Lunar Mysteries Unveiled, Rocket Launch Delays, and Martian Aurora Firsts

00:00:00 --> 00:00:03 Anna: Welcome to Astronomy Daily. Your cosmic connection to

00:00:03 --> 00:00:06 the stars and beyond. I'm Anna

00:00:06 --> 00:00:08 bringing you the latest developments in space exploration and

00:00:08 --> 00:00:11 astronomical discoveries right to your ears.

00:00:11 --> 00:00:14 Today's episode is packed with fascinating stories that

00:00:14 --> 00:00:16 showcase both the mysteries of our universe and

00:00:16 --> 00:00:19 humanity's incredible technological ingenuity in

00:00:19 --> 00:00:22 uncovering them. We'll be exploring several

00:00:22 --> 00:00:25 breaking stories that highlight just how dynamic our

00:00:25 --> 00:00:27 solar system truly is. We'll start by

00:00:27 --> 00:00:30 delving into a new gravity study that finally helps

00:00:30 --> 00:00:33 explain why the two sides of our moon look so

00:00:33 --> 00:00:36 dramatically different. A question that has puzzled scientists

00:00:36 --> 00:00:39 for decades. The research reveals fascinating

00:00:39 --> 00:00:41 asymmetries deep within the lunar interior that have

00:00:41 --> 00:00:43 shaped its distinctive appearance.

00:00:44 --> 00:00:47 Then we'll head down under to Australia, where

00:00:47 --> 00:00:50 an aerospace firm was preparing for a historic

00:00:50 --> 00:00:53 rocket launch that would have been the first Australian

00:00:53 --> 00:00:55 made rocket to reach orbit from Australian soil.

00:00:56 --> 00:00:59 We'll look at what happened with this milestone attempt and what

00:00:59 --> 00:01:01 it means for the growing global space industry.

00:01:02 --> 00:01:05 Next, we'll travel to the very edge of our solar

00:01:05 --> 00:01:08 system, where NASA engineers have achieved

00:01:08 --> 00:01:10 what many would consider impossible.

00:01:10 --> 00:01:13 Reviving thrusters on the Voyager 1

00:01:13 --> 00:01:16 spacecraft that had been deemed unusable since

00:01:16 --> 00:01:18 2004. This remarkable feat of

00:01:18 --> 00:01:21 remote engineering shows just how resourceful our space

00:01:21 --> 00:01:24 teams can be, especially when working with a

00:01:24 --> 00:01:27 spacecraft that's now over 15 billion miles from Earth.

00:01:27 --> 00:01:30 We'll also examine fascinating new findings about Venus

00:01:30 --> 00:01:33 that suggest our nearest planetary neighbor may be more

00:01:33 --> 00:01:35 geologically active than previously thought.

00:01:36 --> 00:01:39 Data from NASA's Magellan mission has revealed

00:01:39 --> 00:01:41 evidence of ongoing tectonic processes that reshape

00:01:41 --> 00:01:44 our understanding of this enigmatic world.

00:01:45 --> 00:01:48 Finally, we'll look at a historic first on Mars, where

00:01:48 --> 00:01:50 the Perseverance rover has captured an image that no

00:01:50 --> 00:01:53 human has ever seen before. A visible

00:01:53 --> 00:01:56 aurora on the red planet. This

00:01:56 --> 00:01:59 subtle green glow gives us a preview of what future

00:01:59 --> 00:02:01 Martian explorers might witness in the night sky.

00:02:02 --> 00:02:05 These stories remind us that our solar system is not a

00:02:05 --> 00:02:08 static place, but an ever changing dynamic environment

00:02:08 --> 00:02:11 full of ongoing processes and unexpected

00:02:11 --> 00:02:14 discoveries. They also highlight the incredible

00:02:14 --> 00:02:17 technological achievements that allow us to explore these

00:02:17 --> 00:02:19 distant worlds from right here on Earth.

00:02:20 --> 00:02:22 So settle in as we journey across the cosmos,

00:02:23 --> 00:02:26 exploring the latest findings that continue to expand our

00:02:26 --> 00:02:28 understanding of the universe we call home.

