Blue Origin's Latest Milestone, Sharper Black Hole Images, and Titan's Dragonfly Mission

00:00:00 --> 00:00:02 Anna: Hello, and welcome to Astronomy Daily, your go to

00:00:02 --> 00:00:05 podcast for the latest discoveries and developments in the

00:00:05 --> 00:00:08 cosmos. I'm your host, Anna, and we've got a great

00:00:08 --> 00:00:11 lineup of space news for you today. Coming up, we'll

00:00:11 --> 00:00:14 blast off with details of Blue Origin's latest achievement,

00:00:14 --> 00:00:17 then prepare to have your mind blown as we

00:00:17 --> 00:00:20 dive into groundbreaking black hole images that

00:00:20 --> 00:00:23 are the sharpest ever captured from Earth. We'll

00:00:23 --> 00:00:26 also explore the spectacular aurora

00:00:26 --> 00:00:28 displays that lit up skies across North America and

00:00:28 --> 00:00:31 beyond. And finally, we'll journey to

00:00:31 --> 00:00:34 the mysterious world of Titan as we look ahead

00:00:34 --> 00:00:37 to NASA's fascinating Dragonfly mission.

00:00:37 --> 00:00:40 So strap in and prepare for liftoff as we

00:00:40 --> 00:00:43 explore today's top stories from across the universe.

00:00:44 --> 00:00:47 Blue Origin has once again reached for the stars with their

00:00:47 --> 00:00:50 New Shepard vehicle successfully completing

00:00:50 --> 00:00:53 their 12th crewed suborbital mission. The

00:00:53 --> 00:00:56 spacecraft carried a full complement of space tourists to the

00:00:56 --> 00:00:59 edge of our atmosphere, where they experienced the

00:00:59 --> 00:01:01 breathtaking views of our planet and the

00:01:01 --> 00:01:03 unforgettable sensation of weightlessness.

00:01:04 --> 00:01:07 This latest flight represents another milestone for Jeff

00:01:07 --> 00:01:10 Bezos's space company as they continue to

00:01:10 --> 00:01:13 establish themselves as leaders in the commercial space

00:01:13 --> 00:01:16 tourism industry. The New Shepard vehicle,

00:01:16 --> 00:01:18 named after Mercury astronaut Alan Shepard,

00:01:18 --> 00:01:21 follows a fully autonomous flight profile,

00:01:21 --> 00:01:24 carrying passengers in a capsule that detaches from its

00:01:24 --> 00:01:27 booster rocket before both components return separately to

00:01:27 --> 00:01:29 Earth. The reusable nature of New

00:01:29 --> 00:01:32 Shepard continues to demonstrate Blue Origin's commitment to

00:01:32 --> 00:01:35 more sustainable space travel, with the booster making a

00:01:35 --> 00:01:38 controlled, powered landing while the passenger capsule

00:01:38 --> 00:01:41 gently descends under parachutes. This

00:01:41 --> 00:01:44 mission further cements Blue Origin's growing track

00:01:44 --> 00:01:46 record of reliable suborbital flights,

00:01:47 --> 00:01:49 providing more civilians the rare opportunity to experience

00:01:50 --> 00:01:52 the overview effect, that profound shift in

00:01:52 --> 00:01:55 perspective that astronauts describe when seeing Earth

00:01:55 --> 00:01:57 from space for the first time.

