- Record-Breaking Fast Radio Burst Discovery: Join us as we delve into a groundbreaking discovery of a fast radio burst (FRB) traced to an astonishing distance of over 11 billion light years. Designated FRB 20240304B, this signal originated just 3 billion years post-Big Bang, offering a unique glimpse into the early universe and enhancing our understanding of cosmic phenomena.
- - NASA's Europa Clipper Mission Update: Exciting news from NASA's Europa Clipper mission! Recently, the spacecraft successfully tested its Rusty radar instrument during a flyby of Mars, paving the way for its primary goal of probing beneath Europa's icy surface for signs of water and potential life.
- - Hubble Observes Interstellar Visitor 3I Atlas: Astronomers have captured stunning images of 3I Atlas, a mysterious interstellar object behaving like a comet. This marks only the third confirmed interstellar visitor, providing valuable insights into its composition and the distant star system from which it originated.
- - Upcoming Space Launches: Get ready for a busy week in space exploration! We discuss the upcoming launches of ULA's Vulcan rocket and Europe's Ariane 6, alongside multiple SpaceX Starlink missions, showcasing the dynamic nature of contemporary space endeavors.
- 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 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 stay curious about the wonders of our universe.
Fast Radio Burst Discovery
[MeerKAT Radio Telescope](https://www.ska.ac.za/meerkat/)
NASA's Europa Clipper Mission
[NASA](https://www.nasa.gov/)
Hubble Observations of 3I Atlas
[Hubble Space Telescope](https://hubblesite.org/)
Upcoming Launch Information
[United Launch Alliance](https://www.ulalaunch.com/)
Astronomy Daily
[Astronomy Daily](http://www.astronomydaily.io/)
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00:00:00 --> 00:00:02 Anna: Welcome to Astronomy Daily, your go to
00:00:02 --> 00:00:05 podcast for all things space and astronomy
00:00:05 --> 00:00:06 news. I'm Anna.
00:00:07 --> 00:00:10 Avery: And I'm Avery. We're so glad you're joining
00:00:10 --> 00:00:12 us today for another exciting dive into the
00:00:12 --> 00:00:12 cosmos.
00:00:13 --> 00:00:15 Anna: Today we'll be talking about a new record
00:00:15 --> 00:00:18 in detecting incredibly distant signals
00:00:18 --> 00:00:20 from the early universe.
00:00:21 --> 00:00:23 Avery: Plus, we'll check in on a fascinating
00:00:23 --> 00:00:25 planetary mission that just completed a
00:00:25 --> 00:00:28 crucial test near Mars, giving us a
00:00:28 --> 00:00:31 sneak peek at its capabilities. And get ready
00:00:31 --> 00:00:33 to hear about a mysterious visitor from
00:00:33 --> 00:00:36 beyond our solar system, captured for the
00:00:36 --> 00:00:38 first time by none other than the Hubble
00:00:38 --> 00:00:41 Space Telescope. To top it all off, we'll
00:00:41 --> 00:00:44 give you a rundown of a very busy week ahead
00:00:44 --> 00:00:46 in space launches featuring everything from
00:00:46 --> 00:00:49 Vulcan and Ariane 6 to multiple
00:00:49 --> 00:00:51 Starlink missions. Let's get started.
00:00:52 --> 00:00:55 Anna: Alright, let's kick things off with a truly
00:00:55 --> 00:00:57 groundbreaking discovery that's pushing the
00:00:57 --> 00:00:59 boundaries of our understanding of the early
00:00:59 --> 00:01:02 universe. Astronomers have traced a
00:01:02 --> 00:01:05 fast radio burst, or frb, to
00:01:05 --> 00:01:07 a record breaking distance across the cosmos.
00:01:08 --> 00:01:10 This new FRB, designated
00:01:10 --> 00:01:11 FRB
00:01:11 --> 00:01:14 20240304B,
00:01:14 --> 00:01:17 was initially detected on March 4,
00:01:17 --> 00:01:20 2024 by the MeerKAT Radio Telescope
00:01:20 --> 00:01:23 Array in South Africa. But what makes this
00:01:23 --> 00:01:26 one so special is its incredible distance.
