Spectacular Auroras, Suni Williams Retires, China's Space Rescue

Anna: Hello, space enthusiasts. I'm Anna.

Avery: And I'm, um, Avery. Welcome to Astronomy

Daily, your daily dose of space and

astronomy news, brought to you by

astronomydaily IO and what

Anna: Day we have for you today, Avery. If you were

lucky enough to catch the auroras last night,

you know what we're leading with.

Avery: Absolutely, Anna. We're following up on

yesterday's story about that powerful X class

solar flare and the coronal mass ejection

that was racing toward Earth. Well, it hit

and it hit hard.

Anna: That's right. We've got stunning photos from

around the world of the resulting northern

lights. And a retirement announcement from a

legendary NASA astronaut. An incredible

space rescue story from China, and some

exciting updates from the commercial space

sector.

Avery: Plus, we'll tell you about NASA's latest

mission that's preparing to study the Sun's

most powerful eruptions. And we'll take you

on a cosmic journey billions of years into

the past with some fascinating new telescope

observations.

Anna: So grab your coffee, settle in, and let's get

into today's space news.

Avery: All right, Anna, let's dive into our lead

story and what a spectacular show it

was yesterday. We told our listeners about

that x 1.9 solar flare and

coronal mass ejection headed our way.

Well, it arrived right on schedule. In fact,

a little early.

Anna: It certainly did, Avery. The CME

slammed into Earth's magnetic field on

January 19th at around 2:38pm

Eastern Time. And it packed quite a punch.

Space weather forecasters at NOAA's Space

Weather Prediction center confirmed that

geomagnetic conditions escalated to

G4 level. That's classified as

severe on their five point scale.

Avery: And the results were absolutely

breathtaking. What made the CME

particularly noteworthy was just how fast it

traveled. Remember, it was ejected from the

sun on January 18th during that powerful

solar flare, which means it covered roughly

93 million miles in just over a day.

That's exceptionally quick.

Anna: The aurora displays that followed were truly

global in scope. We're seeing reports and

photographs from locations that rarely get to

witness the northern lights. One

photographer, Greg Gage, captured stunning

red auroras from Deming, New Mexico. That's

at 32 degrees latitude. He told

Space.com he was on vacation there and never

expected to see auroras that far south.

Avery: That's incredible. And it wasn't just North

America. The displays stretched across

Europe, Asia and beyond. In

Germany, vivid red and green auroras danced

above the River Mughelspree near Berlin,

Hungary, saw intense red and green hues

filling the skies over the village of.

Anna: Oboivar, uh, France had some particularly

eerie displays with rich magenta

auroras above Brittany. And in China, the

northern lights were visible Above Beiji

village in Heilongjiang province, with

photographers capturing everything from

magenta to green to even hints of blue

in the curtains of light.

Avery: What's particularly interesting about these

displays Is the variety of colors. The

red auroras we're seeing indicate that oxygen

atoms at, uh, very high altitudes around 200

to 300 miles up, are being energized.

The green we typically associate with auroras

Comes from oxygen at lower altitudes, While

any blue would be from nitrogen.

Anna: The geomagnetic conditions throughout the

night Were quite dynamic, too. Storm levels

fluctuated between G1, G2,

G3, and G4 as the CME

passed through Earth's magnetic field.

According to the UK Met Office, this kept

Earth's magnetic field In a highly disturbed

state for hours, Producing repeated surges of

auroral activity.

Avery: And there's more good news for aurora

watchers. While geomagnetic activity Is

expected to gradually ease, Forecasters

say conditions remain unsettled. That means

there's still a chance the northern lights

could make another appearance tonight if

solar, uh, wind conditions cooperate.

Anna: So if you missed last night's show, keep

those cameras charged and your aurora alert

apps turned on. The sun is clearly in an

active phase, and we could see more displays

in the coming days and weeks.

Avery: Absolutely. And this really highlights why we

track space weather so closely. While these

auroras are beautiful, the same geomagnetic

storms can affect satellites, power grids,

and radio communications. It's a reminder of

how our technological society is connected

to what's happening 93 million miles away

on the sun.

Anna: Moving on to our next story. Avery. And this

one marks the end of an era. After

27 years of distinguished service,

NASA astronaut Suni Williams has officially

retired from the agency.

Avery: This is definitely a significant moment.

Anna, uh, Suni Williams has been such an

inspiring figure in human spaceflight. Her

retirement became effective on December 27,

2025, though NASA just announced

it this week. Let's talk about her remarkable

achievements.

Anna: Where do we even start? Over the course of

her career, Williams logged an impressive

608 days in space. That

makes her second on the list for cumulative

time and space by a NASA astronaut. She

completed three missions to the International

Space Station and held numerous records

throughout her career.

