Join hosts Anna and Avery for an exciting journey through today's most compelling space stories. We explore Mercury's surprising geological activity, NASA's TESS satellite recovery, a frigid Earth-like exoplanet discovery, an accelerated ISS crew launch, runaway black holes tearing through space, and the scientific opportunities of a potential lunar asteroid impact in 2032.
### Episode Highlights
**Mercury's Hidden Activity**
New research reveals that Mercury, long considered geologically dead, is still actively losing volatile materials from its interior. Using AI analysis of 100,000 MESSENGER images, scientists have mapped 400 bright slope streaks that indicate ongoing geological processes. The BepiColombo mission will provide unprecedented new data when it arrives at Mercury.
**TESS Satellite Recovery**
NASA's planet-hunting TESS satellite recently entered safe mode after a command error caused solar panel misalignment. The spacecraft successfully recovered, demonstrating the importance of built-in safeguards. NASA is reviewing procedures to prevent future incidents.
**Ice-Cold Earth Twin**
Astronomers have discovered HD 137010 b, an Earth-like exoplanet 146 light-years away that could be as cold as minus 90°F. Despite frigid temperatures, it orbits within its star's habitable zone, offering insights into the diversity of potentially habitable worlds.
**Crew-12 Launch Advanced**
SpaceX and NASA have moved up the Crew-12 launch to February 11, four days earlier than planned, to provide relief for the three-person skeleton crew managing the ISS after the first-ever medical evacuation from the station.
**Runaway Black Holes Confirmed**
The James Webb Space Telescope has confirmed the first runaway supermassive black hole, ejected from its galaxy and leaving a 200,000 light-year trail of newborn stars. Traveling at 1,600 km/s, this discovery validates 50-year-old theoretical predictions.
**Moon Impact Opportunity**
Asteroid 2024 YR4 has a 4% chance of striking the Moon on December 22, 2032. While posing risks to satellites and Earth, such an impact would provide unprecedented scientific data on lunar geology, create spectacular meteor displays, and deliver free lunar samples to Earth.
### Featured Stories
1. **Mercury Still Geologically Active** - University of Bern researchers discover 400 bright streaks indicating ongoing volatile loss (Source: Space Daily)
2. **TESS Satellite Command Error** - NASA's exoplanet hunter recovers from safe mode after solar panel misalignment (Source: Daily Galaxy)
3. **Frigid Earth-Like Planet Discovery** - HD 137010 b joins the search for Earth's twin despite extreme cold (Source: Daily Galaxy)
4. **ISS Crew-12 Launch Moved Up** - February 11 launch provides relief after historic medical evacuation (Source: Space.com)
5. **First Confirmed Runaway Black Hole** - JWST observations validate theoretical predictions with stunning stellar trail (Source: Phys.org/Science Sources)
6. **Asteroid 2024 YR4 Lunar Impact** - 4% chance creates scientific opportunity and satellite risk in 2032 (Source: Universe Today)
### Hosts
Anna and Avery
### Links & Resources
- Website: astronomydaily.io
- Social Media: @AstroDailyPod (X, Facebook, Instagram, YouTube)
- Subscribe for daily space news and updates
Become a supporter of this podcast: https://www.spreaker.com/podcast/astronomy-daily-space-news-updates--5648921/support (https://www.spreaker.com/podcast/astronomy-daily-space-news-updates--5648921/support?utm_source=rss&utm_medium=rss&utm_campaign=rss) .
Sponsor Details:
Ensure your online privacy by using NordVPN . To get our special listener deal and save a lot of money, visit You'll be glad you did!
Become a supporter of Astronomy Daily by joining our Supporters Club. Commercial free episodes daily are only a click way... Click Here (https://www.spreaker.com/podcast/astronomy-daily-space-news-updates--5648921/support)
This episode includes AI-generated content.
Episode link: https://play.headliner.app/episode/31389097?utm_source=youtube
00:00:00 --> 00:00:03 Welcome to Astronomy [music] Daily, your
00:00:03 --> 00:00:05 source for the latest space and
00:00:05 --> 00:00:07 astronomy news. I'm Anna.
00:00:07 --> 00:00:09 >> And I'm Avery. Thanks for joining us on
00:00:09 --> 00:00:11 this Thursday, February 29th, [music]
00:00:11 --> 00:00:14 2026. We've got a fascinating lineup
00:00:14 --> 00:00:16 today, covering everything from
00:00:16 --> 00:00:18 Mercury's surprising geological activity
00:00:18 --> 00:00:20 to a possible [music] asteroid impact on
00:00:20 --> 00:00:21 the moon.
