### Episode Highlights
**Mercury's Hidden Activity**
New research reveals that Mercury, long considered geologically dead, is still actively losing volatile materials from its interior. Using AI analysis of 100,000 MESSENGER images, scientists have mapped 400 bright slope streaks that indicate ongoing geological processes. The BepiColombo mission will provide unprecedented new data when it arrives at Mercury.
**TESS Satellite Recovery**
NASA's planet-hunting TESS satellite recently entered safe mode after a command error caused solar panel misalignment. The spacecraft successfully recovered, demonstrating the importance of built-in safeguards. NASA is reviewing procedures to prevent future incidents.
**Ice-Cold Earth Twin**
Astronomers have discovered HD 137010 b, an Earth-like exoplanet 146 light-years away that could be as cold as minus 90°F. Despite frigid temperatures, it orbits within its star's habitable zone, offering insights into the diversity of potentially habitable worlds.
**Crew-12 Launch Advanced**
SpaceX and NASA have moved up the Crew-12 launch to February 11, four days earlier than planned, to provide relief for the three-person skeleton crew managing the ISS after the first-ever medical evacuation from the station.
**Runaway Black Holes Confirmed**
The James Webb Space Telescope has confirmed the first runaway supermassive black hole, ejected from its galaxy and leaving a 200,000 light-year trail of newborn stars. Traveling at 1,600 km/s, this discovery validates 50-year-old theoretical predictions.
**Moon Impact Opportunity**
Asteroid 2024 YR4 has a 4% chance of striking the Moon on December 22, 2032. While posing risks to satellites and Earth, such an impact would provide unprecedented scientific data on lunar geology, create spectacular meteor displays, and deliver free lunar samples to Earth.
### Featured Stories
1. **Mercury Still Geologically Active** - University of Bern researchers discover 400 bright streaks indicating ongoing volatile loss (Source: Space Daily)
2. **TESS Satellite Command Error** - NASA's exoplanet hunter recovers from safe mode after solar panel misalignment (Source: Daily Galaxy)
3. **Frigid Earth-Like Planet Discovery** - HD 137010 b joins the search for Earth's twin despite extreme cold (Source: Daily Galaxy)
4. **ISS Crew-12 Launch Moved Up** - February 11 launch provides relief after historic medical evacuation (Source: Space.com)
5. **First Confirmed Runaway Black Hole** - JWST observations validate theoretical predictions with stunning stellar trail (Source: Phys.org/Science Sources)
6. **Asteroid 2024 YR4 Lunar Impact** - 4% chance creates scientific opportunity and satellite risk in 2032 (Source: Universe Today)
### Hosts
Anna and Avery
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This episode includes AI-generated content.
00:00:00 --> 00:00:03 Anna: Welcome to Astronomy Daily, your
00:00:03 --> 00:00:05 source for the latest space and astronomy
00:00:05 --> 00:00:07 news. I'm Anna.
00:00:07 --> 00:00:09 Avery: And I'm Avery. Thanks for joining us on this
00:00:09 --> 00:00:12 Thursday, February 29, 2026.
00:00:12 --> 00:00:15 We've got a fascinating lineup today covering
00:00:15 --> 00:00:17 everything from Mercury's surprising
00:00:17 --> 00:00:19 geological activity to a possible
00:00:19 --> 00:00:21 asteroid impact on the M Moon.
00:00:21 --> 00:00:24 Anna: That's right. We're going to explore bright
00:00:24 --> 00:00:27 streaks on Mercury that suggest our
00:00:27 --> 00:00:29 smallest planet is still geologically
00:00:29 --> 00:00:32 active. Cheque in on NASA's TESS
00:00:32 --> 00:00:35 satellite after a command error temporarily
00:00:35 --> 00:00:38 sidelined it and discuss the discovery of an
00:00:38 --> 00:00:41 intriguing Earth like exoplanet that's
00:00:41 --> 00:00:42 much colder than you might expect.
00:00:43 --> 00:00:45 Avery: Plus, we'll bring you updates on NASA and
00:00:45 --> 00:00:48 SpaceX. Moving up the Crew 12 launch to help
00:00:48 --> 00:00:49 out the Skeleton crew currently on the
00:00:49 --> 00:00:52 International Space Station. Then we'll dive
00:00:52 --> 00:00:54 into the wild world of runaway black holes
00:00:54 --> 00:00:57 tearing through space and wrap up with what
00:00:57 --> 00:00:59 could be a once in a lifetime scientific
00:00:59 --> 00:01:02 opportunity if an asteroid hits the moon in
00:01:02 --> 00:01:03 2020 32.
00:01:03 --> 00:01:04 Anna: It's quite a ride.
00:01:04 --> 00:01:07 Today, let's get started with some surprising
00:01:07 --> 00:01:10 news from the innermost planet in our solar
00:01:10 --> 00:01:10 system.
