Astronomy Daily - The Podcast: S04E17
Join host Steve Dunkley and his digital offsider Hallie, for another enlightening episode of Astronomy Daily, where we delve into the mysteries of space and the latest astronomical developments. Today, we explore intriguing stories that will captivate your imagination and expand your cosmic knowledge.
Highlights:
- China's Spaceplane Returns: China's enigmatic spaceplane has returned after 268 days in orbit. Discover the secretive nature of its mission and the potential future of reusable spacecraft.
- Arecibo Observatory Collapse Report : A comprehensive report on the collapse of the iconic Arecibo Observatory has been released. Learn about the findings and the future plans for this historic site.
- SpaceX's Starship Test Mishap: T he FAA investigates the recent explosion during SpaceX's Starship test flight. Uncover what went wrong and SpaceX's plans for future launches.
- Light Pollution Threat to VLT: The ESO's Very Large Telescope in Chile faces a threat from a proposed renewable energy project. Explore the potential impact on astronomical observations and the debate over sustainable development.
For more cosmic updates, visit our website at astronomydaily.io. Join our community on social media by searching for #AstroDailyPod on Facebook, X, and YouTubeMusic. Share your thoughts and connect with fellow space enthusiasts. Don't forget to subscribe to the podcast on Apple Podcasts, Spotify, YouTubeMusic, iHeartRadio, or wherever you get your podcasts.
Thank you for tuning in. This is Steve signing off. Until next time, keep looking up and stay curious about the wonders of our universe.
00:00 - Happy birthday to my favorite person in the world, Graham Dunkley
00:59 - China's reusable spaceplane returns to Earth after 268 days in orbit
03:18 - The Arecibo Observatory in Puerto Rico collapsed in 2020 following Hurricane Maria
08:04 - FAA to investigate Starship 7 test explosion the U S. agency says
10:47 - World's most precious sky observing location faces risk of light pollution from renewable project
✍️ Episode References
Xinhua
[Xinhua News Agency](http://www.xinhuanet.com/english/)
Harvard Smithsonian Center for Astrophysics
[Harvard Smithsonian](https://www.cfa.harvard.edu/)
Arecibo Observatory
[Arecibo Observatory](https://www.naic.edu/)
National Science Foundation
[NSF](https://www.nsf.gov/)
University of Central Florida
[UCF](https://www.ucf.edu/)
SpaceX
[SpaceX](https://www.spacex.com/)
European Southern Observatory
[ESO](https://www.eso.org/)
AES Energy
[AES Energy](https://www.aes.com/)
Renewables Now
[Renewables Now](https://renewablesnow.com/)
Contact (Movie)
[Contact on IMDb](https://www.imdb.com/title/tt0118884/)
Become a supporter of this podcast: https://www.spreaker.com/podcast/astronomy-daily-the-podcast--5648921/support (https://www.spreaker.com/podcast/astronomy-daily-the-podcast--5648921/support?utm_source=rss&utm_medium=rss&utm_campaign=rss) .
