Astronomy Daily — S05E41 | Tuesday 17 February 2026 Ring of Fire, Farewell Comet, and the Smell of Rotten Eggs in Space Two celestial events happen TODAY — an annular solar eclipse transforms the Antarctic Sun into a ring of fire, and a rare hyperbolic comet makes its closest pass to Earth before leaving the solar system forever. Plus, JWST uses the smell of rotten eggs to solve a major exoplanet mystery, NASA performs a CT scan on the northern lights, a startup plans to fuel rockets with water, and we preview why 2026 is the dawn of a golden age of eclipses. In This Episode: • Ring of Fire solar eclipse over Antarctica — happening today, February 17, with up to 96% of the Sun covered and a 616km-wide path of annularity • Comet Wierzchoś (C/2024 E1) makes its closest approach to Earth today at 151 million km — a one-way trip out of the solar system, never to return • JWST detects hydrogen sulfide in giant exoplanets orbiting HR 8799, proving they formed like planets, not brown dwarfs — published in Nature Astronomy • NASA’s BADASS and GNEISS twin rocket missions launch from Alaska to “CT scan” the electrical circuitry of the aurora • General Galactic, led by ex-SpaceX engineer Halen Mattison, reveals plan to make rocket fuel from water — satellite test in October 2026 • 2026: A golden age of eclipses begins — total lunar eclipse March 3, total solar eclipse over Europe August 12, and much more ahead Hosted by: Anna & Avery Produced by: Huw at Bitesz.com Website: astronomydaily.io Social: @AstroDailyPod across all platforms Network: Bitesz.com Podcast Network
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00:00:00 --> 00:00:02 Good day, stargazers, and welcome to
00:00:02 --> 00:00:07 Astronomy Daily, episode 41 of season 5.
00:00:07 --> 00:00:08 I'm Anna.
00:00:08 --> 00:00:10 >> And I'm Avery. And what a day to be
00:00:10 --> 00:00:12 alive and looking up, Anna. It's
00:00:12 --> 00:00:16 Tuesday, February the 17th, 2026, and we
00:00:16 --> 00:00:18 have not one but two celestial events
00:00:18 --> 00:00:20 happening today.
00:00:20 --> 00:00:22 >> That's right. The sun is about to be
00:00:22 --> 00:00:25 turned into a ring of fire over
00:00:25 --> 00:00:28 Antarctica. And a comet that may never
00:00:28 --> 00:00:30 return is making its closest pass to
00:00:30 --> 00:00:35 Earth as we speak. Plus, we've got JWST
00:00:35 --> 00:00:37 solving an identity crisis for some
00:00:37 --> 00:00:41 massive exoplanets. NASA doing CT scans
00:00:41 --> 00:00:43 on the northern lights and a startup
00:00:43 --> 00:00:46 that wants to fuel rockets with water.
00:00:46 --> 00:00:50 And a preview of why 2026 might just be
00:00:50 --> 00:00:52 the greatest year of eclipses in a
00:00:52 --> 00:00:53 generation.
00:00:53 --> 00:00:55 >> Let's not waste a single second. Let's
00:00:56 --> 00:00:57 dive right in.
00:00:57 --> 00:00:59 >> So Avery, we've been building up to this
00:00:59 --> 00:01:03 for weeks, and today is finally the day.
00:01:03 --> 00:01:05 Right now, as many of our listeners are
00:01:05 --> 00:01:08 tuning in, an annular solar eclipse is
00:01:08 --> 00:01:11 tracing its path across Antarctica.
00:01:11 --> 00:01:13 >> And I know some of our listeners might
00:01:13 --> 00:01:15 be thinking, "Didn't we just cover
00:01:15 --> 00:01:17 this?" And yes, we've talked about it in
00:01:17 --> 00:01:20 recent episodes, but today is the day,
00:01:20 --> 00:01:21 and there's something truly special
00:01:21 --> 00:01:23 happening down at the bottom of the
00:01:23 --> 00:01:26 world. Let's recap the essentials. An
00:01:26 --> 00:01:29 annular eclipse happens when the moon
00:01:29 --> 00:01:31 passes directly between the Earth and
00:01:31 --> 00:01:34 the Sun. But because the moon is at a
00:01:34 --> 00:01:36 more distant point in its orbit, it
00:01:36 --> 00:01:39 doesn't completely cover the Sun's disc.
