- New Interstellar Visitor 3i Atlas: Astronomers have confirmed the discovery of 3i Atlas, a comet speeding through our solar system, marking only the third interstellar object detected. We discuss its composition, trajectory, and the potential for future observations as it approaches the sun.
- - NASA's SphereX Mission: Explore NASA's ambitious SphereX mission, which is creating a comprehensive all-sky map of the universe. With its data made publicly available, we delve into the significance of this project for both professional astronomers and enthusiasts alike.
- - The Self-Destructive Exoplanet HIP 67522B: Join us as we unravel the bizarre case of HIP 67522B, an exoplanet that appears to be destroying itself due to its close orbit around its star. Discover how its interactions are reshaping our understanding of star-planet dynamics.
- - James Webb Space Telescope Revelations: We highlight the groundbreaking discoveries made by the James Webb Space Telescope, from observing the earliest galaxies to analysing atmospheres of distant exoplanets, and how these findings are revolutionising our understanding of the universe.
- - Weather Satellites Aid Venus Research: Learn how Japan's Himawari 8 and 9 satellites, typically used for monitoring Earth's weather, are providing new insights into Venus's atmosphere, revealing temperature patterns and dynamics previously unseen.
- 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.
Interstellar Visitor 3i Atlas
[NASA](https://www.nasa.gov/)
SphereX Mission Details
[NASA SphereX](https://www.nasa.gov/spherex)
Exoplanet HIP 67522B Discovery
[Netherlands Institute for Radio Astronomy](https://www.astron.nl/)
James Webb Space Telescope Findings
[NASA Webb](https://www.nasa.gov/webb)
Himawari Satellites and Venus
[Japan Meteorological Agency](https://www.jma.go.jp/jma/indexe.html)
Astronomy Daily
[Astronomy Daily](http://www.astronomydaily.io/)
Become a supporter of this podcast: https://www.spreaker.com/podcast/astronomy-daily-space-news-updates--5648921/support.
Sponsor Details:
Ensure your online privacy by using NordVPN. To get our special listener deal and save a lot of money, visit www.bitesz.com/nordvpn. You'll be glad you did!
Become a supporter of Astronomy Daily by joining our Supporters Club. Commercial free episodes daily are only a click way... Click Here
00:00:00 --> 00:00:02 Anna: Welcome to Astronomy Daily. I'm Anna. And
00:00:02 --> 00:00:04 today we'll start with the exciting news of a
00:00:04 --> 00:00:07 new interstellar visitor. Only the third ever
00:00:07 --> 00:00:09 confirmed to be zooming through our solar
00:00:09 --> 00:00:11 system. Then we'll explore NASA's
00:00:11 --> 00:00:14 SphereX mission which is creating an all sky
00:00:14 --> 00:00:16 map of the universe, making its data
00:00:16 --> 00:00:19 publicly accessible. Next,
00:00:19 --> 00:00:22 prepare for a mind bending story about a self
00:00:22 --> 00:00:24 destructive exoplanet. An astonishing
00:00:24 --> 00:00:27 discovery. We'll also dive into the latest
00:00:27 --> 00:00:29 revelations from the James Webb Space
00:00:29 --> 00:00:32 Telescope, which continues to reshape our
00:00:32 --> 00:00:35 view of cosmic history. And finally, we'll
00:00:35 --> 00:00:37 uncover a surprising twist how Earth's
00:00:37 --> 00:00:40 very own weather satellites are now helping
00:00:40 --> 00:00:41 us study Venus.
00:00:41 --> 00:00:44 Let's get started. Our first
00:00:44 --> 00:00:46 stop today is an exciting new celestial
00:00:46 --> 00:00:49 visitor. Astronomers have just confirmed the
00:00:49 --> 00:00:51 discovery of an interstellar object, space
00:00:51 --> 00:00:54 speeding through our solar system. This marks
00:00:54 --> 00:00:56 only the third time humanity has detected an
00:00:56 --> 00:00:58 object that originated beyond our own stellar
00:00:58 --> 00:01:01 neighbourhood. The Visitor, officially
00:01:01 --> 00:01:03 named 3i Atlas by the International
00:01:03 --> 00:01:06 Astronomical Union's Minor Planet Centre, has
00:01:06 --> 00:01:09 been classified as a comet. Its
00:01:09 --> 00:01:11 fuzziness, as described by astronomer
00:01:11 --> 00:01:13 Jonathan McDowell from the Harvard
00:01:13 --> 00:01:16 Smithsonian Centre for Astrophysics, suggests
00:01:16 --> 00:01:18 it's primarily made of ice rather than rock.
00:01:19 --> 00:01:21 While its exact size is still being refined,
00:01:21 --> 00:01:23 current estimates place it at roughly 10 to
00:01:23 --> 00:01:26 20 kilometres wide, which would make it the
00:01:26 --> 00:01:28 largest interstellar interloper ever
00:01:28 --> 00:01:31 detected. However, if it's truly made of ice,
00:01:31 --> 00:01:33 it could be smaller since ice reflects more
00:01:33 --> 00:01:35 light, making it appear larger.
