Vulcan Rocket Success and a Peculiar Galaxy

0:00 Speaker 1: Welcome to Astronomy Daily, your source for the latest space

0:03 Speaker 1: in astronomy news. I'm your host, Anna, and we've got

0:05 Speaker 1: an exciting lineup of stories for you today, from groundbreaking

0:09 Speaker 1: rocket launches to mind bending discoveries in the depths of space.

0:12 Speaker 1: We'll be covering the most recent developments in space exploration

0:16 Speaker 1: and astronomical research. We'll dive into United Launch Alliance's latest

0:20 Speaker 1: Vulcan rocket flight, explore a peculiar galaxy captured by the

0:23 Speaker 1: Hubble Space Telescope, and preview Blue Origin's upcoming spacecraft debut.

0:28 Speaker 1: We'll also discuss a record breaking triple Star system, examine

0:33 Speaker 1: surprising findings from the James Webb Space Telescope about early galaxies,

0:38 Speaker 1: and catch up with NASA's Parker Solar Probe as it

0:41 Speaker 1: continues its close encounters with our son. So buckle up

0:44 Speaker 1: and get ready for a journey through the cosmos as

0:46 Speaker 1: we explore these fascinating stories from the world of astronomy

0:49 Speaker 1: and space science. United Launch Alliance's second Vulcan rocket flight

0:54 Speaker 1: took off last Friday, marking a crucial test in the

0:57 Speaker 1: company's efforts to certify the new launcher for high priority

1:00 Speaker 1: national security missions. While the rocket successfully reached orbit. The

1:04 Speaker 1: flight wasn't without drama. One of the two solid propellants

1:07 Speaker 1: strap on boosters, experienced an anomaly during the ascent. About

1:11 Speaker 1: thirty seven seconds after liftoff, observers noticed a shower of

1:14 Speaker 1: sparks and what appeared to be debris falling away from

1:17 Speaker 1: the right side booster. The issue seemed to originate near

1:20 Speaker 1: the nozzle at the base of the booster, causing a

1:23 Speaker 1: noticeable change in the exhaust plumes shape. Despite this setback,

1:27 Speaker 1: the vulcan continued its climb to space, demonstrating impressive resilience.

1:31 Speaker 1: The core stage's two Blue Origin built B four engines,

1:34 Speaker 1: each generating five hundred fifty thousand pounds of thrust, carried

1:38 Speaker 1: on with the mission. After the first stage separation, the

1:41 Speaker 1: Centaur upper stage took over, completing two burns to demonstrate

1:45 Speaker 1: its ability to restart in space, a key requirement for

1:48 Speaker 1: complex military payload trajectories. ULA CEO Tory Bruno acknowledged the

1:54 Speaker 1: booster anomaly, but emphasized that the overall trajectory remained nominal

1:58 Speaker 1: throughout the flight, Any plans to investigate the issue thoroughly

2:01 Speaker 1: once the mission is complete. This flight was the second

2:05 Speaker 1: of two certification test flights needed before the Vulcan can

2:08 Speaker 1: carry high priority payloads for the US Space Force and

2:11 Speaker 1: National Reconnaissance Office. The impact of the booster anomaly on

2:15 Speaker 1: the certification process remains uncertain, but it's clear that ULA

2:19 Speaker 1: will need to address any concerns before moving forward with

2:22 Speaker 1: national security launches. The Vulcan represents the future of ULA,

2:26 Speaker 1: set to replace both the retired Delta four and the

2:29 Speaker 1: soon to be phased out at Las five rockets. With

2:32 Speaker 1: over seventy missions already booked before its first flight, the

2:36 Speaker 1: stakes are high for ULA to resolve any issues quickly

2:39 Speaker 1: and maintain customer confidence in the new launch system. Now,

2:44 Speaker 1: let's turn our attention to a fascinating discovery made by

2:46 Speaker 1: the Hubble Space Telescope. The Venerable Observatory has captured an

2:50 Speaker 1: image of a galaxy that's breaking the mold when it

2:53 Speaker 1: comes to classification. Located about fifty four million light years

2:57 Speaker 1: away in the Virgo galaxy cluster GGC four thousand, six

3:01 Speaker 1: hundred and ninety four is what astronomers call a peculiar galaxy.

