NASA's Parker Solar Probe and SphereX Milestones, Plus Space Tornado Insights: S04E70

0:00 Speaker 1: Welcome to Astronomy Daily. I'm your host Anna, and today

0:03 Speaker 1: we're embarking on a cosmic journey through the latest breakthroughs

0:06 Speaker 1: and discoveries in our vast universe. It's an exciting time

0:10 Speaker 1: for space exploration, with NASA's Parker Solar Probe about to

0:14 Speaker 1: make another record equaling close approach to our Sun, zooming

0:18 Speaker 1: through the corona at an astonishing four hundred thirty thousand

0:21 Speaker 1: miles per hour. We'll dive into what scientists hope to

0:25 Speaker 1: learn from this daring mission. Also on our radar is

0:28 Speaker 1: the recently launched sphere X space observatory that has just

0:31 Speaker 1: opened its eyes to the cosmos after ejecting its protective

0:34 Speaker 1: dust cover. This innovative telescope is set to map the

0:38 Speaker 1: entire celestial sky in unprecedented detail, revealing secrets about the

0:42 Speaker 1: history of our universe. We'll check in on NASA's Easy

0:46 Speaker 1: Satellite mission, which is now operating smoothly in orbit and

0:50 Speaker 1: preparing to study the mysterious electrojets that flow through our

0:53 Speaker 1: planet's upper atmosphere. In more distant news, astronomers have discovered

0:58 Speaker 1: what they're calling space tornadoes swirling around the core of

1:02 Speaker 1: our milky Way Galaxy. These fascinating structures are changing how

1:06 Speaker 1: we understand the turbulent environments surrounding our galaxy's supermassive black hole.

1:11 Speaker 1: We'll also explore groundbreaking research from China's Change six mission,

1:16 Speaker 1: which has finally determined the age of the Moon's largest

1:19 Speaker 1: impact crater, giving us new insights into the early history

1:22 Speaker 1: of our solar system. Looking ahead to next month, we'll

1:26 Speaker 1: preview NASA's Lucy spacecraft as it prepares for a flyby

1:29 Speaker 1: of an asteroid with a fascinating one hundred and fifty

1:32 Speaker 1: million year history, and we'll end with some reassuring news

1:35 Speaker 1: about a binary star system nicknamed the Death Star. Spoiler alert,

1:40 Speaker 1: Earth is not in its line of fire after all,

1:43 Speaker 1: So settle in as we navigate through these cosmic wonders

1:47 Speaker 1: and the latest advancements in our understanding of the universe

1:49 Speaker 1: around us. Let's kick things off with some NASA mission updates.

1:55 Speaker 1: NASA's Parker Solar Probe is making headlines once again as

1:58 Speaker 1: it speeds toward another record breaking encounter with our Sun.

2:02 Speaker 1: The spacecraft is currently on its twenty third science gathering

2:05 Speaker 1: solar mission and is set to equal its previous record

2:08 Speaker 1: of coming within just three point eight million miles of

2:11 Speaker 1: the Sun's surface this Saturday. To put that distance in perspective,

2:15 Speaker 1: that's about four percent of the distance between Earth and

2:18 Speaker 1: the Sun. While that might sound like a safe distance,

2:21 Speaker 1: the probe will be deep within the Sun's corona, the

2:24 Speaker 1: outermost part of the solar atmosphere, where temperatures soar to

2:28 Speaker 1: millions of degrees fahrenheit. What makes this achievement even more

2:32 Speaker 1: remarkable is the velocity at which Parker Solar Probe is traveling.

2:37 Speaker 1: The spacecraft will match its previous record speed of four

2:39 Speaker 1: hundred thirty thousand miles per hour. That's fast enough to

2:43 Speaker 1: circle Earth in just three point five minutes or travel

2:46 Speaker 1: from New York to Los Angeles in about twenty five seconds.

2:49 Speaker 1: This makes it the fastest human made object ever created

2:53 Speaker 1: by far. During its closest approach this weekend, the probe

2:57 Speaker 1: will be completely out of contact with Earth. It will

3:01 Speaker 1: be operating autonomously as it collects unique observations and measurements

3:05 Speaker 1: from inside the Sun's corona. Mission operators at the JOHNS.

