Speaker 1: Welcome to Astronomy Daily, your daily dose of the most
Speaker 1: exciting developments in space science and exploration. I'm your host, Anna,
Speaker 1: and today we've got an absolutely packed show with stories
Speaker 1: from across the cosmos. We'll be diving into a mysterious
Speaker 1: fast radio burst that's challenging everything we thought we knew
Speaker 1: about these enigmatic signals, and we'll explore record breaking supersonic
Speaker 1: winds on a distant exoplanet that would make Earth's strongest
Speaker 1: hurricanes look like a gentle breeze. We'll also look at
Speaker 1: some groundbreaking achievements in space technology, including a remarkable breakthrough
Speaker 1: in oxygen production aboard China's space station and a historic
Speaker 1: first for European space launches. Plus, we've got fascinating new
Speaker 1: discoveries about rapidly spinning black holes and innovative plans for
Speaker 1: powering future lunar missions. So strap in as we embark
Speaker 1: on this cosmic journey through the latest and most captivating
Speaker 1: space news of the day. Scientists have made a fascinating
Speaker 1: discovery that's challenging our understanding of one of space's most
Speaker 1: mysterious phenomena, Fast radio bursts FRBs, a newly detected burst
Speaker 1: designated FRB two zero two four zero two zero nine A,
Speaker 1: has been found in a place we wouldn't expect, on
Speaker 1: the outskirts of an ancient, dead elliptical galaxy. These FRBs
Speaker 1: are incredibly energetic pulses of radio light that flash across
Speaker 1: the universe for just milliseconds. Since their first discovery in
Speaker 1: two thousand and seven, we've detected over one thousand of them,
Speaker 1: but this one is special. Until now, we've only found
Speaker 1: FRBs in young, active galaxies where stars are still being born.
Speaker 1: What makes this discovery particularly intriguing is that this FRB
Speaker 1: was detected in a galaxy that's eleven point three billion
Speaker 1: years old, practically a cosmic senior citizen. Not only that,
Speaker 1: but it's located in an unusual spot, about one hundred
Speaker 1: thirty thousand light years from the galaxy center, in a
Speaker 1: region where very few stars exist. The leading theory has
Speaker 1: been that FRBs come from magnetars highly magnetized neutron stars
Speaker 1: formed when massive stars die in spectacular supernova explosions, but
Speaker 1: this new discovery doesn't fit that explanation. The galaxy where
Speaker 1: this FRB was found is simply too old and inactive
Speaker 1: to support the formation of new magnetars through this process.
Speaker 1: The burst was first picked up in February twenty twenty
Speaker 1: four by the Canadian Hydrogen Intensity Mapping Experiment, and it
Speaker 1: wasn't just a one time event. Between February and July,
Speaker 1: it pulsed twenty one more times, giving scientists plenty of
Speaker 1: opportunities to study its behavior. This discovery suggests we might
Speaker 1: need to rethink our theories about FRBs, As Northwestern Universities
Speaker 1: one five Fong puts it, just when we think we
Speaker 1: understand an astrophysical phenomenon, the universe throws us a curveball.
Speaker 1: It's possible there could be a whole subclass of FRBs
Speaker 1: associated with older systems that were only now beginning to understand.
Speaker 1: At just two billion light years from Earth, this FRB
Speaker 1: is giving us a front row seat to what might
Speaker 1: be an entirely new cat category of cosmic phenomena, reminding
Speaker 1: us once again that the universe still has plenty of
Speaker 1: surprises in store for us. And here's another surprising discovery
Speaker 1: for you. Hold on to your telescopes because astronomers have
Speaker 1: just discovered something extraordinary on the distant exoplanet WASP one
Speaker 1: hundred twenty seven B. Using the European Southern Observatories very
Speaker 1: large telescope in Chile, they've detected the fastest planetary winds
Speaker 1: ever measured, and we're talking about speeds that make Earth's
Speaker 1: most violent storms look like gentle breezes. These incredible winds
Speaker 1: are whipping around WASP one hundred twenty seven bees equator
Speaker 1: at a mind boggling thirty three thousand kilometers per hour.