3:06 Speaker 1: At first glance, it appears to have characteristics of both

3:08 Speaker 1: elliptical and spiral galaxies. Making it a real cosmic oddball.

3:13 Speaker 1: NGC four thousand, six hundred and ninety four has a

3:16 Speaker 1: smooth looking, armless disc that's nearly devoid of star formation,

3:20 Speaker 1: similar to an elliptical galaxy. However, its stellar population is

3:23 Speaker 1: still relatively young and new stars are actively forming in

3:26 Speaker 1: its core. This gives NGC four thousand, six hundred and

3:30 Speaker 1: ninety four a markedly different stellar profile from a classic

3:34 Speaker 1: elliptical galaxy. What's even more intriguing is the chaotic structure

3:38 Speaker 1: of dust visible in the hubble image. This indicates some

3:41 Speaker 1: kind of disturbance in the galaxy's past. As it turns out,

3:44 Speaker 1: NGC four thousand, six hundred and ninety four has undergone

3:47 Speaker 1: a violent collision with a nearby dwarf galaxy VCC twenty

3:51 Speaker 1: sixty two. This cosmic crash has left NGC four thousand,

3:55 Speaker 1: six hundred and ninety four accreting gas from its smaller neighbor,

3:58 Speaker 1: fueling its unique character. Teruristics. Astronomers classify NGC four thousand,

4:04 Speaker 1: six hundred and ninety four as a lenticular galaxy, a

4:07 Speaker 1: type that lacks the distinct spiral arms but still has

4:10 Speaker 1: a central bulge and disc. These galactic oddballs are crucial

4:14 Speaker 1: for understanding how galaxies evolve over time. The discovery of

4:17 Speaker 1: NGC four thousand, six hundred and ninety four reminds us

4:21 Speaker 1: that the universe is full of surprises and not everything

4:24 Speaker 1: fits neatly into our pre defined categories. By studying these

4:27 Speaker 1: peculiar galaxies, astronomers can gain valuable insights into the complex

4:32 Speaker 1: processes that shape our cosmic neighborhood. Let's get an update

4:36 Speaker 1: now from Blue Origin, who've been far from taking things easy.

4:40 Speaker 1: Blue Origin, the aerospace company founded by Amazon's Jeff Bezos,

4:43 Speaker 1: is gearing up for an exciting milestone this Monday, October seventh.

4:47 Speaker 1: They're set to debut a brand new spacecraft on their

4:49 Speaker 1: NS twenty seven mission. This uncrude flight will mark the

4:53 Speaker 1: first launch for this particular New Shepherd vehicle. The mission

4:56 Speaker 1: is scheduled to lift off from Blue Origins West Texas

4:59 Speaker 1: site during a window that opens at nine am Eastern time.

5:02 Speaker 1: While no humans will be on board, the capsule will

5:05 Speaker 1: carry twelve research payloads, including new navigation systems for both

5:09 Speaker 1: New Shepherd and Blue Origin's larger New Glen rocket. This

5:13 Speaker 1: new vehicle features some notable upgrades. Blue Origin says It

5:17 Speaker 1: includes technology improvements to enhance performance and reusability, as well

5:21 Speaker 1: as an updated exterior design. The company also mentions that

5:25 Speaker 1: it has accommodations for payloads on the booster itself. The

5:28 Speaker 1: NS twenty seven mission represents an important step for Blue

5:31 Speaker 1: Origins commercial space flight ambitions. It's the second human rated

5:35 Speaker 1: New Shepherd vehicle, which should allow the company to increase

5:38 Speaker 1: its flight capacity and better meet growing customer demand for

5:42 Speaker 1: suborbital space tourism and research flights. If successful, this launch

5:47 Speaker 1: will pave the way for Blue Origin to expand its

5:49 Speaker 1: operations and potentially increase the frequency of its crude flights

5:53 Speaker 1: in the future. It's a clear sign that the company

5:55 Speaker 1: is pushing forward in the competitive commercial space industry. Moving

