00:00:00 --> 00:00:02 welcome to astronomy daily your daily
00:00:02 --> 00:00:04 space and astronomy news Roundup I'm
00:00:04 --> 00:00:06 your host Anna and today we've got an
00:00:06 --> 00:00:08 exciting lineup of stories covering
00:00:08 --> 00:00:10 everything from spacex's headquarters
00:00:10 --> 00:00:13 move to mysterious dark comets and
00:00:13 --> 00:00:16 Volcanic moons so let's get
00:00:16 --> 00:00:18 started in a significant development for
00:00:18 --> 00:00:20 the space industry Elon Musk has
00:00:20 --> 00:00:22 announced that spacex's headquarters
00:00:22 --> 00:00:24 will officially relocate to Starbase
00:00:25 --> 00:00:27 Texas this move follows a pattern we've
00:00:27 --> 00:00:29 seen from musk's companies with both
00:00:30 --> 00:00:32 Tesla and X formerly Twitter having
00:00:32 --> 00:00:34 already made similar transitions away
00:00:34 --> 00:00:37 from California the relocation to Texas
00:00:37 --> 00:00:39 marks a substantial shift in spacex's
00:00:39 --> 00:00:42 operations though the full extent of job
00:00:42 --> 00:00:44 and facility transfers from California
00:00:44 --> 00:00:46 remains unclear the company has already
00:00:46 --> 00:00:48 been expanding its presence in Texas
00:00:48 --> 00:00:51 with substantial operations at its Bach
00:00:51 --> 00:00:53 chica facility now known as
00:00:53 --> 00:00:55 Starbase this decision aligns with
00:00:56 --> 00:00:58 musk's previous business moves including
00:00:58 --> 00:01:02 his personal relocation to Texas in 2021
00:01:02 --> 00:01:03 the state's business-friendly
00:01:03 --> 00:01:05 environment and absence of state income
00:01:05 --> 00:01:07 tax have made it an increasingly
00:01:07 --> 00:01:09 attractive destination for tech
00:01:09 --> 00:01:11 companies and their
00:01:11 --> 00:01:13 Executives scientists have made an
00:01:13 --> 00:01:15 intriguing Discovery in our Cosmic
00:01:15 --> 00:01:17 neighborhood identifying seven new dark
00:01:17 --> 00:01:20 comets bringing the total known count to
00:01:20 --> 00:01:23 14 these mysterious celestial objects
00:01:23 --> 00:01:24 are challenging our understanding of
00:01:25 --> 00:01:27 what makes a comet a comet as they
00:01:27 --> 00:01:28 display some rather peculiar
00:01:28 --> 00:01:30 characteristics
00:01:30 --> 00:01:31 unlike traditional comets that sport
00:01:31 --> 00:01:34 their iconic Tales these dark comets
00:01:34 --> 00:01:36 remain visually elusive while still
00:01:36 --> 00:01:39 exhibiting comet-like movement patterns
00:01:39 --> 00:01:41 what makes them particularly fascinating
00:01:41 --> 00:01:43 is that they show non-gravitational
00:01:43 --> 00:01:45 acceleration meaning something besides
00:01:45 --> 00:01:46 gravity is influencing their
00:01:46 --> 00:01:49 trajectories yet they lack the visible
00:01:49 --> 00:01:51 outgassing we typically associate with
00:01:51 --> 00:01:53 comets the research has revealed two
00:01:53 --> 00:01:55 distinct families of these enigmatic
00:01:55 --> 00:01:57 objects the first group resides in the
00:01:58 --> 00:02:00 outer solar system sharing face with our
00:02:00 --> 00:02:03 gas and ice giants these outer dark
00:02:03 --> 00:02:05 comets are relatively large measuring
00:02:05 --> 00:02:07 hundreds of meters across and follow
00:02:07 --> 00:02:09 more elliptical orbits similar to
00:02:09 --> 00:02:12 typical comets the second group found in
00:02:12 --> 00:02:14 the inner solar system consists of
00:02:14 --> 00:02:16 smaller objects just tens of meters