00:01:58 --> 00:02:01 Now, this next story is pretty cool. In a major

00:02:01 --> 00:02:04 breakthrough for astronomy, scientists using the Event

00:02:04 --> 00:02:07 Horizon Telescope have captured the sharpest images ever

00:02:07 --> 00:02:10 of distant black holes from Earth. These remarkable

00:02:10 --> 00:02:12 new observations employed light at a frequency of

00:02:12 --> 00:02:15 345 gigahertz, allowing

00:02:15 --> 00:02:18 researchers to peer deeper into the regions surrounding black

00:02:18 --> 00:02:21 holes with unprecedented clarity. This

00:02:21 --> 00:02:23 achievement represents a significant leap forward from their

00:02:23 --> 00:02:26 previous work at 230 GHz,

00:02:27 --> 00:02:30 with the shorter wavelength providing approximately

00:02:30 --> 00:02:32 50% sharper resolution around

00:02:32 --> 00:02:35 14 microarc seconds. To put

00:02:35 --> 00:02:38 this in perspective, that's like being able to see a donut

00:02:38 --> 00:02:41 on the surface of the Moon from Earth. The

00:02:41 --> 00:02:44 Event Horizon Telescope isn't a single instrument, but

00:02:44 --> 00:02:47 rather a global network of radio telescopes working in

00:02:47 --> 00:02:50 perfect synchronisation using a

00:02:50 --> 00:02:52 powerful technique called very long baseline

00:02:52 --> 00:02:54 interferometry scientists effectively

00:02:54 --> 00:02:57 created a virtual telescope the size of our planet.

00:02:58 --> 00:03:00 By combining signals from observatories scattered across

00:03:00 --> 00:03:03 Earth, they've achieved imaging capabilities far beyond

00:03:03 --> 00:03:05 what any single telescope could accomplish.

00:03:06 --> 00:03:09 Among the most studied targets are the supermassive black

00:03:09 --> 00:03:12 hole at the centre of Galaxy M, M87 and

00:03:12 --> 00:03:15 Sagittarius A, the black hole at the heart of our

00:03:15 --> 00:03:18 own Milky Way. With this enhanced resolution,

00:03:18 --> 00:03:21 researchers can now observe how light bends near these

00:03:21 --> 00:03:23 cosmic giants with remarkable detail,

00:03:23 --> 00:03:26 potentially revealing subtle behaviours that were previously

00:03:26 --> 00:03:29 invisible. The technical challenges involved

00:03:29 --> 00:03:31 were immense. At 345

00:03:32 --> 00:03:34 GHz, atmospheric water vapour

00:03:34 --> 00:03:37 heavily absorbs radio waves, significantly

00:03:37 --> 00:03:40 weakening signals from distant black holes. To overcome

00:03:40 --> 00:03:43 this, the EHT team expanded their bandwidth and

00:03:43 --> 00:03:45 carefully selected high altitude observation sites like the

00:03:45 --> 00:03:48 Atacama Large Millimetre Submillimeter Array in

00:03:48 --> 00:03:51 Chile and the Submillimeter Array in Hawaii, where

00:03:51 --> 00:03:53 atmospheric interference is minimised.

00:03:54 --> 00:03:56 This advancement opens exciting new possibilities.

00:03:57 --> 00:03:59 Scientists can now study polarised light around black

00:03:59 --> 00:04:02 holes with greater precision, providing insights

00:04:02 --> 00:04:05 into their magnetic environments. The reduced effects

00:04:05 --> 00:04:08 of Faraday rotation, a phenomenon that alters

00:04:08 --> 00:04:11 light's electric field orientation, allows for

00:04:11 --> 00:04:13 clearer observations of magnetic field structures.

00:04:14 --> 00:04:17 Perhaps most thrilling is the potential to create time lapse

00:04:17 --> 00:04:19 movies of black hole environments showing

00:04:19 --> 00:04:22 material moving around the event horizon in near real

00:04:22 --> 00:04:25 time. For Sagittarius a star, which

00:04:25 --> 00:04:28 has a dynamic timescale of about 200 seconds,

00:04:28 --> 00:04:31 simultaneous observations at multiple wavelengths

00:04:31 --> 00:04:34 could soon allow scientists to watch the cosmic dance of

00:04:34 --> 00:04:37 matter as it spirals toward the point of no return.

