S03E130: Revolutionary Cubesat Launch, Planetary Defense Success, and Earth's Rotational Mysteries

0:00 Speaker 1: Welcome to Astronomy Daily, the podcast where we bring you

0:03 Speaker 1: the latest space in astronomy news. I'm your host Anna.

0:06 Speaker 1: Today we have an exciting lineup of stories that you

0:09 Speaker 1: won't want to miss. We're starting off with the launch

0:12 Speaker 1: of ESA's new pasat to satellite, which aims to revolutionize

0:17 Speaker 1: Earth observation through the power of artificial intelligence. Next, we'll

0:21 Speaker 1: dive into NASA's Dart mission, which not only managed to

0:24 Speaker 1: deflect an asteroid, but also offered invaluable insights into planetary

0:27 Speaker 1: defense strategies. We'll also explore how astronomers are making strides

0:31 Speaker 1: and predicting the feeding times of black holes. Yes, you

0:34 Speaker 1: heard that right, the cosmic voids have dinner schedules. Finally,

0:38 Speaker 1: we'll delve into a fascinating study that uncovers Earth's rotational history,

0:42 Speaker 1: revealing a pattern that has implications for major environmental events

0:46 Speaker 1: across millions of years. So sit back, relax, and get

0:49 Speaker 1: ready to journey through the cosmos with us. ESA's nupsat

0:54 Speaker 1: to satellite has officially launched, marking a revolutionary advancement in

0:57 Speaker 1: Earth observation through artificial intelligence. This innovative cube sat, which

1:02 Speaker 1: embarked on its journey aboard a SpaceX Falcon nine rocket

1:05 Speaker 1: is set to push the boundaries of how we monitor

1:07 Speaker 1: our planet advocate for smarter and more efficient planetary monitoring.

1:11 Speaker 1: Peak SAT two will play a crucial role in disaster response,

1:15 Speaker 1: maritime monitoring, and environmental protection. What's particularly groundbreaking about SAT

1:21 Speaker 1: two is its ability to process and analyze imagery in

1:24 Speaker 1: real time thanks to its state of the art multi

1:27 Speaker 1: spectral camera and onboard AI computer. Unlike traditional satellites that

1:31 Speaker 1: send vast amounts of raw data back to Earth for processing,

1:35 Speaker 1: SAT two does the heavy lifting in orbit. This means

1:38 Speaker 1: that only the most essential and useful information is transmitted

1:41 Speaker 1: back to US. Cloud detection, street map generation, maritime vessel detection,

1:46 Speaker 1: and even wildfire spotting are just a few of the

1:48 Speaker 1: tasks this mighty little satellite can handle. With this real

1:51 Speaker 1: time processing capability, decision makers can act quicker and more effectively,

1:56 Speaker 1: making set to a game changer in the field of

1:59 Speaker 1: Earth observation. NASA's Double Asteroid Redirection Test DART mission has

2:06 Speaker 1: made a significant splash and planetary defense by successfully demonstrating

2:09 Speaker 1: the ability to deflect an asteroid. The mission involves sending

2:12 Speaker 1: a spacecraft to collide deliberately with the moonlit Dimorphose, which

2:16 Speaker 1: is part of the binary asteroid system Ditamos. This intentional

2:20 Speaker 1: impact not only showcased kinetic impact as a viable method

2:23 Speaker 1: to prevent potential asteroid impacts on Earth, but also yielded

2:27 Speaker 1: a treasure trove of scientific data about the asteroids themselves.

