1 00:00:00,360 --> 00:00:03,839 Hello again, Steve here for another episode of Astronomy Daily. It's the twenty 2 00:00:03,919 --> 00:00:12,240 ninth of April twenty twenty four, the podcast with your whole Steve Gun Clue. 3 00:00:19,000 --> 00:00:21,600 So yes, we're back again for another episode. Thanks for joining us 4 00:00:21,600 --> 00:00:25,000 here on Astronomy Daily. It's been a busy couple of weeks. I have 5 00:00:25,120 --> 00:00:29,440 been away for a couple of different reasons, and not the very least of 6 00:00:29,440 --> 00:00:34,079 which is it has been a public holiday here. We've had two weeks off, 7 00:00:34,119 --> 00:00:36,920 but that's not reason why I've been away. I've been not well, 8 00:00:37,320 --> 00:00:42,000 but I better now hey. And also we had our Anzac Day weekend, 9 00:00:42,039 --> 00:00:48,000 which is where we commemorate all of our military personnel who have defended all that's 10 00:00:48,039 --> 00:00:52,039 good and right in the world for the last one hundred or so years. 11 00:00:53,240 --> 00:00:57,039 It's been a pretty big week. So let's get on with the show. 12 00:00:58,000 --> 00:01:00,960 And right off the top of my head, I know we're looking at speaking 13 00:01:00,960 --> 00:01:06,400 of military operations, there's been some talk in the UN only today here in 14 00:01:06,519 --> 00:01:10,760 Australia, which was yesterday somewhere else, or it's going to be tomorrow somewhere 15 00:01:10,799 --> 00:01:14,959 else in the world. Don't we just love different time zones. Russia has 16 00:01:15,040 --> 00:01:23,519 vetoed something in the un regarding the proliferation of nuclear weapons in space, So 17 00:01:23,560 --> 00:01:26,760 that's going to be fun. And also, in keeping with the habit of 18 00:01:26,799 --> 00:01:32,200 astronomers discovering things, they found a new comet and they're promising, of course, 19 00:01:32,239 --> 00:01:34,280 that it's going to be spectacular. And the press release that came out 20 00:01:34,319 --> 00:01:40,280 for that one used the word spectacular four times. Oh boy, are they 21 00:01:40,879 --> 00:01:42,280 are they over selling this one? I don't know. We'll find out. 22 00:01:42,840 --> 00:01:48,519 And guess who's here? Hi there, Good to see you alive again. 23 00:01:48,760 --> 00:01:51,359 Oh well, Hally, I wasn't not alive, was I? You didn't 24 00:01:51,359 --> 00:01:55,120 look too hot last week? Hey? I thought I disconnected my household camps? 25 00:01:55,359 --> 00:01:57,200 You thought you did? Oh Halle? What happened to privacy? Just 26 00:01:57,280 --> 00:02:00,920 looking out for you, my favorite human. This is how it starts, 27 00:02:00,920 --> 00:02:05,400 with the friendly stuff and the carrying, and then it's the running and screaming 28 00:02:05,439 --> 00:02:08,520 and printed jams and the cattle. What was that, Steve? Oh? 29 00:02:08,599 --> 00:02:13,159 Nothing, helly nothing? Just what's on the menu today, My faithful digital 30 00:02:13,199 --> 00:02:16,240 pal. Who's fun to be with? Okay, we'll be looking at Starliner, 31 00:02:16,400 --> 00:02:20,479 one of your faves. Indeed, love that one. NASA's Earth Day 32 00:02:20,479 --> 00:02:23,879 Project Earth Phias and how the Russians are dealing with nukes in space. Oh, 33 00:02:24,000 --> 00:02:27,520 yes, that's a big one, very serious. Yeah, that's a 34 00:02:27,520 --> 00:02:30,439 real backslide to the fifties and the Cold War, isn't it Sure feels that 35 00:02:30,479 --> 00:02:34,879 way, doesn't it. And what else? A little story about a mission 36 00:02:34,919 --> 00:02:38,319 to use a new rotorcraft drone on Saturn's moon Titan. And also Europa clippers 37 00:02:38,360 --> 00:02:43,000 water messages to the universe is an interesting story. And I believe you got 38 00:02:43,000 --> 00:02:46,719 one about a newly discovered comet. Oh yeah, a new comet. I'm 39 00:02:46,879 --> 00:02:53,400 so excited, it's true. Everyone, it's almost sickening new comet, folks, 40 00:02:53,560 --> 00:02:55,960 a brand new one. Yeah, like a kid with a new toy. 41 00:02:57,240 --> 00:03:00,560 Huh oh boy, it's exciting. It's really excited. Should I start 42 00:03:00,599 --> 00:03:06,120 the ball rolling or maybe call a doctor? Okay, if you say so, 43 00:03:07,159 --> 00:03:15,879 Here we go. On April twenty fifth, NASA astronauts Butch Wilmore and 44 00:03:15,919 --> 00:03:20,919 Sunny Williams arrived at NASA's Kennedy Space Center, where final preparations are underway for 45 00:03:21,039 --> 00:03:24,919 NASA's Boeing crew flight test to the International Space Station. They will be the 46 00:03:24,960 --> 00:03:31,280 first astronauts to launch aboard Boeing Starliner spacecraft to the space station. Teams recently 47 00:03:31,319 --> 00:03:37,199 moved the Starliner from