Astronomy Daily - The Podcast: S03E186
Welcome to another thrilling episode of Astronomy Daily, your go-to source for the latest in space and Astronomy news. I'm your host, Anna, and today we're diving into a cosmic lineup that spans from ancient meteorite impacts to the intriguing world of black hole mergers.
Highlights:
- Ancient Meteorite Impacts: Journey back 3.26 billion years to an Earth transformed by a colossal meteorite impact, 200 times larger than the one that ended the dinosaurs. Discover how this cataclysmic event may have surprisingly boosted early life, as revealed by recent research in the Barberton Greenstone Belt of South Africa.
- Busy Week for Space Launches: SpaceX is set for another Starlink satellite launch from Cape Canaveral, alongside a classified mission for the National Reconnaissance Office, potentially marking their 400th orbital launch. Meanwhile, China, Blue Origin, and Japan are all gearing up for significant launches, showcasing the dynamic pace of global space exploration.
- Asteroid Ryugu's Surprising Origins: New analysis of samples from asteroid Ryugu challenges previous beliefs about its formation. Findings suggest it may have formed near Jupiter, offering fresh insights into the complex history of carbon-rich asteroids and the early solar system.
- Black Hole Mergers : Delve into the violent and fascinating process of black hole mergers, where cosmic collisions release gravitational waves more powerful than all the stars in the observable universe combined. These events provide unprecedented insights into the nature of spacetime and gravity.
- Doritos in Space: In a lighter story, Doritos debuts the first commercial filmed in space. Learn how the beloved snack made its way to orbit with a special zero-gravity Cool Ranch flavor, raising funds for St. Jude Children's Research Hospital.
For more out-of-this-world news, visit our website at astronomydaily.io (https://www.astronomydaily.io) . There, you can sign up for our free Daily newsletter, catch up on the latest space and Astronomy news with our constantly updating newsfeed, and listen to all our previous episodes.
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Thank you for tuning in. This is Anna signing off. Until next time, keep looking up and stay curious about the wonders of our universe.
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00:00:00 --> 00:00:02 welcome to astronomy daily your source
00:00:02 --> 00:00:04 for the latest space in astronomy news
00:00:04 --> 00:00:06 I'm your host Anna and today we've got
00:00:06 --> 00:00:08 an exciting lineup of stories covering
00:00:08 --> 00:00:09 everything from ancient meteorite
00:00:09 --> 00:00:11 impacts to Black Hole
00:00:11 --> 00:00:13 mergers let's start today by taking a
00:00:13 --> 00:00:16 journey back in time about 3.26 billion
00:00:16 --> 00:00:18 years ago to an earth very different
00:00:18 --> 00:00:20 from the one we know today picture a
00:00:20 --> 00:00:22 violent scene an enormous meteorite up
00:00:22 --> 00:00:24 to 200 times larger than the one that
00:00:24 --> 00:00:26 wiped out the dinosaurs slamming into
00:00:26 --> 00:00:28 our planet you might think this
00:00:28 --> 00:00:30 catastrophic event would spell Doom for
00:00:30 --> 00:00:31 any life trying to gain a foothold on
00:00:31 --> 00:00:34 early Earth but surprisingly this Cosmic
00:00:34 --> 00:00:36 Collision may have actually given
00:00:36 --> 00:00:39 primitive life a boost Recent research
00:00:39 --> 00:00:40 published in the proceedings of the
00:00:40 --> 00:00:43 National Academy of Sciences reveals
00:00:43 --> 00:00:45 that this ancient impact created
