Join host Andrew Dunkley, astronomer Professor Fred Watson, and special guest Heidi Campo as they delve into the intriguing mysteries of the universe in this episode of Space Nuts. From the latest revelations about dark energy to the exciting developments from the Square Kilometer Array and the discovery of baby moons around baby planets, this episode is packed with cosmic insights and engaging discussions.
Episode Highlights:
- Dark Energy Insights: Andrew and Fred explore new research suggesting that dark energy may not be as constant as previously thought, potentially weakening over time and raising questions about the ultimate fate of the universe.
- Square Kilometer Array Update: The team discusses the first images from the Square Kilometer Array, highlighting its groundbreaking capabilities and the significance of its location in Western Australia for radio astronomy.
- Discovery of Baby Moons: Exciting findings from the Magellan telescopes reveal the existence of baby moons forming around young planets, providing new insights into planetary formation and the potential for life beyond our solar system.
For more Space Nuts, including our continually updating newsfeed and to listen to all our episodes, visit our website. Follow us on social media at SpaceNutsPod on Facebook, X, YouTube Music Music, Tumblr, Instagram, and TikTok. We love engaging with our community, so be sure to drop us a message or comment on your favorite platform.
If you'd like to help support Space Nuts and join our growing family of insiders for commercial-free episodes and more, visit spacenutspodcast.com/about
Stay curious, keep looking up, and join us next time for more stellar insights and cosmic wonders. Until then, clear skies and happy stargazing.
(00:00) Andrew Dunkley welcomes Professor Fred Watson back to Space Nuts
(01:48) Two astronauts successfully returned to Earth after 286 days in space
(06:03) The evidence that is being presented for dark energy weakening over time is tentative
(15:53) The Square Kilometer Array telescope in Western Australia has taken its first selfie
(24:37) Scientists trying to mitigate effects of satellite interference on radio astronomy
(27:26) Scientists have finally found baby moons forming around baby planets
(32:50) Andrew Dunkley: Anything to add, Heidi, to finish off podcast
Become a supporter of this podcast: https://www.spreaker.com/podcast/space-nuts-astronomy-insights-cosmic-discoveries--2631155/support.
00:00:00 --> 00:00:03 Anna: Welcome to Astronomy Daily, your source for the latest and most
00:00:03 --> 00:00:06 exciting news in space exploration and astronomy.
00:00:06 --> 00:00:08 I'm your host Anna, and today we're diving into
00:00:09 --> 00:00:11 several fascinating developments from across the
00:00:11 --> 00:00:14 cosmos. We've got a packed episode ahead
00:00:14 --> 00:00:17 covering everything from the Space Force's certification of a new
00:00:17 --> 00:00:19 rocket for national security launches to an
00:00:19 --> 00:00:22 upcoming partial solar eclipse that will grace our skies this
00:00:22 --> 00:00:25 week. We'll also explore a mysterious
00:00:25 --> 00:00:28 galaxy that's challenging what we thought we knew about the early
00:00:28 --> 00:00:31 universe. We check in on China's expanding
00:00:31 --> 00:00:33 satellite network and learn how NASA's
00:00:33 --> 00:00:36 Europa Clipper will scout potential landing sites
00:00:36 --> 00:00:39 on one of the most promising worlds for finding
00:00:39 --> 00:00:41 extraterrestrial life. So settle in as we
00:00:42 --> 00:00:44 journey through these captivating stories that remind
00:00:44 --> 00:00:47 us just how dynamic and ever changing our
00:00:47 --> 00:00:50 understanding of space truly is.
00:00:51 --> 00:00:53 The US Space Force has officially certified
00:00:53 --> 00:00:56 United Launch Alliance's Vulcan Centaur rocket
00:00:56 --> 00:00:59 for national security missions after analyzing
00:00:59 --> 00:01:02 data from the vehicle's two certification launches that
00:01:02 --> 00:01:05 took place in January and October of
00:01:05 --> 00:01:08 2024. This milestone announcement came
00:01:08 --> 00:01:11 on March 26 from the Space Force's Space Systems
00:01:11 --> 00:01:13 Command, marking the completion of a long
00:01:13 --> 00:01:16 awaited certification process. Space
00:01:16 --> 00:01:19 Force Brigadier General Kristen Panzenhagen, who
00:01:19 --> 00:01:22 serves as the Program Executive Officer for Assured Access
00:01:22 --> 00:01:25 to Space, emphasized the significance of this
00:01:25 --> 00:01:28 development, noting that assured access
00:01:28 --> 00:01:31 to space is a core function of the Space Force and a critical
00:01:31 --> 00:01:34 element of national security. She added that
00:01:34 --> 00:01:37 the Vulcan certification adds launch capacity,
00:01:37 --> 00:01:40 resiliency and flexibility needed for the
00:01:40 --> 00:01:43 nation's most critical space based systems.
