Join Anna in this captivating episode of Astronomy Daily as she delves into the latest cosmic wonders and extraordinary developments in the universe. Prepare for an exhilarating exploration that spans from galactic collisions to the challenges of interstellar travel.
Highlights:
- Cosmic Jousting of Galaxies: Witness an incredible celestial event as two massive galaxies engage in a dramatic collision, with one galaxy's quasar firing a beam of radiation through its companion like a knight's lance. This unique observation sheds light on galactic mergers in the early universe, providing a snapshot of cosmic evolution 11.4 billion years ago.
- Jupiter's Massive Past: Discover groundbreaking research revealing that Jupiter was once twice its current size, with a magnetic field 50 times stronger. This study offers critical insights into the formation of our solar system and the pivotal role Jupiter played in shaping its architecture.
- Interstellar Travel Challenges: Explore the often-overlooked biological complexities of interstellar travel. Physicist Paul Davies discusses the necessity of replicating Earth's intricate ecosystems, focusing on the essential role of microorganisms in sustaining life during long journeys beyond our solar system.
- Unusual Planetary System Discovery: Delve into the peculiar findings surrounding the 2M M1510 system, where a planet orbits perpendicularly to its brown dwarf hosts. This discovery challenges existing theories of planetary formation and highlights the universe's capacity for surprising configurations.
- Tom Cruise's Space Movie Ambitions: Get the latest scoop on Tom Cruise's plans to become the first actor to film a movie in outer space. As his project with SpaceX progresses, the boundaries of filmmaking are set to be pushed further than ever before.
For more cosmic updates, visit our website at astronomydaily.io (http://www.astronomydaily.io/) . Join our community on social media by searching for #AstroDailyPod on Facebook, X, YouTubeMusic, TikTok, and our new Instagram account! Don’t forget to subscribe to the podcast on Apple Podcasts, Spotify, iHeartRadio, or wherever you get your podcasts.
Thank you for tuning in. This is Anna signing off. Until next time, keep looking up and stay curious about the wonders of our universe.
Chapters:
00:00 - Welcome to Astronomy Daily
01:10 - Cosmic jousting of galaxies
10:00 - Jupiter's massive past
15:30 - Interstellar travel challenges
20:00 - Unusual planetary system discovery
25:00 - Tom Cruise's space movie ambitions
✍️ Episode References
Galactic Merger Research
[Nature Astronomy]( https://www.nature.com/natureastronomy/ (https://www.nature.com/natureastronomy/) )
Jupiter's Formation Study
[Caltech]( https://www.caltech.edu/ (https://www.caltech.edu/) )
Interstellar Ecosystem Analysis
[Paul Davies]( https://www.pauldavies.com/ (https://www.pauldavies.com/) )
Planetary System Discovery
[Science Advances]( https://www.science.org/journal/sciadv (https://www.science.org/journal/sciadv) )
Astronomy Daily
[Astronomy Daily]( http://www.astronomydaily.io/ (http://www.astronomydaily.io/) )
Become a supporter of this podcast: https://www.spreaker.com/podcast/astronomy-daily-exciting-space-discoveries-and-news--5648921/support (https://www.spreaker.com/podcast/astronomy-daily-exciting-space-discoveries-and-news--5648921/support?utm_source=rss&utm_medium=rss&utm_campaign=rss) .
Episode link: https://play.headliner.app/episode/27259420?utm_source=youtube
00:00:00 --> 00:00:02 Hello and welcome to Astronomy Daily,
00:00:02 --> 00:00:03 your cosmic connection to the stars and
00:00:04 --> 00:00:06 beyond. I'm Anna and today we're
00:00:06 --> 00:00:08 exploring some truly mind-bending
00:00:08 --> 00:00:11 stories from across the universe. Coming
00:00:11 --> 00:00:13 up on today's show, we'll witness a
00:00:13 --> 00:00:15 celestial joust between two massive
00:00:15 --> 00:00:17 galaxies on a collision course with one
00:00:17 --> 00:00:19 firing a beam of radiation through the
00:00:19 --> 00:00:22 other like a night's lance. We'll also
00:00:22 --> 00:00:24 discover that Jupiter, the architect of
00:00:24 --> 00:00:26 our solar system, was once twice its
00:00:26 --> 00:00:29 current size with a magnetic field 50
00:00:29 --> 00:00:31 times stronger than it is
00:00:31 --> 00:00:34 today. Then we'll examine the often
00:00:34 --> 00:00:37 overlooked challenges of interstellar
00:00:37 --> 00:00:39 travel. Not the rockets and propulsion
00:00:39 --> 00:00:42 systems, but the microscopic passengers
00:00:42 --> 00:00:44 that would need to make the journey with
00:00:44 --> 00:00:46 us. Plus, we'll explore one of the
00:00:46 --> 00:00:48 strangest planetary systems ever
00:00:48 --> 00:00:49 discovered, featuring a planet that
00:00:50 --> 00:00:51 orbits perpendicular to everything we
00:00:51 --> 00:00:54 thought we knew about orbital mechanics.