00:01:35 --> 00:01:38 Regardless of its precise dimensions, it
00:01:38 --> 00:01:40 poses absolutely no threat to Earth.
00:01:41 --> 00:01:43 Richard Moisel, head of Planetary defence at
00:01:43 --> 00:01:46 the European Space Agency, assures us it will
00:01:46 --> 00:01:49 fly deep through our solar system, passing
00:01:49 --> 00:01:51 just inside the orbit of Mars without any
00:01:51 --> 00:01:53 collision risk. What makes 3i
00:01:53 --> 00:01:56 Atlas so fascinating is its incredible speed.
00:01:56 --> 00:01:59 Zooming along at more than 60 kilometres per
00:01:59 --> 00:02:02 second, or about 37 miles per second,
00:02:02 --> 00:02:05 this phenomenal velocity means it isn't
00:02:05 --> 00:02:07 gravitationally bound by the sun. Unlike
00:02:07 --> 00:02:09 comets and asteroids that originate from
00:02:09 --> 00:02:12 within our solar system, its trajectory
00:02:12 --> 00:02:14 clearly indicates it's from interstellar
00:02:14 --> 00:02:16 space and will continue on its journey back
00:02:16 --> 00:02:18 out into the galaxy once it passes us.
00:02:19 --> 00:02:21 Astronomers theorise that these icy wanderers
00:02:21 --> 00:02:24 form around other star systems. As another
00:02:24 --> 00:02:27 star passes nearby, its gravitational tug can
00:02:27 --> 00:02:30 free these ice balls, sending them rogue into
00:02:30 --> 00:02:33 the galaxy. This newly discovered comet is
00:02:33 --> 00:02:35 simply one that happens to be passing through
00:02:35 --> 00:02:37 our cosmic backyard. The object
00:02:37 --> 00:02:39 was initially spotted by the NASA funded
00:02:39 --> 00:02:42 ATLAS survey in Hawaii. Professional and
00:02:42 --> 00:02:45 amateur astronomers worldwide then joined
00:02:45 --> 00:02:47 forces, digging through past telescope data
00:02:47 --> 00:02:50 to trace its path back to at least mid June.
00:02:51 --> 00:02:53 It's expected to get brighter and closer to
00:02:53 --> 00:02:55 the sun until late October and will remain
00:02:55 --> 00:02:58 observable by telescope into next year.
00:02:59 --> 00:03:01 To put this discovery into perspective, the
00:03:01 --> 00:03:04 first interstellar object, Oumuamua,
00:03:04 --> 00:03:07 was detected in 2017 and was so
00:03:07 --> 00:03:09 peculiar it even led some scientists to
00:03:09 --> 00:03:12 speculate about alien origins, though this
00:03:12 --> 00:03:14 theory has since been largely dismissed. Our
00:03:14 --> 00:03:17 second visitor, 2i Borisov, was
00:03:17 --> 00:03:20 observed in 2019. Mark Norris, an
00:03:20 --> 00:03:21 astronomer at the University of Central
00:03:21 --> 00:03:24 Lancashire in the UK, notes that 3i
00:03:24 --> 00:03:26 Atlas appears to be moving considerably
00:03:26 --> 00:03:29 faster than its two predecessors. While it's
00:03:29 --> 00:03:30 currently roughly the distance of Jupiter
00:03:30 --> 00:03:33 away from Earth and primarily visible in the
00:03:33 --> 00:03:35 southern hemisphere, its presence is
00:03:35 --> 00:03:38 incredibly significant. Scientists
00:03:38 --> 00:03:41 estimate that as many as 10 interstellar
00:03:41 --> 00:03:42 objects might be drifting through our solar
00:03:42 --> 00:03:45 system at any given time, though most are
00:03:45 --> 00:03:48 likely much smaller. This new detection
00:03:48 --> 00:03:50 suggests that observatories like the newly
00:03:50 --> 00:03:53 online Vera C Rubin Observatory in Chile
00:03:53 --> 00:03:55 could soon be finding these dim interstellar
00:03:55 --> 00:03:56 visitors on a monthly basis.
00:03:58 --> 00:04:00 Unfortunately, sending a mission to intercept
00:04:00 --> 00:04:02 3i Atlas isn't feasible due to its speed and
00:04:02 --> 00:04:05 trajectory. However, these rare
00:04:05 --> 00:04:07 visitors offer scientists an unparalleled
00:04:07 --> 00:04:09 opportunity to study material from outside
00:04:09 --> 00:04:12 our solar system. Imagine if we could detect
00:04:12 --> 00:04:14 precursors of life like, um, amino acids on
00:04:14 --> 00:04:16 such an object. It would give us immense
00:04:16 --> 00:04:18 confidence that the conditions for life exist
00:04:18 --> 00:04:20 in other star systems across the universe.
