S03E194: Black Holes' Dark Energy Dance, Neutron Star's Speed Record, and Mars' Green Mystery

0:00 Speaker 1: Welcome to Astronomy Daily, your daily dose of space and

0:02 Speaker 1: astronomy news. I'm Anna, and we've got an absolutely packed

0:06 Speaker 1: show for you today, filled with groundbreaking discoveries from across

0:09 Speaker 1: the Cosmos. We'll be diving into fascinating new research that

0:13 Speaker 1: suggests black holes might hold the key to understanding dark energy,

0:18 Speaker 1: and we'll explore an incredible discovery of one of the

0:20 Speaker 1: fastest spinning neutron stars ever observed in our galaxy. We'll

0:25 Speaker 1: also look at NASA's innovative new Solar observatory headed to

0:28 Speaker 1: the International Space Station and discuss the upcoming mission to

0:32 Speaker 1: map water on the Moon. But that's not all. We've

0:35 Speaker 1: got some exciting findings from the James Web Space Telescope

0:38 Speaker 1: about planet forming disks around failed stars, and we'll wrap

0:42 Speaker 1: up with the latest intriguing discovery from the Perseverance Rover

0:45 Speaker 1: on Mars. So stick around as we journey through today's

0:48 Speaker 1: biggest space in astronomy stories. Our universe is a mysterious place,

0:53 Speaker 1: and one of its biggest puzzles has always been what

0:56 Speaker 1: exactly makes up most of it? Would you believe that

0:59 Speaker 1: everything we can see, see and touch, all the stars, planets, galaxies,

1:03 Speaker 1: and even US only accounts for about five percent of

1:06 Speaker 1: the universe. Scientists have long wondered about the other ninety

1:09 Speaker 1: five percent, and now they might be onto something big

1:12 Speaker 1: involving black holes. Of all things, A wopping seventy percent

1:17 Speaker 1: of our universe is made up of something called dark energy,

1:21 Speaker 1: a force that's driving the universe's accelerating expansion. It's been

1:26 Speaker 1: doing this since the Cosmos began its inflation thirteen point

1:29 Speaker 1: eight billion years ago. The remaining twenty five percent is

1:33 Speaker 1: dark matter, which we can only detect through its gravitational

1:36 Speaker 1: effects on galaxies. Now, researchers think black holes might help

1:40 Speaker 1: us understand how dark energy works. As Gregory Tarrel from

1:44 Speaker 1: the University of Michigan explains, black holes are the only

1:47 Speaker 1: places in today's universe where gravity is as strong as

1:50 Speaker 1: it was at the beginning of time. His team suggests

1:53 Speaker 1: that when massive stars collapse into black holes, they might

1:56 Speaker 1: actually be converting matter back into dark energy, like a

1:59 Speaker 1: cosmic recycling program running in reverse. This theory is getting

2:04 Speaker 1: support from observations made by the Dark Energy Spectroscopic Instrument,

2:08 Speaker 1: or DC, which uses five thousand robotic eyes to study

2:12 Speaker 1: the Cosmos. The team found that as new black holes

2:15 Speaker 1: form from dying stars, the amount of dark energy in

2:18 Speaker 1: the universe increases in a corresponding way. It's like watching

2:22 Speaker 1: two sides of the same cosmic equation balance out. What

2:26 Speaker 1: makes this discovery particularly exciting is that it's no longer

2:29 Speaker 1: just theoretical. Scientists can now actually test these ideas through

2:33 Speaker 1: observations watching how black holes might be coupling with and

2:37 Speaker 1: growing alongside our expanding universe. They're studying tens of millions

2:42 Speaker 1: of distant galaxies to track how fast the universe is

2:45 Speaker 1: expanding at different points in its history, giving us new

2:48 Speaker 1: insights into how dark energy changes over time. Whether or

2:51 Speaker 1: not black holes turn out to be the source of

2:53 Speaker 1: dark energy, this research is pushing us closer to understanding

2:57 Speaker 1: one of the universe's most fundamental mystery, and that's what

3:01 Speaker 1: makes astronomy so fascinating. Just when we think we've got

3:04 Speaker 1: things figured out, the cosmos throws us another curveball to unravel.