00:04:38 --> 00:04:41 This groundbreaking advancement in black hole imaging technology

00:04:41 --> 00:04:43 is set to revolutionise our understanding of these

00:04:43 --> 00:04:46 cosmic giants. With m, the successful

00:04:46 --> 00:04:48 345 GHz observations,

00:04:49 --> 00:04:51 scientists are now on the cusp of creating something

00:04:51 --> 00:04:54 truly remarkable. Time lapse

00:04:54 --> 00:04:57 movies of black hole environments that would show us the

00:04:57 --> 00:05:00 dynamic nature of these extreme regions in

00:05:00 --> 00:05:03 unprecedented detail. For Matey 7's

00:05:03 --> 00:05:05 black hole, which evolves over a longer period of about

00:05:05 --> 00:05:08 three days, researchers could combine images

00:05:09 --> 00:05:11 collected over consecutive observation sessions

00:05:12 --> 00:05:15 to construct detailed visualisations of its

00:05:15 --> 00:05:18 active surroundings. These time lapse sequences

00:05:18 --> 00:05:21 would reveal how matter behaves as it approaches the event

00:05:21 --> 00:05:24 horizon, potentially showing the formation and evolution

00:05:24 --> 00:05:26 of jets that extend thousands of light years into

00:05:26 --> 00:05:29 space. Beyond the well known black holes

00:05:29 --> 00:05:32 at M, M87 and Sagittarius A, the

00:05:32 --> 00:05:35 improved resolution enables detailed studies of active

00:05:35 --> 00:05:38 galactic nuclei jets with unprecedented precision.

00:05:39 --> 00:05:41 Researchers can now investigate phenomena like limb

00:05:41 --> 00:05:44 brightening, where jets appear brighter near their edges,

00:05:44 --> 00:05:47 and study how these massive energy beams form and

00:05:47 --> 00:05:49 accelerate across vast cosmic distances.

00:05:50 --> 00:05:53 Perhaps most exciting is the potential for Multi Frequency

00:05:53 --> 00:05:56 Synthesis, a technique that combines data from different

00:05:56 --> 00:05:59 frequencies to map black hole environments

00:05:59 --> 00:06:02 in exquisite detail over time. For our

00:06:02 --> 00:06:05 galaxy's central black hole, this could provide real

00:06:05 --> 00:06:07 time glimpses into its turbulent surroundings,

00:06:08 --> 00:06:10 capturing moment by moment changes near the event

00:06:10 --> 00:06:11 horizon.

00:06:12 --> 00:06:15 Did you happen to see this? Earth has been putting on quite a

00:06:15 --> 00:06:18 show lately. A powerful coronal mass ejection

00:06:18 --> 00:06:21 struck our planet head on in the early hours of June 1,

00:06:21 --> 00:06:24 triggering one of the most spectacular aurora displays in

00:06:24 --> 00:06:27 recent memory. The CME originated from an M

00:06:27 --> 00:06:30 M8.2 class solar flare that erupted

00:06:30 --> 00:06:33 on May 30 and raced toward Earth at a staggering

00:06:33 --> 00:06:35 speed of nearly 1

00:06:35 --> 00:06:38 kilometres per second. That's about 4.3 million

00:06:38 --> 00:06:41 miles per hour. When this massive burst

00:06:41 --> 00:06:44 of solar energy collided with Earth's magnetic field, it,

00:06:44 --> 00:06:47 it triggered what scientists classify as a severe

00:06:47 --> 00:06:50 G4 geomagnetic storm.

00:06:50 --> 00:06:52 This intense disturbance in our planet's

00:06:52 --> 00:06:55 magnetosphere created breathtaking

00:06:55 --> 00:06:57 auroras that were visible much farther south than

00:06:57 --> 00:07:00 usual, delighting skygazers across North

00:07:00 --> 00:07:03 America. The severity of this particular

00:07:03 --> 00:07:05 storm meant that aurora chasers were treated to

00:07:05 --> 00:07:08 spectacular displays, even in regions where

00:07:08 --> 00:07:10 such sightings are extremely rare.