00:00:45 --> 00:00:47 unexpectedly favorable conditions for
00:00:47 --> 00:00:49 some early life forms the study focused
00:00:50 --> 00:00:51 on evidence found in the Barberton
00:00:51 --> 00:00:54 greenstone belt in South Africa which
00:00:54 --> 00:00:55 preserves a remarkable record of at
00:00:55 --> 00:00:57 least eight major impacts from this
00:00:57 --> 00:01:00 tumultuous period in Earth's history so
00:01:00 --> 00:01:02 how did this cataclysmic event benefit
00:01:02 --> 00:01:04 life well the impact stirred things up
00:01:04 --> 00:01:06 in a big way it caused massive tsunamis
00:01:06 --> 00:01:08 that transported iron from the deep
00:01:08 --> 00:01:11 ocean to shallower Waters this iron
00:01:11 --> 00:01:13 Bonanza allowed iron metabolizing
00:01:13 --> 00:01:15 bacteria to thrive Additionally the
00:01:15 --> 00:01:17 meteorite itself brought phosphorus to
00:01:17 --> 00:01:19 the party giving phosphorus loving
00:01:19 --> 00:01:21 microbes a chance to flourish as well
00:01:21 --> 00:01:23 while the initial aftermath was
00:01:23 --> 00:01:25 undoubtedly devastating with thick dust
00:01:25 --> 00:01:26 clouds likely shutting down
00:01:26 --> 00:01:28 photosynthesis temporarily life
00:01:28 --> 00:01:30 rebounded quickly This research
00:01:30 --> 00:01:32 challenges our assumptions about the
00:01:32 --> 00:01:34 relationship between Cosmic impacts and
00:01:34 --> 00:01:36 the evolution of Life suggesting that
00:01:36 --> 00:01:38 these violent events might have played a
00:01:38 --> 00:01:41 crucial role in shaping Earth's earliest
00:01:41 --> 00:01:44 ecosystems next let's turn our attention
00:01:44 --> 00:01:46 to this week's launch schedules this
00:01:46 --> 00:01:47 week is shaping up to be another busy
00:01:47 --> 00:01:50 one for space launches with multiple
00:01:50 --> 00:01:51 missions on the docket from various
00:01:51 --> 00:01:53 launch providers around the world SpaceX
00:01:54 --> 00:01:55 continues its rapid fire pace of
00:01:55 --> 00:01:57 starlink deployments with another batch
00:01:57 --> 00:01:59 of Internet satellites set to launch
00:01:59 --> 00:02:01 from Cape AAL this Mission will further
00:02:01 --> 00:02:03 expand the company's growing
00:02:03 --> 00:02:04 constellation bringing high-speed
00:02:05 --> 00:02:07 internet to more remote areas across the
00:02:07 --> 00:02:09 globe but SpaceX isn't stopping there
00:02:09 --> 00:02:11 they're also gearing up for a classified
00:02:11 --> 00:02:13 mission for the national reconnaissance
00:02:13 --> 00:02:15 Office later in the week this launch
00:02:15 --> 00:02:18 code named NR 167 will lift off from
00:02:18 --> 00:02:20 Vandenberg space force base in
00:02:20 --> 00:02:22 California if schedules hold this could
00:02:22 --> 00:02:25 Mark spacex's 400th orbital launch an
00:02:25 --> 00:02:27 incredible milestone for the company
00:02:27 --> 00:02:29 meanwhile China is maintaining its own
00:02:29 --> 00:02:31 ambitious launch Tempo two missions are
00:02:31 --> 00:02:32 planned this week using different
00:02:32 --> 00:02:35 variants of their Long March Rockets
00:02:35 --> 00:02:36 while details are scarce as is often the
00:02:37 --> 00:02:38 case with Chinese launches these
00:02:38 --> 00:02:40 missions demonstrate China's continued
00:02:40 --> 00:02:43 push to expand its presence in space
00:02:43 --> 00:02:45 blue origin is making another attempt at
00:02:45 --> 00:02:46 an uncrewed test flight of its new
00:02:46 --> 00:02:49 Shephard vehicle this launch will debut
00:02:49 --> 00:02:51 a new crew capsule named RSS Carmen line
