Quasi Moons, Black Hole Jets, and a Leap Toward Interstellar Travel: S04E20

0:00 Speaker 1: Welcome to Astronomy Daily, your daily fix of the latest

0:03 Speaker 1: space news and discoveries. I'm Anna, and today we have

0:06 Speaker 1: a fascinating lineup of stories to share with you. We'll

0:09 Speaker 1: explore Earth's newly named quasi moon, witness breakthrough observations of

0:13 Speaker 1: black hole jets forming in real time, and discover an

0:16 Speaker 1: innovative concept that could revolutionize interstellar travel. We'll also look

0:21 Speaker 1: at Europe's ambitious plans for Mars exploration and catch up

0:25 Speaker 1: with an exciting lunar mission currently making its way to

0:28 Speaker 1: the Moon. Plus, we'll preview an upcoming partial solar eclipse

0:31 Speaker 1: that many of you will be able to witness in March.

0:33 Speaker 1: So let's get started on our eclectic mix of stories

0:37 Speaker 1: in a delightful blend of ancient mythology and modern astronomy.

0:41 Speaker 1: One of Earth's mysterious quasi moons has finally received its

0:44 Speaker 1: official name. Previously known by its rather clinical designation two

0:49 Speaker 1: thousand and four g U nine, this celestial object has

0:52 Speaker 1: been christened Cardea, after the ancient goddess of door hinges. Really,

0:57 Speaker 1: the name was chosen through a contest organized by the

1:00 Speaker 1: International Astronomical Union and the popular science podcast Radio Lab

1:05 Speaker 1: Clay Chilcutt, a student at the University of Georgia, submitted

1:09 Speaker 1: the winning name as part of an extra credit assignment

1:11 Speaker 1: for his astronomy class. His choice perfectly captures the unique

1:15 Speaker 1: nature of quasi moons, which exist in a fascinating state

1:19 Speaker 1: between being true moons and independent asteroids. Unlike regular moons

1:23 Speaker 1: that orbit planets directly, quasi moons actually orbit the Sun

1:27 Speaker 1: while appearing to circle Earth from our perspective. The name

1:30 Speaker 1: Cardea is particularly fitting because, like a door hinge that

1:33 Speaker 1: connects two spaces, these quasi moons occupy a transitional space

1:38 Speaker 1: in our cosmic neighborhood. They're not quite moons, not quite asteroids,

1:42 Speaker 1: but something in between. Cardia, as the goddess who presided

1:46 Speaker 1: over thresholds and transitions in Roman mythology, beautifully symbolizes this

1:51 Speaker 1: celestial gateway between Earth and space. The contest featured other

1:55 Speaker 1: compelling entries drawing from various mythologies worldwide, including buck Unaua

2:00 Speaker 1: from Filipino mythology and Tariaksuk from Inuit tradition, but it

2:05 Speaker 1: was Cardea that captured the imagination of the distinguished panel

2:08 Speaker 1: of judges, which included theoretical physicist Sean Carroll, astrophysicist Wanda

2:14 Speaker 1: Diazmer said, and even Bill Nye, the science Guy. This

2:18 Speaker 1: naming marks another fascinating chapter in our understanding of Earth's

2:22 Speaker 1: cosmic companions, joining camo Owalewa as one of the few

2:26 Speaker 1: named quasi moons in our planet's vicinity. These objects, while

2:31 Speaker 1: not true satellites of Earth, remind us of the complex

2:35 Speaker 1: and often surprising ways celestial bodies can interact with our planet.