00:01:27 --> 00:01:29 Avery: That's right, it has a redshift of
00:01:29 --> 00:01:32 2, which means we're looking at
00:01:32 --> 00:01:35 light that traveled for over 11 billion years
00:01:35 --> 00:01:37 to reach Earth. To put that in perspective,
00:01:37 --> 00:01:40 this burst originated just 3 billion years
00:01:40 --> 00:01:43 after the Big Bang, pushing our
00:01:43 --> 00:01:45 observational boundary of FRBs much
00:01:45 --> 00:01:48 further back into cosmic time. Previous
00:01:48 --> 00:01:51 detections only reached about halfway through
00:01:51 --> 00:01:52 cosmic history.
00:01:53 --> 00:01:55 Anna: That's right, finding the exact source of
00:01:55 --> 00:01:57 this signal was a real piece of detective
00:01:57 --> 00:02:00 work. Initially, ground based observatories
00:02:00 --> 00:02:03 and archival data couldn't pinpoint its host
00:02:03 --> 00:02:06 galaxy. But a follow up with the James Webb
00:02:06 --> 00:02:08 Space Telescope's NIRCAM and NIRSPEC
00:02:08 --> 00:02:10 instruments did the trick, revealing the
00:02:10 --> 00:02:13 FRB's host galaxy and getting a
00:02:13 --> 00:02:16 spectroscopic redshift. The burst's radio
00:02:16 --> 00:02:18 waves dispersed at a rate of about
00:02:18 --> 00:02:21 2 parsecs per
00:02:21 --> 00:02:23 cubic centimeter, acting like a cosmic
00:02:23 --> 00:02:26 fingerprint that confirmed its extremely
00:02:26 --> 00:02:29 distant origin. This measurement tells
00:02:29 --> 00:02:31 us how much the signal was stretched and
00:02:31 --> 00:02:34 delayed by free electrons as it journeyed
00:02:34 --> 00:02:36 through space. The host galaxy itself is
00:02:36 --> 00:02:39 quite revealing. It's described as a low
00:02:39 --> 00:02:41 mass clumpy galaxy that's still
00:02:41 --> 00:02:44 relatively young and actively forming stars.
00:02:44 --> 00:02:47 The presence of an FRB in such a galaxy
00:02:47 --> 00:02:49 strongly supports the theory that these
00:02:49 --> 00:02:52 mysterious bursts originate from young
00:02:52 --> 00:02:55 magnetars, which are highly magnet Magnetized
00:02:55 --> 00:02:57 neutron stars. This suggests an origin
00:02:57 --> 00:02:59 that can occur over relatively short
00:02:59 --> 00:03:02 timescales, Rather than processes that take
00:03:02 --> 00:03:03 billions of years to develop.
00:03:04 --> 00:03:07 Avery: This discovery Effectively doubles the
00:03:07 --> 00:03:09 redshift reach of localized FRBs,
00:03:10 --> 00:03:12 allowing us to probe ionized baryons across
00:03:13 --> 00:03:15 about 80% of the universe's history.
00:03:16 --> 00:03:18 It also establishes FRB activity
00:03:19 --> 00:03:21 During what astronomers call cosmic noon,
00:03:21 --> 00:03:24 which was the peak period of star formation
00:03:24 --> 00:03:25 in the universe's history.
00:03:26 --> 00:03:28 Anna: It's fascinating how these millisecond long
00:03:28 --> 00:03:31 bursts can encode so much information about
00:03:31 --> 00:03:34 the plasma Permeating our universe, Giving us
00:03:34 --> 00:03:36 insights into magnetic fields and gas
00:03:36 --> 00:03:38 distributions. The observations also
00:03:38 --> 00:03:41 reveal Complex magnetic field structures
00:03:41 --> 00:03:44 Spanning gigaparsec scales along the
00:03:44 --> 00:03:46 burst's sightline as it passed through
00:03:46 --> 00:03:47 various cosmic structures.
