SpaceTime Series 27 Episode 152
* Martian Dust Storms: A New Understanding
A groundbreaking study reveals the triggers behind Mars' infamous planet-wide dust storms. Researchers from the University of Colorado Boulder suggest that relatively warm and sunny days could initiate these massive storms. Presented at the American Geophysical Union's 2024 meeting, the findings could pave the way for forecasting Martian weather, similar to Earth meteorology. Understanding these storms is crucial, as they pose significant challenges to Mars missions by affecting rovers and landers.
*Discovery of New Dark Comets
Astronomers have doubled the known population of dark comets, discovering seven more of these enigmatic celestial bodies. These objects, which resemble asteroids but behave like comets, are categorized into two groups based on their orbits and reflectivity. The study, published in the Proceedings of the National Academy of Sciences, explores their potential role in delivering vital materials to Earth, such as water.
*Space Weather's Impact on National Security
As technology advances, space weather events pose an increasing threat to national security assets. Geomagnetic storms, part of the Sun's 11-year cycle, can disrupt satellites, power grids, and communications. Johns Hopkins researchers are developing models and tools to predict and mitigate these impacts, emphasizing the importance of understanding space weather to protect critical infrastructure.
00:00 This is Space Time Series 27, Episode 152 for broadcast on 18 December 2024
00:47 New study could help predict extreme weather events on Mars
04:34 Astronomers have detected seven more dark comets, doubling the number
08:26 Scientists are working on new research projects to protect national security assets from space weather
12:35 Are we prepared for a catastrophic solar storm? The dangers of a solar eruption come in three phases
16:24 The gap between our health span and lifespan is getting wider globally
19:51 Apple have just released their new 18.2 AI suite just in time for Christmas
21:40 Google has launched its own AI assistant called Gemini 2.0
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✍️ Episode References
American Geophysical Union
https://www.agu.org/
University of Colorado Boulder
https://www.colorado.edu/
NASA Mars Reconnaissance Orbiter
https://mars.nasa.gov/mro/
The Martian (2015 Film)
https://www.imdb.com/title/tt3659388/
Proceedings of the National Academy of Sciences
https://www.pnas.org/
Michigan State University
https://msu.edu/
Johns Hopkins Applied Physics Laboratory
https://www.jhuapl.edu/
Nature Journal
https://www.nature.com/
University of New South Wales
https://www.unsw.edu.au/
Angavande Shemi Journal
https://onlinelibrary.wiley.com/journal/15213773
Apple AI
https://www.apple.com/
Google Gemini 2.0 AI
https://blog.google/products/ai/
Space Time with Stuart Gary Gary
https://spacetimewithstuartgary.com/
Tech Advice Life
https://techadvice.life/
Become a supporter of this podcast: https://www.spreaker.com/podcast/spacetime-with-stuart-gary--2458531/support (https://www.spreaker.com/podcast/spacetime-with-stuart-gary--2458531/support?utm_source=rss&utm_medium=rss&utm_campaign=rss) .
Episode link: https://play.headliner.app/episode/24682205?utm_source=youtube
00:00:00 --> 00:00:03 this is spacetime series 27 episode 152
00:00:03 --> 00:00:06 for broadcast on the 18th of December
00:00:06 --> 00:00:09 2024 coming up on space time how those
00:00:09 --> 00:00:11 Infamous Marsh and dust storms end up
00:00:11 --> 00:00:14 engulfing an entire planet astronomers
00:00:14 --> 00:00:16 discover another population of dark
00:00:17 --> 00:00:19 comets and a new study of the effects of
00:00:19 --> 00:00:21 space weather events are showing how
00:00:21 --> 00:00:24 they impact on National Security assets
00:00:24 --> 00:00:27 all that and more coming up on
00:00:27 --> 00:00:30 SpaceTime welcome to space face time
00:00:30 --> 00:00:32 with Stuart
00:00:32 --> 00:00:39 [Music]
00:00:47 --> 00:00:49 Gary a new study has began to unravel
00:00:49 --> 00:00:51 the mystery of those massive Planet wide
00:00:52 --> 00:00:54 dust storms which often blanket the
00:00:54 --> 00:00:57 entire Martian surface the new data
00:00:57 --> 00:00:59 suggest a key trigger for these Global
00:00:59 --> 00:01:00 storms could be relatively warm and
00:01:01 --> 00:01:03 sunny days on the red planet the new
00:01:03 --> 00:01:05 findings reported to the 2024 meeting of
00:01:05 --> 00:01:07 the American geophysical Union in
00:01:07 --> 00:01:09 Washington could be the first step
00:01:09 --> 00:01:11 towards forecasting extreme weather
