FRB Enigma, Supersonic Exoplanet Winds, and China's Space Tech Breakthroughs: S04E19

0:00 Speaker 1: Welcome to Astronomy Daily, your daily dose of the most

0:03 Speaker 1: exciting developments in space science and exploration. I'm your host, Anna,

0:07 Speaker 1: and today we've got an absolutely packed show with stories

0:10 Speaker 1: from across the cosmos. We'll be diving into a mysterious

0:13 Speaker 1: fast radio burst that's challenging everything we thought we knew

0:16 Speaker 1: about these enigmatic signals, and we'll explore record breaking supersonic

0:21 Speaker 1: winds on a distant exoplanet that would make Earth's strongest

0:24 Speaker 1: hurricanes look like a gentle breeze. We'll also look at

0:27 Speaker 1: some groundbreaking achievements in space technology, including a remarkable breakthrough

0:32 Speaker 1: in oxygen production aboard China's space station and a historic

0:36 Speaker 1: first for European space launches. Plus, we've got fascinating new

0:41 Speaker 1: discoveries about rapidly spinning black holes and innovative plans for

0:44 Speaker 1: powering future lunar missions. So strap in as we embark

0:48 Speaker 1: on this cosmic journey through the latest and most captivating

0:51 Speaker 1: space news of the day. Scientists have made a fascinating

0:54 Speaker 1: discovery that's challenging our understanding of one of space's most

0:57 Speaker 1: mysterious phenomena, Fast radio bursts FRBs, a newly detected burst

1:03 Speaker 1: designated FRB two zero two four zero two zero nine A,

1:07 Speaker 1: has been found in a place we wouldn't expect, on

1:10 Speaker 1: the outskirts of an ancient, dead elliptical galaxy. These FRBs

1:14 Speaker 1: are incredibly energetic pulses of radio light that flash across

1:17 Speaker 1: the universe for just milliseconds. Since their first discovery in

1:21 Speaker 1: two thousand and seven, we've detected over one thousand of them,

1:25 Speaker 1: but this one is special. Until now, we've only found

1:28 Speaker 1: FRBs in young, active galaxies where stars are still being born.

1:33 Speaker 1: What makes this discovery particularly intriguing is that this FRB

1:37 Speaker 1: was detected in a galaxy that's eleven point three billion

1:40 Speaker 1: years old, practically a cosmic senior citizen. Not only that,

1:45 Speaker 1: but it's located in an unusual spot, about one hundred

1:49 Speaker 1: thirty thousand light years from the galaxy center, in a

1:52 Speaker 1: region where very few stars exist. The leading theory has

1:55 Speaker 1: been that FRBs come from magnetars highly magnetized neutron stars

2:01 Speaker 1: formed when massive stars die in spectacular supernova explosions, but

2:06 Speaker 1: this new discovery doesn't fit that explanation. The galaxy where

2:09 Speaker 1: this FRB was found is simply too old and inactive

2:12 Speaker 1: to support the formation of new magnetars through this process.

2:16 Speaker 1: The burst was first picked up in February twenty twenty

2:18 Speaker 1: four by the Canadian Hydrogen Intensity Mapping Experiment, and it

2:23 Speaker 1: wasn't just a one time event. Between February and July,

2:27 Speaker 1: it pulsed twenty one more times, giving scientists plenty of

2:30 Speaker 1: opportunities to study its behavior. This discovery suggests we might

2:35 Speaker 1: need to rethink our theories about FRBs, As Northwestern Universities

2:39 Speaker 1: one five Fong puts it, just when we think we

2:42 Speaker 1: understand an astrophysical phenomenon, the universe throws us a curveball.

2:46 Speaker 1: It's possible there could be a whole subclass of FRBs

2:49 Speaker 1: associated with older systems that were only now beginning to understand.

2:53 Speaker 1: At just two billion light years from Earth, this FRB

2:57 Speaker 1: is giving us a front row seat to what might

2:58 Speaker 1: be an entirely new cat category of cosmic phenomena, reminding

3:02 Speaker 1: us once again that the universe still has plenty of

3:04 Speaker 1: surprises in store for us. And here's another surprising discovery

3:09 Speaker 1: for you. Hold on to your telescopes because astronomers have

3:12 Speaker 1: just discovered something extraordinary on the distant exoplanet WASP one

3:17 Speaker 1: hundred twenty seven B. Using the European Southern Observatories very

3:22 Speaker 1: large telescope in Chile, they've detected the fastest planetary winds

3:26 Speaker 1: ever measured, and we're talking about speeds that make Earth's

3:30 Speaker 1: most violent storms look like gentle breezes. These incredible winds

3:34 Speaker 1: are whipping around WASP one hundred twenty seven bees equator

3:37 Speaker 1: at a mind boggling thirty three thousand kilometers per hour.

