WEBVTT 1 00:00:03.399 --> 00:00:07.719 Welcome to Bedtime Astronomy. Explore the wonders of the cosmos 2 00:00:07.759 --> 00:00:12.279 with our soothing Bedtime Astronomie podcast. Each episode offers a 3 00:00:12.359 --> 00:00:16.320 gentle journey through the stars, planets, and beyond, perfect for 4 00:00:16.399 --> 00:00:20.239 unwinding after a long day. Let's travel through the mysteries 5 00:00:20.239 --> 00:00:22.440 of the universe as you drift off into a peaceful 6 00:00:22.480 --> 00:00:23.839 slumber under the night sky. 7 00:00:26.879 --> 00:00:30.120 Imagine just for a moment, getting a package that this 8 00:00:30.160 --> 00:00:32.439 isn't from down the street or even another country. This 9 00:00:32.520 --> 00:00:35.840 package has traveled light years. It's a cosmic messenger straight 10 00:00:35.880 --> 00:00:40.320 from another star system, carrying secrets etched into its very atoms. 11 00:00:40.759 --> 00:00:44.640 After a journey across unimaginable distances, it arrives right here 12 00:00:44.799 --> 00:00:47.799 in our cosmic neighborhood. For centuries, I mean, this was 13 00:00:47.840 --> 00:00:50.960 pure science fiction, right, the stuff of dreams, maybe distant speculation. 14 00:00:51.159 --> 00:00:55.920 But today that thrilling idea isn't just fantasy anymore. It's well, 15 00:00:56.320 --> 00:01:01.039 it's real, a profound, undeniable reality. And astronomers they're not 16 00:01:01.119 --> 00:01:04.400 just watching these incredible visitors zoom past. Oh no, they're 17 00:01:04.400 --> 00:01:06.719 actually planning to meet them. So today we're going to 18 00:01:06.760 --> 00:01:10.159 embark on this extraordinary journey. We'll explore the really captivating 19 00:01:10.200 --> 00:01:13.000 story of these interstellar travelers, and we'll dig into a 20 00:01:13.000 --> 00:01:17.400 truly groundbreaking mission concept, one that could potentially fundamentally reshape 21 00:01:17.400 --> 00:01:20.079 how we understand the entire universe. Our goal here is 22 00:01:20.079 --> 00:01:23.400 to uncover how these mysterious objects are being found, why 23 00:01:23.439 --> 00:01:26.000 they hold such immense scientific importance, you know, for us 24 00:01:26.079 --> 00:01:28.959 here on Earth, and also how human ingenuity is just 25 00:01:29.040 --> 00:01:32.519 pushing the boundaries of what's possible, making a close encounter 26 00:01:32.599 --> 00:01:35.319 with one of these cosmic wanderers not just a hope, 27 00:01:35.560 --> 00:01:40.400 but well a meticulously planned, feasible reality. So get ready 28 00:01:40.400 --> 00:01:43.599 for some truly mind bending insights and a fascinating glimpse 29 00:01:43.599 --> 00:01:47.640 into the very near future of space exploration. Okay, let's 30 00:01:47.680 --> 00:01:49.760 kick things off by defining our terms a bit. What 31 00:01:49.840 --> 00:01:52.439 exactly are we talking about when we say interstellar object? 32 00:01:52.680 --> 00:01:54.959 How is it really different from the usual comets or 33 00:01:55.000 --> 00:01:57.120 asteroids we hear about, the ones that you know basically 34 00:01:57.200 --> 00:01:58.959 live here in our Solar System. It feels like a 35 00:01:59.000 --> 00:01:59.640 key distinction. 36 00:02:00.120 --> 00:02:04.760 It absolutely is, and it's a distinction with really profound implications. 37 00:02:04.760 --> 00:02:07.560 So when we talked about an interstellar object or an 38 00:02:07.560 --> 00:02:11.240 ISO for short, we mean a celestial body that genuinely 39 00:02:11.240 --> 00:02:15.400 originated outside of our solar system completely. These aren't things 40 00:02:15.400 --> 00:02:17.400 that formed around our Sun, you know, orbiting it for 41 00:02:17.439 --> 00:02:19.919 billions of years, like Earth or Jupiter or the asteroids 42 00:02:19.960 --> 00:02:23.120 we know. No, these objects they were born in a 43 00:02:23.240 --> 00:02:26.319 totally different star system, maybe one that's long gone or 44 00:02:26.319 --> 00:02:29.639 one we haven't even spotted yet. They've traveled across that vast, 45 00:02:29.639 --> 00:02:33.080 incredibly cold expanse of the galaxy and now, just for 46 00:02:33.159 --> 00:02:36.759 a fleeting cosmic moment, they're simply passing through our neighborhood 47 00:02:36.800 --> 00:02:39.479 before heading back out, which is, you know, a stark 48 00:02:39.520 --> 00:02:43.000 contrast almost everything else we track most comets and asteroids. 49 00:02:43.080 --> 00:02:46.199 They're gravitationally bound to our Sun. They're leftovers from the 50 00:02:46.199 --> 00:02:48.960 formation of our own little corner of the universe. And 51 00:02:48.960 --> 00:02:51.960 that word interstellar, it just carries so much weight, doesn't it. 52 00:02:51.960 --> 00:02:54.520 It means these aren't just local rocks or ice balls. 