Speaker 1: To put that in perspective, that's nearly six times faster
Speaker 1: than the planet's rotation speed. Even Neptune, which held the
Speaker 1: previous record for fastest winds in our Solar system, only
Speaker 1: manages speeds of about one thousand, eight hundred kilometers per hour.
Speaker 1: WASP one hundred twenty seven B itself is quite the
Speaker 1: fascinating world. Located about five hundred light years away. It's
Speaker 1: slightly larger than Jupiter but much less dense, earning it
Speaker 1: the nickname Puffy Planet. What makes these observations even more
Speaker 1: remarkable is that scientists have detected a clear pattern in
Speaker 1: these supersonic winds. One side of the atmosphere is racing
Speaker 1: toward us, while the other side is moving away at
Speaker 1: the same incredible speed. The research team's observations have revealed
Speaker 1: more than just wind speeds. They've confirmed the presence of water, vapor,
Speaker 1: and carbon monoxide in the planet's atmosphere, and discovered that
Speaker 1: its poles are cooler than the rest of the planet.
Speaker 1: There's even a slight temperature difference between its morning and
Speaker 1: evening sides, showing that this distant world has complex weather
Speaker 1: patterns similar to what we see in our own Solar System.
Speaker 1: This discovery is particularly significant because until recently, astronomers could
Speaker 1: only measure basic characteristics of exoplanets, like their mass and radius. Now,
Speaker 1: thanks to advanced instruments like those on the Very Large Telescope,
Speaker 1: we can actually map the weather on these distant worlds
Speaker 1: and analyze their atmospheres in detail. This is helping us
Speaker 1: better understand not just how these planets formed, but potentially
Speaker 1: giving us insights into the origins of our own Solar System.
Speaker 1: What's particularly interesting is that this kind of detailed observation
Speaker 1: can currently only be done from ground based observatories. Even
Speaker 1: our most advanced space telescopes don't yet have the velocity
Speaker 1: precision needed for these measurements, but with new facilities like
Speaker 1: the Extremely Large Telescope under construction. We're looking forward to
Speaker 1: exploring even finer details of these alien weather patterns, and
Speaker 1: maybe even studying the atmospheres of smaller rocky planets. Meanwhile,
Speaker 1: a bit closer to Earth, the science goes on in
Speaker 1: a groundbreaking development aboard China's Tiangong space station, the Shenzo
Speaker 1: nineteen crew has successfully demonstrated the world's first in orbit
Speaker 1: artificial photosynthesis technology. This remarkable achievement isn't just about growing
Speaker 1: plants in space. It's about creating oxygen and rocket fuel
Speaker 1: components right there in orbit, marking a significant leap forward
Speaker 1: in our ability to sustain long term space missions. The
Speaker 1: experiments took place in a relatively simple drawer shaped device
Speaker 1: where semiconductor catalysts work their magic by converting carbon dioxide
Speaker 1: and water into oxygen and ethylene, a hydrocarbon that can
Speaker 1: be used to create spacecraft propellants. What makes this particularly
Speaker 1: impressive is that, unlike conventional methods that require high temperatures
Speaker 1: and pressure, this process works efficiently at room temperature and
Speaker 1: standard atmospheric pressure. This innovation could be a game changer
Speaker 1: for space exploration. Currently, the International Space Station relies on
Speaker 1: electrolysis for its oxygen needs a process that consumes about
Speaker 1: one third of the station's total life support energy. While effective,
Speaker 1: this method simply wouldn't be practical for long duration missions
Speaker 1: to the Moon or Mars. The new Chinese technology offers
Speaker 1: a more energy efficient alternative that could help solve one
Speaker 1: of the biggest challenge in space exploration, how to keep
Speaker 1: astronauts breathing without constantly resupplying from Earth. The implications go
Speaker 1: beyond just producing oxygen. The system is cleverly designed to
Speaker 1: be upgraded while in orbit, allowing scientists to test different
Speaker 1: catalysts and reactions. By adjusting the catalyst, they can produce
Speaker 1: various useful products, including methane for propulsion or formic acid
Speaker 1: that could be used to synthesize sugars. This flexibility could
Speaker 1: prove invaluable for future space missions where resources need to
Speaker 1: be carefully managed and recycled. This development positions China at
Speaker 1: the forefront of sustainable space technologies, demonstrating a crucial capability