00:02:29 --> 00:02:30 Let's get things underway.

00:02:31 --> 00:02:34 One of the most enduring mysteries about our closest celestial

00:02:34 --> 00:02:37 neighbor has been why the moon's near side. The

00:02:37 --> 00:02:40 face we see from Earth looks so dramatically different

00:02:40 --> 00:02:43 from its far side. Now, an

00:02:43 --> 00:02:46 exhaustive examination of lunar gravity. You using

00:02:46 --> 00:02:49 data from NASA's GRAIL mission is offering compelling

00:02:49 --> 00:02:51 new evidence to explain this lunar dichotomy

00:02:52 --> 00:02:54 the research team discovered that the Moon's near side

00:02:54 --> 00:02:57 flexes slightly more than the far side during its elliptical

00:02:57 --> 00:03:00 orbit around Earth. This difference in tidal

00:03:00 --> 00:03:02 deformation caused by Earth's gravitational pull

00:03:03 --> 00:03:06 indicates significant structural differences between the two

00:03:06 --> 00:03:08 sides of the lunar interior, particularly in the

00:03:08 --> 00:03:11 mantle layer. M. Our study shows that the

00:03:11 --> 00:03:14 Moon's interior is not uniform except, explains

00:03:14 --> 00:03:17 Ryan park, lead author of the study published in the

00:03:17 --> 00:03:20 journal Nature. The side facing Earth,

00:03:20 --> 00:03:22 the near side, is warmer and more

00:03:22 --> 00:03:25 geologically active deep down than the far side.

00:03:26 --> 00:03:28 This temperature difference is substantial.

00:03:28 --> 00:03:31 Researchers estimate that the near side Mantle

00:03:31 --> 00:03:34 averages between 180 to 360

00:03:34 --> 00:03:36 degrees Fahrenheit, hotter than the far side

00:03:36 --> 00:03:39 mantle. This thermal difference is likely sustained

00:03:39 --> 00:03:42 by the radioactive decay of elements like the

00:03:42 --> 00:03:45 thorium and titanium, which appear to have

00:03:45 --> 00:03:47 accumulated on the near side over billions of years.

00:03:48 --> 00:03:51 The findings help explain the stark visual contrast

00:03:51 --> 00:03:53 between the two lunar hemispheres. If you've

00:03:53 --> 00:03:56 ever looked up at the Moon, you've noticed that the near side is

00:03:56 --> 00:03:59 dominated by vast dark plains called mare,

00:04:00 --> 00:04:02 formed when molten rock cooled and solidified

00:04:02 --> 00:04:05 billions of years ago. In contrast, the

00:04:05 --> 00:04:08 far side has a much more rugged, mountainous terrain, with very

00:04:08 --> 00:04:11 few of these plains. Scientists

00:04:11 --> 00:04:14 have long hypothesized that intense volcanism on the

00:04:14 --> 00:04:16 near side caused radioactive heat

00:04:16 --> 00:04:19 generating elements to accumulate in the mantle beneath this

00:04:19 --> 00:04:22 hemisphere, driving these surface differences.

00:04:22 --> 00:04:25 The new GRAIL data provides the strongest evidence

00:04:25 --> 00:04:28 yet supporting this theory. The researchers

00:04:28 --> 00:04:31 devoted years to analyzing data from the twin

00:04:31 --> 00:04:34 GRAIL spacecraft Ebb and Flow, which

00:04:34 --> 00:04:36 orbited the Moon from December 2011 to

00:04:36 --> 00:04:39 to December 2012. Their work

00:04:39 --> 00:04:42 has resulted in what park describes as the most

00:04:42 --> 00:04:45 detailed and accurate gravitational map of the Moon

00:04:45 --> 00:04:48 to date. Beyond solving this lunar

00:04:48 --> 00:04:51 mystery, the enhanced gravity map has practical

00:04:51 --> 00:04:53 applications. It will be crucial for developing

00:04:53 --> 00:04:56 lunar positioning, navigation, and timing

00:04:56 --> 00:04:59 systems, essential tools for future lunar

00:04:59 --> 00:05:01 exploration missions. By improving our

00:05:01 --> 00:05:04 understanding of the Moon's gravity field, the research

00:05:04 --> 00:05:07 contributes to establishing a precise lunar reference

00:05:07 --> 00:05:10 frame that will enable safer and more reliable

00:05:10 --> 00:05:12 navigation for spacecraft and surface operations.