Avery: Her most recent mission was particularly

interesting. Williams and fellow astronaut

Butch Wilmore launched aboard Boeing

Starliner spacecraft in June 2024

as part of NASA's Boeing Crew Flight Test

mission, both tied for sixth place on the

list. Of longest single spaceflight by an

American logging 286

days during their combined Starliner and

SpaceX Crew 9 missions.

Anna: That's right. And during that mission,

Williams once again took command of the space

station for Expedition 72. She's also

renowned for her spacewalking expertise. She

completed nine spacewalks totaling 62

hours and six minutes over her career.

Avery: That gives her the record for most spacewalk

time by a woman and fourth most on the all

time cumulative spacewalk duration list.

Oh, and here's a fun fact. She was also the

first person to run a marathon in space.

Anna: Beyond her spaceflight experience, Williams

held numerous important roles at NASA. She

served as Deputy Chief of the Astronaut

Office, was Director of Operations in Star

City, Russia, and most recently helped

establish a helicopter training platform to

prepare astronauts for future moon landings.

Avery: NASA Administrator Jared Eichman had some

wonderful words about her legacy. He called

her a trailblazer in human spaceflight whose

work advancing science and technology has

laid the foundation for Artemis missions to

the moon and future missions to Mars.

Anna: It's worth noting her background too. She's a

retired US Navy captain and an accomplished

pilot with more than 4,000 flight hours in

40 different aircraft. She holds a bachelor's

degree in Physical science from the United

States Naval Academy and a master's degree in

Engineering Management.

Avery: In her retirement statement, Williams said,

anyone who knows me knows that space is my

absolute favorite place to be. She expressed

gratitude for her 27 year career and the

support she received from her colleagues and

mentioned she's excited to watch NASA make

history as the agency continues its

exploration efforts.

Anna: It's a well deserved retirement for someone

who has contributed so much to human

spaceflight. Her achievements will

undoubtedly inspire the next generation of

astronauts and space explorers.

Avery: Alright, Anna, um, our next story is quite

dramatic. It involves a successful space

rescue, emergency repairs, and some

impressive quick thinking by China's space

program.

Anna: This is really a remarkable story, avery.

China's Shenzhou 20 capsule safely

landed in Inner Mongolia on January 19,

2026 after spending 270

days in orbit. But the journey

back wasn't exactly routine. This

mission became one of the most technically

demanding in China's human spaceflight

history.

Avery: The Shenzhou 20 was originally launched back

on April 24, 2025 from

the Jiuquan Satellite Launch Center. It was

expected to complete its mission and return

in November 2025. But then

came the complication. A, uh, suspected

impact with space debris damaged one of the

capsule's portholes.

Anna: Talk about a critical issue. A cracked

porthole on a spacecraft is serious business,

especially when you're thinking about the

intense heat and forces of re entry through

Earth's atmosphere. So how did China's

space program respond?

Avery: With remarkable speed and coordination.

First they authorized astronauts aboard the

Shenzhou 21 spacecraft to photograph the

damaged porthole during a spacewalk on

December 9. They used high definition

cameras to get a detailed diagnosis of the

problem.

Anna: And then came an unprecedented move.

China launched Shenzhou 22 on

November 25. Marking the first rapid

response emergency deployment in China's

space history. This uncrewed craft delivered

a specially engineered repair device

designed to enhance the capsule's heat

resistance and sealing for re entry.

Avery: Meanwhile, for safety reasons, the crew of

Shenzhou 20 was evacuated ahead of

schedule. They returned aboard Shenzhou

21 on November 14th in what the China

Manned Space Agency called an emergency

reroute.

Anna: So uh, the Shenzhou 20 capsule came home

empty, but it came home safe. According

to cgtn, the China Manned Space

Agency declared the mission uh, a complete

success after an on site inspection

confirmed the capsule was in good condition

despite everything it went through.

Avery: What really stands out here is the

operational capability. This demonstrates

China executed three overlapping missions,

Shenzhou 20, 21 and 22

over a span of just weeks. That shows

significant operational depth and uh, the

ability to respond to emergencies in space.

Anna: Absolutely. And it's not just about the

technical achievement. This validates China's

long term approach to maintaining crew

vehicles in orbit. The Shenzhou 20

stayed up there for 270 days

which demonstrates the reliability of their

spacecraft systems.

Avery: This mission also underscores something we

talk about often, the very real danger

posed by space debris. Even small particles

traveling at orbital velocities can cause

significant damage as we saw here with the

porthole crack.

Anna: And China's ability to handle this situation

adds to their growing reputation in space

exploration. They're now capable of managing

multi vessel operations under pressure with

modular mission architecture and long term

crew support capabilities.