Speaker 1: that will be essential for humanity's long term presence in
Speaker 1: space as we look toward establishing permanent bases on the
Speaker 1: Moon and eventual missions to Mars. The ability to generate
Speaker 1: essential resources like oxygen and fuel in situ could be
Speaker 1: the key to making these ambitious goals achievable. And some
Speaker 1: news for our European listeners. Europe has just marked a
Speaker 1: historic milestone in its space exploration journey, with German startup
Speaker 1: Rocket Factory Augsburg securing the first ever license for vertical
Speaker 1: rocket launches from mainland Europe. This groundbreaking authorization from the
Speaker 1: UK Civil Aviation Authority allows them to conduct launches from
Speaker 1: the sax of Word Spaceport, located on the remote Shetland
Speaker 1: Islands off Scotland's coast. The license permits up to ten
Speaker 1: launches per calendar year, with a maximum of two launches
Speaker 1: within any given month. This careful regulation emphasizes both public
Speaker 1: safety and environmental impact considerations. For RFA, this isn't just
Speaker 1: a regulatory win, it's a powerful endorsement of their technical
Speaker 1: capabilities and represents a significant shift in European space innovation.
Speaker 1: The company has already made significant progress in their launch preparations,
Speaker 1: though they faced a setback last August when a static
Speaker 1: fire test of their RFA one rockets first stage ended
Speaker 1: in an explosion. However, they're now back on track, focusing
Speaker 1: on building a new first stage equipped with nine helix
Speaker 1: staged combustion engines. The good news is that other crucial components,
Speaker 1: including the second stage, third stage, orbital transfer vehicle and
Speaker 1: the faring are already flight qualified. This development is part
Speaker 1: of a broader emergence of European launch startups, with companies
Speaker 1: from Germany, Spain and the United Kingdom all working to
Speaker 1: develop their own orbital rockets. The Sacks of Word spaceport
Speaker 1: isn't alone either. Similar facilities in Norway and Sweden are
Speaker 1: also preparing to host launches, signaling a new era of
Speaker 1: European space capability. What we're witnessing is nothing less than
Speaker 1: the dawn of a new commercial space age in Europe.
Speaker 1: After decades of relying on launches from French Guiana, Europe
Speaker 1: is finally developing the infrastructure and capability to send rockets
Speaker 1: into orbit from its own soil, marking a significant step
Speaker 1: toward independent access to space. Now our obligatory black hole
Speaker 1: story for the day, and it's a beauty in a
Speaker 1: fast discovery that's reshaping our understanding of the cosmos. Astronomers
Speaker 1: have found that supermassive black holes are spinning much faster
Speaker 1: than we previously believed. This revelation comes from an extensive
Speaker 1: survey conducted by the Sloane Digital Sky Survey's Reverberation Mapping project,
Speaker 1: which looked at black holes spanning billions of years of
Speaker 1: cosmic history. What makes this finding particularly intriguing is that
Speaker 1: these rapid spin rates are telling us something fundamental about
Speaker 1: how these cosmic giants grew over time. The traditional view
Speaker 1: suggested that supermassive black holes primarily got bigger through dramatic
Speaker 1: galaxy mergers. However, these new measurements are painting a very
Speaker 1: different picture. The research team found that black holes from
Speaker 1: about ten billion years ago were spinning particularly fast, faster
Speaker 1: than their more recent counterparts. This suggests that rather than
Speaker 1: growing through violent mergers, these ancient cosmic monsters built up
Speaker 1: their mass more gradually, consuming nearby gas and dust in
Speaker 1: a smooth, controlled manner. It's like watching a graceful dancer
Speaker 1: rather than a chaotic mosh pit. What's even more surprising
Speaker 1: is that when galaxies merge, it actually tends to slow
Speaker 1: down the spin of their central black holes. This helps
Speaker 1: explain why we see a mix of different spin rates
Speaker 1: in more recent times, rather than the more uniform rapid
Speaker 1: spins we observe in the early universe. These findings are
Speaker 1: opening up exciting new directions for black hole research. The
Speaker 1: James Webb Space Telescope is continually discovering more distant supermassive
Speaker 1: black holes for scientists to study, and detailed follow up
Speaker 1: observations will help us better understand how these mysterious objects
Speaker 1: grow and evolved over cosmic time. It's like doing cosmic archaeology,
Speaker 1: piecing together the history of the universe's most enigmatic objects.