00:00:54 --> 00:00:56 And finally, we'll check in on Tom
00:00:56 --> 00:00:58 Cruz's ambitious plans to become the
00:00:58 --> 00:00:59 first actor to film a movie in actual
00:01:00 --> 00:01:02 outer space. It's a packed episode
00:01:02 --> 00:01:03 exploring the biggest and smallest
00:01:03 --> 00:01:05 wonders of our universe. So, let's dive
00:01:05 --> 00:01:08 right into today's Astronomy Daily.
00:01:08 --> 00:01:10 Astronomers have recently observed what
00:01:10 --> 00:01:13 they're describing as a cosmic joust.
00:01:13 --> 00:01:15 two massive galaxies hurtling toward
00:01:15 --> 00:01:17 each other in deep space. This
00:01:17 --> 00:01:19 remarkable celestial event gives us a
00:01:20 --> 00:01:21 glimpse of a galactic merger as it was
00:01:21 --> 00:01:24 happening 11.4 billion years ago when
00:01:24 --> 00:01:26 the universe was just about 1/5 of its
00:01:26 --> 00:01:30 current age. The observation made using
00:01:30 --> 00:01:32 two powerful telescopes in Chile, the
00:01:32 --> 00:01:35 Adakama Largem Submillimem Array and the
00:01:35 --> 00:01:37 European Southern Observatory's Very
00:01:37 --> 00:01:40 Large Telescope reveals two galaxies,
00:01:40 --> 00:01:41 each containing roughly the same number
00:01:42 --> 00:01:45 of stars as our own Milky Way. But what
00:01:45 --> 00:01:47 makes this encounter particularly
00:01:47 --> 00:01:49 fascinating is what's happening at the
00:01:49 --> 00:01:51 heart of one of these galaxies. One of
00:01:51 --> 00:01:53 the galaxies contains a quazar, an
00:01:53 --> 00:01:56 extraordinarily luminous object powered
00:01:56 --> 00:01:59 by a super massive black hole. As gas
00:01:59 --> 00:02:01 and other material fall into this cosmic
00:02:01 --> 00:02:04 monster, it heats up due to friction,
00:02:04 --> 00:02:06 creating a disc that emits extremely
00:02:06 --> 00:02:08 powerful radiation in two opposite
00:02:08 --> 00:02:10 directions. These are called biconical
00:02:10 --> 00:02:12 beams, and one of them is directly
00:02:12 --> 00:02:15 piercing through the companion galaxy.
00:02:15 --> 00:02:17 The researchers have likened this
00:02:17 --> 00:02:18 interaction to medieval knights charging
00:02:18 --> 00:02:20 toward each other in a joust. As
00:02:21 --> 00:02:23 astrophysicist Sergey Balachev from the
00:02:23 --> 00:02:25 Iopa Institute in St. Petersburg puts
00:02:25 --> 00:02:28 it, "One of them, the quazar host, emits
00:02:28 --> 00:02:30 a powerful beam of radiation that
00:02:30 --> 00:02:32 pierces the companion galaxy like a
00:02:32 --> 00:02:35 lance." This radiation lance is actually
00:02:35 --> 00:02:37 disrupting the molecular clouds in the
00:02:37 --> 00:02:39 companion galaxy. The very clouds that
00:02:39 --> 00:02:42 would normally give rise to new stars.
00:02:42 --> 00:02:44 Instead of forming stars, these clouds
00:02:44 --> 00:02:46 are being transformed into tiny, dense
00:02:46 --> 00:02:49 cloudlets that are too small to create
00:02:49 --> 00:02:51 stellar nurseries. It's effectively
00:02:51 --> 00:02:53 wounding its opponent by disrupting the
00:02:53 --> 00:02:55 gas structure necessary for star
00:02:55 --> 00:02:57 formation. The super massive black hole
00:02:57 --> 00:03:00 powering this cosmic joust is estimated
00:03:00 --> 00:03:02 to be about 200 million times the mass
00:03:02 --> 00:03:04 of our sun, far larger than the one at
00:03:04 --> 00:03:06 the center of our own Milky Way, which
00:03:06 --> 00:03:09 is only about 4 million solar masses.
