WEBVTT 1 00:00:00.200 --> 00:00:02.640 Hello again, thanks for joining us. This is Space Nuts. 2 00:00:02.640 --> 00:00:05.839 I'm your host, Andrew Dunkley and always good to have 3 00:00:05.879 --> 00:00:06.480 your company. 4 00:00:07.160 --> 00:00:09.439 Coming up, we have got plenty. 5 00:00:10.320 --> 00:00:12.839 We're going to talk about an alien object that turned 6 00:00:12.839 --> 00:00:15.000 out not to be as alien as they thought It was, 7 00:00:15.279 --> 00:00:18.879 just depends who was driving. I suppose some planets have 8 00:00:18.960 --> 00:00:24.079 been found orbiting a nearby star. Can you guess which one? 9 00:00:24.320 --> 00:00:26.760 If you haven't read it in the news, you're probably wrong. 10 00:00:27.160 --> 00:00:30.719 We could be right, and starship headed to Mars, and 11 00:00:30.800 --> 00:00:33.359 if we've got time, we'll be talking about a couple 12 00:00:33.359 --> 00:00:34.479 of other things as well. 13 00:00:34.520 --> 00:00:36.399 That's all coming up on Space. 14 00:00:36.159 --> 00:00:46.079 Nuts Channel ten nine Ignition Big on Space Nuts or three. 15 00:00:46.240 --> 00:00:52.039 Two Space Nuts as when I report it. Neil's good. 16 00:00:53.039 --> 00:00:56.640 Joining us once again is Professor Fred Watson, Astronomer at Large. 17 00:00:56.640 --> 00:01:00.119 Hello Fred, Hello Andrew, excellent to see you. 18 00:01:00.479 --> 00:01:01.679 It is good to see you too. 19 00:01:02.119 --> 00:01:05.560 Nice shirt pink going with pink Pink today. Yeah, it's 20 00:01:06.840 --> 00:01:10.400 actually turned chili here in Sydney. We had thirty seven 21 00:01:10.439 --> 00:01:12.680 degrees yesterday, as I believe you did two when yeah, 22 00:01:12.680 --> 00:01:17.280 the weather report last night and today it's twenty two. Yeah. 23 00:01:17.319 --> 00:01:18.920 Well we yeah, that party. 24 00:01:19.159 --> 00:01:21.400 The pool was the perfect location for our ten year 25 00:01:21.400 --> 00:01:25.359 old grandson's party yesterday because it was a stinker here. 26 00:01:26.719 --> 00:01:30.599 We had a big blustery sutherly change overnight and it 27 00:01:30.760 --> 00:01:33.519 was fourteen when we woke up, which was so nice. 28 00:01:33.680 --> 00:01:35.400 It's so nice to have some cool. 29 00:01:35.159 --> 00:01:39.519 Weather because we have had some real rotten days this summer. 30 00:01:39.560 --> 00:01:43.400 It's been dreadful. Now, for those who are viewing us 31 00:01:43.439 --> 00:01:46.439 at the moment and for those who are listening later, 32 00:01:47.079 --> 00:01:50.439 we have another person in the mix today, and her 33 00:01:51.079 --> 00:01:52.519 name is Heidi Campo. 34 00:01:52.640 --> 00:01:55.200 Hello, Heidi, Hey, guys, how are you. 35 00:01:55.120 --> 00:01:57.799 Doing very well? It's good to have you along. 36 00:01:57.920 --> 00:02:01.599 And the reason is because I'm going away and that 37 00:02:01.719 --> 00:02:04.760 sort of dovetails with Fred just coming back from a trip, 38 00:02:05.120 --> 00:02:08.199 and we just didn't have time to double up and 39 00:02:08.240 --> 00:02:10.919 fill the time I'll be away, So you will be 40 00:02:11.120 --> 00:02:14.919 taking over the hosting chair for four or five episodes. 41 00:02:14.960 --> 00:02:20.680 So Heidi's here to just sort of play observer and 42 00:02:21.000 --> 00:02:23.800 see how it's all done. It's not complicated, because if 43 00:02:23.840 --> 00:02:27.599 it was, we just couldn't do it. So I'm sure 44 00:02:27.599 --> 00:02:28.439 you'll manage, Heidi. 45 00:02:28.520 --> 00:02:30.680 But feel free to jump in anytime you like. 46 00:02:31.319 --> 00:02:33.400 And if you're armed with plenty of dad. 47 00:02:33.240 --> 00:02:34.800 Jokes, oh perfect. 48 00:02:35.599 --> 00:02:40.879 You'll fit in nicely. And for those who may recognize 49 00:02:40.919 --> 00:02:44.039 Heidi's name, one of the podcasts in our stable is 50 00:02:44.080 --> 00:02:48.879 called reality Check the Science of Fiction, which was Heidi's podcast. 51 00:02:48.879 --> 00:02:50.960 I believe you do another podcast though, don't. 52 00:02:50.759 --> 00:02:54.000 You just reality Check? 