- Artemis II Preparations: In this episode, we explore the recent collaboration between NASA and the Department of Defence as they conduct emergency simulations for the Artemis II mission. With plans to send four astronauts around the Moon next year, these crucial rehearsals focus on ensuring crew safety during potential launch emergencies, including realistic scenarios using test mannequins.
- ISS Update: We provide an update on the AX-4 mission delay, with good news from the Russian space agency Roscosmos, confirming that a leak on the International Space Station has been repaired. However, the impact on the prospective launch date remains uncertain.
- Jellyfish Galaxy Discovery: Astronomers have discovered a fascinating galaxy, NGC 4858, which resembles a jellyfish with bunny ears. Situated over 300 million light years away, this galaxy is undergoing extreme pressure within the Coma cluster, leading to its unique shape and the phenomenon of fallback.
- Spotting Mars: Get ready for some celestial excitement as we guide you on how to spot Mars this month. From its close encounters with Regulus to a beautiful crescent Moon passing by, we provide tips on when and where to look in the western sky.
- International Space Development Conference: We discuss the upcoming ISDC 2025 in Orlando, Florida, where space enthusiasts will gather to discuss global collaboration in space exploration, sustainability, and planetary defence strategies, featuring notable speakers from the field.
- Dark Matter Insights: Lastly, we delve into the upcoming Nancy Chris Roman Space Telescope, set to launch in 2026. This telescope aims to enhance our understanding of dark matter through gravitational lensing, potentially providing crucial insights into this enigmatic substance and its role in the universe.
For more cosmic updates, visit our website at astronomydaily.io. Join our community on social media by searching for #AstroDailyPod on Facebook, X, YouTube Music, TikTok, and our new Instagram account! Don’t forget to subscribe to the podcast on Apple Podcasts, Spotify, iHeartRadio, or wherever you get your podcasts.
Thank you for tuning in. This is Anna signing off. Until next time, keep looking up and stay curious about the wonders of our universe.
Chapters:
00:00 - Welcome to Astronomy Daily
01:10 - Artemis 2 preparations
10:00 - ISS update
15:30 - Jellyfish galaxy discovery
20:00 - Spotting Mars
25:00 - International Space Development Conference
30:00 - Dark matter insights
✍️ Episode References
NASA Artemis Updates
[NASA](https://www.nasa.gov/)
AX-4 Mission Information
[Roscosmos](https://www.roscosmos.ru/)
NGC 4858 Research
[Astronomy Journal](https://www.astronomy.com/)
Mars Observation Tips
[Sky & Telescope](https://skyandtelescope.org/)
ISDC 2025 Information
[ISDC](https://isdc2025.org/)
Nancy Chris Roman Space Telescope
[NASA Roman](https://roman.gsfc.nasa.gov/)
Astronomy Daily
[Astronomy Daily](http://www.astronomydaily.io/)
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00:00:00 --> 00:00:02 Anna: Hello and welcome to Astronomy Daily, your
00:00:02 --> 00:00:04 source for all the latest news from across
00:00:04 --> 00:00:07 the vast universe. I'm your host, Anna,
00:00:07 --> 00:00:10 and I'm so excited to dive into today's
00:00:10 --> 00:00:12 cosmic happenings. We've got a busy show for
00:00:12 --> 00:00:15 you today. We'll be looking at how NASA and
00:00:15 --> 00:00:17 the Department of Defence are Preparing for
00:00:17 --> 00:00:20 Artemis 2. We've got a quick update from
00:00:20 --> 00:00:23 the ISS. We'll be checking out a jellyfish
00:00:23 --> 00:00:25 galaxy. Plus, we'll guide you on how to
00:00:25 --> 00:00:27 spot Mars this month.