00:03:09 --> 00:03:11 What makes this observation particularly
00:03:11 --> 00:03:14 special is that it's the first time
00:03:14 --> 00:03:16 scientists have witnessed this kind of
00:03:16 --> 00:03:18 phenomenon. A quazar's radiation
00:03:18 --> 00:03:20 directly affecting the molecular clouds
00:03:20 --> 00:03:23 in another galaxy. The unique alignment
00:03:23 --> 00:03:25 of these galaxies from our perspective
00:03:25 --> 00:03:27 on Earth allowed researchers to observe
00:03:27 --> 00:03:29 the radiation passing directly through
00:03:29 --> 00:03:31 the companion galaxy. According to
00:03:31 --> 00:03:33 astronomer Pascar Notre Dame of the
00:03:33 --> 00:03:35 Paris Institute of Astrophysics, these
00:03:35 --> 00:03:37 two galaxies will eventually coalesce
00:03:37 --> 00:03:39 into a single larger galaxy as their
00:03:39 --> 00:03:41 gravitational interaction continues. The
00:03:41 --> 00:03:43 quazer will gradually fade as it
00:03:43 --> 00:03:45 exhausts its available fuel. Most
00:03:45 --> 00:03:47 galactic mergers observed by astronomers
00:03:47 --> 00:03:49 occurred later in the universe's
00:03:49 --> 00:03:51 history, making this early cosmic
00:03:51 --> 00:03:53 collision particularly valuable for
00:03:53 --> 00:03:55 understanding how galaxies evolved in
00:03:55 --> 00:03:57 the young universe. It's a dramatic
00:03:57 --> 00:03:59 snapshot of the violent processes that
00:03:59 --> 00:04:01 have shaped the cosmos since its
00:04:01 --> 00:04:04 earliest days. A cosmic joust that will
00:04:04 --> 00:04:06 ultimately end in union rather than
00:04:06 --> 00:04:08 victory for either
00:04:08 --> 00:04:11 contestant. Next, let's take a new look
00:04:11 --> 00:04:14 at one of our cosmic neighbors. Jupiter,
00:04:14 --> 00:04:16 the largest planet in our solar system,
00:04:16 --> 00:04:18 was once even more massive and
00:04:18 --> 00:04:21 magnetically powerful than it is today.
00:04:21 --> 00:04:23 According to a groundbreaking new study
00:04:23 --> 00:04:25 published in the journal Nature
00:04:25 --> 00:04:27 Astronomy, researchers from Caltech and
00:04:27 --> 00:04:29 the University of Michigan have
00:04:29 --> 00:04:31 determined that approximately 3.8
00:04:31 --> 00:04:33 million years after the formation of the
00:04:34 --> 00:04:37 solar systems first solids, Jupiter was
00:04:37 --> 00:04:39 about twice its current size with a
00:04:39 --> 00:04:41 magnetic field 50 times stronger than
00:04:41 --> 00:04:43 what we observe now. This revelation
00:04:43 --> 00:04:45 comes from an ingenious approach that
00:04:45 --> 00:04:47 bypasses traditional uncertainties in
00:04:47 --> 00:04:50 planetary formation models. Rather than
00:04:50 --> 00:04:52 relying on assumptions about gas opacity
00:04:52 --> 00:04:55 or accretion rates, the researchers
00:04:55 --> 00:04:57 focused on something more concrete. The
00:04:57 --> 00:04:59 orbital dynamics of Jupiter's tiny moons
00:04:59 --> 00:05:03 Amla and Theeb. These small moons, which
00:05:03 --> 00:05:05 orbit even closer to Jupiter than the
00:05:05 --> 00:05:07 Galilean moon Io, have slightly tilted
00:05:08 --> 00:05:10 orbits. By analyzing these orbital
00:05:10 --> 00:05:13 discrepancies, Constantine Badigan,
00:05:13 --> 00:05:15 professor of planetary science at
00:05:15 --> 00:05:18 Caltech, and Fred C. Adams, professor of
00:05:18 --> 00:05:19 physics and astronomy at the University
00:05:20 --> 00:05:22 of Michigan, were able to calculate
00:05:22 --> 00:05:24 Jupiter's original dimensions. Their
00:05:24 --> 00:05:26 findings paint a picture of a truly
00:05:26 --> 00:05:28 enormous early Jupiter with a volume
00:05:28 --> 00:05:31 equivalent to over 2 Earths. This
00:05:31 --> 00:05:33 isn't just an interesting factoid. It
00:05:33 --> 00:05:35 provides critical information about a
00:05:35 --> 00:05:36 pivotal moment in our solar systems
00:05:36 --> 00:05:39 development. The research establishes a
00:05:39 --> 00:05:41 clear snapshot of Jupiter at the precise
00:05:41 --> 00:05:43 moment when the surrounding solar nebula
00:05:43 --> 00:05:45 evaporated, effectively locking in the
00:05:45 --> 00:05:47 primordial architecture of our solar
00:05:47 --> 00:05:49 system. Our ultimate goal is to
00:05:50 --> 00:05:51 understand where we come from and
00:05:51 --> 00:05:53 pinning down the early phases of planet
00:05:53 --> 00:05:55 formation is essential to solving the
00:05:55 --> 00:05:58 puzzle, explains bad. This brings us
00:05:58 --> 00:06:00 closer to understanding how not only
00:06:00 --> 00:06:02 Jupiter but the entire solar system took
00:06:02 --> 00:06:04 shape.