00:04:22 --> 00:04:24 Moving from interstellar visitors to an
00:04:24 --> 00:04:26 ambitious new mission let's talk about NASA's
00:04:26 --> 00:04:29 Sphere X telescope. Launched in March
00:04:29 --> 00:04:31 and now comfortably settled into low Earth
00:04:31 --> 00:04:34 orbit, this new Astrophysics space telescope
00:04:34 --> 00:04:37 has embarked on an incredible to create a
00:04:37 --> 00:04:40 comprehensive all sky map of the universe.
00:04:40 --> 00:04:43 What's truly revolutionary is that SphereX,
00:04:43 --> 00:04:45 which stands for Spectro Photometer for the
00:04:45 --> 00:04:47 History of the Universe, Epoch of
00:04:47 --> 00:04:50 Reionization and ICES Explorer has already
00:04:50 --> 00:04:53 begun delivering its sky survey data to a
00:04:53 --> 00:04:56 public archive on a weekly basis. This
00:04:56 --> 00:04:58 means anyone from professional astronomers to
00:04:58 --> 00:05:01 curious enthusiasts can access and use this
00:05:01 --> 00:05:03 data to unravel the universe's secrets.
00:05:04 --> 00:05:07 As Rachel Akcsson, the lead for the SphereX
00:05:07 --> 00:05:09 Science Data Centre, puts it, because we're
00:05:09 --> 00:05:10 looking at everything in the whole sky,
00:05:11 --> 00:05:13 almost every area of astronomy can be
00:05:13 --> 00:05:15 addressed by SphereX data. While other
00:05:15 --> 00:05:18 missions like NASA's retired WISE telescope,
00:05:18 --> 00:05:21 also mapped the entire sky, Sphere X
00:05:21 --> 00:05:23 significantly builds on that legacy. It
00:05:23 --> 00:05:26 observes in an astounding 102 infrared
00:05:26 --> 00:05:28 wavelengths, a massive leap compared to
00:05:28 --> 00:05:31 WISE's four wavelength bands. This extensive
00:05:31 --> 00:05:33 range allows scientists to use a technique
00:05:33 --> 00:05:35 called spectroscopy to identify the unique
00:05:35 --> 00:05:38 signatures of specific molecules. The
00:05:38 --> 00:05:40 mission's science team will harness this
00:05:40 --> 00:05:42 capability to study the distribution of
00:05:42 --> 00:05:45 frozen water and organic molecules, often
00:05:45 --> 00:05:47 referred to as the building blocks of life.
00:05:47 --> 00:05:48 According to across our own Milky Way galaxy
00:05:49 --> 00:05:52 beyond our cosmic neighbourhood. Sphere X
00:05:52 --> 00:05:53 data will be crucial for understanding the
00:05:53 --> 00:05:55 physics that drove the universe's rapid
00:05:55 --> 00:05:58 expansion after the Big Bang. It will also
00:05:58 --> 00:06:00 measure the amount of light emitted by all
00:06:00 --> 00:06:03 galaxies over cosmic time. The decision
00:06:03 --> 00:06:05 to make this data publicly available so
00:06:05 --> 00:06:08 quickly, within 60 days of collection is a
00:06:08 --> 00:06:10 testament to NASA's commitment to open
00:06:10 --> 00:06:13 science, transparency and efficiency. It
00:06:13 --> 00:06:15 empowers the entire astronomy community to
00:06:15 --> 00:06:18 explore and make discoveries that the Sphere
00:06:18 --> 00:06:20 X team alone couldn't possibly achieve.
00:06:20 --> 00:06:23 During its two year primary mission, SphereX
00:06:23 --> 00:06:25 will survey the entire sky twice a year,
00:06:25 --> 00:06:28 ultimately compiling four complete all sky
00:06:28 --> 00:06:30 maps. After the one year mark, a full map
00:06:30 --> 00:06:33 covering all 102 wavelengths will be
00:06:33 --> 00:06:36 released. The impact of SPHEREx extends
00:06:36 --> 00:06:38 even further as its data can be combined with
00:06:38 --> 00:06:40 observations from other groundbreaking
00:06:40 --> 00:06:42 missions. Imagine refining
00:06:42 --> 00:06:44 exoplanet parameters collected by NASA's
00:06:44 --> 00:06:47 Tess, identifying fascinating new targets for
00:06:47 --> 00:06:50 the James Webb Space Telescope, or studying
00:06:50 --> 00:06:52 the properties of dark matter and dark energy
00:06:52 --> 00:06:54 alongside the European Space Agency's Euclid
00:06:54 --> 00:06:57 mission and NASA's Nancy Grace Roman Space
00:06:57 --> 00:07:00 Telescope. The possibilities are truly
00:07:00 --> 00:07:03 boundless. As Vandana Desai, RSS
00:07:03 --> 00:07:06 Science Lead, wisely states, people are going
00:07:06 --> 00:07:08 to use the data in all kinds of ways that we
00:07:08 --> 00:07:11 can't imagine. It's an exciting time when the
00:07:11 --> 00:07:13 universe is becoming more accessible than
00:07:13 --> 00:07:16 ever, thanks to missions like SphereX, paving
00:07:16 --> 00:07:18 the way for unprecedented discoveries
00:07:19 --> 00:07:21 from the vast universe to individual
00:07:21 --> 00:07:22 planetary systems.
