Speaker 1: Welcome to Bedtime Astronomy. Explore the wonders of the cosmos
Speaker 1: with our soothing Bedtime Astronomy podcast. Each episode offers a
Speaker 1: gentle journey through the stars, planets, and beyond, perfect for
Speaker 1: unwinding after a long day. Let's travel through the mysteries
Speaker 1: of the universe as you drift off into a peaceful
Speaker 1: slumber under the night sky. Supercomputer creates the biggest simulation
Speaker 1: of the universe. A team of scientists at the Department
Speaker 1: of Energi's are Gone National Laboratory has achieved a groundbreaking
Speaker 1: feat in astrophysics by creating the largest ever simulation of
Speaker 1: the universe using one of the world's most advanced supercomputers, Frontier.
Speaker 1: They have modeled the cosmos on an unprecedented scale, comparable
Speaker 1: to the vastness observed by some of the most powerful telescopes. Frontier,
Speaker 1: located at oak Ridge National Laboratory in Tennessee, represents a
Speaker 1: monumental leap in computational technology. As one of the first
Speaker 1: exascale supercomputers, its capabilities have allowed researchers to delve deeper
Speaker 1: into the mysteries of the universe than ever before. The
Speaker 1: Frontier supercomputer was initially the most powerful computational tool in
Speaker 1: the world, only recently surpassed by L. Cappy Tan at
Speaker 1: the Lawrence Livermore National Laboratory. Both machines fall into the
Speaker 1: category of exascale computing, a technology so advanced that it
Speaker 1: requires innovative programming techniques to harness its full potential. With Frontier,
Speaker 1: scientists conducted a simulation covering a volume of the universe
Speaker 1: stretching ten billion light years bis. Immense scale was accompanied
Speaker 1: by intricate modeling of dark matter, dark energy, gas dynamics,
Speaker 1: star formation, and black hole growth. The goal is to
Speaker 1: gain insights into fundamental astrophysical processes, including the formation of
Speaker 1: galaxies and the evolution of the universe's large scale structure.
Speaker 1: The simulations performed on Frontier are part of a field
Speaker 1: known as cosmological hydrodynamics. This approach combines the study of
Speaker 1: the universe's overall structure with the detailed physics of gas,
Speaker 1: stars and black holes. By integrating these elements, scientists can
Speaker 1: explore the complex interplay of gravity, gas dynamics, and stellar processes.
Speaker 1: Such work would be impossible without supercomputers due to the
Speaker 1: sheer complexity and volume of calculations require Frontier, with its
Speaker 1: extraordinary computational power, consumes around twenty one megawatts of electricity,
Speaker 1: enough to power approximately fifteen thousand homes. Despite this significant
Speaker 1: energy demand, the results are transformative. Simulating the universe at
Speaker 1: this scale allows researchers to replicate conditions observed by massive
Speaker 1: surveys like those conducted by the Reuben Observatory in Chile.
Speaker 1: By incorporating physical realism, including the effects of baryonic matter
Speaker 1: and dynamic physics, these simulations transcend the older gravity only models.
Speaker 1: They enable scientists to explore billions of years of cosmic
Speaker 1: history and to compare their results directly with modern observational data.
Speaker 1: This iterative process of simulation and compare Garrison refines our
Speaker 1: understanding of the universe, offering a more accurate picture of
Speaker 1: its origins and development. Frontier's achievements extend beyond astrophysics. The
Speaker 1: supercomputer has also set records in other scientific fields, including
Speaker 1: the largest ever simulation of water at the atomic level,
Speaker 1: modeling four hundred and sixty six billion atoms. This work
Speaker 1: is a stepping stone toward even more ambitious projects, such
Speaker 1: as simulating a living cell. Frontiers applications span nuclear fission
Speaker 1: and fusion research, advanced materials development, climate change modeling, and
Speaker 1: medical breakthroughs like drug discovery and disease modeling. The interplay
Speaker 1: between computational simulations and observational astronomy is becoming increasingly vital.
Speaker 1: Modern astronomy generates vast amounts of data, demanding tools like
Speaker 1: Frontier to process and interpret it effectively. By simulating different
Speaker 1: initial conditions and comparing the outcomes to observational data, scientists
Speaker 1: refine their theoretical wobbling moons of Uranus may reveal hidden
Speaker 1: oceans beneath the ice. Subsurface oceans are a fascinating feature
Speaker 1: of moons in the Solar System, particularly those orbiting Jupiter
Speaker 1: and Saturn. These oceans, hidden beneath thick icy crusts, have
Speaker 1: drawn significant attention due to their potential to harbor life. Now,
Speaker 1: researchers are investigating whether similar subsurface oceans exist on the
Speaker 1: icy moons of Uranus and Neptune. A new study proposes
Speaker 1: that future missions these distant worlds could detect the presence
Speaker 1: of such oceans by analyzing the rotation and wobbling motion
Speaker 1: of the moons. If a moon wobbles significantly, it might
Speaker 1: indicate that its icy crust is floating on a subsurface
Speaker 1: ocean of liquid water. Conversely, a lack of wobble suggests
Speaker 1: the Moon is mostly solid urinous. The seventh planet from
Speaker 1: the Sun is classified as an ice giant due to
Speaker 1: its composition and structure. It has a diameter of approximately
Speaker 1: fifty thousand, seven hundred and twenty four kilometers and is
Speaker 1: surrounded by a system of twenty seven known moons, which
Speaker 1: are divided into three groups based on their size and
Speaker 1: orbital characteristics large moons, small inner moons, and irregular outer moons.
