S03E116: An Invitation from NASA to You!

0:02 Speaker 1: Welcome to Astronomy Daily, your go to podcast for the

0:05 Speaker 1: latest updates in space and astronomy. I'm your host, Anna,

0:08 Speaker 1: and today's episode is packed with riveting news and discoveries.

0:12 Speaker 1: We'll delve into the latest findings from NASA's Parker Solar

0:15 Speaker 1: Probe as it unravels the mysteries of the Sun's extreme

0:18 Speaker 1: corona heat. Then we'll discuss the discovery of a new

0:22 Speaker 1: Earth sized exoplanet, Giza twelve B, that promises thrilling potential

0:26 Speaker 1: for future study. We'll also explore how organic macromolecules form

0:31 Speaker 1: rapidly in star forming regions, shedding light on the origins

0:35 Speaker 1: of life's building blocks. Finally, we'll look at virtual engagement

0:39 Speaker 1: opportunities for Northrop Grummans upcoming resupply mission to the International

0:43 Speaker 1: Space Station. Let's get started. NASA invites the public to

0:50 Speaker 1: engage virtually with Northrop Grummans upcoming twenty first commercial resupply

0:54 Speaker 1: mission to the International Space Station, scheduled for August tenth,

0:58 Speaker 1: twenty twenty four, at eight thirty one pm EDT. The

1:02 Speaker 1: launch will take place from NASA's Wallops Flight Facility on

1:05 Speaker 1: Wallops Island, Virginia. The event promises to be a spectacular

1:09 Speaker 1: showcase of innovation and collaboration. This mission is particularly special

1:15 Speaker 1: because it honors the late NASA astronaut Laurel Clerk, naming

1:18 Speaker 1: the signas spacecraft the SS Laurel Clerk in her memory.

1:21 Speaker 1: Clark was a mission specialist on the Tragic Space Shuttle

1:24 Speaker 1: Columbia's STS one hundred seven mission, and this tribute underscores

1:28 Speaker 1: the spirit of exploration and sacrifice that drives space missions.

1:32 Speaker 1: Northrop Grumman's Signus spacecraft, carried into orbit by an Antares rocket,

1:37 Speaker 1: will deliver over eight thousand, two hundred pounds of science experiments,

1:41 Speaker 1: research materials, supplies, and hardware to support the work of

1:45 Speaker 1: Expedition sixty nine astronauts aboard the space station. This critical

1:49 Speaker 1: mission will help sustain the continuous human presence in Low

1:52 Speaker 1: Earth orbit. The Virtual Engagement Program offers a unique opportunity

1:56 Speaker 1: for space enthusiasts to be part of this exciting event.

2:00 Speaker 1: By registering as a virtual guest, participants will receive curated

2:04 Speaker 1: launch resources and notifications about interactive opportunities. As a bonus,

2:09 Speaker 1: virtual attendees will receive a commemorative Virtual Guest passport stamp

2:14 Speaker 1: post launch, a small token of involvement in this significant milestone.

2:19 Speaker 1: Participation in the Virtual Guest Program is free and open

2:22 Speaker 1: to the public. This initiative aims to make space exploration

2:26 Speaker 1: accessible to everyone, fostering a sense of global community and

2:30 Speaker 1: shared curiosity about the universe. By bringing the excitement of

2:34 Speaker 1: a live launch into homes around the world, NASA continues

2:37 Speaker 1: to inspire the next generation of scientists, engineers, and dreamers.

2:41 Speaker 1: As the countdown begins. Don't miss out on being part

2:44 Speaker 1: of this momentous occasion. Register now to engage in this

2:47 Speaker 1: spectacular virtual experience and witness firsthand the brilliance and dedication

2:52 Speaker 1: that propels our journey into space. The Parker Solar Probe

2:58 Speaker 1: has made groundbreaking town discoveries about the Sun's corona, challenging

3:02 Speaker 1: long held beliefs and opening new avenues for understanding solar dynamics. Traditionally,

3:08 Speaker 1: scientists suggested that s shaped magnetic field bends or switchbacks,

3:12 Speaker 1: contributed to the extreme heat of the corona. These switchbacks,

3:16 Speaker 1: observed in the solar wind, were thought to be the

3:19 Speaker 1: source of the Sun's outer atmospheres immense temperatures, which can

3:22 Speaker 1: be up to two hundred times hotter than its surface. However,

3:26 Speaker 1: the Parker Solar Probe's recent findings have turned this theory

3:29 Speaker 1: on its head. As it ventured closer to the Sun,

3:32 Speaker 1: the probe observed that while these magnetic switchbacks are common