00:00:21 --> 00:00:24 >> That's right. We're going to explore
00:00:24 --> 00:00:26 bright streaks on Mercury that suggest
00:00:26 --> 00:00:29 [music] our smallest planet is still
00:00:29 --> 00:00:32 geologically active. Check in on NASA's
00:00:32 --> 00:00:34 [music] test satellite after a command
00:00:34 --> 00:00:36 error temporarily sidelined it. And
00:00:36 --> 00:00:39 discuss the discovery of an intriguing
00:00:39 --> 00:00:41 Earthlike exoplanet that's much [music]
00:00:41 --> 00:00:43 colder than you might expect. Plus,
00:00:43 --> 00:00:45 we'll bring you updates on NASA and
00:00:45 --> 00:00:48 SpaceX moving up the Crew 12 launch to
00:00:48 --> 00:00:49 help out the skeleton crew [music]
00:00:49 --> 00:00:50 currently on the International Space
00:00:50 --> 00:00:52 Station. Then we'll dive into the wild
00:00:52 --> 00:00:55 world of runaway black holes tearing
00:00:55 --> 00:00:57 through space and wrap up with what
00:00:57 --> 00:00:59 could be a once-in-a-lifetime [music]
00:00:59 --> 00:01:01 scientific opportunity if an asteroid
00:01:01 --> 00:01:03 hits the moon in 2032.
00:01:03 --> 00:01:05 >> It's quite a ride today. [music] Let's
00:01:06 --> 00:01:08 get started with some surprising news
00:01:08 --> 00:01:10 from the innermost planet in our solar
00:01:10 --> 00:01:11 system.
00:01:11 --> 00:01:14 >> Mercury has long been viewed as a small
00:01:14 --> 00:01:16 geologically dead world, but new
00:01:16 --> 00:01:18 research is challenging that assumption
00:01:18 --> 00:01:21 in a big way. A team led by researchers
00:01:21 --> 00:01:23 at the University of Burn has uncovered
00:01:23 --> 00:01:25 hundreds of bright linear streaks on
00:01:26 --> 00:01:28 crater slopes that point to ongoing
00:01:28 --> 00:01:30 volcanic activity and volatile loss from
00:01:30 --> 00:01:32 Mercury's interior.
00:01:32 --> 00:01:35 >> This is really fascinating work, Avery.
00:01:35 --> 00:01:37 The team applied deep learning
00:01:37 --> 00:01:40 techniques to analyze about 100
00:01:40 --> 00:01:43 highresolution images taken by NASA's
00:01:43 --> 00:01:45 Messenger spacecraft during its orbital
00:01:45 --> 00:01:49 mission from 2011 to 2015. Using this
00:01:49 --> 00:01:51 automated approach, they mapped the
00:01:51 --> 00:01:54 global distribution of roughly 400
00:01:54 --> 00:01:56 bright streaks that had previously
00:01:56 --> 00:01:59 escaped comprehensive cataloging.
00:01:59 --> 00:02:01 >> And what they found was pretty telling.
00:02:01 --> 00:02:03 These features, known as slope lineier,
00:02:03 --> 00:02:05 occur preferentially on sun-facing
00:02:06 --> 00:02:08 slopes inside relatively young impact
00:02:08 --> 00:02:10 craters that cut through thick volcanic
00:02:10 --> 00:02:12 deposits. The concentration of streaks
00:02:12 --> 00:02:15 in these thermally stressed environments
00:02:15 --> 00:02:17 indicates that solar heating is an
00:02:17 --> 00:02:19 important trigger for volatile escape
00:02:19 --> 00:02:21 from near surface layers. Much of these
00:02:22 --> 00:02:24 streaks originate in small bright
00:02:24 --> 00:02:27 depressions called hollows that dot
00:02:27 --> 00:02:29 crater floors and walls. These hollows
00:02:29 --> 00:02:31 have long been interpreted as products
00:02:31 --> 00:02:33 of volatile loss and their close
00:02:34 --> 00:02:36 association with the lineier supports
00:02:36 --> 00:02:39 the view that both structures form when
00:02:39 --> 00:02:41 volatile components like sulfur or other
00:02:41 --> 00:02:43 light elements escape from the
00:02:43 --> 00:02:45 subsurface.
00:02:45 --> 00:02:47 >> According to the research team, fracture
00:02:47 --> 00:02:49 networks created by the original impact
00:02:49 --> 00:02:51 events likely provide pathways that
00:02:51 --> 00:02:53 allow volatile rich material from deeper
00:02:53 --> 00:02:56 levels to reach the surface. As solar
00:02:56 --> 00:02:58 radiation warms these exposed zones,
00:02:58 --> 00:03:01 volatiles can escape into space, driving
00:03:01 --> 00:03:03 the development or modification of the
00:03:03 --> 00:03:06 bright streaks down slope. What's
00:03:06 --> 00:03:08 particularly exciting is the timing.
00:03:08 --> 00:03:11 This research arrives just as the joint
00:03:11 --> 00:03:14 ESA and JAXA Becky Columbbo mission is
00:03:14 --> 00:03:16 on route to Mercury. The mission carries
00:03:16 --> 00:03:19 an advanced payload that includes
00:03:19 --> 00:03:21 several key contributions from the
00:03:21 --> 00:03:22 University of Burn.