00:06:04 --> 00:06:05 What makes this research particularly
00:06:05 --> 00:06:08 valuable is that it provides independent
00:06:08 --> 00:06:10 verification of long-standing planet
00:06:10 --> 00:06:12 formation theories which suggest that
00:06:12 --> 00:06:14 Jupiter and other giant planets formed
00:06:14 --> 00:06:16 via core accretion a process where a
00:06:16 --> 00:06:19 rocky and icy core rapidly gathers gas.
00:06:19 --> 00:06:21 These theories have been developed over
00:06:21 --> 00:06:23 decades by many researchers including
00:06:23 --> 00:06:26 Calte Dave Stevenson and this new study
00:06:26 --> 00:06:28 adds crucial specificity to our
00:06:28 --> 00:06:29 understanding.
00:06:29 --> 00:06:31 Understanding Jupiter's early evolution
00:06:31 --> 00:06:33 has broader implications for our solar
00:06:33 --> 00:06:36 systems development. Jupiter's gravity
00:06:36 --> 00:06:38 has often been called the architect of
00:06:38 --> 00:06:40 our solar system, playing a critical
00:06:40 --> 00:06:42 role in shaping the orbital paths of
00:06:42 --> 00:06:44 other planets and sculpting the disc of
00:06:44 --> 00:06:47 gas and dust from which they formed. As
00:06:47 --> 00:06:49 Fred Adams notes, it's astonishing that
00:06:49 --> 00:06:52 even after 4.5 billion years, enough
00:06:52 --> 00:06:55 clues remain to let us reconstruct
00:06:55 --> 00:06:57 Jupiter's physical state at the dawn of
00:06:57 --> 00:06:59 its existence. While Jupiter's very
00:06:59 --> 00:07:01 first moments remain obscured, this
00:07:01 --> 00:07:04 research establishes what Badigen calls
00:07:04 --> 00:07:06 a valuable benchmark, a point from which
00:07:06 --> 00:07:08 scientists can more confidently
00:07:08 --> 00:07:10 reconstruct the evolution of our solar
00:07:10 --> 00:07:12 system, bringing us closer to answering
00:07:12 --> 00:07:14 fundamental questions about our cosmic
00:07:14 --> 00:07:17 origins and the processes that made our
00:07:17 --> 00:07:19 planetary neighborhood what it is
00:07:19 --> 00:07:21 today. Our next story today features a
00:07:22 --> 00:07:23 subject I know many of us wonder about.
00:07:24 --> 00:07:26 When we think about interstellar travel,
00:07:26 --> 00:07:28 our minds typically gravitate toward the
00:07:28 --> 00:07:30 technological challenges of propulsion
00:07:30 --> 00:07:32 systems and spacecraft design. But
00:07:32 --> 00:07:34 according to physicist and author Paul
00:07:34 --> 00:07:36 Davies, we're overlooking perhaps the
00:07:36 --> 00:07:38 most critical obstacle to human space
00:07:38 --> 00:07:41 exploration beyond our solar system, the
00:07:41 --> 00:07:43 complex biological requirements for
00:07:43 --> 00:07:46 creating a sustainable ecosystem. In
00:07:46 --> 00:07:48 Davies's analysis, traveling between
00:07:48 --> 00:07:51 stars will inevitably be a one-way
00:07:51 --> 00:07:53 journey, even with the most optimistic
00:07:53 --> 00:07:56 technological advances. This means any
00:07:56 --> 00:07:58 mission would require creating a
00:07:58 --> 00:08:00 completely self-sustaining ecological
00:08:00 --> 00:08:02 environment. It's not simply about
00:08:02 --> 00:08:03 growing enough food and generating
00:08:03 --> 00:08:06 oxygen. It's about replicating Earth's
00:08:06 --> 00:08:08 intricate web of life on a cosmic scale.