00:07:22 --> 00:07:25 Our next story takes us to a truly bizarre
00:07:25 --> 00:07:28 discovery, an exoplanet that seems to be
00:07:28 --> 00:07:30 actively contributing to its own demise.
00:07:31 --> 00:07:33 Astronomers have found a doomed planet
00:07:33 --> 00:07:35 officially named HIP67
00:07:35 --> 00:07:38 522B, which is clinging so tightly
00:07:38 --> 00:07:40 to its parent star that it's triggering
00:07:40 --> 00:07:43 explosive outbursts and in turn destroying
00:07:43 --> 00:07:46 itself. This is a completely new phenomenon
00:07:46 --> 00:07:48 in our understanding of celestial bodies. HIP
00:07:48 --> 00:07:51 67522B is a young
00:07:51 --> 00:07:53 extrasolar planet orbiting an equally young
00:07:53 --> 00:07:56 star, hip 67522, which
00:07:56 --> 00:07:59 is only about 17 million years old. To put
00:07:59 --> 00:08:01 that into perspective, our sun is a middle
00:08:01 --> 00:08:04 aged 4.6 billion years old. The
00:08:04 --> 00:08:06 exoplanet's orbit is incredibly tight,
00:08:07 --> 00:08:09 completing a full year in just one Earth
00:08:09 --> 00:08:11 week. Since the first exoplanets were
00:08:11 --> 00:08:14 discovered in the mid-1990s, scientists have
00:08:14 --> 00:08:16 wondered if a planet could orbit close enough
00:08:16 --> 00:08:19 to impact its star's magnetic fields. With
00:08:19 --> 00:08:22 over 5 exoplanet discoveries since then,
00:08:22 --> 00:08:24 the answer remained elusive. Until now.
00:08:25 --> 00:08:28 Ekaterina Ilien, the team leader from the
00:08:28 --> 00:08:30 Netherlands Institute for Radio Astronomy,
00:08:30 --> 00:08:32 expressed her excitement and curiosity,
00:08:32 --> 00:08:34 stating that they had never seen a system
00:08:34 --> 00:08:37 like HIP 67522B before,
00:08:37 --> 00:08:40 especially one with such a young planet
00:08:40 --> 00:08:42 orbiting so closely. She added that she had a
00:08:42 --> 00:08:45 million questions because the details of this
00:08:45 --> 00:08:47 new phenomenon are still unclear.
00:08:48 --> 00:08:50 The team first identified HIP
00:08:50 --> 00:08:52 67522B while using
00:08:52 --> 00:08:55 NASA's Transiting Exoplanet Survey Satellite,
00:08:55 --> 00:08:57 or TESS, which is designed to hunt for
00:08:57 --> 00:08:59 exoplanets and survey flaring stars.
00:09:00 --> 00:09:01 TESS picked up some intriguing
00:09:01 --> 00:09:03 characteristics, prompting a follow up
00:09:03 --> 00:09:05 investigation with the European Space
00:09:05 --> 00:09:07 Agency's Characterising Exoplanet Satellite,
00:09:07 --> 00:09:10 or cheops. With cheops, they observed even
00:09:10 --> 00:09:12 more flares, with almost all of them directed
00:09:12 --> 00:09:14 towards Earth as the planet passed in front
00:09:14 --> 00:09:17 of its star. What they discovered was
00:09:17 --> 00:09:20 remarkable. The stellar flares thrown out by
00:09:20 --> 00:09:23 hip 67522 occur
00:09:23 --> 00:09:25 precisely when its clingy planet transits or
00:09:25 --> 00:09:28 passes in front of the star. This
00:09:28 --> 00:09:30 strongly suggests that the flares are
00:09:30 --> 00:09:32 triggered by the planet itself. The leading
00:09:32 --> 00:09:34 theory is that hip
00:09:34 --> 00:09:36 67522B is so
00:09:36 --> 00:09:39 close to its star that it exerts a
00:09:39 --> 00:09:41 significant magnetic influence. As the planet
00:09:41 --> 00:09:44 whips around, it gathers energy, which is
00:09:44 --> 00:09:46 then redirected as waves rippling down the
00:09:46 --> 00:09:49 star's magnetic field lines. When one of
00:09:49 --> 00:09:51 these waves hits the stellar surface, it
00:09:51 --> 00:09:54 triggers a massive flare. Ilan
00:09:54 --> 00:09:56 explained that the waves seem to be setting
00:09:56 --> 00:09:59 off explosions that are in essence waiting to
00:09:59 --> 00:10:01 happen, resulting in flares with much higher
00:10:01 --> 00:10:04 energy than the waves themselves. This
00:10:04 --> 00:10:06 groundbreaking finding provides the first
00:10:06 --> 00:10:08 hard evidence that planets can indeed
00:10:08 --> 00:10:10 influence the behaviour of their stars. And
00:10:10 --> 00:10:13 for hip 67522B, this
00:10:13 --> 00:10:16 influence is disastrous. The induced flares
00:10:16 --> 00:10:18 are directed right back at the planet,
00:10:18 --> 00:10:20 bombarding it with approximately six times
00:10:20 --> 00:10:22 the radiation a planet at this orbital
00:10:22 --> 00:10:23 distance would typically experience.
