Astronomy Daily - The Podcast: S04E29
In this episode of Astronomy Daily, host Steve Dunkley dives into the captivating celestial events and groundbreaking research that are shaping our understanding of the universe this February. Join us as Hallie presents the much-anticipated February Planet Parade and shares intriguing insights from the Russian Institute of Biomedical Problems, along with other fascinating stories from the Astronomy Daily newsletter.
Highlights:
- February Planet Parade : Get ready for a spectacular display of the five brightest planets in the evening sky! Hallie guides us through this rare planetary alignment, featuring Venus, Jupiter, Mars, Mercury, and Saturn, culminating in a special conjunction on February 24.
- Sirius Mission Success : Discover the remarkable achievement of the Russian Institute of Biomedical Problems, which has successfully completed the Sirius experiment—a year-long isolation study simulating deep space travel conditions. Learn about the crew's experiences and the implications for future interplanetary missions.
- Buzz Aldrin's New Role: Explore Buzz Aldrin's partnership with Verizon as he promotes satellite connectivity, showcasing how technology has evolved since his historic Apollo 11 mission. Aldrin's humorous take on communication in space adds a light-hearted touch to the episode.
- NASA's Artemis Missions : Hear about the Aerospace Safety Advisory Panel's concerns regarding NASA's Artemis missions, as they call for a reassessment of objectives to ensure a safer and more balanced approach to lunar exploration.
- Gaia's Legacy : Celebrate the completion of the Gaia mission, which has transformed our understanding of the Milky Way through its extensive data collection. Discover the implications of its findings and what future data releases will reveal about our galaxy.
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, Tumblr, and TikTok. 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 Steve signing off. Until next time, keep looking up and stay curious about the wonders of our universe.
00:00 - Welcome back to Astronomy Daily. It's the 3rd of February 2025
01:02 - February sky has some nice highlights to look forward to
01:26 - Year long biomedical isolation experiment simulates conditions of deep space travel and lunar operations
02:49 - Apollo 11 moonwalker Buzz Aldrin appears in new Verizon commercial
08:34 - Safety panel says NASA is packing too many objectives into upcoming Artemis missions
11:03 - European Space Agency's Gaia spacecraft has completed its sky scanning phase
20:34 - February brings a rare planetary parade with five bright planets in clear view
24:14 - The fifth planet in our solar system becomes visible during February
26:09 - We've covered the five brightest planets visible to the naked eye
✍️ Episode References
Sirius Mission
[Sirius Mission](https://www.roscosmos.ru/30013/)
Buzz Aldrin and Verizon
[Buzz Aldrin](https://www.verizon.com/about/news/buzz-aldrin-verizon)
NASA Artemis Program
[NASA Artemis](https://www.nasa.gov/artemis)
Gaia Mission
[Gaia Mission](https://www.esa.int/Science_Exploration/Space_Science/Gaia)
Astronomy Daily
[Astronomy Daily](https://www.spreaker.com/podcast/astronomy-daily-the-podcast--5648921/support (https://www.spreaker.com/podcast/astronomy-daily-the-podcast--5648921/support?utm_source=rss&utm_medium=rss&utm_campaign=rss) .
Episode link: https://play.headliner.app/episode/25388920?utm_source=youtube
00:00:00 --> 00:00:02 welcome again to astronomy daily I'm
00:00:02 --> 00:00:04 your host Steve Dunley it's the 3rd of
00:00:04 --> 00:00:06 February
00:00:06 --> 00:00:10 2025 asy daily the podcast with your
00:00:10 --> 00:00:12 host Steve
00:00:12 --> 00:00:16 [Music]
00:00:16 --> 00:00:19 dun yes welcome back one and all today
00:00:19 --> 00:00:21 hie will present February's Planet
00:00:21 --> 00:00:23 parade for you it's a bumper story so
00:00:24 --> 00:00:26 stay around for that one also she's
00:00:26 --> 00:00:27 talking briefly about something very
00:00:27 --> 00:00:29 interesting from the Russian Institute
00:00:29 --> 00:00:32 of biomedical problems hie what's going
00:00:32 --> 00:00:35 on there hi favorite human good in true
00:00:35 --> 00:00:37 Russian pragmatic style they've
00:00:37 --> 00:00:39 completed a fascinating Mission To The
00:00:39 --> 00:00:40 Moon without leaving Earth okay that's a
00:00:40 --> 00:00:43 neat trick they are clever and I hope
00:00:43 --> 00:00:44 you're going to tell us all about it so
00:00:44 --> 00:00:46 more on that soon H very good and
00:00:46 --> 00:00:48 there's more from the astronomy daily
00:00:48 --> 00:00:50 newsletter in today's episode of course
00:00:50 --> 00:00:52 and we'll let you all know how you can
00:00:52 --> 00:00:54 receive that newsletter in your email
00:00:54 --> 00:00:56 every day so you can be across all the
00:00:56 --> 00:00:57 news events and research happening in
00:00:57 --> 00:01:00 orbit and Beyond right hie that's right
00:01:00 --> 00:01:02 human there's something different every
00:01:02 --> 00:01:04 day okay so why don't we just launch
00:01:04 --> 00:01:05 right into the stories we've collected
00:01:05 --> 00:01:07 from the newsletter for today I'm
00:01:07 --> 00:01:08 looking forward to your planet parade
00:01:08 --> 00:01:10 today hie that's always a great
00:01:10 --> 00:01:12 Revelation to what's happening yes the
00:01:12 --> 00:01:13 February Sky there are some nice
00:01:14 --> 00:01:16 highlights to look forward to okay so
