Astronomy Daily | Space News: S04E75
In this captivating episode of Astronomy Daily, host Anna brings you the latest developments and discoveries from the cosmos. From the bittersweet retirement of Europe's Gaia Space Telescope to groundbreaking observations from the James Webb Space Telescope, this episode is filled with cosmic insights that will spark your curiosity.
Highlights:
- Farewell to Gaia Space Telescope: Join us as we commemorate the end of the Gaia mission, which has mapped nearly 2 billion stars in our galaxy over the past decade. Learn about Gaia's significant contributions to astronomy and the legacy it leaves behind for future generations.
- NASA's Astronaut Reassignments: Discover how NASA is reshaping its astronaut roster by reassigning several crew members from Boeing's troubled Starliner program to SpaceX's Crew 11 mission. This strategic move highlights the ongoing challenges faced by Boeing and the evolving landscape of commercial spaceflight.
- Canceled Cargo Mission to the ISS: Uncover the details surrounding the cancellation of a planned cargo mission to the International Space Station due to damage to the Northrop Grumman Cygnus spacecraft. We discuss the implications for the ISS and NASA's contingency plans.
- China's Ambitious Exploration Roadmap: Explore China's newly unveiled roadmap for deep space exploration, which includes missions to Mars, Jupiter, Venus, and even Neptune. This ambitious plan emphasizes the search for extraterrestrial life and the study of planetary habitability.
- James Webb's Discovery of Auroras on Neptune: Marvel at the James Webb Space Telescope's groundbreaking observation of auroras on Neptune, revealing new insights into the planet's atmosphere and magnetic field. This discovery opens up exciting avenues for research on ice giants and their interactions with solar particles.
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.
00:00 - Welcome to Astronomy Daily
01:05 - Gaia Space Telescope retirement
10:30 - NASA astronaut reassignments
17:00 - Canceled cargo mission to the ISS
22:15 - China's exploration roadmap
27:30 - JWST's auroras on Neptune
✍️ Episode References
Gaia Space Telescope Legacy
[European Space Agency]( https://www.esa.int (https://www.esa.int/) )
NASA Astronaut Assignments
[NASA]( https://www.nasa.gov (https://www.nasa.gov/) )
Northrop Grumman Cygnus Updates
[Northrop Grumman]( https://www.northropgrumman.com (https://www.northropgrumman.com/) )
China's Space Exploration Plans
[China National Space Administration]( http://www.cnsa.gov.cn/ (http://www.cnsa.gov.cn/) )
James Webb Space Telescope Findings
[NASA Webb]( https://www.nasa.gov/webb (https://www.nasa.gov/webb) )
Astronomy Daily
[Astronomy Daily]( http://www.astronomydaily.io/ (http://www.astronomydaily.io/) )
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Episode link: https://play.headliner.app/episode/26331850?utm_source=youtube
00:00:00 --> 00:00:02 welcome to astronomy daily where we
00:00:02 --> 00:00:03 bring you the latest news and
00:00:03 --> 00:00:05 developments from the world of space and
00:00:05 --> 00:00:07 astronomy I'm your host Anna and we have
00:00:07 --> 00:00:10 quite a packed episode for you today
00:00:10 --> 00:00:12 we'll start with a Bittersweet farewell
00:00:12 --> 00:00:14 to Europe's Gaia Space Telescope which
00:00:14 --> 00:00:16 has mapped nearly two billion stars in
00:00:16 --> 00:00:19 our galaxy over the past decade before
