Highlights:
- Giant Planet Discovery: Dive into the astonishing discovery of TOI 6894 b, a gas giant orbiting the diminutive red dwarf star TOI 6894. This finding challenges our understanding of planet formation, as such small stars were not thought to possess enough material to form giant planets. With deep transits blocking 17% of the star's light, astronomers are eager to study its atmosphere using the James Webb Space Telescope.
- The Mystery of Heavy Elements: Explore the peculiar star Limos J 0804 5740, found within the remnants of a dwarf galaxy known as the Gaia Sausage. This actinide boost star holds clues to the origins of the universe's heaviest elements, such as uranium and thorium, which are produced through rapid neutron capture processes. Studying this star may help unravel the cosmic puzzle of how these elements are formed.
- China's Reusable Rocket: Learn about Space Epic's recent test launch of their reusable rocket booster, the Yangxing Zhi one, which successfully performed a soft landing in the ocean. Although it sank post-landing, the test demonstrated crucial capabilities for future missions, showcasing China's growing ambitions in space exploration alongside its emerging private sector.
- Galaxy Clusters on a Collision Course: Get the latest on NASA's Chandra X-ray Observatory findings, revealing two galaxy clusters that have already collided and are now on a trajectory for a second encounter. These clusters, located 2.8 billion light years away, exhibit unique shock fronts and provide valuable insights into the dynamics of massive cosmic structures.
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, YouTube Music, 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 - Discovery of giant planet TOI 6894 b
10:00 - The mystery of heavy elements and Limos J 0804 5740
15:30 - China's reusable rocket Yangxing Zhi one
20:00 - Galaxy clusters on a collision course
✍️ Episode References
TOI 6894 b Discovery Details
[NASA Exoplanet Archive]( https://exoplanetarchive.ipac.caltech.edu/ (https://exoplanetarchive.ipac.caltech.edu/) )
Heavy Elements and R Process Research
[Nature Astronomy]( https://www.nature.com (https://www.nature.com/) )
Space Epic's Yangxing Zhi one Launch
[Space Epic]( https://www.spaceepic.com/ (https://www.spaceepic.com/) )
Chandra X-ray Observatory Findings
[NASA Chandra]( https://www.nasa.gov/mission_pages/chandra/main/index.html (https://www.nasa.gov/mission_pages/chandra/main/index.html) )
Astronomy Daily
[Astronomy Daily]( http://www.astronomydaily.io/ (http://www.astronomydaily.io/) )
For Commercial-Free versions 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/27484804?utm_source=youtube
00:00:00 --> 00:00:02 Hello and welcome to Astronomy Daily.
00:00:02 --> 00:00:03 I'm your host, Anna, and I'm really
00:00:04 --> 00:00:05 excited to bring you your daily dose of
00:00:05 --> 00:00:08 cosmic happenings. Today, we've got some
00:00:08 --> 00:00:09 really cool stuff to talk about. From a
00:00:09 --> 00:00:12 giant planet orbiting a tiny star to a
00:00:12 --> 00:00:14 weird star that might just solve one of
00:00:14 --> 00:00:16 astronomy's biggest mysteries. We will
00:00:16 --> 00:00:18 also cover China's reusable rocket and
00:00:18 --> 00:00:20 two galaxy clusters about to crash into
00:00:20 --> 00:00:23 each other again. So, buckle up, space
00:00:23 --> 00:00:26 fans. It's going to be an awesome ride.
00:00:26 --> 00:00:28 First up, we're diving into the
00:00:28 --> 00:00:30 headscratching discovery of a giant
00:00:30 --> 00:00:34 planet to
00:00:34 --> 00:00:37 6b orbiting a red dwarf star called
00:00:37 --> 00:00:38 Toy
00:00:38 --> 00:00:41 6. Now, this star is tiny. I mean,
00:00:41 --> 00:00:44 we're talking about 1/5 the size of our
00:00:44 --> 00:00:46 sun, which makes the discovery of this
00:00:46 --> 00:00:48 planet like a huge
00:00:48 --> 00:00:51 surprise. See, these small stars weren't
00:00:51 --> 00:00:52 thought to have enough material to even
00:00:52 --> 00:00:58 form giant planets. But there it is. TOI
00:00:58 --> 00:01:01 6b, a gas giant roughly the size of
00:01:01 --> 00:01:03 Saturn. It's kind of like finding a
00:01:03 --> 00:01:05 fully grown elephant living in a mouse
00:01:05 --> 00:01:08 hole. You know, this discovery kind of
00:01:08 --> 00:01:09 turns our understanding of planet
00:01:09 --> 00:01:11 formation on its head. The current
00:01:11 --> 00:01:13 theory suggests that the amount of
00:01:13 --> 00:01:15 material in the disc around a star,
00:01:15 --> 00:01:17 which eventually forms planets, is
00:01:17 --> 00:01:20 proportional to the stars mass. So, a
00:01:20 --> 00:01:22 tiny star shouldn't have enough stuff to
00:01:22 --> 00:01:24 make a giant planet. But apparently
00:01:24 --> 00:01:28 nature loves to throw curve balls. Now
00:01:28 --> 00:01:29 because TOI
00:01:29 --> 00:01:32 6894b has such deep transits, I mean
00:01:32 --> 00:01:34 when it passes in front of its star, it
00:01:34 --> 00:01:37 blocks a whopping 17% of the light. It's
00:01:37 --> 00:01:38 a perfect candidate for atmosphere
00:01:38 --> 00:01:41 study. A team of astronomers has already
00:01:41 --> 00:01:43 applied for time with the James Webb
00:01:43 --> 00:01:46 Space Telescope, JWST, to do just that.