3:35 Speaker 1: in the solar wind near the Sun, they are notably

3:38 Speaker 1: absent in the corona itself. This suggests that these bends

3:42 Speaker 1: are not the culprits behind the corona's scorching heat. So

3:46 Speaker 1: if switchbacks aren't responsible, what is the Absence of these

3:50 Speaker 1: magnetic bends in the corona hints at the existence of other,

3:54 Speaker 1: yet to be discovered mechanisms that could be driving the

3:56 Speaker 1: heating process. This discovery has set the state for further

4:00 Speaker 1: research to unveil what exactly causes the Sun's outer atmosphere

4:04 Speaker 1: to defy the laws of physics. As the Parker Solar

4:08 Speaker 1: Probe continues its mission, it aims to collect more data,

4:12 Speaker 1: especially during its upcoming trips closer to the Sun. These

4:15 Speaker 1: future observations will help scientists test new hypotheses and potentially

4:20 Speaker 1: identify other phenomena that could explain the corona's extreme temperatures.

4:25 Speaker 1: This ongoing research is crucial because understanding the corona is

4:29 Speaker 1: essential for comprehending solar wind space weather and their impacts

4:33 Speaker 1: on our solar system. This revelation from the Parker Solar

4:37 Speaker 1: Probe underscores the importance of continual exploration and data collection

4:42 Speaker 1: in unraveling the mysteries of our solar system. Each new

4:45 Speaker 1: discovery not only demystifies the Sun's behavior, but also brings

4:49 Speaker 1: us a step closer to predicting and mitigating the effects

4:52 Speaker 1: of solar activities on Earth. In an exciting breakthrough for

4:58 Speaker 1: astronomy and the search for extraterrestrials life, scientists have announced

5:02 Speaker 1: the discovery of Gliza twelve B, a temperate Earth sized

5:05 Speaker 1: exoplanet situated just forty light years away. This might sound

5:09 Speaker 1: like a great distance, but in terms of the cosmos,

5:12 Speaker 1: it's a mere stones throwaway. A relatively neighborly three hundred

5:16 Speaker 1: and seventy eight trillion kilometers Gleasi twelve B was discovered

5:21 Speaker 1: by an international team of researchers, including key players from

5:25 Speaker 1: McGill University and Western University. This effort was part of

5:29 Speaker 1: the Infrared Doppler Subaru Strategic Program, which focuses on finding

5:34 Speaker 1: planets within the habitable zones of red dwarf stars. Red

5:38 Speaker 1: dwarfs are smaller cooler and more abundant compared to stars

5:41 Speaker 1: like our Sun, making them prime candidates in the ongoing

5:44 Speaker 1: quest to find life beyond Earth. The planet orbits its

5:48 Speaker 1: host star, Gliza twelve, which is a red dwarf. Unlike

5:52 Speaker 1: more active red dwarfs that exhibit frequent and intense stellar

5:55 Speaker 1: flares potentially harmful to any orbiting planets, Gliza twelve is

5:59 Speaker 1: unusually inactive. This translates to less harmful radiation, creating a

6:03 Speaker 1: more stable environment for Gleisa twelve B, thereby increasing the

6:07 Speaker 1: planet's chances of being habitable. What makes Glesa twelve bee

6:11 Speaker 1: particularly intriguing is its location within the star's habitable zone,

6:15 Speaker 1: often referred to as the Goldilocks zone. This is the

6:19 Speaker 1: region around a star where conditions are just right for

6:22 Speaker 1: liquid water to exist on a planet's surface, neither too

6:25 Speaker 1: hot nor too cold. Given that water is essential for

6:29 Speaker 1: life as we know it, this discovery is a significant

6:31 Speaker 1: step forward in the search for potentially habitable worlds, although

6:36 Speaker 1: more observations and modeling are needed to confirm the presence

6:38 Speaker 1: of liquid water or any biosignatures. The planet's earth like

6:42 Speaker 1: size and location within this habitable zone make it a

6:45 Speaker 1: tantalizing subject for further study. Indeed, Gleisa twelve bee's proximity

6:50 Speaker 1: allows for detailed analysis of its atmosphere and other characteristics.

6:54 Speaker 1: One particularly useful method for studying such planets is atmospheric

6:58 Speaker 1: transmission spectroscopy. This technique involves examining the starlight that passes

7:03 Speaker 1: through a planet's atmosphere during transit. By analyzing the changes

7:07 Speaker 1: in the lights spectra, scientists can infer the atmospheric composition,

7:11 Speaker 1: looking for gases like oxygen, water, vapor, methane, and carbon dioxide.