00:05:13 --> 00:05:16 This asymmetry in the Moon's interior structure also

00:05:16 --> 00:05:19 deepens our appreciation of our celestial companions

00:05:19 --> 00:05:22 importance to Earth. The Moon stabilizes our

00:05:22 --> 00:05:25 planet's rotation and generates ocean tides

00:05:25 --> 00:05:28 that influence countless natural systems and daily rhythms

00:05:28 --> 00:05:31 on our world. What's particularly exciting is that the

00:05:31 --> 00:05:34 gravitational analysis techniques used in this study

00:05:34 --> 00:05:37 could potentially be applied to other bodies in our solar

00:05:37 --> 00:05:40 system, such as Saturn's moon Enceladus

00:05:40 --> 00:05:43 and Jupiter's moon Ganymede, both considered

00:05:43 --> 00:05:45 prime candidates in the search for potential life beyond Earth.

00:05:47 --> 00:05:50 Next in today's story lineup An Australian aerospace firm

00:05:50 --> 00:05:52 has been forced to delay what would have been a historic rocket launch from

00:05:52 --> 00:05:55 Australian soil. Gilmour Space

00:05:55 --> 00:05:58 Technologies had planned to conduct the first test launch of their three

00:05:58 --> 00:06:01 stage ERIS rocket yesterday, but had to postpone after

00:06:01 --> 00:06:04 encountering a ground system glitch during pre launch operations.

00:06:05 --> 00:06:08 The company's communications chief, Michelle Gilmour, explained

00:06:08 --> 00:06:11 that the issue was with an external power system

00:06:11 --> 00:06:14 we used during system checks. The technical

00:06:14 --> 00:06:17 team identified the fix but ran out of time to

00:06:17 --> 00:06:20 implement it and fuel the rocket within the day's launch window.

00:06:20 --> 00:06:23 The they're now targeting today for the rescheduled

00:06:23 --> 00:06:26 launch attempt. The 23 meter 75

00:06:26 --> 00:06:28 foot ARIS rocket is poised to take

00:06:28 --> 00:06:31 off from a spaceport near Bowen, a

00:06:31 --> 00:06:33 coastal township approximately

00:06:33 --> 00:06:36 1000km north of Brisbane. If

00:06:36 --> 00:06:39 successful, it would mark a significant milestone as the

00:06:39 --> 00:06:42 first Australian made rocket to achieve an orbital

00:06:42 --> 00:06:44 launch from Australian soil. While the

00:06:44 --> 00:06:47 maiden flight is primarily a test, the rocket isn't

00:06:47 --> 00:06:50 traveling empty. In a quintessentially Australian

00:06:50 --> 00:06:52 touch, it will be carrying a jar of Vegemite, the

00:06:52 --> 00:06:55 iconic Australian toast spread, as its payload.

00:06:56 --> 00:06:58 CEO Adam Gilmour has been candid about

00:06:58 --> 00:07:01 managing expectations for this first flight. If

00:07:01 --> 00:07:04 it orbits Earth. I would probably have a heart attack

00:07:04 --> 00:07:07 actually because I'll be so surprised but deliriously

00:07:07 --> 00:07:10 happy, he told reporters. We're going to be happy if

00:07:10 --> 00:07:12 it gets off the pad. 10, 20,

00:07:13 --> 00:07:15 30 seconds of flight time. Fantastic. So

00:07:15 --> 00:07:18 orbit is just not in the realm of my belief right now,

00:07:18 --> 00:07:21 even though it's theoretically possible. The

00:07:21 --> 00:07:24 Aris rocket is designed to eventually carry small

00:07:24 --> 00:07:27 satellites weighing between 100 and 200

00:07:27 --> 00:07:30 kg into low Earth orbit. Weighing

00:07:30 --> 00:07:32 30 tons when fully fueled, it uses a

00:07:32 --> 00:07:35 hybrid propulsion system combining solid inert

00:07:35 --> 00:07:37 fuel with a liquid oxidizer.