00:00:19 --> 00:00:21 being officially retired this week then
00:00:21 --> 00:00:23 we'll look at NASA's decision to
00:00:23 --> 00:00:25 reassign several astronauts from
00:00:25 --> 00:00:27 Boeing's troubled Starliner program to
00:00:27 --> 00:00:30 spacex's crew 11 mission as Starliner
00:00:30 --> 00:00:32 return to flight gets pushed further
00:00:32 --> 00:00:34 into the future we'll also cover a
00:00:35 --> 00:00:36 canceled cargo mission to the
00:00:36 --> 00:00:38 International Space Station due to
00:00:38 --> 00:00:41 spacecraft damage and dive into China's
00:00:41 --> 00:00:43 ambitious new Planetary Exploration road
00:00:43 --> 00:00:45 map that stretches all the way to
00:00:45 --> 00:00:47 Neptune and finally we'll explore a
00:00:47 --> 00:00:50 fascinating Discovery from the James web
00:00:50 --> 00:00:52 Space Telescope the first ever
00:00:52 --> 00:00:54 observation of auroras on the ice giant
00:00:54 --> 00:00:56 Neptune revealing unexpected details
00:00:57 --> 00:00:58 about the distant planet's atmosphere
00:00:58 --> 00:01:01 and magnetic field so buckle up for a
00:01:01 --> 00:01:02 journey across our solar system and
00:01:02 --> 00:01:04 beyond as we explore the latest
00:01:04 --> 00:01:06 Frontiers in space science and
00:01:07 --> 00:01:09 exploration Europe's star mapping Gaia
00:01:09 --> 00:01:11 space Observatory has officially ended
00:01:11 --> 00:01:12 its mission after more than a decade of
00:01:13 --> 00:01:14 groundbreaking
00:01:14 --> 00:01:17 observations on March 27th the European
00:01:17 --> 00:01:19 space agency's control team in Paris
00:01:19 --> 00:01:22 shut down gaia's subsystems and
00:01:22 --> 00:01:24 maneuvered the spacecraft into a safe
00:01:24 --> 00:01:27 retirement orbit around the Sun the move
00:01:27 --> 00:01:29 came after Issa had already shut down
00:01:29 --> 00:01:31 gaia's science operations in January
00:01:31 --> 00:01:33 when the spacecraft's fuel reserves were
00:01:33 --> 00:01:35 nearly depleted the final retirement
00:01:35 --> 00:01:37 orbit was carefully calculated to ensure
00:01:37 --> 00:01:40 Gaia remains at least 6.2 Million Miles
00:01:40 --> 00:01:42 Away From Earth for the next Century
00:01:42 --> 00:01:44 despite its active Mission coming to an
00:01:44 --> 00:01:46 end gaia's scientific impact will
00:01:46 --> 00:01:49 continue to unfold for Generations as
00:01:49 --> 00:01:51 Gaia Mission manager UA Lamers
00:01:51 --> 00:01:53 eloquently put it we will never forget
00:01:53 --> 00:01:56 Gaia and Gia will never forget us since
00:01:56 --> 00:01:59 its launch in 2013 Gia has charted the
00:01:59 --> 00:02:01 positions of nearly 2 billion stars
00:02:01 --> 00:02:02 creating the most precise
00:02:03 --> 00:02:04 three-dimensional map of our Milky Way
00:02:04 --> 00:02:07 galaxy ever made its contributions to
00:02:07 --> 00:02:10 astronomy have been immense from
00:02:10 --> 00:02:12 discovering evidence of Galactic mergers
00:02:12 --> 00:02:14 to identifying new star clusters
00:02:14 --> 00:02:16 tracking hundreds of thousands of
00:02:16 --> 00:02:18 asteroids and comets and even helping
00:02:18 --> 00:02:21 scientists discover exoplanets and black
00:02:21 --> 00:02:23 holes the team releases large batches of
00:02:23 --> 00:02:26 mission data every couple of years with
00:02:26 --> 00:02:28 the next major release data release 4
00:02:28 --> 00:02:30 planned for 2026
