00:00:00 --> 00:00:02 Welcome to Astronomy Daily, your cosmic
00:00:02 --> 00:00:05 connection to the stars and beyond. I'm
00:00:05 --> 00:00:07 Anna, bringing you the latest
00:00:07 --> 00:00:09 developments in space exploration and
00:00:09 --> 00:00:10 astronomical discoveries right to your
00:00:10 --> 00:00:13 ears. Today's episode is packed with
00:00:13 --> 00:00:15 fascinating stories that showcase both
00:00:15 --> 00:00:17 the mysteries of our universe and
00:00:17 --> 00:00:19 humanity's incredible technological
00:00:19 --> 00:00:21 ingenuity in uncovering them. We'll be
00:00:21 --> 00:00:23 exploring several breaking stories that
00:00:23 --> 00:00:25 highlight just how dynamic our solar
00:00:25 --> 00:00:28 system truly is. We'll start by delving
00:00:28 --> 00:00:30 into a new gravity study that finally
00:00:30 --> 00:00:32 helps explain why the two sides of our
00:00:32 --> 00:00:34 moon look so dramatically different. A
00:00:34 --> 00:00:36 question that has puzzled scientists for
00:00:36 --> 00:00:38 decades. The research reveals
00:00:38 --> 00:00:40 fascinating asymmetries deep within the
00:00:40 --> 00:00:42 lunar interior that have shaped its
00:00:42 --> 00:00:44 distinctive
00:00:44 --> 00:00:46 appearance. Then we'll head down under
00:00:46 --> 00:00:49 to Australia where an aerospace firm was
00:00:49 --> 00:00:51 preparing for a historic rocket launch
00:00:51 --> 00:00:52 that would have been the first
00:00:52 --> 00:00:54 Australianmade rocket to reach orbit
00:00:54 --> 00:00:57 from Australian soil. We'll look at what
00:00:57 --> 00:00:59 happened with this milestone attempt and
00:00:59 --> 00:01:01 what it means for the growing global
00:01:01 --> 00:01:04 space industry. Next, we'll travel to
00:01:04 --> 00:01:06 the very edge of our solar system, where
00:01:06 --> 00:01:09 NASA engineers have achieved what many
00:01:09 --> 00:01:11 would consider impossible, reviving
00:01:11 --> 00:01:14 thrusters on the Voyager 1 spacecraft
00:01:14 --> 00:01:16 that had been deemed unusable since
00:01:16 --> 00:01:17 2004.
00:01:17 --> 00:01:19 This remarkable feat of remote
00:01:19 --> 00:01:21 engineering shows just how resourceful
00:01:21 --> 00:01:23 our space teams can be, especially when
00:01:23 --> 00:01:25 working with a spacecraft that's now
00:01:25 --> 00:01:28 over 15 billion miles from Earth. We'll
00:01:28 --> 00:01:30 also examine fascinating new findings
00:01:30 --> 00:01:31 about Venus that suggest our nearest
00:01:31 --> 00:01:33 planetary neighbor may be more
00:01:33 --> 00:01:35 geologically active than previously
00:01:35 --> 00:01:38 thought. Data from NASA's Mellin mission
00:01:38 --> 00:01:40 has revealed evidence of ongoing
00:01:40 --> 00:01:42 tectonic processes that reshape our
00:01:42 --> 00:01:45 understanding of this enigmatic world.
00:01:45 --> 00:01:46 Finally, we'll look at a historic first
00:01:46 --> 00:01:49 on Mars, where the Perseverance rover
00:01:49 --> 00:01:51 has captured an image that no human has
00:01:51 --> 00:01:54 ever seen before. A visible aurora on
00:01:54 --> 00:01:57 the red planet. This subtle green glow
00:01:57 --> 00:01:59 gives us a preview of what future
00:01:59 --> 00:02:01 Martian explorers might witness in the
00:02:01 --> 00:02:04 night sky. These stories remind us that
00:02:04 --> 00:02:06 our solar system is not a static place,
00:02:06 --> 00:02:08 but an everchanging, dynamic environment
00:02:08 --> 00:02:11 full of ongoing processes and unexpected
00:02:11 --> 00:02:13 discoveries. They also highlight the
00:02:14 --> 00:02:15 incredible technological achievements
00:02:15 --> 00:02:17 that allow us to explore these distant
00:02:17 --> 00:02:20 worlds from right here on Earth. So
00:02:20 --> 00:02:22 settle in as we journey across the
00:02:22 --> 00:02:24 cosmos, exploring the latest findings
00:02:24 --> 00:02:26 that continue to expand our
00:02:26 --> 00:02:28 understanding of the universe we call
00:02:28 --> 00:02:32 home. Let's get things underway.