00:07:38 --> 00:07:40 Gilmour Space Technologies has backing from private

00:07:40 --> 00:07:43 investors, including venture capital group Blackbird and

00:07:43 --> 00:07:46 pension fund Hesta. The company, which employs

00:07:46 --> 00:07:49 230 people, has ambitious plans to commence

00:07:49 --> 00:07:52 commercial launches by late 2026 or early

00:07:52 --> 00:07:55 2027. Here's wishing them all the best with

00:07:55 --> 00:07:56 the next attempt.

00:07:57 --> 00:08:00 Now here's a story that truly showcases the incredible

00:08:00 --> 00:08:02 ingenuity of NASA's engineering team

00:08:03 --> 00:08:06 in what can only be described as a remarkable feat

00:08:06 --> 00:08:09 of remote problem solving, engineers at

00:08:09 --> 00:08:12 NASA's Jet Propulsion Laboratory have successfully

00:08:12 --> 00:08:14 revived a set of thrusters aboard Voyager 1

00:08:15 --> 00:08:17 that had been considered completely inoperable since

00:08:17 --> 00:08:20 2004. This achievement is

00:08:20 --> 00:08:23 particularly impressive when you consider that Voyager 1

00:08:23 --> 00:08:26 is currently hurtling through interstellar space at

00:08:26 --> 00:08:29 approximately 35 miles per hour,

00:08:29 --> 00:08:32 over 15 billion miles from Earth.

00:08:33 --> 00:08:35 That's so far away that radio Signals take more

00:08:35 --> 00:08:38 than 23 hours to travel between the spacecraft and

00:08:38 --> 00:08:41 our planet. The thruster revival was

00:08:41 --> 00:08:44 critically timed. Engineers needed to fix these

00:08:44 --> 00:08:47 systems before May 4th, when the Deep Space

00:08:47 --> 00:08:49 Network's 230 foot wide antenna in

00:08:49 --> 00:08:52 Canberra, Australia, the only dish powerful

00:08:52 --> 00:08:55 enough to send commands to the distant Voyagers,

00:08:55 --> 00:08:58 went offline for extensive upgrades that will last

00:08:58 --> 00:09:00 until February 2026. With only

00:09:00 --> 00:09:03 brief operational windows in August and December,

00:09:03 --> 00:09:06 why was this fix so urgent? The

00:09:06 --> 00:09:09 Voyager spacecraft rely on small thrusters to

00:09:09 --> 00:09:12 maintain their orientation, keeping their antennas

00:09:12 --> 00:09:14 pointed at Earth so they can continue sending back

00:09:14 --> 00:09:17 data and receiving commands. The

00:09:17 --> 00:09:20 primary set of thrusters currently in use on

00:09:20 --> 00:09:22 Voyager 1 have been experiencing fuel tube

00:09:22 --> 00:09:25 clogging due to residue buildup, which could cause them

00:09:25 --> 00:09:28 to fail completely as early as this northern fall.

00:09:29 --> 00:09:32 The situation was complicated by the fact that the backup

00:09:32 --> 00:09:34 thrusters had stopped working back in 2004,

00:09:35 --> 00:09:37 when two small internal heaters lost power.

00:09:38 --> 00:09:40 At that time, engineers determined the heaters were

00:09:40 --> 00:09:43 likely unfixable and switched to other backup

00:09:43 --> 00:09:46 systems. After all, who could have predicted

00:09:46 --> 00:09:49 Voyager would still be operational two decades later?

00:09:49 --> 00:09:52 After revisiting the 2004 thruster failure,

00:09:52 --> 00:09:55 the team suspected that an unexpected circuit

00:09:55 --> 00:09:58 disturbance had essentially flipped a switch to the wrong position.