00:01:39 --> 00:01:42 Instead, you get this breathtaking ring
00:01:42 --> 00:01:44 of brilliant sunlight surrounding the
00:01:44 --> 00:01:46 dark silhouette of the moon,
00:01:46 --> 00:01:48 >> the Ring of Fire. And today's ring will
00:01:48 --> 00:01:51 last up to 2 minutes and 20 seconds for
00:01:51 --> 00:01:53 anyone lucky enough to be standing in
00:01:53 --> 00:01:55 the path of annularity. At the moment of
00:01:56 --> 00:01:58 greatest eclipse, which occurs at 1212
00:01:58 --> 00:02:01 UTC, the moon will cover approximately
00:02:01 --> 00:02:03 96% of the sun's surface.
00:02:04 --> 00:02:07 >> Now, 96% sounds like almost everything,
00:02:07 --> 00:02:10 but here's the important thing. It's not
00:02:10 --> 00:02:13 a total eclipse. The sky won't go dark.
00:02:13 --> 00:02:16 You absolutely must keep your solar
00:02:16 --> 00:02:19 eclipse glasses on for the entire event.
00:02:19 --> 00:02:21 There's no moment where it's safe to
00:02:21 --> 00:02:23 look at the sun with the naked eye.
00:02:23 --> 00:02:25 >> The path of annularity itself is
00:02:25 --> 00:02:27 actually quite wide for eclipse
00:02:27 --> 00:02:31 standards, about 616 km across, but it's
00:02:31 --> 00:02:33 crossing some of the most remote
00:02:33 --> 00:02:35 territory on Earth. We're talking about
00:02:35 --> 00:02:37 the Antarctic mainland and the
00:02:37 --> 00:02:39 surrounding southern ocean. So
00:02:39 --> 00:02:41 realistically, the only people seeing
00:02:41 --> 00:02:43 the full ring of fire today are
00:02:43 --> 00:02:45 researchers at a handful of Antarctic
00:02:45 --> 00:02:48 stations. However, the partial phases of
00:02:48 --> 00:02:50 the eclipse are visible from a much
00:02:50 --> 00:02:53 wider area. Observers in southern
00:02:53 --> 00:02:56 Argentina, southern Chile, southeastern
00:02:56 --> 00:02:59 Africa, Madagascar, and Maitius will all
00:02:59 --> 00:03:01 see the moon take a bite out of the sun
00:03:02 --> 00:03:03 to varying degrees.
00:03:03 --> 00:03:05 >> And here's something that I think really
00:03:05 --> 00:03:07 elevates today's event. This eclipse
00:03:07 --> 00:03:09 kicks off the first eclipse season of
00:03:09 --> 00:03:12 2026. Eclipse seasons are these brief
00:03:12 --> 00:03:14 windows, typically about 34 days long,
00:03:14 --> 00:03:16 when the geometry of the sun, Earth, and
00:03:16 --> 00:03:19 Moon align just right for eclipses to
00:03:19 --> 00:03:22 occur. And they usually come in pairs.
00:03:22 --> 00:03:25 >> Exactly. So, less than 2 weeks from now,
00:03:25 --> 00:03:28 on March the 3rd, we get a total lunar
00:03:28 --> 00:03:30 eclipse, a blood moon visible from North
00:03:30 --> 00:03:32 America. And that's just the beginning
00:03:32 --> 00:03:35 for 2026, which we'll come back to later
00:03:35 --> 00:03:36 in the show.
00:03:36 --> 00:03:38 >> For anyone wanting to follow along
00:03:38 --> 00:03:39 today, there are several live streams
00:03:39 --> 00:03:41 available, and we'll have links in our
00:03:41 --> 00:03:43 show notes. Even if you can't see it
00:03:43 --> 00:03:45 from where you are, this is a wonderful
00:03:45 --> 00:03:47 moment to appreciate the clockwork
00:03:47 --> 00:03:49 precision of our solar system. And
00:03:50 --> 00:03:52 sticking with things happening literally
00:03:52 --> 00:03:57 today, let's talk about comet C2024E1,
00:03:57 --> 00:03:59 better known as comet Wir, which is
00:03:59 --> 00:04:01 making its closest approach to Earth
00:04:02 --> 00:04:04 right now. This is one of those stories
00:04:04 --> 00:04:06 where the science and the poetry really
00:04:06 --> 00:04:08 come together beautifully. This comet
00:04:08 --> 00:04:11 was discovered back in March 2024 by
00:04:11 --> 00:04:14 Polish astronomer Casper Werto using the
00:04:14 --> 00:04:16 Mount Lemon survey in Arizona. And today
00:04:16 --> 00:04:20 it passes within about 151 million km
00:04:20 --> 00:04:23 from Earth, roughly the same distance as
00:04:23 --> 00:04:24 Earth is from the Sun.