00:01:11 --> 00:01:13 events on Mars just as meteorologists do
00:01:13 --> 00:01:16 here on Earth Martian dust storms full
00:01:16 --> 00:01:18 of swirling light obscuring grit can
00:01:18 --> 00:01:20 have a significant effect on Rovers and
00:01:20 --> 00:01:22 Landers on the red planet they clog up
00:01:22 --> 00:01:24 scientific and other instruments and
00:01:24 --> 00:01:26 block out light to solar panels used to
00:01:26 --> 00:01:29 Power Equipment the study's lead author
00:01:29 --> 00:01:31 shy Perez from the University of
00:01:31 --> 00:01:33 Colorado Boulder says Marsh and dust
00:01:33 --> 00:01:35 storms consist of very fine light
00:01:35 --> 00:01:38 particles but they stick to everything
00:01:38 --> 00:01:39 the new findings allowed Perez and
00:01:39 --> 00:01:41 colleagues to identify weather patterns
00:01:41 --> 00:01:44 that may underly roughly 2third of the
00:01:44 --> 00:01:46 major dust storms we see on the red
00:01:46 --> 00:01:48 planet dust storms on Mars are something
00:01:48 --> 00:01:51 to behold many begin as smaller storms
00:01:51 --> 00:01:53 swirling around the ice caps at the
00:01:53 --> 00:01:55 planet's North and South Poles usually
00:01:55 --> 00:01:56 during the second half of the Martian
00:01:56 --> 00:01:59 year now it's worth pointing out that a
00:01:59 --> 00:02:02 Martian year lasts approximately 687
00:02:02 --> 00:02:05 Earth days but these dust storms can
00:02:05 --> 00:02:06 grow at a ferocious Pace quickly
00:02:07 --> 00:02:08 pressing towards the equator till they
00:02:08 --> 00:02:10 cover millions of square kilometers
00:02:10 --> 00:02:13 lasting for days if not weeks now you
00:02:13 --> 00:02:16 may recall the 2015 film The Martian it
00:02:16 --> 00:02:18 featured one such apocalyptic storm
00:02:18 --> 00:02:20 knocking over satellite dish and tossing
00:02:20 --> 00:02:23 around astronauts now that's Hollywood
00:02:23 --> 00:02:26 in reality it's far less dramatic see
00:02:26 --> 00:02:27 the musan atmosphere is much thinner
00:02:27 --> 00:02:30 than that of the earth just 199 of
00:02:30 --> 00:02:32 Earth's atmospheric density so dust
00:02:32 --> 00:02:34 storms on the red planet simply can't
00:02:34 --> 00:02:36 generate that much force but they can
00:02:36 --> 00:02:39 still mean trouble in 2018 for example a
00:02:39 --> 00:02:41 global dust storm buried the solar
00:02:41 --> 00:02:43 panels on nessa's opportunity Rover
00:02:43 --> 00:02:46 covering them in a thick layer of dust
00:02:46 --> 00:02:47 without sunlight able to reach the
00:02:48 --> 00:02:50 panels the Rover died and exactly the
00:02:50 --> 00:02:52 same thing happened more recently to the
00:02:52 --> 00:02:55 Mars Insight Lander in the current study
00:02:55 --> 00:02:56 parisan colleagues set their sights on
00:02:57 --> 00:02:59 two weather patterns that tend to occur
00:02:59 --> 00:03:02 every Martian year known as a and sea
00:03:02 --> 00:03:04 storms the authors examined some 15
00:03:04 --> 00:03:06 Earth years of observations from n's
00:03:06 --> 00:03:08 Mars reconnaissance orbit over eight
00:03:08 --> 00:03:11 Martian years they look for periods of
00:03:11 --> 00:03:13 unusual warmth weeks when more sunlight
00:03:13 --> 00:03:15 filtered through Mars's thin atmosphere
00:03:16 --> 00:03:18 and bake the planet's surface they
00:03:18 --> 00:03:21 discovered that roughly 68% of all major
00:03:21 --> 00:03:23 storms on the red planet were preceded
00:03:23 --> 00:03:25 by a sharp riseing temperatures on the
00:03:25 --> 00:03:27 surface in other words the planet heated
00:03:28 --> 00:03:30 up then a few weeks later condition got
00:03:30 --> 00:03:32 really dusty now of course we see very
00:03:32 --> 00:03:34 similar phenomenon triggering storms
00:03:34 --> 00:03:37 here on Earth during hot summer days
00:03:37 --> 00:03:39 warm air near the ground can rise
00:03:39 --> 00:03:41 through the atmosphere see when you heat
00:03:41 --> 00:03:43 up the surface the layer of atmosphere
00:03:43 --> 00:03:46 right above it becomes buoyant and that
00:03:46 --> 00:03:48 causes it to rise dragging dust up with
00:03:49 --> 00:03:50 it the authors are now Gathering
00:03:50 --> 00:03:52 observations for more recent years on
00:03:52 --> 00:03:54 Mars in order to continue to explore
00:03:54 --> 00:03:56 these explosive weather patterns
00:03:56 --> 00:03:58 eventually they hope to get to the point
00:03:58 --> 00:04:00 where they can look at live dat coming
00:04:00 --> 00:04:02 from the red planet and actually predict
00:04:02 --> 00:04:05 what's going to happen weeks in advance
00:04:05 --> 00:04:08 this is spacetime still to come