53 00:02:54.080 --> 00:02:54.280 Yeah? 54 00:02:54.280 --> 00:02:58.280 Okay, talking to subject matter experts about the plausibility of 55 00:02:58.319 --> 00:03:01.560 sci fi concepts a little bit on hold right now 56 00:03:01.599 --> 00:03:04.319 while I'm practicing real science with some of the research 57 00:03:04.360 --> 00:03:07.120 we're doing for NASA right now. But that can be 58 00:03:07.159 --> 00:03:08.639 a conversation for the Q and A. 59 00:03:09.319 --> 00:03:12.240 Yeah, very good, all right, it was good to have 60 00:03:12.319 --> 00:03:12.800 you along. 61 00:03:13.479 --> 00:03:16.840 Now, Fred, We've got plenty of stories to deal with. 62 00:03:17.159 --> 00:03:21.039 This first one dates back a few years when something 63 00:03:21.280 --> 00:03:26.560 hit the Earth's atmosphere and it ended up splashing down 64 00:03:26.639 --> 00:03:30.800 somewhere New Papua, New Guinea. And of course, you know, 65 00:03:30.960 --> 00:03:34.360 everybody said, oh, it's an alien spaceship or parts there 66 00:03:34.520 --> 00:03:38.680 or something from an alien world. But now they've been 67 00:03:38.879 --> 00:03:43.960 studying the data and it might have been something else. 68 00:03:45.599 --> 00:03:49.479 Yeah, it's a it's a he said, she said story. Now, 69 00:03:49.719 --> 00:03:55.080 this one, because we covered this I think probably back 70 00:03:55.080 --> 00:04:02.080 in twenty twenty three. The story is that the sort 71 00:04:02.080 --> 00:04:07.240 of radar network which looks for things coming in detected 72 00:04:07.719 --> 00:04:12.599 a meteorite which went through the atmosphere in twenty fourteen, 73 00:04:13.560 --> 00:04:18.040 and that is thought to have created a seismic signal 74 00:04:18.480 --> 00:04:21.639 that led researchers to believe that the debris from that 75 00:04:21.720 --> 00:04:26.480 meteorite will be spread across the ocean floor to the 76 00:04:26.560 --> 00:04:31.120 east of Manus Island, you said, sort of north of Australia. 77 00:04:31.399 --> 00:04:37.279 And in fact that there is a team from Harvard 78 00:04:37.879 --> 00:04:41.040 led by Professor R. V. Lub whose name crops up 79 00:04:41.120 --> 00:04:47.439 quite regularly on this show. He was convinced that because 80 00:04:47.480 --> 00:04:49.759 this thing came in I think, if I remember rightly, 81 00:04:50.000 --> 00:04:54.279 it was forty seven kilometers per second, that suggests it 82 00:04:54.360 --> 00:04:59.079 may well have been an interstellar traveler, a bit like Umuamora, 83 00:04:59.160 --> 00:05:04.279 the famous interstellar asteroid that we've also talked about endlessly 84 00:05:04.360 --> 00:05:10.160 on Space Nuts. So Arvilob wanted to find debris from 85 00:05:10.240 --> 00:05:13.560 this object because he and his team believed that that 86 00:05:13.639 --> 00:05:18.199 would essentially allow us to find stuff that was from 87 00:05:18.199 --> 00:05:22.120 another solar system, and possibly, because this is his thing, 88 00:05:23.319 --> 00:05:26.759 basically engineered stuff from another solar system, it may have 89 00:05:26.839 --> 00:05:34.199 been evidence of alien life. So he set up an expedition. Basically, 90 00:05:34.279 --> 00:05:38.839 he and his team identified whereabouts on the ocean floor. 91 00:05:39.639 --> 00:05:43.560 These particles of debris from the meteorite would be based 92 00:05:43.600 --> 00:05:47.279 on the seismic signal that had been received and said 93 00:05:47.279 --> 00:05:49.680 about trolling the ocean floor with a magnet or something 94 00:05:49.759 --> 00:05:53.560 like that, basically to pick up all the ferous material, 95 00:05:54.160 --> 00:05:56.879 the iron containing material, of which they got quite a 96 00:05:56.879 --> 00:06:00.920 lot little spherules of stuff that really was a bit 97 00:06:01.040 --> 00:06:04.560 unusual in its chemistry in terms of what we find 98 00:06:04.839 --> 00:06:08.240 on Earth. And I think there was a consensus that 99 00:06:08.399 --> 00:06:12.560 the material, I mean