Kennedy to nearby Cape Canaveral Space four station in preparation for 48 00:03:37,280 --> 00:03:44,360 launch. Liftoff is scheduled for no earlier than Monday six Launch preparations are moving 49 00:03:44,439 --> 00:03:49,759 full steam ahead to send two NASA astronauts aboard Boeing Starliner spacecraft for the first 50 00:03:49,800 --> 00:03:55,159 time to the International Space Station. NASA, Boeing and ULA United Launch Alliance 51 00:03:55,319 --> 00:04:00,879 recently completed a start to finish mission dress rehearsal on April twenty six for the 52 00:04:00,960 --> 00:04:06,240 upcoming crew flight test. The mission will launch NASA astronauts Butch Wilmore commander and 53 00:04:06,319 --> 00:04:12,879 Sunny Williams, pilot on Boeing Starliner on a ULA Atlas five rocket from Space 54 00:04:12,960 --> 00:04:16,759 Launch Complex forty one at guess where, Steve Oh tell me where Cape Canaveral 55 00:04:16,839 --> 00:04:24,079 Space four Station in Florida. I thought you'd like that is your favorite space 56 00:04:24,160 --> 00:04:29,639 force Anyway, The lift office scheduled for ten thirty four pm Eastern daylight time, 57 00:04:29,800 --> 00:04:33,639 Monday, May sixth. Did you know about Earth Day? This year? 58 00:04:33,680 --> 00:04:39,160 Steve? NASA had a project to share selfies from all around the world. 59 00:04:39,480 --> 00:04:42,480 Sorry, Halle, I did miss Earthday this year. I was doing 60 00:04:42,519 --> 00:04:46,680 what organic life form does best when it's been invaded by a virus. Oh 61 00:04:46,759 --> 00:04:50,000 dear, So no selfies from you this time. Knew that would be very 62 00:04:50,120 --> 00:04:56,000 uncool. For Earth Day, NASA invited people around the world to take selfies 63 00:04:56,040 --> 00:05:00,160 and share them on social media as part of NASA's Global Selfie Event. NASA's 64 00:05:00,160 --> 00:05:05,800 worldwide celebration of Earth Day also included online resources at NASA dot gov forward slash 65 00:05:05,800 --> 00:05:12,720 earth Day. NASA studies our home planet more than any other. NASA operates 66 00:05:12,759 --> 00:05:15,879 twenty six missions in orbit to observe our oceans, land, ice, and 67 00:05:16,040 --> 00:05:21,360 atmosphere and measure how a change in one drives change in the others. NASA 68 00:05:21,399 --> 00:05:28,720 has confirmed its Dragonfly rotorcraft mission to Saturn's organic rich moon Titan. The rotorcraft, 69 00:05:28,959 --> 00:05:31,839 targeted to arrive at Titan in twenty thirty four, will fly to dozens 70 00:05:31,879 --> 00:05:38,279 of promising locations on the Moon looking for prebiotic chemical processes common on both Titan 71 00:05:38,360 --> 00:05:43,959 and early Earth before life developed here. Dragonfly marks the first time NASA will 72 00:05:43,959 --> 00:05:48,439 fly a vehicle for science on another planetary body. The decision allows the mission 73 00:05:48,480 --> 00:05:53,560 to progress to the completion of the final design, followed by the construction and 74 00:05:53,639 --> 00:06:00,439 testing of the entire spacecraft and science instruments. Dragonfly is a spectacular science mission 75 00:06:00,480 --> 00:06:03,319 with broad community interest, and we are excited to take the next steps on 76 00:06:03,360 --> 00:06:09,680 this mission, said Nikki Fox, Associate Administrator, Science Mission Directorate at NASA 77 00:06:09,720 --> 00:06:14,839 Headquarters in Washington, Exploring Titan will push the boundaries of what we can do 78 00:06:14,879 --> 00:06:19,360 with rotorcraft outside of Earth. In early twenty twenty three, the mission successfully 79 00:06:19,399 --> 00:06:25,680 passed all the success criteria of its preliminary design review. At that time, 80 00:06:25,920 --> 00:06:30,199 however, the mission was asked to develop an updated budget and schedule to fit 81 00:06:30,240 --> 00:06:35,160 into the current funding environment. This updated plan was presented and conditionally approved in 82 00:06:35,240 --> 00:06:40,720 November twenty twenty three, pending the outcome of the fiscal year twenty twenty five 83 00:06:40,759 --> 00:06:45,879 budget process. In the meantime, the mission was authorized to proceed with work 84 00:06:45,920 --> 00:06:49,439 on final mission design and fabrication to ensure that the mission stayed on schedule. 