00:04:08 --> 00:04:11 astronomers discover more dark comets
00:04:11 --> 00:04:13 and how National Security assets are
00:04:13 --> 00:04:15 being affected by space weather events
00:04:15 --> 00:04:17 all that and more still to come on
00:04:17 --> 00:04:20 SpaceTime
00:04:20 --> 00:04:34 [Music]
00:04:34 --> 00:04:37 the first dark Comet a celestial object
00:04:37 --> 00:04:38 that looks like an asteroid but moves
00:04:38 --> 00:04:40 through space like a comet was only
00:04:40 --> 00:04:43 discovered 2 years ago but soon after
00:04:43 --> 00:04:46 another six will found now astronomers
00:04:46 --> 00:04:48 have detected seven more doubling the
00:04:48 --> 00:04:51 number of known dark comets the new
00:04:51 --> 00:04:52 discoveries reported in the journal the
00:04:52 --> 00:04:53 proceedings of the National Academy of
00:04:54 --> 00:04:55 Sciences have allowed astronomers to
00:04:55 --> 00:04:57 place these dark comets into two
00:04:57 --> 00:05:00 specific categories larger ones that
00:05:00 --> 00:05:02 reside in the outer solar system and
00:05:02 --> 00:05:04 smaller ones that reside in the inner
00:05:04 --> 00:05:07 solar system astronomers got their first
00:05:07 --> 00:05:09 inkling that dark comets exist when they
00:05:09 --> 00:05:11 noted in a March 2016 study that the
00:05:11 --> 00:05:14 trajectory of the asteroid 2003 RM had
00:05:14 --> 00:05:17 moved de so slightly from its expected
00:05:17 --> 00:05:19 orbit and the thing is this deviation
00:05:19 --> 00:05:21 couldn't be simply explained by typical
00:05:21 --> 00:05:23 accelerations on asteroids things like
00:05:23 --> 00:05:26 the yovi effect that's caused by a
00:05:26 --> 00:05:28 buildup of heat on the sunf facing side
00:05:28 --> 00:05:30 of an object which is the object rotates
00:05:30 --> 00:05:32 then radiates that heat back out into
00:05:32 --> 00:05:34 space on the night side of the object in
00:05:34 --> 00:05:37 the process producing a small amount of
00:05:37 --> 00:05:39 thrust that can cause the object to
00:05:39 --> 00:05:41 deviate from its original course but the
00:05:42 --> 00:05:44 type of deviation observed in Asteroid
00:05:44 --> 00:05:47 2003 RM was far greater than this and
00:05:47 --> 00:05:49 usually means it's a comet with volatile
00:05:49 --> 00:05:51 material outgassing from its surface
00:05:51 --> 00:05:54 providing the thrust the trouble is
00:05:54 --> 00:05:56 there were no visible signs of a coma or
00:05:56 --> 00:06:00 cometry tail then in 2017 a astronomist
00:06:00 --> 00:06:02 discovered history's first documented
00:06:02 --> 00:06:04 Interstellar Celestial visitor you want
00:06:04 --> 00:06:07 a ma Mau a strange cigar-shaped body
00:06:07 --> 00:06:09 that originated from beyond our solar
00:06:09 --> 00:06:11 system not only did it appear as a
00:06:11 --> 00:06:13 single point of light like an asteroid
00:06:14 --> 00:06:16 but its trajectory changed as if it were
00:06:16 --> 00:06:17 out gassing volatile material from its
00:06:17 --> 00:06:20 surface like a comet and the fact that
00:06:20 --> 00:06:22 this first object we discovered from
00:06:22 --> 00:06:24 Interstellar space was exhibiting
00:06:24 --> 00:06:27 similar behaviors to 2003 RM made 2003
00:06:27 --> 00:06:30 RM even more intriguing
00:06:30 --> 00:06:33 by 2023 astronomers had identified seven
00:06:33 --> 00:06:35 solar system objects that look like
00:06:35 --> 00:06:38 asteroids but acted like comets and that
00:06:38 --> 00:06:40 was enough for the astronomical
00:06:40 --> 00:06:42 Community to bestow upon them their own
00:06:42 --> 00:06:44 celestial object category and
00:06:44 --> 00:06:46 consequently they became known as dark
00:06:46 --> 00:06:49 comets now with the finding of seven
00:06:49 --> 00:06:51 more of these objects astronomers can
00:06:51 --> 00:06:53 start asking a new set of questions the
00:06:53 --> 00:06:55 study's lead author darl slman from
00:06:55 --> 00:06:57 Michigan State University says he now
00:06:57 --> 00:07:00 has enough dark Comet examples to begin
00:07:00 --> 00:07:01 asking if there's anything that could
00:07:01 --> 00:07:04 differentiate between them by analyzing
00:07:04 --> 00:07:05 both their orbits and the reflectivity
00:07:05 --> 00:07:08 or albo the authors were able to find
00:07:08 --> 00:07:10 that the solar system actually consists
00:07:10 --> 00:07:12 of two different types of dark comets
00:07:12 --> 00:07:14 one kind which they call outer solar
00:07:14 --> 00:07:16 system dark comets have similar
00:07:16 --> 00:07:18 characteristics to Jupiter family comets
00:07:18 --> 00:07:21 they have highly eccentric or elliptical
