- Lightning on Mars: NASA's Perseverance rover has potentially captured the first direct evidence of lightning on Mars. Using its super-sensitive microphone, the rover recorded distinct crackling sounds, suggesting that electrical discharges may be caused by the planet's notorious dust storms. This discovery indicates that Mars has a more dynamic atmosphere than previously thought, raising excitement for future crewed missions.
- Thanksgiving Crew Launch: A crew of three, including one NASA astronaut and two Russian cosmonauts, successfully launched to the International Space Station aboard a Soyuz rocket. Their eight-month mission will involve overseeing a variety of scientific experiments and performing maintenance tasks, showcasing continued international cooperation in space.
- ESA's Space Rider Announcement: The European Space Agency has announced the inaugural flight of its Space Rider vehicle, set for 2028. This reusable space plane will serve as an uncrewed robotic laboratory, conducting experiments in orbit and returning to Earth for refurbishment, marking a significant advancement in European space capabilities.
- New Cosmic Discovery: The James Webb Space Telescope has detected a series of tiny red dots in deep space, leading to the hypothesis of a new class of objects dubbed "black hole stars." These entities would contain supermassive black holes at their cores, surrounded by dense gas, challenging our understanding of the early universe.
- Understanding Venusian Winds: New research has uncovered that the extreme winds on Venus, which rotate 60 times faster than the planet itself, may be driven by a massive atmospheric tide caused by solar heating. This insight could enhance our understanding of the climate on Venus and tidally locked exoplanets.
- 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.
Perseverance Rover Lightning Detection
[NASA](https://www.nasa.gov/)
International Space Station Crew Launch
[NASA](https://www.nasa.gov/)
ESA's Space Rider Details
[European Space Agency](https://www.esa.int/)
James Webb Space Telescope Discoveries
[NASA](https://www.nasa.gov/)
Venus Atmospheric Research
[NASA](https://www.nasa.gov/)
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This episode includes AI-generated content.
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.
00:00:08 --> 00:00:10 Anna: And I'm Anna. Um, it's great to have you with
00:00:10 --> 00:00:13 us. We've got news stretching from the rusty
00:00:13 --> 00:00:15 soil of Mars all the way to the deepest
00:00:15 --> 00:00:17 reaches of cosmic time.
00:00:17 --> 00:00:19 Avery: That's right, we'll be talking about possible
00:00:19 --> 00:00:22 lightning on Mars. A new crew arriving at the
00:00:22 --> 00:00:25 space station. Europe's next gen reusable
00:00:25 --> 00:00:28 spacecraft. A potential new kind of
00:00:28 --> 00:00:31 cosmic monster. And we'll finally get
00:00:31 --> 00:00:33 an answer to what drives the furious winds
00:00:33 --> 00:00:34 of Venus.
00:00:35 --> 00:00:37 Anna: So let's get started. Our first story takes
00:00:37 --> 00:00:40 us to the Red Planet, where an old question
00:00:40 --> 00:00:42 might have a shocking new answer.
00:00:43 --> 00:00:45 Avery: Do tell, Avery.
00:00:45 --> 00:00:47 Anna: For decades, scientists have wondered if
00:00:47 --> 00:00:50 lightning could occur on Mars. Well, it
00:00:50 --> 00:00:52 seems NASA's Perseverance rover may have
00:00:52 --> 00:00:55 finally captured the first direct evidence.
00:00:55 --> 00:00:58 Avery: Wow. Really? After all this time? How did it
00:00:58 --> 00:01:00 detect it? Was it a flash of light?
00:01:01 --> 00:01:04 Anna: Not visually, but audibly. The rover's
00:01:04 --> 00:01:06 super sensitive microphone, part of the
00:01:06 --> 00:01:08 Supercam instrument, recorded crackling
00:01:08 --> 00:01:11 sounds, faint pops and crackles that
00:01:11 --> 00:01:13 are distinct from the usual Martian wind.
00:01:14 --> 00:01:16 Avery: It heard lightning. That's incredible.
00:01:17 --> 00:01:19 So what's causing these electrical
00:01:19 --> 00:01:19 discharges?
00:01:20 --> 00:01:22 Anna: Scientists believe the primary suspect is the
00:01:22 --> 00:01:25 planet's infamous dust storms. The friction
00:01:25 --> 00:01:27 between dust particles as they're whipped
00:01:27 --> 00:01:29 around by the wind can build up a significant
00:01:30 --> 00:01:32 static charge. Just like shuffling your feet
00:01:32 --> 00:01:33 on a carpet.
