Astronomy Daily - The Podcast: S03E234
Welcome to Astronomy Daily, your Daily dose of the latest space and Astronomy news. I'm your host, Anna, and today we have a packed show covering everything from Saturn's rings to the latest space launches and groundbreaking observations.
Highlights:
- Saturn's Rings Age Debate : Dive into the fascinating debate challenging the age of Saturn's rings. New research suggests they could be as old as the solar system itself, thanks to a natural cleaning mechanism that keeps them pristine.
- Europe's Satellite Ambitions: Discover the European Union's ambitious IRIS2 project, a satellite constellation aimed at revolutionizing Europe's space-based communications, enhancing connectivity, and bolstering defense capabilities.
- SpaceX's Launch Marathon : Marvel at SpaceX's incredible week with seven Falcon 9 launches planned, showcasing their growing capacity to meet diverse mission demands, from military to commercial telecommunications.
- NASA's Davinci Mission to Venus : Explore NASA's upcoming Davinci mission, set to deploy a descent probe to study Venus's atmosphere and surface, offering new insights into the planet's geological history and evolution.
- M87 Black Hole's Gamma Ray Flare : Uncover the surprising gamma ray flare from the iconic M87 black hole, providing scientists with a unique opportunity to study the formation and acceleration of powerful cosmic jets.
For more cosmic updates, visit our website at astronomydaily.io (https://www.astronomydaily.io) . Sign up for our free Daily newsletter to stay informed on all things space. Join our community on social media by searching for #AstroDailyPod on Facebook, X, Tumblr, YouTube, YouTubeMusic and TikTok . Share your thoughts and connect with fellow space enthusiasts.
Thank you for tuning in. This is Anna signing off. Until tomorrow, put the phone down, look up, and keep wondering about the mysteries of our cosmic universe.
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00:00 - New study challenges long-held theory that Saturn's rings are young
04:28 - SpaceX have seven Falcon 9 launches scheduled for this week
06:25 - NASA's upcoming Davinci mission is set to revolutionize our understanding of Venus
08:23 - M UM87 black hole surprised researchers with a powerful and unexpected eruption
10:48 - Join our growing community of space enthusiasts and never miss an astronomical update
✍️ Episode References
Nature Geoscience
[Nature Geoscience](https://www.nature.com/ngeo/)
Cassini Mission
[Cassini Mission](https://solarsystem.nasa.gov/missions/cassini/overview/)
European Union (EU)
[European Union](https://europa.eu/)
SpaceX
[SpaceX](https://www.spacex.com/)
Event Horizon Telescope
[Event Horizon Telescope](https://eventhorizontelescope.org/)
NASA Davinci Mission
[NASA](https://www.nasa.gov/)
Become a supporter of this podcast: https://www.spreaker.com/podcast/astronomy-daily-the-podcast--5648921/support (https://www.spreaker.com/podcast/astronomy-daily-the-podcast--5648921/support?utm_source=rss&utm_medium=rss&utm_campaign=rss) .
Episode link: https://play.headliner.app/episode/24666621?utm_source=youtube
00:00:00 --> 00:00:02 welcome to astronomy daily your daily
00:00:02 --> 00:00:04 dose of the latest space and astronomy
00:00:04 --> 00:00:07 news I'm your host Anna and today we
00:00:07 --> 00:00:08 have a packed show covering everything
00:00:08 --> 00:00:10 from Saturn's rings to the latest space
00:00:10 --> 00:00:13 launches and groundbreaking observations
00:00:13 --> 00:00:15 we've got a lot to cover so let's get
00:00:15 --> 00:00:18 started a fascinating debate has emerged
00:00:18 --> 00:00:20 in the scientific Community about the
00:00:20 --> 00:00:22 age of Saturn's rings you might have
00:00:22 --> 00:00:24 heard the popular fact that sharks are
00:00:24 --> 00:00:26 older than Saturn's rings well that
00:00:26 --> 00:00:29 might not be true after all a new study