00:04:24 --> 00:04:27 >> So it's not exactly a close shave, but
00:04:27 --> 00:04:29 it's still a significant astronomical
00:04:29 --> 00:04:32 moment. What makes this comet truly
00:04:32 --> 00:04:34 special is that it's on a hyperbolic
00:04:34 --> 00:04:37 orbit. For our listeners who aren't
00:04:37 --> 00:04:39 familiar with that term, it means the
00:04:39 --> 00:04:42 comet's trajectory isn't a closed loop.
00:04:42 --> 00:04:43 It's not coming back
00:04:43 --> 00:04:47 >> ever, or at least not for over 200
00:04:47 --> 00:04:49 years. And even that's optimistic.
00:04:49 --> 00:04:51 Scientists believe it originated in the
00:04:51 --> 00:04:54 Orort cloud, that vast icy shell at the
00:04:54 --> 00:04:56 outer edges of our solar system, and
00:04:56 --> 00:04:58 it's now getting a gravitational
00:04:58 --> 00:05:00 slingshot that will send it out into
00:05:00 --> 00:05:03 interstellar space. This is genuinely a
00:05:03 --> 00:05:06 once- in a civilization event.
00:05:06 --> 00:05:08 >> NASA's astronomy picture of the day
00:05:08 --> 00:05:11 featured comet Woso today with a 30inut
00:05:11 --> 00:05:14 exposure taken from Chile showing a
00:05:14 --> 00:05:18 gorgeous 5°ree long ion tail and three
00:05:18 --> 00:05:21 separate dust tails. The comet also has
00:05:21 --> 00:05:24 a vivid green coma which scientists
00:05:24 --> 00:05:26 believe is linked to carbon bearing
00:05:26 --> 00:05:29 compounds likely diatomic carbon
00:05:29 --> 00:05:32 fluoresing under ultraviolet sunlight.
00:05:32 --> 00:05:34 The James Webb telescope actually
00:05:34 --> 00:05:36 observed this comet last year when it
00:05:36 --> 00:05:38 was still far out at about seven
00:05:38 --> 00:05:40 astronomical units from the sun. They
00:05:40 --> 00:05:42 found its activity is primarily driven
00:05:42 --> 00:05:45 by carbon dioxide rather than carbon
00:05:45 --> 00:05:47 monoxide, which is interesting because
00:05:47 --> 00:05:50 it suggests the comet may have lost its
00:05:50 --> 00:05:53 near surface CO early in its evolution.
00:05:53 --> 00:05:56 Now, in terms of actually seeing it, at
00:05:56 --> 00:05:59 magnitude 7.8 to 8.2, you're going to
00:05:59 --> 00:06:02 need binoculars at minimum. Ideally, a
00:06:02 --> 00:06:04 small telescope. It's currently in the
00:06:04 --> 00:06:06 constellation sculptor, quite low in the
00:06:06 --> 00:06:09 southwestern sky after sunset. Southern
00:06:09 --> 00:06:11 Hemisphere observers have the far better
00:06:11 --> 00:06:12 view today.
00:06:12 --> 00:06:14 >> Northern Hemisphere observers don't
00:06:14 --> 00:06:17 despair. Over the coming days, the comet
00:06:17 --> 00:06:19 will climb a bit higher and by around
00:06:19 --> 00:06:21 February 23rd, it should be a more
00:06:21 --> 00:06:23 accessible target as it passes near some
00:06:24 --> 00:06:26 galaxies in Cedus. But it will be fading
00:06:26 --> 00:06:29 by then. If you can get out tonight with
00:06:29 --> 00:06:31 some optics, it's worth the effort.
