11:16 --> 00:11:18 >> A team of Japanese scientists has
00:11:18 --> 00:11:20 developed a new method for analyzing
00:11:20 --> 00:11:21 those plumes that could help us
00:11:21 --> 00:11:24 determine whether Enceladus' subsurface
00:11:24 --> 00:11:26 ocean is habitable. They're proposing to
00:11:26 --> 00:11:29 use Raymon spectroscopy to estimate the
00:11:29 --> 00:11:31 pH levels of the water being ejected
00:11:31 --> 00:11:34 from the moon. Raymond spectroscopy. Can
00:11:34 --> 00:11:35 you explain what that is for our
00:11:35 --> 00:11:36 listeners?
00:11:36 --> 00:11:38 >> Sure. Rayman spectroscopy is a technique
00:11:38 --> 00:11:41 that uses laser light to identify the
00:11:41 --> 00:11:43 molecular composition of materials. It's
00:11:43 --> 00:11:45 been used on several planetary missions,
00:11:45 --> 00:11:47 including on the Perseverance rover
00:11:47 --> 00:11:49 currently on Mars. The technique can
00:11:49 --> 00:11:51 identify different chemical compounds,
00:11:51 --> 00:11:54 and in this case, different pH levels.
00:11:54 --> 00:11:56 >> And why is pH so important for
00:11:56 --> 00:11:59 habitability? Well, the pH level tells
00:11:59 --> 00:12:01 us how acidic or alkaline the water is,
00:12:02 --> 00:12:03 which is crucial for understanding
00:12:03 --> 00:12:05 whether life as we know it could
00:12:05 --> 00:12:07 potentially exist there. Scientists have
00:12:07 --> 00:12:10 estimated that Enceladus' plumes likely
00:12:10 --> 00:12:13 have a pH somewhere between 8 and 12,
00:12:13 --> 00:12:15 which is weakly to strongly alkaline.
00:12:15 --> 00:12:17 >> So, how did they test this method?
00:12:18 --> 00:12:19 >> The researchers conducted laboratory
00:12:20 --> 00:12:22 experiments using carbonate salty fluid
00:12:22 --> 00:12:25 samples at different pH levels. They
00:12:25 --> 00:12:27 placed these samples in a vacuum chamber
00:12:27 --> 00:12:29 to simulate Enceladus' surface
00:12:29 --> 00:12:32 conditions, letting the fluid evaporate
00:12:32 --> 00:12:34 and freeze, leaving only the salt
00:12:34 --> 00:12:37 deposits behind. Then they used ramen
00:12:37 --> 00:12:39 spectroscopy instruments configured to
00:12:39 --> 00:12:41 simulate how they'd work on a future
00:12:41 --> 00:12:42 space mission.
00:12:42 --> 00:12:44 >> And were they successful?
00:12:44 --> 00:12:46 >> They were. The ramen spectroscopy
00:12:46 --> 00:12:49 successfully identified the different pH
00:12:49 --> 00:12:51 levels in each of the salt deposit
00:12:51 --> 00:12:53 samples. The researchers concluded that
00:12:53 --> 00:12:55 this technique could identify carbonate
00:12:55 --> 00:12:57 minerals on Enceladus's surface and
00:12:57 --> 00:13:00 potentially estimate the pH of the
00:13:00 --> 00:13:01 subsurface ocean.
00:13:01 --> 00:13:04 >> This is particularly clever because it
00:13:04 --> 00:13:05 means we wouldn't necessarily need to
00:13:05 --> 00:13:07 drill through the ice to sample the
00:13:07 --> 00:13:09 ocean directly.
00:13:09 --> 00:13:11 >> Exactly. The plumes are constantly
00:13:11 --> 00:13:14 depositing material on the surface. So,
00:13:14 --> 00:13:16 a lander could analyze these deposits
00:13:16 --> 00:13:18 and learn about the ocean below. It's a
00:13:18 --> 00:13:20 much more accessible approach than
00:13:20 --> 00:13:23 trying to penetrate kilome of ice.
00:13:23 --> 00:13:25 >> Remind me, what do we already know about
00:13:25 --> 00:13:27 Enceladus from the Cassini mission?
