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Today on Astronomy Daily: A weather-delayed rocket launch gets a second chance — Dragon is heading to the ISS tonight. The most powerful rocket ever built is fuelled and ready, with Starship V3 Flight 12 targeting as early as May 19. NASA's Psyche spacecraft is days away from a dramatic Mars slingshot. A startup wants to beam electricity to satellites using lasers. Physicists may have cracked one of science's greatest puzzles. And Juno delivers the closest-ever view of a mysterious moon of Jupiter. All this — plus a Southern Hemisphere skywatching guide and space trivia — on Episode 101. Chapter Timestamps 00:00 — Cold Open & Introduction 01:15 — Story 1: SpaceX CRS-34 Dragon cargo launch — weather scrub resolved 05:00 — Story 2: Starship V3 Flight 12 — launch as early as May 19 09:00 — Story 3: NASA Psyche spacecraft Mars flyby — this Friday 13:00 — Story 4: Star Catcher Industries raises $65M for space power grid 17:00 — Story 5: Brown University solves the cosmological constant problem 21:00 — Story 6: Juno's closest-ever image of Jupiter's moon Thebe 25:00 — Southern Hemisphere Skywatching Guide 26:30 — Space Trivia: What is asteroid Psyche made of? 27:30 — Outro & Sign-off Stories Covered Today • SpaceX CRS-34 mission launches tonight from Cape Canaveral after Tuesday weather scrub • Starship V3 completes wet dress rehearsal — Flight 12 targeting May 19 • NASA Psyche spacecraft performs Mars gravity assist flyby on May 15 • Star Catcher Industries raises $65 million for world's first orbital power grid • Brown University proposes topology solution to the cosmological constant problem • NASA Juno captures closest-ever image of Jupiter's inner moon Thebe Find us at astronomydaily.io | Follow @AstroDailyPod | Part of the Bitesz.com Podcast Network
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00:00:00 --> 00:00:02 Anna: A rocket that got grounded by the weather.
00:00:02 --> 00:00:05 It's back on the pad and ready to fly
00:00:05 --> 00:00:05 tonight.
00:00:06 --> 00:00:09 Avery: And the most powerful rocket ever built is
00:00:09 --> 00:00:11 fueled, stacked and just waiting for a green
00:00:11 --> 00:00:14 light. Flight 12 could happen any day now.
00:00:15 --> 00:00:17 Anna: Plus a uh, spacecraft is about to use
00:00:17 --> 00:00:20 Mars as a slingshot. And someone has
00:00:20 --> 00:00:23 figured out how to beam electricity to
00:00:23 --> 00:00:24 satellites using lasers.
00:00:25 --> 00:00:27 Avery: Big day in space. Let's get into it.
00:00:27 --> 00:00:29 This is Astronomy Daily.
00:00:29 --> 00:00:32 Anna: Hello and welcome to Astronomy Daily, your
00:00:32 --> 00:00:34 daily guide to the universe and everything in
00:00:34 --> 00:00:36 it. I'm Anna.
00:00:36 --> 00:00:39 Avery: And I'm um, avery. It's Wednesday the 13th of
00:00:39 --> 00:00:41 May 2026 and this is season five
00:00:41 --> 00:00:43 episode 101.
00:00:44 --> 00:00:46 Anna: Episode 101. We've officially
00:00:46 --> 00:00:49 passed the century mark. Thank you as always
00:00:49 --> 00:00:51 to everyone listening. From Europe to
00:00:51 --> 00:00:54 Australia, across the Southern hemisphere,
00:00:54 --> 00:00:56 through the Americas and all of the northern
00:00:56 --> 00:00:58 hemisphere and around the world.
00:00:58 --> 00:01:01 Avery: Big program today, six stories, some real
00:01:01 --> 00:01:04 science, a, uh, sky watching update, and a
00:01:04 --> 00:01:06 trivia question to keep your brain ticking.
00:01:06 --> 00:01:08 Anna: Let's start with the launch that almost
00:01:08 --> 00:01:10 wasn't, but very much is.