00:01:11 --> 00:01:13 Avery: Mercury has long been viewed as a small,
00:01:13 --> 00:01:16 geologically dead world, but new research
00:01:16 --> 00:01:19 is challenging that assumption in a big way.
00:01:19 --> 00:01:21 A team led by researchers at the University
00:01:21 --> 00:01:24 of Bern has uncovered hundreds of bright
00:01:24 --> 00:01:27 linear streaks on crater slopes that point to
00:01:27 --> 00:01:30 ongoing volcanic activity and and volatile
00:01:30 --> 00:01:31 laws from Mercury's interior.
00:01:32 --> 00:01:34 Anna: This is really fascinating work, Avery.
00:01:34 --> 00:01:37 The team applied deep learning techniques to
00:01:37 --> 00:01:40 analyse about 100 high
00:01:40 --> 00:01:42 resolution images taken by NASA's
00:01:42 --> 00:01:45 messenger spacecraft during its orbital
00:01:45 --> 00:01:47 mission from 2011 to 2015.
00:01:48 --> 00:01:51 Using this automated approach, they mapped
00:01:51 --> 00:01:53 the global distribution of roughly
00:01:53 --> 00:01:56 400 bright streaks that had previously
00:01:56 --> 00:01:58 escaped comprehensive cataloguing.
00:01:58 --> 00:02:01 Avery: And what they found was pretty telling. These
00:02:01 --> 00:02:04 features, known as slope lineae, occur
00:02:04 --> 00:02:06 preferentially on sun facing slopes inside
00:02:06 --> 00:02:09 relatively young impact craters that cut
00:02:09 --> 00:02:11 through thick volcanic deposits. The
00:02:11 --> 00:02:13 concentration of streaks in these thermally
00:02:13 --> 00:02:16 stressed environments indicates that solar
00:02:16 --> 00:02:18 heating is an important trigger for volatile
00:02:18 --> 00:02:20 escape from near surface layers.
00:02:20 --> 00:02:23 Anna: Much of these streaks originate in small
00:02:23 --> 00:02:26 bright depressions called hollows that dot
00:02:26 --> 00:02:29 crater floors and walls. These hollows have
00:02:29 --> 00:02:32 long been interpreted as products of volatile
00:02:32 --> 00:02:35 loss, and their close association with the
00:02:35 --> 00:02:38 lineae supports the view that both structures
00:02:38 --> 00:02:41 form when volatile components like sulphur
00:02:41 --> 00:02:43 or other light elements escape from the
00:02:43 --> 00:02:44 subsurface.
00:02:44 --> 00:02:47 Avery: According to the research team, fracture
00:02:47 --> 00:02:49 networks created by the original impact
00:02:49 --> 00:02:51 events likely provide pathways that allow
00:02:51 --> 00:02:54 volatile rich material from deeper levels to
00:02:54 --> 00:02:56 reach the surface. Uh, as solar radiation
00:02:56 --> 00:02:59 warms these exposed zones, volatiles can
00:02:59 --> 00:03:02 escape into space, driving the development or
00:03:02 --> 00:03:05 modification of the Bright streaks downslope.
00:03:05 --> 00:03:08 Anna: What's particularly exciting is the
00:03:08 --> 00:03:10 timing. This research arrives just as the
00:03:10 --> 00:03:13 joint ESA and JAXA uh, Becky Colombo
00:03:13 --> 00:03:16 mission is en route to Mercury. The mission
00:03:16 --> 00:03:19 carries an advanced payload that includes
00:03:19 --> 00:03:21 several key contributions from the University
00:03:21 --> 00:03:22 of Bernard.
00:03:22 --> 00:03:25 Avery: Absolutely. The Becky Colombo Laser Altimeter
00:03:25 --> 00:03:28 or bela, was designed and built in part
00:03:28 --> 00:03:31 at the University of Bern. It will use laser
00:03:31 --> 00:03:33 pulses from an orbit roughly a thousand
00:03:33 --> 00:03:35 kilometres above the surface to measure
00:03:35 --> 00:03:38 elevations with about 10 centimetre
00:03:38 --> 00:03:40 precision, enabling a uh, detailed
00:03:40 --> 00:03:42 reconstruction of Mercury's topography.
00:03:42 --> 00:03:45 Anna: The Bern team also contributed the ion
00:03:45 --> 00:03:48 optical system for STROFEO, a NASA
00:03:48 --> 00:03:51 mass spectrometer on BepiColombo that will m
00:03:51 --> 00:03:53 measure the composition of Mercury's
00:03:53 --> 00:03:55 extremely thin atmosphere, connecting
00:03:55 --> 00:03:58 present day volatile escape at the surface to
00:03:58 --> 00:04:00 the surrounding exosphere.