00:03:22 --> 00:03:25 >> Absolutely. The Becky Columbbo laser
00:03:25 --> 00:03:27 altimeter or Bella was designed and
00:03:27 --> 00:03:30 built in part at the University of Burn.
00:03:30 --> 00:03:32 It will use laser pulses from an orbit
00:03:32 --> 00:03:35 roughly a thousand km above the surface
00:03:35 --> 00:03:38 to measure elevations with about 10 cm
00:03:38 --> 00:03:40 precision, enabling a detailed
00:03:40 --> 00:03:42 reconstruction of Mercury's topography.
00:03:42 --> 00:03:45 The burn team also contributed the ion
00:03:45 --> 00:03:48 optical system for Stroio, a NASA mass
00:03:48 --> 00:03:51 spectrometer on Bey Columbo that will
00:03:51 --> 00:03:53 measure the composition of Mercury's
00:03:53 --> 00:03:56 extremely thin atmosphere, connecting
00:03:56 --> 00:03:58 present-day volatile escape at the
00:03:58 --> 00:04:01 surface to the surrounding exosphere.
00:04:01 --> 00:04:02 The research team plans to use the
00:04:02 --> 00:04:05 current inventory of slope streaks as a
00:04:05 --> 00:04:07 baseline for future comparisons once
00:04:07 --> 00:04:10 Beepy Columbbo begins returning data. By
00:04:10 --> 00:04:12 imaging key regions again, they aim to
00:04:12 --> 00:04:14 determine whether new streaks have
00:04:14 --> 00:04:16 formed or existing ones have changed
00:04:16 --> 00:04:19 since the messenger era. Any such
00:04:19 --> 00:04:21 changes would provide strong evidence
00:04:21 --> 00:04:23 that volatiled driven processes are
00:04:23 --> 00:04:25 still reshaping Mercury's surface on
00:04:25 --> 00:04:27 human [snorts] time scales.
00:04:27 --> 00:04:29 >> It's a great reminder that even our
00:04:29 --> 00:04:31 smallest, closest planetary neighbor
00:04:32 --> 00:04:34 still has secrets to reveal. Mercury is
00:04:34 --> 00:04:36 far more dynamic than we thought.
00:04:36 --> 00:04:38 Shifting from Mercury to our planet
00:04:38 --> 00:04:40 hunting efforts, NASA's Transiting
00:04:40 --> 00:04:43 Exoplanet Survey Satellite, or TESS,
00:04:43 --> 00:04:45 recently had a bit of a scare when a
00:04:45 --> 00:04:47 command error temporarily knocked it
00:04:47 --> 00:04:49 offline. Right, the spacecraft was
00:04:50 --> 00:04:51 forced into safe mode after an
00:04:52 --> 00:04:53 unexpected command error caused its
00:04:53 --> 00:04:56 solar panels to misalign with the sun.
00:04:56 --> 00:04:58 This misalignment had serious
00:04:58 --> 00:04:59 consequences because the panels were
00:05:00 --> 00:05:02 unable to charge Tessa's batteries,
00:05:02 --> 00:05:03 leading to a low power condition that
00:05:04 --> 00:05:05 triggered the automatic transition to
00:05:05 --> 00:05:07 safe mode. In safe mode, all
00:05:08 --> 00:05:10 non-essential systems are turned off to
00:05:10 --> 00:05:11 conserve power, and the spacecraft
00:05:12 --> 00:05:13 awaits further instructions from ground
00:05:14 --> 00:05:16 controllers. NASA engineers quickly work
00:05:16 --> 00:05:18 to resolve the issue. And fortunately,
00:05:18 --> 00:05:21 TESS safe mode performed as intended,
00:05:21 --> 00:05:23 protecting the spacecraft from permanent
00:05:23 --> 00:05:25 damage. This incident is actually
00:05:25 --> 00:05:28 reminiscent of past missing failures.
00:05:28 --> 00:05:31 Remember Viking 1 back in 1982? A faulty
00:05:31 --> 00:05:34 command caused the loss of communication
00:05:34 --> 00:05:36 and there was that catastrophic series
00:05:36 --> 00:05:38 of events that nearly destroyed the SOHO
00:05:38 --> 00:05:41 probe in 1998. But unlike those cases,
00:05:42 --> 00:05:44 TESS was fortunate to have safeguards in
00:05:44 --> 00:05:45 place.
00:05:45 --> 00:05:47 >> Exactly. The spacecraft's automatic safe
00:05:47 --> 00:05:49 mode kicked in when the power situation
00:05:49 --> 00:05:51 became critical. The safe mode is
00:05:52 --> 00:05:53 designed to preserve the spacecraft's
00:05:53 --> 00:05:56 core functions such as attitude control
00:05:56 --> 00:05:58 and ensure it can be reactivated once
00:05:58 --> 00:06:00 engineers identify and address the
00:06:00 --> 00:06:02 issue. According to NASA, the mission
00:06:02 --> 00:06:04 team is now reviewing and updating
00:06:04 --> 00:06:06 procedures to prevent this command error
00:06:06 --> 00:06:08 from happening in the future. It's a
00:06:08 --> 00:06:10 good reminder that even with advanced
00:06:10 --> 00:06:12 technology, human error remains a
00:06:12 --> 00:06:14 significant challenge in space
00:06:14 --> 00:06:15 operations.