3:09 Speaker 1: Hopkins Applied Physics Laboratory in Maryland, where the spacecraft was

3:13 Speaker 1: designed and built, won't know its status until it transmits

3:16 Speaker 1: data back to Earth on Tuesday. The spacecraft's for scientific

3:20 Speaker 1: instruments are primed to gather invaluable data that simply can't

3:24 Speaker 1: be collected from Earth. This is the second of several

3:28 Speaker 1: flybys that will occur at this distance and speed, allowing

3:31 Speaker 1: scientists to conduct unrivaled measurements of the solar wind and

3:35 Speaker 1: related activity. Meanwhile, researchers are still analyzing the wealth of

3:40 Speaker 1: data streaming back from Parker's previous closest approach in December.

3:45 Speaker 1: These consecutive close passes are creating an unprecedented data set

3:50 Speaker 1: that helps scientists understand the complex dynamics of our star.

3:54 Speaker 1: The mission is teaching us about fundamental processes like how

3:58 Speaker 1: the Sun generates the solar wind and the constant stream

4:01 Speaker 1: of charged particles that flows outward through our solar system

4:05 Speaker 1: and can affect everything from satellite operations to power grids

4:09 Speaker 1: on Earth when solar storms occur. By flying repeatedly through

4:12 Speaker 1: the Sun's corona, Parker Solar Probe is helping unlock mysteries

4:16 Speaker 1: about our star that have puzzled scientists for decades, including

4:19 Speaker 1: why the corona is hundreds of times hotter than the

4:22 Speaker 1: Sun's surface despite being farther away from the core. The

4:26 Speaker 1: data gathered will help improve our ability to forecast space

4:29 Speaker 1: weather and protect our technology dependent society from its potential impacts.

4:34 Speaker 1: Next on our update schedule. NASA's recently launched SPHEREx space

4:39 Speaker 1: observatory has reached an important milestone in its mission by

4:43 Speaker 1: opening its eyes to the Cosmos. On March eighteenth, just

4:47 Speaker 1: a week after its March eleventh launch into low Earth orbit,

4:50 Speaker 1: mission controllers commanded the spacecraft to eject the protective dust

4:54 Speaker 1: cover that had been shielding its telescope. This crucial maneuver

4:58 Speaker 1: involved activating two more mechanical release mechanisms on the protective lid,

5:02 Speaker 1: with springs helping to push the cover away from the observatory.

5:06 Speaker 1: The cover, measuring about twenty five inches by sixteen inches,

5:10 Speaker 1: had been protecting three critical telescope mirrors from particles and

5:15 Speaker 1: moisture during launch. Once released, the cover began floating away

5:20 Speaker 1: and will eventually burn up in Earth's atmosphere. Since the

5:24 Speaker 1: spacecraft's camera won't be powered on until it reaches its

5:27 Speaker 1: extremely cold operating temperature of below minus three hundred degrees fahrenheit.

5:32 Speaker 1: Engineers confirmed the successful cover removal by detecting slight movements

5:37 Speaker 1: in the observatory's orientation. These little jiggles occurred after each

5:41 Speaker 1: mechanism release, and shortly afterward the telescope's temperature began dropping,

5:46 Speaker 1: clear evidence that it was now exposed to the cold

5:49 Speaker 1: vacuum of space as intended. Sphere X, which stands for

5:53 Speaker 1: Spectrophotometer for the History of the Universe, Epic of Realization

5:57 Speaker 1: and ICE's Explorer, is surprisedly compact for such an ambitious mission.