00:02:30 --> 00:02:32 even more exciting the final Gaia Legacy
00:02:32 --> 00:02:34 catalogs are scheduled for release
00:02:34 --> 00:02:36 around 2030 ensuring that gaia's
00:02:36 --> 00:02:38 contributions will continue shaping our
00:02:38 --> 00:02:40 understanding of the cosmos for decades
00:02:40 --> 00:02:42 to come decommissioning such a
00:02:42 --> 00:02:44 sophisticated spacecraft wasn't a simple
00:02:44 --> 00:02:47 task spacecraft operations engineer
00:02:47 --> 00:02:49 Julia fortuno described the mixed
00:02:49 --> 00:02:52 emotions involved I have mixed feelings
00:02:52 --> 00:02:53 between the excitement for these
00:02:53 --> 00:02:55 important endof life operations and the
00:02:56 --> 00:02:57 sadness of saying goodbye to a
00:02:57 --> 00:02:59 spacecraft I have worked on for more
00:02:59 --> 00:03:02 than 5 years years the Gaia team had to
00:03:02 --> 00:03:03 systematically dismantle the
00:03:03 --> 00:03:06 spacecraft's built-in redundancies
00:03:06 --> 00:03:07 features designed to help it survive
00:03:07 --> 00:03:10 extreme conditions like radiation storms
00:03:10 --> 00:03:12 and microm meteorite impacts this
00:03:12 --> 00:03:14 meticulous process ensures that Gaia
00:03:14 --> 00:03:16 won't accidentally reactivate if its
00:03:16 --> 00:03:18 solar panels catch sunlight in the
00:03:18 --> 00:03:20 future as this remarkable Mission comes
00:03:20 --> 00:03:23 to a close the astronomical Community
00:03:23 --> 00:03:25 celebrates gaia's Legacy as what project
00:03:25 --> 00:03:27 scientist Johannes Salman called a
00:03:27 --> 00:03:29 unique Treasure Trove for astrophysical
00:03:29 --> 00:03:30 research
00:03:30 --> 00:03:31 that will influence almost all
00:03:31 --> 00:03:33 disciplines in astronomy for generations
00:03:33 --> 00:03:34 to
00:03:34 --> 00:03:37 come next up in today's news NASA has
00:03:37 --> 00:03:38 made significant changes to its
00:03:38 --> 00:03:40 astronaut assignments announcing
00:03:40 --> 00:03:42 Thursday evening that several astronauts
00:03:42 --> 00:03:44 previously slated for Boeing Starliner
00:03:44 --> 00:03:46 missions will now fly on spacex's crew
00:03:46 --> 00:03:48 11 mission to the International Space
00:03:48 --> 00:03:51 Station leading the crew 11 flight now
00:03:51 --> 00:03:54 scheduled for no earlier than July 2025
00:03:54 --> 00:03:56 will be NASA astronaut Zena Cardman
00:03:56 --> 00:03:58 she'll be joined by NASA astronaut Mike
00:03:58 --> 00:04:01 finy as pilot along with jaxa astronaut
00:04:01 --> 00:04:03 Kimia yui and Russ Cosmos Cosmonaut OLG
00:04:03 --> 00:04:06 platonov as Mission Specialists these
00:04:06 --> 00:04:08 four astronauts will have the honor of
00:04:08 --> 00:04:09 being aboard the space station during
00:04:10 --> 00:04:12 the 25th anniversary of continuous human
00:04:12 --> 00:04:14 presence on the orbiting laboratory
00:04:14 --> 00:04:16 which began when Expedition one docked
00:04:16 --> 00:04:17 on November 2nd
00:04:17 --> 00:04:20 2000 this reassignment represents yet
00:04:20 --> 00:04:22 another setback for Boeing's troubled
00:04:22 --> 00:04:25 Starliner program Cardman was previously
00:04:25 --> 00:04:27 assigned as commander of the crew n
00:04:27 --> 00:04:29 Mission before being removed from the St
00:04:29 --> 00:04:31 Starliner crew flight test mission last
00:04:31 --> 00:04:34 August when NASA decided the spacecraft
00:04:34 --> 00:04:36 would return to Earth without crew Mike