00:02:32 --> 00:02:33 One of the most enduring mysteries about
00:02:33 --> 00:02:36 our closest celestial neighbor has been
00:02:36 --> 00:02:38 why the moon's near side, the face we
00:02:38 --> 00:02:40 see from Earth, looks so dramatically
00:02:40 --> 00:02:43 different from its far side. Now, an
00:02:43 --> 00:02:46 exhaustive examination of lunar gravity
00:02:46 --> 00:02:48 using data from NASA's Grail mission is
00:02:48 --> 00:02:50 offering compelling new evidence to
00:02:50 --> 00:02:52 explain this lunar dichotomy. The
00:02:52 --> 00:02:54 research team discovered that the moon's
00:02:54 --> 00:02:56 near side flexes slightly more than the
00:02:56 --> 00:02:58 far side during its elliptical orbit
00:02:58 --> 00:03:00 around Earth. This difference in tidal
00:03:00 --> 00:03:02 deformation caused by Earth's
00:03:02 --> 00:03:04 gravitational pole indicates significant
00:03:04 --> 00:03:06 structural differences between the two
00:03:06 --> 00:03:08 sides of the lunar interior,
00:03:08 --> 00:03:10 particularly in the mantle layer. Our
00:03:10 --> 00:03:13 study shows that the moon's interior is
00:03:13 --> 00:03:16 not uniform, explains Ryan Park, lead
00:03:16 --> 00:03:17 author of the study published in the
00:03:17 --> 00:03:20 journal Nature. The side facing Earth,
00:03:20 --> 00:03:23 the near side, is warmer and more
00:03:23 --> 00:03:25 geologically active deep down than the
00:03:25 --> 00:03:27 far side. This temperature difference is
00:03:27 --> 00:03:29 substantial. Researchers estimate that
00:03:30 --> 00:03:32 the near side mantle averages between
00:03:32 --> 00:03:34 180 to
00:03:34 --> 00:03:37 360° hotter than the far side mantle.
00:03:37 --> 00:03:39 This thermal difference is likely
00:03:39 --> 00:03:41 sustained by the radioactive decay of
00:03:41 --> 00:03:44 elements like thorium and titanium which
00:03:44 --> 00:03:46 appear to have accumulated on the near
00:03:46 --> 00:03:49 side overions of the help explain the
00:03:49 --> 00:03:51 stark visual contrast between the two
00:03:51 --> 00:03:54 lunar hemispheres. If you've ever looked
00:03:54 --> 00:03:56 up at the moon, you've noticed that the
00:03:56 --> 00:03:58 near side is dominated by vast dark
00:03:58 --> 00:04:01 plains called mare formed when molten
00:04:01 --> 00:04:03 rock cooled and solidified billions of
00:04:03 --> 00:04:06 years ago. In contrast, the far side has
00:04:06 --> 00:04:08 a much more rugged mountainous terrain
00:04:08 --> 00:04:09 with very few of these
00:04:09 --> 00:04:11 planes. Scientists have long
00:04:11 --> 00:04:14 hypothesized that intense volcanism on
00:04:14 --> 00:04:17 the near side caused radioactive heat
00:04:17 --> 00:04:18 generating elements to accumulate in the
00:04:18 --> 00:04:21 mantle beneath this hemisphere, driving
00:04:21 --> 00:04:23 these surface differences.
