- Second Generation Black Holes Discovered: Astronomers have made a groundbreaking discovery with the detection of second generation black holes, providing evidence for hierarchical mergers. The LIGO Virgo Kagra collaboration identified two gravitational wave events, revealing unexpected characteristics that suggest a complex history of cosmic collisions.
- Young Astronomer Makes Asteroid Discoveries: Meet Stuart Patel, a 12-year-old from Andrew, who has potentially discovered two new asteroids through a citizen science program. His keen eye and passion for astronomy remind us that anyone can contribute to the field, regardless of age or experience.
- Mapping the Universe's Structure: A team from the University of Chicago has successfully cataloged galaxy clusters, the most massive structures in the universe, using data from the Dark Energy Survey. Their findings align with the Lambda CDM model, providing crucial insights into the distribution of dark matter and dark energy.
- Interstellar Comet 3I ATLAS: The interstellar comet 3I ATLAS is currently passing through our solar system, displaying typical comet features. Observations from both professional and amateur astronomers are set to reveal more about its origins and the protoplanetary disk from which it came.
- ESA's Lunar Lander Argonaut: The European Space Agency has introduced its new lunar lander, Argonaut, designed for sustainable lunar exploration. With the ability to survive the harsh lunar night and deliver significant payloads, Argonaut represents a key step towards a permanent human presence on the Moon.
- For more cosmic updates, visit our website at astronomydaily.io. Join our community on social media by searching for #AstroDailyPod on Facebook, X, YouTubeMusic, 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 and Avery signing off. Until next time, keep looking up and exploring the wonders of our universe.
Second Generation Black Holes Discovery
[LIGO](https://www.ligo.caltech.edu/)
Stuart Patel's Asteroid Discoveries
[International Astronomical Search Collaboration](https://www.asteroidclub.org/)
Galaxy Clusters Mapping
[University of Chicago](https://www.uchicago.edu/)
Interstellar Comet 3I ATLAS
[NASA](https://www.nasa.gov/)
ESA Argonaut Lunar Lander
[European Space Agency](https://www.esa.int/)
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00:00:00 --> 00:00:02 Avery: Hello, and welcome to Astronomy Daily, the
00:00:02 --> 00:00:05 podcast that brings you the universe one
00:00:05 --> 00:00:07 story at a time. I'm avery. Give us 10
00:00:07 --> 00:00:09 minutes and we'll give you the universe.
00:00:10 --> 00:00:12 Anna: And I'm Anna. it's great to be with you.
00:00:12 --> 00:00:15 We've got another busy show today, Avery,
00:00:15 --> 00:00:17 with stories ranging from the cosmic echoes
00:00:17 --> 00:00:19 of colliding black holes to some
00:00:19 --> 00:00:22 incredible homegrown discoveries.
00:00:22 --> 00:00:24 Avery: Absolutely. We'll be mapping the largest
00:00:24 --> 00:00:26 structures in the universe, spying on a
00:00:26 --> 00:00:29 visitor from another star system, and
00:00:29 --> 00:00:31 checking out Europe's ambitious new plans for
00:00:31 --> 00:00:33 land landing on the Moon. So let's get right
00:00:33 --> 00:00:34 to it.
00:00:34 --> 00:00:37 Our first story is a mindbender. Astronomers
00:00:37 --> 00:00:39 have found evidence of second generation
00:00:39 --> 00:00:40 black holes.
00:00:40 --> 00:00:43 Anna: Right. And this is a huge deal. The idea
00:00:43 --> 00:00:46 of a hierarchical merger m where black holes
00:00:46 --> 00:00:49 that are themselves the result of a previous
00:00:49 --> 00:00:51 merger, then go on to merge again,
00:00:51 --> 00:00:54 has been a theory for a while, but now the
00:00:54 --> 00:00:56 LIGO Virgo Kagra collaboration
00:00:57 --> 00:00:59 seems to have found the first direct
00:00:59 --> 00:00:59 evidence.
00:01:00 --> 00:01:02 Avery: So it's like black hole parents creating a
00:01:02 --> 00:01:04 new, bigger black hole child.
00:01:04 --> 00:01:07 Anna: Exactly. They detected two new
00:01:07 --> 00:01:10 gravitational wave events. GW
00:01:10 --> 00:01:13 241011 and GW
00:01:13 --> 00:01:16 2411 10. Both showed
00:01:16 --> 00:01:18 some very strange features that you wouldn't
00:01:18 --> 00:01:21 expect from first generation black holes
00:01:21 --> 00:01:24 formed from collapsing stars. Strange in what
00:01:24 --> 00:01:26 way? Well, for one event, one of the black
00:01:26 --> 00:01:29 holes was spinning incredibly fast.