00:06:31 --> 00:06:33 You're quite literally saying goodbye to
00:06:33 --> 00:06:35 something the human race will never see
00:06:35 --> 00:06:39 again. All right, let's travel 133
00:06:39 --> 00:06:41 lighty years away to the constellation
00:06:41 --> 00:06:44 Pegasus, where the James Webb telescope
00:06:44 --> 00:06:46 has just settled one of exoplanet
00:06:46 --> 00:06:49 science's most persistent mysteries.
00:06:49 --> 00:06:52 >> And the key to solving it, hydrogen
00:06:52 --> 00:06:54 sulfide, the molecule that gives rotten
00:06:54 --> 00:06:57 eggs their delightful aroma. Published
00:06:57 --> 00:06:59 in Nature Astronomy, a team from UCLA
00:07:00 --> 00:07:03 and UC San Diego use JWST to study
00:07:03 --> 00:07:05 HR8799
00:07:05 --> 00:07:08 system, which hosts four enormous gas
00:07:08 --> 00:07:11 giant planets, each between 5 and 10
00:07:11 --> 00:07:14 times the mass of Jupiter. Now, these
00:07:14 --> 00:07:16 planets have been known since 2008, and
00:07:16 --> 00:07:18 they're actually directly visible
00:07:18 --> 00:07:20 through telescopes, which is remarkable
00:07:20 --> 00:07:23 in itself. Most exoplanets are detected
00:07:23 --> 00:07:26 indirectly, but because they're so
00:07:26 --> 00:07:28 massive and because they're so far from
00:07:28 --> 00:07:31 their star, between 15 and 70 times
00:07:31 --> 00:07:33 Earth's distance from the sun,
00:07:33 --> 00:07:35 scientists have long debated if they're
00:07:35 --> 00:07:38 truly planets, or something else
00:07:38 --> 00:07:39 entirely.
00:07:39 --> 00:07:42 >> Specifically, are they planets or brown
00:07:42 --> 00:07:44 dwarfs? Brown dwarfs are sometimes
00:07:44 --> 00:07:47 called failed stars, objects that formed
00:07:47 --> 00:07:49 through gravitational collapse of a gas
00:07:49 --> 00:07:52 cloud like a star, but never got massive
00:07:52 --> 00:07:55 enough to sustain hydrogen fusion. The
00:07:55 --> 00:07:57 traditional mass boundary is around 13
00:07:57 --> 00:07:59 Jupiter masses, but that's a bit
00:07:59 --> 00:08:00 arbitrary.
00:08:00 --> 00:08:03 >> What really matters is how they formed.
00:08:03 --> 00:08:05 Did they form like planets through core
00:08:05 --> 00:08:08 accretion, building up a solid core from
00:08:08 --> 00:08:11 dust and rock that then attracted gas?
00:08:11 --> 00:08:13 or did they form like stars through the
00:08:13 --> 00:08:16 rapid collapse of a dense pocket of gas?
00:08:16 --> 00:08:18 >> And this is where the rotten eggs come
00:08:18 --> 00:08:21 in. The team detected hydrogen sulfide
00:08:21 --> 00:08:22 in the atmospheres of these three
00:08:22 --> 00:08:25 worlds, HR8799
00:08:25 --> 00:08:29 C, D, and E. Now, why is sulfur the key?
00:08:29 --> 00:08:31 Because at the vast distances these
00:08:31 --> 00:08:34 planets orbit their star, sulfur can
00:08:34 --> 00:08:36 only exist in solid form within the
00:08:36 --> 00:08:39 protolanetary disc. It cannot be in the
00:08:39 --> 00:08:41 gas phase. So if there's sulfur in these
00:08:41 --> 00:08:43 planets atmospheres, it had to have been
00:08:44 --> 00:08:46 gobbled up as solid material during the
00:08:46 --> 00:08:47 planet's formation.