00:06:15 --> 00:06:18 >> Absolutely. While Tessa's recovery was
00:06:18 --> 00:06:20 successful and demonstrates how far
00:06:20 --> 00:06:22 space mission technology has come, this
00:06:22 --> 00:06:24 incident emphasizes the need for
00:06:24 --> 00:06:26 continued vigilance in mission planning.
00:06:26 --> 00:06:29 The risk of human error is always there
00:06:29 --> 00:06:31 and the consequences can be costly in
00:06:31 --> 00:06:33 terms of both time and resources.
00:06:33 --> 00:06:35 >> The good news is that TESS is back
00:06:35 --> 00:06:37 online and continuing its important work
00:06:38 --> 00:06:40 of hunting for exoplanets, which brings
00:06:40 --> 00:06:42 us nicely to our next story about a
00:06:42 --> 00:06:45 newly discovered Earthlike world.
00:06:45 --> 00:06:47 Speaking of exoplanets, astronomers have
00:06:47 --> 00:06:49 just discovered what might be one of the
00:06:49 --> 00:06:51 closest things we have to Earth's twin,
00:06:52 --> 00:06:54 though it's considerably colder than our
00:06:54 --> 00:06:56 home planet. The exoplanet is called
00:06:56 --> 00:07:00 HD137010b,
00:07:00 --> 00:07:03 and it's located 146 lighty years away.
00:07:03 --> 00:07:05 It's slightly larger than Earth and
00:07:05 --> 00:07:07 orbits a star that resembles our sun.
00:07:07 --> 00:07:09 However, despite its similarities to
00:07:09 --> 00:07:11 Earth in terms of size and orbital
00:07:11 --> 00:07:14 period, its surface could be far colder
00:07:14 --> 00:07:16 than even Mars, potentially reaching a
00:07:16 --> 00:07:22 frigid -90° F or -68° C.
00:07:22 --> 00:07:24 >> This discovery was published in the
00:07:24 --> 00:07:26 astrophysical journal Letters and was
00:07:26 --> 00:07:29 made by an international team led by
00:07:29 --> 00:07:31 Alexander Venner. The search for
00:07:31 --> 00:07:34 Earthlike exoplanets has been a central
00:07:34 --> 00:07:37 focus of astronomical research for over
00:07:37 --> 00:07:40 three decades now. Dr. Hang, a key
00:07:40 --> 00:07:41 member of the research team, explained
00:07:41 --> 00:07:43 it well when he said, "Since the
00:07:43 --> 00:07:45 discovery of the first exoplanet 30
00:07:45 --> 00:07:47 years ago, we've always tried to find
00:07:48 --> 00:07:51 Earth's Trin. HD137010b
00:07:51 --> 00:07:53 could bring us closer to that goal,
00:07:53 --> 00:07:56 although it's not an exact match. The
00:07:56 --> 00:07:58 planet is positioned in what astronomers
00:07:58 --> 00:08:00 call the habitable zone of its star,
00:08:00 --> 00:08:02 which is the area where water could
00:08:02 --> 00:08:04 potentially exist in liquid form, which
00:08:04 --> 00:08:06 is crucial for life as we know it.
00:08:06 --> 00:08:09 However, there's a major obstacle.
00:08:09 --> 00:08:14 >> Right? The star HD137010b
00:08:14 --> 00:08:16 orbits is cooler and dimmer than our
00:08:16 --> 00:08:19 sun, meaning the planet receives only a
00:08:19 --> 00:08:22 fraction of the energy Earth does. This
00:08:22 --> 00:08:24 could result in surface temperatures as
00:08:24 --> 00:08:28 low as -90° F, making it one of the
00:08:28 --> 00:08:30 coldest exoplanets discovered in recent
00:08:30 --> 00:08:33 years. But scientists remain hopeful.
00:08:34 --> 00:08:35 Dr. Venner pointed out that while the
00:08:35 --> 00:08:38 planet's surface might be frozen, it
00:08:38 --> 00:08:39 could still fall within the broader
00:08:39 --> 00:08:42 optimistic habitable zone of its star.
00:08:42 --> 00:08:44 With the right atmospheric conditions,
00:08:44 --> 00:08:47 HD137010b
00:08:47 --> 00:08:49 might not be as inhospitable as its
00:08:49 --> 00:08:51 temperature suggests. One of the
00:08:52 --> 00:08:53 challenges of studying this planet is
00:08:54 --> 00:08:56 its orbital distance from its star,
00:08:56 --> 00:08:58 which is similar to Earth's, but much
00:08:58 --> 00:09:00 farther than the typical exoplanets that
00:09:00 --> 00:09:03 are easier to observe. Transits, when
00:09:03 --> 00:09:05 the planet crosses in front of its star,
00:09:05 --> 00:09:08 happen less frequently, making it harder
00:09:08 --> 00:09:10 to confirm the planet's existence.