a scientific consensus that this stuff, 100 00:06:12.600 --> 00:06:17.720 whatever it was, was extraterrestrial at least something that had 101 00:06:17.759 --> 00:06:25.079 come from beyond the Earth. Fast forward to last week 102 00:06:25.439 --> 00:06:29.439 of the week before, when we had evidence that the 103 00:06:29.480 --> 00:06:34.319 seismic signal, which purportedly had been used to determine where 104 00:06:34.360 --> 00:06:39.079 this stuff would have fallen, that seismic signal has been 105 00:06:39.160 --> 00:06:42.800 reanalyzed and it turns out that it was most likely 106 00:06:43.319 --> 00:06:47.040 not the object entering the atmosphere, but a truck going 107 00:06:47.079 --> 00:06:52.680 around the corner just outside where the seismograph is. It 108 00:06:52.800 --> 00:06:57.040 had all the hallmarks of a truck, and so you know, 109 00:06:57.079 --> 00:07:01.040 there was a bit of I think there's a publication 110 00:07:01.360 --> 00:07:04.439 to the effect that, well, this stuff probably isn't extra 111 00:07:05.439 --> 00:07:08.879 from another solar system because the seismic signal was from 112 00:07:08.879 --> 00:07:12.160 a truck, not from the meteorite. Oh my gosh. Meanwhile, 113 00:07:13.560 --> 00:07:18.360 last week ourvilobe has got another paper which is currently 114 00:07:18.399 --> 00:07:23.519 in preparation, which basically says, it doesn't matter. We found 115 00:07:23.519 --> 00:07:27.680 the stuff, and our estimate of where the meteorite would 116 00:07:27.680 --> 00:07:31.720 have landed did not come principally from the seismic signal. 117 00:07:31.839 --> 00:07:36.600 It came principally from the radar determinations. And so they 118 00:07:37.360 --> 00:07:39.759 are sticking with the story that the stuff they've found 119 00:07:40.240 --> 00:07:46.560 on the floor of the ocean is probably from another 120 00:07:46.639 --> 00:07:50.360 solar system, if not evidence of alien life, which is 121 00:07:50.920 --> 00:07:53.720 of course ovelobes touchstone. 122 00:07:53.720 --> 00:07:55.519 If I can put it back, I'm going to say 123 00:07:55.519 --> 00:07:56.639 he's probably half. 124 00:07:56.480 --> 00:08:03.360 Right, which are the first half? Yeah, I think that's right. Look, 125 00:08:03.399 --> 00:08:07.160 it's great we need people like Gavy because he always 126 00:08:07.199 --> 00:08:10.040 thinks outside the box. It's always the same side of 127 00:08:10.160 --> 00:08:14.000 the box that he thinks outside of the alien life, 128 00:08:14.040 --> 00:08:22.600 alien intelligence. But often his his remarks are taken with 129 00:08:23.279 --> 00:08:26.519 not a pinch of salt, but certainly taken with some 130 00:08:27.839 --> 00:08:31.279 skepticism is the wrong word. No, it's not skepticism by 131 00:08:31.279 --> 00:08:33.279 the by the scientific community, it would be. 132 00:08:33.440 --> 00:08:34.360 That would be accurate. 133 00:08:34.480 --> 00:08:39.039 Yeah. The big question on my mind is was it 134 00:08:39.080 --> 00:08:42.360 a Ford Ranger or a Dodge Ram the truck. 135 00:08:43.440 --> 00:08:45.039 I want to know what kind of track it was. 136 00:08:45.639 --> 00:08:48.720 I don't crate that. Yes, it could have been. I 137 00:08:48.720 --> 00:08:49.879 think it might have been bigger than that. 138 00:08:50.200 --> 00:08:53.720 Probably, yeah, probably she could have been one of our 139 00:08:53.759 --> 00:08:54.919 outback road trains. 140 00:08:55.720 --> 00:08:58.639 Well, that would certainly have stirred up the seismic grath definitely. 141 00:08:58.759 --> 00:09:02.519 Yeah, So tell me how this seismic data works. If 142 00:09:02.559 --> 00:09:05.399 that's what they initially detected, even though it backed them 143 00:09:05.480 --> 00:09:09.679 up the wrong tree, how do they how do they 144 00:09:09.799 --> 00:09:12.960 use seismic data to analyze where something's coming from? 145 00:09:13.039 --> 00:09:14.440 That's how it seems. 146 00:09:14.440 --> 00:09:15.440 Very very interesting. 