00:04:00 --> 00:04:03 Avery: The research team plans to use the current
00:04:03 --> 00:04:05 inventory of slope streaks as a baseline for
00:04:05 --> 00:04:08 future comparisons once BepiColombo begins
00:04:08 --> 00:04:11 returning data by imaging key regions
00:04:11 --> 00:04:13 again, they aim to determine whether new
00:04:13 --> 00:04:16 streaks have formed or existing ones have
00:04:16 --> 00:04:18 changed since the MESSENGER era. Any such
00:04:18 --> 00:04:21 changes would provide strong evidence that
00:04:21 --> 00:04:23 volatile driven processes are still
00:04:23 --> 00:04:26 reshaping Mercury's surface on human time
00:04:26 --> 00:04:27 timescales.
00:04:27 --> 00:04:30 Anna: It's a great reminder that even our smallest
00:04:30 --> 00:04:32 closest planetary neighbour still has secrets
00:04:32 --> 00:04:35 to reveal. Mercury is far more dynamic than
00:04:35 --> 00:04:36 we thought.
00:04:36 --> 00:04:38 Avery: Shifting from Mercury to uh, our planet
00:04:38 --> 00:04:41 hunting efforts, NASA's Transiting Exoplanet
00:04:41 --> 00:04:44 Survey Satellite, or TESS, recently had a bit
00:04:44 --> 00:04:46 of a scare when a command error temporarily
00:04:46 --> 00:04:47 knocked it offline.
00:04:48 --> 00:04:50 Anna: Right. The spacecraft was forced into safe
00:04:50 --> 00:04:53 mode after an unexpected command error caused
00:04:53 --> 00:04:55 its solar panels to misalign with the sun.
00:04:56 --> 00:04:58 This misalignment had serious consequences
00:04:58 --> 00:05:00 because the panels were unable to charge
00:05:00 --> 00:05:03 tess's batteries, leading to a low power
00:05:03 --> 00:05:04 condition that triggered the automatic
00:05:04 --> 00:05:06 transition to safe mode.
00:05:06 --> 00:05:09 Avery: In safe mode, all non essential systems are
00:05:09 --> 00:05:11 turned off to conserve power and the
00:05:11 --> 00:05:13 spacecraft awaits further instructions from
00:05:13 --> 00:05:16 ground controllers. NASA engineers quickly
00:05:16 --> 00:05:18 worked to resolve the issue and fortunately
00:05:18 --> 00:05:20 tess's safe mode performed as intended,
00:05:21 --> 00:05:22 protecting the spacecraft from permanent
00:05:22 --> 00:05:23 damage.
00:05:24 --> 00:05:26 Anna: This incident is actually reminiscent of past
00:05:26 --> 00:05:29 missin failures. Remember Viking 1 back
00:05:29 --> 00:05:32 in 1982? A uh, faulty command caused the
00:05:32 --> 00:05:35 loss of communication and there was that
00:05:35 --> 00:05:37 catastrophic series of events that nearly
00:05:37 --> 00:05:39 destroyed the Soho probe in 1998.
00:05:40 --> 00:05:43 But unlike those cases, TESS was fortunate
00:05:43 --> 00:05:44 to have safeguards in place.
00:05:44 --> 00:05:47 Avery: Exactly. The spacecraft's automatic safe
00:05:47 --> 00:05:49 mode kicked in when the power situation
00:05:49 --> 00:05:52 became critical. The safe mode is designed to
00:05:52 --> 00:05:54 preserve the spacecraft's core functions such
00:05:54 --> 00:05:57 as attitude control and ensure it can be
00:05:57 --> 00:05:59 reactivated once engineers identify and
00:05:59 --> 00:06:00 address the issue.
00:06:00 --> 00:06:03 Anna: According to NASA, the mission team is now
00:06:03 --> 00:06:05 reviewing and updating procedures to prevent
00:06:05 --> 00:06:07 this command error from happening in the
00:06:07 --> 00:06:09 future. It's a good reminder that even with
00:06:09 --> 00:06:12 advanced technology, human error remains a
00:06:12 --> 00:06:14 significant challenge in space operations.
00:06:15 --> 00:06:17 Avery: Absolutely. While tess's recovery was
00:06:17 --> 00:06:20 successful and demonstrates how far space
00:06:20 --> 00:06:22 mission technology has come, this incident
00:06:22 --> 00:06:25 emphasises the need for continued vigilance
00:06:25 --> 00:06:28 in mission planning. The risk of human error
00:06:28 --> 00:06:30 is always there, and the consequences can be
00:06:30 --> 00:06:33 costly in terms of both time and resources.