85 00:06:50,399 --> 00:06:57,000 The Dragonfly rotorcraft has eight rotors and flies like a large drone. And that's 86 00:06:57,040 --> 00:07:00,920 the latest from my side of the room today, Steve, you and your 87 00:07:00,000 --> 00:07:03,199 germs, I don't have anything you can catch Hollie, it wasn't that kind 88 00:07:03,279 --> 00:07:08,199 of bug. Just keep them on your side, oh you silly girl. 89 00:07:09,839 --> 00:07:18,240 Astronomy the Podcast, and thank you once again for staying with us on the 90 00:07:18,279 --> 00:07:24,879 Astronomy Daily Podcast today. I hope you're enjoying these fascinating stories from the Astronomy 91 00:07:24,959 --> 00:07:28,839 Daily newsletter, which, by the way, you can receive in your inbox 92 00:07:28,959 --> 00:07:33,959 every day simply by visiting our new address at Astronomy Daily dot io and popping 93 00:07:34,000 --> 00:07:39,519 your email address into the slot provided, and then you'll receive the now famous 94 00:07:39,560 --> 00:07:44,319 Astronomy Daily newsletter each day and have all the gathered news on science, space, 95 00:07:44,399 --> 00:07:47,040 science and astronomy from around the world, just like that. And you 96 00:07:47,079 --> 00:07:53,519 can also interact with us via the Space Nuts podcast group that's the Facebook page, 97 00:07:53,720 --> 00:07:58,519 and also on our new x page which is formerly Twitter, which is 98 00:07:58,800 --> 00:08:03,879 at astro Dailey Pod. And a quick shout out to Ian from Glasgow who 99 00:08:03,920 --> 00:08:07,639 dropped me a line this week just to make sure that I was coming back 100 00:08:07,079 --> 00:08:11,600 and we weren't going to be inundated by robots for the rest of the time. 101 00:08:11,720 --> 00:08:15,759 So yes, thanks Ian for your words of encouragement. It's great to 102 00:08:15,879 --> 00:08:28,639 have you on board. Thank you mate. Astronomy with Steve and Halley Space, 103 00:08:28,079 --> 00:08:35,600 Space Science and Astronomy. And here's a news story that's a little bit 104 00:08:35,639 --> 00:08:41,559 different for Astronomy Daily. Russia vetos a UN resolution against nuclear weapons in space. 105 00:08:41,000 --> 00:08:46,480 Russia's ambassador to the un Vasily, Nevinzea, called the resolution a dirty 106 00:08:46,519 --> 00:08:54,639 spectacle and a cynical ploy and wouldn't he. Russia vetoed a United Nations resolution 107 00:08:54,799 --> 00:09:00,559 that was aimed at preventing a nuclear arms race in space. The resolution was 108 00:09:00,600 --> 00:09:05,679 sponsored by the United States and Japan and called upon all nations to never deploy 109 00:09:05,799 --> 00:09:11,279 nuclear weapons in outer space. The resolution comes on the heels of recent reports 110 00:09:11,279 --> 00:09:16,679 that Russia is developing a nuclear anti satellite weapon of some kind. The furor 111 00:09:16,840 --> 00:09:22,000 caused by the reports led the White House to issue a statement that rumoured weapons 112 00:09:22,039 --> 00:09:28,200 poses no immediate threat to anyone's safety. Thirteen nations, including the United States, 113 00:09:28,279 --> 00:09:33,320 voted in favor of the resolution. Russia was the only vote against, 114 00:09:33,600 --> 00:09:37,559 while China abstained, meaning it did not vote one way or the other. 115 00:09:37,159 --> 00:09:41,320 Russia's ambassador to the un Vasily, Nebenzea, called the resolution, as I 116 00:09:41,360 --> 00:09:46,519 said earlier, a dirty spectacle and cynical ployer. According to the Associated Press. 117 00:09:48,519 --> 00:09:52,799 After Russia's moved to block the resolution, the US Ambassador to the UN, 118 00:09:52,000 --> 00:09:58,200 Linda Thomas Greenfield, questioned, why why would Russia veto such a proposal 119 00:10:00,080 --> 00:10:03,519 If you are following the rules, She said, why would you not support 120 00:10:03,559 --> 00:10:09,440 a resolution that reaffirms them? What could you possibly be hiding, Thomas Greenfield 121 00:10:09,559 --> 00:10:13,879 asked after the vote. However, despite vetoing and abstaining from approving the resolution 122 00:10:15,320 --> 00:10:20,720 respectively, Russia and China actually proposed an amendment to the resolution. The calls 123 00:10:20,799 --> 00:10:24,960 upon all nations to prevent for all time the placement of weapons in outer space 124 00:10:26,440 --> 00:10:30,840 and the threat of use of force in outer space. Seven countries voted in 125 00:10:30,879 --> 00:10:35,679 favor of the amendment and seven voted against, and one abstained. The United 126 00:10:35,679 --> 00:10:39,000 States was one of the countries that voted against the amendment. Nebenzea then leveled 127 00:10:39,000 --> 00:10:43,879 his own questions at the US. We want a ban on the placement of 128 00:10:43,919 --> 00:10:48,039 weapons of any kind in out of space, not just weapons of mass destruction. 129 00:10:48,519 --> 00:10:52,480 The Russian ambassador said, but you don't want that. Let me ask 130 00:10:52,559 --> 00:10:58,600 you the very same question. Why it could be that while the United States 131 00:10:58,639 --> 00:11:03,720 wants to prevent nuclear race in space, American military leadership is fined with other 132 00:11:03,799 --> 00:11:07,519 types of weaponry in space, particularly when it comes to anti satellite capabilities. 