53 00:02:54.520 --> 00:02:57.800 They are true galactic wanderers, cosmic nomads, if you like. 54 00:02:58.159 --> 00:02:59.879 They were probably ejected from their homes. 55 00:02:59.719 --> 00:03:02.280 Sten maybe flung out by a close pass with a 56 00:03:02.319 --> 00:03:04.879 giant planet, or maybe during a chaotic dance in a 57 00:03:04.879 --> 00:03:08.280 binary star system, or perhaps ejected from a really young, 58 00:03:08.400 --> 00:03:12.479 turbulent star cluster. After that likely violent start, they've navigated 59 00:03:12.520 --> 00:03:16.319 the immense emptiness between stars for well possibly billions of years, 60 00:03:16.719 --> 00:03:20.000 and enduring the really harsh conditions of interstellar space. And 61 00:03:20.039 --> 00:03:23.639 here's the crucial part. They carry with them the unique, 62 00:03:24.280 --> 00:03:27.840 maybe even pristine, signatures of their distant alien homeland. You 63 00:03:27.879 --> 00:03:30.840 can also think of it like finding a bottle washed ashore, 64 00:03:31.280 --> 00:03:33.840 but instead of a note inside the bottle itself is 65 00:03:33.840 --> 00:03:36.879 the message like a tool or an artifact from unknown land, 66 00:03:36.879 --> 00:03:39.599 offering direct clues about where it came from. It's just 67 00:03:39.639 --> 00:03:42.759 an unprecedented chance to get direct insights into conditions far 68 00:03:42.879 --> 00:03:45.759 far beyond our own cosmic doorstep without ever having to 69 00:03:45.800 --> 00:03:47.159 actually travel there ourselves. 70 00:03:47.240 --> 00:03:50.280 That's incredible to think about. But for while millennia these 71 00:03:50.319 --> 00:03:54.280 things were just imagination. Then, almost like someone flipped a switch, 72 00:03:54.400 --> 00:03:56.759 we found the first one. What was that like? That 73 00:03:56.800 --> 00:04:00.879 moment in the scientific community. What made Omamu's discoveries so pivotal? 74 00:04:00.919 --> 00:04:02.759 Why did it kick off this whole new era? 75 00:04:02.919 --> 00:04:06.240 Oh, it was absolutely a momentous shift, almost like science 76 00:04:06.280 --> 00:04:09.840 fiction suddenly became science fact practically overnight. The community was 77 00:04:09.919 --> 00:04:13.680 well buzzing is an understatement, an absolute frenzy. The first 78 00:04:13.719 --> 00:04:16.959 officially recognized interstellar object, a comet in this case, was 79 00:04:16.959 --> 00:04:20.600 spotted back in twenty seventeen. It got the designation one 80 00:04:20.839 --> 00:04:23.720 I Umua. The one means it's the first ever found 81 00:04:23.759 --> 00:04:28.240 and the eye confirms that interstellar origin. And its name Umubuai. 82 00:04:28.279 --> 00:04:30.920 It's this beautiful Hawaiian word. It means something like a 83 00:04:30.959 --> 00:04:32.839 messenger from Afar arriving first. 84 00:04:32.959 --> 00:04:33.199 Wow. 85 00:04:33.240 --> 00:04:36.199 That's fitting, isn't it. It perfectly encapsulates its significance. It 86 00:04:36.240 --> 00:04:39.360 really was a pioneer, the vanguard this whole new class 87 00:04:39.360 --> 00:04:42.360 of objects we're now seeing. What immediately struck everyone about 88 00:04:42.519 --> 00:04:46.560 Umua was its shape, its extreme aspect ratio. Imagine something 89 00:04:46.560 --> 00:04:49.639 like well, a cosmic cigar, maybe ten times longer than 90 00:04:49.680 --> 00:04:53.800 it was wide, so really stretched out exactly, totally unlike 91 00:04:53.800 --> 00:04:56.560 anything we'd ever seen among our own Solar systems asteroids 92 00:04:56.600 --> 00:05:01.240 or comments, nothing even close. But beyond just its bizarre shape, 93 00:05:01.360 --> 00:05:06.600 oom Oomoa showed another really peculiar trait, a slight non 94 00:05:06.639 --> 00:05:08.560 gravitational acceleration. 95 00:05:08.439 --> 00:05:11.240 Meaning it wasn't just being pulled by the Sun's gravity, 96 00:05:11.399 --> 00:05:12.519 something else was pushing it. 97 00:05:12.639 --> 00:05:15.560 Precisely, it was being suddenly pushed by something else. Now 98 00:05:15.600 --> 00:05:18.399 that's typical for comments when they warm up and release gas, 99 00:05:18.480 --> 00:05:21.240 you know, outgassing. But and this is the real puzzle, 100 00:05:21.279 --> 00:05:26.120 the enigma oom Oomoa lacked any visible coma, that fuzzy 101 00:05:26.120 --> 00:05:29.120 atmosphere of gas and dust we expect from an active comet. 