6:03 Speaker 1: While the entire spacecraft is roughly the size of a

6:05 Speaker 1: subcompact car, the telescope itself is only about as large

6:09 Speaker 1: as a washing machine. It sits nestled inside three cone

6:13 Speaker 1: shaped photon shields that protect the sensitive instrument from heat

6:16 Speaker 1: and light coming from the Sun and Earth. Once science

6:20 Speaker 1: operations begin in the coming weeks, SPHEREx will embark on

6:24 Speaker 1: its two year primary mission, using a technique called spectroscopy

6:28 Speaker 1: to create something truly extraordinary, four complete maps of the

6:32 Speaker 1: entire celestial sky, each featuring one hundred two distinct wavelengths

6:36 Speaker 1: or colors of infrared light. This spectroscopic data will give

6:41 Speaker 1: astronomers unprecedented insights into the universe. The detailed information will

6:46 Speaker 1: help scientists precisely measure distances to faraway galaxies, identify specific

6:52 Speaker 1: chemicals and molecules present in cosmic gas clouds, and potentially

6:56 Speaker 1: answer fundamental questions about the early universe and how it

6:59 Speaker 1: evolved of billions of years. By observing in the infrared

7:03 Speaker 1: portion of the spectrum, SPHEREx can see through cosmic dust

7:06 Speaker 1: that obscures visible light, revealing details about star formation and

7:11 Speaker 1: the composition of interstellar space that would otherwise remain hidden.

7:15 Speaker 1: This comprehensive sky survey will create a valuable data set

7:18 Speaker 1: that astronomers will analyze for years to come, potentially leading

7:22 Speaker 1: to discoveries we can't yet imagine. And another NASA mission update.

7:27 Speaker 1: In some exciting news for NASA's Space Weather Research mission,

7:31 Speaker 1: controllers have now confirmed that all three satellites from the

7:34 Speaker 1: EASY mission are healthy and functioning normally following their March

7:37 Speaker 1: fifteenth launch aboard a SpaceX Falcon nine rocket from Vandenberg. EASY,

7:43 Speaker 1: which stands for Electrojet Zeman Imaging Explorer, represents an important

7:48 Speaker 1: step forward in our understanding of Earth's complex relationship with

7:51 Speaker 1: our son. The mission team at Johns Hopkins Applied Physics

7:55 Speaker 1: Laboratory in Maryland received signals from all three spacecraft confirming

8:00 Speaker 1: they survive the launch and deployment phase without issues. Over

8:04 Speaker 1: the next two months, these satellites will undergo thoroscience and

8:08 Speaker 1: instrument checkouts, a critical commissioning phase that ensures all systems

8:12 Speaker 1: are fully operational before beginning their primary mission. Once this

8:16 Speaker 1: process is complete, EASY will turn its attention to studying

8:19 Speaker 1: one of the most spectacular yet mysterious phenomena in our

8:22 Speaker 1: upper atmosphere. The mission focuses specifically on electrojets, powerful electrical

8:29 Speaker 1: currents that flow high above us in the polar regions

8:31 Speaker 1: where auroras illuminate the night sky. These electrojets are essentially

8:36 Speaker 1: rivers of electricity that surge through the ionosphere, created by

8:40 Speaker 1: the complex interaction between our planet's magnetic field and charged

8:44 Speaker 1: particles from the Sun. What makes EASY particularly groundbreaking is

8:48 Speaker 1: its ability to map these electrojets with unprecedented detail. The

8:53 Speaker 1: mission employs a specialized technique to measure the Zeman effect,

8:56 Speaker 1: a phenomenon where magnetic fields split spectral lines, allowing scientists

9:00 Speaker 1: to precisely track and analyze these powerful currents from space.

9:04 Speaker 1: Understanding electrojets isn't just scientifically fascinating, it has practical implications

9:09 Speaker 1: for our increasingly technology dependent society. These currents are key

9:14 Speaker 1: components of space weather, which can disrupt satellite operations, navigation systems,

9:18 Speaker 1: power grids, and communications networks. By creating detailed maps of

9:22 Speaker 1: electrojet behavior easy will help scientists develop more accurate models

9:27 Speaker 1: to predict when and how space weather events might affect

9:29 Speaker 1: our technological infrastructure. The trio of satellites will work in

9:33 Speaker 1: concert to provide multiple measurement points, giving researchers a comprehensive

9:38 Speaker 1: view of these dynamic electrical systems as they respond to

9:41 Speaker 1: solar activity. This coordinated approach should reveal new insights into

9:46 Speaker 1: how energy from the Sun propagates through near Earth space

9:49 Speaker 1: and ultimately influences our atmosphere and technologies. Now moving on