00:01:33 --> 00:01:36 Avery: Right, and eventually that charge has to go
00:01:36 --> 00:01:38 somewhere, resulting in a spark.
00:01:39 --> 00:01:41 Anna: Exactly. A miniature Martian lightning
00:01:41 --> 00:01:44 bolt. While the energy is likely much lower
00:01:44 --> 00:01:47 than a typical terrestrial thunderstorm, it
00:01:47 --> 00:01:49 proves that Mars's atmosphere is more
00:01:49 --> 00:01:51 electrically active than we ever knew.
00:01:51 --> 00:01:54 Avery: So Mars has more dynamic and complex weather
00:01:54 --> 00:01:57 than we previously thought. This just makes
00:01:57 --> 00:01:59 me even more excited for future crewed
00:01:59 --> 00:02:01 missions. There's still so much to discover.
00:02:02 --> 00:02:04 Anna: I think you'll find you're not the only one
00:02:04 --> 00:02:05 waiting for that step.
00:02:06 --> 00:02:08 Avery: Speaking of space travel, let's turn our
00:02:08 --> 00:02:10 attention a little closer to home. On, um,
00:02:10 --> 00:02:12 Thanksgiving Day, a crew of three
00:02:12 --> 00:02:14 successfully launched to the International
00:02:14 --> 00:02:16 Space Station aboard a Soyuz rocket.
00:02:17 --> 00:02:19 Anna: That's right. The crew consists of one NASA
00:02:19 --> 00:02:22 astronaut and two Russian cosmonauts. It's
00:02:22 --> 00:02:25 a powerful symbol of continued international
00:02:25 --> 00:02:28 cooperation in space, even during complicated
00:02:28 --> 00:02:29 times here on Earth.
00:02:30 --> 00:02:32 Avery: Absolutely. The space station has always been
00:02:32 --> 00:02:34 a beacon for that kind of partnership. What's
00:02:34 --> 00:02:36 on the agenda for their mission?
00:02:37 --> 00:02:39 Anna: It's going to be a busy stay. They're
00:02:39 --> 00:02:41 scheduled for an eight month mission, during
00:02:41 --> 00:02:43 which they'll oversee a whole range of
00:02:43 --> 00:02:46 scientific experiments. These experiments
00:02:46 --> 00:02:48 cover everything from human biology and
00:02:48 --> 00:02:51 microgravity to material science and
00:02:51 --> 00:02:52 earth observation.
00:02:53 --> 00:02:55 Avery: And I imagine a lot of maintenance work too,
00:02:55 --> 00:02:58 keeping the 20 plus year old station in good
00:02:58 --> 00:02:58 shape.
00:02:59 --> 00:03:01 Anna: Of course, there's always something to fix or
00:03:01 --> 00:03:03 upgrade. They'll also be preparing the
00:03:03 --> 00:03:06 station for the arrival of new commercial
00:03:06 --> 00:03:08 modules and supporting spacewalks for
00:03:08 --> 00:03:11 hardware installation. It's a critical job to
00:03:11 --> 00:03:13 keep our outpost in orbit running smoothly.
00:03:14 --> 00:03:16 Avery: Well, we wish them, uh, a safe and productive
00:03:16 --> 00:03:17 mission up there.
00:03:18 --> 00:03:20 Anna: From the present of spaceflight to its
00:03:20 --> 00:03:23 future. The European Space Agency, or
00:03:23 --> 00:03:26 esa, has just announced a target date for a
00:03:26 --> 00:03:28 very exciting project. The inaugural flight
00:03:28 --> 00:03:31 of its state Space Rider vehicle is now set
00:03:31 --> 00:03:32 for 2028.
00:03:33 --> 00:03:36 Avery: Space Rider, that's ESA's reusable space
00:03:36 --> 00:03:38 plane, right? What makes it different from
00:03:38 --> 00:03:40 other spacecraft out there?
00:03:40 --> 00:03:43 Anna: Think of it as an uncrewed robotic space
00:03:43 --> 00:03:46 laboratory. It's designed to launch on a
00:03:46 --> 00:03:49 Vega C rocket, deploy a multi purpose
00:03:49 --> 00:03:51 cargo bay into orbit, and stay there for up
00:03:51 --> 00:03:53 to two months, conducting experiments
00:03:53 --> 00:03:54 automatically.