00:07:21 --> 00:07:23 orbits and are usually on the larger
00:07:23 --> 00:07:26 side hundreds of meters or more across
00:07:26 --> 00:07:28 the second group or inner dark comets
00:07:28 --> 00:07:30 tend to reside in the inner solar system
00:07:30 --> 00:07:32 hanging around the terrestrial worlds of
00:07:32 --> 00:07:35 Mercury Venus Earth and Mars they travel
00:07:35 --> 00:07:37 in nearly circular orbits and are
00:07:37 --> 00:07:39 generally smaller usually just tens of
00:07:39 --> 00:07:42 meters or less in size these new
00:07:42 --> 00:07:44 findings not only expand science's
00:07:44 --> 00:07:46 knowledge of dark comets but also raise
00:07:46 --> 00:07:48 several questions such as where do they
00:07:48 --> 00:07:50 originate from what causes their
00:07:50 --> 00:07:52 anomalous acceleration and could they
00:07:52 --> 00:07:54 contain ice like other comets slman
00:07:55 --> 00:07:56 points out that dark comets could have
00:07:56 --> 00:07:58 been a potential new source for having
00:07:58 --> 00:08:00 delivered material to the Earth such as
00:08:00 --> 00:08:03 water necessary for Life as we know it
00:08:03 --> 00:08:05 so the more scientists can learn about
00:08:05 --> 00:08:08 these dark comets the better they can
00:08:08 --> 00:08:09 understand their role in our own
00:08:09 --> 00:08:13 planet's Origins this is spacetime still
00:08:13 --> 00:08:16 to come how space wether events affect
00:08:16 --> 00:08:18 National Security assets and later in
00:08:18 --> 00:08:20 the science report scientists move a
00:08:20 --> 00:08:22 step closer to replacing lithium ion
00:08:22 --> 00:08:25 batteries with new rechargeable proton
00:08:25 --> 00:08:27 batteries all that and more still to
00:08:27 --> 00:08:31 come on SpaceTime
00:08:31 --> 00:08:37 [Music]
00:08:44 --> 00:08:46 scientists are working on new research
00:08:46 --> 00:08:48 projects to help protect major national
00:08:48 --> 00:08:50 security assets from the threat of space
00:08:50 --> 00:08:53 weather in the past these geomagnetic
00:08:53 --> 00:08:55 storms triggered by the sun's 11-year
00:08:55 --> 00:08:57 solar cycle weren't considered a serious
00:08:57 --> 00:09:00 national security problem but as
00:09:00 --> 00:09:02 technology becomes more sophisticated
00:09:02 --> 00:09:04 and as it occupies more of the ultimate
00:09:04 --> 00:09:06 High Ground in orbit around the planet
00:09:06 --> 00:09:08 space weather is becoming a serious
00:09:08 --> 00:09:11 issue these geomagnetic storms are
00:09:11 --> 00:09:13 really a double-edged sword they're
00:09:13 --> 00:09:15 capable of delivering spectacular
00:09:15 --> 00:09:17 Majestic phenoma like the Aurora
00:09:17 --> 00:09:19 Borealis and Aurora astralis the
00:09:19 --> 00:09:21 northern and southern lights but they
00:09:21 --> 00:09:23 also cause all sorts of electromagnetic
00:09:23 --> 00:09:25 issues here on Earth and in the near
00:09:25 --> 00:09:28 space environment around us they can
00:09:28 --> 00:09:29 damage or destroy satellit Lights by
00:09:29 --> 00:09:31 short circuiting their delicate
00:09:31 --> 00:09:33 equipment they cause Communications and
00:09:33 --> 00:09:35 navigation blackouts affect terrestrial
00:09:36 --> 00:09:38 power grids by overloading electricity
00:09:38 --> 00:09:41 lines shorten spacecraft lifespans by
00:09:41 --> 00:09:43 causing the atmosphere to expand thereby
00:09:43 --> 00:09:45 increasing the amount of atmospheric
00:09:45 --> 00:09:47 drag as spacecraft has to endure
00:09:47 --> 00:09:49 resulting in orbital Decay and forcing
00:09:49 --> 00:09:51 that spacecraft to use up more fuel in
00:09:51 --> 00:09:53 order to maintain an operational
00:09:53 --> 00:09:55 altitude and they can affect the safety
00:09:55 --> 00:09:57 of astronauts in orbit by increasing
00:09:57 --> 00:10:00 their radiation dosage and it's not just
00:10:00 --> 00:10:03 up in space in 2014 researchers with the
00:10:03 --> 00:10:05 Johns Hopkins Applied Physics laboratory
00:10:05 --> 00:10:07 in Lal Maryland discovered that plasma
00:10:07 --> 00:10:09 bubbles connected to space weather
00:10:09 --> 00:10:10 events partially contributed to
00:10:10 --> 00:10:12 Communications outages during a major
00:10:12 --> 00:10:15 battle in the Afghanistan war and that
00:10:15 --> 00:10:17 resulted in three US Navy Seals being
00:10:17 --> 00:10:20 killed that incident triggered John's
00:10:20 --> 00:10:21 Hopkins researchers to work on new
00:10:21 --> 00:10:24 applications such as atmospheric models
00:10:24 --> 00:10:25 and new sensors and instruments which
00:10:25 --> 00:10:27 not only Aid in discovering anomalies