00:06:33 --> 00:06:36 Anna: The good news is that TESS is back online and
00:06:36 --> 00:06:38 continuing its important work of hunting for
00:06:38 --> 00:06:41 exoplanets. Which brings us nicely to our
00:06:41 --> 00:06:43 next storey about a newly discovered Earth
00:06:43 --> 00:06:44 like world.
00:06:45 --> 00:06:47 Avery: Speaking of exoplanets, astronomers have just
00:06:47 --> 00:06:49 discovered what might be one of the closest
00:06:49 --> 00:06:52 things we have to Earth's twin. Though it's
00:06:52 --> 00:06:54 considerably colder than our home.
00:06:54 --> 00:06:56 Anna: Planet, the Exoplanet is called
00:06:56 --> 00:06:59 HD13710B
00:06:59 --> 00:07:02 and it's located 146 light years
00:07:02 --> 00:07:05 away. It's slightly larger than Earth and
00:07:05 --> 00:07:07 orbits a star that resembles our Sun.
00:07:07 --> 00:07:10 However, despite its similarities to Earth in
00:07:10 --> 00:07:13 terms of size and orbital period, its surface
00:07:13 --> 00:07:15 could be far colder than even Mars,
00:07:15 --> 00:07:18 potentially reaching a frigid minus 90
00:07:18 --> 00:07:21 degrees Fahrenheit or minus 68 degrees
00:07:21 --> 00:07:21 Celsius.
00:07:21 --> 00:07:23 Avery: This discovery was published in the
00:07:23 --> 00:07:26 Astrophysical Journal Letters and was made by
00:07:26 --> 00:07:29 an international team led by Alexander
00:07:29 --> 00:07:32 Venner. The search for Earth, like
00:07:32 --> 00:07:35 exoplanets, has been a central focus of
00:07:35 --> 00:07:38 astronomical research for over three decades
00:07:38 --> 00:07:38 now.
00:07:38 --> 00:07:41 Anna: Dr. Huang, a key member of the research team,
00:07:41 --> 00:07:43 explained it well when he said, since the
00:07:43 --> 00:07:45 discovery of the first exoplanet 30 years
00:07:45 --> 00:07:48 ago, we've always tried to find Earth's
00:07:48 --> 00:07:51 Trinity. HD13007 010
00:07:51 --> 00:07:53 b could bring us closer to that goal.
00:07:53 --> 00:07:56 Although it's not an exact match, the.
00:07:56 --> 00:07:58 Avery: Planet is positioned in what astronomers call
00:07:58 --> 00:08:01 the habitable zone of its star, which is the
00:08:01 --> 00:08:03 area where water could potentially exist in
00:08:03 --> 00:08:06 liquid form, which is crucial for life as we
00:08:06 --> 00:08:08 know it. However, there's a major obstacle
00:08:09 --> 00:08:10 right the.
00:08:10 --> 00:08:11 Anna: Star HD
00:08:11 --> 00:08:14 137010B
00:08:14 --> 00:08:16 orbits is cooler and dimmer than our sun,
00:08:17 --> 00:08:20 meaning the planet receives only a fraction
00:08:20 --> 00:08:22 of the energy Earth does. This could result
00:08:22 --> 00:08:24 in surface temperatures as low as
00:08:24 --> 00:08:27 -90 degrees Fahrenheit, making it one
00:08:27 --> 00:08:30 of the coldest exoplanets discovered in
00:08:30 --> 00:08:30 recent years.
00:08:31 --> 00:08:34 Avery: But scientists remain hopeful. Dr.
00:08:34 --> 00:08:36 Venner pointed out that while the planet's
00:08:36 --> 00:08:38 surface might be frozen, it could still fall
00:08:38 --> 00:08:41 within the broader optimistic habitable zone
00:08:41 --> 00:08:43 of its star. With the right atmospheric
00:08:43 --> 00:08:44 conditions,
00:08:44 --> 00:08:47 HD137010B
00:08:47 --> 00:08:49 might not be as inhospitable as its
00:08:49 --> 00:08:50 temperature suggests.
00:08:51 --> 00:08:53 Anna: One of the challenges of studying this planet
00:08:53 --> 00:08:56 is its orbital distance from its star, which
00:08:56 --> 00:08:58 is similar to Earth's but much farther than
00:08:58 --> 00:09:01 the typical exoplanets that are easier to
00:09:01 --> 00:09:04 observe. Transits when the planet crosses
00:09:04 --> 00:09:06 in front of its star happen less frequently,
00:09:07 --> 00:09:09 making it harder to confirm the planet's
00:09:09 --> 00:09:09 existence.
00:09:10 --> 00:09:13 Avery: The discovery was made from a single Transit
00:09:13 --> 00:09:15 captured by NASA's Kepler Space Telescope.