00:02:51 --> 00:02:53 and a new booster the flight will carry
00:02:53 --> 00:02:55 various scientific payloads and Test new
00:02:55 --> 00:02:58 technologies for future lunar missions
00:02:58 --> 00:02:59 over in Japan Mitsubishi have heavy
00:03:00 --> 00:03:01 Industries is preparing to launch its H3
00:03:02 --> 00:03:04 rocket carrying a military communication
00:03:04 --> 00:03:06 satellite for the Japanese government
00:03:06 --> 00:03:07 this will be only the fourth flight of
00:03:07 --> 00:03:10 Japan's new flagship launcher it's worth
00:03:10 --> 00:03:11 noting that all of these launches are
00:03:11 --> 00:03:13 subject to changes due to weather or
00:03:13 --> 00:03:15 technical issues however the packed
00:03:15 --> 00:03:17 schedule highlights the growing
00:03:17 --> 00:03:18 commercial and government activity in
00:03:18 --> 00:03:21 space as we see more frequent launches
00:03:21 --> 00:03:22 from a diverse set of providers and
00:03:22 --> 00:03:25 Nations it's clear that access to space
00:03:25 --> 00:03:27 is becoming increasingly routine this is
00:03:27 --> 00:03:29 opening up new possibilities for scienti
00:03:29 --> 00:03:31 ific research Earth observation and
00:03:31 --> 00:03:33 space
00:03:33 --> 00:03:35 exploration moving on new analysis of
00:03:35 --> 00:03:38 samples from asteroid ryugu has once
00:03:38 --> 00:03:40 again surprised scientists challenging
00:03:40 --> 00:03:42 our previous understanding of how
00:03:42 --> 00:03:44 carbon-rich asteroids form when Japan's
00:03:44 --> 00:03:46 hyabusa 2 mission brought back samples
00:03:46 --> 00:03:49 from ryugu four years ago researchers
00:03:49 --> 00:03:50 initially thought the asteroid had
00:03:50 --> 00:03:54 formed Beyond Saturn's orbit however a
00:03:54 --> 00:03:55 recent study published in science
00:03:55 --> 00:03:58 advances suggests that ryugu may have
00:03:58 --> 00:04:00 actually formed much closer to home near
00:04:00 --> 00:04:03 Jupiter scientists at the max plank
00:04:03 --> 00:04:05 Institute for solar system research in
00:04:05 --> 00:04:07 Germany compared the types of nickel
00:04:07 --> 00:04:10 found in ryugu samples to those in
00:04:10 --> 00:04:12 typical carbon-rich meteorites their
00:04:12 --> 00:04:14 findings indicate that different
00:04:14 --> 00:04:16 carbon-rich asteroids may have formed in
00:04:16 --> 00:04:18 the same region near Jupiter but through
00:04:18 --> 00:04:20 varying processes and about 2 million
00:04:20 --> 00:04:22 years apart this discovery has
00:04:22 --> 00:04:24 significant implications for our
00:04:24 --> 00:04:27 understanding of the early solar system
00:04:27 --> 00:04:28 it suggests that the formation of
00:04:28 --> 00:04:30 carbonaceous condres a class of
00:04:30 --> 00:04:33 meteorites to which ryugu belongs may be
00:04:33 --> 00:04:35 more complex than previously thought the
00:04:35 --> 00:04:37 researchers proposed that the first
00:04:37 --> 00:04:39 carbonaceous condres began to form
00:04:39 --> 00:04:40 around 2 million years after the
00:04:40 --> 00:04:42 formation of our solar system
00:04:42 --> 00:04:44 accumulating material as they traveled
00:04:44 --> 00:04:48 inward towards the sun interestingly
00:04:48 --> 00:04:50 this new Theory also provides a
00:04:50 --> 00:04:52 potential solution to the longstanding
00:04:52 --> 00:04:55 mystery of why CI condres a rare
00:04:55 --> 00:04:57 subgroup to which ryugu is closely
00:04:57 --> 00:04:59 related have a different composition
00:04:59 --> 00:05:02 from other carbonaceous condres the
00:05:02 --> 00:05:04 study suggests that CI condres may have
00:05:04 --> 00:05:07 formed later under different conditions