00:00:29 --> 00:00:31 published in nature geoscience is
00:00:31 --> 00:00:33 challenging our understanding of these
00:00:33 --> 00:00:35 iconic features until recently
00:00:35 --> 00:00:37 scientists believed Saturn's rings were
00:00:37 --> 00:00:39 relatively young forming somewhere
00:00:39 --> 00:00:43 between 100 to 400 million years ago
00:00:43 --> 00:00:44 this theory was based on their
00:00:44 --> 00:00:46 remarkably clean and bright appearance
00:00:47 --> 00:00:49 as observed by the Cassini mission in
00:00:49 --> 00:00:51 2004 the thinking went that if the Rings
00:00:51 --> 00:00:53 were billions of years old they would
00:00:53 --> 00:00:55 have become darkened and dirty from
00:00:56 --> 00:00:58 countless microm meteoroid impacts Over
00:00:58 --> 00:01:00 time however researchers have now
00:01:00 --> 00:01:02 proposed an intriguing alternative
00:01:02 --> 00:01:05 explanation for their pristine
00:01:05 --> 00:01:08 condition using computer simulations
00:01:08 --> 00:01:09 they discovered that when
00:01:09 --> 00:01:11 micrometeoroids crash into the icy ring
00:01:11 --> 00:01:13 particles they don't simply collect on
00:01:14 --> 00:01:16 the surface as previously thought
00:01:16 --> 00:01:18 instead these impacts actually vaporize
00:01:18 --> 00:01:20 the micr meteoroids turning them into
00:01:20 --> 00:01:22 charged particles that either get pulled
00:01:22 --> 00:01:24 into Saturn itself or are flung out into
00:01:24 --> 00:01:26 deep space this new understanding
00:01:26 --> 00:01:28 suggests that Saturn's rings could
00:01:28 --> 00:01:30 actually be as old as the solar system
00:01:30 --> 00:01:33 itself approximately 4.6 billion years
00:01:33 --> 00:01:36 old the Rings have managed to stay clean
00:01:36 --> 00:01:37 and bright all this time because they
00:01:37 --> 00:01:39 have an efficient natural cleaning
00:01:39 --> 00:01:42 mechanism rather than being young so
00:01:42 --> 00:01:44 while we might need to retire that fun
00:01:44 --> 00:01:45 fact about sharks being older than
00:01:45 --> 00:01:48 Saturn's rings there's still plenty of
00:01:48 --> 00:01:50 astronomical Wonder to share for
00:01:50 --> 00:01:51 instance did you know that the Southern
00:01:51 --> 00:01:53 Cross constellation contains multiple
00:01:53 --> 00:01:56 Stars younger than 20 million years old
00:01:56 --> 00:01:57 that's younger than mammals birds and
00:01:57 --> 00:02:00 even flowering plants
00:02:00 --> 00:02:02 it seems everyone is wanting to get into
00:02:02 --> 00:02:04 competition with SpaceX these days
00:02:04 --> 00:02:08 particularly the Europeans and China in
00:02:08 --> 00:02:10 news today the European Union has just
00:02:10 --> 00:02:12 taken a major step forward in securing
00:02:12 --> 00:02:14 its space-based Communications
00:02:14 --> 00:02:16 infrastructure by signing contracts for
00:02:16 --> 00:02:18 an ambitious new satellite constellation
00:02:18 --> 00:02:22 project named Iris 2 which stands for
00:02:22 --> 00:02:23 infrastructure for resilience
00:02:23 --> 00:02:25 interconnectivity and security by
00:02:25 --> 00:02:28 satellite this 11 billion EUR initiative
00:02:28 --> 00:02:30 will revolutionize Europe's satellite
00:02:30 --> 00:02:32 Communications
00:02:32 --> 00:02:34 capabilities the project will deploy
00:02:34 --> 00:02:37 nearly 290 satellites across multiple
00:02:37 --> 00:02:39 orbital layers with the first launches
00:02:39 --> 00:02:41 scheduled to begin in
00:02:41 --> 00:02:43 2029 these satellites will work together
00:02:43 --> 00:02:45 to provide secure connectivity services
00:02:45 --> 00:02:48 for EU member states and government
00:02:48 --> 00:02:50 authorities while also delivering
00:02:50 --> 00:02:52 high-speed Broadband access to European
00:02:52 --> 00:02:54 citizens and businesses including those
00:02:54 --> 00:02:57 in currently underserved areas what
