Hera Probe Launch, Mars Climate Clues, and Steamworld Exoplanet

0:00 Speaker 1: Welcome to Astronomy Daily, your source for the latest space

0:03 Speaker 1: and astronomy news. I'm your host Anna. Today We've got

0:06 Speaker 1: a packed episode covering exciting developments in space exploration and

0:10 Speaker 1: cosmic discoveries. We'll discuss a new mission to probe an asteroid,

0:14 Speaker 1: reassuring news about potential Earth threatening space rocks, insights into

0:18 Speaker 1: Mars's ancient climate, a steam world exoplanet, and the hunt

0:21 Speaker 1: for elusive primordial black holes. Stay tuned for these fascinating

0:25 Speaker 1: stories from the Cosmos. In a thrilling development for planetary defense,

0:31 Speaker 1: Europe's Hara probe has successfully launched on its mission to

0:34 Speaker 1: investigate the aftermath of NASA's double Asteroid Redirection Test or DART.

0:40 Speaker 1: Despite concerns about an approaching hurricane, the probe blasted off

0:43 Speaker 1: from Cape Canaveral, Florida, on a SpaceX Falcon nine rocket.

0:46 Speaker 1: Harah's primary objective is to conduct what the European Space

0:50 Speaker 1: Agency calls a crime scene investigation of the dimorphos asteroid.

0:55 Speaker 1: This is the same asteroid that NASA's DART spacecraft deliberately

0:58 Speaker 1: crashed into last year, successfully altering its orbit. The hair

1:02 Speaker 1: emission will gather crucial data to help scientists better understand

1:06 Speaker 1: and refine kinetic impact as a viable technique for planetary

1:10 Speaker 1: defense against potentially hazardous asteroids. The probe is set to

1:14 Speaker 1: reach its destination in late twenty twenty six, where it

1:16 Speaker 1: will spend six months studying the effects of the dart impact.

1:20 Speaker 1: This mission marks a significant step forward in our ability

1:23 Speaker 1: to protect Earth from cosmic threats, and in related news,

1:27 Speaker 1: some good news for planetary defense. A recent study has

1:31 Speaker 1: eased concerns about a potentially dangerous asteroid swarm near Earth.

1:34 Speaker 1: Researchers using the zwiki transient Facility telescope investigated the Torrid Swarm,

1:39 Speaker 1: a stream of space debris that passes close to our planet. Previously,

1:43 Speaker 1: scientists speculated this region might harbor numerous large kilometer sized

1:48 Speaker 1: asteroids that could pose a threat. However, the new findings

1:52 Speaker 1: suggest there may only be a handful of these larger objects,

1:55 Speaker 1: perhaps just nine to fourteen in total. This dramatically reduces

1:59 Speaker 1: the perceived risk of a major impact event. The study

2:02 Speaker 1: also provides valuable insights into how asteroids and comets fragment

2:06 Speaker 1: over time, helping us better understand the evolution of our

2:10 Speaker 1: Solar System's smaller bodies. While we still need to remain

2:13 Speaker 1: vigilant about potential asteroid impacts. This research allows us to

2:17 Speaker 1: breathe a little easier regarding the torrid swarms specifically. Meanwhile,

2:22 Speaker 1: on Mars, the research goes on. NASA's Curiosity Rover continues

2:25 Speaker 1: to unveil the secrets of Mars's ancient climate. New findings

2:29 Speaker 1: from the rover's exploration of Gale Crater are shedding light

2:32 Speaker 1: on how the red planet transformed from a potentially habitable

2:35 Speaker 1: world to the harsh, inhospitable environment we see today. Scientists

2:40 Speaker 1: have been analyzing carbonate minerals found in Gale Crater, and

2:43 Speaker 1: the results are fascinating. These carbonates contain clues about Mars's past,

2:47 Speaker 1: suggesting a history of extreme evaporation and only transient liquid

2:51 Speaker 1: water on the surface. The isotopic composition of these minerals

2:54 Speaker 1: points to a climate that likely could only support temporary

2:58 Speaker 1: liquid water, rather than the law long standing bodies of

3:01 Speaker 1: water we once imagined. This paints a picture of Mars

3:04 Speaker 1: gradually losing its ability to sustain life as we know it.