147 00:09:15.600 --> 00:09:18.639 So it's the pressure wave basically, So when an object 148 00:09:18.759 --> 00:09:22.480 enters the solar system, sorry, it enters the atmosphere, particularly 149 00:09:22.960 --> 00:09:27.559 hurtling along at more than forty kilometers per second, then 150 00:09:27.720 --> 00:09:32.200 it creates a shockwave, and that shockwave is basically detected 151 00:09:32.240 --> 00:09:35.679 by the seismic graph probably because it shakes the building 152 00:09:36.399 --> 00:09:39.159 that the seismic graphs in. I mean, there will be 153 00:09:39.639 --> 00:09:42.360 an element of it, that shockwave hitting hitting the ground 154 00:09:42.399 --> 00:09:45.480 that stirs up the ground a bit. It is extraordinary 155 00:09:45.559 --> 00:09:51.120 how sensitive seismic graphs are. A colleague Siding Spring Observatory 156 00:09:51.120 --> 00:09:54.279 who operates as an amateur scientist that operates a seismic 157 00:09:54.320 --> 00:09:58.960 graph that can detect, you know, certainly detects explosions in 158 00:09:59.000 --> 00:10:01.240 the Hunter Valley call Field, which is about three hundred 159 00:10:01.279 --> 00:10:06.960 kilometers away, but also much much more, much more subtle 160 00:10:07.000 --> 00:10:10.120 things like trains going fast than the nearest train to 161 00:10:10.480 --> 00:10:13.960 his location at Siding Spring is about one hundred kilometers away. 162 00:10:14.039 --> 00:10:17.960 So I strongly suspect whatever the truck was, it wasn't 163 00:10:18.000 --> 00:10:20.000 doing forty five kilometers a second. 164 00:10:20.240 --> 00:10:21.799 That's what Hi do you? 165 00:10:22.360 --> 00:10:24.440 Yeah, I've got a question for you, Fred. So, I 166 00:10:24.480 --> 00:10:26.639 don't really know how this works, and I'm sure a 167 00:10:26.639 --> 00:10:29.879 lot of the listeners don't either. How is this not 168 00:10:30.039 --> 00:10:32.639 more of a common problem, Because if they picked up 169 00:10:32.679 --> 00:10:34.720 this truck and didn't know what it was, it sounds 170 00:10:34.759 --> 00:10:37.360 like there might be protocol in place for them to 171 00:10:37.759 --> 00:10:41.960 differentiate between someone walking around in the facility versus a 172 00:10:42.120 --> 00:10:46.159 vehicle versus something that's you know, truly a UFO. So 173 00:10:46.279 --> 00:10:50.799 do they normally mistaken other objects? 174 00:10:50.840 --> 00:10:54.519 Though? It's a really good point, Hidi, because you know, 175 00:10:54.919 --> 00:11:00.120 with a seismograph, people walking around it is, it's background 176 00:11:00.159 --> 00:11:04.759 interference and it happens all the time. It is a 177 00:11:04.799 --> 00:11:07.360 really good point. How did you mix up a truck 178 00:11:07.399 --> 00:11:09.440 that's probably going to go around the corner every day 179 00:11:10.799 --> 00:11:14.960 with this incoming signal? And I think there may have 180 00:11:15.000 --> 00:11:18.559 been some bad luck there, you know, picking out the 181 00:11:18.679 --> 00:11:21.360 signal that just happened to be at the right instant 182 00:11:21.720 --> 00:11:26.440 in comparison with the radar data. But I think so 183 00:11:26.480 --> 00:11:30.559 seismic signals are really interesting. You can learn a lot 184 00:11:31.200 --> 00:11:33.759 just by looking at what the trace is and in 185 00:11:33.759 --> 00:11:38.759 fact going completely off track. We had a contact, lovely 186 00:11:38.799 --> 00:11:43.279 contact in Greenland last month with scientists actually from the 187 00:11:43.399 --> 00:11:47.240 UK who did seen the seismic signal of water sloshing 188 00:11:47.279 --> 00:11:50.000 around in a fjord in Greenland that went round the 189 00:11:50.000 --> 00:11:54.519 world and lasted for nine days. And so that's telling 190 00:11:54.519 --> 00:11:58.600 you that there's a really particular kind of characteristic that 191 00:11:58.840 --> 00:12:02.279 lets you do the of a seismic signal, that lets 192 00:12:02.279 --> 00:12:06.320 you do the forensic science, as you know, as you 193 00:12:06.360 --> 00:12:09.559 could put it to work out what's happened. And maybe 194 00:12:09.559 --> 00:12:11.519 it's just bad luck that they picked up the signal 195 00:12:11.559 --> 00:12:13.720 of the truck and said this has got exactly the 196 00:12:14.759 --> 00:12:17.159 kind of trace that you would expect to come from 197 00:12:17.320 --> 00:12:20.320 an incoming body, an incoming object. 