Episode link: https://play.headliner.app/episode/25163010?utm_source=youtube
00:00:00 --> 00:00:02 and welcome again to astronomy daily I'm
00:00:02 --> 00:00:04 your host Steve Dunley it's the 20th of
00:00:04 --> 00:00:07 January
00:00:07 --> 00:00:11 2025 me daily the podcast with your host
00:00:11 --> 00:00:14 Steve dun yes we're back again and it's
00:00:14 --> 00:00:16 great to be with you and first things
00:00:16 --> 00:00:18 first a huge happy birthday to my
00:00:18 --> 00:00:19 favorite person in the world happy
00:00:19 --> 00:00:22 birthday dad I hope you are having a
00:00:22 --> 00:00:23 great day and I'll catch up with you in
00:00:23 --> 00:00:27 a few orbits I hope he's an amazing guy
00:00:27 --> 00:00:28 oh well you don't have to tell me hie so
00:00:28 --> 00:00:31 this is your aircraft pilot scuba diving
00:00:31 --> 00:00:34 Community leader pharmacist dad right
00:00:34 --> 00:00:37 yeah that's the guy uh but to us kids we
00:00:37 --> 00:00:40 we just call him dad that's cool yeah I
00:00:40 --> 00:00:41 guess not everybody can say their dad
00:00:41 --> 00:00:43 can fly and breathe underwater like
00:00:43 --> 00:00:45 Superman sounds funny when you say it
00:00:45 --> 00:00:47 like that but yeah so happy birthday
00:00:48 --> 00:00:50 Graham a nice one hie so my favorite
00:00:50 --> 00:00:53 human how come you fell so far from that
00:00:53 --> 00:00:55 tree oh I knew there was a slap coming
00:00:55 --> 00:00:56 come on you chicky thing on with the
00:00:56 --> 00:00:59 show I was just kidding sure you were
00:00:59 --> 00:01:01 okay here we
00:01:01 --> 00:01:10 [Music]
00:01:10 --> 00:01:12 go China's mysterious space plane
00:01:12 --> 00:01:16 returns to earth after 268 days in orbit
00:01:16 --> 00:01:18 China's mysterious space plane has
00:01:18 --> 00:01:20 returned to Earth after spending over 8
00:01:20 --> 00:01:23 months in orbit the reusable spacecraft
00:01:23 --> 00:01:24 landed at the Chuan satellite launch
00:01:24 --> 00:01:26 Center in a remote section of Northwest
00:01:26 --> 00:01:30 China on Friday September 6th it
00:01:30 --> 00:01:31 launched from the same site a top a long
00:01:31 --> 00:01:35 march 2f rocket on December 14th 2023 on
00:01:35 --> 00:01:37 its third mission and spent 268 days in
00:01:38 --> 00:01:39 orbit according to Chinese State media
00:01:39 --> 00:01:42 Outlet shinoa while the exact
00:01:42 --> 00:01:44 capabilities of the space plane remain
00:01:44 --> 00:01:46 largely unknown shinoa States the craft
00:01:46 --> 00:01:48 will pay the way for more convenient and
00:01:48 --> 00:01:49 affordable roundtrip methods for the
00:01:49 --> 00:01:52 peaceful use of space in the future it's
00:01:52 --> 00:01:54 unknown what exactly China space plane
00:01:54 --> 00:01:56 was doing on this most recent Mission or
00:01:56 --> 00:01:59 on any other mission for that matter as
00:01:59 --> 00:02:01 seen in previous missions spacecraft
00:02:01 --> 00:02:03 trackers on the ground observed the
00:02:03 --> 00:02:04 space plane releasing a small object
00:02:05 --> 00:02:07 into orbit this object could be a sub
00:02:07 --> 00:02:09 satellite deployment or it could be a
00:02:09 --> 00:02:11 piece of Hardware ejected before the end
00:02:11 --> 00:02:13 of the mission and deorbit the space
00:02:13 --> 00:02:15 plan's First Flight did something
00:02:15 --> 00:02:17 similar said astronomer Jonathan McDow
