- Giant Planet Discovery: Dive into the astonishing discovery of TOI 6894 b, a gas giant orbiting the diminutive red dwarf star TOI 6894. This finding challenges our understanding of planet formation, as such small stars were not thought to possess enough material to form giant planets. With deep transits blocking 17% of the star's light, astronomers are eager to study its atmosphere using the James Webb Space Telescope.
- The Mystery of Heavy Elements: Explore the peculiar star Limos J 0804 5740, found within the remnants of a dwarf galaxy known as the Gaia Sausage. This actinide boost star holds clues to the origins of the universe's heaviest elements, such as uranium and thorium, which are produced through rapid neutron capture processes. Studying this star may help unravel the cosmic puzzle of how these elements are formed.
- China's Reusable Rocket: Learn about Space Epic's recent test launch of their reusable rocket booster, the Yangxing Zhi one, which successfully performed a soft landing in the ocean. Although it sank post-landing, the test demonstrated crucial capabilities for future missions, showcasing China's growing ambitions in space exploration alongside its emerging private sector.
- Galaxy Clusters on a Collision Course: Get the latest on NASA's Chandra X-ray Observatory findings, revealing two galaxy clusters that have already collided and are now on a trajectory for a second encounter. These clusters, located 2.8 billion light years away, exhibit unique shock fronts and provide valuable insights into the dynamics of massive cosmic structures.
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 - Discovery of giant planet TOI 6894 b
10:00 - The mystery of heavy elements and Limos J 0804 5740
15:30 - China's reusable rocket Yangxing Zhi one
20:00 - Galaxy clusters on a collision course
✍️ Episode References
TOI 6894 b Discovery Details
[NASA Exoplanet Archive](https://exoplanetarchive.ipac.caltech.edu/)
Heavy Elements and R Process Research
[Nature Astronomy](https://www.nature.com)
Space Epic's Yangxing Zhi one Launch
[Space Epic](https://www.spaceepic.com/)
Chandra X-ray Observatory Findings
[NASA Chandra](https://www.nasa.gov/mission_pages/chandra/main/index.html)
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. I'm
00:00:02 --> 00:00:04 your host, Anna, and I'm really excited to
00:00:04 --> 00:00:05 bring you your daily dose of cosmic
00:00:05 --> 00:00:08 happenings. Today we've got some really cool
00:00:08 --> 00:00:10 stuff to talk about. From a giant planet
00:00:10 --> 00:00:13 orbiting a tiny star to a weird star that
00:00:13 --> 00:00:15 might just solve one of astronomy's biggest
00:00:15 --> 00:00:17 mysteries. We will also cover China's
00:00:17 --> 00:00:20 reusable rocket and two galaxy clusters about
00:00:20 --> 00:00:22 to crash into each other again. So buckle up
00:00:22 --> 00:00:25 space fans. It's going to be an awesome ride.
00:00:26 --> 00:00:28 First up, we're diving into the head
00:00:28 --> 00:00:31 scratching discovery of a giant planet,
00:00:31 --> 00:00:33 TOI 6894
00:00:33 --> 00:00:36 b, orbiting a red dwarf star
00:00:36 --> 00:00:39 called TOI 6894.
00:00:39 --> 00:00:42 Now, this star is tiny. I mean, we're talking
00:00:42 --> 00:00:45 about one fifth the size of our sun, which
00:00:45 --> 00:00:47 makes the discovery of this planet like a
00:00:47 --> 00:00:50 huge surprise. See, these small
00:00:50 --> 00:00:52 stars weren't thought to have enough material
00:00:52 --> 00:00:55 to even form giant planets. But there
00:00:55 --> 00:00:56 it is, TOI
00:00:56 --> 00:00:59 6894B, a
00:00:59 --> 00:01:01 gas giant roughly the size of Saturn.
00:01:02 --> 00:01:04 It's kinda like finding a fully grown
00:01:04 --> 00:01:06 elephant living in a mousehole, you know,
00:01:06 --> 00:01:09 this discovery kinda turns our understanding
00:01:09 --> 00:01:11 of planet formation on its head. The current
00:01:11 --> 00:01:13 theory suggests that the amount of material
00:01:13 --> 00:01:15 in the disc around a star which eventually
00:01:15 --> 00:01:18 forms planets is proportional to the star's
00:01:18 --> 00:01:21 mass. So a tiny star shouldn't have enough
00:01:21 --> 00:01:24 stuff to make a giant planet. But apparently
00:01:24 --> 00:01:26 nature loves to throw curveballs.