3:41 Speaker 1: To put that in perspective, that's nearly six times faster

3:44 Speaker 1: than the planet's rotation speed. Even Neptune, which held the

3:48 Speaker 1: previous record for fastest winds in our Solar system, only

3:51 Speaker 1: manages speeds of about one thousand, eight hundred kilometers per hour.

3:56 Speaker 1: WASP one hundred twenty seven B itself is quite the

3:58 Speaker 1: fascinating world. Located about five hundred light years away. It's

4:03 Speaker 1: slightly larger than Jupiter but much less dense, earning it

4:07 Speaker 1: the nickname Puffy Planet. What makes these observations even more

4:11 Speaker 1: remarkable is that scientists have detected a clear pattern in

4:14 Speaker 1: these supersonic winds. One side of the atmosphere is racing

4:17 Speaker 1: toward us, while the other side is moving away at

4:20 Speaker 1: the same incredible speed. The research team's observations have revealed

4:25 Speaker 1: more than just wind speeds. They've confirmed the presence of water, vapor,

4:28 Speaker 1: and carbon monoxide in the planet's atmosphere, and discovered that

4:32 Speaker 1: its poles are cooler than the rest of the planet.

4:35 Speaker 1: There's even a slight temperature difference between its morning and

4:38 Speaker 1: evening sides, showing that this distant world has complex weather

4:42 Speaker 1: patterns similar to what we see in our own Solar System.

4:46 Speaker 1: This discovery is particularly significant because until recently, astronomers could

4:51 Speaker 1: only measure basic characteristics of exoplanets, like their mass and radius. Now,

4:56 Speaker 1: thanks to advanced instruments like those on the Very Large Telescope,

5:00 Speaker 1: we can actually map the weather on these distant worlds

5:03 Speaker 1: and analyze their atmospheres in detail. This is helping us

5:06 Speaker 1: better understand not just how these planets formed, but potentially

5:10 Speaker 1: giving us insights into the origins of our own Solar System.

5:13 Speaker 1: What's particularly interesting is that this kind of detailed observation

5:17 Speaker 1: can currently only be done from ground based observatories. Even

5:21 Speaker 1: our most advanced space telescopes don't yet have the velocity

5:24 Speaker 1: precision needed for these measurements, but with new facilities like

5:28 Speaker 1: the Extremely Large Telescope under construction. We're looking forward to

5:32 Speaker 1: exploring even finer details of these alien weather patterns, and

5:36 Speaker 1: maybe even studying the atmospheres of smaller rocky planets. Meanwhile,

5:42 Speaker 1: a bit closer to Earth, the science goes on in

5:45 Speaker 1: a groundbreaking development aboard China's Tiangong space station, the Shenzo

5:49 Speaker 1: nineteen crew has successfully demonstrated the world's first in orbit

5:53 Speaker 1: artificial photosynthesis technology. This remarkable achievement isn't just about growing

5:58 Speaker 1: plants in space. It's about creating oxygen and rocket fuel

6:02 Speaker 1: components right there in orbit, marking a significant leap forward

6:06 Speaker 1: in our ability to sustain long term space missions. The

6:10 Speaker 1: experiments took place in a relatively simple drawer shaped device

6:13 Speaker 1: where semiconductor catalysts work their magic by converting carbon dioxide

6:17 Speaker 1: and water into oxygen and ethylene, a hydrocarbon that can

6:21 Speaker 1: be used to create spacecraft propellants. What makes this particularly

6:25 Speaker 1: impressive is that, unlike conventional methods that require high temperatures

6:28 Speaker 1: and pressure, this process works efficiently at room temperature and

6:33 Speaker 1: standard atmospheric pressure. This innovation could be a game changer

6:36 Speaker 1: for space exploration. Currently, the International Space Station relies on

6:40 Speaker 1: electrolysis for its oxygen needs a process that consumes about

6:44 Speaker 1: one third of the station's total life support energy. While effective,

6:48 Speaker 1: this method simply wouldn't be practical for long duration missions

6:52 Speaker 1: to the Moon or Mars. The new Chinese technology offers

6:55 Speaker 1: a more energy efficient alternative that could help solve one

6:59 Speaker 1: of the biggest challenge in space exploration, how to keep

7:02 Speaker 1: astronauts breathing without constantly resupplying from Earth. The implications go