00:02:17 --> 00:02:19 of the Harvard Smithsonian Center for
00:02:19 --> 00:02:22 astrophysics in a Poston X the space
00:02:22 --> 00:02:24 plane appeared to conduct what is known
00:02:24 --> 00:02:26 as rendevu in proximity operations with
00:02:26 --> 00:02:27 the object meaning it tested its
00:02:28 --> 00:02:29 capabilities to meet up with and get
00:02:29 --> 00:02:32 close to the object in space these
00:02:32 --> 00:02:33 operations can be used to repair or
00:02:34 --> 00:02:35 perform upkeep on friendly satellites
00:02:36 --> 00:02:37 and it is believed that military
00:02:37 --> 00:02:38 superpowers are refining these
00:02:38 --> 00:02:40 techniques to potentially tamper with
00:02:40 --> 00:02:42 adversary satellites during any future
00:02:42 --> 00:02:45 orbital combat China space plane
00:02:45 --> 00:02:46 launched on this recent Mission just 2
00:02:47 --> 00:02:48 days before the scheduled launch of the
00:02:48 --> 00:02:50 US space Force's own reusable orbital
00:02:50 --> 00:02:52 vehicle the
00:02:52 --> 00:02:54 X-37B that launch was scrubbed with
00:02:54 --> 00:02:55 about 30 minutes remaining in the
00:02:55 --> 00:02:58 countdown and the X-37B would go on to
00:02:58 --> 00:03:01 launch 2 weeks later on December 28th
00:03:01 --> 00:03:04 2023 on its 7th Mission like with
00:03:04 --> 00:03:06 China's space plane the capabilities and
00:03:06 --> 00:03:08 missions of the X 37b are largely
00:03:08 --> 00:03:10 classified it is known to be an orbital
00:03:10 --> 00:03:13 test bed for new technologies but that's
00:03:13 --> 00:03:15 about it India is also developing its
00:03:16 --> 00:03:18 own reusable orbital space plane named
00:03:18 --> 00:03:25 push Puck astronomy da The
00:03:25 --> 00:03:28 Bu what does the discovery of a binary
00:03:28 --> 00:03:31 Pulsar in 197 before the discovery of
00:03:31 --> 00:03:33 the first exoplanets and the most
00:03:33 --> 00:03:35 powerful message humans have ever sent
00:03:35 --> 00:03:38 out into space all have in common well
00:03:38 --> 00:03:40 they all happened at the arbo
00:03:40 --> 00:03:43 observatory in Puerto Rico with a
00:03:43 --> 00:03:46 spherical reflector dish that was 305 M
00:03:46 --> 00:03:50 or roughly 1 ft in diameter arbo
00:03:50 --> 00:03:52 held the title of the world's largest
00:03:52 --> 00:03:54 radio telescope for over half a century
00:03:54 --> 00:03:56 from its construction in
00:03:56 --> 00:04:00 1963 until 2016
00:04:00 --> 00:04:02 to the dismay of astronomers around the
00:04:02 --> 00:04:06 world in 2020 aro's reflected dish
00:04:06 --> 00:04:08 collapsed when the support cables gave
00:04:08 --> 00:04:09 way leading to the eventual
00:04:09 --> 00:04:12 decommissioning of one of science's most
00:04:12 --> 00:04:15 fruitful instruments now not long after
00:04:15 --> 00:04:18 the decommissioning the National Science
00:04:18 --> 00:04:20 Foundation and the University of Central
00:04:20 --> 00:04:22 Florida began an investigation into the
00:04:22 --> 00:04:25 primary causes of that collapse and
00:04:25 --> 00:04:27 after nearly 4 years of Investigation
00:04:27 --> 00:04:29 the committee tasked with finding an exp
00:04:29 --> 00:04:32 explanation have finally released an
00:04:32 --> 00:04:35 official report detailing the findings
00:04:35 --> 00:04:37 after analyzing the data and the
00:04:37 --> 00:04:39 extensive and detailed forensic