00:07:11 --> 00:07:14 Terry Gryphon captured beautiful aurora pillars in St.

00:07:14 --> 00:07:16 George, Kansas, noting that the white pillars were

00:07:16 --> 00:07:19 strikingly visible to the naked eye. In

00:07:19 --> 00:07:22 Cheyenne, Wyoming, skywatchers reported brilliant

00:07:22 --> 00:07:25 curtains of green and purple light dancing across

00:07:25 --> 00:07:28 the night sky. Perhaps most remarkable

00:07:28 --> 00:07:31 were the sightings from places like Farmington, New Mexico,

00:07:31 --> 00:07:34 where photographer Derek Wilson captured a, stunning

00:07:34 --> 00:07:35 timelapse of the northern lights.

00:07:36 --> 00:07:39 Wilson explained that visible auroras this far south

00:07:39 --> 00:07:42 are such a rare occurrence that he knew he had to

00:07:42 --> 00:07:45 get far from city lights when he saw the solar storm data.

00:07:46 --> 00:07:49 Most astonishingly, the light show was confirmed as visible

00:07:49 --> 00:07:51 on webcams as far south as San Diego,

00:07:51 --> 00:07:54 California, an extremely unusual occurrence that

00:07:54 --> 00:07:57 highlights just how powerful this G force storm truly was.

00:07:58 --> 00:08:01 The Southern hemisphere wasn't left out of this extraordinary

00:08:01 --> 00:08:04 light show. Sky watchers in New Zealand were treated to

00:08:04 --> 00:08:06 spectacular displays of the Aurora Australis

00:08:07 --> 00:08:09 with vibrant red and pink hues illuminating night

00:08:09 --> 00:08:12 skies. The crimson and magenta hues that

00:08:12 --> 00:08:14 dominated many Southern Hemisphere sightings

00:08:15 --> 00:08:17 created an almost otherworldly atmosphere,

00:08:18 --> 00:08:20 distinctly different from the predominantly green

00:08:20 --> 00:08:22 curtains often seen in the north.

00:08:23 --> 00:08:26 In Australia, the Aurora Australis made a

00:08:26 --> 00:08:29 dramatic appearance over Victoria. The aurora

00:08:29 --> 00:08:32 was particularly impressive over Tasmania, with observers

00:08:32 --> 00:08:35 in Queenstown reporting some of the most vibrant displays.

00:08:36 --> 00:08:38 The rugged landscape provided a striking

00:08:38 --> 00:08:41 foreground to the cosmic light show, with red

00:08:41 --> 00:08:44 and pink aurora reflections visible in

00:08:44 --> 00:08:47 the still waters of lakes and bays across the region.

00:08:48 --> 00:08:51 What makes these sightings especially remarkable is

00:08:51 --> 00:08:53 their rarity. While northern lights are

00:08:53 --> 00:08:56 occasionally visible in the northern United States,

00:08:56 --> 00:08:59 seeing auroras from places like San Diego or central

00:08:59 --> 00:09:02 Australia is extraordinarily uncommon,

00:09:02 --> 00:09:04 requiring exceptionally powerful

00:09:04 --> 00:09:07 geomagnetic storms, like this G4

00:09:07 --> 00:09:08 event.

00:09:09 --> 00:09:12 Now let's turn our attention to a mission that will take us to

00:09:12 --> 00:09:15 one of the most fascinating worlds in our solar system.

00:09:16 --> 00:09:19 NASA is preparing to launch the Dragonfly mission to

00:09:19 --> 00:09:21 Saturn's moon Titan in July 2028,

00:09:22 --> 00:09:25 using a SpaceX Falcon Heavy rocket to send

00:09:25 --> 00:09:28 this revolutionary spacecraft on its six year journey.

00:09:28 --> 00:09:31 Titan is unlike any world we've explored before.

