- Asteroid 2025 OW's Close Encounter: Unpack the details of asteroid 2025 OW, a plane-sized space rock making headlines as it approaches Earth. While NASA assures us that this encounter is routine, we delve into the specifics of its size, speed, and trajectory, and what this means for our planet. Learn about the upcoming visibility of asteroid Apophis in 2029, which promises a thrilling viewing opportunity for skywatchers.
- - The Moon: Human vs. Robotic Exploration: Engage in the ongoing debate about the merits of human lunar missions compared to robotic exploration. We explore the unique advantages humans bring to space exploration, from problem-solving capabilities to the potential for resource utilization on the Moon. Discover why investing in crewed missions could yield significant scientific and economic returns.
- - The Extreme Exoplanet TOI 2431B: Meet TOI 2431B, a newly discovered exoplanet that challenges our understanding of planetary systems. Orbiting its star in just 5.4 hours, this Earth-sized world experiences extreme conditions, including molten surface temperatures. We discuss the implications of its rapid orbit and its potential for future study with the James Webb Telescope.
- 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 Music, TikTok, and our new Instagram account! Don’t forget tosubscribe 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.
Asteroid 2025 OW Details
[NASA](https://www.nasa.gov/)
Human vs. Robotic Exploration Debate
[NASA](https://www.nasa.gov/)
TOI 2431B Discovery
[NASA TV](https://www.nasa.gov/tess)
Astronomy Daily
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00:00:00 --> 00:00:03 Anna: Welcome to Astronomy Daily, everyone. I'm
00:00:03 --> 00:00:03 Anna.
00:00:04 --> 00:00:06 Avery: And I'm Avery. We're thrilled to have you
00:00:06 --> 00:00:09 join us, for another dive into the cosmos.
00:00:09 --> 00:00:11 Bringing you the latest and most fascinating
00:00:11 --> 00:00:13 news from across the universe.
00:00:13 --> 00:00:15 Anna: Today on this show, we're going to demystify
00:00:16 --> 00:00:18 a plane sized asteroid making
00:00:18 --> 00:00:21 headlines with its upcoming close approach to
00:00:21 --> 00:00:24 Earth. NASA says it's pretty routine,
00:00:24 --> 00:00:26 but we'll get into why it's still worth
00:00:26 --> 00:00:26 talking about.
00:00:27 --> 00:00:30 Avery: Then we'll turn our attention closer to home
00:00:30 --> 00:00:32 and reignite an age old debate.
00:00:32 --> 00:00:35 Is it truly worth going back to the moon?
00:00:35 --> 00:00:38 We'll explore the compelling arguments for
00:00:38 --> 00:00:40 human lunar missions versus robotic
00:00:40 --> 00:00:41 exploration.
00:00:42 --> 00:00:44 Anna: And finally, prepare to be amazed as we
00:00:44 --> 00:00:46 introduce you to a newly discovered
00:00:46 --> 00:00:49 exoplanet that's pushing the boundaries of
00:00:49 --> 00:00:52 what we thought possible. With an incredibly
00:00:52 --> 00:00:54 short year and, and some truly
00:00:54 --> 00:00:55 extreme conditions.
00:00:56 --> 00:00:58 Avery: It's going to be an exciting episode, so
00:00:58 --> 00:00:59 let's jump right in.
00:01:00 --> 00:01:03 Anna: All right, first up, let's talk about that
00:01:03 --> 00:01:05 asteroid that's been buzzing through
00:01:05 --> 00:01:07 headlines, 2025 ow.
00:01:08 --> 00:01:10 It's being described as plane sized.
00:01:10 --> 00:01:13 And while that might sound a bit alarming to
00:01:13 --> 00:01:16 some, NASA experts are really keen on
00:01:16 --> 00:01:19 emphasizing that this encounter is far
00:01:19 --> 00:01:21 more routine than it is remarkable.
00:01:22 --> 00:01:24 Avery: That's right, Ena. This asteroid, named, uh,
00:01:24 --> 00:01:26 2025 ow measures about
00:01:26 --> 00:01:29 210ft in length. It's scheduled to
00:01:29 --> 00:01:32 pass Earth on July 28th at a distance of
00:01:32 --> 00:01:35 roughly 393 miles.