9:54 Speaker 1: to other news today, astronomers have made a stunning discovery

9:58 Speaker 1: in the heart of our galaxy, revealing what they're calling

10:01 Speaker 1: space tornadoes swirling around the Milky Way's core. Using the

10:05 Speaker 1: incredible resolution of the Atacama Large Millimeter Submillimeter Array or ALMA,

10:11 Speaker 1: an international team has sharpened our view of the galactic

10:14 Speaker 1: center by a factor of one hundred. Unveiling mysterious new

10:17 Speaker 1: structures that have surprised even veteran researchers. The central molecular

10:22 Speaker 1: zone surrounding our galaxy's supermassive black hole has long been

10:26 Speaker 1: known as a turbulent region where dust and gas molecules

10:29 Speaker 1: constantly cycle through formation and destruction, but the driving mechanism

10:34 Speaker 1: behind this cosmic churn has remained elusive until now. Led

10:38 Speaker 1: by Kai Yang from Shanghai Jiaotong University, the research team

10:42 Speaker 1: detected previously unknown filamentary structures that don't match any known

10:46 Speaker 1: celestial objects. These slim filaments appear as long, narrow structures

10:50 Speaker 1: that aren't associated with star forming regions or other familiar

10:54 Speaker 1: cosmic formations, making them a genuinely new discovery. When we

10:58 Speaker 1: checked the Alma images showing the outflows, we notice these

11:02 Speaker 1: long and narrow filaments spatially offset from any star forming regions,

11:06 Speaker 1: unlike any objects we know. These filaments really surprised us,

11:10 Speaker 1: explained Yang, describing the serendipitous finding that emerged while studying

11:14 Speaker 1: emission lines of silicon monoxide and eight other molecules. What

11:19 Speaker 1: makes these structures particularly fascinating is their behavior. The researchers

11:23 Speaker 1: have likened them to actual tornadoes in space, violent streams

11:27 Speaker 1: of gas that distribute materials efficiently throughout their environment before

11:30 Speaker 1: quickly dissipating. Unlike other previously discovered dense gas filaments, these

11:36 Speaker 1: show no association with dust emission and don't appear to

11:38 Speaker 1: be in hydrostatic equilibrium. The research team use silicon monoxide

11:43 Speaker 1: as a primary tracer because it exclusively appears in regions

11:47 Speaker 1: experiencing shock waves. The presence of complex organic molecules like

11:51 Speaker 1: methanol further confirmed that these filaments are likely created through

11:55 Speaker 1: powerful shock processes rippling through the Galactic Center. Shinglu, a

12:01 Speaker 1: research professor at Shanghai Astronomical Observatory and corresponding author of

12:05 Speaker 1: the study, explains the significance our research contributes to the

12:09 Speaker 1: fascinating Galactic Center landscape. By uncovering these slim filaments as

12:13 Speaker 1: an important part of material circulation, we can envision these

12:17 Speaker 1: as space tornadoes. They are violent streams of gas, they

12:20 Speaker 1: dissipate shortly, and they distribute materials into the environment efficiently.

12:25 Speaker 1: The discovery suggests a cyclical process where these shock induced

12:28 Speaker 1: filaments release various molecules into the interstellar medium before dissipating.

12:34 Speaker 1: The release materials later freeze back onto dust grains, creating

12:38 Speaker 1: a continuous cycle of depletion and replenishment throughout the central

12:42 Speaker 1: molecular zone. Almah's extraordinary sensitivity was crucial for this discovery,

12:47 Speaker 1: allowing astronomers to detect these structures on an extremely fine

12:51 Speaker 1: scale of just zero point zero one parsec, marking what

12:55 Speaker 1: researchers call the working surface of these shocks. Future observations

13:00 Speaker 1: spanning multiple transitions and broader regions of the galactic center,

13:03 Speaker 1: combined with numerical simulations, may confirm the origin of these

13:07 Speaker 1: slim filaments and better explain the cyclic processes taking place

13:11 Speaker 1: in this extraordinary region of our Milky Way. Next up,

13:16 Speaker 1: Chinese researchers seem to be on a roll, so to speak.