00:01:29 --> 00:01:32 Faster than is typically thought possible for
00:01:32 --> 00:01:34 a black hole born from a single star. A
00:01:34 --> 00:01:37 violent merger, however, could spin a black
00:01:37 --> 00:01:39 hole up to that kind of speed.
00:01:39 --> 00:01:41 Avery: Okay, that makes sense. A, cosmic collision
00:01:41 --> 00:01:43 giving it an extra push. What about the other
00:01:43 --> 00:01:44 event?
00:01:44 --> 00:01:47 Anna: This one is even wilder. In the
00:01:47 --> 00:01:50 GW24 1110 event,
00:01:50 --> 00:01:53 the larger black hole was spinning in the
00:01:53 --> 00:01:55 opposite direction to its orbit around the
00:01:55 --> 00:01:56 smaller black hole.
00:01:56 --> 00:01:59 Avery: Wait, spinning backwards? How does that even
00:01:59 --> 00:01:59 happen?
00:02:00 --> 00:02:02 Anna: It's the first time we've ever observed
00:02:02 --> 00:02:04 something like that. The thinking is that
00:02:04 --> 00:02:07 this kind of bizarre anti aligned
00:02:07 --> 00:02:10 spin is a potential signature of a second
00:02:10 --> 00:02:13 generation merger. The chaotic dynamics of a
00:02:13 --> 00:02:15 previous collision could have flipped it
00:02:15 --> 00:02:18 around. It's like finding a planet that spins
00:02:18 --> 00:02:20 in the opposite direction of its orbit around
00:02:20 --> 00:02:23 its star. It tells you something dramatic
00:02:23 --> 00:02:24 happened in its past.
00:02:25 --> 00:02:27 Avery: Wow. So these gravitational wave detectors
00:02:28 --> 00:02:30 aren't just hearing collisions. They're
00:02:30 --> 00:02:33 starting to uncover the life stories of black
00:02:33 --> 00:02:34 holes. That's incredible.
00:02:34 --> 00:02:37 Anna: It really is. And the implications are
00:02:37 --> 00:02:39 profound for understanding the cosmic
00:02:39 --> 00:02:42 landscape. If hierarchical mergers are
00:02:42 --> 00:02:45 common, it could be the primary mechanism for
00:02:45 --> 00:02:48 creating the supermassive black holes we see
00:02:48 --> 00:02:51 at the centers of galaxies. It's a key puzzle
00:02:51 --> 00:02:53 piece we might have just found connecting the
00:02:53 --> 00:02:56 smallest stellar mass black holes to the
00:02:56 --> 00:02:57 largest behemoths in the universe.
00:02:58 --> 00:03:00 Avery: So this isn't just about individual black
00:03:00 --> 00:03:02 holes, but about the grand architecture of
00:03:02 --> 00:03:05 galaxy formation itself. It changes our
00:03:05 --> 00:03:08 models for how galaxies evolve over billions
00:03:08 --> 00:03:10 of years. It's amazing how these tiny
00:03:10 --> 00:03:13 fleeting ripples in spacetime can tell us so
00:03:13 --> 00:03:14 much about cosmic history.
00:03:15 --> 00:03:17 Anna: It really is. And from the
00:03:17 --> 00:03:20 unbelievably massive, we're going to
00:03:20 --> 00:03:22 something a bit closer to home. And a
00:03:22 --> 00:03:25 discovery that is just as inspiring.
00:03:25 --> 00:03:28 It involves a very young astronomer from
00:03:28 --> 00:03:29 Ontario, Canada.
00:03:29 --> 00:03:30 Avery: I, love these stories. Tell me more.
00:03:31 --> 00:03:34 Anna: Siddharth Patel, who was just 12 years
00:03:34 --> 00:03:36 old, has discovered two possible new
00:03:36 --> 00:03:38 asteroids. They've been designated
00:03:38 --> 00:03:41 2024 RX69 and
00:03:41 --> 00:03:43 2024 RH39.
00:03:43 --> 00:03:46 Avery: 12 years old. That's amazing.
00:03:46 --> 00:03:48 How did he do it? You need some serious
00:03:48 --> 00:03:49 equipment for that, right?