7:07 Speaker 1: beyond just producing oxygen. The system is cleverly designed to

7:10 Speaker 1: be upgraded while in orbit, allowing scientists to test different

7:14 Speaker 1: catalysts and reactions. By adjusting the catalyst, they can produce

7:18 Speaker 1: various useful products, including methane for propulsion or formic acid

7:22 Speaker 1: that could be used to synthesize sugars. This flexibility could

7:26 Speaker 1: prove invaluable for future space missions where resources need to

7:29 Speaker 1: be carefully managed and recycled. This development positions China at

7:33 Speaker 1: the forefront of sustainable space technologies, demonstrating a crucial capability

7:39 Speaker 1: that will be essential for humanity's long term presence in

7:42 Speaker 1: space as we look toward establishing permanent bases on the

7:45 Speaker 1: Moon and eventual missions to Mars. The ability to generate

7:49 Speaker 1: essential resources like oxygen and fuel in situ could be

7:52 Speaker 1: the key to making these ambitious goals achievable. And some

7:57 Speaker 1: news for our European listeners. Europe has just marked a

8:00 Speaker 1: historic milestone in its space exploration journey, with German startup

8:04 Speaker 1: Rocket Factory Augsburg securing the first ever license for vertical

8:08 Speaker 1: rocket launches from mainland Europe. This groundbreaking authorization from the

8:13 Speaker 1: UK Civil Aviation Authority allows them to conduct launches from

8:17 Speaker 1: the sax of Word Spaceport, located on the remote Shetland

8:20 Speaker 1: Islands off Scotland's coast. The license permits up to ten

8:24 Speaker 1: launches per calendar year, with a maximum of two launches

8:28 Speaker 1: within any given month. This careful regulation emphasizes both public

8:32 Speaker 1: safety and environmental impact considerations. For RFA, this isn't just

8:37 Speaker 1: a regulatory win, it's a powerful endorsement of their technical

8:41 Speaker 1: capabilities and represents a significant shift in European space innovation.

8:46 Speaker 1: The company has already made significant progress in their launch preparations,

8:51 Speaker 1: though they faced a setback last August when a static

8:54 Speaker 1: fire test of their RFA one rockets first stage ended

8:56 Speaker 1: in an explosion. However, they're now back on track, focusing

9:00 Speaker 1: on building a new first stage equipped with nine helix

9:03 Speaker 1: staged combustion engines. The good news is that other crucial components,

9:08 Speaker 1: including the second stage, third stage, orbital transfer vehicle and

9:12 Speaker 1: the faring are already flight qualified. This development is part

9:16 Speaker 1: of a broader emergence of European launch startups, with companies

9:20 Speaker 1: from Germany, Spain and the United Kingdom all working to

9:24 Speaker 1: develop their own orbital rockets. The Sacks of Word spaceport

9:28 Speaker 1: isn't alone either. Similar facilities in Norway and Sweden are

9:31 Speaker 1: also preparing to host launches, signaling a new era of

9:35 Speaker 1: European space capability. What we're witnessing is nothing less than

9:39 Speaker 1: the dawn of a new commercial space age in Europe.

9:42 Speaker 1: After decades of relying on launches from French Guiana, Europe

9:45 Speaker 1: is finally developing the infrastructure and capability to send rockets

9:49 Speaker 1: into orbit from its own soil, marking a significant step

9:52 Speaker 1: toward independent access to space. Now our obligatory black hole

9:57 Speaker 1: story for the day, and it's a beauty in a

9:59 Speaker 1: fast discovery that's reshaping our understanding of the cosmos. Astronomers

10:04 Speaker 1: have found that supermassive black holes are spinning much faster

10:07 Speaker 1: than we previously believed. This revelation comes from an extensive

10:11 Speaker 1: survey conducted by the Sloane Digital Sky Survey's Reverberation Mapping project,

10:16 Speaker 1: which looked at black holes spanning billions of years of

10:19 Speaker 1: cosmic history. What makes this finding particularly intriguing is that

10:23 Speaker 1: these rapid spin rates are telling us something fundamental about

10:27 Speaker 1: how these cosmic giants grew over time. The traditional view

10:31 Speaker 1: suggested that supermassive black holes primarily got bigger through dramatic

10:35 Speaker 1: galaxy mergers. However, these new measurements are painting a very

10:39 Speaker 1: different picture. The research team found that black holes from

10:43 Speaker 1: about ten billion years ago were spinning particularly fast, faster

10:47 Speaker 1: than their more recent counterparts. This suggests that rather than

10:51 Speaker 1: growing through violent mergers, these ancient cosmic monsters built up