3:09 Speaker 1: Next on the agenda today, in an exciting breakthrough from

3:13 Speaker 1: the world of astronomy, researchers at DTU Space have discovered

3:16 Speaker 1: one of the fastest spinning objects ever observed in our

3:19 Speaker 1: Milky Way using an X ray telescope mounted on the

3:22 Speaker 1: International Space Station. They've identified a neutron star that's spinning

3:26 Speaker 1: at the mind boggling speed of seven hundred and sixteen

3:30 Speaker 1: times per second. This remarkable celestial object is part of

3:33 Speaker 1: what we call an X ray binary star system, located

3:37 Speaker 1: in the Sagittarius constellation near our galaxies center known as

3:41 Speaker 1: four U eighteen twenty to thirty. This system is giving

3:44 Speaker 1: us an unprecedented look at one of the universe's most

3:47 Speaker 1: extreme phenomena. To put this discovery in perspective, let's talk

3:50 Speaker 1: about what we're actually looking at. This neutron star is

3:53 Speaker 1: incredibly small, only about twelve kilometers in diameter, but don't

3:57 Speaker 1: let its size fool you. It packs up mass one

4:00 Speaker 1: point four times that of our Sun into that tiny space.

4:04 Speaker 1: Sitting about twenty six thousand light years from Earth. The

4:07 Speaker 1: light we're seeing from it has been traveling toward us

4:09 Speaker 1: for twenty six thousand years. What makes this system even

4:13 Speaker 1: more fascinating is its companion star, a white dwarf about

4:17 Speaker 1: the size of Earth. This pair performs an incredibly fast

4:21 Speaker 1: orbital dance, with the white dwarf completing its orbit around

4:24 Speaker 1: the neutron star every eleven minutes. That's the shortest orbital

4:28 Speaker 1: period we've ever seen in systems like this. The gravitational

4:31 Speaker 1: forces at play here are intense. The neutron Star's powerful

4:34 Speaker 1: gravity pulls material from its companion, building up on its

4:37 Speaker 1: surface until it triggers violent thermonuclear bursts. These explosions release

4:42 Speaker 1: energy comparable to an atomic bomb and can make the

4:45 Speaker 1: neutron stars shine up to one hundred thousand times brighter

4:47 Speaker 1: than our Sun. This discovery isn't just about breaking speed records.

4:52 Speaker 1: It's providing us with valuable insights into the life cycles

4:55 Speaker 1: of binary star systems and how elements form in our universe.

5:00 Speaker 1: It's another piece in the puzzle of understanding these fascinating

5:03 Speaker 1: cosmic objects that push the boundaries of physics as we

5:06 Speaker 1: know it. Next up in groundbreaking news for solar research,

5:10 Speaker 1: NASA is preparing to launch an innovative new instrument called

5:14 Speaker 1: Codex to the International Space Station next November. This cutting

5:18 Speaker 1: edge solar coronagraph will give us unprecedented views of our

5:22 Speaker 1: Sun's outer atmosphere and help unlock the mysteries of the

5:25 Speaker 1: solar wind. What makes CODEX special is its unique ability

5:29 Speaker 1: to not just observe the Sun's corona, but to measure

5:32 Speaker 1: both the temperature and speed of the solar wind as

5:34 Speaker 1: it forms. Previous coronagraphs could only capture images of plasma density,

5:39 Speaker 1: but Codex's special filters will provide a much more complete

5:42 Speaker 1: picture of how the solar wind evolves from its berth

5:45 Speaker 1: at the Sun's surface. The timing couldn't be better for

5:48 Speaker 1: this mission, as the Sun is currently at its solar maximum,

5:51 Speaker 1: a period of peak activity in its eleven year cycle.

5:55 Speaker 1: This means CODEX will be able to study different types

5:57 Speaker 1: of solar wind that are only present during this active phase,

6:01 Speaker 1: including fascinating blobs of hot plasma that form when magnetic

6:05 Speaker 1: field loops open up and release their contents into space.