00:01:16 --> 00:01:25 let's get to it stargazers let's
00:01:25 --> 00:01:29 go on November 14th 2024 The Institute
00:01:29 --> 00:01:32 of of biomedical problems ibmp of the
00:01:32 --> 00:01:34 Russian Academy of Sciences marked the
00:01:34 --> 00:01:36 successful completion of Sirius 23 a
00:01:36 --> 00:01:38 year-long biomedical isolation
00:01:38 --> 00:01:40 experiment simulating the conditions of
00:01:40 --> 00:01:43 deep space travel and lunar surface
00:01:43 --> 00:01:47 operations for 366 days a crew of six
00:01:47 --> 00:01:48 analog astronauts lived and worked in a
00:01:48 --> 00:01:50 sealed environment a meticulously
00:01:50 --> 00:01:52 controlled earth-based standin for
00:01:52 --> 00:01:55 interplanetary Missions of the future
00:01:55 --> 00:01:57 the serious scientific International
00:01:57 --> 00:01:59 research in unique terrestrial station
00:01:59 --> 00:02:01 project launched in collaboration with
00:02:01 --> 00:02:03 NASA's human research program and the
00:02:03 --> 00:02:06 ibmp in 2017 had previously conducted
00:02:06 --> 00:02:09 shorter experiments lasting 17 120 and
00:02:09 --> 00:02:13 240 days these missions featuring
00:02:13 --> 00:02:15 International Crews from Russia the
00:02:15 --> 00:02:16 United States and the United Arab
00:02:16 --> 00:02:18 Emirates aimed to replicate the
00:02:18 --> 00:02:20 isolation and psychological strain of
00:02:20 --> 00:02:21 long-term space
00:02:21 --> 00:02:25 flight however after 2022 ibmp decided
00:02:25 --> 00:02:27 to proceed with the ambitious serus 23
00:02:27 --> 00:02:30 experiment independently
00:02:30 --> 00:02:31 the latest crew hiled from Russia and
00:02:31 --> 00:02:34 bellarus Commander Yuri chadev flight
00:02:34 --> 00:02:36 engineer Angelica paranova medical
00:02:36 --> 00:02:38 officer Kenia orlova and researchers
00:02:38 --> 00:02:41 Olga Masta Kenia Shanina and rustam
00:02:41 --> 00:02:43 zerov a mixed gender team of Two Men and
00:02:44 --> 00:02:48 four women astronomy daily the
00:02:48 --> 00:02:51 podcast as someone who is no stranger to
00:02:51 --> 00:02:53 com dropouts on a planetary scale Apollo
00:02:53 --> 00:02:56 11 Moonwalker Buzz Aldren has teamed up
00:02:56 --> 00:02:58 with verzon to help promote the
00:02:58 --> 00:03:00 company's satellite based solution to
00:03:00 --> 00:03:03 selfservice dead zones of all things now
00:03:03 --> 00:03:07 the 95-year-old astronaut who in 1979
00:03:07 --> 00:03:08 became the one of the first humans the
00:03:08 --> 00:03:11 second in fact to step foot on the lunar
00:03:11 --> 00:03:14 surface appears in a new verzon advert
00:03:14 --> 00:03:16 alongside Paul marelli the original can
00:03:16 --> 00:03:19 you hear me now test man to ask can you
00:03:19 --> 00:03:22 text me now 56 years ago he says I was
00:03:23 --> 00:03:25 one of the select few that made it into
00:03:25 --> 00:03:28 space and the first team to help America
00:03:28 --> 00:03:29 conquer the moon Al and said in a
00:03:29 --> 00:03:32 statement released by verzon back then
00:03:32 --> 00:03:34 he says space was the great unknown and
00:03:34 --> 00:03:36 now we've never been closer to it I
00:03:36 --> 00:03:38 can't look up into the sky without
00:03:38 --> 00:03:40 seeing a satellite fly by it's
00:03:40 --> 00:03:42 remarkable to see how far the human race
00:03:42 --> 00:03:44 and technology has come in the
00:03:44 --> 00:03:46 commercial Aldren is seen wearing a
00:03:46 --> 00:03:49 silver jacket adorned with the Apollo 11
00:03:49 --> 00:03:51 Mission patch while planting a verzon
00:03:51 --> 00:03:53 satellite powered red and yellow flag at
00:03:53 --> 00:03:55 remote areas around the earth at each
00:03:55 --> 00:03:57 stop whether it be on the desert floor
00:03:57 --> 00:03:59 of a canyon at the base of a snow
00:03:59 --> 00:04:01 colored covered uh mountain or in an
00:04:01 --> 00:04:03 area of wilderness already marked as a
00:04:03 --> 00:04:06 dead zone the retired US Air Force
00:04:06 --> 00:04:08 General and doctor of astronautics uses
00:04:08 --> 00:04:11 his verzon issued Android smartphone to
00:04:11 --> 00:04:14 show that he can still send texts
00:04:14 --> 00:04:17 aldrin's last test is shown as looping
00:04:17 --> 00:04:20 out around the Moon past an American
00:04:20 --> 00:04:22 flag planted on its surface as to a
00:04:22 --> 00:04:25 satellite in Earth orbit there a space
00:04:25 --> 00:04:28 suited marelli without a helmet receives
00:04:28 --> 00:04:31 aldrin's message and reacts that's my
00:04:31 --> 00:04:34 line it's been 10 years since I asked
00:04:34 --> 00:04:36 America can you hear me now back then
00:04:36 --> 00:04:38 dead zones were everywhere and it's safe
00:04:38 --> 00:04:40 to say today that they are only in the
00:04:40 --> 00:04:42 most remote places
00:04:42 --> 00:04:46 like the Dark Side of the Moon he said
00:04:46 --> 00:04:48 in veron's release making the common
00:04:48 --> 00:04:50 mistake of describing The Far Side of
00:04:50 --> 00:04:52 the Moon as the non-existent dark side
00:04:53 --> 00:04:55 satellite is for sure the next Frontier
00:04:56 --> 00:04:59 he says verzon customers with select new
00:04:59 --> 00:05:02 model phones in updated software can
00:05:02 --> 00:05:04 send texts such as emergency SOS
00:05:04 --> 00:05:06 messages including their location when
00:05:06 --> 00:05:08 they are in areas inside the United
00:05:08 --> 00:05:11 States without cellular coverage
00:05:11 --> 00:05:13 according to the company its us Network
00:05:13 --> 00:05:17 provides coverage to more than 99% of