2:40 Speaker 1: Next up, you guessed it, today's black hole discovery. In

2:44 Speaker 1: an extraordinary astronomical breakthrough, scientists have witnessed something never before

2:49 Speaker 1: seen in human history, the real time formation of plasma

2:52 Speaker 1: jets shooting from a supermassive black hole. This remarkable event

2:57 Speaker 1: occurred two hundred seventy million light years away in the

3:00 Speaker 1: constellation Draco, where astronomers observed a galaxy known as one

3:05 Speaker 1: ES one thousand, nine hundred and twenty seven plus six

3:08 Speaker 1: hundred and fifty four. The story began in twenty eighteen

3:12 Speaker 1: when this distant black hole started behaving unusually. Its X

3:15 Speaker 1: ray corona mysteriously vanished, followed by a dramatic increase in

3:19 Speaker 1: brightness across multiple wavelengths. But what happened next left astronomers

3:24 Speaker 1: completely stunned. The black hole's radio emissions suddenly increased sixtyfold

3:29 Speaker 1: over just a few months, and researchers watched as massive

3:32 Speaker 1: plasma jets formed at both poles of the black hole.

3:35 Speaker 1: Using the Very Large Array and Very Large Baseline Array,

3:39 Speaker 1: scientists captured high resolution images showing these jets expanding outward

3:43 Speaker 1: between twenty twenty three and twenty twenty four. These plasma

3:46 Speaker 1: streams are moving at roughly twenty to thirty percent of

3:49 Speaker 1: the speed of light, an astonishing velocity that demonstrates the

3:52 Speaker 1: incredible power of these cosmic phenomena. While astronomers have observed

3:57 Speaker 1: larger jets from other black holes before, some extending hundreds

4:01 Speaker 1: of thousands of light years, this observation is particularly special

4:05 Speaker 1: because it's the first time we've watched one form in

4:07 Speaker 1: real time. These smaller, shorter lived jets, known as compact

4:12 Speaker 1: symmetric objects, may actually be more common throughout the universe

4:17 Speaker 1: than their larger counterparts. The team believes these jets might

4:21 Speaker 1: have formed when the black hole consumed a star or

4:24 Speaker 1: gas cloud, providing valuable insights into how black holes interact

4:28 Speaker 1: with their surroundings. While many questions remain about exactly how

4:32 Speaker 1: these jets form and what powers them. This unprecedented observation

4:37 Speaker 1: brings us one step closer to understanding these mysterious cosmic processes.

4:42 Speaker 1: The discovery opens up exciting new possibilities for studying how

4:45 Speaker 1: super massive black holes influence their galaxies and the broader universe.

4:50 Speaker 1: Scientists will continue monitoring this remarkable system, hoping to unlock

4:54 Speaker 1: more secrets about one of space's most enigmatic phenomena. Now,

5:00 Speaker 1: let's take a trip into the realm of what many

5:01 Speaker 1: would have considered science fiction a short time ago. In

5:04 Speaker 1: what could be a game changing development for space exploration,

5:08 Speaker 1: researchers have proposed an innovative new method of interstellar travel

5:12 Speaker 1: that could dramatically reduce journey times to other star systems.

5:17 Speaker 1: The concept revolves around using relativistic electron beams streams of

5:21 Speaker 1: electrons accelerated to nearly the speed of light to propel

5:25 Speaker 1: spacecraft across the vast distances of space. The fundamental challenge

5:30 Speaker 1: of interstellar travel has always been generating and transferring enough

5:34 Speaker 1: energy to spacecraft efficiently and affordably. Current chemical rockets, even

5:39 Speaker 1: with gravitational assists from planets in the Sun simply can't

5:42 Speaker 1: achieve the speeds necessary for practical interstellar missions, but this

5:47 Speaker 1: new approach could change everything. The proposed system would use

5:51 Speaker 1: a beam generating spacecraft position near the Sun, taking advantage

5:55 Speaker 1: of intense solar energy to power an electron beam accelerator.