00:04:23 --> 00:04:24 The new Grail data provides the
00:04:24 --> 00:04:26 strongest evidence yet supporting this
00:04:26 --> 00:04:29 theory. The researchers devoted years to
00:04:29 --> 00:04:31 analyzing data from the Twin Grail
00:04:31 --> 00:04:34 spacecraft, Eb and Flow, which orbited
00:04:34 --> 00:04:38 the moon from December 2011 to December
00:04:38 --> 00:04:41 2012. Their work has resulted in what
00:04:41 --> 00:04:43 Park describes as the most detailed and
00:04:43 --> 00:04:45 accurate gravitational map of the moon
00:04:45 --> 00:04:48 to date. Beyond solving this lunar
00:04:48 --> 00:04:50 mystery, the enhanced gravity map has
00:04:50 --> 00:04:52 practical applications. It will be
00:04:52 --> 00:04:54 crucial for developing lunar
00:04:54 --> 00:04:56 positioning, navigation, and timing
00:04:56 --> 00:04:58 systems, essential tools for future
00:04:58 --> 00:05:01 lunar exploration missions. By improving
00:05:01 --> 00:05:03 our understanding of the moon's gravity
00:05:03 --> 00:05:05 field, the research contributes to
00:05:05 --> 00:05:07 establishing a precise lunar reference
00:05:07 --> 00:05:09 frame that will enable safer and more
00:05:09 --> 00:05:11 reliable navigation for spacecraft and
00:05:11 --> 00:05:13 surface operations.
00:05:13 --> 00:05:15 This asymmetry in the moon's interior
00:05:15 --> 00:05:17 structure also deepens our appreciation
00:05:17 --> 00:05:20 of our celestial companions importance
00:05:20 --> 00:05:22 to Earth. The moon stabilizes our
00:05:22 --> 00:05:25 planet's rotation and generates ocean
00:05:25 --> 00:05:27 tides that influence countless natural
00:05:27 --> 00:05:29 systems and daily rhythms on our world.
00:05:29 --> 00:05:31 What's particularly exciting is that the
00:05:31 --> 00:05:33 gravitational analysis techniques used
00:05:33 --> 00:05:35 in this study could potentially be
00:05:35 --> 00:05:37 applied to other bodies in our solar
00:05:37 --> 00:05:40 system, such as Saturn's moon Enceladus
00:05:40 --> 00:05:42 and Jupiter's moon Ganymede. both
00:05:42 --> 00:05:44 considered prime candidates in the
00:05:44 --> 00:05:46 search for potential life beyond
00:05:46 --> 00:05:49 Earth. Next in today's story lineup, an
00:05:49 --> 00:05:50 Australian aerospace firm has been
00:05:50 --> 00:05:51 forced to delay what would have been a
00:05:51 --> 00:05:53 historic rocket launch from Australian
00:05:53 --> 00:05:56 soil. Gilmore Space Technologies had
00:05:56 --> 00:05:57 planned to conduct the first test launch
00:05:58 --> 00:05:59 of their three-stage Aerys rocket
00:05:59 --> 00:06:01 yesterday, but had to postpone after
00:06:01 --> 00:06:03 encountering a ground system glitch
00:06:03 --> 00:06:05 during pre-launch operations.
00:06:05 --> 00:06:07 The company's communications chief,
00:06:07 --> 00:06:09 Michelle Gilmore, explained that the
00:06:09 --> 00:06:11 issue was with an external power system
00:06:11 --> 00:06:13 we used during system checks. The
00:06:14 --> 00:06:16 technical team identified the fix, but
00:06:16 --> 00:06:18 ran out of time to implement it and fuel
00:06:18 --> 00:06:19 the rocket within the day's launch
00:06:19 --> 00:06:22 window. They're now targeting today for
00:06:22 --> 00:06:25 the rescheduled launch attempt. The 23 m
00:06:25 --> 00:06:29 75- ft Aerys rocket is poised to take
00:06:29 --> 00:06:31 off from a spaceport near Bowen, a
00:06:31 --> 00:06:35 coastal township approximately 1 km
00:06:35 --> 00:06:37 north of Brisbane. If successful, it
00:06:37 --> 00:06:39 would mark a significant milestone as