00:01:35 --> 00:01:38 To put that in perspective, that's about 1.6
00:01:38 --> 00:01:41 times the average distance to the Moon.
00:01:41 --> 00:01:44 Anna: And despite it zipping by at an impressive
00:01:44 --> 00:01:47 46 miles per
00:01:47 --> 00:01:50 hour near NASA, scientists are saying there's
00:01:50 --> 00:01:53 absolutely nothing to lose sleep over.
00:01:53 --> 00:01:55 Ian J. O', Neill, a, uh, media relations
00:01:55 --> 00:01:58 specialist at NASA's Jet Propulsion
00:01:58 --> 00:02:01 Laboratory, or JPL, put it quite
00:02:01 --> 00:02:03 simply, stating this is very routine.
00:02:04 --> 00:02:06 If there was a threat, you would hear from
00:02:06 --> 00:02:08 us, we would always put out alerts on our
00:02:08 --> 00:02:10 planetary defense blog.
00:02:10 --> 00:02:13 Avery: David Farnocchia, an asteroid expert at
00:02:13 --> 00:02:15 NASA's center for Near Earth Object Studies,
00:02:17 --> 00:02:20 echoed that sentiment, explaining that space
00:02:20 --> 00:02:22 rocks passing by Earth are just business as
00:02:22 --> 00:02:24 usual in our solar system. He even mentioned
00:02:24 --> 00:02:26 that his team typically tracks several
00:02:26 --> 00:02:28 asteroids passing Earth each week, with five
00:02:28 --> 00:02:31 on their radar for next week alone.
00:02:32 --> 00:02:34 Anna: So while 2025 OW is
00:02:34 --> 00:02:36 certainly large enough to be of interest to
00:02:36 --> 00:02:39 scientists, its orbit is incredibly
00:02:39 --> 00:02:42 well understood, meaning it poses no
00:02:42 --> 00:02:45 danger whatsoever. O' Neill confidently
00:02:45 --> 00:02:48 stated, we know exactly where it's going to
00:02:48 --> 00:02:50 be. We'll probably know where it's going to
00:02:50 --> 00:02:53 be for the next hundred years. So no need
00:02:53 --> 00:02:55 to dust off your asteroid bunker plants for
00:02:55 --> 00:02:56 this one.
00:02:56 --> 00:02:58 Avery: For those hoping to catch a glimpse,
00:02:58 --> 00:03:00 Sparnochia noted that 2025 OW
00:03:00 --> 00:03:03 won't be visible with binoculars. However, he
00:03:03 --> 00:03:06 did point to a much more exciting event on
00:03:06 --> 00:03:08 the horizon. The 2029 approach of asteroid
00:03:08 --> 00:03:11 Aphofus. This one is estimated to be about
00:03:11 --> 00:03:14 1ft in length
00:03:14 --> 00:03:17 and will come within an astonishing 38
00:03:17 --> 00:03:20 kilometers of earth in April 2029, which
00:03:20 --> 00:03:22 is actually closer than our geostationary
00:03:22 --> 00:03:23 satellites.
00:03:23 --> 00:03:26 Anna: And the best part, due to that exceptionally
00:03:26 --> 00:03:29 close approach, Apophis will actually be
00:03:29 --> 00:03:32 visible to the naked eye. That's going to be
00:03:32 --> 00:03:34 a rare and incredible opportunity for public
00:03:34 --> 00:03:37 observation of an asteroid. Both
00:03:37 --> 00:03:40 Farnochia and o' Neill also emphasized that
00:03:40 --> 00:03:42 that while Earth is struck by roughly 100
00:03:42 --> 00:03:45 tons of space material daily, most of it
00:03:45 --> 00:03:46 is harmless dust.