00:09:59 --> 00:10:02 If they could turn the switch back, the heaters might

00:10:02 --> 00:10:05 work again. This M solution required precision

00:10:05 --> 00:10:07 timing and careful planning. If the

00:10:07 --> 00:10:10 spacecraft's star tracker drifted too far from its guide

00:10:10 --> 00:10:13 star during the fix, the dormant thrusters would

00:10:13 --> 00:10:16 automatically fire without their heaters, potentially

00:10:16 --> 00:10:19 causing a small explosion. On March

00:10:19 --> 00:10:22 20th, after sending their commands and waiting

00:10:22 --> 00:10:24 anxiously through the 23 hour signal delay,

00:10:25 --> 00:10:28 the team witnessed the temperature of the thruster heaters rise

00:10:28 --> 00:10:30 dramatically, confirming their success.

00:10:30 --> 00:10:33 As mission propulsion lead Todd Barber described it,

00:10:33 --> 00:10:36 it was such a glorious moment. Team morale was very

00:10:36 --> 00:10:39 high that day. These thrusters were considered dead. It

00:10:39 --> 00:10:42 was yet another miracle, save for Voyager.

00:10:42 --> 00:10:45 Launched in 1977, both Voyager 1 and

00:10:45 --> 00:10:48 its twin Voyager 2 continue to push the boundaries of

00:10:48 --> 00:10:51 space exploration. As the only spacecraft to have ever

00:10:51 --> 00:10:54 sent back data from interstellar space, the region

00:10:54 --> 00:10:56 beyond our solar system's protective bubble,

00:10:57 --> 00:11:00 this latest engineering triumph ensures that this incredible

00:11:00 --> 00:11:02 scientific journey can continue even longer.

00:11:03 --> 00:11:06 Let's move on now to some news from one of our celestial

00:11:06 --> 00:11:09 neighbors. Our, understanding of Venus, Earth's so

00:11:09 --> 00:11:12 called twin planet, continues to evolve as

00:11:12 --> 00:11:15 scientists uncover evidence that it may be more geologically

00:11:15 --> 00:11:18 active than previously thought. New research

00:11:18 --> 00:11:20 based on Data gathered over 30 years ago by

00:11:20 --> 00:11:23 NASA's Magellan mission has revealed

00:11:23 --> 00:11:25 fascinating insights about vast

00:11:25 --> 00:11:28 quasicircular features on Venus called

00:11:28 --> 00:11:30 coronae, which suggest ongoing

00:11:30 --> 00:11:33 tectonic activity beneath the planet's surface.

00:11:34 --> 00:11:36 Unlike Earth, with its shifting tectonic plates,

00:11:36 --> 00:11:39 Venus doesn't have plate tectonics as we know it.

00:11:39 --> 00:11:42 However, this doesn't mean Venus is geologically dead. The

00:11:42 --> 00:11:45 new study, published in Science Advances indicates that its

00:11:45 --> 00:11:48 surface is still being deformed by molten

00:11:48 --> 00:11:51 material rising from below. Coronae are

00:11:51 --> 00:11:54 enormous structures ranging from dozens to

00:11:54 --> 00:11:57 hundreds of miles across, where plumes of hot

00:11:57 --> 00:11:59 buoyant material from Venus's mantle are thought to push

00:11:59 --> 00:12:02 against the lithosphere, the planet's crust and

00:12:02 --> 00:12:05 uppermost mantle layer. These features

00:12:05 --> 00:12:08 typically appear as oval structures surrounded by

00:12:08 --> 00:12:11 concentric fracture systems, and hundreds of them

00:12:11 --> 00:12:12 have been identified across Venus.