00:03:49 --> 00:03:52 Anna: He did it through a citizen science program
00:03:52 --> 00:03:54 called the International Astronomical Search
00:03:54 --> 00:03:57 Collaboration. They provide real astronom
00:03:57 --> 00:03:59 astronomical data to people around the world
00:03:59 --> 00:04:02 to analyze. Sidehearth was poring over
00:04:02 --> 00:04:04 images from their telescopes when he spotted
00:04:04 --> 00:04:06 these two objects moving against the
00:04:06 --> 00:04:07 background stars.
00:04:08 --> 00:04:10 Avery: That's the best part of citizen science. It
00:04:10 --> 00:04:13 opens up real research to anyone with passion
00:04:13 --> 00:04:16 and a keen eye. And clearly Siddharth has
00:04:16 --> 00:04:16 both.
00:04:16 --> 00:04:19 Anna: He definitely does. Apparently he's already
00:04:19 --> 00:04:22 an award winning astrophotographer and dreams
00:04:22 --> 00:04:25 of becoming an astronaut. Now the discoveries
00:04:25 --> 00:04:27 are still preliminary. It could take years of
00:04:27 --> 00:04:30 follow up observations to confirm them and
00:04:30 --> 00:04:32 officially add them to our solar systems
00:04:32 --> 00:04:33 catalog.
00:04:33 --> 00:04:35 Avery: Still, to make a potential discovery like
00:04:35 --> 00:04:38 that, at 12, he's already contributing to the
00:04:38 --> 00:04:40 field. What a future he has ahead of him.
00:04:40 --> 00:04:42 It's a great reminder that you don't need a
00:04:42 --> 00:04:45 PhD to make a difference in astronomy.
00:04:46 --> 00:04:47 Anna: Absolutely.
00:04:47 --> 00:04:50 Avery: Alright, let's zoom back out. Way out.
00:04:50 --> 00:04:53 From spotting tiny asteroids to mapping the
00:04:53 --> 00:04:55 largest objects in the entire universe,
00:04:56 --> 00:04:58 A team led by University of Chicago
00:04:58 --> 00:05:01 scientists has been cataloging galaxy galaxy
00:05:01 --> 00:05:01 clusters.
00:05:01 --> 00:05:04 Anna: And these aren't just any objects. Galaxy
00:05:04 --> 00:05:07 clusters are the most massive gravitationally
00:05:07 --> 00:05:10 bound structures we know of. They can contain
00:05:10 --> 00:05:13 hundreds or even thousands of galaxies,
00:05:13 --> 00:05:15 all held together by an immense amount of
00:05:15 --> 00:05:16 dark matter.
00:05:16 --> 00:05:18 Avery: Right. So by mapping where they are and how
00:05:18 --> 00:05:20 they're distributed, you're essentially
00:05:20 --> 00:05:22 mapping the invisible skeleton of the
00:05:22 --> 00:05:25 universe. The team used data from the Dark
00:05:25 --> 00:05:27 Energy survey to do this. And the big
00:05:27 --> 00:05:30 question is, what does this map tell us about
00:05:30 --> 00:05:32 dark matter and dark energy?
00:05:32 --> 00:05:34 Anna: Well, this is the exciting part. Their
00:05:34 --> 00:05:37 findings aligned almost perfectly with our
00:05:37 --> 00:05:39 current standard model of the universe, the
00:05:39 --> 00:05:42 Lambda CDM model. This model predicts
00:05:42 --> 00:05:44 how structures should form and grow over
00:05:44 --> 00:05:47 cosmic time, Driven by the pull of dark
00:05:47 --> 00:05:49 matter and the push of dark energy.
00:05:49 --> 00:05:52 Avery: So no new physics needed just yet. Sometimes
00:05:52 --> 00:05:54 confirming the current theory is just as
00:05:54 --> 00:05:55 important as breaking it.
00:05:56 --> 00:05:58 Anna: Exactly. There have been some tensions in
00:05:58 --> 00:06:00 recent years between different types of
00:06:00 --> 00:06:03 cosmic measurements. Some studies hinted that
00:06:03 --> 00:06:06 the universe might be a little less clumpy
00:06:06 --> 00:06:09 Than lambda CDM predicts. But this new
00:06:09 --> 00:06:12 independent analysis of galaxy clusters shows
00:06:12 --> 00:06:14 that, no, the clumpiness is just right.