00:01:46 --> 00:01:48 They are hoping to find a lot of methane
00:01:48 --> 00:01:50 in the exoplanet's atmosphere. That'll
00:01:50 --> 00:01:52 give us a better idea of how this planet
00:01:52 --> 00:01:54 formed and maybe help us refine our
00:01:54 --> 00:01:57 planet formation theories. Pretty cool,
00:01:57 --> 00:02:00 huh? Next up, let's talk about a really
00:02:00 --> 00:02:02 odd star, Lamos
00:02:02 --> 00:02:05 J0804 +
00:02:05 --> 00:02:07 5, residing in what's known as the
00:02:07 --> 00:02:09 Gaia Sausage. And no, it's not a
00:02:09 --> 00:02:12 galactic deli item. The Gaia Sausage is
00:02:12 --> 00:02:14 actually the remains of a dwarf galaxy
00:02:14 --> 00:02:16 that merged with our Milky Way billions
00:02:16 --> 00:02:19 of years ago. Now, this star, it may
00:02:19 --> 00:02:21 just help us solve one of astronomy's
00:02:21 --> 00:02:23 big mysteries. Where did the universe's
00:02:23 --> 00:02:25 heaviest elements come from? These
00:02:25 --> 00:02:27 elements like uranium and thorium are
00:02:28 --> 00:02:30 created through something called the R
00:02:30 --> 00:02:32 process. That's a rapid neutron capture
00:02:32 --> 00:02:35 process. Essentially, atomic nuclei
00:02:35 --> 00:02:37 rapidly grab neutrons in extreme
00:02:37 --> 00:02:39 environments like neutron star mergers
00:02:39 --> 00:02:41 or supernovas, creating heavier
00:02:41 --> 00:02:44 elements. But here's the thing. We
00:02:44 --> 00:02:45 haven't quite figured out all the
00:02:45 --> 00:02:47 sources of the R process. And that's
00:02:47 --> 00:02:52 where Lamost J0804 plus 5740 comes in.
00:02:52 --> 00:02:55 This star is what they call an actide
00:02:55 --> 00:02:56 boost star, meaning it has a high
00:02:56 --> 00:02:58 abundance of radioactive elements,
00:02:58 --> 00:03:01 actides. So the stars unusual
00:03:01 --> 00:03:03 composition provides new clues about the
00:03:03 --> 00:03:05 different types of R process events that
00:03:05 --> 00:03:08 can occur in the universe. By studying
00:03:08 --> 00:03:09 it, astronomers hope to better
00:03:10 --> 00:03:12 understand where these heavy elements
00:03:12 --> 00:03:15 come from and how they're created. It's
00:03:15 --> 00:03:17 like piecing together a cosmic puzzle,
00:03:17 --> 00:03:17 you
00:03:17 --> 00:03:20 know? Okay, so shifting gears a little,
00:03:20 --> 00:03:22 let's head over to China where a rocket
00:03:22 --> 00:03:25 startup called Space Epic, or SEPO if
00:03:25 --> 00:03:27 you like it short, recently showed off
00:03:27 --> 00:03:29 its reusable rocket booster, the Yang
00:03:29 --> 00:03:31 Singh Ji1. They had a test launch and
00:03:31 --> 00:03:33 get this, it did a soft landing right in
00:03:33 --> 00:03:36 the ocean. I mean, sadly, it sank
00:03:36 --> 00:03:38 afterwards. But hey, the launch and the
00:03:38 --> 00:03:40 test were still a success. Apparently,
00:03:40 --> 00:03:42 the whole point was to test things like
00:03:42 --> 00:03:44 the engine's thrust control, shutdown,
00:03:44 --> 00:03:46 and restart capabilities. Plus, they
00:03:46 --> 00:03:48 tested free descent, gliding, and
00:03:48 --> 00:03:50 hovering before splashdown. Pretty cool,
00:03:50 --> 00:03:53 right? Now, this Yangj booster is kind
00:03:53 --> 00:03:54 of interesting. It's made from
00:03:54 --> 00:03:56 lightweight, thinwalled aluminum,
00:03:56 --> 00:03:57 stainless steel, and runs on liquid
00:03:57 --> 00:04:00 oxygen and methane. It's about 4.2 m in
00:04:00 --> 00:04:03 diameter and almost 27 m tall. Now, I
00:04:03 --> 00:04:05 know what you're thinking. How does this
00:04:05 --> 00:04:07 stack up against SpaceX? Well, SpaceX's
00:04:07 --> 00:04:09 Falcon 9 booster is a bit narrower, but
00:04:09 --> 00:04:12 it's taller. And speaking of SpaceX,
