### Episode Summary
A thrilling spacewalk at the Tiangong Space Station, the discovery of the oldest supernova witnessed by the James Webb Telescope, and new insights into the chaotic nature of Super Jupiters highlight today's episode. We also explore the powerful winds generated by a supermassive black hole, showcasing the dynamic interactions in our universe.
### Timestamps & Stories
01:05 – **Story 1: Marathon Spacewalk at Tiangong Space Station**
**Key Facts**
- Two astronauts from the Shenshou 21 mission conducted an 8-hour spacewalk to inspect damage on the Shenshou 20 return capsule, struck by space debris.
- Installation of new debris protection systems highlights the growing threat of space junk.
03:40 – **Story 2: Record Launches by China**
**Key Facts**
- China set a national record with three Long March rocket launches in under 19 hours.
- Missions included broadband satellite deployments and classified military satellites.
05:20 – **Story 3: Bold Recommendations for Mars Exploration**
**Key Facts**
- A new report emphasizes the search for life as the top priority for crewed Mars missions.
- Proposed campaigns focus on glacier ice and deep subsurface exploration for biosignatures.
07:00 – **Story 4: Oldest Supernova Detected by JWST**
**Key Facts**
- James Webb Telescope identifies a supernova from 13 billion years ago, just 730 million years post-Big Bang.
- This discovery provides insights into the early universe and the lifecycle of massive stars.
08:40 – **Story 5: Super Jupiters Challenge Our Understanding**
**Key Facts**
- Research on exoplanet VHS 1256 b reveals a chaotic atmosphere, differing significantly from Jupiter's stability.
- The study suggests massive gas giants may exhibit turbulent weather patterns instead of organized bands.
10:15 – **Story 6: Winds from a Supermassive Black Hole**
**Key Facts**
- A supermassive black hole in galaxy NGC 3783 emits powerful winds at 1/5 the speed of light, impacting galaxy evolution.
- Observations from XMM-Newton and XRISM telescopes reveal the connection between black holes and their host galaxies.
### Sources & Further Reading
1. NASA (https://www.nasa.gov/)
2. European Space Agency (https://www.esa.int/)
3. James Webb Space Telescope (https://www.nasa.gov/mission_pages/webb/main/index.html)
4. Mars Exploration Program (https://www.nasa.gov/mission_pages/mars/main/index.html)
5. NASA Black Hole Research (https://www.nasa.gov/blackholes)
### Follow & Contact
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Email: hello@astronomydaily.io
Website: astronomydaily.io
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00:00:00 --> 00:00:02 Welcome to Astronomy Daily, the podcast
00:00:02 --> 00:00:04 that brings you the biggest news from
00:00:04 --> 00:00:06 across the cosmos. I'm Avery.
00:00:06 --> 00:00:09 >> And I'm Anna. It's great to be with you.
00:00:09 --> 00:00:11 Today, we're talking about a dramatic
00:00:11 --> 00:00:14 spacew walk outside the Tiang Gong Space
00:00:14 --> 00:00:17 Station. Plus, the James Webb telescope
00:00:17 --> 00:00:19 spots the oldest supernova ever seen.
00:00:19 --> 00:00:21 And we'll find out why giant planets
00:00:22 --> 00:00:24 known as super Jupiters might look
00:00:24 --> 00:00:26 nothing like our own Jupiter. and we'll
00:00:26 --> 00:00:28 finish with a black hole that's whipping
00:00:28 --> 00:00:30 up winds at a fraction of the speed of
00:00:30 --> 00:00:32 light. Let's get started.
00:00:32 --> 00:00:34 >> First up, let's head to low Earth orbit.
00:00:34 --> 00:00:36 There's been some serious activity
00:00:36 --> 00:00:38 outside the Tangong space station.
00:00:38 --> 00:00:40 >> That's right. Two Chinese astronauts
00:00:40 --> 00:00:43 from the Shenho 21 mission conducted a
00:00:43 --> 00:00:46 marathon 8-hour spacew walk. The primary
00:00:46 --> 00:00:47 goal was to get a close look at the
00:00:48 --> 00:00:50 Shenho 20 return capsule.
00:00:50 --> 00:00:52 >> Mhm. And what they were looking for was
00:00:52 --> 00:00:53 damage. Right.
00:00:53 --> 00:00:55 >> Exactly. The capsule was likely struck
00:00:56 --> 00:00:58 by a piece of space junk and the damage
00:00:58 --> 00:01:00 was serious enough that the Shenjo 20
00:01:00 --> 00:01:03 crew couldn't use it to return home.