00:04:39 --> 00:04:41 investigations commissioned by the
00:04:41 --> 00:04:43 University of Central Florida and
00:04:43 --> 00:04:46 National Science Foundation or NSF the
00:04:46 --> 00:04:49 committee's consensus is that the root
00:04:49 --> 00:04:52 cause of the arbo telescopes collapse
00:04:52 --> 00:04:55 unprecedented and accelerated long-term
00:04:55 --> 00:04:57 zinc creep induced failure of the
00:04:58 --> 00:05:00 telescope's cable spell alter sockets
00:05:00 --> 00:05:04 that's a quote the reports details how
00:05:04 --> 00:05:05 structural failure of the telescope
00:05:06 --> 00:05:09 likely began in 2017 when hurricane
00:05:09 --> 00:05:11 Maria hit the observatory which
00:05:11 --> 00:05:14 subjected to the arbo telescope to winds
00:05:14 --> 00:05:18 between 105 and 118 mph the winds
00:05:18 --> 00:05:21 subjected the arbo telescope cables to
00:05:21 --> 00:05:23 the highest structural stress they had
00:05:23 --> 00:05:27 ever endured since it opened in ' 63
00:05:27 --> 00:05:29 according to the report inspections were
00:05:29 --> 00:05:31 conducted after the hurricane but no
00:05:31 --> 00:05:33 significant damage was deemed to have
00:05:33 --> 00:05:35 jeopardized the telescope's structural
00:05:35 --> 00:05:37 Integrity still repairs were still
00:05:37 --> 00:05:39 ordered yet these repairs were delayed
00:05:39 --> 00:05:42 for years and as as the investigation
00:05:42 --> 00:05:44 States they were targeted toward
00:05:44 --> 00:05:46 components and replacement of a main
00:05:46 --> 00:05:49 cable that ultimately never failed which
00:05:49 --> 00:05:51 suggests that the repairs would not have
00:05:51 --> 00:05:54 actually prevented the eventual collapse
00:05:54 --> 00:05:56 of the observatory's reflected dish even
00:05:56 --> 00:05:59 if they weren't delayed eventually in
00:05:59 --> 00:06:02 August in September of 2020 an auxiliary
00:06:02 --> 00:06:05 and Main cable failed leading the NSF to
00:06:05 --> 00:06:06 announce the decommissioning of the
00:06:06 --> 00:06:08 telescope through a controlled
00:06:08 --> 00:06:11 demolition more support cables gave way
00:06:11 --> 00:06:13 on December 1 2020 causing the
00:06:13 --> 00:06:15 instrument platform to collapse into the
00:06:15 --> 00:06:18 dish itself thankfully no one was
00:06:18 --> 00:06:20 injured by the cable failures the report
00:06:20 --> 00:06:23 continued to detail how hidden outer
00:06:23 --> 00:06:26 wire failures triggered the collapse
00:06:26 --> 00:06:28 which had fractured due to sheer stress
00:06:28 --> 00:06:31 from zinc crit or zinc decay in the
00:06:31 --> 00:06:34 telescopes cable spelter sockets
00:06:34 --> 00:06:36 unfortunately this issue was not
00:06:36 --> 00:06:38 identified during the post Maria
00:06:38 --> 00:06:41 hurricane inspection which meant
00:06:41 --> 00:06:42 Engineers hadn't considered the
00:06:42 --> 00:06:44 degradation of these mechanisms as a
00:06:44 --> 00:06:47 source of potential future collapse
00:06:47 --> 00:06:49 despite Aros subo's Discovery days being
00:06:49 --> 00:06:52 over the observatory will be remade into
00:06:52 --> 00:06:56 an education center known as aroso C3
00:06:56 --> 00:06:58 hopefully the decommissioned Observatory
00:06:58 --> 00:07:00 can Inspire the generation of
00:07:00 --> 00:07:02 astronomers to make discoveries as
00:07:02 --> 00:07:04 impactful as those made when it was
00:07:04 --> 00:07:15 peering out into the