102 00:05:29.319 --> 00:05:31.560 It just wasn't there, or at least we couldn't see it. 103 00:05:31.879 --> 00:05:34.079 So these anomalies, the shape and the push without a 104 00:05:34.120 --> 00:05:38.279 visible coma led to intense scientific debate, I mean really intense. 105 00:05:38.480 --> 00:05:41.439 Theories range from it being a kind of dry, rocky fragment, 106 00:05:41.800 --> 00:05:44.600 maybe the core of a shredded planetoid, to much more 107 00:05:44.639 --> 00:05:48.519 speculative ideas, though ultimately unsupported, ideas like, you know, maybe 108 00:05:48.519 --> 00:05:50.800 it was artificial, an alien probe. 109 00:05:50.600 --> 00:05:53.600 Right, I remember hearing some of that speculation exactly. 110 00:05:54.160 --> 00:05:58.000 Scientists eventually kind of converged on explanations involving outgassing of 111 00:05:58.319 --> 00:06:02.279 something invisible to our telescope, like perhaps solid hydrogen or 112 00:06:02.360 --> 00:06:05.839 nitrogen ice, which wouldn't show up easily. But it fundamentally 113 00:06:05.920 --> 00:06:09.120 challenged our preconceived notions of what an interstellar visitor might 114 00:06:09.160 --> 00:06:12.160 look like or how it might behave its appearance. Just 115 00:06:12.199 --> 00:06:15.600 ignited this huge debate and really captured the public's imagination 116 00:06:15.720 --> 00:06:19.120 because it was so unique, so alien, it pushed our 117 00:06:19.199 --> 00:06:22.920 understanding right to the edge. Then just two years later, 118 00:06:22.920 --> 00:06:25.680 in twenty nineteen, we got the second one too, Borisov 119 00:06:25.800 --> 00:06:26.959 made its appearance. 120 00:06:26.639 --> 00:06:29.160 And that confirmed Umuwah wasn't just a one off. 121 00:06:29.199 --> 00:06:33.480 Precisely, Borisov's discovery was absolutely pivotal. It confirmed that Umamua 122 00:06:33.519 --> 00:06:38.360 wasn't just some bizarre, isolated fluke. It definitively established that, yes, 123 00:06:38.439 --> 00:06:42.560 interstellar objects are a real observable phenomenon. We weren't just 124 00:06:42.600 --> 00:06:45.319 incredibly lucky that one time. And interestingly, while Uma Mula 125 00:06:45.439 --> 00:06:48.279 was really weird in its appearance, Borisov looked much more 126 00:06:48.279 --> 00:06:51.079 like a traditional comet. It had a distinct coma. It 127 00:06:51.120 --> 00:06:53.360 behaved more like the comments we know, just one from 128 00:06:53.399 --> 00:06:57.360 somewhere else exactly, which in itself added to the picture 129 00:06:57.519 --> 00:07:01.160 showing the potential diversity among these cosmic tres. Some might 130 00:07:01.160 --> 00:07:03.800 be strange, others may be more familiar, just with an 131 00:07:03.800 --> 00:07:08.160 exotic origin. And now, just this year, twenty twenty five, 132 00:07:08.439 --> 00:07:13.160 we've had the third officially recognized ISC three idellas its 133 00:07:13.199 --> 00:07:17.399 detection made worldwide headlines. Again, it adds another crucial data 134 00:07:17.399 --> 00:07:20.519 point to this rapidly growing field, and it really underscores 135 00:07:20.560 --> 00:07:23.240 the idea that these objects are probably far more common 136 00:07:23.279 --> 00:07:25.680 than we ever dared to imagine. It truly feels like 137 00:07:25.720 --> 00:07:27.600 a new frontier opening up in astronomy. 138 00:07:28.079 --> 00:07:30.879 So, three official ones in just what eight years or 139 00:07:30.920 --> 00:07:33.759 so from zero? Does that mean they're actually rare fleeting events. 140 00:07:33.800 --> 00:07:36.160 We're just getting lucky spotting or something else going on. 141 00:07:36.240 --> 00:07:37.959 We're just getting way better at finding them. What's the 142 00:07:37.959 --> 00:07:39.319 future look like for finding more? 143 00:07:39.560 --> 00:07:44.279 Oh, it's definitely the latter. We are absolutely unequivocally getting 144 00:07:44.399 --> 00:07:46.680 much much better at finding them, and what we've seen 145 00:07:46.720 --> 00:07:49.120 so far, that's probably just the very beginning, like the 146 00:07:49.160 --> 00:07:53.079 first few drops before a real downpour. Scientists now estimate, 147 00:07:53.160 --> 00:07:56.279 based on pretty sophisticated models of how stars form an 148 00:07:56.319 --> 00:08:00.920 eject material, that numerous interstellar objects, once from outside our system, 149 00:08:01.279 --> 00:08:05.040 actually pass inside Earth's orbit every single year, every year, 150 00:08:05.240 --> 00:08:08.319 inside Earth's orbit, every single year, And if you expand 151 00:08:08.319 --> 00:08:11.199 the view out further, say to Neptune's orbit, the numbers 152 00:08:11.240 --> 00:08:14.399 get staggering. Perhaps this may as ten thousand such objects 153 00:08:14.439 --> 00:08:17.079 pass inside Neptune's orbit in any given year. 154 00:08:17.000 --> 00:08:19.959 Ten thousand pieces of other star systems. 