00:10:25 --> 00:10:28 Currently, hip 67522B is
00:10:28 --> 00:10:31 about the size of Jupiter, but its density is
00:10:31 --> 00:10:33 incredibly low, comparable to candy floss.
00:10:34 --> 00:10:36 This intense radiation bombardment is
00:10:36 --> 00:10:38 stripping away the planet's wispy outer
00:10:38 --> 00:10:40 layers, causing it to lose what little mass
00:10:40 --> 00:10:43 it possesses over the next hundred million
00:10:43 --> 00:10:44 years. Circumstances scientists predict that
00:10:44 --> 00:10:47 hip 67522B could shrink from
00:10:47 --> 00:10:49 its current Jupiter like size to something
00:10:49 --> 00:10:52 closer to Neptune. The full extent of the
00:10:52 --> 00:10:54 damage from these self inflicted flares is
00:10:54 --> 00:10:57 still uncertain. But this bizarre celestial
00:10:57 --> 00:11:00 dance is opening up entirely new avenues for
00:11:00 --> 00:11:02 understanding star planet interactions and
00:11:02 --> 00:11:03 planetary evolution.
00:11:05 --> 00:11:06 Next up, let's take a look at an anniversary
00:11:06 --> 00:11:09 of sorts. Since July 2022,
00:11:09 --> 00:11:12 NASA's James Webb Space Telescope has been
00:11:12 --> 00:11:14 diligently focused on unlocking the
00:11:14 --> 00:11:16 universe's secrets. And it has absolutely
00:11:16 --> 00:11:19 delivered with its unparalleled ability to
00:11:19 --> 00:11:22 detect and analyse invisible infrared light.
00:11:22 --> 00:11:25 Webb has made observations once thought
00:11:25 --> 00:11:27 impossible, profoundly changing our view of
00:11:27 --> 00:11:30 the cosmos from the most distant galaxies
00:11:31 --> 00:11:33 to the familiar corners of our own solar
00:11:33 --> 00:11:36 system. Webb was built with the promise of
00:11:36 --> 00:11:38 revolutionising astronomy and rewriting the
00:11:38 --> 00:11:40 textbooks. And by any measure, it has far
00:11:40 --> 00:11:43 exceeded those lofty expectations. In
00:11:43 --> 00:11:46 just three years of science operations, Webb
00:11:46 --> 00:11:48 has completed more than 860 scientific
00:11:48 --> 00:11:51 programmes, collecting nearly 550
00:11:51 --> 00:11:54 terabytes of data and leading to over
00:11:54 --> 00:11:57 1600 research papers. The
00:11:57 --> 00:11:59 sheer volume of intriguing results and new
00:11:59 --> 00:12:02 questions it has raised is truly astonishing.
00:12:02 --> 00:12:05 One of Webb's primary missions was to observe
00:12:05 --> 00:12:08 cosmic dawn, the period during the universe's
00:12:08 --> 00:12:10 first billion years when the earliest stars
00:12:10 --> 00:12:13 and galaxies were forming. What scientists
00:12:13 --> 00:12:15 expected to see were a few faint, nascent
00:12:15 --> 00:12:18 galaxies, mere hints of what would eventually
00:12:18 --> 00:12:20 become the grand structures we see today.
00:12:20 --> 00:12:23 Instead, Webb revealed surprisingly bright
00:12:23 --> 00:12:25 and mature galaxies that developed within a,
00:12:25 --> 00:12:28 uh, mere 300 million years of the Big Bang.