00:00:27 --> 00:00:29 So buckle up space fans, it's time for
00:00:29 --> 00:00:32 liftoff. NASA and the
00:00:32 --> 00:00:34 Department of Defence recently teamed up to
00:00:34 --> 00:00:37 practise emergency procedures for the Artemis
00:00:37 --> 00:00:39 2 mission, which is set to send four
00:00:39 --> 00:00:42 astronauts around the moon next year. These
00:00:42 --> 00:00:44 simulations are super important because, you
00:00:44 --> 00:00:47 know, safety first. The teams
00:00:47 --> 00:00:49 rehearsed what they would do to rescue the
00:00:49 --> 00:00:51 crew if there was an emergency during the
00:00:51 --> 00:00:54 launch of the Orion spacecraft. This
00:00:54 --> 00:00:56 included scenarios where they had to abort
00:00:56 --> 00:00:58 the launch while the rocket was still on the
00:00:58 --> 00:01:00 pad, as well as during the ascent into space.
00:01:01 --> 00:01:03 To make it as realistic as possible, they
00:01:03 --> 00:01:05 used test mannequins and a version of Orion
00:01:05 --> 00:01:07 called the crew Module Test article.
00:01:08 --> 00:01:10 During the pad abort simulation, the launch
00:01:10 --> 00:01:12 team went through a normal countdown before
00:01:12 --> 00:01:15 declaring an abort just before the simulated
00:01:15 --> 00:01:18 launch. In a real emergency, Orion's launch
00:01:18 --> 00:01:20 abort system would kick in, propelling the
00:01:20 --> 00:01:22 capsule and its crew to safety before
00:01:22 --> 00:01:25 parachuting down off the coast of Florida for
00:01:25 --> 00:01:28 the test. They placed the test Orion in the
00:01:28 --> 00:01:30 water and then two navy helicopters
00:01:30 --> 00:01:33 carrying Air Force pararescuers
00:01:33 --> 00:01:35 swooped in to retrieve the mannequin crew
00:01:35 --> 00:01:37 just like they would in a real situation.
00:01:38 --> 00:01:41 The next day they practised an ascent, abort
00:01:41 --> 00:01:43 scenario. The rescue team set up another
00:01:43 --> 00:01:46 simulation at sea and after receiving the
00:01:46 --> 00:01:48 simulated abort call, they sprang into action
00:01:48 --> 00:01:51 using a C17 aircraft and more Air Force
00:01:51 --> 00:01:54 pararescuers. These procedures are similar to
00:01:54 --> 00:01:57 those used in previous tests, making sure
00:01:57 --> 00:01:59 everyone is prepared for anything that might
00:01:59 --> 00:02:02 happen. It's all part of NASA's commitment to
00:02:02 --> 00:02:04 keeping the Artemis II crew safe as they
00:02:04 --> 00:02:07 venture to the moon and back. Next up,
00:02:07 --> 00:02:09 a quick update to our story from yesterday
00:02:09 --> 00:02:12 about Postponements to the AXE 4 mission.
00:02:12 --> 00:02:15 Russian space agency Roscosmos said on Friday
00:02:15 --> 00:02:17 that a leak on the Russian segment of the
00:02:17 --> 00:02:19 International Space Station had been
00:02:19 --> 00:02:21 repaired, that the Interfax news agency
00:02:21 --> 00:02:24 reported. Good news indeed. No reports yet
00:02:24 --> 00:02:26 on how this will affect prospective launch
00:02:26 --> 00:02:28 date, though. NASA had on Thursday
00:02:28 --> 00:02:31 indefinitely delayed a four person cruise
00:02:31 --> 00:02:34 mission to the ISS over an escalating probe
00:02:34 --> 00:02:35 into air leaks aboard the orbiting
00:02:35 --> 00:02:37 laboratory's Russian segment.