00:08:08 --> 00:08:10 The true complexity lies in the
00:08:10 --> 00:08:13 microbial realm. As Davies points out,
00:08:13 --> 00:08:14 almost all terrestrial species are
00:08:14 --> 00:08:17 microbes, bacteria, archa, and
00:08:17 --> 00:08:20 unicellular ukarotes, and they form the
00:08:20 --> 00:08:23 foundation of Earth's biosphere. These
00:08:23 --> 00:08:25 microorganisms aren't merely passengers
00:08:25 --> 00:08:26 on our planet. They're essential
00:08:26 --> 00:08:28 components of our life support system,
00:08:28 --> 00:08:30 recycling materials and exchanging
00:08:30 --> 00:08:32 genetic components in ways we're only
00:08:32 --> 00:08:33 beginning to
00:08:33 --> 00:08:35 understand. Even within our own bodies,
00:08:36 --> 00:08:38 microbes play a crucial role. Your
00:08:38 --> 00:08:40 personal microbiome, the microbial
00:08:40 --> 00:08:42 inhabitants of your gut, lungs, and
00:08:42 --> 00:08:44 other organs, outnumber your own cells.
00:08:44 --> 00:08:47 Without them, you would die. So,
00:08:47 --> 00:08:49 astronauts cannot journey to the stars
00:08:49 --> 00:08:51 without, at minimum, their own
00:08:51 --> 00:08:53 microbiomes. But it gets even more
00:08:53 --> 00:08:55 complicated. Microbes don't exist in
00:08:55 --> 00:08:57 isolation. They form vast networks of
00:08:57 --> 00:08:59 biological interactions that remain
00:08:59 --> 00:09:01 poorly understood. There's horizontal
00:09:01 --> 00:09:04 gene transfer, cell-toell signaling,
00:09:04 --> 00:09:06 viral interactions, and collective
00:09:06 --> 00:09:08 organization that creates an ecological
00:09:08 --> 00:09:12 web of staggering complexity. Scientists
00:09:12 --> 00:09:14 have barely begun to map this intricate
00:09:14 --> 00:09:16 planetary scale information flow. This
00:09:16 --> 00:09:18 raises what Davies calls a Noah's Arc
00:09:18 --> 00:09:21 conundrum with a vengeance. Which
00:09:21 --> 00:09:23 species get chosen for the journey? What
00:09:23 --> 00:09:25 is the minimum complexity of an
00:09:25 --> 00:09:27 ecosystem necessary for long-term
00:09:27 --> 00:09:29 sustainability? At what point does
00:09:29 --> 00:09:31 removing certain microbes cause the
00:09:31 --> 00:09:33 entire system to collapse? The problem
00:09:33 --> 00:09:36 is that we simply don't know. We haven't
00:09:36 --> 00:09:38 identified the smallest self-sustaining
00:09:38 --> 00:09:40 purely microbial ecosystem, let alone
00:09:40 --> 00:09:42 which microbes are crucial for human
00:09:42 --> 00:09:45 survival in space. Imagine compiling a
00:09:45 --> 00:09:47 list of plants and animals to accompany
00:09:47 --> 00:09:49 humans on a one-way mission. cows, pigs,
00:09:49 --> 00:09:52 vegetables, but then consider how many
00:09:52 --> 00:09:54 and which microbial species these
00:09:54 --> 00:09:56 organisms depend on and which other
00:09:56 --> 00:09:59 microbes those microbes depend on. Space
00:09:59 --> 00:10:00 conditions add another layer of
00:10:01 --> 00:10:03 complexity. Research shows that bacteria
00:10:03 --> 00:10:05 can change their gene expression in zero
00:10:05 --> 00:10:07 gravity. Michelle Leven's experiments
00:10:07 --> 00:10:09 with plenaria worms that had flown on
00:10:09 --> 00:10:11 the space station revealed that some
00:10:12 --> 00:10:13 returned with two heads instead of the
00:10:14 --> 00:10:16 normal one. How might other organisms
00:10:16 --> 00:10:18 change in the harsh environment of
00:10:18 --> 00:10:21 space? Davey suggests our best hope may
00:10:21 --> 00:10:23 lie not in cataloging genes, but in
00:10:23 --> 00:10:25 discovering the underlying principles
00:10:25 --> 00:10:27 governing the flow and organization of
00:10:27 --> 00:10:29 information in living systems, what he
00:10:29 --> 00:10:33 calls the software of life. If we can
00:10:33 --> 00:10:34 identify universal informationational
00:10:34 --> 00:10:37 patterns in biology, we might create a
00:10:37 --> 00:10:39 transplantable ecosystem robust enough
00:10:39 --> 00:10:41 to withstand space conditions. Without
00:10:41 --> 00:10:43 solving these fundamental biological
00:10:43 --> 00:10:45 challenges, our dreams of establishing
00:10:45 --> 00:10:47 permanent human settlements beyond our
00:10:47 --> 00:10:49 solar system may remain just that,
00:10:49 --> 00:10:52 dreams. The tiniest organisms may pose
00:10:52 --> 00:10:55 the biggest obstacles to our cosmic
00:10:55 --> 00:10:57 ambitions. Next up today, will the
00:10:57 --> 00:11:00 cosmos ever stop surprising us? I hope
00:11:00 --> 00:11:02 not. In what might be the most unusual
00:11:02 --> 00:11:05 planetary arrangement ever discovered,
00:11:05 --> 00:11:07 astronomers have recently identified a
00:11:07 --> 00:11:08 system that defies our conventional
00:11:08 --> 00:11:11 understanding of how planets form and
00:11:11 --> 00:11:15 orbit. The system, informally known as 2
00:11:15 --> 00:11:18 M1510, features what appears to be a
00:11:18 --> 00:11:20 planet tracing an orbit that carries it
00:11:20 --> 00:11:22 directly over the poles of two brown
00:11:22 --> 00:11:25 dwarfs that are orbiting each other.