198 00:12:20.679 --> 00:12:23.759 How fascinating. And by the way, that truck driver has 199 00:12:23.799 --> 00:12:25.240 been done for speeding. 200 00:12:26.279 --> 00:12:28.600 Forty seven kilometers and sected. Yeah, it would be. 201 00:12:28.919 --> 00:12:31.200 It does remind me of another story we did once 202 00:12:31.240 --> 00:12:34.279 about what was that nailien signal that turned out to 203 00:12:34.320 --> 00:12:35.440 be a microwave oven. 204 00:12:36.240 --> 00:12:39.639 Oh well, yes, that's the great story from Parks that 205 00:12:39.639 --> 00:12:43.080 they're still embarrassed about. Hippark's radio tell this group. 206 00:12:43.360 --> 00:12:46.320 Yes, indeed, but that's a great story. It's popped up 207 00:12:46.320 --> 00:12:48.759 on a couple of websites. If you want to go 208 00:12:48.840 --> 00:12:53.440 to cosmosmagazine dot com and chase it up. There plenty 209 00:12:53.440 --> 00:12:56.840 of information and it is a really interesting story with 210 00:12:56.919 --> 00:12:59.200 all the truck driving and weirdness. 211 00:12:59.200 --> 00:13:01.000 But pushed aside. 212 00:13:01.639 --> 00:13:04.840 Bred Let's move on to our next yarn, And this 213 00:13:04.879 --> 00:13:09.120 one is really exciting because they've thought for some time 214 00:13:09.279 --> 00:13:12.679 that there's been planets orbiting a certain star and now 215 00:13:12.759 --> 00:13:14.960 they think they've found them, although this has been a 216 00:13:14.960 --> 00:13:17.879 difficult task because of the angle of observation. 217 00:13:18.039 --> 00:13:22.519 I believe that's correct. Yes, that's right. So the starring 218 00:13:22.639 --> 00:13:26.759 question is it's well known to astronomers, but not very 219 00:13:26.759 --> 00:13:29.320 well known to the outside world. If I put it 220 00:13:29.320 --> 00:13:33.440 that way, it's Barnard's star, and it was discovered by. 221 00:13:33.960 --> 00:13:35.879 Let me guess, someone named Bernard. 222 00:13:35.960 --> 00:13:39.600 Indeed, indeed, that's right. I'm trying to remember his first name. 223 00:13:41.120 --> 00:13:42.000 I think it was Edward. 224 00:13:42.120 --> 00:13:44.559 Yes, was it I don't know, I'll look it up 225 00:13:44.639 --> 00:13:45.480 id go, No. 226 00:13:46.360 --> 00:13:49.759 Was it Edward Bernard? Can't remember Anyway, Bernard worked at 227 00:13:50.000 --> 00:13:53.440 one of the major US observatories, and in I think 228 00:13:53.600 --> 00:13:58.279 nineteen fourteen or thereabout, certainly the early years of the 229 00:13:58.360 --> 00:14:04.799 twentieth century, he discovered this star which has and I'm 230 00:14:04.799 --> 00:14:07.559 going to use the astronomy gobbledygoop. Now, it has the 231 00:14:07.600 --> 00:14:10.440 highest proper motion of any other star known. And the 232 00:14:10.480 --> 00:14:14.519 proper motion of a star is its motion across the sky. 233 00:14:14.759 --> 00:14:19.159 It's as we see it, how fast it moves in 234 00:14:19.200 --> 00:14:21.960 the sky. Now, that doesn't necessarily mean it's its true motion, 235 00:14:22.080 --> 00:14:25.600 because there's probably a component towards us as well, which 236 00:14:25.639 --> 00:14:29.200 you can actually detect differently. But it was ten arc 237 00:14:29.240 --> 00:14:32.960 seconds a year. Remembering an arcsecond is one three than 238 00:14:33.080 --> 00:14:35.759 six hundredths of a degree. The diameter of a one 239 00:14:35.799 --> 00:14:39.320 dollar coin held up at five kilometers. That's an Australian 240 00:14:39.360 --> 00:14:43.320 one dollar coin, a tiny angle and ten arc seconds 241 00:14:43.320 --> 00:14:46.639 isn't many more of them, but it's by far the 242 00:14:46.679 --> 00:14:51.639 biggest proper motion motion of a star