Avery: Congratulations to all involved in this very

successful mission. In the end.

Anna: Moving on to our next story, Avery. And we're

heading to West Texas where Blue Origin is

preparing for its next suborbital space

tourism mission.

Avery: That's right Anna. Uh, Blue Origin is

scheduled to launch six space tourists on its

NS38 mission this Thursday, January

22nd. The launch window opens at

9:30am Eastern Time. That's

8:30am M local Texas time.

Anna: This will be the 38th flight of Blue

Origin's New Shepard rocket capsule system.

And if all goes according to plan, the 17th

crewed mission they've flown the mission

follows the same profile we've seen before.

About 10 to 12 minutes from liftoff to the

capsule's parachute aided touchdown.

Avery: During that brief but spectacular journey,

passengers will experience a few minutes of

weightlessness and get to see Earth against

the blackness of space from an altitude above

the Karman Line, which is generally

recognized as the boundary of space.

Anna: Now, let's talk about who's flying. We have

entrepreneur and pilot Tim Drexler,

retired obstetrician and gynecologist Linda

Edwards, real estate developer and investor

Elaine Fernandez, entrepreneur and

technologist Alberto Gutierrez, and

retired US Air Force Colonel Jim Hendren,

who founded Hendren Plastics, Inc. And

there's an interesting.

Avery: Late addition to the crew manifest. Blue

Origin just announced that Lara Stiles, who

is Blue Origin's director of New Shepard

launch Operations, will be flying on this

mission.

Anna: That's a pretty cool opportunity for someone

who's been so involved in making these

missions happen. Dials is actually a late

replacement for a passenger who had to drop

out due to illness. Though that person will

get to fly on a future mission.

Avery: Blue Origin has been steadily building their

flight rate. Just last month, they made

history by flying the first wheelchair user

to space on their NS37 mission. They're

really demonstrating that spaceflight can be

accessible to a diverse range of people.

Anna: Now, Blue Origin hasn't publicly disclosed

their ticket prices, but we know their main

competitor Virgin Galactic charges

$600,000 per seat for similar

suborbital flights. So we can probably assume

Blue Origin's prices are in that same

ballpark.

Avery: If you want to watch this launch, Blue Origin

typically livestreams our missions, and

Space.com will likely carry the feat as well.

It's always exciting to watch these launches.

That New Shepard rocket is quite a sight to

see.

Anna: Absolutely. And it's worth noting how routine

these launches are becoming. Blue Origin is

really building up their experience with

regular crewed flights, which is essential

for the commercial space tourism industry.

Avery: Our next story takes us from suborbital

tourism to cutting edge heliophysics

research.

Anna. Uh, NASA Sunrise, that's the Sun

Radio Interometer Space Experiment is moving

closer to its launch later this year after

successfully completing a rigorous series of

tests.

Anna: This is such a fascinating mission. Avery

Sunrise consists of six smallsats.

They're about the size of a toaster oven that

will fly in formation to act as one giant

radio telescope studying the sun.

Avery: That's the clever part. These six smallsats

will orbit at about 22,000 miles

altitude, which is geosynchronous orbit.

Flying up to 10 miles apart from each other.

By combining their observations Using a

technique called interferometry, they'll

create what's essentially A single large

radio telescope in space.

Anna: And what will they be looking at? Solar

radio bursts. These bursts are generated

by solar energetic particle events Deep

within the sun's atmosphere, or corona. In

extreme cases, these events could pose

radiation hazards to unprotected astronauts

and damaged satellites.

Avery: The spacecraft were built At Utah State

University's Space Dynamics laboratory in

Logan, Utah, and they just completed what's

described As a rigorous testing campaign.

This included thermal vacuum testing to

simulate orbital conditions, Electromagnetic

compatibility testing to ensure the

electronic systems Won't interfere With the

sensitive instruments, and most dramatically,

vibration testing.

Anna: The vibration testing is crucial because

launch is an incredibly violent event.

Jim Lux, the Sunrise project manager at

NASA's Jet Propulsion Laboratory, Explained

that each spacecraft was loaded with

propellant to match its launch mass and then

subjected to vibration testing in all three

axes.

Avery: They wanted to make the simulated vibrations

as true to the actual launch conditions as

possible. And here's the important part.

Pre and post test functional checks were

performed and all six spacecraft passed with

flying colors.

Anna: The mission is scheduled to launch From Cape

Canaveral Space Force Station in Florida

Aboard a, uh ULA launch Vulcan Centaur

rocket As a rideshare mission. Once in orbit,

each satellite will deploy four telescoping

antenna booms about 10ft long,

forming an X shaped configuration.