00:05:07 --> 00:05:09 but in the same region near Jupiter This
00:05:09 --> 00:05:10 research demonstrates how crucial
00:05:10 --> 00:05:12 laboratory investigations of space
00:05:12 --> 00:05:14 samples can be in deciphering the
00:05:14 --> 00:05:16 formation history of our solar system
00:05:16 --> 00:05:18 it's a reminder that even as we explore
00:05:18 --> 00:05:20 further into space sometimes the most
00:05:20 --> 00:05:22 significant discoveries come from
00:05:22 --> 00:05:24 studying the tiny grains of rock we
00:05:24 --> 00:05:25 bring back to
00:05:25 --> 00:05:27 Earth now let's delve into the
00:05:27 --> 00:05:29 fascinating and violent process of black
00:05:29 --> 00:05:32 hole mergers these Cosmic collisions are
00:05:32 --> 00:05:34 some of the most energetic events in the
00:05:34 --> 00:05:35 universe and they're helping us
00:05:35 --> 00:05:37 understand the fundamental nature of
00:05:37 --> 00:05:39 space and time the Journey Begins with
00:05:39 --> 00:05:41 two black holes orbiting each other at a
00:05:41 --> 00:05:43 great distance they might have started
00:05:43 --> 00:05:45 as a pair of massive stars or randomly
00:05:45 --> 00:05:47 encountered each other in the vastness
00:05:47 --> 00:05:50 of space for these Giants to merge they
00:05:50 --> 00:05:51 need to get much closer which means
00:05:51 --> 00:05:53 shedding a lot of orbital energy at
00:05:53 --> 00:05:55 first this energy loss happens through
00:05:55 --> 00:05:57 interactions with their environment
00:05:57 --> 00:06:00 nearby gas dust or even Stars as they
00:06:00 --> 00:06:02 get closer the real show Begins the
00:06:02 --> 00:06:04 black holes start to stir up SpaceTime
00:06:04 --> 00:06:06 itself releasing gravitational waves
00:06:06 --> 00:06:09 that Ripple outward like ripples in a
00:06:09 --> 00:06:11 pond in the final moments before merger
00:06:12 --> 00:06:14 things get really wild the black holes
00:06:14 --> 00:06:17 event Horizons those points of no return
00:06:17 --> 00:06:19 begin to stretch and deform they reach
00:06:19 --> 00:06:21 out to each other with thin tendrils
00:06:21 --> 00:06:23 forming a bridge between the two it's
00:06:23 --> 00:06:24 like watching two soap bubbles Collide
00:06:25 --> 00:06:27 and merge in slow motion except this is
00:06:27 --> 00:06:30 happening on a cosmic scale the actual
00:06:30 --> 00:06:32 merger happens in the blink of an eye
00:06:32 --> 00:06:34 the two become one but not without
00:06:34 --> 00:06:36 consequences a significant portion of
00:06:36 --> 00:06:39 their combined mass usually around 5%
00:06:39 --> 00:06:42 gets converted directly into energy in
00:06:42 --> 00:06:44 the form of gravitational waves to put
00:06:44 --> 00:06:46 that in perspective it's like turning
00:06:46 --> 00:06:49 three entire Suns into pure energy in an
00:06:49 --> 00:06:51 instant this release of energy is more
00:06:51 --> 00:06:53 powerful than all the stars in the
00:06:53 --> 00:06:56 observable universe combined yet it
00:06:56 --> 00:06:59 happens in complete silence and darkness
00:06:59 --> 00:07:01 detectable only through the subtle
00:07:01 --> 00:07:04 ripples in SpaceTime that eventually
00:07:04 --> 00:07:06 reach our gravitational wave detectors
00:07:06 --> 00:07:09 here on Earth these mergers are giving
00:07:09 --> 00:07:11 us unprecedented insights into the
00:07:11 --> 00:07:14 nature of gravity SpaceTime and the
00:07:14 --> 00:07:16 evolution of the universe each detection
00:07:16 --> 00:07:18 helps us refine our understanding of
00:07:18 --> 00:07:20 these Cosmic behemoths and the