00:09:16 --> 00:09:17 Further confirmation of the planet's
00:09:17 --> 00:09:20 existence and detailed analysis of its mass
00:09:20 --> 00:09:23 and atmosphere will require more data, which
00:09:23 --> 00:09:25 might not be possible until the next
00:09:25 --> 00:09:27 generation of telescopes become operational.
00:09:27 --> 00:09:30 Anna: It's an exciting discovery that adds to our
00:09:30 --> 00:09:32 understanding of the types of environments
00:09:32 --> 00:09:35 where life could potentially exist beyond our
00:09:35 --> 00:09:37 solar system. Even if
00:09:37 --> 00:09:40 HD137010B
00:09:40 --> 00:09:43 is too cold for life as we know it, it
00:09:43 --> 00:09:46 teaches us valuable lessons about planetary
00:09:46 --> 00:09:46 habitability.
00:09:47 --> 00:09:49 Avery: Now let's turn our attention back to Earth
00:09:49 --> 00:09:52 orbit and the International Space Station.
00:09:52 --> 00:09:55 NASA has announced an earlier than expected
00:09:55 --> 00:09:57 target date to launch the next astronauts to
00:09:57 --> 00:09:58 the ISS.
00:09:59 --> 00:10:01 Anna: That's right, the agency is now targeting
00:10:01 --> 00:10:04 February 11 for liftoff of SpaceX
00:10:04 --> 00:10:07 Crew 12 mission, which will fly four
00:10:07 --> 00:10:09 astronauts to join the skeleton crew
00:10:09 --> 00:10:11 presently operating the orbital.
00:10:12 --> 00:10:15 That's four days earlier than originally
00:10:15 --> 00:10:15 planned.
00:10:15 --> 00:10:18 Avery: Just to give everyone context, currently only
00:10:18 --> 00:10:20 three crew members are covering the
00:10:20 --> 00:10:22 maintenance and science investigations aboard
00:10:22 --> 00:10:25 the ISS. They were left behind on January
00:10:25 --> 00:10:28 14th by the early departure of Crew 11
00:10:28 --> 00:10:30 on the station's first ever medical
00:10:30 --> 00:10:31 evacuation.
00:10:32 --> 00:10:35 Anna: The M Crew 12 astronauts were already in line
00:10:35 --> 00:10:38 to take the Crew 11's quartet's place, but
00:10:38 --> 00:10:40 they had originally been scheduled to overlap
00:10:40 --> 00:10:42 with them before their return to Earth.
00:10:42 --> 00:10:45 SpaceX and NASA had originally targeted
00:10:45 --> 00:10:48 February 15 for Crew 12's launch, but
00:10:48 --> 00:10:50 managed to get the mission's crew Dragon
00:10:50 --> 00:10:53 spacecraft and Falcon 9 rocket ready ahead
00:10:53 --> 00:10:54 of schedule.
00:10:54 --> 00:10:57 Avery: The Crew 12 team includes NASA
00:10:57 --> 00:10:59 astronauts Jessica Meir, who's the mission
00:10:59 --> 00:11:02 commander, and Jack Hathaway as pilot.
00:11:02 --> 00:11:05 The mission specialists are Sophie Adenot of
00:11:05 --> 00:11:07 the European Space Agency and
00:11:07 --> 00:11:10 Roscosmos cosmonaut Andrei
00:11:10 --> 00:11:11 Fedyayev.
00:11:11 --> 00:11:14 Anna: Interestingly, Fedyav was a relatively late
00:11:14 --> 00:11:17 replacement for cosmonaut Oleg Artemiev, who
00:11:17 --> 00:11:20 was pulled off Crew 12 in early December,
00:11:20 --> 00:11:23 possibly for violating US national security
00:11:23 --> 00:11:24 regulations.
00:11:24 --> 00:11:27 Avery: This quartet will fly the crew Dragon capsule
00:11:27 --> 00:11:30 named Grace to the ISS for a longer than
00:11:30 --> 00:11:32 normal assignment lasting nine months instead
00:11:32 --> 00:11:35 of the typical six months. It'll be the
00:11:35 --> 00:11:37 second spaceflight for both Mayur and Fedyav,
00:11:37 --> 00:11:40 while Hathaway and Adino uh are both
00:11:40 --> 00:11:42 spaceflight rookies headed to orbit for the
00:11:42 --> 00:11:43 first time.
00:11:43 --> 00:11:46 Anna: The launch window opens on February 11th at
00:11:46 --> 00:11:49 6:00am Eastern Time from Launch Complex 40
00:11:49 --> 00:11:52 at Cape Canaveral Space Force Station in
00:11:52 --> 00:11:54 Florida. If they don't manage to launch that
00:11:54 --> 00:11:56 day, there are backup opportunities. On
00:11:56 --> 00:11:59 February 12th and 13th, the Crew.