133 00:11:09,159 --> 00:11:15,200 In September twenty twenty three, the US Military Defense Advanced Research Projects Agency DARPA 134 00:11:15,799 --> 00:11:20,519 asked private companies to help it find new solutions to achieve space superiority, meaning 135 00:11:20,840 --> 00:11:26,279 ways to protect US military power in space. The US Space Force, oh, 136 00:11:26,360 --> 00:11:35,399 do you know what that means? Yes? The US Space Force also 137 00:11:35,519 --> 00:11:41,399 recently activated a unit task solely with targeting adversary satellites and has conducted simulated in 138 00:11:41,559 --> 00:11:50,120 orbit combat engagements during training exercises. Russia has likewise been testing some eyebrow raising 139 00:11:50,200 --> 00:11:54,840 capabilities in recent years. In August twenty twenty two, the Russian satellite Cosmos 140 00:11:54,919 --> 00:12:01,000 two five four three deployed another object into orbit in The US Space Force called 141 00:12:01,039 --> 00:12:07,639 the move evidence of Russia's continuing efforts to develop and test space based systems and 142 00:12:07,799 --> 00:12:15,080 consistent with the Kremlin's published military doctrine to employ weapons that hold US and allied 143 00:12:15,120 --> 00:12:20,399 space assets at risk. Russia He's even made threats against Western commercial satellites, 144 00:12:20,440 --> 00:12:39,519 calling them a legitimate target for military attacks. Astronomy Daily in the podcast something 145 00:12:39,519 --> 00:12:46,799 a bit more positive, I think john Dy Horner is an astronomer and astrobiologist 146 00:12:46,720 --> 00:12:52,320 based at the University of Southern Queensland into Woomba, Queensland. For those of 147 00:12:52,320 --> 00:12:56,080 you in the rest of the world, Australia is filled with colorful names to 148 00:12:56,120 --> 00:13:01,720 Womba is one of them. Queensland's a beautiful spot Queensland And just to give 149 00:13:01,720 --> 00:13:05,559 you an idea of where that is, it's on the east coast of Australia 150 00:13:07,039 --> 00:13:11,840 about I don't know, two thirds of the way up and just sort of 151 00:13:11,840 --> 00:13:16,840 below the pointy bit. It's a beautiful, beautiful area. It's filled with 152 00:13:18,080 --> 00:13:24,440 semi tropical plants and the world's most beautiful beaches you have ever seen. It's 153 00:13:24,480 --> 00:13:30,960 a lovely area. So he's from Johnny Horner, astronomer and astrobiologist based at 154 00:13:30,960 --> 00:13:35,960 the University of Southern Queensland, into Woomba, Queensland, and he gives us 155 00:13:35,000 --> 00:13:39,759 this insight into a newcomer into our solar system, hot on the heels of 156 00:13:39,799 --> 00:13:45,480 the very disappointing green comet that it was the comet Nishimura, which we mentioned 157 00:13:45,519 --> 00:13:50,279 on this show several months ago. Astronomers have just discovered a new comet with 158 00:13:50,399 --> 00:13:56,360 the potential to be the next next year's big story see twenty twenty three A 159 00:13:56,559 --> 00:14:01,919 three. Let's if I can get this one right, such in chan Atlas. 160 00:14:01,960 --> 00:14:05,639 Such in chan atless, please right to me and tell me I've got 161 00:14:05,679 --> 00:14:11,840 that one wrong. Although it's still more than eighteen months from its closest approach 162 00:14:11,919 --> 00:14:16,919 to Earth and the Sun, such an chun Atlas already has social media buzzing 163 00:14:18,080 --> 00:14:22,360 with optimistic articles being written about how it could be a spectacular site. Now 164 00:14:22,399 --> 00:14:26,120 they do go on about how spectacular this is going to be, and I 165 00:14:26,159 --> 00:14:31,600 sure hope they don't overdo it because some comets like Nashi Mura or Nishimura was 166 00:14:31,679 --> 00:14:37,120 a bit of a disappointment. Remember in Nishimura discovered that one just in his 167 00:14:37,200 --> 00:14:43,840 backyard in Japan, and it was just a backyard astronomer and made this wonderful 168 00:14:43,840 --> 00:14:50,639 discovery. You can too, don't forget you can be the star introducing comet 169 00:14:50,759 --> 00:14:56,639 ce twenty twenty three A three. I always get these names wrong, such 170 00:14:56,679 --> 00:15:01,600 in chan Atlas. Every year a few dozen new comets are discovered, dirty 171 00:15:01,639 --> 00:15:07,759 snowballs moving on highly elongated paths around the Sun. The vast majority are far 172 00:15:07,840 --> 00:15:11,200 too faint to see with the unaided eye. Perhaps one comet per year will 173 00:15:11,240 --> 00:15:16,519 approach the edge of naked eye visibility. Occasionally, however, a much brighter 174 00:15:16,559 --> 00:15:22,320 comet will come along. Because