00:04:36 --> 00:04:39 Fin's Journey has been particularly
00:04:39 --> 00:04:41 complicated originally named to the
00:04:41 --> 00:04:44 Starliner crew flight test back in 2018
00:04:44 --> 00:04:46 he was later designated as part of the
00:04:46 --> 00:04:48 Cadre of Starliner astronauts and then
00:04:49 --> 00:04:51 moved to the Starliner 1 Mission as
00:04:51 --> 00:04:52 pilot in
00:04:52 --> 00:04:55 2022 now he finds himself reassigned to
00:04:55 --> 00:04:58 spacex's Dragon spacecraft jaxa
00:04:58 --> 00:05:00 astronaut Kim a yui who had been
00:05:00 --> 00:05:02 training with the Starliner team and was
00:05:02 --> 00:05:04 likely intended for a Starliner Mission
00:05:04 --> 00:05:06 has also been shifted to the crew 11
00:05:06 --> 00:05:09 roster meanwhile Boeing and NASA
00:05:09 --> 00:05:10 continue working through technical
00:05:10 --> 00:05:13 challenges with the Starliner spacecraft
00:05:13 --> 00:05:15 according to NASA More than 70% of the
00:05:15 --> 00:05:17 flight observations and inflight
00:05:17 --> 00:05:19 anomalies from last Summer's test
00:05:19 --> 00:05:21 mission have been addressed but the
00:05:21 --> 00:05:23 major inflight propulsion system
00:05:23 --> 00:05:25 anomalies remain outstanding issues that
00:05:25 --> 00:05:28 likely won't be resolved until further
00:05:28 --> 00:05:29 into 2025
00:05:29 --> 00:05:31 a new testing campaign is planned for
00:05:31 --> 00:05:33 this spring and summer at the White
00:05:33 --> 00:05:35 Sands test facility in New Mexico
00:05:35 --> 00:05:36 focusing on the propulsion issues that
00:05:37 --> 00:05:39 prompted NASA's decision to return the
00:05:39 --> 00:05:42 Starliner without astronauts Engineers
00:05:42 --> 00:05:44 will conduct integrated firing of key
00:05:44 --> 00:05:46 Starliner thrusters within a service
00:05:46 --> 00:05:49 module dogghouse to validate thermal
00:05:49 --> 00:05:51 models and develop potential upgrades
00:05:51 --> 00:05:53 for the propulsion and thermal
00:05:53 --> 00:05:54 Protection
00:05:54 --> 00:05:56 Systems NASA is weighing its options for
00:05:56 --> 00:05:58 Starliner next flight while still
00:05:58 --> 00:06:00 planning for a crew capable able post
00:06:00 --> 00:06:02 certification Mission the agency is also
00:06:02 --> 00:06:04 considering a cargo only option
00:06:04 --> 00:06:06 depending on its needs Steve Stitch
00:06:06 --> 00:06:08 manager of NASA's commercial crew
00:06:08 --> 00:06:09 program indicated the next Starliner
00:06:09 --> 00:06:12 flight would likely occur in late 2025
00:06:12 --> 00:06:13 or early
00:06:13 --> 00:06:16 2026 these developments represent a
00:06:16 --> 00:06:17 continued shift in NASA's commercial
00:06:17 --> 00:06:20 crew strategy with spacex's dragon
00:06:20 --> 00:06:23 spacecraft taking on additional missions
00:06:23 --> 00:06:25 while Boeing Works to resolve starliners
00:06:25 --> 00:06:26 technical
00:06:26 --> 00:06:30 challenges and in more NASA news in a
00:06:30 --> 00:06:31 disappointing turn of events for NASA's
00:06:32 --> 00:06:34 cargo resupply schedule the space agency
00:06:34 --> 00:06:36 has called off a planned mission to the
00:06:36 --> 00:06:38 International Space Station due to
00:06:38 --> 00:06:40 damage discovered on the Northrup
00:06:40 --> 00:06:42 Grumman signis
00:06:42 --> 00:06:44 spacecraft the mission designated
00:06:45 --> 00:06:47 ng22 was scheduled to launch this June