00:07:20 --> 00:07:23 fundamental laws that govern our
00:07:23 --> 00:07:25 universe and now for a lighter story
00:07:25 --> 00:07:27 that's sure to make you smile it seems
00:07:27 --> 00:07:29 nowhere as safe from advertising this
00:07:29 --> 00:07:31 week Doritos are debuting the first ever
00:07:31 --> 00:07:33 commercial filmed in space as you may
00:07:33 --> 00:07:36 remember Doritos the Beloved snack chip
00:07:36 --> 00:07:38 recently made its way to space on a
00:07:38 --> 00:07:40 private astronaut Mission and now we
00:07:40 --> 00:07:41 have the follow-up commercial filmed
00:07:41 --> 00:07:43 with astronauts biting down on these
00:07:43 --> 00:07:45 special snacks but eating chips in zero
00:07:45 --> 00:07:47 gravity isn't as simple as you might
00:07:47 --> 00:07:49 think for decades chips were on the no
00:07:49 --> 00:07:52 fly list for space missions due to the
00:07:52 --> 00:07:54 risk of crumbs floating around and
00:07:54 --> 00:07:56 potentially causing issues with
00:07:56 --> 00:07:59 equipment or the astronauts themselves
00:07:59 --> 00:08:01 but L found a way to bring Doritos to
00:08:01 --> 00:08:03 orbit safely the company created a
00:08:03 --> 00:08:05 special zero gravity Cool Ranch flavor
00:08:05 --> 00:08:07 using oil-based seasoning instead of the
00:08:07 --> 00:08:10 usual powdery coating to minimize mess
00:08:10 --> 00:08:11 they also packaged the chips in
00:08:11 --> 00:08:13 individual canisters to protect them
00:08:13 --> 00:08:15 during launch astronaut Cen Proctor
00:08:15 --> 00:08:17 described the experience saying the
00:08:17 --> 00:08:19 chips held up incredibly well and tasted
00:08:19 --> 00:08:22 great the bite-sized mini versions were
00:08:22 --> 00:08:23 perfect for snacking in space without
00:08:23 --> 00:08:26 creating a cloud of crumbs this tasty
00:08:26 --> 00:08:28 experiment wasn't just about commercials
00:08:28 --> 00:08:30 and snacking though Fredo used the
00:08:30 --> 00:08:32 opportunity to raise funds for St Jude
00:08:32 --> 00:08:34 Children's Research Hospital allowing
00:08:34 --> 00:08:36 space enthusiasts on Earth to get their
00:08:36 --> 00:08:37 hands on some of these special chips in
00:08:37 --> 00:08:40 exchange for donations it just goes to
00:08:40 --> 00:08:43 show that even in the vastness of space
00:08:43 --> 00:08:44 we can still find ways to enjoy our
00:08:45 --> 00:08:47 favorite Earth treats with a little
00:08:47 --> 00:08:49 creative problem solving of
00:08:49 --> 00:08:52 course and that wraps up today's Journey
00:08:52 --> 00:08:55 Through the cosmos from ancient
00:08:55 --> 00:08:57 meteorite impacts to cuttingedge space
00:08:57 --> 00:08:59 snacks we've covered a lot of ground
00:08:59 --> 00:09:03 or should I say a lot of space I'm Anna
00:09:03 --> 00:09:04 and you've been listening to astronomy
00:09:04 --> 00:09:06 daily for more out of this world news be
00:09:06 --> 00:09:09 sure to visit our website at astronomy
00:09:09 --> 00:09:11 daily. there you can sign up for our
00:09:11 --> 00:09:13 free daily newsletter catch up on all
00:09:13 --> 00:09:14 the latest space in astronomy news with
00:09:14 --> 00:09:17 our constantly updating Newsfeed and
00:09:17 --> 00:09:19 listen to all our back episodes don't
00:09:19 --> 00:09:21 forget to follow us on social media too
00:09:21 --> 00:09:23 just search for Astro daily pod on
00:09:23 --> 00:09:27 Facebook X YouTube and Tik Tok until our
00:09:27 --> 00:09:29 next Cosmic Adventure keep looking up
00:09:29 --> 00:09:30 and stay curious about the wonders of
00:09:30 --> 00:09:39 our universe this is Anna signing off
00:09:39 --> 00:09:54 [Music]