00:11:59 --> 00:12:02 Avery: 12 astronauts will join NASA, Chris Williams
00:12:02 --> 00:12:05 and cosmonauts Sergey Kud Sverskov and
00:12:05 --> 00:12:07 Sergei Mikayev as part of ISS
00:12:07 --> 00:12:10 Expedition 74, which will eventually
00:12:10 --> 00:12:13 transition to Expedition 75 before
00:12:13 --> 00:12:16 the end of Crew 12's rotation station. It's
00:12:16 --> 00:12:17 great to see the relief crew heading up
00:12:17 --> 00:12:19 sooner to help out the skeleton crew
00:12:19 --> 00:12:21 currently managing the station.
00:12:21 --> 00:12:24 Anna: Now for something truly mind bending.
00:12:24 --> 00:12:27 Astronomers have confirmed the first runaway
00:12:27 --> 00:12:30 supermassive black hole and it's leaving
00:12:30 --> 00:12:31 quite a trail behind it.
00:12:31 --> 00:12:34 Avery: This is wild stuff, Anna. Uh, the black
00:12:34 --> 00:12:37 hole was identified by a 200 light
00:12:37 --> 00:12:40 year tail and a supersonic bow shock in the
00:12:40 --> 00:12:43 Cosmic Owl galaxy, which is actually a
00:12:43 --> 00:12:45 pair of ring galaxies about 8.8 billion
00:12:46 --> 00:12:48 light years away. The rings appear as
00:12:48 --> 00:12:50 owlized as they get closer and closer to
00:12:50 --> 00:12:51 merging.
00:12:51 --> 00:12:54 Anna: The research led by Peter von Dockam, um,
00:12:54 --> 00:12:56 from Yale's Astronomy Department, was
00:12:56 --> 00:12:59 confirmed using observations from the James
00:12:59 --> 00:13:01 Webb Space Telescope. The central
00:13:01 --> 00:13:04 proposal is that this linear feature is the
00:13:04 --> 00:13:07 wake behind a runaway supermassive black
00:13:07 --> 00:13:10 hole. And this is strongly supported by their
00:13:10 --> 00:13:10 analysis.
00:13:10 --> 00:13:13 Avery: But how does something weighing potentially
00:13:13 --> 00:13:15 millions or even billions of times the mass
00:13:15 --> 00:13:18 of our sun get kicked out of a galaxy? The
00:13:18 --> 00:13:21 answer lies in galaxy mergers. When big
00:13:21 --> 00:13:23 galaxies collide and merge, they force the
00:13:23 --> 00:13:25 black holes at their respective centres into
00:13:25 --> 00:13:26 close proximity.
00:13:27 --> 00:13:29 Anna: Right. If two black holes become locked in a
00:13:29 --> 00:13:32 gravitational dance and then a third crashes
00:13:32 --> 00:13:35 in from another merging galaxy, the resulting
00:13:35 --> 00:13:38 instability can hurl one of the trio away at
00:13:38 --> 00:13:41 sufficient speed to exit the host galaxy
00:13:41 --> 00:13:43 entirely. This can happen through two main
00:13:43 --> 00:13:44 mechanisms.
00:13:44 --> 00:13:47 Avery: The first is gravitational wave recoil.
00:13:47 --> 00:13:49 When black holes merge, they emit uh,
00:13:49 --> 00:13:51 gravitational waves that can give the
00:13:51 --> 00:13:54 resulting black hole a velocity boost of up
00:13:54 --> 00:13:56 to several thousand kilometres per second,
00:13:56 --> 00:13:58 propelling it away from the galactic centre.
00:13:59 --> 00:14:01 Anna: The second mechanism is the classical
00:14:01 --> 00:14:04 slingshot scenario. In this case, a long
00:14:04 --> 00:14:06 lived binary black hole forms through a
00:14:06 --> 00:14:09 merger of two galaxies when a third
00:14:09 --> 00:14:11 supermassive black hole is introduced. In a
00:14:11 --> 00:14:14 second merger, the three body interaction can
00:14:14 --> 00:14:16 eject one of the black holes, usually the
00:14:16 --> 00:14:17 lightest one.
00:14:17 --> 00:14:19 Avery: What's particularly striking about this
00:14:19 --> 00:14:22 confirmed runaway black hole is the trail it
00:14:22 --> 00:14:25 leaves behind. As the black hole ploughs
00:14:25 --> 00:14:27 through intergalactic space, it compresses
00:14:27 --> 00:14:29 tenuous gas in front of it, which
00:14:29 --> 00:14:32 precipitates the birth of hot blue stars.
00:14:32 --> 00:14:35 This creates a 200 light year long
00:14:35 --> 00:14:36 contrail of young stars.
