Speaker 1: Hello, and welcome to Astronomy Daily, your gateway to the cosmos.
Speaker 1: I'm Anna, and today we're exploring some fascinating developments across
Speaker 1: our universe, from our neighboring planets to distant galaxies. Coming
Speaker 1: up on today's episode, we'll venture to Mars, where the
Speaker 1: Perseverance Rover has discovered diverse, rocky outcrops on the rim
Speaker 1: of Jesuo Crater, providing new insights into the red planet's
Speaker 1: ancient history. We'll also dive into some celestial mathematics to
Speaker 1: explain why Easter will come unusually late this year despite
Speaker 1: the timing of the full moon. It's a fascinating intersection
Speaker 1: of astronomy and tradition. Then we'll explore research suggesting that
Speaker 1: millions of interstellar objects from Alpha Centauri might be hiding
Speaker 1: in our own solar system, creating connections between star systems
Speaker 1: we never imagine. April is Citizen Science Month, and I'll
Speaker 1: tell you how you can join NASA's ambitious goal of
Speaker 1: achieving one million acts of science and become part of
Speaker 1: real astronomical discoveries. Finally, we'll witness the dramatic awakening of
Speaker 1: a super massive black hole erupting with the most powerful
Speaker 1: X ray blasts ever recorded, challenging scientists understanding of these
Speaker 1: cosmic behemoths. So buckle up for a journey across the
Speaker 1: cosmos as we explore the latest discoveries and wonders of
Speaker 1: our universe. Let's get started with our favorite red planet.
Speaker 1: NASA's Perseverance rover has made a remarkable discovery on the
Speaker 1: rim of Mars's Jazero Crater, stumbling upon a treasure trove
Speaker 1: of diverse, rocky outcrops that have scientists buzzing with excitement.
Speaker 1: Since January, this plucky little rover has been analyzing what
Speaker 1: scientists describe as a hodgepodge of rocks on the crater rim,
Speaker 1: and the findings are proving more valuable than anticipated. Perseverance
Speaker 1: has been working at an impressive pace, couring five rocks
Speaker 1: and successfully sealing samples from three of them in collection tubes.
Speaker 1: It has conducted detailed close up analysis of seven rocks
Speaker 1: while assessing another eighty three from a distance using its
Speaker 1: laser technology. While this might not sound like a substantial
Speaker 1: workload over several months, NASA reports this has actually been
Speaker 1: the rover's fastest science mission since landing on the red planet.
Speaker 1: In twenty twenty one. The rover reached the crater rim
Speaker 1: in December twenty twenty four and has been exploring a
Speaker 1: one hundred and thirty five meter tall slope that scientists
Speaker 1: have nicknamed which Hazel Hill. What makes this location so
Speaker 1: special is the remarkable variety of rock types found in
Speaker 1: close proximity to each other. Project's scientist Katie stack Morgan
Speaker 1: from NASA's Jet Propulsion Laboratory, explains the significance. During previous
Speaker 1: science campaigns in Jezero, it could take several months to
Speaker 1: find a rock that was significantly different from the last
Speaker 1: rock we sampled and scientifically unique enough for sampling. But
Speaker 1: up here on the crater rim there are new and
Speaker 1: intriguing rocks. Everywhere the rover turns. It has been all
Speaker 1: we had hoped for and more. The western rim of
Speaker 1: ja Zero Crater features numerous fragmented rocks that were once molten.
Speaker 1: Scientists bel leave these rocks were brought to the surface
Speaker 1: by meteor impacts billions of years ago, possibly including the
Speaker 1: very impact that created Jesero Crater itself. One particularly exciting
Speaker 1: sample was collected on January twenty eighth from a rock
Speaker 1: dubbed Shallow Bay. This rock likely formed around three point
Speaker 1: nine billion years ago, potentially making it the oldest sample
Speaker 1: collected by the rover so far. About one hundred and
Speaker 1: ten meters away from Shallow Bay, another intriguing rock caught
Speaker 1: scientists attention because it contains minerals that crystallized from magma
Speaker 1: deep within the Martian crust. These diverse mineral compositions are
Speaker 1: crucial for scientists attempting to piece together Mars' geological history.