00:06:39 --> 00:06:41 the first Australian-made rocket to
00:06:41 --> 00:06:42 achieve an orbital launch from
00:06:42 --> 00:06:45 Australian soil. While the maiden flight
00:06:45 --> 00:06:47 is primarily a test, the rocket isn't
00:06:47 --> 00:06:49 traveling empty. In a quintessentially
00:06:49 --> 00:06:51 Australian touch, it will be carrying a
00:06:51 --> 00:06:53 jar of Vegemite, the iconic Australian
00:06:53 --> 00:06:57 toast spread as its payload. CEO Adam
00:06:57 --> 00:06:59 Gilmore has been candid about managing
00:06:59 --> 00:07:01 expectations for this first flight. If
00:07:01 --> 00:07:03 it orbits Earth, I would probably have a
00:07:04 --> 00:07:05 heart attack actually because I'll be so
00:07:05 --> 00:07:08 surprised but deliriously happy. He told
00:07:08 --> 00:07:10 reporters, "We're going to be happy if
00:07:10 --> 00:07:13 it gets off the pad. 10, 20, 30 seconds
00:07:14 --> 00:07:16 of flight time. Fantastic. So, orbit is
00:07:16 --> 00:07:18 just not in the realm of my belief right
00:07:18 --> 00:07:20 now, even though it's theoretically
00:07:20 --> 00:07:23 possible. The Aerys rocket is designed
00:07:23 --> 00:07:25 to eventually carry small satellites
00:07:25 --> 00:07:28 weighing between 100 and 200 kg into low
00:07:28 --> 00:07:31 Earth orbit, weighing 30 tons when fully
00:07:31 --> 00:07:33 fueled. It uses a hybrid propulsion
00:07:33 --> 00:07:36 system combining solid inert fuel with a
00:07:36 --> 00:07:38 liquid oxidizer.
00:07:38 --> 00:07:40 Gilmore Space Technologies has backing
00:07:40 --> 00:07:41 from private investors, including
00:07:42 --> 00:07:43 venture capital group Blackbird and
00:07:43 --> 00:07:46 pension fund HA. The company, which
00:07:46 --> 00:07:49 employs 230 people, has ambitious plans
00:07:49 --> 00:07:51 to commence commercial launches by late
00:07:51 --> 00:07:54 2026 or early 2027. Here's wishing them
00:07:54 --> 00:07:57 all the best with the next attempt.
00:07:57 --> 00:07:59 Now, here's a story that truly showcases
00:07:59 --> 00:08:02 the incredible ingenuity of NASA's
00:08:02 --> 00:08:05 engineering team. In what can only be
00:08:05 --> 00:08:07 described as a remarkable feat of remote
00:08:07 --> 00:08:10 problem solving, engineers at NASA's Jet
00:08:10 --> 00:08:12 Propulsion Laboratory have successfully
00:08:12 --> 00:08:14 revived a set of thrusters aboard
00:08:14 --> 00:08:16 Voyager 1 that had been considered
00:08:16 --> 00:08:19 completely inoperable since 2004.
00:08:19 --> 00:08:21 This achievement is particularly
00:08:21 --> 00:08:22 impressive when you consider that
00:08:22 --> 00:08:24 Voyager 1 is currently hurtling through
00:08:24 --> 00:08:27 interstellar space at approximately
00:08:27 --> 00:08:32 35 mph, over 15 billion miles from
00:08:32 --> 00:08:35 Earth. That's so far away that radio
00:08:35 --> 00:08:37 signals take more than 23 hours to
00:08:37 --> 00:08:39 travel between the spacecraft and our
00:08:39 --> 00:08:41 planet. The thruster revival was
00:08:41 --> 00:08:44 critically timed. Engineers needed to
00:08:44 --> 00:08:46 fix these systems before May 4th when
00:08:46 --> 00:08:49 the Deep Space Network's 230 foot wide
00:08:49 --> 00:08:51 antenna in Canberra, Australia, the only
00:08:51 --> 00:08:53 dish powerful enough to send commands to
00:08:54 --> 00:08:56 the distant Voyagers, went offline for
00:08:56 --> 00:08:58 extensive upgrades that will last until
00:08:58 --> 00:09:01 February 2026 with only brief
00:09:01 --> 00:09:03 operational windows in August and
00:09:03 --> 00:09:06 December. Why was this fix so urgent?