00:03:47 --> 00:03:50 Avery: Larger, more potentially hazardous impacts
00:03:50 --> 00:03:52 are extremely rare. For Nokia calculated
00:03:52 --> 00:03:55 that, uh, for an object the size of 2025 ow,
00:03:56 --> 00:03:58 while close approaches might happen yearly,
00:03:58 --> 00:04:01 an actual Earth impact would only occur
00:04:01 --> 00:04:04 roughly every 10 years. It's
00:04:04 --> 00:04:05 good to know NASA's planetary defense
00:04:05 --> 00:04:07 programs are keeping a close watch,
00:04:08 --> 00:04:09 maintaining public transparency, and
00:04:09 --> 00:04:12 reminding us that most asteroid headlines are
00:04:12 --> 00:04:14 more sensational than genuinely concerning.
00:04:15 --> 00:04:18 Anna: So from objects passing by Earth, let's
00:04:18 --> 00:04:20 pivot to something that's always been a hot
00:04:20 --> 00:04:22 topic in space exploration. Whether
00:04:22 --> 00:04:25 it's truly worth sending humans back to the
00:04:25 --> 00:04:28 Moon. It's true that crewed missions are
00:04:28 --> 00:04:30 notoriously expensive, difficult and
00:04:30 --> 00:04:31 dangerous.
00:04:31 --> 00:04:34 Avery: Absolutely, Anna. And we've got decades of
00:04:34 --> 00:04:37 reliable, dependable robotic exploration
00:04:37 --> 00:04:40 under our belts. Fantastic flybys, orbiters,
00:04:40 --> 00:04:43 landers, rovers. So the natural question,
00:04:44 --> 00:04:46 why don't we just take all the money human
00:04:46 --> 00:04:48 spaceflight would cost to return to the Moon
00:04:48 --> 00:04:51 and spend it on a ton of robots instead?
00:04:51 --> 00:04:54 Anna: That's a great point, and one often debated.
00:04:54 --> 00:04:56 But the answer surprisingly leans heavily
00:04:56 --> 00:04:59 towards the human element. No matter how
00:04:59 --> 00:05:02 capable our little robotic explorers are,
00:05:02 --> 00:05:04 they simply can't match what a human can do.
00:05:05 --> 00:05:07 Avery: Exactly. Compared to a robot, a human is
00:05:07 --> 00:05:10 stronger, at least stronger than the kinds of
00:05:10 --> 00:05:12 robots we can send to the moon. We can
00:05:12 --> 00:05:14 troubleshoot and solve problems much faster
00:05:14 --> 00:05:16 without constant guidance from Earth based
00:05:16 --> 00:05:19 engineers. We're also far more creative and
00:05:19 --> 00:05:21 flexible when it comes to scientific
00:05:21 --> 00:05:24 investigation. I mean, a typical rover
00:05:24 --> 00:05:27 speed is around 0.1 miles
00:05:27 --> 00:05:30 per hour, or a blazing 152
00:05:30 --> 00:05:32 meters per hour. Humans are just
00:05:33 --> 00:05:35 better in almost every aspect.
00:05:35 --> 00:05:37 Anna: For hands on work, it's truly astonishing.
00:05:38 --> 00:05:40 The typical benchmark is that what a robot
00:05:40 --> 00:05:43 can accomplish in an entire day, a human can
00:05:43 --> 00:05:45 often do In a minute. Of course, the
00:05:45 --> 00:05:48 downsides are significant. Sending humans is
00:05:48 --> 00:05:51 much more expensive and much riskier. No
00:05:51 --> 00:05:54 one sheds a tear when a robot crash lands on
00:05:54 --> 00:05:56 the surface. But a crewed mission is going to
00:05:56 --> 00:05:59 be at least 10 times more expensive than an
00:05:59 --> 00:06:00 equivalent robotic mission.
00:06:00 --> 00:06:02 Avery: And yet, while human missions are more
00:06:02 --> 00:06:04 expensive, their productivity totally
00:06:04 --> 00:06:07 eclipses that of robots. Look at the Apollo
00:06:07 --> 00:06:10 missions. A total of 12.5 contact
00:06:10 --> 00:06:13 days on the Moon resulted in nearly 3
00:06:13 --> 00:06:15 scientific papers. Compare that to the
00:06:15 --> 00:06:18 thousand or so papers written about Mars from
00:06:18 --> 00:06:21 years of rovers and landers on its surface.