Speaker 1: By analyzing these rocks, researchers hope to better understand how
Speaker 1: the planet formed and evolved over billions of years, including
Speaker 1: weather conditions were ever suitable for life to exist. The
Speaker 1: abundance and diversity of these rocks will help scientists determine
Speaker 1: if Mars was once habitable and if it might still
Speaker 1: harbor environments that could support life today. Each sample provides
Speaker 1: a window into different periods of Martian history and different
Speaker 1: environmental conditions. As Stack Morgan enthusiastically puts it, the last
Speaker 1: four months have been a whirlwind for the science team,
Speaker 1: and we still feel that which Hazel Hill has more
Speaker 1: to tell us. We'll use all the rover data gathered
Speaker 1: recently to decide if and where to collect the next
Speaker 1: sample from the Crater rim Crater rims. You gotta love them.
Speaker 1: If you've ever wondered why the date of Easter seems
Speaker 1: to jump around the calendar from year to year, you're
Speaker 1: not alone. Easter twenty twenty five is coming particularly late,
Speaker 1: falling on April twentieth, and there's a fascinating astronomical reason
Speaker 1: behind this mobile holiday. Easter's date is determined by what's
Speaker 1: known as the paschal moon, the first full moon that
Speaker 1: occurs on or after the spring equinox. In theory, Easter
Speaker 1: should fall on the Sunday immediately following this full moon.
Speaker 1: This connection between Easter and lunar cycles has ancient ord origins,
Speaker 1: linking the Christian celebration to the Hebrew calendar and Passover.
Speaker 1: In twenty twenty five, the April full moon, traditionally known
Speaker 1: as the pink full moon, will occur on April twelfth.
Speaker 1: Despite its name, this moon won't actually appear pink. The
Speaker 1: name comes from the blooming of moss pink flocks, flowers
Speaker 1: that typically coincide with this lunar event. Since this full
Speaker 1: moon happens after the spring equinox, it's also the paschal
Speaker 1: moon for twenty twenty five. Given this timing, you might
Speaker 1: expect Easter to fall on April thirteenth, the Sunday immediately
Speaker 1: following the Paschal moon. However, Easter twenty twenty five will
Speaker 1: actually be celebrated a full week later, on April twentieth.
Speaker 1: This discrepancy highlights the complex relationship between astronomical observations and
Speaker 1: ecclesiastical rules. The explanation involves the difference between astronomical reality
Speaker 1: and church tradition. While astronomers calculate the exact moment of
Speaker 1: a full moon based on the moon's position relative to
Speaker 1: Earth and the Sun, the Church follows ecclesiastical tables that
Speaker 1: don't always align perfectly with astronomical events. Additionally, there's a
Speaker 1: geographical factor at play. In North America, the Paschal full
Speaker 1: moon occurs on Saturday, April twelfth, but in European longitudes,
Speaker 1: including the Vatican, this same full moon happens after midnight,
Speaker 1: technically placing it on Sunday April thirteenth. Since the first
Speaker 1: Sunday after the Paschal Moon in the Old World would
Speaker 1: be April twentieth, that's when Easter will be celebrated globally.
Speaker 1: The rules for determining Easter's date have other interesting quirks.
Speaker 1: For instance, the Church fixes the vernal equinox on March
Speaker 1: twenty first, even though astronomically it now falls no later
Speaker 1: than March twentieth. This can lead to some peculiar situations.
Speaker 1: In twenty thirty eight, for example, the equinox will fall
Speaker 1: on March twentieth, with a full moon the very next day,
Speaker 1: but Easter won't be celebrated until April twenty fifth, the
Speaker 1: latest possible date it can occur. Easter can fall as
Speaker 1: early as March twenty second, which last happened to eighteen
Speaker 1: eighteen and won't happen again until twenty two eighty five,
Speaker 1: and as late as April twenty fifth. Interestingly, when Easter
Speaker 1: occurs in March, it's always preceded and followed by April Easters.