00:09:06 --> 00:09:08 The Voyager spacecraft rely on small
00:09:08 --> 00:09:11 thrusters to maintain their orientation,
00:09:11 --> 00:09:13 keeping their antennas pointed at Earth
00:09:13 --> 00:09:15 so they can continue sending back data
00:09:15 --> 00:09:18 and receiving commands. The primary set
00:09:18 --> 00:09:20 of thrusters currently in use on Voyager
00:09:20 --> 00:09:23 1 have been experiencing fuel tube
00:09:23 --> 00:09:25 clogging due to residue buildup, which
00:09:25 --> 00:09:27 could cause them to fail completely as
00:09:27 --> 00:09:29 early as this northern fall. The
00:09:29 --> 00:09:31 situation was complicated by the fact
00:09:31 --> 00:09:33 that the backup thrusters had stopped
00:09:33 --> 00:09:36 working back in 2004 when two small
00:09:36 --> 00:09:38 internal heaters lost power. At that
00:09:38 --> 00:09:40 time, engineers determined the heaters
00:09:40 --> 00:09:43 were likely unfixable and switched to
00:09:43 --> 00:09:46 other backup systems. After all, who
00:09:46 --> 00:09:47 could have predicted Voyager would still
00:09:47 --> 00:09:50 be operational two decades later? After
00:09:50 --> 00:09:53 revisiting the 2004 thruster failure,
00:09:53 --> 00:09:55 the team suspected that an unexpected
00:09:55 --> 00:09:57 circuit disturbance had essentially
00:09:57 --> 00:09:59 flipped a switch to the wrong position.
00:09:59 --> 00:10:01 If they could turn the switch back, the
00:10:01 --> 00:10:04 heaters might work again. This solution
00:10:04 --> 00:10:06 required precision timing and careful
00:10:06 --> 00:10:09 planning. If the spacecraft's star
00:10:09 --> 00:10:11 tracker drifted too far from its guide
00:10:11 --> 00:10:13 star during the fix, the dormant
00:10:13 --> 00:10:14 thrusters would automatically fire
00:10:14 --> 00:10:16 without their heaters, potentially
00:10:16 --> 00:10:19 causing a small explosion. On March
00:10:19 --> 00:10:21 20th, after sending their commands and
00:10:22 --> 00:10:24 waiting anxiously through the 23-hour
00:10:24 --> 00:10:26 signal delay, the team witnessed the
00:10:26 --> 00:10:28 temperature of the thruster heaters rise
00:10:28 --> 00:10:31 dramatically, confirming their success.
00:10:31 --> 00:10:33 As mission propulsion lead Todd Barber
00:10:33 --> 00:10:35 described it, "It was such a glorious
00:10:35 --> 00:10:37 moment, team morale was very high that
00:10:37 --> 00:10:39 day. These thrusters were considered
00:10:39 --> 00:10:41 dead. It was yet another miracle save
00:10:41 --> 00:10:44 for Voyager." Launched in 1977, both
00:10:44 --> 00:10:47 Voyager 1 and its twin Voyager 2
00:10:47 --> 00:10:48 continue to push the boundaries of space
00:10:48 --> 00:10:51 exploration as the only spacecraft to
00:10:51 --> 00:10:52 have ever sent back data from
00:10:52 --> 00:10:54 interstellar space. The region beyond
00:10:54 --> 00:10:57 our solar systems protective bubble.
00:10:57 --> 00:10:59 This latest engineering triumph ensures
00:10:59 --> 00:11:01 that this incredible scientific journey
00:11:01 --> 00:11:03 can continue even
00:11:03 --> 00:11:05 longer. Let's move on now to some news
00:11:05 --> 00:11:08 from one of our celestial neighbors. Our
00:11:08 --> 00:11:09 understanding of Venus, Earth's
00:11:09 --> 00:11:11 so-called twin planet, continues to
00:11:12 --> 00:11:13 evolve as scientists uncover evidence
00:11:14 --> 00:11:15 that it may be more geologically active
00:11:16 --> 00:11:18 than previously thought. New research
00:11:18 --> 00:11:21 based on data gathered over 30 years ago
00:11:21 --> 00:11:23 by NASA's Mellin mission has revealed
00:11:23 --> 00:11:26 fascinating insights about vast
00:11:26 --> 00:11:28 quasicular features on Venus called
00:11:28 --> 00:11:31 Coroni, which suggest ongoing tectonic
00:11:31 --> 00:11:34 activity beneath the planet's surface.