00:01:43 --> 00:01:46 This certification is particularly notable as UH
00:01:46 --> 00:01:49 ula now joins SpaceX as only the
00:01:49 --> 00:01:52 second provider certified to carry out launches under the
00:01:52 --> 00:01:54 National Security Space Launch Program,
00:01:55 --> 00:01:58 enhancing America's launch capabilities for sensitive
00:01:58 --> 00:02:01 military and intelligence payloads. The path to
00:02:01 --> 00:02:03 certification wasn't without challenges. The second
00:02:03 --> 00:02:06 Vulcan certification flight experienced an incident when
00:02:06 --> 00:02:09 the nozzle of one of its two solid rocket boosters fell
00:02:09 --> 00:02:12 off approximately half a minute after liftoff.
00:02:12 --> 00:02:15 Remarkably, the vehicle compensated for the diminished
00:02:15 --> 00:02:17 thrust and still completed its mission
00:02:17 --> 00:02:20 successfully. ULA's President and
00:02:20 --> 00:02:23 CEO Tory Bruno later explained that a
00:02:23 --> 00:02:26 manufacturing defect in an internal insulator
00:02:26 --> 00:02:29 part caused the nozzle separation and appropriate
00:02:29 --> 00:02:32 corrective actions were implemented and verified through static
00:02:32 --> 00:02:34 fire testing. Looking ahead,
00:02:34 --> 00:02:37 ULA has ambitious plans for their launch
00:02:37 --> 00:02:40 cadence. Bruno has indicated that the
00:02:40 --> 00:02:42 company is projecting a dozen launches this year
00:02:42 --> 00:02:45 split roughly evenly between their Atlas and Vulcan
00:02:45 --> 00:02:48 rockets, serving both national security
00:02:48 --> 00:02:51 and commercial missions. The first
00:02:51 --> 00:02:54 National Security space launch mission on Vulcan is planned for
00:02:54 --> 00:02:57 this summer in North America. ULA aims to
00:02:57 --> 00:03:00 establish a baseline tempo of two launches per month by
00:03:00 --> 00:03:02 the end of this year and perform 20 launches in
00:03:02 --> 00:03:05 2025. Bruno noted that the company has
00:03:05 --> 00:03:08 been strategically stockpiling critical components
00:03:08 --> 00:03:11 such as B4 engines and solid rocket
00:03:11 --> 00:03:14 boosters to support this accelerated launch schedule.
00:03:14 --> 00:03:17 This certification represents a, uh, significant
00:03:17 --> 00:03:19 advancement for America's space launch capabilities,
00:03:20 --> 00:03:22 ensuring redundancy and resilience in the
00:03:22 --> 00:03:25 nation's ability to deploy critical national security
00:03:25 --> 00:03:28 assets to orbit. As Bruno
00:03:28 --> 00:03:31 remarked, we're all staged up and ready, and as
00:03:31 --> 00:03:33 spacecraft show up, we'll be able to fly them.
00:03:34 --> 00:03:37 What a difference a year makes. Just a year after
00:03:37 --> 00:03:40 millions across North America witnessed the spectacular
00:03:40 --> 00:03:43 total solar eclipse on April 8,
00:03:43 --> 00:03:45 2024, we're already preparing for another
00:03:46 --> 00:03:48 celestial event. Mark your calendars for
00:03:48 --> 00:03:51 this Saturday, March 29,
00:03:51 --> 00:03:54 2025, when a partial solar eclipse will
00:03:54 --> 00:03:57 grace our skies, though with a notably different viewing
00:03:57 --> 00:04:00 audience. This upcoming eclipse results
00:04:00 --> 00:04:03 from the Moon's shadow falling primarily on the north
00:04:03 --> 00:04:05 polar regions of Earth. It's actually the second
00:04:05 --> 00:04:08 eclipse in less than a month, coming just two weeks
00:04:08 --> 00:04:11 after the total lunar eclipse that occurred on
00:04:11 --> 00:04:14 3-13-14. This
00:04:14 --> 00:04:16 pattern is what astronomers call an eclipse season,
00:04:17 --> 00:04:19 a roughly 37 day period when the
00:04:19 --> 00:04:22 alignment of the sun and Moon can allow for eclipses to
00:04:22 --> 00:04:25 occur at both full and new Moon phases.