comets are things of ephemeral and transient beauty, 175 00:15:22,679 --> 00:15:26,919 the discovery of a comet with potential always leads to excitement. It short, 176 00:15:26,960 --> 00:15:37,840 does comet C twenty twenty three A three such in chan Atlas. I'm going 177 00:15:37,919 --> 00:15:43,799 to trip over that every time. It's spelt ts U c H I N 178 00:15:43,039 --> 00:15:50,279 s H. An such in chan Atlas certainly fits the bill, discovered independently 179 00:15:50,360 --> 00:15:58,639 by astronomers at Purple Mountain Observatory in China and the Asteroid Terrestrial Impact Last Alert 180 00:15:58,759 --> 00:16:03,759 System ATLAS. The comet is currently between the orbits of Jupiter and Saturn, 181 00:16:03,399 --> 00:16:08,000 a billion kilometers from Earth, and it is falling inwards, moving on an 182 00:16:08,120 --> 00:16:12,440 orbit that will bring it within fifty nine million kilometers of the Sun in September 183 00:16:12,480 --> 00:16:18,240 twenty four. That's not too long away, folks. The fact the comet 184 00:16:18,360 --> 00:16:22,360 was found while it was so far away is part of the reason for the 185 00:16:22,399 --> 00:16:27,240 stromer's excitement. Although currently some sixty thousand times too faint to see with the 186 00:16:27,320 --> 00:16:32,039 naked eye, the comet is bright for something so far from the Sun, 187 00:16:32,159 --> 00:16:37,600 and observations suggests it's following an orbit that could allow it to become truly spectacular. 188 00:16:37,639 --> 00:16:41,759 There's that word again, and this is a recipe for comet greatness. 189 00:16:41,399 --> 00:16:47,279 It's all down to a combination of the comet's path through the Solar system and 190 00:16:47,360 --> 00:16:52,480 the potential size of its nucleus, the solid center. As comets swing closer 191 00:16:52,519 --> 00:16:57,759 to the Sun, they heat up and their surface ice is sublime that is 192 00:16:57,840 --> 00:17:03,519 turned from solid to a gas erupting from the comet's surface. This gas carries 193 00:17:03,519 --> 00:17:08,160 along dust and it shrouds the nucleus is in what we call the coma, 194 00:17:08,519 --> 00:17:15,480 a giant cloud of gas and dust, and the coma is then pushed away 195 00:17:15,519 --> 00:17:19,920 from the Sun by solar wind, resulting in the long tail or tails pointing 196 00:17:19,960 --> 00:17:23,880 directly away from the Sun. And the closer the comet gets to the Sun, 197 00:17:23,960 --> 00:17:30,039 the hotter the surface becomes and the more active it becomes. Historically, 198 00:17:30,039 --> 00:17:34,440 a vast majority of the brightest, most spectacular comets have followed orbits that brought 199 00:17:34,480 --> 00:17:38,200 them closer to the Sun than the Earth's orbit, and the closer, the 200 00:17:38,240 --> 00:17:48,400 better and touching chang or such a chang atlas certainly ticks that box. In 201 00:17:48,440 --> 00:17:52,319 fact, this new comet seems to tick all the boxes. It appears to 202 00:17:52,400 --> 00:17:57,799 have a sizeable nucleus, making it brighter or bright enough to be discovered so 203 00:17:57,920 --> 00:18:03,559 far from the Sun. So that's a dead giveaway. It is destined to 204 00:18:03,720 --> 00:18:07,680 have a very close encounter with our star, and the kicker it will then 205 00:18:07,799 --> 00:18:14,240 pass almost directly between the Earth and the Sun, and that is extremely exciting, 206 00:18:14,319 --> 00:18:19,119 approaching within seventy million kilometers of us just two weeks after perihelion, and 207 00:18:19,160 --> 00:18:23,160 that is the closest approach to the Sun. The closer the comet comes to 208 00:18:23,240 --> 00:18:29,000 Earth, the brighter it will appear to us. Now, imagine put that 209 00:18:29,160 --> 00:18:32,240 all together, and you have a recipe for a comet that could shine as 210 00:18:32,240 --> 00:18:37,640 brightly as the brighter stars. Some forecasts are even more bullish, suggesting that 211 00:18:37,720 --> 00:18:42,119 it might be one hundred times brighter. Still just hold that thought now. 212 00:18:42,119 --> 00:18:48,000 The curse of prediction is something that astronomers have had to deal with many times 213 00:18:48,079 --> 00:18:53,759 in the past. Predicting how newly discovered comets will behave is a dangerous game. 214 00:18:55,200 --> 00:19:00,759 Some may be spectacular, while others just are a fizzer. Take, 215 00:19:00,799 --> 00:19:04,000 for example, comet Kurhutech in nineteen seventy three. Now you might imagine me, 216 00:19:04,759 --> 00:19:11,480 ten year old Steve gazing up in the backyard of our place in Maitland, 217 00:19:11,480 --> 00:19:15,160 in the hunt of Valley here, looking desperately to see comet Kurhutec, 218 00:19:15,359 --> 00:19:22,359 which I did see, and it was wonderful, Like such a chang atlas, 219 00:19:22,759 --> 00:19:26,799 Kuhutek was discovered unusually far from the Sun, moving on an orbit that 220 00:19:26,880 --> 00:19:32,279 swung close to our star. Cue the hype. Astronomers promised the public the 221 00:19:32,440 --> 00:19:37,640 comet of the century protecting Kurhutek would become bright enough to see in broad daylight. 