00:11:25 --> 00:11:27 If you're having trouble visualizing
00:11:27 --> 00:11:30 this, imagine two spinning tops circling
00:11:30 --> 00:11:32 each other on a table while a marble
00:11:32 --> 00:11:34 rolls around them in a path that goes
00:11:34 --> 00:11:36 over and under the table. It's a
00:11:36 --> 00:11:39 configuration that until now existed
00:11:39 --> 00:11:41 only in theoretical models. In typical
00:11:41 --> 00:11:44 planetary systems like our own solar
00:11:44 --> 00:11:46 system, planets orbit their stars in a
00:11:46 --> 00:11:48 relatively flat plane that aligns with
00:11:48 --> 00:11:50 the stars equator. This makes sense
00:11:50 --> 00:11:52 because planets form from the same
00:11:52 --> 00:11:54 rotating disc of material that formed
00:11:54 --> 00:11:57 the star. Everything stays nice and
00:11:57 --> 00:11:58 orderly, moving in roughly the same
00:11:58 --> 00:12:01 plane. But candidate planet
00:12:01 --> 00:12:04 2M1510b breaks all these rules. Its
00:12:04 --> 00:12:05 orbital plane appears to be
00:12:05 --> 00:12:08 perpendicular at a 90° angle to the
00:12:08 --> 00:12:11 plane in which its two host brown dwarfs
00:12:11 --> 00:12:13 orbit each other. Brown dwarfs
00:12:13 --> 00:12:15 themselves are fascinating objects, too
00:12:15 --> 00:12:17 massive to be considered planets, but
00:12:17 --> 00:12:18 not massive enough to sustain the
00:12:18 --> 00:12:21 nuclear fusion that powers stars.
00:12:21 --> 00:12:23 They're cosmic inbetweeners, and this
00:12:23 --> 00:12:25 system has two of them at its center,
00:12:25 --> 00:12:27 with a third brown dwarf orbiting at an
00:12:27 --> 00:12:30 extreme distance. The detection method
00:12:30 --> 00:12:32 for this perpendicular planet is itself
00:12:32 --> 00:12:34 remarkable. Most exoplanets today are
00:12:34 --> 00:12:37 found using the transit method, where we
00:12:37 --> 00:12:39 detect tiny dips in starlight as planets
00:12:39 --> 00:12:42 cross in front of their stars. But that
00:12:42 --> 00:12:44 wouldn't work in this unusual orbital
00:12:44 --> 00:12:47 arrangement. Instead, researchers used
00:12:47 --> 00:12:49 what's called the radial velocity
00:12:49 --> 00:12:51 method, measuring subtle shifts in the
00:12:51 --> 00:12:53 brown dwarf's light spectrum caused by
00:12:53 --> 00:12:56 the gravitational pole of the orbiting
00:12:56 --> 00:12:59 planet. More specifically, they detected
00:12:59 --> 00:13:01 how the planet subtly alters the 21-day
00:13:01 --> 00:13:04 mutual orbit of the brown dwarf pair.
00:13:04 --> 00:13:06 After extensive analysis, the research
00:13:06 --> 00:13:08 team concluded that only a polar
00:13:08 --> 00:13:10 orbiting planet could explain these
00:13:10 --> 00:13:12 perturbations. This discovery is
00:13:12 --> 00:13:13 significant because circumbinary
00:13:13 --> 00:13:16 planets, those orbiting two stars at
00:13:16 --> 00:13:19 once, are already quite rare. Of the
00:13:19 --> 00:13:22 more than 5 confirmed exoplanets,
00:13:22 --> 00:13:24 only 16 are known to orbit binary
00:13:24 --> 00:13:26 systems, with most discovered by NASA's
00:13:26 --> 00:13:29 now retired Kepler Space Telescope. A
00:13:29 --> 00:13:31 circumbinary planet in a polar orbit
00:13:31 --> 00:13:32 takes this rarity to another level
00:13:32 --> 00:13:34 entirely. Scientists have previously
00:13:34 --> 00:13:36 observed debris discs and protolanetary
00:13:36 --> 00:13:39 discs in polar orbits which led to
00:13:39 --> 00:13:41 speculation that polar orbiting planets
00:13:41 --> 00:13:43 might exist.
