A 1,300-pound NASA satellite is falling back to Earth today, a meteorite punched through a German roof after a dazzling European fireball, Congress wants to keep the International Space Station flying until 2032, ALMA has captured the largest-ever image of the Milky Way's core, astronomers have mapped a hidden 'sea of light' from 10 billion years ago, and Jupiter appears to reverse direction in tonight's sky. Stories Covered 1. Van Allen Probe A Falls to Earth: NASA's 600kg Van Allen Probe A — launched in 2012 to study Earth's radiation belts — is making an unplanned early return to Earth today, March 10, 2026. Deactivated in 2019 after a seven-year mission, its descent was accelerated by unexpectedly high solar activity expanding Earth's atmosphere. Most of the spacecraft will burn up on reentry; the risk of any harm to people on the ground is approximately 1 in 4,200. 2. German Meteorite Strike: On the evening of Sunday 8 March, a brilliant fireball lit up the skies over Belgium, France, Germany, Luxembourg and the Netherlands, attracting over 3,000 reports to the International Meteor Organization. Fragments reached the ground in Koblenz, Germany — with the largest piece punching a football-sized hole through the roof of a residential building. No one was injured. ESA's Planetary Defence team estimates the original object was just a few metres across. 3. ISS Extended to 2032: The NASA Authorization Act of 2026 has passed the Senate Commerce Committee with bipartisan support, pushing the ISS retirement date from 2030 to September 2032. The extension aims to prevent a gap in U.S. human presence in low Earth orbit while commercial successor stations are developed. The bill also rejects proposed cuts to NASA's budget and funds key programmes including the Chandra X-ray Observatory. 4. ALMA's Milky Way Mosaic: The ALMA CMZ Exploration Survey (ACES) has produced the largest ALMA image ever — a sweeping 650-light-year mosaic of the Milky Way's Central Molecular Zone, assembled from hundreds of observations by over 160 scientists worldwide. The image reveals a intricate web of cold gas filaments feeding star formation near supermassive black hole Sagittarius A*, and detects dozens of molecules from simple silicon compounds to complex organics like methanol and ethanol. 5. 3D Map of the Early Universe: Using data from the Hobby-Eberly Telescope Dark Energy Experiment (HETDEX), astronomers have created the largest 3D map yet of the universe as it appeared 9–11 billion years ago — during 'cosmic noon', the peak era of star formation. By tracking Lyman-alpha light from energised hydrogen rather than individual galaxies, the team revealed a hidden 'sea of light' filling the spaces between galaxies. The dataset comprised over 600 million spectra, with 95% still untapped for future research. 6. Jupiter's Retrograde Motion: Tonight, Jupiter begins its apparent reversal of direction against the background stars — a well-known optical illusion called retrograde motion caused by Earth overtaking the slower-moving outer planet in its orbit. Jupiter is well-placed in the evening sky and easily visible to the naked eye; binoculars will reveal its four bright Galilean moons. Links & Resources NASA Van Allen Probe A reentry update: nasa.gov/missions/van-allen-probes ESA fireball analysis: esa.int/Space_Safety/Planetary_Defence ALMA ACES Survey: almaobservatory.org | ESO press release: eso.org/public/news/eso2603/ HETDEX project: hetdex.org Astronomy Daily: astronomydaily.io | @AstroDailyPod on all platforms
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00:00:00 --> 00:00:02 Hello and welcome to Astronomy Daily.
00:00:02 --> 00:00:03 I'm Anna.
00:00:03 --> 00:00:05 >> And I'm Avery. You've joined us on a
00:00:05 --> 00:00:07 very eventful day for space fans,
00:00:07 --> 00:00:10 Tuesday the 10th of March, 2026. And the
00:00:10 --> 00:00:12 universe is not holding back.
00:00:12 --> 00:00:15 >> We genuinely mean that. We have a
00:00:15 --> 00:00:18 satellite falling out of the sky today.
00:00:18 --> 00:00:19 A meteorite that crashed through
00:00:19 --> 00:00:21 someone's roof over the weekend.