Speaker 1: In adjacent years. Between two thousand and seven thousand, nine
Speaker 1: hundred and ninety nine, Easter will fall most frequently on
Speaker 1: April nineteenth, occurring on that date two hundred and thirty
Speaker 1: one times. However, if we narrow our focus to just
Speaker 1: this millennium, April sixteenth becomes the most common Easter date.
Speaker 1: So when you mark Easter twenty twenty five on your
Speaker 1: calendar for April twentieth. Remember you're participating in a tradition
Speaker 1: that blends ancient astronomical observations with ecclesiastical calculations, a fascinating
Speaker 1: intersection of science and faith that continues to evolve through
Speaker 1: the centuries. Next up today, have you ever wondered if
Speaker 1: objects from other star systems might be passing through our
Speaker 1: cosmic neighborhood. A fascinating new study from Western University suggests
Speaker 1: that our Solar System could be home to millions of
Speaker 1: interstellar visitors, primarily from our nearest stellar neighbor, Alpha Centauri.
Speaker 1: Astrophysicists Cole Greg and Paul Wiegert have developed a groundbreaking
Speaker 1: computer model that simulates interstellar activity between our Solar System
Speaker 1: and Alpha Centauri. Their research, published in the Planetary Science
Speaker 1: Journal this March, points to Alpha Centauri as a likely
Speaker 1: source of interstellar material found within our Solar system. Alpha
Speaker 1: Centauri is particularly interesting because it's a triple star system,
Speaker 1: unlike our single Sun arrangement. Yet the researchers believe it
Speaker 1: might behave similarly to our own Solar system when it
Speaker 1: comes to ejecting material into space. As Greg explains giant
Speaker 1: planets introduce a degree of chaos, perturbing orbits and giving
Speaker 1: objects the velocity boost they need to escape their star's
Speaker 1: gravitational pull. The model suggests something truly remarkable. Approximately one
Speaker 1: million interstellar objects larger than one hundred meters in diameter
Speaker 1: originating from Alpha Centauri may currently be within our solar
Speaker 1: systems or at cloud, that vast shell of icy objects
Speaker 1: surrounding our planetary neighborhood, and this number is expected to
Speaker 1: increase as Alpha Centauri moves closer to us, with its
Speaker 1: closest approach predicted in about twenty eight thousand years. Assuming
Speaker 1: Alpha Centauri is ejecting material, which it should be, there
Speaker 1: are plenty of reasons to expect some of that material
Speaker 1: is making its way to us, notes Professor Wigert, who
Speaker 1: has discovered more than eighty minor planets during his career.
Speaker 1: This research builds on our understanding of interstellar objects that
Speaker 1: began with the twenty seventeen discovery of um Wahmua, the
Speaker 1: first confirmed interstellar visitor spotted by Western scientist Robert Warrick. Umwahmua,
Speaker 1: a reddish object estimated to be between one hundred and
Speaker 1: one thousand meters long was just the first glimpse of
Speaker 1: what could be a much larger population of interstellar wanderers.
Speaker 1: Before you worry about interstellar impacts, the researchers offer reassurance.
Speaker 1: Their model projects that while as many as ten met
Speaker 1: years from Alpha Centauri might enter Earth's atmosphere annually, these
Speaker 1: would be microscopic, no larger than one hundred micrometers in size.
Speaker 1: In fact, only about one in a trillion meteor striking
Speaker 1: Earth might originate from Alpha centaury. The real significance of
Speaker 1: this research lies in how it transforms our understanding of
Speaker 1: cosmic systems. As Greg eloquently puts it, throughout the history
Speaker 1: of astronomy, every time we look at a system, we
Speaker 1: think of it as a closed system. The galaxy isn't
Speaker 1: a collection of all these individual star systems. Rather, they
Speaker 1: should be studied as an interconnected system, one that shares
Speaker 1: all of this interstellar material among the stars. This interconnected
Speaker 1: view of our galaxy challenges the traditional notion of star
Speaker 1: systems as isolated entities. Instead, it suggests a cosmic ecosystem
Speaker 1: where matter regularly travels between neighboring stars, creating a complex
Speaker 1: web of interstellar exchange that has been ongoing for billions
Speaker 1: of years. Next something you may like to take part in.