00:10:27 --> 00:10:29 being caused by space weather events but
00:10:29 --> 00:10:31 also to investigate how to keep critical
00:10:32 --> 00:10:34 National Security assets safe both in
00:10:34 --> 00:10:37 space and on the ground John's Hopkins
00:10:37 --> 00:10:39 researcher benis deito says Society has
00:10:39 --> 00:10:41 a huge dependence on Space activities
00:10:41 --> 00:10:43 now most people don't realize how much
00:10:43 --> 00:10:46 of their daily lives relies on what's
00:10:46 --> 00:10:48 happening in space he says a powerful
00:10:48 --> 00:10:50 solar flare or coronal mass ejection
00:10:50 --> 00:10:52 where plasma bursting away from the Sun
00:10:52 --> 00:10:54 into space and possibly towards the
00:10:54 --> 00:10:56 Earth can potentially erupt power grids
00:10:56 --> 00:10:59 affect railroads disrupt navigation rail
00:10:59 --> 00:11:01 and communication systems damage
00:11:01 --> 00:11:03 satellites and harm astronauts operating
00:11:03 --> 00:11:06 in space for example space weather can
00:11:06 --> 00:11:08 cause ionospheric cenation a phenomenon
00:11:08 --> 00:11:10 during which subtle changes in the
00:11:10 --> 00:11:13 ionosphere alter how radio waves travel
00:11:13 --> 00:11:15 in some scenarios these radio signals
00:11:15 --> 00:11:17 sent at an appropriate frequency
00:11:17 --> 00:11:20 typically bounce off the ionosphere but
00:11:20 --> 00:11:22 when space weather events occur these
00:11:22 --> 00:11:24 signals can bounce in unexpected
00:11:24 --> 00:11:25 directions or they can escape through
00:11:25 --> 00:11:27 the honos spere completely now if you're
00:11:27 --> 00:11:29 broadcasting on the ground through
00:11:29 --> 00:11:30 through a disturbed diosy other
00:11:30 --> 00:11:32 spacecraft may end up receiving signals
00:11:32 --> 00:11:35 which you're trying to send securely and
00:11:35 --> 00:11:37 strong space weather events can
00:11:37 --> 00:11:39 adversely affect not just one system but
00:11:39 --> 00:11:41 a combination of different systems and
00:11:41 --> 00:11:43 when that happens others can take
00:11:43 --> 00:11:45 advantage of critical systems to
00:11:45 --> 00:11:48 networks so the ability to forecast
00:11:48 --> 00:11:50 these Dynamics and the potential impact
00:11:50 --> 00:11:52 of space where the phenoma in near real
00:11:52 --> 00:11:54 time is critical the Nessa Center for
00:11:54 --> 00:11:58 geospace storms was established in 2020
00:11:58 --> 00:12:00 its aim is that develop a holistic
00:12:00 --> 00:12:02 predictive space weather simulation
00:12:02 --> 00:12:04 designed to estimate how a specific
00:12:04 --> 00:12:06 geomagnetic storm is likely to impact
00:12:06 --> 00:12:08 the Earth and in April the center made
00:12:09 --> 00:12:11 its new model available through
00:12:11 --> 00:12:13 simulations John's Hopkins researchers
00:12:13 --> 00:12:15 are now using these simulations help
00:12:15 --> 00:12:17 them understand how space weather
00:12:17 --> 00:12:18 affects the near Earth environment
00:12:18 --> 00:12:20 uncovering when disruptions in the upper
00:12:20 --> 00:12:22 atmosphere might happen and then monitor
00:12:22 --> 00:12:24 changes in the atmosphere and how that's
00:12:24 --> 00:12:27 affecting satellites this report on
00:12:27 --> 00:12:29 Space weather from the Johns Hopkins
00:12:29 --> 00:12:34 Applied Physics
00:12:34 --> 00:12:36 laboratory welcome to the heart of our
00:12:36 --> 00:12:40 solar system our sun beneath its wonder
00:12:40 --> 00:12:42 and life-giving beauty lies a potential
00:12:42 --> 00:12:45 for Peril approximately every 11 years
00:12:45 --> 00:12:47 the sun's magnetic field undergo
00:12:47 --> 00:12:49 significant shifts causing heightened
00:12:49 --> 00:12:52 levels of solar activity during this
00:12:52 --> 00:12:54 period the Sun unleashes a greater
00:12:54 --> 00:12:57 number of more intense solar eruptions
00:12:57 --> 00:12:59 each potentially carrying the equ vent
00:12:59 --> 00:13:03 energy of over 10 Category 5
00:13:03 --> 00:13:05 hurricanes these eruptions occur in
00:13:05 --> 00:13:07 random directions and at the peak of
00:13:07 --> 00:13:11 solar activity can happen daily yet
00:13:11 --> 00:13:13 despite their frequency and size the
00:13:13 --> 00:13:16 Earth is merely a speck in the vastness
00:13:16 --> 00:13:17 of
00:13:17 --> 00:13:21 space are we prepared for a catastrophic
00:13:21 --> 00:13:29 solar storm
00:13:29 --> 00:13:31 the dangers of a solar eruption come in
00:13:31 --> 00:13:34 three phases the initial flares compos
00:13:34 --> 00:13:36 of photons and x-rays hurling through