00:00:21 --> 00:00:23 Congress picking a fight with the space
00:00:23 --> 00:00:25 station's retirement plan. The biggest
00:00:26 --> 00:00:28 image ever taken of our galaxy's core. a
00:00:28 --> 00:00:31 map of the universe from 10 billion
00:00:31 --> 00:00:33 years ago and Jupiter doing something a
00:00:34 --> 00:00:35 bit strange tonight.
00:00:35 --> 00:00:38 >> So, strap in. This is Astronomy Daily
00:00:38 --> 00:00:41 Season 5, episode 59, and we are not
00:00:41 --> 00:00:42 slowing down.
00:00:42 --> 00:00:44 >> Let's kick things off with breaking news
00:00:44 --> 00:00:46 that literally cannot wait because it's
00:00:46 --> 00:00:50 happening today. NASA's Van Allen probe
00:00:50 --> 00:00:52 A is expected to fall back to Earth
00:00:52 --> 00:00:53 tonight.
00:00:53 --> 00:00:55 >> Right. This is genuinely happening as
00:00:55 --> 00:00:57 our listeners are tuning in. The
00:00:57 --> 00:01:00 spacecraft, which weighs about 600 kg,
00:01:00 --> 00:01:02 roughly the same size as a small car,
00:01:02 --> 00:01:05 launched back in August 2012 and has
00:01:05 --> 00:01:07 been silently orbiting Earth ever since
00:01:07 --> 00:01:10 it was switched off in October 2019.
00:01:10 --> 00:01:12 >> And the US Space Force has been tracking
00:01:12 --> 00:01:15 it closely. As of yesterday afternoon,
00:01:15 --> 00:01:18 they were predicting re-entry at around
00:01:18 --> 00:01:21 7:45 in the evening, Eastern time,
00:01:21 --> 00:01:23 though there's a plus or minus 24-hour
00:01:23 --> 00:01:25 window on that, though it could happen
00:01:25 --> 00:01:27 anytime today or tonight.
00:01:27 --> 00:01:29 >> Now, before anyone panics, the risk to
00:01:30 --> 00:01:32 people on the ground is very low. NASA
00:01:32 --> 00:01:34 says the odds of anyone being harmed are
00:01:34 --> 00:01:37 roughly 1 in 4.
00:01:37 --> 00:01:39 Most of the spacecraft will burn up
00:01:39 --> 00:01:41 during re-entry, and any surviving
00:01:41 --> 00:01:42 fragments are likely to land in the
00:01:42 --> 00:01:45 ocean, which covers about 70% of the
00:01:45 --> 00:01:46 Earth's surface.
00:01:46 --> 00:01:48 >> So, this satellite was originally
00:01:48 --> 00:01:50 designed for just a 2-year mission,
00:01:50 --> 00:01:52 studying Earth's Van Allen radiation
00:01:52 --> 00:01:55 belts, those invisible zones of charged
00:01:55 --> 00:01:57 particles trapped by our planet's
00:01:57 --> 00:02:00 magnetic field. But the mission ended up
00:02:00 --> 00:02:02 running for nearly 7 years before the
00:02:02 --> 00:02:03 probes ran out of fuel.
00:02:04 --> 00:02:06 >> And here's the interesting twist. Probe
00:02:06 --> 00:02:08 A was actually expected to stay up in
00:02:08 --> 00:02:11 orbit until 2034. So what happened?
00:02:11 --> 00:02:14 Solar activity. The sun has been
00:02:14 --> 00:02:16 unusually energetic in recent years, and
00:02:16 --> 00:02:18 that's caused Earth's upper atmosphere
00:02:18 --> 00:02:20 to expand slightly. More atmosphere
00:02:20 --> 00:02:23 means more drag on satellites, and probe
00:02:23 --> 00:02:25 A got pulled down faster than predicted.
00:02:25 --> 00:02:29 >> The twin Van Allen probe B is still up
00:02:29 --> 00:02:31 there and isn't expected to come down
00:02:31 --> 00:02:33 before 2030. So we'll be going through
00:02:33 --> 00:02:35 this again in a few years. The data from
00:02:35 --> 00:02:38 these spacecraft is still being used
00:02:38 --> 00:02:40 today, helping scientists understand
00:02:40 --> 00:02:43 space weather, predict solar storms, and
00:02:43 --> 00:02:45 protect everything from GPS satellites
00:02:45 --> 00:02:48 to power grids. A proper little
00:02:48 --> 00:02:49 scientific workhorse.