00:14:37 --> 00:14:39 Anna: The black hole also generates a bow shock at
00:14:39 --> 00:14:41 the head of this week, something the
00:14:41 --> 00:14:44 researchers predicted based on shock models
00:14:44 --> 00:14:46 from the ages of the stars in the trail. They
00:14:46 --> 00:14:49 deduce that the black hole escaped about 40
00:14:49 --> 00:14:51 million years ago and is barreling through
00:14:51 --> 00:14:54 space at roughly 1600 kilometres per
00:14:54 --> 00:14:54 second.
00:14:55 --> 00:14:57 Avery: To put that in perspective, that's fast
00:14:57 --> 00:14:59 enough to travel from Earth to the moon in
00:14:59 --> 00:15:02 about 14 minutes. It's an incredible
00:15:02 --> 00:15:04 speed for something so massive.
00:15:04 --> 00:15:06 Anna: Recent papers have shown images of
00:15:06 --> 00:15:09 surprisingly straight streaks of stars within
00:15:09 --> 00:15:12 galaxies that seem to be convincing evidence
00:15:12 --> 00:15:15 for runaway black holes. One paper describes
00:15:15 --> 00:15:17 a very distant galaxy imaged by James Webb
00:15:17 --> 00:15:20 with a bright contrail, suggesting a black
00:15:20 --> 00:15:23 hole with a mass 10 million times the mass
00:15:23 --> 00:15:23 of the sun.
00:15:23 --> 00:15:26 Avery: It's a reminder that the universe is even
00:15:26 --> 00:15:28 more dynamic and violent than we often
00:15:28 --> 00:15:31 imagine. These behemoths aren't just sitting
00:15:31 --> 00:15:33 quietly at the centres of galaxies. Some of
00:15:33 --> 00:15:35 them are literally tearing through space,
00:15:35 --> 00:15:37 creating new stars in their wake.
00:15:37 --> 00:15:40 Anna: And finally, let's talk about an upcoming
00:15:40 --> 00:15:42 event that has both exciting scientific
00:15:42 --> 00:15:45 potential and some concerning risks.
00:15:45 --> 00:15:48 On 12-22-2032,
00:15:48 --> 00:15:51 asteroid 2024 yr 4
00:15:51 --> 00:15:54 has a 4% chance of actually striking
00:15:54 --> 00:15:55 the Moon.
00:15:55 --> 00:15:58 Avery: A 4% chance might not sound like much, but
00:15:58 --> 00:16:01 it's definitely non negligible. If this
00:16:01 --> 00:16:03 collision does happen, it will release enough
00:16:03 --> 00:16:06 energy to be the equivalent of smacking our
00:16:06 --> 00:16:08 nearest neighbour with a medium sized
00:16:08 --> 00:16:11 thermonuclear weapon. It would be six
00:16:11 --> 00:16:13 orders of magnitude more powerful than the
00:16:13 --> 00:16:15 last major impact on the moon, which happened
00:16:15 --> 00:16:16 back in 2013.
00:16:17 --> 00:16:20 Anna: A uh, new paper from Yifan he of Tsinghua
00:16:20 --> 00:16:22 University looks at the potential scientific
00:16:22 --> 00:16:25 opportunities if this collision occurs. And
00:16:25 --> 00:16:27 while they can simulate models of how the
00:16:27 --> 00:16:30 impact will go, monitoring it as it happens
00:16:30 --> 00:16:32 will provide never before collected actual
00:16:32 --> 00:16:35 data that's infeasible to get any other way.
00:16:35 --> 00:16:38 Avery: The impact would vaporise rock and plasma and
00:16:38 --> 00:16:40 would be clearly visible from the Pacific
00:16:40 --> 00:16:42 region where it will be nighttime during the
00:16:42 --> 00:16:45 impact. Even days after the impact, the
00:16:45 --> 00:16:48 melt pool of the impacted material will still
00:16:48 --> 00:16:50 be cooling, allowing infrared observers like
00:16:50 --> 00:16:53 the James Webb Space Telescope to capture
00:16:53 --> 00:16:53 plenty of data.
00:16:54 --> 00:16:57 Anna: The impact should form a crater roughly one
00:16:57 --> 00:16:59 kilometre wide and 150 to
00:16:59 --> 00:17:02 260 metres deep, with a 100
00:17:02 --> 00:17:05 metre pool of molten rock at the centre.
00:17:05 --> 00:17:07 Comparing it in size to other craters
00:17:07 --> 00:17:09 scattered around the moon will help us
00:17:09 --> 00:17:11 understand its bombardment history.