00:06:21 --> 00:06:24 On a cost per science result basis, it
00:06:24 --> 00:06:26 seems we'd be foolish not to keep sending
00:06:26 --> 00:06:26 humans into space.
00:06:27 --> 00:06:29 Anna: And science isn't the only compelling reason.
00:06:30 --> 00:06:32 The Moon also holds a lot of easily
00:06:32 --> 00:06:34 accessible resources that could provide the
00:06:34 --> 00:06:37 basis for space based industry. We're talking
00:06:37 --> 00:06:40 about mining and manufacturing on the Moon.
00:06:40 --> 00:06:42 Utilizing rich deposits of methane,
00:06:42 --> 00:06:45 ammonia and atomic oxygen in the lunar
00:06:45 --> 00:06:46 regolith.
00:06:46 --> 00:06:48 Avery: This is where it gets really exciting for
00:06:48 --> 00:06:50 future expansion. These operations could
00:06:50 --> 00:06:53 funnel back either manufactured or refined
00:06:53 --> 00:06:56 materials to Earth, or become the backbone of
00:06:56 --> 00:06:58 further off world industry. As a steady
00:06:58 --> 00:07:01 supply of water and fuel, the Moon has a much
00:07:01 --> 00:07:03 shallower gravitational well than Earth,
00:07:03 --> 00:07:05 meaning it's significantly easier to come and
00:07:05 --> 00:07:08 go from its surface. You could literally
00:07:08 --> 00:07:10 build advanced rocket parts or habitats there
00:07:10 --> 00:07:13 and get them out to Mars or the asteroid
00:07:13 --> 00:07:15 belt. Far, far easier than doing the same
00:07:15 --> 00:07:16 thing from Earth.
00:07:16 --> 00:07:19 Anna: While we can fantasize about fully automated
00:07:19 --> 00:07:21 factories or mining operations on the lunar
00:07:21 --> 00:07:24 surface, the truth is we don't have nearly
00:07:24 --> 00:07:27 the experience or expertise develop those
00:07:27 --> 00:07:29 kinds of systems outside of Earth. Yet lunar
00:07:29 --> 00:07:32 manufacturing and mining are still a long way
00:07:32 --> 00:07:34 off. We have to figure out how mining and
00:07:34 --> 00:07:37 machining can operate in low gravity. How to
00:07:37 --> 00:07:40 deal with all that super fine lunar dust,
00:07:40 --> 00:07:43 how to haul all that mining gear there, and
00:07:43 --> 00:07:45 where the good stuff is on the Moon in the
00:07:45 --> 00:07:45 first place.
00:07:45 --> 00:07:48 Avery: And to kickstart that entire process, we're
00:07:48 --> 00:07:50 going to need a lot of humans doing a lot of
00:07:50 --> 00:07:53 grunt work. And lastly, and perhaps
00:07:53 --> 00:07:56 most fundamentally, it's just plain fun.
00:07:56 --> 00:07:59 Humans are natural explorers. We've always
00:07:59 --> 00:08:02 expanded into every habitable biome of Earth,
00:08:02 --> 00:08:04 making our way across ice bridges and over
00:08:04 --> 00:08:06 the horizons of endless seas to find new
00:08:06 --> 00:08:09 homes. It's truly in our nature to explore
00:08:09 --> 00:08:10 and expand.
00:08:10 --> 00:08:13 Anna: The Moon is right there, waiting for us.
00:08:13 --> 00:08:15 For millennia, we thought it was just a
00:08:15 --> 00:08:18 mysterious part of the heavens. Now we
00:08:18 --> 00:08:20 understand that it's a world in its own
00:08:20 --> 00:08:22 right. A place to plant our flags and build
00:08:22 --> 00:08:25 our homes. A place where a branch of humanity
00:08:25 --> 00:08:28 could potentially Create new communities, and
00:08:28 --> 00:08:28 there.