00:11:34 --> 00:11:36 Unlike Earth with its shifting tectonic
00:11:36 --> 00:11:38 plates, Venus doesn't have plate
00:11:38 --> 00:11:40 tectonics as we know it. However, this
00:11:40 --> 00:11:43 doesn't mean Venus is geologically dead.
00:11:43 --> 00:11:44 The new study published in Science
00:11:44 --> 00:11:46 Advances indicates that its surface is
00:11:46 --> 00:11:49 still being deformed by molten material
00:11:49 --> 00:11:52 rising from below. Coroni are enormous
00:11:52 --> 00:11:54 structures ranging from dozens to
00:11:54 --> 00:11:57 hundreds of miles across where plumes of
00:11:57 --> 00:11:59 hot buoyant material from Venus's mantle
00:11:59 --> 00:12:00 are thought to push against the
00:12:00 --> 00:12:03 lithosphere, the planet's crust and
00:12:03 --> 00:12:05 uppermost mantle layer. These features
00:12:05 --> 00:12:07 typically appear as oval structures
00:12:07 --> 00:12:09 surrounded by concentric fracture
00:12:09 --> 00:12:11 systems and hundreds of them have been
00:12:11 --> 00:12:14 identified across Venus.
00:12:14 --> 00:12:16 What makes this research particularly
00:12:16 --> 00:12:18 exciting is that it suggests multiple
00:12:18 --> 00:12:21 ongoing processes are actively shaping
00:12:21 --> 00:12:23 these coroni. By combining gravity and
00:12:23 --> 00:12:25 topography data from Mellin and
00:12:25 --> 00:12:27 developing sophisticated
00:12:27 --> 00:12:29 three-dimensional geodamic models,
00:12:29 --> 00:12:32 researchers were able to identify 52
00:12:32 --> 00:12:34 Coroni out of the 75 studied that appear
00:12:34 --> 00:12:36 to have buoyant mantle material beneath
00:12:36 --> 00:12:40 them, likely driving tectonic processes.
00:12:40 --> 00:12:41 The team identified several different
00:12:41 --> 00:12:45 mechanisms potentially at work in some
00:12:45 --> 00:12:47 Coroni. A Venus specific type of
00:12:47 --> 00:12:50 subduction may be occurring. As hot rock
00:12:50 --> 00:12:52 pushes upward from the mantle, surface
00:12:52 --> 00:12:55 material rises and spreads outward
00:12:55 --> 00:12:56 eventually colliding with surrounding
00:12:56 --> 00:12:58 material and pushing it downward into
00:12:58 --> 00:13:01 the mantle. Another process called
00:13:01 --> 00:13:03 lithospheric dripping might also be
00:13:03 --> 00:13:05 present where dense accumulations of
00:13:05 --> 00:13:06 cooler material sink from the
00:13:06 --> 00:13:10 lithosphere into the hot mantle below.
00:13:10 --> 00:13:12 Lead researcher Gail Cashioli who is
00:13:12 --> 00:13:13 part of NASA's forthcoming Varidis
00:13:13 --> 00:13:15 mission to Venus noted that these
00:13:16 --> 00:13:17 features might provide a unique window
00:13:17 --> 00:13:21 into Earth's past. Coroni are not found
00:13:21 --> 00:13:23 on Earth today. However, they may have
00:13:23 --> 00:13:25 existed when our planet was young and
00:13:25 --> 00:13:26 before plate tectonics had been
00:13:26 --> 00:13:29 established. He explained, "This work is
00:13:30 --> 00:13:31 especially significant as it represents
00:13:32 --> 00:13:33 yet another instance where scientists
00:13:33 --> 00:13:35 are finding Venus exhibits more
00:13:35 --> 00:13:37 Earthlike geologic processes than
00:13:37 --> 00:13:39 originally thought. Just recently,
00:13:40 --> 00:13:41 researchers were able to identify
00:13:41 --> 00:13:43 erupting volcanoes and vast lava flows
00:13:43 --> 00:13:46 in radar images from Mellin, providing
00:13:46 --> 00:13:49 direct evidence of volcanic activity.