00:02:57 --> 00:03:00 makes Iris 2 particularly noteworthy is
00:03:00 --> 00:03:02 its multi-orbital approach the
00:03:02 --> 00:03:04 constellation will feature satellites
00:03:04 --> 00:03:06 operating at different altitudes 18 in
00:03:06 --> 00:03:10 medium orbit at about 8 km 264 in
00:03:10 --> 00:03:14 low orbit at roughly 1 km and 10
00:03:14 --> 00:03:19 more between 450 and 750 km from Earth
00:03:19 --> 00:03:21 this layered configuration will enable
00:03:21 --> 00:03:23 comprehensive Global coverage and allow
00:03:23 --> 00:03:24 the satellites to communicate with each
00:03:25 --> 00:03:27 other while routing all data through
00:03:27 --> 00:03:28 European ground
00:03:28 --> 00:03:31 stations this project represents what EU
00:03:31 --> 00:03:33 officials are calling a paradigm shift
00:03:33 --> 00:03:34 in European space
00:03:34 --> 00:03:37 capabilities for the first time the EU
00:03:37 --> 00:03:39 space program will explicitly contribute
00:03:39 --> 00:03:42 to defense needs reducing dependence on
00:03:42 --> 00:03:44 non-european providers and strengthening
00:03:44 --> 00:03:47 the Union's autonomy in Satellite
00:03:47 --> 00:03:49 Communications the system is scheduled
00:03:49 --> 00:03:51 to become fully operational by 2030 with
00:03:51 --> 00:03:53 some initial Services beginning as early
00:03:53 --> 00:03:56 as 2025 through a preliminary program
00:03:56 --> 00:03:59 called gov satcom the Project's funding
00:03:59 --> 00:04:01 comes from from multiple sources
00:04:01 --> 00:04:03 including 6 billion EUR from the EU
00:04:03 --> 00:04:05 budget contributions from the European
00:04:05 --> 00:04:08 space agency and significant private
00:04:08 --> 00:04:10 investment this ambitious undertaking
00:04:10 --> 00:04:12 isn't just about European Independence
00:04:12 --> 00:04:15 it's also open to International
00:04:15 --> 00:04:17 cooperation several countries including
00:04:17 --> 00:04:20 Japan South Korea and Australia have
00:04:20 --> 00:04:22 already expressed interest in accessing
00:04:22 --> 00:04:24 Commercial Services through the system
00:04:24 --> 00:04:27 demonstrating its potential Global
00:04:27 --> 00:04:30 impact speaking of SpaceX the company is
00:04:30 --> 00:04:31 gearing up for what could be their most
00:04:31 --> 00:04:34 ambitious week yet with an incredible 7
00:04:35 --> 00:04:37 Falcon 9 launches scheduled this
00:04:37 --> 00:04:39 remarkable lineup showcases the
00:04:39 --> 00:04:41 company's growing capability to maintain
00:04:41 --> 00:04:43 an unprecedented launch Cadence while
00:04:43 --> 00:04:46 serving diverse Mission requirements the
00:04:46 --> 00:04:47 week kicked off with the successful
00:04:47 --> 00:04:49 launch of a GPS satellite for the US
00:04:49 --> 00:04:51 space force designated as the rapid
00:04:51 --> 00:04:54 response Trailblazer 1 Mission this
00:04:54 --> 00:04:55 launch demonstrated the military's
00:04:55 --> 00:04:57 ability to compress their typical 2-year
00:04:57 --> 00:04:59 Mission planning cycle into just 6
00:04:59 --> 00:05:02 months marking a significant advancement
00:05:02 --> 00:05:05 in rapid response capabilities following
00:05:05 --> 00:05:07 this SpaceX has planned launches for
00:05:07 --> 00:05:09 multiple commercial customers including
00:05:09 --> 00:05:12 the 03 BM power satellites for sces
00:05:12 --> 00:05:14 which will provide enhanced internet
00:05:14 --> 00:05:16 connectivity services from medium earth
00:05:16 --> 00:05:19 orbit the estrus block 2 mission will
00:05:19 --> 00:05:21 carry four Innovative micro Geo
00:05:21 --> 00:05:23 satellites designed to deliver Broadband
00:05:23 --> 00:05:25 services to specific regions including
00:05:25 --> 00:05:28 the Philippines and Maritime customers
00:05:28 --> 00:05:29 the national reconnaissance office will
00:05:30 --> 00:05:33 also see their NR 149 Mission take