Speaker 1: April marks a special time for science enthusiasts around the world.
Speaker 1: It's Citizen Science Month, and NASA is embarking on an
Speaker 1: ambitious mission they're calling one million Acts of Science. This
Speaker 1: initiative aims to harness the collective power of volunteers everywhere
Speaker 1: to help solve some of astronomy's greatest mysteries. Citizen Science
Speaker 1: represents a beautiful intersection of professional research and public participation.
Speaker 1: Through these programs, ordinary people like you and me can
Speaker 1: contribute meaningfully to scientific discovery without specialized degrees or equipment.
Speaker 1: NASA's citizen Science projects are designed to address real world problems,
Speaker 1: protect our planet, and unravel the secrets of the universe.
Speaker 1: The concept is simple yet powerful. By distributing scientific tasks
Speaker 1: across thousands of volunteers, researchers can accomplish what would be
Speaker 1: impossible for even the largest professional teams. Your contribution, combined
Speaker 1: with others around the globe, creates a formidable force for
Speaker 1: scientific advancement. So what exactly counts as an act of science?
Speaker 1: It could be as straightforward as categorizing galaxies based on
Speaker 1: their shapes, identifying features on Mars, tracking changes in cloud patterns,
Speaker 1: or monitoring light pollution in your local area. Many projects
Speaker 1: require nothing more than a smartphone and a curious mind.
Speaker 1: What makes these initiatives particularly valuable is that they're not
Speaker 1: just busy work. The data collected through citizen science efforts
Speaker 1: has led to genuine discoveries and appears in peer reviewed
Speaker 1: scientific publications. Your contributions help NASA scientists understand our changing planet,
Speaker 1: identify new asteroids, study distant galaxies, and monitor space weather.
Speaker 1: The beauty of citizen science is its accessibility. Projects are
Speaker 1: designed to accommodate various interests, time commitments, and skill levels.
Speaker 1: Whether you have five minutes while waiting for your coffee
Speaker 1: or want to dedicate several hours each week, there's a
Speaker 1: project perfectly suited to your availability. If you're in interested
Speaker 1: in participating, NASA's Citizen Science website offers a comprehensive directory
Speaker 1: of active projects, from helping classify exoplanets to tracking wildlife
Speaker 1: responses to solar eclipses. The diversity of opportunities means you're
Speaker 1: bound to find something that captures your imagination by joining
Speaker 1: this worldwide community of citizen scientists, you become part of
Speaker 1: something much larger than yourself, a global effort to expand
Speaker 1: human knowledge and address some of our most pressing challenges.
Speaker 1: And during this special month celebrating citizen Science, your participation
Speaker 1: helps NASA reach that ambitious goal of one million scientific contributions. Remember,
Speaker 1: science isn't just for professional researchers in labs. It belongs
Speaker 1: to all of us, and through citizen science, we all
Speaker 1: have the opportunity to push the boundaries of human understanding
Speaker 1: just a little bit further. If you're interested in finding
Speaker 1: out more, I'll leave a link in the show notes
Speaker 1: for you. We've all experienced grumpy mornings, but nothing compares
Speaker 1: to the cosm tantrum recently thrown by a supermassive black
Speaker 1: hole in a galaxy far far away. Astronomers have observed
Speaker 1: something truly extraordinary, a monster black hole, unleashing the longest
Speaker 1: and most powerful X ray eruptions ever recorded from such
Speaker 1: an object. The black hole in question sits at the
Speaker 1: center of galaxy sdss on Thy three hundred thirty five
Speaker 1: plus zero seven two eight, approximately three hundred million light
Speaker 1: years from Earth. After decades of inactivity, this cosmic giant
Speaker 1: has suddenly awakened with a vengeance, beginning to devour surrounding
Speaker 1: matter and producing what scientists call quasi periodic eruptions or qpease.