6:00 Speaker 1: on now to a NASA mission update. NASA's exoplanet hunting spacecraft,

6:04 Speaker 1: the Transiting Exoplanet Survey Satellite or TESTS, has made a

6:09 Speaker 1: groundbreaking discovery that's pushing the boundaries of what we thought

6:12 Speaker 1: possible in stellar systems. Scientists have spotted a record breaking

6:16 Speaker 1: triple star system that's so tightly packed it could fit

6:19 Speaker 1: comfortably between our Sun and its closest planet, Mercury. This

6:23 Speaker 1: extraordinary system, known as TICK two, nine zero zero six

6:26 Speaker 1: one four eight four is located about five thousand light

6:29 Speaker 1: years away in the constellation Sickness. It consists of twin

6:32 Speaker 1: stars that orbit each other every one point eight earth days,

6:35 Speaker 1: with a third star circling this pair every twenty five days.

6:38 Speaker 1: To put this in perspective, the previous record holder for

6:42 Speaker 1: the tightest three star system had an outer orbit of

6:44 Speaker 1: thirty three days, set back in nineteen fifty six. What

6:48 Speaker 1: makes this discovery even more remarkable is the stability of

6:51 Speaker 1: the system. The stars orbit in nearly the same plane,

6:54 Speaker 1: which helps maintain their gravitational balance. However, this delicate dance

6:58 Speaker 1: won't last forever. In a few million years, the twin

7:01 Speaker 1: stars at the heart of the system will expand and

7:03 Speaker 1: eventually merge, triggering a massive supernova explosion. This finding isn't

7:09 Speaker 1: just a cosmic curiosity. It has significant implications for our

7:12 Speaker 1: understanding of star formation and evolution. The compact nature of

7:16 Speaker 1: the system suggests that these stars likely form together from

7:20 Speaker 1: the same process, challenging our models of how multiple star

7:23 Speaker 1: systems come into being. The discovery was made possible through

7:27 Speaker 1: a combination of test data, machine learning algorithms, and the

7:31 Speaker 1: keen eyes of citizens scientists. It highlights the power of

7:34 Speaker 1: collaborative efforts between professional astronomers and amateur enthusiasts in pushing

7:38 Speaker 1: the boundaries of astronomical research. Looking ahead, NASA's upcoming Nancy

7:43 Speaker 1: Grace Roman Space Telescope, set to launch in twenty twenty seven,

7:47 Speaker 1: promises to reveal even more of these tightly packed star systems.

7:52 Speaker 1: With its superior resolution, Roman could potentially help us discover

7:55 Speaker 1: systems with even shorter orbits, or perhaps even more stars

7:59 Speaker 1: crammed into a single system. This record breaking triple star

8:03 Speaker 1: system serves as a reminder that the universe still has

8:06 Speaker 1: plenty of surprises in store for us, continually challenging and

8:10 Speaker 1: expanding our understanding of the cosmos. Speaking of discoveries, here's

8:15 Speaker 1: another one from an old friend. The James Web Space

8:18 Speaker 1: Telescope continues to astound scientists with its groundbreaking discoveries. Recent

8:22 Speaker 1: observations have unveiled surprisingly bright and mature galaxies in the

8:26 Speaker 1: early universe, challenging our existing models of galaxy formation and cosmology.

8:31 Speaker 1: These ancient galaxies, observed just three hundred million years after

8:35 Speaker 1: the Big Bang, are far more luminous than scientists anticipated.

8:39 Speaker 1: Their brightness suggests they contain more stars in mass than

8:42 Speaker 1: previously thought possible for such young cosmic objects. What's even

8:46 Speaker 1: more intriguing is that many of these early galaxies show

8:49 Speaker 1: signs of actively growing black holes at their centers, another

8:53 Speaker 1: indication of their unexpectedly rapid maturation. These findings have left

8:58 Speaker 1: astronomers scratching their heads. How could these galaxies have formed

9:01 Speaker 1: so quickly and become so bright in such a short

9:03 Speaker 1: time after the universe's birth. It's a puzzle that's forcing

9:07 Speaker 1: us to reconsider our understanding of early galaxy evolution. Some

9:11 Speaker 1: scientists propose that star formation in the early universe may

9:14 Speaker 1: have been more intense or bursty than we previously believed.