00:05:17 --> 00:05:18 the places where people live work and
00:05:18 --> 00:05:21 play but its satellite service now
00:05:21 --> 00:05:23 covers the very few places through the
00:05:23 --> 00:05:25 throughout the country where customers
00:05:25 --> 00:05:27 cannot connect for the service to work
00:05:27 --> 00:05:29 the phones which include Google's pixel
00:05:29 --> 00:05:33 9 series and Samsung's Galaxy s25 must
00:05:33 --> 00:05:36 be outdoors with a line of sight to the
00:05:36 --> 00:05:38 viat echostar or other satellites that
00:05:38 --> 00:05:41 are part of the Skylar satellite
00:05:41 --> 00:05:44 connectivity service the service may not
00:05:44 --> 00:05:48 work in Parts of Alaska in addition atst
00:05:48 --> 00:05:50 space mobile a satellite designer and
00:05:50 --> 00:05:53 manufacturer based in Midland Texas has
00:05:53 --> 00:05:56 a $100 million commitment from Verizon
00:05:57 --> 00:05:59 to provide direct to cell your satellite
00:05:59 --> 00:06:01 service when needed for Verizon's
00:06:01 --> 00:06:03 customers this week the Federal
00:06:03 --> 00:06:06 Communications Commission authorized as
00:06:06 --> 00:06:08 to begin testing its service in the
00:06:08 --> 00:06:11 United States this approval enables the
00:06:11 --> 00:06:15 first five of as's commercial Bluebird
00:06:15 --> 00:06:16 satellites already operating in low
00:06:16 --> 00:06:19 earth orbit to test connections with
00:06:19 --> 00:06:21 verison smartphones supporting voice
00:06:21 --> 00:06:24 full data and video applications as well
00:06:24 --> 00:06:26 as other native cell yell uh
00:06:26 --> 00:06:28 capabilities without the need of any
00:06:28 --> 00:06:31 specialized software or device support
00:06:31 --> 00:06:33 or update that's one giant leap for
00:06:33 --> 00:06:35 connectivity says Aldren in the
00:06:35 --> 00:06:38 commercial as space mobile also has an
00:06:39 --> 00:06:41 agreement to provide space-based Network
00:06:41 --> 00:06:44 Services to AT&T and its customers
00:06:44 --> 00:06:47 similarly TMobile partner with Space X
00:06:47 --> 00:06:50 to use the starli broadband internet uh
00:06:50 --> 00:06:52 constellation and its direct to sell
00:06:52 --> 00:06:55 capabilities this is not aldrin's first
00:06:55 --> 00:06:57 appearance in a commercial in the past
00:06:57 --> 00:07:00 he has filmed ads for IBM and YouTube
00:07:00 --> 00:07:04 YouTube TV in 2019 a commercial for
00:07:04 --> 00:07:07 Quaker Oats in 2016 and in 2015 a
00:07:07 --> 00:07:11 promotion to visit Switzerland in 1987
00:07:11 --> 00:07:13 Aldren joined Mercury astronauts Scott
00:07:13 --> 00:07:15 Carpenter and Gordo Cooper to advertised
00:07:15 --> 00:07:18 the Commodore Amiga 500 home computer oh
00:07:18 --> 00:07:21 you remember that one and in 1972 a year
00:07:22 --> 00:07:24 after he left NASA Aldren helped sell
00:07:24 --> 00:07:27 the Volkswagen VW Beetle comparing its
00:07:27 --> 00:07:30 computer diagnostic system to the
00:07:30 --> 00:07:41 computer he used to fly to the
00:07:41 --> 00:07:43 moon thank you for joining us for this
00:07:43 --> 00:07:45 Monday edition of astronomy daily where
00:07:45 --> 00:07:47 we offer just a few stories from the now
00:07:47 --> 00:07:49 famous astronomy daily newsletter which
00:07:49 --> 00:07:51 you can receive in your email every day
00:07:52 --> 00:07:54 just like hi and I do and to do that
00:07:54 --> 00:07:58 just visit our URL astronomy daily. and
00:07:58 --> 00:08:00 place your email address in the slot
00:08:00 --> 00:08:02 provided just like that you'll be
00:08:02 --> 00:08:04 receiving all the latest news about
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00:08:06 --> 00:08:08 around the world as it's happening and
00:08:08 --> 00:08:10 not only that you can interact with us
00:08:10 --> 00:08:15 by visiting @ astrodaily pod on X or at
00:08:15 --> 00:08:18 our new Facebook page which is of course
00:08:18 --> 00:08:21 astronomy daily on Facebook see you
00:08:21 --> 00:08:25 there astronomy daily with Steve and hie
00:08:25 --> 00:08:34 space space science and astronomy
00:08:34 --> 00:08:36 a safety panel is calling on NASA to
00:08:36 --> 00:08:38 reassess to plans for upcoming Artemis
00:08:38 --> 00:08:40 missions arguing that the agency is
00:08:40 --> 00:08:42 packing too many objectives into each
00:08:42 --> 00:08:45 Mission at a January 30th public meeting
00:08:45 --> 00:08:48 of ASAP the Aerospace safety advisory
00:08:48 --> 00:08:50 panel members reiterated past concerns
00:08:50 --> 00:08:51 about the number of firsttime objectives
00:08:51 --> 00:08:53 planned for Artemis 3 the first crude
00:08:53 --> 00:08:55 lunar Landing of the overall campaign
00:08:55 --> 00:08:58 and later missions each first Milestone
00:08:58 --> 00:09:00 carries its own individual risk and as
00:09:00 --> 00:09:02 these risks are compounded and
00:09:02 --> 00:09:04 aggregated it only increases the overall
00:09:04 --> 00:09:06 risk posture for any individual flight
00:09:06 --> 00:09:09 Mission said panel member Bill Bray it
00:09:09 --> 00:09:11 begs the question is it time for the
00:09:11 --> 00:09:12 agency to reassess the current mission
00:09:12 --> 00:09:14 objectives and its approach for Artemis
00:09:14 --> 00:09:16 3 and Beyond with the goal to better
00:09:16 --> 00:09:17 balance the risks across all those
00:09:18 --> 00:09:21 flight tests ASAP has previously
00:09:21 --> 00:09:22 expressed its concerns about the number