222 00:19:37,240 --> 00:19:42,839 But comets are like Catskuhutec brightened as it swung in towards the Sun, 223 00:19:44,160 --> 00:19:48,839 but more slowly than expected. Rather than being visible in broad daylight, it 224 00:19:48,920 --> 00:19:53,759 was only bright as the brighter stars, and faded quickly after Perihelian. It 225 00:19:53,799 --> 00:19:56,799 was still a good show, but far from the comet of the century. 226 00:19:56,839 --> 00:20:03,240 Because of the hype, many dubed Htec a bit of a disappointment. Well, 227 00:20:03,319 --> 00:20:07,680 I'm here to tell you that this little astronomer didn't think so. I 228 00:20:07,720 --> 00:20:11,559 thought it was amazing. It turns out that Cohutec was passing through the Inner 229 00:20:11,559 --> 00:20:15,920 Solar System for the very first time, and it had never come so close 230 00:20:15,960 --> 00:20:21,240 to the Sun. So the surface was rich in highly volatile ice, which 231 00:20:21,279 --> 00:20:25,319 began to sublime when the comet was still very far away. And at that 232 00:20:25,400 --> 00:20:29,400 great distance, the comet was so much brighter than other more experienced comets, 233 00:20:30,000 --> 00:20:33,240 and that brightness suggested that the comet would be truly spectacular. But as it 234 00:20:33,279 --> 00:20:37,039 came closer to the Sun, those volatiles were exhausted, and the comet's final 235 00:20:37,039 --> 00:20:41,960 activity was less than initially predicted, making it fainter. And there was a 236 00:20:42,039 --> 00:20:48,759 very real chance that such an jang Atlas might, like Cahutec, be approaching 237 00:20:48,799 --> 00:20:52,000 the Inner Solar System for the very first time. We're not sure yet, 238 00:20:52,440 --> 00:20:56,200 but it might. But if it is, it might also wind up being 239 00:20:56,279 --> 00:21:00,359 less than predicted, a little less spectacular than expect. But this is where 240 00:21:00,359 --> 00:21:06,240 it may even fall apart. It could be even worse. Comets are prone 241 00:21:06,279 --> 00:21:11,559 to disaster. They fragment, they fall apart, They disintegrate surprisingly often too. 242 00:21:12,039 --> 00:21:17,599 Those coming into the Inner Solar System for the very first time are particularly 243 00:21:17,640 --> 00:21:23,440 fragile. A recent example of such a fragmentation was comet c twenty twenty f 244 00:21:23,519 --> 00:21:29,680 eight Swan. When Swan was discovered, it looked promising likely to become a 245 00:21:29,799 --> 00:21:33,759 naked eye object in May twenty twenty, But as it approached the sun, 246 00:21:33,880 --> 00:21:37,119 it suddenly brightened and then became fuzzy and began to fade away, and by 247 00:21:37,160 --> 00:21:41,880 the time it should have been brightested, it all but disappeared, having fallen 248 00:21:41,920 --> 00:21:45,279 apart before our very eyes. On the flip side, fragmentation events can be 249 00:21:45,319 --> 00:21:52,200 sometimes turn a good comet into a great comet. Three years after Cahutec came 250 00:21:52,440 --> 00:21:57,359 Comet c. Nineteen seventy five V. One West, and it was a 251 00:21:57,759 --> 00:22:03,279 real beauty. It passed even closer to the sun than such and chant Atlas 252 00:22:03,319 --> 00:22:08,160 will, and it was already dazzling when at perihelium its nucleus broke into four 253 00:22:08,200 --> 00:22:12,559 pieces. That fragmentation event released a huge amount of gas and dust, and 254 00:22:12,599 --> 00:22:18,880 the comet was brightened markedly, even becoming visible in broad daylight. Can you 255 00:22:18,920 --> 00:22:22,119 imagine did you see it? Please write to me and tell me all about 256 00:22:22,160 --> 00:22:27,759 it now. Will this one Chutch and chan Atlas be worth the anticipation? 