6:09 Speaker 1: One of the key mysteries CODEX aims to solve is

6:12 Speaker 1: why the solar wind reaches such extreme temperatures about one

6:16 Speaker 1: point eight million degrees fahrenheit, which is remarkably one hundred

6:19 Speaker 1: and seventy five times hotter than the Sun's surface. It

6:23 Speaker 1: will also study how this superheated plasma accelerates to speeds

6:26 Speaker 1: of nearly a million miles per hour as it streams

6:29 Speaker 1: outward from the Sun. This mission builds on years of research,

6:33 Speaker 1: including ground based experiments during solar eclipses and high altitude

6:38 Speaker 1: balloon tests. Now, by placing Codex on the space station,

6:43 Speaker 1: scientists can finally observe the Sun's corona without interference from

6:46 Speaker 1: Earth's atmosphere, giving us our clearest view yet of these

6:50 Speaker 1: fundamental solar processes. Understanding how the solar wind forms and

6:54 Speaker 1: evolves is crucial for predicting space weather conditions that can

6:58 Speaker 1: affect everything from satellites to power grids here on Earth.

7:02 Speaker 1: Just as meteorologists need to understand atmospheric conditions to forecast hurricanes,

7:07 Speaker 1: space weather forecasters need to understand the environment through which

7:10 Speaker 1: solar storms travel. Codex will provide vital data to help

7:14 Speaker 1: improve these predictions and protect our technology dependent society. Now

7:20 Speaker 1: moving on to another mystery that's about to become one

7:22 Speaker 1: step closer to being answered. NASA's ambitious Lunar Trailblazer mission

7:26 Speaker 1: is gearing up to solve one of the Moon's most

7:28 Speaker 1: intriguing mysteries, the presence and behavior of water on our

7:31 Speaker 1: celestial neighbor. While scientists have long suspected water exists on

7:36 Speaker 1: the Moon, we still have many questions about where exactly

7:39 Speaker 1: it is, what form it takes, and how it moves

7:42 Speaker 1: across the lunar surface. Set to launch next year, this

7:46 Speaker 1: compact but powerful satellite will orbit just sixty miles above

7:49 Speaker 1: the lunar surface, creating the most detailed maps ever of

7:53 Speaker 1: lunar water distribution. Using two sophisticated instruments, the High resolution

7:59 Speaker 1: Volatile Aisles and Minerals Moon Mapper and the Lunar Thermal Mapper,

8:04 Speaker 1: it will track not just where water exists, but also

8:07 Speaker 1: its abundance, chemical composition, and how it changes over time.

8:11 Speaker 1: This mission could be revolutionary for future lunar exploration. Understanding

8:16 Speaker 1: the Moon's water resources could help establish sustainable human presence

8:19 Speaker 1: on the lunar surface, as water can be processed into

8:23 Speaker 1: breathable oxygen and even rocket fuel. But beyond practical applications,

8:27 Speaker 1: the data could also reveal fascinating details about the Moon's history,

8:32 Speaker 1: much like how ice cores on Earth tell us about

8:34 Speaker 1: our planets past. The mission will investigate whether lunar water

8:37 Speaker 1: stays locked in minerals or migrates across the surface in

8:40 Speaker 1: daily cycles, potentially forming frost in extremely cold regions before

8:45 Speaker 1: evaporating and redepositing elsewhere. This could help us understand similar

8:50 Speaker 1: processes on other airless bodies throughout our Solar system. For

8:53 Speaker 1: scientists like Bethany Alman, the mission's principal investigator, these findings

8:58 Speaker 1: could even provide clues about Earth's own water origin story.

9:03 Speaker 1: By analyzing the chemical composition of lunar ice, particularly in

9:07 Speaker 1: permanently shadowed craters, researchers might finally determine whether the Moon's

9:11 Speaker 1: water arrived via comet impacts or emerge during its volcanic past.

9:16 Speaker 1: Speaking of space mysteries, in an exciting new discovery, the

9:20 Speaker 1: James Webb Space Telescope has confirmed for the first time

9:23 Speaker 1: that planet forming disks exist around brown dwarfs in the

9:27 Speaker 1: Orion Nebula. These fascinating objects, often called failed stars, appear

9:33 Speaker 1: to have the same potential for planetary formation as their

9:35 Speaker 1: larger stellar cousins. Located just one thousand, five hundred light

9:40 Speaker 1: years from Earth, the orion Nebula has proven to be

9:43 Speaker 1: the perfect laboratory for this groundbreaking research. Using web's superior

9:48 Speaker 1: infrared capabilities, astronomers have identified at least twenty brown dwarfs

9:53 Speaker 1: surrounded by protoplanetary disks, the same kind of structures that