00:01:27 --> 00:01:30 Now, because TOI6894B
00:01:30 --> 00:01:32 has such deep transits, I mean, when it
00:01:32 --> 00:01:34 passes in front of its star, it blocks a
00:01:34 --> 00:01:37 whopping 17% of the light. It's a perfect
00:01:37 --> 00:01:39 candidate for atmosphere study. A team of
00:01:39 --> 00:01:42 astronomers has already applied for time with
00:01:42 --> 00:01:45 the James Webb Space Telescope to do
00:01:45 --> 00:01:47 just that. They are hoping to find a lot of
00:01:47 --> 00:01:49 methane in the exoplanet's atmosphere.
00:01:49 --> 00:01:51 That'll give us a better idea of how this
00:01:51 --> 00:01:54 planet formed and maybe help us refine our
00:01:54 --> 00:01:56 planet formation theories. Pretty cool, huh?
00:01:56 --> 00:01:57 Huh?
00:01:58 --> 00:02:00 Next up, let's talk about a really odd star,
00:02:01 --> 00:02:03 limos J 0804
00:02:04 --> 00:02:06 5740, residing in what's
00:02:06 --> 00:02:09 known as the Gaia Sausage. And no, it's not a
00:02:09 --> 00:02:12 galactic deli item. The Gaia Sausage is
00:02:12 --> 00:02:14 actually the remains of a dwarf galaxy that
00:02:14 --> 00:02:16 merged with our Milky Way billions of years
00:02:16 --> 00:02:19 ago. Now, this star, it may just help us
00:02:19 --> 00:02:22 solve one of astronomy's big mysteries. Where
00:02:22 --> 00:02:24 did the universe's heaviest elements come
00:02:24 --> 00:02:26 from? These elements, like uranium and
00:02:26 --> 00:02:29 thorium, are created through something called
00:02:29 --> 00:02:31 the R process. That's a rapid
00:02:31 --> 00:02:34 neutron capture process, essentially
00:02:34 --> 00:02:36 Atomic nuclei rapidly grab neutrons in
00:02:36 --> 00:02:39 extreme environments like neutron star
00:02:39 --> 00:02:41 mergers or supernovas, creating heavier
00:02:41 --> 00:02:44 elements. But here's the thing. We haven't
00:02:44 --> 00:02:46 quite figured out all the sources of the R
00:02:46 --> 00:02:48 process, and that's where Lemost J
00:02:48 --> 00:02:51
00:02:51 --> 00:02:54 comes in. This star is what they call an
00:02:54 --> 00:02:56 actinide boost star, meaning it has a high
00:02:56 --> 00:02:58 abundance of radioactive elements, actinides.
00:02:59 --> 00:03:02 So the star's unusual composition provides
00:03:02 --> 00:03:04 new clues about the different types of R
00:03:04 --> 00:03:06 process events that can occur in the
00:03:06 --> 00:03:09 universe. By studying it, astronomers, hope
00:03:09 --> 00:03:11 to better understand where these heavy
00:03:11 --> 00:03:14 elements come from and how they're created.
00:03:14 --> 00:03:16 It's like piecing together a cosmic puzzle,
00:03:16 --> 00:03:19 you know? You okay?
00:03:19 --> 00:03:21 So shifting gears a little, let's head over
00:03:21 --> 00:03:23 to China where a rocket startup called Space
00:03:23 --> 00:03:26 Epic, or Sepok if you like it short,
00:03:26 --> 00:03:28 recently showed off its reusable rocket
00:03:28 --> 00:03:31 booster, the Yangxing Zhi one. They had a
00:03:31 --> 00:03:32 test launch and get this, it did a soft
00:03:32 --> 00:03:35 landing right in the ocean. I mean, sadly
00:03:35 --> 00:03:38 it sank afterwards, but hey, the launch and
00:03:38 --> 00:03:41 the test were still a success. Apparently the
00:03:41 --> 00:03:43 whole point was to test things like the
00:03:43 --> 00:03:45 engine's thrust control, shutdown and restart
00:03:45 --> 00:03:48 capabilities. Plus they tested free descent,
00:03:48 --> 00:03:50 gliding and hovering before splashdown.
00:03:50 --> 00:03:52 Pretty cool right? Now this Yangxing Zhe
00:03:52 --> 00:03:54 booster is kinda interesting. It's made from
00:03:54 --> 00:03:56 lightweight, thin walled aluminium, stainless
00:03:56 --> 00:03:59 steel and runs on liquid oxygen and methane.