00:13:36 --> 00:13:39 space at the speed of light 8 minutes
00:13:39 --> 00:13:42 after eruption we detect and experience
00:13:42 --> 00:13:44 the effects of the flare
00:13:44 --> 00:13:47 simultaneously and without warning
00:13:47 --> 00:13:49 minutes to hours later a stream of
00:13:49 --> 00:13:53 high-speed solar energetic particles or
00:13:53 --> 00:13:56 SS impacts geospace creating a radiation
00:13:56 --> 00:13:58 risk to astronauts and posing a threat
00:13:58 --> 00:14:01 to certain spacecraft components this is
00:14:01 --> 00:14:04 followed by the biggest punch as the
00:14:04 --> 00:14:08 coronal mass ejection or CME hurls
00:14:08 --> 00:14:10 billions of tons of charged particles
00:14:10 --> 00:14:14 into space at millions of miles per hour
00:14:14 --> 00:14:16 after eruption these elements speed
00:14:16 --> 00:14:18 through millions of miles of nothing in
00:14:18 --> 00:14:20 a sea of Silence until they reach the
00:14:21 --> 00:14:24 first sunar lrange point where our only
00:14:24 --> 00:14:28 Upstream Sentinel lies astronauts at or
00:14:28 --> 00:14:30 on route to the moon have to take
00:14:30 --> 00:14:33 precautions against the sep radiation
00:14:33 --> 00:14:35 while those in transit through the
00:14:35 --> 00:14:36 Earth's radiation belts may need to
00:14:36 --> 00:14:39 prepare for enhanced particle
00:14:39 --> 00:14:42 intensities the CME then collides with
00:14:42 --> 00:14:44 Earth's magnetosphere where it interacts
00:14:44 --> 00:14:47 with the planet's magnetic field and the
00:14:47 --> 00:14:49 everyday technology that resides within
00:14:49 --> 00:14:52 it satellites and geostationary orbit
00:14:52 --> 00:14:54 crucial for telecommunications and
00:14:54 --> 00:14:57 weather forecasting are in Jeopardy as
00:14:57 --> 00:15:00 enhanced radiation from the SC PS causes
00:15:00 --> 00:15:03 widespread disruptions and failures
00:15:03 --> 00:15:05 closer to home the ever growing number
00:15:05 --> 00:15:08 of satellites in low earth orbit face
00:15:08 --> 00:15:10 increased atmospheric drag and risk
00:15:10 --> 00:15:13 deorbiting as the atmosphere responds to
00:15:13 --> 00:15:16 the immense input of solar energy those
00:15:16 --> 00:15:18 protecting our national security must
00:15:18 --> 00:15:20 also contend with the implications of
00:15:20 --> 00:15:22 solar eruptions which can disrupt
00:15:22 --> 00:15:24 Communications surveillance and
00:15:24 --> 00:15:27 navigation systems vital for operations
00:15:27 --> 00:15:29 in our interconnected world World
00:15:29 --> 00:15:32 misinformation spreads like wildfire
00:15:32 --> 00:15:34 amplifying panic and confusion during
00:15:34 --> 00:15:37 times of Crisis as Earth's magnetosphere
00:15:37 --> 00:15:40 reacts to the Direct Hit substorms
00:15:40 --> 00:15:43 create breathtaking auroras that dance
00:15:43 --> 00:15:45 across the sky while City skylines
00:15:45 --> 00:15:48 Plunge Into Darkness as power grids
00:15:48 --> 00:15:50 falter with cell towers down and
00:15:50 --> 00:15:53 navigation systems offline bustling
00:15:53 --> 00:15:56 cities grind to a halt gridlocked by
00:15:56 --> 00:15:58 traffic and cut off from vital
00:15:58 --> 00:15:59 communication
00:15:59 --> 00:16:03 are we prepared this
00:16:03 --> 00:16:18 [Music]
00:16:18 --> 00:16:20 SpaceTime and time now to take another
00:16:20 --> 00:16:21 brief look at some of the other stories
00:16:21 --> 00:16:23 making us in science this week with the
00:16:23 --> 00:16:25 science report well we all might be
00:16:25 --> 00:16:27 living longer these days but the gap
00:16:27 --> 00:16:29 between our health span that is the
00:16:29 --> 00:16:31 number of days lived in good health and
00:16:31 --> 00:16:35 our lifespan is also getting wider a
00:16:35 --> 00:16:36 report in the Journal of the American
00:16:36 --> 00:16:38 Medical Association has found that this
00:16:38 --> 00:16:40 Gap has widened globally over the past
00:16:40 --> 00:16:43 two decades now extending to some 9.6
00:16:43 --> 00:16:46 years and other words you may live into
00:16:46 --> 00:16:48 your '90s nowadays but that last decade
00:16:48 --> 00:16:51 probably won't be a lot of fun and some
00:16:51 --> 00:16:53 places are worse than others for example
00:16:53 --> 00:16:56 in Australia the health Gap was 12.1
00:16:56 --> 00:16:59 years and in New Zealand 11.8 years
00:16:59 --> 00:17:01 that puts both Nations on the top of the
00:17:01 --> 00:17:03 leaderboard only being beaten by the
00:17:03 --> 00:17:05 United States which is a lifespan Health
00:17:05 --> 00:17:08 span gap of 12.4 years and the health
00:17:08 --> 00:17:10 span lifespan Gap was also 2.4 years