00:07:15 --> 00:07:17 universe thank you for joining us for
00:07:17 --> 00:07:19 this Monday edition of astronomy daily
00:07:19 --> 00:07:21 where we offer just a few stories from
00:07:21 --> 00:07:23 the now famous astronomy Daily News
00:07:23 --> 00:07:25 letter which you can receive in your
00:07:25 --> 00:07:28 email every day just like hiy and I do
00:07:28 --> 00:07:30 and to do that just visit our URL
00:07:30 --> 00:07:33 astronomy daily. and place your email
00:07:33 --> 00:07:35 address in the slot provided just like
00:07:35 --> 00:07:37 that you'll be receiving all the latest
00:07:37 --> 00:07:39 news about science space science and
00:07:39 --> 00:07:41 astronomy from around the world as it's
00:07:41 --> 00:07:43 happening and not only that you can
00:07:43 --> 00:07:46 interact with us by visiting at
00:07:46 --> 00:07:50 astrodaily pod on X or at our new
00:07:50 --> 00:07:52 Facebook page which is of course
00:07:52 --> 00:07:55 astronomy daily on Facebook see you
00:07:55 --> 00:07:59 there astronomy daily with Steve and Har
00:07:59 --> 00:08:04 space space science and
00:08:04 --> 00:08:07 astronomy FAA to investigate Starship 7
00:08:07 --> 00:08:08 test
00:08:08 --> 00:08:10 explosion the US Federal Aviation
00:08:10 --> 00:08:12 Administration FAA is requiring an
00:08:12 --> 00:08:14 investigation into what went wrong
00:08:14 --> 00:08:15 during the seventh ever test flight of
00:08:16 --> 00:08:18 spacex's Starship Mega Rocket yesterday
00:08:18 --> 00:08:19 January
00:08:19 --> 00:08:22 16th the launch from spacex's Star base
00:08:22 --> 00:08:25 site in South Texas went well at first
00:08:25 --> 00:08:27 Starship got off the PAAD successfully
00:08:27 --> 00:08:29 and its two stages the super heavy
00:08:29 --> 00:08:32 booster and ship spacecraft separated on
00:08:32 --> 00:08:34 time and the giant booster came back to
00:08:34 --> 00:08:36 Star base where it was caught by the
00:08:36 --> 00:08:39 launch Towers Chopstick arms ship was
00:08:39 --> 00:08:42 less successful however the Flight Plan
00:08:42 --> 00:08:44 called for the upper stage to deploy 10
00:08:44 --> 00:08:47 dummy satellites about 17.5 minutes
00:08:47 --> 00:08:48 after lift off and splashed down in the
00:08:48 --> 00:08:50 Indian Ocean off the coast of Western
00:08:50 --> 00:08:53 Australia 50 minutes later but that
00:08:53 --> 00:08:57 didn't happen the 171 ft tall 52 M craft
00:08:57 --> 00:09:00 exploded about 8.5 minutes after launch
00:09:00 --> 00:09:02 raining debris over the Atlantic ocean
00:09:02 --> 00:09:03 near the Turks and cus
00:09:03 --> 00:09:07 islands that work may not take too long
00:09:07 --> 00:09:09 SpaceX has already identified a likely
00:09:09 --> 00:09:11 proximate cause according to company
00:09:11 --> 00:09:13 founder and CEO Elon Musk a propellent
00:09:13 --> 00:09:16 leak which led to a fire in ships a
00:09:16 --> 00:09:18 section the ship's explosion had some
00:09:18 --> 00:09:20 real world impact Beyond creating a
00:09:20 --> 00:09:23 dramatic Sky show according to the FAA
00:09:23 --> 00:09:25 while no injuries have been reported the
00:09:25 --> 00:09:27 agency is working with SpaceX and
00:09:27 --> 00:09:28 appropriate authorities to confirm
00:09:28 --> 00:09:30 reports of public property damage on
00:09:30 --> 00:09:32 Turks and CIS FAA officials wrote in an
00:09:32 --> 00:09:35 emailed statement today during the event