00:04:25 --> 00:04:28 For this March 29 event, the Moon will pass
00:04:28 --> 00:04:31 through the opposite node of its orbit. Compared to the lunar
00:04:31 --> 00:04:34 eclipse, however, the Moon passes this
00:04:34 --> 00:04:37 node almost too early. By the time it reaches
00:04:37 --> 00:04:40 new phase, about 19 hours after crossing the ecliptic,
00:04:40 --> 00:04:43 the axis of its shadow will pass well to the north of
00:04:43 --> 00:04:45 Earth. The dark shadow cone, or umbra,
00:04:46 --> 00:04:48 will completely miss our planet, passing about
00:04:48 --> 00:04:51 180 miles above the North Pole. This
00:04:51 --> 00:04:53 means no location on Earth will experience
00:04:53 --> 00:04:56 totality, but instead the Moon's outer shadow,
00:04:56 --> 00:04:59 the penumbra, will create a partial eclipse
00:04:59 --> 00:05:02 visible in varying degrees. The eclipse
00:05:02 --> 00:05:05 will be visible across northwest Africa, much of
00:05:05 --> 00:05:07 Europe, excluding some eastern sections
00:05:07 --> 00:05:09 northwest Russia, Iceland, and
00:05:09 --> 00:05:12 Greenland. Parts of South America, including
00:05:12 --> 00:05:15 Suriname, French Guiana, and Amada in
00:05:15 --> 00:05:17 Brazil will see a small dent in the sun at
00:05:17 --> 00:05:20 sunrise. For North Americans, visibility depends
00:05:20 --> 00:05:23 entirely on location. If you draw a line
00:05:23 --> 00:05:26 from Oakville, Ontario, down to Virginia Beach,
00:05:26 --> 00:05:29 Virginia, areas west of this line won't see any
00:05:29 --> 00:05:32 part of the eclipse. Those to the east, however, will
00:05:32 --> 00:05:35 catch at least a glimpse near sunrise, though maximum
00:05:35 --> 00:05:38 eclipse will have already occurred before the sun appears above the
00:05:38 --> 00:05:41 horizon. The farther north and east you go in
00:05:41 --> 00:05:43 North America, the more impressive the view becomes.
00:05:44 --> 00:05:46 In Baltimore, the Sun will rise with 7.8%
00:05:46 --> 00:05:49 of its diameter already eclipsed, with the event
00:05:49 --> 00:05:52 ending just four minutes later. But residents of
00:05:52 --> 00:05:55 northern New England and Atlantic Canada are in for a
00:05:55 --> 00:05:58 spectacular treatment. The town of Madawaska
00:05:58 --> 00:06:01 in far northern Maine will experience maximum
00:06:01 --> 00:06:03 eclipse almost precisely at sunrise, with
00:06:03 --> 00:06:06 88.2% of the Sun's diameter
00:06:06 --> 00:06:09 covered. This will create the stunning visual effect
00:06:09 --> 00:06:12 of the sun appearing as a delicate crescent with its
00:06:12 --> 00:06:15 points aimed nearly straight up, resembling two
00:06:15 --> 00:06:17 lobster claws emerging from beyond the eastern
00:06:17 --> 00:06:20 horizon. Similar impressive views await
00:06:20 --> 00:06:22 Atlantic Canada, with Halifax seeing
00:06:22 --> 00:06:24 85.6% coverage and at
00:06:24 --> 00:06:27 7:17am Fredericton experiencing
00:06:27 --> 00:06:30 87% at 7:19am and St.
00:06:30 --> 00:06:32 John's reaching 85.4% at
00:06:32 --> 00:06:35 7:52am as always with solar
00:06:35 --> 00:06:38 eclipses, proper eye protection is essential.
