00:00:00 --> 00:00:03 Hello and welcome to Astronomy Daily,
00:00:03 --> 00:00:05 the podcast that brings you the universe
00:00:05 --> 00:00:08 one story at a time. I'm Avery.
00:00:08 --> 00:00:11 >> And I'm Anna. It's great to have you
00:00:11 --> 00:00:13 with us. Today we're covering everything
00:00:13 --> 00:00:16 from exploding rockets and sugars on
00:00:16 --> 00:00:18 asteroids to a cosmic ray that might
00:00:18 --> 00:00:21 have sent an airplane into a dive.
00:00:21 --> 00:00:24 >> It's going to be a wild ride. Let's get
00:00:24 --> 00:00:26 started with our first story which takes
00:00:26 --> 00:00:28 us to the rapidly evolving world of
00:00:28 --> 00:00:31 commercial space flight in China.
00:00:32 --> 00:00:34 >> There is so much going on with space
00:00:34 --> 00:00:36 technology in China at the moment, isn't
00:00:36 --> 00:00:38 there? What's the latest?
00:00:38 --> 00:00:40 >> So Anna, there's big news from a company
00:00:40 --> 00:00:43 called Landspace. They just launched
00:00:43 --> 00:00:46 their Zui3 rocket and it's a major step
00:00:46 --> 00:00:49 forward in the reusable rocket race.
00:00:49 --> 00:00:51 >> That's right, Avery. This is a
00:00:51 --> 00:00:53 methane-powered rocket similar in
00:00:53 --> 00:00:56 concept to SpaceX's Starship designed
00:00:56 --> 00:00:59 for reusability. And the big news is
00:00:59 --> 00:01:01 that the first launch was in large part
00:01:01 --> 00:01:04 a success. The rocket successfully
00:01:04 --> 00:01:05 reached orbit.
00:01:05 --> 00:01:07 >> Reaching orbit on a brand new rocket is
00:01:07 --> 00:01:09 the single biggest hurdle. So that's
00:01:09 --> 00:01:12 fantastic news for them. But I hear the
00:01:12 --> 00:01:15 second half of the test didn't go quite
00:01:15 --> 00:01:16 so smoothly.
00:01:16 --> 00:01:19 >> Yes, the reusable part of the test hit a
00:01:19 --> 00:01:21 snag. The first stage booster, which is
00:01:21 --> 00:01:23 supposed to fly back and land itself for
00:01:23 --> 00:01:25 reuse, experienced what the company
00:01:26 --> 00:01:27 calls a mishap.
00:01:27 --> 00:01:30 >> A mishap is putting it mildly. It
00:01:30 --> 00:01:32 exploded during the landing attempt.
00:01:32 --> 00:01:32 Right.
00:01:32 --> 00:01:35 >> It did. But Landspace is still framing
00:01:36 --> 00:01:38 the overall mission as a success. And in
00:01:38 --> 00:01:40 the world of rocket development, they
00:01:40 --> 00:01:42 have a point. Proving your design can
00:01:42 --> 00:01:45 reach orbital velocity is a massive
00:01:45 --> 00:01:46 achievement.
00:01:46 --> 00:01:48 >> That makes sense. It's an iterative
00:01:48 --> 00:01:50 process. They've nailed the hardest part
00:01:50 --> 00:01:51 and now they can use the data from the
00:01:51 --> 00:01:53 failed landing to figure out how to
00:01:53 --> 00:01:55 stick it next time.
00:01:55 --> 00:01:57 >> Precisely. It shows that the global
00:01:57 --> 00:01:59 competition for reusable rockets is
00:01:59 --> 00:02:01 heating up and it's not just limited to
00:02:01 --> 00:02:04 a few big players anymore. This is a
00:02:04 --> 00:02:05 significant milestone for China's
00:02:05 --> 00:02:07 commercial space industry.
00:02:07 --> 00:02:09 >> And of course, we'll be keeping an eye
00:02:09 --> 00:02:11 on all their developments in the coming
00:02:11 --> 00:02:11 months.
00:02:12 --> 00:02:14 >> From rockets soaring up, we turn to a
00:02:14 --> 00:02:17 planet that is falling apart. The James
00:02:17 --> 00:02:19 Webb Space Telescope has given us an
00:02:19 --> 00:02:22 extraordinary view of an exoplanet that
00:02:22 --> 00:02:25 is actively losing its atmosphere.
00:02:25 --> 00:02:28 >> I love a good JWST story. Which planet
00:02:28 --> 00:02:30 are we talking about? And what does that
00:02:30 --> 00:02:33 even look like? A planet shedding its
00:02:33 --> 00:02:33 atmosphere.