00:08:28 --> 00:08:30 Avery: Will always be a segment of the population
00:08:30 --> 00:08:32 that simply wants to go to the moon for the
00:08:32 --> 00:08:34 adventure of it and the desire for a new
00:08:34 --> 00:08:37 life. It's not crazy to imagine
00:08:37 --> 00:08:39 humanity building cities and homesteads on
00:08:39 --> 00:08:42 the lunar surface. It may take a very long
00:08:42 --> 00:08:44 time, but it's not impossible. If those
00:08:44 --> 00:08:46 people are private individuals spending their
00:08:46 --> 00:08:48 own money, then good for them. If it's
00:08:48 --> 00:08:51 publicly funded institutions like NASA
00:08:51 --> 00:08:53 footing the bill, let's keep in mind that the
00:08:53 --> 00:08:55 entire space program of the United States
00:08:55 --> 00:08:58 takes up less than 1% of the total
00:08:58 --> 00:09:00 federal budget. We're barely spending any
00:09:00 --> 00:09:02 money on it at all, relatively speaking.
00:09:03 --> 00:09:06 Anna: From our own moon to asteroids zooming
00:09:06 --> 00:09:09 past Earth, let's cast our gaze even
00:09:09 --> 00:09:12 further out to a, uh, truly fascinating
00:09:12 --> 00:09:14 new world that's challenging our
00:09:14 --> 00:09:16 understanding of planetary systems. And
00:09:16 --> 00:09:19 astronomers have just discovered an exoplanet
00:09:19 --> 00:09:20 named TOI
00:09:20 --> 00:09:23 2431B.
00:09:23 --> 00:09:25 Avery: This discovery was made by an international
00:09:25 --> 00:09:28 team of researchers using NASA's
00:09:28 --> 00:09:30 Transiting Exoplanet Survey Satellite, or
00:09:30 --> 00:09:33 TESS. TOI 2431B is
00:09:33 --> 00:09:36 an Earth sized planet orbiting a nearby star
00:09:36 --> 00:09:39 just 117 light years away.
00:09:39 --> 00:09:41 But what makes this planet extraordinary
00:09:41 --> 00:09:44 isn't just its size. It's it's how incredibly
00:09:44 --> 00:09:46 fast it races around its star.
00:09:46 --> 00:09:48 Anna: You're not kidding, Avery.
00:09:48 --> 00:09:51 TOI2431B completes
00:09:51 --> 00:09:53 a full orbit around its host star in just
00:09:53 --> 00:09:56 5.4 hours. That makes it one
00:09:56 --> 00:09:59 of the shortest years ever recorded for
00:09:59 --> 00:10:01 any known planet. To put that into
00:10:01 --> 00:10:03 perspective, While Earth takes
00:10:03 --> 00:10:06 365 days to orbit the sun, this
00:10:06 --> 00:10:09 distant world experiences more than 1600
00:10:10 --> 00:10:12 years in the same timeframe. It's sitting
00:10:12 --> 00:10:15 extremely close to its star, only about
00:10:15 --> 00:10:18 933 kilometers away.
00:10:18 --> 00:10:21 Avery: And that proximity comes with extreme
00:10:21 --> 00:10:23 consequences. The planet's surface
00:10:23 --> 00:10:26 temperature reaches approximately 2
00:10:26 --> 00:10:27 Kelvin, which is about
00:10:27 --> 00:10:30 1727 degrees Celsius.
00:10:31 --> 00:10:33 That's hot enough to melt most rocks and
00:10:33 --> 00:10:35 metals. Scientists believe the planet's
00:10:35 --> 00:10:37 surface is likely molten, creating a
00:10:37 --> 00:10:40 landscape of liquid rock and metal. Imagine
00:10:40 --> 00:10:40 that.
00:10:41 --> 00:10:44 Anna: Despite being classified as earth sized,
00:10:44 --> 00:10:47 TOI 2431B is
00:10:47 --> 00:10:49 quite different from our home planet. With a
00:10:49 --> 00:10:52 radius about 1.53 times
00:10:52 --> 00:10:54 larger than Earth and a, uh, mass
00:10:54 --> 00:10:57 6.2 times greater, this world is
00:10:57 --> 00:11:00 significantly denser than Earth. Its
00:11:00 --> 00:11:03 density of 9.4 grams per cubic
00:11:03 --> 00:11:06 centimeter suggests it's made of much heavier
00:11:06 --> 00:11:09 materials, possibly containing a large iron
00:11:09 --> 00:11:10 core or other dense metals.