00:06:39 --> 00:06:41 Unlike, um, a total eclipse with its brief moments of
00:06:41 --> 00:06:44 totality, a partial eclipse can be observed more
00:06:44 --> 00:06:47 leisurely, but only through specially designed solar
00:06:47 --> 00:06:50 filters or eclipse glasses. Remember
00:06:50 --> 00:06:52 that looking at the sun without proper protection is extremely
00:06:52 --> 00:06:53 dangerous.
00:06:54 --> 00:06:57 NASA's James Webb Space Telescope has made
00:06:57 --> 00:07:00 another groundbreaking discovery that's challenging
00:07:00 --> 00:07:03 our understanding of the early universe. An
00:07:03 --> 00:07:06 international team of astronomers has identified
00:07:06 --> 00:07:09 bright hydrogen emission from an incredibly distant
00:07:09 --> 00:07:11 galaxy observed just 330
00:07:11 --> 00:07:14 million years after the Big Bang, a mere
00:07:14 --> 00:07:17 fraction of our universe's current 13.8 billion
00:07:17 --> 00:07:20 year age. The galaxy, designated
00:07:20 --> 00:07:23 Jades GSZ13.1, was first
00:07:23 --> 00:07:26 spotted in images taken by Webb's Near Infrared
00:07:26 --> 00:07:28 Camera as part of the James Webb Space
00:07:28 --> 00:07:31 Telescope Advanced Deep Extragalactic
00:07:31 --> 00:07:34 Survey. Researchers initially estimated its
00:07:34 --> 00:07:36 redshift, a measure of how far the galaxy's light has
00:07:36 --> 00:07:39 traveled and been stretched by the expansion of space, at
00:07:39 --> 00:07:42 around 12.9 to confirm this extreme
00:07:42 --> 00:07:45 distance. They then observed it using Webb's Near Infrared
00:07:45 --> 00:07:48 Spectrograph instrument. The resulting spectrum
00:07:48 --> 00:07:50 not only confirmed the redshift at
00:07:50 --> 00:07:53 13.0, placing it firmly in the very
00:07:53 --> 00:07:55 early universe, but also revealed something
00:07:55 --> 00:07:58 completely unexpected a distinctly bright
00:07:58 --> 00:08:01 wavelength of light known as Lyman alpha
00:08:01 --> 00:08:03 emission radiating from hydrogen
00:08:03 --> 00:08:06 atoms. This emission was far stronger
00:08:06 --> 00:08:08 than scientists thought possible during this ancient
00:08:08 --> 00:08:11 epoch. What makes this finding so
00:08:11 --> 00:08:14 perplexing is that the early universe was filled with
00:08:14 --> 00:08:17 a thick fog of neutral hydrogen gas.
00:08:17 --> 00:08:19 This fog should have completely blocked such
00:08:19 --> 00:08:22 emissions until a process called reionization
00:08:22 --> 00:08:25 cleared it away a process that wasn't completed
00:08:25 --> 00:08:28 until about 1 billion years after the Big
00:08:28 --> 00:08:30 Bang. Yet here was JDGS
00:08:30 --> 00:08:33 Z13.1 shining through this cosmic
00:08:33 --> 00:08:36 fog more than 600 million years earlier than should
00:08:36 --> 00:08:39 be possible. Roberto Maialino from the
00:08:39 --> 00:08:42 University of Cambridge and University College London
00:08:42 --> 00:08:44 explains why this is so significant.
00:08:45 --> 00:08:48 GSZ13.1 is seen when the universe was
00:08:48 --> 00:08:51 only 330 million years old, yet
00:08:51 --> 00:08:54 it shows a surprisingly clear telltale signature of
00:08:54 --> 00:08:57 Lyman alpha emission that can only be seen once
00:08:57 --> 00:09:00 the surrounding fog has fully lifted. This result
00:09:00 --> 00:09:03 was totally unexpected by theories of early galaxy formation
00:09:03 --> 00:09:05 and has caught astronomers by surprise.
00:09:06 --> 00:09:09 Before and during the reionization era, the
00:09:09 --> 00:09:12 neutral hydrogen surrounding galaxies should have
00:09:12 --> 00:09:14 blocked any energetic ultraviolet light they
00:09:14 --> 00:09:17 emitted, much like colored glass filters
00:09:17 --> 00:09:19 light. Until enough stars had formed to
00:09:19 --> 00:09:22 ionize this hydrogen gas, no such light,
00:09:23 --> 00:09:25 including Lyman Alpha emission, should have
00:09:25 --> 00:09:28 been able to escape and reach Earth. We
00:09:28 --> 00:09:31 really shouldn't have found a galaxy like this, given our
00:09:31 --> 00:09:34 understanding of the way the universe has evolved, says
00:09:34 --> 00:09:37 Kevin Hainlein from the University of Arizona.