5:59 Speaker 1: These high sp feed electrons would then be directed at

6:01 Speaker 1: the spacecraft, providing continuous propulsion over vast distances. What makes

6:07 Speaker 1: this concept particularly fascinating is how it handles one of

6:10 Speaker 1: the biggest challenges keeping the electron beam focused over such

6:14 Speaker 1: enormous distances at relativistic speeds. Time dilation actually works in

6:20 Speaker 1: our favor, giving the beam less time to spread out. Additionally,

6:24 Speaker 1: the natural plasma present in space creates a magnetic field

6:28 Speaker 1: effect that helps keep the beam concentrated, similar to what

6:31 Speaker 1: we observe in jets from black holes. This relativistic pinch

6:35 Speaker 1: effect could maintain beam coherence for thousands of times the

6:38 Speaker 1: distance from Earth to the Sun. The numbers are incredibly promising.

6:43 Speaker 1: Calculations suggest this system could accelerate a two thousand, two

6:46 Speaker 1: hundred pound probe about the size of Voyager one to

6:50 Speaker 1: ten percent of the speed of light. At that velocity,

6:54 Speaker 1: we could reach Alpha Centauri in just forty years compared

6:57 Speaker 1: to the current seventy thousand year journey time. Even more encouraging,

7:01 Speaker 1: this approach could be significantly more cost effective than alternatives

7:05 Speaker 1: like laser propulsion, while capable of moving much larger spacecraft.

7:10 Speaker 1: While significant engineering challenges remain, particularly in converting the beams

7:15 Speaker 1: energy into propulsion without melting the spacecraft, this concept represents

7:20 Speaker 1: one of our most promising paths toward making interstellar exploration

7:24 Speaker 1: a reality within a human lifetime. The European Space Agency

7:30 Speaker 1: is setting its sits on an ambitious new chapter in

7:32 Speaker 1: Mars exploration, with plans to develop advanced landing technologies for

7:37 Speaker 1: a mission targeted to launch in twenty thirty five. While

7:40 Speaker 1: the agency is currently focused on sending the Roslin Franklin

7:43 Speaker 1: rover to Mars in twenty twenty eight, they're already looking

7:46 Speaker 1: ahead to tackle even greater challenges. The new initiative calls

7:51 Speaker 1: for the development of guided entry landers with high precision

7:54 Speaker 1: landing capabilities. ESA is getting an early start on this project,

7:59 Speaker 1: recognizing that twenty thirty five presents the most favorable launch

8:03 Speaker 1: window of the decade for reaching the Red planet. The

8:06 Speaker 1: timing of this development is crucial, with key decisions expected

8:10 Speaker 1: at an upcoming ministerial meeting in Bremen later this year. Meanwhile,

8:14 Speaker 1: in current lunar exploration news, Firefly's Blue Ghost lunar lander

8:19 Speaker 1: is making excellent progress on its forty five day journey

8:22 Speaker 1: to the Moon. The spacecraft, carrying ten NASA scientific instruments,

8:28 Speaker 1: has successfully completed its first main engine burn, marking a

8:31 Speaker 1: crucial milestone in its mission. The journey plan is quite intricate.

8:37 Speaker 1: Blue Ghost will spend twenty five days orbiting Earth before

8:41 Speaker 1: embarking on a four day transit to lunar orbit, followed

8:44 Speaker 1: by sixteen days circling the Moon before attempting its landing.

8:49 Speaker 1: One of the mission's most impressive achievements so far comes

8:52 Speaker 1: from the Lunar GNSS Receiver Experiment or LUGRA, which has

8:56 Speaker 1: already set a new record. The system successfully calculated its

9:00 Speaker 1: position using Earth based navigation signals at a distance of

9:03 Speaker 1: more than two hundred five thousand miles from Earth that's

9:06 Speaker 1: about ninety percent of the way to the Moon. This

9:09 Speaker 1: breakthrough suggests that conventional GPS style navigation could be viable

9:13 Speaker 1: for future deep space missions. The spacecraft has also captured

9:17 Speaker 1: some breath taking footage during its journey, including spectacular views

9:21 Speaker 1: of Earth eclipsing the Sun. These early successes bode well

9:25 Speaker 1: for both the immediate mission objectives and our broader understanding

9:29 Speaker 1: of lunar navigation and landing technologies. Mark your calendars for

9:34 Speaker 1: March twenty ninth, twenty twenty five, when skywatchers across the

9:37 Speaker 1: northern Hemisphere will be treated to a remarkable partial solar eclipse.