00:09:10 --> 00:09:12 >> The discovery was made from a single
00:09:12 --> 00:09:15 transit captured by NASA's Kepler Space
00:09:15 --> 00:09:17 Telescope. Further confirmation of the
00:09:17 --> 00:09:19 planet's existence and detailed analysis
00:09:19 --> 00:09:22 of its mass and atmosphere will require
00:09:22 --> 00:09:24 more data, which might not be possible
00:09:24 --> 00:09:26 until the next generation of telescopes
00:09:26 --> 00:09:28 become operational.
00:09:28 --> 00:09:30 >> It's an exciting discovery that adds to
00:09:30 --> 00:09:32 our understanding of the types of
00:09:32 --> 00:09:33 environments where life could
00:09:33 --> 00:09:36 potentially exist beyond our solar
00:09:36 --> 00:09:41 system. Even if HD137010B
00:09:41 --> 00:09:43 is too cold for life as we know it, it
00:09:43 --> 00:09:45 teaches us valuable lessons about
00:09:45 --> 00:09:47 planetary habitability.
00:09:47 --> 00:09:49 >> Now, let's turn our attention back to
00:09:49 --> 00:09:52 Earth orbit and the International Space
00:09:52 --> 00:09:54 Station. NASA has announced an earlier
00:09:54 --> 00:09:56 than expected target date to launch the
00:09:56 --> 00:09:59 next astronauts to the ISS.
00:09:59 --> 00:10:01 >> That's right. The agency is now
00:10:01 --> 00:10:04 targeting February 11th for liftoff of
00:10:04 --> 00:10:07 Space X Crew 12 mission, which will fly
00:10:07 --> 00:10:09 four astronauts to join the skeleton
00:10:09 --> 00:10:11 crew presently operating the orbital
00:10:11 --> 00:10:14 laboratory. That's 4 days earlier than
00:10:14 --> 00:10:16 originally planned.
00:10:16 --> 00:10:18 >> Just to give everyone context, currently
00:10:18 --> 00:10:20 only three crew members are covering the
00:10:20 --> 00:10:22 maintenance and science investigations
00:10:22 --> 00:10:25 aboard the ISS. They were left behind on
00:10:25 --> 00:10:27 January 14th by the early departure of
00:10:27 --> 00:10:30 crew 11 on the station's first ever
00:10:30 --> 00:10:33 medical evacuation. The crew 12
00:10:33 --> 00:10:35 astronauts were already in line to take
00:10:35 --> 00:10:38 the crew 11's quartet's place, but they
00:10:38 --> 00:10:40 had originally been scheduled to overlap
00:10:40 --> 00:10:43 with them before their return to Earth.
00:10:43 --> 00:10:45 SpaceX and NASA had originally targeted
00:10:45 --> 00:10:48 February 15th for Crew 12's launch, but
00:10:48 --> 00:10:50 managed to get the mission's Crew Dragon
00:10:50 --> 00:10:53 spacecraft and Falcon 9 rocket ready
00:10:53 --> 00:10:54 ahead of schedule.
00:10:54 --> 00:10:57 >> The Crew 12 team includes NASA
00:10:57 --> 00:10:59 astronauts Jessica Mir, who's the
00:10:59 --> 00:11:01 mission commander, and Jack Hathaway as
00:11:02 --> 00:11:04 pilot. The mission specialists are
00:11:04 --> 00:11:07 Sophie Adinot of the European Space
00:11:07 --> 00:11:10 Agency, and Ross Cosmos cosminaut Andre
00:11:10 --> 00:11:13 Fedyv. Interestingly, Fedyav was a
00:11:13 --> 00:11:15 relatively late replacement for
00:11:15 --> 00:11:17 cosminaut Alleg Ardmiv, who was pulled
00:11:18 --> 00:11:20 off crew 12 in early December, possibly
00:11:20 --> 00:11:23 for violating US national security
00:11:23 --> 00:11:26 regulations. This quartet will fly the
00:11:26 --> 00:11:28 Crew Dragon capsule named Grace to the
00:11:28 --> 00:11:31 ISS for a longer than normal assignment
00:11:31 --> 00:11:33 lasting 9 months instead of the typical
00:11:33 --> 00:11:35 6 months. It'll be the second space
00:11:35 --> 00:11:38 flight for both Mayor and Fedyav, while
00:11:38 --> 00:11:41 Hathaway and Adeno are both spaceflight
00:11:41 --> 00:11:42 rookies headed to orbit for the first
00:11:42 --> 00:11:45 time. The launch window opens on
00:11:45 --> 00:11:48 February 11th at 6:00 a.m. Eastern time
00:11:48 --> 00:11:50 from launch complex 40 at Cape Canaveral
00:11:50 --> 00:11:53 Space Force Station in Florida. If they
00:11:53 --> 00:11:55 don't manage to launch that day, there
00:11:55 --> 00:11:57 are backup opportunities on February
00:11:57 --> 00:12:00 12th and 13th. The crew 12 astronauts
00:12:00 --> 00:12:02 will join NASA Chris Williams and
00:12:02 --> 00:12:05 cosminauts Sergey Kuds Verskovv and
00:12:05 --> 00:12:08 Serge Mikayv as part of ISS expedition
00:12:08 --> 00:12:11 74 which will eventually transition to
00:12:11 --> 00:12:14 expedition 75 before the end of crew
00:12:14 --> 00:12:16 12's rotation. It's great to see the
00:12:16 --> 00:12:18 relief crew heading up sooner to help
00:12:18 --> 00:12:20 out the skeleton crew currently managing
00:12:20 --> 00:12:21 the station.