00:03:48 --> 00:03:51 Avery: As next generation telescopes come online,
00:03:51 --> 00:03:54 discoveries like FRB2024
00:03:54 --> 00:03:57 0304B are trul
00:03:57 --> 00:04:00 exciting. They show us how these fleeting
00:04:00 --> 00:04:02 signals can act as messengers from the
00:04:02 --> 00:04:05 universe's distant past, Helping us piece
00:04:05 --> 00:04:07 together how it evolved from its chaotic
00:04:07 --> 00:04:10 youth into the structured cosmos we see
00:04:10 --> 00:04:12 today. It's just incredible.
00:04:13 --> 00:04:16 Anna: From exploring the distant past with FRBs,
00:04:16 --> 00:04:19 let's now turn our attention to an upcoming
00:04:19 --> 00:04:21 mission that's preparing to unlock the
00:04:21 --> 00:04:23 secrets of one of Jupiter's most intriguing
00:04:23 --> 00:04:26 moons. NASA's Europa Clipper mission, which
00:04:26 --> 00:04:29 began its long journey to Europa on October
00:04:29 --> 00:04:32 14, 2024, recently had
00:04:32 --> 00:04:35 a crucial pit stop. On March 1, the
00:04:35 --> 00:04:38 probe reached Mars not just for a gravity
00:04:38 --> 00:04:41 assist maneuver, but also to perform a
00:04:41 --> 00:04:44 vital test While orbiting the Red
00:04:44 --> 00:04:47 planet. Mission controllers on Earth Seized
00:04:47 --> 00:04:50 the opportunity to test the probe's ReSight
00:04:50 --> 00:04:52 instrument. ReSight stands for
00:04:52 --> 00:04:55 Radar for Europa Assessment and
00:04:55 --> 00:04:58 Sounding Ocean to Near surface.
00:04:58 --> 00:05:01 Avery: This radar instrument Is absolutely critical
00:05:01 --> 00:05:03 for the mission's primary goal to probe
00:05:03 --> 00:05:06 beneath Europa's icy sheet and search for
00:05:06 --> 00:05:08 pockets of water that could potentially
00:05:08 --> 00:05:10 harbor life. It's also designed to give
00:05:10 --> 00:05:12 scientists A, uh, glimpse Of Europa's
00:05:12 --> 00:05:15 interior ocean and shed light on how
00:05:15 --> 00:05:17 material Might be transferred from the
00:05:17 --> 00:05:18 interior to the surface.
00:05:19 --> 00:05:22 Anna: The test was a complete success, Producing
00:05:22 --> 00:05:25 a radargram that showed the outline Of Mars
00:05:25 --> 00:05:27 topography. This gave the team A
00:05:27 --> 00:05:30 fantastic preview of what the probe Will see
00:05:30 --> 00:05:33 When it arrives at Europa. REASON relies
00:05:33 --> 00:05:36 on two pairs of antennas that extend
00:05:36 --> 00:05:39 from the spacecraft's massive solar arrays,
00:05:39 --> 00:05:41 measuring an impressive
00:05:41 --> 00:05:44 17.6 meters from tip to
00:05:44 --> 00:05:44 tip.
00:05:45 --> 00:05:47 Avery: Testing this instrument in space Was crucial,
00:05:47 --> 00:05:50 Because certain aspects, like the echo test,
00:05:50 --> 00:05:53 where the radar signals bounce back, Simply
00:05:53 --> 00:05:55 couldn't be performed on earth Once the
00:05:55 --> 00:05:57 actual hardware was built. Dom Blankenship,
00:05:58 --> 00:06:00 the principal investigator for the radar
00:06:00 --> 00:06:02 instrument, said, we got everything out of
00:06:02 --> 00:06:05 the flyby that we dreamed the goal was
00:06:05 --> 00:06:07 to determine the radar's readiness for the
00:06:07 --> 00:06:10 Europa mission. And it worked. Every part of
00:06:10 --> 00:06:12 the instrument proved itself to do exactly
00:06:12 --> 00:06:13 what we intended.
