In today's episode of Astronomy Daily, we dive into some of the most thrilling discoveries and updates from the cosmos. Hosted by Anna, this episode is a must-listen for space enthusiasts and curious minds alike.
First up, we explore a groundbreaking discovery that has astronomers buzzing: the first rocky planet orbiting a white dwarf star. This frozen world, located about 4200 light years away, managed to survive the death and expansion of its host star. With a mass nearly twice that of Earth, this planet now orbits a stellar remnant, raising intriguing questions about our own planet's fate as our sun ages and expands into a red giant before becoming a white dwarf. Will Earth survive? This newfound planet suggests that it might, though it would likely become an inhospitable, frozen world.
Next, we turn our attention to the International Space Station (ISS), which has been bustling with activity. Two Russian cosmonauts, Oleg Kononenko and Nigel Chubb, recently returned to Earth after a record-breaking 374 Daily in space. This mission has provided valuable data on the effects of long-duration spaceflight on the human body. Meanwhile, NASA is gearing up for more crew rotations, with the SpaceX Crew-9 mission set to launch as soon as this weekend, ensuring that the ISS remains continuously staffed and productive.
In another exciting development, the Hubble Space Telescope has unveiled an unexpected cosmic phenomenon. Astronomers have discovered that a powerful jet emanating from a supermassive black hole at the core of a massive galaxy is causing nearby stars to erupt more frequently than usual. This finding challenges our current understanding of how black hole jets interact with their surroundings and opens up new questions about the complex relationships between black holes and the stars in their galactic neighborhoods.
We also have news from the world of exoplanet hunting. Astronomers have announced the first discovery from the NEID Earth Twin survey: a new planet named HD 86728 b. This planet, located about 49 light years away, showcases the incredible precision of new instruments like the spectrograph used in the survey. While this particular planet isn't quite an Earth twin, its discovery proves that we're getting better at finding smaller, potentially rocky worlds around nearby stars.
Lastly, we delve into a surprising twist in dark matter research. A new study suggests that dark matter may interact with regular matter in ways we haven't yet understood. Observations of ultra-faint dwarf galaxies hint at a more complex relationship than previously thought, challenging our current models of how the universe works.
Tune in to this episode of Astronomy Daily to explore these fascinating topics and more. Visit our website at astronomydaily.io for more space news, our daily newsletter, and all our previous episodes. Keep looking up!