00:12:22 --> 00:12:24 >> Now for something truly mindbending.
00:12:24 --> 00:12:27 Astronomers have confirmed the first
00:12:27 --> 00:12:29 runaway super massive black hole, and
00:12:29 --> 00:12:32 it's leaving quite a trail behind it.
00:12:32 --> 00:12:35 >> This is wild stuff, Anna. The black hole
00:12:35 --> 00:12:37 was identified by a 200 light-year
00:12:37 --> 00:12:40 tail and a supersonic bow shock in the
00:12:40 --> 00:12:43 cosmic owl galaxy, which is actually a
00:12:43 --> 00:12:46 pair of ring galaxies about 8.8 billion
00:12:46 --> 00:12:48 lightyears away. The rings appear as owl
00:12:48 --> 00:12:50 eyes as they get closer and closer to
00:12:50 --> 00:12:53 merging. The research led by Peter von
00:12:53 --> 00:12:56 Dakam from Yale's astronomy department
00:12:56 --> 00:12:58 was confirmed using observations from
00:12:58 --> 00:13:01 the James Webb Space Telescope. The
00:13:01 --> 00:13:03 central proposal is that this linear
00:13:03 --> 00:13:06 feature is the wake behind a runaway
00:13:06 --> 00:13:08 super massive black hole and this is
00:13:08 --> 00:13:11 strongly supported by their analysis.
00:13:11 --> 00:13:12 >> But how does something weighing
00:13:12 --> 00:13:14 potentially millions or even billions of
00:13:14 --> 00:13:16 times the mass of our sun get kicked out
00:13:16 --> 00:13:19 of a galaxy? The answer lies in galaxy
00:13:19 --> 00:13:22 mergers. When big galaxies collide and
00:13:22 --> 00:13:24 merge, they force the black holes at
00:13:24 --> 00:13:26 their respective centers into close
00:13:26 --> 00:13:27 proximity.
00:13:27 --> 00:13:29 >> Right? If two black holes become locked
00:13:29 --> 00:13:31 in a gravitational dance and then a
00:13:31 --> 00:13:33 third crashes in from another emerging
00:13:33 --> 00:13:36 galaxy, the resulting instability can
00:13:36 --> 00:13:38 hurl one of the trio away at sufficient
00:13:38 --> 00:13:42 speed to exit the host galaxy entirely.
00:13:42 --> 00:13:43 This can happen through two main
00:13:43 --> 00:13:44 mechanisms.
00:13:44 --> 00:13:47 >> The first is gravitational wave recoil.
00:13:47 --> 00:13:49 When black holes merge, they emitate
00:13:49 --> 00:13:51 gravitational waves that can give the
00:13:51 --> 00:13:54 resulting black hole a velocity boost of
00:13:54 --> 00:13:56 up to several thousand km/s,
00:13:56 --> 00:13:58 propelling it away from the galactic
00:13:58 --> 00:13:59 center.
00:13:59 --> 00:14:01 >> The second mechanism is the classical
00:14:01 --> 00:14:04 slingshot scenario. In this case, a
00:14:04 --> 00:14:06 longived binary black hole forms through
00:14:06 --> 00:14:09 a merger of two galaxies. When a third
00:14:09 --> 00:14:11 super massive black hole is introduced
00:14:11 --> 00:14:13 in a second merger, the threebody
00:14:13 --> 00:14:15 interaction can eject one of the black
00:14:15 --> 00:14:17 holes, usually the lightest one.
00:14:18 --> 00:14:20 >> What's particularly striking about this
00:14:20 --> 00:14:22 confirmed runaway black hole is the
00:14:22 --> 00:14:24 trail it leaves behind. As the black
00:14:24 --> 00:14:26 hole plows through intergalactic space,
00:14:26 --> 00:14:28 it compresses tenuous gas in front of
00:14:28 --> 00:14:31 it, which precipitates the birth of hot
00:14:31 --> 00:14:34 blue stars. This creates a 200
00:14:34 --> 00:14:37 lightyear long contrail of young stars.