00:12:13 --> 00:12:16 What makes this research particularly exciting is

00:12:16 --> 00:12:19 that it suggests multiple ongoing processes are

00:12:19 --> 00:12:22 are actively shaping these coronae. By combining

00:12:22 --> 00:12:25 gravity and topography data from Magellan and

00:12:25 --> 00:12:27 developing sophisticated three dimensional

00:12:27 --> 00:12:30 geodynamic models, researchers were able to

00:12:30 --> 00:12:33 identify 52 carony out of the 75

00:12:33 --> 00:12:35 studied that appear to have buoyant mantle material

00:12:35 --> 00:12:38 beneath them, likely driving tectonic

00:12:38 --> 00:12:41 processes. The team identified several

00:12:41 --> 00:12:43 different mechanisms potentially at work

00:12:44 --> 00:12:46 in some carony. A, venous specific type of

00:12:46 --> 00:12:49 subduction may be occurring. As hot

00:12:49 --> 00:12:52 rock pushes upward from the mantle surface,

00:12:52 --> 00:12:55 material rises and spreads outward, eventually

00:12:55 --> 00:12:57 colliding with surrounding material and pushing it

00:12:57 --> 00:13:00 downward into the mantle. Another process called

00:13:00 --> 00:13:03 lithospheric dripping, might also be present where

00:13:03 --> 00:13:06 dense accumulations of cooler material sink from the

00:13:06 --> 00:13:08 lithosphere into the hot mantle below.

00:13:09 --> 00:13:12 Lead researcher Gail Cascioli, who is part of NASA's

00:13:12 --> 00:13:15 forthcoming Veritas mission to Venus, noted that

00:13:15 --> 00:13:18 these features might provide a unique window into Earth's

00:13:18 --> 00:13:21 past. Coronae are not found on Earth

00:13:21 --> 00:13:24 today. However, they may have existed when our planet was

00:13:24 --> 00:13:26 young and before plate tectonics had been established,

00:13:26 --> 00:13:29 he explained. This work is especially

00:13:29 --> 00:13:32 significant as it represents yet another instance where

00:13:32 --> 00:13:35 scientists are finding Venus exhibits more Earth like

00:13:35 --> 00:13:38 geologic processes than originally thought.

00:13:38 --> 00:13:41 Just recently, researchers were able to identify erupting

00:13:41 --> 00:13:44 volcanoes and vast lava flows in radar images from

00:13:44 --> 00:13:47 Magellan, providing direct evidence of volcanic

00:13:47 --> 00:13:49 activity. While these discoveries are

00:13:49 --> 00:13:52 groundbreaking, scientists will need even higher

00:13:52 --> 00:13:55 resolution data to fully understand the tectonic

00:13:55 --> 00:13:57 processes driving corona formation.

00:13:58 --> 00:14:00 That's where NASA's upcoming Veritas mission comes in.

00:14:01 --> 00:14:04 Scheduled to launch no earlier than 2031,

00:14:04 --> 00:14:07 Veridus will create detailed three dimensional global

00:14:07 --> 00:14:09 maps of Venus and measure its gravitational

00:14:09 --> 00:14:12 field to determine the structure of the planet's

00:14:12 --> 00:14:15 interior at unprecedented resolution,

00:14:15 --> 00:14:18 potentially revolutionizing our understanding of

00:14:18 --> 00:14:20 Venus and what it might tell us about Earth's early

00:14:20 --> 00:14:21 history.

00:14:23 --> 00:14:26 Next, let's head off to our other near neighbor and One of our

00:14:26 --> 00:14:28 favorite planets. In a groundbreaking

00:14:28 --> 00:14:31 astronomical first, NASA's Perseverance

00:14:31 --> 00:14:33 rover has captured an image of a visible aurora on

00:14:33 --> 00:14:36 Mars. On March 18,

00:14:36 --> 00:14:39 2024, the rover observed what scientists

00:14:39 --> 00:14:42 describe as a subtle green glow hanging

00:14:42 --> 00:14:45 low in the Martian sky, Wreathing the horizon

00:14:45 --> 00:14:47 in every direction. This marks not only

00:14:47 --> 00:14:50 the first sighting of a visible Martian aurora, but

00:14:50 --> 00:14:53 also the first observation of any aurora from the

00:14:53 --> 00:14:56 surface of a planet other than Earth. Until now,

00:14:56 --> 00:14:59 auroras had been spotted on Mercury, Jupiter, and every other

00:14:59 --> 00:15:02 non Earth planet in our solar system, but only from

00:15:02 --> 00:15:05 orbit. On Mars specifically, scientists had only

00:15:05 --> 00:15:08 detected auroral wavelengths of light that are invisible to

00:15:08 --> 00:15:11 the naked eye. Using specialized instruments.