9:56 Speaker 1: give birth to planets around normal stars. The smallest of

10:00 Speaker 1: these newly discovered objects is truly remarkable, measuring at just

10:04 Speaker 1: five times the mass of Jupiter. That's a mere fraction

10:07 Speaker 1: of our Sun's mass, yet it still maintains its own

10:10 Speaker 1: disc of gas and dust. Two other objects were found

10:14 Speaker 1: right at the boundary between brown dwarfs and proper stars,

10:17 Speaker 1: with masses about three quarters that of our Sun, making

10:21 Speaker 1: their exact classification a fascinating puzzle for astronomers. This discovery

10:26 Speaker 1: challenges our previous understanding of how planetary systems might form.

10:31 Speaker 1: These flattened clouds of gas and dust surrounding brown dwarfs

10:35 Speaker 1: suggest that even these cosmic underdogs might have the potential

10:38 Speaker 1: to form their own family of planets, despite never achieving

10:41 Speaker 1: true stardom through nuclear fusion. The findings open up exciting

10:46 Speaker 1: new possibilities for planetary formation theories and suggests that planetary

10:51 Speaker 1: systems might be even more common in our galaxy than

10:54 Speaker 1: previously thought. With hundreds more potential Brown dwarfs in the

10:58 Speaker 1: Orion nebula weigh to be studied, Webb's continued observations could

11:03 Speaker 1: reveal even more surprises about these mysterious objects and their

11:06 Speaker 1: potential role as planet hosts. Now Let's head over to

11:10 Speaker 1: Mars for an update and yet another intriguing discovery. As

11:13 Speaker 1: NASA's Perseverance rover approaches its fourth year exploring the Martian surface,

11:18 Speaker 1: it continues to make fascinating fines. The latest comes from

11:22 Speaker 1: a nighttime image taken at a location called Serpentine Rapids,

11:26 Speaker 1: where the rover has spotted something unexpected, patches of green

11:30 Speaker 1: coloring within the red Martian rocks. Using its Sherlock Watson camera,

11:35 Speaker 1: Perseverance captured these intriguing features while examining an abrasian patch

11:40 Speaker 1: in a rock formation known as Wallace Butte. The green spot,

11:45 Speaker 1: measuring about two millimeters across, stands out dramatically against the

11:49 Speaker 1: rust colored Martian landscape. What makes this discovery particularly interesting

11:55 Speaker 1: is that similar features on Earth typically form when liquid

11:59 Speaker 1: water seeps through sediment before it hardens into rock. The

12:03 Speaker 1: process triggers a chemical reaction that transforms oxidized iron, the

12:08 Speaker 1: same compound that gives Mars its distinctive red color, into

12:11 Speaker 1: its reduced form, creating these greenish hues. While microbes can

12:16 Speaker 1: play a role in this process, on Earth, the green

12:18 Speaker 1: coloring could also result from decaying organic matter or chemical

12:22 Speaker 1: interactions between sulfur and iron. Unfortunately, due to the challenging

12:27 Speaker 1: positioning of the spot, Perseverance wasn't able to conduct a

12:31 Speaker 1: detailed analysis with its sophisticated instruments. As the rover prepares

12:35 Speaker 1: for its next adventure, ascending the steep terrain of Jesuro

12:39 Speaker 1: Crater's rim before leaving the area it is called home

12:41 Speaker 1: for two years, this discovery adds another piece to the

12:44 Speaker 1: puzzle of Mars's potentially water rich past. These green spots

12:49 Speaker 1: might be telling us an important story about the red

12:51 Speaker 1: planet's ancient environmental conditions and its potential for having once

12:56 Speaker 1: harbored life. And that wraps up today fascinating journey through space.

13:02 Speaker 1: I'm Anna, and we've covered some incredible stories today, from

13:06 Speaker 1: the mysterious connection between black holes and dark energy, to

13:09 Speaker 1: a record breaking neutron star, exciting developments and solar studies,

13:13 Speaker 1: lunar exploration, and those intriguing green spots on Mars discovered

13:18 Speaker 1: by Perseverance. If you'd like to dive deeper into any

13:21 Speaker 1: of these stories or stay up to date with the

13:23 Speaker 1: latest developments in space and astronomy, head over to Astronomy

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13:51 Speaker 1: about the cosmos. The story is the te story is

14:12 Speaker 1: the tem