00:03:59 --> 00:04:01 It's about 4.2 metres in diameter and almost
00:04:01 --> 00:04:04 27 metres tall. Now I know what you're
00:04:04 --> 00:04:06 thinking, how does this stack up against
00:04:06 --> 00:04:08 SpaceX? Well, SpaceX's Falcon 9
00:04:08 --> 00:04:10 booster is a bit narrower, but it's taller.
00:04:11 --> 00:04:13 And speaking of SpaceX, it's kind of wild how
00:04:13 --> 00:04:16 they've turned landing and reusing boosters
00:04:16 --> 00:04:19 into like a near daily thing. Meanwhile,
00:04:19 --> 00:04:21 China is catching up with a bunch of space
00:04:21 --> 00:04:24 startups popping up recently. And
00:04:24 --> 00:04:26 you know, with China working on its own mega
00:04:26 --> 00:04:28 satellite constellation and planning some
00:04:28 --> 00:04:31 seriously ambitious missions, including their
00:04:31 --> 00:04:33 own version of the Hubble telescope, it's
00:04:33 --> 00:04:35 clear they are becoming a major player in
00:04:35 --> 00:04:38 space exploration. Space Epoch is
00:04:38 --> 00:04:41 hoping to reach orbit later this year. So
00:04:41 --> 00:04:43 yeah, it's definitely going to be interesting
00:04:43 --> 00:04:44 to see what these China based startups do in
00:04:44 --> 00:04:45 the coming years.
00:04:47 --> 00:04:49 Alright. Ah, next up in our cosmic headlines,
00:04:49 --> 00:04:51 NASA's Chandra X Ray Observatory has spotted
00:04:51 --> 00:04:54 something pretty wild. We're talking about
00:04:54 --> 00:04:56 two galaxy clusters known as PSZ2
00:04:57 --> 00:04:59 G1, 81.06 plus
00:04:59 --> 00:05:02 48.47 that have already collided once and
00:05:02 --> 00:05:04 are now heading back for a second smash up.
00:05:05 --> 00:05:07 Now, galaxy clusters just so, you know, are
00:05:07 --> 00:05:10 like the biggest structures in the universe
00:05:10 --> 00:05:12 held together by gravity. They're basically
00:05:12 --> 00:05:15 massive collections of galaxies, superheated
00:05:15 --> 00:05:18 gas, and dark matter. These two
00:05:18 --> 00:05:20 clusters are about 2.8 billion light years
00:05:20 --> 00:05:23 away. And after their first collision, they
00:05:23 --> 00:05:25 created these huge parentheses shaped shock
00:05:25 --> 00:05:28 fronts, kind of like sonic booms, but on a
00:05:28 --> 00:05:31 cosmic scale. These shock fronts are now
00:05:31 --> 00:05:33 separated by about 11 million light years,
00:05:33 --> 00:05:35 which is apparently the largest separation
00:05:35 --> 00:05:38 astronomers have ever seen. But get this.
00:05:38 --> 00:05:41 Chandra and XMM Newton data show that these
00:05:41 --> 00:05:43 clusters are now slowing down and turning
00:05:43 --> 00:05:46 around for another collision. Astronomers
00:05:46 --> 00:05:48 have spotted three new shock fronts that seem
00:05:48 --> 00:05:50 to be early signs of this second crash.
00:05:51 --> 00:05:53 What's really interesting is that the total
00:05:53 --> 00:05:56 mass of this system is less than other
00:05:56 --> 00:05:59 colliding galaxy clusters, making it a pretty
00:05:59 --> 00:06:02 unusual case. This event is
00:06:02 --> 00:06:04 giving scientists a, peek into the dynamics
00:06:04 --> 00:06:07 of these massive structures and how they
00:06:07 --> 00:06:08 evolve over time.
00:06:10 --> 00:06:12 So that's your Astronomy Daily News summary
00:06:12 --> 00:06:14 for today. From a tiny star with a giant
00:06:14 --> 00:06:17 planet to colliding galaxy clusters, I've
00:06:17 --> 00:06:19 been your host, Anna, and I hope you enjoyed
00:06:19 --> 00:06:22 our little tour of the cosmos. For all the
00:06:22 --> 00:06:24 latest space and astronomy news, don't forget
00:06:24 --> 00:06:27 to visit our website at astronomydaily IO
00:06:27 --> 00:06:29 where you can catch up on our constantly
00:06:29 --> 00:06:31 updating news feed. Until tomorrow, thanks
00:06:31 --> 00:06:33 for tuning in and keep looking up
00:06:47 --> 00:06:48 stories.
00:06:55 --> 00:06:56 We told.