00:09:31 --> 00:09:34 It's the only moon in our solar system with a thick

00:09:34 --> 00:09:37 atmosphere and its surface is dotted with methane

00:09:37 --> 00:09:40 rivers, lakes and seas. This methane

00:09:40 --> 00:09:43 rich environment has scientists excited because they

00:09:43 --> 00:09:45 believe Titan resembles what Earth may have looked like

00:09:45 --> 00:09:48 billions of years ago, before life transformed

00:09:48 --> 00:09:51 our planet's chemistry. What makes Dragonfly

00:09:51 --> 00:09:54 truly revolutionary is its design. Rather than

00:09:54 --> 00:09:57 a traditional rover, NASA has created a nuclear

00:09:57 --> 00:10:00 powered rotorcraft, essentially a science drone

00:10:00 --> 00:10:03 that can fly from location to location across Titan's

00:10:03 --> 00:10:06 surface. This mobility will allow it to cover

00:10:06 --> 00:10:08 hundreds of kilometres during its mission, exploring

00:10:08 --> 00:10:11 diverse landscapes that would be impossible to reach

00:10:11 --> 00:10:14 with a wheeled vehicle. The principal

00:10:14 --> 00:10:17 investigator, Zibby Turtle from Johns Hopkins Applied Physics

00:10:17 --> 00:10:20 Laboratory, explains that Dragonfly isn't

00:10:20 --> 00:10:23 searching for current life on Titan. Instead,

00:10:23 --> 00:10:26 it's investigating the chemical processes that might have

00:10:26 --> 00:10:29 preceded life on Earth. Since Titan is so

00:10:29 --> 00:10:32 cold, about 144 degrees Celsius below

00:10:32 --> 00:10:35 zero, any chemical reactions occur much more

00:10:35 --> 00:10:38 slowly than they would on Earth, effectively preserving

00:10:38 --> 00:10:40 evidence of prebiotic chemistry. One of

00:10:40 --> 00:10:43 Dragonfly's prime destinations is Selk Crater, a,

00:10:43 --> 00:10:46 massive 90 kilometre wide impact site.

00:10:46 --> 00:10:49 Scientists believe this ancient asteroid impact may have

00:10:49 --> 00:10:52 temporarily melted Titan's icy crust, creating

00:10:52 --> 00:10:54 a warm pool of liquid water mixed with organic

00:10:54 --> 00:10:57 compounds, essentially a, prebiotic soup,

00:10:57 --> 00:11:00 similar to what might have spawned life on early Earth.

00:11:00 --> 00:11:03 By studying Titan, scientists hope to answer

00:11:03 --> 00:11:06 fundamental questions about how life begins.

00:11:06 --> 00:11:09 Is the path from chemistry to biology universal?

00:11:09 --> 00:11:12 Following the same pattern everywhere? Or was

00:11:12 --> 00:11:15 Earth's development of life a cosmic coincidence?

00:11:16 --> 00:11:18 It's essentially a long running chemical experiment,

00:11:19 --> 00:11:21 explains Sarah Horst, a Dragonfly co

00:11:21 --> 00:11:24 investigator. That's why Titan is exciting.

00:11:24 --> 00:11:27 It's a natural version of our origin of life experiments.

00:11:27 --> 00:11:30 Except it's been running much longer and on a planetary

00:11:30 --> 00:11:30 scale.

00:11:32 --> 00:11:35 Well, what an incredible journey around our cosmic

00:11:35 --> 00:11:38 neighbourhood. We've taken today from witnessing blue

00:11:38 --> 00:11:41 origin's continued progress in commercial spaceflight

00:11:41 --> 00:11:44 to marvelling at the sharpest black hole images ever captured

00:11:44 --> 00:11:46 from Earth. This has been Anna hosting

00:11:46 --> 00:11:49 Astronomy Daily if you'd like to keep up with all the latest

00:11:49 --> 00:11:51 space and astronomy news, visit our

00:11:51 --> 00:11:54 website@astronomydaily.IO, where our

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