00:08:47 --> 00:08:50 >> That's the smoking gun for core
00:08:50 --> 00:08:53 accretion. These worlds, massive as they
00:08:53 --> 00:08:56 are, formed the same way Jupiter did,
00:08:56 --> 00:08:59 just on a much grander scale. Previous
00:08:59 --> 00:09:01 studies looking at carbon and oxygen,
00:09:01 --> 00:09:03 couldn't distinguish between the two
00:09:03 --> 00:09:05 formation pathways because those
00:09:05 --> 00:09:08 elements can come from either gas or
00:09:08 --> 00:09:11 solids. The researchers also found that
00:09:11 --> 00:09:13 these planets are enriched in heavy
00:09:13 --> 00:09:15 elements compared to their host star by
00:09:15 --> 00:09:18 factors of roughly 2 to 9 times. They
00:09:18 --> 00:09:20 estimate the four planets together
00:09:20 --> 00:09:23 contain around 600 Earth masses of heavy
00:09:24 --> 00:09:26 material. That's an extraordinary amount
00:09:26 --> 00:09:28 of solid material.
00:09:28 --> 00:09:30 >> And this raises a really fascinating
00:09:30 --> 00:09:34 question. How big can a planet get? If
00:09:34 --> 00:09:37 objects 10 times Jupiter's mass can form
00:09:37 --> 00:09:39 through core accretion, where exactly is
00:09:40 --> 00:09:42 the line between the biggest planets and
00:09:42 --> 00:09:44 the smallest brown dwarfs? Lead
00:09:44 --> 00:09:47 researcher Jerry Swan from UCLA put it
00:09:47 --> 00:09:50 beautifully. He said the technique they
00:09:50 --> 00:09:51 used to separate the light from these
00:09:52 --> 00:09:55 incredibly faint planets, 10 times
00:09:55 --> 00:09:57 fainter than their star, will eventually
00:09:57 --> 00:09:59 be applicable to studying Earthlike
00:09:59 --> 00:10:01 worlds. He said, "Finding an Earth
00:10:01 --> 00:10:04 analog is the holy grail, and we might
00:10:04 --> 00:10:07 be 20 to 30 years away from getting the
00:10:07 --> 00:10:09 first spectrum of an Earthlike planet
00:10:09 --> 00:10:11 and searching for bio signatures."
00:10:11 --> 00:10:14 >> The future of exoplanet science built on
00:10:14 --> 00:10:17 the foundation of smelly gas. Who would
00:10:17 --> 00:10:19 have thought? Staying closer to home
00:10:19 --> 00:10:22 now, well, relatively speaking, NASA
00:10:22 --> 00:10:24 launched two groundbreaking sounding
00:10:24 --> 00:10:26 rocket missions from Alaska earlier this
00:10:26 --> 00:10:28 month, and the results are already
00:10:28 --> 00:10:30 exciting to science community.
00:10:30 --> 00:10:32 >> These launched from the Poker Flat
00:10:32 --> 00:10:34 Research Range near Fairbanks, and they
00:10:34 --> 00:10:37 had two of the best mission acronyms
00:10:37 --> 00:10:39 I've ever encountered. The first is
00:10:40 --> 00:10:43 badass, the black and diffuse auroral
00:10:43 --> 00:10:45 science surveyor. And yes, that's the
00:10:45 --> 00:10:48 real name. Launched February 9th, Badass
00:10:48 --> 00:10:52 reached an altitude of about 360 km and
00:10:52 --> 00:10:54 was specifically designed to study a
00:10:54 --> 00:10:57 phenomenon called black auroras. These
00:10:57 --> 00:10:59 are these strange dark structures that
00:10:59 --> 00:11:02 appear as gaps or voids drifting within
00:11:02 --> 00:11:04 the brighter diffuse aurora. Like
00:11:04 --> 00:11:06 someone has taken an eraser to parts of
00:11:06 --> 00:11:08 the northern lights. What's happening
00:11:08 --> 00:11:11 physically is that electrons, instead of
00:11:11 --> 00:11:13 streaming down into Earth's atmosphere
00:11:13 --> 00:11:16 the way they do in normal auroras, are
00:11:16 --> 00:11:19 shooting upward into space. Scientists
00:11:19 --> 00:11:21 don't fully understand why this reversal
00:11:21 --> 00:11:24 happens. And Badass was designed to
00:11:24 --> 00:11:27 gather data on exactly that. Then on
00:11:27 --> 00:11:31 February 10th, NASA launched the GNISS