00:03:55 --> 00:03:57 Avery: So it's essentially a free flying science
00:03:57 --> 00:03:58 platform.
00:03:58 --> 00:04:00 Anna: Exactly, and here's the key part.
00:04:01 --> 00:04:03 After its mission is complete, it will re
00:04:03 --> 00:04:06 enter the Earth's atmosphere and land on a
00:04:06 --> 00:04:09 Runway just like an airplane. The vehicle and
00:04:09 --> 00:04:10 its payloads can then be recovered,
00:04:10 --> 00:04:12 refurbished and flown again.
00:04:13 --> 00:04:15 Avery: That's a huge step for Europe. Reusability
00:04:15 --> 00:04:18 is the name of the game for making access to
00:04:18 --> 00:04:20 space more affordable and sustainable. Having
00:04:20 --> 00:04:23 their own reusable vehicle opens up a lot of
00:04:23 --> 00:04:24 possibilities for science and technology
00:04:24 --> 00:04:25 development.
00:04:25 --> 00:04:28 Anna: It really does. It will give European
00:04:28 --> 00:04:31 scientists and companies a routine way to run
00:04:31 --> 00:04:33 experiments in microgravity and bring them
00:04:33 --> 00:04:36 back to Earth for analysis without relying on
00:04:36 --> 00:04:39 other launch providers. 2028 will be
00:04:39 --> 00:04:40 a year to watch.
00:04:40 --> 00:04:43 Avery: All right, now let's journey from low Earth
00:04:43 --> 00:04:45 orbit out to the edge of the observable
00:04:45 --> 00:04:47 universe. The James Webb Space Telescope has
00:04:47 --> 00:04:50 found something peculiar. And it might be
00:04:50 --> 00:04:53 a new class of object we've never seen
00:04:53 --> 00:04:53 before.
00:04:54 --> 00:04:56 Anna: This is one of those stories that really
00:04:56 --> 00:04:58 stretches the imagination. In some of its
00:04:58 --> 00:05:01 deepest images of the early universe, Webb
00:05:01 --> 00:05:04 spotted a series of tiny, extremely red
00:05:04 --> 00:05:04 dots.
00:05:05 --> 00:05:08 Avery: Okay, tiny red dots in deep space,
00:05:08 --> 00:05:10 that could be a lot of things. What's the
00:05:10 --> 00:05:10 theory?
00:05:11 --> 00:05:13 Anna: Well, after ruling out more conventional
00:05:13 --> 00:05:16 explanations like distant red galaxies,
00:05:16 --> 00:05:19 a team of astrophysicists has proposed a
00:05:19 --> 00:05:22 wild new idea. They think these could be
00:05:22 --> 00:05:24 a new kind of cosmic monster.
00:05:25 --> 00:05:28 Whoa. They're calling them black hole
00:05:28 --> 00:05:30 stars. The idea is that, uh, at the core of
00:05:30 --> 00:05:33 each of these objects is a supermassive
00:05:33 --> 00:05:36 black hole, but it's surrounded by an
00:05:36 --> 00:05:39 incredibly dense, massive shell of gas
00:05:39 --> 00:05:40 that it's feeding on.
00:05:40 --> 00:05:43 Avery: So it would look like a giant puffy star from
00:05:43 --> 00:05:46 the outside, but it's really a black hole in
00:05:46 --> 00:05:46 disguise.
00:05:46 --> 00:05:49 Anna: That's the essence of it. This shell of gas
00:05:49 --> 00:05:52 is so thick that it traps the light from the
00:05:52 --> 00:05:54 accreting, uh, material, making the object
00:05:54 --> 00:05:57 appear as a single redd point of light
00:05:57 --> 00:05:59 rather than a blazing quasar, which is what
00:05:59 --> 00:06:01 we'd normally expect to see.
00:06:02 --> 00:06:03 Avery: That would be a game changer for
00:06:03 --> 00:06:05 understanding how the very first
00:06:05 --> 00:06:08 supermassive black holes grew so big
00:06:08 --> 00:06:10 so fast in the early universe.
00:06:10 --> 00:06:13 Anna: It certainly would. If this hypothesis holds
00:06:13 --> 00:06:15 up, it means there could be a hidden
00:06:15 --> 00:06:18 population of these growing black holes
00:06:18 --> 00:06:21 that we've been completely missing until now.
00:06:21 --> 00:06:24 It's a testament to how JWST
00:06:24 --> 00:06:26 isn't just seeing farther, it's seeing,
00:06:26 --> 00:06:28 seeing things in a whole new way.