00:02:16 --> 00:02:18 across traveling in more circular orbits
00:02:19 --> 00:02:21 like our planets this discovery could
00:02:21 --> 00:02:23 have significant implications for our
00:02:23 --> 00:02:25 understanding of Earth's early history
00:02:25 --> 00:02:28 scientists suggest that as many as 60%
00:02:28 --> 00:02:30 of neear objects might might be dark
00:02:30 --> 00:02:32 comets potentially playing a crucial
00:02:32 --> 00:02:34 role in delivering water to our planet
00:02:34 --> 00:02:36 during its
00:02:36 --> 00:02:38 formation here's a story for our
00:02:38 --> 00:02:40 listeners in Australia the Geminid
00:02:40 --> 00:02:41 meteor shower will be putting on a
00:02:41 --> 00:02:44 dazzling Celestial display this weekend
00:02:44 --> 00:02:46 treating stargazers down under to one of
00:02:46 --> 00:02:49 the year's most spectacular astronomical
00:02:49 --> 00:02:52 events unlike most meteor showers that
00:02:52 --> 00:02:54 come from comets the Geminids originate
00:02:54 --> 00:02:57 from an unusual asteroid called Fon
00:02:57 --> 00:02:59 which occasionally behaves like a comet
00:02:59 --> 00:03:01 by producing a Dusty tail this unique
00:03:01 --> 00:03:04 characteristic of faithon results in the
00:03:04 --> 00:03:06 Geminids producing some of the brightest
00:03:06 --> 00:03:09 and most robust meteors of any annual
00:03:09 --> 00:03:11 shower the meteors occur when Earth
00:03:11 --> 00:03:13 passes through the debris Trail left
00:03:13 --> 00:03:16 behind by this mysterious asteroid with
00:03:16 --> 00:03:18 the particles burning up in our
00:03:18 --> 00:03:19 atmosphere at speeds of tens of
00:03:19 --> 00:03:21 kilometers per second while this year's
00:03:21 --> 00:03:24 show coincides with a full moon which
00:03:24 --> 00:03:25 can somewhat diminish the visibility of
00:03:25 --> 00:03:28 fainter meteors the Geminids
00:03:28 --> 00:03:30 characteristically bright nature means
00:03:30 --> 00:03:32 that many shooting stars should still be
00:03:32 --> 00:03:34 clearly visible the best viewing will
00:03:34 --> 00:03:36 occur in the early morning hours of
00:03:36 --> 00:03:39 Saturday particularly around moonset
00:03:39 --> 00:03:41 when the sky is at its darkest you can
00:03:41 --> 00:03:43 find plenty of charts online that can
00:03:43 --> 00:03:45 advise you of when moonset is happening
00:03:45 --> 00:03:48 in your area for optimal viewing
00:03:48 --> 00:03:50 astronomers recommended finding a spot
00:03:50 --> 00:03:52 away from city lights and focusing on
00:03:52 --> 00:03:55 the area between Mars and Jupiter just
00:03:55 --> 00:03:57 below the star Pollock in the Gemini
00:03:57 --> 00:03:59 constellation however meteors could
00:03:59 --> 00:04:01 appear anywhere in the night sky making
00:04:01 --> 00:04:03 a wide field of view more advantageous
00:04:03 --> 00:04:05 than using specialized equipment like
00:04:05 --> 00:04:08 telescopes or binoculars happy
00:04:08 --> 00:04:12 stargazing next up in an exciting
00:04:12 --> 00:04:13 Discovery that's challenging our
00:04:13 --> 00:04:16 understanding of planetary systems
00:04:16 --> 00:04:17 researchers have identified a fourth
00:04:17 --> 00:04:20 planet in the fascinating Kepler 51
00:04:20 --> 00:04:22 system this star system was already
00:04:22 --> 00:04:24 unique for hosting three ultra low
00:04:25 --> 00:04:27 density planets known as super Puffs
00:04:27 --> 00:04:29 worlds that are about the size of Saturn
00:04:29 --> 00:04:31 but only a few times more massive than
00:04:31 --> 00:04:34 Earth giving them the density of cotton