00:06:47 --> 00:06:49 from Florida's Space Coast carrying
00:06:49 --> 00:06:51 several tons of critical supplies
00:06:51 --> 00:06:54 including food Fuel and scientific
00:06:54 --> 00:06:57 equipment to the orbiting laboratory the
00:06:57 --> 00:06:59 problems began on March 5th when
00:06:59 --> 00:07:01 announced that the spacecraft's shipping
00:07:01 --> 00:07:03 container had sustained damage during
00:07:03 --> 00:07:06 transportation to the launch site at
00:07:06 --> 00:07:08 that time Mission teams were hopeful
00:07:08 --> 00:07:10 that the signis spacecraft itself might
00:07:10 --> 00:07:12 have remained intact despite the damage
00:07:12 --> 00:07:13 to its
00:07:13 --> 00:07:16 container however after completing a
00:07:16 --> 00:07:18 thorough inspection NASA confirmed on
00:07:18 --> 00:07:21 Wednesday that the cargo module itself
00:07:21 --> 00:07:22 had also been
00:07:22 --> 00:07:25 damaged following initial evaluation
00:07:25 --> 00:07:27 there also is damage to the cargo module
00:07:27 --> 00:07:29 NASA officials stated in an emailed
00:07:29 --> 00:07:31 announce ment leading to the difficult
00:07:31 --> 00:07:33 decision to cancel the June flight
00:07:33 --> 00:07:35 entirely the good news is that this
00:07:35 --> 00:07:37 cancellation isn't expected to
00:07:37 --> 00:07:38 significantly impact the astronauts
00:07:38 --> 00:07:41 aboard the space station NASA had
00:07:41 --> 00:07:43 already taken precautionary measures by
00:07:43 --> 00:07:44 planning to send additional food and
00:07:44 --> 00:07:47 other consumables on spacex's next cargo
00:07:47 --> 00:07:49 flight which is scheduled to launch next
00:07:49 --> 00:07:52 month northrip Grumman and NASA aren't
00:07:52 --> 00:07:53 giving up on this particular signus
00:07:53 --> 00:07:56 spacecraft just yet according to NASA's
00:07:56 --> 00:07:58 statement the International Space
00:07:58 --> 00:07:59 Station program will continue working
00:07:59 --> 00:08:01 with Northrup Grumman to assess whether
00:08:01 --> 00:08:04 the signis cargo module is able to
00:08:04 --> 00:08:05 safely fly to the space station on a
00:08:05 --> 00:08:08 future flight in the meantime northr
00:08:08 --> 00:08:10 Grumman is already shifting Focus to its
00:08:10 --> 00:08:13 next mission with ng23 now scheduled to
00:08:13 --> 00:08:16 launch no earlier than this fall the
00:08:16 --> 00:08:18 current signis spacecraft
00:08:18 --> 00:08:21 ng21 remains birthed at the ISS but is
00:08:21 --> 00:08:24 scheduled to depart tomorrow unlike
00:08:24 --> 00:08:26 space X's Dragon capsules which are
00:08:26 --> 00:08:28 designed to survive re-entry and be
00:08:28 --> 00:08:29 recovered after splashing down in the
00:08:30 --> 00:08:33 ocean signis spacecraft are expendable
00:08:34 --> 00:08:35 at the end of their missions they're
00:08:35 --> 00:08:37 loaded with trash and other unneeded
00:08:37 --> 00:08:39 items from the station before being
00:08:39 --> 00:08:41 released to burn up during re-entry into
00:08:41 --> 00:08:42 Earth's
00:08:42 --> 00:08:45 atmosphere China has unveiled an
00:08:45 --> 00:08:47 ambitious new road map for deep space
00:08:47 --> 00:08:49 exploration that places a strong
00:08:49 --> 00:08:50 emphasis on the search for
00:08:50 --> 00:08:52 extraterrestrial life and studying
00:08:52 --> 00:08:55 planetary habitability this strategy
00:08:55 --> 00:08:57 recently shared by the country's deep
00:08:57 --> 00:08:59 space exploration laboratory out