00:06:28 --> 00:06:31 Avery: It really does make you wonder what else is
00:06:31 --> 00:06:33 out there that we know nothing about. But
00:06:33 --> 00:06:36 let's hope it's not a case of ignorance is
00:06:36 --> 00:06:36 bliss.
00:06:36 --> 00:06:37 Anna: Ya betcha.
00:06:37 --> 00:06:40 Okay, for our final story, we come back
00:06:40 --> 00:06:43 to our own solar system, to Earth's evil
00:06:43 --> 00:06:46 twin sister planet, Venus. We're talking
00:06:46 --> 00:06:49 about its hellish atmosphere and the
00:06:49 --> 00:06:51 extreme winds that whip around the planet.
00:06:52 --> 00:06:54 Avery: Ah, uh, Venusian super rotation.
00:06:55 --> 00:06:58 This has been a huge puzzle for decades. The
00:06:58 --> 00:07:00 entire atmosphere rotates around the planet
00:07:01 --> 00:07:04 60 times faster than the planet itself
00:07:04 --> 00:07:04 spins.
00:07:05 --> 00:07:06 Anna: How is that even possible
00:07:07 --> 00:07:09 exactly? The mechanics have been a
00:07:09 --> 00:07:12 mystery, but new research is pointing to a
00:07:12 --> 00:07:15 key driver. A massive atmospheric
00:07:15 --> 00:07:17 tide fueled by the heat of the Sun.
00:07:18 --> 00:07:20 Avery: An, um, atmospheric tide like the ocean.
00:07:20 --> 00:07:23 Anna: Tides on Earth, Similar in principle, but
00:07:23 --> 00:07:26 driven by heat, not gravity. The
00:07:26 --> 00:07:29 sun intensely heats the dense atmosphere on
00:07:29 --> 00:07:32 the day side of Venus. This creates a
00:07:32 --> 00:07:35 huge planet wide thermal wave. As
00:07:35 --> 00:07:38 Venus slowly rotates, this wave of hot
00:07:38 --> 00:07:40 expanding gas travels around the planet,
00:07:40 --> 00:07:43 pushing the atmosphere and maintaining those
00:07:43 --> 00:07:44 incredible wind speeds.
00:07:45 --> 00:07:48 Avery: So the daily cycle of heating and cooling
00:07:48 --> 00:07:50 from the sun is constantly pumping energy
00:07:50 --> 00:07:53 into the atmosphere, keeping it spinning like
00:07:53 --> 00:07:53 a top.
00:07:53 --> 00:07:56 Anna: That's a perfect analogy. Previous theories
00:07:56 --> 00:07:59 focused on other factors, but this research
00:07:59 --> 00:08:02 suggests this daily thermal tide is a
00:08:02 --> 00:08:05 major contributor, if not the primary one.
00:08:05 --> 00:08:07 It's a huge step forward in understanding the
00:08:07 --> 00:08:10 climate of not just Venus, but potentially
00:08:10 --> 00:08:13 of tidally locked exoplanets around other
00:08:13 --> 00:08:13 stars.
00:08:14 --> 00:08:16 Avery: And that's all the time we have for today.
00:08:17 --> 00:08:20 From the crackle of Martian lightning to the
00:08:20 --> 00:08:22 roar of Venusian winds and the
00:08:22 --> 00:08:25 silent mysteries of the Eurelli universe, it'
00:08:25 --> 00:08:28 been another incredible time in
00:08:28 --> 00:08:29 astronomy.
00:08:29 --> 00:08:32 Anna: It certainly has. Thank you for joining us,
00:08:32 --> 00:08:34 uh, on Astronomy Daily. We hope you'll
00:08:34 --> 00:08:37 subscribe and join us again next time as we
00:08:37 --> 00:08:40 continue to explore the cosmos. You'll
00:08:40 --> 00:08:43 find us on all podcast platforms, or
00:08:43 --> 00:08:45 simply visit our website at astronomydaily
00:08:46 --> 00:08:49 IO for details. Plus, you can catch up on
00:08:49 --> 00:08:51 all the latest space news by checking out our
00:08:51 --> 00:08:53 constantly updating news feedback.
00:08:54 --> 00:08:56 Avery: Um, until tomorrow then, this has been.
00:08:56 --> 00:08:59 Anna: Avery and Anna wishing
00:08:59 --> 00:09:00 you Clear Sky.