13:19 Speaker 1: Scientists have long sought to determine the precise age of

13:23 Speaker 1: the Moon's south pole Aitkin Basin, the largest and oldest

13:26 Speaker 1: known impact crater on the lunar surface. Now we finally

13:30 Speaker 1: have an answer, thanks to the groundbreaking work of researchers

13:33 Speaker 1: from the Chinese Academy of Sciences who analyze the first

13:37 Speaker 1: ever rock samples returned directly from this region by China's

13:40 Speaker 1: Changa six mission. The research team led by Professor Chen

13:45 Speaker 1: Yi from the Institute of Geology and Geophysics has dated

13:49 Speaker 1: the formation of this massive basin to approximately four point

13:52 Speaker 1: two five billion years ago. This timeline places the impact

13:56 Speaker 1: event roughly three hundred twenty million years after the birth

14:00 Speaker 1: of our Solar System, providing astronomers with a crucial reference

14:04 Speaker 1: point for understanding lunar evolution. The South Pole Eightkin Basin

14:08 Speaker 1: is truly a remarkable feature of our celestial neighbor, Spanning

14:12 Speaker 1: much of the Moon's far side. This vast impact structure

14:15 Speaker 1: is believed to have formed during the early period of

14:18 Speaker 1: intense asteroid bombardment that shaped many worlds in our Solar System.

14:22 Speaker 1: Despite its significance, pinpointing its exact age has proven challenging,

14:27 Speaker 1: with previous estimates varying widely. To crack this cosmic mystery,

14:31 Speaker 1: the researchers meticulously analyzed approximately one thousand, six hundred fragments

14:36 Speaker 1: from two soil samples returned by the Changi six mission.

14:41 Speaker 1: Their attention focused on identifying impact melt rocks, which would

14:44 Speaker 1: provide the clearest evidence of the basin's formation. Among these fragments,

14:50 Speaker 1: they discovered twenty norite clasts with distinctive textures and chemical

14:54 Speaker 1: signatures consistent with an impact origin. Using lead lead dating

14:59 Speaker 1: of zirconium bearing minerals within these classs, the team uncovered

15:03 Speaker 1: evidence of two separate impact events, one dated to four

15:06 Speaker 1: point two five billion years ago and another to three

15:09 Speaker 1: point eight seven billion years ago. The older norites from

15:12 Speaker 1: four point two five billion years ago showed structural and

15:16 Speaker 1: compositional features suggesting they crystallized at different depths within a

15:20 Speaker 1: common impact meltsheet produced by the South Pole eightkin basin

15:24 Speaker 1: forming event. Our geological surveys and comparative lithological analyzes strongly

15:30 Speaker 1: indicate that the four point two five billion year age

15:33 Speaker 1: corresponds to the formation of the SPA basin, stated Professor

15:37 Speaker 1: Chen in the research paper published in National Science Review.

15:41 Speaker 1: This discovery provides the first direct, sample based evidence for

15:46 Speaker 1: the age of the Moon's largest impact basin. The precise

15:50 Speaker 1: dating serves as a critical anchor point for refining the

15:53 Speaker 1: lunar cratering chronology, allowing scientists to better reconstruct the timeline

15:57 Speaker 1: of the Moon's early evolution and new insights into the

16:01 Speaker 1: dynamic processes that shaped the early Solar system. Okay, let's

16:07 Speaker 1: head back to NASA for our next mission update. Next

16:10 Speaker 1: month marks an exciting milestone for NASA's Lucy mission, as

16:14 Speaker 1: the spacecraft prepares for its flyby of asteroid Donald Johansson

16:17 Speaker 1: on April twentieth. While this encounter serves primarily as a

16:21 Speaker 1: rehearsal for Lucy's ultimate destination, Jupiter's Trojan asteroids, scientists are

16:27 Speaker 1: eagerly anticipating what they might learn from this peculiar space rock.

16:31 Speaker 1: Recent research from the Southwest Research Institute in Boulder, Colorado,

16:35 Speaker 1: has revealed that Donald Johansson is approximately one hundred fifty

16:39 Speaker 1: million years old, having formed when a larger asteroid broke apart.