00:13:49 --> 00:13:50 While these discoveries are
00:13:50 --> 00:13:52 groundbreaking, scientists will need
00:13:52 --> 00:13:54 even higher resolution data to fully
00:13:54 --> 00:13:56 understand the tectonic processes
00:13:56 --> 00:13:59 driving corona formation. That's where
00:13:59 --> 00:14:01 NASA's upcoming Varidis mission comes
00:14:01 --> 00:14:03 in. Scheduled to launch no earlier than
00:14:03 --> 00:14:06 2031, Veritus will create detailed
00:14:06 --> 00:14:08 three-dimensional global maps of Venus
00:14:08 --> 00:14:11 and measure its gravitational field to
00:14:11 --> 00:14:12 determine the structure of the planet's
00:14:12 --> 00:14:16 interior at unprecedented resolution,
00:14:16 --> 00:14:17 potentially revolutionizing our
00:14:18 --> 00:14:20 understanding of Venus and what it might
00:14:20 --> 00:14:23 tell us about Earth's early history.
00:14:23 --> 00:14:25 Next, let's head off to our other near
00:14:25 --> 00:14:26 neighbor and one of our favorite
00:14:26 --> 00:14:28 planets. In a groundbreaking
00:14:28 --> 00:14:31 astronomical first, NASA's Perseverance
00:14:31 --> 00:14:33 rover has captured an image of a visible
00:14:33 --> 00:14:38 aurora on Mars. On March 18, 2024, the
00:14:38 --> 00:14:40 rover observed what scientists describe
00:14:40 --> 00:14:43 as a subtle green glow hanging low in
00:14:43 --> 00:14:45 the Martian sky, wathing the horizon in
00:14:45 --> 00:14:48 every direction. This marks not only the
00:14:48 --> 00:14:50 first sighting of a visible Martian
00:14:50 --> 00:14:52 aurora, but also the first observation
00:14:52 --> 00:14:54 of any aurora from the surface of a
00:14:54 --> 00:14:57 planet other than Earth. Until now,
00:14:57 --> 00:14:59 auroras had been spotted on Mercury,
00:14:59 --> 00:15:00 Jupiter, and every other non-earth
00:15:00 --> 00:15:02 planet in our solar system, but only
00:15:02 --> 00:15:05 from orbit. On Mars specifically,
00:15:05 --> 00:15:07 scientists had only detected auroral
00:15:07 --> 00:15:08 wavelengths of light that are invisible
00:15:08 --> 00:15:11 to the naked eye using specialized
00:15:11 --> 00:15:13 instruments. This new observation
00:15:13 --> 00:15:15 answers a long-standing question about
00:15:15 --> 00:15:17 what future human explorers might
00:15:17 --> 00:15:19 witness in the Martian night sky.
00:15:19 --> 00:15:22 According to Roger Wis, a planetary
00:15:22 --> 00:15:24 scientist at Purdue University, future
00:15:24 --> 00:15:26 astronauts would see a dull or dim green
00:15:26 --> 00:15:29 glow with their own eyes. The image from
00:15:29 --> 00:15:31 Perseverance appears somewhat fuzzy
00:15:31 --> 00:15:33 compared to the spectacular aurora
00:15:33 --> 00:15:34 displays we're accustomed to seeing from
00:15:34 --> 00:15:37 Earth, and for good reason. The rover's
00:15:37 --> 00:15:38 cameras aren't optimized for night
00:15:39 --> 00:15:41 photography, performing with sensitivity
00:15:41 --> 00:15:43 roughly comparable to human eyes.
00:15:43 --> 00:15:45 Another factor contributing to the
00:15:45 --> 00:15:47 aurora's different appearance is Mars's
00:15:47 --> 00:15:49 unique magnetic environment. Unlike
00:15:49 --> 00:15:51 Earth with its global magnetic field
00:15:51 --> 00:15:53 that concentrates auroras near the
00:15:53 --> 00:15:55 poles, Mars has a patchy magnetized
00:15:55 --> 00:15:58 crust. This means auroras can appear all
00:15:58 --> 00:15:59 over the planet rather than being
00:15:59 --> 00:16:02 confined to polar regions, but they tend
00:16:02 --> 00:16:04 to be comparatively dim. Scientists
00:16:04 --> 00:16:06 believe this particular aurora was
00:16:06 --> 00:16:09 triggered by a coronal mass ejection. A
00:16:09 --> 00:16:10 large cloud of plasma and magnetic
00:16:10 --> 00:16:13 fields blasted from the sun into space.