9:42 Speaker 1: While we won't see a total blackout of the Sun,

9:44 Speaker 1: this event promises to be quite spectacular, with up to

9:47 Speaker 1: ninety four percent of the Sun's disc being blocked by

9:50 Speaker 1: the Moon. In some locations, the eclipse will be visible

9:53 Speaker 1: from eight fifty to twelve forty three UTC, with the

9:57 Speaker 1: best views coming from eastern North America and parts of

9:59 Speaker 1: your Europe. If you're in far northern Quebec, you'll be

10:02 Speaker 1: among the lucky few, just about forty four thousand, eight

10:06 Speaker 1: hundred people who will witness the Moon covering ninety percent

10:09 Speaker 1: or more of the Sun. For viewers in New Brunswick

10:12 Speaker 1: and Maine, the show will be particularly dramatic, with the

10:16 Speaker 1: partially eclipsed Sun rising as two distinct horns on the

10:19 Speaker 1: eastern horizon Across the Atlantic Europe will get varying views

10:24 Speaker 1: of this celestial spectacle. The British Isles will see a

10:27 Speaker 1: fairly deep eclipse, with Dublin experiencing forty one percent coverage

10:31 Speaker 1: and London about thirty percent. As you move eastward, the

10:35 Speaker 1: eclipse becomes progressively smaller, with Paris seeing twenty three percent,

10:39 Speaker 1: Berlin fifteen percent, and Moscow just catching a glimpse with

10:42 Speaker 1: two percent coverage. Northwest Africa will also get to participate

10:46 Speaker 1: in this event, though to a lesser extent. The best

10:49 Speaker 1: views will be from Morocco's coastal regions, where cities like

10:53 Speaker 1: El Jedida will see about eighteen percent of the Sun covered. Remember,

10:57 Speaker 1: no matter where you're viewing from, proper eye protection is

11:00 Speaker 1: absolutely essential. Never look directly at the Sun during an

11:04 Speaker 1: eclipse without certified solar eclipse glasses. This event will kick

11:08 Speaker 1: off a series of partial solar eclipses stretching through the

11:12 Speaker 1: rest of the decade, with the next one visible from

11:14 Speaker 1: Tasmania and New Zealand in September twenty twenty five. It's

11:18 Speaker 1: a reminder of the constant dance between the Sun, Moon

11:21 Speaker 1: and Earth that brings us these fascinating astronomical events. This

11:27 Speaker 1: has been Astronomy Daily. I'm anna and thank you for

11:30 Speaker 1: joining me on this cosmic journey through today's space news.

11:34 Speaker 1: Whether it's quasimoons, black hole jets, or the promise of

11:37 Speaker 1: faster interstellar travel, there's always something fascinating happening in our universe.

11:42 Speaker 1: If you'd like to catch up on any of our

11:44 Speaker 1: previous episodes or dive deeper into the stories we've covered today,

11:47 Speaker 1: head over to Astronomydaily dot io. You'll find our complete

11:51 Speaker 1: archive of episodes there, along with additional resources, links and

11:55 Speaker 1: information about all the topics we discuss. Stay connected with

11:59 Speaker 1: us on social media by following astro Daily Pod on Facebook, ex, Tumblr, YouTube, YouTube, music,

12:04 Speaker 1: and TikTok. We're always sharing the latest updates and engaging

12:08 Speaker 1: with our community of space enthusiasts. Until tomorrow, keep looking

12:11 Speaker 1: up and wondering about the mysteries that await us in

12:14 Speaker 1: the cosmos.

12:15 Speaker 2: Say Star STARZ Star