00:01:03 --> 00:01:05 They had to come back to Earth on a
00:01:05 --> 00:01:07 different vehicle as a precaution.
00:01:07 --> 00:01:09 >> Wow. That really highlights the dangers
00:01:09 --> 00:01:12 of space debris. So, this spacew walk
00:01:12 --> 00:01:15 was essentially a forensic investigation
00:01:15 --> 00:01:16 in orbit.
00:01:16 --> 00:01:18 >> It was. They were meticulously
00:01:18 --> 00:01:20 inspecting and photographing the damage
00:01:20 --> 00:01:23 to understand exactly what happened. But
00:01:23 --> 00:01:25 that wasn't all they did. They also took
00:01:25 --> 00:01:27 the opportunity to install new space
00:01:27 --> 00:01:29 debris protection systems on the station
00:01:30 --> 00:01:30 itself.
00:01:30 --> 00:01:33 >> A necessary upgrade, it seems. It's a
00:01:33 --> 00:01:35 growing problem that isn't going away.
00:01:36 --> 00:01:39 Every piece of junk, big or small, is a
00:01:39 --> 00:01:41 potential threat to current and future
00:01:41 --> 00:01:42 missions.
00:01:42 --> 00:01:44 >> And speaking of China's space program,
00:01:44 --> 00:01:46 they've been busy on the launch pad as
00:01:46 --> 00:01:49 well. Incredibly busy. In fact,
00:01:49 --> 00:01:51 >> you can say that again. They just set a
00:01:51 --> 00:01:53 new national record by launching three
00:01:54 --> 00:01:56 separate long march rockets in less than
00:01:56 --> 00:01:58 19 hours.
00:01:58 --> 00:02:01 >> 19 hours. That's an astonishing pace. It
00:02:01 --> 00:02:05 brings their total for 2025 up to 83
00:02:05 --> 00:02:07 orbital launches already.
00:02:07 --> 00:02:09 >> So, what were these missions carrying?
00:02:09 --> 00:02:11 >> A couple of different payloads. The
00:02:11 --> 00:02:13 launches deployed more broadband
00:02:13 --> 00:02:15 satellites for their Guang mega
00:02:15 --> 00:02:17 constellation, which is their competitor
00:02:17 --> 00:02:19 to systems like Starlink,
00:02:19 --> 00:02:20 >> right?
00:02:20 --> 00:02:22 >> And they also sent up two classified
00:02:22 --> 00:02:24 military satellites. The details on
00:02:24 --> 00:02:26 those, as you'd expect, are pretty
00:02:26 --> 00:02:26 sparse.
00:02:26 --> 00:02:29 >> It just shows the sheer scale and speed
00:02:29 --> 00:02:31 of their operations right now. They're
00:02:31 --> 00:02:33 not just launching frequently, they're
00:02:34 --> 00:02:36 launching with incredible efficiency,
00:02:36 --> 00:02:37 >> and they seem to be getting better at it
00:02:37 --> 00:02:40 with every launch. Okay, let's shift our
00:02:40 --> 00:02:42 focus from Earth orbit to the red
00:02:42 --> 00:02:45 planet. A major new report from the US
00:02:45 --> 00:02:48 Nationalmies of Sciences, Engineering,
00:02:48 --> 00:02:51 and Medicine has just been released, and
00:02:51 --> 00:02:53 it's making some bold recommendations
00:02:53 --> 00:02:56 for the future of Mars exploration.
00:02:56 --> 00:02:58 >> It really is. The headline
00:02:58 --> 00:03:00 recommendation is that the primary
00:03:00 --> 00:03:02 scientific objective for the first crude
00:03:02 --> 00:03:05 missions to Mars should be the search
00:03:05 --> 00:03:08 for life, either past or present. That's
00:03:08 --> 00:03:10 a significant statement. For a long
00:03:10 --> 00:03:13 time, the focus has been on geology and
00:03:13 --> 00:03:15 paving the way for colonization. This
00:03:15 --> 00:03:17 report puts astrobiology front and
00:03:18 --> 00:03:18 center.
00:03:18 --> 00:03:21 >> Exactly. It outlines 11 specific science
00:03:21 --> 00:03:24 objectives and proposes two main science
00:03:24 --> 00:03:26 mission campaigns to achieve them. The
00:03:26 --> 00:03:28 first campaign would target near surface
00:03:28 --> 00:03:30 glacier ice
00:03:30 --> 00:03:32 >> which could preserve bio signatures.
00:03:32 --> 00:03:34 >> Precisely. The second even more
00:03:34 --> 00:03:36 ambitious campaign would involve
00:03:36 --> 00:03:38 exploring the deep subsurface of Mars.