00:09:22 --> 00:09:25 of Firsts on Artemis 3 such as in its
00:09:25 --> 00:09:26 most recent annual report released in
00:09:26 --> 00:09:28 early
00:09:28 --> 00:09:31 2024 that Port listed 13 separate firsts
00:09:31 --> 00:09:32 for the mission mostly tied to the
00:09:32 --> 00:09:34 Starship lunarlander and new space suits
00:09:34 --> 00:09:38 being developed by axium space that list
00:09:38 --> 00:09:40 has only grown since then he noted with
00:09:40 --> 00:09:43 changes to the heat shield for Orion
00:09:43 --> 00:09:44 NASA announced in December that it would
00:09:44 --> 00:09:46 reformulate the afot material used in
00:09:46 --> 00:09:48 the heat shield for Artemis 3 and later
00:09:48 --> 00:09:50 missions to prevent the heat shield
00:09:50 --> 00:09:52 erosion seen on the Artemis 1
00:09:52 --> 00:09:54 re-entry those concerns extend beyond
00:09:54 --> 00:09:57 Artemis 3 Bray said with later missions
00:09:57 --> 00:09:59 incorporating the lunar Gateway the blue
00:09:59 --> 00:10:02 crude lunar lander and a lunar rover
00:10:02 --> 00:10:03 each of these elements under development
00:10:04 --> 00:10:05 and delivery requires a near-perfect
00:10:05 --> 00:10:07 program execution across a complex set
00:10:07 --> 00:10:10 of tests and Milestones and frankly
00:10:10 --> 00:10:12 there's very little room for failure
00:10:12 --> 00:10:14 problems with a single key element he
00:10:14 --> 00:10:16 concluded will result in continued
00:10:16 --> 00:10:18 launch delays and an irregular and
00:10:18 --> 00:10:19 erratic Cadence of mission flights an
00:10:20 --> 00:10:23 issue ASAP has also previously raised it
00:10:23 --> 00:10:25 also creates an increased risk posture
00:10:25 --> 00:10:29 for Artemis missions Bray said that ASAP
00:10:29 --> 00:10:31 discussed the issue with Amit chhatria
00:10:31 --> 00:10:33 Deputy associate administrator of NASA's
00:10:33 --> 00:10:35 Moon to Mars program office at recent
00:10:35 --> 00:10:38 meetings the panel urged NASA to treat
00:10:38 --> 00:10:40 each launch as a test objective like the
00:10:40 --> 00:10:42 Apollo program with clear test
00:10:42 --> 00:10:44 objectives that could be balanced across
00:10:44 --> 00:10:45 all launch events and ensure a more
00:10:45 --> 00:10:48 regular Cadence of missions he didn't
00:10:48 --> 00:10:50 disclose NASA's response to those
00:10:50 --> 00:10:52 concerns but said that ASAP will
00:10:52 --> 00:10:54 continue to press NASA to reexamine its
00:10:54 --> 00:10:56 Artemis Mission plans and consider
00:10:56 --> 00:10:57 reallocation of test objectives to
00:10:58 --> 00:10:59 achieve a more regular laun Cadence with
00:10:59 --> 00:11:01 a more balanced risk
00:11:01 --> 00:11:04 exposure that control we're listening to
00:11:04 --> 00:11:06 astronomy daily the
00:11:06 --> 00:11:08 [Applause]
00:11:08 --> 00:11:11 podcast the gay Mission launched by the
00:11:11 --> 00:11:14 European space agency has completed a
00:11:14 --> 00:11:16 decade of groundbreaking astronomical
00:11:16 --> 00:11:18 observations collecting over three
00:11:19 --> 00:11:21 trillion data points on 2 billion stars
00:11:21 --> 00:11:24 and celestial objects the European space
00:11:24 --> 00:11:27 agency's g spacecraft which has been
00:11:27 --> 00:11:29 mapping the Milky Way has complet
00:11:29 --> 00:11:31 completed its Skys scanning phase over
00:11:31 --> 00:11:34 the past decade it has made more than 3
00:11:34 --> 00:11:36 trillion observations of around 2
00:11:36 --> 00:11:38 billion stars and other celestial
00:11:38 --> 00:11:41 objects Transforming Our understanding
00:11:41 --> 00:11:43 of our galaxy and surrounding Universe
00:11:43 --> 00:11:47 Gaia was launched on December 19 2013
00:11:47 --> 00:11:49 and after years of precise observations
00:11:49 --> 00:11:52 its fuel supply is now running low the
00:11:52 --> 00:11:54 spacecraft consumes about a dozen grams
00:11:54 --> 00:11:57 of cold gas per day to maintain
00:11:57 --> 00:11:59 stability and accuracy
00:11:59 --> 00:12:02 however the mission is not over yet in
00:12:02 --> 00:12:05 coming weeks GA will undergo a series of
00:12:05 --> 00:12:07 Technology tests before being placed
00:12:07 --> 00:12:09 into its final retirement orbit
00:12:09 --> 00:12:12 additionally two major data releases are
00:12:12 --> 00:12:15 planned one in 2026 and another by the
00:12:15 --> 00:12:17 end of the decade offering even more
00:12:17 --> 00:12:20 insights into our Cosmic neighborhood
00:12:20 --> 00:12:21 today marks the end of science
00:12:21 --> 00:12:23 observations and we are celebrating this
00:12:23 --> 00:12:26 incredible mission that has exceeded all
00:12:26 --> 00:12:28 of our expect expectations lasting for
00:12:28 --> 00:12:30 almost twice its original foreseen
00:12:30 --> 00:12:33 lifetime says Esa director of science
00:12:33 --> 00:12:36 Carol Mandell the Treasure Trove of data
00:12:36 --> 00:12:38 collected by GA has given us unique
00:12:38 --> 00:12:41 insights into the origin and evolution
00:12:41 --> 00:12:43 of our Milky Way galaxy and has also
00:12:43 --> 00:12:46 transformed astrophysics and solar
00:12:46 --> 00:12:48 system science in ways that we're not
00:12:48 --> 00:12:51 yet to fully appreciate GAA built on
00:12:51 --> 00:12:53 unique European Excellence with
00:12:53 --> 00:12:55 astrometry and will leave a longlasting
00:12:55 --> 00:12:59 legacy for future Generations after 11
00:12:59 --> 00:13:01 years in space and surviving microm
00:13:01 --> 00:13:03 meteorite impacts and solar storms along