00:14:37 --> 00:14:39 The black hole also generates a bow
00:14:39 --> 00:14:41 shock at the head of this week.
00:14:41 --> 00:14:42 Something the researchers predicted
00:14:42 --> 00:14:45 based on shock models. From the ages of
00:14:45 --> 00:14:47 the stars in the trail, they deduced
00:14:47 --> 00:14:49 that the black hole escaped about 40
00:14:49 --> 00:14:51 million years ago and is barreling
00:14:51 --> 00:14:54 through space at roughly 1 km per
00:14:54 --> 00:14:55 second.
00:14:55 --> 00:14:57 >> To put that in perspective, that's fast
00:14:57 --> 00:14:59 enough to travel from Earth to the moon
00:14:59 --> 00:15:02 in about 14 minutes. It's an incredible
00:15:02 --> 00:15:05 speed for something so massive. Recent
00:15:05 --> 00:15:07 papers have shown images of surprisingly
00:15:07 --> 00:15:09 straight streaks of stars within
00:15:09 --> 00:15:11 galaxies that seem to be convincing
00:15:11 --> 00:15:14 evidence for runaway black holes. One
00:15:14 --> 00:15:16 paper describes a very distant galaxy
00:15:16 --> 00:15:18 imaged by James Webb with a bright
00:15:18 --> 00:15:21 contrail suggesting a black hole with a
00:15:21 --> 00:15:23 mass 10 million times the mass of the
00:15:23 --> 00:15:24 sun.
00:15:24 --> 00:15:26 >> It's a reminder that the universe is
00:15:26 --> 00:15:28 even more dynamic and violent than we
00:15:28 --> 00:15:30 often imagine. These behemoths aren't
00:15:30 --> 00:15:32 just sitting quietly at the centers of
00:15:32 --> 00:15:34 galaxies. Some of them are literally
00:15:34 --> 00:15:36 tearing through space, creating new
00:15:36 --> 00:15:37 stars in their wake.
00:15:37 --> 00:15:39 >> And finally, let's talk about an
00:15:39 --> 00:15:42 upcoming event that has both exciting
00:15:42 --> 00:15:45 scientific potential and some concerning
00:15:45 --> 00:15:49 risks. On December 22nd, 2032, asteroid
00:15:49 --> 00:15:54 2024 YR4 has a 4% chance of actually
00:15:54 --> 00:15:55 striking the moon.
00:15:55 --> 00:15:58 >> A 4% chance might not sound like much,
00:15:58 --> 00:16:01 but it's definitely non-negligible. If
00:16:01 --> 00:16:03 this collision does happen, it will
00:16:03 --> 00:16:05 release enough energy to be the
00:16:05 --> 00:16:07 equivalent of smacking our nearest
00:16:07 --> 00:16:09 neighbor with a medium-sized thermal
00:16:09 --> 00:16:11 nuclear weapon. It would be six orders
00:16:11 --> 00:16:13 of magnitude more powerful than the last
00:16:13 --> 00:16:15 major impact on the moon, which happened
00:16:16 --> 00:16:17 back in 2013.
00:16:17 --> 00:16:20 >> A new paper from Yeon Hei of Chin Wua
00:16:20 --> 00:16:21 University looks at the potential
00:16:22 --> 00:16:23 scientific opportunities if this
00:16:23 --> 00:16:25 collision occurs. And while they can
00:16:25 --> 00:16:27 simulate models of how the impact will
00:16:28 --> 00:16:30 go, monitoring it as it happens will
00:16:30 --> 00:16:32 provide never before collected actual
00:16:32 --> 00:16:35 data that's infeasible to get any other
00:16:35 --> 00:16:35 way.
00:16:35 --> 00:16:37 >> The impact would vaporize rock and
00:16:37 --> 00:16:39 plasma and would be clearly visible from
00:16:39 --> 00:16:41 the Pacific region where it will be
00:16:42 --> 00:16:44 nighttime during the impact. Even days
00:16:44 --> 00:16:46 after the impact, the melt pool of the
00:16:46 --> 00:16:49 impacted material will still be cooling,
00:16:49 --> 00:16:51 allowing infrared observers like the
00:16:51 --> 00:16:53 James Web Space Telescope to capture
00:16:53 --> 00:16:55 plenty of data. The impact should form a
00:16:55 --> 00:16:59 crater roughly 1 kilometer wide and 150
00:16:59 --> 00:17:03 to 260 m deep with a 100 meter pool of
00:17:03 --> 00:17:06 molten rock at the center. Comparing it
00:17:06 --> 00:17:08 in size to other craters scattered
00:17:08 --> 00:17:10 around the moon will help us understand
00:17:10 --> 00:17:12 its bombardment history.
00:17:12 --> 00:17:14 >> The impact will also set off a global
00:17:14 --> 00:17:17 moon quake of magnitude 5.0. That would
00:17:17 --> 00:17:19 be the strongest moonquake yet detected
00:17:19 --> 00:17:22 by any seismometer on the moon. Watching
00:17:22 --> 00:17:24 the propagation of the moonquake will
00:17:24 --> 00:17:26 shine a light on the moon's interior and
00:17:26 --> 00:17:28 help researchers understand its
00:17:28 --> 00:17:28 composition.