16:43 Speaker 1: This three mile wide object, named after the discoverer of

16:46 Speaker 1: the famous Lucy human fossil, appears to have undergone significant

16:51 Speaker 1: changes since its formation. Based on ground based observations, Donald

16:55 Speaker 1: Johanson appears to be a peculiar object, noted Simone Marchi,

17:00 Speaker 1: Lucy's deputy principal investigator. Computer modeling suggests that both the

17:04 Speaker 1: asteroid's orbit and its spin have evolved dramatically over time.

17:08 Speaker 1: David Vakruliki, a professor at Charles University in Prague and

17:11 Speaker 1: co author of the research, explained that data indicates that

17:15 Speaker 1: it could be quite elongated and a slow rotator, possibly

17:18 Speaker 1: due to thermal torques that have slowed its spin over time.

17:22 Speaker 1: Lucy's flyby will collect crucial information only accessible from close proximity,

17:27 Speaker 1: including detailed data about the asteroid's shape, surface geology, and

17:32 Speaker 1: cratering history. This information is particularly valuable because Donald Johansson

17:37 Speaker 1: appears distinct from other recently studied asteroids like Benu and Ryugu,

17:42 Speaker 1: which were sampled by NASA's Osiris REX and Jackson's Hyabusa

17:46 Speaker 1: two missions, respectively. Lucy launched in October twenty twenty one

17:51 Speaker 1: and is on an ambitious twelve year journey to visit

17:54 Speaker 1: a total of eleven asteroids. After Donald Johansson, the spacecraft

17:59 Speaker 1: will continue to Jupis Trojan asteroids, ancient remnants trapped in

18:03 Speaker 1: Jupiter's orbit that scientists describe as fossils of planet formation.

18:08 Speaker 1: Earth based observing and theoretical models can only take us

18:11 Speaker 1: so far, explained Keith Knowle, Lucy project's scientist at NASA's

18:14 Speaker 1: Goddard Space Flight Center. To validate these models and get

18:18 Speaker 1: to the next level of detail, we need close up data.

18:21 Speaker 1: Lucy's upcoming flyby will give us that this encounter follows

18:25 Speaker 1: Lucy's previous flyby of asteroid Dinkinesh, which surprised scientists with

18:30 Speaker 1: unexpected features, including its own tiny satellite. Researchers are hopeful

18:36 Speaker 1: that Donald Johansson might hold similar surprises, potentially revealing new

18:40 Speaker 1: connections between different types of asteroids in our Solar system.

18:44 Speaker 1: The data gathered will further enhance our understanding of the

18:47 Speaker 1: early Solar systems formation and evolution, adding another critical piece

18:51 Speaker 1: to the cosmic puzzle that Lucy was designed to help solve.

18:55 Speaker 1: And let's finish today's episode on a positive note. Good

18:59 Speaker 1: news for Earth. Astronomers have recently determined that the ominously

19:02 Speaker 1: nicknamed death Star isn't actually pointed at us. The binary

19:06 Speaker 1: star system known as WR one hundred four, located about

19:10 Speaker 1: eight thousand light years away in the constellation Sagittarius, has

19:13 Speaker 1: long concerned scientists due to its potential to unleash a

19:17 Speaker 1: devastating gamma ray burst in our direction when its stars

19:21 Speaker 1: eventually collide. Wr one hundred four contains a wolf rayet

19:26 Speaker 1: class star with a scorching surface temperature of around forty

19:29 Speaker 1: four thousand kelvin, nearly eight times hotter than our Sun.

19:33 Speaker 1: This extreme star is locked in orbit with a more

19:35 Speaker 1: massive companion, creating a spectacular spiral dust pattern that resembles

19:40 Speaker 1: a pinwheel. The system earned its sinister nickname because early

19:44 Speaker 1: studies suggested its rotational polls might be pointing toward Earth,

19:48 Speaker 1: raising concerns about a potential future gamma ray burst aimed

19:51 Speaker 1: directly at our planet. However, new research led by Keck

19:55 Speaker 1: Observatory instrument scientist Grant Hill has put these fears to rest.