Speaker 1: This research challenges our previous assumptions about black hole formation
Speaker 1: and growth, reminding us once again that the universe often
Speaker 1: has surprising ways of doing things that were only just
Speaker 1: beginning to understand. In further Chinese space news, today, Chinese
Speaker 1: researchers have unveiled an innovative solution to one of the
Speaker 1: biggest challenges in lunar exploration, keeping spacecraft powered during the
Speaker 1: long lunar night. They're exploring the possibility of using laser
Speaker 1: wireless power transmission from satellites orbiting the Moon to supply
Speaker 1: energy to surface vehicles and equipment. The Moon's unique rotation
Speaker 1: means that any given location experiences about fourteen days of
Speaker 1: complete darkness, with temperatures plunging to a bone chilling minus
Speaker 1: two hundred degrees celsius. This poses a significant challenge for
Speaker 1: solar powered spacecraft, which need to maintain some level of
Speaker 1: power just to survive these extreme conditions. This laser system
Speaker 1: could be particularly valuable for exploring permanently shadowed craters near
Speaker 1: the lunar poles. These craters, never touched by direct sunlight,
Speaker 1: are thought to contain valuable water ice, a crucial resource
Speaker 1: for future lunar operations. Traditional power solutions like radioisotope generators
Speaker 1: have limited output and are expensive, while nuclear reactors, though powerful,
Speaker 1: bring their own set of safety and complexity concerns. The
Speaker 1: concept works by using laser beams to transmit power wirelessly
Speaker 1: from orbiting satellites to receivers on the lunar surface, which
Speaker 1: then convert the light into usable electricity. While promising, the
Speaker 1: technology still faces several hurdles, including improving efficiency, managing transmission ranges,
Speaker 1: and solving various operational challenges. This research ties into China's
Speaker 1: ambitious international Lunar Research Station plans, with missions planned for
Speaker 1: twenty twenty six and twenty twenty eight to explore the
Speaker 1: lunar South Pole. As they work toward establishing a permanent
Speaker 1: presence on the Moon in the twenty thirties. Solving the
Speaker 1: energy supply challenge will be crucial for sustainable lunar exploration
Speaker 1: and development. While the technology is still in development, it
Speaker 1: sense a potentially game changing approach to powering lunar missions,
Speaker 1: offering flexibility and scalability in the vacuum of space. It's
Speaker 1: another step forward in humanity's ongoing efforts to establish a
Speaker 1: lasting presence on our celestial neighbor. Well. That brings us
Speaker 1: to the end of another fascinating episode of Astronomy Daily.
Speaker 1: From mysterious radio bursts to supersonic planetary wins and groundbreaking
Speaker 1: developments in space technology, it's been quite a journey through
Speaker 1: the cosmos today. If you'd like to stay up to
Speaker 1: date with all the latest space and astronomy news, head
Speaker 1: over to our website at Astronomy Daily dot io. There
Speaker 1: you'll find our constantly updating news feed and can catch
Speaker 1: up on all our previous episodes, and don't forget to
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Speaker 1: That way, you'll never miss an episode as we continue
Speaker 1: to explore the wonders of space together. This has been
Speaker 1: Anna with Astronomy Daily. Until next time, keep looking up.
Speaker 1: There's always something amazing happening in our universe. Star Star
Speaker 1: Snary