00:02:34 --> 00:02:37 >> The planet is WASP 107b. It's a gas
00:02:37 --> 00:02:41 giant, but it's unusually puffy. It's
00:02:41 --> 00:02:43 very large for its mass. Because it
00:02:43 --> 00:02:45 orbits extremely close to its star, the
00:02:46 --> 00:02:48 intense radiation is boiling its
00:02:48 --> 00:02:50 atmosphere away into space.
00:02:50 --> 00:02:53 >> Wow. So, it's just venting gas out into
00:02:53 --> 00:02:54 the void.
00:02:54 --> 00:02:57 >> Exactly. And WEB's instruments were able
00:02:57 --> 00:02:59 to detect a massive cloud of helium
00:02:59 --> 00:03:01 being stripped from the planet. This
00:03:01 --> 00:03:04 cloud is so large that it actually forms
00:03:04 --> 00:03:07 a giant tail that travels ahead of the
00:03:07 --> 00:03:08 planet in its orbit.
00:03:08 --> 00:03:10 >> It travels ahead of the planet. How does
00:03:10 --> 00:03:13 that work? It's due to the complex
00:03:13 --> 00:03:15 interaction between the stellar wind and
00:03:15 --> 00:03:17 the planet's own orbital motion. It's a
00:03:17 --> 00:03:19 bit like a boat's wake appearing in
00:03:19 --> 00:03:21 front of it in a strong current.
00:03:21 --> 00:03:23 >> That's incredible. So, this gives us a
00:03:24 --> 00:03:27 real time look at how planets can die or
00:03:27 --> 00:03:29 at least transform over billions of
00:03:29 --> 00:03:30 years.
00:03:30 --> 00:03:33 >> Yes, it's a vital piece of the puzzle
00:03:33 --> 00:03:35 for understanding planetary evolution.
00:03:35 --> 00:03:38 By studying planets like WASP 107b, we
00:03:38 --> 00:03:40 can learn more about how our own solar
00:03:40 --> 00:03:42 system may have formed and changed over
00:03:42 --> 00:03:43 time.
00:03:43 --> 00:03:45 >> All right, from the ingredients of
00:03:45 --> 00:03:47 planets being stripped away, let's talk
00:03:47 --> 00:03:49 about the ingredients for life being
00:03:49 --> 00:03:52 found in a very exciting place. The
00:03:52 --> 00:03:54 samples from asteroid Bennu are back,
00:03:54 --> 00:03:57 and they did not disappoint.
00:03:57 --> 00:03:59 >> They certainly did not. After years of
00:04:00 --> 00:04:02 travel, NASA's Osiris Rex mission
00:04:02 --> 00:04:04 returned pristine samples from the
00:04:04 --> 00:04:07 asteroid, and the initial findings are
00:04:07 --> 00:04:09 groundbreaking. Scientists have
00:04:09 --> 00:04:11 confirmed the presence of essential
00:04:11 --> 00:04:13 sugars within the asteroid material.
00:04:13 --> 00:04:15 >> And we're not talking about table sugar
00:04:15 --> 00:04:17 here. We're talking about the
00:04:17 --> 00:04:19 fundamental building blocks of life.
00:04:19 --> 00:04:20 Right.
00:04:20 --> 00:04:22 >> Precisely. They have positively
00:04:22 --> 00:04:25 identified sugars like ribos, which is a
00:04:25 --> 00:04:27 critical component of RNA, the molecule
00:04:28 --> 00:04:29 that may have preceded DNA in the
00:04:30 --> 00:04:32 earliest forms of life. They also found
00:04:32 --> 00:04:34 other vital sugars like glucose.
00:04:34 --> 00:04:37 >> So, this adds huge weight to the theory
00:04:37 --> 00:04:39 that asteroids and comets could have
00:04:39 --> 00:04:41 delivered these prebiotic ingredients to
00:04:41 --> 00:04:44 the early Earth, kickstarting life here.
00:04:44 --> 00:04:46 >> Mhm. It's some of the strongest evidence
00:04:46 --> 00:04:48 to date. It tells us that these
00:04:48 --> 00:04:51 fundamental building blocks were likely
00:04:51 --> 00:04:53 common in the early solar system,
00:04:53 --> 00:04:55 available to planets like ours.
00:04:55 --> 00:04:57 >> Okay, I have to ask about my favorite
00:04:57 --> 00:04:59 part of this story, the space gum. What
00:04:59 --> 00:05:01 on earth is that?