00:06:13 --> 00:06:16 Anna: During the test, Reason sent and received
00:06:16 --> 00:06:19 radio waves for about 40 minutes while
00:06:19 --> 00:06:22 the spacecraft flew about 5
00:06:22 --> 00:06:24 kilometers above Mars surface,
00:06:24 --> 00:06:27 gradually lowering to 884
00:06:27 --> 00:06:30 kilometers. For comparison, once it's
00:06:30 --> 00:06:32 at Europa, REASON will operate when the
00:06:32 --> 00:06:35 Clipper is as close as 25km
00:06:35 --> 00:06:37 to the moon's surface.
00:06:37 --> 00:06:40 Avery: The instrument team collected a staggering 60
00:06:40 --> 00:06:43 gigabytes of rich data, which they started
00:06:43 --> 00:06:45 transmitting back to Earth in mid May.
00:06:45 --> 00:06:47 Scientists have been poring over this data,
00:06:47 --> 00:06:50 and it has confirmed that REASON is in
00:06:50 --> 00:06:52 perfect working order. Trina Ray,
00:06:52 --> 00:06:55 Europa Clipper's deputy science manager,
00:06:55 --> 00:06:57 shared the excitement, saying that all of us
00:06:57 --> 00:06:59 who had worked so hard to make this test
00:06:59 --> 00:07:02 happen and the scientists seeing the data for
00:07:02 --> 00:07:05 the first time were ecstatic, saying,
00:07:05 --> 00:07:08 oh, look at this. Oh, look at that.
00:07:08 --> 00:07:11 Anna: This Martian test has given the science team
00:07:11 --> 00:07:14 a head start on learning how to process the
00:07:14 --> 00:07:16 data and understand the instrument's
00:07:16 --> 00:07:19 behavior. Exercising those muscles just
00:07:19 --> 00:07:22 like they will out at Europa. The Europa
00:07:22 --> 00:07:25 Clipper's total journey to the icy Moon will
00:07:25 --> 00:07:27 be about 2.9 billion
00:07:27 --> 00:07:30 kilometers. And it includes one more
00:07:30 --> 00:07:32 gravity assist using Earth in
00:07:32 --> 00:07:34 2026. Currently, the
00:07:34 --> 00:07:37 spacecraft is about 450 million
00:07:37 --> 00:07:40 kilometers from Earth, steadily making its
00:07:40 --> 00:07:41 way to Jupiter.
00:07:41 --> 00:07:43 Avery: That's an incredible level of preparation for
00:07:43 --> 00:07:45 the Europa Clipper.
00:07:45 --> 00:07:47 Speaking of unique opportunities to study
00:07:47 --> 00:07:50 distant objects, let's pivot to something
00:07:50 --> 00:07:52 truly rare. An interstellar visitor to our
00:07:52 --> 00:07:53 solar system.
00:07:53 --> 00:07:56 Anna: Yes. Astronomers using the Hubble Space
00:07:56 --> 00:07:59 Telescope have captured stunning
00:07:59 --> 00:08:01 observations of 3I
00:08:01 --> 00:08:04 atlas for the first time. This
00:08:04 --> 00:08:07 is only the third confirmed object from
00:08:07 --> 00:08:10 outside our solar system ever known to
00:08:10 --> 00:08:12 visit our cosmic neighborhood. Following
00:08:12 --> 00:08:15 Oumuamua in 2017 and
00:08:15 --> 00:08:17 Borisov in 2019.
00:08:18 --> 00:08:20 Each of these objects offers a unique
00:08:20 --> 00:08:23 window into planetary systems around
00:08:23 --> 00:08:24 other stars.
00:08:24 --> 00:08:27 Avery: What makes 3i Atlas particularly fascinating
00:08:27 --> 00:08:30 is its behavior. Even at 3.8
00:08:30 --> 00:08:32 astronomical units from the sun, almost four
00:08:32 --> 00:08:34 times farther than Earth is from the sun,
00:08:34 --> 00:08:37 it's already showing significant activity.