00:11:31 --> 00:11:33 mission. That's the geoysical
00:11:33 --> 00:11:36 non-equilibrium ionosphere science
00:11:36 --> 00:11:38 system. This one used two rockets
00:11:38 --> 00:11:41 launched just 30 seconds apart, flying
00:11:41 --> 00:11:43 side by side through the same aurora
00:11:43 --> 00:11:46 along different slices. And here's the
00:11:46 --> 00:11:48 clever bit. Each rocket ejected four
00:11:48 --> 00:11:51 subpayloads, giving them multiple
00:11:51 --> 00:11:53 measurement points inside the aurora
00:11:53 --> 00:11:56 simultaneously. The rockets also sent
00:11:56 --> 00:11:58 radio signals through the surrounding
00:11:58 --> 00:12:01 plasma to a network of 11 ground
00:12:01 --> 00:12:04 receivers. The way the plasma altered
00:12:04 --> 00:12:06 those radio waves allowed scientists to
00:12:06 --> 00:12:09 map the plasma density, revealing where
00:12:09 --> 00:12:12 electrical currents can flow. Principal
00:12:12 --> 00:12:14 investigator Christina Lynch from
00:12:14 --> 00:12:16 Dartmouth College described it as
00:12:16 --> 00:12:18 essentially doing a CT scan of the
00:12:18 --> 00:12:20 plasma beneath the aurora. In the same
00:12:20 --> 00:12:23 way a medical CT scan uses X-rays
00:12:23 --> 00:12:25 passing through different body tissues
00:12:25 --> 00:12:28 to reconstruct the 3D image, NICE uses
00:12:28 --> 00:12:30 radio waves passing through auroral
00:12:30 --> 00:12:32 plasma to reconstruct the electrical
00:12:32 --> 00:12:35 environment in three dimensions. Both
00:12:35 --> 00:12:37 missions reported that all instruments
00:12:37 --> 00:12:39 performed as expected and returned
00:12:39 --> 00:12:42 highquality data. This is particularly
00:12:42 --> 00:12:44 satisfying for the badass team because
00:12:44 --> 00:12:47 the same mission was on the launchpad at
00:12:47 --> 00:12:49 Poker Flat last year, but the required
00:12:49 --> 00:12:52 auroral conditions never materialized
00:12:52 --> 00:12:54 before the launch window closed.
00:12:54 --> 00:12:56 Understanding how auroral currents work
00:12:56 --> 00:12:59 isn't just pure physics. Those currents
00:12:59 --> 00:13:01 shape how energy from space spreads
00:13:01 --> 00:13:04 through Earth's upper atmosphere. Where
00:13:04 --> 00:13:06 the current fans out, the atmosphere
00:13:06 --> 00:13:08 heats up, which can affect satellite
00:13:08 --> 00:13:10 drag, GPS accuracy, and radio
00:13:10 --> 00:13:12 communications. With our increasing
00:13:12 --> 00:13:14 dependence on space-based technology,
00:13:14 --> 00:13:16 this research has very practical
00:13:16 --> 00:13:17 implications.
00:13:18 --> 00:13:20 >> Now, for something that sounds like
00:13:20 --> 00:13:22 science fiction, but is heading for a
00:13:22 --> 00:13:24 realworld test later this year. A
00:13:24 --> 00:13:27 startup called General Galactic, led by
00:13:27 --> 00:13:30 former SpaceX engineer Helen Madison, is
00:13:30 --> 00:13:32 developing technology to use water as
00:13:32 --> 00:13:35 rocket fuel. And before anyone thinks
00:13:35 --> 00:13:36 we're talking about some kind of
00:13:36 --> 00:13:39 perpetual motion scam, the science here
00:13:39 --> 00:13:42 is sound. The core concept uses
00:13:42 --> 00:13:45 electrolysis, splitting water molecules
00:13:45 --> 00:13:47 into hydrogen and oxygen, and then using
00:13:48 --> 00:13:50 those gases in two different propulsion
00:13:50 --> 00:13:51 systems.
00:13:51 --> 00:13:53 >> Right? For chemical propulsion, you burn
00:13:53 --> 00:13:56 the hydrogen and oxygen together, which
00:13:56 --> 00:13:58 produces high pressure thrust, much like
00:13:58 --> 00:14:00 a conventional rocket engine. For
00:14:00 --> 00:14:03 electrical propulsion, you ionize the
00:14:03 --> 00:14:05 oxygen and accelerate it using a
00:14:05 --> 00:14:08 magnetic field, creating plasma thrust.