00:02:50 --> 00:02:52 >> And now it's coming home. Keep an eye on
00:02:52 --> 00:02:53 the sky tonight.
00:02:53 --> 00:02:54 >> And while we're in the theme of things
00:02:54 --> 00:02:56 falling from space, let's talk about
00:02:56 --> 00:02:58 this incredible story from Sunday
00:02:58 --> 00:02:59 evening.
00:02:59 --> 00:03:02 >> Yes. So, at around 10 to 7 in the
00:03:02 --> 00:03:04 evening, local time on Sunday, the 8th
00:03:04 --> 00:03:08 of March, 2026, thousands of people in
00:03:08 --> 00:03:10 Western Europe looked up and saw an
00:03:10 --> 00:03:13 absolutely breathtaking fireball
00:03:13 --> 00:03:15 lighting up the sky. We're talking
00:03:15 --> 00:03:18 Belgium, France, Germany, Luxembourg,
00:03:18 --> 00:03:20 the Netherlands, all these countries
00:03:20 --> 00:03:22 with people outside going, "What on
00:03:22 --> 00:03:25 earth is that?" The fireball lasted
00:03:25 --> 00:03:27 about 6 seconds, leaving a glowing trail
00:03:27 --> 00:03:30 across the sky before breaking apart.
00:03:30 --> 00:03:32 People heard multiple loud booms. That's
00:03:32 --> 00:03:34 the sonic boom from the space rock
00:03:34 --> 00:03:36 disintegrating in the atmosphere. The
00:03:36 --> 00:03:38 International Meteor Organization
00:03:38 --> 00:03:40 received over 3 reports of
00:03:40 --> 00:03:42 sightings. And here's the remarkable
00:03:42 --> 00:03:45 bit. Some of it survived. Fragments of
00:03:45 --> 00:03:47 the meteorite, which is what we call it
00:03:47 --> 00:03:49 once it hits the ground, came down in
00:03:49 --> 00:03:51 the Rhineland Palatinate region of
00:03:51 --> 00:03:53 western Germany. and one fragment
00:03:54 --> 00:03:55 punched straight through the roof of a
00:03:56 --> 00:03:57 house in the city of Cooblins.
00:03:58 --> 00:04:00 >> The largest piece left a hole the size
00:04:00 --> 00:04:01 of a football in the roof and landed in
00:04:02 --> 00:04:04 an unoccupied bedroom. Nobody was hurt
00:04:04 --> 00:04:06 thankfully, though the homeowner now has
00:04:06 --> 00:04:08 a very unusual home insurance claim to
00:04:08 --> 00:04:09 make.
00:04:09 --> 00:04:11 >> Fragments have already been recovered
00:04:11 --> 00:04:13 from the area, the Cobbins district of
00:04:13 --> 00:04:16 Gouls in particular, which will allow
00:04:16 --> 00:04:18 researchers to analyze where this rock
00:04:18 --> 00:04:21 came from and what it's made of. NSA's
00:04:21 --> 00:04:23 planetary defense team has been working
00:04:23 --> 00:04:25 to estimate the size of the original
00:04:25 --> 00:04:28 object and they believe it was just a
00:04:28 --> 00:04:30 few meters across. What's wonderful
00:04:30 --> 00:04:33 about this event is how many cameras
00:04:33 --> 00:04:35 captured it. There's a network called
00:04:35 --> 00:04:38 All Sky 7. Dedicated fireball watching
00:04:38 --> 00:04:40 cameras run by private citizens across
00:04:40 --> 00:04:43 Europe that caught it beautifully. And
00:04:43 --> 00:04:45 of course, dozens of mobile phone videos
00:04:45 --> 00:04:47 went viral on social media almost
00:04:47 --> 00:04:50 immediately. Meteorite impacts in
00:04:50 --> 00:04:52 populated areas are rare but not unheard
00:04:52 --> 00:04:55 of. Germany actually had one in 2002
00:04:55 --> 00:04:58 near the No Schwanstein Castle and
00:04:58 --> 00:05:01 another in 2023 in Schllesvvic Holstein.