10:55 Speaker 1: their mass more gradually, consuming nearby gas and dust in

10:59 Speaker 1: a smooth, controlled manner. It's like watching a graceful dancer

11:03 Speaker 1: rather than a chaotic mosh pit. What's even more surprising

11:07 Speaker 1: is that when galaxies merge, it actually tends to slow

11:10 Speaker 1: down the spin of their central black holes. This helps

11:14 Speaker 1: explain why we see a mix of different spin rates

11:17 Speaker 1: in more recent times, rather than the more uniform rapid

11:20 Speaker 1: spins we observe in the early universe. These findings are

11:24 Speaker 1: opening up exciting new directions for black hole research. The

11:27 Speaker 1: James Webb Space Telescope is continually discovering more distant supermassive

11:32 Speaker 1: black holes for scientists to study, and detailed follow up

11:35 Speaker 1: observations will help us better understand how these mysterious objects

11:40 Speaker 1: grow and evolved over cosmic time. It's like doing cosmic archaeology,

11:45 Speaker 1: piecing together the history of the universe's most enigmatic objects.

11:50 Speaker 1: This research challenges our previous assumptions about black hole formation

11:53 Speaker 1: and growth, reminding us once again that the universe often

11:57 Speaker 1: has surprising ways of doing things that were only just

12:00 Speaker 1: beginning to understand. In further Chinese space news, today, Chinese

12:05 Speaker 1: researchers have unveiled an innovative solution to one of the

12:09 Speaker 1: biggest challenges in lunar exploration, keeping spacecraft powered during the

12:13 Speaker 1: long lunar night. They're exploring the possibility of using laser

12:17 Speaker 1: wireless power transmission from satellites orbiting the Moon to supply

12:22 Speaker 1: energy to surface vehicles and equipment. The Moon's unique rotation

12:26 Speaker 1: means that any given location experiences about fourteen days of

12:29 Speaker 1: complete darkness, with temperatures plunging to a bone chilling minus

12:34 Speaker 1: two hundred degrees celsius. This poses a significant challenge for

12:38 Speaker 1: solar powered spacecraft, which need to maintain some level of

12:42 Speaker 1: power just to survive these extreme conditions. This laser system

12:46 Speaker 1: could be particularly valuable for exploring permanently shadowed craters near

12:50 Speaker 1: the lunar poles. These craters, never touched by direct sunlight,

12:55 Speaker 1: are thought to contain valuable water ice, a crucial resource

12:58 Speaker 1: for future lunar operations. Traditional power solutions like radioisotope generators

13:04 Speaker 1: have limited output and are expensive, while nuclear reactors, though powerful,

13:09 Speaker 1: bring their own set of safety and complexity concerns. The

13:13 Speaker 1: concept works by using laser beams to transmit power wirelessly

13:17 Speaker 1: from orbiting satellites to receivers on the lunar surface, which

13:20 Speaker 1: then convert the light into usable electricity. While promising, the

13:25 Speaker 1: technology still faces several hurdles, including improving efficiency, managing transmission ranges,

13:31 Speaker 1: and solving various operational challenges. This research ties into China's

13:35 Speaker 1: ambitious international Lunar Research Station plans, with missions planned for

13:40 Speaker 1: twenty twenty six and twenty twenty eight to explore the

13:43 Speaker 1: lunar South Pole. As they work toward establishing a permanent

13:47 Speaker 1: presence on the Moon in the twenty thirties. Solving the

13:50 Speaker 1: energy supply challenge will be crucial for sustainable lunar exploration

13:55 Speaker 1: and development. While the technology is still in development, it

14:00 Speaker 1: sense a potentially game changing approach to powering lunar missions,

14:04 Speaker 1: offering flexibility and scalability in the vacuum of space. It's

14:08 Speaker 1: another step forward in humanity's ongoing efforts to establish a

14:13 Speaker 1: lasting presence on our celestial neighbor. Well. That brings us

14:18 Speaker 1: to the end of another fascinating episode of Astronomy Daily.

14:21 Speaker 1: From mysterious radio bursts to supersonic planetary wins and groundbreaking

14:26 Speaker 1: developments in space technology, it's been quite a journey through

14:30 Speaker 1: the cosmos today. If you'd like to stay up to

14:33 Speaker 1: date with all the latest space and astronomy news, head

14:36 Speaker 1: over to our website at Astronomy Daily dot io. There

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15:11 Speaker 1: to explore the wonders of space together. This has been

15:14 Speaker 1: Anna with Astronomy Daily. Until next time, keep looking up.

15:18 Speaker 1: There's always something amazing happening in our universe. Star Star

15:32 Speaker 1: Snary