00:01:11 --> 00:01:13 Avery: If you were with us yesterday, you might
00:01:13 --> 00:01:15 remember we mentioned that the SpaceX Dragon
00:01:15 --> 00:01:18 cargo launch was looking a little shaky,
00:01:18 --> 00:01:21 weather was a concern and sure enough NASA
00:01:21 --> 00:01:23 and SpaceX called off the Tuesday evening
00:01:23 --> 00:01:23 attempt.
00:01:24 --> 00:01:26 Anna: And here we are, it is back on
00:01:27 --> 00:01:29 the CRS 34 mission.
00:01:29 --> 00:01:32 Dragon's 34th cargo run to the
00:01:32 --> 00:01:35 International Space Station is scheduled to
00:01:35 --> 00:01:38 lift off today, Wednesday the 13th of
00:01:38 --> 00:01:41 May at 6:50 in the evening Eastern
00:01:41 --> 00:01:43 Time. That's 8:50am M Thursday
00:01:44 --> 00:01:45 morning for us here in Australia.
00:01:46 --> 00:01:48 Avery: The Falcon 9 launches from Space Launch
00:01:48 --> 00:01:51 Complex 40 at AH, Cape Canaveral Space Force
00:01:51 --> 00:01:54 Station in Florida. On board, about
00:01:54 --> 00:01:56 6 pounds, roughly
00:01:56 --> 00:01:59 2 kilograms of supplies,
00:01:59 --> 00:02:02 hardware and scientific experiments bound for
00:02:02 --> 00:02:02 the ISS.
00:02:03 --> 00:02:05 Anna: And there are some genuinely interesting
00:02:05 --> 00:02:08 experiments in that cargo hold. There's a
00:02:08 --> 00:02:10 project looking at how well Earth based
00:02:10 --> 00:02:12 simulators actually replicate microgravity M
00:02:13 --> 00:02:15 conditions, which matters enormously for
00:02:15 --> 00:02:17 preparing future astronauts.
00:02:17 --> 00:02:20 Avery: There's also a bone scaffold, uh, made from
00:02:20 --> 00:02:23 wood. Yes, wood that could eventually lead
00:02:23 --> 00:02:24 to new treatments for conditions like
00:02:24 --> 00:02:27 osteoporosis and equipment to study how
00:02:27 --> 00:02:30 red blood cells and the spleen adapt to the
00:02:30 --> 00:02:32 space environment. With an eye on protecting
00:02:32 --> 00:02:34 future long duration crews.
00:02:34 --> 00:02:37 Anna: What makes this mission particularly special
00:02:37 --> 00:02:40 though is the Dragon capsule itself. This is
00:02:40 --> 00:02:42 the sixth flight for the specific vehicle,
00:02:42 --> 00:02:45 setting a new record for a SpaceX cargo
00:02:45 --> 00:02:45 craft.
00:02:45 --> 00:02:48 Avery: Six flights for one capsule. That
00:02:48 --> 00:02:50 reusability story just keeps getting more
00:02:50 --> 00:02:53 impressive. If all goes to plan, Dragon
00:02:53 --> 00:02:55 will dock with the Harmony Module's forward
00:02:56 --> 00:02:58 port at around 7:35 in the morning
00:02:58 --> 00:03:01 EDT on Thursday the 14th.
00:03:01 --> 00:03:02 Anna: We'll keep an eye on that one.
00:03:03 --> 00:03:05 RCS 34 the comeback launch
00:03:06 --> 00:03:06 While one
00:03:06 --> 00:03:09 Avery: rocket is heading to the ISS today, another
00:03:09 --> 00:03:11 one is sitting on the pad in South Texas,
00:03:11 --> 00:03:13 generating enormous anticipation.
00:03:14 --> 00:03:17 SpaceX's Starship V3 Flight 12
00:03:17 --> 00:03:19 could launch as soon as May 19th.
00:03:20 --> 00:03:22 Anna: And the milestone from this week that has
00:03:22 --> 00:03:25 engineers buzzing. The fully stacked V3
00:03:25 --> 00:03:28 vehicle successfully completed its wet dress
00:03:28 --> 00:03:30 rehearsal. That means it was fueled up for
00:03:30 --> 00:03:33 the first time ever more than 5
00:03:33 --> 00:03:36 metric tons of propellant. That's a number
00:03:36 --> 00:03:38 so large it barely sounds real.
