Speaker 1: Welcome to Astronomy Daily, your go to podcast for the
Speaker 1: latest and most exciting developments in space and astronomy. I'm
Speaker 1: your host, Anna, and I'm thrilled to bring you another
Speaker 1: episode packed with cosmic wonders and scientific breakthroughs.
Speaker 2: Today, we've got a stellar.
Speaker 1: Lineup of stories that will take us from the farthest
Speaker 1: reaches of the universe to our own cosmic backyard. We'll
Speaker 1: explore record setting jets from a distant black hole, witness
Speaker 1: a dramatic rocket launch abort, celebrate the hidden figures of
Speaker 1: NASA's past, ponder the possibility of ancient Earth sporting Saturn
Speaker 1: like rings, and even discuss the potential for space lasers
Speaker 1: in planetary defense.
Speaker 2: So buckle up and prepare.
Speaker 1: For liftoff as we embark on this cosmic journey together,
Speaker 1: Let's dive into the fascinating world of space science and
Speaker 1: exploration on this episode of Astronomy Daily. In a groundbreaking discovery,
Speaker 1: astronomers have detected the largest known jets of energy shooting
Speaker 1: from a super massive black hole. These colossal beams extend
Speaker 1: an astonishing twenty three million light years from end to end,
Speaker 1: dwarfing our in higher Milky Way galaxy. The black hole
Speaker 1: responsible for this cosmic spectacle is located in a galaxy
Speaker 1: about seven point five billion light years from Earth. To
Speaker 1: put that in perspective, we're observing an event that occurred
Speaker 1: when the universe was less than.
Speaker 2: Half its current age.
Speaker 1: These jets, nicknamed Porphyrion after a giant from Greek mythology,
Speaker 1: are truly massive. They're about thirty percent longer than the
Speaker 1: previous record holder, making them the most extensive structures of
Speaker 1: their kind ever observed.
Speaker 2: But what exactly are these jets.
Speaker 1: They're made up of subatomic particles electrons and positrons, along
Speaker 1: with magnetic fields, all moving at nearly the speed of light.
Speaker 1: These particles are ejected from the area around the black
Speaker 1: hole as it devours nearby matter like gas, dust, and
Speaker 1: even entire stars. The energy output of these jets is
Speaker 1: mind boggling. Scientists estimate its equivalent to the energy released
Speaker 1: by trillions of stars like our Sun, or the amount
Speaker 1: produced when entire galaxy clusters collide. This discovery isn't just
Speaker 1: about breaking records, though, it provides valuable insights into how
Speaker 1: black holes influence their surroundings on a truly enormous scale.
Speaker 1: These jets can heat up interstellar gas, potentially affecting star
Speaker 1: formation across vast regions of space. They might even play
Speaker 1: a role in distributing energy and magnetic fields throughout the
Speaker 1: cosmic web, the large scale structure of the universe. The
Speaker 1: observation was made possible by LOFAR, a network of radio
Speaker 1: antennas primarily based in the Netherlands. This cutting edge technology
Speaker 1: allows astronomers to peer deeper into the universe and uncover
Speaker 1: phenomena that push the boundaries of our understanding of cosmic processes.
Speaker 1: As we continue to explore the depths of space, discoveries
Speaker 1: like Porphyrion remind us of the immense power and influence
Speaker 1: of supermassive black holes in shaping our universe. In space
Speaker 1: launch news, rocket Lab experienced a last second abort during
Speaker 1: their latest mission attempt. The company's Electron rocket was poised
Speaker 1: to lift off from New Zealand carrying five Internet of
Speaker 1: Things satellites for the French company QNIE. However, as the
Speaker 1: countdown reached zero and the first stage engines ignited, they
Speaker 1: immediately shut down, resulting in a launch abort. Rocket Lab
Speaker 1: has named this mission Keyness Killed the radiot Star a
Speaker 1: playful nod to the payload and a classic song title.
Speaker 1: This would have been their second launch for Canais, following
Speaker 1: a successful five satellite deployment in June. The aboard occurred
Speaker 1: at the precise moment of the instantaneous launch window, leaving
Speaker 1: no opportunity for a same day retry. Rocket Lab's team
Speaker 1: is now assessing options for the next launch attempt within
Speaker 1: their fourteen day launch window. This mission is part of
Speaker 1: a larger contract between rocket Lab and Kineis, which aims
Speaker 1: to deploy a total of twenty five satellites using the Electron,
Speaker 1: a small but capable rocket standing at fifty nine feet tall.
Speaker 1: Despite this setback, rocket Lab maintains an impressive track record
Speaker 1: with fifty two orbital missions to date, including ten successful
Speaker 1: launches in twenty twenty four alone. Now a story about
Speaker 1: recognition that many would consider long overdue. In a moving
Speaker 1: ceremony at the US Capitol, four trailblazing women of NASA
Speaker 1: were honoured with Congressional Gold Medals for their groundbreaking contributions
Speaker 1: to space exploration. Catherine Johnson, Dorothy Vaughan, Mary Jackson, and
Speaker 1: Christine Darden. The hidden figures behind America's space race success
Speaker 1: were finally given their well deserved recognition. The event, held
Speaker 1: in Emancipation Hall, brought together lawmakers, NASA officials, and family
Speaker 1: members of these remarkable women. NASA Administrator Bill Nelson highlighted
Speaker 1: how their pioneering work laid the foundation for today's achievements
Speaker 1: in space. These African American mathematicians and engineers played crucial
Speaker 1: roles in NASA's early spaceflight programs, from calculating flight trajectories
Speaker 1: to becoming the agency's first black female supervisor and engineer.