00:09:38 --> 00:09:40 We could think of the early universe as, uh, shrouded with a
00:09:40 --> 00:09:43 thick fog that would make it exceedingly difficult to find
00:09:43 --> 00:09:46 even powerful lighthouses peeking through. Yet
00:09:46 --> 00:09:49 here we see the beam of light from this galaxy piercing
00:09:49 --> 00:09:52 the veil. Scientists aren't yet certain what
00:09:52 --> 00:09:55 caused this unexpected emission, but they have
00:09:55 --> 00:09:58 theories. One possibility is that the
00:09:58 --> 00:10:01 galaxy contains some of the universe's first generation
00:10:01 --> 00:10:04 of stars, much more massive, hotter,
00:10:04 --> 00:10:07 and more luminous than stars formed later.
00:10:07 --> 00:10:10 Another explanation could be a powerful active
00:10:10 --> 00:10:13 galactic nucleus driven by one of the first supermassive
00:10:13 --> 00:10:16 black holes. Whatever the explanation,
00:10:16 --> 00:10:19 this discovery opens exciting new questions about the earliest
00:10:19 --> 00:10:22 chapters of our cosmic history and how the first stars
00:10:22 --> 00:10:25 and galaxies formed. The
00:10:25 --> 00:10:27 research was published in the journal Nature, marking
00:10:27 --> 00:10:30 another remarkable achievement for the Webb Telescope
00:10:30 --> 00:10:33 as it continues to transform our understanding of the
00:10:33 --> 00:10:35 universe's origins.
00:10:36 --> 00:10:39 China has taken another significant step forward in its space
00:10:39 --> 00:10:42 infrastructure with the successful launch of a new
00:10:42 --> 00:10:45 data tracking and relay communications satellite. The
00:10:45 --> 00:10:47 Tianlian two zero four lifted off
00:10:47 --> 00:10:50 on March 26th at 11:55am M. Eastern
00:10:50 --> 00:10:53 Time from the Xichang Satellite Launch center in
00:10:53 --> 00:10:56 southwest China aboard a long March 3rd B
00:10:56 --> 00:10:59 rocket. The China Aerospace Science and Technology
00:10:59 --> 00:11:02 Corporation, or KSC, announced the mission's
00:11:02 --> 00:11:05 success about an hour after liftoff. While the launch
00:11:05 --> 00:11:08 was anticipated due to airspace closure notices, the
00:11:08 --> 00:11:11 exact payload wasn't revealed until after the successful
00:11:11 --> 00:11:14 deployment. Tianlian2:04 is
00:11:14 --> 00:11:17 now in geosynchronous transfer orbit and will eventually
00:11:17 --> 00:11:19 maneuver to take up its final position along the
00:11:19 --> 00:11:21 geostationary belt. Approximately
00:11:21 --> 00:11:24 35 sets 786 kilometers
00:11:24 --> 00:11:27 above Earth's equator. From this vantage
00:11:27 --> 00:11:29 point, it will join China's second generation
00:11:29 --> 00:11:32 geostationary orbit data relay satellite,
00:11:32 --> 00:11:35 Constellation. These satellites serve a critical
00:11:35 --> 00:11:37 function for China's space program, providing data
00:11:37 --> 00:11:40 relay and telemetry, tracking and command services for
00:11:40 --> 00:11:43 the nation's crewed spacecraft. This includes supporting
00:11:43 --> 00:11:46 the Tiangong Space Station and Shenzhou
00:11:46 --> 00:11:48 spacecraft, as well as assisting medium and low Earth
00:11:49 --> 00:11:51 orbit satellites and launch operations. The
00:11:51 --> 00:11:54 Tianlian Network performs a role similar to NASA's Tracking
00:11:54 --> 00:11:57 and Data relay satellite system, with satellites
00:11:57 --> 00:12:00 strategically positioned around geostationary orbit to provide
00:12:00 --> 00:12:02 nearly continuous coverage. According to
00:12:02 --> 00:12:05 casc, this newest addition to the fleet features
00:12:05 --> 00:12:08 several technical upgrades compared to its predecessor
00:12:08 --> 00:12:11 Tianlian2:03, which was launched
00:12:11 --> 00:12:14 in July 2022. These improvements include
00:12:14 --> 00:12:16 enhanced transmission capacity and faster
00:12:16 --> 00:12:19 response speed speeds aimed at meeting China's growing
00:12:19 --> 00:12:22 needs for data relay and tracking services,
00:12:22 --> 00:12:25 while also strengthening the autonomy and security of
00:12:25 --> 00:12:28 their second generation relay system. The
00:12:28 --> 00:12:31 Tianlian program has a long history, beginning with China's
00:12:31 --> 00:12:33 first Tianlian satellite launched in
00:12:33 --> 00:12:36 2008. The earlier Tianlian 1
00:12:36 --> 00:12:39 series satellites have now been moved to graveyard orbits above the
00:12:39 --> 00:12:42 geostationary belt, while the newer generation
00:12:42 --> 00:12:44 continues active service like earlier
00:12:44 --> 00:12:46 satellites in the series,
00:12:46 --> 00:12:49 Tianlian2:04 was developed by the
00:12:49 --> 00:12:51 China Academy of Space Technology, a UM major
00:12:51 --> 00:12:54 spacecraft making Institute under CASC.