00:04:34 --> 00:04:37 candy the discovery came as a surprise
00:04:37 --> 00:04:39 when scientists were observing Kepler
00:04:39 --> 00:04:42 51d with NASA's James web Space
00:04:42 --> 00:04:44 Telescope the planet transited its star
00:04:44 --> 00:04:46 2 hours earlier than predicted
00:04:47 --> 00:04:49 suggesting something was tugging on it
00:04:49 --> 00:04:51 gravitationally after analyzing data
00:04:51 --> 00:04:54 from multiple telescopes including web
00:04:54 --> 00:04:56 Hubble and ground-based observatories
00:04:56 --> 00:04:58 researchers confirm the presence of this
00:04:58 --> 00:05:01 previously unknown known fourth planet
00:05:01 --> 00:05:03 now designated Kepler
00:05:03 --> 00:05:06 51e the new planet appears to orbit its
00:05:06 --> 00:05:09 star every 264 days placing it just
00:05:09 --> 00:05:11 inside the star's habitable zone at a
00:05:11 --> 00:05:13 distance slightly greater than Venus is
00:05:13 --> 00:05:16 from our sun while researchers aren't
00:05:16 --> 00:05:17 certain if this new world shares the
00:05:18 --> 00:05:19 super puff characteristics of its
00:05:19 --> 00:05:21 siblings its Discovery is forcing
00:05:21 --> 00:05:23 astronomers to rethink their theories
00:05:23 --> 00:05:26 about how such unusual planetary systems
00:05:26 --> 00:05:28 form this finding is particularly
00:05:28 --> 00:05:30 intriguing because super puff planets
00:05:30 --> 00:05:33 are quite rare and when they do occur
00:05:33 --> 00:05:35 they're typically the only one in their
00:05:35 --> 00:05:37 system now we have a system with at
00:05:37 --> 00:05:39 least three confirmed super Puffs
00:05:39 --> 00:05:42 possibly four making Kepler 51 an even
00:05:42 --> 00:05:44 more exceptional case for studying these
00:05:44 --> 00:05:46 mysterious cotton candy
00:05:46 --> 00:05:49 worlds talking of new discoveries a
00:05:49 --> 00:05:51 concerning new study suggests that our
00:05:51 --> 00:05:52 sun might be capable of producing
00:05:53 --> 00:05:54 massive solar flares known as super
00:05:54 --> 00:05:57 flares far more frequently than we
00:05:57 --> 00:05:59 previously believed according to
00:05:59 --> 00:06:02 research Arch that surveyed over 56
00:06:02 --> 00:06:05 sunlike Stars these powerful eruptions
00:06:05 --> 00:06:07 could occur as often as once every
00:06:07 --> 00:06:09 century rather than the previously
00:06:09 --> 00:06:11 estimated time frame of many hundreds to
00:06:11 --> 00:06:14 thousands of years these super flares
00:06:14 --> 00:06:17 can release energy between 10 times
00:06:17 --> 00:06:18 greater than the largest solar flare
00:06:19 --> 00:06:21 ever measured from our sun the famous
00:06:21 --> 00:06:23 Carrington event of
00:06:23 --> 00:06:26 1859 this is particularly noteworthy
00:06:26 --> 00:06:29 because it's been about 165 years since
00:06:29 --> 00:06:32 that last major solar storm hit Earth
00:06:32 --> 00:06:34 potentially putting us in line for
00:06:34 --> 00:06:36 another significant event if such a
00:06:36 --> 00:06:39 superf flare were to occur today the
00:06:39 --> 00:06:40 consequences could be devastating for
00:06:40 --> 00:06:43 our modern technology dependent Society
00:06:43 --> 00:06:45 these events can potentially knock out
00:06:45 --> 00:06:47 communication systems and power grids
00:06:47 --> 00:06:49 causing widespread disruptions to our
00:06:49 --> 00:06:52 daily lives the research team led by
00:06:52 --> 00:06:53 scientists at the University of ULU in
00:06:54 --> 00:06:56 Finland detected nearly 3 super
00:06:56 --> 00:06:58 flares across more than