00:04:12 --> 00:04:14 it's kind of wild how they've turned
00:04:14 --> 00:04:17 landing and reusing boosters into like a
00:04:17 --> 00:04:19 near daily thing. Meanwhile, China is
00:04:19 --> 00:04:21 catching up with a bunch of space
00:04:21 --> 00:04:22 startups popping up
00:04:22 --> 00:04:25 recently. And you know, with China
00:04:25 --> 00:04:27 working on its own mega satellite
00:04:27 --> 00:04:28 constellation and planning some
00:04:28 --> 00:04:30 seriously ambitious missions, including
00:04:30 --> 00:04:32 their own version of the Hubble
00:04:32 --> 00:04:34 telescope, it's clear they are becoming
00:04:34 --> 00:04:36 a major player in space
00:04:36 --> 00:04:38 exploration. Space Epoch is hoping to
00:04:38 --> 00:04:41 reach orbit later this year. So yeah,
00:04:41 --> 00:04:42 it's definitely going to be interesting
00:04:42 --> 00:04:44 to see what these China based startups
00:04:44 --> 00:04:45 do in the coming
00:04:45 --> 00:04:48 years. All right, next up in our cosmic
00:04:48 --> 00:04:50 headlines, NASA's Chandra X-ray
00:04:50 --> 00:04:52 Observatory has spotted something pretty
00:04:52 --> 00:04:54 wild. We're talking about two galaxy
00:04:54 --> 00:04:58 clusters known as
00:04:58 --> 00:04:59 PSZ2G181.06
00:04:59 --> 00:05:01 plus48.47 that have already collided
00:05:01 --> 00:05:03 once and are now heading back for a
00:05:03 --> 00:05:06 second smashup. Now, galaxy clusters,
00:05:06 --> 00:05:08 just so you know, are like the biggest
00:05:08 --> 00:05:10 structures in the universe held together
00:05:10 --> 00:05:12 by gravity. They're basically massive
00:05:12 --> 00:05:15 collections of galaxies, superheated
00:05:15 --> 00:05:18 gas, and dark matter. These two clusters
00:05:18 --> 00:05:20 are about 2.8 billion lightyears away.
00:05:20 --> 00:05:22 And after their first collision, they
00:05:22 --> 00:05:25 created these huge parentheseshaped
00:05:25 --> 00:05:27 shock fronts, kind of like sonic booms,
00:05:27 --> 00:05:30 but on a cosmic scale. These shock
00:05:30 --> 00:05:32 fronts are now separated by about 11
00:05:32 --> 00:05:34 million lightyear, which is apparently
00:05:34 --> 00:05:36 the largest separation astronomers have
00:05:36 --> 00:05:39 ever seen. But get this, Chandra and XMM
00:05:39 --> 00:05:41 Newton data show that these clusters are
00:05:41 --> 00:05:44 now slowing down and turning around for
00:05:44 --> 00:05:46 another collision. Astronomers have
00:05:46 --> 00:05:48 spotted three new shock fronts that seem
00:05:48 --> 00:05:51 to be early signs of this second crash.
00:05:51 --> 00:05:53 What's really interesting is that the
00:05:53 --> 00:05:56 total mass of this system is less than
00:05:56 --> 00:05:58 other colliding galaxy clusters, making
00:05:58 --> 00:06:01 it a pretty unusual case. This event is
00:06:02 --> 00:06:03 giving scientists a peak into the
00:06:03 --> 00:06:06 dynamics of these massive structures and
00:06:06 --> 00:06:08 how they evolve over
00:06:09 --> 00:06:11 time. So, that's your astronomy daily
00:06:11 --> 00:06:13 news summary for today. From a tiny star
00:06:13 --> 00:06:15 with a giant planet to colliding galaxy
00:06:15 --> 00:06:18 clusters, I've been your host, Anna, and
00:06:18 --> 00:06:20 I hope you enjoyed our little tour of
00:06:20 --> 00:06:22 the cosmos. For all the latest space and
00:06:22 --> 00:06:24 astronomy news, don't forget to visit
00:06:24 --> 00:06:26 our website at
00:06:26 --> 00:06:27 astronomydaily.io, where you can catch
00:06:28 --> 00:06:30 up on our constantly updating news feed.
00:06:30 --> 00:06:32 Until tomorrow, thanks for tuning in and
00:06:32 --> 00:06:38 keep looking
00:06:38 --> 00:06:41 up. The stories we told.
00:06:41 --> 00:06:56 [Music]