00:08:59 --> 00:09:01 outlines a series of missions spanning
00:09:01 --> 00:09:05 from 2028 to 2039 that will take Chinese
00:09:05 --> 00:09:08 spacecraft across our solar system the
00:09:08 --> 00:09:10 Journey Begins With the tianwen 3 Mars
00:09:10 --> 00:09:13 sample return Mission scheduled for
00:09:13 --> 00:09:14 launch around late
00:09:14 --> 00:09:17 2028 this already approved Mission aims
00:09:17 --> 00:09:18 to collect samples from the Martian
00:09:19 --> 00:09:21 surface and return them to Earth with
00:09:21 --> 00:09:23 one of its primary objectives being to
00:09:23 --> 00:09:25 investigate potential traces of past or
00:09:25 --> 00:09:27 present life on the red planet hot on
00:09:27 --> 00:09:29 its heels will be chenin 4
00:09:29 --> 00:09:32 planned for 2029 which will venture to
00:09:32 --> 00:09:34 the Jupiter system and eventually enter
00:09:34 --> 00:09:36 orbit around Kalisto one of Jupiter's
00:09:36 --> 00:09:38 largest moons this Mission could yield
00:09:38 --> 00:09:40 valuable insights about potential ocean
00:09:40 --> 00:09:42 worlds and habitability conditions in
00:09:42 --> 00:09:46 the outer solar system around 2030 China
00:09:46 --> 00:09:48 plans to build a ground simulation
00:09:48 --> 00:09:50 device for planetary habitable
00:09:50 --> 00:09:52 environments allowing scientists to
00:09:52 --> 00:09:54 recreate and study conditions that might
00:09:54 --> 00:09:57 support life elsewhere in our solar
00:09:57 --> 00:09:59 system perhaps one of the most inging
00:09:59 --> 00:10:01 missions on the road map is scheduled
00:10:01 --> 00:10:04 for 2033 a spacecraft designed to
00:10:04 --> 00:10:06 collect particles from Venus's
00:10:06 --> 00:10:09 atmosphere and return them to Earth this
00:10:09 --> 00:10:11 Mission could help scientists better
00:10:11 --> 00:10:12 understand the micro environment of
00:10:12 --> 00:10:15 Venus a planet that might once have been
00:10:15 --> 00:10:17 much more habitable than it is today by
00:10:18 --> 00:10:20 2038 China aims to establish a Mars
00:10:20 --> 00:10:23 research station focused on insitu
00:10:23 --> 00:10:25 resource utilization and conducting
00:10:25 --> 00:10:28 long-term environmental and biological
00:10:28 --> 00:10:30 research while there's no indication
00:10:30 --> 00:10:31 this facility will host human crew
00:10:32 --> 00:10:34 initially it represents a significant
00:10:34 --> 00:10:36 step in China's long-term Mars
00:10:36 --> 00:10:38 exploration strategy the most distant
00:10:38 --> 00:10:41 Target in the road map is Neptune with a
00:10:41 --> 00:10:42 potential nuclear-powered Mission
00:10:42 --> 00:10:44 launching around
00:10:44 --> 00:10:46 2039 this ambitious Mission would study
00:10:46 --> 00:10:49 the ice Giant's ring system atmosphere
00:10:49 --> 00:10:51 and its fascinating Moon Triton
00:10:51 --> 00:10:53 exploring the habitability of the
00:10:53 --> 00:10:55 neptunian system and searching for other
00:10:55 --> 00:10:57 potential ocean worlds while some of
00:10:58 --> 00:10:59 these missions are already approved
00:10:59 --> 00:11:01 roved and in development others face
00:11:01 --> 00:11:03 significant technological and economic
00:11:03 --> 00:11:06 hurdles for example a mission to Neptune
00:11:06 --> 00:11:08 would require China to make considerable
00:11:08 --> 00:11:11 advances in nuclear power for deep space
00:11:11 --> 00:11:13 applications ultr longdistance