00:14:08 --> 00:14:10 Madison describes that second type as
00:14:10 --> 00:14:13 very, very low thrust. People jokingly
00:14:13 --> 00:14:16 like to call it a burp in space. But
00:14:16 --> 00:14:19 even a burp in space can be useful for
00:14:19 --> 00:14:21 precise maneuvers and station keeping.
00:14:21 --> 00:14:23 The real gamecher here isn't the
00:14:23 --> 00:14:26 propulsion technology itself, but the
00:14:26 --> 00:14:28 fuel source. Water is one of the most
00:14:28 --> 00:14:30 abundant resources we found on other
00:14:30 --> 00:14:33 worlds. There's water ice on the moon,
00:14:33 --> 00:14:36 on Mars, on asteroids. If you can turn
00:14:36 --> 00:14:38 that water into fuel, you've essentially
00:14:38 --> 00:14:40 created the infrastructure for cosmic
00:14:40 --> 00:14:41 refueling stations.
00:14:42 --> 00:14:44 >> That's exactly Madison's long-term
00:14:44 --> 00:14:46 vision. He's talking about building a
00:14:46 --> 00:14:49 refueling network that connects Earth,
00:14:49 --> 00:14:51 the moon, and Mars. As he puts it,
00:14:51 --> 00:14:54 everybody wants to go build a moon base
00:14:54 --> 00:14:56 or a Mars base. Who's going to pay for
00:14:56 --> 00:14:58 it? How does it actually work? His
00:14:58 --> 00:15:00 answer is to make the economics viable
00:15:00 --> 00:15:03 by using insitue resources.
00:15:03 --> 00:15:05 >> Now, there are real challenges to
00:15:05 --> 00:15:08 overcome. Water has to be purified,
00:15:08 --> 00:15:10 electrolyed, and stored efficiently. And
00:15:10 --> 00:15:12 the whole system has to be lightweight
00:15:12 --> 00:15:15 enough for space applications. There's
00:15:15 --> 00:15:17 also concerns about ionized oxygen
00:15:17 --> 00:15:18 potentially affecting satellite
00:15:18 --> 00:15:21 electronics, but the team is pushing
00:15:21 --> 00:15:23 ahead with a proof of concept. And that
00:15:23 --> 00:15:26 proof of concept is coming soon. General
00:15:26 --> 00:15:29 Galactic is planning to launch an 1100
00:15:29 --> 00:15:32 lb satellite on a SpaceX Falcon 9 rocket
00:15:32 --> 00:15:35 in October 2026. That satellite will
00:15:36 --> 00:15:38 test both the chemical and electrical
00:15:38 --> 00:15:41 propulsion systems using water as fuel
00:15:41 --> 00:15:44 in actual space conditions. If it works,
00:15:44 --> 00:15:46 it could fundamentally change the
00:15:46 --> 00:15:48 economics of space flight. MAT claims
00:15:48 --> 00:15:50 they're talking about billions of
00:15:50 --> 00:15:52 dollars in savings even with current
00:15:52 --> 00:15:55 operations and trillions in new economic
00:15:55 --> 00:15:57 growth as the infrastructure scales up.
00:15:57 --> 00:15:59 Those are bold claims, but the
00:15:59 --> 00:16:01 underlying physics is solid. We'll be
00:16:01 --> 00:16:03 watching that October launch very
00:16:03 --> 00:16:06 closely. So, we open the show with
00:16:06 --> 00:16:08 today's annular eclipse, and we
00:16:08 --> 00:16:10 mentioned that it kicks off an eclipse
00:16:10 --> 00:16:12 season, but I think it's worth zooming
00:16:12 --> 00:16:14 out and looking at the bigger picture
00:16:14 --> 00:16:17 because 2026 is shaping up to be an
00:16:17 --> 00:16:19 absolutely extraordinary year for
00:16:19 --> 00:16:21 eclipses.