00:11:11 --> 00:11:13 Avery: And the intense gravitational forces from its
00:11:13 --> 00:11:16 nearby star have likely changed the planet's
00:11:16 --> 00:11:18 shape. The team estimates that TOI
00:11:18 --> 00:11:21 2431B is tidally deformed,
00:11:21 --> 00:11:24 with its shortest axis being about 9%
00:11:24 --> 00:11:27 shorter than its longest axis. This gives
00:11:27 --> 00:11:29 it a somewhat flattened appearance rather
00:11:29 --> 00:11:31 than a perfect sphere like Earth, but even
00:11:31 --> 00:11:32 more extreme.
00:11:32 --> 00:11:35 Anna: Perhaps most intriguingly, this
00:11:35 --> 00:11:37 planet won't be around forever. The
00:11:37 --> 00:11:39 Researchers calculated that TOI
00:11:39 --> 00:11:42 2431B has a tidal decay
00:11:42 --> 00:11:44 timescale of about 30 million years.
00:11:44 --> 00:11:47 This is the shortest known among similar
00:11:47 --> 00:11:49 ultra short period planets. It means the
00:11:49 --> 00:11:52 planet is gradually spiraling into its star
00:11:52 --> 00:11:55 and will eventually be consumed, though its
00:11:55 --> 00:11:57 demise won't happen for many millions of
00:11:57 --> 00:11:58 years.
00:11:58 --> 00:12:01 Avery: The discovery team led by Kayahan Tosh
00:12:01 --> 00:12:03 confirmed the planet using multiple
00:12:03 --> 00:12:05 observation methods, including TESS data,
00:12:05 --> 00:12:07 ground based telescopes, and specialized
00:12:07 --> 00:12:10 spectrographs. Scientists have noted that TOI
00:12:10 --> 00:12:13 2431B would be an excellent target for the
00:12:13 --> 00:12:15 James Webb Telescope to study further,
00:12:15 --> 00:12:17 potentially revealing details about its
00:12:17 --> 00:12:19 surface composition and whether it retains
00:12:19 --> 00:12:21 any atmosphere despite the extreme
00:12:21 --> 00:12:23 conditions. It really adds to our growing
00:12:23 --> 00:12:25 catalog of extreme worlds.
00:12:25 --> 00:12:28 Anna: What an episode. Avery from
00:12:28 --> 00:12:31 routine asteroid flybys and the excitement of
00:12:31 --> 00:12:34 Apophis in 2029 to the compelling
00:12:34 --> 00:12:36 arguments for human missions back to the in
00:12:36 --> 00:12:39 the truly wild discovery of TOI
00:12:39 --> 00:12:42 2431B with its 5.4 hour
00:12:42 --> 00:12:44 year and molten surface, it's been a
00:12:44 --> 00:12:47 journey through some incredible celestial
00:12:47 --> 00:12:48 events and discoveries.
00:12:48 --> 00:12:51 Avery: It really has. Ana Our universe continues to
00:12:51 --> 00:12:54 amaze us every day. And that wraps up another
00:12:54 --> 00:12:56 episode of Astronomy Daily and a quick
00:12:56 --> 00:12:58 reminder to visit our website where you'll
00:12:58 --> 00:13:00 find all the latest space news and all things
00:13:00 --> 00:13:02 Astronomy daily. Just visit
00:13:02 --> 00:13:04 astronomydaily.IO
00:13:04 --> 00:13:07 Anna: Thank you so much for tuning in and joining
00:13:07 --> 00:13:09 us for today's dive into the latest space
00:13:09 --> 00:13:12 and astronomy news. We hope you enjoyed it as
00:13:12 --> 00:13:13 much as we did.
00:13:14 --> 00:13:15 Avery: If you want to keep up with all things
00:13:15 --> 00:13:18 cosmic, be sure to subscribe to Astronomy
00:13:18 --> 00:13:20 Daily wherever you get your podcasts and
00:13:20 --> 00:13:23 follow us on social media for more updates
00:13:23 --> 00:13:24 and behind the scenes content.
00:13:25 --> 00:13:27 Anna: Until next time, keep looking up.