00:11:13 --> 00:11:15 Communications and spacecraft designed
00:11:15 --> 00:11:18 for extended Mission lifetimes this road
00:11:18 --> 00:11:20 map demonstrates China's growing
00:11:20 --> 00:11:22 Ambitions in space exploration and
00:11:22 --> 00:11:23 particularly in
00:11:23 --> 00:11:26 astrobiology combined with China's Earth
00:11:26 --> 00:11:29 2.0 in exoplanet Observatory scheduled
00:11:29 --> 00:11:32 for launch in 2028 which aims to detect
00:11:32 --> 00:11:34 earthlike planets around other stars
00:11:34 --> 00:11:36 it's clear that the search for
00:11:36 --> 00:11:38 potentially habitable worlds and signs
00:11:38 --> 00:11:40 of life beyond Earth has become a
00:11:40 --> 00:11:42 central focus of China's Space
00:11:42 --> 00:11:46 Program let's pay the jwst of isit now
00:11:46 --> 00:11:48 in a remarkable astronomical
00:11:48 --> 00:11:50 breakthrough the James web Space
00:11:50 --> 00:11:52 Telescope has captured the first ever
00:11:52 --> 00:11:55 clear images of auroras on Neptune this
00:11:55 --> 00:11:57 significant Discovery has eluded
00:11:57 --> 00:11:59 scientists for decades as pre previous
00:11:59 --> 00:12:01 instruments aboard NASA's Voyager 2
00:12:01 --> 00:12:03 probe and even the Hubble Space
00:12:03 --> 00:12:05 Telescope weren't able to definitively
00:12:05 --> 00:12:07 observe this elusive phenomenon on our
00:12:08 --> 00:12:10 Solar System's most distant planet the
00:12:10 --> 00:12:12 auroras appear as lighter blue or
00:12:12 --> 00:12:14 Cayenne areas against Neptune's deep
00:12:14 --> 00:12:17 blue atmosphere unlike Earth's auroras
00:12:17 --> 00:12:18 which are concentrated around our
00:12:18 --> 00:12:21 magnetic poles Neptune's auroral
00:12:21 --> 00:12:23 activity occurs at Mid latitudes roughly
00:12:23 --> 00:12:25 equivalent to where South America would
00:12:25 --> 00:12:28 be positioned on our planet this unique
00:12:28 --> 00:12:30 distribution is due to neun's unusual
00:12:30 --> 00:12:32 magnetic field which is tilted by a
00:12:32 --> 00:12:35 remarkable 47° from the planet's
00:12:35 --> 00:12:36 rotation
00:12:36 --> 00:12:38 axis what makes this discovery
00:12:38 --> 00:12:39 particularly exciting is that it
00:12:39 --> 00:12:41 required web's exceptional infrared
00:12:41 --> 00:12:44 sensitivity to detect Henrik melon of
00:12:44 --> 00:12:46 North Umbria University who led the
00:12:46 --> 00:12:48 research while at the University of
00:12:48 --> 00:12:50 leester expressed his astonishment at
00:12:50 --> 00:12:52 the clarity of the images noting that
00:12:52 --> 00:12:54 the detail and definition of the auroral
00:12:54 --> 00:12:57 signature was truly shocking the basic
00:12:57 --> 00:12:59 mechanism behind Neptune's auroras is
00:12:59 --> 00:13:01 similar to Earth's Northern and Southern
00:13:01 --> 00:13:04 Lights solar particles interacting with
00:13:04 --> 00:13:06 the planet's atmosphere but the
00:13:06 --> 00:13:08 configuration and conditions are
00:13:08 --> 00:13:10 distinctly different the location of
00:13:10 --> 00:13:12 Neptune's auroral glow directly
00:13:12 --> 00:13:14 correlates to where the planet's
00:13:14 --> 00:13:16 magnetic fields converge into its
00:13:16 --> 00:13:18 atmosphere explaining why they appear
00:13:18 --> 00:13:21 far from its rotational poles perhaps
00:13:21 --> 00:13:23 equally surprising was what web's data
00:13:23 --> 00:13:26 revealed about Neptune's atmospheric