00:12:54 --> 00:12:57 This launch marks China's 15th orbital mission of
00:12:57 --> 00:13:00 2025, demonstrating the country's
00:13:00 --> 00:13:02 increasingly ambitious space program. With
00:13:03 --> 00:13:05 expanded spaceport capabilities, ongoing mega
00:13:06 --> 00:13:08 Constellation projects, and new launch vehicles set
00:13:08 --> 00:13:11 to debut, China could potentially target around
00:13:11 --> 00:13:14 100 or more launches this year, far exceeding their
00:13:14 --> 00:13:17 previous national record of 68 launches set last
00:13:17 --> 00:13:20 year. The country's space agenda remains packed
00:13:20 --> 00:13:22 with other major upcoming missions, including the
00:13:22 --> 00:13:25 Shenzhou 20 and 21 crewed flights to the
00:13:25 --> 00:13:28 Tiangong Space Station and the Tianwen 2
00:13:28 --> 00:13:31 near Earth asteroid Sample Return mission, expected
00:13:31 --> 00:13:33 to launch around May.
00:13:34 --> 00:13:36 Let's move a bit further out into space now,
00:13:37 --> 00:13:39 looking ahead to one of NASA's most anticipated deep
00:13:39 --> 00:13:42 space missions. New research presented at the
00:13:42 --> 00:13:45 2025 Lunar and Planetary Science
00:13:45 --> 00:13:48 Conference has revealed how the Europa Clipper will
00:13:48 --> 00:13:50 help identify potential landing sites for a future mission to
00:13:50 --> 00:13:53 Jupiter's icy moon. This strategic
00:13:53 --> 00:13:56 reconnaissance capability could prove crucial for the next
00:13:56 --> 00:13:59 phase of exploring this ocean world. The
00:13:59 --> 00:14:02 Europa Clipper, scheduled to reach the Jovian system
00:14:02 --> 00:14:05 in April 2030, will follow a complex
00:14:05 --> 00:14:07 orbital pattern around Jupiter, performing
00:14:07 --> 00:14:10 49 close flybys of Europa.
00:14:10 --> 00:14:13 Unlike Mars orbiters that follow relatively simple
00:14:13 --> 00:14:15 circular paths, the Clipper can't orbit
00:14:15 --> 00:14:18 Europa directly due to Jupiter's intense
00:14:18 --> 00:14:20 radiation environment, which would damage the
00:14:20 --> 00:14:23 spacecraft. Instead, it will follow carefully
00:14:23 --> 00:14:26 designed looping orbits that minimize radiation exposure
00:14:26 --> 00:14:29 while still allowing close study of the moon.