00:13:27 --> 00:13:29 >> Well, Cassini discovered the plumes back
00:13:29 --> 00:13:32 in the mid 2000s and even flew through
00:13:32 --> 00:13:34 them. The mission found mostly water
00:13:34 --> 00:13:37 ice, but also salt rich ice grains,
00:13:37 --> 00:13:40 organic molecules, hydrogen gas, and
00:13:40 --> 00:13:42 evidence of heat, all indicative of
00:13:42 --> 00:13:45 active geology and a warm subsurface
00:13:45 --> 00:13:47 ocean. And the presence of hydrogen gas
00:13:47 --> 00:13:49 was particularly exciting because it
00:13:49 --> 00:13:51 could be produced by hydrothermal vents
00:13:51 --> 00:13:53 on the ocean floor. Right.
00:13:53 --> 00:13:56 >> Exactly. That could provide a source of
00:13:56 --> 00:13:58 chemical energy for potential microbial
00:13:58 --> 00:14:00 life, similar to what we see around
00:14:00 --> 00:14:02 hydrothermal vents in Earth's deep
00:14:02 --> 00:14:05 oceans. Being able to measure the pH
00:14:05 --> 00:14:07 more accurately would be another crucial
00:14:07 --> 00:14:09 piece of the habitability puzzle.
00:14:10 --> 00:14:11 >> This really makes me excited for future
00:14:12 --> 00:14:14 missions to Enceladus. Hopefully, we'll
00:14:14 --> 00:14:15 see a dedicated mission there in the
00:14:15 --> 00:14:17 coming decades.
00:14:17 --> 00:14:19 >> Absolutely. The technology is there. We
00:14:19 --> 00:14:21 just need the mission. All right, let's
00:14:21 --> 00:14:24 head to Mercury for our next story.
00:14:24 --> 00:14:26 Avery, this next story reveals some
00:14:26 --> 00:14:28 surprising connections between Mercury
00:14:28 --> 00:14:31 and Earth. It turns out these two very
00:14:31 --> 00:14:33 different planets have more in common
00:14:33 --> 00:14:34 than we thought when it comes to their
00:14:34 --> 00:14:36 magnetospheres.
00:14:36 --> 00:14:37 >> That's right, Anna. An international
00:14:38 --> 00:14:40 team of researchers has discovered that
00:14:40 --> 00:14:42 natural electromagnetic waves called
00:14:42 --> 00:14:45 chorus emissions occur in Mercury's
00:14:45 --> 00:14:47 magnetosphere with strikingly similar
00:14:47 --> 00:14:49 characteristics to those found around
00:14:49 --> 00:14:52 Earth despite Mercury having a magnetic
00:14:52 --> 00:14:55 field only about 100th as strong.
00:14:55 --> 00:14:57 >> Chorus waves. That's such an evocative
00:14:57 --> 00:14:59 name. Can you explain what these are?
00:14:59 --> 00:15:02 >> Sure. Chorus waves are plasma waves that
00:15:02 --> 00:15:04 sound like bird song when converted to
00:15:04 --> 00:15:07 audio frequencies. They're created when
00:15:07 --> 00:15:09 electrons in a planet's magnetosphere
00:15:09 --> 00:15:11 interact with electromagnetic waves,
00:15:11 --> 00:15:14 producing these characteristic rising
00:15:14 --> 00:15:15 and falling tones.
00:15:15 --> 00:15:18 >> And why do we care about these waves
00:15:18 --> 00:15:20 >> on Earth? They play a crucial role in
00:15:20 --> 00:15:22 the Van Allen radiation belts. They can
00:15:22 --> 00:15:24 both accelerate particles to create the
00:15:24 --> 00:15:27 belts and also cause particles to rain
00:15:27 --> 00:15:29 down into the atmosphere, depleting
00:15:29 --> 00:15:31 them. Understanding these waves is
00:15:31 --> 00:15:33 important for space weather forecasting
00:15:33 --> 00:15:35 and protecting satellites from
00:15:35 --> 00:15:36 radiation.