00:03:38 --> 00:03:40 They're talking about drilling deep down
00:03:40 --> 00:03:43 to where liquid water might still exist,
00:03:43 --> 00:03:44 protected from the harsh surface
00:03:44 --> 00:03:46 radiation.
00:03:46 --> 00:03:49 >> That would be an incredible undertaking.
00:03:49 --> 00:03:51 The technical challenges alone are
00:03:51 --> 00:03:53 immense, but the potential payoff,
00:03:54 --> 00:03:56 finding evidence of life on another
00:03:56 --> 00:03:58 planet, is arguably the greatest prize
00:03:58 --> 00:04:01 in science. It completely reframes the
00:04:01 --> 00:04:04 why of sending humans to Mars. It's not
00:04:04 --> 00:04:06 just about planting a flag. It's about
00:04:06 --> 00:04:08 answering one of humanity's biggest
00:04:08 --> 00:04:09 questions.
00:04:09 --> 00:04:11 >> It would be nice if we could get a
00:04:11 --> 00:04:12 definitive answer one day.
00:04:12 --> 00:04:15 >> Well, from the search for life to the
00:04:15 --> 00:04:17 death of stars, the James Webb Space
00:04:17 --> 00:04:19 Telescope has done it again. It's given
00:04:19 --> 00:04:22 us a glimpse into the cosmic dawn by
00:04:22 --> 00:04:25 finding the oldest supernova ever seen.
00:04:25 --> 00:04:29 >> This story is just mind-boggling. JWST
00:04:29 --> 00:04:31 detected light from a star that exploded
00:04:32 --> 00:04:34 13 billion years ago.
00:04:34 --> 00:04:36 >> Let that sink in. The universe itself is
00:04:36 --> 00:04:40 about 13.7 billion years old. So, this
00:04:40 --> 00:04:43 event happened just 730 million years
00:04:43 --> 00:04:45 after the Big Bang.
00:04:45 --> 00:04:47 >> Incredible. So, what do we know about
00:04:47 --> 00:04:48 this event?
00:04:48 --> 00:04:54 >> It's been designated GRB250314A.
00:04:54 --> 00:04:58 The GRB stands for gammaray burst which
00:04:58 --> 00:05:01 was detected first. That burst is the
00:05:01 --> 00:05:04 telltale sign of a massive star
00:05:04 --> 00:05:06 collapsing into a black hole or neutron
00:05:06 --> 00:05:10 star. The supernova is the explosion
00:05:10 --> 00:05:11 that follows.
00:05:11 --> 00:05:14 >> So this breaks the previous record for
00:05:14 --> 00:05:16 the most distant supernova
00:05:16 --> 00:05:18 >> by a long shot. Observing an event like
00:05:18 --> 00:05:21 this from the very early universe, gives
00:05:21 --> 00:05:23 astronomers a direct look at the life
00:05:23 --> 00:05:26 cycle of the first generations of stars,
00:05:26 --> 00:05:28 which were much more massive and
00:05:28 --> 00:05:30 short-lived than stars like our sun.
00:05:30 --> 00:05:32 It's a crucial piece of the puzzle for
00:05:32 --> 00:05:35 understanding how the universe evolved.
00:05:35 --> 00:05:37 >> From the most distant to some of the
00:05:37 --> 00:05:39 most massive, let's talk about
00:05:39 --> 00:05:42 exoplanets. A new study is challenging
00:05:42 --> 00:05:44 what we thought we knew about super
00:05:44 --> 00:05:45 Jupiters,
00:05:46 --> 00:05:48 >> right? These are gas giants that are
00:05:48 --> 00:05:50 significantly more massive than our own
00:05:50 --> 00:05:53 Jupiter. This new research focused on an
00:05:53 --> 00:05:57 exoplanet called VHS 1256b.
00:05:57 --> 00:06:00 It has a mass of about 20 Jupiters.
00:06:00 --> 00:06:03 >> 20 times the mass of Jupiter. That's
00:06:03 --> 00:06:05 almost in the territory of a brown
00:06:05 --> 00:06:07 dwarf, a failed star.
00:06:08 --> 00:06:10 >> It's right on that line. And the study
00:06:10 --> 00:06:12 suggests that planets this massive might
00:06:12 --> 00:06:15 not look like Jupiter at all. We picture
00:06:15 --> 00:06:18 Jupiter with its beautiful stable banded
00:06:18 --> 00:06:19 cloud patterns.
00:06:19 --> 00:06:22 >> Mhm. The great red spot, the distinct
00:06:22 --> 00:06:23 zones and belts.