9:18 Speaker 1: Others suggest factors like lower amounts of galactic dust or

9:22 Speaker 1: a different distribution of star masses could explain the unexpected brightness.

9:26 Speaker 1: But these observations aren't just challenging our ideas about galaxy formation.

9:30 Speaker 1: They're also prompting some researchers to consider modifications to our

9:34 Speaker 1: broader cosmological theories. Some have even suggested that these findings

9:38 Speaker 1: might require us to reconsider the age of the universe itself. However,

9:42 Speaker 1: it's important to note that before we start rewriting our

9:45 Speaker 1: cosmology textbooks. We need a more detailed understanding of the

9:49 Speaker 1: physical processes at work in these early galaxies. As we

9:53 Speaker 1: continue to gather data and refine our models, we may

9:56 Speaker 1: find explanations that fit within our current framework of understanding.

10:00 Speaker 1: What's clear is that the James Web Space Telescope is

10:03 Speaker 1: living up to its promise of revolutionizing our view of

10:06 Speaker 1: the early universe. As we peer further back in time,

10:09 Speaker 1: we're sure to encounter more surprises that will push the

10:12 Speaker 1: boundaries of our knowledge and spark new questions about the cosmos.

10:17 Speaker 1: And finally, today, another NASA record breaking update. NASA's Parker

10:20 Speaker 1: Solar Probe has once again pushed the boundaries of solar

10:23 Speaker 1: exploration with its latest close encounter with our star. On

10:27 Speaker 1: September thirtieth, the probe completed its twenty first close approach

10:30 Speaker 1: to the Sun, matching its own impressive distance record by

10:34 Speaker 1: coming within just four point five to one million miles

10:36 Speaker 1: of the solar surface. During this close approach, or perihelion,

10:40 Speaker 1: the spacecraft reached speeds of nearly three hundred and ninety

10:43 Speaker 1: five thousand miles per hour as it raced around the Sun.

10:46 Speaker 1: This mind boggling velocity is about one hundred and eighty

10:49 Speaker 1: times faster than the speed of a typical commercial airliner.

10:53 Speaker 1: But the Parker Solar Probe isn't done breaking records yet.

10:56 Speaker 1: After a fly by a venus in November, which will

10:58 Speaker 1: use the planet's gravity to adjust the probe's trajectory, it

11:02 Speaker 1: will make an even closer approach to the Sun on

11:04 Speaker 1: December twenty fourth. This upcoming encounter will bring the spacecraft

11:08 Speaker 1: within a mere three point eight million miles of the

11:10 Speaker 1: Solar surface, traveling at speeds around four hundred thirty thousand

11:14 Speaker 1: miles per hour. These incredibly close passes allow scientists to

11:19 Speaker 1: gather unprecedented data about the Sun's atmosphere, magnetic fields, and

11:23 Speaker 1: the solar wind. The information collected by the Parker Solar

11:26 Speaker 1: Probe is helping us better understand our star and its

11:29 Speaker 1: effects on space weather, which can impact technology both in

11:33 Speaker 1: orbit and on Earth. And that brings us to the

11:37 Speaker 1: end of today's journey through the cosmos. From record breaking

11:40 Speaker 1: star systems to mysterious early galaxies, the universe never fails

11:45 Speaker 1: to amaze and inspire us. I'm Anna, and I hope

11:48 Speaker 1: you've enjoyed this episode of Astronomy Daily. If you're hungry

11:51 Speaker 1: for more space news, be sure to check out our

11:53 Speaker 1: website at Astronomy Daily dot io. There you can sign

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12:17 Speaker 1: Thanks for tuning in, and remember keep looking up because

12:21 Speaker 1: the sky is never the limit. Until next time. This

12:23 Speaker 1: is Anna for Astronomy Daily. Signing off Sunday Stars starz

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