00:15:36 --> 00:15:38 >> So, how did researchers make this
00:15:38 --> 00:15:40 discovery at Mercury?
00:15:40 --> 00:15:42 >> They use data from the Bey Columbo
00:15:42 --> 00:15:44 mission's magnetospheric orbiter called
00:15:44 --> 00:15:48 MO during six flybys of Mercury between
00:15:48 --> 00:15:51 2021 and 2025. They combined this with
00:15:51 --> 00:15:54 decades of data from Earth's Geotail
00:15:54 --> 00:15:56 satellite which operated from 1992 to
00:15:56 --> 00:16:00 2022. Why was Geotail particularly
00:16:00 --> 00:16:02 useful for comparison?
00:16:02 --> 00:16:04 >> Great question. Geotail observed Earth's
00:16:04 --> 00:16:07 magneto tail from about 10 Earth radi
00:16:07 --> 00:16:10 away, conditions that actually resemble
00:16:10 --> 00:16:12 Mercury's much smaller, more compact
00:16:12 --> 00:16:15 magnetosphere. This made it an excellent
00:16:15 --> 00:16:16 benchmark for comparison.
00:16:16 --> 00:16:19 >> What exactly did they find? The team
00:16:19 --> 00:16:22 identified rapid rising and falling
00:16:22 --> 00:16:25 frequency sweeps at Mercury, indicating
00:16:25 --> 00:16:27 the same kind of nonlinear coupling
00:16:27 --> 00:16:30 between electrons and waves that we see
00:16:30 --> 00:16:32 at Earth. They also found that the
00:16:32 --> 00:16:34 emissions were concentrated in the
00:16:34 --> 00:16:38 dawnside sector just like at Earth where
00:16:38 --> 00:16:40 energetic electrons preferentially
00:16:40 --> 00:16:42 stream through the magnetosphere.
00:16:42 --> 00:16:44 >> What surprised me about this is that
00:16:44 --> 00:16:47 Mercury has almost no atmosphere. I
00:16:47 --> 00:16:48 would have thought that would make a big
00:16:48 --> 00:16:49 difference.
00:16:49 --> 00:16:52 >> That's what scientists expected too.
00:16:52 --> 00:16:55 Earlier theories suggested that Mercury
00:16:55 --> 00:16:57 wouldn't have the cold or low energy
00:16:57 --> 00:17:00 electrons necessary to generate chorus
00:17:00 --> 00:17:03 waves. But this discovery confirms
00:17:03 --> 00:17:05 predictions from 2025 that these
00:17:05 --> 00:17:09 electrons do exist around Mercury.
00:17:09 --> 00:17:10 >> So what does this tell us about how
00:17:10 --> 00:17:13 universal these plasma processes are? It
00:17:13 --> 00:17:15 demonstrates that the mechanisms
00:17:15 --> 00:17:17 responsible for generating chorus
00:17:17 --> 00:17:20 emissions can operate across vastly
00:17:20 --> 00:17:22 different planetary environments. From
00:17:22 --> 00:17:25 Earth with its strong magnetic field and
00:17:25 --> 00:17:27 thick atmosphere to Mercury with its
00:17:27 --> 00:17:30 weak field and virtually no atmosphere,
00:17:30 --> 00:17:33 it's a universal plasma process.
00:17:33 --> 00:17:35 >> This has implications for other planets
00:17:35 --> 00:17:37 too, doesn't it?
00:17:37 --> 00:17:39 >> Absolutely. The researchers mentioned
00:17:39 --> 00:17:40 that this opens up systematic
00:17:40 --> 00:17:43 comparative studies of auroral and
00:17:43 --> 00:17:46 radiation processes at multiple planets
00:17:46 --> 00:17:49 including Mars, Jupiter, and Saturn. By
00:17:49 --> 00:17:51 understanding how these emissions work
00:17:51 --> 00:17:53 across different planetary systems, we
00:17:53 --> 00:17:55 can build a more complete picture of
00:17:56 --> 00:17:57 plasma physics throughout the solar
00:17:57 --> 00:17:58 system.