155 00:08:19.720 --> 00:08:24.480 Ten thousand flying through our cosmic backyard, almost entirely unseen 156 00:08:24.879 --> 00:08:27.959 until very very recently. Think about that scale. It's a 157 00:08:28.079 --> 00:08:31.120 huge amount of cosmic traffic that we were essentially blind to. 158 00:08:31.639 --> 00:08:34.320 And the reason astronomers are so confident we'll discover many 159 00:08:34.320 --> 00:08:37.639 more isics over the next decade isn't just wishful thinking. 160 00:08:37.919 --> 00:08:41.720 It's based on really significant concrete advancements in our ability 161 00:08:41.759 --> 00:08:45.240 to watch the sky. Specifically these new astronomical facilities like 162 00:08:45.279 --> 00:08:49.240 the National Science Foundation's Viera Ruben Observatory. That's a game changer. 163 00:08:49.399 --> 00:08:51.480 How so what makes Vera Rubin different? 164 00:08:51.720 --> 00:08:54.519 Well, the ver Ruben Observatory is designed for this massive 165 00:08:54.519 --> 00:08:58.399 project called the Legacy Survey of Space and Time or LSST. 166 00:08:58.600 --> 00:09:01.080 It's not just another telescope. It's got this huge eight 167 00:09:01.120 --> 00:09:04.879 point four meter mirror, but crucially an incredibly wide field 168 00:09:04.879 --> 00:09:07.879 of view. It can image the entire visible sky from 169 00:09:07.879 --> 00:09:10.679 its location every few nights. Is design lets it scan 170 00:09:10.919 --> 00:09:14.960 enormous swaths of the sky with unprecedented speed and sensitivity. 171 00:09:15.240 --> 00:09:18.279 It can spot faint things, fast moving things that would 172 00:09:18.320 --> 00:09:20.879 have been totally invisible to older telescopes. It's essentially like 173 00:09:20.919 --> 00:09:24.559 a giant cosmic sweep net way more efficient than anything 174 00:09:24.600 --> 00:09:27.799 we've had before. So as these capabilities expand, as Vera, 175 00:09:27.879 --> 00:09:30.600 Reubin and potentially other new surveys come fully online and 176 00:09:30.679 --> 00:09:33.879 hit their stride, our ability to spot these cosmic messengers 177 00:09:33.960 --> 00:09:37.759 is going to increase traumatically, almost exponentially. Maybe we are truly, 178 00:09:37.799 --> 00:09:39.799 truly just seeing the tip of the iceberg right now. 179 00:09:39.840 --> 00:09:43.159 An explosion of new data, new detections, new insights, it's 180 00:09:43.399 --> 00:09:45.679 just around the corner. It's an incredibly exciting time to 181 00:09:45.720 --> 00:09:47.080 be studying the skies. Honestly. 182 00:09:47.240 --> 00:09:50.120 Okay, so the thrill of discovery is definitely there. It's palpable. 183 00:09:50.559 --> 00:09:54.279 But let's get down to brastas beyond the sheer novelty. 184 00:09:54.480 --> 00:09:58.080 You know, wow, something from another star. Why are these 185 00:09:58.120 --> 00:10:00.759 objects such a big deal for science? Why should we 186 00:10:00.960 --> 00:10:03.919 the listener really care about a rock or an ice 187 00:10:03.960 --> 00:10:05.399 ball from light years away. 188 00:10:05.840 --> 00:10:09.480 That's a really excellent and critical question, And the answer is, well, 189 00:10:09.519 --> 00:10:13.080 it's actually quite simple, but incredibly far reaching. These objects 190 00:10:13.159 --> 00:10:16.639 represent our first ever direct opportunity to explore matter from 191 00:10:16.679 --> 00:10:20.159 beyond our own sun. Doctor Allan Stern, a highly respected 192 00:10:20.200 --> 00:10:22.679 planetary scientist who let a major study on this, put 193 00:10:22.679 --> 00:10:25.720 it perfectly. He said, these objects offer humankind the first 194 00:10:25.720 --> 00:10:30.000 feasible opportunity to closely explore bodies formed in other star systems. 195 00:10:30.200 --> 00:10:33.759 Explore, not just observe. That sounds key, exactly. 196 00:10:33.480 --> 00:10:37.080 Notice that word explore. This isn't just about looking at 197 00:10:37.120 --> 00:10:39.559 a faint speck of light or even taking a picture 198 00:10:39.600 --> 00:10:42.759 for millions of miles away. It's about the potential to 199 00:10:42.799 --> 00:10:46.440 get up close to collect detailed data, maybe even someday 200 00:10:46.639 --> 00:10:50.120 sample materials that originated in a completely different stellar nursery, 201 00:10:50.519 --> 00:10:52.799 forged in the fires of another star's berth, you know. 202 00:10:53.240 --> 00:10:56.039 To really get the value, imagine trying to understand, say, 203 00:10:56.600 --> 00:10:59.960 Martian geology, without ever sending a probe or a rover. 