known. It's galloping 243 00:14:51.679 --> 00:14:55.279 across the sky, and so it's been a favorite of 244 00:14:55.360 --> 00:14:59.840 astronomers for you know, ever since it was observed more 245 00:14:59.840 --> 00:15:04.480 than the century ago first identified, and astronomers, of course, 246 00:15:04.559 --> 00:15:08.279 because it's the next nearest star to the proximu centaury system, 247 00:15:08.960 --> 00:15:13.600 have looked hard for evidence of planets around it, and 248 00:15:14.519 --> 00:15:17.240 now they've found them. They found the evidence. There's been 249 00:15:17.279 --> 00:15:25.120 a few what you might call tentative measurements that have 250 00:15:26.759 --> 00:15:29.679 led people to believe that perhaps Barnard Star had planets. 251 00:15:30.480 --> 00:15:34.639 But now because of observations made if I remember rightly, 252 00:15:34.679 --> 00:15:37.759 it's the Germany North telescope, I should have checked that, 253 00:15:37.799 --> 00:15:42.679 shouldn't I. It's observations made, yes, Germany North in Hawaii. 254 00:15:43.639 --> 00:15:46.919 It's observations that have been made by that telescope have 255 00:15:47.080 --> 00:15:50.919 actually nailed it because they have a very sensitive Doppler 256 00:15:50.960 --> 00:15:54.320 wobble machine. And Doppler wobble, of course, is the name 257 00:15:54.360 --> 00:15:56.759 that we give to the way a star is pulled 258 00:15:56.759 --> 00:16:01.360 slightly out of place by the planets going around it, 259 00:16:01.519 --> 00:16:04.200 and that pulling and pushing of a star by its 260 00:16:04.320 --> 00:16:07.600 own planets is something that we pick up by the 261 00:16:07.679 --> 00:16:10.240 radio lostity the velocity along the line of sight, which 262 00:16:10.240 --> 00:16:14.919 I'm just talking about. So that has now been confirmed 263 00:16:15.360 --> 00:16:21.000 that there are for sub earths actually very small planets. 264 00:16:21.440 --> 00:16:24.039 And the point that you were making, and this is 265 00:16:24.080 --> 00:16:28.039 what makes it a bit difficult, because you get much 266 00:16:28.080 --> 00:16:32.559 more information if the planets are orbiting in a plane 267 00:16:32.919 --> 00:16:36.840 that we can see directly along, so that you have 268 00:16:36.960 --> 00:16:40.480 the planets passing in front of their star. That's what 269 00:16:40.519 --> 00:16:43.000 we call the transit method for discovering planets. But it 270 00:16:43.080 --> 00:16:45.519 also gives you much more information about the diameter of 271 00:16:45.519 --> 00:16:49.039 the planets, which we don't get from the wobble technique. 272 00:16:49.320 --> 00:16:52.320 So there's still some unknowns about the density of these planets, 273 00:16:52.360 --> 00:16:56.399 but they are confirmed to be there. So last the 274 00:16:56.440 --> 00:17:01.279 big question are there exoplanets orbiting Barnard Star has been answered. 275 00:17:01.919 --> 00:17:05.559 Ah, well, that's good news, bad news for anyone living there. 276 00:17:05.599 --> 00:17:07.119 I imagine being a red dwarf. 277 00:17:07.799 --> 00:17:10.160 It is a red dwarf, that's right, which means that 278 00:17:10.200 --> 00:17:14.279 the stars are orbiting sort of within the you know, 279 00:17:14.599 --> 00:17:17.920 you know within within a region. In fact that most 280 00:17:17.960 --> 00:17:19.799 of them all but just within a few days around 281 00:17:19.799 --> 00:17:23.279 their parents' style. So they're much closer to Barnode's Star 282 00:17:23.400 --> 00:17:26.200 than mercury is to the Sun. And red dwarfs are 283 00:17:26.200 --> 00:17:29.440 bad news in that regard because they are relatively active. 284 00:17:29.480 --> 00:17:33.799 You get these flares of sub atomic particles that might 285 00:17:33.880 --> 00:17:36.079 fry anything that's on one of the planets. And I 286 00:17:36.200 --> 00:17:38.880 think I am right in saying that none of them 287 00:17:38.960 --> 00:17:42.039 are in the habitable zone bar Nod Star. That's the 288 00:17:42.079 --> 00:17:46.519 region around a red dwarf where you could have liquid water. 