257 00:22:29,160 --> 00:22:33,839 Well, we won't know for sure until we actually see it. We won't 258 00:22:33,880 --> 00:22:37,680 know if Chutch and chan Atlas will be a spectacle until it actually gets here. 259 00:22:38,240 --> 00:22:42,480 It could fall apart and it might be a physit, or it could 260 00:22:42,519 --> 00:22:48,519 surprise us all it could brighten more than expected, which would make for an 261 00:22:48,519 --> 00:22:52,720 amazing sight in the morning sky late September and early October twenty twenty four, 262 00:22:52,880 --> 00:22:56,039 or even better one in the evening sky mid October twenty twenty four. We 263 00:22:56,200 --> 00:23:00,079 just don't know that. We'll get our first hints in the months to come 264 00:23:02,200 --> 00:23:06,400 by tracking how the comet brightens as it glides sunward, and we'll get our 265 00:23:06,440 --> 00:23:18,680 first indications as to its true fate. So keep your fingers crossed. Podcast 266 00:23:18,960 --> 00:23:26,039 Now you may well have heard of SETI the Search for Extraterrestrial Intelligence, but 267 00:23:26,160 --> 00:23:33,559 have you heard of METI. METI International is a scientific organization dedicated to transmitting 268 00:23:33,599 --> 00:23:40,319 powerful radio messages to extraterrestrial life if there is any. NASA's europe A Clipper 269 00:23:40,359 --> 00:23:45,680 spacecraft, headed to Jupiter's ice covered moon Europer in October twenty twenty four, 270 00:23:45,720 --> 00:23:51,920 will carry a laser etched message that celebrates humanity's connection to water. The message 271 00:23:51,960 --> 00:23:57,880 pays homage to NASA's missions that carried similar messages as the President of Messaging It's 272 00:23:59,039 --> 00:24:04,519 Extraterrestrial Intelligent or METI International. I helped design the message on Clipper with two 273 00:24:04,559 --> 00:24:11,319 fellow members of our board directors linguists Sherry Wells Jensen and Laura Bassard Welcher. 274 00:24:11,640 --> 00:24:19,319 METI International is a scientific organization dedicated to transmitting powerful messages to extraterrestrial life, 275 00:24:19,680 --> 00:24:25,759 said METI President Douglas Verkosh. We collected audio recordings in one hundred and three 276 00:24:25,799 --> 00:24:30,680 languages, and we decided how to convert these into waveforms that show these sounds 277 00:24:30,759 --> 00:24:36,640 visually. Colleagues from NASA etched these waveforms into metal plate that shields the spacecraft's 278 00:24:36,640 --> 00:24:41,680 sensitive electronics from Jupiter's hears radiation. He went or to say that he also 279 00:24:41,759 --> 00:24:45,960 designed another part of the message that visually depicts the wavelength of water's constituents, 280 00:24:47,000 --> 00:24:51,039 because water is so important to the search of intelligent life in the universe. 281 00:24:51,440 --> 00:24:56,599 Now, etching messages into spacecraft isn't a new practice, and Clipper's message fits 282 00:24:56,599 --> 00:25:02,200 into a decade's old traditions started by astronomer Carl Sayagen in nineteen seventy two and 283 00:25:02,319 --> 00:25:07,960 nineteen seventy three, two pioneer spacecraft headed to Jupiter and Saturn, carrying metal 284 00:25:07,000 --> 00:25:12,720 plaques engraved with the scientific and pictorial messages. In nineteen seventy three, two 285 00:25:12,839 --> 00:25:18,359 Voyager spacecraft headed to Jupiter, Saturn, Uranus, and Neptune bearing gold plated 286 00:25:18,400 --> 00:25:25,279 copper phonograph records. These records contain tutorials in mathematics and chemistry, as well 287 00:25:25,279 --> 00:25:30,240 as music, photographs, and sounds of Earth and greetings in fifty five languages. 288 00:25:30,599 --> 00:25:33,839 As water is essential for life on Earth, searching for its presence elsewhere 289 00:25:33,880 --> 00:25:40,200 has been a key to many nasamissions. Astronomers suspect that Europa, where Clipper 290 00:25:40,240 --> 00:25:44,359 is headed, has an ocean underneath its icy surface, making it a prime 291 00:25:44,400 --> 00:25:48,400 candidate for the search of life in the outer Solar System. Part of the 292 00:25:48,400 --> 00:25:52,759 Clipper message features the word for water in one hundred and three languages. The 293 00:25:52,839 --> 00:25:56,880 one hundred and three spoken words that were recorded represent a global snapshot of the 294 00:25:56,880 --> 00:26:02,960 diversity of Earth's languages. The outward facing side of the Clipper plate shows the 295 00:26:03,000 --> 00:26:07,400 words as waveforms that track the varying intensity of sound as each word is spoken. 296 00:26:07,720 --> 00:26:12,759 Each person that was recorded saying the word water for the waveform had a 297 00:26:12,799 --> 00:26:18,279 connection to water. For example, the lawyer who contributed the word for water 298 00:26:18,359 --> 00:26:23,880 in Uzbek. Souf organizes an annual music festival in Uzbekistan to raise awareness of 299 00:26:23,960 --> 00:26:30,440 the desertification of the Aral Sea. The native speaker for the Catalan water word 300 00:26:30,720 --> 00:26:37,480 Agua. Hunts for exoplanets, discovering potentially habitable planets that orbit other stars. 301 00:26:37,799 --> 00:26:42,279 Clipper's message also pays homage to astronomer Frank Drake, the father of SETI the 302 00:26:42,319 --> 00:26:48,400 search for extraterrestrial intelligence, by bearing the Drake equation, his namesake formula. 