00:16:13 --> 00:16:15 The Perseverance team was alerted to
00:16:15 --> 00:16:17 this solar event days in advance,
00:16:17 --> 00:16:19 allowing them to prepare the rover to
00:16:19 --> 00:16:21 capture this historic image.
00:16:21 --> 00:16:23 Interestingly, while Perseverance is
00:16:23 --> 00:16:26 located near Mars's equator, researchers
00:16:26 --> 00:16:28 suggest that observing auroras from
00:16:28 --> 00:16:30 Mars' southern hemisphere might yield
00:16:30 --> 00:16:32 even more spectacular results. That
00:16:32 --> 00:16:34 region contains the most magnetized part
00:16:34 --> 00:16:37 of the planet, potentially producing
00:16:37 --> 00:16:39 stronger auroral displays. This
00:16:39 --> 00:16:41 discovery adds another fascinating
00:16:42 --> 00:16:44 chapter to our understanding of Mars and
00:16:44 --> 00:16:46 provides a glimpse of the ethereal
00:16:46 --> 00:16:48 experiences awaiting future human
00:16:48 --> 00:16:51 explorers who might one day stand on the
00:16:51 --> 00:16:54 red planet surface, gazing up at a
00:16:54 --> 00:16:58 glowing green Martian sky.
00:16:58 --> 00:17:00 And that brings us to the end of today's
00:17:00 --> 00:17:02 cosmic journey through the latest space
00:17:02 --> 00:17:04 news. From the mysterious asymmetry of
00:17:04 --> 00:17:06 our moon to engineering marvels on
00:17:06 --> 00:17:09 Voyager 1, tectonic activity on Venus,
00:17:09 --> 00:17:11 delayed rocket launches in Australia,
00:17:11 --> 00:17:13 and the first ever image of a Martian
00:17:13 --> 00:17:16 aurora. The universe continues to
00:17:16 --> 00:17:18 surprise and inspire us with each new
00:17:18 --> 00:17:21 discovery. I'm Anna, your host here on
00:17:21 --> 00:17:23 Astronomy Daily, bringing you the
00:17:23 --> 00:17:25 stories that connect us to the vast
00:17:25 --> 00:17:26 cosmos beyond our
00:17:26 --> 00:17:28 atmosphere. Whether you're a seasoned
00:17:28 --> 00:17:31 astronomer or simply curious about what
00:17:31 --> 00:17:34 lies beyond our blue marble, I hope
00:17:34 --> 00:17:35 today's episode has sparked your
00:17:35 --> 00:17:37 imagination and deepened your
00:17:37 --> 00:17:40 appreciation for the wonders of space
00:17:40 --> 00:17:42 exploration. If you've enjoyed today's
00:17:42 --> 00:17:44 show, please visit our website at
00:17:44 --> 00:17:47 astronomyaily.io io where you can sign
00:17:47 --> 00:17:49 up for our free daily newsletter and
00:17:49 --> 00:17:50 stay informed about breaking astronomy
00:17:50 --> 00:17:53 news. While you're there, you can also
00:17:53 --> 00:17:55 browse through all our back episodes to
00:17:55 --> 00:17:57 catch up on any cosmic stories you might
00:17:57 --> 00:17:59 have missed. Don't forget to subscribe
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00:18:02 --> 00:18:04 Spotify, YouTube, or wherever you get
00:18:04 --> 00:18:06 your podcasts to ensure you never miss
00:18:06 --> 00:18:09 an episode. Until next time, keep
00:18:09 --> 00:18:10 looking up. The universe is putting on
00:18:10 --> 00:18:14 quite a show.
00:18:14 --> 00:18:21 Stories we
00:18:21 --> 00:18:25 told stories
00:18:25 --> 00:18:29 [Music]
00:18:29 --> 00:18:33 told stories