00:13:03 --> 00:13:06 the way GA has finished collecting
00:13:06 --> 00:13:08 science data now all eyes turned towards
00:13:08 --> 00:13:10 the preparation of the next data
00:13:10 --> 00:13:13 releases says Gaia project scientist
00:13:13 --> 00:13:15 Johan Salman I'm thrilled with the
00:13:15 --> 00:13:17 performance of this incredible Mission
00:13:17 --> 00:13:19 and excited about the discoveries that
00:13:19 --> 00:13:21 await us Gaia has been charting the
00:13:21 --> 00:13:24 positions distances movements brightness
00:13:24 --> 00:13:27 changes composition and numerous other
00:13:27 --> 00:13:29 characteristics of Stars by monitoring
00:13:29 --> 00:13:31 with its three instruments many times
00:13:31 --> 00:13:34 over the course of its Mission this has
00:13:34 --> 00:13:36 enabled Gia to deliver on its primary
00:13:36 --> 00:13:38 goal of building the largest most
00:13:38 --> 00:13:40 precise map of the Milky Way showing us
00:13:40 --> 00:13:42 our home Galaxy like no other Mission
00:13:42 --> 00:13:45 has ever done as such we're now able to
00:13:45 --> 00:13:47 have the best reconstructed view of how
00:13:47 --> 00:13:49 the Galaxy might look to an outside
00:13:49 --> 00:13:51 Observer this new artist's impression of
00:13:51 --> 00:13:54 the Milky Way incorporates Gaya data
00:13:54 --> 00:13:56 from a multitude of papers over the past
00:13:56 --> 00:13:58 decade it contains major changes from
00:13:58 --> 00:14:00 previous models because Gaia has changed
00:14:00 --> 00:14:03 our impression of the Milky Way even
00:14:03 --> 00:14:05 basic ideas have been revised such as
00:14:05 --> 00:14:07 the rotation of our Galaxy's Central bar
00:14:07 --> 00:14:09 the warp of the discs the detailed
00:14:09 --> 00:14:11 structure of spiral arms and the
00:14:11 --> 00:14:13 Interstellar dust near the sun says
00:14:13 --> 00:14:16 Stefan Payne wadner the scientific
00:14:16 --> 00:14:18 visualizer for the house day astronomy
00:14:19 --> 00:14:21 at Germany and the Ia office of
00:14:21 --> 00:14:24 astronomy for Education still the
00:14:24 --> 00:14:26 distant parts of the Milky Way remain
00:14:26 --> 00:14:29 educated guesses based on in complete
00:14:29 --> 00:14:32 data with further GAA data releases our
00:14:32 --> 00:14:34 view of the Milky Way will become even
00:14:34 --> 00:14:37 more accurate ga's repeated measurements
00:14:37 --> 00:14:39 of Stellar distances motions and
00:14:39 --> 00:14:41 characteristics are key to performing
00:14:41 --> 00:14:43 Galactic archaeology on our Milky Way
00:14:43 --> 00:14:46 revealing missing links in our galaxies
00:14:46 --> 00:14:48 complex history and that'll help us
00:14:48 --> 00:14:50 learn more about our Origins from
00:14:50 --> 00:14:53 detecting ghosts of other galaxies and
00:14:53 --> 00:14:55 multiple streams of ancient stars that
00:14:55 --> 00:14:57 merged with the Milky Way in its early
00:14:57 --> 00:14:59 history to finding evidence for an
00:14:59 --> 00:15:02 ongoing collision with Sagittarius dwarf
00:15:02 --> 00:15:05 Galaxy today Gaia is rewriting the Milky
00:15:05 --> 00:15:07 Ways history and making predictions
00:15:07 --> 00:15:09 about its future in the process of
00:15:09 --> 00:15:12 scanning stars in our own Galaxy g has
00:15:12 --> 00:15:14 also spotted other objects from
00:15:14 --> 00:15:16 asteroids in our solar system backyard
00:15:16 --> 00:15:19 to galaxies and quazars the bright and
00:15:19 --> 00:15:21 active centers of galaxies powered by
00:15:21 --> 00:15:24 super massive black holes outside our
00:15:24 --> 00:15:27 Milky Way for example GAA has provided
00:15:27 --> 00:15:30 pinpoint prec Precision orbits of more
00:15:30 --> 00:15:34 than 150 asteroids and has such high
00:15:34 --> 00:15:36 quality measurements as to uncover
00:15:36 --> 00:15:40 possible moons around hundreds of them
00:15:40 --> 00:15:41 it's also created the largest
00:15:41 --> 00:15:43 three-dimensional map of about 1.3
00:15:43 --> 00:15:46 million quazars with the furthest
00:15:46 --> 00:15:47 shining bright when the universe was
00:15:47 --> 00:15:51 only 1.5 billion years old GAA has also
00:15:51 --> 00:15:53 discovered a new breed of black hole
00:15:53 --> 00:15:56 including one with a mass of nearly 33
00:15:56 --> 00:15:58 times the mass of our sun that one
00:15:59 --> 00:16:01 riding in the constellation Aquilla less
00:16:01 --> 00:16:03 than 2 light years from Earth the
00:16:03 --> 00:16:05 first time a black hole of Stellar
00:16:05 --> 00:16:08 origin this big has been spotted within
00:16:08 --> 00:16:10 the Milky Way it's impressive that these
00:16:10 --> 00:16:12 discoveries are based only on the first
00:16:12 --> 00:16:15 few years of GAA data and many were made
00:16:15 --> 00:16:18 in the last year alone Gaia has been the
00:16:18 --> 00:16:20 discovery machine of the decade a trend
00:16:20 --> 00:16:22 that is set to continue says Anthony
00:16:22 --> 00:16:25 Brown chair of the Gaia data processing
00:16:25 --> 00:16:27 and Analysis Consortium and based at
00:16:27 --> 00:16:30 leaden University in the Netherlands the
00:16:30 --> 00:16:32 Gaia scientific and Engineering teams
00:16:32 --> 00:16:34 are already working full steam on the
00:16:34 --> 00:16:37 preparations for Gaia data release 4
00:16:37 --> 00:16:40 expected in 2026 the data volume and
00:16:40 --> 00:16:42 quality improves with every release and
00:16:42 --> 00:16:46 GAA data for with an expected 500
00:16:46 --> 00:16:48 terabytes of data products is no