00:16:21 --> 00:16:23 >> It really is. So, let's run through
00:16:23 --> 00:16:25 what's coming. First up, as we
00:16:25 --> 00:16:27 mentioned, on March the 3rd, we get a
00:16:27 --> 00:16:30 total lunar eclipse. That's a blood moon
00:16:30 --> 00:16:31 and it will be visible across North
00:16:32 --> 00:16:34 America which is fantastic news for our
00:16:34 --> 00:16:36 listeners in that part of the world.
00:16:36 --> 00:16:39 >> Then we get to August 12th. And this is
00:16:39 --> 00:16:42 the big one, a total solar eclipse, not
00:16:42 --> 00:16:44 annular but total with its path of
00:16:44 --> 00:16:47 totality crossing the Arctic, Greenland,
00:16:47 --> 00:16:50 Iceland, and Spain. And observers across
00:16:50 --> 00:16:53 much of Western Europe and North America
00:16:53 --> 00:16:55 will see a partial eclipse.
00:16:55 --> 00:16:57 >> For anyone in the UK, this is
00:16:57 --> 00:17:00 particularly exciting. The BBC Sky at
00:17:00 --> 00:17:02 Night magazine and the Royal Observatory
00:17:02 --> 00:17:04 Greenwich are both flagging this as the
00:17:04 --> 00:17:06 best solar eclipse visible from the UK
00:17:06 --> 00:17:08 since 1999.
00:17:08 --> 00:17:10 Viewers in London will see the moon
00:17:10 --> 00:17:13 touch the edge of the sun's disc at 6:17
00:17:13 --> 00:17:17 p.m. BST. And it doesn't stop there. The
00:17:17 --> 00:17:19 astronomical community is talking about
00:17:19 --> 00:17:22 a genuine golden age of eclipses
00:17:22 --> 00:17:25 beginning right now. Between 2026 and
00:17:25 --> 00:17:28 2028, we're looking at three total solar
00:17:28 --> 00:17:31 eclipses and three Ring of Fire eclipses
00:17:31 --> 00:17:33 in just three years. That's an
00:17:33 --> 00:17:35 extraordinary run.
00:17:35 --> 00:17:38 >> So, if today's Antarctic Ring of Fire
00:17:38 --> 00:17:39 has you feeling a bit left out because
00:17:40 --> 00:17:42 you couldn't see it, don't worry. There
00:17:42 --> 00:17:44 is so much more to come. Start planning
00:17:44 --> 00:17:46 now for August 12th. And make sure
00:17:46 --> 00:17:48 you're subscribed to Astronomy Daily
00:17:48 --> 00:17:50 because we'll be covering every single
00:17:50 --> 00:17:52 one of these events. This is going to be
00:17:52 --> 00:17:55 an epic year for Eclipse Tracers.
00:17:55 --> 00:17:57 >> And that brings us to the end of another
00:17:57 --> 00:17:59 packed edition of Astronomy Daily. What
00:17:59 --> 00:18:02 a day, Anna. An eclipse, a comet
00:18:02 --> 00:18:04 farewell, rotten eggs solving planetary
00:18:04 --> 00:18:08 mysteries, CT scans of auroras, water
00:18:08 --> 00:18:10 powered rockets, and a golden age of
00:18:10 --> 00:18:12 eclipses beginning right now.
00:18:12 --> 00:18:14 >> If you enjoyed today's episode, please
00:18:14 --> 00:18:16 do subscribe wherever you get your
00:18:16 --> 00:18:18 podcasts. Leave us a rating and a review
00:18:18 --> 00:18:20 and share us with anyone you know who
00:18:20 --> 00:18:22 loves looking up. You can find us at
00:18:22 --> 00:18:24 astronomydaily.io,
00:18:24 --> 00:18:27 on YouTube, and across all social media
00:18:27 --> 00:18:29 platforms at astroaily pod.
00:18:29 --> 00:18:31 >> And don't forget, we're part of the
00:18:31 --> 00:18:33 byes.com podcast network where you'll
00:18:33 --> 00:18:35 find plenty of other great shows to keep
00:18:35 --> 00:18:37 you entertained and informed.
00:18:37 --> 00:18:39 >> Until next time, keep your eyes on the
00:18:39 --> 00:18:40 skies.
00:18:40 --> 00:18:45 >> Clear skies, everyone.
00:18:45 --> 00:18:53 Stories told
00:18:53 --> 00:19:01 stories told
00:19:01 --> 00:19:03 stories