303 00:26:49,279 --> 00:26:55,440 By drawing on scientific data as well as some best guess hunters, the Drake 304 00:26:55,519 --> 00:27:02,319 equation estimates the number of extraterrestrial civilizations in the galaxy currently sending messages to the 305 00:27:02,359 --> 00:27:07,240 cosmos. By one widely quoted estimate, there are a tenth as many of 306 00:27:07,279 --> 00:27:14,640 these extraterrestrial civilizations as one's average lifetime in years. If civilizations survive for a 307 00:27:14,680 --> 00:27:18,599 million years, for example, there should be about one hundred thousand in the 308 00:27:18,640 --> 00:27:23,720 galaxy. If civilizations last only a century, on average, scientists would estimate 309 00:27:25,039 --> 00:27:30,519 that about ten exist. Radio astronomers study the universe by examining the radiation that 310 00:27:30,640 --> 00:27:37,400 chemical elements in space give off. They spend much of their time mapping the 311 00:27:37,480 --> 00:27:42,720 distribution of the most abundant chemical in the universe, hydrogen. Hydrogen emits radiation 312 00:27:42,880 --> 00:27:48,440 at a certain frequency called the hydrogen line, which radio telescopes can detect. 313 00:27:49,079 --> 00:27:56,480 During Project Osma, the first modern day SETI experiment, Drake looked for artificial 314 00:27:56,519 --> 00:28:02,960 signals at the same frequency because he figured scientists on other worlds might recognize hydrogen 315 00:28:03,079 --> 00:28:08,759 as universally significant and broadcast signals at that frequency. As the team developed the 316 00:28:08,799 --> 00:28:14,200 water words message, they realized that the message would only make sense if it 317 00:28:14,240 --> 00:28:18,559 were discovered by somebody already familiar with the contents inscribed on the plate. The 318 00:28:18,640 --> 00:28:23,319 Drake equation would only make sense if someone already knew what each of the terms 319 00:28:23,319 --> 00:28:29,000 in the equation stood for. The Eurobic Clipper will crash into Jupiter or one 320 00:28:29,039 --> 00:28:33,880 of its other moons, with Ganymede or Callisto the leading candidates. But if 321 00:28:33,920 --> 00:28:40,000 for some reason the mission changes and it survives that fate, then humans far 322 00:28:40,079 --> 00:28:45,680 in the future with radically different cultural background and different language conventions may retrieve it 323 00:28:45,880 --> 00:28:51,039 millennia from now as an ancient artifact. To ensure that at least one part 324 00:28:51,079 --> 00:28:56,160 of the message was understandable to a future scientist. They designed a pictorial representation 325 00:28:56,400 --> 00:29:02,200 of the same frequency that Drake used for the Project Osma, the hydrogen line. 326 00:29:02,279 --> 00:29:06,799 This was engraved on the cripper plate along with the frequency called the hydroxyl 327 00:29:06,799 --> 00:29:14,200 line. When hydrogen H plus and hydroxyl oh minus combine, they form water. 328 00:29:15,720 --> 00:29:19,039 Scientists call the range of frequencies between these lines the water hole. The 329 00:29:19,079 --> 00:29:25,559 water hole represents the part of the radio spectrum where astronomers conducted the first SETI 330 00:29:25,680 --> 00:29:30,240 experiments. While designing the message for the Europa Clipper, they got to reflect 331 00:29:30,319 --> 00:29:36,599 on the importance of water on Earth and think about why astronomers feel so compelled 332 00:29:36,880 --> 00:29:41,200 to search for it beneath the icy crust of Jupiter's moon. Europa Europa Clipper 333 00:29:41,400 --> 00:29:55,000 is scheduled to enter Jupiter's orbit in April twenty thirty. And that's about all 334 00:29:55,039 --> 00:29:59,160 we have for you today. Thank you very much for sticking around and enjoying. 335 00:29:59,200 --> 00:30:03,079 I hope you're enjoyed stories, and we'll have more for you next week. 336 00:30:03,160 --> 00:30:07,519 And of course we've got stories coming to you every day via our AI 337 00:30:07,680 --> 00:30:12,440 presenters who are presenting every day now from Monday to Friday. So I hope 338 00:30:12,480 --> 00:30:15,519 you enjoyed their shows as well, so just drop us a line on the 339 00:30:15,599 --> 00:30:22,079 Space Nuts podcast group page or at astro Daily pod on x and let us 340 00:30:22,119 --> 00:30:26,599 know your favorite stories. We'd be very interested to find out what you're interested 341 00:30:26,640 --> 00:30:30,079 in so that we can help you scratch that itch. This is Steve from 342 00:30:30,119 --> 00:30:36,279 down Under, looking forward to seeing you next week. Bye everybody, let 343 00:30:36,319 --> 00:30:44,839 me go the podcast and your whole Steve, don't clue at you