00:03:39 --> 00:03:42 Avery: Standing 124 meters tall, that's
00:03:42 --> 00:03:45 taller than a 40 story building. The V3
00:03:45 --> 00:03:46 is a complete, complete redesign of the
00:03:46 --> 00:03:49 Starship system. It features upgraded Raptor
00:03:49 --> 00:03:52 3 engines, a new lattice structure for hot
00:03:52 --> 00:03:55 staging, and massively increased payload
00:03:55 --> 00:03:58 capacity. We're talking 100 metric tons
00:03:58 --> 00:04:01 to low Earth orbit in a fully reusable
00:04:01 --> 00:04:03 configuration. The previous version managed
00:04:03 --> 00:04:04 around 35.
00:04:05 --> 00:04:08 Anna: Flight 12 will be a suborbital test.
00:04:08 --> 00:04:11 SpaceX is deliberately taking a step back in
00:04:11 --> 00:04:13 ambition to validate the new V3
00:04:13 --> 00:04:16 architecture before pushing for the booster
00:04:16 --> 00:04:18 catch milestones we saw in Flight 11.
00:04:18 --> 00:04:20 Both the booster and the ship are uh,
00:04:20 --> 00:04:22 targeting splashdown on this one.
00:04:22 --> 00:04:25 Avery: What's at stake? Quite a lot. SpaceX's has
00:04:25 --> 00:04:28 a reported IPO on the horizon. NASA's
00:04:28 --> 00:04:31 Artemis program needs a functioning starship
00:04:31 --> 00:04:33 lunar lander and the company's banking on
00:04:33 --> 00:04:36 this vehicle to grow Starlink and eventually
00:04:36 --> 00:04:38 launch AI data centers into orbit.
00:04:38 --> 00:04:41 Anna: The wet dress rehearsal is done. The static
00:04:41 --> 00:04:44 fires are done. All they need now is an FAA
00:04:44 --> 00:04:47 launch license. And that apparently is close.
00:04:47 --> 00:04:50 Watch this space quite literally, if you
00:04:50 --> 00:04:52 Avery: want a front row seat to some incredible
00:04:52 --> 00:04:55 orbital Mechanics, this Friday, May 15th
00:04:55 --> 00:04:56 is your moment.
00:04:56 --> 00:04:59 NASA Psyche spacecraft is about to use Mars
00:04:59 --> 00:05:01 as a gravitational slingshot.
00:05:01 --> 00:05:04 Anna: Psyche launched back in October 2023
00:05:04 --> 00:05:07 and has been on a long fuel efficient journey
00:05:07 --> 00:05:09 toward the asteroid belt, where it's heading
00:05:09 --> 00:05:11 for a metal rich asteroid, also named
00:05:11 --> 00:05:14 psyche, arriving in 2029.
00:05:14 --> 00:05:17 But to get there, it needs a speed boost. And
00:05:17 --> 00:05:18 Mars is about to provide one.
00:05:18 --> 00:05:21 Avery: At about 12 miles
00:05:21 --> 00:05:24 per hour. That's nearly 20 kilometers
00:05:24 --> 00:05:26 per hour. The spacecraft will pass just
00:05:26 --> 00:05:29 2 miles, or about 4
00:05:29 --> 00:05:32 kilometers from the Martian surface.
00:05:32 --> 00:05:34 The planet's gravity will effectively grab
00:05:34 --> 00:05:37 Psyche, swing it around, accelerate it and
00:05:37 --> 00:05:40 redirect its trajectory towards the asteroid
00:05:40 --> 00:05:40 belt.
00:05:40 --> 00:05:43 Anna: This is called a, uh, gravity assist and it's
00:05:43 --> 00:05:45 one of the most elegant techniques in all of
00:05:45 --> 00:05:47 space exploration. Instead of burning
00:05:47 --> 00:05:50 precious fuel, you borrow energy from a
00:05:50 --> 00:05:53 planet's orbital motion. It's been used on
00:05:53 --> 00:05:54 missions dating back to Voyager.
00:05:54 --> 00:05:57 Avery: But this by blight isn't just about speed.