2:31 Speaker 1: Following the Dart collision, extensive studies have been conducted on

2:34 Speaker 1: the Ditamos asteroid systems geological and physical properties. Researchers have

2:39 Speaker 1: unraveled fascinating insights into the formation processes and internal structures

2:44 Speaker 1: of these celestial bodies. Their findings highlighted the contrast between

2:48 Speaker 1: the rugged topography of Dimorphose, which is populated with boulders

2:52 Speaker 1: of varying sizes, and the smoother, yet cratered surface of

2:55 Speaker 1: the larger Ditamos. This research has provided a clear understanding

2:59 Speaker 1: of the evolutionary processes that shape binary asteroid systems and

3:04 Speaker 1: how they might respond to impacts, significantly enhancing our knowledge

3:08 Speaker 1: and preparedness for planetary defense. Astronomers have made an impressive

3:13 Speaker 1: leap in our understanding of black holes by successfully predicting

3:16 Speaker 1: the meal times of a colossal black hole. This prediction

3:20 Speaker 1: came after observing the black hole's consumption of a nearby

3:23 Speaker 1: star in bits and pieces. The initial data was captured

3:26 Speaker 1: in twenty eighteen when a surge of brightness was detected

3:29 Speaker 1: from a galaxy about eight hundred sixty million light years away.

3:33 Speaker 1: This flare, up compared to turning on a cosmic light

3:35 Speaker 1: switch billions of times brighter than our Sun, signaled that

3:39 Speaker 1: a star was being shredded and devoured by a supermassive

3:42 Speaker 1: black hole residing at the galaxy's center. The star's material

3:46 Speaker 1: heated up as it approached the black hole, emitting X

3:49 Speaker 1: ray and ultraviolet signals picked up by space telescopes. These

3:52 Speaker 1: signals faded after about a year, suggesting the black hole

3:56 Speaker 1: had ingested the star. However, the signals surged again two

3:59 Speaker 1: years later, indicating that the core of the star had

4:02 Speaker 1: survived the initial pass. Using a model based on telescope data,

4:06 Speaker 1: astronomers forecasted the black holes second to last meal before

4:10 Speaker 1: August twenty twenty three. Their findings were confirmed through follow

4:13 Speaker 1: up observations with the Chandra X ray telescope. Remarkably, the

4:17 Speaker 1: star's orbit suggests that the next feeding will occur between

4:20 Speaker 1: May and August next year, lasting for nearly two years.

4:24 Speaker 1: This prediction model offers new ways to study and understand

4:27 Speaker 1: the periodic feeding patterns and elusive behaviors of black holes.

4:33 Speaker 1: A recent study has uncovered intriguing details about the Earth's

4:36 Speaker 1: rotational history, revealing a staircase pattern of deceleration interspersed with

4:40 Speaker 1: periods of stability. By analyzing sediment samples dating back as

4:44 Speaker 1: staggering six hundred and fifty million years, researchers have pieced

4:48 Speaker 1: together how our planet's spin has changed over the eons.

4:52 Speaker 1: This research, published in the Proceedings of the National Academy

4:55 Speaker 1: of Sciences, highlights how Earth's rotation is in a smooth decline,

5:00 Speaker 1: but rather a series of gradual slow downs followed by

5:02 Speaker 1: stable phases. What's fascinating is that these slow downs and

5:06 Speaker 1: periods of stability seem to align with major environmental events.

5:10 Speaker 1: For instance, one stable period coincided with the Cambrian explosion,

5:14 Speaker 1: a time of dramatic increase in animal diversity. Another stable

5:17 Speaker 1: period matched the largest known mass extinction event. The study

5:21 Speaker 1: suggests these could be more than mere coincidences, providing a

5:25 Speaker 1: deeper understanding of how Earth's rotation and tidal forces have

5:29 Speaker 1: interacted throughout history. The sediment data also indicates that the

5:33 Speaker 1: Moon was about twenty thousand kilometers farther from Earth than

5:36 Speaker 1: it is now, and Earth days were roughly two point

5:39 Speaker 1: two hours longer. As scientists continue to delve into this research,

5:44 Speaker 1: they hope to uncover more links between our planet's rotational

5:47 Speaker 1: changes and significant environmental shifts. That's it for today's episode

5:53 Speaker 1: of Astronomy Daily. I've been your host Anna. If you

5:56 Speaker 1: enjoyed today's stories, be sure to visit our website at

5:59 Speaker 1: Astronomy d Daily dot io, where you can sign up

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6:15 Speaker 1: next time. Sunday Starstito Starzo story