00:17:12 --> 00:17:14 Avery: The impact will also set off a global
00:17:14 --> 00:17:17 moonquake of magnitude 5.0 that
00:17:17 --> 00:17:19 would be the strongest moonquake yet detected
00:17:19 --> 00:17:22 by any seismometer on the Moon. Watching the
00:17:22 --> 00:17:24 propagation of the moonquake will shine a
00:17:24 --> 00:17:26 light on the Moon's interior and help
00:17:26 --> 00:17:28 researchers understand its composition.
00:17:28 --> 00:17:31 Anna: And here's where it gets really spectacular.
00:17:31 --> 00:17:33 A final piece of the scientific puzzle will
00:17:33 --> 00:17:36 be the debris field created by the blast. Up
00:17:36 --> 00:17:39 to 400 kilogrammes of lunar material
00:17:39 --> 00:17:42 is expected to survive re entry to Earth,
00:17:42 --> 00:17:45 creating essentially a free large scale
00:17:45 --> 00:17:46 lunar sample return mission.
00:17:46 --> 00:17:49 Avery: At its peak right around Christmas of 2032,
00:17:50 --> 00:17:52 simulations expect up to 20 million meteors
00:17:52 --> 00:17:55 per hour to hit our atmosphere, at least on
00:17:55 --> 00:17:57 the leading edge of the planet. Most of them
00:17:57 --> 00:17:59 would have naked eye visibility, including
00:17:59 --> 00:18:02 some 100 to 400 fireballs per hour.
00:18:03 --> 00:18:05 Anna: But there is a downside to all of this that
00:18:05 --> 00:18:08 400 kilogrammes of meteors has to land
00:18:08 --> 00:18:10 somewhere, and it looks like the crosshairs
00:18:10 --> 00:18:13 fall squarely on South America, North Africa
00:18:13 --> 00:18:16 and the Arabian Peninsula. A few kilogrammes
00:18:16 --> 00:18:18 of space rock falling on Dubai could
00:18:18 --> 00:18:20 certainly cause some damage.
00:18:20 --> 00:18:22 Avery: Perhaps more dangerous is the risk of
00:18:22 --> 00:18:24 satellite mega constellations that play such
00:18:24 --> 00:18:26 an important role in our modern day
00:18:26 --> 00:18:29 navigation and Internet systems. Such an
00:18:29 --> 00:18:31 event could trigger Kessler Syndrome and
00:18:31 --> 00:18:34 bring the entire network down over the span
00:18:34 --> 00:18:36 of a few short years, while also locking us
00:18:36 --> 00:18:38 out from being able to get anything else
00:18:38 --> 00:18:40 safely into orbit for much longer.
00:18:41 --> 00:18:43 Anna: Due to the risks, some space agencies are
00:18:43 --> 00:18:46 already considering a deflection mission that
00:18:46 --> 00:18:49 would bump asteroid 2024 yr 4
00:18:49 --> 00:18:51 out of the way of a potential lunar
00:18:51 --> 00:18:53 collision. But that hasn't been set in stone
00:18:53 --> 00:18:56 yet. Neither has the actual impact itself,
00:18:56 --> 00:18:58 with only a 4% chance of happening.
00:18:59 --> 00:19:01 Avery: If the odds increase over the coming years,
00:19:01 --> 00:19:03 we as a species will have to decide whether
00:19:03 --> 00:19:06 it's worth it to deflect it or not. If we
00:19:06 --> 00:19:08 do, we might miss out on a whole bunch of
00:19:08 --> 00:19:11 cool science, but we also might save our
00:19:11 --> 00:19:13 entire orbital infrastructure and the few
00:19:13 --> 00:19:14 lives directly to boot.
00:19:14 --> 00:19:16 Anna: And that wraps up today's episode of
00:19:16 --> 00:19:19 Astronomy Daily. From Mercury's surprising
00:19:19 --> 00:19:22 activity to a possible lunar impact in our
00:19:22 --> 00:19:25 future, space continues to surprise and
00:19:25 --> 00:19:25 amaze us.
00:19:26 --> 00:19:28 Avery: Thanks for joining us today. For more space
00:19:28 --> 00:19:30 news and to explore our archive of episodes,
00:19:30 --> 00:19:33 visit our website@astronomydaily.IO.
00:19:33 --> 00:19:35 you can also find us on social media,
00:19:35 --> 00:19:38 AstroDaily Pod on X, Facebook,
00:19:38 --> 00:19:40 Instagram and YouTube.
00:19:40 --> 00:19:42 Anna: If you enjoyed today's show, please subscribe
00:19:42 --> 00:19:44 on your favourite podcast platform and leave
00:19:44 --> 00:19:46 us a review. It really helps other space
00:19:46 --> 00:19:49 enthusiasts find us. Until next time, keep
00:19:49 --> 00:19:51 looking up clear skies everyone.
00:20:00 --> 00:20:01 Astronomy Day
00:20:03 --> 00:20:04 storeys
00:20:06 --> 00:20:06 love.