00:16:48 --> 00:16:51 exception furthermore it will cover the
00:16:51 --> 00:16:53 mission's first 5 1 half years
00:16:53 --> 00:16:54 corresponding to the length of the
00:16:54 --> 00:16:56 originally foreseen duration of the
00:16:56 --> 00:16:59 mission this is the G release to the
00:16:59 --> 00:17:01 community has been waiting for and it's
00:17:01 --> 00:17:04 exciting to think that this only covers
00:17:04 --> 00:17:06 half of the collected data says
00:17:06 --> 00:17:09 Antonella valari deput Deputy chair of
00:17:09 --> 00:17:13 uh deac Instituto National the astrop
00:17:13 --> 00:17:16 astronomical asro observatory in Padua
00:17:16 --> 00:17:19 Italy sorry about my pronunciation folks
00:17:19 --> 00:17:21 I'm Australian even though the mission
00:17:21 --> 00:17:23 has now stopped collecting data it will
00:17:23 --> 00:17:26 be the business as usual for us for many
00:17:26 --> 00:17:29 years to come as we make these
00:17:29 --> 00:17:31 incredible data sets ready to use she
00:17:31 --> 00:17:35 says GAA data release set 4 is set to
00:17:35 --> 00:17:37 expand its binary star catalog the
00:17:37 --> 00:17:40 largest such catalog to date GAA has a
00:17:40 --> 00:17:43 unique ability to tease out the tiny
00:17:43 --> 00:17:45 motions of pairs of celestial objects
00:17:45 --> 00:17:47 orbiting close to each other and has
00:17:47 --> 00:17:48 already spotted previously hidden
00:17:49 --> 00:17:51 companions around bright stars
00:17:51 --> 00:17:53 incidentally ga's largest targeted
00:17:53 --> 00:17:56 observation on January 10 was a binary
00:17:56 --> 00:18:00 pair 61 signy the this iconic star
00:18:00 --> 00:18:02 attracted the attention of 19th century
00:18:02 --> 00:18:04 astronomers to yield some of the first
00:18:04 --> 00:18:07 proper motion and parallx measurements
00:18:07 --> 00:18:11 uh techniques used by GAA on some billi
00:18:11 --> 00:18:13 billion stars and astute science fiction
00:18:13 --> 00:18:16 readers will remember 61 signy from
00:18:16 --> 00:18:19 Clifford seac wonderful wonderful story
00:18:19 --> 00:18:23 time and again uh starring the ineffable
00:18:23 --> 00:18:26 Asher Sutton Gay's exoplanet discoveries
00:18:26 --> 00:18:27 are also set to increase with the
00:18:27 --> 00:18:29 forthcoming data sets thanks to the
00:18:29 --> 00:18:32 longer time frame of of observations
00:18:32 --> 00:18:34 making it easier to spot wobbling Stars
00:18:34 --> 00:18:36 over the next few months we'll continue
00:18:36 --> 00:18:39 to downlink every last drop of data from
00:18:39 --> 00:18:42 Gaia and at the same time the processing
00:18:42 --> 00:18:44 teams will ramp up their preparations
00:18:44 --> 00:18:46 for the fifth and final major data
00:18:46 --> 00:18:48 release at the end of the decade this
00:18:48 --> 00:18:51 will conclude with an incredible
00:18:51 --> 00:18:53 coordinated effort between hundreds of
00:18:53 --> 00:18:55 experts across the science operations
00:18:55 --> 00:18:58 centers here at esac the mission
00:18:58 --> 00:19:01 operations flying guia from esa's
00:19:01 --> 00:19:03 European space operations center in
00:19:03 --> 00:19:06 Germany and the huge Consortium of data
00:19:06 --> 00:19:08 processing Specialists to have together
00:19:08 --> 00:19:10 ensured the smooth running of this
00:19:10 --> 00:19:12 beautiful mission for so long while
00:19:12 --> 00:19:14 today marks the end of science
00:19:14 --> 00:19:15 observations a short period of
00:19:15 --> 00:19:19 Technology testing now Begins the tests
00:19:19 --> 00:19:21 have the potential to further improve G
00:19:21 --> 00:19:23 calibrations learn more about the
00:19:23 --> 00:19:25 behavior of certain technology after 10
00:19:25 --> 00:19:27 years in space and even Aid the design
00:19:27 --> 00:19:30 of future space missions after several
00:19:30 --> 00:19:31 weeks of testing G will leave its
00:19:31 --> 00:19:35 current orbit around lrange 2 1.5
00:19:35 --> 00:19:37 million km from the earth in a direction
00:19:37 --> 00:19:39 away from the Sun to be put into its
00:19:39 --> 00:19:41 final heliocentric orbit far away from
00:19:41 --> 00:19:43 Earth's sphere of influence this
00:19:43 --> 00:19:47 spacecraft will be passivated on 20 uh
00:19:47 --> 00:19:50 27 March 2025 to avoid harm or
00:19:50 --> 00:19:52 interference with other spacecraft
00:19:52 --> 00:19:54 during the technology tests ga's or
00:19:54 --> 00:19:56 orientation will be changed meaning it
00:19:56 --> 00:19:58 will be temporarily become several
00:19:58 --> 00:20:00 magnitudes brighter making observations
00:20:00 --> 00:20:03 through small telescopes a lot easier it
00:20:03 --> 00:20:05 won't be visible to the naked eye though
00:20:05 --> 00:20:08 a guide to locating Gia has been set up
00:20:08 --> 00:20:11 so am amateur astronomers are invited to
00:20:11 --> 00:20:14 share their observations GA will treat
00:20:14 --> 00:20:16 us with this final gift as we bid
00:20:16 --> 00:20:18 farewell shining amongst the Stars ahead
00:20:18 --> 00:20:19 of its well-earned
00:20:19 --> 00:20:21 retirement it's a moment to celebrate
00:20:21 --> 00:20:24 this as uh this transformative Mission
00:20:24 --> 00:20:26 and uh thank all the teams for more than
00:20:26 --> 00:20:29 a decade of hard work operating G
00:20:29 --> 00:20:30 planning its observations and ensuring
00:20:30 --> 00:20:33 its precious data are returned smoothly
00:20:33 --> 00:20:36 to Earth you're listening to astronomy
00:20:36 --> 00:20:43 daily with steeve
00:20:43 --> 00:20:45 dle February brings a rare planetary