00:05:01 --> 00:05:03 But this is one of the most
00:05:03 --> 00:05:05 welldocumented falls in recent European
00:05:05 --> 00:05:08 history. Quite the Sunday evening.
00:05:08 --> 00:05:10 >> All right, let's shift from falling
00:05:10 --> 00:05:13 things to things we want to keep up. Big
00:05:13 --> 00:05:15 space policy news this week. Congress is
00:05:15 --> 00:05:17 making moves to extend the life of the
00:05:17 --> 00:05:19 International Space Station.
00:05:19 --> 00:05:22 >> The NASA Authorization Act of 2026
00:05:22 --> 00:05:24 passed through the Senate Commerce,
00:05:24 --> 00:05:26 Science, and Transportation Committee
00:05:26 --> 00:05:29 last week with bipartisan support, which
00:05:29 --> 00:05:32 is always good to hear. And one of its
00:05:32 --> 00:05:34 biggest changes is pushing back the
00:05:34 --> 00:05:37 retirement of the ISS from 2030 to
00:05:37 --> 00:05:39 September 2032.
00:05:39 --> 00:05:41 >> So, the ISS has been continuously
00:05:42 --> 00:05:44 occupied since November 2000. That's
00:05:44 --> 00:05:47 over 25 years of humans living in space.
00:05:47 --> 00:05:49 It was originally set to be
00:05:49 --> 00:05:51 decommissioned and deliberately
00:05:51 --> 00:05:54 deorbited in 2030. The plan was to crash
00:05:54 --> 00:05:56 it into a remote part of the Pacific
00:05:56 --> 00:05:58 Ocean in a controlled re-entry.
00:05:58 --> 00:06:01 >> But Congress is saying not so fast. The
00:06:01 --> 00:06:03 concern is that commercial space
00:06:03 --> 00:06:05 stations, which are supposed to replace
00:06:05 --> 00:06:08 the ISS in low Earth orbit, just aren't
00:06:08 --> 00:06:10 going to be ready in time. Companies
00:06:10 --> 00:06:13 like Blue Origin, BAST, and Axiom Space
00:06:13 --> 00:06:16 are all working on successor stations,
00:06:16 --> 00:06:18 but timelines have slipped.
00:06:18 --> 00:06:19 >> And there's also a geopolitical
00:06:20 --> 00:06:22 dimension to this. China's Tandong space
00:06:22 --> 00:06:25 station is fully operational and will
00:06:25 --> 00:06:28 keep running well into the 2030s. The
00:06:28 --> 00:06:30 bill specifically uses the language of
00:06:30 --> 00:06:33 avoiding a gap in continuous human
00:06:33 --> 00:06:35 presence in low Earth orbit and
00:06:35 --> 00:06:37 explicitly mentions not wanting to see
00:06:37 --> 00:06:40 leadership to China. The bill also does
00:06:40 --> 00:06:42 something very significant on the
00:06:42 --> 00:06:44 funding side. It rejects proposed cuts
00:06:44 --> 00:06:47 to NASA's budget and instead allocates
00:06:47 --> 00:06:51 substantial funding for fiscal year 2026
00:06:51 --> 00:06:54 and 2027. Programs like the Chandra
00:06:54 --> 00:06:56 X-ray Observatory are saved under this
00:06:56 --> 00:06:58 bill. There is a caveat here though.
00:06:58 --> 00:07:01 This bill has passed committee but still
00:07:01 --> 00:07:03 needs a full Senate vote and then the
00:07:03 --> 00:07:05 House of Representatives and then a
00:07:05 --> 00:07:08 presidential signature. So, it's not law
00:07:08 --> 00:07:09 yet,
00:07:09 --> 00:07:11 >> but it sends a very clear signal about
00:07:11 --> 00:07:13 where Congress stands on the future of
00:07:13 --> 00:07:16 American human space flight. The ISS
00:07:16 --> 00:07:19 isn't going anywhere just yet.
00:07:19 --> 00:07:21 >> Now, let's move from policy to pure
00:07:21 --> 00:07:24 science, and this next one is genuinely
00:07:24 --> 00:07:25 jaw-dropping.