00:06:58 --> 00:07:01 2 stars during their
00:07:01 --> 00:07:03 survey while scientists are still
00:07:03 --> 00:07:04 uncertain whether our sun behaves
00:07:04 --> 00:07:07 exactly like these other stars This
00:07:07 --> 00:07:09 research raises important questions
00:07:09 --> 00:07:11 about our Stars capability for producing
00:07:11 --> 00:07:13 such powerful events and highlights the
00:07:13 --> 00:07:15 need for better preparation and
00:07:15 --> 00:07:17 protection of our Vital infrastructure
00:07:17 --> 00:07:19 against potential solar
00:07:19 --> 00:07:22 storms and in other Discovery news
00:07:22 --> 00:07:23 scientists have made a fascinating
00:07:24 --> 00:07:25 breakthrough in understanding one of our
00:07:25 --> 00:07:28 solar systems most active worlds NASA's
00:07:28 --> 00:07:30 Juno Mission has finally fin solved a
00:07:30 --> 00:07:32 44-year-old mystery about Jupiter's moon
00:07:32 --> 00:07:34 IO and its extraordinary volcanic
00:07:34 --> 00:07:37 activity through extremely close flybys
00:07:37 --> 00:07:39 that brought the spacecraft within just
00:07:39 --> 00:07:42 930 Mi of io's surface researchers have
00:07:42 --> 00:07:44 discovered that each of its estimated
00:07:44 --> 00:07:46 400 volcanoes is likely powered by its
00:07:46 --> 00:07:49 own chamber of molten magma rather than
00:07:49 --> 00:07:51 a global underground ocean of magma as
00:07:51 --> 00:07:52 previously
00:07:52 --> 00:07:54 theorized this volcanic activity is
00:07:54 --> 00:07:56 driven by an intense process called
00:07:56 --> 00:07:59 tidal flexing as IO orbits Jupiter every
00:07:59 --> 00:08:02 42.5 hours the gas Giant's immense
00:08:02 --> 00:08:04 gravitational pull literally squeezes
00:08:04 --> 00:08:06 and stretches the moon this constant
00:08:06 --> 00:08:08 manipulation generates tremendous
00:08:08 --> 00:08:11 internal heat melting portions of io's
00:08:11 --> 00:08:13 interior by measuring how the moon's
00:08:13 --> 00:08:15 gravity affected Juno's acceleration
00:08:15 --> 00:08:18 during its flybys scientists were able
00:08:18 --> 00:08:19 to determine that io's interior
00:08:19 --> 00:08:21 structure is more rigid than would be
00:08:21 --> 00:08:24 expected if it contained a global magma
00:08:24 --> 00:08:27 ocean this discovery not only changes
00:08:27 --> 00:08:29 our understanding of IO but has broader
00:08:29 --> 00:08:31 implications for how we think about
00:08:31 --> 00:08:33 other moons in our solar system such as
00:08:33 --> 00:08:35 Europa and Enceladus as well as
00:08:35 --> 00:08:38 exoplanets beyond our solar system it
00:08:38 --> 00:08:40 provides new insights into planetary
00:08:40 --> 00:08:42 formation and evolution showing how
00:08:42 --> 00:08:45 complex and varied volcanic processes
00:08:45 --> 00:08:47 can be across different
00:08:47 --> 00:08:49 worlds and that's all for today's space
00:08:49 --> 00:08:52 news I'm Anna and you've been listening
00:08:52 --> 00:08:55 to astronomy daily for more fascinating
00:08:55 --> 00:08:57 stories from the cosmos head over to our
00:08:57 --> 00:09:00 website at astronomy daily.com IO where
00:09:00 --> 00:09:02 you can catch up on all the latest space
00:09:02 --> 00:09:03 and astronomy news with our constantly
00:09:03 --> 00:09:06 updating news feed listen to all our
00:09:06 --> 00:09:08 back episodes and sign up for our free
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00:09:19 --> 00:09:32 looking up and see you tomorrow
00:09:32 --> 00:09:34 the St is the
00:09:34 --> 00:09:41 [Music]