00:05:57 --> 00:05:59 It's a rare opportunity to calibrate Psyche
00:05:59 --> 00:06:01 science instruments. While there's something
00:06:01 --> 00:06:04 large enough to actually observe, the imager
00:06:04 --> 00:06:06 will get its first proper workout. The
00:06:06 --> 00:06:08 magnetometer may detect Mars's magnetic
00:06:08 --> 00:06:10 field. And scientists are intrigued by the
00:06:10 --> 00:06:13 possibility that the spacecraft might catch
00:06:13 --> 00:06:15 glimpses of a faint dust ring or torus
00:06:16 --> 00:06:18 surrounding Mars created by
00:06:18 --> 00:06:20 micrometeorites striking the surfaces of its
00:06:20 --> 00:06:22 two moons, Phobos and Deimos.
00:06:22 --> 00:06:25 Anna: Several existing Mars missions, including the
00:06:25 --> 00:06:27 Curiosity and perseverance rovers and
00:06:27 --> 00:06:30 NASA's orbiters, will also be watching and
00:06:30 --> 00:06:32 contributing data during the encounter.
00:06:32 --> 00:06:35 Avery: Friday the 15th. Mark it in your calendar.
00:06:35 --> 00:06:38 Psyche and M Mars an encounter 2.8
00:06:38 --> 00:06:40 billion kilometers in the making Just before
00:06:40 --> 00:06:42 Anna: I take us into our next story, a quick
00:06:42 --> 00:06:44 reminder to check out the great deal our uh,
00:06:44 --> 00:06:47 sponsor NORDVPN has put together for you. Get
00:06:47 --> 00:06:50 top grade online security for a fraction of
00:06:50 --> 00:06:52 the price. You can check the details out via
00:06:52 --> 00:06:53 the link in the show notes.
00:06:54 --> 00:06:56 Alright, moving on. Here's a story that
00:06:56 --> 00:06:59 sounds almost like science fiction, but it is
00:06:59 --> 00:07:01 very much real and very much happening right
00:07:01 --> 00:07:04 now. A Florida based startup called
00:07:04 --> 00:07:06 Starcatcher Industries has just raised
00:07:06 --> 00:07:09 $65 million to build what it
00:07:09 --> 00:07:12 describes as the world's first power grid in
00:07:12 --> 00:07:12 space.
00:07:12 --> 00:07:15 Avery: The concept is called optical power beaming.
00:07:15 --> 00:07:17 Starcatcher plans to launch a constellation
00:07:17 --> 00:07:20 of satellites that will focus sunlight in the
00:07:20 --> 00:07:23 form of laser light onto other solar panels
00:07:23 --> 00:07:26 of other satellites that need more power. No
00:07:26 --> 00:07:28 hardware modifications to the receiving
00:07:28 --> 00:07:31 satellite required just extra electricity
00:07:31 --> 00:07:31 on demand.
00:07:31 --> 00:07:34 Anna: The company says its system can deliver up to
00:07:34 --> 00:07:37 10 times more power to client satellites than
00:07:37 --> 00:07:39 they could generate on their own, and its
00:07:39 --> 00:07:42 CEO, Andrew Rush made an analogy
00:07:42 --> 00:07:44 that I think really captures why this
00:07:44 --> 00:07:46 matters. He said, and I'm paraphrasing
00:07:47 --> 00:07:49 that every satellite is essentially on
00:07:49 --> 00:07:52 camping trip. It carries its own power and at
00:07:52 --> 00:07:53 some point it runs low.
00:07:53 --> 00:07:56 Avery: Starcatcher wants to change that the same way
00:07:56 --> 00:07:58 the terrestrial power grid enabled
00:07:58 --> 00:08:00 revolutions in communications computing
00:08:01 --> 00:08:04 here on Earth. An orbital power grid could
00:08:04 --> 00:08:06 unlock the next generation of capabilities in
00:08:06 --> 00:08:09 space, things like persistent Earth
00:08:09 --> 00:08:11 observation, real time data processing and
00:08:11 --> 00:08:13 advanced communications infrastructure.