289 00:17:47.200 --> 00:17:51.839 Mm hmm. Well, if they did have life in that zone, 290 00:17:51.839 --> 00:17:53.680 it'd still be perilous, I imagine. 291 00:17:54.920 --> 00:17:57.759 Yes, that's right, unless it you know, who knows with 292 00:17:58.000 --> 00:18:01.480 extra terrestrial life. It could be they could live in 293 00:18:01.559 --> 00:18:02.079 the rocks. 294 00:18:02.640 --> 00:18:05.480 Well, that's right, they could be underground, absolutely true. And 295 00:18:05.559 --> 00:18:10.240 it was discovered by Edward Emerson Barnard in nineteen six. Well, 296 00:18:10.640 --> 00:18:12.519 thank you, Yeah, I knew you had it right. You 297 00:18:12.559 --> 00:18:15.640 had about forty guesses, but you got it right. It's 298 00:18:15.680 --> 00:18:18.799 all good, Okay, if you'd like to read up on that, 299 00:18:19.680 --> 00:18:23.240 they're got the wrong side up here we go noir 300 00:18:23.440 --> 00:18:27.319 Lab dot edu. Is you can read the paper on 301 00:18:27.359 --> 00:18:32.160 that discovery n ir lab dot edu. There's a Space 302 00:18:32.279 --> 00:18:35.960 Nuts Andrew Duncley here with Professor Fred Watson and Bidy Campo, 303 00:18:36.119 --> 00:18:41.240 our guest presenter. Okay, let's take a quick break from 304 00:18:41.279 --> 00:18:43.759 the show to give a shout out to our sponsor, 305 00:18:43.920 --> 00:18:48.119 Nord VPN. 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I've been using nord 325 00:20:03.400 --> 00:20:06.240 for over two years now, and I'll be renewing because 326 00:20:06.240 --> 00:20:09.559 it's hands down the best security for my needs and 327 00:20:09.680 --> 00:20:14.880 probably for yours too. Nord vpn dot com slash space nuts. 328 00:20:15.359 --> 00:20:20.759 All right, let's get back to the show. 329 00:20:18.079 --> 00:20:22.200 Three space nuts. 330 00:20:22.559 --> 00:20:26.640 Now, well, let's get onto this story, which the popular 331 00:20:26.680 --> 00:20:32.319 press absolutely loves. It's Elon Musk, SpaceX founder headed for Mars. Well, 332 00:20:32.359 --> 00:20:36.480 not personally, although some might say we'd like to see 333 00:20:36.519 --> 00:20:41.160 that happen, but it's more about his preparation to colonize Mars, 334 00:20:41.200 --> 00:20:45.720 and they're looking at a timeline now to send a 335 00:20:47.880 --> 00:20:51.880 mission at the end of next year. That's correct, but 336 00:20:51.960 --> 00:20:55.799 not with people, not with people. Hang on a second, hid, 337 00:20:55.839 --> 00:20:59.880 he's got to leave us. Oh thanks for jumping in 338 00:21:00.119 --> 00:21:01.440 just to learn the ropes. 339 00:21:01.480 --> 00:21:03.720 I'm sure you didn't learn anything, but. 340 00:21:05.319 --> 00:21:07.279 Well, we'll catch up with you real soon and when 341 00:21:07.319 --> 00:21:13.480 you take over his host Thanks heardy see you too, Yes, 342 00:21:13.599 --> 00:21:15.720 Elon off after Mars, friend. 343 00:21:16.440 --> 00:21:21.039 That's right. So you know this is Helon sort of 344 00:21:21.400 --> 00:21:27.680 mapping out his plans for for getting to Mars, which 345 00:21:28.440 --> 00:21:34.400 it has to be said, all right, I'll say unrealistically ambitious. 346 00:21:38.720 --> 00:21:42.240 I mean, we've just had what was it, Starship eight, 347 00:21:43.559 --> 00:21:48.319 which was the eighth test launch of the Starship vehicle, 348 00:21:48.400 --> 00:21:52.680 which consists of a booster which is the Falcon Super 349 00:21:52.680 --> 00:21:57.599 Heavy with the Starship vehicle itself perchached on top. Starship 350 00:21:57.599 --> 00:22:05.799 eight the mixed success. The booster landed successfully with the 351 00:22:06.319 --> 00:22:09.440 what's he called the chopstick mechanism on the launch pad, 352 00:22:09.519 --> 00:22:13.039 so it returns back to its launch pad. Incredible technology, 353 00:22:13.240 --> 00:22:18.480 unbelievable stuff. But the Starship itself blew up, sorry rapid 354 00:22:19.559 --> 00:22:25.559 what was it rapid on scheduled disassembly. Yeah. So, but 355 00:22:26.079 --> 00:22:27.880 the point I was going to make was Starship nine 356 00:22:27.960 --> 00:22:32.519 is following close on its heels because Elon is happy 357 00:22:32.680 --> 00:22:38.079 to keep getting these things going until it works, as 358 00:22:38.240 --> 00:22:41.359 it did with the whole Falcon nine business when you 359 00:22:41.400 --> 00:22:44.160 know they were practicing trying to bring spacecraft back to 360 00:22:44.240 --> 00:22:47.319 their launch site. Took a long time to get it right. 