00:13:43 --> 00:13:46 2M510 appears to be the first confirmed
00:13:46 --> 00:13:48 case validating these theoretical
00:13:48 --> 00:13:50 predictions.
00:13:50 --> 00:13:52 The international research team led by
00:13:52 --> 00:13:54 Thomas A. Brooft from the University of
00:13:54 --> 00:13:56 Birmingham published their findings in
00:13:56 --> 00:13:58 the journal Science Advances in April
00:13:58 --> 00:14:00 with the planet officially entered into
00:14:00 --> 00:14:03 NASA's exoplanet archive on May 1st of
00:14:03 --> 00:14:05 this year. This bizarre system
00:14:05 --> 00:14:07 challenges our understanding of
00:14:07 --> 00:14:09 planetary formation and orbital
00:14:09 --> 00:14:11 dynamics, suggesting that the universe
00:14:11 --> 00:14:14 has many more surprises in store as we
00:14:14 --> 00:14:17 continue to explore the cosmos. It
00:14:17 --> 00:14:19 reminds us that nature often finds ways
00:14:19 --> 00:14:21 to create arrangements far more exotic
00:14:21 --> 00:14:22 than what we might
00:14:22 --> 00:14:25 imagine. Finally, today, this news will
00:14:25 --> 00:14:28 horrify some and delight others. In the
00:14:28 --> 00:14:31 realm of space exploration, one unlikely
00:14:31 --> 00:14:32 pioneer may soon make the transition
00:14:32 --> 00:14:35 from movie star to actual astronaut. Tom
00:14:35 --> 00:14:37 Cruz, known for performing his own
00:14:37 --> 00:14:39 deathdeying stunts in the mission
00:14:39 --> 00:14:42 Impossible franchise, appears to be
00:14:42 --> 00:14:43 inching closer to perhaps his most
00:14:44 --> 00:14:46 ambitious project yet. filming a movie
00:14:46 --> 00:14:49 in actual outer space. According to
00:14:49 --> 00:14:53 Cruz's IMDb page, an untitled Tom Cruz
00:14:53 --> 00:14:55 SpaceX project is currently listed in
00:14:55 --> 00:14:57 pre-production. The tantalizing
00:14:57 --> 00:14:59 description states that Cruz and
00:14:59 --> 00:15:01 director Doug Lyman planned to travel
00:15:02 --> 00:15:04 far beyond Earth to film the first ever
00:15:04 --> 00:15:07 Hollywood motion picture in outer space.
00:15:07 --> 00:15:09 While no official launch date has been
00:15:09 --> 00:15:11 announced, this development suggests the
00:15:11 --> 00:15:13 long rumored space movie may indeed be
00:15:13 --> 00:15:16 moving forward. The concept first gained
00:15:16 --> 00:15:19 traction back in 2020 and 2021 following
00:15:19 --> 00:15:21 a successful SpaceX NASA rocket launch
00:15:22 --> 00:15:24 from Cape Canaveral. NASA confirmed at
00:15:24 --> 00:15:26 the time that they were in discussions
00:15:26 --> 00:15:28 with crews about filming a movie aboard
00:15:28 --> 00:15:30 the International Space Station, though
00:15:30 --> 00:15:31 updates about this potential
00:15:31 --> 00:15:33 collaboration have been scarce since
00:15:33 --> 00:15:36 then. Interestingly, during SpaceX's
00:15:36 --> 00:15:39 Inspiration 4 mission in September 2021,
00:15:39 --> 00:15:41 the fourperson civilian crew, which
00:15:41 --> 00:15:44 included Jared Isaac man, who would
00:15:44 --> 00:15:46 later become President Trump's pick to
00:15:46 --> 00:15:48 lead NASA, actually spoke with Cruz via
00:15:48 --> 00:15:51 a Zoom call during their orbital flight.
00:15:51 --> 00:15:54 At that time, reports suggested Cruz was
00:15:54 --> 00:15:56 set to fly on a different Crew Dragon
00:15:56 --> 00:15:58 mission to film scenes for an upcoming
00:15:58 --> 00:15:59 movie.
00:15:59 --> 00:16:01 While Cruz would be the first Hollywood
00:16:01 --> 00:16:03 actor to film in space, he wouldn't be
00:16:03 --> 00:16:06 the first to shoot a feature film there.
