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Speaker 1: Welcome to Astronomy Daily, your source for the latest space

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in astronomy news. I'm your host, Anna, and we've got

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an exciting lineup of stories for you today, from groundbreaking

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rocket launches to mind bending discoveries in the depths of space.

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We'll be covering the most recent developments in space exploration

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and astronomical research. We'll dive into United Launch Alliance's latest

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Vulcan rocket flight, explore a peculiar galaxy captured by the

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Hubble Space Telescope, and preview Blue Origin's upcoming spacecraft debut.

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We'll also discuss a record breaking triple Star system, examine

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surprising findings from the James Webb Space Telescope about early galaxies,

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and catch up with NASA's Parker Solar Probe as it

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continues its close encounters with our son. So buckle up

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and get ready for a journey through the cosmos as

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we explore these fascinating stories from the world of astronomy

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and space science. United Launch Alliance's second Vulcan rocket flight

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took off last Friday, marking a crucial test in the

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company's efforts to certify the new launcher for high priority

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national security missions. While the rocket successfully reached orbit. The

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flight wasn't without drama. One of the two solid propellants

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strap on boosters, experienced an anomaly during the ascent. About

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thirty seven seconds after liftoff, observers noticed a shower of

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sparks and what appeared to be debris falling away from

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the right side booster. The issue seemed to originate near

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the nozzle at the base of the booster, causing a

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noticeable change in the exhaust plumes shape. Despite this setback,

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the vulcan continued its climb to space, demonstrating impressive resilience.

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The core stage's two Blue Origin built B four engines,

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each generating five hundred fifty thousand pounds of thrust, carried

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on with the mission. After the first stage separation, the

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Centaur upper stage took over, completing two burns to demonstrate

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its ability to restart in space, a key requirement for

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complex military payload trajectories. ULA CEO Tory Bruno acknowledged the

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booster anomaly, but emphasized that the overall trajectory remained nominal

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throughout the flight, Any plans to investigate the issue thoroughly

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once the mission is complete. This flight was the second

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of two certification test flights needed before the Vulcan can

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carry high priority payloads for the US Space Force and

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National Reconnaissance Office. The impact of the booster anomaly on

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the certification process remains uncertain, but it's clear that ULA

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will need to address any concerns before moving forward with

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national security launches. The Vulcan represents the future of ULA,

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set to replace both the retired Delta four and the

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soon to be phased out at Las five rockets. With

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over seventy missions already booked before its first flight, the

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stakes are high for ULA to resolve any issues quickly

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and maintain customer confidence in the new launch system. Now,

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let's turn our attention to a fascinating discovery made by

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the Hubble Space Telescope. The Venerable Observatory has captured an

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image of a galaxy that's breaking the mold when it

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comes to classification. Located about fifty four million light years

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away in the Virgo galaxy cluster GGC four thousand, six

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hundred and ninety four is what astronomers call a peculiar galaxy.

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At first glance, it appears to have characteristics of both

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elliptical and spiral galaxies. Making it a real cosmic oddball.

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NGC four thousand, six hundred and ninety four has a

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smooth looking, armless disc that's nearly devoid of star formation,

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similar to an elliptical galaxy. However, its stellar population is

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still relatively young and new stars are actively forming in

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its core. This gives NGC four thousand, six hundred and

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ninety four a markedly different stellar profile from a classic

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elliptical galaxy. What's even more intriguing is the chaotic structure

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of dust visible in the hubble image. This indicates some

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kind of disturbance in the galaxy's past. As it turns out,

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NGC four thousand, six hundred and ninety four has undergone

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a violent collision with a nearby dwarf galaxy VCC twenty

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sixty two. This cosmic crash has left NGC four thousand,

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six hundred and ninety four accreting gas from its smaller neighbor,

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fueling its unique character. Teruristics. Astronomers classify NGC four thousand,

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six hundred and ninety four as a lenticular galaxy, a

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type that lacks the distinct spiral arms but still has

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a central bulge and disc. These galactic oddballs are crucial

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for understanding how galaxies evolve over time. The discovery of

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NGC four thousand, six hundred and ninety four reminds us

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that the universe is full of surprises and not everything

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fits neatly into our pre defined categories. By studying these

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peculiar galaxies, astronomers can gain valuable insights into the complex

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processes that shape our cosmic neighborhood. Let's get an update

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now from Blue Origin, who've been far from taking things easy.

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Blue Origin, the aerospace company founded by Amazon's Jeff Bezos,

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is gearing up for an exciting milestone this Monday, October seventh.

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They're set to debut a brand new spacecraft on their

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NS twenty seven mission. This uncrude flight will mark the

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first launch for this particular New Shepherd vehicle. The mission

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is scheduled to lift off from Blue Origins West Texas

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site during a window that opens at nine am Eastern time.

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While no humans will be on board, the capsule will

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carry twelve research payloads, including new navigation systems for both

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New Shepherd and Blue Origin's larger New Glen rocket. This

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new vehicle features some notable upgrades. Blue Origin says It

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includes technology improvements to enhance performance and reusability, as well

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as an updated exterior design. The company also mentions that

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it has accommodations for payloads on the booster itself. The

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NS twenty seven mission represents an important step for Blue

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Origins commercial space flight ambitions. It's the second human rated

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New Shepherd vehicle, which should allow the company to increase

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its flight capacity and better meet growing customer demand for

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suborbital space tourism and research flights. If successful, this launch

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will pave the way for Blue Origin to expand its

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operations and potentially increase the frequency of its crude flights

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in the future. It's a clear sign that the company

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is pushing forward in the competitive commercial space industry. Moving

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on now to a NASA mission update. NASA's exoplanet hunting spacecraft,

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the Transiting Exoplanet Survey Satellite or TESTS, has made a

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groundbreaking discovery that's pushing the boundaries of what we thought

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possible in stellar systems. Scientists have spotted a record breaking

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triple star system that's so tightly packed it could fit

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comfortably between our Sun and its closest planet, Mercury. This

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extraordinary system, known as TICK two, nine zero zero six

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one four eight four is located about five thousand light

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years away in the constellation Sickness. It consists of twin

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stars that orbit each other every one point eight earth days,

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with a third star circling this pair every twenty five days.