3:07 Speaker 1: While these findings might seem disheartening for those hoping to

3:10 Speaker 1: find evidence of past Martian life, they're crucial for understanding

3:14 Speaker 1: the planet's evolution. The research doesn't rule out the possibility

3:17 Speaker 1: of an underground biosphere or a brief period of habitability

3:21 Speaker 1: before these carbonates formed. Next, a quick update from the JWST.

3:26 Speaker 1: In an exciting breakthrough, the James Webb Space Telescope has

3:29 Speaker 1: given us a steamy new look at an exoplanet called

3:32 Speaker 1: GJ nine eight hundred twenty seven D. This planet, located

3:36 Speaker 1: about ninety eight light years away in the constellation Pisces,

3:40 Speaker 1: has a water rich atmosphere that's got astronomer's buzzing. The study,

3:44 Speaker 1: led by Caroline piorele Gorieb from the University to Montreal,

3:48 Speaker 1: found that GJ nine than eight hundred and twenty seven

3:50 Speaker 1: d's atmosphere is packed with heavier molecules, including a significant

3:55 Speaker 1: amount of water vapor. This makes it a potential steam world,

3:58 Speaker 1: a type of planet we've theorized but never confirmed until now.

4:02 Speaker 1: What's really cool about this discovery is that it's the

4:04 Speaker 1: first time we've detected an exoplanet atmosphere where hydrogen isn't

4:08 Speaker 1: the main component. Instead, we're seeing something closer to what

4:12 Speaker 1: we might expect on a more earth like world. Now,

4:15 Speaker 1: before you start packing your bags for a tropical getaway.

4:18 Speaker 1: I should mention that GJ nine thousand, eight hundred and

4:21 Speaker 1: twenty seven D isn't exactly habitable. With temperatures around three

4:26 Speaker 1: hundred and fifty degrees celsius, it's a bit too toasty

4:29 Speaker 1: for a beach vacation. But this finding is still a

4:32 Speaker 1: huge step forward in our search for potentially habitable worlds

4:35 Speaker 1: beyond our Solar system. It shows us that we can

4:38 Speaker 1: now study atmospheres on smaller, more Earth like planets, and

4:42 Speaker 1: who knows, this could be the first step towards finding

4:45 Speaker 1: a true Earth twin out there in the cosmos. In

4:48 Speaker 1: our final story, Today, scientists are proposing innovative methods to

4:52 Speaker 1: detect elusive primordial black holes. These miniature black holes, thought

4:56 Speaker 1: to have formed shortly after the Big Bang, have long

4:59 Speaker 1: fascinated a stro honomers, but have proven incredibly difficult to find. Now,

5:03 Speaker 1: researchers suggest we might be able to spot evidence of

5:05 Speaker 1: these cosmic relics by looking for hollow structures inside planetoids

5:09 Speaker 1: and moons. The idea is that a small primordial black

5:12 Speaker 1: hole could consume the dense liquid core of these bodies,

5:15 Speaker 1: leaving behind a hollow shell. Another intriguing proposal involves using

5:19 Speaker 1: large metal plates as detectors. As a primordial black hole

5:22 Speaker 1: passes through, it could leave behind a microscopic tunnel, a

5:25 Speaker 1: telltale sign of its passage. While the chances of detecting

5:29 Speaker 1: one are slim, the potential payoff would be enormous for

5:32 Speaker 1: our understanding of the early universe. These creative approaches highlight

5:37 Speaker 1: the ongoing quest to solve some of the biggest mysteries

5:39 Speaker 1: in cosmology, pushing the boundaries of what we can observe

5:42 Speaker 1: and understand about our universe. And that wraps up today's

5:47 Speaker 1: exciting journey through the cosmos. We've covered the launch of

5:50 Speaker 1: Europe's Heraprobe, promising news about asteroid threats, insights into Mars's

5:56 Speaker 1: climate history, the discovery of a potential steam world exoplant,

6:00 Speaker 1: and innovative methods to search for primordial black holes. If

6:04 Speaker 1: you're hungry for more space and astronomy content, head over

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6:25 Speaker 1: Thanks for listening to Astronomy Daily. I'm anna reminding you

6:28 Speaker 1: to keep looking up and I'll see you next time.

6:30 Speaker 1: For more out of this world stories, Sunday Star Star