00:12:28 --> 00:12:31 It also found galaxies with black holes that
00:12:31 --> 00:12:34 seemed far too massive for their age, and
00:12:34 --> 00:12:36 even an infant Milky Way type galaxy that
00:12:36 --> 00:12:39 existed when the universe was only 600
00:12:39 --> 00:12:42 million years old. This
00:12:42 --> 00:12:44 suggests that the universe evolves
00:12:44 --> 00:12:46 significantly faster than we previously
00:12:46 --> 00:12:48 thought. Adding to the surprises,
00:12:48 --> 00:12:51 Webb has unveiled a new type of galaxy. A
00:12:51 --> 00:12:54 distant population of mysteriously compact
00:12:54 --> 00:12:57 bright red galaxies, affectionately dubbed
00:12:57 --> 00:13:00 little red dots. What makes them so bright
00:13:00 --> 00:13:02 and red? Are they illuminated by dense
00:13:02 --> 00:13:05 groupings of unusually brilliant stars? By
00:13:05 --> 00:13:07 gas spiralling into a supermassive black
00:13:07 --> 00:13:10 hole? Or perhaps both. And what
00:13:10 --> 00:13:13 eventually happened to them? These little red
00:13:13 --> 00:13:15 dots appeared around 600 million years after
00:13:15 --> 00:13:18 the Big Bang and rapidly declined in number
00:13:18 --> 00:13:20 less than a billion years later, leaving
00:13:20 --> 00:13:22 astronomers eager to understand their
00:13:22 --> 00:13:25 evolution. Webb's observations are also
00:13:25 --> 00:13:27 providing critical insights into one of
00:13:27 --> 00:13:30 astronomy's most perplexing dilemmas the
00:13:30 --> 00:13:32 Hubble tension. This refers to the
00:13:32 --> 00:13:34 frustrating problem where different methods
00:13:34 --> 00:13:35 of calculating the universe's current
00:13:35 --> 00:13:38 expansion rate yield different results. Is it
00:13:38 --> 00:13:41 simply a matter of measurement errors? Or is
00:13:41 --> 00:13:43 there something truly strange happening in
00:13:43 --> 00:13:46 the cosmos? So far, Webb's data
00:13:46 --> 00:13:48 indicates that the Hubble tension is not due
00:13:48 --> 00:13:51 to measurement inaccuracies. By
00:13:51 --> 00:13:53 precisely distinguishing pulsating stars in
00:13:53 --> 00:13:55 crowded fields, and even discovering a
00:13:55 --> 00:13:58 distant gravitationally lensed supernova
00:13:58 --> 00:14:00 whose image appeared at three different times
00:14:00 --> 00:14:03 during its explosion, Webb is providing
00:14:03 --> 00:14:04 independent checks on these crucial
00:14:04 --> 00:14:07 measurements, suggesting this cosmic puzzle
00:14:07 --> 00:14:08 is very real.
00:14:09 --> 00:14:11 Beyond galaxies, the Webb telescope's
00:14:11 --> 00:14:14 extraordinary infrared vision has also
00:14:14 --> 00:14:16 unveiled surprisingly rich and varied
00:14:16 --> 00:14:18 atmospheres on gas giants orbiting distant
00:14:18 --> 00:14:21 stars. While the Hubble Space Telescope
00:14:21 --> 00:14:23 made the first detection of gases on an
00:14:23 --> 00:14:26 exoplanet, Webb has taken these studies to an
00:14:26 --> 00:14:28 entirely new level. It's revealed a chemical
00:14:28 --> 00:14:30 cocktail including hydrogen sulphide,
00:14:30 --> 00:14:33 ammonia, carbon dioxide, methane
00:14:33 --> 00:14:36 and sulphur dioxide, none of which had been
00:14:36 --> 00:14:38 clearly detected in an atmosphere outside our
00:14:38 --> 00:14:41 solar system before. Webb has even examined
00:14:41 --> 00:14:43 the exotic climates of these gas giants,
00:14:44 --> 00:14:46 detecting flakes of silica, uh, snow in the
00:14:46 --> 00:14:49 skies of one searing hot world and measuring
00:14:49 --> 00:14:51 temperature and cloud differences across
00:14:51 --> 00:14:53 others. The telescope's exceptional ability
00:14:53 --> 00:14:56 to measure subtle changes in infrared light
00:14:56 --> 00:14:58 makes it possible to even analyse the thin
00:14:58 --> 00:15:01 layers of gas around smaller rocky planets.
00:15:01 --> 00:15:03 Webb has already ruled out significant
00:15:03 --> 00:15:05 atmospheres on some rocky worlds and found
00:15:05 --> 00:15:08 tantalising signs of carbon monoxide or
00:15:08 --> 00:15:11 carbon dioxide on 55 Cancri E A, uh,
00:15:11 --> 00:15:13 lava world orbiting a sun like star. These
00:15:13 --> 00:15:15 findings are laying crucial groundwork for
00:15:15 --> 00:15:18 NASA's future habitable worlds Observatory,
00:15:18 --> 00:15:21 which will be designed to directly image and
00:15:21 --> 00:15:23 search for life on Earth. Like planets.