Speaker 1: Among these, Titania is the largest. This moon consists of
Speaker 1: nearly equal parts rock and ice, and exhibits a surface
Speaker 1: marked by ancient craters, as well as younger geological features
Speaker 1: like fault lines and cryovolcanic activity. The icy moons of
Speaker 1: the Solar System are especially intriguing for their potential to
Speaker 1: support life. For instance, Europa, one of Jupiter's moons, boasts
Speaker 1: a subsurface ocean beneath its thirty kilometer thick icy shell.
Speaker 1: This ocean is believed to be about one hundred kilometers
Speaker 1: deep and is kept liquid by internal heat generated through
Speaker 1: tidal interactions with Jupiter. This phenomenon has made Europa a
Speaker 1: prime candidate in the search for extraterrestrial life. On Earth.
Speaker 1: Organisms have been discovered thriving in extreme environments, such as
Speaker 1: the hydrothermal vents at the bottom of our oceans, which
Speaker 1: do not rely on sunlight for energy. Similar conditions might
Speaker 1: exist on Europa or other icy moons, baking them excellent
Speaker 1: targets for exploration. Our understanding of the Outer Solar System
Speaker 1: has been greatly enriched by the Voyager and Pioneer missions
Speaker 1: which visited the region about four decades ago. Although these
Speaker 1: missions were equipped with relatively basic imaging technology, they provided
Speaker 1: a wealth of data. Today, NASA is planning a new
Speaker 1: mission to Uranus, equipped with modern technology, to further investigate
Speaker 1: its moons, rings, and atmosphere. A research team at the
Speaker 1: University of Texas Institute for Geophysics is developing a novel
Speaker 1: technique to detect subsurface oceans using advanced imaging systems. This
Speaker 1: method involves capturing high resolution images of the moons and
Speaker 1: analyzing their rotational wobbles. By measuring these wobbles, scientists can
Speaker 1: infer the internal composition of the moons. A minimal wobble
Speaker 1: would indicate a solid interior while a more pronounced wobble
Speaker 1: could suggest that the icy crust is floating on a
Speaker 1: liquid ocean. Although the amplitude of such wobbles is extremely small,
Speaker 1: on the order of less than one hundred meters, modern
Speaker 1: imaging technology is precise enough to detect these subtle movements.
Speaker 1: For example, theoretical calculations by planetary scientists Dug Hemingway and
Speaker 1: his team suggests that if Uranus's moon aerial exhibits a
Speaker 1: wobble of about one hundred meters, it could indicate the
Speaker 1: presence of an ocean approximately one hundred and sixty kilometers
Speaker 1: thick encased within a thirty kilometer thick ice shell. These
Speaker 1: findings are helping to refine mission designs, offering critical insights
Speaker 1: to maximize scientific discoveries when exploring Uranus's moons. This approach
Speaker 1: not only advances our understanding of these distant worlds, but
Speaker 1: also enhances the possibility of uncovering environments that might support life.
Speaker 1: Nancy Grace Roman Telescope a new eye on the universe.
Speaker 1: NASA's Nancy Grace Roman Space Telescope has reached a significant
Speaker 1: milestone with the successful delivery of its optical telescope assembly
Speaker 1: to NASA's Goddard Space Flight Center in Greenbelt, Maryland. BIS
Speaker 1: pivotal component, designed and constructed by L three Harris Technologies
Speaker 1: in Rochester, New York, represents the culmination of cutting edge
Speaker 1: engineering and innovation. The assembly is a vital part of
Speaker 1: the telescope, comprising a highly advanced primary mirror alongside nine
Speaker 1: other meticulously designed mirrors. Together with structural supports and sophisticated
Speaker 1: electronic systems, this assembly forms the telescope's eye, enabling it
Speaker 1: to capture faint infrared light from the farthest reaches of
Speaker 1: the cosmos. This delivery is a critical step in the
Speaker 1: development of the Roman Space Telescope, which is set to
Speaker 1: redefine our understanding of the universe. The telescope is designed
Speaker 1: to explore some of the most profound questions in astrophysics,
Speaker 1: including the nature of dark energy, the process is underlying
Speaker 1: galaxy formation and the characterization of planetary systems beyond our
Speaker 1: Solar system. By leveraging its powerful observational capabilities, the Roman
Speaker 1: Space Telescisco aims to expand humanity's knowledge of the cosmos
Speaker 1: and uncover insights that were once thought unattainable. The scale
Speaker 1: and complexity of the Roman Space Telescope demand extraordinary precision
Speaker 1: and dedication. Every aspect of its construction reflects a commitment
Speaker 1: to excellence, as this observatory is not merely a technological marvel,
Speaker 1: but also a tool designed to tackle some of the
Speaker 1: most enigmatic scientific challenges. The telescope's advanced optics and instruments
Speaker 1: will provide unprecedented capabilities for conducting large scale sky surveys,
Speaker 1: surpassing even the groundbreaking achievements of its predecessor, the Hubble
Speaker 1: Space Telescope. With the optical telescope assembly now at NASA Goddard,
Speaker 1: the project moves closer to realization. This sophisticated observatory promises
Speaker 1: to rub evolutionize astronomy by providing a window into the
Speaker 1: distant universe, enabling discoveries that will reshape our understanding of
Speaker 1: the cosmos. M