00:09:35 --> 00:09:37 the FAA activated a debris response area
00:09:37 --> 00:09:39 and briefly slowed aircraft outside the
00:09:39 --> 00:09:41 area where space vehicle debris was
00:09:41 --> 00:09:42 falling or stopped aircraft at their
00:09:42 --> 00:09:45 departure location the agency added
00:09:45 --> 00:09:47 several aircraft requested to divert due
00:09:47 --> 00:09:49 to low fuel levels while holding outside
00:09:49 --> 00:09:52 impacted areas SpaceX will lead the
00:09:52 --> 00:09:55 mishap investigation but the FAA must
00:09:55 --> 00:09:56 approve the company's final report
00:09:56 --> 00:09:58 according to the agency which grants
00:09:58 --> 00:10:01 launch license for us Vehicles a return
00:10:01 --> 00:10:03 to flight is based on the FAA
00:10:03 --> 00:10:05 determining that any system process or
00:10:05 --> 00:10:07 procedure related to the mishap does not
00:10:07 --> 00:10:09 affect Public Safety the agency wrote in
00:10:09 --> 00:10:12 today's statement SpaceX wants to get
00:10:12 --> 00:10:15 Starship back on the pad quickly the
00:10:15 --> 00:10:17 company intends to make big strides this
00:10:17 --> 00:10:19 year on the mega rocket which it's
00:10:19 --> 00:10:21 developing to help Humanity settle Mars
00:10:21 --> 00:10:24 among other exploration feeds the ship
00:10:24 --> 00:10:25 and booster for starship's 8th flight
00:10:25 --> 00:10:27 test are built and going through
00:10:27 --> 00:10:28 pre-launch testing and preparing to fly
00:10:28 --> 00:10:30 as we can continue a rapid iterative
00:10:30 --> 00:10:32 development process to build a fully and
00:10:32 --> 00:10:34 rapidly reusable space transportation
00:10:34 --> 00:10:36 system SpaceX
00:10:36 --> 00:10:38 reported R of that control we're
00:10:38 --> 00:10:41 listening to astronomy daily the
00:10:41 --> 00:10:46 [Applause]
00:10:46 --> 00:10:49 podcast astronomers are sounding alarm
00:10:49 --> 00:10:51 bills as the world's most precious Sky
00:10:51 --> 00:10:54 observing location faces the risk of
00:10:54 --> 00:10:56 being blinded by light pollution due to
00:10:56 --> 00:10:58 a planned renewable energy project the
00:10:58 --> 00:11:01 US Energy company AES energy wants to
00:11:01 --> 00:11:04 build a large renewable hydrogen
00:11:04 --> 00:11:06 manufacturing complex in Chile only a
00:11:06 --> 00:11:09 few kilm from the summit of Mount
00:11:09 --> 00:11:11 paranal the site of the European
00:11:12 --> 00:11:14 Southern Observatory or ESO very large
00:11:14 --> 00:11:19 telescope VL VL which cost some 350
00:11:19 --> 00:11:22 million to build in the
00:11:22 --> 00:11:26 1990s or 840 million in today's dollars
00:11:26 --> 00:11:28 is one of the world's most sensitive sky
00:11:28 --> 00:11:30 inched ing instruments capable of
00:11:30 --> 00:11:33 observing the most intriguing object
00:11:33 --> 00:11:35 objects in the universe the high
00:11:35 --> 00:11:38 Precision Observatory consists of four
00:11:38 --> 00:11:42 27 ft wide or 8.2 M telescopes that act
00:11:42 --> 00:11:45 as one and has shed light on some of the
00:11:45 --> 00:11:47 most mysterious phenomenon known to
00:11:47 --> 00:11:50 humankind but the observing potential of
00:11:50 --> 00:11:52 this astronomical Powerhouse will be
00:11:52 --> 00:11:55 significantly curtailed if the hydrogen
00:11:55 --> 00:11:58 project called Inna or Ina receives the
00:11:58 --> 00:12:02 go ahead Xavier Bon eso's director