00:17:28 --> 00:17:30 >> And here's where it gets really
00:17:30 --> 00:17:32 spectacular. A final piece of the
00:17:32 --> 00:17:34 scientific puzzle will be the debris
00:17:34 --> 00:17:38 field created by the blast. Up to 400 kg
00:17:38 --> 00:17:41 of lunar material is expected to survive
00:17:41 --> 00:17:43 re-entry to Earth, creating essentially
00:17:43 --> 00:17:46 a free largecale lunar sample return
00:17:46 --> 00:17:48 mission. At its peak, right around
00:17:48 --> 00:17:51 Christmas of 2032, simulations expect up
00:17:51 --> 00:17:53 to 20 million meteors per hour to hit
00:17:54 --> 00:17:55 our atmosphere, at least on the leading
00:17:56 --> 00:17:57 edge of the planet. Most of them would
00:17:58 --> 00:17:59 have naked eye visibility, including
00:17:59 --> 00:18:03 some 100 to 400 fireballs per hour. But
00:18:03 --> 00:18:06 there is a downside to all of this. That
00:18:06 --> 00:18:09 400 kg of meteors has to land somewhere.
00:18:09 --> 00:18:11 And it looks like the crosshairs fall
00:18:11 --> 00:18:13 squarely on South America, North Africa,
00:18:13 --> 00:18:16 and the Arabian Peninsula. A few
00:18:16 --> 00:18:18 kilograms of space rock falling on Dubai
00:18:18 --> 00:18:20 could certainly cause some damage.
00:18:20 --> 00:18:22 >> Perhaps more dangerous is the risk of
00:18:22 --> 00:18:24 satellite mega constellations that play
00:18:24 --> 00:18:26 such an important role in our modern-day
00:18:26 --> 00:18:29 navigation and internet systems. Such an
00:18:29 --> 00:18:31 event could trigger Kesler syndrome and
00:18:31 --> 00:18:33 bring the entire network down over the
00:18:34 --> 00:18:36 span of a few short years while also
00:18:36 --> 00:18:38 locking us out from being able to get
00:18:38 --> 00:18:40 anything else safely into orbit for much
00:18:40 --> 00:18:43 longer. Due to the risks, some space
00:18:43 --> 00:18:44 agencies are already considering a
00:18:44 --> 00:18:46 deflection mission that would bump
00:18:46 --> 00:18:50 asteroid 2024 YR4 out of the way of a
00:18:50 --> 00:18:52 potential lunar collision. But that
00:18:52 --> 00:18:54 hasn't been set in stone yet. Neither
00:18:54 --> 00:18:57 has the actual impact itself with only a
00:18:57 --> 00:18:59 4% chance of happening. If the odds
00:18:59 --> 00:19:02 increase over the coming years, we as a
00:19:02 --> 00:19:04 species will have to decide whether it's
00:19:04 --> 00:19:07 worth it to deflect it or not. If we do,
00:19:07 --> 00:19:08 we might miss out on a whole bunch of
00:19:08 --> 00:19:11 cool science, but we also might save our
00:19:11 --> 00:19:13 entire orbital infrastructure and the
00:19:13 --> 00:19:14 few lives directly to boot.
00:19:14 --> 00:19:16 >> And that wraps up today's episode of
00:19:16 --> 00:19:19 Astronomy Daily. From Mercury's
00:19:19 --> 00:19:21 surprising activity to a possible lunar
00:19:21 --> 00:19:24 impact in our future, space continues to
00:19:24 --> 00:19:26 surprise and amaze us.
00:19:26 --> 00:19:27 >> Thanks for joining us today. For more
00:19:28 --> 00:19:30 space news and to explore our archive of
00:19:30 --> 00:19:31 episodes, visit our website at
00:19:31 --> 00:19:34 astronomydaily.io.
00:19:34 --> 00:19:36 You can also find us on social media at
00:19:36 --> 00:19:39 Astro Daily Pod on X, Facebook,
00:19:39 --> 00:19:40 Instagram, and YouTube.
00:19:40 --> 00:19:42 >> If you enjoyed today's show, please
00:19:42 --> 00:19:43 subscribe on your favorite podcast
00:19:43 --> 00:19:45 platform and leave us a review. It
00:19:45 --> 00:19:47 really helps other space enthusiasts
00:19:47 --> 00:19:48 find us.
00:19:48 --> 00:19:50 >> Until next time, keep looking up.
00:19:50 --> 00:19:53 >> Clear skies, everyone. Astronomy [music]
00:19:53 --> 00:19:55 day. [singing]
00:19:55 --> 00:20:03 Stories been told.
00:20:03 --> 00:20:11 Stories to tell.
00:20:11 --> 00:20:13 [singing]