00:17:10 --> 00:17:13 wider in women than in men the
00:17:13 --> 00:17:14 researchers say the findings are
00:17:14 --> 00:17:17 suggesting that this healthspan lifespan
00:17:17 --> 00:17:19 Gap is a universal threat to healthy
00:17:19 --> 00:17:22 happy longevity it also means that the
00:17:22 --> 00:17:24 last few years of your life are likely
00:17:24 --> 00:17:26 to be pretty
00:17:26 --> 00:17:28 lousy Google has announced its new
00:17:28 --> 00:17:30 quantum er a correction chip makes
00:17:30 --> 00:17:32 Corrections with a success rate above
00:17:32 --> 00:17:34 the threshold needed to function quantum
00:17:34 --> 00:17:36 computers are seen as the way of the
00:17:36 --> 00:17:39 future but they're prone to errors and
00:17:39 --> 00:17:41 that makes their current technology
00:17:41 --> 00:17:43 impractical Quantum researchers have
00:17:43 --> 00:17:45 been working on ways to correct those
00:17:45 --> 00:17:47 errors without introducing new more
00:17:47 --> 00:17:50 errors that they can't fix Google says
00:17:50 --> 00:17:52 the newest generation of their new
00:17:52 --> 00:17:54 superconducting Quantum processing chip
00:17:54 --> 00:17:56 architecture known as Willow can correct
00:17:56 --> 00:17:59 errors below the threshold a reported
00:17:59 --> 00:18:00 the journal Nature claims that when
00:18:00 --> 00:18:02 tested for several hours Willow was able
00:18:03 --> 00:18:05 to maintain its performance suggesting a
00:18:06 --> 00:18:08 light at the end of the
00:18:08 --> 00:18:10 tunnel scientists with the University of
00:18:10 --> 00:18:12 New South Wales have successfully
00:18:12 --> 00:18:13 developed an organic material that's
00:18:14 --> 00:18:16 able to store protons and used it to
00:18:16 --> 00:18:19 create a rechargeable proton battery by
00:18:19 --> 00:18:21 leveraging hydrogen ions that is protons
00:18:22 --> 00:18:23 instead of traditional lithium these
00:18:23 --> 00:18:25 batteries hold promise for addressing
00:18:25 --> 00:18:26 some of the critical challenges in
00:18:26 --> 00:18:29 modern energy storage including resource
00:18:29 --> 00:18:32 scarcity environmental impact safety and
00:18:32 --> 00:18:34 costs the discovery reported in the
00:18:34 --> 00:18:36 journal Anga Shmi highlights the
00:18:36 --> 00:18:38 battery's ability to store energy
00:18:38 --> 00:18:40 quickly last longer and perform well
00:18:40 --> 00:18:43 under Subzero conditions the material
00:18:43 --> 00:18:45 has been shown to support rapid proton
00:18:45 --> 00:18:47 movement using hydrogen bond networks
00:18:48 --> 00:18:49 batteries store chemical energy and then
00:18:49 --> 00:18:51 convert it to electrical energy through
00:18:51 --> 00:18:53 reactions between two separate
00:18:53 --> 00:18:56 electrodes the anode and the cathode and
00:18:56 --> 00:18:58 charge carrying particles known as ions
00:18:58 --> 00:19:00 transferred between the two by way of an
00:19:00 --> 00:19:02 electrolyte now the most common type of
00:19:02 --> 00:19:04 batteries used in household products
00:19:04 --> 00:19:06 nowadays are lithium ion batteries which
00:19:06 --> 00:19:08 create an electrical charge by
00:19:08 --> 00:19:10 transferring lithium ions between the
00:19:10 --> 00:19:12 anode and the cathode lithium ion
00:19:12 --> 00:19:14 batteries power everyday products such
00:19:14 --> 00:19:16 as mobile phones laptops and smart
00:19:16 --> 00:19:18 wearables as well as newer e-mobility
00:19:18 --> 00:19:20 products such as electric cars ebikes
00:19:20 --> 00:19:23 and E Scooters but they're highly
00:19:23 --> 00:19:25 unstable especially when affected by
00:19:25 --> 00:19:28 damp often causing fires and they're
00:19:28 --> 00:19:30 both both very difficult to produce
00:19:30 --> 00:19:31 requiring huge amounts of water and
00:19:31 --> 00:19:34 energy and difficult to recycle on the
00:19:34 --> 00:19:36 other hand protons have the smallest
00:19:36 --> 00:19:39 ionic radius and mass of all elements
00:19:39 --> 00:19:41 that allows them to diffuse quickly
00:19:41 --> 00:19:43 using protons results in batteries with
00:19:43 --> 00:19:44 high energy and power density plus
00:19:44 --> 00:19:46 protons are relatively inexpensive
00:19:46 --> 00:19:50 produce zero carbon emissions and a fast
00:19:50 --> 00:19:52 charging Apple have just released the
00:19:52 --> 00:19:55 new 18.2 AI just in time for Christmas
00:19:55 --> 00:19:57 and not wanting to be left out Google
00:19:57 --> 00:19:59 have also launched a new beta version of
00:19:59 --> 00:20:03 their new Gemini 2.0 AI with the details
00:20:03 --> 00:20:05 we're joined by technology editor Alex