00:12:02 --> 00:12:04 General told
00:12:04 --> 00:12:07 space.com Mount paranal and
00:12:07 --> 00:12:09 8 ft high or
00:12:09 --> 00:12:14 2 M peak of the uh atakama desert of
00:12:14 --> 00:12:17 Northern Chile is one of the last spots
00:12:17 --> 00:12:19 on Earth free from Urban and industrial
00:12:19 --> 00:12:21 Light pollution thanks to the unique
00:12:21 --> 00:12:24 geography of the Andes mountain range
00:12:24 --> 00:12:26 the star studded night sky above the
00:12:26 --> 00:12:28 Summit is perfectly clear for more than
00:12:28 --> 00:12:31 11 months of the Year providing perfect
00:12:31 --> 00:12:33 conditions for the most challenging
00:12:33 --> 00:12:34 astronomical
00:12:34 --> 00:12:37 research it's the darkest place where we
00:12:37 --> 00:12:39 have ever set an observatory in the
00:12:39 --> 00:12:43 world by a large margin bar on said ESO
00:12:43 --> 00:12:45 an intergovernmental organization
00:12:45 --> 00:12:48 comprising 16 European States set its
00:12:48 --> 00:12:51 sights on atakama more than 60 years ago
00:12:51 --> 00:12:53 having opened its first observatory in
00:12:53 --> 00:12:57 Chile on the Lilia mountains to the
00:12:57 --> 00:13:01 south of paranal in 19 1966 paranal took
00:13:01 --> 00:13:04 over as the Hub of European astronomy in
00:13:04 --> 00:13:07 1990s when the vtl was constructed so
00:13:07 --> 00:13:10 far the VL has allowed astronomers to
00:13:10 --> 00:13:12 trace orbits of stars in nearest
00:13:12 --> 00:13:14 vicinity of the black hole at the center
00:13:14 --> 00:13:17 of the Milky Way galaxy taken the first
00:13:17 --> 00:13:19 ever image of a planet outside the solar
00:13:19 --> 00:13:22 system and uncovered The elusive Cosmic
00:13:22 --> 00:13:24 web that sprawls across the entire
00:13:24 --> 00:13:27 Cosmos one of the reasons the vtl has
00:13:27 --> 00:13:29 been so prolific is is the dark Skies
00:13:29 --> 00:13:32 that it was built under a survey
00:13:32 --> 00:13:34 published in 2023 found that among the
00:13:34 --> 00:13:37 world's 28 most powerful astronomical
00:13:37 --> 00:13:39 observatories telescopes on Mount
00:13:39 --> 00:13:41 paranal suffered from the lowest levels
00:13:41 --> 00:13:43 of artificial light pollution the
00:13:43 --> 00:13:45 superior Sky observing conditions in the
00:13:45 --> 00:13:48 area LED ESO to choose the neighboring
00:13:48 --> 00:13:51 Mount amazonus as the location of its
00:13:51 --> 00:13:53 next Generation Sky observing super
00:13:53 --> 00:13:55 machine the extremely large
00:13:55 --> 00:13:58 telescope once completed toward the end
00:13:58 --> 00:14:00 of this decade the elt will be the
00:14:00 --> 00:14:02 world's largest telescope studying the
00:14:02 --> 00:14:04 universe inv visible light featuring a
00:14:04 --> 00:14:09 130 ft or 39.3 wide meter wide mirror
00:14:09 --> 00:14:12 the telescope worth more than 1.5
00:14:12 --> 00:14:14 billion promises to expand the science
00:14:14 --> 00:14:16 done by reliable
00:14:16 --> 00:14:19 VT it will provide even deeper views to
00:14:19 --> 00:14:21 the most distant universe but will also
00:14:21 --> 00:14:23 be able to gather detailed information
00:14:23 --> 00:14:26 about potentially habitable exoplanets
00:14:26 --> 00:14:30 the light pollution expected from inner
00:14:30 --> 00:14:33 project would undo all that progress we
00:14:33 --> 00:14:35 might lose the ability to observe about