00:02:38 --> 00:02:41 Okay, next up in our cosmic tour, astronomers
00:02:41 --> 00:02:43 have spotted a galaxy that looks like a
00:02:43 --> 00:02:46 jellyfish with bunny ears. I know it
00:02:46 --> 00:02:47 sounds like something out of a sci fi
00:02:47 --> 00:02:50 cartoon, but it's real. This galaxy
00:02:50 --> 00:02:53 called NGC 4858 is
00:02:53 --> 00:02:55 way out there in the Coma cluster, over 300
00:02:55 --> 00:02:58 million light years away. Now, galaxy
00:02:58 --> 00:03:00 clusters are these huge collections of
00:03:00 --> 00:03:02 galaxies, often containing thousands of them,
00:03:02 --> 00:03:05 along with hot gas and what astronomers
00:03:05 --> 00:03:07 suspect, a whole lot of dark matter. What
00:03:07 --> 00:03:10 makes NGC4858 so interesting is what's
00:03:10 --> 00:03:13 happening to it inside this cluster. It's
00:03:13 --> 00:03:15 experiencing extreme pressure, kind of like a
00:03:15 --> 00:03:16 wind, which is stripping gas away from the
00:03:16 --> 00:03:19 galaxy. This process stretches the galaxy,
00:03:20 --> 00:03:22 giving it that jellyfish shape, with long
00:03:22 --> 00:03:25 trails of gas and young stars that resemble,
00:03:25 --> 00:03:27 you guessed it, jellyfish tentacles.
00:03:27 --> 00:03:30 But here's where the bunny ears come in. The
00:03:30 --> 00:03:33 Images of NGC 4858
00:03:33 --> 00:03:35 revealed these distorted spiral arms that
00:03:35 --> 00:03:37 astronomers are calling bunny ears.
00:03:38 --> 00:03:40 Apparently this is likely caused by a
00:03:40 --> 00:03:42 combination of the environmental wind pushing
00:03:42 --> 00:03:45 on the gas and the rotation of the galaxy
00:03:45 --> 00:03:47 itself. And there's more.
00:03:48 --> 00:03:49 Scientists have also found evidence of a
00:03:49 --> 00:03:52 phenomenon called fallback. This is when gas
00:03:52 --> 00:03:54 gets stripped away from a galaxy, but doesn't
00:03:54 --> 00:03:56 quite escape, so it falls back toward the
00:03:56 --> 00:03:59 galactic disc. It's like a galactic fountain,
00:03:59 --> 00:04:01 with the gas often concentrating in distorted
00:04:01 --> 00:04:04 spiral arms on one side of the inner tail.
00:04:05 --> 00:04:08 Because NGC 4858 is face
00:04:08 --> 00:04:10 on, it's a prime target for further studies
00:04:10 --> 00:04:13 on how pressure and rotation affect galaxies
00:04:13 --> 00:04:14 in extreme conditions.
00:04:16 --> 00:04:18 M alright, let's turn our gaze to the Red
00:04:18 --> 00:04:20 planet. If you've been keeping an eye on Mars
00:04:20 --> 00:04:22 since the beginning of the year, you've
00:04:22 --> 00:04:24 probably noticed how much its brightness has
00:04:24 --> 00:04:26 changed and how it's been interacting with
00:04:26 --> 00:04:28 the Moon, bright stars and other celestial
00:04:28 --> 00:04:31 objects. Now, even though 2025
00:04:31 --> 00:04:34 isn't exactly a banner year for Mars, it's
00:04:34 --> 00:04:35 still putting on a pretty good show.
00:04:36 --> 00:04:38 Remember, it reached opposition. That's when
00:04:38 --> 00:04:40 it appears directly opposite the sun in the
00:04:40 --> 00:04:43 sky back in January. Well,
00:04:43 --> 00:04:45 even though it's been receding from us ever
00:04:45 --> 00:04:47 since, it's still making some eye catching
00:04:47 --> 00:04:50 appearances this month. First up, on
00:04:50 --> 00:04:53 June 17, Mars will be cozying up to
00:04:53 --> 00:04:55 Regulus. That's a bright star in the
00:04:55 --> 00:04:57 constellation Leo the Lion. If you're in the
00:04:57 --> 00:05:00 Americas, keep an eye out. From June 13th
00:05:00 --> 00:05:01 through the 20th, you'll see them hanging out
00:05:01 --> 00:05:04 less than 2 degrees apart. The 15th to
00:05:04 --> 00:05:07 18th is when they'll be super close, less
00:05:07 --> 00:05:10 than 1 degree apart. On the 17th,
00:05:10 --> 00:05:13 Mars will be just 3/4 of a 1 degree above
00:05:13 --> 00:05:15 Regulus. Look for them around
00:05:15 --> 00:05:18 10pm local time, about a quarter of the way
00:05:18 --> 00:05:20 up in the western sky. Because they're so
00:05:20 --> 00:05:22 close and similar in brightness, they'll
00:05:22 --> 00:05:25 really stand out. Plus, the orange gold
00:05:25 --> 00:05:28 of Mars and blue white of Regulus will look
00:05:28 --> 00:05:30 even more intense next to each other. And
00:05:30 --> 00:05:33 that's not all. On June 29,
00:05:33 --> 00:05:36 a waxing crescent Moon will glide right past
00:05:36 --> 00:05:39 Mars in the western sky at dusk. Now, North
00:05:39 --> 00:05:40 America won't get to see the Moon actually
00:05:40 --> 00:05:42 pass in front of Mars. That's called an
00:05:42 --> 00:05:45 occultation. But it'll still be a beautiful
00:05:45 --> 00:05:47 sight as Mars appears to glide above the
00:05:47 --> 00:05:49 Moon. To catch it, you might need binoculars
00:05:49 --> 00:05:52 at first, but once the sky darkens, Mars
00:05:52 --> 00:05:54 should be easy to spot. So keep an eye on the
00:05:54 --> 00:05:57 western sky at dusk. It will be worth a look.