361 00:22:47.720 --> 00:22:53.200 Now is absolutely just standard, it's just the normal situation. 362 00:22:53.640 --> 00:22:57.000 And I think the record is now. I think it's 363 00:22:57.039 --> 00:23:00.640 twenty six flights that one Falcon nine booster has made, 364 00:23:01.279 --> 00:23:05.200 and that you know, it's such a cost cutting mechanism. 365 00:23:05.279 --> 00:23:08.880 It's brilliant stuff. Anyway, going back to Starship, so. 366 00:23:09.440 --> 00:23:12.319 I was just going to say, for all his faults 367 00:23:12.359 --> 00:23:17.519 and critics, you've got to applaud him for the rapidity 368 00:23:17.720 --> 00:23:22.720 of his development process. He finds the problems, fast fixes them, 369 00:23:22.839 --> 00:23:27.359 and perfects these things in no time. It's quite remarkable. 370 00:23:28.799 --> 00:23:34.559 It is extraordinary, that's right, an extraordinary person in every way. Anyway. 371 00:23:35.680 --> 00:23:38.599 One of the reasons why he's got such haste to 372 00:23:38.640 --> 00:23:41.960 get Starship to work, well, there's two really. The main one, 373 00:23:42.000 --> 00:23:45.400 perhaps is that he's contracted to NASA for Starship to 374 00:23:45.400 --> 00:23:49.279 be the landing vehicle to get astronauts on the Moon 375 00:23:49.599 --> 00:23:54.799 for the Artemis three flight, which currently is scheduled for 376 00:23:54.880 --> 00:23:59.079 twenty twenty seven. That's got to be right to get 377 00:23:59.119 --> 00:24:04.160 these astronauts down on the surface and back again into 378 00:24:04.480 --> 00:24:06.440 an orbit that will take them back to Earth. That 379 00:24:07.039 --> 00:24:10.000 is very much part of the schedule. At the moment, 380 00:24:11.000 --> 00:24:14.480 So he's got to make starship work, but at the 381 00:24:14.480 --> 00:24:19.640 moment it's not doing the orbitr itself. But the other 382 00:24:19.920 --> 00:24:24.400 reason is that he wants to send a starship to 383 00:24:24.519 --> 00:24:28.039 Mars at the end of twenty twenty six. And the 384 00:24:28.119 --> 00:24:30.519 reason for that imperative is, as you and I have 385 00:24:30.559 --> 00:24:34.440 spoken about many times, the windows for launching vehicles to 386 00:24:34.480 --> 00:24:37.640 Mars come every two years and two months. The next 387 00:24:37.720 --> 00:24:40.559 one is late in twenty twenty six, and that's the 388 00:24:40.559 --> 00:24:44.279 one he wants to wants to get Otherwise it will 389 00:24:44.319 --> 00:24:48.559 be twenty twenty nine, and that's you know, when the 390 00:24:48.559 --> 00:24:54.640 next window opens. So Elon is planning a robotic motion, sorry, 391 00:24:54.640 --> 00:25:00.000 a robotic flights to Mars with actually they're currently under 392 00:25:00.079 --> 00:25:03.920 development humanoid robot which is called Optimus on board, So 393 00:25:03.960 --> 00:25:07.279 there will be a humanoid robot on this thing. He's 394 00:25:07.319 --> 00:25:11.920 talking about twenty twenty six, and perhaps a landing as 395 00:25:11.960 --> 00:25:16.880 well on Mars in twenty twenty six or it be yes, 396 00:25:16.920 --> 00:25:20.119 it will be twenty twenty seven when the landing took place. 397 00:25:20.480 --> 00:25:24.519 So that's a very very ambitious schedule. It's got to 398 00:25:24.519 --> 00:25:26.799 get the thing right so it doesn't blow up on 399 00:25:26.920 --> 00:25:31.640 launch or when it's in orbit insertion, and it would 400 00:25:31.640 --> 00:25:35.119 be a real phillip if he could actually get a 401 00:25:35.119 --> 00:25:38.160