00:14:29 --> 00:14:32 Planetary geologist Jennifer Scully and her team at NASA's
00:14:32 --> 00:14:35 Jet Propulsion Laboratory have carefully assessed which of
00:14:35 --> 00:14:38 these flybys would be most suitable for identifying future
00:14:38 --> 00:14:41 landing sites. They determined that any reconnable
00:14:41 --> 00:14:43 flyby must meet three key
00:14:44 --> 00:14:46 proper lighting conditions with the surface and sunlight,
00:14:46 --> 00:14:49 specific incidence angles between 30 and 60 degrees,
00:14:49 --> 00:14:52 and an altitude of approximately 50 to 100
00:14:52 --> 00:14:54 kilometers to ensure appropriate image resolution without
00:14:54 --> 00:14:57 blurring. Based on these criteria,
00:14:58 --> 00:15:01 the researchers identified 12 flybys as
00:15:01 --> 00:15:04 fully reconnable and another 13 as
00:15:04 --> 00:15:06 supporting. Most notably, a flyby
00:15:06 --> 00:15:09 designated E19 stands out as particularly valuable
00:15:09 --> 00:15:12 for landing site selection. Its ground Track
00:15:12 --> 00:15:15 extends over 700km and covers a
00:15:15 --> 00:15:17 fascinating transition between Europa's ridged
00:15:17 --> 00:15:20 plains and a region called Pao
00:15:20 --> 00:15:22 Regio, one of the Moon's mysterious
00:15:22 --> 00:15:25 chaos terrains where the surface appears jumbled
00:15:25 --> 00:15:28 and disrupted, potentially offering clues about the
00:15:28 --> 00:15:31 ocean beneath. The Europa Clipper's
00:15:31 --> 00:15:34 sophisticated Europa Imaging System, with its narrow
00:15:34 --> 00:15:37 and wide angle cameras, will collect crucial data
00:15:37 --> 00:15:39 for what's known as terrain relative navigation.
00:15:40 --> 00:15:42 This is the same guidance system that allowed NASA's
00:15:42 --> 00:15:45 Perseverance rover to safely navigate to its landing
00:15:46 --> 00:15:48 site on Mars. A future Europa
00:15:48 --> 00:15:51 lander would use these detailed surface images
00:15:51 --> 00:15:54 combined with real time camera data to guide itself
00:15:54 --> 00:15:57 safely to the surface. The researchers note
00:15:57 --> 00:16:00 that their current assessments are based on older data from
00:16:00 --> 00:16:03 the Galileo mission, and rankings will likely
00:16:03 --> 00:16:06 change once the Europa Clipper begins returning
00:16:06 --> 00:16:09 high resolution images. Some potential
00:16:09 --> 00:16:12 landing areas haven't even been photographed at high resolution
00:16:12 --> 00:16:14 yet, highlighting just how much we still have to discover
00:16:14 --> 00:16:17 about this intriguing world. This research
00:16:17 --> 00:16:20 provides a critical roadmap for mission planners
00:16:20 --> 00:16:23 as they prepare for the Europa Clipper's operations
00:16:23 --> 00:16:26 in the 2000-30s and lay
00:16:26 --> 00:16:29 groundwork for what could eventually become humanity's
00:16:29 --> 00:16:32 first landing on an ocean world beyond Earth.
00:16:33 --> 00:16:36 And that wraps up today's episode of Astronomy
00:16:36 --> 00:16:39 Daily. From the space force certifying ULA's
00:16:39 --> 00:16:42 Vulcan rocket to the upcoming partial solar solar eclipse,
00:16:42 --> 00:16:44 Webb's surprising discovery of ancient light,
00:16:44 --> 00:16:47 China's new data relay satellite, and the Europa
00:16:47 --> 00:16:50 Clipper's mission to scout landing sites on Jupiter's Ocean
00:16:50 --> 00:16:51 Moon.
00:16:51 --> 00:16:54 We've journeyed across the solar system and beyond.
00:16:54 --> 00:16:57 I'm Anna, and it's been my pleasure to bring you these
00:16:57 --> 00:17:00 fascinating stories from across the cosmos.
00:17:00 --> 00:17:03 Whether you're a seasoned astronomer or just curious about what
00:17:03 --> 00:17:06 lies beyond our atmosphere, I hope you've enjoyed
00:17:06 --> 00:17:09 today's cosmic update. Visit our website
00:17:09 --> 00:17:12 at astronomydaily IO where you can sign up for our
00:17:12 --> 00:17:15 free daily newsletter and listen to all our episodes.
00:17:15 --> 00:17:18 You can also find us on social media. Just search for
00:17:18 --> 00:17:20 Astro Daily pod on X, YouTubeMusic,
00:17:20 --> 00:17:23 Facebook, Tumblr, and TikTok. Until
00:17:23 --> 00:17:25 next time, keep looking up