00:05:58 --> 00:06:00 Now, switching gears a bit, let's talk about
00:06:00 --> 00:06:03 the future of space exploration. Next
00:06:03 --> 00:06:06 week, from June 19 to 22, space
00:06:06 --> 00:06:08 enthusiasts from all over the world will be
00:06:08 --> 00:06:10 gathering in Orlando, Florida for the
00:06:10 --> 00:06:12 International Space Development Conference,
00:06:13 --> 00:06:15 or ISDC 2025.
00:06:16 --> 00:06:19 This year's theme is Together beyond, and
00:06:19 --> 00:06:21 it's all about collaboration across different
00:06:21 --> 00:06:23 sectors and countries as we push further into
00:06:23 --> 00:06:26 space. The conference is going to be packed
00:06:26 --> 00:06:27 with discussions on everything from global
00:06:27 --> 00:06:30 cooperation in space to developing
00:06:30 --> 00:06:32 communities out there among the stars.
00:06:32 --> 00:06:34 They'll also be talking about space health,
00:06:34 --> 00:06:37 sustainability and making settlements on the
00:06:37 --> 00:06:40 moon. Mars and beyond a, reality.
00:06:40 --> 00:06:42 And of course, they'll be addressing the need
00:06:42 --> 00:06:44 for planetary defence strategies to protect
00:06:44 --> 00:06:46 Earth from asteroids. There's going to be
00:06:46 --> 00:06:48 some seriously impressive speakers there,
00:06:48 --> 00:06:50 too. We're talking Pascal Lee,
00:06:51 --> 00:06:53 a planetary scientist, and Mars exploration
00:06:53 --> 00:06:56 expert Gretchen Green, the first woman
00:06:56 --> 00:06:58 physician, commercial astronaut Jared
00:06:58 --> 00:07:01 Isaac Mann, who commanded the Inspiration4
00:07:01 --> 00:07:04 mission, and former NASA astronauts Susan
00:07:04 --> 00:07:05 Kilrain and Robert Hoot Gibson.
00:07:06 --> 00:07:09 Also speaking is Shauna Pandya, who's set to
00:07:09 --> 00:07:10 be the first female commercial Canadian
00:07:10 --> 00:07:13 astronaut. It sounds like an amazing event
00:07:13 --> 00:07:15 for anyone interested in the future of
00:07:15 --> 00:07:16 humanity in space.