00:15:24 --> 00:15:26 Webb has also mapped intricate galaxy
00:15:26 --> 00:15:29 structures with unprecedented detail, showing
00:15:29 --> 00:15:31 us cosmic cities where stars form, live,
00:15:32 --> 00:15:34 die and are recycled into the next
00:15:34 --> 00:15:37 generation. Its infrared eyes reveal
00:15:37 --> 00:15:39 delicate filaments of dust tracing spiral
00:15:39 --> 00:15:42 arms, ancient star clusters forming galactic
00:15:42 --> 00:15:45 cores, newly forming stars still hidden in
00:15:45 --> 00:15:48 glowing cocoons of dust and gas, and clusters
00:15:48 --> 00:15:50 of hot young stars carving enormous cavities
00:15:50 --> 00:15:53 within the dust. It's truly helping us
00:15:53 --> 00:15:56 understand how stellar winds and explosions
00:15:56 --> 00:15:58 actively reshape their galactic homes.
00:15:59 --> 00:16:01 In other observations, Webb has spotted
00:16:01 --> 00:16:04 hundreds of objects resembling brown dwarfs
00:16:04 --> 00:16:06 in the Milky Way and even some candidates in
00:16:06 --> 00:16:09 a neighbouring galaxy. Brown dwarfs form like
00:16:09 --> 00:16:12 stars, but aren't massive enough to fuse
00:16:12 --> 00:16:14 hydrogen. Some of these objects are so small,
00:16:14 --> 00:16:17 just a few times the mass of Jupiter, that
00:16:17 --> 00:16:19 it's hard to tell if they're free floating
00:16:19 --> 00:16:21 gas giant planets or something else entirely.
00:16:22 --> 00:16:24 Thanks to Webb, we now know there's a
00:16:24 --> 00:16:26 continuous spectrum of objects ranging from
00:16:26 --> 00:16:29 planets to brown dwarfs to full fledged
00:16:29 --> 00:16:32 stars. The telescope has also found potential
00:16:32 --> 00:16:34 planets orbiting white dwarfs, hinting that
00:16:34 --> 00:16:36 it might be possible for worlds to survive
00:16:36 --> 00:16:38 the dramatic death of their host stars.
00:16:39 --> 00:16:42 Closer to home, Webb has turned its gaze to
00:16:42 --> 00:16:44 our own solar system with equally impressive
00:16:44 --> 00:16:46 results. It observed the vast water plume
00:16:46 --> 00:16:49 erupting from Saturn's moon Enceladus,
00:16:49 --> 00:16:51 revealing its true scale as a cloud spanning
00:16:51 --> 00:16:54 over 6 miles, about 20 times wider
00:16:54 --> 00:16:57 than Enceladus itself. This water then
00:16:57 --> 00:16:59 spreads out into a donut shaped torus
00:16:59 --> 00:17:02 encircling Saturn, even raining down onto the
00:17:02 --> 00:17:05 planet. The these unique observations of
00:17:05 --> 00:17:08 rings, auroras, clouds, winds,
00:17:08 --> 00:17:10 ices and gases are helping us better
00:17:10 --> 00:17:12 understand what our cosmic neighbourhood is
00:17:12 --> 00:17:15 made of and how it has changed over time.
00:17:16 --> 00:17:18 Finally, Webb has also played a crucial role
00:17:18 --> 00:17:21 in Supporting asteroid defence missions. In
00:17:21 --> 00:17:24 2024, when an asteroid was discovered with a
00:17:24 --> 00:17:26 preliminary chance of hitting Earth, Webb was
00:17:26 --> 00:17:29 uniquely able to measure the object, which
00:17:29 --> 00:17:31 turned out to be the size of a 15 story
00:17:31 --> 00:17:34 building, helping assess the hazard. While
00:17:34 --> 00:17:36 that particular asteroid is no longer a
00:17:36 --> 00:17:38 threat, the study demonstrated Webb's
00:17:38 --> 00:17:41 capabilities. The telescope also provided
00:17:41 --> 00:17:43 vital support for NASA's Double Asteroid
00:17:43 --> 00:17:46 Redirection Test, or DART, mission, which
00:17:46 --> 00:17:48 deliberately impacted the Didymos binary
00:17:48 --> 00:17:51 asteroid system. Both Webb and Hubble
00:17:51 --> 00:17:53 observed the impact, confirming that the
00:17:53 --> 00:17:56 composition of these asteroids is typical of
00:17:56 --> 00:17:58 those that could threaten Earth. In just
00:17:58 --> 00:18:00 three years, Webb has brought the distant
00:18:00 --> 00:18:03 universe into sharp focus, revealed
00:18:03 --> 00:18:05 unexpectedly bright and numerous galaxies,
00:18:05 --> 00:18:07 unveiled new stars in their dusty cocoons,
00:18:07 --> 00:18:10 and studied weather on exoplanets. This is
00:18:10 --> 00:18:12 only the beginning. As engineers estimate
00:18:12 --> 00:18:14 Webb has enough fuel to continue observing
00:18:14 --> 00:18:17 for at least 20 more years, promising many
00:18:17 --> 00:18:18 more cosmic surprises to come.
00:18:20 --> 00:18:23 Finally, today, in a truly unexpected turn of
00:18:23 --> 00:18:26 events, Japanese meteorological satellites,
00:18:26 --> 00:18:28 the Himawari 8 and 9, which are typically
00:18:28 --> 00:18:30 used for monitoring Earth's global weather
00:18:30 --> 00:18:32 patterns, are now providing incredibly
00:18:32 --> 00:18:35 valuable insights into Venus's atmosphere.