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To put this in perspective, the previous record holder for

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the tightest three star system had an outer orbit of

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thirty three days, set back in nineteen fifty six. What

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makes this discovery even more remarkable is the stability of

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the system. The stars orbit in nearly the same plane,

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which helps maintain their gravitational balance. However, this delicate dance

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won't last forever. In a few million years, the twin

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stars at the heart of the system will expand and

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eventually merge, triggering a massive supernova explosion. This finding isn't

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just a cosmic curiosity. It has significant implications for our

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understanding of star formation and evolution. The compact nature of

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the system suggests that these stars likely form together from

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the same process, challenging our models of how multiple star

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systems come into being. The discovery was made possible through

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a combination of test data, machine learning algorithms, and the

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keen eyes of citizens scientists. It highlights the power of

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collaborative efforts between professional astronomers and amateur enthusiasts in pushing

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the boundaries of astronomical research. Looking ahead, NASA's upcoming Nancy

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Grace Roman Space Telescope, set to launch in twenty twenty seven,

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promises to reveal even more of these tightly packed star systems.

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With its superior resolution, Roman could potentially help us discover

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systems with even shorter orbits, or perhaps even more stars

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crammed into a single system. This record breaking triple star

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system serves as a reminder that the universe still has

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plenty of surprises in store for us, continually challenging and

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expanding our understanding of the cosmos. Speaking of discoveries, here's

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another one from an old friend. The James Web Space

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Telescope continues to astound scientists with its groundbreaking discoveries. Recent

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observations have unveiled surprisingly bright and mature galaxies in the

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early universe, challenging our existing models of galaxy formation and cosmology.

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These ancient galaxies, observed just three hundred million years after

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the Big Bang, are far more luminous than scientists anticipated.

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Their brightness suggests they contain more stars in mass than

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previously thought possible for such young cosmic objects. What's even

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more intriguing is that many of these early galaxies show

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signs of actively growing black holes at their centers, another

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indication of their unexpectedly rapid maturation. These findings have left

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astronomers scratching their heads. How could these galaxies have formed

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so quickly and become so bright in such a short

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time after the universe's birth. It's a puzzle that's forcing

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us to reconsider our understanding of early galaxy evolution. Some

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scientists propose that star formation in the early universe may

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have been more intense or bursty than we previously believed.

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Others suggest factors like lower amounts of galactic dust or

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a different distribution of star masses could explain the unexpected brightness.

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But these observations aren't just challenging our ideas about galaxy formation.

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They're also prompting some researchers to consider modifications to our

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broader cosmological theories. Some have even suggested that these findings

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might require us to reconsider the age of the universe itself. However,

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it's important to note that before we start rewriting our

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cosmology textbooks. We need a more detailed understanding of the

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physical processes at work in these early galaxies. As we

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continue to gather data and refine our models, we may

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find explanations that fit within our current framework of understanding.

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What's clear is that the James Web Space Telescope is

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living up to its promise of revolutionizing our view of

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the early universe. As we peer further back in time,

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we're sure to encounter more surprises that will push the

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boundaries of our knowledge and spark new questions about the cosmos.

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And finally, today, another NASA record breaking update. NASA's Parker

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Solar Probe has once again pushed the boundaries of solar

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exploration with its latest close encounter with our star. On

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September thirtieth, the probe completed its twenty first close approach

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to the Sun, matching its own impressive distance record by

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coming within just four point five to one million miles

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of the solar surface. During this close approach, or perihelion,

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the spacecraft reached speeds of nearly three hundred and ninety

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five thousand miles per hour as it raced around the Sun.

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This mind boggling velocity is about one hundred and eighty

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times faster than the speed of a typical commercial airliner.

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But the Parker Solar Probe isn't done breaking records yet.

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After a fly by a venus in November, which will

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use the planet's gravity to adjust the probe's trajectory, it

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will make an even closer approach to the Sun on

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December twenty fourth. This upcoming encounter will bring the spacecraft

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within a mere three point eight million miles of the

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Solar surface, traveling at speeds around four hundred thirty thousand

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miles per hour. These incredibly close passes allow scientists to

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gather unprecedented data about the Sun's atmosphere, magnetic fields, and

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the solar wind. The information collected by the Parker Solar

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Probe is helping us better understand our star and its

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effects on space weather, which can impact technology both in

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orbit and on Earth. And that brings us to the

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end of today's journey through the cosmos. From record breaking

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star systems to mysterious early galaxies, the universe never fails

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to amaze and inspire us. I'm Anna, and I hope

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you've enjoyed this episode of Astronomy Daily. If you're hungry

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for more space news, be sure to check out our

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website at Astronomy Daily dot io. There you can sign

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up for our free daily newsletter, explore our constant updating

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news feed, and listen to all our past episodes. It's

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your one stop shop for all things astronomy. Want to

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connect with fellow space enthusiasts, find us on social media

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by searching for astro Daily Pod. We're on Facebook, x, YouTube,

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and TikTok, sharing the wonders of the universe every single day.

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Thanks for tuning in, and remember keep looking up because

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the sky is never the limit. Until next time. This

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is Anna for Astronomy Daily. Signing off Sunday Stars starz

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Star