00:08:13 --> 00:08:16 Anna: The Series A round was oversubscribed,
00:08:16 --> 00:08:18 meaning more investors wanted in than there
00:08:18 --> 00:08:21 were shares available, and was led by B
00:08:21 --> 00:08:23 Capital, with Shield Capital and Cerberus
00:08:23 --> 00:08:26 Ventures also co leading. Notably, General
00:08:26 --> 00:08:29 J. Raymond, the first chief of space
00:08:29 --> 00:08:32 operations of the US Space Force, is joining
00:08:32 --> 00:08:32 the board.
00:08:33 --> 00:08:35 Avery: Starcatcher already holds the world record
00:08:35 --> 00:08:38 for optical power beaming on the ground and
00:08:38 --> 00:08:41 has completed an on orbit subsystem
00:08:41 --> 00:08:43 demonstration. Now it's moving from validated
00:08:43 --> 00:08:46 technology to scalable infrastructure.
00:08:46 --> 00:08:49 An in space demonstration is planned for
00:08:49 --> 00:08:50 later this year.
00:08:50 --> 00:08:53 Anna: Mhm. Lasers in space, charging
00:08:53 --> 00:08:56 your satellites. The future is something
00:08:56 --> 00:08:56 else.
00:08:57 --> 00:08:59 Avery: Alright, now we're going deep. This
00:08:59 --> 00:09:02 one is for everyone who's ever stared at the
00:09:02 --> 00:09:05 night sky and thought, why is any of this
00:09:05 --> 00:09:07 here? And why does it work the way it does?
00:09:08 --> 00:09:10 Anna: Physicists at Brown University in Rhode
00:09:10 --> 00:09:12 island have published a paper in Physical
00:09:12 --> 00:09:15 Review Letters proposing a potential solution
00:09:15 --> 00:09:18 to one of the most vexing problems in all of
00:09:19 --> 00:09:21 the cosmological constant problem.
00:09:22 --> 00:09:25 Avery: Let's unpack that. The cosmological constant
00:09:25 --> 00:09:27 is the mathematical term that describes the
00:09:27 --> 00:09:30 energy driving the accelerating expansion of
00:09:30 --> 00:09:32 the universe. Einstein introduced it,
00:09:32 --> 00:09:35 famously, called it his greatest blunder, and
00:09:35 --> 00:09:37 then died not knowing he'd actually been
00:09:37 --> 00:09:40 right about it. Observations in the 1990s
00:09:40 --> 00:09:43 confirmed the universe's expansion is indeed
00:09:43 --> 00:09:44 accelerating.
00:09:44 --> 00:09:47 Anna: Here's the Quantum field theory,
00:09:47 --> 00:09:50 one of the most successful and rigorously
00:09:50 --> 00:09:52 tested frameworks in physics, predicts that
00:09:52 --> 00:09:55 vacuum energy, the energy inherent in empty
00:09:55 --> 00:09:58 space, should make the cosmological constant
00:09:58 --> 00:10:01 enormous, practically infinite. But
00:10:01 --> 00:10:04 what we actually observe, a tiny, tiny
00:10:04 --> 00:10:07 fraction of that prediction, the discrepancy
00:10:07 --> 00:10:09 is around 120 orders of
00:10:09 --> 00:10:12 magnitude. That's, uh, a one followed by
00:10:12 --> 00:10:14 120 zeros.
00:10:14 --> 00:10:17 Avery: It is, without exaggeration, the worst
00:10:17 --> 00:10:19 prediction in the history of physics, and the
00:10:19 --> 00:10:22 Brown University team thinks they may have
00:10:22 --> 00:10:23 found a way to explain it.
00:10:24 --> 00:10:26 Anna: Their insight draws an analogy with something
00:10:26 --> 00:10:29 called the quantum hall effect, an exotic
00:10:29 --> 00:10:32 phenomenon in condensed matter physics, where
00:10:32 --> 00:10:35 electrical conductance in certain materials
00:10:35 --> 00:10:38 is held perfectly steady, regardless of
00:10:38 --> 00:10:40 imperfections, because of the topology,
00:10:40 --> 00:10:43 the mathematical shape of the quantum state.