7:16 Speaker 1: The presence of these gases could indicate biological processes. The

7:20 Speaker 1: discovery of GLESA twelve B is thrilling not just for

7:23 Speaker 1: its immediate scientific implications, but also for its potential to

7:27 Speaker 1: deepen our understanding of what makes a planet habitable. Future telescopes,

7:32 Speaker 1: including the James Web Space Telescope and ground based extremely

7:35 Speaker 1: large telescopes, will be instrumental in studying the planet's atmosphere

7:39 Speaker 1: and surface conditions more thoroughly. As we continue to explore

7:43 Speaker 1: the cosmos, each new discovery like Glisa twelve B brings

7:47 Speaker 1: us one step closer to answering the age old question

7:51 Speaker 1: are we alone in the universe. For now, Gleisa twelve

7:55 Speaker 1: B stands as a beacon of hope and curiosity, inviting

7:59 Speaker 1: us to learn more more about the possibilities that lie

8:01 Speaker 1: beyond our own solar system. In a fascinating discovery, an

8:08 Speaker 1: international team of researchers led by scientists from the Netherlands

8:11 Speaker 1: has shed light on how organic macromolecules form in the

8:15 Speaker 1: disks of gas and dust enveloping young stars. By employing

8:19 Speaker 1: observation based computer models, the team uncovered that dust traps,

8:23 Speaker 1: which are regions where dust and ice accumulate, can play

8:26 Speaker 1: a pivotal role in this process. These dust traps are

8:29 Speaker 1: not stationary. Instead, they exhibit vertical movement, constantly cycling material

8:34 Speaker 1: within the young stars disc When these dust particles, laden

8:38 Speaker 1: with simple ices are exposed to intense starlight, they undergo

8:42 Speaker 1: significant chemical transformations. The researchers found that this irradiation triggers

8:47 Speaker 1: the formation of complex organic molecules up to hundreds of

8:51 Speaker 1: atoms in size, akin to substances like soot and graphene.

8:54 Speaker 1: What's truly remarkable is the speed at which this process occurs.

8:58 Speaker 1: Under optimal conditions, macromolecules can form within just a few decades.

9:03 Speaker 1: This rapid formation provides a new perspective on how the

9:06 Speaker 1: building blocks of life could develop in star forming regions,

9:10 Speaker 1: suggesting that the ingredients for life might be much more

9:13 Speaker 1: common in the universe than previously thought. The studies model,

9:17 Speaker 1: grounded in a combination of laboratory research and observational data,

9:22 Speaker 1: demonstrates that the heavy irradiation from stellar light in these

9:25 Speaker 1: dust traps can effectively kickstart the creation of large, complex molecules.

9:30 Speaker 1: This new understanding enriches our knowledge of the chemical processes

9:34 Speaker 1: at work in protoplanetary disks and offers insights into the

9:37 Speaker 1: early stages of planetary system formation. One of the leading

9:41 Speaker 1: voices in this research, Neil's Legterink, highlighted the importance of

9:46 Speaker 1: considering the effects of intense radiation on complex chemical processes. Traditionally,

9:51 Speaker 1: scientists have focused on smaller organic molecules, but this study

9:54 Speaker 1: underscores the significance of larger macromolecules in the composition of chondrites,

9:59 Speaker 1: the primitive meteorites rich in organic compounds. Ninke Van der Morel,

10:04 Speaker 1: another co author, voiced her enthusiasm for the study, drawing

10:08 Speaker 1: attention to the unique intersection of astrochemistry observational astronomy, laboratory work,

10:14 Speaker 1: and the study of meteorites. This interdisciplinary approach has allowed

10:18 Speaker 1: researchers to develop a comprehensive model explaining how large organic

10:23 Speaker 1: molecules can form under certain conditions in young star systems.

10:27 Speaker 1: Going forward, the research team aims to explore how different

10:31 Speaker 1: types of dust traps respond to varying levels of radiation

10:35 Speaker 1: and dust motion. This line of investigation will help scientists

10:39 Speaker 1: better understand the potential for life around different types of

10:43 Speaker 1: stars and exoplanets, broadening our grasp of where and how

10:48 Speaker 1: life could arise in the universe. This discovery not only

10:51 Speaker 1: enhances our comprehension of the origin of macromolecules crucial for life,

10:56 Speaker 1: but also opens up new avenues for studying the early

10:59 Speaker 1: chemical environs of emerging planetary systems. It adds another piece

11:04 Speaker 1: to the intricate puzzle of how life's building blocks are

11:06 Speaker 1: assembled in the cosmos. Thank you for tuning in to

11:13 Speaker 1: this episode of Astronomy Daily. I'm anna and it was

11:16 Speaker 1: a pleasure to bring you the latest in astronomical discoveries.

11:20 Speaker 1: Don't forget to visit our website at Astronomy Daily dot io,

11:24 Speaker 1: where you can sign up for our free daily newsletter.

11:27 Speaker 1: Catch up on all the latest space and astronomy news

11:30 Speaker 1: with our constantly updating news feed, and listen to all

11:33 Speaker 1: our back episodes. You can also find us on social media.

11:37 Speaker 1: Just search for Astro Daily Pod on Facebook, x YouTube

11:40 Speaker 1: and TikTok. Until next time, keep looking up Sunday. Start

11:54 Speaker 1: Star story is control