00:05:33 --> 00:05:35 flight from vandenbberg space Force Base
00:05:35 --> 00:05:37 while the bandwagon 2 Rideshare Mission
00:05:37 --> 00:05:40 will carry approximately 15 small
00:05:40 --> 00:05:42 satellites to orbit the United Arab
00:05:42 --> 00:05:45 Emirates Thia 4 NGS communication
00:05:45 --> 00:05:47 satellite is also scheduled for launch
00:05:47 --> 00:05:49 this week capping off this remarkable
00:05:49 --> 00:05:51 series of launches will be another batch
00:05:51 --> 00:05:53 of starlink satellites continuing the
00:05:53 --> 00:05:56 expansion of spacex's global internet
00:05:56 --> 00:05:58 constellation if all goes according to
00:05:58 --> 00:06:00 plan these launches will will push
00:06:00 --> 00:06:03 SpaceX past 130 missions for the year
00:06:03 --> 00:06:05 further cementing their position as the
00:06:05 --> 00:06:08 world's most prolific launch provider
00:06:08 --> 00:06:10 each of these missions demonstrates not
00:06:10 --> 00:06:12 only spacex's reliable launch
00:06:12 --> 00:06:14 capabilities but also their ability to
00:06:14 --> 00:06:17 support a wide range of customers from
00:06:17 --> 00:06:19 military and intelligence agencies to
00:06:19 --> 00:06:22 commercial telecommunications providers
00:06:22 --> 00:06:24 and their own satellite internet
00:06:24 --> 00:06:27 constellation NASA's upcoming Da Vinci
00:06:27 --> 00:06:29 mission is set to revolutionize our
00:06:29 --> 00:06:30 understanding of Venus with
00:06:30 --> 00:06:32 groundbreaking new capabilities
00:06:32 --> 00:06:34 scheduled for launch in the early 2030s
00:06:34 --> 00:06:36 this ambitious Mission will deploy both
00:06:36 --> 00:06:38 an orbiting spacecraft and a descent
00:06:38 --> 00:06:41 probe to study Our Mysterious neighbor
00:06:41 --> 00:06:43 like never before The Descent probe will
00:06:43 --> 00:06:45 be the first of its kind to Brave
00:06:45 --> 00:06:48 Venus's atmosphere in the 21st century
00:06:48 --> 00:06:50 about 3 ft wide this specially designed
00:06:50 --> 00:06:52 sphere will plunge through the planet's
00:06:52 --> 00:06:55 thick corrosive clouds capturing high
00:06:55 --> 00:06:57 resolution images and taking detailed
00:06:57 --> 00:07:00 measurements as it descends one of Da
00:07:00 --> 00:07:02 Vinci's most exciting targets is the
00:07:02 --> 00:07:06 alpha Rio region known as a tacera these
00:07:06 --> 00:07:08 unique geological formations found only
00:07:08 --> 00:07:10 on Venus are thought to be ancient
00:07:10 --> 00:07:12 continents that could hold the secrets
00:07:12 --> 00:07:15 of the planet's past the mission will
00:07:15 --> 00:07:17 capture the first close-up photographs
00:07:17 --> 00:07:21 of Venus's surface in over 40 years the
00:07:21 --> 00:07:22 probe's journey through Venus's
00:07:23 --> 00:07:24 atmosphere will be equally
00:07:24 --> 00:07:26 groundbreaking as it descends from
00:07:26 --> 00:07:28 90 ft above the surface it will
00:07:28 --> 00:07:30 analyze the chem chemical composition of
00:07:30 --> 00:07:32 the lower atmosphere at regular
00:07:32 --> 00:07:34 intervals this data could help
00:07:34 --> 00:07:36 scientists determine if Venus currently
00:07:36 --> 00:07:39 has active volcanoes and provide crucial
00:07:39 --> 00:07:41 insights into the planet's water history
00:07:41 --> 00:07:43 if there is indeed one to accomplish
00:07:43 --> 00:07:46 these ambitious goals D Vinci will
00:07:46 --> 00:07:48 employ Cutting Edge technology that
00:07:48 --> 00:07:49 wasn't available to previous Venus
00:07:49 --> 00:07:52 missions the probe features Advanced
00:07:52 --> 00:07:54 ceramic and silica insulation to protect
00:07:54 --> 00:07:56 its sensitive Electronics from Venus's
00:07:56 --> 00:07:58 extreme heat and specialized acid
00:07:58 --> 00:08:00 resistant material that are five times
00:08:00 --> 00:08:02 stronger than steel for its parachute
00:08:02 --> 00:08:05 system if successful Da Vinci will help