Speaker 1: This active region at the galaxy's heart, nicknamed Anski by researchers,
Speaker 1: first showed signs of awakening in late twenty nineteen. By
Speaker 1: February of this year, astronomers using NASA's Swift X ray
Speaker 1: space telescope observed the black hole erupting with flares at
Speaker 1: surprisingly regular intervals, providing a rare opportunity to monitor a
Speaker 1: feeding black hole in real time. What makes these observations
Speaker 1: particularly remarkable is their unprecedented scale. As MIT researcher Joheen
Speaker 1: Chakraborti explains, the bursts of X rays from Anski are
Speaker 1: ten times longer and ten times more luminous than what
Speaker 1: we see from a typical QPE. Each eruption releases one
Speaker 1: hundred times more energy than previously observed elsewhere, with eruptions
Speaker 1: occurring roughly every four and a half days, the longest
Speaker 1: interval ever seen. These extreme behaviors are challenging existing scientific
Speaker 1: models and forcing astronomers to reconsider their understanding of such events. Typically,
Speaker 1: qpes have been associated with super massive black holes capturing
Speaker 1: and shredding stars, then consuming the stellar remnants. However, this
Speaker 1: doesn't appear to be happening with Anski, leaving scientists puzzled
Speaker 1: about what's triggering these massive outbursts. The observations were made
Speaker 1: possible through an international collaborative effort utilizing multiple space telescopes,
Speaker 1: the European space agencies XMMM, Newton, NASA's NISS and Chandra missions,
Speaker 1: and archived data from Arisida. These repetitive bursts may also
Speaker 1: be generating gravitational waves, ripples, and space time that could
Speaker 1: potentially be detected by future missions like the Laser Interferometer
Speaker 1: Space Antenna, a joint ESA NASA space based detector scheduled
Speaker 1: for launch in twenty thirty seven. Having complementary X ray
Speaker 1: observations alongside gravitational wave data could prove crucial in solving
Speaker 1: the mysteries of massive black hole behavior. The research on
Speaker 1: this extraordinary cosmic event was published in the journal Nature
Speaker 1: Astronomy just last month, marking an important step forward in
Speaker 1: our understanding of black hole dynamics. As astronomers continue monitoring
Speaker 1: Anski's volatile behavior, we may gain valuable insights into the
Speaker 1: extreme physics governing these cosmic behemoths that lurk at the
Speaker 1: centers of most galaxies, including our own Milky Way, and
Speaker 1: that brings us to the end of another fastening journey
Speaker 1: through the cosmos. Today, we've explored everything from Martian geology
Speaker 1: to the mysteries of black holes, with some interesting astronomical
Speaker 1: calendar facts and citizen science opportunities along the way. We've
Speaker 1: seen how Perseverance is uncovering Mars's geological history through diverse
Speaker 1: rock samples on the Jesuo Crater, rim potentially revealing clues
Speaker 1: about the planet's habitability. We've demystified why Easter will arrive
Speaker 1: later than expected this year thanks to the complex interplay
Speaker 1: between astronomical events and ecclesiastical rules. We've learned that millions
Speaker 1: of interstellar visitors from Alpha Centauri might be hiding in
Speaker 1: our Solar system, challenging our view of star systems as
Speaker 1: isolated entities. We've discovered how you can participate in NASA's
Speaker 1: Citizen Science Month and contribute to their ambitious goal of
Speaker 1: one million acts of science. And finally, we've witnessed the
Speaker 1: dramatic awakening of a monster black hole, producing unprecedented X
Speaker 1: ray eruptions that are forcing scientists to rethink their understanding
Speaker 1: of these cosmic giants. I'm Anna, your host for Astronomy Daily,
Speaker 1: and I hope you've enjoyed today's cosmic exploration. If you'd
Speaker 1: like to stay updated on all things astronomy, please visit
Speaker 1: our website at Astronomy Daily dot io, where you can
Speaker 1: sign up for our free daily newsletter and access all
Speaker 1: our previous episodes. If you're enjoying the podcast, we'd be
Speaker 1: thrilled if you'd share it with your family, friends, or
Speaker 1: anyone else who gazes up at the night sky with wonder.
Speaker 1: Until next time, keep looking up and stay curious about
Speaker 1: our magnificent universe. Sunday Stars Star