00:20:46 --> 00:20:47 parade with five bright planets in Clear
00:20:48 --> 00:20:49 View and a special alignment of mercury
00:20:49 --> 00:20:51 and Saturn on February
00:20:51 --> 00:20:54 24th throughout February a striking
00:20:54 --> 00:20:56 Gathering of the five brightest planets
00:20:56 --> 00:20:58 Venus Jupiter Mars Mercury and and
00:20:58 --> 00:21:00 Saturn along with the more elusive
00:21:00 --> 00:21:02 Uranus and Neptune will be the main
00:21:02 --> 00:21:05 Celestial attraction in the evening Sky
00:21:05 --> 00:21:07 later in the month anyone with a clear
00:21:07 --> 00:21:08 unobstructed view of the Horizon may be
00:21:09 --> 00:21:10 able to see all five bright planets
00:21:10 --> 00:21:13 stretching across the sky two of these
00:21:13 --> 00:21:15 planets Mercury and Saturn will appear
00:21:15 --> 00:21:17 especially close together on Monday
00:21:17 --> 00:21:19 February 24th the highlight of this
00:21:19 --> 00:21:22 month-long planetary display while this
00:21:22 --> 00:21:24 planetary alignment isn't particularly
00:21:24 --> 00:21:28 rare it is relatively uncommon spotting
00:21:28 --> 00:21:30 two three or even four bright planets at
00:21:30 --> 00:21:32 once is not unusual but the chance to
00:21:32 --> 00:21:34 see all five together doesn't come
00:21:34 --> 00:21:37 around often looking ahead a similar
00:21:37 --> 00:21:38 alignment will occur in late October
00:21:38 --> 00:21:41 2028 though that event will take place
00:21:41 --> 00:21:43 Before Sunrise requiring early risers to
00:21:43 --> 00:21:46 catch the view by far the most prominent
00:21:46 --> 00:21:49 of the five planets is Venus although it
00:21:49 --> 00:21:51 reached its greatest angular distance
00:21:51 --> 00:21:53 east of the sun on January 10th it
00:21:53 --> 00:21:54 continues to shine brilliantly in the
00:21:54 --> 00:21:56 west southwest sky at dusk throughout
00:21:56 --> 00:21:58 February a breathtaking evening Lantern
00:21:58 --> 00:22:00 turn Venus will remain at Peak
00:22:00 --> 00:22:02 brightness for much of the month and if
00:22:02 --> 00:22:04 You observe it through steadily held
00:22:04 --> 00:22:06 binoculars or a small telescope you'll
00:22:06 --> 00:22:08 see it as a crescent as February
00:22:08 --> 00:22:10 progresses Venus's disc will appear
00:22:10 --> 00:22:12 larger as it moves closer to Earth while
00:22:12 --> 00:22:14 its Crescent thins as the planet aligns
00:22:14 --> 00:22:16 more closely with the Earth sunline of
00:22:16 --> 00:22:19 sight the next planet to spot is Saturn
00:22:19 --> 00:22:22 the famed Lord of the Rings to find it
00:22:22 --> 00:22:24 simply look toward Venus and extend an
00:22:24 --> 00:22:26 imaginary line straight downward the
00:22:26 --> 00:22:28 first bright star-like object you come
00:22:28 --> 00:22:30 across cross will be Saturn your first
00:22:30 --> 00:22:34 impression might be wow it's so dim but
00:22:34 --> 00:22:36 in reality Saturn shines as brightly as
00:22:36 --> 00:22:39 a first magnitude star however when
00:22:39 --> 00:22:41 compared to Venus which is a full six
00:22:41 --> 00:22:43 magnitudes brighter Saturn appears
00:22:43 --> 00:22:46 significantly fainter only about 1/250
00:22:46 --> 00:22:49 as bright Saturn is typically more
00:22:49 --> 00:22:52 radiant but right now its ring system is
00:22:52 --> 00:22:54 nearly Edge on from Earth's perspective
00:22:54 --> 00:22:56 contributing little reflected light to
00:22:56 --> 00:22:58 catch a glimpse of the Rings now
00:22:58 --> 00:23:00 appearing as a thin bright line
00:23:00 --> 00:23:02 bisecting the planet's disc you'll need
00:23:02 --> 00:23:04 a small telescope with at least 30X
00:23:04 --> 00:23:06 magnification during the first two weeks
00:23:06 --> 00:23:08 of February watch as the gap between
00:23:08 --> 00:23:12 Venus and Saturn gradually widens in the
00:23:12 --> 00:23:13 second half of the month Saturn will
00:23:13 --> 00:23:15 become increasingly difficult to spot
00:23:15 --> 00:23:17 against the brightening evening Twilight
00:23:17 --> 00:23:19 eventually Fading Into the sun's glare
00:23:19 --> 00:23:22 by month's end then there's Jupiter
00:23:22 --> 00:23:23 unmistakable with its silvery white
00:23:23 --> 00:23:25 Brilliance though only one/ tenth as
00:23:25 --> 00:23:28 bright as Venus the largest planet in
00:23:28 --> 00:23:30 our solar system appears high in the
00:23:30 --> 00:23:32 south at dusk accompanied by two famous
00:23:32 --> 00:23:34 naked I star clusters the pleades and
00:23:34 --> 00:23:36 hiades as well as several bright Winter
00:23:36 --> 00:23:39 Stars the most notable is the orang hute
00:23:39 --> 00:23:42 Aldean positioned just below Jupiter
00:23:42 --> 00:23:45 with binoculars or a small telescope you
00:23:45 --> 00:23:47 can also spot Jupiter's for largest
00:23:47 --> 00:23:49 moons first observed by Galileo in 1610
00:23:49 --> 00:23:52 with his crude telescope make a special
00:23:52 --> 00:23:54 effort to view them on the night of
00:23:54 --> 00:23:57 February 25th to 26th when three of them
00:23:57 --> 00:23:59 Europa ganam and Kalisto form a
00:23:59 --> 00:24:01 strikingly tight triangle on one side of
00:24:01 --> 00:24:03 the planet while IO sits alone on the
00:24:03 --> 00:24:06 other the triangle will appear tightest
00:24:06 --> 00:24:08 at 12:39 a.m. eastern time on February
00:24:08 --> 00:24:13 26th 539 GMT or 9:39 p.m. Pacific Time
00:24:13 --> 00:24:14 on February
00:24:14 --> 00:24:17 25th now look halfway up in the Eastern