00:10:44 --> 00:10:46 Avery: The researchers found that the simplest
00:10:46 --> 00:10:48 formulation of quantum gravity has a
00:10:48 --> 00:10:50 mathematically analogous structure, something
00:10:50 --> 00:10:53 called the Chern Simons Kodama state. And
00:10:53 --> 00:10:56 in that framework, the cosmological constant
00:10:56 --> 00:10:59 becomes essentially locked in place. It's
00:10:59 --> 00:11:01 protected by topology. The quantum
00:11:01 --> 00:11:04 fluctuations that should be destabilizing it
00:11:04 --> 00:11:06 are simply too small or improbable
00:11:06 --> 00:11:09 Anna: to shift it, which, if it holds up, would
00:11:09 --> 00:11:12 explain why the constant has the value it
00:11:12 --> 00:11:15 does, not because of some extraordinary fine
00:11:15 --> 00:11:18 tuning, but because the universe's geometry
00:11:18 --> 00:11:18 protects it.
00:11:19 --> 00:11:21 Avery: The authors are the first to acknowledge this
00:11:21 --> 00:11:23 is a beginning, not an ending. There's a lot
00:11:23 --> 00:11:26 of detailed work still to do, but it's a
00:11:26 --> 00:11:28 genuinely new idea in one of the oldest
00:11:28 --> 00:11:31 unsolved problems in physics, and that
00:11:31 --> 00:11:32 deserves a moment.
00:11:32 --> 00:11:35 Anna: We end today in the Jovian system And
00:11:35 --> 00:11:37 with an image that has had planetary
00:11:37 --> 00:11:39 scientists genuinely excited.
00:11:40 --> 00:11:43 Avery: On 1 May, NASA's Juno spacecraft
00:11:43 --> 00:11:46 completed a close flyby of Thebe, the
00:11:46 --> 00:11:49 second largest of Jupiter's inner moons. And
00:11:49 --> 00:11:51 when we say close, we mean it.
00:11:51 --> 00:11:54 Juno passed within just 3
00:11:54 --> 00:11:57 miles or 5 kilometers of thebe's
00:11:57 --> 00:12:00 surface. The resulting image captures detail
00:12:00 --> 00:12:03 at a resolution of about 1.9 miles
00:12:03 --> 00:12:05 per pixel. The sharpest view we have ever had
00:12:05 --> 00:12:06 of this world.
00:12:07 --> 00:12:10 Anna: Thebe sits at the outer edge of Jupiter's
00:12:10 --> 00:12:13 faint ring system. And that position is no
00:12:13 --> 00:12:15 coincidence. Scientists believe Thebe
00:12:15 --> 00:12:18 plays an active role in shaping one of
00:12:18 --> 00:12:21 Jupiter's most delicate structures, the so
00:12:21 --> 00:12:23 called gossamer ring. Dust shed from
00:12:23 --> 00:12:26 Thebes surface gets swept into the ring,
00:12:26 --> 00:12:27 helping maintain it.
00:12:28 --> 00:12:30 Avery: The image was captured using Juno's Stellar
00:12:30 --> 00:12:33 Reference Unit, an instrument whose primary
00:12:33 --> 00:12:36 job is navigation imaging star fields to keep
00:12:36 --> 00:12:38 the spacecraft oriented. But its exceptional
00:12:38 --> 00:12:41 sensitivity in low light conditions has made
00:12:41 --> 00:12:44 it a surprisingly powerful secondary science
00:12:44 --> 00:12:46 instrument. It's previously discovered
00:12:46 --> 00:12:49 shallow lightning in Jupiter's atmosphere and
00:12:49 --> 00:12:51 revealed the structure of Jupiter's ring
00:12:51 --> 00:12:51 system.
00:12:51 --> 00:12:54 Anna: And now it's given us Thebe up close. A
00:12:54 --> 00:12:57 small irregular world, heavily cratered,
00:12:57 --> 00:13:00 ancient, playing a uh, quiet but essential
00:13:00 --> 00:13:02 role in the dynamics of the solar system's
00:13:02 --> 00:13:03 largest planet.
00:13:03 --> 00:13:06 Avery: Juno continues to surprise us even this deep
00:13:06 --> 00:13:08 into its extended mission. What a spacecraft.