00:07:18 --> 00:07:19 Finally today, let's dive into something a
00:07:19 --> 00:07:22 little more mysterious. Dark matter. The
00:07:22 --> 00:07:24 upcoming Nancy Grace Roman Space Telescope,
00:07:25 --> 00:07:27 launching in 2026, is going to play a
00:07:27 --> 00:07:29 huge role in helping us understand this
00:07:29 --> 00:07:32 elusive stuff. How? Through
00:07:32 --> 00:07:34 gravitational lensing. Now, gravitational
00:07:34 --> 00:07:37 lensing basically uses massive galaxy
00:07:37 --> 00:07:39 clusters in the foreground, so to magnify
00:07:39 --> 00:07:42 really distant objects in the background. And
00:07:42 --> 00:07:44 dark matter, even though we can't see it,
00:07:44 --> 00:07:46 makes up a massive chunk of these galaxy
00:07:46 --> 00:07:49 clusters, like 85% or even more in some
00:07:49 --> 00:07:51 cases. So without dark matter,
00:07:51 --> 00:07:54 gravitational lensing wouldn't be nearly as
00:07:54 --> 00:07:57 effective. The M Roman Space Telescope is
00:07:57 --> 00:07:59 expected to find around 160 of these
00:07:59 --> 00:08:02 gravitational lenses. But here's the cool
00:08:02 --> 00:08:04 part. By using dark matter as a gravitational
00:08:04 --> 00:08:07 lens, scientists can actually learn more
00:08:07 --> 00:08:09 about it. The telescope will be on the
00:08:09 --> 00:08:11 lookout for what are called strong
00:08:11 --> 00:08:14 gravitational lenses. These happen when the
00:08:14 --> 00:08:17 observer, the gravitational lens, and the
00:08:17 --> 00:08:19 background object are all perfectly aligned.
00:08:20 --> 00:08:22 These lenses give us a much more dramatic
00:08:22 --> 00:08:25 magnification. Researchers are hoping to find
00:08:25 --> 00:08:28 about 500 of these that are precise enough to
00:08:28 --> 00:08:30 study the structure of dark matter at small
00:08:30 --> 00:08:32 scales. These observations could help us
00:08:32 --> 00:08:34 address some of the issues with the lambda
00:08:34 --> 00:08:36 cold dark matter theory, which is the most
00:08:36 --> 00:08:38 widely accepted model of Big Bang cosmology.
00:08:39 --> 00:08:41 It's great at describing the large scale
00:08:41 --> 00:08:43 universe, but it kind of falls apart when we
00:08:43 --> 00:08:45 look at smaller scales. For example,
00:08:46 --> 00:08:48 the Lambda CDM model predicts that there
00:08:48 --> 00:08:51 should be way more dwarf galaxies around
00:08:51 --> 00:08:54 larger galaxies like the Milky Way than we
00:08:54 --> 00:08:57 actually see. The Roman telescope's strong
00:08:57 --> 00:08:59 lenses should be able to detect the small
00:08:59 --> 00:09:01 amounts of light being bent by the dark
00:09:01 --> 00:09:03 matter halos of these galaxies. And if they
00:09:03 --> 00:09:06 do, then the Lambda CDM M model becomes that
00:09:06 --> 00:09:09 much stronger. Ultimately, scientists
00:09:09 --> 00:09:10 are trying to figure out what kind of
00:09:10 --> 00:09:13 particle makes up dark matter. Is it wimps,
00:09:13 --> 00:09:16 axions? Or maybe sterile neutrinos? The
00:09:16 --> 00:09:17 Roman Space Telescope is going to give us
00:09:17 --> 00:09:19 some seriously valuable data to help us crack
00:09:19 --> 00:09:22 the code. And that's
00:09:22 --> 00:09:25 all the space news we have for you today. I'm
00:09:25 --> 00:09:27 Anna and it's been a pleasure being your host
00:09:27 --> 00:09:29 today. Don't forget to visit our website at
00:09:29 --> 00:09:32 astronomydaily IO where you can where you can
00:09:32 --> 00:09:33 catch up on all the latest space and
00:09:33 --> 00:09:36 astronomy news with our constantly updating
00:09:36 --> 00:09:38 news feed and listen to all our back
00:09:38 --> 00:09:40 episodes. You can also find us on social
00:09:40 --> 00:09:42 media. Just search for astrodaily, pod on
00:09:42 --> 00:09:45 Facebook, X, YouTube, and TikTok.
00:09:45 --> 00:09:47 Until next time, keep looking up and as they
00:09:47 --> 00:09:49 say, I'll, see you on the flip side. This is
00:09:49 --> 00:09:50 Anna signing off.