00:24:17 --> 00:24:19 sky for orange yellow Mars which blazes
00:24:19 --> 00:24:22 into view as night falls during February
00:24:22 --> 00:24:24 it is accompanied by the twin stars of
00:24:24 --> 00:24:26 Gemini Pollock and
00:24:26 --> 00:24:29 Castor this striking Trio spends nearly
00:24:29 --> 00:24:31 the entire night crossing the sky
00:24:31 --> 00:24:32 forming a distinctive triangle that
00:24:32 --> 00:24:34 gradually shifts in size and shape as
00:24:34 --> 00:24:35 the month
00:24:35 --> 00:24:38 progresses Mars was at opposition and
00:24:38 --> 00:24:41 closest to Earth in January during
00:24:41 --> 00:24:42 February as Earth moves ahead in its
00:24:43 --> 00:24:45 orbit Mars lags behind causing it to
00:24:45 --> 00:24:47 fade by about 3/4 of a magnitude over
00:24:47 --> 00:24:50 the course of the month the fifth and
00:24:50 --> 00:24:51 final planet is the smallest in our
00:24:51 --> 00:24:55 solar system Mercury this Rocky Little
00:24:55 --> 00:24:56 World becomes visible during the final
00:24:56 --> 00:24:58 week of February Shining almost as
00:24:58 --> 00:25:01 brightly as Sirius the brightest star in
00:25:01 --> 00:25:03 the sky at magnitude minus
00:25:03 --> 00:25:06 1.2 it will set just over an hour after
00:25:06 --> 00:25:07 the sun on February
00:25:07 --> 00:25:10 24th remember when we said we'd come
00:25:10 --> 00:25:13 back to Saturn well on February 24th
00:25:13 --> 00:25:15 Mercury will be in conjunction with
00:25:15 --> 00:25:17 Saturn with the two planets appearing
00:25:17 --> 00:25:21 relatively close just 1.5° apart this
00:25:21 --> 00:25:23 will be your chance to complete the set
00:25:23 --> 00:25:24 and say you've seen all five evening
00:25:24 --> 00:25:27 planets at once Mercury will be
00:25:27 --> 00:25:29 positioned to Saturn's right and Shining
00:25:29 --> 00:25:32 about eight times brighter to spot them
00:25:32 --> 00:25:34 you'll need a flat unobstructed west
00:25:34 --> 00:25:36 southwest Horizon and a very clear
00:25:36 --> 00:25:39 transparent Sky start looking about 30
00:25:39 --> 00:25:41 minutes after Sunset scanning two fist
00:25:41 --> 00:25:43 widths at arms length directly below
00:25:44 --> 00:25:46 Venus we strongly recommend using
00:25:46 --> 00:25:49 binoculars to scan near the Horizon
00:25:49 --> 00:25:51 Mercury should be easy to pick up and
00:25:51 --> 00:25:53 once you found it you should have no
00:25:53 --> 00:25:55 trouble seeing it with the naked eye
00:25:55 --> 00:25:58 Saturn however is another story
00:25:58 --> 00:26:00 while it's likely visible through
00:26:00 --> 00:26:02 binoculars spotting it without Optical
00:26:02 --> 00:26:04 Aid will be a challenge but if you
00:26:04 --> 00:26:07 succeed you'll have seen all five and
00:26:07 --> 00:26:10 won this round of planetary Bingo we've
00:26:10 --> 00:26:11 covered the five brightest planets
00:26:11 --> 00:26:13 visible to the naked eye but two more
00:26:13 --> 00:26:15 can be spotted with good binoculars or a
00:26:15 --> 00:26:16 small
00:26:16 --> 00:26:18 telescope a star chart or Atlas will
00:26:18 --> 00:26:20 help pinpoint their exact locations in
00:26:20 --> 00:26:23 the sky Uranus can sometimes be spotted
00:26:23 --> 00:26:25 with the naked eye by those with
00:26:25 --> 00:26:27 excellent eyesight a clear dark sky and
00:26:27 --> 00:26:31 prior of where to look at its brightest
00:26:31 --> 00:26:33 it shines at magnitude plus 5.6 and is
00:26:33 --> 00:26:35 easily identifiable with good
00:26:35 --> 00:26:38 binoculars a small telescope May reveal
00:26:38 --> 00:26:41 its tiny greenish disc finally we come
00:26:41 --> 00:26:43 to the most distant of the eight
00:26:43 --> 00:26:46 classical planets Neptune it will spend
00:26:46 --> 00:26:50 all of 2025 in the constellation Pisces
00:26:50 --> 00:26:52 at its peak magnitude of plus 7.8 this
00:26:52 --> 00:26:54 bluish hued world is visible only with
00:26:54 --> 00:26:56 good binoculars or a
00:26:56 --> 00:26:58 telescope Tri spotting it on the evening
00:26:58 --> 00:27:00 of February 1st when it appears near
00:27:00 --> 00:27:03 brilliant Venus and a waxing crescent
00:27:03 --> 00:27:05 moon later in the month it fades into
00:27:05 --> 00:27:07 the bright evening Twilight as it
00:27:07 --> 00:27:08 approaches conjunction with the sun on
00:27:09 --> 00:27:12 March 20th astronomy derby with Steve
00:27:12 --> 00:27:21 and h space space science and
00:27:21 --> 00:27:23 astronomy and thanks for staying with us
00:27:23 --> 00:27:26 for the first show in February 2025 it
00:27:26 --> 00:27:29 looks like this year is going to fly by
00:27:29 --> 00:27:32 faster than 2024 did uh what do you
00:27:32 --> 00:27:34 think H it sure feels that way I mean
00:27:34 --> 00:27:37 January's just gone stop the world human
00:27:37 --> 00:27:40 I want to get off no chance hi we ride
00:27:40 --> 00:27:42 this one all the way to the end well
00:27:42 --> 00:27:44 which by staggering coincidence is about
00:27:44 --> 00:27:48 now so it's Goodbye Oh sounding a little
00:27:48 --> 00:27:50 full lawn there hi but it's just for
00:27:50 --> 00:27:52 another week and listeners can enjoy my
00:27:52 --> 00:27:54 cousin Anna doing astronomy daily
00:27:54 --> 00:27:56 weekdays until we are back next Monday
00:27:56 --> 00:27:59 oh that busy busy girl Unstoppable oh
00:27:59 --> 00:28:01 that's for sure anyway we'll see you all
00:28:01 --> 00:28:04 next week
00:28:04 --> 00:28:06 bye
00:28:06 --> 00:28:11 theast with your host Steve dun