204 00:11:01.320 --> 00:11:05.480 Incredibly hard, right, mostly guesswork based on light analysis. Now 205 00:11:05.480 --> 00:11:09.039 take that idea further, Imagine getting actual geological samples, not 206 00:11:09.080 --> 00:11:11.720 just from Mars, but from a planet that formed around 207 00:11:11.720 --> 00:11:14.799 a different star light years away. That's the kind of 208 00:11:14.879 --> 00:11:18.279 value these interstellar objects represent. They're literally pieces of other 209 00:11:18.360 --> 00:11:22.000 star systems delivered right to our cosmic doorstep, free of charge. 210 00:11:22.559 --> 00:11:24.600 By studying them up close, we can start to tackle 211 00:11:24.639 --> 00:11:27.960 truly fundamental questions like are the building blocks of planets 212 00:11:28.039 --> 00:11:30.759 the same everywhere? Do the same physical laws and processes 213 00:11:30.759 --> 00:11:34.399 that shape our Solar system operate similarly across countless other 214 00:11:34.440 --> 00:11:37.440 stellar environments, or are the key differences? These are the 215 00:11:37.519 --> 00:11:41.120 kinds of grand, overarching questions these objects can help us answer. 216 00:11:41.759 --> 00:11:45.799 They're like Rosetta stones for understanding how planets form across 217 00:11:45.799 --> 00:11:46.759 the entire galaxy. 218 00:11:46.960 --> 00:11:49.720 Okay, so if we did manage to send a spacecraft 219 00:11:49.720 --> 00:11:52.320 to one, say on a flyby mission like we'll discuss later, 220 00:11:52.759 --> 00:11:56.679 what specific questions would scientists be itching to answer? What 221 00:11:56.799 --> 00:11:59.679 data are they really hungry for? What are the top 222 00:11:59.720 --> 00:12:03.519 priorities Given you might only have a short encounter, A. 223 00:12:03.480 --> 00:12:07.679 Mission like that would have very precise, groundbreaking scientific objectives, 224 00:12:08.000 --> 00:12:11.240 tailors specifically for what you can realistically gather in a 225 00:12:11.279 --> 00:12:14.960 fast flyby. For instance, one of the absolute primary goals 226 00:12:15.039 --> 00:12:17.919 would be to determine the detailed physical properties of the 227 00:12:17.919 --> 00:12:21.360 body itself. And that's not just about its overall size, 228 00:12:21.399 --> 00:12:23.720 which we can kind of estimate from Earth. We'd want 229 00:12:23.720 --> 00:12:27.279 to know its precise shape, is it lumpy, smooth, elongated 230 00:12:27.279 --> 00:12:30.720 like a mua. We'd want its density measured much more accurately, 231 00:12:31.080 --> 00:12:34.279 its rotation rate, how fast is its spinning, the detailed 232 00:12:34.279 --> 00:12:37.960 topography of its surface, are their craters, cliffs, planes, maybe 233 00:12:37.960 --> 00:12:41.000 even try to infer something about its internal structure if possible, 234 00:12:41.039 --> 00:12:44.120 perhaps from how it rotates or its gravitational influence on 235 00:12:44.159 --> 00:12:47.399 the spacecraft. However, slight all these characteristics, they offer direct 236 00:12:47.559 --> 00:12:49.879 invaluable insights into its formation environment. 237 00:12:50.320 --> 00:12:53.080 How so, what can shape or density tell us well? 238 00:12:53.120 --> 00:12:55.559 For example, was it formed in a really dense, chaotic 239 00:12:55.600 --> 00:12:58.840 nebula where collisions were frequent that might lead to an irregular, 240 00:12:58.919 --> 00:13:01.879 fragmented shape, or did it form in a quieter region 241 00:13:02.080 --> 00:13:05.279 allowing it to grow more spherically. Its density can tell 242 00:13:05.360 --> 00:13:08.320 us about its bulk composition is mostly rock, mostly ice 243 00:13:08.360 --> 00:13:11.559 a mix, and its journey through interstellar space exposed to 244 00:13:11.679 --> 00:13:16.919 radiation micrometeoroids, extreme cold for maybe billions of years that 245 00:13:16.960 --> 00:13:20.399 would also leave its mark. It tells us about erosion rates, 246 00:13:20.480 --> 00:13:23.559 how materials age out there in the void. This data 247 00:13:23.639 --> 00:13:26.360 would essentially be a direct window into the life story 248 00:13:26.360 --> 00:13:29.320 of an object from another star, a kind of cosmic biography. 249 00:13:29.799 --> 00:13:34.679 Then another absolutely crucial objective examining the ISC's composition in detail. 