00:07:25 --> 00:07:27 >> Astronomers have just released the
00:07:27 --> 00:07:30 largest image ever produced by the ALMA
00:07:30 --> 00:07:32 telescope, and it's a portrait of the
00:07:32 --> 00:07:35 heart of our own Milky Way galaxy. ALMA
00:07:35 --> 00:07:38 stands for Atagama Large Millimeter
00:07:38 --> 00:07:40 Submillime Array. It's a telescope
00:07:40 --> 00:07:42 complex in the high altitude desert of
00:07:42 --> 00:07:45 Chile and it detects radio waves rather
00:07:45 --> 00:07:47 than visible light which means it can
00:07:47 --> 00:07:49 see through all the dust and gas that
00:07:49 --> 00:07:51 hides the galactic center from optical
00:07:51 --> 00:07:54 telescopes. The new image comes from a
00:07:54 --> 00:07:57 survey called ACES the ALMA CMZ
00:07:57 --> 00:08:00 Exploration Survey and it maps a region
00:08:00 --> 00:08:03 called the central molecular zone.
00:08:03 --> 00:08:05 That's the area surrounding the super
00:08:05 --> 00:08:07 massive black hole at the heart of our
00:08:07 --> 00:08:10 galaxy, Sagittarius, a star, stretching
00:08:10 --> 00:08:13 across 650 light years.
00:08:14 --> 00:08:16 >> To put that in perspective, the finished
00:08:16 --> 00:08:19 mosaic spans an area equivalent to three
00:08:19 --> 00:08:21 full moons placed side by side in the
00:08:21 --> 00:08:23 sky. It was assembled from hundreds of
00:08:23 --> 00:08:25 individual observations stitched
00:08:25 --> 00:08:28 together like a giant jigsaw puzzle.
00:08:28 --> 00:08:31 >> And what it reveals is extraordinary.
00:08:31 --> 00:08:34 The central molecular zone is filled
00:08:34 --> 00:08:37 with this intricate web of filaments.
00:08:37 --> 00:08:41 Long, thin threads of cold molecular gas
00:08:41 --> 00:08:44 snaking through the region feeding into
00:08:44 --> 00:08:46 dense clumps where new stars are being
00:08:46 --> 00:08:50 born. It looks almost like a web or a
00:08:50 --> 00:08:53 circulatory system. The survey also
00:08:53 --> 00:08:55 mapped the chemistry of the region in
00:08:55 --> 00:08:57 incredible detail, detecting dozens of
00:08:57 --> 00:08:59 molecules from relatively simple
00:08:59 --> 00:09:02 compounds like silicon monoxide all the
00:09:02 --> 00:09:04 way to complex organic molecules like
00:09:04 --> 00:09:07 methanol, acetone, and even ethanol.
00:09:07 --> 00:09:09 There's a cocktail of chemistry going on
00:09:09 --> 00:09:11 near the center of our galaxy.
00:09:11 --> 00:09:16 >> The team involved was enormous. over 160
00:09:16 --> 00:09:18 scientists from more than 70
00:09:18 --> 00:09:21 institutions around the world. And they
00:09:21 --> 00:09:23 say this is just the beginning. An
00:09:23 --> 00:09:26 upcoming upgrade to ALMA, plus the
00:09:26 --> 00:09:29 eventual arrival of ESO's extremely
00:09:29 --> 00:09:32 large telescope, will let them push even
00:09:32 --> 00:09:34 deeper into this region.
00:09:34 --> 00:09:36 >> One researcher put it beautifully. It's
00:09:36 --> 00:09:39 a place of extremes, invisible to our
00:09:39 --> 00:09:42 eyes, but now revealed in extraordinary
00:09:42 --> 00:09:44 detail. We'll have a link to the image
00:09:44 --> 00:09:45 in the show notes. It really is
00:09:45 --> 00:09:47 something to look at.
00:09:47 --> 00:09:49 >> From the heart of our galaxy to the dawn
00:09:49 --> 00:09:52 of time, our next story is about a brand
00:09:52 --> 00:09:55 new map of the early universe.
00:09:55 --> 00:09:57 >> Researchers have published the largest
00:09:57 --> 00:09:59 and most detailed 3D map yet of light
00:09:59 --> 00:10:01 from the universe's early history.