Speaker 1: Their stories, largely unknown for decades, were brought to light
Speaker 1: by Margo Lee Shutterley's book Hidden Figures and the subsequent
Speaker 1: film adaptation. The ceremony not only celebrated these four women,
Speaker 1: but also acknowledged the countless others who worked behind the
Speaker 1: scenes at NASA performing critical calculations before the advent of
Speaker 1: electronic computers. This Congressional Gold Medal, one of the highest
Speaker 1: civilian honors in the United States, serves as a testament
Speaker 1: to their enduring legacy and the impact they've had on
Speaker 1: generations of scientists and engineers. It's a powerful reminder of
Speaker 1: the importance of diversity in scientific advancement, and a long
Speaker 1: overdue recognition of these hidden figures who helped shape America's
Speaker 1: space program. Now, let's turn our attention to a fascinating
Speaker 1: piece of research that's shaking up our understanding of Earth's
Speaker 1: ancient past. A new study suggests that our planet may
Speaker 1: have once sported a ring system similar to Saturn's about
Speaker 1: four hundred and sixty six million years ago. This isn't
Speaker 1: just idle speculation. It's based on some intriguing evidence from
Speaker 1: twenty one crater sites around the world.
Speaker 2: Here's the story.
Speaker 1: Researchers believe that Earth may have captured and destroyed a
Speaker 1: passing asteroid, creating a debris ring that lasted for tens
Speaker 1: of millions of years. This event potentially occurred during the
Speaker 1: Ordovician period, a time when our planet experienced a significant
Speaker 1: increase in asteroid impacts. The team, led by Andy Tompkins
Speaker 1: from Monash University used computer models to map out where
Speaker 1: these craters were when they first formed. Interestingly, all the
Speaker 1: craters were found within thirty degrees of the equator. This
Speaker 1: pattern is consistent with what we'd expect from a debris
Speaker 1: ring orbiting Earth, as such rings typically form above a
Speaker 1: planet's equator. Now, you might be wondering about the implications
Speaker 1: of such a ring system, while the researchers suggest it
Speaker 1: could have had a major impact on Earth's climate. Because
Speaker 1: Earth's axis is tilted relative to its orbit around the Sun,
Speaker 1: this ring would have cast a shadow over parts of
Speaker 1: our planet's surface. This could have contributed to global cooling,
Speaker 1: potentially playing a role in the Hernantean Ice Age, the
Speaker 1: coldest period Earth has experienced in the past five hundred
Speaker 1: million years. Of course, as with all groundbreaking research, more
Speaker 1: evidence is needed to confirm this hypothesis, but it's an
Speaker 1: exciting possibility that gives us a new perspective on Earth's
Speaker 1: dynamic history. Who knows what other surprises our planet might
Speaker 1: be hiding in its geological record. Now, let's talk about
Speaker 1: an intriguing concept that might sound like it's straight out
Speaker 1: of science fiction, using powerful lasers in space for planetary defense.
Speaker 1: A recent study has explored the idea of deploying laser
Speaker 1: arrays in space, primarily for deflecting potentially hazardous asteroids. The concept,
Speaker 1: known as DSTAR, which stands for Directed Energy Systems for
Speaker 1: Targeting of Asteroids and Exploration, involves creating a modular array
Speaker 1: of lasers powered by solar cells. These space based lasers
Speaker 1: could heat the surface of incoming asteroids to about three
Speaker 1: thousand kelvin, hot enough to melt or vaporize their constituents
Speaker 1: and alter their course. Additionally, such a system could potentially
Speaker 1: be used to propel spacecraft. However, with great power comes
Speaker 1: great responsibility. The destructive potential of these laser arrays raises
Speaker 1: concerns about their possible use as weapons. To address this,
Speaker 1: researchers suggest deploying them at safe distances from Earth, where
Speaker 1: they pose no threat to our planet. The size and
Speaker 1: power of the laser array would determine its safe minimum
Speaker 1: distance from Earth. Smaller arrays could pretend be positioned at
Speaker 1: lagrange points between the Earth and Sun, while larger, more
Speaker 1: powerful arrays would need to be placed much further out
Speaker 1: in the Solar System, possibly beyond the asteroid belt or
Speaker 1: even Jupiter's orbit. One challenge is balancing the laser's power
Speaker 1: with available solar energy, which decreases the further the array
Speaker 1: is from the Sun. Engineers would need to consider this
Speaker 1: trade off when designing and positioning these systems.
Speaker 2: While no one is building a.
Speaker 1: D star array just yet, it's crucial to start thinking
Speaker 1: about the implications and potential uses of such technology. As
Speaker 1: we continue to explore space and seek ways to protect
Speaker 1: our planet, concepts like space based lasers may become increasingly
Speaker 1: relevant in our discussions about planetary defense and space exploration.
Speaker 1: And that wraps up today's episode of Astronomy Daily. We've
Speaker 1: covered some truly fascinating developments in space science and exploration,
Speaker 1: from the record setting jets blasting out of a distant
Speaker 1: black hole to the potential for space lasers to protect
Speaker 1: our planet. The universe continues to amaze and challenge us.
Speaker 1: We also celebrated the long overdue recognition of the hidden
Speaker 1: figures who played such a crucial role in NASA's early achievements,
Speaker 1: and explored the intriguing possibility that Earth once had its
Speaker 1: own ring system. I'm Anna, and I've been your host
Speaker 1: for this cosmic journey. If you're hungry for more space
Speaker 1: news and want to stay up to date with the
Speaker 1: latest discoveries, be sure to visit our website at Astronomydaily
Speaker 1: dot io. There you can sign up for our free
Speaker 1: daily newsletter and explore our constantly updating news feed. Don't
Speaker 1: forget to check out all our previous episodes on the
Speaker 1: website as well, and if you want even more Astronomy
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Speaker 2: Thanks for listening and remember to keep looking up.
Speaker 3: Saiday Star Star story is ConTroll