250 00:13:35.080 --> 00:13:39.080 This means meticulously analyzing the elements, the isotopes, the molecules 251 00:13:39.080 --> 00:13:41.639 present in its bulk material and especially in any gas 252 00:13:41.759 --> 00:13:43.799 or dust it might be releasing. We'd be looking for 253 00:13:43.879 --> 00:13:47.840 specific atomic ratios, the presence of certain organic compounds maybe, 254 00:13:48.080 --> 00:13:50.360 or even exotic materials we don't typically see in our 255 00:13:50.360 --> 00:13:54.200 own Solar System commets and asteroids. Understanding this chemical makeup 256 00:13:54.519 --> 00:13:57.559 could help explain its origins. What ingredients were available in 257 00:13:57.600 --> 00:13:59.759 its birthplace? Are they similar to what we find here 258 00:14:00.000 --> 00:14:04.399 adjusting maybe planetary ingredients are universal, or are there exotic 259 00:14:04.480 --> 00:14:08.840 materials that point to a vastly different stellar environment, perhaps 260 00:14:08.879 --> 00:14:11.480 one with a unique mix of heavy elements or different 261 00:14:11.519 --> 00:14:13.080 temperatures during formation. 262 00:14:12.960 --> 00:14:15.039 So like a chemical fingerprint of its home. 263 00:14:14.919 --> 00:14:18.080 System exactly a fingerprint. And furthermore, studying in the composition 264 00:14:18.120 --> 00:14:21.320 helps us understand how evolutionary forces like getting zapped by 265 00:14:21.360 --> 00:14:25.320 cosmic rays for eons, or bumping into interstellar dust or 266 00:14:25.799 --> 00:14:28.480 just the extreme cold might have affected the commets since 267 00:14:28.480 --> 00:14:31.639 it formed. Did it keep its original composition locked deep 268 00:14:31.639 --> 00:14:35.559 inside or has its surface been significantly altered over its 269 00:14:35.559 --> 00:14:40.360 long journey. Distinguishing between original conditions and later changes is critical. 270 00:14:40.639 --> 00:14:42.799 It helps us peel back the layers of time and 271 00:14:42.840 --> 00:14:45.960 travel to see its true birth signature. And then, thirdly, 272 00:14:46.200 --> 00:14:48.799 we'd be incredibly keen on investigating the nature of the 273 00:14:48.799 --> 00:14:51.679 object's coma. If it has one, like borisofted. 274 00:14:51.279 --> 00:14:53.679 The coma that's the fuzzy atmosphere. 275 00:14:53.440 --> 00:14:56.840 That's right for commets. The coma is that escaping atmosphere 276 00:14:56.840 --> 00:14:59.080 of gas and dust that appears what it gets close 277 00:14:59.200 --> 00:15:01.559 enough to a start a warm up. The heat makes 278 00:15:01.600 --> 00:15:05.759 trapped ices turned directly into gas, sublimating and dragging dust 279 00:15:05.759 --> 00:15:08.960 along with them. Analyzing the composition of this material, the 280 00:15:08.960 --> 00:15:12.360 specific gases, the types of dust particles being blown off, 281 00:15:12.600 --> 00:15:16.159 reveals what volatile materials are locked deep inside the object's core. 282 00:15:16.960 --> 00:15:19.679 These volatiles, they act like a time castle. They give 283 00:15:19.759 --> 00:15:22.200 us crucial clues about the temperatures and pressures back in 284 00:15:22.240 --> 00:15:25.200 its birthplace. Was it formed way out of the cold 285 00:15:25.200 --> 00:15:28.240 fringes of its star system, preserving really volatile ices like 286 00:15:28.440 --> 00:15:31.879 carbon monoxide or methane, or maybe closer in where would 287 00:15:31.879 --> 00:15:36.080 have different, perhaps less volatile materials. The coma is essentially 288 00:15:36.080 --> 00:15:39.320 the comet breathing out its history. Each exhale tells us 289 00:15:39.320 --> 00:15:41.919 a story about its distant home, hinting at the thermal 290 00:15:42.000 --> 00:15:44.480 history of its birth system. It's a way to directly 291 00:15:44.519 --> 00:15:47.879 sample its deep interior without actually having to land and dig. 292 00:15:48.000 --> 00:15:51.399 It's truly fascinating how these really specific goals, like analyzing 293 00:15:51.440 --> 00:15:53.919 gas in a coma can open up such huge questions 294 00:15:53.919 --> 00:15:56.679 about the whole universe. It's clearly not just about studying 295 00:15:56.679 --> 00:15:58.559 one random object, is it exactly. 296 00:15:58.600 --> 00:16:01.279 It's all about connecting those dots, seeing the bigger picture. 