00:05:01 --> 00:05:03 >> Yes, the team also discovered a strange
00:05:03 --> 00:05:06 black viscous organic material that
00:05:06 --> 00:05:09 they've playfully nicknamed space gum.
00:05:09 --> 00:05:11 They are still analyzing its exact
00:05:11 --> 00:05:14 composition, but it appears to be a very
00:05:14 --> 00:05:17 complex carbonrich substance. Just
00:05:17 --> 00:05:19 another fascinating piece of this cosmic
00:05:19 --> 00:05:19 puzzle.
00:05:19 --> 00:05:21 >> From asteroids to our own celestial
00:05:22 --> 00:05:24 neighbor, let's bring it closer to home.
00:05:24 --> 00:05:27 Sky Watchers are in for a special event
00:05:27 --> 00:05:29 this December. In coming days, in fact.
00:05:29 --> 00:05:31 >> That's right. The final full moon of
00:05:31 --> 00:05:35 2025 has a few special things going for
00:05:35 --> 00:05:37 it. It's known as the cold moon. And
00:05:37 --> 00:05:40 this year, it will also be a super moon.
00:05:40 --> 00:05:42 >> Super moon. That means it'll appear
00:05:42 --> 00:05:44 larger and brighter in the sky because
00:05:44 --> 00:05:46 it's closer to Earth in its orbit. I
00:05:46 --> 00:05:48 always love a good super moon.
00:05:48 --> 00:05:51 >> It does. But there's an even more rare
00:05:51 --> 00:05:53 event happening at the same time.
00:05:53 --> 00:05:55 Something called a major lunar
00:05:55 --> 00:05:57 standstill.
00:05:57 --> 00:05:59 >> Okay. A major lunar standstill. That
00:05:59 --> 00:06:01 sounds very official and very dramatic.
00:06:01 --> 00:06:02 Break that down for us.
00:06:02 --> 00:06:05 >> It's a point in the moon's 18.6year
00:06:05 --> 00:06:08 cycle where its orbit is tilted to the
00:06:08 --> 00:06:11 maximum degree relative to Earth's
00:06:11 --> 00:06:13 equator. For those of us in the northern
00:06:13 --> 00:06:16 hemisphere, it means this full moon will
00:06:16 --> 00:06:18 trace a much higher arc across the
00:06:18 --> 00:06:20 winter sky than usual.
00:06:20 --> 00:06:22 >> Right. So, it's not just closer, it's
00:06:22 --> 00:06:24 also taking the high road across the
00:06:24 --> 00:06:26 sky. That should make it visible for
00:06:26 --> 00:06:28 longer and easier to see.
00:06:28 --> 00:06:30 >> Exactly. It will rise in the northeast
00:06:30 --> 00:06:33 and set in the northwest, similar to the
00:06:33 --> 00:06:35 sun's path in the summer. And it will
00:06:35 --> 00:06:37 stay above the horizon for an extended
00:06:37 --> 00:06:40 period. It's a perfect combination for a
00:06:40 --> 00:06:42 beautiful lunar spectacle.
00:06:42 --> 00:06:44 >> So, make sure you get outside and look
00:06:44 --> 00:06:46 up as we like to remind you.
00:06:46 --> 00:06:48 >> And while we're on the subject of our
00:06:48 --> 00:06:51 moon, we have a beautiful but
00:06:51 --> 00:06:53 bittersweet story from the Japanese
00:06:53 --> 00:06:56 lunar lander Hataku Matu R.
00:06:56 --> 00:06:57 >> Oh, right. This was the private mission
00:06:58 --> 00:06:59 that attempted to land on the moon last
00:07:00 --> 00:07:02 year. Sadly, it crashed in the final
00:07:02 --> 00:07:05 seconds of its descent. It did. But
00:07:05 --> 00:07:07 before the mission ended, it captured
00:07:07 --> 00:07:10 some truly breathtaking imagery. And one
00:07:10 --> 00:07:12 photo in particular has been making the
00:07:12 --> 00:07:15 rounds. It's a stunning shot of our own
00:07:15 --> 00:07:16 planet.
00:07:16 --> 00:07:18 >> I've seen it. It's an image of Earth
00:07:18 --> 00:07:21 during a total solar eclipse taken from
00:07:21 --> 00:07:23 space. You can clearly see the round
00:07:24 --> 00:07:26 shadow of the moon moving across the
00:07:26 --> 00:07:27 Earth's surface. Australia in
00:07:28 --> 00:07:30 particular. It's just an incredible
00:07:30 --> 00:07:31 perspective.