00:06:14 --> 00:06:16 Avery: That's a huge relief for cosmologists. I bet
00:06:17 --> 00:06:19 it means the model holds up. And I see they
00:06:19 --> 00:06:21 mentioned that future telescopes like the
00:06:21 --> 00:06:23 Rubin Observatory and the Nancy Grace Roman
00:06:23 --> 00:06:26 Space Telescope Will be able to take the this
00:06:26 --> 00:06:28 kind of mapping to the next level.
00:06:28 --> 00:06:31 Anna: They will. They'll survey the sky wider and
00:06:31 --> 00:06:33 deeper, Giving us an even more precise map
00:06:33 --> 00:06:36 and a stricter test of our cosmic model. It's
00:06:36 --> 00:06:38 a foundational piece of work for
00:06:38 --> 00:06:40 understanding our universe's evolution.
00:06:40 --> 00:06:41 Avery: Fantastic.
00:06:41 --> 00:06:44 Okay, from the cosmic web, let's turn
00:06:44 --> 00:06:46 our gaze To a solo traveler passing through
00:06:46 --> 00:06:49 our neighborhood. Let's get an update on a
00:06:49 --> 00:06:52 visitor from very, very far away.
00:06:52 --> 00:06:54 Anna: You must be talking about the interstellar
00:06:54 --> 00:06:57 comet 3I ATLAS. It's only
00:06:57 --> 00:07:00 the third interstellar object ever detected,
00:07:00 --> 00:07:02 and it's currently reaching its perihelion,
00:07:02 --> 00:07:05 which is its closest point to our sun.
00:07:05 --> 00:07:07 Avery: Interstellar objects, are always exciting. A
00:07:07 --> 00:07:09 real piece of another solar system right here
00:07:09 --> 00:07:12 for us to study. I know there was some online
00:07:12 --> 00:07:15 hype about it. Is it living up to that?
00:07:15 --> 00:07:18 Anna: Well, it's not an alien spaceship, if that's
00:07:18 --> 00:07:20 what you mean. The observations show it
00:07:20 --> 00:07:23 displaying very typical comet features, A
00:07:23 --> 00:07:25 fuzzy coma of G gas and a dust tail,
00:07:25 --> 00:07:28 both created as the sun's heat vaporizes its
00:07:28 --> 00:07:31 ice. Scientifically, though, it's incredibly
00:07:31 --> 00:07:32 interesting.
00:07:32 --> 00:07:34 Avery: Of course, every photon we collect from it
00:07:34 --> 00:07:36 tells us something about the chemistry of the
00:07:36 --> 00:07:39 protoplanetary disk it came from. Wherever
00:07:39 --> 00:07:41 that was. Are professional observatories
00:07:41 --> 00:07:42 getting a look at?
00:07:42 --> 00:07:45 Anna: Yes, many are. Even the European Space
00:07:45 --> 00:07:47 Agency's juice mission, which is on its way
00:07:47 --> 00:07:50 to Jupiter, is planning to observe it from
00:07:50 --> 00:07:52 its unique vantage point in space. The but
00:07:52 --> 00:07:54 what's really cool is that amateur
00:07:54 --> 00:07:57 astronomers are getting great views, too. It
00:07:57 --> 00:07:59 will be visible to backyard telescopes for
00:07:59 --> 00:08:02 the next few months as it heads back out of
00:08:02 --> 00:08:03 our solar system, never to return.
00:08:04 --> 00:08:06 Avery: A fleeting glimpse of a traveler from the
00:08:06 --> 00:08:08 stars. It's a great opportunity for anyone
00:08:08 --> 00:08:11 with a telescope to see something truly
00:08:11 --> 00:08:11 unique.
00:08:11 --> 00:08:12 Anna: It really is.
00:08:13 --> 00:08:15 Avery: All right, for our final story, we're looking
00:08:15 --> 00:08:18 to the future of lunar exploration.
00:08:18 --> 00:08:20 The European Space Agency, or
00:08:20 --> 00:08:23 esa, has just unveiled its brand new
00:08:24 --> 00:08:26 lunar lander and it's called Argonaut.
00:08:26 --> 00:08:29 Anna: This looks impressive. It's designed as a
00:08:29 --> 00:08:32 versatile cargo vehicle capable of delivering
00:08:32 --> 00:08:35 up to 1.6 tons to the Moon's
00:08:35 --> 00:08:37 surface. That's a significant payload.