19:59 Speaker 1: Using three so sophisticated instruments at the Keck Observatory lris

20:03 Speaker 1: ESI and Nurse spec, Hill's team made spectroscopic observations that

20:07 Speaker 1: revealed a surprising twist in the system's geometry. While the

20:11 Speaker 1: pinwheel dust spiral appears to be face on from Earth's perspective,

20:15 Speaker 1: velocity measurements of the two stars showed that the actual

20:19 Speaker 1: orbital plane is tilted at least thirty forty degrees from

20:22 Speaker 1: previous estimates. This significant tilt means any future gamma ray

20:26 Speaker 1: burst would miss Earth, eliminating the supposed threat. Interestingly, this

20:31 Speaker 1: discovery has created a new scientific puzzle. How can the

20:34 Speaker 1: dust spiral appear face on while the star's orbit is tilted.

20:39 Speaker 1: This contradiction challenges existing models of dust formation in colliding

20:42 Speaker 1: wind systems and suggests unknown physical processes may be influencing

20:46 Speaker 1: the formation of the dust plume. As Hill explained, this

20:50 Speaker 1: is such a great example of how with astronomy we

20:52 Speaker 1: often begin a study and the universe surprises us with

20:56 Speaker 1: mysteries we didn't expect. We may answer some questions but

20:59 Speaker 1: create more. Despite solving one mystery confirming Earth isn't in

21:04 Speaker 1: the Death Star's line of fire, astronomers now have new

21:07 Speaker 1: questions about this fascinating stellar system. The research not only

21:11 Speaker 1: provides reassurance about Earth's safety, but also offers valuable insights

21:16 Speaker 1: into the complex dynamics of binary star systems and their

21:19 Speaker 1: evolutionary paths toward eventual supernova explosions. What an incredible journey

21:26 Speaker 1: through the cosmos we've had today. From the daring exploits

21:29 Speaker 1: of Parker's Solar Probe matching its record breaking approach to

21:32 Speaker 1: our star at a blistering four hundred thirty thousand miles

21:35 Speaker 1: per hour, to the newly launched SPHEREx telescope opening its

21:39 Speaker 1: eyes to the infrared universe, we've explored how Easy's trio

21:43 Speaker 1: of satellites will help us understand those mysterious electrical currents

21:46 Speaker 1: flowing through our upper atmosphere, giving us new insights into

21:50 Speaker 1: space weather. Perhaps most fascinating were those newly discovered space

21:54 Speaker 1: tornadoes swirling around our galaxies core violent streams of gas

21:58 Speaker 1: distributing materials throughout the that's a galactic center in a cosmic

22:02 Speaker 1: recycling program of truly universal proportions. And how incredible that

22:06 Speaker 1: Chinese scientists have finally pinpointed the age of the Moon's

22:09 Speaker 1: massive south pole eight con basin to four point twenty

22:12 Speaker 1: five billion years ago, using samples from Chang Your six,

22:16 Speaker 1: giving us a crucial anchor point in lunar chronology. We

22:20 Speaker 1: also looked ahead to NASA's Lucy spacecraft preparing for its

22:23 Speaker 1: April flyby of asteroid Donald Johansson as a dress rehearsal

22:27 Speaker 1: for its ultimate mission to Jupiter's Trojan asteroids. And I

22:30 Speaker 1: don't know about you, but I'm personally relieved that the

22:33 Speaker 1: binary star system WR one hundred and four, the so

22:36 Speaker 1: called death star, isn't pointing its potential gamma ray burst

22:40 Speaker 1: in our direction. After all, I've been your host, Anna,

22:43 Speaker 1: and I want to thank you for joining me for

22:45 Speaker 1: this edition of Astronomy Daily. If you're hungry for more

22:48 Speaker 1: cosmic content, please visit our website at Astronomy Daily dot io,

22:53 Speaker 1: where we keep our news feed constantly updated with the

22:56 Speaker 1: latest space and astronomy news. You'll also find all our

22:59 Speaker 1: previous episodes available for streaming. Don't forget to connect with

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23:11 Speaker 1: universe is always changing, and we'll be here to keep

23:14 Speaker 1: you informed about every fascinating development. Until next time, keep looking.

23:19 Speaker 2: Up star Stoll, starz

23:38 Speaker 1: S