00:15:11 --> 00:15:14 This new observation answers a long standing question.

00:15:14 --> 00:15:17 About what future human explorers might witness in the

00:15:17 --> 00:15:20 Martian night sky. According to Roger

00:15:20 --> 00:15:22 Wiens, a planetary scientist at Purdue University,

00:15:23 --> 00:15:26 future astronauts would see a dull or dim green

00:15:26 --> 00:15:29 glow with their own eyes. The image from

00:15:29 --> 00:15:32 Perseverance appears somewhat fuzzy Compared to the spectacular

00:15:32 --> 00:15:35 aurora displays we're accustomed to seeing from Earth. And for

00:15:35 --> 00:15:37 good reason. The rover's cameras aren't optimized

00:15:37 --> 00:15:40 for night photography, Performing with sensitivity

00:15:40 --> 00:15:43 roughly comparable to human eyes. Another

00:15:43 --> 00:15:46 factor contributing to the aurora's different appearance Is

00:15:46 --> 00:15:48 Mars's unique magnetic environment.

00:15:49 --> 00:15:52 Unlike Earth, with its global magnetic field that concentrates

00:15:52 --> 00:15:54 auroras near the poles. Mars Mars has a patchy

00:15:54 --> 00:15:57 magnetized crust. This means auroras can appear

00:15:57 --> 00:16:00 all over the planet Rather than being confined to polar

00:16:00 --> 00:16:02 regions. But they tend to be comparatively dim.

00:16:03 --> 00:16:06 Scientists believe this particular aurora was triggered by a

00:16:06 --> 00:16:09 coronal mass ejection, A large cloud of

00:16:09 --> 00:16:12 plasma and magnetic fields blasted from the sun into

00:16:12 --> 00:16:15 space. The Perseverance team was alerted to

00:16:15 --> 00:16:17 this solar event days in advance, allowing them to

00:16:17 --> 00:16:20 prepare the rover to capture this historic image.

00:16:21 --> 00:16:23 Interestingly, while Perseverance is located near

00:16:23 --> 00:16:26 Mars's equator, Researchers suggest that

00:16:26 --> 00:16:29 observing auroras from Mars's southern hemisphere Might

00:16:29 --> 00:16:32 yield even more spectacular results. That

00:16:32 --> 00:16:35 region contains the most magnetized part of the planet,

00:16:35 --> 00:16:38 Potentially producing stronger auroral displays.

00:16:39 --> 00:16:42 This discovery adds another fascinating chapter to

00:16:42 --> 00:16:45 our understanding of Mars. And provides a glimpse of

00:16:45 --> 00:16:47 the ethereal experiences awaiting future

00:16:47 --> 00:16:50 human explorers who might one day stand

00:16:50 --> 00:16:53 on the red planet's surface, Gazing

00:16:53 --> 00:16:56 up at a glowing green Martian sky.

00:16:57 --> 00:17:00 And that brings us to the end of today's cosmic journey

00:17:00 --> 00:17:03 through the latest space news. From the mysterious

00:17:03 --> 00:17:06 asymmetry of our Moon to engineering marvels on

00:17:06 --> 00:17:08 Voyager 1, tectonic activity on Venus,

00:17:08 --> 00:17:11 Delayed rocket launches in Australia, and the first

00:17:11 --> 00:17:14 ever image of a Martian aurora. The

00:17:14 --> 00:17:17 universe continues to surprise and inspire us with

00:17:17 --> 00:17:20 each new discovery. I'm Anna,

00:17:20 --> 00:17:22 your host here on Astronomy Daily, bringing you the

00:17:22 --> 00:17:25 stories that connect us to the vast cosmos beyond our

00:17:25 --> 00:17:28 atmosphere. Whether you're a seasoned

00:17:28 --> 00:17:31 astronomer or simply curious about what lies

00:17:31 --> 00:17:34 beyond our blue marble, I hope today's

00:17:34 --> 00:17:36 episode has sparked your imagination and deepened

00:17:36 --> 00:17:39 your appreciation for the wonders of space exploration.

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