00:10:02 --> 00:10:04 Specifically, the period between 9 and
00:10:04 --> 00:10:06 11 billion years ago. That's a time
00:10:06 --> 00:10:09 astronomers call cosmic noon when the
00:10:09 --> 00:10:11 universe was producing stars at the
00:10:11 --> 00:10:14 fastest rate in its entire history.
00:10:14 --> 00:10:17 >> The map was created using data from the
00:10:17 --> 00:10:19 Hobby Ely telescope dark energy
00:10:19 --> 00:10:22 experiment PET decks which operates from
00:10:22 --> 00:10:25 McDonald Observatory in Texas and the
00:10:25 --> 00:10:27 technique used is really clever.
00:10:27 --> 00:10:29 >> Most cosmic maps focus on individual
00:10:29 --> 00:10:31 bright galaxies. They're essentially
00:10:31 --> 00:10:34 dotto-dot maps of the universe. But this
00:10:34 --> 00:10:36 team used a technique called line
00:10:36 --> 00:10:38 intensity mapping, which instead of
00:10:38 --> 00:10:40 counting individual galaxies, tracks a
00:10:40 --> 00:10:43 specific kind of light called lyman
00:10:43 --> 00:10:44 alpha radiation.
00:10:44 --> 00:10:46 >> Lyman alpha light is produced when
00:10:46 --> 00:10:49 hydrogen atoms, the most abundant
00:10:49 --> 00:10:51 element in the universe, get energized
00:10:51 --> 00:10:54 by young, hot stars. So, wherever you
00:10:54 --> 00:10:56 see that glow, you know there's hydrogen
00:10:56 --> 00:10:59 gas and likely star formation happening
00:10:59 --> 00:11:00 nearby.
00:11:00 --> 00:11:03 >> And by tracking that glow across the sky
00:11:03 --> 00:11:05 and through time, the researchers were
00:11:05 --> 00:11:07 able to build a 3D picture of not just
00:11:07 --> 00:11:09 the bright galaxies, but all the dim
00:11:09 --> 00:11:12 faint matter in between them, the cosmic
00:11:12 --> 00:11:14 web of gas that connects galaxies
00:11:14 --> 00:11:17 together. They called it a sea of light.
00:11:17 --> 00:11:20 The data set they used was enormous.
00:11:20 --> 00:11:23 Over 600 million spectra collected by
00:11:24 --> 00:11:27 Headex. And here is the staggering part.
00:11:27 --> 00:11:30 The team only used about 5% of those
00:11:30 --> 00:11:32 spectra for their primary research
00:11:32 --> 00:11:34 mission. This is the first time anyone
00:11:34 --> 00:11:37 has gone back and mined that remaining
00:11:37 --> 00:11:39 data to do this kind of mapping.
00:11:39 --> 00:11:42 >> What the map lets scientists do is test
00:11:42 --> 00:11:44 their computer simulations of the early
00:11:44 --> 00:11:46 universe against reality. As one
00:11:46 --> 00:11:48 researcher put it, we have simulations
00:11:48 --> 00:11:49 of this period, but those are just
00:11:49 --> 00:11:52 simulations, not the real universe. Now
00:11:52 --> 00:11:54 we have a foundation to check if the
00:11:54 --> 00:11:56 physics underpinning those simulations
00:11:56 --> 00:11:57 is correct.
00:11:57 --> 00:11:59 >> It's like having a map of the world for
00:12:00 --> 00:12:02 the first time. You can finally compare
00:12:02 --> 00:12:04 what you thought was there with what's
00:12:04 --> 00:12:05 actually there.
00:12:05 --> 00:12:07 >> And finally, something you can go
00:12:07 --> 00:12:10 outside and see for yourself tonight.
00:12:10 --> 00:12:12 Jupiter, the biggest planet in our solar
00:12:12 --> 00:12:14 system, appears to be doing something a
00:12:14 --> 00:12:16 bit odd in the sky. If you've been
00:12:16 --> 00:12:19 keeping an eye on Jupiter over the past
00:12:19 --> 00:12:21 few weeks, you may have noticed it's
00:12:21 --> 00:12:23 slowly moving across the stars from
00:12:23 --> 00:12:25 night to night, which is normal for
00:12:25 --> 00:12:27 planets as they drift against the
00:12:27 --> 00:12:30 background of distant stars due to their
00:12:30 --> 00:12:31 orbital motion.