00:18:36 --> 00:18:38 These satellites, launched in 2014
00:18:38 --> 00:18:41 and 2016 by the Japan
00:18:41 --> 00:18:43 Meteorological Agency, are equipped with
00:18:43 --> 00:18:46 multispectral advanced Himawari imagers.
00:18:46 --> 00:18:48 In a recent study led by the University of
00:18:48 --> 00:18:50 Tokyo in infrared, images from these
00:18:50 --> 00:18:52 satellites captured changes in Venus's
00:18:52 --> 00:18:55 atmosphere, revealing previously unseen
00:18:55 --> 00:18:57 temperature patterns in its cloud tops. This
00:18:57 --> 00:18:59 is a significant development because
00:18:59 --> 00:19:01 meteorological satellites can complement
00:19:01 --> 00:19:04 observations of Venus's atmosphere, which
00:19:04 --> 00:19:06 usually come from robotic missions and ground
00:19:06 --> 00:19:09 based telescopes. Scientists have been
00:19:09 --> 00:19:11 studying Venus's atmosphere for decades to
00:19:11 --> 00:19:13 understand the dynamics of our solar system's
00:19:13 --> 00:19:16 hottest planet. However, many
00:19:16 --> 00:19:18 mysteries persist, such as its thermal tides
00:19:18 --> 00:19:21 and planetary scale waves. Dedicated
00:19:21 --> 00:19:24 robotic probes have often been limited to
00:19:24 --> 00:19:26 single band imagery or short observation
00:19:26 --> 00:19:28 periods. That's where the Himawari satellites
00:19:28 --> 00:19:31 come in. Because these satellites are
00:19:31 --> 00:19:33 scheduled to remain operational for more than
00:19:33 --> 00:19:35 a decade, they offer an unprecedented
00:19:35 --> 00:19:38 opportunity for long term multi band
00:19:38 --> 00:19:40 monitoring. Their instruments provide
00:19:40 --> 00:19:43 infrared coverage that measures Venus's
00:19:43 --> 00:19:45 temperature across different bands, showing
00:19:45 --> 00:19:47 temporal variations. When these geostationary
00:19:47 --> 00:19:50 satellites align with Earth and Venus, they
00:19:50 --> 00:19:52 can obtain images of Venus's turbulent
00:19:52 --> 00:19:54 atmosphere, helping to fill crucial
00:19:54 --> 00:19:57 observational gaps. The team behind the
00:19:57 --> 00:19:59 study used hundreds of images from Himawari 8
00:20:00 --> 00:20:02 and 9 to map the temporal dynamics and track
00:20:02 --> 00:20:05 temperature variations in Venus's cloud tops
00:20:05 --> 00:20:08 over time. Their analysis confirmed that both
00:20:08 --> 00:20:10 the thermal tides and planetary waves in
00:20:10 --> 00:20:13 Venus's atmosphere are subject to changes in
00:20:13 --> 00:20:15 amplitude over time, which decrease with
00:20:15 --> 00:20:18 altitude. This novel approach opens
00:20:18 --> 00:20:21 new avenues for long term and multiband
00:20:21 --> 00:20:23 monitoring of other solar system bodies,
00:20:23 --> 00:20:26 including the Moon and Mercury. By
00:20:26 --> 00:20:28 providing continuous data that dedicated
00:20:28 --> 00:20:30 missions might miss due to their shorter
00:20:30 --> 00:20:33 lifespans, these Earth focused satellites are
00:20:33 --> 00:20:35 unexpectedly contributing to our broader
00:20:35 --> 00:20:37 understanding of planetary evolution.
00:20:39 --> 00:20:40 That's all for this episode of Astronomy
00:20:40 --> 00:20:43 Daily. I'm Anna and I hope you enjoyed our
00:20:43 --> 00:20:45 journey through the latest in space and
00:20:45 --> 00:20:48 astronomy news. Thank you for tuning in. If
00:20:48 --> 00:20:50 you want to catch up on all the latest space
00:20:50 --> 00:20:52 and astronomy news with our constantly
00:20:52 --> 00:20:54 updating newsfeed, or listen to all our back
00:20:54 --> 00:20:56 episodes, be sure to visit our website at
00:20:56 --> 00:20:59 astronomydaily IO. You can also stay
00:20:59 --> 00:21:01 connected with us on social media. Just
00:21:01 --> 00:21:03 search for Astro Daily Pod on Facebook, X,
00:21:04 --> 00:21:06 YouTube, YouTube, Music, Instagram, Tumblr,
00:21:06 --> 00:21:09 and TikTok for daily updates and more cosmic
00:21:09 --> 00:21:11 content. Until next time, keep looking up and
00:21:11 --> 00:21:12 stay curious.