297 00:16:01.919 --> 00:16:05.840 All these individual objectives, understanding the physical properties, the composition 298 00:16:05.919 --> 00:16:10.320 the coma, they all converge on one overarching goal to 299 00:16:10.399 --> 00:16:16.200 significantly expand our understanding of how solid bodies planets, asteroids, comets, 300 00:16:16.399 --> 00:16:19.200 how they form in other star systems, and ultimately, of course, 301 00:16:19.200 --> 00:16:21.120 that helps us understand our own place in the cosmos 302 00:16:21.120 --> 00:16:23.360 a little better too. For so long, I mean, think 303 00:16:23.399 --> 00:16:26.039 about it, our models of how planets and smaller bodies 304 00:16:26.080 --> 00:16:29.159 form have been based almost entirely on what we see 305 00:16:29.240 --> 00:16:31.679 right here in our own solar system. We basically had 306 00:16:31.679 --> 00:16:32.519 a sample size of one. 307 00:16:32.600 --> 00:16:34.679 That's a good point. Like trying to understand all mammals 308 00:16:34.720 --> 00:16:37.759 just by studying I don't know a dog precisely. 309 00:16:38.200 --> 00:16:40.919 It's like trying to understand the incredible diversity of life 310 00:16:40.960 --> 00:16:44.000 on Earth by only ever studying one species of bird 311 00:16:44.240 --> 00:16:46.679 or one type of tree. You get a very limited 312 00:16:46.720 --> 00:16:50.559 picture data from an interstellar comet completely changes that game. 313 00:16:51.039 --> 00:16:54.720 It allows us to do something called comparative planetology, which 314 00:16:54.759 --> 00:16:57.480 is basically studying how different planets and smaller bodies form 315 00:16:57.480 --> 00:17:01.080 and evolve by comparing them. We'd be doing it on 316 00:17:01.120 --> 00:17:04.480 an interstellar scale, comparing a body from another star system 317 00:17:04.519 --> 00:17:07.799 directly to objects right here in our own backyard. Consider this, 318 00:17:08.440 --> 00:17:11.400 What if we found an isc it was really rich 319 00:17:11.440 --> 00:17:14.720 in a specific isotope, say of oxygen, that's super rare 320 00:17:14.720 --> 00:17:17.480 in our solar system. That could imply that the nebulae 321 00:17:17.519 --> 00:17:19.480 from which stars like our Sun form aren't as well 322 00:17:19.519 --> 00:17:22.279 mixed or homogeneous as we thought. It could tweak our 323 00:17:22.319 --> 00:17:25.119 fundamental models of how elements are created in stars and 324 00:17:25.160 --> 00:17:28.519 spread through the galaxy. Or maybe what if we detected 325 00:17:28.519 --> 00:17:32.359 complex prebiotic organic molecules to building blocks of life in abundance, 326 00:17:32.680 --> 00:17:35.119 but in significantly different types of ratios than we see 327 00:17:35.119 --> 00:17:38.319 in our own comments. That could dramatically shift our understanding 328 00:17:38.319 --> 00:17:41.039 of where life's ingredients come from across the galaxy. How 329 00:17:41.039 --> 00:17:44.839 common are they, how diverse are the recipes? These objects 330 00:17:44.839 --> 00:17:47.000 aren't just telling us about their home system, They're holding 331 00:17:47.039 --> 00:17:50.039 up a mirror to ours. They challenge our existing models, 332 00:17:50.119 --> 00:17:53.359 our assumptions about how our own solar system formed. They'll 333 00:17:53.400 --> 00:17:56.599 either confirm them as universal principles or show as entirely 334 00:17:56.680 --> 00:18:00.920 new ways that cosmic construction can happen. Roddens our perspective 335 00:18:00.920 --> 00:18:04.960 immensely on how common or how diverse planetarret systems truly 336 00:18:05.039 --> 00:18:09.279 are out there. Okay, the scientific potential is undeniable. It's frankly, 337 00:18:09.680 --> 00:18:13.599 absolutely thrilling to think about. But it also sounds like 338 00:18:13.640 --> 00:18:16.440 a massive logistical nightmare. You said, these things aren't just 339 00:18:16.519 --> 00:18:21.640 passing through, They're screaming past us at incredible speeds. Beyond 340 00:18:21.640 --> 00:18:24.720 just the raw velocity, What are the biggest headaches. 341 00:18:24.359 --> 00:18:26.880 For mission planners? What keeps them up at night when 342 00:18:26.880 --> 00:18:29.000 they even think about trying to catch one of these 343 00:18:29.039 --> 00:18:29.920 cosmic bullets. 344 00:18:30.119 --> 00:18:32.519 You've absolutely hit on the core problem. The speed is 345 00:18:32.559 --> 00:18:37.039 one massive factor, yes, but it's compounded by their trajectories, 346 00:18:37.039 --> 00:18:40.640 what we call hyperbolic trajectories. Unlike our own solar systems 347 00:18:40.680 --> 00:18:43.200 comets and asteroids, which are gravitationally down to the Sun 348 00:18:43.240 --> 00:18:46.720 and follow elliptical pass coming back again and again, these 349 00:18:46.759 --> 00:18:49.759 interstellar objects they're just here for a single fleeting visit. 