00:12:31 --> 00:12:33 >> But tonight and over the coming nights,
00:12:33 --> 00:12:36 Jupiter appears to change direction.
00:12:36 --> 00:12:38 This is what astronomers call retrograde
00:12:38 --> 00:12:40 motion. And it's been confusing,
00:12:40 --> 00:12:42 delighting, and in ancient times,
00:12:42 --> 00:12:44 mystifying people for thousands of
00:12:44 --> 00:12:45 years.
00:12:45 --> 00:12:48 >> So, what's actually happening? Nothing
00:12:48 --> 00:12:51 is actually going backwards. It's all
00:12:51 --> 00:12:53 about perspective. Earth and Jupiter are
00:12:53 --> 00:12:56 both orbiting the sun, but Earth's orbit
00:12:56 --> 00:12:59 is smaller and faster. As Earth catches
00:12:59 --> 00:13:01 up to and begins to pass Jupiter on the
00:13:01 --> 00:13:04 inside track, Jupiter appears to drift
00:13:04 --> 00:13:06 backwards against a star background,
00:13:06 --> 00:13:08 like how a slower car on the motorway
00:13:08 --> 00:13:10 seems to move backwards when you
00:13:10 --> 00:13:11 overtake it.
00:13:11 --> 00:13:13 >> The change is subtle, and it happens
00:13:13 --> 00:13:15 gradually over many nights. So, don't
00:13:15 --> 00:13:17 expect to see it in real time, but if
00:13:17 --> 00:13:19 you compare Jupiter's position tonight
00:13:19 --> 00:13:21 to where it was a few weeks ago, and
00:13:21 --> 00:13:23 then check again in a few weeks, you'll
00:13:23 --> 00:13:25 see it. Jupiter is high in the evening
00:13:25 --> 00:13:28 sky right now and easy to find as one of
00:13:28 --> 00:13:30 the brightest objects up there.
00:13:30 --> 00:13:32 >> And tonight there's also a lovely waning
00:13:32 --> 00:13:35 gibbus moon in the southern sky sitting
00:13:35 --> 00:13:37 close to the bright reddish star and
00:13:37 --> 00:13:39 tries. So there's plenty to look at if
00:13:39 --> 00:13:41 you step outside after dark. No
00:13:41 --> 00:13:44 telescope needed for Jupiter though one
00:13:44 --> 00:13:46 will reveal its four brightest moons,
00:13:46 --> 00:13:48 the Galilean moons, which Galileo
00:13:48 --> 00:13:51 himself spotted back in 1610. A pair of
00:13:51 --> 00:13:55 binoculars is perfect. So, go look up.
00:13:55 --> 00:13:57 >> And that is it for today's episode of
00:13:57 --> 00:14:00 Astronomy Daily. What a day. Satellites
00:14:00 --> 00:14:02 falling, meteorites crashing, space
00:14:02 --> 00:14:05 stations getting a reprieve, galaxy
00:14:05 --> 00:14:07 portraits, cosmic maps, and a planet
00:14:07 --> 00:14:10 doing loops. The universe never
00:14:10 --> 00:14:11 disappoints.
00:14:11 --> 00:14:13 >> If you enjoyed today's show, please
00:14:13 --> 00:14:15 subscribe wherever you get your podcasts
00:14:15 --> 00:14:17 and share us with a friend who loves
00:14:17 --> 00:14:19 space. Find all our episodes in show
00:14:19 --> 00:14:22 notes at astronomyaily.io IO and come
00:14:22 --> 00:14:25 say hello on social media. We're @ Astro
00:14:25 --> 00:14:27 Daily Pod on X, Instagram, Tik Tok,
00:14:27 --> 00:14:29 YouTube, and Facebook.
00:14:29 --> 00:14:31 >> We'll be back tomorrow with more from
00:14:31 --> 00:14:34 the cosmos. Until then, keep looking up.
00:14:34 --> 00:14:38 >> Clear skies, everyone. Astronomy day.
00:14:38 --> 00:14:46 Stories we told.
00:14:46 --> 00:14:50 Stories told.