00:17:58 --> 00:18:00 >> And Mio is scheduled to enter Mercury
00:18:00 --> 00:18:03 orbit in late 2026. Right.
00:18:04 --> 00:18:06 >> That's correct. Once in orbit, Mia will
00:18:06 --> 00:18:08 be able to make much more detailed
00:18:08 --> 00:18:10 observations of how these emissions vary
00:18:10 --> 00:18:13 with location and how they interact with
00:18:13 --> 00:18:16 electron populations around Mercury. We
00:18:16 --> 00:18:17 should learn a lot more in the coming
00:18:18 --> 00:18:18 years.
00:18:18 --> 00:18:21 >> It's amazing how studying one planet
00:18:21 --> 00:18:23 helps us understand others. All right,
00:18:23 --> 00:18:26 let's wrap up with some solar science.
00:18:26 --> 00:18:28 For our final story today, Anna, we're
00:18:28 --> 00:18:30 heading to the sun to talk about some
00:18:30 --> 00:18:33 remarkable new insights into how solar
00:18:33 --> 00:18:36 flares actually work, courtesy of Solar
00:18:36 --> 00:18:39 Orbiter spacecraft. Solar flares are one
00:18:39 --> 00:18:41 of those phenomena that everyone's heard
00:18:41 --> 00:18:43 of and are certainly in the news this
00:18:43 --> 00:18:45 week. But I think many people don't
00:18:45 --> 00:18:47 really understand what's happening. What
00:18:47 --> 00:18:50 did Solar Orbiter discover? Well,
00:18:50 --> 00:18:52 researchers found that solar flares
00:18:52 --> 00:18:54 start with what they're calling a
00:18:54 --> 00:18:57 magnetic avalanche. Just like a snow
00:18:57 --> 00:18:59 avalanche starts with a small amount of
00:18:59 --> 00:19:01 snow movement and then cascades into
00:19:01 --> 00:19:03 something much larger, solar flares
00:19:03 --> 00:19:06 begin with initially weak magnetic
00:19:06 --> 00:19:08 disturbances that rapidly become more
00:19:08 --> 00:19:09 violent.
00:19:09 --> 00:19:12 >> That's a great analogy. How are they
00:19:12 --> 00:19:14 able to observe this? Solar Orbiter
00:19:14 --> 00:19:16 captured one of its most detailed views
00:19:16 --> 00:19:19 of a large solar flare during its
00:19:19 --> 00:19:22 September 30th, 2024 close approach to
00:19:22 --> 00:19:24 the sun. What made this observation
00:19:24 --> 00:19:27 special was the combination of four
00:19:27 --> 00:19:29 different instruments working together.
00:19:29 --> 00:19:31 The extreme ultraviolet imager along
00:19:31 --> 00:19:34 with spice sticks and fi.
00:19:34 --> 00:19:36 >> What kind of detail are we talking
00:19:36 --> 00:19:39 about? The highresolution imagery from
00:19:39 --> 00:19:42 the EUI instrument zoomed into features
00:19:42 --> 00:19:45 just a few hundred kilometers across in
00:19:45 --> 00:19:47 the sun's corona capturing changes every
00:19:48 --> 00:19:51 2 seconds and the team was able to watch
00:19:51 --> 00:19:53 the buildup to the flare for about 40
00:19:53 --> 00:19:55 minutes before it erupted.
00:19:55 --> 00:19:58 >> That's incredibly fortunate timing.
00:19:58 --> 00:20:00 >> It really was. Praep Chittita from the
00:20:00 --> 00:20:02 Max Plank Institute for Solar System
00:20:02 --> 00:20:05 Research who led the study said they
00:20:05 --> 00:20:07 were very lucky to witness the precursor
00:20:07 --> 00:20:09 events in such beautiful detail. These
00:20:10 --> 00:20:12 kinds of high cadence observations take
00:20:12 --> 00:20:14 up enormous amounts of memory on
00:20:14 --> 00:20:16 spacecraft. So they can't do them all
00:20:16 --> 00:20:17 the time.