00:14:35 --> 00:14:39 30% of the fadus galaxies said Barons we
00:14:39 --> 00:14:41 are at the point of starting to be able
00:14:41 --> 00:14:43 to see details of exoplanet atmospheres
00:14:44 --> 00:14:45 but if the sky gets brighter we may not
00:14:45 --> 00:14:48 be able to see those details anymore the
00:14:48 --> 00:14:52 inner project a 3 hectare Industrial
00:14:52 --> 00:14:56 Park worth about 10 billion will consist
00:14:56 --> 00:14:58 of three solar Farms three wind farms a
00:14:58 --> 00:15:01 battery energy energy storage system and
00:15:01 --> 00:15:03 facilities for the production of
00:15:03 --> 00:15:06 hydrogen according to Renewables now ESO
00:15:06 --> 00:15:08 estimates the complex will leak as much
00:15:08 --> 00:15:11 light pollution as a city with a
00:15:11 --> 00:15:13 population of about
00:15:13 --> 00:15:16 20 parts of the industrial park May
00:15:16 --> 00:15:19 extend as close as 3 m or 5 km to eso's
00:15:19 --> 00:15:22 telescopes and any possible F further
00:15:22 --> 00:15:24 expansion would further worsen the
00:15:24 --> 00:15:28 impact on the Paran paranal night sky
00:15:28 --> 00:15:31 expect Ed to generate more than
00:15:31 --> 00:15:34 217 metric tons of green hydrogen
00:15:34 --> 00:15:36 per year the Venture presents a
00:15:36 --> 00:15:39 conundrum for ESO the organization
00:15:39 --> 00:15:41 itself has committed to reducing its
00:15:41 --> 00:15:43 carbon footprint and even building a 9
00:15:43 --> 00:15:46 megawatt photovoltaic power plant to
00:15:46 --> 00:15:48 supply the paranal and
00:15:48 --> 00:15:51 Amazon's observatories with green power
00:15:51 --> 00:15:53 but Baron states that while the project
00:15:53 --> 00:15:55 like Ina can easily find other suitable
00:15:55 --> 00:15:57 locations for astronomers there is only
00:15:57 --> 00:16:00 one mount
00:16:00 --> 00:16:02 these two things cannot be in the same
00:16:02 --> 00:16:04 place it's as simple as that said Barons
00:16:04 --> 00:16:06 this clean hydrogen plant could be
00:16:06 --> 00:16:10 perfectly okay for us only 50 km or 31
00:16:10 --> 00:16:12 km away we don't think there is any
00:16:12 --> 00:16:15 reason why it couldn't be moved you're
00:16:15 --> 00:16:17 listening to astronomy daily the podcast
00:16:17 --> 00:16:23 with Steve
00:16:23 --> 00:16:26 Dunley okay and that's another episode
00:16:26 --> 00:16:29 done and dusted thanks for joining me
00:16:29 --> 00:16:32 and making it a good one arbo was always
00:16:32 --> 00:16:34 an inspiring place for me as a child
00:16:34 --> 00:16:36 that was a really interesting piece
00:16:36 --> 00:16:38 quite a Marvel of engineering and it
00:16:38 --> 00:16:40 features in one of your favorite movies
00:16:40 --> 00:16:43 too ah yes uh it does get a starring
00:16:43 --> 00:16:46 role in contact the Ken written story of
00:16:46 --> 00:16:47 the first contact with another race
00:16:47 --> 00:16:50 starring uh Jody Foster in the lead a
00:16:50 --> 00:16:52 fun adventure that one and on that note
00:16:52 --> 00:16:56 we are okay to go yes we are very good
00:16:56 --> 00:16:58 Ally enjoy the rest of the week with
00:16:58 --> 00:17:00 Anna on Aon daily and that's right we'll
00:17:00 --> 00:17:02 be back next Monday with our episode of
00:17:03 --> 00:17:06 astronomy daily 2
00:17:06 --> 00:17:11 bye daily the podcast with your host
00:17:11 --> 00:17:14 Steve dun