00:07:31 --> 00:07:33 >> It really is. It's a viewpoint we so
00:07:33 --> 00:07:35 rarely get to see. It's a powerful
00:07:35 --> 00:07:38 reminder of the beauty of our world and
00:07:38 --> 00:07:40 the celestial dance. It's a part of a
00:07:40 --> 00:07:42 final beautiful piece of data from a
00:07:42 --> 00:07:45 mission that came so close to achieving
00:07:45 --> 00:07:46 its goal.
00:07:46 --> 00:07:48 >> Okay, for our final story, we're coming
00:07:48 --> 00:07:50 back down to Earth, but it's a story
00:07:50 --> 00:07:52 with a truly cosmic origin. This sounds
00:07:52 --> 00:07:54 like pure science fiction, Anna, but an
00:07:54 --> 00:07:56 expert is suggesting a cosmic ray may
00:07:56 --> 00:07:59 have been responsible for forcing a
00:07:59 --> 00:08:01 JetBlue airliner into an emergency
00:08:01 --> 00:08:02 landing.
00:08:02 --> 00:08:05 >> It's a fascinating theory. The flight in
00:08:05 --> 00:08:07 question experienced a sudden unexpected
00:08:07 --> 00:08:10 drop in altitude. And while there's no
00:08:10 --> 00:08:13 official cause yet, one plausible,
00:08:13 --> 00:08:16 though unproven, explanation involves a
00:08:16 --> 00:08:18 high energy particle from deep space.
00:08:18 --> 00:08:20 >> A single particle can do that to a
00:08:20 --> 00:08:22 massive airplane. How is that even
00:08:22 --> 00:08:23 possible?
00:08:23 --> 00:08:26 >> Comes down to a phenomenon called a
00:08:26 --> 00:08:29 single event upset. High energy cosmic
00:08:29 --> 00:08:32 rays, often accelerated by distant
00:08:32 --> 00:08:36 supernovas, are constantly bombarding
00:08:36 --> 00:08:38 our atmosphere. If one of these
00:08:38 --> 00:08:41 particles traveling at near the speed of
00:08:41 --> 00:08:45 light happens to strike a microscopic
00:08:45 --> 00:08:47 transistor in one of the plane's flight
00:08:47 --> 00:08:51 computers, it can deposit enough energy
00:08:51 --> 00:08:54 to flip a bit of memory. It can change a
00:08:54 --> 00:08:58 digital one to a zero or vice versa. In
00:08:58 --> 00:09:01 a non-critical system, you'd never
00:09:01 --> 00:09:04 notice, but if it hits a crucial part of
00:09:04 --> 00:09:07 the processor, it could cause a
00:09:07 --> 00:09:09 temporary glitch or even a system
00:09:09 --> 00:09:11 reboot.
00:09:11 --> 00:09:13 >> So, the plane's electronic brain could
00:09:13 --> 00:09:16 have a momentary hiccup caused by a
00:09:16 --> 00:09:19 particle from an exploded star millions
00:09:19 --> 00:09:20 of light years away. That is
00:09:20 --> 00:09:22 mind-blowing.
00:09:22 --> 00:09:26 >> It is. And while it's important to note
00:09:26 --> 00:09:29 this is just one expert's hypothesis, it
00:09:29 --> 00:09:32 is scientifically plausible. Modern
00:09:32 --> 00:09:36 avionics have extensive shielding and
00:09:36 --> 00:09:39 redundant systems to prevent this. But
00:09:39 --> 00:09:42 the possibility, however remote, is
00:09:42 --> 00:09:45 always there. It's a wild reminder that
00:09:45 --> 00:09:47 we're never truly separate from the
00:09:47 --> 00:09:50 events of the wider cosmos.
00:09:50 --> 00:09:52 >> That really is a mind-bending
00:09:52 --> 00:09:54 connection. And on that cosmic note,
00:09:54 --> 00:09:56 that's all the time we have for today's
00:09:56 --> 00:09:59 episode of Astronomy Daily. What a trip
00:09:59 --> 00:10:01 across the universe it's been.
00:10:01 --> 00:10:04 >> It certainly has. Thank you all so much
00:10:04 --> 00:10:06 for joining us. We'll be back again
00:10:06 --> 00:10:08 tomorrow with another roundup of the
00:10:08 --> 00:10:11 latest news from around and beyond our
00:10:11 --> 00:10:12 world.
00:10:12 --> 00:10:15 >> Until then, clear skies and one more
00:10:15 --> 00:10:20 reminder, keep looking up.
00:10:20 --> 00:10:28 The stories told
00:10:28 --> 00:10:36 stories told
00:10:36 --> 00:10:39 stories