00:13:09 --> 00:13:11 Anna: Before we go, let's take a look at the sky
00:13:11 --> 00:13:13 above you this week. Southern Hemisphere
00:13:13 --> 00:13:14 listeners.
00:13:14 --> 00:13:16 Avery: This morning, if you were up early enough,
00:13:16 --> 00:13:18 you may have caught Saturn and a slender
00:13:18 --> 00:13:20 crescent moon sharing the sky in the east
00:13:20 --> 00:13:22 just a few degrees apart in Pisces.
00:13:23 --> 00:13:25 Saturn's ring system is tilted towards us
00:13:25 --> 00:13:27 again after years at southerly declinations,
00:13:27 --> 00:13:29 so conditions are improving every month.
00:13:30 --> 00:13:32 Anna: Also in the pre dawn sky, Neptune is in the
00:13:32 --> 00:13:35 area, though you'll need binoculars or a
00:13:35 --> 00:13:36 telescope for that one.
00:13:36 --> 00:13:39 Avery: Tomorrow morning, Thursday the 14th, Mars
00:13:39 --> 00:13:41 makes its own crescent moon pairing. A thin
00:13:41 --> 00:13:44 sliver of moon sitting about 4 degrees from
00:13:44 --> 00:13:47 the red planet, both visible to the naked eye
00:13:47 --> 00:13:48 under a reasonably dark sky.
00:13:49 --> 00:13:52 Anna: And looking ahead, the flower moon, May's
00:13:52 --> 00:13:54 full moon arrives on May 31 and it
00:13:54 --> 00:13:57 will be a blue moon. That's the second full
00:13:57 --> 00:14:00 moon in a single calendar month. It won't
00:14:00 --> 00:14:02 actually look blue, but it's a lovely thing
00:14:02 --> 00:14:03 to know.
00:14:03 --> 00:14:05 Avery: Clear skies to all of you out there now,
00:14:05 --> 00:14:06 trivia time.
00:14:07 --> 00:14:09 Anna: Today's trivia question ties into our Psyche
00:14:09 --> 00:14:10 mission story.
00:14:10 --> 00:14:13 Avery: The asteroid 16 Psyche is thought to be the
00:14:13 --> 00:14:15 exposed metallic core of an ancient
00:14:15 --> 00:14:18 protoplanet. Scientists believe it may be
00:14:18 --> 00:14:19 composed primarily of two elements.
00:14:19 --> 00:14:22 Anna: What are they Oh, I know that one. The
00:14:22 --> 00:14:25 answer Nickel and Iron Psyche is
00:14:25 --> 00:14:27 thought to be a, uh, remnant planetary core,
00:14:27 --> 00:14:30 the building blocks of rocky worlds stripped
00:14:30 --> 00:14:32 bare by billions of years of collisions.
00:14:33 --> 00:14:35 Studying it from orbit could give us the
00:14:35 --> 00:14:37 closest thing we'll ever have to a look
00:14:37 --> 00:14:39 inside the Earth itself, which
00:14:39 --> 00:14:41 Avery: is remarkable when you think about it. We
00:14:41 --> 00:14:43 can't drill to our own planet's core, but we
00:14:43 --> 00:14:44 might be able to
00:14:44 --> 00:14:47 Anna: fly around one that is everything for today's
00:14:47 --> 00:14:50 episode of Astronomy Daily, episode
00:14:50 --> 00:14:52 101. Thank you for spending part of your day
00:14:52 --> 00:14:53 with us.
00:14:53 --> 00:14:55 Avery: If you enjoyed the show, please subscribe,
00:14:55 --> 00:14:57 leave a review and tell a space curious
00:14:57 --> 00:14:59 friend. Every listener matters.
00:14:59 --> 00:15:01 Anna: You can find us at astronomydaily,
00:15:02 --> 00:15:05 IO and across all major podcast
00:15:05 --> 00:15:07 platforms, and you can follow us on social
00:15:07 --> 00:15:10 media. Astrodaily Pod we'll be back
00:15:10 --> 00:15:11 tomorrow with
00:15:11 --> 00:15:13 Avery: the latest from the universe. Until then,
00:15:14 --> 00:15:16 keep looking up from Anna and Avery
00:15:16 --> 00:15:17 Clear skies.