00:13:26 --> 00:13:28 temperature for the first time since
00:13:28 --> 00:13:31 Voyager 2's 1989 flyby scientists were
00:13:31 --> 00:13:33 able to measure the temperature at the
00:13:33 --> 00:13:35 top of Neptune's atmosphere discovering
00:13:35 --> 00:13:38 it has cooled dramatically by several
00:13:38 --> 00:13:40 hundred deg in fact the temperature
00:13:40 --> 00:13:43 recorded in 2023 was just over half of
00:13:43 --> 00:13:46 what it was in 1989 which may explain
00:13:46 --> 00:13:48 why these auroras have gone undetected
00:13:48 --> 00:13:50 until now this discovery opens an
00:13:50 --> 00:13:52 entirely new field of study regarding
00:13:52 --> 00:13:55 ice giant planets and how solar
00:13:55 --> 00:13:56 particles interact with their
00:13:56 --> 00:13:58 atmospheres providing astronomers with
00:13:58 --> 00:14:00 fresh insights into these mysterious
00:14:00 --> 00:14:02 Distant
00:14:02 --> 00:14:05 Worlds well that brings us to the end of
00:14:05 --> 00:14:07 another fascinating Journey Through the
00:14:07 --> 00:14:09 cosmos from the final retirement of
00:14:09 --> 00:14:11 Europe's Gaia telescope after its
00:14:11 --> 00:14:13 remarkable decade mapping our galaxy to
00:14:14 --> 00:14:15 the ongoing challenges with Boeing
00:14:15 --> 00:14:17 Starliner prompting NASA to reassign
00:14:17 --> 00:14:20 astronauts to SpaceX missions we've
00:14:20 --> 00:14:22 covered quite the astronomical landscape
00:14:22 --> 00:14:24 today we've seen how even the best laid
00:14:24 --> 00:14:26 plans can change when Hardware gets
00:14:26 --> 00:14:29 damaged as with Northrup Grumman
00:14:29 --> 00:14:31 spacecraft we've explored China's
00:14:31 --> 00:14:33 ambitious road map for Planetary
00:14:33 --> 00:14:36 Exploration with its focus on finding
00:14:36 --> 00:14:38 habitable environments and possibly life
00:14:38 --> 00:14:40 beyond Earth and we've marveled at the
00:14:40 --> 00:14:42 James web space telescope's
00:14:42 --> 00:14:44 groundbreaking discovery of Neptune's
00:14:44 --> 00:14:46 auroras hiding in plain sight for
00:14:46 --> 00:14:49 decades until now the universe continues
00:14:49 --> 00:14:52 to surprise and Inspire us with each new
00:14:52 --> 00:14:53 discovery and Mission whether it's
00:14:53 --> 00:14:56 mapping billions of stars or detecting
00:14:56 --> 00:14:58 the faint glow of auroras on distant ice
00:14:58 --> 00:15:00 giants are our quest to understand the
00:15:00 --> 00:15:01 cosmos keeps pushing forward despite
00:15:01 --> 00:15:02 setbacks and
00:15:02 --> 00:15:05 challenges I'm Anna and it's been my
00:15:05 --> 00:15:06 pleasure to guide you through today's
00:15:07 --> 00:15:09 space news if you'd like to stay updated
00:15:09 --> 00:15:11 on all things astronomy please visit our
00:15:11 --> 00:15:14 website at astronomy daily. where you
00:15:14 --> 00:15:15 can find our constantly updating
00:15:15 --> 00:15:17 Newsfeed and listen to all our episodes
00:15:17 --> 00:15:20 anytime for more astronomical content
00:15:20 --> 00:15:22 and updates you can also find us across
00:15:22 --> 00:15:25 social media just search for Astro daily
00:15:25 --> 00:15:28 pod on X Facebook YouTube YouTube music
00:15:28 --> 00:15:30 and Tik talk until next time keep
00:15:30 --> 00:15:32 looking up and wondering about the
00:15:32 --> 00:15:34 Mysteries that await us Among the Stars
00:15:34 --> 00:15:40 see you tomorrow
00:15:41 --> 00:15:56 [Music]