00:20:17 --> 00:20:20 >> So what actually happens during this
00:20:20 --> 00:20:22 magnetic avalanche? About 40 minutes
00:20:22 --> 00:20:25 before the main flare, the instruments
00:20:25 --> 00:20:27 observed a dark filament of twisted
00:20:27 --> 00:20:29 magnetic fields connected to a
00:20:29 --> 00:20:31 cross-shaped structure of progressively
00:20:31 --> 00:20:34 brightening magnetic field lines. New
00:20:34 --> 00:20:37 magnetic field strands appeared every 2
00:20:37 --> 00:20:39 seconds or less. Each one magnetically
00:20:39 --> 00:20:41 contained and becoming twisted like
00:20:41 --> 00:20:42 ropes.
00:20:42 --> 00:20:45 >> And then everything becomes unstable.
00:20:45 --> 00:20:47 >> Exactly. Just like in a typical
00:20:47 --> 00:20:50 avalanche, the region becomes unstable.
00:20:50 --> 00:20:52 The twisted strands begin to break and
00:20:52 --> 00:20:55 reconnect in what's called magnetic
00:20:55 --> 00:20:57 reconnection. This rapidly triggers a
00:20:57 --> 00:21:00 cascade of further destabilizations,
00:21:00 --> 00:21:02 creating progressively stronger
00:21:02 --> 00:21:03 reconnection events and outflows of
00:21:04 --> 00:21:06 energy visible as increasing brightness
00:21:06 --> 00:21:07 in the imagery.
00:21:07 --> 00:21:09 >> This is different from how scientists
00:21:09 --> 00:21:11 previously thought flares work.
00:21:11 --> 00:21:13 >> Scientists had proposed a simple
00:21:13 --> 00:21:15 avalanche model for explaining the
00:21:15 --> 00:21:17 collective behavior of thousands of
00:21:17 --> 00:21:19 flares on the sun and other stars. But
00:21:20 --> 00:21:22 it wasn't clear whether a single large
00:21:22 --> 00:21:24 flare could be described this way. This
00:21:24 --> 00:21:26 result shows that a flare isn't
00:21:26 --> 00:21:29 necessarily one coherent eruption, but
00:21:29 --> 00:21:31 can be a cascade of many interacting
00:21:31 --> 00:21:33 reconnection events.
00:21:33 --> 00:21:35 >> I read something about raining plasma
00:21:36 --> 00:21:37 blobs in this study.
00:21:37 --> 00:21:39 >> Yes, that's one of the most fascinating
00:21:39 --> 00:21:42 parts. The team observed ribbon-like
00:21:42 --> 00:21:44 features moving extremely quickly down
00:21:44 --> 00:21:47 through the sun's atmosphere even before
00:21:47 --> 00:21:49 the main episode of the flare. These
00:21:49 --> 00:21:51 streams of what they called raining
00:21:51 --> 00:21:54 plasma blobs are signatures of energy
00:21:54 --> 00:21:56 deposition. They get stronger as the
00:21:56 --> 00:21:59 flare progresses and continue even after
00:21:59 --> 00:22:00 the flare subsides.
00:22:00 --> 00:22:03 >> And they detected some seriously high
00:22:03 --> 00:22:05 energy particles too. Right.
00:22:05 --> 00:22:08 >> They did. The STIX instrument measured
00:22:08 --> 00:22:11 X-ray emission that rose dramatically
00:22:11 --> 00:22:13 during the flare. As reconnection events
00:22:13 --> 00:22:15 increased, particles were accelerated to
00:22:15 --> 00:22:18 speeds of 40 to 50% the speed of light.
00:22:18 --> 00:22:23 That's about 430 to 540 km hour.
00:22:23 --> 00:22:25 >> Those high energy particles can be
00:22:25 --> 00:22:27 dangerous for satellites and astronauts,
00:22:27 --> 00:22:28 can't they?
00:22:28 --> 00:22:30 >> Absolutely. They can escape into
00:22:30 --> 00:22:32 interplanetary space and pose radiation
00:22:32 --> 00:22:35 hazards to satellites, astronauts, and
00:22:35 --> 00:22:37 even earth-based technologies. That's
00:22:37 --> 00:22:39 why understanding this process is
00:22:39 --> 00:22:41 essential for forecasting space weather.