Avery: Sue Lepre, the sunrise principal investigator

at the University of Michigan, Points out

that these solar radio bursts Are triggered

when vast quantities of energy Stored in the

sun's magnetic field Accelerate solar

particles to high speeds. Tracking these

events will help space agencies Protect

astronauts and spacecraft.

Anna: And this mission will work in conjunction

with other NASA heliophysics missions like

the Solar Terrestrial Relations Observatory,

the Parker Solar probe, and Solar

Orbiter, which is an international

cooperative mission with esa.

Avery: It's exciting to see these missions coming

together Between Parker Solar Probe diving

close to the sun, Solar Orbiter studying the

polar regions, and now Sunrise tracking radio

bursts from Earth orbit. We're building a

comprehensive picture of our star's behavior.

Anna: And now for our final story. Avery. We're

going to talk about something that's never

been seen before in quite this

Planetary systems in their awkward

teenage years.

Avery: Love that description, Anna. Astronomers

using the Atacama Large Millimeter

Submillimeter Array, better known as Alma,

have captured the most detailed images ever

of 24 debris disks. These are the

dusty belts left behind after planets have

finished forming.

Anna: The survey is called arcs, which stands for

the ALMA Survey to Resolve

Exoker belt substructures.

Meredith Hughes, an associate professor at

Wesleyan University and co principal

investigator, explains it perfectly.

We've often seen the baby pictures of planets

forming, but until now, the teenage years

have been a missing link.

Avery: And just like human teenagers, these systems

turned out to be quite dramatic. The

observations revealed incredible diversity.

Not just simple rings, but multi ring

belts, wide smooth halos, sharp

edges, and even unexpected arcs and clumps.

Anna: This phase is really important because these

debris disks represent what's called the

collision dominated phase of planet

formation. Think of it like our own solar

system's Kuiper Belt, that ring of icy

debris beyond Neptune that preserves a record

of massive collisions and planetary

migrations from billions of years ago.

Avery: Thomas Henning from the Max Planck Institute

for Astronomy, another co principal

investigator, notes that by characterizing

these disk structures, they can find evidence

pointing to the presence of planets. They're

using ALMA alongside direct imaging and radio

velocity studies to search for young planets

in these systems.

Anna: One of the challenges with studying debris

disks is that they're incredibly faint,

hundreds or even thousands of times dimmer

than the bright gas rich disks where planets

are actively being born. But alma's

sensitivity and resolution made these.

Avery: Observations possible, and the findings

are fascinating. About one third of the

observed disks show clear substructures,

like multiple rings or distinct gaps.

These could be legacy features from earlier

planet building stages, or they could be

sculpted by planets over much longer

timescales.

Anna: Perhaps most surprising, several of these

disks retain gas much longer than expected.

In some systems, this lingering gas might

actually shape the chemistry of growing

planets. Or it might push dust into

wide halos.

Avery: Many of the disks also show asymmetries and

arcs. They're lopsided with bright arcs

or eccentric shapes. This hints, uh, at

gravitational interactions with unseen

planets, leftover scars from planetary

migration or interactions between the gas

and dust.

Anna: Luca Matra from Trinity College Dublin,

another co principal investigator, puts it

beautifully. These disks record a

period when planetary orbits were being

scrambled and huge impacts like the one

that forged Earth's Moon were shaping young

solar systems.

Avery: And here's some great news for the scientific

community. All of the ARC's observations and

process data are being made freely available

to astronomers worldwide. Which means we can

expect even more discoveries from this data

set in the coming years.

Anna: Meredith Hughes sums up the significance

perfectly. This project gives us a new

lens for interpreting the craters on the

Moon, the dynamics of the Kuiper Belt, and

the growth of planets big and small.

It's like adding the missing pages to the

solar system's family album.

Avery: Well, that wraps up today's episode of

Astronomy Daily. What an incredible day of

space news we've covered.

Anna: From spectacular auroras, lighting up

skies around the globe, to the retirement of

a legendary astronaut, emergency space

repairs by China, exciting commercial

space launches, and groundbreaking

observations of planetary systems, it's

been quite a journey through the cosmos.

Avery: And remember, if you want to stay up to date

with all the latest space and astronomy news,

visit our

[email protected]. you

can also find us on all major social media

platforms. Just search for astrodaily

Pod.

Anna: That's astrodaily pod. All one word.

We'd love to hear from you and see your

aurora photos if you caught last night's

display.

Avery: Thanks for joining us today, space fans. Keep

looking up and we'll see you tomorrow with

more exciting space and astronomy news.

Anna: Until then, clear skies, everyone.

Avery: Told.

In this episode