00:20:05 --> 00:20:07 saharov Rey from Tech advice start live
00:20:07 --> 00:20:09 yes now this is where Apple intelligence
00:20:09 --> 00:20:11 was launched into more places than just
00:20:11 --> 00:20:14 the US with 18.1 you could access Apple
00:20:14 --> 00:20:16 intelligence and create gen emojis which
00:20:16 --> 00:20:18 is your own Little Creations of emojis
00:20:18 --> 00:20:20 just by describing them and a few other
00:20:20 --> 00:20:21 things but it was us English only and I
00:20:22 --> 00:20:23 actually changed my phone to us English
00:20:23 --> 00:20:24 but then of course whenever I was typing
00:20:24 --> 00:20:26 things it kept wanting to americanize
00:20:27 --> 00:20:29 the spellings so now with 18 .2 Apple
00:20:29 --> 00:20:31 intelligence is available in Australia
00:20:31 --> 00:20:33 and the US in Canada Ireland South
00:20:33 --> 00:20:36 Africa the UK and the us and we'll see
00:20:36 --> 00:20:38 more euring countries next year we'll
00:20:38 --> 00:20:41 see a smarter Siri 2.0 in April of next
00:20:41 --> 00:20:43 year but with this launch chat gbt was
00:20:43 --> 00:20:45 integrated so even if you're not paying
00:20:45 --> 00:20:46 for chat gbt you can get results and
00:20:47 --> 00:20:49 responses from chat gbt Beyond series
00:20:49 --> 00:20:51 capabilities as yet and in fact if you
00:20:51 --> 00:20:53 have one of the new iPhone 16s with the
00:20:53 --> 00:20:54 camera button you can hold it in front
00:20:54 --> 00:20:57 of anything and then tap ask and it will
00:20:57 --> 00:21:00 ask chat to describe what it sees now
00:21:00 --> 00:21:01 you can do this with Google Lens free of
00:21:02 --> 00:21:04 charge on any iPhone or Android device
00:21:04 --> 00:21:05 if any if it's older you just download
00:21:05 --> 00:21:07 the Google Lens app or the Google app
00:21:07 --> 00:21:08 really as it is there's a little camera
00:21:08 --> 00:21:10 button in the search bar you can tap on
00:21:10 --> 00:21:12 that it'll take a picture and give you a
00:21:12 --> 00:21:13 description but this is a nice little
00:21:13 --> 00:21:15 built-in thing into Apple Apple's trying
00:21:15 --> 00:21:17 to catch up as much as it can and it's
00:21:17 --> 00:21:19 got the text generation the writing
00:21:19 --> 00:21:21 tools the image generation uh not photo
00:21:21 --> 00:21:23 realistic images Apple is very careful
00:21:23 --> 00:21:24 that don't want to have photorealistic
00:21:24 --> 00:21:26 images that could be misconstrued you've
00:21:26 --> 00:21:28 got to go to Gro for that if you want
00:21:28 --> 00:21:29 that sort of thing that Apple managed to
00:21:29 --> 00:21:33 launch a suite of AI tools just in time
00:21:33 --> 00:21:34 for Christmas to make all those iPhone
00:21:34 --> 00:21:37 16 models work really beautifully with
00:21:37 --> 00:21:39 some of the things that were promised at
00:21:39 --> 00:21:41 WWDC and then Google has also launched
00:21:42 --> 00:21:44 on the same day Gemini 2.0 now it's just
00:21:45 --> 00:21:46 in effectively a beta version but this
00:21:47 --> 00:21:49 is Gemini 2 flash this is the version
00:21:49 --> 00:21:51 that is for developers and you can also
00:21:51 --> 00:21:53 use it on your Android device if you've
00:21:53 --> 00:21:55 got the Gemini app downloaded and
00:21:55 --> 00:21:56 installed and using that instead of
00:21:56 --> 00:21:58 Google assistant and this is where it's
00:21:58 --> 00:22:01 multimodal so it can accept images and
00:22:01 --> 00:22:04 sound and can read text and it can
00:22:04 --> 00:22:06 generate images and sound for you it's
00:22:06 --> 00:22:08 supposed to be faster twice as fast as
00:22:08 --> 00:22:11 the previous model and they're also
00:22:11 --> 00:22:14 trying to bring forth the agentic era
00:22:14 --> 00:22:16 where your phone or computer will start
00:22:16 --> 00:22:17 doing things for you because you've
00:22:17 --> 00:22:19 asked it it'll be able to see what's on
00:22:19 --> 00:22:21 your browser or access the keyboard and
00:22:21 --> 00:22:23 mouse and do things for you like in Star
00:22:23 --> 00:22:24 Trek where they said Okay computer do
00:22:24 --> 00:22:26 this do that the computer then does it
00:22:26 --> 00:22:27 it's always been science fiction but
00:22:27 --> 00:22:30 it's now starting to happen for real so
00:22:30 --> 00:22:32 we've got a lot of cool things happening
00:22:32 --> 00:22:34 in the past few days in the world of AI
00:22:34 --> 00:22:40 That's Alex Sahara Roy from Tech advice.
00:22:40 --> 00:22:48 [Music]
00:22:52 --> 00:22:55 life and that's the show for now
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