350 00:18:49.799 --> 00:18:52.359 They come in from interstellar space. They whip around the 351 00:18:52.359 --> 00:18:54.839 Sun once using its gravity like as slang shot basically, 352 00:18:54.880 --> 00:18:58.279 and then boom they're gone back out into the interstellar void, 353 00:18:58.359 --> 00:18:59.039 never to return. 354 00:18:59.200 --> 00:19:03.839 So no second chances, no leisurely rendezvous. 355 00:19:03.240 --> 00:19:06.960 None whatsoever. We get one shot, and that window of 356 00:19:06.960 --> 00:19:11.000 opportunity is incredibly narrow, often just weeks or maybe months 357 00:19:11.039 --> 00:19:13.119 in the moment we detect it until it's simply too 358 00:19:13.160 --> 00:19:16.680 far away and moving too fast to even contemplate reaching 359 00:19:17.240 --> 00:19:19.799 trying to match their speed for an extended study, like 360 00:19:19.880 --> 00:19:23.359 going into orbit around one with their current propulsion technology, 361 00:19:23.559 --> 00:19:26.880 it's just well, it's simply not feasible. The amount of 362 00:19:26.880 --> 00:19:29.920 fuel you need for that kind of massive deceleration and 363 00:19:29.960 --> 00:19:33.880 then orbital insertion would be absolutely astronomical, far beyond what 364 00:19:33.960 --> 00:19:37.400 any current rocket could carry on any realistic budget could sustain. 365 00:19:37.680 --> 00:19:39.400 It really is like trying to get i don't know, 366 00:19:39.759 --> 00:19:42.519 a delivery truck to somehow chase down and then start 367 00:19:42.519 --> 00:19:44.680 circling a supersonic jet that's only going to fly through 368 00:19:44.720 --> 00:19:47.039 your local airspace one single time. It's just not going 369 00:19:47.119 --> 00:19:49.920 to happen with today's tech, and this creates enormous logistical 370 00:19:50.000 --> 00:19:52.519 herbals for anyone trying to design a mission. You're talking 371 00:19:52.519 --> 00:19:55.960 about an almost impossibly short observation window for telescopes on 372 00:19:56.000 --> 00:19:58.200 Earth to even spot the object in the first place, 373 00:19:58.240 --> 00:20:01.119 then calculate its trajectory, acculate enough, and then plan and 374 00:20:01.200 --> 00:20:04.240 launch an intercept mission. Then the spacecraft itself would need 375 00:20:04.359 --> 00:20:08.359 immense propulsive power just for the launch and any necessary 376 00:20:08.400 --> 00:20:12.000 course corrections midflight, which, as I said, is largely beyond 377 00:20:12.039 --> 00:20:15.119 our current capabilities. If the goal is an orbital rendez prouve, 378 00:20:15.559 --> 00:20:18.319 the need for immediate precise action once a target is 379 00:20:18.400 --> 00:20:21.720 identified is just paramount. You can't ditter, you can't wait 380 00:20:21.759 --> 00:20:24.039 around for the next launch window. The target is already 381 00:20:24.039 --> 00:20:27.039 moving away at this incredible clip. It dictates a very fleeting, 382 00:20:27.160 --> 00:20:31.279 very fast encounter, making those traditional long duration orbital missions 383 00:20:31.480 --> 00:20:34.440 simply impossible for these kinds of targets right now. 384 00:20:34.720 --> 00:20:39.559 Wow, a supersonic jet and a one time pass only 385 00:20:39.599 --> 00:20:43.759 that really does sound almost insurmountable. So if orbiting them 386 00:20:43.839 --> 00:20:45.680 is out, if we can't chase them, and the way 387 00:20:45.720 --> 00:20:49.839 we normally think about space missions, what hope does this 388 00:20:50.359 --> 00:20:53.839 SRI concept offer? How do you even begin to approach 389 00:20:53.920 --> 00:20:56.720 such an elusive, fast moving target. This is where it 390 00:20:56.720 --> 00:20:57.599 gets really interesting. 391 00:20:57.599 --> 00:21:00.279 I guess this is indeed where the ingenuity of space 392 00:21:00.359 --> 00:21:03.119 engineers really comes into play, where you take what looks 393 00:21:03.160 --> 00:21:06.359 impossible and find a clever workaround, often by shifting your 394 00:21:06.400 --> 00:21:11.000 perspective on the problem. Southwest Research Institute or SRORI, they 395 00:21:11.000 --> 00:21:13.640 have this internally funded project where they've completed a really 396 00:21:13.640 --> 00:21:16.720 detailed mission study, and this study specifically lays out how 397 00:21:16.720 --> 00:21:20.480 a proposed spacecraft could successfully achieve a flyby with an 398 00:21:20.519 --> 00:21:24.880 interstellar comic. The absolute key here is the phrase flyby reconnaissance. 399 00:21:25.079 --> 00:21:27.599 We're not talking about orbiting, We're talking about a high speed, 400 00:21:27.759 --> 00:21:31.720 close range pass. Their rigorous studies showed pretty convincingly actually 401 00:21:31.920 --> 00:21:33.960