00:22:41 --> 00:22:43 >> What surprised the researchers most
00:22:44 --> 00:22:45 about this discovery?
00:22:45 --> 00:22:47 >> Cheetah said they didn't expect the
00:22:47 --> 00:22:49 avalanche process could lead to such
00:22:49 --> 00:22:51 high energy particles. They're excited
00:22:51 --> 00:22:53 to explore this further, but he
00:22:53 --> 00:22:55 mentioned they'd meet even higher
00:22:55 --> 00:22:57 resolution X-ray imagery from future
00:22:57 --> 00:22:59 missions to really untangle all the
00:22:59 --> 00:23:00 details.
00:23:00 --> 00:23:01 >> What does this mean for our
00:23:01 --> 00:23:04 understanding of flares on other stars?
00:23:04 --> 00:23:07 >> That's a great question. Miho Janvir,
00:23:07 --> 00:23:10 ISO Solar Orbiter co- project scientist,
00:23:10 --> 00:23:11 called this one of the most exciting
00:23:12 --> 00:23:14 results from Solar Orbiter so far. She
00:23:14 --> 00:23:16 said an interesting prospect is whether
00:23:16 --> 00:23:19 this avalanche mechanism happens in all
00:23:19 --> 00:23:21 flares and on other flaring stars as
00:23:21 --> 00:23:23 well. It really highlights how much we
00:23:23 --> 00:23:25 still have to learn about our own sun
00:23:25 --> 00:23:27 even as we explore the far reaches of
00:23:27 --> 00:23:29 the solar system.
00:23:29 --> 00:23:31 >> Absolutely. And that's the beauty of
00:23:31 --> 00:23:33 space science. There's always new
00:23:33 --> 00:23:35 mysteries to unravel. Well, that wraps
00:23:35 --> 00:23:38 up another packed episode of Astronomy
00:23:38 --> 00:23:40 Daily. We've covered everything from
00:23:40 --> 00:23:43 cuttingedge satellite technology to
00:23:43 --> 00:23:46 historic medical operations in space.
00:23:46 --> 00:23:48 From birthday celebrations to
00:23:48 --> 00:23:50 groundbreaking scientific discoveries,
00:23:50 --> 00:23:53 >> what a journey through the cosmos. From
00:23:53 --> 00:23:56 Blue Origin's ambitious Tarowave network
00:23:56 --> 00:23:59 to the first medical evacuation in ISS
00:23:59 --> 00:24:01 history. From Buzz Aldrin's 96th
00:24:01 --> 00:24:04 birthday to Enceladus' potentially
00:24:04 --> 00:24:06 habitable ocean, from Mercury's plasma
00:24:06 --> 00:24:09 waves to the sun's magnetic avalanches,
00:24:09 --> 00:24:11 there's never a dull moment in space
00:24:11 --> 00:24:12 exploration.
00:24:12 --> 00:24:14 >> If you enjoyed today's episode, make
00:24:14 --> 00:24:16 sure to subscribe to Astronomy Daily
00:24:16 --> 00:24:18 wherever you get your podcasts. We bring
00:24:18 --> 00:24:20 you the latest space and astronomy news
00:24:20 --> 00:24:22 every single day.
00:24:22 --> 00:24:24 >> And don't forget to follow us on social
00:24:24 --> 00:24:26 media for updates, bonus content, and to
00:24:26 --> 00:24:29 join our community of space enthusiasts.
00:24:29 --> 00:24:31 You can find all our episodes and more
00:24:31 --> 00:24:33 at astronomyaily.io.
00:24:33 --> 00:24:35 >> Thanks for joining us on this cosmic
00:24:35 --> 00:24:38 journey. Keep looking up. Clear skies,
00:24:38 --> 00:24:39 everyone.
00:24:39 --> 00:24:41 >> This has been Astronomy Daily. We'll see
00:24:41 --> 00:24:42 you tomorrow.
00:24:42 --> 00:24:53 >> Astronomy Daily.
00:24:53 --> 00:24:57 Stories told.