00:06:23 --> 00:06:28 >> Exactly. But on a world like VHS 1256b,
00:06:28 --> 00:06:30 the internal heat and higher
00:06:30 --> 00:06:32 temperatures could drive a much more
00:06:32 --> 00:06:34 turbulent and chaotic atmosphere. The
00:06:34 --> 00:06:36 model suggests that instead of stable
00:06:36 --> 00:06:40 bands, you'd see large dusty silicut
00:06:40 --> 00:06:43 storms swirling chaotically. So less
00:06:43 --> 00:06:47 organized beauty, more violent chaos.
00:06:47 --> 00:06:49 >> That's a good way to put it. It reminds
00:06:49 --> 00:06:51 us that our own solar system is just one
00:06:51 --> 00:06:53 example and the diversity of planets out
00:06:53 --> 00:06:55 there is far greater than we can
00:06:55 --> 00:06:56 imagine.
00:06:56 --> 00:06:59 >> Well said. And from Voyages within our
00:06:59 --> 00:07:01 solar system, let's take a leap to the
00:07:01 --> 00:07:04 truly cosmic scale. For our final story,
00:07:04 --> 00:07:06 we're heading to the center of galaxy
00:07:06 --> 00:07:09 NGC 3783
00:07:09 --> 00:07:11 where a super massive black hole is
00:07:11 --> 00:07:14 putting on a spectacular and very windy
00:07:14 --> 00:07:15 show.
00:07:15 --> 00:07:17 >> And this was a coordinated effort
00:07:17 --> 00:07:19 between two powerful space telescopes,
00:07:19 --> 00:07:23 the XMM Newton and the new XRISM
00:07:23 --> 00:07:24 Observatory.
00:07:24 --> 00:07:26 >> That's right. They observed the black
00:07:26 --> 00:07:30 holes active galactic nucleus or AGN as
00:07:30 --> 00:07:33 it let out a massive X-ray flare. So,
00:07:33 --> 00:07:35 similar to a solar flare from our sun,
00:07:35 --> 00:07:38 but on an unimaginable scale.
00:07:38 --> 00:07:41 >> Precisely. And this flare had a dramatic
00:07:41 --> 00:07:43 effect. It triggered powerful winds of
00:07:43 --> 00:07:46 superheated gas being blasted away from
00:07:46 --> 00:07:49 the black hole at an incredible
00:07:49 --> 00:07:50 the speed of light.
00:07:50 --> 00:07:53 >> 20% of the speed of light. That's just
00:07:53 --> 00:07:55 phenomenal speed.
00:07:55 --> 00:07:58 >> It really is. And observing this process
00:07:58 --> 00:08:00 helps astronomers understand how these
00:08:00 --> 00:08:03 central black holes influence their
00:08:03 --> 00:08:06 entire host galaxies. These winds are so
00:08:06 --> 00:08:08 powerful that they can clear out gas
00:08:08 --> 00:08:11 from the galaxy center, which can shut
00:08:11 --> 00:08:13 down star formation and fundamentally
00:08:13 --> 00:08:16 shape how a galaxy evolves over billions
00:08:16 --> 00:08:19 of years. It's a direct link between the
00:08:19 --> 00:08:22 very small, the accretion disc of a
00:08:22 --> 00:08:25 black hole, and the very large, the
00:08:25 --> 00:08:29 entire galaxy. A fantastic discovery to
00:08:29 --> 00:08:30 end on.
00:08:30 --> 00:08:32 >> And that's all the time we have for
00:08:32 --> 00:08:35 today on Astronomy Daily. We covered
00:08:35 --> 00:08:37 everything from spacew walks and launch
00:08:37 --> 00:08:40 records to the hunt for life on Mars.
00:08:40 --> 00:08:43 and we peered back to the dawn of time
00:08:43 --> 00:08:46 with the oldest supernova and questioned
00:08:46 --> 00:08:49 what a super Jupiter really looks like.
00:08:49 --> 00:08:51 Thanks so much for joining us.
00:08:51 --> 00:08:53 >> You can find us wherever you get your
00:08:53 --> 00:08:55 podcasts or our website which can be
00:08:55 --> 00:08:58 found at astronomyaily.io.
00:08:58 --> 00:09:00 We'll be back tomorrow with another
00:09:00 --> 00:09:02 roundup of the latest news from the
00:09:02 --> 00:09:03 final frontier.
00:09:04 --> 00:09:07 >> Until then, keep looking up. This is
00:09:07 --> 00:09:12 Avery and Anna signing off. Sunny day
00:09:12 --> 00:09:20 stories told
00:09:28 --> 00:09:30 stories