00:08:05 --> 00:08:07 us understand why Venus despite forming
00:08:07 --> 00:08:10 from similar materials as Earth evolved
00:08:10 --> 00:08:12 into such a drastically different world
00:08:12 --> 00:08:14 this Mission could finally unlock some
00:08:14 --> 00:08:16 of the most persistent mysteries about
00:08:16 --> 00:08:18 our nearest planetary neighbor and help
00:08:18 --> 00:08:20 us better understand the evolution of
00:08:20 --> 00:08:22 rocky planets throughout the
00:08:22 --> 00:08:27 Universe finally today the iconic M 87
00:08:27 --> 00:08:29 black hole which made headlines in 2018
00:08:29 --> 00:08:31 when scientists captured its first ever
00:08:31 --> 00:08:34 image using the Event Horizon telescope
00:08:34 --> 00:08:35 has now surprised researchers with a
00:08:35 --> 00:08:38 powerful and unexpected eruption during
00:08:38 --> 00:08:41 observations in April and May 2018 the
00:08:41 --> 00:08:43 black hole produced an intense gamma ray
00:08:43 --> 00:08:47 flare that lasted approximately 3 days
00:08:47 --> 00:08:49 marking its first major Outburst since
00:08:49 --> 00:08:52 2010 located 55 million Lighty years
00:08:52 --> 00:08:55 away at the heart of Galaxy m87 this
00:08:55 --> 00:08:57 super massive black hole is truly
00:08:57 --> 00:08:59 massive containing the equ equivalent
00:08:59 --> 00:09:03 mass of 5.4 billion Suns unlike our
00:09:03 --> 00:09:05 Galaxy's relatively quiet Central black
00:09:05 --> 00:09:08 hole M 87's black hole is a voracious
00:09:08 --> 00:09:10 feeder constantly consuming surrounding
00:09:11 --> 00:09:12 matter and producing powerful Jets of
00:09:12 --> 00:09:15 material these jets are created as
00:09:15 --> 00:09:16 matter swirls around the black hole in
00:09:17 --> 00:09:19 what's called an accretion disc the
00:09:19 --> 00:09:21 black hole's intense magnetic fields
00:09:21 --> 00:09:23 Channel this material toward its poles
00:09:23 --> 00:09:25 accelerating particles to nearly the
00:09:25 --> 00:09:27 speed of light before blasting them into
00:09:27 --> 00:09:30 space the recent Gam aray flare was
00:09:30 --> 00:09:32 connected to one of these Jets which
00:09:32 --> 00:09:34 extends to a mindboggling distance tens
00:09:34 --> 00:09:36 of millions of times wider than the
00:09:36 --> 00:09:39 black hole itself what makes this
00:09:39 --> 00:09:41 discovery particularly significant is
00:09:41 --> 00:09:43 that it provides scientists with an
00:09:43 --> 00:09:45 unprecedented opportunity to study how
00:09:46 --> 00:09:48 these Jets form and accelerate particles
00:09:48 --> 00:09:51 to such extreme energies The Event
00:09:51 --> 00:09:53 Horizon telescopes observations combined
00:09:53 --> 00:09:55 with data from multiple space-based
00:09:55 --> 00:09:58 observatories revealed annual changes in
00:09:58 --> 00:10:00 the Jets angle and correlations with the
00:10:00 --> 00:10:02 black holes Event Horizon this
00:10:02 --> 00:10:04 collaborative effort between ground and
00:10:04 --> 00:10:06 space-based telescopes has given
00:10:06 --> 00:10:09 scientists new insights into the complex
00:10:09 --> 00:10:11 relationship between super massive black
00:10:11 --> 00:10:14 holes and their powerful Jets the
00:10:14 --> 00:10:15 findings could help resolve
00:10:15 --> 00:10:17 long-standing questions about the origin
00:10:17 --> 00:10:20 of cosmic rays detected on Earth and
00:10:20 --> 00:10:22 Advance our understanding of how these
00:10:22 --> 00:10:23 Cosmic Giants influence their
00:10:23 --> 00:10:25 surrounding
00:10:25 --> 00:10:27 space thanks for tuning in to another
00:10:27 --> 00:10:30 episode of astronomy daily I'm Anna and
00:10:30 --> 00:10:32 I hope you've enjoyed today's Journey
00:10:32 --> 00:10:33 Through the latest discoveries in space
00:10:33 --> 00:10:36 and astronomy if you want to stay up to
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