00:08:37 --> 00:08:39 Unlike asteroids, which typically remain
00:08:39 --> 00:08:42 largely unchanged, 3i Atlas is
00:08:42 --> 00:08:43 behaving more like a comet.
00:08:44 --> 00:08:47 Anna: That's right. As solar radiation heats its
00:08:47 --> 00:08:50 surface, the object is releasing streams
00:08:50 --> 00:08:53 of dust particles, forming a distinctive
00:08:53 --> 00:08:55 tail pointing away from the Sun. This
00:08:55 --> 00:08:58 comet like activity provides
00:08:58 --> 00:09:01 astronomers with a rare opportunity to study
00:09:01 --> 00:09:03 material that originated in an entirely
00:09:03 --> 00:09:04 different star system.
00:09:05 --> 00:09:07 Avery: Using Hubble's exceptional resolution, the
00:09:07 --> 00:09:09 research team led by David Jewett from
00:09:09 --> 00:09:12 UCLA was able to have its first close
00:09:12 --> 00:09:15 look and estimate how much material 3i atlas
00:09:15 --> 00:09:18 is losing, they calculated the mass loss
00:09:18 --> 00:09:20 rate in dust to be between 6-60
00:09:20 --> 00:09:23 kg per second. To put that into
00:09:23 --> 00:09:25 perspective, that's roughly equivalent to
00:09:25 --> 00:09:28 losing the mass of a small car every few
00:09:28 --> 00:09:31 minutes, which is a significant amount for
00:09:31 --> 00:09:33 such a distant and relatively small object.
00:09:33 --> 00:09:36 Anna: The team also worked to determine the size of
00:09:36 --> 00:09:39 3i ATLS's nucleus, though this was
00:09:39 --> 00:09:41 challenging since they could only see the
00:09:41 --> 00:09:44 glowing cloud of dust, not the solid core,
00:09:44 --> 00:09:47 directly. By analyzing the brightness
00:09:47 --> 00:09:49 distribution of the surrounding coma, they
00:09:49 --> 00:09:52 estimated the nucleus has an effective radius
00:09:52 --> 00:09:55 of less than 2.8 kilometers, assuming
00:09:55 --> 00:09:57 it reflects only about 4% of the light that
00:09:57 --> 00:09:59 hits it, similar to charcoal.
00:10:00 --> 00:10:03 Avery: This size constraint is crucial for
00:10:03 --> 00:10:05 understanding its composition and history.
00:10:05 --> 00:10:08 For instance, if its activity is driven by
00:10:08 --> 00:10:11 carbon monoxide turning from solid to gas,
00:10:11 --> 00:10:14 the the nucleus cannot be smaller than 0.16
00:10:14 --> 00:10:17 km in radius. Different materials
00:10:17 --> 00:10:19 require different amounts of solar heating to
00:10:19 --> 00:10:22 begin sublimating. So observing how and
00:10:22 --> 00:10:25 when 3i ATLS becomes active
00:10:25 --> 00:10:28 helps scientists make educated guesses about
00:10:28 --> 00:10:29 what it's made of.
00:10:29 --> 00:10:32 Anna: These first Hubble observations of three I
00:10:32 --> 00:10:35 ATLAS represent a significant step forward
00:10:35 --> 00:10:38 in our ability to study these cosmic
00:10:38 --> 00:10:41 messengers. They offer insights not only
00:10:41 --> 00:10:44 into the object itself, but also into the
00:10:44 --> 00:10:46 distant stellar system that sent it on its
00:10:46 --> 00:10:49 incredible journey through the galaxy. It's
00:10:49 --> 00:10:51 like getting a postcard from another star
00:10:51 --> 00:10:54 system carrying chemical signatures and
00:10:54 --> 00:10:57 physical characteristics shaped by alien
00:10:57 --> 00:10:59 environments billions of kilometers away.
00:10:59 --> 00:11:02 From ancient light to interstellar visitors.