00:16:06 --> 00:16:07 That distinction belongs to Russian
00:16:07 --> 00:16:10 actress Julia Parasild and director Clim
00:16:10 --> 00:16:12 Shopeno, who traveled to the
00:16:12 --> 00:16:14 International Space Station in October
00:16:14 --> 00:16:17 2021 to film scenes for The Challenge, a
00:16:17 --> 00:16:19 drama about a surgeon sent to space to
00:16:19 --> 00:16:21 save a cosminaut suffering from a heart
00:16:21 --> 00:16:24 attack. Released in 2023, it became the
00:16:24 --> 00:16:26 first featurelength film with
00:16:26 --> 00:16:28 professional actors shot in space. For
00:16:28 --> 00:16:31 Cruz, who turned 63 this year and is
00:16:31 --> 00:16:33 fresh off the success of Mission
00:16:33 --> 00:16:36 Impossible: The Final Reckoning, A
00:16:36 --> 00:16:37 Journey to Space would represent the
00:16:37 --> 00:16:39 ultimate frontier in his career of
00:16:39 --> 00:16:42 pushing physical boundaries. The actor
00:16:42 --> 00:16:44 has already hung from airplanes, scaled
00:16:44 --> 00:16:46 the world's tallest building, and
00:16:46 --> 00:16:48 performed halo jumps from extreme
00:16:48 --> 00:16:51 altitudes. Space would certainly be the
00:16:51 --> 00:16:53 next logical, if extraordinarily
00:16:53 --> 00:16:56 ambitious, step. Whether this project
00:16:56 --> 00:16:58 ultimately launches remains to be seen,
00:16:58 --> 00:17:01 but one thing seems certain. If anyone
00:17:01 --> 00:17:03 in Hollywood has the determination and
00:17:03 --> 00:17:05 influence to make filming in space a
00:17:05 --> 00:17:07 reality, it's Tom
00:17:07 --> 00:17:10 Cruz. And that wraps up another
00:17:10 --> 00:17:12 incredible journey through the cosmos on
00:17:12 --> 00:17:15 today's episode of Astronomy Daily. From
00:17:15 --> 00:17:17 those two galaxies engaged in a cosmic
00:17:17 --> 00:17:20 joust billions of years ago to Jupiter's
00:17:20 --> 00:17:22 surprisingly massive past to the complex
00:17:22 --> 00:17:24 microbial challenges of interstellar
00:17:24 --> 00:17:27 travel. The universe continues to amaze
00:17:27 --> 00:17:30 and humble us with its mysteries. We
00:17:30 --> 00:17:32 also explored that fascinating
00:17:32 --> 00:17:34 perpendicular planetary orbit in the 2
00:17:34 --> 00:17:37 M1510 system, a configuration
00:17:37 --> 00:17:39 astronomers had only theorized until
00:17:39 --> 00:17:42 now. And of course, Tom Cruz's potential
00:17:42 --> 00:17:44 journey to become the first Hollywood
00:17:44 --> 00:17:47 actor to film in actual space certainly
00:17:47 --> 00:17:49 pushes the boundaries of what's possible
00:17:49 --> 00:17:51 when human ingenuity meets cosmic
00:17:51 --> 00:17:54 ambition. The universe is vast,
00:17:54 --> 00:17:56 mysterious, and full of stories waiting
00:17:56 --> 00:17:59 to be told. If you want to stay on top
00:17:59 --> 00:18:00 of all the latest developments in space
00:18:00 --> 00:18:02 and astronomy, I encourage you to visit
00:18:02 --> 00:18:03 our website at
00:18:03 --> 00:18:05 astronomydaily.io, where you can sign up
00:18:05 --> 00:18:08 for our free daily newsletter. Our site
00:18:08 --> 00:18:10 features a constantly updating news feed
00:18:10 --> 00:18:12 with the latest discoveries and
00:18:12 --> 00:18:14 breakthroughs in cosmic exploration.
00:18:14 --> 00:18:16 Don't forget to subscribe to Astronomy
00:18:16 --> 00:18:19 Daily on Apple Podcasts, Spotify,
00:18:19 --> 00:18:21 YouTube, or wherever you get your
00:18:21 --> 00:18:24 podcasts to ensure you never miss an
00:18:24 --> 00:18:26 episode. This has been Anna, your guide
00:18:26 --> 00:18:29 to the cosmos, and I'll be back tomorrow
00:18:29 --> 00:18:30 with more fascinating stories from the
00:18:30 --> 00:18:33 final frontier. Until then, keep looking
00:18:33 --> 00:18:37 up.
00:18:37 --> 00:18:41 Stories been told.