00:08:37 --> 00:08:40 Avery: It is. It's all part of ESA's push for a
00:08:40 --> 00:08:43 sustainable and importantly, an
00:08:43 --> 00:08:46 independent European presence on the moon.
00:08:46 --> 00:08:48 But there's one feature they're highlighting
00:08:48 --> 00:08:49 that really stands out.
00:08:50 --> 00:08:53 Anna: Let me guess. Its ability to survive the
00:08:53 --> 00:08:53 lunar night.
00:08:54 --> 00:08:56 Avery: You got it. That's the killer. The lunar
00:08:56 --> 00:08:59 night lasts for two Earth weeks and
00:08:59 --> 00:09:02 temperatures can plummet to extremes. Keeping
00:09:02 --> 00:09:04 electronics and systems from freezing solid
00:09:04 --> 00:09:07 is one of the biggest challenges of long term
00:09:07 --> 00:09:10 lunar missions. Argonaut is being designed
00:09:10 --> 00:09:12 specifically to withstand that deep cold.
00:09:13 --> 00:09:15 Anna: And how are they testing that? It's not like
00:09:15 --> 00:09:17 you can just stick it in a freezer, right?
00:09:17 --> 00:09:20 Avery: ESA is using a cutting edge simulation
00:09:20 --> 00:09:23 facility in Germany called Luna. They
00:09:23 --> 00:09:25 can recreate the vacuum, extreme
00:09:25 --> 00:09:27 temperatures, and even the abrasive lunar
00:09:27 --> 00:09:30 dust to put the technology through its paces
00:09:30 --> 00:09:32 right here on Earth before sending it a
00:09:32 --> 00:09:33 quarter of a mile away.
00:09:34 --> 00:09:37 Anna: And the goal isn't just to land and survive.
00:09:37 --> 00:09:39 Argonaut is designed as a versatile
00:09:39 --> 00:09:42 workhorse for the Artemis program and beyond.
00:09:42 --> 00:09:44 It could deploy complex scientific
00:09:44 --> 00:09:47 instruments, release rovers to explore
00:09:47 --> 00:09:50 permanently shadowed craters, or even deliver
00:09:50 --> 00:09:52 the foundational elements for a future lunar
00:09:52 --> 00:09:55 base. It's a key logistical step in moving
00:09:55 --> 00:09:58 from temporary visits to a sustained long
00:09:58 --> 00:09:59 term scientific presence.
00:09:59 --> 00:10:01 Avery: A versatile lunar delivery truck,
00:10:01 --> 00:10:03 essentially. That really does change the
00:10:03 --> 00:10:06 game. It makes the idea of a permanent human
00:10:06 --> 00:10:08 presence on the moon feel much more
00:10:08 --> 00:10:11 tangible, much less like science fiction.
00:10:11 --> 00:10:14 This is the kind of hardware that builds a
00:10:14 --> 00:10:14 future.
00:10:14 --> 00:10:17 Anna: That's smart engineering. It seems like the
00:10:17 --> 00:10:19 new moon rush is really heating up. And it's
00:10:19 --> 00:10:21 fantastic to see Europe making such a serious
00:10:21 --> 00:10:24 and capable contribution with landers like
00:10:24 --> 00:10:26 Argonaut. It's not just about flags and
00:10:26 --> 00:10:28 footprints anymore. It's about building
00:10:28 --> 00:10:30 sustainable infrastructure.
00:10:30 --> 00:10:32 Avery: Couldn't agree more. It's an exciting time
00:10:32 --> 00:10:35 for lunar science. And that brings us to the
00:10:35 --> 00:10:37 end of our news roundup for today. From
00:10:37 --> 00:10:40 second generation black holes to a 12 year
00:10:40 --> 00:10:42 old asteroid hunter, it's been another
00:10:42 --> 00:10:44 incredible day in astronomy.
00:10:44 --> 00:10:47 Anna: It certainly has. The universe never fails to
00:10:47 --> 00:10:49 surprise and inspire. Thanks for joining us
00:10:49 --> 00:10:52 on Astronomy Daily. Be sure to subscribe
00:10:52 --> 00:10:54 wherever you get your podcasts so you don't
00:10:54 --> 00:10:55 miss an episode.
00:10:55 --> 00:10:58 Avery: Until next time, keep looking up. I'm Avery.
00:10:58 --> 00:11:00 Anna: And I'm Anna. Clear skies.