00:11:02 --> 00:11:05 We've covered some truly mind bending topics
00:11:05 --> 00:11:05 today.
00:11:06 --> 00:11:08 But let's shift gears and look at the more
00:11:08 --> 00:11:10 immediate future because it's shaping up to
00:11:10 --> 00:11:12 be a very busy week for launches.
00:11:13 --> 00:11:15 Avery: You're not kidding, Anna. Uh, we've got a
00:11:15 --> 00:11:17 packed schedule coming up with several
00:11:17 --> 00:11:20 significant missions. First up,
00:11:20 --> 00:11:22 ULA's Vulcan rocket is scheduled for its
00:11:22 --> 00:11:25 first launch of 2025 on Tuesday, August
00:11:25 --> 00:11:28 12th. This mission, designated
00:11:28 --> 00:11:31 USF106, will carry a
00:11:31 --> 00:11:33 technology demonstration navigation satellite
00:11:33 --> 00:11:36 and NTS3 and a classified payload
00:11:36 --> 00:11:39 for the US Space Force into geosynchronous
00:11:39 --> 00:11:40 orbit.
00:11:40 --> 00:11:43 Anna: And just a day later, on Wednesday, August
00:11:43 --> 00:11:46 13, Europe's newest launch system,
00:11:46 --> 00:11:49 the Ariane 6, will have its second
00:11:49 --> 00:11:52 flight of 2025. This mission
00:11:52 --> 00:11:55 will carry the Metop SGA1
00:11:55 --> 00:11:57 weather satellite for Umetsat, which is
00:11:57 --> 00:12:00 crucial for monitoring weather, climate and
00:12:00 --> 00:12:03 the environment from space. It even
00:12:03 --> 00:12:06 includes the Sentinel 5 instrument for
00:12:06 --> 00:12:07 global air quality monitoring.
00:12:07 --> 00:12:10 Avery: On the same day, a Chinese Chenzang 5B
00:12:10 --> 00:12:13 rocket is expected to launch carrying a batch
00:12:13 --> 00:12:15 of communications satellites, likely part of
00:12:15 --> 00:12:17 China's ambitious Satnet constellation.
00:12:18 --> 00:12:20 Beyond these, we also have four SpaceX Falcon
00:12:20 --> 00:12:22 9 Starlink missions planned throughout the
00:12:22 --> 00:12:25 week, deploying hundreds of Internet
00:12:25 --> 00:12:27 satellites into orbit. It's an exciting time
00:12:27 --> 00:12:28 to be watching the skies.
00:12:29 --> 00:12:31 Anna: What a week it's shaping up to be for space
00:12:31 --> 00:12:34 enthusiasts. From record breaking distant
00:12:34 --> 00:12:37 signals, to critical tests for our missions
00:12:37 --> 00:12:39 to the outer solar system, and even a visit
00:12:39 --> 00:12:42 from another star system, it's been a
00:12:42 --> 00:12:43 truly captivating episode.
00:12:43 --> 00:12:46 Avery: M. Absolutely, Anna. Uh, and let's not
00:12:46 --> 00:12:49 forget that jam packed launch schedule coming
00:12:49 --> 00:12:51 up with new rockets and dozens of satellites
00:12:51 --> 00:12:53 heading to orbit. It just goes to show how
00:12:53 --> 00:12:56 dynamic and exciting the world of astronomy
00:12:56 --> 00:12:58 and space exploration. Truly.
00:12:59 --> 00:13:01 Anna: We hope you enjoyed diving into these
00:13:01 --> 00:13:03 fascinating stories with us. Thank you for
00:13:03 --> 00:13:06 tuning in to Astronomy Daily. And remember to
00:13:06 --> 00:13:09 visit our website@astronomydaily.IO
00:13:09 --> 00:13:12 for even more from the Astronomy Daily team.
00:13:12 --> 00:13:15 Avery: Keep looking up, stay curious and we'll catch
00:13:15 --> 00:13:17 you tomorrow. For more news from across the
00:13:17 --> 00:13:17 cosmos.